Southampton Save

I decided to get back into FM and start a fresh save. I'm starting in the Championship with Southampton. They have state of the art youth facilities and I'm planning on creating a Barca style long term plan for the club.

----------------

Season 1: 2011/2012

Npower Championship: Champions

Spoiler:

Carling Cup: Eliminated (Second Round v Everton)

Spoiler:

FA Cup: Eliminated (5th Round v Everton)

Spoiler:

Transfers

Spoiler:

Season 2: 2012/2013

Premier League: In Progress

Spoiler:

Carling Cup: In Progress

Spoiler:

FA Cup: In Progress

Spoiler:

Transfers

Spoiler:

good luck. Stay Classy.

2011/2012 Pre-Season...

Expectations: Challenge for the title
Starting Transfer Budget: £7.3M
Total Wage Budget: £21M

Matches:
v Celtic
@ Eastleigh
v ManUtd
@ Gillingham
@ Scunthorpe
@ MK Dons

Ahmed's men started the pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Celtic at home followed by a 7-0 thrashing of Eastleigh. A surprise 2-0 victory over Manchester United was followed by Southampton's first signing of the season. Midfielder, Jack Collison, signed for a record £4.5M from West Ham United. The 22-year-old was delighted in joining Southampton on a 4-year, £1M-a-year contract.

Ahmed is looking at signing at least one more player, especially a central defender. Only £3M remain in the transfer budget.

Southampton finished the pre-season in style after a surprise victory over Manchester United. Southampton beat Gillingham 8-0 followed by a 4-2 victory over Scunthorpe. The last friendly against MK Dons, finished in an astonishing 10-0 thrashing.

Two new signings were completed with the capture of defenders Matthew Kilgallon (£2.6M) and Paul Quinn (£275K). Midfielder, Ben Reeves, heads to Eastleigh for a 6-month loan.

Pre-Season Stats

Top Scorer: Billy Sharp (10)
Top Assister: Adam Lallana (8)
Best Average Rating: Billy Sharp (8.58)

August 2011

Southampton opened the league campaign with a draw against West Ham. Southampton dominated play and had several chances on goal, but were unlucky and could not find the back of the net. The Saints claimed good wins in the other league matches. The low point was a 4-3 loss to Millwall after leading 3-0. In the Carling Cup, Southampton came back from behind to beat Stevenage before losing a lead to Everton in the second round.

Southampton 0-0 West Ham (League)
Stevenage 1-2 Southampton (Carling Cup 1st Round)
Reading 1-3 Southampton (League)
Southampton 3-1 Coventry (League)
Millwall 4-3 Southampton (League)
Everton 2-1 Southampton (Carling Cup 2nd Round)
Southampton 5-1 Doncaster (League)

League Position: 3rd (2 points off the top of the league)

We're trying to model our youth facilities on Barca IRL.

If you need any advice, I'm your man.

Jordi wrote:We're trying to model our youth facilities on Barca IRL.

If you need any advice, I'm your man.

Yeah that's what I'm trying to do in my FM save.

September 2011

Southampton continued their unbeaten run with two comfortable victories over Leeds and Hull before a disappointing draw against Brighton.

Leeds 0-4 Southampton
Hull 0-3 Southampton
Southampton 1-1 Brighton

League Position: 5th (3 points off the top)

October 2011

Southampton continued their form in the league as they fight for the title. One disappointment this season has been Southampton's home form. In their two home matches this month, the Saints lost and drew. However, Southampton's away form is the best in the league.

Bristol City 0-3 Southampton
Blackpool 0-0 Southampton
Southampton 0-3 Peterborough
Barnsley 1-4 Southampton
Southampton 2-2 Derby

League Position: 5th (2 points off top)

November 2011

Southampton remained unbeaten in November and managed to get a much needed win at home against Watford. The Saints now lie at the top of the table by one point with a game in hand still. After returning from his second long-term injury this season, Iago Falque yet again got injured. This time he will be out for a longer three months. The playmaker has been in top form with Southampton in the few matches he has played this season, but his injury record is raising a few questions. Falque is on loan from Tottenham Hotspurs for the season.

