Gundo's FM08 Small club from a small nation European adventure challenge

[migwar]

i'm generally happy with the latest patch, but as the official patch is due soon, i'm just waiting for it to start this off.

my dafuge challenge is running fine as is. i mean, i suck, but the game itself is fine...

[iacovone]

emgergo you've made me think, perhaps to progress to that next stage I need to employ a strange 3-4-3 or 3-5-2...

No time like the present to try it out, I'll keep you all posted on our 4th season. Currently beating the teams around us but losing to the big 4/5. Something must be done!

[iacovone]

Incidently I decided to hold onto The Kid. Although bids keep going up, the champions Valur keep upping the stakes. Just to give you an idea of what the offer is like here's a nice little screenshot

Bear in mind my bank balance stands at 300k in the black.

[CoachFlu]

Meldert, Belgium - May 16th 2011

Mid-season table

End of season

A very consistent season - we had no long streaks of any kind, but were a solid upper-midtable team, tough-to-play but not quite strong enough to play a role at the top. For our debut season in the Second Division, I'm plenty pleased with that.

Logically, the aim would be to do better next season and aim for promotion, but I'm gonna remain cautious about those ambitions for a bit longer. We're still in the red from last summer's stadium expansion (-120k at the moment, but with the squad bonus and offseason, it'll be more soon). So the wage budget will not increase much, if anything.

And an extra season - even a few extra seasons - in the Second Division might not be a bad thing. Basic training and youth facilities, 3400 stadium capacity, bank balance in the red... it's gonna take a few more seasons as it is to improve those aspects, without having to worry about turning pro and paying players who can compete at Belgium's top level. So no hurry yet.

Meldert team

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of football the lads managed to maintain, which was a bit higher than I expected. Obviously some of the loan players played a key part in that. The new link with Anderlecht - who climbed out of the First Div. relegation zone, by the way, so the link will remain - is proving to be quite helpful.

Of the players I signed when I first took charge of Meldert, three remained in a key role this season:

- Goalkeeper Kristoff Deprez remained the first choice. 33 matches, 41 conceded, 11 clean sheets - very balanced and consistent.

It looks like he'll move to the bench next season though, as my third goalie, who was already at the club when I took control, has just turned 24 and evolved well - my coaches rate him as the best goalie at the club. I let him play the last 4 matches of the season, and he did very well, so he'll be starting next season.

- Jeroen Mertens, 21, right winger. Was mostly on the bench last season because I had a loan player who was better, but was back to first choice this season, and did very well. He's not a supertalent - Second Division is probably his ceiling - but he gets the most from his limited attributes. AvgR. 7.34, 6 goals and 5 assists.

- Matthew Bartholomew, 22, striker. Trinidad&Tobago international. Also at his ceiling in the Second Division, but still quite productive at this level. 12 goals and 4 assists in 21(5) matches is perfectly adequate.

My original back four still saw some playtime this season, but they weren't first choice any longer.

Two new signings who almost certainly will remain a key part of the team next season:

- Pieter Vervaert, 19, MC. Talented kid, will probably evolve into a decent First Div. midfielder in a few years. Has a few weak spots, but is still young. Stamina is one of those things that need to improve a bit, so I usually had to take him off after 60 or 70 min.

- Charles Kaboré, 23, AML. Pacy left winger, occasional international for Burkina Faso. A menace on the left side, creates many chances. Got 4 goals and 12 assists this season.

There's plenty of room in the squad for talented players though. No specific positions I'll be looking to fill in the offseason - I'll just be keeping an eye out for talented free players, sign who I can, and then fill the holes that remain with loan players.

With the club's financial situation, I'll probably need to stick to that method for a while longer. Need to keep the wage bill as low as possible.

The downside to that is that at least half my starting eleven is new every season. But it's working out so far.

[emgergo]

I negotiated a deal with Primorje for my best striker, who scored 17 goals last season.

