I'm playing with Hereford as well. I'm in my fourth season now.
In the first one I won the conference without much trouble. I also won the LDV Vans Trophy and the FA Trophy. I can't remember all my transfers, but I remember I got striker Neil Gregory and goalkeeper Alec Chamberlain on a free signing. Both of them were retiering at the end of the season, but their experience realy helped me, and gregory made 23 goals, still the club record.
This is what I think my team was:
Gregory Stanfield/Fleetwood
Ferrell Pitman Stanley Purdie
Jeannin Mkandawire James Travis/Green
Chamberlain
I also loaned a good midfielder, from a championship team I think, but I can't remember his name.
After the first season I signed a lot of new players to prepare for League Two. Because Chamberlain retired and Mawson isn't such a great keeper, I bought Ben Williams from Crewe for 18k, wich was realy cheap (he's still my first keeper now, although he has some good competition). In defence I bought Shaun Maher from Bournemouth for 24k, just as a sub for if James or Mkandawire are injured, but I only played him three times (now he's still somewhere at the bottom of my player list, waiting for a team to give me about 5k, and he can go). The reason for his inactivity, is because I found Liam Turner, a great central defence talent of 16 years old, at Harrogate. He's probably not in your game, the earliest record in his personal history is from the season I bought him, one season after my game started, so he's a randomly generated one. I bought him for only 6K and in his first season he already played 18 matches for me. He made good progression so now he's one of my main central defenders. I also signed a new DR, for free: Robbie Stockdale from Hull.
In midfield I fell for a south-american wonder. I know it's a bit weak and it spoils the realism a bit, but I just couldn't withstand it. I was searching for a good dribbler, so then you're bound to meet them. I got Fernando Ismael RodrĂ*guez, an AM LC (I always play him as ML) from Cerro Porteño for 60K. He proved to be a good play maker: 7 goals and 18 assists in his first season, and a lot of good runs down the flank. For the right flank I got Josh Low on a free signing from Northampton. He's a good, fast paced dribbler. But he has a lot of injury troubles, only played around 25 matches. I also loaned a good central midfielder, but I can't remember his name.
In offence, Stanfield did decent in League Two: 16 goals and 6 assists. I also loaned the 18 year old Hogan Ephraim from West Ham to replace the retired Gregory. He scored 11 goales and 4 assists, not that much, but he was always hard working and involved in the game, an excellent team player. Also Fleedwood played a lot, but he couldn't make a single goal, League Two proved to be to high for him. I also remember having a guy named Ipoua or something that played sometimes.
I think this was the team:
Stanfield/Fleetwood/Ipoua Ephraim
RodrĂ*guez Ferrell/Stanley/Pitman "the loaned guy" Purdie/Low
Jeannin James/Turner Mkandawire Stockdale
Williams
There are also some other loaned players that I forgot...
Although the board expectations in our first League Two season were staying clear of relegation problems, this team was able to do much more. We were in the playoff spots all the time. In the middle of the season we had a little dip, but at the end we made a come-back, we took first place in a direct confrontation with the leader with only 2 matches to go, and we held it untill the end. So we took the title and promoted to League One. The cups were dissapointing that year, we were out each time in the first or second round.
The team had to be reinforced heavely for the third season, to be able to survive in League One. I bought: Brune Vale (GK, Porto B, 26K), Neil Steele (DC for the future, my scout recommended him, Harrogate, 14K), Graham Hart (D/M LC same as steele: recommended by my scout, Harrogate, 14K), Michael Higdon (M/S C,Crewe, 18K), Vieirinha (AM R, Porto B, 18K), Jamie Rogers (SC, Ipswich, 65K), Paul Scholes (AM C, Man Utd, Free).
Vale, Vieirinha, Rogers and Higdon became first team regulars. Scholes his stamina was terrible, so he didn't play all the time. He started in 37 matches, and was mostly substituted after 60 minutes.
I loaned AM/F LC Pablo Oré from Universitario, another one of those south american wonders. He played almost all matches, as a central midfielder, but has bad stamina, and sometimes realy didn't put enough effort in his game.
