FM13 - VillaSmith's Euro Adventure

Hi guys, after my hugely enjoyable thread last year I've decided to expand from the British Isles and journey the globe (well, as far as Germany!). Unlike my last thread, I will be updating this from the start and not waiting a couple of years.

Game Set Up

Playable

England - Blue Square Regionals

France - Ligue 2

Germany - Bundesliga

Italy - Serie B

Holland - Eredivisie

Scotland - SPL

Spain - Liga Adelente

The Manager

Profile

Info

Aims

-Win every top league title

-Win Champions League in three different countries

-Manage Villa

-Manage England

Personal Rules

Like last year I will impose some personal rules to make my career as realistic as posible

Dos

-Take Villa job whenever offered it (except under special circumstances)

-Take England job whenever offered it (As above)

-Play attacking football whenever possible

Don'ts

-Take jobs I would not take IRL (i.e. Liverpool, Birmingham)

-Manage a club and international team at the same time

Will update with my first job offer soon (It may surprise some of you!)

My First Offer

Hoffenheim

Amazing! Went on holiday and applied for all jobs (I think!) and the only offer I got was at Hoffenheim. Of course I jumped at it, what a brilliant first job for someone with no professional football experience.

Why Babbel got sacked

Table - not a great start for Hoffenheim but could be easily turned around.

Fixtures - Knocked out of the German Cup early by Cottbus (less work for me!) and some disappointing results (except v Dortmund ) and you can see why Markus Babbel got sacked, but it still begs the question, why does the board trust me to turn it around?

The Transfers

Babbel has done some decent business in the window with no real top quality leaving and some good players coming in.

The Squad

A squad decimated by injuries leaves very little to choose from in my forst few games

Goalies - Tim Wiese is obviously first choice and Casteels seems a decent back up with 4 star potential apparently.

Defence - Some good full backs but an aging defence, probably my weakest area with Andreas Beck being my key player. Jannik Vestergaard has a 4 star potential and is one to look out for.

Midfield - I would say my strongest area with Fabian Johnson looking a key player, mainly due to his devastating pace. Kevin Volland my main man for the future with 4.5 star potential.

Forwards - A mixed bag, Eren Derdiyok looks to be my main man here, however Joselu has scored more so far and has generally performed better. Joselu looks good with a 3.5 star potential.

October 2012 - Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

An OK start, but could've done better, to be honest I was lucky to escape with 1 point let alone 4. It's something to build on at least.

Already on the up, but by only 2 places, my aim is to get top half, however my personal aim is to get close to the top 6 i.e. European places.

November/December 2012 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A poor start and a disappointing finish to the period, however a brilliant run throughout November and into December has rocketed me up the league, with 4th place and Champions League football not too far out of reach.

Transfer

Owen Hargreaves

A decent back up signing I thought, bringing him back to Germany, however he is already injured as you can see and that injury occurred 6 minutes into his debut Maybe if when he returns he can avoid injury he can be a good rotation player.

January 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Transfers

Three in, Three out. Using structured deals i managed to stretch Derdiyok's fee as much as possible to bring in more than adequate replacements. Bony is obviously the main signing, I managed to get him before Dortmund swooped in, unfortunately he's at the African Nations Cup so is unavailable for a few weeks, Dyer and N'Zonzi were both listed by request and were snapped up to improve the midfield, plus as a positive they seem to have settled well. I made four signings for the summer in Diovany, Juanfran, Farkas and Bong. Bong and Juanfran are more immediate signings, with Diovany and Farkas being more players for the future but will be adequate back up to my fragile defence. After screenies were taken I sold a player called Sven Schipplock for £825k.

Mid Season Fixtures

A decent period that has kept the players fresh and generated a bit of good form after a shakey end to the first half of the season.

Bundesliga

A good january, but my weak defence was exposed, fortunately my attack flourished. Was 4-0 after 25 minutes against Frankfurt so slightly annoyed when they were pushing for an equaliser toward the end. Dyer has started brilliantly and Joselu is denying Bony an automatic start when he returns.

Just one point behind CL places, hopefully come end of March I would've muscled past Dortmund and Bony will be showing why they should have signed him!

February/March 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

Champions League is slipping away and Europa League is looking more reasonable now, though with Leverkusen in my run in, CL might still be possible.

Home form - Fantastic, Away form - Abysmal. Injuries have hit me hard these two months, maybe a look at my backroom staff and training is needed in the summer, but again my Defence has been woeful, my last clean sheet was in November, if I can sort that out maybe my away form will pick up. I think I may start just looking to not lose away, if i'm hard to beat I can build from there. Five out of my next six or seven are bottom half teams so hopefully a good run can be put together as my injured players are starting to return. One transfer decision this month, Owen Hargreaves will at least leave in the summer if not sooner, came back from injury and 6 minutes off the bench, he got injured for 4 months , not getting much out of him and has just been a waste of wages. Bony an Joselu are both in good form, if they keep it up, it will make up for my leaky defence.

