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

[ManUtd1]

We had every chance to bury the league...but 2 losses in Bruges, back-to-back, and all of a sudden things are getting chippy.  Time to dig deep, lads...

 

 

[ManUtd1]

Two solid, hard-fought wins leave us 1 point clear with 2 matches to play.  But Club Brugge are keeping pace.  This is it, lads.  

 

 

[ManUtd1]

GET IN, LADS! 

With the tiebreaker in hand (games won), that's the league.  I had to explain it three separate times to the Chairman, but it's over.

Kampionen!!!

 

 

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Two back-to-back titles. Nice one!

[VillaSmith]

Congrats on another title!

 

I've got to say though, it's so weird seeing Waregem, Cercle Brugge and Lierse in the Championship Group. On my save, all three were in the Relegation Playoff in the Proximus League last season!

[ManUtd1]

2 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Two back-to-back titles. Nice one!

1 hour ago, VillaSmith said:

Congrats on another title!

 

I've got to say though, it's so weird seeing Waregem, Cercle Brugge and Lierse in the Championship Group. On my save, all three were in the Relegation Playoff in the Proximus League last season!

Thanks, guys!  It was nice to wrap this one up and not collapse at the final hurdle!

Yeah, @VillaSmith, it is odd seeing Lierse/Cercle up there for me, too.  In my last save, Belgium went nuts -- but at least Anderlecht were still huge.  Antwerp, Oostende, Zulte and Genk were powerhouses, though!

At this point, I think that Zulte is in amazing shape.  We're going to transition some young players into the 1st XI for next year, with Derijck, Marcq, De Pauw, Hamalainen all out of contract in the summer (I will not be renewing them, and Marcq no longer even gets on the bench for the first team.  Verboom will also shift to the 2nd XI as he runs out his contract in the summer of 2022.  Bottom line, I think we're getting ready for some good things.  I'll get the annual review up later this afternoon/evening, and likely do a full-blown squad review once the transfer window closes in August.

[noikeee]

Games won.... What? 

Well done! 

[ManUtd1]

27 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Games won.... What? 

Well done! 

Those matches in Bruges, the absolute wrong time to fall flat. Got it turned around, though!

[oriole01]

Brilliant endurance to lock up that second straight title. You're definitely going places with Zulte, as evidenced by that hard fight with Wenger's Liverpool. Keep it up!

[ManUtd1]

Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.

2020-21 Season Review

In December, my fears of "second season" syndrome seemed to be realized...crushed by our Continental opponents, faltering domestically...disaster seemed all but inevitable.

But we pulled ourselves back from the brink, reeled in Lierse and Club Brugge, and stood up tall to Wenger's Liverpool.  This was a solid year.

At this stage, though, we need to push harder.  Aim higher.  Snatching the league title in the final week or two is not good enough.  We need to dominate the domestic opposition.  Seize the means of producing the best young players, for the greater good.

Because the first and second title mean nothing if we cannot continue to progress.  Third time proves all.

Goals for 2021-22: Defend our JPL title.  Qualify for the knockout rounds of either the CL or EL.

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

JPL Fixtures|JPL Championship Group Fixtures|Champions League Fixtures|Europa League Fixtures|Croky Cup Fixtures

[ManUtd1]

2020-21 European Review

Can it please just be 2080 already?  I don't know if I can live in a world where City, Bayern, PSG, Real and Barcelona are fighting for titles.  Makes me feel like I need to take a shower.  The sooner we start to disrupt the established order, the better.

This year, the usual suspects dominated.  Madrid and Barcelona.  Mourinho's United.  Etc, etc.

The only real high drama was to be found in Turkey, where Fenerbahce conspired to lose the title on the last day by losing to rivals Besiktas...handing Galatasaray the league.

England's continental dominance saw them with 3 out of the 4 finalists in the Champions and Europa Leagues, with United beating Spurs on penalties in the former, and Liverpool knocking off Fiorentina in the latter.

Joey Hart was very happy, as you can see above.  That, or he has worms.  Only a stool sample will tell.

       

 

 

[ManUtd1]

12 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Brilliant endurance to lock up that second straight title. You're definitely going places with Zulte, as evidenced by that hard fight with Wenger's Liverpool. Keep it up!

Thanks, man!  We hit a vein of form in January and rode it almost all the way to the title, with only a few blips along the way.  Next year, we should dominate domestically...in theory.

[ManUtd1]

I love how my pre-season training camp destinations are utterly lame still.  It's between "Holland" (nothing more specific) and the Belgian coast. 

Hop in the van, lads.  We're off to Knokke-Heist! 

