[FM21] Swiss Army Knife

[_Ben_]

September 2027: Knocked back

I've asked three times now and I feel that I now must accept this decision and move on. The board have cited lack of funds but my projections look solid for the next three years, with us just making a small loss. Granted, there will be an increase in wages but only five of my first team have contracts that expire this year so there won't need to be a sudden influx of elevated deals created. 

Which brings me to my own future...

My deal expires next summer and I have every want to see that out and, should the right offer come up later this year, I'd probably like to add in a clause that means I won't move until the end of the season - meaning I can both finish a job here and also get a full pre-season to mould and develop my style. I feel that I'm owed that based on the league win in my first full season at Meyrin and the strong start to my first full season here. As for where:

My two jobs so far have seen me manage in the cantons of Geneve and Fribourg and, whilst this is not a game where I try and manage in them all, I'd like to see if I can branch out. Moving to Luzern is always on the cards as they have been relegated and Zurich (for Grasshoppers and FC Zurich) would take me further East, too.

At the end of the day - I'm not holding out for anything specific, just enjoying the in-game and geographical ride, which, almost certainly, will have a new stop on it in the next twelve months.

[Hootieleece]

Try to find a team in Uri or Schwyz those are two of the original cantons. Aargau is home of Castle Habsburg... if you want a more historical background for your next management stop.

 

[Sonic Youth]

Seems like you’ve got another weird board at Fribourg. Good start on the new season which ultimately is what will get you a new team. Not sure what’s up with the board switching tactical directions suddenly like that with no changes to them.

[_Ben_]

9 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Try to find a team in Uri or Schwyz those are two of the original cantons. Aargau is home of Castle Habsburg... if you want a more historical background for your next management stop.

 

Thanks - that was a nice little bit of morning reading! However, there are no clubs of a decent reputation from there and I want to keep my manager moves as realistic as possible.

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Seems like you’ve got another weird board at Fribourg. Good start on the new season which ultimately is what will get you a new team. Not sure what’s up with the board switching tactical directions suddenly like that with no changes to them.

I don't mind so much this time. At Redditch, it impacted the whole of the save but as you say, this season is about getting me a new job so I don't have to worry too much. There was no indication they wanted any of this in my interview so I do feel a little mistreated now they demand this and are upset that I have suddenly changed my playing style to fit their needs.

[_Ben_]

2027/28 First Quarter Update

This is absolutely beyond my wildest dreams.

Whilst I rebuilt the squad, I didn't think that the little part timers would be able to push on maybe any more than being in the top half. However, we're top, unbeaten and playing some great stuff at both ends. We haven't been scared of the opposition and, even in games against teams such as Luzern, approach with positivity. To restrict a team that is 1-91 on to be Champions of this league to just 0.23 xG and to beat them 2-0 just four games into a season where the majority of the first team is still getting used to each other is just wonderful. We're working hard on the training pitch and in the game to nullify threats and to create as much chaos as we can going forward.

We have also enjoyed a bit of a dream cup running. After scraping through in extra time against lower league Seuzach, we then produced the most resilient defensive display I've seen in a while - registered just half of St Gallen's xG to beat the Super League Champions with two lovely counter attacks. 

 

There is plenty more to the game that just averaging ratings but the distribution of such good ratings across the team is a testament to our strength. What has also helped us, that was not possible to do last year, is the substitution rules in this league and the Super League. You are allowed five changes from a maximum of three game 'interruptions' so, this year, I have really been able to mix my team up as the game goes on. This depth essentially means I can bring every outfield player off the pitch every two games - playing 1 and a bit of every 2 games is really going to ensure they are fit and, hopefully, minimise injuries. This was just not possible last year with a paper thin squad.

---

I also want to look at some metrics to see how much, or even if, we have improved over the off-season. Here is what I set out to improve and in red is how we are performing now.

Improving the defensive organisation

• We allowed the most shots and eighth most shots on target.  We have allowed the second least shots (8.33/game) with the second least on target (3.78/game) and just 45% of all shots we face are on target, which is lower than what we register offensively.
• We registered the second highest xGA (46.48) across the season. We've allowed just 6.9 xGa (0.77/game) compared to 1.29/game last year.
• We had the eighth leakiest defence. We have the tightest defence in the league so far this season.

Improving the defensive aspect of transitional play

• Just 0.26 key passes/90 on average for defenders. Our defensive players are now recording 0.59 key passes/90
• Defenders averaging 81% pass completion - 3% down on non-defenders. Pass completion is now at 87% for defensive players, which is 2% above non-defenders.

Improve the potency of attack

• We averaged 40.7 passes per shot over the course of the season with 82.8 per shot on target (compare this to 59 per SoT for Chiasso and 61.9 per SoT for Winterthur). We're now recording 29 passes per shot, on average and 56.1 per shot on target.
• We ranked lowest in clear cut chances created (35 compared to 94 from Aarau). We still have created the lowest number of clear cut chances, 9 (1/game), which is 33% of what Aarau have created.
• Last in the league with 106 crosses completed (2.9 per game) which is just an 11% completion rate from the 963 we have attempted. 12% cross completion but we are completing, on average, 4.3 a game now.

---

There is no doubt that we have really improved over the off-season and the start of this season and have put ourselves into a great position for the club to challenge around the top of the league and for me to find a new job when my contract expires. It's a shame that the board are unhappy with this start and cannot see the bigger picture, even on the journey since last October when I took over.

[_Ben_]

October 2027: Job chances

As I tick by to 346 days in charge of Fribourg with 255 days left until my contract expires, I want to ensure that I'm keeping a close eye on the job market so that I can find a club that I can take to the next level. My first port of call here is the team performance comparisons:

In the Super League, Lugano have currently lost eleven in a row and sit rock bottom but I feel that a move directly to the top tier is a step too far, too soon. However, the sacking of Lugano boss, Rainer Bieli, may lead to them searching below them for a manager who can attempt to keep them up. Anyway, it does seem a little unrealistic that a manager, just three years ago, was about to be appointed into his first job, in the fourth tier and now is looking at top tier clubs - so I'll stay clear for now.

The Challenge league has some interesting things. Scaffhausen are currently underperforming and the job is very insecure. They are sitting in a very similar position to what Fribourg were when I took over there, but they are fully professional, have a functioning second team (although playing below the lowest playable, in game, fifth tier) and are able to pay their players handsomely, with their top earner taking home €1.7k p/w. What is more, Mauro Zarate is their current manager and he has had time to build a decent squad, favouring a similar style of football to my own - so a huge rebuild isn't really required. Not to consolidate, anyway. They are also from the canton of Schaffhausen, in the north, and German speaking, part of the country so I'd get the experience of a new language but they just feel like a real step back.