Leicester 0-1 Southampton
Ipswich 0-2 Southampton
Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace
Southampton 1-0 Watford
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Southampton

League Postion: 1st (1 point on top)

Assuming you're on 12.2, do everything you can to bring Luke Shaw through, he's a -9 for potential.

Looking good so far, keep it up.

December 2011

Southampton finished the year off with several dropped points, but still remain at the top of the table. The Saints home record remained questionable and they suffered two heavy defeats away to Middlesborough and West Ham United.

Southampton 0-0 Burnley
Southampton 1-1 Birmingham
Middlesborough 3-1 Southampton
Southampton 3-2 Cardiff City
Portsmouth 2-4 Southampton
West Ham 4-1 Southampton

League Position: 1st (tied at the top)

January 2012

Southampton began the new year in style by maintaing a 100% winning record. Four wins in the league, propelled Southampton 6 points clear at the top. The Saints opened their FA Cup campaign with wins over Oxford and Leeds United. They have been drawn against Everton for the 5th Round. Everton had come back from a goal down to eliminate Southampton from the Carling Cup earlier this season. The great month saw Ahmed win Manager of the Month for the second time this season. There was also a clean sweep in the Player of the Month awards. Billy Sharp, Matthew Kilgallon, and Tadanari Lee won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively.

Coventry 1-5 Southampton
Oxford 0-5 Southampton
Southampton 2-0 Reading
Southampton 2-0 Millwall
Leeds 1-5 Southampton
Doncaster 0-2 Southampton

League Position: 1st (6 points on top)

February 2012

Southampton continued their fine form in the month of February. They now sit top of the table 13 points clear of second place, Peterborough. In the FA Cup, Everton hosted Southampton in a dramatic 4-4 draw. Everton looked likely to eliminate Southampton from yet another competition, but The Saints came back to equalize. Southampton were perhaps even hard done as they gave up two penalties. The replay will be at Southampton next month.

Southampton 2-1 Leeds
Southampton 5-0 Hull
Brighton 0-2 Southampton
Everton 4-4 Southampton (FA Cup 5th Round)
Southampton 2-0 Bristol City
Birmingham 2-1 Southampton
Peterborough 0-2 Southampton

League Position: 1st (13 points clear)

March 2012

Southampton remained a force to be reckoned with at the top of the table. With just 6 matches left in the league, Southampton are at most 4 points away from clinching the title. In the FA Cup, Southampton suffered a narrow loss to Everton in the replay match.

Southampton 0-2 Blackpool
Southampton 0-1 Everton
Southampton 0-0 Barnsley
Derby 0-1 Southampton
Southampton 3-0 Leicester
Crystal Palace 0-1 Southampton
Southampton 3-5 Ipswich

League Position: 1st (14 points clear)

April 2012

Southampton clinched the title with 4 matches left. The board and fans were jubilant with the surprise performances of the season. Now, the club looks forward to beginning the next season in the Premier League and survive relegation.

Southampton 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Watford 1-2 Southampton
Burnley 4-0 Southampton
Southampton 0-2 Middlesborough
Cardiff 3-1 Southampton
Southampton 1-0 Portsmouth

League Position: 1st (Champions)

2012/2013 Preseason

League Expectations: Avoid Relegation
FA Cup Expectations: 6th Round
Carling Cup Expectations: Quarterfinals
Transfer Budget: £18.2M
Wage Budget: £24.1M

Matches:

Eastleigh 0-3 Southampton
Shrewsbury 1-4 Southampton
Scunthorpe 2-2 Southampton
Walsall 1-3 Southampton
Southampton 2-0 Genk
Southampton 5-0 Werder Bremen
Southampton 4-0 Anderlecht
Southampton 3-1 Benfica

Transfers:

August/September 2012

Despite the magnificent preseason, Southampton have found some troubles in adapting to the Premier League. However, the results have not been bad for a recently promoted team. The Saints find themselves sitting in 12th place in the league. In the Carling Cup, Southampton beat off Charlton and Hull City to reach the 4th Round, where they will face last year's relegation side, Blackburn Rovers.

