FM15: Standard Liege - Passion governed by ratio

Introduction |

Standard Liege, commonly referred to as Standard, are a Belgian football club from the city of Liege. They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won the Belgian league on 10 occasions. They have been in the top flight without interruption since 1921 – longer than any other Belgian side. They have also won 6 Belgian cups, and have reached 1 Europan Cup Winners final – which they lost 2-1 against Barcelona in 1981-82.

Standard play their home games in the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, commonly known as Sclessin. The stadium has a 30.000 capacity and is the biggest in Belgium.

Standard also has a female top club: Standard Fémina de Liege.

Standard players are nicknamed the “Rouches” because of their red jerseys.

Standard is known to have very fiery & passionate fans.

In recent times, fans have been very vocal about their concerns at how the club is being run. Much of the protest, even fullblown riots, were directed at the chairman Roland Duchatelet, a succesful businessman, and the manager Guy Luzon. Duchatelet isn't just the chairman of Standard, he owns several clubs among which Charlton Athletic, Ujpest, Standard, STVV, Alcorcon, Carl Zeiss Jena. He was already looking to sell Standard in 2013 and might still do so now, if the bid is right. A string of poor results combined with fans grievances led to the sacking of Luzon in 2014. This is where you will step in. Can you bring stability back to the club in these troubled times?

The early years |

Standard was founded in 1898 in Liege, as Standard Football Club, by students of the Saint-Servaiscollege. The name was chosen by election. ‘Standard’ won by one vote over ‘Skill’. The name was inspired by the legendary French side Standard Athlétic Club from Paris.

In 1899 the name changed to Standard FC Liégeois. In 1903 Standard played in second division. They finished second and failed to qualify for playoffs to reach the first division (which would later be named Tweede Klasse, the current second tier in Belgium). In 1904/05 Standard did win the league and qualified for playoffs. Sadly without success. The following seasons Standard continued to qualify and the team gained strength. Eventually in 1909 Standard gained promotion to the highest level. In 1910, the name changed to Standard Club Liégeois.

In their first season Standard finished on a lovely th place. The following years however, they often finished around the bottom of the table. In the 1913/14 season they finished the season with a mere 13 points, on a joint last place with AA Gent. A testmatch had to be played to determine which team would be relegated. Standard lost the game 2-0 and was thus relegated. No competitive games were held for the next 5 years due to WO1. The league didn't return until 1919. It took Standard 2 seasons to get promoted to the top flight again. Since this promotion in 1921 Standard wouldn't be relegated again.

First taste of success |

The club was awarded the royal title Royal Standard Club Liege for its 25th anniversary. Standard had established itself as a midtable team by now. The clubs first strong finish came in the 1920s when they finished second, third and second respectively from 1926 to 1928.

The following years proved to be more difficult, but in 1934 another third place was reached. 1936 saw Standard finish as second.

Standard would continue to be a midtable team until after WW2.

The name changed again in 1952, to Royal Standard Club Liegeois. Standard were first crowned champions in 1957/58. From there on out, they remained a top club and won the league title for 5 more times in the 1961 – 1971 decade. This era also brought success in the Belgian cup.

In 1972 the clubs name was changed once more, this time to Royal Standard de Liege. Unfortunately another title wasn’t won in the 1970s. It wasn’t until 1982 that Standard would win its 7th title. 1982 was also a successful year in Europe, Standard made it all the way to the finals. They would lose that final against Barcelona 2-1.

In 1983 Standard won the league again.

Waterschei |

1984 brought a bribery scandal to light, as it appeared Standard had offered bribes to their opponent Waterschei –days before the European final- to win the Belgian league.

Several well-known players were involved in this scandal, among whom Eric Gerets.

Manager Raymond Goethals moved to Portugal in an attempt to avoid prosecution.

Standard lost a lot of their shine because of this affair. They declined both financially and on a sporting level. The following decades brought varying results, making Standard a midtable team again.

The first real success came in 1993, when Standard won the cup against fierce rivals Charleroi.

The d'Onofrio era |

Standard merged with neighbours RFC Seraing in 1996. Then president, André Duchêne looked for new investors and found one in agent Luciano d’Onofrio and his close friend Robert Louis-Dreyfus. Even though d’Onofrio was never part of the official organization chart, nor was he officially an investor, it soon became clear he was the strong man behind the new Standard. His close ties with FC Porto and Olympique Marseille ensured Standard was able to do some favourable transfers that worked in both ways.

