Hootieleece

I hope you are right. I am only really making sure we don't get relegated. If somehow we make the Top 6 again that would be great. I would actually be happy with 10th-12th to consolidate and get used to European Football. The only thing we are really missing is a dead ball specialist for corners. I am going to try and manage Schalke until the new Stadium opens (5 seasons) if possible before FM24.

June 2036: Offseason Manager's Thoughts Jester wanted to improve three positions and upgrade the team depth this offseason. GK, LB, RB. He thinks he did just that with the young players he acquired. This is also one of the first times Jester has used his entire payroll budget and 90% or more of the transfer budget. even though one of the board requests was to spend the transfer budget. With the team playing on several competitions these additions will be key in Schalke04's attempting to remain competitive in the Bundesliga and in the Europa League. Highlights The month of June started with Jester making a hard personnel decision. Quentin Merlin for all his Dead Ball Skill was identified as a defensive liability and was let go. another youth player poached this time by our rivals BVB! Schalke04 received a tax bill because somehow, we made a profit last season. The Commercial Summary is good, but the profit was made due to the Prize Money of coming in 5th place in the Bundesliga. The Board are beginning to realize that the new stadium was a bad idea at this time. We lose ranking even though we have our highest finish in years! It is because German Football is losing credibility due to Bayern's Dominance. This is why we took a hit in the rankings...... Schalke04 named biggest over achievers and in the best match of the season! We are now ranked 13th in Germany and now have a Continental Reputation due to playing in the Europa League! No one from Schalke was named a signing of the season. Even though you could make a case for our loanee Bergin. The board reminded Jester of their objectives and Jester agreed to the low expectations to ease the pressure on himself and the team. So that they may repeat last season's magic. After talking to the board Jester will be able to get more money for the payroll by selling players. Jester better hope that Schalke04's fate doesn't come down to the final day.......Bayern FC so much hate! Speaking of FC Bayern, they were the runners up in the Champions League and have won it twice and been runners up three times since the save started. The Board wants to recklessly spend money now that we are in European places.....to keep up with the Joneses! Bergin officially joined us after his loan. This is the new Left Back which will hopefully help us defensively......he shouldn't be beat for pace. Our new Goalkeeper who will challenge for the number one spot. A backup right back to challenge Vidovic for his starting place and provide depth. Left back Candidate for the Schalke II team. Left Back for the U-19's and then Schalke II hopefully he can be trained up to standard. A DM brought into provide depth and challenge for places. An AMC to be Nubbemeyer's Understudy. Financial Report to be continued:

Look for a Squad Button under the New England II button in the Development Center. You are lucky to still have Petrovic as your GK. IRL he just joined Chelsea.

Late May 2036: Offseason Part 1 Manager's Thoughts The season had been a good one and needed to be built upon. Jester was happy with his team's scoring ability but a little perturb by its performance defensively. He thinks the board is crazy to build a new stadium and take on that much debt when then had as much debt already. That will make his job that much harder to find quality and depth to improve the team for the European Nights that the Board and Fans will be wanting for the next twenty-five years to pay off the club's debts. Highlights The team review showed some good things about the team. The Good season helped the finances of the club. The team is going to have to maintain a European place to stay solvent due to debt repayments. (more on that later) This was the Starting XI and no one put in a bad performance there is room for improvement especially if the team is to maintain a European place. The Fan's Award were warranted and the following players won the top awards. Fans Player of the Year Fans Young Player of the Year The season can be summarized this way: Jester's Career this season. Two Defeats to BVB are stains on what was a great season! It is encouraging to see that most of the Best XI are still with the club! Bayern completed the Domestic double a week before taking on Real Madrid in the Champion's League Final. The U-19's progress is encouraging. We quietly signed a GK for the future. (maybe next season) Rumors abounded that Jester was headed to Inter......Jester Denied it. Jordyn Bergin rightfully won this award, and the team is happy he will join permanently on July 1rst. Jester won an award as well. The board was happy with the award. Schalke04 signed a young AMC to provide depth to Schalke II for now. Depth for the Defensive midfield. There is going to be a Goalie Battle during the Preseason! The Board is happy that Jester is staying and continuing his rebuilding work. He is first Choice for now...... Management Report Financial Report The monthly financials are rosy until you find most of that money is a loan! The Team is $30M/Year in debt for the next 11 years! and $13M/year for the 15years after.....The New Stadium will not pay off anytime soon. Actually, it will be 20 years old when the team is done paying for it! A that time the team will probably build another stadium! to be continued:

Win the Concacaaf Champions League! Just like Seattle in real life. (Even though I think they won it this spring).

Good Luck with this. It sounds a lot like the season I just finished with Schalke04. "Basketball on Grass" I like it and might even use it.

