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  • Locked thread
beru04
May 4, 2013

Stop making me realise things.
If it were me, I'd absolutely call it The Red Keep :cool:

Also, is the stadium maxed out, or do we have some expansion potential down the road?

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habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.
Expandable up to 60k!

Brony Hunter
Dec 27, 2012

Motherfucking Mannis

They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them
Very nice.

FailAtMagic
Apr 11, 2011

habeasdorkus posted:

Expandable up to 60k!

Start on this immediately

Trundel
Mar 13, 2005

:10bux: + :awesomelon: = :roboluv:
- a sound investment!
So what will happen to the old Racecourse Ground? Can another Welsh team get created in the lower leagues and use it or will it never get used again?

Sicke
Jul 12, 2013

Honestly I just wanted a seal picture
Name the stadium The God King's Playground

whowhatwhere
Mar 15, 2010

SHINee's back

Sicke posted:

Name the stadium The God King's Playground

I was going to go for Court, but this works.

Dreamsicle
Oct 16, 2013

Not a nomination but I'm going to keep referring to the new stadium as "The House that Brown built"

On a similar note, I thought they autoname stadiums after Club Legends. Is that not a thing in FM14?

habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.
Prologue: Always Be Transfering.
May 29, 2027-July 5, 2027

After several tight votes, the board's determinations have been made. The club's 2027-2028 operating budget is set at £162.67m, to be paid for in part by commanding me to sell off £80m worth of our first team players. The American contingent succeeds in seeking a club to foster great young American players by just one vote, 13 to 12, over those seeking a new financial partner.




Finally, the proposal to improve our U15 coaching and recruitment sails through with 23 out of 34 votes.




Winning the Champions League does very healthy things to our budget.



Of course, that also comes with paying out the agreed upon bonuses.



Ouch.



The one silver lining to a gigantic £54m loss last season is that the Exchequer can't take a shaved farthing from us.



We've long since capped the number of members the club can have, but I wish we'd charge more than 5 quid for membership. We could raise forty times more if we only priced things at the level of the Spanish socios.



This is a surprise. I'm not sure how we're getting this money from our board of directors, but I'm going to imagine that it's a collection taken up by the community to help shore up our finances. With this unexpected windfall our balance is up to £36m.



I'm looking forward to our new stadium being complete in a month, as sponsorship revenues are tied to how nice our corporate facilities are. The old Racecourse has “Average” corporate facilities, I expect that to improve to “Excellent” or “Top” in the new stadium.




The Champions League awards come out, flush with Wrexham players as expected.



It's good to see Shahed Parr's name in third place for best goal, despite all the injuries he more than lived up to expectations.



The only major CL award we don't get is Golden Boot, but I'm sure Rog would trade his individual accolade in a heartbeat for a victory over us in Milan.



Stringel also picks up the Best Player in Europe award, as Wrexham completes a podium sweep with James Loseille and Thiago in second and third.



Thiago picks up another Golden Boot, but this time it's by the narrowest of margins.



For those saying we should sell Thiago now, even with his increased profile he's still only worth £32m.



Juve was interested in him, so I asked them if they'd buy him for £60m.



This displeases Thiago greatly.



And he certainly doesn't keep his discontent to himself. Thanks, now I've got a small riot on my hands as the radio lines and supporters' forums light up in outrage at the possibility of selling Thiago.



At least he wasn't the supporter's player of the year again.



: Good on yer, Stu. Only two more tests to go.

: Thanks boss. Just trying to become worthy of you handing me the reins some day.

: Who says I'm ever going to retire?



I could have sworn I had longer before he forced the issue, he starts squawking on June 1st.



Luckily it doesn't change his contract demands, but the big new deal Stingel does eat up almost all of what we were going to save from Parr's departure.



Hughes is the American midfielder of the future, and already one of our best senior team players. Not having him will hurt.






I finally got around to renewing staff contracts. Any coach that didn't have at least 4.5 stars and any scout that doesn't have at least a combined 38 out of 40 in Judging Potential Ability and Judging Current Ability don't see their contracts renewed. We only accept the best here in Wrexham, and merely excellent doesn't cut it anymore.



If Moctezuma pulls off the Golden Boot, I'll be wildly impressed. Stringel is by a mile the best player in the tournament, he's probably among the 5-10 best players in the world, and we'll have to be at our best if we face him.



That's what I like to see from my captain. :patriot:



Nice work, Paul! Much better than your results in the U20 CONCACAF Championship.



El Salvador has a decent chance of advancing to the knockout round thanks to the format of the Gold Cup, but they're going to need a win against Curaçao to get there.



If you had to ask me for my picks, I'd say that Mexico and Jamaica finish first and second in Group A, while Los Ticos of Costa Rica and Guatamala top group B, and we walk away with Group C with Honduras trailing us. I'm guessing that two of El Salvador, Trinidad, Canada, and Panama also advance as the best third place teams.

vs. El Salvador, June 8, 2027
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Group C


I want a good start. We failed to make the U20 World Cup because our youth team didn't handle it's business in the Group Stage and were forced into a knockout round match with Mexico. Let's not let that happen to the senior team.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Toninho, Parsons, Ramirez, Stevens, Bruno (c), Woods, Ramos, Garcia, Spence, Ulusal, Dolinsky.
Subs: Rubio de la Fuente, Latham, Bartlett, Hyndman, Hartman, Fisher, Moctezuma.

