[FM14] Call Me Stan - Adventures in Central Asia... and beyond

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan

What's this all about then?

As a bit of an obsessive with everything ex-Soviet, this is a game I've been wanting to try for a while. The aim for this one is simple - I'm hoping to win the top domestic league in each of the five Central Asian to emerge from the USSR, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Should I get that far, I'll then try and lift the Russian title and maybe even a European trophy with a Stan-centric team.

For those more graphically-minded, the countries I'll be playing in are these ones:

Those leagues aren't normally playable...

Right you are. I've used claasen's edits for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and created my own leagues for the other three as true to life as I could make them. I've running:

A large database with all players of nationality and players based in the nations of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The leagues are as such...

Russia (First and Premier Divisions, default), Kazakhstan (First and Super Leagues, claasen edit), Kyrgyzstan (Shoro Top League, homemade), Tajikistan (High League, homemade), Turkmenistan (Yokary Ligasy, homemade) and Uzbekistan (Birinchi and Oliy Liga, claasen edit)

There aren't many divisions there. Aren't you going to find this a bit easy?

Given that all my success on FM14 has come with one tactic, and that I intend to experiment a little, no. Also, I know next to nothing about the leagues involved aside from the Russian ones, so I'm going in blind. There's also no guarantee I'll be able to get a job at each stage of the journey.

Is there much in-game data for those teams?

In a word, no. I've had to add players to playable teams, which will somewhat randomise my chances of success in the early years.

Are you aiming for a particular order?

In theory, I'd like to tackle them in reputation order - starting in Kyrgyzstan, then working my way to Russia via Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. However, I'm not planning on being too rigid with this, so don't hold me too it!

Why FM14?

It's the latest version I own, and there's nothing particularly wrong with it in my eyes.

Who's your manager?

Given the nature of the challenge it had to be a Russian, and it had to be a poor attempt at a play on words. I give you Stanislav Astankov.

Who's that you're starting with?!

I'm glad you asked...

 

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol

Our hero Stan is getting his managerial journey underway in the picturesque surroundings of Lake Issyk-Kul, over in the east of the tiny mountain republic of Kyrgyzstan. The club are predicted to finish rock-bottom of a league traditionally dominated by Dordoy Bishkek from the capital, and Stan's first job will simply be ensuring survival.

The Kyrgyz Top League is a short one, just 14 games spaced between March and November. One team goes down, the champions qualify for the Asian President's Cup, which features sides from Asian football powerhouses such as Guam, Brunei and East Timor. No, really.

So, who will Stan be working with is his quest for Central Asian glory? As it turns out, a lot of centre-backs. This is where 'add players to playable teams' can throw in a spanner in the works, and here we have our first example. Stan will be setting up, at least initially, with a 5-3-2 in the hope of utilising some of those many defenders, and seeing how that works for him.

Oh, and don't get too excited by all the 5* talent on display. According to Stan's (useless) assistant, even the best player at the club is only 'a decent player' for this level. Which makes the need for a new goalkeeper all the more urgent.

What's more, those overpaid prima donnas on £6 per week may seem like they're slaves to the club, but in actual fact we're almost double our wage budget of £55, so there's little room for new signings. Nor, unsurprisingly, is there a transfer budget. Stan might just have his work cut out here.

Where is here? Well, FM has Ysyk-Kol down with no stadium of their own, and the best the internet can do is the picture below, which looks pleasant enough but not exactly state-of-the-art:

Anyway, time to get to work... if by work you mean an update or two every season.

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol - Midseason 2013

So, how are things going?

They say a picture says a thousand words, so consider this something of an essay. You might say it hasn't been brilliant...

Yep, we've been terrible. Our first three matches went quite well, and losing by only two to Dordoy gave me hope that we might stand a chance in this division. However, we then conceded a late lead against Manas before getting pumped by Alga, and Abdysh-Ata took us to the cleaners. Twice.

The only bright spot, as you might be able to tell, is the anomaly that was the 5-0 win over Neftchi. We scored twice in the first 10 minutes, the hosts then had a man sent off and we ran riot in the second half. Sadly, momentum doesn't count for much in Kyrgyzstan, as Abdysh-Ata pounded us two weeks later.

