"The Glass Ceiling - Part I: Finances" - Orange Is The New Black #FM19

February 24, 2019

This post covers FC Lorient’s ‘business end’ of Season 3 (2020/21) in Ligue 1 and delves into finances, as Achilles Goss approaches the crossroads with Brittany’s number 1 club. This financial report is partly in response to Dan Gear’s repeated boasting about his own cash rich Kaiserslautern side…in the Bundesliga, one of the wealthiest leagues on the planet.

The purpose of this post is to set the scene, as I approach a pivotal moment in Lorient’s and Achilles Goss’ shared histories. I have therefore decided to split this post into two parts. Part 1 (this one), will retrospectively look back at the previous three year’s finances…in order to draw up a few objectives for the future (which I hope can be realised in Part 2). Of course, watch my careful plans implode due to bad form once I begin my 4th season. But anyway, let’s begin…

Season 2020/21

The final few months of Season 3 were a pretty painful experience. The match engine updated at the end of January 2021 in my save, which coincided with our worst run of form. It’s hard to know if my tactic became less effective for that reason, or we just hit a bad patch. The long shots from my midfielders are definitely toned down, and my Deep Lying Forward is integrating more in our build up (good news…but remember this also makes the AI slightly better too)! I think a combination of some of these factors contributed to our end of season dip. Boooo.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær was once again the villain in my save, eliminating me in the Coupe de la Ligue Semi Final.

I shouldn’t be too downbeat though (I was at the time), I am still way above where I thought I’d be three years into this save. We achieved promotion at the first attempt and now find ourselves with back-to-back 7th placed Ligue 1 finishes. The Lorient fans have it good: Achilles Goss has signed a new one-year deal until Summer 2021!

The Glass Ceiling: Finances

At a high-level view, there’s a lot to be positive about by Lorient’s financial and on-pitch performances over the last three years. We’ve seen a 158% growth in revenue since the start of the save, which has funded a promotion and back-to-back top 10 finishes. In the last two years, we’ve met an Operating Index (Revenue divided by Costs) of around 100%, meaning we are “wiping our faces” in a budgetary sense. Furthermore, we are 17th in the salary table (circa €15m per annum), showing that we are punching above our salary weight by 10 places. All good, right?

However, it’s only until you look into the detail when you realise that FC Lorient have reached the glass ceiling (noun: an unacknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession). The glass ceiling is simple: Lorient’s organic revenue has largely plateaued. For instance, Ligue 1 Gate Receipts and Match Day Income are the same year-on-year…with the club selling out the Stade du Moustoir 36 times out of a possible 38 during the two years of top league French football.

Despite TV revenue being a big earner for us (46% of Season 3’s revenue), and a major growth area, stuff like Sponsorship is down. The only other income stream with real potential is Player Sales, which is something we have done well in over recent years (see the Fonsinho deal)…but not something that is always dependable, infinite or steady. The devil really is in the detail.

In terms of costs, the worrying figures are that of Agent Fees and Player Wages, which go hand-in-hand with how I use the Director of Football (DoF) staff role in FM19. Like the aforementioned Dan Gear, I am using a DoF for player recruitment. I identify the target and add him onto the DoF’s Transfer Target list. Once the fee is agreed the DoF will negotiate the contracts too, meaning I have the simple task of either accepting/rejecting the deal on completion. I’m sure the same deals could be conducted just as well by the human player, if not better, but it does speed up my gameplay somewhat.

In addition to player recruitment, my DoF is also responsible for player retention. He will actively go out and offer contracts to the playing squad and negotiate deals based on squad status and contract expiry. The method has allowed me to tie down some of my star players like Rivaldo Coetzee & Julien Ponceau. But it should come with a word of warning, after seeing my wage bill rise 50% in 3 years.

The above paints a very stark picture for the future of my DoF’s responsibilities, but it’s perhaps the below charts that further show the season by season comparisons effectively. A bar chart paints a thousand words:

So, what can I draw from this bit of VirginFM financial analysis:

We’ve hit the revenue plateau for a bit (until we break into Europe).
Despite an Op. Index of 100%, we need to aim a bit higher (let’s say 120%), in order to build a reserve for off/on pitch improvements.
Wages concern me. We’re now at the cliff edge.

What will I now do?

Sell-to-buy (I mean there isn’t really much choice). But I’ll cover what I am looking for in Part 2. I need to recruit to a playing style, profile a player what they can bring to a collective system (TBC - as I relentlessly stare at my squad and the tactics screen).
Remove the responsibility for offering contractual renewals from the DoF. This is where he has largely been at fault for offering deals too early (before 18 months expiry) and for too much (incl. to Agents). 17th in the salary table…I need to keep it this way.
‘Change’. A nice blanket team for all facets of the club, but whichever way I look at it, the status quo cannot continue. We can’t break into Europe like this, it’s too risky. FM Grasshopper, and Achilles Goss, rarely take risks.

Next up

Dan Gear now has the Achilles Goss financial analysis that he so desperately needed. Perhaps he’ll be thankful for residing on the right side of the Rhein, or maybe he will continue to troll France’s most underappreciated Football Manager. Who knows?

The next post will deal more on recruitment and tactics side as I am looking to change things up from Season 4. The glass ceiling needs to be broken, right?

