The Grand Budapest Football Club - rekindling the magic of the Mighty Magyars (or trying to at least!)

[karanhsingh]

So I have been on the lookout for one last "grand" adventure to close out the FM21 cycle. My last couple of saves have been a lot of fun - one a journeyman in Russia which finally ended with winning the Champions League at Zenith, and the second a challenge save with Barnsley which is still ongoing. However I did not really document either of them to a great extent. This one though will be (I hope) an interesting and long-term adventure which will be worth sharing.

I have been set for a while on managing in either Scandinavia (maybe even revisiting the Danske Danske challenge) or Eastern Europe/ the Balkans. There were a number of interesting ideas & concepts but somehow nothing that made me want to drop whatever I was currently doing and immediately dive in. That was until I watched Hungary play Portugal at the Euros last weekend, and also read the below article on the BBC.

(I do realize that Hungary is neither Scandinavia nor the Balkans, but its close enough  )  

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57307110 

The fact that this was the first football match in ages being played out in front of a packed noisy stadium added to the goosebumps. The history of the Hungarian national and club teams dating back to the 50s is indeed fascinating, but also has the distinct air of unfinished business. The team was cruelly and suddenly split up by the revolution, with most of the best players moving abroad, and Hungarian football was never the same again.

Reading about the Mighty Magyars of the 1950s has been truly captivating - we have of course all heard about them, but I personally didn't really know that much. Apparently the BBC even crowned them as the best football team of all time - https://hungarytoday.hu/hungarian-golden-team-best-ever-bbc-88006/

Despite this though, they never actually won the World Cup, losing to West Germany in the finals after being 2 goals up, although they did win the Olympics. Apart from that they are probably best known for thrashing England twice in a short space of time, including once at the old Wembley. Most of these successes also came before the advent of the Champions League, so no Hungarian club has still won a major European honour till date.

Anyway, I could go on, and there is a LOT more to read up on this topic for those who are interested. But I will now come to the point of the save.

Budapest is a city that holds a dear place to me for many reasons. It is a city steeped in history with some truly special football clubs. Hungarian football today is indeed at a low point - at least the club football and league system. Their UEFA co-efficient is a lowly 33rd place, below the likes of Slovenia & Liechtenstein. On FM the league is ranked 38th (!!) in Europe, below even the Austrian second division. That gives you a little bit of an idea about just how bad things have become.

On the other hand, the national team has been showing some signs of recovery, with qualification for Euro 2020 being a major highlight. Although they didn't even make it to that in my save, but more on that later.

So this save will chronicle my attempt to revive Hungarian football, by taking charge of one of the famous Budapest clubs. Hopefully along the way, I will also have the opportunity to manage and progress the Hungarian national side too.

Before I go on, I want to thank some folks who have inspired this idea, and also supported my previous FMCU threads.

@Hootieleece - I think yours is the only other thread I have seen in Hungary this year, and hopefully I can match some of your exploits  

@SixPointer - big fan of your writing style and particularly the tactical analysis. I will be looking to borrow a few of your points as I look to re-create the Mighty Magyar style of football.

@Cheez3y - again have been inspired by your club + country saves with the minnow nations, and while I don't expect to win a World Cup with Hungary we will most certainly try!

@Jimbokav1971- your long threads (both in title length & game duration) have always been an inspiration! Like you I also thought Hungary was in the Balkans but found my way here anyway

@_Ben_ - your threads have been amazing to read and the attention to detail is amazing - I don't expect I will be able to replicate the same but will try to build on some of the points

@Jogo Bonitoand @Ronaldo Beckham - thankful to you both for always following my FM adventures and hope you will be along for the ride this time as well  

Next up - club & manager selection!

 

[karanhsingh]

SELECTING THE CLUB

So, the decision was made to take over at a club in Budapest. The tough part now, would be selecting which club. The candidates:

Ferencvárosi TC - reigning champions and the best club in the country (although that's not saying much). Immediately eliminated on account of being the best - we want a challenger.

MTK Budapest - historically the 2nd most successful club in Hungary, recently promoted back to the top flight. Interesting stadium with massive concrete walls behind the two goals (see below).

