Football Manager 2017 - General Chat

[Smiley Culture]

Just a quick update as I can't be bothered going into too much depth…

Celtic 2016/17 Season Review

 

Scottish Premier League - 1st

We ended up winning the league by eight points after a run of 23 games unbeaten in the league. I'm pleased but it's no more than was expected and looking at it, the manner in which we won the league wasn't the best IMO. We leaked too many goals, drew too many games for my liking against lesser sides and were sloppy away from home at times. I'd have liked to have been winning the league more comfortably than that if I'm totally honest. 

Scottish Cup - 5th Round - Lost to Motherwell 3-0 at home

The most disappointing aspect and performance of the season. Dundee United were brushed aside in the previous round with relative ease and we were then drawn against Motherwell, who were 10th at the time. I had a few players starting to become a little restless in the build up to this game in regards to the amount of minutes they had been playing and I decided to put these players into the team for this game as they had more than enough between them and with a number of regular starters around them to register a win but there were a number of poor performances across the XI selected and we were more than deserving of such a hammering. Performances, individual and collectively, like that aren't tolerated. 

Betfred Cup - Winners - Beat Ross County 3-0

As I mentioned above, my first piece of silverware came in the Betfred Cup. It's not a prestigious competition by any means and not one I was being judged on by the board but a trophy is always welcome and I'll always target all domestic competitions as we should be reaching the Final of both without too much hassle. 

Champions League - Bottom of Group G

The target from the board was the Group Stages and we did that but we did let ourselves down a bit at times and were on the end of heavy defeats to Bayern Munich and Tottenham. I didn't view this squad as my own as I had very little room to manouvre before the season started so I had to go with what I had but in future I hope to get an easier group than Bayern, Tottenham and Napoli but also we have to be targeting third place in the group to progress to the Europa League. 

 

The Summer of 2017

I'm planning quite a big summer at Parkhead, which I'm sure, if my plans go how I want them to, will raise plenty of  eyebrows. I'm not going to give too much away as yet.

I've got a handful of targets on my radar, I'm close to signing one already but we're still a few signings off this being more of what I'd declare as my own side. 

As for goals for the season, it's quite easy domestically, keep up our dominance and win all the trophies on offer. As for Europe, Champions League Group Stage qualification is hugely important and I want to see better performances and results from the group stage should we get there. 

[Dan+]

I'm so fucking wound up. Just did a massive post on my end of season and Chrome's crashed.

[Danny]

I won the EFL Cup beating Man Utd in the final, however in true Arsenal fashion I was knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, knocked out of the FA Cup 6th round by Spurs on penalties and all I have to play for now is the top four.

[Stan]

just picked this regen for pennies. love a minimum fee release clause at Spanish clubs for youngsters. This one didn't even break £1m  

[R-D]

@Danny good luck with rest of your season. Do you have much planned for the save besides the inevitable league and Champions League wins? I've toyed with a 5 at the back with Benfica (I'm training two variants), but I've often struggled to get them to click as well as playing with wingers. Something I'd like to go back to as I think it can be very good if utilised correctly.

@Aaroncpfc you're right, there's a distinct lack of goals for your team there. The last 5/6 in the league have shown you're starting to become solid defensively just missing that cutting edge. Are you finding you're generally able to hold your own, at least in terms of possession, in games outside of the top 6-8 sides?

@Takyon that's a great season in all, and a bit of end of season drama in the league to keep things interesting. Do you reckon you have a squad good enough to compete in the Champions League? Love that Lewis Neville bloke sneaking into your best XI. Does he play for you now?? #WhoTheFuckIsNeville

@Smiley Culture comfortable first season, get a feel for the side and I'm sure you'll stamp your identity on it from next season. Do you get much of a transfer budget?

@Cannabis good luck with Ashton, certainly a challenging save, one of those you need to be invested in to keep at it! However if you do you've got a loooooong term save on your hands, which could be great fun.

[Dave]

11 hours ago, Dan said:

I'm so fucking wound up. Just did a massive post on my end of season and Chrome's crashed.

Fucking amateur. Always a microsoft word job beforehand this thread.

