How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 5

The Mariners

October 2020



Swansea City 0 - 2 Grimsby Town
GRI - Amang 16', 41'
MOTM: Amang

I couldn't be happier with how we controlled this game. Swansea could barely find room to breathe before we smothered them with pressure, and on the other end we created chance after chance. Our first goal came after Sacko's shot some how hit off both posts before coming back to him and his second effort was saved straight to Amang for the easy tap in. Amang then added a second after Wolf found him on a great run up the middle and all he had to do was beat the keeper. We had a few more chances to extend the lead afterwards, but nothing else materialized for us.



Grimsby Town 3 - 2 Arsenal FC
GRI - Amang 15', Wolf 28', Sacko 64'
ARS - Musa 10', Xhaka 77'
MOTM: Wolf

Another fantastic performance to put in the books for us and we really are proving that last year was no fluke. Arsenal did take the lead first with Musa tapping in an inch perfect cross from Walcott. But it only took a matter of minutes for us to answer through Amang tapping in one of his own off of a cross from Vieira. We then took the lead with Wolf sliding in to tap in a loose ball in the middle of the box after Oblak made a nice save on Vieira's shot. We kept on pressing for more and in the second half we extended our lead even further with Wolf crossing the ball in and Sacko hitting it on the volley inside the near post. Xkaha pulled one back though with a header into the open net after his first shot smashed off the crossbar and came back to him. We had to sweat out the final minutes, but we were able to limit them from creating anything too dangerous.



Europa League Group Stage
Olympiacos 0 - 1 Grimsby Town
GRI - Kapino 64' (OG)
MOTM: Caulker

It's not every day that you win a game without registering a shot on goal, but I guess I will take what we can get. Our attack was a mess in this one, but our defense was in fine form on the other end. The deciding goal came with Kelly getting down the right and he sent a low ball into the box where Wolf got on the end of it. His attempt was deflected by Kapino though and it was enough to push it inside the goal. There wasn't really much of anything else to mention from either side.



Manchester City 2 - 0 Grimsby Town
MCI - Zuculini 54', Soyuncu 77'
MOTM: Fernando

We missed way too many chances and we have to walk away wondering what if. Zuculini didn't miss though and he opened the scoring in the second half with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that settled into the top left corner. Soyunco doubled that lead after he got his head on to the end of a cross from Sane and directed it down past the keeper's reach. We have to be more clinical if we want to get better results in games like this.



Grimsby Town 0 - 2 Liverpool FC
LIV - Chirivella 28', Sturridge 40'
MOTM: Markovic

Same scoreline as last game, but this time we weren't even close to looking like we belonged on the same field as our opponent. Liverpool absolutely took apart our defense and after a particular run of making our guys look foolish Chrivella capped it off with a first time finish to take the lead. Their next came with Markovic weaving his way through our defense and then finding Sturridge in front of goal for the easy finish. I wish I could say we had any good chances to pull one back, but I would be lying if I did.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Within 2 seasons, have at least 1 player from the Youth Academy signed in the first team play at least 50% of the games in the next season. (Remaining seasons: 2)

Brand Exposure
-Gain £6,800,000 earnings from shirt sales within a season

Financial
-Finish the season with £5,950,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).

Domestic Success
-Premier League: Finish Mid Table.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.

Continental Success
-Champions Cup: Reach the Group Stage.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 1

Club in Crisis

October 2016



Blackpool FC 3 - 1 Carlisle United
BLP - Payne 3', Elliott 56', Yeates 90'
CAR - Lambe 81'
MOTM: Yeates

We conceded for the first time in 4 games, but we had our shooting boots on today to more than make up for it. We struck almost instantly when Yeates played Payne up the middle and he finished across the keeper. Our next came from Elliott who after Vassell played him down the right he did the rest himself and was able to get his shot off and finish inside the far post. Carlisle pulled one back when Lambe took advantage of our back line trying to catch him offside and he timed it perfectly to get free and head home a cross. Yeates put the game away though after Elliott sent him through on the counter and all he had to do was beat the keeper.



Checkatrade Trophy
Swindon Town 2 (2) - (3) 2 Blackpool FC
SWI - Delfouneso 35', Gladwin 86'
BLP - Vassell 22', Cain 55'
MOTM: Cain

We continue on with another win in dramatic fashion. Shootouts are always nerve wracking, but our keeper stood tall and we walked away with the victory. Vassell opened the scoring with a great header off of a corner that powered it's way into the back of the net. Delfouneso took advantage of poor defense to grab the equalizer after cutting the ball inside and finishing across to the far post. Cain then rescued us with an absolutely stunning shot from outside of the box into the top right corner and we had the lead once again. In the closing minutes though Swindon picked up a cleared corner and sent it straight back ahead to Gladwin and he turned to finish on the near post. The game was going to be decided by penalties. After an impressive display from our keeper, Potts was able to put the deciding penalty away and send us through to the next round.



Stevenage FC 0 - 1 Blackpool FC
BLP - Cain 51' (PEN)
MOTM: Cain

Stevenage was completely toothless in this, and even though it took a questionable penalty for us to score, it's hard to argue that it wasn't the result we deserved. Our goal came in the second half after Vassell was through on goal and it seems questionable as to whether he was clipped or not by the defender, but his shot went wide as he went to the ground. The referee pointed to the spot and Cain tucked it away despite the keeper going the right direction.



Blackpool FC 2 - 0 Accrington Stanley
BLP - Elliott 12', 90'
MOTM: Elliott

Accrington hardly managed any threat, and took just a single shot the entire match. On our end, Elliott was on top of his game and Acccrington couldn't find an answer for stopping him. His first came from the right side of the goal and he timed his shot to put it through the defender's legs and inside the far post. He had a second denied by the post just 10 minutes later, and he continued to assert his presence up front. It looked only a matter of time until we were going to add a second and finally it came in the last minute with Daniel crossing the ball in and it fell to Potts who had his shot saved but Elliott was there to clean it up and complete his brace.



Grimsby Town 2 - 0 Blackpool FC
GRI - Yussuf 43', Vernon 45'
MOTM: Vernon

This was without a doubt our worse performance in quite some time. We hardly looked like we wanted to even be out there, and Grimsby took full advantage of our lack of intensity. Yussuf opened the scoring using a good bit of patience to wait for his window before firing the ball from the edge of the box and inside the near post. Just 2 minutes later Vernon was able to get some space on the back post and rise up to head in a cross to double the lead. We didn't offer any threat in the second half and we had to just accept our defeat.



Blackpool 2 - 1 Leyton Orient
BLP - Elliott 59', Redshaw 83
LEY - Adeboyejo 75'
MOTM: Payne

We caught a bit of a break at the end of the first half when Kennedy was shown a straight red for cutting down Philliskirk from behind with reckless abandon. We finally took advantage of the numbers when Payne raced down the left and crossed it to the back post where Elliott was standing unmarked for the volleyed finish back across to the far post. They caught us out of position though and through a combination of sheer numbers and great spacing, Adeboyejo was able to dribble straight at our goal and unleash an impressive shot into the top right corner. We weren't ready to give up and with the numbers advantage we pushed forward and Philliskirk was able to cross it in and Redshaw was there to meet it and send a looping header over the keeper.