April/May 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

Different months, same ... err, you see where i'm going with this. Home form again good bar Wolfsburg, and away form, atrocious. The season really did end on a whimper. One positive is Bony has really been hitting form, however this also brings a negative, with my board saying I may need to sell players to help the finances, Bony may be one of the first shown the door. When the season officially ends with awards and stuff I will post a proper end of season review.

End of Season Review 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

Fixtures

Final Position: 7th

An OK first season in Germany, away form really let me down when Champions League was with reach. Defence was my major weak point which I will try to remedy in the Summer. November was a highlight with a run of 5 wins, if I can replicate that form this season more regularly, maybe Champions/Europa League will be waiting in the 2014/15 season. My attack dug me out of a lot of holes and I believe with a more stable defence behind them, they can fire me up the league.

Fan's Player of the Season

A big miss whenever injured and popped up with the odd goal too. If he can keep fit this season my job to sure up the defence will be half as difficult. Plus, he's the only Hoffenheim player to make Team of the Year and was 3rd in Defender of the Year.

My PotS 1 My PotS 2

Two Players of the season for me, Wilfried Bony and Alexander Madlung. Bony really made a difference after he joined and despite signing in January he almost got top goalscorer, if I hold onto him he could be the difference between being in Europe and not being in Europe. Madlung despite his age and declining stats was a real rock this year, like Delpierre he was desperately missed when injured and had the highest average rating in the squad, will probably replace him this year, but he will be a great back up.

Next Season's Aims

(in order of importance)

-Improve defending

-Improve backroom staff

-Improve squad depth

-Challenge for Champions League until the end of the season

Across the Continent

Germany

Bundesliga - 1st Wolfsburg, 2nd FC Bayern, 3rd Dortmund

German Cup - Winners Frankfurt, Runners Up Wolfsburg

England

Barclays Premier League - 1st Man Utd, 2nd Man City, 3rd Chelsea

FA Cup - Winners Liverpool, Runners Up Man City

League Cup - Winners Arsenal, Runners Up West Ham

(Villa got relegated )

Spain

Liga BBVA - 1st Real Madrid, 2nd Barcelona, 3rd Atletico Madrid

Copa del Rey - Winners Mallorca, Runners Up Barcelona (5-1 )

France

Ligue 1 - 1st PSG, 2nd Montpellier, 3rd LOSC Lille

Coupe de la Ligue - Winners Marseille, Runners Up PSG

French Cup - Winners Lorient, Runners Up Stade de Reims

Italy

Serie A - 1st Juventus, 2nd Napoli, 3rd Roma

TIM Cup - Winners Juventus, Runners Up Napoli

Holland

Eredivisie - 1st PSV, 2nd AZ, 3rd Heerenveen

Dutch Cup - Winners VVV, Runners Up AZ

Scotland

SPL - 1st St. Mirren, 2nd Celtic, 3rd Hearts

Scottish Cup - Winners Dundee Utd, Runners Up Celtic

League Cup - Winners Inverness, Runners Up Celtic

(Not Celtic's season)

European

Champions League - Winners Man City, Runners Up Man Utd

Europa League - Winners Galatasary, Runners Up Tottenham

Pre-Season 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Transfers

Out

Not many first teamers have left, feel I have got some decent prices for my deadwood. Roberto Firmino is the only player i'm disappointed about leaving, but he a private chat went wrong and I had to prove a point! Since I took this screenie I sold two players; Knowledge Musona (£1.9m) and Alexander Madlung (£950k).

In

Gianluca Londi - £30k - My Head of Youth Development signed this guy and as you can see my Assistant rates him at 4.5 star potential. He has some good attributes and I have high hopes for him.

Marko Marin - Loan - Have been looking out for him since last season as Chelsea tend to list him. A great signing with no costs (except 50% wages), and a future fee of £8.5m. A win-win here as I get a great player for next to nothing who if plays well I can get for a good price and if he doesn't I don't have to sign him.

Oier Olabazal - £475k - My DoF signed him off of Barcelona B. Looks a good back-up and should be more than capable to deputise.

Mateh Delac - Loan - Just like Marin, this is win-win for the exact same reasons. He will likely be 2nd choice to Weise and has an option of £5.75m to buy.

Andre Castro - £350k - My DoF signed him off Porto. Looks a very good player and will probably start, think my DoF has snapped me up a bargain here!

