Career One Season Only: Vardy Shooting For 80 Goals (SO CLOSE)

[Scratch]

On 3/20/2017 at 20:18, Jens said:

Honhonhon, monsieur Scratch. Ce qui ce passe? Très bien, jeune padawan.

 

Great start to the season. You'll have to overcome his settling-in process, but once that's out of the way, he'll get going for sure. When the going gets tough, je commence à parler en francais.

 

Haha, now I want a baguette! I should try to eat French food while I do this career.

[Scratch]

On 3/20/2017 at 21:40, BatiGoal said:

It sucks when you've got your eyes on certain players but don't have the funds to sign them. You have literally no time for squad building.. really tough this one but decent start.. KIU!

True! It makes it tricky. But all things considered, I have a pretty great squad for France, so am pretty happy (just always looking towards the next signing).

[Scratch]

Update - September

 

Vardy made a good start in August, with 5 goals in 4 games. Heading into September, we need to him keep that pace up at the very least and ideally even improve on it. Our fingers are crossed!

 

 

Settling In

 

Both Vardy and myself are new to the French league, so we should expect it'll take a while to settle in.

 

I was taken by surprise with a transfer window I'd never heard of:

 

The Joker transfer window? I guess I could use a Joker... Unfortunately, I've spent all my money! @Ashez are you available on a Bosman? 

 

For Vardy, settling in was less entertaining. Late in September, I noticed this:

 

The lad is finding it tough. I invited him into my office and told him how great his form had been and how happy I was with him and instantly he became much happier. But the following week, it was clear that he was still struggling to settle. I praised him again and it worked again, but I'm not sure how long it will last this time. Maybe I better find an English player to bring in on a free transfer to be his friend.

 

 

Goals

 

Fortunately, the problems Vardy has faced haven't stopped him scoring. In fact, he's traveling quite nicely:

 

He finally got that hat-trick I was wanting (though leaky defence):

 

And he's now up to 14 goals from 10 matches:

 

Not bad...

 

 

Results

 

We're doing quite well, which is to be expected given our resources.

 

 

Teammates

 

I thought I'd highlight where the assists are coming from:

 

Coman's doing quite well out there on the right wing (he prefers left Inside Forward) and Dudu is doing quite well on the left wing. Angel di Maria can't get a look in (actually he's played quite poorly). Verratti and Pastore have done really well in Central midfield.

 

And yes, our goalkeeper Muslera has also provided an assist - a beautiful clearance that found Vardy on the break, about two thirds the way down the pitch. Glorious! But apart form that, I don't think Vardy has scored any other goals on the counter, which surprises me. I was expecting more.

 

 

The Future

 

Vardy's currently scoring at 1.4 goals per game. If he keeps that ratio and we play 58 games, he's there! Of course, it may be hard to maintain that rate and we may not play that many games (or he may get injured), but he's looking like he's in with a shout.

 

I'll need to keep him happy though - he didn't score in that last game when his morale when down to Poor. It's back to Good now thanks to a little bit of praise. I'll have to keep his spirits up...

 

[Mr.Manager]

Wow, that was a lovely September! Shame about the last game and the potential problems with morale - as you say, bringing in another English player might help. Or a new contract? Great work.

 

 

[Scratch]

14 minutes ago, Mr.Manager said:

Wow, that was a lovely September! Shame about the last game and the potential problems with morale - as you say, bringing in another English player might help. Or a new contract? Great work.

Yeah, I actually opened the contract offer screen but didn't go through with it. I praised him again instead and that got rid of it again. If it comes back, I'll try a new contract. 

[BatiGoal]

The team looks top class, and Vardy himself not so bad either. This really seems like it could turn out to be an 80-goal season for you. You got all the right ingredients. Hopefully he'll stay clear of suspensions and injuries etc. 

Good idea btw to possibly bring in a buddy if he keeps struggling to settle in. KIU!

[Ashez]

Sorry mate, I'm a wandering manager not player . Always wanted to do that tbf, do a save like my caretaker one minus the waiting til September stuff and repeated have a player follow you on one year deals, just not sure if it would work or not :/. 

Anyway you seem well on track mate  

[Mikee1984]

Great month there mate has put you well on track, come on Vardy you can do it.

[Scratch]

22 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

The team looks top class, and Vardy himself not so bad either. This really seems like it could turn out to be an 80-goal season for you. You got all the right ingredients. Hopefully he'll stay clear of suspensions and injuries etc. 