So you're bottom of the league then?

Amazingly, no:

As you can see, there are very much two leagues in one here. The top five are fighting for the title, and the bottom three are fighting not to fall through the trapdoor. Neftchi are awful - we managed to beat them, after all - and Manas are not much better, so it's largely down to the matches between the three of us to see who stays up.

In fact, given that we will have home advantage in the return games against both of our fellow basement-dwellers, if we can avoid defeat we should survive. It really is that simple. How we manage to make progress from that point is another matter, as with no funds whatsoever this may become an accidental youth challenge. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol - End of season 2013

Did things pick up?

They did, actually. On the one hand, we weren't transformed into title challengers overnight, but things improved over the second half of the season, as you can see:

The first game of the second half of the season was absolutely key, as we surprised Ala-Too in a thriller. We were down at break, our left-back fluked a cross straight from kick-off, the visitors made it 2-1 three minutes later, and somehow we managed to turn it round. We then lost to Alay and Dordoy as expected - three of the four goals coming late as we tired - before an aberration at home to Manas.

That would have put us in trouble had we not then turned over Alga on the road, a result which secured our safety. Abdysh-Ata brushed us aside again, and we wrapped up the campaign in satisfying fashion with a hammering of Neftchi, meaning we finished...

top of the bottom three and best of the rest. Dordoy lifted the title by beating Abdysh-Ata on the final day, while Neftchi were absolutely terrible and went down without a single win. The cup, which we dived out of early on, went to Abdysh-Ata.

Was it good enough to keep you on?

Yes. Despite the horrendous finances and the fact that none of my players earn more than £15 per week, I'm apparently worth a small fortune in Kyrgyz terms.

 Did anybody shine?

Nobody in the squad finished with an average rating over 7 - we did lose 9 out of 14 games - but my personal player of the year was our left wing-back Cholpanbay Tashibekov, whose two goals in the same game and semblance of consistency made the position his own after a rocky start.

Our top scorer was Nursultan Abdurahmanov with seven, while Murat Mirzakandov led the assist chart with five. Nothing likely to challenge the record books.

So, what next?

With no money in the bank and some tactical tinkering to be done over the off-season, I'm not particularly optimistic about being able to jump into that top five. We got a couple of decent defenders in our youth intake - the top seven were all signed - but the main aim will be figure out a tactical system that gets the most out of our limited resources. We got 13 points this year - four wins and a draw - and I'd like to aim for 20. That means home and away wins over Manas plus the newly-promoted side, a couple of shock wins in the vein of Alga/Ala-Too, and maybe a lucky draw or two. It's ambitious in such a short season, but why not?

Stans conquered: 0/5 - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

[withnail316]

Sounds like a fun challenge, Dave. Good luck, fella

[Nobby_McDonald]

Good luck Stan.

[tyler16]

Love the idea and the updates have been great. Can't believe the audacity of those players earning £4 a week.

 

Good luck next season.  

[EvilDave]

Thanks for the kind words chaps - if the start of this season is anything to go by, I could be in this for the long haul...

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol - Midseason 2014

On the way to 20 points then?

Erm, not quite, no. We've been, how do you say? Useless. Despite a frankly bizarre takeover - which yielded no extra funds - and significant player movement - I'm operating at 150% of my £206 per week wage budget - we've been eve worse than last year.

Yep, awful. Four of the first five goals we conceded were penalties, which never helps, and only Manas have been kind enough to give us a win in the league. Even newly-promoted Belovodsk took three points off us, although they have been annoyingly good so far. Don't let the cup win fool you either - we were 3-2 down before Mirzakandov's late equaliser, and then took advantage of the non-league outfit's poor fitness in extra-time. 

Rock bottom then?

Amazingly, not quite!

Ala-Too have been equally bad, and Manas have failed to improve, meaning we find ourselves in another three-way survival shoot-out to stay in the top flight. We haven't been losing by as many as the others - although we haven't particularly looked like winning many either - which gives us a slim advantage on goal difference, and with games won being the primary tiebreaker, we're all as bad as each other. Once again, it'll come down to the head-to-head games to see who stays up.

