Jon — SFC: Preseason Maneuvering

Hello everyone, we’re back for another update! Before I begin, I’d like to point out that while it’s now Monday in the UK, it’s still Sunday where I am, so I haven’t yet broken my «update tomorrow» promise. ;-) With that said, it’s been quite a hectic transfer window as we attempt to make ourselves relevant in the Second Division. We had no transfer budget and a maxed out wage cap, so if we wanted to improve it was going to require a fair bit of wheeling and dealing. I brought in an Assistant who knew his right from his left (a marked improvement over his predecessor), and we set to work strengthening the squad.

We had to make quite a few moves in order to free up the appropriate space, but we managed to bring in a fair few players. I’ll be running a 4-5-1 formation (loosely based on Darren’s Newcastle tactic), with a 4-3-3 in reserve should we stumble across a team that has our number. It hasn’t been easy bringing in the required talent, but I think we’ve done enough to at least make us competitive:

Thankfully I didn’t have to eat too many free transfer fees, and managed to find quite a few suitors in the lower league clubs. As an added bonus, every single player I gave away has a 10% sell on clause, so I’ll get to see a few pennies somewhere down the line! I had to rely on my Assistant and my own willingness to sift through the available players in order to find the folks we did. I’m already starting to see our reputation hurt us, as we lost no less than 4 players to clubs who outbid us (how can I compete with sunny Spain?). Regardless, we did manage to convince a few folks to come play in Scotland, and I’d like to introduce you to the squad:

Goalkeepers

I’m not thrilled with who I have here, and I’ve so far been unable to attract anyone better to the club. My starting keeper will be Chris McClusky, who was already with the club when I arrived. He’s spent most of his career in the Second Division, and he has decent abilities, but has already reached the upper limits of his potential. Thankfully he isn’t a total buffoon, and he should serve reasonably well until I can find someone I like a bit better. His backup will be Ally Brown, a lad who’s status with the squad is tenuous at best (and he remains only out of necessity).

Defender (R)

Another one of our weaker positions, I managed to bring in Tom Parratt to solidify our right flank. Those of you who followed my Salisbury City story will recognize his name from my brief stint at St. Albans, and he represents a marked improvement over incumbent Scott Gibb, who has since been relegated to backup duty.

Defender (L)

I have zero depth in this position, and have been desperately looking for some backup to solidify our left. For the time being, Michael Synnott is holding down the fort, and while he isn’t the most skilled of players, I’m hoping he’ll be able to keep the peace until I can find an additional player to cover for him.

Defender (C)

This was easily one of our weakest positions when I arrived, and I found a pair of centerbacks who were entirely out of their depth at this level. Thankfully they were both young and had some potential, so they’re currently serving duty in our U19 squad until they mature. In the meantime, I brought in Argentinian international Javier Almiron on a free transfer, and he immediately became one of my best players. His partner in the back will be the slightly less talented, but still viable, Phil McGuire.

Midfielders (C)

If the incumbent centerbacks were bad, I’m not entirely sure what you could call the existing midfielders. They were not at all up to the task, and I unfortunately had to part ways with them. I managed to bring in an exciting trio of Shane Williams, Paudie Quinn, and Greg Cameron. All three are talented youngsters dripping with potential, and with some luck I’ll be able to ride them all the way to the Premier League. I expect a few growing pains early, but it should all be worth it in the long run.

Attacking Midfielders (R & L)

To say this was a need when I arrived would be a massive understatement; we didn’t even have one! I had to do some scouring, but managed to pick up a pair of respectable and driven players in Aidan Downes and Stevie Murray. Aidan is still young, and has quite a bit of potential, so I’ll be expecting fairly big things from him come the regular season. On the other hand, Stevie is a bit older and has already reached the limited of his potential (which should still be good enough for this level).

Strikers

When running a 4-5-1, the lone man upfront is absolutely critical. We had a decent striker when I arrived, but he was vastly overpaid for his talent level (400 p/w!), and I quickly sent him backing. I managed to pick up two players of my own, and a third on loan. Gary O’Neill will be my starter heading into the season, and has the best current ability of any of my strikers. I also managed to pick up a very talented prospect in Michael Uwezu, and I plan to send him out on loan to gain some valuable first team experience. Rounding out my offense cadre, I’ve adopted Calum Dingwall on loan from Invemess CT.

Overall I feel as though we have a decent squad that should be capable of survival, and with a few more additions, perhaps even challenge for a playoff position. Perhaps the most remarkable feat from assembling the new squad — we’ve managed to create some wage cap space!

The board has also been extremely cooperative with my requests (wow!), and we’ve managed to find a parent club in Invemess CT, and a feeder club in Stirling University:

Whew! These squad introduction posts are doozies! We still have a full month of transfer window left, and with numerous league games between now and then, I suspect I’ll be able to get a better idea of the squads current ability and future needs. I’ll leave you with a screenshot of our rather productive run of friendlies:

Thank you for reading, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the squad!