Budapest Honvéd FC - the original historical Budapest club where the "Mighty Magyars" made their name in the early 50s and they won a succession of league titles then. They currently stadium share with MTK but have recently moved into a brand new 8,200 capacity Bozsik Arena. Definitely a contender.

Újpest FC - the third most successful club in Hungary with 20 league titles to their name, although the last came way back in 1998. Also the fiercest rivals of Ferencvaros with whom they contest the official Budapest derby.

I was drawn to both Budapest Honved and Ujpest. Choosing between the two of them was certainly not easy, and I looked into a few factors.

Recent performances - Honved is definitely doing better having qualified for the Europa League in the previous season, while Ujpest have been struggling. This is actually a plus point for the latter in my eyes as I like having more work to do. 

Squad strength - again Honved have a better squad, although not so much of a concern because over the years there will be a major churn anyway.

Stadium & Facilities - not much in it, although Ujpest have much the larger stadium at 12,670 seats to 8,200 for Honved. Though neither will be filling it out anytime soon. Honved facilities are definitely better though in terms of training & youth recruitment.

History - Honved definitely have the richer history with the connection to the Mighty Magyars, however Ujpest also certainly have a history they can be proud of, with a glory period in the 90s.

Rivalries - they both have similar rivals, of course, but Ujpest have a really fierce one with the mighty Ferencvaros and I think this may be clinched it for me. The Budapest derby between the two is the most awaited fixture of the season, and is responsible for scenes like the below.

And so after careful consideration, I settled on Újpest FC as the chosen club for this save. More on them coming up.

[Hootieleece]

Wilson, Jonathan,  Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Soccer Tactics, Nation Books, 2013, New York , 86-97.

The above book has a whole chapter on the tactics of the 1950's Hungarian Team.

I bought the book when I first got into FM and didn't really understand the roles and tactics, but it helped.

It also talks about the origins of tactics in the game back to the 19th Century.

 

Good Luck it looks like the FM World will be focused on Eastern Europe in the coming months....

Matus Horvath will look on with interest from Slovakia!

 

[SixPointer]

love the club selection, a team I have considered in the past, due to the derby am a sucker for football rivalry. plus i love there kit. the amateur team a play for wear purple. very intrigued and a fantastic idea in a country stepped in tradition. best of luck in your quest! and thanks for the mention 

Edited June 18, 2021 by SixPointer

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

and also read the below article on the BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57307110 

Many people give the BBC a hard time, but it was an article written for their site about their developing football facilities that got me interested in Iceland. 

I love stuff like this. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, karanhsingh said:

Budapest Honvéd FC - the original historical Budapest club where the "Mighty Magyars" made their name in the early 50s and they won a succession of league titles then. They currently stadium share with MTK but have recently moved into a brand new 8,200 capacity Bozsik Arena. Definitely a contender.

I think I might be too late but.....

 

[Cheez3y]

I love a good East European save.

Hungary got some great history, like u mentioned they had a great team around the 50s with Puskas.

I had a great time couple FMs ago with Bekescsaba.

 

Lets see what you can do, Im excited.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I look forward to seeing how you do and I hope you Újpest the bigger teams @karanhsingh

[karanhsingh]

2 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Wilson, Jonathan,  Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Soccer Tactics, Nation Books, 2013, New York , 86-97.

The above book has a whole chapter on the tactics of the 1950's Hungarian Team.

I bought the book when I first got into FM and didn't really understand the roles and tactics, but it helped.

It also talks about the origins of tactics in the game back to the 19th Century.

 

Good Luck it looks like the FM World will be focused on Eastern Europe in the coming months....

Matus Horvath will look on with interest from Slovakia!

 

Yes I saw some videos, the tactics were indeed very adventurous and the first onset of total football. My playing style will definitely be inspired from it. Thank you and I'll be keeping a track of Matus too

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

love the club selection, a team I have considered in the past, due to the derby am a sucker for football rivalry. plus i love there kit. the amateur team a play for wear purple. very intrigued and a fantastic idea in a country stepped in tradition. best of luck in your quest! and thanks for the mention 

Thanks! Yes I absolutely love these kind of clubs too. Will be posting my tactical setup soon and would definitely love your input. 

