How's Your FIFA Career Mode Going?

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Better, Best, Basque

Marca, 28th June, 2014

Ernesto Valverde, the manager of the Basque side has suddenly resigned from his job. The Spanish coach managed to bring Athletic Club Bilbao to fourth place which guaranteed them a place for the Champions League 2014-15 season. The wait for the new manager ended today when the board of Athletic Bilbao announced their new manager. The 42 years old Simón Gancherribia, Basque as well, will take over Valverde's place after coaching the youth teams for seven years. Before that the man played for Athletic Club but he never managed to shine in other aspects than his tactical intelligence.

"We are sure Gancherribia will do great things for the club. He believes in homegrown Basque talent and he knows what is best for the club. Gancherribia is enjoying the full support of the board and we are not building pressure on him", stated Josu Urrutia, Athletic Club's president.

Marca was called to Gancherribia's first press conference.


Buenas Dias, Señor Gancherribia. How do you feel about getting such a big job at a really succesfull club?

It feels great. I have been part of Athletic Bilbao for 30 years now and it's a huge honour to get the chance to prove your quality as a manager in the team you love. Bilbao is one of the three teams that have never been relegated and our history has a lot of glory. I am ready to bring us back to the top. Last season Valverde did amazing job and got the team to Champions League spots. Sadly for all of us he decided to resign but I'm sure I can do great things with this great club.


Will you be keeping the cantera policy going on?

Of course I will! How can you ask that? It's like asking if someone will eat hamburgers with meat or if a footballer will play football with his feet or hands. The cantera is important part of this club and it would be disgraceful to quit it. We are Basque country, not Spain. We will keep on using only Basque players until the club doesn't exist.


What are you looking to do in your first season?

I will try to get a good run in the Champions League and I want us to be in the top four again. Those are the main objectives. We will try to win the cup, challenge Real and Barcelona, improve our youngsters and keep our star players. In the long run we want to lift the league trophy and I'm sure we can do it!


Squad List


Goalkeepers

Gorka Iraizoz, 1
Iago Herrerin, 13
Kepa Arrizabalaga, 26

Defenders

Aymeric Laporte, 4
Mikel San Jose, 6
Unai Albizua, 12
Andoni Iraola, 15
Xabier Etxeita, 16
Carlos Gurpegi, 18 (C)
Enric Saborit, 22
Borja Ekiza, 23
Mikel Balenziaga, 24
Jon Aurtenetxe, -

Midfielders

Erik Moran, 5
Beñat Etxebarria, 7
Ander Iturraspe, 8
Oscar de Marcos, 10
Ibai Gomez, 11
Markel Susaeta, 14
Mikel Rico, 17
Iker Muniain, 19
Ander Herrera, 21
Unai Lopez, 30
Ager Aketxe, 37
Ruiz de Galarreta, -

Attackers

Gaizka Toquero, 2
Kike Sola, 9
Aritz Aduriz, 20
Guillermo, 28


Transfer Budget: €9,500,000


Thank you for reading the post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback and suggestions will be appreciated!

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

My best advice for the youth issue would be to just Scout Spain/France only and just assume that your scout is only looking in the "Basque" region of those countries. Since it doesn't specify anything more than that there isn't any issue with just acting like your scout has the instructions for Basque only.

That's exactly what I will be doing. Get two good scouts and send them to Spain and France respectively. And every player they find will be Basque. Because I say so.

[RSG1905]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

The policy of Athletic is signing only players born in the Basque region of Spain or France, that means the Basque Country, Navarra (Spain) and Iparralde (France, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Basque_Country), OR players who grew up in a team of this territories, such IRL Valverde, Laporte, Saborit, David López, etc. who are not Basque.

Here is their policy literally from their official page:

"Athletic Club is located in Bilbao, in the province of Biscay (The Basque Country). The club's sporting philosophy is governed by a code which states that only players, who have come up through the club's young players' reserve or the young players’ reserve of the other clubs in The Basque Country, which includes the following territories: Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba, Nafarroa, Lapurdi, Zuberoa and Nafarroa Behera or players that were born in these territories, may be signed up."

If you need players of the game who can play in Athletic I can give you a list.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Better, Best, Basque

Marca, 28th June, 2014

Ernesto Valverde, the manager of the Basque side has suddenly resigned from his job. The Spanish coach managed to bring Athletic Club Bilbao to fourth place which guaranteed them a place for the Champions League 2014-15 season. The wait for the new manager ended today when the board of Athletic Bilbao announced their new manager. The 42 years old Simón Gancherribia, Basque as well, will take over Valverde's place after coaching the youth teams for seven years. Before that the man played for Athletic Club but he never managed to shine in other aspects than his tactical intelligence.

