Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - FM19 - From Volunteer to the Premier League (Queen's Park/Morecambe/Middlesbrough)

NoSkillz · 02-21-2020, 08:58 PM

2022-23 Middlesbrough FC Recap and Statistics

2022-23 Middlesbrough FC Best Eleven

GK - Darren Randolph - 40 apps 0g 6.96 avg
DL - George Friend - 21 apps 1g 7.39 avg
DC - Jonathan Panzo - 39 apps 5g 7.49 avg
DC - Aden Flint - 45 apps 4g 7.32 avg
DR - Ethan Laird - 38 apps 9g 7.54 avg
DM - Tudor Baluta - 23 apps 3g 7.19 avg
MC - Joe Willock - 41 apps 21g 7.73 avg
MC - George Saville - 41 apps 11g 7.33 avg
AML - Ian Barnett - 39 apps 8g 7.24 avg
AMR - Rabbi Matondo - 32 apps 6g 7.19 avg
ST - Andre Gray - 37 apps 25g 7.29 avg

Other notables: GK Dean Henderson 10 apps 0g 6.96; DC Diego Polenta 11 apps 1g 7.01; DR Aron Potts 24 apps 3g 7.33; DM Mathias Normann 35 apps 4g 7.26; MC Hamza Choudhury 33 apps 4g 7.03; AMR Dodi Lukebakio 29 apps 7g 7.23; ST Christian Keller 12 apps 8g 7.33

Middlesbrough FC Fans Player of the Year: Joe Willock

- The stats shown above take into account all competitions with our senior team and include everyone who played at least one game for the big club this past season.
- Asterisk (*) means player did not finish season with club

Goalkeeping

-- Darren Randolph was immense early in the season, garnering four clean sheets in his first five games but started to slow down a bit as the season progressed, likely from overuse. I brought in David Button on loan from Brighton but he did not instill confidence in our side or his manager so I rode Randolph like a bucking bronco for the first half of the season. I'd splash some cash on Man United backup Dean Henderson and he got about half of the games after the break, playing quite well except for one notably poor effort. U18 prospect Sean Gregory got a late season start when we had already locked up the division title. Overall, it was a strong year from our keepers and in Henderson, we likely have a player capable of taking over the reigns from the veteran Randolph as soon as next year.

Defence

-- As indicated in past posts, our tactical setup allows our right fullbacks the ability to move up and down the pitch at will and as a result, we usually get some solid production from that side. Young Ethan Laird, signed for the smallest of transfer fees from Manchester United, was sensational in his first full year as a senior player, scoring an incredible nine goals and providing a dynamic presence in transition. He's still a bit raw defensively but his playmaking abilities certainly make the little mistakes worth it in the end. He was backed up more than capably by Newcastle loanee Aron Potts, who was very solid when called upon. On the left side, we heavily rotated between veterans George Friend and Joe Bennett along with loanee Joel Lopez. The 21 year old Lopez became our go-to guy until getting injured in January and he'd miss over two months, giving the veterans a chance to get back on the pitch. All three were very good. Dujon Sterling wasn't used much in the first half of the season so I sent him out on loan in January while U18 prospect Martin Guest got two late season starts when we had the division clinched.

-- Our incredible depth at centre back was tested in the preseason when we were forced to move our two preferred options at the time in Semi Ajayi and Nathan Wood. We'd also have to move Digeo Polenta in January due to a lack of first team football. That was because towering veteran and Middlesbrough captain Aden Flint and dynamic new signing Jonathan Panzo were just too good to take out of the lineup. I was pleasantly surprised by Flint all season - he's a lumbering player but at 6'6" tall, he was a dominating player in the air and his lack of pace was made up for by his partner Panzo. Simply put, Panzo was a revelation and his development throughout the season was pronounced. I think he's going to be an excellent Premier League defender and I'm guessing he'll soon be an English international as well if he keeps it up. After the January departure of Polenta, we recalled young Teden Mengi from loan and he was very good when needed. He's got size and speed and could be an excellent complimentary piece for us going forward. Nathanael Ogbeta was our fourth choice DC and didn't hurt us when on the pitch. I'm worried about how Flint's lack of pace will translate to Premier League football but otherwise, I'm satisfied with where we're at here.

Central Midfield

-- We had two excellent defensive mids in Mathias Normann and newcomer Tudor Baluta and both played exceptionally well all season. Honestly, I'm not sure how Baluta made our team of the year over Normann, considering he played less games AND had an average rating that was less than him but perhaps it's due to the fact Normann, a very versatile player, spent some time in central midfield when we had injury issues. Regardless, both were superb and both are simply plug-and-play options with no warts whatsoever.

