Hey guys and welcome back to a new era with Newcastle United. During my last post we outlined my financial plans and I discussed how best to structure the club. You also saw my latest signings and a quick review of the financial graph. Today we will be looking through August to November, but not just my results. Every post will now feature my finances whether it be a simple graph or in depth detail…after all this story is now about the clubs structure and trying to make NUFC rich. At the end of every post I will show a screenshot of one of my youngsters. This should help get you all up to speed with the clubs future in terms of youth. Anyway, let’s get on with the show and see how the toon army started season number 5.
Premier League results — August to October
With the Y2G system firmly in place and the new batch of youth waiting to grow, I needed to find a way of implementing them without damaging results. I decided to stagger my EPL squad as to include the new youth one or two at a time. This was ignored during the first game, a hard fought match against Chelsea finished with the toon army as 1-0 victors. However, I managed to include Afellays future replacement, Hernandez within the match against Birmingham. The Spaniard didn’t disappoint and scored a cracking goal to help us win 3-0. Hernandez featured in a few matches and I’m delighted by his progress, the central midfielder should be ready to replace Afellay next season. Anyway, my great run continued through August as we also beat Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates. September started with a dodgy 1-0 win over Blackburn, you know who spared my blushes. This was before thrashing WBA 3-0 and then scoring an injury time winner against Everton at Goodison Park. October featured a lot of cup and European matches, hence only two EPL fixtures. The first was another nervy win over West Ham and then a 2-0 away victory against Wigan. Sanogo seems to be improving every season, he has chipped in with 6 goals so far.
Premier League results — November
For anyone who has followed this story from day one, you’ll know my side and tactics are evolved around defence and keeping a tight ship. This has worked well yet again, starting the game cautious and adjusting my tactics to suit the opponent or in match circumstances provides little goals but helps me win matches. Just a little tip, if you’re drawing and desperately need all three points here is what worked for me during the first three months. With 20 minutes left change strategy to ‘overload’, then use touchline shouts of ‘push higher up’, ‘get stuck in’ and ‘take more risks’. But please don’t use this if you fear conceding against stronger opponents. OK back to November which was a long month. We started at Saint James Park against Man City, must admit I was nervous prior to kick-off. Why I don’t know because we thrashed the tycoons 5-0. That easy victory was followed by a 2-1 win at Villa Park. Then another away day at Craven Cottage saw us dominate Fulham and win 2-1. Both games were at 1-1 before Newcastle grabbed the winner, this is testament to my squad team spirit. We also went on to beat both Bolton and Wolves, leaving one opponent to stop an all winning start. Unfortunately that opponent was Liverpool, not only did we miss a hat full of chances but we also dominated possession. The match finished 1-1, but I don’t know how.
I’m just glad we haven’t conceded more than one goal a game in the league. A great record considering my left back is 18 years old and one of the centre backs is just 17. That centre back has just been introduced as a first team regular ahead of Musacchio, his name is Peter Kalu. I signed him from Leeds for £4 million last year, seriously recommend clicking his name, he’s the best defensive regen I’ve ever seen (despite bad physical attributes.)
One match really stood out from all the Premier League fixtures. My 5-0 thrashing of Manchester City, I’d like to share the match highlights with you. It was a great game and featured the most amazing goal from wonderkid Hernandez as well as a show stopping performance from Sanogo!!
Premier League table
Not much to say here, we’re flying high in first 8 points above second with a game in hand! :)
League Cup results
The League Cup has been my baby from day one, despite losing in the final during 2011, I have won this competition every season since. Despite a tough third round draw against Everton at Goodison Park, I managed to progress 2-0. Then an even tougher draw saw may play Chelsea in the fourth round. The London based club started without their star man Dzeko and this cost them dearly. I managed to offer first team football to Verratti and Gibbs who played well. The match finished 1-0, but should have been more. Now I’ll face Sunderland in the quarter-final, love playing my arch rivals!