It is under the Development Center in FM23 probably the same in FM22. (I just loaded up as the Revs from the start)

Normally they go into the Academy Team.

Wow, this is great work making Union Berlin the Pride of Germany. Tough Champions League group.

We had a 60k seat stadium already. I was perfectly happy to fill the place after we were relevant until the loans were paid. The Board had other ideas!

What skin are you using?

May 2036: Post Season "Big Things are coming, but it is Ground Hog Day" Management Report The Board of Directors is Ecstatic. The fans are lukewarm. The Prize money from 5th place puts us in a place where we might be able to but a player or two, but we need at least three! Board Meeting The board is planning on spending all of this money..... The transfer budget is generous but some of it will be moved to wages. Jester is planning on $50M/year wages and a $15M Transfer Budget to help keep the team out of the red! Our ascent up the ranks of German football is hurting our base of support event though we are growing the fanbase. The Core is now less than 50% of the supporters. Nothing wrong with the club vision other than the new stadium...... Jester agrees with the training camp destination since we are not yet a "Global" Club. and the piece de resistance! The New Stadium got the go ahead! Jester is shaking his head at the cost. Especially the $274M Loan which is added to the debt load of the club. This means the club HAS to make a European Place every season just to stave off the creditors! Jester is also wondering why such a low bid was accepted for Veltins Arena which is only 35 years old! to be continued:

I have played in the MLS before usually during my "Journeyman" runs at the start before I start posting saves. I also usually try to get the Revs job as I play as my true alter ego. But I never really pull of trade shenanigans like you do. I wish there was more info on the player rights screen (like Position) and it was easier to access so I could make those trades or recall a player. Maybe I will post my Journeyman save with a goal of getting the Revs Job or from the start as an unqualified Ted Lasso.

April/Early May 2036: Regular Season End Manager's Thoughts The team finished out the season playing well. Jester would have liked a few more wins and to avoid the damning loss to our rivals BVB. The team has definite needs that need to be addressed in the off season. The team needs a new GK, LB, and RB to start and better overall depth if the team is to be competitive in the Europa Leage and maintain a European Place in the Bundesliga. Jester fears that the payroll budget and transfer money just will not be there due to the clubs debts. Also of a worry is the Board's building a new stadium and the debts that will bring. The Future is bright but there is still a mountain to climb. Schedule Highlights The month of April started with an important match in the Battle for European places. The trip to Hamburg would be tough but Jester was confident of Schalke04's chances. The match turned into a stalemate between two evenly matched teams. Another point closer to a European Place! Someone wasn't happy with the officiating! Jester ignored pointedly the Refereeing Controversy! The next match would see the team return home to Veltins Arena to take on Hoffenheim. another tricky match but won that a European placed team should be winning! Wirtz our star midfielder was a bench player at best at Hoffenheim! Weber another important midfielder is still unfit and will be for most of this run to the end of the season. Missing our best ball winning midfielder hurt and our defense let us down early, but the team showed resilience and came back to draw an exciting match! Another manager upset with officiating and VAR! The Media were most interested in if Hoffenheim's star player would leave.....Jester was non commital.....he wasn't a tranfer target for us! an interesting Email about the Finances in the Bundesliga came to Jester's Attention. No team is making a Profit in Germany, but at least our losses are below the average! Next up after the Hoffenheim match was a trip to Frankfurt to take on a team in good form and at home. We are grinding out points any way we can! It is obvious that Bayern's Dominance of German Football isn't a good thing.....with the Bundesliga losing out on an extra Champion's League spot! another draw at least it is not a loss and we tie the team record! Weber's first match back in the lineup and he was our all-action star! Jester was more than happy to answer the press's question about Weber's Performance! We tied the team record for Draws! Let's hope we don't set a new record. Union Berlin was the next team on the schedule and Jester was hungry for a victory. In the pre match press conference I was happy to say we use our Man City Loanee in many ways. A come from behind victory in the second half fans will be talking about for seasons to come! It was the Backups who played in this match and showed their mettle! This was because Jester was resting the starters for the all-important Revier Derby versus Borussia Dortmund which is next! Lets just say for all the hype and preparation the team played another stinker of a match and lost 3-0 ! The BVB manager was pleased with his team's performance....Jester not so much! Jester had tried to do something different to stop the losing streak against BVB and it failed just like everything else against them! Jester did his best to hide his anger over the loss. Bundesliga Transfer Profits were interesting reading Schalke04 managed to make a small profit. In other parts of the Game World, Jurgen Klopp and Real Madrid win La Liga! Our Youth players that joined the U19's were made official. and because we aren't up where we belong yet.....a youth player was poached. One more match in the season and lets go out with win. FC Koln was the next match and a good test of where we were as a team since it would be a Top 6 Matchup. Out to secure Europa League Football for Next Season! A Historic Day for Schalke04 Football Club! We're back and relevant! the Koln manager wasn't exactly happy with the officiating, but we dominated the game. Jester just lit a fuse, and the boys did it! League Table to be continued:

How in the heck did Ilaix Moriba end up at Arminia Biefeld? He was and is a Wonderkid! in 2023.

