Challenges The Ipswich Challenge

[Tigahz]

Ipswich Town F.C. were once FA Cup winners, Divison One Champions and UEFA Cup winners. How far they have fallen.. As of writing, they are 24th in the Championship and supporters are getting ready for League 1. The challenge is simple: win the league, FA Cup and Champions League with Ipswich.

Rules

• Take charge of Ipswich Town
• You have 8 seasons to complete the challenge
• You must win the league, FA Cup and the Champions League, they don't all have to be in the same season
• No use of any unlockables
• No cheating

[KristianTyrrell]

I've actually completed this one without even realising it because i'm an Ipswich fan

[Heinz Johanneß]

Intresting

[ITFC_Alex]

Funny that I happened across this as I started my first save with Ipswich about a week ago. Have to say it was a fair old mess to sort out at first. Initial impressions of the squad is that it is bloated with very average to poor players and a lot of youth. Sold a lot of players straight away and went into heavy recruitment. Kept Charlobah, Pennington and Graham (in on loan by default at the start).

Dozzell, Ward, Knudsen, Bialkowski and Huws formed the mainstay from the permanent squad but just about every other position was a new recruit. I signed Da Graca up front who has developed fantastically well, though initially I had to supplement his lack of experience with Ellis Harrison (who has been a nightmare in training and I've had to warn/fine him several times). Manager to sign Manor Solomon for £4.5m who has been lightening  on the left flank and brought in Ross McCrorie in defence who has been a rock. Mateu Morey was another new recruit in a right back and played the full season. Hes developed very nicely indeed. Lastly I brought in German Valera as a back-up left winger and he's been slow to start but is now developing well.

I started out with a 4-2-3-1 (att) but found a youngster up front on his own and a light-weight midfield meant I ended up on a very poor start. So I switched about 6 games in to a 4-4-2 with Soloman and Ward as inside forward. I also decided to drop pennington for Chambers (for leadership's sake) and put Harrison up front with Da Graca. The latter didnt work so I loaned in an experienced stiker in his 30's (i forget his name now) and things then clicked. 

Amazingly I managed a play-off place and went up beating aston villa in the final. First season in the prem now and I'm really struggling. Recruitment has been brutally hard, so I've ended up paying over the odds but my squad is completely without Prem experience and is very young. I've brought in Robert Piris, Francesco Vicari, Allan Campbell, Cecilio Dominguez, Jonathan Panzo, Ezri Konsa and offloaded a lot of the poorer players that made it over from promotion (such as donacien). 

My assisstant manager isnt optimistic about our chances. On the team report I have a lot in the red and only two items in green. I'm currently looking for a couple of 30-something year olds who can add some experience to my fledgling squad. Opening few games have been tough, two defeats and a draw. I'm just hoping my players gel and develop rapidly to give me a chance. Offers flooding in for McCrorie and Da Graca who are now unsettled because I refused to let them leave.

Stuck with 4-3-2-1, we'll see how it goes

[Tigahz]

On 02/01/2019 at 13:33, ITFC_Alex said:

Funny that I happened across this as I started my first save with Ipswich about a week ago. Have to say it was a fair old mess to sort out at first. Initial impressions of the squad is that it is bloated with very average to poor players and a lot of youth. Sold a lot of players straight away and went into heavy recruitment. Kept Charlobah, Pennington and Graham (in on loan by default at the start).

Dozzell, Ward, Knudsen, Bialkowski and Huws formed the mainstay from the permanent squad but just about every other position was a new recruit. I signed Da Graca up front who has developed fantastically well, though initially I had to supplement his lack of experience with Ellis Harrison (who has been a nightmare in training and I've had to warn/fine him several times). Manager to sign Manor Solomon for £4.5m who has been lightening  on the left flank and brought in Ross McCrorie in defence who has been a rock. Mateu Morey was another new recruit in a right back and played the full season. Hes developed very nicely indeed. Lastly I brought in German Valera as a back-up left winger and he's been slow to start but is now developing well.

I started out with a 4-2-3-1 (att) but found a youngster up front on his own and a light-weight midfield meant I ended up on a very poor start. So I switched about 6 games in to a 4-4-2 with Soloman and Ward as inside forward. I also decided to drop pennington for Chambers (for leadership's sake) and put Harrison up front with Da Graca. The latter didnt work so I loaned in an experienced stiker in his 30's (i forget his name now) and things then clicked. 

Amazingly I managed a play-off place and went up beating aston villa in the final. First season in the prem now and I'm really struggling. Recruitment has been brutally hard, so I've ended up paying over the odds but my squad is completely without Prem experience and is very young. I've brought in Robert Piris, Francesco Vicari, Allan Campbell, Cecilio Dominguez, Jonathan Panzo, Ezri Konsa and offloaded a lot of the poorer players that made it over from promotion (such as donacien). 

My assisstant manager isnt optimistic about our chances. On the team report I have a lot in the red and only two items in green. I'm currently looking for a couple of 30-something year olds who can add some experience to my fledgling squad. Opening few games have been tough, two defeats and a draw. I'm just hoping my players gel and develop rapidly to give me a chance. Offers flooding in for McCrorie and Da Graca who are now unsettled because I refused to let them leave.

Stuck with 4-3-2-1, we'll see how it goes

Good Luck! You should post a career thread

[samhardy]

Do you think Bobby would be interested in trying this one @Foxy?

[FuddledFox]

14 minutes ago, samhardy said:

Do you think Bobby would be interested in trying this one @Foxy?

Almost certainly not.

[Rhys Rockley]

Started this just a few days before this post...I have to agree with @ITFC_Alex the squad was very bloated at a lower than average championship or higher league 1 level. Was surprised I won the league in my first season. I sold a fair few players in my first season which gave me a better budget and signed Lacina traore, Rohan Ince, Mathis Bolly and Didier Ndong all on a free. All these have all been sold in my first season in the prem as they are not really good enougj for that level but Ndong would have been but someone came in with an offer whicb triggered his release clause. Find this tatic is bossing. It isn't one i came up with however all i changed was i selected to run at the defence as i found it bought me more goals. Now condsidering evolving this challenge into the neil warnock challenge and moving to another championship club and seeing if i can mould the prem into a league of teams i have managed. 

Edited January 6, 2019 by Rhys Rockley