Thunderbird Delta: International Footballing Rescue

[joshpmilton]

What a ridiculous finale to the season you've managed to set up! Combined with the cup final the May/end of season update should be a beauty.

[B.W.G]

Definitely squeaky bum time.Best of luck with your remaining fixtures!

[b101]

Tight - looking forward to how this turns out. I think Mainz will probably grab one of those spots, and I reckon Aue will be the other side you need to hold off.

[deltablue]

Well now that is close. Going to be a fantastic climax to the season hope you make it!

I agree that Mainz look likely to take one of those 2 spots, Hertha have a tough task to begin though if they go into the last game in the top 3 you'd have to fancy them. Those trio of games with you, Aue and Chemnitz are going to be massive. I really want to see this!

Good luck in the end of the season

What a ridiculous finale to the season you've managed to set up! Combined with the cup final the May/end of season update should be a beauty.

Definitely squeaky bum time.Best of luck with your remaining fixtures!

Tight - looking forward to how this turns out. I think Mainz will probably grab one of those spots, and I reckon Aue will be the other side you need to hold off.

Thanks guys, unfortunately it was rather anticlimactic. I had a feeling it would be as ourselves, Chemnitz and Aue would likely be taking points off each other allowing Hertha and Mainz to win the race. However what happened was we faltered and were just left in the dust. I think we had done all we could, and had just run out of steam which unfortunately applied to the cup final as well. I knew we weren't that likely to snatch it, and I think Mainz missing out was a bigger surprise.

Apr 2052

Rostock 0-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

Without a doubt the toughest test in the run-in was a trip to Rostock (though given what our away form was like these days, it might be easier than a couple of home matches we have later on, especially a potential final day decider against Aue), who were 7 points clear at the top. Results elsewhere were in our favour at least, so we wouldn’t lose much ground whatever happened. Most of the pressure came from them, and we came so close to doing what other teams had done to us (winning without our only shot on target), Kramer having a goal ruled out on the 28th minute. A draw wasn’t too bad, but we still had a bit of a gap to close in the final 6 games.

Hoffenheim 0-0 Gladbach (D2)

Our home form really needed to improve, and we had a slow start against Gladbach. We started coming to life, though frustratingly couldn’t get a winner, however 3rd placed Aue losing to Rostock meant we actually moved a point closer (making the gap now 4 points).

Kiel 0-2 Hoffenheim (D2)

After 2 draws we needed to win at bottom club Kiel. I was very disappointed as we had plenty of close chances that we didn’t convert. They actually put the ball in the net after 70 minutes, causing considerable shock, followed by even more considerable relief as it was disallowed. Huitema had come on as a sub, and saved the day with a brace that gave us the win.

Hoffenheim 2-0 Kaiserslautern (D2)

Despite their lowly position, Kaiserslautern had some dangerous players so I was a bit worried. We got into our groove after a while, though again took time and chances to take the lead, in the 28th minute from Huitema. They didn’t really threaten after that, with Krajisnic securing a 2-0 win.

May 2052

Chemnitz 2-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

A vital month started at Chemnitz. We went into it knowing that Aue had drawn and Hertha had lost, so if we won by more than a goal we could go 3rd, they could do the same but would need a bigger margin. Unfortunately we were just terrible. They took the lead after 16 minutes, always looked likely to get another, and did so early in the second-half from a penalty.

Hoffenheim 1-1 Karlsruhe (D2)

It was pretty much all or nothing against Karlsruhe. Unfortunately we weren’t too good against them either, and went behind in the 25th minute. Ashu had a goal disallowed early in the second-half, in a rare bright spell for us, and though Kramer equalized with 5 minutes left, it wasn’t enough.

Hoffenheim 2-2 Aue (D2)

The Aue game ended up being meaningless, as they were out of the promotion race just as we were. It looked like we’d end up finishing on a high, as Kramer gave us a 16th minute lead, and even though they equalized 10 minutes later, Krajisnic restored the lead before going off injured. It looked like we’d hold it, but a late equalizer condemned us to a relatively lowly 7th place finish.

Hoffenheim 0-8 Leverkusen (GC Final) :( :( :( :(

It wasn’t a great way to go into the cup final with Leverkusen. We had some good chances early on but were really soft at the back. They scored a couple of quick goals to go 2-0 up after 16 minutes, and it was all downhill from there. Ehmer went off injured after 35 minutes, leaving us a man down with the score already 4-0. It was 6-0 at the break, and they went on to win 8-0 as we were just helpless to do anything. Almost everyone’s ratings were in the 5’s (and there was even one in the 4's), summing up just what a terrible day it was. It was actually a record worst defeat for the club.

Oh dear, so near and so far. In truth we’d messed up more than enough winnable games (especially at home) that you could argue that we just hadn’t done enough to deserve going up this year. I was actually worried about our ability to get back into a serious promotion fight in the spring, and despite some setbacks we at least looked like we might do it late on, before a disappointing end. However we weren’t in the best position for most of the season, and there are probably teams that would feel more disappointed than we are. We still very much did what I set out to do, have a confident top-half season, even the fact that we made a challenge at all is a positive. The cup was a similar more extreme story. We did so well for ages, but by the time the end of the season came, we had no more left to give, and the odds caught up with us after defying them to such great effect for so long.

There was much promise for next year though. We were in a pretty stable financial position, would probably have a far quieter summer transfer wise (though only sometimes does that actually happen), and hopefully would have a better-gelled and more-consistent side that I felt would have a serious chance of going up. It was a far cry from when we were struggling to get out of relegation trouble when I arrive last year, and for all the frustration this year, a lot of progress has been made. A promotion challenge (even one that fell away after having to rely on a late revival in the first place) and a cup final still makes for a good season I feel.

There was at least one positive to end the season on. Leverkusen missed out on 3rd on the final day, which I thought meant we wouldn’t get into Europe, however after the CL final (a rather crazy all-German affair where Dortmund beat Bayern 6-5 in extra-time!!!!), Leverkusen were given a CL spot after all, so I got the message that we were in Europe, which I didn’t expect. I’m not sure why. In the old days of the European cup, winning the thing counted as an extra ‘qualification spot’, allowing another team to qualify as well, rather than the usual one (or later on, up to 4) teams from a nation, Chelsea/Spurs and the mess over Liverpool/Everton (and Real Madrid/Zaragoza before) suggest that it’s no longer the case, otherwise one league would have a 5th qualifier most years recently. Maybe it does still apply, but with 4 being the absolute maximum, so a league with 3 qualifiers like Germany does get a 4th spot in this situation. In fact that’s almost certainly it, luckily for us.

Squad Stats

Star player: As well as chipping in with a few goals, Krajisnic (yes I still have to keep looking his name up) was a rare consistent (mostly) rock in defence.

[b101]

Well that's one hell of a backdoor into Europe! Gutting about the end of the season, you must have hated the Leverkusen match . A great season overall though and hopefully you can clinch promotion next time around

[Dexter_Morgan]

such a shame that the season and the final ended the way did I hope the players step up a bit next season when it really matters. Hopefully you'll get a good budget to sort a few positions out too.

