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[FM10] Z is for Zenit


Mike7077

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Football Manager 2010, running all divisions in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia and Ukraine

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ZenitStPetersbHSS0809.jpg

Zenit St. Petersburg

Petrovski Stadium

St.Petersburg

Russian Federation

History

Zenit St. Petersburg hail from Russia's beautiful second city and are able to count on one of the largest and most passionate support bases in the country. There are origins are in several predecessor clubs in the city and as such, it is difficult to pin down a specific date of formation. However, the name FC Zenit first came into being in 1936 and this is generally considered to be when the club appeared in its current form.

The club itself is sometimes compared to Newcastle United of England - it is the city's only football club and it is followed by a large, vocal group of fans. Like Newcastle, Zenit have not known a great deal of success. The Soviet Top League title came to St. Petersburg (or Leningrad as it was at the time) just once, in 1984. They were also only one-time winners of the Soviet Cup. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Russian Federation, things got no better as the Moscow clubs, especially Spartak, maintained a stranglehold on the title.

However, in the 2000s, things began to change. Russia was now awash with cash from oil and gas, and Zenit was taken over by the gas giant Gazprom. Money flowed into the club, and with it came some of the best players the club had ever seen. It was only a matter of time before Zenit triumphed. And this they duly did, in 2007. Six months after claiming the Russian title, Zenit were in Manchester, playing Rangers off the park in the UEFA Cup final with a breathtaking display of slick football. The 2008 European Super Cup final also went Zenit's way, a lacklustre and seemingly disinterested Manchester United providing little of the test that Zenit had expected.

Since that night in Monaco, however, things haven't gone according to plan. In November 2008, Rubin Kazan stunned Russian football by winning the title. Zenit came in fifth. The team that was touted as possible darkhorses for Champions League success limped out at the Group Stage. Star player Andrei Arshavin had departed for Arsenal. But with the fanbase and the resources available, surely Zenit couldn't be too far away from more success...

Current Squad

zenit.jpg

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So that's the background out of the way. Incase you haven't guessed, I'm beginning a save with Zenit St. Petersburg. I don't allow transfer budgets in the first window, so there's no transfers to mention at this stage. My ultimate aim is to try and turn Zenit into a major force at home and in Europe. I'm more likely to end up getting sacked, but we'll see how it goes.

When you start the game, you're about halfway through the Russian season. For this reason, I'll wait until the end of the season for my first update, which will include a league table and sum up how my half-season went. After that, more thorough updates will be forthcoming including for individual matches.

My biggest hope is that this save, coupled with posting here, will help me fall in love with FM again. I also don't take defeat very well so I'm hoping that sharing it with people will make me feel a little more encouraged.

Wish me luck...

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