Gary Gardner - £6m - A player for future and signed mainly 'cause I like him in really life, has good potential in game too so it's not a complete waste, will be a good rotational player. Will raise to £7m after 10 international matches, though I doubt he will get that many.

Ciaran Clark - £4.8m - My new starting CB with good all round attributes, from experience he players better than his attributes suggest, should help my shaky defence immensely.

Matheus Diovany - Free - As stated earlier in the thread, he's a player for the future who should be a decent back up. His good technical attributes make up for a lack of physical attributes, but it will be needed to looked at.

Patrick Farkas - Free - A good back up with a lot of potential, if he can put a bit of form together he could force his way into the first team too.

Juanfran - Free - Was signed for the first team but other signings mean he'll probably a back up. He should be more than adequate when needed.

Gaetan Bong - Free - Really pleased with this signing, may lack marking a little but is a very good FB IMO. Should help my defence out too!

Fixtures

A poor start but got some good results in the end. Hopefully I can carry the bit of form into the regular season and I haven't conceded too many goals which is good sign.

Next month will see me face Neunkirchen away in the cup and newly promoted sides 1860 Munchen and Koln in the league, hopefully I will get off to a good start and will begin my challenge for European football.

August 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A fantastic start and top of the league. What's better is no goals conceded, something I've not experienced for a long time! Bony has been on fire, he's really starting to find his feet in the Bundesliga after some hot and cold form last season. The new signings seem to have settled well and i'm playing really well. Two of Bony's goals against 1860 Munchen got 1st and 3rd in Goal of the Month, what a month he's had!

German Cup

Started 9 of my 11 new signings and eased into the 2nd round. A fantastic performance from my defence with Neunkirchen not allowed a single shot. Bony took his goal well and Marin ripped the defence to shreds. I face Furth in the 2nd round in November.

September/October 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A real testing period facing three of last season's top five. Showed real character and fought until the end of every match, and also showed I don't rely too much on Bony, especially with his injury between the Schalke and Nurnberg matches. Andre Castro has been a magnificent singing, so pleased my DoF got him as he's been the engine in my midfield and has an average rating of 7.48 so far. Despite this high avg rating he hasn't been my star player, Mathieu Delpierre has been a rock at the back with an amazing average rating of 7.75, not sure how i'd be playing without him. Another major positive is that i'm unbeaten, however too many of these matches have been draws and FC Bayern are already pulling away at the top, although i'm not expecting a title challenge, i'd like it if Bayern didn't win the league with ease. The next two months I face 6 of the top 9 with Bayern being my last game before the winter break. Nathan Dyer's magnificent goal v Nurnberg won Goal of the Month.

Transfer

Sebastien Corchia - £12.5m - I really like this guy, I unsettled him and got him to request a transfer and left the transfer down to my board, a bit of a big fee however but I personally feel he could be one of the world's best RB's in the future. Unfortunately on his debut he tore his Calf muscle and got injured for 4 months. Hopefully it won't damage his development.

November/December 2013 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A mixed month which saw my unbeaten start come to an end in a disappointing performance at home v HSV. I threw away leads against both Mainz and Gladbach which was frustrating as I could have had 5 extra points going into the new year. Bayern was obviously a massive high and kept them within reaching distance at the top of the table. Some fantastic defensive performances despite the results, forcing most teams to take the majority of shots from outside the box. Considering how tight it is between 2nd-6th it was important that I didn't drop too many points, a title challenge looks to be slowly slipping away but I'm in a great position for a champions league finish. Bony and Delpierre are still in good form and N'Zonzi has been on fire recently and has been a rock in front of the back four. In January I face Koln and 1860 again who are both in the bottom 3, should hopefully be able to get 6 points and maintain my position.

German Cup

No real doubt in either game I wasn't going to progress, I walked through and if I hadn't progressed it would've been solely down to my players unable to capitalise on my chances. HSV at home awaits me in the 4th round in february.

January 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Mid-Season

An OK mid season, with some mediocre results against average teams, but I started to pick up towards the end but with the teams I faced I should have walked through the period.

Bundesliga

A disastrous month only picking up 1 point, and that was against bottom of the table 1860 Munchen! Starting to regret changing my season expectations for a bit extra money, as if my form doesn't pick up, I could be out of a job. My inability to deal with set-pieces and crosses was my downfall with all but one goal coming from a cross or free-kick. No stand out performers this month as most of them were terrible.

Transfers

Immediate

Andrea Bertolacci - £2.3m - A good box to box player with a lot of potential, with well rounded attributes he could fill in for a few positions too.

Future

Ibrahima Mbaye - Free - Great physical attributes, but a bit rough around the edges, with the right training I feel he could become a great.

Slama Ben Yahia - Free - Some really good attributes for a 16 year old but definitely one for the future.

