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Poll: The Rise of York City

Aiming to get York City to the Premier League
Started on 24 May 2020 by RorySpurs
Latest Reply on 4 August 2020 by ScottT
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Should I try for another affiliate or just stick with Peterborough? (4 votes)
You'll be glad to see the back of Farsley, I bet.
2020-06-23 19:46#274715 ScottT : You'll be glad to see the back of Farsley, I bet.
I would have been if I had lost any of the games!
Thanks for reading!
Half Way Through the Season!

Out of nowhere, I am told that if Ben Godfrey plays for Norwich 5 more times then I will get £250,000. This is excellent news. I’m praying he doesn’t get injured any time soon!



In the league, we have got Southport. They are 6th. We can not take them lightly. They have been going well so far. I give Maguire the chance to start instead of Burrow. We start the game well and we take the lead in the 27th when Moke and Nicell are passing it around their defenders and play in McLaughlin for him to slot it home. Maguire is not making the most of his chances and he has three in the first half and misses them all.

At half time, I tell the players I want them to do more. It is utterly pointless as there are no more highlights. I swap Maguire for Burrow but still nothing. A poor performance but another 3 points in the bag.



Our next game is against Blyth in the FA trophy. We have had 10 days to prep for this so the first team are going to be ready! We take the lead on the 13th minute when Moke crosses in for McLaughlin to header in. However, Blyth nearly score within the minute but it is ruled offside. They actually draw level on the 27th. We are fortunate enough to get a penalty on the 33th. McLaughlin steps up... and passes it straight to the keeper. At half time I tell them all I have faith. After the hour mark we are still drawing so I make a double change, giving Bond and Maguire the chance to impress. On the 78th we take the lead. Bond knocks the ball over the top and Simons runs on to it to curl it past the keeper. We are leading but Blyth have a 10 minute onslaught on our goal. We hold out to win 2-1. We are into the next round and make £6k!



The draw for the next round is made and we have Dorking away. Also David Vaughan is upset, he wants to play more which would be fine but he has been my most injured player by far this season. If he keeps fit, he will get time, simple.

Back to the league and we are up against Alfreton. They are part timers but will the team be still thinking of the FA trophy? I make 6 changes to the starting line up for freshness and focus. David Vaughan gets his wanted start, he best impress. In the 6th minute our RB Griffiths gets an injury and I do not have a decent replacement on the bench. I have to play Woods (a CM loanee) at right back. Very annoying.

The game is as boring as a football could possibly be. We go through to half time 0-0. I aggressively tell them I want to see more. There is no highlight until the 71st. We work the ball in from the left and Vaughan whips in a delicious ball and Burrow controls it, taking the keeper and 2 defenders out of the game. He then squares it to York to pass into an empty net. That is also the final highlight of the game. Another low scoring win but 3 points is 3 points.



We are now at the half way stage of the season. It is time for a recap. We are top of the league with a 16 point lead. The squad are quality and are mostly happy with their playing time. We still have a chance of doing the double but I would love to have had a game against an EFL team in the FA cup.

Griffiths our RB gets a 4 month injury so I need to look in the loan market and scout carefully this time rather than blindly go for the first player who looks half decent. While I do this, I promote 2 youth players to see who is the best option but Dyer is now my first choice for the rest of the season.

Back to the league and this time we are up against Telford. We start the game well but do not score. At half time, I passionately tell them I believe in them. Not much happens until the hour mark when they get a goal disallowed. The match then turns into a basketball game with end to end action but without any goals being scored. On the 75th I change to a 3-4-3 and 6 minutes later we get our lead. Simons scores a header from a Vaughan cross. It was a goal of real beauty as Simons heads it back across the keeper. We finish the game 1-0. It is another 1-0 win and while I don't want to appear selfish, it has been a while since we had a resounding victory!



It is worth noting that Vaughan has been in good form in these games so maybe he is safe for this season. Another great piece of news is that Ben Godfrey has played his 5 extra games and we have earned £250,000! This is excellent news, the board are now happy with finances and I don't have to worry about them selling any of my best players. God Bless Ben Godfrey!



What is the best sell on fee you have had in FM? Comment below!
Excellent work. The wins are flowing and the cash is flowing into the club upon the Godfrey clause being activated!
1
2020-07-01 22:15#275373 ScottT : Excellent work. The wins are flowing and the cash is flowing into the club upon the Godfrey clause being activated!