Champions League results and group
When the group draw was revealed I must admit it pleased me. Real Madrid, Anderlecht and Metalist. The first match featured most of my youth and that almost cost me. Metalist were the better side and took the lead early on. Verratti scored an equalizer, but I had to bring on some senior experience to win as Gaitan scored to make it 2-1. The next tie is one I’d rather forget, Real Madrid thrashed Newcastle 4-0. By far my worst and most embarrassing result. The lads did redeem themselves away to Anderlecht though as we won 2-1., then 3-0 to the Belgian side at home. I should have changed formation for the away match against Metalist. I didn’t learn my lesson and could only draw 1-1, which leaves us with one loss and one draw already.
Despite two bad results, I have qualified for the next round with one game left. In fact, top spot is still available too. We play Real Madrid at Saint James Park during the last match and a win would secure first and a so called easier ride.
Squad stats
After a wonderful start, its time to see if individuals are to thank or a general team performance. For me the whole team as played a role so far. If you scroll through the top performers, you’ll notice a general theme and my attempted to include every player. My defence gets top award for average rating, they have been superb thus far. However, Sanogo has really impressed me with 11 goals and Hernandez is showing tonnes of potential with 3 goals and 5 assists. The Spaniard was bought for £14 million near his 17th birthday. A lot of money, but I can see it slowly paying off.
Its now time to see one of my youth to gold players. This defender is currently on loan with Stuttgart and has been at the club for 3 years. I signed Haan at the age of 16 from Feyenoord for a fee of £2.1 million. This was all in the hope that his technical attributes would improve, unfortunately Jaap has improved every other attribute but. Therefore, I will begin training the Dutch defender as a full back to replace Richards. Failing that I’ll look to make a profit on him.
While we’re looking through profiles, I had a request for Walcott and Wilson’s profile. Here you go guys.
Finances — drum roll please!
Ahh cut the music, this really hasn’t gone to plan. :( I lowered the wage budget and tried to get everything in order and I’m still losing money. Upon inspection I am paying £557K a month for Wilson’s transfer. I forgot this was done in monthly instalments over the next 24 months. To be honest this isn’t the worst part, I think the biggest outlay is from wages which despite lowering them still seem to bite me in the arse. I am losing an average of just under £2 million a month. If this carries on till the seasons end I’ll be in the red by £13 million. Then the competition and TV revenue from Champions League balanced against player bonuses etc should bolster this back up to £7-10 million in the green. It’s a wild roller coaster ride, but I just need to stick to my plan and not let this put me off. One thing is for sure, I need to keep lowering that wage budget.
Fixtures and next post
OK we’re almost there so stay with me. I just want to take a quick look at the fixtures. The next post will take us up until the end of February and will feature any transfer action (which I’m hoping for.) Looking at the fixtures we have a big derby followed by easy EPL opponents and sandwiched between a massive match against Real. Then the fun starts as we play Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham within a three week period. That little spell could end the title race or open it up again to my rivals.
Well that is all for today’s update, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the post. Please feel free to comment below and I look forward to hearing from you as always. :)
Alex
10 мая, 2011 at 11:55
Brilliant stuff Darren, the treble is possible and maybe the quadruple! You didn’t include the league table and after taking a look at the Drafts, I’m guessing you’ve gone past this period ;). Where were you in the league and how much were you leading the league by :P. Your finances aren’t great, but it will take some time to see the real benefits of the Y2G system. When you finish 1st in the league, you’ll get 16M from that plus any money you get from the other competitions. Good luck, I’m sure this season will be your best :)
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:31
Hey Alex, you should be able to see the table now…thanks for telling me, I must have missed it. :)
I am hoping to get my wage structure in order soon, that will be the main challenge. Then its a case of making money of transfers…much tougher than it sounds. :)
Sea
10 мая, 2011 at 12:04
Hi
Good Results there unlucky vs Madrid. Sanogo looks unreal.11 goals in 11 starts.
Also that loanees physical attributes are unreal.
Again well done on the results.
