withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Afternoon all. I'm not going to lie to you, in recent weeks I'd somewhat lost my FM "mojo". I'd decided not to buy FM12 as I was more likely to play other games, and I think I'd basically hit saturation point after playing for so many hours! However, this weekend I got the dreaded man-flu, and so FM was back in the equation. Now I've got the bug again, and although I'm still playing FM11, I thought I'd start a new career in a country I hadn't yet encountered. So first and foremost, the technical stuff: 11.3 with no edits (although I'm using the original data-base) Loaded all leagues from England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal and Spain Medium player data base, 49,000 players. English manager with Scottish roots, with a Sunday League reputation. Ambitions As I'm sure some of you know, my team Notts County have a link with Juventus which goes back to the dawn of time (possibly). As I'm setting out in this career to pretty much avoid England (at least for a good couple of decades or so) I'd love to acquire the Juve job at some point down the line. Still, that's a long, long way away just yet. In my entire FM11 career, I've only played in two of the countries loaded (England and Holland). I'd therefore like to try at least two of them, but I've already decided that Italy will be my home to start with. Hopefully I can stay in a job for more than a few games! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Uploaded with ImageShack.us Trapani Calcio (from Wikipedia) Trapani Calcio is an Italian football club located in Trapani, Sicily. The traditional club colours of Trapani is maroon, known in Italian language as granata. During the club's history they have played mostly in the Serie C and D leagues, and currently play in Lega Pro Prima Divisione. To date the highest league position the club has finished was 4th in Serie C1 during the 1994–95 season. Throughout their long history, Trapani have won at least six recorded league championships in various divisions. Trapani's main rival clubs are S.C. Marsala 1912 and G.S. Mazara 1946, from the neighbouring cities of Marsala and Mazara del Vallo. A rivalry with U.S. Città di Palermo is also existing, but lightened by the distance in terms of divisions; Palermo and Trapani have in fact both played together Serie C1 for a very short amount of years. Did you know? Infamous Italian defender Marco Materazzi made 13 league appearances for Trapani in 1993-94. He also scored 2 goals for the club as they narrowly missed out on promotion to Serie B. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Uploaded with ImageShack.us First impressions So I've got a bit of a mixed feeling on my first day at the club. There are plenty of positives, the club has a bank balance of more than £2m, and to go with that there's a decent amount of cash in the budget, too. Also, there's a decent stadium, one of the biggest at this level with a capacity of 10,000 and it is in a good condition. However, the squad is absolutely awful despite the assurances of my Assistant Manager. Time to hire some scouts, I believe! For the record, the club expect me to steer clear of relegation, and have given me a transfer kitty of £170,000, with £15,750 for wages. The club is spending £8,000 a week, so that's a reasonable amount of money to play with. Hopefully I can attract a few decent players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Odds of 5000/1 to go up? Wow. Never, ever seen odds like that before... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Uploaded with ImageShack.us First few weeks in charge It's been a busy first couple of weeks. My first appointments were a new scout and a physio (after having to sack the four absolutely awful physios already at the club). I sent one of my scouts out around Italy, and the other to France, which has always been a fertile hunting ground for me. Sure enough, my scout in France immediately identified several targets, including Guilherme Mauricio who has been an absolute legend for me in times gone by. I've made 14 signings in my first few weeks, which is a hell of a lot by my normal standards. I'm still within budget, but I do need to start looking at getting a few off the books (if anybody will take them!) About to start my first friendly, which is just against my under 20s, but it's good for the confidence. Anyway, a couple of my early season signings for you: Uploaded with ImageShack.us He might be 35, but if I get two years out of him I'll be more than happy. Uploaded with ImageShack.us My assistant manager recommended this forward...again, much better than what was already here, so I'm happy to have him. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Get the impression I might regret this signing: on signing he described the club as a "stepping stone", but again, he's better than what I already had so fingers crossed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Look like pretty good players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Look like pretty good players. Yeah, they look reasonable. Certainly better than what I had when I arrived, but I'm not sure how they compare with other teams in the league yet. I guess time will tell! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Uploaded with ImageShack.us Friendlies and early season cup ties My first few friendlies went pretty well, as least as far as results are concerned. The first game was a 4-0 victory against my Under 20 team, although it wasn't a great performance. Two of the goals were lucky deflections, although my back four were never in any real danger. This was followed up with a 2-0 victory against my reserves, but the performance improved slightly. Plenty of chances, and both full backs provided plenty of crosses, which is ideal as I play with a very narrow midfield three. My next friendly came against a side a division above me, as Paganese came to Sicily. I expected a narrow defeat, and so was more than satisfied with a 1-1 draw (although their 90th minute equaliser was a bit of a kick in the teeth.) My final friendly came against Cologna Paese, and the performance was something of a disappointment. A wonder strike from my 32 year old left back Luca Lacrimini was enough to seal it. And so four friendlies in, 3 wins and a draw, with just one goal conceded was a decent start, although I'm still unsure about a couple of performances. Perhaps a few are struggling to adapt to the 4-3-1-2 system I've implemented, but I'm keen to stick to it. My first competitive game was in the Italian Cup, a trip to the 22,000 Libero Liberati, home of Serie C1/B Ternana awaited. I fell behind early on to a simple header from a corner (I HATE conceding goals like that!) but the side rallied. I managed to record an unlikely 3-2 win after extra time, with new signing Claudio Pani scoring two minutes before penalties. A trip to Serie B Pescara was the reward. Next I have the Serie C Cup, something I had no idea existed! Really can't wait for the league to get started now... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Good luck with Trapani! I'm currently in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione with Santarcangelo! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Good luck with Trapani! I'm currently in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione with Santarcangelo! Just discovered your thread, fella. It's a good read so far. And cheers, been a decent start, although I'm struggling with injuries! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Uploaded with ImageShack.us First 15 games I've been delighted with my start. Just one defeat so far, and that came in the Cup against Serie B Pescara. Here are my early fixtures, then (including friendlies.) Uploaded with ImageShack.us No time for complacency though. I've only played 5 league games so far, but I'm more than happy with three early wins. I'm noticing plenty of injuries though in these early weeks, so I'm having to make plenty of changes which I'd rather not. (I had three players injured in the 2-2 draw with Brindisi, which was a real pain in the backside). Uploaded with ImageShack.us Early doors I know, but so far my two full backs have been my best signings. Plenty of good performances, and so many dangerous crosses pretty much every game. Just a shame both players are in their 30s... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Undoubtedly the best result of my reign so far, and even sweeter after making 6 changes (and playing 88min with 10 men!) Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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