[FM 18] The Ballad of Stalin ‘El Bobo’ Pinzón – Part 1: One Zulte to Rule Them All… and in the Darkness Bind Them

[ManUtd1]

34 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Amazing. The absolute scenes.

I am, of course, referring to the rumours that someone dressed up as Rony de Pony was caught by CCTV humping someone dressed as Hello Kitty in the Brussels train station at 5AM, next to a couple of bottles of the finest most expensive Belgian beer.

[BoxToBox]

2 hours ago, noikeee said:

Amazing. The absolute scenes.

I am, of course, referring to the rumours that someone dressed up as Rony de Pony was caught by CCTV humping someone dressed as Hello Kitty in the Brussels train station at 5AM, next to a couple of bottles of the finest most expensive Belgian beer.

That's what Rony calls "Tuesdays".

[ManUtd1]

54 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

That's what Rony calls "Tuesdays".

"Furries gonna furry, furry, furry, furry, furry..." 

       -Taylor Swift

[oriole01]

Not a bad first season . That destruction of Anderlecht is glorious stuff, surely Stroud will shut up now.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

6 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

Not a bad first season . That destruction of Anderlecht is glorious stuff, surely Stroud will shut up now.

That fecker won't shut up until either he dies or his Twitter account gets banned.

[VillaSmith]

Congrats on the brilliant season, and what an incredible end to it 

[ManUtd1]

3 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Not a bad first season . That destruction of Anderlecht is glorious stuff, surely Stroud will shut up now.

I don't think he's capable of it. He's like an aggreived Mourinho, without a filter, on meth.

3 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

That fecker won't shut up until either he dies or his Twitter account gets banned.

He's great, isn't he? 

3 hours ago, VillaSmith said:

Congrats on the brilliant season, and what an incredible end to it 

Thanks, man! It was quite the roller coaster, indeed.

[oriole01]

1 minute ago, ManUtd1 said:

I don't think he's capable of it. He's like an aggreived Mourinho, without a filter, on meth.

Hmm, so some things did survive the wormhole...

[tastaiwan]

I did not expect you to return so quickly with another save, three pages in already! Good luck, it looks like a very relaxing time!

[ManUtd1]

32 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

Hmm, so some things did survive the wormhole...

He seems to have gone through intact... As far as others, we'll have to see...

12 minutes ago, tastaiwan said:

I did not expect you to return so quickly with another save, three pages in already! Good luck, it looks like a very relaxing time!

Hah! Yeah, I ended up picking up 18 rather quickly. I needed a change and have all the motivation back, the nearly men save had really run its course. 

Gladto have you here, man!

[ManUtd1]

You should try not to talk so much, friend. You'll sound far less stupid that way.

2019-20 Season Review

Never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted this.  A cup final and the league title in my first season.

Perhaps we simply took everyone by surprise?  Make no mistake – repeating this feat will be quite the challenge next year.

We will have a target on our backs.  That **** at Anderlecht is already tweeting his pea-sized brain out, going on and on about “beginner’s luck” and the “poor” refereeing in the final, decisive league match.  Let him tweet while we bask in the glory of winning the title on his pitch.

Beyond that target, we’ll have an additional complication – fighting on two fronts, with a guaranteed spot in the Champions League Group Stage.  While a welcome boost to our finances, it will present a massive challenge in and of itself, doubly so when one considers the fixture pile-up that we’ll face.

On that front, the squad needs assessment and, perhaps, strengthening.  Ideally, Felix will take over for Bala in the 1st XI by the end of this next year, while Kanda will move on this summer…if I can pawn him off on someone.  Gulerce will take his spot at shadow striker, with Afkir in the 2nd XI.  Oldrup Jensen and Marcq each have only a year left on their contracts…it is a difficult call, whether to renew or let them leave on a free.  Regardless, age is not on their side.  And, in our final kick-about of the year, just getting some touches in…Oldrup Jensen does his knee, with no one within 5 yards of him.  He’s out for 9-11 months.  Unbelievable luck.  With Hamalainen, Derijck and De Pauw also aging, turnover is bound to happen sooner or later.  Time catches up to us all, eh.