Yeovil Town 1 - 0 Blackpool FC
YEO - Hedges 90'
MOTM: Khan

It was an absolutely crushing way to lose, but we were lucky to not have conceded prior to that. It doesn't alleviate any of the frustration though. Yeovil dominated us from the beginning and they had chance after chance, each time seeming to get a little closer to making the breakthrough. Their breakthrough finally came in the closing minutes with out keeper throwing the ball straight to them and one cross later Hedges was sending his header into the back of the net for the deciding goal.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Sign at least 2 players younger than 20 years old, with potential greater than the average overall rating of players current;y in the same position.
-Sign 1 player in your Youth Academy to the defender position.

Brand Exposure
-Sign 1 crucial 1st team player assigned to a forward position.

Financial
-Finish the season with £2,550,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).
-Keep player salary growth under 20%

Domestic Success
-EFL League Two: Fight for Promotion.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.
-Within 2 seasons in EFL League Two: Gain Automatic Promotion (Remaining seasons :2)

House Rules

Spoiler

Credit to Pukellama on Reddit

League two

Youth:
•Can only sign 5 players up to the youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad.
•Maximum youth scout rating 1 star.
•Maximum 2 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 65 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24.
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to league 1).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 68) (max 2).
•Can only sign one pre contract agreement, min age 30, max ability 65 (67 if promotion likely).
•Maximum transfer - £500k (£200k if player included).
•Maximum wage - £1500.
•Can't buy anyone with 'great potential' or above.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 70 overall

League 1

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 3 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout rating 2 star.
•Max 3 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 69 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to Championship).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 70) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 69 (70 if promotion likely).
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above.
•Max transfer - £1mil (£500k if player included).
•Max wage - £10k.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 72 overall

Championship

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 3 star. . . Can only scout Euro countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 74 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 20 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish, Non major European leagues (such as Norway) and Major European 2nd divisions and below (bar Barcelona B).
•Can only sign one player from a non EU league.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 78) (max 3).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 78.
•Maximum transfer - £2mil (£1mil if player included).
•Maximum wage - £25k.
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in a major euro league (inc prem)
•Have to sell anyone above 79 overall

Prem (not in europe)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 4 star.
•Can scout anywhere

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 2 non EU - Non EU can be bought from non EU leagues).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 78 current overall.
•No age restriction.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro league or higher.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 80) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 78.
•Max transfer - £15mil (£10mil if player included).
•Max wage - £90k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in Europe (euro league + euro cup)
•Have to sell anyone above 80 overall

Prem (europa league)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•No maximum youth scout rating

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 3 non EU).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 81 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro cup (including non EU league).
•Can loan any player (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 80.
•Max transfer - £20mil (£12.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £150k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in euro cup
•Have to sell anyone above 83 overall

Prem (champions league) - 1st year or where you didn't reach quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can buy any nationality.
•Can not sign anyone who is above 84 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for a major team.
•Cannot loan anyone.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 85.
•Max transfer - £25mil (£17.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £175k.
•Can buy any level of potential

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from major clubs.
•Have to sell your best player if reach the semis or higher (add to transfer list, and sell to a club in the champs cup)
•Have to sell anyone who is above 86 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 88 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for someone else who reached the quarter finals.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•Max transfer - £30mil (20mil including player).
•Max wage - £225k

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. . . Have to sell your best 2 players if you don't make the quarters the following year (to a big team only).
•Have to sell anyone who is above 90 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached final in previous year

Youth:
•Can only sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone above 91 current overall.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•No max transfer.
•No max wage

Selling:
•Do not have to sell

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County May 2019 Update

The month of May the club concentrated on maintaining the league lead. We a total of four matches this month, which were all league matches. We were able to win three matches and lost one. This was enough to keep us winning the league championship.

Notts County June 2019 Update

The BIG matchup, Notts County versus Chelsea the FA Cup Final. This match had a lot riding on it for Notts. A win would help Notts meet it financial goal as well as propel Notts into a Euro league position. Something that is very lucrative for a team with such humble beginnings.

This game was a fire cracker of a match, I just knew Notts would just roll over to such a powerful Chelsea team. But that was not the case, this match would be one for the ages. It was a back and forth affair, neither team could get a goal. The first half was just a pure stalemate. The second half saw a few goal threat, but nothing came to fruition. The lads were focus and laying it all out on the line. We made some key substitions late in the second half, we all knew ET was evident. The first half of ET saw much of the same as the match a back and forth tug of war with no goals. Then came the break, we were worried if this match came down to penalties. The second half starts and to cracks in either defense would show. In the 119th minute a crack would come from the unlikeliest team, Chelsea. Deble pushed the ball into the box, with a nifty pass he found Akinde (a sub) darting through. The pass was a perfectly placed timing pass that Akinde handled with ease. He rocketed the ball right pass the goal keeper. The announcer excited said we are in for a stunning finished the crowd bellowed. That was our moment the team seized the lead and maintained it, culminating a season of hard work in that one minute.

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County Summer 2019 Update

No additions to the team as our rotations are pretty set.

We did lose YA graduate GK Jackson (2.4 mil)
Also we lost Graham Burke due to contact dispute.
We lost RB Tootle he wanted a move because of a lack of playtime.

All in all we could leave with these departures Graham hurt because the club had plans for him and he was in his prime. Especially since Nicky Low was coming of a major ACL injury.

The youth academy grads we had also would pick up slack:
Jonathan Carter comes in a 68.
Ethan Carter two brother comes in at 67.
Both will be key pieces at the mid positions, Jonathan will also be rotated on reserve squad as a RB. Giving him plenty of work for growth.

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County August 2019 Update

This month saw the club in the Premier League, trying to fit in among England's elite. We started play by playing for the Community Shield against heavily favored Man U. The club still riding high from beating Chelsea back in June were not fazed. They beat Man U 4-0. To take home a third piece of hard ware in the last couple of months.

As for league play, that Community Shield victory, gave the club huge momentum to start. We rolled out to a perfect 3-0 start to put us at the top of the table with nine points to close out the month of August. With us and Newcastle sitting at the top of the league and setting the stage for a key match coming up in September with the Toons.

[southernmetalhead]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Blue-White-Sky Blues


Mircea Lucescu as Shakhtar Donetsk manager.

Zenit Hires Lucescu to Replace AVB

After a disappointing 3rd place finish in the RFPL in André Villas-Boas' last season at the Petrovsky, Zenit Saint Petersburg has turned to a familiar face of Eastern European football, hiring long-time Shakhtar Donetsk boss Mircea Lucescu as their new manager. The 70-year-old Romanian has defied age and heads to Russia after an extremely successful 12-year spell in Ukraine. Under Lucescu, Shakhtar won 8 Ukrainian Premier League titles, 6 Ukrainian Cups, 7 Super Cups, and the 2008-09 UEFA Cup. Zenit was last champions of Russia in 2014-15, but find themselves in the unfamiliar spot of missing the UEFA Champions League after finishing behind rivals CSKA Moscow and surprise FC Rostov a season ago.

Board Objectives

Youth Development (Medium)
- Sign 1 youth player to the senior team in the same season they were scouted. Play them in 10 matches either as part of the Starting XI or coming on as a sub.
- Sign 2 players with potential over 75 to your Youth Squad. Increase their overall by at least 10 points.