[elbilly]

Unlucky mate, wasn't to be I suppose. Nice silver lining getting European football next season to bring in a bit of cash even if its a few games or many

[deltablue]

Well that's one hell of a backdoor into Europe! Gutting about the end of the season, you must have hated the Leverkusen match . A great season overall though and hopefully you can clinch promotion next time around

I know! I have been rather lucky on rules in the past. The last career saw me get promoted because a team above me couldn't, as well as winning a title on head-to-head results while having inferior GD. Even this time, the Sirius promotion was achieved through the playoffs that I only reached by beating 3 (I think) other teams on GD. I waited for the last First Division matches, and once they passed that seemed to be that and I was surprised when the message about qualification came up a little later, though knew that the CL must have had something to do with it.

The Leverkusen match would have felt much worse if it hadn't been for the fact that the end of the season was very disappointing anyway, so I wasn't in the most enthusiastic mood beforehand, and it was a foregone conclusion pretty early on, as I was resigned to it being a very bad day. Plus having riding our luck for so long (as early as Koln I felt we'd be knocked out to the point I had already started writing before the match that we had, and while I very rarely end up in that situation, it's also happen other times I've been sure of defeat and been surprised), and the gulf in class was bound to show, though 8-0 was a bit heavy even then.

such a shame that the season and the final ended the way did I hope the players step up a bit next season when it really matters. Hopefully you'll get a good budget to sort a few positions out too.

I do have a decent budget, it was set at something like 2.5M I think. I don't really need to use it, so I can save it for maybe a couple of players that might really help, unlike a lot of times when I can't afford too much on one player because I need to spread it around. I don't really want to buy too much, as a lot of players were brought in last time, and having far fewer moves and a gelled squad could benefit us a lot next season (in fact it was why I was still optimistic whatever happened this year). Hopefully it will be a good summer of quality over quantity this time. As for the final, it's important to note that last career saw the first and only time I've ever won a major cup with a lower-division team, and this season is the only other time I can think of where I've even been finalists in that situation, so like a few other things this career (like Sirius), a very bad end shouldn't take away from a lot of positives that came before the crash.

Unlucky mate, wasn't to be I suppose. Nice silver lining getting European football next season to bring in a bit of cash even if its a few games or many

No it wasn't, we'd wasted too many winnable points, and I'm slightly surprised that we got that close late on, as it looked like we'd spending the entire second half of the season hanging around not too far from contention, but wouldn't actually be able to get right in it. We did show some good potential at times though, and while a challenge wasn't on my mind last summer, promotion certainly is this time. In Europe we'll be in the 3rd qualification round, so might get a beatable team (unlike at Mattersburg), maybe two if we're really lucky and reach the group stage, though it's unlikely.

[noikeee]

Last time I was here you were just joining Mattersburg. Bit of an understatement to say a lot has happened since. As ever, loads and loads of ups and downs, twists and turns when you wouldn't expect. Mattersburg had great progress and a brilliant cup win then was starting to go stale, you moved at the right time there. Was awesome that you went back to Ipswich and the results were brilliant for a while but then the sack! Didn't see that coming. Fiorentina, oh dear, big disaster. Chile - great start then fizzled out into a slightly difficult qualification and an average WC. Now Hoffenheim - so-so in the league but bloody hell the cup!! Don't ever say again you've had "nothing memorable" in this save, to bring a 2nd division team to a cup final then lose 8-0 there? Unforgettable.

Fun stuff.

[deltablue]

Last time I was here you were just joining Mattersburg. Bit of an understatement to say a lot has happened since. As ever, loads and loads of ups and downs, twists and turns when you wouldn't expect. Mattersburg had great progress and a brilliant cup win then was starting to go stale, you moved at the right time there. Was awesome that you went back to Ipswich and the results were brilliant for a while but then the sack! Didn't see that coming. Fiorentina, oh dear, big disaster. Chile - great start then fizzled out into a slightly difficult qualification and an average WC. Now Hoffenheim - so-so in the league but bloody hell the cup!! Don't ever say again you've had "nothing memorable" in this save, to bring a 2nd division team to a cup final then lose 8-0 there? Unforgettable.

Fun stuff.

You're right, I can't say that now I didn't mean that nothing had really happened, just that there wasn't the sort of thing I'd look back and really remember in a year or two, compared to quite a few other things from past careers (for example I was reminiscing about an Albanian forward at Braga on FM 05 on GD recently, and I remember a surprising amount about that considering it was 8 years ago!). However hopefully it'll be reaching the final (Furth especially) rather than what happened when we got there. Continuing and choosing Hoffenheim was definitely the right thing to do.

[AK22]

Quite the day out in Berlin you had!

Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and a venture into the Europa League is quite a silver lining, at that.

[joshpmilton]

I'd have thought as a German side, you're likely to have a relatively favourable entry point in to the Europa League, right? You could easily get a smaller side in qualification/play-off ties, which lends itself to a more lucrative group stage draw. That or a massive draw against a giant. Look forward to seeing what happens!

[ashton321]

Bad end to the season pal. I am sure next season will be much better. You still enjoying it in Germany

[deltablue]

Quite the day out in Berlin you had!

Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and a venture into the Europa League is quite a silver lining, at that.

Well it could have gone better, if I'm honest

I'd have thought as a German side, you're likely to have a relatively favourable entry point in to the Europa League, right? You could easily get a smaller side in qualification/play-off ties, which lends itself to a more lucrative group stage draw. That or a massive draw against a giant. Look forward to seeing what happens!

Well as I expected, we were seeds for the Third Qualifying round, which has given us a very easy draw (I don't know precisely who yet but it will either be a Georgian club or an Icelandic club. I doubt either will really be any trouble at all, though the latter do have a few players that aren't that far off our level), and actually in the past with Ipswich I've been seeds in the playoff round on the nation's coefficients alone, so while I'm not so sure we'll get the same benefit, if we do that should give us a good chance of the group stage, though I doubt we'll be able to do much if we do.

Bad end to the season pal. I am sure next season will be much better. You still enjoying it in Germany

Very bad end to the season. There's much to suggest it will be better next time though.

[deltablue]

Euro 2052

[deltablue]

Summer 2052

After last year, I had high hopes of mounting a promotion challenge, as long as I didn’t go too overboard with signing players. The first deal had already been done in January, for a forward/winger who was mainly there for depth purposes. Otherwise I felt that even a player who could give us only a slight improvement might be able to make the difference in our chances. First were a pair of Greeks, starting with a young defender who was a far better all-rounder (but still at least as good defensively) as a lot of the others, plus a playmaker available for a very low release clause, who was far better technically than Ilic (whose strengths were mainly in the mental column) and potentially better for the role.

So far so reasonable, though a couple of big buys came along. The first was at left-back, where we needed a signing anyway, then a forward who was far more expensive, and bit a big priority, but with the talent to convince me to sign him anyway. Finally, with right-back being just as much of a priority as left, I bought another defender from the same Bosnian club. There were some difficult decisions to make going the other way, especially since in a couple of positions, I had two similarly good players, with the reports strongly recommending one player and my own opinion leading a bit towards the other. Inevitably my judgement had to win out, but I felt I was gambling a little.

At the end of the day, 6 signings was a couple more than I intended to make, especially having made 8 last time, but again I still felt we were far stronger. Last year was about depth, and getting a good defence, this year saw a clear improvement to the side properly, especially at full-back. At the start of the summer, a promotion challenge was a hope, and I kept board expectations to top half rather than having the unnecessary pressure of needing to go up. Now though, while obviously it was hard to say with any confidence, I felt we had had a pretty good chance now.

[elbilly]

Some decent full backs signed there, will you be playing Marinkovic at RB or CB? I'm thinking good aerial ability for a FB but not quite good enough for CB. Obi looks like he'll be a cracker for you!

[AK22]

With Toch and Obi, you've signed two brilliant forwards. I'm expecting lots of goals in the coming season!

[deltablue]

Some decent full backs signed there, will you be playing Marinkovic at RB or CB? I'm thinking good aerial ability for a FB but not quite good enough for CB. Obi looks like he'll be a cracker for you!

I signed him as a right-back, which we needed (in fact the full-back positions in general are where we needed improvement, and we certainly have managed that, which should make a bit of a difference), compared to a rather crowded field to play in the centre (even with Jasaitis suffering from a severe viral infection that rules him out for most of the season). I'm well aware of the difference between a full-back and a centre-back who just happens to be able to play wide, but I did look for a couple of things (like pace, and he also has decent creative ability) first that had me satisfied that he could work well with the more fluid role required of a right-back, since while he's good in the air, I agree that otherwise he doesn't look that great as a CB.

With Toch and Obi, you've signed two brilliant forwards. I'm expecting lots of goals in the coming season!

Well Toch was, and remains, more of a cheap way of adding depth that as someone who will play regularly, though I have no worries about his capabilities when he does. The fact that I spent so much on Obi speaks volumes about how excited I am about him, and if he works out we'll be tough to stop.

[deltablue]

Aug 2052

Hoffenheim 2-3 KR (EL)

We started the season at home to the Icelanders KR in the Europa League. There wasn’t actually that big a gulf in class between us, but that didn’t excuse a few wasted chances and the score being 0-0 after a lacklustre first half. They took the lead early in the second-half (making for a depressingly familiar story), then went 2-0 up! Losing would have been embarrassing. Thankfully Obi roused himself from what had been a poor debut, and his goal was quickly followed by a Huitema equalizer, but with 5 minutes left they got a winner, that left us with a tough task in Iceland.

Bochum 4-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

A trip to Bochum was a tough way to start the league season, but was the sort of game we needed to get something from if we had serious promotion ambitions. We had a few good early chances, but their taking the lead in the 22nd minute was so predictable it was embarrassing. They did dominate properly after that, tearing us apart in the second-half with 3 more goals to win 4-0.

KR 0-1 (a3-3) Hoffenheim (EL)

We had a tough task in Iceland. Huitema had a goal disallowed in the 34th minute, and though we did score from Matsinhe in the second-half, we still went out on away-goals.

Hoffenheim 0-1 Braunschweig (D2)

Last year we had a surprising (and disappointing) defeat at home to Braunschweig on the opening day. It didn’t go any better this time. We had chances, few on target (and had Huitema join Obi on the injury list), and they won with their only shot on target after an hour. It’s a depressing story.

Neunkirchen 0-5 Hoffenheim (D2

We were never going to have any trouble at Neunkirchen in the cup. Ashu gave us the lead after 10 minutes. Krajisnic and Toch got a quick double after half an hour, and Ashu scored again before the break. He completed a hat-trick late on as we won 5-0. Even taking into account the very poor opposition, we looked like a different team.

Heidenheim 2-2 Hoffenheim (D2)

We needed to pick things up at Heidenheim. Unfortunately, we weren’t good early on, and we were 2-0 down at the break, which included a goal from Ilic, who I sold in the summer. We eventually picked up mid-way through the second half. Ashu pulled a goal back after 70 minutes, and Reichert gave us a first point of the season.

Sept 2052

Hoffenheim 3-1 Wehen (D2)

We had a comfortable time against Wehen. Obi gave us the lead in the 6th minute, followed by Ivos in the 22nd. Obi scored again early in the second-half, shortly before they got a consolation as we won 3-1.

Karlsruhe 0-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

Internationals deprived us of a few players to go to Karlsruhe, but we still put in a reasonable first-half. We were less good after the break, but they could only managed a disallowed goal so we still got a point.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Aalen (D2)

We were hitting good form, and went ahead against Aalen from Ashu in the 25th minute. We were under more pressure in the second-half, and they had a penalty claim turned down as we held out.

Stuttgarter Kickers 1-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

Unfortunately we had a very poor display at relegated Stuttgarter Kickers. We had just 2 shots, neither on target, but we still would have got a point had the defence been solid.

Hoffenheim 3-0 Munster (D2)

We bounced back by munching Munster. Toch and Obi worked very well together, assisting each other’s goals as we went 3-0 up after just 17 minutes, before we eased off.

Aue 2-2 Hoffenheim (D2)

Obi became the latest of a number of recent injuries early on at Aue. Ashu came on and came us the lead, and though they equalized, and Bougiouklis was the latest injury. Reichert restored the lead by the break. I’m convinced we would have held on to it had Farkas not been our 3rd injury of the match, taking us to 10 men.

Oct 2052

Gladbach 1-1 Hoffenheim (D2)

We got a bit lucky against Gladbach, who had a goal disallowed in the first-half. They soon took the lead anyway shortly after half-time, and we were heading for defeat, but we woke up late on, an Ashu free-kick giving us a point. The revival seemed to be faltering.

Chemnitz 2-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

Internationals again denied us a couple more players. Matsinhe was rushed back from injury as a consequence and had a shocker. They comfortably had the lead in the 39th minute, then Ozad was sent off. They got another, with a 3rd disallowed.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Duisburg (D2)

We thankfully got a win against Duisburg, though it wasn’t easy. Ashu had a penalty saved after 20 minutes, but pounced on the rebound to give us the lead. They had a goal disallowed early in the second-half, and we only just held on.

Hoffenheim 2-0 Paderborn (D2)

We hoped to get another win against Paderborn, but struggled to make a breakthrough in the first-half. Huitema had a habit of saving us when he came on as a sub, and he did so again in the 62nd minute, soon followed by an Ashu penalty.

Gladbach 0-1 Hoffenheim (GC)

We went to Gladbach in the cup, and it was the latest of our run of cup matches where I didn’t have much hope but ended up winning (with the obvious exception). Generally we were better side, and perhaps could have won by more than Bougiouklis’ goal.

I went into the season with high hopes, so was shocked at the poor start we had. However I soon realized why. After Braunschweig I was fed up of wasting chances then losing to the opposition's only shot on target, which has happened quite a lot over the past year (it wasn't even the first time it had happened at home to Braunschweig), so I went to see if there was anything I could change tactics wise, and noticed that passing was set to 'short'. One of a few things I've learned tactically of late was that direct passing was more compatible with a relatively attacking philosophy, which is why that's been my (pretty much) consistent setup ever since, so I have no idea why it was set that way.

Whatever the truth of the tactical theory, it's probably no coincidence that despite a few blips (not helped by injuries and occasionally internationals depriving me of a lot of players for a while), we started doing a lot better after I changed it. We've had a lot of catching up to do, and quite a few places to make up, but points-wise we're not so far off that we can get ourselves in the promotion fight if we avoid a bad run of results. There's plenty of hope left in the season.

[ashton321]

Fingers crossed the tweak will sort out your issues and you will be able to climb the table

[deltablue]

Fingers crossed the tweak will sort out your issues and you will be able to climb the table

Thankfully we have.

Nov 2052

Mainz 1-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

We started the month at leaders Mainz, and put up a good (if wasteful) fight, summed up by a penalty miss from Ashu late in the first half. They had a goal disallowed early in the second-half, but headed in a corner later on to snatch a win, which was a bit harsh on us.

Hoffenheim 5-1 Cottbus (D2)

We had a far more comfortable time against Cottbus. Huitema, Ashu and Mamalos gave us a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes. They pulled a goal back from a penalty early in the second-half, but Huitema soon gave us a 4th, and finished off his hat-trick with a penalty of his own.

Werder Bremen 2-3 Hoffenheim (D2)

When Ashu gave us the lead against Bremen from a 1st minute penalty. I thought we were heading for another win, however it took just 6 minutes for them to turn it around and go 2-1 up. Huitema equalized in the 48th minute, followed by Schafer giving us the lead, but there were some really close calls at our end before we could claim all three points.

Hoffenheim 3-0 Regensburg (D2)

Regensburg were with us as one of the teams challenging to be in the promotion hunt, which made it very satisfying to beat them comfortably. Huitema gave us the lead in the 26th minute, quickly nipped any second-half comeback in the bud in the 62nd minute, and finished off a 3-0 win later on.

Dec 2052

Hoffenheim 0-0 Bochum (D2)

We played Bochum, hoping to make up for the 4-0 opening day defeat, especially as we were level in 3rd/4th. Huitema missed an early chance, but otherwise the first half was very dull. It started to liven up in the middle of the second-half, and on balance they had the closest chances so I was relieved with a draw.

Braunschweig 1-1 Hoffenheim (D2)

We owed Braunschweig a couple of defeats, but unfortunately they seemed destined to be a bogey side, taking the lead in the only real event in the first-half, in the 6th minute. Huitema equalized in the 57th minute, after which we had a hat shop’s full of chances, but none on target. Still, we went into the winter break in a much better position than last year.

Erfurt 0-1 Hoffenheim (GC)

We still had to go to 3rd Division Erfurt in the cup. The first half was very uneventful, there were 4 shots between us, and none of them were on target. We turned the heat up ever so slightly in the second-half, and Huitema sent us through late on.

It's a good thing the league is a marathon, not a sprint. Despite making a very good start last year, and a very poor one this time, we're just 1 point and 1 place from 3rd, compared to 5 points and 3 places this time last year. Both on paper and on the pitch, we look a much better side this time. Braunschweig is the only example of the sort of silly defeat that blighted last year, and since the Karlsruhe draw, the only dropped points (both away draws) that weren't to fellow challengers were to Braunschweig (who you can imagine I really hate by now) and Gladbach, who may be in a fairly lowly position but they have a very dangerous-looking team.

Along with a greater consistency, the fixture list also gives us optimism. We've had all our away games against the rest of the top 6 (with both played against Bochum, and that annoying Braunschweig lot) and Gladbach. Not that I expect to go undefeated for the rest of the season, or beat all our rivals, but it should mean we pick up a decent amount of points in those games, which should matter a lot. Plus we no longer have a problem with a bunch of players being out at once. Obi has just returned having been injured since the end of September, and his return is especially welcome. I do feel confident that we can stay strong for the rest of the season, and hopefully succeed where we failed miserably last time, especially if we can get automatic promotion, which seems doable.

We're also in the cup quarter-finals again. Somehow I doubt we can make another final, but if we do it can't be much worse than last year. Interestingly enough we have the exact same draw as last time, Dusseldorf at home. I doubt lightning will strike twice, but at least we know we're capable of beating them on our day.

[deltablue]

Feb 2053

Hoffenheim 2-2 Heidenheim (D2)

Heidenheim was the first of the home ‘6-pointers’, especially as they were sitting in the automatic promotion spot. Ivos gave us the lead in the 27th minute (which was especially satisfying as had I gone with the coach reports he would have been sold instead of Ilic, who ironically was in the Heidenheim team). However we didn’t really push on in the second-half. They equalized in the 64th minute, then had a penalty which was thankfully saved by Wieszt (as Vaz was away on international duty). They took the lead anyway in the 83rd minute, which looked like a winner, but Huitema soon equalized, giving us a point.

Wehen 1-5 Hoffenheim (D2)

I didn’t mind only drawing against those sorts of teams if we were able to do the business against the rest, and we certainly did at Wehen. It took us some time and chances to find a goal, though Huitema struck in the 25th minute to give us the lead at the break. Reichert extended the lead early in the second-half, and despite having both central midfielders going off injured, we pushed on it style. Obi made it 3-0 from a 60th minute penalty, and within a few minutes he had a hat-trick from two open play goals. They scored late on but it was still a commanding win.

Hoffenheim 0-0 Karlsruhe (D2)

Karlsruhe was a game full of wasted chances, especially in the first half. They had a few chances early in the second-half that made it seem like we’d be punished, but while that didn’t happen, it was still a bit of a disappointment that we didn’t score despite being a hair’s breadth away at least a couple of times.

Aalen 2-1 Hoffenheim (D2)

Huitema was able to give us the lead after half an hour at Aalen, but their equalizer had a suspicion of handball about it. They took the lead in the 62nd minute, and unfortunately were pretty much able to shut us out of the match afterwards.

Hoffenheim 0-2 Dusseldorf (GC QF)

We hoped to repeat last year’s quarter-final win over Dusseldorf, but while it was mostly an even match, they were able to take control with goals in the 24th and 33rd minutes. Marinkovic had a goal disallowed after 70 minutes, which was the closest we got to scoring.

Mar 2053

Hoffenheim 1-0 Stuttgarter Kickers (D2)

Having dropped quite a few points recently, we needed to make the most of the second ‘6-pointer’ against Stuttgarter Kickers. It was an extremely dull game. In the second half they had a couple of efforts that could be considered chances at a stretch, but then Huitema scored a vital winner in the 74th minute.

Munster 0-3 Hoffenheim (D2)

The first-half at Munster wasn’t terribly interesting either, but at least Huitema gave us the lead. We pushed on after the break, with an Obi brace giving us a comfortable win in the end, which put us just a point away from 2nd, and just 2 from top, though it was still a very tight pack indeed, with the top 7 being covered by just 3 points.

Hoffenheim 3-0 Aue (D2)

Aue were fellow-challengers last year, but were in relegation trouble this time. In the autumn game they had relied on our injuries to come back and claim a point, but they had no such luck this time. Huitema gave us the lead after 5 minutes, extending it after they had an equalizer disallowed. Obi finished off a 3-0 win on the stroke of half-time, and we temporarily touched top.

Chemnitz 4-1 Hoffenheim (D2)

Chemnitz was the next critical game, though unfortunately was one of a few Obi would be missing. They had most of the early chances, though we were actually starting to apply serious pressure (which included Huitema missing a couple of sitters) when they scored in the 38th minute. They hit us with another from the corner just before half-time, which really broke us as they were 4-0 up after 56 minutes. An Ashu penalty was all the reply we could manage.

Apr 2053

Duisburg 0-1 Hoffenheim (D2)

We had a couple of tough trips coming up, starting at leaders Duisburg. We mostly kept them quiet in the first half, but still had a few chances to deal with. Duisburg had been in the First Division for over a decade before being relegated last year, and it showed, with an array of attacking talent that meant that a draw was as much as we could hope to get. However I was amazed when Huitema gave us the lead in the 57th minute, which ended up giving us an amazing win.

Gladbach 0-0 Hoffenheim (D2)

That result gave me a bit of confidence ahead of a trip to Gladbach. Again we were generally forced onto the defensive, our only real chances coming right at the end, as we got a hard-fought 0-0, and I was very happy with 4 points from the last two games.

Paderborn 0-1 Hoffenheim (D2) 100th Hoffenheim match!

We had a 3rd trip in a row against Paderborn, which was also my 100th game at the club. Again we wer on the defensive in the first half. At half-time I demanded more ambition, which we soon showed. They had a goal disallowed in the 56th minute, but otherwise we kept pushing, and Ashu’s stoppage time goal.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Mainz (D2)

A tough month concluded against Mainz. Chances were few and far between in the first half. We took control in the second-half, and after a lot of missed chances, we pulled through thanks to Huitema in the 84th minute.

Come on!!!! Not far to go now. I'd expect we'd probably be 3rd and in the playoffs at the very least, but I want automatic promotion, and I'm interested in snatching the title. Our tough tests are over, and our final 3 games are at Cottbus (which we're easily favourites for but can't take for granted), At home to Bremen (Which it would be embarrassing not to win) and at Regensburg (perfectly winnable but not that easy). We blew it last time, but we do have a far more comfortable finish to the season, and we're in a far better position. Duisburg also have Bremen and Regensburg, then interestingly enough have to go to Bochum, who have just been held by Aue, and also have to play Gladbach and go to Chemnitz, so perhaps staying in 3rd is the best they can hope for.

[ashton321]

You have improved now end mate. I think the title is yours for the taking

[Dexter_Morgan]

You're doing well and deserve a bit of luck so hopefully you'll at least get the automatic spot

[deltablue]

May 2053

Cottbus 1-2 Hoffenheim (D2)

With just 3 games left we went to Cottbus. We had a problem in defence as Matsinhe was injured at the same time as Farkas was just coming back from his own injury. The Hungarian was physically capable of playing but was severely unfit, and it showed as a bad game from him allowed Cottbus to take the lead at the break, causing me to be very worried. Obi was also back after injury, and equalized at the start of the second-half, immediately followed by Huitema giving us the lead. The rest of the game was very nervy, as they applied quite a bit of pressure and forced a few saves from Vaz, but what was important was we got the win. There was also good news in the other games, as Duisburg and Bochum both drew. We were mathematically in the playoffs at least, were on the verge of securing automatic promotion, and were now level with Duisburg at the top, though they had +3 more goal difference and about 10 more goals scored, so would likely need them to drop points again.

Hoffenheim 1-1 Werder Bremen (D2)

I hoped for a big win against Bremen, who were 8 points adrift at the bottom. We were rather casual about it, but Huitema gave us the lead after half an hour, by which time Duisburg were losing against Regensburg. I was disappointed about Bremen equalizing in the 57th minute, and we really didn’t push on to win, but that was fairly minor compared to the fact that we had secured promotion, and Duisburg’s defeat meant that we were still ahead of them, even if we needed a win at Regensburg (which wouldn’t be easy) as opposed to a draw to be sure of going up, the fact that they were going to Bochum gave me hope that they would drop points and we wouldn’t need to.

Regensburg 1-1 Hoffenheim (D2)

It was great to go into the final day not just assured for promotion, but with 1st place in our hands, though it was far from assured. We needed to go to the Regensburg side who had just easily beaten Duisburg away, and match Duisburg’s result at Bochum. We went behind in the 27th minute, but Duisburg had gone behind just before that. Duisburg had gone an extra goal behind at the break, but I wanted to make sure we did the business as they could still come back, get a point, and snatch the title. Thankfully the players agreed, and Toch gave us an equalizer on the hour mark, with Duisburg still 2 goals behind. It soon became clear that a comeback wasn’t going to happen, while we exchanged chances with Regensburg with no further goals.

We did it!!!!!!!!! It barely seemed likely after 3 games, when we had just 1 point, but thankfully I spotted the tactical issue in time to mount a charge, and we went into Christmas well poised to get into the promotion places. Spring started rather slowly, but then we burst into life (Chemnitz aside). April was the key month as the top 7 was still very tightly packed going in, and we had some tricky games, but we just about did it, 3 1-0’s and a 0-0 putting is in a commanding position. We didn’t quite cruise to the title in the end, but we did enough while Duisburg ended very badly, and while coming in at under 60 points is far from the most convincing table topping season in the world, I didn’t really care. I knew we were capable of going up this year, we spent like a team with strong promotion ambitions on players that really helped make the difference, and now we can enjoy the rewards. The best part is, we no longer have to put up with Braunschweig!!!

Squad Stats

Star player: In this career I've been blessed with consistent, high-scoring forwards at quite a few clubs. There was Altermark at Nest-Sotra, Akachar at Ipswich (and Owen, with Vinicios looking like a worthy successor), multiple people at Ecija, and Huitema has kept up the tradition nicely. In 3 years at the club he has 68 goals in 97 games. It remains to be seen how long he can last in the side in the First Division though, especially with just one year left on his contract, where he's likely to still feature fairly regularly, but which also may be his last at the club.

[deltablue]

You have improved now end mate. I think the title is yours for the taking

As it happened, you posted this just as we were doing it.

You're doing well and deserve a bit of luck so hopefully you'll at least get the automatic spot

Well, we did even better!

[B.W.G]

Congrats on the title

[Dexter_Morgan]

Well done mate, had a feeling you'd get back on track with Hoffenheim

[ashton321]

Great achievement pal. Its amazing what a small tactical change can do

[deltablue]

Congrats on the title

Well done mate, had a feeling you'd get back on track with Hoffenheim

Great achievement pal. Its amazing what a small tactical change can do

Cheers guys. As you can imagine I'm really delighted. However surviving doesn't look easy (though it only rarely does). The budget is just 3.5M and about 30kpw, even with a few player sales (once I'm in a position where I can afford to do so) I don't think it will cover more than a few good players. Thankfully we do have some players who could make the step up, but without quite a bit of extra quality we'll be a 'survival' team at best. I know that's basically what the goal is going to be but the less trouble we're in the better.

Anyway that's a problem for a few days time. I'm going to be having a change of FM scenery while I do a little test of my next idea in the meantime.

[ashton321]

Give us a clue for your next idea

Will it be for FM14

[deltablue]

Give us a clue for your next idea

Will it be for FM14

It will, though I had considered starting it much earlier when I wasn't sure about continuing this one until then, to the point I even wrote the OP (which had a bit of editing today). Even considering the OP for this one was written just after the FM13 announcement (and I had been putting it off at least a month) that's quite a bit of forward planning.

It does involve a teensy bit of editing (though I'm still slightly worried it would be a bit controversial) as part of it, which is why I need to make sure I've got everything right, so I know precisely what to do when it comes to the real thing. Admittedly I would have a bit of time between careers (I usually end a career just under a week before a new release, though it's likely to be a few weeks this time) but didn't want to be effectively setting up the same thing very close together, which would have been a little repetitive, and it would also give me a change of pace from the career to do it now. Already got everything sorted for the test season and very exciting to see how it goes.

[elbilly]

Great title win mate! Especially after that slow start, as you said (and I thought as catching up today) April was huge, really decisive results. Looking forward to see how you go in the Bundesliga.

I was thinking back during reading up to October that if you failed to get promoted that Braunschweig might at least get relegated and you'd be rid of them, they had quite a good revival.

[danielgear]

Great going delta

[deltablue]

Great title win mate! Especially after that slow start, as you said (and I thought as catching up today) April was huge, really decisive results. Looking forward to see how you go in the Bundesliga.

I was thinking back during reading up to October that if you failed to get promoted that Braunschweig might at least get relegated and you'd be rid of them, they had quite a good revival.

Not only decisive, but all really close results. So glad to see the back of Braunschweig. We won the first encounter, then lost the next 3 (including 2 1-0 defeats at home, where we should have won both times) before drawing the last time. Teams in yellow do seem to be a major nuisance for me, aside from the obvious, the last career had a seemingly invincible Zilina, and even the Magical Milan (easily the most successful side I've ever had) had a lot of trouble with Chievo until they hit their peak.

Great going delta

Thanks.

[AK22]

Bundesliga here you come! Top banana

[deltablue]

Bundesliga here you come! Top banana

Cheers, still feel nervous about it. Will get back on this save tomorrow.

[deltablue]

Summer 2053

This season wouldn’t be easy. At the start of the summer there was just 3M to spend, and 22kpw spare wage budget, no better than we had last year, and it didn’t leave us with any real room to change it either way. We managed fine that time, but to survive we’d either need a lot more players like that, or a few better ones. Jasaitis was going to be released, which was a pity but he hadn’t played much (especially with his long-term viral infection last year), we didn’t miss him, and even before promotion and it seemed pointless keeping him on with his contract expiring. Ashu and Babaoglu were also sold early on to give us more to work with (500k extra transfers, almost double the spare wage budget which might be able to be used to give us more for fees), but the number of players who’s be both good enough and affordable would be depressingly low.

Even when I found them I’d need to hold off in case cheaper/better players came up in later scout reports, as every inch of improvement I could squeeze out of the budget could make the difference between survival and relegation. If we did survive we’d likely have quite a lot more money to play with next year, but that was no help to us right now. In the end, 5 players was a decent haul for so little money, with a few younger players in there but already looking fairly good and with more improvement hopefully to come. As it happened there weren’t many better players out there within the range of the search criteria (1M and 10kpw), even among those that came up but were a bit expensive, so this was really as good as we could hope to do. Along with a lot of players we already had, I felt we were just about good enough to have a reasonable chance of survival, but it would still be tough against a lot of teams.

It’s pretty obvious what my aims are for the season. Whenever I get promoted I generally only look to avoid relegation the following season, but this year especially I think that’s the best we can expect. Hopefully we won’t be in serious trouble, I want to avoid being in the bottom 3 too much over the course of the season, but even if we were 16th we have a decent chance in the playoff, and as long as we stay up I’m not going to be too worried about how or how easily we did it. There were also a very minor goal regarding Leverkusen. Even if things went well it would be quite a few years before we could avenge that cup final, hopefully we would be able to beat them some day, and put up a rather better fight until then.

[deltablue]

Aug 2053

Neunkirchen 1-5 Hoffenheim (GC)

We had an easy start at non-league Neunkirchen in the cup. Obi gave us the lead after just 5 minutes, scored again after 25, and completed a hat-trick on the half-hour mark. That was immediately followed by a 4th goal from Huitema. They scored early in the second-half but Ivos finished of a 5-1 win late on.

Leverkusen 2-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

We started the league campaign with one of the toughest games, at Leverkusen. They scored in the 15th minute, and I expected them to go on and claim a comfortable win. Obi equalized from a penalty in the 55th minute, and we were just a few minutes away from getting a point, but it was far better than 8-0.

Hoffenheim 1-1 Frankfurt (D1)

I hoped Frankfurt would be more manageable. They had some pretty scary players, but despite that we kept it even from the start, and even took the lead from Obi in the 32nd minute. Unfortunately one of the aforementioned players soon equalized, and we were on the back foot for a while, only recovering to keep the game balanced rather than being able to go for a winner.

Sept 2053

Bayern 5-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

The second league away-day was even tougher than the first, being at Bayern! They were full of genuinely world-class players, and it went about as well as you’d expect. I’d pretty much given up all hope of getting anything after 17 minutes, by which time they were 3-0 up, and I was fearing something like that Leverkusen 8-0. It was 4-0 at the break, and won 5-0 as they were just that much better.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Hannover (D1)

Hannover weren’t as strong on paper as the teams we’d played so far, but we still struggled a little. They had an early goal disallowed and we were a little lucky that the scores were still level at the break. We improved a little, but not so much that I expected to win, so it was a surprise when a late Krajisnic header gave us our first league win, and I’m glad it didn’t take that long.

1860 Munich 1-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

Buoyed by the Hannover win, we went on the offensive early on at Munich 1860, taking a 15th minute lead from Ivos. Unfortunately we ran out of steam after that, allowing them back in the game enough that a 66th minute penalty gave them a point.

Hoffenheim 1-2 Dusseldorf (D1)

Huitema gave us the lead in the 6th minute against Dusseldorf. It was one of those games that I felt we might win, so it was disappointing to concede an equalizer late in the half, and to end up losing 2-1 in one of those games that could have gone either way.

Oct 2053

Freiburg 2-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

A trip to Freiburg was an early relegation ‘6-pointer’, though having both playmakers out injured (the same with both left-backs, which we also suffered from against Dusseldorf). We didn’t really seize our chance and a brace of second-half penalties (awarded in quick succession) gave them a fairly comfortable win.

Hoffenheim 6-2 Wolfsburg (D1) 1,700th career game!!!

Wolfsburg was my 1,700th career match, and it was very much one to remember. It started badly when they took the lead in the 9th minute, but it really livened up when Obi equalized 5 minutes later. Within 10 minutes, it was 4-1 to us thanks to Krajisnic giving us the lead, and Obi completing a hat-trick. They pulled a goal back but Huitema scored on the half-hour mark, followed by another as it was 6-2 at the break! The second-half was relatively quiet and saw no more goals.

Hamburg 1-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

Hamburg looked like a tough team to go to. Matsinhe was back but quickly went off injured again, Farkas thankfully also fit again to replace him. Huitema gave us the lead after 25 minutes, and I was amazed that they didn’t seem to put up much of a comeback before the break. The second-half was much the same, but they suddenly woke up and equalized in the 88th minute, which was annoying. They had a winner ruled out in stoppage time so at least we got a point that I wasn’t expecting.