For now, it is time to relax a bit.  Enjoy the win and start planning.

But before I can truly relax I have to make good on my promise to the lads.  I have to write that chapter for Felix’s next book.  After a few too many Trappist beers, I decided to run with a rather simple story, I just need to flush out some of the minor details: Two Men, One Cup: An Erotic Thriller, chronicling the escalating tension between David Moyes and Brendan Rodgers on the eve of an FA Cup final clash, each man determined to get one over on the other, until one night, after several glasses of wine…  It’s basically the football version of Brokeback Mountain, mixed with elements of Waking Ned Devine and Dr. Strangelove.

Goals for 2020-21: Defend our JPL title.  Not embarrass ourselves in the Champions League.

Squad|League Overview|Finances Overview|Income Detail|Expenditures Detail|Transfers

JPL Fixtures|JPL Championship Group Fixtures|Croky Cup Fixtures

[ManUtd1]

And before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's take a glance around Europe.  In my last save, I'd occasionally post these screenshots...my intent this time around is to do so each year at this juncture.

Frankly, not much has changed at this point, other than Mourinho's United being utterly rampant in England, while Napoli has knocked Juventus off its perch.  Oh, and Ancelotti's City won the Champions League, much to the chagrin of Pep the Bald at Arsenal.

  

 

        

[ManUtd1]

Two incoming transfers are locked in, which have all but spent my modest transfer budget (after adjusting the wage budget to allow for more signings..).

  

Tsougoutzidis will join the midfield as a mezzala.  He will likely start in place of Oldrup Jensen, given the Dane's long-term injury.  Renard is the other possible starter.  For 600k, the Greek is a solid signing.

   

Valencia is a solid $1.2M signing.  He'll step right into the 1st XI, ahead of Bala (who will be sold/loaned out), with Altenbuchinger continuing as a very capable backup.

I've cancelled a few signings that Luca Toni was intending to bring in -- nowhere near the quality that we want or need.

We have three kids from this year's youth intake that I think could make the squad: Livingstone, De Cock, and Mazingu-Tshimanga:

   

There's work to be done with these 3, but if they develop I think they'll join the squad next year (or the year after).

[john1]

Cracking youth intakes  

 

What skin is that? I am quite liking it  

[BoxToBox]

8 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

He seems to have gone through intact... As far as others, we'll have to see...

I'm not sure he was intact before the wormhole...

[Sir_Liam]

8 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

I've cancelled a few signings that Luca Toni was intending to bring in -- nowhere near the quality that we want or need.

With regards to transfers, are you using a combination of your own scouting and the director of football?

If you are is that the way you'll play this save game throughout, or are you just using the DoF as he's already there?

[Akkarin]

Cesar looks cracking, and at 17 looks like he will be a world star before long. Though the combination between an Ecuadorian and a Colombian + Stalin vs Caesar sounds more like Civilization than FM

[ManUtd1]

6 hours ago, john1 said:

Cracking youth intakes  

 

What skin is that? I am quite liking it  

Yeah, those three have some promise.  The rest are absolute dross, though!

It's just the Wannachupbrew instant result skin (dark).  Should be readily google-able -- I just grabbed it off of the first place that came up 

6 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

I'm not sure he was intact before the wormhole...

Intact is such an ambiguous word, when it comes to Stroud...  His bushy eyebrows made it "intact" in the normal sense of the word.  The rest of him...debatable.

2 hours ago, Sir_Liam said:

With regards to transfers, are you using a combination of your own scouting and the director of football?

If you are is that the way you'll play this save game throughout, or are you just using the DoF as he's already there?

I'm using a combination so far -- typically I wouldn't trust my DoF to sign people, but he'd brought in Prevost and Afkir and was in the process of negotiating with Altenbuchinger and Bordes when I arrived.  So, I assumed that DoFs wouldn't be as useless this year...

I appear to have been wrong.  His track record since has been quite poor.  Going forward, I have no problem with him making offers for young players but I will always (and have had) "finalizes youth signings" ticked for Stalin in the responsibilities tab.  