Leo Bonatini - Free - A good little player with heaps of potential, could be a good rotation player with a view to becoming a starter.

Alexander Merkel - Free - A German called Merkel? Wonder if he's any relation ? Either way looks a good player with some decent potential. Like Bonatini could become a first teamer in a few years time.

February/March 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

After a couple of disastrous results and some scarily bad defending, I decided to take a closer look at my tactics before each match and adapt them to suit my opponents. This worked out fantastically, apart from v Dortmund, who were impossible to counter due to immense players and the fact they were in the middle of a 19 game unbeaten run, and v Frankfurt, who's aerial dominance took advantage of my fragile defending at corners. Other than those two results it was an exceptional couple of months that broke me away from 4th place and kept me in touch with the top 2. Bony started to piece together some form again and has smashed the most goals in a season record for Hoffenheim which previously stood at 19 with 24 so far, plus with his 9 from last season he is now 16 goals away from being Hoffenheim's record goalscorer. Dyer has been in fantastic form, ripping full backs to shreds, also his two goals in this period got 2nd and 3rd in Goal of the Month for March.

German Cup

Went out in QF due to a lack of penalty takers in my squad. Was almost through to the last four, but conceded a long range Van Der Vaart effort in 90th minute of normal time. Gutted to say least, I was so close to Hoffenheim's first trophy.

April/May 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A good finish to the season that kept me in the title race until the second last game, although with the gap in goal difference between me and Bayern meant I never really had a chance at the title. Almost denied Bayern the title but they came back from 1-0 to thrash me as they won the title. I should of had an extra two points in this period as i had a goal wrongfully disallowed in the 2nd minute of my match v HSV. My defence has been in fantastic form over the last couple of months with Bong, Delpierre and Clark regularly getting into the team of the week. Disappointed that Marin's recent form hasn't earned him a call up for the World Cup, same with Dyer who was beaten to a call up by Adam Johnson who had a highly mediocre season.

Next season brings Champions League football and I will aim to build up my squad so I can cope with the excess of games. An end of season will review will come soon.

End of Season Review 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

Fixtures 1 - Fixtures 2

Final Position: 3rd

A fantastic season that brings Champions League football to the South German club for the first time in it's history. My final position, 3rd, is the highest finish Hoffenheim have ever achieved, and it could have been higher but a mid-season blip cost me a real title challenge in the end. My defence has improved immensely this season which is the main reason for such a high finish, but it will still need improvement if I want to challenge FC Bayern and Dortmund properly. Hopefully with some new faces I can be competitive in the CL and Bundesliga next season.

German Cup

Performance: QF

A decent run, but finally exited on penalties. HSV had an abundance of top penalty takers, whereas my best penalty taker had 12 for penalties. Should progressed further as HSV equalised in the 90th minute, but lax defending proved my undoing. Hopefully next time out I can get to the semi's at least.

Fan's PotS

Two's years in a row now, and looks as if he can still go for a few more seasons. No injuries this season, meaning he was ever present, which probably has a correlation with my improved defence this season, will probably still start next season, but with more young CB's joining in the summer, he might start getting phased out.

My PotS

My Player of the Season was definitely N'Zonzi, another player who's performance helped keep me strong at the back, and he chipped in with a few assists too. He kept me ticking in midfield and got a magnificent average rating of 7.5, which is hard to achieve as a defensive deep lying playmaker. Attracting attention from Spain with his performances, but hopefully I'll hang on to him.

Top Goalscorer

No surprise this guy ended up top scorer with an amazing 29 goals (27 in the League), he won African Striker of the Year for 2013 and was runner up in the League's Top Goalscorer award, just behind Lewandowski who got 29. Improving all the time, will be a handful in Europe next season.

Most Assists

A fantastic return to Germany for this guy; scored goals, made goals and generally tore full backs to shreds. Desperately trying to keep hold of him for next season, without my attacking three may not have as much bite.

Squad

Didn't rotate much, with only 17 players playing 10 or more matches this season, however with minimal injuries, rotation wasn't needed much. Next season I'm going to try get rid of some deadwood and bolster my squad size/quality ready for a long hard season.

Personal

Decided not to renew my contract, which ends at the end of the coming season, I will see how this season pans out before making a final decision. Villa are floundering in the bottom half of the Championship and may need a savior, which is the main reason I haven't renewed, as I'm looking at trying to get them back to the Prem if the job comes available in the 15/16 season.