43 minutes ago, R-D said:

 

@Aaroncpfc you're right, there's a distinct lack of goals for your team there. The last 5/6 in the league have shown you're starting to become solid defensively just missing that cutting edge. Are you finding you're generally able to hold your own, at least in terms of possession, in games outside of the top 6-8 sides?

 

We don't control games but we are competitive. Having a ball winning midfielder in form has been massive for us.

[R-D]

SL Benfica - 2021/22 - August and Transfer Roundup

Transfer window

Toward the end of last season our finances were in dire straits and because of this we were given a £565k transfer budget and only around 50% of transfer revenue made available. So I decided that any high earners or big value players would go and we'd rebuild/promote from within. I looked through our B Team and U19s, and I've brought around 5 players into the first team to provide cover/rotation as I feel they're certainly good enough. We'll take a look at the transfers from highest values to lowest.

Outs:

Xherdan Shaqiri - Midfielder - £35m (£39m) - Atletico Madrid

Shaqiri wasn't initially on my radar to sell as he had a good season for us and with his sub 6 figure wages he wasn't breaking the bank, but was a top earner. Atletico came in, we negotiated and I accept a £35m bid. For a player coming up to 30 years old I thought it was a good dead, even though we'd only receive half back to use. 

Edersion - Goalkeeper - £33m (£45m) - Southampton

My #1 keeper, and one who has been with us for 10 years, but I had to let him go. He was a player I wanted to force out of the club purely on a financial basis, his value was very high and he was our biggest earner on £130k p/w, something we just couldn't afford to continue with. A shame to sell, and a bit of a communal uproar, but for the good of the club we sold - and for a lot of money too.

Wilfred Ndidi - Midfielder - £24.5m (£31.5m) - West Ham

Premier League money is no joke it seems. Basically Ndidi didn't feature for us outside of some rotation, was never going to break into the squad, and was worth more to us in cash than as a player. A good fee in all, I didn't expect so much, and a profit on the £16m the club spent on him the Summer before. As soon as the deal was finalised he went on to get a 6 month injury haha.

Andreas Cubas - Midfielder - £10m - Al-Hilal

My most disappointing transfer of the window. He was my #1 player to ship out this year, he was valued at circa £20m and was on an even £100k. For how often he'd play this just wasn't feasible. However, no club wanted to sign him. Nothing down to £15m drew any attention. Set him on the unwanted list and let my Director of Football try and flog him, he attracted a £10m bid from Al-Hilal, but they wanted us to contribute £25k p/w, which I thought was ridiculous, but my DoF on the other hand thought it was alright, so off he went and we basically made £7m on him. 

German Pezzella - Defender - £7.5m - Rennes

One of our mid-earning CBs, but didn't, and wouldn't, feature enough to warrant keeping him around. I was hoping for more, but needed to get rid. Not a bad player, pretty good all around, but too slow for my liking.

Total transfers out: 11 (ex. loans)

Total fees received: £114m (rising to £138m)

We're also bringing an additional £1.6m a month for loan fees.

Ins:

A lot of outs and to a couple key personnel, as well needing to bolster the squad depth. We ended up with a lot of money to spend, and I kinda didn't really use it.

Juan Carlos Diaz - Defender - £12.5m (£14.75) - America (MEX)

CB was an area I wanted to improve. We sold Pezzella, and Hermans loan had finished. This guy is far from the finished article, and reasonably pricey for an 18 year old, especially when I'm supposed to be mindful on finances! He does however have huge potential. I've sent him straight on loan to Villarreal for first team football (as I've ended up stock piling CBs!)

Omar Guzman - Defender - £5.5m - Chivas

Diaz's Mexican CB partner was also brought in. This time for a much more respected fee, meeting Guzman's release clause. At 20 he's more developed than Diaz and he will stick around the club this season. Looks solid, would like to get his pace up a bit, but will be a welcome additional to the back line.

Santiago Ascacibar - Midfielder - £5.5m - River

With the sales of Cubas and Ndidi we were short on my defensive midfield options. The midfielers I promoted are more playmaker than battlers. Ascacibar is extremely well rounded and I think we've nabbed a bargain here. I'll be surprised if he doesn't push for a first team place before long, then I'll have something to think about. For now he's intended to be used in rotation. 