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Many people give the BBC a hard time, but it was an article written for their site about their developing football facilities that got me interested in Iceland. 

I love stuff like this. 

I love the BBC for stuff like this! They are my go to website. 

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I think I might be too late but.....

 

I may be swayed yet

1 hour ago, Cheez3y said:

I love a good East European save.

Hungary got some great history, like u mentioned they had a great team around the 50s with Puskas.

I had a great time couple FMs ago with Bekescsaba.

 

Lets see what you can do, Im excited.

Thank you, indeed they have a wonderful history and as I mentioned some unfinished business. 

16 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I look forward to seeing how you do and I hope you Újpest the bigger teams @karanhsingh

Haha I see what you did there 

[karanhsingh]

So I was almost sold on Ujpest, but Honved continued to tempt me. I decided to holiday for a season (don't enjoy the first season anyway), and then take a final call. For some reason I stopped the game at the beginning of April 2021, just to have a look at how things were shaping up in Hungary.

Ujpest found themselves in a relegation place with 7 games to go. Honved meanwhile were comfortably 5th, with nothing really to play for.

A quick look at the remaining fixtures for Ujpest.

The next 3 games are all local derbies, including THE Budapest derby against the to be champions. 

Not only this, they are also still in the Cup, with a semi-final against second division opposition to come. 

There was only one winner. Újpest FC it is.

[ucdark]

Go Ujpest! purple powerrrr hahahah xd

[karanhsingh]

8 hours ago, ucdark said:

Go Ujpest! purple powerrrr hahahah xd

 Thank you 

[karanhsingh]

Újpest FC

So here are the important things to know

- historically one of the most successful clubs in Hungary, but recently there is a distinct lack of silverware

- they have 20 league titles and 11 cups at the start of the game 

- the club actually won the inaugural "Coupe des Nations" held in 1930 to correspond with the World Cup, and regarded as the predecessor of the Champions League

- home ground is the Szusza Ferenc Stadion, named after a club legend and one of the largest stadiums in Hungary, even though it holds only 13k

- the club is now owned by Belgian businessman Roland Duchâtelet who you may also know as the controversial owner of Charlton Athletic and Standard Liege (although there are no in-game affiliations surprisingly)

- as mentioned above there is a fierce rivalry with Ferencváros who are the strongest team in Hungary, and to a lesser extent the other Budapest based clubs as well

- the facilities in game are pretty terrible across the board (adequate or below) and will require a lot of work

And so we begin!

 

[karanhsingh]

My Aims for this Save (and some general guidelines)

So obviously the over-arching aim here is to return the glory days to Újpest and Hungarian football in general. It will probably be a slow and long process, which is fine by me. I am a sucker for realism so do not expect to see us snapping up Brazilian & Colombian wonderkids and dominating the world. 

The first and primary objective is to take on our local rivals Ferencváros and win a league title, which the club has not won since the 1997-98 season so a long time ago. We need to immediately start narrowing the gap to them.

Eventually I do want to make a mark on Europe as well. In the interest of realism, I don't think winning the Champions League is a practical goal. Instead, I want the club to be regulars in the Champions League, and in my time here I definitely want to become the first Hungarian club to win a European title - whether that is the Europa or the new Conference league. I think either would be a pretty special achievement for a club from the region.

In terms of transfer preferences, there will likely be a lot of ins & outs. The youth facilities are awful and I reckon it'll be a while till we can start producing new-gens of any decent quality. There will be two primary areas of focus for the incoming transfers.

- Eastern Europe, and particularly the surrounding countries. So Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, etc.

- Africa - there seem to be a fair few Africans plying their trade in Hungary and it seems to be a great place to pick up bargains.

We want to be a "Gateway" club to the bigger leagues in Europe - sign young players for cheap but certainly not stand in their way when a good offer comes along. Selling one of our young stars to a bigger club in a foreign league would be a moment of pride for our system.

