Hey guys, welcome back to the North East for my FM 2011 Newcastle story. During the last post you read on as Newcastle completed the quadruple in style and hit it rich. After such an amazing season, I am left to ponder what next and how can I maintain such a level while making money. The answer is easy, sell, sell, sell at the right time. I just hope we have done so during this pre-season. Today I will reveal all my transfer action and the usual report on finances.
Every new season begins with hope and the dreaded board expectations. These have become a formality of late, the board are demanding a ‘title challenge’. To help me achieve this the board are also offering £58 million for transfers and £260K a week extra for wages. Not that these will matter as I want to lower the wage bill and make money on transfers. Media and pundits alike still don’t class Newcastle as the dominant force of English football, this is shown in the fact I’m second favourite for the title behind Man City.
Last season saw me make a profit of £8 million in the transfer market, excellent work considering I spent a total of £56 million. My keen eye for finances has paid off big time, as the clubs valuation has almost doubled since last year. We have moved from 16th in the worlds richest club listings to 6th. NUFC are now worth £308 million, that’s more than Chelsea and just £29 million off Manchester Utd. I am desperate to hit top spot one day.
OK lets move onto what really matters, transfers! We’ll start from the back and make our way forward in accordance to player positions. First on the list is Mario Mainetti my new goalkeeper. With Enyeama hitting 33 years of age, I had to find a capable replacement. Mario was a snap at £4.5 million from German side Koln. My coaches rate his current ability as 3.5 stars and potential ability as 4 star. The 21 year old is said to have enough potential to be better than Enyeama.
Now we’ll take a look at the left back position, I was in a hurry to offload Kieran Gibbs. The Englishman is average but not my favourite player so I decided to offload him and bring in a younger, better replacement. Simone Costantino joined Newcastle for £16 million from Torino. I have been scouting the Italian for a few seasons and believe he can be the best left back around. My coaches rate him as CA 3 star and PA 3.5 stars. They also believe he can be better than Pereyra who was brilliant last season.
With Micah Richards about to turn 27 and Danny Simpson leaving the club on a free transfer, I needed to find some replacements. I already have Haan who is been adapted for this role, but he’s not quite ready. Therefore I decided to invest in two right backs, the first is Spanish and signed for £3.9 million. Martin Garcia entered Saint James Park from Napoli and is 19 years old. My coaches believe Garcia has a current ability of 2 star and potential ability of 3.5 stars, they also rate him as potentially better than Richards. My second right back is Salvatore Pepe signed for £4 million from Inter Milan. This 19 year old is rated as 2.5 star current ability and 4 star potential ability. His natural position is centre back which should be adapted, but my coaches believe he’ll be better than Danny Wilson.
Let’s move onto central midfield, we’ll do this in a few sections. First off my backup signings, the players brought in to cover and act as potential profit in the future. We all should know Thiago, the Spanish attacking midfielder. Well he has rotted in the reserves at Man City for a few years and I snapped the 24 year old up on a bosman. His attributes are poor, but I believe this can be rectified with first team football. I also signed Portuguese midfielder Adrien for free from Palermo, at 26 years old he can do a job in my supporting midfield role. I will sell both these midfielders within 1-3 seasons for a profit.
Now we’ll look at midfielders bought for my youth to gold system. With a lot of CM’s departing Saint James Park, I felt now was the perfect time to buy great young players for the future. You have already seen Tinga, the 17 year old Brazilian wonderkid. He joined from Cruzeiro for £1.6 million and won’t play much this year. I’d like to offer Tinga out on loan, but we’ll see what happens. My latest signing is defensive midfielder Filippo Perotti from AC Milan. The 17 year old was purchased for £2.4 million and immediately sent out on loan to Rotherham. Perotti could be my long term replacement for Rodwell when his time is up.
Now for my last midfielder and as always I’ve saved the best till last. Mondher Dardouri will be a key player from day one and still has room to grow at the age of 20. Signed for £11.25 million from Auxerre the midfielder is rated as current ability 3 star and potential ability 4 star. Dardouri will be switched between advanced playermaker and supporting midfielder till I know which suits him best.