Luca Pellegrini - Defender - £5.5m (£6.25m) - Roma

Left back was also a priority in the window. Last season we had Grimaldo (FYI - had a £56m bid for him from Man City in the summer which I turned down. Just tied him down to a new 5 year deal) and a loanee from Juventus, so this season we only really had Grimaldo. Went on the scout, and Pellegrini was the man I decided to pursue. Good all round stats for an attacking fullback, barely a dent on wages, and a bit of room to grow still, and at 22 may offer some resale value. Happy with this signing overall.

Ales Petrovic - Midfielder - £4m (£5m) - FC Groningen

My first foray back at my old club (maybe I poached a staff or two). I'm not one to decimate an old club that you've spent building (they've done that themselves with some of their sales), but Petrovic was available for £4m and I was going to jump at the chance to. We're pretty packed in midfield as it is, so he's back on loan at Groningen for the season. 

Diogo Verdasca - Defender - Free - Porto

The stock pile of CBs continues. You may remember this name from our Champions League final season with Groningen, as he was brought in on loan and was simply marvellous for us, so when I saw he was available on a free, and a homegrown talent as well, it was a no-brainer. Delighted with this.

Oliver - Midfielder - Free - Atletico Madrid

Another no-brainer free signing. Finalised around January time and replaces Shaqiri in the AMC spot. I don't think we've done bad there at all with that replacement.

Alban Lafont - Goalkeeper - Free - Toulouse

Finally our last freebie, and this one replaces Ederson as our #1. Not quite at the level of Ederson yet, but has the potential to surpass him and be our first choice for many many years. 

Total transfers in: 10

Total fees received: £33m (rising to £37m)

August results

Benfica 1 - 0 Sporting (Comm. Shield)

Benfica 1 - 4 Juventus (Super Cup)

Benfica 3 - 2 Braga

Estoril 0 - 0 Benfica

Guimaraes 1 - 2 Benfica

Shield; good to get one over Sporting early on in the season. 

Super Cup; we got battered. It could have been much worse. Our new arrivals still finding their feet, and with some rotation we never set ourselves up right for it.

Liga Nos; a decent if unspectacular start. A sloppy end to the Braga game saw us concede twice unnecessarily, and Estoril were the dominant side and could easily have given us an early loss. Warning signs are there. Our first XI are largely the same as last season with the exception of Lafont and Oliver.

Champions League; group draws have been made. We were first seeds (surprisingly. As were FC Groningen, too), and our group consists of: Sevilla, Zenit and Koln. A very mid-tier heavy group, but all very even in terms of quality, I don't think there are any push overs and no bankers. Tough group. By comparison Groningen have: Arsenal, Besiktas and IFK Goteborg.

 

[R-D]

1 minute ago, Cannabis said:

Got a 40 minute drive to Goodison Park coming up and @R-D posts a monster FM report - legend 

Haha I enjoy my transfer window write ups. Safe journey and enjoy the game! 

[Takyon]

2 hours ago, R-D said:

 

@Takyon that's a great season in all, and a bit of end of season drama in the league to keep things interesting. Do you reckon you have a squad good enough to compete in the Champions League? Love that Lewis Neville bloke sneaking into your best XI. Does he play for you now?? #WhoTheFuckIsNeville

I wouldn't expect us to make any waves in the Champions League, we've been drawn in a group with PSG, Inter and Zenit so it'll be a tough ask to qualify for the knockout stages, I'm hoping we can finish 3rd and make it into the Europa League and have another go at that. Found out who Lewis Neville is by the way, he a new regen who joined in March, has never played a game for us so I have no idea why he's in the best XI 

@Cannabis Good luck with your Ashton save, sounds like it could be a fun game. 

[Dan+]

On 4/9/2017 at 10:18 PM, Dan said:

JAN 2018 (In: Richard Horton, TNS, £105k - Christian Santos, Alaves, £1.4mil) (Out: Elliot Lee, Coventry, loan)
CH 28 - Fulham (h) - Rubbish fixture scheduling as this came just two days after the Swansea game. The goalless draw was unsurprising as a result.
FAC R3 - Brighton (a) - Boring draw which we lost 2-1. Not a lot to add.
CH 29 - Charlton (a) - Awful performance. Second best throughout the game and beaten 3-1 by a struggling side.
CH 30 - Aston Villa (a) - This had become quite a big game given the position of the two teams (6th v 8th) and we were heading for another 3-1 defeat until an astonishing late comeback saw us pick up the unlikeliest of points. 3-3.
CH 31 - Norwich (h) - Had no luck against these so far but this is where it changed. Second placed Norwich arrived and we played out a superb game. We took the lead and thre it away twice before Armstrong belted in a close range effort from a half clearance with just two minutes left. A massive win and our first in 4 home games.