Furthermore, he completely renewed the youth setup, under direction of Tomislav Ivic. Eventually this resulted in the Académie Robert Louis-Dreyfus in 2007.

Standard gradually re-established itself as one of Belgiums big 3.

Standard landed an international star in 2004/05: Sergio Conceiçao. He went on to win the Belgian player of the year in 2005.

Ambitions of Standard were once again set high in 2005/06. The club performed well and attracted further strengthening: Jorge Costa, a compatriot and friend of Conceiçao – who was Standard captain at that point.

Anderlecht & Club Brugge didn’t have the best season, thus enabling Standard to stay in the title race. Sadly, Standard still let the title slip due to some poor performances. They only salvaged one point from their last three games.

The following season saw Johan Boskamp taking place in the manager seat.

He noticed the young talent Marouane Fellaini en gave him a chance in the first XI.

A terrible start in the league, only getting 2 points out of 12, Boskamp was fired in august 2006 as was his entire staff. He was replaced by Michel Preud’homme.

Standard reached the Belgian cup final in 2007, but lost against Club Brugge by 1-0.

Preud’homme did bring back the title in 2008 though. The title was secured three days before the end of the league, at home against arch-rivals Anderlecht.

It had been 25 years since their last title.

After celebrating the title, Laszlo Bölöni was appointed as new manager. The new coach immediately scooped a prize, winning the Belgian supercup against Anderlecht with a 3-1 score.

Bölöni also surprised in Europe, by almost qualifying for the Champions League ahead of Liverpool. The home game finished 0-0 (Dante missed a penalty), and at Anfield the game finished 0-0 as well, but Dirk Kuijt scored the winner in extra time.

Standard then had to play a qualification game for the UEFA cup against Everton.

The away game ended in a 2-2 draw, but at home Standard managed a 2-1 victory. The winning goal was scored by Milan Jovanovic.

Standard was seeded in a group with Sevilla, Partizan Belgrado, Sampdoria & Stuttgart. They won the group with 9 points out of 12 thanks to wins against Sevilla (1-0), Partizan (0-1) and Sampdoria (3-0). Standard would face Braga in the next round. The away game was lost 3-0 with Defour picking up an injury in the first half. That was a major turning point in the game for Standard. The return game was played in a sold-out Sclessin, but ended in a 1-1 draw.

Standard finished on a joint first place with Anderlecht in the 2008/09 season. Two testmatches were needed to determine the champion.

The first game was played at Anderlecht and finished 1-1. The return was won 1-0 at Sclessin. Standard thus snatched a dramatic title and qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the first time.

Standard won the supercup in 2009 thanks to a 2-0 victory over Racing Genk.

Standard was drawn in a Champions League group with Arsenal, AZ & Olympiakos. The first game against Arsenal was lost 2-3 in spite of Standard taking a 2-0 lead.

They drew their game against AZ 1-1 and lost at Olympiakos with 2-1. At Arsenal Standard lost 2-0. The last game would decide it all for Standard.

That game had a historical ending though. Standard fell behind 0-1, but in extra time goalkeeper Sinan Bolat rushed up for a free kick and scored a dramatic header. Thanks to that goal they still clinched qualification for the next round, albeit the UEFA cup. They drew Red Bull Salzburg, against whom they won 3-2 at home, and played 0-0 away. For the 1/8th finals they drew Panathinaikos. Standard won the away game 1-3 and won the home game 1-0. In the quarter finals, Standard faced Hamburger SV. Both games were lost, respectively with 2-1 and 1-3.

2010/11 was a difficult season for Standard. They only just qualified for the playoffs.

In those playoffs though, they won most games – allowing them to push up to second place. The final game was against the leaders, Genk. Both clubs had the same amount of points, but thanks to a better result in the regular competition, Genk only needed a draw to win the title.

Standard took the lead, but Genk still managed an equaliser in the second half.

The Duchatelet era |

Roland Duchatelet has taken over the club as of 23 june 2011. At that time he was also chairman of Sint-Truidense VV. He paid around 40 million for Standard.

The first season of Duchatelets reign was marked by the departure of a number of fan favourites. Steven Defour, Axel Witsel, Eliaquim Mangala & Mehdi Carcela all left the club.

Ron Jans was appointed as new manager in 2012/13, but was replaced after just a few games by Mircea Rednic.

The new Standard consisted of a mixture of experienced players such as Jelle Van Damme, Laurent Ciman and talented youngsters such as Imoh Ezekiel, Michy Batshuayi & William Vainqueur.

