FM16: GCZ - Oh, to be a Grasshopper!

[Jonfun1980]

I think I might give the Grasshoppers a go. Looking for a save to keep me going. This could be it?

[wpmk]

Ravet and Tarashaj both leaving this transfer window. I'll see who they bring in before giving it a go.

[FM_Grasshopper]

Ravet and Tarashaj both leaving this transfer window. I'll see who they bring in before giving it a go.

Tarashaj is back in the squad on loan and Haris Tabakovic signs from YB as part of Ravet deal.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Started the second half of the season with another good bit of negotiating (if I say so myself)

[/img]

I loaded the mid-season break with easy friendlies again to boost morale, fitness and tactical familiarity. I decided to change the tactics to a system which served me very well with Torino back on FM14 (2nd in first season and Italian cup winners). Heres the formation.

Add to that a 0-0 draw to Luzern and a quarter final cup win against some 'Challenge League' team and that's our start to the seasons second half.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Around eight games into the second half of the season. The transfer window ended with a busy few days however. Liverpool bidding for Gjorgjev managed to turn the player head but not without me flexing my negotiation skills.

[/img]

So I sold Dabbur for 7m and Gjorgjev for 3.5m. Brought in Medunjanin, Gacinovic and Falcinelli for a total 1.5m. The latter of which (Dabbur's replacement has been on fire).

Obviously Falcinelli has had a big say in those results but i'm going to take the credit for this. I decided to go back to tactic I created on FM14. One I had big success with at Torino (finished 2nd first season and won the Italian cup).

[Jogo Bonito]

Results from the second half of season 1

Final league table



Transfer history in season 1



Squad stats from the players that completed the first season





End of season summary for season 1

So, as you can see from the above, results in the second half of season 1 were good enough to secure a 2nd place finish in the Swiss Super League. Basel were a different class, and comfortably retained their title. Zurich avoided the drop by beating Vaduz in round 35, and although it would have been nice to see them go down it would have removed the derby and the attendances would have suffered.

The biggest change in the team came in January, when the arrival of Mbwana Samata made me gamble on the sale of our main striker Dabbur. I reinvested a chunk of that money on central midfielder Marko Grujic as that was the part of the team that I really wanted to make stronger. If I remember correctly, I had a deal lined up for less than half of that fee originally, but by the time I had freed the funds up from Dabbur's sale, I couldn't get him for anything like the original figure. In any case, I knew this would be a good long-term investment, and it was good to strengthen the Serbian bond a bit further. Whilst the sale of Dabbur was planned, the loss of Moritz Bauer was a shock. I'd always intended to keep him, but he wouldn't talk about a new contract, and Braga swooped in with a pre-contract offer that he immediately accepted. In the end I decided to get the small 'buy now' fee and let him go early, promoting Benjamin Luthi in his place. Apart from the fact that it was a lost Swiss player, the worst thing of this one was that the guy who would have been my chosen replacement was actually released by his club in Brazil - and would have been an upgrade - but by the time Bauer left, he had been snapped up by another club and was out of my reach. A double negative...

Results from the first half of season 2

League table at winter break of season 2



Transfer history at winter break of season 2

I've already made reference a week or so ago about the shambolic situation regarding my key defender. Young, improving and Swiss, I was happy I had Levent Gulen tied down on a new contract until 2019. Well, that was until it came to my attention that his new deal had a £5k minimum release clause to foreign clubs. I had no idea, and his agent would not even let me open talks on another new contract without such a release clause. I was bitterly disappointed to lose this player, who I had planned to use as the team's backbone for my entire time in Zurich.

This tragedy also had further implications, as this was already the weakest point of the team. And now the player I had earmarked on my mid-season tour of Egypt to be his new partner was instead going to be an expensive replacement for my £1.9m defender. Swiss clubs have had strong links with Egyptian players and clubs in recent years and Saad Samir was an ideal player to recruit. However, the fee for my new captain prevented me from strengthening any other parts of the team, and I have to say it dropped my interest quite a bit at this stage. At this point, with my plans in ruins, I realised I also needed to sell Yoric Ravet - despite him being one of the better players in the first year. The knock-on effect of Gulen leaving for virtually nothing had really set me back.

On the plus side, the sale of Ravet did allow me to bring in a couple of good young Swiss players on loan, and finally I was able to steal Yoichiro Kakitani for a bargain fee from Basel with the cash that had been made available by my dealings. It's very hard to get any good quality players from another Swiss club, as they usually won't sell or make the asking price about 10 times the true value. This opportunity made me feel a bit better about the mess I had made.

With all the focus on Gulen, I actually ended up failing to arrange any pre-season friendlies, and so we faced Sion in the league opener in really bad shape. Early results were difficult to stomach, but once we caught up with our competitors on the match fitness, our results began to improve. I'm now confident we can make another good attempt at clinching that precious second spot, and at the very least we should be looking to win a European spot again.

[FM_Grasshopper]

With all the focus on Gulen, I actually ended up failing to arrange any pre-season friendlies, and so we faced Sion in the league opener in really bad shape. Early results were difficult to stomach, but once we caught up with our competitors on the match fitness, our results began to improve. I'm now confident we can make another good attempt at clinching that precious second spot, and at the very least we should be looking to win a European spot again.

Great update mate. Your signings will come good in time and you're only 6 points off Basel at the half way stage! I have been extremely lucky in my save, Basel have been good but are certainly prone to inconsistencies. In my second season I lost to them 3 times but still retained the league title. My 2nd Season Awards ceremony can be read here: fmgrasshopper.com/blog

Regarding friendlies, I always get my Assistant to organise these. I've been hurt in the past so know the frustration you obviously went through!

[Jonfun1980]

What formation is everyone playing?

[Jogo Bonito]

Thanks FMG. Saad Samir is very solid in central defence, and I'm quite hopeful that Yoichiro Kakitani will be good value for money too. Marko Grujic is obviously a great player for this level already. The other Swiss signings are just back-up and rotation options, and I'm trying to involve our own youngsters more and more too. I don't have expectations of trumping Basel, but feel we will be in Europe next season. I don't think I ever failed to arrange friendlies before, but my focus was taken away and I paid for it early on.

I forgot to mention in my update that I brought back Pierluigi Tami (former manager) as a coach, and also added Petar Divic as a coach (our Serbian connection continues with him).

I checked your blog updates just now, a very good read as usual.

@Jonfun: I don't usually play Caio that far back (he is mainly my shadow striker or false nine), but this is the formation and tactics I use.

[FM_Grasshopper]

What formation is everyone playing?

I found from Day 1, that there's a lack of current ability on the wings. So went with 4-3-2-1 AMC asymmetrical. I had Ravet as an IF AMR cutting in and an AMC slight justified left. DLP, B2B and BWM in midfield.

It's all about the wing backs for me! That's how I break down teams 9/10

[Ludonudo23]

I'm in.

I'm playing with an updated database (no Ravet, Tarashaj on loan and Tabakovic in) so I've decided to play with a narrow 433 (a really good tactic "Hydra" from FM base). I've selled Gjiorgev and it's a really good choice. Look at the insane amount I've take from Arsenal, also the U18 DC at 2,5 - incredible.

Following some inputs in this thread I've taken in Meling and Nyman. Then Vass and Lundemo for a stronger midfield. Taken also Jovanovic (serbian DC) for January transfer window because the defense is really poor.

I'm really pleased to have not selled Caio because he is playing so well with his incredible ability to shot.

[FM_Grasshopper]

For those on Twitter, my save has hit a dilemma and I could appreciate your help with a vote:

https://twitter.com/FM_Grasshopper/status/691719829779304448

[Jogo Bonito]

Sorry FMG, I don't have Twitter. I was able to read your stuff though, and understand your dilemma.

I'd normally say continue, because that's what you wanted your time at GCZ to be about. However, you probably won't keep your job long. Therefore, I'd suggest adapt. Do just enough to keep them happy (perhaps the big signings can just be on Swiss stars like Schar, Embolo, Xhaka, Burki, Shaqiri etc), but maintain most of your morals. I don't think you'll enjoy the spend option.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[FM_Grasshopper]

Sorry FMG, I don't have Twitter. I was able to read your stuff though, and understand your dilemma.

I'd normally say continue, because that's what you wanted your time at GCZ to be about. However, you probably won't keep your job long. Therefore, I'd suggest adapt. Do just enough to keep them happy (perhaps the big signings can just be on Swiss stars like Schar, Embolo, Xhaka, Burki, Shaqiri etc), but maintain most of your morals. I don't think you'll enjoy the spend option.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks Jogo, appreciated. It's looking increasingly likely I'll adapt my approach. Spend big when necessary but maintain the youth restrictions I initially set out.

The targets you mentioned may not want to come back to Switzlerand. But I'll try...

[Jogo Bonito]

You're probably right on those players, but worth a try if they aren't regulars.

Time to crack on with my GCZ save again, I'm rotating this with OM and Coventry and this one is next in line. I'm at the winter break of season 2, and having just won a mid-season friendly in Manama (Bahrain) where I used to live, I am about to check whether I need to make any squad changes. The last player I checked out was Gulen, now valued at £6m by Lyon - and further paining me that I lost him for just £5k. I don't think I will be doing much transfer business, but will see how close we can get to Basel.

[mayihavecookie]

Grasshoppers signed Philippe Senderos from Aston Villa today. Could become a great deal in real life, but in FM he'll probably be useless because of his injury issues.