 

 

 

[tyler16]

The former Barcelona link is nothing short of bizarre, you're right. Looks like another close call at the bottom to avoid going down.

 

Do you feel you were able to strengthen the squad with all the ins and outs? Looking for positives here.  

 

Good luck!

[sherwinriga]

Feeling great on Kyrgyzstan, Dave. Good luck!

I'll be following your journey.

[EvilDave]

6 hours ago, tyler16 said:

The former Barcelona link is nothing short of bizarre, you're right. Looks like another close call at the bottom to avoid going down.

 

Do you feel you were able to strengthen the squad with all the ins and outs? Looking for positives here.  

 

Good luck!

On the face of things I've strengthened, but the fact is we seem so far behind even the midtable sides that we're still terrible! Thanks for seeing the bright side though!

 

45 minutes ago, sherwinriga said:

Feeling great on Kyrgyzstan, Dave. Good luck!

I'll be following your journey.

Thank you, glad to have you along for the ride!

 

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol - End of season 2014

So, did you make it?

To 20 points? Not a hope. To the latter stages of the cup? No, I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear. We needed to fend off one of Manas and Ala-Too if we were to survive - this is all we managed:

It doesn't look good, does it? Our first game of the second half of the season saw us crash out of the cup on penalties - after taking a kick to win it - to a non-league side, and then we lost a crucial game against Ala-Too to put us in real trouble. However, a win against Alga in front of an enormous crowd got us three unexpected points, before three defeats on the bounce put us in danger again. The Abdysh-Ata game was particularly galling - two goals in six minutes pulled us back to 2-2 before shipping a last-minute winner, and everything hinged on the last two games. Was it enough?

Incredibly, just seven points was enough to survive. The draw against Manas on the penultimate day was madness and almost cost us - we took the lead in the 83rd minute only to concede from a corner in the 87th, at which points we were down as Ala-Too led Alga 4-2. However, goals in the 90th and 92nd minute saw that one end 4-4 and push us into 7th on goal difference, and although we couldn't battle Dordoy to anything more than a narrow defeat, Ala-Too went down 3-0 to Belovodsk and we survived courtesy of being not quite as awful as they were.

Who won the cup, you ask? There was a shock here, as Dordoy lifted the title. Their reserves, that is. Although I suspect foul play here, as David Tetteh is definitely a first-team player for them.

Did they keep you on?

For some reason, they did - with a raise!

Was there any good news?

There was this, which I managed to squeeze through at the end of the season:

What about the players?

Oh right, them. Well, only one member of the squad broke the magical 7.00 average for the season, which was Bekjan Sagynbaev. Our top scorer was Mavlyanbek Mamatov with seven, and his three assists was enough to tie him for the team lead as well. Two of our better players, no doubt.

There was also some hope for the future, with another decent intake - although I'm taking the star ratings with a whole mine of salt - and I snapped up the top six prospects. I'm expecting plenty of player movement in the off-season.

What next year?

Well, I'm certainly not predicting 20 points! I'd be happy to be safe before the final day, and having picked up two wins and a draw this season, I'd like three and two next year. 

Something I'm keen to do is try and see if there's a way to improve our injury record, which had us topping that particular table for much of the second half of the season. One in particular hit us hard this season and I moved to a system with two DMs, so less of those would be appreciated.

Tactically, I'm going to try something different. After starting with 5-3-2 we moved to a narrow 4-2-2-1-1, but for the coming season I'm going to bite the bullet and go for a bit of width, as that's where we seem to be conceding most of our goals. We'll see if that makes any difference.

Are you confident?

Not really. We should have enough to survive - although given how well Belovodsk did, there are no guarantees on the newly-promoted side - but the finances are killing us. Not that we don't have much money, but that I don't have a wage budget. To put what that means into perspective - when scouting players, a quality centre-back from relegated Neftchi popped up, interested in signing and available - for a cool £1,000 a week. Which was five times my entire budget (I've landed an increase from £206 to £490 for next year due to my stubbornness). We're feeding on scraps, and it'll take something special for dramatic improvement.

