Popular Post _Ben_ Posted December 12, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 12, 2022 April 2025 Genclerbirligi 3-0 Adanaspor A comprehensive win to seal promotion to the top flight, at least 12 months earlier than I had initially planned. Two goals from Tai Sodje and a late goal from Omercan Tekin sealed the win as we dominated from the off. Interestingly, our U19 team celebrated promotion on this day too, with a scintillating goalscoring record. The current is bright and it would also appear that the future is too. --- Eskişehirspor 0-1 Gençlerbirliği A calf strain for Tai Sodje ruled him out for the rest of the season so it was left to Omercan Tekin to lead the line. Away at a side desperately trying to avoid relegation, I'd have expected some kind of attacking threat, but they sat back - the deepest and least engaged block I think I've faced yet - and did nothing. However, we couldn't break it down. I rotated through the different styles that I have - overload left, overload right and the a double Mez shape to overload both sides simultaneously but our play was disjointed. It was a late goal from Tekin, though, who sealed the victory for us. --- Genclerbirligi 5-1 Somaspor Title secured, in the most emphatic way possible! If you remove their very dodgy penalty xG, we've once against trebled the xG of our opponents, blowing them away. Third choice striker Tekin is now getting into the goals, taking himself to more than 1.20 per/90 right now but it was Sidibe who took home the player of the match, netting a wonderful curling strike after laying on three goals in a performance that really demonstrated the power of the supporting wide-men in my tactics; having strong ball players progress the ball from wide and deep provides us with so many opportunities. --- A slightly lighter writing month for me (although all of the changes and tactical tweaks happened in the games still) but that has allowed me to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labours and polish off a few things on my skin. I think that, for me, this is the most successful I've been in turning around a club since I started the journeyman style three games ago. The summer is going to be one of the most difficult, but exciting, times I've faced but the journey to get here has been outstanding! I truly appreciate every comment along the way. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIMN Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Congratulations. An absolutely deserved title and some scintillating results. How does success here impact your career plans? There was talk of moving to Greece, but you've got a real chance of building something special with Gençlerbirliği. If things continue in the same trajectory, surely your reputation will push you towards loftier teams/leagues. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 13, 2022 Author Share Posted December 13, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, GIMN said: Congratulations. An absolutely deserved title and some scintillating results. How does success here impact your career plans? There was talk of moving to Greece, but you've got a real chance of building something special with Gençlerbirliği. If things continue in the same trajectory, surely your reputation will push you towards loftier teams/leagues. Thank you! It's played out perfectly, and, to be honest, way better than expected. Yeah - it does make my career plans interesting. I love Gencler and, if their ground share was in their colours - not the blue and yellow of rivals Ankaragucu, they'd be the perfect team, one I could become a real life fan of. In terms of reputation, Serie B and the top flights of Greece and Turkey all have the same reputation - so a move from Fenerbahçe, for example, to AEK Athens would be a sideways move. One that I'd have probably considered before getting Gencler promoted so quickly. Serie B, next year, could have the likes of Parma, Torino, Brescia and Cagliari in it - whilst Sampdoria have just been promoted back to Serie A. So, whilst it'd be a step down in terms of ranking (14th to 31st in Europe), it'd provide a much bigger ceiling. I don't think a move from the Super Lig to Serie A is quite realistic but nor is the Greek top flight to Serie A and, because of that, it does feel that Greece is maybe becoming a bit redundant. I won't drop, from here, into the second tier of Greece (bar a series of events that sees me sacked and unable to land on my feet again in Turkey) so it is a little murky, indeed. Serie A (look at the shock at the top!) is my end goal, but I just don't quite know how I'll get there... Edited December 13, 2022 by _Ben_ 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Congratulations on the promotion Ben!! How’s the recruitment looking? Plans in place? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Congrats on promotion! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 13, 2022 Author Share Posted December 13, 2022 8 hours ago, john1 said: Congrats on promotion! Thanks John! 9 hours ago, SixPointer said: Congratulations on the promotion Ben!! How’s the recruitment looking? Plans in place? Thanks. Recruitment is a little sketchy at the moment given that we have to wait for the seasons to roll over to really see who is truly interested in joining, which makes pre-planning much harder. I will, however, roll forwards and backwards between a few saves to ensure that I still have access to data from this season even when I get into the next one. I do have my eyes on four - pretty realistic - targets, of which I'll go into more detail about in the off-season: Ibrahim Olawuyin Salifa Diarrassouba Emirhan Aydogan Faustin Senghor Any thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 32 minutes ago, _Ben_ said: Thanks John! Thanks. Recruitment is a little sketchy at the moment given that we have to wait for the seasons to roll over to really see who is truly interested in joining, which makes pre-planning much harder. I will, however, roll forwards and backwards between a few saves to ensure that I still have access to data from this season even when I get into the next one. I do have my eyes on four - pretty realistic - targets, of which I'll go into more detail about in the off-season: Ibrahim Olawuyin Salifa Diarrassouba Emirhan Aydogan Faustin Senghor Any thoughts? My main thought is that skin is great! Salifa is my favourite of the bunch! He looks like he could be lethal in your style of play! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 13, 2022 Author Share Posted December 13, 2022 6 minutes ago, SixPointer said: My main thought is that skin is great! Salifa is my favourite of the bunch! He looks like he could be lethal in your style of play! Thank you - it's been a really fun process to learn how to create skins that match how I want to play the game and what I want to collect, which will, hopefully, come through in my presentation of the saves. Writing up and assessing the squad from the season as we speak and I will be diving into Salifu, who'll be available for €275k if Istanbulspor lose their relegation decider on the last day of the Super Lig season! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrewnaldo Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 I think it'd be a shame to miss out on Greece - unless you want to save it for a future FM? I get what you're saying about it being a redundant step but perhaps there's an alternative where you can get into a good Serie B club / lower Serie A club like Salernitana or Brescia etc and then move to a big Greek club as an interim step to a big Italian club? I think it'd be realistic for someone like Olympiacos to come and pick up an Udinese manager who has had a couple of strong seasons, for example. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if that option would ever arise. If you take over the likes of Parma etc, then it's probably quite likely that, assuming you do well, you'll get into European spots and then moving to one of the big Greek clubs might feel like a step down - even if it is guaranteed Champions League football. Anyway, still enjoying the thread even if I'm not reading as regularly as I was and congrats on the promotion! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 13, 2022 Author Share Posted December 13, 2022 12 minutes ago, Shrewnaldo said: I think it'd be a shame to miss out on Greece - unless you want to save it for a future FM? I get what you're saying about it being a redundant step but perhaps there's an alternative where you can get into a good Serie B club / lower Serie A club like Salernitana or Brescia etc and then move to a big Greek club as an interim step to a big Italian club? I think it'd be realistic for someone like Olympiacos to come and pick up an Udinese manager who has had a couple of strong seasons, for example. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if that option would ever arise. If you take over the likes of Parma etc, then it's probably quite likely that, assuming you do well, you'll get into European spots and then moving to one of the big Greek clubs might feel like a step down - even if it is guaranteed Champions League football. Anyway, still enjoying the thread even if I'm not reading as regularly as I was and congrats on the promotion! I know what you mean and maybe I'm just trying to plan this in too much detail - I'd never moved clubs til FM21 and never moved countries til FM22! Looking at the managerial jobs right now (which will, pretty much, be similar each summer), we have this available to me: Anagennisi have just been relegated as have Spezia. With a couple of years in the top league, I think a job in Serie B could definitely be on the cards - given that it'd be a step up (2.5 to 3 stars) in reputation. But, I think it'll be the fluidity that will really make or break this: moving at a time that suits me, maybe even taking some kind of sabbatical if that allows me to make the right move in future! Just loving my time at Gencler though, right now! Every so often when I look at the FM23 hashtag on Twitter, I see your progress and it looks to be going well; I hope you get the urge back to write it up soon. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 Congrats on the promotion mate and title mate! Great job on the strong finish Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 15 hours ago, DavidBeckham said: Congrats on the promotion mate and title mate! Great job on the strong finish Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 May 2025 Sakaryaspor 1-2 Genclerbirligi It was party time as the league was already won but we remained professional against Sakaryaspor and should have scored many more than the two that we did as Tekin and Serkan Odabasoglu scored in quick succession early in the second half. Their reply was quite clearly offside but it counted anyway and did little to begin a comeback for them. --- Genclerbirligi 4-0 Kocaelispor We wrapped up what will - hopefully anyway - be my last game in this division with a resounding win over relegated Kocaelispor, thanks to a hattrick from Omercan Tekin - showing that, apparently, whichever striker I use in my system will get me goals. --- A a team that has walked the league - these kind of round ups are quite hard to do, because they just become a list of things that we're good at, with little necessity to focus on where we're lacking as it'll be completely different next year. We're statistical outliers in terms of our goal outputs and that comes from a combination of the second best conversion rate and the most shots per game. If I start to look at the weaker areas, I'm immediately drawn to our tackling statistics. I don't like tackles; it means that we've missed the opportunity to cut off a passing lane and probably have been, at least, half beaten so I'm happy to see that we don't make many of them, however, it does look a bit worrying when we aren't completing many of the ones we do attempt. I am absolutely fine with our passing outputs and, to be fair, where we lose possession - as that, in a counter attacking shape, is where our midfielders sit and move the ball forward from. All in all, it's a complete season and one where we've blown away the opposition. However, perfection does not exist, either statistically or in game events and I want to dig a little deeper into where I could improve this squad ready for next year. I've been able to capture data for three seasons now and that'll help form my judgements basing it on three things: a) performance compared to the players in same positions b) performance compared to the league and c) performance compared to previous seasons. --- Ubeyd has been really good and has improved on several key metrics from last year - reducing his goals conceded/90 by 0.51, recording 0.65 more progressive passes and completing 19% more passes. For a goalkeeper in my setup, it's the completion of these progressive passes, now aimed at the wingers or full backs in wide positions, that can kick start my counter attacks and to see such marked improvements is fantastic. I would like to recruit a backup keeper - ideally a non-foreign, elder statesman - who can contribute if needed but also be of benefit to the squad as a whole, but this isn't a priority. Metehan Mert leads the way for centre backs, improving on last year's total for clearances by 0.13 per 90 as well as being ahead of the league average by over one clearance a game. Ali Ketan has proved a shrewd addition in the Ball-Playing Defender role with a strong return when progressing and keeping the ball. I've been rocked by the wage demands for Mazeed Ogungbo, who, with twelve months left on his deal, wants a new wage amounting to around 800% of his currently monthly salary, which may lead to to some questions being raised over the summer. Cisse is the standout full back although Ufuk Ozdemir has performed quite well (comparably to Alberk Koc, anyway) on the left hand side. Ufuk is still only seventeen and Oguz Ceylan will be leaving so it's likely that two new full backs - one a starter and one a backup - could enter my thinking over the summer. Alassane Sidibe's general performance - minus goal output - has been fantastic this season and he's adapted to Turkey and my style amazingly well, playing 21 times on the right and nine of the left of the midfield four. What I like most about him is that even though he's a winger by trade, his progressive passing is really good and that's largely why he's recorded, on average, an assist every other game. My most creative outlet, however, is Dunyacan Copur, who's has a great breakout season, recording eleven goal contributions. Cem Bilgin has fifteen goal contributions - 0.63 per 90, which is a big jump from the 0.38 he recorded last year. Whilst they are both young and would hugely benefit from some competition, these pair are very much the future of Gencler. The change in Gokhan Gul's role has been evident - with less presses, ball recoveries, blocks, tackles and clearances this year compared to last but more chances created, goals and assists as he has become - from his DM(d) role - a creative outlet. 0.15 goal contributions per ninety is better than his competitor, Tunc, who recorded no goals or assist sin his limited minutes so that is something I may look at adding - some more mettle in the middle, but also some creative mettle as well as at least two wingers to support Sidibe. Just looking at the overall growth of Omercan Tekin is wonderful - better in pretty much every metric, especially all of those important to his role, from last year as he's filled in nicely at the end of the season for Tai Sodje. Whilst I'd like them to be a little better aerially, their scoring record speaks for itself. I will note that both are hugely overperforming xG and that's not an easy task to repeat year on year and, ideally, I'd have three forwards competing for one role, which means I will probably be searching for some kind of additional experience. --- With expiring contracts and youngsters moved back to their more appropriate place for next season, I believe that this is the core of the squad I'll be taking into the top flight. Some areas of real strength but also some areas where we do need to make changes in order to stand a chance next year. Firstly, it's important that I familiarise myself with the squad registration rules, as to not go mad with my recruiting. I will have little issues with the foreigner rule at this point given the fact that I'm currently limited to just the foreign players that are within Turkey and a handful of (unrealistic) agent offers from Argentinians on free transfers. I will also be able to meet the developed at club and nation rules given my prior work at giving chances to youngsters this season. Therefore, I'm able to build a simple shopping list - in order of priority: Left winger Defensive midfielder Central midfielder Right back Left Back Goalkeeper Striker My early scouting has identified four possible players (was five, but the last one agreed a new deal whilst I was writing), who I believe are realistic given our scouting parameters, finances and reputation. I really like how these players have been identified using these short term foci and also must say I do like how I can get their profile from the pop-up panel of my skin in order to showcase them like this... Thumbnails are clickable for a full view of their profile. Olayowin's Ankara finished fourteenth in the league under Umit Ozat, a man who favours long ball football. It is, therefore, great to see that he completes more dribbles than the league average for wingers and progresses the ball more than them, too. Despite not being at his best in terms of goal contributions - his expected assists is on a par with the very best in the league, showing that he's been able to put them on a plate for the attacker but hasn't seen them finished! Comparing his sprint outputs to the elite level shows that he's not where I wanted him to be but his Natural Fitness and average Stamina may be a reason for that, alongside his tactical instructions and that'll be a key metric for me to see whether will grow if I make this deal. He's available on a free but will want some quite hefty wages, which may provide a stumbling block. Salifu Diarrassouba has just been relegated with Istanbulspor, meaning his release clause of €275k is active. Again, his wage demands are high (but whose aren't when joining a newly promoted team) but his statistical output for dribbles and progressive passes are good - especially when playing largely in the AM role, a notoriously congested area of the pitch already quite far forward. A goal contribution every four games (0.26 per 90) isn't bad for a team who score just 0.97 per 90 is pretty good, in my opinion and, attribute wise, he looks to be really interesting with a combination of Pace and Technique paired with a love of big games and good consistency. Marlon is currently unhappy at city rivals Ankaragucu and, as you'd guess, wants a lot to move to us but comes with an unparallelled output at full back - recording really strong percentile measures for Interceptions, Progressive Passes and Pressures as well as a huge number of assists - albeit from set pieces. Fourteen goal contributions (0.45 per 90) is insane for a full back and, in my eyes, is stereotypically Brazilian and I think I'd love to work with that! Emirhan would be available quite cheaply and, despite looking like a playmaker, actually performs like a very well rounded midfielder, playing as a DM for Sakaryaspor, who finished fifteenth in our league. A goal contribution every four games is 0.1 better than Gokhan Gul and he also attempts over two more pressures a game, attempting and completing more tackles, interceptions and blocks than the average in the league. In order to sign these in the way I want - I need a Director of Football to complete my transfer committee - made up of my scouts and analysts, me, and him. Veysel Besik was the man I chose for the job, simply due to having really strong negotiating skills, which will be necessary to get the best deals for these players. I can then set the parameters for the transfer target, like so: In future, I'll be setting groups for him to target and sign the most suitable, but, for now, I'm a bit thin on the ground for that. I'm hoping that, when the league rolls over, I can get a better idea of who'd want to come and return to these previous saves to access their full statistical packs. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 24 minutes ago, _Ben_ said: May 2025 Sakaryaspor 1-2 Genclerbirligi It was party time as the league was already won but we remained professional against Sakaryaspor and should have scored many more than the two that we did as Tekin and Serkan Odabasoglu scored in quick succession early in the second half. Their reply was quite clearly offside but it counted anyway and did little to begin a comeback for them. --- Genclerbirligi 4-0 Kocaelispor We wrapped up what will - hopefully anyway - be my last game in this division with a resounding win over relegated Kocaelispor, thanks to a hattrick from Omercan Tekin - showing that, apparently, whichever striker I use in my system will get me goals. --- A a team that has walked the league - these kind of round ups are quite hard to do, because they just become a list of things that we're good at, with little necessity to focus on where we're lacking as it'll be completely different next year. We're statistical outliers in terms of our goal outputs and that comes from a combination of the second best conversion rate and the most shots per game. If I start to look at the weaker areas, I'm immediately drawn to our tackling statistics. I don't like tackles; it means that we've missed the opportunity to cut off a passing lane and probably have been, at least, half beaten so I'm happy to see that we don't make many of them, however, it does look a bit worrying when we aren't completing many of the ones we do attempt. I am absolutely fine with our passing outputs and, to be fair, where we lose possession - as that, in a counter attacking shape, is where our midfielders sit and move the ball forward from. All in all, it's a complete season and one where we've blown away the opposition. However, perfection does not exist, either statistically or in game events and I want to dig a little deeper into where I could improve this squad ready for next year. I've been able to capture data for three seasons now and that'll help form my judgements basing it on three things: a) performance compared to the players in same positions b) performance compared to the league and c) performance compared to previous seasons. --- Ubeyd has been really good and has improved on several key metrics from last year - reducing his goals conceded/90 by 0.51, recording 0.65 more progressive passes and completing 19% more passes. For a goalkeeper in my setup, it's the completion of these progressive passes, now aimed at the wingers or full backs in wide positions, that can kick start my counter attacks and to see such marked improvements is fantastic. I would like to recruit a backup keeper - ideally a non-foreign, elder statesman - who can contribute if needed but also be of benefit to the squad as a whole, but this isn't a priority. Metehan Mert leads the way for centre backs, improving on last year's total for clearances by 0.13 per 90 as well as being ahead of the league average by over one clearance a game. Ali Ketan has proved a shrewd addition in the Ball-Playing Defender role with a strong return when progressing and keeping the ball. I've been rocked by the wage demands for Mazeed Ogungbo, who, with twelve months left on his deal, wants a new wage amounting to around 800% of his currently monthly salary, which may lead to to some questions being raised over the summer. Cisse is the standout full back although Ufuk Ozdemir has performed quite well (comparably to Alberk Koc, anyway) on the left hand side. Ufuk is still only seventeen and Oguz Ceylan will be leaving so it's likely that two new full backs - one a starter and one a backup - could enter my thinking over the summer. Alassane Sidibe's general performance - minus goal output - has been fantastic this season and he's adapted to Turkey and my style amazingly well, playing 21 times on the right and nine of the left of the midfield four. What I like most about him is that even though he's a winger by trade, his progressive passing is really good and that's largely why he's recorded, on average, an assist every other game. My most creative outlet, however, is Dunyacan Copur, who's has a great breakout season, recording eleven goal contributions. Cem Bilgin has fifteen goal contributions - 0.63 per 90, which is a big jump from the 0.38 he recorded last year. Whilst they are both young and would hugely benefit from some competition, these pair are very much the future of Gencler. The change in Gokhan Gul's role has been evident - with less presses, ball recoveries, blocks, tackles and clearances this year compared to last but more chances created, goals and assists as he has become - from his DM(d) role - a creative outlet. 0.15 goal contributions per ninety is better than his competitor, Tunc, who recorded no goals or assist sin his limited minutes so that is something I may look at adding - some more mettle in the middle, but also some creative mettle as well as at least two wingers to support Sidibe. Just looking at the overall growth of Omercan Tekin is wonderful - better in pretty much every metric, especially all of those important to his role, from last year as he's filled in nicely at the end of the season for Tai Sodje. Whilst I'd like them to be a little better aerially, their scoring record speaks for itself. I will note that both are hugely overperforming xG and that's not an easy task to repeat year on year and, ideally, I'd have three forwards competing for one role, which means I will probably be searching for some kind of additional experience. --- With expiring contracts and youngsters moved back to their more appropriate place for next season, I believe that this is the core of the squad I'll be taking into the top flight. Some areas of real strength but also some areas where we do need to make changes in order to stand a chance next year. Firstly, it's important that I familiarise myself with the squad registration rules, as to not go mad with my recruiting. I will have little issues with the foreigner rule at this point given the fact that I'm currently limited to just the foreign players that are within Turkey and a handful of (unrealistic) agent offers from Argentinians on free transfers. I will also be able to meet the developed at club and nation rules given my prior work at giving chances to youngsters this season. Therefore, I'm able to build a simple shopping list - in order of priority: Left winger Defensive midfielder Central midfielder Right back Left Back Goalkeeper Striker My early scouting has identified four possible players (was five, but the last one agreed a new deal whilst I was writing), who I believe are realistic given our scouting parameters, finances and reputation. I really like how these players have been identified using these short term foci and also must say I do like how I can get their profile from the pop-up panel of my skin in order to showcase them like this... Thumbnails are clickable for a full view of their profile. Olayowin's Ankara finished fourteenth in the league under Umit Ozat, a man who favours long ball football. It is, therefore, great to see that he completes more dribbles than the league average for wingers and progresses the ball more than them, too. Despite not being at his best in terms of goal contributions - his expected assists is on a par with the very best in the league, showing that he's been able to put them on a plate for the attacker but hasn't seen them finished! Comparing his sprint outputs to the elite level shows that he's not where I wanted him to be but his Natural Fitness and average Stamina may be a reason for that, alongside his tactical instructions and that'll be a key metric for me to see whether will grow if I make this deal. He's available on a free but will want some quite hefty wages, which may provide a stumbling block. Salifu Diarrassouba has just been relegated with Istanbulspor, meaning his release clause of €275k is active. Again, his wage demands are high (but whose aren't when joining a newly promoted team) but his statistical output for dribbles and progressive passes are good - especially when playing largely in the AM role, a notoriously congested area of the pitch already quite far forward. A goal contribution every four games (0.26 per 90) isn't bad for a team who score just 0.97 per 90 is pretty good, in my opinion and, attribute wise, he looks to be really interesting with a combination of Pace and Technique paired with a love of big games and good consistency. Marlon is currently unhappy at city rivals Ankaragucu and, as you'd guess, wants a lot to move to us but comes with an unparallelled output at full back - recording really strong percentile measures for Interceptions, Progressive Passes and Pressures as well as a huge number of assists - albeit from set pieces. Fourteen goal contributions (0.45 per 90) is insane for a full back and, in my eyes, is stereotypically Brazilian and I think I'd love to work with that! Emirhan would be available quite cheaply and, despite looking like a playmaker, actually performs like a very well rounded midfielder, playing as a DM for Sakaryaspor, who finished fifteenth in our league. A goal contribution every four games is 0.1 better than Gokhan Gul and he also attempts over two more pressures a game, attempting and completing more tackles, interceptions and blocks than the average in the league. In order to sign these in the way I want - I need a Director of Football to complete my transfer committee - made up of my scouts and analysts, me, and him. Veysel Besik was the man I chose for the job, simply due to having really strong negotiating skills, which will be necessary to get the best deals for these players. I can then set the parameters for the transfer target, like so: In future, I'll be setting groups for him to target and sign the most suitable, but, for now, I'm a bit thin on the ground for that. I'm hoping that, when the league rolls over, I can get a better idea of who'd want to come and return to these previous saves to access their full statistical packs. Break time reading sorted for lunch tomorrow Ben 👍🏻 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 1 hour ago, SixPointer said: Break time reading sorted for lunch tomorrow Ben 👍🏻 Enjoy! June is far less fun but you can add that to your list too as I've nearly finished writing it up. When you have your lunch, you might want to bring some custard to go with this crumble... How have Atalanta lost it from there?! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 June 2025 The easiest of months, in reality. The players are on holiday and, given that the negotiations are handled by the new Director of Football, it's actually just a lot of clicking and searching for me. There was two bits of initial bad news as Bristol City, of the Championship, announced interest in Tai Sodje and Cambuur usurped us to sign Marlon on a pre-contract. We did, however, seal the double signing of Ibrahim Olawoyin and Emirhan Aydogan, offsetting their wage demands with the end of contracts of some fringe players: I've given up on the pursuit of Salifu Diassarouba, as he is now demanding over €50k p/m, which is around triple the amount of my top earner, so will be turning my attentions elsewhere. However, we are massively playing catch up as, essentially, our scouting pool is empty and we're starting again now we've been promoted. I'm under no illusions of how difficult July will be! --- I've also used this time to put some work in (by putting out adverts) to get some staff in. Here is where I now sit with my coaching team: Not perfect by any means but we now have specialists in for keepers and for fitness and have increased the quality of the coaching staff as well as employing Mehmet Aurelio - a nationalised Brazilian who spent time at Trabzonspor and Fenerbache as a player, who'll give me some important scouting knowledge. Additionally, I have made a coup (so much so, I thought it was a bug) with signing of current, real life, Denmark manager, Kasper Hjumland as a scout, on a tiny wage. He's obviously very good at what he does and there is now a pathway for him to move into my coaching team but he also brings extra scouting knowledge, too. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 16, 2022 Author Share Posted December 16, 2022 July 2025 Following the excellent advice of @danielgear in regards to pre-season, I've been toying with how my pre-season is set up. Last year, we started the league under-prepared and not match fit, which cost us. Given that, this season, points could be harder to come by, I can't afford to throw opportunities away by not being ready. Here you can see that '6 day week' for the start of next month with them playing in up to two games and training in the other four, with one day of complete rest in between. I still need to fine tune what I want them to be doing on those days that they are at the training ground but it does appear, already, that fitness is growing pretty quickly. This is in contrast to the 'two-game week' that we did last time, which limited players to just 45 minute spells (hugely increasing complacency when the appeared) and at least two more days off the training pitch. I also need to work through the opponents we face - Konyaspor (fourth tier), Ankara (third tier), Nevsehir (fourth tier) and Samsunspor (second tier) aren't the opposition that we need to be facing - really - but I think that we have to wait until our finances allow us to face off against better opposition as that, obviously, costs more money. --- To ensure the most realism that I could - three players I'd identified joined the club on trial in mid July, with the idea that contracts would be offered after/if they'd impressed me sufficiently but wouldn't be fully agreed until the end of the month, allowing me to fully explore their game and compare it with the statistics that had initially alerted me to them. You can see their full profile by clicking on their thumbnail. Taylan makes quite the step up from the third tier of German football, where he spent last season at Osnabruck. However, he'd just spent one season there after dropping down from second tier Nurnberg. I took a snapshot of his performances last year, which can be seen by clicking on the analysis image. It was quite difficult to capture a proper perspective of a man who appears to have shared his time between the full back and central midfield role. However, he seems capable both in possession and defensively, which is what I'll be looking for him to do, predominantly as a backup for Cisse or the odd time where I'll need a more creative outlet in the midfield, although I don't foresee that happening too much. Inside the ninetieth percentile for assists and progressive passes is a really strong output as is the number of times he engaged in pressure against the opposition. In terms of his attributes, he's quite well rounded - which is purposely part of my recruitment strategy at the moment although the staff do have questions over his ability to perform at this level. But he's consistent, a good set piece threat and fits in with the squad pretty well so I see this as a sensible deal right now, especially as he's one of the lower earners within the squad too. The only of these three to make four appearances, albeit somewhat restricted in two of them, Taylan has scored twice - a penalty and a well struck free kick into the top corner. His range of passing and composed play look good enough for me to decide that he'd be a valuable asset for the club. Next through the door is Arial Mendy, from Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot. Arial has appeared for a couple of French clubs since moving from Diambars in his native Senegal eight years ago and has been capped five times by his national team. Whilst he'll be sitting inside a little more for me, as an Inverted Wing Back, he excelled with his crossing ability and ability to progress the ball last year but also recording a high number of interceptions and maintaining a good record in the tackle - something that I'd noticed that was missing a little last year. Good enough - according to the team - to play at this level, as well as consistent, well-rounded, versatile and good with two feet: I think Arial could be a really strong addition to our side. He's not played a huge amount for a man of his age, which could work as a blessing or a curse - depending on how well his legs last or how much experience he's picked up - but he's a strong addition for us. Mendy has been really strong at left back, getting a lot of the ball in the two games that he started. He appeared, when paired with Taylan, that he wa slightly less creative than his partner but probably more adept defensively. A delightful free kick against Samsunspor was a real highlight of his time as a trial but his presence appears to be very positive to the defence at the club. Ismaily Coulibaly is the man I'm most excited about! A €1.9m signing for Championship side Sheffield United from Sarpsborg in Norway, the youngster played 42 times out on loan at Belgian side Beerschot before being a bit part player at the Blades, making thirty-two appearances over three years. He has played a limited number of minutes - just over 300 last year - predominantly from the bench, which would normally rule him out for me. However, upon further dives into his statistical outputs, I've seen that he's excellent in front of goal and excellent at progressing the ball. Digging back to the season before - his 2022-23 statistics - I can see that this is replicated, meaning that it's more likely to be a real style to his play, rather than just a flash in the pan. Another well rounded player suitable for this level with, apparently, a lot of potential not yet realised - meaning that the €1.5m release clause to clubs in continental competitions could come in handy for us, or the club in future. Of the three trialists, he's impressed the most. Rested for the easier tie but a goal contribution in the other three and plenty of xG created. Whilst he completed no dribbles, his movement was wonderful to watch and his link up with Cem and Tai Sodje really looked promising. Truth be told, the deal was accepted before the Turkish Open (yeah, had plenty of creativity when naming it) but I held it out long enough to complete my initial assessment of him. This leaves my summer shopping list now looking like this: Left winger Defensive midfielder Central midfielder Right back Left Back Goalkeeper Striker With Coulibaly's ability to play as a striker and me not worrying about any kind of cup run - and, as such, a cup keeper - I feel like I could be done with the transfer window. I've spent €30k in total, recouping bits and recouping some wages and have, hopefully, built a bit of a squad that can have a go at staying up! Obviously - we're playing for wins in games that are winnable, given that we get €170k per win (an increase on last season since the reputation increase of the league) as well as €85k for a draw, so that'll be reflective on the players that are chosen somewhat. Half of August is devoted to more pre-season stuff I'm really looking forward to kicking the season off! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 16, 2022 Author Share Posted December 16, 2022 August 2025 Three more friendlies to wrap up pre-season: I was disappointed not to beat Larnacas, of Cyprus, but felt that the 120 minutes for our squad players was more important to the bigger picture. A nice win over another Cypriot side sealed the end of a really successful period in terms of new recruits and match fitness. Göztepe SK 2-3 Genclerbirligi We kicked the season off in style with a win against Goztepe, predicted 12th in the league. Without my trusty Data Hub for the first few games, I went in a little blind. I was sensible against their 4-4-2, tight marking where possible but found that the combined power of a DL/ML and DR/MR - much like my own - was a worry as we were regularly countered. We had more shots and more danger as the game went on - with Sidibe netting twice and Sodje the other but I felt that there were several moments when you could just tell our opposition was better than we've faced before. However, to come away with a win, and €170k, is a great start to the season for us. Genclerbirligi 1-0 Sivasspor Is this a dream? Our first home match in the big time against a Sivasspor side, predicted to finish 11th. Eager to defend better and facing a more familiar foe in a 4-2-3-1 shape, I set about the usual instructions, tight marking their creative deep midfielders and trigger pressing creative outlets - which, in this case, was none other than FM legend of old, Ryder. The Brazilian lasted sixty-five minutes and contributed twenty-five touches, with just one in our box and three in that magical Zone 14. Our game plan worked really well as we limited the away side to a spattering of half chances, with Sidibe (already beating his goal haul of last season inside two games) volleying us ahead jut before halftime. I had noticed that their substitutes were not match fit and, as a result, was able to ensure that I slightly tweaked our style in the second half, keeping the ball for longer periods of time and playing less risky passes in order to ensure that they spent most of their time chasing our shadows. Another €170k, another win and a start that means we've now won fifteen competitive games in a row. I didn't envisage that to continue into this season. However, in between games, I was rocked by star player Sidibe becoming unhappy after I rejected an offer from Cadiz. Sadly, his influence has impacted the squad and morale, the number one marginal gain I have at my disposal, has somewhat plummetted. Hatayspor 2-2 Genclerbirligi The winning run is over but in heartbreaking style as we concede with virtually the last kick away at Hatayspor, predicted 10th. A 4-3-3 wide but their build up, as I witnessed early one, came from a pass combination between the centre back and left. I ensured that I triggered a press to try and reduce this passing lane, but was also able to build up down our right, exploiting space left by their marauding left back. The game looked, in danger anyway, like it belonged to the hosts, but looking at their overall passes explains what a great job I did to keep them at arm's length. We took the lead through Olawoyin's first goal for the club before being pegged back immediately from a set piece, which allowed us to experience our first taste of VAR - as it's not active in the second tier. A wonderful strike from Omercan restored our lead but a push in the dying seconds, confirmed by the video assistant, gifted Hatayspor a penalty that they converted, more than doubling their xG and saving a point from the jaws of defeat. Heartbreak for us but a truly insane month! --- Whilst we are unbeaten, I still pay absolutely no interest to this early season table as there is much more work to be done. Next month we face our first really tough task with a trip to Besiktas, all but guaranteeing an end to our unbeaten streak. There is work to be done defensively, but that will be on the training pitch! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 What a start! Shame about the pen. I know assume you haven’t had any VAR decisions that they have gotten wrong. i have had a few were the player isn’t offside and they get it wrong. Which is frustrating cause offside seems to be about the most clear cut thing Var does (not a fan of Var). I could understand a penalty being wrong or a red card as it down to interpretation. I think SI could actually do a bit more with the VAR as frustrating as it would be it would be realistic to see a red for something that wasn’t or a yellow being a red and so on. after such a good start whats your realistic ambitions? Just avoid the drop? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 11 hours ago, SixPointer said: after such a good start whats your realistic ambitions? Just avoid the drop? It does feel a little unrealistic to assume this but I think we're good enough for the top half of the table. Whether we can stay injury free and continue the high spirits throughout the season will remain to be seen though. I'm also not quite sure what to make of this... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F0rzaH Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Just caught up on this thread again @_Ben_ great work. Enjoying your approach to recruitment as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 2 hours ago, F0rzaH said: Just caught up on this thread again @_Ben_ great work. Enjoying your approach to recruitment as well. Thanks Forza! It's a slight alteration on the style that I've used in the past but I still need to develop it in order to be able to purchase the younger talents that haven't quite made the first team yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 September 2025 Gençlerbirliği 1-2 Adana Demirspor With my trusty data hub back available, I took the time to notice that Adana's defensive actions appear to be very deep so far, indicating that I'm likely to have a lot more possession in deeper areas and, thus, changed the DM(d) to a DLP(d) to try and allow him a bit more creativity to make things happen from deep. Sadly, it didn't work as intended as his pass record remained remarkably similar. In terms of their pass map, I decided that the ball between their left centre back and DM was their most used build up as well as some interplay down the right hand side, so adapted as necessary. That was backed up by their stats for possession lost, which would indicate a counter attacking style - given their lack of passing numbers - which plays either centrally or down the right, so decided to trigger a press on the DMs, too. Most importantly for me to note was their xG match story in their last match, where they proved to be a strong outfit against Fenerbache. The game itself was very even as we matched them in most areas. Whilst that will work out well for us defensively, it's important that I also ensure I have players with the ability to create things from nothing and it was DLP Emirhan Aydogan, who swung in a perfect corner for Metehan Mert to bring us level after an early goal for the visitors. Our play stagnated a little in the second half but a well worked move gave the visitors the lead; our reply to their goal was god but we couldn't quite find enough to save the game, sending us to our first defeat in thirty-seven games. We go again, though. Beşiktaş 0-0 Gençlerbirliği Some defensive tactical changes as I move to IWB(d) and an A(d) instead of IWB(s) and DM(d) in order to counter their offensive strength, which contains two well known ex-Premier league players; Nathan Redmond and Rachid Ghezzal. Their use of a double drew me into the change given their intended overload of each side, however, there is also potential for quick breaks, which has seen me look to overload the middle and use a pair of CM(a) instead of a CM(a) and Mez(a) combo. Unlike Adana before them, Besiktas' ball losses seem to come much higher up the pitch, so my move to a Balanced approach is intended to reduce the level of risk a little to avoid them being able to quickly play the ball to their offensive players in dangerous areas. Against, undoubtedly, the most fans we've ever faced, we started amazingly well, nearly going ahead through Ismaila Coulibaly's first goal for the club. What I like most about the build up is that we've got both of our central midfielders ahead of their two and, whilst Sodje is being taken care of by their DM and CB, it allows Coulibaly to get 1v1 on their defender, just as I wanted. He didn't score this time but it's was a marker for an attacking performance that maybe Besiktas didn't expect. Defensively, we stood firm and restricted them with a strong and high defensive line - which the choice of a A(d) feeling justified given his removal of licence to roam a bit more. At half time. the two heat maps showed just how well we'd kept them at arm's length: over 70% of the ball but little that posed a threat for us. The game ended as a draw as we come away with a hard-earned yet completely unexpected point and another €85k! Gençlerbirliği 5-0 Fatih Karagümrük Simply sublime! Fatih, managed by none other than Andrea Pirlo, have narrowly avoided relegation in the last two years and, technically, were there for the taking in terms of teams I would want to beat as a newly promoted side. However, the manner in which we did that was something else. My setup for this game was very similar to how we played against Besiktas, using two CM(a) as they opted for a double Mez again, focusing the play through the centre. It was midfielder Coulibaly who was involved in the best bit of pla, unleashing a sumptuous through ball, which Sodje finished well. So good that I felt it needed to be recorded! What is more, the Malian has moved into the team and has already become a key figure for us, as shown by his outputs, below: I'm very aware that these updates are predominantly team based and I've not paid too much attention to the individual and the development of my players so will try and drop little bits like this into more of the future updates. --- The end of the month is marked by the signing of a new contract for me, with the board tying me down for three years. In truth, I'll certainly see out this season at the club but, depending on the level of success we achieve, may find that a - financial at least - ceiling is hit. However, I'm still quite taken aback with how easy I've found this. That's not me saying that I'm particularly good at this game or developing some kind of cheat tactic, but it just feels like, considering the strain to attract any new faces and the promotion, that I shouldn't have been able to hold off Besiktas with the ease that I did or dismantle Fatih as we did. I'm sure there'll be harder times but I've now won fifty-nine of my 101 games as a manager across three Turkish leagues, scoring at nearly two a game and conceding at around 0.7 per game. Watch as I now lose every game next month... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Congrats on the new contract mate! Despite the financial ceiling, will you stay beyond this season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 12 hours ago, _Ben_ said: It does feel a little unrealistic to assume this but I think we're good enough for the top half of the table. Whether we can stay injury free and continue the high spirits throughout the season will remain to be seen though. I'm also not quite sure what to make of this... Is it to early? Does it feel like a realistic step. To all intensive purposes Parma are a Serie A team by stature and really one that should be challenging for euro slots. I feel if you took them now you would achieve that in no time. Then we’re does it leave you progress wise Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 (edited) Sad to see the unbeaten run go. But some fantastic results to bounce back from it Edited December 18, 2022 by SixPointer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 18, 2022 Author Share Posted December 18, 2022 8 hours ago, SixPointer said: Is it to early? Does it feel like a realistic step. To all intensive purposes Parma are a Serie A team by stature and really one that should be challenging for euro slots. I feel if you took them now you would achieve that in no time. Then we’re does it leave you progress wise 8 hours ago, DavidBeckham said: Congrats on the new contract mate! Despite the financial ceiling, will you stay beyond this season? The Parma move is 100% not happening. It’s far too early in my career to be moving to - as you say - a big team like them. Plus, I’m kind of falling in love with Gencler and what the club stands for! But I do know that this isn’t the ‘end goal’ for this save and will have to move on at some point. 8 hours ago, SixPointer said: Sad to see the unbeaten run go. But some fantastic results to bounce back from it Yep. I knew that we’d lose eventually but, given how we’ve started, I didn’t expect it to be in that fixture. Obviously, Gala are head and shoulders above the rest but my job feels like it’s going to be able building and developing something that’ll probably overachieve but, under my tenure, can mix it with the big boys. The way we play is beautiful and, just watching that Sodje goal back, you can see that it’s getting ever closer to the style I intend to cultivate across my career. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 18, 2022 Author Share Posted December 18, 2022 October 2025 An international break seems like a nice time to have a little run down of the young, home grown talent currently in the first team at the club. The six players below are all training with the first team and I have two further talents - Resit Yildrim and Enescan Ozu - who are training with the youth side still. In fact, the youth team is quite strong at present, although short on numbers as we look to recover from our financial issues before contracting more players. All images below are clickable to reveal a full profile for these players. With growing coaching capacity and quality at the club, I've been able to spend a little more time on developing the youngsters away from just giving them first team football. Sirat has made some really strong progress mentally and physically since coming through the academy and has been rewarded with minutes where possible. I'm currently training him as a Wide Playmaker with work on his Attacking Movement, knowing that he's already in a good place physically for a kid of his age. Ufuk has somewhat surprised me, becoming a solid backup player and earning a good number of minutes over the season and a bit I've been here. He's not the most amazing in terms of anything attribute-wise but has seen plenty of mental growth since coming through.Dunyacan is steadily returning from a small dip that coincided with an injury and already has thirteen assists to his name. He's training as a Mez with focus on his shooting as an output of one goal in fifteen isn't ideal for a player in his role - however, the progress he's made overall in that area has been really strong. Ahmet Tunc is a slightly different option in the DM role given his strong passing range but hasn't really progressed technically since I took over and now third choice in that role. This is quite similarly to Cem, who, despite becoming a key member of the first team squad, hasn't pushed on with his attribute development, adding a point here or there to his mental attributes but little technically or physically. He has, however, had a few injuries and spent a fair bit of time learning new traits, so I can excuse him slightly. Omercan is, according to my staff, the best of these young academy products and has made some fantastic progress as well as showing some really strong performances on the field, too. He's a little one-dimensional, and, to be fair, the use of the PF schedule probably further pushes that, but he's proven that he is a really important player for the club now and in the future too. Five of the six also appear in the mentoring groups that I currently have, with Sirat still not secure enough in the first team to warrant a permanent slot in them. I'm possibly guilty of not allowing them as many minutes as they - based on training performances - deserve, but, as a newly promoted team, it's quite difficult to thrust these inexperienced players into the first team. However, that will change as the season goes on: Cem's place has currently been lost due to the fact that Serkan has hit a nice little purple patch that coincided with an injury, whilst Dunyacan is still on his path to recover from an injury, too. It's also great to see that these developments are being recognised at a national level: I'm drawn back to the reason why I took over the club. My Turkish is non-existent, and, therefore, my research was a little shaky but to directly quote Wikipedia: Quote Gençlerbirliği were founded in a slightly different way compared to many other football clubs, having been established by students from a high school, Ankara Erkek Lisesi (Sultani Mektebi). The students in question had failed to be selected for their own school team, and asked one of their student friends, Asim, to talk with his father about setting up a football team for them to show how well they could play. On 14 March 1923, Asim's father, the member of parliament from Muş Province, established the team for his son and his friends. Since all the members of the team were students he chose the name 'Youth Union' (Turkish: Gençlerbirliği). They elected Sarı Ziya's father Faik Bey as their first chairman. Subsequently, these young students wanted to play against the school team which had not selected them. Gençlerbirliği won the game, played at "Hamit tarlası", 3–0. According to these young rebellious players this victory forged the identity of their new team. It's imperative that I maintain that sense of Gencler throughout my time here. It's ingrained within this club who had been faced by hard times of late and, therefore, it's my honour to return the club and youth academy to the standing that it deserves to be at. --- Konyaspor 1-2 Genclerbirligi The form continues. Konyaspor haven't had the strongest starts to the season and my pre-match work showed that they obviously aren't match fit as they seem to have faded in the second half of games. I decided to go a little more cautious in the first half, saving ourselves for the second half but that plan was scrapped as they scored from another set piece - something that continues to concern me and warrants a deeper dive. However, within minutes of moving to a higher risk strategy, we were ahead thanks to Tai Sodje and Ismaila Coulibaly. The second half continued as just one way traffic for us as they failed to register another shot at our goal. We wasted several good chances but pick up another three points, as we continue to defy expectations. --- Genclerbirligi 0-0 Alanyaspor I came face to face with an ex-FM legend; Emre Belözoğlu. I remember managing him way back on CM01/02 when he was just breaking out at Inter and then watching him play for Newcastle in the Premier League years later. Finishing sixth last year, this was, on paper, our second hardest league game after the Besiktas tie and we did remarkably well, bossing it for long periods. I did, however, get my half-time teamtalk wrong - telling them that I was happy (well, wouldn't you be?) but their drop in morale was almost catastrophic as that gave them the upper hand for a good portion of the second half, however, even then, we really restricted them to deep passes (graphic shows completed passes in the second half) and very little in the way of quality chances. I don't know how much longer we can continue riding the wave of high morale, high fitness and high cohesion but, whilst we have it, we are looking very hard to beat. --- Eyüpspor 2-1 Gençlerbirliği With the smooth must come the rough. It was against Yorkshire's favourite team. Emeka Eze, the league's top scorer, is 6'1" tall and I managed to completely nullify him in our games last year but he rose highest to level for them after an early goal from Tai Sodje. Considering my game play was to not allow these kind of situations and, even if I did allow them, to have a surplus of defenders in the box, conceding in this manner was somewhat annoying. For the second game in a row, there was a period of time whereby we lacked creativity and that is something that I need to look at and address. We still recorded a decent xG total and had a couple of good chances but we need to lick our wounds and come back stronger next time out. I think it does warrant a bit of further investigative work though: Whilst I have, on several occasions, discussed the want to not have to make tackles, I do want any tackles we have to attempt to be won. Therefore, it's concerning to see that Metehan Mert isn't winning a lot - just 56% (although he has only attempted nine tackles all season) - of his. I think that this is further compounded by his number of clearances which, if my definition matches FM's, (a pass out of a dangerous area with no intended recipient) is also a bit of a worry in terms of how we build up. I think, when you add that to the fact that most of our midfield are wasteful in possession, it shows that the ball is just coming back at us repeatedly. We lead the league in terms of interceptions per game (35.00 - 0.22 more than second placed Konyaspor), so are clearly good at keeping a compact shape and winning a ball by essentially annoying the opposition into playing a risky pass but then do not have the quality to play quickly through the lines but commit players forward, meaning that a turnover leaves us exposed. I think that part of this comes from the quality of players that we have - my backroom team consider Ubeyd (GK), Ali (CB) and Cisse (DR) good enough for only the second tier, facing up against some of the best player in the South of Europe. However, we are only conceding 1.00 goals a game and 0.74xGa, leaving us top of the table in that area, some 1.4xGa ahead of second placed Fenerbahçe, who visit next... Fenerbahce are in town next but then the remainder of November is against Altinordu and Adanaspor, which could result in more points for us. The table is becoming a lot more normal here - with Besiktas, Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce all moving upwards and leaving just 11th placed Hatayspor, who we drew with, as the only team really out of place. I'd also be expected Istanbul Basaksehir to make a move but, aside from that, I think we're certainly looking at a battle where we could become the best of the rest - an insane result for a debut season in this league and not a huge amount of time since the club was staring at a relegation to the third tier... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 20, 2022 Author Share Posted December 20, 2022 November 2025 Genclerbirligi 4-0 Fenerbahce Pinch me! This must be a dream! What I have achieved here is possibly the most amazing tactical victory I ever have, and maybe ever will, achieve. I completely changed my match plan: looking at their analyst report basically told me everything I needed to know: much better than us and good at most things! Their last game was against Maccabi Tel Aviv and I noticed that, like us, a weaker side, they had possession deeper than I'd normally expect - meaning they may not be quite as good at breaking down a locked defence as you'd expect. So I did just that. No pressing traps or marking instructions on anyone in the defensive and DM strata, instead altering the positions and approach to create an even more solid defensive wall. I did, however, pay attention to trigger presses and closing down, as well as weaker foot instructions, for their front four. I also made a bold move, for me, and held off with my substitutions until late in the game. I very often like to change the game with my changes by freshening up the XI but wanted to see, particularly at 1-0 still, what Fener would do. However, we answered their threats and then utilised changes late on in the game to waste some time. The match stats tell the whole story here: We allowed Fenerbahce 9.71 passes per defensive action, double our average pre-game and pulling us down to sixteenth in that metric. Their near 800 passes were unable to penetrate our defense and the few that did tended to be long balls Arda Gula - a man who earns nearly what my entire team does - didn't get anywhere near the goal at all. We created 18 key passes and five big chances, with most coming from vertical play involving some kind of line splitting pass. Furthermore, from a financial viewpoint - €170k was awarded for the win, as well as TV revenue of €91k and gate receipts of €86k for a record, sell out, crowd, meaning that we've earned just under 75% of our total income from last month in just one game. The best moment I think I have ever had on any FM game. --- Genclerbirligi 2-0 Altay A heavily rotated squad was pushed all the way by third tier Altay but, in the end, quality prevailed thanks to extra time goals for Olawoyin and Omercan Tekin. --- A midweek trip to Antananarivo, at the expense of the board I presume, didn't go down well though as despite being named on the bench, Ismaila didn't play a part in their 4-1 victory. Upon return, I was greeted with some concerning news: Purposely moving for just two out and out forwards this season looks to have backfired on me. I'll set up some recruitment foci and see what I can do, but will have to manage a month and a half with just Tai Sodje up top. --- Genclerbirligi 5-0 Altinordu We are absolutely on fire at the moment. Goals from Tai Sodje, Ismaila Couilbaly, Alassane Sidibe and debutant Sinan Ozgur saw us absolutely demolish a team that we, really, had no right to. Once again, the tactical approach - this time not allowing their wingers space to get outside and put crosses in, worked really well for us as we basically limited them to a couple of low xG chances. I knew that they would also be sitting back and, as such, changed the DM(d) to a DLP(d) in order to try and control the extra possession with a little more intent - as seen in Gokhan Gul's return of four key passes, his second best this season so far: --- With the slightly unexpected extra income coming our way thanks to a significant amount more victories than expected, I've decided to add some extra scouting ability, for a couple of months. We're quite restricted, in terms of transfer budget, thanks to the board's focus on becoming financially sustainable, so, therefore, I'll only be able to maintain this focus for a couple of months but, by opening up the entire world to my scouts, I can add a few new names to my shortlists, which I can then hone in on individually, if necessary. The three main areas that I've decided to broadly target for the next two months are South America, Africa and Europe. As detailed in Gencler's philosophy, again, taken from Wikipedia, I can see their historical preference to scouting specific regions: Quote Gençlerbirliği had been run by İlhan Cavcav from 1978 until his death in 2017. With Cavcav's help, Gençlerbirliği have become one of the more stable clubs in Turkey. This has been achieved mainly through the departure of the most talented players every season to the other clubs in Turkey. Departing players are usually replaced with much cheaper imports from Turkey, Europe or Africa. I currently have seven African players in my squad. However, you can see, by looking at their last club, none have come directly from Africa. You can see them and their routes to Gencler below. Cisse: Fello Star (GUI) -> Angers (FRA) -> Martigues (FRA) -> SC Schiltigheim (FRA) -> FK Novi Pazar (SER) -> Kocaelispor (TUR) -> Tuzlaspor (TUR) Sidibe: Atalanta (ITA) Coulibaly: CS Duguwolofia (MLI) -> Sarpsborg (NOR) -> Sheffield United (ENG) Olawoyin: Abia Comets (NGA) -> Enugu Rangers (NGA) -> Ankara Keciorengucu (TUR) Ogungbo: Arsenal (ENG) Sodje: Man City (ENG) Mendy: Diambars (SEN) -> Lens (FRA) -> Servette (SUI) -> Clermont Foot (FRA) Whilst I really like the ideology of getting these scraps - players who've already made the move to Europe but are either not performing or are that hidden gem kind of player, it does mean we are missing out players directly from the source and either we then have to rely on being better than the other team's scouting setups or having the ability to allow them to play better at my club. Surely, if Coulibaly was 'all that,' he'd have had many offers to stay in England as he was already there. Those born in England are players who have come through, and failed, at their clubs - so, again, surely Mazeed and Tai would be getting minutes in the Premier League or moved to Championship clubs if their potential, and ability (although Tai is knocking on the door of a Nigeria call up and has been red hot since I signed him) was good enough. Adding some scouting ability in Africa will allow me to find players who are, probably, even more rough around the edges but will then see the club moving to the levels of these bigger clubs where I can be the club that casts off those who aren't good enough rather than being the one that takes those cast offs. I've added a simple filter to the Scouted Players area, too: As you can see, there was plenty of returned reports within a couple of days from players all over the globe. I will wait to collate these and dig a little deeper but, immediately, Joel Mumbongo stood out. A man who will be available on a free in a matter of weeks, who has scored pretty well in Sweden despite an awful conversion rate, which can definitely be worked on as well as someone who is relatively consistent and quick on and off the ball. I don't know whether I'll make a move for him but it's this kind of find that I'll be looking to bring to the club along with youngsters from the source as well as my own academy players. --- Adanaspor 1-1 Gençlerbirliği For some reason the xG story is showing non-Pen xG when sometimes it shows all xG. However, you can see the level of domination we had against a side scoring their third goal in twelve games and only recording their second point. Tai Sodje has reached ten goals, scoring at a rate not too dissimilar from what he managed last year, which is amazing considering that this is the first time he's kicked a ball in the top flight of football in any country. ---- I am still in disbelief at our start to the season as we lead the scoring charts and have the second best defence in the league. The longer that the season goes on, the more I am expecting charges from Besiktas and Fener, although the former are in slightly better form and have reached the European places. Hatayspor just keep on winning but, like ourselves, I am just waiting for a downturn in their form and the table to represent some sort of normality again. Individually, Tai is mixing it with the best and a familiar face in Emeka Eze, who battled for the Golden Boot with him last year. It's well worth noting that the bigger teams have a much bigger spread of players contributing goals and assists, when compared to us and the smaller teams, but that's something that we need to aspire to do! Gala come to town next and, despite saying how worried I was about the Fenerbahce tie, I genuinely have no expectation that we'll be able to match that level of performance against the might of them. It's actually a really tough month will all of our opponents in the top half of the table... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 The Fenerbache result is why we all adore this game so much. finding tactical flaws and weakness and making a plan, executing it perfectly to beat the giant of your nation. For me no better feeling than winning the tactical battle in the game. Finding gems is great but nothing beats a tactical battle. Africa is a hot bed of talent. I’ve found Senegal to be very good! I only wish I had the leagues loaded so they would have had bigger intakes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 20, 2022 Author Share Posted December 20, 2022 1 hour ago, SixPointer said: The Fenerbache result is why we all adore this game so much. finding tactical flaws and weakness and making a plan, executing it perfectly to beat the giant of your nation. For me no better feeling than winning the tactical battle in the game. Finding gems is great but nothing beats a tactical battle. Africa is a hot bed of talent. I’ve found Senegal to be very good! I only wish I had the leagues loaded so they would have had bigger intakes. Thank you! It was a fantastic moment for me in my evolution into a tactical thinking FM player. I think some things have come a bit easier than I'd want and expect, which is a bit of a shame considering I'm not trying to break the system and I'm trying to make progress in a realistic way, but to see my plan come off - to perfection - made me very happy. I started this on the Beta so have no additional leagues but I did manage to load up enough players to fill the youth squads of most of the African nations. I picked on Senegalese club and they'd only had one player through their intakes in the game so far but did retain a full squad of real players, which would explain why there was no need to re-fill it. However, their national team look really promising. Their U20 squad is made up of dual nationals but I'll be paying special attention, when I feel realistic to do so - to their U23 squad due to the fact that it's full of home grown talent that hits that target of acquisition of talent from the source. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 3 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Thank you! It was a fantastic moment for me in my evolution into a tactical thinking FM player. I think some things have come a bit easier than I'd want and expect, which is a bit of a shame considering I'm not trying to break the system and I'm trying to make progress in a realistic way, but to see my plan come off - to perfection - made me very happy. I started this on the Beta so have no additional leagues but I did manage to load up enough players to fill the youth squads of most of the African nations. I picked on Senegalese club and they'd only had one player through their intakes in the game so far but did retain a full squad of real players, which would explain why there was no need to re-fill it. However, their national team look really promising. Their U20 squad is made up of dual nationals but I'll be paying special attention, when I feel realistic to do so - to their U23 squad due to the fact that it's full of home grown talent that hits that target of acquisition of talent from the source. You really have become a tactical player. Like you said your not exploiting the game you just very meticulous in your approach. i know the feeling, I was never expecting to be 2nd in the league first season with a europa league campaign second season but there we are. Hard work pays off Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 19 hours ago, SixPointer said: You really have become a tactical player. Like you said your not exploiting the game you just very meticulous in your approach. i know the feeling, I was never expecting to be 2nd in the league first season with a europa league campaign second season but there we are. Hard work pays off Talking of Senegal and it's talents, I really like the little note that almost confirms that we're doing the right thing in looking here: And then I'll leave you with a player that my scouts found, who I must say interests me.. Click on that for the full profile. If I wanted a False Nine - I think it'd be worth looking at this kid... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 1 hour ago, _Ben_ said: Talking of Senegal and it's talents, I really like the little note that almost confirms that we're doing the right thing in looking here: And then I'll leave you with a player that my scouts found, who I must say interests me.. Click on that for the full profile. If I wanted a False Nine - I think it'd be worth looking at this kid... Looks ideal for the false nine. I really enjoyed the role last year. It’s movement really unlocked my double AMC’s. I don’t think it’s a suited to my tactical shift this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 December 2025 Genclerbirligi 1-2 Galatasaray A really tough month started with a disappointing, in some ways, loss to Gala. We were great in the first half and went ahead thanks to another Tai Sodje strike but I knew I couldn't keep them at bay forever. Whatever their manager said to them at half time worked wonders as the didn't change the team or style from my perspective, but, instead, their quality shone through. Still, there is nothing to be embarrassed about with this performance. On the eve of the game, star midfielder Ismaila Coulibaly signed a new contract. Whilst he was only six months into his deal, this new removed the €1.5m release clause, which, given the quality he has shown, would be a huge undersale. --- Trabzonspor 0-0 Gençlerbirliği The tough run continued as we went to Trabzon and I was reunited with Melih Demir, whose hardly set the world alight since his move. However, he's no longer the best player in the team and does seem to be developing nicely for them. We were a little slow to get started and should have been behind at the break but, as has happened on several occasions this season, our defensive stability was fantastic and, whilst Trabzonspor had the lion's share of the ball, they really did little with it. --- Genclerbirligi 0-1 Istanbul Basaksehir We've kind of forgotten what winning feels like! I've experienced so many tactical victories but this on feels like a defeat. We were great on the break and should have punished them, getting ourselves back onto level teams following an early concession. However, despite pressing traps, man marking and, in the end - attempting to kick him off the park - Berkay Ozcan absolutely ran the show for the visitors. There are times I have to admit that I just didn't have the answers and today was one of them! --- Genclerbirligi 2-0 Pendikspor A rotated squad - but not as rotated as I would have liked - overcame second tier Pendikspor. We were sluggish and as you'd expect for a team that'd lost a bit of their mojo but, the use of a DLP(d) instead of a DM(d) did allow us to become a little more creative in our build up patterns. Sidibe scored a really good goal, finishing from the edge of the area on the angle and Tai Sodje popped in a second as we progress. Besiktas are our opponents in the Sixth Round... --- Gaziantep 0-0 Gençlerbirliği For two teams that are overperforming, this game was bereft of quality. We're clearly still quite short on confidence, are suffering from a lot of fatigue and injuries are piling up, but we got a point away from home, ensuring that we don't end the year with consecutive losses. Scoring is certainly an issue right now! --- Still defying expectations despite a tough month. A little bit of a more concise update as I'm stretched for playing time at the moment and absolutely loving my time here! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 14 hours ago, _Ben_ said: December 2025 Genclerbirligi 1-2 Galatasaray A really tough month started with a disappointing, in some ways, loss to Gala. We were great in the first half and went ahead thanks to another Tai Sodje strike but I knew I couldn't keep them at bay forever. Whatever their manager said to them at half time worked wonders as the didn't change the team or style from my perspective, but, instead, their quality shone through. Still, there is nothing to be embarrassed about with this performance. On the eve of the game, star midfielder Ismaila Coulibaly signed a new contract. Whilst he was only six months into his deal, this new removed the €1.5m release clause, which, given the quality he has shown, would be a huge undersale. --- Trabzonspor 0-0 Gençlerbirliği The tough run continued as we went to Trabzon and I was reunited with Melih Demir, whose hardly set the world alight since his move. However, he's no longer the best player in the team and does seem to be developing nicely for them. We were a little slow to get started and should have been behind at the break but, as has happened on several occasions this season, our defensive stability was fantastic and, whilst Trabzonspor had the lion's share of the ball, they really did little with it. --- Genclerbirligi 0-1 Istanbul Basaksehir We've kind of forgotten what winning feels like! I've experienced so many tactical victories but this on feels like a defeat. We were great on the break and should have punished them, getting ourselves back onto level teams following an early concession. However, despite pressing traps, man marking and, in the end - attempting to kick him off the park - Berkay Ozcan absolutely ran the show for the visitors. There are times I have to admit that I just didn't have the answers and today was one of them! --- Genclerbirligi 2-0 Pendikspor A rotated squad - but not as rotated as I would have liked - overcame second tier Pendikspor. We were sluggish and as you'd expect for a team that'd lost a bit of their mojo but, the use of a DLP(d) instead of a DM(d) did allow us to become a little more creative in our build up patterns. Sidibe scored a really good goal, finishing from the edge of the area on the angle and Tai Sodje popped in a second as we progress. Besiktas are our opponents in the Sixth Round... --- Gaziantep 0-0 Gençlerbirliği For two teams that are overperforming, this game was bereft of quality. We're clearly still quite short on confidence, are suffering from a lot of fatigue and injuries are piling up, but we got a point away from home, ensuring that we don't end the year with consecutive losses. Scoring is certainly an issue right now! --- Still defying expectations despite a tough month. A little bit of a more concise update as I'm stretched for playing time at the moment and absolutely loving my time here! A tough month and more like one you would expect from a newly promoted side. But it testament to how sublime your earlier results were. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 On 16/12/2022 at 19:26, _Ben_ said: ollowing the excellent advice of @danielgear in regards to pre-season, I've been toying with how my pre-season is set up. Last year, we started the league under-prepared and not match fit, which cost us. Given that, this season, points could be harder to come by, I can't afford to throw opportunities away by not being ready. Here you can see that '6 day week' for the start of next month with them playing in up to two games and training in the other four, with one day of complete rest in between. I still need to fine tune what I want them to be doing on those days that they are at the training ground but it does appear, already, that fitness is growing pretty quickly. This is in contrast to the 'two-game week' that we did last time, which limited players to just 45 minute spells (hugely increasing complacency when the appeared) and at least two more days off the training pitch. Just caught up @_Ben_did you find the change in approach made a difference to the players conditioning for this season and helped with the great start you have made? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Liam Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 Congratulations on the Fenerbahce win, it took me years to record my first win against them on FM22, although when it did happen it was in the Cup final. And those matches where you make tactical adjustments that pay off against a stronger opponent are indeed so satisfying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 Still lurking near the European spots I see Been tough for you lately. I’m guessing there isn’t any pause in the league this time of year? Oh, and it’s almost transfer window time! It’s good to see Ismalia Coulibaly sign a new contract before the window opens Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 23, 2022 Author Share Posted December 23, 2022 23 hours ago, SixPointer said: A tough month and more like one you would expect from a newly promoted side. But it testament to how sublime your earlier results were. 11 hours ago, Sir_Liam said: Congratulations on the Fenerbahce win, it took me years to record my first win against them on FM22, although when it did happen it was in the Cup final. And those matches where you make tactical adjustments that pay off against a stronger opponent are indeed so satisfying. 8 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: Still lurking near the European spots I see Been tough for you lately. I’m guessing there isn’t any pause in the league this time of year? Appreciate the comments, all. December was a tough run but we're still doing all the little tactical things and doing most things right. I still think that we're hugely overachieving given the quality, and depth, of our squad but we're running on morale and tactical nous right now! There is a short break period in January, which will help us get our fitness back together, too. 14 hours ago, danielgear said: Just caught up @_Ben_did you find the change in approach made a difference to the players conditioning for this season and helped with the great start you have made? It has helped hugely. We are able to last much longer in the game, meaning I'm not having to make a raft of early changes for fitness reasons and I can see games out much better than I did previously. It's also interesting to see how it's impacted our injuries: The (lack of) squad size has led to an increase of late but it's really positive to see how much healthier we were earlier in the season, almost certainly linked to match sharpness and fitness. 8 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: Oh, and it’s almost transfer window time! It’s good to see Ismalia Coulibaly sign a new contract before the window opens My January update is nearly done and is fairly in depth about some January transfer plans - hope you enjoy it! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 11 minutes ago, _Ben_ said: It has helped hugely. We are able to last much longer in the game, meaning I'm not having to make a raft of early changes for fitness reasons and I can see games out much better than I did previously. It's also interesting to see how it's impacted our injuries: The (lack of) squad size has led to an increase of late but it's really positive to see how much healthier we were earlier in the season, almost certainly linked to match sharpness and fitness. That’s great news. I’ve found it works really well for me. It’s just making sure we take the time to keep track of minutes played in preseason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 23, 2022 Author Share Posted December 23, 2022 January 2026 Genclerbirligi 5-0 Kasimpasa Back with a bang to start 2026 against a team that I'd envisaged we'd be battling it out with. Tai Sodje started 2026 the way he left 2025 with a hat trick and Ismailia Coulibaly, fast becoming one of my favourite players to watch added two himself. I'm finding now that more and more teams are allowing us a little bit more of the ball and, this time, we absolutely made the most of it - registering a season high twenty-six key passes. We were, despite the extra attacking intent, able to restrict Kasimpasa to just eighty-seven completed passes in our half, hence the ninety minutes of domination. With us finishing the first round of fixtures, I think that I can reflect a little on the four players that have driven the club to a position that was completely unexpected of them prior to the season's kick off. All statistical analysis compares players in the Spor Toto Super Lig with over 1000 minutes playing in the same position - wingers, central midfielders or strikers. Ismaila has ran riot in the midfield this year - combining two roles of runner and passer into one very well balanced player. Nobody in this league creates more key passes from open play and he's also inside the top ten percent for those that turn into chances and those that are converted. His trait of Comes Deep For Ball allows him to initiate dribbles between the lines. Unfortunately, there is no measurable metric for progressive passes attempted, but, if there was, I'm sure he'd feature towards the top end - let down by a relatively poor pass completion of 83%, largely due to the high risk nature of these passes he is attempting. The other half of the midfield duo who plays really similarly - as you'd expect as they swap roles between a CM(a) and Mez(a) as the game progresses. However, Cem has taken to the top flight like a duck to water, and would be the best key passer in the league if it were not for him team mate, above. Cem is, however, dribbling more, progressing the ball more, creating more key passes, chances and assists than last season against much more difficult opposition. I'd like to see him scoring as much as Coulibaly but, in a two, this pairing offers everything I could want going forward, and more. Probably entering the twilight of his time here, Sidibe has 18 months left on his deal, no interest in renewing and suitors from Germany to Belgium yet the ex-Atalanta academy graduate boasts some hugely impressive stats compared to other wingers. He dribbles really well but also progresses the ball incredibly well - partially due to the fact he's in a supporting role, holding his width, and picks the ball up much deeper than a conventional winger. I'm sure that, should we fetch a good fee for him, I'll be able to reinvest in a multitude of players that can progress the club further: the exact archetype of player that I want to have at the club. Tai has surely played himself into Nigeria contention, although sits behind Osimhen, Iheanacho and Awoniyi in the pecking order. An absolutely incredible eason where he's been involved in over one goal a game - elite for a top club, let alone a club that have been promoted the season before. His shot xG is insanely good and that is a testament to the positions he gets in and our ability, as an attacking unit, to create spaces and opportunities for him in good positions. However, everything he touches is still turning to goal - scoring nearly once in every four shots he takes. --- In transfer news, Mazeed Ogungbo has really annoyed me all season by refusing to entertain any new talks. He has then, for less wages that I'd offered, accepted a move to Nigeria to play for Remo Stars. I'm disappointed he's chosen to make the move and become a Fringe Player, considering the minutes he was getting with us. However, using my scouting team, I've been able to snap up Ibrahima Soumaré (click on the image for a screenshot before he signed) for a fee of €20k from Diambars. What I do kind of like is that the data that I've been able to collect on his is a little flaky - but, to be fair, you'd expect that for the Senegalese division (would they really have analysts that collate how many clearances per 90 he makes?!). His scout report looks good and I was able to go back and view parts of a Senegal B fixture that he took part in to justify this very small outlay. He's raw - and that's fine - and my focus will be to develop his ball playing ability (BPD-D schedule and Passing Additional Focus) intertwined with further extra work on his Defensive Positioning (through an additional focus) that will rotate every three months or so. It's set up in his notes so that I can monitor the impact of these. I've also managed to adjust the budgets in order to allow me another month of scouting the world. Whilst the Chief Scout - Ilgiz Cinar - is in charge of the recruitment focuses, I've decided to add three of my own as we try and prepare to increase the quality of players in the summer, with our place in this league all but confirmed for another season. I wanted to really try and utilise the new criteria to try and reduce the list size even before I start to filter out some players. Here are the three players I want to upgrade on and the criteria I've given my scouting team: Left footed centre back to replace Mert - with experience. Right inverted wing back - experienced to replace Cisse in longer term. All-round DM to give competition to Gokhan Gul/Emirhan - young and profitable. In addition to that, I've utilised some specific match scouting for the African Championship of Nations. For those unaware, 'B' teams contest this tournament and players are only eligible if they play in their domestic leagues: a perfect opportunity to continue my drive of finding talent from the source. I've tried to select fixtures in which teams are playing that would provide me reasonable quality players (Uganda B have not actual players so I'll scout a Burkina Faso game when they play real opposition) as well as manually attending (and by that, I really mean having access to some more data) the game in which new signing Soumaré should be featuring in. As well as this, I can quickly check through the player statistics to see if anyone is standing out. I'm normally against signing players based on competition performances but this data will be more accurate than the leagues which aren't modelled in the game and, given the reputation of the competition, players will not be leaving here with hugely inflated values as they may do after a World Cup, for example. --- Genclerbirligi 3-1 Gaziantep Another solid win in which we were, probably, quite lucky not to go in just 3-2 ahead with a missed penalty from the visitors just before the break. I specifically focused on attacking early on, knowing that they started games poorly and had the worst defence going as well as focusing on Yigit Celtik - their creative force - even if his one sole assist is not matched by his 3.39xA. In the end, he completed just sixty-two passes with minimal input in our half. --- Besiktas 1-0 Genclerbirligi Sometimes, when you set out with a more cautious game plan, it can look like you've performed terribly. However, that's not really the case here - yes, they had more shots, but I'd argue that it was pretty similar in terms of shots from dangerous areas and their passes were hardly passes made as they ran us ragged in and around our area. We bow out of the cup against a team that will likely be challenging to win it: no complaints there. --- Sivasspor 1-3 Genclerbirligi Another really strong victory, consigning Sivasspor to their fifth straight defeat, rounding off a month - in the league - where we've picked up nine points against out-of-form sides. Massive amount of credit must go to Tai Sodje, whose rocketed to forty-two goals in his first forty-four career games: Not bad for a player who started last season as second fiddle striker! So much credit must go to Colin Kazim Richards, my scout at the time, who, using his English knowledge, recommended him to me when I was looking for youngsters with expiring contracts. Our xG total has, however, exposed a little bit of a bug, if my real life xG knowledge is anything to go by. Arial Mendy missed a penalty early in the second half but then knocked in a rebound. However, it appears that both shots have been counted on the xG here, giving that move a total of 1.75xG - when, as far as I'm aware, you collate a total move xG, which is, of course, a maximum of one goal. To put it simply, we've created 1.75xG from that move but can't score any more than one time from it! --- As the month comes to an end, I've had another look at the scouting I set out in Africa and have been impressed by the fact I'm picking up reports on some good youngsters. Julius Adeshina looks the standout here even though his last match against South Africa B was not a great one. I decided to make the 'short' trip to Cote d'Ivoire to watch/get full analysis of his performance but, again, was greeted by a poor performance. It's players like this, who could move for minimal amounts and provide me with sellable opportunities that I want to continue to explore. He probably won't be a world beater, unlike Souleymane Ballo, who I just missed out on, but is all part of that really closely monitored and fine-tuned development plan that I like to create for each player. --- We're still in a really strong position, even if we are looking somewhat like a one-man team! Our January run coincided nicely with teams that aren't in form but February brings Trabzonspor, Besiktas and a rejuvenated Konyaspor, now under the tutelage of Slaven Bilic. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 2 hours ago, _Ben_ said: January 2026 Genclerbirligi 5-0 Kasimpasa Back with a bang to start 2026 against a team that I'd envisaged we'd be battling it out with. Tai Sodje started 2026 the way he left 2025 with a hat trick and Ismailia Coulibaly, fast becoming one of my favourite players to watch added two himself. I'm finding now that more and more teams are allowing us a little bit more of the ball and, this time, we absolutely made the most of it - registering a season high twenty-six key passes. We were, despite the extra attacking intent, able to restrict Kasimpasa to just eighty-seven completed passes in our half, hence the ninety minutes of domination. With us finishing the first round of fixtures, I think that I can reflect a little on the four players that have driven the club to a position that was completely unexpected of them prior to the season's kick off. All statistical analysis compares players in the Spor Toto Super Lig with over 1000 minutes playing in the same position - wingers, central midfielders or strikers. Ismaila has ran riot in the midfield this year - combining two roles of runner and passer into one very well balanced player. Nobody in this league creates more key passes from open play and he's also inside the top ten percent for those that turn into chances and those that are converted. His trait of Comes Deep For Ball allows him to initiate dribbles between the lines. Unfortunately, there is no measurable metric for progressive passes attempted, but, if there was, I'm sure he'd feature towards the top end - let down by a relatively poor pass completion of 83%, largely due to the high risk nature of these passes he is attempting. The other half of the midfield duo who plays really similarly - as you'd expect as they swap roles between a CM(a) and Mez(a) as the game progresses. However, Cem has taken to the top flight like a duck to water, and would be the best key passer in the league if it were not for him team mate, above. Cem is, however, dribbling more, progressing the ball more, creating more key passes, chances and assists than last season against much more difficult opposition. I'd like to see him scoring as much as Coulibaly but, in a two, this pairing offers everything I could want going forward, and more. Probably entering the twilight of his time here, Sidibe has 18 months left on his deal, no interest in renewing and suitors from Germany to Belgium yet the ex-Atalanta academy graduate boasts some hugely impressive stats compared to other wingers. He dribbles really well but also progresses the ball incredibly well - partially due to the fact he's in a supporting role, holding his width, and picks the ball up much deeper than a conventional winger. I'm sure that, should we fetch a good fee for him, I'll be able to reinvest in a multitude of players that can progress the club further: the exact archetype of player that I want to have at the club. Tai has surely played himself into Nigeria contention, although sits behind Osimhen, Iheanacho and Awoniyi in the pecking order. An absolutely incredible eason where he's been involved in over one goal a game - elite for a top club, let alone a club that have been promoted the season before. His shot xG is insanely good and that is a testament to the positions he gets in and our ability, as an attacking unit, to create spaces and opportunities for him in good positions. However, everything he touches is still turning to goal - scoring nearly once in every four shots he takes. --- In transfer news, Mazeed Ogungbo has really annoyed me all season by refusing to entertain any new talks. He has then, for less wages that I'd offered, accepted a move to Nigeria to play for Remo Stars. I'm disappointed he's chosen to make the move and become a Fringe Player, considering the minutes he was getting with us. However, using my scouting team, I've been able to snap up Ibrahima Soumaré (click on the image for a screenshot before he signed) for a fee of €20k from Diambars. What I do kind of like is that the data that I've been able to collect on his is a little flaky - but, to be fair, you'd expect that for the Senegalese division (would they really have analysts that collate how many clearances per 90 he makes?!). His scout report looks good and I was able to go back and view parts of a Senegal B fixture that he took part in to justify this very small outlay. He's raw - and that's fine - and my focus will be to develop his ball playing ability (BPD-D schedule and Passing Additional Focus) intertwined with further extra work on his Defensive Positioning (through an additional focus) that will rotate every three months or so. It's set up in his notes so that I can monitor the impact of these. I've also managed to adjust the budgets in order to allow me another month of scouting the world. Whilst the Chief Scout - Ilgiz Cinar - is in charge of the recruitment focuses, I've decided to add three of my own as we try and prepare to increase the quality of players in the summer, with our place in this league all but confirmed for another season. I wanted to really try and utilise the new criteria to try and reduce the list size even before I start to filter out some players. Here are the three players I want to upgrade on and the criteria I've given my scouting team: Left footed centre back to replace Mert - with experience. Right inverted wing back - experienced to replace Cisse in longer term. All-round DM to give competition to Gokhan Gul/Emirhan - young and profitable. In addition to that, I've utilised some specific match scouting for the African Championship of Nations. For those unaware, 'B' teams contest this tournament and players are only eligible if they play in their domestic leagues: a perfect opportunity to continue my drive of finding talent from the source. I've tried to select fixtures in which teams are playing that would provide me reasonable quality players (Uganda B have not actual players so I'll scout a Burkina Faso game when they play real opposition) as well as manually attending (and by that, I really mean having access to some more data) the game in which new signing Soumaré should be featuring in. As well as this, I can quickly check through the player statistics to see if anyone is standing out. I'm normally against signing players based on competition performances but this data will be more accurate than the leagues which aren't modelled in the game and, given the reputation of the competition, players will not be leaving here with hugely inflated values as they may do after a World Cup, for example. --- Genclerbirligi 3-1 Gaziantep Another solid win in which we were, probably, quite lucky not to go in just 3-2 ahead with a missed penalty from the visitors just before the break. I specifically focused on attacking early on, knowing that they started games poorly and had the worst defence going as well as focusing on Yigit Celtik - their creative force - even if his one sole assist is not matched by his 3.39xA. In the end, he completed just sixty-two passes with minimal input in our half. --- Besiktas 1-0 Genclerbirligi Sometimes, when you set out with a more cautious game plan, it can look like you've performed terribly. However, that's not really the case here - yes, they had more shots, but I'd argue that it was pretty similar in terms of shots from dangerous areas and their passes were hardly passes made as they ran us ragged in and around our area. We bow out of the cup against a team that will likely be challenging to win it: no complaints there. --- Sivasspor 1-3 Genclerbirligi Another really strong victory, consigning Sivasspor to their fifth straight defeat, rounding off a month - in the league - where we've picked up nine points against out-of-form sides. Massive amount of credit must go to Tai Sodje, whose rocketed to forty-two goals in his first forty-four career games: Not bad for a player who started last season as second fiddle striker! So much credit must go to Colin Kazim Richards, my scout at the time, who, using his English knowledge, recommended him to me when I was looking for youngsters with expiring contracts. Our xG total has, however, exposed a little bit of a bug, if my real life xG knowledge is anything to go by. Arial Mendy missed a penalty early in the second half but then knocked in a rebound. However, it appears that both shots have been counted on the xG here, giving that move a total of 1.75xG - when, as far as I'm aware, you collate a total move xG, which is, of course, a maximum of one goal. To put it simply, we've created 1.75xG from that move but can't score any more than one time from it! --- As the month comes to an end, I've had another look at the scouting I set out in Africa and have been impressed by the fact I'm picking up reports on some good youngsters. Julius Adeshina looks the standout here even though his last match against South Africa B was not a great one. I decided to make the 'short' trip to Cote d'Ivoire to watch/get full analysis of his performance but, again, was greeted by a poor performance. It's players like this, who could move for minimal amounts and provide me with sellable opportunities that I want to continue to explore. He probably won't be a world beater, unlike Souleymane Ballo, who I just missed out on, but is all part of that really closely monitored and fine-tuned development plan that I like to create for each player. --- We're still in a really strong position, even if we are looking somewhat like a one-man team! Our January run coincided nicely with teams that aren't in form but February brings Trabzonspor, Besiktas and a rejuvenated Konyaspor, now under the tutelage of Slaven Bilic. Starting to harvest some real African gems Ben! Great bounce back in terms of results and I think it’s safe to say all fears of relegation more or less quashed. Have you been linked with any jobs again? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIMN Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Finally managed to catch up, and a stellar job so far this season. I noticed on your DM focus that there are two "High statistical performance in:" with no field. Do you recall what they were? Also, how is the financial situation now? Or perhaps, how does securing top-flight status help the financial stability going forward? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 January was a big month, and you had focus on a bunch of areas. I liked how you sent a scout to report on the African B teams during the African Championship of Nations. It looks especially important with Tai ripping up the league. He must be starting to attract attention with his performances. With your performances and form being so good so far this season, has the board changed their vision for the season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 24, 2022 Author Share Posted December 24, 2022 19 hours ago, SixPointer said: Starting to harvest some real African gems Ben! Great bounce back in terms of results and I think it’s safe to say all fears of relegation more or less quashed. Have you been linked with any jobs again? The plan is not so much to harvest them but to have eyes on lots whilst signing five or six that are real 'development projects' - either earning me lots of cash or pushing the quality of the first team on. In terms of jobs, this is what is about right now: I am quite interested in Modena and Suditrol but, given where both are, I don't want to be moving to a Serie C club! Right now, I'm quite happy here and, if it slows down my path, so be it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 24, 2022 Author Share Posted December 24, 2022 6 hours ago, GIMN said: Finally managed to catch up, and a stellar job so far this season. I noticed on your DM focus that there are two "High statistical performance in:" with no field. Do you recall what they were? Also, how is the financial situation now? Or perhaps, how does securing top-flight status help the financial stability going forward? Financially, we're doing much better now and you can see a steady increase given the fact that we've earned over €1m alone in prize money for won games! I'm also expecting quite a windfall when I inevitably end up selling Sidibe in the summer as he'll begin to decline in value as he goes through the last 12 months of his deal and I back myself to replace him rather than allowing it to run down and keep him for another year. In terms of that foci - I can't remember: maybe interceptions and key passes? However, that may be why nothing has come back! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 24, 2022 Author Share Posted December 24, 2022 12 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said: January was a big month, and you had focus on a bunch of areas. I liked how you sent a scout to report on the African B teams during the African Championship of Nations. It looks especially important with Tai ripping up the league. He must be starting to attract attention with his performances. With your performances and form being so good so far this season, has the board changed their vision for the season? Thanks! I loved the deeper dive into something that wasn't just tactics! I think that clever recruitment is absolutely key to teams like us that operate on tiny budgets. I also have to be really spot on with my development and handling of the players too, which is something that I love. Tai is attracting no interest all, which is probably due to the fact that I imagine his CA isn't amazing and that he's just in amazing form. In terms of the board, I wanted to get myself another month of being able to scout the world so upped the minimum to mid-table as opposed to relegation. It gave me enough of a boost in the transfer budget to be able to shift over another €40k to continue scouting, this time focusing on the African Champions League, which I feel is quite realistic given our stature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 24, 2022 Author Share Posted December 24, 2022 What do you think @SixPointer?! There is so much more that I want to achieve at Gencler but this is a club that is in a bit of a mess - a player, Michaël Cuisance, earning €200k pcm, and a whole host of aging players. They've been out of Serie A for three years now and sit 17th in Serie B so it would be a two to three year rebuild to get them up to Serie A but then, I guess, it's all money and relatively steady waters from there. I think I need to achieve something here, firstly - whether that's Europe or just becoming consistent at this level, I don't know... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted December 24, 2022 Author Share Posted December 24, 2022 February 2026 Genclerbirligi 1-2 Trabzonspor A pretty realistic picture of where we are right now. There are plenty of teams, for example a few that we played in January, who we can outplay, keep the ball and dominate, but we're not quite there in terms of quality and game management to successfully do this against the bigger sides. We're, as we have been all season, good at restricting the opposition, forming a nearly-impenetrable wall near the halfway line but, as is the case with these good sides, they always will find a chance. Twice Trabzonspor took us apart, but that was it and they are a good team that do this kind of thing for fun! Cem Bilgin got us back into the game but they went on and recorded a win in a game that, probably, didn't really deserve one. -- Adana Demirspor 1-0 Gençlerbirliği This is very unlike us for this season. We were lethargic and allowed Adana to have the ball and cause problems with it. They fielded two inverted wingers and attacking wing backs and, whilst we successfully tracked back, we allowed them far too much joy cutting inside, despite my instructions to push them wide. A rare off day punished, as expected, and a bit of a wake up call for us going forward. --- Deadline day arrived and, as you'd expect with the meticulous nature of my playing, there was no surprises. Enescan Ozu needs to kick on so a move to promotion chasing Kayserispor is ideal. Soumaré's deal was already concluded but I pushed ahead and made a move for Julius Adeshina, on a free from Nigerian side Kano Pillars. Clicking the thumbnail below will take you to his profile. Whilst I was largely unimpressed with his performance at the African Championship of Nations, his media comparison of the next Daniel Amokachi (a man who I remember from his time at Everton and, actually, a successful career in this league too for Besiktas) and a deeper dive of his stats, made me reconsider my initial judgement. Whilst a free transfer and a wage that amounts to around €350 a week is barely a drip in the financial ocean, he's not quite the well rounded player I have previously recruited and very much needs a lot of individual work. Whilst I love the physicality he brings - I'd like a little bit speed off the mark. Pace, I can deal with, but Acceleration needs some work so that he can find spaces in tight areas and move quickly, combining that with Agility and Balance, both of which are also just a little lower than I think they could be. I play an Advanced Forward, so they're very much not in the team to be a creator, but I do want a little more in the way of Passing and Vision, so that he can create, if necessary. He's going to make great Decisions but maybe isn't going to be as Composed as he possibly could be, so I'll need to address that, too. My skin completely takes away the ability to line up a training schedule with the attributes it develops, so I need to think a little more laterally. What kind of player is quick off the mark, quite creative and requires good composure? There are two answers in my mind - a Trequartista and a False Nine. I don't know whether it makes a difference at all but one is only available as an attacking duty and one is only available as a supporting duty and I want him to be a good attacker. Therefore, I've gone with TQ(a) and an additional focus of passing, which I will review - and likely to change to Shooting or Speed - every three months. Statistically, I was concerned about his outputs and that wasn't made much better when watching him on international duty for Nigeria B. However, when comparing with Sodje, it's easy to find the areas and easy to speculate on ways I can approach that. He's been reported as somewhat inconsistent, so that'll need addressing through careful squad selection but, at a glance, it would appear that his time at Kano Pillars was poor. I don't have the league loaded so there is an element of (in game) speculation about this but it appears that he's just short on confidence in a poor team (26% win ratio) and, is therefore, fluffing his chances. He takes around the same amount of shots as Tai Sodje, and creates a not too dissimilar non-Pen xG, with those shots being roughly of equal quality but his big issue is that conversion rate. Whilst Sodje is converted one in four-ish, Julius is converting one in fourteen. If only it was as easy as get some confidence and increase his consistency and then I'd have a great player. However, for eighteen, this lad is really promising and could either perform for us in this league or create some profit. This is exactly what I want my recruitment drives to look like, when looking for younger players who, perhaps, haven't got the full breadth of statistics available to them. --- Genclerbirligi 3-0 Besiktas Back in league action in style! I spoke about not quite having the game plan and quality of players to beat the big sides and, whilst the last one remains, our game plan was spot on here. We set up in the standard way, man marking their attacking full backs, engaging low but holding a high line but also wanted to overload them centrally, playing a CM(a) combo instead of a CM(a)-Mez(a) duo. I then also instructed us to be ultra attacking out of the blocks to try and get a goal ahead knowing that we're quite good sitting on a lead. Arial Mendy netted from the spot after a coming together - harsh maybe but just the inroad we needed after a slightly nervy start. From there, it caused Besiktas to push more and more men forward in search of the equaliser and we capitalised, with goals from Olayowin and Coulibaly putting us three up before half time. I purposely went cautious in the second half, knowing that 3-1 would be dangerous if we left too much space. We allowed them a few low quality shots and saw our own striker - Sodje - more invested in defending than scoring but it held and we successfully saw the game out thanks to a series of subs and time wasting. A fantastic victory! --- Fatih Karagümrük 1-1 Gençlerbirliği An excellent move is the reward for knocking on the door of the opponents even though we were not anywhere near our best. Our ability to get the ball to players between the vertical and horizontal lines is a fantastic strength and Sodje finished magically, even if I absolutely do not agree in the xG that the shot was given! We're starting to run out of steam a little, as you'd expect with a small, young and inexperienced squad but we're still doing just about enough to hang on to the European spot race we have found ourselves in. --- I've continued my little recruitment drive with the signing of a young Burkinabe, Abou Cissé. You can see a screenshot of him by clicking the thumbnail below. A €15k fee was enough to prize him away from ASFA-Yennenga and he'll move to Turkey with nearly one hundred games of top flight experience. Whereas the Nigerian league was modelled but not loaded, the Burkinabe top flight is neither so I have access to even less statistical stuff. However, Abou appears to be a strong tackler, who breaks up play really well. I was fortunate enough to watch back footage of every game at the African Championship of Nations and have seen this first hand. Whilst his passing for his club team has left a lot to be desired, internationally, he recorded pass completion figures of 93%, 91%, 85% and 82% - getting better as the tournament went on and the pressure increased. With not enough detail to check progressive passing and, to be fair, a huge difference in how we use our DM to how they do, these metrics will be developed over time with us. I want a little more from the Speed and Endurance side of him, making him a bit more all action but he's pretty well rounded. That leaves our squad depth chart looking like this: Whilst I don't believe, necessarily, in the (previously) star ratings, it's interesting to see just where we need to be strengthened and where we are looking good at the moment. The three projects of Cisse, Soumare and Adeshina will get minutes - but that is also because, as non-Turks, they can't play in the youth leagues and academy graduates Ufuk, Resit, Cem, Dunyacan, Sirat and Omercan are all important rotational options and we have the experience of Metehan and Olayowin to boot, too. Still, there are some areas that need looking at and I am continuing the recruitment focuses on these areas, namely and in order of need: Right Back Left footed Centre Back Goalkeeper Left Back --- Genclerbirligi 0-1 Konyaspor A bit of a disappointing end to the season as we are officially in bad form. As always, I set up trying to control their playing style and create pressing traps, particularly for Zymer Btyqi, their left winger - however, as has been the case in of late, we couldn't live with him. Bilic has Konyaspor playing some effective football and, with eight wins in thirteen now, they've certainly turned their season around. --- Locked in this race with Trabzonspor, Istanbul and Gaziantep for the last European place but I feel that we've lost a little bit of momentum. However, I would have bitten your hand off to take eighth place if that was offered at the start of the season. March sees the chance for maybe four points from three games - hoping for a point on the road to Alanyaspor and a home win over Eyupspor, who, like us, haven't been troubled by the threat of the drop since promotion - something Adanaspor cannot say. With it being Christmas Eve, I envisage that my playtime will be somewhat limited over the coming days so I would also like to wish everyone here a Merry Christmas in the most realistic way I can - in Turkish, using Google's finest translating tools to help. Mutlu Noeller. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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