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*** If opportunity DOESN'T knock... build a door! *** [FM16]


iacovone

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HELLOOOOO!!! It's me, iacovone! He of FM11 career thread 'fame' [If there's a fork in the road...take it] and FM12 infamy [He Who Does Not Travel Does Not Know The Value Of Men]

Anyway enough of that trumpet blowing...I'm here, I'm fresh, rejuvenated and ready to enjoy life like never before on FM16.

So last year I played a one-club save actually not on these forums (took a bit of a break, been working on youtube videos) for the entire year and it was great BUT I really fancy going on a strange and wonderful nomadic career again. So here I am.

League Setup (85,000 approximately):

Screen%20Shot%202015-11-20%20at%2020.39.09_zpsyogqf1ql.png

Why those leagues? Well I wanted it to be a big playable game world and wanted new experiences so I loaded every league I've NEVER managed in on FM (to the best of my knowledge!).

That's about it. I'm gonna fire it up, stick the kettle on and start applying to whatever jobs are available. Hope to see you in here, cheers all :)

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The BIG interview:

What's the plan?

- Travel!

Ok but be more precise...

- Ok fine. So I wanna move nation to nation rather than up the ladder in one country. So yes I might have fun in one place but it's unlikely I'll be looking to stay in a country for a decade or longer for example. That said, if I feel comfortable I will stay and build.

What's your name?

- Krassimir Rankov. The Bulgarian man, myth and occasional legend.

Background?

- I've travelled boy. Many countries, many clubs, I've been around the world and got the passport stamps to prove it.

Any tactical plans?

- Absolutely not. My usual method of getting 'good' at FM is to learn on the job. I read articles and browse the forum but more often than not it's trial and error. And yes, that usually means LOTS of fails along the way. Or it will if my last career efforts are much to go by.

What's your footballing outlook?

- Much like a slug actually. It's all about gradual slithery steps, making incremental changes here and there, nothing drastic and taking opportunities where possible. If I get a job offer that pays better than what I'm on I'll seriously consider it. Loyalty is an overvalued word in football.

Any particular clubs you REALLY want to manage?

- Well given the more popular leagues aren't loaded, here's a list of places I'd like to see at some stage: Club America, Sparta Prague, Brondby, Marseille, Rosenberg, Steaua Bucharest, Helsingborg, Red Star Belgrade, Colo Colo, Millonarios... And then there are a number of leagues I don't I'll end up in (but who knows) such as most of the Asian nations.

Shall we?

- Yes we shall.

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this likely to be on Youtube or just a thread on here? Will follow either way but did quite enjoy your Villarreal save on there. Actually editing in your Big Euro Challenge side into PES was most impressive too - true dedication that!

Hey Paul! Good to see you about mate, thanks for the kind words! I haven't decided whether or not to convert it to Youtube as well. It might be quite fun but I'm just worried about how interesting it'll be in video form - do you watch any other FM saves on Youtube?

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Ha, I remember you as well. Will be following this, good luck.

I know this is meant to be all the leagues you've never played in, but I think you might end up missing at least one of Spain, England, Italy and Germany as options at a later stage when you reach the top of your career. Although, they can always be added in if needed. :)

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200px-Alki.png

To Cyprus!



Screen%20Shot%202015-11-20%20at%2021.11.22_zps3a3bprau.png

So after applying for quite a few available jobs, the only interest in this little known Bulgarian manager was from Alki Lanarkas, a third division side from Cyprus. I was always going to take the first job offered to me so this was a no-brainer. Here are the details:

Screen%20Shot%202015-11-20%20at%2021.10.35_zpswrjnympm.png

So it's a one-year deal on a pitiful wage at a club situated on the south coast of the island. Larnaca is actually the third biggest city in Cyprus, so the potential is there and comes as an added bonus. Apparently the palm tree lined streets is a real tourist attraction.

Screen%20Shot%202015-11-20%20at%2021.48.01_zpswetkqrkc.png

Not much success to speak of, although the above screenshot is wrong - we've won the second division on four occasions according to their wikipedia page, as well as losing five Cypriot cup finals. Oh and our nickname is the Immortals, so I'll take that. Anyway, we're short on players and staff so there's some serious work to be done. That's my next task and I'll be checking in on here as and when I have important news! Speak soon hombres, and wish me luck!

