Football Manager 2011!

[Plymouth Gull]

Ah okay, well that makes it a fair bit harder then! More of a challenge then

[Plymouth Gull]

Couldn't resist much more, so went out and got it today. Started unemployed, same as Gulliball.

Applied for jobs at Dundee, Hereford and Tamworth, but the two English sides have chosen other managers. No reply from Dundee yet.

[AndyC]

Strangely I ended up with Droylsden as well, despite thinking I wasn't sure about working under Dave Paice!

I took over in 15th with games against leaders AFC Telford and Boston to come - managed only one point from the two games but competed well and would in Buckspeak say *we wuz robbed* in both of them.

Made it through to the FA Trophy proper, and now unbeaten in three games...

[Plymouth Gull]

Finally got a job at Welling United, who were sat 19th in the Blue Square Bet South. Their squad is quite poor to say the least, so I've tried stamping some of my own signings. But I've found it quite hard as I don't know any of the players available to sign, so I'm kind of waiting until the end of the season, where the bigger clubs release their unwanted players. I did sign Tony Bedeau, Marcus Bignot and Sean Hapgood though, the first and laugh for a laugh to be honest. Also, my latest signing was Ashley Yeoman, after he was released by Torquay in January. Still sitting in about 19th, but 3 wins in 4 have seen a slight change in fortunes over the Christmas period.

[Gulliball]

Finished the first season as Torquay, and got promoted via the play-offs after coming 4th! First time in ages that I've won the play-offs on a FM game, but it was deserved as I should have got an automatic place if we'd have had any consistency.

Oxford, Wycombe and Bradford finished in positions 1-3, and I beat Shrewsbury (7th) 3-1 on aggregate in the semis and Northampton (5th) 5-1 in the final.

I had 3 main strikers - Billy Kee, Elliot Benyon and a Polish signing called Marcin Sobczak. Kee top scored with 21 in 29(3) appearances, and Sobczak 15 in 32(3) and Benyon 14 in 26(15) also made huge contributions. Stevens and Iriekpen (7 apiece), Wroe (6), Soldecki (5) and Nico (4) also made telling contributions.

I made 6 signings:

Marcin Sobczak - £0
Lukasz Piatek- £0
Izzy Iriekpen - Free
Mariusz Muszalik - £0
Andy Whing - £0
Dawid Soldecki - £0

Funded by the departures of Yeoman, Palmer, Charnock, Robertson, Halpin and Carlisle on frees or to clubs on frees.

Going to have a good clear out of players and staff, and have a consolidation season in L1 before looking at progressing.

Edit - I just got manager of the year!

[YellowMurphy]

In my second season with Torquay, finished 10th in my first season, but also got them to the JPT final, where I lost 3-2 to Huddersfield. Made some small signings, like Gulliball, I too signed Andy Whing (RB) Armann Smari Bjornsonn (ST) Matthew Lund (CM) Liam O'Brien (GK) Jonathan Forte (LM/RM) Jabo Ibehre (ST) as well as a few loanees, but arent really worth mentioning. At the end of my first season, and during it Carlisle, Robbo, Palmer, Yeoman, Stevens and Lathrope all released. Currently in my second season 4th with 6 games to go, midway through second season, got offered the job by port vale, but stayed with Torquay, as they were 18th halfway through the season.

[PlainmoorRoar]

im at the turn of the year in my first year currently 1st

sign romone rose (12K) and joe oastler (10K)which took all my budget, and got in a loanie from millwall but thats its,

also knocked exeter out of the JPT

[Plymouth Gull]

Keeping the realism, PR, eh?

[Plymouth Gull]

So, I've got around to starting off with Torquay for the first time.

I haven't really been busy in the transfer market, bringing in Andruele Pryor and Tom Walsh. Pryor is a very good player for League 2, a recommendation for all of you there. I didn't get rid of anyone yet.

Pre-season went averagely, winning 2, drawing 3 and losing 3.

My opening league game was away at Burton. I was confident, however all that was shot within the opening 25 minutes. 3-0 down. It stayed that until half time.

I changed from 4-4-2 to 4-2-1-3, which soon became 4-2-4, with Pryor and Zebs joining Kee and Benyon.

49th min: Nicho's freekick deflected in by Mansell. 3-1.

79th min: String of passes found its way to Mansell, who drilled home from 30 yards. 3-2.

91st min: Pryor down the left, crosses, Zebroski heads home!! 3-3.

Fantastic comeback.

The second game was a Carling Cup game at home to Ipswich. Branston and Mansell both got sent off, as we lost 2-0. Our first league game at Plainmoor saw us beat Hereford 3-1, with Eunan O'Kane bagging 2, with Pryor getting the 3rd.

