Shepherd's Bush F.C.: my fictional English football club (FM 16)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

My search for the perfect, immersive, can't-wait-to-play-again Football Manager experience has led me to a new feature that was added for FM16: the Create-a-Club mode.

Create-a-Club allows me to replace a real club with a fictional one of my own design. I can name my club and design its kit. I can place it in a new city, and rename its grounds.

My club is given a budget which I use to stock the squad with players. Each player is given a value, which makes the "draft" a lot like creating a fantasy team. If I want to blow the budget on a few stars and fill out the squad with unknowns, I can do that. If I want balance throughout the team, I can do that, too.

I'm using the Touch mode, which streamlines some areas of the game. That will enable me to move more quickly through my story, and it will remove some of the minutiae that sometimes makes running a big club a bit overwhelming for me. I'm a husband and a father with a career, so I have neither the time nor the energy to devote to full-fledged FM game with a big team.

***

My club will replace Brighton & Hove Albion in England's Football League Championship division (the second-highest level in the English system). I chose them for two reasons. Their budget for new players was high enough for me to build the team I wanted, without being so high that it removed the challenge of creating a squad with financial limitations. Also, their youth setup is very good, and part of the story I want to tell involves the development of outstanding young players. If you're a Brighton supporter, my apologies.

I'm calling them Shepherd's Bush Football Club. Not surprisingly, they hail from the Shepherd's Bush area of west London. There was a real club by that name at the turn of the twentieth century. Like that team, my lads are nicknamed The Bushmen.

Their grounds are called White City, another name that has historical significance. The 1908 Olympic Games were held in London, and the Olympic stadium was built in Shepherd's Bush. It was called the White City Stadium, and I'm borrowing my name for the home of Shepherd's Bush F.C.

Shepherd's Bush will be an all-English club. My manager character, Chris Keohane, is English. His backroom staff will all be English, and so will every one of his players. I won't sign a player from anywhere else in the world.

Will I be able to lead the Bushmen to the Premiership, or will I struggle to keep them above the drop? Will I develop young footballers who will star for club and country, or will they struggle to make the first team?

Let's find out, shall we?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

July 2015

Chris Keohane set to work putting together the best back room staff he could assemble at White City. He was pleased with the team he created, which featured a combination of experience and youth.



Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle was hired as Director of Football. Hoddle, considered one of the most gifted English footballers of all time, played 53 times for his country...and many think he deserved to be selected much more often. Hoddle was England manager from 1996-1999.



Alex Dyer will be Keohane's right-hand man. In FM Touch, the assistant manager is most useful as a judge of talent, and Dyer has very strong abilities in that area. Dyer played for eleven different clubs during his career, mostly as a defender.



Signing Phil Cannon to take over the Bushmen's youth program is a huge, huge thing. He's among the best in the business, and for a club who want to build from within, Cannon is a perfect fit.



Steve Taylor will head up the scouting team at White City. He will be tasked with evaluating English players who might be well-suited for Shepherd's Bush.



Luke Bussey will be tasked with keeping the players fit and ready for action. He has a particular skill in dealing with young players, which will be essential, given the nature of the squad Keohane and his staff are assembling.

[Northwood_DK]

Have never tried the Create-a-Club but this looks interesting. '

Looking forward to more.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Northwood_DK

Have never tried the Create-a-Club but this looks interesting. '

Looking forward to more.

I'd played around a little with it, but this is the first time I've had an idea for Create-a-Club that I think I like well enough to feature in a dynasty.

I had a lot of fun assembling the Shepherd's Bush team. It will be interesting to see how an all-English team fares in English football. I was able to bring in a number of the best young players in the country, along with some veterans who have proven records of success in the Championship. Here's my original squad:

Goalkeepers


Hamer was obviously not going to take Kasper Schmeichel's number one shirt at Leicester, but he'll have first crack at the job with us. He has first team experience at this level, with Charlton.

Woodman, a U19 international, comes over from Newcastle. He'll be Hamer's understudy for now, and could push him before long. I had Newington as my 'keeper in a lower level save and liked him, so I signed him as my #3 man.

Many of our outfield players are versatile footballers who can play several positions. I'll introduce them with the group they'll feature with most prominently.

Defenders


Friend is one of the more valuable players on the roster. He is a good, all-round left back, and an easy choice for the first team. Holgate, from Barnsley via Everton, brings plenty of pace and a precocious feel for the game to the right back spot. Seasoned vet Molyneux and youngster Hunt will provide cover.

Ridgewell has come back to England after a spell in MLS, and will anchor the defense at center half. He's turned out for Aston Villa, Birmingham, and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. Beside him, I can use Pennington, an Everton trainee, or stalwart veterans Clarke and Hartley.

I'm excited about the potential of Tymon and Bree, especially the former.


