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Post by Ben on Jul 30, 2019 15:04:51 GMT
Davide Zafferani - UpdateLast time, I told of a story where my best player just couldn't get involved in the game and, despite us doing well, I felt that he could be doing so much better. I have allowed him to roam much more from his position before, essentially giving him a completely free role. I don't even feel that these screenshots do his play this season justice and I'll try and dig out a few moves whereby he is integral. Firstly, his form: He's already equalled last years goal tally after five league games, with two of those being MoTM performances and, despite one game against Inter where he was marked out of it - has really played well. Below - I can compare a few performances to try and explain why: These are the touch maps of Zafferani in two games - we beat Lazio 2-1 away from home and Catanzaro 2-0 at home. With Catanzaro playing away from home, the smaller side and a manager, Guiseppe Rossi, who likes a direct game, it meant that they would naturally have lots of players behind the ball (in fact, essentially a back 6 was played at times). With his ability to roam, it allowed Davide to pick the ball up very deep and move forward. You can see that, from his heat map, he still very much occupied the AMC role but was able to dictate play and make use of their two DMs and nobody in the MC strata. If anything, I would have liked a bit more in the final third but this is promising. On the other hand, when playing against Markus Schopp's attacking 3-5-2, He has found space in the middle a little harder to come by so most of his play is actually in the spaces behind the offensive wingers or in the half spaces going forward. Again, being picky - I'd have liked to have seen him push on more - but then again he is being played as an AP(s) and, as such, isn't naturally going to be on the last man. Next, there are games against Cagliari and Inter, and this graphic shows his passes. Nicola Stambelli, Cagliari manager, employs a high press and this has meant that Davide has had to work hard to find space but that has come from player a more defensive left back and allowing him to move to the left, slightly. Inter employed a solid 4-4-2 and the two lines of four really strangled his space, particularly when he was being marked by a world class midfielder. He has had to come very deep for the ball, so much so that, with our focus on short passing, he's been unable to really influence anything offensively driven. A poor game for him and taking him off to be replaced by a more physical presence in the MC slot probably helped us avoid a bigger defeat. All in all, it makes for promising reading:
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Post by Ben on Jul 30, 2019 15:46:00 GMT
August/September 2035Throughout this save we have always started the season well - and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it is my pre-season schedule, the way I plan fitness development or maybe even the friendlies against weaker opposition? We have not really faced too many tough teams, Inter dominated us and can go top if they win their games in hand but we were really unlucky against Fiorentina, bossing the game against their ultra-defensive 4-1-4-1 but succumbed to a 20-yard screamer. Elsewhere, we have been tight at the back and would have kept another clean sheet if Roma hadn't thrown the kitchen sink at us in injury time, pretty much knowing the game had already gone. I'm really happy with the start on and off the field.
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Post by Ben on Jul 30, 2019 17:57:28 GMT
Marquee Signing?The question mark is part of me putting into words my thoughts to see how well the idea of this would work. I have previously discussed how my only gripe with youth only saves now is that the 'pull' of squad changes through determination and personality makes it too hard to develop good personalities. I am toying with the idea of being able to sign a marquee player every few years that would help to change the dynamics of the team and help the development of personalities and determination level throughout the squad. Here is the player that I have in mind: Analyst Report. Scout Report. Season Stats. Scouted Game Overview.There are a number of boxes that I want him to be able to tick before I think about making this move. Personality (will he positive improve the team?) Hidden attributes (anything that would make him unsuitable?) Age (is he old enough to not take my time away from developing my own players?) Sell-on value (am I likely to be inundated with highly profitable bids for him taking away time from making profit on my own players?) Potential to be a team leader (is he good enough to play enough minutes to reach that level?) Determination (will he improve it for the team?) Replacement (who is he replacing within the current squad hierarchy?) Cost (he is a marquee signing but will he put the financial future of the club at doubt?) Firstly - his personality and media handling style: Model Professional Professionalism 20, Temperament 10-20 Evasive