Brand Exposure (High)
- Sign 1 Crucial 1st team player assigned to a midfielder position.
- Gain €20,000,000 earnings from shirt sales within a season.

Financial (Low)
- Within 3 seasons, increase the club worth of your club by 30%.

Domestic Success (Critical)
- RFPL: Win the League Title
- Rossiyskiy Kubok: Win the Cup

Continental Success (Critical)
- Europa League: Reach the Final
- Qualify to the Champions League
- Within 4 seasons in the Champions League: Reach the Final

House Rules

6+5
- Squad must have 5 Russian players in the XI at all times.

Mandatory 15
- A minimum of 15 Russian players must be active (loaned players don't count) in the roster.

Realistic Transfers
- The club will follow Zenit's typical transfer policy: promising players from lower leagues, big names from major leagues who are getting older, and Eastern European targets.

The Squad

GK Yuriy Lodygin, 77 Ovr, 26, Russia
GK Mikhail Kerzhakov, 76 Ovr, 29, Russia
GK Andrey Lunev, 70 Ovr, 24, Russia
GK Egor Baburin, 64 Ovr, 22, Russia

RB Igor Smolnikov, 81 Ovr, 27, Russia
RB Branislav Ivanović, 80 Ovr, 32, Serbia
RB Ibragim Tsallagov, 71 Ovr, 25, Russia
RB Alexandr Anyukov, 76 Ovr, 33, Russia
CB Luís Neto, 77 Ovr, 28, Portugal
CB Nicolas Lombaerts, 79 Ovr, 31, Belgium
CB Ivan Novoseltsev, 74 Ovr, 24, Russia
CB Vukašin Jovanović, 65 Ovr, 20, Serbia - on loan at Bordeaux
LB Domenico Criscito, 79 Ovr, 29, Italy
LB Yuriy Zhirkov, 77 Ovr, 32, Russia
LB Evgeniy Chernov, 63 Ovr, 23, Russia

CDM Javi García, 78 Ovr, 29, Spain
CDM Maurício, 77 Ovr, 27, Brazil
CDM Artur Yusupov, 74 Ovr, 26, Russia
CDM Hernani, 75 Ovr, 22, Brazil
CDM Pavel Mogilevets, 72 Ovr, 23, Russia
CDM Viktor Fayzulin, 72 Ovr, 30, Russia
RM Róbert Mak, 75 Ovr, 25, Slovakia
RM Alexandr Ryazantsev, 72 Ovr, 29, Russia
LM Oleg Shatov, 81 Ovr, 25, Russia
CAM Giuliano, 82 Ovr, 26, Brazil

RW Alexandr Kokorin, 77 Ovr, 25, Russia
ST Artem Dzyuba, 79 Ovr, 27, Russia
ST Luka Đorđević, 69 Ovr, 21, Montenegro
ST Alexandr Kerzhakov, 75 Ovr, 33, Russia
LW Yohan Mollo, 74 Ovr, 26, France
LW Danny, 81 Ovr, 32, Portugal

Formation: 4-3-3 Attack

Shatov* - Dzyuba* - Kokorin*

Giuliano
Maurício - García

Criscito - Ivanović - Lombaerts - Smolnikov*

Lodygin*

*Russian Player

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 5

The Mariners

November 2020



Europa League Group Stage
Borussia Dortmund 3 - 2 Grimsby Town
DOR - Jimenez 45', Merino 69', Thomas 75' (OG)
GRI - Sacko 9', Hourihane 24'
MOTM: Reus

We got off to a fantastic start, and then proceeded to throw it completely away. Sacko opened the scoring with a great shot from the right side of the goal back across to the far post with a perfectly placed ball. Hourihane doubled the lead for us with a stunning free kick that curled over the wall and into the top left corner. Then it all went downhill with Jimenez hitting a screamer from outside of the box into the top corner just before the half. Merino then got away from hsi marker to get on the end of a cross and tap it in easily right in front of goal. Our embarrassment was complete then when Reus got some space on the left and he fired his shot off the post and it hit off the back of Thomas and then went into the goal.



Newcastle United 1 - 1 Grimsby Town
NEW - Hayden 4'
GRI - Griffiths 60'
MOTM: Boyce

If not for some poor marking in the opening minutes, we could have gotten a win here. Dickenson let his man get around him on the right wing and he got into the box to send a ball in to Hayden who ran straight past all of our defenders and tapped it in. We ended up finding an equalizer in the second half with Osadebe threading the ball through to Griffiths on the right side of the goal and he finished low across the goal to the far post.



Grimsby Town 4 - 2 Southampton FC
GRI - Amang 17', 72', 87', Wolf 77'
SOU - Haller 53', Austin 80'
MOTM: Amang

This was the first game back for both Amang and Kessie, and they proved that they were what we were sorely missing the past few games. Amang opened it up after Sacko sent a waist high cross to the back post and he volleyed it down into the ground and in. After the break Southampton was able to equalize with Haller holding back his run and letting the defenders go beyond him and he was alone for a header past the keeper. Amang then shouldered the load and went on a fantastic run getting up the middle of the box and finishing back to the left side of the goal. He was then able to send Wolf through on the left side of the goal and he finished back across the goal to extend the lead. Austin then smashed a first time shot from distance while under pressure and it was a perfect shot into the top corner to cut the lead once again. Aman wasn't going to be denied the win for us though and Vieira was able to play him down the left and he finished low to complete his hat-trick and announce his return to fitness.



Europa League Group Stage
AS Monaco 2 - 3 Grimsby Town
MON - Silva 39', Benzia 72'
GRI - Al Kuwaykibi 31', Kelly 56', Sidibe 81' (OG)
MOTM: Osadebe

It was one of those games that leaves one side frustrated beyond all belief. We registered just two shots the entire game, and as you can see we scored 3 goals. Our first came with Al Kuwaykibi getting the ball out left and he let it rip from distance with his left foot and it settled into the top right corner. Silva answered us though with a well placed shot on the near post. In the second half we took the lead back with Kelly getting out right and firing a shot across the goal and into the top corner. We then got unlucky in that Benzia took three shots and as the keeper kept saving them they kept falling right back to him and he eventually was able to put it into the net. Then with not much time left Al Kuwaykibi was able to use his pace to get around the left and he sent a low ball across the box and Sidibe slid in and just deflected it directly back into his own net.



Crystal Palace 0 - 3 Grimsby Town
GRI - Amang 11', 43', Hourihane 90'
MOTM: Sacko

It felt great to keep our first clean sheet in some time and then score 3 goals on top of that. Amang was in fine form once again and he opened the scoring after picking up Sacko's pass around the edge and he finished across the keeper. He then added a second once again coming off an assist from Sacko as he ran down the right and sent the ball in where Amang was waiting in the middle for the tap in. We had a few more chances after that, but we finally added our last one when a series of quick passes led to Hourihane getting an easy tap in on the back post into the wide open goal.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Within 2 seasons, have at least 1 player from the Youth Academy signed in the first team play at least 50% of the games in the next season. (Remaining seasons: 2)

Brand Exposure
-Gain £6,800,000 earnings from shirt sales within a season

Financial
-Finish the season with £5,950,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).

Domestic Success
-Premier League: Finish Mid Table.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.