75K in front + another 65 in monthly installments + 20%of next sale, and he only leaves at the end of next seaso. We'll be in the black! \o/

[rlipscombe]

i think that when the patch finally comes then i'm going to give this a go. i'm currently doing Dafuge's challenge, with an International challenge as Luxembourg on the side, but with Dafuge's challenge i'm doing quite well, but feel like i'm not fully 'into it' if you like....

think i will most likely go to either scandanavia or belgium for the challenge....

[iacovone]

Solid season CoachFlu, great update too! That player - Jean-Baptiste Yakassongo has one of the greatest names I've seen in a while, seems like he was a good player for you too. Surely worth trying to get him back on loan? Good luck for the following season, I think you make a great point about sticking around in the second division. Too much success too soon can often make your task much harder as you end up getting way ahead of yourself.

Look forward to the next update.

[iacovone]

Vidir Gardi, 2011 (Season 4), Icelandic Premier Division

League Table

League Graph

Well as you can see it's a slight improvement on last season. Up to 6th from 7th and we only lost out on 5th place on the last day of the season. The problem with the league at the moment is the strength of the top 4 sides. Despite me feeling like I'm closing the gap on KR and Breidablik, the top 2 are without question miles ahead of us. This comes down to the ability of their strikers. It is an anomoly that these two sides contain players far too good for the division. FH have Danish striker Martin Drost whilst Valur have fellow Dane Chris Sorensen. As you can see they are far and away the best players in the league. The truly worrying aspect about this is that they've both been in the league since the 1st season, despite their phenomenal records, no-one has come in for them. If this continues, it seems like it really could be a long long time until I break their dominance.

This year I took the advice of emgergo and switched to a 3-5-2 formation, which seemed to be working. We had a sticky patch towards the end of the season but I think I'll stick with it for next year (perhaps tweak it slightly).

Last report I said I hoped for a good cup run to make some money. Now whilst the Upper League Cup didn't quite go to plan , the Icelandic Cup threw me some favourable home draws and we reached the semi finals. However at a neutral venue this time, we failed to convert possession into chances and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat . Still, it was a memorable cup run, including a dramatic penalty win over Breidablik. Hopefully we can reproduce this cup form next season. As hoped, this run pushed my bank balance up to near the 400k mark

Key Men (all nicknames)

Hanson - very pleased with my hotly tipped youngster. Has plenty of clubs sniffing around him but he seems happy here. A great first full season.

Mason (see below)

Holmberg - the club record goalscorer and leads the way in appearences. He produced his best season in the Premier Division this year, plenty of goals.

One to Watch

Adelstein - v.promising striker who came through the youth academy with Mason, could be partnering him one day. Especially if the choice of available strikers continues to be this thin.

Pleasing Aspects

- The revelation of Mason - finally a bit of pace up front!

- Solid Cup run

- Improvement on league position

Worrying Aspects

- Inconsistent keepers

- Dominance of 4 big teams

- Presence of a few top class players scoring huge number of goals.

Predictions Corner

- Vidir to come between 4th and 6th

- Quarter Finals of the Icelandic Cup

- To qualify from the Upper League Cup Group Stage

- Break the half million bank balance mark

Thats all for now, bring on 2012 - everyone KUTGW - patch soon I reckon

[CoachFlu]

Originally posted by iacovone:

Solid season CoachFlu, great update too! That player - Jean-Baptiste Yakassongo has one of the greatest names I've seen in a while, seems like he was a good player for you too. Surely worth trying to get him back on loan? Good luck for the following season, I think you make a great point about sticking around in the second division. Too much success too soon can often make your task much harder as you end up getting way ahead of yourself.

Look forward to the next update.

Thanks!

Yep, Yakassongo was an awesome loan signing, sent to me by parent club Anderlecht. Natural AML, accomplished striker, pace 18, and since I already had a good left winger, I used him up front, and he scored easily. Unfortunately he was injured for a few months early in the season.

His contract expires June 30, but he's not interested in a permanent contract with Meldert. Hopefully he gets a new contract at Anderlecht and I can try to get him on loan again.

