Beggars can't be choosers!

Still enjoying this story. Your transfer and wage budget have increased significantly from the first season and club, at least partially, seems to share the ambition you have. As the team become better, the battles will become fiercer with regards to money and playing time and what not, this will be the challenge to try and handle as you seem to have your tactics fine tuned. Best of luck this year.

Thanks for the heads up there Sniper, although now I am thinking that maybe I shouldn't then have put too much time into digging around for replacements. I'm frantically hanging on until my Board increase my scouting range, but two of my four defenders are foreign, and and I *want* to get rid of Barkuizen (my right defender), so it may work in my favour.

I have decent enough back up on the left flank, and a passable CB Sait, but beyond that I could well be embarrassed as I have a smallish squad and we were lucky with injuries last term - one striker out for three/four months.

#61044 sniper99 : Now that you in the PSL, get used to greedy Sundowns bidding for your players (even the very average ones). They buy anyone.
They once signed my entire back 4 in a week.

#61044 sniper99 :1000-1! .. Off to the bookies to put some money on you

Can you put some down for me, and I'll split the profits with you? Just don't tell the SA Footy Association. ;-)

#61044 sniper99 :1000-1! .. Off to the bookies to put some money on you


Can you put some down for me, and I'll split the profits with you? Just don't tell the SA Footy Association. ;-)

Hey, hey! I want in too!

Hi Gizzydrop - I'm glad you are still enjoying the story, and I promise I'll write a breakdown of the team, some character bios and my expectations of the team in the leadup to the start of the season - I was caught unawares by the bid for my CB, so spent a lot of time scouting when I should have been playing and writing the story up. I'll do more when I get home tonight, and then I'm off Sun-Wed.

The Board have seen fit to reward prudence, and this is no different to my experience with other clubs. You stay within budget, they are more likely to increase your budget, you overspend and I think everyone has seen the message which says "the board have cut your funding due to your extravagance last term....", or worse, you get sacked for making bad decisions. Lesson there for everyone, don't spend what you don't have/can't earn, and I see it as a great life lesson about the dangers of living on credit.

The budget has increased as well from 10K at the start of last season to 297K at the moment. Some of this is to do with the increase in ambition, but it is also to do with management again, and being able to bring in free transfers and sell them off for money as opportunity represents itself. In that sense it is hard because you do become emotionally attached to some players, but you need to be able to recognise the deal and make it happen. I've always found it is easier in the long run to let a player go when they have an offer made rather than risk him being unhappy, and either disrupting the squad, or asking for another contract, or worse still, not wanting to sign another contract - a legacy of my time with Derby.

I may need to revisit that in light of Snipers comments about Sundowns, I really don't want my entire team defecting, it would send me back to the NFD rather quickly.

#61046 gizzydrop : Still enjoying this story. Your transfer and wage budget have increased significantly from the first season and club, at least partially, seems to share the ambition you have. As the team become better, the battles will become fiercer with regards to money and playing time and what not, this will be the challenge to try and handle as you seem to have your tactics fine tuned. Best of luck this year.

How much "action" do you want in on? ;-)

#61077 akash.vidyasagar :
#61044 sniper99 :1000-1! .. Off to the bookies to put some money on you


Can you put some down for me, and I'll split the profits with you? Just don't tell the SA Footy Association. ;-)


Hey, hey! I want in too!

Make sure you have a decent sized squad if you want to launch a good challenge for the league.
Remember you will have some fatigue to deal with once the ACC starts.

Your squad requirements are going to depend on your formation.
I'm not familiar with the grid tactic, so I'm not too sure of what you might need.
I always made sure I had a decent defence and keeper. Even if it meant sacrificing attackers.
Clean sheet guarantees at least a 1 point.
Also I look for players with good set piece attributes.

With regards to the "vulture" clubs.
From my experience I found that rejecting offers from the likes of Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates very likely leads to the player wanting a new contract or start crying to the media.
Naturally as your club gets a higher stature, they'll be more willing to stay.

Also .. I remember you complaining about quality of physios.
Make sure you invest in a good one for this season, even if it means a small compo.

#61077 akash.vidyasagar :
#61044 sniper99 :1000-1! .. Off to the bookies to put some money on you


Can you put some down for me, and I'll split the profits with you? Just don't tell the SA Footy Association. ;-)


Hey, hey! I want in too!

Ofcourse we can include you too

I have average backup in attack, and midfielder, but my lack of depth in defense and goalkeeper is worrying, particularly given my ability – or should that be inability - to attract suitable replacements.

#61096 sniper99 : Make sure you have a decent sized squad if you want to launch a good challenge for the league.
Remember you will have some fatigue to deal with once the ACC starts.

I’m hoping that I will be able to keep hold of any of the players which I bring in this window as it might be “too soon” to move on, as I am struggling to attract the better class of defenders and I am seriously considering a move for other South African keeper, just to give me some depth. And I am lucky that the majority of my squad have reasonable stats. Hammer s (who was the striker cum winger I sold) had a high penalty score, but he could not buy a clean shot from the spot!! My run on squad also allows be the flexibility to move between the grid, and my own 4-2-4 where I have two strikers and attacking wingers. That tactic seems to be developing nicely, and was one I used regularly with my other saves.