Continental Success
-Champions Cup: Reach the Group Stage.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Season 1

Club in Crisis

November 2016



F.A. Cup
Blackpool FC 2 - 2 Cheltenham Town
BLP - McAllister 44', Daniel 66'
CHE - Dayton 39', Hall 90'
MOTM: McAllister

Cheltenham stole it from us at the death, and now we have to travel down to their stadium for a replay. They opened the scoring first with Dayton getting the ball in the middle of the box and he hit it first time to the far post. We were quick to find the answer though and McAllister used a great touch to get around his defender and then fire it inside the near post for the equalizer. Then Daniel took on the defense himself getting through and firing with his left foot past the keeper and off the far post and in. And just when it looked like we were through to the next round, Hall was able to get inside of our box and flick a cross past our keeper and into the back of the net.



Checkatrade Trophy
Blackpool FC 2 - 4 Portsmouth FC
BLP - Vassell 60', Elliott 72'
POR - Doyle 7', Baker 26', 35', Roberts 58'
MOTM: Evans

Poor defending and terrible luck in front of goal was the story of this one. Portsmouth rampaged out to a 4-0 lead with Doyle starting off the scoring with a near post shot. Baker then added a near post finish of his own before completing his brace with a first time shot in the middle of the box past the keeper. Roberts capped it off by taking advantage of poor decision making on our end and firing the ball from the edge of the box and into the top right corner. In the mean time we saw two shots of our own go smashing off the post before Vassell was finally able to break the clean sheet for us by pouncing on a loose ball and tapping it in. Elliott added a second for us with a strong header off of a corner and it was enough to keep the game interesting, although we weren't able to do anything more afterwards.



Blackpool FC 1 - 3 Luton Town
BLP - Aldred 88'
LUT - Mpanzu 68', Musonda 73', Hylton 90'
MOTM: Hylton

Another poor performance and we are really in danger of falling into nose dive. The first half saw little significant action, and in the second half Mpanzu was able to get through the defense and go through on goal to finish nicely into the bottom right corner. It was only 5 minutes later that we gave the ball away to Musonda and he took a shot from distance that was dummied in front of goal causing the keeper to commit the wrong way and it rolled into the far post. We pulled one back though with Aldred heading in a corner to keep us in the game and give us a chance. But that chance didn't last long as our keeper failed to clear a ball and whiffed his attempt allowing Hylton go have an easy tap in to the open goal.



F.A. Cup Replay
Cheltenham FC 2 - 0 Blackpool FC
CHE - De Girolamo 88', Boyle 90'
MOTM: Boyle

Awful, absolutely awful. Our slide continues, and even worse that last minute goal in the first game completely came back to bite us. The entire game was essentially played to a draw, and then with 2 minutes left everything changed. De Girolamo broke the game open with an unbelievable volleyed finish from a couple of yards inside the box and it was time to panic for us. They took advantage of our panic and added a second with Boyle getting into space inside the box and placing the ball perfectly into the bottom corner.



Barnet 3 - 3 Blackpool FC
BAR - Coulson 70', Akinola 75', Vilhete 90'
BLP - Elliott 45', Philliskirk 51', Vassell 79'
MOTM: Elliott

It's going to take a long time to get that bad taste out of my mouth. We had it won, and we fell apart. We took the lead just before half with Elliott rising up to power a header past the keeper off of a corner. Philliskirk then doubled the lead after a great run up the middle and he finished across the keeper into the bottom left corner. Then the wheels started coming off when Coulson blasted a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner to cut the lead in half. Akinola then equalized with a header off of a perfect cross into the box. We managed to pull ourselves together just enough to take the lead back with Vassell getting around the edge of the defense and then beating the keeper. And then it was all for nothing as Vilhete fired an absolutely stunning shot from the edge of the box back across the keeper and into the top left corner. It was an absolutely sickening way to concede and lose the win.



Blackpool FC 0 - 2 Portsmouth FC
POR - Mellor 13' (OG), Roberts 33'
MOTM: Stevens

Falling further and further now. It's hard to fathom how this is happening, but we can't stop it at this point. This time Mellor turned one into our own goal instead of clearing it off the line and we were put into a hole early on. Roberts then doubled the lead with a shot from distance that has seemingly been our weakness lately. We didn't offer much of a threat of rebuttal after that and we clearly have to find some way to turn this around now.



Crewe Alexandra 0 - 0 Blackpool FC
MOTM: Yeates

The result was disappointing this time not so much for the fact that we settled for a draw, but for the fact that we played more than well enough to win it. Their keeper came up with a fantastic save when Vassell was through on goal, and then an even bigger save on a penalty attempt that Yeates placed into the corner and he dove well to get down and push it away. If not for his fantastic play between the sticks, we would walk away with all 3 points.



Blackpool FC 1 - 1 Hartlepool United
BLP - Redshaw 90'
HAR - Paynter 9'
MOTM: Philliskirk

And that's about the kind of finish to this month that you would expect. We failed to win a game in this entire month, and settled for numerous draws. Paynter got us early by using his pace to run past our defense and finish back across the goal. We spent the rest of the match desperately trying to find an equalizer and finally in the very last minute Redshaw was able to get around the left and finish across to the bottom right corner to save a point.

League Table



Youth Academy



Board Objectives

Youth
-Sign at least 2 players younger than 20 years old, with potential greater than the average overall rating of players current;y in the same position.
-Sign 1 player in your Youth Academy to the defender position.

Brand Exposure
-Sign 1 crucial 1st team player assigned to a forward position.

Financial
-Finish the season with £2,550,000 unspent allocated funds (transfer budget and wage budget).
-Keep player salary growth under 20%

Domestic Success
-EFL League Two: Fight for Promotion.
-The Emirates FA Cup: Reach the Round of 32 Stage.
-Within 2 seasons in EFL League Two: Gain Automatic Promotion (Remaining seasons :2)

House Rules

Spoiler

Credit to Pukellama on Reddit

League two

Youth:
•Can only sign 5 players up to the youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad.
•Maximum youth scout rating 1 star.
•Maximum 2 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 65 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24.
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to league 1).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 68) (max 2).
•Can only sign one pre contract agreement, min age 30, max ability 65 (67 if promotion likely).
•Maximum transfer - £500k (£200k if player included).
•Maximum wage - £1500.
•Can't buy anyone with 'great potential' or above.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 70 overall

League 1

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 3 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout rating 2 star.
•Max 3 scouts.
•Can only scout British countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 69 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 24 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish and English leagues (up to Championship).
•Can loan players from championship and below only (max overall of 70) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 69 (70 if promotion likely).
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above.
•Max transfer - £1mil (£500k if player included).
•Max wage - £10k.

