FM12 Big Euro Nation: Small Club to Big Club Challenge

[marty78]

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..."

Yeah on the coach report. Some coaches wont list that, for example an attacking coach won't list that for a defender usually but a defending coach will. Go to a coach report and you can pick which coach supplies the report. You should have at least some coaches that will give a league standard. Any player with decent Ligue 1 or above is worth keeping for what a contract is worth.

[marty78]

I can't remember getting a message but my reserves are playing in the CFA. Yeh

[aldojags]

Well that's the completion off for another season...just knocked out the Champ League in the Quarters by Barca, 7-2 on aggregate, so pretty comprehensive in the end up. Was robbed of 3 of my starting 4 midfielders in Pituca, Jelassi, and Tatlot, this game really sickens me sometimes! Haven't had Tatlot all season, and just about coped, but the other 2 is too much to cover against this level of opposition. Nou Camp was first, and was 1-1 with 5 minutes to go, but I was too naive chasing a 2nd, and ended up losing 3-1. Then went out all guns blazing at home, again, too naive, and was soundly whipped 4-1. Can't complain really. Still, the furthest I've got in Europe so far, and I was missing 3 of my starting 11, so no shame in that.

7 points clear with 6 games to go, which will make it 4 in a row if I hold on. Also, in final of Coupe de la Ligue against Marseille, so could be on for a domestic double which would be a nice consolation to getting knocked out of Europe.

I've been toying with 4222, with 2 central mids and 2 wingers, similar system to yours PRDH if I'm not wrong? Could you please tell me what duties you assign the full backs, midfield/wingers?

[marty78]

aldojags- Flying domestically and being knocked out of Europe by Barcelona is a very good season. I always prefer away from home in the first leg if you can keep it tight and I'm sure the second leg would have much different had you held out at 1-1. Still a double would do nicely.

[Andy Sava]

aldojags - it's what i hate about the game, the injuries are way to unreal sometimes.

In other news, my scouts are having some trouble finding good players. Don't know what is happening but i'll take things in my own hands more often now.

[aldojags]

andy sava - you have reminded me of something I keep meaning to ask you all about the scouting, do you ever go into your scouts, then click on their assignments, and although they have apparently found 45 players in Bulgaria for example, you click on the bit to view the players, and there's none there? any of you had this?

marty - yeah in knockout football in Europa/Champ league I always prefer away from home first, I knocked out Inter in the first knockout round, and I don't think I would have had t been the other round. Had success in Europa league over the years playing away from home first. Get a score draw then hammer them at home! Yeh hoping to do the double tonight, just about to stick it on...

[Andy Sava]

aldojags - Yes it has happened to me. If i remember correctly i had this happening in FM11 also.

[aldojags]

To my knowledge, I've got the latest patch, so this is poor if it's a known bug but not been sorted

Just had 3 people injured for 6 weeks in the 1 match, plus a sending off. used some early subs so finished game with 8 men! Still won though. But that's 3 first teamers on top of the previous 3 that missed the barca games through long term injuries missing for the cup final. This game is ridiculous sometimes! I'd love someone to point out a club in European football that suffers an injury which rules a first teamer out longterm every week! I've checked the players, and all the natural fitnesses are quite high. Take Roger for example, his PA has went from 4.5 to 3.5, due to 3 long term injuries in the past 2 years. I know for example Michael Owen's career was ruined in a similar way, but it's all the time I'm losing important players. My training schedules are all high end of medium, which should be fine. And I've got 4 pretty decent physios. Ah well such is life.

[Andy Sava]

It's impossible to keep up with Bayern without a exceptional squad. They are just flying trough the league games and winning everything at the momment.

[aldojags]

PSG were like that in my game for a while. Just need to stick with it be patient add a new player or 2 every year. They'll slip up one season you need to be ready to pounce!

[Andy Sava]

Crap. Speaking of injuries. Madson, my keeper, just got one that will keep him away for 3 months...

EDIT: And it strikes again...Freitas out for about 7 weeks and one of my strikers out for 4 months.

[aldojags]

I feel your pain Andy Sava

That's the first half of the double, just beat Marseille on penalties in Coupe de la Ligue. Was losing 2-1, then equalised 90+2! No goals in extra time, won 4-3 on pens! Although I've won leagues etc, never won a cup, got a woeful record, so pleased with this.

[PRDH]

aldo - Yup that's my preferred system (and by preferred I mean the only one I ever play except in extreme circumstances). The roles are slightly tricky to explain, I did some fiddling with the sliders back in the dim and distant past and just import the tactic into new versions from the old when I get there. I'll have a look and give the gist though. They're overarching role is 'full back with attacking mentality'. But mine have lower creative freedom and higher closing down than the default for that role.

Hope that's helpful.

[PRDH]

Lusitânia Açores

Finances | Summary

We actually made a very small profit this season again thanks to prize money and a few transfers out. Still need to develop the stadium to get higher attendances if we're going to be profitable long term I think.

Transfers | Frees | Cash deals | Loans

Again the usual mix of selling non-homegrown players, releasing the players not progressing as I hoped and loaning youngsters to the feeder teams. I don't really have any more players to sell at the moment so this will basically freeze soon.

Competitions

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

Won the league again, obviously, though at times it was a little tight. Cups were again an opportunity for youngsters to make their mark. They got to the final of the League Cup which was an impressive feat.

Europe - Group | First Round 1st/2nd Leg | Quarter Final 1st/2nd Leg

Slight progress this year as we got past the 1st knockout round before crumbling in Madrid and falling out at the quarter final stage. We had some performances this season that showed we can still mix it with the big teams in Europe despite not buying new players.

The Team

'Keepers

Ricardo Dias - 42 apps, 43 conc, 12 cln - You won't be surprised to hear that Dias was once again the first choice keeper this year. He didn't have his best season but is still head and shoulders above anyone else we've got at the club. He manage to pick up his 100th cap for Portugal this season too. At just 28 it's difficult to judge how many he could end up with, but I think Ronaldo's record of 165 could be under threat. He has also made an impressive 460 appearances for us. Legend!

Dalvinder Davies - 5 apps, 2 conc, 2 cln - The heir apparent to Dias at the moment. He may have been born in Southend but he's Lusitania through and through and is showing decent progression. He's certainly rapidly becoming our number 2 goalie and is a member of the cup squad too.

Defenders

Shéu Sousa - 27(2) apps, 5 asts - Difficult to say who is first choice out of Sousa and Duarte. Sousa played slightly more games, but it was definitely a rotation, I think I'm going to stick with Duarte as the bold player as I seemed to play Sousa more in the cup games which to me implies I still see him as the up and comer. He's progressing nicely, pace to burn, decent defensively, if he could just put a slightly better cross he'd be perfect. The battle between the two right backs is going to be a fascinating one.

Duarte - 20(2) apps, 5 asts - Slightly arbitrary decision to call him first choice but I had to make a call. The records of the two players this season are remarkably similar. Sousa made 2 more league appearances and ended with an average rating 0.09 higher. They are different players though and fit different roles. Duarte is still the slightly more accomplished defender and is a more complete technical player too with a great cross on him, he just lacks the raw athleticism of Sousa.

Ricardo Aleixo - 29(1) apps, 5 asts - On the other side of the defence we have another intriguing battle developing. Aleixo is still definitely first choice at this stage, but he is seeing some competition. The similarities between all my main full backs is eerie with Aleixo getting another 5 assists. He looks to have stalled a little to me, but he is a very good domestic full back, maybe not quite up there with some of the players we come up against in Europe, but certainly not letting the team down.

António Reis - 18(1) apps, 2 asts, 1 MoM - The man to battle with Aleixo is slightly behind in terms of development, but is also progressing nicely. He was called up to the Portugal side for the Euros ahead of Aleixo and, since the screenshot was taken, made his debut too. I still think it's an odd decision as, to my eyes, Aleixo is clearly the better player at this stage, but who am I to argue with the national manager.