@Cheez3y Always knows the ins and outs of the MLS rules better than anyone I know. I am going to try and emulate him in FM24!

I thought I had taken Preston as far as they could reasonably go. Schalke04 except for the Debt Problems has a much Higher Ceiling. As far as Preston is concerened in the Game world they are still Midtable Premier League team with the AI managing them even though they have sold off a bunch of my stalwarts. Charlie Patino is class. I noticed he is backup for you, but I made him the Midfield Marshal and found a regen as his sidekick to play more defense.

March 2036: Regular Season "The Future is so bright you gotta wear shades" Manager's Thoughts The team came into the month not playing well and Jester decided to have a Team Meeting before the big match against RB Leipzig. The meeting set the tone for the month which saw the team go unbeaten and win 10 of 12 possible points. This puts the team in a good place to earn a European place and the run assured we would not be relegated. As for the Future, the idea of European Football is what Jester came here for to make Schalke04 relevant again! The youth intake looked good and maybe in a few years we'll have some homegrown stars! Schedule Highlights The month of March commenced with a match versus RB Leipzig The trip to Leipzig is always tough but Jester was hopeful that the Team Meeting would work! Boy did it work! The team played lights out especially AMC Nubbemeyer! Somebody's not happy with the result! and the result ends a 5 match not winning streak! The Shock result of the weekend is on highlights all over Germany! After the big win against RB Leipzig the team returned home and Jester was nearing a mark wih the team. The 100th match is the next big match Leverkusen at Veltins Arena! After the press conferences it was time for some football on the pitch! The team played another top-notch performance with a brace from Ndiaye! The team couldn't celebrate to long as Jester says "on to BMG" The next match was a tricky away match versus BMG. Before the big match the DOF signed an Academy Star that will now move into Schalke II before joining Schalkeo4 The Bundesliga Title chase is all but over but the fight for European places is on with Schalke04 in a good position if it keeps up the good play. In this world FC Bayern is Ming the Merciless. Jester is trying to rally the other clubs to challenge their despotic rule (20 years and counting) Jester knew BMG would be a tricky match and was happy to escape with a draw. Five unbeaten sounds better the 5 not winning or losing! That Draw assured Schalke would not be relegated like many picked in the Preseason. Bayern's rule of the Bundesliga continues. Schalke 04 was getting Veltins Arena ready for the visit of FC Freiburg It would be another tricky match but never rule out home underdogs if things are about equal...... Bayern finally lost after 44 matches unbeaten! The match versus FC Freiburg would be a big one in the battle for European places! Jester and the fans were thrilled with the performance from the "underdogs"! Went out to a quick 4-0 lead but couldn't keep the clean sheet due to adjustments by Freiburg. But a win is a win! Ndiaye was the Hero of the hour! The media think we will make a European Place....... Youth Intake 2036 Looks like we may have a player or two in a few years. Igor Jovic GK Dzenan Ibrahimovic MC Kemal Erten AML Nicolai Altenberger AML Are just some of the future stars in the intake! The team also signed these players from the didn't make it list. Jester watched the Youth Candidates match and was impressed with several players on both teams. The star defensive midfielder will miss some crucial matches in our quest to qualify for Europe! The Wondekids list came out and no one from Schalke04 is on the list. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

Great Start! It is tough moving on from fan favorites and great servants of the club. You get a little attached.

To all my avid readers who might be better in analysis I have a question. If looking in the Data Hub what are the most important Stats for a Goalkeeper, Central Defender, and Left Back? I am looking for ways to understand why we are shipping so many goals. We are scoring fine but can't keep out the goals. It is a testament to our Goal scoring ability and our GK under duress that we are leading the league in draws and setting a team record. So, I know what to look for to improve the defense in the offseason on a limited budget.

NE Revolution are my local team. I'm thinking of doing a save with them in FM24. Since there will be a new coach/manager.

February 2036: Regular Season "Winning is Hard to do" Manager's Thoughts The team played well as expected but just couldn't win a match. Only the Bayern match was an embarrassment and that is as much to gulf in quality as to that we had a bad match plan. The team has fallen out of the European places but a strong finish to the season could see the team playing in Europe. Whatever happens it will be a successful season since we are most likely not be relegated. Schedule Highlights The month began with a home match against Werder Bremen It was a match of unbelievable luck for Werder Bremen and terrible defending by us....(Clearances going directly to Werder players for shots on goal, etc.) and we had a goal disallowed by VAR! But it was a match by xG we should have won! even in defeat our players were lauded by the press He also made Bundesliga Team of the Week! The GM spent his time negotiating with the young players of the U-19's and Schalke II and signed another prospect to a longterm deal. After the terrible Werder loss it didn't get easier as the team had travel to Munich to take on FC Bayern. Nagelsman was confident, and he had every reason to be with a 38-match unbeaten streak and 20 wins and 2 draws this season! Until this match we had been unbeaten in 10 away matches......Jester wants to start another streak. I'd be pleased too, if I had 4 of the top 10 players in the world in my team on the pitch! The team refunded the traveling supporters and Jester then held a team meeting! The team then had a match against Mainz to get ready for. It was a better outing but much work needs to take place..... A Schalke II player heads home to the United States...... Talk about Streaks......I think that it is easy for the top teams to get incredible streaks going! Arsenal 50 at home, Bayern 40 unbeaten in a row! The last match of the month took the team on a trip to the capital and all of its distractions. Jester did his best NOT to give Hertha any bulletin board material in his press conference. It was another late let down even after we started playing "safer" to see out the match. The media is getting back on our case and other than the Bayern Match all were winnable! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

What a Season for your team. I'm hoping for something similar in my save. What position is a must upgrade for your team to compete in UECL?

January 2036: Regular Season "Tinkering and trying new things" Manager's Thoughts Jester tried some new things during the break and made some changes to the Opposition instructions. These changes were for the best and showed immediate results. Other than the loss to RB Leipzig in Pokal Jester is happy with the way his team is playing. The less wild pressing has led to two clean sheets and looks like the way forward. The Two-Day Cup Tourney looks like the way to get players match fit after Christmas break. Schedule Highlights Jester did change one thing during the season break. objectives went from relegation playoffs to avoid relegation and Jester got some more money to work with. He is still hoping for a European place. As the New year turned Jester was asked about the Transfer Window. Jester thinks that is the position that needs attention, but he thinks he will have to get by with what is at the club due to financial constraints. Hoffenheim made an offer for one of our young players the board and GM(DOF) couldn't refuse. Jester was reasonably happy with it because the player was decent but didn't really fit the teams style. With the Break now over the Team now had to host The ROYAL BLUE CUP! A two day tournament to get the players match fit after the break. Two Matches in Two Days followed by a day of rest and then regular training for the next match. The backups would play in the Semi-Finals and Starters in the Finals. The First opponent was from the 2nd League of Belgian Football. Olympic Charleroi played much better after halftime when they went direct with over-the-top balls and crosses from the left flank. The Final for the ROYAL BLUE CUP will be against Sparta Prague. (The other invited "Big Team") The Starters put a good match together and Jester started tinkering with his Opposition instructions. He would press less players no more than 4-5 players in any match after testing it against Sparta Prague. He had been pressing everyone and Marking 4-5 players previously. Jester is neutral on this the sale would have probably given him enough transfer money to get a Left Back. Jester was happy to send this player on loan since he wasn't good enough to be our Left back of the future or today! After some time in the office Jester was happy to be back out on the training field before the trip to Hannover. Jester was excited to see if his less pressing would work against a League Rival, but first more office work. Three important players were resigned and given bigger release clauses because they are players Jester wants to build around. Schalke04 then took the feel with the revamped press and got a clean sheet! Jester was pleased with the performance and for the fans. And afterwards the team then had to play RB Leipzig away in the Pokal. Jester played the backups and decided to take his lumps. and yes it was terrible, but now Jester could concentrate on the League and securing a European place. There was controversy about VAR and the Referee but Jester wanted to stay out of it. another benchwarmer in the last year of contract heads out on loan. The young player decided to stay home. Schalke04 came home to Veltins Arena to take on Wolfsburg. The starters were rested and ready to implement the "limited" press that was Jester's new approach. Less press more clean sheets! The team then had to head to Dresden for the next match against a relegation threatened team. Jester was confident after the start of the second half of the season. Dynamo Dresden gave us some of our own medicine with a "mid block limited press" and did a fantastic job of playing defense. We finally scored but were pegged back immediately. Unbeaten in 10 League Away Matches! Jester was asked about deals at the deadline, but with no sales. He didn't have the money needed to make good deals. Jester didn't participate. After the Transfer window closed there was a report on team Spending. League Table Player of the Month Management Report Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

The loan is going to hurt the finances for a while. Definitely need to stay in Ligue2 or get promoted to make it work.