Meanwhile though, fans are very critical of the clubs transfer policy.

The next season is a good one for Standard under new manager Guy Luzon. All first 9 games were won. Standard would continue to play above expectations for the entire season & went into playoff 1 as leaders. The playoffs went dramatic for Standard as they only got 8 points out of 30, thus allowing Anderlecht to become champions.

Club information |

• Club overview
  
• Meeting Duchatelet
  
• Season expectations
  
• Affiliated clubs
  

Facilities |

Fan tifo

Squad analysis|

Goalkeepers

GK – Eiji Kawashima – 1 – Japans current number 1 joined us in 2012 from Lierse in an attempt to replace the then injured Sinan Bolat. Eiji has been first choice since. He is also regarded an interesting purchase from a marketing point of view, given his popularity in Japan.

Report

GK – Yohann Thuram – 16 – Cousin to Lilian Thuram, Yohann joined Standard in 2013 on a 4 year deal. Competing with Kawashima for first choice, he hasn’t had much games at Standard. He joined Charlton on loan.

Report

Analysis: Kawashima is an able goalkeeper that shouldn't let you down often. In my first season he made goalkeeper of the year. Thuram is an ok backup, but you might want to look out for better options over time.

I've also noticed Hubert complaining about first team football, in spite of being in the u21 squad. Bringing in a new goalie isn't urgent, but I wouldn't pass up on the opportunity should it arise.

Defense

LB – Jelle Van Damme – 37 – Ex-Anderlecht player, our skipper joined Standard after a spell at Wolverhampton in 2011. Arguably the key man at the back, he can play a number of positions ranging from leftback, centre half to holding midfielder. Jelle also makes the national team on occasion. Fun fact: has the strongest physical attributes in Fifa 15.

Report

LB – Jorge Andrade – 2 – The Colombian leftback signed for Ujpest in 2014. Ujpest being owned by Roland Duchatelet, Andrade went on to joining Standard on a seasonlong loan deal.

Report

CB – Jorge Teixeira – 5 – One of the new signings of 2014, Jorge joined from Zurich after a loan spell at Siena. He’s a left footed centre half.

Report

CB – Dino Arslanagic – 36 – Initially formed at Mouscron and Lille, he joined Standard in 2011 where he signed his first professional deal. Became a starter after the departure of Kanu. Featured for Belgiums youth teams.

Report

RB – Martin Milec – 66 – Another new signing, Martin joined Standard in 2014 after making his senior debut for Slovenia. Preferring a role as right back, he can also be deployed in midfield. Was elected young player of the year 2013/2014 in Slovenia playing for Maribor.

Report

RB – Ronnie Stam – 8 – The dutch rightback joined in 2013.

Report

CB/RB –Laurent Ciman – 6 – Formed at Charleroi, Laurent joined Club Brugge in 2008. After a successful loan spell at Kortrijk he made the switch to Standard in 2010. He can play at rightback and centre half alike. He regularly makes the national team selection, although he doesn’t always feature.

He was the only Belgian fieldplayer in the selection that didn’t get any minutes in the World Cup in Brazil. In spite of indicating he wanted to leave Standard, he renewed his contract in 2013. He penned a 4 year deal.

Report

Analysis: Which ever tactic you use, you have decent options at the back. Some versatile players that can play a range of positions here. If like me, you play 3 at the back though, you might want to bring in an extra centre half to add some depth. I went for the transfer free Oguchi Onyewu, who's been at Standard before and is loved by the fans.

Youth prospect: Achraf Achaoui - report - some of you that remember the FM14 thread may remember I mentionned him before. He has the ability to become a very decent left back. If you don't extend Andrade's loan at the end of the season, you could try to give Achaoui a chance.

Midfield

DM – Ricardo Faty – 4 – A new signing, Ricardo is the younger brother of Jacques Faty. Previously played for Strasbourg, Roma, Leverkusen, Nantes, Aris Saloniki, Ajaccio. Played for the youth teams of France, buy chose to represent Senegal as a senior.

Report

DM – Eyong Enoh – 21 – Another new signing, the Cameroon international joined from Antalyaspor. He couldn’t play immediately since Antalyaspor refused to release him. He had only just signed a permanent deal, after joining on loan (from Ajax). He had a clause in his contract though, making him a free agent upon relegation. It wasn’t until October 2014 that FIFA permitted the transfer to Standard. He made his debut against Club Brugge & got sent off with a straight red after a mere 11 minutes.

Report

CM – Adrien Trébel – 23 – Joined Standard on a free transfer in 2014 having previously played for Nantes.

