FM12 Big Euro Nation: Small Club to Big Club Challenge

[rlipscombe]

DR Poods - welcome to the challenge and good luck with Dunkerque
Marty78 - great first season in Ligue 2. Good luck next season – hopefully you can make the jump next season.
PRDH - Medeiros looks a highly promising player. Look forward to seeing how he goes. Definitely the star of that lot.
Andy Sava - sounds like a tough start. It is quite a step up. Hopefully you will settle down and find your feet. I think the financial risk is worth it as there is a lot of money in the Bundesliga.

[Andy Sava]

Seems that the bad times are gone. We managed to grab wins against our relegation rivals and we even won 3-0 home with Wolfsburg who are currently in 4th place. The new signings made a quick impact and helped us.

[marty78]

Andy Sava - Bet your glad you went over budget now. Its always nice when something like that pays off.

[Andy Sava]

Yes it is, but god if we wouldn't have started to win we would have been so screwed

[PRDH]

aldo - Rodolfo Marques? He's getting on alright. I wonder whether the potential star ratings are going up because my team is getting worse. I don't think a lot of the the best from before were four stars. It's a comparative thing right?
rlips - Couldn't not be really could he! The rest are dross!

[aldojags]

As far as I'm aware it's in terms of the standard of your team PRDH, I've got to say I don't like it. I know the programmers need some way to rank players in terms of potential so you get an idea of who to keep in youth teams etc, but it definitely can cloud your judgement and lead to ignoring actual attributes and chasing star ratings.

Just heading to bed, but thought I'd post this guy's screenshots, classic name! I bet the Arsenal fans would love to actually a player with a name like that, there must be a song in there somewhere!

[marty78]

aldojags & PRDH

A players potential star rating can improve simply by time spent at the club. The longer a player is at a club the more accurate a players report becomes. This is most evident at the start of a save when coaches have a low "club players knowledge" rating. By the same token appointing a new assistant in a save may alter star ratings slightly. Improvement in PA stars does not mean the squad is declining and can be brought about by tutoring, new staff or even just time. As CA improves and the gap between CA and PA decreases, the PA* rating should become more reliable.

I agree with the fact that these ratings can cloud judgement and in several threads, some, myself included, think the game would be better served by removing this PA estimation completely. This is because, in my opinion, potential is better estimated by looking at CA star rating, age, performances (match ratings) and personality. I think the potential description should stay though as a rough idea of potential level.

[PRDH]

marty - Yup, I see that. But star ratings aren't steady. I mean when I was in the Portuguese Second Division I had a left winger who was rated at 4.5 stars with 5 potential. That must be in relation to the rest of the squad as there is no way he was a better player than, for example, Cardoso.

[Andy Sava]

Holstein Kiel - 2017/2018
Table | Squad | Transfers | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 | Manager Profile

Season Overview

League Finish - 14th
Media Prediction - 17th
Average Attendance - 10625
Fans Player of the Year - Luis Bárros

Transfers

Luis Bárros (Position - AM RL/ST, Games Played - 22, Goals - 8, Assists -4, MoM - 2, Average Rating - 7.01) - Good first season but he is young and still has alot to learn.

David Freitas (Position - MC, Games Played - 25, Goals - 1, Assists - 1, Average Rating - 6.67) - I was expecting more from him and i hope he will get better.

Gonçalo Silva (Position - DC, Games Played - 27, Goals - 5, Assists - 1, MoM - 1, Average Rating - 6.99) - Good first season for the young defender.

José Ferreira (Position - DM/D/M C, Games Played - 22, MoM - 1, Average Rating - 6.78) - He got a serious injury during the start of the season which kept him away for a few months. He did well overall.

Francesco Melchiorre (Position - WB/D R, Games Played - 10, MoM - 1, Average Rating - 6.68) - Brought to strengthen our right side in the defense he didn't impress and i only used him in 10 games.

Antonio Cellamaro (Position - ST, Games Played - 19, Goals - 11, Assists - 3, MoM - 4, Average Rating - 7.17) - The young italian was one of the players i transfered during the winter to help us in our relegation battle. At first when he was offered to me i wasn't sure if i want him but now i don't regret taking him in.

Paulinho (Position - AM RL/ST, Games Played - 18, Goals - 3, Assists - 3, MoM - 1, Average Rating - 6.80) - Also brought in during the winter he did well for us and he will most likely be one of our key players next season.

Madson (Position - GK, Games Played - 9, Average Rating - 7.00) - Young brazilian goalkeeper who is currently labelled the next Dida.

Bundesliga

Graph

The step up from Second Division to Bundesliga was sooooo big. We started of well but after a few games we started losing and it seemed like we won't stop losing. 11 games lost in a row doesn't sound good when you want to stay up. Mid season i brought 3 new players in (Paulinho, Cellamaro and Madson) which helped us getting some wins against our relegation rivals and gave some insurance that we will still be playing in Bundesliga next season. During the second part of the season came a very bad defeat away at Dortmund which was followed by 4 more defeats and we were again close to going down. We managed to get a win away at Koln which made it sure we will not drop.

German Cup

First Round - (vs. Ulm) Easy first round and we won it 2-0.

Second Round - (vs. Wolfsburg) We had a chance when we were down 1-0 but the referee decided to disallow a goal for us and after that Wolfsburg scored another to take it home 2-0.

Key Players

Thorben Stadler (Position - DL, Games Played - 23, Assists - 8, Average Rating - 7.00) - Another solid season for Stadler as always even if in the start he was not my first pick.

Robert McKeown (Position - Gk, Games Played - 28, MoM - 2, Average Rating - 6.90) - Good season and he had some exceptional games during the second part of it.

Carlos Cáceres (Position - DM/M C, Games Played - 35, Goals - 3, Assists - 3, Average Rating - 6.80) - Solid season for Caceres considering he only missed one game and i'm hoping he will get even better.

Next season

We managed to stay up, now we have to build on this and start climbing the rankings. I may lose my captain, Tim Hofmann, because he doesn't want to extend his contract.

Season             League                         Position                     Achievements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/2013          German Third Division          14th                         Avoided Relegation
2013/2014          German Third Division          9th                          N/A
2014/2015          German Third Division          1st                          Promotion & Third Division Winners
2015/2016          German Second Division         13th                         Avoided Relegation
2016/2017          German Second Division         2nd                          Promotion
2017/2018          Bundesliga                     14th                         Avoided Relegation

[marty78]

marty - Yup, I see that. But star ratings aren't steady. I mean when I was in the Portuguese Second Division I had a left winger who was rated at 4.5 stars with 5 potential. That must be in relation to the rest of the squad as there is no way he was a better player than, for example, Cardoso.

Yes they are in comparison with your squad and the general league standard as well I believe. I just meant that the other factors I mentioned also offer variation even when you make no squad changes.

PA of younger players will be vs CA of the best squad players but it is only a scouts/coaches perception of PA and not an accurate representation of just the PA hidden number. This is where inaccuracies come from. The youngster whose star rating increased probably only increased because the staff learnt more about him and/or he was tutored or played well to increase his CA quickly.

Also this can happen at the start of a new season. It could be that over the off season the top club players have dropped CA slightly so when a youngster is compared to them, their PA can look slightly higher. Once players are back training and become match fit and in good condition they will train well and recover their CA and it should even back out.

Basically what I'm saying is I wouldn't worry about your senior players getting worse unless you see regular decline in attributes which is best determined by looking at their training graphs. This is also the best way to judge a young players improvement and whether or not they might reach their potential imo.

[PRDH]

marty - Agreed. I was commenting on the squad getting worse not because I thought specific players were getting worse but because of the process of selling players who were not produced by my youth academy as I progress towards the aim of being totally home-produced. I thought the absence of the world class players may be having the effect of pushing up how highly my new players were regarded. So a player coming through now, regarded as having 4-star potential, may actually be of exactly the same calibre as a player with 3.5 from my squad's peak.

The other factors you mention are of course part of it too.

[marty78]

Andy Sava - You done very well to get out of that losing run, looks horrible.

PRDH - Ah, I see what you mean now. Yes, selling world class players would be highly likely to improve the PA stars for youths unless they are replaced.

[G-Wiz]

so we've been drawn in the Best Placed 3rd Qualifying Round of the Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow...i fear our first experience of european football may start and end with this game, but time will tell...we have been good in pre-season so you never know

[Dr Poods]

MINI-UPDATE. Dunkerque 2nd nearing the halfway mark. Got bundled out of French Cup by a non-league team 3-2, which was most disappointing. Strangely, media had me tabbed as a potential winner...

Scoring around 2 per game, but conceding a little over 1 at the same time.

Really a case of we will score more than you. En Avant Guincamp smashed me 4-0 away, so numbers slightly misleading.

[Dr Poods]

Just stopped a 10 game winless skid by beating Rouen 4-1...with 9 men. Still in the hunt! It was all thanks to a team meeting that was disappointing to say the least. Murdered morale

[PRDH]

Lusitânia Açores - Season Summary - 2042/43

Finances | Summary

Slightly incongruously, by stopping spending money on players I have started to leak money almost unstoppably. I really need the stadium to hit that 20-year-old mark soon so I can build a new one because otherwise I'm going to be in the red in the not too distant future. This is one side effect I wasn't expecting if I'm honest. Although I suppose it's also down to lack of progress in the Champions League, and that is definitely my fault!