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

"The Fibra Battleground" - Orange Is The New Black #FM19

February 10, 2019

Previously on Orange Is The New Black, Achilles Goss accepted ‘Guerreiro’s Gift’ and finished 7th on his maiden season in Ligue 1.

Second season syndrome is the now-common phrase that is used to describe a downturn in fortunes for a football club in its second season after its promotion to the Premier League of English football – particularly if the first season after promotion had brought a strong finish (M.Cheetham 2007. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_season_syndrome).

Season 2020/21

There was a certain amount of trepidation going into my third season with FC Lorient and my second season in France’s top tier. The old cliché of the dreaded ‘second season syndrome’ nestled in the back of my head, but this is France and not England, right?

Pre-season

Despite solid results from our friendlies, we had some awful pre-season luck. The big news story was ‘The Curious Case of Alphonso Davies’. Arguably the Ligue 1 Summer transfer coup, as FC Lorient attracted one of Bayern’s wonderkids to North Western France on a two-year loan. His explosiveness would have given me a different option to the left sided Inside Forward Jimmy Cabot or central Deep Lying Forward Gaëtan Courtet.

But the joy of signing Alphonso quickly turned to tears as he snapped his leg on his pre-season debut:

As the image above shows, I was able to cancel the deal due to de-selecting the defaulted ‘Loan cannot be terminated’ clause when negotiating with Bayern. Based on my interactions at the time I appreciate this move would not have been made by everyone, fellow FMers like TheFmNewby, James and Dan would have done things differently. But I simply did not want to pay for Alphonso to sit around injured as my top earner for 5 months. In just the statutory 28 days, Alphonso Davies had been and gone. Disaster.

To further the misery in the final week of Pre-Season, Club Chairman Loïc Féry accepted a €13.25m bid from FC Köln for Fonsinho - a player who I signed 18 months previously for €230k. It’s great profit, from a player who flourished with me in his short spell. 8 goals and 10 assists in his debut Ligue 1 season meant he would be sorely missed in 2020/21.

💶 FONSINHO SOLD 💶

I say au revoir to probably my favourite player in #FM19 so far: Alphonse Yao Kouamé Kouassi aka 'Fonsinho' 🇨🇮👊🏿⚡️

The deal is for €9m (possibly rising to €13.25m). €4m of which I have left to re-invest into the squad 5 days before the season starts... pic.twitter.com/c9g5fv3H3n
— FM Grasshopper 🦗 (@FM_Grasshopper) January 20, 2019

Fonsinho’s sale and injuries to both Gaëtan Courtet’s (last season’s top scorer) and Jimmy Cabot resulted in us going into the first two games of the season with a completely different three-man attack from last season. It’s no surprise then that we failed to score in back-to-back 0-1 defeats. The second season syndrome was now coming to the forefront of my mind as we headed for an inevitable relegation dogfight.

Or were we?

We unequivocally rose up the table, six wins on the bounce after those two defeats. Eleven league wins and six draws, the only blip an away defeat Vs Paris Saint Germain. Take that Ole Gunnar Solskjær!

The Fibra Battleground

Achilles Goss’ Lorient have improved, but how and why? My immediate thought was to turn to ‘fibra’ as an explanation for the upwardly mobile performances of my team. As mentioned in my introductory post:

“I don't want to restrict myself in terms of recruitment…like the previous two years. I will not feel guilty if I want that luxury flair player or tricky winger. However, I want to get ample fibra in the positions and roles that matter”.

[A brief description on the concept of fibra and how I use it as a recruitment strategy was introduced a couple of years ago: here).

So what roles am I trying to fill with adequate fibra? Answer: the central spine of the team aka the fibra battleground; Central Defence, Central Midfield and the Central Striker role. These players typically situate themselves in areas on the pitch where you’d want players to show a bit more fight. It’s no coincidence that, in reality softer, less aggressive players get pushed out wide. So, for those central roles I am placing great emphasis on the below attributes (that I interpret to encapsulate fibra):

Aggression - the willingness to immerse themselves in the physical battle, I always imagine a high rating here is like having the ‘Get Stuck In’ team instruction permanently on. Highly aggressive players just love to get involved.
Bravery - the willingness to put his body on the line for his team. In the match engine, this is often demonstrated as a goal saving block or that ridiculous defensive recovery. But it can also be the desire to get on the end of an offensive chance (see example GIF further on in this post).
Determination - The desire to dig deep, even in the face of initial setbacks. A high determined set of players will increase the chances of turning a losing position into a draw or a win.
Teamwork - to work within a tactical system and style of play. Any style, anywhere, is benefited by having players that follow suit.
Work Rate - Like the above, any team is benefited from having players who give their absolute everything. It’s no good having a Ferrari-Maserati engine…to only drive it in 2nd gear.

But after looking at my team’s progression in fibra over the last three years, the gains are minimal:

From a First Team perspective, our collective fibra has been more-or-less steady at a player average of 64-65 fibra over the three years. We have seen a slight rise though in the ‘fibra battleground’ roles, where we now average 70 fibra per position (out of a possible 100).