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from people in championship or above or a major euro league
•Have to sell anyone above 72 overall

Championship

Youth:
•Can only sign up 7 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 3 star. . . Can only scout Euro countries

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 74 current overall.
•Can not sign anyone who is under 20 (excl. loan).
•Can only buy players from the Irish, Scottish, Non major European leagues (such as Norway) and Major European 2nd divisions and below (bar Barcelona B).
•Can only sign one player from a non EU league.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 78) (max 3).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, min age 27, max ability 78.
•Maximum transfer - £2mil (£1mil if player included).
•Maximum wage - £25k.
•Can't buy anyone with great potential or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in a major euro league (inc prem)
•Have to sell anyone above 79 overall

Prem (not in europe)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•Maximum youth scout 4 star.
•Can scout anywhere

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 2 non EU - Non EU can be bought from non EU leagues).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 78 current overall.
•No age restriction.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro league or higher.
•Can loan any European players (max overall of 80) (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 78.
•Max transfer - £15mil (£10mil if player included).
•Max wage - £90k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in Europe (euro league + euro cup)
•Have to sell anyone above 80 overall

Prem (europa league)

Youth:
•Can only sign up 9 players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 4 players from youth squad (can include previous years).
•No maximum youth scout rating

Buying:
•Can only buy European players (plus 3 non EU).
•Can not sign anyone who is above 81 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing in euro cup (including non EU league).
•Can loan any player (max 2).
•Can only sign two pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 80.
•Max transfer - £20mil (£12.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £150k.
•Can't buy anyone with exciting prospect or above

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from clubs in euro cup
•Have to sell anyone above 83 overall

Prem (champions league) - 1st year or where you didn't reach quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 2 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can buy any nationality.
•Can not sign anyone who is above 84 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for a major team.
•Cannot loan anyone.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 85.
•Max transfer - £25mil (£17.5mil including player).
•Max wage - £175k.
•Can buy any level of potential

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from major clubs.
•Have to sell your best player if reach the semis or higher (add to transfer list, and sell to a club in the champs cup)
•Have to sell anyone who is above 86 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached quarters in previous year

Youth:
•Can sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone who is above 88 current overall.
•Can only buy players who are not currently playing for someone else who reached the quarter finals.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•Max transfer - £30mil (20mil including player).
•Max wage - £225k

Selling:
•Have to accept any offers from Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. . . Have to sell your best 2 players if you don't make the quarters the following year (to a big team only).
•Have to sell anyone who is above 90 overall

Prem (champions league) - reached final in previous year

Youth:
•Can only sign up as many players to youth squad.
•Can only sign 1 players from youth squad (can include previous years).

Buying:
•Can not sign anyone above 91 current overall.
•Can only sign one pre contract agreements, no min age, max ability 87.
•No max transfer.
•No max wage

Selling:
•Do not have to sell

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County September 2019 Update

September saw us start will the Toons in a match that was for first in the league even though league play was only a month old. We were able to defeat Newcastle to extend our winning streak. The good form in league play would be short lived as for the rest of our matches all we would be able to get are draws. This kind of play dropped us to second in the league by the end of the month.

The Europa group play would be drawn this month and in our group we have The Rangers (Scotland), Stade Renaiss, and SC Braga. In our first two Europa league matches this month our form at least showed up on this stage as we were to jump out and get 6 points.

The team is struggling in league play a little, but in Europa play that have a tremendous form. We will see how we fare in October.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

The Globetrotter CM

FC Barcelona
Més que un club

'21-'22 September Update

Spoiler

The Roster

Spoiler

Spoiler

GK: Bernd Leno (88 OVR)
GK: Iñaki Serrano Molina (74 OVR)

RB: Mayke (84 OVR)
RB: Martín Montoya (81 OVR)
RB: Douglas Pereira dos Santos (AKA Douglas, 75 OVR)
RB: Djordje Ninkov (72 OVR)
RB: Otegui Khalifi (64 OVR)
RB: Cristian Artabe Meca (64 OVR)
CB: Victor Alonso (86 OVR)
CB: Marc Bartra (83 OVR)
CB: Gerard Piqué (82 OVR)
CB: Thomas Vermaelen (80 OVR)
CB: Emre Karaer (72 OVR)
LB: Jordi Alba (87 OVR)

CDM: Sergio Busquets (87 OVR)
CDM: Sergi Samper (81 OVR)
CDM: Nahuel Vada (67 OVR) on loan from 1. FC Köln
CM: Sergi Roberto (85 OVR)
CM: Rafael Alcântara (AKA Rafinha, 83 OVR)
CM: David Cruz Torres (76 OVR)
CM: Jimmy Porter (71 OVR) on loan at Middlesbrough
CM: Juan Cámara (71 OVR)
CM: Vasco Granero (60 OVR)
RM: Arda Turan (82 OVR)
RM: Aleix Vidal (82 OVR)

RW: Lionel Messi (95 OVR)
RW: Cristian Tello (82 OVR)
RW: Munir El Haddadi (AKA Munir, 82 OVR)
RW: Aitor Cantalapiedra (AKA Aitor, 71 OVR)
LW: Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. (AKA Neymar, 93 OVR)
LW: Sandro Ramírez Castillo (AKA Sandro, 85 OVR)
CF: Thomas Müller (89 OVR)
ST: Ricardo Farías da Silva (70 OVR) on loan from Manchester Utd
ST: Dani Romera (66 OVR)

Starting XI (4-3-3)

Leno (88)

Mayke (84)/Piqué (82)/Alonso (86)/Alba (87)

Roberto (85) / Busquets (87) / Turan (82)

Messi (C, 95) / Müller (89) / Neymar (93)
_________________________________

League Match 2
FC Barcelona - UD Almería (2-1)
Müller 48' (Busquets)
Neymar 72' (Piqué)
Herrera 84'
Müller 22'

Despite a tough first half we were able to turn our Camp Nou opener into a success thanks to impressive goals from Müller and Neymar. Former Barça attacking midfielder Robert Gonçalves made his return as a starter for the visitors and had a couple of scoring chances but failed to put his shots on target.

Euro League - Group Match 1
FC Barcelona - Standard Liège (1-0)
Montoya 35' (Sandro)
Rafinha 45'
Sandro 64'

Our B-team's debut brought mixed results performance wise but luckily for us we were able to put the score in our favor to start off on the right foot in the UEL. I felt we could had converted on some more of our 5 shots on goal and I was specifically disappointed with Munir who missed the easiest chance of them all, a sitter with only the GK between him and the goal after he had had plenty of time to line up his shot (he shot it way wide). I decided to move Embolo in part because I trust Munir can fill in as the backup ST so he'll need to perform a lot better than on this night.

League Match 3
Valencia CF - FC Barcelona (0-5)
Turan 34' (Messi)
Messi 63' (pen)
Müller 68' (Roberto)
Roberto 85' (Müller)
Sandro 90+2' (Müller)

Woah! Here we go. It's taken us a bit to get going to start this season but ironically enough in our toughest game to date we looked unbeatable, putting a drumming on Valencia at the Mestalla. Müller led the charge to finish up the scoring, putting our third goal on the board and then assisting the last two.

League Match 4
Málaga CF - FC Barcelona (1-3)
Neymar 2' (Roberto)
Müller 45+1' (Mayke)
Recio 62'
Müller 89' (Neymar)

Neymar put us ahead in our first shot of the game and Müller scored at the end of each half to officially put us on a winning streak in La Liga. We're in really good groove right now, moving the ball a lot better which is resulting in some great flow on offense and even though we only have one clean sheet to show for our defense is also playing at a high level.

League Match 5
FC Barcelona - Sevilla FC (3-1)
Roberto 20' (Müller)
Neymar 38' (Messi)
Neymar 55' (Turan)
Mastour 59'

Sevilla was supposed to be a challenge for us but we're in top form and they never stood a chance. Our 13 shots (9 on target) could had made the score a lot more inflated while Sevilla was only able to muster 4 shots (2 on target). Neymar in particular is in excellent form now having scored in three of his last four appearances.


