FM10 Small Club to Big Club Big Euro Nation Challenge

[crouchaldinho]

You're not supposed to take on an international job until the rest of the challenge is completed. I think U-21 jobs probably count too. Sorry!

It's one of the thing that puts me off these challenges to be honest. I wonder if this rule will ever change?

It seems to me that if you have earned the right in the game to be an international manager then you should be allowed to do so. I sort of understand the reasons why though.

I notice that the Asian version of the small club to big club challenge is allowing international management this year.

[rlipscombe]

paulHartman - gutted for you. i thought you'd finally cracked Ligue 1!! fingers crossed you can bounce straight back up. good luck.

crouchaldinho - i agree with you to be honest in that yes you've earned that right. it obviously just comes down to then being able to potentially sign better players from that nation due to international management. but is that a big problem???

G-Wiz - good season there - hopefully you can keep nibbling away at the big teams and breakthrough into the european places. good luck

[PRDH]

rllipsombe and crouchaldinho - I guess it's just one way of controlling another variable to make sure everyone's on a totally even level. Depending on a whole range of factors outside your control - performance of U-21's manager and team, other managerial circumstances, people could gain an advantage in signing players. It just gives you something to look forward to once you've completed the challenge. I always find I don't have time for international management anyway on these. I took on the Brazil job after I completed when they offered it to me, but resigned after about a month, because I found the weight of in depth club management, and figuring out a system and players to fit for the international team too tough.

[G-Wiz]

OMG!! Finally some progress in the German Cup! And against who else, but the mighty Bayern Munich!! coincidentally, its my first ever victory over them!

[PRDH]

Wow! Well what a season that was. Expect a season update tomorrow. But I'd be expecting something exciting if I were you!

[edit] - The Croatian national manager has just resigned. I've applied. I'm not going to lie, it's purely selfish. I'm going to take control (hopefully) and call-up Marko Kresic. Even if he is actually probably past it.

[StellaF1]

Hospitalet - Season 10 - Liga BBVA - 2019-20

Table ¦ Graph ¦ Squad ¦ Transfers ¦ Finances

Pre-Season

After doing the domestic double last season and getting to the Quarter-Finals of the Champions Cup my aim for the upcoming season was to try and continue my achievements domestically whilst improving on my performance in Europe.

My aims in the close season were to improve the squad by adding an extra striker, getting some quality on the left wing, improving the strength in depth of my defense and finally to be on the lookout for some good youth prospects.

Due to the expected increase in ticket sales and sponsorship revenues due to the move to a brand new stadium we were given a very healthy wage and transfer budget to improve the squad. But with many of the top club sniffing around a lot of my players it resulted in several being offered out to their minimum release fees as i felt i could improve on these players but needed as much extra money as possible to achieve this. As a result both Zoltan Bagi and Luca Bianco were both sold for 10m.

The big transfers coming in were Robert Savelsberg (DR, 20m) and Mario Balotelli (AM RL, ST, bargain at 4.3m). Also agreed at this time were the transfers of Igor Akinfeev (GK, End of Contract 1.8m) and Pereira (DC, after he turns 18 - 2.4m). Several good looking younger players were also picked up; Ignacio Gonzalez (DR/DMC/MC - 5m), Guillermo (AMC - 5m) and Aitor Llorente (AMR - 3m).

After feeling like I had adequately improved the squad and with the move into a brand new stadium I was looking forward and hoping for a good season.

The Season

Spanish Super Cup - Leg 1 - Leg 2

The Spanish Super Cup started off our season and despite not playing very well in either game as the team was still finding full match fitness we still mange to obtain 2 2-1 wins thereby winning the competition for the 1st time 4-2 on aggregate.

Liga BBVA

Another fantastic league season as we almost scored as many points as last season (fell 1 point short). We were pushed a lot harder this season as Real Madrid were hanging on only a few points behind for most of the season.

It was in January where we struggled a little bit in the league as we had a lot of midweek cup games against strong opposition as well as strong league opponents at the same time. I choose to rest some of my players for the league games so that they were fresh for the Spanish Cup as we had a gap to Real Madrid but this did mean we dropped a few points. In the end it was the right decision as we managed to maintain top spot throughout this period and through to the end of the season.

The fantastic Daniel managed to earn himself 2 goalscoring awards with the top Liga BBVA Goalscorer and top Spanish Goalscorer

In the Liga BBVA Team of the Year we got more players in it than ever before. All named in the starting 11 were; Robert Savelsberg, Ricardo Alonso, Victor Klochko, Jose Pablo Gala, Mario Balotelli and Daniel.

The Spanish League Player of the Year found Jose Pablo Gala receive the Runner-up award and in the Spanish Player of the Year award Daniel finished as Runner-up with Jose Pablo Gala in 3rd place.

Also, for the 3rd year in a row Daniel picked up the best Spanish Young Player of the Year.

Spanish Cup - Fixtures -

The Spanish cup was much tougher this year as the teams i faced were much more difficult to beat when compared to the easy run I had to the Semi-Final last year.

After the initial 7-0 aggregate win over Non-League Teruel we then faced a difficult set off matches in January and February. As previously mentioned in the league review I placed more importance on these cup ties than the league matches.

As a result we were able to best Valencia 2-0, Villarreal 4-2 and Barcelona 4-2 (after a fantastic first leg away win of 3-1) to reach the final of the competition.