#61096 sniper99 : Your squad requirements are going to depend on your formation.
I'm not familiar with the grid tactic, so I'm not too sure of what you might need.
I always made sure I had a decent defence and keeper. Even if it meant sacrificing attackers.
Clean sheet guarantees at least a 1 point.
Also I look for players with good set piece attributes.

That has been my experience as well, and if I want to maintain a happy dressing room, or not pay them the earth in wages, agree a reasonable price quickly and move on. The perennial underachievers Bloem Celtic are also interested in my CB Gomis, and I find that an odd one to pick. They have a good solid reputation within SA, and finished the NFD last season with average crowd attendance second only to ours with an average of 9,800 per home game. So good reputation equals good crowds, but a pretty poor showing in the NFD to the stage where they escaped the drop by thumping last placed Chippas Utd 5-0 in the last game of the season. I’d like to think that Gomis wouldn’t be interested, but you never know.

I’m going to proceed with my two foreigner and one SA recruitment at this stage, and if the poaching becomes too much of an issue, I may need to take a closer look at the loan market, which I can’t say I am a fan of but I may be forced to take drastic measures.

#61096 sniper99 : With regards to the "vulture" clubs.
From my experience I found that rejecting offers from the likes of Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates very likely leads to the player wanting a new contract or start crying to the media.
Naturally as your club gets a higher stature, they'll be more willing to stay.

My squad has about twenty seven players at the moment – including my youth players and four players I want to sell, so am probably a bit short on numbers as experience has taught me that optimal squad size is about twenty five. I may need to rethink my strategy re compensation, but my physio moved from a 13 attribute to a 17 attribute in the space of a season, but I’ll always keep my eyes open for backup. My concern with the physio is the same as with my goalie, I would be in big trouble if a competitor made an offer, because physios with scores above 15 are a rarity in SA.

And if I haven't said it recently, thanks for the assistance with navigating the country and the league. Your insights as always are helpful and appreciated.

#61096 sniper99 : Also .. I remember you complaining about quality of physios.
Make sure you invest in a good one for this season, even if it means a small compo.

I've had a quick check of the PSL and NFD clubs and I can only find two physios with similar physio stats than Innocent Jacobs (my Dynamos deep tissue man). Both David Milner and Thys Dithebe are tied to long term deals with the Kaizer Chiefs and Bloem Celtic respectively. It would take between 50-75K to buy them out.

Based on those numbers, I'm going to approach Jacobs with a new deal now.

No problem Kiwi .. glad to be of assistance.

Hope you get your squad up to the standard you like.

I thought my luck might change with this fantastic (okay, looks can be deceptive) scout.

Dynamos went up from the NFD, and Chippa Utd went down, so I was quietly hopeful, but still....they just don't want to discuss terms.



Here is a better shot of his mental stats, for those of you that want to cry with me....but he is one I'll be keeping a very close eye on

Ah the legendary Ralph Nkomo ... great stats but for some reason LOVES the lower SA leagues.
Tried dozens of times to get him to scout for me when I played in SA.

Just looked at my current save .. he's at Roses United in the 3rd division!

I think to do that I need to get my reputations and the transfer budgets moving along very quickly, and much as I'd like to think I can do it, my time frame is always going to be a little ambitious, and certainly fending off the advances of the top three clubs is not something I will enjoy, even if it is realistic!

#61152 sniper99 : No problem Kiwi .. glad to be of assistance.

Hope you get your squad up to the standard you like.

My eyes lit up when I saw him only to be disappointed, and one could argue he isn't doing his job very well if his club is always at the lower end of the league pyramids...and I like you, only wish I could snare him to work for me!

I'll keep a watch out.

#61158 sniper99 : Ah the legendary Ralph Nkomo ... great stats but for some reason LOVES the lower SA leagues.
Tried dozens of times to get him to scout for me when I played in SA.

Just looked at my current save .. he's at Roses United in the 3rd division!

#58440 Kiwi : I'm still going to continue with my other story - this is more "experimental" if you will, I'll be looking for management opportunities in the lower, or less well known, leagues of the world, particularly given I'm scoped my past experience as "Sunday League Footballer".

As an aside, I also wanted to trial the "grid" tactic at a lower level of management to see whether it also holds true.

#58435 Glenn T :
What about your other story?

'Experimental'. I like that, well done for the efforts to try something new, that what FM are to me. You should try the french ligue 2, that will prob me my next save

Hi James, thanks for your comments and best of luck with your own story with OM.

I'm trying to fly under the radar of the proper Champions League in an attempt to try the lesser known leagues around the world. I'm looking at the lower levels of the Turkish Leagues, Mexico or the MLS. The MLS has always been a bit of a struggle for me with all the different contracts and foreign restrictions and budgets, I'll get to the more fashionable clubs at some point.

#61252 JamesN-OM : #58440 Kiwi :
'Experimental'. I like that, well done for the efforts to try something new, that what FM are to me. You should try the french ligue 2, that will prob me my next save