Minnows Winning It All

[ArranoBeltza]

So, in my Big Euro Nation Challenge save, this was the result of the German Cup final:



This is the club that won

On their way to the final, they also defeated Hertha Berlin, St. Pauli, and Wolfsburg- very impressive for such minnows!

Personally, I've never seen anything this crazy happen in one of my saves. I have seen second division clubs reach cub finals and some lower clubs make it fairly deep, but never actually go on to win it all. Anybody else seen things like this happened or managed a small club to surprising success?

[hugo_rune]

I've seen second-tier clubs winning cup competitions relatively often - it's not common, but it's not so rare that it really surprises me when it happens. But I've never seen a club that small win anything.

[Unknown Hacker]

I once saw a League One Bristol City team win the League Cup as well as the JPT and League One for a bizarre treble but apart from that and managing some lower league teams to success in cups I've never seen anything extraordinary happen.

[dannyKTFC]

Millwall won the FA Cup on mine. Not really a minnow, but something that would rarely happen.

[o JaY]

Millwall won the FA Cup on mine. Not really a minnow, but something that would rarely happen.

Didn't they get to the final in 2003/4?

But agreed, it's rare but glad to see there is still some 'random' outcomes.

[phnompenhandy]

I'm managing in BSN in England in 2012 and I noticed that Cowdenbeath got to the Scottish Cup final, losing 1-0 to Hibs. Rangers went out in the 3rd round and Celtic in the 4th to lower league opposition.

[Toon]

Blackpool have won the FA Cup twice in 5 years, impressive for a club like blackpool

[Things Could Get Messi]

biggest shock win i have seen is helmond sport win the dutch cup 1st season on fm11. thats nothing compared to yours though

[Gusano]

This just goes to show how the FM ME must have some errors. Not in a million years would a fourth tier team beat Schalke, unless Schalke goes in serious debt.

[ArranoBeltza]

This just goes to show how the FM ME must have some errors. Not in a million years would a fourth tier team beat Schalke, unless Schalke goes in serious debt.

Right, because it never happens in real life.

And, hell, even if it happened once, it surely could never happen two years in a row to the same club.

[Gusano]

Right, because it never happens in real life.

And, hell, even if it happened once, it surely could never happen two years in a row to the same club.

Hm. Then this must mean that FM12 has the most realistic football ME in the world.

[Motherlover]

Torquay won the League Cup in 2014 in mine.

Didn't get anywhere in Europe though

[La Furia Roja]

Right, because it never happens in real life.

And, hell, even if it happened once, it surely could never happen two years in a row to the same club.

well done! I was going to do pretty much the exact same.

I think maybe people don't really follow cups etc IRL cause upsets pretty much happen every year in them, but people still complain that an upset in FM is due to 'errors in the ME'?

[duccio]

On their way to the final, they also defeated Hertha Berlin, St. Pauli, and Wolfsburg- very impressive for such minnows!

Did the bigger clubs, including finalists Schalke, field squads consisting mostly of reserve players and youngsters? I'm having a good cup run with a low reputation club on my current save, and big clubs seem to underestimate my team and do not play their best players against me eventhough its the final rounds of the cup.

[ArranoBeltza]

Did the bigger clubs, including finalists Schalke, field squads consisting mostly of reserve players and youngsters? I'm having a good cup run with a low reputation club on my current save, and big clubs seem to underestimate my team and do not play their best players against me eventhough its the final rounds of the cup.

It looks like Schalke played a mix of their subs and youngsters. Also, just saw that Oberneuland had somebody sent off 20 minutes in!!

[Drew the Cookie Eater]

Brimingham won the Carling Cup earlier this year.

[duccio]

It looks like Schalke played a mix of their subs and youngsters. Also, just saw that Oberneuland had somebody sent off 20 minutes in!!

Could be a flaw in the game.

Imagine what a fiasco it would be if Schalke IRL disrespected fans, competition and opponents, by fielding a team of youngsters and unfit reservists in a final and then lost to a lower league team playing with ten men.

[Ruttsie]

I've noticed that in my save the cup competitions often throw up some interesting outcomes. A couple of examples from the 2011/12 season include:

- Newcastle beating Swansea in the FA cup final (both were already relegated)
- Fortuna Sittard won the dutch cup (they play in the Jupiler league)
- Non-MLS team won the US Cup (can't remember which right now)

[Ryan_Barker]

I steered AFC Wimbledon to the FA Cup semi-finals before being beaten 3-2 AET by an above average Ipswich team!

[ArranoBeltza]

I've noticed that in my save the cup competitions often throw up some interesting outcomes. A couple of examples from the 2011/12 season include:

- Newcastle beating Swansea in the FA cup final (both were already relegated)
- Fortuna Sittard won the dutch cup (they play in the Jupiler league)
- Non-MLS team won the US Cup (can't remember which right now)

It actually isn't all that uncommon for teams outside MLS to do well in the cup and upset MLS teams.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Calais reached the French Cup final in 2000 when an amateur team in the fourth tier. It happens in real life on rare occasions.

[ATW]

I'm managing in BSN in England in 2012 and I noticed that Cowdenbeath got to the Scottish Cup final, losing 1-0 to Hibs. Rangers went out in the 3rd round and Celtic in the 4th to lower league opposition.

That's disgraceful. Hibs winning the Scottish is so unrealistic. Sort it out SI Also that scenario not possible as SPL sides don't enter till 4th so how did Rangers go out in 3rd?

[phnompenhandy]

That's disgraceful. Hibs winning the Scottish is so unrealistic. Sort it out SI Also that scenario not possible as SPL sides don't enter till 4th so how did Rangers go out in 3rd?

Might have been the 4th round - was writing from memory.

[alw02005]

I'd say this is a random completely possible occurance. As other posters have said, lower league upsets do occur. If the best team was expected to win every single match they ever played what would be the point in even playing? Long live the underdog!

[TheBetterHalf]

2nd season. We ( bristol rovers are facing might Man U in the semi-final in the FA CUP....and these are the players they chose. Needless to say, we are now through to the final

- van Baaren - 16 year old newgen
- J. Powell - 15 year old newgen

Apart from Ferdinand, all players are either u-18 or playing in the reserves.( Cleverly and Anderson might be good though, but they are still in the reserves)

[SuperMeppen]

Right, because it never happens in real life.

And, hell, even if it happened once, it surely could never happen two years in a row to the same club.

Except those examples are of 3rd-tier teams winning, not 5th. And it doesn't show those teams going on to the final of the competition.

So not really alike at all then.

I've never known AI squads to put out vastly inexperienced/poor teams in any previous version of FM (at any stage of a competition, be it first round or final). Odd.

[Lenzar]

It's got very silly. Arsenal played a vaguely first-teamish lineup. Had a few regens (bare in mind they only appeared in the last month) on the bench. I'm Man City.

[Sead Muratic]

I've never known AI squads to put out vastly inexperienced/poor teams in any previous version of FM (at any stage of a competition, be it first round or final). Odd.

It's happenned since - at least - 2008. The game tends to overestimate underestimation (I'm not English speaker, sorry if that's a wrong expression) and exaggerates gap between teams. Gaps among an AI team's priorities also seem too big sometimes, for example there are occasions where big teams unnecessarily rest a lot of players for the reason of facing an only slightly more important game (1st vs 3rd in the league on Sunday, Champions League group stage on Wednesday), no wonder United will field their useless reserve players + worst U-19 players in League Cup against a League 1 club. Last time around, Girona from Segunda B won Copa del Rey in my save, their first teamers beating several La Liga starting elevens which, well CA-wise, are worse than them anyway.

[Lamby95]

I steered AFC Wimbledon to the FA Cup semi-finals before being beaten 3-2 AET by an above average Ipswich team!

Did Ipswich win the final?

[Drew the Cookie Eater]

I steered AFC Wimbledon to the FA Cup semi-finals before being beaten 3-2 AET by an above average Ipswich team!

So, how did Ipswich do in the final then?

[phnompenhandy]

2nd season. We ( bristol rovers are facing might Man U in the semi-final in the FA CUP....and these are the players they chose. Needless to say, we are now through to the final

- van Baaren - 16 year old newgen
- J. Powell - 15 year old newgen

Apart from Ferdinand, all players are either u-18 or playing in the reserves.( Cleverly and Anderson might be good though, but they are still in the reserves)

That gives me hope - my BSP side's next match is away to Man City in the cup. I was just counting the cash and preparing the lads for a slaughter!