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[FM17] Shield Wall - A Spartan Youth Challenge in Romania


LPQR

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September 2022 

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Pastures new

After 6 years of 3-5-2, I decide to change the system based on a few key issues:

1.we only have two defenders good enough for a starting spot - Andone and Ștefan, with the next best option being hugely inferior, thus, playing a back three would be problematic

2. We have a number of talented young players (5* potential) that have come through the past few years intakes that could really use some game time. The majority of our current starting 11 have reached their potential already and 'investing' further game time in them doesn't make sense if we're looking to improve the overall quality of the squad. While the young ones are currently not as good as our elder players, they have the potential to exceed their ability by miles, so taking the risk in playing them could help us finally make that step up in quality. 

the new generation

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Constantin Ivan                                                                                                          Cezar Dobre

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Ciprian Kereszy                                                                                                               Tiberiu Vlădilă

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The system:

a more fluid type of football that aims to heavily involve the midfield (our most promising department) in the attacking phase and relies on the physicality of the defensive minded players at the other end of the pitch:

Sparta defense vs. league average defense 

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Sparta midfield vs. league average midfield

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- player movement designed to help the team position itself in a number of shapes during different phases of play as well as pull opposition players out of position through asymmetry 

- a more balanced approach than the previous one, who was over-reliant on wing-backs

- allows us to field a really strong block of defensive players in their best roles/positions

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- two playmaking roles in Vlădilă and Ivan who are the two players in our squad with superior technical ability and potential. Assigning creative responsibility to these two helps us achieve a balance of play in a number of ways:

 1.reduces the number of errors committed by technically limited players trying complex actions above their ability (i.e. risky passes, dribbles, incisive movement)  

2. one player taking control of the game at the back to help us 'play out of defense with more stability' and one who makes the important decisions upfront, in the attacking build-up

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this is how the team looks to move from a defensive shape         the most usual player positioning when in attacking shape

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in-match example of defensive shape (white kits)

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in-match example of attacking shape(brown kits) - Kereszy played as the AP(A) in this match

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The decision has paid off as we start the season with a dream run, including a sweet derby win, to place us top of the table for the first time in Sparta's history :) 

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while we're doing really well in attacking space and creating chances, I'm worried we'll encounter a few problems defensively, as the season unfolds. The above system is a fairly complex one and we don't have enough depth to make it work with any first 11 that we field. Additionally, it's a riskier type of football and we could see it backfire more often than our tried and trusted 3-5-2. Still, I'm happier winning one game and losing two rather than drawing three times in a row, and I'm happier playing youngsters with 5* PA rather than more mature players that are stuck at 2*, so fingers crossed, let's see how we do this season 

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Looking good this year! I like the new formation, it's very smart and seems to fit your team well. Fingers crossed that you keep up that form, then you should at least get into Europe or even better. Good luck!

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55 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

Looking good this year! I like the new formation, it's very smart and seems to fit your team well. Fingers crossed that you keep up that form, then you should at least get into Europe or even better. Good luck!

ah, europe is waaay too far from our reach :) we're still tipped for relegation so a mid-table finish is as hopeful as i can get for now, but then again, who knows) thanks and fingers crossed indeed :)

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March 2023 - Playoffs

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so, here we are, 26 matches played and the regular set of fixtures ends to trigger the madness of the playoffs

                                               League Table                                                                                                Pre-season odds

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notice anything different this year? :) oh yes! for the first time in our history we have this lovely message greeting us in the inbox. 

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from here on every point will be worth gold. We have nothing to lose and we could achieve something truly special if we manage to steal a couple of wins here and there and move up to 4th. This would be pretty crazy, to be fair, considering our odds at the start of the season.

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On 05/11/2016 at 12:15, LPQR said:

the perks of having a 'shut up or you'll be fined', 'get on with it', high level of discipline bad*ss managemet style: Stefan asked for a new contract and when I started negotiating he instantly threw a 'non-negotiable' 200k minimum release clause at me. See, now, sadly, I don't do this kind of thing so no new contract for him. He then became unhappy, came in for a chat, sat down, got told to p*** off and everything was fine again :D

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I have player nicknamed Dory like the forgetful fish:

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He comes to me every month demanding to play, and every time I say he is not ready and just says you are right and goes away.

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1 minute ago, MadCatPT said:

I have player nicknamed Dory like the forgetful fish:

He comes to me every month demanding to play, and every time I say he is not ready and just says you are right and goes away.