So that takes car of the club part - as mentioned earlier I do want to at some point manage the Hungarian national side as well. I know winning anything of note with them will be nigh on impossible, but would love to at least qualify for some major international tournaments and not just be making up the numbers there.

[karanhsingh]

The Manager

Sometimes, a picture is all you need 

Gábor Király. The man. The myth. The legend. Solely responsible for making sweat-pants cool.

He is the chosen one for this adventure.

Starting attributes above - no coaching badges but international prior experience. Ignore the 21 goals supposedly scored for Hungary 

[theBlackPrince]

Great start and background, cant wait to see this get started in a fairly un-used league/region of the footballing world.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I wish you done it as a joint manager save with the Hungarian national team.

[karanhsingh]

9 hours ago, theBlackPrince said:

Great start and background, cant wait to see this get started in a fairly un-used league/region of the footballing world.

Thank you! 

2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I wish you done it as a joint manager save with the Hungarian national team.

I definitely would like to at some point if they hire me. 

[Number seven]

Lokking forward to se how this story develop!

[ucdark]

Sweat-pants ultras!! Go Ujpest! 

[karanhsingh]

8 hours ago, Number seven said:

Lokking forward to se how this story develop!

Thank you! 

5 hours ago, ucdark said:

Sweat-pants ultras!! Go Ujpest! 

Haha yes. That's a good nickname. 

[Hootieleece]

I looked at the chapter in the book again about the 1950's Hungarian teams and think you could recreate the formation with 5-4-1

_________________F9_______________

___WM____CM-A_____BBM____WM

WB-A _____HB___SW_____HB_____WB-A

_________________GK-D___________________

 

Positive Mentality

Not Sure about the TI's

 

A great F9 is what makes it .

 

Think of two M's. on top of each other for movement and shape.

 

 

 

[13th Man]

Interesting story here! Especially after Hungary’s excellent draw with France. I played with a guy from Budapest who never shut up about their glory days (which were well before his time) so bring glory back to Hungary for Andras!

[karanhsingh]

16 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

I looked at the chapter in the book again about the 1950's Hungarian teams and think you could recreate the formation with 5-4-1

_________________F9_______________

___WM____CM-A_____BBM____WM

WB-A _____HB___SW_____HB_____WB-A

_________________GK-D___________________

Positive Mentality

Not Sure about the TI's

A great F9 is what makes it .

Think of two M's. on top of each other for movement and shape.

Thanks for this. I did look into it but playing with one CB was far too adventurous for me.

I have settled on a tactic that is inspired by the Mighty Magyars, but not quite a replication. More on that soon. And yes, it does use a False 9  

14 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Interesting story here! Especially after Hungary’s excellent draw with France. I played with a guy from Budapest who never shut up about their glory days (which were well before his time) so bring glory back to Hungary for Andras!

Thank you! Let's do it for Andras!

[karanhsingh]

Újpest FC - Season 1 wrap-up

So the first season is in the books, just 9 games played in total after Gabor took over at the beginning of April 2021.

The league form was patchy, but good enough to retain our status as a top flight team. Here is the final table.

As you can see, we also got through to the Cup final with a win over second division opposition in the semis, and we would play Mol Fehervar in the final, who were decent but definitely also beatable.

So we somehow managed to win the thing on penalties! Scarcely deserved, but not that it matters. The first piece of silverware is on the board!

[karanhsingh]

YOUTH PROSPECT ALERT

On arriving at the club, I also found this guy as a potential first team candidate, having literally just arrived on the scene the previous month.

It's a good thing I didn't take over before the intake date, because I am convinced he would then never have appeared 

Anyway, the kid is exciting. He's got some great attributes for a 15 year old, and hopefully a lot of room to grow. As I plan to play 3 at the back, he should get plenty of opportunities too. I did not waste much time in giving him his debut.

[karanhsingh]

LOOKING AHEAD to SEASON 2

As the dust settled on season 1, I was greeted with this rather discouraging piece of news.

486th!! Wow we clearly have a LOOONG way to go.

