Hey guys and welcome to my Charlton season report for 2033/34. Last year saw me battle it out in the top flight for the first time as Charlton manager, with many predicting a relegation dog fight we defied all the odds by finishing 6th and winning the FA Cup. This season is all about building on that success and trying to qualify for that pot of gold in the Champions League.
My initial budget was quite good, £27 million could buy a few class players and this was increased to £31 million after I claimed continental qualification should be our minimum goal. I had of course spent some of the cash before the expectations were discussed so in reality my budget was larger than shown.
The media suggested I could mount a title challenge but only with the slimmest of chances and a lot of luck…I’d fancy a gamble on those 200-1 odds!
Come pre-season I examined the squad and let loose some deadwood. This helped raise £10 million and increase the wage budget.
I decided this was the season to make a real statement in the transfer market. A lot of cash was splashed and here are my best signings. Johan Van Hoof joined for free as our main ball winning midfielder, his physical prowess will be invaluable in the middle of the park. Juliano is a promising advanced playmaker who should be a key star in two years time, £13 million was a little excessive but I feel its a good investment. However, my buy of the season has to be Dicko, he will rotate as advanced playmaker and I believe he’ll be a worldy come four years, not to mention he was available for a bargain £3 million.
Results — August to October
The season started with a Europa League qualifier against AEK Larnakas, needless to say we won 9-0 on aggregate. Our start to the EPL wasn’t so easy though as Charlton did exceptionally well to win 5, draw one and lose just once. The likes of Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool were among our opponents.
Results — November to December
Our excellent form continued but not before a nasty loss to Dortmund in Europe. After that we won 5 and drew three of our 8 EPL matches, my boys also saw off Celtic and Tel-Aviv to qualify from our Europa League group.
The Premier League table was shaping up nicely, Charlton lie 5th just 8 points off top with 2 games in hand. The season seemed to be on a knifes edge, a bad run could lose my Champions League hopes while a really good run could see us challenge top.
As mentioned we qualified from our Europa League group, Dortmund claimed top and Charlton finished 2nd a staggering 9 points clear of Celtic.
Results — January to March
A very important set of fixtures approached, not only was it time for the Europa League and FA Cup knockout stages, but our EPL form would decide what Charlton could fight for come the final few months. And lets just say we have a lot to fight for, not only are we through to the FA Cup and Europa League semi-final but my boys won 9, drew one and lost just two of our 12 Premier League fixtures.
Results — April to May
The final few months were very exciting, with everything to play for I had to watch the players fitness and avoid putting a foot wrong. My boys came through with flying colours winning all of our Premier League matches bar one, we also reached the Europa League final but did lose 3-2 to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final.
After an incredible run of form, Charlton beat all the odds to finish top of the EPL.
Europa League final vs Juventus
Charlton’s first Europa League final was upon us and the chance to win some European silverware had come much faster than anticipated. Juventus while full of experience and quality did lack the physical edge my side seemed to boast. This match was decided by one incredible goal which you can see by clicking here…but for those that don’t watch it, you’ll see who won below :)
Squad stats and finances
After an awesome season that saw Charlton lift two more pieces of silverware, there are plenty of stars to thank. The most surprising of which was left winger Kyle Craig who scored 8 goals and assisted 23. When you consider his attributes aren’t the best and he’s been with me since our Blue Square Premier days its quite an incredible achievement.
The season went so well that my board decided to increase the stadium capacity to 32,353, add under soil heating and upgrade the clubs youth and training facilities.
The only problem is that all these improvements came at a price of £20.5 million, leading the board to invest a further £19.75 million into the clubs running costs.
The most recent investment leaves my bank balance at £27.2 million, a good sum but we still have a lot of debt and transfer fees draining our resources. Hopefully Champions League football will help balance things out though.
Well that is it for this update. I won’t be updating this story for a little while though. The last few months have seen me over play the game and I have started to feel stale and a little bored, that doesn’t mean I will be ending the save but I do need a little time away in order to fuel my hunger for the game. We all hit this awkward period but hopefully mine won’t last long, I just need a small break. So thanks to everyone who has commented so far and I’m sure I will return with another update soon.
vaibhavc
19 августа, 2012 at 17:47
Yes Darren! What a second half of the season, seeing you beat United, City, Chelsea, and your old club Scarborough. You also managed to win the Europa League, against top teams as well. Take as long as you need Darren, you deserve your break!