Messi assisting Neymar for our second goal

Euro League - Group Match 2
AIK - FC Barcelona (0-4)
Sandro 3' (Vidal)
Rafinha 13' (Munir)
Munir 44' (Sandro)
Vidal 78' (Tello)

The B-squad got the call again and this time they showed out against the Swedish club, beating them senseless on their own turf. Another goal in our first shot of the game got us going and even Munir looked the part in this one. Just the kind of dominant performance I'd hope to have in this game.






Liga BBVA
Top Scorers
T1. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 4
T1. Neymar (FC Barcelona) - 4
T1. Vela (Real Sociedad) - 4
T1. Castro (Sporting Gijón) - 4

Assists
1. Santos (Athletic Bilbao) - 4
T2. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 3
T2. Seguín (Bilbao Athletic) - 3

Clean Sheets
T1. Casilla (Real Madrid) - 2
T1. Moreira (Atlético Madrid) - 2
T1. Jesús (Levante UD) - 2

Review: I hadn't noticed we are not shown on the standings but obviously we're in first place, actually tied with Betis in points but ahead of them due to our goal differential which is at +10 after an amazing September. It started off shaky there with the hard-fought win against Almería after our draw with Levante (that was nearly a loss) to start the season but we were just a different team after the beat down we put on Valencia. That game was a lot of fun. Even our B-squad seemed to get a pep in their step as the month went on. I can't deny that it is a lot of fun to play with such a talented roster although I also have to manage the pressure of being expected to win every competition. Luckily the B-squad has been taking care of business in the UEL which I need them to do right now especially considering our opponents are significantly less talented. It can be easy for this roster to be disinterested in playing in the UEL as opposed to the Champions League but I've asked them to prove to me that they're too good for for the UEL. So far the B-squad has met the challenge and it'll be interesting to see if the main squad can answer the bell when they get the call in later games.

Individually although Müller had the better month statistically it was Neymar who was our best performer. The Brazilian was a nightmare for opposing fullbacks and a constant scoring threat.

With regards to the academy I'm happy to report additions to our youth squad:

La Masia
(listed by ranking)

CM - Fran Martinez (59 OVR, 76-94 POT): 17-year old from Venezuela standing at 5'7", 150lbs and described as technically gifted. Martinez displays natural movement (80 agility, 76 balance) to go with very good ball control (75) and curve (74) on the ball.

ST - Darío Verdejo (46 OVR, 74-90)*: 17-year old from Spain standing at 5'11" and 176lbs. Verdejo is described as physically strong and indeed his strength (76) is his top attribute although he isn't just a log as he also has good speed (74) and jumping (72). He's very raw technically though so he'll need to work hard in that aspect of his game to develop as a scorer.

CAM - Daniel Lugano (54 OVR, 72-88): Also a 17-year old Venezuelan described as technically gifted who is also very agile (79). Since I'm able to make better evaluations of Venezuelan prospects I know Lugano, who is 5'11" and 154lbs, can also play as either a CF or CM so we're excited about his versatility on the pitch.

CB - Javier Gonzalez (52, 67-87)*: 18-year old from Spain who is physically strong. Gonzalez stands out for his aggression (78) and strength (74) although much like Verdejo he also has good pace (74 spd/71 acc) and jumping (71). Gonzalez isn't too raw but does need to develop quickly since he'll surely want to be promoted sooner than later.
* Recent addition

2022 WC - CONMEBOL Qualifying

WC Qualifying - Match 15
Venezuela - Paraguay (2-1)
Juanpi 13' (Martínez)
Otero 60' (Martínez)
Caballero 64'

WE ARE GOING BACK TO THE WORLD CUP!!!

It's been a long road in these qualifiers and I can guarantee you CONMEBOL is no walk in the park but we officially clinched a spot in the big dance thanks to this win. Juanpi continues to be amazing in these qualifiers and Josef Martínez took a break from competing for the scoring title to assist in both goals. I'm stoked!

WC Qualifying - Match 16
Colombia - Venezuela (1-3)
Rondón 9' (Del Valle)
Castillo 12'
Rondón 15' (Del Valle)
Otero 38' (Martínez)

We're ON FIRE. This was a strong win for us on the road in a rivalry game that is usually tough on us. Yonathan Del Valle had two ridiculous crosses towards Salomón Rondón reminiscent of Rondón's days at West Brom. We have no shot at finishing as the leaders in the standings and even catching up to Brazil in second place will be a steep challenge but we can finish in third place and this win definitely helped us get closer to that. Third best team in the South America after Argentina and Brazil isn't too bad, right?


______________________________________

October schedule
10/3: at Atlético Madrid
10/8: vs Ecuador (WC Qualifying)
10/12: vs Chile (WC Qualifying)
10/17: vs Real Sociedad
10/21: vs PAOK (Euro League)
10/24: at Real Madrid (El Clásico)
10/27: at Real Zaragoza (Copa Del Rey)
10/31: vs Real Betis

October is really going to test us, from the first game at the Vicente Calderón to facing a bunch of teams with "Real" on their name including our rivals in El Clásico towards the end of the month before we close out October with a match-up against a surprise contender in this early season.

Stay tuned!

^^^ previous update

The Globetrotter CM



FC Barcelona
Més que un club

'21-'22 October Update

The Roster

Spoiler

GK: Bernd Leno (88 OVR)
GK: Iñaki Serrano Molina (75 OVR)

RB: Mayke (84 OVR)
RB: Martín Montoya (81 OVR)
RB: Douglas Pereira dos Santos (AKA Douglas, 75 OVR)
RB: Djordje Ninkov (72 OVR)
RB: Otegui Khalifi (65 OVR)
RB: Cristian Artabe Meca (64 OVR)
CB: Victor Alonso (86 OVR)
CB: Marc Bartra (84 OVR)
CB: Gerard Piqué (82 OVR)
CB: Thomas Vermaelen (80 OVR)
CB: Emre Karaer (73 OVR)
LB: Jordi Alba (86 OVR)

CDM: Sergio Busquets (87 OVR)
CDM: Sergi Samper (81 OVR)
CDM: Nahuel Vada (67 OVR) on loan from 1. FC Köln
CM: Sergi Roberto (86 OVR)
CM: Rafael Alcântara (AKA Rafinha, 83 OVR)
CM: David Cruz Torres (77 OVR)
CM: Jimmy Porter (71 OVR) on loan at Middlesbrough
CM: Juan Cámara (71 OVR)
CM: Vasco Granero (61 OVR)
RM: Arda Turan (82 OVR)
RM: Aleix Vidal (82 OVR)

RW: Lionel Messi (95 OVR)
RW: Cristian Tello (82 OVR)
RW: Munir El Haddadi (AKA Munir, 82 OVR)
RW: Aitor Cantalapiedra (AKA Aitor, 71 OVR)
LW: Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. (AKA Neymar, 93 OVR)
LW: Sandro Ramírez Castillo (AKA Sandro, 85 OVR)
CF: Thomas Müller (90 OVR)
ST: Ricardo Farías da Silva (71 OVR) on loan from Manchester Utd
ST: Dani Romera (66 OVR)

Starting XI (4-3-3)

Leno (88)

Mayke (84)/Piqué (82)/Alonso (86)/Alba (86)

Roberto (86) / Busquets (87) / Turan (82)

Messi (C, 95) / Müller (90) / Neymar (93)
_________________________________

Neymar was named Player of the Month for September
_________________________________

League Match 6
Atlético Madrid - FC Barcelona (1-4)
Guilavogui 13'
Alonso 23'
Messi 31' (pen)
Messi 86' (Müller)
Messi 90+2' (Rafinha)
Roberto 20' (Dislocated shoulder, out for 8 weeks)

It was only a matter of time until Leo Messi broke out with a scoring burst and his hat-trick at the Vicente Calderón led us to a key win in this early part of the season. This was actually a pretty close game right up until Messi sealed the deal in the last few minutes, though it definitely helped to have the lead since the 31st minute. It sucks losing Sergi Roberto who was starting to establish himself as one of our best players so hopefully our depth can show their worth these next couple of months.