Professionalism 15-20, Pressure 15-20 This is pretty much perfect here. Good under pressure, highly professional and, at least, a good temperament. Elsewhere, through his scout report, I can see that he likes big matches, is consistent and versatile. He's 25 which means that he should be close to his full potential, which is good enough to be a good player in Serie A, although my scouts do feel that there could be a little bit more left. He is clearly a very good player - pretty much 'good' across the board and with some good defensive attributes. I don't like all of his traits as I feel they don't compliment each other but a hip injury, suffered twice in a year, did keep in him out for three months at a time - I have had no suggestions of problems with injuries through any scout reports though. He has played for two clubs in his career, Sporting Luquena and Montpellier, so that would suggest that he is fairly loyal and probably wouldn't be looking for a move any time soon - meaning that a 5-year deal would take him to 30 and, realistically, see my losing any kind of sell on value that I might get. He is currently classed as a team leader (I saw this in a press conference after I went to watch him) for his team who are about the same level as us and he will essentially be replacing team leader Gianluca Muratori, who is coming up to 32 and short on minutes this season. There is one other promising left back, a 16 year old in the U18 squad who hasn't been at the club long enough for me to determine whether he will be a serious prospect for the first team. Cost wise - I believe he would cost about £16m, although I may look to offset a bit in instalments as we, technically, aren't guaranteed to be big players in this division, yet. Wages might be a stumbling block with him presumably wanting an upgrade on his £18k p/w - meaning that I'd have to stretch my budget in which top earner Zafferani takes home just £30k p/w. Thoughts?
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Post by Nick on Jul 30, 2019 19:32:41 GMT
That seems like a well thought out and thorough analysis Ben, and I'd be hard-pushed to disagree with any of it. The one thing that does stand out about him, apart from the weird combination of 'knocks ball past opponent' and 'stays back at all times', is his lack of leadership, which is largely why he is being brought in.
I don't have any experience with bars over attributes, but I'd say his leadership roughly translates as 10/11 from that screenshot, which seems a little better than average to me.
I understand that FM doesn't seem to rank 'team leaders' by leadership, and I know he has everything else needed, but if I were looking to bring him in for that specific reason, I'd look for a rating a little higher than average. Just my two pence.
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Post by Ben on Jul 30, 2019 20:25:29 GMT
October/November 2035
As has always happened after the good start, a poor run. We couldn't buy a win and the luck went against us wherever possible. However, a contentious penalty and a swift counter attack saw us break our duct against Milan and then we rolled over a poor Palermo side. It's very tight at the top but we have beaten Roma and Milan of the teams around us - signifying that we, perhaps, could be in with a shot at a European place this season. Notice there is no Lazio or Napoli in there as both are having awful seasons at current.
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Post by Ben on Jul 30, 2019 20:29:23 GMT
That seems like a well thought out and thorough analysis Ben, and I'd be hard-pushed to disagree with any of it. The one thing that does stand out about him, apart from the weird combination of 'knocks ball past opponent' and 'stays back at all times', is his lack of leadership, which is largely why he is being brought in. I don't have any experience with bars over attributes, but I'd say his leadership roughly translates as 10/11 from that screenshot, which seems a little better than average to me. I understand that FM doesn't seem to rank 'team leaders' by leadership, and I know he has everything else needed, but if I were looking to bring him in for that specific reason, I'd look for a rating a little higher than average. Just my two pence. Yeah - the traits make no sense and I have no idea why AI managers would develop them like that. His leadership is what I guess I'm quantifying as good and, yes, you're right, I'd like that to be a lot higher if he is going to be a leader and maybe vice/captain one day. However - it is his personality that has given me the biggest pull considering that I've seen just how much 'power' my team leaders have when sharing their personalities. My other query is 'how' does he become a team leader?! What if he doesn't and just drops to F.Pro himself? (I do know that M.Pro has 20 for Professionalism and F.Pro is ~ 12 or so, which means that won't realistically happen but you get my concern). Montpellier are struggling at the bottom end of Ligue 1 so I do have a bit of time to think and we are currently going through another attempted takeover so I can't do a lot, anyway.