Stans conquered: 0/5 - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

 

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol - Midseason 2015

So, more of the same?

Yes and no. In one sense, it's been exactly the same as last season - high player turnover, a few injuries, and not too many wins. On the other hand, we've looked a lot better in the new formation - a classic 4-3-3/4-5-1 hybrid - and we haven't been outclassed in any of our matches. The fixture list, even with the losses, makes happier reading:

Even so, you're not topping the table are you?

Alright, no need for the sarcasm. You're right - only one league win (it should have been two but we blew a 2-0 lead against Manas) is hardly top-half form, and we're still going to be scrapping away in the second half of the season.

It looks like it might well be Manas' turn to finally go down - statistically they do have the weakest squad in the division - while Alga were also struggling until they beat us. I'm actually quite confident of staying up this season, and it feels like the gap is narrowing.

Part of the reason for that might be my disregard for the wage budget. Mr Rosell has upped it to just under £500, but I'm spending nearer £800 each week in a bid to get us going. We're carrying a squad of 27, which is probably too big for a 14-game season, but the board now wanting mid-table rather than mere survival (what's the difference when the league is so small?), I'm determined not to fall foul of the inevitable injury crisis this time round. 

So, would I take a repeat of results in the second half of the season? You bet.

 

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1 - Kyrgyzstan

Ysyk-Kol Karakol - End of season 2015

Go on then, what happened?

Patience, dear friend. As you might remember, we actually looked pretty decent in the first half of the season, almost matching last year's points tally in the process. And yes, I know it wasn't hard, but still. We continued to put in a good shift, the tactics worked and we weren't hit by nearly as many injuries. The results?

Aside from the cup defeat to a second tier team (Dordoy-2 won it again!), the 4- and 3-0 defeats, we were great. So good, in fact, that I was offered a new contract earlier than usual, and that even when injuries did come, we were able to slot players straight in with no great repercussions. We went into the final day level with Neftchi and needing to match their result to hold them off, fell behind to Alga only to roar back and win 2-1. Good enough for...

5th place! Closer to the title than relegation, as many wins as defeats and a neutral goal difference. This was a huge step forward, and finally proved that Stan hasn't been banging his head against a brick wall for the last three years. We're still hopelessly outmatched financially - we're only solvent because Mr Rosell pumps in £30k every other month - but we seem like we're finally moving in the right direction.

Wow. You must have had a few stars then?

You'd be surprised actually - once again nobody hit the magic 7.00, leaving Murat Mirzakandov, our top scorer with six, with the best rating. He's a great story actually, as by the end of the year he was rated at just 2*, but kept on outperforming his more talented team-mates. Giving him a good run for his money and setting up most of those goals was left winger Baurjan Muhtarov, who had a great debut season.

Can you build on it?

I hope so. The youth intake was less spectacular - we signed four - but that's probably just a sign that the squad as a whole is stronger than it was. Hopefully an improved finish and something of a cup run will increase our reputation to draw in better players again, the wage budget will increase (currently spending £832 of a £460 allowance), and we can move into the top half. That would be the dream.

Of course, there is a chance that Stan himself might move on. I leave you with this.

Stans conquered: 0/5 - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

 

[EvilDave]

Looks like our Stan has a choice to make...

[withnail316]

Looks like a step up. The extra wages can only help your efforts.

[EvilDave]

9 minutes ago, withnail316 said:

Looks like a step up. The extra wages can only help your efforts.

You are, of course, spot on. Stan takes a hit in the pocket, but he's got a much bigger picture in mind. There was only one outcome here:

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1b - Kyrgyzstan

Dordoy Bishkek

Who?

Only the biggest club in Kyrgyzstan, that's who. Dordoy (it should be Dordoi, but FM insists otherwise) are owned by the biggest market in the country - one of the biggest employers in the state - and were formed in the Kyrgyz capital 1997. Since then, they've racked up an impressive number of trophies, which our friend Stan has been hired to add to.

Where do you play?

The 23,000-seater Dolon Omurzakov stadium. Which looks like this:

What's the deal?