Victor Alonso scores his first goal as a Barcelona player.

League Match 7
FC Barcelona - Real Sociedad (3-2)
Neymar 36' (Busquets)
Pardo 50'
Messi 62' (Vidal)
Jonathas 76'
Rafinha 79' (Vidal)

A couple of blunders on defense nearly cost us three points but Aleix Vidal came of the bench to save the day with a couple of assists and we put all nine of our shots on target to escape with this win. Rubén Pardo's goal in the 50th minute was the direct result of an awful backwards pass by Arda Turan, whose camp is undoubtedly to blame for swirling rumors about his being unsettled. He reflected his unsettling mindset with his mistake which led me to bench him, a move that paid off big as Vidal made a world of difference. Mayke also made a bad pass in the 76th minute that led to Jonathas' goal but the recent signing has been outstanding so far this season so he didn't merit a benching. Vidal has been playing his arse off so far with the B-squad and making a case for more playing time so this may be the switching point.

Euro League - Group Match 3
FC Barcelona -PAOK (1-0)
Cámara 90+2'
Munir 40'

Juan Cámara turned out to be our unlikely hero in stoppage time to help us get something to show for our 14 shots, 10 on target. Robin Olsen had a flat-out ridiculous performance for the Greek club, nearly stopping everything thrown his way before Cámara's shot got past the Swedish goalkeeper just before the final whistle. Cámara had only made the roster for this game as a result of Sergi Roberto's injury, giving us exactly the kind of contribution we're looking from our depth.

League Match 8
Real Madrid - FC Barcelona (2-1)
Benzema 45+3'
Isco 67'
Messi 90+2' (pen)
Mayke 15'

The first El Clásico of the season (in league play) was not a good one for us as we failed to get even a point at the Bernabéu. Admittedly our rivals were the better team in the first half but we had managed to keep the game even until Benzema scored a ridiculous outside-the-box shot that went over Bernd Leno's stretched arms and dipped just before getting to the cross bar.



We had the much better second half but paid the price on a bad breakdown on defense in the 67th minute allowed Tony Kroos to easily find Isco for Madrid's second goal.





That deficit proved too deep against Madrid's outstanding defense which negated most of our 8 shots (half of them on target) until Messi's penalty kick in stoppage time left Keylor Navas motionless.



Copa Del Rey - Round of 32, 1st Leg
Real Zaragoza - FC Barcelona (2-2)
Vidal 9'
Seferović 15'
Tarsi 55'
Sandro 70' (pen)

Our B-squad had to battle hard to earn a draw in this leg although the two away goals could also prove to be big. We still looked like the better side, firing 11 shots (6 on target) but Yankee GK Bill Hamid was up to the task for Zaragoza. Perhaps the biggest outcome from this game was yet another poor showing from Munir whom I benched for Ricardo Farías da Silva (the loanee from Manchester Utd).

League Match 9
FC Barcelona - Real Betis (1-1)
Müller 65' (Rafinha)
Álvaro 90'
Messi 21' (Bruised shoulder, out for 5 days)

Álvaro's stoppage time goal was the perfect ending to a frustrating night in which we should had scored a lot more than just one goal. We were a constant threat, shooting 11 times (8 on target) but just couldn't quite get the ball to the back of the net more often. A costly draw that allows Betis to remain ahead of us in the standings.






Liga BBVA
Top Scorers
1. Messi (FC Barcelona) - 7
T2. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 5
T2. Neymar (FC Barcelona) - 5
(3 others with 5 also)

Assists
T1. Müller (FC Barcelona) - 4
T1. Santos (Athletic Bilbao) - 4
T2. Seguín (Bilbao Athletic) - 3
(3 others with 3 also)

Clean Sheets
T1. Moreira (Atlético Madrid) - 3
T1. Mesenhöler (Real Betis) - 3
T2. Casilla (Real Madrid) - 2
(7 others with 2 also)

Review: You could say it wasn't a bad month for us but I'd remind you the expectations here at Barça are high, so losing El Clásico and then failing to defeat Betis to jump to the top of the standings certainly made October far from successful for us. The month started out good with the big win at Atlético but I'd have to say it went downhill from there, even if the hill wasn't too steep. All that being said it's still very early in the season and we're still in great position to jump up to first place sooner than later but we can't afford to have a repeat performance of this month.

Individually obviously Messi stood out, scoring 5 goals in La Liga to jump all the way to the top of the scorers' table. However, my focus at this time is on Munir. At this point he may continue to draw the starts with the B-squads but I've seen enough to be concerned about the possibility he'd be the next man up should Thomas Müller go down with an injury, so I'm putting striker as one of my priorities for the upcoming transfer window. He had another very poor game against Zaragoza that included yet another miss on a very clear scoring chance. I'm talking one-on-one vs the goalie with plenty of time to set his shot. Unacceptable.

In academy news I'm happy to report our scouts continue to bring us excellent prospects, including our newest scout Pedro Reyes (from Spain) who has been sent on a 6-month trip to Argentina.

La Masia
(listed by ranking)

CM - Fran Martinez (60 OVR, 82-94 POT): This 17-year old from Venezuela is turning out to be a GEM. Standing at 5'7", 150lbs, Fran is described as technically gifted. He displays natural movement (80 agility, 76 balance) to go with very good ball control (76) and curve (75) on the ball.

ST - Flavio Mansilla (54 OVR, 72-92)*: 16-year old from Venezuela described as technically gifted. Mansilla initially projects as an exciting prospect displaying excellent ball control (74) for his age. I'm excited for him as a player for the club and the country.

ST - Darío Verdejo (48 OVR, 73-87): 17-year old from Spain standing at 5'11" and 176lbs. Verdejo is described as physically strong and indeed his strength (76) is his top attribute although he isn't just a log as he also has good speed (74) and jumping (73). He's very raw technically though so he'll need to work hard in that aspect of his game to develop as a scorer.

CAM - Daniel Lugano (55 OVR, 73-85): Also a 17-year old Venezuelan described as technically gifted who is also very agile (79). Since I'm able to make better evaluations of Venezuelan prospects I know Lugano, who is 5'11" and 154lbs, can also play as either a CF or CM so we're excited about his versatility on the pitch.