Our superior class is obvious from the start, and leads to a fifth minute goal from Sinan Ulusal, who's done more for the USMNT than Sinan Ünsal has ever done for Wrexham. Then a shocking red card after a two footed tackle forces El Salvador to play a man short from the 22nd minute on. It's all America from that point, with the first half capped by Ulusal's second goal. Both of his goals are the product of Fred Spence assists, an impressive showing for a player who only made the team because of Xavier Hughes' injury. Unfortunately, Spence takes a bad knock in the 55th minute himself. I hope that it's not going to keep him out of other matches. We add a third goal before the match is through from the head of defender Chris Ramirez, who's turning into a stalwart presence at the age of 23. Ulusal finishes up our scoring in the 70th minute with his hat trick, he's in the right place at the right time to put in a Hunter Fisher rebound. This win essentially seals our advance into the knockout round, as even two losses will leave us with a positive goal differential.

Man of the Match: Sinan Ulusal




USMNT 4-0 El Salvador



I hope they'd be happy after a 4-0 plastering of our opponent. Even Wrexham fans appreciate that level of dominance.



Uh-oh.



Hey, if I had a choice I'd be offering you a new contract instead! I might still do that, if I can hit the £80m mark without selling you. But the board made it clear that players must be sold.



I wonder how much Manchester United makes in jersey sales...



The club took a bath on this transfer. Ünsal was my big swinging dick move back in the winter window of 2024. We paid an outrageous £100m for him, which comes out to exactly £1,000,000 for each time he showed up on the pitch in a Wrexham shirt. I was hoping to get at least £40m back, but then he got hurt just before I could shop him around last January and knocked another £10m off his price. When internet curmudgeons claim that the God King is not actually good at his job this never fails to be exhibit A in their argument. With my big mistake on the way out I've got another £55.5m to add to the balance sheet before I can stop selling players.





I finally remembered to both schedule our friendlies early and think about our opponent's fixtures while planning our meeting.



Which means that the Mini-Cwp is back, for the first time since 2021. Well, unless you count the incomplete 2024 Mini-Cwp, when we played one match and then saw the second one cancelled out of nowhere.



Hell yes. France produces an amazing amount of young talent, as much as any other nation in the world. To defeat them, on their own turf, in the Toulon Tournament is an impressive accomplishment. That's even more the case since the U20 team is missing Rodrigo Moctezuma, who's with the senior team at the Gold Cup.



I don't want to transfer list Allan, because that will only drive his value down. At the same time I'm still £55.5m away from meeting my sales mandate.



I also don't want to sell Maloney, who's only 21 and already worth £20m, but again it might have to happen to balance the books.




Maloney's upset that I'm asking £35m for him... but for once I can calm a player down. All it takes is feeding his ego.



Juventus gets around to making a bid for Thiago, but it's eight figures short of the amount that would get me to sell him. He's still abjectly miserable despite my rejection of the transfer offer.



Well, I guess we couldn't hope for more than second place. It would have been neat to win, though.



Negotiations with Southampton for Maloney fall apart late, as I can't get them to go above the £30m mark.

vs. Honduras, June 12, 2027
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Group C


Honduras has the second best team in our group, but that's not saying a whole lot. They made the World Cup last year but were blown out in all three of their matches after having the bad luck to be drawn against England, Uruguay, and Wales. A win here locks in our first seed status.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Toninho, Parsons, Needham, Latham, Bartlett, Hyndman, Padilla, Fisher (c), Hartman, Burman, Moctezuma.
Subs: Rubio de la Fuente, Bruno, Stevens, Woods, Ramos, Spence, Dolinsky.

The new generation gives us our first goal, as 22-year-old Hunter Fisher springs 18-year-old Rodrigo Moctezuma for the Wrexham man's first international goal in the fourth minute. Fisher's involved in a second goal ten minutes later, rocketing a perfect cross to Brian Burman in the box that the MLS veteran volleys into the net. Three minutes later and it's Isaac Parsons, all of 23-years-old, putting the ball right on Moctezuma's foot for our third goal of the day. We do lose left back Mark Bartlett to injury in the 59th minute, but his replacement Scott Stevens scores seconds after entering the match to expand our lead even further. Honduras finally puts some pressure on the Americans at that point, but it only lasts for ten minutes until their left back picks up a second yellow card and is sent off.

Man of the Match: Hunter Fisher




USMNT 4-0 Honduras



Here's to my biggest transfer bust ever... and I've had some doozies.



Followed by a painful departure. Cirjak was one of the smartest signings I've ever made. We stole him from Barcelona by meeting his £5.5m release fee and he immediately became one of our best players. He was with us for eight years, and even though he'd become a backup to Steve Reed he still regularly appeared in a third of our matches. There's another £33m that needs to be added to the bank balance, which means at least one more player is on their way out.



Godspeed, Tonci. I'm happy you're now being paid more than any other player in the world. :sadwave:




One of these two are going. I'm thinking it'll be Maloney. We have Kamel Zouaghi to take his spot on the first team, and if Quiboulaz leaves we've suddenly got zero depth at either fullback position. Plus, I'd rather make Southampton good than PSG even better.

vs. Curaçao, June 15, 2027
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Group C


Sorry Curaçao, you're going to have to head back home and enjoy your paradise of an island. Maybe things would go differently if this were baseball and you got to team up with the other Dutch islands. A win gives us either first or second seed, and will match us up against a third placed team in the quarterfinal, depending on our margin of victory.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Rubio de la Fuente, Woods, Latham, Ramirez, Bruno (c), Hyndman, Ramos, Fisher, Dolinsky, Ulusal, Moctezuma.
Subs: Toninho, Bartlett, Stevens, Padilla, Hartman, Spence, Garcia.

Curaçao turtle up and merely try to weather our barrage, and it works through most of the first half. Then Rodrigo Moctezuma picks up his third goal of the tournament when they edge just a smidge too far upfield and we're able to move from box to box in four passes and seven touches. Our second goal is the work of a defensive lapse on the part of the Curaçao defense, who let a perfectly weighted Latham pass find Hunter Fisher in the middle of the penalty area despite being surrounded by blue jerseys. Despite an incredible number of attempts we manage just those two goals. It's a slightly disappointing outcome after dominating the game for all 90 minutes.

Man of the Match: Hunter Fisher




USMNT 2-0 Curaçao



The USA/Mexico final is essentially preordained, barring a massive failure on one of our parts we'll be seeing each other in eleven days.



Stringel has five goals through the group stage, while we have Sinan Ulusal and Rodrigo Moctezuma at three each.



Shahed Parr suffers one last injury while under contract with us. I'll miss his goal scoring elan, but I won't miss his constant injuries.



Arsenal was bought by their current owner a couple years ago. I guess they got tired of not winning trophies.



Wow. Yes. David is absolutely going to be able to take care of his family on a deal that quintuples his wages. This sale completes the board's objective of picking up £80m via player sales, as the Maloney deal includes 10% of whatever Southampton sells him for in the future which the game rates as a £3m value. £30m transfer fee + £3m future sale clause = £33m. Everyone left can breathe a sigh of relief, they're (probably) not getting sold.



With the hatchet work finished, I can start on the process of extending our players. The easiest decision is triggering Kamel Zouaghi's three year extension.




It seems that shopping around Quibz and Thiago has put them in a bad mood, and they're refusing to negotiate new deals. That's not good, as they both come out of contract next year. If I can't get them to negotiate I'll be forced to sell them as we can't risk them leaving for nothing. I'm surprised they're not negotiating with me, though, since their big complaint was that they thought I was trying to get them to leave the club.



We do get Damgaard to put his John Hancock to a new deal, with Mateo Mujkic nearing thirty years old it's good to have his potential replacement locked down long term.

vs. Panama, June 20, 2027
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Quarterfinal


A victory here will put us against Costa Rica in the semifinal. I hope to see a better performance than the shank-fest that was our offense against Curaçao.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Toninho, Parsons, Needham, Bartlett, Bruno (c), Woods, Padilla, Moctezuma, Spence, Ulusal, Garcia.
Subs: Rubio de la Fuente, Latham, Stevens, Hyndman, Ramos, Burman, Dolinsky.

Panama surprises everyone in the crowd with an early strike, but it's hard to defend for 85 minutes. It doesn't take us nearly that long to equalize, as Bobby Padilla scores before the clock has reached twenty minutes from a Fred Spence corner kick. It's not all glory for the midfielder, though, as he gifts the lead right back with an unlucky own goal five minutes after he'd pulled us level. Panama score another in the 26th minute, and we're suddenly on the brink of elimination.

In the 55th minute Sinan Ulusal puts us on his back and drags us back to within a goal, and my players have 35 minutes to make a difference. When Parsons hits the post for the second time in the match, I'm becoming very concerned, but then Bobby Padilla pulls out his driver and hammers home the equalizer from a full 25 yards out.

We spend the next thirty minutes beseiging the Panamanians, but we can't push across a winner and are forced into extra time. Both teams have already used all three of their subs, but the Americans are more fit and better rested. It shows as Scott Dolinsky of Nottingham Forest puts us ahead for the first time all game on his own rebound two minutes into extra time. Five minutes later the ball is in the back of the net again, this time off the foot of Sinan Ulusal, but the flag is up and replays show that he was indeed just barely offside. Then, with seventeen minutes left to play, Panama loses a man to injury. Without any remaining substitutions they're forced to play 10 vs. 11. Worse for them is their goalkeeper being stretchered off with ten minutes remaining, forcing one of their outfield players to put on the goalie mitts and leaving them with nine men on the pitch. We run our lead up to two when Brian Burman puts the ball past the Panamanian striker turned keeper, and we escape with our hopes and my job intact.

Man of the Match: Bobby Padilla




USMNT aet 5-3 Panama



With 18 shots on goal you'd have think we'd have won sooner. Especially since Panama had four shots total.



Southampton sure are throwing their money around. Rose is very good, but not great. That's probably a fair price for him.



Meanwhile the man that Bruno Santos could never get to put pen to paper (seriously, Tomas rejected a contract offer seemingly every other week for the past three years) moves to Arsenal. Tomas is about as good as the recently departed David Maloney, but he's definitely more defensive-minded and suited to an anchor man role.



FC Twente are a Dutch team from Enschede, and winning the Europa League is a huge accomplishment for a club of their stature. They're the home club of American international Hunter Fisher, and I'm looking forward to facing them instead of a giant club like Inter Milan or Real Madrid.



50 games? That's nothing.

vs. Costa Rica, June 23, 2027
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Semifinal


Los Ticos are good enough that we'll have to be on our guard for an upset. That's especially true given that we've had only two days rest since Panama took us to extra-time. I'm hoping we can get a couple goals early and then coast to an easy win.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Control
Starting 11: Rubio de la Fuente, Latham, Needham, Stevens, Bruno (c), Hyndman, Hartman, Ramos, Burman, Moctezuma, Dolinsky.
Subs: Toninho, Bartlett, Parsons, Ramirez, Padilla, Ulusal, Garcia.

Dolinsky gets us off on the right foot, scoring at the six minute mark thanks to lackadaisical defense from Costa Rica. Our chances get better when their striker goes down injured after a collision with Needham, and has to be removed from the game. Minutes later Dolinsky scores his second, and we've got the first half lead I wanted. For the rest of the match Costa Rica have occasional moments where they look threatening, but our defense is disciplined and we're able to see our way through to the final without much worry, and without needing to use players who needed a rest before the final.

Man of the Match: Scott Dolinsky




USMNT 2-0 Costa Rica



Was there ever any doubt who we'd face?



Aww, shucks. Talk about the end of an era, he won six league titles, each cup thrice, and the Champions League another three times. The lowest he ever finished in the league was fourth, way back in 2017. David Moyes would have killed to have his doppleganger's career.



I foresee bad things for the Manchester faithful if Collignon gets the United job, the man has literally outspent everyone in France by a 2:1 margin and still can't put together seasons as good as any of the top four teams in England. He's won one Champions League title, but that was in 2018 and while they beat Man U and Chelsea in the knockout rounds they also got to face Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarters and Celtic in the final. He led PSG to three other appearances in the Champions League semifinals, but the last of those was in 2021... or before we qualified for the first time. Stay in Paris, Collignon. You can't handle the big leagues.



Perhaps it was a sign that changes were coming when Swansea overcame United in the FA Cup final.



I've decided to not enter the reserves league, as we have a comparatively small squad with very few players sitting around and gathering dust. If we're desperate for match fitness I'll set up my own friendlies as needed. We're still in the U18 league, though, as well as the continental youth competition that comes with Champions League membership.



No wonder we were always losing to Mexico before I showed up. Talk about a defeatist attitude!

vs. Mexico, June 26, 2027
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Final


After five matches where we played a control tactic we're finally up against an opponent we can't expect to push around. Still, I like our chances here in New Orleans. We've never lost to Mexico during my time at the helm of the USMNT, and I sure don't plan on that changing.

We do catch one break. Rodrigo Jimenez, Mexico's all world midfielder, will be missing the game with a sprained ankle. That leaves Stringel as the only player of theirs who wildly outclasses everyone on our squad.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter
Starting 11: Toninho, Parsons, Ramirez, Latham, Bruno (c), Woods, Padilla, Spence, Fisher, Ulusal, Moctezuma.
Subs: Rubio de la Fuente, Bartlett, Needham, Hyndman, Ramos, Burman, Dolinsky.

Isaac Stringel shows why he's in the running for best player in the world with a slaloming run to give Mexico the lead after two minutes. El Tri control the next twenty minutes, piling on shots, and we're lucky that we don't concede a second time. We're even luckier when we equalize off a set piece, with Bobby Padilla putting the final touch on a corner kick and bringing us back to even after half an hour of play. We hold on to that score throughout the rest of the first half, and I breathe a sigh of relief when we can retreat and regroup in the lockers.

After a talk about how I know they have the ability to upset Mexico in them, and that they can play without fear, the team takes the pitch and without a moments hesitation makes me proud of them. Sinan Ulusal scores his fifth goal of the tournament on a scorcher that beats Mexico's keeper, and we're the ones with the lead. Mexico don't wait long to knot things up again, though, and with thirty minutes in regulation it's all even once again. But these players just doesn't quit, and we go up three-two after Fred Spence scores what might be the finest goal I've ever seen in Football Manager. We hold serve into the final fifteen minutes, and I'm busy throwing every tactical wrinkle I can think of into the mix in an effort to stave off a Mexican equalizer. It's working, and when Sinan Ulusal hits on the break in stoppage time, I feel triumphant. But the goal is called back, and I'm forced to sweat through another two minutes of agony. The bliss that follows was worth the tension, though, and once again America tops Mexico.

Man of the Match: Sinan Ulusal




USMNT 3-2 Mexico



Threepeat, baby.



We've clinched the North American berth for the 2029 Confederations Cup, as well.



Just as well, Bruno is 32 and unlikely to be a part of the team in the 2030 World Cup.



Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I need to add a World Cup to my trophy collection.



I don't know how Ulusal beat out Spence for Goal of the Tournament, his was good but not nearly as impressive as the volleyed rocket that put us ahead of Mexico. That's not to diminish his effort, it was a scorcher from long range, and the two of them are why we were able to overcome a more talented squad in the final.



Fisher's our new captain, he's young but he's been one of our best players for the past year.



Stringel didn't get the Golden Boot as his strike partner racked up two hat-tricks during the tournament.



Once I made it clear that he's not being pushed out of the team Quiboulaz was happy to work out a contract extension. And a good thing, too, or I'd be off hunting for fullback depth.



Thiago also signs a new deal, but he was unwilling to go for a two year extension and I had to give him three years. It would have cost us an extra £80k a week to get him to sign the shorter deal, and thus been more expensive to sign him for one fewer year, so we'll just have to put up with his aging.



Finally!



Top corporate facilities! 39,500 seats! A retractable roof! The only thing this place is missing is a name. "Wrexham Stadium" is missing that je ne sais quoi.



We played six games shy of the maximum number of matches possible last season, for a total of 65. Our schedule isn't going to be any less crowded this time around.




Our toughest stretches in the league seem to involve playing Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City within the span of a month in September/October and January/February. I'm happy to get those matches out of the way early, as I expect them to be our stiffest opposition other than Manchester United and it's better to have an easier schedule towards the end of the season.



That's a serious step down for Manchester United, how will Collignon handle only having £160m in payroll to work with?



He was injured in a danged U22 tournament? Who even has U22 tournaments? I hate you, Japan.



Geez, Sky Shadowing, you're pulling out all the stops to finish top four this year.



McLeod's retirement has set off a chain reaction of manager movement. First Collignon moves from PSG to Man U. Then Paulo Goncalves of Man City goes to PSG. Now it looks like Ajax's coach will be leaving for Man City, which in turn will mean some manager from a good Swiss or Belgian team is going to be moving to Ajax.