I kinda doubt that I'll be able to get him again though, for one because he's already 22 now, and also because it looks like underachieving Anderlecht can use a good extra striker. Or a left winger, for that matter, the two they have now have a Trn icon.

In fact, looking at it, almost half the Anderlecht first team has a Trn icon. I hope they have some players left to send to me next season, heheh.

[iacovone]

Hopefully!

[iacovone]

I'm in the process of trying to turn Vidir Gardi into a professional team. So far this pre season I've managed to convince almost half the squad to turn pro. I'm hopeful that with the extra training they'll be getting we might improve - I have high hopes for the coming season.

[iacovone]

Apologies for all the posts but someone has to liven this place up!

Anyway thought you may like this - a nice touch from SI

[rlipscombe]

don't apologise for posting!! sure there'll be more posts once the patch is (finally) out...

i will shortly be starting a game for one. just exploring my options on teams....

[Gundo]

Originally posted by iacovone:

Apologies for all the posts but someone has to liven this place up!

Anyway thought you may like this - a nice touch from SI

Agreed, stop apologizing.

There will be plenty more posts here when the patch is released...

[Gundo]

Originally posted by rlipscombe:

i will shortly be starting a game for one. just exploring my options on teams....

What country are you leaning towards then? I know you mentioned it being a Scandinavian or Belgium club, so have you narrowed it down any?

[rlipscombe]

Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe:

i will shortly be starting a game for one. just exploring my options on teams....

What country are you leaning towards then? I know you mentioned it being a Scandinavian or Belgium club, so have you narrowed it down any? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

well i had a little look at sorts of teams i can get in Sweden and there is one (Kalmar AIK) in particular who seem too big for where they are and are tempting, but got high expectations. Seen a couple of others too.Plus it's whether it would be a challenge or not.

i'm not sure now however whether i fancy doing Sweden now or not as i want to have a deeper luck at league structure. might have a go loading Norway and having a look at that, and maybe with Belgium. might also consider Austria and Switzerland??

the problem i have is i need to find a team/league where i feel comfortable and get hooked on as i am someone who has a habit for starting new games!! That way, i need to make sure i find the right 'home' so to speak.

Why can't i be someone who gets a game and plays it!!

[Gundo]

Originally posted by rlipscombe:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe:

i will shortly be starting a game for one. just exploring my options on teams....

What country are you leaning towards then? I know you mentioned it being a Scandinavian or Belgium club, so have you narrowed it down any? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

well i had a little look at sorts of teams i can get in Sweden and there is one (Kalmar AIK) in particular who seem too big for where they are and are tempting, but got high expectations. Seen a couple of others too.Plus it's whether it would be a challenge or not.

i'm not sure now however whether i fancy doing Sweden now or not as i want to have a deeper luck at league structure. might have a go loading Norway and having a look at that, and maybe with Belgium. might also consider Austria and Switzerland??

the problem i have is i need to find a team/league where i feel comfortable and get hooked on as i am someone who has a habit for starting new games!! That way, i need to make sure i find the right 'home' so to speak.

Why can't i be someone who gets a game and plays it!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think if you can find a 'connection' with a particular nation or league then it does make it alot more addictive. For me it was only ever going to be Norway, the reason? Well my great grandfather was from Stavanger, Norway and that's where my Norwegian second name heralds from. So when picking a club to manage I try and find one that is in or close to Stavanger. In last seasons challenge it was Stavanger IF I managed to the Tippeligaen Title and (trying) to compete in the Champions League.

And this seasons challenge will see me take the reins at Randaberg IL, which is just north of Stavanger.

I've always started my first game on CM/FM's in the English lower league level and more recently it dafuges challenge. Norway now seems to have overtaken that as my first managerial post. I've always followed Norwegian football so it just seemed a natural progression to manage their.