However, now that I have money (from the Fonsinho deal and ‘Guerreiro’s Gift’), I can go out and sign some fibra intensive players at long last. Much of my strong start can be attributed to the late-in-the-day transfers of Enzo Crivelli (81 fibra) & Assane Dioussé (63 fibra) for a combined total of €5.5m. Both are strong mentally, with the addition of being very good elsewhere (Physically & Technically). They are also stereotypical Lorient signings too, as both players were picked up from Ligue 2, due to Caen & Saint-Étienne’s relegation in my simulated FM seasons. I like to think, in save narrative terms, that they have a point to prove in France…and boy are they doing it! Between themselves, Enzo and Assane have been match winners multiple times this season already…

Enzo Crivelli has slotted straight into our setup as a Deep Lying Forward, he’s making the support role work a bit better due to his traits of dropping deeper and playing with his back to goal. He’s up for the fight, as his debut goal Vs Stade Rennais demonstrates. Fibra, yeh boy…

Enzo Crivelli, 9 goals from 16 starts (all comps). Here is his first…

Assane Dioussé introduction has been similarly impressive, an average rating of 7.26 with four goals and six assists from sixteen starts (all comps). All from a variety of roles: Box To Box midfield, Ball Winning Midfielder & Central Midfield Attack…he can do it all!

There’s been some wonderful passes and exquisite finishes, but Assane Dioussé also does the rough side well.

What’s Next?

As I sit on an overall balance of €1.5m, the club continues to haemorrhage money like it’s going out of fashion. But we head into the second half of the season with a real chance at securing European football for 2021/22. This would certainly see us consolidate a secure financial position, perhaps allowing me to fill the team with even more fibra too. Furthermore, qualification would also be enough to convince me commit to a new contract with FC Lorient (my current deal expires in the Summer). Can Goss’ Lorient do it?

As always, to find out what happens next on OITNB follow me on Twitter (@FM_Grasshopper), on FM Slack (#fmgrasshopper)…or on here for the next post.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

GrassNGear: a Football Manager Podcast - 1 Year Anniversary #FM19

February 7, 2019

Hello Readers,

I've got something different on the blog today, which coincides with this month’s 1-year anniversary of the GrassNGear podcast. A podcast that I never thought could exist and certainly not something I ever thought of being a part of when I first started blogging FM back in August 2015. I am a reluctant podcaster, make no mistake…but after a year of frequently podding, I've had a lot of fun with Daniel Gear [of Bolivia fame].

Firstly, what is GrassNGear? Essentially it's a podcast, about Football Manager. But that wouldn't really give you an accurate genre to place it in. GrassNGear probably fits within the 'Games/Hobbies' categories of podcasts…over others like Sports/Games etc.

Why/how did it come to exist? This is a hard one to answer. Over on FMSlack, 'GrassNGear' became a reference point for anything nonsensical relating to Dan and I. Over time, Dan's humour/piss taking and my awkwardness/stubbornness were two atoms creating a compound: GrassNGear. It became an 'FM identity' long before it ever became a piece of Football Manager content.

When we finally got round to talking about a podcast, it coincided with 'the end' of The Deep Lying Podcast. In my eyes (ears?), the most successful FM podcast that's ever been…with George/Ed & friends chatting nerdiness for over 100 episodes. A few podcasts sprung out from the void (I created a timeline for this), and I include GrassNGear in this list. I remember messaging Dan probably in January 2018, simply stating: "we should probably do a podcast one day"…"yes - we should" was the reply!

Over a month of bouncing ideas off each other, we decided we should be an 'alternative podcast' than what was currently being offered, with games, fun & laughter as the central focus. We did not want to make podding a chore for us (we both have young families and full-time jobs), so we decided on a few things from the onset:

No set schedule - we'll pod when we want. If we didn't like it (we had two in draft at the time: 21 Questions & Around The World), then that would be it. Finito.
If we did continue, we'd make games the central focus. But again, we wouldn't restrict ourselves…if we wanted a different style of pod, we'd simply do it.
Although real life football chat is sometimes unavoidable, we would make Football Manager the topic in discussion and in games.
We'd make sure we always pod together. We've had loads of guests on. In fact, I actually need them to play some of the more complex games we put together…but Grass would always be with Gear. Even when we're both not there (see episode XI for example).
We'd number podcasts with Roman Numerals. Why? Because it's GrassNGear.

I'm pleased to see us stick to this model and have released 25 episodes of GrassNGear to date, a quarter of a century. Hooray! A big part of the satisfaction when making this podcast is to see others enjoy and laugh along with us, so I'd like to thank everybody who has interacted with us during our 1st year as a pod. It's appreciated and I am genuinely humbled as to how it's gone down.

Below, I've run some 'Director's Commentary' over each episode with the Soundcloud link to each one. I have also included the Twitter details of most of the amazing guests we’ve had on GnG, so you can find them and follow their work.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring,

♥ ‘Grass’ ♥

www.soundcloud.com/grass-gear

21 Questions - Episode II

Grass: "I remember us having a Skype call with the intention of recording Episode I - Around The World, until Dan asked if we wanted to play 21 questions instead. So that meant Episode II coming before I. We considered reverse numbering going forward to add further confusion, but we ditched it in the end and Episode III returned to 'normality'".

Quote of the pod: "Just take a breather"

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/21-questions-episode-ii-grassngear

Around The World - Episode I

Grass: "On my solitary appearance on the Deep Lying Podcast, I enjoyed putting together a 'community update' of people's save games from a geographical outlook. So I thought we'd make a podcast of it. Obviously Dan was the true star of this pod, butchering pronunciations and getting his continents all mixed up. Lovely stuff.

