Official 2009 Victoria de Guimaraes thread

Year Founded: 1912

Chairman status: Loves the club

Fierce rivals: Braga

Other rivals: Boavista, Moreirense, Gil Vicente

Competition: Euro Cup

Media prediction: 5th

Stadium: 29,000

Transfer budget: 1.2 million (Euro quali. Can be raised by another mil by adjusting the wage structure.)

Top training facilities

Good youth facilities

Recent History

Although Vitória de Guimarães have never won the Portuguese Football Championship or the Portuguese Football Cup, it is one of the most respected clubs in Portugal, playing in the top division for the last few decades, usually challenging for a UEFA Cup place. However, in 2005/2006 season, the team was relegated to Segunda Liga (2nd League) after its worst championship performance in decades.

In the early 2000s, Vitória struggled to keep itself in the top Portuguese division (Superliga). Those years were marked by the decline of the leadership of Pimenta Machado, former president of the club. Machado was accused on charges of embezzlement. Despite this, Vitória had an impressive season. Progress continued in 2004-05, when they secured an impressive league fifth-place finish and qualified for European competition (the UEFA Cup). Vitoria's recent renaissance fell apart in 2005-06, as they finished 17th in the Superliga despite reaching the cup semi-final, having beaten S.L. Benfica in the quarter-final. They also failed to progress from their UEFA cup group, as eventual winners Sevilla FC, Premier League outfit Bolton Wanderers and Russian team Zenit progressed.

After the fall, everyone thought that Vitória would get back in the 1st Division quite easily, even though the team itself wasn't that great. Then, what happened was almost a bad nightmare for the fans. Vitória, in the middle of the season, was rounding the 10th place and lower, with very few chances of getting promoted. During the Winter stop, there was a change in the club's Direction and a new coach was hired (Manuel Cajuda). What followed next, was a dream. Vitória started winning game, after game, and in the end managed to get the 2nd place in the 29th game of the 2nd Division. Their promotion was guaranteed.

The promotion was crowned with a 3rd place in the 2007-2008 season, guaranteeing them a place in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions' League. They lost to Swiss team FC Basel and dropped into the UEFA Cup first round. They played Portsmouth F.C. of the English Premier League over two legs. Portsmouth progressed winning 4-2 on aggregate.

Stadium

Estádio D. Afonso Henriques is a football (soccer) stadium in Guimarães, Portugal. It was expanded and refurbished for the Euro 2004 competition, and it seats 29,865 people.In 2004, a new leadership era began with Vítor Magalhães (former President of Moreirense, another team from Guimarães municipality) and the team finished the championship in 5th place. In 2006 the team was relegated. Vitória Sport Clube plays at D. Afonso Henriques Stadium, one of the host stadiums of Euro 2004.After the "Big Three", Benfica, F.C. Porto and Sporting, Vitória is the club which attracts most supporters to the stadium, with average attendances of 20,000 per game. (Vitória usually has a higher average than all the other clubs, even when the club played in the 2 Division/League).

Team

GK Nilson

DF David Mendieta

DF Henrique Sereno

MF Dinis

FW Carlitos

FW Targino

FW Roberto

MF Nuno Assis

MF Wênio

FW Kamani Hill

FW Jorge Gonçalves

GK Cláudio

MF Rui Miguel

MF Moreno

FW Cícero

MF Yves Desmarets

FW Diogo

DF Gustavo Lazzaretti

FW Santana

DF Andrezinho

MF Flávio Meireles

MF Custódio

FW Felipe

FW Marquinho

GK Serginho

DF Milhazes

DF Alex

MF João Alves

DF Tiago Alencar

MF Paulo Henrique

DF Lionn

FW Douglas

DF David Mendieta

DF Henrique Sereno

MF Dinis

FW Carlitos

FW Targino

FW Roberto

MF Nuno Assis

MF Wênio

FW Kamani Hill

FW Jorge Gonçalves

GK Cláudio

MF Rui Miguel

MF Moreno

FW Cícero

MF Yves Desmarets

FW Diogo

DF Gustavo Lazzaretti

FW Santana

DF Andrezinho

MF Flávio Meireles

MF Custódio

FW Felipe

FW Marquinho

GK Serginho

DF Milhazes

DF Alex

MF João Alves

DF Tiago Alencar

MF Paulo Henrique

DF Lionn

FW Douglas

(The team may vary depending on which patch you are using).

