FM12 Stuttgart 1893 e.V

Founded: 9. September 1893

Club sports: Football (Professional, Amateur, Youth, Referees), Fistball, Hockey, Athletics, Tabletennis, Guards

Members: 45.282 (As of: 1st of November 2011)

Club colours: White-red

Home kit: White shirt with red VfB crest, white shorts, white socks

Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Arena

Success: German championships: 1950, 1952, 1984, 1992, 2007

Runner-up: 1935, 1953, 1979, 2003

German Cup winners: 1954, 1958, 1997

German Cup finalists: 1986, 2007

German Super Cup winner: 1992

European Cup finalists: 1989, 1998

German amateur champions: 1963, 1980

German Under 18 champions: 1973, 1975, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2003, 2005

German Under 17 champions: 1986, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009

The Club -

I can write about the history of the origins of the club and how it was formed and changed over the century, but the most dramatic changes have been made since the 1990's. During this time the club has invested heavily in its youth set up and training facilities, not to mention a new 60,000 stadium, with world class facilities to match. The youth development at this club has seen it no less than 9 youth titles since 1990, equalling one every 2 years. This has help transform the team with a constant stream of very good players, which have delivered 2 Championships in that time.

2011 - Present Day -

The club now is in a void of progression, to the point where its about to flounder at amongst the mid table finishers. Poor signings, lack of proper squad development and tactical use of players within the squad, as left Stuttgart with a squad that can play almost all common formations, but master of none. This can very dangerous if not managed correctly, as you could quite easily spend the first half of the season trying to find the right combination and dropping easy points, then if injuries and a bad run of form take hold, you could find yourself fighting of relegation.

The Squad -

Goal Keepers

Sven Ulreich - At 22 and 192cm, this guy is your number one! His stats belie his ability and he makes an impressive target in the goal to deter opposition forwards. In my current game, he is a becoming a clean sheet specialist, in fact he hasn't conceded in 8 games.

Marc Ziegler - is a veteran back up at 35, is handy enough to cover any absent you may have of Ulreich.

Defenders

I will only point out that Niedermeier & Delpierre both start off with long term injuries and that leaves you with Tasci and Rodriguez. I appoint Tasci my captain as I feel its better fit for the club to have the same Nationality as the team as Captain. Tasci is quality and you will need to either work Rodriguez or Boulahrouz. Boulahrouz is a beast and a very dominate figure in your defence.

Boka & Molina a both very good players on the left, but Boka has poor teamwork and position skills to be any value really. Molina could be your first choice and is outstanding physcially. Over on the right you Stefano Celozzi who at 22 looks like he will turn out a very good player, he is quick, great technique and above average mental stats.

Midfield

You Key player is Zdravko Kuzmanovic along with Kvist and Tamas. Your wide players look menacing as well in Gentner and Gebhart with youngster Traore a more than suitable winger. Rathgeb rounds out your central midfield group as the only Defensive midfielder, but with low pace and poor stamina and strength you may have to look elsewhere.

Forwards

Cacau is most of the well known of your forwards, but apart from his first touch and physical attributes, he is quite poor and at 30, you need to wonder what can he offer. Okazaki turned up on a free and looks ok, but for a small forward and could play similar to a Defoe.

The player who I like the most out of the group is the Russian (Pogrebnyak), his mental stats, teamwork, workrate, off the ball, & Bravery along with his physical presence upfront makes him my first choice.

Youth Prospects -

Julian Schieber - 22yr - Starts of injured for 5 months - Great! But looks very impressive indeed.(4)

Raphael Holzhauser - Central Midfielder, 18 and is rated very highly by my assistant - Check him out.(4)

Robin Yalcin - Defensive Midfielder, 17 looks like a nice development prospect and is again rated highly. (4)

Odisseas Vlachodimos - Goal Keeper, 17 some long term tuturing and hi will be a starter for the club. (3.5)

Kevin Stoger - Midfielder - 18 techinque of 18, passing 14, Flair 16, dribbling 14, crossing 13, decisions 12, determination 13, creativity 14, first touch 14 - I guess you would rate him as well.

Bernd Leno - Goal Keeper - Out on loan to Leverkusen to start, but a highly impressive youth product (4.5)

Formations -

Well this will depend on your transfer dealings, where you strengthen, where your depth and perceived best players figure. I would settle for only 2 formations nothing to aggressive,

just keeping it simple and be tactically alert on what is happing on the pitch. Sorry no plug, play and watch, you will have to be savvy with this group to extract all the points you can manage.