Transfers | Frees | Loans

Only free transfers and loans out this year, part of the reason I lost so much money with no transfer income to speak of. The loans once again helped Fatima compete in the top half of the Premier League, but they couldn't get Penafiel or Oriental out of the Second League, in fact Oriental went straight back down again. I'm thinking about starting to bring players in on free transfers with the sole intention of selling them on to try to help me break even. I'm not sure how well it'll work, might give it a go next season, see what happens.

Competitions

Domestic | Table | Graph | Supertaça | Taça de Portugal | League Cup

Same as ever. Fairly comfortable league victory, dominate display in the curtain raiser and then slightly disappointing results by the youths/reserves in the domestic cups.

European | Group Table | First Round 1st/2nd Leg

Once again an almost carbon copy of last time out. We were very good in the Group Stage before falling at the first knockout hurdle. This time round to Juventus who thumped us Turin before we came back to Angra and couldn't turn it round enough.

The Team | Overview

'Keepers

Ricardo Dias - 45 apps, 40 conc, 24 cln - The 27-year-old continues to be undisputed first choice and doesn't look like being replaced any time soon. He has no viable competition at the club. Fortunately, as he's a goalkeeper he could potentially play in the first team for a decade, which, if I get that far, should be enough time for the academy to produce another decent one!

Gonçalo Santos - 0(1) app - Won't waste your time with much on this guy, I gave him his league debut in the second half of the final game when the title was already sewn up. He's signed a new 5 year deal to avoid the Nelson Martins situation (who has now retired after not finding a club). He's not a viable alternative.

Defenders

Rui Fernandes - 0(1) app - Single appearance in the cup from the bench, he has long been passed over as next right back. I think next season may seem him out on loan.

Shéu Sousa - 17(11) apps, 3 asts - The 18-year-old has been made the captain of Portugal's U21 side, which is a pretty good advert. He has started to get more game time as the battle between him and Duarte continues to intensify. I think Sousa has slightly more potential, but it'll be interesting to see who has more appearances by the time their careers end. Progressing nicely.

Duarte - 28(3) apps, 5 asts - One year older than Sousa and one year further in his progression. He doesn't have the raw pace of the younger man, but is a very decent defender. Still just about first choice although soon I think it'll definitely be a case of rotation.

Ricardo Aleixo - 38 apps, 1 gl, 1 ast, 2 MoMs - Very good season from the rapidly maturing left back. At just 20 he has already made 84 league appearances for the club and become undisputed first choice. Although there could be pressure on that place eventually.

António Reis - 6 apps, 1 ast - The man who might eventually provide that competition. He is by no means ready for regular football yet but is progressing nicely in training and starting to get more time on the pitch can only be a good thing. One to develop.

João Paulo - 25 apps, 2 gls, 2 asts, 2 MoMs - Injuries restricted his game time this season but when fit he was by far the best central defender in the squad and most likely all of Portugal too. Not a lot to add really, still a great player.

Paulo Silva - 1 app - A player who has been lurking around the reserve side/out on loan for the last few years, he was drafted into the first team squad as cover during injury crises. He got onto the pitch once and didn't embarrass himself. Only going to be back up I'm afraid and has been making a lot of noises about wanting first team football. Probably out on loan next year.

Luis Miguel - 21(6) apps, 2 gls, 1 ast, 1 MoM - The man to benefit from Paulo's injury issues this season as he got plenty of time on the pitch. He didn't let us down and solidified his role as current number three centre back. I don't see him necessarily replaced Lopes as he ages, more Paulo eventually as he doesn't have much ball skill.

Saad Falah - 3(4) apps - Continues his role as back up/cup squad player and he seems relatively happy with that at the moment. May change at some point, but for now he's decent back up to back ups.

Rui Lopes - 29 apps - Rui made his 200th league appearance for the club this season and it's an illustration of the great service he's given. No doubt, if I'd started this project sooner he'd have far more games under his belt than that as he hits 30. The good news is he's looking likely to become a coach so that's another back room staff member sorted for the future.

Flávio Carvalho - 11(8) apps, 1 ast - This is the guy I am predicting will take over from Lopes when he gets too old. He has the ball-playing abilities in common as well as decent defensive stats. He isn't ready yet, but hopefully continued training, tutoring and game time will get him there in the next few years. One of the extraordinary number of my players who'll be at the Euro U21s with Portugal, I believe it's 10 in total.

Omar Omar - 1 app - The last surviving non-homegrown defender and he's off to Italy this summer. Didn't really play, so won't be missed, he would've been a great player for us if I hadn't gone down the route I chose.

Midfielders

Paul Bossman - 20(9) apps, 1 gl, 2 asts, 1 MoM - Continues to improve and continues to get more time playing. He is progressing very nicely, I hope he gets recognised by the Portuguese national side soon because otherwise I can see him picking Ghana in the not too distant future. Depending on how Lopes holds up to the ageing process he may have a season in defence sooner or later.

Miguel Teixeira - 25(3) apps, 2 gls, 2 asts - Another to pass 200 league appearances this season and the 27-year-old looks set to add considerably to that tally. He has turned into an all round midfielder that I have to admit to not expecting. He can pick a pass, score the odd goal and help out the defence brilliantly. A real asset to the team.

Luís Pereira - 14(10) apps, 2 asts - The first really viable candidate to takeover as our left winger. He's only 16, and he needs to get some real game time under his belt but his improvement over the first year, while also learning to play on the left as well as the right has been phenomenal. He could be the future of the role for a long time. Mentally he obviously needs work, but the should come through experience and some good tutors.

Moussa Sidibé - 2(1) apps, 1 gl, 1 MoM - With the emergence of the new right winger in the new youth crop it is time for Moussa to sink or swim. He's no longer the up and coming talent, nor has he shown any signs of establishing himself. It may be time for him to go out on loan and get some proper experience of first team football.

Atanas Radkov - 3(1) apps, 1 gl, 2 asts - Has decided he wants to play for Portugal rather than Bulgaria but he isn't getting the game time he needs with me to improve, I may let him out on loan, or look to sell over the summer as he's another non-homegrown guy I could just about afford to get rid of now.

Paulo Jorge Vieira - 30(8) apps, 4 gls, 15 asts, 2 MoMs - Paulo was back to his imperious best this season and it was great to see. It was a season of milestones for him as well. Not only did he make his 300th league appearance this time out, he also got his 50th league goal. Again, at 28 he could be looking at getting to some impress appearance statistics when he eventually decides to call it a day.

Luís Santos - 15(10) apps, 4 gls, 5 asts - Still nipping at his heals though is young Luís. He must be slightly frustrated, although I do a good job of rotating them, but his time will come. He's only 22 and has a great future ahead of him. Nice to have him as a replacement for Vieira if he's not doing well. Great bench option and injury cover.

Álvaro Pinto - 24(1) apps, 3 gls, 3 asts, 1 MoM - Another of the ageing players in the squad. His loyalty was rewarded this season with a good run of games during times of injury worry. He wants to become a manager when he retires, hopefully I can keep him as a coach for a time before someone swoops for him.

Sérgio Rodrigues - 16(1) apps, 11 gls, 5 asts, 3 MoMs - An astonishing, but injury hit, season for the winger. He was back to his best in front of goal but also saw a return of the niggling injuries that plagued his early career. At 24 though he already has 50 international caps and more than 150 league appearances for us. He's going to be an all time great, and if he can keep fit he has a terrifying season in him at some stage.

Lasse Tuominen - 31 apps, 12 gls, 13 asts, 3 MoMs - Not homegrown, but someone I'm not looking to replace necessarily. I'm not sure whether it's because I signed him as a 15-year-old or because it cost only £500 but I don't see him as an import. One of the greats and continues to be a real menace on the left. Top player.

Forwards

Nuno Rosa - 2(14) apps, 1 gl, 1 ast - Yet to set the world alight, but has done well while learning from Cardoso and his stats have shown a welcome leap forward. He is now competing with Marques for a place on the bench/rotation time and that could be tricky to handle, but he is still a decent prospect, particularly if he can grow more prolific.

Pedro Cardoso - 35(1) apps, 33 gls, 13 asts, 12 MoMs - The man, the legend. I'd been beginning to worry his star was on the wane but he proved me wrong in fantastic style this season by really returning to his best. He scored at more than a goal a game in the league while also laying on a hat load for his teammates. Great to see him back, and at 29 hopefully this shows his intention to keep playing at the highest level into his 30s. Passed 300 league games and 250 league goals this season. His productivity and loyalty continue to amaze me.

Abakar Tigabe - 40(1) apps, 24 gls, 11 asts, 6 MoMs - His best season yet as he really arrived as a top flight striker breaking the 20 goals in a season for the first time. He was also good enough to lay on goals for those around him as he looked a quality player alongside Cardoso. He faces pressure for this role though as the youngsters press for inclusion.