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Hey Paul! Good to see you about mate, thanks for the kind words! I haven't decided whether or not to convert it to Youtube as well. It might be quite fun but I'm just worried about how interesting it'll be in video form - do you watch any other FM saves on Youtube?

tbf I don't really actively follow the FM/FIFA/PES communities on Youtube anymore - used to be subscribed to a fair few of them 4/5 years ago but sort of lost interest and for the most part spend my time playing my own game instead. For the most part now the only Youtube stuff I follow in terms of watching other people play is stuff from people on here that I've checked out and thought was interesting enough to follow - used to watch some FM videos by someone on here - think it was Icelander83. I used to watch Nepenthez's stuff as well but I find his videos a bit "too much" now as it's quite high pace/gimmicky sort of stuff - I see why he does it though as he's nailed down the 14-18 market and is reaping the success for it. I prefer just casual game-play stuff myself but I don't think I really represent the average demographic of people watching Youtube videos as a lot of people - especially the young to late teens want exciting/funny stuff.

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Is Cyprus a new league on FM16? I have a list I saved from somewhere on the internet on which leagues were available by default in FM15 and Cyprus isn't there. I thought SI had decided not to add any new leagues ever since allowing people to add it through the editor?

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Is Cyprus a new league on FM16? I have a list I saved from somewhere on the internet on which leagues were available by default in FM15 and Cyprus isn't there. I thought SI had decided not to add any new leagues ever since allowing people to add it through the editor?

Good spot. Cyprus is the only league I've added to my game, I thought I'd removed them all but clearly left that in there :D

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tbf I don't really actively follow the FM/FIFA/PES communities on Youtube anymore - used to be subscribed to a fair few of them 4/5 years ago but sort of lost interest and for the most part spend my time playing my own game instead. For the most part now the only Youtube stuff I follow in terms of watching other people play is stuff from people on here that I've checked out and thought was interesting enough to follow - used to watch some FM videos by someone on here - think it was Icelander83. I used to watch Nepenthez's stuff as well but I find his videos a bit "too much" now as it's quite high pace/gimmicky sort of stuff - I see why he does it though as he's nailed down the 14-18 market and is reaping the success for it. I prefer just casual game-play stuff myself but I don't think I really represent the average demographic of people watching Youtube videos as a lot of people - especially the young to late teens want exciting/funny stuff.

Yeah I hear ya and yes fair play to those that nail that kind of style. I like youtubing but certainly can't see it ever going huge for me, I think you had to start off at the right time OR dedicate yourself to it 24/7 these days to go big and I simply don't have the time to do that. I also tend to watch casual gamers over the fast-paced stuff, although my PES videos do occasionally get a bit rowdy :D

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rlipscombe, DodgeeD, a pleasure, as always :)!!

Now then - first update from Cyprus is an interesting one. Almost every player I have is on a non-contract, which means they're getting poached left, right and centre. No surprise there but at least I'm fighting back in the market and doing the same. I figure this is going to be the nature of managing in the Cypriot basement for a while. It can be frustrating but at the moment I'm enjoying it. It's a new challenge!

In terms of the season so far, we won our home opener in the league before getting thumped 5-0 in the Coca Cola Cup (:cool:) 1st round 1st leg against 2nd Div opposition. Not unexpected. So I'm apprehensive about how this season will go :D

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How is the Cyprus file in your game working out in general? In my FM15 save, Cypriot clubs are constantly going bankrupt. I don't know if that's a problem with the created leagues or a real life reflection of modern economic conditions for the clubs there!

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How is the Cyprus file in your game working out in general? In my FM15 save, Cypriot clubs are constantly going bankrupt. I don't know if that's a problem with the created leagues or a real life reflection of modern economic conditions for the clubs there!

Erm, I've not noticed anything like that yet but I'm only a few months into it. Will keep an eye out and let you know. Oddly, we're making a profit!

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Some sorta update...



Just thought I'd give you a quick glance at how things are going in Cyprus. We're approaching November and looking far, far better than I expected!