Quote of the pod: "He’s currently in Libya managing Al-Audi”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/around-the-world-episode-i-grassngear

Snakes - Episode III

Grass: "A return to board games for episode III: SnakesNLadders. I loved playing this, I think it was the first alcohol-induced pod and it certainly showed! Two grown men rolling dice and having fun, what's not to like?"

Quote of the pod: "I hope to be the true FM Snake of the Community”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/snakes-episode-iii-grassngear

4141 - Episode IV

Grass: "We wanted to do a tactical style podcast based around our 4141s that we were rocking in FM18. Dan also had the ingenious idea (and plan) to bring James (@FMPressure) on the podcast (a 4141 guru and all-round top guy). His entrance was brilliant and further reinforced GnG's unpredictability and descent into madness!"

Quote of the pod: "Well, you’d have to ask James…"

Guest: James (@FMPressure)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/4141-episode-iv-grassngear

Panini Pictionary - Episode V

Grass: "Everybody was going Panini sticker crazy with the 2018 FIFA World Cup approaching. So I thought it would be a good idea to open a pack live on air and then draw a player each (in a Panini style) and see if we can guess who we've each drawn. Great fun, especially when Dan starts discussing paninis.

Quote of the pod: "Do you like panini Tony?"

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/panini-pictionary-episode-v-grassngear

Fantasy Daft - Episode VI

Grass: "We played Fantasy Draft mode. I picked players born in the 1st half of the year and Dan those from the 2nd half of the year. There were some laughs along the way as I painfully tried to commentate through it all"

Quote of the pod: “Grass Snake Vs Panther”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/fantasy-daft-episode-vi-grassngear

Dear Geary - Episode VII

Grass: "James (@FMPressure) once made a great offline comment about Dan, it's a bit explicit for this blog so DM me if you want to know about this gem…but the crux is that Dan talks sense. Like it or not, he's the FM Community's agony uncle we need and this was a great episode. Hopefully we can do a sequel in 2019.

Quote of the pod: “It’s up to Ed whether he can make a long-term relationship out of it”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/dear-geary-episode-vii-grassngear

Konichiwa Bitches - Episode VIII

Grass: "As part of the World Cup hype, we chose Japan as our adoptive nation to support. I'm really happy how we linked Japan, real life football and Football Manager together in a podcast. It eventually led us to recruit, a now good friend, Hiro Yoshimoto. Hiro was seconded to our Social Media role for the World Cup, replacing Pedro who took annual leave. Hiro was amazing and made a cameo guest appearance in episode X.

Quote of the pod: “Konichiwa Bitches”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/konichiwa-bitches-episode-viii-grassngear

The job advert that recruited Hiro Yoshimoto.

Mr And Mr - Episode IX

Grass: "Our mate Oliver Jensen was getting married, so I thought we should have a wedding themed pod to celebrate the event. Obviously we had the task of mixing in Football Manager, but I'm happy with the games and laughs that occurred. The wedding speeches were amazing and kudos for Mr Jensen's Mr & Mr game.

Quote of the pod: "Dilly Dilly"…"Dilly Dilly"…"Dilly Dong"

Guest: Oliver Jensen (@fmFutbolManager)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/mr-and-mr-episode-ix-grassngear

Countdown - Episode X

Grass: "The pod that nobody remembers (even though it featured Hiro Yoshimoto)? Well that was the case in our survey we did for episode XVIII - see Pointless. But I loved recording this pod, which replicated one of the UK's most famous TV shows. I failed at maths and Dan failed with words. Totally GnG."

Quote of the pod: "I thank the bosses for allowing me to undertake this role direct from Tokyo. I love Football Manager and I am privileged to be on the best FM Podcast”

Guest: Hiro Yoshimoto

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/countdown-episode-x-grassngear

Mrs And Mrs - Episode XI

Grass: "Quite possibly the best FM Podcast ever recorded is the one that is delivered by two women who have never played the game. Figure that one out!"

Quote of the pod: "Hi Morgan, why Bolivia fame?"

Guests: Morgan & Stacy

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/mrs-and-mrs-episode-xi-grassngear

Blind Date - Episode XII

Grass: "Another TV show-style pod. The Football Manager discussion was about Dan's transfer recruitment, perhaps outshone by the pod that went before it…but a solid entry nevertheless in GnG lore."

Quote of the pod: “Who’s gonna make it to Kasimpasa and get a year’s supply of kebab?”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/blind-date-episode-xii-grassngear

The 2018 GnG Fan Day was a massive success, with four people turning up (including Grass N Gear).

Rap Battle - Episode XIII

Grass: "This pod perhaps came 1 year too soon, as the discussion around gegenpressing would be more relevant and insightful now that FM19 has introduced lines of engagement for pressing triggers. Still, a great chat with Matthias and I enjoyed our little rap battle to kick start the pod. Wu Tang!"