Rodolfo Marques - 11(23) apps, 7 gls, 3 asts, 2 MoMs - A similar first season to Cardoso's back in the dim and distant past. Not consistent but real touches of class occasionally. I continue to be excited about his potential and see him as an excellent partner for Cardoso if/when his pace goes. The plan at the moment for that eventuality is to shift Cardoso deeper and put Marques up top. Hopefully it will work and there might be some experimentations in that direction next season.

Story So Far...

Season		League			Position		Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13		Second Division - South	12th			Avoided Relegation (just)
2013/14		Second Division - South 1st			Promoted!
2014/15		Second League		14th			Avoided Relegation
2015/16		Second League		2nd			Promoted!
2016/17		Premier League		13th			Avoided Relegation
2017/18		Premier League		3rd			Qualified for Europa League
2018/19		Premier League		4th			Europa League again
2019/20		Premier League		5th			Europa League again
2020/21		Premier League		1st			Champions!
2021/22		Premier League		2nd			CL Qualification again
2022/23		Premier League		1st			Champions!
2023/24		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2024/25		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2025/26		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2026/27		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2027/28		Premier League		1st			CL Semi Final
2028/29		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2029/30		Premier League		1st			CL Semi Final
2030/31		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2031/32		Premier League		1st			CL Quarters
2032/33		Premier League		1st			CL Quarters and domestic quadruple
2033/34		Premier League		1st 			CL 1st Knockout Round
3034/35		Premier League		1st			CL Quarters
2035/36		Premier League		1st			CL 1st Knockout Round
2036/37		Premier League		1st			CL Quarters
2037/38		Premier League		1st			Champions' League winners
------------------------------------------------Challenge Completed----------------------------------------------
2038/39		Premier League		1st			CL finalists
2039/40		Premier League 		1st			CL 1st Rd
2040/41		Premier League		1st 			CL Semis
2041/42	        Premier League		1st			CL 1st Rd
2042/43         Premier League           1st                    CL 1st Rd

[aldojags]

Dr Poods - the team meeting issue is something that is a regular occurence on this forum, quite a few people, myself included, have found it a worthless addition to the game, I havent used it in about 8-9 seasons. Well done on hammering Rouen, they are now a Ligue 2 team in my save, who have won the French Cup last season, and the Coupe de la Ligue this season in my game! In Europe 2 seasons in a row for a Ligue 2 team, not bad! Don't worry about the cup defeats, it's all about climbing the leagues, my first few seasons I was knocked out by dross too, even now, apart from getting to French Cup final my first season in Ligue 1 (got hammered 5-2 from Lorient after being 2-0 up after 9 minutes!) I get knocked out at the first chance quite a lot! I just play the fringe/youths.

Andy Sava - well done on survival, that's all it's about first season in any new league. The strangest thing about your save is the fact Leverkusen won the league last year, and finished 7th this season! Bit of a come down! Did they sell quite a lot of players?

PRDH why do you think a new stadium will improve it? Is it upkeep costs or somethin? or higher crowds you mean? She Sousa is excellent! if I ever complete this challenge, which is a big if, I'm goin to do what you are doing, some of those players have improved so much, must be so satisfying. Are you resigned to never winning Champ League again? Be hard to win it with entirely homegrown squad. what about the league,do you ever see the day that slips away?

[Andy Sava]

aldojags - Didn't quite pay attention to their transfer market activity as i was focusing on us It was a bit of a let down from them tbh considering that they won the title last year and we managed to beat them 3-1 this season

[PRDH]

PRDH why do you think a new stadium will improve it? Is it upkeep costs or somethin? or higher crowds you mean? She Sousa is excellent! if I ever complete this challenge, which is a big if, I'm goin to do what you are doing, some of those players have improved so much, must be so satisfying. Are you resigned to never winning Champ League again? Be hard to win it with entirely homegrown squad. what about the league,do you ever see the day that slips away?

Yeah, I was thinking higher crowds. I average about 95% capacity over the course of the season, so I think I could get more and that extra income would be very helpful.

I still think I could win the Champions League. I don't feel outclassed most of the time, the team just keep putting in a really shoddy performance. It'll take a huge effort though. Fingers crossed. Cardoso still hasn't got the medal for a win yet either as he was suspended for the final we did win.

As for the domestic league, it really depends what happens when players start retiring. I think I should have it sewn up for a few more years, but when Dias and some of the defenders start ageing it could change.

[rlipscombe]

Andy Sava - well done on staying up. At the end of the day that was all that mattered this season. Good luck improving on that next season.

[Dr Poods]

Missed out on 3rd promorion spot by 1 point. All thanks to a 90th minute goal by the team that went up!

Report to follow

[Dr Poods]

DR POODS - USL DUNKERQUE SEASON REPORT 2012-13

End of Season Report

THE SQUAD

The Squad
The Squad (2)

THE RESULTS

Hmmm, the season as a whole was very successful. Originally predicted to come 18th by the media, Dunkerque came out of the blocks with a long unbeaten streak. Foolishly, I decided to hold a team meeting to try and motivate the squad to start winning again after a few really average performances. The result of my master man-management skills? Have a look at February and March's results for your answer. Went winless for those two months and that is probably what did me over in the end. Still, have got some better CB's coming in and looking at beefing up my full back crew as well during the close season.

4th
Results to Winter Break
Results to End of Season
League Position Chart

If we look at the results up to the winter break, we can see the humiliating loss in the French Cup. I really don't want to talk about it. Should have flogged them

Transfers. 19 IN and 11 OUT

Clearly my "throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" method bore fruit in Tomas and Toure (see Player Awards)

THE DR POODS' PLAYER AWARDS

These are my personal favourites from the season. At present, since I haven't hit the reset date I don't know who the fans picked as player of the year yet. I will update that when I have it.

LeClerc

Player of the year for mine. Dropped off a bit after the winter break, but was the midfield dynamo holding everything together for the most part.

Toure

Sorry I struggle with accents on letters Monsieur, was a real threat on the right. Started a bit slowly, but was truly worth his wages and finished strongly.

Balagou

Great up forward. Had some international action and brought class to the pointy end for Dunkerque this season. 14 goals is a good return and being only in his mid-20's can hopefully propel us up the league.

Tomas

Was ever present at LB this season. Probably the only position in the back that isn't screaming for an upgrade.

THE FINANCES

52,822
The Slowly Collapsing Finances

Lost almost half a million this season. Promotion really becomes an imperative as spending just over 10k a week in wages is not massive, but with low attendances becomes unsustainable in the long run...Squad pruning must begin!

Average attendance is a problem, its only about 1,000 at the moment, and then (due to league requirements) the board had to extend the stadium...

Anyways, a tough end to the year in just missing out on promotion, but onwards and upwards!

ALLEZ DUNKERQUE!

(let me know if I have left anything out. First end of season report ever so could use the feedback)

[Dr Poods]

Tomas - Fan Player Of The Year

[marty78]

PRDH - Could your financial state be down to improving youth/training facilities and junior coaching/youth network? I noticed in my youth challenge save that once increased to a high level these facilities generated huge maintenance cost. If you win the Champions League with an all HG squad you will be an FM legend.

Dr Poods- That's a terrific first season and you are unlucky to not go up. I'm sure improving your back four will do the trick for next year.

[PRDH]

marty - I reckon that's part of the problem certainly. Coupled with high wage costs, low gate receipts and general money problems in Portugal with low prize and TV omen available. If I'm honest it shouldn't really be a surprise as I was making money in the good years only through a fairly steady turnover of players.

Fingers crossed. The stumbling block at the moment is Tuominen on the left winger. He's not strictly HG, but has been here since he was 15 so feels like it, eventually he'll have to go for full credibility.

[Dr Poods]

PRDH The all homegrown lineup is truly a noble calling! All the best. By the way, using this policy, how many members of the Portuguese squads do you have? How are they doing?... I'm curious.

[marty78]

AS CANNES - SEASON 2015/16

LIGUE 2

After telling the board I would get promotion the pressure was on and it showed as we lost leads a number of times in the first half of the season meaning we drew more games than I would like. After adding a couple of players in January we finally started to get up a head of steam and in all honesty should of won the league. We let ourselves down with three defeats in the last 4 games to hand the title to Dijon (one of the sides to beat us). Clearly the biggest issue is the defense which will need some serious improvement for next year if we are to stay up.

The cups did not go well this year and we were sent packing from both pretty early on.

Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2

TRANSFERS

I did not do very well in the summer and perhaps got a little complacent with some of my signings, thinking I could win the league without adding experience in certain areas. I needed new full backs and brought in youngsters with potential when I should of bought some established players in. I did pay money for a CB with great jumping though as I felt aerially we were vulnerable. I'm glad I did as without him I doubt we would of been promoted but I should have given him a bit more help. The positive is a profit made overall on transfers but most has gone as the wage budget has gone up.

Adriano Di Lorenzo - Not really ready for first team action but has some potential and at the very least should offer some re-sale value.
Didier Hayesso - Young keeper who I had tutored upon arrival and he overtook his tutor to become number one for the second half of the season.
Georges Bayiha - Young RB who just started to play a part toward the seasons end.
Jovan Vidovic - Actually spent a fee on this guy but he is a rock from aerial balls, somewhere I felt we were particularly lacked. Am I hoping to improve both CB positions in the summer so a back up role from now seems likely.
Tommy Oar - Signed as a back up LM but suffered a 3 month injury lay off amd never really got going.
Walid Khaled - Young LB who was thrust straight into the first team but has done okay. Will be looking to add a player in this position with a bit more experience.
Willie Schulitz - A young back up RM who is growing into the team. Signed to replace Beck, who the chairman sold in the summer.

