Returning to a former club

[Keep Them N'Guessen]

After beginning my career with Walsall, spending 13 years at the helm and making them into a top 8 side I decided to jump ship to Man City, a job offer that was too good to turn down. After seeing out my 5-year contract and winning several trophies, I decided not to accept the clubs offers of new contracts and left the club. As if by fate, days after leaving City the Walsall job has become available and I'm the favourite to take the job. I declared an interest and they've offered me the chance to return on a 3 year deal.

Should I go back? My first spell at the club was incredibly successful. However, I didn't manage to win any of the big domestic trophies (FA Cup, League Cup, Premier League) nor the Europa League despite qualifying twice and I left weeks before they were due to move to a new stadium, so feel as though I have unfinished business. On the other hand, the squad is completely different to the one I left and it almost feels like starting all over again.

What are other people's experiences of returning to their former clubs? Has anybody managed to go back and continue the success they started before?

[CWR15]

I managed Gillingham to a 2nd place finish after 12 years in charge, but like you didn't win any trophies (apart from League 2 and the Championship titles). I left for Fiorentina where I picked up an Italian Cup and a Serie A title before moving to New York Red Bulls, an ill fated half a season in America was just to confusing for me so I left and went to Bayern Munich picking up a Bundesliga, a German Cup and the Champions League before returning to Italy with Inter Milan. A short successful spell was cut short when a board room buyout saw me replaced with Alan Shearer!

Days after this, the Gillingham job came up. My successor had actually bought pretty well and fair few of my squad were still around. The Gills had also annouced the 'Palmer Stadium' (Thats me ) would be completed at the end of the current season. I couldn't resist leading the team out at the ground named after me and after 5 years I had managed to win the Premier League twice a Europa League, an FA Cup and the Champions League. Strangely, I couldn't grab the elusive league cup, losing in 3 consecutive finals 2-0 2-0 and 2-0 !

I felt I had finished my job at Gillingham. So in my last year I decided to leave a legacy, I hired 24 Scouts (Had to keep pestering the chairman but I got there eventually) and I set one scout to every region in the game. As my final season drew to a close, I went shopping for the next generation, signing 4 and 5 star potential players and ended up with around 20 in the reserves and a full 22 in the u18s. My work done I rejected all advances of a new contract and left for the final time.

Incidently, I moved to Welling who were in the Blue Square South and had a mediocre season, finishing midtable and the club entered administration. The 2nd season, with no players and a handful of loans, I was relegated and sacked!

I am now at Crystal Palace, also in the Blue Square South but walking the league and signin some really decent youngsters!

SO yes, definitely go back and sort out your unfinished business!

[deltablue]

I have twice in FM11, both for short periods (as they were both shortly before FM12 so at the end of the save), one (Inter) worked out alright but nothing of note happening (which improved on the disaster of the first time), the other (Ipswich, who oddly sandwiched the 2nd Inter spell) gave me a great final season to end the save on (League and CL double, both of which I had won once before but couldn't keep it up for years after). Often keep an eye out for a good opportunity to return, especially to make up for a failure or to do a bit of rescuing (very nearly did both with a Brighton side that had plummetted to the BSS, but I was too attached to my Milan side and by the time I finally brought myself to leave for a new challenge that ship had sailed as they were back in the BSP and the manager was safe).

I know the conventional wisdom says 'never go back', but depending on how you did in the first place or how they're doing now there's often a reason why you should. That you don't have the core of your old side (which I still had at Ipswich in fact missing that side was what made me decide to jump back from Inter) might make things less tempting but instead see it as a chance to build a 'successor' Walsall side. I'd love to go back to Milan though as I'm engaged in a long term project (taking Dunfermline back up from Division 3) I know it will be a very different side if I ever do and I'm ready to accept that.

[Kristof1982]

i activated the lower leagues of Serbia and started playing with FK Obilic in the Serbian Second League Belgrade, after 3 years of mid table obscurity I was bought out by a Greek Tycoon and 2 league wins in a row saw me in the Serbian SuperLeague, after some great signings i ran away with the league for the following 5 out of 6 years (Partizan beat me on final day goal difference) I picked up a hattrick of League cups and was very very fortunate to win a Europa League in my final league! After trying many times to get into the Champions League group stages and crashing I thought it was time to move on.