[Gundo]

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Gundo's FM08 Small club from a small nation European adventure challenge Table .13/11

(Nat) League Year Club Username Club & Nation Coeff. Achievements

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Bel) Second 2008/09 Lyra TSV Kingrooney - - -

(Bel) Second 2009/10 Patro Eisden DS - - -

(Bel) First 2008/09 Molodechno spider90 - - -

(Bel) Third 2008/09 Meldert Storzy - - -

(Bel) Second 2011/12 Meldert CoachFlu - - -

(Blr) First 2011 Molodechno Reverand&Makers - - -

(Czh) Second 2008/09 Bystrc happy slappy - - -

(Cro) Second 2008/09 Vrbovec Alurny - - -

(Fin) Second 2008 KajHa RockLobster - - -

(Ice) First 2008 KS/Leiftur argyle4ever - - -

(Ice) Premier 2016 Magni endtime - - -

(Ice) First 2008 Reynir Ste93 - - -

(Ice) First 2008 KF Fjarðabyggð westhamrob - - -

(Ice) First 2009 Hamar Bluenose_92 - - -

(Ice) First 2009 Reynir lucky326 - - -

(Ice) Premier 2012 Vloir iacovone - - -

(Ice) Premier 2010 Kari Jazza - - -

(N.I) Second 2008/09 Newbuildings XaW - - -

(N.I) Second 2008/09 Magherafelt SB johnnyquest409 - - -

(N.I) Second 2008/09 Clough Rangers mikedavd - - -

(N.I) Second 2008/09 Kilmore Rec aaberdeenn - - -

(Nor) Second 2008 Nest-Sotra IL Spurs1979 - - -

(Ser) First 2009/10 FK Zeleznicar Clarence Seedorf - - -

(Slo) Second 2011/12 NK Slovan emgergo - - -

(Swe) First 2010 Kalmar AIK FK briott - - -

(Swe) Second 2008 Eslöv MrDiCanio - - -

(Swe) Second 2008 Kaapo iseemonsters - - -

(Swe) Second 2010 Krokom freek_teek - - -

(Swi) First 2008/09 Martigny Sports konquest - - -

(Pol) Second 2008/09 Stal Rzeszow NeoAC - - -

(Tur) Second 2008/09 Keciörengücü Sazchu - - -

(Ukr) First 2008/09 Arsenal Billa MoongooseMcQueen - - -

(Wal) Premier 2008/09 Taffs Well 3Sixty - - - </pre>

[bnek]

Originally posted by Gundo:

Noted migwar.

God it's like waiting for Christmas as kid waiting for this Patch. I can't wait to get going in Norway.

Likewise, so much so i've decided i can't wait for ever and started a new game in the Ukraine. Why the Ukraine? Well i've decided competing against the likes of Shaktar who are extremely well-off in the game and thus able to splash the cash will make it all the harder for the little team i takeover.

Just on holiday now...

[migwar]

i actually couldn't wait and have continued my game in Slovakia with Puchov, to the point where i'm starting to feel an affinity for my players...

[Gundo]

Originally posted by migwar:

i actually couldn't wait and have continued my game in Slovakia with Puchov, to the point where i'm starting to feel an affinity for my players...

If you're still their by the time you next end of season update, then I'll add you to the table again.

[freek_teek]

Krokum - Div 2 Mellestra Gottaland - 2010

The season starts of with a big suprise, suddenly I find myself in another division. Didn't like that as I was confident that I had a chance at conquering my old one. This wasn't helped by our struggling in the first couple of matches.

Luckily the Argentinian loanee stayed for another season. And all of a sudden we were finding ourselves with 9 wins in a row, sitting comfortably on top of the table. We never gave away our first place and despite a slight drop in form in august, wich made things a lot closer than it had to be in the end, we were champions.

The argentinian went on to make 24 of our 63 goals, so I don't think we could have done it without them.

I hope we don't embarass ourselves next year, as I'm certain we lack depth in our squad. We were relatively injury-free this season, and I doubt I will be as lucky next year.

And we need money: about 400k in red at the moment, and loosing 10k a month at the moment, I just hope our attendences pick up before I get sacked due to our financial worries.

final standings

[aaberdeenn]

Gundo.