Did also sign a couple of others but just for one season as back ups and tutoring. It was clear that, because of injuries we needed a striker in January and two that I had looked at in the summer, but wouldn't join, were still available for free so I brought them both in.

Ibrahima - My first choice in the summer but after initially rejecting a contract offer wouldn't talk to me again. I tried again in January and he was far more open to a move. Since his arrival he has played most games with a few goals and assists and is rated as my best striker by the coaches.
Dominic Adeyiah - Struggled to get a game but there is room in next seasons squad and provides experienced cover up front.

SQUAD

Well the squad did well overall I suppose and if I had been a bit more careful in the transfer market perhaps would of won the league. There will be more building for Ligue 1 next season, particularly the defensive players. Last years top scorer Guy Guadabouyou was crocked in the first few weeks of the season and is no longer of adequate standard after missing about six months. Luckily Mads Neilsen stepped into the hole he left and had an impact straight away and finished top scorer as well as assisting his fair share. Key players:

Mads Neilsen - Player of the season without a doubt and causes defenses all sorts of problems. Particularly like his habit of creating something out of nothing.
Davide Pertucci - Best passer of the ball and usually at the center of our possession. Was forced to play a number of games at LM because of injuries.
Denny Helmund - Young German struggled with form and I really should have strengthened in his position to take the pressure. He is still only 21 with potential so I will continue to try and develop him.
Gerhard Kern - One of our better players and boy did we miss him when he was out for four months with a broken foot. Has played well since returning and am still confident it hasn't halted his progression too much.

UNDER 19's

A few players are improving better than I thought but this years youth intake was just awful and I only signed Guillaume Simon and he can consider himself very lucky. Rayan Tran though is still the best prospect.

FINANCES

The board put in an £8m investment but spent most of it on a stadium expansion which is strange as we have only been filling about 40% of seats this season. Maybe they are expecting vastly increased attendances in Ligue 1 but I really can't see that much of a jump in numbers. I would much rather gave me the money to increase training facilities which have been downgraded.

[PRDH]

Dr Poods - Thanks. Great first season by the way, really unlucky, but a great platform to challenge again next season. It's not that noble, I didn't start it until I'd finished the challenge, although I was well on my way by that stage. The number of players in the teams varies, as a snapshot, right now I've got eight players in the full squad, 10 in the U21s and a mere 4 in the U19s. That's pretty low by my normal standards. The players are doing all right, but the national team is pretty poor if I'm honest. They've still never won anything, or even got to a final since '04.
marty - Excellent season there too. The expansion might have been necessary to reach league standards or similar. I like Rayan Tran, he looks like he could turn into a decent player.

[Dr Poods]

Perhaps, but it would give a good platform to cash in on some as others come through? And cheers, changed the formation a little and Dunkerque are 4 points off 3rd after 13 games. My new formation hasn't fully gelled yet. Had four 2-2 draws in a row at one point. But positive performance so far.

The worry? The first season in game (CFA) averaged 1,179 fans. My first year 1,055. This year? 755...

[marty78]

PRDH You are probably right about the stadium. At least the board put the money in for it. I'm going to try and give Tran a few first team games as a sub this year.

[PRDH]

Hmm... Just been offered the Finland job. I admired their ambition in approaching me, so I've taken them up on the offer. Gives me a chance to manage Tuominen a international level too. Looking at their previous matches they've been playing him, their best player by far, massively out of position. That's going to change as I bring my Azorean brand of football to Scandinavia.

[marty78]

Just signed Mbaye Niang on a free. I had this as top Premier League goalscorer 7 seasons in a row in a previous save. Broke my wage structure but I just had to.

[Andy Sava]

Good job on the promotion marty78. Good luck next season in Ligue 1!

[Lower Leagues Rule]

I have signed Fafe's famous #61 for my Penalva Castelo side...

[Andy Sava]

I didn't quite pay attention to what happened at an international level until now so today i got surprised by this. My save is wierd.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

I don't know what is more surprising, Belgium top in the world, or 6 African teams in the top 20, or England 5th :P

[Andy Sava]

I guess i'll have to redo my scouting assignments. There must be some talent there with the situation as it is.

[Andy Sava]

6th march 2019. Holstein Kiel have gone above all expectation and are playing in the German Cup semi-finals at home against FC Bayern. Everyone is expecting Bayern to hammer Kiel. The game starts. 5 minutes in Cellamaro takes the ball and makes a run for it but he is closed out and has to pass to Zeybek inside the penalty box who shoots and it's a goaaaaaaalllll!!! Kiel keeps putting pressure on Bayern over the next minutes. After 15 minutes of play the same Cellamaro runs with the ball on the right side crosses and goaaaallllllllllllll Caceres!!!2-0 for Kiel and things were looking superb for this underdogs. Minute 41 of the game Bayern has a well executed corner managing to score with a header. The break comes and it's 2-1 for Kiel.

After the break comes another corner for Bayern in minute 51 and after some chaos in the box they manage to score and get level. Both teams continued to have a few goal chances but none managed to score and the game goes to extra-time. After a beautifull shot by Dzoni FC Bayern takes the lead and it all seemed over but 2 minutes later the young brazilian star Paulinho decided things are over when he says and scored taking the game to penalties.

The penalties came and it was time for the young brazilian keeper Madson to shine for Kiel saving the first 2. It was 3-1 for Kiel after the first 3 rounds and the next Bayern player had to score in order to keep his team in the fight for the final. Salomon Rondon, an international veteran for Venezuela with 88 caps and 80 goals, sets his ball goes for it and the shot goes over the bar!!!! It's over, Holstein Kiel are in the German Cup Final!!! They fought superbly 120 minutes and they got rewarded for it!

EDIT: The victory came at great cost as Cellamaro got injured and is now going to be out for 4 months

[aldojags]

Andy Sava - superb on getting to the final, who you playing? Your save is just as weird as mines, Belgium won World Cup in 2018, then Euro 2020 in my save! LLR - if you think England in 5th is strange...they are current world number 1 in my save!

Good luck with Finland PRDH, how did your spell at Portugal end I don't remember when you left them?

Marty - well done on Promotion, Nielsen had a great season with goals and assists. Good luck in Ligue 1.

Dr Poods - well done on a great first season, I know it's frustrating to narrowly miss out on promotion but I think of first season as a write-off, just a learning curve.

[Dr Poods]

Andy Sava - superb on getting to the final, who you playing? Your save is just as weird as mines, Belgium won World Cup in 2018, then Euro 2020 in my save! LLR - if you think England in 5th is strange...they are current world number 1 in my save!

Good luck with Finland PRDH, how did your spell at Portugal end I don't remember when you left them?

Marty - well done on Promotion, Nielsen had a great season with goals and assists. Good luck in Ligue 1.

Dr Poods - well done on a great first season, I know it's frustrating to narrowly miss out on promotion but I think of first season as a write-off, just a learning curve.

True. I'm having a good second year so far. Sitting just outside promotion places after a tweak to the playing style. Gone a bit more direct and the defenders sit deeper. My worries is the attendances are plummeting as per my earlier post.

[Andy Sava]

aldojags - I am playing Stuttgart in the final, hopefully we can win it but even if we don't we will be playing in EURO Cup as we finished 4th in a thrilling end of season. More on this season later during this week-end in my report. Don't know when exactly because i am working.

[marty78]

Just had a really good youth intake and my youth team looks much better now. 4 players with "leading Ligue 1" potential means I now have 6 under 19's with that tag. Very nice.

[aldojags]

That is stunning Marty, what is your recruitment/coaching like?

Dr Poods, I feel your pain re the attendances, I'm currently 3 in a row for Ligue 1 titles, and have only just breached the 10,000 for average attendance, it's so slow! Literally about 500 fans a year increase. There are a few teams dotted around the National with more season ticket holders than me! I wouldn't worry about it too much though, your still early in challenge, and when you go to Ligue 1 it's £10m-£11m a year in tv money, and the prize money is not too shabby either, so you'll be able to keep your head above water until the crowds pick up.

[marty78]

Junior coaching is excellent and Youth network is average. I'll post up screenies for the lads at the end of the season but needless to say a couple at least will need some good tutoring to get anywhere.

[aldojags]

Well Viry-Chatillon, at last...after years of falling at the Group Stages...qualified for the knockout round of Champions League.

My group was Man United, Sporting Lisbon (who knocked me out in the semi's of Europa last season) and Metalist Kharkiv.

The 4th seeded team usually get's scudded off everyone, and this time was no different as Kharkiv finished the Group on 0 points and -18 goal difference. I beat them 3-0 and 4-0. Sporting Lisbon, I got revenge for last seasons Europa defeat with a 4-1 win at home, lost 2-1 over there.