"We are sure Gancherribia will do great things for the club. He believes in homegrown Basque talent and he knows what is best for the club. Gancherribia is enjoying the full support of the board and we are not building pressure on him", stated Josu Urrutia, Athletic Club's president.

Marca was called to Gancherribia's first press conference.


Buenas Dias, Señor Gancherribia. How do you feel about getting such a big job at a really succesfull club?

It feels great. I have been part of Athletic Bilbao for 30 years now and it's a huge honour to get the chance to prove your quality as a manager in the team you love. Bilbao is one of the three teams that have never been relegated and our history has a lot of glory. I am ready to bring us back to the top. Last season Valverde did amazing job and got the team to Champions League spots. Sadly for all of us he decided to resign but I'm sure I can do great things with this great club.


Will you be keeping the cantera policy going on?

Of course I will! How can you ask that? It's like asking if someone will eat hamburgers with meat or if a footballer will play football with his feet or hands. The cantera is important part of this club and it would be disgraceful to quit it. We are Basque country, not Spain. We will keep on using only Basque players until the club doesn't exist.


What are you looking to do in your first season?

I will try to get a good run in the Champions League and I want us to be in the top four again. Those are the main objectives. We will try to win the cup, challenge Real and Barcelona, improve our youngsters and keep our star players. In the long run we want to lift the league trophy and I'm sure we can do it!


Squad List


Goalkeepers

Gorka Iraizoz, 1
Iago Herrerin, 13
Kepa Arrizabalaga, 26

Defenders

Aymeric Laporte, 4
Mikel San Jose, 6
Unai Albizua, 12
Andoni Iraola, 15
Xabier Etxeita, 16
Carlos Gurpegi, 18 (C)
Enric Saborit, 22
Borja Ekiza, 23
Mikel Balenziaga, 24
Jon Aurtenetxe, -

Midfielders

Erik Moran, 5
Beñat Etxebarria, 7
Ander Iturraspe, 8
Oscar de Marcos, 10
Ibai Gomez, 11
Markel Susaeta, 14
Mikel Rico, 17
Iker Muniain, 19
Ander Herrera, 21
Unai Lopez, 30
Ager Aketxe, 37
Ruiz de Galarreta, -

Attackers

Gaizka Toquero, 2
Kike Sola, 9
Aritz Aduriz, 20
Guillermo, 28


Transfer Budget: €9,500,000


Thank you for reading the post! I hope you have enjoyed it! Any feedback and suggestions will be appreciated!

great job giving us the players' numbers instead of their ratings, we were all dying to know that

[TomJohnsonx1]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

So i have finally started as Derby County on world class hoping to gain promotion! Anyone recomend some good signings? Looking for a left back as main buy.

[vrabbit]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

So i have finally started as Derby County on world class hoping to gain promotion! Anyone recomend some good signings? Looking for a left back as main buy.

this guy http://sofifa.com/player/148766-adama-traore

THAT ^^^ says his potential is 70 yet he's already at 73 and still getting better in my Alcorcon CM (granted I'm in the '17-18 season now but most of his progress has come under me).

[TomJohnsonx1]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

this guy http://sofifa.com/player/148766-adama-traore

THAT ^^^ says his potential is 70 yet he's already at 73 and still getting better in my Alcorcon CM (granted I'm in the '17-18 season now but most of his progress has come under me).

I will have a look at him now thanks !

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

So i have finally started as Derby County on world class hoping to gain promotion! Anyone recomend some good signings? Looking for a left back as main buy.

Jack Robinson from Blackpool is young with really good potential. Depends on how much of your budget you are willing to spend. I think he's valued close to 1M, but with his potential they will ask for more. I'm not sure what it would take to pry him away.

[Simppu12]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

great job giving us the players' numbers instead of their ratings, we were all dying to know that

Well I'm sorry for that but if you really wanted to know their overalls you would be at sites like sofifa or futhead for that information. I'm also sure that many of the people here haven't put the players' overalls.