Yeah hopefully so, its a good start, just need to keep the squad fresh. Didn't even know we had the clause!
A rocky patch?

I start the month getting the Manager of the month award. I always find these the kiss of death but we shall see. Another positive is that my Managerial Support is now Very Good. I find all this positivity slightly unnerving.



Back to the football and we play Blyth again. This match is dull and we need to start playing some good football again. The first half has no highlights. NONE AT ALL. I aggressively tell the players they are crap and change my LM Ferguson to an attacking AML Kempster. We are unbalanced but it's worth the risk. On the 70th minute I change to a 3-3-1-3 formation. With all 3 strikers on the pitch we should be able to get a goal. Our opener comes from the first sub as Kempster crosses in an Maguire heads it past the keeper. We have dominated the half but could and should have scored more. We win 1-0.



Our next game is Kettering Town. There are 20th and for some reason they worry me. I start with my strongest XI as I want to extend my lead at the top. We almost have the perfect start when Nicell hits the bar in the 36th second.

However, Kettering do get a good start when they take the lead in the 14th. We get 4 more good scoring opportunities but both Burrow and Simons have left their shooting boots at home. This is very annoying. At half time, I rip into the players and this is a game that we should be winning.

After the 63rd minute, they double their lead. I am FUCKING FUMING. I make the same changes as last week in desperation as soon as they score. We don't get any highlights until the 77th. We go on to lose 2-1. Admittedly, we had a midweek game but we were poor and it is very disappointing.



After the game, I think about stewing over the result but life is too short so I forget about it best I can. We have another midweek game and it is the game before the 2nd round of the FA Trophy. I am going to completely rest my best team and hope my back ups can do the job. There are positions up for grabs due to that awful defeat so let's see who wants it!

The game against Leamington arrives and my team is very different and to fit players into their natural positions, I need to change to a 4-3-2-1 which hasn't worked for us before but let's see how today goes. Annoyingly, Vaughan gets injured yet again so I am light in midfield.

Positively, Leamington's fitness levels are worse than ours so I'm hoping that helps us. It doesn't. They hit the bar in the 17th minute and all over us. In the 34th Kempster has a good chance but hits it straight at the keeper. We go in 0-0 at half time and I'm happy with how they have played but we just need that goal. We go out in the second half and there is only 1 highlight. ONE! Of a crap corner that we took. We end the game drawing 0-0. This result only worries me as it was a chance to players to impress for first team chances and they didn't. Although in my head, I'm already thinking of the FA trophy.



FA trophy day! We are in the 2nd round and we have got Dorking. They are in Vanarma League South and are doing well in 4th. We are similar levels. I have a team meeting where I tell them all how great they are and unsurprisingly they all agree and their moral improves. I hope this gets us over the line!

This being FM, there's always a twist and Simons is out injured for this game. He is a massive loss. McLaughlin my top assist maker is also injured but I give him some injections in the hope he makes it through.

The game starts and Lolos misses a golden chance in the first minute. Dorking have 2 chances but the first half is fairly timid and we go into half time 0-0. The second half is much the same and the game drifts to a 0-0 result. I didn't make any subs so that I can have fitter players to start the next game. Positively, the replay is at home and that should improve finances.



We could do with a longer gap between games but we will have to rotate and hope for the best. Our first choice LB and LM are injured so that is disappointing. FM at its finest. I also get a message telling me that Burrow hasn't actually scored for 12 games. I knew it had been a while but 12 games is a long time!



The replay starts and Dorking start much better but don't score. Burrow has a 1 on 1 with no defenders near him and somehow hits the keeper. The half progresses and when Burrow gets a chance on the edge of the box, I think nothing of it but he smashes it past the keeper. Hopefully that is goal drought sorted! We go in at half time 1-0 up and I tell the players that we need to not be complacent as the game is definitely not won yet.

The second half starts and Burrow has a second goal disallowed for offside. That would have been great for his confidence. Although it was MILES off! We get another chance after an hour but Burrow hits the keeper again. He also smashes over on the 81st minute. I make some subs to shut up shop and we win the game 1-0. Despite being the match winner, this was not a great game for Burrow who should have had a hat trick at least! We also get £7k for the win and our hunt for the trophy goes on!