Man United, who were in my group last year, were the top seeds. I won 1 lost 1 last season against them, and fancied my chances. Got a 1-1 draw over there, and then had to beat them on the final day of the group to guarentee qualification. Well probably the most impressive performance in my tenure as we destroyed them 4-0, to finish top of the group with 13 points. Edit: this result ensured Lisbon finished 2nd, knocking Man United out.

Got Inter away first in the knockout stages, and after the Man U game, I think I can beat anyone....will keep you updated....

[marty78]

Excellent work against United in such a high pressure game Aldojags. Your right not to fear anyone after that.

[aldojags]

Yeah I was fearing the worst marty, I've been unlucky, past 2 season in particular, going out with 10 points both times, which is usually enough. Was going in against United, knowing if they beat me they'd overtake me, and knowing Lisbon would beat Kharkiv, I was thinking I was going out with 10 again. But it was truly a demolition job! See how I go, but I do think, barring an injury crisis, I'll beat Inter.

[PRDH]

My young 'keeper, Dalvinder Davies, has been labelled as the next David Seaman. Not a bad sign if it's true.

[aldojags]

I made the fatal error of thinking being labelled "the next...." meant they were destined for greatness, and in FM11 I wasted millions over a period of 2 or 3 summers signing the next di stefano and the next this and the next that, it turns out it doesn't really mean much as most of them turned out average at best! Most youth players in my Viry-Chatillon under 19s have "the next..." but I don't pay much attention to it. Unless of course it was the next Cardoso!

[PRDH]

I made the fatal error of thinking being labelled "the next...." meant they were destined for greatness, and in FM11 I wasted millions over a period of 2 or 3 summers signing the next di stefano and the next this and the next that, it turns out it doesn't really mean much as most of them turned out average at best! Most youth players in my Viry-Chatillon under 19s have "the next..." but I don't pay much attention to it. Unless of course it was the next Cardoso!

Yeah, I don't as a rule pay much attention to them. I like to note it occasionally. I wouldn't be that taken by 'the next Cardoso', I've got a striker in my U19s who's supposed to be a similar player. Similar maybe but much, much worse!

Edit - Oh and it didn't go well with Finland. I lost my first two games 3-0 meaning the team's fate in the qualifiers was sealed and I stepped down. Turns out I'm quite flaky when it comes to international management.

[Andy Sava]

Holstein Kiel - 2018/2019

Season Overview

Manager Profile
League Finish - 4th
Media Prediction - 18th
Average Attendance - 10451
Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2
Fans Player of the Year - Conçalo Silva


Transfers

Probably the most boring season in the transfer market in all my FM history. Did not sign anyone new and i only let 2 players leave the club. It payed out in the end as we had a superb season.


Bundesliga

League Table
Graph

After a disappointing first season in Bundesliga i was not expecting much from this season, i only wanted to go for a mid-table finish in order to consolidate our place in the league. We started with 0-0 draw at home with Freiburg which, giving that it was against a not so great team, confirmed my season objectives to finish the season somewhere in the middle of the table. Little did i know that my players did not agree with my early objectives. After this we went on to win against some really good teams against which i did not have much hope. We won 3-0 away at Koln and 5-1 away at Cottbus. The worst defeat was against Bayern who beat us 4-1. The second part of the season was as awesome as the first and we got a 0-0 away at Dortmund, a 1-1 at home with Bayern and we won 3-0 at home with Leverkusen. I also lost points against Wolfsburg at home (they won 3-1), away at Mainz (3-3) and at home with Stuttgart (they won 1-0) which in the end cost me the last Champions League spot.

However, Bayern managed to win the Champions League after winning the title and we got rewarded with a spot in the Best Placed Playoff!!!!!!


German Cup

First Round - (vs. Erfurt) The media actually made Erfurt (who were playing in the 3rd division) favorites to win this. We ofcourse won the game with ease.

Second Round - (vs. Mainz) Boring game but at least we won it and advanced to the next round.

Third Round - (vs. Ingolsadt) Another easy game for us that we dominated.

Quarter Finals - (vs. Kaiserslautern) The quality finishing from my team and the confidence of the defence helped us win this game even if Kairserslautern was the more attacking team.

Semi-Finals - (vs. FC Bayern) One of the best games i ever played in FM no doubt. Going in the game as huge underdogs we managed to score twice before Bayern and we held on to the game until extra-time and to the penalties where Madson saved the first 2 Bayern shots. In the end we won the shoot-out 3-1 and we were in the final!

Final - (vs. Stuttgart) A pretty equal match-up on the field ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. In extra-time the show begun and we scored 3 times while conceding 1 goal. We ended the season as German Cup winners thanks to superb play by my players and everyone was celebrating the first of many to come trophies!

The Squad

Goalkeepers

I'm not a fan of changing keepers during the season unless something forces me to so i only used Madson this season.

Madson <40 apps, 39 conc, 1 MoM> - What can i say, i am very happy i signed Madson as he turned out to be a great keeper with a great future ahead of him who won us the semi-final against FC Bayern. One of my key players that i really do not want to lose.

Robert McKeown - My back-up keeper this season did not get to play any game. What suprised me is that he did not complain at all that he doesn't get to play anymore.

Defenders

Jean-Jacques Monin <6(31) apps> - Not much to say about him, he was mainly used as a substitute and was decent.

Thorben Stadler <39 apps, 9 asts, 3 MoMs> - I love this guy, even if his attributes don't say much he was superb all season long. I will probably play him another season but i will need to start searching for a replacement.

Marco Damiani - Even if he played only in the pre-season friendlies i think he might be decent in case something happens with Stadler.

Tim Hofmann <6(9) apps, 2 asts> - The once great defender got replace this season by my young portuguese duo in the center of my defence. I still like him and because he helped us so much i will try and keep him at the team for a little longer.

Paulo Ferreira <40 apps, 4 goals> - Solid centerback, played in every game this season and managed to avoid any injuries. I am confident he will go on to make another great season.

Conçalo Silva <33(1) apps, 11 goals, 1 ast, 4 MoMs> - The other half of my portuguese duo in the defence. Still young but he had a great season scoring 11 times and finishing with an average rating of 7.51.

Francesco Melchiorre <34(1) apps> - After a rough start in his first season at Kiel he was my first choice for the right fullback position and did great.

Midfielders

Simone Pecorini <6(4) apps> - Good player when we were playing in the lower leagues but after that we got some better players that got him out of the first team.

Carlos Cáceres <40 apps, 5 goals, 13 asts, 2 MoMs> - Another player who got to play in every game this season and who was one of our key players in getting the results we got.

Jose Ferreira <35(1) apps> - Not the best player around but he did his job well and will probably continue with us for another season.

Jelle Maes <7(10) apps, 2 asts> - Didn't use Maes to much this season since i had Freitas playing way better than last season.

David Freitas <33(4), 1 goal, 10 asts, 4 MoMs> - A way better performance from him compared to last season when he was all over the place.

Forwards

Antonio Cellamaro <20(1) apps, 9 goals, 8 asts, 2 MoMs> - He was doing well until the Cup Semi-Final with Bayern came and he got injured for 4 months missing the rest of the season. I'm sure he will come back even stronger and do great next season.

Fuat Zeybek <19(5) apps, 15 goals, 6asts, 2 MoMs> - He replaced Cellamaro after he got injured and was superb for the rest of the season helping us with 15 goals.

Luis Barros <36(1) apps, 13 goals, 9 asts, 3 MoMs> - Another good season from the young portuguese player and he keeps geting better.

Paulinho <39 apps, 14 goals, 7 asts, 5 MoMs> - Most likely the best player in our current squad. Hopefully i can hold on to him as he started to attract interest from top clubs.

Overall the squad looks decent with some players standing out. Since we are playing in the EURO Cup next season i am hoping to attract some better players. I already have some future stars that i want to sign but they refuse to enter talks with us for now.

Next season

The plan is to qualify for EURO Cup again and fight for a Champions League place.

Season             League                         Position                     Achievements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/2013          German Third Division          14th                         Avoided Relegation
2013/2014          German Third Division          9th                          N/A
2014/2015          German Third Division          1st                          Promotion & Third Division Winners
2015/2016          German Second Division         13th                         Avoided Relegation
2016/2017          German Second Division         2nd                          Promotion
2017/2018          Bundesliga                     14th                         Avoided Relegation
2018/2019          Bundesliga                     4th                          Qualified for Champions League

[marty78]

Andy Sava- Great season mate. Not bringing in any transfers has a major advantage, squad harmony. Looking at Dortmunds attendances compared to yours then 4th is a hell of an achievement in just your second top flight season.

Madson is a hell of keeper for just 21yo. Is he classed as a wonderkid?

[PRDH]

Great season Andy Sava! Goo luck in Europe. Agree with marty, Madson is a great 'keeper in the making.

Back in the Azores and Pedro Cardoso has just scored his 400th goal in all competitions for me.

[aldojags]

400 goals, that is ridiculous! He must be pushing 30 now? I definitely think 500 is a realistic target though?

andy sava well done mate, domestic cup and champions league is tremendous for 2nd season! Just need to turn a few of those draws into wins and you'll win the league. what a season from the centre half he looks fantastic, 11 goals!! Good spread of goals between your forwards too.

