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  1. Links to previous seasons : Malta : First season (2023-24) / Second season (2024-25) / Third season (2025-26) / Fourth season (2026-27) / Fifth season (2027-28) / Sixth season (2028-29) / Seventh season (2029-30) / Eighth season (2030-31) ********** 2031-2032 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 9th season Competitions. Therefore, this will be the first season in which we'll play in the Premier league, the first league in Malta. We'll also play, just like last year, in the Maltese Trophy (Malta National Cup). Regarding the first league, it'ill be take place according to a different system from the second league. Thus, 12 teams participate in the first league (and not 14 as in the 2nd league) and these 12 teams will play 3 matches against each opponent, which means a total of 33 rounds. The objectives set by our Board for this season are minimal : trying to avoid relegation and, eventually, reasonable results in the Cup. Surprisingly, media prediction doesn't even consider us the weakest team in the league. It's true, our odds are low (450-1), but there is a team whose odds are even lower. In addition, two other teams whose odds are just a little higher than ours. *** Transfers. Of course, I followed the rules of this career, so I didn't bring any new player. There is also no news regarding departures either : we kept all our players. Released players. Unlike the previous seasons, now I didn't kicked out any players who weren't needed. To be honest, I was impatient to see how the team would behave in the first league and I didn't have the patience to analyze player by player, so, I decided to keep them all. At least for now. The main squad (I have brought in no less than 14 players from the U20s squad and, for the first time since the beginning of this career, most of these "new" players (9 of them to be exact) are good enough to be possible replacements for the current starting players). The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** We also played the usual friendly matches. The opponents were only teams from the lower leagues, so, these results are not particularly important. However, it is worth noting that the team played well regardless of whether we used players from the first eleven or reserves. The team's morale is good, although the atmosphere is not as good as I would have liked. *** August Matches played in August We started the season with a victory, as a result of a match in which we played very well, much better than the opponent. However, 3 defeats followed. Two of them (both in the championship) are not surprising, since the opponents were Hamrun (the champion) and San Gwann, a team that participated in the continental competitions. Unfortunately, we lost the Cup match, although the opponent was a 2nd league team. My team didn't really play badly, but I expected more. *** September Matches played in September We lost the first game in September. Unfortunately, the opponent was, theoretically, a team of about our level, so the defeat was painful, especially since although my players shot a lot, the ones who had really great opportunities were those from Hibernians. In the next match we achieved a very good result, Floriana being a strong team. Then, in the last two matches we managed to get only one point, although the team played quite well. However, the situation became very complicated because I reproached the team for the defeat in the match against Sliema, and the team leaders considered that my reaction wasn't fair. As a result, the team's morale dropped instantly. *** October Matches played in October So, we clearly defeated Marsa and we lost the match played against Balzan just as clearly. The defeat was to be expected because Balzan are, after Hamrun, the second strongest Maltese team at the moment. The big problem was the third match. We were defeated by the team ranked last, Birkirkara, a team that had not defeated anyone in the first 9 rounds. Moreover, the opponents played better than us. *** November Matches played in November November started badly for us. In the first match we played against a team "of our level", Gzira. The match was spectacular: 0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3, 3-3 ... and 3-4 in the 83rd minute. The ratio of shots was the same, 15-15 (7 -7 on target), the ratio of chances was favorable for us, 5-3. So, we were unlucky. It happens. In the next match we faced Hamrun, the champion. We could easily lose 3-0 or 4-1, but this time we were very lucky and got a draw, 1-1. In the third match we met Tarxien. Since we were playing at home, a win (or at least a draw) would have been very useful for us. Unfortunately, although the number of shots was 16-12 and those on target 6-7, Tarxien humiliated us : 0-4 ! Then the last match of the month came. No comment : Six goals scored from 7 shots on target ? And from 1.33 xG ? Moreover, San Gwann scored the first 4 goals on its first 4 shots on target ! At that moment the morale of the team became "very poor". Or maybe it was "very poor" even before this match, the result being the consequence of this extremely low morale. However, there were some strange aspects. First, the xG table. According to this table, we're a "mid-table" team. Why would such a team collapse catastrophically in the middle of the season ? Just because some players thought I was "too harsh" with them ? Should it be the tactic ? It's a Knap tactic and I also use it for the U20 / U18 teams. Result : we're leaders in both league tables. I had a choice between organizing a team meeting and being aggressive. I chose to be aggressive : I kicked out the goalkeeper Spiteri, one of the two leaders of the team and the spokesperson of those who considered that I was "too harsh". (I admit, I really enjoyed to to kick him out also because he allowed about 7-8 hilarious goals). Did this release solve the problem ? No, because the other team leader, Atzori, immediately picked up on Spiteri's ideas. For now, however, I refrained from taking other steps. *** December I couldn't resist very much. Immediately after the first match in December (a match that we lost), I kicked out Atzori as well. Then I organized the much-needed team meeting, an occasion to which all the players reacted positively. However, because I absolutely needed to kick someone out, I also "executed" the right defender Jason Vella when the poor guy came to ask me why he doesn't play more. Matches played in December Our situation has become serious. We started to go down even in the xG table. The Board is quite unhappy, the supporters are very unhappy and the game (FM) keeps reminding me (December 13, December 21, December 28) that it wouldn't be a bad idea if I changed the tactics. Realistically speaking, I don't think we have any chance of avoiding relegation. When a team concedes 55 goals from 39 xG and 104 shots on target, it's clear that their morale is seriously affected and that only a miracle (or an editor) could fix the problem. Since I don't use editors and I don't believe in miracles, obviously I expect the worst. However, I decided to take warnings of the FM seriously and change not only the tactics but also the configuration used. In the following matches I'll play 4-3-3 DM Wide. *** January Did I say anything about miracles ? Here is an FM miracle : Come on, FM, It's ridiculous ... Matches played in January After the first two defeats, on January 11, I organized a new team meeting. Again, the players reacted positively and their morale was slightly improved. But after only a few days, before the next match was played, morale dropped again. Without any reason. Then I was informed that that match (the third, the one against Birkirkara) could be decisive, and in case of a negative result I could be sacked. But, surprise, my players instantly remembered how to play football. No, they didn't play very well, but they played well enough in such a way that, with some luck (including a goal scored in the 86th minute), we won 4-3. I thought we still had a chance... but another "miracle match" followed. A match in which the opponent (Gzira) scored a goal from each of its first 4 shots on target ... *** Anyone want another example of FM weirdness ? There it is ! Which are the teams we are trying to fight with to avoid relegation ? Marsa, Birkirkara, Tarxien. But... from which clubs did I receive interview offers in December and January? Marsa, Birkirkara and ... exactly, Tarxien ! Why would a club be interested in talking to the manager of the club (and the team) that competes directly with his team to avoid relegation ? And it's not just one club, but 3 out of 3 ! *** February Matches played in February After the first match of the month (a defeat, against Tarxien) I understood that there were no more chances to avoid dismissal. But I decided to not resign. So, at the beginning of the month, we lost a player (left midfielder Steve Cassar), probably bored by so many defeats. Tarxien beat us, Balzan beat us, then I was notified again that I could be fired. Again, for unknown reasons, the players "forgot" that they were very unhappy, played football and, surprisingly, beat Hibernians 4-1 (!). After that pical win my players remembered their great unhappiness and lost 5-1 (deservedly) the last match of the month. (By the way, shis was an "out of common match", because, for the third time this season, the opponent scored 4 goals from his first 4 shots on target). *** March Matches played in March We lost all 3 matches, and after the last defeat I was sacked. I knew that I would be fired because I was informed about this intention of the Board. Hilariously, my players again played better than usual, but this time, after 1-0 and a missed penalty, they could not avoid defeat. *** Some details : Player stats xG table after 30 rounds Teams' stats - attack / Teams' stats - defense Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions Youth intakes 2023 - 2031 *** The last 3 rounds of the competition : *** A short comment regarding the "miracle" of the 4 goals scored from the first 4 shots on target. This miracle took place 3 times during a single season, in November, January and February. Well, such a miracle is very unrealistic from a statistical point of view and was only possible due to the very strong influence of morale. The fact that I was using an "aggressive" tactic is irrelevant because this tactic does not have the effect of an instant increase in the technique of the opposing players, nor an instant decrease in the abilities of my own defenders/goalkeeper. What increases is the "dangerousness" of the shot, which is described by that xG. But if xG is 0.35, then the probability of scoring 4 times out of 4 shots on target is 1 in 66 (more precisely, 100/(0.35*0.35*0.35*0.35)), that is, it can happen once for every 256 shots on target, that is, much less than once a year. How did it happen 3 times during just a few months ? *** What will I do next? I'll look for a job at another Maltese club, preferably a club from the first league ...