Report

AM/RW – Jonathan Viera – 11 – Signed for Standard on transfer deadline day from Valencia. Regarded by your in-game staff as one of the most influential players. Was once dubbed the new David Silva. Burdened by the comparison, he hasn’t quite managed to live up to that just yet.

Report

AM – Jeff Louis – 25 – The Haitian international signed for Standard in 2014. Has been elected UNFP best player twice in the Ligue 2.

Report

AM – Julien De Sart -15 – Son of former director of football Jean-François De Sart. Youth product of Standard. Jelle Van Damme compared Julien to Xabi Alonso, though that might be stretching it. Is a u21 international for Belgium.

Report

AMRLC – Mehdi Carcela – 33 – A youth product of the Standard Academy, Mehdi was part of the good generation. Initially playing for us from 2008-2011 he left for Anzhi in 2011.

Financial difficulties at Anzhi made it possible for Standard to bring the pacey winger back to Liege in 2013 much to the delight of many a fan. Played for Belgiums youth teams, but chose to represent Morocco as a senior.

Report

M/AM LC – Paul-José ‘Polo’ Mpoku – 40 – Another youth product of the Academy, Polo left for Spurs in 2008. After a loan spell at Leyton Orient, he rejoined Standard in 2011. One of the most influential players currently at Standard, Polo can decide matches at any given time with a flash of brilliance. Youth international for Belgium.

Report

AMRLC – Geoffrey Mujangi Bia – 63 – Originally formed at Anderlecht & Charleroi, Geoffrey joined Standard in 2011. Cousin of Genk striker Ilombe Mboyo. Chose to represent Belgium instead of Congo.

Report

M/AMC – Astrit Ajdarevic – 42 – joined in 2012, but failed to make much of an impact at Standard. Joined Charlton on loan.

Report

Analysis: You have a fairly versatile group, but depending on the system you intend to play, an extra central midfielder might be welcome. Your scouts recommend Benoit Cheyrou, but it remains to be seen if you'll be able to afford his wages. His report. Key men are, or should be, Mpoku & Viera. Again, depending on the system you play. You have a set of wingers as well as central defensive/offensive midfielders, so it's very much up to you how you decide to shape your team. More on that in the tactics section.

Attackers

S – Vinícius Araújo – 9 – Joined Standard on a loan from Valencia in 2014. Scored 1 goal in 2 games so far.

Report

S/AMC – Igor De Camargo – 10 – Born in Brazil, Igor first arrived in Belgium at Genk in 2000. He went on to play for Brussels in 2005 and joined Standard in 2006. He would stay for four years before leaving for Monchengladbach. He then moved to Hoffenheim, before finally returning to Standard in 2013. De Camargo has adopted the Belgian nationality and chose to represent Belgium instead of Brazil.

Report

S – Anthony ‘Tony’ Watt – 32 – The former Celtic striker gained fame by scoring in his Champions League debut against Barcelona in 2012. Was loaned out to Lierse in 2013 where he often clashed with manager Stanley Menzo. Joined Standard in 2014. Scotland u21 international, scored 5 goals in 7 appearances so far.

Report

S – Yuji Ono – 14 – Joined in 2013

Report

Analysis: This area could use some improving, you don't have a very prolific striker. If you use a tactic with a target man, or intend to swing in a lot of crosses you have a strong aerial threat in De Camargo. Tbf I'd thought Watt would get a higher speed attribute, but he 'only' has 14. All fairly average strikers imo.

Youth prospect: Nany Dimata - report

Where can we improve?

You have a strong squad at your disposal, with good passing and first touches - but you could do with some better decision making, work rate & leadership.

It's also a fairly agressive side, so take that into account when deciding your approach.

Tactics |

The 3-1-2-1-2-1

The what? Is it a 5-4-1? A 3-5-2? A 3-4-3?

The beauty of this formation is that it can be all of the above. It's a very versatile formation, originally copied from Cleons twitter feed and tweaked a bit.

This is the formation that I've personally used for the entire first season. It took a bit a few games for the team to become familiar with the setup, but once tactical familiarity was out of the way, I actually dominated the league and eventually won the title. The only downside of this is that you don't use wingers. Not a downside per se, but I wasn't able to field Carcela because of this tactic, which in turn led to him being unsettled and leaving.