Next Season's Aims

-Bolster Squad

-Break Top 2

-Be competitive in the Champions League

-Win German Cup

Across the Continent

Germany

Bundesliga - 1st FC Bayern, 2nd Dortmund, 3rd Hoffenheim

German Cup - Winners Dortmund, Runners Up Leverkusen

England

Barclays Premier League - 1st Man City, 2nd Man Utd, 3rd Arsenal

FA Cup - Winners Newcastle, Runners Up Liverpool

League Cup - Winners Man Utd, Runners Up Blackburn

Spain

Liga BBVA - 1st Real Madrid, 2nd Barcelona, 3rd Granada

Copa del Rey - Winners Mallorca, Runners Up Real Madrid

France

Ligue 1 - 1st PSG, 2nd Lyon, 3rd Marseille

Coupe de la Ligue - Winners LOSC Lille, Runners Up PSG

French Cup - Winners Saint-Etienne, Runners Up LOSC Lille

Italy

Serie A - 1st Juventus, 2nd Roma, 3rd Napoli

TIM Cup - Winners Lazio, Runners Up Roma

Holland

Eredivisie - 1st PSV, 2nd Heerenvenn, 3rd Ajax

Dutch Cup - Winners Ajax, Runners Up AZ

Scotland

SPL - 1st Celtic, 2nd St. Mirren, 3rd Hearts

Scottish Cup - Winners Motherwell, Runners Up Hearts

League Cup - Winners St. Mirren, Runners Up St. Johnstone

European

Champions League - Winners Barcelona, Runners Up Real Madrid

Europa League - Winners Liverpool, Runners Up Ajax

World Cup

Final - Winners Argentina, Runners Up Brazil (5-3 )

Third Place Playoff - Third Paraguay, Fourth Germany

Pre-Season 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Transfers

Out

Much like last season, mainly a clearance of deadwood and players on high wages with limited playing time on the horizon, some good players left such as Wiese, Beck, Vestergaard and Williams, but could not realistically see them being major players this season, and with most of them on high wages, I thought it was best all round for them to move on. This window saw the end of Juanfran's awful stint in Germany, who never managed to break into team and totaled one appearance in all competitions, happy I managed to make a profit on him despite this. Also record appearance holder Salihovic left in this window, he totaled a whopping 213 appearances for Hoffenheim, but sadly no longer fit into my system, so was moved on.

In

Alexander Merkel - Free - A decent midfield player, with the added bonus that he is German. Probably won't start but will be a good back-up, especially with the extra games this season, a useful addition.

Ibrahima Mbaye - Free - A good Full Back with brilliant physical atttributes. Only 19 so has a lot of improving but will be more than able to deputise if needed. Anticipation is a worry but hopefully training can improve this.

Slama Ben Yahia - Free - A very raw winger with good attributes for a 16 year old. Good attributes in the right areas, after a few years with the u19s/23s hopefully he'll be ready for first team action.

Leo Bonatini - Free - A good young striker who looks more than capable to be back-up to Bony. Plus a few years until his peak, so is a perfect replacement for Bony who is just about reaching his.

Sélim Dahmane - £875k - A good looking CB with great attributes, especially determination, and bags of potential too. Also Germany look as if they may snatch a top player from France if he doesn't get a cap in the next 5 years.

Harry Tagliamento - Free - A fantastic 16 year old RB with tonnes of potential. Looks almost ready for first team action already, unfortunately he is too young to play Bundesliga matches, as are Dahmane and Ben Yahia. I'm hoping he ends up playing for Germany, as he would be a French player with an English/Italian name that plays for Germany, just thought that would be amusing.

Ron-Robert Zieler - £8m - A bit steep for a 'keeper but I beleive he's worth it. Excels in areas that Wiese was weak in, so hopefully Zieler will help me tighten up my defence.

Leonel Galeano - £5.5m - With Delpierre getting on a bit I thought I should look to replace him. Galeano will probably be back-up this season, with him slowly being intergrated into the first team. Slightly worried by his lack of pace and jumping, but it's not too severe and could be easily improved.

Jakub Blaszczykowski - £5.75m - Transfer listed at Dortmund, so i snapped him up to replace Marin. Fantastic Physical attributes with a good end product to boot. Unfortunately he's injured at the moment, so won't debut for while now.

Jaime - Loan - On loan from Atletico Madrid as a back-up, originally viewed as replacement for Marin, before I pancked and signed 4 wingers as Marin joined Newcastle. A view to buy for £3m, but I doubt i'll take up the offer.

Erik Lamela - £8.75m - Half Marin replacement, half option to switch tactic. He'll probably be used as a winger this season, but will be moved to a behind the striker role as i develop a new tactic.

Aaron Lennon - Loan - Listed by Man Utd, so brought him in on loan with a view to buy for £7m. Like Jaime, will probably not take this up as I will be starting to look for German players, reason why will soon be explained. A good player but was a bit of a rash buy when i lost out on Marin.

