I Would Just Like to Thank...

In a news item that left me welling up inside, I was announced as the OFA Managers' Manager of the Year yesterday. The OFA has been a very competitive football association with a lot of good, vocal managers, so to come out on top is a huge honour for me!I'm not going to make a huge speech, but I will give some big props to Si Ayres and his Stansted Rockets team. He and I entered the gameworld together from Larsson and set out with a plan to effectively share players - either through loans or signing players to sell on to each other with a healthy sell on percentage attached!This partnership has definitely paid dividends and I would urge any readers of this blog to look to set one up with another side. A couple of the youngsters I got from Simon went on to play huge roles in my three official youth trophy wins, and in return I signed players that he couldn't (due to my superior scouting skills) and then sold them onto him. I like to think both of us ended the season in a stronger position than we would have been had we gone it alone.
Time also in this blog to go over some of the newer signings for FCV. Yesterday in particular saw an influx of new players as I snooped around chat lobbies and my shortlist!

First up is versatile attacking Frenchman Romain Billaud. His previous manager is someone I know from Larsson so when I saw him in transfer auction I had to ask Dave what potential he had. Dave told me 4*, so I jumped in and picked him up for a shade over £60k. Sice then, he's been an integral part of my senior and under-21 side, playing in both midfield and attacking positions.
Following Billaud came another batch of young talented players, 2 of which came from the same team. Yuri Negara, a Ukranian attacking midfielder, and Marco Poggi, a young Italian centre forward, both came in from The Menagerie, one of the better youth sides in the gameworld.
Bidding for Negara was fierce, and I eventually picked him up for around £87k after my opening bid of £25k was quickly surpassed. Poggi was a monster bargain, and I picked him up for a measly £10k.
Next through the door was Argentinian holding midfielder Cristian Benitez. This transfer was a bit of a gamble, but his manager assured me he is a 4* prospect and he looks to have a good attribute base to build on. Benitez cost me £140k, instantly becoming my record signing. I hope he lives up to his fee!
The final few players came in yesterday after some chatting in one of the lobbies. Nick Masters came in to back up Jefferson Benitez in goal for £100k. Eric Baidjoe (a 4.5* prospect according to an ex-Larsson friend) was snapped up for £90k. And in the deal of the season so far (for me at least) I picked up Leandro Lopes Ferreira for an insane £65k, because his manager only plays youth!