Everton 2-1 Southampton
Southampton 1-1 Stoke
Charlton 0-5 Southampton (Carling Cup 2nd Round)
Swansea 3-0 Southampton
Southampton 2-0 West Ham
Milwall 1-0 Southampton
Southampton 2-1 Hull (Carling Cup 3rd Round)
Southampton 4-3 Wigan

League Position: 12th (4 points above relegation zone; 5 points off Champions League zone)

You sold Tadanari Lee.

I wasn't planning on it, but an offer came through and I decided to let him go. I thought I could bring in someone better with the money. I'm sort of regretting it though because I couldn't find a replacement at this time.

October 2012

Southampton concluded a month full of surprises. Facing three of the strongest teams in England, Southampton managed to beat Arsenal and Manchester United with resounding wins. The Saints looked to be going for another miracle win against Chelsea when they were ahead 3-0 after 17 minutes. But Chelsea managed to make in 4-3 by the second half only for Southampton to equalize. Chelsea grabbed another 2 goals to put the match to bed. Southampton managed a consolation goal in the dying minutes to end a thrilling record breaking scoreline. In the Carling Cup, Southampton beat off Blackburn to advance to the quarterfinal.

Arsenal 0-3 Southampton
Southampton 3-1 Manchester United
Chelsea 6-5 Southampton
Southampton 3-1 Blackburn

League Position: 9th (6 points above relegation zone; 5 points off Champions League zone)

November 2012

Southampton remained undefeated throughout November. Wins over Aston Villa and Sunderland along with draws against Liverpool and Wolves, moved the club to 8th in the table and battling for a European spot.

Southampton 2-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool 3-3 Southampton
Southampton 2-1 Sunderland
Southampton 1-1 Wolves

League Position: 8th (10 points above relegation zone; 4 points off Champions League zone)

December 2012/January 2013

December 2012 and January 2013 were ups and lows for Southampton. After drawing with QPR and beating Norwich in the league, Southampton ended their 8-game unbeaten streak and suffered three consecutive losses. However, Southampton managed to turn their fortunes around and are currently on a 7-match unbeaten streak.

In the Carling Cup, Southampton came back from behind to beat off Crystal Palace to set up a semifinal tie against Manchester City. The Saints shocked the footballing world when they beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium and drew 1-1 at home to reach the Carling Cup final against Stoke.

In transfer news, Southampton secured Bassong on a permanent basis with a £1.1M deal. The former Tottenham defender was delighted to have finally secured a permanent move away from White Hart Lane. Luna, an 18-year old American goalkeeper, transfered to Southampton for free. The youngster is expected to be a quality goalkeeper for the future. Last but not least, Southampton managed to fight off Arsenal to secure the signature of 19-year old, Faure, for a reported £4.7M deal. The French striker will leave from Stade Rennais FC in the summer. The signing has increased speculation over the departure of Rickie Lambert, which has been mostly benched under Ahmed's management.

QPR 1-1 Southampton
Southampton 2-1 Crystal Palace (Carling Cup Quarterfinal)
Southampton 1-0 Norwich
Tottenham 3-0 Southampton
Fulham 3-1 Southampton
Southampton 2-4 Manchester City
Southampton 2-0 West Brom
Southampton 0-0 Everton
Coventry 0-1 Southampton (FA Cup 3rd Round)
Stoke 2-3 Southampton
Manchester City 0-1 Southampton (Carling Cup Semifinal 1st Leg)
West Ham 1-4 Southampton
Southampton 1-1 Manchester City (Carling Cup Semifinal 2nd Leg)

League Position: 9th (17 points above relegation zone; 11 points off Champions League zone with a game in hand)

February/March 2012

Southampton only won two league matches in the last two months and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal in the 4th Round. Draws against Milwall, Aston Villa, and a loss to Swansea made the task of qualifying for the Champions League an improbably task. Southampton also gave up a last second equalizer to Liverpool in their last match.