Fixtures

An amazing pre-season winning every single match, should provide some good form for when the actual season starts. With only 3 goals conceded, my defence has improved tenfold, though competitive matches may bring an end to this.

My first round opponents in the German Cup will be non-league side Yesilyurt, and Freiburg and Mainz will be my first two games in the League.

August 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A decent start, dissappointed not to beat Mainz at home, the only game I've not won so far this season . However, I'm in a good position league wise and I'm the only team to not concede. Things are looking good for the coming season. A tough couple of months await with hard games like HSV and Wolfsburg following Champions League matches.

German Cup

Yesilyurt proved no problem, as expected. Again I fielded a side made up almost entirely of new signings, Bonatini especially impressed with 2 good goals and all round work ethic. Newly Promoted Hertha BSC await in the second round at the end of October.

Champions League Preview 2014/15 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Group

A very tough group, just as I expected due to being 4th seed. Hopefully I can progress but my main aim is to at least finish 3rd, and obtain an Europa League place.

Squad

A small squad due to a lack of German players, some good players have been omitted, but hopefully with some rotation in the league, I can cope.

Been given 18-1 odds to win the competition, and with the favourites and 6th favourites in my group (Barcelona and Juventus respectively), they may seem a tad generous.

September/October 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A good month, but just like last season, draws have cost me and I've slipped behind ever so slightly. I'm the only unbeaten side in the league so far which is a massive positive, as is the fact my defence is the best in the league, conceding only 3 goals so far. No player has been particularly outstanding, Bony has scored 9 in 9 games, but I've come to expect that now. Hopefully I can stop drawing and challenge again for that top spot. Champions League is starting to take it's toll, most players are knackered before a game and I'm constantly rotating.

German Cup

As I said above, Champions League is taking it's toll, Played a week after playing away in Barcelona and three days after a tough match against Wolfsburg, my squad needed major rotation. Dahmane and Ben Yahia both made their debut and players such as Bonatini and Diovany made rare appearances. A young squad who's inexperience let them down. They failed to take chances and after a poor first half, I never got back into the match. If sacrificing the German Cup to do well in the CL and League, then I think that is a fair price.

Champions League Group B Part 1 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

A mixed bag but not too unexpected. Against Juve I proved I was no push over coming back from 3-1 down at home, and a tough trip to Russia I took my chances despite getting a red card. Away to Barce is always a tough match, and I was never in the match. Outpossessed and Outplayed, Lamela scored a consolation goal in the 81st minute, but that was all it was. Only 2 points off Qualification, I can still get through, especially if this happens again.

Also this came through my news just two days before my home match v Barcelona, hopefully I can capitalise.

November/December 2014 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

A fantastic month which leaves me as "Herbstmeister" (Autumn-Champion). Defence just fell apart this month, but my attack was fantastic. My Bayern match was insane, which may have something to do with it being in between two CL matches, but I pulled through thanks to a "dodgy" penalty and leapfrogged them at the top. 5 of the 7 goals in that match were crosses to the back post, the two that weren't were Corchia's penalty and Lennon's first that won Goal of the Month. Another fantastic win was v Dortmund, totally controlled the match and showed i was a real threat for the title. Frankfurt was definitely a low moment, but the blow is slightly lessened as it was mid week after my Barce home match and I played a heavily rotated side. In a good position for the second half of the season, but Bayern have a game in hand in 2015 for some reason, so my lead may be reduced to 1 point.

Champions League Group B Part 2 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

FANTASTIC!

So happy I got through, it came down to the last game, a win would've ensured qualification, and that's what I got! Annoyingly, my home draw v Barcelona was not good enough, played them off the park but couldn't score. Almost the exact opposite (but maybe not as severe) as the game at the Nou Camp. Got enough points in the end though thanks to a win in Italy v Juve. Competition favourites Barcelona drop down to the Europa League, making the latter stages slightly easier, slightly!

Knock Out Round

A very tough draw, but hopefully I can get through. Going to have to try get a 0-0, or 1-0 (either way) at Stamford Bridge, and then beat them at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena. Not sure how far I can get, a lot of big names left in. My money's on a Real Madrid v Bayern final.

...Finally

Applied for the job with a view to join at the end of season, when my contract ends. Can't do that for some reason so I'm a bit stuck. From a managerial point of view, they're lower championship, I'm Bundesliga challengers and in the CL Latter stages. From a personal view, they're my club, and I feel I need to save them and get them back to where they belong.

Feel I'll probably stay, job should come up again next season, they've sacked a manager each season thus far.

What do you guys think?

January 2015 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Job Offer

Decided not to take the Villa job, as I thought Title challenge and CL Knockout round was special enough circumstances to turn it down, Almost certain it will be available next season, they've sacked a manager every year so far, will reconsider then.