The Board did update the club vision and added a few items to it.

I love the goal of developing the youth academy, after this they immediately sanctioned improvements to junior coaching & youth recruitment.

Also the objectives of signing young players and profiting of them fits in well with my plans, as does the preference to sign some Serbians.

We've had some activity in the summer already, and these are the two most significant arrivals thus far.

Ivan Bakhar has joined from Dinamo Minsk for a fee starting at 120k, he will take over as the designated false 9 in the setup. I really like his spread of attributes and will be looking to add some more preferred moves to his game.

Giorgi Kutsia is another signing from Eastern Europe - Georgia this time. His fee starts at 130k, but I believe he should make a really good play-maker for us from the deep positions. Will just be trying to work on his quickness a bit.

I usually rely on free transfers at the beginning of this kind of a save, but I am hoping we will be able to make good money on both of these youngsters.

[karanhsingh]

The Tactical Set-up

First a disclaimer, I did look online for tactics shaped like what I wanted to develop, and have borrowed some ideas from what I have found. Here it is:

The main difference from the historical tactic, is that instead of two full backs and one CB we have just gone with 3 CBs. I think that would have been far too risky for me, to try and make it work with half-backs and what not.

The attacking set-up is pretty similar to the historical side. In fact, after recently watching Germany dismantle Portugal at the Euros, I believe this tactic is actually also very similar to what they have been playing.

You have a back 3 to protect the defense - eventually I would like a Libero or a couple of BPDs in there but currently don't have the personnel.

Two midfielders who are patrolling in the center of the park - again I'd like at least one RPM but don't have the man to do it now. Have put them both down as Volantes which I feel is the most dynamic role in midfield.

The defensive wingers job is simple - to bomb up and down the flanks, providing defensive protection as well as an attacking outlet.

And then finally onto the best bit - the very fluid front 3. Finally, I get to use Shadow Strikers on FM21! And a False 9 thrown in there for good measure.

So there you have it. This is clearly a high tempo and energy tactic, supposed to be particularly strong in transitions. To play it well, we will eventually need a lot of fit, strong and pacy players - particularly on the wings, in midfield and up top as well. That is what the roles demand. We currently don't have the team for it, but we will continue to build towards it and be consistent with the tactical identity.

I have to say that it is working pretty well so far.

Edited June 21, 2021 by karanhsingh

[13th Man]

I like this tactic! Been considering trying something like it but it doesn’t suit my players.

I wonder about giving some different roles and duties to add a bit of variety etc, but the roles themselves are generally flexible and should create very interesting and fluid movement.

[karanhsingh]

10 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

I like this tactic! Been considering trying something like it but it doesn’t suit my players.

I wonder about giving some different roles and duties to add a bit of variety etc, but the roles themselves are generally flexible and should create very interesting and fluid movement.

Thanks! 

Yes long term I want perhaps one RPM and maybe a Libero at the back if we can make that work - other than that the rest seems to be in place. The front 3 definitely is not changing, it is great to watch at times.

[Hootieleece]

Quite the tactic....I will be watching with interest.

I might even try the 5-4-1 I suggested. LOL since Slovakia has a lot of Hungarian connections.

 

 

[karanhsingh]

1 minute ago, Hootieleece said:

Quite the tactic....I will be watching with interest.

I might even try the 5-4-1 I suggested. LOL since Slovakia has a lot of Hungarian connections.

Definitely. We are basically neighbors  

[SixPointer]

Loving that tactical shape and congratulations on cup win. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by SixPointer

[karanhsingh]

Újpest FC - preparing for the first full season

We've been quite busy in the transfer market as we prepare for the first full season in Budapest. Also had to make some changes as we will be going in for a tactical overhaul as above.

Going to show you the key players, starting with the new arrivals.

Ivan Bakhar has joined from Dinamo Minsk for a fee starting at 120k, he will take over as the designated false 9 in the setup. I really like his spread of attributes and will be looking to add some more preferred moves to his game.