Still following this thread closely and will definitely join once I'm done with the Ultimate Football Manager Challenge in FM15. Good luck to everyone.

FM_Grasshopper: I'd say adapt as well. Good input from Jogo Bonito, but maybe you could focus on ex Grasshoppers players like Zuber, Hajrovic, Abrashi, Bürki, Ben Khalifa, Bobadilla etc if some of them are interested and good enough. Also you could try and strengthen your academy by signing talents from the other swiss clubs.

[nicosen]

Brilliant thread here 100% inspired me to give the Swiss league and Grasshoppers a try. Finished second in my first season with GC with Young Boys surprisingly winning the league. In the start of the second season i lost to Roma in the Champions League playoff and thus entering the Europa League group stage. The squad looked very promising coming up to the second season as I managed to hold on to Dabbur till 23.00 on the 31st of August and then the board decided it would be a good idea to accept a 6mil bid from Torino. Therefore leaving me no time to sign a replacement!! There's still a chance without him though and hopefully we can win the league!

Mon the GC!

[Jogo Bonito]

Great suggestions for FMG to bring back old club players mayihavecookie. That's something I always try to do at any club, although whether the attraction of GCZ will be big enough for them is something else.

Welcome along nicosen, good luck improving on 2nd without a really natural finisher in the team.

I'm getting near to finishing season 2 now. Currently going through a bit of a transition phase with too many attacking players on the books, but working to sort it out and make us more Swiss and stronger financially too.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

So I've been on a break from FM but not after I finished season 1 as Super League champions!!!

Some amazing stories coming out of this season. Basel's dominance has been put to a halt. Young Boy's are relegated. Sion are in the Champions League and most importantly GCZ are back top of the Swiss pyramid again. The amount of draws (15) shows how much of a hard fought campaign it was, and we were probably quite fortunate that Basel weren't as dominant as they usually are.

Switching to narrow formations (5-3-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2WB) and tactics worked unbelievably well in the second half of the season.

Would give more of an update but tbh I'm looking forward to loading the save back up and continuing into season 2. Europe here we come!!!

[Jogo Bonito]

Congrats VF, a great first season. Amazing to see Young Boys relegated with just 25 points. I'd be scooping up all their best players if that happened to me!

I've completed my second season so will post up images and a report soon.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Thanks Jogo, ive already managed to take Young Boys' assistant manager aswell as two other coaches. Ive been looking at their Swiss international winger (Steffen i think) since the January window but seen as though im playing a narrow tactic and already have plenty of wingers i may pass.

They have a young Swiss CB too but ive found a cheaper option from Italy.

So not a lot of Young Boys' players are taking my fancy tbh.

[Jogo Bonito]

Results from the second half of season 2

Final league table



Transfer history in season 2



Squad stats from the players that completed the second season





End of season summary for season 2

So, as you can see from the above, results in the second half of season 1 were not brilliant, but good enough to secure another 2nd place finish in the Swiss Super League. The game against St. Gallen in the penultimate fixture was a bigger occasion than it would appear, as defeat to them would have put them above us with just one game remaining. A change of formation for the last two games (we are now using a 442 diamond) gives hope of a better campaign next year, but that seems like a case of deja vu. Clearly, Basel were again comfortable winners, claiming their 8th title on the trot.

The loss of centre back Levent Gulen in the summer was a very frustrating event, but his replacement (Saad Samir from Al Ahly in Egypt) slotted in well and justified the transfer fee of £325k. There wasn't much business done from the winter window, but I was able to bring Seo Myung-Won back to the club on a free transfer after remembering his decent performances on loan with us in my first season. Young American player Tyler Adams also arrived after an 18-month wait for clearance, but to be honest I see him as a possible investment, and if his value goes the way I think it will, he won't be part of my plans for long.

My aim during the summer is to trim the squad, especially in the attacking areas. We are definitely two or three players heavier than what I need, and I would prefer to keep my Swiss players, especially as we have more in the reserve squad that can step up to the mark. If all goes to plan, I will be allowing Myung-Won, top scorer Yoichiro Kakitani, and a few other players to leave. Hopefully they will all bring us a profit, and I can get the squad a bit more balanced. The only new arrival agreed so far is Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler of Luzern, after I agreed a pre-contract deal with him in the winter.

Budget for season 3

[nicosen]

Nice post Jogo!

What do you think of your chances to win the league next season?

I have just started my third season with Grasshopper so I thought I would do a review of my latest season.

I was feeling pretty confident for my second season until as previously mentioned Dabbur on the last day of the transfer window and I was unable to sign a replacement. As i thought, I found it very difficult to score goals in the first half of the season so i spent heavily in January in search of goals.

[/img]

After my disappointing season I furthered strengthened the squad in the summer and have changed the formation. This means that I have sold all my wingers including Ravet. I really like how the squad is looking and hopefully the high spending will finally throw Young Boys off the top of the league and get on top of the affluent Basel! My pride and joy is definitely my front two of Strandberg and Saponjic and I don't think I will be holding on to them for long.

