[FM21] River with a bridge

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May 2046

We started the month with the game against Rangers and we were beaten quite handily. At that point I have not had any expectations and just told the boys to go with the flow. We managed to beat St. Mirren which meant if we draw against Celtic we will win our second title in last three years. We managed to beat Celtic thanks to Gibb & Doig (whose collective age is 37) and we won Scottish Premiership! Week later we went on to play Rangers and I expected them to beat us since they won last two encounters but Gibb and Doig were against it. Two goals from each of them and we can CELEBRATE THE DOUBLE!

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Brora Rangers 2045/46

Champions League Group Stage | Europa League KO Stage

What a fantastic season! We were 1st in domestic league ever since round three and managed to sweep the title for second time in three years. To add onto Rangers' misery, we managed to beat them in Scottish Cup finals aswell and celebrate double! In Champions League we were handed pretty tough group but played well and almost advanced. In the end we went on to play Europa League where we beat Leicester and PAOK but lose to Barcelona in quarterfinals. Miller still remains our best player but Thomson may be replaced by Doig very soon. Fox is not as good as he used to be but he's still our number one. Gibb (20 years), Campbell (19) and McMahon (16) became important parts of our team aswell. Maclean also our number one CB at the moment and he can substitute Wilson as DM if Sean gets injured or suspended.

Transfers | Youth In-take

Key players: James Miller, Stuart Doig & Callum Gibb

Youth watch: Cammy Milne, Johnny Smith & Martin Mitring

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August 2046

We started well by beating Celtic but towards the end of the month we absolutely **** the bed versus Aberdeen and lost 4-0 at their pitch.

Could this be the time we advance from the group stage?

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September 2046

We beat Salzburg but other than that quite questionable results, we lost to Rangers in league and also are out of Betfred Cup following our loss against Aberdeen. Callum Gibb became our first ever Scottish National Team player! .. and he wants to leave  

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October 2046

We were the better team against Ajax and also against Barcelona but we gained zero points and advancement is most likely gone. In league we only drew against Motherwell and Hearts and Rangers are currently 11-0-0 meaning we probably have to aim for the 2nd place.

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November 2046

Even though we beat Salzburg, Ajax managed to draw against Barcelona which means we are knocked out of CL before our last game against Ajax. Also two comfortable wins in league. Thomson still scoring goals but Doig is not doing really well, this was his first goal in whole season. We changed tactic from 4-4-2 diamond to 4-4-2 flat as it leaves us with bigger depth. 

 

Yes!

I realized I have not shown the finances for quite some time so here we go:

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December 2046

Great month in league was we won six games and drew once. We even managed to beat Rangers and now they're up only by seven points. Doig finally started to score some goals. Three goals in three games for our wingback/right midfielder Karl Coffey towards the end of the month.

This should be easy.

Hopefully he will recover quickly and come back strong. 

Youth in-take preview:

Give me some wingbacks please  

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January 2047

Great month, attackers are on fire. Gibb & Campbell unfortunately got injured against Celtic so we will miss them for three to four weeks.

 

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February 2047

Another great month for us but Rangers just are not dropping any points, we are still five points away. Against Maribor it was two rather easy games.

Should be playable opponent!

True legend. Also approaching 100 appearances for Northern Ireland!

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March 2047

First of all, another month where we win all our league games. But it is for nothing most likely as Rangers just do not drop points ever and are currently still ahead of us by potential (sure) 5 points. We also dropped out of Scottish Cup after loss against Celtic. In Europa League we managed to advance through St. Etienne after great home performance.

Scottish derby in Europa League quarterfinals!

Youth in-take

What a horrible in-take  

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April 2047

Aberdeen was a tough opponent. We were winning very soon thanks to McMahon but we bottled it and lost 1-2 at their staidum. In the rematch it was goals galore with Doig scoring twice for us and we could move forward. In the league the title was finally decided as we lost 4-0 to Rangers and after that only drew against Aberdeen.

We can only surprise!

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May 2047

Horrible end of the season as we were decimated with injuries. in last two games we had 7 starting players injured and the depth just is not there. All in all it means trophyless season for us. 

Some good news here. Something I really struggle with in this FM are agents that are trying to put unreasonable release clauses into my players' contracts. What happens is that I refuse to give htem the contract they want, they are mad at me, few months later they change their mind and voilá there's no dumb release clause needed anymore. Happens all the time and truly pisses me off.