CB - Javier Gonzalez (55 OVR, 67-87): 18-year old from Spain who is physically strong. At 6'1" and 174lbs the lefty Gonzalez stands out for his aggression (79) and strength (76) although much like Verdejo he also has good pace (75 spd/72 acc) and jumping (71). Gonzalez isn't too raw but does need to develop quickly since he'll surely want to be promoted sooner than later.

RB - Manuel Navarro (39 OVR, 67-87)*: 15-year old from Spain described by scouts as an attacker. Navarro actually possesses decent pace (72 acc/69 spd) at a very young age and is very agile (69) as well. However, he's so raw as a defender he can't even be called a defender at this time. He's a project but he's young, so he could pay off big.

CB - Sergio Torres (48 OVR, 65-85)*: 15-year old from Spain described as physically strong. Much like Navarro, Torres oozes some impressive traits for his young age such as his jumping (72), aggression (72), strength (65), and pace (71 acc/67 spd) but he's raw as a defender and will need to work hard on that aspect of his game.
* Recent addition

2022 WC - CONMEBOL Qualifying

WC Qualifying - Match 17
Venezuela - Ecuador (6-1)
Juanpi 12' (Signorelli)
Martínez 17' (Juanpi)
Angel 31' (Juanpi)
Plata 45'
Juanpi 57' (Martínez)
Martínez 62' (Juanpi)
Feltscher 90'

Juanpi solidified his place as one of the best performers in these qualifiers with this two-goal, three-assist display to lead us to a rout of the visiting Ecuadorians, effectively eliminating the small hope that remained in the visitors to qualify to the World Cup.

WC Qualifying - Match 18
Venezuela - Chile (0-2)
Aránguiz 53'
Vidal 69'
Soriano 43' (Bruised shoulder, out for 5 days)

We were locked into third place coming into this final game of the qualifiers so I put out a starting lineup composed of subs to get a better look at some players. It wasn't a particular bad performance from them outside of Alain Baroja whose bad throw after a save led directly to Aránguiz' goal in the 53rd minute that broke the deadlock. The squad won the possession game (55%) but only created three shots (two on target). Dorados academy product, Victor Soriano, played a solid game even while dealing with injury and remains an option for the roster next summer.



As it turns out Juanpi did have an amazing run in these qualifiers leading the field by far in assists with 11, more than doubling the total of Lionel Messi and Josef Martínez who each had 5. Martínez' brace against Ecuador also allowed him to finish tied for the scoring lead as his 9 goals were only matched by Alexis Sánchez (Salomón Rondón finished just behind them with 8). I say with confidence that our form in these qualifiers was much better than four years ago and I hope we can keep it that way to make up for a poor showing in Russia in 2018.
______________________________________

November schedule
11/4: vs AIK (Euro League)
11/7: at UD Las Palmas
11/12: at Denmark (International Friendly)
11/15: vs China PR (International Friendly)
11/20: vs RCD Espanyol
11/25: at Standard de Liège (Euro League)
11/28: at Real Zaragoza

November will only provide us with three league games as we try to get to the top of the standings and the expectation will be for us to win all three of them. It would do us good to meet those expectations after an up-and-down October. The B-squad has worked wonders in the UEL so far, averaging two goals/game while conceding none, so they're likely to continue to get the call in that competition throughout the group stage. Finally with Venezuela I'll get a couple of different looks in friendlies as I start to prepare the squad for the World Cup in Qatar this coming summer.

SPOILER ALERT: there will be yet another change in the lineup next month (Aleix Vidal unseated Arda Turan this month if that wasn't clear).

Stay tuned!

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County October 2019 Update

Boy league play is getting a little serious. This month were 1 win and two draws. This kind of play has dropped us into third in league play. We will see how November will treat us in league play.

In Europa league the squad is still racking up the wins taking two more wins to give us nine wins in euro play and sitting nicely in first in group stage.

In EPL action we have reached the round of 16. This is an accomplishment in itself for anyone that has been following this CM. In this round we faced Leeds United and we continue to stun England in this Cup as we beat them 3-0 to move to the quarter finals.

So how will league play treat us in November?

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County November 2019 Update

Boy the league play is getting down right brutal and dirty. And I love it. This month saw take three losses to West Ham, Man U. and Liverpool. We only got one draw. This has moved us down the table into 8th.

In Europa league we suffered our first draw against Stade Rennais we still have a nice comfortable lead heading into the group stage match taking place in December.

We really need to clean up league, but even sitting in 8th we are only two points from league leading Chelsea. So now as season shows some character how will Notts respond?

[poulka]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Notts County December 2019 Update

In league play Notts has been reeling lately, our first league match in December saw faced with Crystal Palace a team that fights us in any competition. This match was hard fought but we went 2-1. Next up was Burnley, this would be a match to help us get back on track. We would go on to win 2-0. Then we had to travel to Stamford Bridge, being huge underdogs the club showed their moxey and shocked everyone by pulling out 2-0 defeat that included an amazing bicycle kick deflection goal by longtime YA graduate LB Mason Thomas. This put us on a two match winning streak heading to back home to face Watford. This match would be a thrilling contest that saw us win 2-1. Our last league match we would also go on to win 2-1 as well at a slumping West Brom team.

In EPL action we now had to face the Swans, a contest that the lads put together nice work to win 3-0.

As for Europa league play we faced our last group day match against SC Braga and the club would not disappoint winning 1-0 to have a strong closing in group stage. Europa play will take a break until February.

January has some strong competitions to take place so we will see what happens.

[indiblue]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hello, folks. Sorry for going MIA but it seems some exciting things are going on here. Rabbit, I was stunned to see you at Barcelona! Glad to see you've finally made it to the top after all those seasons of hard graft. Tex, last I checked Grimsby Town was a League Two club! Congratulations on the many promotions and being top of the Premiership. Callum Paterson is a jewel of a player, isn't he? Keano, if nobody has him, I'll take Neil Taylor. Good luck with the sponsorship!

So the reason I've gone astray is a wonderful offer came in which I simply had to take. Long story short, I now live in Ipswich, in a charming little place called Kesgrave. This past week, I had my first trip to Portman Road with a few colleagues to see Ipswich Town draw 2-2 against Reading, and we're making the drive west to Birmingham this weekend to see Town take on Aston Villa. Now that I've settled in and have a bit of time, I plan on starting a career with Ipswich instead of Reading. Hope you guys keep your eyes out for an intro post tomorrow! Take care, all.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

Hello, folks. Sorry for going MIA but it seems some exciting things are going on here. Rabbit, I was stunned to see you at Barcelona! Glad to see you've finally made it to the top after all those seasons of hard graft. Tex, last I checked Grimsby Town was a League Two club! Congratulations on the many promotions and being top of the Premiership. Callum Paterson is a jewel of a player, isn't he? Keano, if nobody has him, I'll take Neil Taylor. Good luck with the sponsorship!

So the reason I've gone astray is a wonderful offer came in which I simply had to take. Long story short, I now live in Ipswich, in a charming little place called Kesgrave. This past week, I had my first trip to Portman Road with a few colleagues to see Ipswich Town draw 2-2 against Reading, and we're making the drive west to Birmingham this weekend to see Town take on Aston Villa. Now that I've settled in and have a bit of time, I plan on starting a career with Ipswich instead of Reading. Hope you guys keep your eyes out for an intro post tomorrow! Take care, all.

I'm jealous!