  2. Links to previous seasons : Estonia : First season (2023), first half / First season (2023), second half / Second season (2024), first half / Second season (2024), second half / Third season (2025), first half / Third season (2025), second half / Fourth season (2026) / Fifth season (2027) / Sixth season (2028) / Seventh season (2029) / Eighth season (2030) ********** 2031 John X / EstHam United Tallinn, Estonia / 9th season "Winter cleaning". Initial squads at the beginning of January : The main squad (attributes) / The U20's squad (attributes) / The U18's squad (attributes) *** Released players Transfers (none) *** The squads before the start of the championship : The main squad The U20's squad / The U18's squad In the U20's and U18's squads we have four players who have many "CA stars". However, their attributes are lower than those of other players who play in the same positions. I had a choice between taking into account what the assistant says and taking into account the level of the players' attributes. I chose not to believe the assistant. I might be wrong, but ... *** Competitions. As in the previous season, we'll play in the second league and in the Estonian Cup. The objectives are the same and media prediction considers us an "important candidate" ... for relegation. *** We also played a few friendlies and didn't lose any of them ... but we didn't play very well either. In fact, we struggled even when we met opponents who play in the 5th league. The team's morale is quite good, although the atmosphere is only "average", apparently because of the quality of training. I intend to improve the staff in the next few weeks. It's also possible that the retirement of the former team leader (Kanter) at the end of last year had a significant effect. *** February - March Matches played in February Matches played in March A pretty good start to the season. We were unlucky both in the match against Ganvix (3 goals conceded from 3 shots on target), but especially in the match with Laanemaa (11-3 scoring chances ratio, final result 3-3). On the other hand, in the last two matches we were very lucky. We would have deserved at most a draw in the match against Kalev and we would have had to lose against Vaprus. *** April Matches played in April Typical FM activities. Would we have deserved to lose 1-5 a match in which the ratio of shots on target was 6-7 and the ratio of scoring chances was 3-3 ? I would say that ... no. Would we have deserved to lose 1-3 a match in which the ratio of shots on target was 5-5 and the ratio of scoring chances was 5-3 ? I would say that ... no. Would we have deserved to lose 0-4 a match in which, indeed, the ratio of shots on target was 2-6 but the ratio of scoring chances was 6-7 ? I would say that ... no. But FM said "yes". In addition, FM also sent me the "wonderful" message regarding the terrible mistake I'm making using the same configuration. Fortunately, the team's morale improved (I found coaches and redistributed the tasks), so at least from this point of view, the situation is (still) under control. However, I'll change the tactics, but I'll not give up the 4-2-4 2DM Wide configuration. But I'll do some of what FM says, that is, I'll experiment with the instructions of this new tactic. *** May Matches played in May 9 points out of 12, which is much better, ... but also an embarrassing defeat in the Cup against an opponent (Tammeka III) which plays in the 3rd league. In any case, FM returned to a more "normal" behavior : now we were unlucky in the match against Harju, but everything was compensated in the next match (opponent Tallinna Kalev), a match we won having a lot of luck. From the point of view of the xG table, we're positioned quite well. That is, in the middle of the middle. Theoretically, we could even get involved in the fight for the first two places. But realistically speaking, I'am primarily concerned with avoiding the fight for the last 3 places. *** June Matches played in June 12 points out of 15. We started the month with a rather weak match and continued it with 4 victories. It's especially noteworthy the good performance in the match against Nomme, a team that, for 7 rounds, was in second place. As a result of the poor results obtained by the other teams in the first places until now (especially Nomme and Vaprus), we are now in second place, a place that would allow us to participate in the promotion playoff. However, there are still 15 rounds to be played and a series of bad results could easily "send" us back to the middle of the league table. *** July Matches played in July 7 points out of 12. We were lucky in the match against Levadia U21, but our luck was compensated by the bad luck in the match against Harju. However, we have the greatest "luck" regarding the opponents' results. In the last 2 months we won 19 points out of 27 possible. Nomme got 11, Vaprux 10, Harju 11. Only Ganvix managed to get a reasonable high number of points, 16, but they had less points than us at the end of May. Since Levadia U21 cannot promote and the other good team, Laanemaa, is "busy" with avoiding relegation, it seems that we have a pretty good chance of ranking in the second place. However, there are still 11 rounds to play ... *** August Matches played in September This is clearly "our year". We have 10 points ahead, there are only 6 rounds to play, and we're also lucky enough (yes, we won 6 points in the matches against Vaprus and Nomme, but we could have won only two ... or less). In September, we will meet 3 teams in a bad run of form, Levadia U21, Harju and Kalev. If we don't have a catastrophic fall, it would be normal to celebrate "winning the playoff spot" at the end of September, so, two rounds before the end of the championship. *** September So we solved the "problem" of the playoff spot. The team played quite well, won 7 points out of 12, but there are some worrying aspects. For example, the match against the leader, Tulevik. We lost it with only 2-1, but the goal chances ratio was 8-0 for Tulevik (!). For sure, the playoff opponent (whoever it is) is not much weaker than Tulevik, so we might have some problems ... *** October Matches played in September and October *** Playoff Well, at least we tried . The two matches were balanced, my team played very well, and when it comes to penalties, anything is possible. Maybe next year we'll be luckier. *** Some details : Player stats Best eleven (2031 and overall) *** Competitions Transfers Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions *** Club reputation / Club finances / Manager's attributes (after 9 seasons I have only the "National C" licence) *** Youth intake 2031 The profiles of the best 6 players that we received at this intake. Youth intakes 2023-2030 ***
  3. Links to previous seasons : Malta : First season (2023-24) / Second season (2024-25) / Third season (2025-26) / Fourth season (2026-27) / Fifth season (2027-28) / Sixth season (2028-29) / Seventh season (2029-30) ********** 2030-2031 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 8th season "Summer cleaning". Initial squads at the beginning of July : The main squad (attributes) / The U20's squad (attributes) / The U18's squad (attributes) The U20's squad - best 8 players / The U18's squad - best 10 players *** Released players Transfers (none) *** The squads before the start of the championship : The main squad ( 5 players were brought from the U20's squad) The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** Competitions. Since at the end of the previous season we promoted, now we'll play in the second league ("Challenge League"). The rules of this competition are different from those of the 3rd league, as the 14 teams participating in the 2nd league will play 26 matches each. Also, this is the first season in which we'll participate in the Maltese National Cup. (This also means that we'll no longer participate in the Amateur Cup). Media prediction. As expected, we are considered, by far, the weakest team in the league (odds 350-1). Of course, the objectives set by the Board are, as a consequence, minimal : the attempt to avoid relegation, plus some reasonable results in the Cup. Club reputation. As expected, the club's reputation grew. But something is wrong, because this increase didn't take place during the season (as would have been normal) but only as a result of the promotion. On July 12 (the last day of the previous season) we were in the 36th position (the same as last year). On July 13 (which is the season change date for Malta) we instantly climbed to 26th place. Finances. Our financial situation is bad. However, we haven't (yet ?) entered administration. It's possible that this database doesn't contain a limit that, once reached, will trigger entry into administration, which would be a positive aspect. However, there are also negative aspects : I cannot offer new contracts to my players, and some of them simply choose to leave us. In the last two months alone, we lost 3 good players as a result of this fact. We played some friendly matches. The results are not relevant, since we only met teams from the lower leagues. The team's morale is good, but it is affected by the dissatisfaction of some players as a result of the fact that they are not offered new contracts. *** August - September Matches played in August Matches played in September Wow ! A very good start to the season ! Of course, we had some luck, especially in that match against Attard, which ended 4-4, even though Attard was leading 4-1 in the 75th minute. *** October Matches played in October October was going to be a difficult month, because we were going to play against teams that at the end of September were ranked 9th, 4th, 3rd, 8th and 2nd. The team did well (6 points out of 12), and could have done even better if they hadn't been unlucky. It's quite frustrating to lose two consecutive matches when the opponent only hits the target once per match : *** November Matches played in November Only 4 points out of 12. We played very well in the first match, but I have to admit, the opponent was in a bad run of form at that time. Two difficult matches followed, against teams at the top of the ranking. We played well against Gudja, but we were unlucky again. Then the boys managed to recover from 0-2 in the match against Sannat, so the