How do you guys deal with a striker who is going through a goal drought?
Burrow is missing a few too many chances by the sound of things but hopefully that goal could spark him into life. If he continue to feed him, he's bound to find the net at some point. Right?
1
2020-07-09 11:34#275901 ScottT : Burrow is missing a few too many chances by the sound of things but hopefully that goal could spark him into life. If he continue to feed him, he's bound to find the net at some point. Right?
I would love to think so. My confidence in him is getting quite low though. A replacement will be found in the summer!
Can things get better?

We have a home game against Boston United. We start with our best team and I tell them I believe in them with passion. Boston take the lead in the 17th minute and we don't create any chances in the first half. At half time, I tell the players again that I believe in them. Nothing changes. After the hour mark, I make some changes and go to a 4-3-3. One of the subs, Ferguson scores a free kick in the 81st. I push to Very Attacking but the game ends 1-1



This form is not good and I will have to think about how to improve this. While we are going through this slump, I get an email telling me that as we haven't won in 3 games, the fans are getting a bit grumpy. We are 16 POINTS AHEAD IN THE LEAGUE! 16!



The draw for the next round is made and we have got Bradford PA away. Is it too much to want a home game now and again? They are bottom of my league whilst we are top. If that doesn't ring alarm bells then you haven't played this game very much. I am hoping that as they stave off relegation they rest their best players. We also play them in the league a week before which is ideal to scout them out!

Lolos has to go back after his loan expired. He wasn’t great but he grabbed some key goals. If any of my strikers get a long term injury I will aim to go back in for him.

Back to the football. My next game is against Gloucester. They are 17th but we are in poor form and had a midweek game. Doubts are creeping in my mind. I make 7 changes due to fatigue. We make a great start with Maguire heading us into the lead in the 6th. Gloucester have 2 good chances but Jameson is keeping us in it! At half time, I tell the team I am not happy with their performance. We nearly double our lead in the 57th but Maguire is offside. We actually double our lead in the 79th when York scores with a scissor kick from the edge of the box. We go on to win 2-0. Our first league win in 4 and it's much needed!



Wes York has a great game and he is starting to force his way into my plans. Moke is certainly number 1 RM but York has been impressive!

I have a sudden worrying thought. Im already £2k over on wages so far and most of my players are out of contract this summer. If I want to keep them then I am likely going to have to offer them more money. This is tricky. I am going to HAVE to sell some deadwood and rotate using the youngsters. I can feel the 16 point lead start to slip away already.

I then have a great thought. I am going to use my scouting team to scout the Under 23’s of EVERY TEAM IN LEAGUE 1 and 2 and the Conference. I don’t need any more players for this season. I have only 14 league games left and 4 maximum for the cup. I need to start planning for next season. Loans are going to be key, as are outgoing transfers!

Back to the league, we have a game against Hereford. There is a week gap until the next game so it is time to have the strongest team. We take the lead in the 13th minute, lucky for some! It's a long ball goal as they have a free kick on our box, it is won by McLaughlin who then runs 20 yards and hoofs it up top for Simons to run onto and we then take a 1-0 lead. At half time, I give them a change and tell them to play for the fans. We double our lead on 68 when a cross from Green is converted by Burrow. Hereford have no response for us and we look to be on the way to a comfortable win. However, Burrow gets an injury on the 85th. Hopefully, it won't be too long. We win the game 2-0 but that injury might be telling.



Burrow is out for 3 weeks. Luckily there is only 1 cup game in that time. It gives Maguire and Simons a chance to work on their partnership.

I am now spending A LOT of time looking for players for next year. I am using trials to get some potential loan signings to see what they are like.

Our next league game is Bradford PA. We will check them now before our important cup game. Having Burrow out is a real blow but if Maguire steps up I'll keep him for next season.

We start well with 2 good chances in the first 30 minutes. They have a shot after 40 to remind us they are still in the game. We need to perform better and I tell them at half time. They take the lead in the 47th when our CB McNulty lets our striker slip through. We immediately change to a 3-4-3 and a well-worked build up takes us level. A cross comes into the box and Simons heads it down for Maguire to tap it home. We take the lead 3 minutes later, when a long ball is flicked on by Simons for Maguire to volley home from the edge of the box. As soon as it goes in, we move back to a 4-4-2. They hit the bar in the last minute of injury time. It is not going to be easy against them in the cup.