Stan's brief is simple - win back the title. Abdysh-Ata have taken the last two, and that's just not good enough - and nor was the miserable 4th place finish last time out. If Stan is to keep his job, he'll need to get the first trophy of his career under his belt quickly.

He's feeling confident.

[withnail316]

Lovely ground. What kind of crowds do the club attract?

EDIT: not quite so lovely after all

[tyler16]

Absolutely cracking up at how **** the players are! Your leading assist man had 1 passing, 1 vision and 1 decisions. Madness.

Also, you were on a higher wage than the entire wage budget at Karakol. 

I'm a huge fan of LLM madness so this has been a great read. The move to Dordoi is well earned and should propel you forward for sure. Should be nice being able to spend on the huge talent Kyrgyzstan offers!  

[EvilDave]

10 hours ago, withnail316 said:

Lovely ground. What kind of crowds do the club attract?

Ridiculously, the average attendance is in the 300s. To say it's too big for us would be an overstatement!

5 hours ago, tyler16 said:

Absolutely cracking up at how **** the players are! Your leading assist man had 1 passing, 1 vision and 1 decisions. Madness.

Also, you were on a higher wage than the entire wage budget at Karakol. 

I'm a huge fan of LLM madness so this has been a great read. The move to Dordoi is well earned and should propel you forward for sure. Should be nice being able to spend on the huge talent Kyrgyzstan offers!  

They are awful - my personal favourite has been finding an AMC with 2 passing, 3 technique and 17 flair! At least at Dordoy some of my team are recognisable as footballers!

You're right in that Dordoy should get me a fast-track through Kyrgyzstan. Money makes all the difference down here!

[Koetzer]

13 hours ago, EvilDave said:

The 23,000-seater Dolon Omurzakov stadium. Which looks like this:

That's actually Otkrytie Arena in Moscow  The real Omurzakov stadium looks like this:

[withnail316]

2 minutes ago, Koetzer said:

That's actually Otkrytie Arena in Moscow  The real Omurzakov stadium looks like this:

Ah, was that Spartak's new ground then?

[Koetzer]

Just now, withnail316 said:

Ah, was that Spartak's new ground then?

Yes, and that stadium in Bishkek is also called Spartak sometimes, maybe that was confusing.

[deltablue]

Good to see you find a proper club

[EvilDave]

2 hours ago, Koetzer said:

That's actually Otkrytie Arena in Moscow  

Oh dear! For someone who claims to know a bit about Russian football, that's an awful mistake to make! In my defence, I found the image in this list, but even so. Thanks for the heads-up!

1 hour ago, deltablue said:

Good to see you find a proper club

Thanks delta, it certainly makes a big difference!

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 1b - Kyrgyzstan

Dordoy Bishkek - Midseason 2016

New team, new broom, sweeping all before them?

Pretty much, one blemish aside. With a £3k wage budget to play (and no qualms about exceeding it), I headed to champions Abdysh-Ata and showed them the full force of capitalism, poaching several players as we made our off-season transfers.

Since then, the team hasn't quite caught fire as they've adapted to the new tactic (a more aggressive version of the final Ysyk-Kol system), but the gulf in quality has been evident.

That must make a nice change?

Yes, although the defeat at Abdysh-Ata rankles, mainly because we were never really in the game. Otherwise we've been comfortable without spectacular, and have never really been threatened. I was glad we didn't run riot against Stan's old club though, as I'd like to see them keep up their record of survival - even if the team has been gutted. We're top of the league now though, and that's all that matters.

We also ended our reserves' reign as cup kings in a match that should never be allowed. We were poor though - twice behind and relying on a last-minute fluked cross to make progress. They will probably end being our biggest test now, you see.

Our raid on the champions seems to have knocked them out of the running, and surprisingly it's re-promoted Ala-Too - who apparently we have a feeder club arrangement with - who are keeping pace at the top. If our tactics continue to gel and we avoid any major injuries however, we should be able to blow them away.

I'm also pleased to see Ysyk-Kol set to survive. I mean they're hardly tearing up the table, but it's nice to know you've left a club with at least a chance, isn't it?