João Paulo - 34 apps, 9 gls, 2 asts, 3 MoMs - A triumphant return to form after last year's injury worries for the imperious central defender. Continues to be a thorn in the side of the attackers in Portugal and normally in Europe too. He's made more than 300 appearances for the club scoring more than 50 goals. Not a bad return from central defence. He's also approaching the 100-cap mark for his country too.

Luis Miguel - 9(7) apps, 1 gl - Without Paulo's injury troubles his first team options were restricted again this year. He's a simple defender, he's not got much else to his game bar defensive skill, he's not got the skill to start attacks as Lopes has, but then Paulo's never been that player either and it's him I see Luis eventually replacing.

Saad Falah - 4(1) apps, 1 ast - Falling down the pecking order slightly, though I'm still surprised he hasn't been called up by Iraq yet. He's behind Miguel and Carvalho for a place on the subs bench, but with players ageing he'll still definitely have a part to play as a decent squad player. He's primarily a cup player at the moment.

Rui Lopes - 39 apps, 2 gls, 1 ast, 1 MoM - The ageing central defender is still very much an important cog in the defence. His passing ability is a great asset at the back and a lot of our build up play starts with the ball at his feet. He's made fewer appearances than you'd expect for someone of his age mainly because in his youth there was competition from players not brought through the set up. Still, 295 club appearances isn't a bad haul and he's not finished yet either.

Flávio Carvalho - 8(12) apps - He is still the player I hope will eventually replace Lopes in the ball-playing defender role. He has had a bad injury this season which has slowed his progress, but I still have faith he's got what it takes to make it as a first team player.

Midfielders

Paul Bossman - 21(7) apps, 1 gl, 4 asts - Possibly heeding my warning of last year that if they didn't call him up soon Ghana would come calling, Paul got his first Portugal appearances this season and they were well deserved. He has turned into a marvellous midfielder with all the skills you could want. He's not the most physically imposing player but he has a great range of attributes for both defence and attack. He's still not quite dislodged Teixeira, but I have no doubt that he will become a very useful member of the first team.

Miguel Teixeira - 26(3) apps, 2 gls, 2 asts - Approaching 50 caps is a great milestone for this unsung hero of the team's engine room. He doesn't do much that's flashy but puts his foot in to break up opposition attacks and very rarely wastes the ball when he gets it back. He's a great partner for the more flashy attacking players and the type of player other players want to have in the team.

Luís Pereira - 12(6) apps, 1 gl, 4 asts - Another youngster who had injury troubles this season. It slowed his progress slightly, but he is still getting to where he needs to be to threaten to grab a place in the first team. He obviously still needs to work on his skills but at just 17 he has bags of potential.

Atanas Radkov - 5 apps, 2 asts - One of the final non-homegrown players still at the club, he doesn't really fit the scheme and his time may well be limited. I don't think he'll be playing at the club next season whether it's permanently or just on a loan.

Paulo Jorge Vieira - 28(3) apps, 3 gls, 11 asts, 3 MoMs - Back to his best. He was great in the centre of the park this season, controlling the game and laying on a number of goals for the team. One of the vast swathe of players from my golden generation who are approaching 100 caps for Portugal. He is showing no signs of decline yet, but even when he does it's nice to know his position is covered. He has made 430 appearances for the club. A remarkable number and one he is bound to add to over the next few seasons.

Sérgio Reforço - 3 apps, 1 gl - Got a few chances in the cup and got a league game under his belt too. He's not up to the standard of Vieira or Santos but is adequate third choice. If we get a youngster through in this position soon he may see his time up and head out on loan for a spell, but until that happens he's a good back up in case of injury crises.

Luís Santos - 16(11) apps, 3 gls, 5 asts - Still Vieira's apprentice, but with seven years less wear in the legs his time will definitely come. Not much more to add, he's a very similar player to Vieira and is attracting interest from some very big clubs. I will, of course, try to frustrate them and hold onto the player.

Álvaro Pinto - 3(3) apps, 1 ast - Fewer appearances for the winger this year with the emergence of Medeiros as the first choice bench player. He is still a decent pro and will, I hope, stick around once he retires to aid the development of future players.

Sérgio Rodrigues - 35(1) apps, 11 gls, 16 asts, 4 MoMs - He saw the back of the niggling injuries that plagued last season and it was a return to his best form as well. He chips in with goals (mostly with his head) and assists too. A truly great player for the club and at only 25 he has a lot more to give.

Hugo Medeiros - 9(17) apps, 6 gls, 8 asts, 2 MoMs - A really great first season for the young right winger. He showed how bright a future he has with a good hail of goals and assists. He was like a miniature Rodrigues and that is a great compliment. Will look to progress again next season.

Lasse Tuominen - 30(1) apps, 9 gls, 24 asts, 3 MoMs - Still defiantly holding off the Azorean threat to his regular place on the left wing Lasse is just continuing to get better. A huge haul of assists this season and not bad in front of goal either. I tied him down to a longer contract this summer and I think he's going to stay as the last bastion of external influence until he eventually retires. He's, if not quite totally irreplaceable, certainly not by anyone yet.

Forwards

Nuno Rosa - 7(10) apps, 8 gls, 2 asts, 1 MoM - Finally! He has, at last, showed some progress. He's been a 'good prospect' without really showing anything for too long before this season, but really put down a marker this year with a decent goal tally from his limited appearances. Unfortunately, Marques did the same, but he has proven himself to be a definite part of the squad for the future.

Pedro Cardoso - 40 apps, 30 gls, 10 asts, 7 MoMs - The player I always see as the peak of my youth programme so far has turned 30. It's amazing to think I've been playing long enough for him to reach this stage. He backed up last season's return to form with another prolific year hitting the 30-goal mark for the 6th time in his career. His career stats make remarkable reading. He has, as of the end of the season, 499 club appearances and 406 goals. That is a great record over all those years and this season he has adapted well to having a new star youngster on the scene. He played a chunk of the season in the deep-lying, creative role and performed it brilliantly alongside the youngster. Great player.

Abakar Tigabe - 21(9) apps, 12 gls, 6 asts, 2 MoMs - A solid, if not necessarily spectacular, season for the striker. He found his place under threat and responded reasonably well to give me something of a dilemma for the start of next year. He's made a total of 265 appearances, scoring 129 goals. Not bad for a player I was never totally convinced with.

Rodolfo Marques - 23(9) apps, 24 gls, 5 asts, 6 MoMs - Amazing second season for the youngster as he probably, just, displaced Tigabe from the first team. He started off as a rotation/bench player but was so prolific that it became almost impossible to leave him out. He progressed very well and formed a good understanding with teammate and mentor Cardoso. Very exciting prospect for the next few seasons.

Anatoli Cerga - 1 app, 1 gl - Only emerged from the youth set up this season, but we were still in the cup so he made his debut. He marked it with a goal, not a bad way to introduce himself. Needs to work on his physicality and his finishing, but if he does both of those then he can be a very handy addition to the strike force.

Nana Addo - 2 apps, 1 gl - One of the players I took something of a punt on last year. I wasn't expecting anything from him really but he is decent physically and seemed to have something about him. Anyway, I left him in the U19s and eventually noticed he was being incredibly prolific for them, wracking up 25 goals over the season. To reward him I brought him into the cup squad and he repaid me with a goal just 25 seconds into his debut. He didn't manage to repeat the feat in his second game, but is showing signs of potential. I don't know how far he'll go in the club, but I'll continue to give him chances to show what he can do.

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
2043/44		Premier League	        1st		        CL Quarters

[marty78]

PRDH- Your doing great with no transfers. Do Porto and Benfica spend much?

[PRDH]

marty - No one's spending a huge amount at the moment really. It's odd, because I've monopolised one of the CL spots, the original 'big three' rotate the remaining two places between them, which means that the finances have equalised a bit. Porto have certainly spent a huge amount in the past. But that's been curtailed recently as they've fallen slightly from grace. It's 21st August in my game and the biggest net spend in the league so far is Sporting with an net outlay of £2.08m while Porto have made £6.26m from transfers, the largest profit.

Also, the total salary of the other teams has fallen too. I'm spending £26m/year which has been roughly stable for the last few years (probably a decade) but for a long time I was number 4. I'm now top with Sporting spending £24m, Porto £18m and Benfica £18m.