Beyond that, I'm just doing the same as I always have -- which primarily consists of going through the intakes at obvious clubs and looking through youth national teams, the latter being how I found Cesar Valencia and Vangelis Tsougoutzidis.

2 hours ago, Akkarin said:

Cesar looks cracking, and at 17 looks like he will be a world star before long. Though the combination between an Ecuadorian and a Colombian + Stalin vs Caesar sounds more like Civilization than FM

He does look fantastic.  We'll see how long I can keep him 

[ManUtd1]

Well, this is a shame.  From the POTY in a title-winning season to retirement in a matter of 6 weeks -- at the age of 27, no less.

 

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to do with Fredrik once he returned -- he'd have had a role to play, even if I was looking to the future.  Now, what to do with that insurance payout...

[BoxToBox]

Is he saying in football as staff?

[ManUtd1]

3 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Is he saying in football as staff?

Sadly, no.  He fully retired or else I would have offered him a spot on the staff.

 

[john1]

Shame he retired but good you got insurance pay out  

[BoxToBox]

9 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Sadly, no.  He fully retired or else I would have offered him a spot on the staff.

 

Ahhh, that's a real shame.

[ManUtd1]

I wasn't planning on making further moves in the transfer market, but then Schalke came in with a large bid for Heyden -- a player I'd plan to shift out of the 1st XI at the end of the year, in favor of Sylla.  I negotiated the deal up to $20M overall and dipped into the market, focusing first on a German kid from Kiel that I've wanted for some time.

  

Welcome to the Essevee, Herr Forthmann!

A club record sale and signing in short order, neither of which was expected until Schalke came knocking.  Forthmann will step directly into the 1st XI, taking over what is nominally the ball-winning role with Sylla continuing to serve as the understudy.

$13k/week is an awful lot for an 18 year-old kid in Belgium, but I think he's worth every penny.  And, if he develops he'll either be a beast for us in the future or be sold for an obscene fee.  With that 3-year contract extension, he's going nowhere without my approval.

[Akkarin]

4 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Well, this is a shame.  From the POTY in a title-winning season to retirement in a matter of 6 weeks -- at the age of 27, no less.

 

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to do with Fredrik once he returned -- he'd have had a role to play, even if I was looking to the future.  Now, what to do with that insurance payout...

Wow I’ve never seen or heard about that, and I am on season 6 or 7 in FM18. What a shame, but very interesting with the insurance payment. What was his injury? ACL?

[ManUtd1]

3 minutes ago, Akkarin said:

Wow I’ve never seen or heard about that, and I am on season 6 or 7 in FM18. What a shame, but very interesting with the insurance payment. What was his injury? ACL?

Yep.  It was buried as a link in the season recap:

 

[ManUtd1]

Ouch.

 

Mourinho's United, Brendan Rodgers' Dortmund (how does that sound, @oriole01?) and Lazio?!

If we're lucky, we'll pip 3rd.

[oriole01]

2 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Brendan Rodgers' Dortmund (how does that sound, @oriole01?

That sounds a bit... fraudulent

[ManUtd1]

Ever since my appointment as manager of the senior side at Zulte, I find there to be greater incursions on my private life.

More people recognize me when out in public, which is both good and bad.

Some joker posted my private cell phone on Twitter, which caused several hours of insanity before the number could be switched.

All told, it has been a net-positive.

But today things took a ... bizarre turn.

I'm lucky enough that club staff address nearly all emails sent to my "official" club account.  My private email has remained just that -- private.  

At first, I thought the Steam "friend request" from 'BRDaddy_NI73' was the work of a random spammer, associated with some truly filthy site that my mother wouldn't approve of. 

Until the emails started.  BRDaddy_NI73 seemed to know too much about me, personally.  And spoke with the lingo I associate with football professionals.  But, for some reason he wanted to play some game called "EquiMagic: Galashow of Horses" with me in versus mode.  Quite desperately, I might add.

Adhering to my better judgment, I blocked him on Steam and registered his emails as spam.  And on my merry way I went after a few jokes with club staff, thinking all was resolved.  

Until the Champions League draw.  Well, to be more specific, until Brendan Rodgers' press conference regarding the draw...