Quote of the pod: “A Scribe-Grasshopper mixtape could be brilliant”

Guest: Matthias (@Mr_Scribe)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/battle-rap-episode-xiii-grassngear

Vietnamese Millionaire - Episode XIV

Grass: "I'm unsure if Dan or I will make much money from this pod, or achieve any fame whatsoever. But we at least made Dan a Vietnamese Millionaire…something that equates to around £30. It was a great podcast to record…I didn't think Dan could go all the way and my shock was genuine. Big thanks to CurtyFM who was on standby as the 'Phone A Friend'…the poor guy spent his evening waiting by the phone…then when it finally did ring we only used him for 34 seconds. Trololol"

Quote of the pod: “Love me some dongs”

Guest: Curty (@CurtyFM)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/vietnamese-millionaire-episode-xiv-grassngear

Newgen Or No Newgen - Episode XV

Grass: "Dan was playing a rather choice game on Twitter and then asked if he could play it on the pod. Luckily we took out…those things…and added in some FM instead. I enjoyed Dan leading on this one and just went along with his madness."

Quote of the pod: “There’s a Twitter account that plays a game sometimes, called Cock-Or-No-Cock”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/newgen-or-no-newgen-episode-xv-grassngear

FM19 New Features - Episode XVI

Grass: "With FM19 fast approaching, everybody was talking about new features. James (@FMPressure) had the ingenious thought that it would be a good idea to produce a pod based around this very topic…but with a twist. With this in mind, I wanted to replicate the 'Fighting Talk' show that Radio 5Live do and 'Just A Minute' on Radio 2…so I needed guests. Luckily we were able to attract both Oliver and James back in to GnG HQ. The twist was those guys and Dan defending ridiculous ideas that I had drafted out pre-pod. Signs of hesitation and repetition would result in a 'buzz' from me. The lads did well.

Quote of the pod: "You see, it's like a nipple"

Guests: James (@FMPressure) & Oliver Jensen (@fmFutbolManager)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/fm19-new-features-episode-xvi-grassngear

Fake FM19 News - Episode XVII

Grass: "More FM19 hype. This time on the subject of people's saves. Dan wanted to go down a 'Breaking News' type direction…which I fully embraced. We were able to get on some big names like Oliver Jensen, Paul The Northman and Golden FM.

Quote of the pod: "My channel is starting to look like JustM1kePlays channel: completely dead”

Guests: Oliver Jensen (@fmFutbolManager), Paul (@Golden_FM) & Paul II (@TN_TheNorthman)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/fake-fm19-news-episode-xvii-grassngear

The 2018 GnG Family Day asked Father Christmas for 20 more episodes.

Pointless - Episode XVIII

Grass: "This pod required some effort, not just from me who had the arduous task of structuring a pod in order to be as close as to the TV show as possible…but also the FM Twitter Community who were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses led to a really fun game of Pointless with JimG and Ted coming on to help out Dan who was on drugs.

Quote of the pod: “Porn is a genre, that’s correct”

Guests: Jim (@JimGFM) & Ted (@TedRedwood)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/pointless-episode-xviii-grassngear

Dear Grassy - Episode XIX

Grass: "I went to the Sports Interactive HQ for the FM19 Alpha capture event, I could have done a Q&A with Miles Jacobsen…I could have verbally reviewed FM19. Instead, Dan wanted to ask me about who I thought was the best dressed content creator. He GnG'ed it."

Quote of the pod: “They had a really nice tap there”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/dear-grassy-episode-xix-grassngear

Would I Lie To You - Episode XX

Grass: "Following on from Pointless, came another great TV programme to replicate: BBC's ‘Would I Lie To You’. Dan wanted to have a 'podcast theme', so we invited a co-host from the OneMoreGame, TheFMNotebook & WingingIt podcasts. It was great fun putting this one together and the guys were brilliant at covering lies or adding comedic relief to bend the truth. Notably Mike According, who went to great lengths by reading out his children's bedtime story live on air."

Quote of the pod: “Sweetie Baby, where’s my Sweetie Baby?”

Guests: Mike (@accordingtofm), Graeme (@GafferGraemoFM) & Ryan (@CookieFM_)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/would-i-lie-to-you-episode-xx-grassngear

I loved working on these lies pre-pod, the lads on Episode XX were brilliant.

21 Questions REBOOT - Episode XXI - GrassNGear

Grass: "One of the joys about GnG, is that some of the games we've played have replay value. 21 Questions on the 21st pod, an ode back to the original GnG simply made sense. Dan was keen for this, but instead it was his turn to guess my FM feature."

Quote of the pod: “You’ve not probed me enough”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/21-questions-reboot-episode-xxi-grassngear

Cards Against Football Manager - Episode XXII

Grass: "This pod was requested by Mark from the WheelFellOff podcast months ago. I held it in the back of my mind, as we needed the right concoction of humour and personalities for it to work. I always knew Dan could be counted on to generate laughs (at least from me), but getting Loki and Chris on was a brilliant coup for us. Two great guys that are genuine on/off air."

Quote of the pod: “If he’s having a bad game, just pop it on”

Guests: Loki (@LokiDokigg) & Chris (@ProudieYT)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/cards-against-football-manager-episode-xxii-grassngear

Timeline - Episode XXIII

Grass: "Making timelines is something I enjoy doing. I did this for FM podcasts a few months ago. FM Twitter is also the gift that keeps giving, so much stuff happens, so I thought I would it would be fun to get Dan and guest to plot them on a timeline. This particular guest was a throwback to Vietnamese Millionaire: ‘34 second CurtyFM’. A top guy who is great podding material, I'd have him back in a heartbeat.”

