pheelf

Linfield F.C. SEASON 2047 / 2048 We have to establish dominance in the DBP so that we can guarantee Champions League group stage money which will enable us to build the club much quicker. As for the Champions League, I'd like to try for 3rd if possible but much will depend on who we draw. League Table - This was a thrilling title battle with Donegal Celtic, Glentoran and Cliftonville still having realistic hopes right up until the split. It looked like Glentoran might grab the title but terrible post split form meant their challenge receded. It took until the final day with a win over Donegal Celtic to secure our 3rd title in 4 years but I was glad to be able to lift the trophy after such a tough season. We need to start winning the league more comfortably, 8 losses and 4 draws in a season is a lot and we will need to improve on that. We also need to find a way to win games more consistently against our main rivals. Elsewhere in the DBP, Belfast Celtic gave it a good go but finished way off survival. Crusaders stayed up with an easy 8-1 aggregate win over Carrick Rangers in the relegation playoff. Dungannon Swifts won the DBP Europa Conference League playoff with a 2-0 win over Coleraine in the final meaning we probably have the nations strongest teams competing in Europe next season. Ballyclare Comrades will once again be joining the DBP next season after winning the NIFL Championship title. UEFA Champions League - A tough draw but aside from the games against Chelsea we did put in some decent performances. It was a bit touch and go for 3rd but thanks to scoring 1 extra goal against Borussia Dortmund we was able to secure 3rd and post-December knockout football in the Europa League. UEFA Europa League - The performances we put in against Lazio were fantastic and I was very happy that we went to Italy and turned them over. Everton however were a much tougher proposition, after our first leg loss at home I knew we were going out even though it wasn't a massive deficit to have to make up in Liverpool. To our credit; we scored first and tried our best to make a game of it but when the equalizer that was pretty much curtains for us. A good campaign and if we can't get through to the knockout stages of the Champions League I'd like to try and consistently make it to the Europa League quarter final if we can. Domestic Cups - We managed to grab 2 cups which isn't too bad. For some strange reason the 2nd leg of the Irish Champions Cup was played first, when they won they got a trophy celebration but of course we still had to play the 2nd game of the tie. When we then won the tie on away goals we had a 2nd trophy presentation with us lifting the cup, very odd. I was very disappointed with the Irish Cup result against Glentoran, the League Cup result against Glebe Rangers was even worse. Reserves - A really poor season for them in the league and the cups. On the plus side, at least it enabled some lower league clubs the opportunity to earn some money. The money is slowly starting to filter down into the lower leagues but it's a slow and arduous process. Under 18s - Not the best of seasons from them but they did come close to qualifying from their UEFA Youth League group, so that's a plus. Squad - I managed to curtail the usage of loans completely and now that the market values of our players has increased and we can get good money from player sales I think we are well on the way to becoming the 'selling' club that I've been working towards. We have a very young squad which is by design and I have started to re-incorporate some of the aspects of picking up the elite clubs rejects. They are very good players which still have a lot of career ahead of them joining the club at ages between 18 and 23. The one thing they can't get from their previous clubs is game time and as I can offer that to them it means they can develop very quickly. I think that maintaining a smaller squad is also the way to go, it means that I take a risk should a player get a serious injury but it's the most effective way to develop the players I have rather than have players stagnating on the bench or in the reserves. Transfers - I spent a lot of money but then I did manage to make a lot of sales and a huge profit. Let's start with the departures, Stofani DL I wanted to keep but he was adamant that we wanted to leave even after trying to persuade him otherwise. I think we managed a good deal and made a good profit on him. I think we robbed Swansea with the fee for Chandler MR, we are losing a good utility player but he was never really an exceptional winger and not really strong enough to play in the central midfield (support) role given the other options at the club so I was happy to let him leave. Beggi MC wasn't getting enough football so it was an easy decision to let him go. The sale of Benignus DR was a more contentious one as I wanted to keep him but the money was decent and I have Rowe DR coming through the ranks to replace him. Kelly MC was a good sale for us to Donegal Celtic, his sale strengthens another N. Irish team and we get a nice sum to re-invest. We made a nice profit on Rafael DC but he was getting itchy feet so really had to sell him in the end. Ramirez DC was unhappy with a lack of game time and the offer was decent so I sold him too. Finally, club legend Gomersall ML was sold to a Qatari team, works out well for him as he gets a nice pension wage before he retires and allows us to develop the younger players we have. Kelly MR and Duspara MR were brought to replace the departing Chandler who I knew was to be sold. They had a reasonably good debut season but I would like to see more output in terms of assists and goals next season. Chandler ST was a good rotation option who often filled in right midfield. Francois MC was a bit pricey but proved to be a good rotation option with Diem and we definitely seemed a lot more secure defensively with him in the team. O'Hare ML looks a magnificent player and had a fantastic first season, he is exactly the archetype of player we should be looking for, young, N. Irish so HG and excpetionally talented. Fernandes DR looks an astute piece of business although he didn't really put in any really strong performances. We made those signings and then went a bit wild on January deadline day. First in was Garly MC who is definitely one for the future and his attributes suggest he is going to be a star. Anderson ST was a good pickup from Rangers, has excellent skills for an Advanced Forward and just needs some time to develop. We then went and got Davidson DC from Celtic who looks an amazing replacement for Rafael. Then finally, as the clock was striking 5pm we made our final signing of the season and we definitely saved the best till last. Graham DC while expensive from Arsenal is the type of player you build a squad around. I'm excited to see what the future holds for him and if his market value is anything to go by, it looks like we could have nabbed ourselves a magnificent bargain. Brandon O'Hare - ML Average Rating: 7.51 A brilliant first full season with the club, he is already becoming a favourite amongst the fans and if he continues in the same vein next season he will definitely establish himself as a club legend. An excellent dribbler with enormous pace to burn, he is definitely going to give opposing full back a tough time. Ovidiu Pop - MC Average Rating: 7.62 He is not the finished article yet but if he continues to develop in the way he has then he has an exceptionally bright future ahead of him. If he's this good already what is he going be like with a couple of seasons with further development, I hope that we are the club that finds out although I can see the vultures circling already, it's going to take a massive bid to pry him away from us though. Finances - We are in a very comfortable financial situation and the big player sales we have been performing have certainly helped the bank balance. For the first time I'm also confident that we can begin to spend a bit more knowing that I will likely be able to recoup any fees paid or make good profits. I don't think the size of our fan base is increasing at the rate I would like to see but the ticket prices are still rising so perhaps in a few seasons once the prices have stabilized we will see a sharp increase. Sponsorship is still appalling though, the geniuses in the financial department signed a deal with a local company for £4K per season. Well done people, that's going really going to help our finances. Facilities - The board were far more accommodating this season and were willing to invest in both the training and youth facilities. While we can't justify the expansion of the stadium I'd quite like to take advantage of this time to get the other facilities to state of the art so that when it comes time to make the investment into the stadium we have the money available and it doesn't have to go into other areas. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - My coaches rated the intake as excellent but if I appraise this crop of players I'd say it's actually quite poor. Looking at the attributes of even the top talents tells me that these players are going to need to show miraculous improvement to make it here. League Reputation - Holding our position was the objective and that is exactly what we achieved. The only way we are going to have any chance to make it further up the table is with a lot of help from the other N. Irish clubs and us breaking through to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Club Domestic Reputation - Still not 3.5* which is a bit disappointing given we just won a 3.5* reputation league, perhaps the two reputation stars are not linked in that way. Club European Reputation - On the rise again which helps protect our position as 3rd seeds. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Donegal Celtic – Lost 5-2 on aggregate to Dundee in Europa League 1st Knockout Round – Once again they failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage but did well to qualify from their Europa League. They flopped badly against their Scottish opponents but not too bad. Dungannon Swifts – Finished 4th in Europa Conference League League group – They did well to qualify for the group but were pretty hopeless once they got there. I think they need to refresh their squad a bit, they need some young blood. Glentoran – Lost 4-3 on aggregate to Bodo/Glimt in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – The opponents weren't that tough so they really should have progressed. Cliftonville – Lost 8-7 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on aggregate with Eupen in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – Total rubbish, we can't afford such weak performances as the other countries below us are catching up in the nations club coefficient.