Here's how it's set up

GK - Kawashima

DCd - I like having a left footed centre half at left, so I went with Teixeira

DCd - Arslanagic

DCd - Ciman, for the same reason as Teixeira

CWBa - The wing backs are a vital part of this setup, I've opted to go with two complete wingbacks on attack duty: Van Damme

CWBa - Milec. I prefer him over Stam

HBd - The half back will provide cover, which will be needed when the wing backs all dart forward. Faty

CMs - A pretty generic support role here: Trébel

AMa - The attacking midfielder on attack duty here will often operate as your second striker. Mpoku

APs - The advanced playmaker will drop a little and try to set up moves. Viera

AFa - Went for De Camargo here because of the aerial threat he poses.

The 4-2-3-1

I haven't actually used this formation, but I've set it up to demonstrate the options you have.

The 4-5-1/ 4-3-3

As above

End of season update |

Belgian Pro League

The table

At the end of the regular competition we had a fairly comfortable 6 point lead. The infamous playoff rule would divide that lead in 2 though, still giving us a 3 point headstart.

We've been very dominant in our first season, winning all major games (4-0 against Genk, 4-1 against Anderlecht, ..)

I thought it would've been much harder in our first year together, but I've been pleasantly surprised.

Anderlecht - Standard

Playoff table

The playoffs were a different story though. Facing all the top 6 teams every game is always going to be exciting, and the nerves got to my players in the end.

We went on a staggering 5 games without winning streak. As if written by Hitchcock, the final day would decide the title, with us facing the number 2 Anderlecht who had equal points. We needed a draw at least to be crowned champions, but remember - we'd been in terrible form. Defour -of all people, it just had to be him- scored a penalty against us after just 5 minutes. I knew this was going to be a tough game and felt the title slipping through our fingers. In spite of some chances for both teams, the first half finished 1-0.

I demanded much more from my players at half time and the kids looked inspired. Or so I thought. When Mitrovic found the back of the net in minute 46, I thought the game was over. I asked to push up higher and press a lot more, but thought it to be in vain. Until Polo Mpoku fired a rocket at goal, which Proto could only push into his own net.

We missed some more chances after that, but finally, in the 93rd minute of the game Viera scored and secured our title.

It says something about the playoffs when we've been such comfortable leaders for an entire season, but only managed to be crowned champions in the very last minute of the very last game.

Worth noting: We received a takeover bid at the end of the season. The new owner injected 10m in the club but heavily considered replacing me. Thankfully after a few weeks the news item appeared that the board had decided to keep me in charge thanks to my popularity. I take it winning the double in my first season in charge had something to do with that.

Europa League

Group K

We failed to qualify for the Champions League, but did make it to the group stage of the Uefa Cup.

We were seeded in a group with Villareal, Saint-Etienne and Chornomorets. I didn't have high hopes of getting out of this group, I figured Villareal and Saint-Etienne would battle it out for the first two spots.

Wrong though, Villareal even finished bottom.

First knockout round

For the next round we drew Napoli, who sadly proved too much to handle. I say too much to handle, but where we lost our first leg 2-3 at home, we were actually the better side and took the lead twice. Two very unfortunate own goals and a late winner from Dries Mertens robbed us from an unexpected victory. We played well in the return game, but that finished in a 1-1 draw.

Better luck next year.

Belgian Cup

Cup tree

The Belgian cup was a success this year, though in all fairness we avoided the stronger sides.

Victories against newly promoted Mouscron Peruwelz, midtable WaaslandBeveren and rivals Charleroi secured us a place in the final. We faced a strong KV Mechelen, but grabbed a 0-1 win and celebrated the double!

Awards

Goalkeeper of the year

Best player of the year (golden boot)

Young player of the year

Topscorer

Highest average rating

The manager of the year award went to me. Shame for Tony, came close to a few awards there.

Transfers

Transfers in/out

Tbf, I still had to get used to the new transfer system and was a bit overwhelmed by it. Haven't made any transfers, apart from signing the free agent Onyewu, to add some depth to our defensive ranks.

Looking ahead

With Andrades loan finishing, I chose to bring in a new left back. I'd prefer someone who could also play out right though, Milec was terribly injured at the end of last season - he broke his leg and faced 6 months of recovery. The backup right wing back, Stam, is someone that won't play again for me. He'd picked up a lot of red cards, so I fined him a weeks wage when he got sent off -again- in full title race. Sadly he was sent off with two yellows and the penalty system only allows you to issue a warning for that.

Sure enough, he got upset and managed to unsettle the entire dressing room.

Long story short, I want a new right wing back.