[PRDH]

Lusitânia Açores - Youth Intake - 2044

Introduction

Welcome one, welcome all to the announcement of the latest players to join up with the squad. We are in a nice situation at the moment in that we don't have any obvious weaknesses in the squad and so we go into the intake with no great pressure to pick up a player in a certain position.

If pressured I would still say that a left winger and maybe a goalkeeper are the areas with the least depth, but basically any decent players will be welcome, so, without further ado, to the intake.

The New Class

Of the 16 players suggested by our junior coaches we have 10 half-star, 1 one-star, 1 1.5-star, 1 two-star, 1 2.5 and two three-star players. Obviously anything up to one star is pretty much dross and will have to take their chances with my assistant's recommendation. As for the rest, well, let me introduce them:

José Pedrosa - 1.5 star - Born just around the coast from Angra do Heroísmo in Porto Judeu the striker, described as a poacher, is missing some star quality but has some ability when it comes to football. I would expect him to join the ranks of the U19 team and get some experience there before, probably, a career in the lower reaches of Portuguese football. Not a player I expect to be troubling the first team at any stage.

Eduardo Andrade - 2 star - A hometown kid, Eduardo is a right back who looks capable of turning into a decent, and not much more, player. Another who I will take on, train up and then probably see out on loan to my feeder clubs until he leaves for regular football. It's a service I provide...

João Cunha - 2.5 star - Now we're getting somewhere. Born in Ourique in rural southern Portugal, João is, at present, a decent looking young attacking midfielder. However, I think he has the skill set to turn into a more interesting winger and that is what I'll be looking to do straight away. I'm not convinced he has the ability to get in the first team but he can turn into a useful cup player in the short term and maybe a squad/back up player in the long run. His main attributes at the moment are his pace and dribbling ability which will make him a handful initially at youth level. The first player this year who may have a proper future at the club.

Antony Marchand - 3-star - Another local lad this Portuguese/French goalkeeper doesn't have stats that immediately leap off the screen at you, but if he can get near to his potential then he will be a very useful back up keeper. Not going to threaten Dias' place but we always need a number two/three keeper and he could be one of those. Not likely to accumulate a huge amount of playing time, but vital to the squad.

Anatoli Cerga - 3-star - Another player born in Angra do Heroísmo but with Moldovan heritage. A striker with decent technical stats for someone his age he will add depth to the already highly-talented striking department. Needs to work on his pace and finishing and will probably benefit from some tutoring from Cardoso and co. He appears to be the most rounded of this season's intake and the one who, at this stage, appears to have the brightest future. He is touted as the next Hugo Almeida which, with the Euros in mind, he may want to keep quiet about! Though, if he doesn't get Portuguese recognition he could probably go on to have a great career for the Moldova national team.

Verdict

By no means the strongest intake we've had but there look to be a couple of players who could have a role at the club in the coming years. None look like future stars but they could become rotation players or decent back up at least and we need those as much as the stars I suppose.

[PRDH]

400 goals, that is ridiculous! He must be pushing 30 now? I definitely think 500 is a realistic target though?

Yup, it's 17th March and he turned 30 precisely two weeks ago. The good news is he is currently thinking of a coaching career followed by management when he retires (hopefully not for a while), part of me would like to resign and have Cardoso take over the team.

I was thinking about targets. At 30 he could have 4 years at the top left, and going at 25 goals overall then 500 would be a nice aim. Depending on how he ages though it could be more or, obviously, less. If he just starts to lose pace then he can switch across to the deep-lying role where it's less important. He's been playing there more this season anyway as I give Marques game time, and been looking more than adequate.

[Dr Poods]

On top with 7 games left...But 9th is only 11 points back. Very tight at the top. Luckily, I have a 3 point buffer thanks to other results on the latest matchday. Toure is killing it but I am having a hell of a lot of own goals at the moment. Stressful times

ALLEZ DUNKERQUE!!!

[PRDH]

Good luck Dr Poods. Hopefully it being so tight means teams will take points off each other and you can cruise serenely to top spot.

Cerga has just made his debut in the League Cup semi-final and scored. Welcome aboard young man. You'll do very well!

[Dr Poods]

It's certainly tight PRDH. 3 games left. Still 3 points

[aldojags]

Cerga definitely looks the best of the bunch. As you say, Moldova will certainly cap him if he never makes with Portugal.

Dr Poods hope you hang on!

[Dr Poods]

DR POODS - USL DUNKERQUE SEASON REPORT 2013-14

End of Season Report - CHAMPIONS FRENCH NATIONAL

THE SQUAD

The Squad
The Squad (2)

THE RESULTS

WOW, we earned the champions spot on the last day of the season after a 2-0 win over Mulhouse and it capped off the year. Made our target of the 9th round in the cup where we were thrashed by Bordeaux. Overall, we scored more and conceded less...success!

The signing of Noukeu was instrumental as having that quality at DMC really made everything click, but it was the usual suspects of Leclerc and Toure who really stole the show.

1st and CHAMPIONS!
1st Set of Results
Second Set of Results
Final Set of Results
League Position Chart

Overall, quite steady with consistent results throughout the season. Considering our 4th place last year, I'm happy that the squad showed improvement

Transfers. 9 IN and 12 OUT

More a case of clearing out the deadwood this season whilst improving the back four, which I think we accomplished. Made a profit on transfers too...Nice!

THE DR POODS' PLAYER AWARDS

These are my personal favourites from the season. At present, since I haven't hit the reset date I don't know who the fans picked as player of the year yet. I will update that when I have it.

Leclerc

Player of the year...again!. Super consistent, 23 league assists... Just superb.

Toure

Moved to a more central role up front and exploded winning the league goal scorer award.

Kodjia

Became the menace to defenders I always hoped he would become, Ligue 2 is a different kettle of fish, but I expect him to keep improving.

Aubriot

Injury prone, so didn't play the amount of games he should have. Still with a strike rate of nearly a goal a game was invaluable to our promotion hopes.

THE FINANCES

(457,669)
The (Still) Slowly Collapsing Finances

Lost 389,793 this season. But we were Champions, so hopefully it can improve in Ligue 2.

Average attendance was better, but still very low. I'm curious as to what it will be like in Ligue 2 to be honest

But...A win's a win, and I'm very happy to have taken the step up.

FRENCH NATIONAL AWARDS

Manager Of The Year
Golden Scarves Award - Leclerc (Best Player)
Top Goalscorer - Toure
Leclerc & Toure in Team Of The Season


ALLEZ DUNKERQUE!

[Tiger.Robin]

Well I've decided to give this a go and I am currently holidaying in France.

[Andy Sava]

Thanks all it has been a great season this one.

marty - No he is not classed as a wonderkid but he should be. And to think i was close not to get him! I'm glad i did.

Dr Poods - Grats on the promotion, well done.

I'm playing Benfica in the Best Placed Playoff and i have no ideea what to expect from this. The first game is away and i like it.

[Dr Poods]

Be very careful Tiger.Robin!! I just got these lovely message after promotion...

I have a war chest of 15k a week wages and transfers of around 4.5k

Transfer & Wage Budget

Ok I say, then the next item is telling me that the stadium needs to be improved to meet league standards. So how much debt will I incur?

Errr, What? 6 million pounds??!??!?!

In the words we use down here...I'm boned! But we will try our best.

For any sadists out there, check out the finances!

The strong finances of Dunkerque

ALLEZ DUNKERQUE!!!

[Dr Poods]

Oh dear, if anyone can tell me the requirements for French stadiums I would appreciate it. If its all-seater, I can only allow 500 people into the ground for the next 7 months whilst I ground share!

The lovely facilities I am sharing

So, if that is the case, I have 6m pound debt, can only allow 500 people into the stadium, I have a transfer budget of 4.5k and a wage budget of 15k.....would anyone like me to upload the save as a challenge? ha ha

Success will be so memorable!

ALLEZ DUNKERQUE

[Tiger.Robin]

AS Cannes

Tiger Robin was today announced as the new manager of AS Cannes becoming the first English manager of the club since Stan Hillier in 1938. The club were promoted back to the National League last year in their only season in the CFA. However the club is ambitious and the board, headed by the Lebanese chairman Ziad Fakhri demands a successive promotion to return Cannes to Ligue 2 for the first time since they were relegated in 2001. They have slid down the leagues in the last 2 decades having being first relegated from Ligue 1 in 1998 after being a top half team in 1995. Their only honours are 1 French Cup, and 2 Gambardella Cups.

Profile: Tiger Robin is an unknown in football and to be honest, quite how he ended up managing in France is anyone's guess.

Club Information: AS Cannes were founded in 1902 and despite being in the football wilderness in recent times their history is a strong one, represented in the past by famous icons such as Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Viera. They have picked up many rivalries during their time, the fiercest of which is against OGC Nice.

Facilities: Time has not been kind to AS Cannes facilities. The Stade Pierre de Coubertin is starting to age now and while it is adequate for the present, if the chairmans ambition is to be realised and the club is to return to its former glory it is inevitable that a larger, more modern stadium is required. However the current stadium is not actually that old having only been built in 1972 and much older stadia have endured well to this day but this one shall sadly not be one of them. In more urgent need of attention though is the facilities. The club is no longer in a position to raise and nurture promising youngsters due to it's position and basic youth facilities and the training facilities are aging just as much as the stadium and are adequate for now but is another improvement that will be needed in the future.