[Jogo Bonito]

Thanks nicosen! I'm not really confident of winning the title, but will hope that Basel dip and I am capable of taking advantage.

Our saves are fairly similar so far. Two second-place finishes for me, and 2nd and 3rd for you. Interestingly, you got 71 points to finish 3rd, whilst I only got 61 points to finish 2nd! We're now also playing a very similar formation, as I'm currently using the 442 narrow diamond since the last couple of games in season 2. That's partly due to my imbalance of having a few too many strikers, forwards and attacking players, with less depth of quality in my central midfielders.

Anyway, a very nice update from you, good luck with your 3rd season (and well done on showing Zurich as relegated)

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Thanks nicosen! I'm not really confident of winning the title, but will hope that Basel dip and I am capable of taking advantage.

Our saves are fairly similar so far. Two second-place finishes for me, and 2nd and 3rd for you. Interestingly, you got 71 points to finish 3rd, whilst I only got 61 points to finish 2nd! We're now also playing a very similar formation, as I'm currently using the 442 narrow diamond since the last couple of games in season 2. That's partly due to my imbalance of having a few too many strikers, forwards and attacking players, with less depth of quality in my central midfielders.

Anyway, a very nice update from you, good luck with your 3rd season (and well done on showing Zurich as relegated)

Really interesting as I won the league with only 66 points and my closest challenger had 56. Ive had an interesting start to the second season which I will give you an update on soon.

On another note Id just like to say a big thank you to michalgottwald and everybody else for introducing me to a save which within a month has seen me buy a GCZ shirt and follow them as my second team. That's how much I'm into this save and I believe ill always be a Grasshopper from here on out. What a game/save, what a club!!!

[Jogo Bonito]

Great story, and commendable commitment to GCZ! I agree, well done to michalgottwald for bringing this together two years running.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Season 2 is still ongoing but I feel compelled to share this with you.

It stretches over the two seasons. I'm way out in front of the Swiss Super League and still in the Swiss Cup. Finished 3rd in the Champions League group and ive just crashed out the Europa League in the last 16 to Wolfsburg on away goals.

So my main aim in this save is to try and get GCZ back in their own home ground. Does anyone have any tips on how I should go about that. Will it be as obvious as making as much money as possible and being as successful as possible?

Thinking of selling some of my star players to gain a big profit (to go towards a new stadium) and to make the domestic competitions more challenging as well.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

This is going to be my next long term save, going to do a dual manager with GCZ and Switzerland manager, just wondering other then all players from Switzerland what other countries/leagues do you load up to get decent cheap players from, what was your set up Jogo ?

[Jogo Bonito]

Great run of unbeaten games VirtuosoFlame, and the defence looks very tight! I'm also going to try and give the home grown players more and more opportunities, even if it comes at the expense of success (not that I have had any yet).

RB, I'm not sure to be honest, but I generally have just under 100,000 players to pick from. I always load up all players of African nationality - which is good here because the WP requirement is not relevant. When in Switzerland I would load up all players of Swiss nationality too, so that you can keep an eye on who to bring home. I think I also load up top division players within Europe, and South America. There is a foreign player limit for the starting team and squad depending on the competition though, so research that. I don't ever load up other leagues outside the country I am managing in.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Wow 100,000 player database, wish I had your computer lol, I try stick to 40,000 player database to have a quick game, might just load up all of the Swiss players, then do current international players for Europe, South America and do players for top division clubs in Africa and international players, cheers Jogo, just got to play my Benfica/Portugal save until the World Cup then will quit that save and start my GCZ/Swiss save.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Just finished season 2!!!

Results

So as you can imagine we dominated the Super League, although admittedly I settled for draws in some games once my lead was comfortable and the unbeaten season was becoming more realistic. Our defence was amazing and it really took me to look back on results to realise how solid they were. 24 league goals from Diego Falcinelli was a huge help also.

So obviously the League title gives us a lot of bragging rights. Little bit disappointed not to back it up with a Swiss Cup victory (losing 1-0 to Basel in Final) but we did ourselves proud in Europe however. We had a tough group alongside Arsenal, Napoli and Shakhtar but 3 draws out of 6 games was enough to see us into the Europa League. We edged past Olympiakos on away goals before being matched against Wolfsburg. Lost the first leg away 2-0 but by the 75th minute in the return leg we went 3-0 up. I couldn't believe it....2 minutes later Wolfsburg scored an away goal and knocked us out

Ok so the stand out transfer is that of Renato Steffen from recently relegated Young Boys for £4m. Quite a hefty fee for a Super League team. But, Renato is a great player. An inside forward with bags of pace and technique and he quickly proved to be a great player for us once he settled.

