Hootieleece

Athletic Club Bilbao August 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The Team is coming along but the problem is that they are a bunch of whiny B*****s. Always wanting a raise when they are already millionaires as backup players or about playing time, they all think they are star players! They play as individuals on the field, but they are all for one and one for all in their disputes with management. Thus somehow, I need to get better results in the coming months, or I will become the latest managerial casualty of Athletic Club Bilbao. Schedule Highlights I am having trouble with all the players wanting to leave or get bigger contracts and seems that no one wants the contract complainers in the transfer room. So I ended up giving the highest paid player an $8M/year raise just to keep him happy......no wonder the last guy was fired what a moaning bunch of complainers if it isn't contract it is playing time. I am putting out fires when I should be training the team..... Our B Team is considered pretty good for their level.....should be a bunch of millionaires on the team....... Finally, the first match of the Season! We sold out the available Season Tickets! We controlled the match but could only get a draw. This is mainly because the players are still learning their roles and the system. We lost our Right Back for the rest of the month. Micalo, is a player I want to offload but only for his release clause. Case in point, Liverpool want him on loan only.........rejected! The next match saw us travel to Alaves Stadium to play Alaves FC. We were expected to win but needed to do a better job than against Celta Vigo. We started off well but gave up Three Set Pieces off of Corners to lose the match....... I'm not sure they were more motivated, but they were definitely taller than us! After the Alaves disaster we headed home to take on our next opponent. Cadiz was favored due to our less than stellar play. We needed a win badly. Another moaner about playing time......I told him to wait his turn and he whipped up half the team in mutiny! So he played against Cadiz! The moaner played well and was man of the match! We dominated and had a decent shape that attacked their right Flank. After the match the end of the transfer window was coming and that was all the press were concerned with. I was willing to sell but I wasn't going to sell below market price or "Book Value"! I want a better goalkeeper for two reasons for the players who think we lack depth at the position and because I think we need a better one. But we need to sell a player or two first and Basque GK's are not many or cheap if any good! We were close to the right squad as far as playing ability was concerned for now, but a late transfer could change it. My predecessor at ASSE and Rival from LOSC becomes Las Palmas new manager. A young player I have training with the First Team is probably NOT going on loan for now. It was a busy window for everyone except us but that was because we wouldn't sell or loan at cut rate prices. We are Top Ten in LA Liga for Payroll we need better results! I would sell him, but a bid never materialized..... Klopp outspent everyone in the world to make his team the one he wants. League Table Monthly Analysis Report The defense needs help! the Three Set piece goals against Alaves didn't help. Player of the Month The big man up front is learning his new role well as the Advanced Forward. Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

Sometimes the intake preview fools you......depending on the staff. Wait till you see them for yourself. But don't get your hopes up.

Athletic Club Bilbao July 2035: Preseason Manager's Thoughts The team is coming along nicely other than the loss to Hradec Kralove during our tour of Central Europe and our Affiliates the team is really beginning to take to the Gengen press. Even though many members of the team are learning new roles to fit the System. I moved Javier Llorente from Striker to AMR and have him playing the Mo Salah role from Liverpool. The team is good enough to achieve its goals of a top half finish, but I am looking for more a European Place. Unfortunately, we are not at this time able to fix our goalie problem until we sell some players. Fixing that position will go a long way to getting us where we want to go. We have several players that want to leave but they all have relatively high release clauses and there seems to be little real moves for them even though there is interest from top teams. I don't know if this is because I have a relatively small player pool (93K players) and a lot of leagues loaded for play and view only. Schedule Highlights The Managerial Carousel kept spinning in La Liga and Real Madrid pulled off a real Coup. Two teams in La Liga playing the Gengen press 4-3-3 his will probably be better due to players Real can afford. Our closest rivals have hired another great coach as well. Our Preseason didn't go all to plan as one of our feeder clubs beat us in a friendly. La Liga season is reviewed, and it was one to forget from Athletic Club Bilbao's point of view. Athletic Bilbao was left out of the signings of the season as well. Yet another La Liga team gets a new manager...... During our Preseason we went on the road to Central Europe and the Backups lost the Hradec Krolkove and the Starters demolished RB Salzburg. Asier Jimenez is our DM-BWM-D and an important part of the team for years to come. We gave him a new deal to help fend off Arsenal's interest. He is everything I am looking for in a DM. In our biggest test of the Preseason, we took on Chelsea at the San Mames and demolished them as well. Another Big name takes over a big Team in La Liga! I was surprised that Vincent Kompany left or was fired after coming in 2nd. This palyer is transfer listed but has a release clause of $79M which is what we are looking for..... Season Preview We are expected to be a top half team but probably outside of the European Places. We need to do better even if it is the UECL. M No players tipped for awards. Goalies Aranaburu is the starter for now with Santos being the player brought in to give him competition. We have our eye on a couple of other players but the need to sell makes a real problem to upgrade this position. Defenders Martinez, Bilbao Nunez, and Cantero are the starting back Four. There is plenty of depth especially a Center back with Krieger giving competition for a starting place. Midfielders Romero and Sancet start at MC and Jimenez starts at DM Attackers Vicandi, Llorente, and Martin are the starters. All are learning on the job with Llorente going from Striker to the "Mo Salah" Role on the right. Starting Lineup Mentoring Groups I Transfers IN/Out Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