I'll be promoting Achaoui from the u21, but I'll also bring in Fabio Daprela from Palermo. Van Damme will most likely move to centre half, as he's lacking the pace to be out left atm.

I only have to add my seasonal progress now, feel free to post away gents.

surprised that tony watt isnt rated a bit higher.

i bought achaoui for my celtic team as a backup. cost me £1.2m, but looks like he could be a very good LB in time (2 assists on his debut!)

de sart looks very promising so may have a closer look at him for celtic

surprised that tony watt isnt rated a bit higher.

i bought achaoui for my celtic team as a backup. cost me £1.2m, but looks like he could be a very good LB in time (2 assists on his debut!)

de sart looks very promising so may have a closer look at him for celtic

Surprised me as well, I originally wanted to play with a striker partnership of him and De Camargo. That's until I looked at his attributes

Achaoui has everything to make it as a very good LB, but I'm curious to see how he'll fare in a more difficult league. Quite well apparently if he got 2 assists on his debut

De Sart really isn't bad, but there's so many options on his position.. He barely played any games for me in the first season tbf.

Will be doing Belgium at some point for sure, so going to be reading this!

With regards to having an aggressive team, I was wondering about that the other day - any thoughts around how to make the most of this?

Tbf I've always wondered if aggression is regarded as a positive or negative attribute.

Over the first season I've gotten quite a few yellow & red cards, but I'm unsure whether that's mostly down to my approach, to the teams aggression, or a combination of both. Probably the latter.

I've always thought it had to do with willingness to close down opponents and harass them for the ball, but I'm not 100% about this by any stretch. Aggressive players also seem to have a higher tendency to hack down people and recieve red cards, so I guess it can be seen as both a good and bad attribute depending on how you manage to make use of it tactically.

That's just my impression though.

End of season update added

Gentlemen, please give Nany Dimata a chance

He only came on in the second half as well. Just a preseason friendly against minnows but still

Wtf! That's not possible : /

Preseason 2015/16 |

Whereas the board simply expected a respectable finish last year, this year the new chairman is clearly more ambitious and demands we win the title.

To do so, he allocated me a transfer budget of 14m €.

We're also in the champions league this year, so I figured I'd look to strengthen the squad. Here's who I brought in so far:

Temporary overview

• Mikel Arteta : Snapped up on a free, never thought he'd want to sign for us. Thrilled that he did
  
• Kyle Naughton : I released Stam as he was unsettling the entire dressing room, and Milec is still injured, so a very welcome new right back. Signed for 2.3m
  
• Sergi Roberto : Transfer listed by Barcelona, I didn't hesitate to bring this guy in. Absolutely delighted with this signing, he'll become our first choice CM ahead of Trébel. Signed for 2.3m
  
• Fabio Daprela : Since Andrades loan finished and I don't want to put all the pressure on Achaouis shoulders, brought this guy in. Achaoui will be his regular sub and get some cup games. Bought for 2.4m
  
• Kasmi : brought in by my DoF, looks like he could become decent
  
• Tariq : I sold Jeff Louis to Brugge and let De Sart leave on loan, so I could use an extra AMc. Brought in on loan from Milan
  

And then my chairman comes through. I'm loving this new guy already (eat that, Duchatelet ):

great transfers!! will win a title again

great transfers!! will win a title again

Cheers! I thought so too, but i've been struggling to make them tick at the start of the season tbf. Too many new first team players I reckon. Turned things around though, currently in January and in second place, 7ish points behind Club Brugge.

Champions league was very bitter, we got into a group with Bayern, Man Utd & Olympiakos. Somehow we got 9 points, including a 1-0 against Bayern but we still finished third. A draw on the final day away at United would've meant second place, but it wasn't to be and we lost 2-1. Damn you, RvP.

Will add an update soon

Nice results. Will start my Standard game when final game comes out.

Nice results. Will start my Standard game when final game comes out.

Thanks. Be sure to keep us updated on your progress. Always good to see how others are getting along

Never started a save in the Belgian league before. Might actually be a challenge with this team. Hmm...

Give it a try, it's a league that stays exciting til the last day. Something I maybe forgot to emphasise is that standard have an excellent youth setup, so you have a good chance of getting some great youngsters coming through. I'll include a section on newgens on the next update.

Give it a try, it's a league that stays exciting til the last day. Something I maybe forgot to emphasise is that standard have an excellent youth setup, so you have a good chance of getting some great youngsters coming through. I'll include a section on newgens on the next update.

Wish I can but my ManU save is making progress. Maybe as Plan B??

