Redcafe FC, affectionately known as "The Caftards," is a dynamic football club deeply rooted in the heart of its community. Founded in 2024, this spirited team has been a beacon of pride for the residents of Redcafe.net. Sponsored by Bazalini Brake Fluid LTD, the club aims to rise to the top of the English League System.
The club's name, Redcafe FC, pays homage to the forum where the founding members first gathered to discuss their shared passion for the beautiful game.
The team's signature colors, a vibrant combination of crimson red and bold white symbolize their unwavering determination and unity. Every match day, the stands of the Redcafe Arena come alive with a sea of red and white, as loyal supporters flock to cheer on their beloved Caftards.
As they begin their journey in the National League North, Redcafe FC remains steadfast in their pursuit of glory, driven by the unwavering support of their passionate fans and the enduring legacy of camaraderie that defines The Caftards.*
There will be two stages during the season where the owner can make changes - the two transfer windows. I will provide a small player and manager update during the January Window and a large update in the Summer Window. In the first season no user players can be sold from Redcafe FC.
The budget for Alto is 2 billion. If this looks like it will run out then I will think of ways to try and rectify this (I have some ideas). Ideally I would like to run the save until the last person retires from playing but we will see if we all have the strength to do that!
One player can be bought for in-game value. This player must be no higher than 5 more of the CA of the best player at the club (I.e if your best player is 100 rated then they can be rated up to 105).
Sell one player from the club for their in-game value. I will randomly decide on a club unless they have an interested party already and I will move them to this team.
Financial changes.
Sack the manager & hire a new one.
Upgrade facilities.
Request league player stats or player screens.
Winter Window
I will simulate until January 1st.
Alto can:
Sack the manager & hire a new one.
Request league player stats or player screens
Financial changes.
Manager sackings/hirings rules
As the experiment begins in the lower leagues, you may only appoint a manager at max 100 higher than your club's current rep.
Their wage will carry over from what it is at their current club.
Compensation fee will be the calculation of the remainder of their contract.
Upgrading Facilities
You may upgrade the facilities in the summer window.
Costs are:
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Training Facilities
100K
200K
400K
750K
1M
2M
5M
8M
15M
25M
50M
80M
115M
140M
190M
250M
350M
Youth Facilities
50K
100K
150K
300K
500K
750K
1M
2M
5M
10M
30M
75M
90M
110M
150M
175M
225M
Junior Coaching
50K
100K
150K
300K
500K
750K
1M
2M
5M
10M
30M
50M
70M
100M
120M
150M
175M
Youth Recruitment
25K
50K
300K
500K
1M
2M
5M
8M
10M
20M
40M
70M
100M
125M
150M
200M
250M
These are incremental, so if you already have a level 14 training facility it will only cost you the £30m between £50m and £80m to upgrade to 15. If your facilities decline, it will only cost 10% of that initial level to re-upgrade. So £35m to go back to the top training facilities (£350m cost), for example. And if you have training facilities and want to jump straight to 20 it will cost you £350m.
Stadium Expansion
There will also be the option to expand the stadium. Redcafe Arena starts with a capacity of 2197 and I’ve put the expansion capacity to max so it will probably naturally progress with the AI but you can also choose to do the same if you wish for a fee.
I think 5-20m for every 5000 seats seems fair and can progress as thus;
5m every 5000 seats from NLN to National League.
10m every 5000 seats from League 2 to League 1.
15m every 5000 seats in the Championship.
20m every 5000 seats in PL.
Each Summer Window I will show you the job list. You can apply for a job at a club which is within 100 reputation of your current reputation.
If Alto sacks you then I will show you this list at the time of his sacking.
The Player
During one Summer Window of your choice, you can put in a transfer request. If you are at Redcafe FC this will mean that I will remove the future transfer set to your player and the AI are free to move you on / purchase you. It still retains an element of chance that someone does buy you but puts the club at risk of losing you. Of course, you can stay loyal and not use this chip. If you are at another club, I will transfer you to an interested party. I can let you know of any suitors if you wish before you use this chip. Can only be used once during the entire save.
For some reason, FM doesn't allow 3 at the back formations so I chose the ones which were most similar to those which you chose.
Also, @altodevil has requested that you look at the squad and choose a position you'd like for the first signing, he will then provide you a list of three options to choose from.
Just in discussion with @altodevil about first window moves and waiting for you to pick a position @Stobzilla and then I will update and we can move ahead.
For some reason, FM doesn't allow 3 at the back formations so I chose the ones which were most similar to those which you chose.
