Thebaker

Cote D'ivoire i find has really good cheap players who usually need a bit of developing but have a lot of potential. Georgia is a less obvious one which seems to produce a few really good players.

@jmarchand another good season there and so close, you could probably play your youth team now and win the league. Laborda must be one of the highest rated players in your game with the value spurs have on him.

2043 Squad | Table | Transfers After an early loss the team went unbeaten for 13 games to lead the table at the halfway point. 4 losses in 6 games put the team behind the leaders and the need to rotate due to european games meant they finished some way from 1st by the end. It was still a record high and points total for the club. In the swedish cup the reserves crept past D1S Torslanda 1-0 away in the 2nd Rd. In the group stages i played some reserve players in the first match against D1N Enskede and lost but squeezed through on head to head after beating Hammarby to top the group. In the quarter final the team put in a really poor performance losing 0-2 in ET away to Goteborg. In europe the team was in the Euro league and qualified for the group stage by beating Kazah team Almaty 3-2 on agg. Early results were poor with 3 draws although one was against Chelsea. 5 wins and a narrow loss to Lazio in the remaining games meant the team finished in 9th. In the KO rd the team faced Nefti again (having played them in the first group game) and again were narrow matches. In the rd of 16 the team got past Club Brugge 3-2 on agg before facing Sevilla. After drawing 2-2 away the team were fantastic winning 4-0 which could have been more. The semi final was a match too far as Montpellier were a lot stronger and the team lost 2-3 on agg to end the euro run. Finances improved a lot with the euro run and player sales. Further improvements to the training facilities mean these are pretty much maxed out. Diaby went as his min fee clause was met which was unfortunate as he was my first wonderkid. My front 3 of Helge, Valongo and Haiki were prolific and i was able to turn down offers for all 3 without them causing a fuss. My backup stikers are raed the same ability wise but seem nowhere near, club legend Radic (276 aps, 58 goals) was sold as he was my 8th best striker and some of my youth players need some games so can come off the bench. Hucko is a player i signed on a free years ago and have nurtured into a first teamer and 1st choice CB, so good in the air i have never had a defender score so many goals in a season. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2039 Allsvenskan 8th Semi-final N/A Haiki(12) Valongo(13) 2074 Good Below Average Good Average 2040 Allsvenskan 5th Group St N/A Haiki(24) Kayiwa(9) 2285 Good Below Average Good Average Qualified for europe 2041 Allsvenskan 6th Group St Semi-final Conf league Valongo, Haiki(19) Valongo(13) 2467 Great Below Average Excellent Above Average 2042 Allsvenskan 6th Winners N/A Valongo (21) Valongo(9) 3126 Excellent Adequate Exceptional Good Swedish cup winners 2043 Allsvenskan 3rd Qtr-final Semi-final Uefa league Haiki(33) Valongo(23) 2953 Superb Adequate Exceptional Good

@Vipertitan that seems an expensive upgrade for so few seats especially when the finances aren't good. Perhaps it will force the board to put some money in. Good season otherwise.

I think IRL Gambia did qualify for AFCON as did some of the others you mentioned. The countries that are regulary 2nd nationalities in better nations might be best, ie England/Zimbabwe/Sierra Leone or France/Chad/CAR.

Crespo must still be the best youth player producded by your club - what a career. The other choice for your GK situation is find an african one from a really poor country that won't qualify for the AFCON.