A very attractive offer from UAE's Al Ain convinced me to move and after 2 very trophy laden seasons winning 2 leagues and 5 cups there was 3 games left of the SuperLeague season and FK Obilic were 2nd and 5 points behind Partizan when there manager left to take over the Serbian National Team job, I quickly resigned and was offered the Obilic job...i won the first 2 games back and Partizan lost theirs, and fate should have it that the last fixture of the year was FK Obilic vs Patizan, we scored a narrow 1-0 victory to win the League( so i managed to win 2 leagues in 2 seperate countries in the one season) although the credit mainly went to the previous manager! I stayed one more season making it to the Champions league group stages being handed a fairly easy group we finished 2nd and made it through to the quarter finals after we mauled Panathanaiakos in the Round of 16, but we were in turn mauled by Man City 7-3 in the Away Leg and "Cough Cough" 9-0 in the Home leg, we faded away at the end of the season to the sheer amount of matches and finished a disapointing 5th, I have since moved on to the Manchester City job after they finshed 9th in the league....I think if the Obilic job were to come up again I might be tempted for a third spell and whatever it takes to get the Champs League

[Widzew]

I left liverpool back in FM11 for Fulham when they got taken over by a tycoon and they couldnt get anything done despite spending big big bucks. So I thought I would show them how its done. I left liverpool after being a legand there. and then after about 6 seasons in Fulham i tried coming back after accomplishing everything i set out to do. win a few champions leagues and get them to the top of the world. Liverpool did not want me back

[raymondafc]

I never go back. Usually because I was sacked before and they won't let me within a 5 mile radius of their club after the damage I did

[Wigmore]

I was manager of Norway at one point in an FM08 game. Resigned after going out in group stages of a World Cup, only to be offered the same job 3 days later. After thinking long and hard, I took it. Pretty embarrassing turn of events

[simon07]

I went back on an old save to a Greek side called Diagoras to save them from a relegation. I was with them for 9 seasons at the start of my career and went on to manage several sides around the world. As a 73 year old, I had recently left the New York Red Bulls, and took the Diagoras job for 3 weeks to save them from the drop. I left after I succeeded!

[simon07]

So, with regards to your question, yes go back!

[noikeee]

I went back on an old save to a Greek side called Diagoras to save them from a relegation. I was with them for 9 seasons at the start of my career and went on to manage several sides around the world. As a 73 year old, I had recently left the New York Red Bulls, and took the Diagoras job for 3 weeks to save them from the drop. I left after I succeeded!

That's quite awesome! Sort of heart-warming in a virtual footy manager simulator way.

[Big Marv]

Left Cukaricki in Belgrade for my local club (Brentford, can see their stadium from my window), a poor & underfunded season saw us drop from League 1 to League 2. I subsequently chose to leave and went to Lokomotiva in Zagreb. Once I had achieved everything I could in Croatia the Brentford jon came up again and I rejoined them, still in League 2... Managed to get them into the playoff final, which I lost. The following season following no investment (from a board led by former Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio???), I left for Triestina in Italy.

I still feel that I have a duty to Brentford, so I hope to return to them at some point on this save. In short, if you feel you have unfinished business with the Saddlers, go back.

[Keep Them N'Guessen]

Just as an update: I accepted the Walsall job and have just finished my first season back. We finished in a very respectable 4th and have qualified for the CL for only the 2nd time in the clubs history (The 1st time was during my first spell). Had a few memorable results, including going back to Man City and winning 3-2, although they did stuff me 1-4 in the return fixture. Had no success again in the domestic cup competitions which is frustrating. Also managed to get the majority of my old staff back so it's as if nothing's changed!

I'm now in the progress of shipping out the players who aren't good enough and replacing them with young players who can develop into first-teamers. There's also three fantastic prospects in the reserves who are all 17. It was heart-warming to see this as the development of the youth facilities, junior coaching and youth recruitment were all things I pushed through during my first spell at the club and they're now reaping the rewards. Just deliberating whether to loan them out to get experience or start blooding them gradually into the first team.

Aiming for another top 4 finish this season and hopefully a domestic trophy.

[Keep Them N'Guessen]

Also, the World Cup is currently in it's latter stages and England went out in the groups, meaning the manager will inevitably be sacked. I have a suspicison that they'll offer me the job which is highly frustrating; I want to manage England at some point and they've already offered me the job twice, but it came at times when I still had so much to achieve at Man City. Now I've still got work to do at Walsall and the job is coming up again!

[pirategas]

My previous save led me full circle back to Bath City.

I was at Bath City for 9 Years winning promotion to the Championship and just surviving a tight relegation battle. I was snapped up then by Newcastle for 3 years, with a mid table finish in the EPL and a Euro Cup place in my final season. Before moving to Roma where in 4 years I had won 1 Serie A and a Euro Cup before setting up at Barcelona for 3 years. Having won La Liga twice and the Champions League, they did not offer me a new contract which is beyond me so I went back to Bath. Who in my time away had just been relegated back to League 2.

Took them straight back to League 1 and into the Championship play-offs which I lost. Mid table finish the following season and then decided on a new game.

I liked the idea of going back and repeating the business yet again, but alas it was not to be. The hardest thing I found to like was the new players, being away so long meant I would have to rebuild the team in the style I liked before after endless years of neglect.