Giorgi Kutsia is another signing from Eastern Europe - Georgia this time. His fee starts at 130k, but I believe he should make a really good play-maker for us from the deep positions. Will just be trying to work on his quickness a bit.

Popovic is a free transfer from Partizan in Serbia, think he looks very good for his age and could be our #1 for a long while!

A free transfer after his release at arch rivals Ferencvaros, Lasha adds to the growing Georgian contingent at the club.

Jovan Baosic along with Lasha Dvali will be responsible for hopefully keeping things tight at the back.

Vincent Onovo seems fairly well suited to the Volante role, and is one of two Africans currently at the club - as I had mentioned earlier a scouting region I definitely want to explore.

We also have a fair few Serbs at the club, and Antonov is clearly one of the best players, very well rounded.

Finally Simon is our best Hungarian player and maybe even the best player at the club, he will be playing as Shadow Striker this season.

I was fairly pleased to see this message, the money is not as bad as I had feared.

 

[SixPointer]

Striker from Minsk looks a find for the false9 squad comes together! Love how much you strive for realism in your squad building something I follow myself 👏🏻👏🏻

[karanhsingh]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

Striker from Minsk looks a find for the false9 squad comes together! Love how much you strive for realism in your squad building something I follow myself 👏🏻👏🏻

Thanks! I can say he has proved himself quite useful so far indeed. 

[karanhsingh]

Ujpest 2021-22 Mid-Season Review

Can't really have too many complaints about how it's going so far... the only setback being the untimely exit from Europe before we could even reach the group stages.

We had our first of three league derbies of the season, at home against Ferencvaros. On a side note, in the Hungarian league all the teams play each other thrice. I have no idea how they decide the home and away fixtures, with an odd number of games in total at 33, but we for instance will play our arch-rivals Ferencvaros twice at home this season. Which obviously gives us a bit of an advantage over them. I should actually read up on this.

Anyway, Rebrov, their manager, has been getting under my skin, and I decided to give it back to him.

Luckily, we did manage to do the business on the pitch as well.

FIFTEEN year old CB Janos Dienes scoring what proved to be the winner, and also getting the MOTM award. I am absolutely loving this kid!!

So with that, we have played 2 derbies, winning one and losing one so far.

Here is the league table at the (almost) mid-way point.

Things are looking good - we surely should be able to win it from here.

The youth intake preview also arrived - a golden generation (although I tend to take that with a pinch of salt).

Edited June 22, 2021 by karanhsingh

[john1]

Stupid Rebrov  

[Hootieleece]

Hope the the Debreceni VSC continue to stay in the top flight.....

 

Mighty Magyars.....you are on the way. You will find Ferencvaros and Puskas Academy are the teams to beat. Puskas only because they have a Sugar Daddy: Orban.

With good squad management and a few key sales you should be in a position to become the Bayern Munich of Hungary, buying all the best youth and then selling them. 

[karanhsingh]

6 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Hope the the Debreceni VSC continue to stay in the top flight.....

Mighty Magyars.....you are on the way. You will find Ferencvaros and Puskas Academy are the teams to beat. Puskas only because they have a Sugar Daddy: Orban.

With good squad management and a few key sales you should be in a position to become the Bayern Munich of Hungary, buying all the best youth and then selling them. 

Thanks. Apart from the above two, Fehervar also seem to have a strong squad. 

Would love to get some sales going soon, but nothing so far. Still early days though. 

[karanhsingh]

Újpest FC - 2021-22 Season Wrap-up

So the first full season in Budapest has come to a close, and it's definitely been a memorable one. The remaining fixtures first.

Which means...

The final league table:

Pretty comfortable in the end. Truth be told, I thought our cross-town neighbors would put up a better fight. Let's see if they or one of the other teams can bounce back next season.

This is definitely quicker than I expected, but the real challenge of course will be making a mark in Europe where we are lightyears behind.

Edited June 23, 2021 by karanhsingh

[karanhsingh]

Budapest Derby Watch

We had two more derbies to play against arch rivals Ferencvaros.

First a visit to the Groupama to take them on away from home.