:lol: just curious, what's his stat for concentration? 

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Season 22/23

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European Football!

 

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absolutely delighted! this is as mental as it was unexpected, with 4 matches to go in the playoffs and still in a distant 5th, we pull off the run of our lives to surpass Craiova and cement a sensational achievement for a club tipped for relegation at the start of the season

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Playoff table

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Fans' team of the year awards

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Key players

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Alexandru Ivan                                                                                 Ciprian Kereszy

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Bogdan Andone                                                                                       Cezar Dobre

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A fantastic season for all four of them. Kereszy is undoubtedly the man of the hour after he put three MOTM performances in our last 4 matches to ensure we cement continental football for next season. A potential star player of this team, both him and Dobre have vindicated the decision to give the new generation playing time by hugely impressing in their first senior year through both: performances and development. You can check the post above to see their stats and ratings just under 10 months ago. Ivan and Andone are slightly more experienced ones and they were the guarantee for our defensive stability for the entire duration of the season. Special mention has to go to Ivan, who has hugely impressed in his first year as a DLP.

 

Notable Performers

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Bogdan Chipirliu                                                                                                   Tiberiu Vlădilă

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Alexandru Nica                                                                                                       Sorin Ștefan

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Captain and club legend, Chipirliu had another strong season for us and, funnily, registered exactly the same number of goals and assists as Nica. The iconic striking partnership was disbanded this year in favor of giving more play time to the youngsters, however they rotated very well for the single striking spot and put in some great performances. Vlădilă is yet another fresh young face in the squad who was given a starting spot this year and he was really impressive in his initial run at AP(A) before a series of injuries thwarted his development. Still, with 34 appearances and some good overall development he looks like another future star player if keeps going like this. Sorin was Andone's main partner at the back for the entirety of the season and I must say, he really made the step up this season. His physical improvement helped us a lot in the aerial department and overall, he's still got room for improvement at just 20 y/o.

 

New generation development*

start of season                                                                                                                   end of season

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*compare screens with the ones in first post of this page for more details
 

Squad Overview

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a couple of professional and balanced players make their way into the squad this year to help us with the overall personality of the team. Really hope Ivan and Andone can improve their determination as a result of that.

 

Youth Intake

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another great intake! Really really encouraging personalities there compared to what we got the last few years. Grigoraș looks really good and is exactly what we needed the most at this point - a good, versatile central midfielder with decent physique and reliable technical ability. That natural fitness is a jaw-dropper as well. Vintilă looks quality as well, albeit I think he will be retrained to DM due to his lack of pace and natural fitness.

Alexandru Grigoraș                                                                                             Cătălin Vintilă

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Another encouraging issue is the much increased overall quality of the mental attributes the youth candidates have this season. We get a few players with some impressive attributes there, and given the overall low quality of the squad in that department this makes me really, really happy. Take a player like Sergiu Chiric, for example:

while his PA is just about decent, he embodies the type of player I want in my squad: determined, brave and a team-player

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these are the 4 key mental stats I need for my system and here are the top 15 players in the u19s that excel in these departments:

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Top PA players in the U19 and general mental stat distribution

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Other developments

all good and well, but...8 months? 

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slightly disappointing figures here, mainly due to a decrease in attendance figures, which to be fair I find quite ridiculously inexplicable. This was by far our best season ever and we played some attractive football, too, so not sure what these fans want, but we need more of them to attend!
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Summary

A fantastic season for us in all departments, particularly youth development and performances. Europe will be incredibly tough for us, but hey, we've made it this far as underdogs, so we'll just keep biting and barking and see how far we can go. If anything else, this could be our chance to make a big step up in reputation and finances, so plenty to get excited about for next season :)

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June 2023 - Career Progress

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Tracker

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                                                                      Career Progress Table

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                   League                                                          Cups                                     Europe
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              2016-2017 Liga II- 2nd(promoted)                                 Quarter final(RC)                               N/A

              2017-2018 Liga I- 13th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                    N/A

              2018-2019 Liga I- 13th(7th in relegation group-relegated)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
              
              2019-2020 Liga II- 1st(promoted)                                 Semi-Final(RC)/8th final(RLC)                   N/A

              2020-2021 Liga I- 11th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/Final(RLC)                        N/A

              2021-2022 Liga I- 8th(5th in relegation group-survival)          7th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A

              2022-2023 Liga I- 5th(4th in Champions Playoff- Euro Cup)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A

 

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21 minutes ago, setzel said:

You have a great future DLP in Grigoras :) 

definitely! at last someone worthy to rotate with Ivan as well :) until now it was our CB, Opriș, who had that task, and boy did he fail...