final result, 3-3, was very satisfying. Unfortunately, in the last game of the month the team played really bad and deservedly lost. (By the way: "Sannat L" was playing in 2023, just like us, in the 6th league. So, the AI did just as well as I did. It (the AI) had the advantage of freedom of transfers, but, of course, it didn't benefit from the Knap's tactics). *** December Matches played in December 9 points out of 9. I had no illusions about the Cup match, as San Gwann is a team from the first league which, in addition, played this season in the continental competitions. However, it surprises me that my team does continues to play well. In the previous seasons our good form lasted until the middle of November, after which a slump followed. It's true, this December we only met opponents from the bottom half of the league table, but in the past even such opponents had became "difficult to beat" for us. Even more surprising is the fact that in the xG table we are the leaders, and we even have a significant lead over the teams that are at the top in the league table. Note : I received a new interview offer from a club whose team plays in the first league. Of course, I wasn't interested. *** January - February Matches played in January and February 9 points out of 9 ! I'm really surprised by the mental resilience of my team. Moreover, I'm surprised by the fact that we're unusually lucky, even though we played worse than at the beginning of the season. In the match against Attard we won ... but we weren't better at all. Also, in the last match, the one played against Mqabba, we created very few opportunities but we scored 4 goals (the last one, the winning goal, being scored in the 90th+2nd minute) Also, I was surprised by the drop in form of all opponents fighting for the first places. In the last three months Marsa obtained only 12 points out of 21, Mtarfa 13 out of 24, St. Andrews 7 out of 18 and Gudja only 5 out of 18 ! Even Sannat, who obtained slightly better results, obtained only 10 points out of 15. On the other hand, the end of the season might be difficult for us. In the last 5 rounds we'll meet Marsa, St. Andrews, Gudja and Mtarfa : *** March The first match : we "solved the problem" of qualification (at least) for the play-off : The second match. That's it, it's over. We're promoted to the first league ! *** Matches played in March An exceptional performance. However, some questions arise : "why ? How was it possible "? Why didn't the team "forget" to play football after half a season ? No, I don't use editors and I haven't used reload even once. The save was (re)started in July, closed on December 31 (FM time), (re)started the next day (real time) on December 31 and closed in June (FM time). How, team's morale ? Another surprising aspect : it's not very good. I have a lot of unhappy players because of their contracts. Why did these players not influence the morale of the whole team ? Why in xG table not only were we no longer unlucky but we were even lucky (+8) ? We played excessively offensive ... but conceded a relative low number of goals. Why did the teams from the 3rd league (a league which is at most 10-15% weaker than the 2nd league) give us more problems than the teams from the second league ? Our reputation ? It was not very high even when we were playing in the 3rd league. Unanswered questions... *** Some details : Player stats Best 7 players' profiles (based on average ratings) Best eleven (2030-31 and overall) Competitions / Final league table (26 rounds) Transfers Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions Club reputation. For unknown reasons, the reputation started working (more) correctly. We climbed from 26th place (at the beginning of the season) to 20th place (at the end of it), and that's even before we receive any extra points for promotion on the season change day. Finances Club facilities (worse than in 2023, we still don't have youth facilities) / Manager's attributes (I still don't have any coaching licence) *** Youth intake 2031 We received at least two very good young players. At least 3 more players have good attributes and an quite good personality, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to develop in the future. *** Maltese leagues (tables) 2030-31 Maltese Cup 2030-31 / Maltese Amateur Cup 2030-31 ***
  4. Links to previous seasons : Estonia : First season (2023), first half / First season (2023), second half / Second season (2024), first half / Second season (2024), second half / Third season (2025), first half / Third season (2025), second half / Fourth season (2026) / Fifth season (2027) / Sixth season (2028) / Seventh season (2029) ********** 2030 John X / EstHam United Tallinn, Estonia / 8th season As usual, I started the new season with a "winter cleaning". Initial squads at the beginning of January : The main squad (attributes) / The U20's squad (attributes) / The U18's squad (attributes) *** Released players Transfers (none) *** The squads before the start of the championship : The main squad ( 7 players were brought from the U20's and U18's squads) The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** Competitions. Same as last year : the 2nd league and the Estonian Cup. The objectives set by the Board are the same as last year. The media prediction is also somewhat similar, although our odds have dropped from 5-1 (in 2029) to 9-1. We also played some friendly matches. The results are not very important, but the shameful defeat against Soccernet (a team from the 5th league!) should be noted. It's true, in that match I only used reserve players, but that can't explain this result. In any case, although the team played mediocre in these friendlies, its morale continues to be good enough. *** February - March Matches played in February Matches played in March Only 10 points out of 24. More than that, I can't even say that we were unlucky. On the contrary : in the second match (against Laanemaa) we deserved at most a draw. In the fourth (against Levadia U21) the same, at most a draw. We played very well only one match, the one against Ganvix. What's worse is that in the last match we met the last ranked team, Tulevik, which until then had won only 2 points out of 21 possible. Result ? 5-0 for Tulevik !!! It was probably the most embarrassing result I have "achieved" so far in this double career... *** April - May Matches played in April Matches played in May 7 points out of 24. Only 7 points. I couldn't say that we played worse than in March, but we cannot be lucky "forever". In fact, in 3 of the 7 matches the team played really well (the matches against Elva, Kalju U21 and Levadia U21). Unfortunately, in the last two matches we conceded the equalizing goal in the 90th + 5th minute and 90th + 2nd minute). Also, the team played well for 76 minutes in the match against Laanemaa, a match ended 2-2. But the last 14 minutes were terrible : two goals conceded, plus a penalty missed by the opponents. (In fact, in these last 14 minutes my players didn't react to anything. They simply waited for the opponents to attack without trying to recover and keep the ball. Obviously, the opponents didn't need some additional invitation ...) At the end of May I reviewed the first half of the season and, of course, I concluded that things are not going as I would like. As a result of deep thought and the unpleasant sensations caused by looking at the league table, I have decided that I'll not only give up the current tactic, but also give up the 4-2-4 2DM Wide configuration. Until the end of this season I will use one (or more?) tactics in the 4-4-2 2DM configuration. *** June Matches played in June We were veeery lucky in the match against Tulevik. As for the other 4 matches played... we won only one point . For some reason the new configuration does not work as I would like. Should I go back to 4-2-4 ? I thought a lot (about 3 seconds) and, in the end, I decided that I'll change the tactics, but not the configuration. For now ... *** July Matches played in July Well, now it's much better! My players instantly remembered some difficult concepts like "marking an opponent", "intercepting the ball", "passing the ball to a teammate", and even "goal scoring". Using these tactics that improve players' memory is a real pleasure sometimes. However, our situation remains quite complicated, despite the 7 points that separate us from 8th place. In the xG table this difference is much smaller (and in June it was even worse). Note: it's true, we were very lucky in the match against the leader, Maardu, but we were unlucky in the previous match, the one against Ganvix. *** August Matches played in August Well ... Let's assume that you are a real manager. Or only a FM manager, doesn't matter. Your team is next playing against a team that is fighting hard to try to avoid relegation. Of course, a win is mandatory. Even with 1-0, with a goal scored in the 90th+5th minute. A draw would be a really bad result. A defeat would be a catastrophe. Then, your players enter the pitch ... and play like this : Well, I have some reasons to suspect that during, but especially at the end of the match, that manager will immediately be invaded by the most positive feelings ... By the way : at the end of the month I changed tactics again. *** September - October Matches played in September and October (and stats of these matches) We were lucky in the matches against Elva, Ganvix and Maardu. We were unlucky in the matches against Kalju U21, Tulevi and Nomme. In total, 7 points out of 21. We didn't deserve more. But, more importantly, we were lucky that FM didn't really want us to be relegated. I say this because both Nomme and Kalju U21 did not achieve much better results than ours, which allowed us to avoid not only the relegation but also the playoffs. Conclusion : I don't like 4-4-2 2DM. And I think that 4-4-2 2DM doesn't like me either. It is a clear case of divorce. Next season I will return to 4-2-4 2DM Wide. *** Some details : Player stats Compared to the previous season, many players I expected to play well actually played poorly. In fact, in terms of attributes, the player who currently has the highest attributes in the main squad (Davison) played much worse than the player who has the lowest attributes (Ladygin). The difference seems to come from the fact that Ladygin has high levels of acceleration, agility and pace... and Davison does not. Best eleven (2030 and overall) Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions Transfers Club reputation. At this moment we're the 15th club in Estonia. this after last year we were 17th, and two years ago we were in 22nd place. *** Youth intake 2030 In terms of attributes and personality, we received only one player worth noting. I hope he'll develop good (and quick) , because we really need more effective strikers *** Estonian leagues (tables) 2030 Estonian Cup 2030 ***
  5. Links to previous seasons : Malta : First season (2023-24) / Second season (2024-25) / Third season (2025-26) / Fourth season (2026-27) / Fifth season (2027-28) / Sixth season (2028-29) ***** 2029-2030 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 7th season As in previous seasons, the first thing I did was to identify the players I no longer need : Initial squads at the beginning of July : The main squad / The U20's squad / The U18's squad The main squad - attributes / The U20's squad - attributes / The U18's squad - attributes *** Released players Transfers (none) *** The squads before the start of the championship : The main squad I brought 8 players from the U20. It is interesting that 5 of these 8 players had a very good season in the U20 team last year. The 6th, striker Debattista played for U18 in the previous season and had an exceptional season : 61 games played, 75 goals scored. The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** Competitions. As in previous years, we'll play in the 3rd league (two groups of 8 teams, each team will play 28 matches each). We'll also play in the National Amateur Cup (Cup of the lower leagues). Regarding the league, we "changed" the group. So. we'll play in group A, unlike the last two years, when we played in group B. The objectives are the same as last year. Regarding the media prediction, our odds have improved a little (from 450-1 to 250-1). We also played some friendly matches. The results were ... let's say "mediocre". We lost the match played against a stronger team (Qrendi, 2nd league), a defeat that was somewhat expected ... but we were also humiliated by Rabat Ajax, a team playing in the 4th league ! In any case, the team morale is good, at least for now. *** August - September Matches played in August and September A very good start to the season. Unfortunately, I can't be very confident because I've seen "this movie" in previous seasons as well : 3-4 months with very good results followed by a mediocre second half of the season. At the end of August, elections were held at the club. We have a new president and a new Board, but there are no other interesting (= useful) news. The financial situation of the club is really bad, and this means that in the future we may enter into administration. I hope that this will not happen in the coming months. *** October Matches played in October 7 points out of 9. Everything is good ... for now. *** November I knew it ... Matches played in November We started the month badly. In the first match we played a bit better than the opponent, Siggiewi, we had more chances to score ... but we lost. In the next match, however, we played very well (scoring chances ratio : 10-2 for us), although the opponent was exactly the same team, Siggiewi. Then followed three matches in which we struggled. In the 270 minutes of play, we shot at the target 67 times...but we hit it only 14 times. I tried various changes to the tactics, and the only result obtained was that in the last match the ratio of chances to score was 8-1 for us ... but the final result was 0-0. Was team's morale to blame ? it seems ... not. Was the tactic to blame ? It seems ... not. However, because I had no other idea, I changed the tactic (that is, I replaced a Knap 4-2-3-1 DM Wide tactic with another Knap 4-2-3-1 DM Wide tactic). (Note : the league table reminded me of the scenario from the last two seasons : a very good start for us, after which the team in second place was going to get very good results, and we were going to fight with the teams in the 3rd and 4th places. However, in this case, the second place team, Siggiewi, is newly promoted from the 4th league. In previous years we were overtaken by teams that were favorites anyway. It would therefore be quite embarrassing for us to be hindered even by a newly promoted team ... ) *** December Matches played in December We started the month with a clear victory, but we continued it with a series of matches in which the team oscillated between very good moments ... and ridiculous ones. We only won 7 points out of 15, but, fortunately, Siggiewi doesn't feel better either (also 7 out of 15) and the other team in the area of the first three places, Oratory, has about the same trend (9 points out of 15) I received a new interview invitation from a first league club. Of course, I'm not interested. (Note : it's normal to receive such invitations because at the beginning of my career I didn't check the "add staff" option. So there are very few managers available for clubs that need something like this). *** January Matches played in January 4 points out of 9. After two very good matches (the Cup match included), the team started to oscillate again. Considering the way the boys played, we deserved to win 4 points ... but we only got one. However, there is a positive aspect : my offensive players started to be more efficient. For now, the results of the opponents continue to be advantageous for us : Siggiewi got (only) 5 points out of 9, Oratory one point out of 6 and Melliena 8 points out of 15. *** February and March Matches played in February and March Well, surprising or not, we promoted to the 2nd league! Mathematically speaking, there is no way for us to lose one of the first two places, and this because in the case of equal points, the difference in goals is taken into account. I would like to say that this promotion is an effect of my high managerial ability ... but, unfortunately, that is not the case. This promotion is an effect of the weakness of our opponents. A proof ? This is how (embarrassingly) our number one opponent, Siggiewi, played in the (very important !) match against us : In fact, considering last year's results, the main candidates for promotion should have been Melita, Zurieq, St. Andrews (all being relegated from the 2nd league) as well as Fgura and Zeijtun (3rd places in the 3rd league). Well, we were lucky and 4 of these 5 teams were assigned to Group B. We had only one difficult opponent in Group A, Melita (who, by the way, had a very bad season). In addition, our opponents hindered each other and, as a result of this fact, we became the number one favorite for promotion even since February. By the way, just when I thought everything was going very well, my players remembered that they can play very badly. As a result, they managed to lose in a stupid way (goal chances ratio : 3-7 !) the match played against a mediocre team, Kirkop ... Oh, one more thing. Indeed, we qualified for the final of the National Amateur Cup. The competition is not too important, but, of course, no trophy can be refused. As a result, in the final I'll use our best eleven. The opponent in the final, Kercem Ajax, is a 4th league team, so our chances of winning the trophy are really high. *** April Matches played in April My "wonderful" team played badly in the last matches . So bad that we managed to lose (only by) 1-0 the final of the Amateur Cup. Frankly speaking, this defeat was a great success for us, considering the fact that Kercem Ajax played much better than us and could have won by a bigger margin ... Okay, maybe complacency was to blame. But if somehow we play like this in the 2nd league, I'm really afraid that survival in this league will be very difficult for us. *** Some details : Player stats (Note : At the beginning of the season I was talking about an extremely promising young striker, Debattista, who played 61 games in the U18 team and scored no less than 75 goals. Unfortunately, it seems that not everything that works for the U18 works as well for the main team. The boy played almost 900 minutes but only managed to score one goal (and other 3 from penalties). In addition, he missed a 4th penalty ...) Team stats (Note : Another proof for the fact that our promotion was possible only because of the low level of the opponents in our league group. All the teams that have better statistics than us are in the other group (group B). In fact, we promoted having only 49 points, and this is relevant enough). Best 9 players (based of average rating) Best eleven (2029-30 and overall) *** Competitions Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions Finances (yay, we've passed the 500,000 debt mark again) / Club facilities (worse than in 2023, now we don't even have youth facilities anymore) *** Youth intake 2030 A very good intake, especially considering the fact that we don't have youth facilities. At least 4 players look really good in terms of attributes ... and their personalities are also good enough. *** Maltese leagues (tables) 2029-30 Maltese Cup 2029-30 / Maltese Amateur Cup 2029-30 ***
