[FM12]“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page”

[AK22]

I agree with deltablue, this should be a great move. You be should be able to unearth further quality homegrown talent which you may be able to entice to your club side too

[dkpark51]

Nice work getting the Russia position. Works well with you already managing a Russian club.

[Raware]

Nice work getting the Russia position. Works well with you already managing a Russian club.

Have to re-iterate what dkpark said . Always good to manage the national side of which ever country your club side plays in.

You're getting as bad as AK22 signing Egyptians...next thing, you'll be trying to cap one for Russia!

[roganp]

Have to re-iterate what dkpark said . Always good to manage the national side of which ever country your club side plays in.

You're getting as bad as AK22 signing Egyptians...next thing, you'll be trying to cap one for Russia!

I know! I've got another one coming on a free in December and I'm still trying to sign the one I said I've got my eye on

[roganp]

Russia - International Frendlies


Russia (44) vs Spain (8)



Russia (44) vs Argentina (1)

[HotChocolate]

Quality wins over Spain and Argentina, even if they are friendlies they are much more meaningful in international management!

[roganp]

Quality wins over Spain and Argentina, even if they are friendlies they are much more meaningful in international management!

We couldn't quite hold on for the win against Spain . It would have been a fantastic first game in charge if had, but a draw was probably a fair result in the end.

[HotChocolate]

We couldn't quite hold on for the win against Spain . It would have been a fantastic first game in charge if had, but a draw was probably a fair result in the end.

I meant 'results'.

[abulezz]

Huge victory over Argentina, even if it is a friendly! Certainly shows that the squd is capable.

[cerud]

Good beginning to Russia

[EvilDave]

Superb start with the Russian side, should give you a nice little boost up the rankings

[roganp]

Spartak Moscow - 2021/2022 Mid-Season Update

Prem'er Liga - 1st

So far, so good as we sit at top of the table 3 points of cash rich Anji - a side that I did say I felt were not capable of challenging for the title however, they have proven to be more capable of doing so than Zenit who have faded away after being neck and neck with us at the top for quite a while. With just 11 games left, the destiny of the title is in our hands and as we've already played all the big sides away from home, I'm pretty confident that we can go on to win the clubs first league title since 2001.


UEFA Europa League - Through to the 1st Knockout Round

The Europa League has been pretty straight forward for us so far. We came through the two qualifying rounds without any difficulties before topping our group with ease . The only disappointment was the shock defeat against the unknown quantity of the group, Olimpic Donestk who managed to pick up their only points during the group stage against us.

We have been drawn against Basel in the 1st Knockout Round.

[B.W.G]

Looking good so far,hope you can keep Anji at bay.Good luck against Basel

[City2000]

Things going great so far Nice results with Russia aswell, certainly look better than their ranking.

[HotChocolate]

Started very strongly, hopefully you can get a great run in the Europa League

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

Good start. Look very good defensively, a lot of clean sheets there. Can see a decent run in Europe on the cards too. Should breeze past Basel

[dkpark51]

Great wins over quality opposition with Russia!

Also looks like you're doing well in your club campaign.

[deltablue]

Should keep Anzhi at bay.

[roganp]

Thanks for all your comments

As the winter break in Russia has now started, I thought I would briefly talk about some of the players we've agreed to sign.

Ibrahim Ateya(DM/CM/LM) - Another Egyptian . Brought in on a free transfer and he's someone who I feel could develop into a decent first team player.

Maxim Laptev(DM) - Brought in for a compensation fee of £6K after I spotted him in the Russia U19's. He has a CA of 1.5* and a PA of of 4.5*.

Bilal Bafa(AMC) - This signing is a lot riskier than the previous two as I've had to splash out £7M to bring him to Moscow. I probably over paid considering his value, however they wouldn't accept a penny less and with a PA of 4.5* he could go on to be a top player.