Quote of the pod: “Whilst everybody is hyping up the German shit, I’ll dive on in”

Guest: Curty (@CurtyFM)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/timeline-episode-xxiii-grassngear

Room 101 - Episode XXIV

Grass: “Lots of people talk about adding things into Football Manager, but there are things GrassNGear would like to take out. We went down the Room 101 route, which was a popular UK TV show around 10-15 years ago. Big thanks for Daz (@FMheathen) who came on with us, he’s a long time player and contributed to the semi-serious FM discussion.

Quote of the pod: “I can’t believe I am saying this, but I fucking agree with him [Tony]”

Guest: Daz (@FMheathen)

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/room-101-episode-xxiv-grassngear

Around The World Again - Episode XXV

Grass: “The previous three episodes of GnG had guests on, so it always felt right to have a more intimate pod between Dan and I. We decided pretty early on we wanted to reboot another previous episode: Around The World. This time, I came equipped with a few community saves and made Dan guess them. Can’t believe he thought ‘God Save The Queen’ was an opera, what the actual fuck mate ?!?

Quote of the pod: “Just sounded like an opera to be fair”

Pod URL: https://soundcloud.com/grass-gear/around-the-world-again-episode-xxv-grassngear

The Future

We only work in the short-term. Dan and I have a few pods lined up for February & March, but we have no idea beyond this. I suppose this is the magic of the pod, 2019 could well see the end of GrassNGear…but similarly it could also be the year we reach world wide fame and fortune. Who knows.

Subscribe, like, share and laugh along with us to find out…

www.soundcloud.com/grass-gear

Grass

"Guerreiro’s Gift" - Orange Is The New Black #FM19

January 18, 2019

Previously on Orange Is The New Black, Achilles Goss kept faith with his players.

Better than Ole Gunnar Solskjær?

"No" - the answer to the above question.

In the last two editions of Football Manager I have posed similar questions to myself, comparing my exploits to the managerial feats of José Mourinho at Inter Milan & Osvaldo Zubeldía’s Estudiantes. I’m unsure if it’s a sign of regression, or the state of things here at FC Lorient…but my in-game persona, Achilles Goss, failed to beat Ole Gunnar Solskjær to the 2019/20 Ligue 1 Manager of The Year award. Despite a successful season, with Lorient retaining their place in France’s top tier and exceeding board & fan expectations: Solskjær won. A manager who improved Lille from 15th place to 6th and won nothing, hardly justifying the award is it?

Never mind, my second season in Football Manager 2019 has been a blast. We stayed up and played some good football in the process…perhaps a little too brazen at times (going six months without an away win) but I’ve enjoyed it all the same. It’s even led me to reject the summer advances of En Avant Guingamp, Stuttgart & OL. I’ve decided to honour my Lorient contract…which means at least one more year here in the North West of France.

But ending the season €6.5m in debt reminds me of the task at hand, Goss’ Lorient aren’t out of the woods just yet. However, a gift awaits…

Season 2019/20

It was an unspectacular 2nd half of the season, where we struggled for consistency. We won the last four remaining home games, whilst ending the season on a 6-match losing streak away from home. It painfully highlights that my tactic needs perfecting, which will be a central focus as I head into pre-season.

But let's face it: a 7th placed finished has surpassed my initial expectations for the season, we were never in a relegation scrap as we pushed for Europe in the final weeks. The theme of 'Trust' from my previous blog post was undeniably rewarded as nine players from the previous Ligue 2 season started in our XI on the final day of the season (a 3-1 home win to relegate Nice).

I am also happy with the output I am getting from my trio of attackers: IF-DLF-W. Central Striker Gaëtan Courtet equalling his league goal scoring tally for last season with 18 goals. Also, big outputs from Fonsinho 8 goals/10 assists and Cabot with a league topping 60 key passes for the season. I am also happy with Victorien Angban who made the central midfield slot his own as a Ball Winning Midfielder on support duty.

Areas to strengthen are clearly at Right Back, as temporary solution Christophe Jallet retires after a year back at Lorient. Also, my loan players: Younousse Sankharé, Alexis Blin and Facundo Colidio depart meaning that vacancies need to be filled centrally in midfield and upfront.

Guerreiro’s Gift

via GIPHY

Now on to the subject matter of today’s title. As mentioned in the intro, our debt had progressively grown over the last 12 months. Despite 19 of our 20 home attendances of 2019/20 being full capacity crowds of 17,076 fans, it's still not enough revenue coming into the club when combined with the meagre TV money that French clubs receive. Achilles Goss' FC Lorient are in a Catch-22 right now: we need to invest in improvements to the team in order to stay competitive (thus becoming more commercially attractive for future investment), but also manage the debt sensibly.

The task at hand was laid before me as I finished my inaugural season back in France’s top flight:

I'm accepting of the fact that I will need to sell in order to buy, it's actually proving a good challenge within the save. However, there was still one card up my sleeve yet to be played. Something I have been aware of since Day 1 of the save: the 20% of Dortmund's Raphaël Guerreiro's next transfer, who played for FC Lorient for 3 years during 2013-2016.

To view Transfer Clauses, visit the 'Transfers' screen and head to 'Clauses'. You will notice the currency symbol where clauses can be 'bought out' or ‘cashed out’. This means your Board have negotiated with other clubs to end the arrangement and this works for both incoming and outgoing clauses.