The hardest choice to make was the goalkeeper: with Vale and Williams I had two great keepers. I let Vale play the friendly's to see what he was worth, and since he did a good job, I let him continue. He played at a very high level the whole season, and never let me down, so williams stayed on the bench. Vale became man of the match 11 times that season, a club record.
This was the team:
Stanfield/Higdon Rogers
RodrĂ*guez Scholes/Higdon OrĂ©/Ferrell Vieirinha
Jeannin Turner/James Mkandawire Stockdale
Vale
Again, there are some loaned players that I forgot about...
The board expected me to stay clear of relegation problems agian, and that's what I did. After a good start and a few weeks in the top 5, I fell far back as the season progressed. Six matches before the end, the pressure came on: only two points between us and a relegation spot. Then I tried some new tactics, and thing cleared up. We ended 16th that season. The cups were terrible again, out in the first rounds.
Now for the 4th season, the one I'm currently playing. I've been a bit over active in singing players before the transfer period even started (probably because we were at the bottom, so I wanted to do a lot better this season): Tobias Rathgeb (DL, Stuttgart, Free), Andy Taylor (DL, Blackburn, I think an expiring contract but had to pay a fee of 130K), Gareth Williams (MC, Leicester, 40K), Sean Thornton (M RC, Leicester, 70K), RincĂłn (D RC, Man Utd, I think an expiring contract but with a fee of 275K), Michael Lea (DL, Man Utd, expiring but fee of 100K) and then, the one that caused me trouble: Nedum Onuoha (D RC, Man City, expiring contract but with a fee of 400K). A great talent that last one, only: I didn't notice I had to pay a fee of 400K to Man City for him. He came over the day I got my new transfer budget (1M). He, together with some of my other signings, brought it immediatly to zero, which caused all my other planned transfers (including some of those mentioned above) to be cancelled. This caused a little panic, since I was still looking for a new DR, DMC, AMC and SC.
But the panic was gone fast when I discovered Onuoha's value: 3.2 M! I consider this kind of trading as cheating, but I had no other choice to be able make the team I wanted, so I put him up for sale. One day later, three premier division teams were interested. West Ham was the first to bid: 3.5 milion. Since he had a big club release clause, I couldn't refuse (not that I wanted to
. Result: financial state extremely healthy, and 3.5M transfer budget. Because making money this way spoiles the realism, I din't use it all. After all transfers were done, I still had 2.7M left, so I used 800K of it, wich, I have to admit, is 400K more than the 400 I would have had when I didn't do the whole Onuoha thing. With that 800K, I made sure the cancelled transfers from those mentioned above were done, and made these new ones: Daniel Jackson (DR, Brentford, 40K), Albert Fernández (DM RC, San Lorenzo, 90K), Vitor Correia (AM C, Palmeiras, 170K), Roy Porcello (SC, Espanyol, Free), Jake Jordan (SC, Sheff Wed, 500K) and James Travis (GK, Weymouth, 60K). The players I sold: Paul Scholes, Andy Williams, Ryan Green, Craig Stanley, Tony James and Dean Beckwith.
This is my team now:
Jordan Rogers/Porcello
Correia
RodrĂ*guez Vieirinha/Thornton
Fernández/G.Williams/Thornton
Taylor Turner/Mkandawire RincĂłn Jackson
B.Williams
Unfortunatly G.Williams is out for 10 months with damaged cruciate ligaments, but I got enough (even to much) other players. Stanfield, Ferrell and Mkandawire are the only players left from the original team who sometimes get some play minutes. Mawson and Purdie are still here, but they're on the transfer list, waiting to be sold in the next transfer period.
The big changes payed off: at the moment it's 3 dec 2008, we've played 18 matches in the league, and we're at 5th place, a playoff spot. Also the cups are going better: we're in the LDV Vans Trophy North quarter final, and this evening we play the 4 round in the League Cup, away against West Ham, so it's probably the last round.
My goals are to reach the championship within 2 seasons, and get in the premier league within 5 seasons.
But this summary is getting way out of hand, so I better shut up now.
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