The new contracts for Quiboulaz, Thiago, Stringel, and Damgaard amounted to an increase in payroll of £288,000/wk. But the sales of Cirjak, Maloney, and Ünsal lowered wages by £307,000/wk and the release of Parr and Mercado saved a further £315,000/wk. All told we've reduced our wages by over £17m while fortifying our bank balance considerably.

Let's never have to do this again.



Now that I've cleared out our budget I can get back to adding players. Lundbye is 16, a four star prospect, and we're adding him on a free transfer when his contract ends in six months.



: My son! They've poisoned my son!

USMNT


I have to admit, I was pretty sure we were going to lose to Panama at halftime and that I was going to get fired. We pulled through, though, and then went on to beat Mexico thanks to some lovely finishing and some lucky bounces. We won't have any important matches for the next year or so, at which time we'll have to start qualifying for the World Cup.

Wrexham


The Mini-Cwp will inaugurate our new stadium, and afterwards we'll head over to the United States for some easy matches and increased business opportunities. Then it'll be time to accomplish the unheard of, a threepeat in the Champions League and the legendary Triple Double.

habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Feb 8, 2015

habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.

Trundel posted:

So what will happen to the old Racecourse Ground? Can another Welsh team get created in the lower leagues and use it or will it never get used again?

It's still around. In my head-canon this is the footprint of the new stadium:



That way the Racecourse Ground can still be used for Rugby and other football matches, and we can still call our new stadium "Wrexham Stadium at the Racecourse Ground" and not give up over 163 years of history just because we need more seats.


Dreamsicle posted:


On a similar note, I thought they autoname stadiums after Club Legends. Is that not a thing in FM14?

Yeah, I thought it could happen too. The club has two Legends, Scott Shirra and Scott Brown. It also has a bunch of Icons, the next level down (Thiago, Stringel, Bastable, Bailey, Allan (huh?)), and a couple "favored personnel" (Dmitri Nieddu, Mateo Mujkic (double huh?!)). It might be because we're using fictional players?

habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Feb 8, 2015

Sky Shadowing
Feb 13, 2012

At least we're not the Thalmor (yet)

habeasdorkus posted:



Geez, Sky Shadowing, you're pulling out all the stops to finish top four this year.

If you ain't talkin money then your talkin don't matter. :colbert:

whowhatwhere
Mar 15, 2010

SHINee's back
I don't think this should be a boon, just something that should be changed posthaste: make Mujkic a legend :colbert:

C. Everett Koop
Aug 18, 2008
I'm on my phone so no Loria.png but if we need cash selling the naming rights to the stadium is a great way to do it.

Failing that, The Most Splendid Palace The Glorious Jeffrey Loria Most Graciously Built is a fine choice.

steinrokkan
Apr 2, 2011



Soiled Meat
My heart skipped a beat when Thiago refused to negotiate. Glad to see he changed his mind, without even going through the kidnapping routine.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

~40000 seats? That's a pretty nice, quaint stadium you've got there. I like the "The Red Keep" name, myself. Referencing dragons seems to be a wee bit too obvious.

Trundel
Mar 13, 2005

:10bux: + :awesomelon: = :roboluv:
- a sound investment!

habeasdorkus posted:




I finally remembered to both schedule our friendlies early and think about our opponent's fixtures while planning our meeting.



Which means that the Mini-Cwp is back, for the first time since 2021. Well, unless you count the incomplete 2024 Mini-Cwp, when we played one match and then saw the second one cancelled out of nowhere.


habeasdorkus posted:


vs. Colwyn Bay, July 31, 2021
The Mini-Cwp


This is a chance to play rookies, even with a new bajillionaire owner Colwyn Bay is way, way down in the seventh tier of the English football pyramid. That's lower than we started at, the only way to play Football Manager at that level is through modding. Which some people do, those mods give you a chance to play as low as the 9th level on the pyramid.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), O'Hanlon, Todd, Feruga, Morvan, Julio, Djurovic, Argenti, Cardozo, Aarts.
Subs: El Sayed, Jansen, Pejkovic, Ludwig, Alvaro, Dixon, Newman, Petts, Mujkic, Rouissi, De Blasio, Bastable.

Our final preseason match is a relaxing thrashing of the upstart Canuck's new toy. Todd gets scoring underway at 18 minutes with a header, and Aarts continues to finish with aplomb against poor opposition, with two goals in the first half. The final hour is played largely by our youth squad, with Cosimo Di Blasio and Kais Rouissi both scoring late to increase our lead even further. Dejan Djurovic caps off a match where he had two assists with a goal of his own, and we recapture the Mini-Cwp.

Man of the Match: Dejan Djurovic




Wrexham 6-0 Colwyn Bay


*Interior: a smokey parlour in the newly reconstructed Llys Euryn Manor*

Francois Trundel takes a deep draw on a maple-flavoured cigar and kicks off his snowshoe-shaped slippers.

"So Scott Brown got the tournament back up and running, eh?"

"Yes sir."

"Well then it's time to show him what the new and improved Colwyn Bay can do! They might just be the best in the world, but that hasn't stopped Canadian thuggery before! Have I ever told you how we beat the Russians in 72'?"

"... Yes sir."