E.g. You may have signed a guy and agreed to pay the selling club X amount after 20 league goals. You can buy yourself out of this agreement for a lump sum, which will be cheaper than if you let the clause run its course.

In the case of Raphaël Guerreiro, I will only get 20% of the next transfer once he is signed by another club…so the fee and timing of that money coming in are outside of my control. Something which has been frustrating me over the last 2 years, as I patiently waited for bids to arrive…whilst casually spiralling into further debt! However, my Board has been negotiating a ‘cash-out’ during this time, and after viewing this screen over the course of 18 months I can see that there are good moments to exercise these deals. With the below factors influencing the cash-out value:

Age. Guerreiro is moving into his prime years. My observations lead me to believe that the clause's cash-out is dictated by how close a player is to his ability cap (CA/PA).
Similarly, the value changing could be based around more factors than just age/ability, perhaps additional factors that influence transfer value…such as: remaining contract length & wage.
Time in the season. The value increased over the two years in the approach to every transfer window. In fact, sometimes the clause was not even available to sell. Leading me to think that the Board negotiated different deals each time on the lead up to windows.
Interested clubs. Another factor that seemed to boost the cash-out value was the number of clubs interested in a permanent transfer. At the end of January 2019 (when still in Ligue 2), Guerreiro's cash-out value was around €7.8m due to the European Heavyweights of Barcelona, Man City, & PSG all being interested in him. At the time, I let this run the full course of the January Transfer Window (it rose from €5.65m to €7.8m in this month alone) and missed out on the highest cash-out option offered to me over the 2 years of observation.

Guerreiro's cash-out value (January 2019-June 2020)

So, I've decided to finally cash-out at €6.7m in June 2020, a million euros less than 18 months ago. Why? Because I simply need the money right now. I couldn't work on €106k with a key player retiring and 3 players loans expiring, Season 3 would have been more challenging than Season 2! It was simply time to exercise Guerreiro's gift. I’m not frustrated by the outcome either, this particular clause on FM has been enjoyable to see play out and perhaps somebody, somewhere, can take note and use it to cash-out at the optimum moment.

New Signings

With the Guerreiro money and €3.5m sponsorship arriving to see us out of the red, I’ve been able to invest in a permanent Right Back. Darko Todorovic arriving with a deal rising to €2.5m. Darko moved from RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig in-game last season for €6.5m, so signing him for circa 60% less a year later is good value.

I have my new 2020 scouting team to thank, as I wanted to move quick in the transfer market by using the short-term focus option in the scouting screen. The team is now led by Gérard Bonneau, who is a great target for any scouting team (see below). Underneath him I have recruited Pierre Aubame as an African scout, together I hope they can prompt me to look at some fine talent.

In advanced of the move to bring in Darko Todorovic, I had arranged pre-contract deals with two young midfielders, who I hope can fill the void in central midfield: Agustín Palavecino & Luca Valzania.

I see Palavecino as a Deep Lying Playmaker and Valzania as a more Box-to-Box type of player in my 4141, but both free signings are still a bit risky. Palavecino has never played in a top-flight match (as he hails from the Primera B Nacional in Argentina) and Luca Valzania has only made a few cameo appearances for Atalanta in Serie A.

There’s around €200k left in the transfer budget for the back-up Striker. I could also explore the loan market and see if I can find value there or sell to buy. But the gift of Raphaël Guerreiro has certainly helped me out in this save, merci mon ami.

As always, to find out what happens next on OITNB follow me on Twitter (@FM_Grasshopper), on FM Slack (#fmgrasshopper)…or on here for the next post.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper

"Trust" - Orange Is The New Black #FM19

January 4, 2019

Previously on Orange Is The New Black, Achilles Goss' Lorient returned to Ligue 1 at the first attempt.

Intro

Survival plans after gaining promotion.

I have seen a lot of people write about them. Create a matrix of fixtures they expect points from in order to prioritise those games, overhaul the playing staff, change up tactically to be more defensive; all effective in the pursuit of beating the drop. But Achilles Goss really didn't do much at all…yet his Lorient side somehow finds itself 8th in Ligue 1 going into the 2019/20 Winter Break. But what he did do was trust the team, and the system, that saw Lorient promoted. Perhaps trusting an evolution, rather than revolution, which is what I will be writing about today.

Trust

Trust [noun]: firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.

Regular followers/readers will know that last season was a struggle to get out of Ligue 2, and we took the hardest route possible. But despite the ups and downs, the team achieved it…culminating in the Ligue 1 Promotion Play Off against higher opposition Dijon FCO. Despite only winning 2-1 on aggregate, these two matches showed that we were up to the standard of Ligue 1 and I shouldn't panic going into the season. Instead, I should polish around the edges of my 1st team and then review what I need for 2020 and beyond.