[HotChocolate]

Great additions, bright future for all 3 of them

[roganp]

Our qualifying group for the Euro's. Coming up against England should be interesting, but apart from them I can't see any of the other nations causing us too much problems.

[EvilDave]

Bafa looks great already, could easily become a world class AM for you. Interesting group you've got in the Euros there as well - England should be tough, but Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the same group? Good luck with that!

[City2000]

Looks a decent group, England obviously being the tough games but top 2 shouldn't be too difficult.

[iHeadHunta x]

Russia only threat in that group Na England definately not going to be easy but have faith in the side

[dkpark51]

Don't worry too much about England, you always their "choke-ability" on your side.

[roganp]

Don't worry too much about England, you always their "choke-ability" on your side.

Unfortunately there's no penalties during the group phase of qualifying

[AK22]

Don't beat England too much please

[roganp]

Got a tough decision on my hands here. On the one hand I'm just starting to get into my role as the Russia coach and there a number of benefits to managing Russia while I'm at Spartak. However, the chance to manage your home nation doesn't come along often. What do you guys think?


I've also finished the season with Spartak so I'll try and get a review up some time tonight.

[B.W.G]

I'd personally stay with Russia due to the benefits you have.

[HotChocolate]

I'd stay with Russia if you are staying with Spartak.

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

Agree with H.C. and B.W.G. Would be more beneficial to your club career staying with Russia

[dkpark51]

Don't beat England too much please

I'll stop now.

[dkpark51]

roganp, I'm going to disagree with the others and say go for England. It's your home nation! Your club career must suffer a little bit but I think it would be worth it for the chance to manage your nation.

[cerud]

It's a tough call. Managing the nation where your domestic club plays has definite benefits. However, managing your home nation seems to be a matter of duty. I'd go for the home nation.

[EvilDave]

Success with Russia and Spartak should see the England job come again - expectations are too high for the managers not to get sacked regularly. Stay with Russia for now would be my call.

[roganp]

Spartak Moscow - 2021/2022 Season Review

Prem'er Liga - 1st

A fantastic season. When I arrived at the club about a year and a half ago, I didn't think it would be possible to turn around the teams fortunes so quickly. With Zenit's spending power and CSKA's know-how when it comes to winning titles, I honestly thought that it would take 2-3 seasons to win the league so I'm thrilled to have done in my first full season. In the second half of the season we were formidable, drawing just the 2 games and winning the rest. At the half-way stage it looked as if Anji were to be our main challengers for title however, they quickly faded from the picture and holders Zenit stepped up to try and re-claim their crown but we proved to be far too strong for them. An 88th minute winner in the game against Zenit effectively sealed the title , but we were officially crowned champions after the 3-0 win away to Volga NN. This is the clubs first championship win since 2001. Incredible.


UEFA Europa League - Eliminated in the 1st Knockout Round

When we drew Basel in the 1st Knockout Round I was pretty confident of progressing without any real difficulties. However, just as they did in real life, Basel proved that they are a side not to be underestimated. Despite a poor performance in 1st leg, we managed to come away with a 1-1 draw and that all important away goal. The 2nd leg got off to a disaster as Basel took the lead early on, but we showed great team spirit and managed to net twice to take the lead on the night and on aggregate. Following our second goal, we became extremely complacent which lead to us conceding a second late in the game and crashing out on away goals.


Rambler Kubok Rossii

This years Russian cup has only just begun(for some reason there was not one last season). We haven't been drawn into the 5th round. I assume the bigger sides will be drawn into the 6th round.


Squad 1 Squad 2

Transfers

Finances
With the payout for winning the league being a measly £475K, Champions League football is badly needed to bring in some cash.


Key Players

Sergey Kokoev(ML/AML) - He could have been phased by being thrust into the first team of one of the country's biggest clubs at such a young age, but he was excellent. He has a fantastic final ball to match his blistering pace.

Sergey Gordeev(CB) - It's great to see a youth product performing so consistently well for the club. As I expected, bigger clubs around Europe are starting to show interest in him but I have no plans to let him go.