Hey, look...  It's the Chapel of the Fisherman!  Show some enthusiasm! And...ehh...pretty sure that's a sculpture of a ... water faucet?  That's just confusing...

 

 

[ManUtd1]

I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

September 2021 Mini-Update & Squad Review

We're into the third year of my reign of terror in the Belgian countryside.  The transition from an older, experienced side content to win a title in Belgium to that of a young, swashbuckling side ready to challenge in Europe is 90% complete.

We're running a 25-man squad -- 2 XIs plus 3 substitutes for the 2nd XI.  We haven't had any transfers in this summer, with the first team departures (Marcq and Derijck) backfilled by promoting youth from within.

We've started the year in incredible form, as the 1st XI (more or less) has played these early matches.  If we can continue this for any length of time, especially once we start rotating the squad after the current international break, we'll be in amazing shape.

We continue to play @Guimy's 3 Carat Diamond tactic, with 3 variations: (1) the base tactic, with fullbacks and "stay on your feet" ticked; (2) the base tactic, with a counter mentality; and (3) an overload/very fluid version.

  

 

Goalkeepers

 

The picture here hasn't changed.  When we last looked in, Bostyn was the nominal starter with Vinther waiting impatiently in the wings.  The young Dane has not taken over both for club and country, and will be our starter until the day he leaves.  Bostyn is getting upset about playing time; he'll likely be sold at the end of this year, with a U19 promoted to take his spot.

Defenders

        

The starting back 4 these days are Ahne, Kalala, Severin and Prevost.  Severin is the only holdover from my starting lineup 2 years ago (and last year), with Hamalainen and Verboom in the 2nd XI and Derijck out of contract this past summer.  I'd originally planned to let Hamalainen leave, but decided to give him a one year contract to help bridge the gap for youth coming through.  Absent that, Bouchouari would be in the 2nd XI and...he's just not ready.  I've got a young midfielder that I'm retraining who should step in next year as the backup LB if Bouchouari doesn't make the cut.

To back up, that means my 2nd XI consists of Hamalainen, Verboom, De Cock and Vermeire, with De Cock having joined the senior squad this year. Bouchouari is a weak substitute on the bench for the 2nd XI.  Vermeire has been a major disappointment in terms of his development, and it looks like he will have little room left to grow.

Central Midfielders

      

This is where we've probably seen the most turnover.  In the last 18 months, we've moved on from Marcq (volante), Oldrup Jensen (mezzala) and Heyden (ball-winning midfielder), with a 2nd XI of Bordes (volante), Renard (mezzala) and Sylla (ball-winning midfielder).

The 1st XI is gone -- Marcq leaving this past summer when his contract expired, Oldrup Jensen retired last year due to a career-ending ACL injury, and Heyden was unexpectedly sold for an obsence amount of cash last August.  I had planned on the 2nd XI trio moving into the 1st XI by this time, but...plans have changed.

Instead, the 1st XI is Vera (volante), Tsougoutzidis (mezzala) and Forthmann (ball-winning midfielder).  This trio is immense.  I'm very pleased with how they've come together.

Attacking Midfielders

       

Up top, the front line was weak 2 years ago, and all three have moved on -- De Pauw being the last to leave, this past summer with his contract expiring.

Once again, my plans were disrupted ... the 2nd XI from 2 years ago is virtually the same, erotic fanfic author Altenbuchinger on the left wing, academy lad Mijailovic on the right, with Gulerce and Afkir battling for the shadow striker slot.  Gulerce has been our leading goalscorer the past 2 years, but can't make his way into the 1st XI...  My coaches have been going crazy over Mijailovic for the last 2 years, even if I remain unimpressed.  He's got a year to do something.  Mazingu-Tshimanga is waiting in the wings, even if he is more well-suited to play on the left.

The 1st XI sees Christensen flanked by Valencia and Maertens.  Christensen and Valencia are our best players -- I hope I can keep them for a while.

Final Thoughts

Domestic dominance should flow from here.  I think we're also ready to start making runs in Europe.  Our CL Group is tough, with Monaco and Leverkusen the odds-on favorites to advance.  Ajax should be a side we can take points from -- whether we advance to the EL knockout rounds will depend on the results in those matches.

We keep upgrading our facilities, but the biggest thing I want is the one thing the Board keeps rejecting -- a new stadium.  13k domestic, 10k in Europe...we need the additional income that will come from more seats.  But the Board keeps saying we need to build the fanbase first.

And that means one thing...just keep winning.

[ManUtd1]

 

 

It's September, for urCristiano's sake...