Defensive Midfielders and Central Midfielders


My favorite formations are 4-1-2-2-1 and 4-2-3-1, so I need a good assortment of players who can play various roles in the middle of the park.

Rossiter, lately of Liverpool, is a great fit as a holding midfielder, either at DM or M(C). Oxford's future is brighter than bright. For now, he's a good fill-in for Rossiter, and he can also play center back.

Tunnicliffe and Ledson also provide defensive awareness and tenacity. Ledson is another Everton schoolboy; I'm a Toffees fan, and it's fun to have some of their good young products in my club.

Create-a-Club also allows you to create two "imaginary" players. You can either take the footballer the program gives you, or customize him to your liking. I hit the jackpot with Barrett, a Premier League-caliber central midfield dynamo. He'll be the more creative member of my midfield pairing.

Ralls, who can also play well on the left wing, is a well-rounded center mid who seems to have fallen through the cracks with several clubs. We're looking for him to feature regularly, in any of the midfield roles.

Moore and Rankin-Costello, who can play several positions, are promising youngsters.


Wide Men


There's a lot of overlap between this list and the next, because so many of our forwards can play as strikers or on the wing.

Our other created player, Williams, has bags of pace and is strong technically. Our staff say he's a Premier League player, and they are impressed with his professionalism. He'll start at AM(L).

McAleny, another Evertonian, can play both wings, but he is better on the left side than the right. I wish it were the other way round; if it were, he'd be an easy first choice at right wing. As it is, I'll audition him, young Stacey, and veteran Vincenti there.

Jones and Hippolyte are far from ready for the first team, but might be good one day.


Strikers and Attacking Midfielders


Bamford is our number one front man and, on £20,000/week, is our highest-paid player. He has two caps for England's U21 team, and he'll be a fixture in our side for as long as we can keep him. He can also slide to the right wing if I need him to.

Rashford, the Manchester United schoolboy, can play behind the striker or lead the line himself. At 17, the world is his oyster, and I expect him to get an England call-up before long.

The third striker is Coulthirst, who offers almost as much pace as Rashford and almost as much finishing skill as Bamford. Shaq, too, can play out wide.

Then there's Vincenti, our most versatile forward, who is useful all over the attacking end of the pitch. Precocious Rankin-Costello, whom Manchester United overlooked, might also figure here.

I like the team a lot. I looked for players with high determination and a professional attitude, the kind who will fight hard regardless of the scoreline. I have quite a bit of room in my wage budget, so I might see if I can find a first team right wing. Otherwise, I feel like I'm all set for the season.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

7 August 2015

It's difficult to tell if my custom-made squad will be competitive in the Championship. I have a few players who have been successful at this level. I also have a number of youngsters who are considered very promising, but who haven't proven themselves yet.

I asked our Director of Football, Glenn Hoddle, for a recommendation on a right winger; our need there wasn't desperate, so unless a player seemed like a perfect fit, I wouldn't make a move to sign him. Hoddle came back with a very intriguing suggestion--a player I almost added to my original squad.

Michael Kightly has been a solid player for a decade, the kind who isn't completely overmatched when he finds himself on a Premier League club, and who has been a very valuable asset to several Championship sides. Phil Cannon, the best judge of talent in our back room, believes Kightly would be a decent player in the Premier League. He's 29 now, but he still has plenty of pace. What's more, he has the kind of personality I'm looking for in our players. I'm impressed with his determination and his professionalism.

Burnley were willing to sell Kightly for £1.8 million, which I thought was a good deal. We signed him for three years at £19,.500/week, which makes him our second highest player (Patrick Bamford is on £20,000/week). Still, I'm about £130,000/week under our wage budget, so I could afford to pay Kightly what he asked for.



Our preseason went well, with only one loss--to a good Ligue 1 side, Montpellier. We also played well in a 0-0 draw with Besiktas, a Turkish club who have qualified for the Europa League.

I gave the captain's arm band to Liam Ridgewell, a decision that went over very well with most of the players. Sam Barrett, who has as much potential as a leader as he does in any other respect, will be vice captain.

Our first Championship fixture has us at home to Nottingham Forest, and a sellout crowd of over 30,000 is expected at White City for my managerial debut.

It's about to begin...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Friday, 7 August 2015
Match Day 1

Shepherd's Bush 3-1 Nottingham Forest

Sam Barrett (5)
Patrick Bamford (53, 82)

Patrick Bamford (9.1)

Here's the team sheet for Shepherd's Bush FC's first league match:

GK: Hamer
D: Holgate, Pennington, Ridgewell, Ralls
M: Rossiter, Barrett
AM: Kightly, Rashford, Williams
ST: Bamford

Subs: Woodman, Hartley, Tunnicliffe, McAleny, Clarke, Stacey, Coulthirst


Patrick Bamford's White City debut was a smash hit, as the young striker figured in all three goals in a 3-1 victory.

He played in midfielder Sam Barrett for a tidy left-footed finish to open the Bushmen's scoring. Barrett celebrated his goal with a cartwheel beside the corner flag.

Bamford scored a brace himself, heading home both his goals. On 53, he went up for a Ryan Williams cross and powered it past Forest 'keeper Dorus de Vries. Eight minutes from time, he nodded in a Michael Kightly free kick from almost exactly the same spot.

Forest never seemed to threaten the Shepherd's Bush defense, and their goal came against the run of play.

Over 30,000 filled White City for the match, which was played under rainy skies.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Tuesday, 11 August 2015



The Championship Team of the Week featured two Bushmen, and neither was much of a surprise. Patrick Bamford and Michael Kightly were honored for their performance against Nottingham Forest.

Capital One Cup
First Round

Shepherd's Bush 0-0 Portsmouth
Shepherd's Bush win on penalties, 3-1.

I selected a rotated squad for today's Capital One Cup tie with League Two side Portsmouth. The visitors gave us all we could handle, even after I brought on first teamers Bamford and Ryan Williams to try to liven things up in the second half.

Ben Hamer made a wonderful save of a Danny Hollands strike that would otherwise have put Portsmouth through.

After 120 minutes, the scoreboard still showed zeroes. Both keepers made clutch stops during the penalty shootout, but Hamer was just a little bit better. Peter Clarke, who wore the armband today, scored the winning penalty.

I think we were a bit lucky today. I took a chance and let most of our regulars have the day off, and very nearly paid for my decision.

The Bushmen will travel up to Birmingham to face Aston Villa in the Second Round.

[Young Drachma]

Love the name love the stadium name. Here for this.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Love the name love the stadium name. Here for this.

Thanks, YD. I'm having a lot of fun with it, too. Stop by and comment anytime.

Friday, 14 August
Match Day 2

Fulham 0-0 Shepherd's Bush

George Friend (7.4)

Fulham are a West London club like we are, so I'll call our fixtures West London Derbies.

The Cottagers came out in a 4-4-2 diamond and played with some urgency. My own preferred style is more patient, more defensively-oriented, possession football, and I'm satisfied with a goal-less draw at Craven Cottage.

Tonight was George Friend's debut for us, after missing the start of the season with a minor back strain. He played like the man I thought I was getting at the beginning of the season (46/56 passes completed, 4 key passes).

According to my assistant, Ben Hamer and Marcus Rashford apparently find it difficult to motivate themselves to play hard with me as their manager. Hamer has kept two straight clean sheets, so I'm not sure what that means.

I'm a bit concerned about the fact we haven't scored in two straight matches, but part of that might be down to my style.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

18 August 2015
Match Day 3



Two goals in the final ten minutes of play enabled us to steal three points from the Terriers at The John Smith's Stadium. Conor McAleny came on for an injured Marcus Rashford, who will be out for seven or eight weeks with broken ribs. Rashford clashed with a Huddersfield defender and came out worse.

Ryan Williams was superb, setting up both Bushmen goals.

Our season is off to a great start, even better than I expected. Based on our ratings, we're a middle-of-the-table club. Time will tell if we turn out to be better than that.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

22 August 2015
Match Day 4

Earlier in the week, I brought in a player I'd been looking at for a while. I don't really need another winger, but there's something about James Coppinger that makes me think he could give us a little something extra. I purchased his contract from League One side Doncaster Rovers, for £325,000. I'll owe Doncaster another £100,000 if we are promoted.

Coppinger is 34, which will make him our elder statesman. He spent over a decade with the Rovers, with whom he became a club legend. He still has some pace, and he displays a deft touch when dribbling and passing. Still, it's James's mental attributes that make him special. He is a leader, a a hard-working team player who will bring even more professionalism to our changing room.

I will play him in several spots--his natural position on the right wing, as well as a number 10, playing behind Patrick Bamford.


Match Day 4



Look who's top of the league!

James Coppinger delighted the crowd on his debut, playing in Bamford for the game's only goal.

Once again, George Friend was a force at left back, passing accurately and making smart defensive plays.



There are 24 teams in the Championship, and fortunately it's the top end of the table we're most concerned with now.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Capital One Cup
Second Round



Aston Villa are one of the most historic clubs in England. They're off to a mediocre start this year, sitting 14th in the Premier League table. Still, a trip to Villa Park for a Cup match is never an easy evening's work.

It took seventeen seconds for Peter Vincenti, starting at AM(C) tonight, to put us on the scoreboard. Mason Holgate crossed to the far post, and Vincenti guided it past Villa 'keeper Brad Guzan.

Villa fought back gamely, giving our defenders plenty to handle, but they were up to the task. Matthew Pennington more than earned his Man of the Match honors, intercepting 22 passes and winning 14 of 16 headers.

