FM18 Team Guide: Newcastle United FC
This FM18 Newcastle team guide provides all the information you need to know about Newcastle United Football Club. In case you’re having a thought of managing this club in Football Manager 2018, this article will give you an insight about the club, and may help you decide whether to launch a new career with the team.
With the way things are in FM18, this club will be fighting to retain a spot in the English Premier League. And this could be a challenging team for you to manage. Though it depends on how good you are.
However, am going to share about the club’s finance, board expectations, team report. squad, youth academy, staff, and dynamics.
Brief History
Newcastle United FC is an English professional football club based in Tyne and Wear. It was founded in 1892, and currently celebrating its 125th year this 2017/2018 season. The club was relegated in 2016 after some poor performances. However, the team currently plays in English Premier League (EPL) after winning the 2016/2017 Sky Bet Championship.
The Magpies, as nicknamed, have enjoyed a lot of successes in English football. Their greatest achievement came between 1904 and 1910. During this period, Newcastle won 3 EPL titles and one FA cup. However, in total, since existence, the club has won 4 EPL titles, 1 Europa League, 6 FA cups, 4 Sky Bet Championship titles, and 1 Community Shield trophy. In terms of number of trophies accumulated by an English club, Newcastle ranks 9th in England.
Finance
The club’s finance is secured. But this is a decline when compared to its financial power in 1999. Newcastle ranked 2nd in England, behind Manchester United, in terms of annual revenue in 1999. And they have currently dropped to 36th, according to Soccerex Football Finance.
To increase the finance, you have to at least secure a mid-table finish. The huge TV revenue of EPL will help you a lot.
Debts and Loans
Newcastle owe a debt of £23.19M, which is attributed to transfer. But the net debt owed is approximately £111M. However, as a result of Gift Loan, the club owes £129M. This gift loan is repayable once the chairman (Mike Ashely) departs.
Profit and Loss
Last season, the team made a profit of £32,771,370 after playing in Skye Bet Championship. But the overall balance when you start your career is a negative £4.7M, with a loss of £27,186 in the first month of the game.
Financial Fair Play Regulation
The FFP profit/loss regulations for EPL mandate the club not to make a loss that’s more than £15M during a period of 36 months. But, the board project to make a profit of £112M during this period. This is really good because it’s going to be difficult for this club to go bankrupt.
Also, for continental club competition, the club is allowed to make a loss not more than £4.45M.
The yearly player wage regulations allow the club to spend no more than £82.88M (£1.59M p/w). You can easily fail this regulation if you keep renewing your players’ contracts anyhow you want. However, the board projects to spend £62.78M (£1.2M p/w), which is less than the allowed threshold of £74M. But it’s important to manage things well.
Budgets
The board left an initial transfer budget of £10.5M (which is 75 % of the club’s revenue) with a wage budget of £1.17M. But from the way things are in FM18, the club is already spending £1.146M on wage. As you can see, these budgets may not bring in the kind of players you want. So, you have to manage what you have. For me personally, these budgets are good enough for me.
The scouting budget is £720K. And there are no restrictions in place for scouting. The scouting team can scout any region you want.
Board Expectations
Newcastle board expect you to secure a mid-table finish with the initial transfer and wage budgets. But if you feel you can do better by leading the team to Europa League qualification, both the transfer and wage budgets will be increased accordingly. The board don’t see the possibility of qualifying for Champions League.
The board also expect you to at least reach the fifth round of English FA Cup. And at least reach the fourth round of Carabao Cup.
Have in mind that if you choose any level in Premier League, don’t fail to accomplish it. Otherwise, they may sack you before January or at the end of the season. Not reaching the levels set for FA Cup and Carabao Cup are pardonable.
As it is, the board expectations seem light. But if you don’t get things right, you may really struggle to accomplish any of them. The idea that the team just gained promotion may affect you. If you’re new to football manager, I would recommend you to start with the initial expectations.
Team Report
Like I keep saying, the team report can be a very important aspect to check. It can help you choose a suitable tactic for the team you’re managing. It can also help you get to know the type of squad you have. The weaknesses and strengths of the team are made available in the team report section of FM18.
Looking at the comparison section in the screenshot above, all positions are being compared with other teams in the league. The team doesn’t do well in any of the attributes when you uncheck Goalkeepers. But they rank average on decisions.
So, while choosing a tactic for this team, what kind of style will you go for? From this “All Positions” section, it may be hard to decide. But let’s view some other sections.
Viewing the Defence section, as you can see above, the team’s defensive abilities in the league is pretty ok. Their positioning, marking, and jumping reach (10th in the league) are all average. Pace and acceleration are above average while tackling, heading, and strength are below average. The defence is not so good in air.
The Midfield section is good but not the best in the league. However, it seems they have more creative midfielders; because the passing, vision, and decisions bars are higher. This means that the team’s midfield is based on technicality rather than physic. Although their technical abilities are below average in the league, the tech abilities are better than the physical abilities.
Newcastle have a good attacking force. The Attack section is way better than the Midfield and Defence sections. Its heading, jumping reach, and finishing are quite good. And the team’s attack has the best anticipation, which is very important for any attacking force.
With all these sections discussed, it’s left for you to decide which kind of players to bring in or sell. And most importantly, which kind of tactics to use. For me, I would go for a passing style of play. Not a high possessive kind of game, but a simple passing game. My tactic would be based on technicality.
Squad
The screenshot above displays the first team squad. This squad has a lot of young players.
Necastle have some important players that can impact your team positively. These players can help you achieve your goals if managed properly. The screenshots below display these players. You need to try and take advantage of their talents.
Loaned Players
Injuries
Youth Academy
The youth academy of this club is quite ok. And the provided facility for the youth academy is pretty great. However, they have few young talents that can add good value to the first team squad in the future; most of them are on loan.The profile screenshots below show these talents.
Staff
From the staff overview screenshot below, the coaching team of the club is slightly below average in the league. The team comprises of 8 members. You may choose to improve this area.
The scouting team is very poor. The team lacks a Director of Football and Chief Data Analyst. You can improve the scouting team if you want.
Finally, for the medical team, the rank is really high. The medical team is one the best in the league. You don’t need to worry about this area. Their sports science ranks 2nd, behind Liverpool.
Dynamics
