[FM21] A Blatant Attempt at the Best FMCU Thread Name Award

[Rikulec]

A Blatant Attempt at the Best FMCU Thread Name Award

Yup, me again. After the disappointing end of my Unia Janikowo save as well as the Southend United one where I just didn't feel like playing after some time, I hope this is the career that's going to keep me occupied at least until FM22 comes out. They say that simple is the way to go, so that's exactly what I'll be doing.

The Aim

This is a simple journeyman save starting in San Marino. No specific aims, I'll be holidaying for six months just to mix things up a little bit and then I'll be jumping straight into the Sammarinese league. The only restriction I'm imposing on myself is that I can't actively apply for any job unless I've been unemployed for more than three months, in which case I can't apply for jobs in leagues better than the one I'd been sacked from as per the league's star rating - hope that's clear enough!

The Manager

Meet Claudio Trentini, a Sammarinese manager with no badges or playing experience. He also happens to have been born on the same day as myself, what a coincidence!

The Save

A wide range of European nations just to simulate things as accurately as possible and also keep a variety of options open for the later stages of the save. Many thanks to @davie77 for his wonderful database. Similarly to the previous save, I'm also using @majesticeternity's files:
- an enhanced newgen experience,
- realistic transfer preferences,
- media overhaul,
- finance fixes and added taxes,
- a bit better manager tactics,
- realistic competition colours,
- realistic weather,
- derbies overhaul.

All of the above can be found here.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Rikulec

[karanhsingh]

Good luck with your new adventure!

[Carambau]

Good luck

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, karanhsingh said:

Good luck with your new adventure!

 

1 hour ago, Carambau said:

Good luck

Cheers guys!

Unfortunately I've found that my computer can't really cope with running leagues from 30 countries, so I decided to restart with a third of them gone:

[Rikulec]

On 12th February 2021 I got my first interview. Faetano are dead last in the league with just one win and five draws in twenty games. Seems like the perfect place to start, doesn't it?

[Rikulec]

Just three days after the interview they decided I was their man. Let's get to it then!

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - New Club - SC Faetano

They've only given me a contract until the end of the season, so not a lot of time to prove myself. I have to say I quite like the logo... in a way.

Club Name: Società Calcio Faetano
Nickname: Gialloblu
Year Founded: 1962
Status: Semi-Professional
Stadium: Guido Della Valle (350 capacity, 100 seated)

Quite surprisingly, there appears to be a fair bit of quality in this squad. My assistant is **** though, so I don't really trust those star ratings. We have two goalkeepers, both of whom are **** as well. Matías Barbuio is apparently our best player, he's not bad I guess, at least for our level. There's a bunch of decent 16-year-olds, which may be promising.

Considering that only three out of fifteen teams don't qualify for the infamous Sammarinese playoff, I can't really complain about the board being overly ambitious. That being said, the current league table makes for a grim reading as we're way off the pace with seven games to play and, barring a small miracle, there's no way we're getting 12th this season. I'm already looking forward to rebuilding this from ground up!

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - February 2021 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

I've already won more games than my predecessor. Tre Fiori scored in the first minute and then just shut it out, but we managed to come out on top of a wild game against San Giovanni and then properly dominated a strong Tre Penne side. We're not last anymore and with just four games to go I think our target should be simply remaining in 14th so that we don't become the worst team in San Marino.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - March 2021 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

An unbeaten month where we showed our teeth, coming back from behind in all games but the Folgore one. In the end we avoided the last place quite comfortably.

Youth Intake

Not the best generally, but Jeffries is English, which means he could have a higher PA and he already looks promising while Marani is exactly the type of player we're badly missing in midfield, even if he's still a bit raw.

Andrew Jeffries

Riccardo Marani

[Rikulec]

In other news...

Yes, San Marino have won a World Cup qualifier! But wait, there's more. This result actually got me curious about their results in 2020, so I checked.

They actually went unbeaten in their Nations League group, winning both games against Gibraltar and only missing out on promotion on goal difference! Of course, I do realise I've given them some advantage by not loading up other small European leagues, but still, what a sight!

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - Season Review - 2020/21 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

Results (Sep-Dec) - Results (Jan-Mar) (red line marks my arrival)

Competition Performance: 14th

I came in with just seven games to go and still pretty much managed to turn things around, picking up 14 points and escaping the bottom of the league. Virtus became the unexpected champions for the first time in their history after beating title holders Tre Fiori in the play-off final.

Coppa Titano

Competition Performance: First Round

A straightforward first round exit for the previous boss.

Squad

As said before, a massive rebuild is in order. We need a new goalkeeper and improvements all across the back line. Del Prete, Tomassoni, Klyvchuk, Muggeo, and Barbuio are getting released at the end of their contracts.

Transfers - Finances

I had nothing to do with those transfers, though I'm happy with the inclusion of Luca Nanni.

We have some money in the bank, but I'm slightly worried about the wage budget, as ridiculous as it is given the numbers.

Player of the Season

1st - Emanuele Gregori - the Italian striker really stepped up after I joined the club, becoming our top scorer with five goals to his name, all scored in those final seven games. He has pace and that's pretty much all that matters at this level.

2nd - Giacomo Berardi - the youngster on the right wing certainly shows some promise, here's hoping he can produce some more goals and assists in the seasons to come.

3rd - Luca Nanni - his mentals seem to be making the difference in midfield.

Next Season

I'm focusing on long-term development here, so I'm not setting any goals for our performance on the pitch. I want to improve both the squad and the club overall.

[Rikulec]

I've done well enough to be given a two-year contract and a raise.

[Rikulec]

I've also started my first coaching course.

[Rikulec]

And finally, some much needed upgrades.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - Season Preview - 2021/22 - SC Faetano

Board Expectations:

Campionato Sammarinese: Be competitive
Coppa Titano: Be competitive

My Expectations:

Campionato Sammarinese: I'd like 12th at least to give us a shot at the crazy play-off.
Coppa Titano: Not important.

Budgets:

Transfer: £555
Wage: £82 (currently spending £104)
Balance: £113,903

[john1]

Good luck  

[Rikulec]

2 hours ago, john1 said:

Good luck  

Thanks mate.

[SixPointer]

Good luck and following 👍🏻

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

Good luck and following 👍🏻

Cheers, great to have you here.

[Rikulec]

They've got another point!

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - Pre-Season - 2021/22 - SC Faetano

Friendlies

A poor start, but we got better.

Transfers

I definitely didn't want to lose Zaghini or Gregori, but well, **** happens when you have all your players on non-contracts.

Alessandro Giannini - our new starting right back.

Nicolas Pucci - originally brought in as cover at centre back, but he'll probably jump into the starting XI following Zaghini's departure.

Marino Pelliccioni - this lad definitely has the potential to become a starting midfielder for us.

Filippo Pulze - the new man between the sticks.

Matteo Giorgini - probably not much more than a squad player.

Nicola Sipone - he almost looks like the exact replica of Gregori, hopefully he can also be as prolific.

Additionally, Riccardo Marani, Andrew Jeffries, and Thomas Matteoni have been promoted into the first team.

[Sheriff7]

10 hours ago, Rikulec said:

They've got another point!

Against Estonia?Again?

[Rikulec]

2 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

Against Estonia?Again?

Yup, looks like San Marino are becoming Estonia's bogey team.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - September 2021 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

A very mixed month that leaves us in a position I'd happily take in the league table.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - October 2021 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

We follow up with a great month that fires us all the way into 4th. Our attack is on fire!

Coppa Titano

I rotated a lot for this game and we still came out with a very promising result ahead of the return leg.

[Rikulec]

Not one, not two, but THREE goals AND a win in San Marino's final World Cup qualifying game! They really love playing Estonia, don't they?

What a campaign it was!

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - November 2021 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

Another unbeaten month and I think it's safe to say that play-offs are very much on!

Coppa Titano

Not without trouble, but we finished the job against Cosmos and we've also set ourselves up nicely in the first leg at Virtus thanks to a brace from supersub Berardi.

[Rikulec]

Fingers crossed!

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - December 2021 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

Two more good results and we're now sitting quite firmly in the top 4.

Coppa Titano

We messed this up, a sloppy performance and a deserved defeat sees us crash out of the cup.

[Rikulec]

More upgrades, our youth system is now the best in the league.

[Rikulec]

We still have nine games left to play in the regular season.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - January 2022 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

We come back after the winter break even stronger than before - a perfect month! There's no catching Tre Fiori, but a 2nd place finish is beginning to look like a real possibility.

Transfers

Abdoulaye Coly Gning - a significant improvement in the left back position.

Andrea Forcellini - unlikely to start ahead of Rosti, but his pace could be real useful coming off the bench.

[SixPointer]

10 hours ago, Rikulec said:

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - January 2022 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

We come back after the winter break even stronger than before - a perfect month! There's no catching Tre Fiori, but a 2nd place finish is beginning to look like a real possibility.

Transfers

Abdoulaye Coly Gning - a significant improvement in the left back position.

Andrea Forcellini - unlikely to start ahead of Rosti, but his pace could be real useful coming off the bench.

Hard to catch a runaway leader with such a strong defence. Rarely slipping up!

[Rikulec]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Hard to catch a runaway leader with such a strong defence. Rarely slipping up!

The good thing is that it doesn't really matter whether we catch them or not. Last year Virtus became champions despite finishing 7th.

[Rikulec]

Something went wrong the first time and I had to repeat my first course, but now I've finally passed it and immediately started another.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - February 2022 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

Goals seem to have dried up a bit, sadly. We're almost certain to qualify for the play-off quarter finals though.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - March 2022 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

A bit inconsistent up front, but you can't really complain after getting seven points from three games, can you?

We're now through to the play-off quarter final, where we'll play Pennarossa away.

Youth Intake

Just like last year, two standout players and not much beyond.

Orazio Lupi

Massimiliano Berardi

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - April 2022 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

The scoreline flatters us as we were really lucky to come out with a clean sheet. What matters is that we're through to the semis though.

We got the worst draw possible - Tre Fiori away.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - May 2022 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

Like I expected, Tre Fiori shut us out and deservedly beat us. We do manage to finish the season with a medal after beating Folgore in a rather dull game thanks to a late header from our centre back Pucci.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - Season Review - 2021/22 - SC Faetano

Campionato Sammarinese

Results (Sep-Dec) - Results (Jan-May)

Competition Performance: 2nd (lost in championship play-off semi final, won in third place play-off)

I didn't expect a lot going into this campaign and, after a slow start, we surprisingly got going really strongly and ended up with the best attack in the league, only behind Tre Fiori who seem to be playing in a league of their own. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they went on to win the whole thing. All in all, I'm happy with our performance and I hope to build on this next season.

Coppa Titano

Competition Performance: Quarter Final

Everything was going well until we decided to take a day off.

Squad

The squad is slowly starting to take shape, but there's still work to be done. Guidi and Fall are getting released and Matteoni is going back to the U-20 team.

Transfers - Finances

A decent transfer window, we definitely improved the squad thanks to the likes of Giannini, Pucci, Pulze, and Sipone.

We're in a healthy financial position thanks to some mysterious grants.

Player of the Season

1st - Nicola Sipone - he had some big boots to fill following the departure of Giannini and he really delivered. Easily our top scorer, even though he wasn't quite as good in the second half of the season as he was in the first.

2nd - Nicolas Pucci - the only Sammarinese player on the list. He was rock solid at centre back, pretty much as good as it gets at our level of football.

3rd - Filippo Pulze - our new #1 had a very good debut season. An average rating higher than 7,00 really says a lot about a goalkeeper and his performances.

Next Season

I think a top 4 finish is a fairly reasonable aim. Whatever happens afterwards, happens.

[Rikulec]

[Rikulec]

I've got my first interview I didn't apply for. I don't feel like Domagnano would be a step up for me though, so I declined. There is, however, one job I hope I'm going to get interviewed for...

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - Season Preview - 2022/23 - SC Faetano

Board Expectations:

Campionato Sammarinese: Quarter Final
Coppa Titano: Quarter Final

My Expectations:

Campionato Sammarinese: Top 4 finish and take it from there.
Coppa Titano: Not important.

Budgets:

Transfer: £10,070
Wage: £200 (currently spending £166)
Balance: £183,934

[Rikulec]

I mentioned there was a job I had my eyes on, but I certainly didn't mean that. Obviously a massive step up in terms of wages, another thing that tempts me is that I think we could actually push for promotion in the Nations League if we got lucky with the draw. On the other hand, isn't it a bit early? I have to think about this.

[Rikulec]

Having made up my mind, I asked for upgrades to facilities and got this one approved. You can consider this my farewell gift...

[Rikulec]

 

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - New Club - San Marino

Accepting the San Marino job means I won't be managing Faetano since I just don't consider dual management to be realistic.

Club Name: San Marino
Nickname: -
Year Founded: 1931
Status: -
Stadium: San Marino Stadium (5,500 all-seater)

The squad appears to be pretty much what you'd normally expect from San Marino. However, we have three standout players in Filippo Berardi, Nicola Nanni and Elia Benedittini as well as some interesting youngsters coming up at the San Marino Academy and, interestingly, other Italian clubs as well. The latter is the main reason why I'm so excited for this job - I believe this could be a turning point in the country's footballing history and I want to make the most of it.

We're one game into our Nations League campaign and it was a 2:0 home defeat against Moldova. That result makes our hopes of winning the group very, very slim. I hope we can put up a fight against the Faroe Islands though, a win or two would be fantastic.

[Rikulec]

Here's my first squad then. A lot of youngsters, but trust me, they're actually the best options I have. There's a whole new generation coming up in San Marino and it's time to let them shine.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - September 2022 - San Marino

UEFA Nations League

Unfortunately it wasn't to be. We did score first in both games, but Faroe Islands turned out to be better than I expected and deserved to beat us. Moldova, on the other hand, weren't as strong and we had a few good chances to extend our lead. We failed to take them though and had to accept the punishment. Nanni's up to five international goals now, just three shy of Andy Selva's record.

[Rikulec]

A few changes in the squad ahead of the final Nations League game against the Faroe Islands, mostly because of injuries. Stefanelli makes his recovery and jumps back into the team, although he's unlikely to feature ahead of Nanni. Mirko Palazzi is another experienced player that gets a call-up after Nicolas Pucci got ruled out by an injury. Apart from them, it's mostly young players who could get their shots.

[Rikulec]

Claudio Trentini's Management Career - October 2022 - San Marino

UEFA Nations League

Yes! A fantastic performance in Serravalle and a well deserved win thanks to two great goals by Tre Fiori winger Tomassini. We came close to finishing 2nd in the group, we would have done so if we hadn't conceded in the second half. It's also quite likely that Tomassini has become the first player in San Marino history to score two goals in a game!

[Rikulec]

Pucci returns from injury and is joined by Rosti as the two Faetano men in a mostly unchanged squad picked for the final two games of the year. These are two friendlies where I hope for two wins.