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FM23 Global (Less England) Small Club to Big Club Challenge


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FM23 Global (Less England) Small Club to Big Club Challenge 

Introduction

 

Welcome to a brand new season of the “Global Small Club to Big Club Challenge”, (less England obviously as we have Dafuges' challenge for that).  Last year saw a number of great saves, and I have high hopes for many more this season.

 

As ever, the premise of the challenge is simple, to start with a previously unplayable club and taking them all the way to a National Title and then on to winning the relevant Champions League (or regional equivalent). With a variety of leagues, styles of play, different rules, and many different locations for your clubs there can be a lot of variety throughout the thread, providing a great atmosphere and stories for our users to become immersed in. 

 

General Challenge Info

Possible Countries 

Europe

 

·         Austria

·         Belarus

·         Belgium

·         Bulgaria

·         Croatia

·         Czech Republic

·         Denmark

·         Finland

·         France  

·         Germany

·         Greece

·         Holland  

·         Hungary

·         Iceland

·         Ireland  

·         Israel

·         Italy  

.         Latvia

·         N. Ireland  

·         Norway  

·         Poland

·         Portugal

·         Romania

·         Russia

·         Scotland

·         Serbia

·         Slovakia

·         Slovenia

·         Spain  

·         Sweden  

·         Switzerland

·         Turkey

·         Ukraine

·         Wales

 

South America

 

·         Argentina

.         Brazil

.         Chile

.         Colombia

.         Peru

.         Uruguay

 

North America

 

.        Canada

.        Mexico

.        U.S.A

 

Asia

 

.        Australia

.        China

.        Hong Kong (China P.R)

.        India

.        Indonesia

.        Malaysia

.        Singapore

.        South Korea

 

Africa

 

.        South Africa

 

 

The Rules

 

A) Game Set-up

1) Your choice of Database Size (Large Recommended)

2) NO Edited Databases of any kind

3) Customising Database 

You can add players to the database up to a limit of 100,000 in total in order to add more depth to your save and also add more difficulty down the line.

Suggested Adds

Players from Top Clubs/Top Divisions (Europe or All Continents) - This increases the challenge at Continental Level

Players Based in your Nation - This can add up to 50% more players to your game

Players Based in your Region (Central Europe/East Europe/UK & Ireland) - This can add extra players likely to join your club

There will be a file correcting the club/competition names, I will advise use of this.

NO other additional customising is allowed.

5) Attribute Masking should be Enabled

6) Disable Ingame Editor (Please do this)

7) Optional Ticks

Add Key Staff (This will give you a Scout, Physio & Ass Man by generating them if your club is without)

Add Players in Playable Nations (This will ensure all clubs have a minimum number of players, generating them if needed)

The extra levels of detail that you can change while in the game are up to you, as they shouldn't make a difference.

 

B) Steps in the Game

1) Add an unemployed manager; you will not use this man to manage your club. I like "Unemployed Man or Holiday Man"

2) Go on holiday until the reset date of your chosen nation (Should take about an hour)

TIP -

Changing

Detail Level to None

will make it go faster. (Remember to change it back afterwards)

TIP - Saving on the day before this date may give you a better choice of teams by reloading the game then going on holiday for one day, I would strongly recommend trying this.

3) Add a new manager - Use yourself, or a created character to help build a story line

a) Personal Details

- Your Choice

b) Tracksuit vs. Trainer

- Your Choice

c) Past Experience lowest Possible (Generally Sunday League)

d) Coaching Licenses lowest Possible (None)

e) Other options are up to you

TIP - If you add the language of your country of choice it will make it easier at the beginning

TIP - Training now includes you at some level depending on your abilities.

4) Choose to take over any club which has been promoted to the bottom playable league of your nation.

TIP - Easiest way in FM20 to see this is on the "Season Review" screen, showing the "Promoted Clubs"

TIP - You can confirm your club by checking the Domestic History's page for not being at this level since start of game

5) Retire your unemployed manager.

6) Manage your club to National Title & European Champions League Victory

7) Completing the Challenge.

 

C) Signing of Players

1) You must be able to scout them

TIP - You don't actually have to scout them, just be able to

TIP - You can check your scouting range on the Scouting page

2) Alternatively (If you can't scout them), you must bring them on a trial first

3) You are able to sign anyone sent to you via Agent Offer

TIP - Make sure you screenshot the Agent offer

4) In later versions you can get your DoF to find players, he will bring in players not in Scouting Range, these are also allowed.

TIP - Grab a screenshot of your DoF signing them

 

D) Posting

1) Player naming is allowed. (This is a warning for those of you who do not wish to see this)

2) Discussion of tactics is allowed. (This is another warning for those of you who do not wish to see this)

 

Expected Updates

We have minimum expectations when it comes to a first up post and also in the end of season updates. The Bold pages are necessary for everyone; the others are some suggestions that will get others interested in your posts and following your club. All other screenshots are welcome and encouraged, but we please ask that the majority are posted as links, because lots of pictures can make the page very slow to load.

 

First Post:

 

Domestic Leagues History (Club)

Profile (Manager)

Overview (Club)

Squad (Club)

 

End of Season Updates:

Transfers (Club) - This is so we can see the ins & outs

League Table (Competition)

Squad (Club)

Information (Manager)

Profile (Manager)

Information (Club)

Profile (Players)

 

Progress of your club should be documented using this thread; we want to hear the story of your club all the way through. Please keep us updated, even if you are doing badly. If you title your end of season report in bold this makes it easier to identify. Everyone will be supportive, and really get into your game if you give more detail.