In the Carling Cup, Southampton beat Stoke 1-0 to clinch the title and qualify for the Europa League next season. The title was Southampton's first in the club's history and that means manager, Ahmed, has won one title for Southampton every season so far. He has however, expressed his slight disappointment at dropping points in the league and believes Southampton should be fighting for the last Champions League spot.

Southampton were hit with injuries to Chaplow, Sharp, Grandin, Richardson, and Carabajal. Sharp will miss the rest of the season, while the others have recovered from their injuries. With 8 matches left in the league, Southampton have winnable games with the exceptions of Tottenham at home and Manchester City away. Ahmed has said he would be happy if his team finished at least 7th place in the league.

Arsenal 1-0 Southampton (FA Cup 4th Round)
Southampton 1-1 Milwall
Wigan 2-3 Southampton
Southampton 3-2 Arsenal
Southampton 0-1 Swansea
Stoke 0-1 Southampton (Carling Cup Final)
Manchester United 1-0 Southampton
Aston Villa 1-1 Southampton
Southampton 2-2 Chelsea
Southampton 1-1 Liverpool

League Position: 9th (25 points above relegation zone; 14 points off Champions League zone)

March/April 2012

Southampton dropped more points as they remained in their position in the league. Ahmed wished his team would have finished at least 7th place, but is happy with the overall performance of the team in their first Premier League season, especially the Carling Cup victory. He added that he is looking forward to compete on the European stage next season.

Sunderland 0-0 Southampton
Wolves 3-2 Southampton
Norwich 1-2 Southampton
Southampton 2-0 QPR
Southampton 0-1 Tottenham
Manchester City 2-0 Southampton
Southampton 4-0 Fulham
West Brom 0-2 Southampton

League Position: 9th

2013/2014 Preseason

League Expectations: Mid Table
FA Cup Expectations: 6th Round
Carling Cup Expectations: Quarterfinals
Europa League Expectations: Group Stage
Transfer Budget: £25.2M
Wage Budget: £32.1M

Matches:

Southampton 11-0 Calne
Munster 0-2 Southampton
Southampton 3-1 FC Bayern
Southampton 5-0 Atletico Madrid

Transfers:

July/August 2013

Southampton managed to beat off Valerenga and AA Gent in the Europa League qualification stages to enter the group stage. The new look Southampton opened their league campaign with an exciting 3-2 victory over defending champions, Manchester City, followed by a 3-1 victory over Stoke.

Europa League Draw:


Southampton 0-0 Valarenga (Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round First Leg)
Valaregna 0-4 Southampton (Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round Second Leg)
Southampton 3-2 Manchester City
AA Gent 0-3 Southampton (Europa League 4th Qualifying Round First Leg)
Southampton 3-0 AA Gent (Europa League 4th Qualifying Round Second Leg)
Southampton 3-1 Stoke

League Position: 3rd (6 points above relegation zone; 1 point off Champions League zone with a game in hand)

September/October 2013

Southampton had an inconsistent two months as they went from winning to losing matches. Ahmed's men still couldn't break the Everton curse as they slumped to a loss against the Merseyside club. Southampton sit in the middle of the table, but have two matches in hand. Wins in those two matches can see them jump to 3rd place in the league.

In the Europa League, Southampton will be needing a miracle to progress to the next round as they find themselves sitting 5 points behind second place, Ajax. In the Carling Cup, Southampton found a bit more consistency with resounding wins over West Brom and West Ham.

Blackburn 3-4 Southampton
Ajax 2-1 Southampton (Europa League Group Stage)
Southampton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
West Brom 1-3 Southampton (Carling Cup 3rd Round)
Sunderland 3-2 Southampton
Southampton 0-0 Lech Poznan (Europa League Group Stage)
Southampton 3-0 Fulham
Southampton 0-1 Everton
Metlalist 2-1 Southampton (Europa League Group Stage)
Southampton 4-0 West Ham (Carling Cup 4th Round)

League Position: 10th (8 points above relegation zone; 5 points off Champions League zone with 2 games in hand)
Europa League Group Position: 3rd (5 points off qualification)