Quite surprised to see Anderlecht struggled badly

Loving the OP, LilSaint

Quite surprised to see Anderlecht struggled badly

Loving the OP, LilSaint

Thanks! Yeah Anderlecht were in terrible form, they were even lucky to get 4th place. They were a lot stronger in the playoffs though.

In my second season around it seems to be the same story, they were midtable for a long time, but now -end of february- they're third again. Surprised me as well, i thought they'd be the strongest team in the league.

As a Standard fan though, it was incredibly sweet to win the league at their ground

Preseason 2015/16 |

Whereas the board simply expected a respectable finish last year, this year the new chairman is clearly more ambitious and demands we win the title.

To do so, he allocated me a transfer budget of 14m €.

We're also in the champions league this year, so I figured I'd look to strengthen the squad. Here's who I brought in so far:

Temporary overview

• Mikel Arteta : Snapped up on a free, never thought he'd want to sign for us. Thrilled that he did
  
• Kyle Naughton : I released Stam as he was unsettling the entire dressing room, and Milec is still injured, so a very welcome new right back. Signed for 2.3m
  
• Sergi Roberto : Transfer listed by Barcelona, I didn't hesitate to bring this guy in. Absolutely delighted with this signing, he'll become our first choice CM ahead of Trébel. Signed for 2.3m
  
• Fabio Daprela : Since Andrades loan finished and I don't want to put all the pressure on Achaouis shoulders, brought this guy in. Achaoui will be his regular sub and get some cup games. Bought for 2.4m
  
• Kasmi : brought in by my DoF, looks like he could become decent
  
• Tariq : I sold Jeff Louis to Brugge and let De Sart leave on loan, so I could use an extra AMc. Brought in on loan from Milan
  

And then my chairman comes through. I'm loving this new guy already (eat that, Duchatelet ):

You have a player on 74k euro a week in Belgium, that is just crazy, that will never happen irl in a million years

Probably not, but I wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity of signing him. Plenty of things happen in FM that would never happen irl tbf, that's part of the appeal.

What would the odds be on Arteta leaving Arsenal on a free transfer? Let alone joining any team in Belgium?

Probably not, but I wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity of signing him. Plenty of things happen in FM that would never happen irl tbf, that's part of the appeal.

Hopefully the game will stop the option for a team from Belgium to be able to offer such wages, at some point

What was/is the highest wages that you are/were able to offer a player?

When signing Sergi Roberto, 74k was the highest. He wanted more, mind. Had to add some extra clauses.

I don't see why a team from Belgium could never offer those wages though, we were just taken over by a new chairman. Isn't that pretty much what happened with Russian/Qatari leagues? Tbf though, I never expected he or Arteta would want to join us.

Daprela has been so sweet for me in both Grasshoppers and Feyenoord saves on FM14. Looks equally good this year!

How's the market in Belgium these days? Any good transfer objects from the start of the game? Not talking about the big expensive talents(pretty sure I'm familiar with most/all of these), but more of the very good value for money type deals. I remember Hans Vanaken being pretty handy last year, until a new patch upped his value to like £5M that is : S

Very good progress you're making! Inspiring me to start in Belgium next.

Daprela has been so sweet for me in both Grasshoppers and Feyenoord saves on FM14. Looks equally good this year!

How's the market in Belgium these days? Any good transfer objects from the start of the game? Not talking about the big expensive talents(pretty sure I'm familiar with most/all of these), but more of the very good value for money type deals. I remember Hans Vanaken being pretty handy last year, until a new patch upped his value to like £5M that is : S

Very good progress you're making! Inspiring me to start in Belgium next.

Cheers! Daprela is putting in some stellar performances indeed, assisting many goals. I'll try to remember including some of his stats in the end of season update.

Unsure about good-value transfers you can make right away, i really was a bit overwhelmed at first by the new scouting system. Start of season 2 you can do some great deals for sure though. Yeah I remember picking up Vanaken in FM14 as well, but he's too expensive in FM15. Lokeren have a number of good players, but their values have all gone up. Tielemans is harder to lure away from Anderlecht as well.

You could check some of Chelseas loan army, I just snapped up Thorgan Hazard on a free transfer.

End of season 2015/16 update |

Belgian Pro League

The Table

Brugge have been the best team so far, we've struggled in the beginning of the season but managed to turn things around and still clinch second place going into the playoffs.

Playoff 1 table

That's actually the table 1 game before the last. We were crowned champions away at Anderlecht for the second consecutive year.

Last game against Genk finished 5-1, with 2 goals from Dimata.