Edit - First game of the new season, Marques scores a hat trick. Second game Cardoso scores four. Something about putting the young lad in his place about that!

[Dr Poods]

Flying at the moment. Just moved back into our stadium and beat Lorient 2-0 to be 2nd after 20 games in Ligue 2. Not bad for a prediction of 19th!!!

[PRDH]

Flying at the moment. Just moved back into our stadium and beat Lorient 2-0 to be 2nd after 20 games in Ligue 2. Not bad for a prediction of 19th!!!

Great season so far. Hopefully you can keep up the form. The prediction are ludicrous. I don't think it was until after I'd won my 15th consecutive Premier League that the media predicted I'd win it.

[Dr Poods]

By the way, one of the other guys in France might be able to tell me whether this odd situation is happening to them. l've seen multiple teams do double relegations, by this I mean Ligue 1 - National and Ligue 2 - CFA. And I am talking multiple teams. This season looks like it will be the same again with Monaco for instance rooted at the bottom of Ligue 2.

Am I alone here? Just the volume seems a bit odd.

[Dr Poods]

Great season so far. Hopefully you can keep up the form. The prediction are ludicrous. I don't think it was until after I'd won my 15th consecutive Premier League that the media predicted I'd win it.

Thanks mate. By the way it should have read 3-0.

[PRDH]

Dr Poods - Even better! It's not quite the same, but after I completed the challenge with Romorantin in France a couple of versions back I decided to leave the club and let the AI take over while I holidayed. The fall from grace was pretty catastrophic so it has happened before.

The list of what happened is in this post

[marty78]

PRDH - I am surprised one of the big three hasn't spent big more often.

Dr Poods - Unfortunately you see double relegation's in a number of countries because some AI teams get very poorly run. Monaco got relegated in mine but promoted straight bacck. They have just been relegated again straight away. PSG, despite their money, have finished below me for the second year running. In two years they have spent £70m and I have spent £4.3m.

[PRDH]

Well I think I might have talked that one up. Saad Falah has just made debut for the Iraqi national side.

[Missioner]

I have just finished my first season with Portosantense, and I will update (hopefully) sometime soon. However, I have a slight issue. My club received no youth players on the regen date for some reason, while all the other clubs did. The club has training facilities/recruitment so is this expected, or something to take to the bugs forum? It's a bit pointess playing on with this challenge if I get no youth team after all, as that's the fun bit for me.

I'm playing in the Portuguese 2nd Division South, any ideas? I'm holidaying to the next date in 2014 to see if it reoccurs, so fingers crossed.

[Andy Sava]

Oh my god...So it's the last game of the season. We, Kaiserslautern and Dortmund are fighting for 2nd place with the same number of points, 61. Dortmund loses and i am playing Kaiserslautern. We are winning, 2-1, and in the last minutes of the game Ferreira, one of my centerbacks decides to throw the stupid game away getting a red card and Kaiserslautern goes all in after this scoring a goal in THE LAST MINUTE of extra-time. We end the season with the same number of points but they are ahead due to the goal difference.

EDIT: Looking at the replay after the game i realized that the red card was kinda harsh. I simple yellow would have been enough.

[aldojags]

Dr Poods - one of two things happens in my save. I have the "yo-yo" teams, like Cannes, Stade Malherbe Caen, Metz, Stade Bretois, who drop down then come straight back up.

Then there's other teams, like Troyes, Evian, Dijon, Stade de Reims, who've plumetted to the national after relegation from Ligue 1.

[Andy Sava]

Holstein Kiel - 2019/2020

Season Overview

Manager Profile
League Finish - 3rd
Media Prediction - 10th
Average Attendance - 11435
Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2
Fans Player of the Year - Gonçalo Silva[/B]

Transfers

Grant Wood - <1 app, 1 assist, 1 MoM> - Signed him because i thought he would be a decent prospect for the future. He played one game in the German Cup and got Man of the Match for that game.

Joel - <48(1) apps, 1 goal, 4 asts, 2 MoM> - I've got my mind on this young brazilian midfielder for a while now but only this season i managed to transfer him. He cost me 8.5M Euros and i hope he will be worth it.

Stephen Graham - <2apps> - Not much to say about him, a four star potential for my left side. Only time will tell if he can achieve that potential.

Danny Simmonds - <1(11) apps> - Another young english player with potential to be a very good midfielder.

Bundesliga

League Table
Graph

Not much to say about the season. It was another very good season although at times it seemed that we were losing ground. In the final games of the season we managed to involve ourselves in the fight for 2nd place which took place in the last game of the season. As i detailed in my previous post we lost the battle in the last minute of our game with Kaiserslautern. It was bad luck for us but i am pleased even as it is. Third season in Bundesliga and we finished 3rd qualifying for Champions League for the second time in a row.

Bayern was still bossing the league and finished 10 points ahead.

German Cup

First Round - (vs. Duisburg) The game was tight and we won with a goal from Barros in the extra-time.

Second Round - (Ingolstadt) I sent my reserves to play this game. 2-2 after 120 minutes and we lost it at penalties.

Champions League

Best Placed Playoff Leg 1 - (vs. SLB) We played the first game away and we had a good day scoring twice but letting one in.

Best Placed Playoff Leg 1 - (vs. SLB) I made the stupid mistake of going into the game thinking that it will be easy and i started with an attacking mentality. They scored twice before us and at 1-2 they scored another one finishing the game 3-1 winners. It sucked and i won't make the same mistake again.

EURO Cup

Group Stage - After losing in the Best Placed Playoff against Benfica i went in the EURO Cup Group Stage with only one thing in my mind. To dominate the group. And we managed to do it only losing 1 game against Tottenham and winning all the other games.

1st Knockout Round (Leg 1/Leg 2) - We played against Real Sociedad with the first game away. We won it 4-0 and a week later in the second leg got a 1-1 draw.

2nd Knockout Round (Leg 1/Leg 2) - A double 2-0 win against Wolfsburg got us to the quarter finals.

Quarter Finals (Leg 1/Leg 2) - We played the first game with Fiorentina at home and we lost it 2-1. We won the second game away 1-0 but that was not enough to go in the semi-finals.

The Squad

Key Players

Gonçalo Silva - <49 apps, 17 goals, 1 assist, 10 MoM> - Good defender? check. Goalscorer? check. What else do you want from a player? Wonderfull season for Silva and i feel this is just the begining. He got named in the Team of the Year and also got his first Portugal cap and will be playing in the European Championship.

Francesco Melchiorre - <47(1) apps, 21 assists, 4 MoM> - I was starting to regret that i signed him after the first season he played for us. Boy am i glad i didn't do anything stupid and kept him. 21 assists in a superb season for Melchiorre. Also named in the Team of the Year.

Luís Barros - <48(2) apps, 26 goals, 8 assists, 6 MoM> - It was his season scoring 26 goals. He decided so many games for us this season and i expect an international call up soon. Also named in the Team of the Year.

Paulinho - <44(3) apps, 14 goals, 5 assists, 4 MoM> - We had a little fight this season as he wanted to move to a bigger club and i refused to let him transfer. After a few time he complained he finally backed off and was happy to play for the club again.

Thorben Stadler - <42(2) apps, 1 goal, 10 assists, 1 MoM> - No need to say that Stadler had another very good season.

Paulo Ferreira - <50 apps, 4 goals, 2 MoM> - Solid season for Ferreira even though he probably cost us 2nd place by getting a red card in our final game with Kaiserslautern.

Young players

I have 2 good young players that are waiting for a chance at greatness: Djordje Rnic & Fabian Hoffmann.

Next season

Last season 4th, this season 3rd. Next season 2nd? I want 1st but 2nd will do I'm thinking of changing the tactical plan because we lost points against small teams that we should have beaten.