Juan Carlos Castillo(CB) - One of my first signings when I joined in January last year, but he couldn't play for us in a competitive until this season due to already appearing for 2 clubs. It was a small gamble however, he's proven to be an excellent signing. An absolute rock at the back.

Oleg Kuslin(DL) - Signed for £5.75M at the start at the season and has proven to be a bargain. A fantastic defender and he's pretty solid going forward.

Takayuki Miyazuki(ST) - I really feel for Miyazuki this season as he's had nothing but bad luck with injuries. He missed the first 2 months of the season due to Strained Knee Ligaments. He came back from that and then gashed his leg shortly after which put him out of action for 9 days. Once returning he struggled for form and fitness, but exploded into life after the winter break scoring around 7 goals in 4 games until he fractured his ribs and only came back with 2 games left in the season. When he was avaliable, he proved he's a top quality striker so hopefully next season he has more luck on the injuries front.

Year       Team              Country    League                     Position   Important Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/2012  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet North      14th       Joined the club in March 2012
2012/2013  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet North      2nd        Playoff Semi-Finalists
2013/2014  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet North      1st        Promoted!, FA trophy Finalists
2014/2015  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet Premier    15th       FA Trophy Winners!
2015/2016  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet Premier    1st        Promoted as league champions, FA Trophy Winners
2016/2017  Ipswich Town      England    npower League One          1st        Promoted as League Champions
2017       New York RB       USA        MLS                        1st        Joined 1.6.2017, MLS cup and Open Cup finalists, S Shield winners
2018/2019  Dundee United     Scotland   SPL                        2nd        Scottish Cup winners, Qualified for CL
2019/2020  Dundee United     Scotland   SPL                        N/A        Left 3.1.2020 to join Sao Paulo
2020       Sao Paulo         Brazil     Brasileirao                1st        League, State, Copa Sudamerica, Libertadores and CWC Champions
2020/2021  Spartak Moscow    Russia     Prem'er Liga               6th        Joined 3.1.2021
2021/2022  Spartak Moscow    Russia     Prem'er Liga               1st        League champions

RE the England job : Thanks for all your input. In the the end I decided to reject the offer from the FA. I feel there's a lot more to build with Russia and there's the also the added pressure of being the England boss(Henning Berg was sacked after losing in the World Cup final) something I don't really need at this stage of my career. If a manager is sacked for losing in the World Cup final, I'm fairly certain the job will become available again at some point in the future.

[iHeadHunta x]

A brilliant season yet again! Keep up the great work!

[HotChocolate]

Great league win but poor defeat to Basel.

Nice to see you stay with Russia

[roganp]

Great league win but poor defeat to Basel.

Nice to see you stay with Russia

It was, but I said at the end of last season that I would be satisfied if we reached the knockout rounds as my aim was to qualify for the Champions League, so I wasn't too disappointed when we were knocked out.

[abulezz]

Fantastic first season! Winning the Russian Premier Division with class - bring on the Champions League!

[Nobby_McDonald]

England every time.

[AK22]

Very easy league win, well done!

Will be interesting to see how you get on in the Champions League next season.

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

Great season to lift the title. Hope you can keep Mitazaki fit. Be good to see what he can do in a full season.

[Pangaea]

Been reading this today, a fine career you got going here. Sure do move around a lot though

Sounds incredible England sacked their manager after taking them into the World Cup final. But it means the job will come up again fairly soon. I'm sure you'll get another chance in 2 or four years, at which point you may well have left Russia anyway so it could be good timing. I would have stayed too for what it's worth.

[B.W.G]

Congrats on the title win

[deltablue]

Well done on the title.

[EvilDave]

Great title win, that's a mighty impressive second half of the season and it looks thoroughly deserved. How is your squad coping with the homegrown rules? Better than Anzhi IRL? Good luck in the CL next year though, much-needed boost to the finances.

[dkpark51]

Nicely done on the title win!