Screenshot%202015-11-24%2014.49.30_zpsxdxev48i.png

And here's the star man so far, Nikola Vitorovic:

Screenshot%202015-11-24%2014.49.58_zps9aplqmcl.png

Despite what is obviously a great start, a few things are niggling away at my optimism! Firstly, when the transfer window opens, about 50% of my players are fair game (non-contracts) so we could lose a lot of key men. Secondly, we're only just one third of the way into the season (42 games). That said, we're looking unbeatable (just got the achievement for going 10 competitive games unbeaten) and a very generous top 4 get automatically promoted. So there are plenty of positives!

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March 2016



So the transfer window has closed and I've managed to spend some of my £10k budget on part time players worth between £90 - £250. So not much spent but three good players for this level (believe it or not!).

First we have Stavros Serafeim, a centre-back rated 5 stars by my assistant. He's actually excellent in comparison to my other defenders and will compliment our current best CB, a 17 year old, very well.

Kyriakos Charalabous will be our new first-choice right-back, finally filling a weak spot of ours all season. He's pretty solid on all fronts really - barely a glaring weakness, so I expect him to slot in nicely. Finally Tziovanis Theofanous comes in to provide decent competition in the defensive midfield spot. His leadership qualities should also help ease any nerves within the squad as we press for promotion.

Yoof

Meanwhile in the academy, our first youth intake arrived, leaving me pleasantly surprised! They might be 14 but a couple are already good enough to be in the matchday 22! Here's the pick:

Nikos Kyprianou (DRC)

Antonis Vasileiou (AMR)

So yeah, pretty pleased with that business. Things are looking up for Alki Lanarkas!

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I'm a month on from the last update and I've signed a new contract with the club. It was a no-brainer really. We're top of the league, needing 9 points from our last six games to guarantee we win the title and promotion to the second tier. I've grown strangely fond of my Cypriot band of brothers and this kind of start to a long career is definitely welcome. At the absolute bare minimum it marks me out as one to watch on the managerial circuit. At best, I carry Alki L up to the top flight! We shall see :)

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Back with a bang. Nicely done. How big a step is it to the next tier? Will the current players nostly be able to handle it, or will it be a big overhaul (assuming it doesn't go tits-up in the final few games)?

Good question. I just had a browse - first of all it's a properly big league - 24 teams and with a couple of games to go, top has 112 points, bottom has 9! As for player standard, the two with highest average ratings are 39! They're pretty good though - definitely a step up but browsing the rest of the league it looks like only a marginal step up. I'm confident I could keep us up anyway...

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200px-Alki.png

End of Season Summary - Arki Lanarkas - 2015-16

So my first season in management started in the third tier of Cypriot football and went alarmingly well! I'm not quite sure what I did to propel us to the top of the table but once there we never looked back, romping to the title by 13 points! It was a funny season, as with non-contract players I had to really stay on the ball and ensure I had replacements at the ready if my key players left. By the end of the season my main centre-back had two spells at us!

The £10k transfer budget was surprisingly large for this level and meant I could reinforce our title push in February. That kind of money should let me pick up thee best of this division ahead of next season.

Giorgos Georgiou - didn't expect him to have such an impressive season but added goals and assists from AMR

Savvas Christodolou - initially my second-choice striker but pushed his way to the front of the queue and finished the league's top scorer

Vasos Vasilieu - kept us ticking over in midfield and rarely let us down. A driving force.

As you can see from this screenshot, the above three players dominated the statistics across the board.

Results 1 | Results 2 | Finances | The Club | Squad Stats

Screenshot%202015-11-26%2011.33.48_zpsay3mkbcq.png

Everyone loves an award evening!

Managerial Plans!

So the important bit. What am I thinking?

Well after collecting a shiny trophy and the manager of the year award my stock couldn't be higher! At least in Cyprus... Anyway the point being, things are looking positive. I've signed a new one-year deal with Alki Lanarkas in the hope that I can further my reputation here. I've also grown fond of my squad and think we can surprise a few people in the second tier. That said, I'm already getting linked to new jobs in Cyprus so I'll be considering those as we go and obviously letting you guys know!

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  SEASON  |      CLUB      |   NATION   |    LEAGUE    | TIER | FINISH |   ACHIEVEMENTS   |   NOTES   |
|----------|----------------|------------|--------------|------|--------|------------------|-----------|
|  2015/16 |  Alki Lanarkas |   Cyprus   | G Katigorias |  3rd |   1st  |     Promoted     |           |
|----------|----------------|------------|--------------|------|--------|------------------|-----------|

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