We’re almost there guys, just one more signing to reveal and guess what, he’s another striker. I know I don’t need more, but the potential profit from this transfer is great. Besides, Sanogo is demanding massive wages and I’m stuck for what to do with him while Paloschi only has a few years left, tops. Therefore Diego Sanchez entered Saint James Park from Cruz Azul for £2 million. The Mexican is rated 3 star for potential ability and seen as potentially similar to Sanogo.
To summarise I spent £45.5 million on new players. Looking through the list I’m delighted with my Y2G systems progress, it seems to be working and the future is gold if these signings can fulfil their potential.
I’m sure you’re thinking, how could he spend so much while trying to make the club rich. Well below is your answer, we raked in £73 million from player departures. A lot leaving Saint James Park and some good players too, but I had no choice because selling them now made the best profit. To illustrate this I have added the profit made on each player from when they were bought to their end sale value. I am delighted with the results. Not to mention the improved wage bill, which is now almost as low as I can possibly get at around £1.07 million per week.
You’ve seen all my new signings and the players I waved a sad farewell too. So let’s see how that effects my squad list. 26 players in total not to mention a few more youngsters on loan and in the reserves. My squads average age has dropped too, its now 20 years old.
I think we’re well manned and have a great set of players. Pre-season went well, and my first test came in the Community Shield against Manchester Utd. you can see the match highlights below.
A great start to my new campaign. Dardouri seems to have settled straight away with an outstanding performance while Sanogo’s hat trick left me wanting to secure the forwards future no matter what the costs may be.
After last seasons Champions League final I had £57 million in the bank. During the off season this dropped by around £25 million, due to no income. However, with the great return we made on transfers the bank balance now shows £61.5 million. During this time last year the bank balance was just £5.6 million so this is testament to the massive improvements we’ve made. I have also reduced the wage bill by almost £500K a week from what it was at the start of last years pre-season. My transfer action is heading in the right direction too, we made a profit of £8 million on last seasons transfer action. This year has seen a profit of £27.5 million on transfers already. NUFC are finally heading in the right direction.
Well that is all for today, thanks for dropping by and please feel free to ask any questions below. I hope you’ll join me next time as the toon army embark on their 6th season. Until then thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments as always.
Sibo
19 мая, 2011 at 12:29
Hey Darren
Well done on the market once again, it is interesting not seeing the world class players of previous transfer windows although there are still some players that will make an instant impact, such as Dardouri.
I don’t think this lack of «instant quality» will harm the squad though, as players like Sanogo are still performing really well, good luck for the season and I am sue the Community Shield is a sign of things to come!
Well done on a great pre-season, and good luck for the season ahead!
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:47
Thanks Sibo, in order to lower the wages and buy young I had to take a cut in instant quality. Although I believe 60% of the signings will be great in three years time. Dardouri is one of a few that are already there.
The squad is well balanced and I know what to expect with my tactics, hopefully my plan will work and we’ll be successful as well as rich. :)
vaibhavc
19 мая, 2011 at 13:32
Hey Darren
The Y2G seems to be working, look at your finances and the money you have saved. Diego Sanchez is a fantastic player, he is just outstanding, lets hope he becomes as good as Sanogo.
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:45
Thanks Vaibhavc, I have made some good signings and a lot have profit in mind. It all comes down to how I develop them really.
faizal
19 мая, 2011 at 13:49
really young squad but have full potential….
Hope i will get squad like this soon..haha
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:43
Thanks Faizal, it takes time to build such a talented squad but is well worth it. :)
Excessive
19 мая, 2011 at 13:57
Hey Darren, I’ve got a question…
Do you think your being stringent enough with the finances that you have and the goals that you have set yourself.
Would love to see you at the top of that financial tree in the next few years, but getting close to £1bn to match Madrid will be tough. Great signings otherwise though, Sanchez will develop really well. Hopefully you can make bagfulls of profit :).
Although asking for higher wages, Sanogo seems to be a pivotal figure up front and will bring you loads of success. 5 year contract mate, can sell him off at 27-28 and make a monster profit! Besides, the prize money and influence he has on shirt sales and upcoming players will outweigh the extra wages.