@Shrewnaldo Training in general has been slowed down not just mentoring. Have you tried retraining a player to be "natural" in another position. Even when he plays there every match and trains every day with Double Sessions it often takes the Whole Season. I think that it is just a little more realistic. The General upticks due to Squad means you have created a good club culture.......just keep following the "NFL Patriot Way" LOL! @_Ben_ Do you have anything to contribute to this discussion?

you are doing amazing things on a shoestring budget.

I have success with mentoring either one Mentor or many mentors to mentees by having them divided up by position types. Usually, I keep the GK's and Defenders together, midfielders in a group, Attacking players in another. If I have a lot of players vying for one type of role and position I will create at mentor group for that. The Most important things for Mentors are Personality and Social Status within the team. It is better if the mentees are from the same social circle or part of the core and mentor is also. If the mentor has ppm's you want him to teach bonus!

Athletic Club Bilbao June 2035: Offseason Highlights Mikel Romero the Carriero will continue his work for the club after asking for a new deal and waiting patiently to the end of the season. and that made him and some others happy in the squad. The plan is to keep Romero here if possible. Arteta left FC Porto to return to Arsenal who have been underachieving....... We signed some young Basque Players in line with the Club Vision. The team also needed a decent backup striker as well in case Martin does leave and Diez doesn't develop. Joselu is a cheap replacement for Micalo and Sancet as CM-A. Our losses meant that we avoided Spanish Taxes.......for the win! Some of our most popular players will be moving on since they have gotten old or have been identified as targets of other teams. The Board balanced the books for now but we will probably have to sell a player or two...... La Liga is the 3rd best league we need to help it return to the top spot. We are not yet in the Top 100, We need to get European Football to make that leap and that is next season's target. Liverpool and Mainz get the wildcards into the Champions League. Real Sociedad fire their manager and really aimed high with their targets. I actually want to lose him at 5'4" he is a hobbit and doesn't fit well in a physical pressing team. Oue best Fitness coach couldn't turn down Barcelona. Our Captain and most popular player retired. Our half Cuban-Basque player who will be integral next season signs an extension. The Laliga Window opens but we won't be adding more players........unless we sell. These are the report cards on the players we already signed.......with a small transfer budget we couldn't do much. And the Spanish Managerial Carousel continues to spin...... Management Report Monthly Financial Report Manager's Thoughts We have stabilized the club from its free fall down the rankings but will need to sell a player or two to bring in real quality to rebuild the squad in our image. If that doesn't happen due to the inflated transfer numbers of all players, we may be a mish mash of styles and doing neither justice. Either way we need a good Preseason and Early Season to provide a springboard to the European place the club aspires to. to be continued:

Maybe if they changed the title to Quick Questions/Quick Answers and posted in the General Forum. I've seen that used for games on other forums (Paradox Interactive) with quite a bit of success. But in general Forums are for "Old Fogey" gamers like myself. Most younger players look for a Discord to interact with others.

Athletic Club Bilbao May 2035: Regular Season Schedule Highlights Micalo wanted a new deal, but I said we couldn't afford it and would sell him if possible......a lot of interest is being shown in the player at $79M! After getting the Micalo affair out of the way the team still had some matches to play. The first of this month would be a trip to Real Betis. We were favored due to our recent results even though both of us were in the relegation battle. They like our other opponents were unready for the Gengen Press ala Klopp at Liverpool 2017. The veteran midfielder is taking to the CM-A Role like he was born for it. Also Player of the week! After our three victories we were looking forward to hosting title chasing Barcelona at the San Mames Stadium. We were definite underdogs to the Title Contenders but would try to beat them with what I dubbed the Furia Basque. A former Favorite is loving the new style of football and the results! Barcelona is patient while we press it is difference in styles. The Veteran Midfielder will Captain the team next season as he mentors another midfielder in the CM-A Slot. He knew what to expect, the 4-3-3 Gengenpress! An important battle in the Title Race and Relegation Battle. We played well but just didn't have the luck in front of goal. according to XG we should have tied or won the match! My team is still learning the ins and outs of the 4-3-3 and the Gengenpress....... We were pushed back and pressed by Barcelona as well. The team overspent by $13M its transfer funds, but not as bad as the top of the League! Since I was now playing in Spain, I decided to add all players with International Caps and add most of the Iberian Leagues to the world. I am hoping the more players will help lower some of the transfer costs for players. Now that I had been in Bilbao about a month, I started building the backroom Staff: The Gm does all the nitty gritty of the youth teams and negotiates First Team incoming transfers but I still keep final say in all signings. I raided my old team St. Etienne for a few coaches that they had let go. This guy wants me to help him get another head coaching job. I got a former Bilbao player as Goalkeeping Coach......thinking of having him Suit up as No. 1 GK! After the new coaches came in we had to ready ourselves for Villareal. Romero playing as a Carrilero in the MC Strata is getting plaudits. We are playing against an old rival, Roberto De Zerbi. We got humiliated........ The Team spends 58% of its Turnover on Payroll but is looking into spending more next season to really compete. We would host the last match of the season and after the terrible loss to Villareal, I was looking for a better performance against already relegated Rayo Vallecano. We won big as the players took the loss to heart and looked to finish the season on a good note. This is the Striker I am looking to build around even though he is making noises about leaving...... I complimented his performance in the media. Our High lined pressed them hard and we were on the front foot throughout the match. Season Review Post Season Board Meeting The board is backing me to keep our best players on the team if possible. I am not happy that the core fans are diminishing as well as the Social Media Followers..... The Teams defending wasn't bad but lack of clean sheets and scoring contributed to the poor season. I am going to try and implement a clear pathway to the first team and stay within the parameters set by the board about contracts for the first team. The team is turning around and out of the depths of despair I found it six weeks ago. The Future is Bright. to be continued:

Good luck in Germany! What happened to the other thread? Did you need a new challenge?

I usually do a Recovery, Match Review, and Team Bonding on a day after a match. If I only have 2 periods because of travel, I always do Recovery and either Match Review or Team Bonding. Team Bonding if it was a bigger team and we were expected to lose. I find it more important to keep morale up and that tactical cohesion and familiarity come from rotation of the squad.

Athletic Club Bilbao April-Early May 2035: Regular Season Schedule Highlights The first matches under my management would be big ones. The first away to the hated rivals Real Sociedad. The second at the San Mames Stadium against Real Madrid. I was asking myself what I had gotten myself into. My managerial stint started with a Press Conference where I gave good answers. The Copa del Rey final was this weekend and La Liga Leaders Athletico Madrid beat Barcelona for the Trophy. Vincent Kompany is doing a magnificent job. The First game of my Athletic career would be against the hated rivals Real Sociedad. We were in bad form and I only had a week to get to know the players and instill my style of football on the team. This was a big match and what a way to get the fans on my side than by winning the derby! Joao Neves was a dangerous midfielder, and I would try and shut him down with my opposition instructions to the side. The Real Sociedad Manager didn't know what to expect........but he should expect Gengen Press if not the "Furia Basque" I wanted the referee to control the match and make sure it is fair to both sides and keep tempers calm. and that is exactly what I got, and it led to victory! The opposition manager was just a little upset with our victory...... Romero was the man pulling the strings in midfield as a Carrilero. As far as the relegation race was concerned, I thought order of matches was insignificant as the Media tried to make a point about our rivals Tenerife and Oasuna. After the victory against Real Sociedad there was no rest for the weary as two days later, we took on Real Madrid at the San Mames. The President was looking for a sellout I was looking for more good football to get us out of the relegation fight once and for all. Of course "Los Galacticos" were favored but hopefully our press would give them problems. I really could care less about who plays when...... We played well in front of the home fans and our press had them on the back foot all match! Xg shows we were supposed to win as we pressed them hard all match. We also controlled the match with our passing. and with the win we will NOT be relegated. League Table Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report and it is all not right in Bilbao yet...... Looking Ahead to be continued:

Thanks, it is one I never really considered until the job opened up, but it piqued my interest because I knew of the history, and it will force me to learn more about scouting and filters. Also, I took over with them in 14th place with 6 matches to play and ALL the big boys of LA Liga on the schedule.

I think I have a lot left to learn about scouting and will be reading and asking questions in some other careers around here.

We are now at Athletic Bilbao! It's about the same size as ASSE with similar goals in actuality. Youth System to find and develop players to sell while playing competitive and attractive Football. to be continued:

I did play on and search for jobs.......I ended up with a new Job in April in an adjacent country and I will have to learn about setting up scouts and scouting Filters.

