[Rawhide]

I have been playing Football Manager on the iPad on and off for the past couple of years, but have really gotten into the swing of things with the World Cup recently.

I am nearly halfway through a career game with Southend United and have had a fair bit of success:

2013/14 - 3rd in League 2; won promotion playoff
2014/15 - 19th in League 1
2015/16 - 1st in League 1; promoted; made the quarter final of the FA Cup
2016/17 - 20th in the Championship; avoided relegation on final day of season
2017/18 - 15th in the Championship
2018/19 - 1st in the Championship; promoted
2019/20 - 9th in the Premier League; FA Cup semi finals
2020/21 - 1st in the Premier League; FA Cup quarter finals
2021/22 - 2nd in the Premier League; FA Cup winners; Champions League semi finals
2022/23 - 1st in the Premier League; League Cup winners
2023/24 - 1st in the Premier League; FA Cup runners-up; Champions League runners-up
2024/25 - 4th in the Premier League; League Cup winners

We achieved this on the back of a few notable players. Fernando Sanchez (Argentina) played 297 games in the midfield between 2017 and 2025 and was the captain of our club during that time. Jonathan Forde (keeper) was signed from the depths of Blue Square South in 2018 and has played over 350 games for Southend, conceding just 34 goals in 54 games during 2022/23. We are placing an emphasis on junior development in coming seasons, hence our slight dip in recent years.

The shining light of our club thus far was forward Frank Bos, who we signed from Dutch club ADO Den Haag on our scout's recommendation. Bos scored 162 goals in a little over three seasons - and just 158 appearances - before Chelsea gave us an offer we couldn't refuse. Since leaving us he has scored "just" 28 goals in 59 games. Selling Bos nearly cost me my position, such was the uproar from fans, team and board members, so I feel I'm treading a rather fine line of late!

The trick is to make astute use of Bosman signings, thereby improving the overall team without spending a dollar of transfer money. Once you hit the higher levels, the money comes rolling in, so to speak.

Edit - We came back strong in 2025/26, winning the Premier League on the last day of the season, and then steam-rolling Bayern Munich in the Champions League final 3-0. The only blemish was a FA Cup final loss to Manchester City. The story of the season was the dual threat of AMC Andres Rodriguez Alvarez (signed from Tigres for $14.5m) and S Jordan Gillespie (signed from Newcastle United for $22.5m), who contributed a staggering 82 goals between them during our season. Alvarez was voted the best player in the world, while Gillespie won the Premier League player of the year award. At just 24 and 25 respectively, these two will be around for a while.