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:29
Thanks Sea, Sanogo is a real beast!! My players on loan are doing well and I’m hoping to develop them into real first teamers. Thanks for the comment. :)
Sears
10 мая, 2011 at 12:04
Brilliant post pal, wonderful to see you dominating with Newcastle again :-)
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:28
Thanks Sears
CsAtlantis
10 мая, 2011 at 12:34
Did you slip in something like 25% of next sale clauses into the players you transferred out Darren? The board normally seems to negotiate a buyout clause for them after some time which adds a significant value to the transfer
That’s quite a hefty fee you have to pay for Wilson there per month, let’s hope he turns out to be worth the outlay
How much money are you getting from gate receipts, tv revenue and sponsorship? Also you might want to check how much you pay your players in appearance fees and goal bonuses, they tend to add up especially with big money contracts
At least you’re trying Darren, give it a season or two, you still have stable finances so should still be okay
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:28
I have already checked the ‘next sale clause’ summary and we can’t force any of these through early. I have a few but nothing worth bothering with tbh. Wilson’s transfer fee was well in excess of £20m to be paid over a lot of months, thats the price you pay for not watching finances I guess.
My gate receipts are around £570K per match not including match day expenses. But this varies depending on the game. Then my sponsorship deals get me £27 million a year while TV revenue is around £73 million a year but again this can vary. My main expenses are wages, appearance fees and ‘non football costs’ what ever they are :)
Don’t worry mate, its all under control and a difference will show very soon. :)
Excessive
10 мая, 2011 at 12:51
Ouch, that 4-0 loss must have hurt!
Still, going strong in all competitions mate which is great to see :)
Can’t believe how debt ridden you are though, glad your changing things round for the better and trying to make a sustainable club. That prize money should help ;)
Good luck for the next few matches, especially that one against Sunderland. Up the toon!
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:17
Yeh that loss hurt! :) But we have an opportunity for revenge :) I just hope we maintain the great league form. As for my finances, it doesn’t look great. I didn’t pay attention to them at all from the off and now have 4 years of terrible accounting to sort out. I honestly think we can sort this as early as next season.
vaibhavc
10 мая, 2011 at 14:40
Hey Darren
You have some amazing regens! There is Hernandez and Kalu to make sure that you have back-up for the future. Unfortunately, the finances are still not that great, but I think that you can improve on this later on.
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:15
Thanks mate, I have found some awsome regens and hoping for many more. :) Kalu is probably the best while Hernandez can really surpass Afellays level.
vikingmarius
10 мая, 2011 at 15:12
You are doing very well in the league Darren, Hernandez looks great I was wondering if you could show how much Verratti has developed? You have been unlucky in the Champions Cup but I am sure you will pull it together in the latter stages :)
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:13
I’ll see if I have a profile for when Verratti joined us. He hasn’t turned into half the player I was hoping but still decent for fringe matches.
Sibo373
10 мая, 2011 at 15:48
Well done on the domestic front Darren!
You have done really well in terms of games but the finances still aren’t there yet! If you continue slashing and cutting the right areas, as well as implementing the Y2G system effectively, you will be able to create a great club on all fronts! :D
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:11
Thanks Sibo, we’ve enjoyed a great start. The finances will take time, its only been 5 months since I started correcting them. I reckon the figures will look better come next season.
Laxeyman
10 мая, 2011 at 16:25
Brilliant results Darren, your team are playing really well, and I’m sure you’ll win the league again. Your finances aren’t too good, but hopefully you can get that wage budget lower and get out of debt. Good luck!
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:10
Thanks Laxeyman, I’m delighted with the teams performances as well as results. We’re looking strong and hopefully my finances will match that soon enough
Ana Garcia
10 мая, 2011 at 17:33
Some great results in the league, and at least the couple of bad results in europe didnt cost you, but you must get revenge against Real Madrid!!
Finances are a worry but it will take time to correct the situation, so good luck on that.
But eight points clear with a game in hand puts you into a very strong position to win the league, so good luck!!
:)
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:07
Thanks Ana, the footballing side is great but financially it needs some work. Should be sorted by the end of next season though :) I’ll try and spank Real for you.
Sayam Khan
10 мая, 2011 at 17:44
Hi Darren, brilliant start to the season! You should win the league this year and hopefully you will. Hernandez looks like an excellent player, and this should give you the license to sell Affelay. Then you would be saving 450k a month on wages! Peter Kalu is another amazing regen! The good thing about him is that he is also English! Finances aren’t great, but i’m sure you will fix them after a couple of seasons. Good Luck!
