FM 2010 - Preseason 2013/14

What a year 2012/13 turned out to be! Winning the Premiership and Champions League double gave us a stack of revenue but even so, it wasn't enough to cover our operating costs for the year (primarily due to a huge transfer outlay). As a result, there were several key focus points for my transfer policy over the coming summer.

The first was to ensure that I spent funds reasonably. The reality is that my club had a negative bank balance even with the huge revenue streams I received from winning the Prem and the CL. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford a big money signing this year.

The second focus was around Babel and Stevie G - I needed a replacement for Babel as I suspected that he would want to leave the club soon for a new challenge. In addition, Stevie G was starting to get old and I would need a replacement to act as cover in the short term with a view to taking over his slot in the long term. But who could I sign with limited funds?

Luckily for me, our new chairman (if you recall, we managed to kick Hicks out in 2009/10) came up with some additional capital! Together with the sponsorship money and season tickets, our club was not only back into the red, but we had a decent transfer kitty as well!


I like my new chairman :)

Unfortunately, right at the start of the transfer window, Aquilani decided that he wanted a new challenge. Which was a bit of an upset primarily as he was a pretty important player for us.


Lying git - why did you request a transfer if it was so hard for you to leave!

Anyway, time to get started on the transfer market. Which isn't as easy as you would think. The problem is that most players are prohibitively expensive if they are good (you may recall that I spent over GBP40m for Papastaphopoulos who was a CB - imagine how much an attacking player would cost!).

Luckily for me, I knew that I would be looking for a left winger a while ago so I had been keeping tabs on players who might be available and who were able to play in that position. A massive stroke of good luck enabled us to pick up Mesut Ozil for GBP20m which is an incredibly good price considering how good a player he is.


Ozil actually plays best as an AMC but his quality means that he can play AML better than Babel

And the great thing with Ozil is that he can also cover for Gerrard if necessary!

Originally, Ozil was going to be my only new big signing. However, another piece of good fortune would shine on me.


Rumors that I was interested in Wesley Sneijder - I wasn't

A rumor came out that I was interested in Sneijder. The truth was that I wasn't looking to buy him but had scouted him as part of my normal scouting process. However, after the rumor came out, I realised that I could purchase him for a relatively small GBP15m. For a player of his quality, the price was just too attractive and not long after, Sneijder joined our ranks.


Another quality signing - this is shaping up to be a great close season!

Alas, fate would play one more cruel trick upon me. While I benefited from the rumor mill in signing Sneijder, the rumor mill came to bite me in the ass when a couple of clubs showed their interest in Skrtel. I publicly ruled out selling him but alas, by Monday morning, he was in my office asking for a transfer.

Although annoyed, I wasn't too upset as Ian Jones had been doing a fantastic job and I felt he was ready to step up to the first team on a full time basis.



If I ever find proof that someone tapped him up, I will go legal!

As the pre-season draws to a close, this is the look of my squad.




As you can see, I have a pretty huge squad. Part of the reason for this is that I have put a real focus on youth players (new names you see in the team which I haven't talked about are generally people who came up through the youth system or people I bought as youngsters). The other reason for the large squad is that I want to challenge for a couple more cups this year and hence, need some more decent players (even if they are a bit young).

After those screenshots were taken, I made one more new signing. Initially, I had tried to get some experienced CB but they were all looking for guaranteed first team action and I wasn't willing to offer them that. In the end, I had to settle for buying another youngter.

FM 2010 - Season 2012/13

You will recall that at the start of the year, both Agger and Babel were looking for a new challenge. Agger in particular had submitted a transfer request which had caused me a world of trouble as I had to scramble to buy a replacement CB. Agger subsequently left on a loan (with option to purchase) while Babel hung around for another year.

Luckily for me, Papastaphopoulos (what a name!) turned out to be an excellent player and although I still think I overpayed for him, I have to admit that at least he immediately established himself into the squad as a key player.

Anyway, after the disaster that was season 2011/12, there were two key things that I was looking to change.

Younger players
The first thing I wanted to do was to give my youth players more of a chance to play. If you were paying attention during my pre-season update, you would already know this. What you might not know is why.

One of the problems my side has always faced is a difficulty in breaking down weaker teams. In the first couple of seasons, we were generally able to beat the better teams but we always struggled against the weaker teams. At first, I thought it was simply because weaker teams were playing a lot more defensively thereby making it harder for me to score. However, I ultimately realised that the problem wasn't quite that simple as it seemed like some of my key players really weren't playing that well.

In short, I suspected it was a case of motivation. This was why I wanted to put more youngsters into my first team squad. By playing a mix of younger and more experienced players, I was able to have a solid spine of key players mixed in with young lads who were looking to impress and win a regular first team slot.

Buncha' bottlers
The second key thing I changed this year was in how I approached the mental aspect of the team. The problem I have is that my team are a bunch of bottlers. Put them in a pressure situation and they fold like a cheap suit. Looking back at the disaster that was last season, I think one of the things that went wrong was that I put too much pressure on the team to perform.

The thing is, I should have realised this much sooner. The signs were there. In the 2010/11 season, they buckled badly at the end of the year and there was a fair amount of luck in how we won the Prem that year.