The challenge

The primary challenge for Guimaraes is to qualify for European competition. Portuguese football has long been dominated by the big 3* -- Sporting, Benfica, Porto. Each of these teams has unrivaled spending power and, by Portuguese standards, unbelievably good squads. Most of their reserve team players would easily walk into most other teams in the league and this disparity between rich and poor presents a sizable hurdle. Aside from the mountainous challenge of breaking into the top 3, Guimaraes' biggest competition for 4th spot -- Braga -- are also their fiercest rivals, which make the race for Euro cup places that more challenging.

Realistically, in your first season you should be aiming for 3/4th and ensuring extra revenue to build on for the next season. However, with some good buys (make sure you load up players from Brazil at the very least) there is no reason why you can't push the big boys close

* Historically, Boavista could be included among the big boys but are no longer in Liga Sagres and are in dire financial straits.

The squad

Generally the squad is fairly decent but there are one or two areas that could be strengthened

Keepers

Nilson is your best keeper and should perform fairly decently throughout the 1st season. However there is a distinct lack of cover, as Claudio really lacks the calibre to be 1st choice. I would suggest buying a young keeper and giving a season to settle/train with a view to him becoming your starter in season 2

Defence

This is probably the area that could do with some real quality. Personally I like to play with a high d-line so I found that Gregory's plodding pace of little use to me. Sereno is a decent enough player but a real, high quality partner for him is a must. If you are playing on a new update (e.g Weegie) then Hugo is available pretty cheaply at the start. My suggestion would be either to raid Brazil (if you favour a fast DC), or go for experience if you prefer a lower d-line. Moreno can also play at CB and is one of team's best players.

Out on the flanks you have Amaral (left) and Andrezinho (right). These 2 will probably be you starters and are 2 of the better FBs in the league. I'd suggest keeping both of these but perhaps some good cover wouldn't go amiss. There are also 2 loanees (on 9.3) as back-up for the FB slots but due to good form of both Amaral and Andrezinho, they only played in cup matches, with neither setting the world alight.

Midfield

This is without doubt your strongest area. Star player Desmarets is a must keep. He'll score goals and get you plenty of assists. Eventually the board will accept an offer for him but you'll get very decent money to strengthen the rest of the team. Just make sure you keep him until the window at the very least to make sure his price rises. Aside from Desmarets, Jaoa Alves will score for fun from the MC berth. He too will be tracked by biigger clubs but he's worth keeping the 10 goals he'll guarantee every season. Flávio Meireles, the team's captain, is getting on a bit but still is a decent DMC. His tenacity and leadership from the middle of the park will be an invaluable asset. Moreno is also capable of playing here and is the heir apparent to the captaincy. He also scores a lot from outside of the box and is a solid and consistent player. Wenio and Custodio are also decent players, with perhaps Custodio the better of the 2. I sold him after season 1 as I couldn't guarantee him games and he eventually became unsettled. On the right hand side Fajardo is your 1st choice. Initially I overlooked him as I thought by playing him at MR he wouldn't perform very well as he's a natural AMC. Of course I was wrong as he averaged 7.21 during his first season and chipped in with 5 very important goals. He is also versatile and is comfortable on the left-hand side. However, there is no decent cover for the wide positions (both Carlitos and Targino aren't great) so this could be another area to reinforce. The one other face to keep an eye on is the AMC Assis. Initially he played very well for me and was instrumental in assists and goals. However, as I started to leak goals at the back I changed formation to a 4-4-2 to offer some rigidity to my defence and Assis ended up playing infrequently. In the end I sold him to free up some cash but if you do decide to go with an AMC, he offers a very decent option.

Strikers

If you are playing on an update (depending on which one you're using) welcome to striker hell. I had to restart the game using 9.3 as (a) I couldn't keep all 7 of my strikers happy and (b) most were new signings and couldn't be sold or loaned. The team could use with a few extra goals. Douglas is probably your best striker but both Santanna and Circero are deceptively crap -- they managed 5 goals between them all season. I signed Mauricio (unattached Brazil striker) in the 1st season and he scored 15 goals in 22 starts for me. I would seriously suggest getting another striker, perhaps one with experience would be helpful as the team is lacking that up front.

Suggested buys

I would say that the key positions to fill would be MR, CB and ST. As I mentioned earlier the midfield is strong and should be more than adequate during the first season. Motta (from some Japanese team) would be a good option for the MR slot, but expect to pay around 1.5 million on him. If I started my save again, I would probably make the CB position my priority, and go a cheap youth buy at MR (really for season 2) and perhaps a free/transfer listed player (Mantorras or Mauricio) as a bargain bin frontman. I would also go for experience rather than PA just to make sure you hit the ground running.