 

·         E) Other

·         If you are Sacked

 

·         You can Restart from the beginning or;

·         Continue your game and pick a new club (Under Same Rules) at the end of the next season or;

·         Add another League/Remove Current League, holiday a whole season and continue

·         You can still only have one nation running at a time

·         Once the league becomes active you MUST holiday a full season

·         The club must be one of those unplayable from the beginning

·         No Restrictions on Parent or Feeder Clubs

·         International Management allowed (But you cannot start as an International Manager)

The use of any external utilities and editors (Such as Genie Scout or FMM) are prohibited. As of FM14 there are also unlockables, these are also prohibited, please don't use them. It would be appreciated if you also ticked the box at the start which prevents the use of the ingame editor.

 

How to Post a Screenshot

1) While in FM, press the 'Prt Sc' button (usually next to F12 on your keyboard).

2) Open an image editing program such as Paint and paste the image

3) Save the file as a JPEG or PNG

4) Upload the image to an image hosting website such as Photobucket or Imageshack

5) Post the direct URL to the image here.

Alternatively using ALT + F9 in game saves a screenshot to your user data folder. (You can also edit this in the shortcuts options)

 

The Global Nation Motivational

 

As ever, I would like to thank all of you who choose to participate in this thread this year, and to wish everyone taking on this challenge the best of luck on a long and hard journey to managerial success!   The atmosphere and support these threads have historically offered is key in making the thread, and your saves more enjoyable as I can testify to.  I and some of the other regulars of these threads are here to help for the new challengers and hope everybody that participates contributes considerably to the thread. There is nothing better than getting immersed not only in your own game but providing the encouragement to other people's attempts too. Remember we are all fighting the same battle - to defeat the AI (and uncover fabulous newgens!) - Therefore it goes without saying that any form of cheating will be severely chastised. Don't do it! I know that it is painful to lose a European Final or to lose the title on the final day (I have been there myself on more than one occasion) but eventual success down the line is all the sweeter for those defeats.

 

Good luck to all the participants – Here’s to a successful (and enjoyable) version!!  I have said it for the last couple of years, but I REALLY am hoping to participate this year.  I just need to find my traditional ‘fallen giant’ to take control of!! J

 

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Start Dates

 

Europe

 

  • ·         Austria
  • ·         Belarus
  • ·         Belgium  -  reset date is 30 June. But because of the promotion/relegation playoffs you have to save the game at 2 April if you want to get different promoted teams. 
  • ·         Bulgaria
  • ·         Croatia
  • ·         Czech Republic
  • ·         Denmark
  • ·         Finland
  • ·         France  -  29th June ( @Rainbowz )
  • ·         Germany
  • ·         Greece
  • ·         Holland  
  • ·         Hungary
  • ·         Iceland
  • ·         Ireland  
  • ·         Israel
  • ·         Italy  
  • .         Latvia
  • ·         N. Ireland  
  • ·         Norway  
  • ·         Poland
  • ·         Portugal
  • ·         Romania
  • ·         Russia
  • ·         Scotland
  • ·         Serbia
  • ·         Slovakia
  • ·         Slovenia
  • ·         Spain  -  Reset is 10th July (As always) BUT you have to save at 11th of June, and reload from there to holiday the last month to get new teams
  • ·         Sweden  -  2 days after the last league game  12 teams enter the playoffs  and play each other and the winner plays a team from L2 to get promotion (or stay in the league) so 0-6 new teams  will be promoted. On the reset date of 26 dec another 12 teams will be promoted (thanks @Thebaker)  
  • ·         Switzerland
  • ·         Turkey
  • ·         Ukraine
  • ·         Wales

 

South America

 

  • ·         Argentina
  • .         Brazil
  • .         Chile
  • .         Colombia
  • .         Peru
  • .         Uruguay

 

North America

 

  • .        Canada
  • .        Mexico
  • .        U.S.A

 

Asia

 

  • .        Australia
  • .        China
  • .        Hong Kong (China P.R)
  • .        India
  • .        Indonesia
  • .        Malaysia
  • .        Singapore
  • .        South Korea

 

Africa

 

.        South Africa

Edited by rlipscombe
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This is my favourite challenge but I'm torn as I really want to give the youth academy one a go...I've still got 6 days to decide (didnt get beta, im getting it "for free" on xbox gamepass")

 

My last 2 FM's have been Germany and Bulgaria for this challenge. Loved them both but after Germany last year I kinda want to go back to a smaller nation and build it up.

 

My first thought had been for South Korea - but I remember seeing on youth challenge, i dont think there's relegation from 2nd tier, unless this has been fixed on a patch or something i'm unaware of?

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Hogaborgs_BK.png

Hogaborgs BK

 

I have already completed one season on this and will cover first season accordingly, but will try and do opening post avoiding spoilers :)

 

Division History

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Manager Profile

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Had to use this as my profile as I have completed a couple coaching badges since the start of the save.

 

Everything else I neglected to document as I was too busy jumping in. 

It will be a bit varied from last season - my completion with Rhys Guppy leading the line for my Donegal Celtic side - the league I anticipate to be more of a challenge, but Champions League victory should be slightly easier. Either way, I'm looking forward to another journey and a new country I've not managed in before.