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Morecambe F.C.
Season One

Spoiler

The Shrimps

May Matches

Spoiler

Wimbledon 0 - Morecambe 0

Spoiler

Hartlepool 1 - Portsmouth 1

Spoiler

Final Table
1. Morecambe - 86 pts (P)
2. Portsmouth - 86 pts (P)
3. Chesterfield - 83 pts (P)
4. Northampton - 79 pts
5. S****horpe United - 76 pts
6. Bury - 74 pts (P)
7. Hartlepool - 73 pts

Team of the Competition
GK - Kempin (Morecambe)
DF - Diagne (Morecambe)
DF - Hughes (Morecambe)
DF - Wright (Oxford United)
DF - Talbot (Chesterfield)
MF - Straker (Southend United)
MF - Kennedy (Rochdale)
MF - Williams (Morecambe)
MF - Darikwa (Chesterfield)
F - Madden (S****horpe United)
F - Dickson (Dagenham)

Stat Leaders
Scorer - Richards (Chesterfield) 25 goals
Assists - Barhcam (Portsmouth) 13 assists
Clean Sheets - Kempin (Morecambe) 22 clean sheets

Youth Academy
James Watson 15 yrs (GK), 70-74 OVR 85-91 POT
George Humphreys 15 yrs (CM), 60-64 OVR 74-80 POT
Jack Bowditch 16 yrs (CDM), 59-63 OVR 74-80 POT

Press Conference

Q: Congratulations on winning the league title! This was a season full of unexpected successes. What can you tell us about this special season?

A: When the club brought me on I had a vision to win, and win we sure did. These players have been outstanding and I couldn't have asked for a better group. It was a little nerve-wracking to only manager a draw against Wimbledon, but the results fell in our favor as Portsmouth drew against Hartlepool. At the end of the day here we are as champions.

Q: What can you tell us about your youth players currently in the system? Can we expect to see any of them making a senior debut soon?

A: Both Watson and Humphreys still need to get a little more experience before I will consider promoting them. They are both players with the potential to bust into this squad, but at only 15 years old we want to see them mature a little more. Jack Bowditch will be moved up to the senior squad. I can't be sure when he will make his debut, but you can expect it to be this season.

Q: With League 1 coming up, what changes do you expect to make to the squad to prepare for the new challenge?

A: We have several pre-contract players coming in that I know will be able to contribute greatly to our squad right away. Other than that I would like to bring in another defender and possible a striker as well to provide better depth for the 5-3-2 formation that led us down the stretch this season. I will have to wait and see what funds are available and I will be able to make more decisions at that time.

Finally!! Wimbledon keep a clean sheet lol congratulations on promotion and the league title!! Looking forward to seeing how you prepare for League 1. Dang, Watson is 70-74 at only 15??? You've got yourself an incredible player there. Will he be starting right after he gets promoted?

[Jwetson]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Another Freiburg update because I'm loving it so much. Plus there are very few games in a month without European football and only 1 domestic trophy. I would combine it into 1 update for 2 months but with the squad report and the add ons it turns out at around 1000 words per month!

FEBRUARY:

DEUTSCHER POKAL

Freiburg 5–4 Braunschweig
The first day of the month saw the first game of the month, and it was the quarter finals of the domestic cup. Surprisingly, my opponents were the easiest team I’d faced in the competition after having to play against 2 of the top 5 in the Bundesliga in my previous 2 games. I got off to a flyer, with young winger Lucas Ontivero slotting home after just 8 minutes. Things went from bad to worse for the opposition, when Niang beat the offside trap before calmly squaring to Danny Hoesen in the 23rd minute. I was running riot, and I furthered my advantage after some awful defending allowed Niang to tap home into an empty net. 4 minutes later, I was 4-0 in front, Danny Hoesen breaking through the back line easily before a tidy finish at the near post gave him his 2nd of the game. The frantic end to the half continued when Braunschweig pulled back through Uche in the 45th minute, after 2 brilliant goal line clearances from Jetro Willems fell straight to his feet. It took an incredible 11 minutes for the 1st goal in the second goal. Hector Herrera needing 2 bites at the cherry to regain my 4 goal advantage. In a less action packed half, Braunschweig were awarded a penalty which they converted to make the score 5-2. They then pulled another goal back to make it 5-3, after a long ball over the top cut my defence wide open. Ademi then completed his hat trick to make it 5-4!! I was getting really nervous. Thankfully the ref blew the whistle literally as soon as I took kick off. A very entertaining way to commence after the winter window, but I think I’d prefer to stick to 1 or 2-0’s.

