Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

[waytofailself]

They were one of the oldest teams in British League Football. And possibly the worst. The Stockport County FC Hatters are a club on the brink of collapse with their proud tradition sullied by incompetence and inefficiency. Once upon a time the Hatters were one of the most popular teams in the Manchester area. But a historically bad spell of relegation after relegation has left the team a ghost of its former self.

The term "worst team" is thrown around all too often. A team can have a bad season due to tanking in an attempt to rebuild -- a common strategy in the NBA. A team can suffer because it is fresh out of the woodwork -- the NFL's Tampa Bay Bucaneers a prime example starting 0-26 in their first two seasons. But there is a special circle in sporting hell for Stockport County FC. And it looks like this:

Remember, at one time the Hatters were a league above perennial Premier contender Manchester City. But then they fell. And fell. All the way down to the Sixth Division and out of League Football entirely. You won't find a steeper drop on record.

After the most successful run in club history in the late nineties, the team has been a revolving door of managers, chairmen, and footballers. And as an extra kick in the chin, the Hatters went into Administration in 2010 because they could not pay a £300,000 debt and have been struggling to find consistent ownership ever since. The result? Just look at the standings. It is no mystery why Stockport cannot field a competitive team.

Despite what the the following may indicate, Stockport is a very unsettled club.

Yes, the Hatters play in a very large stadium -- large enough to meet higher league standards. Yes the club is worth nearly a million pounds, but only after a supporter takeover (yes, literally the fans buying out the club and forgiving debts) was needed just to settle finances. To keep costs down, the club no longer owns Edgeley Park. And what's worse, the team dropped to semi-professional status. It's players, coaches, and staff are no longer employed full time.

The team may be predicted to finish 6th, but there is plenty of room for doubt. A few years removed from League 1 play and bettors don't even have confidence to put Stockport in the running for the promotion playoffs in Conference North. Institutional incompetence has led the Hatters to this juncture, and it is entirely possible that the team has not finished its collapse.

The Hatters have fallen so far so fast, and appear poised to do little more than wither away and die. Is a club like Stockport worth saving?

Yes. The answer is a resounding yes. It's time to bring the Hatters back. All the way back.

[waytofailself]

Re: Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

In the future, this post will contain historical data for Stockport's attempted rise through the English Football Leagues. For now, here is the rule set I'm going with for this game/playthrough.

Lower League Management Rules & Guidelines

[1] Start in lowest league possible
[2] Attribute masking on
[3] Player & staff search not allowed
[4] Only able to use information from scouts
[5] No use of best player/wonderkid list
[6] No internet tactics/training schedules
[7] No cheating/editing/exploiting

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

This looks interesting, good luck!

[R1zzo23]

Re: Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

I will absolutely be following this! I bought FM14 when it first came out but couldn't get into it at first. I tried playing with my hometown New England Revolution and got bored quick. I then tried heading to Australia to do an LLM, but wasn't feeling it. About a week and a half ago I decided my best bet was to go to the EPL and play there. I chose Tottenham and haven't looked back! The game is amazing and now that I'm getting I to it I could definitely see myself doing an LLM in the future. For now, I'll live vicariously through your game. Good luck!

[waytofailself]

Re: Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

I will absolutely be following this! I bought FM14 when it first came out but couldn't get into it at first. I tried playing with my hometown New England Revolution and got bored quick. I then tried heading to Australia to do an LLM, but wasn't feeling it. About a week and a half ago I decided my best bet was to go to the EPL and play there. I chose Tottenham and haven't looked back! The game is amazing and now that I'm getting I to it I could definitely see myself doing an LLM in the future. For now, I'll live vicariously through your game. Good luck!

Thanks! Yeah, MLS is a little extra hard to get into with FM, although they have gotten better about representing the league rules/draft system over the years. In my first ever play through I went LLM with an Italian C2/C team and had absolutely 0 knowledge of football. I've come a long way.

[waytofailself]

Re: Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

Stockport Rolls Dice with Third Manager in Three Years

Another season and another manager facing the guillotine for the Hatters of Stockport. This time British American Chris Ward promises to bring exciting, offensive strategy to the field. In his initial press conference, Ward made it clear that his goal the first year is to break back into league play. But given the shoestring budget allowed by the Board, there are many who worry Stockport is in for another down year. Undeterred, Ward stuck by his goals saying the roster would need to be retooled but that there are always good values to be found on the transfer market.

In our honest opinion, Ward's optimism could be misplaced. Will he be another first time manager who says all the right things before being crushed by the reality setting in Edgeley Park? Time will tell.

Summary of Friendly Schedule

And while it is clear that Ward is attempting to change the culture in Stockport, the Friendly schedule came and went without any surprising results.

Key Matches (summary behind spoiler tags):

Stockport 1 - Rangers 2

Spoiler

The Hatters can't be disappointed with this result, especially thrilling the sold out crowd by taking a lead into the half. Unfortunately for Stockport, Rangers turned up the heat and started to take the game more seriously in the second half. The only disappointment had to be conceding the losing goal in extra time. But considering how many chances Rangers got in the 2nd half, its an achievement that the game remained so close.

Stockport 0 - Macclesfield 2

Spoiler

This was a defensive match on the verge of being boring. Stockport showed little fire once Macclesfield took the lead early in the first half, and after their second goal the away team simply decided to shut it down and play prevent defense. The ball remained in midfield most of the game, and if Ward's squad were more capable of running his game plan they may have gotten more shots. Instead, there were numerous misplaced passed. But that's what friendlies are for.

Overall, Stockport won the games they should have won, and lost the games they should have lost. Ward's primary goal through the friendlies was to improve team fitness and familiarity with team tactics. To that extent he succeeded, but even in their final friendly against over matched Burscough it was clear the Hatters were still uncomfortable with moving the ball down the field.

Looking Towards the Skrill North

With the Hatter's quest for promotion, or at least survival approaching, it looks as if their manager has finally settled on a starting 11 (for better or worse).

Manager Ward made it clear that the roster is not set in stone and that he has every intention of using the full extent of the Skrill's very generous transfer window. If he or his scouts finds a good player at a good value at a position of need, Ward said he would not hesitate to improve the team even if it meant having to cut salary elsewhere.

And if new additions like Ben Smith and Adriano Moke are any indication, Ward may indeed have an eye for talent after all. But Friendlies are Friendlies, and Ward was quick to remind everyone in the room that League play is going to tell where his team really stands, "because honestly, I don't know what team we have for sure right now. We're going to find out real quick if we're up to the competition or if we still have work to do."

Note: I'll stick with using less cluttered images below spoiler tags in the future. I didn't realize you couldn't resize an image if it was behind a spoiler tag. Sorry!

[waytofailself]

Re: Saving Stockport - A LLM Tale of Redemption (FM 2014)

Let the Carnage Begin!

Note: watch the beginning of the video for some more background on the save file.
Pregame starts at 12:24

The opening stanza of Stockport's climb out of the Skrill North starts with Boston UTD. And one thing is pretty clear, the Hatters are still clearly trying to wrap their heads around Ward's strategy.

Stockport - Boston Utd Result:

Spoiler

Despite having the home advantage Stockport played some uninspiring football in reaching a 0-0 tie with underdog Boston Utd. Ward expressed dismay with his players and it was clear that while some players were receptive to his criticism others were despondent or worse. When asked about whether he had control of the locker room, Ward was even keeled but full of candor, "I feel like I do, but if anyone gets off message or starts creating a divide it's my role to step in. No one has special status regardless of how long they have been here or what they get paid. I will play the best 11, and anyone who stirs the pot will be shown the door."