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ianf
New Member
Posts: 92
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Post by ianf on Jul 31, 2019 2:24:53 GMT
Makes a ton of sense to me
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Post by Ben on Jul 31, 2019 20:17:48 GMT
December 2035/January 2036We have lost a little bit of ground here, particularly due to some poor form in December, starting with an embarrassing defeat at home to Serie C side Cosenza, showing that I really do not have any kind of squad depth. Four points from the next two followed but then we just didn't find anything against Bologna and Cesena - two teams who aren't supposed to be anywhere near where their current position suggests, particularly newly promoted Cesena. A couple of friendlies followed before a good win over Cagliari and a hard fought draw at the San Siro against second placed Inter. Above is a story of a loan deal that worked. I allowed Valentini to move to Serie B side Benevento as they were predicted to finish pretty high and were offering him first team football. Three goals and three assists for a team that were top of the table at Christmas, as well as now being reported to be good enough to be in Serie A made me recall him. Since then, he's scored two in two for us at an average rating of 7.4. I'm very excited about what he can do - remembering that he's still only 17.
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Post by Ben on Jul 31, 2019 22:32:24 GMT
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Post by Ben on Jul 31, 2019 22:37:27 GMT
Deal acceptedI think I've got a bargain here. £8m up front and then various other clauses. Just to negotiate a contract now...
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Post by Ben on Aug 1, 2019 11:10:15 GMT
February/March 2036Our season is, once again, petering out due to long standing issues of being unable to put the ball into the net. There are tactical issues here, definitely, but there are also issues that my attackers are not as good as the defenders and, simply, can't get the better of them. However - the table remains convoluted and a couple of good performances could easily see us overtake the bunch around us and leave us with what, on paper, would look like a successful season. The truth is that we had fifteen points from seven games (2.14 PPG) and now 24 points from 20 games (1.2 PPG) which, quite frankly, will never see us able to challenge for honours. Over the summer, I am planning on freshening up the squad somewhat by moving on some older members and replacing them with those that have succeeded out on loan or in the youth sides.
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Post by Ben on Aug 1, 2019 21:49:37 GMT
2035/36 End of seasonKind of glad that this is over. We went into the last fixtures, all seven of which played in May, knowing that wins over teams around us would lift us up the table. Firstly - we went 3-0 down to Cesena inside 15 minutes and, had it not been from the comeback of my time, would have lost heavily - a 3-3 draw is what we deserved. Then we went and lost to Virtus, stupidly. We beat Bologna at the end of the season but that was too little, too late. Three games whereby those nine points would have changed the season - four means we finish on place lower than last year, although five points better of. I'm struggling with good performers here, to be fair. Vadivelou has cemented himself as the first choice DM and Zafferani has enjoyed a much better season in the AMs strata than last year - scoring seven goals, too. We've struggled to give players minutes and, because of this stagnation in performances - I'm planning on some pretty hefty changes over the summer months.
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Post by Ben on Aug 1, 2019 22:14:00 GMT
Changing of the guard
With a season where we have pretty much stood still, I think that this is a great chance to make a leap that could see us propelled forward over the next five years. We have five players in the first team who have been with us since Serie C and, to be fair, are now out of their depth. As you can see - there is a huge amount of experience from these five players, both internationally and with the club - the leading appearance maker and goalscorer for us are there and our old captain and vice-captain. However - there has to be a time to move on, and I'm now using this time to formally bring through five new members of playing staff into my first team: 1. Julien Fabre for Armando MaioloJulien has spent the last three years out on loan - firstly with Serie C side Gubbio and last year in Portugal at Estoril. It would be easy to bypass him because of his relatively poor AR over that time (6.96, 6.94 and 6.73 respectively) but each of these teams have struggled and this year coming from an 83% pass completion ratio, three assists and a player of the match in twenty nine starts is a decent return. He's played top league football in a division only slightly weaker than ours so that alone gives him the right to have a chance. Himself, he is a good passer and much better technically than Maiolo. He's a little bigger and more physical and, with no player traits, will fit in quite well in the DM role. He's also a professional (until the rest of the squad bring that down) and my coaches believe that he can develop a bit more, too. 2. Alessandro Valentini for Gianluca CasadeiAlessandro had a great breakthrough in the latter half of last season and is a really good winger. Two footed and able to play in either the W(a) or the IF(s) roles that I employ on either side - he's pacey and a good finisher with good technique and a fantastic cross. I'm hoping he can add to the four goals and three assists he got in the fourteen starts last year. 3. Leonardo Marra for Roberto MolinariMarra is another one who played at the end of last season - and I really like his finishing and off the ball. He can also dribble and control the ball well and works a little harder than Molinari, which makes him a better option as a CF(a). This move will mean he's less likely to be utilised as a wide forward like he has done off the bench this year. I hope he can seriously challenge Zavoli. 4. Diego Samaniego for Gianluca Muratori
This means that I did get my man! More on him when he arrives but he's clearly a step up from Muratori. Having a left back that isn't right footed alone makes me more confident. 5. Fabio Della Valle for Nicola MancaNot overly convinced on the lack of technical ability from Della Valle but thirty Serie A games for Verona on loan have boosted his mental attributes and he's a rock in that are with great decisions, bravery and positioning.