The job that I really want is the Luzern job. They're underperforming and most certainly have top tier facilities and players. Given the length of their odds to be champions, 1-91, you'd put money on their manage not lasting the season if they are not, at least, in the playoff places. This job would offer me the chance to get promoted, solidify and then aim to challenge the bigger teams in the league, whilst finally being able to put some time and effort into developing academy players at the club.

---

This whole 'journeyman' style has added an extra layer of thought into my game play and I'm loving it, despite being fully committed, at this time, to Fribourg.

[Hootieleece]

Well thought out "realism" about the job hunt!

 

[Sonic Youth]

Looks good with your job seeking hunt, especially with how good Fribourg’s form has been. Your plans are full of intrigue 

[tyler16]

Amazing start to the season. Seems like you're overperforming xG again based on the individual player numbers? Is this a league/game wide trend or have you just been fortunate two seasons running?

Love the callback to the offseason objectives, some massive improvements there. I personally wouldn't pay clear cut chances any mind if xG works the way it should. Seems like an arbitrary distinction that doesn't tell anything useful.

I agree that Scaffhausen could be a minor step back, but only if you end up getting Fribourg promoted. Professional status/budgets/second team/etc./more philosophically aligned board would be worth it IMO. That said, the Luzern job is perfect and what I'm rooting for.

[Tom14]

You mentioned delving into training more in this save, and semi-pro is usually my start point for careers. Have you noticed any development in your players? I ask as my way of thinking is slightly different. At the level I start at, with poor facilities and staff, I assumed that it would not be worthwhile doing sessions aimed at developing attributes, such as your tactical or outfield sessions, and so use the four sessions a week to focus entirely on preparation for the next match, mainly on set pieces.

As I say this is just an assumption and so I would be interested to hear your thoughts on that, and any development you've seen. I have to say, again, this is such a good thread, and could not be more up my street in terms of save style. I love the attention to detail and the realism you play with, and your reasoning behind the sessions you plan taking into consideration the weekends opponents is amazing.

[_Ben_]

8 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Well thought out "realism" about the job hunt!

 

Thank you!

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Looks good with your job seeking hunt, especially with how good Fribourg’s form has been. Your plans are full of intrigue 

I'm really happy with how we've started, definitely. I'd happily stay here forever but I can't fight another board like I did before!

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, tyler16 said:

Amazing start to the season. Seems like you're overperforming xG again based on the individual player numbers? Is this a league/game wide trend or have you just been fortunate two seasons running?

Love the callback to the offseason objectives, some massive improvements there. I personally wouldn't pay clear cut chances any mind if xG works the way it should. Seems like an arbitrary distinction that doesn't tell anything useful.

I agree that Scaffhausen could be a minor step back, but only if you end up getting Fribourg promoted. Professional status/budgets/second team/etc./more philosophically aligned board would be worth it IMO. That said, the Luzern job is perfect and what I'm rooting for.

We tend to overperform xG and it must be to do with the shape as we did so at Meyrin, too. I can't remember off the top of my head how that looks across the league, but I'd not be surprised, given the poor standard of goalkeeping.

Yeah - I went into that post with no knowledge of the difference, as I had to do a few calculations myself, so I'm delighted with the change. There'll hopefully come a point where I can do that kind of thing when adding just a youth player in to the mix, who I've spent time developing from the age of 15. With our facilities and development the way it is though, that's not going to happen so it does justify the transfer dealings.

I don't know why CCC are still in, to be fair as xG does all of that, and more. I don't understand why our xG:CCC ratio is so far off compared to others, so maybe this could be another data collection issue like key tackles (if I remember correctly) is for defenders. Never the less, I know I won't be measuring it again.

I think the Schaffhausen job is too son. It's very insecure now so I'd have to up ship and move, whereas the Luzern one, I hope, is a slow burner and I can maybe get it at the end of the season. My dream scenario would be to finish in the top four or so with Fribourg (as I don't think we're quite good enough to go up) and take over a Luzern side that also haven't gone up. That'd give me a year in the second tier to find my feet, embed some things and, hopefully still have a core of top players. Everything about the club is perfect for the job I want - I just hope it becomes available!

[_Ben_]

22 minutes ago, brookie1402 said:

You mentioned delving into training more in this save, and semi-pro is usually my start point for careers. Have you noticed any development in your players? I ask as my way of thinking is slightly different. At the level I start at, with poor facilities and staff, I assumed that it would not be worthwhile doing sessions aimed at developing attributes, such as your tactical or outfield sessions, and so use the four sessions a week to focus entirely on preparation for the next match, mainly on set pieces.

As I say this is just an assumption and so I would be interested to hear your thoughts on that, and any development you've seen. I have to say, again, this is such a good thread, and could not be more up my street in terms of save style. I love the attention to detail and the realism you play with, and your reasoning behind the sessions you plan taking into consideration the weekends opponents is amazing.

Funny you should ask as I was just looking through this. I've got two main points:

1) The training module

I love it. Getting really deeply in to it at a semi-pro level has been fantastic as it has simplified the process and removed well over half of the training time. I, originally, opted for sessions that I thought were multi-purpose: develop my players and prepare for the match. I thought that, from the Attacking Patient example below, anything in the 'tactical familiarity' area would have a knock on impact in the next game and I'd see 'Attacking' in that list you get from the training review each week.

I've since read that it is only those that fall in to the match preparation blocks that are clearly defined to have an impact.

However, the more I dive in - the more I feel that, by setting a passing style that does expect patient attacking and becoming more familiar with it, I am, in turn, actually developing that. Likewise - I set 'Defending wide' for example, which will work pressing intensity and marking as well as improving those attributes. It makes us more familiar with how we press, which, even though not listed, is impacting our next game.

Now - I don't know the extent of this. I'll come back to this point.

2) Player Development

Quite frankly - the only changes I'm seeing in attributes are Determination and Work Rate and they are coming after player discussions and fines for poor performances. This is a shame. However - I have terrible staff, poor training facilities and, in a league that is large in size for a semi-pro team, have a lot of games to play.

---

My thoughts are: They don't develop so why should I not just focus on match prep?

The training blocks that impact my tactical familiarity will help get the team used to my style. It feels, to me, like the match prep blocks are large, chunky and a little vague. Can I work on all of my defensive actions in just one session? Probably not to the extent that I want. Will teamwork solve all misplaced passing and miscommunication issues? Probably not to the extent that I want. 

---

I'm trying to have a 50/50 split on this. 

