FM Live Stadium Guide Again

Have just done another podcast with the guys over at Gameworld One (link on left), this time about stadiums as I'm a 'stadium expert' don't think I deserve that title. My wife sure was puzzled anyway :)

Assuming some linkage when the show comes out. Something to go with it then, I thought I'd recount the StJohn story, when I built things and why, finally what would I do different.

Phase One Seasons One & Two - Minnows
StJohn was about to start it's fourth season could I progress?

• First Season - Wages £40k, not an exploit team either, i.e. full of cheap youths but 28yo - 31yo players with a bit of rep, if I could get on low wage it was a done deal! Stadium: One Tier Aziendale Type 1 supports a Exclusif Corp box just seating just 80 fans which you should be able to bring in if you have rep heading in the right direction. Towards the tail end of the season two started 2x2 Tier Aziendales. Finished 8th Casual Div 1
• Second Season - Wages £56k. As the stands finished slowly started to fill up seats, basically the most expensive seats for the fans, so Pigeons (hah, that's a keeper) for the devoted, De Lusso and a few Diasgio, covers devoted and sideshow fans. Tail End of this season two Exclusif corp boxes added, on our way to 3.1/2 star rep. Still bargain hunting but the team strengthened actually put together a youth team. End of season a 3 Tier Aziendale started. Finished 3rd Casual 1 - Promoted

Phase Two - Seasons Three & Four - Delusions of granduer

• Third Season - Wages average £80k It becomes pointless for a while spending on the stadium as rep has stopped rising I need a few high profile players, so secure a few cheap ones so push hard to get away from being 'just' a 3.1/2 star team. By the end of the season Corp fans coming in numbers so the big one! A Exclusif stand in a 3 Tier stand costs £4m thats got to hurt, for a while £5m is being spent in the 28 day projected. Still manage to sign the odd bargain. Win the Casual Championship
• Fourth Season - Wages £108k. A few of the players are starting to age now and it's starting to show, stadium payments are down to a reasonable £3m and the projected starts to look healthy. I know it's going to be a tough call to stay in the Premiership but the really hard times are behind me. To stay up I need a name but as I've always said right player wrong price = wrong player. I resist panic buyin,g but it looks like we've just a brief stint in the Premier League.

Planned Phase Three Seasons Five & Six - Flirting with greatness

• Fifth Season - Throughout this season I'll still be paying off the massive corp box but I'll be generating a steady £250k a day. Wages can now pick up but due to age of starting players a big clean out is needed. Already secured £150k Aq Fee striker, 30, for £10k (yes £10k) but I need a two DC's, an AMC, a full back, a goalie. Around £1.5m to get them wage budget I can support £150k Wages
• Sixth Season - Bulk of stadium is paid for still likely to be putting money in but only around £1m a season. Wages should be upto around £200k.
• Seventh Season - Hopefully we'll be in the same situation as Shearer, minted and high rep players, high wages etc.

Mistakes
The biggest single mistake was that Three Tier Aziendale, 20 days to build the stand and 20 days to build the corp box takes a long time to pay off. What I would have done is build a two tier Ospillata (eesh how do you spell these things) which can hold 500 Corp fans with two corp boxs, the entire thing would have been done in 20 days.

Then much later I would have built a Three Tier Mercantile in place of the little stand I built right at the start.

Overall going into an old gameworld the pressure is off, I've always felt I was behind in Shearer due to the stadium (not so much now) and the pressure was on to do better. The casual FA doesn't suffer from normal FA problems of good teams being relegated due to AI so the FA is properly tiered, i.e. your not left playing way out of your league.

Old Gameworld Conclusion
In Shearer we've bounced around the top 100 for eight seasons (currently 8th, a bit dizzy) but in the FA's I've played in the top tier throughout I've finished 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 4th, 10th (Xavi Alonso sucks!), 4th. One Silver Cup final. Mostly disappointing.
In four seasons in an old Gameworld I've been promoted twice and fought a hard relegation battle once and hopefully can bounce back next season.

It's just more exciting!