Always nice to see United get beat too! Well done an good luck for the season :)
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:42
Hey Jake, I think I’m been more than strict enough with the finances and goals. I always said that Y2G system should be implemented in the best way for each individual and this counts for me too. I have lowered the wage bill by more than £400K, increased the balance by more than £50 million in a year and have the youngest squad possible. There’s not much more I could do without wrecking my squad ability. Having said that I always use my goals etc as outlines rather than written in stone…as a game adapts you need to adapt with it in my opinion.
I don’t know if we can crawl up the financial tree quickly, would be nice but could take a lot more than 2 years as this Y2G system takes a while for the benefits to shine through.
I have signed a lot of faces this season purely because I want time to develop them and have seen other players leave early because of great offers coming in. I just hope you’re right about Sanogo…he’s probably my best chance of a record breaking transfer. :)
Excessive
19 мая, 2011 at 19:33
Just wanted to hear the opinion mate :). I think that your implementing it really well thus far!
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 22:00
I know what you mean mate, I can be a little relaxed on season goals etc, but there is a big plan in place and I think I’m following it well so far. Maybe a few too many signing though, I just can’t resist top talent when its cheap. :)
Excessive
20 мая, 2011 at 00:32
Your not the only one..
My next update is filled with players I don’t need.
As for the goals, I know what you mean mate and obviously the Y2G system is essentially only a ethos on how to deal with transfers, to get the most profit.
Sanogo would have been gone in 2 years due to his large wage bill under the guidelines, but we all know that it just isn’t practical in the long run..
Follow what you feel is right (pretty much what your doing now). Will all come together and you’ll reep those benefits I’m sure :)
Darren Smith
20 мая, 2011 at 11:40
Sanogo is the big question mark. I’ll be looking at around £95K per week to sign him on. But without that, Sanogo will leave on the cheap next season…no way I’m letting that happen. :)
Paul Meeks
19 мая, 2011 at 14:55
Hi Darren,
Wow, that’s an incredibly young squad you have there. It will be exciting to see how they progress!
Good luck for the season ahead. Loving your stories as always :-)
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:35
Thanks Paul, the squad is probably my youngest yet…but there’s no doubting the talent. I’ve always lived by a players age doesn’t judge his ability and its served me well. Thanks for the kind words.
Lye
19 мая, 2011 at 15:49
Hi Darren,
Catching Real Madrid will take some time but you are doing well with those signings. Most important is to balance well between your results and financial part. I like how you managed to lower the wage to 107k and your board must be please with that. Good start over Man Utd and you should maintain it when the season starts. Good luck.
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:34
I agree Lye, Real won’t be caught over night. I’ll need to persist in the same manner for a good few seasons…but that’s the only way to maintain squad quality too, so you’re spot on there. My wage budget won’t stay that low forever, but I want to keep it around there.
vikingmarius
19 мая, 2011 at 15:59
You have a great young squad and yet again have done extremely well in the market, aren’t you however worried about the lack of experience in the squad, like a giggs type
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:32
Thanks mate, all went well in the market. I have always succeeded with a younger squad as opposed to older ones. I don’t get anything from the more experienced players as my tactic works best with great physical attributes. I understand what you mean, but I think we’ll be more than OK.
Laxeyman
19 мая, 2011 at 16:20
A big profit while still strengthening your squad Darren, so an excellent pre season. Your players are generally very young and have great potential, so your team is sure to get even better. You’ll win the league again for sure, and hopefully you can get the Champions League as well. Good luck!
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:31
Cheers mate, must admit I was surprised to make such a profit this year. I wasn’t expecting to do this for a few more seasons, not that I’m complaining. :)
Desmo Wenning
19 мая, 2011 at 16:44
Very good job there Darren, good job! Made a good profit but you didn’t reduce the quality. You’ve signed some very good youngsters and I’m sure you will be able to develop them to their top ability!
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:29
Thanks Desmo, I don’t think we reduced in quality either but only time will tell. As long as these youngsters hit full potential I can expect a nice profit down the line. :)
Sears
19 мая, 2011 at 17:19
Huge profit, wonderful youngsters, good finances, the future is certainly bright at Newcastle :-p
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:27
Thanks Sears, pre-season went extremely well in my opinion.
Sayam Khan
19 мая, 2011 at 17:27
Hi Darren,
Excellent Pre-season once again and I think you could win another quadruple! You signed some good players, I like Dardouri and predict he will be a star. Anyway good luck!