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, German Cup Winners
2019/2020          Bundesliga                     3rd                          Qualified for Champions League, EURO Cup Quarter-Finals

[marty78]

AS CANNES - SEASON 2017/18

LIGUE 1

A slow start to the season saw us bottom half for a good few weeks before we finally hit some good form and stormed back up the league. It was really tight at the top, other than Lille, who ran away with league and led all season after beating Lyon 5-2 on the first day. Lyon though staged a remarkable comeback to snatch the title on the last day of the season. Our final position of 4th is one better than last year and sees us qualify for Europe for the second year running. Very pleased overall but have no funds to improve the squad for next year so breaking into the top is going to be tough.

The Coupe de la Ligue saw us reach the quarter final before crashing out to Ligue 2 Montpellier 1-2. Very disappointing as we had dominated the match but wasted our chances.

The French cup again saw us in a quarter final, this time losing out to PSG 1-2 and again there was disappointment as despite knocking on the door all game we could not recover from their early goals.

Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 | Fixtures 3

EURO CUP

After disposing of Trabzonspor in the 4th qualifying round the group stages drew us with PSV Eindhoven, Rubin Kazan and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. I was quite pleased with that and we qualified 2nd in the group after winning all three home matches but losing all three away.

The 1st knockout round saw us take on the might of Sevilla and after a 1-1 home draw I did not fancy our chances at their place. I switched to a 4-5-1 counter tactic and we were superb in the second leg and walked away with a well deserved 1-0 victory.

The 2nd knockout round saw us playing the first leg in Portugal against Sporting and despite being battered we held out for a 0-0. After that lucky escape and the second leg to come at home I fancied us to go through. Another early goal in a cup left us scrambling for two goals and we could only muster the one. So with the result a 1-1, Sporting are through on the away goal rule.

TRANSFERS

Made a few transfers but also had to bring in two loan players to cover the fullback areas as I was struggling to find any quality there. We almost broke even in the transfer market and tried to get rid of Guidileye who was unhappy. We managed a loan deal with a view to permanent but unfortunately we have him back. Also sent a couple of players on loan to a feeder but it didn't really work out and neither seen much football.

Alexandru Dumitru - £1.3m fee - A very good first season for the young lad I plucked out of Toulouse's reserves for £1.3m. Money well spent as he was transfer listed by request and valued at £3.6m.
Ilias Vardinogiannis - Free - Solid squad player and got the winner in Seville.
Abraham Ruiz - Free - Was not too sure about this guy but for free he was worth a go. Glad I did as he was my pick for player of the season. Thats what you get when you pick up Barcelona players. The fact he is a left footed right midfielder is quite rare and he is reasonable with his right foot as well.
Riccardo Barronetto- (LOAN) Bought in on a season long loan from Inter Milan - No wage contribution.
Daniel Schaap - (LOAN) Bought on a season long loan from Ajax - No wage contribution.
Mathieu Jan - Free - GK used a back-up and hardly featured.
Mathieu Chauvet - £1.9m fee - After loaning Guadileye out, I bought in this guy as replacement. First choice after joining and no doubt for the near future with Petrucci leaving on a free.


SQUAD

I am happy with the squad overall but am at the point where improving with free transfers is very difficult and may have to look to the loan market again for fullbacks unless I can find a cheap youngster.

Didier Hayesso - Young GK continues as number 1 for the foreseeable future. Solid and reliable.
Georges Bayiha - RB is still the only decent RB in the squad and will need some loan help again next year.
Walid Khaled - Another good season for the young LB, The only real left back in the squad and another who will need loan help next year.
Raphael Calvet - Fighting it out with Vink for a starting place alongside Helmund.
Robin Vink - Solid CB has had a good second season.
Denny Hellmund - Good first choice CB and it is hard to believe he is still only 23.
Mokhtar Arfaoui - Homegrown product has reached a point where I would like to get a small fee for him. Not going to be good enough and if he stays will be a reserve player next year.
Willie Schulitz - Limited chances due to the arrival of Ruiz but still has time on his side and is a decent squad player.
Yaser Ertem - Had hoped for more but at 20 has plenty of time and I'm sure will continue too improve. Can play RM or CM so is a useful squad player at the very least.
Gerhard Kern - Still first choice and as he was out of contract this summer has been rewarded with a two year extension. Has good leadership skills and has been an excellent tutor so far.
Leonidas Basinas - A disappointing season for young lad with limited appearances and a couple of minor injuries. Will hope to do better next year.
Davide Petrucci - Has slowly become a bit part player and is no longer worth the cost of his contract. Leaving the club but has been a great servant with 107 league and cup appearances in four years at the club. Hope he gets a contract elsewhere soon.
Rayan Tran - Young home grown player has been on loan but only got 2 games, was recalled and played between reserves and under 19's and got 1 senior games but he did score in that. Will give him his big chance next year as he will replace Petrucci in the first team.
Ibrahima - 4th choice striker is mainly a sub and next season will be his last with us as he wont get a new contract.
Mbaye Niang - Top scorer but goals were spread round a bit more this year and no one scored what I'd call a lot.
Mads Neilson - Performances have tailed off from last year and finished the season in poor form. Still a good contribution though and I'm sure he will kick on next year.

UNDER 19'S

The youth team played well in their league this year finishing as runner's up to Marseille. I have managed to tutor a few of the better youngsters that needed it and will be looking at this years youth intake to see who needs help next. Forgot a screenie of the intake but only signed a few players as the rest were poor. All the players listed below have leading league 1 potential according to my assistant and along with Rayan Tran from the first team squad are the only players from my youth system with that label. With a youth facility upgrade on the way, I look forward to developing these young stars of the future.

Youth Candidates:

Patrick Riveire - Best of the intake and at just 14yo will have a lot of time to improve. Pleased to get a left back with decent potential. Could be the next Eric Abidal.
Hamza Benamara - Needs some tutoring but apparently has potential. Could be the next Zoumana Camara.
Walid Haddad - Has a spineless personality. Never seen that before and will clearly take a lot of work.

Other key youths:

Alain Boulanger - At just 16 he is looking alright after being tutored. Am prepared to keep just 3 natural CB's in the squad and make him 4th choice but leave him in the under 19's when he is not needed.
Thomas Neubert - Still just 15yo but looks like one to watch.
Marc Anziani - 16yo RB may have a future sooner rather than later with few players in his position at the club. Will watch his development with interest next season.
Martial Benhella - 16yo is currently being tutored by Niang but has not taken too much from tutoring so far. Jury is out on this one.
Sebya Dao - 16yo still has a lot to do but still has potential according to coaches so I will keep an eye on him for now.


FINANCES

After receiving this years prize money we had over £4m in the bank and the Chairman has not had to put money in since we reached Ligue 1. I was give the same wage budget and just over a million pounds for transfers so this year I will probably only be loaning a couple of players and have instead asked for youth facilities to be improved at a cost of £4m. This means all of my balance has been spent and we will struggle to break even this year unless we have a great run in the cups.

[PRDH]

Missioner - What's your Junior coaching like? I think I read something somewhere that the conclusion of keeping asking the board to reduce spending in that area is an end to the youth intake.

[PRDH]

Gonçalo Silva - <49 apps, 17 goals, 1 assist, 10 MoM> - Good defender? check. Goalscorer? check. What else do you want from a player? Wonderfull season for Silva and i feel this is just the begining. He got named in the Team of the Year and also got his first Portugal cap and will be playing in the European Championship.

Andy Sava - I like his comprehensive list of bans!

[Andy Sava]

Well, Silva is gone. Got 2 offers from Man City and Real Madrid and the chairman went behind my back again and accepted the offers. Man City got him for 16M Euros. Anyone has any ideea how to stop this from happening again ?

[Andy Sava]

HA! The chairman decides to sell Silva and at the next board meeting the board tells me that they are disappointed with the departure of Silva. Seriously ?

EDIT: And we get Arsenal in the Best Placed Playoff? Come on!!!!

[marty78]

Andy Sava- Put massive asking prices on players, it will deter bids and that should stop it happening in most cases. The board meeting messages poorly written and actually means the fans are disappointed with the sale (as listed in board confidence).

