Hootieleece Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 November 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team is continuing to play well the two draws were because teams are now sitting back and forcing us to break them down instead of pressing us high to attack play out of defense. Jester has also instituted one change. He now High Presses at home and the Karlsruhe result was a direct result. Jester is happy with his team and confident in seeing this season to a successful conclusion. (Promotion) barring any unforeseen departures or injuries. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month was at Veltins Arena versus an overachieving Osnabruck team. Schalke04 was favored but this match would help sort things out at the top of the table. We escaped from this match with a draw.....only after the young Striker Asmus in for Bayer scored late in the second half. We went into the International Break on a 5-match unbeaten streak. During the Press Conference my favorite question was asked! It's not really "Jesterball" but "Nesselquist Ball" but whatever makes the press happy. We also took the time to re-sign our backup GK as we search for a new number one keeper. The International Break saw the team work on Set-Pieces. Upon return from break the team headed to Nurnberg for a match. Schalke04 as league leaders were favored and we probably will be the rest of the season. Nurnburg played us tough, and it took a late goal from Poacher Ndiaye to bring us level. This extended the streak to 6 games unbeaten. Jester challenged his team in the Media. Schalke04 then returned to Geisenkirchen to take on KSC at Veltins Arena. Karlsruhe seemed like a perfect team to get back to our winning ways against. The team responded to Jester's Challenge with a Blowout Victory! Bayer the DLF-S had a match for the ages. and was named player of the week! League Table Monthly Analysis Report A Dominant Attack is the basis for our Success! Player of the Month He is almost a better creator than he is a goal scorer in this system. Management Report The Board, The Fans, and the Team are all enjoying this success. Financial Report Finances are a bit shaky but the Prize Money at the end of the season should balance the books. Looking Ahead Jester is going to have to get used to being home for Christmas! To be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted August 24, 2023 Share Posted August 24, 2023 Great start mate!Did you played for local cup because i missed it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Sheriff7 said: Great start mate!Did you played for local cup because i missed it. I played for the First Round of DFK Pokal Cup and lost to Wiesbaden. I played a rotated squad but shouldn't have lost 0-1. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 December 2033: Regular Season "The Halfway Mark" Manager's Thoughts Jester is both mystified and thankful for the Christmas Break in German Football. It is allowing him to play with a much smaller squad and be able to keep his starters playing regularly. The Christmas Break mystifies him since he comes from the British Tradition of playing through the holidays for the entertainment of the fans. This also gives him a chance to take stock and make plans for next season in a way. The team is still underwater financially the team is only spending $20M of a $40M wage budget and Jester is still looking for cost cutting moves in the upcoming window. The Team is in a strong position to finish the season promoted and take advantage of the 55k home fans by winning the league. The problem then becomes how to play on a shoestring budget in the Bundesliga and rid ourselves of the debt that hangs over the club. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month saw a 1 versus 2 match between Schalke04 and Braunschweig. Match of the Week! It was a Schalke04 Vicory but closer than needed due to ball over the top. Weber continues his incredible play in front of goal. Leading the League! 8 unbeaten the media is realizing we ARE the story of this season! Bayer gets a reward for fine play. He has become an all-around striker by passing the ball..... The last match before the Christmas Break was against Bochum. another big match on the road with a lot of traveling support! Schalke got away with one but that is how champions are made! 9 unbeaten looking good at the halfway mark! A replacement for Fejzic that was signed to Koln and loaned back for this season. Jester thinks he will make a good defensive RPM. Halfway Mark The team has a 7 point lead at the halfway point and averaging above 2 points/match! The Attack has been making headlines this season. 42 goals in 17 matches has led to a +29 Goal Difference! Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Forward to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 Wow I did not see that coming... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 7 point game playing jesters version of a young man from Norway’s football. In the German industrial land! What’s not to love about the save!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 14 hours ago, Hootieleece said: The team has a 7 point lead at the halfway point Smashing it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 5 hours ago, Carambau said: Wow I did not see that coming... I actually didn't especially after the first month. 2 hours ago, SixPointer said: 7 point game playing jesters version of a young man from Norway’s football. In the German industrial land! What’s not to love about the save!! We are very efficient and patient with the ball and tend to keep very well. It allows us to be setup to become the "Kings of the Ruhr" 2 hours ago, warlock said: Smashing it Long may it continue. Biggest Problem is all the players and youngsters too that are becoming unsettled by opposing team's bids. They think we are willing to sell everyone at "Firesale" prices. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 January 2034: Regular Season "Christmas Break Hangover?" Manager's Thoughts The team finished the holidays and picked up for the most part where they left off. The biggest change is that Jester is trying to force the issue a bit more against the bad teams by playing a high press instead of the mid-block. This has led to the team being more vulnerable to the over-the-top ball and that is concerning. The match against Dusseldorf was the kind of match that one has to win if one is to become a champion. Down to ten men the team held on for an embarrassing for the opposition victory. The Team is in a good place and has added some depth just in case we get some unforeseen injuries in the midfield. Schedule Highlights The team came back to work on the 3rd of January after some bonding and PR junkets over the holidays. The first match was two weeks later against table propping Carl Zeiss Jena. Could they stop the Juggernaught that had become Schalkeo4! Jester had decided to High Press to force the issue but that left us vulnerable to over-the-top balls. and that is how they made it a rough evening in Geisenkiechen. Weber is single handedly leading this team to a season few will forget! If he was a better finisher he would still be in the Bundesliga. The team is putting together an unbeaten run that should see the team get promoted, possibly as Champions! The next match was held at Veltins-Arena and was against Paderborn and overachieving team. Jester wants Veltins Arena to be a Fortress for Schalke04! The High Press was deployed again to full effect.....it gave us a 4-0 lead and then Jester should have sat back a bit and seen out the game, but "Game Manager" Jester isn't the best. He is a motivator and initial planner not a good adjuster. more Weber the single most important signing in the Bundesliga2 this season! Media wrote an article about Weber. Highlights of our Dominance. The "quiet man" of our system the RPM. Will miss the next match.....unfortunately we had to sell him to Koln during the summer transfer window. The Fans are getting behind the team! 8,000 Away fans! Schalke04 as league leader is becoming the favorite in every match. Now to live up to the tag. More Hype about Weber! While all that was going on Jester added a player for depth and next season on a Free Transfer. He will get a chance to become the RPM replacing Fejzic. It was one of those matches we got an early lead and then a Red Card. The team played defensively well and got another goal to seal the victory. It is the kind of match that you win in a title winning season. The unbeaten streak is now 12! A former Schalke04 player was sold by Bayern to Arsenal and Schalke04 benefitted. We will recieve almost $9m dollars from this transfer! The transfers out were some more payroll cutting moves of players who were depth players for the most part. Bach was good enough to start but was always hurt and it didn't help that he was a hobbit on a team of Giants. He was also a high earner. ($1.5M/year) Recently Relegated Hannover made some moves to challenge us for the Bundesliga2 title run, but they lost some of their top players. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Weber and Bayer are the combination that scores the goals. With Bayer (DLF-S) feeding Weber (SS-A) the ball in good postions to score. Player of the Month NDiaye playing as a poacher has quietly led the team in goals this month. Weber gets the hype and deserves it, but more than one player makes a team. Management Report Looking Ahead: to be continued: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 February 2034: Regular Season "Keeping the Streak Going" Manager's Thoughts The team kept the streak going but slowly and surely the team is losing steam. Teams are playing more defensively and playing more direct which is giving us some problems as well as injuries to key players such as our goalie are having them mis matches. We had been pretty fortunate in that regard until now, but that is because we have the best physiological department in the league. Jester is instilling confidence in his team while challenging them to keep up the streak that should see the team win as champions. Schedule Highlights The month of February started with a visit from Kaiserslautern. Schalke04 was favored and needed to do a professional job. Which they did with their High Press and lethal shooting leading to a 2-0 Victory. Ndiaye the Poacher was the star this time. As the Streak gets longer, the team comes closer to its objectives. Jester is showing confidence and challenging the team at the same time through the media. The next trip was to Unterhaching and as expected we were the favorites. The team escaped with a draw against a determined team. The Goalie was the star of the match with 8 Saves! The Streak is beginning to have a life of its own and no one wants it to end...... Furth were the next visitors to Veltins Arena. High press to disorganize the Furth defense is the plan...... Worked to perfection. Weber leading the team to victory! Jester instilling confidence and challenging team at same time. The final match of the Month would see the team take on a streaking Hansa Rostock team, that would be the story of the season any other year...... The Schalke04 Fans are traveling because they believe! Schalke04 is favored in a top of the table matchup. our goalie goes down right before the big match! The new man provided the assist that tied the match! Poacher's Poach! 16 unbeaten can we believe yet? The Hansa Rostock manager was critical of the referee. Jester backed the referee since we didn't lose....... League Table A 3 match lead with 10 matches to go! and a Championship decider in the next match! Monthly Analysis Report Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 March 2034: Regular Season "One hand on the trophy" Manager's Thoughts The team kept on working towards the streak and the trophy. The performance of Ndiaye carried the team as injuries began to take their toll and Weber started to get marked out of the game more often. The High Press was working even though it allowed an over-the-top ball goal from time to time that was ok because we scored for fun. The last match versus Sandhausen saw a terrible referee trying to get the hosts a win. The team is now one win from being named Champions and having next season in the Bundesliga. Schedule Highlights March would start with the match that would define the Bundesliga2 title race. Schalke04 vs. Hannover96 at Veltins Arena. Jester had a notable milestone, but he wanted the players to not pay attention to it and focus on the streak and match. This was a 1 versus 2 matchup that would probably decide the Title! Schalke04 was making history for the club......just one more non loss! The Number 1 GK will miss the proceedings...... The Hannover manager tried to evade the question about our possession heavy pick you apart tactics. The team went down early due to a penalty.....but after some midfield substitutions our Strikers came alive to win it for us! A goal and an assist from a poacher...... 17 in a row the team surely has one hand on the trophy now with a 12-point lead. Also a new team record. Ndiaye played well and is gathering interest, but Jester wants to keep his best players for Schalke04 if he is to finish his rebuild. The next match was a tricky away match at Darmstadt. Both teams were in good form but Schalke04 was favored. Time for a professional display. Bayer the DLF-S is making a great playmaker in our attack. Time again for Jester to instill confidence in the team. While the team was preparing for Darmstadt, Jester had his DOF Hat on and completed a transfer for a new number one Goalkeeper. He was relegation threatened Sandhausen's #1, but Jester thought it was the quality of player in front of him letting him down. He should make a decent starter in the Bundesliga. His international experience should help. Schalke04 vs. Darmstadt Match of the Week! Ndiaye and the High Press worked wonders.......there only goal came from over-the-top late. Poachers gonna poach and this was a fine example. Highlights on TV....4 match lead in the title race life is Good! Still setting records! The Depth playmaker will miss the next month od matches...... The next match would see Arminia Bielefeld visit Veltins Arena. The Board is happy but we are going for much more......Jester wants a Trophy and possibly a Bundesliga2 Record. Another signing a young player for Schalke04 II immediately but maybe First team in a couple of seasons. From the "Not Good Enough List" Jester's favorite. The team will now miss the Big Guy! The High Press led to the first goal and Weber's understudy got the other. Ndiaye leading the team to glory...... Former Team Captain and Fan Favorite says we have a good player...... The International Break came and one of our Depth players got a a Cap from Greece. and of course the Youth Candidates were sorted. It will be about three years before this lot get their chance most are 15! Jester is trying to show the player he should stay rather than let his head get turned. Sandhausen was the next match the fans are traveling..... This match will come on Jester's birthday. Important Match but Jester expects a tough match because Sandhausen is fighting Relegation. It was a drab match, and it didn't help that we went down to 10 men because of a red card. Sniffing around our Star man! Twenty Unbeaten! another off the not good enough list. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month It was a close race between Bayer and Ndiaye, but goals count more than assists. Management Report Financial Report Being $1M in debt on the first of every month is hard to overcome. Looking Forward to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 26, 2023 Author Share Posted August 26, 2023 (edited) April 2034: Regular Season "The League Title is ours, what about the record?" Manager's Thoughts The team continued playing well and for history up until the title was ours and leading goal scorer JP Ndiaye went down with a torn hamstring. Jester is proud that the team which wasn't thought of more than top half make weights became the best team in Schalke04 History outside of the teams that played at the highest level the champions league. The board has given Jester practically the same budget as this season with which to compete in the Bundesliga against the likes of Bayern that means that Jester will again have to get lucky on free transfers for the most part and try to keep the talent that is already here since Schalke04 has a good to exceptional academy with everyone bidding for players since they think we are in the midst of a "fire sale" due to debt. Next season will be one of consolidation and making sure we stay up. Then we can start our climb to the top and relevancy on the world stage that the 4rth Biggest Football Club in Germany deserves. Schedule Highlights After the let down for Jester's Birthday delayed clinching the title for a week. It meant that the team would have to take on East German Powerhouse Dynamo Dresden at the Veltins Arena. Jester was hoping for Victory and clinching the title in front of the fans. Schalke04 was favored but needed to do a professional job. Jester would continue what had been working the High Press to get the lead and then possibly sit back and see out the match. The Dynamo Manager doesn't like our keep away and pick you apart tactics. We finally got the goal we needed before Ndiaye went down......and then we sat back and forced them to attack us! Victory at what cost....... Partytime! Supporters and Board are Happy.....unfortunately our date with history is probably off......Jester will try to beat the 78-point Bundeliga2 record but without Ndiaye it might be impossible. The Budgets for next season are basically the same as this season and Jester is only using Half the payroll and the team is still hemorrhaging money. Highlights of Ndiaye's goal and carting off...... The next match would see us head to Osnabruck for a match.....now Jester was worried about complacency. So he started talking about the 78 point record to keep the boys focused. Schalke was favored. We are set to become the best team in Schalke History points wise and an outside chance of setting the Bundesliga2 record. We were on the back foot all game match and were lucky to get a draw. We missed Ndiaye for over the top balls of our own. Veltins Arena would see Nurnberg come visiting as we chased records. The High Press and being at home led to a quickfire double that settled things down in our favor. A Team record and a chance if we win out of setting the Bundesliga2 record! The next match was against relegation threatened Karlsruhe. Our players were complacent and we played on the back foot even though it was a over-the top ball that sealed the game. The unbeaten streak ends at 23 matches! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Edited August 26, 2023 by Hootieleece added words I forgot 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 May 2034: Regular Season "Playing out the String" Manager's Thoughts Jester and the team played out the rest of the matches in a party atmosphere at Veltins Arena. The two victories with rotated squads that hinted at next season's lineup were impressive. But most of May was spent in meetings and trying to find Free transfers that might help in the Bundesliga. Something that the team is really lacking is a "Dead Ball Specialist" to take corners. We found one in a towering giant of a striker who should be on the receiving end scoring the goals! Highlights The month of May began with the new Academy graduates officially joining the U-19's Afterwards the team had to prepare for possible runner up Braunschweig. A half rotated side put Braunschwieg to the sword. The Team then decided to celebrate against Bochum. We as champions were favored and Veltins Arena was packed. A young player who is third string GK, that put up a stink for not being allowed to leave and attracting ALOT of attention was given his debut. A 3-0 drubbing and another great day for Weber. The Prize money was necessary for balancing the books! The team then had board meetings that Jester attended, and he found out far more about the team's state of affairs. Our Fan base changed but half the members are still core or hard-core members. The team dynamics are good, and we will not be losing any leadership over the offseason. The Season Analysis Report wanted to show how good JP NDiaye had been for us as Bundesliga2 leading scorer. It was decided that the team would stay home in local hotels for training camp this year..... Season Review The Preston team came out as midlevel mediocrities, but that is a testament to the team Jester had created even though Tyrone Mings was doing a Sean Dyche imitation with them. Preston came in a respectable 12th place. We are still not selling out yet....... Ndiaye is the player of the season just ahead of Fabian Weber. We had a great 1-2 punch up front and Ndiaye missed 6 matches. I see a lot of Royal Blue in the Team of the Year! After the board meetings Jester put his DOF Ha back on........ Depth player brought in for Dead ball Skills. The same this one will probably see a lot of match time in Bundesliga. Weirdest thing is he is our best Header as well as best corner taker until now Jester thought those skills were mutually exclusive! Management Report Financial Report to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Well done getting promoted! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 Thanks! It just sort of took on a life of its own. We basically "Bullied" other teams with our giant technically gifted AMC (playing out of role as a Shadow Striker, who got 21 goals with 4 finishing!) and the pace (15) of Ndiaye to trackdown through balls to score 22 goals and win the boot. The Bundesliga is going to be a whole another kettle of fish......going from big fish in little pond to medium sized in a larger pond with some giant fish (Bayern) We're slow (12 Pace) and going to be careful with the ball and see how it goes. I have changed a few of the roles in the formation that I hope will allow us to survive. 1 hour ago, Rikulec said: Well done getting promoted! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 An excellent season! You were so dominant here I'd be surprised if you have trouble beating the drop next season. Fingers crossed 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 18 minutes ago, warlock said: An excellent season! You were so dominant here I'd be surprised if you have trouble beating the drop next season. Fingers crossed I hope I don't overthink it tactically too much. I just know that according to the comparison report were in for a world of hurt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 June 2034: The Offseason "The Deep Dive into the Bargain Basement" Manager's Thoughts It was a busy offseason with 12 players joining the ranks. Most would end up on Schalke II or U19's and most of the negotiations took place during the season since Jester was looking for Free Transfers. The team is going to go through a bit of a transformation in the Preseason to come. Mostly it will be tactical changing roles to that which the players are most comfortable and seeing if that will still work within the Vertical Tiki-Taka Framework of "Jester Ball". Most of this month was spent in boring meeting talking about last season and the financials. Jester can't wait to get back on the training field. Highlights This player will be Rehnen's Backup in the Center of the Defense. He is not the best but beggars can't be choosers. We make a profit even with our ridiculous loan repayments and this is how the Government repays us! $10 from every member of the supporters club! The Finances aren't the best.....the Directors better get to work. I was shocked that Van Dijk wanted to come to Schalke04, but went in another cheaper direction in any case. We are now in the 4rth Best League in the World. We aren't in the top 100 yet.....but this season we are looking for survival. Schalke04 is about 16th in Germany......We need to move up to where our supporter status is: Top Seven! The Media were surprised by our curbstomping the competition in Bundesliga2. Fabian Weber was the signing of the Season! We are expected to battle hard for Survival in the Bundesliga NDiaye was the best player for a season in Schalke04 History! We don't have a very warm welcome to the Bundesliga in front of us...... The team brought in a competent understudy for Ndiaye as an Advanced Forward. Our First Choice Goalkeeper retired on top. Jester isn't planning a spending spree because there is no money to do so with and he has brought in 12 players on Free Transfers! Most are for the SchalkeII team but still. Our Right Wingback wants to leave but only if the price is right, but that is a position Jester wants to find a really good player for with the new tactical innovations to come. Management Report Financial Report to be continued: 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 July 2034: Preseason "Tactically it works against lesser opponents." Manager's Thoughts The tactical refinements seemed to work well against smaller opponents and roughly equal. Better opponents were able to get behind us out wide and low cross us with impunity. The team though showed that it could score with anyone. Jester thought it was a decent Preseason, but there was definitely work to be done if the team was going to be ready for the Bundesliga. Schedule Highlights With the opening of Preseason a few days away the Board of Directors wanted to congratulate themselves for a job well done...... More Press Conferences were held as Preseason got underway. The team let go of the last "hobbit" on the team because Jester had decided to become "Bigger, Faster, Stronger, and Younger" in his search for a formula to survive the Bundesliga and the likes of Bayern and RB Leipzig. This is the new improved "Nesselquist/Jester Ball" Formation that won the Bundesliga 2. Fabian Weber was complaining about being an Shadow Striker and my Assistant agreed so we changed his role. The RPM becomes a Regista and he has a IWB to fill the Space he vacates with a WCB covering for the IWB. The poacher becomes an AF and the DLF-S becomes an F9. The front three are now situated to not hopefully congest the middle of the box as much. This is still in the developmental stages and there may be tinkering as Preseason goes on. Jester found his backup IWB just in case the top man leaves. The World Cup Germany beat Belguim for the Cup. Due to our large fanbase the team has good matchday revenue even if it is less than half of Bayern's. Preseason began and the team started playing smaller local teams before going into a local training camp and taking on Portuguese Top Flight Competition, Jester was happy with the performances against the Portuguese it gave him some solace that we might survive the Bundesliga. After the training Camp came a Big Preseason Friendly. Jester's old team came to visit Veltins Arena. PNE beat us with low crosses to Finley Roberts successor Kane Fullalove. Neither team played defense that the neutrals must have loved! The passing was good, but our slow defense was exposed by speedy wide players who could cross. It also didn't help that PNE played the Pressing 4-4-2 that was the bane of Jester Ball when in England. While all the matches of Preseason were played Jester decided that the team needed more depth on the Left Wing. After the Preston match Jester was looking for pace. The marketing department was optimistic about Season ticket sales! Schalke04 was given a real minnow a good way to get the kinks out before the Bundesliga season starts. After all the negotiations with Agents this summer Jester decided it was time to delegate some of his authority and Hire a General Manager (DOF) and this is the guy that was perfect for the job for once. Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 August 2034: Regular Season "Not the start we were looking for." Manager's Thoughts The team seemed to be taking to the adjustments tactically and Jester was confident in our chances if the bookies and Media were not. The problem was when we played the matches the difference between Bundesliga and Bundesliga2 was apparent. Where Ndiaye would break away the defender caught him, defenders were in perfect positions to stop our passes and our defense was a step slow. It will be a long season but Jester still thinks we can stay up with effort. Schedule Highlights The month of August started with Jester hiring a General Manager (DOF) to sort through the scout reports and deal with all the transfer requests giving Jester a repreive from that paperwork while still giving Jester final say on any deal. This is the person that wanted the job and was by far the best candidate. The team had two friendlies and won them easily as well as the first round of the Pokal. The only reason it was close was that the Garching Goalie had a force field around him and the net. Turkey wanted me, but Jester was set for a while at Schalke04. Why would he give them a chance when USA offered twice the money earlier in the summer. (not shone) Season Preview According to the bookies and media we will be in a relegation battle and will probably have to win a playoff to retain our place. Obviously with us not expected to create waves none of our players are sniffing the preseason awards watches. The Team Depth Chart The main formation with the most up to date starting lineup. Regular Season Highlights The opening day had the media in the buzz and Jester tried to challenge his best player not to rest on his laurels. It was a close affair but again Jester had problems with a team playing the 4-4-2. This set the stage for the first Revier Derby of the Season and our Home opener! BVB blew us away and it wasn't as close as the 2-0 scoreline would lead one to believe. and as the Transfer window began to close more meetings were held...... and Jester was asked about it in Press Conferences. Management Report Financial Report to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 31, 2023 Author Share Posted August 31, 2023 September 2034: Regular Season "Some teams are just better than us NOW" Manager's Thoughts Jester was relatively happy with his team's adjustment to the Bundesliga. They are playing more defense than they played in Bundesliga2 but so far, we are up to it. The Schedule makers were unkind in giving us home matches against the three best teams in the league right off the bat. By far the RB Leipzig match was the worst performance of the season. The Home losses so far against these teams were because Schalke04 doesn't have the quality to compete with those teams yet and it will be a while unless we get lucky in the academy because of the team's financial situation. Jester was happy when the board came to him asking him to extend his stay and hopefully see the rebuilding project through to its completion. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month coming just after the transfer window closed was versus FC Koln. Obviously the home team was a favorite over a newly promoted team but we would try our best.... Jester wanted a positive reaction to losing to our rivals! and he got one the defense was critical but Ndiaye last years hero came through with the crucial goal that got us needed points! Jester played a slightly rotated squad and gave an unexpected start to the player. After the victory in Koln the team comes home to Host Highflyer RB Leipzig. The were just plain better than us..... Jester was upset with the team and let one of his two assistants take questions instead. He might not have answered the question that way, but it went over well with the team. Schalke04 then went on the road for another tough test SC Freiburg. The Home team was favored but Schalke04 would do a professional job, nonetheless. The Defense held stout and when we were given chances to counterattack, we did and one time with devastating effect to score the only goal. Our new #1 was worth his price in this match! And Jester was happy to compliment him in the media. After the victory in Freiburg the Board worried that Jester might leave at the end of the season offered him a new contract. Jester was happy to stay because he wants to see if he can take Schalke04 further than Preston. Jester is happy with a $1M/year and bonuses for winning trophies. Jester was happy to read that a former Schalke04 Academy product was in the national team. The goal in the future is to equal or overtake FC Bayern. Speaking of Bayern guess who the next guests at Veltins Arena were: It was a big match against another big team.....Jester backed his boys but expected another defeat. a defeat happened but Jester was pleased with the play of his team which was much different than the RB Leipzig match. It had played out much like our wins except Bayern got the goal not us. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead These are some matches that Jester will be looking for wins! to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted August 31, 2023 Author Share Posted August 31, 2023 October 2034: Regular Season "Looking for wins to accomplish our goals." Manager's Thoughts The team battles hard on most occasions but we have an Achilles heel, we don't take the ball away from other teams with interceptions. Jester's boys are great at blocking and clearing shots and we have had incredible goalkeeping that can keep us in matches and occasionally win one, but without the ball you can't score, and you can't win. Luckily for Schalke04 the schedule got a little easier. Jester wanted 7 points from the month but had to settle for 4. Schedule Highlights The month started out with negotiations to keep one of our better young players with the team. We are not expecting to be relegated and the $7.5 million for Champions League teams is a bit of profit if it comes to that. The team faces a chance to really put some points on the board in October against Three of the next four opponents. They are all direct competitors in the relegation battle. It all starts wih the FM Darlings Stuttgart sitting at the bottom of the table at present. Hopefully the team can continue their misery. That doesn't mean that Jester and Schalke04 are taking them lightly. It was a tough match between relatively equal teams and a Draw was probably a fair outcome. Our new Goalie is still the apple of Jester's Eye! The team then returned home to Geisenkirchen looking to win a home match. The next opponent SV Werder. The Visitors were favored but Jester backed his boys in a relatively even matchup at home. A fan favorite also sung the new GK's praises...... On this day we looked like the team of Last Season with the Big Boys up front leading the charge......and of course we got some good goalkeeping as well. Poor loser...... Jester had nothing to say on the matter. Next came a trip to BM Gladbach. another relegation 6 pointer..... Jester was optimistic trying to instill confidence before the match. We were pinned back and couldn't make any interceptions and finally the walls of Jericho fell...... After the match Jester was shown a report that Schalke04 is one of the leading producers of players for the Bundesliga......too bad the best ones were sold to other teams! The Final match of the month was a DFB-Pokal match. Jester decided to rotate the squad since he didn't expect a win and wanted to surprise them with a slightly different tactic. The 3-4-3 he struggled with at Preston. HSV were big favorites at home, and he wanted to analyze their game plan before playing them in a little over a week again. Old Friend from Preston Yacine Najah was in the opposing team. He also spent a loan at Schalke04 before Jester took over. The Moroccan International is a quality player. We found out about their wing play and crosses from behind our defense......but we got some scoring in also. Maybe if we play the usual way the team can snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. At least we lived up to expectations in the Pokal......Next Year we will focus on it. If we survive the Bundesliga. Jester wants trophies! He was happy that we scored not so much the defense...... League Table Monthly Analysis Report Why we decided to pay Rehnen. Mostly because we are not good at interceptions our defense is bad. Jester might tinker with the roles and bring back last season especially in the DM strata. Players of the Month and of course our GK Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead Hansa Rostock is a must win to keep our edge in the Relegation Battle. to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 1, 2023 Author Share Posted September 1, 2023 November 2034: Regular Season "Back to the Future" Manager's Thoughts After looking at the defensive analysis and checking some of the other analytics Jester undid most of his changes to the 5-2-1-2WB system and reverted back to what worked best in the Bundesliga2. Those changes had immediate effect on the teams play this month. the team was more clinical going forward and more defensively solid. All of which led to 7 of 9 possible points this month, keeping the team well on its way to staying in the Bundesliga which is the objective. Schedule Highlights After the loss to HSV in the Pokal. Jester decided to look into the Data his analytics department provided about his changes to the 5-2-1-2WB Formation. What he found was that the players especially Fabian Weber were not as effective. So, he went ahead and reverted back to last season's roles for the most part. The AF became a Poacher again. Weber was returned to the SS-A role and the Regista was returned to RPM-S. The IWB-S on the right and the Wide Center back were retained. Jester was hoping for more defensive stability and more direct play from Weber who showed himself to be a less than capable playmaker in the AM-A role. This tactical change would be used first against old foes Hansa Rostock. A relegation battle Six-Pointer! The team played well and the changes ticked all the boxes that Jester wanted ticked. Hansa Rostock was fuming over the bad officiating. Highlights on TV after the match! Jester is happy we have more points than matches played. HSV was now coming to town after the Pokal loss to them but they would find a very different Schalke04 team waiting for them. First of all the Starters would play and we would use the 5-2-1-2WB instead of the 3-4-3. A little media circus before the match. and the 50 best players were named...... Still many players you would recognize from 2023 but the regens are about to take over! We played them tough and were defensively strong. Their goal came from a World Class Curling shot from a bad clearance off a Set Piece. Ours came from a well built-up counterattack. More bad officiating and VAR? After that match the team went on International Break. The biggest news Item was that our next opponent sacked their Manager! and during the break Jester was sent an email that Schalke04's Youth Facilities weren't that good so he went to the board. The Facilities were approved because we had a decent balance in the bank. The next match came, and Bayer Leverkusen had hired Unai Emery as their new manager, but they had a lot of players missing with injuries. Jester projecting confidence before the match. We are still playing on the defensive, but we are less porous, and our counterattacks are better since the tactical changes and that led to this win. More Highlights! League Table Monthly Analysis Report This is the player that is the RPM-S in the system, and he is a converted AMC. Would be the SS-A if not for Weber. Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Half the expenditures is the renovation of the Youth Facilities. Looking Ahead winnable matches all of them except maybe Frankfurt. to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 2, 2023 Author Share Posted September 2, 2023 December 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts Jester came into the month with Schalke04 buoyed by last month and having a schedule that he thought the team COULD win 10 of 15 points. Unfortunately, the team ended up with only 6 points. All of the matches were dreadful and boring in their own way the worst was probably the match against Frankfurt where the gulf in quality between the teams was evident. Luckily the team will have a short Christmas break to recharge, rest, and reset. The schedule starts out tough but if the team can scrape a few points (3-4/month) in January and February. The goal of surviving in the Bundesliga would have been achieved. So that Jester can then plan on doing it again next season. Schedule Highlights The month started with a home match against Relegation Rivals Hertha. Schalke04 was favored for being the home team. Jester even had a bit of a "War of Words" with the Hertha Manager before the match. The controversy was created by the media. The controversy before the match was much more interesting than the match...... The Hertha Manager was rather apoplectic about the match...... After the dismal Hertha match the boys traveled to Hoffenheim looking for a better result. Hoffenheim was favored but Jester was hopeful. Jester has a lot of Germans in his team.....the team is based in Germany a no brainer. We went ahead early on Rogers's goal but then lost it in extra time after going down to 10 men. Five unbeaten isn't bad it is keeping us out of the relegation battle for now. The next match was table propping Braunschweig's visit to Veltins Arena. The Youth Intake looks decent. Jester is wondering where this story came from....he isn't even on a shortlist. Our RPM-S who Jester wants to build around is ours for a little longer. Ndiaye had been the target of man marking for most of the season thus his production has dropped but Jester was happy to see the goal. but the victory came at a price..... Ndiaye just after he busted out of his slump in front of goal heads to the sidelines before the important match with Frankfurt. The match with Frankfurt would be a tough one they were near the top of the standings and playing at home. More controversy created by the Media..... One of last season's transfers still paying money to Schalke04. Frankfurt played on the front foot and pressed us hard and we had no answers..... Unfortunately they were..... Eight unbeaten really helps our cause in staying up. One more run like that and we should be safe. Now we are beginning to get hit with the injury bug.....Christmas Break can't come fast enough. The final match before the Christmas Break was a visit from Wolfsburg to Veltins Arena. Jester went in hoping for victory as the favored team. Now that he is in Germany and has had a winter break, Jester has become a fan of it! Unfortunately the team went on break before the match. Media trying to get Jester to talk about the Relegation Battle. He didn't take the bait. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Players of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 Looking good at the halfway mark. Would take a serious slump to jeopardise survival, I think. Keep it up! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 3, 2023 Author Share Posted September 3, 2023 16 minutes ago, warlock said: Looking good at the halfway mark. Would take a serious slump to jeopardise survival, I think. Keep it up! I think so too, but the first half of our schedule has ALL the big teams. RB Leipzig, Koln, Bayern Munich, and of course our rivals Borussia Dortmund. If we can survive until March and beat each of the Cellar Dwellers, we should be good to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 3, 2023 Author Share Posted September 3, 2023 January 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team came through the Christmas break in good spirits, but Jester wanted to build a more cohesive team. Over the past few transfer windows players have had their heads turned by our rivals. Some of these players went as far as saying they were waying their options at the end of their contract. So, Jester did his best to let these "lukewarm" players leave. He wants players that want to be here and build a consistent winner. He brought in two Free Transfers for Next season and with the bringing in of an older player for "right now" he is trying to make sure that Schalke04 IS NOT in the Relegation Battle. Consistently becoming midtable is the first step in the process of rebuilding this team. Budget constraints have made Jester realistic. Also, this is much like what was happening at Preston. The Team got a win against Mainz a midtable team and lost a close one to rivals Borussia Dortmund. The loss to Koln even though they are in European places was embarrassing. Much work is left to be done. Schedule Highlights The month of January started with a Friendly against Worms to have the team ease back into training mode after the Christmas break. It was a bit of a walk over, but they did show some flaws in training. To remedy that Jester decided the team needed to add players that wanted to be here. Instead of being held hostage by players wanting weigh their options at the end of their contract. Reinhardt is for next season and is a player that will slot into the backline having not broken through at RB Leipzig. Daniel Wirtz is for next season as well and will bring depth to the midfield. Daniel Wirtz-DM-D After the Free signings for next season, it was time to play matches again. First up a visit from Mainz. The match was a good one and the boys delivered the victory that Jester was looking for..... It was a bit messy and our place in the table added some intrigue to the Revier Derby which was next. A trip to Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund wasn't playing well but it was a derby and they were the home team. and of course, the media did their best to hype up the match. another player who could have been useful but had his head turned leaves with Jester wishing him nothing but the worst....... Game day came and it was a feisty affair and all the scoring was early and then settled into a match neither team wanted to take chances and lose..... A bit of intrigue and controversy after the match..... So after the loss to Dortmund Jester put his GM hat back on and started looking for players to build up the team. He was brought into provide depth at the RPM-S position. Neitzel was brought into provide depth at the RWB/IWB position especially if Kvestri leaves during the window. and Jester made a splash acquiring a player that went against his instincts of building a young team. He was brought in to be the new LWB NOW! As the transfers were being made, changing the team it still had to play. The next match was against 4rth place Koln. A close tough battle was expected unfortunately it didn't deliver. Maybe because Jester was to involved with transfers the team just played uninspired. and Jester blamed it on VAR! Look for more VAR calls to go against us in the future...... Another of the "lukewarm" players is out even if he was one of our better players...... Three in one out not counting the Schalke II players. Jester is slowly molding a team that he wants to bring glory back to Schalke04. It will be a long process due to the financial difficulties at the club. Which is why the payroll will be one of the smallest in the Bundesliga for some time to come. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report The Transfer costs of Merlin will hurt in the short term and we will need the Prize money to balance the books. Looking Ahead If we can get past next month with at least 4 points we should be safe. Because we will play none of the top teams over the last two months of the season. to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 February 2035: Regular Season "Winter of their Discontent" Manager's Thoughts The month of February was terrible for Schalke04. We played all the best teams in the league and were beaten badly. The string of losses brought Fan and locker room discontent to the forefront. Jester insisted to the players that they play better, and things would improve. The next match saw the team get a priceless 1-0 win over a relegation rival Stuttgart. So, all is now right in Geisenkirchen, but Jester is still looking for 7 points to assure a 15th place finish, so the team doesn't have to go through the playoff with a Bundesliga2 team. Schedule Highlights February would be a month to make or more likely break us with all the big teams on the schedule. First up RB Leipzig. Trips to Leipzig are never fun only a little more fun than trips to Munich. of course our star player gets the flu just before the match! Not that he would have made a difference. There is a gulf in quality between $40M players and $5M players. The team returned home from their chastening in Leipzig to take on another big team Freiburg. Sitting in the European places. It was a close match except for the terrible refereeing that favored Freiburg.....the VAR comments might have backfired! It was working but now we are playing better competition! The fans and media are such morons! Trying to stay away from Refereeing and VAR comments.....Jester commented about our abysmal defending of crosses and through balls. Looks like another pasting in the works and to help with morale (LOL!) Jester plays the backups and plays very defensively on suggestion of the Assmen! another critic of using German players in Germany! Jester sent an Assman to the Press Conference...... and then Bayern's Shooting practice began....... it was awful! Jester WILL NEVER setup so defensively again in his life! Also, the Referee wasn't the best either. Even Nagelsman thought it was bad refereeing and his side benefitted from it! This is what happens when you are a relegation battle team, and you play four of the Five best teams in the league in a row! After Nagelsman's remarks Jester felt justified in complaining about the referee. support from Nagelsman! The supporting fans who made the trip to Munich were refunded their tickets! Our Goalie made Team of the week even though he gave up 7 goals, BECAUSE he saved 37 shots! After the Bayern match and our string of results the obvious mutiny came.......Jester told them if they played better they would enjoy playing more most accepted it except the North Macedonian contingent that had been a thorn in Jesters side ever since he took over as manager. Igor Illevski's less than convincing performances all this season have him as next player out of the team. Luckily we would next be hosting a team in the bottom three to get ourselves right against! Teams keep trying to pry our good young players away from us because of our financial problems. Jester set up the team with the usual setup positive midblock etc. and every one of the starters except Illevski in the Starting XI. Illevski was asked to come on late to secure the victory. as a sop to his importance as a team leader. Hopefully the team can get the 7 points needed to stay up without playing in the playoff! Bayer came on for Ndiaye and scored the Game winner! The backup RPM-S that played well gets the Flu....... The Goalie who is keeping out of the relegation fight gets food poisoning and will miss the next match. League Table Monthly Analysis Report The good we have a good goalkeeper who makes lots of saves and we have players in the Defense and Midfield strata that block and clear well, but there is a lack of interceptions breaking up opponents attacks and that leads to this: Player of the Month Management Report One victory gets the boys back on Jester's side. Financial Report Looking Ahead Jester is hoping to get the 7 points needed for safety next month. to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 March 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played better but is very susceptible to very direct teams and Jester will be looking to improve the pace of the backline and find a defensive midfielder who will either press or make interceptions for us to improve the defense for next season. The team is now 2 points from the mythical safety line in the Bundesliga of 35 points. Jester will continue to try and win to finish as well as possible because the team's coffers need the money. $12M/month just to payback loans....until 2042! Schedule Highlights The month of March would start with a trip to Bremen with the team trying to make good on the win against Stuttgart. Werder was favored as the home team, but this was a midtable team that Jester thought Schalke04 had a chance against. Jester was going to continue with his possession heavy tactics as a way to keep the team from being leaky defensively. Unfortunately, Werder played direct both through balls and over the top and Schalke04 had no answer. The leader of the malcontents will be out of the lineup for the next two matches! We might win! Schalke04 returned home to Veltins Arena to take on BMG! BMG manager ends the media's try to create controversy. Schalke04 played some of their best football in months, but the defense remained leaky. Again, all of Schalke's wins are owed to our GK! The team then had to travel to Rostock and take on Relegation Rival Hansa Rostock in our next match. This was a Six-Pointer and Jester was keen to take all the points. It started well, but after a while we ended in a draw because of an own goal and an inability to breakdown Hansa's defenses. It is release list day and the list that Jester looks through to help build his teams! Jannes Fruhling is the star of the list. The Academy was culled and it looks like we may have some players. After the Youth commitments, Jester had to finalize his plans for the trip to Hamburg. HSV was the favorite, but Jester hoped to pull off a "Smash and Grab"! Jester tried NOT to ignore the platitudes before the match...... It backfired since HSV played direct to the AF Jorsch who found acres of space behind the Schalke04 backline. Robert Voloder missed a penalty that would have led to a draw. Jester didn't want to talk about refereeing! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Good Goalkeeping and bad at interceptions..... Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Jester can't wait for the Prize money to handed out. Thus, the team will try to get as high a position as possible minimum of 15th of course. Looking Ahead Jester would like to get a minimum of 6 points next month especially with Hertha Berlin being the toughest team we face THIS season. (Otherwise, it would be Bayer04) to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted September 5, 2023 Share Posted September 5, 2023 Tough going at the minute but you’ve build a decent safety net from the drop zone 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 5, 2023 Author Share Posted September 5, 2023 4 hours ago, SixPointer said: Tough going at the minute but you’ve build a decent safety net from the drop zone I don't really feel we will face the drop this year. If play continues as it has next season it is definitely an issue to be dealt with. Jester is thinking about a radical tactical change. (Back to the Future) The team played a 4-2-3-1DMWide before Jester arrived and most of the coaching staff prefers it so the team might go in that direction over the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 5, 2023 Author Share Posted September 5, 2023 April 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts Jester wanted to play competitive matches and do our best to win until safety was assured. We did play competitively but the Achilles heels of our system continue to be exploited by our opponents. It has been a superhuman effort by our GK that we are in the position we are in. Jester is thinking of making a major tactical change of system over the offseason. Schedule Highlights The month of April began with a visit from a struggling Leverkusen team, but they had won their last match. Both of these teams were coming off an International Break. Schalke04 didn't have many absences from the main team except for Cardoso, Luxembourg's #1 GK. So the team was able to work on tactics and Set Pieces to hopefully win a few matches. Both Bayer04 Goals came from just outside the box from DMs with plenty of space and time to hit world class unstoppable shots. The team then had to right themselves against this season's Cinderella Team Hertha Berlin. Traveling to the Capital is always fun for the players due to the entertainment available, but not often for managers of mid-table/relegation team. Match day came and the boys put up a good fight..... Losing late on a set piece...... After the deflating Draw Jester was brought into some financial meetings about the state of the Club. Only Bayern is profitable and $12M of our losses are loan repayments. Jester has been pinching pennies. The team after the draw against Hertha were informed that they would remain in the Bundesliga. and of course with our financial difficulties a youth player was poached. After those meetings Jester was ready to entertain Hoffenheim at Veltins Arena. Another Midtable Match with nothing really to play for but Jester wanted the best possible finish to the season. (for financial reasons) Schalke04 scored first but were unable to get a winning goal past their defense....and just before the whistle had to settle for a draw with Hoffenheim's late goal. The Last match of the month would see us head to Relegation Threatened Braunschweig. We played well and it showed but it was probably because our opponents were just going through the motions. Refereeing and VAR have been controversial all season and Jester is sick of the questions! Youth Facilities were upgraded which will help a few years down the road. Bulent Celik Andre Abrogast Nikolaj Popovski Maximillian Schmidt Murat Aslan The first match of May was against rivals Eintracht Frankfurt (I just watched a documentary on their 2023 Europa League Victory) Jester was hoping for competitive football while taking on a team in the European places. The Team played well but we were put behind the proverbial eight ball early after some shaky VAR and Refereeing rulings. Monthly Analysis Report all about the GK! Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead: to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 5, 2023 Author Share Posted September 5, 2023 May 2035: Regular Season "Tying up loose ends." Manager's Thoughts The team finished out the season competitively but the glaring weaknesses were there for all to see. Jester had to do a radical tactical rethink with as negligible budget. The Board since they got a $47M windfall for coming in 12th in the Bundesliga it was time to build a new stadium. Even though they were $20M in the red before it and don't have enough money in the bank to pay the players and staff next season at this time. Jester thinks it's all a little bonkers, but he will do his best, but this next season might be his last. Highlights The week after the Eintracht Frankfurt Match was taken up with meetings and news from around Germany. Due to Jester's penny pinching Schalke04 is in a better financial position, but will the board restrain themselves in the face of sudden prosperity. In other places Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga for the 14th straight time.......It is very much their league and were living in it. Schalke04 had to head to Wolfsburg to finish the season. With nothing but pride on the line this might turn out to be drab affair. This is a player we are letting leave at the end of his contract this summer. We scored early then were terrible after due to the usual suspects shots from the goalline and balls over the top. We then sunk to defeat and Jester was happy to see the end of this season especially since he knew he had a lot of work to do. The season was productive in that we achieved safety in the Bundesliga, but that was due to our fast start. The Board was thrilled and had delusions of grandeur dancing in their heads. They Ignored the fact that we only had $28M left in the bank......so Jester will have to continue his penny pinching ways. Dynamo Dresden will be joining us in the Bundesliga. League Table Season Stats Players of the Year The defensive efforts of these two players made the difference for Schalke04. Most saves held and tied for most shots blocked! Seasonal Analysis Report Team Dynamics The team is in a good place after the mutiny. Wonderful things happen when you win and stay up. Winning covers up many flaws. Board Meeting and at that moment Jester knew the board was crazy...... Highlights #2 Bayern pulled off the Quadruple! Management Report Financial Report to be continued: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted September 6, 2023 Share Posted September 6, 2023 The new stadium is ridiculous. An old venue? It was completed in 2001 ffs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 6, 2023 Author Share Posted September 6, 2023 44 minutes ago, Rikulec said: The new stadium is ridiculous. An old venue? It was completed in 2001 ffs. It is 2035 you know......gotta have a new stadium to keep up with the Schmidt's of Bayern. We already had the 3rd best attendance in the Bundesliga. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 6, 2023 Author Share Posted September 6, 2023 June 2035: Offseason "Vacations and leaked negotiations" Manager's Thoughts Jester went on vacation the last week of May and First week of June and tried to get away from Football. Upon his return he was inundated with messages, meetings, and interviews about the team. All the while he was trying to make improvements to the team after his decision to radically change the tactical formation of the team. Unfortunately, the team doesn't have a large transfer fund and the targets were represented by the same Agent. Who leaked all transfer negotiations and finally Jester had enough and ended the process. The team went ahead with its pre-negotiated deals with Schalke04 Players and Prospects, New players would have to wait for Free Agents in the Preseason. Highlights After his week in Barcelona on the beach trying to get away from football Jester was back in his office in Gelsenkirchen. Trying to figure out a way to improve the team on a miniscule budget. Also he watched a lot of Game film from when Jurgen Klopp managed the Rivals Borussia Dortmund in 2014. Now that he was back in the office he had to face questions from reporters. Jagustin is a young Croation AM that is coming through the U-19's and might be ready for Schalke II. He just signed his first contract with us give him time! Luxembourg's #1 is our #1 when he does well his teams do well. The German Government came for their share of the profits.......hopefully the Board will see sense! Almost $6M from the supporters at about $100 euros/member that pays the taxes. Commercial activity is up and the jerseys are mostly Strikers even though the best one only put in 9 goals! Scouting was improved with Jester expanding the Scope to ALL of Europe from just Central Europe in an effort to find undiscovered gems. Since Jester has decided to switch to a 4-2-3-1 Wide he needed some talent out wide......and it looks like an agent leaked the story to put pressure on Hannover who just got promoted to the Bundesliga. Three New old Teams joining the Bundesliga. Really funny that both of our targets are with the same agent...... We made another offer and this one was leaked as well... Basically, since we didn't play in Europe or qualify this season, we lost our place in Europe! Somehow, we were more respected when we were in Bundesliga2! We made another offer and this one was leaked as well......shortly thereafter Jester pulled both offers and would wait for the Free Agents in July. and Jester decided to expand the staff a bit. He brought on a new coach. He wasn't exactly right for the job since we would predominantly play a 4-2-3-1 DM Wide but he was proficient enough and tactically familiar with our secondary formations. We are now 18th best team in Germany supposedly......even though we came in 12th in the Bundesliga. Hertha Berlin put our achievements to shame.... but we did make midtable and that is the objective again this season. It will be a long time before a Schalke Transfer is found on this list unless we get lucky with a Bosman. Jester decided to up the expectations to the second round of the Pokal because most likely play a minnow in the first round. Jester had a meeting with the board, and they accepted Jester's Vision of Transfer Revenue retained increased instead of their initial proposal to increase the salary for a loan manager which we don't even have! This is the Star player and the one the team is built around. Media trying to stir up trouble. another U-19 Graduate will move onto Schalke II. Vlcek is another promising youngster headed to Schalke II for now..... Financial Report to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 July 2035: Preseason "Turning into a Heavy Metal Band" Manager's Thoughts Jester still had a few players he needed to add to the roster if his vision of bringing "Heavy Metal Football" to Schalke04 was going to be a reality. He found two perfect candidates to play on the wings and the players already here can make adequate backups in those areas. This is Jester fighting fire with fire since his team was pressed hard during the second half of the season. Also Jester believes that hard work pressing will level the playing field against better teams so that his team can stay out of the relegation battle. The 4-2-3-1 Wide is the primary system and worked well surprising two bigger opponents. The team isn't totally familiar with the system yet but the early returns are promising. Schedule Highlights July 1rst came and the new Bundesliga window opened. Jester expected to be busy. These were the all ready finished negotiations. Reinhardt and Wirtz were expected to slot into the starting lineup. Maeno was bought for Schalke II. Reinhardt brings pace to the backline. Wirtz protects the backline and breaks up attacks. Even after these new players came in Jester was looking for Attacking Midfielders out wide if he was to finish his radical tactical transformation of the team. Marketing checked in to say that Season ticket Sales were strong. Jester found his targest of the Preseason out wide. Kemal will play on the left and is a free agent. Bergin will be the splash transfer of the season for us and will play on the right. The deal for him will be a loan with option to buy. Ozcan signed on decent terms with us. One of the first Loans with option to buy Jester has ever done. Academy Product remains with Schalke II. Bergin is joining us. Jester is thrilled. Media talked about the state of Matchday Revenue in the Bundesliga. Schalke04 is healthy. Now to field a team that much support deserves! The team then started playing Friendlies and had Training Camp in the Trento region of Italy. Played teams of all types but a win over RB Salzburg was the Highlight of Training Camp. After we came home from Training Camp the team was to play Benefica of Roberto Martinez with Mudryk in the team. It was an open game, and we rode our luck. Jester thinks that Benefica was surprised by our Tactical Shape and Gengenpress and we were clinical early that set the tone. @SixPointer and @Warlock After the big win Marketing Checked in with more good news about Season ticket Sales. The DFB Pokal opponent is a real minnow. Who will face the First team in our final match before the Bundesliga season starts. Transfers Jester rid himself of another options at the end of his contract player and ring leader of last seasons mutiny! Season Preview This is the new primary formation. This is the secondary formation. and the 5-2-1-2WB is still our third formation. Nobody believes in the team with improvement and tactical reinvention can match last season's accomplishments. Management Report Financial Report The bank balance looks good now, but the team NEEDS to remain in the Bundesliga to afford its new stadium. Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 August 2035: Regular Season "Offense over Defense" Manager's Thoughts Jester wasn't sure how his team would play in the Bundesliga. He had an inkling. He was happy to see the team scoring for fun, but the defense was terrible especially the goalies. Some of this is due to playing a higher line with a team known for playing deep and blocking and clearing everything. He is happy with the perfect record but he has stuff to yell at his players about on the training ground and the locker room. This should be another year where the team mostly stays out of the Relegation Fray. If the GK problems persist Jester will look for a new one in the January transfer window. Schedule Highlights The month of August started off with the Marketing Department show Strong Ticket Sales.... The team was also gearing up for its last dress rehearsal before the Season a trip to visit a minnow in DFB Pokal 1rst Round. Since the team is still learning the new system the Starters will start the match except the Goalie. It was a "Blitzkrieg" with goals from the front Four. our new #10 playing as an AP-A was star of the match! After the victory in the Pokal the team returned to Gelsenkirchen to prepare for the Bundesliga season and a visit from Hannover. The Board reminded Jester of the season objectives. In the opening press conference Jester was "bullish" about the team. Just before the match Marketing came in with the final Season Ticket Sales......rather lackluster about the same as last season. But that didn't stop the fans from seeing some entertaining football.... Jester made a mistake on the lineup card and left Backup Goalie Massey in the lineup. Other than that, it was a successful match! Hannover's Manager wasn't too happy with his team performance..... Jester was happy that Ndiaye led the line wonderfully for the team. After the Victory the team then prepared for a trip to Wolfsburg. Schalke04 has good support wherever they play. Wolfsburg was favored as the home team, but Jester was confident of Schalke's Chances. It was a hard fought victory over a team reduced to 10 men. It was also a bit of a pyrrhic victory as well because the team lost Nubbemayer to injury. The Media did a piece on Commercial income in the Bundesliga. Schalke04 has the smallest income something to work on by winning! The Next match is against newly promoted Dynamo Dresden and will be on September 1, 2035, but that is two days before the Transfer Window and International Break. Schalke04 was favored and this was a must win match in the Relegation Battle! The offense isn't the problem now it is the defense! The new loanee is winning over the fans! and his $4.5M Transfer Fee is affordable! At the Press Conference after the match Jeser said no time for deals......he was happy with his team FOR NOW! A decent squad player took a pay cut to stay with the team. Transfer Day Where would we get $114M? Transfer Deadline came and went and Schalke04 stood pat. Goalkeeping is concerning and maybe a target for January. After the Transfer Window Payrolls were discussed Bundesliga Wide: League Table Monthly Analysis Report Not the best numbers but it is only three matches and we won them ALL! Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 9, 2023 Author Share Posted September 9, 2023 September 2035: Regular Season "Can't stop leaking goals" Manager's Thoughts The team is still scoring for fun in the early stages of matches, but the team adjusts after halftime, or our players are tired of pressing and we give up late goals that change wins to draws. Going forward Jester is going to become more of a "Match Manager" and play more defensively and less intensively. That should help with the Goals Against problem. The Members elected a new board and Jester is just hoping that they forget about the new stadium and allow Jester to invest in better players for the team. Schedule Highlights September started with an International Break and reminder that the board of this club was elected by the members. After the International Break the team headed to Bremen and had great traveling support. Werder was favored as the home team. Werder's Manager takes exception that I tend to have a lot of Homegrown players in my teams. Mostly Jester has them because Schalke04 Can't AFFORD Foreign Players! Again, we went out to an early lead, but then Werder made adjustments and the match ended in a draw. That's all Jester has to say about that...... A Director retires before the elections...... Bayern Munich were coming calling and Jester wanted to minimize the damage to the team morale.... So he played the backups and would setup defensively. Bayern have wone the Bundesliga for 20 years straight. Talk about "King of the Mountain". Yeah you do, but it helps when everyone of your players has more transfer value than my entire starting XI. It was a "Park the bus" and take our beating match. He talks too much..... In better news Schalke04 is one of the four teams leading in the production of National team players. Unfortunately, none are currently on our team. The final match of the month was a trip to Mainz. Jester was hoping to get an away win versus a relegation threatened opponent. We were both struggling for form but ours was better, and our loss was against Bayern. So, Jester thought we had a chance to take all three points. Another early lead the defense couldn't hold. Jester is thinking of becoming more defensive as the match goes on instead of going Gegen press at all times. After the match the thoughts of management and the members turned to the Election. and the new board informed Jester of its objectives. Nothing about a New Stadium.....maybe the new board has sense. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Scoring and conceding a lot outliers this season. If Jester can figure out the defense, it could be a year to remember. Attacking numbers are all good and it means were passing well. Goals Against is horrible. Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 Sixth after six games. Ideal start. Out of interest when was the last time schalke won anything big? In real life and the game? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 6 hours ago, SixPointer said: Sixth after six games. Ideal start. Out of interest when was the last time schalke won anything big? In real life and the game? I think it was the DFB Pokal in 2011. The team has won Bundesliga2 twice (once under Jester) since the career started. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 October 2035: Regular Season "The Beat goes on" Manager's Thoughts The team and Jester are embracing the frenetic Swashbuckling attacking football that seemingly neglects defenses for all-out attack. This isn't actually true but the results on the pitch say otherwise. Jester thinks one of the problems is the High line played by his defense and Quentin Merlin's lack of pace. Unfortunately, he is the Dead-ball Specialist so needs to be in the lineup. Also, he has not had his number one GK in net for about half the matches as well. The GK position is one for upgrading for sure in the summer if not the January window, because the team will eventually start losing in these shootouts if this continues. Schedule Highlights October started with the DOF signing a young Schalke II player to a long-term contract. He had made some Cameo appearances in the First team in the past. After that was wrapped up it was on to the Hertha Berlin match! Last season's Darlings are having a hard time, and this is a perfect chance for a favored Schalke04 team to gain some points and remain out of the relegation battle. Early goal and then another after half confirmed Schalke's Control of the match, but a Set Piece Lapse allowed Herth to make the end of the match interesting. Schalke04 fans want us to buy out the transfer fee NOW! Jester always enjoys making the supporters happy with wins! Jester and the DOF agreed that Bergin will be a member of the team starting next season. Giving the fans what they want! After the negotiations and paperwork, it was now time for a visit from RB Leipzig. It was a big match and Jester expected to do well, because they aren't Bayern! More managers talking about our "Home-Grown" Talent! Time to put the critics in their place! The First-String Goalie goes down for about a month just before the Big Match! The team magnificently and earned its first Clean-Sheet of the season! The fans were ecstatic about the win on social media! An early Set-Piece Goal set the tone and gave us belief in our chance of winning in spite of the referee that consistently favored Leipzig. Leipzig Boss backtracking a bit after the loss. Jester is doing his best not to speak about the referee! The match made the TV Highlights that night for all of Germany to see! After the Epic RB Leipzig Match the team then had to go on the road to take on Unai Emery's Leverkusen Squad. Jester was expecting a tough fight. Bayer04 play possession football while we have gone over to the Gegen Press! Schalke04 for all the time it has been in Bundesliga2 have a decent number of Bundesliga players in the league! It was a tough match and was back and forth with us going down to ten men when Vidovic went down after all the subs had been used, but we got the draw by scoring while down to ten men! The Media have noticed that we score early! Jester is a fan of it! More highlights! The final match of the month was a Pokal 2nd Round match held on Halloween. The team was to travel to Paderborn and Jester made a number of changes the Backups played and the team used a 4-3-3 formation as well. Jester tried to cool the focus on the Starters because they wouldn't be playing because they had a match 3 days later in the Bundesliga. The Backups came through and the 4-3-3 was a surprise to the hosts. Bayer played Striker but played more like Roberto Firmino providing assists. Jester was happy about the victory and the way the players played. League Table Monthly Analysis Report The defensive numbers are getting better but they still keep Jester up late at night. Player of the Month The Striker has taken his place leading the line again like he did in the Bundesliga2! Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 The fans will surely be happy that you're above BVB in the table! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 10, 2023 Author Share Posted September 10, 2023 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Rikulec said: The fans will surely be happy that you're above BVB in the table! Glad to have you along for this ride. Of course, they are.....hopefully we can get wins when we play them for the fans of course. This spell of form is due to the tactical switch up and also follows my theory that the "out of the box" Gegen Press is OP. Edited September 10, 2023 by Hootieleece added words I forgot 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 November 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The refrain remains the same good offense so so defense, but we are still have only been defeated by Bayern. Jester is hoping that the defense will improve some once the First Choice Keeper is back between the sticks, but he is not holding his breath. The real problem is the lack of pace of the Fullbacks especially Merlin (9) on the left that allows teams to get crosses into our box. It is a quandary for Jester in that Merlin is our Corner taker and we have scored several goals that led to wins and draws. Schedule Highlights The month of November would start with a match against BMG and then be followed by an International Break. The Media asked about our Backup keeper training well and if he would play...... Of course, he would with the First-Choice keeper out with injury! The Draw for the next round of the DFK-Pokal Came out. It is a tough match to win especially at their place even though we beat them earlier this season. We then had a match against BMG to attend to: Like all matches this season the offense played well defense not so well, but we won! We went out to a quick lead and then BMG fought back to tie and then a sub scored the final goal for our win! The media is noticing our run but predicting doom and gloom! After the BMG win the team headed to Freiburg for another test. Freiburg was favored and we would still be without our FC GK! The Regens are finally taking over.....only 3 real players in the top ten best players in the world. Bayern has three of the top Four! The First-Choice GK will miss this match also. It was a tight match between evenly matched teams, but we were lucky to get the draw in the last 10 minutes! The media are slowly changing their tune and some pundits might have to eat their words! Jester is getting tired of the never-ending Referee and VAR Controversies! Highlights on TV! The final match of the month would see Hamburg SV come calling to Veltins Arena. The Bookies and Media are beginning to take us seriously. Media want us to add to our team when we can't afford it! Another Draw between evenly matched teams, but our defense is letting us down. our loanee soon to be permanent player is doing his part! The media are now saying we have a chance to qualify for Europe! Jester is really tired of the VAR Trope! Unai Emery couldn't turn around Leverkusen and about two weeks later says he will retire from managing. Jester declined the offer...... As the month came to a close another Academy player was extended. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Still scoring more than we are letting in. The AMC is the prime factor in our Success. Ndiaye the Striker had a month as best attacking player in the Bundesliga! Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 On 08/09/2023 at 12:31, Hootieleece said: Benefica was surprised by our Tactical Shape Martinez out!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted September 11, 2023 Share Posted September 11, 2023 Some good transfer business, and what looks like a smart tactical switch. If only Bayern weren't Bayern! Hope you can keep it up. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 14 minutes ago, warlock said: Some good transfer business, and what looks like a smart tactical switch. If only Bayern weren't Bayern! Hope you can keep it up. I have played further and have made some tweaks to help the defense, but Bayern is undefeated in 38 matches in January 2036. They have an incredible regen that has scored 25 goals in 19 matches plus Ansu Fati, best player in the game world currently. I am hoping for European place. That would be a very successful season for a team that was supposed to be relegated. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 22 minutes ago, warlock said: Martinez out!! I had played 5-2-1-2WB for about 10 years of matches in the game world. So a change to a 4-2-3-1 Wide Gegenpress would surprise especially when I had just started using it 3 weeks before! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 December 2035: Regular Season "A Disastrous Loss" Manager's Thoughts Jester's Team continued to play on the edge of disaster. They scored lots of goals but the shambolic defense kept them from taking advantage of their success. Even though they were much higher in the table than a Preseason Relegation Candidate should be Jester was irked by all the Draws that should have been wins. The month had only one loss but that was against the haed rivals BVB and the match was played at Veltins Arena. Even with that loss the board is happy with Jester's performance and extended him for three more seasons. Jester is happy to continue the turnaround for the fallen giant. Schedule Highlights The month of December started with a match versus Hoffenheim on the 1rst of the month. Hoffenheim was favored but Jester thought we had an even chance of winning. It was a tight match between evenly matched teams and was refereed well. Jester was happy with the road draw. The AMC was the hero for Schalke04! The unbeaten streak is now Eight! This is the soccer I know NOW! Since the team is playing well and Jester's contract is almost over the board decided to renegotiate a new deal. Jester accepted a 3-year extension with a raise in pay. The Team Captain took a small pay cut and reduction in playing time to stay with the team. It was suggested in the recruiting meeting that the team re-sign him. After all the meetings The team headed back to the pitch with a trip to Berlin. Schalke04 was favored against the relegation threatened team. The Offense bailed out the defense again...... The Team is starting to bring the media around to the idea that they might qualify for Europe! More Highlights! The Team's Success on the pitch is allowing us to recruit promising youngsters! The next match was a home match at Veltins Arena for Eintracht Frankfurt. Schalke04 was favored but needed to do a professional job to get the win. Going into the match Jester was rather bullish about Schalke04's chances. Another manager that doesn't like German players......... It was an evenly matched game, but Schalke04 dominated but was only able to get the draw. The xG shows that our defense let us down again and cost us 2 points! After the Disappointment of the Frankfurt match the team had to get up to host the Revier Derby against BVB! Borussia Dortmund is favored due to form. The Hype for the big rivalry match was incredible. Since both were playing well. Jester tried to slow down the Hype train! The Revier Derby is the Match of the Week! An absolutely devastating result, as we were bossed all over the pitch from the off and never got going! It was obvious that Jester was trying to forget about this loss ASAP! The XG shows how badly we were dominated. In better news Jester decided to Host a Two Day Cup Tournament to get the boys back in shape after the Christmas break. The First match of the tournament was this the other "Big" Team invited was Sparta Prague. The team also had one more match before the Christmas break. The trip to Koln is never easy...... Since Jester has moved to Germany, he has become a fan of the "Winter Break". It is much better than playing 4-5 matches in 10 days like in England. The media trying to hype up the coming transfer window. The match was played and Jester was happy with the effort from the boys and even happier with the Draw after the BVB Loss! The fans were happy as well with the effort. The First Choice GK stepped up in some of his first action of the season. More Media Hype for the Break and Transfer Window! Bergin's English Girlfriend left him......she had been much happier in lively Manchester than boring Gelsenkirchen. League Title Monthly Analysis Report Scoring more goals than we are conceding but that number is too high. Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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