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Post by Ben on Aug 5, 2019 13:55:26 GMT
Intake 6 (2035/36) Youth Development
Another season completed means another look at how I'm doing with my youth development. Below is the crop of players who I have monitored this season. For comparison - here are the previous intakes: Intake 1 (2030/31) and included Ciavatta, L.Zafferani, Valentini, Zavoli, Muccioli
End mean technical - 6.69 (0.68 increase) End mean mental - 10.74 (1.52 increase) End mean physical - 11.94 (0.97 increase) Intake 2 (2031/32) and included Muccioli
End mean technical - 6.03 (0.65 increase) End mean mental - 9.05 (0.60 increase) End mean physical - 11.11 (0.81 increase) Intake 3 (2032/33) and included nobody that has made the first team yet.
End mean technical - 6.46 (0.88 increase) End mean mental - 8.79 (0.76 increase) End mean physical - 11.72 (1.33 increase) Intake 4 (2033/34) and included nobody that has made the first team yet.
End mean technical - 6.94 (0.75 increase) End mean mental - 9.04 (0.59 increase) End mean physical - 10.88 (1.2 increase) Intake 5 (2034/35) and included Valentini, Marra and Cervellini
End mean technical - 7.47 (0.67 increase) End mean mental - 9.73 (0.66 increase) End mean physical - 11.52 (1.23 increase) --- Just 0.05 off from our strongest ever technical intake, something which is promising as it shows the changes that we have put in place higher up, such as the more technically minded HoYD. It is also a very close third in terms of mental end points but both intake five and intake one, which were better, have provided a significant amount of first team players. Maybe this mental ability at a young age is the reason that they are making the first team? This was also an interesting one for me personality wise - some solid personalities on show but I was interested in the extent that light-hearted would work and it would appear that both of those players have done well. However, they are two of the older players - going through the 17-18 age bracket over the year, whereas several others have gone from the 16-17. I don't know at what age I'd be expecting to see the biggest growth. I feel that tracking attribute growth has actually given me more questions than answers, but I am really enjoying finding out.
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Post by Ben on Aug 5, 2019 14:12:49 GMT
New signing
Doubling his wages and becoming a key player sees me make my first signing of my fifteen year reign in San Marino but he may literally be the only one that I need to make. Dario fits the bill completely for me on and off the pitch - with only a couple of things I'd change. He's working on removing the trait of staying back, although I don't play excessively attacking wing backs and he's not as strong going forward as he is defensively. The one thing with this signing that will need to be tracked is his standing within the squad. Here is what it currently looks like: So he's only listed as an influential player (hierarchy is influential, highly influential and a team leader) but he is a new signing. The good signs are that he has a good reputation and high ability and, all being well, will also add regular playing time to that. I don't know whether his good reputation as an international footballer (Paraguay are 31st in the world) will immediately put him above the Sammarinese internationals (currently 78th in the world) but time shall tell. He doesn't fit into a social group as of yet and I'll be hoping that he does - even though he is from a very different culture and right now doesn't speak the language. It is pleasing to see that all my French players from the other academy are mixed in and not in their own group - giving me hope that Dario can intertwine, too.
