Arguably, the worst available English side in the game.
Usually upon purchasing the latest edition of FM each year I'll take on a few seasons with my favourite team (Rangers FC) in a bid to get a feel for any of the new features of the year and to really just get familiar with the interface again. However, this year, after I experienced a ridiculously fast drop in motivation to manage the Champions of Scotland, and felt the need to dive right into the deep-end.
Lower League Management (LLM) is my chosen level almost all of the time when playing, but I don't think I've ever had a shock quite like the one I was faced with this morning as I added myself as the new manager at Rivacre Park.
The Motormen sit with only ONE part-time contract player on their books, with the rest getting by on amateur deals. This stunned me. I can't ever remember seeing that at any club that I've taken control of in any edition. To make matters worse, the finances are Β£80k in the red and the media predict a dead-bottom 22nd-placed finish at the dregs of the Blue Square North.
"Oh, well. Let's see what free transfers my scouts can unearth for me. I'll need to get in bodies with the squad being so short in numbers." - I thought to myself. Not going to happen.
The VMFC wage bill stands at a staggering...Β£500. That left Β£150 for me to play with. Wut.
This, along with Tranmere Rovers' (our parent club) reluctance to loan ANY unneeded players out - bar one - to the Cheshire side, has made things extremely difficult. After releasing one part-time player I found in the reserves, I managed to free another Β£150 for wages. I can bring in two players on part-time deals. As for anyone else time will tell, but I can't see it being possible to inject the squad with any other talent.
After a grueling pre-season, I'm one friendly away from the first fixture of the season, Boston away. I've tinkered with one or two tactics throughout the summer but I still can't decide whether to keep things tight and play extremely defensive (the team is ridiculously low in quality and depth to play football 'the right way') or whether to ignore my worries and attack as normal, with pride still intact.
I've told the board that I will save the Club from relegation, perhaps the biggest promise I've ever made to any Chairman that I've worked under in any of my previous games.
Any advice for the year ahead?