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Brora Rangers 2046/47

Champions League Group Stage | Europa League KO Stage

Even though we did not win any trophy this time around, it was still a great season from my point of view. The only reason why we did not win domestic league was insane form from Rangers who just never dropped points which was really infuriating. In both cups we could have played better but we managed to reach semifinals of Europa League - something we never achieved before. Miller is not as important to us as he used to be and we could use a better goalkeeper aswell but they still can do a good job. New generation of players such as Gibb, Campbell, McMahon or Maclean is looking great so hopefully there's only bright future ahead of us!

Transfers | Youth in-take

Key players: Paul Thomson, Stuart Doig & Callum Gibb

Youth watch: Michael Healy

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Why not 

This will be the last one I think.

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Definitely would not guess that by his attributes 

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August 2047

Decent start to the season but Rangers are already 4-0-0 and four points up.

Lets try our best to push for the advancement.

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September 2047

Perfect month! We concede many goals but we score even more  Very important win against Milan could definitely help us advance from our CL group. Paul Thomson was unstoppable this month. Rangers dropped points and we are now first based on goal difference.

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October 2047

October was very busy and tough month. We started with a loss against Real Madrid but we played kinda decent and did not get humiliated, so that's a plus. We managed to beat Red Star comfortably and got ourselves closer to the KO stage. Then we went on to play twice against Rangers, in the first game I had to rest many key players and we only managed a goal-less draw. Few days later on neutral ground we beat them 4-2 and will play in the Betfred Cup final for the first time.

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November 2047

We beat both Red Star and more importantly Milan to reach Champions League KO stage for the first time! Other than that we drop against Hearts but we are still first, three points above Rangers. Is the title title yoyo-ing with Rangers going to continue?

Our second scottish international!

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December 2047

And we can celebrate the first trophy of the season! After 28 years in Scottish football we win Betfred Cup  In league we continue with decent form although we lost 3-0 to Aberdeen - they were just better. Our aim this season is to win the title. We also finally advance to CL KO stage where we will face Tottenham. Lets hope the underdog role suits us and we can surprise.

Tough opponent.

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Definitely did not expect this 

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January 2048

Quite bad month month as we only draw with Aberdeen and lose to Rangers, meaning we drop to second in the league table.

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February 2048

Fantastic month! We won all five league games and again reached first position as Rangers lost to Dundee. Towards the end of the month we welcomed Tottenham on our stadium and after furious battle we managed to win 3-2 after Owen Gray's shot just outside of the box in 92nd minute. Next game is Scottish Cup quarterfinal versus Rangers.

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March 2048

We continue with fantastic form as we eliminate Rangers in Scottish Cup and win all our league matches. Against Tottenham we were clearly the worse team but we managed to advance on away goals thanks to 80th minute goal by Owen Gray  

 

Youth in-take

Talented goalkeeper just in time to replace Fox!

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April 2048

In league we won three in three and next game can crown us as champions. In SC we advanced to the finals after beating 2nd tier Partick Thistle... but most importantly, we managed to overcome PSG! Once more, away goals were our friend as we win the home game 2-0 thanks to Gray and then score an important goal on PSG's field. Our legend, Gerard Fox, probably played the game of his life, even though he conceded three, he caught a penalty and also helped with many more important saves. In semifinals we got Borussia Dortmund and in the first game lost 3-1.

 

[Johnny-Trotter]

Great job - very impressive so far. It's fantastic to see players like Stuart Doig coming through 

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May 2048

Started not so well with a loss to Aberdeen but at this point we were 8 points up and then.. We managed to beat Borussia Dortmund! Unfortunately we conceded a second goal in 74th minute and even though we really tried to push - we just could not make it and eventually lost on away goals. Still the biggest achievement so far, especially considering this was the first time we actually got out of the groups. After that we managed to beat Hibernian so we could celebrate title. I have the key players rest for next two league games so they could get ready for Scottish Cup finals that we won and can celebrate famous treble!

 

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Brora Rangers 2047/48

Champions League Group Stage | Champions League KO Stage

Uhh.. where to start.. We played absolutely fantastic whole season long and managed to get treble, as well as reach Champions League semifinals. I feel like we are overly over-achieving and I am afraid we may see another drop in form next season. Even though most of the key players want to leave, I just won't let them go. They're on long term contracts and we definitely do not need the money anymore. They're usually pissed for a while but a trophy or two change their minds quickly. McMahon is this season's superstar with 18+16 from left midfield and he's only 18! McWilliams - Maclean - Chaoui is decent trio in defense but we are seriously lacking a right defender. The unsung heroes are Fraser Jack & Neil Buchan who both are with us since 2nd tier days and they're still starting and now reached CL semifinals with us. Gerard Fox is getting worse but we got a great income from youth-intake. Even though Paul Thomson's numbers still look great, he is (and always was) a streaky striker, meaning he can net three hattrick in three games and then not produce a single goal in next five games. That's why I am trying new players there - especially Owen Gray scored couple of very important goals in CL for us. We are also getting another stadium expansion.