Linfield F.C. SEASON 2046 / 2047 The prize for winning the DBP this season is automatic qualification to the group stages of the Champions League, therefore I want to put in a strong title challenge this season. Making it to the group stages of the Champions League will also be an objective but that might prove difficult as we have to travel through the 'Best Placed' route. League Table - It was probably a lot tougher than it should have been but on the penultimate matchday we secured the title with a win at home to Cliftonville. At one point in the season we had an 8 point lead over Donegal Celtic but then 4 losses and a draw over the winter months allowed them to catch up and overtake us meaning we went into the split behind them. Thankfully, we managed to thrash Donegal Celtic 4-1 in the post-split fixtures. When combined with some abysmal post-split from from them, it allowed us to regain the lead and win the league with a game to spare. Elsewhere in the DBP, Glentoran grabbed the last European qualification spot with a 4-0 win in the playoff final over Larne. Newry City sauntered to the Championship title finishing 25 points ahead of surprise 2nd placed team Belfast Celtic. That wasn't the shock of the season though, the shock came when Belfast Celtic then went on to overcome Ballyclare Comrades 4-2 on aggregate in the relegation playoff. Quite an extraordinary rise from them considering they were playing non league football just over a decade ago, definitely a club on the rise but I think they are going to find life in the top flight next season extraordinarily tough having to compete as a part time club in a fully professional league. If they survive it will probably go down as one of the greatest upsets ever seen in football. I sense they will be going down with a record low points total but they will probably manage to better Bohemians record of just 1 point in season 1914/15 (although they did only play 14 matches in that season). Strangely in that season, the winners were their namesakes Belfast Celtic, a team with an illustrious history in Irish football which dissolved in 1949. Sports and Leisure Swifts revived the name in 2019 and now finally they have begun to bring back some prestige to the club as they look to bring them back to their former glory. A season in the top flight will do them the world of good even if it ends in relegation as the money will make it much easier to bounce back. It's nice to see an AI controlled club capable of pulling off such a feat, if only some of the other 'bigger' lower league clubs could be this ambitious, Distillery for example are still a non-league team and don't look like returning to league football any time soon. UEFA Champions League - Qualification couldn't have gone much better to be honest. The real standout being the annihilation of Ajax and FC Zurich in the 1st legs which made the 2nd legs practically academic. When we started with a comfortable win over Shamrock Rovers on the 1st matchday I was beginning to wonder whether qualification through the group might be possible. Unfortunately for us we lost the rest and so had to settle for 3rd place on the head to head record over Shamrock Rovers which wasn't the worst outcome as at least we would be playing knockout football. UEFA Europa League - Not too bad at all, the results against Dynamo Kyiv were impressive but Aberdeen were definitely a cut above. The 1st leg had me optimistic but a poor start to the 2nd leg in Scotland which had us 3-1 down in the 47th minute pretty much ended our hopes. Overall though, a good season in Europe and one which contributes to keeping the nation coefficient ticking over. Domestic Cups - A rubbish season in the cups but we don't really have the depth to compete on all fronts yet so not entirely unexpected. I use the games as an opportunity to field players which don't usually get a lot of game time as there are no registration requirements. Giving other teams the opportunity to win the cups is also not the worst idea although more than likely hands to trophies over to Donegal Celtic, Cliftonville did win the League Cup though. Reserves - The prize money for winning the Steel & Sons Cup has risen again to £1.69M, the Intermediate Cup winner gets £902K, which is a nice bit of change for us or other DBP clubs but completely game changing for a lower league club. Dungannon Swifts are just abusing this massive increase to the prize money by winning the Mid-Ulster Cup every season. they have won it 7 times out of the last 10 seasons and 3 times in a row. Under 18s - Glad to see them become champions in the domestic league but the UEFA Youth League was quite poor. Squad - I think I have become overly dependent on loans which is stifling the development of some of our players by denying them playing time. I had to dip into the loan market as the transfer and wage budget was completely used up and we still had gaps to fill. The problem we have is that the quality of player which would improve us is prohibitively expensive. I'm also still struggling with the whole registration of players for the DBP and Europe. The domestic rules really do force you to look at the younger end of the transfer market (under 21) which is usually the expensive end especially if the player is already at a 'big' club and has a lot of potential. It's difficult to pluck gems from obscurity given that our scouting team isn't the largest and also because those sort of players are unlikely to get a work permit anyway. As a result, I have made some fairly large adjustments to the profile of player I go after. Typically, I like to go for players who are aged around 22 or 23. Usually at that point if they are at a bigger club they will have had the benefit of going out on loans or playing in their reserves and have developed quite well. The clubs usually don't see them as good enough to play in the first team so you can pick them up for cheap. Therefore you get a player who is ready for first team football with a good amount of potential. I then give them that first team football, they develop and I can usually sell them on for a huge profit which then gives me the money to reinvest into more players like that. Now that I have actually written what I do, I think I should probably return to doing that rather than chase after the U21 players as it makes a lot of sense financially and in terms of squad building. I should probably attempt to fill the HG requirements with youth players if I can. Transfers - A productive pair of transfer windows which did the job and got us the DBP title win we wanted. For the players that came in, Ramirez DC was a good find by my Peruvian scout and he seems to have good potential, just needs more game time. The loans we brought in were quite expensive but they did well for us. Neskovic GK was brought in as backup for Smith and he did okay in the games he played. Stofani DL was expensive not only in transfer fee but in wages too. He looks a very good player but will probably leave as a lot of the promises I had to make to him for him to join I couldn't fulfill, at least he should make a nice profit for us. Bonaduce ST is a good player but perhaps will need to leave as he doesn't quite fit in the 4-4-2 system I use. Beggi MC was decent in the games he played but left on loan as he wasn't getting enough game time. Pop MC looks an excellent signing and I look forward to seeing how he develops next season. As for the players that left, Tikhonov DR threw an almighty strop about wanting to leave so I relented and sold him to Inter for a nice profit. To sweeten the deal, I was also able to keep him on loan this season which suited us. I then sold a clause for £1.83M meaning I made over £6M from the deal in total. I was gutted to lose Lynch DC as I saw him as a player to build around but Liverpool turned his head and triggered his release clause so I was powerless to keep him. He then spent the season on loan to Dynamo Dresden even though I wanted him back for the season. Marinescu DR and Wickens MC went off to Dungannon Swifts with my blessing as they weren't getting game time and they both helped to strengthen their new club. Gilmore ST was a reserve player that was causing trouble as I couldn't register him in either the European or DBP squad so I was happy to let him leave. Josue Diaz Leal - ST Average Rating: 7.71 The striker had a great season and developed well, shame that we won't get anything for the time and effort we put into him as he returns to his parent club Everton. That is why I need to move away from bringing in loan players. Gerson Ramirez - DC Average Rating: 7.38 He wasn't a first choice but when he did play he did perform remarkably well. He is going to need to do a lot of work and develop quite significantly next season if he is to disrupt the first choice partnership of Rafael and Gittins. Finances - A good balance and an even better transfer and wage budget. I also feel that I could probably spend that money as I will be getting the majority of that money back with the group stage money from the Champions League. Now is the time to push on and make the squad competitive in Europe. Facilities - Unfortunately, progress has stalled off the pitch and the board are becoming rather obstructive when it comes to developing the club. They don't appear to be very forward thinking and while we don't need a stadium expansion based on our current average attendances, we are missing out hugely on what we could be making for the games we sell out. I think when we become 'Rich' that might increase their willingness to invest. The thing is, investment in Windsor Park will not only help us, it will help all the teams using the stadium in Europe. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - The intakes are improving and more and more of the players are getting contracts than a few seasons ago. I need this to be more productive though to help with my ability to meet the squad registration rules. League Reputation - Excellent progress to become the 10th best league in Europe. This is where further progress however starts to become really tough. All the leagues above us have strength and depth in the clubs that participate in them. I think that holding onto this position is likely to be the best we can do until we start competing in the latter stages of the Champions League. Club Domestic Reputation - A gap is now starting to become a chasm and I can only see it becoming worse over the next few seasons. Club European Reputation - We are into the top 50 which is great progress in such a short period of time. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Donegal Celtic – Lost 3-0 on aggregate to Hoffenheim in Europa League 2nd Knockout Round – They didn't make it into the Champions League groups but did exceptionally well to win their Europa League group. Their German opponents were a step too far but I'd like to see them continue in this fashion and help with the nation coefficient. Hopefully, they should find their path to the Champions League group stage a bit easier next season. Dungannon Swifts – Lost 3-2 on aggregate to Aab in Europa Conference League 4th Qualifying Round – I was gutted about this, they won the 1st leg 2-0 but fell apart in Denmark to end up without group stage football. They seem to have one great season then one poor one, they need to be more consistent. They should have a much better chance of getting there next season though. Glentoran – Finished 4th in Europa Conference League League group – Well, that's a good job from them to get to the group, shame they only managed to get one draw once they got there though. Larne – Lost 5-1 on aggregate to Hearts in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – I can understand why they went out to their Scottish opponents but they really haven't been good in Europe, I'm hoping Cliftonville next season will do better.

Linfield F.C. SEASON 2045 / 2046 After last seasons shock title win, I'd like to defend the title if possible although I sense it could be more difficult now that Donegal Celtic have stopped the fire sale and actually started to buy some decent players. More importantly however I would like to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League as the money would really accelerate how quickly I could build the club. League Table - My sense of foreboding about the threat coming from Donegal Celtic proved to be correct but we basically handed them the title this season. From the 6th matchday until the 30th matchday we led the table and at one point had a massive 8 point lead over Donegal Celtic. Unfortunately for us, we had an absolutely horrific dip in form in February and March while Donegal Celtic started to rattle off the wins which meant going into the split we were 5 points behind them. Ultimately we couldn't close that gap and even when they dropped points on matchday 36 to leave the door slightly ajar we could only manage a draw. I think selling our top scorer in January played a huge part as his replacement was very slow to get going (although attribute wise he is vastly superior). He just couldn't score and only netted his first goal in the league on the final matchday, a critical 1-0 win over Donegal Celtic which enabled us to secure 2nd and Champions League qualification. A disappointing season but at least we managed to salvage something positive out of it even if it means a more difficult route the group stage of the Champions League. Elsewhere in the DBP, Larne overcame Cliftonville 3-2 after extra time to win the UEFA Conference League playoff final and claim the final place in Europe. Crusaders stayed up with a record low points total after beating Warrenpoint Town 2-0 on aggregate in the relegation playoff. Newly professional club Ballyclare Comrades won the Championship title to maintain the entirely professional nature of the DBP. UEFA Champions League - Qualification for the group stage was a bit dicey, especially after the 1st leg defeat in Sweden against Malmo FF. Luckily, we turned up for the 2nd leg and some goalkeeping brilliance from Smith allowed us to prevail in the penalty shootout. When we drew FC Copenhagen in the playoff I was feeling quite chipper about it given what we did to them last season. My players seemed to latch onto that confidence and when we took them apart in the 1st leg I knew that we had reached the group stage. The group stage was however a complete let down, a very frustrating experience for us. We started well enough with a 0-0 draw at home but I felt we should have won that game, we had an xG of 1.63 where as Villarreal only had an xG of 0.63. Then we went to Italy for the 2nd game and was 3-1 down before half time but Napoli also had a player sent off in the 44th minute. Even with an entire half against 10 men we simply couldn't score which was rather annoying. Then perhaps the most infuriating game of the entire group stage as we went to Germany to play RB Leipzig. We were 2-0 up at half time and seemingly cruising, I don't know what happened in the dressing room but the 2nd half performance was terrible. They dominated us and in the end we were lucky to escape with a draw. They even had a goal disallowed at 2-2 which just shows that they really deserved to win. Then we took the lead at home to them in the return only for them to completely blow us away and take a 2-1 lead before half time. We then had an opportunity to equalize in the 56th minute with a penalty but Gittins DC had his penalty saved, 12 minutes later they scored a 3rd and that basically ended our chances of getting anything out of the game. Even with only 2 points after 4 games we still had a chance of claiming 3rd but a draw at home to Napoli made progression unlikely as we would have to beat Villarreal on the final matchday to overtake them and claim 3rd. We gave it a good effort but in the end defensive errors cost us and the loss condemned us to the wooden spoon. A mixed bag overall, I was pleased to make the group stage and to still have something to play for right up until the final matchday but know with a bit of luck and some better defending we might just have gotten out of the group, ah well, next time. Domestic Cups - At least we didn't finish the season trophy-less, given the money we received it was probably the best cup to have won. The money for winning the Co. Antrim Shield is now up to £1.45M. The League Cup winner only gets £300K and the Irish Cup winner gets £1.36M which seems a little bit off to me. We also made it to the final of every cup which is also pleasing as we managed to get a bit of extra income for doing so. Reserves - The prize money for the Steel & Sons Cup is also £1.45M so it was pretty nice seeing that prize money message come into my inbox. The Intermediate Cup winner gets £788K which is still a decent amount of money but nowhere near the amount for winning the Steel & Sons Cup. I really wish the lower league teams would put more effort into winning these competitions, it would completely transform them. There is literally no money in the lower leagues otherwise, the problem is that they are even struggling to make it into the quarter finals of these competitions. Under 18s - I don't know what happened in Spain but I think they did relatively well in their debut season in the UEFA Youth League. Squad - Some progress was made to improve the squad but I think we have become a bit too dependent on loans for my taste. The sale of Wilson ST in January was probably a massive mistake even though he expressed a desire to leave. I felt that his replacement was an even better player but I did not bank on him taking time to settle into the squad which ultimately cost us the DBP title. Joseph ST damaged his Achilles tendon which had him out for the entire Champions League group stage campaign which didn't help, Woods ST did a good job but I lost the ability to rotate him so he ended up playing a lot more games and perhaps went into some of the group stage games slightly fatigued. I'm going to need a lot of players for next season and I will have to lower the age of the signings to 21 and under. Squad registration was a nightmare and having to leave players like Kohler ML and Moses MC out of the DBP squad caused massive friction in the dressing room, besides they are useful rotation players which I could not use. I'm going to need a goalkeeper, a DL, a proper defensive minded MC, a ML, a MR and a pair of strikers, one to play as a DLF and the other to rotate with Harth in the AF role. If I can get that done then we should be in good shape to compete for the DBP title and get to the group stage of the Champions League. Transfers - I actually felt that this was a poor pair of transfer windows for the club. Unfortunately we had maxed out on our wage and transfer budget so even when good players came up in scouting we simply could not afford to go in for them. I was disappointed to sell Laurino DC as he looks a player with a lot of potential. I decided to cash in his 40% of next sale profit clause for £4.5M which has bolstered our budgets for next season. I feel I should have held onto Wilson ST as although the money was good the disruptive affect it had to the front line proved devastating. His replacement Harth ST was cheap and looks to have a good future ahead of him, I think once he acclimatizes to his new surroundings fully he will be quite a prolific goalscorer. Rafael DC was an excellent discovery from my scout in Brazil. I think if we could have him and Lynch DC at the heart of our defence for the next few seasons that we are going to see a special partnership emerge. Austin Gomersall - ML Average Rating: 7.73 He had another strong season although it was a bit weaker than the last, I wonder if it could be a result of his aging. He was however a bit of a miserable **** after January because I sold Wilson. He simply didn't buy my reasoning that Harth was a great replacement (which he really is) and that Wilson wanted to leave. Perhaps his status as a team leader and the fact he is also captain had a detrimental effect on our performances and led to our poor form in February and March. Omar Woods - ST Average Rating: 7.31 He did very well and didn't crumble under the pressure of having to play many more games than he probably expected. I think he will be a one season wonder for us as his asking price is way out of our budget and his contact at Everton has 3 years to run. Finances - After the sale of the clause for Laurino DC we are sitting on a balance of around £21M and have a transfer budget of ~£6.6M with a wage budget of just under £200Kp/w. I should be able to make use of that money to strengthen the squad in all the areas that we need. Facilities - Everything got an upgrade except the stadium which the board insist is large enough to suit our needs. For the first time our average attendance broke the 10,000 mark which is a significant milestone for the club. My aim over the next few seasons will be to expand the lead over Donegal Celtic in terms of average attendance and get to the point where an expansion becomes necessary. Having a bigger Windsor Park will not only be good for us but for the national team and other N. Irish clubs playing in Europe at the ground, so the sooner it's done the better. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - Rowe DR, Walsh GK and McGrath DL do look a cut above the rest but even still their raw attributes are so low for their role and positions. They are going to need to show such a massive amount of development over the next 2-3 years to even be good enough for the Reserves squad. The facilities around them are improving but it's going to take so much work to get them anywhere near their potential. I'm wondering whether it might be more beneficial for them to play competitive football in the lower leagues rather than in the youth team. All three are considered Championship level players so I wonder if a loan to our affiliate Newington might be a good idea. League Reputation - This has been a magnificent year for the N. Irish clubs in Europe and the massive rise in reputation of the DBP is testament to that fact. As if this wasn't enough then I got the following message in my inbox. This is an absolutely amazing development for the nation. It guarantees at least 3 N. Irish clubs group stage football, one of which will be competing in the Champions League group stage. We have to hope that we can hold onto this position for as long as we can. This is going to revolutionize the top of N. Irish football and bring massive amounts of money into the DBP. I think once I have cemented this position (hopefully with the help of the other N. Irish clubs competing in Europe) then I can think about how to distribute the wealth more evenly and build the grassroots level more. I really would love to see a tycoon invest in a N. Irish club as that would really help at this point, I think there is enough there to attract one too. Club Domestic Reputation - The regular competitors in Europe are really starting to pull away from the rest. I think next season will be critical to determine who goes top of this list, winning the DBP will give 3.5* reputation to the winners and that is going to be massive for whoever gets it in terms of players they will be able to attract. Club European Reputation - A slight rise but we didn't really do all that much in Europe this season to justify a bigger climb. I think next season is going to be very tough for us in terms of qualification for the Champions League group stage but we will just have to give it our best. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Donegal Celtic – Finished 4th in Champions League group – Amazingly good from them and I think the coefficient I left them with helped them to get through 3 rounds of qualification. The key for them was narrowly beating Dynamo Kyiv in the 2nd Qualification Round, they then drew Viktoria Plzen and Famalicao in the subsequent rounds who they found much easier to beat. They drew a difficult group with Real Madrid, AC Milan and Dinamo Zagreb. I thought they might have managed to get 3rd but their ill-discipline cost them badly. They had 2 players sent off in their opening game which they lost 7-0 to Real Madrid in Spain, another player sent off at home to AC Milan which they lost 1-0, yet another player sent off away to Dinamo which they also lost 1-0. They then lost their next two games which ended their hopes for 3rd, they did however manage a memorable final day 2-1 win over Real Madrid at home to salvage at least something from an other wise poor group stage campaign. Dungannon Swifts – Lost 3-2 on aggregate to Qarabag in Europa Conference League 2nd Knockout Round – A wonderful performance from them as they made it to the group stages of the Europa Conference League after losing in the Europa League qualifiers. I think they probably would have gone further but a poor showing in Azerbaijan after a 1st leg 1-0 win saw them out. Glentoran – Finished 4th in Europa Conference League League group – An excellent campaign for them to reach the group stage. I started to attend some of the qualifiers which seemed to have an effect on their ability to perform. They did exceptionally well to win through 3 qualification rounds. They only won 1 of their group stage games and lost the rest but who cares, the money will definitely cushion the blow for them. Cliftonville – Finished 3rd in Europa Conference League League group – What a magnificent showing from the N. Irish clubs in Europe this season. All of whom played in the group stages of a UEFA competition which largely explains why we were able to climb the nations coefficient table so much. More of the same next season please and we will be seriously contemplating getting a 3rd Champions League qualification spot which would be incredible. Cliftonville did it the hard way beating Dynamo Kyiv in the playoff, Slask Wroclaw in the 3rd Qualifying Round and Alashkert in the 2nd Qualifying Round.