Mid-Season

A good mid-season break, kept the winning form going, but from considering the opposition faced, I can't read too much into it as none were of significant quality, I should have won all three anyway. Hopefully, now all my players are fit too, I can carry this into the new year and push onto hopefully win Hoffenheim's first title!

Bundesliga

A fantastic return to the League. Home form was great, scored for fun but was a bit more of a task away from home, Mainz were tough but I managed to get through it. Bayern drew twice and won their game in hand, so i am now one more point away from them, and on equal games, hopefully this gap can be maintained and even increased. Bony has returned to his rediculous standard of form, with 6 goals in 3 matches and an Avg Rating of 8.67. N'Zonzi has had another fantastic month also, I'm fairly certain if this was real life, he would be considered one of the best DM's in the world, he performs well above his attributes and his relatively low (I assume) CA would suggest. Next couple of months will be tough, especially with my two Chelsea matches.

February/March 2015 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

February was a poor month that saw me slip behind Bayern, but got back to winning ways in March. Injuries and a lot of tough fixtures including the CL have conspired against me. Hopefully I can turn it around and take the title race to the very end. With Dortmund, Frankfurt and Bayern in my run in, an unbeaten end could see me win the league.

Champions League

A truly unexpected result, and I proved it was quality of possession rather than quantity, with a total of 41% over the two legs. Chelsea gave too much respect to Bony in the first leg, they just didn't mark him properly in the box and he kept losing his marker. The second leg was decided by a magnificent 20 yard free kick by Corchia and a fantastic defensive performance. Another trip to London awaits in the next round, as I face up against Arsenal, who are currently sitting in 3rd (1 place, 5 points ahead of and two games in hand on Chelsea) and are serious competitors for the EPL, it's going to be very tough.

Transfers 2015 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Forgot to mention these in my January review :o

In

Future

Leroy Fer - Free - Although it's likely I will leave Hoffenheim come the end of the season, I thought I'd make signings as if I wasn't, and signed this guy due to his decent attributes and ridiculous versatility. As you can see, he can be utilised in every position except striker, sweeper and goalie, and he looks as if he can play them efficiently too. At 25 he has plenty of years ahead of him and will be a great partner for N'Zonzi.

Mohammed Abu - Free - A DoF signing, but his track record is good so this looks a good signing. Has decent enough attributes to be a back up at least, looks well rounded and seems to have some potential.

Matt Phillips - Free - Another DoF signing, but I know this guy a lot more than Abu. From previous experiences, he's a fantastic winger and will fit perfectly into my system, so providing the new manager has a similar philosophy to me, he'll be a great signing.

Immediate

Paul Schuster - Free - A great young player with plenty of potential, I signed him off of Furth from his youth contract, mainly been signed to bolster the CL squad as he's homegrown in Germany but should be good in the future.

Out

Jakub Blaszczykowski - £7.5m - Sold to Fulham as he requested transfer. Injury hampered his time here and he was rarely fit, and when he was he struggled to get into the first team with Lennon, Dyer, Lamela and Volland playing so well.

Jaime - Loan Terminated - Asked for a loan termination and I agreed. He was like Blaszczykowski, either injured or not able force his way into the team. Was a bit of a panic buy in the summer and was never really going to feature heavily.

April/May 2015 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!!!!! So Close! Took the title race to the last day, but in all honesty, it was won on that night in Munich. Bayern uncharacteristically slipped up a couple of times, only gaining 2 points from the penultimate 3 matches, before beating Wolfsburg 4-0 on the last day. In the same period I drew to Koln, failed to take my opportunity v Bayern, and lost to Gladbach when I went all out attack. Against Dortmund, I conceded an Own-Goal in the 93rd minute, which severely hampered my chase. Despite the disappointing end, we played well throughout the last two months, especially considering the fixtures came thick and fast. Possibly the reason I stuttered towards the end was Bony hardly scored, a surprise which meant plan A was never going to work, and forced me to rely on my wingers and occasionally AMC (when played). Delpierre and Clark were fantastic at the back, which allowed for more freedom going forward.

April/May 2015 - Champions League - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

An exciting tie v Arsenal, but Man Utd were too much in the semi's. Went all out attack against Arsenal, which provided a worrying but phenomenal match, and managed to overturn the deficit. Next was a trip to Manchester, which saw me take the lead through a dubious penalty, and won despite being very much second best. The second leg was a different story, less cagey with much more excitement. Man Utd took the lead early on and were 2-0 up at half time, but a spirited fight back meant Utd never looked comfortable in their lead, but they got the better than me and deserved to be in the final more than me. Juventus would've awaited the in Istanbul (The same stadium Liverpool won in), meaning the winner would've come from my group, and who'd think Barce wouldn't be involved. Alas, my first Champions League awaits elsewhere I feel.