17 minutes ago, MadCatPT said:

Good luck on Europe.

cheers :)

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3 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Chiric has the look of a man that once he starts growing, the staff's opinion of his potential is going to skyrocket.

absolutely my thoughts. on paper he has everything to improve well as a player, now it's a matter of just how much PA he actually has 

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On 11/6/2016 at 15:33, LPQR said:

ah, europe is waaay too far from our reach :)

Looks like you were wrong... :D

Great job by the way, amazing season for Sparta. You got a right to be proud!

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8 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

Looks like you were wrong... :D

Great job by the way, amazing season for Sparta. You got a right to be proud!

:) cheers! and I'd take being wrong like that any day :D

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August 2023

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Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round

First Leg

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Second Leg

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what a thriller.. Vladila gets a rack of beers from the team for scoring that winner in the last second of the match :)

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if there's one man in particular to watch out for this season it has to be Ciprian. To say he's coming along nicely is quite the understatement. Incredibly efficient just behind the striker, I might have to change my system yet again to get the best out of him

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December 2023 - European Journey review

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with the last match of the group stages being played, we reach the end of our journey in Europe this year

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I was quite impressed with our run, particularly that fantastic demolition of Lokomotiv as well as two creditable draws which could have easily been wins if not for our lack of concentration in the last minutes of these matches

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a third place finish and around half a million pounds in prize money for our results in the group are a great debut season for us in Europe. Our finances are the clear winner here:

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March 2024 - Playoffs

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here we are again, at the end of the regular Liga I fixtures. Apart from the disappointment of our performances in the national cup competitions this year, which really make me wonder if we're starting to develop a tabu of some sorts there, we've otherwise put on quite the show in the league. To finish one point below the almighty Viitorul and to reach the Champions Playoffs in such a promising position is quite amazing and I'm really happy with that.

                                     League Table                                                       Odds at start of season

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as mentioned above, we could have really done better in the cups, and there's no excuse for losing against teams from the second division yet again. Overall though, quite the season for us so far, and with only the league left to play for I really hope for a CL spot for next year, or maybe.... who knows? maybe a bit more than that? :) 

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Let the playoff begin! 

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May 2024 - Tactics special

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from Shield wall to Phalanx

 

Shield wall - Spartan Defensive Formation                                                                          Phalanx - Spartan attacking formation

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2017-22                                                       2022-23                                                      2023-24

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The last couple of years have marked our successful transition from a team that has to focus on defending in order to survive the majority of the matches to one that can afford to try and test the opposition a bit more and even control play when the occasion arises. This happened mainly thanks to the much improved technical ability of the new generation of players that came through the youth ranks in the past 2-3 years. Last season was the main step up in that sense, as we shifted from half a decade of using a conservative, quite rigid 3-5-2 to a variation of 4-1-4-1 that allowed for more fluidity and variety in our football. This season I've decided to push our luck even further for a number of reasons:

- Kereszy and his development in the attacking side of the game meant he would be much more useful in a more advanced position. He impressed immensely in his first senior year as a CM(A), but his lack of defensive skill meant he wasn't really performing the duties I wanted from a player sitting that deep. Additionally, he grew to be our most technically gifted player in the team and not to use that would have been a shame. Changing him to a shadow striker has been a bit of a compromise, as, technically speaking the AP(A) role would have suited him more, however the decision was made based on the overall functioning of the system - two key issues here: 1.we already have two playmaking roles in the DLP and WP and they balance the play nicely already. 2. as we only play with one forward and two players in the AM strata, we need more incisiveness in the final third, i.e. more players focused on finding space and making runs into it rather than spraying passes around and dictating play. 

- Dobre's amazing development as well as him being equally capable of playing with both feet pushed me to shift the playmaker role from Vlădilă on the left, (who is actually much more suited to a winger or IF role) to the right side of the pitch, where Dobre would play as a WP. Now what I really like about the WP role is that it makes the player run both, inside and wide depending on the situation and how he judges it. That, along with the increased influence on the game that the role implies is the perfect change from Dobre's previous role as an industrious, quiet WM(S)

- the DLF role has been changed to F9 to ease off the emphasis on physique as well as increase mobility, as I felt our best striker, Nica, would be much better at performing the latter of these tasks given his inability in the air and lightweight build.