Simone Romagnoli was brought in and is a perfect partner for Levent Gulen who is himself outstanding in my save (hes even gained call ups to the Switzerland Squad). These two have formed an amazing 'stopper & cover' partnership which has made for an impressive defensive record.

Last but not least Ivan Perez. He's got to be a gem at 62k. Hes been an outstanding performer and gained a lot of credit in the end of season awards. Seriously you need to take a look at him. I myself think its a great find and I don't believe hes a popular player amongst the FM community. A perfect playmaker with a '17' technique stat and all the rest you'd expect of your playmaker being at a good level too.

Ive got to be honest and say I owe a great deal of my success to a tactic found online. Not sure if I can put a link up for it however. I made subtle tweaks here and there like playing deeper and wider to create more space and hitting early crosses but the base remained the save.

And there you have it. I could go into greater detail but these posts are tiring as it is

Speaking of posts Ive got big plans for next season which I will reveal soon. I want a greater challenge and ive got plans as to how to go about it whilst keeping this save ongoing. Stay tuned

[Jogo Bonito]

Great work, Amazing to produce such a long undefeated run, thanks for the update.

I'm going through season 3 too, and have decided to go much more reliant on my Swiss youngsters, which is a bit silly as I haven't won anything in the first two years even when picking from better options. It does keep the challenge realistic though.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

So after demolishing The Swiss Super League in season 2, Ive decided to shake things up a bit. Some important first team players would be sold. I'd be willing to sell those who aren't swiss with a couple of exceptions. I also limited the players brought in to as few as possible (1 to be precise).

The tactic I found online and played a major part in the unbeaten season will also be scrapped and i'll be focussing on my own tactics from now on.

The reason being to focus on bringing players through the youth system and into the first team and to make for a more challenging game after dominating the Super League so far.

I also have this ambition to see GCZ back into a stadium of their own after researching and discovering that irl fans aren't happy having their rival ground as their own.

This seems a long way off in FM. We struggle to get 50% of The Letzigrund's capacity full and the cost of a new ground means that it is completely unnecessary but i'm going to see what I can do.

So bringing in the most amount of possible seems the best way to go about it. That and success which is obviously what i'm trying to achieve.

There has been a significant improvement on the financial front due to European football, player sales etc.

Transfers Season 3

Lots of young players have been brought into the first team squad and all have been promised they will get playing time after rejecting various loan bids for all of them.

Offers came in for Steffen, Falcinelli, Tarashaj, Gacinovic, Gulen, Antonov and Perez but I really want to keep all of these guys and some decent offers were rebuffed.

This saw Steffen, Gulen and Tarashaj request new contracts and therefore their wages have increased considerably to 21k, 16k and 15k. But the money is there and we're in a comfortable position financially.

I'm really happy with my squad. Lots of young and Swiss talent. I've made a large amount of money from player sales whilst maintaining the strength of my GCZ side.

The prospect of a new stadium may well be non-existent though. But its a huge goal that I've set and another aspect which makes this save one of the best I've had in any FM/CM yet.

[Jogo Bonito]

Lovely stuff, and although success might be much harder to come by, I really like the approach you have taken. I've also gone much more Swiss (with a few exceptions) and really want to challenge myself to winning something with that method. I'm well behind you, with just two 2nd placed finishes so far, but the day I manage to lift a trophy will be very rewarding.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

I do envy that feeling you'll get when you do win as it will be far more special. I do hope Basel will give me more of a challenge to make it a little more realistic. Basel are dominant irl and yet I'm seeing them lose 2-0 at home to Vaduz.

Anyway, thought id share this. Ive had some great results within my first two season but this tops the lot. My first win in the 'Champions League'. Enormously satisfying.

Had another good start to season 3 but will leave it out until an update.

[Jogo Bonito]

Great result in Europe. You shouldn't envy me, it's likely to take forever with my lack of FM ability!

I'm in October 2017, and currently considering shipping out Caio, Barthe, Vasic and - if I can get a big enough fee - Antonov. The latter sale could be ratified as I am trying to convert Oliveira Alves in to my new attacking left-back, although he really doesn't appreciate the idea! Caio is still decent, but getting on a bit now and I still have Oberlin on loan, who I hope to sign one day. Vasic is also decent but I play Mall just because of nationality (I keep chancing my arm with bids on Mvogo but Young Boys want big money for him still). Barthe is too old for a new contract, especially as he won't take reduced wages.

Beyond that, I might even try to shift my American duo Tyler Adams (18) and Walker Zimmerman (24), and even Tarashaj as he got capped by Albania, much to my dismay! I can't bring myself to allow either of my East Africans (Mariga and Samata), our Egyptian captain (Samir), or my teenage Nigerian striker (Osimhen) to depart, so will always have a few foreigners in the ranks.