Champion's League next year! Hoo-rah!

[iHeadHunta x]

Good luck in the champo league!

[roganp]

Fantastic first season! Winning the Russian Premier Division with class - bring on the Champions League!

Very easy league win, well done!

Will be interesting to see how you get on in the Champions League next season.

Great season to lift the title. Hope you can keep Mitazaki fit. Be good to see what he can do in a full season.

Congrats on the title win

Well done on the title.

Nicely done on the title win!

Champion's League next year! Hoo-rah!

Good luck in the champo league!

Thanks for your comments!

[cerud]

Russia seems to be agreeing with you! I can understand you staying with their national side for now, a good call.

[roganp]

England every time.

Been reading this today, a fine career you got going here. Sure do move around a lot though

Sounds incredible England sacked their manager after taking them into the World Cup final. But it means the job will come up again fairly soon. I'm sure you'll get another chance in 2 or four years, at which point you may well have left Russia anyway so it could be good timing. I would have stayed too for what it's worth.

The part in bold is ultimately why I decided against managing England at this stage. From the moment I accepted the Russia job I said to myself that I would stick with them until the end of the Euro's, regardless of what other national jobs were offered to me. It's always difficult to say no to your home country, but the fact that a manager was sacked after getting the country to a World Cup Final makes me very confident that the post will become vacant again in the near future. Probably after Euro 2024 if the new manager, Ronald Nilsson does not win it.

Great title win, that's a mighty impressive second half of the season and it looks thoroughly deserved. How is your squad coping with the homegrown rules? Better than Anzhi IRL? Good luck in the CL next year though, much-needed boost to the finances.

We're coping pretty well at the moment. My favoured first 11 consists of 6 foreign players(the limit), which will probably be reduced in the next few years as there are few players coming through the youth system who I feel will could become first team players. Namely Maxim Bychkov who is developing very nicely and showed in a number of League and European games last season that he is capable of making the big jump up from the under 19's. If he were to become a regular in the first 11, he would most likely play alongside Sergey Gordeev which would mean that we would have 2 youth products playing at centre back.

The bench is pretty much filled with all foreign players(bar 1 or 2 slots) but the majority of these players play in positions where I already a foreigner playing in the first team, so they just end up being direct replacements for them and therefore do not affect my quota of foreign players in the first team. I'm looking to invest in more Russian talent, but at the moment I'm finding it hard to find players who are good enough to come straight into our first team squad or if they are good enough, do not cost a ridiculous amount.

[rancer890]

Well done roganp. Good luck in Champions League.

[roganp]

Well done roganp. Good luck in Champions League.

Cheers rancer

[City2000]

Just catching up, great title win with Spartak and good luck in the CL next year!

Also think you made the right call in turning down the England job at this time.

[roganp]

Spartak Moscow - 2022/2023 Season Preview

Board Expectations

Prem'er Liga - Win it Media Prediction - 3rd
UEFA Champions League - Reach the Group Stage
Rambler Kubok Rossii - Not regarded as important
TransTeleKom Superkubok Rossii - Not regarded as important

Budgets

Transfer Budget - £11.75M
Wage Budget - £425K p/w
Current Wage Bill - £328,382K p/w

Transfers

Transfers Summary

Mountagha Bah(AMC/MC) - Decent signing on a free. Not likely to be a regular starter, but he should be a good option to have on the bench.

David Lourenco(CM) - I'm not particularly short of players in the middle of the park, but he's a player with good potential and was available for a free. If he doesn't quite reach his potential(3.5*) I can always sell him and make a profit.

Paul Meier(AML/ML/MC/AMC) - Not ready to feature in the first team just yet, but he has the potential to become a good player.


Champions League Group C

Real Madrid
Celtic
Spartak Moscow
Dinamo Bucharest

Looks a decent group on paper(apart from being drawn against Real Madrid, Obviously!) but it could prove to be very tricky. Celtic have won the SPL 5 times in a row now, so it should be a tough couple of games against them and Dinamo Bucharest are side not to be underestimated as they are the current holders of the Europa League and recently beat Lyon to win the UEFA Super Cup.

