LUFCfan

I'm in the championship so far with York and will hopefully get promoted this season. Been hard with their terrible transfer budget though! I know a few people on here have got various conference teams to the top though.

Jbaker

Just won League Two with York having won the League Cup, FA Cup, LDV Vans Trophy and in the Quarters of the UEFA Cup. However, I used the Sugar Daddy cheat to get a transfer budget of £150 million and bought loads of young south americans.

My Squad is M Barbosa, V Valdes, G Cabral, E Garay, L Gioda, Gonzalo, Felipe, Marcelo, O Diaz, Leumir, P Ledesma, J Mascherano, Tales, P Barrientos, F Ismael Rodriguez, F Gabriel, Jussie, Kerlon, Lucas, J Obi Mikel, Francismar, Diego, J Sosa, Fred, V Iaquinta, F Llorente, W Renteria.

Currently played 120, won 102, drawn 15, lost 3, scored 270, conceded 44, Leagues 1, Cups 4.

I have beaten Chelsea and Liverpool in 2nd season for League Cup and in FA Cup. Knocked out Boavista in UEFA Cup and well on the way to the Final.

Marc Vaughan

I take a conference side from bottom to top standing in each of SI's products prior to their release in nearly all versions of our products - simply because its obviously important for this to be possible .... but not 'too' easy

(and it gives me a good excuse for playing the game )

coolydanny

Yep Hereford gt into the UEFA cup in the second season in the prem and reached the semis aint that bad.

Lowlife70

Quote from Marc: <<I take a conference side from bottom to top standing in each of SI's products prior to their release in nearly all versions of our products - simply because its obviously important for this to be possible>>

Why is it important for this to be possible Marc? It's not obvious to me. To my mind, creating a realistic football universe (if that is an aim of FM) should - in this day and age more than ever - entail making it impossible to do this. Or extreeeemely close to impossible. So close that you shouldn't be able to casually do it in testing for every FM product without fail.

Anyone agree? Disagree strongly?

(Actually, on further thought, perhaps it should be impossible for some clubs but not others...)

Younger Crayola

I took Forest Green Rovers into the UEFA Cup by winning the FA Cup as a League One side.

Of course, we're in the Premiership now (we lost the UEFA Cup semi final to Manchester United).

Those South Americans I bought are turd though, so I'll stick with my European folk who got me this far.

Marc Vaughan

Its important partially because its a good challenge and entertaining for people to attempt - BUT also because in real-life teams do manage to do this, for instance Wimbledon were a non-league side not that many years ago and before their current run of trying to obtain non-league obscurity once more had established themselves as a credible Premiership side, similarly various clubs have come up from the Conference and settled happily in the league and could easily over time establish themselves as larger clubs.

For another example of this side of things - Brighton were on the verge of relegation from the football league a decade ago yet have just been relegated (again) from the Championship last season. If we gain our new ground then it is entirely possible we'll make it as far as the Premiership one day.

Anyone agree? Disagree strongly?

(Actually, on further thought, perhaps it should be impossible for some clubs but not others...)[/QUOTE]

Queen of the Stevenage

Agree and disagree.

I think you have to have a decent bank of players and it won't happen overnight unless you have someone bankrolling you (a la Wigan)

Preston are a good example, Won the then Third Division in 1996 and are challenging for promotion to the Premiership 10 years later.

Southend are another, although I believe Southend did it the best way in finding a non-league star and making him better.

I think it is certainly hard to get a team of minnows like the mighty Stevenage to somewhere like the Championship, simply as it takes consolidation and building, but not impossible

Marc Vaughan

I actually think that Stevenage irl with a little luck would have a good shot at building a 'dynasty' (so to speak ) ...

They've got a good youth policy and with a little luck and the right coaching staff in the lower levels they could groom a side which could take them up the league levels fairly easily.

The location of the team is well placed to attract support as the team grows imho and so over time anything could happen.

Bringing Brighton back into things again - we raised a huge amount of cash when we sold Gareth Barry despite him not having ever played a senior game for the club. If Stevenage could groom similar players or better still hold onto a small core of them then they could easily rise to the Championship imho (remember Brighton while in the Championship have had a fair few of the same players who at one stage were nearly relegated from the league, a LOT of the difference in the lower levels if organisation, training and having those one or two players who are a little bit 'special' imho).

(I live just up the road from Stevenage if you wondered about why I know a little about the club and their youth policy etc. ..)

Queen of the Stevenage

But it doesn't go so well when we sell our best striker (who was desperate for a League club) to a Conference NORTH club!!

George Boyd is our diamond. He could quite easily slot into a Championship side. We do have an excellent youth policy, but I'm concerned at our turnover at the striker/goalkeeper turnover.

I remember being at Broadhall for Alan Julian's first game between the posts and they hadn't even fully taken Andy Woodman's name off the back of his jersey. FFS!