Thanks for the comment, best of luck in your build a nation adventure in N. Ireland .

Linfield F.C. SEASON 2044 / 2045 I think that securing 3rd and potentially Europa League qualification in the DBP will be the main domestic objective for the season. The board agrees and provided we can begin to close that huge chasm between us and Donegal Celtic at the top that will mark good progress. In Europe, it's essential that we make it to a group stage, whether that is the Europa League or the Europa Conference League so that we can begin to bolster our bank balance which we are going to need to strengthen the squad. League Table - I'm almost lost for words, DBP winners in my first full season? I never thought in a million years that could happen but here we are and way ahead of schedule too. I have no doubt that our success was assisted hugely by the new Donegal Celtic manager (former Glentoran manager) taking a sledgehammer to the squad I built. They just had a massive fire sale and didn't really go and replace the players that left which weakened them immensely. The key to our season being that we beat Donegal Celtic 3 out of 4 times which really gave us a comfortable cushion over them at the top. Donegal Celtic did strengthen in January but by then it was too late and the gap was too big for them to recover. I think they will be a lot more dangerous next season now that the squad is more fitting to the 4-3-3 they now play but we'll be strengthening too in order to attempt to retain our title. Elsewhere in the DBP, Cliftonville prevailed against Larne 2-1 in the Europa Conference League playoff final to claim the final European qualification spot. Newry City stayed up with a comfortable 3-0 aggregate win over Institute in the relegation playoff. Next season, the DBP will be entirely professional once again as Crusaders won the Championship finishing on an unbelievable 107 points. UEFA Europa League - Oh dear, a massive early season blow. This was a poor outcome for us and the injuries sustained in the 2nd leg have me concerned whether we are actually going to make it to a group stage. At least we have another shot at it in the Europa Conference League but I'm not overly confident we are going to make it, fingers crossed. UEFA Europa Conference League - It was a close aggregate win but a solid first leg performance against our Portuguese opponents provided the foundation for us to build upon to get us a spot in the group stage and a whole lot of money too. When we unluckily lost our opening game of the group I was thinking that we might struggle but showed great character to put that right against the other group opponents with a win and draw against both to get us through to the knockout stages. We even managed a final day win in Edinburgh in the dead rubber game as Hearts had already qualified top and we couldn't catch them, we did at least ruin their perfect record. Then we get the draw and out pops FC Copenhagen, they look tricky and I sense it could be difficult to beat them. Well, I've never been happier to be proven wrong, we absolutely trashed them in Denmark, practically securing our progress and making the 2nd leg merely a formality. Next up, German giants Borussia Dortmund, we did well in the 1st leg but an 92nd minute injury time goal handed them the win which surely was going to swing the tie away from us. Not a chance, we came out in Germany fighting and even though we were 1-0 down until late in the game, a double salvo from us in the 77th and 78th minute sent the game into extra time. We had some chances, they had some chance in extra time but ultimately the game went to penalties where our goalkeeper Smith proved to be the hero by saving the decisive penalty. Quarter final time and we are set to face Newcastle United. Suffice to say, the magpies were a step too far for us and we took a trouncing. We restored a bit of pride in the 2nd leg but they went through comfortably to face rather shockingly Glentoran in the semi-final. Hopefully, next season can mark the start of our regular appearances in the Champions League group stages with us only dropping down to the Europa League for the knockout stages. Domestic Cups - A nice double in our first full season is pretty good going. We are going to need to do better in the League Cup and Country Antrim Shield but then again maybe giving other teams the opportunity to earn the huge prize money of winning those competitions might be better overall for the development of the nation. Reserves - It seems the lower league teams are really struggling to compete with the reserve sides of the DBP. Imagine what a difference it would make to a Championship or PIL side to get a payment of nearly £1.4M, it would completely transform them. The last lower league team to win the Steel & Sons Cup was Carrick Rangers and that was 5 seasons ago. The last lower league team to win the Intermediate Cup was Dergview and that was even further back, 8 years ago. The gap between the DBP and the Championship is enormous and only growing, I need to find a way to share the wealth around better to support the football pyramid in N. Ireland. Under 18s - A good amount of progress but still lots of work to be done to make them competitive with the very best. Squad - A lot of strengthening occurred which is why we had such an impressive season. I could see the benefits of having a smaller squad, registration was easier, much easier to maintain squad harmony and keep players happy. It also meant that players had more game time so developed much better than they otherwise would. I think having 2 first team players for each position is the way forward and maybe a backup player in the reserves should there be any injuries. I think that would be a lot easier to manage. Wilkinson GK and Magennis DL will be retiring after putting in a reasonable shift during their final playing seasons when called upon. Williams DR wants to leave so I will grant him that and O'Kane DC wants a new challenge so he will be getting the opportunity to leave also. As a result, we will be looking for a GK, DC and DR for next season to replace them. I will also need a MR and ST to play in the Advanced Forward role so that I have someone to rotate Wilson with. I'm pleased that I have managed to bring down the average age but to their credit a lot of the older players did a great job this season. Transfers - There was a lot of activity but I think we did some smart business. Let's start with the players joining the club, Darby DL was my marquee signing and I was very pleased with him, a great first season and still with room to get better. I was very happy to get Wilson ST back at the club on a free after his loan last season and he repaid the club with a fantastic goal return. Smith GK quickly established himself as our #1 and did exceptionally well throughout especially when Wilkinson suffered a terrible months long injury leaving him as our only real option in goal. Davey MC was another great free signing, he didn't really do much to become our first choice but was a good option off the bench, even if doesn't work out with us at least when he gets sold we should make a good profit on him. Alves GK was a punt on potential, he spent the season in the Reserves team. Toso ST was a good pickup from Verona, he played frequently and did a great job for us even when asked to play as the ML. Diem MC looks an absolute steal from Bayern Munich, his attributes are fantastic for a central midfielder and he still has a huge amount of untapped potential, I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more from him next season. Tikhonov DR may prove to be an even better bargain than Diem, I had to wait until he turned 18 but a player who looks to be well worth the wait, he did well when he joined. As for the players which left, trying to fit Ibrahim into the team was like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, it was just awkward so when an opportunity arose to sell him back to his homeland I was happy to oblige. A great move for him as he can spend the final years of his career close to his family playing for a decent club on good wages while also great for us as we can free up his wages and bring players more suited to the 4-4-2, a win win for both parties which happens quite rarely in transfers, usually one party is always left unhappy. I also put a lot of players out on loan but strangely there wasn't much interest from any of our affiliate clubs, perhaps once we bulk out the reserve squad a bit more they might be more willing to ask for loans. Austin Gomersall - ML Average Rating: 7.88 A great player for us this season, he is magic on a set piece and provided the most assists of any player in the squad. I have brought some competition for him in Kohler ML who will arrive in June, hopefully, that will spur him on to even greater heights as I feel that he has a good few years in him yet. Lorenzo Toso - ST Average Rating: 7.48 An excellent loan signing who did well during the season. I often played him as a ML and even though that is not his favoured position he performed very well there. He will be missed when he leaves but I don't think I'll be trying to sign him permanently given the asking price Verona want for him. Finances - The run to the quarter final of the Europa Conference League proved to be very beneficial for the clubs bottom line. The club made a profit of nearly £6M which has meant that our transfer budget has risen significantly too. I will be looking to use the money wisely and invest in the next generation of young talent which should help establish us as a selling club in the near future. In order to unearth these players I have decided to alter my scouting approach, instead of region scouting which has proven rather fruitless, I've decided to do country by country scouting with the stipulation that the players offered be 23 or under. I also will keep pressing the board for more scouts so that I can build a better scouting network, at the moment I have only 6 scouts, I would like to get that to double figures as soon as possible. Facilities - The junior coaching and youth recruitment both saw improvement which is great. I think I will hold off on improving the facilities until we are in a more secure financial situation though. I think we need to direct those funds towards the squad for the moment, should we make it to the Champions League group stage however, then that would give me the confidence to invest. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - A far better intake than last season, I think there are few good players here but I don't sense any will be able to develop quickly enough or to a high enough level to really take part in our journey. If they could become very good players for some other smaller N. Irish clubs then that would be a good outcome for them as they are very unlikely to make it here. League Reputation - I think the 2nd Champions League qualification spot is safe for now although during the season we did have 2 or 3 nations with coefficients higher than ours but good runs deep into the Europa Conference League knockout stages from us and Glentoran helped to create a nice buffer. We are so tantalizingly close to 3.5* reputation, One more strong season in Europe for the N. Irish clubs should see us clinch it I think. Club Domestic Reputation - That's a massive shift already and that's just in our first season. We are starting to see the clubs which are qualifying regularly for European competitions really start to pull away from the rest. If we could retain the title I could see us threatening Donegal Celtic for top spot which is far quicker than I would have thought possible. Club European Reputation - A big improvement but I don't feel it will be enough to see us seeded for the qualification rounds of the Champions League so we are likely to have to face some tough opponents if we are to make it to the group stages. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Donegal Celtic – Finished 4th in Champions League group – Qualified for the group stages but it wasn't as comfortable as when I was managing them. I'll be interested to see how they get on in the 'League Path' of Champions League qualifying, their coefficient should still be high enough to see them seeded throughout but given their shambolic performance this season I'm not confident that they will make it to the Champions League group stage again, prove me wrong Donegal Celtic! Dungannon Swifts – Lost 6-2 on aggregate to Partizan in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – A spectacular fall from the dizzying highs of last season but hopefully should have a better chance of making it to the group stages of either the Europa League or Europa Conference League next season. Glentoran – Lost 9-0 on aggregate to Newcastle United in Europa Conference League Semi Final – That mauling makes me feel a little better after we lost to Newcastle (the eventual ECL winners) in the previous round. This was still an exceptional season from them as they went the furthest of any club in N. Ireland (not managed by me). It's going to take a monumental effort to go this far again next season but we can see the effect of being able to drop down competitions is having on the N. Irish clubs ability to progress. Larne – Lost 3-2 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund in Europa Conference League 4th Qualifying Round – Not every N. Irish team are good enough to beat them but they certainly gave it a bloody good go, unlucky Larne.