You can remove my Kilmore Rec entry from your next list as I plan to re-start post patch.

[Gundo]

Originally posted by freek_teek:

Krokum - Div 2 Mellestra Gottaland - 2010

The season starts of with a big suprise, suddenly I find myself in another division. Didn't like that as I was confident that I had a chance at conquering my old one. This wasn't helped by our struggling in the first couple of matches.

Luckily the Argentinian loanee stayed for another season. And all of a sudden we were finding ourselves with 9 wins in a row, sitting comfortably on top of the table. We never gave away our first place and despite a slight drop in form in august, wich made things a lot closer than it had to be in the end, we were champions.

The argentinian went on to make 24 of our 63 goals, so I don't think we could have done it without them.

I hope we don't embarass ourselves next year, as I'm certain we lack depth in our squad. We were relatively injury-free this season, and I doubt I will be as lucky next year.

And we need money: about 400k in red at the moment, and loosing 10k a month at the moment, I just hope our attendences pick up before I get sacked due to our financial worries.

final standings

Congratulations on promotion, I'm sure you knew you where in with a fighting chance of promotion after the Argie striker signed again for another season.

[Gundo]

freek_teek Where are you losing money most?

[iacovone]

My chairman must be very astute when it comes to the finances of Vidir. We've never been in the red and are always making money, hopefully there's some sort of expansion coming soon....

Incidently, from last years challenge, did anyone succeed with an Icelandic side? I'm starting to think this challenge could become something far harder than I anticipated!

[rlipscombe]

Introducing the new manager of FC Baulmes of Switzerland....

Profile

As you can see i got bored waiting for the patch and so have started off in Switzerland. i was drawn here because there's only two leagues so less to climb to the top!! ha ha.

Initial Squad

As you can see i already have a full squad, which is good but bad at the same time. it's also a multi-national squad!! the players look to be ok, but i hope to build. I went for these because although the value is low, and have a small ground, they were one of the few Swiss clubs who weren't heavily in debt. I quite like the kits too!!

Let the games begin!!

[rlipscombe]

Originally posted by rlipscombe:

Introducing the new manager of FC Baulmes of Switzerland....

Profile

As you can see i got bored waiting for the patch and so have started off in Switzerland. i was drawn here because there's only two leagues so less to climb to the top!! ha ha.

Initial Squad

As you can see i already have a full squad, which is good but bad at the same time. it's also a multi-national squad!! the players look to be ok, but i hope to build. I went for these because although the value is low, and have a small ground, they were one of the few Swiss clubs who weren't heavily in debt. I quite like the kits too!!

Let the games begin!!

forgot to add the Information screen

Club Information Screen

[Gundo]

Originally posted by iacovone:

My chairman must be very astute when it comes to the finances of Vidir. We've never been in the red and are always making money, hopefully there's some sort of expansion coming soon....

Incidently, from last years challenge, did anyone succeed with an Icelandic side? I'm starting to think this challenge could become something far harder than I anticipated!

Nobody completed this challenge with an Icelandic club last season. I'd say this is officially the hardest nation to chose and trying to complete it their is not going to be an easy task.

iacovone - I think you love the added difficulty.

[Gundo]

Originally posted by rlipscombe:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe:

Introducing the new manager of FC Baulmes of Switzerland....

Profile

As you can see i got bored waiting for the patch and so have started off in Switzerland. i was drawn here because there's only two leagues so less to climb to the top!! ha ha.

Initial Squad

As you can see i already have a full squad, which is good but bad at the same time. it's also a multi-national squad!! the players look to be ok, but i hope to build. I went for these because although the value is low, and have a small ground, they were one of the few Swiss clubs who weren't heavily in debt. I quite like the kits too!!

Let the games begin!!

forgot to add the Information screen

Club Information Screen </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good Luck in Switzerland.

A full squad of players too!

[iacovone]

Originally posted by rlipscombe:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe:

Introducing the new manager of FC Baulmes of Switzerland....