Transfers

Screenies of my signings:

http://img22.imageshack.us/i/marquinhosx.jpg/

http://img44.imageshack.us/i/daltonl.jpg/

http://img44.imageshack.us/i/daltonl.jpg/

http://img35.imageshack.us/i/fonseca.jpg/

http://img21.imageshack.us/i/homeform.jpg/

http://img188.imageshack.us/i/jcarlos.jpg/

http://img35.imageshack.us/i/marquimls.jpg/

http://img21.imageshack.us/i/zuculini.jpg/

All player screens have been taken at the end of season 2

Formation

Given the amount of talent in midfield my initial idea was to try and use as many of them as possible at once. I fielded a rather unorthodox formation of 4-2-2-1-1, using MR/MLs, 2 DMCs and an AMC with a barrow. I started of reasonably well and the formation proved successful against big teams but was rather rocky against the league minnows. I soon realised that building a tactic around an average team, with players I hadn't bought was counterproductive. Rather than trying to force the team to play in a certain way, I decide to set everything to mixed and use a universal mentality until I had the chance to mold my team to my preferred playing style. This decision worked in my favour and I soon hit form.

Progress report

After suffering a couple of defeats on the road and a couple of draws, I set about making wholesale changes to my formation. Out went Assis and Alves came into a traditional 4-4-2 to partner Moreno. Very soon I hit form and Mauricio went scoring crazy. Alves and Moreno played the supporting role very well and started to score screamers from outside of the box. My team's morale was superb and we were demolishing lesser opposition. By Christmas I was at the top of the table and unbeaten in 11. My stadium was a fortress and I was unbeaten at home. My team sailed through the Jan window and I was looking like a good bet for the title. However, considering that the league is really a 3 horse race (with Braga and Guimaraes as outsiders) I knew that the greatest test of the team's calibre was my away form at the big boy's grounds. Despite going unbeaten at home all season (I drew once), my team buckled under the pressure (I think impart relying solely on team talks rather than any tactical nous), and around March after losing away at Sporting and Porto, I hit a sticky patch of form. Despite this setback my team rallied round and we rebounded to take 3rd spot, an agonizing 1 point behind Porto in 2nd. Overall I was delighted with our performance, and was pleased that Euro competition was guaranteed for next season, ensuring an upturn in revenue and a healthy budget for next year.

Star players:

Mauricio

Moreno

Alves

Salvio

Fajardo

Andrezinho

Season 2

Transfers

I was again giving 4 million to spend and decided that the key area to strengthen were the defence and the keeper. Despite signing Hugo for 1k (!!!), I still only had 3 DCs after not taking the option I had on Dalton (who was very good but I'd spent all my money) I was left pretty thin on the ground. Again I decided to go for speed and youth at the back (which in hindsight may have been a mistake) and opted for Raphael at the back.

Nilson, my 1st choice keeper last year, was getting on a bit so I tried to find a Portuguese/Brazilian keeper in my price range (I had an initial budget of 4 mil) but most were too expensive. Despite not being in-line with my transfer policy (Brazilain, Portuguese or South American at the very least) I plumped for Pantilimon, who was signed on deadline day.

I also decide to buy another couple of strikers as Mauicio wasn't getting much support from Douglas, so in came Irineu and Choco, who was really bought for next year while he was still cheap.

The FBs slot were a little weak signed I signed Borbon as cover at RB and used the youngster Salvo in the cup games at LB. I also added Mota on the left to provide cover for Marquinhos with a view to using him (Mota) in a 4-2-3-1 next season. Again I thought that signing in bulk to reinforce the squad was more important than marque signings.

Overview of my signings

http://img213.imageshack.us/i/choc.jpg/

http://img200.imageshack.us/i/biscuitboy.jpg/

http://img187.imageshack.us/i/irineu.jpg/

http://img36.imageshack.us/i/hugoo.jpg/

http://img36.imageshack.us/i/manuelh.jpg/

http://img44.imageshack.us/i/rapy.jpg/

http://img200.imageshack.us/i/millan.jpg/

http://img213.imageshack.us/i/mota.jpg/

http://img200.imageshack.us/i/pantsx.jpg/

Formation

My formation didn't really change from last year, although I played Zuculini as an anchorman in midfield against the big boys. Sometimes I would field a 4-2-3-1 against lesser opponents to give Mota and Marquinhos (AMC) a run out, but all-in-all I stuck with a 4-4-2 using TheBetterHalf's TTF inspired sets with some slight tweaking.