"Greatest game that ever was! We won the Commie Cup against all odds then, and we can do it again here by taking the Mini Cwp from those Dragons! Tell the boys to keep their laces tight and their skates sharp, we're going to Wrexham!"

habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.
Chapter the First: What is old shall be made new.
July 5, 2027-August 10, 2027

We're at the top of the football world. We can go into basically any stadium and be favored over the local eleven. But we've done so by following the rules of the modern game, rather than forcing reality to succumb to our will. That all changes this year. We're bringing back the Pyramid. It was invented in Wrexham back in 1877, and over the next 100 years the game slowly twisted this noble creation completely about. The wingers dropped further and further back, and the back line bulged and grew as clubs were too cowardly to play with five up top.



The Pyramid was the first tactic to delineate an offensive and defensive unit on the field, with the midfielders and centerbacks playing deep while the five man front went to work on the opposition. As I've set things up we shouldn't suffer a suicidal, our wingers will have defensive responsibilities and essentially work as reverse fullbacks. I can't wait to see the looks on our opponent's faces when we come, and I will relish the gasps of terror and fear they make.



Don't all jump out of your seats in excitement, guys.



I'm going to wait until Meteor's closer to retirement before giving him a testimonial. He's still young and looks a long way from being finished as a potent force on the left wing.

It's too bad that the game won't let us give Bailey a testimonial, though. He'd be eligible for a testimonial if the game added up all his years of service instead of requiring 10 consecutive years with the club.



It was a mistake to re-sign Jefferies and we'd have saved money if we'd just let him walk. The best that can be said about him is that he'll make a decent striker for a team that's expected to have trouble staying up this season.



Arsenal was just taken private by the current owner a few years ago. Did the current owner run out of money? Or did AJ_Impy's efforts to sabotage the club actually have an effect?



I wanted Tackleford to be the first opponent at our new stadium, but they're too busy for us... the jerks. In retrospect I should have instead asked Chester to come by and gape at the majesty of our new stadium.



It's time to start blending our younger players into the squad. That means there's only going to be a handful of players going out on loan this season, guys who I feel certain are not yet ready for any first team time. There's four of them in total, and only one of them is on a full year loan.



The Pyramid's first dry run results in victory, but we required two late goals to win and PSV should have scored far more often than they did.



Of course, part of the reason we had such trouble was because our squad started the match exhausted, not one player had above a 90% condition. I've canceled our trip to Munich in an effort to get everyone back into shape.



It didn't take Noah Collignon long to break Ryan McLeod's transfer spending record.



I don't think the United States has been ranked this high since I started coaching.



I'm correct.



4-5 odds indicates we have a 56% chance to win the league. Which is way too high, considering that the Manchester United odds give them a 44% chance to win the league. The bookies must be really raising the line on us because punters won't stop betting that either us or United will win the league again.



This year we'll have to get by with a normal sized bonus pool. We could have had a large one, but I forgot to add more money to the transfer budget from our wage budget.



We played Köln as part of Malte Landgraf's transfer agreement. It was a mediocre performance, and another match we could have easily lost. The Pyramid still needs fine tuning before the season begins, obviously.



We can't even sell out the opening of our new stadium? I don't care that it's a friendly, that's not a great sign. Or maybe getting 37,000 tickets is a good sign, since the Mini-Cwp is after all just a friendly.



I need to decide what to offer Ikeda and Rickard in the next few months, as well as give contracts to Weeks, Cooke, and Davies.



Justin Bailey, on the other hand, has already agreed to a new deal complete with a pay cut.



Colwyn Bay outplayed us in the first 20 minutes, but we recovered and won handily while starting only six first team players. Also, only 14,689 people showed up. That's a far, far cry from the 37,000 expected.



I didn't use the Pyramid in this match, I was too invested in winning the Mini-Cwp. I feel ashamed.



But only a little ashamed. This is a fine addition to our other honors!



That's not how you get on my good side, youngster.



You are an 18-year-old from Wrexham who has no memories of anyone other than me running this club, and who came in for a calm note of disapproval after a match where you were lazy and complacent after coming on as a sub. I am the greatest coach of all time, and a legend in your hometown, beloved by one and all. Who do you think people are going to support when you go gerning like a baby to the media about how I'm so mean and tough on you?

Congratulations, kid. You just lost your chance at ever again putting on your hometown colors and representing the team. You can go enjoy playing for some mediocre lower division club, because you're no longer welcome in my town.



PSG doesn't seem to realize that I'm not interested in selling Quiboulaz anymore. They make a new offer every five days, even after I've ordered Paul Williams to just hang up on them each time they call.



It might just be because we were playing an off-brand version of the Chicago Fire, but this was a much better performance. We swarmed the opposition penalty area, and always had a man lurking to put away a rebound.



Our “Help Team USA” feeder finally comes in, and we're going with Partizan Belgrade. Not only do they have “Great” training and youth facilities, but their ultras are about as left-wing as you get in Serbia. I'll be making sure to send our loanees brass knuckles and gas masks around the time of each Partizan/Red Star derby.



The Cosmos play at Hofstra University in Football Manager, meaning that they're not even technically in New York City.



Time to sign a bunch of Americans!



I hate my country sometimes. This guy, David Hunt, has 3 star potential for Wrexham. He could become as big a star as Mateo Mujkic or Scott Shirra. But instead he's wasting away in Westchester county, New York, because he's goddamned draft protected. So he sits around never playing any matches while being trained by people who don't know the difference between a football fullback and a soccer fullback. No wonder we could never get out of the group stage.



No problem. I don't mind if someone else swoops in on these kids, the goal is to get them from horrible, podunk clubs where they won't improve to a place where they can grow as players.



Really? I guess you don't feel confident that you could make the jump to a European team at this point in your career. If that's the case, more power to you for knowing yourself and your limits.