[roganp]

I've decided to put this save on hold for a while as after a playing Journeyman saves on the last 3 or 4 FM's, I want to give a one club save a go and I will probably try and complete the big Euro nation small club to big club challenge. Hopefully I can return to this save after completing the challenge. If I don't, I will probably start up a new save and thread in a few months time.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on the thread up to this point

[Pangaea]

Good luck in your new save. One club careers rule

[deltablue]

Hope to see it back eventually.

[roganp]

Going to be returning to this after my "Behind the Curtain" save was corrupted. Next update will be at the half-way stage

[roganp]

Maxim Bychkov scored this peach against Dinamo Bucharest in the Champions League :



Not bad for centre back. It was on his weaker foot too

[abulezz]

Wow, thats a scorcher of a shot Not bad at all!

[Dejay]

Screamer!!!

[SRL88]

Take a bow son!!!

[deltablue]

Awesome game.

[roganp]

Spartak Moscow - 2022/2023 Winter Break Update

Prem'er Liga

We've picked up where we left last season and are currently on course to win another title. I'm delighted with the attractive brand of football we have been playing so far this season, hopefully we can continue to play with style in the second half of the season. With just 10 games left to play(11 for CSKA and Anji) I fully expect us to go on and secure our second successive league championship.


Superkubok - Winners
A game between the league winners(us) and on the previous cup winners(Zenit). It turn't out to be a very tight game which was decided by an own goal from a Zenit defender.


Kubok Rossii - Through to the Quarter Finals
We started our journey in this years cup with a 6th round away tie against 2nd tier Dinamo Bryansk - which we came through without any problems, winning the game 6-0. In the 7th round we were given a home draw against fellow Prem'er liga side Alania. This was a slightly more challenging game than the one against Dinamo Bryansk as Alania took the lead in 33rd minute. We managed to peg them back 5 minutes later and a further 3 goals was enough to book our place in the Quarters where will come against a side who were recently relegated from the top division, Volga NN.


UEFA Champions League - Through to the First Knockout Round
Our return to Champions League after being absent for a number of years got off to a disappointing start as we conceded in the 93rd minute against Real Madrid at home to lose the game 2-1. In the following game away to Celtic it looked like we were heading towards a 2nd defeat in the group as they led for much of the game after scoring in the 8th minute, but we managed to equalise in the 75th minute of the game to rescue a point, our first during the group stage.

We finally managed to put our first 3 points on the board on the 3rd matchday as we beat the whipping boys of the group Dinamo Bucharest 4-0 away. After winning emphatically in the return game against Dinamo Bucharest, 6-0 and losing 2-0 to Madrid at the Bernabue, we found ourselves needing to beat Celtic on the final matchday to stay in the competition. Thankfully, the team did not let me down as we ran out comfortable 2-0 winners to finish 2nd in the group ahead of Celtic.

[Pangaea]

An excellent first half to the season being top of the league and through in the CL. Good luck for the second half

[Dejay]

Sitting pretty at the top. Good luck in the CL.

[B.W.G]

Couldn't have asked for a better first half of the season.Hope that form can carry on through the second half!

[roganp]

An excellent first half to the season being top of the league and through in the CL. Good luck for the second half

Sitting pretty at the top. Good luck in the CL.

Couldn't have asked for a better first half of the season.Hope that form can carry on through the second half!

Thanks guys!

We've been drawn against Lyon, the holders in the First Knockout Round. The first leg is at home which is not great, but hopefully we can take a lead back to their place.


Also, this has just happened :



Now, I'm not totally gutted about the player leaving, despite him having a excellent season(8 goals, 6 assists in 17 appearances with an AVR of 7.51) as he was brought in on a free and was only a stand in for the injured Bilal Bafa. But what does obviously annoy me is the chairman selling players over my head. I can remember this happening to me once on my FM11 save and I quit the job immediately however, I won't be taking that course of action this time. Time to put everyone's asking price up I think.

[iHeadHunta x]

Sitting comfortably in the league again! KUTGW

[HotChocolate]

Bah, that sucks.

[roganp]

Embarrassing. I can't believe we threw it away like that.

[deltablue]

First class collapse.

[B.W.G]

Wow,I'd be gutted with a performance like that in the 2nd leg.Hope you gave your players the hair dryer treatment after the match!

[roganp]

Wow,I'd be gutted with a performance like that in the 2nd leg.Hope you gave your players the hair dryer treatment after the match!

Actually, I didn't. I was in such a hurry to get out of the match that I randomly clicked any team talk. It turns out I told the players there were some positives to take from the match

[DodgeeD]

Good to see you back on this save

Don't know what to make of that Champions League collapse... Perhaps such extraordinary results for Lyon have been hard-coded into the game following their real life group stage thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb this season

[HotChocolate]

That sucks even more.

[Dejay]

Ouch, you would have thought it over after the first round. Rough one.

[AK22]

Now that's what I call a comeback!

Shame you had to be on the receiving end though. Hopefully that doesn't affect your league form.

[Pangaea]

Ouch! That's quite the impressive implosion. Looks like you were lucky to win the first one 5-1 though and they probably deserved to go through overall, but hard to take to lose 0-7. I'd be fuming and saving a lot of money over the next 2 weeks.

[Deisler26]

Wait, what? That's a shocking collapse. Stunned.

[abulezz]

LOL!

Wow, that is epic. Thats the sort of result that makes you question the reason you play FM!

[roganp]

Spartak Moscow - 2022/2023 Season Review

Prem'er Liga - 1st
Similar to last season, we were formidable in the second half of the season, dropping just 2 points in our final 10 games. In fairness, our title run-in was probably a lot easier than our competitors as our toughest game was against Zenit at home, which we comfortably won 3-0. Still, we didn't show any signs of complacency and ended up winning the title by a massive 13 point margin to add a second Prem'er liga title to my trophy cabinet.


Superkubok - Winners
See this post for a round-up.


UEFA Champions League - Knocked out in the First Knockout Round
See this post for a round-up of the group stages. I don't think I need to go into what happened in the First Knockout Round again. The 2nd leg was definitely the most embarrassing defeat in my career to date.


Kubok Rossii - Winners
After defeating Alania in the 7th round, we were drawn against 2nd tier side Volga NN at home and as expected, we were completely dominant in the game and ran out 5-0 winners. We were given another home tie in the semi's against Prem'er Liga side, Amkar who knocked out CSKA on penalties in the previous round.

Two first half goals from Argentinian forward Fabian Insaurralde and Turkish playmaker Bilal Bafa put us in a comfortable position. Amkar did manage to pull a goal back on 83 minutes, but we held out to book our place in the final where we face another 2nd tier side, Tom who triumphed over Anji in the semi's, winning that game 2-1.

We controlled the game from start to finish, but struggled to break down Tom's defence. We finally broke the deadlock on 68 minutes through Andrey Kustov and a second swiftly followed on 74 minutes through Bilal Bafa to seemingly make the game safe. Tom did manage to score a consolation goal in the 90th minute, but there wasn't enough time for them to attack again and we lifted the trophy for the 4th time in the clubs history.
Match Overview


Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2

Squad

Transfers

Finances
Looking a lot better than at this stage last season. Champions League football was a massive boost.


Key Players

Juan Carlos Castillo(CB) - Another excellent season for the Honduras centre back. A pure beast.

Bilal Bafa(AMC) - Bafa's first full season at the club and what a fantastic one it was. He suffered torn knee ligaments in October which put him out of action for 2 months and that injury could have de-railed his season, but once he returned, he was excellent and scored crucial goals in the Semi finals and final of the cup.

Sergey Kokoev(AML) - The young winger continued to develop into a top class player this season. I'm not sure many full backs would like to come up against someone with his pace.

Scott Barnes(AMR) - Barnes missed much of last season due to a long term injury, but he managed to stay injury free this year and had a fantastic season, topping the league's assists table.

Takayuki Miyazaki(ST) - After being blighted by injury last season, I was delighted that Miyazaki was able to steer clear of injuries and proved what a top quality striker he is by comfortably finishing up as the league's top goalscorer.

Year       Team              Country    League                     Position   Important Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011/2012  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet North      14th       Joined the club in March 2012
2012/2013  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet North      2nd        Playoff Semi-Finalists
2013/2014  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet North      1st        Promoted!, FA trophy Finalists
2014/2015  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet Premier    15th       FA Trophy Winners!
2015/2016  Boston United     England    Blue Square Bet Premier    1st        Promoted as league champions, FA Trophy Winners
2016/2017  Ipswich Town      England    npower League One          1st        Promoted as League Champions
2017       New York RB       USA        MLS                        1st        Joined 1.6.2017, MLS cup and Open Cup finalists, S Shield winners
2018/2019  Dundee United     Scotland   SPL                        2nd        Scottish Cup winners, Qualified for CL
2019/2020  Dundee United     Scotland   SPL                        N/A        Left 3.1.2020 to join Sao Paulo
2020       Sao Paulo         Brazil     Brasileirao                1st        League, State, Copa Sudamerica, Libertadores and CWC Champions
2020/2021  Spartak Moscow    Russia     Prem'er Liga               6th        Joined 3.1.2021
2021/2022  Spartak Moscow    Russia     Prem'er Liga               1st        League champions
2022/2023  Spartak Moscow    Russia     Prem'er Liga               1st        League & Cup double, Superkubok winners

Next Season
At the end of the season I decided that after winning 2 titles in row, I needed a fresh challenge. I handed in my resignation to the club and a few days later I received two offers from clubs in Serie A, one of which I accepted. I will reveal which club I have joined soon.

[B.W.G]

If you take out the spectacular collapse,it was a brilliant season.Can't wait to see where you end up next!

[rancer890]

Shocking collapse there, but good luck in Italy.

And hope you get revenge on Lyon one day!

[AK22]

Ignoring the Lyon result, it was a great season, and a fine way to sign off at Spartak

[Nobby_McDonald]

Worse collapse than the English cricket team.

Superb domestically though.

[roganp]

2nd June 2023 - A New Chapter



Stadium - Stadio Olimpico
Capacity - 73, 261 All-Seater

Job Offer

Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football. Lazio have been Italian champions twice, and have won the Coppa Italia five times, the Supercoppa Italiana three times, and both the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup on one occasion. The club had their first major success in 1958, winning the league cup. In 1974 they won their first Serie A title. The past fifteen years have been the most successful period in Lazio’s history, capped by winning UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 1999, the Serie A title in 2000, several league cups and reaching their first UEFA Cup final in 1998. Lazio's traditional kit colours are sky blue shirts and shorts with white socks. Their home is the 72,689 capacity Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which they share with A.S. Roma. Lazio have a long-standing rivalry with Roma, with whom they have contested the Derby della Capitale (in English "Derby of the capital" or Rome derby) since 1929.

Taken from Wikipedia

After deciding to end my reign as the Spartak Moscow manager, I was contacted by two clubs from Serie A about becoming their new coach - Lazio & Napoli. As you can see, I opted for the Biancocelesti and on the 2nd of June, I flew into Rome to seal the deal. The offer on the table is a 4 year contract and I fully intend to honour that.

The clubs finances do not look in great shape after years of heaving spending with only one Coppa Italia to show for it. The club also have a large loan repayment of £113M hanging over it's head, so I can't see there being much of an increase on the budget originally offered when the new season comes about, but as we have considerably under wage budget, I may be able to make some adjustments to give me more transfer funds.




Apart from finishing runners-up in the 2011/12 & 2012/13 season, the club have had a number of average league finishes and even flirted dangerously with relegation in the 2013/14 season.


Here are some of the players I've inherited from the previous manager :

Andrea Consigli(GK) - The veteran 'keeper has been the clubs number one for around 9 seasons now. I'm not sure he has the quality to continue being the clubs number one, so I may be looking for a new 'keeper in the upcoming transfer window.

Bakary Sanou(MR/AMR) - Sanou has struggled in Italy since his arrival 2 seasons ago for £3M. He has some decent attributes, but I can't see him being a regular starter.

Javier Barrientos(CB) - The clubs best centre back which is not saying much to be honest.

Nico Veldhuizen(ST/AML) - The clubs star player. He hasn't quite been able to light up the Stadio Olimpico since his arrival from PSV 3 seasons ago, with 15 being the most amount of goals he's managed in a season, but he has the quality to be a 20-30 goal a season striker.

Overall, the squad I have inherited is a pretty poor one and I expect there to be a lot of movement, ingoing and outgoing when the transfer window opens.

[roganp]

If you take out the spectacular collapse,it was a brilliant season.Can't wait to see where you end up next!

Shocking collapse there, but good luck in Italy.

And hope you get revenge on Lyon one day!

Ignoring the Lyon result, it was a great season, and a fine way to sign off at Spartak

Worse collapse than the English cricket team.

Superb domestically though.

Thanks guys!

I'm delighted I was able to leave Spartak on the back of 2 trophies, but I'm sure that result against Lyon will haunt me for a while. As rancer said, hopefully I can come up against them again one day and get my revenge

[deltablue]

Yay, Lazio!

[Pangaea]

Good luck in Italy.

[abulezz]

Veldhuizen does look quality - surround him with the right supporting cast, and he should see you about 20 league goals a season.

Good luck in Italy!

[deltablue]

Well, he's a new player, but he's got the right name. Now you remember that, y'hear? ...Treat him like a lady, and he'll always bring you home.

[HotChocolate]

That looks like a football pitch, I'm not to sure though. Maybe it's a running track round a field? Oh hang on, I brought the binoculars, yeah that's a football pitch.

Good luck in Italia!

[City2000]

I'm sure you are sick of hearing about it but I have to mention that Lyon debacle, one of the most amazing turnarounds i've ever seen on FM. Hopefully you can meet them again and dish out that revenge!

Still a really good last season with Spartak though and a great move to Italy, good luck with Lazio

[B.W.G]

Best of luck with Lazio

[roganp]

Yay, Lazio!

Good luck in Italy.

That looks like a football pitch, I'm not to sure though. Maybe it's a running track round a field? Oh hang on, I brought the binoculars, yeah that's a football pitch.

Good luck in Italia!

Best of luck with Lazio

I'm sure you are sick of hearing about it but I have to mention that Lyon debacle, one of the most amazing turnarounds i've ever seen on FM. Hopefully you can meet them again and dish out that revenge!

Still a really good last season with Spartak though and a great move to Italy, good luck with Lazio

Cheers fellas

I'm really looking forward to this challenge. Hopefully over the next few seasons I can begin to move the club out of mid-table mediocrity and start building squad that can at least compete for the European qualification places. The board have given me a transfer budget of £4.4M for the new season, but I was able to adjust it to give me £12M and I've managed to get rid of most of the crap the previous manager left me, so I just need to get the scouts out looking for some bargains.

[roganp]

Well, he's a new player, but he's got the right name. Now you remember that, y'hear? ...Treat him like a lady, and he'll always bring you home.

I'm completely baffled by this

EDIT : A quick google search tells me it's from Star Trek, but I wouldn't know as I've never watched it

[AK22]

Good luck with Lazio; they're one of my favourite Italian clubs, mainly just because Gazza played for them