Linfield F.C. SEASON 2043 / 2044 It was time for a change and now commences our new adventure with Linfield. Given the state of the league table when we took control of the club, the best we can really hope for is 3rd which should give us a spot in the Europa League qualifiers provided a team lower in the league doesn't win the Irish Cup. Incidentally, we are still in that competition but will face Donegal Celtic in the semi final so it's very unlikely we will be lifting any silverware this season. I think the focus has to be the league and seeing off Larne. League Table - We managed to claim 3rd but my goodness we didn't make it easy for ourselves. We lost our first 4 league games at the club basically handing Larne 3rd spot, the first of which being an embarrassing 1-0 loss away at bottom of the table Crusaders. As a result of the disastrous start, we needed to beat Larne in the penultimate matchday at Windsor Park to overtake them and retake control of the race for third. Thankfully, we managed to eek out a narrow 1-0 win which we followed with a comfortable 3-0 win on the final day at Ballymena United to secure 3rd. At that point, we qualified for the Europa Conference League and would be waiting for the result of the Irish Cup final to determine whether we would qualify for the Europa League. Dungannon Swifts after their 2nd place finish last season dropped dramatically to finish 7th but they still managed to qualify for Europe thanks to a 3-0 win over Coleraine in the DBP Europa Conference League playoff final. Newry City stayed up thanks to a 3-1 aggregate win over Warrenpoint Town in the relegation playoff. Finally, Ballyclare Comrades managed to bounce back after winning the NIFL Championship. UEFA Europa League - After many seasons of absolute dross, this was a refreshing change to see them actually getting success in Europe. The whole campaign had finished before I took the helm but I think the 5-0 win over Panathinaikos F.C. is definitely the highlight although the win in Germany over Hertha Berlin who would finish as runners up of the whole competition was also a great moment even if it ultimately counted for nothing more than a few extra coefficient points. They have now set the standard, I just have to find a way to repeat it next season. Domestic Cups - The only game I played was the Irish Cup semi final and the less said about that the better. After trashing us, I needed a favour from my old club Donegal Celtic, they needed to beat Larne in the Irish Cup final otherwise it would have been Europa Conference League football for us. Thankfully, they came through with a narrow 2-1 win to give us a spot in the Europa League qualifiers and vastly improve our chances of making it to a group stage next season. Reserves - Given that they only have one player in Gilmore ST who is even half decent this does not really surprise me at all. Under 18s - The youth system is a complete mess at the club and will need a lot of investment in order to be able to compete with the system I helped to establish at Donegal Celtic. At the moment, we are way off where we need to be and that is reflected in the low finishing positions the team have been achieving in the league over recent seasons. Squad - The squad is a complete world away from what I had to work with at Donegal Celtic. I also discovered a few things about the mentality of my players even during the last few games of the season. When I started my time here with 5 straight losses (league and cup) I saw that the team very quickly became disheartened when things were not going their way. For the critical game against Larne, I decided to change tact and use touchline shouts to encourage and praise the team. That seemed to work a treat and we managed to win our last two games. During that awful run, we were playing well enough, creating opportunities and dominating the ball. What was lacking was our ability to finish chances and when I look at the attributes of my strikers I can understand why. The problem we have is that the squad isn't all that balanced. We have a lot of jack of all trades and masters of none, what I mean by that is we have a lot of players which can multiple positions across the pitch to an okay standard but no players which are exceptional at playing in a specific position. The best example I can give of this is perhaps Moses whose natural position is MC and is accomplished at DMC, DC, DR & WBR. He is considered to be best playing the role as a Deep Lying Playmaker (defend) but his attributes aren't all that impressive for that role. He also has a ridiculous number of PPMs which I can't see helping his game, He 'Tries Killer Balls Often' which is a benefit, 'Likes To Round Goalkeeper' which neither helps nor hinders his game, 'Looks For Pass Rather Than Attempt To Score' which is a benefit, 'Knocks Ball Past Opponent' which is detriment given he isn't that quick, 'Move Ball To Right Foot Before Dribble Attempt' which is a detriment considering that he shouldn't be dribbling the ball at all with a dribbling attribute of 6, 'Tries To Play Way Out Of Trouble' which is a detriment as he is supposed to be the shield infront of the defensive line, 'Tries Long Range Passes; which is a benefit although his passing attribute is only 12 which is good but not great, 'Likes Ball Played Into Feet' which neither helps nor hinders his game. That's a total of 8 PPMs which I think is a ridiculous amount for any player. In fact I only have 3 outfield players which have less than 3 PPMs. I'm really not a fan of this and it feels like the previous manager(s) just trained them for the sake of it without thinking about why they were doing it. For e.g. Wickens MC who is considered to be a defensive minded central midfielder has the PPM to 'Get Forward Whenever Possible', I mean how is that meant to help his game? I will definitely be looking to move out a lot of the players and look to bring in a lot of younger players without these traits. It's going to be a process which is likely to be over several seasons but transforming the composition of the squad is going to prove essential if we are to make progress on the pitch. Transfers - Not much activity from my predecessor but then I suppose there wasn't the budget available to really increase the strength and depth of the squad. I think they might have overpaid for Magloire MR but he has looked relatively decent in the games he played even though he is an either footed inverted winger who really wants to play in the AML position. Morris is a bit of an awkward player to fit into the 4-4-2, he is a left footed inverted winger who wants to play in MR. He can play upfront but isn't very good as a striker and his attributes are average at best for the Advanced Forward role. I don't think we will be seeing very much of him in the first team once I bring some players in despite his high potential. Targets for next season will be a central defender so that I have 4 and can rotate fully when needed. We need a goalkeeper to replace Wilkinson GK who is 38 years old, a right back to replace Corey who is 34 years old, an attacking minded left back to replace Magennis who is 37 years old. Another pair of central midfielders, one defensive minded, the other more in the playmaker type mould although they still need to be defensively sound. Finally, a Deep Lying Forward and perhaps if we have the budget remaining a ruthlessly efficient Advanced Forward. The type of season we have next season will depend on how many of those areas we can strengthen. Gustavo Marafioti - DC Average Rating: 7.33 A consistent and reliable central defender who will probably start the majority of our games next season. David Marinescu - DR Average Rating: 7.24 I think he more or less won this by default, given that there was only 3 other candidates for this distinction, 2 of which didn't really play. The other Locke ST only played 4 more games than him and had a far worse average rating. This just shows how old our team is which is problematic. It impacts the development of the squad as older players simply don't have the ability to get any better but also makes squad registration difficult in Europe and the DBP. I will definitely need to freshen up the ranks over the coming seasons. Finances - We have some money to work with but it's not 'let's go crazy and do a complete rebuild' type of money. We are going to need to be smart with our business if we are to cover all the gaps that exist in the squad while also keeping the wage budget under control given that group stage money is by no means secure, especially if we get a nightmarish pair of draws in the qualifiers. I will be looking to the free transfer market extensively and will only spend money on players which I think will significantly improve us. For now, we must perform a careful juggling act of improving the club off the field while creating a strong and competitive team on the field, it certainly won't be easy. Facilities - The stadium is what attracted me to the club but a lot of investment is needed elsewhere to bring us up to what I would consider is a competitive level. Our junior coaching and youth recruitment could do with an upgrade but I'll have to wait on the board as when I requested to improve both they suggested I hadn't been with the club long enough. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - An intake so poor that my Director of Football only wanted to sign 2 players from it but I decided that we should 'bulk' out the squad so decided to sign everyone with 2* potential or above. League Reputation - The extra qualification spots in Europe has really had a positive effect on our coefficient and reputation. All of a sudden getting to 3.5* reputation is looking a more realistic prospect. Getting above the English Championship is a major milestone and will really broaden the horizons of a lot of N. Irish clubs who restrict themselves to shopping in the UK & Ireland market. I think it's going to mean that loans of young talent from Premier League clubs become more viable for N. Irish clubs which can only benefit the nation overall. Club Domestic Reputation - Don't let the lowly finishing position of Dungannon Swifts fool you into thinking they had a poor season. They were unbelievable in Europe and that is reflected in their surge up the reputation table into 2nd place. We have a lot of work to do to! Club European Reputation - We are miles down the table which means we are going to need to get lucky with the draws as we are likely to be unseeded. We have created a bit of a buffer in the nations coefficient so our position is more secure than it was last season. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Donegal Celtic – Lost 7-1 on aggregate to AC Milan in Champions League 1st Knockout Round – I played the first leg which we lost 2-1 at home, then I left for Linfield and they lost the 2nd leg 5-0. Probably indicative of the fact I have been overachieving with them and they have no right to be in that stage of the competition. Dungannon Swifts – Lost 3-1 on aggregate to Young Boys in Europa Conference League 2nd Knockout Round – An absolutely brilliant season from them, they actually won their 2nd Qualifying Round tie in the Champions League to guarantee group stage football, they then lost to Glasgow Rangers in the next round but they did well to finish 3rd in their Europa League group. I think they will have a tough time repeating this in the Europa Conference League next season. Glentoran – Lost 5-2 on aggregate to CFR Cluj in Europa Conference League 4th Qualifying Round – When they won against Beitar Jerusalem in the 3rd Qualifying Round and they drew what looked on paper was a worse side in CFR Cluj I was beginning to dream of having 4 N. Irish teams in the group stage but unfortunately they fluffed their lines. Coleraine – Lost 6-3 on aggregate to Valur in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – Well, they were probably the most disappointing of the N. Irish teams in Europe but never mind.