 

[oriole01]

Looking absolutely ruthless to start this new season. Everyone had better be afraid!

[ManUtd1]

Just now, oriole01 said:

Looking absolutely ruthless to start this new season. Everyone had better be afraid!

Monaco beat us 2-0 on CL Matchday 1 (at the Stade Louis II), but we've otherwise been immense.  Ajax is up next at the Regenboogstadion, but I'm off for a few.

[ManUtd1]

A wild strikerless appears!

 

Hipster beard intensifies.

[Edit: In all fairness, they played us closer than any of our domestic opposition have this year:]

 

[ManUtd1]

 

[ManUtd1]

Spain fail to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Australia, meaning that Pep the Bald is sacked.  I can't wait for him to get back into club football.

 

[ManUtd1]

 

 

[ManUtd1]

And now the monkey comes out of the sleeve...

November 2021 Mini-Update

Utterly and completely dominant domestically, barring a slip-up by my 2nd XI in Bruges.  8 points clear, advancing in the Croky Cup...life is good.

In Europe?  We ran even with Valverde's Monaco side, even if they dispatched us in the end.  A solid wins over Ajax followed, with an emphatic smash-and-grab win in Germany after that.  Add in a big win at the Regenboog over a still-reeling Neverkusen, and we're mere steps away from the Champions League knockout rounds.  As a seeded side.

Someone was bound to notice, eventually.  Someone was bound to tap me up for greater things.  Over the summer, I'd rejected the likes of Lyon and Juventus -- the first two "big" clubs to try and get themselves a piece of the action.  Now, it's...escalated a bit.  And the temptation is strong.  Maybe I did fall on my nose in the butter, after all.

   

[ManUtd1]

And now the monkey comes out of the sleeve... (Redux)

November 2021 Mini-Update

There's nothing quite like the world throwing a party every four years...and you not getting an invitation.

If it were not for Spain's catastrophic, 3-loss qualifying campaign, culminating in a 3rd place finish 1 point behind Sweden and Serbia (sealed with a 1-0 loss in Stockholm on the final matchday), leading to Pep Guardiola's humiliating fall from grace, many of the pundits would be focusing their ridicule on Peter Bosz' Dutch side, who lost at home to Georgia, drew at home to Poland (after losing away), and then could only draw in Luxembourg.  Not good enough.  Not by a long shot.

In the aftermath of their own humiliating exit, the Royal Dutch FA decided a new direction was necessary.  No more promoting from within, adhering blindly to the Cruyff school of thought, and simply passing the torch to the next retired international footballer-turned-manager in line.  It was time to think outside the box.  To bring in fresh blood.  With fresh ideas.

At least, that's what they told themselves the morning after they consumed far too much Oranjebitter, and woke to headlines announcing the appointment of a young, Colombian upstart plying his trade in...of all places, Belgium.  The FA rightly considered how quickly they could pawn this all off as nothing more than a poorly-timed joke...until they saw the social media reaction from supporters and pundits alike.

There was little choice.  There was no going back.  The die had been cast, and came up all pips...the only question being, what game were 

Above all, there was one demand, shouted loud and clear the Algarve and echoed wherever supporters of Het Nederlands Elftal gathered -- play horny football.

This is the Netherlands, after all...one cannot simply abandon the 433 and an attacking, "total football" mentality. 

And thus The Colombian Crabhammer was born.

 

 

  

  

[Rikulec]

Nice to see such a strong qualifying campaign for Poland, who are their best players?

[ManUtd1]

7 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Nice to see such a strong qualifying campaign for Poland, who are their best players?

Indeed.  Not a qualifying campaign where they blew the doors off of anyone, but they were steady/consistent.

 

       

[Rikulec]

No surprises in the squad then, thought they would have at least one decent-looking newgen among the standouts. Cheers.

[ManUtd1]

11 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

No surprises in the squad then, thought they would have at least one decent-looking newgen among the standouts. Cheers.

They've got two decent regen defenders (away from my laptop for a few, so no screenshots), but no other regens in the national team at this moment.

[ManUtd1]

When you meet a rival off the pitch, look him in the eyes and shake his hand.  Then, wink at his girlfriend...  She knows she's dating a loser.

December 2021 Mini-Update

This past month has been a whillwind.  To and fro...key matches with the Essevee and a backroom staff to fill out with the Netherlands.  I've barely had time to think.