Final - As you can see from the screen shot we dominated the game and I was left a bit disappointed the they beat Akinfeev twice. But that doesn't really matter as we picked up the Spanish cup for the Second time.

Champions Cup - Fixtures

We entered the competition in the group stage and were drawn into Group F along with Juventus, Celtic and CFR Cluj. After reaching the Quarter Finals last year my aims for this year were to at least match that achievement. I felt I could comfortably get through the group stages after this draw.

We won all our home games and also the away game at Cluj. The 2 away games at Juventus and Celtic both ended in 1-1 draws meaning we comfortably topped the group with 14 points.

First Knockout Round - Vs Olympique Lyonnais

Having beat Lyon on the way to winning the Euro Cup 2 years ago I was confident I could win the tie and get back to the Quarter Finals.

Leg 1 - The first leg was away at Lyon and we double the amount of chances and was disappointed not to get the away goal. But with this performance and going into the home leg level at 0-0 I felt confident we could win the tie.

Leg 2 - A fantastic 1st half performance saw us deservedly lead 2-0 at the break. We then cruised through the second half to take the game and the tie 2-0.

Quarter Final - Vs A.C. Milan

As you would expected the draw gave us difficult opposition in the form of A.C. Milan. I hoped we would be able to match them and hopefully get 1 stage further than last year.

Leg 1 - With the 1st leg again away from home the aim was to match them and try and gain that valuable away goal. It was this game that I began to play Klochko in the center mid position for European games as I felt it was a weak area of the team and his defensive abilities would help keep things tight. The tactic worked as we more than matched them in the 1st half and went into the break 1-0 up through a Balotelli goal. We weren't as good in the second half as they piled on the pressure but we stood firm and were able to keep a clean sheet. As a reult of the second half pressure our GK Ustari picked up the man of the match. The 1 downside came in the 94th minute when Jorge got himself sent off.

Leg 2 - Having the 1-0 away goal advantage going into this second home leg gave me confidence we could possibly get through to the Semi-Final. Though I was aware we had taken a 1-1 away draw into the home second leg last year and lost. A dominant performance as we had much more possession and created more chance. The tie was sealed when Lewandowski put us 1-0 (2-0 on agg) up in the 55th minute.

Semi Final - Vs Atletico Madrid

The semi-final draw put us against fellow Spanish team Atletico Madrid - the same team that knocked us out last year in the quarter finals. The other Semi was an all English affair with Man Utd taking on Arsenal.

Leg 1 - Disappointing home leg in a game with an even amount of chances but where we had much more possession. Just pleased to have kept another clean sheet and not let them get the valuable away goal. Both of us came close though as we both hit the woodwork.

Leg 2 - Wasn't too confident going into this 2nd leg, especially after going our against them last year, as i felt i had needed to win the home leg to give me any chance of getting to the final. Another quality first half performance eventually resulted in a Daniel goal to give us the lead in the tie, an away goal and the opportunity to exact revenge after last years defeat. In a game of even possession we went on to create a couple more chances to add to our lead and vital away goal but weren't able to. Despite Atletico's pressure in the second half and the 16 shots in total they had they weren't able to break us down and the 1-0 away win sent us through to our first Champions Cup Final.

The Final - Vs Arsenal

After 2 1-1 draws Arsenal beat Man Utd on penalties to book their place against Hospitalet in the Champions Cup Final in Spain at the Mestalla!

The Match

We got off to an absolutely flying start as from the left wing Balotelli popped up to score in the second minute to add to his list of important goals for the club. Balotelli is definitely a player for the big occasion. The rest of the game was very even with both sides having chances but the flying start we made was key and we held firm for another clean sheet and won our first Champions Cup.

In the Champions Cup Team of the Year we had 6 players picked; Ustari, Alonso, Evrard, Gatagov, Gala and Daniel.

My players also dominated the European Champions Cup Best Player as they filled all 3 places with Daniel winning it, Jose Pablo Gala being runner-up and Ricardo Alonso in 3rd place.

Daniel also finished as Runner-up in the Champions Cup Top Goalscorer.

In Europe, Daniel won the European Striker of the Year. Oscar Ustari also finished 3rd in the Euorpean Goalkeeper of the Year.

On the world stage, Daniel was named as a sub in the World Team of the Year.

The Players

Oscar Ustari - GK - What a fantastic season he had as he outperformed Akinfeev to my utter surprise. Thankfully Akinfeev was ineligable in Europe as this was where Ustari saved his best performances for as he kept 9 clean sheets in the 11 games he played!!!!

Igor Akinfeev - GK - Brought in from CSKA Moscow when his contract ended in January for 1.8m. Quality Goalkeeper who was only able to play in the domestic competitions as he was cup-tied in Europe. Maybe was expecting a bit more from him as I felt Ustari did a much better job especially considering Ustari's performances in Europe.

Robert Savelsberg - DR - My most expensive ever signing for Hospitalet at 20m. But with the sale of Bianco for 10m Robert is younger and definitely better in this position therefore i feel it was worth the expense. He had a great 1st season as shown with his average rating of 7.35.

Ignacio Gonzalez - DR, DM, MC - Great young player with a bright future. Was brought in for 5m from Fluminense as a backup for Savelsberg. He played in quite a few games and was a very good signing for a backup and future prospect.

Daniel Amengual - DL - Great prospect who had come through the clubs youth system. Was used in the early cup rounds and occasionally in midweek games where i was expected to dominate. A great future ahead of him I'm sure.

Luca Milan - DL - Used mainly as a backup to Alonso and played well in the games he did play in.

Ricardo Alonso - D LC- One of my favorite players as I have seen him develop so much since he since as barely a 16 year old many years ago for 130k. This season he broke the club record for number of league appearances and now has 245. Fantastic season as he was extremely consistent in his main position of left back.

Bobby Evrard - DC - Another excellent season for Bobby. His stats aren't that great but his performances are excellent and consistent which is exactly what I needed. His goals had always been a bonus but for some reason he scored far fewer this season.

Pereira - DC - Was brought in for 2.4m in January, once he had turned 18, and his attributes are just amazing. Maybe I was expecting too much from such a young player as his performances weren't what I expected. Still he will be a quality player in years to come.

Victor Klochko - DC, MC - Fantastic player, fantastic season. Played mainly at center back but when moved to center mid for the Champions Cup knockout games he was immense. Gets the odd goal and provided a few vital assists too.

Jorge - DC, DM, MC - Another season where his performances on the whole averaged under 7. I therefore used him less often than Marchal who performs a lot better and is developing much better too.

Rachid Marchal - DC, DM, MC - Good season for Marchal as he became my first choice DM as he outperformed Jorge. He is a player developing very well.

Guillermo - AMC - Another player who spent the season in the U18's and played in the early cup rounds and the odd league game. A good prospect for the future.

Aitor Llorente - AMR - Good youth prospect who mainly played in the U18's but played well when called upon when i was looking to rest Gala.

Jose Pablo Gala - AM RC - One of my best players who played almost exclusively on the right wing. He had an absolutely fantastic season with 13 goals, 16 assists and 11 Man of the Matches. His average rating in all competitions of 7.51 was astounding.

Andrea Guido - AM RC - Used almost exclusively as a sub either on the right wing or to add an extra man to the center of midfield and as a result didn't get much of a chance to provide anything of note.

Alan Gatagov - AM LC - Used mainly as a rotational player on the left wing but also in the center of midfield he was useful and especially consistent in the European games.

Mihajlo Zaric - AM L - Loyal servant to the club over the years he only played in a handful of games in the first half of the season mainly due to the arrival of Balotelli. As a result of few times I had played him and the arrival of another foreigner in January I had to unregister him so he didn't play in the second half of the season. He left at the end of the season for 5m to of all teams - Barcelona!

Ralf Noel - AM RLC - Ralf was mainly used in the center mid position but i felt that he lacked the quality i needed in this position for the bigger games and so played klochko, jorge or Marchal instead. As a result he played in plenty of games but was also left on the bench just as much. He gave a good contribution with his 15 assists.

Mario Balotelli - AM RL, ST - Cost a lot in wages and signing on fee but as he was unhappy at Arsenal and Transfer Listed for 4.3m i could miss this opportunity to gain a quality player. Quality was exactly was he brought to the team. Played mainly on the left wing (but also up front when needed) he brought quality to this area of the pitch that i had lacked in previous seasons. His 23 goals and 16 assists made his 4.3m transfer fee an absolute bargain.

Daniel - AM/FC - Has been an awesome player ever since i bought him 5 years ago but this season he was truly tremendous as he broke the club record for league goals in a season and total goals in a season. His league form of 28 goals and 14 assists was just unbelievable.

Jeroen Gobel - ST - Another good season for Jeroen despite him only being used rotationally with the other strikers and therefore playing less games.

Robert Lewandowski - FC - Used mainly as a rotational forward as I felt i had better options. Is extremely useful still as a 3rd/4th Striker as he still gave a good contribution with 13 goals.

The Manager

As a result of the excellent season that we had I was honored when I became a Club Legend. I was also named Manager of the Year for the second year in a row.

Historical Statistics

Borrowing from LLR (Hope you don't mind?) I have created the 2 tables below for all the players who have played for Hospitalet in my game.

The 100 Club

Player Records

After thoughts

Having now completed the challenge i will definitely keep the save going whilst doing some other challenges as well. Feel that to fully complete the challenge i want to try and win the world club championship. My main reason for carrying is to continue to see how my 2 favourite players develop other the coming years - Ricardo Alonso and Daniel both of whom I picked up for extremely low transfer fees when they were both around 16 years old.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Congrats Stella, a stunning season there And glad to see that you will be carrying on from here.

[elsybelsy]

Leonardo Marchesi is the new manager of Domegliara in Italy's Serie C2/C. First thing to do, get a decent Ass Man. Second, try not to fail woefully first season in charge

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Leonardo Marchesi is the new manager of Domegliara in Italy's Serie C2/C. First thing to do, get a decent Ass Man. Second, try not to fail woefully first season in charge

Welcome aboard Elsybelsy, I managed Domegliara in 08, and PRDH in 09, a well known club around here, hope you enjoy yourself, cannot wait to see how you get on.

[elsybelsy]

Cheers LLR, the squad looks decent enough but i'm going to need to bring in plenty for some decent depth.

[PRDH]

Great to see you at Domegliara elsybelsy. I had a great time there last year. I wonder whether you'll find anyone as heroic as Diego Pastore. LLR, at least, knows who I'm talking about! I'll be following your progress with interest. Good luck!

I've been tempted after I completed the challenge to go back to 09 and complete Pastore's career, he's probably got about 3 seasons left in him.

[elsybelsy]

It's been a dreadful start so far. Four games in, i've lost four and haven't even scored a goal

[rlipscombe]

Stella - congrats on completing the challenge. That's some squad you have there. i could see that team dominating Europe for a few seasons at least. look forward to seeing you continue it in some form.

elsybelsy - welcome and good luck. don't worry too much about the start. the only way is up.

Having completed the Monkeys season (and gaining promotion...) i'm back on the Venezia save.

[elsybelsy]

I think my team may have finally gelled. I'm 16th, playing 15th and i'm 4-0 up at half time

[rlipscombe]

sounds like you might have turned the corner elsybelsy.

In Serie A news, with four league games still to play Venezia have confirmed their survival and will play in Serie A once more next season....

[ghostwriter]

Renato Curi Angolana - Serie B - New Year 2018

All the Summer activity

We started off by winning and then losing in the Coppa Italia before we welcomed Ascoli to the Luisi Arena for our first ever Serie B game; debut goals for Martinez and Dancs set up an easy 3-1 win. However, then relegated Bologna came to visit and left with a very convincing win, which was repeated when we visited Parma. A 3rd defeat in a row and I was starting to get slightly worried. And suddenly out of nowhere we woke up, 5 games unbeaten with only 2 goals conceded. This took us nicely into midtable.

We were then awful against Atalanta for 70 minutes (0-3) and then unstoppable for the final 20 but could only get 2 of the goals back. Arezzo were then thrashed before we should have won at bottom club Modena. Then highflying Salernitana visited for a live TV match; when we went behind after only 15 minutes but a combination of a red card and a magnificent Dancs' hat-trick brought us a fantastic 4-2 win. Another Dancs' goal put us 1 up at Frosinone but they quickly equalised and 2 late goals gave them a slightly undeserved win. Next, it was Napoli's turn to score a stunning hat-trick as he single-handedly thrashed Bari.

We took the lead in the next 2 away matches but only got 1 point from them. Then Triestina visited and more Dancs' magic brought us a slightly nervy but deserved 3-2 win. Next up leaders Padova visited and we actually took the lead but their stunning Australian forward soon had us reeling and they ran away with it slightly. We also lost the final game of 2017 via a very annoying 91st winner .

So, we are firmly entranched in mid-table in a very satisfactory 11th place. The position may be firmly midtable but we are nowhere near the bottom and only 6 points away from the playoffs (assuming there will be some, it is oddly complicated in Serie B, it all seems to depend on the gap from 2nd to 3rd). Can only be over the moon with that, this Serie B lark is a lot easier than I thought it would be. Again the low wage budget which is essentially a large problem has probably actually helped us a bit as there has been continuity again, only ML and MR are 100% changed whilst DR and one ST are more or less first choices, the rest were here last year, and the year before, and the year before. I have not checked but I think we must pay under half the wages of anyone else in the division (nobody is paid more than £1700pw) and we are more or less exactly on budget.

On the player front, Napoli is playing god-like again, the better quality the division the better he plays, similar story with Sarriegi who is leading the whole division in assists. Martinez is just as good as Vonk was whilst Revuelta, although nowhere near as good, is a solid Serie B winger. As for Dancs, he is ridiculously good for a 17yo, top scorer at the club, fantastic partnership with Napoli, he is going to be a star. Unfortunately I am not the only one to have noticed this, various Serie A clubs, Chelsea and Real Madrid have as well, it might be difficult to keep hold of him this Summer.

Also I will have an issue with my defence as 3 of them will probably not be there next year; both DCs (I moved Agudo across from DR) are out of contract in the Summer and grumpy whilst the DR is only on loan.

Barring total collapse, relegation should be avoidable. Given we are only 6 points from the playoffs I can't rule them out but if, God forbid, we actually gain promotion we would probably be the worst team (and worst paid team as well) in the history of Serie A so not sure I want that. Solid midtable would do me fine.

[elsybelsy]

Domegliara – Season 1 – Serie C2/C – 2010/2011

Predicted Position – 13th

Actual Position – 12th

League Graph

I started poorly with 5 losses and no goals. However, my form soon started to get better and I went on a 6 game unbeaten run to drag myself out of the relegation playout spots. It was pretty easy once I started playing well and finished in a very respectable 12th.

Squad | Transfers

As you can see, I brought in plenty of new players and it really took its toll on my season. However, now I’m confident the team I have is only 1 or 2 players away from having the talent to win the league.

Cups: Serie C Cup

The Serie C Cup consisted of my first few games and was played whilst I was still building my squad. I lost the first game fairly comprehensively but I was heartened to see the improvement in the next game. Still didn’t win though.

Key Players:

Michele Contini – Had a great season in a very wobbly defence. He can cover all positions in the back as well which is very useful.

Vincenzo D’isanto – Did well playing on the wing and scored some very important goals.

Giovanni Lorusso – Did well playing on either wing and set up many goals with his crossing.

Federico Piazza – He joined in January and played well in central midfield.

Simone Dell’Acqua – Our top scorer with a goal every other game. When he was missing it really showed.

Morris Parrotta – Dell’Acqua’s strike partner. He’s still young but is showing great potential.

Career Summary

|Season  | League | Finish |    Achievements   |
|----------------------------------------------|
|2010/11 |  SC2/C |  12th  |       None        |

Aims for next season:

Bring in players to challenge for the title

Reach the first round of the Serie C Cup

At the end of the season there was a takeover, unfortunately with no funds brought into the club. Also, there is going to be an expansion of the stadium \o/ - it’s going to cost A LOT though.

[rlipscombe]

solid season there elsybelsy. and that's a good position in mid-winter ghostwriter.

[PRDH]

elsybelsy - that's a huge sum of money to expand the stadium by under 1000 seats. I remember they were quite good at expanding the stadium though. And they built me a new stadium in Serie B.

[PaulHartman71]

The next update could take as long as a month to come. My computer is in bad shape, to the extent I can't do anything on it. It's getting like fixed/repaired/wiped etc some time next week. I haven't lost any save games or databases, so it's just a case of a big delay until another update as I have nowhere to play FM on.

[rlipscombe]

Venezia - Serie A - Season 2019/20 - Season Review

Media Prediction: 18th

League Finish: 13th Graph

So on our return to Serie A we managed to survive and in fact finish well clear of the drop zone. It would be fair to say we're no way near the top teams but we have become much more difficult to break down and we scored more goals than last time. As a result we were never really under the threat of relegation. As a result of this in many ways it was my best season as Venezia manager.

In the Coppa Italia we managed to break trough the qualifying rounds and make it to the first round proper, where we lost to Fiorentina.

Transfers 1 Transfers 2

Squad 1 Squad 2

Here's a look at those players who led Venezia to their highest ever league finish:

Goalkeepers

Terranova - No.1 goalkeeper and did well between the sticks. Coming of age.

Spano - Did well when called upon, in some ways better than Terranova. Got two really promising young Italian keepers here

Full Backs

De Kok - Our overpriced Dutch LB struggled for a game the first half of the season due to poor form. Seemed to settle in after christmas though and finished the season pretty well.

Pocognoli - On loan Belgian held the LB spot for the 1st half of the season and did well before i decided to back De Kok and give him a long run in the team.

Lopez Martin - The young Spaniard filled in pretty well at RB although i don't think he's quite up for the challenge of Serie A football.

Centre Backs

Guarino - Italian centre back is starting to find his feet now and played pretty well

Rosato - Our mid season signing did pretty well partnering Guarino.

Adamo - Solid if unspectacular in the games he played. Mainly back up

Wingers

Cannone - Good season from the right winger saw him named in the Serie A team of the year. More to come next season hopefully.

Gaucho - Played well in a supporting role to Cannone. Good options on the right wing.

Handzic - the Bosnian performed pretty solidly on the left flank, especially after christmas.

Camolese - for the first time in his Venezia career, Simone found himself playing a supporting role. Still a good option to have.

Centre Midfielders

Tajti - Possibly my player of the year alongside Danilo. Played well in a central role and justified the 7 million paid for him. Courted by Real Madrid.

Mattioli - Didn't really hit top form this season and found himself in and out of the team.

Papadopoulos - One of a number of players to have played as partner to Tajti. Solid

Anderson - Mid season signing to give cover to Tajti, he did exactly that. some decent performances

Gemmiti - Young Italian found himself making quite a few appearances this season as i gave him a go. can also play Centre Back which may be his best position.

Fernando - only a couple of appearances but he is still developing.

Strikers

Danilo - Another top season from the young Brazilian. finished joint 2nd topscorer in the league. He is really blossoming now and is pretty much 1st name on the teamsheet.

Cavada - A Decent season from the Swiss striker. rotated with Orosz.

Orosz - started the season well but tailed off a bit in truth

Lintner - A quiet season for the Austrian but i know he can be a big hit for the club. just needs games.

Kolev - The Bulgarian was signed mid-season from Arsenal. Made the odd appearance.

On the Finances friont we continue to survive mainly through player sales, whether i like them or now. I think it might be a quiet summer with spending kept to a minimum. the squad is good enough for the league - we just need to develop as many of the players are young. the experience will help. Having said this i'll probably go and spend a fortune again!!

Targets for the new season

• Consolidate our league position and hopefully improve
  
• Reach the 1st round of Coppa Italia
  
• Keep hold of the stars.
  

So we go into our second consecutive Serie A season for the first time. here's hoping we improve.

FORZA LAGUNARI!!!

Career History

[color=black][font=Verdana]Season   League      Pos.  Serie C Cup  Cup       Europe         Achievements[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]_________________________________________________________________________________________________[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2010/11  Serie C2/A  2nd   group stage  N/A       N/A             Lost in play-off semis[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2011/12  Serie C2/A  3rd   group stage  N/A.       N/A            Promotion in playoffs[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2012/13  Serie C1/A  8th   N/A             2nd Qual. N/A            None[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2013/14  Serie C1/A  1st   Winners      3rd Qual. N/A            Serie C1/A Champions, Serie C Cup, Serie C Super Cup[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2014/15  Serie B     9th   N/A              3rd Qual. N/A            None[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2015/16  Serie B     9th     N/A             2nd Qual   N/A            None[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2016/17  Serie B     2nd     N/A             3rd Qaul.  N/A            Promotion[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2017/18  Serie A     20th    N/A             4th Qual   N/A           Relegated[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2018/19  Serie B     3rd     N/A             1st Round N/A           Promoted in play-offs[/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]2019/20  Serie A     13th    N/A             1st Round  N/A[/font][/color]

[G-Wiz]

congrats on staying up rlipscombe, hopefully you can build on that progress next season

[rlipscombe]

cheers - i hope so too. i've told the board i will avoid relegation but i expect more than that. the only difference was some extra wage & transfer budget but i don't plan on using it too much and we can't sustain our current wage budget so there is no point going too mad.... i think it will be a summer of little change unless my hand is forced by chairmen or unhappy players.

[rlipscombe]

cheers - i hope so too. i've told the board i will avoid relegation but i expect more than that. the only difference was some extra wage & transfer budget but i don't plan on using it too much and we can't sustain our current wage budget so there is no point going too mad.... i think it will be a summer of little change unless my hand is forced by chairmen or unhappy players.

i can never keep my word.... currently in the process of agreeing two £10million+ transfers for two South American centre backs to strengthen our defence. Might only sign one yet though - depends if i can sell Adamo or not

[Almondo]

After my last attempt was aborted due to the save file screwing up I'm going again. This time in Portugal. will post screenies in a bit

[Almondo]

Okay gone to portugal and taken over Fafe.

Profile

Personal

[elsybelsy]

Almost finished my second season. I am guaranteed first () and with that promotion. My report will come in the next few hours.

[G-Wiz]

Euro Cup football coming soon at the Stadion Lohmuhle!!! 2015/2016 end of season report to come soon:)

[rlipscombe]

looking forward to the season reviews elsybelsy and G-Wiz....

[elsybelsy]

Domegliara – Season 2 – Serie C2/C – 2011/2012

Predicted Position – 11th

Actual Position – 1st

League Graph

It was a great, great season. The team gelled and from a few games in, apart from a couple games at the beginning without a win, we managed to win the league quite easily. Our strike force was great as was our midfield. Our defence not so much though

Squad | Transfers | Finances

We’re in a dire position finance wise. Money is lost every month and the expansion of the stadium hasn’t done much to ease the strain. However, with the youngsters I’ve brought in, I am sure that we can at least become a permanent fixture in our new league.

Cups: Serie C Cup | C2 Super Cup

Meh about both of these really. We should have beaten Siracusa but just couldn’t score and then should have beaten Gela as well. It’s disappointing that I didn’t get through the group though. C2 Serie Cup waws also crappy but at least I managed to grab a win.

Key Players:

David Lizoain – Great link up striker who also grabbed a fair few goals. Signing of the season for me.

Federico Piazza – He was my playmaker and performed his role well. Attracting interest from bigger blubs now so I hope that I can keep him next season.

Juan Luis Ibarra – The second half of my strike force. He was injured for a few weeks and never really picked up his great form from before but still provided vital goals.

Salif Dianda – Fantastic winger who I brought in on a free. Played very well on the left.

Bram Hasselbaink – My ball winner who was fantastic. He was injured for the run in though and his absence was telling as we struggled without him. Great potential.

Antonio Conte – Great keeper. Attracted interest from big clubs and had to turn down a few offers. Hopefully my chairman doesn’t interfere.

Career Summary

|Season  | League | Finish |    Achievements   |
|----------------------------------------------|
|2010/11 |  SC2/C |  12th  |       None        |
|2011/12 |  SC2/C |  1st   |      Promotion    |

Aims for this season:

Bring in players to challenge for the title – Success

Reach the first round of the Serie C Cup – Fail

Aims for next season:

Survive in Serie C1

[rlipscombe]

congrats on promotion elsybelsy - Conte looks like a promising keeper. good luck keeping him.

[rlipscombe]

Venezia - Serie A - Season 2020/21 - Season Preview

So after achieving survival quite comfortably last season i intended on keeping my squad pretty much together and consolidating. As always i couldn't keep to it totally and splashed out some serious money on a couple of defenders.

Transfers

Time to introduce the newbies:

Bruno - Portugese international RB signed on a free from Ukrainian side Metallist. Bruno is a good signing and should give us some extra quality at RB.

Carlos Hurtado - Young Ecudorian international CB signed from Boca Juniors for £6.25m. Got a bright future ahead

Jorge Ramirez - Another young South American international CB, Argentine Ramirez was signed from Sao Paulo for £12.5m. Very highly rated, he will be a star

Mark Jones - English U-21 captain brought in on loan from Rangers. Will add extra quality to the centre of the park given the dearture of the unhappy Mattioli.

Acoran Valle - A big star of the future, i had to sign him up from Real Madrid for £2.5m. Going to be a leading Serie A midfielder.

Mauro Zarate - THe experienced Argentine was signed on a free following his release by Chelsea. Will bring quality to the front line and hopefully he will partner Danilo.

The notable departures were Adamo and Mattioli who demanded a move and became unhappy after interest from Lazio. Decided to cut my losses and move him on. I finally managed to secure a Serie B club as feeder in Cremonese so i have farmed out some promising youngsters on loan for some experience.

Hopefully thes new additions can push the team towards the top half of Serie A.

FORZA LAGUNARI!!!

[PRDH]

Congrats elsybelsy - good luck in C1! Conte looks incredibly promising!

[G-Wiz]

VfB Lubeck - 2015/2016 - End of Season Review

Predicted Position: 12th

Actual Position: 5th

Average Attendance: 17309

Season Ticket Holders: 4337

A fantastic season from the boys, putting together a strong run of results towards the end to help clinch 5th place and a Euro Cup spot! The financial rewards for my final position means the board have yet again sanctioned an increase in the staiums seating, adding another 6880 seats. Further improvements to the training and youth facilities are also underway, so its good that the board are continuing to support me in building this club into a force in German football.

This season brought an improvement in both the league and the German Cup, where i was able to actually get through to the final, before losing to Leverskusen. In the league i managed to secure a few big results, the biggest being my 2-0 away win at Bayern Munich. To win and keep a clean sheet at the Allianz Arena was something i had never imagined my team being able to achieve so soon but they've surprised me all season really.

GK

Marco Mura - average of 7.09 over the season, with 8 league clean sheets, another improvement on the previous season

Def

Marco Castellani - another solid season, contributing 10 assists and an ave of 7.10 over 37 appearances

Ezequiel Munoz - the big money buy of the season. i wasnt quite convinced by the competition i had for the CB positions after a few players left, so paid out 8 mil for Munoz. Maybe overpriced but a definite improvement on what i had already.

Benjamin Weiner - fresh from his loan last season, my youth project had a pretty good season, with 28 apps in total. Now dubbed the new Christion Worns, and has since broken into the German U-21s setup

Holger Badstuber - rotated with Weiner and Munoz and consistent throughout the season

Jose Luis Prado - now established as first choice RB, attracting interest from some bigger teams

Mesut Palaz - young rb, filled in when required

Mid

Ritchie Kitoko - pretty much an ever-present, alongside Centurion in the middle of the park. Started off in blistering form but inconsistent overall.

Ferhat Dag - as reliable as ever when called upon

Eduardo - undoubtedly signing of the season, only costing me 100k from Flamengo, didnt take long to impress

Mark Gonzalez - used sporadically, and delivered when called upon. Im currently trying to find some young german players to bring through, so he may be one of the first to go

Timo Gebhart - beside Okaka probably player of the season, setting up 16 goals and averaging 7.24

Nahuel Centurion - main man in midfield, scored 11 goals and averaged 7.01. making noises about wanting to move on, see if european football can tempt him to stay for a while longer.

Att

Romelu Lukaku - bought for 3 mil from Athletico Madrid, scored some important goals from the bench. May see more action now Tamuz has moved on

Stefano Okaka - first full season, finished top goalscorer, and has already made his way into the Favoured Personnel list alongside Moses Sichone and myself

Toto Tamuz - mainly used as a sub, has since been sold on after moaning about competition for places

Lukasz Piszczek - now beginning to show his age, and unfortunately may be used even less this coming season judging by preseason performance

There are of course other players in the squad, but most of them were loaned out to my affiliates or floated about the bench, not featuring enough to warrant a mention or a screenie.

Top Scorer: Stefano Okaka - 27 goals

Most Assists: Timo Gebhart - 16 assists

Highest Ave. Rating: Romelu Lukaku - 7.30

Fans Player of The Year: Stefano Okaka

My main aim for the coming season is firstly to try and consolidate a european place through my league finish, and also try to make the most of my Euro Cup matches. Player-wise, there are a few players who are due to move on, and my plan is to try and bring back some of the German identity the club has slowly lost over the last few seasons. My domestic player bias is currently a 1!! lol

Season          Division        Position       Achievements
2010/2011       Third Division	1st		Promoted 
2011/2012	Second Division 9th		  
2012/2013       Second Division 2nd	 	Promoted
2013/2014	First Division  14th
2014/2015       First Division  9th
2015/2016       First Division  5th             German Cup Runner Up, Qualified for Euro Cup

[rlipscombe]

good season there G-Wiz and congrats on the european place. hopefully you can progress further next season and push for a CL spot maybe? Okaka had a great season roo.

[iacovone]

*waves*

Hello people! Long time....

I'm playing my Castillo file on/off for a little bit just to see how I can pick up on our La Liga venture.

The update is that we're sitting 17th after 25 games and are 2 points safe at present. 13 games to go and it really looks like it'll go down to the wire. Iniesta is out for 6 weeks unfortunately so Sergey Andreev will have to step up.

Being brutally honest, I have no idea how we're not 20th. The squad is nowhere near as good as any other side in the division but I think my kids are playing above themselves and thus we're just about picking up the wins we've needed. We have been on the back of a number of heavy heavy defeats though (6-1 Atletico, 4-0 Barca, 5-0 Villarreal, 4-0 Getafe) but we're just keeping our heads above the water!

[rlipscombe]

**** falls of his seat ***

is, .... is that iacovone????? \o/ good to see you back mate.

[iacovone]

Thanks mate! I like my sporadic emergence. Only have the internet for the rest of today as I'm back at the family home, then I'll be without for 2 weeks or so. Hopefully on my return I'll have plenty to report

On Castillo terms - we won 2 in a row for the first time this season! Real Madrid succumbed 3-1 on the Canary Islands before we went away to fellow strugglers Elche and won 1-0. Valencia put us back in our place with a 5-1 hammering though...

Still with 7 to go, we're 2 points safe...can we hold on?!

[iacovone]

Well 3 games remain.

Betis (a) - 7th

Depor (h) - 13th

Valladolid (a) - 20th

I expect we'll lose at Betis making the last two biblically important! Before going into these we have 34 points, 1 above (and 2 places) relegation. It will be ridiculously close going into the home straight.

[iacovone]

Well 3 games remain.

Betis (a) - 7th

Depor (h) - 13th

Valladolid (a) - 20th

I expect we'll lose at Betis making the last two biblically important! Before going into these we have 34 points, 1 above (and 2 places) relegation. It will be ridiculously close going into the home straight.

[rlipscombe]

good luck for the run-in...

[iacovone]

I see you survived your season in Serie A with Venezia

Missed so much of everyones progress

(also can't remember if you're a blade or an owl, but if the latter...)

[iacovone]

1 game to play.

|Pos|   Team   | Pts | 
|---|----------|-----|
16th| Elche    | 36  |
17th| Cordoba  | 35  |
----|----------|-----|
18th| CASTILLO | 35  |

GULP. Away to 20th and relegated Valladolid, looks like we HAVE to win.

[iacovone]

Juan Baldomero's

Castillo C.F. 2021/22 End of Season Review

La Liga

the "by the skin of our teeth" edition

17th|Graph

Predicted Finish = 20th

Squad

Finances

Season Ticket Holders: 258 (up 132)

Estimated Value: £13.5m (up £3.25m)

The Generalities...

As the update title suggests this was an incredibly fortuitous escape this year. We hung around our fellow strugglers all year but just managed to secure a vital last day point to survive. If we'd finished level on points with Cordoba we'd have gone down on goal difference!

The Players...

Here's a quick selection of the notable players of the season for the Canary Islanders:

Alberto Merola - The Castillo legend ended our top goalscorer (with 6 :o) to cap a reasonable season up front.

Christos Kantimoiris - with 1 year left on his contract Christos put together a season of good performances from central midfield. He may get a new contract now, even though I don't think he's great!

Andres Iniesta - Spanish legend came to the Island for one final swansong season in La Liga and overall did well. Couldn't last 90 minutes but captained the side well throughout. Well played.

Ake Gronlund - A great prospect for the future. Ake did well and I expect him to have many more good years for us.

Airam Cabezas - Young DM has been linked with Real Madrid but I'm hoping he'll see his future here. Was tutored by Iniesta all year so I expect he'll have learnt a lot.

Andoni - Finally, the mystery of the squad. Andoni was signed in Jan but wasn't registered in time for the 2nd half of the season! He should have a great impact next year and is amazingly labelled the next David Villa . Came from Barcelona.

Average Attendance: 6461 (last year 5790)

Fans Player of the Year: tbc

My Player of the Year: Ake Gronlund

The League Campaign...

As expected we struggled throughout. We were on the end of a number of heavy beatings away from home but largely picked up enough points to survive. Best results were 4-3 over Villarreal, 1-0 over Sevilla and 3-1 over Real Madrid - all at home. On our day we had the ability to spring a surprise.

Copa del Rey...

5th Round exit to Real Madrid 4-2 on aggregate. Could be a while before we taste success in this cup.

Other Stuff...

Club Info

Facilities

The Plan...

Purely trying to improve the squad in any way we can. Judging by the standard of players I've been recommended it will be a long summer. We just don't have the reputation or resources to find true quality! I'll have to find players who will 'fit' with my current crop.

Progress so far...

Season |     Division    | Position |    Achievements                                                  |
-------|-----------------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
2010/11| 2nd Division B1 |   15th   |      N/A                                                         |
2011/12| 2nd Division B1 |   12th   |      N/A                                                         |
2012/13| 2nd Division B1 |   8th    |      N/A                                                         |
2013/14| 2nd Division B1 |   13th   |      N/A                                                         |
2014/15| 2nd Division B1 |   10th   |      N/A                                                         |
2015/16| 2nd Division B1 |   2nd    |  Lost in 2nd Round of Playoff Phase, Quarters of Federation Cup  |
2016/17| 2nd Division B1 |   3rd    |   Promoted via the Playoffs                                      |
2017/18|  Liga Adelante  |   18th   |    Survived                                                      |
2018/19|  Liga Adelante  |   13th   |      N/A                                                         |
2019/20|  Liga Adelante  |   5th    |      N/A                                                         |
2020/21|  Liga Adelante  |   2nd    |  Automatic promotion!!                                           |
2021/22|     La Liga     |   17th   |    Survived                                                      |

[rlipscombe]

I see you survived your season in Serie A with Venezia

Missed so much of everyones progress

(also can't remember if you're a blade or an owl, but if the latter...)

i did survive yes... and i am an owl...

congrats on survival too.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

*waves*

Hello people! Long time....

*Waves Back*

Long time for me too, I have popped in and out, but kinda got out of playing my Evora game, everything is sooo busy here as I prepare for my first child... But I am getting some play in this morning before work, 13 games into the season 6pts clear at the top for our 3rd consecutive title, but we lost to Stade Rennais & Barcelona to drop out of the Champions League, so attempting to win the Euro Cup instead.

[rlipscombe]

congrats on the child and good to see Evora in action again. good luck in the Euro Cup.

[iacovone]

First child!? Wow, many congrats Des, good health and all that

[iacovone]

This is so painful. No-one wants to join me if I get into a transfer wrangle with anyone remotely reputable

Hoffenheim just stole a quality young Finnish striker and CSKA nicked a great Turkish CM prospect too. Looks as if I'll be severely struggling to improve this squad

However I have poached two experienced big name players in RB Lorenzo De Silvestri and DM Etiene Capoue. Both 33 years old but should replace Iniesta's experience in the squad. I need a CB, a ST and probably a few more. Still don't have a single winger in the squad, such has been my reliance on strength through the middle. Guess it'll have to do for now

[rlipscombe]

that's tough going iacovone... just gotta keep plugging away and someone will join soon...