withnail316 Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Ah, great work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 40 minutes ago, Deisler26 said: Ah, great work! Cheers, man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 So close and yet so far. Thought I'd solved my goalkeeping problem by signing this monster - and on a free- but just missed out to Rennes, who could probably double my offer in wages. He could have been our keeper for a decade or so, but it's not to be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Oof. What a loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Damn shame to miss out on that keeper. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 6 hours ago, Deisler26 said: Oof. What a loss. 4 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Damn shame to miss out on that keeper. Yep, he looked phenomenal. I'd tried to sign him previously, but his club wouldn't budge from their €20m valuation. I'm simply not prepared to pay fees of that size at this stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 FC Utrecht Season preview 2022/23 Media expectation: 3rd Board expectation: challenge for the title Transfer budget (remaining): €13m Wage budget: €532,000p/w (€150,000p/w under budget) A fairly quick summer, and the new season is about ready to get underway. Once again I've had a relatively quiet summer as far as transfers are concerned, but I'm still watching the cash thanks to us developing our youth and training facilities, and with the squad being as young as it is, we can improve as the players mature without me needing to add too much to it. I'm also looking forward to us moving back in to our own ground at the end of August, and the fixture computer has thrown old rivals Ajax up as our first opponents. As I mentioned, we've been very quiet on the transfer front both with players in and out. We have only received fees for a couple of players in this window, and Peter van Dijk was perhaps the biggest name to leave the club. The injury-prone winger joins Anderlecht for €3m, although the fans weren't particularly impressed with the deal. Also out the door was young midfielder Ed Buijs, who hadn't really impressed since arriving on a free a couple of years ago. He joins Austria Wien for €2.5m, as well as a 25% sell on. We also sold youth team defender Marc Albustin for €100,000 to Braunschweig, taking our total income to €5.6m. We did also loan out a couple of decent youngsters, with English keeper Matthew Billings off to Newcastle for the year, while striker Ruben van Boekel has gone to NEC for a season's top-flight football. Joining the players I've already shown you arriving (Hugo, Filadelfo Papa, and Erwin de Graaf) are a pair of goalkeepers. Czech international Tomas Bocek was signed for €1.7m from Mlada Boleslav, although a few days later I wished I hadn't confirmed the deal when Wayne Lockwood joined on loan from Arsenal for the season. Keeping both of them happy is going to be tricky, but it is a good problem to have. One thing I haven't mentioned is that this year will be the first where registering players who have been developed at the club for European games won't be a problem. Brazilians Hercilo and Fernando are both now classed as homegrown, as is Nic Cordray, which certainly makes life a lot easier. I am still looking for young Dutch players, but I don't expect too much movement between now and the window closing (roughly 6 weeks.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 Oh yeah, remember the two promising youngsters I had at the club when I first arrived? Roel Lagendijk is the Dutch under 21 captain, and Gerry Vissers is a full international - and both are now club legends before either of their 21st birthdays. Lovely stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 Not having much joy with the "wonderkid" strikers I've brought in. You may remember we lost Rafal Marciniak last summer when Leverkusen matched his buy-out clause. Martin Müller was his replacement, and this summer, he's been targeted by German and Spanish clubs. He complained after the first game of the season that he wan't starting enough, and responded badly to me telling him he wasn't playing well enough to warrant a start. Our argument degenerated into him demanding a transfer, to which I agreed. Considering the types of clubs who had been sniffing around him (Dortmund, Schalke, Valencia amongst others) I listed him for €15m, more than twice what we had paid last year. Club Brugges responded with an offer of €14.75m, which we have accepted and he has moved on. A shame to lose him, but he scored two goals in 15 games, while my other three strikers scored 20+ last year. I have identified two new players, but for now I'll stick with what we have and sit on the cash. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 July/August A solid start to the new season, and another super cup in the bag. We played really well against PSV, but our league performances have been even better. I've slightly tweaked our tactics this year, although only by altering a couple of player roles. The main one has been to change one of my strikers from an attacking target man to an attacking advanced forward, and Masek has already bagged five goals in that role. I still have a week or so before the transfer window closes, so I may yet look at another addition, but I'm quite happy with the squad we have. I have responded to the sale of Muller by recalling Ruben van Boekel too, so I'm back up to five strikers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 Happy enough with that draw, and once again I'll be happy enough with 3rd. Yes, last year was brilliant, but I'm not convinced we're ready to be hitting the latter stages in the Champions League year after year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 Ahhhh, it's good to be home Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted November 10, 2016 Author Share Posted November 10, 2016 September A perfect start in the league then, and we're scoring plenty of goals. I'm not at all surprised by our loss in Madrid, but I'm still optimistic that we will be in the mix to go through. That said, I wouldn't be too disappointed if we end up in the Europa League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 Been a long few weeks of real life stuff, but this thread will be on the way back in the next few days. Looking forward to getting into it again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Good to hear, man. I've been catching back up on this thread Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 14 hours ago, ManUtd1 said: Good to hear, man. I've been catching back up on this thread Hope it's been worth your time reading, man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Glad to see you back dude. Looking forward to you resuming this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 October A very long month, but an excellent one both at home and abroad. We're absolutely flying in the league, but PSV are breathing down our necks (and would be top on goal difference if not for a stoppage time Ahmed Onuh equaliser) so we need to maintain our form, while we're looking pretty good to progress in Europe, too. The win against Schalke was one of the best performances we've had in my time at the club, while the draw in Germany was all about determination. We now need to win in Austria to be sure of progression, or to hope Schalke lose in Madrid. We've also progressed beyond the third round of the cup for the first time in my tenure.... which is nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 9 minutes ago, Deisler26 said: Glad to see you back dude. Looking forward to you resuming this. Cheers, man. Will be adding bits and bobs to the save this week ahead of a trip away at the weekend, but after that I should be back to normal. Happy days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 6, 2016 Author Share Posted December 6, 2016 Not normally my type of club (miles too big) but I'd be sorely tempted. They haven't won the Bundesliga since 2013, either. Hmm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted December 6, 2016 Share Posted December 6, 2016 Very interesting opportunity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 6, 2016 Author Share Posted December 6, 2016 15 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: Very interesting opportunity. Yep, I would be very tempted, but I'm not sure I'm ready to leave Holland yet, so I'd have a tough choice on my hands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 6, 2016 Author Share Posted December 6, 2016 Just rejected an offer from Frankfurt, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 6, 2016 Author Share Posted December 6, 2016 I turned Dortmund down, too. Just too big a club for me to jump to, even if they haven't won anything for a while. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted December 6, 2016 Share Posted December 6, 2016 Shame, think you could have ripped up trees as Dortmund. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 6, 2016 Author Share Posted December 6, 2016 34 minutes ago, Deisler26 said: Shame, think you could have ripped up trees as Dortmund. I think I'd have got there eventually, sure. I prefer to build a club though rather than fine-tune a monster - and Dortmund are definitely in the latter category. When I have moved to those kind of clubs, my stay has almost always been brief. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted December 6, 2016 Share Posted December 6, 2016 I only just caught up with last season, incredible run to the Champions League semi-finals!! Think I'd have called it job done in Utrecht right there and then, tbh. Unless... you're planning on staying until you're European champs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted December 6, 2016 Share Posted December 6, 2016 13 minutes ago, withnail316 said: I think I'd have got there eventually, sure. I prefer to build a club though rather than fine-tune a monster - and Dortmund are definitely in the latter category. When I have moved to those kind of clubs, my stay has almost always been brief. Aye, to be fair, building a club up is more fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 6, 2016 Author Share Posted December 6, 2016 3 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Aye, to be fair, building a club up is more fun. Yep, I can only recall being at one huge European club (Inter) in all my time on FM13. I was very tempted though. Actually, I did move to Milan briefly, but I had a crash dump. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 November We are racing clear at the top now after PSV dropped points in two of their last three games. We're also safely through in Europe after our win in Salzburg. I have to be honest, I'm beginning to check the jobs market at the moment. I really like the club, but I'm not feeling very fulfilled at this stage. Our league form is just ridiculous, but because I didn't start my career here, I almost feel I haven't earned the right to coast along. I've decided to switch off the leagues that I simply wouldn't play in (so Belgium went straight away, the league format doesn't appeal) in favour of ones where I could be tempted, so I shall see what comes up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 That table doesn't quite tell the whole story, btw. We have conceded just three league goals. Definitely leaning towards wanting a new challenge, tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 Made a decision. If the board reject my request to expand the stadium the next time I am able to ask, I will leave the club at the end of the season. If they accept, I'll be staying and focusing on Europe. I'm stuck in a bit of a rut in the save at the moment, a stadium expansion will hopefully give me a bit of a boost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 Any idea where you'd fancy going if you do leave? I know it all depends on what's available, mind... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 1 hour ago, BoxToBox said: Any idea where you'd fancy going if you do leave? I know it all depends on what's available, mind... Couple of ideas, yeah. A mid-range La Liga side is possible, although that might be short term unless I went to Athletic - their signing policy could keep me hooked for years I suspect. Maybe a non-Old Firm team in Scotland now Rangers are established at home and in Europe again (Hibs really appeals) or I could also be tempted by England, but I'd want to start outside the PL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 Interesting choices, Athletic are a massively fun team to manage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 8, 2016 Author Share Posted December 8, 2016 2 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Interesting choices, Athletic are a massively fun team to manage. Never managed anybody in Spain, I must admit. I do like the idea of managing them, or a club like Deportivo La Coruña, Real Zaragoza or Betis though. Still, we shall see what happens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 8, 2016 Author Share Posted December 8, 2016 On 06/12/2016 at 11:02, noikeee said: I only just caught up with last season, incredible run to the Champions League semi-finals!! Think I'd have called it job done in Utrecht right there and then, tbh. Unless... you're planning on staying until you're European champs. Missed this comment, sorry man. My thoughts before my break in game time were that I wanted to make Utrecht a super-power of European football. Now I've come back to it the save is feeling a little stale. The stadium being expanded again will give me a big boost and make me want to continue the super-power idea (a good youth intake may help there too) otherwise I'll be looking at pastures new, I reckon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 December Another good month domestically means we finish 2022 on top of the league, and the victory against Real Madrid was outstanding. We'll meet Arsenal in the last 16, with the first leg at home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 I can't turn this down, can I? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius1998 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 I definitely wouldn't turn it down but on the other hand, I would find it pretty difficult to leave Utrecht. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 Decided to reject it, although I may regret that decision. I can't leave mid-season while we're still in Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Damn shame you can't do a deal to join end of season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Oh man. One of the few Euro jobs that would tempt me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 8 hours ago, DB08 said: I definitely wouldn't turn it down but on the other hand, I would find it pretty difficult to leave Utrecht. 2 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Damn shame you can't do a deal to join end of season. 2 hours ago, Deisler26 said: Oh man. One of the few Euro jobs that would tempt me It was a really tough decision, and had I been offered it at the end of the season I may have had a different answer. Ah well, maybe next time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 January We've gone goal-crazy this month, and are now absolutely flying in the league. I'm struggling to identify players who will improve us at the moment though, so we've had an extremely quiet transfer window. I have found four players at other Eredivisie sides who I'm interested in, so I shall keep plugging away and hopefully make some progress there in time for the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 UEFA Champions League - last 16 1st Leg: FC Utrecht 4-1 ArsenalThis was almost the perfect display for a first leg, as we simply blew our illustrious opponents away. The first half was really tight, but four minutes before the break, Mikael Thiriet played a give-and-go with Lagendijk, and slotted into the corner. Three minutes into the second half it was two, as Lagendijk found himself with time and space at the back post from a corner, and he powered home a header. Thom Haye made it three just before the hour, curling home from 25 yards, and although Arsenal capitalised on a rare de Ruiter error for an away goal, Lagendijk slotted home a 4th after 85 minutes to put us in a commanding position in the tie. 2nd Leg: Arsenal 1-3 FC Utrecht Another outstanding performance sees us safely through into the quarter final. Roel Lagendijk was the hero here, bagging all three in a towering performance from the front-man. He's now up to 27 goals this season, his most prolific campaign yet, and is finally in the Dutch squad. We'll meet Atletico Madrid in the quarters, with the first leg at home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 February We haven't been great in the league this month, but thankfully PSV have hit a sticky patch too. We play each other next month, and I'm pretty confident that providing we avoid defeat, we should go on and secure the title. As for Europe, we have definitely put ourselves in a strong position to progress, although I won't be getting too excited just yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 19 sell-outs, a 98% average attendance percentage, and €40m in the bank... and yet: That may just seal my resignation in the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 Youth intake Meh. Very meh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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