Our press officer came running into my office, demanding that I turn on the television.

And there it was.  Brendan.  Ranting like a madman about how my unprofessional treatment of him.

Naturally, I was taken aback.  I'd never met the man, much less interacted with him.  This was the "Revie snubs Clough" handshake nonsense, to the N-th degree.  A proper circus, with a vein in Brendan's forehead looking ready to burst at any moment.

The press was equally confused, as a sputtering Brendan struggled to explain himself, explain his visceral hatred for me.  But a well-placed question did it...

"Listening to you, I'm struck.  This is not just a business matter.  It's personal.  Am I right?"

"Well, we're very different people, Stalin and I... We have different styles, in football and in life.  I'm a warm man, an idealist...  I do believe in fairies, and that's my outlook.  Stalin is slightly different, there's a hardness to him.  He's a cold person--"

"But, you don't know him--"

"--and that coldness was there, last week."

"Last week, what... I don't understand.  It sounds like a personal vendetta against Mr. Pinz--"

"Well, are you surprised?  What else was I gonna do?  After what he did."

"What did he do?"

"Come on, miss, you know exactly...  August 29, 2020, see I even remember the date.  He logged into Steam, and he refused to accept my invitation to play a friendly round of competitive dressage, EquiMagic online."

You could have heard a pin drop, both in the Westfalenstadion press room and my office.  BRDaddy_NI73 was...Brendan?!?!

It all makes sense now.

 

[Benjoe]

[ManUtd1]

39 minutes ago, Benjoe said:

I had the same reaction when I learned Brendan's Steam username, too.

[ManUtd1]

The bars next to the Regenboogstadion were going ape**** tonight with a new song.  Catchy little number...

 

[ManUtd1]

When has any man ever been content with what he has? When has any tyrant said to himself, 'This is enough?'

October 2020 Mini-Update

The taste of triumph is addictive.  I just never thought that our ambitions would outgrow Belgium so quickly.

We sit 2nd in the table, 5 points off of an indomitable Club Brugge, level with Lierse of all teams.  In Europe, we sit 2nd on goal difference, having drawn away in Rome and knocked off BRDaddy_NI73's Dortmund at the Regenboogstadion.

Surreal times.  But we've been humbled by Mourinho's United.  It was always a big ask, even in the friendly confines of home.

If we can steal points off Lazio again, we may just reach the Europa League knockout rounds.  As things stand, we'd need a miracle to progress here -- trips to England and Germany await, and there's no doubt that posh boy Brendan will want his revenge.

  

[Akkarin]

3 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

When has any man ever been content with what he has? When has any tyrant said to himself, 'This is enough?

Yes! Here we go, now this save is really starting.... progress in europe and great quotes, smells like Hakan’s spirit

[Rikulec]

4 hours ago, Akkarin said:

Yes! Here we go, now this save is really starting.... progress in europe and great quotes, smells like Hakan’s spirit

I have to second this, the thread is just so alive and buzzing.

[ManUtd1]

7 hours ago, Akkarin said:

Yes! Here we go, now this save is really starting.... progress in europe and great quotes, smells like Hakan’s spirit

Oh well, whatever, nevermind...

2 hours ago, Rikulec said:

I have to second this, the thread is just so alive and buzzing.

It's all the competitive dressage. 

[ManUtd1]

 

[ManUtd1]

It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time... The losses are what define a man's faith.

November 2020 Mini-Update

The higher you climb, the farther you have to fall.

We've well and truly gone off the boil.  The challenge of fighting in Europe and domestically proving to be a bit too much for us.  We've dropped to 4th, 8 points off surprise leaders -- newly-promoted Lierse.  With back-to-back 0-4 hammerings against United and Lazio, we're also out of the Champions League.

But there is a silver lining.  There always is.

While we were getting embarrassed at home against the Italians, United were thumping Dortmund 4-0 at Old Trafford.  Meaning that we've secured passage to the Europa League knockout rounds, no matter the result in Germany next week.

No matter how dark the day, there is always a silver lining.

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Oof... Tough month. Still time to make up ground though and being in the Europa League with Zulte is still pretty good.