My first session is always tactics. It hits P/R/D stuff as well as other familiarity things and some key attributes for my style of football, particularly mentally. The second session is a training block that impacts attributes and tactical familiarity such as Defending Wide but not Ground Defence (no tactical work). I'll then use the second training day to hit something that will impact the next match, such as Attacking Movement. It's worth noting that Match Practice, below, actually doesn't hit the next match and is a really tough session so I sometimes swap that out for a different Match Prep block.

---

Just my thoughts! I don't know if I'm right or wrong but it seems to be working well for me. I have, however, probably earnt a shot at full time training soon so I can try and develop some attributes!

[_Ben_]

November 2027: Media Handling

Schaffhausen, ninth in the league, approached me and, after a lot of consideration, I decided against it. However, the little bit in the media tells the story. There's one job I'm after, but, as of right now, the manager is no longer insecure...

[Sonic Youth]

Yes, and that next job is going to be good for training comparisons between semi-pro and pro

I remember way back in past versions that the only thing you had to watch out for with training was condition and age once you set it up. And coaches of course, though that was much like buying players. The last few versions must be challenging to reduce the work load of the coaches to have better training sessions.

[_Ben_]

2027/28 Mid Season 

It's a race for second place and we hold the upper hand thanks to our superior goal difference.

This round of fixtures has been good, even if we lost our long unbeaten streak and crashed out of the cup. In terms of goalscoring, we've been a little weaker - creating only 8.51 xG in the eight games leading up to the Rapperswil tie, where we created 3.26 xG - a regular occurrence against them. The drop in form from my creative players, as seen below, has largely contributed to this:

Yet - when we look at the overall picture - we're good at all the areas and now just need to ensure that they stay together for the remainder of the season.

---

My next game, against Chiasso, will mark my hundredth in football. Prior to this, I've won 20 of my 42 games at Fribourg, scoring 59 and conceding  34. That win percentage is just below the 56% ratio I hold across my career, including the title winning season at Meyrin. Speaking of Meyrin, they are, sadly, struggling in the third tier and look like they could be cut adrift. The current squad is not too dissimilar from what I left but it feels as if this was a level too far for them and a justified move for me, considering their struggles.

The job merry-go-round is about to really get started...

10th placed Super League team Lugano are without a manager and the favourite for that job is ex-Italian international Mauro Camoranesi, who is at Maribor right now. That'll change nothing, but, similarly, 9th placed Super League side Grasshopper are also managerless and after Thun manager Jean-Michel Auby. Thun are currently 8th in the Super League so there could be a space for a manager to step up and Winterthur boss Jeremy Menez has been touted as a possible replacement. That would open up the third placed team at this level, whilst underachieving Luzern boss, Marc Schneider is still insecure as is Rapperswil boss Stephane Henchoz. However, sixth placed Vaduz dispensed of Massimo Ceccaroni, freeing up a space at the Rheinpark Stadion.

I'm the media favourite and I think I'd be silly to turn it down now but I do have two reservations: 

• Ideally, I want to see out the season here. I still think we're too early to allow a 'join at end of season' clause.
• Vaduz are not the team I want to build a dynasty with, given their inability to naturally qualify for Europe. As much as this is a journeyman, I don't feel that managing all of the teams is necessary!

I'll probably apply and see what they say in the interview before making a final choice. Got to brush up on my German though, first...

 

[_Ben_]

March 2028: Job availability

Let's do this...

[_Ben_]

2027/28 Three Quarter Update

I think that we have reached our ceiling.

As amazing as this has been and as wonderful as our growth has been over such a short amount of time, I think that moving on - particularly to that Luzern job - is necessary right now. We have the best players that are available to us at this time - working on a shoestring budget at a part time level and we aren't quite perfect, with little scope to make things better.

We started with a comprehensive win over Chiasso but then failed to turn up just a week later at home to Neuchatel. We conceded two penalties but had just enough to topple Winterthur before just about edging the Luzern tie. We completely failed to adhere to any of my defensive instructions as three long balls and three lapses in concentration by the same defender, Badinca led to three Wil goals and our first dropped points of the calendar year. I can only attribute his poor anticipation to such poor work in these areas - failing to deal with 50/60 yard balls over the top. The worst thing is that their goalkeeper is credited with two of the three assists, which tells you the distance and the time we had to set up properly. A win against Schaffhausen and a solid performance against Aarau just about kept our heads above the challenges over Luzern.

March was much better, completing our normal win over Rapperswil before, again, just about having enough to see off Vaduz.

Top spot is all but gone but holding on to second place would be a great achievement here and that playoff may be my last hurrah as I look to secure a move elsewhere over the summer.

---

I also had my youth intake:

I've really struggled to do my normal work on youth development at a semi-pro level and that will continue for as long as we stay at that level. However, when a player like Georges Henry comes into the team - I need to do all I can. My issue here is that he'll just be in the first team so there won't be the time to do that.

Edited March 14, 2021 by _Ben_

[tyler16]

Wow, lots going on here.

1. It would be brilliant if you could get Fribourg to the playoff (and maybe even promoted) as your last act with them. Have to imagine they'd go straight back down, but it would still be massive long term for the club.

2. Really hoping you're able to get the Luzern job for the upcoming season and beyond.

3. Henry looks class, maybe one to target when you have some transfer budget to play with. 

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, tyler16 said:

1. It would be brilliant if you could get Fribourg to the playoff (and maybe even promoted) as your last act with them. Have to imagine they'd go straight back down, but it would still be massive long term for the club.

That is my aim, certainly. I have to admit that promotion is beyond my wildest dreams, but it may force the board to turn professional and really continue to kick start the club. However, I fear that they'd be utterly embarrassed in the top flight due to their tiny reputation and, for me as a manager, I'd look a little silly getting a team promoted but not moving with them! However, moving to a more sizable club is far more realistic than not-resigning just because I got promoted.

1 hour ago, tyler16 said:

2. Really hoping you're able to get the Luzern job for the upcoming season and beyond.

You say that...

A nice wage increase but they only wanted me for a year - potentially due to the fact that they need to sort their mess out and, if I'm not the man, they'll need to find him soon. I will have two months at the club before the season starts, presuming that they are in the second tier still, which will be a wonderful chance to sort the backroom staff (as I've already agreed to take Renato with me) as well as training and tactical stuff.

1 hour ago, tyler16 said:

3. Henry looks class, maybe one to target when you have some transfer budget to play with. 

He's a proper generational talent, isn't he! It's a worry when he's already my best player - I can't give him too many minutes and I have a lot less understanding of what his potential is. However, I did move back to Meyrin to pick up Galeano and a youth player, Ajdini, so I'm not averse to it! I would like to really push academy players whilst at Luzern but signing a player this young doesn't fall far from that objective.