Squad: The squad needs some improvement particularly in defence as we only have two which are at the level we need however Romain Rambier is the pick of the whole team with the ability to cover the whole defence and has the right techincal attributes for a great CB at this level and is calm and composed which is just what is needed for a promotion chasing team. The only problem is that he doesn't have a great leap he will need a springy partner to balance this weakness. The rest of the starting 11 are strong enough however we have an alarming lack of quality in depth and because of this there will be a whole load of signings that must be made to match Mr. Fakhri's expectations.

Transfer Budget: £251k
Wage Budget: £53k p/w
Current Wage: £28,448 p/w

[Tiger.Robin]

Oh dear, I mention about the stadium but i don't want a rush job you've terrified me Dr Poods I hope my stadium can meet requirements otherwise this could turn out to be very difficult

[Dr Poods]

Don't stress mate. As far as I can tell AS Cannes is a great choice. I'm just a grizzled FM Masochist! I'm sure marty78 can help you out with that. He is going great guns. I wanted a MAJOR challenge, and by golly I have one now! I can't wait to play Monaco in front of 500 people!!

Best of luck and welcome to the challenge

EDIT: An all-seater mate. Should be fine. Mine was 5000 (1,500 seats)

[Tiger.Robin]

Haha I'm sure the cashflow will be fine, can't beat the cosy feel of less than a thousand spectators I'll look forward to your next season update

[Dr Poods]

Good man

[Tiger.Robin]

Ah mine is 12,000 or so all seater so my stadium should last until Ligue 1 at least cheers mate I'm easy now

[marty78]

Dr Poods Congratulations winning the league and good luck staying up.

Tiger.Robin Good luck with AS Cannes. I am also with Cannes and trust me when I say that you do not need to worry about finances or stadium. I have just finished my 5th season (update tomorrow) and have 17,000 seat stadium although I average only 8,000 apart from big cup matches, my highest attendance being 16,500. The chairman will put money (to cover losses only) in but expect results and you will probably get two seasons in the National and two more in the Ligue 2 to gain promotions but you have a wage budget to do so.

[Tiger.Robin]

Thanls for that, it sounds like I have a bit of breathing room then but I'll have to get a move on to keep the chairman happy and going by what you say I'll take it this is a very good budget for the National, (I know nothing about the French league I'm afraid )

[marty78]

I very much doubt there are too many teams who can spend like AS Cannes in any of the leagues at the start to be honest. Your wage budget should get even bigger as, if I remember correctly, there are 5 or 6 contracts expiring pretty much straight away.

All I did was check backroom advice every game day and scout all recommendations and also scouting or offering trials to players that agents offer. I don't use the player search as this will give you a lot of choices anyway. I also scouted the National, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 by competition for the season as well as euro regions so that at the start of year 2 I had knowledge of lots of expiring contracts. There are loads of decent youngsters which you can make money on and I have earned more in sales than I have spent and that includes agents fees.

[aldojags]

Good luck and welcome to challenge Tiger.

Great season Dr Poods, I sympathise with your stadia situation. Same happened to me, then I won Ligue 2, and it all had to be redeveloped again! Those years were a bit of a challenge! My stadium holds 17k, but I only get above 10k for PSG, or a big Champ League match, so I really only need a 10-15k stadium.

[Dr Poods]

Good luck and welcome to challenge Tiger.

Great season Dr Poods, I sympathise with your stadia situation. Same happened to me, then I won Ligue 2, and it all had to be redeveloped again! Those years were a bit of a challenge! My stadium holds 17k, but I only get above 10k for PSG, or a big Champ League match, so I really only need a 10-15k stadium.

Oooohhhhh I love a good challenge!!

[Andy Sava]

Welcome to the challenge Tiger. Good luck with Cannes.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

We all love own goals, but I think I have found the best one yet...we were losing anyway, but this was horrid.



Wow that is a terrible picture, but anyway yes he tried to pass it back to the keeper who was in the net.

[marty78]

We all love own goals, but I think I have found the best one yet...we were losing anyway, but this was horrid.

Brilliant, must have decisions of 1.

[Andy Sava]

That pass!!! So good

[Dr Poods]

Just turned pro. I don't think I can upgrade many (if any) contracts at the mo due to budgetary constraints so this is of little value unless I can free up some space. Got a link with Toulouse for loaning players which will come in handy. So, really going to be a tough season. But we keep plugging away!

[G-Wiz]

so...it seems i may have somewhat underestimated my team. Our first journey into European football saw us travel 2,273 miles to play Lokomotiv Moscow in the Best Placed 3rd Qualifying Round, which ended like this, undoubtedly the biggest result of the clubs history to date!! Aside from a major collapse in the return leg our adventure will continue

[PRDH]

Season over. Update delayed because I've been invited to take over the Portugal U23s in the 2044 Olympics in nearby Spain. I've already provoked controversy because apparently picking 16 of your own squad out of 18 is considered favouritism. They should just be grateful I picked two from another team!

[siLKEAPE]

End of Season report 2019/2020

Serie A – 1^st : We are league champions for the third time in a row! We were never really threatened by any of the top teams, and the fact that Parma finished second illustrates the awful seasons the other top teams were having. We also got a full score at home this season winning all of our home games. Our “unbeaten at home in the league” – streak now stretches for a little over three seasons and a total of 59 league games.

Coppa Italia – Final : Our second loss in the final in as many years, this time to the other Milano team A.C.Milan. Last year we were outplayed in the final, this year it was more even, so next year we will make it for sure!

Champions League –Quarter Finals : For the first time we managed to qualify from our group. We then did well to beat Sporting Lisboa in the 1^st knock-out round, before our continental adventure ended against Manchester United in the quarters. Very happy the team managed to make progress in Europe while also playing solid in the league at home.

Top players:

ST - Mariano Battaglia: Wonderful season from the cultivated Argentinian. He can score from anywhere and is a real live-wire with the ball at his feet. Stayed loyal when Real Madrid came knocking this summer and hopefully he will do the same next summer!

ST – Alessandro Pieroni: Lost his poacher spot to Battaglia, but played better than ever when I made him an inside forward just behind the poacher. Always delivers in the big games.

AML – Ali Demircan: What a surprise! Brought this kid in as a 15-year old a couple of seasons ago, and he worked wonders when Marchetti was out injuried much of this season. As a right-footed left winger he scored some sensational goals for us.

DMC – Valentino Flavi: Finished his 4^th season with us and this was by far his best. With 13 assists and many important tackles his was solid all season.

MC – Giuseppe Fiorani: Didn’t have the best of seasons, but I just want to post his picture in here. His playing style is exactly like a certain deep-lying playmaker from Italy we all have been watching with joy in the Euros this summer.

Facilities: Starting to come along nicely, with an expansion to our stadium and the board willing to upgrade both training and youth this autumn. Hopefully we will see some homegrown talent coming through in a few years time.

[G-Wiz]

our home leg against Lokomotiv Moscow saw us come out 4-0 winners, so our 10-0 aggregate win sees us progress to the Best Placed Playoff, where we've been drawn against Athletico Madrid! Sure to be a very difficult match but exciting stuff!

[marty78]

AS CANNES - SEASON 2016/17

LIGUE 1

A superb start to the season saw us challenging in the top three and, to my surprise, we seemed to be able to score at will on the break. Our defensive 4-4-2, occasionally changing to a counter 4-5-1, was ruthless at turning defense into attack with my first choice front pair allowed ridiculous amounts of space by AI. After our great first half teams adjusted their play styles and made the second half of the season much tougher and I was happy to hold onto 5th in the end. Lyon absolutely dominated the league and won 18 of 19 home games (a 0-1 defeat to AS Cannes of course) so I think this league will be really tough to win any time soon, especially if PSG step it up a few gears and achieve what they should.

We also started brightly in both cups and I was hoping we may be able to add a cup win to our incredible league season but we failed to take our chances. The Coupe de la Ligue say us reach the semi-final where we had a home tie against Olympique de Marseille and an attendance of 16,477 (a record) saw us run them very close but could only manage a 1-2 defeat. Not to worry, I thought, French Cup quarter final to come and we had drawn against CFA side Vendee Lucon. We were a massive 1/14 favorite to win the match so I put in a few youngsters and some back ups, fully expecting the team I put out to win. I was wrong and we were shocked by the superb underdogs and eventually succumbed to a 1-2 defeat after extra time. Despite having fewer chances they thoroughly deserved to beat us.

Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 | Manager Profile | Manager overview

TRANSFERS

I made fewer transfers this year as suitable players become harder to come by and many that are good enough want wages I can't or won't pay. Mbaye Niang arrived on a free which was expensive in terms of wages but already looks to be a great decision as he is valued at £5.75m and I could get at least double that. I have put a price tag on him at £30m as I don't want to sell him for a couple of years unless I have to.