One problem with playing the Pyramid is that it really stretches our attacking squad thin while leaving our fullbacks, who are some of our best players, on the bench. It's looking likely that I'll use the Pyramid in home matches against mid to lower table opposition. I'm going to try and use it once every three games, because at the very least the matches are less boring than when we play in a 4-2-3-1.



Hey, the new corporate digs are already paying off.



Arsenal have been wheeling and dealing this offseason, I wonder if the embargo will catch them short at any position.



Our first American arrives. Garcia would be one of the five best strikers in MLS, but of course they're idiots who can't tell talent from a hole in the wall. So we're shipping him off to Partizan once his work permit is denied, so that he can earn an honest living.



F&$@!



That fell apart quickly.



Paredes has 3 star potential, is only 19, and was sitting around unemployed in America. If I hadn't rescued him he might have ended up out of soccer because America is too stupid to understand when they have a potential wonderkid.



Goodbye, America. It was nice to be back, if only for a week. Even better, we avoided picking up any serious injuries over the course of our preseason.



None of the six Americans we're signing will get a work permit. But we still have to go through the appeals process nonetheless.



America's favorite carni-pescatarian is off to Turkey, for a much lower fee than I'd have guessed given his recent performances.



Teenagers are idiots whether in real life or Football Manager.



What did you think I was going to do, you twerp?

vs Swansea City, August 8, 2027
Premier League


We last lifted the Community Shield three years ago. This time we won't be playing a Manchester club for it, as we have every year since 2021. The squad below uses the best players we have for the Pyramid, so if it goes Hindenberg all over Wembley then it's a strong argument that I am over-proud and we might be headed for disaster.

Starting Formation: The Pyramid
Starting 11: Minami, Tounkara, Hammatt, Laux, Shirra, Zouaghi, Moctezuma, Stringel, Rickard, Thiago, Mujkic (c).
Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Allan, Damgaard, Bale, Rouissi, van Leeuwen.

The pressure is on Swansea from the start, but they're able to score on their first shot when Hammatt allows right winger Dejan Tomac to waltz right by him. After half an hour the Swans still lead, largely due to our offensive impotence. We've earned six corners and created seven chances, but failed to make Swansea pay. Fifteen minutes later sees more of the same, and we're outshooting our opponent 20-to-1, but still losing.

The second half starts much the same as the first, with the opposition bunkered down and under heavy fire. Given the sheer number of shots we've had there's no way we could be held goalless forever, and Thiago makes it one-all in the 52nd minute. Five minutes later and Stringel has added a second, and the relief radiates off the Wrexham fans present. When Moctezuma clinches the game with an 81st minute goal, everyone knew that it was coming. As the referee raises his whistle to call the game to a close Mateo Mujkic emphatically finishes things off with a volley from twenty yards out. It's a dominant debut for the Pyramid, and we treated a club that won the FA Cup last season like a chew toy.

Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moctezuma




Wrexham 4-1 Swansea



That thing's bigger than I realized. It's actually the size of a shield instead of a dinner plate.



Rickard scored 21 goals last season in the Championship. I'd say he's earned a chance to crack the top level.



Shahed Parr finds a new club with ease, signing on for Reading and AJ_Impy. If he's healthy he'll be one of their best players.



Our six Americans have arrived. Garcia is the most well developed but has the lowest ceiling of the bunch. I signed him because he needed a job and couldn't find one despite scoring a dozen goals in each of the last three MLS seasons.



Casey Medina is 18 and raw as hell. But he's got “good Premier League central midfielder” potential, and he has three years in which to develop before the next World Cup.




Braun and Brown are two more players with “good Premier League” potential, Braun at right wing and Brown in center midfield. The problem for them is that right now they're only League Two quality players, and will have to improve dramatically if they're going to reach that relatively high potential.



I mentioned Paredes earlier, and he's the one that might have a future with Wrexham as well as with the USMNT. He could develop into a “star Premier League” right midfielder and at the age of 19 would be one of the best players on most Championship clubs. If he fulfills his potential he's going to be sharing time with his countryman Rodrigo Moctezuma in our lineup.



Christian Lopez is the final American I'm bringing in. He's nothing special, another kid with “good Premier League” player as his highest potential, but he does play on the left side of the pitch. That's important as right now there are only a couple of American players who can play on the left, and it's not ideal if we're forced to toss a right winger over there instead.



Any offseason where we don't lose a match while practicing an archaic formation that hasn't been used since shortly after World War Two is a good one. We won the Community Shield in commanding fashion. We've got a throwback style, and now we need to prove it can work when it counts. If it does, then all will acknowledge me as the greatest manager of all time.



Prediction Contest

Predict: How many matches will we play with Pyramid across all competitions (partial games count).
Tiebreaker 1: What will be our goal differential those matches?
Tiebreaker 2: How many goals will we score per game while in the Pyramid?

Predictions will be open until 12pm EST on Wednesday.

Also, we still need a name for the stadium, right now we've got the following suggestions:
Dragon's Den
Castell Coch
The Red Keep (2 votes)
The God King's Playground/Court (2 votes)

Regardless of what we pick you can expect me to append "at the Racecourse Grounds" on the end of it.

habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Feb 9, 2015

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

30 games with the Pyramid
Goal differential of +8
Goals per game of 3.7

Brony Hunter
Dec 27, 2012

Motherfucking Mannis

They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them
32 games
+7 Goal Differential
4.3 Goals a game

Dreamsicle
Oct 16, 2013

28 games
+41 goal differential
3.9 goals per game


Also when the hell will we know what McD's boon was?

