A new FM, a new Moneyball challenge. I won’t waste your time with the rules: you can find them here or here, and these two series are a fun read (even if I do say so myself). This time around, though, I’m going to take more of an interest in the financial management of the club I pick, as well as trying to apply the rules and forge a dynasty. You could also do worse than to read Soccernomics
But where to manage? I enjoyed Livorno so much last year in my uMAXit series that I decided to look in Italy again. Of course, like with a former lover, it’s hard to go back (especially when I still have my Livorno save tucked away on FM16), and so I won’t be doing that. That also ruled out picking a side in Serie C/A, where my old flame is currently playing. I thought about Parma in Serie C/B, but they are too well stocked and it seems like a bit of a cheat, no matter how much I enjoyed them in the halcyon days of Football Italia. No, it needs to be someone from Italy’s southern domains, where money is tightest. And where better than Urbs Sportiva Reggina 1914, as they are currently called?
Founded in 1914 as US Reggio Calabria, they are about the only big side in that part of Italy. Their name was changed in 1986 to Reggina Calcio and again, after the club went bankrupt in 2015, to US Reggina 1914. They’re a club in a mess, but with a reasonable tradition and a strong base of support from a part of Italy that is often troubled or overlooked. It’s a welcome challenge, and I gladly accept.
I picked Serie C and above, Sky Bet League Two and above, French National and above, and Jupiler League (in Holland) and above. I selected a small database because of CPU speed.
Selecting a profile based on Reggina, I have a Continental A licence and national level Professional player history: this gives me 11 and 12 ratings across the board for Coaching and Mental attributes, none of which I tweak.
The Board are looking for a mid-table finish and hand me £77k in transfer funds and a wage budget of £66k, £54k of which is already being spent. Financially, we are in a sorry state. The Board will only allow me to retain 20% of transfer revenue due to debt levels and the value of the club is plummeting like a stone. Our current balance is minus £4.1m, projected to be minus £15.3m by the end of the 2018/19 season; our losses are expected to amount to millions over the next three years. Something needs to be done.
Firstly, I sort out my backroom staff. Ivan Franceschini, my rather weak Assistant Manager, is surplus to requirements and is given the heave-ho for a £60k settlement. He’s replaced by Polish former international Wladyslaw Zmuda, who has high ratings for Defence coaching and judging players, for £700 per week.
Paddy Gearing, a 22 year old with superb stats for judging player potential and ability and for tactics, is hired on £650 per week as my Chief Data Analyst. I sign Francesco Gagliardi for £625 and Patrik Andersson for £650 as scouts. This improves my scouting range to Scandanavia and my knowledge of Italy.
Ivan Zauli, a superb tactics and technique coach, comes in for £725 per week, and Maurizio Di Renzo joins as a fitness coach for £575 per week, as does Simon Baker, a 34 year old Physio who also has excellent ratings as a coach; he costs £675 per week. I pick up Luke Anthony, a 42 year old physio, as we don’t have any, for £575 per week, and then add Daniel Donachie as well in the same role for £750.
Crucially, I recruit Gianluca Torma as a Head of Youth Development. He’s not cheap at £1k per week, but has very good ratings and, as I have negotiated with the Board that youth development is a philosophy, I need someone capable in that role. We also have no U18 coaches, so I pick up Dave Maguire, Daniele Federici, and Aurelio D’Ortenzio for a total of £1.6k per week to fill the three vacancies.
Inter sneak in and poach Antonio Ollio, my Head of Sports Science, for £44k. Lecce do the same with Dino Posillipo, a scout, for £55k. I don’t object: we need the money and I can recruit better for cheaper.
My scouts turn up a 19 year old goalkeeper, the Belgian Lennert Baerts. He has a five star potential and, after a two week trial and a few good performances in pre-season, I sign him for £400 per week.
I therefore terminate Andrea Sala’s loan: my two first team keepers are of the same standard as the Ternana loanee, and he’s also costing £1.2k per week, another 2% of my wage budget, and there’s no option to buy. Why would I want to develop someone else’s player, when I can develop my own and save money? Vincenzo Tommasone, on loan from Inter, is also taking up 2% of my wage budget (£1.2k per week) and there are three players who are better than him in the right wing berth, so I cancel his deal as well.
The squad is not strong. Only eight of the squad are over 23 years old, which shows a lot of potential, even if eight of the first team 23 are on loan from other clubs. The two outstanding players are 23 year old Serbian central defender Jevrem Kosnic, a left-footed, ball-playing centre-back who looks like a genuine prospect even for a Serie A side. Deep-lying playmaker Alberto De Francesco, only 21 years old, also looks the part, and is well supported by Stefano Botta, another strong, creative central midfielder and 29 years old. Veteran striker Claudio Coralli should provide the goals up front, alongside loanee Salvatore Lancia from Sampdoria, a 19 year old five star prospect. The defence is otherwise reasonable but there’s little depth.
I have a specific weakness at left-wing, but I don’t want to spend anything yet, so I start retraining Fabio Oggiano, a left footed winger, in that position, while playing left-back Marcello Possenti in the left wing berth; it’s not ideal, but at least I am not shelling out on players before I have the chance to scout them properly and the squad depth can mitigate the weakness to a sufficient extent. I also retain Coralli as an attacking midfielder. He’s very slow and with three other strikers of reasonable quality, he is better suited to a deeper role.
A short pre-season goes well enough: our only defeat is to Bundesliga side Freiburg, who beat us 2-1 at home; a draw with Vitesse 1-1 at home, and a 2-0 away win at Akragas show promise. The reason for such a curtailed friendly fixture list is the dreaded Serie C Cup, which pits us against Catanzaro and Vibonese.
My squad are as ready as they’ll ever be and we have a huge financial issue to deal with, as well as my own personal aspirations for promotion (kept from the squad, obviously – I don’t want to appear delusional). Join me soon for the first season of my new challenge, Reggina meets Moneyball 2017.
Images taken from FM17 Beta, which is still in development – thanks to my friends at SI.
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