-- I don't even know where to start with the sensational Joe Willock. Okay, lets start with the goals - he scored 21 (!!!) goals from central midfield, with none of them coming on free kicks or on penalties. In all my years playing Football Manager, I've never had a central midfielder score that many and I haven't even talked about HOW he scored them. So many screamers from outside the area that I lost count...countless late runs into the box to give us victories. Amazing throughballs and excellent playmaking ability. He's a wonderful footballer and I think his skills will translate very well to the Premier League. 29 year old George Saville was hard to take out of the lineup despite us having a younger and arguably more talented Hamza Choudhury nipping at his heels. Early in the season especially, Saville was scoring big goals and making plays but he did slow down as the season progressed, allowing Choudhury to wake from his own early season funk. Choudhury really came on strong at the end and I think will be a fine complimentary piece in the future, especially due to the fact he can play all three of our midfield roles (Mezzala, Box-to-Box, Deep Lying Playmaker) with equal aplomb. We sold veteran Adam Clayton in January and Jonny Howson took over as the fourth choice midfielder, getting a few appearances off the bench and as a starter. 17 year old Jack Bates was excellent on our U18 team and still has another year of eligibility there so we'll continue to slow cook him in hopes of developing another solid senior team member. We got 54 goals from our defensive and central mids this year, a mind-boggling total.

Forwards

-- We'll start on the left wing, where young home-grown star Ian Barnett ended up getting the majority of starts over Polish international Bartosz Kapustka. Late in the season, I noticed that Barnett was being called a "Wonderkid" by media pundits, my first truly home-grown Wonderkid in all my years of management. I can't take any credit for this, other than giving him playing time...it's obvious that the Middlesbrough youth setup is among the best in English football and it's something I'm going to give even more attention to in years to come. Back to Barnett - he wasn't super prolific but I'm guessing the goals and assists will come. Kapustka was actually very solid playing a role that isn't exactly natural for him - he's a playmaking inside forward who was asked to play the wing and he still contributed 10 assists in only 16 starts, an excellent return. I was a bit worried about our two new signings on the right wing but the young and raw Rabbi Matondo developed quicker than expected while Dodi Lukebakio was a force in the air and scored a number of headers and a couple of screamers with his powerful left foot. Manchester United loanee Angel Gomez was a nice chess piece for us - his best position is attacking central mid but for us he slotted in capably as a left winger or Mezzala. He was especially good as a substitute, scoring a number of late goals at key times for our squad in relief.

-- Andre Gray is a grizzled veteran at 31 years of age but he's a natural pressing forward which made him a perfect fit in our tactical setup. He ran wild early in the season, scoring goals almost at will but those goals dried up considerably in the second half of the year, when he went on close to a two month goal drought. Thankfully, January loanee Christian Keller picked up the slack and the Chelsea Wonderkid was a dominant force at times. He's going to be a good one. July signing Eddie Nketiah was quickly sold in January due to lack of first team football - he never could get settled here and the board and fans certainly weren't thrilled when I moved him to Cardiff and he started off his career there with 10 goals in 12 games!!! Thankfully Keller and Manchester United loanee Mason Greenwood alleviated some of that pressure with fine play on their own. Greenwood couldn't stay healthy this year but was very effective when available. One name to watch out for in the future is Matt Dickens - this 17 year old home-grown striker scored an incredible 44 goals for our U18 and U23 squads and scored two more times in five appearances with our senior squad. He's got great speed and is a clinical finisher. He's still got one more year of youth team eligibility left but I don't know what more he can prove at that level. He may be good enough to play for us next year but I'm likely going to look to loan him out so he can begin his professional career at a league where he can dominate.

Year-End Financials

There is a substantial difference in income and turnover once you reach the Championship and I know that the jump will be even more pronounced next year when we hit the Premier League. Our income was approximately 15x larger last year with Middlesbrough in the Championship versus our final year at Morecambe in League One. We made a decent profit and our average attendance was about 6500 less than capacity and ranked inside the top five in the league.

Closing Thoughts

We had a wildly successful first year in Middlesbrough and earn a convincing Championship title to gain promotion to arguably the biggest league in the world.

I'm honestly delighted to be at Middlesbrough and at this point, I feel I can accomplish a great deal at this club. We have a patient and seemingly rich chairman, incredible facilities, a loyal and fervent supporter base and a good mix of veteran and youth in our playing roster.

I've bounced around quite a bit in my first few years in management but feel I can set roots here with the goal of bringing a Premier League championship to Middlesbrough while hopefully seeing eventual success in Europe as well.