---

My plan is to really enjoy the last nine games at Fribourg and, in terms of promotion, what will be, will be (just as long as Luzern don't go up - although that does look unlikely). It's been a really fun second chapter to my story and, with some reports of a board takeover, could have ended very differently!

[Sonic Youth]

Well that is that! It’s been fun Fribourg (except for the non-pro) but we are parting ways. Just Luzerning you know we.

Congrats on landing the Luzern job. I imagine it’s only one year contract because your expected to promote and if you don’t...

I’m guessing Fribourg finishing second isn’t automatic promotion but playoff?

Tim Cahill won promotion with Millwall to the PL, but instead moved to Everton that same time. 

[Tom14]

On 13/03/2021 at 21:35, _Ben_ said:

Funny you should ask as I was just looking through this. I've got two main points

Thanks for the reply and your thoughts on semi-pro schedules. It seems like we agree on the point that at this level of club, attribute development is not going to come from training, hence why I set 3/4 sessions on match prep sessions. The only session I tend to use outside of this, is the match practice one. However, I use it on the first day of training in the week rather than the second, purely because of the impact it has on condition. As you rightly say, it is a tough session, and so personally I would not want it so close to match day. Have to say again, your thought process and explanations of your decisions are brilliant. It makes for a much more authentic save in my opinion and less game-y.

[Tajerio]

I would have found it really hard to commit to leaving a club before I knew whether I'd brought them up or not. Can't imagine they wouldn't turn professional if you went up either, but I do see the worry about getting clobbered a league up. Also I suppose you are trying not to get too attached to any one club, and if you got Fribourg promoted that might start to feel like A Project that might derail your larger aims.

[_Ben_]

10 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Well that is that! It’s been fun Fribourg (except for the non-pro) but we are parting ways. Just Luzerning you know we.

Congrats on landing the Luzern job. I imagine it’s only one year contract because your expected to promote and if you don’t...

I’m guessing Fribourg finishing second isn’t automatic promotion but playoff?

Tim Cahill won promotion with Millwall to the PL, but instead moved to Everton that same time. 

Thanks - yeah I think they are just unsure about their future. They can still get promoted but I guess that the job offer takes into account what would happen if they stay at this level and are looking for a manager to sort it out, quickly.

2nd place is a playoff against 9th in the Super League, which is currently Grasshoppers - so I'm not holding out too much hope on that one.

[_Ben_]

9 hours ago, brookie1402 said:

Thanks for the reply and your thoughts on semi-pro schedules. It seems like we agree on the point that at this level of club, attribute development is not going to come from training, hence why I set 3/4 sessions on match prep sessions. The only session I tend to use outside of this, is the match practice one. However, I use it on the first day of training in the week rather than the second, purely because of the impact it has on condition. As you rightly say, it is a tough session, and so personally I would not want it so close to match day. Have to say again, your thought process and explanations of your decisions are brilliant. It makes for a much more authentic save in my opinion and less game-y.

Firstly - I'd absolutely love to read about your game in more detail. I've been really taken to your thought process throughout discussing my game!

That is a wonderful point and one that I have truly never even thought of - simply because of the standard day that Match Practice is built in to. I will certainly take what I've been learning here and develop that into a full time schedule and I see no reason why I won't remove that block from a Friday before a match, for example. I've seen no real impact on condition but, then again, haven't been looking for one.

I think that this training module, alone, will see that any future games (not even thinking about that right now) will start at this level and follow the same kind of structure.

To build on something I said earlier to you about player development...I do have one youngster, Jose Maria Jimenez, who has been around the starting line up and getting some extra training focus. Here is his development over the last year:

Not much, at all, and mainly Determination and Work Rate - as I said due to performance issues. Development is possible, but really not that likely.

[_Ben_]

8 hours ago, Tajerio said:

I would have found it really hard to commit to leaving a club before I knew whether I'd brought them up or not. Can't imagine they wouldn't turn professional if you went up either, but I do see the worry about getting clobbered a league up. Also I suppose you are trying not to get too attached to any one club, and if you got Fribourg promoted that might start to feel like A Project that might derail your larger aims.

I agree but this move has essentially been on the cards since they blocked us turning Pro and insisted on a playing style that really doesn't suit us - so could have happened at any time of the year. I want to see this as a sideways step but one that allows me to take a much bigger leap forward.

I know that both myself and an AI manager will get slaughtered in the top flight with Fribourg, and, whilst I'm not playing an easy game just taking over title contenders - I really don't think that it would be a fun season plus. as you say, it'd almost be impossible to move on if I could get them up and keep them up! I'm certainly not in the business of 'throwing' anything and, with the likelihood of us reaching the playoff - I will enter that game with the same style and players as the rest of the season and just see what happens!

It's been a great year and three quarters but, whatever the outcome of the season, it's time to move on!

[_Ben_]

2027/28 End of Season

I said that we were going to have some fun!

It's funny that, in the last update, I mentioned that we'd peaked - however, add in some more interaction, some more in-depth training focuses and some more work on the opponent before the game and these things happen. We have far surpassed both my own and the board's desires this year, playing a fantastic brand of clever football, too boot. 

Over the course of this round of fixtures, we've scored more times (22 - 2.44 goals/90) than we have in any other period and also kept six clean sheets, conceding just 0.33 goals a game. We started with a thumping first half performance against Neuchatel, where a largely rotated squad performed wonders with three first half goals. We added a penalty in the second half to make it even more of a resounding result. There was a little tough spell against Chiasso, where we were not at our best and slightly rusty due to the experimental feel training had over the course of the international break, and against Winterthur and Luzern, where we really focused on returning to that defensively solidity that has served us so well this season. We put all of our eggs in a striking basket to hammer Wil before being edged out against Aarau, in the game that won them the title. We dominated the bottom two sides, scoring so freely and with such conviction, before a nice win against Vaduz to end the season.

As you'd expect from such a good team performance, we are well above average in all areas this year but we've really developed in terms of how I want to play, with special focus on playing out from the back and becoming far more potent going forward. The combination of the summer signings and really digging deep into training the way I want to play has massively helped here.

---

The first thing is to dig into those goal contributions:

• Schumacher: 26
• Vishi: 21
• Steenbergen: 18
• Muzangu: 17
• Reck: 16
• Tutonda: 10

Insane numbers! When I am linked to other jobs, one of my defining factors is that I like my wide player to get into the box to score and create for others and this is definitely demonstrated here. Schumacher has really justified his wage that, somewhat accidentally, saw him paid nearly 100% more than anyone else with a superb return from the right wing. Vishi, used as either a playmaker or a left winger has over twenty contributions, too and Steenbergen, the forward (as a Shadow Striker) was the top scorer with 16, one of four who hit double figures.