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:27
Thanks Sayam, hopefully we can challenge on all fronts again but a little luck is always required. Dardouri is an incredible talent, although he has problems settling in. Hopefully that won’t last long.
Johnny Karp
19 мая, 2011 at 18:26
I think that this is a big turning point for the club, you brought in a great bunch of youngsters that should serve you well for quite a few years while their wages will remain at a reasonable level. So I guess it will be all profit from now on since you won’t need to bring too many new players anymore. And I’m sure you have some future stars in the reserves as well ;)
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 18:49
I agree Johnny, this year has seen the future and maybe final pieces of a massive jigsaw enter Saint James Park. I will keep buying the best cheap talent as I find it, but only if I can sell someone from the same position at a reasonable profit. Hopefully we’ll see the pound signings roll over now. I do have one or two tricks in the reserves, players you may not remember from last season, but they’ll make an appearance within a year or two. :)
Johnny Karp
19 мая, 2011 at 18:57
Oh, and I guess you should keep Sanogo as long as your overall wage budget remains within reasonable limits.
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 19:00
I have to agree Johnny, Sanogo is just too good. As long as I can get him for under £100K a week I’ll take the chance.
Ana Garcia
19 мая, 2011 at 19:26
Hola Darren! :)
Three Spanish clubs in the top four richest clubs! :)
It will take a while to catch the richer clubs but you have gone about it the right way, and your bank balance is looking very good at the moment.
Your squad is very young having had a look at it, but also alot of potential and by the looks of how easy you beat Man Utd it should be another good season.
Best of luck!
Darren Smith
19 мая, 2011 at 22:01
Thanks Ana, but don’t get too used to those Spanish teams…I’m hoping to crash their party lol :)
I just love watching talent grow and blossom, its my favourite part of the game. That probably explains the young squad along with my Y2G system.
Martin
19 мая, 2011 at 22:33
oh you have certainly worked your magic in the transfer window….some quality youngester there! If you cant beat Man Utd that easy it looks like the premiership could already be in the bag.
I just wondered….whats next once you make Newcastle the richest club etc?
Darren Smith
20 мая, 2011 at 11:44
Thanks Martin, I hope we can continue from last season…though I can’t imagine ever matching that. :)
I think this Newcastle save could take me until FM12 release to finish. But I’ll be starting a new story soon to coincide, it will be written in a different fashion and hopefully be quite unique but we’ll see.
CsAtlantis
20 мая, 2011 at 00:07
Wow compared to the other guys you’ve got that left back seems to be a luxury buy at 16 million, overall all your purchases looks pretty solid for the future, and some of them can contribute now too
That’s some crazy profit on a 33 year old Enyeama :P, still remembered him joining first season on your puny 1.8 million or so transfer budget for 300k or so
You might want to try negotiating with Sanogo now, if it fails maybe he’ll sack his agent and you can have another easier go without his agent complicating matters :P
Darren Smith
20 мая, 2011 at 11:42
I know mate, weird how far the club has come. Enyeama is my favourite keeper, but that profit was too much to turn down…plus I saw Mainetti available for less than half the price. We’ll see what happens with Sanogo but I don’t have much time to waste as he won’t want to renegotiate for a while after a failed attempt. I can’t risk losing him on the cheap.
Kevin
20 мая, 2011 at 09:42
Hi Darren
Some fantastic youngsters you have acquired and it’s nice to see some Italian players as Brazil seems to be the country of choice most of the time. Your goalkeeper Mainette looks immense abd he is surely someone you can make a profit on at some future date. Dourdouhri will undoubtedly be rock solid in your central midfield. Good job and good luck!
Darren Smith
20 мая, 2011 at 11:39
Thanks Kevin, the new signings have brought freshness to my squad. Hopefully the better ones like Dardouri will make the instant impact I’ve paid for, while the younger cheaper signings will develop fast.
Timmy
20 мая, 2011 at 18:01
Dardouri is amazing,and he just 20,and he just cost you 13 mill !
just want to ask,is that Adrien is same Adrien from Alex story?
if yes,i will buy him
cheers :)
Darren Smith
20 мая, 2011 at 18:51
Thanks Timmy, I have high hopes for Dardouri and the team has shaped up well. Adrien is the same as from Alex’s save, a decent CM especially for free.