JUDAS After much contemplation about the future at Donegal Celtic (which incidentally is looking more rosier than ever), I've decided now is the time to move on to help the objective of the save. On leaving them I got stripped from the legends list (harsh) but I can understand given the team I'm poised to become manager of. I don't think I could have left them in a better position to be honest. A team which I got into the knockout stages of the Champions League once again, a wealthy club with a bank balance of over £60M and a squad which should be strong enough to keep the levels of success going. An expanded stadium which has the 2nd highest capacity in the country at 10,125 with a growing fan base and relatively high reputation in Europe. I've achieved a great amount there but now it comes time to awaken a sleeping giant and slay the monster that I have created. The former Linfield manager Michael Gault decided that the Oxford United (a team in the relegation zone of the Championship) job was too appealing to ignore so left a team poised to get European football for them on the 5th February 2044. As soon as that happened I immediately applied, I was quickly considered the favourite and once I committed to being willing to join the club straight away they offered me the manager position. I have grown very attached to Donegal Celtic and maybe in the future I may make a return but I'm re-invigorated by the prospect of turning Linfield into the best club in the world. A long journey lies ahead and I can't wait to get started. History They hold the world record for being the most decorated club in football history and have won over 200 trophies since their foundation in 1886, making them also one of the oldest clubs in current existence. They have yet to taste success in European football but have had their moments and reached the quarter finals of the European Cup in the 1966/67 season where they only narrowly missed out 3-2 on aggregate to Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia. Ever since Donegal Celtic have emerged in N. Ireland though they have suffered somewhat of a drought when it come to winning trophies, especially the most prized of all the domestic trophies, the DBP. Their last DBP title coming in 2031 meaning they have gone over a decade without lifting the trophy. Their record in Europe hasn't been much to shout about either with them often getting knocked out during the qualifying rounds although this season they managed a great run to the Europa League group stage where they finished bottom. Trophies Won Club The board aren't putting a lot of pressure on and only require 3rd place finishes for the next 5 years which I should be able to deliver. All the rivals we have should help the overall development of the league, if the club can become very strong then it will have the ripple effect of making them have to improve also. Facilities This is the main reason why I decided to up sticks and make the move across the city to Linfield. The stadium has huge potential to be expanded to 28,000 seats which would mean that any new ground built after that point would have to be massive. Even after all the building of Donegal Celtic the average attendance of Linfield is still higher although the gap has shrunk and will continue to do so unless we can start to get success and build the fan base further. The training and youth facilities aren't bad either but I will need to work on the youth department as a matter of urgency especially when you look at the first team squad. First Team Squad The squad doesn't require a complete rebuild but over time we will need to make dramatic improvements across the pitch. Compared with the squad available to me at Donegal Celtic this is really weak in comparison but for what we want to achieve which is 2nd place, this is not all that bad. Yes, we are going to need a GK and a new back line but the midfield and forward line seems serviceable for now and given we don't have a massive amount of cash will have to get the job done. Reserve Squad There is a high potential youngster in Gilmore ST and that's pretty much it. Under 18s Squad This is why investment is needed into the youth department as soon as we can afford it. Finances The financial situation isn't great and this is with group stage prize money which brought in just under £4M. So far we have also managed to bring in just over £3.5M in gate receipts. It makes me think that the financial situation in the club before this season must have been dreadful given that last season we made a loss of over £2.5M. I guess they are finally starting to reap the benefits of the growth of the league and the additional European places. We have to keep qualifying for the group stage of European competition, that is the only way we are going to be able to grow the club. Starting Conditions Shock horror, Donegal Celtic aren't top. I fully expect them to overturn that 2 point advantage in the remaining 6 fixtures, one of which is against Glentoran who have had an amazing season. I'm not panicking just yet but a 2nd placed finish for Donegal Celtic would be hugely damaging. As for us, well I can't see us catching the top 2 so we will have to be satisfied with a 3rd placed finish although Larne aren't too far behind us, so will need to be seen off over the final games of the season. It's also curious to see how far Dungannon Swifts have fallen off but then again they are in the 2nd Knockout Round of the Europa Conference League, they have certainly done N. Ireland proud this season and their journey still goes on. Career Objectives Our first aim has to be to close the gap on Donegal Celtic and establish ourselves as the 2nd best team in N. Ireland in order to secure that Champions League spot. If we are able to do that then the next big milestone would be to reach the group stages of the Champions League. If we could do that for a few seasons then we could begin to target a title challenge every season until we can overhaul Donegal Celtic and become the top team in the country. After that then it's about steadily improving in the Champions League and building the club until we can win that trophy. It's a long haul and I couldn't tell you how long each phase of the build is going to take but I know it's not going to be an overnight success considering just how long it took to build Donegal Celtic to the stage they are.

Donegal Celtic F.C. SEASON 2042 / 2043 We are now into our 3rd decade at the helm and the transformation that has occurred to the club and the nation as a whole has been spectacular. We have emerged as a force in Europe, a club that every season makes the group stage of the Champions League. The DBP is no longer a backwater within European football but a location to be given serious consideration by some of the best young players looking to build a career and use as a stepping stone to the elite clubs and leagues. With every season that passes, the objective must always be to surpass the results of the previous one. With that in mind, I'd like us to aim for a quarter final place in the Champions League and get a clean sweep domestically. League Table - This was not an easy ride for a significant part of the season as we had Dungannon Swifts and Glentoran breathing down our necks. Ballymena United seemed to have this weird hold over us, out of the 3 games we played they were unbeaten against us, beating us twice and drawing the other game, I don't really have an explanation for it although I expect us to do better against them next season. Our two title challengers kept the pace up until December but once the busy period kicked in, we began to stretch our legs and pull clear. I think the increased depth of our squad and our ability to rotate made the difference. It took until after the split to clinch the title but it was relatively comfortable. I was shocked to see Linfield finish 3rd (there was even a bit of pressure on their manager when they lay in 5th earlier in the season but they recovered well) and perhaps Dungannon will be the team that will emerge as our closest rivals. 2 seasons in a row they have finished 2nd and I sense that regularly winning the Mid Ulster Cup and getting the prize money that comes with it which is now up to £1.22M is really helping them to build a competitive team. In the DBP UEFA Europa Conference League playoff final, 8th placed team Coleraine pulled off an upset and beat Cliftonville 2-1. Glenavon stayed up thanks to a 4-1 aggregate win over Warrenpoint Town in the relegation playoff. H & W Welders finally put years of hurt behind them and comfortably won the Championship title (by 25 points over Warrenpoint Town) to make it to the top flight which means that next season the DBP will be an entirely professional league for the first time ever. UEFA Champions League - The road to the group stage was simple enough but we then got drawn into a bit of a nightmare group which it was always going to be difficult to qualify from. Our prospects hinged on getting a result at the Nou Camp in the 1st game and beating AEK Athens twice. Well, we managed neither, a damaging opening day defeat in Barcelona and frustrating night in Athens meant the best we could manage was 3rd which incidentally wasn't even secured until the final matchday. Thankfully, AEK Athens also lost to Liverpool otherwise our loss at home to Barcelona would have consigned us to the wooden spoon. At this point, looking at the nation coefficient had me deeply concerned, 3 other nations were poised to overtake us so I knew the pressure was on us to deliver in the knockout stages of the Europa League. UEFA Europa League - It was a tough set of fixtures but in the end we managed to cobble together enough coefficient points to enable us to hold our position in the nation coefficient rankings. The home game against Estoril was a very pleasing watch, the same can't be said for the game in Portugal and at that point we still lay behind 2 nations, we would definitely need more. Then followed in the 2nd Knockout Round an absolute cracker of a tie, a late stoppage time equalizer at home giving us a 3-3 draw after Werder Bremen themselves scored in stoppage time at the end of the game to take a 3-2 lead. Then another night of drama followed with 4 goals scored in extra time in Germany after a 1-1 draw at full time to give us a penalty shootout. Mulligan GK proved to be the hero saving their 2nd penalty while we managed a perfect record to send us through to the quarter final. At this point, we overtook the other 2 nations and they had no team left in the European competition to earn more points so we could go into the Arsenal tie without pressure. After a creditable 0-0 draw at home I was beginning to think that perhaps we were going to pull off a miraculous win but injuries and suspensions greatly hampered us and Arsenal were able to win the return leg in London very easily. Perhaps not the run we wanted as we would have liked to progress further but definitely the run we needed as it allowed us to protect that precious 2nd Champions League spot. Domestic Cups - Cleaned up nicely in the cups, took extra time in a couple of the games but a win is a win. The cups proved a useful way to keep some players fit who I could not register for the DBP or Europe. Reserves - Another clean sweep from them to make it another perfect season domestically for the club where we won every competition we entered into. Under 18s - Won the league easily but seem to be going significantly backwards in the UEFA Youth League, largely as a consequence of the quality of youth intakes of late falling off a cliff. Squad - A severely weakened team thanks to a lot of the bigger teams pillaging our best players. In some respects, having a more trimmed down squad helped with the management of the team. In the 1st half of the season, we couldn't register everyone and it was one tantrum after another but once I started to get rid of some of the trouble makers it seemed to calm down. It also helped that I was able to offer more game time to some of the high potential youngsters which seemed to help them to thrive. We are definitely going to need to strengthen next season as I want to try and make further progress in the Champions League. The player market values are still in the dumps so if I'm to earn any serious money out of the transfer market I'm still relying on % of next sale fee clauses. Transfers - As can be seen from the screenshot we made a tremendous profit in the transfer market this season with the potential for a lot more to come with transfer clauses. I'd quite like if we don't have as much turnover next season in terms of players but all the moves were made to placate otherwise unhappy players who wanted to leave. We aren't in the position where we can really talk players down who decide they want to play for a bigger club or a club in a better league. It seems the selling club philosophy is starting to kick in and I'm very pleased about that. We made huge profits on the sales of players, Alvaro ML made the club £3.1M, Grande GK £445K, Peet another £3M, Prescott ST 400K, Tasic MC £13.5M, Fontana DC £100K, Ash GK £2.05M, Ions £1.9M, Sery ML £6.6M and Rawlings DL £3.1M. Yes, we made a loss on a few players like Spencer ML, Meza MC, Keller MC and Henson ST but the profit on Tasic covered all the losses with a lot left over. As for the incoming players, Hobmang DC was a fantastic piece of business and did excpetionally well in the defence alongside Mikic DC (who is now considered a wonderkid). Gordon DR, Cericola MC & Krahl ST were all punts on high potential and did well with perhaps the exception of Krahl who unfortunately suffered a torn abdominal muscle which kept him out for 2 months over the busy winter period of the season. When the winter window opened I started to look to raid some of the reserve teams of the elite clubs and I feel we added some good depth to the squad by doing that. Cook ML and Gray ML were brought in to bolster the left flank and both did well putting in a series of quality performances. I perhaps overspent a bit on the 2 goalkeepers Bertoletti and Jones but they have a lot of potential and with game time could become good. I'm fairly satisfied with our business this season and will be looking to do more of the same next season. Jordy Modeste - ST Average Rating: 7.45 I know he didn't enjoy being a bit part player when Ions was at the club but once he left and opened the opportunity for him to play he picked up where he left off. Scoring plenty and ending the season as top scorer. I think we need better for the Champions League but he is certainly good enough to dominate domestically. Kresimir Mikic - DC Average Rating: 7.42 An unbelievable player who actually proved to be an adequate replacement for Spence. His low release clause of £2.6M is really concerning me though but I had to place it into his contract in order to be able get him to sign a new deal. I'll be very surprised if he is still here at the end of next season considering 29 clubs are interested in him, among those some of the European elite such as Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea. I just hope I can somehow work a % of next sale fee into any deal that is struck. Finances - If you thought this balance is impressive you ain't seen nothing yet!! After the screenshot was taken Campbell MC was sold by Man City to Chelsea for an eye-watering £117M which meant we got a nice £45,500,000 injection of cash into our balance to leave it standing at around £93M. That gives us a transfer budget of around £44M to play with next season. I can't see us spending anywhere near that but I will have the collateral to start wonderkid shopping which is going to take our first team squad to the next level. All the FFP worries are behind us and we can really begin making huge strides both on and off the pitch. Facilities - Our nouveau riche status has meant that the board were more willing to expand the stadium. I'm actually a little confused by this as it will mean that the capacity of Donegal Celtic Park will be above 10,000 once it's finished which exceeds the potential expansion capacity of 8,000. It's all good however, the more fans we can accommodate the better and will mean we have the 2nd biggest capacity stadium in N. Ireland. It might actually mean we get to play some European games at home rather than at Windsor Park. For the first time, we were also able to overtake Glentoran in terms of our average attendance, we are still miles behind Linfield but this is good progress. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - Another mediocre intake, the elite and top talents all look fairly good but are very raw in terms of their attributes and will need a lot of development to get near their potential. League Reputation - The 3* reputation status looks to be secure and the 3.5* reputation is coming into view. We are going to need to see a massive improvement from the N. Irish contingent in Europe next season otherwise our status as a 2 Champions League spots league could be very short lived. Club Domestic Reputation - The train is leaving the station and the likes of Glentoran and Linfield aren't on it with Dungannon positioning themselves as the best of the rest in N. Ireland. This is an urgent situation for those clubs, especially Linfield, give Dungannon group stage money of any European competition on a yearly basis and the gap is going to very quickly become insurmountable. Next season might be the last chance for any club aspiring to be among the elite in N. Ireland to challenge for 2nd, they will need to make the most of it. Club European Reputation - Without the run to the quarter final of the Europa League the nation would have lost that 2nd CL spot, we are going to be fighting to protect our position for a while I sense, never mind making any further progress. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Linfield – Lost 4-1 on aggregate to Chelsea in Europa Conference League 4th Qualifying Round – You know what, compared with the results of recent seasons this was a good effort from them. They made it through 2 rounds and only got beaten by a team which really shouldn't be in this competition because they are way too good to play in it. Chelsea went all the way to the final but lost 1-0 after extra time to Hertha Berlin. I'll be interested to see how they fare in the Europa League qualifiers next season, they only need to win 1 tie and they will be in the Europa Conference League group stage, I really hope they can manage it. Dungannon Swifts – Lost 6-1 on aggregate to Sporting Lisbon in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – There is no shame in that at all, their opponents are one of the best teams in Portugal and this was only their 3rd season competing in European competition in their history. I'll be interested to see how they get on in the Champions League qualifiers next season, I fully expect them to lose but I'm hoping that they might be able to scrape a win in one of the 3 ties they will play to find themselves in the Europa Conference League group stage. Larne – Lost 3-2 on aggregate to Ordabasy in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – They won a tie but their Kazakhstan opponents proved too much for them. I've been very critical of the other teams performances in Europe of late but to give them their dues, this was a massive improvement from last season where they all got knocked out at the round of entry. Here's hoping that next season can see some further improvements.