[Andy Sava]

Thanks, i'll try that. In other news here is my new star: Stjepan Gravanic

[marty78]

Thanks, i'll try that. In other news here is my new star: Stjepan Gravanic

Wow, what a player. The next Cristiano Ronaldo perhaps. I would probably train him as a winger or forward as well as AM so I could move him about a bit. Nice scouting though mate.

[aldojags]

Andy Sava he looks stunning, world star in the making for sure.

[marty78]

Have managed to sell 2 home grown players for a combined £400k plus 40% of next sales. Also upgraded youth network to above average. Money is tight and I have £20,000 wage budget and 700,000 transfer budget AFTER selling £3.1m worth of players. Yearly wage rises are killing me.

[aldojags]

Season Review 2025/26

Ligue 1

Media Prediction: 3rd | Finished 1st | Table | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 | Graph

Won the title by 11 points. I think that says more about how average the competition was this year, rather than how good I was. A tough season in terms of injuries, as you'll see from their screenshots, important players like Oneill Tatlot and Ilan Roger had their season ruined with injuries. The back-up players done well, but we're not the same going forward without Tatlot. We'd have scored 20 more goals this season if he'd been fit for most of it. But still, 4 in a row, got to be pleased with that.

Champions League

Table | Fixtures

Reached the Quarter finals, the furthest we've gone in our history. We were soundly beaten by eventual winners, Barcelona. Highlight of competition for me has to be the 4-0 win over Man United.

Coupe de la Lige

Fixtures

Won a domestic cup for the first time. Normally my cup record is awful as you'll see from my table at the bottom, but got all the way to final, and won it on pens v Marseille to seal a historic double!

French Cup

Fixtures

Knocked out in the Quarters.

Champions Trophy

Lost the season opener away to Bordeux on pens.

Squad

Bold - first choice.
*Star* - youth player.

GK

Pavel Skrobak - good season, my undoubted number 1.

Dusan Ivkovic - wants away as he's not playing enough, will try and sell him as got a keeper coming in on a bosman for back up. Good player when called upon though, way too good to be sitting on the bench.

Defence

Viv Cable - solid season from the Welshman at right back.

Bart Van der Weg - young central defender continues to blossom.

Karl Thorpe - reached his 200th league appearance for club this season.

Cedric Hue - good season from Cedric down the left.

Mahmoud Rabie - Egyptian international fights it out with Van der Weg to partner Thorpe in the middle. Will be a top player for us in years to come I'm sure.

Peter Mohammed - back up to Hue at left back, does well when called upon.

*Jimmy Donaldson* - gets into most of my matchday squads due to his versatility.

Raul Gil - can also play midfield but I play him more as 2nd choice right back.

*Recep Alici* - young full back is progressing nicely, hoping he'll one day be a first team regular.

*Maxime Reset* - back up centre half is competent at both RB and LB so he's a good player for the squad, doesn't play much.

Midfield

John Larsson - holding midfielder has been with us a while.

Pituca - injured too often this season, was stop-start.

Ali Jelassi - quality player, signed a new 5yr deal worth 66k per week, and he's worth every penny in my eyes.

Daniel Michel - young midfielder we signed on a free from Marseille few years back, couldn't get a game last year for the sensational form of Tatlot, but given Tatlot was injured so much, this guy played in my trequarista role behind the strikers and did ok.

Oneil Tatlot - season ruined by injury, and it's really knocked his attributes. He's spent a large chunk of 2 of the past 3 seasons injured, think I may have lost the genius I had when he was younger. Still a good player, but when he came back near end of season, he didn't perform like he used to. See how it goes next year.

Pablo Roig - Argentine international is good cover for CM.

*Alexandre Pruvot* - attacking midfielder coming on nicely, and scored the equaliser in our 3-2 win than won us the league, so has his own piece of history. Hoping he'll one day be a first team regular.

*Charles Modeste* - Like Pruvot, got hopes he'll be a first team regular in years to come.

Yann M'Villa - brought the veteran in on a free transfer, didn't play much, and is leaving on a bosman.

Marco Rosenfelder - like M'Villa, was brought in for cover and experience, but didn't feature much and I'm releasing him.

Sevki Gurdal - young Turk coming on well, on £12k a week which is a bit much for someone who doesn't feature much, so I'll either try and include him more, or sell.

Strikers

Dario Cavallero - picked him up on a free from Espanyol in the summer. Did ok, has a year left to run and I think I'll just let his contract run down. His attributes are stunning was expecting a few more goals.

Tony Champion - the English born now French International continues his excellent form, has been world class for me for 2 seasons now following an inconsistent start to his career with us.

*Ilan Roger* - inconsistent season, sufferred a few injuries that kept him out for chunks of the season. Unlikely he'll be the world superstar I was hoping for, but still a very good player. Going to his first world cup with France in the summer.

Bartlomiej Onyskzo - coaches rate him as best striker at club after his £2.1m arrival from Genk, but was too inconsistent, scoring most his goals from the bench.

Brayan Guttierez - didn't play much, but when I changed at the end of the season to a system involving wingers, he excelled on the right flank.

Kamal Sekyere - English born Ghanian international has tremendous attributes, but didn't perform that well. Hoping for more next season.

Vladimir Kralik - injured for large parts of the season, but still got a big future with us.

Daniel Schnieder - the Liechenstein international didn't play much, his attributes are good, but he rarely performs. Don't know what to do, may sell.

*Patrice Caron* - decent back up striker. May loan him out.

*Gregory Michel* - similar to Caron, will never be a regular, but I like having him on bench for games against lesser opposition.

Club Info

Transfers - more out than in.

Finances - look healthy here, as we've just got our prize money for league and Champions League. But I suspect £5m of this will go to shareholders. Still only got 3,400 season ticket holders. Average crowd climbed to 12,700 this season, my highest yet, but still only 16th in Ligue 1.

Players going to World Cup.

Facilities - got state of the art youth facilities and top training facilities. Haven't been able to increase the recruitment for about 7 seasons.

Past Seasons
Season     Division        Pos    French Cup      League Cup         Europe        Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13     National      4th      8th round        N/A                            Survived Relegation
2013/14     National      8th      7th round        N/A                            N/A
2014/15     National      1st      8th round        N/A                            Champions
2015/16     Ligue 2       6th      7th round        2nd round                      Consolidated
2016/17     Ligue 2       2nd      11th round       4th round                      Promotion
2017/18     Ligue 1       10th     Runners Up       4th round                      Survived
2018/19     Ligue 1       6th      11th Round       2nd round                      Consolidated    
2019/20     Ligue 1       3rd      11th Round       3rd Round                      Qualified for Champ League            
2020/21     Ligue 1       3rd      11th Round       4th Round         EL QF        Qualified for Champ League                        
2021/22     Ligue 1       4th      11th Round       Semi's       CL Group Stages   Qualified for Europa League
2022/23     Ligue 1       1st      11th Round       Semi's       EL 2nd KO Round   Champions
2023/24     Ligue 1       1st       9th Round       Quarters     CL Group Stages   Champions 
2024/25     Ligue 1       1st       9th Round       Quarters     CL Group Stage, & EL Semi's     
2025/26     Ligue 1       1st       Quarters        Winners      CL QF             Domestic Double

Season     Ligue 1         French Cup        Coupe de la Ligue                Champions Lg             Europa           World Cup/Euros         
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/12    PSG             PSG                      OM                         Barcelona               Roma            Euros-Germany
2012/13    Lyon            Toulouse                 Lyon                       Inter                   Liverpool
2013/14    Lyon            PSG                      Toulouse                   Barcelona               Porto            WC-Argentina
2014/15    Lyon            Toulouse                 Lyon                       Man Utd                 Stuttgart
2015/16    PSG             Lorient                  Lyon                       Juventus                Man United       Euros-Germany
2016/17    PSG             Sochaux                  PSG                        Benfica                 Arsenal
2017/18    OM              Lorient                  OM                         PSG                     Arsenal          WC- Belgium
2018/19    OM              OM                       RC Lens                    Man Utd                 Barcelona
2019/20    PSG             St Ettiene               Sedan                      Valencia                Hamburg         Euros-Belgium
2020/21    PSG             Valenciennes             OM                         PSG                     Benfica
2021/22    OM              Lyon                     Lyon                       Arsenal                 Fiorentina       WC-England
2022/23    Viry-Chatillon  Lyon                     OM		               Barcelona	       Leverkusen
2023/24    Viry-Chatillon  FC Rouen                 OM                         Barcelona               Rubin Kazan       Euros - Spain
2024/25    Viry-Chatillon  Bordeux                  FC Rouen                   Real Madrid             Sporting Lisbon
2025/26    Viry-Chatillon  OM                       Viry-Chatillon             Barcelona               Man United        WC - England

[PRDH]

Good season there aldo. Domestic domination is there for all to see, and there's no shame in losing to Barcelona. You've got a great team and I'm sure steady progression in the CL will follow. Pity to see Roger has stalled a little, but he's still a great player and at only twenty he's got plenty of time to improve still further.