Defensively, too, we were solid with Roberts and Henchoz forming a wonderful alliance and Henry experiencing some football at the back end of the season.

The only disappointment must really be Izer Aliu, who, despite registering six goal contributions, really didn't impact the game as much as I wanted from his 'runner' role in the middle of midfield.

---

You may notice that there has been no talk of the playoffs.

That is because of a really annoying clause, which, despite asking to leave at the end of the season, has the date, set in stone, to be the 23rd May. The playoffs start after that (I have skipped through, before reloading again to write this up - the date doesn't change) :

So - all of my hard work to get this team to the position that they are in and I must then hand over the reigns to a caretaker (who won't be assistant Renato Augusto as he's coming with me). A really sad way to end a wonderful period of time. However, my attention turns to Luzern now...

[_Ben_]

May 2028: Welcome

The first port of call is to watch the two Fribourg games before diving in to a squad update and looking to the future here.

[_Ben_]

2027/28 Super League Playoff

Following the rather unfortunate timing of my departure, it was Labinot Shenholi who was tasked with guided little Fribourg to an unexpected promotion, in two games against 9th place Super league side Thun, who went up last year. In the first leg, they lined up with a formation that hasn't been used all season.

It wasn't the easiest of games to watch. Fribourg were poor, to be fair, and lacked a lot of imagination and style of play that they'd demonstrated under me just a matter of days ago. Their inability to hold onto the ball seems like a world away from our possession heavy style. The senseless media couldn't work out why I'd actually be there, but never mind.

---

Again, a poor performance from the Fribourg boys, which, in the grand scheme of things would just be a precursor for 36 of them, if they'd managed to go up! It was not the dream end to the season that it could have been but it's probably the right outcome, based on the strength of the club and the league that they could have won promotion to. Needless to say, we will face a tough foe four times next year and, providing that they recruit well and/or maintain a decent core of this squad - could really challenge us for the title (I say that before looking at my own squad...)

---

It's time to take a deep look at my own squad but, for the sake of realism, I won't be doing anything until the 12th June 2028, some two weeks from now, when the players return from their off-season break.

 

[_Ben_]

June 2028: Luzern takeover report

The beautiful city of Lucerne is my next home on this journey around Switzerland. The largest  town I have visited, to date, with a population of around 82,000 and a municipal population of more than 220,000. Sitting right in the middle of Switzerland, Lucerne is a hub for economics, transport, media and culture. The main spoken language is German, represented in my game as Swiss German - a language that I do not currently speak.

Lucerne has a wonderful history and its football club appears to be at the centre of it. FC Luzern play in blue and white and their logo bears the symbols that are shared on that on their canton. Founded in 1901 and playing at the 17,000 seater swisspoarena, they last won the top flight in 1989 and, in game, have been up and down in the top flight since the game started, before their shock relegation in 2027, just 12 months after finishing third.

Considering their shock relegation, it's probably no surprise that they are a big team off the pitch, too. 

Additionally, like a lot of Swiss clubs, Luzern run a weird and wonderful youth setup, as seen below. They have their own U21 team, that currently play in the fourth tier, but also share a youth setup (with two teams) with Kriens, a municipality in the same canton. It doesn't give me any extra availability to these youngsters but the U18 team play in the Elite Youth League whilst the U18-B side play in a slightly less competitive league - given me differentiation even at this young level.

---

My managerial career at Luzern will be built, largely, around the following members of staff, or, at least, the roles that these staff currently fulfil:

I'm going back to more of a 'head coach' or even a 'Head of Player Performance and Development' role - using my staff wisely to delegate jobs to. I will use the scout reports that Pasquale De Simone finds to identify players that Remo Meyer will sign and negotiate with, before I have the final say on the deal.  Arnaud Jost will have the say on my staffing, beyond my core team and I hope he does his best to deliver a strong team with good personalities, as, doing it myself feels very gamey. Renato Augusto follows me, again, to this job, conducting work with the first team whilst Puis Kaspar will work with my U21 team and below, all the way down to the youth groups he will bring into the club.

The full run-down of what I'm doing and what I'm delegating is here.

I feel that this direction gives me the most time to focus on the tactics, training and, as such, player development side of the game. I don't feel like I'm exploiting things by immediately shipping in a Model Citizen backroom team and, as I don't plan to sign many players (any reputation I have for this based on that summer at Fribourg was because their squad was a mess!) I think this is the right, realistic, balance. What is more - I have one season to get it right on the pitch as the board surely won't consider 'a better scouting setup' as a reason to not have fulfilled my duties here.

---

Here is the first team squad:

The first issues are four players who I won't have next year, three of whom are important to the club: Icon Marvin Schulz wants to move on after eleven successful years and French duo Belahyane and Oudjani want to move on following our relegation.

We will have the luxury of last year's top scorer, Mark Marleku, but questions have to be asked over the suitability of his player traits and my style. The thing that drew me to Luzern, aside from their massive potential, was the quality of their youth graduates and I will be looking to build a side around Yannick Bayiha; a solid defender, Stefano Herzog; the best keeper at the club and, arguably, in the league, Andre Diaz; a team leader and give opportunities to the likes of Anderson Costa and Darko Mojsovski, who both look promising.

---

I envisage that the board will want promotion next year, and, given our size, that is right to be expected as we don't belong here. However, I cannot adopt that attitude and expect us to be better than the rest as there were two teams, including one managed by me, that finished above us. My budgets, as seen below, are ridiculous. With over €5m in the bank, our wage budget, alone, is fifteen times greater than it was at Fribourg.

Pre-season training starts at the end of June and I can't wait to get stuck in! 

Edited March 15, 2021 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

June 2028: Welcome to Hell - the first two weeks at Luzern

You want to meet the board's expectations of winning the league for us? Well, you've got to make it through this first!

Two weeks of heavy pre-season training.

Week 1 - absolutely no use of a football. I want the team to be well drilled tactically but I also want them to be able to outrun everyone else. I don't know how much impact this will have on their attributes but I hope it will impact their sharpness and condition as we go one. Clearly, there is a rebel in the camp as De Groot gets injured in a tackle! Tackle?! I don't know who got the bag of balls out but it shouldn't have been on the Tuesday - instead, a gym session and a general physical session on the grass.

Week 2 - We're doing everything as a team to try and put 'right' the 'wrong's left by Marcel Schneider. We don't want route one football. We want slick, clever football, making use of half spaces and exploiting gaps left by clever on and off the ball movement. An interesting metric will be the comparison between this, my tactical familiarity, now and then again at the end of pre-season.