- the left wing back role was very important for the previous system, as it was supposed to cover the left wing entirely in both defense and offense. This required a much more hard-working, intelligent and technically gifted player to actually fulfill the task required to make the system work as I wanted, which unfortunately we didn't and still do not have at our disposal. these are the days to bemoan Liviu Ciocanaru's departure I suppose :) This opened up the issue of how to cover/attack the left flank. Now previously we had the AP(A) on the left side of the pitch, and the way this role plays it actually spends very little time on the wing. It drifts inside and even stays in the middle of the pitch for large portions of the game. So I've changed the role to a IF(A), given the above mentioned issue of changing the playmaker focus from left to right and that has partially solved the problem, as the IF still drifts inside as I want my wide player to do, but stays wider for longer and is (surprisingly) more defensively responsible at tracking back on the wing too. The left wing back has been pushed lower as a result, aligning with the other defenders to form a classic back 4. I've read on a few forums that there seems to be a bug that reduces the performance on the wing backs on this version of FM, as they pretty much never cross for some reason. Definitely witnessed that happening here too and didn't think of it much before I read about it, just attributed it to the appalling quality of the players I have playing at that position. Might consider changing to a FB(A) and see how that works.

- the new formation means we're a bit more spread out on the pitch than before, however that issue is countered by the increased fluidity as well as pushing the d-line a notch higher to compress the team and minimize the space left between the lines. We have some really fast centre-backs in our squad for that level, so there shouldn't be much of an issue in tracking back in time to catch up with speedy opposition players. We play pretty wide so that we can cover as much of the pitch as possible and also have enough open spaces for our players to run into. When in possession, the wide players cut inside and compress the width so that our players are closer to each other when passing the ball. An important issue: the supporting player on the right wing sits slightly narrower than the attacking player on the left, as the WP's main duty is to spray clever passes in midfield, and the IF's is to find open space to run into the final third while still being close enough to the 'passing diamond' so that he's not isolated from the game. Additionally, when it comes to covering space efficiently, I rely a lot on a few attributes that are strictly tied to the identity I am trying to develop for this club: stamina, natural fitness, bravery, team work, aggresion and work rate. These are stats I pay particular attention to in my squad selection and they represent the foundation on which this team has been built from the start, aligning with our core philosophy: youth, discipline and athleticism

our best 11's current stats for these categories

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As you will notice, the new tactic relies a lot on focusing play centrally, with Ivan, Kereszy, Dobre and Grigoraș forming a mini-diamond in midfield when the team pushes forward in possession. This means our creative side of the game relies almost entirely on these midfielders' ability to congest or twist space in order to provide the team with attacking options (usually exploiting the fullbacks when congesting the midfield and looking to play on-running players like the IF, F9 and SS through when space is available centrally) and there's a specific reason why I wanted that to happen:

our midfield is our squad's strongest department and we have some of the best stats in the league for decisions, vision and passing, all key for the type of movement and passing I want the above mentioned 4 players to create 

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typical heatmap

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25 out of our 62 assists came from the center of the pitch, while our IF and WBL have been impressively prolific in assisting on the left side of the pitch as well. Worth noting that 40 out 62 assists came as a result of through balls or passes.

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The central focus of play also shows in the location of the goals scored. Additionally, shifting play towards mobility and movement rather than physique has been successful as we relied on placed shots and clever moves rather than our non-existent heading ability or muscling power amongst our attackers

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example of defensive situation (brown kits) notice our diamond pressing the opposition for the ball and the left wing being correctly defended

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example of attacking situation (brown kits) - notice the front three formed by the F9, SS and IF and how centrally they attack 

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consider this an appetizer, full season and squad review up soon :)

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8 hours ago, Wynters said:

Making some brilliant strides man, congratulations on the work :)

The tactic looks really interesting, I normally stick to more common formations but it's given me the impetus to get a little more creative in my squad makeup. 

many thanks :) and I'm glad you've found the motivation to experiment, it's definitely half the fun ;)

6 hours ago, davehibb said:

You're making some big stride now mate. Keep it up! :)

no pressure here :lol: thanks!