Darren Smith
19 августа, 2012 at 18:37
Thanks Vaibhav, it was one hell of a season and I think that is one of the reasons I need a break…there’s no way I can top this and will just get frustrated if we take a step in the wrong direction.
Conor Joseph Donovan
19 августа, 2012 at 18:09
Well done Darren! Great two triumphs! I will miss your posts! But I understand it — everyone loses interest at times. It’s always best to take a break when that happens!
Darren Smith
19 августа, 2012 at 18:39
Thanks Conor, I don’t think I’ll be away long, to be fair you’ll probably not even notice the difference from my usual wait between posts…I just need to lose the pressure of playing the game to get a post out for a little.
Ryan Daly
19 августа, 2012 at 18:23
Your nothing short of incredible Darren ! how you have managed to turn this club around in such a short space of time will never cease to amaze :)
With the club starting to expand and grow, it won’t be long before you catch Scarborough as the best team in the world ;)
Good Luck for next season
Darren Smith
19 августа, 2012 at 18:45
Haha, thanks Ryan, it has been a bizarre career so far. It would be crazy to overtake Scarborough as the dominant force in world football, but there’s plenty of time before FM13 and I really can’t see me starting another save soo…
saltwater
19 августа, 2012 at 19:20
Amazing season! To capture the Premier League AND the Europa League is brilliant. I say that because if I’m playing in the EL I normally get knocked out early on due to fixture congestion and players fitness, but you went all the way — the highlight of course being that incredible run of form in the buisness end of the season. Nice to see you facing your F.A Cup foes Arsenal, not nice to see them getting revenge.
We’ve all been playing the game for around 10 months (including the demo) so completely understandable about the break you’re taking. Hope to see you back soon though!
Darren Smith
19 августа, 2012 at 20:08
Thanks mate, it was a crazy season and I honestly expected third place at best and maybe reach the quarters or semi’s. I’m sure I’ll be back soon but going to try something different first I think.
Johnny Karp
19 августа, 2012 at 19:58
That was a sensational season Darren, congratulations! The financial situation isn’t that bad either, nothing a good Champions League run can’t solve ;)
Darren Smith
19 августа, 2012 at 20:38
That is true Johnny, I think the CL will sort our finances out next season and then its my job to build on that.
Kevin
19 августа, 2012 at 21:38
Hi Darren
Congrats on winning the EPL, that was an incredible turn of form in the New Year. Excellent achievement in capturing the Europa League as well. Intersting to see Leandro halfway down the Avg Ratings after bagging 23 goals!
Enjoy your break mate, I had a feeling this was coming. Over extending oneself is bad for your physical / mental health so good job you realized you needed a change of pace.
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:48
Thanks Kevin, this feeling always hits me at some point and it probably showed somewhat in my posts that I have started to lose my usual enthusiasm…but I’ll be back soon.
Gaurav Chaddah
19 августа, 2012 at 23:28
Wow! Some season mate, I also agree at times you need a break but cant wait to see how you will fare in the champions league!
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:48
Thanks Gaurav, I shouldn’t be too long on break.
George Boris Dobson
20 августа, 2012 at 00:06
How are you so good at this game incredible !!!!
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:48
lol, I just play it too much.
CsAtlantis
20 августа, 2012 at 03:45
Congratulations on winning the Europa League and Premier League, it was close at the top with Arsenal and Scarborough close behind but that run of form did the trick
You also reached the FA Cup semis too, but got knocked out by Arsenal (just like the Scarborough days then…..)
Lot’s of improvements are being made with your stadium, but with the Champions League money you should be okay in terms of finances (hey, at least your chairman is nice enough to put some money into the club, even though it’s a loan…….)
Good luck for next season and I hope you find your hunger with your (hopefully) short hiatus
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:51
It was an excellent season and very similar to that of the Scarborough days with Arsenal biting me in the ass again :)
Sure my passion for the game will be refueled soon with the real life season kicking off.
Luke M
20 августа, 2012 at 06:04
Hi Darren, i just want to ask, how do you close out games? Do you stick with your starting tactic until the end and hope your team holds on, or do you switch tactic or use touchline shouts? I sometimes find in my games i go on a run where i will lead 1 or 2 nil and near the end the other team throws everything at me and i end up with more draws than i should be.
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:51
I don’t change tactic at all…I may change to counter attack and shout drop deeper and pass into space but other than that I change nothing.