Season 2042 / 2043 After a less than stellar performance in the Champions League group stage where we to had to scrape a final day 3rd place finish we have looked far more impressive in the knockout stages of the Europa League so far. I think it would be asking a lot to repeat our incredible run to the final of a few seasons ago but with a decent draw who knows? There are some tricky teams left in the draw mixed in with some teams which we could possibly compete with. I'd like to avoid Arsenal, PSG, Newcastle and Lyon if we can. I think we might have a better chance against Rennes, Lazio or Leipzig (although they beat us the last 2 times we played them). Here we go! Who did we draw? Arsenal Well, if we are to progress to the semi-final we are going to have to find a way to beat the favourites for the whole competition. I don't think we have much of a chance to be honest and given the weakening of our squad that has happened in January, I fear this is going to be a hiding to nothing. Maybe a look at the two squads will give me some encouragement. Our squad Their squad Yeah, this is going to be a rough ride. The only real weakness I can see with their squad is perhaps the age profile is a bit old. Quite a few over 30 players in the squad but then again there are still quite a few young players mixed in. If anything, the greater experience they possess might work against us, as we will be fielding a very young side in comparison. Perhaps the formation and lineup might provide some clues as to how I can attempt to close the ability gap. Quarter Final 1st Leg Here's how the two teams lined up: Arsenal opted for a 4-2-3-1 which could be useful for us if our wide players can put in a performance. Doubling up on their 34-year old right back Munoz could bring us some joy so Gray ML and Doe DL will need to try and dominate that flank. We are going to need to keep Vinicius AMC quiet so Cericola MC is going to need to be strong as if he starts getting time and space in that golden zone we are going to suffer. It's going to take a monumental effort (+ a bit of luck) to get a result here especially since we have such a weak GK in goal for us. All I want is a result which gives us a chance in London and keeps the tie alive, let's give it our best. Result Quarter Final 2nd Leg Here's how the two teams lined up: We were up against it already but another sequence of minor injuries once again may have just ruined our chances. Gray ML, Eckardt MR and Soria MC all suffered knocks in between the two ties and are all orange injury listed. I'm taking a risk by starting Gray as we simply don't have any alternative. The other two start on the bench which is a big blow as Soria MC is probably my most creative central midfielder and Eckardt MR my most consistent right winger, We will also be missing Cooke at right back through suspension which is massive loss and an unfit Filipovic will have to fill in there as I have no one else. I guess it doesn't help that Arsenal are at full strength either, I think our best chance is if we can take them all the way to penalties. We are going to have to look to hit them on the break and hope that our weakened defence can hold the line. Result

Donegal Celtic F.C. SEASON 2041 / 2042 The main objective of the season has to be to get through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, we have been competing in the group stages for 9 seasons now, it's about time we made that breakthrough. At home, we just need to maintain our dominance and make it a terrific ten DBP titles in a row. League Table - A comfortable retention of our title to give us a decade of consecutive title wins. Only Glentoran prevented us from going unbeaten by beating us twice and I will be looking to correct that next season. Confession time, mid way through the season the Glentoran job became available and I applied for it. Unfortunately, I didn't spot it in time and the interview process had already ended which meant I missed out. Then the Linfield manager left for English Championship team Bristol City after being in the job for 12 years. I applied and got offered an interview which went well but I stipulated that I wanted to take the reins at the end of the season. That was perhaps a mistake on my behalf and I should have been willing to take the job immediately. As a result, they hired someone else which could go down as one of the biggest blunders their board have ever made, I'll be looking to prove that to be the case over the next few seasons. If I'm being honest, I think I have hit a bit of a plateau with Donegal Celtic at the moment which is why I'm entertaining the prospect of leaving the club. I just think that going to either of those two clubs would allow me to build the nation so much easier but for now I'll stick it out with Donegal Celtic. Elsewhere in the DBP, Glentoran missed out on Europe (which incidentally saw their manager status drop to Insecure) after losing 1-0 to Larne in the UEFA Conference League DBP Playoff final. Coleraine stayed up with complete ease by slaughtering Carrick Rangers 6-0 on aggregate in the relegation playoff. Ballyclare Comrades bounced straight back after winning the Championship title comfortably over H & W Welders who once again flopped and will remain in that division. UEFA Champions League - That was most definitely the shot in the arm we were looking for. The qualifiers were a piece of cake and when we drew our opponents for the group stage I was cautiously optimistic that this might be the season we crack it and get 2nd. We started brilliantly against top seeds Celtic who would be our competitors for 2nd. Then as expected we got completely outclassed in Liverpool but I was looking to the games against Zurich to put pressure on Celtic who would have to play Liverpool. Well, the first game in Switzerland went to plan with a relatively comfortable win but a poor performance in Belfast took our ability to progress out of our hands. That draw combined with Celtic winning at home against Liverpool severely damaged our chances. After our 2nd loss against Liverpool it all came down to the game in Glasgow on the final matchday. Only a win would do and we actually managed to pull it off with an incredible display to book our maiden voyage into the knockout stages. Out of the pot we got Barcelona, I didn't think we stood a chance but when we went 2-0 up after 15 minutes in the 1st leg I was beginning to wonder whether I had overestimated our opponents. Well, unfortunately for us, our defence didn't get the message and completely crumbled as we went on to concede 5 at home. We got a late consolation to make the return leg slightly interesting and keep our hopes alive, just. We took the lead early into the 2nd half to reignite our hopes fully but just couldn't find the 2nd goal to level the tie on aggregate and when they scored the equalizer in the 74th minute the game was up. An excellent campaign however which has done wonders for the nations coefficient and has maybe changed the game forever in N. Ireland, more on this later. Domestic Cups - Almost perfect but playing a massively rotated side in the League Cup final cost us. The prize money for winning the cups is becoming quite large, we got just over £1M for winning the County Antrim Shield, if we didn't need the money ourselves I might have considered throwing the final to give Crusaders a nice payday. It's a bit strange how these things are decided however as you only get just under £700K for winning the Irish Cup and £210K for winning the League Cup, doesn't seem quite right especially since the Mid-Ulster Cup winner also gets just over £1M. That prize money might explain why Dungannon Swifts who have won 5/7 of the last Mid-Ulster Cup trophies were able to finish 2nd in the DBP this season. Reserves - Only the double this season which is pretty good. Yet again, the prize money of the two cups has really skyrocketed of late. If you win the Steel & Sons Cup you get £343K and winning the Intermediate Cup will net you over £500K which would be massive for any lower league club which could do it. Unfortunately, the gap between the lower league clubs and even the reserve DBP squad is so high that they rarely even get to the final. Under 18s - An easy U18s league win once again. I said last season that they needed to get into double figures in the group stage of the UEFA Youth League to qualify and they did just that but even still it wasn't enough and they got pipped by a point by Liverpool U18s. Zurich U18s were just abysmal finishing with 0 points. Maybe to qualify you really need 4 wins out of 6 games when you have such a weak 4th seed, that is however a steep climb for our youth team. Squad - A lot less movement within the squad this season which is good but the constant low offers for my players is really making transfer windows a living nightmare. Not only because I have to manually decline every offer but because it causes havoc to the harmony of the dressing room. I'm trying to be a bit more proactive to counter this by tying down players on longer term contracts where possible. I'm also hoping that a policy of not allowing players to enter the last year of their contract without deciding their future will help to maintain the morale of the players. The makeup of the squad also has improved with some experienced heads mixed in with a lot of exciting young players. Having some of the experienced players being team leaders has also helped with the dressing room atmosphere when there has been some discontent within the ranks. I don't see too many glaring weaknesses within the squad but perhaps I should add some depth to the central midfield and right midfield. Transfers - I didn't go as wild with the transfers this season as I sought to work with what we had, we also couldn't really afford it so only went into the market for replacements. The standouts of the players we brought in was probably Muscat MR and Lanza ST both of who did a reasonable job. Morandi MR was definitely overpriced and will need to develop significantly more into his potential next season if his transfer isn't to be a flop. The other signings added a bit of depth, I was expecting Miskelly DC given his scout report to be HG but for some reason when he arrived he wasn't. The club made a lot of sales, some of which I was deeply disappointed with as I felt the player had forced my hand after creating problems for me in the dressing room. The sale of Mazadiego MR, Bernet MR, Marusic MC and Spence DC all falling into that category. All of which being weeks long battles with them which ultimately led to me giving in and letting them go. At least with Spence DC I managed to get him to agree to leave for a club which offered a percentage of profit of next sale clause rather than just the straight release clause fee. Romario Sery - ML Average Rating: 7.83 Another stellar season from him, shame that he was such a pain to deal with as I had to constantly face his annoyance when I turned down pitiful offer after pitiful offer from clubs looking to low ball the club. He is easily worth £10M+ but he was unhappy when I rejected offers in the hundreds of thousands for him. I guess the career of a footballer is short so when they see bigger clubs wanting them their heads are easily turned. I'm all for letting players go and fulfilling their ambitions to play in the elite leagues and clubs but not for a price which doesn't compensate the club for the work we've put in to developing the player. Adrian Ions - ST Average Rating: 7.72 Fantastic goal return once again considering he is sharing the Advanced Forward role with Modeste and didn't start all the games. I think he has surpassed Modeste as the first choice now so perhaps we need to be looking to upgrade Modeste in order to provide adequate competition for him. Finances - The comfort-ability we have been enjoying over the last few seasons is well and truly over. The FFP red warning concerns me greatly and I will need to address that next season. We simply aren't able to sustain this level of spending and will need to tighten our belt a quite a lot while trying not to degrade the competitiveness of the squad in the Champions League. What could save us is if the player values rise but that is looking unlikely at the moment. This is really worrying considering this is in a season where we managed to get to the Champions League knockout stages which bought in an extra £8M. Facilities - By the looks of it the whole new stadium idea has been scrapped which is actually a relief but on the other hand doesn't help us to secure our long term future. I was once again able to ask for a stadium expansion but was refused owing to the financial status of the club. We have to continue growing the capacity of the stadium as that is really placing a limit on our potential attendances. Our average attendance is still below Glentoran even after all the success we have been enjoying, it's quite extraordinary to think about the implications of that. It means that Glentoran who have basically done nothing of note for the past decade, still have a bigger following than us. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - A mixed bag but definitely a weaker intake than last season, I think it's going to be a long, long wait before anyone of the quality of Campbell MC or Spence DC comes though again. League Reputation - At last we begin to create some distance between us and 2.5*, we can even begin to look up to 3.5* but that is a long way off at the moment. I was happy enough with that improvement then the game changer arrived in my inbox. This is what is going to transform the fortunes of the nation and I'm now beginning to regret not being able to move to Linfield. What has been causing a lot of the problems for the other N. Irish teams has been the inability to drop down into the other 'lesser' European competitions during qualifying. This makes this a possibility once again and losing from the season after next is no longer the end of the road. Whoever finishes 2nd next season will play in the Champions League (League Path) 2nd Qualifying Round, should they lose that they drop down to the Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round, lose that and they will be in the Europa Conference League (League Path) 4th Qualifying Round and 1 won tie away from the group stages. It may prove difficult but winning any of the those ties guarantees group stage football which is a massive difference from now when losing a tie means no more European football for the season. It's a massive improvement for the 3rd placed team also as they can drop to the Europa Conference League 4th Qualifying Round. The result meaning that we are going to have 2 other N. Irish teams 1 tie from making the group stage for as long as we can sustain our position in the coefficient. Therefore the stakes have just been upped and the other N. Irish teams need to start earning those coefficient points. Club Domestic Reputation - Based on reputation and league finishes over the last few seasons, it would appear Linfield are best placed to finish 2nd and take advantage of the new spot in the Champions League but if this season shows anything it's that Dungannon Swifts and Glentoran are going provide stiff competition for them. I think if it's looking like they won't make it then we could be seeing a lot of managerial pressure starting to mount, I don't think we will see another 12 year stint at any of the top N. Irish clubs again. This is a critical time for the other N. Irish clubs, who wants it the most? Club European Reputation - It was our run to the knockout stages which done it and pushed the nation 2 places up to gain the 2nd Champions League qualification spot. It's amazing to think that the trajectory of the entire nation may have been altered based solely on our final matchday win against Celtic in the group stage. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Linfield – Lost 4-1 on aggregate to Domzale in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – It's boring now Linfield, hopefully, it's only one more season of this then we should start to see an improvement. Glentoran – Lost 2-1 on aggregate to Neftci in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – Even with assistance from us with loans and transfers they still flopped. Worse still there will be no correcting the record next season as they failed to qualify, I suppose it could prove to be a mixed blessing. If there was a season to miss out next season is probably the best, they can focus solely on the league and grabbing 2nd. Cliftonville – Lost 2-1 on aggregate to Sligo Rovers in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – Well, that's the full set. All the other N. Irish contingent in Europe knocked out at the first round of entry, fantastic. It's a good thing we've been performing miracles in Europe, if we had to depend on the others for help we wouldn't be making any progress at all considering that each contributed a total of 1.50 coefficient points this season.