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Post by Ben on Aug 5, 2019 21:19:01 GMT
Youth Training 2036/37 (Intake 7)Above is my next group of youth players that I am working with. I have added a new box for role (I was initially planning on making this drop down that highlighted the key attributes for the role but that died when I saw how much work it would take) because that does slightly change how their development will go. Firstly - this group is stronger technically and physically than last year but weaker physically - due to that I have decided to make some slight alterations to the schedules. Below is the old one followed by the remade on: Firstly - I have removed the quickness and added in a resistance. Both pace and acceleration are the highest average attributes and adding in another resistance session should bring the strength up, as well as workrate. With the 'decent' technical ability - I want to spend a bit more time looking at developing mental attributes - given my hypothesis at the end of last year about early mental attribute development being a key way into the first team. Therefore, the 'tactical' blocks are much more useful here as the focus on more than just keeping possession, rather focusing on off the ball, anticipation of decisions amongst other things. I have also taken the goalkeeping and set piece training out. We have, and continue to, really lack in the set piece department all the way to the first team and it's something that has really passed me by - however, I don't recall ever noticing a player who stands out in these attributes and someone who I could make a world class set piece specialist. It is also worth noting that I haven't developed a single goalkeeper to any kind of level since Stefanelli - and he played first team football at 16. I know that I am not tracking their development but I wonder how much time I need to give them specialist sessions rather than the 20% here and there whey they are part of the other sessions. This is where their individual roles come into play, and why I've added them to the tracking screen. I'm trying to work out how much time is spent working on their roles (and the attributes that their roles develop) and how much is used in the sessions. For example, attacking shadow play works on anticipation, composure, decisions, off the ball and teamwork for the attacking unit (60% priority), anticipation, concentration, decisions, positioning and teamwork for the defensive unit (20% priority) and anticipation, decisions, positioning and teamwork for the goalkeepers (20%). This is compared to chance creation that works crossing, passing, technique, decisions, flair, off the ball and vision for attacking unit (60%) and individual roles for defence (20%) and goalkeepers (20%). It only appears that match practice works on every players role with every other block having a certain focus on another attribute. It does make me wonder whether the purely 'team' blocks could more useful here as all players are then getting more focus on the attributes I want to develop (particularly if I choose tactical or physical as they are full team ones). I have made a few changes with the units too - moving my DM's to the attacking units so that they can get a bit more exposure to chance creation: I have also added them all an individual focus that largely focuses on technical development as that has been somewhat reduced from the whole training: --- Once again - this is has brought up as many questions as it has answered. I will look at the end of the season and make some judgements again there before coming back to this.
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Post by Ben on Aug 5, 2019 21:36:43 GMT
Choosing a feederStill going in my attempts to lure foreign youngsters in to the academy. Here is my latest attempt. I asked for a club that can recruit foreign youngsters as our reputation has clearly increased enough to do so. These are the replies I received when I told the board to find one themselves (this was a hypothesis I had as to why my own-choice clubs hadn't provided me players). As you can see - there is a different section for Pole Espoirs, who clearly want to re-ignite the deal that has seen four of their players in my first team although a big drought since on anyone of any quality. I wonder whether this could be a big part of being able to provide youth players? I didn't chose them again but here is a shot of their facilities, which can't be seen through the normal screen as they don't have a stadium:
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Post by Ben on Aug 5, 2019 21:40:34 GMT
Samaniego/Mentoring updateAs you can see, as Dario has settled in and learnt a bit of the language, his standing within the team has improved, which has pleased him. He's added the 'important squad member' to the reasons and, as I said, hopefully he'll add the 'regular play time' too. With his increase in standing and his good personality - he's already a significant figure and can positive impact other highly influential players, which makes him a great 'mentoring lead' already. Time will tell as I, hopefully, watch personalities develop and determination levels increase thanks to this.
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Post by Ben on Aug 6, 2019 15:14:33 GMT
Wonderkid watchI can't remember exactly how many this is now but I think Alessandro may be the sixth or seventh wonderkid we have produced...