With this in mind, I learnt to 'trust':

The same reliable 4141 DM wide system that got us promoted (possession based: positive/short passing/play out of defence)
The key performers from 2018/19: Cabot, Courtet, Fonsinho, Lemoine & Le Goff.
In minimal recruitment, only in the areas that I felt were weakest (Right Back & Central Midfield)

Pre-Season

Despite last season's exploits in Ligue 2, I didn't really know how we were going to hold up against Ligue 1 opposition longer term. We bested Dijon FCO over the two legs with possession and chances, but that's all I had to go on. On top of this, the FM19 match engine had a bit of an overhaul with a significant update, so I thought I would put in a few testing games over pre-season against Anderlecht, Bayer & Standard to see how we fared:

On reflection it was a decent pre-season and I made some subtle tweaks to my 4141 (see below). I'm enjoying the interchanging of my central midfield, Younousse Sankharé particularly excelling as the Box-to-Box mid. He arrived on an 18-month loan deal in January 2019 from Bordeaux and took 6 months before he finally started to look like a good player. Alongside him are new arrivals, again both at no immediate transfer cost to Lorient: utility midfielder Alexis Blin (a season long loan from Toulouse) and aggressive ball winner Victorien Angban (a Free Transfer from Chelsea). All three complement Fabien Lemoine well, who is our primary playmaker (DLP-D) and club captain.

The Dutch South American Football Expert that posted this will remain nameless, in order to protect his identity.

The final signing was a controversial one (if my Slack channel is led to believe), Christophe Jallet joined from Nice for €97k. It divided opinion, perhaps people always like the younger players…but there is something about the experienced head that I trust. Christophe is 35 years of age and has played out his career entirely in France. Furthermore, he knows Lorient well (having played there between 2006-2009). He'd be my 1st choice at Right Back, as I missed out on top targets Milan Gajic and Valentin Rosier who rejected my contracts. Current Right Backs Jonathan Martins Pereira & Houboulang Mendes are continued weak links and will compete for the reserve slot.

Our 4141 and first choice XI going into 2019/20 looked like this:

Changes to this season’s 4141:

The playmaking role has been shifted to DM due to Lemoine’s advancing years (and his declining quickness). I have changed him from DLP on Support to Defend, to get him to move less forward and let the younger guys in front of him do most of the running.
Central midfield varies between CM-A + BWM and B2B + BWM, dependant on personnel and game situation. Whatever the combo, I am in love with a BWM-S this year…Victorien Angban is joyous to watch. He glides over the pitch like a rabid animal, hunting for his prey in a one-man wolfpack.
The Wing Back role in the team has been moved to the left, due to Jallet’s advancing years at right back. Le Goff is usually WB-S or WB-A, and one of our key performers. There’s also a good output to him too in terms of assists, as he bombs forward well. Jallet has been made a standard FB on Support, he is the elder statesman of the team: reliable and steady.
Additionally, I’ll resort to the classic [panic station] 442 with two upfront (AF + DLF) when I am chasing a game in the 2nd half, but I have genuinely used this less in FM19.

Season 2019/20

A great opening month saw us shock everybody, including myself! A 2-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain was the standout result. Although there have been ups and down, we haven’t really looked out of place at all. We’re able to compete well and 31 points at this stage of the season leaves me with hope that survival is a sure thing. I predict that 40 points will see us safe, and until I achieve this tally it will remain my ultimate aim.

…and the league table as it stands in January 2020:

One delight has been our home form, in front of nine maximum capacity crowds of 17,076 fans: 6 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. Average attendance by capacity is the league statistic we currently top, and justification for a larger capacity once I have some money in the bank. Fingers crossed I can work some magic in the Transfer Market over the coming years and make my dreams a reality!

100% average attendance by capacity. If only there was a trophy for this at the end of the year!

Achilles’ Africa

In the opening post to this series I mentioned why my player recruitment would be targeting Africa in FM19. I made a good start in my 1st season, bringing in Left Back Elderson Echiejile (Nigeria) & Winger Fonsinho (Côte d’Ivoire).

I have added to this over the last 12 months in-game. In came aforementioned Younousse Sankharé (Senegal) on an 18-month loan deal from Bordeaux and my 2nd Ivorian signing, Victorien Angban (Côte d’Ivoire) from Chelsea - who spent most of his early career being trafficked by that rotten English club. Central midfield now has an African presence in it with these two players: a Box to Box and Ball Winner respectively.

Countries recruited from so far: Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal & South Africa.

Rivaldo Coetzee in orange. He’ll join us in February after playing in the African Championship of Nations 2020.

But the standout January 2020 arrival is Rivaldo Coetzee (South Africa), who many Football Managers will know as a highly gifted Ball Playing Defender with bags of potential. Not only is he rated the best defender by our coaches, he could also fetch me some profit if he proves himself in Europe.

Rivaldo has been highly rated in the last few editions of the game, but in real life he’s really struggled with a foot injury which has seen him miss a lot of football and has resulted in operations to correct. The ‘African Rolls Royce defender’ has been on Achilles Goss’ shortlist since Day 1 of this save, but a formal offer was not made until he proved he could stay fit:

There have been a few niggling injuries (I can’t lie, it still worries me), but in terms of injury severity & duration they are relatively minor and what you’d expect from a player coming back from such a big injury. We’ve therefore continued today’s theme of trust and have gone big, Director of Football Christophe Le Roux negotiating a €925k fee with Mamelodi Sundowns. This has however pushed us further into the red, with an overall balance of -€3.5m. Sooner or later I will have to make up some of this money with a player sale or two.

Thus begins the 2nd half of 2019/20, a season which has been really enjoyable to play so far. As always, to find out what happens next in Brittany follow me on Twitter (@FM_Grasshopper), on FM Slack (#fmgrasshopper)…or on here for the next post.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper