ri916's FM13 Anglo/Euro Youth Academy Challenge

[TheGreatTraveler]

Just a day after this popped up in my inbox, my board gave this Birthday present!

EDIT: And sorry Derby

[ri916]

ri916 has taken charge of Oliveira Bairro.

General Info

Facilities

Lets have some fun!

[TheGreatTraveler]

Facilities seem good enough ri916. Hopefully you can improve your youth recruitment network

[ri916]

Facilities seem good enough ri916. Hopefully you can improve your youth recruitment network

Unfortunately YRN is the main contributer to the quality of youths coming through . Money is limited so not much chance of improving it in the near future.

[Jambo98]

yup YRN and youth coaching are a bigger impact on the quality of youths than the training and youth facilities. Might mean its a serious struggle but always enjoyable. In many ways Real are the "easy" option in Portugal - YRN starts as "Average" which is pretty much as high as you will get in a bottom division.

With no cash I can never get facilities upgraded, but have managed to get junior coaching upgraded three times in 5/6 years and have that at "exceptional"

[ri916]

Average!!! Wow! Lucky bugger

[Jambo98]

Real Sport Clube – Season 6 – 2018/19

Division - Second League

Final position - 2nd – Promoted!!

Season overview

League

Wow! What a great season! We were in it right from the start, with a change to our formation from 442, initially to 4411 and then settled on a 4231 deep. Our key men stayed fit and we had some depth in the squad to deal with the long season. Our “mid-season slump” never arrived this year and we kicked on in the second part of the season, winning 6 straight at one point.

Unfortunately 2 other teams were equally good, and it went right down to the wire. With 2 games to go we were top of the league, and facing 2 home games. We knew it was in our own hands, but it was close with both Belenenses and Gil Vicente only a point behind….penultimate game, home to mid table Vit Setubal , type of game we had being routinely handling all year. The bottle started to crack, a nil v nil draw. Belenenses also drew, but Gil Vicente lost….pressure telling on everyone!

Going into the final game, we were at home but playing rivals Belenenses. Again we looked so nervy and we were behind one nil at half time. I felt that we could be throwing it all away. As the game wore on we huffed and puffed, but could not break through. We lost one v nil and it was out of our hands. However mercifully Gil Vicente also bottled it and lost. We were promoted! Second place, but losing out on the title didn’t bother me.

The other massive bit of news, was getting Nuno Martins to extend whilst we sat top of the league. I was amazed at this, but I am listed as preferred person and we are his preferred club so maybe that helped.

Final Positions

Past Positions

Cups

We actually progressed in the early season league cup – made it through the initial group stage by winning all games (my son starting all 3 games!) before going out over 2 legs to Maritimo. Taca de Portugal took us through 2 rounds, before a 3rd round exit to Academica.

Best Performers

This season, rather than pick out 3, I thought I would give a run-down of the main starting 11 which who brought us to the top division!

GK – Alberto Ferreira (YP04a) – Took over as first choice keeper, developed nicely. We play quite attacking so he is sometimes exposed a bit. Hopefully still has room to grow even more.

DR – Marcio Miglietti (YP02a) – Firmly entrenched in the right back slot, and had his best season this year. Has no competition for his place but looks like he could be our RB for a few years

DL – Raul Mourato – Non tagged, came through youth intake 2 and has held down this position for last 2 years, has some competition from a more recent prospect, so needs to stay on his toes

DC – Sergio Pereira (YP01b) – Our club captain, and this was his best year yet. Even added a few goals. His attribute development actually levelled off a bit, but so consistent.

DC – David (YP05a) – One of our most recent and best prospects, a good first season in the team. His tackling getting better, few other key attributes need work but could be a star

DMC – Joao Frasco – Came through first youth intake, and has now made over 175 appearances. Very consistent, never a superstar but is our record appearance holder already

DMC – Ricardo Rodrigues – The only “original” still starting. He was 20 when I arrived and has grown nicely. Lost playing time this season but still just makes it into best 11.

AML – Joaquim Matias – Another of the early intake (second IIRC) who has developed into a real key for us. Lots of assists year on year, and delighted with 12 goals from the wing.

AMR – Antonio Pacheco – Another untagged, only in his second season but overtook YP03b to start at right wing. Nice assists, but not the goal return of Matias

AMC – Ricardo Manuel Vitorino – The main beneficiary of our change of formation, as he was the best suited to this role in behind. Scored a nice 20 goals, although doesn’t look to have the quality at first glance to step up to next level

ST – Nuno Martins – Another mid 20 goal season, now a regular in Portugal squad. His career stats stand at 108 goals and 53 assists in 145 games (plus 29 MotM!!)

Transfers

Clean as always, experimented by loaning a few out to our feeder cub as we have a fairly deep squad now.

Youth Intake

Mixed, in that we got one amazing prospect, but the rest were not up to standard, which means we don’t add depth. Because of this, only one tag this year

Youth Prospects

Ivanildo So (YP06a) – Wow! Could this be as good as Nuno Martins? Immediately signed him up to a pre-contract pro deal to make sure he is tied down. He will take over as AMC next season.

Son watch

Started the 3 league cup games at the start of the season, but then the change to one striker meant he didn’t get game time. Think I will loan him out to feeder club next year.

Grant Young

Youth Updates

Nuno Martins (YP01a) – See starting 11 update

Sergio Pereira (YP01b) – See starting 11 update

Marcio Miglietti (YP02a) – See starting 11 update

Hernani Costa (YP02b) – The first who didn’t make a huge impact, the change in formation didn’t help and his development has stalled.

Luis Luis (YP03a) – another who suffered from formation change. Really struggled for time and only 8 sub appearances. Is clear 3rd choice striker.

Telmo Gabriel (YP03b) – Rotated at AMR but saw the thinner end of the platoon. With us being well stocked at AMR and very light at AML, retraining him to switch sides.

Alberto Ferriera(YP04a) – See starting 11 update

Daniel Andrade (YP04b) – Lots of sub appearances, but probably going to remain second choice. Plenty time to grow

David (YP05a) – See starting 11 update

Eurico Lima (YP05b) – Entire season in reserves, still has potential though.

Finances

Similar to before, a few grand down each month. Managed to upgrade junior coaching to “exceptional” during the season, then the big one –following promotion we finally turned professional!

Other news

Named as most improved club in Portugal for the second year in a row!

Three named in team of the year!

Third in goal of the season!

Manuel Victorino is YPOTY

Aim for next season

1) Stay up somehow!!

[ri916]

PROFESSIONAL! Nice job mate, well done.

[TheGreatTraveler]

Great to see you move up Jambo! And now that you are professional, your players development should be faster.

So looks class, lets hope your assistant is right about his potential!

[Braumiller]

Jambo98, great season! Professional status is going to be huge and will hopefully see you consolidate nicely this coming season.

Ri916, good luck with Oliveira Bairro

Steboyuk, good luck with Concord! Getting itchy to start in England again now (confession time, I have already ran the holiday season and reloaded until Weymouth are available – now to resist playing them…)

duffy98, great season (and great write-ups!). Champions League money, nice! “No wingers this year but my ass man reckons this kid could be one of the best of his generation!” The best phrase in the game. My young FC who was described as this is now turning into the best player I have ever owned in Football Manager (update to come later today)

ElSmurfo, good luck with RFC Tournai and welcome to Belgium. May our quirky league structure offer you entertainment and only occasional frustration!

[ri916]

I can tell this is going to be...err...interesting. First intake was terrible, we have no money and not enough rep to improve JC or YRN either. The only positive is that the club looks capable of getting promoted at some point, but it has to be soon as we have a massively ageing first team with 9 of my 11 starting players over 30. What are finances like in the second league Jambo? Will I be turning a profit there if I'm losing 15k/month down in the third tier?

[Jambo98]

@ri916 The finances are a little better in second league, I wasn't quite breaking even each month (I had a better youth set up, meaning more cost there). You should break even if your only losing 15k. The big boost in second league is end of season prize money. Mid table I think can be as much as £250k

[ri916]

Gutted. Won 6 of my last 7 games and a 92 minute penalty by the eventual league winners in my penultimate match of the season cost me promotion.

[Jambo98]

ouch painfull @ri916

I always found first season was too early to go up, but when you have an ageing team and no cash, its a difficult balance!

[stephen_atk]

2017-2018

Main Squad

Once again we were tipped for relegation however this season we made a big improvement. The young players who were kind of forced in last season are really starting to find their feet. I brought in a new formation for pre-season which we quickly took to and boosted by the big news that our young Centre Back Charles Essomba had agreed to extend his contract we made an excellent start to the season. Beaten just once in the first 12 games saw us well in the mix at the top of the table, particularly pleasing was the number of goals we were scoring and our away for which saw us win games 4-3, 5-3 and 6-3 on our travels. We did suffer a slight blip in form and I worried we'd maybe peaked too soon but a good run either side of Christmas meant we were still in the promotion places and for the pessimistic side of me, over the 40 point mark. The second half of the season was hampered by draws, a problem we'd had in my first season, and it was costing us in the league. As we moved into the final games of the season 1st and 2nd places had all but been tied up but we still had an outside chance of sneaking into 3rd and final slot. We went into the final game of the season 1 point behind 3rd place (and pre-season favourites) Evian. Vannes did what we needed them to do beating Evian 4-1, however we couldn't handle the occasion, we drew 0-0 to finish level on points but just outside the promotion places.

Final League Position: 4th

League Table

League Results

Player Stats

Transfers

Youth Candidates

Good solid pull this year and in positions that fit my formation well

Ali Renard YP05a

Iosu Castresana YP05b

Mame Diallo YP05c

Christian Kudimbana YP05d

Kevin Jung YP05e

Quentin Boulanger YP05f

[duffy89]

Great seasons Jambo98 and stephen_atk!

Thanks Braumiller, very excited about that young lad! Looking forward to the update!

That's gutting ri916 mate

[Jambo98]

Real Sport Clube – Season 7 – 2019/20

Division - Premier League

Final position - 12th –

Season overview

League

This season was all about one word – “Survival”. We started well, and actually topped the league for a few days after winning our opening fixture 5 v 1! From there it was tricky to manage the step up in class and we struggled, but always picked up the odd win to keep us clear of the basement battle. A nice run over xmas was undone by 6 straight defeats at end of Jan/early Feb, however we never got closer than 3pts to the drop zone.

We suffered initially because our big fixtures were grouped together. Both times through, we had FCP/SLB/Sporting back to back, and lost all 6. However they were early in the fixture list which helped because it meant our run in was more straightforward, and we picked up the points we needed for safety.

Interestingly we were only 5pts off mid table, and only 9 away from Europe. With more consistency and less injuries (we lost Nuno Martins for a few games, David for a couple of months and So for nearly 3 months) then we could actually have been in with a shout of Europe!

The jump from 42 games to 30 is interesting. You also skip the first phase of league cup by being top division, which shaves off 3 more games. It means easier to manage depth, but equally less chances for fringe players to develop.

To illustrate the impact of injuries, our 3 of our “best” players in my eyes, played out of 30:

Nuno Martins (YP01a) – 23 (1)

David (YP05a) – 18

Ivanildo So (YP06a) – 7 (3)

Final Positions

Past Positions

Cups

Taca De Portugal – Made it through to round 4, before Sporting knocked us out away from home

League Cup – Made it into the 3rd phase group, which is held over winter break. Played reserves as didn’t care and lost all 3 games.

Best Performers

Back to a top 3….

Nuno Martins (YP01a) – His least prolific season yet, which was to be expected given the step up. Still a respectable return, more than a goal every other game in the league. He has remained loyal to us, and surprisingly not had interest from any of the “big 3” meaning I he is tied down for another 2 years. I am amazed he has signed the last 2 extensions for less than a grand a week! Im guessing his hidden “loyalty” stat (is that one?) must be near 20!

Joaquim Matias – Our untagged left winger continues to excel, and to be our major source of assists from the wing. Has the pace and running ability to trouble defenders at this level

Sergio Pereira (YP01b) – Someone clearly didn’t tell him about the step up. He barely noticed it. Ever present in the league with an Ave R above 7.5. Even chipped in with a nice 6 goals. His career ave rating is 7.48 over 198 appearances. Surely on his way to being a club legend.

Transfers

Clean as always, with the shorter league season again made use of loans out. 6 went to our feeder club, and 2 to other clubs. Mixed success. Have secured a new feeder club a division higher for next season to aid this process.

Youth Intake

No superstars, but after 3 in 7 seasons it would be unfair to expect more! Couple of good players, and another striker which covers us if a big offer comes in for Nuno Martins. Another keeper means we now have 3 who are 4 star potential or above.

Youth Prospects

Sergio Lanca (YP07a) – My Ass man rated Nuno Valente higher, but I disagree and tagging this striker instead. He lacks pace, but hopefully that can be trained. We are striker heavy at the club and only playing one in the formation, which could be an issue. A season in reserves with cup football and sub appearances to start with for this fella

Raul Costa (YP07b) – Not to certain on this guy, with some physical development though he could become a solid DMC. Again faces competition as we have 3 good players in place already.

Son watch

Spent the entire season on loan at our feeder club and hardly set the world on fire with 4 goals in 41 appearances……..really only keeping him around for sentiment now!

Grant Young

Youth Updates

Nuno Martins (YP01a) – See top players update

Sergio Pereira (YP01b) – See top players update

Marcio Miglietti (YP02a) – Solid season, clear first choice. Never likely to become a star but I am happy with him as our RB for a few years to come

Hernani Costa (YP02b) – Spent the entire season on loan, as our formation doesn’t fit him and he would be 5th choice at best. Had a good loan season, going to try and retrain but don’t think he has the attributes for either DMC or AMC

Luis Luis (YP03a) – Also spent the entire season on loan, and banged in 20 goals. Makes for a good 3rd striker, but when we only play one and only have circa 35 games his time is limited.

Telmo Gabriel (YP03b) – Didn’t adapt to well to being retrained to AML, but saw a few starts there and a decent amount of sub appearanecs. His future, unfortutely, seems to have a lot of pine time.

Alberto Ferriera(YP04a) – First choice, although missed a chunk of time with injury. His back up served me well and he has a fight on his hands, needs to develop more but is very young for a keeper.

Daniel Andrade (YP04b) – Sent him out on loan to a higher division club than our feeder, and although his stats weren’t great he has developed. His attributes look like he should be in my first team but struggling to find a spot for him. Probably moves up to second choice AMC and stays at the main club next year

David (YP05a) – Really looks the part and we suffered when he went down injured. His tackling has seen a big jump and now looks ready to be a top class player. I am expecting big clubs to sniff around him, especially as he started getting called into the U21 national squad (didn’t play at that level yet)

Eurico Lima (YP05b) – Chose not to loan him, and he hardly played for the reserves for some reason! At a talent rich position, he might really struggle to break through.

Ivanildo So (YP06a) – In a weird mirror of Nuno Martins 5 years ago, he picked up a serious injury on his debut and missed a couple of months. Also picked up a second injury later in the season meaning his appearances were low and his physicals declined. Very worried we could have a potential star who doesn’t ever fulfil it here…….

Finances

Biggest disappointment of the top league – we only got a bonus of £350k for finishing position and the TV money wasn’t great, we were barely breaking even most months with high youth setup costs. I can see a point where I have to sell someone for a million to fund any developments to facilties.

Other news

Denied a new stadium  I hadn’t even asked for it, but we were selling out our tiny 3500 seater so one is badly needed.

Aim for next season

1) consolidate and aim for progression to mid table

2) Better game time management for prospects

3) Make a run at a cup semi final if possible

[duffy89]

Great first season in the top flight there Jambo98

I really hope So can bounce back as he looks like he could be a top player one day.

Hopefully as you move up the league, you'll get some more cash and once you break into Europe you'll be laughing!

[Jambo98]

Thanks, I seem to remember from a few versions back doing the big euro challenge, that the prize money in Portugal is really low in general Only Europe will bring enough cash in.

Just made my first player sale of any significance, £275K for the last remaining original squad member (Fernandes). Still not enough to afford any upgrades!

So has a fight on his hands, because Daniel Andrade(YP04b) looks to be above him in the depth chart for the coming season. I will probably split the playing time between both to begin with and see what shakes out.

[duffy89]

Atletico Arezzo

duffy89 - season 27/28

Supercoppa Italiana - Winners

As Coppa Italia winners we faced the Scudetto winners, Napoli, in the Supercoppa Italiana. I was keen to put in a strong performance here and we most certainly did, securing a 2-0 victory over the Naples outfit! We now have 2 trophies on our mantle and we may have to buy another BILLY bookcase from IKEA for all this silverware!

Serie A - 2nd

So despite ending on fewer points than last season we finish a place higher and in the Champions League places. Minus Napoli, the league seemed very competitive this season with not much separating the top few sides.

It was a bit of a frustrating season for Arezzo and I felt we could've achieved a lot more, mounting a serious title challenge (which has to be the main goal now). We just couldn't close out our games this year which leaves me wondering what could've been had we done so. And I think this is what separates us from perennial winners, Napoli.

I'm happy with the squad though and we have some great youngsters coming through who got some good experience this season. I shook things up as I said I would (you'll find a couple of names missing from the youth watch as well as a couple of new ones) and I think the effects will start to show in a couple of seasons.

Looking at the squad in detail, however, I do have 2 areas of concern:

1) We have no decent left sided wingers at all. I have a couple of 1.5 star rated players and that’s it! Not the most crucial area of the squad but I'd like

to have some quality here to round off the squad.

2) Frediani and Baldini aren't getting any younger. I have a growing sense of doom that we aren't able to replace these 2 when they hang up their boots. I'm maybe jumping the gun a little but I need to start thinking about contingency plans. We have 2 decent youngsters ready to take over (YP09b and YP10d) but I think decent is all they'll be.

So I'll see how these areas pan out over the next few seasons but its something to keep an eye on.

Anyway, back to the season at hand, I'm delighted that we've secured Champions League football once again and I don't think we're too far from mounting a title challenge.

Big news in Serie B as Milan romp to promotion! Normality has been resumed (for now) but I'll keep you up to date with any other big movements in the Italian leagues.

Coppa Italia - Quarter Final

Unfortunately we couldn't reproduce last season's effort in the Coppa and we go back to our usual selves, losing 3-2 at home to Catania. To be honest I don't really get excited until the semis and that's reflected in my team selection in the early rounds.

Champions League - First Knockout Round

So here we go, Europe's elite club competition has a new competitor in Atletico Arezzo and lets see how we did! First of all, I found it hilarious that the bookies priced us at 33/1 which has to be the biggest mugging in the history of gambling.

Our Europa League exploits meant we entered the group stages as 3rd seeds and we drew Porto, PSG and Maccabi Haifa. Not the worst group in the world but Porto and PSG have very strong squads and are experienced at this level.

We held our own though and amazingly were top of the group after 5 games. We were sitting on 12 points and Porto on 10 in 2nd place. For the last game we were at home to Maccabi and Porto at home to PSG. We pumped Maccabi 3-1 in Israel so I was confident we could do the job at home and secure 1st place in the group.

We couldn't deliver, however, and bottled it, drawing the match 0-0. Porto, of course, won and as they had a better H2H record we dropped down to second place.

Now we were open to drawing all the big guns and to rub salt into the wound we are put up against Real Madrid in the first knockout round. Fantastic.

The first leg was played in Arezzo and unbelievably we were 3-0 up after 60 mins! We were getting hammered at this point though and conceded 2 crucial away goals ending the match 3-2.

A draw in Madrid would put us through but we were thoroughly put to the sword and got pumped 4-1, ending our time in Europe.

I was delighted to even get through the group stages but our slip up in the last game has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, we've made big bucks from participating, our reputation (and hopefully seeding) has improved and we've gained some priceless experience. Overall a good first run at the CL!

Transfers - Only going out

Player of the year

Riccardo Baldini (YP03a) – ST – Normal service has been resumed. I thought to myself as I type this that maybe I should mix things up with this award but its for the player of the year and that was Baldini.

Pretty much a goal a game in all competitions he was once again magnificent. A once in a lifetime player, my only worry is that he’s 28 now. Where has the time gone?

Youth Intake

After last year's "best in a generation" intake I wasn't too surprised to be handed an extremely poor bunch of lads this season. No players getting tagged this time around I'm afraid.

Youth Watch

That 3 in his “years old” is scary but Brando Frediani (YP01a) is still going strong. Not his most prolific season but he always pops up when needed.

Alberto Cirelli (YP02a) got a bit of a kick up the arse this season as I put our young keeper into the fray. He produced when he did play though and seems willing to fight for his place.

Riccardo Baldini (YP03a) was phenomenal once again and a worthy POTY.

Leopoldo Ruggiero (YP05a) will never be a superstar but is so very reliable, consitently averaging 7+ a season.

Ferdinando Annuziata (YP06a) had yet another fantastic year at the heart of our defence. 38 caps for Italy is also impressive at the young age of 24.

Raffaele Antico (YP08a) is only 2 caps behind Anuuziata and had another great season next to his partner.

Marcelo Matteoli (YP09a) has really taken our midfield by the scruff of its neck putting in some heroic performances. Always pops up with the crucial tackles.

I had tipped Cesare Quattrini (YP09b) to be Frediani’s successor one day but I’m worried that he wont reach the same heights. Don’t get me wrong, he had a good season despite being sidelined for the most part but he needs to give me more to prove he has what it takes.

Niccolo Pulcini (YP010a) is one of our most talented kids and I have no doubt he’ll be a superstar one day but he needs to be performing more consistently.

Riccardo Monticciolo (YP010b) continues to develop and is a great understudy to Antico and Annuziata.

NEW TAG! Giacomo Menchini (YP010c) was given first team oportunites this season after impressing on loan at Milan last season. Performed well when he started and I believe he has the potential to take over from Cireli if not improve even further.

NEW TAG! David Raba (YP010d) was a real surprise package this year. Again, another youngster who has performed well on loan and grabbed his opportunity by the horns. He’s the next best thing to Baldini we have and I was impressed by his return to 21 goals in 23(6) games. There’s maybe a future here after all.

Massimiliano Schiavoni (YP011a) had another very good season, dictated play in our midfield. Still only 20, I’m very excited as to what he has to offer.

Lino Caciagli (YP13a) got some first team opportunities this seasondid pretty well. Developing rapidly, he’s one to watch.

I was excstatic when Oscar Giunta (YP13b) was labelled the next Franco Baresi! And if this giant keeps playing the way he is he may well be!

Lorenzo Togni (YP14a) was thrown straight into the first team squad and boy did he do well. This kid has got me drooling…

Season 27/28 Objectives

On the domestic front we had another great season and met our primary objective of finishing in the top 4 and securing CL football once again.

Our CL run came to an abrupt end when put up against the Galacticos of Madrid but we did very well to get out of the group stages and I was delighted with that.

I mentioned last season that one of our key objectives would be to shake up our squad and that's what I've done. Throughout the squad old faces have left and new ones have been promoted. As above, 2 of these youngsters have been tagged with more to follow hopefully.

A bit of housekeeping was carried out in terms of back room staff too and we all sorted on that front.

- Secure Champions League football again. - Achieved!

- Get through group stages in CL. - Achieved!

- Freshen up squad, bringing through some of our youngsters. - Achieved!

- Bring in new coaches to replace those leaving and improve where possible. - Achieved!

Season 28/29 Objectives

Amazingly, this will be my 16th year in charge of Atletico Arezzo. We've come a long way, from Serie D to Champions League and Coppa Italia winners. There's still work to be done though if we're to complete our challenge, but I do feel we are making progress.

In Serie A, I genuinely think we are in a position to challenge Napoli for the title. While we may not be able to actually win the Scudetto, I want to get close and that's the main objective this year.

The other half of our challenge is the Champions League and this will be the longer road of the 2. I want to get past the first knockout round this year and maybe if the draw is kind, we can go a bit further.

Its getting to crunch time in the save so I'm going to keep the objectives simple with these 2:

- Challenge for the title.

- Get past the first knockout round in the CL.

One thing that has been nagging me is our new stadium (or lack of it). I've been getting turned down despite our healthy bank balance (c£70m) and filled out stadium (capacity 15,000) but surely its time we got a new build? I'll ask again this season. I'm also praying that when we do get a new stadium its called the Stadio Brando Frediani or something like that.

[Jambo98]

another great season @duffy89, you seem in with a real shout of completing this. Winning it in Italy would be a huge achievement!

[Steboyuk]

Cheers for the words of encouragement lads - seems to be a good interest in this at the moment which is great, get you're Weymouth boots on Braumiller!

Terrific season duffy89, brilliant league position and more CL footy for you - shame about the disappointing intake though.

Congrats as well Jambo, still early days for So - surely he can still get very good?

Onto me and Concord and haven't got around to playing as much as I wanted but we are still going very well - 4th in the league after 12 games - striker Jason Hallett with 10 goals already to his name and young 17 year old Kevin Benney on the wing with 3 goals and 2 assists is always impressing.

Also finally generated my first bit of income - we demolished Whitehawk 6 - 0 in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round and earned ourselves a nice little £4.96k - Every little helps! Still no room to improve the awful facilities or even get a feeder club as yet though!

KUTGW guys.

[ElSmurfo]

ElSmurfo - RFC Tournai - Third Division B - 2013/14

League - Past Positions - Transfers - Squad - Finances

League - 8th

A pretty solid year overall. The board expected safe mid-table, so that's exactly what I gave them. Some early season form saw us threaten to take out one of the periods for a play-off position, but we wouldn't have deserved it in truth. There aren't many goals in the team, as a dearth of good strikers sees us play a counter-attacking 4-1-1-3-1 formation. This problem looks like compounding next season due to the retirement of arguably our best player, Adnan Custovic. The talented Bosnian was a bit of a double-whammy - not only does his retirement (due to a spinal injury) leave us short of real technical quality, but he sustained his career-ending injury just after re-signing a $100k+/year contract (including ~$45k in bonuses, about double a yearly wage!). The ol' finances are in a bit of a state as well, so we don't look like improving our facilities anytime soon.

The first season was tough on the squad without being able to bring in any extras. With just 19 players, we were always going to be at the mercy of any injury bubbles, and we got slammed after Christmas. With 6 injuries and a suspension we were forced down to some pretty questionable team selections, and at one stage had both the 2nd and 3rd choice goalkeepers running around the outfield! Needless to say, form suffered from thereon in.

One positive is the development of 20 year old goalkeeper Vandervelden. His stats aren't great, but he produced some absolutely top-class saves over the season, and should be a safe choice until we really want to push on in the division above.

Youth Intake

A decent intake, in that we picked up a couple of players in positions we need. I have an ageing set of attacking mids, so Le Breton and Mercier should bolster those ranks. Marchand at right back is also promising.

Youth Prospects

Yvon Le Breton YP1 - with the potential to be a good Second Division player, Le Breton is the standout prospect, and he showed his potential with some assured performances when thrown in towards the end of the season. He's got a good pass, and works hard for the team.

Next Season

1. I would be happy with another 8th place next year!
   
2. Rotation policy for the youngsters
   

[haunted1234]

just on a side note, not hiring youth coaches helps a great deal

because good youth coaching just means that the regens spawn closer to their potential ability, say if you have poor youth coaching, a youth player will spawn with 10 CA / 60 PA for example, and you will have alot of room trough training to get him where you want

where when you get "expectional youth coaching", your players spawn with 30 CA / 60 PA or sometimes even worse like 50 CA / 60 PA, which raises the chances of the player already having messed up stats... like 20 aggression and 20 in penalty taking right from the start...

[brettney1980]

Holstein Kiel - Season 2, 2014/15;

League Table - As expected we had a battle on our hands to stay in the division, we just managed top hang on in there and finish in 13th. - League Graph.

Look No Transfers.

The Squad - I stupidly managed to leave myself with just 1 GK, luckily he managed to stay fit (about the only player who did). We again had to play a formation that fit whomever was fit enough to play, i was constantly playing a lobsided formation. Next season a couple of the Youth Candidates will hit 17 and manage to start getting into the squad.

Facilities|Finances

I managed to get the board to improve our training facilities but that was all for this year.

Youth Candidates;

Wolfgang Stock YP2a Report

Yilmaz Dogramaci YP2b Report

Emanuel Hoffman YP1 - Turns 17 March next year.

YP0a Mario Schilling

YP0b Timo Barendt

[Jambo98]

just on a side note, not hiring youth coaches helps a great deal

because good youth coaching just means that the regens spawn closer to their potential ability, say if you have poor youth coaching, a youth player will spawn with 10 CA / 60 PA for example, and you will have alot of room trough training to get him where you want

where when you get "expectional youth coaching", your players spawn with 30 CA / 60 PA or sometimes even worse like 50 CA / 60 PA, which raises the chances of the player already having messed up stats... like 20 aggression and 20 in penalty taking right from the start...

Understand what your saying but I think you have it slightly off - Junior Coaching is what impacts the CA of the regens, not the youth coaches - Youth coaches influence the development of players in your youth team once they have spawned.

If you did take the approach you are suggesting, what you want is to keep Junior coaching level down, until youth recruitment goes up (which impacts the PA). The problem you have is its not just low CA you will get, you might get considerably lower hidden mental stats which hugely impact the chances of a youth developing to reach potential (you can get an idea of this from the "personality type") - Although you can change this by tutoring, in the lower leagues of this challenge chances of a decent tutor being at your club are slim.

[haunted1234]

Understand what your saying but I think you have it slightly off - Junior Coaching is what impacts the CA of the regens, not the youth coaches

if you get more coaches your "junior coaching" automaticly goes up in ranks, so the better/more youth coaches you have the better your youth coaching status... you cant have 6 youth coaches with all assigned to 1 area and still have poor junior coaching at the same time

[Jambo98]

if you get more coaches your "junior coaching" automaticly goes up in ranks, so the better/more youth coaches you have the better your youth coaching status... you cant have 6 youth coaches with all assigned to 1 area and still have poor junior coaching at the same time

Hmmm never seen or heard of this. The only way to increase Junior Coaching is through board request?

[ri916]

Junior coaching affects players coming into the game, youth coaches affect a playr already in the game.

[TheGreatTraveler]

I'm pretty sure if I hadn't improved my Junior Coaching I wouldn't have gotten the quality intakes I have gotten here and there(With Watkins, specially).

[ri916]

Season 2 complete, if I get there I'll be doing a catchup update 4/5 seasons in. I'm reaching a really interesting point in my save, two average youth intakes combind with an aging side means we're really getting weaker mostly, but I think we're still strong enough for one more push for promotion before the point where it'll take years and a lot of luck with youth intakes to build another good enough team. Bit of a catch 22 with youth facilities, quality intakes and getting money really, I neeed to get promoted to improve the facilities, but I need good intakes to get promoted. It'll be interesting to see how my season expectations change, this year they were to get promotion and I failed in that but still kept my job, but if the expectation level remains that high I'm going to be in the ****.

[ri916]

Season expectations are down to top half finish, should give me one last run at promotion without fearing the sack.

[duffy89]

Atletico Arezzo

duffy89 - season 28/29

Serie A - 2nd

Napoli are starting to annoy me now. They’ve won the Scudetto for the past 7 seasons and it’s starting to get on my nerves! One man in particular has caused this upsurge in fortunes. May I present to you, Basilio Bianchetti who has funnily enough, been around for about 7 seasons! Since Napoli bought him for £15m from Standard he’s turned into one of the best strikers in the world and I’m praying that some one buys him because I can’t face playing him anymore!

It’s turning into a sort of Keegan-Utd relationship. And yes, I would love it if we beat them!

Anyway, we all know how that turned out so back to the season itself. We were actually in the running for the most part of the season and with 4 games to play there was only 7 points in it. Unfortunately we just fell apart and only claimed 2 points from 12 meaning Napoli cantered over the line.

This was our best points tally, however, so I can take hope from that. We just need to close out our games more if we’re ever to strip the title from Napoli.

Bring on next season and hopefully a summer move for Bianchetti…

Coppa Italia - Quarter Final

Not much more to say about the cup, we had bigger fish to fry and again lost out to Catania.

Champions League - Semi Finals

We went into the group stages as second seeds but still drew a tough group in Chelsea, PSG and AaB.

It wasn’t to be a problem though, as we finished top of the group on 13 points. I was delighted to secure first place and hopefully an easier draw in the knockout rounds.

The name out of the hat was Benfica, a winnable tie if I’ve ever seen one. Indeed it would prove to be so as we drew 1-1 in Lisbon before winning 1-0 back in Italy.

We were through to the quarters and were to face French giants, Lyon. We were magnificent in both legs winning both to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Arezzo in the semis of the Champions League, can you believe it! There are no easy games at this stage and Barcelona certainly proved that.

The first leg was played at the Camp Nou and we succumbed to a 3-0 drubbing. I tried to get the boys going for the second leg and despite a spirited performance we just couldn’t get the ball in the net. The game ended 1-1 and we crashed out of the tournament.

What a run though! I’m delighted to get to the semis and it definitely helped by topping our group.

This gives me some real hope for the future, yes we were outplayed by Barca, but we comfortably made it to the semis.

The future is looking bright!

Transfers

Only going out

Player of the year

Riccardo Baldini (YP03a) – ST – This was surely Baldini’s best season yet. 27 goals in 21 league starts was simply magnificent and in terms of his career I think he’s at his peak. Maybe one day someone else will have just as big an impact but for now it’s all about Baldini.

Youth Intake

We finally got a left winger! Not the best I’ve ever seen and very raw but I’m just delighted to have someone with some potential who can play on that side.

Oscar Manzoni (YP16a) – AML/R

Attributes

Report

Youth Watch

Brando Frediani (YP01a) is starting to decline a little but he still contributes a lot to the team and is still Baldini’s strike partner.

Alberto Cirelli (YP02a) shared his goalkeeping responsibilities and when he played he kept up his end of the bargain. An Arezzo great.

Riccardo Baldini (YP03a) is coming to the end of his contract so I need to get that tied up next year. We may not be a one-man team but without him we’re not the same side.

Leopoldo Ruggiero (YP05a) played in the less important games this season due to the emergence of Caciagli but is a worthy back up.

Ferdinando Annuziata (YP06a) must be one of my most reliable players and I honestly can’t remember him having a bad season.

Raffaele Antico (YP08a) had another no nonsense season. I reckon he could be a 100-cap player for Italy.

Marcelo Matteoli (YP09a) was in magnificent form this season as shown in his 7.45 average rating.

I do worry if Cesare Quattrini (YP09b) has what it takes. A goal every other game isn’t too bad I guess but it’s a long way from clinical.

Niccolo Pulcini (YP010a) was better this season and has now been capped for Italy meaning I’m one left back away from having the complete back line!

Riccardo Monticciolo (YP010b) has maxed out development-wise but I really like this kid and he always does the job.

Giacomo Menchini (YP010c) played in all our big games and boy did he do well! I feel a bit more comfortable knowing we have him to replace Cireli now.

David Raba (YP010d) had a couple of injuries and got a decent goal return.

Look at Massimiliano Schiavoni (YP011a) now! He’s turned into a very classy player. Gets booked a little too much for my liking though.

I let Lino Caciagli (YP13a) play in our key games this season and he did alright. He looks great for his age and has got a great future ahead of him.

Oscar Giunta (YP13b) had a very, very solid season. Showed great maturity for a 19 year old and has got a cool head on his shoulders. I’ve earmarked him as a potential future captain due to his already high influence and determination.

Lorenzo Togni (YP14a) just gets better and better, breaking the 7.5 rating mark for the season!

Season 28/29 Objectives

We challenged for the title up until the last few games but in the end we bottled it, which is disappointing. We can learn a lot from this season and hopefully we can keep some consistency next season.

The CL proved to be a huge success however, and we smashed expectations by getting to the semis.

- Challenge for the title. - Achieved-ish

- Get past the first knockout round in the CL. - Achieved!

Some good and bad news behind the scenes.

First of all, our YRN was improved and is now established!

As for the good and the bad, well I asked for a new stadium

and got one! I’m a bit disappointed, however, due to 2 reasons:

1) – I would’ve liked the stadium to be named after one of our legends; the “Arezzo Stadium” is a bit tame.

2) – I’ve been playing FM long enough to know that you only get a new season 20 years after the previous one has been built. So it looks like our capacity will be 25-30k for a long while, even with expansions.

Season 29/30 Objectives

2030 is round the corner and I want this to be Arezzo’s decade!

We need to keep pushing in the league, if we can play to the best of our ability I reckon we could win it but that means every game is a cup final and Napoli need to slip up.

I’m going to say that I want to challenge for the title again but need to be closer this time so want to be in with a shout with 2 games left to play.

As for the CL, well let’s get to the semis again! Why not? If we’re to be one of the best teams in the world we need to consistently deliver.

- Challenge for the title, still in with a shout with 2 games to go.

- Get into the semis of the CL again.

[TheGreatTraveler]

FC United Of Manchester-2026/2027

League Table | Squad 1 | Squad 2 | Finances | Facilities | Transfers(No Cheating!)

nPower Championship-6th-Past Positions

Amazing. Predicted to finish 24th, I was preparing for another season of survival. But some of my players(Mainly Abbott II, the 2 McMahon's, and Moore) had other ideas as the team was in 5th for most of the season, playing well and getting results against everybody, from consecutive wins against Hull and Brighton in January to doing the double over pre-season favorites Everton. However, our great form dropped towards the end as we just made it into the play-offs getting just 7 points from our last seven games to finish in 6th place. We then faced on-form Hull City. We played very well in the first leg and went ahead through an Abbott II goal before they equalized in the 87th minute. I then claimed the ref had missed a clear penalty and BAM! 1 match suspension for me. The team played well anyways, equalizing 10 minutes after falling behind, but then conceded 2 late goals that sent Hull to the Play-Off final, where they lost against Stoke. A wonderful season in hindsight, and the Premier League can't be too far away now.

Cups

Not an impressive year cup-wise

FA Cup

We were unlucky and faced Derby in the FA Cup 3rd round, were we were eliminated by an offside goal.

Capital One Cup

Made it past the 1st round with a team full of youngsters before falling to Middlesborough.

Previous Youth Players

Oliver Smith-YP0a(DRL)

Released March 2018-Retired 2018

Adrian Gregory-YP1c-D/M®

Released 2018-Retired 2018

Charlie O'Reilly-YP1e-DC

Released 2020-Retired 2020

Don Ryder-YP1f-M/AM®, ST

Released 2016-Retired 2016

Dominic Roberts-YP1b-GK

Released 2021-Retired 2021

Jay Squires-YP2e-AML-

Released 2019-Retired 2023

Ian Lee-YP4a-DM/MC

Released 2020-Retired 2020

Loyd Cruse-YP5b-AMR/MR/ST-SOLD 2022-Current Club: Gresley

Fourth season at Gresley and his best so far: 9 goals and 5 assists in 35 games

Charlee Maguire-YP1d-AM/M®

Released 2022-Retired 2022

Karl Prior-YP2a-ST

Tired of being a reserve for a BSN side, Prior has retired from professional football

Robbie Gammon-YP3a-MC/DM

Released 2022-Retired 2022

Charles Chukwu-YP2d-AML/ML

Released 2023-Retired 2023

Solomon Murray-YP7b-MC/DC-SOLD 2024-Current Club: Guisely (BSN)

Murray was a starter for Guisely, playing 29 league matches as they were relegated from the BSN

Kevin Buddah-YP10a-AML/ML-RELEASED 2025-Current Club: Skermersdale

A good season, scoring twice and making 8 assists in the League

Lewis Watkins-YP5a-MC-SOLD 2026-Current Club: Wolves(BPL)

He had a great first full season in the Prem, playing making 36 league starts, scoring 2 goals, and making 13 assists to finish with the highest Avg.Rating of any player at Wolves

Sean Coleman-YP3b-AM(LC)/M(LC)

Released 2025-Retired 2025

Bill Lundon-YP7d-MC/DM-RELEASED 2025-Current Club:Preston (BSP)

Moved on to Preston, where he has play 8 times, making a goal and an assist

Star Players This Season

Adam Abbott II-YP11b-DC

I thought he had an amazing season last time around. But if that season was amazing, I don't know what to call this one. He played 43 matches, scoring 6 goals and making an assist. But he was the rock at the back for us, as his 7.63 avg.Rating shows. Without him, the play-offs would've been a dream.

Dafydd Burrell-YP7c-MC

Finally broke into the team on merit after a spectacular season. 7 goals, 8 assists, and 5 PoTM awards in 40 games led to a fully deserved 7.18 Avg.Rating. His presence in midfield was vital.

Kerem Moore-YP11d-ML/MR

Very good season for him as he finally moved up into the first team squad, scoring 9 goals and making 11 assists in 45 games. Great season for him, although I wish he was more consistent.

Stuart McMahon-YP12a-ST/AMC

McMahon had an amazing season, becoming the first FC United player ever to score more than 20 league goals in a single season as he found the back of the net 30 times. Called up to the Wales team 4 times already, his international debut can't be far off. All I hope is that he will sign a contract extension next season so I can keep him.

Other Important Players This Season

Andy McMahon-YP11c-MR/DR/MC

First choice right-back for most of the season as Pierce got injured early on and he impressed. His lack of experience showed when he came back from a 2 month injury but such a good season gives me hope for the future.

Declan Rowlands-YP3c-DC/DM/MC

A good season as he was first choice to partner Abbott II. Long gone have the days when he got 7.4 ratings game in, game out due to the 5 month injury he got last season, but he brings some needed experience to the team.

Leon Thorne-YP2c-MC/ST

Played less than last season but did much better. Scored 5 times(he has 134 total) and made 8 assists as he led the team as Club-Captain again. How long he remains a starter, however, is up to his form as any dip next season will see him benched for other younger players with more potential.

Ben Nunnerley-YP11f-WBR/MR/AMR

Started as back-up to Dunphy and overtook him midway as March was injured, playing increasingly well in the right wing. Good season for him.

Other Youth Prospects

Glyndwr March-YP12c-MC/AM(CLR)

Andrew Kelly-YP6a-GK

John Dunphy-YP4d-DR/WBR/MR/AMR

Alan Gallimore-YP7a-DC/DM/MC

Johnny O'Connor-YP4c-ST

Malcolm Stokes-YP10b-AML/ML

Stuart Thompson-YP3d-DM/MC

Geraint Pierce-YP8b-D(CRL)/DM/M(CRL)

Ian Rooney-YP4b-D(CRL)

Matty Keeley-YP9a-GK

Adam Abbott-YP1a-DR

Lee Birmingham-YP8a-AMC/MC

Josh Hawes-YP6b-MC/DM

Rico Dicken-YP8b-MC/DM

Ashton Beasley-YP11a-ST/AMC

Ashley Coulson-YP11e-MR/MC

Doyle Hewson-YP11g-ST

Cole Jones-YP12b-ST/AM(CL)

Louis Mutch-YP12d-GK

Calum Heyes-YP13a-ST/AML

Lee Gibson-YP13b-DC

Carl Cook-YP13c-D(RCL)

Youth Intake

A good intake leaves 3 tags

Russell Perkins-YP14a-DL

The young Full-back will hopefully develop into a first team starter in the next season as the team pushes for one final promotion.

Tim Howarth-YP14b-AML/ML

The left winger will have it tough, but he has the potential to become important for the team.

Johnny Hall-YP14c-DL/ML)

Another possible starting left-back once he develops. He has already made his U-19 Scotland Debut and will be a great player.

Youth Prospects Turned Staff

Derek Wilson(Head Coach)

Our great winger from our BSN and BSP days has returned to the club less than a year after being released as U-18 Head Coach. Hopefully the experience will help him when he is head of of a First Team at another club.

Goals From Last Season

• Avoid relegation again ACHIEVED!
  
• Create more tactics for new generation of players Achieved!-I have a 4-3-3, a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-2-3-2
  
• Make financial profitWith the small cup run, our 'small' stadium, and the Training and Youth facility upgrades, a financial loss was to be expected.
  

Goals For Next Season

• Challenge for Automatic Promotion
  
• Get past the 3rd Round in the FA Cup
  
• Sign Stuart McMahon to a new contract
  
• Utilize feeder clubs Bury(BSN) and AFC Wimbledon(L2) for Youngsters
  

[TheGreatTraveler]

@duffy: Great season, although Napoli seem to have become a great super-power. Overtaking them should be a real challenge. Making it to the CL Semis is incredible, hopefully you can repeat that next season!

[Steboyuk]

Brilliant stuff TheGreatTraveler, amazing how you have got them lot playing so well in that division when clearly they are nowhere near that standard, McMahon excepted maybe. Hopefully I'll be on your tail giving you so competition in the not too distant future.

Onto my season at Concord and things still going pretty well - 4th in the league after 24 games - I really think we can get promoted. Jason Hallett is still perfoming miracles up top with 21 goals in 24 games, 17 year old Kevin Benney on the right wing with 6 goals and 4 assists from his appearances and James Elmes, my advanced playmaker is doing a fine job - he creates almost all of our chances in some way, and has 6 goals to his name to from midfield. Also, 16 year old Dave Dyer (MC, ST) is getting regular bench appearances and is showing signs of potential too.

Knocked out of the FA Cup in the 4th Qualifying Round away at BSP side Hereford in a tight game which was encouraging, whilst a very young side were knocked out of the FA Trophy to lowly Cray Wanderers. Can't say I was too bothered - The league is my priority.

[ElSmurfo]

My Tournai board turned out to be even more vicious than their English ilk - sacked after 10 games in season 2! We were above the relegation zone and results were improving, but that wasn't enough for a board that expected a top-half finish. Modern football eh! Needless to say, I was

I'm going to take a little time to re-collect before starting again. Whether that's in Belgium or elsewhere I don't yet know!

[ElSmurfo]

Ok so I got straight back into it instead. This time I thought I'd go for a bit more high quality/high pressure, so took the job of five-time Pro League champions RFC Liege.

Liege have much better facilities than my previous side Tournai, and the board are expecting a title challenge in the first season. Looks like I'd better start delivering! To highlight this before my first season review, the previous manager had already signed deals to bring two players into the club (and send another one out), so while they'll appear on the transfer list at the end of the season I promise they weren't mine!

[duffy89]

Great season there Traveler!

You've done brilliantly getting to the playoffs, hopefully same again next year

[Steboyuk]

Glad to see you straight back in ElSmurfo, sounds like a good team to choose, albeit they are steep expectations surely? Good luck.

[brettney1980]

Good to see someone playing with RFC Liege, i had great fun (and decent success) with them in this Challenge last year .. Good luck ElSmurfo.

[Steboyuk]

Hotting up at Concord (first season, Blue Square South for those who aren't sure), 31 games in, I sit 5th (final playoff place) with Oxford City rapidly improving and breathing down my neck just one point behind us. I think It will go to the wire.

As I thought may happen we have started struggling slightly after January came and went, with other sides improving their squad with loans and free transfers and us clearly having no option to do that. I also lost two players (neither made a start for us), to sides in regional divisions on freebies, placing more pressure on the youth intake this season.

In other news, at the FOURTH attempt the takeover of the club has been completed, a local businessman Nick Watson has done so and unfortunately informs me that their are no plans for any investment at this stage. With my god awful facilities let's hope he either gets his wallet out soon or jets off somewhere.

EDIT: What was I saying about the new chairman - Despite seemingly not having much money, he granted me my request at at getting a feeder club immediately, also a parent club (extra money) after a bit of persuasion and has also increased our 'Youth Level' to four. I have no idea what that actually means, but I assume it was 3 before so surely it can only be a good thing. Spirits lifted.

[TheGreatTraveler]

Steboyuk-The youth level thing goes backwards: from 5 to 1.

It means what level your Youth Team plays in.

Level 1 is the U-18 PL, and then the divisions go down from there

[Steboyuk]

Cheers for clearing up, sounds relatively useless but every little helps I suppose.

[TheGreatTraveler]

Higher level of competition should help you youngsters that aren't in the first team

[ElSmurfo]

Thanks for the support Duffy and Steboyuk. I'm just writing up the season review now - it was one hell of a ride!

Brettney - how far did you go last time around? I find it amazing that a team with such great (and recent) history, strong facilities, and a good squad finds themselves in Div 4. Can't be a happy fan-base!

Traveler - seeing your success with FC United makes me so happy. You're doing a top job there, keep it up.

[ElSmurfo]

ElSmurfo - RFC Liege - Third Division A - 2013/14

League - Past Positions - Transfers (those two in were signed before I started) - Squad - Finances

League - 2nd (PROMOTION!!!)

Wow, what a season! Liege are a professional team, a rarity in Belgian Div 3, so the board rightly expected us to challenge for the title. Fortunately we had an excellent squad, and a wide tactic with two wingers and two wing-backs tore it up for the first half of the season. We won the first period handily, and went 20 games with a single loss. From there, things started slipping. First came the drop in results - dominant performances that used to see us score 4 goals in a game now became 1-goal squeakers or frustrating draws. Then came the drop in performance. Somehow, my heroes who took top spot and held it from as early as Round 4 lost interest. We began getting outplayed by semi-professional sides who could barely string two wins together. Switching to a counter-attacking system saved a few blushes, but our competitors were on fire. A 6-2 belting by a mid-table side took us to equal points with 2nd, and two lacklustre 0-0 draws saw us relinquish our lead for the first time in 28 rounds. Despite our rival losing their last game of the season, we could only manage a stale 1-1 draw against an already relegated side to limp into 2nd, 1 point behind our rightful place at the top, and into the play-off nightmare that is Belgian football.

By this stage I was furious, the players were demoralised, and we were getting played off the park every week. Cue a first leg loss at home in the promotion play-off quarter final. Gutted. And then something magical happened. Despite being completely outplayed, we somehow sneaked a 2-0 win away in the second leg to get us into the semi final. Great, back to some form! Well, not quite. Another poor home loss in the first leg of the semis, along with suspensions to our leading (read: only) goalscorer and midfield general, pulled me back into desperation mode. And yet, somehow, the FM gods smiled on us again. Another 2-0 away win in the second leg, despite being played off the park, and we made it into the final. Continuing our amazing run of away form we took a gutsy 2-1 lead in the first leg of the promotion final, before heading home in the final game of the season - a game which would probably decide my job. With 39% possession, 1 shot (off-target) to our opponents 15, and with our goalkeeper claiming man of the match, we pulled off a 0-0 draw - and got ourselves promoted at our first attempt!

This is my first team being promoted in this challenge (from 4 failed attempts), so I'm entering unknown territory now. Fortunately, Liege being a professional side allowed me to sign my entire team to long-term contracts (5 years vs the 2 years open to semi-professional sides), so I should at least be able to field a passable first team every week. The board's reaction to promotion was "well of course we expected it, what of it", so in all honesty this is probably the only way I get to keep my job. As you can see our finances are woeful as well, dumping $2mil in a year. We own a decent-sized stadium, so hopefully some increased attendances next year will help us out, but I think we'll struggle to improve our facilities for many years. Still - absolutely ecstatic with the first season!

Key Players

Hamdi Bouslama (ST) - 29 goals in 40 games, he was an absolute assassin in front of goal this season. Our only goalscorer in double-digits, and now the clubs top goalscorer of all time!

Yohan M'Vila (MC) - the only midfielder in our system (with 2 AMs and 2 WBs), we relied on M'Vila to break down attacks when completely outnumbered and to distribute out to our wide players. He did so with aplomb, and was essential to our structure.

Rudy Chirishungu (DC) - signed by the previous manager before I took charge, Rudy was immense at just 21 years of age. Popping up with 6 crucial goals, and developing really well, he will be a defensive rock for years to come.

Youth Intake

Not spectacular, but it has produced a few players I'll be bringing through my squad next season. Just one tag from the lot.

Ioan Raducu YP1 (ST/AML) - I forgot to tag him until the end of the season, but it shows the promise Raducu has in my squad. 3 goals from 5 starts, including two absolutely crucial goals in the play-off semi final and then final. Turned out to be a great partner to Bouslama, long may that continue!

Next Season

- Survival is the order of the day! I should have a good enough squad to hold out - the structure is very much weighted against relegation from Div 2, so hopefully I my squad can scrape together a low/mid-table finish.

- I'd love to be able to improve my youth intake. Liege is a big town, and RFC Liege are a big side with 'average' youth recruitment. Even if I go straight back down, I'd like to be able to pick up a few first teamers from this intake!

[duffy89]

Great job on promotion ElSmurfo, hope you can avoid the drop next season!

[brettney1980]

Nice going on the promotion ElSmurfo. 4-7 usuable players in the youth intake by the looks of it. I made it to 2026 on FM12 and in my last season made the Championship group (finished 5th overall if i remember rightly). I'm rooting for you to beat me.

[TheGreatTraveler]

Great first season ElSmurfo! Hopefully your team can be more consistent in a higher division so that you can be safe by the end.

The intake seems very good for a first intake, better than my first in the BSN and I still have one of those players in my squad now!