I've got myself a little screen to monitor training load, happiness and familiarity to a role, as seen below with, what I believe to be, my best XI in it.

Ignoring the game statistics as they are from last season - I can see that Kunert is currently my training issue, although he's asking about a move to another club, so this is kind of expected.

---

In other news, my coveted young centre back from Fribourg, Georges Henry, rejected my offer and will be moving to Bayern. Surely, there is some insane potential to set about that move!

[LUFCspeni]

Good move to Luzern. Think this is really a club you could stick with for a while and really set them up to be a challenger at the top.

 

Interesting move for Henry there - hopefully it doesn't stifle his development in the coming years.

[_Ben_]

23 minutes ago, LUFCspeni said:

Good move to Luzern. Think this is really a club you could stick with for a while and really set them up to be a challenger at the top.

 

Interesting move for Henry there - hopefully it doesn't stifle his development in the coming years.

I can see myself spending the next five years or so here - certainly. That is, of course, if I can meet the demands of the board and win the league this year!

I have the top tiers of Germany active so, hopefully, he'll be able to play some football and carry on developing. Bayern are very much known to hoard youth, but normally, their recruitment is good, it's just the lack of first team opportunities.

[_Ben_]

July 2028: Summer Transfer Dealings

When taking over a club who have been relegated, not lost too much of their squad, and finished third the next season - the summer transfer window is more about evolution than revolution. Clearly, we have some quality, matched by my ridiculous pre-season odds so I just wanted to add something extra to the team, not taking away progression for my youngsters too.

My first interest was some elder players who would be able to provide some experience in two of the most complex areas: building from the pack and offensive potency. I used my scouting network, DoF knowledge and agent offers to bring through the following four trialists, a move I have taken for all unknown signings:

A depth of experience here and players that I'm sure most football fans are aware of. Caio had spent the majority of his season between Atletico Madrid and Krasnodar in Russia. Whilst his legs aren't there, his ability to read the game is great. Sadly, for me going forward anyway, his personality is not anything to write home about but will provide ample support to my youngsters over the course of this season. I also moved for the evergreen Bryan Rabello to provide a player who can create something from nothing. I see this move as one very similar to the signing of Renato Augusto for Meyrin; someone who can play for 30 minutes and unlock stubborn defences. Rabello has, in fact, played for the club before - a short loan deal back in 2016 from Sevilla was unsuccessful but hopefully will not be repeated. The outlay for these two was relatively small but there was no deals for Horta and Berardi based on their match demands.

I then moved for Guido Bachmann as some versatile cover and swooped for Jan Muzangu for €40k from my old club, Fribourg. Whilst not rated too highly - I know he is more than good enough for this shape and this league so I'm happy to have him on board, albeit in a slightly less important position than he was under my tutelage before. I like he lists both myself and Renato as his favoured staff, too.

Lastly, I moved for this man - Marcio Veiga. He's the deal I'm most excited about. He was released by Benfica about 10 substitute appearances in the Portuguese top flight for Morienense but I haven't signed him as a wing back or winger- instead, given his Finishing attribute, combined with his pace, I see him as a Shadow Striker:

Steenbergen was particularly lethal for me at Fribourg because of his pace and ability to take a touch and move the ball on really quickly. I've now added some creativity to that, meaning that Veiga will be better at bringing others into play and a decent physical base. At 20, he's lacking slightly in some of those mental attributes but, given the right traits and time to get himself settled - could be a real asset for us. I was able to play around with his contract to get him relatively cheaply, inserting several release clauses that will either net us significant profit or run out before he's interested.

His first game, against Legia Warsaw, saw him produce this delightful assist:

---

We're in a really good place at the moment and, what is more, is the realisation that I've spent about six hours solid playing today. The COVID household isolation is a definite negative but the bug for FM is certainly here!

[tyler16]

Enjoying this save so much at the moment.

I agree that’s the perfect move for you and even more realistic/linear now knowing Fribourg weren’t promoted.

The facilities and budgets are Luzern are amazing compared to what you’ve had and I’m looking forward to the players you can develop here.

Have to say, this is a more enjoyable read than the Redditch thread at the moment due to the smaller league/journeyman aspect/etc. Happy you decided to pursue it!

[_Ben_]

15 minutes ago, tyler16 said:

Enjoying this save so much at the moment.

Thanks so much for your kind words. I mentioned it took @brookie1402earlier and I'll say the same to you - I'd love to read about your game, either as a thread or anywhere that you update it, or even if you just want to message me and tell me about it. The way you post tells me you understand the game and it's mechanics and I reckon I'd learn a lot from reading your save!

17 minutes ago, tyler16 said:

I agree that’s the perfect move for you and even more realistic/linear now knowing Fribourg weren’t promoted.

I was more than annoyed that I didn't get chance to stay long enough but I guess, and this is how the game would see it, that a contract start date is a contract start date. Judging from their performances, I reckon they'd be pushing for the records of worst ever season. They've yet to appoint a new manager this season and, despite losing a few players, have yet to dip into the market and are still semi-pro. Definitely a ceiling that was well and truly reached!

19 minutes ago, tyler16 said:

The facilities and budgets are Luzern are amazing compared to what you’ve had and I’m looking forward to the players you can develop here.

The groundwork is in place to hopefully keep a real strong core of academy players at the club and I've started using the note feature to track a few things:

I'm making a concerted effort not to go down the route of Excel for anything other than statistical analysis of performances as the whole realism drive had rendered number crunching particularly 'gamey.' I'm still counting numbers but not tracking based on personalities, comparing year to year etc - just enjoying the ride of developing the youngsters I have here.

21 minutes ago, tyler16 said:

Have to say, this is a more enjoyable read than the Redditch thread at the moment due to the smaller league/journeyman aspect/etc. Happy you decided to pursue it!

It was a tough call! I was enjoying Redditch and there was that guilt that I hadn't actually won anything but, since diving in to this, I'm so glad that I did. It's way out of my comfort zone and the thought of managing three clubs in four years was just obscene to me:

The whole 'get to know the squad' and such has been a challenge but one I have absolutely relished and, hopefully, comes through in my updates. I can only imagine where my FM playing will go from here - I know Denmark has four tiers, for example, or a delve in deepest Russia maybe. If I can mesh my 'youth development style' with this new 'realistic/journeyman' approach, I'll certainly be a happy FM-player!

[LUFCspeni]

Can tell the love for the game really shines through in your updates, good to see!