FEB 2018
CH 32 - Middlesbrough (a) - Middlesbrough beat us in October with two long range screamers. They opened the scoring with another. How do they keep doing it? We offered very little throughout the game and lost it 3-1 again. A horrible game where we lost Armstrong for two months for the second year running around this time. Our away form running out when we needed it. Middlesbrough have struggled as well.
CH 33 - Reading (a) - An absolutely frantic game but one of those where it just didn't fall our way. Reading went 2-0 up in the first half but amazingly we clawed it back to 2-2 on the hour, Reading then nicked one with 15 to go, before we equalised again, before Reading then added two more to win 5-3. On the balance of play, we should never ever have lost.
CH 34 - Leeds (h) - I expected little and I got little. Leeds are going up this season and despite starting well, we ended up losing 0-1 in the second half. Three straight defeats and we're staring the bottom half in the face. The play-off dream looks to be just that.
CH 35 - Oxford (h) - We had to win this. We did. A bit of a change in system saw us finally win again, only our third in twelve games. 2-0 it finished despite getting a red card.
CH 36 - QPR (a) - QPR are in the play-offs and we're 10th. We need the win really, but I accept a point when we're reduced to 10 men late on at 0-0 after spending a lot of the game under the cosh.

MAR 2018
CH 37 - Burton (h) - The fans flocked to see Barnsley take on the leagues bottom side as the club put on a special deal. A bumper crowd, to my amazement, was treated to a 4-1 win. We did very well here.
CH 38 - Sunderland (a) - The most gutting game I have played on 17 yet. Josh Scowen got red carded within the 2nd minute and we needed a bit of a miracle. Sunderland went ahead in the 20th minute and from then on I expected us to get slaughtered. I rolled the dice and attacked them. Christian Santos bagged his first Barnsley goal in the second half and we genuinely stayed in the game right until injury time where we conceded a silly penalty and lost 2-1. A point in this fixture with eleven men would've been impressive, let alone ten. Scowen fined as it's his second red card in our last four games.
CH 39 - Nottm Forest (h) - We simply had to win this. We delivered. We went 2-0 up but as usual made it tricky for ourselves by conceding late on, but it ended 2-1.
CH 40 - Millwall (a) - Millwall are now 17th, they were fighting for the play-offs at one point, they've capitulated and it's time to pounce on that. And we did, Santos got his 3rd and 4th goals for the club in a very well polished 1-4 win. Brilliant performance and result.

APR 2018
CH 41 - Ipswich (a) - This was one of the trickier games I felt. I'm still yet to beat Ipswich. I took this one as a game I'd be happy to draw if I could back it up with victories in other games. That's exactly what we did. 0-0.
CH 42 - Sheff Weds (h) - The derby. They went into this game in superb form despite being very low in the table, but we ended their unbeaten run with a very satisfying 2-0 victory. I've had their number on this game so far.
CH 43 - Blackburn (h) - We simply had to win this. We thumped them away and we needed the points desperately. What happened was quite funny. We raced to a 3-0 lead after just 13 minutes, before Scowen picked up yet another stupid red card in the first half and from the resulting free-kick, Pellenard gifted them a goal. Despite playing us with an extra man for over half of the game, Blackburn went on to lose the game 5-1. We were brilliant, doing exactly what Bayern did to Arsenal by beating them 5-1 and 1-5. 

CH 44 - Birmingham City v Barnsley
It's individual games from now on. The play-off push is truly on. The Blackburn result has propelled us into 6th in the table, and maximum points from here guarantees that we will be finishing inside of them.

The top four are to be ignored. Leeds have already won the league, Norwich and Sunderland are battling for 2nd, and Villa in 4th look too far behind 2nd to catch them and too far ahead of 7th to be caught, so they're basically in the play-offs.

It's two teams going for four spots. They are Brighton (5th, 67), Barnsley (6th, 66), Swansea (7th, 66) and QPR (8th, 66). It's very, very tight, but we have the goal difference advantage. Brighton and Swansea meet each other at the AMEX and QPR go away to top two chasing Sunderland.

Birmingham have had a shoddy year, but they have turned it around a bit and are now looking like they will survive. But we should win this game.

Sadly, we blow it. Our unbeaten run comes to an abrupt end as a ten man Birmingham see us off 1-0. It's a massively disappointing showing from us, we never got going. QPR rubbed salt into the wound by picking up a surprise win at Sunderland, while Brighton and Swansea drew 0-0. We were 8th.

 

CH 45 - Barnsley v Bristol City
We just need to get this game won. Bristol City are just a place below us, but need a bit of a miracle to get into the top six.

We deliver this time around. It was a frantic, end to end game, but despite some scares, we won the game 3-2 and took a huge leap towards pulling it off. QPR beat Forest and Swansea beat Brentford, but Brighton lost at Fulham and ended up in 8th place.

 

CH 46 - Rotherham v Barnsley
It sets up an absolutely frantic final day, with issues to be resolved at both ends of the table. Brighton are out of the picture from our perspective, if Brighton make it then we've already blown it anyway, so their game at home to Charlton means very little to me. It's QPR and Swansea we have an eye on.

QPR go away to Millwall. Our only chance of topping them is if we win and they lose. It's not impossible, but it's not likely either.

Swansea go away to Derby. That's the one we really need. Derby is a tricky fixture, and it's well in the balance that they win that game. We have to win and hope that Swansea don't, although we can draw, Swansea lose, and Brighton don't win.

The South Yorkshire derby is underway. Rotherham need a result themselves. They're one of three sides who could join Burton and Oxford in League One next year, the others Blackburn and, incredibly, Middlesbrough. Rotherham have picked up some form of late and will feel they have a chance.

But it's a pretty poor quality game. It's exciting, end to end football, but the end product simply isn't there from either side and little of note is being created.

Then we get the dreaded news. Swansea have taken the lead at Derby through Franck Tabanou. Nightmare. We need a favour from Millwall here. We don't get it, Luongo gives QPR the lead and we go into the break goalless, with both Swansea and QPR leading 0-1.

But in the second half, it arrives. A nice move leads to Christian Santos being in a position where he cannot miss, and makes no mistake. Barnsley have the lead and the celebrations are wild, but as things were, we were still 7th.

The game fizzled out into more of the same. End to end, but a lack of quality. It was a nervy encounter, but it looked more and more like finishing 0-1.

QPR then doubled their lead in the 75th minute. They're out of the picture. Only a loss for them means they can be caught. By 81 minutes, it's 0-4. It's all on you Derby.

And for once, they deliver. In the 85th minute Jacob Butterfield levels the game at Pride Park. News filters through the away end at Barnsley. The celebrations are beginning, but it isn't over yet. Rotherham are panicking, Blackburn are winning and Middlesbrough losing, one Middlesbrough goal puts them into 22nd.

But nothing else happens. Derby have done their bit, and Barnsley have held on for a fantastic 0-1 victory. We've made the play-offs!!!! In such dramatic circumstances to boot. Swansea will rue many an opportunity this season, the title favourites who we beat twice, who started so badly that they cost themselves possibly a top two spot, never mind a play-off one.

Rotherham survive, so it's party mode at the New York Stadium. Both teams got what they came for. Middlesbrough, staggeringly, have suffered consecutive relegations.

Norwich have lost at Bristol City, but Sunderland have failed to beat Aston Villa and this has handed Norwich promotion.

So there it is. Sunderland it will be. Our top scorer, Adam Armstrong, on loan from Newcastle, the stage is set.

Sunderland did beat us home and away this season, and that does concern me. But they're on a low. They have just missed out on promotion while we're on a massive high. One of their key men, Didier Ndong, picked up a red card against Villa, and will miss the first leg.

The four year plan may well be ahead of schedule. We've done what we can so far.

[Danny]

So I finished my first season in the Championship League spot ahead of Chelsea who were 5th.