Darren Smith
10 мая, 2011 at 18:05
Hey Sayam, it really was a fantastic start to the season. Afellay really needs to leave soon…I want to get a good offer and must sell him within a year to get the best deal. The finances are a working progress, I was unhappy to see no improvement after my efforts but the plan is in place. A few seasons and all should be sorted.
Johnny Karp
10 мая, 2011 at 20:36
I don’t care about the finances, the on-pitch results are good :) (well, except the Real Madrid defeat). Just kidding, I am sure that you can make the wage budget even lower. By the way, that centre back could indeed make a good fullback with that speed, he could even do well as a striker in a lower league!
Darren Smith
11 мая, 2011 at 11:51
Thats what I like to hear Johnny…tbh I want to challenge myself with finances, but just love watching the sexy football…reminds me why I am addicted to the game. :)
As always the game produced a random regen in Haan, he could be developed for many different roles, but full back is my aim. :)
Kevin
11 мая, 2011 at 09:18
Hi Darren
Yaya Sanogo is really on form for you and lets hope he can keep that up. Great win over Man City but weird to see such a defeat against Madrid….I wasn’t expecting that. Otherwise it’s nice to see realistic results if you know what I mean.In Jaap Hann I think you a real good prospect either as a player of just as a money maker for you. Great post as usual and thanks for bringing it to us.
Darren Smith
11 мая, 2011 at 11:49
Thanks Kevin, that Real result was weird one and completely out of character. Guess I got the lineup and tactics wrong. :( I think I know what you mean by realistic results and also what your referring to ;) At the end of the day we all want to be surprised when reading these posts, which won’t happen if you know the author will win at all costs ;)
Haan will hopefully fill in to rotate with Richards this year. He looks promising although loan spells haven’t done him too many favours.
Daniel
11 мая, 2011 at 09:51
Hi Darren,
That reegen you showed at the end ‘Jaap Hann’ would make a excellent full back, or even a winger. I’m sure the finances will work out :D and the league is yours for the taken with a solid defence like that!
Daniel :)
Darren Smith
11 мая, 2011 at 11:46
Thanks Daniel, next season should see Haan developed to replace Richards in the long run. :)
Lye
11 мая, 2011 at 13:00
Hi Darren,
No doubt your team is still dominating in the league. Jaap Haan is an explosive player. If his dribbling can be better, i will rather put him on the wing to do more damage. Even though your finances is not doing that well yet but you will sort it out for sure. Keep winning trophy and reduce more wage budget will see your profit increase tremendously. Next season will be better when you release those high wages players. Good luck.
Darren Smith
11 мая, 2011 at 18:35
Thanks Lye, everyone seems to like Haan’s pace including myself ;) Finances always take time especially after my reckless start, but we’ll get there.
hils
11 мая, 2011 at 15:38
Hi Darren,good 2 months!!!!!!!!!!! Your still dominating the league!!!!!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!!!
Darren Smith
11 мая, 2011 at 18:32
Thanks Hils.
LTN
11 мая, 2011 at 16:12
Hi Darren,
Amazing results there, maybe except your match against Real Madrid. may I ask one question, have you ever thought of making a new story, this time with a small team like a BSP team and slowly make it reach the EPL? I bet that would be really interesting, I want to see how you cope with smaller teams, because about big ones, we all know that you are top.
Darren Smith
11 мая, 2011 at 18:32
Thanks mate, the Real Madrid match was horrible to be honest. But still, we have a chance at revenge. :)
I don’t manage in the lower league because there are so many stories like that within the site. I have only done two saves during FM 2011 and kept to them because a) everyone seemed to like them and b) I like them. When your writing about something you really need to enjoy the game too. I probably won’t start a lower league challenge in FM11 as there is still a way to go with my Newcastle save…I find stories boring to read if there ended after three or four seasons, so stick to that rule for myself. However, I will provide a poll for who I’ll mange in FM 2012, so if you guys want lower league, you’ll get it. :)