I would find it hard to do this style of save, as I have always been very much (like yourself previously) a one club , bottom to top kind of guy. Definitely helps that you're invested in the country itself, as I imagine picking a random country would not have the same allure to you.

[_Ben_]

12 hours ago, LUFCspeni said:

Can tell the love for the game really shines through in your updates, good to see!

I would find it hard to do this style of save, as I have always been very much (like yourself previously) a one club , bottom to top kind of guy. Definitely helps that you're invested in the country itself, as I imagine picking a random country would not have the same allure to you.

Thanks for the kind words!

I can't believe what I've been missing only playing one club saves! I genuinely don't think I'll ever return to that kind of save now, unless I find a really special opportunity with a club that's a long way down the ladder. I don't have any particular link to Switzerland, to be fair - I just did some research when I decided that I was going to manager here.

[_Ben_]

2028/29 First Quarter Review

Wow. To think that we aren't even at our best, yet, too!

Pre-season was good but I found that we'd picked up a lot of little injuries (I have the increased realism extra injury pack on) and wasn't sure if this was due to overtraining, now I'm working at a full time level, or just a level based on the injury proneness of the team and the difference between their current coach, me, and their last. 

We started nicely against Wil, roaring into a two goal lead, despite not being entirely familiar with the approach. We conceded from a corner but, aside from that, they barely bothered us. The visit to Fribourg, my old club, was interesting as they, to date, have been the best opponent I've faced. I'll obviously take the credit for signing their defence of Brembilla, Roberts, Badinca, Galeano and Kabeya (although he's now been sold to RC Lens) but they made it, tough, really tough. We netted from a set piece but it wasn't our most fluid. That fluidity came back rather a lot as we battered Chiasso - with midfielder Gavioli pulling the strings with three assists and a goal. Maximum points from the next month, aside from a slip up against a stubborn Schaffhausen side was great - as was the one goal conceded, again, from a corner. The turn ended with a massive win over relegated Lugano, where my (ex) friend Jeremy Menez, now Lugano manager, went mental and a bore draw at Winterthur.

We look imperious and it's going to take a lot to stop us this year. Our Achilles heel, to date - is our inability to break down stubborn defences, who, even at home, are sitting 10 men behind the ball. The Catenaccio of Schaffhausen and Winterthur worked for them and I have to adapt to find a way through.

---

This new job has seen my first foray into the full time training module. As I mentioned, I was concerned that I made pre-season a little too intense so I'm making a concerted effort to pull back a little and evaluate where we are. Our schedule sees us play our league games on either Friday's or Saturdays, so I am able to build a schedule that looks a little like this:

My first job is to remove everything and start from scratch. The week is, roughly, split into two sections with at least one rest day (more if I have consecutive Friday games - so, Monday 9th of October is a pure rest day, too) with the start of the week focusing more on attribute development and the two days before the match focusing on preparation. My aim, at the moment, is to keep workload across the week fairly light whilst I work out how much they can take. Each week encompasses some core blocks - those that really hit the attributes and match prep that is essential - Possession, Tactics, Teamwork and Match tactics and the rest fluctuates a) depending on my opposition and b) depending on which areas I'm feeling need improvement in game that can be addressed, longer term, through attribute development. The 2-day match prep may be reduced to 1.5 days once we a bit more familiar, too.

The training ratings, as seen below, are really strong:

 

[_Ben_]

November 2028: Player Development

Finally! I am five seasons in and now able to do some player development posts. My absolute favourite part of the game is to see youngsters develop through training programs and first team football. I must also add that I love the rule that allows me five substitutes per match, giving even more game time to these players. There are two players who I screenshotted when I took over who have made great progress so I'm going to focus on those rather than the likes of Bayiha, Diaz and De Groot as they are all more complete and first team regulars.

---

 Referencing my notes, Anderson started as a AM(RLC), ST (C) at the start of the season, accomplished in the attacking mid areas. I started him training as a Shadow Striker on the 6th June to push his ability to play in a role that I use to natural but, early in the campaign, have been able to utilise him as a winger on both sides and, remarkably, he's now reached accomplished in both. His versatility is now a true strength of his game. I have been focusing on his Attacking Movement to better his Anticipation, Decisions and Off the Ball as the first two of those are key to my overall style of play and he has made significant improvement in all of those areas.

Below is his developmement from June to November 2028:

During this time, he's made quite a lot of appearances, predominantly from the bench, amassing 719 minutes. His performances have been around average with the league: 0.13 goals/90 (total of 1) from 1.5 shots/90 to a total of 1.41 xG, and 1.01 key passes/90. However, I'm finding it hard to keep him away from the first team given his wonderful training ratings - recording one of the very few perfect 10.0 ratings I've seen.

There is a long way to go for my young Swiss/Brazilian but I'm really happy at the progress in such a short time.

----

Darko started out with a Fickle personality and has now changed to Balanced and has been working on just an individual trait, Ball Control, whilst playing as a left back. On the 12th July, I asked him to learn the trait of Gets Forward Whenever Possible but he has so far not been able to perfect that within his game. The focus has had an immediate impact and, thanks to his overall decent training effort, he's progressed well.

Mojsovski has performed well, breaking into my first team as well as the North Macedonia national team. He sits averages 0.4 dribbles/90, completes over 22% of his crosses (in line with what we do as a team) and I even allowed him to score from a penalty he'd won - bringing his first career goal and assist.

---

I've also been able to promote Levin Zehnder to the first team so will look at his progress in the coming months, too.

 

[Hootieleece]

I love youth development, but often don't have the patience.

KUTGW!

I am better with finishing "almost wonderkids" and castoff's and getting good results with them.

 

[_Ben_]

2028/29 Midpoint

Wow.

1. Completing half a season in a day is a flashback to the Champ Manager of old! However, I've just not been able to leave the kitchen, so that's why...
2. Look at our ridiculous home record.

I must say that, upon reaching the midpoint of the season, that I am utter delighted. It is absurd (in a normal sized league anyway) to think that there are nearly the same number of points separating top and second as there are third to second bottom! We are just in a class of our own, even if we actually aren't that good away from home!

We started this turn off with three solid victories before a shock defeat, away at Wil. It was one of those that was always coming and, the longer the run went on for, was always going to hurt more and more. We went 2-0 down quickly thanks to silly mistakes and absolutely dominated from there on in, hitting the bar twice in the last three minutes with a further goal ruled out for offside. But, let's look at massive positives here - my only defeat. The only time I've conceded more than one goal. Did we bounce back? Oh, yes we did! Two draws followed, both away from home, against organised defences that like to keep the ball. This is something certainly to work on and look at. I don't think I require wholesale changes, just small tweaks that will allow to me better our performances and results on the road.