[aldojags]

Yeah I hope so, still a few years to mould him into a top player, I just need an injury free season from him and I'm sure this time next season his screenshot will show a lot of improvement.

The CL progression will be a toughie - I don't see me finding replacements anytime soon for the likes of Tatlot, Champion, Pituca and Larsson, all of whom are approaching 30. I've got a feeling if I've not completed challenge in 3 years I may never! I don't have the funds to replace players of that calibre.

[PRDH]

Yeah I hope so, still a few years to mould him into a top player, I just need an injury free season from him and I'm sure this time next season his screenshot will show a lot of improvement.

I'd get him being tutored by Champion if I were you. Even if he has been before. Marques has been tutored by Cardoso three times now and each time it does some good.

[Dr Poods]

Not long to go in the season for USL Dunkerque and we are sitting first in Ligue 2 after 28 games. All talk of relegation is now done. Hopefully we can push on in the last 10 games.

Ligue 2 Table

ALLEZ DUNKERQUE!!!

[marty78]

Aldojags - Your making Ligue 1 look easy.

Dr Poods - You look nailed on for promotion at least.

[Andy Sava]

There are some times when i actually feel that the game is designed to make you mad. I'm playing Young Boys away in EURO Cup and we are 2-0 ahead. They go ahead and injure my best player in that game and after that they injure the replacement as well and score 2 goals after that. Seriously...

EDIT: Crap. Man Utd just matched Gavranic release clause of 20M Euros. When will i learn....

[aldojags]

I'd get him being tutored by Champion if I were you. Even if he has been before. Marques has been tutored by Cardoso three times now and each time it does some good.

The option is frustratingly never there. I can get Champion to tutor players, and even when Roger has not been tutored by anyone for a while (the last guy I paired him up with saw his determination drop 5 points!) his name isn't one that I can select. Champion would be perfect, he's a model professional and would bring out the best in Roger. But for some reason, I cannot pair the 2 up.

Anyone else sufferred a prob like this?

[aldojags]

Well I think the FM gods read my season report, I've finally been able to increase my youth recruitment, it's now "established". Can't wait until March 8th!...for another disappointment likely!

Dr Poods I hope you finished it off, quite a few of us now in France, it has to be the most popular choice of country for the challenge at the minute.

[Andy Sava]

This is unreal. During a game with a title rival i get 3 midfielders injured. This is geting stupid.

[marty78]

aldojags- What are Champion and Roger's squad status? The tutor has to have a higher squad status than the tutored. Have they been paired together before and did it end well? Has one of them rejected tutoring with the other at any point?

Roger is still young enough to fulfill his potential even if he has stalled slightly. A couple of injury free seasons will have him right back on track I am sure.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

WOW, so much progress here. I have been a bit frustrated with my saves lately, and have decided I need something fresh, so I have headed off to the Careers Forum for a freshen up. And I am campaigning Behind the Iron Curtain, I will still drop in and check on the thread, but I just need something else.

[Andy Sava]

Lost at home against the last team in the table....I win against the title rivals and lose against this relegation candidates AT HOME.

[Dr Poods]

PROMOTED!!!

Promoted with one game to go! Being 3 points clear, we might achieve the unthinkable and go back to back in winning the National and Ligue 2...

Stay tuned!

Well done guys!

[aldojags]

marty - you may have worked it out...they were both "important first team player" so I've changed Champion to higher than this and hopefully it'll work! If it does, I owe you one man! He would be perfect tutor for Roger

[aldojags]

Superb Dr Poods well in mate

[marty78]

Andy Sava- I have a habit of doing the same thing. At the end of last season failed to win last two home mathes and it probably cost me a Champions league place. Lost at home to relegated Nimes Olympique and then drew at home to 15th place Evian. Very frustrating.

Dr Poods- Well done mate. You should have no problem staying up with your record so far.

aldojags- It is very easy to miss these little things. Once Champion finishes his current tutoring give him a month or two and hopefully it will open up the dialogue option for Roger.

I am also not sure if an "important first team regular" can be tutored either. You may have to reduce to a rotation status. You can normally lower squad status with no adverse effects.

[aldojags]

I'm worried if I reduce it to rotation option I'll upset him...dunno what to do!

[PRDH]

I'm worried if I reduce it to rotation option I'll upset him...dunno what to do!

If you reduce it and he plays up you can always apologise and raise it again once the tutoring is happening.

[marty78]

You should have a lot of respect from your squad so it would be unlikely to cause a problem. If it does then talking him down should not be a problem. Also his form, albeit due to injuries, deserves no more than rotation status anyway. The way I look at players is, if they wont listen to me and do what I say, I will replace them. I don't ever remember falling out with a player for just lowering his squad status.

It is worth criticizing his training or form (providing it is justified) just before you do it as that normally goes well and improves morale.

[aldojags]

England have just won World Cup Mexico 2026 to make it 2 World Cups in a row.

thanks marty I'll give it a try

[aldojags]

You are a genius marty!

The tutor relationship I've been unable to make has been finally put together after 5 long years! Roger and Champion are working together, Luke Skywalker has met Obi-Wan Kenobi!

[Dr Poods]

Thanks all. By the way, we smashed 2nd place Stade Reims 5-0 to seal the title on the final day!

The hard work starts now.

[marty78]

Great stuff aldojags. Look forward to seeing Roger at 24/25. Glad I could help. I just wish I had a tutor as good as Champion so I could do the same.

[aldojags]

Yeah Champion really is the perfect tutor. Model pro, and a great player to boot.

Just started pre-season, thought I'd show you all my signings.

The one I am most pleased with is Damian Linka, a Polish CB who I picked up for £3.1m from Club Brugge. My CB Karl Thorpe is 30, so I'm looking to replace him in next few years, this is the man who will do it.

Marouene Ben Khalfallah is a young DM from Rennes on a bosman (I have stole so many good players from Rennes in past 5-6 years I feel bad for them).

Ivan Sanchez Bautista is a 19yr old keeper from Real Madrid. Looks to be one for the future.

Got Dude coming in for free in the winter, when his Sao Paulo contract expires. Currently out with a broken leg, but will recover in time for coming to me. Has 4 caps 2 goals for Brazil, I think he'll do well for me.

Edit: well done Dr Poods great achievement. You'll do fine in Ligue 1, back to back titles, your in the habit of winning, you'll easily win enough games to stay up. I only came 2nd in Ligue 2, and comfortably finished 10th in my first year in Ligue 1, no reason you can't do the same or even better. Look forward to reading your update.

[Dr Poods]

Thanks all. By the way, we smashed 2nd place Stade Reims 5-0 to seal the title on the final day!

The hard work starts now.

Harder work now. Another enforced stadium expansion costing £12.88 million sees us over 14 million in debt before the Ligue 1 debut season. Hell, at least they gave me around 35k to spend on wages...

[aldojags]

Same thing happened to me, but it didn't put me in debt as it was done as a loan, so I'm paying it off like £80k per month for like a hundred years or somethin!

They really do like to tie one hand behind your back after promotion don't they!

[Dr Poods]

Same thing happened to me, but it didn't put me in debt as it was done as a loan, so I'm paying it off like £80k per month for like a hundred years or somethin!