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Post by Ben on Aug 6, 2019 15:39:28 GMT
August/September 2036A really good start to the season but one that was very much required given the opposition that we have faced. Seeing Zavoli score two hatricks in the space of three games has been quite phenomenal - his movement in the box looks really sharp at the moment and I need to make sure that I am continuing to give him those chances. A real statement of intent is our tactical victory over a really strong Napoli side. We didn't win the match but lined up to both nullify their threats and expose their weaknesses - getting in behind their overly-attacking left back allowed Valentini to score whilst lining up with a very defensive right hand side stopped their world class winger from having a sniff, being substituted after just an hour. It is these kinds of performances that need to happen regularly if we want to finish near the top of the table. Interestingly - we had exactly the same points record at this stage of last season following another great start. It is now imperative that we kick on and continue the run - it will be tough as we face both Milan sides next but I need to prioritise where I can get my points from. We are also doing really well in the player standings:
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Post by Ben on Aug 7, 2019 19:52:45 GMT
October/November 2036We have hit that typical struggle that always comes in the third and fourth months of the season - with disappointing losses against Sampdoria (who were in 18th at the time) and Brescia, who have since risen up the table. I can fully accept away defeats to Milan and Roma but if we want to continue moving up the table, we need to sort out our consistency against smaller teams. I fancy us to be able to improve on last years 10th place but things aren't quite where I want them yet.
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Post by Ben on Aug 7, 2019 21:25:33 GMT
Marquee signing?
It's only been a short time since I signed Dario Samaniego, but I feel that he has had a positive influence on the dressing room and is already proving to be a useful lead mentor. Therefore, I am going to propose repeating this experiment and sign another marquee player who I want to utilise their personality, amongst other things, to positively impact my own youth development. Meet Brazil's best kept secret - Igor Clerc: How this man has only made one transfer, from Corinthians to Sao Paulo is beyond me. He's, on paper at least, good enough for Europe! If I want to take this interest any further, Ineed to ask myself the same questions that I asked when signing Samaniego. Personality (will he positive improve the team?) Hidden attributes (anything that would make him unsuitable?) Age (is he old enough to not take my time away from developing my own players?) Sell-on value (am I likely to be inundated with highly profitable bids for him taking away time from making profit on my own players?) Potential to be a team leader (is he good enough to play enough minutes to reach that level?) Determination (will he improve it for the team?) Replacement (who is he replacing within the current squad hierarchy?) Cost (he is a marquee signing but will he put the financial future of the club at doubt?) Now Igor isn't 25 yet, and I've already signed a player this season so he won't be coming until next year at the earliest. However, he is a player that I crave in an area where I don't have a lot of depth. I currently have star player David Vadevelou alongside Davide Muccioli in the DM roles with Julien Fabre as backup. Behind them, I do have two promising defensive midfielders but, with the amount of games I have - having three really solid players here is a necessity and therefore it won't stunt the growth of Nardella and Cevolli. He also brings something to the DM role that we don't really have - a physical presence (remembering Vadevelou was initially a winger/attacking midfielder) who can win the ball back but is also good enough on it to play football (which puts him ahead of me using and of the centre backs in that role). He is also a fantastic dead-ball specialist and I really lack that at the moment. Having someone who can get five assists from corners each season, score some free kicks and take my penalties could be the difference between several points or places. He is also a determined individual and a leader, which, when settled in, should make him a really important figure within my dressing room. Imagine the youngsters who would be inspired by this man?! Model Professional and Level Headed indicates that he will simply be an outstanding member of the team off the field - with no indications of any worries to be told on the field. I have not had any issues around his ability to settle into a new country mentioned but there are a lot, including my own manager persona, of Brazilians at the club and Samaniego is South American, too. At 25, he'll represent a player who may have some left in his tank, although the Brazilian Serie A is a good standard, the football in Europe will undoubtedly post a higher level of challenge for him and that may see a little bit more development. If I can sign him for 5 years - he'll hopefully still be a good player by the time he hits 30 but the physicality of his game may begin to wane. This is not an issue for me as it practically reduces his sell on fee as a busy central midfielder to nothing. The stumbling block? Cost. Not hugely - he has a £14m release fee to foreign clubs but, at the moment, we are stuck in a bit of limbo - £35m in the bank but not necessarily making money, just sitting still. My scouts reckon he'll want no more than £40k p/w so he won't be breaking the bank. --- The best thing here is that I am in absolutely no rush. I won't be making this signing until next season any way - more for balancing the books than adhering to my 'rule' of one signing per season so I just need to monitor that nobody gets in first. I think he's a quality player and having two model professionals in the team can only be a boost to my squad development and then individually mentoring. Thoughts?