[tyler16]

Great start with Dordoy, hope you're able to hold on.  

[EvilDave]

On 7/31/2016 at 17:19, tyler16 said:

Great start with Dordoy, hope you're able to hold on.  

Cheers Tyler, you're about to find out...

Call Me Stan Part 1b - Kyrgyzstan

Dordoy Bishkek - End of season 2016 

What's that noise?

Oh, that. Don't mind that - it's just the sound of a ruthless footballing machine clicking into gear, that's all. You might hear the muffled screams of some of Kyrgyzstan's lesser lights beneath all the efficiency, but it's nothing to worry about. Not if you're a Dordoy fan anyway.

Nine games in a row without conceding a goal, a few thrashings handed out, and only two points dropped in the second half of the season. We were emphatic, and satisfyingly the 3-1 win over deposed Abdysh-Ata brought up this message, and the table ended as so:

That was followed on the day by jubilation from the fans, a business-like handshake from the board, a tinge of sadness at Ysyk-Kol's relegation, and then a couple of weeks later by this message:

which we barely deserved - irrespective of our run to the final, we were horribly lucky on the day, and scored only after Stan turned the dial to gung-ho and hit the jackpot. To be 2-0 down to a non-league side is unacceptable, but we ended up with the trophy and that's all that's important.

Any stand-outs?

Most of the squad smashed past the 7.00 marker, with one man by far and away the best in the league - Kayumjan Sharipov. More than a goal a game from our star striker, and it would have been more had I not tried to keep our other forwards happy by rotating them in every now and then. Topping the assist chart was Ukrainian midfield maestro Dmytro Krokhmal, who I eventually convinced to stay another year, but my personal star of the season was young Zagid Smatov, who bagged nine goals, eight assist and a 7.49 AR - brilliant for a teenager only signed because I didn't have any right-sided wingers.

What next?

Well, Dordoy aren't particularly rich any more, but the club don't seem to mind and dominance should be sustainable - although we snapped up only the top two of the intake, we can sign pretty much anyone in Kyrgyzstan. Stan earned a new contract plenty in advance, but now Kyrgyzstan has been conquered, he'll be on the look-out for a move to Tajikstan or Turkmenistan. How long that'll take I've no idea, but in the meantime Dordoy are an attractive enough back-up option to boost his reputation, particularly with the President's Cup back on the agenda.

 Stans conquered: 1/5 - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

 

[tyler16]

Great stuff although it's unfortunate to see your old club go down. Oh well, what can you do?

Some decent players at Dordoy, better than I expected anyway.

As far as your next move, how big is the league reputation gap from Kyrgyzstan to Turkmenistan or Tajikistan? I'm assuming you'll be able to latch onto a club with some stature and not another club with no wage budget, however I could be wrong.

[withnail316]

Great season, man. Hope you get to move soon. 

[EvilDave]

18 minutes ago, withnail316 said:

Great season, man. Hope you get to move soon. 

Thanks, it made such a difference having some decent players!

1 hour ago, tyler16 said:

As far as your next move, how big is the league reputation gap from Kyrgyzstan to Turkmenistan or Tajikistan? I'm assuming you'll be able to latch onto a club with some stature and not another club with no wage budget, however I could be wrong.

I'm hoping it won't be too hard to move on, as the league reps are fairly close:

Kyrgyzstan has actually overtaken Turkmenistan and is level with the Tajiks - the difficulty may be that Stan is fairly unknown outside his current residence. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed!

[EvilDave]

15TH JANUARY 2017

BREAKING NEWS

Stan has caught wind of an opportunity elsewhere, and being unattached is bound to help his cause. There's no turning back from this one though, it's a leap of faith for sure.

[EvilDave]

20TH JANUARY 2017

BREAKING NEWS

Has Stan's gamble paid off?

[EvilDave]

23 JANUARY 2017

BREAKING NEWS

Yes, yes it did. Stan is back in the game.

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 2 - Turkmenistan

FK Asgabat

Who now?

Not exactly a household name to the average football fan, FK Asgabat - of the Turkmen capital - have only been around since 2006. Since then they've topped their domestic league twice but have since fallen on hard times, and in this FM world managed to get themselves relegated. They've finally bounced back into the Yokary Ligasy, and Stan is the man to try and restore their former glory.