Mbaye Niang - Just couldn't resist signing this guy when I realized he was available for free. His form was a bit mixed in his first year but has a big future and looks to have developed a nice partnership with Mads Neilson. Has PSG on his favored clubs list so hopefully if I ever do sell I can pull their pants down, and get a big fee.
Raphael Calvet - Had a solid 1st season and also covered a few games in the DM position but I have not trained him there as he wont play there next year.
Robin Vink - Paid a fee of £1.1m to bring him in and his form has been mixed. Turned down an offer of £2.3m recently as I'm hoping he will be better next year now he is settled.
Yaser Ertem - Young Turkish RM can also play as a CM. Only joined in January and has done okay so looking forward to seeing him improve next year.
Leonidas Basinas - Young Greek wide man also signed in January has some potential and is currently being tutored by Gerhard Kern.

SQUAD

There is a lot of young talent in the squad and I have made the decision to keep a young squad as much as is possible and try to make profits through the transfer market to allow me to boost the finances and then the facilities. I am going to continue to resist spending money on players where possible and am starting to look towards the under 19's to develop my own home grown players. I will still buy ageing players for tutoring if they can be had for free with reasonable wages but will try to not limit the chances for younger players. This season I have given a few games to two of my own youth players.

Rayan Tran - Home grown product has started a few games and done alright and will continue to give him more next year. Also will be playing for the under 19's. may try to get a feeder club in the National for the likes of Tran to get some more experience.
Mokhtar Arfaoui - Home grown product that also has been given a couple of chances. Not as much potential as Tran apparently but will give hime a few more games next year and then possibly sell if I can get teams interested.

Key players:

Mads Neilsen - Awesome season and continues to score goals and assists. The highest Average rating in Ligue 1 this year, runner up goalscorer and runner up in assists. He missed the last 6 matches of the season through a minor back injury and we didn't win any. Just shows how important he is for us.
Walid Khaled - Young LB is definite first choice and has little competition in truth. Has 4 assist but has made 3 goal mistakes which is something I have my eye on. At just 20 I will not worry too much yet.
Willie Schulitz - Pacy winger with age on his side. Solid performances and his fair share of assists.
Denny Helmund - Young CB is slowly maturing and despite not having a cap to his name yet is on the verge of the German national team.
Georges Bayiha - Has been promoted to first choice RB and at this moment, with Berthomier out of contract and leaving, he is the only natural RB in the squad. I really need a new RB in the summer.
Didier Hayesso - The only senior keeper as every decent keeper my scouts have found so far wants too much money or lack any ability or potential. Still on the look out but won't be rushed as keepers rarely get injured or suspended.
Gerhard Kern - Beginning to look a tad injury prone with yet another 4 month lay off this year. Gonna get him back to fitness and see if I can get a fee for him before he declines further.
Davide Petrucci - Another with injury problems this year and may be also be coming to end of his time with us. May look to sell soon if I can find a suitable replacement. If not I will allow his contract to expire unless he has a special season, which I highly doubt.
Adriano Di Lorenzo - Back up LB behind Khaled in the pecking order. Would sell now for a small fee but fullbacks seem scarce at the moment and need a back up so he may have to stay for now.
Diallo Guidileye - One of few experienced guys left in the squad. Still my best midfielder.
Ibrahima - Back up striker who I would be happy to sell in the summer for the right price and replace with a youngster.

UNDER 19's

This years youth intake was much improved and supplied us with some good youngsters to try and develop.

Alain Boulanger - (Leading Ligue 1) This spirited young CB from Saint-Marcel in France has already had the other big french clubs show an interest.
Thomas Naubert - (Leading Ligue 1) This determined young midfielder from Draguignan in France is a similar type of player to first team star Diallo Guidileye.
Marc Anziani - (Leading Ligue 1) This determined young full back from Le Cannet in France has been labelled by some as the next Manuel Amoros.
Martial Benhella - (Leading Ligue 1) This balanced young midfielder from Nice in France has been labelled by some as the next Etienne Didot.
Seyba Dao - (Good Ligue 1) This fairly loyal young midfielder from Mandelieu-La-Napoule in France has Malian roots but feels he would only accept an international call up from France at the moment.

Other key youths are:

Nassim Daoudi - (Good Ligue 1) 2014 youth trainee with an ambitious personality has been labelled by some as the next Rio Mavuba.
Arnoud Ettori - (Good Ligue 1) 2014 youth trainee with a resolute personality has also been labelled by some as the next Rio Mavuba.
Jamal El Amrani - (Good Ligue 1) 2014 youth trainee with balanced personality has been labelled by some as the next Laurent Koscielny.

FINANCES

The increased TV money and gate receipts soon seems to be eaten up by wages but we still had a balance of about £5m come the end of the season. As a result of this I decided it is time to upgrade some facilities. A junior coaching upgrade takes us up to exceptional and we have spent £2.2m on training facilities and a further £950k on youth facilities. This means less money for new players but it is a must and I would rather finish mid-table with better facilities next year than top 6 without. Not sure how much European games will bring but I doubt it will be big money.

[PRDH]

Reached the semi-final where I was thoroughly outplayed by Brazil. Not a bad result for Portugal all told.

Edit - Hold the phone. I get a third place playoff against the French. Which I duly lost.

[Tiger.Robin]

Well done marty78 pushing for a Champions League spot in only the 2015/2016 tournament is great going, it is always hard getting good players at a reasonable price when you get near the top though unfortunately so focussing on youngsters seems the right way to go.

[HC_AFC]

I know I'm later than everyone else but I'm planning to start a game in Russia. It says that the date is on 19th June but when I holidayto that date it is in mid-season and it doesn't end until November so there is no promoted teams yet. Do I continue my holiday or what??

[Lower Leagues Rule]

I know I'm later than everyone else but I'm planning to start a game in Russia. It says that the date is on 19th June but when I holidayto that date it is in mid-season and it doesn't end until November so there is no promoted teams yet. Do I continue my holiday or what??

Welcome aboard HC_AFC, you have to holiday to June 19th 2012 (I assume you started from season start January 2011), this is because the Russian league moved from the Jan-Nov set-up to a July Season start.

[HC_AFC]

Welcome aboard HC_AFC, you have to holiday to June 19th 2012 (I assume you started from season start January 2011), this is because the Russian league moved from the Jan-Nov set-up to a July Season start.

Ahhh thanks

[marty78]

Tiger.Robin- Yeah it was definitely an over achievement but can't really find players who will improve us for free. N'Zonzi was available on a free from Blackburn and wanted £45k a week. I can't afford half of that. I would take any top half finish next year.


Does anyone know if it is possible to get French reserve teams playing in the CFA as there is no reserve league as such? I was hoping we would be asked to enter a team this year but weren't and I'm starting to think it just wont happen.

[aldojags]

Marty I was in ligue 1 for 2 maybe 3 seasons before I got reserve squad in cfat

[G-Wiz]

Well the Atletico Madrid games didnt go as well as the previous, drawing 4-4 at home, before being hammered 5-1 in Spain on the bright side, our european adventure continues in the Euro Cup Group Stage, where we've been drawn with Werder Bremen, Rubin Kazan and Athletic Bilbao...cant realistically hope for much more than a much-needed financial boost

[marty78]

aldojags- Thanks, that's great news as I hate setting up friendlies for the reserves.

[aldojags]

that's a really tough group for the Europa G-wiz

marty- i know it's soul destroying, was delighted when it was announced my reserves would play in cfa, so good for keeping the fringe players up to speed. only thing i dont like is because the reserves are in an actual league, the players history counts these games as actual fixtures, so it can alter a players average rating, appearances goals etc over their career. Basically what I'm trying to say (not very well!) is that it counts it as a senior fixture.

and be careful to make sure you dont play players in reserves same day as first team fixtures, the amount of times I've done that by mistake is just ridiculous for a top flight manager!

[aldojags]

Ok this is getting annoyingly boringly frustrating. I look forward to the 8th March every year for my youth intake, more than I look forward to first day of season or champions league draw. But since Ilan Roger - 5 years ago, I've had 1 or 2 three star players, some of whom are coming on ok, but the amount of crap I get through is unbelievable...like this year for example. two 2.5 players and thats it. woeful. and what's with the keepers! About 50% of any youngsters I get above 2 stars are keepers!!! this is annoying.

can anyone tell me a trick to increase my recruitment. it's been stuck at above average for I dunno how many years. how do I get board to increase it? Increasing my rep? I'm 3 in a row French Champions, but don't get crowds above 10k, and my youth team players are mediocre at best! I think I've had my lot with Roger, used up all my luck in 1 player. Even he's went off the boil!

ok rant over sorry boys. just so annoying

[Andy Sava]

So it has finally begun. My star players started to ask for a move to bigger clubs Ofcourse i won't let them but i hate it.

[marty78]

aldojags Yeah you need to increase your rep to improve youth network, you'll possibly have to win the Champions League. Above average is actually pretty good as youth recruitment is by far the hardest to improve. If you get it to extensive then it also costs a lot of money. I have heard that the quality of scouts and youth coaches and the scouting knowledge play a part but I can't confirm that. Is a 3 star player classed as "leading Ligue 1" for you? You should be getting these through by now.

[aldojags]

how do you find that out? the bit I thought it would be (coach report) it just says "has potential to play to a similar level as..."