Lye
20 августа, 2012 at 06:52
That was phenomenal Darren. To win the Europa League and the Premiership in your second season is a massive achievement. A big congratulations. I understand the feeling. Enjoy your break and recharge your batteries. We need that time to time. I will see you later.
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:54
Thanks Lye, I think this seasons success sort of led to my decision for a change of pace, hopefully I’ll be back soon.
Karl Deighton
20 августа, 2012 at 08:24
I can’t say I was suprised that you won the titile Darren ;)
You brought in some class players and they will only grow and get better, but it was nice to see someone that has been at the club for a while at the top of the ratings.
The Europa league win against Jventus was brilliant, will improve your co-efficients for next season, you will still probably be 4th seed though.
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:56
Thanks mate, I agree the squad can only get stronger and that is why I love building around youth. Next season will be tough with a 4th seed draw but getting past the group stages may push us up to 3rd which will make things a little easier.
silva
20 августа, 2012 at 09:02
Great Season Darren you broke the Sea Dogs Dominace already and welldone winning the Europa League against Juventus
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 11:56
Thanks mate, we did stop the seadogs in the league but maintaining that and moving over to Europe will take some doing.
Wicklander
20 августа, 2012 at 14:14
Another good season. :) Your boys really put in the extra gear towards the end. ;)
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 18:03
Thanks mate, my sides do tend to notch it up a gear as the season progresses…always handy.
ScottyW
20 августа, 2012 at 15:25
isn’t it ironic?
you spend years at scarborough winning the prem the champions league f.a cup league cup, you name it, you won it yet you were never favourites for the EPL title?
yet this season sheff utd were favourites haha
great season though, hard to imagine you struggling with a team in this game haha
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 18:05
Very much so yes, I was shocked to see Sheffield United as favorites for the title, yes they have a great side but nowhere near my Scarborough team.
Tegar Triemanudigdo
20 августа, 2012 at 16:03
Incredible season there! Once again, you’ve proven yourself a top-class manager there, beating all the odds to lead Charlton win the EPL (whether this is their first time or not, I haven’t seen their history yet). I can’t wait to see your team competing in UCL.
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 18:06
Thanks Tegar, this was indeed the first EPL title of Charlton’s history…probably never done that with two teams in one save before.
Malhar Bhadbhade
20 августа, 2012 at 18:13
hey Darren,
that is quite a magnificent season! i didn’t think you could win the EPL so quickly! that is certainly an incredible achievement. Winning the Europa League is the icing on the cake, and now you will have Champions League football to look forward to next season…the players you signed were quite incredible too! Extremely talented and very young..anyway, enjoy your time off…hope to see you back soon. good luck for next season!
Ana Garcia
20 августа, 2012 at 19:01
I know how you feel about having a break! Am sort of having another mini one for myself right now sometimes the thought of playing can really put you off.
However an excellent place to take a break at! Winning trophies the league a huge cash injection more money on the way new stadium improvements cant be to bad a place to rest on!
Well done on another amazing season and enjoy your break, you earned it. :)
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 21:51
Yeah we all need to rest from the addiction :) I often find that I can’t put the game down if I’m losing to be honest so was inevitable that I’d have to be doing well to break away for a bit.
MRDNRA
20 августа, 2012 at 21:19
To be honest that wasn’t a big surprise, you’ve shown you can do anything in this game. I’m looking forward most to eventually seeing some of those non league teams reach the prem, which I’m sure will happen given that when you got promoted to the prem there were a couple of them challenging for promotion! Congrats on a great season.
Darren Smith
20 августа, 2012 at 21:54
Thanks mate, would be nice to see some more ‘non league’ teams join us in the top flight.
Bhargav
20 августа, 2012 at 22:51
WOW! That is incredible to see. Clearly Charlton are going to become world conquerors. And it’s great to see Scarborough still rocking it. For me, Gladbach and Evian, my first 2 teams, have started to slide down.
If you can improve your results against Arsenal for next season, you’ll be invincible.
Also, I liked how the financial balance graph looks :)
Darren Smith
21 августа, 2012 at 11:47
Thanks mate, hopefully we can keep the finances rising and hit that invincible stage before FM13.
TheZiggy
21 августа, 2012 at 12:41
Congratulations on winning the Europa League and the Premiership. With participation in the Champions League, the finances will get a good boost, even if you do have to wait a while for the TV revenue and prize money to be awarded.
NUFCdan
21 августа, 2012 at 21:56
fantastic mate!!