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Post by Ben on Aug 8, 2019 12:38:55 GMT
December 2036/January 2037Possibly the best two months I have had as manager here in San Marino. We have shown that we can play patient football where necessary but then, at the flick of the switch, ruthless attacking play - leading us to score the most goals that we have ever had before. We raced into a four nil lead against Bologna, likewise against Atalanta and will need to do a little bit of work in terms of homework before we face certain players. What is more - we still have a little left of the 'easier' run that we had at the start of the season. The more points we can get on the board here, the better off we will be after the tough run that involves all of the teams around us. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to miss out on Igor Clerc as, right now, he's not interested and is currently in talks with Sporting Lisbon. However - the money saved is going to be useful as I need to tie down David Vadivelou to a long term deal.
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Post by Ben on Aug 8, 2019 21:10:20 GMT
Marquee signings?
With Clerc choosing Sporting Lisbon over us, and, rightfully so - they are title challenges and we are little more than a solid mid-table team, I want to cast my net out again for another player. As previously stated, I don't want to bring in a player that stifles first team opportunities for my own academy prospects. Therefore, that leaves the positions that I feel need reinforcements to be:
- Right back: I have Valentini and Cervellini but nobody in the U20 or U18 squad. - Cente back: I have Selva who is competent as a ball player but, despite being good, Angelini is poor technically. Both Missiroli and Della Valle are pretty poor. - Defensive midfielder: Vadivelou and Muccioli with Fabre, Cervilli and Nardella but there is very little 'steel' in this area. - Striker: Zavoli is good and Marra is potentially a good backup but he's not good enough, yet.
Therefore - my scouts are now out and about seeing what they can dig up!
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Post by Ben on Aug 9, 2019 19:59:16 GMT
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Post by Ben on Aug 10, 2019 6:47:38 GMT
February/March 2037Whilst I don't feel like our results have been particularly fantastic over the last two months, I am delighted that we have managed to stay in the same league position, albeit with the gap to the top two massively widening. Looking back to past years, this is around the time that our strikers have been ten to fifteen hours into their goal droughts and we have gone entire months without a league goal. I can't fully credit the addition of the 'takes first time shots' trait that Zavoli has been working on this season as a cure for that but I do feel, now, that every time the ball goes into the box, he's got a chance of being able to put it in the net. Averaging just under two shots per game and a goal every 125 minutes this season is a really good return for him. I'd like to think that, however bad the season finishes for us, we should have enough already on the point to mean that we play our first ever European season next year.