Profile

As you can see i got bored waiting for the patch and so have started off in Switzerland. i was drawn here because there's only two leagues so less to climb to the top!! ha ha.

Initial Squad

As you can see i already have a full squad, which is good but bad at the same time. it's also a multi-national squad!! the players look to be ok, but i hope to build. I went for these because although the value is low, and have a small ground, they were one of the few Swiss clubs who weren't heavily in debt. I quite like the kits too!!

Let the games begin!!

forgot to add the Information screen

Club Information Screen </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Like the kits too. Very Sampdoria-esque!

[iacovone]

Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by iacovone:

My chairman must be very astute when it comes to the finances of Vidir. We've never been in the red and are always making money, hopefully there's some sort of expansion coming soon....

Incidently, from last years challenge, did anyone succeed with an Icelandic side? I'm starting to think this challenge could become something far harder than I anticipated!

Nobody completed this challenge with an Icelandic club last season. I'd say this is officially the hardest nation to chose and trying to complete it their is not going to be an easy task.

iacovone - I think you love the added difficulty. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dear god....

[Gundo]

Originally posted by iacovone:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by iacovone:

My chairman must be very astute when it comes to the finances of Vidir. We've never been in the red and are always making money, hopefully there's some sort of expansion coming soon....

Incidently, from last years challenge, did anyone succeed with an Icelandic side? I'm starting to think this challenge could become something far harder than I anticipated!

Nobody completed this challenge with an Icelandic club last season. I'd say this is officially the hardest nation to chose and trying to complete it their is not going to be an easy task.

iacovone - I think you love the added difficulty. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dear god.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't mean to get you down, I mean it is possible. A couple of people completed it playing in N.Ireland last season and their league rep is 6, Iceland's only 1 behind on 5 so it is possible.

[iacovone]

Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by iacovone:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by iacovone:

My chairman must be very astute when it comes to the finances of Vidir. We've never been in the red and are always making money, hopefully there's some sort of expansion coming soon....

Incidently, from last years challenge, did anyone succeed with an Icelandic side? I'm starting to think this challenge could become something far harder than I anticipated!

Nobody completed this challenge with an Icelandic club last season. I'd say this is officially the hardest nation to chose and trying to complete it their is not going to be an easy task.

iacovone - I think you love the added difficulty. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Dear god.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't mean to get you down, I mean it is possible. A couple of people completed it playing in N.Ireland last season and their league rep is 6, Iceland's only 1 behind on 5 so it is possible. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well I do like a challenge

Just need to break into the top 3 asap! Doesn't help losing to an average side at home, first game of the season though!!

[freek_teek]

Gundo: my expenses are about fifty-fifty wages and running costs (ground etc.). I stay within my budget and with about 16 players on a 130/w avarage, I don't see how I can cut there. (My finances are in euro by the way.) I do have two players who I can sell, my young keeper that gets bids for 75k (I signed him on a free) and a striker who should get me about 30k, but I think it's going to be hard surviving without them.

rlipscombe: Good luck in Switserland, a new Thun in the making?

iacovone: I do remember a thread about an Icelandic save in the LLM forum, the team got into Europe eventually, but I can't remember how fart they got. (can't remember the name eitehr)

[freek_teek]

hmmm...

but of an unfortunate typo there.

[CoachFlu]

It's moments like these when the lack of an editing feature on this forum proves its purpose.

[Quacky]

Békéscsaba Elöre FC

I let my mighty Duck take the reigns and get down to business in Hungary. The season started rubbish out in the first round of the cup and losing first two games. Then my team understood my mayhem attacking insanity tactics that I developed while managing KuPS and starting playing pretty well. A real slump just before winter break left me in 5th.

Firing on all cylinders after the break came an 11 game win streak followed by a draw in final game leaving me still in 5th, I hate this league. It would have been easily enough points for promotion the season before (57 points)

All hail the mighty Bojan Bozovic (and the scouts that found him) it wouldn't work without him.

[rlipscombe]

yeah, i was a bit shocked with the full squad... most of the other swiss teams that came up had less players in their squad, and although i do prefer to build my team a bit, the other clubs all had bank loans etc of £2-3 million!! wasn't going to burden myself with that sort of debt...

the other bonus to the full squad is that as i don't know the country, my knowledge is less and so i can spend a lttle less time trawling through all the free transfers...

i have a mighty transfer budget of £7k to spend, and have an additional wage budget of £2k to spend to take to the limit of £5.5k per week. i did promise them a mid-tble finish for the wage budget - my challenge from the board is to keep us in the league during the length of my contract.

the kits as Sampdoria-esque. most of the other teams were plain blue or red, and i find that boring when playing matches!!

As for the squad, i haven't had much chance to assess them as yet, as i only played a few days in the game before bed last night, and they were all on holiday when i took over. i've arranged 7 pre-season fixtures to see what i have available.

An early dark cloud on the horizon is that my Chairman has already announced he is looking to step aside and let someone else from the board be chairman. I feel a bit unsafe already!! ha ha.

[rlipscombe]

Originally posted by Quacky:

Békéscsaba Elöre FC

I let my mighty Duck take the reigns and get down to business in Hungary. The season started rubbish out in the first round of the cup and losing first two games. Then my team understood my mayhem attacking insanity tactics that I developed while managing KuPS and starting playing pretty well. A real slump just before winter break left me in 5th.

Firing on all cylinders after the break came an 11 game win streak followed by a draw in final game leaving me still in 5th, I hate this league. It would have been easily enough points for promotion the season before (57 points)

All hail the mighty Bojan Bozovic (and the scouts that found him) it wouldn't work without him.

that is one crazy tactic!! ha ha. do you not find yourself vulnerable down your left side??

can't argue with Bojan Bozovic's form though - i hope i find someone like him for FC Baulmes. feel i might need a goal machine!!

[CoachFlu]

Meldert, Belgium - December 18th 2011

Board expectation: stay clear of relegation

Media prediction: 17th

Mid-season table

Well, there you have it. A season of consolidation is what I had in mind, a run-of-the-mill season of boring midtable football. But the players decided otherwise, so we're going into the winter break in the lead.

It took us a few matches to get warmed up (that tends to happen when almost the entire first 11 are new players), which caused an early exit in the Cup against a lesser opponent. But after that, things have been going smoothly, and we're now on a 10 match unbeaten run.

Like last season around this stage, I have the feeling that we're getting the absolute most out of the team, and maybe being in first place is a touch flattering.

By which I don't mean that we've been getting a lot of fortuitous wins, or something like that. We just haven't had any bad luck. Our matches generally end in a score that is a fair reflection of the match. Just a touch of bad luck here and there, and we could be four places lower - and I probably wouldn't be complaining about it.

The team is quite balanced and playing attractive football. As always, the loan players are making all the difference.

Two players worth singling out, for playing a key part in earning us points:

Steven Guéguin: His first season as a first choice goalie, after being in the squad since before I took charge. I never really paid much attention to him, just kept him on board as a third goalie because he looked decent enough, until I noticed last season that his attributes had improved nicely and my coaches rated him better than my other goalies.

20 conceded in 18 matches doesn't look hugely spectacular, but he makes key saves in pretty much every match, enough to make a difference and earn us points.

Romélu Lukaku: The new star loan signing from parent team Anderlecht. Not quite as pacy as the one I had last season, but equally efficient. Without this kid I'd be nowhere near the top of the table. Hopefully he can maintain his form.

So, onwards to the second half of the season. I'm not overly confident of hanging on to first place. Our lack of bad luck can't continue forever.

As I mentioned in last season's update, I won't be too bothered if we miss out on promotion this season though. Structurally, the team isn't ready for the top division yet. We're still in the red.

The board decided to expand the stadium again this season. Funnily, these 1.600 seats only cost us 300k euro or so, while last season's 1.000 seats cost 3 mil. Guess they found a cheaper builder, heh.

We're still 250k in the red at the moment. We do make a profit each month, so we're slowly climbing out of the hole, but not quite fast enough to clear our entire debt by the end of the season.

So at least another season in the Second Division would probably be a good thing. Which doesn't mean I'll be throwing matches though. If we promote, I'll deal with it.

If we do promote, I'd preferably do it through the playoffs though. We could use the extra income from ticket sales.

[Gundo]

Originally posted by freek_teek:

Gundo: my expenses are about fifty-fifty wages and running costs (ground etc.). I stay within my budget and with about 16 players on a 130/w avarage, I don't see how I can cut there. (My finances are in euro by the way.) I do have two players who I can sell, my young keeper that gets bids for 75k (I signed him on a free) and a striker who should get me about 30k, but I think it's going to be hard surviving without them.

Sometimes selling players isn't the answer anyway imo, because at the end of the day the last thing you want is a poor league position/relegation and a poor financial situation. I suppose you'll just have to hold on tight and ride the storm out, hopefully with promotion into a new division that may well boost the money also.

[migwar]

in my current game at Puchov in Slovakia i'm draining about £12k a month from the balance. the board are having a bloody fit everymonth and say it needs addressing urgently. i'm currently about £150k overdrawn, but i'm well within wage budget. there's no way i can see of reducing this.

i'm just holding out until the end of the season when, if i'm promoted, i'll solve the issue next year. however, if i fail to reach promotion [there's 1 spot and 5 teams in contention only 2 point spread] i think i'm screwed...

[endtime]

iacovone: I do remember a thread about an Icelandic save in the LLM forum, the team got into Europe eventually, but I can't remember how fart they got. (can't remember the name eitehr)

Might have been my FM07 Magni save. I reached the CL and UEFA Cup group stages a few times, it was tough, but I felt that eventually I could make the step up and maybe go all the way and win the cup, but before I managed to assemble a strong enough the squad the save died on me. Still, I think this challenge was far from impossible, at least in FM07 - not sure about 08 yet, I'm waiting for the patch after all

[Gundo]

Norwegian club Randaberg IL has just announced that the club have called a press conference for later on today at the Randaberg Stadion. Early reports from Norway are that the club are set to announce that they have appointed a new manager...

[rlipscombe]

Originally posted by Gundo:

Norwegian club Randaberg IL has just announced that the club have called a press conference for later on today at the Randaberg Stadion. Early reports from Norway are that the club are set to announce that they have appointed a new manager...

Let's hope they don't have to postpone the press conference for another day or two....

[Gundo]

Originally posted by rlipscombe:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gundo:

Norwegian club Randaberg IL has just announced that the club have called a press conference for later on today at the Randaberg Stadion. Early reports from Norway are that the club are set to announce that they have appointed a new manager...

Let's hope they don't have to postpone the press conference for another day or two.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

*Fingers crossed

[cookie15]

Originally posted by Gundo:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gundo:

Norwegian club Randaberg IL has just announced that the club have called a press conference for later on today at the Randaberg Stadion. Early reports from Norway are that the club are set to announce that they have appointed a new manager...

Let's hope they don't have to postpone the press conference for another day or two.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

*Fingers crossed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You and me both

[CoachFlu]

Originally posted by CoachFlu:

The board decided to expand the stadium again this season. Funnily, these 1.600 seats only cost us 300k euro or so, while last season's 1.000 seats cost 3 mil. Guess they found a cheaper builder, heh.

The expansion is now complete, and I found out why it was so much cheaper. It wasn't an expansion after all, they just converted 1600 standing places to seats.

Ah well, I suppose that's useful as well.

[freek_teek]

Originally posted by Gundo:

Sometimes selling players isn't the answer anyway imo, because at the end of the day the last thing you want is a poor league position/relegation and a poor financial situation. I suppose you'll just have to hold on tight and ride the storm out, hopefully with promotion into a new division that may well boost the money also.

Well, we got 150k in tv-money so at least it's a start. Only 300k to go.