George Friend came off in the fifth minute after clashing with Villa's Leandro Bacuna, but he suffered no lasting effects and shouldn't miss any training.

Meanwhile, Everton eliminated our rivals from Fulham, 1-0, on a Romelu Lukaku goal.

Our opponent in the third round will be Oldham Athletic, a League One side. We will face them at White City on 23 September.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Saturday, 29 August 2015
Match Day 5



Ipswich's equalizer was a goofy own goal. Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman attempted to hoof the ball clear; it hit George Friend in the keister, rocketed straight back, and went past Woodman into the net.

Peter Vincenti continues to play well in the absence of Marcus Rashford. Today, he delivered an inch-perfect pass to Patrick Bamford, who tapped in his fourth goal of the season.

We're still a point clear of Huddersfield and Leeds, with 11 points from five matches.

Earlier in the week, we learned that six of our players have been called up to play for England. Mason Holgate, Ryan Ledson, Reece Oxford, and Jordan Rossiter will join the Under 19s for three matches next week. Ledson has been out of action with a strained stomach muscle, and just returned to training.

Sam Barrett and Freddie Woodman have been named to the team for two European Under 21 Championship fixtures.

They'll be available for all of our matches, but they'll probably need some rest. Still, it's a great honor for the lads.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Tuesday, 1 September 2015

We didn't play today--in fact, we won't take the pitch again until the 12th, after the international break--but it was still a busy couple of days around White City.

The transfer window closed yesterday. I didn't make a move; I'm pleased with the way the squad is looking right now. I did reject a bid from Arsenal for Sam Barrett. They offered £12.8 million for him, considerably lower than his £16 million valuation. I might have tried to negotiate a better bid from them, were Barrett not one of my two created players. I'm a little more attached to him than I might be to another lad.



Today, Sam got some well-earned recognition for his outstanding play during August. If he keeps this up, I'll be receiving more offers for him from big clubs. Sam wants to play in--and win--the Premier League one day. I hope he'll do both in a Shepherd's Bush shirt.



I got a little love, too.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Thursday, 10 September 2015

Our England players are back at White City, their international duties completed.

The Under 19s never left England. They played friendly matches in Crewe, Sunderland, and Harrow, seeing off Romania (4-0), Croatia (4-0), and Holland (2-1). Mason Holgate played especially well against Croatia, scoring a goal, setting up another, and earning Man of the Match honors with a 9.6 rating. All four of our men--Holgate, Reece Oxford, Jordan Rossiter, and Ryan Ledson--return with their first England caps in hand.

The Under 21s are playing in Group 7 of the European Under 21s Championships. Sam Barrett and Freddie Woodman traveled to Sofia with the Under 21s, where they drew with Bulgaria, 1-1. Then, at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, they defeated Austria, 3-1.

Woodman did not make the eighteen for either match. Barrett started both, and played very well against Austria, completing 75 of 87 passes. He also realized one of his dreams, serving as England's captain for both games.

I arranged for three of our younger players to go on loan at League 1 clubs for a month. Striker Jack Ryan will move to Exeter. Midfielder Taylor Moore will join Leyton Orient. Defender James Bree is off to Port Vale, unless an injured ankle he suffered in a reserves match nixes the deal.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Saturday, 12 September 2015
Match Day 6



We did everything today but score a goal, and that cost us two points and the league lead. We outshot Hull City and dominated possession, but neither side tested the other's goalkeeper all day long. For a neutral, it would have been a rather boring match.

George Friend, Sam Barrett, and Ryan Williams all played well, making a number of incisive passes that penetrated the Tigers' defense, but we couldn't finish the job and score. Friend was especially good in the air, too, and earned his Man of the Match award.

Huddersfield Town went top, defeating Cardiff 4-3 in a match that must have been the opposite to ours.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Match Day 7

Shepherd's Bush 3-0 Rotherham United

Peter Vincenti (44)
Ryan Williams (66)
Patrick Bamford (81)

Michael Kightly (9.0)

There were too many goals and bookings in this match for the write-up to fit neatly on my screen capture.

The match changed on 40', when Rotherham defender Aymen Belaïd earned an early bath with his second yellow card. I went to a Control mentality, something I almost never do, even though the Millers dropped two defensive midfielders back to shield their back line. Not five minutes later, Peter Vincenti found the net, and we took it from there.

We kept the ball 60% of the time, and took 18 shots to their 7. I'd expect as much, playing against ten men for over half the match.

Michael Kightly's slick passing and dangerous runs at the Rotherham defense caused problems all night long, and Freddie Woodman did his job between the posts when needed.

Huddersfield lost, 1-0, away to Charlton, so we're top again. We have 15 points to Huddersfield's 13.