[ManUtd1]

The traveling support were in rare form tonight, in Dortmund, mixing a new song in with chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning!" directed at Rodgers.  Brendan fared little better from the home support, given their poor showing on the night, elimination from Europe, and the fact that they're sitting 13 points adrift from Bayern even at this early stage of the season.

 

(To the tune of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious)

Super Brendan likes to play his EquiMagic online...

Puts the horses in a dress, it's really f***ing sublime!!!

Forget to eat, forget to sleep, just give him dancing horses....

Out of Europe, sacked tomorrow, Brendan is atrocious!!!

Um-diddle-iddle-iddle... Um-diddle-I...

Um-diddle-iddle-iddle.. Um-diddle-I!!!

Um-diddle-iddle-iddle... Um-diddle-I...

Um-diddle-iddle-iddle.. Um-diddle-I!!!

[Repeat ad nauseum]

[ManUtd1]

9 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Oof... Tough month. Still time to make up ground though and being in the Europa League with Zulte is still pretty good.

We've turned the corner a bit, with a wild 5-3 win over Standard in the Croky Cup and 4-0 beat-down of last year's bogey team, Eupen, in the league.  Lots of work to be done.

But, as you say, I have to be (and am) pleased with progression at the expense of Dortmund, of all sides.

[ManUtd1]

Tumbling into the Europa League, I'm hoping for a favorable draw.  Not a chance.  We draw Arsene Wenger's Liverpool.  Brutal.

[Editor's note: You read that correctly.  2020 is a scary world.  He took over after 2 years with Les Blues, when Klopp fled Merseyside for the German national side.]

 

 

 

 

[Vaulks4]

Lose to Burnley, crash out the CL? That's Arsene, alright.

[ManUtd1]

4 minutes ago, Vaulks4 said:

Lose to Burnley, crash out the CL? That's Arsene, alright.

The odor of mediocrity just won't wash off, eh?

[ManUtd1]

It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time... The losses are what define a man's faith.

December 2020 Mini-Update

A congested month, but one where we got our sea legs back.  We're 9 points off Club Brugge, which hurts.  But there will be ample time to make that up...with the league split, 3 more matches head-to-head, and -- let's be honest -- they're going to drop points.

We simply need to focus and put together a solid domestic run.

For Festivus, I decided to ask the Board for what I desire most...a new stadium, that we can christen in due course.  They laughed their heads off...all the more so when they realized I was serious.  My Airing of Grievances this year will be long and detailed.

[HawkAussie]

Damn, if only the account was real. As I did look for it to no success. 

[ManUtd1]

15 hours ago, HawkAussie said:

Damn, if only the account was real. As I did look for it to no success. 

[ManUtd1]

Life was about momentum. Pick a direction and don't let anything—man or storm— turn you aside.

February 2021 Mini-Update

That's more like it.  2 months of solid football have brought us back to the top of the table, eliminated from Europe by the skin of our teeth.  I can't tell if we did ourselves proud or if this is just the Wenger-ization of Liverpool.  Perhaps both.

Reinforcements have also arrived...Danish attacker Poul Christensen and Uruguayan midfielder Franco Vera.  We had initially targeted a Dutch midfielder at Waasland, but Franco was 1/3 the price and looks like a better prospect.  Marcq's time in the squad is coming to a close this summer, and Franco will step in.  Poul is retraining as a shadow striker, and is a 1st XI player every day of the week, taking over for Eren Gulerce.

Our focus must now be solely on the league, which will be of great benefit.  Our 2nd XI has had extensive playing time and we've dropped some frustrating points.  But now we're ready for the stretch run, and perfectly positioned to defend our title.

 

  

[ManUtd1]

As we hit the home stretch, it looks like it'll be a 3-team race for the title in Belgium, in contrast to last year's free-for-all.

  

Elsewhere...Real and Barcelona are doing their usual thing, as is Bayern.  Mourinho's United is on the verge of clinching their 4th straight title, as St. Totteringham's Day approaches...

 

In the Champions and Europa Leagues...

  

[ManUtd1]