4th in the table, after two games. I'm not expecting much from this whole game, really, just to get used to FM11. I'll do another TUFC game sometime soon.

EDIT:

Here are my results in the league so far:

Burton Albion 3 - 3 Torquay United

My opening league game saw us travel to the Pirelli Stadium. I was looking forward to it, although at this point, Ngo Baheng wasn't at the club. Billy Kee started upfront with Benyon. However, it all went wrong. I was 3-0 down after 25 minutes. John McGrath (2) and Shaun Harrad put the Brewers in a somewhat unassailable position. I changed my tactics to 'Overload' and nothing really happened until half time. In the 49th minute, Lee Mansell pulled one back. That gave me a bit of hope. I changed to 4-2-4 in the 70th minute. 9 minutes later, Mansell scored again. 3-2. 90th minute, Adam Bolder was sent off for them. A minute later, Pryor ran down the left, crossed, Zebroski beat his man, GOALLL!!! 3-3. Fantastic comeback!!

Torquay United 0 - 2 Ipswich Town (Carling Cup 1st Round)

This was a poor performance. A Jason Scotland penalty followed up by a goal by Gareth McCauley. Scotland missed another penalty too. Guy Branston and Lee Mansell both saw red as I went down to 9 men. Not happy.

Torquay United 3 - 1 Hereford United

Back to the League, and a comfortable home win. Goals by Eunan O'Kane (2), and Pryor won me the game. A late consolation by Stuart Fleetwood denied me of a clean sheet. But 3 points was what I wanted, and it was what we got.

Barnet 1 - 1 Torquay United

A trip to the early pacesetters was going to be tough, although we dominated for prolonged periods. Mark Ellis scored 3 minutes before half time, but the lead was cancelled out 5 minutes after half time, as Charlie Taylor equalised. Disappointed not to win.

Torquay United 3 - 2 Bury

Bury sat 2nd going into this game. I was about 11th. Elliot Benyon set me on my way, but Andy Bishop pulled Bury back on level terms. Two goals in 4 second half minutes put me 3-1 up, but a late Bishop goal made it a tense finale. We held out though.

Oxford United 2 - 0 Torquay United (Johnstones Paint Trophy 1st Round)

I rested a few players for this, and it didn't pay off. Danny Senda conceded a penalty, which was converted by Tom Craddock. The same man doubled the lead, which won the game for the hosts. Another competition out of the way, though.

Accrington Stanley 3 - 3 Torquay United

Accrington had taken the top spot in the League since our last league fixture, so this was going to be tough. It started well, after only 2 minutes, Zebroski put us 1-0 up. A Scott Bevan own goal pulled it back level. Damon Lathrope put me 2-1 ahead, but that was cancelled out by Dean Winnard. 2-2 at half time. Again, I took the lead in the 73rd minute, through Pryor. The game was in the 89th minute when Chris Turner equalised for Stanley, again. Devastated.

Torquay United 3 - 2 Wycombe Wanderers

I surged into a 2-0 lead in this game, with a brace from Elliot Benyon. Jon-Paul Pittman pulled one back within minutes, and Ben Strevens levelled scores 10 minutes after half time. In the 75th minute, I brough Wesley Ngo Baheng on for Zebroski, and what a decision it was. Ngo Baheng picked the ball up near the halfway line, ran, and ran, and shot from distance, and scored! 87 minutes on the clock. Fantastic!


Southend United 4 - 1 Torquay United

Frustrating. Very Frustrating. Benyon was sent off on 6 minutes, straight red. God knows what for. Went to 4-4-1, and the lack of a player made a big difference. Was 4-0 down before Ngo Baheng pulled one back in the 89th minute. Angry about the Benyon decision, as it totally screwed up our plan. He was a lone striker at the start aswell, so it messed us up big time.

[TUFCfan]

Got the game a few weeks ago and has been going pretty well.

First season was a season of three thirds. The first third of the season the team was very inconsistent. I'd win one game 3-1 and then lose the next 4-2, and I was generally hovering around 15th/16th. The next third I improved upon the consistency a bit and signed a couple decent players or so in the transfer window and the team climbed up in to the top half. The final third of the season everything seemed to clicked and I secured a playoff place by finishing 4th in a fairly tight playoff race though was a few points off automatic promotion. After beating Chesterfield 2-1 on aggregate after two tight games, and faced Gillingham in the final. Was 4-2 up with 15 minutes left until I conceeded two goals with the equaliser coming from, you guessed it, Bayo Akinfenwa. Was down to 10 men in the second half of extra time after Adam Virgo had to go off injured but I had already used all my subs. After a goaless extra time the game went to penalties. Akinfenwa missed Gillingham's third penalty, but my Canadian midfielder Gordon Chin missed the fifth and it went to sudden death. The first penalties were scored so it was up to the seventh takers for each team. Their player blazed it over the bar and it was left to loanee from Arsenal, Emmanuel Frimpong to score the penalty which sent The Gulls up.