It's not easy picking up good young Swiss players (especially good defenders), but I keep trying to get Elvedi from Gladbach on loan, which would be massive for us. I signed Zakaria and Freuler ahead of the 3rd season, who are both big players for me. My other loanee (Bajrami of Stuttgart) is another Swiss player who I am trying to sign when his loan finishes as he is a really useful asset. Bamert, Alpsoy, Sukacev, Kamberi, Gjorgjev are all very much in my plans, and I still have Getaz and Luthi involved too, plus a few more in the U21 and U18 teams I am developing.

It's not all Swiss though, as I did recently pick up an Algerian midfielder (Hanni) on a free, knowing he would instantly become a saleable asset (£525k already). I'm also lining up a deal to bring former favourite Hajrovic back (from Bremen) as a potential replacement for Caio.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

My unbeaten streak stretching over 3 seasons has come to an end.

One game away from it being 60. 59 games unbeaten in the Swiss Super League sounds insane looking back on it.

I recently posted my victory over Fenerbahce in the 'Champions League' and we followed it up with a 2-1 home win against the same side. We're in a good position within the group and hoping to advance to the knockouts. Still 2 difficult games to go though.

[Jogo Bonito]

59 is amazing. I'd be happy with 9. Or even 5

[Jogo Bonito]

I'm now at the winter break in Season 3, and we are managing to compete with Young Boys and Basel as we look to better our two 2nd-placed finishes. I don't know how this will work out, as I am trying to improve the Swiss theme of my squad and give more and more of our home grown players their opportunities. The European competitions didn't go too well, but that wasn't really surprising.

Results and Table

The board are delighted with the young players that are being given a chance to breakthrough, and although there is still more work to be done on this front, we have a very clear vision for the future and hopefully one day this will be successful. During the first half of the season we again made a big profit on transfer activity. Grujic was an unfortunate departure, but Gladbach met his release clause and it allowed me to bring in young Swiss player Denis Zakaria and pocket a big amount of cash too. Whilst I was very pleased with that trade, I am even more proud of the Remo Freuler transfer with the Swiss international midfielder being a key player for us in the middle of the park so far. As you can see, I then picked up Sofiane Hanni, an admired Algerian free agent, to give me some more midfield options (and potential to make money in the future).

Looking ahead, a few more of our non-Swiss players will likely be leaving, and in the main they will be replaced by local talent. However, we aren't ashamed to announce that Izet Hajrovic will soon be arriving back in Zurich. The former GCZ player is traditionally a winger, but is more likely to fill the attacking midfielder slot as Caio will probably be released at the end of his contract in the summer. I've also agreed to let Barthe move on too, as I am bringing through some more Swiss defenders at last.

The financial position of the club is very healthy now, and it looks like the foundations have been nicely laid for a better future. Talking of which, we are currently under a transfer embargo with rumours of a club takeover getting stronger and stronger. Who knows what my position will be if that goes through, but hopefully I will be allowed to finish what has been started. I'm really keen to ensure that I can continue to build the club up gradually, by developing our own products and selling an asset from time to time. That's much more enjoyable than becoming a super-rich outlet that loses it's identity and is forced to splash the cash. Time will tell...

Transfers, Future Transfers & Finances

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Very good update Jogo. Seems the way we are both going about our saves are strikingly similar. Really hope you can win that elusive trophy this time around. I too was subject of a takeover bid in the very same season but it seems to have fell through.

Would you be able to show your squad/tactics screen at any point? I'd like to see if theres any transfer targets I have missed out on or any young players I have overlooked when promoting them to my first team.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Played just beyond the winter break so I'm currently at the start of March but heres a brief update anyway.

First things first I was looking for players in Jan and discovered Georgi Milanov's contract expires in June. I got him on loan as I cant offer him a contract yet. (GCZ have loaned him irl too). His stats look good and I'm aiming to make him a permanent Grasshopper. Much like irl he has received a bad injury keeping him out for 3 months. Might be worth a look Jogo seen as though youre at the same point as me.

Competitions

Unbeaten run came to an end against Basel and typically Thun beat us 1-0 straight after. Picked up since then after tweaking tactics and reclaimed top spot.

Despite beating Fenerbahce twice in the Champs League group, defeats to Shakhtar and Porto seen us finish 3rd which I'm not too disappointed about.

1st knockout round of the Europa pitted us against Serie A leaders Lazio. We won the first leg 1-0 at home with a stunner from Steffen despite missing a penalty. Second Leg I went for 'contain' second half Lazio showed up and went 2-0 up. I had to go attacking and we got our all important away goal from Tarashaj. Then Lazio scored the winner in injury time with what was the most obvious and blatant offside goal in history. Must be a glitch but I was fuming.

Our knock out of the Swiss Cup came on Penalties after a 0-0 draw away to Luzern in our return from the winter break.

