bluebruce

Oh I think that ship has sailed and circumnavigated the globe already!

I've only played a Championship season so far, no VAR yet. But it seems pointless on this game. Every time on this and previous versions that the computer shows me a replay, it shows me the decision was 100% correct. Offsides anyway, who can tell with fouls on this game. Absolutely flawless linesmen apparently. Always makes me wonder why the pressers and match reviews talk about 'contentious' decisions. They should make the officials get it wrong randomly, more realistic! I just finished 6th first season in Champs. I was surprised to then win the playoffs! My form had been a bit poor tail end of the season, but I motivated the lads...smashed WBA who finished 3rd, 4-1 at home then drew 0-0 to make the final. A Tosin header in injury time took me past Fulham at Wembley, I was loving it! It's almost too early, as I don't really want to make wholesale changes yet and had planned to grow the team for another season, especially with the glut of youth players I signed. But I'm sure I'll cope and stay up, just got a lot of choices to make. Goalie is my main concern, I've never had as much of an eye for a good one on this game as I do for other areas. I can glance at most positions and know the player is worth considering, but goalies have so many stats for a fairly limited function and it's hard to know which to put faith in. The big ones I've always gone for are handling and reflexes, plus jumping reach/aerial ability, but moreover I tend to just rely on the scouts assessment of their current ability! That fluctuates though at times. I had arranged a pre contract with Vaclav Hladky before my win. Only paying him a few k a week and he is meant to be better than Walton (who had a surprisingly solid season...I conceded the least goals in the league). But I don't think that's enough to rely on and even without promotion was planning to find better. Still bemused that the board have given me a D (it was an F at one point) for the signing of Nico Melamed. He cost 750k, spread over 3 years, played 15 times since January including 9 starts, has 4-5 star potential and is now worth 2.4 million at 19 years old. Think he will become a top player. They say he cost too much! The fans have given it a B-. Board were similarly unimpressed with Jardi until recently, now he's a C for them. Both players were at least a C when I actually bought them, then they contributed and the board suddenly decided they had cost too much! Glitch I think.

Rather they be a huge success for us but Liverpool don't then sign Dolan, if you don't mind

You've just made me realise, Liverpool will be watching a lot now we have their prodigy on loan. I hope they don't like the look of Elliott and Dolan on the flanks too much...

Jeez, I've rarely seen so much smoke without fire. Big blow for the coffers that, we will likely lose him for nothing now. Most I can see us getting is our share of maybe 5 or 6 million in January if we are lucky. If it's percent of profit that would be more like our share of 3.5 to 4.5 million. At one point we thought we were going to receive that much just for ourselves. Think a foreign club will pre-contract him in Jan though and we will have nowt.

From what I've read of Douglas, he fulfils that role already. Genuinely sounds like a terrific bloke.

Have to agree, a body too many. A bit of a head scratcher like getting Pears after Stirgiakis. I don't see the need for him at this point. JRC will be back soon to fit that 'shove him in wherever we have a gap' role that Tony likes to have (fairly, albeit sometimes he overdoes it with where he shoves them). I can only worry this is going to get in the way of somebody's development, and that we should have been sending another out on loan if this was the intention. Downing is also less suited to our current style than the last one, as he does slow the game a little, and was looking like he was starting to flag at the end of the season. It better be a very cheap deal. I'd much rather preserve the funds for the raft of contracts we need to sign existing players up to.

Staggered it has taken so long, but at least it's happening.

Think it might even be under 23?

Can't see how we are loaning the Greek. It would be to a league below and I doubt they're scouting Bulgaria down there. They won't know who the fuck he is so they're not gonna rely on him to keep goal. Fisher loan meant to be up in the air last I heard.

Looking like a great day of business today if Elliott goes through, and a very good window, with all key areas supported that really needed it. Just the one issue... The goalkeeper hoarding is ridiculous, especially if Fisher doesn't go out on loan. He should have already been sent out as we are well covered there and he doesn't look good enough to be the backup anyway, rather have used any of the other young goalies. Now we are just going to have a pissed off bunch of youth goalies if Fisher doesn't go. It would be Fisher, the Greek, Hilton when returned, and even Eastham all fighting it out for one u23 spot! Eastham probably isnt getting near that tbh due to seniority from the others, so that makes it him, Goddard and Dowling is it, fighting for one u18 spot. Too many is better than too few if it's in budget, but goddamn that's excessive. Overall I think we have been over cautious with the youngsters going out on loan in general, and it will stall their development. Apart from that, all looking good for the first team, just hope the signings prove as good as we hope.

On the flip side, we need to also hope there isn't some late move of one of our good players. Signs so far are we should be fine though. Would like to see some of the youngsters go out on loan, mind.

Unfortunately, I'm fully expecting Butterworth to end up injured again before he can really break into the side. It just seems to have happened to him too much already in his short career.

I hadn't realised it was up to you

I can't for the life of me see any sense in us buying Pears at this stage of the game. Seems a ludicrous move. The Greek kid disappointed them already? They're loaning him out too (seems unlikely since probably nobody in England's lower leagues has heard of him)? They're selling Fisher rather than loaning him? They're loaning Eastham out too? Without one of the above, what's going on here? We don't need 3 goalies for the u23s, plus another one out on loan, and none of them are the backup. We do however, so we have been told, need money, so spending some on Pears feels reminiscent of the Smallwood and Hart extensions...

We have keepers dropping out of our arse now, especially young back-up ones. Has to be a load of bollocks. He must mean Mowbray has gone to buy some pears in Middlesbrough from his favourite market. And that he hogs the covers from Mrs M at night. Nicko must have been on the Buckfast.

Come on, you've been here long enough to know not to say things like that

No, just a sign of the defeatism that years of Venky's rule has brought about. Nothing to do with 'Championship Manager', which changed its name to Football Manager some 10 years ago ish, and I don't know why you keep referring to it so often or blaming every misconception of fans on it (often in ways which have nothing to do with it). Most people who play it can tell the difference between the game and reality.

That's not true at all. What it means is that we haven't found and persuaded a left back available at a price we were willing to pay. To say otherwise as though it's a fact is to say that our recruitment is perfect. Nobody in the world has perfect recruitment. Loved your work making the score for Dark btw.

Yeh fierce strike. A few pearlers in there though, that first one will take some beating. You can actually vote btw, in case anyone hasn't noticed the link to it in the article.

The cash shouldn't be contingent upon crap like this. I'm sure with ambitious campaigning, some solidarity can be given without selling the game's soul once and for all.

Thanks Rev, that was very informative. I think Parry should resign, aye, it's a disgusting opportunist power grab. The funding is needed and the Prem can afford it, but all these conditions attached for it are vile, every single one that I've heard.

If this ever goes ahead, there's every chance I'll be done with football.

I'd be pretty content with it yeh, as long as the signings actually pan out well of course. But it would mean we had recruited in all the areas I wanted to. I initially wanted another CB, but Williams and the kids are enough for the 3rd choice. Travis' injury makes me wish we had been able to loan a Garner or someone for a while, so not doing is a bit of a disappointment. And only getting a loan for LB means next summer we won't just need one LB (again) but probably two, as Bell's deal is up and there aren't many who would like to see us renew it at present. But given the covid circumstances, FFP looming after this season's accounts, and the Dolan bonus, I'd still give it a thumbs up overall for now.

Rather have a tilt at promotion than slightly chisel into our debt mountain and replace Arma with the next BB/Gally (or worse, nothing but the existing BB and Gally). Promotion is the dynamite that could blow nearly that whole mountain up.