Transfers | Youth in-take

Key players: Stuart Doig, Mark McMahon & Alex Maclean

Youth watch: Angus Stewart, Sandy Chalmers & Jonathan Wallace

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@Johnny-Trotter Thank you for the kind words! Yes, Doig is fantastic at the moment and I have a feeling McMahon might be even better 

[Rikulec]

So close to making the CL final!

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41 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

So close to making the CL final!

Hopefully it was not an one-off and we will be able to stay competitive within CL!

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August 2048

Decent start to the league but somehow we lost to Partick Thistle in Betfred Cup and got eliminated.

Lets see how strong Lyon and Galatasaray are.

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September 2048

Progressing well in league but Champions League was not the best for us this month. Only drew against OL which will make things tricky going forward.

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October 2048

Thomson with seven in three, meaning I can sub him out for next five games   Rangers not showing a good form so far this season.

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November 2048

Only a draw against OL means that we will need to beat Barcelona to advance through.

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December 2048

We managed to beat Barcelona which means we advanced to KO stage once more. In league we played decent although we lost to Rangers at home and also dropped points to Hibernian. We are still first, three points ahead of Rangers. We had some injuries throughout the month so I am happy with the overall results.

Youth in-take preview

Not the best one  

No easy opponents in KO stage.

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January 2048

Good month for us, McMahon destroyed Celtic with a hattrick.

He did not want to renew his contract with us and he had six months left on it so I had to move him. Still a pity but we have a replacement in line with Johnny Smith. First major loss due to transfer though.

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February 2048

Very busy month saw us advance to Scottish Cup semifinals aswell as win four and lose one in league. Against Chelsea we were the better team but just could not manage to score. Away goals are our only chance now.

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March 2048

We managed to beat Chelsea 2-1 on Stamford Bridge thanks to two goals by Paul Thomson and will move to quarterfinals. In league we played fine and are currently nine points ahead of Rangers.

Youth in-take

We will be swimming in top class goalies 

 

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April 2049

Stuart Doig with fantastic form in April. We win two and draw one in league, meaning we only need one point in last three games to secure the title. Unfortunately we lost to Celtic in Scottish Cup semifinals as we were resting players before our match against Man Utd. It was a great move as our fresh players managed to beat Man Utd twice and we advanced to semifinals, where we face Barcelona. On Camp Nou we played a decent game but in the end lost 2-1 after a questionable penalty in 90th minute.

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May 2049

We beat Hibernian to secure our second consecutive title and then welcomed FC Barcelona at home. We had a fantastic first half where we were winning thanks to Doig 2-0 and we were holding the result up to 90+5 when Barcelona scored and sent us to overtime. At that point I was sure we will eventually lose but Karl Coffey scored after a lucky rebound off Barcelona defender in 104th minute and sent us to the CL finals for the first time!

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Champions League Final

OAKA Spyros Louis

29th May 2049

21:00

Welcome to OAKA Spyros Louis Stadium in Athens! 87 292 fans found the way to the stadium today as Real Madrid face surprising finalist Brora Rangers for Champions League title!

Real Madrid: Ikechukwu - Morales, Terzi, Lopez, Leandro - Moreira, Dude, Soares, James - Davey, Aleksic

Brora Rangers: Fox - Milne, Chaoui, Maclean, McWilliams -  McMahon, Gibb, Wilson, Smith -  Thomson, Doig

4th, Maclean gets a yellow card for tackle on pacey Davey.

10th, another yellow card for Brora Rangers, Gibb had to hit the brakes and break up Real Madrid's counter attack.

14th, Doig finds Smith who shoots from just outside the sixteen and the ball fizzes just past the post, agonizingly close for Johnny Smith!

16th, Dude gets yellow card for a foul on Sean Wilson near the halfline lane, Stuart Doig takes the freekick and with amazing cross finds Gibb who scores past Ikechukwu with his left foot and sends Brora forward! GOAL FOR BRORA RANGERS!

31st, Dude gets booked for foul on Thomson.