Well, it's very different to my 4-5-1 but my version is a very possession hungry based style whilst yours is more direct and riskier. I guess the real question is whether it's bringing your team success, if so then it's all good. Personally, I wouldn't play a Poacher as a lone striker and tend to like to have one of my fullbacks on the attack duty to create overlaps and width. I also like to have an an attack duty in central midfield but that is because I have a False 9 leading the line. Those are just my preferences playing a 4-5-1 though and doesn't necessarily mean that other approaches can't be as successful or even more so. Given it looks a solid tactic, I think the players you put into the tactic are likely to be far more important than the tactic itself. All the best

Donegal Celtic F.C. SEASON 2040 / 2041 We had an amazing run all the way to the Europa League final last season. Getting anywhere near achieving that again would be amazing, better still progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League would be an excellent indication of progress. Domestically, we need to keep up our dominance and try to claim the league title a bit earlier. League Table - We suffered far too many dropped points from my perspective and had to wait until after the split to clinch the title. For large parts of the season we were in a 3 horse race for the title with Glentoran and Linfield, that is something which I hope not to repeat next season. We also scored a lot less goals which a bit troubling but then again we conceded a lot less goals also so maybe that shows that the competition is getting better defensively and is not anything to be concerned about. Elsewhere in the DBP, once again the 7th placed team clinched a spot in Europe with Cliftonville getting a narrow 1-0 win over Larne in the DBP Europa Conference League playoff final. Down at the bottom end of the table, Glenavon comfortably stayed up winning the relegation playoff 6-3 on aggregate over professional outfit H & W Welders, this being the 3rd season in a row they suffered heartbreak in the playoff. Next season will see the top flight joined once again by semi professional club Warrenpoint Town who managed to clinch the Championship title on the final day with a win enabling them to leapfrog H & W Welders who could only manage a draw. UEFA Champions League - The qualifiers were a breeze and we were seeded all the way to the group stage. Honestly, I'm gutted that we couldn't get through to the knockout stages and had to settle for the Europa League. We started the group amazingly, deservedly going 2-0 up in Italy against Juventus. Unfortunately for us, late goals from our Italian hosts turned the game around for them and left us pointless. We beat Olympiakos in both games as expected but the killer for our chances of progression came at home to RB Leipzig, that early red card from Alvaro ML really damaged our chances of getting the win we needed to stay in the competition. I'm disappointed not to have made that leap into the knockout stages yet considering that this is our 9th season competing in the group stages but we are now putting in better performances and may need just a bit of luck to get us to the promised land. UEFA Europa League - What a difference a year makes! If we were to repeat the trick of last year against Marseille, I felt we needed to hold our lead going to France for the 2nd leg but we conceded a senseless penalty late on which firmly swung the momentum of the tie against us. We had a lot of injures around the time of the tie which may explain why we lost the 2nd leg so badly but even still it was a pathetic performance and a stark contrast to the steely resilience we displayed last season, even though on paper Marseille have better players than us, we must do a lot better than this. Domestic Cups - A very good season in the cups although not quite a clean sweep. It was immensely satisfying to beat our rivals Linfield in 2 cup finals, capped off what wasn't the best of seasons for them. Reserves - Came very close to a quality treble but a penalty shootout loss denied them. Under 18s - Light work once again in the U18s league as they finished miles ahead of the competition. I felt they were quite unlucky to get knocked out of the UEFA Youth League having amassed 9 points but when you have a particularly weak 4th seeded team you really need to get into double figures to qualify. Squad - There was a lot of changes to the playing squad this season. I wanted to bring in a lot of depth and I certainly achieved that but perhaps I got a bit carried away. It's all well and good having a large squad but managing it is another thing. There are a lot of games to play but a lot of our players don't seem to be content with playing cup games and want to be a starter in the league. The problem with that being that some players like Spence DC constantly need resting and two games a week isn't possible for them let alone 3. I am however very pleased with the untapped potential within the squad, the development of some players such as Mazadiego MR, Tasic MC and Ions ST has been especially pleasing to watch over the course of the season. The only problem I have now is holding onto our best players and getting a reasonable price for our players. The market values are still very low and that's a big problem when you want to become a selling club. Transfers - I decided to splash the cash this season after last seasons financial bonanza coming from the Europa League run. I also managed to sell a clause for just under £9M which means that after all is said and done we had an outlay of around £20M. The significant outgoing players, Henderson ST wasn't really a regular starter so I decided to let him go. Wilson ML had dropped down the pecking order to the point where he wasn't really going to play any games, I didn't want that for him considering how he had been a loyal servant to the club so I sold him to Wigan for him to resurrect his career. Fusco DR kicked up fuss when I rejected an offer from Italy for him and asked to be transfer listed, as I had cover I decided to get him out of the club and sold him back to his native Argentina for a decent fee. Mortada GK was a backup choice who was not good enough to be first choice, he was dissatisfied with that so I let him go, on reflection, I should have perhaps refused the offer of Wolfsburg to have him back on loan for the season as he hardly played and was miserable throughout. Wilson DL was a player I couldn't get a work permit for so I was happy to get a good fee for him. In fact, whether you get a work permit or not seems to be quite random but I suppose with thorough scouting you can discover this before going in for a player. Bertini MC was a signing which never really worked out so I took a slight loss on him. Then finally, I sold Buchanan ST to Glentoran for a reasonable fee, I couldn't register him and he has been quite decent for them since joining, in fact, he is a large reason why they finished 2nd this season. As for the incoming players, Maitre DC was overpriced and I just hope that he can develop into that huge potential he has otherwise it will go down as a poor piece of business as I'm unlikely to recoup that fee if I were to sell him. Spencer ML was another expensive signing who did okay but wasn't good enough to establish himself as our first choice ML, another signing which I'm beginning to regret. Kalinic ST was a reserve player put out on loan, Schulz MR was a decent signing but the low fee hides the hefty wages that he is on. Merciai DR wasn't that great and for the money I expected a bit more than just a rotation option, at least he has a lot of potential. Keller MC was definitely a mistake, overpriced, didn't play a lot and without a lot of potential. Hurst DC and Marlow were backup players, Hurst was put out on loan. I think the transfer I regret the most definitely has to be Meza MC, very expensive and didn't really develop anywhere near as much as I would have hoped, next year has to be a big year for him otherwise we are going to take a huge loss on him. Ripoli MC was decent when called upon but once again failed to establish himself as a first choice, I loaned him to Glentoran in January and he did well there. Sery ML was a signing I was pretty pleased with, he showed excellent development even though he is only considered a fringe player. Prescott was put straight out on loan, Ash GK was a superb replacement for Butler, a good price for a consistent player who had a great season and was our signing of the season. Fontana DC did well when he played, Eckardt ST was a useful rotation option, Ions ST was probably the 2nd best signing of the season, when Modeste suffered an injury keeping him out for over a month he came in and bagged goals for fun. 25 starts and 29 goals is a fantastic return and he will be featuring a lot more next season. O'Neill, Pyper, McGinlay didn't feature all that much while Marusic MC performed consistently when he arrived and is a good rotation option. Finally, there are 3 players which don't appear on the list, Wood ST who was a punt on potential, Cooke DR who was an excellent replacement for Fusco, Areias DR isn't a bad player but I don't think he is quite good enough to have a career here, he isn't good enough to be a central defender where his attributes suggest he should play and isn't strong enough to be a fullback. Lastly, Grande GK came in as a backup player. Hopefully, next season we can be a bit more relaxed with the activity although there still exists a healthy transfer budget should I wish to use it. Jordy Modeste - ST Average Rating: 7.78 You can't keep a good guy down and I'm delighted to finally have decent competition for him in Ions. 46 goals is another excellent return for the striker and had he not suffered that injury he easily would have broken the 50 goal barrier. Romario Sery - ML Average Rating: 7.79 Absolutely magnificent debut season from him, it's no wonder he is attracting the interest of some fairly big clubs. 22 assists is a fantastic return, he did so well that Alvaro after a certain point couldn't get a look in given how much he elevated his level. My coaches think he has peaked which is a bit worrying considering he is only 20 but we will see, I look forward to the battle between him and Alvaro next season to see who will claim the 1st choice spot. Finances - We are still in a very comfortable financial position but just look at that wage bill. We are spending around £24M a season on players wages alone and that doesn't consider bonuses and staff wages. We are running a huge deficit and that simply isn't sustainable in the long term. I think at this point, getting into the knockout stages of the Champions League isn't just an aspiration we should some day look to achieve but has become a necessity that we need to do soon if we are to service this huge wage bill and not plunge the club into huge debt. I have a bit of breathing room and won't be making any cutbacks next season but we really need the player market values to rise as them being so low is really hampering our ability to become the selling club we need to be in order to build the balance. I'm hoping that we can cash in the Campbell MC transfer clause from Man City for a good chunk of money soon, we may need it! Facilities - The youth facilities will be getting upgraded again and that should bring them up to a high standard. I have to say I am quite perturbed by the situation around the new stadium, once again there was no movement but I'm really not happy with such a low starting capacity considering that our average attendance has actually been higher for the last 2 seasons. I would have been happier with incremental expansions every year until we reached the potential capacity of Donegal Celtic Park (which is 8,000 I believe). If the plan does not change then we are going to be hamstrung significantly with a ground which when fully expanded probably will have under 10,000 seats. Then we will have to wait another 20-30 years in order to get another new stadium. It makes me seriously question whether my long term future is at the club considering the objective of the save. Admittedly, the size of the stadium doesn't play a massive role in the development of the other clubs in the country but it does play a role. Having a huge stadium with high attendances can do wonders for lower league teams in the cups. Linfield and Glentoran are far better placed to take advantage of the growth of the league, we will not be. Linfield's average attendance is still way below their 18,000 capacity home ground. If I were to bring the same level of success to them as I have with Donegal Celtic the potential growth would be huge. Ideally, I would love to stay with Donegal Celtic long term but if I'm going to be limited in that way then perhaps it would be better to move on. We'll see what happens at the end of next season. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - A better intake than last season which is good, I don't quite view it in the same way as my HoYD who thinks it's a golden generation but a few of the elite and top talents with development could become good players. League Reputation - We are not really putting any distance between ourselves and 2.5* unfortunately and I sense that if we were to say miss out on qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League we would quickly revert back. At least there was some positive news with the following message. I suppose every little helps, instead of having to face 4 ties to get to the group stage now we only have to face 3 from the season after next. We need to get a bit further up the coefficient table for the real good stuff to start happening (automatic group stage entry, more qualification spots) but when you are trying to do it alone with practically no help from your fellow N. Irish clubs it's pretty tough going. Club Domestic Reputation - The gap between us and the rest continues to increase. Club European Reputation - An expected fall considering how exceptional last season was and how far below that standard we managed to achieve but it was only a drop of a place so I won't be losing any sleep over it. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Linfield – Lost 3-1 on aggregate to Slovacko in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – What the hell man, seriously? They have been woeful in Europe for so long it's not even funny anymore. The problem is that I can't even help them as unlike Glentoran who are mopping up our unwanted players (which improve them) like a sponge Linfield have no interest because of the historic rivalry between us. It's so frustrating as they really should be beating teams of that quality and they just can't seem to do it at the moment. Glentoran – Lost 2-1 on aggregate to Dundalk in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – I suppose losing to them is more understandable but even still. Hopefully, now that they will have some of our players they can do a bit better. Coleraine – Lost 4-1 on aggregate to Banik Ostrava in Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round – Not too bad, not too great either, the aggregate score was a little bit harsh on them but I give them a pass as they very rarely play in European competition.