  6. Links to previous seasons : Estonia : First season (2023), first half / First season (2023), second half / Second season (2024), first half / Second season (2024), second half / Third season (2025), first half / Third season (2025), second half / Fourth season (2026) / Fifth season (2027) / Sixth season (2028) *** 2029 John X / EstHam United Tallinn, Estonia / 7th season As in the case of the career in Malta, in the "Estonian" career we ended up having too many players at the club : 120, of which 61 only in the main team. As a result, a "cleaning" was necessary, applying the same principles (the assistant's opinion, the performance in the previous season and an arithmetic evaluation of the players' attributes). Initial squads at the beginning of January : The main squad / The U20's squad / The U18's squad The main squad - attributes / The U20's squad - attributes / The U18's squad - attributes *** Released players (no less than 28) / Transfers (none) *** The squads before the start of the championship : The main squad (I brought only three players from the U20's squad) The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** Competitions : as in the previous season, we'll participate in two competitions, the 2nd league and the Estonian Cup. The objectives set by our Board are the same, instead, media prediction "offers" us surprisingly good odds, 5-1, which means that now we're the number 3 favorite to win the championship. We played six friendly matches, all against some teams from the lower leagues. My team played very well against the best opponent (Ganvix, 3rd league) and mediocre against the "smaller" teams. In any case, the players' morale is - at least for now - very good. *** February - March Matches played in February Matches played in March 14 points out of 21. Pretty good, but I was expecting something more. We were unlucky in the match played against Elva, 3-3, a match we should have won, if only because the ratio of chances to score was 5-1 for us. But we were also lucky in the penultimate match in March, a match in which we won due to the penalty we received in the 90+2nd minute. Unfortunately, the last match of the series was catastrophic. We were clearly defeated, 4-0, and my team played - at least from a defensive point of view - extremely poorly. *** April Matches played in April A strange month. Not necessarily because of the results (we obtained only 6 points out of 15) but because of the way my team played. In the second game, the one in the Cup against Kalju, we had 6-2 in scoring chances and a good xG. But we lost, 0-2. In the next game (the one against Tulevi) we had a missed penalty, 6-3 in scoring chances, again a good xG ... but the team played extremely poorly in the last half hour. A win followed (4-1 against Flora U21) and then, in the last two matches, we "achieved the performance" of conceding 8 goals without scoring any. It is interesting that the "overall score" of 0-8 was possible even though the ratio of shots on target was 9-13 and the xG ratio was 1.6 - 2.7. Basically, my defensive players made a lot of mistakes, especially when an opponent was about to enter our box. We conceded at least 5 goals simply because my defenders stopped running and waiting for the opponent to run with the ball (or take the ball) and shoot towards the goal. *** May Matches played in May At the beginning of the month I decided to try to adjust the tactics. I also did it until now, but it was strictly about changing the mentality, depending on the score. Now I changed the tempo and passing directness. The first result was very interesting, especially regarding the evolution of the score : It was nice as a Steam achievement. But in fact, we only deserved an equal, at most. In the following matches my team played mediocre (in the second match), quite well, but against an opponent who was not in a good run of form (the third) and very weak (in the last match). So the effects of my tactical changes were extremely limited, maybe with the exception of the fact that the defenders no longer made comical mistakes. As a result, I decided to change the tactics, but keeping the 4-2-4 2DM Wide configuration. (Note : however, according to the xG table, it seems that we were playing really well. Not as brilliant as last year, but good enough. It seems that this "xG table" is very useful, not necessarily to evaluate the way the team plays, but to improve the (human) FM player's morale). *** June - July Matches played in June Matches played in July 17 points out of 24. Not bad at all. However, we were not playing much better, but now we had more luck. TJK Legion played better than us and deserved a win. Then, the match against Tulevik. My team spectacularly came back from 0-2, but, overall, a draw would have been much more fair. And in the match against Paide, a match that we won 3-2, we scored the winning goal from a penalty, in the 90+3rd minute. I find it interesting that between April 8 and July 8 we played 7 away matches. The ratio of shots on target : 30 (my team) - 42 (opponents). xG ratio : 7.9 (my team) - 11.6 (opponents). Goals conceded: 5 - 23 (!) ... and 7 defeats from 7 matches ! I feel like that FM is forced, due to the unrealism of the tactics I use, to "invent" strange developments of the matches. However, this situation seems "explainable". Half of my best eleven "comes" from the 5th league and I received a low number of very good players from the youth intakes. What keeps the team at a reasonably high level are only those unrealistic tactics. More than that, i really think this is the maximum possible level. Not even Knap's tactics can do more with these players. In any case, I find it surprising that, although since the beginning of the season my team has played poorly or very poorly in at least 10 matches, we're only 4 points away from second place and 6 points away from first place. At least theoretically, we would have a reasonable chance of getting promotion or a place (the 2nd) that would allow us to participate in the promotion playoff. *** August Meh ... Matches played in August Honestly, I was expecting something like this. Maybe, if we had been more lucky, we could have won one or two more points in the last two matches, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. *** September - October Matches played in September and October 4th place, 57 points. A very good position, considering the quality of the players I have. Since I won't be able to get the money needed to improve the facilities, it's clear that I can't rely very much on future youth intakes. A solution would be for me to start transferring players, especially experienced players, or to look for very good young players available for a loan. For now, however, I cannot do this because the rules of these careers will only be able to be changed at the beginning of 2033. So... I'll continue with the current rules. *** Some details : Player stats Best 7 players (a selection based on average rating and player position) Best eleven (2029 and overall) Transfers Competitions / Club facilities (no change from 2023) / Manager's attributes Club reputation (at the national level we climbed to the 17th place (out of 104 clubs)) Finances (in August there was a takeover, and now we have a new chairman. The result of this takeover was obtaining a bank loan, with which the club's debts were paid. As a result, we have no more debt. This doesn't mean, however, that we have money to improve our facilities) Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions *** Youth intake 2029 Seems like a pretty good intake. However, out of the first 5 players (sorted by CA), two have a very low determination and two others are unambitious. However, the level of their physical attributes is good, so ... *** Estonian leagues (tables) / 2029 Estonian Cup ***
  7. Links to previous seasons Malta : First season (2023-24) / Second season (2024-25) / Third season (2025-26) / Fourth season (2026-27) / Fifth season (2027-28) ********** 2028-2029 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 6th season At the beginning of the season we have no less than 111 players in the 3 squads. Way too many, especially for a semi-professional club that has debts of over half a million. As a result, I decided to release as many players as possible. I couldn't touch the U18 and U20 youths because they had youth contracts and I couldn't have released them except by paying them compensations. So, I released only players "aged 20 or more". But that was also a problem because I don't trust my staff's abilities. As a result, I decided to take into account three aspects : the staff evaluation, the performance of the player in the last season and an arithmetic evaluation of the players according to their attributes and position (considering the physical and mental attributes as being more important than the technical ones). Initial squads at the beginning of July : The main squad / The U20's squad / The U18's squad The main squad - attributes / The U20's squad - attributes / The U18's squad  - attributes *** Released players Transfers (no new player came... but instead we lost a really good player) *** The squads before the start of the championship : The main squad (I brought six players from the U20's and U18's squads) Best 10 players we have in the main squad (selection based on the "stars" awarded by my assistant manager) The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** Competitions. Just like last year, we will participate in the 3rd league and also in the National Amateur Cup. The objectives set by the Board for this season are the same. The media prediction is also the same : we were considered the weakest team in the league ... and we are still considered the weakest team in the league. However, here is something that intrigues me. Last year our odds were 150-1. They are now down to 300-1. Why ? In the last two seasons we ranked 2nd and 4th. We didn't lose many important players, and the players we released didn't seem to be very good. It's not very clear what is happening. We also played some friendly matches. The results were "normal": we lost against second league teams (Zabbar, Mtarfa) but we performed quite well in the matches played against "small" teams. It 's interesting that we had the opportunity to play on a field whose surface was "clay". The general appearance of the stadium was quite strange. As for the team's morale, this is good. Unfortunately, we have some unhappy players, but I have nothing to do. We have no money. I can offer them no more than 1 euro for every match they'll play. I don't think they would be interested. *** August - September Matches played in August and September A very good start to the season, 16 points out of 18. It's true, in the match against Luqa we were lucky to get a draw, as my team played quite poorly. *** October Matches played in October 15 points out of 18. A good month. I would have said "very good", especially because we beat Luga, but unfortunately in the other important match of the month, against Birzebbuga, we lost with a humiliating score (1-4). In this match my boys played extremely poorly and, anyway, our chances were small even if they would have played better because it's difficult to get point/s in a game in which the opponent benefits from two penalties. *** November What (...) was that ?!? Matches played in November Matches played in November (stats only) So, the team that won (at the beginning of the season) 31 points in 12 games played instantly transformed. Now it's a tired, disjointed team, which hardly manages to concentrate to play reasonably good from time to time. Yes, we won a match and played better than the opponent (Kalkara) in the second game. But we lost 9 points out of 12 against some mediocre teams like Kalkara, Oratory and Naxxar. In the first match of the month Oratory even humiliated us (number of chances created : 0-7). And, in the last two matches, our opponent did almost everything they wanted on the field. How can be explained this sudden collapse ? I have no idea ... There are some problems related to the morale of a few players, but overall the team shouldn't be greatly affected. What should be done ? For now, I'll change the tactics (but, of course, I'll keep the same configuration, 4-2-3-1 2DM Wide). *** December Matches played in December The reaction of the game (FM) was interesting ... and hilarious. Two matches easily won (4-0, 3-0), after which FM realized that something was wrong. I mean, yes, I changed the tactics, but FM didn't think that the team should play so well. As a result, we clearly lost the match played against Luqa, which, after all, was to be expected. What's worse is that after that we were defeated just as clearly by Nadur, a really weak team. My boys shot a lot, but especially from outside the box. The opponents didn't complicate themselves so much, they countered whenever they had the opportunity, shot 5 times, had 4 CCC and scored 4 goals ... Fortunately for us the team in first place, Luqa, is not in a very good shape either (7 points out of 12 in November and, likewise, 7 points out of 12 in December). But that does not mean that we have secured the second place because Zejtun have obtained 22 points in the last 10 matches they played, and Birzebugga have played three matches less than us. I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of the season we'll be (again) only in 4th place (At the end of December I received an invitation to a job interview from a club whose team is in the first league. Considering the current situation of this team, it could be said that it would have been a really difficult challenge. For the time being, the rules of this career don't allow me to move to another club, but even if I had been allowed, I would probably have avoided this kind of challenge). *** January Well, this is exactly what I needed right now ... However, I was expecting something like this. Even after the sale of our facilities we continue to have very large debts. Honestly, I don't know to what extent future youth intakes will be affected. Probably the next intake will not be affected, but the following ... *** In the championship, we had a month break. The competition was not interrupted, but we didn't play a single match. In fact, we played, but only friendly matches. We met opponents from the lower leagues (5th, 4th, 5th), and the results were mediocre. I got bored of changing tactics all the time, so I did various experiments. Until now, I only change the mentality, and that rarely. Now I tried to change tempo and passing directness. Look like a lower tempo seems to have some positive effect. I'll check this in the next matches. *** February Matches played in February We didn't play much better, but we got somewhat better results. In other words, we had a bit more luck. We were also lucky in terms of the results obtained by the opponents fighting for the first places. Zejtun managed only 3 points out of 9 and Birzebugga only 6 out of 18 (!). Theoretically, we have a chance even for first place, but only if we manage to beat Luqa in the next match. We'll play in our stadium, so, we have a small advantage. *** March Thank you very much, FM. It was an extremely pleasant experience. I do not doubt the fact that in any important match the referee "gives" two red cards to the team playing at home, plus a penalty against this team. Very realistic, indeed ... After the second red card, the match turned into a circus. Luqa missed opportunity after opportunity, at the end of the match the scoring chance ratio being 5 (my team) - 14 (Luqa). Another detail should be noted : in the 28 rounds of the championship, my team "got" 3 (three !) red cards. And two of the three were received in this match. *** After this match, everything turned into real madness. In the next match we were going to play against the last ranked team, Kalkara. At one point the ratio of shots on goal was 6 (my team) 0 (Kalkara). Who scored at the next shot on target ? Kalkara, of course. Who missed a few (many) scoring chances ? Us, of course. Who won ? Needless to say, relegated teams are known to be even more efficient than Manchester City, especially when you really need a win against them. Next match. Opponent : Nadur. That is, the team ranked second to last. The first shot on target for Nadur : 1-0. The second shot on target for Nadur : 2-0. My team played quite bad, I agree, but this sequence pissed me off. Of course, we lost this match as well. Matches played in March *** April Last round. Who will we play against ? "Coincidence", exactly against the team with which we were fighting for the second place, namely Zejtun. We got zero points in the last 3 games. Zejtun have obtained 6 points in the last 4 games, that is exactly as much as they needed to equalize us on points. Why didn't they win more points ? Probably the ending would not have been spectacular enough. It's just an opinion. We have a bigger goal difference, and that means that a draw would be enough for us to qualify for the playoff : How did the team "zero points from 3 matches" manage to score 5 goals in only one match ? I have no idea. That's what FM wanted. I didn't change anything. I'm curious what will be the will of his majesty FM in the next match, the one in the playoffs. By the way, the match was balanced, and the big key to success was called, simply, "luck". *** Playoff We played against the team ranked second in the other group, Sannat Lions. A very good team, probably better than us, but which in the last 4 matches won only 3 points. So, they aren't in a really good run of form. Yes, we would have needed some luck even now. Not a lot, just a little. But I quickly knew that FM would not agree with this idea. In the 20th minute, the opponents had already 2-0 ... the two goals being scored from their only two shots on target ... *** Some details : Player stats (As I said: we received only 3 red cards in the 28 championship matches ... plus the two matches played in the Cup. And two of these three card were received in only one match) Competitions Facilities / Finances / Transfers *** Well, actually... why am I nervous ? It's just a game. I can give it up at any time and do something else. The problem is that I want to know why a certain thing is happening. For example, this one : Why in the last 3 years the "Maltese" career meant a very good first half of the season and a poor second half ? It can't be a simple coincidence as long as it happened 3 times in a row ... What, my tactics I used are to blame? Then why were they not "to blame" in the case of the U20 and U18 competitions ? I used exactly the same tactics in these competitions : Do I have some "very good youngsters" ? My young players were "produced" by some minimal facilities perfectly similar to the facilities available to the other clubs. How can be my players much better than other clubs' players ? But there is also something else. For example, media prediction. In June 2027 our odds were 150-1. In 2028 they were 300-1. Now they have reached ... 450-1. Why ? Has the club's reputation declined ? Yes. But why ? When I took over the club, we were the 60th club out of a total of 67. In 2026, the year of promotion to the 3rd league, we became the 35th club. After 2 years, in 2028, we were the 36th. Now, in 2029, we have reached the 39th place. This after 3 seasons finished in 2nd, 4th and 2nd place. Is it a bug ? Then why doesn't it also apply to my career in Estonia ? Media prediction 2027 : 50-1. Media prediction 2028 : 25-1. Media prediction 2029 : 9-1 (!). Facilities in Estonia : the same as in Malta. Club reputation in 2029 : 22nd place out of 106 clubs, this after we were in 85th place in 2026. Very strange... Of course, there is another question. Why don't I use reload if the way a match is going bothers me. Because I didn't pay 50 euros to play this way. If it turns out that the use of reload is mandatory in FM then I'll not buy this game again. *** Youth intake 2029 That "two and a half star" player is really very good. But the others ... Either they have extremely unbalanced attributes, or their personalities are truly mediocre. *** Maltese leagues (tables) / 2028-29 Maltese Cup 2028-29 / Maltese Amateur Cup 2028-29 ***
  8. Links to previous seasons Estonia : First season (2023), first half / First season (2023), second half / Second season (2024), first half / Second season (2024), second half / Third season (2025), first half / Third season (2025), second half / Fourth season (2026) / Fifth season (2027) ********** 2028 John X / EstHam United Tallinn, Estonia / 6th season So, EstHam United has promoted and will play in the 2nd league. The competition rules of the second league are identical to that of the third league : 10 teams, each playing 36 matches. We'll also participate (as last year) in the Estonian National Cup. In terms of media prediction, the level of odds are surprising. Naturally, there is a very big favorite (Tammeka), as well as a favorite (TJK). But all the other five teams that are eligible for promotion have extremely close odds ... and I don't understand why. We, for example, should have a lower odds because we have the lowest club reputation in the league. However, our quota is similar to that of other clubs. I really don't understand where this anomaly comes from. (No, I haven't modified anything, I don't use editors or other applications) *** Transfers (none) and released players (Note : I released only two players, which is probably not a very good idea, since we have 107 players at the club (of which only less than 50 are in the main team). I probably should have kicked out at least 20 players, maybe even more, but that would have meant analyzing the whole squad player by player... and at that moment I was too lazy to do it). The main squad The U20's squad / The U18's squad Of course, we played some friendly matches ... and we easily won the first 3 of them. Then something happened : when the problem of setting the collective bonuses came up, I chose the "avoid relegation" option. At that moment, the atmosphere at the club deteriorated, most of the important players complaining that I offered them bonuses that were way too low. It is interesting that from other points of view my players don't have significant reasons for unhappiness. However, immediately after that moment, the team started to play badly in friendly matches, barely managing to get a few draws in some matches that they should have won easily (all opponents being teams from the lower leagues). *** February - March Matches played in February Matches played in March Only 9 points out of 24. It cannot be said that it was a good start to the season. However, there would be some mitigating circumstances. For example, in the first match, the opponents had only one shot in the 90 minutes. That shot was on target, it was goal, and that goal "gave" them a point (FM strikes again !). But that's nothing. In February we could have won 2 or even 3 points more. In March, the same : if we weren't unlucky, we could have even gotten 5 additional points. The only positive aspect of this period was related to morale. My players seem to have "forgotten" about the bonus issue. *** April - May Matches played in April Matches played in May 14 points out of 27. It's really good ... for a newly promoted team. However, April was a bad month. In the two matches that ended 3-3 our defense was way too easy to overcome. In addition, we "managed" to lose again from a goal scored from the only shot on our goal, the opponent being exactly Vaprus, i.e. the team that defeated us using the same "method" (one shot on target = one goal = point/s) in the first match of the season. And, to be everything great, we lost in a humiliating way, 1-4, the match played against Tulevik, the team that at that time was ranked in last place, 10th. All in all, after 17 matches, I can't complain. We are in 4th place and the distance from the "retrogradable" places is quite large, at least for now. It is interesting that in the xG table we're in first place . I find this table quite strange. It's true, we had some bad luck in the first few matches, but it's obvious that we're nowhere near the best team in the league. *** June Matches played in June Almost the whole month was very difficult. We deservedly lost the first two matches, and we achieved the "great performance" of conceding 8 goals in 180 minutes of play. Then we achieved a slightly more positive performance, beating Vaprus, but that's only because the boys from Vaprus didn't hit the target even once. I have to remind, Vaprus are the ones with "one shot on target = one goal = point/s" . In the 4th game we conceded 3 goals again, but luckily we got a draw. As for the last game... FM advertising material: "Are you very tired and bored of the battles against fierce opponents from the second league ? Do you concede countless goals in every match ? We have the optimal solution for you ! We offer you an opponent from the first league ! It will be an easy, pleasant, relaxing experience, and your players will make an unforgettable show" : Yes, Kuressaare plays in the Premier League, the first league in Estonia ... *** July - August Matches played in July Matches played in August We started the month of July with an epic victory against the leader, Tammeka (at their stadium). It was "epic" not only in terms of the result, but also in terms of the 15 goal chances created by the two teams (9-6 for us). We continued the month with two wins and two defeats, all 4 results being fair. I mean, we played badly in two matches out of four. In the first match played in August, of course, we played badly and, of course, we lost. We continued in the same way (playing badly), with two matches in which we shot only once in 90 minutes, and the opponents twice. We won the first match, the opponent Paide U21 being naive ... but we lost the second one because we played against Vaprus, the greatest experts of winning a match from only one shot on target. Finally, in the last match of the month, we won, probably by mistake ... or because our opponents did not hit the goal even once. By the way, I can't explain this miracle of FM. We played against Vaprus 4 times. They won 7 points, we only 4. But they won 7 points having, in total, only 4 shots on target in all 4 matches ... I left the description of the Cup match for last. It was interesting. And we lost. But we lost in a particularly "pleasant" way. I'm really glad that I didn't destroy the keyboard, although I was one step away from doing it : So, we played very well. Which is normal, because Tallinna Kalev is a first league team, so it doesn't compare with the world famous super teams from the second league. In the 90th + 5th minute we scored the 2-1 goal. But that goal was disallowed. Quite frustrating. Quite very frustrating. We continued to play very well and we scored again in the 106th minute. Then I asked the players to keep the ball and focus on keeping the result. The result of their strong concentration ? As can be seen ... *** September - October Matches played in September and October As a result of the exceptional efforts of the whole team, we're the champions ! Yay ! Oh ... sorry, wrong league table. I forgot that the xG table (quite relevant in real life) means almost nothing in FM. So, I rephrase : "As a result of quite good games, as well as the countless mistakes we made, we achieved a good performance, the 4th place". *** Some details : Player stats (yeah, we have way too many players in the squad ...) Best eleven (2028 and overall) Best 9 players (detailed) Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions Finances / Club facilites (the same as in 2023) / Manager's attributes *** Youth intake 2028 Woooooow ! The two "5-star CA" players have quite low attributes, at least in relation to those five stars. But, apart form them, there are at least three other players who have very good attributes and who could probably play in the first eleven in the near future. *** Estonian leagues (tables) / 2028 Estonian Cup / 2028 (Note : indeed, if we had won the Cup match against Tallinna Kalev, then we would have met in the semi-final a team from the 3rd league, Ganvix. The result is hard to foresee, considering the fact that teams from the lower leagues are, logically , much harder to beat than those from the first league. But if somehow we would have managed to qualify for the final... who knows...) ***
  9. 5 (virtual) years have passed since the beginning of the career. In the meantime a lot of events took place. I presented the specific ones (closely related to the two careers) in previous posts. Now I will also present the somewhat less important events ... but which can be interesting (or not). National (domestic) competitions : English Premier Division 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / English FA Cup 2023-28 / Carabao Cup 2023-28 Scottish Premiership 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Scottish Cup 2023-28 Spanish First Division 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Spanish Cup 2023-28 Portuguese Premier League 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Portuguese Cup 2023-28 Italian Serie A 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Italian Cup 2023-28 French Ligue 1 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / French Cup 2023-28 German Bundesliga 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / German Cup (DFB Pokal) 2023-28 Belgian Pro League 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Belgian Cup (Croky Cup) 2023-28 Dutch Premier Division (Eredivisie) 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Dutch Cup 2023-28 Danish Superliga 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Danish Cup (DBU Pokalen) 2023-38 Swiss Super League 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Swiss Cup 2023-28 Austrian Premier Division 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / / Austrian Cup 2023-28 Czech First Division 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Czech Cup 2023-28 Turkish Super League 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Turkish Cup 2023-28 *** Continental competitions : Champions League - Group / League Stage 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 Champions League - Knock-out Stage 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 Europa League - Group / League Stage 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 Europa League - Knock-out Stage 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 Europa Conference League - Group / League Stage 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 Europa Conference League - Knock-out Stage 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 *** National teams competitions : European Championship 2024 - Qualifying European Championship 2024 - Group Stage / Knock-out Stage World Cup 2026 - Qualifying (European Zone) Wold Cup 2026 - Group Stage / Knock-out Stage European Championship 2028 - Qualifying UEFA International League 2024-26 / 2026-28 *** Ranking of the UEFA coefficients Ranking of European national teams World Team 2023-2027 *** Estonia and Malta : Estonia (1st to 4th league) 2023 / 2024 / 2025 / 2026 / 2027 / Estonian Cup 2023-27 / Estonian Small Cup 2023-27 Malta (1st to 4th league) 2023-24 / 2024-25 / 2025-26 / 2026-27 / 2027-28 / Maltese Cup 2023-28 / Maltese Amateur Cup 2023-28 Estonia - Club reputations 2028 Malta - Club reputations 2028 *** Plan for the future development of the career. In the next 5 years (2028-2033) I'll continue my career at the two clubs (EstHam United and Victoria Hotspurs). Also, I'll not bring players from other clubs, so, I'll continue to rely only on the players received at the youth intakes. If in 2033 one or both clubs will not be in the first league then I'll resign and continue these careers at other clubs, from the first league. If I'll be kicked out before 2033, then I'll only apply at those clubs that - at that time - are in the first or second league.