Right... Where do they play then?

At the 1500-seater Nisa Candybil stadium, owned by fellow top flight outfit Altyn Asyr. Google can't seem to find me a picture of the ground, so here's what does come up instead:

That's nice. What's the league like?

Much like the Kyrgyz set-up, Turkmenistan is a little short on teams, and the top flight is made up of just 10 sides. Unlike Stan's last job however, the Turkmen don't seem to get bored of playing one another - there are 36 rounds, everyone taking on everyone else four times per season. As before, the champion goes to the President's Cup.

It seems like a bit of a step down from Dordoy.

Probably because it is. The quality of player seems better here, but Stan has gambled by moving to a newly-promoted side. The board want mid-table so the pressure is on to get moving quickly, and with only a couple of months before the start of the season, he'll need to get a shift on.

Who are the big teams to look out for?

In the first four seasons of the save, HTTU (the Asgabat university side) have beaten Balkan Balkanabat to the title. Last season Merw finished 3rd, but a massive 30 points behind the top two, so there's definitely something of a duopoly on proceedings here.

What are your chances?

At the moment, I have no idea - this is unknown territory for me and Stan. Surviving in the league and job are key for this first season, and after that we'll see how far Asgabat can realistically go.

Please note - with the longer league and end of the weekend, things will slow down on the thread after the initial rush. Thanks for reading and please do stay tuned!

[tyler16]

Seems like a nice move. 36 games is a lot for what I imagine will be a small squad. Best of luck plodding through the unknown and coming out on the other side somewhere that isn't bottom on points.  

[sherwinriga]

What a good run in Dordoy for a double!

I expect about your potential coaching in national team. Will you make it in the next updates? I expect that Ashgabat is bigger than Bishkek and that's a great place to coach it for the next days.

[EvilDave]

11 hours ago, tyler16 said:

Seems like a nice move. 36 games is a lot for what I imagine will be a small squad. Best of luck plodding through the unknown and coming out on the other side somewhere that isn't bottom on points.  

Yeah, I'm quite happy with it considering it's a newly-promoted team - they're at least one with a strong reputation for the league. I think 36 games is going to kill me though, that's 2.5 seasons in Kyrgyzstan!

1 hour ago, sherwinriga said:

What a good run in Dordoy for a double!

I expect about your potential coaching in national team. Will you make it in the next updates? I expect that Ashgabat is bigger than Bishkek and that's a great place to coach it for the next days.

Thanks sherwinriga, it was a nice way to complete Kyrgyzstan  I'm sure about going into international management just yet - there haven't been any openings with the senior sides so far, the age groups don't appeal and I'm not sure I could realistically take over a nation I'm not managing in, especially given some of the cross-border tensions in Central Asia!

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 2 - Turkmenistan

FK Asgabat - Midseason 2017

So then, how's life in the new place?

Well, it started off very busily indeed. With 36 matches ahead of us (plus the cup) I figured we needed a big squad - so I went out and got one. Turns out near enough everyone in Turkmenistan is happy to play for £100 per week, and the boards don't mind if you smash their wage structures either - we're spending £5k of a £3k budget, and I'm sensing a theme.

Our first match was a shocker to go out of the cup, but then we scored eight in our first two league matches and, well, kept on going:

Our defence has been rock-solid, and we showed the country that we weren't going anywhere with that 2-0 win over champions HTTU. We've drawn a few games we should have won, but only lost four times - frustratingly, both games with landlords Altyn Asyr and big guns Balkan - which I'm very, very happy with. Our success has been all the more surprising given that our strikers aren't scoring - although when they do their goals are important - but it leaves us in a very strong position going into the third and fourth rounds.

How strong?

Maybe I underplayed that a little bit. Yes, with a game in hand just past the halfway point of the season, Stan's Asgabat top the table, and are good value too. Our game in hand is against HTTU - their involvement in the President's Cup means we have a crucial double-header against the champions - and if we can win one of the two, I think we might just do it. Balkan were unbeaten in their first 15 games but then won only one of the next five, and while they're a better team than us, we're more consistent at the minute.

