Back to Shepherd's Bush (FM 17)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I recently bought the latest edition of the Football Manager series, and I can already tell I like it better than FM16. For this story, I'm using the Create-a-Club feature to bring a fictional club to life.

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.

This time I'm placing my club in the National League, the fifth level of the English football system. Although there are several big steps between the National and the top flight in England, the National is a decent league. The game rates it as the 88th biggest league in the world, just below the Swiss second division and just above Luxembourg's top league.

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 Bush. My club are replacing Aldershot Town, and they will wear the same deep red and blue strip.

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 FC.

My manager character is Chris Keohane. He's English, with Scottish as his second nationality. He's 32, and he acquired a national reputation as a professional footballer before he hung up his boots. Chris holds a Continental B coaching license. I gave him credentials that make him similar to the other National League managers. In FM17, the manager is an active part of the coaching staff, so if his attributes are too low, I'm at a massive disadvantage.

I hope you'll come out to White City and support The Bush. Will we move through the levels and reach the top flight? Will we enjoy the excitement and pageantry of European nights? Or, will we be relegated and fade away, possibly costing Keohane his job?

We'll see...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

It took some work to put together the squad I wanted. I had a squad budget of £1.15 million to work with, which I could assemble a team of up to 35 players. Each player in the database was assigned a value which was, in effect, their "purchase price."

I was very happy with my first squad, until I took a look at how far over my club's wage budget this particular collection of players would be! Rather than begin my managerial career with that albatross hanging from my neck, I decided to start over.

My second club was going to be much less expensive to maintain, but I realized it was also very unrealistic. The vast majority of players on National Conference squad lists are English. Most of the rest hail from the rest of Britain and Ireland. I'd assembled a multi-national team, including six Scots, three Irishmen, two Finns, a Dane, a German, a Liechtensteiner, and a Nigerian. As fun as that assemblage might be, it didn't really capture the spirit of English non-League football.

It's a good thing I enjoy putting teams together. The third time turned out to be the charm. Here they are: your 2016/17 Shepherd's Bush FC squad.

Goalkeepers


Büchel is an easy choice for the number one shirt. He's a very good 'keeper with balanced skills, and he's from Liechtenstein. How cool is that?

Guthrie and Wright are both good young players, and Wright, especially, has a very bright future. All three goalies can do more with the ball than hoof it up the pitch, which is essential to the style of play I'd like to employ.


Defenders


Veteran left back Shorey spent several seasons in the Premier League, and won two England caps. He's lost almost all his pace, but his guile and technical skills are enough to make him a good player at this level.

Taylor is a solid reserve here, and so is Robson, although they are also useful farther up the pitch. Owens has a lot of promise.

Reynolds is the club captain. He and Gardiner will form the first team center back pairing. I had Gardiner, a former Tottenham schoolboy, on my team in my first long FM save, so it's good to see him back. Reynolds is rock-solid, stronger than his slender frame would indicate.

Paul and Chalobah will be the primary reserves at center half. Chalobah is in on a yearlong loan from Chelsea. He's a natural at several positions and he'll see a lot of action, despite his youth. Fox will begin the season in the senior team, while Chalobah recovers from broken ribs.

I'm looking for big things from right back Horner, who has spent time with several big Scottish clubs. Paul and Chalobah will be his primary reserves, with Aussie Cotton waiting in the wings in the U23s.

Stone, Steele, Vaughan, and Finnerty, who is out on loan, are all good bets for the future.


Central Midfielders


The formations I'm using (4-4-2, 4-1-2-2-1, and 4-2-3-1) all use two central midfielders, so I need to have several good options there. Chettle is an all-round talent who should be one of the best players in the Conference. He'll often pair with Black, who strikes a lethal dead ball.

Parkes, who can play a variety of positions, has perhaps been undervalued because of a lack of speed; his other talents should play well in our league. Former Fulham trainee Della Verde also offers versatility.

Ferdinand, a tenacious player, is the best defensive midfielder in the team, and he can also play a holding role farther up the park. Parkes and Chalobah can also deputize here, as can Horner, in a pinch.

You'll meet Coulson in a moment, when I introduce you to our wide men. He's one option when I use an AM(C), and so is Furlong, a flashy young loan player from Martin Keynes Dons.

Holmes, James, and Joyce are all marked for future success.


Wide Men


Coulson was my biggest expenditure when I put together my club. A cultured offensive player with many skills, I'm counting on him to be a star. He'll usually play on the left wing, although as I mentioned before, he's a force to be reckoned with no matter where he plays.

On the right, I can use Greenwood, who made his Premier League debut with Sunderland last season and is at White City for a year-long loan. He's known for his blistering pace. Or, I can go with Hartley, who is perhaps a better bet when I'm playing 4-4-2, as Greenwood is best as a wide forward. Della Verde, O'Brien, and Holmes are in the mix here, too.

Vets Taylor and Robson are also well-suited for duty on the wings, and young Joyce can feature on the right side, too.


Strikers


I only have four pure strikers in the team. The best of them is probably Holt, who's still class after a career that's seen him make 555 appearances and score 201 goals. Holt is also a great role model for younger players, and is our vice-captain.

His partner will be the pacey Pickard, who is a remarkably polished player for a teenager. Holt is more of a number nine, while Pickard is a natural number ten.

Brereton, only 17, will see some first team action, and so will Cole. Brereton has been with Stoke and Nottingham Forest, while Cole trained with Norwich City.

I could probably use another teenage forward prospect.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here's the back room staff I've assembled.



Horne was a ferocious midfielder, notably for Everton and Wales, with 59 caps to his credit. I'm giving him the ability to negotiate transfers and contracts, but I reserve the right to approve or reject his deals.

I was delighted to hire Hangeland, who just hung up his boots after a distinguished career, captain of Fulham and Norway with 91 appearances for his country. I'm letting Brede handle the general and individual training for my team.

Allen spent some time as HOYD at Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers, so landing him for a Conference team was quite a coup.

Our goalkeepers will be trained by Emberson, who made 284 appearances between the posts over a long professional career.

Fitness guru Pears also appears to be on the staff of the Hong Kong national team, so we'll see if he leaves us during international breaks.

Holland made 245 appearances for West Ham United in the 1970s. Now 66, he's serving double duty for Shepherd's Bush, acting as Chief Scout and helping out on the coaching staff. Tippett, another veteran, and Leaning fill out our scouting team.

Just for fun, I decided to hire two female physios. Holt and Preece give us the best medical team in our league.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Late July 2016

Here are a few fun things that came into Chris's inbox in the days before the season opened.



Eastleigh have 11 players who are earning more than our top earners, Nicky Shorey and Michael Coulson, who are both on £1000/week. No wonder they're tipped to finish top of the league. Forest Green Rovers also have a much bigger payroll than ours.

The media's Dream Eleven contained four Shepherd's Bush players: right back Lewis Horner, left winger Coulson, midfielder Callum Chettle, and striker Grant Holt. Grant was also picked by the oddsmakers as the best bet to finish as the league's top scorer (Evens), with Jake Pickard also on the board (4-1).

Horner was a 9-1 pick to finish as the Conference Player of the Year, with Holt at 29-1.