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Wasquehal_Football.png

Wasquehal Football are a club from the commune of Wasquehal in Northern France. The town is very close to the Belgian border, with the nearest large city being Lille. The football club hasn't had large amounts of success, but enjoyed a spell as a Ligue 2 team from 1997 to 2003 as ES Wasquehal, but since they'd dropped to the 5th tier of French football, before merging with Wasquehal Futsal Club, taking their name and gaining promotion to the 4th tier in 2022.

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I'm doing my first small club save in France. I holidayed a few times to get a choice of interesting teams and landed on Wasquehal Football, who in my save have earned back to back promotions into the 3rd tier. They're a club with a little bit of history, reaching Ligue 2 in the 90s/early 00s, but don't have any real success to speak of. Hopefully I can change that.

Goals:

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Nothing but survival, got to love the ambition.

Profile:

5e675e5b8e0bde1508b278947830f552.png

I'm already well underway with my season, and will post my season preview soon, once I've wrangled all of my screenshots.

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Wasquehal Football - 2022-23 Season Preview

We're in an interesting position where we have a decent core squad to build from, but few real stars. We're considered one of the stronger newly promoted teams, so I'm hoping we won't be in a relegation struggle and it gives me faith in the squad I've inherited. As I mentioned though, we don't really have any star quality and no future prospects to pin our hopes on. Turning this squad from a mid-table National one to something we can work with in the future is going to be a challenge, especially with the tiny budget we have with no sellable assets.

Squad

As mentioned, we've got a solid base to work from, but nothing really outside of that. The team definitely has the quality to stay up, but I think we're a few years and a lot of new faces off any promotion pushes. Probably the place we shine the most is up front, with Bakayoko and Diakhaby providing some quality, with a few strong striker options too. There's no-one game-changing, but I've made do with worse.

Transfers In

CB | Leny Yoro (Loan)

The first player to join us from our partnership with Lille, Yoro is a very promising young CB who offers us some decent depth. His base defensive attributes are solid, and at such a young age I imagine he has a lot of room to grow, which I'm hoping he does while with us.

CB | Hakim Ouro-Sama (Free)

I wanted a bit more ability in my defence, which Hakim has been brought in to provide. He's a more intelligent player than some of our other centre-backs and is as good at the defensive stuff too. He gives me a bit more confidence at the back which is never a bad thing.

LB | Ugo Raghouber (Loan)

We were a little light at in the wide defensive positions, so Raghouber adds a bit of depth in that position. He's solid physically and mentally, but his technicals are pretty poor. Thankfully he's got potential to grow and will hopefully do that during his spell here.

ST | Bastian Badu (Free)

I thought we needed a bit more power up front and Badu provides it. He can play quite a few roles, being well-rounded in his attacking stats and is a solid striker for this league. I'm hoping he links up well with Daoud, I quite like the partnership together

ST | Solomon Kessi (Loan)

The promising Ghanaian youth international joins us on loan to provide depth up front. He's got everything he needs to be a solid advanced forward at this level and will only get better while he's here. Hopefully he can make an impact from the bench and progress into a starter by the end.

Season Preview

We're predicted 14th, which seems good but would see us relegated from this division. However, we're on par with a few teams so I fancy our chances at a decent finish. I'm not expecting promotion as there are some extremely strong teams in this division, but a solid midtable finish is the goal. This first season is just testing the waters and seeing where we stack up, I'm not expecting miracles.

Results So Far

We've had a strong start, winning 2 from 2 and sitting 3rd in the league. It definitely gives me confidence that we aren't out of our depth, but I think the big boys of this league could humble us when we eventually play them. It's hard to say where we stack up, but time will tell.

Expected Lineup

Zelazny

Rangoly - Padovani - Ouro-Sama - Raghouber

Gomez-Mancini - Beaulieu

Bakayoko ----------------------- Diakhaby

Badu - Daoud

I tested out an old meme tactic I used to use back in the day, and quelle surprise, it works! Whether this is what I stick with, or if it gets changed later I'm not sure, but it's what we're rocking with for now.

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Hogaborgs BK

Season 1 – Division 2 Sodra Gotaland – 10th

Transfers (1) – Transfers (2) – Transfers (3) – Best XISquadKey PlayerHot Prospect – Supporter Profile

 

Overview

Transfer Window:

Incomings: As is often the case with the start of these, we inherited a squad of not very much quality and poor depth. That means we signed a lot of players this season in a pretty scattergun approach with us signing players in all positions even ones I ended up not using within my tactics as evidenced by 3 screenshots of incomings.

Outgoings: Many of the players that were already in the club I ultimately let leave as they really weren’t fantastic. A few of the players we brought in early doors also left due to lack of playing time.

League: I did not know what to expect from the league, we were predicted to be one of the league strugglers but won our first game 4-2 with us looking good value for the win leaving me to be hopeful for the season ahead. Alas, we then lost our next 4 bringing back down our expectations – we were in for a relegation battle. The 4 losses on the spin did see me change from wingers to a 442 diamond, or at least midway towards our 5th loss on the spin with the change in formation seeing us turn a 2 goal deficit into a 1 goal win (all 3 of our goals coming in stoppage time at the end of the second half). The formation change did improve our fortunes with us managing to find ourselves in mid-table but not really too far from the drop zone.

Our form did drop off again towards the end of the season, in fact, we went 8 games without a victory as we started to drop back down the table. Fortunately, the latter 4 of those 8 games were actually draws which did mean we amassed enough points to avoid relegation both from automatic and playoff routes.