The upshot of all this was that I made a very conscious decision to be a little more lenient on the team. Don't get me wrong, I fully intended to give out the occasional roasting (and in fact, did so on more than one occasion) but the key thing was to find the right balance so that the players had an environment in which they could perform.

Premiership
So, with all that said - did it work? What do you think:

Man City were favourites for the title - hahahaha, lets all laugh at MC!

Despite me ultimately running away with the title, things weren't smooth sailing. The start of the season was very similar to how last season developed in that we had a lot of trouble beating teams. In fact, most of the defeats and draws were in the early part of the season. I suspect this was primarily because the changes in mentality that I was trying to implement took time to take effect. However, after they did take effect - wow. My team went on a ridiculous unbeaten streak where we took on all and sundry!

Still, Arsenal weren't making it easy. It wasn't until around Xmas that I actually took over the lead and even after that, Arsenal were breathing down my back. In the end, the extra experience of my side proved decisive as, for some unknown reason, Arsenal fell apart in April and lost a ton of games.

Ah - it sure does feel good to be back at the top. :)


Cup glory too!
I didn't actually do too well in the League Cup or the FA Cup (which really disappointed the Board). What this means is that, as you can probably guess with a header like Cup Glory, I won the Champions League!

Actually, looking back, I have no idea how I managed to win the CL. All through the group stages and during the knockout stages, my team never played particularly well in CL matches. However, we were generally somehow able to sneak a win (due to Torres being awesome this year) which ultimately ensured our progress.

The final of the CL was against Chelsea and luckily for us, they had a player sent off early in the first half. Despite being down to 10 men, they still played really well. In fact, if I'm being honest, they probably outplayed us. However, Torres managed to score a goal on a counter attack and we ended up winning 1-0. What can I say - I guess we were just destined to win it. :)

The Squad
Final squad ratings below. Actually, that's not strictly true. Both Gerrard and Lucas played lots of games and were key players during the year. Unfortunately, both picked up injuries at the end of the year and I dumped them into the reserves while they were out injured. Of course, being the idiot that I am, I forgot to put them back into the squad for the end of year group pic.
D'oh!



As you can see, Torres was our key player this year

A look at the squad value (which doesn't mean as much as it used to as the value now defaults to what you paid for the player before slowing moving to a lower figure over time). Still, with 5 players valued over GBP10M, this is an impressive squad I've got.


Some concerns around the number of older players but otherwise, a good squad

Finances
Unfortunately, despite my success, the clubs finances aren't in particularly good shape.

Despite receiving GBP40M in prize money (GBP20M for the Prem and GBP20M for the CL), I still had a loss of approx GBP24M with my bank balance overdrawn by approx GBP11M. As you can see from the numbers though, a big reason for this is the huge net transfer spend of approx GBP59M (okay, I admit it - I bought the Prem!).

Fallout 3 - Blood Ties (part two)

As promised, Vance was on the mezzanine overlooking the common area. The common area itself was a fascinating look into the Family. Filled with pews all facing the mezzanine, the whole area looked like the home of some kind of cult. This impression was strengthened when I saw Vance standing at the top of the mezzanine looking like some kind of warped preacher with his long black overcoat. I wasn't sure who the Family was but I was pretty sure that they were bad news. In any event, Vance was the key to locating Ian West so I headed up the broken escalator to where Vance stood.

"Welcome to our home," he said as I approached, "My people call me Vance. I lead this group of weary travelers and outcasts who need a home. We do not get many visitors here."

"Really, I wonder why? Could it be due to the number of landmines that you laid in the tunnels outside?"

I have to give him credit. He didn't even bat an eyelid. Unfortunately, nor did he answer my question. Instead, he just looked at me and asked "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I'm looking for Ian West. I have a letter for him from his sister. I understand he is here?"

He turned and looked out over the common area before replying, "What you see before you is the last bastion of hope for the downtrodden and misunderstood. We are the remnants of society, cast aside like the clean-picked bones of a hunters feast. Men of science would call us cannibals, eaters of human flesh. Society labels us as monsters, demons and the unclean."

I couldn't help but blink at that. Did he just say cannibals? Visions of the West family, with their throats clearly having been gnawed upon, swam before my eyes. I definitely don't want to hang around here. Better find of Ian West and get out post-haste.

"Um, that's great," I said, "but I'm looking for Ian West. I understand he is here?"

"Ah! Your words illustrate why the hardships persist for my people. I think of my teachings as an improvement, a way to transcend our cannibalistic nature."

"What? Look, I just want to find Ian West. I really don't care if you are cann... um... Actually, if I accept that you're no longer cannibals, what do I call you?"

"Each member of the Family must speak one of the Laws. From these Laws, you can discover what we are. Return to me when you are ready."

With that, Vance turned and walked away. "Can't you just answer the frakking question?!" I yelled after him but he ignored me and continued on his way. Bastard.

