creative36

This will probably be my last save for FM2005. I started it back in the spring, but had a lengthy break from the game until recently, so without further ado (and apologies for the crap thread title, I'm inspiration-less today):

Season 1: Klepp IL, Norway
I send my scout off to look for freebies and sign another one to help him out. My player-Ass Man has a damaged achilles, which means I am without my best player (well, stats-wise) for the entire season. I sign a decent-looking coach to help him out.

Norwegian Second Division Group 3: Two wingers and a left-back join in a pre-season that suggests the team will be reasonable. This is... not to be the case. By the beginning of August, we've lost four in a row and look pretty dire. A striker I'd bought for a whopping £9k is unable to reproduce the form that got him 13 goals in 14 games for his previous club.
I decide to completely change match tactics and although it takes two games to click (part of a 6-game non-scoring run), click the team does. We finish the season with the 2nd best form in the division while playing - I should add - some damn fine football. Evidence comes in the final match where, with both 1st choice DCs injured, we still comfortably win 3-1.
Final league position: 7th; W10, D9, L7, GD+3

Norwegian Cup: a 1st Round 0-4 thumping by Premier Division Ham Kam tells its own story.

Players: A DC and DR turned both turned 17 during the season and look like they could be VERY useful in the future, particularly the DR, who would have been excellent if he hadn't got so many injuries. Midfield is a real strength for the team - more so going forward, which is why I'm eagerly waiting for my Ass Man to get fit again. I probably only need a couple of DCs to make a real push in the league next season. Money might be a problem there - attendances were pitiful and none of my players are worth much of anything. Oh well.


Season 2: Klepp IL, Norway
One of my scouts points out a decent-looking DC who is player-coaching at a non-league team. Not for much longer. The other scout gets sent to trawl the pubs of Scandinavia: even though he seems to distrust anywhere other than Norway or Sweden he spots a promising GK who joins for nowt.

Norwegian Second Division Group 3: Turns out I only needed the one new DC to make a real push in the league and since none of the other teams made much of an effort, it was... easy. Whether it was the formation, the general tactic or just having good players I don't know, but following an opening-day defeat, we won 18 of the next 19 games, leaving us 11 points clear at the halfway stage. The second half of the season wasn't AS good, but even after we'd clinched the title with four games to go and then practiced our rugby drop-goals for the last couple of matches, we still finished 9 points clear of second.
Final league position: 1st; W20, D3, L3, GD +42.

Norwegian Cup: Damn, this cup sucks. No prize money and rubbish gates means that reaching the 3rd round (where we lost to Premier Division Tromso) was a waste of time even for the reserves who played.

Players: The striker who joined last season bagged 30 goals from his 26 league games (and earned himself a nickname). The rest of the squad chipped in with 33 between them. The scarcity of injuries really helped, meaning I usually had my first-choice team available and since they were playing as well as they were, I hardly had to swap them around. The DC and DR both got called up to the U-19 international side over the season, but the age of both the other DC and my DL is a slight concern - they'll need replacing soon. Midfield is still a real strength: my Ass Man is as good as I'd hoped and a couple of young recruits should be good in a year or two. The financial situation is looking a bit worrying. Hopefully, 1st Division football will improve the gates a bit; I'd rather not sell my striker to balance the books.


Season 2.5: Hednesford, English Conference North
A lengthy break from the game sees me turn it into a 'Farewell FM2005' save and so, not having managed in the English leagues in this version, I apply for the first Conference N/S job available. Hednesford waste no time appointing me and a look at the league table shows why - 1 point above the relegation zone with 6 games to play. We do not play well, but a 2-0 win in the penultimate game means our only way of being relegated is to lose by about 12 goals on the last day. We don't.


Season 3: Hednesford, English Conference North
My habit of 'sack everyone and start afresh' is still in force. Luckily, most of the dead weight could be released straight away and the other duffers are either sold off or leave by 'mutual consent'. I replace them with youngsters earning £60-80 a week.

English Conference North: A generally good (if inconsistent) start to the season sees me 3rd just before Christmas. A string of terrible results against lowly opposition leaves me grateful for January. The team picks up and although the inconsistency is never far away, we eventually hit top. This, of course, signals a bad spell and it is only bad results from the other teams around me that leave me in with a shot. Come the final match-day, we are still top, ahead of Barrow by 1 goal and Halifax by 1 point. They are both at home against lowly opposition. We are not. 2 second half goals from my opponents - their only 2 on target - sink us 2-1, with their GK getting an obligatory MoM. Barrow and Halifax both win, leaving me in the playoffs.
The Semi-Final (against Stafford Rangers) is over by H/T in the second leg, with us winning 4-2 on aggregate. Halifax are next and a 1-0 win is enough to see us through to the final, where we eventually lose to Bognor Regis, the decisive goal in a 2-1 loss coming from their on-loan striker (and don't get me started on teams that rely on Loanees to get promoted) in the 120th minute. Fu. Ck.

FA Cup: Went out in 3rd Qualifying Round to Stafford Rangers, losing 1-0 in a replay. Crewe beat Chelsea in the final.

FA Trophy: Played 2 non-league teams, both of whom were miles better than anything in the Conf N. Lost to Hemel Hempstead 2-1 in the 2nd Round.

Players: Only 2 players hit the 10-goal mark during the season, but quite a few chipped in. Midfield is a strong area, with 2 guys playing so well at ML that I had to rotate them. I've also got 2 others who can play there (and play well, too) leaving me with a nice dilemma when they're all fit. Generally speaking, only a handful look like they'll improve much, so it's probably just as well I'm generous when offering trials.

retired_sandra

:eek:

Did Chelsea play their ladies' team?

retired_merri13

I guess Chelsea scored a goal that was disallowed, the Protugees manager then stated it shouldn't have been disallowed, so the result was a draw, meaning that they didn't lose so they won.

KUTGW :thup:

retired_blackh6970

Crewe kick arse :thup: