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Who are the 'sleeping giants' in the lower leagues?


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Nothing better than an LLM sleeping giants challenge. I did a great one with Como (not exactly a giant, but a very rapids fall from grace)...I built them back up and then took them well beyond...magic.

Oviedo is always a good one too. Tenerife too in the past

Generally, I like to sim the game for 3-4 years and try and find a big name team who has dropped quickly nd then aim to pick em back up.

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AD Fafe in Portugal spent one season in the top league in 1988/89, including a historic 0-0 draw with Porto, though not so much a giant, they are now in the 3rd Division.

In Italy there are a few who are languishing if you have a look around, can't name any off the top of my head though.

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There is also Dukla Prague in 2nd czech league. Maybe also Hradec Kralove. Also Dynamo Dresden had better past..

I really like playing for these teams. Leeds (07), Ferencváros (08), Dresden (08), Visby (09), Melacca (09) etc. Regarding Visby, only good team from Gotland, they had extremely strong squad in last FM game imho..

When I searched demo leagues for FM10, I couldn't find any such team in lower english leagues. Maybe Bournemouth or Darlington? Or what about York, Luton? I don't want to take Leeds this time, as they are favourites for promotion..

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Yeah, Boavista are in League 2 in Portugal. Won the Portuguese Cup like 5 times, and consistently top 6 club, but they've dropped 2 leagues in 2 years.

EDIT: They also won the top division in 2001.

lol poor boavista.

But braga will do what they couldn't and that is become the 4th big team of portugal.

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I think in Germany the Karlsruher SC is a sleeping giant, formed players like Oliver Kahn, Mehmet Scholl & Thomas Hässler. Dont forget the 7:0 win against Valencia in the uefa cup 1993.

other sleeping giants i remember are, dynamo dresden & fortuna düsseldorf

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Okay so when someone says 'lower leagues' I don't think of the professional game, but the semi-professional one. That would be what in England is non-league. Now if I was to suggest a sleeping giant that one might be able to manage in FM2010 (what with the new editor) then I would go for a team such as:

Farnborough - were on the brink of league football for a while in the 90s before financial troubles and a drop down the leagues - now in the Southern Premier I believe

Scarborough - They played in the football league for a few seasons before relegation back to the conference and then the conference north. Financial trouble hit and they now play as Scarborough Athletic in the North East Counties League

Maidstone United - 3 seasons in the football league before financial problems killed them off. Reformed in 2001 and are now in the Isthmian Premier.

Boston United - Another team with a pedigree at the top end of non-league and experience of league football. Financial trouble and relegation now see them in the Northern Premier.

Gateshead - There used to be a Gateshead in the higher divisions from the 30s to the late 50s but they lost their league place. The current Gateshead, in the Conference, are a new club but share the name, and probably the fans.

Halifax - Were in the league for a long time. Finances caused their downfall and Halifax Town AFC now play in the Northern League Division One North.

Bradford Park Avenue - Were in the FL for a long time before liquidation. They started up again in the late 80s and now play in the Northern Premier Division.

You could even say Darwen FC. They were in the FL before the turn of the century. They got wound up this year but AFC Darwen play in the West Lancashire League. If you plan to recreate to Level 11 you could play as them.

Okay, so maybe not 'giants' but another angle to look at it. The only club I could possibly call a 'giant' that are now in a lower league are Luton Town. I don't class Championship or Leagues 1/2 as lower league.

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Clubs that had some previous successes:

France:

Currently L3 - Stade Reimes: 6 titles, 3 cups, 2 times runner-up of the old European Cup of Champions

L2 - FC Nantes: 8 titles, 3 cups.

L1 - Saint-Etienne : 10 titles, 6 cups, European Cup of Champions runner-up

Holland:

L1 - Feyenoord: 14 titles, 11 cups, 1 European Cup, 2 Uefa Cups

England:

Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday - should i mention these ?

Italy:

Seria A - Genoa: 9 titles, 1 cup,

Serie B - Torino: 7 titles, 5 cups, Uefa cup runner-up

Serie C2 - Pro Vercelli - 7 titles

Serie A - Bologna: 7 titles, 2 cups, 1 Uefa Cup

Others: Malmo FF, Club Brugge, Partizan, Borussia Monchengladbach, etc.

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FC United of Manchester could be classed as a sleeping giant. Seem to have a decent fan base and decent financial backing. In my FM09 save they are in League1 by 2016/17.

And in which decade did they enjoy their greatest spell of success?

I'd go with Nottingham Forest. I want to take them back to the pinnacle of Europe where they belong :thup:

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Real Oviedo (the team of my home town). Usual competitor in Spanish First Division, it even played UEFA cup in the middle nineties. Today, they are struggling in the tier 3 league (2ªB), looking forward to climb to Liga BBVA. Good choice to manage, because of the big (+30000) stadium and the youth facilities...

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Someone mentioned Visby, they or any other Gotlandish team has ever been higher than Visby are now.

As for Malmö FF, being top half in the top tier is hardly sleeping giant material, is it?

As for Swedish examples, Östers IF, 4 times champions between 1968 and 1981, are languishing in the 3rd tier. Sleipner, champions 1938, is also in the 3rd tier.

Other ex-Swedish champions not in the top two tiers are Fässbergs IF, Brynäs IF and IFK Eskilstuna. Brynäs IF did merge with Gefle IF (who now plays in the top tier) but started all over again in Division VII (7th tier back at the restart). I think they (Brynös) are in Division II now (4th tier). IFK Eskilstuna are currently in Division III and suffer from huge debt.

Only Cup champion not in the top two tiers are Råå IF, currently plays in Division 4 (6th tier).

The only very successful team in Swedish football not in the top tier are IFK Norrköping who play in the 2nd tier after being relegated in 2008.

Sandvikens IF, with 17 top tier seasons play in the 4th tier. There a couple of our teams with several top tier seasons currently in the 4th tier.

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And in which decade did they enjoy their greatest spell of success?

I'd go with Nottingham Forest. I want to take them back to the pinnacle of Europe where they belong :thup:

Why does a sleeping giant need to have had success in the past? Surely the potential for future success makes them a sleeping giant?

When Adam Pearson bought Hull City he described them as a sleeping giant with masive potential. That was when we were in Division 3, with the only silverware in our cabinet being the Billy Bly Trophy and the East Riding Senior Cup. We may not be doing great in the Premier League but relative to our history, it can be classed as great success!

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Why does a sleeping giant need to have had success in the past? Surely the potential for future success makes them a sleeping giant?

When Adam Pearson bought Hull City he described them as a sleeping giant with masive potential. That was when we were in Division 3, with the only silverware in our cabinet being the Billy Bly Trophy and the East Riding Senior Cup. We may not be doing great in the Premier League but relative to our history, it can be classed as great success!

Yeah it's a fair point :thup:

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Farnborough - were on the brink of league football for a while in the 90s before financial troubles and a drop down the leagues - now in the Southern Premier I believe

Wahey! :D

UP THE BORO!! :thup:

Incidentally, going off topic here but Farnborough are in the process of building a new stand, which is not reflected on the demo.

Will it be reflected on the proper game and if not- how come ?

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Wahey! :D

UP THE BORO!! :thup:

Incidentally, going off topic here but Farnborough are in the process of building a new stand, which is not reflected on the demo.

Will it be reflected on the proper game and if not- how come ?

Stadia are generic

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I would say in England the lower leagues are classed as League 1 and below, as such don't think you can count Wedsnesday or Forest, and most certainly not Wolves.

Any of these clubs have the potential to be much higher:

Norwich City

Southampton

Leeds United

Charlton Athletic

Bradford City

Huddersfield Town

York City

Luton Town

Oxford United

Cambridge United

Wrexham

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do millwall count??

norwich without a doubt

Yes:p

Well, I wouldn't call us a sleeping giant (as some people have mentioned, that's more Forest and Leeds), but we're what you'd probably call a big club for League One. If you managed to get us in the Premiership we'd get good gates, as back in 01/02 (before the membership scheme:() we were averaging around 15,000 on our way to the play-offs.

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Portugal has lots of them:

Farense

Campomaiorense

Boavista

E. Amadora

those spring to mind. Then you have:

Perugia

Messina

Treviso

Ascoli

Pro Vercelli

in Italy or...

Southampton

Newcastle

Leeds

Forest

Norwich

in England, and maybe...

Livingston

QOTS

Inverness

in Scotland.

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FC United of Manchester could be classed as a sleeping giant. Seem to have a decent fan base and decent financial backing. In my FM09 save they are in League1 by 2016/17.

Yes, I definitely agree with you are! FC United are the FUTURE Premier League and European Cup champions! Perhaps by the year 2025, they would be regularly playing in the Premier League!! :D

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Yes, I definitely agree with you are! FC United are the FUTURE Premier League and European Cup champions! Perhaps by the year 2025, they would be regularly playing in the Premier League!! :D

Even so, that still doesn't make them sleeping giants as they've never been... well, giant, in the past.

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Charlton. Our record attendance is over 75,000, same season we finished 2nd in the top division. Real challenge is to build the club up so much that you beat the record attendance. Would probably have to move to a big new stadium and expand it to do that, which of course would take years of success.

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