by @Nerdphonic
When @Nerdphonic starts a save, you know it’s going to be a good one - after 3 seasons at Blackburn Olympic having climbed from Tier 10 up to Tier 8 at the time of writing, we asked Matt to name his Player of the Year for Football Manager 2020. If you are a @5StarPod listener - you may know his name..
As has become typical of my actual FM play time over the past couple of years, I decided on a save that really enticed me way too late into the game’s life cycle to, ironically, get anywhere near the end-game I had hoped and longed for.
Enter Blackburn Olympic. A save that I am only three seasons into but has become a meme of biblical proportions. After starting in the 10th tier of English football, two back to back promotions as Champions following (almost) unbeaten runs and a cacophony of unrealistic signings, has led to a largely League One-standard squad plying their trade in the Northern Premier Division One North West. Catchy.
The quite ridiculous quality of playing staff that were recruited have caused some utterly bizarre board expectations, to the point where Olympic are expected to qualify for the FA Cup Third Round. This is despite drawing opposition four, five or six divisions above them in just the qualifying rounds. That combined with lofty hopes of winning the title upon promotion from the division below can make things a little precarious at times.
But this article isn’t supposed to be about justifying why I was able to sign Mario Gomez (yes, the German one that has a world cup medal) when in a farmer’s league only to be released and end up being signed by Rennes for £20k a week in a, well, different farmer’s league (thanks for the assist there, Kylian).
But before I get to the player that has genuinely pulled me out of the mud more times than I care to remember, there is one man that deserves an honorable mention.
Charlie Ball
He’s a ‘non-league legend’ on par with the likes of Omar Koroma and Jamil Adam. All of those I’ve spoken to who have embarked upon saves further down the English footballing pyramid have offered the same pearl of wisdom. Sign. Charlie. Ball.
Due to the nature of having to bring in players on non-contract terms, some don’t get to spend too long fawning over his performances before he gets snapped up by another club offering a permanent deal. I scoffed at talk of 50 goal seasons when he failed to score in his first 3 games. Then he clicked. Scoring 40 goals in his first season. He even managed to bag over 20 the following too, despite playing a more subdued role as he drifted down the pecking order.
Whilst his 5 goals in a game record has now been equalled (by the man you’ll be imminently introduced to), he has left an indelible mark on a team that, until I resurrected them, had not played a competitive game of football for 131 years. I’m normally quite ruthless with releasing players that can’t quite cut the mustard anymore, but not our Charlie. He’s already a club legend, joining the stars of the 19th century that led Blackburn Olympic to their only FA Cup victory in 1883. Clearly, present day fans have a slightly lower threshold for greatness than their Victorian counterparts…
Now, onto the main attraction.
Luca Navarro
I couldn’t believe my eyes when my scouts, who, for the most part generally steal a living, suggested I cast an eye over little Luca. Signed in the first season after he was released by Bolton, he has improved season on season. His attributes were clearly good enough for League Two, if not higher upon first inspection. He’s a well-balanced forward and although the game suggests he’ll play best as a false nine, he is so much better as a pressing forward. I don’t have enough fingers to count the amount of times he has won the ball high up the pitch from a lumbering centre half. Although his attributes may not have improved much, mainly due to my inept coaching staff and part-time coaching schedule, his on-pitch performances have been nothing short of spectacular. Despite signing arguably better players on paper since, he is the talisman of the side. The fulcrum in which we rely. He may only stand at 5’ 6”, but he truly is a giant.
Even though Olympic have a stacked side for the division, we all face those matches where you fail to break down the opposition. Where you’re baited into switching to a higher mentality only to concede a late goal despite setting up a protester’s wet dream of a demonstration outside their penalty area for 85 minutes. Except, this doesn’t happen as long as Luca is playing. Sure, we still struggle to break them down for the vast majority of the match but then, then the magic happens. He’ll dispatch a freekick from 25 yards, place the perfect shot despite being under incredible pressure or lay on an exquisite through ball for a teammate to take the glory.
He even matched Charlie Ball’s 5-goal haul in a single match record. Only he did it by scoring 5 in a single half. Although he rarely gets injured, I had intended to give him a rest but after conceding early and struggling to turn things around, I looked to Luca to right the wrongs. That he did and then some. It’s a feat he’s gone on to match for a second time since, too.
Enough of my anecdotes, I’ll let the raw numbers do the talking.
You can see just how vital he is. He assists almost as many as he scores. I can’t think of another player, past or present, real life or FM, that offers so many goal contributions. I’m just disappointed that I may not have enough time left before FM21 is released to see how truly great he will be.
Don’t worry Luca, the streets will never forget.
Thanks for reading,
Make sure to follow Matt on Twitch where you can find all the vods of his Blackburn Olympic save as well as catch him live at 11pm most evenings - you can also jump in the WSFM discord for more FM discussion and save updates from the team.
Interested in sharing your own FM Player of the Year? Drop us a message or reach out to MaddFM for more info.