2 hours ago, deltablue said:

Last year was a fantastic breakthrough season. 

thanks! yep, new generation, new tactics and definitely new hopes for the fans :)

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Great work! Loved the detailed tactical plans. 

I hope that all this vision will be rewarded in playoffs. 

One question: with the club in good financial status, playing in Europe, would you consider bring back some of those players that left the club looking for greener pastures?

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26 minutes ago, BoomBap said:

Great work! Loved the detailed tactical plans. 

I hope that all this vision will be rewarded in playoffs. 

One question: with the club in good financial status, playing in Europe, would you consider bring back some of those players that left the club looking for greener pastures?

ah thanks :) will update soon with the results. To answer your question I feel that would conflict with the philosophy of the club. After all, losing those talents was quite normal for a club of our stature back then so I see no reason not to rely on our much improved facilities and stature from now on

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Season 2023-24 

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CHAMPIONS!

 

well... it took us 8 hard fought years, but here we are :) 

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The tactical change at the start of the season, coupled with the impressive development of our new generation has brought a delightful and unexpected success to the club this year. Starting with a media prediction of 13th and with 750-1 odds to win the title, this has to be the most monumental achievement of the club to date.

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 completely dominated the playoffs

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Playoffs Table

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Final League Table

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no words.... a wonderful season for this club :)

 

Squad

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Fans' team of the year

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Key Players

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Alexandru Ivan                                                                                                    Marius Penescu

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Alexandru Nica                                                                                                        Cezar Dobre

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After changing his role from DLF to F9, Nica registered his best ever season for the club with some impressive goalscoring record under his belt. Our most in-form and consistent player this season and a joy to have around the squad with his attitude and personality. Ivan has really impressed this year with his powerful displays at DLP. 88% passing success ratio isn't a stat to be shy about either. Marius Penescu bombed the right flank with much more efficiency than in previous years thanks to the new system and his overall development. He's undoubtedly one of our strongest players at this point. Dobre has been named captain at the start of the season and boy, did he not disappoint: 40 appearances this season in which his contribution marked some incredibly reliable and consistent deliveries.

 

Notable Performers

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Sorin Ștefan                                                                                                                       Ciprian Kereszy

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Bogdan Andone

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Our ever-reliable defensive pair, Andone-Stefan, has put in another great series of performance to guarantee an unprecedented stability at the back for the team. Marshaled by Ivan just in front of them, the three form the defensive foundation of the team. A shame about their personalities and determination, but, hey one can't always have it all :)  Kereszy developed well and put in some great performances this season, although his very promising development at the start of the season was disrupted by a 4 month(!!) spell on the sidelines after a horrific injury. Still managed 37 appearances which is a lot and everyone in the Sparta camps hopes he will manage to stay fit next season and realize his undoubted potential. 

 

Youth Prospects

Alexandru Grigoraș                                                                                                Nicolae Andrieș

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Cătălin Vintilă

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Last year's intake's stars, Grigoraș and Vintilă have been given plenty of game time this year due to our participation in a number of competitions. Both have greatly impressed and the future's looking bright at CM and LB for us. Andrieș has by far been the revelation of the season for us this year. His rapid development meant he quickly exceed the ability of any of our CM's and was granted a starting spot which he dignified with some greatly intelligent and technical performances. His emergence as a potential star player is the kind of story I love about youth development :) Part of the 2021 intake, he was given a fairly low rating at the time:

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He really came out of nowhere, and I believe, in no small part due to his personality.

 

Youth Intake

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we changed our HOYD just a few days before the intake and the decision instantly proves to be a success. Nicola's recruitment was a bit of a jaw-dropper for me, particularly because of his very un-orthodox stat distribution, personality and already great CA. Could be a very interesting type of CM for us in the future. A couple of good personalities overall and some great depth for midfield positions. What's starting to get worrying is that for 8 years now we haven't recruited any decent strikers via our intakes and that could be an issue, as Chipirliu is getting older and older and Nica remains our only viable starting striker.