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Post by Ben on Aug 10, 2019 12:31:28 GMT
Marquee signing?Augsburg have just been relegated and this lad has a £15.25m relegation release clause. At 27, Hernandez is completely in the peak of his career and, somehow, he's listed as a world-class player. I know that he's two footed and that skews his attributes, but, despite seeing him as a very good player, I don't know if I would class him as world class. However, he's also a professional as well as being evasive (no confrontation) and has a great level of determination. When looking at previous marquee signing Dario Samaniego's dynamics screen - it tells me that he does wish to be a team leader in the future (there seems to be a limit of three) and I can see that kind of reaction from Hernandez, too - especially considering his high leadership attribute. However - I think that there is tremendous potential for him to fill in the ball playing defender role that I desperately need. Good in the tackle and at marking, excellent at heading and at least good in all of the mental attributes required for defending, it is the excellent first touch, technique and player traits that make me see him as more of a fulcrum at the back rather than in the midfield. As previously mentioned, we have Giacomo Selva and Marco Angelini as first choice centre backs with Alessandro Missiroli and Fabio Della Valle as backups but with literally no depth beyond that. What is more, the latter three are not at all ball players and this is clearly evident when watching us trying to build from the back. He would fit a hole without stopping my own academy players from being able to develop. I am slightly concerned that, despite his media tag, he hasn't really set the world on fire so far in his career: I've not included this season as I will have a deeper look as my scouts finalise their feedback and analysis but there doesn't appear to be too much here, particularly when playing in leagues at a level similar to our own. In 2029/30 - when he joined Nantes, they finished 14th, in 2030/31 - Levante finished 18th and were relegated, In 2031/32 - Eintracht finished 14th and he's finished 16th, 16th and 12th since and is going to get relegated again this season. To put it bluntly, he hardly seems a player who has ever been tested at the top of the European game. Going back to my original questions when signing a marquee player (see below), I do have another thing to consider: - Personality (will he positive improve the team?) - Hidden attributes (anything that would make him unsuitable?) - Age (is he old enough to not take my time away from developing my own players?) - Sell-on value (am I likely to be inundated with highly profitable bids for him taking away time from making profit on my own players?) - Potential to be a team leader (is he good enough to play enough minutes to reach that level?) - Determination (will he improve it for the team?) - Replacement (who is he replacing within the current squad hierarchy?) - Cost (he is a marquee signing but will he put the financial future of the club at doubt?)When I signed Dario Samaniego, I only payed £8m upfront with all the rest coming across several years and in various clauses. However - here, I will have to pay all £16m in one payment as well as any agent fees (Cristhian Ramos, his agent, likes to get the best deal for himself and his client - i.e. will want a lot of money) and signing on fees in one go. The problem with this lies below: The lump at the top in June 2036 was our final figure last season, before the large outlay for Samaniego. Since then, we haven't really made any money - paying off the installments in his clauses and paying nearly £1.5m a month on our wage bill. We are selling out our 20k seater stadium and that doesn't bring a huge amount of income, nor does the sale of season tickets and the end of season commercial re-negotiations. Next year, all being well, we will have some European money but only the Champions League provides us with serious income, at the early stages at least. Whilst taking my balance down to about £15m (including agent and signing fees) won't be necessarily a huge issue and £15m is a colossal amount of money - I am wary that our board might see our reduced financial position as an excuse to make sales above my head. Thoughts?
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Post by Ben on Aug 10, 2019 13:32:39 GMT
Done dealAn away victory at Fiorentina has seen us clinch a spot in, at worst, the Europa League. Therefore, I have gone through with this: This deal obviously wipes out my transfer budget but I have literally no need for that now until, at least, the summer of 2038 but that £18.25m includes the fee for his agent. I feel that I have also managed to pull of a good deal on his contract: William will take home just under £2.1m a year in a basic wage, earn another £550k a year on a loyalty bonus scheme and take home around £300k in appearance related fees, meaning he'll cost around £3m a year and, added to his transfer fee, cost me about £28m over the course of his four year contract. Over the summer, I want to create a far more detailed chart of our playing staff costs and see where I can save money.
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Post by Ben on Aug 10, 2019 13:54:26 GMT
How does Hernandez compare?Very well, actually. I'm excited...
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Post by Ben on Aug 10, 2019 14:09:14 GMT
2036/37 End of Season What a season as we secure our first ever European qualification, just five years after being promoted to this division. Despite losing nine times, we have shown some absolute quality - including a 6-0 mauling away at Lazio and a last-day victory at home to Juventus. There are some shortcomings, tactically, but we are making really good progress as a team. The big thing here is the goalscoring exploits of Lorenzo Zavoli. 37 goals in 171 league games before this season didn't strike me with much confidence but he has found his feet and 25 league goals was enough for him to also win the Golden Boot. The other player to reach double figures, and Serie A player of the season, is David Vadivelou who has made the DM role completely his own. My wide players, despite their relatively low ratings, have surpassed my expectations this season too. In off field news: Whilst this is great news - this money is leaving my account at the same time as the transfer fee for William Hernandez. There may need to be some sales to compensate this.
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