2042 Squad | Table | Transfers Started the season quite well in spite of the european games from the previous season going unbeaten in the first 7 games. Due to the world cup in this season the games in the season were all condensed and playing every 3 days took a toll and the team dropped out of the european spots and could only end the season with a series of draws to finish points wise some way from 5th. In the swedish cup the reserves beat D2 Rappe 5-1 away before edging the group with a narrow win over Hacken in the last game. The qtr-final was away to Norrkoping were the team came from 1-2 down to win 4-2. In the semi-final the team faced Kalmar away and won 3-1thanks to a 1st minute sending off. In the final which was played at home the team won 3-2 thanks to a late goal and collected the first trophy. Finances went up quite a bit, this was mostly due to the euro games from last season (played at the start of this season). The facilities were upgraded where possible. My best player was again sold due to his min fee clause being activated. I also sold this young player i picked up on a free last year. The money put into facilities has finally paid off with the first excellent intake in recent years with this player the pick of them. Marcos Paulo (188 games, 21 goals) was a useful backup player who left this season after being unable to agree a new contract. Club legend Radic continues to do a good job for the team even though not rated that highly. Valongo was again my best player and i was able to turn down any bids from other swedish cups for him. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2038 Allsvenskan 10th Qtr-final N/A Haiki(9) Aquino Faria(5) 2078 Average Basic Good Average 2039 Allsvenskan 8th Semi-final N/A Haiki(12) Valongo(13) 2074 Good Below Average Good Average 2040 Allsvenskan 5th Group St N/A Haiki(24) Kayiwa(9) 2285 Good Below Average Good Average Qualified for europe 2041 Allsvenskan 6th Group St Semi-final Conf league Valongo, Haiki(19) Valongo(13) 2467 Great Below Average Excellent Above Average 2042 Allsvenskan 6th Winners N/A Valongo (21) Valongo(9) 3126 Excellent Adequate Exceptional Good Swedish cup winners

@jmarchand looks like you have a CL winning squad there, just need that bit of luck to actually win it.

2041 Squad | Table | Transfers Won the first 3 games but then only got 1 more win in the nest 6 games which included a 0-7 hammering by Kalmer. The team form after that was a mixture of winning a few and then losing a game mostly due to the number of european games meaning the squad had to be rotated a lot. Ended the season with only 1 loss from the last eight although the loss was 0-1 to AIK and there were also 4 draws as the team was exhausted by the euro games and had to be either rested or were ending games heavily in the red. Lost out on 5th and a euro spot on GD to AIK. In the swedish cup the team eased past D1N Ostersunds 5-0 in the 2nd rd before an easy group in the group stage. An unexpected loss to Helsingborgs and conceeding 2 late goals to Osters meant the team went out on GD when i fancied the chances of winning the cup. In the conf league the team got through the qualifying rounds, mostly due to good away performances to make the group stage. In the group stage the team had a few early losses but bounced back to make the top eight and the next stage. Beat Grasshoppers and Westerlo reasonably confortably to make the semi final where the team faced Celta Vigo. A 2-1 away win and an early goal put the team in a great position but the loss of key players and fatigue told in the match as Vigo came back to force ET and win the match in the dying minutes. Finances have increased a lot this season due to the european competition and a lot of player sales. Tchetchoua and Kone left as their min fee clauses were met which was a shame as they were my best player by CA stars. I haven't had any youth players come through so far who could be even squad players, i was debating whether to offer this player a FT contract when Goteborg signed him up with his youth contract running down. Rated only 3 stars pot i wonder if my coaches were wrong. I spent a record amount on Helge who had been on loan last season to address a striker shortage. I managed to get the board to increase most of the facilties this season. Boyaca came in on a free and showed a lot of promise although he struggled in the cup games against Vigo and the swedish group games. Valongo was again my best player and was capped by Sweden at the start of the next season, his injury record is a problem at times. Bolin (129 games, 21 goals) left at the end of the season having been a useful back up striker Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2037 Allsvenskan 12th Group St N/A Valongo(8) Paulo(5) 1913 Adequate Basic Adequate Fairly Basic 2038 Allsvenskan 10th Qtr-final N/A Haiki(9) Aquino Faria(5) 2078 Average Basic Good Average 2039 Allsvenskan 8th Semi-final N/A Haiki(12) Valongo(13) 2074 Good Below Average Good Average 2040 Allsvenskan 5th Group St N/A Haiki(24) Kayiwa(9) 2285 Good Below Average Good Average Qualified for europe 2041 Allsvenskan 6th Group St Semi-final Conf league Valongo, Haiki(19) Valongo(10) 2467 Great Below Average Excellent Above Average

2039 Squad | Table | Transfers Made a decent start to the season with only 1 loss in the first six but a poor run thereafter meant that by halfway through the season the team was stuck again in midtable which is where the team ended the season. In the swedish cup the team reached the group stage and performed well to qualify after 2 games and play my backup players for the 3rd game. In the quarter final the team was on top but only won 1-0 at home to Hacken. The semi-final was away against Kalmer and went to extra time. Fatigue amongst the players told and the team lost 0-1. Finances improved mostly though selling Pustilnick who was squad player for me and Pereira who was a backup player. I brought in several record purchases in Persson and Baba. I also signed a new first choice GK after losing faith in Rassoul. I managed to convince the board to improve both the training and youth facilities. My top scorers were Sarsenov and Haiki, Valongo also had another very good season for the club. Braendshoi (173 apps, 77 goals) i left the club as he wasn't good enough for the top flight. 2040 Squad | Table | Transfers Started the season again well but having the usual mid season blip, this time the team was able to turn the form around the finish the season with only 1 defeat in the last 12 games to finish 5th and a chance of european competition. In the swedish cup the team reached the group stage and were faced with an easy group. But a draw away to malmo and an inability to score against the 2 teams meant that Malmo went through on GD with the club underachieving. A win in the final for AIK meant that Enkopings had european competition for the first time. Finances continue to be funded by player sales with backup player Aliu going. Soares (126 apps) left after turing down a new contract and Owusu ( 116 apps , 1 goal) was sold as he wasn't good enough. I brought in Helge to replace Sarsenov who i tried to buy and turned me down. Haiki also took some big steps foward in becoming the league top scorer. The midfield did well with Erlbacher who was capped by sweden and Kayiwa combining well. For several years i have had good potential youth players come though without any coming close to reaching that potential and playing a big part in my first team squad, but i have high hopes for this striker who i noticed has become the first youth to appear in swedens age groups. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2036 Allsvenskan 14th Group St N/A Braendshoi (13) Valongo(7) 1943 Adequate Poor Average Fairly Basic 2037 Allsvenskan 12th Group St N/A Valongo(8) Paulo(5) 1913 Adequate Basic Adequate Fairly Basic 2038 Allsvenskan 10th Qtr-final N/A Haiki(9) Aquino Faria(5) 2078 Average Basic Good Average 2039 Allsvenskan 8th Semi-final N/A Haiki(12) Valongo(13) 2074 Good Below Average Good Average 2040 Allsvenskan 5th Qtr-final N/A Haiki(24) Kayiwa(9) 2285 Good Below Average Good Average Qualified for europe

This doesn't sound very wrong at all, I generally only loan players out to be first choice and playing regular football. Otherwise they are at a club with worse facilities and not developing. IRL clubs don't like to loan players to be backups.

2038 Table | Squad | Transfers Went through the early part of the season in indifferent form, win a few, lose a few etc. A 5 game winning streak after the halfway stage put the team only 1 point off the european places with 8 games to go. 1 point from the next 7 games completely dashed any hopes of europe as the team ended barely above last seasons finish albeit with ten more points. In the swedish cup the team went into the group stage with a 5-3 away win against D1S Atvidabergs. The group was an easier one than previous groups and a win against Malmo in the first match set the platform for progressing through the group stage. In the Quarter final the team faced Hammarby away and an early sending off meant the team were never in the match going down 3-1. Finances improved a lot this year mostly due to player sales, Munic has talent but a poor personality meant he was never going to make it and was a record transfer fee for the club. Doyle and Awad were sold due to their min clauses being met. McDaid (336 apps, 12 goals) was sold as he was no longer good enough to get any games. Training facilities, youth coaching and youth recruitment were all improved with further increases to training and youth facilities agreed. Valongo was again my best player although he missed quite a few games and was poor on his return to the squad. Haiki was my top scorer although i am hoping he can build on this for the next season. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2034 Superettan 2nd Group St N/A Braendshoi (20) Madelaine(10) 554 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic Promoted 2035 Allsvenskan 13th Group St N/A Braendshoi (11) Radic(7) 1888 Below Average Poor Average Fairly Basic 2036 Allsvenskan 14th Group St N/A Braendshoi (13) Valongo(7) 1943 Adequate Poor Average Fairly Basic 2037 Allsvenskan 12th Group St N/A Valongo(8) Paulo(5) 1913 Adequate Basic Adequate Fairly Basic 2038 Allsvenskan 10th Qtr-final N/A Haiki(9) Aquino Faria(5) 2078 Average Basic Good Average

Under his wages it says star player which is usually the squad level the player has been given. I was surprised at this since he doesn't look like a star player for the team.

good to see you back, that valuation is unreal for Tavares. Is Kitoko actually a star player, was your scout wrong about his current ability as well?

2037 Table | Squad | Transfers Started the season very slowly again, the team was dominant in quite a few games but could not seem to win them. A couple of wins mid-season took the team out of the relegation spots and a good end to the season where the team drew 5 and won 1 of the last 8 meant that relegation was avoided for another year. The defence tightened up a lot this year but the strikers were really disappointing barely scoring a goal. I realised looking at the stats that my team had a lot of chances but few on target and less CCC's than any team in the league, 5 less than the bottom team so it could be the midfield which needs looking at. In the swedish cup my reserves beat div 3 Friska Viljor 5-0 at home before failing again in the group stage. Faced with a winnable group they were thrashed by Kalmar after squeezing past D1S Lindome and then conceding 2 90th min goals to draw with Superettan Orebro. Finances are reasonably steady with some youth facility and junior coaching increases grudgingly approved by the board, I have also resisted the urge to spend big on any players as all the HG players are very overpriced although i did make a record purchase in Folkesson and a record sale of a player i barely played. My GK got pinched as he had a tiny min fee clause which i hadn't expected anyone to activate, so i had to get another in. Long time players Ajrullaha (234 app, 3 goals) and Kontoulis (133 apps, 2 goals) left as they were only occasional players now. Radic was probably my best player although he went on several barren goal spells but is crucial in playing as a TM up front. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2033 Superettan 11th Group St N/A Braendshoi (18) Mcdaid(6) 414 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2034 Superettan 2nd Group St N/A Braendshoi (20) Madelaine(10) 554 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic Promoted 2035 Allsvenskan 13th Group St N/A Braendshoi (11) Radic(7) 1888 Below Average Poor Average Fairly Basic 2036 Allsvenskan 14th Group St N/A Braendshoi (13) Valongo(7) 1943 Adequate Poor Average Fairly Basic 2037 Allsvenskan 12th Group St N/A Valongo(8) Paulo(5) 1913 Adequate Basic Adequate Fairly Basic

2036 Squad | Table | Transfers Only 6 points from the first 11 games conceeding 3+ in 9 of them was a terrible start to the season. Although the team picked up they were always in the relegation battle but just kept ahead of the bottom two to finish in the relegation playoff. In the playoff they faced Helsingborgs drawing the first leg away 1-1 before reasonably comfortably winning the home leg 2-1. In the swedish cup the my reserves coasted past Div 3 Bodens 4-1 at home in the 2nd rd. In the group stage the team were again disappointing losing to superettan GIF Sundsvall and allsvenskan Djurgardens and only just beating superettan FC Eskilstuna to finish 3rd. Its difficult to know where the problems for my side are, obviously defensively although they should be doing better, it seems decision making is poor.. The team also creates next to no chances for 3 or 4 games and no goals and then suddenly 20 chances and 4 goals in a single game. Losing Radic for 4 months to injury did not help nor the 9 red cards. Staying in the division has helped the finances even with a training facilities increase. I sold long serving GK Bequiri (124 apps) as he wasn't HG and i felt i could improve on him. Estrada was rated the same ability wise but did put in some better performances. Nolly (114apps, 5 goals) also left after some years at the club. Valongo is my best player now but he has a habit of picking up red cards and now wants to leave as the squad is not good enough. Braendshoi was the top scorer but was actually really poor for much of the season and was dropped for some of it, he had 4 goals in one match and 3 in the cup game before 3 in the 2 playoff games. Owusu was my record signing and while he was ok i hope he can improve. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2032 Superettan 14th 2nd Rd N/A Wennerstrom, Anderson(7) Johansson(5) 565 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2033 Superettan 11th Group St N/A Braendshoi (18) Mcdaid(6) 414 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2034 Superettan 2nd Group St N/A Braendshoi (20) Madelaine(10) 554 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic Promoted 2035 Allsvenskan 13th Group St N/A Braendshoi (11) Radic(7) 1888 Below Average Poor Average Fairly Basic 2036 Allsvenskan 14th Group St N/A Braendshoi (13) Valongo(7) 1943 Adequate Poor Average Fairly Basic

Unfortunately i'm well into the next season and really struggling. The latest patch has destroyed my defence which was poor anyway, literally conceeding 3+ goals a game. I'm also struggling on HG rules and often cannot play my strongest team, i am not even looking at foreign players currently.

2035 Table | Squad | Transfers It took 7 games for the team to register the first win and there after the team eeked out points here and there to just stay above the relegation spots Ultimately i was lucky there were 3 worse teams than mine and that i got 13 points from 18 against the bottom 3 to survive with a game to go. In the swedish cup the team eased past D1N Lidingo 1-0 in the 2nd rd before playing Allsvenska Gothenburg, superetten Osters and D1N Lulea in the group stages. The team underperformed to finish last. Finances improved thanks to the increased prize money and after a lot of pleading the board grudgingly improved youth coaching and recruitment and agreed a training improvement. Players performance wasn't very high especially the defenders but one highlight was Radic who i signed on a free after his loan last season. I also brought in 2 brazilians after moving to scout the whole world. Valongo was a good option up front with Paulo more of a midfielder. Nyberg left after 114 games and 26 goals and a feeling he had underperformed in his time at the club. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2031 Superettan 12th Group St N/A Nyberg(8) Nyberg(5) 465 Basic Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2032 Superettan 14th 2nd Rd N/A Wennerstrom, Anderson(7) Johansson(5) 565 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2033 Superettan 11th Group St N/A Braendshoi (18) Mcdaid(6) 414 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2034 Superettan 2nd Group St N/A Braendshoi (20) Madelaine(10) 554 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic Promoted 2035 Allsvenskan 13th Group St N/A Braendshoi (11) Radic(7) 1888 Below Average Poor Average Fairly Basic

@_JHTB_well done on completing the challenge

Good news on the b team promotion. I think Anton should be a striker, too short to be a great defender (ignoring Martinez IRL) and hopeless in midfield even if he is natural at it as he seems unsuited for any role. I am very curious as to what Crespo's PA is, but not capped much by Spain!

2034 Table | Squad | Transfers Started the season in ok form before improving to really enter the promotion race around the playoff spot. Losses to GAIS and Hammarby put the team in 5th and 7 points behind Varbergs in 3rd after 19 games. The team then went unbeaten for the last 11 games only dropping 4 points and really racking up the goals to end up as top scorers and gain promotion. In the swedish cup my back up players beat Div 3 side Syrianska 6-1 at home to make the group stages again. In the group stage the team were well beaten by Hammarby and conceeded 2 goals in the 95th min against Djurgardens. Finances have improved but the board will still not sanction any improvements saying that they are good enough. I sold Karabec but was able to loan him back as he would have run down his contract otherwise. I made a record signing in Marques as i was left without a RB as the one on loan was recalled as he was not playing in the correct role. (he was playing a lot in the correct position). Braendshoi was the league top scorer and was helped by a hoard of other strikers as i was able to use the loan system well. Gaglione and Radic were really important in proving such a potent attack. I was also pleased that Beqiri is showing signs of developing into a good keeper. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2030 Superettan 14th Group St N/A Kantokowski(17) Mcdaid(7) 587 Basic Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2031 Superettan 12th Group St N/A Nyberg(8) Nyberg(5) 465 Basic Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2032 Superettan 14th 2nd Rd N/A Wennerstrom, Anderson(7) Johansson(5) 565 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2033 Superettan 11th Group St N/A Braendshoi (18) Mcdaid(6) 414 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2034 Superettan 2nd Group St N/A Braendshoi (20) Madelaine(10) 554 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic Promoted

@_JHTB_another good season there. I have done this challenge for years and for some reason always found Sweden hard to go the distance in the CL, I think its down to the KO stages being at the start of the swedish season.

Really good season there, so close to winning the league. Not quite had the same success in europe, is it down to the new formats or just not enough experience or depth?

2033 Table | Squad | Transfers Decided to change the formation pre-season from a 4-3-1-2 and sometimes 4-4-2 to a more attacking 4-1-2-3 in order to get more goals which had been an issue with previous seasons and dumped all the poor wingers to facilitate this. Results over the season were a bit mixed although the team created a lot more chances even if the strikers didn't always score them and the team was never in danger of being relegated. The last 4 games with 4 losses and only 1 goal scored and 10 conceded made the season overall look worse than it maybe was. Although defensively the team wasn't much better than in previous seasons and only slightly better in terms of goals scored it still felt like a step foward as the clubs rep went up to 1.5 stars which is still the lowest in the league and below 10 teams from the div below. In the swedish cup the team beat Ettan south Eskilsminne 3-2 at home although the game was more comfortable than it looked. In the group stages the team were well beaten by Allsvenskan AIK before coming back to beat Superettan sides GIF Sundsvall and Osters to finish 2nd. I increased the scouting range from Sweden to northern europe and this along with increased costs and wages really took the finances downward. I sold Brabec for a record sale along with Mirkovic who was in the last year of his contract and unwilling to sign another. I was able to loan back Mirkovic for the season and have just sold the 50% sell on clause for 600K. I made a record signing in Pedersen but he did not make the impact i hoped for and was a back by the end of the season behind Nolly who i also signed permanently after a loan last season. Long time player Hesslegren (152 apps, 3 goals) and club icon Rapp (219 apps, 15 goals) left as they were not playing enough. Up front on loan Licul was a great target man with Braendshoi ending as the 2nd top scorer in the league. Braendshoi was really inconsistent having some great games and terrible ones the next, for a player having only played 9 games by the age of 23 i feel there is still plenty of improvement if i can keep him. Season League Position Swedish Cup Europe Top Scorer Top Assists Attendance Training Youth Junior Youth Rec Notes 2029 D1N 2nd Group St N/A Hgota(23) Hgota(10) 394 Basic Poor Fairly Basic Basic Promoted via playoffs 2030 Superettan 14th Group St N/A Kantokowski(17) Mcdaid(7) 587 Basic Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2031 Superettan 12th Group St N/A Nyberg(8) Nyberg(5) 465 Basic Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2032 Superettan 14th 2nd Rd N/A Wennerstrom, Anderson(7) Johansson(5) 565 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic 2033 Superettan 11th Group St N/A Braendshoi (18) Mcdaid(6) 414 Below Average Poor Fairly Basic Basic

One thing that strikes me from those lists is how few players you have over 23, do you think its affecting the team. You are less likely to have many players with great mental attributes as it increases with age or outstanding players who are at the top of their PA. Your finances now surely mean you can keep some of the players to reach their potential.