Progress Report

Again my season started badly (I'm sure this is to do with my pre-season) and I suffered defeat at the hands of Maritimo. After 5 or so games I was stuck in 6th place without finding any sort of form. However the team were performing well in Europe and I qualified for the Euro Cup group stages -- drawn with Werder, Villa and Rjeika. I beat Werder at home, Rjieka home and away, and got utterly hammered by Villa over both legs. I did however qualify from the group and was drawn against Villareal. Meanwhile, in the league I had found some sort of form and was sitting comfortably in 3rd at Christmas, and looking like I had an outside chance of a title challenge. Again, however, soon after Christmas I played Sporting, Benfica and Porto and got thumped, leaving my challenge all but over. I was still in the Portuguese cup and had Villareal to play so all was not lost, but I had hoped that the league would be within my grasp this time around. At home against Villareal I held on for a 2-2 draw and my team played very well, however, in the return leg and despite having 20 shots on goal, I lost 3-0, again defensive frailties costing me dear. After going out of Europe my league form picking up but it was already too late to make an impact. I finished 4th (where I'd been for most of the season), well clear of the chasing pack, but miles behind the winners Sporting. I did, however, manage a small triumph of beating Porto in ther cup final to win my first bit of silverware since joining. Hopefully there will be more to follow!

Star players:

Irineu (26 goals in 27 starts)

Marquinos [ML] (14 assists in 23)

Salvio

Sergio Mota (14 apps, 5 goals)

Marquinhos [AMC] (Cup)

Mauricio (7 goals in 8 - Cup)

Added to the links thread.

Good luck with Victoria

Good luck with Victoria

Updated!

Anyone else going to try and break the big 3's dominance of the Portuguese league?

Nicely done mate

I tried with Boavista and Braga. Quite successfully with Braga tbh, managed to be a second place regular but never really made it to the title...

Btw nice OP, lots of info

Just finished my transfers for season 3 and I'm pretty happy with them. I managed to reinforce the squad with some frees and some cheap buys and *****ed all my money on Marquinhos (I now have 3 players at the cub with the same name which makes it a touch confusing).

Unfortunately I had to let some players go as my squad was becoming unsettled but I think my squad is now stronger than at the end of last season. Well, part from the RB area because my chairman excepted a 2 million offer over my head for Borbon. Bit annoyed about that, as I feel it was a pretty paltry price for such a decent player. Luckily enough I was able to sign Eduardo Ratihho from FM 08 fame for 700k or so. It will be interesting to see what he's like on this version.

Oh, just had the draw for the Euro Cup and it's looking pretty favourable - Wien, Kobenhaven and, erhm,......Arsenal. OK, I expect to get hammered by the Arse but I have a good chance of grabbing 2nd.

Anyway, as usual I've made a screenie of my dealings in the hope that it might entice someone to take up the Guimaraes challenge.

http://img341.imageshack.us/i/ewerton.jpg/

http://img128.imageshack.us/i/hugosergio.jpg/

http://img363.imageshack.us/i/marquin.jpg/

http://img295.imageshack.us/i/ratinho.jpg/

http://img295.imageshack.us/i/zez.jpg/

http://img193.imageshack.us/i/tgomes.jpg/

http://img148.imageshack.us/i/tini.jpg/

I will join you as Victoria, Transfers coming up!

Marquinhos

skinnymalinky have you been able to break the "big three" dominance?

Good luck JackEdwards

Just a quick FYI, its Vitoria not Victoria.

I might do a save, but I have no knowledge of Portugal other than Porto, Sporting and Benfica.

@Tam. No, not yet. So far I've finished 3rd and 4th but this year has started promisingly. At the beginning of Nov I sit joint top with Benfica, having lost 1 game against Sporting and a draw with Porto (both away). I'm hoping when Marquinhos starts firing I'll be able to defeat the bigger teams at home which should give me more points this year, and I'll be in with a decent shout.

@sned777. I didn't notice my mistake with the title. A mere slip of the old typing fingers. Oh, and btw, neither did I before starting, but there is only one way to learn!

@jack. Let me know how you get on

OK, I might do one. Let me get to January in my Arsenal save first.

Got the league standings a bit wrong. I'm joint top with Sporting. Anyhow, here's a screen: