(FM23) Lutterworth Fox's go at The Nearly Men

[TheLutterworthFox]

2030/31 Season - Champions League Final v Inter Milan

Here we go! The biggest night for Panathinaikos since losing the European Cup final to Ajax in 1971!!! All that stands in our way is Italian giants Inter Milan. LET'S DO THIS!!

2 mins - First chance for us, a Maldini free kick comes in, it's met by Anastasopoulos but his header goes over

6 mins - Inter's first chance, it's worked well down the right, Dumfries plays it to Olmo, his cross is met by Parisi but it's well saved by Fernandez

20 mins - Another chance for Inter, albeit a half chance, Dumfries gets in down the right again, he shoots from a tight angle and Fernandz tips it wide

20 mins - The resulting corner is swung in by Olmo, it's met by Ahmedhodzic but his header goes over

 

25 mins - Inter really should score, we are struggling to string 2 passes together atm, we lose it in midfield, Danilo find Lautaro who is clear but he fires wide

 

29 mins - Another Inter chance, a free kick is swung in, Skriniar heads it but it goes just over

 

33 mins - Eventually we string a few passes together, Pinto in the middle of the good play, he slides Maldini in, who from a tight angle fires it at goal but Meter in the Inter goal tips it wide

 

And that's half time. We haven't been anywhere near at our best but we are still in the match. Time for one of the biggest team talks in my time here

 

48 mins - Dumfries on the right hand side is causing is so many problems, he dispossess Monge, strides into the box, cuts it back but Olmos shot is well blocked by Anastasopoulos

 

49 mins - Lautaro again, he has to score, he's clear on goal but Fernandez stays big and gets his body in the way of the shot. Time to get hold of the ball a bit more, play it a bit quicker and a bit wider, we are really struggling to get a foothold in the game

 

69 mins - Inter so close again. We lose the ball in midfield, Olmo gets it, hits it from 25 yards and his shot hits the top of the bar. How this is still 0-0 is beyond me

 

Time for some substitutions. Kovacic, who is retiring after this game is coming on for Aydin, Monge is also coming off at LB after an awful time against Dumfries, Anastasopoulos moves to Left Back and Soyuncu comes on

 

73 mins - Fernandez is keeping us in this game. Olmo runs through but his shot is tipped wide. WAKE UP LADS!!!

 

81 mins - An absolutely massive chance!!! Inter suddenly look shattered and start to lose the ball. Maldini picks it up, plays a gorgeous ball through the defence but Afena-Gyan, known for missing sitters, blazes over from 10 yards out!

 

82 mins - MALDINI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He picks it up, 40 yards, strides forward and hits it from 20 yards out, Meret should save it but the power beats him and somehow, from absolutely nowhere we're 1-0 up!!!!

 91 mins - What Afena-Gyan is doing is beyond me. I ask them to time waste, he collects it and starts to run for the corner, he then turns back, plays it to Pinto who smashes it over. 4 minutes of injury time left!

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PANATHINAIKOS HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!! I'm not crying, you're crying!!!!

One of the best nights of FM I've ever had, Chelsea, Man U, Bayern and then Inter beaten!!! Panathinaikos are no longer "Nearly Men". And that means I can move on from Greece and go to pastures new, but where will I go? 

What a season!!!

I will post a mini "end of club" review tomorrow, I need a beer after that!

 

[keeper#1]

Well done!

[robertpeet27]

Fantastic! What a journey 🙌

[Winski]

Fantastic!! What a season 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2030/31 Season - End of Season and Club Review

I still cannot believe what happened last night, it was possibly one of the greatest nights of FM I've ever had. It wasn't like we even had an easy run to the Champions League final, Chelsea, Man United, Bayern were all beaten in amazing style, then came Inter Milan in the final and, well, the rest is history!!! I've had an amazing time here, 9 season of domestic domination but in Europe's it's been a grind.....UNTIL THIS SEASON!!!!

WE WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!!!

And now the journey in Greece is over and it will soon be time to start looking for a new "Nearly Man" within the list of clubs I have. The search will begin but it all depends on what jobs are available within the same save.

But before we go on a job hunt I want to look back at not only this season but all 9 seasons.

Firstly let's see how this season went domestically, I had updated you about the Champions League but not on how the league and Greek Cup had gone, well as expected we smashed it!

The League was won with 6 games to spare, we did lose a couple near the end but only because I refused to risk any first team player in the build up to the Champions League final!!

A record points total for my 9 seasons in charge and the biggest margin of victory!!

We also ended up winning the Greek Cup, beating Olympiakos in the final.

We hammered them, that sealed the 5th straight League and Cup double and also sealed my place at the top of the Greek Hall of Fame!

Amazing!!

Next I want to talk about the key men to this amazing season and to do that I want to go through the 11 lads who won us the Champions League

Goalkeeper - Alvaro Fernandez

The man who kept us in the Champions League final, he made some amazing saves and was integral to our victory. Signed at the last minute due to a season ending injury to Unai Simon, Alvaro came in and was amazing, 31 clean sheets in 52 games with only 26 goals conceded. Sensational!

Right Back - Andrew Kun Wah Lee

When I saw him pop up in the 2022 NxGN wonderkid last as the Number 1 ranked player I had to bring him in, after a season on loan I bit the bullet and signed him for £18.25m, he is leaving in the Summer as his contract is up and he got his head turned but he was a huge part to my success. Playing as a Full Back (A) he was a huge attacking force, chipping in with numerous assists and the odd goal. It'll be interesting to see how his career continues as he moves to Tottenham!

Left Back - Carlos Monge

Signed in the Summer to replace Moke who went for £40m, he was amazing all season although he had a torrid time in the Champions League final against Denzel Dumfries!!!

Central Defender - Tom Stansfield

Signed back in 2028 he became a huge part of the backline and was always reliable, at 25 he has a lot of football ahead of him and I'd love to see him get an England call up at some point. This season he was a mainstay in the team, even when I rotated, he made 34 appearances, chipping in with 1 goal and averaging over 7 in nearly every game.

Central Defender - Panagiotis Anastasopolous

Try saying this name when you're drunk!! Pana as I'll call him for now came in during the Summer of 2029 really just to fill the homegrown quota out but immediately became a reliable player, he mainly played at Left back but also played Central defender really well. He got the call in the final as Soyuncu was unfit and did an amazing job, so many good blocks and balls won in the air. It will be nice now to see him get a Greece call up.

Ball Winning Midfielder - Ladislav Krejci

Signed back in 2027 to play as my BWM, what an amazing player who never let the side down, the vice-captain and an example to all the youngsters at the club.

Segundo Volante - Eyup Aydin

Signed in the Summer to play as my SV (S), what a player! What a signing! He was a huge part in my success this season, playing 34 times, getting 12 assists and chipping in with 5 goals.

Attacking Midfield - Daniel Maldini

The legend of this save so far, not only because he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final but more for his amazing performances throughout the save, his goalscoring, his assists, he consistent performances. Signed in 2024, in 6 season he made over 200 league appearances scoring 72 goals and won the clubs players of the year 5 times, including this season. Our longest serving player and club captain and even when all was changing around him he kept going, performing to the highest standard.

Advanced Playmaker (AM) - Valentin Pinto

Signed in 2028, a major player in the past few seasons, he scored some huge goals and was an integral part of the squad. Another player who deserves an international call up at some point.

Shadow Striker - Houssem Aouar

Signed in the Summer to bolster our attacking options, he didn't play masses but due to injuries towards the end he played more and more and was sensational.

Striker - Flexi Afena-Gyan

A cult hero of the save, a goalscoring machine since signing in 2028, he scored 82 goals in 117 games but it was the amount of chances he missed that will be remembered, including in the Champions League final. A huge player though who will be fondly remembered!

And here is the whole squad
It will be interesting to see how the AI messes this squad up over the next few seasons.

A stunning XI, the boys that will live long in the memory of the Panathinaikos fans.

Finally, before I go I want to look back on the journey so far, 9 amazing season here and we have dominated in the League and the Greek Cup

8 straight league title, 5 straight Greek Cup win (6 in total), our Champions League seasons have been up and down, we came so close to a final 2 seasons ago but this season went that couple of steps further!

We also leave the club set up for more domestic dominance and hopefully set to continue challenging in Europe

Some major upgrades in facilities, we also have now moved into a new 29,000 stadium with an extra 5,000 seats in the pipeline.

The finances are amazing now with over £100m in the bank, we have also increased our revenue streams over those 9 seasons which has helped as the wages have rocketed!!!

And there we go, what a journey so far, but this is just the start, now we go on a job hunt for another club, bring it on!!!!

Edited November 18, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[KibworthBull]

Brilliant Job Steve.

Can't wait to find out where the journey goes next

[BoxToBoxFM]

Been a brilliant time in Greece, last night was special following along with. Look forward to seeing who the next team is!

[Koetzer]

Well done 

And of course, who else could score the winning goal in the final against Inter?

[TheLutterworthFox]

21 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

Well done!

 

14 hours ago, robertpeet27 said:

Fantastic! What a journey 🙌

 

12 hours ago, Winski said:

Fantastic!! What a season 

 

4 hours ago, KibworthBull said:

Brilliant Job Steve.

Can't wait to find out where the journey goes next

 

1 hour ago, BoxToBoxFM said:

Been a brilliant time in Greece, last night was special following along with. Look forward to seeing who the next team is!

 

3 minutes ago, Koetzer said:

Well done 

And of course, who else could score the winning goal in the final against Inter?

Thanks guys, really appreciate the support. What a night it was last night!!

Find a new job though that floats my boat is proving to be very tough!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Job Number Two!

It's taken 12 months to eventually find a job that appeals to me, I won't lie though, there were very few jobs available that I could take but when this job came up I felt it was a good challenge. After a long stint in a smaller nation with a big team I really wanted a smaller team in a bigger nation and that's exactly what I've got.

I am off to Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt.

They lost in the final of the 1960 European Cup, now it's time to take them that one step further.

It's going to be a tough task though, another good while before we are challenging. Last season the club ended 13th in the Bundesliga, one of their lowest finishes in the save so far.

This season they are predicted to end 11th.

I won't talk much more about the club as I'm sure I'll discuss things as we move through the seasons, but one thing I want to look at is the playing squad and there's only one man to start with.

Remember Youssef Zakar? Yep that's right he was with me at Panathinaikos, he only spent 2 seasons with me but was incredible until his head was turned by Frankfurt, now we are back together and I have high hopes he can bring us glory!

The highest rated player in our squad is Attacking Midfielder Lorenzo Faedo, he looks absolute quality but unfortunately he wants to leave for a bigger club. I should get a bloody big fee for him though which will help me build the squad.

Ez Abde is another Winger who looks top quality, he was a player I looked at signing at Panathinaikos a few years ago but was priced out of a deal.

The final player I want to speak about is defender Lorenzo Piedipalumbo, a top quality player who can play as central defender or full back. Really good!

Here is the full squad.

We have good depth in most areas bar at centre back, we may also need a central midfielder. I plan to stick with my 4231 with 2 DMs and I feel the squad is set up to play that.

The good news is I have a bit of money to spend, £26m in transfer money and £1.4m per week in wages, around £150k per week of that is spare. If we Faedo goes that will give me a lot more to spend. Now who can I steal from Panathinaikos?!

[KibworthBull]

Zakar's record at international level is fairly impressive!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2032/33 Season - Transfer Update

The first few weeks at Eintracht Frankfurt have been fraught with activity, a few players have left but a lot have players have joined. I needed to bolster the ranks and I've done exactly that.

Uros Curcic - Defensive Midfield - £5.25m from Partizan

A really good, young signing to add more options in midfield, I'm sticking with my 4231 with 2 DMs from Panathinaikos and this lad fits exactly what I want

Jukka Myllys - Defensive Midfielder - £425k from Ilves

I hadn't planned on signing another DM but when I saw this guy I had to bring him in. He was available on free in December but wouldn't discuss a pre-contract, then in fantastic FM fashion I made a big, a small bid, it got accepted and then he miraculously decided to speak to me! An amazing signing.

Daniel Maldini - Attacking Midfield - £12.25m from Panathinaikos

I'm sure most of you expected me to raid my old club, well there was only one man I wanted and that was the Champions League goalscorer and superstar Maldini. So pleased to bring him with me.

Alexis Stylianou - Central Defender - £1.6m from Spurs

A top quality defender joins for a low fee. I was desperately in need of new defender and this lad is going straight into the first team

Birol Dogan - Left Back - £9.25m Galatasaray

I lost my main Left Back during the Summer so this lad comes in to replace him, he can also play CB which is a massive help

Marcin Bukka - Goalkeeper - £2.1m from Genoa

A new GK was top of my shopping list but unfortunately everyone I wanted was either nabbed by another club or I was priced out. Bukka comes in for a low fee as a short-term solution until I find someone better

And that so far is all my business. Some good signings, the squad now looks better, we still have 3 weeks of the transfer window to go so things can change, I wanted to update on transfers as the season is about to start! Wish me luck!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2032/33 Season - Deadline Day Deals!

In the past few weeks there's one thing I wanted to happen and that was to sell star man Faedo, the Winger wanted to go but I couldn't get anywhere near his worth, eventually on deadline day the right bid came in.

He eventually moved to Rennes for £49m. What this did was free up a load of money so I could improve this squad even more, I also sold a couple of lads who just weren't good enough to free some wages up.

Because of the Faedo money it meant, I could bring some new players in on deadline day

Junior Tshibuabua - Central Defender - Season loan from Bournemouth

I am very short of proper CBs so this lads comes in to add some depth

Danny Reuter - Right Back/Central Defender - £15.25m from Genk

Danny will be straight in the first team to play centre back but can also fill in at Right Back if required, a top quality player for a decent fee

Paulo - Attacking Midfield - £8.25m from Sao Paulo

A lad I'd looked a few times whilst at Panathinaikos but his physicals worried me, his improvement overall is good to see so now is the time to bring him in and get him in the side

3 more good signings!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2032/33 Season - August to November

The opening few months are over and I'll be honest, I couldn't have asked for much more. The lads have taken to the tactic and the style of play, the newbies have settled in well and we are exceeding expectations.

Some really good results, we started rather inconsistently but if you look at our defeats 3 of the 4 have away to the big 3 teams in the League. We've had some fantastic wins including a 5-0 against Darmstadt, a cracking 2-0 win over Leverkusen and a 4-1 away win over Werder Bremen, overall I have to be delighted with that start!

We were predicted to end 10th, we currently sit 5th, a European push is well on the cards!!

We've also done amazingly in the DFB Pokal. 

For the Bundesliga clubs it's always the same in the first round, an away tie against a minnow, we were drawn Halle 96 and battered them 11-0!

In the second round we had a really tough away tie against Leverkusen but put in one our best performances of the season, we outplayed them, had 2 goals disallowed and hit the woodwork twice, the game ended 1-1 and it went to penalties where we scored all 5 to win the game 5-3! An amazing result.

So a brilliant start to the season, let's hope we can continue on our good form and keep pushing for a European spot.

[Lestri]

Looks like some excellent bargains there! 

[mannojunior]

Cracking start mate! Can’t wait for the next update!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2032/33 Season - December and January

Another transfer window is over and for once I feel like I've had my own way, players have left and I've been in control of who goes, I've also brought a few players in, with a view to the future, who I feel are going to be really good.

Firstly the out's

The only first team losses from that list are Winger Sottil, who was terrible and defenders Rothe and Alderete, both weren't in my plans and would have left at the end of the season on free, the rest were in the B team just taking up wages. There were bids for some of my key players but all were rejected and there were no complaints.

I've also brought 3 players in just to add some depth in areas I felt we were struggling.

Ismet Keles - Right Winger/Striker

Signed for £1.1m from Blackburn, a top quality player for a low fee. I needed a new Winger to add some depth, at only 24 as well he is one for the future.

Christian Hughes - Striker

A £1.4m signing from Middlesbrough, 9 for finishing is concerning but at only 23 he has plenty of time to grow, he was brought in due to Zakar going to the African Nations and Martins wanting a loan move, so he is more of a backup than anything.

Riley Todorski - Defensive Midfield

I had to bring this lad with me from Panathinaikos, I tried in the Summer but couldn't afford the deal, he comes in for £12m, a big fee for an 18 year old but I genuinely feel he is going to be incredible in the future.

Some really good deals done and the squad is now taking shape in my own vision.

Now to the results and it has gone so so well! So much better than I expected it to, the players have taken to the tactic really well and results have been amazing.

9 games played, 8 in the League and 19 points gained including an amazing 4-1 win over Leipzig, we have been scoring for fun, maybe a little leaky in defence but who cares!

We also progressed to the 4th round of the DFB Pokal was a last gaps win over Werder Bremen. I really couldn't have asked for much more over the past few months and it now means we are well in with a shot of European football next season.

We are 4th!!! A nice cushion to 5th as well! Could we get Champions League football next season?!

Finally, a quick word on the tactic I'm using.

It's basically the same 4231 tactic I used at Panathinaikos but the DM RPM has been moved further forward. Piedipalumbo at right back is also a WB(A), just to add more attacking impetus, like I said before we do suffer a little defensively which moving forward I may need to look at but so far it's been amazing!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2032/33 Season - End of Season Review

The season is over and it has been an amazing first campaign in charge. When I left you last we were sitting in 4th in the Bundesliga and also were into the Quarters of the DFB Pokal, so let's see how it's gone!

Firstly, the DFB Pokal. and in the Quarters we faced Stuttgart at home. A winnable game and win it we did!

A fantastic, dominant 3-0 win, very nice!

We then faced Mainz in the semi final, they had beaten us away earlier in the season so I could smell revenge, it started so well as we took the lead on 2 minutes but 20 minutes later and we were 2-1 down, we immediately responded to level the game and after that we took took, we deserved to win, we had so many chances but with 10 minutes to go Mainz scored with a rare second half attack, heads dropped and we couldn't find a way back

Absolutely gutting to go out.

Now to the Bundesliga, we ended January in 4th and that's exactly where we stayed throughout the rest of the season, I won't lie, we were incredible.

Some of those wins were amazing, 3-0 over Bayern (they went down to 10 men after 20 minutes), 2-1 over Dortmund, 3-1 away to Leverkusen, I could not have asked for much more. As the season drew to a close though we started to fall away, 4th place was wrapped up with 3 games to go and with us having no chance of ending any higher they players seemed to start their holidays early and we lost the final 2 games. An annoying end to what has been an incredible season!

We were predicted to end 10th, I would've taken 7th, we ended up coming 4th and with that a spot in the Champions League next season!

Let's take a look at who the key men were.

Daniel Maldini ends as the clubs player of the season, he has been really good, an amazing signing from my old club and the best performing player of the season, he ends with most assists and highest average rating. 13 goals, 16 assists from 32 starts with 7 POTMs and an average rating of 7.48! An absolute legend of this save!

Young player of the season goes to Winger Rasmus Frisk, he didn't start in the side but once Faedo left he got his chance and he took it, 14 goals and 7 assists from 23 starts. This lad is amazing and will only get better.

Top scorer goes to Youssef Zakar, he renewed his relationship with Maldini from his time at Panathinaikos and although he didn't play every game he was lethal in front of goal. 21 goals in 23 starts. He's only 25 as well so loads of time to improve.

Here is the Best XI for the season....

And here is the whole squad.

So now we look forward to next season and we have the Champions League to look forward to, with £85m gained in Bundesliga prize money and Champions League money incoming I was fully expecting some really tasty budgets for the next season, what I got though was far from it!

£12.35m in transfer budget and no increase in wages!! We did end the season £30m in the red but with the huge amount of prize money we got I expected 4x that amount! It's really disappointing and means if I want to improve this squad I've got to sell to buy and I've also got to be savvy with my signings. The squad does need improving, we need a new GK and a new LB, we also need a new Attacking Midfielder, we then have to replace anyone who leaves. It's going to be an interesting Summer ahead!

 

[Vakama2619]

How are Panathinaikos getting on without you?

[TheLutterworthFox]

5 hours ago, Vakama2619 said:

How are Panathinaikos getting on without you?

They've won the Greek Super League both seasons but not faired too well in the Champions League. 1st season they got to the playoff round, beat Dortmund but lost to Man City in the Last 16. 2nd season they didn't even make the playoffs, ending 26th in the Group Phase

[TheLutterworthFox]

2033/34 Season - Transfer Update & Opening Games

A new season begins, we have Champions League to look forward to but unfortunately the budgets aren't great meaning sales have to be made before players can join. Luckily a couple of hefty bids came in meaning more money to spend!

Ez Abde and Cassia both leave for a combined £77.5m. Abde I wasn't too fussed about leaving, I had pinpointed him as a key man when I joined but when he played he really wasn't good enough. Cassia got his head turned by Man United when I turned down a £45m bid for him, he kicked off so let him go, he ends up moving to Norwich!

We also lose Arregi (AM), Francisco (AM), Emilio (LW) and Schneller (GK), all of them were backups just taking up wages I could spend elsewhere.

With regard to transfers in it's been a busy window as expected. Once the money came in for Abde and Cassia I went out and brought in the players I wanted and here they are.....

Glenn McInnis - Central Defender - Free from Chelsea

Signed on a pre contract deal, McInnis is a highly rated defender, a steal to get him on a free but he will spend this season out on loan.

Robson Brown - Central Defender - £13.25m from Spurs

Another really good defender joins but this lad will go straight into the first XI.

Pedro Correa - Right Back/Right Wing - £4.1m from Penarol

A proper attacking right back, exactly what I need with the tactic I used, top top quality.

Damian Peter - Goalkeeper - £19.25m from West Ham

I needed a decent keeper and I had to splash the cash to get him. Only 24 but already looks amazingly good.

Luis Colman - Striker/Left Wing - £11.5m from River Plate

I lacked attacking options so spent a good chunk of cash on this lad. Naturally a Striker but his finishing worries me for that position, for me he would be better suited on the Left Wing.

Viktor Sorensen - Attacking Midfield - Free from Leipzig

He popped up on the Bundesliga released players list and the second I saw how good he was I had to bring him in. Another brilliant option in attacking midfield.

Hwang Sung-Jae - Left Back - £8m from Augsburg

Another good option at Left Back and he can also play on the Left Wing. Those physicals are amazing!

Some fantastic signings, £58m spent, just over £80m recouped, a good Summers business!

We've also played a few games in August and so far it's gone really well.

3 games in the League, 7 points and we currently sit in 3rd place.

 

Finally, we've had our Champions League fixtures and on the face of it we have a chance.

We do face reigning champions PSG and also Arsenal and Manchester United but other than that I see no reason why we can't win the other 5 games.

[TheLutterworthFox]

2033/34 Season - September to January

This is going to be quite a long update, I went a bit mad and played all the way up until the end of January, so I need to update you on transfers, domestic comps and the Champions League!!!

Let's start with transfers and there were a couple of outs.

Bobzien (GK) had asked to go and with his contract up next season I had to cash in, £10m is a good deal and with that he rejoins us on loan for the rest of the season. Stylianou (CB) was signed last Summer but has fallen out of favour, a small profit on him, Martins (ST) was rubbish so I let him go.

So around £17m of sales and with the board increasing my transfer kitty prior to these deals to £32m I had a bit to spend. 2 players joined and here they are....

Darko Churlinov - Winger - £7.25m from Wolves

Signed to help with the homegrown quota in the Champions League, we also don't have much depth out wide so brought in as a good backup.

Sam Bossman - Striker - £28.5m from Liverpool

When I saw this lad pop up as transfer listed I had to bring him in, he is absolute beast of a Striker, quick, strong, tall, everything you want in a forward.

Now to the results and firstly the one big downer so far this season and that's the DFB Pokal where we were knocked out in the 2nd round by Leipzig.

A really poor result.

Now to the league and that is going much better.

A fantastic start, we've had the odd defeat and way too many 0-0 draws but apart from that, especially with so many games due to the Champions League, we have done really well.

We sit in 3rd place, only 2 points off Bayern at the top!! Another top 4 finish is looking good and that means Champions League football next season.

Talking of the Champions League!!! We have reached the end of the League Phase and it's gone really well. We did have decent looking fixtures with 5 winnable games and 3 where we would struggle, well that's exactly how it turned out. We won the 5 games I expected to triumph in, we lost to Arsenal and PSG, then we face Man United in the final game knowing, to seal a top 8 spot, we have to beat them, we played well and took the lead midway through the second half, unfortunately though Man United scored late on, the game ended 1-1, a solid point against a big team but it wasn't enough and it meant we ended 13th place and with that a playoff spot to qualify for the Last 16.

Overall though a pleasing campaign, we were really close to breaking into that Top 8!

Playoff draw time and we had initially drew Rennes but my laptop decided it was going to reboot itself closing the game and therefore the draw was null and void, maybe it was fate, maybe my laptop knew I could draw me old team, the draw was re-done and guess what?!

Yep that's right we drew Panathinaikos!!!! I'm going home!

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[BoxToBoxFM]

Only 2 points off Bayern! Brilliant start to life in Germany, can’t wait for the Panathinaikos game!

[andychar]

On 23/11/2022 at 11:59, TheLutterworthFox said:

2033/34 Season - September to January

This is going to be quite a long update, I went a bit mad and played all the way up until the end of January, so I need to update you on transfers, domestic comps and the Champions League!!!

Let's start with transfers and there were a couple of outs.

Bobzien (GK) had asked to go and with his contract up next season I had to cash in, £10m is a good deal and with that he rejoins us on loan for the rest of the season. Stylianou (CB) was signed last Summer but has fallen out of favour, a small profit on him, Martins (ST) was rubbish so I let him go.

So around £17m of sales and with the board increasing my transfer kitty prior to these deals to £32m I had a bit to spend. 2 players joined and here they are....

Darko Churlinov - Winger - £7.25m from Wolves

Signed to help with the homegrown quota in the Champions League, we also don't have much depth out wide so brought in as a good backup.

Sam Bossman - Striker - £28.5m from Liverpool

When I saw this lad pop up as transfer listed I had to bring him in, he is absolute beast of a Striker, quick, strong, tall, everything you want in a forward.

Now to the results and firstly the one big downer so far this season and that's the DFB Pokal where we were knocked out in the 2nd round by Leipzig.

A really poor result.

Now to the league and that is going much better.

A fantastic start, we've had the odd defeat and way too many 0-0 draws but apart from that, especially with so many games due to the Champions League, we have done really well.

We sit in 3rd place, only 2 points off Bayern at the top!! Another top 4 finish is looking good and that means Champions League football next season.

Talking of the Champions League!!! We have reached the end of the League Phase and it's gone really well. We did have decent looking fixtures with 5 winnable games and 3 where we would struggle, well that's exactly how it turned out. We won the 5 games I expected to triumph in, we lost to Arsenal and PSG, then we face Man United in the final game knowing, to seal a top 8 spot, we have to beat them, we played well and took the lead midway through the second half, unfortunately though Man United scored late on, the game ended 1-1, a solid point against a big team but it wasn't enough and it meant we ended 13th place and with that a playoff spot to qualify for the Last 16.

Overall though a pleasing campaign, we were really close to breaking into that Top 8!

Playoff draw time and we had initially drew Rennes but my laptop decided it was going to reboot itself closing the game and therefore the draw was null and void, maybe it was fate, maybe my laptop knew I could draw me old team, the draw was re-done and guess what?!

Yep that's right we drew Panathinaikos!!!! I'm going home!

 

It just had to be didn't it? Should be a nice easy passage into the last 16 really!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2033/34 Season - Champions League Update

The reception at the Panathinaikos arena was incredible, a heroes welcome home but once that game kicks off I want to beat them more than ever!

We faced old club Panathinaikos in the Playoff round of the Champions League, we should win, we need to win!!

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT V PANATHINAIKOS (PLAYOFF ROUND)

FIRST LEG (A)

It was a tough first leg, tougher than I expected. Afena-Gyan started like a house on fire, scoring twice in the opening 14 minutes to put them 2-0 up, we scored just before half time, then in the second half, the turning point, Aydin was sent off for Panathinaikos and we took control, they defended amazingly well but with 7 minutes left we eventually broke through, we went for a winner but couldn't find a way through, a 2-2 draw going into the home leg.

 

SECOND LEG (H)

Where once again it was a tough game, we dominated but they played well, Frisk scored twice for us in the opening 23 minutes and after that we sat back and tried to keep the ball. Nico David grabbed a late goal for them but it wasn't enough, we were through to the last 16!!

 

Looking at the draw we did get away with it, there were some huge teams in the draw, I'd say we got the second best draw we could've got.

Atletico Madrid stand in our way for a place in the Champions League Quarters!

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT V ATLETICO MADRID (LAST 16)

FIRST LEG (H)

With the first leg at our place we needed to start quick and get a good lead going into the away leg, I expected it to be tough, what I didn't expect was what happened next.

An opening half of the highest quality, Atletico couldn't cope with us, Zakar put us 1-0 up in 15 mins and by half time it was 4-0, Frisk, Paulo and Bossman grabbing the goals. Then in true FM fashion the second half was virtually a non-event, only one highlight and that was an Atletico penalty. We ended up winning 4-1, stunning!

 

SECOND LEG (A)

The game was pretty much sealed, all we had to do was see this one out and see it out we did. In fact we scored with 25 seconds, Bossman grabbing the goal and after that it was a walk in the park. Atletico did grab one back right on half time but it was just a consolation.

WE'RE INTO THE QUARTER FINALS!

We now have to wait for the draw which is 10 days away.

[TheLutterworthFox]

2033/34 Season - Champions League Quarter Final

The draw came out and my word did it look tough, to be honest any game was going to be tough when you're into the Last 8 but I think we got the toughest draw of the low.

Man City, away leg first, I prefer that, it's always better playing at home second.

FIRST LEG (A)

What a performance!!! Man City hit us with everything they had, shot after shot, chance after chance but we held firm, Foden did end up scoring a lovely free kick in the 23rd minute but as Man City pushed we broke away and just before half time got an equaliser, an own goal, a corner came in, it was headered towards goal, it was going wide but for some the keeper palmed it in his own net!

We then held out to get an absolutely superb 1-1 draw at the Etihad! Advantage us for the second leg?!

 

SECONE LEG (H)

There really are no words for what happened. We were utterly incredible and even though we went behind early due to Giovanni Reyna we always looked in control. Man City tried to play out of defence but our high press meant they just couldn't do it. Time and time again they lost the ball trying to play out and our first goal came from Zakar nabbing the ball off Stansfield. At half time it was 1-1 but we smelt blood and after a motivating team talk we went for it in the second half and were utterly incredible. Paulo scored midway through the second 45 and then with 10 minutes to go we scored a glorious third goal, some amazing passing, City chasing shadows and it was eventually finished by Paulo. As City pushed forward we caught them again in the last minute to secure a memorable 4-1 win and with that we are into the Champions League Semi final!!!!

 

It doesn't get any easier though, we will face PSG who have won the previous two Champions Leagues, we faced them in the League phase and lost 3-0!

Edited November 26, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

2033/34 Season - Champions League Semi Final v PSG

Here we go! I never ever expected to be this far into the competition so the pressure is off. Man City dispatched in the Quarters, we now have an even bigger task with back-to-back Champions League winners PSG standing in our way. A place in the final is at stake. BRING IT ON!!

FIRST LEG (A)

We played well, defensively we were so good, PSG have an amazing side with Vinicius, Moukoko and Mbappe as their front 3, we held firm, we did amazingly but PSG eventually found a breakthrough with 2 minutes to go. Mbappe with the goal. It was gutting not to hang on for a 0-0 but we still have a shot in the home leg. We beat Man City 4-1 at home, so we know we can do it!

 

SECOND LEG (H)

An absolute epic, PSG had so many chances, Mbappe missed at least 4, they hit the bar, our keeper was incredible but we still had to put the ball in the net ourselves. I spent £28.5m on Bossman in the Winter and this game was the making of him. He scored midway through the first half, picking the ball up, beating Leon in defence, rounding Donnarumma and sliding it in the net. Then came the second half, Bossman again scoring, a tight angle shot which Donnarumma made a hash of. 2-0 up, 2-1 on aggregate, now all we had to do was hang on. PSG had so many shots but Damien Peter in goal was incredible, unbeatable. The whistle blew and we had done it!!!

INTO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL!!!! In only my second season in charge, what an incredible run.

And now we have the task of Manchester United in the final, BRING IT ON!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2033/34 Season - Champions League Final v Manchester United

Here we go!!! Once again I decided to live update the final on Twitter and Discord, prepare yourselves for an utter epic!!!

The teams are ready, we have one injury and that's CB Robson Brown who is out. Piedpalumbo comes in, the only other decision was whether I played Zakar or Frisk at RW. Frisk on better form so he was picked. LET'S DO THIS!!!

 

25 mins - Goal for Man U, we lose it in midfield and they break, Tel plays in Duranville who beats Correa on our right, piles into the box and slots it home28 mins - So close!!! Maldini picks it up on the left, cuts inside and from 25 yards curls one just past the post

And that's half-time. Man Utd 1 Frankfurt 0. We're still in it, it's been a quiet first half but we've had most of the ball.

55 mins - Another Man U chance, Tel does well down their right, he cuts it back to Matheus on the edge of the box but his shot is well saved by Damien Peter

66 mins - OFF THE BAR!!! We win a freekick about 25 yards out on the left hand side of the box, Araujo steps up and it smashes the bar!!! We're well in this game right now

78 mins - GGGGGOOOOAAALLLLLLL!!!! Who else but that man Sam Bossman! He closes down Matheus fantastically, wins it, strides towards goal and from the edge of the box curls into the right hand corner! 1-1!!!!And that's full time. We have been brilliant in the second half. We now go to extra time. I got so engrossed in it I forgot to make any subs so 4 players come on

Zakar for Frisk (RW)

McNally for Correa (RB)

Curcic for Myllys (DM)

Sorensen for Paulo (AM)

99 mins - A long throw comes in, it's cleared out to the edge of box and picked up by Curcic, is it a shot? Is it a pass? WHO CARES, MALDINI IS THERE TO TAP IT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS 2-1 TO FRANKFURT!!!!

https://i.gyazo.com/f314a620e2a928614dc8a28889ca7727.mp4

104 mins - Man U so close!!!! They play it well, it finds Duranville who isn't marked, he curls it towards goal but it goes just wide

106 mins - We nearly wrap it up, a throw in down the lines. Piedpalumbo finds Zakar, he runs in at goal but his shot goes over. JUST KEEP THE BALL!!!

IT'S OVER!!!!!!

I cannot believe what I've just done. My second season at Frankfurt and we have won the Champions League

What an ending, Maldini does it again! He won us the Champions League at Panathinaikos and now he's done it at Frankfurt. An utter legend of this save!!!!

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[Winski]

Fantastic! And what a story for Maldini, great!

[Vakama2619]

Congratulations mate

[TheLutterworthFox]

CLUB NUMBER THREE

I left Frankfurt just after the Champions League at the end of May, well it's now February and after a frustrating 9 months where there were hardly any jobs coming up that satisfied the criteria of "Nearly Men" I eventually have taken a job and I won't lie, I am bloody excited.

We've been to Greece, we've been to Germany. now we're off to ITALY with Napoli!!!

It was a job that I was interested in when I looked down my list and the second it popped up as available I had to go for it. Even more-so is the fact Napoli are doing amazingly well but their manager, wait for it, Nuno Espirito Santo decided to leave to join Liverpool!!! The hot seat was free and now it's my turn to take the reigns. I cannot wait!!

The club are expected to end 5th but as we enter the final few months of the season they sit in 3rd place in Serie A.

17 games left, only 6 behind Inter Milan at the top, time to push on!

Now for even bigger news, they are into the playoff round of the Champions League, the round prior to the Last 16! Surely we can't win it straight the way? That would be mental!

We face fellow Nearly Men Monaco, a winnable tie.

Now to the playing squad, here it is in all it's glory.

We have decent options in all areas apart from in central defence, other than that the squad looks good to go.

We have the likes of Rensch at Right Back who I had looked at when at Panathinaikos, Raspadori and Victor Osimeh is still here as well!

Once I get to the end of the season I'll discuss who my key men were in some depth.

Now it's time to kick on and finish this season in style. I've fell on my feet here with the club challenging domestically and in Europe!!!

 

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[john1]

Good luck with Napoli!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2034/35 SEASON - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFF V MONACO

I've fallen on my feet here, a team 3rd in Serie A and into the knockout stages of the Champions League, we faced Monaco for a place in the Last 16 and I fully expected us to win.......yeah maybe not!!

In the first leg we played OK, taking an early lead but we failed to extend our lead and then with 7 minutes left gave away a penalty which was dispatched, even so a 1-1 draw away isn't too bad.

Then came the home leg and my word we were awful!!
Our finishing let us down, our defending wasn't good enough, did Monaco deserve to win? No, did we do enough to get through? 100% no. A 2-0 defeat and we are out. 

We now just have to get through the rest of this season and try to seal Champions League qualification, the top 3 go into the League Phase, 4th should go into the Champions League qualifiers. It is tight behind us so we need to get this poor result out of our minds and kick on

[john1]

Very unlucky to go out against Monaco!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2034/35 Season - End of Season Review

I've flown through the season and it's gone pretty well, after getting knocked out by Monaco in the Champions League the one big aim was to seal a top 4 spot and with that Champions League football next season, so let's see if I reached the goal!

Well it's safe to say it went really well!

Just look at that end of season run!! 10 wins in a row, 15 unbeaten, amazing! We needed to though, our 4-3 loss to Juventus meant we spent most of the final few months playing catching up and whilst we were winning so were the likes of Juve, AC and Inter. As we went into the final game we sat 5th, 2 places lower than where we started, that is mad seeing as how well we had done, we had to win that final game and hope other results went our way and as you can see above we won 5-0.

Then came the great news, both Juve and Roma lost their final match meaning we leapfrogged both of them to end in 3rd place! 

Those final 17 games were loads of fun, we played really well, adapting the my tactic, I kept with the 4231 that has worked well before and it did just as good here. It was also nice to have other teams winning and making it an interesting end to the season.

3rd place is a fantastic ending and means we qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage next season.

Now I want to talk through with you the best XI that did so well at the end of the season.

Goalkeeper - Gregor Kobel

The 37-year old keeper had a good season but unfortunately he has decided to retire, it's big boots to fill. Over 600 league appearances in his career and 380 for the club!

Right Back - Fabian Toledo

A huge player on on the right side of defence, playing as a wing back he was a constant threat. 

Left Back - Karim Aupetit

A solid season for the French full back, this is probably the one position where I feel we need to improve, I like my full backs to attack and for me his crossing and dribbling isn't good enough.

Central Defender - Mohamed Allioui

A key part of the defence, this lad is a rock in defence. 49 games started, 8 goals scored, a massive threat from corners!

Central Defender - Michele Alba

Alongside Allioui is young Italian Alba, a massive season for the lad who is now being linked with a host of the big boys.

Defensive Midfielder - Lucas Gourna-Douath

The 31-year old has been a key part of the Napoli side for a few seasons now and this season he did well. He made 47 appearances but his average rating dipped below 7. 

Defensive Midfielder - Devyne Rensch

A lad I have been keeping a keen eye on over the past few years, I wanted him at Panathinaikos and Frankfurt but got priced out. Now 32 he has been an integral part of Napolis side for 7 seasons and this season was just as good, his average rating doesn't show that but his versatility is key. He was moved around a lot over the second half of the season but has definitely been best as an RPM.

Right Wing - Guiseppe Fiorini

What a player this lad is, one of the most consistent performers since I've joined, he wasn't really a starter before that. He made 21 starts, scoring 8 and getting 7 assists.

Left Wing - Kenan Yildiz

Another player who's been here for a while and another huge player since I've joined, he performed so well he has recently just won his first German Cap. 

Attacking Midfield - Dominik Yankov

The 34-year old Bulgarian had an OK second half of the season and ends with 10 goals in his 44 starts. Whether he plays next season is another story as I'm sure you can guess who will be joining in the Summer!

Striker - Giacomo Raspadori

Another oldie who had a half decent start with, he didn't play loads but popped up with some important goals.

There is one lad who for some reason wasn't in the Best XI but for me was our best player.

Nicolo Gemignani

This lad is something else, naturally a right winger but he played as a Striker for me, he chipped in with 16 goals since I joined and has been incredible. He is now wanted by the likes of PSG, Barcelona and Bayern!

So some great performances but now is the time to mould this side into what I want, so changes will be made in the Summer, I already have numerous deals sorted, mainly pre-contracts deals but more recruits are needed, the good news is the board have given me good budgets.

The wage budget hasn't increased but we had quite a bit spare anyway, the transfer budget is really good though, especially as already have deals sorted in most areas I wanted to improve. I may need to sell some players now to make space in my squad so we will see what happens!

Edited December 1, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[andychar]

Me thinks you'll be there or thereabouts come next season in the Champions League.

[TheLutterworthFox]

2035/36 Season - Transfer Update & Champions League Fixtures

My first full season at Napoli begins and as expected there has been some big changes in playing personnel.

So let's welcome the new boys into the squad and there's only one place to start!

Daniel Maldini - £8m from Frankfurt

I think those of you who have followed this all the way through would've expected this signing! He scored the winning Champions League goal at both Panathinaikos and Frankfurt and now he's here to hopefully do it all over again!

Manuel Ugarte - Defensive Midfielder - Free from Nice

There is a running theme in most of these signings, my aim was to sign experience on pre-contracts. Ugarte is 34 but still looks top quality.

Charles De Ketelaere - Attacking Midfield - Free from AC Milan

This lad looks amazingly good still, I'm surprised no one else went for him. 34 but still really good.

Malick Thiaw - Central Defender - Free from Liverpool

Defence was the one area I needed new recruits, another freebie and really decent!

Michele Fiorentini - Striker - Free from AC Milan

Osimhen decided to retire which left me short of Striking option, this lad, although not rated very highly looks really good.

Ilian Meslier - Goalkeeper - Free from Chelsea

With Kobel retiring I really needed a new top quality keeper and Meslier fits the bill. 35, his quickness is poor but everything else looks really good.

Ryan Chollet - Goalkeeper - £6.5m from AC Milan

A third signing from AC Milan, Chollet comes in as my No. 2 GK behind Meslier, at 20 he has plenty of time ahead of him, if he performs well when called upon he could become the new No. 1 when Meslier decides to call it a day.

Francesco Granato - Central Defender - £15m from Porto

A big money signing for a top quality young Italian defender, he helps with the HG rule in the Champions League and is tipped to be the Serie A Young Player of the Season.

Carlos Monge - Left Back - £30m from Leipzig

The biggest fee of the Summer for an ex-player of mine, he spent 2 years with me at Panathinaikos before moving to Bayern, he looks really good, a LB was one of my top priorities.

Some quality deals there, those freebies, even though they are mostly ageing, still look amazingly good and hopefully they can push us closer to the Serie A title and further in the Champions League.

Talking of the Champions League we've also received our fixtures for the League Phase

Some big games in there with the likes of Man Utd, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Newcastle away will also be tough (they ended 2nd in the Premier League last season). Other than that we should be winning the other 4 games. 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2035/26 Season - September to November

Apologies for the slow update, it's not like me at all! Unfortunately I've had a pretty rubbish 10 days or so, not only has work been manic, my car decided to die and with the repairs costing more than the car was worth it got scrapped and I had to go on a hunt for new one, then I got a pretty nasty flu and then bronchitis!! Yep it's been a shocking week or so!!! 

Anyway I'm back and continuing on with the save and I have to admit, it's gone a lot better than expected. It's always good to win and win in style but sometime with FM half the challenge is the struggle, I do like it to be challenging but at Napoli so far it's been far from it!

Firstly the League and as you can it's been amazing so far!

What a start we had! An 8-1 win to open the season and that set us up for an incredible start. So far we've played 12 games, we're unbeaten and we've only dropped points in 2 games. We've had some brilliant wins including a 3-0 against Lazio, a 3-0 against Inter Milan and battering's of Lecce, Genoa and Empoli! What a start!

Weirdly enough though we're still not top!

Juventus have had an even better start!!!

Now to the Champions League and we've started OK, I discussed in the last post which games I expected to struggle in and it has gone as expected. 

5 games, 3 wins and 2 defeats to Newcastle and Man United. So far, so good though, with 3 games to go we should easily get into that top 24 for the playoff spot.

The 3 games we have left look OK, Real Madrid at home will be tough but we then have 2 winnable away ties. We really need to win 2 of these.

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[Fudal]

Glad to see this back!

[TheLutterworthFox]

2035/36 Season - December and January

It's been a busy few months, not only on the pitch but also off it and that's where I'll start. I really needed to bulk out my squad due to the Champions League squad restrictions, we have very little homegrown players in our squad which means when I came to registering players I could only register 20 players. Therefore a few players have joined and here they are....

Lorenzo Peletti - Central Midfield - £6.75m from Bologna

Remi Verbist - Attacking Midfield - £7m from Juventus

Moshood Anene - Defensive Midfield - Season loan from AC Milan

Evandro - Right Back - Season loan from Lazio

Gasoare Ingrosso - Left Back - £5.25m from AEK Athens

5 really good players join, 3 of them on permanent deals, all under 25 and all help with the Champions League registration.

A couple of players also left, these were sold as they were either backups or they were non-Homegrown and I couldn't fit them in my Champions League squad.

De Miguel and Aupetit both were in the first team but hadn't played enough, a couple of good deals there.

Now to the results, we ended November unbeaten in the League but since then our form has massively slipped up. 

League-wise it's been poor, 9 games, only 4 wins and too many games where we failed to score. The final game against Lazio was a massive get out of a jail, we were really poor, they had a man sent off with 10 minutes and we scored twice in injury time!

Luckily our fantastic start to the season means this blip doesn't matter too much, still 3rd and some way clear of the chasing pack.

Now to the Champions League and the final 3 games have gone awfully!

Only 2 points gained, we came from 2-0 down to scrape a point against Real Madrid but those games against Rennes and Hertha were really really poor.

Luckily though we still manage to secure a playoff spot.

We really need to turn this poor run of form around.

 

 

[DavidBeckham]

Gasoare Ingrosso looks excellent! Especially his physicals! 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2035/36 Season - February and March

When I left you last I said we really needed to turn our poor form around, well it's certainly gone better than the previous few months!!!

In the League we've won 5 of our 8 games with defeats to only AC and Inter Milan. Some really good wins and that has fully cemented our place in the top 3.

We've got 9 games to, a game in hand on those behind us and we have a 7 point gap to 4th, more telling though is the gap to 5th is 18 points meaning we it'll be some kinda miracle if we don't end in those Champions League spots.

In the Italian Cup we've also progressed well with a couple of good wins. 

We played a reserve side against Empoli but got through on penalties, we then beat Lazio in a fantastic display, next up in the semis is AC Milan.

Finally, the Champions League, we ended the League Phase in the playoff spots so had to play a 2-legged tie against Rennes for a spot in the Last 16. We faced Rennes in the League Phase and drew them, this time though we showed our class to ease past them over the 2 legs.

6-2 on aggregate, fantastic!

Into the Last 16 and we were handed one of the toughest draws as we faced English Champs Manchester City.

In the first leg at home we played amazingly to come from behind to beat them 2-1. Unfortunately though Man City were just too good at the Etihad and they battered us 3-0 to knock us out.

A good run though, that first leg win was one of our best so far in the Champions League, proving we can mix it.

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2035/36 Season - End of Season Review

The end of the season is here, our form picked up massively over February and March and that continued all the way through. was it enough though to seal a Champions League spot? Let's take a look!

 

It was a magical ending to the season, some fantastic wins, loads of goals and 8 straight wins!!!! Unfortunately though we left ourselves too much to do to be challenging Juventus at the top but it was more than enough to get Champions League next season.

2nd place is a fantastic ending and we were only 4 points off the top. Next season I have a feeling we can go that one step further.

Now to the Italian Cup, we had a semi final against AC Milan to negotiate and over the two legs were were really good.

A 5-0 battering, 2 amazing performances and we are into the final, where we faced Torino. A game I fully expected to win, especially as we were on such good form and win it we did!

A 3-1 win, we opened the scoring within a minute and looked to be coasting but as the half time whistle blew Torino has levelled. We dominated the game, had so many chances but it took until the 81st minute for us to regain the lead, Rensch scoring a header from a corner, we then added a 3rd with 5 minutes to go and after that we played the ball about and eased to victory.

My first trophy at Napoli, the first of many hopefully!

Before I go lets see who my key men were.

Charles De Ketelaere wins the clubs player of the season award, a free transfer signing from AC Milan last Summer, he was sensational all year long. 20 goals and 7 assists from 45 starts. Not bad!!!

Another one of the older brigade Giacomo Raspadori ends as the clubs top scorer, for 36 he is still bloody incredible. 29 goals in 41 starts, just insane!!

Young Player of the Season goes to Central Defender Michele Alba, the 24-year old didn't play as much as he maybe hoped but was solid when called upon

Finally is Sir Daniel Maldini-watch. Even at 34 he is still amazingly good, he didn't play as much as I wanted but we had to keep him fresh for the big games. 28 starts, 13 goals and 10 assists. He has also just signed another 2 year contract so we will have around a bit longer!

And here is the whole squad.

Now we look forward to next season, another season in the Champions League, we need to start pushing on now. 2nd place in the League was great but the Champions League is the main competition for this challenge. We need to start getting further than the Last 16. The big aim for this Summer is to bulk out the squad with homegrown players who help with the squad rules, I also want to start bringing down the average age of the squad. We have 8 players over 30 and even though they are very good they won't last much ,onger before they start declining rapidly. So I plan to let a few players leave with the view to bringing some younger players in.

We don't have much money to spend though, £27m in transfer budget and around £150k p/wk in spare wages. Sales need to happen before we start bringing players in.

[TheLutterworthFox]

2036/37 Season - Transfer Update & Champions League Fixtures

This Summer for me was all about bringing the age of this squad down. At the end of the previous campaign we had 8 players in our first team squad over 32, all were still decent but they struggled throughout the last season with fitness issues and injuries, they also were on huge wages which I needed to try and reduce to free up more to expand the squad. The plan was to let most of them go and then bulk out the squad with younger, fitter players. 

Firstly, the out's

We say goodbye to first-teamers Rensch, Alba, YIldiz, Thiaw and Ugarte, the only loss out of that that I didn't want was Alba, last seasons Young Player of the Year, he got his head turned from Inter Milan, it's a good deal overall. 

So a few players to replace, a massive chunk of wages gone and also most of the older players moved on. We also lost Striker Raspadori who decided to retire.

Now to the in's.

Luka Romero - Winger - Free from Tottenham

I've done well with bringing pre-contract players in over this save and Romero is another one of those. At 31 he the oldest signing by far but he doesn't lack quality. He can also play up front and as an AM. 

Carlo Italiano - Defensive Midfield - £19.75m from Torino

Italian and helps with the homegrown rule. Yeah he's cost a lot more than I wanted to spend but he looks really good.

Milo Bozina - Striker - £4.8m from Hadjuk Split

A young, pacey Striker joins. A really cheap fee for a quality looking player

Mattia Ilardi - Central Defender - £7m from AC Milan

A young, Italian defender joins. He can also play RB and RW bur for me he suits a CB the most.

Simone Bossa - Striker - £6.5m from Juventus

Another young Italian player joins, I am really excited by this lad, he could become a star with game-time.

Roberto Repossi - Defensive Midfield - £7m from Fiorentina

A big fee for a 16 year old but I have high hopes this lad is going to become the next big thing.

Mikos Liagas - Central Defender - £8.5m from Monaco

One of the intake stars from Panathinaikos joins. He came through the 2031 and after a move to Monaco at the age of 18 his development has kind of stalled, he hasn't had much game time. I really feel he can come here and fulfil his potential

Luis Colman - Striker - £25m from Frankfurt

Another player rejoins me at my new club. Colman was signed by me for Frankfurt 3 seasons ago, at the time I was excited but, as a Striker, his finishing attribute let him down. He has scored a few goals, usually 1 in 3 so not too bad. He should prove to be a good signing

So some really good players join, the average age of the squad is now much lower, it now contains a lot more HG players and has been bulked out a lot more. 

Finally is the Champions League fixtures and overall it's too not too bad.

Again we have 4 games where we really should win, the likes of TSC, Pogon, Antwerp and Kalmar are more than winnable games. We then have Betis, even though they have a high club reputation, I feel we should be beating them. We then have Man City (last seasons winners), Bayern and Barca, it'll be interesting to see how we perform against the big boys

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2036/37 Season - August to November

The opening few months of the season are over, it's been an interesting start, overall we have been sensational with the very odd blip!

Firstly, the League and my word it's been an incredible start!

So much green! Only a mini blip which is where I rested some of the key men for the Champions league games, bar that we've been amazing, some huge wins over the likes of Roma, Inter and AC Milan means we sit top of the League!

Fantastic!!!!

Now to the Champions league and we've started pretty well.

The only big downer was the defeat to Betis, a game where we just didn't show up. We made up for that though with a fantastic point away to Man City and then a stunning 2-0 win over Barcelona.

3 games to go and we sit just in the top 8. We need to win at least 2 of our final 3 matches to have any chance of that automatic qualification spot.

We really should do what's needed. Bayern will be tough but those 2 away games are winnable

[BoxToBoxFM]

Love the young strikers you’ve brought in. For what Colman lacks in finishing he makes up for in composure, I bet that’s how he scores all his goals as sometimes that can be more important than finishing. Great start to the season as well, especially in the league. 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2036/37 Season - December and January

The Winter transfer window has slammed shut and there has been some new players to join the Napoli revolution, so please welcome...

Enzo Bustos - Defensive Midfield - Free from Rosario Central

A highly rated young midfielder, needs some work but here is the place for him to improve.

Francesco Rustignoli - Striker - £6m from Inter Milan

Another amazing young Striker comes in, I have high hopes for this lad

Elia Caprile - Goalkeeper - £7.75m from Newcastle

With both Meslier and Chollet leaving it meant I had no decent first choice GK, Caprile comes in for a decent fee for a quality looking keeper

Three good signings, the squad looks really healthy now. There we a few players to leave as well, as mentioned before both Meslier and Chollet left after their heads got turned by the big boys, we also let Right Winger Fiorini leave (that was back in October and I forgot to mention it!), over £40m made in player sales which has helped stabilise the bank balance.

Now to results and overall it's been decent but we did have a major wobble in early December, firstly the league...

As you can see December did not start well, back to back defeats meant we lost top spot to Juventus and since then we've been playing catch up. We've had some really good wins since then, 4 games where we scored 5 goals!!

We slip down to 2nd and the gap to Juve is now 6 points and they have a a game in hand!

Talking of Juventus, we also played the Italian Super Cup, bit of an odd time for it to come about, I would've expected this at the start of the season, anyway we played Juventus and ended up running out 2-1 winners. 

A really good win, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1 courtesy of a Luis Colman goal. Very nice!

Finally, the Champions League, we had 3 games left, we really needed to win 2 of them to qualify for the Last 16 without the need of the playoffs, well it went really well!!!

3 fantastic wins including battering Bayern Munich 4-0!!!!! Just stunning! Luis Colman has been on some amazing form lately!

And those 3 wins mean we qualify in the top 8!! A successful campaign so far.

[TheLutterworthFox]

2036/37 Season - Champions League Last 16

When the draw came out I was pretty happy, we were given Inter Milan. A team that only recently we had beaten in the League.

First leg was away and we did not play well, we found ourselves 2-0 down after an hour and looked we be screwing it up. Then with 8 minutes to go we were given a huge chance, a push from a corner gave us a penalty, De Ketelaere stepped up and tucked the spot kick away, we then went for it and in the 94 minute, pretty much the last kick of the game, Bozina scored a wonderful header from a De Ketelaere cross, 2-2, an amazing comeback!

 

Into the second leg at home, I was confident we could win and after 4 minutes it looked to be heading that way. De Ketelaere scoring from 20 yards, we continued to attack but couldn't find a way through then right before half time Inter Milan grabbed an equaliser, into the second half and we started amazingly, Romero scoring literally 40 seconds into the second 45 and then 11 minutes later Romero popped up again, sweeping in a lovely shot from a Colman cross. 3-1 up, now we just had to defend and defend we did!

FULL TIME and we're into the Quarter Finals!

In the Quarter Finals we will face last seasons Bundesliga Champions RB Leipzig, a tough game but one I expect to have a chance in

And if we somehow get past Leipzig we will face Gladbach or Man City in the Semis, I know which one I'd rather face!!

Edited December 17, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

2036/37 Season - Champions League Quarter Final v RB Leipzig

First leg away and we were really poor, no shots on target, the attackers just never got going. Luckily for us Caprile was brilliant in goal, Alex Scott scored early for Leipzig but after that they couldn't find a way through. We need to improve in the home leg, it's going to be very tough

 

Into the second leg and we had some bad news in the week prior, Luis Colman was injured in training meaning he will miss the tie. The game kicked off and once again we just could not get going. Leipzig, the current Bundesliga and Europa League champs were just too good, we struggled to keep the ball and struggled to break them down. Leipzig grabbed a massive goal just after half an hour meaning we had to now claw back 2 goals. In the second half we tried to attack, had a few chances but we couldn't get the ball in the net. Eventually, in the 93rd minute we grabbed a goal courtesy of centre back Allioui but it wasn't enough. A 2-1 defeat on aggregate.

A disappointing way to go out, we just never got going at all in both legs. 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2036/37 Season - End of Season Review

After going out of the Champions League it was time to focus attention back to the domestic competitions. The League was a virtual impossibility with Juventus running away at the top but we did still have the Italian Cup to win, we had a good run, beating Atalanta and Roma before dispatching Lazio in the semi finals over 2 legs.

We then face Inter Milan in the final and it was the Charles De Ketalaere show!!!!

A hat-trick in a stunning display, Inter took an early lead but over the game we fully deserved to win. De Ketalaere is an absolutely incredible football, fingers crossed he continues to play and doesn't retire!

And that's back-to-back Italian Cup wins!!!

Now to the League and as expected Juventus ran away with it. The beat us 3-0 earlier in March, a game which was in between the Leipzig Champions League games, I had to rest my key men for the bigger games and we paid the price as Juventus hammered us, after that we had no chance of catching them but still performed well to end 2nd. 

Overall a really good closing few months with just those 2 red dots to our name. We scored loads of goals and at times were playing incredibly.

Juventus only gained 1 point from their final 3 games meaning the gap at the top only ended as 2 points. I'm really pleased with how we've done. We equalled our points tally from last season but won 1 more game than last time around. Add to that we won the Italian Cup again and progressed another step in the Champions League and you have to call it a successful season.

Let's now take a look at who the key men were this season.

Firstly is the club player of the season, Winger/Striker Nicolo Gemignani, it was a stellar season for the 29-year old, he got his first Italian cap and ended the season with the most assists at the club, 21 in 45 starts and 20 goals along the way!

Left Back Gaspare Ingrosso ends as the club young player of the season, he didn't play loads but when called upon was really good, he made 26 starts ending with an average rating of 7.24.

Luis Colman ends as the club top scorer with 29 goals in 49 starts but more importantly ends as the Serie A top scorer with 21 goals. Not bad for a player with a finishing attribute of 8!!!

I also have to mention Charles De Ketalaere, he didn't win any awards but he was by far and above our most consistent performer throughout the season. 45 starts, 24 goals, 12 assists, 10 POTMs and an average rating of 7.41, absolutely incredible!!!

And here for your perusal is the whole squad.

Now for the one bit of sad news, I have to say I was surprised when it popped up, I thought Sir Daniel Maldini had at least another 2 seasons to go but he has decided to call it a day and retire. Absolutely gutting, Maldini has become a cult hero of this save. He scored the winner in the Champions League final for Panathinaikos in 2031, he then scored the winner in the Champions League final for Frankfurt in 2034. He has been with me at 3 clubs now, played well over 400 games and won countless awards. He will go down as an FM Legend for me, one of the best, it's been brilliant to see his career flourish and he will be sorely missed.

Now I look forward to next season, I am really happy with the squad I have, we have plenty of youth who seem to be improving really quickly, we also have the experience with the likes of Caprile and De Ketalaere, hopefully they don't decide to retire as well! The squad itself is pretty big and we have no real space to add new players to our Champions League squad without sales first, so I will be looking to move a few players on and then replacing them with better quality. To do that the board have given me some pretty decent budgets. 

The wage budget itself has gone down but I think that's because this season I was massively under-spending, it doesn't give me anything spare but once players leave it will free some space. £54m on transfers though is bloody brilliant and will help to improve the side. The main aim next season is to win Serie A and hope we can go another step further in the Champions League, we went out in the Quarters this season, next time around I want to get to the Semis at least.

Edited December 17, 2022 by TheLutterworthFox