The board gave me £101m to spend, so far though I've just bought Daniel Carrico from Sevilla and Lacazette from Lyon. I was in talks with Dybala but he wanted to use me as a stepping stone so I pulled out. After selling Elneny, Ospina and Giovinco I still have over £80m left but I don't know who to buy. Might save it till Jan.

Jack Wilshere is back from his loan at Bournemouth and is going straight into the match day squad. Francis Coquelin requested to start more games so I've had to bench William Carvalho which is shit but Coquelin is "homegrown" and a good squad player.

My attacking three now consists of Sanchez attacking mid, Bacca complete forward and Lacazette advanced forward with Ozil and Ramsey ready to rotate in if any of them go on a drought. Wilshere/Cazorla as roaming play maker, Carvalho/Coquelin Ball winning midfielder.

I may have to adjust my formation as I think it's starting to become a bit sussed out by oppo managers. I lost to Everton on the opening day and beat Hull, just need to get a winning run going.

[Stan]

so, as you know I like to do screenshots of various parts of my save. 

Nearly two thirds of the season gone and again it's bunched up at the top with a lot of sides having games in hand on others round them. 

All you FM experts , who do you think will be winning this season? I've played less games as I've been involved in the Club World Championship and also continuing in the League Cup so games have been re-arranged. Fixtures could bunch up later down the line. 

 

[Dave]

@Dan Good luck in the playoffs. Personally I think you could do with another season in The Championship so it may be the end if you can't go up just yet.

@Stan It's United's title to lose.

 

We've had a bit of a mad month where we've figured out how to score goals. We've catapulted up to ninth after winning five on the bounce. I'd be very surprised if we bottle it from here on in.

 

[Stan]

@Aaroncpfc was right. Utd have gone on to pretty much seal the title and did so with a 3-1 win against me. But experienced 2 bad injuries for both of my centre-backs. They're now out for 4 weeks and will miss the rest of the season. Had no centre-backs on my bench as well. Criminal. Had to have 4 full-backs as my back 4.

[Dan+]

CH PO Leg 1 - Barnsley vs Sunderland

Against all odds, here we were. The final day drama had led to a highly unlikely play-off place. Sunderland were our opponents. Sunderland have come down from the Premier League under Moyes, as expected in real life, and have missed out on automatic promotion on the final day by failing to beat Aston Villa at home. They're missing two key players in Ndong and Defoe (who I'm surprised they held onto) for the game.

4 - Lewis Cook picks up a knock and is substituted by Stephen Quinn. This is a massive blow for us as Cook has been in inspired form of late. Quinn is a steady player, but Cook is an England international in the making. He's a big loss here.

16 - Sunderland have made the brighter start, but Barnsley have gotten right back into the game. A corner is half cleared by Sunderland and Ryan Hedges pokes in from a scramble. Barnsley lead 1-0!

32 - Barnsley pile on more and more pressure. Quinn whips in a corner and Angus Macdonald bullets a header into the net. It's 2-0. Phenomenal.

HT - Barnsley 2-0 Sunderland. We couldn't have asked for a better half. Sunderland have turned up the pressure, but we're holding out well and not allowing them anything too clear cut.

49 - Sunderland get one back. Exactly what we needed to avoid, an early second half goal. Victor Anichebe prods home from close range after a nice move. Game on.

80 - Sunderland have battered us this half. Similarly to the league game, we started brighter but Sunderland eventually piled on the pressure and got the win. They make it count late on. Anichebe belts one in from the edge of the box and Sunderland are level.

Verdict: Slightly underwhelmed really. It was going perfectly but we couldn't handle them in the end. The manner of this game doesn't fill me with any confidence going into the away game. QPR beat Aston Villa 3-1 in the other game.

 

CH PO Leg 2 - Sunderland (2) v Barnsley (2)

We really are up against it here. We lost at Sunderland in the league not too long ago, although it was absolutely cruel how it came about.

I tell the team to play without pressure. There is no shame if we lose this game. They seem to react well to this kind of talk and I'm hoping it's what may give us the psychological edge. Sunderland know the pressure is on them here. They ought to win this game.

Quinn comes in for Scowen who isn't in great condition. I gamble and put Borthwick-Jackson in at left back for Pellenard, as the Frenchman has struggled for form recently.