Cup: We were not in any cups this season, so nothing to mention here.  

Next Season/General

I managed to get a couple of coaching badges sorted this season and the board upgraded both youth recruitment and junior coaching, but, it will be a while before I see the benefits from that. Our intake has a lot of high potential players but I can’t see any really reaching it in honesty, more in need of players ready to go now.

Players of note

Mans SaebboI signed him after he scored 5 in a friendly, but didn’t really hit those heights in the league, but a1 in 2 scoring record isn’t too bad.

Johannes Selven  Came in as one of our best players, but wasn’t perhaps as prolific as I would have hoped. He did end as both our top scorer and assister so perhaps I’m being a little harsh in my assessment.

Overview

image.thumb.png.e39a940b944145388caa7acf5d9b4537.png

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Good to see this thread back up. @rlipscombe in Sweden the teams appear on 2 dates.

2 days after the last league game  12 teams enter the playoffs  and play each other and the winner plays a team from L2 to get promotion (or stay in the league) so 0-6 new teams  will be promoted. On the reset date of 26 dec another 12 teams will be promoted.

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I have started again in Sweden were i am sure i can be successful. I wanted a team in Malmo or Gothenburg as there are a lot of potential rivals in the top divisions.

I had to holiday through 2 seasons and got Malmo City who are one of the smallest possible reputation teams.  They had minimal facilties, no staff and only 13 players at the start. When i got some staff only 15 unattached players were willing to join, a few better players became willing during pre-season but most wanted me to promise to improve the training facilities which i cant do.

The only good point about the club is they have a reasonable number of fans for a club at this level - a sellout of 500 for the first home league game! (although 150 were away fans from another Malmo club)

Profile

Edited by Thebaker
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In Flanders' Fields - The Beginning

After flirtations with Denmark and Austria, I have decided to give this challenge a go in Belgium.

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Our manager is Ernie Williams IV, a fictitious great-grandson of Ernie Williams of the 6th Cheshire Regiment who recounted one of the famous Christmas Truce football games between British and German soldiers on Christmas Day 1914. Ernie IV is now returning in his great-grandfather's footsteps to try to guide a Flanders side* to the top of European football - ideally bringing together English, German and Belgian players along the way. The first goal is to get Sparta Petegem in the top tier of Belgian football in time for their centenary in 2028, which would mean two promotions in five seasons.

Ernie does however have his task cut out for him. Sparta Petegem don't have a great history of success. Their fans are loyal but small in number, and the stadium is rented, meaning finances are tricky. Youth and training facilities are not too bad for the Belgian third tier though. And their green kits are quite pleasant on the eye. 

*for any history buffs or geography experts out there, I do know that Petegem is actually further East than where the main battle lines were. I must have done a hundred reloads trying to get Westhoek (the team from Ypres, near where Ernie Williams' match allegedly took place - and whose ground had a new pitch paid for by the Premier League in 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Day games) promoted but with no joy. And Sparta Petegem was just too great a team name to turn down!

The Belgian lower leagues are notorious for complex structures, but the third tier is actually quite straightforward. 18 teams, 34 games, 3 up, 3 down plus 1 more in to the relegation playoffs. So 14th guarantees safety. We are projected to finish 13th, which would do me (and the board, and the supporters) nicely. The initial squad is not a complete disaster but not great either - I reckon there are six players in there good enough to be starters in a team that stays up, so we will need to do some shopping. Fortunately we have a few thousand € in spare wage budget to play with.

Advance warning - with a young family and an upcoming house move I will play super slowly. But I will try to keep this thread updated and check in on others' progress (doubtless with some jealousy!) on a regular basis. 

Wish me Ernie luck! 

Edited by arnoldinho
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2024

Table | Squad | Transfers

 

This season was a bit of a struggle as there were very few players willing to join and the best of those wanted a promise to improve the training facilities which i is a promise i would'nt make as i could'nt fulfill it.

A couple of spells of good form meant that the team did not spend long in the relegation spots and avoided relegation with 2 games to go.

Not entered in the cup.

Finances are poor with nothing i can really do to improve them, the team had the 2nd highest average attendence in the league.

Carlsson was far and away my star player finishing as the league top scorer thanks to 5 Dfk's and 6 penalties. He would have had more assists if the other players could head a ball as his set pieces are great. I had to promise to improve the training facilities in order to extend his contract.

The team was let down by the hopeless standard of the defenders and GK, the others strikers could be improved as well since they scored hatricks in one match and not much else.

Season

League

Position

Swedish Cup

Europe

Top Scorer

Top Assists

Attendance

Training

Youth

Junior

Youth Rec

Notes

2024

D2 SG

9th

Not entered

N/A

Carlsson(24)

Carlsson(8)

314

Poor

Poor

Basic

Limited

 

 

Edited by Thebaker
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Hogaborgs BK

Season 2 – Division 2 Sodra Gotaland – 1st

TransfersBest XISquadKey PlayerHot Prospect Supporter Profile

 

Overview

Transfer Window:

Incomings: We were a lot less active in the window this season compare to last but still saw 14 (5 arrived before league reset) players arrive in the offseason. All of which were signed to be immediate contenders for the first team and represented big upgrades on our existing players. (Our pre-season media prediction went from bottom to top with our signings). Later into the season we did bring in some reinforcements as I let some young fringe players out on loan, but these mostly served as back up to our existing contingent of players.

Outgoings: Players who’d now found their likely first team involvement limited were let go either permanently, or just out on loan. The major outgoing this season came in the mid-season window as Selven was sold for £8k rising to £10k as the board accepted above my head, though it is good money for us for a player who hadn’t been playing fantastically in the league. His buying club did offer us a loan back which I took up to prevent me having to source another striker.

League: We started out or season in fine form, winning our opening 4 on the bounce, and only losing once of our opening 10 fixtures as we were looking set to provide justification for our pre-season billing as league favourites. In truth this season we just generally very good and in control of most the games we were competing in with us only really having one spell of poor form as we scored just 1 in a spell of 4 games which included 2 of only 3 losses all season. From there we never really looked back, a couple of draws that I feel we could have done better in but wins mostly.

Despite our great form, we didn’t actually secure the title until the last game of the season as it was a title showdown with second place, winner takes all. After a cagey 1st half that ended 1-1, in which we were arguably 2nd best, we came out the traps quickly in the second half to take the lead before late on we added a second to secure the victory, title and promotion to the 3rd tier!

Cup: We were not in any cups this season, so nothing to mention here.  

Next Season/General

We don’t really have any money, so have not managed to improve my coaching badges, nor youth recruitment or junior coaching this year, maybe the next tier will give us more money but I don’t think it’s too likely. There is also some squad rules for players trained in Sweden we will need to be wary of due to us signing players from neighbouring countries. The initial aim for next season is very much survival, but I’m not too sure the difference in standards between the 3rd and 4th tiers so maybe we can go strong again next year.

One thing I’m not yet settled on is a formation, currently I’m using a 4-4-2 diamond, but, depending on the personnel I can bring in that might change before too long – though I am a little reluctant to change a title winning formation prematurely.

 

Players of note

Johannes Selven  Two spells with us this season went a bit differently, whilst a permanent player he was solid if unspectacular, 7 goals in 17 appearances, but as a loan player he really stepped up netting 8 in 8 to end the season with 15 in total. I will see if I can extend his loan next season, but I think we may be looking for a new striker.

William NilssonOne of our offseason recruits, pretty well rounded for the level and was a strong player for us at centre back and chipped in with a few goals for good measure – actually our 4th top scorer.

Daniel Sellevoll Another of our summer recruits, Sellevoll was similar to Selven in ways, sometimes he was just incredible in front of goal, others he couldn’t hit a barn door. He ended up our top scorer with 16 in the league.

Overview

image.thumb.png.fd083e27836ac15561e9d251dd4b928e.png

 

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13 hours ago, Lower Leagues Rule said:

I am BACK! 
Jumping in now to run holidays in Spain, there is one particular club I really want (We'll see how it goes) - I may have a game in Sweden before the end of this.

welcome home... ;)

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10 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

good season there, sometimes the D1S/N can be really tough depending on how many pro teams come down from the D1 Elite. Usually its about surviving the first season

Yeah, this off season I think maybe due to our finances we can't even offer part time contracts, only non-contract ones which means we're less secure on the players that we will have for the following season. Survival it is!

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3606389.png.90d01591feaf42d799a76bab004f897d.png

ger@2x.png.739ae1c63b37eb79a7392e2ffaa0e9bc.pngWuppertal - 3. Liga

After a handful of reloads the choice is made and Havelse are now managed by König Jerichausen - perhaps a long lost sibling of @kingjericho.

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A disciplinarian at heart, even if a poor one for the time being. Some coaching courses may help on that regard.

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Havelse have recently played in the 3. Liga, but very briefly. The debut was on the 2021/22 season which ended in relegation. Now, a second opportunity to do better at this level.

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Edited by kingjericho
restarted the save
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Zeph Calder’s Spanish Adventure
Club Deportivo La Virgen del Camino

CD La Virgen del Camino logo.png

New Beginnings
Manager | Squad | League History | Club Info

My New Club

Well I did originally say I was looking for a particular club, they didn't manage to come up over 34 reloads, so this is what it will be.
I am taking on the Green Goblins ("los duendes verdes") of Club Deportivo La Virgen del Camino, a reasonably new club founded in 1998, they are based in La Virgen del Camino, which is named after a sighting of "La Virgen" (Yes the literal Virgin Mary), near Leon. The manager I am taking over for was Roberto Carlos (No not that one). The club is pretty small, but I look forward to leading them to La Liga and further over many years. Now it is time to spend a week just doing the preseason and organising a club that will do what I need to survive relegation. 

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@kingjericho - good luck with Wuppertal - they look like a team with solid foundations to develop and push on.

@Lower Leagues Rule  -  good luck with the Green Goblins.  i am currently in the process of reloading in Spain to see what options i have come up.  Decision time might be this evening.

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Wasquehal_Football.png
Season Review 2022-23

Squad | Tactic | Table | Finances

The season went pretty much as I expected. We started well but fell off quickly as the better teams in this division figured themselves out. We went from a promotion push to fighting relegation quickly, but thankfully managed to stay up. Like last year's save with Rehden, my first season has been plagued with a lack of goals. Despite having some decent strikers and trying various systems, we just can't score. Hopefully I can find a solution in the summer.

Results: Sept-Dec | Jan-May

We were really up and down and could never really find a good rhythm of results. We unfortunately got a really unlucky draw in the Coupe de France against Ligue 2 side Queley-Rouen so had no success there.