That was our 3rd win in a row, I think any rumours of discontent should be well and truly quashed by now. Coming up a local derby and a FA trophy game, wish me luck!

It would be great to know what the biggest points lead you have had in a league? Comment below!
It looks increasingly likely you're going to be playing in the National League next season. The books will need to be balanced more than they are this season. The financial repercussions could be massive if not.
1
2020-07-15 00:44#276188 ScottT : It looks increasingly likely you're going to be playing in the National League next season. The books will need to be balanced more than they are this season. The financial repercussions could be massive if not.
I hope so!
I do worry that the board will sell players to balance the books and I reckon they will be the better players and NOT the deadwood.
We have turned a corner!

After winning 3 in a row in the league. Optimism is high and we have a localish derby against Guiseley. However, we have the FA Trophy game on the horizon so I will be resting all first team players. I fill the bench with youth players just to give them a debut. Some of them have high potential but are 1 and 1.5 stars currently. I have also managed to sign Rudoni (CM) on loan. He is rated as 4 star ability. Let's see how good he is.

We start the game with a goal in the first minute. Kempster hits a shot straight at the keeper but he fumbles it into his own net. Kempster is an enigma. He always plays well but never seems to fully convince me of a first team place. There are no more highlights until Guiseley hit the post in the 40th. The first half is a drab affair but it's the goals that matter. In the 50th minute, Rudoni gives away a penalty on his debut. Disappointing. Luckily for us and for him it is missed. Relief all around. He makes amends almost immeditately as he heads in from a Vaughan cross. As soon as it goes in, I change to a 4-2-2-2 and give 3 debuts to some youngsters. We go to win the game 2-0 and a decent performance from the back up players. However, there is no-one that has made a BIG claim for some regular first team minutes.



Of course as with all things FM, it can't be all smooth sailing. And this is something that definitely rocks the boat. Simons is injured for 5 weeks. He is top scorer and top assist maker. While this doesn't worry me in the league, it is a MAJOR dent in my chance to win the FA trophy. Burrow will have to hit the ground running when he returns from injury.

It is time for our FA trophy game and I have to do it without either first choice strikers. This is going to be difficult. Maguire has got a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. We take a well earned lead on the 8th. A long ball forward is picked up by Maguire who slides the ball through for McLaughlin to smash it past their keeper. THAT is the start we need. We struggle to capitalise and go in at half time 1-0 up.

At half-time I passionately tell them how great they are but they can do better. Let's hope so. We double our lead when Moke crosses in for Kempster to head home. Bradford hit the post on the 58th. We grab the third on 63 when Moke crosses for Maguire who flicks the ball past the keeper. With that, it is 3 subs on, Rudoni gets another chance to impress and young up and comer King will be getting some minutes at CB.

That is an emphatic result and an excellent performance AND an extra £8k in the bank!



The draw for the 4th round is made. We get Ebbsfleet. Admittedly, I know very little about them apart from the fact that they are 14th in the league above me. The draw could have been kinder but it could have been a lot harder.

After getting my scouts to check out all the League 1 and 2 under 23s/18s. There were VERY VERY few players I would want to loan in. Now do I scout the Championship Under 23s knowing they are unlikely to join or out of contract players, knowing I cant afford their wages.

What would you do? Let me know at the end of this episode!

Back to the league and we are playing Chester. They are decent and have the league's top scorer whereas our best striker is injured. Burrow is back but nowhere near fit enough to start. I give Kempster his chance to start upfront. It is not his natural position but he always seems to do well.

Chester take the lead on the 10th minute with a well worked goal. They then double their lead on the 30th. This is worrying, it's the league's top scorer that has increased their lead. I will scout him at the end of the season. At half time I aggressively ask them if they even want to win the match? We also change to a 3-4-3 and get a goal back just after the hour when Moke scores a looping header. We try and try to equalise but we can't finish even bringing Burrow on with 15 minutes to go. We lose the game 2-1.

A disappointing result but a reminder to the players that the season is not over and that we haven't guaranteed promotion yet.



How indepth do you do your scouting in the close season? Let me know!
I think it could be worth having a look. York have a decent reputation in comparison to other teams at that level which could perhaps attract players that wouldn't be interested usually.

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