I've changed our tactics a little: this is what we shape up as these days.

Champions League

Group stage

We got seeded in a group with Bayern, Manchester United & Olympiakos. I wasn't expecting much out of this, but somehow we did get 9 points.

6/6 against Olympiakos and one magical 1-0 win against Bayern. We could've finished second if we'd salvage a draw away at United the last game.

Hopes were high when it was 1-1, but RvP scoring his second goal shattered our dreams.

Bayern game

Tony Watt really seems to live for these kind of games.

Europa League

For the next round we drew Roma, so once again I thought our European adventure would stop here. I really should grow some more confidence in the team cause we thumped them 1-4 at the Olimpico. The return game finished 2-2 and took us to the next round.

We met another Italian side there in Milan. They proved to be too much for us though, 2 defeats by 1-0 sent us home.

First knockout round

Roma away game

Second knockout round

Belgian Cup

We made it to the finals again, facing the inevitable Anderlecht.

A sweet 2-0 with goals from Sergi Roberto & Dimata secured the silverware. Two consecutive years winning the double, delighted.

Cup final

Belgian Super Cup

We lost the Super Cup to Anderlecht on a frustrating night. We didn't create enough in this closed game and didn't put away the chances we did create.

Anderlecht didn't create much either, but somehow they did score.

Super Cup

Awards

tba

Transfers

Transfer overview

Mentionned most of these in preseason already, had to dish out some hefty wages to get some of them but all in all very pleased with their signings.

• Simone Scuffet : I'd been looking for a replacement for Kawashima and really wanted this guy. Can easily be our goalie for the next 10 years.
  
• Ezequiel Cirigliano : Someone I'd signed in previous FMs, noticed he was available on a free transfer & went for it.
  

How did the new boys do?

Scuffet - Stats - Report

Has been very reliable, kept us in games when we needed him to

Cirigliano - Stats - Report

Rotated him a bit with Faty, I've signed him to try and play a more possession based game and he's done well in that respect.

Daprela - Stats - Report

What can I say, he's been absolutely brilliant.

Arteta - Stats - Report

Hasn't been as integral a part of the team as I'd anticipated, but played well when he did make the team. Rotated with Trebel.

Sergi Roberto - Stats - Report

High wages for the kid, but he's justified them by scoring some important goals in big games. He's wanted by a number of big clubs ranging from Man City, Roma to Juventus. He wants to go to City so I'll probably sell him sadly. Will free up some wage budget though.

Naughton - Stats - Report

Brought in to be our first pick, but our backroom staff actually prefer Milec over Kyle. Rotated the two all season. Filled in at leftback on occasion as well.

Dimata - Report

Not a new signing, but our youth starlet that I intended to launch this season. He's been held back a bit by an injury sadly.

Played well though, the kid really finds the back of the net easily.

Academy

An overview of some bright prospects that came through our youth ranks these past 2 years.

• Ewan Maitre
  
• Ryan Barthes
  
• Manus Lefevre
  
• Patryk Kusiak
  

Well. Had a bit of a falling out with some players in the off season.

Sergi Roberto wanted a move to Man City, I then told him I'd prefer keeping him. He still wanted to leave so I actively tried selling him. Swansea came in with an offer that met our asking price, so I sanctionned his move to the BPL. Sergi was happy, and so was the rest of the team. They'd been moaning I should allow him to move on.

All was well, or so I thought. The very next day 6 players are unhappy because Sergi left, saying I weakened the team.

The very same guys that were moaning I should let him leave, fgs. Somehow I tell them sorry, instead of mouthing off to them like I'd want to. 3 players turn around and apologise, 3 others remain unhappy.

So I decided to sell them. Ungrateful little buggers Sadly, they were Viera, Mpoku and Watt. The good news is I resp. got 14m, 14m & 5m for them. I'd also already signed Thorgan Hazard on a free transfer from Chelsea so the AMC position is filled. I'll promote some youngsters and give them a chance next season. Rebuilding the squad a bit, perhaps not a bad thing either as we were beginning to have too many players anyway.

Other thing worth mentionning: I need an extra centre half. When contract expiry day came to pass, I checked for players released by big clubs and was shocked that Bayern released Jan Kirchhoff. Initially he didn't want to sign, but I tried having a conversation with him and apparantly I could convince him to listen to an offer. Sadly he wanted more than we could offer. Honestly gutted

Karim Rekik is also available for free, offered him a contract (along with a number of other clubs) and hope he'll pen a deal with us.