Falcinelli's been class again, as has my 60k signing from last season Ivan Perez. 200K for both of them has made the save what it is.

Ive accumulated a big transfer and wage budget mainly because of the opportunities handed to young players.

This season has been more challenging and therefore enjoyable. Alpsoy has become one of my 3 main CM's, Mijatovic, Loosli, Imeri, Helbling (since been sold), Bajrami, Oliveira Alves, Sukacev, Kareem and regen Brockschneider have all enjoyed being apart of the first team and gaining some Super League wins in the process.

Alongside key players such as Gulen, Antonov, Fernandes, Perez, Tarashaj, Steffen and Falcinelli we've still managed to stay reasonably successful so far.

[Jogo Bonito]

Great update Virtuoso, you're still going well in the league and were just unlucky in Europe. You also have plenty of Swiss-ness in your squad, with the likes of Fernandes, Steffen, and Gulen (that one really bugs me after losing what would have been my defensive rock for a mere £5k due to an unknown clause on a new contract).

I'll try and post those images up sometime, but from memory I can say that I have given more and more chances to the Swiss players, and have a new batch that are probably as close to the first team squad as they can be before I use them. Alpsoy has been a regular part of my central midfield since the start, and with Zakaria and Freuler also joining us, we are now well served by Swiss players in that midfield area. I've been using Bamert much more this season, hoping he will turn in to a decent centre-back. That's also allowed me to keep Zakaria in defensive midfield for now, although he can drop back if necessary. Unfortunately, my Swiss loan players have both accepted new contracts at their parent clubs, so getting Bajrami and Oberlin back for a third year or signing them permanently myself is not looking so likely anymore. By season four, I'm hopeful that most of my squad will be Swiss, with more of the original youngsters given the chance to replace any overseas players we sell or release. There will always be a few exceptions (mainly youngsters that I signed myself, plus Hajrovic of course).

The Swiss players I am always trying to grab, which maybe you can afford before me, are Mvogo (Young Boys 'keeper) and Elvedi (Gladbach). Obviously the likes of Zuffi are tough to attract, and then there are those already living it large (mainly in Germany). Apart from that, have a look at the former players that did well for the club like Emeghara, Gashi etc.

[Jogo Bonito]

Well, that was a rather testing festive period. The club was finally taken over by Franco Soldati, formerly at Udinese, on 27th December 2017. He had earlier indicated that he would be bringing in his own manager, but after an anxious 10 day wait it was finally announced on 6th January 2018 that 'Swiss Roll' would keep the top job.

The new backers have put some cash in, and will be developing the training ground - which should be useful going forward. Extra transfer and wage funds haven't been made available, so I've got to say the balance of this investment has worked out almost perfectly for me, as we remain a very realistic operation.

We already had a training camp arranged for the winter break, where we would be based in UAE and playing friendlies against Al-Ain (UAE), Al-Sadd (Qatar) and Lekhwiya (Qatar). A familiar face will be present in that final friendly, as we sold striker Munas Dabbur to them for £3.5m during my first season.

The squad listed to make the trip is shown below, although there was a late decision to sell Caio (going back to Brazil with Sport Recife for £100k). That deal was completed just before the tour started, but with his contract due to expire in the summer, and clubs likely to offer him a pre-contract deal, it made sense to get our respected Brazilian off the wage roll early and take a small fee for doing so. Defender Alexandre Barthe also departed for a nominal fee of £85k to Lecce, and I am mulling over a £4m bid from Braga for Nemanja Antonov too.

Izet Hajrovic (£1.1m Bremen) made a popular return to the club after a few years away. I've also tied up deals for two more players on pre-contract agreements, with Swiss pair Darko Jevtic (Lech) and Manuel Akanji (Basel) joining for no fees in July 2018, with both bringing some more quality in to our squad. Unfortunately, I just missed out on bringing another former star home, as we were unable to match the £14k per week that Steven Zuber demanded, and he signed a pre-contract deal with Trabzonspor instead. Next season we should have a few more of our other original youngsters added to the group, when they return from loan spells away.

The backroom team has also seen a welcome improvement with highly regarded German Julian Nagelsmann a great addition to our coaching team. This came about following the change of ownership, as Manuel Huber (our useless Director and immovable DOF) was kicked out of the club following the takeover, ending a frustrating few years where the waste of space had been taking up a valuable 'coaching' position.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Really interesting. I was getting nervous whilst scrolling as to whether they sacked you or not. The takeover seems to have worked really well hasn't it. I'm a little further on than you and so far takeover approaches haven't come to fruition, though if it does I really hope its similar to yours.

I think your transfer business looks good. I scouted Hajrovic after your last post and Jevtic is playing in the EPL with Watford in my save and he looks impressive imparticular. Sales of Caio and Barthe seem well thought out and I don't think you'll miss either much tbh certainly not the latter anyhow. Its a good offer for Antonov, he's a great player though and your defensive numbers seem pretty thin imo. I'd keep him or only contemplate accepting once you've lined up a replacement.

