Cardiovascular Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Good afternoon all, welcome to this journeyman effort at a career thread! This is by far the biggest career I've ever embarked on in Football Manager, with 102 leagues loaded across a ridiculous amount of countries, including every European league possible. I imagine I will be adventuring into pastures new with some countries being loaded that I've never managed in before. Oh, what exciting times! But before we go any further, let's meet our hero, shall we? Introducing Croatian (with a hint of Serbian) former Amateur footballer Zoran Dragovic; Profile | InformationLeagues Loaded (Prepare yourself) (All leagues loaded to lowest playable division) Africa South Africa Asia China South Korea North America USA Europe Austria Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark England Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Holland Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Oceania Australia South America Argentina Brazil Colombia Peru ...and here's hoping my laptop copes! There are no real careers and aims other than being a successful manager and having fun, so arguably it can go only go up from here. Maybe we could try and win the cup with our home country, Croatia. Here's hoping Zoran provides entertaining football (& career thread) for one and all! Career History |Year | Club | League | Achievements |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|2013/14 | Larne | Belfast Telegraph Championship 1 |[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/387715-FM14-Don-t-Mess-with-the-Zoran?p=9529572&viewfull=1#post9529572] Intermediate Cup winners[/url],[url=http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/387715-FM14-Don-t-Mess-with-the-Zoran?p=9530747&viewfull=1#post9530747] Belfast TC1 champions[/url] | Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 First job interview was from Vidar, and what a nice little job that would be. 5th in the lowest tier of Norwegian football and expected to finish top half comfortably. A Portuguese side were the next club to offer me an interview, but I can guarantee no offer will come from this since we fell out over a parent club. First impressions, who needs 'em? Amateur Northern Irish side offered me an interview, wouldn't be my first choice but beggars can't be choosers, can they? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Here we go! Larne were the only team to reply with a job offer, and whilst it wasn't my first choice, it's nice to land on my feet with a job. Fingers crossed I can bring some kind of success to Larne in my time here! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Larne Football Club Belfast Telegraph Championship 1 - 2013/14 History A trophy cabinet waiting to be filled. Whether that's by me or no is a whole new level... With no trophy wins since 1970, it's just waiting for one of the many Northern Irish cups and leagues to come our way. Finances No money, no transfer budget, and very little of a wage budget. (£300 to be exact.) I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with this, since I seem to be unable to sign players on non-contracts... Squad There is depth defensively, but the midfield and up top definitely needs beefing up, especially with some ind of quality. Again, this could prove to be difficult. I may just have bitten off more than I can chew with this job. Key Players Darren McNamee | Eamonn Hughes | Robbie White Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WonkaWilson Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Should be interesting, Will be following Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Well, no shortage of potential trophies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Thanks gents. Could be a struggle soon, because EVERYONE's contracts expiring and there's only so far a £300 wage budget will stretch... The dream could literally be impossible if the board don't up their game next year, since everyone wants money. Turns out we're just a skint semi-professional club rather than the amateurs I thought. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pezza1 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I cant see how you are going to cobble 11 players together with 300 pounds!! Do you have a youth team? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 No youth team and a handful of very, very average reserve players. They've all been added to the first team to see us through these cups. My word there's alot. The simple fact is that virtually all of my team can be poached at any time, and there's nothing I can do about it. It could be a long year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Larne Football Club - Belfast CT1 - Pre-season Board Expectations Belfast Telegraph Championship 1: Midtable finish Northern Irish Cup: Fifth round Northern Irish County Antrim Shield: Be competitive Northern Irish Steel & Sons Cup: Not important Northern Irish Intermediate Cup: Not important Northern Irish League Cup: Second round Some reasonable expectations here given the situation we find ourselves in, I'm just hopeful that Zoran can guide the club towards meeting these targets and not in the opposite direction. Friendlies Terrible pre-season in all truthfulness as we were soundly beaten in most games, except for the final against non league Wellington Recs. Stranraer and Villa U21's were always going to beat us, but we put up a good showing against Villa to only be beaten 2-0. The defeat against BCT2 side Portstewart was humilating, enough said. Things can only get better, right? Transfers Just the one transfer since, you know, we can't afford anything. In came 35 year old veteran striker Davy Larmour who brings a wealth of experience from playing in the top league in days gone by. Might be past his best slightly, but he's still good enough to be classed as our best striker which is pretty shocking to be quite truthful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Looks like you've got a challenge on your hands here, best of luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Thank you smp! Larne Football Club - 2013/14 - August Belfast Telegraph C1 Just the one fixture through the entire month of August in the league, and it was a great victory. We lost an early goal which worried me when I thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew, but an equaliser from McAllister and two late goals ensured three points from our opener. Which means... Top of the league!!! \o/ [/famouslastwords] Northern Irish League Cup Aaaand pretty simple stuff in the league cup as we surpass board expectations in reaching the fourth round. A second string side (due to fitness levels) dispatched of C2 side Glebe, and then another less than full strength team saw off our fellow C1 side Donegal Celtic. A trip to Newington or Cliftonville awaits. Co. Antrim Shield A pleasant surprise this, as we beat Danske Premiership team Ards rather simply to progress into the second round, where we face Bangor. Steel & Sons Cup Easy victory, never seemed to be in doubt from minute one. Wakehurst await! What a beginning to life at Larne! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Good luck Cardio. You might finish the first season inside a year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 We can hope Nobby! Larne Football Club - Belfast T1 - September League In a month where we were bleeding goals, I'm half pleased and half annoyed at taking 5 points from 12. The game again Loughgall was straightforward enough, but the two goals conceded were from poor defending - it's either something to work on, or the state of the players. Yet to be determined. Against Carrick, we were outplayed by the better team, we probably should've beat Bangor on paper but on the day we just weren't up to it and lucky to come away with the point. In the final game of the month, we were once again lucky to scrape and a point with a late equaliser from Gary Workman saving the day. Back down to Earth with a bang this month. Still kicking about the top half, but if this form continues, it won't be much longer 'til we're sinking like a stone. Top scorers and joint-top conceders. The score one more than you approach is always the best. Co. Antrim Shield With a place in the semi's at stake and a outside chance at a trophy, we failed to overcome Bangor which seems to be the theme of the month right now. Steel & Sons Cup And we're out again, this time HUMBLED by T2 side Wakehurst. Extremely disappointed with this, we were just garbage to be honest. Hopefully the coming months will show signs of improvement for Zoran's heroes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 HUGE upset for us in the League Cup, as we knock out current holders AND Danske Premier League champions Cliftonville away from home! And Zoran strikes his first blow as a manager... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Fantastic result! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Larne FC - Belfast T1 - October League An unbeaten month is a good month by all standards. I don't think we deserved to win any of the games we drew, and I think we deserved to thrash Coagh United by more than three. Against Distillery, Gary Workman gave us an early lead but we were pegged back just after half-time in a very even game. We absolutely dominated Coagh United from start to finish, a good couple of goals from Larmour and one from McNally seeing us through before we finished the one with a one-all draw with Donegal Celtic, thanks to Brian McLean. A good month. League Cup Such a huge victory for Zoran and Larne, delighted to conquer Cliftonville. In front of a crowd of 485, we sent Cliftonville out of the cup on their own turf. Totally undeserved mind, but brilliant nonetheless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Always nice to see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Larne FC - Belfast T1 - November League Almost a replica of last month, except with a 4-0 win rather than a three-nil. Both Limavady and Dergview are teams sitting pretty at the top with us, so draws were reasonable points to take from both of them. A McNally hat-trick and a 20 second strike from Workman, a league record, gave us a comfortable victory over H&W Welders. This managing marlarky is easy. Only a couple of points off 2nd place, but it looks like Carrick are running away with it at the top. League Cup Lost on penalties, a bit gutted to be honest as we were the better side against the Premier League strugglers, despite going behind twice. A 90th minute equaliser had given us hope, but a lack of decent penalty takers shot us in the foot in the end. Intermediate Cup We were 1-0 down with 15 minutes to go against the C2 side, but we mounted a late comeback to progress to the 3rd round. We will face the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the next round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 That's four cup competitions already. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 You'd think we'd do well in at least one then! Larne FC - Belfast T1 - December League Only two fixtures this month thanks to a postponed match in between, caused by a flooded pitch at Institute's ground. Up and down emotions in both, as we mounted a better-late-than-never comeback against struggling Ballyclare to win 3-1, a scoreline which suggests the game was more comfortable than it actually was. We followed that up with a resounding loss to Knockbreda in a game where we were outplayed everywhere. Not good to watch. It's okay viewing, but we're falling away from the top two. Must pick up form soon. Irish Cup Progression here, an early Paul Maguire had strike had seen us leading 1-0 going into the final ten. Squeaky bum time almost, but two own goals secured our place in the next round, where we will face Queen's University. Intermediate Cup Just about made it into the fourth round over PSNI, and a tie against Limavady Utd awaits us. In Other News... Rejected contract talks because the wage budget isn't even being considered for a major upgrade, so this could be a one season fling with Larne after all... Meanwhile, Messi won the Golden Ball with Mata (really?) and Ronaldo in second and third respectively. Amazingly, Mata himself would win World Player of the Year with Messi and Ronaldo behind him, with Erik Lamela being named Golden Boy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Larne FC - Belfast T1 - January League A superb month, unbeaten throughout! A disappointing draw with Loughgall, saved by only a late equaliser from Scott McNally. We followed that up with an easy enough victory over Institute and Bangor, scoring a big six goals with no replies. A stalemate with Carrick followed that and we came away with a good point against the league leaders who are running away with it at the top. The match against Dundela was a real up and down performance - 5-0 at half time and we looked like we'd be hitting double figures come full time. But our second half performance was poor and we conceded 2 disappointingly. League table certainly makes for nice reading! Irish Cup Snuck by Queen's University thanks to a own goal, only just. We face Loughgall in the next round, an winnable match for sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Larne FC - Belfast T1 - February League Absolutely superb month as far as things go with 9 points from 9, including a superb thrashing over bottom of the league Donegal Celtic. A shaky victory over Distillery, but 3 points are 3 points and we can't complain. Throughout this month, our usual keeper, Brendan Quinn, was out with a virus and stand in David Henry performed very admirably between the sticks. Really pleased that we didn't let the loss of Quinn falter our title charge. Carrick have slipped up big time throughout February and we now sit just three points behind them. Making BIG strides in the league. Intermediate Cup A couple of excellent victories over two teams in the same league as us, particularly Limavady United who are one of the teams chasing us. We face non-league Nortel in the semi-finals, and as it stands we are the largest team left in the competition. Ours to lose I'd say. Northern Irish Cup Very disappointed for this to go to a replay as it added to an already busy February for us; nonetheless, we eventually got the job done and will square up against fellow title rivals Carrick at home in the quarter final. Awards First manager of the month award! Always a pleasure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pezza1 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I cant keep up with all the cups!! Good league progress though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 How do you think I feel? Steven Watson Michael Bailie Kyle Crawford Not a bad looking intake by any means. Picked the three who I think are standouts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Whichever cup is which, you're going very strongly in them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 Thanks delta! Larne FC - Belfast T1 - March Transfers Ryan Harvey - brought in an experienced head up top on loan due to injuries. Only on something ridiculous like £10 p.w, so affordable. Scored on his debut too! League Started off with a solid victory over H&W Welders, an easy enough victory although the scoreline suggested otherwise. Then disaster struck as we slipped up against Dergview and squander our 3 point gap between ourselves and Carrick. Very disappointing scoreline obviously. Ended the month with an excellent victory over Limavady Utd, 2 goals from Larmour and a debut goal from new signing Ryan Harvey sealed the win. 6 points behind Carrick, 2 games remaining. It doesn't look good at all for our title chances. Northern Irish Cup And now we beat Carrick! Slim scoreline, Maguire scoring and sending us through to the semi-final, where we will face Linfield away from home. Intermediate Cup Davy Larmour with a double and we're in the final! Superb stuff, and we face Glentoran Seconds which means there is a REAL chance of a trophy here. Nervous stuff! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Intermediate Cup Final Larne vs. Glentoran Seconds Road to the Final - Larne Road to the Final - Glentoran Seconds Team News Darren McNamee will miss out through injury, a big blow. We also lose Ryan Harvey because he is cuptied. Line-ups Glentoran Reserves actually have a much stronger squad than I first anticipated, but we can definitely win this tie. The Match Victory! As you can see, we pretty much dominated Glentoran 2 and it was simple enough in the end. And Zoran has his first trophy!!! Aftermath It's a shame the board ranked this as not important in preseason, but they've completely shunned my achievements by claiming they always expected to win it. Be jubilant, board! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Are you sure that was the right cup? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 If we win, it's always the right cup. Larne FC -Belfast T1 - End of Season League We did what we had to do, and that was win and hope Carrick bottled it in their last couple of games. On the 19th, they lost 2-0 away to Dergview meaning we were just three points behind. And as the final whistle blew and we had beaten Ballyclare, I checked the league table... and we were top!! Sheer joy last a few seconds before I realised Carrick weren't playing to Tuesday. We were top by goal difference and Carrick had a game in hand. They also faced 13th placed H&W Welders, so it didn't look good - the one saving grace is whilst Carrick were gunning for the league, the Welders were fighting for survival. And then... The impossible happened!!! We were champions of the second tier of Northern Ireland!!! An unbelievable achievement in Zoran's debut season. Simply superb. And with that.... Well, that was easy to get there. Northern Irish Cup An expected, but surprisingly narrow match. Also probably one of the dullest cup matches in history, 4 shots in total and only one on target. My word. Northern Irish Intermediate Cup Well, we all know how this story goes... Awards What a signing Davy Larmour turned out to be, didn't he? The Future Despite all the glory of this season, despite the success, despite the women... Zoran will depart from Larne with his head held high. The board continue to refuse to up the wage budget, and with every single player out of contract and no money to improve, the dream is over sadly. Onwards and upwards! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Understandable departure, given the circumstances with both budgets and lack of players. Got a bit of success anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 Thanks delta, I think it was pretty unreasonable not to up the wage budget too. But it was a nice job to dip my toes into the life of a manager, and brought some highs along the way. Back to the job market. I hope they do well in the top flight! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Interview from a Norwegian Second Tier in Group 2. I think it would be a good opportunity, and hopefully they get back to me... And with that.... Accepted. Norway here I come! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Typical. The second I post that, crash dump and I lose progress. Not sure how much as of yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Nybergsund - Norwegian Second Division Group 2 - The Beginning Previous Honours So they've made it to the second tier before, hopefully I can guide them towards it once more! The potential is there for sure. Squad Key Player - Diego Ayala A reasonable squad, needs some improvement with the help from scouts. One goalkeeper is a bit of an issue here, but we'll power on I hope. Maybe not if he has an injury though. Finances Reasonable just now, but the project balance is pretty shocking. I'm hoping it looks better towards the end of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Why is there a shot putter in the club badge? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Handball if ever I saw it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 I have no idea. There doesn't seem to be much explanation around either. Nybergsund - Norwegian Second Division - August Transfers In Markus Henriksen - The 25 year old central midfielder brings some much needed depth to the squad, and looks pretty good both mentally and physically for this level. Will make a nice rotation option. Aleksander Melgalvis - Another option in midfield, looks pretty good and has age on his side. Suddenly, the squad looks like it won't **** itself in an injury crisis. Vebjorn Skeide - Needed another 'keeper to compete with the sole one we have at the moment who is currently injured. Will probably be first choice over our token Irishman Gary Hogan too. Stian Nikodemussen - Getting on a bit, but it's still nice to add experience to what will be a young squad when I bulk it out with our younger players. Has had very limited experience playing at a higher level though. Did manage to grab 2 goals and 3 assists on his debut though. League Well, my first game in charge was an absolute shocker! But we powered past the 5-0 humilation to go on and score 13 goals in our next three, with 7 of them scored by Ezekiel Bala. The man has hit goalscoring form at a fine time, and even breaking records. I'm delighted with our start in the league, with the thrashing put to one side obviously! Only 8 points behind... It could happen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Good bouncing back from Alta! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 Agreed delta, was really pleasing to see that. Nybergsund IL - Norwegian Second Division - September League A decent enough month, but it could've been so much better if we'd overcame our draws with an extra goal. The loss against Kongsvinger was expected since they are a top team in this division, and we've already been destroyed by Alta. With all that said, a trip to top of the league Raufoss, I didn't expect much. So to come away with a point thanks to our Ugandan central midfielder was a nice surprise. We dominated Sundall after that and should've won by much more than one goal, but three points are three points and I'm not complaining. We ended the month with a goalless stalemate with Skeid who sit only a couple of points ahead of us in the table. A missed opportunity, I'd say. Still going strong, but probably not gunning for promotion this year. Youth Intake I missed screening the squad, was sure I did. Well past it now, but I do have a screenshot of our best player: Lars Erik Storm Myrmael Decent enough player, will make a nice rotation player one day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardiovascular Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Nybergsund IL - Norwegian Second Division - End of Season League A solid end to the season. We started off the month with a win over struggling Lillehammer, and two goals from Bala as he continued his electric start under Zoran. A late second goal from Nikodemussen saw off fellow mid-tablers Valdres 3-2 in what was an admittedly close game. A bit too close for comfort if I'm honest. We rounded off the month with two 1-1 draws against Fram Larvik and Forde respectively. It was a bit of a deflated finish to a brilliant season from when I took over, but I can't really complain at a 6th place finish. I guess if you're a glass half-full guy, we did finish top half considering 7th place is bang in the middle of the table. But we're definitely not half-full glass types here, so midtable it is. Squad Overall, the potential is there. There are some problems - a huge one is that our two left backs are the most unfit players in Norway apparently, as they need to rotate each game as they're not fully fit. I have some targets in mind, and some transfers already arranged, so I'm hoping to push for a top half finish next year, and perhaps even dream of the title? Awards Bala He scored 16 goals to claim runnerup, eleven of which were in the twelve games I was in charge! An outstanding record. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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