It looks like I'm going to be given a pretty healthy budget to work with next season and I greatly look forward to building a sustainable model for continued success here at Boro.

02-21-2020, 08:58 PM	#75
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	2022-23 Middlesbrough FC Recap and Statistics 2022-23 Middlesbrough FC Best Eleven GK - Darren Randolph - 40 apps 0g 6.96 avg DL - George Friend - 21 apps 1g 7.39 avg DC - Jonathan Panzo - 39 apps 5g 7.49 avg DC - Aden Flint - 45 apps 4g 7.32 avg DR - Ethan Laird - 38 apps 9g 7.54 avg DM - Tudor Baluta - 23 apps 3g 7.19 avg MC - Joe Willock - 41 apps 21g 7.73 avg MC - George Saville - 41 apps 11g 7.33 avg AML - Ian Barnett - 39 apps 8g 7.24 avg AMR - Rabbi Matondo - 32 apps 6g 7.19 avg ST - Andre Gray - 37 apps 25g 7.29 avg Other notables: GK Dean Henderson 10 apps 0g 6.96; DC Diego Polenta 11 apps 1g 7.01; DR Aron Potts 24 apps 3g 7.33; DM Mathias Normann 35 apps 4g 7.26; MC Hamza Choudhury 33 apps 4g 7.03; AMR Dodi Lukebakio 29 apps 7g 7.23; ST Christian Keller 12 apps 8g 7.33 Middlesbrough FC Fans Player of the Year: Joe Willock - The stats shown above take into account all competitions with our senior team and include everyone who played at least one game for the big club this past season. - Asterisk () means player did not finish season with club Goalkeeping* -- Darren Randolph was immense early in the season, garnering four clean sheets in his first five games but started to slow down a bit as the season progressed, likely from overuse. I brought in David Button on loan from Brighton but he did not instill confidence in our side or his manager so I rode Randolph like a bucking bronco for the first half of the season. I'd splash some cash on Man United backup Dean Henderson and he got about half of the games after the break, playing quite well except for one notably poor effort. U18 prospect Sean Gregory got a late season start when we had already locked up the division title. Overall, it was a strong year from our keepers and in Henderson, we likely have a player capable of taking over the reigns from the veteran Randolph as soon as next year. Defence -- As indicated in past posts, our tactical setup allows our right fullbacks the ability to move up and down the pitch at will and as a result, we usually get some solid production from that side. Young Ethan Laird, signed for the smallest of transfer fees from Manchester United, was sensational in his first full year as a senior player, scoring an incredible nine goals and providing a dynamic presence in transition. He's still a bit raw defensively but his playmaking abilities certainly make the little mistakes worth it in the end. He was backed up more than capably by Newcastle loanee Aron Potts, who was very solid when called upon. On the left side, we heavily rotated between veterans George Friend and Joe Bennett along with loanee Joel Lopez. The 21 year old Lopez became our go-to guy until getting injured in January and he'd miss over two months, giving the veterans a chance to get back on the pitch. All three were very good. Dujon Sterling wasn't used much in the first half of the season so I sent him out on loan in January while U18 prospect Martin Guest got two late season starts when we had the division clinched. -- Our incredible depth at centre back was tested in the preseason when we were forced to move our two preferred options at the time in Semi Ajayi and Nathan Wood. We'd also have to move Digeo Polenta in January due to a lack of first team football. That was because towering veteran and Middlesbrough captain Aden Flint and dynamic new signing Jonathan Panzo were just too good to take out of the lineup. I was pleasantly surprised by Flint all season - he's a lumbering player but at 6'6" tall, he was a dominating player in the air and his lack of pace was made up for by his partner Panzo. Simply put, Panzo was a revelation and his development throughout the season was pronounced. I think he's going to be an excellent Premier League defender and I'm guessing he'll soon be an English international as well if he keeps it up. After the January departure of Polenta, we recalled young Teden Mengi from loan and he was very good when needed. He's got size and speed and could be an excellent complimentary piece for us going forward. Nathanael Ogbeta was our fourth choice DC and didn't hurt us when on the pitch. I'm worried about how Flint's lack of pace will translate to Premier League football but otherwise, I'm satisfied with where we're at here. Central Midfield -- We had two excellent defensive mids in Mathias Normann and newcomer Tudor Baluta and both played exceptionally well all season. Honestly, I'm not sure how Baluta made our team of the year over Normann, considering he played less games AND had an average rating that was less than him but perhaps it's due to the fact Normann, a very versatile player, spent some time in central midfield when we had injury issues. Regardless, both were superb and both are simply plug-and-play options with no warts whatsoever. -- I don't even know where to start with the sensational Joe Willock. Okay, lets start with the goals - he scored 21 (!!!) goals from central midfield, with none of them coming on free kicks or on penalties. In all my years playing Football Manager, I've never had a central midfielder score that many and I haven't even talked about HOW he scored them. So many screamers from outside the area that I lost count...countless late runs into the box to give us victories. Amazing throughballs and excellent playmaking ability. He's a wonderful footballer and I think his skills will translate very well to the Premier League. 