***********************************************************************

Several hours, and numerous confusing conversations with his "congregation", later, I had a fair idea of what I was dealing with. The Family were not cannibals - they were vampires. Not the actual mythical beings obviously but rather a group of people who follow the ways and rites of the vampires. What was fascinating though was their belief that they could sustain themselves purely on blood. The man in me screamed out against this abomination, telling me to turn and flee, but the scientist in me couldn't resist prying further.

I went back to Vance. If anyone was going to be able to satisfy my curiosity, he would be the one.

"Tell me what you've learned," he said as I approached, "What do you think we are?"

"You're vampires. Or at least you follow their fictional traditions. But what I don't understand is how you manage to get enough nutrients to sustain yourself from blood alone."

"Do you think I believe I can turn into a bat and fly away?"

"Well, of course ..."

"Of course not." Vance continued speaking as if I hadn't interrupted him, "Do I cast my image in a mirror? Absolutely."

"Yes, I know but ..."

"I have shown these people the way of the vampire. I've provided them shelter, organisation and a sense of belonging."

"Yes, I know but how ..."

"Ian is at a critical moment in his life right now. After all that occurred in Arefu, he is scared and confused."

Despite my annoyance, that last sentence caught my attention. "What? What do you mean? What happened to Ian in Arefu?"

"Ian's hunger for flesh overwhelmed him ... it drove him to kill his parents. Because of my intervention that night, he stopped just short of being lost forever to his cravings for flesh. Now, he has become one of us ... a member of the Family. The hunger that drives us must be kept in check. It is one of the most difficult things to teach."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing - Vance had actually listened and was answering one of my questions! In my shock, I missed the chance to get in another question and Vance continued speaking.

"I will allow you to speak to Ian. Perhaps you can help him come to grips with his greatest enemy. Himself."

And with that, Vance once again turned and walked off.

***********************************************************************

I found Ian in a little room at the back of the Family base. He was sitting at the solitary chair in the middle of the room and staring blankly at the wall. Seeing the past perhaps? I'm not sure why but he looked oddly out of place. As if he was uncomfortable with where he was (or what he was?). One thing was certain though - his eyes held the look of a haunted man.

He looked up at me as I entered the room. Something in my eyes must have given me away for he turned back to the wall and said, "You must think I'm some kind of monster."

He sounded so sad. So alone. What can you say to a man who has not only seen his parents brutally murdered but who was the one who caused such tragedy in the first place.

"Ian, I'm sorry but I can't help you. I'm just here to give you this letter. Your sister, Lucy, asked that I deliver it to you."

For a brief moment, at the mention of his sister, there was a spark of life behind his eyes. With a whispered thank you, he took the letter and started to read. For a while, he was silent as he read the letter. Eventually, he looked up and I could see that the letter had clearly had an impact. His eyes watered and his voice choked as he struggled to find words.

After what seemed like an eternity of uncomfortable silence, he said, with a touch of regret in his voice, "Thank you. I think I had it all wrong. I shouldn't have come here. Please, tell Vance I've made my decision. I'm going home to Arefu."

After this, it wasn't long before Ian was ready to depart. When I informed Vance of Ian's decision to leave, Vance merely smiled and enigmatically babbled something about sheep and roads. In fact, Vance seemed happy with Ian's response and held no ill will at all. He even offered to send some of his own men to protect the town of Arefu in exchange for some blood packs. Truth be told, the whole incident ended rather abruptly and surprisingly without incident.

***********************************************************************

I left Arefu shortly after dropping Ian off. Evan King and the other residents were happy enough to see us return and after hearing how Vance had saved Ian West, they were more than happy to agree to Vance's proposal and accepted the Family into the settlement. They even invited me to stay with them. To be honest though, I couldn't wait to leave and was happy to see the back of Arefu and the creepy Family. And that was the situation when I left Arefu - Vance and the Family were safely inside Arefu and had agreed to protect it against raiders. A win-win situation all round.

In my travels across the Wasteland, I did occasionally think of Vance and of Ian West and ultimately came to a realisation. I never went back though. Considering that I have heard no news from Arefu since I left, I sometimes wonder how that little settlement is doing and whether I should go back to check on them. But considering my role in this whole affair, perhaps its better if I didn't.

I have to give it to Vance though. He really knew what he was doing. All the time that I spoke with him, he rarely addressed me directly and never answered my questions. Except once. The one time he answered my questions was when he needed to distract me from the deeper implications of what he was saying.

Vance told me that Ian had succumbed to his desire for flesh and killed his own parents. Vance told me that he had arrived in Arefu just in time to stop Ian from eating the flesh of his own parents. Vance told me that he had saved Ian's soul as a result of this.

But how did Vance know that Ian had attacked and killed his parents on that fateful night? How had he known exactly which night that Ian would lose control of his cannibalistic instincts? And was it coincidence that he had been able to get into Arefu just in time to stop Ian from eating the flesh of his parents?

Too many coincidences - the whole situation stank to high heaven. The only reasonable explanation for Vance being there that night was if he knew what was going to happen. And the only way he could have known that Ian's parents would die that night is if Ian had told him.

When I first arrived in Arefu, Evan King told me that he had been defending Arefu from the Family. That he was singlehandedly protecting the settlement from the wolves that sought to gain entry. And thanks to my efforts, the wolf was invited into the hen house.