Good idea btw to possibly bring in a buddy if he keeps struggling to settle in. KIU!

Thanks! It's shaping up nicely. At least up to that point!

[Scratch]

21 hours ago, Ashez said:

Sorry mate, I'm a wandering manager not player . Always wanted to do that tbf, do a save like my caretaker one minus the waiting til September stuff and repeated have a player follow you on one year deals, just not sure if it would work or not :/. 

Anyway you seem well on track mate  

Shame! Is there no amount that would get you to pull on the boots?

Nice idea for that challenge/career: A 1KC but at a different club each year! Tempting... You'd have to pick the player well - not too good or you wouldn't be able to sign them at some of the clubs you end up at...

added 0 minutes later

20 hours ago, Mikee1984 said:

Great month there mate has put you well on track, come on Vardy you can do it.

Thanks mate. I keep telling him he can do it and I think he's starting to believe.. We'll have to see what happens in the next update though - speaking of which....

[Scratch]

Update - October

 

You know I like my challenges nice and tight. None of this cantering across the line for me. So let's get right to it:

 

 

Vardy gets the dreaded injury.

 

 

Not a 2 month injury which would clearly have spelt the end off this challenge. No, a 10 day injury, just short enough for me to think I might still be able to pull this off. Just the way I like it... ?

 

 

Settling In

 

On the plus side, Vardy is no longer struggling to settle into the team. I guess at this point he just wants to play!

 

That means there's no need for me to bring in an Englishman on a free signing. Lucky, because the choice is pretty poor: Bobby Zamora, Leon Osman and Jamie O'Hara. I don't have England loaded so that's it. The Joker window is still open, so I can buy an Englishman playing in France. There is one and he looks slightly better than the free signings, but I don't want to waste any money on him (I want it for January).

 

What money I hear you ask? Didn't I try to talk Ashez into joining on a free? Well, I had £6M stashed away in the wages fund, but don't tell Ashez - he might change his tune and ask for a £6M signing fee!

 

 

Goals

 

Obviously the injury has affected Vardy's output, but not as badly as it might have been. 

 

We had 5 games in September and he only missed 2. He got injured in the 8th minute so he really he missed 3 games. I wasn't expecting much in the comeback game, as I started him when only at 86%, but he scored.

 

He's now up to 17 goals from 13 matches:

 

Could be worse. And yet in such a tight challenge with such small margin for error, I have to wonder if it's enough. I have this sinking feeling he might make it to around 78 or 79 goals...

 

 

Results

 

We're doing quite nicely as a team, although there have been a couple of games where we've been a little flat.

 

 

The Future

 

Not great to have an injury scare, but let's look on the bright side: He only missed 3 games and came back scoring. Now we need to get him back to full condition (at 91% for the next game) and keep him scoring goals. And maybe get some stress therapy for his manager...

[mcandrew003]

Great start mate, you can do it!

[BatiGoal]

You gotta hope you get the luck of the draw in those Cups. Facing 2-3 weak opponents during a Cup run would boost that goal tally by a lot and put Vardy ahead of the 80-goal schedule. KIU!

[Scratch]

Update - November

 

Sorry for the delay. Real life has gotten in the way of game time over the last week or two. Anyway, here is how November unfolded for Vardy.

 

 

Goals

 

After the low number of goals last month (due to injury), we needed Vardy to bounce back - and that he did! 9 goals in 6 games.

 

The highlight was the hat-trick he scored in the 4-0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv.

 

He's now up to 26 goals from 19 matches:

 

Still on track to give this a shake - if we can get him enough games.

 

 

Results

 

Everything is still tracking well from a team perspective, although I still think we should be dominating more than we are.

 

 

The Future

 

A very good month after the injury sees Vardy just about on track to reach 80. He needs another 54 goals and I'd guess he'll have another 36 games or so. He needs to keep that rate at 1.5 goals per game and to stay fit. If he can do that, he'll go close. 

[BatiGoal]

I'm giving you a decent chance mate if you manage to run those domestic cups till the final. I say the odds are 60-40 in your favor atm. Don't let the pressure get to you.

[Scratch]

5 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

I'm giving you a decent chance mate if you manage to run those domestic cups till the final. I say the odds are 60-40 in your favor atm. Don't let the pressure get to you.

Thanks! I'd say about 50-50, but happy to go with your odds instead!

[Scratch]

Update - December

 

We enter December with Vardy needing to maintain his November rate of 1.5 goals per game. Can he do that?