Meeting with my captain, Donny van de Beek, and his vice-captain, Kevin Strootman, was brilliant.  We've got a solid squad.  Although, they don't like my plans for the Colombian Crabhammer...they'd rather take a crack at what we're playing with Zulte, which is a 4-3-3 in its own right.  They tell me I'm too worried about the past and living up to unwritten rules written too far in the past to matter, football is changing.  At the very least, it gave me something to think about.  Stick with what we're doing at Zulte or...?

Thinking of the Essevee, we're in great shape.  The 2nd XI have wobbled a bit of late, but we still have a 9-point lead as we head into the winter break, with a Croky Cup semifinal ahead of us.

More importantly, we managed to salvage a draw with Monaco at home and then trounced Ajax in Amsterdam...meaning we won our Group.  Against all the odds.

Our reward?  A date with Brendan Rodgers' Dortmund in the First Knockout Round.

Brendan is struggling domestically, sitting 9th in the table...  Which means the songbook is already back out at the Regenboog...All together now...

Super Brendan likes to play his EquiMagic online...

 

 

[ManUtd1]

A quick glance at Europe...

 

Mourinho's United is not looking good.  Dortmund sit 9th on 24 points, 25 points behind Bayern.  Fener are also 9th, after having blown it last year.  Panathinaikos are finally pushing for a result after several years of severe underperformance.

[ManUtd1]

The time is now.

Months of hard work, sweat and tears.  Untold cost, both literal and figurative.  

The bright lights.  The television cameras.  The expectant crowd.  

Amidst the chaos, Brendan sits.  Proud.  Tall.  A giant among men.  Peerless.  

His newly-pressed , double-breasted suit crisp.  His tie bright, in a sophisticated Eldridge knot.  

There is no fear in his eyes.  Much less in his heart.

These are the moments to be treasured, he thinks to himself.  Ready to step onto the biggest stage.

The anticipation of the crowd grows.  

Yet still Brendan waits.

He knows that a fashionably-late entrance on this, the greatest stage in the sport, will only serve to play to the crowd.  Giving his supporters the chance to revel in the moment, dreams of glory within reach.  Giving his detractors their just due, and a moment to bay for his blood under the hot, harsh lights.

This is not just any moment.  It is the moment.  His moment.  The culmination of a career.

As the first notes begin to play, Brendan taps his foot in time with the beat.  He's feeling it.

As the lyrics kick in, he begins to gyrate hypnotically.  Seductively, he croons... 

"COMING OUT OF MY CAGE AND I'VE BEEN DOING JUST FINE, GOTTA GOTTA BE DOWN BECAUSE I WANT IT ALL,

IT STARTED OUT WITH A KISS, HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS, IT WAS ONLY A KISS, IT WAS ONLY A KISS..."

Now, he's feeling the music, pouting his lips and dancing in time with SugarBerry, the star of his EquiMagic stable.  The one he's pinned all of his hopes and dreams on.  Like Mick Jagger in his prime, with a dash of Jennifer Beals in Flashdance, they dance.  And Brendan sings.

This is not just his moment.  It is SugarBerry's moment.  Their moment.

As the chorus hits, Brendan flings his arms wide, spinning like a whirling dervish, singing at the top of his lungs, stepping in time with SugarBerry on the screen of his laptop.  Brendan dips; SugarBerry dips.  They're in perfect sync.

Down the hall, confusion reigns as the indie rock anthem blares, only slightly muted by the walls of Rodgers' office.

Inside the Dortmund dressing room, everyone knows what is happening even if they pretend not to and refuse to acknowledge the...eccentricities...of the man they've come to call Der Reiter, behind his back.

With a weary sigh, Rodgers' assistant manager looks about the room.

"Alright, lads.  It's Mainz, innit?  You all know what to do."

"But, Herr Vilson...vhat are vee to do about...ze singing and ze prancing?  Ze kickoff is in minoots...?"

From down the hallway, everyone can hear Brendan begin to sing the chorus again at the top of his lungs.

Resigned, Rodgers' assistant manager sighs deeply.  Again.

"You just leave Herr SugarBerry and his prancing ponies to me, Mario.  You just get out there on that pitch.  And remember...not a word of this to anyone.  In the boss' delicate state...the results could be...unpredictable."

"Vee know.  Vee know...  Like the Sargeant of the Schultz, 'vee know nozzing.'"

In the near distance, the chorus kicks in one last time.  SugarBerry prances.  Brendan dances.  But only the judges know if the performance will be good enough to win the coveted blue ribbon that has eluded Brendan all this time...

[ManUtd1]

I'm beginning to think that my DOF, Luca Toni, isn't taking his job very seriously.  This.  This is the kid you've offered a contract to?!

Thank urCristiano I've retained final say on signings and transfers.