Sorry to hear that, Hootie. I have played on seeing what jobs would come up. I will be continuing the World Tour. New Country. Going to have to learn a lot about scouting filters. Since I usually never set up the scouting department.

Good Luck in your new role! I have never played in Chile yet. I just stepped away from ASSE and maybe football manager for a while not sure yet.

January 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts It was a terrible month in which we forgot how to play any defense and lost all of our matches to lower ranked teams except for Barcelona. I also thought that I had lost the locker room and after a dreadful loss to Bordeaux in which we were favorites. I decided to resign and take some time away from Football. I may return if the right job pops up and since I still have a few years before I retire at 70. (I am 63) Highlights The new year meant more injuries and important players on the Injured List. We were now missing our #1 GK and one of our two starting Centerbacks. The Coupe de France had us playing Ligue2 Competition and I was happy to play a half-rotated squad for the match since we were favored. We had played well before the break, and I thought that we would resume with a good tune-up before playing League and Champions League matches again. We went up 2-0 and were ready to cruise to victory when the wheels came off.....Omar Le Guen late of ASSE scored and then Lepetre got a red card for a two footed challenge and after that if an ASSE player looked at an Orleans player sideways it was a yellow card! So we scored late to go ahead but then gave up a tying goal that sent it to penalties.......oh the lottery. Yes, we lost in the 9th Round when we had a decent chance of lifting the trophy. It really wasn't the players fault for the loss.....it was more the referee's! Look at that ref rating and ALL seven cards were against ASSE! We then lost our starting DM just before League play starts....... Marseille hired Sevilla ex manager who I could have replaced! We then had a match against Stade de Reims who were sitting in 14th in the table....a perfect way to get back on track. We would play the strongest team available minus injuries and should have been able to win it. We have officially forgotten how to play defense at all........Balls over the top and terrible goalkeeping had us fighting from behind before the whistle even began the match! and to make matters worse the captain would miss the next 1-2 matches. I slammed the team after the loss to Reims....which was unexpected to say the least! and we made their Right winger look like Messi! De Ridder got a pay raise for good service. An Academy product with loads of talent but Low-Self belief was not to be retained by the club and was signed by Atalanta out of all the suitors. After the two bad losses this month so far, we had to travel to Barcelona for the Champions League. We played with a half-rotated squad and played well all things considered but it wasn't enough..... That meant our month of woe continued..... We then had to travel to Bordeaux for a Ligue 1 match. We would play the strongest team available and look to turn around these results! I had a good record against the Bordeaux Boss, but I wanted the players to get the glory for their part in our success against them. More bad defense and terrible goalkeeping the players even seemed to lack belief......unacceptable! Bordeaux Boss was all smiles afterwards....... The fans and board don't like the loss any more than I did, but I was beginning to believe that I lost the locker room. I resigned after the embarrassing loss...and with my belief that I had lost the locker room made my tenure untenable. The Staff thought I was doing ok with no less than 9 members leaving with me..... I thought it was time to leave my words weren't hitting the way they used to......you can only hair dryer a player or players so many times before they ignore it. It was time to leave..... I am still up for jobs......we'll see.....I might go back to teaching History! to be continued or not as the case maybe!

I agree with everyone saying that unregistered players and that high earner should be seeing the door. As for Xmas Breaks/Holidays I have a newfound hate for them.......It has all gone wrong in France and Hootie is thinking of calling an end to his World Tour.

December 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played better during this month led by the return of Striker Juan Godoy to the lineup with six goals. He is also leading Ligue 1 with 14 goals through 17 matches. When the team is whole and playing like this, we can beat anyone. the problem though is that we can score with anyone, but the real problem is our defense and goal keeping we just can't keep goals out. That has led to us being in third place in Ligue 1 due to our focus on the league, but we have yet to have a draw this season. We win big or lose close with no in between! Schedule Highlights The month of December began with a rivalry clash with Olympique Lyonnais. Stade Geoffrey Guichard was expected to be sold out! Even though we weren't in the best form were favorites to win the match. The match of the Weekend! We took it to them and pressed them hard in another midfield display of offensive prowess. and the captain pulled the strings setting up the goals! The players rose to the occasion! Highlights that night and temporarily in third place in Ligue 1. Van Doorn having a great stretch of performances! After the big win versus our rivals, we had to travel to Coal Country and take on LOSC. We are thinking of getting a new right back and this player is good enough to be an upgrade at the position. We went out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, but were denied the clean sheet by a late LOSC Goal. Bynoe-Gittens doing his thing setting up goals! Yes, we are looking at Jordi Hollander, but others are on our radar as well. No decisions have been made yet. A VAR decision that went our way with "No Penalty"! Going into the Champions League match looking to salvage some pride we played a half-rotated squad. We won what will be our only match of this Champions League cycle with Barcelona and Real Madrid left to play. It was a good win led by our Talisman in front to goal! The Big man scored Two to give us the lead before he was rested. We then found out who we would play in the Coupe de France. A decent get the legs back match after Christmas Break! The Last match of the Year and first half of the Season was against RC Lens for Third place going into the Christmas Break. We were favored on our home ground, but RC Lens is a tough outfit we played all of our starters for this one. The media tried to stir up a War of Words but neither manager would fall for it before the important match! We won the tight match and wouldn't have without Juan Godoy our Striker! Leading the line and the Ligue 1 in goals! Rumors are that someone wants me to move due to my success at ASSE.....haven't been approached yet! Godoy has had a good spell of performances. I intend to stay at ASSE unless a truly top job opens up. I am enjoying myself so far.....and if I do move it will only be for the "Last" Job. Ligue 1 Uber Eats Coach Carousel continues to spin...... Sevilla actually offered the interview to my surprise but I turned them down anyway. Our new DM-DLP-D is the best rookie in Ligue 1. Decent Stats and getting better by the day. Two of our Loanees are lighting up Ligue 2 as well. A backup CB is announcing his intention to leave.....who cares! The Ligue 2 Player of the Month is on the right track! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

November 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts We lost more than we won, but it also showed that when we are on, we are close to unbeatable with our starting XI. The problem is that our starting XI can't play every match when a team plays more than a match a week. The team also has made it back to 5th place in the Ligue 1 table so our focus on the league has paid off. Other teams are interested in my services, but it would take an offer I can't refuse from a much bigger team for me to move from ASSE. I know I only have a few years of managing left and I want to be some place I want to be and right now that is ASSE. The Board has made the team everything I could want from the Budget and Facilities point of view now we just have to finish the job and win the Ligue1 Title in the next couple of seasons. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month saw the team travel to Montpellier for a match we were favored in. We would need to do a professional job. In true FM Style our Talisman goes down before an important stretch of matches! We then lost the match because we were without our leading scorer. We were impotent in the attack against their "Parked Bus" and they scored on a counter against the run of play. This summed up the fans and my feelings after the match..... and afterwards we had to play Napoli in the Champions League! We went into the match with a rotated squad and no real hope of winning, but I wanted an appearance of a fight. We were pinned back and picked apart, but at least the backups got good minutes of experience. After the match with Napoli, we returned home to take on Title Contenders Stade de Rennes at Stade Geoffrey Guichard in St. Etienne. We were surprisingly picked as favorites over the perennial contenders. New Gens rule the roost now, with all the usual suspects having a top ten player. After the back-to-back tough losses, I wanted to instill confidence in the side before the big match. and of course, another big injury before an important match...... It ended up being a goal fest and we came up on top to shock the world! Our BBM led the team with a Hat Trick! The team is now in 5th place, the focus on the league is working. Player of the week from the Midfield! Seven points in five matches and an 8.00 rating! The wonderkid is living up to his promise. Now he just needs to get into the French National Team. Record Breaking even if it wasn't the best defensive effort. We really tried to play more direct leading to more scoring. Five Players in the Team of the Week! After the big win the team continued working toward success with the renovation of the Youth Facilities. The facilities are now State of the Art as are the First Team Facilities. Time will tell if we again become a "Football Player Factory"! An Enquiry into my services. I declined without hesitation. I am only looking for "better" jobs than ASSE. Where I have everything, I could want except true success..... and I told the press just that. After a week of improvements at the club and Intrigue off the pitch we now had to take on our rivals Olympique Marseille. I was hoping for a repeat of the Rennes Match and so were the bookies..... We won yet again led by our captain. OM Manager looking for excuses...... When the captain, who plays the Mo Salah role, is on his game we are tough to beat. Another Player of the Week! After the match with OM, Arsenal came to town, I decided to play a half-rotated squad to give us a chance in front of the home fans. We were only considered equals to Arsenal because we were the home team. I was planning on resting players since our focus wasn't on Champions League. The half-rotated squad gave Arsenal a match and if I had played all the starters we might have won, but I was happy with the effort. Show us the money! DE Zerbi left Toulouse and was replaced by this guy! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued:

Congrats are in order! Winning the league as well as promotion. That is a high! Are you looking forward to playing Hodd with your Viking Team?

Teodor Saga looks a little older than 17. Did he falsify his birth certificate?

Glad you got the Viking job. Now hopefully you can finish your time at Hodd on a real high.