Dreamsicle fucked around with this message at 05:30 on Feb 9, 2015

Dias
Feb 20, 2011

by sebmojo
The funny thing is that the Pyramid, dated as it is, is pretty similar to a 4-3-3 on offense, provided that your fullbacks are offensive-minded. In fact, you could make an argument that Guardiola's Barcelona played something quite similar in some matches.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Dreamsicle posted:

28 games
+13 goal differential
3.9 goals per game


Also when the hell will we know what McD's boon was?

I haven't given habeasdorkus any instructions regarding that, but if we go by when it will be relevant to Wrexham, it'll be two years at the very least, or one year if we count the end of year recaps. I'll leave it up to him if he wants to show if off soon (in a friendly, perhaps).

Brony Hunter
Dec 27, 2012

Motherfucking Mannis

They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them

TheMcD posted:

I haven't given habeasdorkus any instructions regarding that, but if we go by when it will be relevant to Wrexham, it'll be two years at the very least, or one year if we count the end of year recaps. I'll leave it up to him if he wants to show if off soon (in a friendly, perhaps).

What have you done :stonk:

TheFlyingLlama
Jan 2, 2013

You really think someone would do that? Just go on the internet and be a llama?



20 games
+5 Goal Differential
7 Goals a game

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Brony Hunter posted:

What have you done :stonk:

Well, I've made a change that is a bit more distant, and as such was a bit more sweeping. Time will tell if it pays off, though I've taken some precautions.

...being mysterious is fun!

Actually, can we get a list of the boons we've had so far? I'd like to see how they compare to mine.

Brony Hunter
Dec 27, 2012

Motherfucking Mannis

They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them

TheMcD posted:

Well, I've made a change that is a bit more distant, and as such was a bit more sweeping. Time will tell if it pays off, though I've taken some precautions.

...being mysterious is fun!

Actually, can we get a list of the boons we've had so far? I'd like to see how they compare to mine.

You've made it so football has fallen out of public and media favour meaning TV revenues and sponsorship deals will be dramatically culled, haven't you? :stonk:

...actually that'd actually be kinda hilarious as a "boon", if football was knocked down the popularity level of, say, cricket in the UK.

Brony Hunter fucked around with this message at 02:06 on Feb 9, 2015

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Brony Hunter posted:

You've made it so football has fallen out of public and media favour meaning TV revenues and sponsorship deals will be dramatically culled, haven't you? :stonk:

...actually that'd actually be kinda hillarious as a "boon", if say football was knocked down the popularity level of, say, cricket in the UK.

No, nothing of that magnitude, though that would be loving hilarious, I'd have to say.

habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.

Dias posted:

The funny thing is that the Pyramid, dated as it is, is pretty similar to a 4-3-3 on offense, provided that your fullbacks are offensive-minded. In fact, you could make an argument that Guardiola's Barcelona played something quite similar in some matches.

Yeah, it's all a question of how far our fullbacks range forward/wingers track back. I'm very tempted to train Loseille and Reed as out and out wingers.

Brony Hunter posted:

You've made it so football has fallen out of public and media favour meaning TV revenues and sponsorship deals will be dramatically culled, haven't you? :stonk:

...actually that'd actually be kinda hilarious as a "boon", if football was knocked down the popularity level of, say, cricket in the UK.

That would be pretty neat, and really change the heck out of the game.

PASS THE MASH
Oct 30, 2013


TheMcD posted:

No, nothing of that magnitude, though that would be loving hilarious, I'd have to say.

Is the Bundesliga now under the heel of whatever your favorite team is?

JamesBCrazy
Jul 1, 2014

Vengeance is a sucker's game.
21 games
+43 goal differential
3.2 goals/game

LionYeti
Oct 12, 2008


Predict: How many matches will we play with Pyramid across all competitions (partial games count). 26
Tiebreaker 1: What will be our goal differential those matches? +3.7
Tiebreaker 2: How many goals will we score per game while in the Pyramid? 4

LionYeti fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Feb 9, 2015

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
27 games
+15 Goals
3.8 Goals/Game

Dias
Feb 20, 2011

by sebmojo
Oh, lemme take a shot at the Pyramid Scheme. Wait, that sounded weird.

Anyway. 18 games, +6 goals and an average of 3.2 goals per game.

This is all based on the very scientific method of "eh".

Kilza
Oct 4, 2013

40 games
+66 GD
4.2 G/G

Trundel
Mar 13, 2005

:10bux: + :awesomelon: = :roboluv:
- a sound investment!
36 games with the Pyramid
+90 GD
3.9 goals per game

Sicke
Jul 12, 2013

Honestly I just wanted a seal picture
35 games
+ 120 GD
4.5 goals per game

Insertnamehere31
Jan 23, 2012

This could be the most one-sided fight since 1973 when Ali faced an eighty-foot tall mechanical Joe Frazier. My memory isn't what it used to be, but I think the entire Earth was destroyed.

20 games, +31, 3.4 per.

Also a vote for the Red Keep at Racecourse Grounds.

Insertnamehere31 fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Feb 9, 2015

beru04
May 4, 2013

Stop making me realise things.
28 Games
+14 GD
3.4 Per

Dreamsicle
Oct 16, 2013

I only saw one FM pyramid season. He played as West Ham and they only barely managed to avoid relegation. Of course we're better and should properly destroy anyone at midtable or below.

EDIT: Adding links
http://imgur.com/a/DDjHP
http://imgur.com/a/kQ5ub
http://imgur.com/a/UCuP5
http://imgur.com/a/sLrwz
http://imgur.com/a/tqK2G

Dreamsicle fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Feb 9, 2015

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ShadowedFlames
Dec 26, 2009

Shoot this guy in the face.

Fallen Rib
27 games, +11 differential, 3.63 per game (98 total)

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