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HI there guys, KB here and welcome to the first part of my Nottingham Forest career
mode! This episode's probably going to be more of an intro, with a couple of transfer
dealings - so let me know who you think I should buy in the comments below!
I have a vision for Forest: to get the back into the Premier League with a young, dynamic
squad, and to get them back into Europe like the glory days of Clough! Not so much the
*** days of Stan Collymore. ANYWAY!
With a transfer kitty of almost 7 million pounds, I had enough to invest in some players
with a bright future - but first I had to get rid of the dead wood. I knew the players
I loved: Chris Cohen, Jamie Paterson, Henri Lansbury, Jamie Mackie, Jamal...Lascelles?
Lascells? Laskells? Someone, help me out here!
WIth that in mind, and having arched The Football League show at least twice, I had a pretty
good idea what to do with my squad.
*** ***
*** ***
***-hit ***
I wanted to get the old people out (except Andy Reid) and make sure my team was quick
and dynamic (except, well...Andy Reid.) So I started to look at young, quick attackers
and found Samid Yesil, a 19 year old striker from Liverpool. I also found Jack Grealish,
a 17 year old Aston Villa winger that looked increasingly promising. SO i bunged in a couple
of enquiries for them.
Needless to say, the first two figures that were presented to me were rubbish. There's
no way I'm spending £2.7 million on these guys! SO I try to be cheeky, and slap in a
700 grand bid for 1.1 million rated Grealish, and 900k for Yesil. Unsurprisingly...both
clubs found this EXTREMELY insulting. SO I meet them halfway, with an 830k bid to Villa,
and 1.2 million for Yesil, which seems to work out fine!
I match both their contract demands, which seems to have worked out well for Grealish
- the winger joining me for some promising talent on the flank.... but Yesil wants to
know his squad role. As a young player behind *** and Mackie, I say he'll be squad rotation
(that's being generous) and fire it back. and what do I get?
Cheeky ***. Little *** plays for the under 21's at Liverpool, and think's he's too good
for a team that has won the European Cup? *** it, I'll offer him 2 grand more.
OH, what a surprise! You better be awesome, you little git.
ANYWAY, it's not just incomings. I manage to sell 18 year old Kieran Wallace to Wycombe
for 60k, and Middlesbrough offer 850k for Dexter Blackstock. I think he's worth more
- I counter with a figure of 1.1 million, and Middlesbrough are more than happy to accept.
However, it's the first game of the pre-season, and I'm up against Al-Ettifaq. I decide to
switch things about a bit, changing the 4-1-2-1-2 formation into a flat 4-4-2, and bringing
Grealish, Abdoun, Yesil and Khaled into the team.
Starting the game off, and t looks like one of my buys is a real steal. Grealish makes
a great run into the centre, and it's such a shame I couldn't pull off the volley to
put us 1-0 up, the ball just trickling wide.
Yesil however is not living up to his hype - he's quick, but certainly not able to hold
up the ball, and Al-Ettifaq go tanking up their right wing. A cross comes in which threatens
to break the deadlock, but Hobbs hits it away. Again, Yesil loses the ball, and I notice
something that really worries me: our midfield and attack is tenacious, but is kind of weak
under the challenge.
Also, my over the top through balls are not working at all - and to make it worse, the
Al-Ettifaq team is dribbling rings around me! HOwever, I'm getting the most shots off,
a break leading to a chance for captain Chris Cohen. Mackie also tries to open up the scoring
with a nice fake shot inside the area, but his finesse shot is just woeful, and easily
cleared.
Moment later, Yesil finally looks like he's settling into the game: a punch away by the
goal keeper lands sweetly for him, and his overhead kick is impressive...but caught by
the keeper. Lansbury also forces a save from the keeper from outside the box, before Yesil
squanders yet another chance, his finesse shot being stopped by the goalie's outstretched
foot. I go into the break at 0-0, and I wonder how the hell I haven't scored!
I decide to make a change up front, bringing on Simon *** to replace Mackie... the second
half starts off poorly, a lot of back and forth, but I was made to pay for my bad performance
in front of goal, a pinball moment at the back allowing Buhumaid to slot past Khaled,
opening the scoring against the run of play. I'm in such a state of shock that they almost
score a second, the post stopping an otherwise goal bound volley with my keeper all at sea.
I surge forward, and Majewski makes a great run, his shot's timing ruined by a well-made
sliding challenge. Yesil then shows off his pace, running onto a fine through ball before
being bundled off the ball. I threw everything at this team. Grealish with a free kick, Yesil
with another darting run... but Al-Ettifaq were playing keep ball and my team weren't
strong enough to get past them. I end up losing our first match 1-0 to a team I can hardly
even pronounce....I have got a lot of work to do.