They really do like to tie one hand behind your back after promotion don't they!

Yep, they sure do. I have found it strange that the board have never taken a loan for it, but at least when we start making money I won't have to worry about repaying loans...

Fingers crossed

[Dr Poods]

DR POODS - USL DUNKERQUE SEASON REPORT 2014-15

End of Season Report - CHAMPIONS FRENCH LIGUE 2

THE SQUAD

The Squad (1)
The Squad (2)

THE RESULTS

An amazing season. Predicted to come 19th we had a good solid start that got the players morale up. After this we really hit our straps and ended up a fair way clear going into the last quarter of the season. Having done this, we rested on our laurels a bit and ended up needing a point on the last day to clinch the title. Smashing Stade Reims 5-1 in front of our biggest crowd ever was a great way to finish and I am looking forward to the challenge of Ligue 1. The loss in the first round of the Coup de la Ligue was an utter shambles though, and I want to make a mark on the competition in the future.

1st
Results (1)
Results (2)
Results (3)

As regards transfers, we did well with a bit of wheeling and dealing in the market this year. All were frees (of course), but the best of them were Massampu, Bayal, Jorge and Oliveira.

The Transfers - 11 in, 10 out


THE DR POODS' PLAYER AWARDS

As usual, I will be giving four players special recognition for their achievements this season.

First of all was the new signing Massampu. Had a really good season up front and was the club leading goalscorer. Thankfully, he is one of the guys on a full time long-term contract, so hopefully he can either improve or bring in some much needed revenue.

Massampu

After this we are rewarding some old favourites. This is not for any sentimental reason, but they were some of the best we had to offer the league.

Gregory Tomas was the league's leading assist giver from LB with 17 and starred for the team even consigning his competition (Ouattara) to the bench and transfer list!

Tomas

Next we have Toure. Some of you will recall that he has been in these awards before, but he thoroughly deserved it. Overcame some injury problems to be one of our leading scorers and his performance against Stade Reims to seal the title put him over some worthy others.

Toure

And last of all, we have the club captain Mr Benjamin Leclerc who was instrumental in midfield. Along with his partner Bambock, created many goalscoring opportunities and his fantastic engine allowed him to keep running when others would have had to have been subbed off.

Leclerc

THE FINANCES

14,313,338
The Finances

Errr, the finances are an absolute mess? Another enforced stadium expansion has rooted us. Interestingly, the board did not take out a loan for this, choosing that being 14 million pounds in debt was a better option. We were making about 200k a month profit, so at least we are not making huge debts a month on top of this.

With a wage budget of around 39k a month for next year (at this point), Ligue 1 will be one hell of a challenge.

LIGUE 2 AWARDS

Thought we would have earned more awards than this...anyway...

Tomas - Most assists
Tomas - Team of the Season

ALLEZ DUNKERQUE!

[Tiger.Robin]

Congratulations on a back to back promotion Dr. Poods and good luck to everyone else who is already in the top division and needs the domestic/CL win to complete the challenge. I have made the majority of my signings but because I have been busy have only just finished pre-season but I have been fortunate enough to draw a fellow National team in the Coup de la Ligue but I have a rotten history with cup matches on this game so I aren't expecting to get very far at all.

[rlipscombe]

been missing because i have been without the internet for a few days... good to see the progression going on here.

[Andy Sava]

Playing at the end of april and it's snowing lol.

[aldojags]

Hahahaha I've just won a top flight game 10-0! Fair enough it was against Guingamp who are one of the poorer teams in Ligue 1, but still, I don't think I've ever scored that many in a top flight game in any save!

Edit to add: and that game was a "fan day!"

after years of struggling with crowds, my first 3 home games this season have been 15,000, 18,000 and 20,000, which considering my ave crowd was 12,000 last season, is surprising and weird! It's improved each year by around 500-1000 fans, but it's jumped right up this season, I don't know what's changed but I'm glad it has.

[Andy Sava]

Nice going aldojags. My ave crowd was 13k in my last season. More in my season report that will come soon.

[Andy Sava]

Holstein Kiel - 2020/2021

Season Overview

Manager Profile
League Finish - 4th
Media Prediction - 6th
Average Attendance - 13851
Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2
Fans Player of the Year - Paulinho

Transfers

IN

Santos - <23(5) apps, 12 goals, 9 assists, 4 MoM> - He was the German Third Division top goalscorer last season and since his contract was expiring i thought it won't hurt to take him in. Unfortunately he got injured in the start of the season and he was out for around 3 months.

Andreas Dalgas - <46 apps, 9 goals, 2 MoM> - Transfered him for 9.75M Euros to replace Gonçalo Silva who left for Man City.

Antonio Glavina - <1 app> - Not much to say here, i just signed him as a backup in case something happens to any of my main keepers.

Stjepan Gravanic - <16 apps, 1 goal, 1 assist> - The biggest transfer we ever made. Unfortunately i made a big mistake which i will detail in the next section.

OUT

Conçalo Silva - Man City made an offer worth 16M Euros for him and the chairman stepped in and accepted the offer. And so i lost one of the best players this club has ever seen.

Stjepan Gravanic - When i offered him the contract to join us i completely forgot about the minimum fee release clause. And so in mid-season i receive a 20M Euros offer from Man Utd that i could not reject because it matched the release clause. And so i lost a player who would have become a legend for this club without a doubt.

Bundesliga

League Table
Graph

It was an ok season. We started well but after the winter break we had a terrible run losing against teams we should have beaten with ease. In the end we managed another good run that helped us finish 4th and get an EURO Cup place for another year.

German Cup

Same story as last year. We won in the first round against Neumunster when i sent the first team to play and lost in the second round against Frankfurt when i sent in the reserves. Since i already won the Cup i don't want to focus on it so i don't really care about how we do here.

Champions League

Best Placed Playoff Leg 1 - (vs. Arsenal) I got Arsenal in the draw which sucked. We somehow managed to win the first game at home 1-0.
Best Placed Playoff Leg 2 - (vs. Arsenal) In the second leg Arsenal had no mercy and scored 4 goals without conceding. Hopefully next time i'll have more luck with the draw.

EURO Cup

Group Stage - Dominated the group stage again finishing without defeat.

1st Knockout Round (Leg 1/Leg 2) - Sporting got in our way in the 1st knockout round this year. We finished 1-1 away and demolished them at home winning 4-0.

2nd Knockout Round (Leg 1/Leg 2) - Another portuguese team, this time FC Porto, packed their bags to go home after we won 1-0 at home and winning at penalties away from home.

Quarter Finals (Leg 1/Leg 2) - This was tough as we faced Man City for a place in the semi-finals. In the end we lost both games, 1-2 at home and 1-3 away.

Another year that we reached the Quarter Finals of EURO Cup and i am happy with that. We still need to improve next year and play better if we are to fight for winning EURO Cup.

The Squad

Key Players

Paulinho - <39 apps, 16 goals, 15 assists, 4 MoM> A very good season for Paulinho. He recently asked for a new contract and i thought i should give him one since he played well. However he asked for a minimum fee release clause of 6.5M Euros. You can ofcourse imagine my answer to this request and therefore the talks broke down and he is still on the same contract. Currently he is 8 caps/9 goals for Brazil. Named in Team of the Year.

Francesco Melchiorre - <47 apps, 1 goal, 18 assists, 4 MoM> Another great season for the italian fullback. I am glad i have this position covered for now. Named in Team of the Year.

Luís Barros - <35(2) apps, 8 goals, 13 assists, 3 MoM> He was good this season but not as good as last season.

Joel - <37 apps, 5 goals, 4 assists, 2 MoM> The young brazilian midfielder had a good season but there is still room for improvement.

Madson - <48 apps, 62 conc, 2 MoM> Decent season for Madson and he is still going forward.

Next season

Well we finished in top 4 for 3 years in a row now. I have a few transfers lined up for next season which will hopefully help us move up and challenge Bayern for the top spot in the league. Our finances are excellent as you can see from this screenshot at the end of this season. I also dream of a season without any major injuries. One can hope for this to happen.