29 year old George Saville was hard to take out of the lineup despite us having a younger and arguably more talented Hamza Choudhury nipping at his heels. Early in the season especially, Saville was scoring big goals and making plays but he did slow down as the season progressed, allowing Choudhury to wake from his own early season funk. Choudhury really came on strong at the end and I think will be a fine complimentary piece in the future, especially due to the fact he can play all three of our midfield roles (Mezzala, Box-to-Box, Deep Lying Playmaker) with equal aplomb. We sold veteran Adam Clayton in January and Jonny Howson took over as the fourth choice midfielder, getting a few appearances off the bench and as a starter. 17 year old Jack Bates was excellent on our U18 team and still has another year of eligibility there so we'll continue to slow cook him in hopes of developing another solid senior team member. We got 54 goals from our defensive and central mids this year, a mind-boggling total. Forwards -- We'll start on the left wing, where young home-grown star Ian Barnett ended up getting the majority of starts over Polish international Bartosz Kapustka. Late in the season, I noticed that Barnett was being called a "Wonderkid" by media pundits, my first truly home-grown Wonderkid in all my years of management. I can't take any credit for this, other than giving him playing time...it's obvious that the Middlesbrough youth setup is among the best in English football and it's something I'm going to give even more attention to in years to come. Back to Barnett - he wasn't super prolific but I'm guessing the goals and assists will come. Kapustka was actually very solid playing a role that isn't exactly natural for him - he's a playmaking inside forward who was asked to play the wing and he still contributed 10 assists in only 16 starts, an excellent return. I was a bit worried about our two new signings on the right wing but the young and raw Rabbi Matondo developed quicker than expected while Dodi Lukebakio was a force in the air and scored a number of headers and a couple of screamers with his powerful left foot. Manchester United loanee Angel Gomez was a nice chess piece for us - his best position is attacking central mid but for us he slotted in capably as a left winger or Mezzala. He was especially good as a substitute, scoring a number of late goals at key times for our squad in relief. -- Andre Gray is a grizzled veteran at 31 years of age but he's a natural pressing forward which made him a perfect fit in our tactical setup. He ran wild early in the season, scoring goals almost at will but those goals dried up considerably in the second half of the year, when he went on close to a two month goal drought. Thankfully, January loanee Christian Keller picked up the slack and the Chelsea Wonderkid was a dominant force at times. He's going to be a good one. July signing Eddie Nketiah was quickly sold in January due to lack of first team football - he never could get settled here and the board and fans certainly weren't thrilled when I moved him to Cardiff and he started off his career there with 10 goals in 12 games!!! Thankfully Keller and Manchester United loanee Mason Greenwood alleviated some of that pressure with fine play on their own. Greenwood couldn't stay healthy this year but was very effective when available. One name to watch out for in the future is Matt Dickens - this 17 year old home-grown striker scored an incredible 44 goals for our U18 and U23 squads and scored two more times in five appearances with our senior squad. He's got great speed and is a clinical finisher. He's still got one more year of youth team eligibility left but I don't know what more he can prove at that level. He may be good enough to play for us next year but I'm likely going to look to loan him out so he can begin his professional career at a league where he can dominate. Year-End Financials There is a substantial difference in income and turnover once you reach the Championship and I know that the jump will be even more pronounced next year when we hit the Premier League. Our income was approximately 15x larger last year with Middlesbrough in the Championship versus our final year at Morecambe in League One. We made a decent profit and our average attendance was about 6500 less than capacity and ranked inside the top five in the league. Closing Thoughts We had a wildly successful first year in Middlesbrough and earn a convincing Championship title to gain promotion to arguably the biggest league in the world. I'm honestly delighted to be at Middlesbrough and at this point, I feel I can accomplish a great deal at this club. We have a patient and seemingly rich chairman, incredible facilities, a loyal and fervent supporter base and a good mix of veteran and youth in our playing roster. I've bounced around quite a bit in my first few years in management but feel I can set roots here with the goal of bringing a Premier League championship to Middlesbrough while hopefully seeing eventual success in Europe as well. It looks like I'm going to be given a pretty healthy budget to work with next season and I greatly look forward to building a sustainable model for continued success here at Boro. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 02-21-2020 at 09:02 PM.