Tabasco Fire’s first season under my management is in the books, and given the goals going into the season it was a pretty successful one. The aim of the club was to be a place to give my weaker players gametime and hope for some development. I didn’t have a full spare squad available, so the squad has been topped up with some loan players.

I targeted loan players with a gametime clause but no guaranteed revenue share. The plan was to get through the season without giving up any of my $MFL. It took to the final game of the season to fill a 20 game clause but I did manage to keep all of the club’s earnings for the season.

On the pitch expectations were low in the league, with the team looking to be part of a three team battle at the very bottom of the table. So, the cup has been the priority this season. Let’s take a look at how it went.

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The League

Given the strength of our squad relative to the league, I knew this was going to be a tough season. The target was 10th placed with Hillerod and Limoges both being around our level. We scraped 10th in the end, thanks to late registering Mopti Royal Titans having a single point deduction.

Tactically, Tabasco are set up to be defensive and play on the counter and it has been pretty effective at limiting goals against. Despite being a significantly worse team than the Motherwell Eagles, Tabasco actually conceded fewer goals 40 v 61. They also managed the same number of clean sheets.

Going forward, the effects of the tactical approach and the squad strength are very apparent. We averaged less than a goal a game and we’re held without a goal in half of our league games. Not surprising, but a clear reminder of our standing in this League.

The Cup

Going into the IMFF Aspirants Cup we were aiming for a quarter final appearance to top up the MFL we aren’t earning in the league. We started with one point from the opening two group stage games before ripping off three wins in the row. That was enough to confirm our place in the knockout rounds before we suffered a narrow defeat in the final group game.

The round of 16 saw us face Ysgol Kagoshima. It was game lacking clear chances at either end of the pitch, although Kagoshima did manage 33 shots on our goal they only generated 2.13 xG. Neither side was able to score in regulation or extra time sending us to a nervy penalty shootout. Unfortunately, we fell to a 4-3 loss from the spot and an earlier exit than we were hoping for.

Despite not meeting our aims for the cup campaign, I was delighted to find that Rex Brennan won the Golden Glove award. He conceded 5 goals in the 7 games we played, made 27 saves and ended with an average match rating of 8.27. It’s the first trophy of any kind for my agency!

Progression

Overall it’s been a pretty good season of progression for Tabasco Fire. In total the squad has gone up by 15 points of overall, spread across 11 different players. Unfortunately for me, the big improvements have come on players that I’ve loaned in this season. In fact 60% of the progression has gone to loaned in players.

On the plus side, the boosts for my players have come to some of the young starters in the squad. Rex Brennan made the step up to a limited player whilst the Italian duo of Zanetti and Delle have both improved in midfield. As I hopefully move towards a 100% owned squad, it’ll be nice to see the progression kept in my agency rather than taken by the loanees.

Thoughts on Season 7

What do we do with Flint League starting?

Not having to worry about relegation allowed me to be unconcerned about our league performance this season. The question becomes, how important is keeping Tabasco in Spark for me? Rewards are boosted by 15% in Spark heading into next season, and I’d need to finish 3rd in Flint to match this season’s 11th placed rewards in Spark.

For season 7 there will almost certainly be reduced relegation places as the Flint division won’t be fully filled. If registrations stay under 1500 clubs, that should mean only bottom place will be relegated in each league. If that’s the case I think we’ll have a good shot of staying up for at least next season.

What to do with the Squad?

In terms of a plan for the squad, Schumacher will be moving down from Motherwell next season to play at either fullback position. Herve Jaques will likely move down as well to partner Mahmoud Yoqobe in the centre of defence. Beyond that, there will still need to be a number of loans incoming to fill out the squad for this season.

I’m also looking to move on the weaker players in the squad, if we do want to establish the club in Spark they’re unlikely to ever make the grade. A couple of them are out of the door already for a dollar a piece. I haven’t decided whether to use that money to get a new player in off the marketplace or to put it in the fund for upgrading the Eagles for a promotion push. I shouldn’t need to bring in extra loan players if I don’t replace them. I’d be happy running an 18 man squad rather than the 20 player squad we had this season.

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