Good luck on securing the Super League title!!! You have some players in your squad such as Oberlin, Getaz, Zakaria and Jevtic that are out of reach in my save because of their ability (playing in England, Germany etc.) and I think you can do it!!!

I currently three games left and positioned top of the pile, now 4 points clear of Basel, extending the gap after I beat Young Boys 6-1 and Basel drew 2-2 with Luzern.

Still got Basel away however, as well as my bogey team Thun. Both of which I haven't been able to beat in 7 combined attempts. Really exciting and enjoyable end to the season....glad I gave youth a chance. Oh and I've lined up another young Swiss due to arrive in June for 2 million. Francisco Rodriguez!!!!

[jaaamiebeach]

I've been looking for a new challenge and after stumbling upon this thread I have decided that GCZ will be said challenge. Can anyone recommend a setup for this particular game? I usually just go with English, French, Spanish, Italian and German leagues loaded but feel like I may miss out on a lot of bargains from Scandinavia, etc in doing so.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Welcome aboard, really glad we have a new 'member'.

I went with :-

England (League 2 and above)

Germany (Second Div. and above)

Spain (Adelante and above)

And the following just top division

Portugal

Italy

Holland

Belgium

Scotland

Russia

Turkey

Switzerland obv.

Be really interesting to see someone start on the 16.3 update as you'll have Senderos and Milanov but Tarashaj will leave for Everton at the end of the season and Yoric Ravet (who was an important player for me) already at Young Boys.

Good luck, keep posting

[VirtuosoFlame92]

So I've just thrown away a 4 point lead in final 3 games to lose my first Super League title.

Despite being sandwiched in between 6-1 and 5-1 wins over YB and Lugano, a draw against bogey-team Thun and defeat to Basel has seen us take only silver.

Luckily Thun have been relegated.

Just look at those scoring charts though!!! 31 goals for Falcinelli!!!

Losing the league title and 3 out of our 4 games with Basel has definitely gave my save and extra edge. A real competitive rivalry has seemingly brewed and makes for a mouth watering battle in season 4.

I'm thinking of keeping things pretty much the same in terms of my squad, providing I can keep hold of my better players. Looking at bringing in a new keeper however, and Francisco Rodriguez is already due to arrive also.

On a side note, following on from my Grasshoppers shirt arriving, a trip to Zurich has been booked. Going to go to an actual Grasshoppers match whilst there

[Jogo Bonito]

Unlucky there 'Virtuoso', definitely a title that was yours to lose. I'd had a look at Francisco and Roberto, but couldn't get either of them in - he should be a nice addition though. Great return from Falcinelli (and I see ex-GCZ man Nassim Ben Khalifa is back in Switzerland too). Another interesting update anyway, and lovely to hear about your shirt and planned visit!

I've not had the chance to advance my game, but will do soon. I signed Jevtic last time around, but his stats seem even better on FM16 so hoping he will be a very useful player. Most of the decent Swiss players are really hard to get, but I'll continue to keep an eye on those in my shortlist.

Welcome also to our newest 'Hopper manager above, good luck and I hope you enjoy it.

[jaaamiebeach]

Have yet to do much as I've been away from the laptop for the majority of the weekend. Signed Wittwer from Thun for cover at left back, but I'm mainly lacking a right winger and don't want to use Gjorgjev too much as he's still learning. May bring someone in on loan for the season and rotate with Gjorgjev.

[VirtuosoFlame92]

Hope to hear from you soon Jogo.

Another dimension has been added to my save.

(Its me I swear)

I was in two minds as to whether I should take it because I didn't know if id be able to give the Switzerland job my all as oppose to just plug in and play until the domestic games come around again. Had to sleep on it before I decided to go with it but looking forward to it now.

Back to GCZ and I avoided having to sell anyone, even if it did mean bumping Steffen's wages up by 10k per week. Gulen's wages were increased to 16.5k after he was a regular feature in Switzerland's world cup campaign, having scored in the process. Still trying to fend off interest in my regen Brockshcneider and top scorer Falcinelli. The latter seems to be extremely loyal (never asked for a transfer or contract) but i'm awaiting my regen reluctantly committing his future in Zurich.

Coming in is a new Goalkeeper as well as attacking midfielder Rodriguez. Managed to snap up Norwegian Andre Hansen for 375k as my new number 1.

Let battle commence......

The fixture computer threw up and interesting first game. Couldn't ask for a better match to kick things off and show our intentions for the new season. I was desperate to set the record straight with Basel and apparently our players were too. The scoreline doesn't do it justice. Francisco Rodriguez scoring what proved to be the winner, after coming off the bench to make his debut was the icing on the cake.