And we came back with our tail firmly between our legs... it was actually an even game and a 1-0 narrow defeat would have been just about acceptable, but as we pushed for the equalizer they picked us off, scoring THREE goals in stoppage time. Revenge WILL be ours

The final derby was back home for us, and as luck would have it we needed just one point from the game to become champions. It would be amazing to win it at home against the sworn enemy!

And fortunately, that is exactly what we did! We went down twice but fought back each time to earn the point.

I must say having played them 4 times now, Ferencvaros are a strong team way better than any other in Hungary. The fact that they finished so off the pace is frankly staggering. I am hoping they make a better fight of it next season.

[karanhsingh]

Magyar Kupa Final

For the second time in as many seasons, the final would be Fehervar vs Ujpest. They are another very solid team, and we were going into the game in patchy form and with a few injuries.

Finally, that is what cost us. As you can see it was a pretty horrid game, and neither side could really get going. We didn't deserve the win and didn't get it. The league and cup double will have to wait.

[haier_fm]

Really like the look of your save! Hungary are the ones to watch this year in general, so it is fantastic to see you doing a save with a Hungarian side.

Your setup really reminds me of Guus Hiddink's Australia side from 2006, where he played a 3-6-1, having a square of 2AMs and 2CMs/DMs flanked by high energy fullbacks/wingers/wide midfielders.

[Hootieleece]

Congratulations on the Title! May there be more in your future.

You need to be playing regular in Europe to really start drumming up the sales....

In my Debreceni save I got a lot of offers from Torino and other Italian teams, but I started with a player on loan from them. (Was already in team when I took over at save start) 

[deltablue]

Well done on getting the title so soon.

[karanhsingh]

Season Wrap-up

Some bits & bobs to wrap up the season.

Squad stats from the season. Simon finishes as top scorer with 20 goals - earning a contract renewal. Bakhar had a good first season with 17 goals and 8 assists. Antonov was good on the left flank, and a special mention is reserved for 16 year old prodigy Janos Dienes who played 36 games and even got himself 9 goals from CB finishing as 3rd (!!) top scorer for us.

Not only that, the kid ended up winning the Player of the Year award for the league. Again, at the age of SIXTEEN. Absolutely incredible - I have never seen anything like this.

He has now got a senior cap for Hungary as well. 16. Wow.

Mr. Sweatpants of course won Manager of the Year as well.

Our revenues have all increased substantially, which is nice to see. European football should bring a lot more.

Finally, we got a second senior affiliate (first one was Slavia Prague) and I don't know if this was a complete coincidence but the board got us a tie-up with Hertha Berlin, listed as Kiraly's favorite club (since he played several seasons there). Nice touch.

And to finally wrap things up, here is the updated club vision for next season and beyond.

As you can see there are also a lot of improvements happening across the facilities, which I will get into in a bit.

[karanhsingh]

1 hour ago, haier_fm said:

Really like the look of your save! Hungary are the ones to watch this year in general, so it is fantastic to see you doing a save with a Hungarian side.

Your setup really reminds me of Guus Hiddink's Australia side from 2006, where he played a 3-6-1, having a square of 2AMs and 2CMs/DMs flanked by high energy fullbacks/wingers/wide midfielders.

Thank you! Was that the year when Cahill scored those wonder goals? I think I remember. Also he would have made a great SS. Yes it is similar, also to what Germany are currently playing as well.

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

Congratulations on the Title! May there be more in your future.

You need to be playing regular in Europe to really start drumming up the sales....

In my Debreceni save I got a lot of offers from Torino and other Italian teams, but I started with a player on loan from them. (Was already in team when I took over at save start) 

Thank you kind sir! No offers yet from the bigger leagues for my guys but hopefully soon...

49 minutes ago, deltablue said:

Well done on getting the title so soon.

Thank you! 

[Hootieleece]

Great to see defenders winning awards! Dienes will probably end up being a sale in the future and he will be expensive to re-sign.

[karanhsingh]

2 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Great to see defenders winning awards! Dienes will probably end up being a sale in the future and he will be expensive to re-sign.

I really hope he stays with us for a while! Future captain for sure.