FM24 challenge: turn the 7 of the 777 into a 666

[jfmargolin]

Sharing a new FM24 challenge I've settled on this year in case anyone's looking for something different. Each club in the save presents its own challenges. I've never played with a specific identity/DNA so I'm looking forward to bringing out the beast and releasing the hounds of hell! 

777 into 666

 

 

From these swanky offices in downtown Miami, global funds manager 777 Partners (partners being Steven Pasko and Josh Wander) have extended their empire across the planet in areas as diverse as aviation, insurance and most importantly...  football!

At $6 billion (£4.9 billion) in assets under management, they're no Sheikh Mansour (£17 billion). However, when it comes to football clubs they leave the Sheikh a little shaky.

 

The challenge:

Take the 777's magnificent 7 and turn them into demons. Turn each of their clubs into a brutal and dominant force in their nation and become 'that club', the despised, the hated but most of all feared, smashing your rivals, the Sheikh's clubs wherever possible. Specifically:

• win the highest league and have the highest club coefficient in each of the 7 countries (good luck with Red Star!)
• actively undermine City Group clubs, poaching players and staff, take their young players on loan and don't play them, unsettle their best players with offers, be creative!
• search for 'bad boy'  traits and mentor to spread like: winds up opponents, gets crowd going, argues with officials
• enforce a 'demon DNA'. Recruit based around these attributes and train/mentor them:
  • aggression
  • bravery
  • determination
  • work rate
  • stamina
  • strength
• tactic as you wish but built on high octane pain: highest tempo, get stuck in, counter press, max trigger press, highest lines possible (dependent on opponent)
• united we rise, divided we fall. Play as a group, use affiliate connections to both assist development and finances of other group clubs. For example, this could be via changing affiliate annual payments when you're cashed up  or giving very generous loan or transfer terms.
• optional: use multiple managers. I've done this in a San Marino save and yes, it takes longer but it's great fun and opens up all sorts of opportunities for skullduggery!

 

The clubs:

Choose 7 from the list below

• Hertha Berlin - Bundesliga, Germany
• Genoa - Serie A, Italy
• Standard Liege - Pro League, Belgium
• Vasco da Gama - Brasileiro Serie A, Brazil
• Melbourne Victory - A League, Australia
• Red Star - Championnat, France
• Sevilla* - La Liga, Spain 
• Everton* - Premier League, England

* Sevilla's ownership is a minority stake and the Everton deal is incomplete but probable

The 'rules':

There aren't any rules, this is your save, you decide. Some suggestions though:

Order is optional but starting at the bottom (by reputation) makes sense:  Championnat* > A league > Pro League > Brasileiro Serie A > Serie A > Bundesliga > La Liga > Premier League > Championnat* 

* see Red Star comments below but it may be best left till the end if you include it.

Set your own difficulty level by choosing:

• your coaches Coaching badges and Past Playing Experience
• to activate or not attribute masking
• by the clubs you choose. You can choose 7 from the 8. Red Star is a beast of a task, not for the faint-hearted, avoid it or, if you're up for the challenge leave it to last and make it the crowning achievement of the save (haven't decided myself yet!).

In game editor is required BUT it would be better to use only for:

1. the creation and maintenance of a 777 web of affiliates. United we rise, divided we fall is a company motto.
2. the creation of rivalries with the vassals (CK3 represent) of Sheikh's City Group. 
3. to move to the next club        

 

777 partners have a history of big fat cash injections (Hertha Berlin received $108m at the start), so who knows what next season will bring.

There is only one rule: have fun.

Thoughts:

Melbourne Victory are the 2nd best team in the A league. Probably where I'll start, a fairly easy kill. I'm going to keep track of yellow cards, I'll aim to have the most fouls and yellow cards in every league... as well as most injuries caused (not sure if there's a metric for this but there should be!). Then to Std Liege which are a fun team to manage (managed them in FM21), sitting just outside the top 5 they won't be as easy as the Victory but straight forward enough... just pray I can pummel Lommel in a Cup game. Next is Vasco da Gama, getting harder but this is will be great fun, the 2000 FIFA Club World Cup runners up are ready for a rise to their 5th Serie A title. Will leverage the group resources on this one. After that, off to Italy where Genoa has just been promoted and are predicted to finish just above the relegation places, this will be the first serious challenge in this save with poor finances, list and morale. On the bright side, Genoa has a 33,000+ stadium. I'll do Sevilla then, what a club, woefully mismanaged but the messiah has returned and I hope he hangs around long enough to be there when I get there. Then Hertha in the Bundesliga to topple Bayern and the finish I will decide on based on how it's going: either Everton or a looooong save with Red Star!

Post your save details in here if you take up the challenge, I look forward to reading them!