The first half is a drab affair with nothing of note. That suits me to a tee. Sunderland are on top early doors, but we hold off their pressure and eventually start to look dangerous on the break ourselves. On the stroke of half time, Christian Santos suffers an injury and is replaced by Marley Watkins. Half time, 0-0.

49 - Barnsley are looking the stronger side. Armstrong and Watkins break and Armstrong runs down the left, pulls it back to Watkins who should tap in for a shock lead, but the effort is tame and Pickford deals with it. A huge chance gone.

63 - Barnsley again break. Hedges launches the ball forward and Watkins gives chase, coming between the two Sunderland centre halves. He isn't rapidly quick, but he gets there first and his touch is spot on, he's one on one from the edge of the box and prods it low into the corner of the net. Barnsley have the lead. He had to get that absolutely spot on, and he has. The shock could really be on.

75 - Sunderland have no answer. It's been the same all game, they have been thwarted time and time again by the defence, yet they seem to have no answer to Barnsley on the counter. We break yet again, Watkins gets to the corner of the box, cuts it back to Newcastle loanee Adam Armstrong who curls a low shot past Pickford and into the net. Absolute delirium in the away end. Barnsley lead 0-2. We threw away a 2-0 lead last time out so it isn't over yet, but I decide to throw an extra midfielder on and try everything to nullify Sunderland building anything.

FT - Sunderland 0-2 Barnsley (2-4 on aggregate) - They have no answer. It's incredible. Sunderland are booed off by the 25,000 who stayed after Barnsley's 2nd. Barnsley have gone through to the final. Probably my best result on FM17 yet.

 

Elsewhere, QPR have drawn 2-2 at Villa Park, setting up the unlikeliest of play-off finals.

 

[Chaaay AFC]

Congrats on that result @Dan extremely impressive result there. Good luck in the PO final. You've done very well with Barnsley.

[Dan+]

8 minutes ago, Chaaay AFC said:

Congrats on that result @Dan extremely impressive result there. Good luck in the PO final. You've done very well with Barnsley.

Cheers! Had that sinking feeling once they equalised to be honest. All seemed a bit familiar. We haven't really picked up that many shock wins away from home, our away wins generally tend to be against the weaker sides so it was a massive effort to pull it off.

The two form teams play out the final. QPR and Barnsley were the two battling for the final two spots and both have made it count. This is completely in the balance, but we are the league's highest scorers and I actually think we will do it.

I cannot believe the turnaround since Angus Macdonald came into the team. It took him ages to get going last year and that is what prompted me to get a new centre half in for this season, but since he has come in we a record of 8-2-2 (not including play-offs) with just 9 conceded in those 2 games. He is more aerially dominant than O'Connell and Borthwick-Jackson, and that is why I think he is so effective. I'm a bit like Leicester in the sense I play a game that invites a lot of crosses into the box.

Think I will get another centre half in if I go up though. I think my other centre half, Marc Roberts, is good enough for the Premier League. Think it's a little beyond Macdonald.

Think it's a strong case of systems bringing out the best in players. O'Connell is a better player but Macdonald is more suited to our game. Stef's had O'Connell playing solidly in the Premier League yet for me he was pretty mediocre.

I'm praying we have no injury to either centre half, Cook or Armstrong. The rest I think we can throw in effective replacements, but not those four.

[Dave]

40 points by Valentine's Day. Yep. We're staying up.

 

@Dan as you're worried about Center Backs I fully recommend Axel Tuanzebe from Manchester United. A composed figure you'd probably get for three million or less with sell on value.

[Dan+]

PLAY-OFF FINAL - BARNSLEY V QPR

No injuries. No major loss of confidence in the pre-match team meeting. We're raring to go.

Scowen comes back in for Quinn, we line up with a 4-4-2 of Davies, Yiadom, Roberts, Macdonald, Pellenard, Williams, Cook, Scowen, Hedges, Santos and Armstrong. QPR line up with a 4-3-3 consisting of a quick front three.

20 - QPR dominate early doors and test us a couple of times from distance. They get a corner, it's half cleared to Ismael Bennacer on the edge of the box and he rifles it first time straight into the top corner. Advantage QPR, and it's deserved.

23 - There's no hold-up from QPR. They continue to come at us, pin us back and wait for their opening. An intricate move sees Bennacer thread Chris Willock through one on one and he makes no mistake. It's disastrous for Barnsley. QPR are walking this. They have been outstanding. 0-2.

HT - Barnsley 0-2 QPR. Completely dominated. It's gutting because QPR are in a similar boat to us - kind of in the sense that if they blow this, they're probably not going to be a favourite to do it next year either. It feels like a last chance saloon for both sides, and QPR have shown up. I decide to bring on Watkins for the ineffective Santos, and we have to attack, we have no choice.

53 - We look a lot better this half. The ball comes to Watkins who enters the box at a bit of an angle, it's a half chance, but he finishes absolutely superbly in off the post. We are right back in this game. 1-2!

QPR seem happier to soak us up this half, we keep going at them, but they keep thwarting us. Time and time again Hedges and Williams throw crosses in, but they have really done a job on Armstrong here, he's nowhere.

90+2 - Bradshaw, Armstrong and Watkins are all on. I have gone overload. 3-4-3 in an attempt to save this game, hoping to revert to 4-4-2 with Watkins out wide should we force extra time. Sadly, we play into their hands. QPR nullify one last attack and I expect the whistle to be blown. It isn't. QPR get the ball back up to our end and Ben Gladwin rifles one into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Game over. Season over. QPR are promoted.

I'm pretty gutted, but QPR deserved it. They were just better.

[Dan+]

3 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Heh, Ben Gladwin turned into a decent player for Barnsley on mine. I'm gutted you haven't gone up but there's no shame in being done over by QPR.

You've said you won't be favourites to go up next year but surely you have to be looking at the play-offs again?

There is and there isn't. In a way it's the worst possible scenario as it keeps Sunderland and Villa as rivals. Not to mention you've still got Swansea who really did rally in the second half of the season.

Watford, Hull and Huddersfield are coming down. Watford worry me a bit actually. They've got a decent squad and ought to have stayed up. Huddersfield don't, they were awful in the PL. Hull I'm unsure about.

Strangely both Watford and Hull have approached me for interview but I'm not leaving for another two years maximum. I said when the save started it was a four year plan to go up and I'll honour that.

I think Cook is a goner and I think Armstrong will finally be used by Newcastle - but I'll say this, Armstrong really dried up in the second half of the season. He will be a big miss, but Bradshaw, Watkins and Santos got a fair few for themselves as well.

Still, this is one and a half seasons of very solid form, so I absolutely consider us a play-off contender next year. Would be amazed if we made the automatics though.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

Sounds similar to my play off loss to Brighton where I was 1-0 down for a good chunk of the match, then threw the kitchen sink in the hope of an equaliser but conceded in ironically the exact same time as you.

Hopefully you'll get promotion next season.

[Dave]

@Dan I think your squad will benefit from another season of togetherness in a division you can control most games to be honest. One step backwards two steps forwards.

Update - Im glad we got our points early. Massive injury crisis in March means I can only field three first team substitutes. Deja vu of my first full season here.

[Dan+]

59 minutes ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

Sounds similar to my play off loss to Brighton where I was 1-0 down for a good chunk of the match, then threw the kitchen sink in the hope of an equaliser but conceded in ironically the exact same time as you.

Hopefully you'll get promotion next season.

I often catch teams out doing it. 3-1 or 2-1 makes no ends to me really. I'd accepted it was over when we went 2 down. They were far too good on the day.

First game of the new season is against Brighton yet again. They're now described as "penniless". Interesting. Wonder how that came about?

 

52 minutes ago, Aaroncpfc said:

@Dan I think your squad will benefit from another season of togetherness in a division you can control most games to be honest. One step backwards two steps forwards.

Update - Im glad we got our points early. Massive injury crisis in March means I can only field three first team substitutes. Deja vu of my first full season here.

It's a big assumption that we will control these games. I think we lost our way a little around February time but a few tweaks did the trick. I think someone like Barnsley is only ever a couple of mistakes away from throwing everything away.

I still think the play-offs, even this year, would be a great effort.

[Dan+]

Armstrong just isn't ever going to leave me. He's back again.

[Dan+]

Watford's squad is frightening. They've got Deeney, Perisic, Abdou Diallo, Snodgrass, Capoue, Pereyra and Isaac Success all still in their squad.

That's one promotion place gone already. I'll be absolutely amazed if they don't go up.