We roared into the winter break with two games where we didn't allow the opposition a shot on target, such was our domination, which is nicely summed up with the below:

I must, massively, credit the training system that is allowing youngsters to flourish and allow us the best match preparation possible.

---

Things aren't all rosy, though. We are losing money quickly and, as such, I've decided to cash in on club icon Mark Marleku for a fee that could reach €3.5m. He's not exactly set the world alight this season and, with our promotion looking more and more certain with each passing game, I can use this time to blood some more youngsters in this league. Dylan Fischler and Taulant Kabashi are the latest two to join the first team. I'm finding that the PA ratings are 'generous' but, at this level, it's hard to find a player without significant holes as well as potential to do something in the professional game - which is very much realistic.

Lastly, I had news that the newest group of youth candidates is going to be good, which is also a bonus:

 

[_Ben_]

11 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

I love youth development, but often don't have the patience.

KUTGW!

I am better with finishing "almost wonderkids" and castoff's and getting good results with them.

 

Thanks!

I really want be able to spend time doing both - developing those really raw talents from my academy and from certain scouting hotspots (probably Africa) as well as playing the transfer market to utilise the fact that the Swiss league isn't the biggest so a cast-off from La Liga, for example, with the right training and tactics, could become a superstar.

I've got to get to the Super League and become established first, though!

[_Ben_]

December 2028: Off-season upgrades

Not a lot going on during the winter break, but this scouting upgrade means that I can take a little bit of control over and bring together a pool of potential diamonds in the rough. I want to create hotspots for scouting over the next few years based on the following areas:

• Switzerland
• Scandinavia
• Eastern Europe
• North Africa
• Western Africa
• Brazilian lower leagues.

These are, in my eyes, pretty realistic for Swiss clubs as well as a homage to Joao Fernando with some of the smaller Brazilian stuff. Obviously, we're not at a point to scout worldwide, yet, but I have been able to send some scouts out with a simple premise:

• Young
• Determined
• Naturally fit

I can work on the rest, particularly those attributes relating to club club DNA - anticipation, decisions and consistency. I really want to now hand over to my Chief Scout and DoF to do all of those wonderful things with the players that may come up. I have set all assignments to ongoing and will only now intervene when we have upgraded our range again or the board allow, and then sign, more scouts. I will flick through, using the 'Scouted' tab and then add any interesting players to a shortlist for my DoF to negotiate with. I feel that this approach is the most realistic and I'm excited to get involved in this transfer committee styled thing.

---

We also managed Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment upgrades - cementing ourselves as one of the biggest clubs in the country, despite being out of the top tier.

[_Ben_]

December 2028: Player Development Case Study - Dejan Ljubenovic

I think that it's really important that I post about the positives and negatives in terms of developing young players and for every one that makes it, invariably, there are five to ten who don't. I'm believing that Dejan may be the first.

The 20 year old has been in my first team since I arrived at the club and has a reasonable attribute base for a 20 year old and, given his pace, probably fits quite well into my system. He's been working as a Winger(s) in training with the Passing individual focus on, but, according to my notes, has made no progress on those attributes. His overall progress has concerned me, too:

As you can see, there is no upward curve in his development as I'd be expecting from a youngster exposed to first team football in a team that is winning. Furthermore, his performances have been weak, considerably worse than what I've seen across the rest of the club. 

---

With a Balanced personality, I can assume from his Media Handling that he's quite Temperamental and, according to that news report, has really poor (ability to handle) Pressure. With poor performances and poor work on the training ground - his time here seems to be coming to and end...

[Hootieleece]

I do something similar with my scouting and signing, but I tend to like a little more control over signing and leaving. because otherwise the AI tends to sell players for too little money if you wanted to sell in first place.

 

[_Ben_]

11 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

I do something similar with my scouting and signing, but I tend to like a little more control over signing and leaving. because otherwise the AI tends to sell players for too little money if you wanted to sell in first place.

 

Here is a little more detail about my approach.

So, this is how I've delegated right now. I'd, ideally, not be involved in the top one, but I then can't push the scouts to those areas that I want them to.

As you can see here, I've got scouts to the regions where I want to find those players.

---

I then wait, and look at my scouting centre:

I really like that I'm seeing agent offers as well as recruitment and analyst offers as well as youth players who see us as a reputable club wanting to come here.

---

I then keep them in the 'Scouted' filter, as seen here. This is just on the player search tab but I have some filters on there to ensure that the players coming up here and reasonably close to what I want. I then have a set of shortlists, with views corresponding to them for each area of the pitch. Here is my attacking one:

Ignore the players as these are just old players I've enjoyed managing that I want to follow. But you get the point.

----

From there, it's all down to my DoF to get them signed. I can curtail it if I feel that it's ridiculous in either wages or transfer fee, but we'll see how that goes.

Edited March 17, 2021 by _Ben_

[Sonic Youth]

That’s a great start to Luzern. Promotion this season looks assured. Are you on track to break a few records (points, goals for, goal difference, goals conceded etc) ?

I feel like you’ve also got this supply of youngsters you can pull out of nowhere at the club, as every time you’ve talked about one, they’re different from the last.

From my GR days at the dugout: KUTEW  

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s a great start to Luzern. Promotion this season looks assured. Are you on track to break a few records (points, goals for, goal difference, goals conceded etc) ?

Thanks. We are easily the best team in this league, but I'm glad we've taken to my style so well. The points record is 85, so, if we keep scoring at 2.43 points/90 (as we are after 23 rounds), we'll set a new record with 87. We also need to win 10 of our last 13 games to break that record but the record goals scored is 91, and we're, on this form, scoring at around 80 goals a season.

Individually, Herzog has already tied the clean sheet record of 16, however, we've still got 13 more games to play and we don't look to have one individual who will break the 27 goal scoring record.

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

I feel like you’ve also got this supply of youngsters you can pull out of nowhere at the club, as every time you’ve talked about one, they’re different from the last.

I'm just getting to know them all, myself!

We have four squads: First Team. U21 Team. U18 Team. U18-B Team.

The players in blue at the two u18 squads are 'mine' as it's a shared youth setup with Kriens. I have, over the course of the season, been weeding them off and moving players around, given my thoughts on their ability and potential. I've just about sorted it and exhausted the list of anyone with potential and a decent base now not being at our first team squad.

However, got a whole new youth intake coming soon!

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

From my GR days at the dugout: KUTEW 

You'll have to refresh my memory...? It's been, what, 10 years since TD?! 

[KrKAlex]

Hi Ben,

I love reading about your career. Concise, well written and interesting! Thank you for sharing!