Felix Nicola                                                                                                                       Gabriel Ciocănaru

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Club developments

the great improvement in the finance department this year meant this would be merely a formality :) 

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some great figures for attendance this year given our run in the Liga I and the Europa League and the overall massive step we've taken in reputation means we're now attracting some serious investments through sponsorship. Oh yes, and there's the small issue of Champions League next year ;)

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quite the jump :)

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June 2024 - Career Progress

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Tracker

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                                                                    Career Progress Table

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   League                                                          Cups                                     Europe
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              2016-2017 Liga II- 2nd(promoted)                                 Quarter final(RC)                               N/A

              2017-2018 Liga I- 13th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                    N/A

              2018-2019 Liga I- 13th(7th in relegation group-relegated)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
              
              2019-2020 Liga II- 1st(promoted)                                 Semi-Final(RC)/8th final(RLC)                   N/A

              2020-2021 Liga I- 11th(5th in relegation group-survival)         6th round(RC)/Final(RLC)                        N/A

              2021-2022 Liga I- 8th(5th in relegation group-survival)          7th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A

              2022-2023 Liga I- 5th(4th in Champions Playoff- Euro Cup)        6th round(RC)/Semi-final(RLC)                   N/A
 
              2023-2024 Liga I- 2nd(Champions via Playoff)                     6th Round(RC)/8th final(RLC)                 EL-Group Stage


 

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My favourite FM17 thread on here by far. Liked the club colours, kit and badges to begin with followed by a clear and defined club philosophy and backed up with a great and clear writing style. Not to mention the tactical insights you've done along the way. 

 

Keep up the good work !

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15 hours ago, LATB said:

My favourite FM17 thread on here by far. Liked the club colours, kit and badges to begin with followed by a clear and defined club philosophy and backed up with a great and clear writing style. Not to mention the tactical insights you've done along the way. 

 

Keep up the good work !

wow, thank you! :) happy to have you on board

15 hours ago, LATB said:

I'd love to be able to do something like this myself now but struggle with the personalities and youth player side of the game to date. Maybe I'll try and read up on it more for when I buy the game myself. 

there are plenty of great guides around, but I still believe the best way to be trying it our for yourself and see what you can make of it :) I really think 'too much' insight into the mechanics of the game kills the feel of authenticity and makes it all one big mathematical equation

 

15 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Going from strength to strength, amazing work.

thanks mate, really happy with our growth over the last few years

2 hours ago, yipster1986 said:

Discovered this topic and read all 4 pages in one go.

Awesome stuff, I especially like your tactical analysis and how you have a clear idea on what you want to create. I hope one day to be able to do something myself.

thanks! I'm glad to hear that and I hope you will :)

P.S. I'm considering writing a sort of 'guide to identity' kind of thread in the tactics section of the forum based on the developments in this save when i get the time

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On 24/10/2016 at 15:07, BoxToBox said:

A Model Professional HOYD, that's an amazing coup.

It's such a shame that he only lasted 1 year, but every time you look at Liviu you should remember him fondly.

On 24/10/2016 at 21:48, LPQR said:

2017 Youth intake

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Liviu looks phenomenal, but wouldn't you have preferred 3 or 4 average players rather than 1 superstar?

Loving the Pro levels of your intake by the way. Res, Pro, F.Pro, Pro. That's excellent. :thup:

On 24/10/2016 at 23:18, Alerion said:

Congratz ! 550k is certainly a big step for a small club, not bad.

Could you maybe show your away formation and TI´s ? I am interested as you only lost a few.

Wow! £550k seems a huge amount when the winner of my Icelandic Premier League gets just £9,500.

On 25/10/2016 at 00:02, LPQR said:

That's amazing too, but I guess that everything is relative. I sign my youngsters to 1st Semi-Pro deals at £5 per week, so my £64k income from the deal last season might be proportional if you are paying players £50 per week when they sign a first Pro contract.

On 25/10/2016 at 13:13, MadCatPT said:

Youth saves makes people get the urge to appeal to higher/hidden/dark forces when the youth candidates appearence date near.

Wonder if anyone has sold his soul to get a new top class eleven 5 by 5? :lol:

Sold my soul? I would sell my soul, my first-born, (he's a big teenager now so good luck to them!), my mother and just about anything I own for some of @mjaferrieintakes. :lol:

Really enjoying your posting style by the way, (and in particular the tactical insight. Did you have any different Nationalities or 2nd Nationalities in the Youth Intake? Would love to see that if there is anything to see. 

Good luck avoiding the drop. How many go down by the way?

[Edit]

Cancel that. Just realised I have on;y got to the bottom of page 1 and there is more to read. :D

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5 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Cancel that. Just realised I have on;y got to the bottom of page 1 and there is more to read. :D

:lol: I was going to say, it all felt a bit atemporal

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