33rd, Moreira finds James from the corner kick who heads the ball just little bit over the top.

45th, Gibbs finds Smith with a cross on right side, Smith produces not his best shot on near post and Ikechukwu comfortably saves.

46th, pacey Davey goes through three Brora players but Fox saves and holds the ball.

HT, Brora Rangers 1-0 Real Madrid

59th, Davey once more makes an brilliant effort to run through the Brora defence like knife through butter but once more the finish is not as clinical as he wished for, Fox saves the shot from the angle.

73rd, booking for Lucas Lopez who hit McMahon with his elbow.

80th, Real Madrid tries to push hard but so far Brora's defence is very complex and does not allow for any chances.

86th, Soares with a long shot try but goes just a little bit wide.

90th, referee adds five minutes, can Brora finish the job and achieve the unachievable?

90+4, throw for Real Madrid near Brora's box, James does one-two with Soares and crosses the ball to the box, ball finds Morales who scores on the far post! 1-1 and we will most likely head to overtime! So close for Brora, lets see how will the equalizer affects Brora's presence on the pitch.

94th, Davey finds Morales with through pass but Morales shoots wide!

95th, counter attack for Real Madrid, Morales passes it ahead of Davey but Fox produces fantastic save to deny Madrid! Corner for Real Madrid.

96th, Moreira takes the corner, Lopez reaches the highest but the header goes just to the middle of the post where Fox makes a comfortable save.

102nd, Ikechukwu finds Gomes with a fantastic long ball and Gomes sends the ball behind the back of Fox! What a blunder by Brora's sweepers who just let him go for free. 2-1 for Real Madrid! 18 minutes to go!

107th, Coffey finds Doig with a low cross but Doig misses from fantastic position! That sure looked like a certain goal! Superb cross from Coffey.

111th, McWilliams crosses from right wing, his pass finds Kieran Jarvie who manages to score past Ikechukwu with a fantastic shot! GOAL FOR BRORA RANGERS, and it is all square now!

120+1, both teams look proper exhausted, it is penalty time!

Penalties

Thomson wins the coinflip and chooses Brora to go second, penalties will be taken in front of Real Madrid's fans corner.

First on the menu for Real Madrid, Davey. Davey does not give a chance to Fox as he comfortably sends it to the right low corner! 1-0

Gibb starts for Brora, Gibb is designated penalty taker.. Gibb shoots it in the middle and although Ikechukwu kind of stayed near the middle he could not save the shot! 1-1

Moreira is next.. shot goes the same way as Davey's penalty and it's 2-1!

Stuart Doig next, european golden boy from year ago.. same as Gibb, puts it in the middle as Ikechukwu jumps to the right. 2-2

Now comes Soares..and once more no chance for Fox! Third in a row to Fox's left side! 3-2

Thomson for Brora, soon 30 years old team captain... He steps up confidently and gives no chance for Ikechukwu! 3-3

Lopez now.. and he misses! Lopez sends the ball too wide! 3-3

McWilliams comes next, 19 years old right back.. Probably have not taken many penalties throughout his career... Fantastic shot to the left and no chance for Ikechukwu! 3-4

Fulvio Terzi for Real.. he has to score or Brora Rangers wins the Champions League.. Terzi steps up, shoots to the right.. AND FOX PRODUCES A FANTASTIC SAVE! BRORA RANGERS ARE THIS YEAR'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS!

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Club World Championship 2049

We are missing three players - Milne, Gray and most importantly, Stuart Doig due to u21 European Championship. These games were a breeze though. And now we have one day break before games verus PSG 

Without the rest we standed no chance versus PSG.

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Brora Rangers 2048/49

Champions League Group Stage | Champions League KO Stage

Fantastic season by all means! Althought we have not won any domestic cups, we managed to clinch the title and most importantly, we won the Champions League! Unachievable was achieved and now it's time to move forward. We also played in Club World Championship but were missing key players due to internationals and lost to PSG in quarterfinals. This tournament also makes it impossible for me to deliver all the usual screenshots as it progressed to new season  Key players were the same. We were playing fantastic football all season long and it will be interesting to see what happens to Brora Rangers as I retire.

Transfers

Key players: Stuart Doig, Mark McMahon & Alex Maclean

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That's it I think 

[Rikulec]

What's next?

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@Rikulec New journeyman type career  This was the only save I played so far with FM21 and I need some career where I can bring in players  I might come back to this to see how Brora and some players eventually continued though.

[abulezz]

Awesome save - it was great following it!

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@abulezz Thanks a lot