In the second season I made a good start and spent most of the season in the playoff/promotion places. Along the way I caused a cup upset by beating Premier League Birmingham City 2-1 at Plainmoor in the third round. I also took Liverpool to a replay at Plainmoor after drawing 2-2 at Anfield (I was 2-0 up by 26 minutes) but lost the replay 4-1. With four games to go I was safely in second place but had a jittery spell and lost the next three games in a row. With one game to go I was level on points with Oldham but their goal difference was better by one so I had dropped down to third. I needed to better Oldham's result or win by two more goals (their goals scored was much better so couldn't tie on GD). I beat Dag & Red 2-0 at home and Oldham were beating Doncaster 2-0 at home as well, until Doncaster scored two in the last five minutes and it end 2-2 which mean't that I finished second by two points!

In my third seasons I made a few decent free signings in pre-season though did end up almost £30k over my wage budget. I thought I'd end up mid-table but I went unbeaten in the first nine games and ended up leading the table at the halfway stage by six or seven points. I managed to reduced my wage budget in the January window to only £10k over budget but my small squad size would prove costly in the second half of the season. I pull off another cup shock when I beat a Rooneyless second in the Premier League Man Utd 3-1 at Plainmoor in the fifth round of the FA Cup but then lost 1-0 at home to Birmingham in the sixth round (revenge from the previous season I think). My team became tired in the second half of the season (several managers said this was the reason why I wouldn't gain promotion) and started to struggle. I lost only two games in the first half of the season, but lost seven in the second half. My lead shrunk until Newcastle took my top spot and third place West Brom started to catch up. West Brom were only two points off me before the last game and I lost 2-0 at home to Coventry, but luckily they lost 2-1 away to Norwich and I was promoted to the Premier League in my third straight promotion! (Newcastle finished five points ahead of me in first).

Disturbing news came in the close-season though as the local council rejected plans for a new stadium so Plainmoor had to become all-seater. The work will take seven months and until the work is completed for the first several months of our first ever Premier League season the club has been relocated to..........St. James Park!

[CraigUnder]

just got torquay promoted to the championship beat norwich on penalties in the play offs , not bad 2 promotions in 4 seasons

up the gulls

[AndyC]

I took on my local club, Hampton and Richmond Borough, because I really like a challenge and since, because I did the research for Torquay, I sort of know the best players in the squad, where they should be playing, and how the team should be playing (and no, I'm not giving away any more secrets!). I managed to make some decent signings from the outset and get them promoted in the first season. The BSP proved a bit more of a challenge, as I had expected, since there was no offer to go full-time and it was impossible to get many decent players in on £200pw part-time money, but I managed to get hold of some (as it turned out) really decent youngsters and they kept me in the division in 18th in the first season. That improved to 11th and then 10th in the fourth season's play, at the end of which I managed to make some really good signings after selling off some younger players to higher teams - people like James Constable, Craig Davies and a kid who became BSP player of the year in his first full season, Joe England. I ran away with the title, beating Aldershot by 16 points and just missing out on getting to 100.

Just in the off-season before my first go at League 2, where Torquay remain after 5 seasons with Dean Glover in charge. Buckle is now at Chesterfield after getting sacked in 2012-13, and I was in attendance at the Emirates when the Gulls made history but lost 5-0 in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Nicholson, O'Kane, Kee, Zebroski, Ellis and a couple of others remain regular first-teamers.

Looking forward to playing them next season...

[Stoke_Gull]

Does anybody know where I can download extra playable leagues on FM 11, I'd like the Northern Premier, Southern Premier and the Isthmian Premier. I've had a look for them on the net but can't find anywhere to download them, can anybody help?

[Plymouth Gull]

You do it in the editor, Stoke Gull. Not sure how, mind.

[TUFC92]

Does anybody know where I can download extra playable leagues on FM 11, I'd like the Northern Premier, Southern Premier and the Isthmian Premier. I've had a look for them on the net but can't find anywhere to download them, can anybody help?

Go on the si games forums, part of it called editors hideaway, have a look in there and you'll find them :~D

Didn't know if I was allowed to post the link to the forum or not?