Thanks for the kind comment . Still working with the basic 4-4-2, I just find it much easier to build squads with it. I've found the more specific a tactic in terms of roles, the more difficult it can be to find players to suit those roles. With the 4-4-2 tactic, I have more freedom and more of the individuality of the player can come out with the generic roles I use. For e.g. I can have two completely different types of right winger for the winger (attack) role, one pacy and direct while the other is technically gifted and patient. Therefore swapping between the two can make a massive difference to the way the tactic plays out which can be very useful when plan A might not be working. I have a possession based 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 on standby should I ever need to use them but I haven't felt the need so far. Cheers

Donegal Celtic F.C. SEASON 2039 / 2040 Last season, we cleaned up domestically but suffered a slight decline in Europe. I'd quite like to improve upon that and would like to have post-December European football once again if possible. League Table - We weren't as good in the league this season as we lost more games and had to wait until matchday 35 until we could claim the trophy. We did however score the most goals in DBP history which is a good feather to have in our caps. Elsewhere in the DBP, Coleraine pulled off a stunning win in the UECL DBP Playoff final with a 1-0 win over Dungannon Swifts to claim European football next season from a 7th placed finish. Next season will see the return of Championship winners Ballyclare Comrades (depriving us once again of an entirely professional DBP) to the top flight while Ballymena United stayed up with comfortable 2-0 aggregate win over H & W Welders. I would really like to see us improve our record next season, we dropped a lot of points against Glentoran and Linfield and that trend can't continue. UEFA Champions League - A straightforward run through the qualifiers which made a welcome change. I'm not a fan of having to start our season so early every year thanks to starting in the 1st Qualifying Round but I guess until our coefficient improves we will just have to deal with it. I think we drew a particularly hard group although I was shocked with how poor Ajax were. Sitting on 7 points after 4 games we had hopes of maybe getting 2nd but unfortunately we put in a poor performance in Milan which knocked us out completely on the head to head record. A 3rd placed finish and knockout stage European football is an improvement on last season so that's good progress. UEFA Europa League - An amazing run which I never would have anticipated happening at all. It was gutting to lose the final in the manner we did but this could mark a real turning point in the trajectory of the club. Had we been able to select from a full strength side for that final, perhaps we still would have lost but I think we would have been able to give Napoli a far tougher challenge. All that being said, I couldn't be happier with our performances during the campaign, a real step forward for the club. I think this run will have garnered the attention of the European elite clubs, we are not at their level yet but we are building something special here and they are on notice. The fact that so many top clubs are now interested in my players indicates the impact that has been made. Domestic Cups - Well, it was doubtful that we would be able to repeat perfection but at least we have one cup to show for our seasons effort. I wasn't pleased with our loss in the Irish Cup final to our greatest rivals but considering that it came a couple of days after our Europa League semi-final meant I had to field a heavily rotated and weakened side. I guess the loss that we aren't quite able to fully rotate out our best players and still be strong enough to beat the best of the rest but maybe it will come in time. Reserves - Ended the season without a cup but at least they kept their run of league title victories going. Under 18s - Won the league title at a canter but as expected they showed a decline and came nowhere near repeating their success in the UEFA Youth League of last season. Squad - This is the strongest squad I have had during my time here and I'm excited by how strong we could become when a lot of the young talent starts to realize their potential. I think the major challenge facing us now will be in trying to hold onto our best young players, unfortunately, we have already started to see the vultures circling and picking at our squad by taking our best players. Butler GK will be off to Man United but at least I managed to negotiate a loan back deal with them and clauses but that loan will finish at the end of the season. Campbell MC wanted to leave for Man City and there wasn't much I could do about it unless I wanted a miserable player on the books, so after some consternation I agreed to let him go with a year loan back and a percentage of profit fee clause. I'll get another 6 months with him on the books but he is going to leave a huge gap in our midfield when he leaves. I'm holding onto Spence DC so far but even he has asked for a new contract with a release clause in order to be happy to remain at the club. We are going to need a new goalkeeper to replace the departing Butler, a central defender (maybe even 2 given that Hall broke his ankle and will miss the first half of next season), a central midfielder (support), central midfield (defend), Advanced Forward and Deep Lying Forward. We have a lot of work to do but I have been a lot happier with quality of player we have managed to bring into the club. Transfers - A massive pair of transfer windows for the club but overall a productive set of transfers which made the club a nice profit. Let's start with the significant outgoings, as you can see Butler GK was sold early in the summer window but I pleased to be able to get him loaned back so that I could have him for the season. A good fee but when I look at his value now (£41M-£53M) I can't help but feel that I'm being short changed just a bit . I decided to let Pereira MR go as although he was a decent option on the right flank he was proving to be quite injury prone. Then we had the debacle with Dubois MC who kicked up an almighty fuss about wanting to leave the club, I tried to placate him, that didn't work, I tried to play hard ball and reject offers, that didn't work. In the end, I was fighting a losing battle so I cut my losses and let him leave for a slight profit for the club + clauses. As I wanted to do, I sold Mohammed GK as I managed to secure Butler on loan until the end of the season, given he would not have played much, it was his time to leave. Finally, you can see the deadline day transfer of Campbell MC to Man City, as disappointed as I am to lose him, I can understand where he is coming from to some extent. Even though he has a great deal of affection for the club being a HG player, is it really fair to deny him when a club which is already among the elite comes calling? I reckoned no so I'll try and keep developing him in the hope he can become a first choice Man City player. As for the incoming players, well, that's where it gets interesting and I think we did some excellent business. Peet DR was an absolute steal from Leeds on a free transfer and he provided strong competition for Fusco which was fantastic. Gordon MC was a great loan who proved a valuable utility player in midfield performing well in the defend and support central midfield roles and the wide midfielder role. He will be greatly missed next season. Tasic MC looks an astute piece of business, he has shown excellent development as a player and feel there is a lot more to come from him. Bernet MR was slightly overpriced but did well although I'd like to see more from him next season. Mortada GK was our cup goalkeeper and for the most part did quite well, it was unfortunate that he had to ship the 4 goals in the Europa League final but he pulled a number of good saves in that game also so the loss wasn't his fault. Alvaro ML looks a promising player down the flank and had a positive impact when he arrived. When Gordon leaves I hope he will secure that left midfield spot. Finally, we secured the signature of the strangely named Mazadiego MR who came in for a discounted fee but high wages. He did well on arrival and even managed to convince me into starting him in the Europa League final over Bernet. He has a lot potential which I hope he can develop into during his time here. All the signings are young talented players with a lot of potential, let's see how far they can take the club. Jordy Modeste - ST Average Rating: 7.66 He appears to have rediscovered his scoring touch and finished as the top scorer in the Europa League and finished miles ahead of everyone else in the team. 53 goals is pretty good going, I just feel he needs some competition to drive him on to even higher heights. Lachlan Gordon - MC Average Rating: 7.50 The club is really going to miss this guy when his loan ends and he returns to Swansea. He really was an excpetional player for us. His versatility, his magnificent set pieces, his passing and assists. His replacement is going to have to be one heck of a player to match what he did this season. Finances - We are considered 'Rich' and when I look at that fat juicy transfer budget I'm sure that this balance is going to take a hammering next season. It will be necessary however, we are losing some top quality players for way below what they are worth and need to strengthen if we are to break new ground and get into the knockout stages of the Champions League. Facilities - The youth facilities downgraded so £1M was spent on bringing them back up scratch. There has been no movement on the whole new stadium front which in some ways could be a good thing. I've noticed that our attendances leaped up this season and we are now threatening Glentoran for 2nd place in terms of average attendance. Our fan base is definitely growing and considering ticket prices are still rising I think we have managed to obtain a good level of growth. Youth Intake Part 1 / Youth Intake Part 2 - Oh dear!! Another shockingly bad intake. If any of these guys were to make it here I would be astounded, I think the majority would probably struggle to make a career playing in the DBP, that's how bad they are. League Reputation - By the skin of our teeth we manage to scrape 3* reputation. I haven't seen any impact so far unfortunately in terms of market values of our players. Hopefully, next season we can build on this and push on and secure our 3* reputation more clearly by creating a gap between the DBP and 2.5*. Club Domestic Reputation - We have a whole star advantage over our nearest rivals now, looks like they won't be threatening our position as the most reputable team in the country anytime soon. Club European Reputation - A great leap forward for us which I'm hoping will help in the Champions League qualifiers next season. Listed below is how the other N. Irish teams performed this season. Linfield – Lost 4-2 on aggregate to Hammarby in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – We need more from them, this simply is not good enough to help develop the nation as a whole. Glentoran – Lost 3-1 on aggregate to Sarajevo in Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round – There I was thinking that having them back in Europe would be a help, well, another awful season in Europe for the Big 2. Dungannon Swifts – Lost 5-1 on aggregate to Dundee United in Europa Conference League 4th Qualifying Round – The only other N. Irish club who can hold their heads high after performing decently in Europe.

Season 2039 / 2040 THE FINAL The Estadio Cornella-El Prat is ready and the atmosphere is electric as we await the drama of the Europa League final. Just over 3,000 Donegal Celtic fans have made the trip to Barcelona and will have to try and make themselves heard against nearly 10x as many Napoli fans. Our squad Their squad Look, usually I'm not a conspiracy theory type of guy but the events in the weeks leading up to the final have made me very suspicious. The first blow was losing Butler GK to an abdominal strain from an injury sustained in training. That was a huge loss in of itself, even though I could play him as he has an orange 'Inj' icon, it's a huge risk and one I'm not willing to take for such a big game so have opted to start the much weaker Mortada GK. Then another massive blow, Campbell MC like an idiot days before the final messing around with weights suffers a double hernia meaning he will miss the game completely. I try to be optimistic but that injury I think has basically killed our chances. To lose our two best players is too much to contend with considering how strong our opponents are and how they mainly appear to be in great condition. That's not to mention the fact that Hall DC broke his ankle which will have him out for the next 6 months but he was unlikely to feature in the final anyway. We are going to need a miracle!! Final Here's how the two teams lined up: I'm surprised that they aren't starting Crone but they are so strong I don't think they will miss him much to be honest. We are going to need a lot of luck in our favour if we are to win this. I hope I can use the wings to good effect considering they are playing a 4-2-3-1 but tactics can only take you so far when the ability gap is this big. Come on the Wee Hoops!!