Also, @altodevil has requested that you look at the squad and choose a position you'd like for the first signing, he will then provide you a list of three options to choose from.
@altodevil has decided to splash the cash early and splurged almost 400m within his first few acts as Redcafe FC owner. He's increased all facilities to 15, upped the capacity of the stadium to 5000 and put 100m into the club balance and given the new manager @Stobzilla ample funds for his first step into management (Unfortunately due to this he's put ticket prices and merchandise prices up so fans have been reduced to picking up dodgy fakes).
Finances
Bank Balance: 1,611,979,500
Club Balance: 100,000,000
Transfer Balance: 10,000,000
Wage Budget: 500,000
It was a tough start for @Stobzilla and Redcafe FC. From the 5th of September until the 4th October they played 14 games in all competitions and only won 4 games. They made two free signings, a RB and a CB. Since then they've played 16 games and only lost one of them, picking up 12 wins in the process to leave them 5th in the table and in playoff contention.
@Enigma_87 is having a good time with Tamworth as they lead the table but all user player clubs are in the promotion spots. In terms of user players @The Cat is having the best season so far, sitting atop the average rating, assist table and POTM table. @harms is living by name and topping the yellow card list! For some reason Mark isn't too keen on @Solius or @hobbers and both spend most of their time on the bench. They might end up getting more of a chance in the next half of the season. We will see.
@altodevil Finances are pretty much the same, fine to sim until the summer? Can't make any managerial change until then if you wanted to (No sales/sackings until then so everyone gets a first season clear run).
Our first user player was sold. Carlos @TheReligion has been signed on deadline day by Swansea for 22.5k and is now valued between 6 and 20m. He scored 5 goals and got 5 assists in 32 games for Chester with an average rating of 6.83.
Will sim ahead and provide an end of season update tomorrow.
Looks good. My guy by design shouldn't be too skilled in defensive actions, he's supposed to be this poorly disciplined hot-head who also for whatever reason knows how to dribble (but doesn't have any other skills to take advantage of that). He's kind of the most annoying guy to play with — violent, ineffective and thinks way too much of himself because he can do the elastico (and, apparently, gets paid 20 times more than the rest of his teammates ).
Suspect it may be due to Stob tactics with DMs rather than CMs. You are being trained as a DM too now so perhaps will get more game time soon. You are improving though and have been getting some sub appearances. Still only 17 too so plenty of time.
I purposely set the game up so all players at Redcafe FC are tied to the club. They can only leave if you sell them OR they use their one lifetime chip of putting in a transfer request as per the rules above.
I purposely set the game up so all players at Redcafe FC are tied to the club. They can only leave if you sell them OR they use their one lifetime chip of putting in a transfer request as per the rules above.
It was a season to remember for Redcafe FC in their first season as a professional football club. The first 14 games in all competitions didn't go to plan, with the club losing 5, drawing 5 and picking up 4 wins. Remarkably, from 7th October, they only went on to then lose another 5 games in total all season. If they didn't slack in those early games, they could have been looking at a league title and automatic promotion. Saying that, they did have their moments, most notably in the Playoff Finals where they avenged their biggest loss to Scunthorpe with victory. They also managed to max out the stadium attendance in the semi-final despite only averaging an attendance of 2099 during the season.
They are predicted to be in the playoff chase again next season as they aim for the EFL, but perhaps a fresh injection from the owner can propel them into championship material. Little easter egg - You have signed Rio Ferdinand's son Lorenz as your academy GK.
A solid first season for Mr Elstob. Promotion in the bag and two Manager of the Month Awards. October saw 3W and 1D in the league and March saw 4W and 2D in the league. His team has been set up to score goals and he's shifted tactically from parking the bus to a wing play style, focusing on the talents of Catman Jones and Heine Ken, with an impressive tally of 94 goals for the season of 23/24. The GA stat may be of concern though, and his sides tend to concede in most games they play. A small reputation boost though leaves Mark in a good place if he decides to leave Redcafe FC in future.
Redcafe FC Players
I am unable to get values for players due to having to set up a future transfer to another club in order to keep you at Redcafe FC until alto decides you leave/you decide you leave, if either of you choose to do so. I paused, took it off and simmed a bit to see if it would change but it didn't, only some contract negotiation stuff went through so most of you were given a new contract.