Transfers In

RB | Berbe (Free)

Right-back was a spot where we were really thin, with 35 year old Mathieu Rangoly being our only real player. Berbe comes in and offers a huge upgrade in that position. He can do everything to a good standard and is someone I'm so glad we've found.

RW | Ousmane Bangoura (£2,000)

The first of the Spanish regens, Bangoura looks a really tidy prospect. He's got some fine stats for such a young age and seemingly a lot of room to grow. He's lacking in some areas at the moment, but I'd still have no qualms throwing him into the first team if needs be. He's definitely one to watch.

ST | Ruymán De La Riva (£4,000)

The second Spanish regen with a name that strikingly resembles a Tina Turner song, de la Riva gives me a lot of hope. We've struggled with goals this season and Ruymán looks to be an out and out goalscorer. Obviously he's a little ways off our main strikers in terms of ability, but if he can develop he could be a very dangerous player at this level and beyond.

Transfers Out

CB |  Valentin Wojtkowiak (Free)

A player from our 2 squad, Wojtkowiak was just a bit behind our current CBs in terms of ability, and getting him off the wage bill was a no-brainer.

ST | Sacha Hamache (Free)

See above. I did have Hamache a bit of a chance in the first team due to our poor goalscoring, but he was just as bad as the rest. Didn't have a future here so moved him on.

Key Players

#1 - Erwin Zelazny (6.92)

Our man between the sticks ended up being a difference-maker on more than one occassion and was definitely a huge reason we survived. Zelazny has been solid all season and despite getting up in age, has been as good as ever. He'll likely be replaced with a younger model soon, but I'm glad I can rely on him.

#2 - Leny Yoro (6.90)

The Lille youngster has been impressive this season, coping in a tough league at such a young age. He really grew into this team after some shaky performances at the start and has been part of a very strong defence. Sadly it seems Lille want him to gain experience elsewhere next season so we may not see him back, but I'd love him to return again someday.

#3 - Romain Padovani (6.90)

Another one for the old guard, Padovani has been a utility lifesaver for me this season. He's been able to slot into so many positions in various systems for me this season and has been consistently good wherever he plays. Unfortunately he's on the decline and is really struggling physically, so this might be his last year as a regular. Still, I'm glad we got at least one good season from him.

Next Season's Thoughts

This season confirmed what a struggle this would be. We're losing a lot of money, our squad lacks any star quality and we've got a laughably small budget to make recruitments. That said, we've got a couple of young players we can look to and a team that's starting to learn to play together. A few of our better, older players are on the decline and will need replacing, so this summer's recruitment will have to be perfect. That said, with some decent signings and some development from our younger players, I think we can do better next season.

Year Division Predicted Position Actual Position Coupe de France Trophée des champions Europe Top Player Top Scorer Top Assists Avg. Attendance Finances Training/Youth Facilties Junior Coaching/Recruitment Extra Notes
2022/23 National 15th/18th 10th/18th 7th Round N/A N/A Erwin Zelazny (6.92) Adama Diakhaby (8) Jonathan Beaulieu (4) 999 -£292,339 Below Average/Basic Adequate/Basic Tough season, losing money badly too
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Zeph Calder’s Spanish Adventure
Club Deportivo La Virgen del Camino
LVBcP4DTAA2U2QDfkjtezbA08toROJ9CC3-dl-9n_AbW1VLph9mIUA2ENcO_ztRs80rMMnvh_2xeaVJG1lPfCT5plZxVYSn_Sp16uknX54Q9nkJTfADueaqdutK3N8nU4N_HimLDK2_lCtkV3zqx31Vrb_5tfNbsvawm2L4yiwNFLZLNoxPRvVTxfo1snQ

Segunda División RFEF 3
Preseason September 2023

Friendlies | Squad | Transfers 2 | Finances | Dynamics | Dev Centre

Overview
Here we go and we get down to business, week one saw us invite in every single player we could for a 'trial' really this was just to see who are the best players and decide on who to sign to the actual team. The focus in season one as always is just sign at least two players for each position and see how we go. 

Friendlies

In the friendlies it was mostly lower level teams to test out against, I played a single game against a team in our division, and started the back-ups who ended up winning a convincing 3-0.

Transfers

 

Transfers In
Date Player Pos From Fee
14.07.23 José Ortega GK Free €0
15.07.23 Alin Stefan Anton DC Free €0
15.07.23 Xiker Arana AMC Free €0
15.07.23 Dani Vidal MC Free €0
15.07.23 David Nespereira MC Free €0
15.07.23 Iván Nieto DL Free €0
16.07.23 Jorge ST Free €0
16.07.23 Juan Manuel DL Free €0
17.07.23 Imanol Madariaga DR Free €0
17.07.23 Pablo Huélamo GK Free €0
22.07.23 Yago Rodríguez DR Free €0
24.07.23 Javi AMR Barakaldo €7,000
24.07.23 Alan Carballar ST Free €0
25.07.23 Xian González DC Free €0
25.07.23 Ferney Mosquera DC Free €0
25.07.23 Dani Estramil DC Free €0
26.07.23 Jagoba Beitia MC Urduliz €0
27.07.23 Rafa DC Free €0
27.07.23 Francisco Rolle AMRL Free €0
27.07.23 Luis Prados DRC Free €0
31.07.23 Iago Barreiro MC Free €0
31.07.23 Javier AMC Free €0
01.08.23 Jorge Sánchez Rodriguez DRL Mora €0
04.08.23 Artai Miraz AMRL Free €0
08.08.23 Asier Torres AML Amaya €0
09.08.23 Quique AMC Free €0
11.08.23 Mikel Córdoba DL Free €0
15.08.23 Alejandro Cendón ST Bembibre €0
19.08.23 Mario Ordoñez MC Free €0
24.08.23 Ángel Escrich DC Free €0
24.08.23 Andreu Drets ST Free €0
25.08.23 Francisco MC Free €0
27.08.23 Carlos Lekue DL/AML Urduliz €0

Only the ones coming in are important right? We had five players leave, they were 4 strikers who had all been transferlisted by previous manager and were annoyed about it. 
It took us a while, but in the end we found our team Superstar. Francisco should be able to take the league by storm in the midfield, and if he can feed it forward we'll have some fun as well. 

 

Starting Line-up

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We're going with a 4-2-3-1 with both wingers cutting inside, it's going to be an interesting one but will make adjustments as needed. Álex Matos was already at the club and will start on the right wing, while Jorge Suárez will start in the middle, everyone else is a new signing to the team. Most of the players should be good enough for this level, but I can see us leaning on the spine with Jorge, Quique, Francisco & Suarez looking to combine to get the goals. I could see us leaking a few, so early on just scoring more is how we will try to win.

 

My Expectations

Avoid Relegation, anything else is a complete bonus. 

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On 09/11/2022 at 20:04, rlipscombe said:

@Rainbowz - solid first season there.  like the look of De La Riva - looks to have decent potential.  Good luck next season.

Thanks, hunting Spanish regens is my jam and is probably going to be the thing that keeps me afloat in this challenge!

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Wasquehal_Football.png
Season Preview 2024-25

Oh my god what a frustrating window. To my surprise, we had a lot of quality players willing to join us for decent wages. I snapped a lot up on trials and began the bidding. However, as soon as I submitted a contract, about 10 other teams would all swoop in and steal the player. Even players with no interest in them would suddenly become hot property once Wasquehal Football made an enquiry. I'm not exaggerating when I say I lost out on 20 players because of this. So, who did we sign?

Transfers In

CB | Ot Molet (Free)

Continuing on the Spanish regen train, we have Molet from wonderkid factory Damm. He's a solid looking CB for his age with a lot of scope to improve. He has some incredible stats, but also some areas he needs to work on. He'll be a depth option to start, but it wouldn't shock me to see him become a regular soon.

CB | Malaine Camará (Free)

We needed some more options in defence and Camará provides exactly that. He's your typical all-round solid CB option, with ability in every attribute I need from a CB. He offers a bit more height at the back too. I'm expecting a solid, consistent showing from Camará this season.

CB | Lamare Bogarde (Loan)

More backups can never hurt and Bogarde is exactly that. He's a decent enough defender and can play a few different positions, but he's only really here to provide cover for our starting guys. Hopefully we won't need him too much, but he can definitely do a job if we do.

LB | Ali Barak (Free)

I was unable to get Raghouber back on loan, so needed some depth at the left-back position. Barak comes in to provide exactly that. He's not amazing, but he's solid all-round with a couple of standout stats, so I feel comfortable having him as a backup option.

LB | Godfrey Stephen (Free)

Now, my starting LB. Stephen looks an amazing left-back at this level. His stats are incredibly consistent to the point where he could probably play anywhere. For us though, his role will be barrelling up and down the left flank, supporting the attack and aiding the defence. I rely on my wing-backs a lot, but Stephen looks up to the challenge.

CM | Wendel Lessa (Free)

With options running out, I ate into my scouting budget to search the world and came across Wendel Lessa. I needed an all-rounder on a cheap wage and he fit the bill. He'll primarily be used in a more defensive role, but I've got confidence in him playing all kinds of roles across the midfield. Consdering it was a position we lacked quality, I'm glad to have him in.

RW? | Daniel Menéndez (Free)

Yep, another Spanish regen. I'm working with scraps here, okay? Menéndez is a strange one, he's wickedly gifted technically, okay mentally but awful physically. There's definitely a player here, I just need to do my best to guide him onto the best path. If those 8/9s in his mentals and physicals become 10/11s, we'll have a hell of a player on our hands.

ST | Joe Hugill (Free)

I've always rated Hugill in other FM saves I've had, so I jumped at the chance to snap him up. He offers a lot to our forward line, being tall, strong, relatively quick and being able to finish. He's got plenty of improvement in him too, so will definitely be one to keep an eye on.

Transfers Out

RW | Axel Bakayoko (£30,000)

This one is annoying. Bakayoko came to me to say he was considering his options, which was fine. What wasn't was that a week later, he said he wanted to leave and I couldn't change his mind. He was in the last year of his contract so I had no choice but to cash in. The money he brought in allowed us to make some new signings and we have options at RW, so it's not all bad. Still, he was one of our better players so losing him unexpectedly kinda sucks.

Squad

The squad is looking in a good place. It could've been so much better if I'd gotten some of the top players I was after, but oh well. We've definitely got a National quality squad, we've cleared out most of the poorer players and brought in quality. We've got some pretty exciting youths to watch out for as well. I'm generally pleased with where we're at.