Contract is up in the Summer, and I feel Hoffenheim will struggle to take that last step. I'm Considering leaving and returning to Germany at a later date, what do you guys think?

End of Season Review 2015 - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Bundesliga

Fixtures 1 - Fixtures 2

Final Position: 2nd

A great season despite the disappointment of not winning the league. Once again I achieved Hoffenheim's highest league finish and have retained the Champions League place. An Immense first half of the season made it seem as if I'd run away with it, but slipped up too many times after January. Conceded less goals than games this season, so my defence improved a lot, it seems my tactic is slowly being fine tuned! Europa League is definitely the absolute minimum for Hoffenheim from now on.

German Cup

Performance: 2nd Round

A good start, but a terrible performance at home to Hertha BSC. Not much to say really, disappointed to be knocked out so early, as I aimed to win it, but I think it allowed me to concentrate on the League and CL, so payed off a bit getting knocked out.

Champions League

Performance: SF

A fantastic debut season in the Champions League, disappointed to fall at the second to last hurdle, but couldn't of asked for much more, especially considering the group I had. Was expecting to just give a good account of myself, but did much more. The players were fantastic in every single match and performed magnificently, with a few new faces, this team could win it. Possibly. Maybe.

Fan's PotS

Not too surprising due to his goals, but slightly surprised it wasn't three in a row for Delpierre who had a higher Average Rating. Had a good season though, went missing occasionally, but would've been nowhere near as good without him.

My PotS

A toss up between him and N'Zonzi, but decided to go with Delpierre as he missed out on Fan's PotS, had a higher Average Rating and N'Zonzi wasn't as good as last season. Again a rock at the back, but not quite as vital as previous seasons. Missed a few games through injury and had strong competition from Clark, Galeano and Diovany but still kept first choice CB, despite his age. Still has at least another season in him, not sure how long he's gonna go on for, it could be his late 30's at this rate!

Top Goalscorer

That man again! Got Top Goalscorer for the Bundesliga too! If he'd been firing on all cylinders for the whole season, I can't imagine how many he would've got, or where i would've finished! He fell out of form towards the last couple of months, and to be honest let me down when I most needed his goals, maybe his Important Matches isn't that high? Another fantastic season for him anyway, and will be a struggle to keep him.

Most Assists

Took a while for him to break into the team, but when he did, my oh my! Wouldn't have dreamed of not playing him towards the end of the season, beat players for fun, especially when deployed as a Trequartista. Got a couple of goals too (some important ones!), a fantastic purchase, can't believe Roma let him go.

Squad

Rotated a bit more this season than last, but it was more out of necessity due to the extra matches. Only 19 players played 10 or more games, the overall strength needs bolstering, which is my fault as I didn't buy enough German or homegrown players.

Personal

Unsure whether to renew my contract, I'll be getting an offer off of Hoffenheim soon, delayed my decision earlier in the season. Otherwise, I felt I did well this season, the only major let down was the German Cup, but it was probably for the best.

Next Season's Aims

-Unsure yet, depends where I am

Across the Continent

Germany

Bundesliga - 1st FC Bayern, 2nd Hoffenheim, 3rd Leverkusen

German Cup - Winners FC Bayern, Runners Up Werder Bremen

England

Barclays Premier League - 1st Man City, 2nd Man Utd, 3rd Arsenal

FA Cup - Winners Arsenal, Runners Up QPR

League Cup - Winners Sunderland, Runners Up Liverpool

Spain

Liga BBVA - 1st Real Madrid, 2nd Atletico Madrid, 3rd Barcelona

Copa del Rey - Winners Barcelona, Runners Up Espanyol

France

Ligue 1 - 1st PSG, 2nd Lyon, 3rd Marseille

Coupe de la Ligue - Winners Stade Rennais, Runners Up LOSC Lille

French Cup - Winners PSG, Runners Up Bordeaux

Italy

Serie A - 1st Juventus, 2nd Napoli, 3rd Palermo

TIM Cup - Winners Genoa, Runners Up Napoli

Holland

Eredivisie - 1st Ajax, 2nd Feyenoord, 3rd Roda JC

Dutch Cup - Winners PSV, Runners Up ADO Den Haag

Scotland

SPL - 1st Celtic, 2nd St. Mirren, 3rd Inverness

Scottish Cup - Winners Celtic, Runners Up Hearts

League Cup - Winners Celtic, Runners Up St. Johnstone

European

Champions League - Winners Man Utd, Runners Up Juventus

Europa League - Winners Barcelona, Runners Up Tottenham