It is going to be very, very difficult - particularly as we're without our first-choice keeper for the next month with broken ribs and his back-up is terrible - and I can't be too disappointed if we fall short. However, having got into this position, it'd hurt to fall away.

[deltablue]

I hope playing teams 4 times a season doesn't get too dull.

[EvilDave]

1 hour ago, deltablue said:

I hope playing teams 4 times a season doesn't get too dull.

It isn't the most thrilling, but as long as I don't spend years here it should be OK!

[EvilDave]

A hard-fought 2-1 win away at midtable Merw leaves the table looking like this with three of the four rounds played:

Nine points clear with HTTU having a game in hand - is Stan about to knock off his second Stan at the first attempt?

[EvilDave]

Yes he is! A fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Balkan was enough to wrap up the title with three games to go, HTTU's fixture congestion getting the better of them as they were held 1-1 at home by Lebap. Champions!

[tyler16]

Wow, what an accomplishment! Looking forward to the end of the season review.

[withnail316]

Blimey, that was quick! Well done!

[Spurs fan]

Good job! 

[EvilDave]

17 minutes ago, Spurs fan said:

Good job! 

 

52 minutes ago, withnail316 said:

Blimey, that was quick! Well done!

 

2 hours ago, tyler16 said:

Wow, what an accomplishment! Looking forward to the end of the season review.

Thanks guys - far quicker than I envisaged when I took the job, but I'm not complaining! As for the review...

[EvilDave]

Call Me Stan Part 2 - Turkmenistan

FK Asgabat - End of season 2017

Champions eh?

I know, even Stan didn't see that one coming! If we were good in the first half of the season we were excellent in the second, losing just twice - one after wrapping up the title - and piling up the wins to finish comfortably clear of the pile. The board were a lot happier than the miserable lot back in Bishkek, and I even entered the Hall of Fame - although I'm not sure 'impressive list of managerial greats' is appropriate for Turkmenistan.

After the two HTTU draws and then a loss to Talyp - who went on to win the cup - I wondered whether we were spent, but the run from then to the title-winning draw in Balkanabad was just stunning. Sagadam were actually second when we smashed six past them, and at that point it looked like we'd do it. HTTU emerged as our closest rivals, but the President's Cup meant they were always playing catch-up, and by the time we dropped any points it was too late.

Your players must have been brilliant!

Surprisingly enough, Turkmenistan seems to suffer from mediocrity - of the top five players in the league by AR, only two broke 7 for the season. One was in our squad, and he was stunning - Asqar Abdullaev, our Uzbek midfield genius. Top-scoring by a country mile to make up for our misfiring strikers, and he would have been ever-present had he not torn his groin before the title-clinching draw, he was truly spectacular. Left winger Dmitry Naboycenko deserves credit for his plethora of assists, while the only man to start every game was left-back Ahmet Sermetow, who topped off the title win with his international debut.

The club are set up nicely then?

Well, yes and no. The intake was fairly poor - we signed five - and the finances are a state, but the key players are all signed up for at least one more season, and there's enough depth to the team to make it competitive.

In fact, I think that's how we managed to win it this year. Looking at the HTTU and Balkan squads, they carried 20/21 players, whereas we used almost 30. Many of them didn't get more a handful of games, but it meant that if we had two players injured in the same position, we had a third to step in rather than calling in an ill-prepared youth or playing someone out of position. For a 36-game season - not to mention the cup and President's Cup for the champions - you simply need more than 20 players, and only the teams lower down the league - who we could beat for sheer quality - had the weight of numbers.

What next?

Well, tempting as it is to have a crack at the President's Cup, two things are stopping me - I'd have stood a better chance with Dordoy, and I don't want to spend another year playing the same nine teams over and over again. Besides, Asgabat don't pay very well and Stan is on a mission. Which all means, just three days after the final game of the season...

 Stans conquered: 2/5 - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

[withnail316]

Looks like you're going to crack this in no time. Are you considering stepping in to some of the other former Soviet nations afterwards, rather than just going straight to Russia?