Hoffenheim 0-0 Rostock (D1)

It would be interesting to see how we did against our promotion colleagues Rostock. I was targeting a win, but while we certainly had the chances in the first-half, we couldn’t score. Irritatingly, Huitema went off injured just after the underperforming Obi was taken off, leading to a much quieter second-half.

Well, first thing's first. Being out of the bottom 2/3 (though only on goal difference in the latter case) is a good thing, and my definition of success for the season. We haven't done as badly as I feared we would, and we could easily have a few more wins under our belt. However the fact that we haven't, plus the fact that it's pretty competitive at the bottom (as opposed to having a team or two just get cast adrift) means that we're still in a tough fight, especially as we've already faced all 4 teams below us. We have been decent performance-wise. As I expected Obi has proven himself capable to getting the goals (though sadly he hasn't been completely consistent, Rostock being a good example of a game where he could and should have made the difference but struggled), and new signing Gega has shone as well. I feel we'll be fine if we can do better at grabbing our opportunities to get wins rather than just draws.

[elbilly]

Gega looks a very good prospect. Keeping your head above water which will do if you finish there. That first 45 against Wolfsburg must have been a fan pleaser!

[deltablue]

Gega looks a very good prospect. Keeping your head above water which will do if you finish there. That first 45 against Wolfsburg must have been a fan pleaser!

Really pleased with Gega, I didn't have much to spend on players to help us survive, but I think I used the money well, especially on him. Things have really been going well.

Nov 2053

Furth 0-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

We went to Furth hoping to avoid a revenge defeat from the cup semi-final a couple of years back. The first half was mostly a survival mission, but Krakisnic gave us the lead in the 50th minute, the defenders (which included Ochoa, who was signed from Furth) lead from the back as we came close to what would have been a deserved second, while they came fairly close to an annoying equalizer later on. It gave us our first away league win of the season, which was a great feeling.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Schalke (D1)

We had a tough couple of games against the Ruhr teams, starting against 3rd placed Schalke. They didn’t seem to take us too seriously, and it looked like we might get a point, but the on-loan Italian Brunello gave us a surprising winner with a few minutes left.

Frankfurt 4-2 Hoffenheim (GC)

In the cup we went to Frankfurt, who were now 3rd instead in the league, and on the same day they offered me their managerial job. On the evidence of this game, I was right about staying. Brunello gave us the lead in the 18th minute, followed by Obi on the half-hour mark. They pulled a goal back but Brunelli scored again before the break. The young Portuguese winger Gama had got off to a very slow start to life at Hoffenheim, but he finally scored to make it 4-1 late on, before a second consolation as we kept up our good record against superior sides in the cup. We don’t mention Leverkusen though.

Dortmund 1-0 Hoffenheim (D1)

It just kept getting tougher as we went to Dortmund, top of the league. As expected, they overwhelmed us, but somehow we kept them out as they kept coming. Late on I thought we might actually get a point against all odds, but they got a winner late on.

Hoffenheim 2-0 Duisburg (D1)

Duisburg were potentially more manageable, and Brunelli gave us an 18th minute lead. They put up a strong fight, and it looked like we’d be punished for an inability to get another, however Brunelli scored another on the break.

Hertha Berlin 1-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

Brunelli was the in-form player at the moment, and scored another at Hertha in the 2nd minute. It was looking like we’d get another winner, but they equalized in the second-half. We were doing comfortably enough that it wasn’t too critical.

A very good month, especially with some tough games, and this 'survival' business is looking surprisingly easy right now. I was much in demand since we got promotion, rejecting amazing offers from Barcelona and Marseille, as well as Valencia, Porto, Benfica and Liverpool. Plus it was also amusing knocking a far stronger frankfurt side out of the cup on the same day that I turned them down. Leaving aside the fact that I couldn't have taken them under the career rules anyway (and Frankfurt would be out on one of the rules I have constantly, about not managing in the same nation or at least the same league twice in a row), leaving Hoffenheim at all just wasn't on my mind. Until this happened...

Oh dear! With the offers I'd been getting, knew this would be coming as soon as I saw they sacked their last manager. After my last departure I'd been adamant about returning whenever I got the chance, but that soon faded, and I was preparing to fulfill my Ipswich ambitions on FM14 instead. If it was a matter of chasing it, I wouldn't have bothered, but as I've been confronted with the choice anyway... Normally I'm good at being decisive in these matters, but throwing it open for anyone to voice their thoughts occasionally can't hurt.

Arguments for going to Ipswich...

The one that's so obvious it barely needs saying

They have a very strong side, far better than last time so I can build a young side far slower, and avoid it all going wrong again.

The opportunity to succeed where I failed last time, and only marginally succeeded the first time. I've been dreaming for so long it would be amazing to finally see those dreams realized at last.

they have Vanderlei and Villalobos (who's 30!!!) from my signings last time, so there is still a sense of being able to pick up where I left off.

While I have decent long-term ambitions and expectations at Hoffenheim, progress is uncertain and fairly slow if it does happen.

The chance to be able to compete with Norwich on such a high level will probably only ever happen on this save.

Despite being 8th, top spot is just 4 points away so there's still everything to play for.

It's the club's 175th anniversary

Arguments for staying at Hoffenheim...

The expectation to win the league at Ipswich, though the way the league is set there's still a decent chance of being close and surviving, compared to the security I enjoy here.

I would never even think about leaving otherwise

Things have gone very well here, and the future also looks bright, if a little slow.

This is just what I have been seeking since I left Ipswich the first time.

It means the career won't just be 'Ipswich and a bunch of other clubs'

It ended very badly last time. I don't necessarily think that being sacked is a reason to snub them this time, but it's something you guys might be thinking

I like my squad.

It's mid-season, and I'm not normally so keen on moving.

Essentially it's 'safe, slow and steady' at Hoffenheim, against the opportunity to aim for the stars at Ipswich. And I think it says a lot about Hoffenheim that this is even a question. I've actually closed the game down (probably until tomorrow at least) until I've decided as I genuinely need to think about it for a while. Not only will this essentially decide the rest of the career but also what I do on FM14 as well.

[B.W.G]

Your doing well so far in your quest to avoid relegation.It is a tough decision for you to make but I'd lean towards staying with Hoffenheim as it is less pressure for you to succeed,I also like the challenge that the German league gives you with trying to overthrow the likes of Dortmund and Bayern.

[elbilly]

Eek! What a decision, don't think I can be much help so I'll be selfish, I really want to see what you can do with this Hoffenheim side even if it takes a few seasons to start challenging the top half. This season has been encouraging so far.

[joshpmilton]

I'll offer an opposing opinion and say that you should return to Ipswich. The idea of coming back and being the hero that wrestles success back from your biggest foes is too much to walk away from surely? Go back, get some closure and walk away on your terms.

[deltablue]

Your doing well so far in your quest to avoid relegation.It is a tough decision for you to make but I'd lean towards staying with Hoffenheim as it is less pressure for you to succeed,I also like the challenge that the German league gives you with trying to overthrow the likes of Dortmund and Bayern.

Eek! What a decision, don't think I can be much help so I'll be selfish, I really want to see what you can do with this Hoffenheim side even if it takes a few seasons to start challenging the top half. This season has been encouraging so far.

I'll offer an opposing opinion and say that you should return to Ipswich. The idea of coming back and being the hero that wrestles success back from your biggest foes is too much to walk away from surely? Go back, get some closure and walk away on your terms.

Thanks guys. I've made my mind up now. You have no idea how close I was to going back to Ipswich, multiple times. I felt I'd regret not taking the opportunity much more than I was likely to regret leaving Hoffenheim. There was also the fact that I stated i would return after my sacking (admittedly written when the wounds were still fresh), and while it wasn't legally binding, I like to stick to what I say I'll do, and in fact reading that this morning gave me a sense of 'You're not going to be rid of me that easily'. As for Hoffenheim, I wasn't sure how high I could take them, probably nowhere near as high as Ipswich, plus there was the fact that I feel we're overachieving right now, budgets are extremely limited, and I've already seen a few times how badly things can suddenly turn, which provide a 'get out while things are going well' arguement.

But..........

The deal-killer was the expectation to win the title, which meant I'd have to be close at the very least. Even if I did (and in fact I'd started playing as Ipswich to see how it would go, keeping a file before I accepted the offer just in case, and it had gone amazingly well in the few games I played), I wasn't comfortable with the fact that meeting expectations was all I'd ever be doing and I'd have to keep it up forever. So with regret, I rejected the Ipswich offer, something I never thought I'd do. There was also the fact that it might come up again soon, with more reasonable expectations (and money, as the club was 10M in the red, though still capable of easily recovering from it, especially as there was no more debt repayments). Plus there's my potential FM14 project to fall back on of I don't get a future offer to my satisfaction, and having managed them on every version (including twice on this save alone) it was hardly 'now or never'.

On the Hoffenheim side of things, aside from the 'interesting to see how far I can take them' arguement, there's still the fact that I can't claim the achievement of taking them to survival yet, we have a manageable draw in the next round of the cup (which meant we'll likely make the quarter-finals in all 3 seasons I've been here), and if we can get over our cup final disappointment sometime, that would be great. Plus I like my side and the fact we're very much punching above our weight. On their own those things wouldn't quite have been enough to get me to stay, but it still means there's still a few things worth staying for.

Essentially it's a case of 'yes, I really want to return if given an offer again (though depending on how happy I am, I still wouldn't actively chase it), but now's not the best time'. Hoffenheim it still is, for now...

[deltablue]

Dec 2053

Hoffenheim 0-0 Stuttgart (D1)

With Ipswich rejected (and Chelsea the following day), it was back to business against Stuttgart. We started very well, and eventually got a deserved lead from Obi after 40 minutes. We looked set to win, but in the 83rd minute we conceded a penalty (with Gama getting sent off at the same time), giving them an equalizer with their only real chance. Much like with Hertha in the last game, it was a bit disappointing but we were still doing well enough that ti wasn’t that big a problem.

Hoffenheim 2-0 Koln (D1)

After 2 draws that should have been wins, it was nice to get all 3 points against Koln. Obi gave us the lead again, in the 3rd minute, and this time we got the penalty early in the second-half which allowed Obi to make it comfortable.

Karlsruhe 2-1 Hoffenheim (GC

We went to Karlsruhe in the cup just before the winter break. Brunello gave us the lead after just 17 seconds, but they came back to equalize 20 minutes later, and took the lead before the break despite having a penalty claim rejected. Unfortunately we couldn’t really come back and after knocking out so many stronger teams, we were the ones on the receiving end of a shock for once.

Jan 2054

Hoffenheim 0-1 Leverkusen (D1)

The league resumed with Leverkusen. As I expected, out unbeaten run came to an end, but it was a relatively close thing. They scored the only goal after an hour having admittedly had another disallowed shortly before the break. However this and Dortmund were our only league defeats since early October.

Frankfurt 3-3 Hoffenheim (D1)

It was the first of a few tough games to start the year, but at Frankfurt (who were 3rd) Brunello gave us the lead after 5 minutes, and soon added another. However they fought back very hard after that, and two goals shortly before half-time allowed them to level it. They took the lead in the 57th minute, but we weren’t beaten yet as Obi equalized in the 70th minute, and we got pretty close to a winner a few times.

Hoffenheim 2-1 Bayern (D1)

Bayern were unenviably next. They had beaten us 5-0 in Munich early on, and they put us under very heavy pressure from the start this time as well. However we held firm, and actually took the lead from Obi on the counter after 35 minutes. 5 minutes later they equalized, but amazingly couldn’t go on to take the lead, and were punished when Brunello scored later to give us a really surprising win!

Feb 2054

Hannover 1-2 Hoffenheim (D1)

February was a more comfortable month on paper, starting at second-bottom Hannover. They surprisingly took the lead in the 17th minute, and we struggled to get back into it as Obi had an equalizer disallowed, then scored one that was allowed in the 32nd minute. We managed to get the win thanks to a Brunello penalty in the 72nd minute.

Hoffenheim 1-0 Munich 1860 (D1)

Next came bottom club 1860 Munich. Even they had some players I was envious of, and they weren’t easy to break down, but Reichert gave us the lead in the 64th minute. We only just edged it as they could have easily equalized, but it took us up to the heady heights of 7th.

Dusseldorf 0-1 Hoffenheim (D1)

We went to Dusseldorf, the only opponents this month who weren’t strugglers, and it was a bit of a struggle, but we had chances throughout and Krajisnic gave us a winner in the 83th minute.

Hoffenheim 0-0 Freiburg (D1)

I was hoping to wrap up a 100% month against Freiburg, but after a few narrow wins we couldn’t quite get another, which was annoying as we were definitely dominant enough that we should have got all the points.

After all the drama about staying or going, I think staying was definitely a good decision, as we kept up our strong form (we've only lost 2 out of the last 17 league matches) to rise ever higher, and ever closer to safety (which somehow I doubt is going to be an issue now). I really never expected to be doing anything like this well, but here we are looking like we can get a top-half finish. Long live Hoffenheim!

[elbilly]

If you can keep this form up you should secure a European spot. Glad you've stayed with at Hoffenheim

[Dexter_Morgan]

Glad you stayed, after the way you was sacked last time you seemed to lose enthusiasm for the save and it's took a while and the Hoffenheim job for the enjoyment (and some success) to come back to you. A very good start to life in Bundesliga 1. and safety is within reach.

[deltablue]

If you can keep this form up you should secure a European spot. Glad you've stayed with at Hoffenheim

Well, I was just thinking about that, if only because I knew someone would mention it, and it seemed quite a staggering thought, especially with what's probably the weakest side in the league, and given I thought the 'best case scenario for this season' would be keeping a few places and points from the drop zone, but given all 4 cup semi-finalists are in the European places already (though Schalke's position is far from secure), all we'd need to do is be 7th (though we are in the screenshot, the fact that I traditionally save and quit just before the following game means we're 8th with a game in hand right now), and suddenly it doesn't seem that farfetched.

Glad you stayed, after the way you was sacked last time you seemed to lose enthusiasm for the save and it's took a while and the Hoffenheim job for the enjoyment (and some success) to come back to you. A very good start to life in Bundesliga 1. and safety is within reach.

Glad I stayed as well, though oddly the sacking would have given me a motivation to return and make up for it. It still does actually. Somehow even if we have a terrible end to the season we'll be fine.