AUGUST 2011

After reviewing the squad I opted for a slash and rebuild the team strategy. Yes I know there are good players, but they are not going fit into the system that I am wanting to play and develop through the club. With a strong youth p program, a major part of the long term strategy is to make sure the quality players come through can move into the first team. In addition I need to free up wages on the older players, to allow me some movement within the transfer market short term.

Qualification for the Euro cup has been placed upon this group from the out set. With the German leagues I like to run a first team squad of about 20 players and topping up from the youth team if needed, Eventually getting to a total squad of 22.

Transfers Out -

Tobias Rathgeb - FC Twente - $500K

Tamas Hjnal - Newcastle - $4M

Arthur Boka - Sunderland - $3.6M

Christian Molinaro - Espanyol - $5M

Cacau - Sevilla - $5.5M

Khalid Boulahrouz - Sevilla $2.8M

Okazaki - AC Milan - $3M

Riemann - Neuchatel - $110K

Bah - Bologna - $250K

Janzer - Vitesse - $100K

Total - $25M

Players In -

Rafael Toloi - Golas - $2.5M (easily the best defender for value for money)

Gabriel Silva - Palmeriras - $3.7M - exciting left back

Willian - Shakhtar - $8.5M - Out standing player.

Yaya Sanogo - Auxerre - $2.5M

Delvin Ndinga - Auxerre - $7M - One of the best up and coming Defensive Midfielders, Anticipation 17, determination 14, stamina 16, strength 15, accer 15, team work 16, work rate 17, tacking 14, concentration 15.

Total - $24M

Nice work Joe .

Nice OP. My Schalke just got whipped 1-6 by Stuttgart. They were using a variant of your 2nd formation. Definitely a team with potential especially in the midfield with the likes of Kuzmanovic & Gentner .

MAY 2012

A fantastic start to the season, it took 12 games until we tasted defeat to HSV at home. New signings of Willian, NDinga & Toloi were all inspiring as well as Celozzi who was impressed beyond doubt that he was more than capable of holding down a first team place with a 7.11 avg rating from 35 games.

As a die hard Stuttgart fan I was very happy to see a Stuttgart thread. But this quite honestly was a major disappointment. A lot of things irk me about your OP but the tactic analysis is really shabby. While I tend to agree that squad management has been suboptimal over the years things are turning to the better as of late and Stuttgart's back 6 are among the best in the Bundesliga. The offense is currently the weak point and even more so in FM than IRL.

I'm at work now but when I have some time I'll write a post about VfB tactics this season.

As a die hard Stuttgart fan I was very happy to see a Stuttgart thread. But this quite honestly was a major disappointment. A lot of things irk me about your OP but the tactic analysis is really shabby. While I tend to agree that squad management has been suboptimal over the years things are turning to the better as of late and Stuttgart's back 6 are among the best in the Bundesliga. The offense is currently the weak point and even more so in FM than IRL.

I'm at work now but when I have some time I'll write a post about VfB tactics this season.

I take onboard your constructive criticisms and thank you for your feedback. Maybe next time with your 6th post you can create the Team Thread?

I'm actually playing as Stuttgart right now in FM11 with updated transfer and some personal data edits. I played a 4-3-3 like the one you have under tactics and was able to finish second and qualify for CL. Off the top of my head, I got rid of Pogrebnyak, brought in Christian Eriksen and eventually had to sell Tasci mid-season (he was unhappy because I promised him a new contract and forgot:p). Used the money from Tasci to buy Dzsudzsák in January and Höwedes at the end of the first season. Some player suggestions (some are guesses since I don't have FM12 yet)

Pierre-Michel Lasogga- ST from Hertha BSC- good young prospect if you play with a target-man

Manoel- CB from Atl. Paranense- could be a rock at the back for the next decade, great attributes for DC-cover

Felipe Anderson- MC/AC from Santos- good youngster to be the most attacking of the midfield 3

Kvist is a beast and should be the captain/vice-captain. His mental/hidden attributes are immense so you should have him tutor any promising young players. Boularouz was very good for me the first season but I ended up selling him when I got Manoel and Höwedes. Gentner has crap mentals and is on high wages, if you can sell him for money I would do it. Gebhart (3 teamwork lol) can single handedly win you games (DFB-Pokal for me) but will be a headache at times so he's probably best as a impact substitute. I would personally keep Molinaro; even if you get someone like Gabriel Silva, Molinaro provides balance since he's better defensively.

I'm actually playing as Stuttgart right now in FM11 with updated transfer and some personal data edits. I played a 4-3-3 like the one you have under tactics and was able to finish second and qualify for CL. Off the top of my head, I got rid of Pogrebnyak, brought in Christian Eriksen and eventually had to sell Tasci mid-season (he was unhappy because I promised him a new contract and forgot:p). Used the money from Tasci to buy Dzsudzsák in January and Höwedes at the end of the first season. Some player suggestions (some are guesses since I don't have FM12 yet)

Pierre-Michel Lasogga- ST from Hertha BSC- good young prospect if you play with a target-man

Manoel- CB from Atl. Paranense- could be a rock at the back for the next decade, great attributes for DC-cover

Felipe Anderson- MC/AC from Santos- good youngster to be the most attacking of the midfield 3

Kvist is a beast and should be the captain/vice-captain. His mental/hidden attributes are immense so you should have him tutor any promising young players. Boularouz was very good for me the first season but I ended up selling him when I got Manoel and Höwedes. Gentner has crap mentals and is on high wages, if you can sell him for money I would do it. Gebhart (3 teamwork lol) can single handedly win you games (DFB-Pokal for me) but will be a headache at times so he's probably best as a impact substitute. I would personally keep Molinaro; even if you get someone like Gabriel Silva, Molinaro provides balance since he's better defensively.

Losing Tasci would be a blow!! I have just resigned him on a 4 year deal until 2016, He is my Captain along with Kvist as Vice. Gentner I have managed to resign on slight lower wages, as he is fantastic cover for me through the midfield and being a HG player makes him very useful. I would love to sign Howedes, but I got given next to nothing in regards to transfer funds, meaning I had to sell before I could buy policy, transfers below.

AUGUST 2012

Season Transfers funds $2,800,000 (I am not sure if the board knows I have actually qualified for CL)

Transfers Out

Niedermeier - Loan -$240K

Rodriguez - $1M - Frankfurt

Gebhart - $1.6M - Koln

Harnik - $1.5M - Udinese

Divavi - $1M - Hannover

Audel - $500K - Cesena

Total - $5.75M

Transfers In

Samed Yesil ST - Free

Julian Koch DR - Free

Sidney Sam AML/R - $2.5M

Tony Jantschke DR - Free

Ku Ja-Cheol AM/MC - $1.7M

Van Gijseghem DC - $875K

Stefan Savic -DC - Loan

Jo Inge Berget FC - $750K

Kolbeinn Sigporssan FC - $4M over 48 months

Total $9.75M

Saw that HSV got relegated. Perhaps a raid on the likes of Son-Heung Min, Marcus Berg etc to beef up the fwd positions. How's Pogrebnyak performing for you?

Saw that HSV got relegated. Perhaps a raid on the likes of Son-Heung Min, Marcus Berg etc to beef up the fwd positions. How's Pogrebnyak performing for you?

I checked them out and looked at Marcus Berg, but they wanted $6M for him, so I passed. As I mentioned I didn't get a lot funds to play with, so i wasn't in a position to to do a snatch and grab and had to wait for the window to open and sell my listed players. Funny enough he is list as a back up player with HSV in the second division. I would make a bid, buy I am now full with Sanogo, Schieber, Berget and Sigporssan to rotate through the one position.

I was tracking Sigporssan and wanted to wait another season before launching a bid. But a couple of other clubs made bids, so I had to jump in and negotiate a deal, which I was lucky enough to be able to capture him.

Good deal for Sidney Sam tho. Had to fork out 13 million Euros for him in the Jan transfer window after Holtby,Jurado & Draxler got major injury layoffs & a bidding war with Bayern.

Draxler is on my shortlist, keeping a very close eye on him. Hoping to nab him within the next 12 months.

Saw that HSV got relegated. Perhaps a raid on the likes of Son-Heung Min, Marcus Berg etc to beef up the fwd positions. How's Pogrebnyak performing for you?

Son is definitely worth it if you have someone who can tutor him(Pogrebnyak might do the trick I think he has high determination). He has technical ability and speed but needs some work mentally. I wouldn't bother with Berg. Despite having some really high attributes in key areas for a poacher, his other attributes are terrible. He never performed for me in various FM11 saves and he doesn't look any better this year.

I just started a Stuttgart save just to try something different. The squad seems to be good for what they are asked to do. Many players have low decision attributes but otherwise very solid. How did your long term injured players recover? Were you able to use them after the long injuries or did you offload them?

I am currently in pre-season and trying out both a 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-3-1 formation. Cacau just got injured for 3 months so I am now probably going to stick with the 1 striker formation as Harnik plays really well as a winger.