BUNDESLIGA

Freiburg 3–0 Wolfsburg
Since the back end of November, Wolfsburg had been really struggling in the league. After 10 games they were 2nd, but by the time they travelled to the Mage Solar Stadion, they had slumped to 8th in the league and were 16 points off a Champions League spot. Lewis Holtby had been in a rich vein of form going into the game, and continued that after heading home a Sneijder cross in the 20th, shortly after the same duo combined only to see the offside flag go up. I was able to double my lead though, as Sidney Sam collected the ball inside his own half, and ran at the timid Wolfsburg back line before breaking clear and finishing with force. The 2nd half didn’t produce much in the way of chances, but 2 of my substitutes did combine to give me a 3rd in the 83rd minute, resulting in Danny Hoesen scoring with only his 2nd touch. One of the easiest wins of the season against a team packed full of talent. Kevin De Bruyne certainly impressed me and could be a potential target in the summer given the predicted lack of European football for Wolfsburg next season.

Leverkusen 1–1 Freiburg
A massive game was in store as 2nd took on 3rd in the Bundesliga. I knew that a win would put me 2nd on goal difference ahead of Leverkusen so I had to pull out all stops to get the 3 points. The first ½ an hour was a whitewash. I had Leverkusen pinned down deep inside their half, waiting for the space to appear for the killer ball to split them open. Eventually, in the 33rd minute, Locadia supplied it, and Darida finished it. I set out in the 2nd half to keep the ball, and for the first 25 minutes I did it brilliantly. However, in the 74th minute, Leverkusen won a corner, and after a goal mouth scramble, the league’s top goal scorer Jackson Martinez pounced on a loose ball to tie the scores at 1-1. It opened the game up, but neither side could find the winner. Still not a bad point away at 2nd place.

STANDINGS AT THE END OF FEBRUARY (ALL TEAMS HAVE PLAYED 25 GAMES)

Bayern Munich 62 points
Leverkusen 55 points
Freiburg 52 points
Dortmund 51 points
Schalke 45 points
Hamburg 44 points

SQUAD REPORT: Disaster has struck. Sneijder has broken his collarbone and has been ruled out for up to 8 weeks. My main goal threat and goal creator will be out for around 2 months, making a push for the title almost impossible considering I’m now 10 points back of Bayern. Baumann has confirmed he wants to leave the club in the summer, but I was always going to replace him anyway. The back 4 seems more solid now than before but I’m yet to sort out the work rates which could improve it further. Holtby is performing very well at the moment, and Xhaka is coming on leaps and bounds in the holding role. I’m thinking that Darida will be dropped for Sneijder next season. A quite month for my main 3 up top really. None of them featured in the 9 goal thriller and they weren’t particularly outstanding against Wolfsburg. Locadia missed 2 or 3 good chances against Leverkusen but I think that was more down to Leno now being insane. Not sure whether he’d move to a club that finishes lower than the one he’s already at though. Plus I now consider Leverkusen bitter rivals after the games and words spoken this season about each other. I might stay away for that reason just to add some more realism.

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Oh okay thank you! Thats really interesting and could certainly keep a career mode fresh. How would one go about simulating this in FIFA? I mean you could always look up individual players and whatnot but using youth scouts for fictional players would be much more challenging.

Texas was correct but missed another detail in their policy. Any player that came from a Basque youth academy is eligible to play for Bilbao even if the player doesn't have any Basque roots. So, any players you get from your academy are eligible and also any players from Real Sociedad's academy are also eligible.

[texasbum06]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Finally!! Wimbledon keep a clean sheet lol congratulations on promotion and the league title!! Looking forward to seeing how you prepare for League 1. Dang, Watson is 70-74 at only 15??? You've got yourself an incredible player there. Will he be starting right after he gets promoted?

I thought the draw had cost me the league title! Luckily Hartlepool took care of business against Portsmouth. I'm really looking forward to Watson turning 16. He should fit in and start right away. It also gives me the freedom to sell Kempin if I get a good offer since I know I have this guy waiting in the wings. I just have to be careful since I'm not sure how long it will be until he turns 16.

[_ChicoBass]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

I thought the draw had cost me the league title! Luckily Hartlepool took care of business against Portsmouth. I'm really looking forward to Watson turning 16. He should fit in and start right away. It also gives me the freedom to sell Kempin if I get a good offer since I know I have this guy waiting in the wings. I just have to be careful since I'm not sure how long it will be until he turns 16.

Good thing is that he won the Golden Glove so you can counter offer for max value. Yeah gotta be careful with that it happened to me. Mario Ruiz didn't turn 16 until the 2nd month or so of last season. Caused him to lose his predicted starting spot to Jack Midson, who then lost it to Luke Moore, who now lost it to Shaun Vincent, but is now about to take it from Tyler Harvey, who will then..... Actually no that's about it. Haha

[Jwetson]

Re: How's Your FIFA 14 Career Mode Going?

Also does anybody know where I can find details about when players retire?? Then I can look for their regens the next season