Season Preview

Though the media have us down in 13th, I'm more optimistic. I think we've got a good team here, all of whom are worthy players at this level. We've got a few youngsters in who'll hopefully grow too. Our depth is a bit shallow, but unless we get unlucky, I see us finishing far higher. A top 6 finish is achievable imo, and that's what I'll be targeting.

Results So Far

We've had an excellent pre-season, losing only one game and we've carried that form into the league, winning one and drawing one. That said, we started brightly last season before dropping off massively, though our squad is much stronger than last year. Can we improve? I guess we'll find out.

Expected Lineup

Zelazny

Berbe - Camára - Ouro-Sama - Stephen

Gomez-Mancini - Wendel Lessa

Diakhaby -------------------------------------------------------

Badu - Hugill - Daoud

This is what has been working for me recently. It's a strange tactic, but it works surprisingly well. We play quite direct and physical, trying to win the ball back asap and supply our 3 strikers. We rely on an attacking wing-back to supply the threat down the left, and the rest of the pitch is fairly well-covered

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1 hour ago, Lower Leagues Rule said:

@Rainbowz I really like Menendez as a signing, look forward to seeing him start to lead the line (In whichever role he ends up), an interesting tactic, do teams try to take you down your right a lot? good Luck in this season.

Not as often as you'd think. If they do, I either move Stephen up to be a LWB or move one of the strikers to LW and it works out.

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I don't normally do match reports, but going into our first game, the board and fans were both expecting a loss, as we went away to Club Deportivo Arenteiro.
image.png.ef1537b706dae2afce0e2823143b78ff.png


I still sent them out to attack thinking we'll grab on the break and hopefully hold them off a bit, early on the game was pretty balanced, but between the 12th & 21st minutes we just ran rampant to take a three goal lead, and in the second half were dominant enough to grab two more. After this I really do not know what to think about our expectations through the season.

Date Comp Opposition H/A Us Opp Result Goalscorers Att.
10.09.23 SdR Club Deportivo Arenteiro A 5 0 W Jorge (12,21), Quique (20), Matos (61), Miraz (84) 393

Oh and this meant that I grabbed this achievement in my first competitive match in Football Manager 23

image.png.197a6f293104eb44ce9a84a057ad00e3.png

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@Rainbowz - frustraing that missing out on signings...  Interesting to see how you get on with the attacking formtion and Hugill who looks decent for that level.

@Lower Leagues Rule - not the worst first game to the season...

 

As for me, i might be departing Spain for another European 'powerhouse...??'

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@Tyer good choice. Im doing a save with them in the YAC (sorry for the pub).

Keep an eye on the squad rules if you like to sign alot of players from other countrys. Scout nearby countrys like Serbia and Romania, you find some good players and quite cheap, but also try to grab some youth from other bulgaria teams. Even if they dont break into your first team, after a loan you might be able to cash something.

About the stadium looks good at first sign but only 1.5k seated. :(

Edited by The7Striker
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@Tyer I completed this challenge in Bulgaria in FM21 with Spartak Pleven, who when I had a look are playable this year unfortunately, otherwise I may have went back, it's probably the most fun thing I've ever done in FM.

 

Here is my completion post - worth a read for you, just to give u summary of journey! The league has no money, and a lot of players from established european countries dont want to come because of lack of infrastructure, which id never seen in FM before! But I pillaged Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Red Star and Partizan Belgrade were like my feeder clubs, Rijeka in Croatia too I got two guys in my team that completed from them, my keeper and my insane looking bosnian midfielder. Got some great youth through eventually, I kept the save going and Stoyan Neykov went onto be a world star with Real Madrid, ayoub madi as well with Bayern Munich. So it's doable, but frustrating early as you just end upm constantly selling all your best talent, but the journey is all part of it!

 

 

and after completion, i stayed in save but left Pleven after a few CL titles, went to my own club Partick Thistle, and ended up beating Pleven in the CL final! So they stayed good for years.  But the building a nation bit was good as the league definitely rose up with me, Ludogorets were the giants to slay in the beginning but fell away quickly, Levski Sofia, CSKa sofia, they wound up near the top rather than Ludogorets. 

 

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6 hours ago, Lower Leagues Rule said:

I am also amused that my Chief Scout is continuing to start a search for a DM, even though my formation I have used in every game does not use a DM

Maybe heis trying to tell you something..... :) 

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image.png.8c4a52811f767d8a388aa9645153a65c.png

2025

Table | Squad | Transfers

Started this season really well and was in the top 3 almost all season, this in spite of Lund being a professional team. The pressure to keep winning told and the team lost 4 of the last six games to fall out of the promotion spots.  Not entered into the cup as the teams rep is too low.

Finances are really poor now and there is nothing i can do to improve them. Not being in the cup is proving costly but only promotion will increase my rep enough to maybe get into the cup.

Due to the low rep i am still struggling to find many players interested in joining and none of those was more than 3 stars current ability. In spite of this i did sign Corneliusson who was really effective from the wing. Carlsson did not live up to the highs from last season and veteran Taletovic ended as top scorer

Season

League

Position

Swedish Cup

Europe

Top Scorer

Top Assists

Attendance

Training

Youth

Junior

Youth Rec

Notes

2024

D2 SG

9th

Not entered

N/A

Carlsson(24)

Carlsson(8)

314

Poor

Poor

Basic

Limited

 

2025

D2 SG

4th

Not entered

N/A

Taletovic (12)

Carlsson(9)

323

Poor

Poor

Basic

Limited

 

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