 

 

Training

 

Some interesting things have happened to Vardy's attributes. I took him off Defensive training entirely and put him on intensive Physical training instead (he's still on intensive Attacking training). This is what happened:

 

His Physical attributes improved a lot. He now has a Pace of 20 and Stamina of 19! Nice!! But unfortunately some of his Attacking attributes have lost a point, including Shooting and Dribbling. Movement is up a point too. 

 

The net effect is good, but I was quite attached to the Shooting of 19... 

 

 

Goals

 

This month Vardy scored 11 goals in 7 games, which is just above the 1.5 goals a game we're targeting. No hat-tricks, but 4 braces - very consistent...

 

This was an interesting match (he might regret those 2 missed penalities later):

 

He's now up to 37 goals from 26 matches:

 

Still on track to go close. 

 

 

Hat-trick Ceiling?

 

Given that Armstrong used to score 4, 5 or even 6 goals at times, I'm surprised that Vardy has never topped a hat-trick, even against semi professional teams in the Cup. Is a hat-trick the most he can get? What's holding him back?

 

The team, whilst good, still hasn't gelled as well as I'd like. We rarely dominate matches, which I guess is a large part of this. I know I could build them into a team that would obliterate all before them - if only I had a few more seasons...

 

Also, I noticed that Vardy has a trait of poor shooting at long distance. 

 

I had been thinking that Vardy was quite like Armstrong, but this is a key difference between them. Armstrong used to bang them in from distance all the time! Now that I know that, I may need to revisit the tactics - they worked well for Armstrong, but I need to make sure Vardy is shooting from closer to the target.

 

 

Awards

 

A nice surprise came along in the form of World Player of the Year. 

 

 

Teammates

 

It's about time I gave you an update on Vardy's teammates. As always, I like to focus on who providing the assists.

 

Of particular note:

• Verratti has consolidated himself as our best supporting player, even if he does has disciplinary problem (11 yellow cards and 1 red!).
• Coman was the early leader in assists, but he's really tailed off over the last couple of months. Might need a break. And he's only young.
• Pastore has done pretty well, especially considering many of his games were off the bench. 
• Vrsaljko has provided well from the right wingback position. We missed him this month while he's been out with injury.

 

 

The Future

 

Vardy is chugging along nicely, but I'd like the team to be playing better. January sees the Transfer window open again, which gives us the chance to tweak the team. I only have £6M available, which won't go a long way, so I'm not expecting too much action. I will be trying to move on some of the fringe players however.

[Ashez]

Going very well mate, I don't wanna speak to soon but this seems in the bag! 

[kts365]

Looking good mate. 

[BatiGoal]

As each month passes by his goals jump up, and so do your odds: 65-35

Keep up the momentum!

[Scratch]

8 hours ago, Ashez said:

Going very well mate, I don't wanna speak to soon but this seems in the bag! 

Thanks. Fingers crossed, just need to worry about another injury..

7 hours ago, kts365 said:

Looking good mate. 

Thanks! 

added 0 minutes later

1 minute ago, BatiGoal said:

As each month passes by his goals jump up, and so do your odds: 65-35

Keep up the momentum!

You'll revise that after my next update! Not telling you which way yet...

[Scratch]

Update - January

 

January. A time of renewed hope. The transfer window opens and maybe, just maybe, your team will sign the next Messi and transform your season entirely. Or then again, maybe they'll blow all their money on the next Fernando Torres (the £50M Chelsea version)... 

 

With that as the backdrop, Vardy just has to keep his head down and keep banging in the goals. I'll take care of the rest.

 

 

Transfers

 

I tried in vain to shift the players that I didn't want, but couldn't move any of them on. One player did leave in the transfer window: one of our promising youngsters, Adrien Rabiot, who went to Olympique Lyonnais for £13.75M:

 

I didn't want to sell him, especially to a team in the same league, but his agent made some unfortunate comments and many of our team started leaving Rabiot hate graffiti in the toilets. He hadn't played much and I decided to let him go for the sake of team harmony. Unfortunately he left on transfer deadline day, so I couldn't reinvest the money back into the team. 

 

As for signings, I didn't get the next Messi... In fact I had a lot of trouble finding players to buy, who'd be available for the cash I had on hand (£6M). In the end, I didn't spend any of it, although I did bring 6 players into the club on a free or on loan, mostly as cover.