Any more of this, and Luca will find himself on a long-term scouting mission to Yemen.

 

[kidthekid]

and he's already 20

[ManUtd1]

7 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

and he's already 20

He tried to sign 3 players of similar quality in the span of a few days. 

And to think, at one point I gave him credit for making some sublime signings!

[kidthekid]

Stalin and his staff to Luca Toni

[Sir_Liam]

9 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

I'm beginning to think that my DOF, Luca Toni, isn't taking his job very seriously.  This.  This is the kid you've offered a contract to?!

Thank urCristiano I've retained final say on signings and transfers.

Any more of this, and Luca will find himself on a long-term scouting mission to Yemen.

 

On my game I've been offered a player by an agent and see that someone such as Monaco is interested, so I think immediately they must be a great signing for me, as my team was much weaker than Monaco at that time. They turn out to be crap once I've had them on trial though, and then Monaco go and sign them when there's no way they'll ever be good enough for them.

I do think my scouts have been much better compared to FM2017, however the AI's judgement in actually signing players still seems far from perfect.

[BoxToBox]

9 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

I'm beginning to think that my DOF, Luca Toni, isn't taking his job very seriously.  This.  This is the kid you've offered a contract to?!

Thank urCristiano I've retained final say on signings and transfers.

Any more of this, and Luca will find himself on a long-term scouting mission to Yemen.

 

He looks alright for a 16 year........... Oh!

One moment, Luca....

[ManUtd1]

1 hour ago, Sir_Liam said:

On my game I've been offered a player by an agent and see that someone such as Monaco is interested, so I think immediately they must be a great signing for me, as my team was much weaker than Monaco at that time. They turn out to be crap once I've had them on trial though, and then Monaco go and sign them when there's no way they'll ever be good enough for them.

I do think my scouts have been much better compared to FM2017, however the AI's judgement in actually signing players still seems far from perfect.

Yeah, I do find that my scouts are turning up better players than they used to. In this past window, several guys I targeted based on my scouts' legwork opted for the PL, Ligue 1, etc.  Much better than they used to do, in terms of finding less obvious players.  The DoF is still very hit and miss, though. 

[ManUtd1]

When you meet a rival off the pitch, look him in the eyes and shake his hand.  Then, wink at his girlfriend...  She knows she's dating a loser.

March 2022 Mini-Update

The domestic title is all but ours and, more importantly, on the biggest nights of Zulte's European history we stood tall.  Like warrior poets.

Sorry, no time to chat...party tonight in Belgium, and I'm off to the Netherlands shortly for my first appearance on the touchline for the Dutch.

OUT OF EUROPE, SACKED TOMORROW, BRENDAN IS ATROCIOUS... 

 

 

I usually don't screenshot intakes, but this kid looks the business...even if I'll never pronounce his name correctly.

 

[ManUtd1]

By all rights, we should get our heads kicked in.  Dortmund is mid-table in Germany.  Atletico are a whole different beast.

 

 

 

[Goofan]

May I ask what skin you are using to get that Club overview?

[bigmattb28]

1 hour ago, Goofan said:

May I ask what skin you are using to get that Club overview?

It's Wannachup dark bro

[ManUtd1]

And now, for your "FML moment of the day" sponsored by Tecate...

My laptop died last night. Messages that your laptop "cannot find a boot device" are never good.  Confirmed this afternoon that the SSD is basically dead. Techie brother-in-law (IT professional here) cannot recover any data.  So, this save has died an unexpected, premature death.

I'm ****ing gutted.

No heart to start a new narrative save when I get it back working again. But we'll see.

For now, this save is sadly over.

Pass the Tecate.

[kidthekid]

Sorry man. It was an awesome thread

[ManUtd1]

57 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Sorry man. It was an awesome thread

RIP, SugarBerry.

[Minuy600]

Too bad, man. I did enjoy following this just to see the league tables, including those of different countries. Always fun to see how the world changes while you are playing in it.

[noikeee]

Maybe you could keep writing and pretending the game's still going on?

 

Just kidding, no seriously it really ****ing sucks to lose the game like that, specially when it only was starting and really gaining some momentum. It was a short while, but we will remember the epic ballad of magic horses in Belgium.

 

[noikeee]

By the way I actually searched "magic horses" on Giphy on my Google Chrome browser address bar to find that gif, so I'm now a little scared on what adverts will Google start showing me, now that it added "magic horses" to the list of keywords I'm interested in.

[MarcxD]

Sorry to see this having to end.  

[Sir_Liam]

[Rikulec]

****.