Catman Jones smashed it and ripped VNN apart. He broke the record for the most assists and the most POTM awards in a single VNN season with 20 and 24 respectively, achieving a 7.60 average rating along the way. He added 17 goals to that tally so he wasn't far behind the top goalscorer who finished with 21. A total of 42 goals in 54 appearances is a fantastic achievement for a breakout star and with the wing play style that Elstob employs, it would be a surprise if he didn't follow that up in the VNL. He caps off his achievements by being named the VNN Player of the Season. There was nobody else that it could be.
Apparently he is feeling positive as he and Harry Tackles share a connection due to their professionalism...yeah...that stalwart of professionalism Harry Tackles.
Harry Tackles. 23 yellow cards in a single league season. A record for the VNN despite it being one of the bastions of toughness in the football league pyramid. He picked up a further 3 in the cups to reach a total of 26 for the season. Not bad. Can he reach 30 next season? Despite that, he only picked up 1 red card. A solid little midfielder with 5 goals and 4 assists and an average rating of 6.99 in the league. Turns up, puts in an average performance and picks up a yellow card. Standard Harry Tackles performance.
He wants to win a trophy with Redcafe FC next season and thinks that Heine Ken is a talented player.
After a stuttering start to his Redcafe FC career, Mick Hobbers has become a dependable striker for the side. With 15 goals and 5 assists last season in the league, there is a good platform to build and step up to become the undisputed starter for the club. He only started 18 games overall with 20 sub appearances so he will be hoping to convert most of those into full appearances. Despite that an average rating of 7.19 in the league is up there with some of the best players at the club and in the league. He was named in the VNN Team of the Week on 6 occassions and scored a hat trick for the club against Buxton.
He also likes the connection between him and Harry Tackles and his ambition for next season is to break into the first team.
Though Catman picked up the headlines, Heine Ken has had a very good season and is as integral to the wing play style deployed by Elstob. He picked up 13 goals and 5 assists during the season with an average rating of 7.21. Arguably it was his vigour which dragged them over the line in the Playoff final as he tied the game up at 2-2 before hitting the post with a free kick. Named in the VNN Team of the Week 8 times and he was shortlisted for the Player of the Season. He will be hoping that next season he can have a healthy battle with Catman for the award but on this occassion pip him to it.
He would like to win a trophy with the club next season and thinks that Mick Hobbers is a talented player.
Sorry Sol, there isn't really much to say here. You're not a bad player but I think the tactical style of Elstob isn't fitting with Solinho. He's slowly converting into a DM role and has a pretty decent record when he plays with 1 goal and 2 assists in 12 appearanced (11 subs) and an average rating of 7.05. He's slightly behind the others in development and he's picked up quite a few injuries which may also be hampering him. Might we have our first user player that wants to leave already?
He's determined to overcome his injury and believes Mick Hobbers is a talented player.
Wilder is following Catman in being one of the standout players thus far. He led his Tamworth side to glory in the VNN and now he seems to be on his way to the dark side of Manchester for a fee of 245k. An impressive goal contribution of 25 in 40 games and an average rating of 7.41 was enough to have most of the PL chasing his signature but he's decided to go to the Champions of England. He broke multiple records for Tamworth during his brief time at the club including youngest player, youngest player to score in a match and the record for most assists in a season with 12. His ventures in club football have impressed the Bulgarian youth teams and he's been named as U19 Captain.
He is currently ignoring speculation about his future.
A valiant effort by the number one Redcafe FC hater. 8 goals and 14 assists in the league for Scunthorpe with an average rating of 7.25. Bagged his first goal against Redcafe FC but couldn't drag his team over the line in the Playoff final. He did break records for the club though, being the youngest player to appear and score for them, aswell as breaking the assist record for a season with 15. He was named in their best eleven, won supporters player of the year and was shortlisted for the VNN player of the season. That gave him enough credit to be picked up by QPR in the Championship for 165k.
He hopes he will learn a lot at QPR and thinks that Sam Field is a good player.
It's been a rough start for our Brazilian players in England (and Wales). Carlos moved to Swansea hoping for more but it's become slightly worse for him. He started his career at Chester fairly well, breaking the VNN record and Chester record for the youngest goalscorer and was named in the VNN Team of the Week on two occasions but he only managed 5 goals and 3 assists for them with an average rating of 6.87. He moved to Swansea on deadline day in January but he's failed to make an impact. No goal contributions and only 5 starts which leaves him with a rating of only 6.55 for them.
He wants to break into the first team and thinks Matt Grimes is a valuable player, but perhaps he needs a loan move.
We can stick with it in the lower leagues. I just worry by the time we reach the top we'll be Burnley Mk2 rather than an attractive destination for foreign talent