 

Here they are:

 

Spoiler

 

Wide Attacking Midfielders:

 

Ryan Babel is interesting. He's not any better than what we have at the moment, but di Maria isn't clicking, Coman needs resting, etc. Bringing Babel in might give us another option to try.

 

Zivkovic might not be quite ready for prime time, but he's been a good player for me in the past and could probably contribute to the team right now.

 

Ribelin is probably a step behind Zivkovic in terms of being ready, but may be back for the wide positions. I probably do have too many players now, and I may end up sending Ribelin back, but he's here for now.

 

Central Midfielders: 

 

With Rabiot leaving and one of our other young midfielders injured, I needed some cover. Oliver is more attacking that Rabiot, but may add some assists to our team.

 

N'Zonzi isn't a player I'd normally sign, but he looks reasonably decent and may do a job for us. Not what I was hoping for, but what I got.

 

Defenders:

 

Rugani is someone who I've used very successfully in the past, but hasn't been as good in recent FMM/FMH versions. He's decent though, and we need a 4th centreback, especially as one of our starters is the only cover for the left wingback. 

 

 

Goals

 

Okay, let's leave the silly season behind us and see what Vardy's been getting up to while I've been busy: 

 

Yes, 14 goals in 6 games, including a 6 goal effort.

 

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was writing an update wondering if he'd ever break through the hat-trick ceiling. Well, he heard me and responded in style! It was against semi professional opposition, but this is what I want from him!

 

He also notched up another hat-trick (note Dudu is our extra time specialist):

 

That takes him to 51 goals from 32 matches:

 

Just what the doctor ordered.

 

 

The Future

 

Armstrong is unlikely to score as much as this next month, but he's in a reasonably good position. He only needs 29 goals and he probably has another 24 or so games to go. Still a tough ask and injury could ruin it at any time, but he has a little bit of breathing room now.

 

I wonder what odds @BatiGoal will give me now. 

[mcandrew003]

Just read through this and I must say mate, your doing a great job! KIU you're gonna smash it!

[BatiGoal]

1 hour ago, scratch99 said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Wide Attacking Midfielders:

 

Ryan Babel is interesting. He's not any better than what we have at the moment, but di Maria isn't clicking, Coman needs resting, etc. Bringing Babel in might give us another option to try.

 

Zivkovic might not be quite ready for prime time, but he's been a good player for me in the past and could probably contribute to the team right now.

 

Ribelin is probably a step behind Zivkovic in terms of being ready, but may be back for the wide positions. I probably do have too many players now, and I may end up sending Ribelin back, but he's here for now.

 

Central Midfielders: 

 

With Rabiot leaving and one of our other young midfielders injured, I needed some cover. Oliver is more attacking that Rabiot, but may add some assists to our team.

 

N'Zonzi isn't a player I'd normally sign, but he looks reasonably decent and may do a job for us. Not what I was hoping for, but what I got.

 

Defenders:

 

Rugani is someone who I've used very successfully in the past, but hasn't been as good in recent FMM/FMH versions. He's decent though, and we need a 4th centreback, especially as one of our starters is the only cover for the left wingback. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder what odds @BatiGoal will give me now. 

That's a brutal month, realistic stuff on the EME  great collection of balls you got their @scratch99 

You broke the odd-o-meter!

[Scratch]

8 minutes ago, mcandrew003 said:

Just read through this and I must say mate, your doing a great job! KIU you're gonna smash it!

Thanks mate, starting to get confident.

[Scratch]

4 minutes ago, BatiGoal said:

That's a brutal month, realistic stuff on the EME  great collection of balls you got their @scratch99 

You broke the odd-o-meter!

It's totally realistic. Just like Armstrong scoring 1000 goals. And Villalibre.

What you have to remember is that none of those people employed as 'managers' in real life have even a fraction of the skill that those of us here on Vibe have. If they put you in charge of Sevilla in real life, you'd kill it and have them winning Champions League after Champions League and a striker scoring 1K no worries. You know it it's true!

[Jack.Holt]

Wow! This is looking on course. The way you're going, why not aim for 90?

[Mr.Manager]

That player form chart is unreal! Great work man.

[Scratch]

4 minutes ago, Jack.Holt said:

Wow! This is looking on course. The way you're going, why not aim for 90?

Hehe, why not 100! But this form won't last - it never does. I'll be happy with 80.

[BatiGoal]

5 minutes ago, scratch99 said:

Hehe, why not 100! But this form won't last - it never does. I'll be happy with 80.

If he threatens to surpass the 100-mark pls drop him a few matches. Don't ruin the game for us