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, German Cup Winners
2019/2020          Bundesliga                     3rd                          Qualified for Champions League, EURO Cup Quarter-Finals
2020/2021          Bundesliga                     4th                          EURO Cup Quarter-Finals

[marty78]

Andy Sava- Good season mate and hopefully them extra players can get you a first Bundesliga title.

Aldojags- 10-0 is good against anyone and I am pleased to see your attendance improving. I need some of that.

Dr Poods- Good luck in Ligue 1 with that wage budget. You have extraordinarily well so far.

[Andy Sava]

Thanks marty. Bayern is still pretty much untouchable in the title fight and Paulinho refuses to extend his contract. I guess i'll have to look for a replacement.

[aldojags]

Well done on another solid season Andy Sava, Paulinho looks a fantastic player, that's a shame he isn't signing a new deal. Madson has improved a bit aswell. Unlucky in losing the attacking mid to Man United, he looked like he was going to become one of the best players in the world.

[Andy Sava]

I already agreed with Milan for 9M Euros so i don't lose him on a free transfer.

[aldojags]

Paulinho? Ah well, better than losing him for nothing as you say.

[Andy Sava]

Yeah. He kept on asking for a minimum fee release clause of like 6-7 million that would have gotten me in the same place so i thought what the hell. He was asking for a move for quite some time too.

[rlipscombe]

Andy Sava - good season again there. don't blame you for selling Paulinho too. no one is bigger than the club and i am sure you can find an adequate replacement.

[Tiger.Robin]

Well done on another good season Andy Sava it's a shame Paulinho doesn't want to progress with your club and a big test for you to find an adequate replacement for such a good player. As has been said, the right decision though at least you got more than what the release clause would have done and good luck on trying to topple Bayern.

[aldojags]

Remember how further up the thread I posted a screenshot of my 10-0 home win over Guingamp. Well, 2 games later, again at home, Grenoble came to Stade Henri Longuet, and were sent home on the wrong end of a 8-0! Unbelievable, 18-0 aggregate in my last 2 home games!

[marty78]

AS CANNES - SEASON 2018/19

LIGUE 1

A superb start to the season saw us challenge for the title from day one and only the goal scoring exploits of defending champions Olympique Lyonnais kept us at bay and denied us a first league win. With a little bit of surgery I think I may be able to snatch the title next year. Our 2nd place does mean a place in the Champions League for the first time and all the financial rewards that brings.

Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2

EURO CUP

We won our group and breezed through the 1st knockout round and got a 2nd knockout round tie with Olympiakos, who demolished my young side with a 5-2 win in Greece after a red card in the opening minutes left us with it all to do. A much better 2nd leg in France saw us grab a 2-1 win but it was not enough and there ends another disappointing cup campaign.

COUPE DE LA LIGUE

The domestic cups have been disappointing for me so far and this year was no different with a 1-2 quarter final home defeat against Lille.

FRENCH CUP

Once again it was Lille who inflicted a quarter final defeat on the lads, and once again it was a 1-2 defeat, this time in Lille.

TRANSFERS

Could only afford a few loans with our budget this year but, after selling Niang to Juventus in January, I managed to get Marc Mitchell from Man City. I had tried and failed to get this guy on loan for the last two years and at half the price and wage of Niang it is a good deal.

SQUAD

Just a couple of mentions as a few first team players will move on in the summer as they have a year left on their contracts and think I can get some decent fees after our good season.

Rayan Tran - Home grown player is the closest to becoming a regular of my own youngsters so far. Some decent performances this season keeps him in my plans and may look at loaning him out to a feeder so I have with the ability to recall if he doesn't play much.
Alain Boulanger - The second home grown player was promoted to the first team near the end of the season due to injuries. Have decided to keep him there for next season and give him a few games.
Denny Helmund - I notice how important he is when he is missing. Not the same team without him.
Mads Neilson - Top scorer again although if Mitchell had been here all season he probably wouldn't be.

UNDER 19'S

This years youth intake adds to a squad which won the Under 19's group 1 title. The two with decent potential are:

Babacar Gueye
Marco Pereira

FINANCES

After making money on transfers and cutting the wage budget we had very healthy balance. Further upgrades to both youth and training facilities started at the end of the season for a combined total of about £9m which will give us facilities to be proud of. I also have a healthy transfer kitty ansd wage budget for next years Champions League campaign.

[aldojags]

fantastic season marty. To finish in Champ League positions so early in challenge is outstanding. 82 points would be enough to win the league some seasons, so you are not far away, few tweaks here and there and you won't be far away.

[rlipscombe]

Marty78 - wow, some progress there... unlucky on missing out on the title but as aldojags says to get to where you have so quickly is impressive. good luck next season.

[marty78]

Thanks guys. Got Sporting, Man Utd and Juventus in Champions League group stage. Beat Sporting 2-0 at home and Juventus got a late equaliser in Italy to make it 1-1.

[Andy Sava]

Great season marty and good luck in UCL. I am close to finish my season and i think i will fail to qualify for Champions League again. Bayern is still invincible in the league and it seems they will be for another year or two until i manage to get some higher reputation players in the squad.

[Tiger.Robin]

Well done on another great season with AS Cannes marty.

[marty78]

Through the group stages with this win against Juventus in the final game. They finished bottom of the group with just 1 point.

[Andy Sava]

That is a great win marty

[Dr Poods]

Well done marty!!! Looks like I have a bit of work to do!!!

[G-Wiz]

starting to really hate my board, accepting any bloody offer that comes in...having lost Souza and Jacobs last season, im about to lose Nene, one of the stars of last season, as the board accepted an 875k offer over my head, and hes just agreed terms with them...wouldve been slightly easier if i had him for the full season, but instead hes moving in January

[aldojags]

G-Wiz have you tried putting every players asking price at £100m? I've always got bigger clubs sniffing around my players, but rarely if ever do I get an offer for them with a high asking price.

[marty78]

G-Wiz I always check the asking price on any player with a WTD next to their name. As aldojags says putting a massive asking price pretty much guarantees no offers. I set a high price on players that I may sell for the right price but a massive one on players I do not want to lose.

[PRDH]

G-Wiz - As with the others, I recommend upping the asking price. Cardoso's has been at £80m since he was 17, I don't think I've ever had an offer for him.

[Andy Sava]

Finished 4th....again. Season report coming soon.

[aldojags]

That's not too bad considering the players you've lost Andy sava, you pleased or annoyed?

[Andy Sava]

I'm kind of annoyed at losing on a Champions League place in my last few games.

[aldojags]

Got my youth intake, only 3 players worth a mention, and even then, they don't look much, but here goes.

Gael Marc, a French/Central African Republic left back. Not convinced he'll ever be a first teamer, just signed him on recommendation from Assistant, as he has 2.5 star PA.

Zakari Kofi, a French/Togolese striker with 3 star PA. Got quite a few players from youth teams in previous years of this PA, none of them have really blossomed into anything worth noting, so again I'm not holding my breath.

Mahamadou Fomba, a French/Malian striker, with 3.5 potential, which could make him as good as Champion. Again, I don't see it, but we'll give him time.

Have released the rest.

[PRDH]

Not much immediately obvious about that lot aldo, but 3.5 stars indicates decent potential, so he might make big leaps early on once he gets training etc.

[ghostwriter]

FFS, I just got sacked!

Totally unexpected, no warnings at all and in my eyes not deserved at all either. And all the more annoying given that I had already typed up my season report before getting this message! As it is typed up, I will post it as it is plus a more detailed look at the sacking but I can't do so now so it will be in a couple of days time.

However, how do I go about finding a new club in France? I know I can only take a club that has not been in the National before, but I ask because, as the CFA is a visible league, all the teams that get promoted will already have a manager. Do I "get" him sacked (adding a new manager, taking the job and then deleting him) so my original manager can get the job or do I just create a new manager from scratch and play with him?
Also, if I don't take any of the clubs which come up from the CFA this season (I probably won't), can I "re-run" next season several times until a club I want to manage comes up next Summer? I think this should be OK as I would put myself on holiday so as to not interfere with any aspect of the game.