  10. 2027-2028 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 5th season Youth intake 2027 A pretty good intake, which also includes two very good players ... at least from the point of view of their CA "stars". *** Competitions. As in the previous season, we'll participate in two competitions : the 3rd league and the National Amateur Cup (= Cup of lower leagues). The objectives set by the Board are the same (trying to avoid relegation + a reasonable performance in the Amateur Cup). According to media prediction, we're the last favorite to win the league and, of course, the number one favorite for relegation (odds 150-1). Transfers. Of course, no new player came. Instead, we sold a player for the "impressive" amount of 6250. Considering the fact that Matthew Attard was the best player produced by the club (youth intakes) in the last 4 years, I can say that I would have preferred the player and not those (a little) money. But the Board decides ... *** In this career I had exactly the same problem as in my career in Estonia. The players who in 2023 were 16 years old (and youth contracts) are now 20 years old and want "full" contracts. But my club in Malta has much bigger financial troubles than the club in Estonia. As a result, I decided to clean in the main squad. Since the players received from the youth intakes seem to be as good (or sometimes even better) than some of the "old" players in the main team, I released 24 players and brought in another 24 players from at U20's and U18's. (Note : the situation is different in Estonia. There, in 2023, we received very good players for the main team, and many of the players received later at the intakes have a rather low level, lower than those in the main team). The main squad The U20's squad / The U18's squad I had a similar problem (as in Estonia) regarding the team's morale. The players who wanted "full" contracts created a miserable atmosphere in the dressing room. As a result, the team got quite poor results in the 7 friendly matches we played. In the first 6 matches the ratio of shots on target was 32 (my team) - 12 (opponents). Goals scored ? 5 (my team) - 4 (opponents). Immediately after I offered "full" contracts to all these players, morale returned to normal. (Note: "full" contracts mean month-to-month contracts, this because we're "only" a semi-professional club). *** Tactical approach. For four years I used only tactics in the 4-2-3-1 2DM Wide configuration. At the end of the previous season, however, we had troubles and, as a result, I decided that this season I'll use two (or more, if needed) tactics in a different configuration, 4-3-3 DM Wide. *** August - September Matches played in August and September A very good start to the season. It's true, we lost the first match and were kicked out of the Amateur Cup, but in both matches we were unlucky. And if in the championship match the bad luck was ... "reasonable", in the Cup match it was really annoying : the ratio of scoring chances was 9-2 (for us). My team scored 3 goals, the opponents scored 5 (and 3 of their 5 goals were scored from long range shots). Note : Another negative aspect is the fact that we were defeated (in the Cup) by SKVW, i.e. SK Victoria Wanderers. Coincidentally (or not), this is our only rival club, both clubs being from the same (small) town, Victoria. Naturally, this defeat upset both the Board and the supporters, especially considering that at this moment SKVW is just a mediocre team from the 5th league. *** October Matches played in October A pretty good month ... but not as good as I would have liked. We beat the leader (Luqa) in a match in which we didn't really deserve the victory ... but immediately after that we were defeated in a match in which we really deserved to win. *** November Matches played in November Only 4 points out of 12, and I can't even complain. That's about what we deserved, considering the way my team played... *** December Matches played in December 6 points out of 9. At first glance, it's good. At second glance, there are some problems. It's true, we won an important match, against Luqa, but (again) we were lucky because after we scored (from a penalty) the team wasn't able to create any other goal chances and the opponents clearly dominated the second half. Then followed two matches against the teams ranked in the last two places. In the first match we played quite well, but in the second we were pathetic. This second match pissed me off so bad that I decided to kick out the team leader (Shaun Attard). It was probably not a very smart idea, but from a leader I expect him to play better than he did (only about 4 matches out of the 12 he played were really good). By the way, after this match I decided to change the tactics used, but, of course, the new tactics will use the same configuration, 4-3-3 DM Wide. *** January Matches played in January 8 points out of 12. Not bad at all. There are still 6 rounds to play and my objective is to "catch" one of the first two places. If we can rank first, that's perfect. If not, second place and participation in the playoffs would be a very good performance. *** February - March What can I say ? The team played downright catastrophically. Of course, theoretically, we still have a chance to achieve the second place. But, realistically speaking, the respective chances would hardly be visible even under a microscope. *** April Matches played in February, March and April 4th place. It's not very bad, but I expected more. It's interesting that, before the last match, our chances for second place had increased significantly, and this is because Luqa had lost the match played in the penultimate round. It would have been enough for us to win and Luqa to get only a draw in the last match. This last match was very "FM style". Our opponent, Dingli, scored their first goal from their first shot on target. Then they received a penalty and thus scored the second goal ... from their second shot on target. Already at that moment we were just playing for fun, our chances being zero (also because Luqa was leading in their match). But FM didn't give up : it awarded Dingli a second penalty. The third goal, from their third shot on target. The fourth goal followed, scored, of course, from their fourth shot on target. Honestly, I found this match really embarrassing. Not because we lost, but because of this series of goals scored from every shot on target. C'mon, FM, what was that ?!? *** Some details : Player stats and team stats Best eleven (2027-28 and overall) Transfers Competitions *** Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions : It seems that, overall, the tactics used in the new configuration (4-3-3 DM Wide) are effective, as effective as those used in the old configuration. My problem is the quality of the players I have in the main team. Yes, I have good players ... but not good enough to win the 3rd league... at least for now. *** Youth intake 2028 I was expecting slightly better players than these we received. Next year ... maybe ... Previous youth intakes (2023 - 2027) *** Maltese leagues (tables) / 2027-28 ***
  11. 2027 John X / EstHam United Tallinn, Estonia / 5th season Competitions : the 3rd league ("Estonian First B League") will take place according to a different system from that of the 4th league : 10 teams will play 36 matches each. We'll no longer play in the Small Cup (Cup of the lower leagues) but only in the Estonian National Cup. In the media prediction we're considered to be a "relegation" team, but, surprisingly, our odds are quite good (50-1). The objectives set by the Board are, of course, minimal : attempt to avoid relegation and some reasonable results in the Cup. Transfers. Of course, no new player came. As I expected, we lost one of the best players we had. The Frenchman Letellier (30 goals and 24 assists in 68 games played) returned to France. However, there is a good part as we lost only one player from our best eleven. Honestly, I thought that at least 4-5 important players would leave us. Released players. Immediately after January 1, we had a real riot in the locker room. The reason ? The players who in 2023 (at the beginning of my career) were 16 years old are now 20 years old. Until now they had youth contracts, but now, in 2027, these contracts have expired and the players wanted full contracts. It didn't seem like an urgent problem to me because only one player out of the almost 30 rioters was an "influential player". However, later I realized that the problem was really urgent because the team played extremely poorly in friendly matches. As a result, I released 15 players and offered full contracts to the others. However, since we're only a semi-professional club, we cannot offer long-term contracts, but only month-to-month. *** We played 6 friendly matches. As long as the rioters didn't get the contracts they wanted, the results were bad (no win during the first 5 matches, although the opponents were only lower league teams). It's interesting that my team didn't play very badly. Shots on target : 29 (my team) - 13 (opponents). Total xG : 10.2 (my team) - 3.5 (opponents). Goals scored : 3 (my team) - 5 (opponents). Of course, after the players got the desired contracts, the team's morale increased spectacularly. (By the way : I recently saw a "test" that showed that morale has absolutely no effect on the team's results. From here I concluded that some people are really bored. And when they are bored they invent all kinds of strange things. Or maybe they play other games and imagines that they're playing FM. Unfortunately, in FM, morale has very big, even excessively big effects) *** The main squad. (Note : as in previous years, this year too I brought a number of players from the U20's and U18's squads. However, now only one player (Valk, brought from U18's team) has been selected due to his high level. The others were brought to the first team simply because, being 20 years old, they could no longer play in the U20's team). The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** February - March Matches played in February and March A very good start to the season, even exceptional. 15 points out of 21 in the championship. And it could have been more points, considering this match, which ended in a draw, but in which we probably deserved to win with a difference of 3-4 goals. *** April - May Matches played in April Matches played in May 23 points out of 27. A really good series of results. However, the team shows signs that its very good run of form will end in the near future. We won 5-2 the match played against the second place team, Vaprus, but the match was balanced and the fact that after 7 minutes we had 2-0 helped us a lot. Then we got a lucky draw against Ganvid, an embarrassing defeat against Ararat (a 4th league team) and only a draw, 2-2 in a match (against Suure-Jaani) where we had 2-0 after 37 minutes of play. For the moment, our situation is very advantageous. We have 16 points ahead of the 3rd place and, at least for now, we're leaders in the xG table. Normally, we should get the promotion at the end of this season. It's surprising that the team manages to play well and, sometimes, very well despite the fact that we not only lost the second best player (Letellier, who left in January) but even the best player (Kanter, who was seriously injured at the end of March). *** June - July Matches played in June Matches played in July We've got problems. At the end of May we were leaders, but now Vaprus, the leader, has 5 points ahead of us. Worse is that the 16 points we had ahead of the 3rd place were reduced to only 5. We are far from the good form of the first part of the season, and we are also unlucky : 8-4 scoring chances, result 1-1. 9-1 chances to score, result 1-1. 5-3 scoring chances, result 0-2. 4-2 scoring chances (and 10-2 shots on target), result 1-2. However, surprisingly, our advance in xG table increased. I decided to replace the current tactic with a similar one (also based on 4-2-4 2DM). *** August Matches played in August 12 points out of 12 ! No, we didn't play much better, but we weren't unlucky anymore. Or, at least, my strikers suddenly remembered how to shoot correctly at the goal. In addition, Kanter, our number one player, is also back on the pitch. He's not in good shape, but still, his return really matters. I received an interview offer from a club in the Estonian first league (Premier League). Their team is in a very difficult situation, but I'm busy for the moment. So, I declined the offer. *** September Matches played in September So, we promoted to the second league ("First League" is the name of the Estonian 2nd league). In fact, we promoted after the match (won) against Ganvix, so 5 rounds before the end. In any case, according to the xG table, it seems that our promotion was fully deserved. Interestingly (or maybe not), it seems that FC Tallinn specialized in getting points against us with only two shots on target. In July they won with 2-1, now they got a 2-2, and in both matches they hit the target only twice. *** October Matches played in October As expected ... *** Some details : Player stats Best 12 players Best eleven (2027 and overall) (Note : very few players produced by the club in recent years could enter the best 11 / the best 18. Out of the 64 players received at intakes during the last 4 years only 5 players entered this list). *** Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions. Club facilities (the same as in 2023). Finances (we lose money and "gain" debts ...) The manager (I developed quite well, but I still have the National C licence only) *** Youth intake 2027 The best (two) players received at this intake. Youth intakes 2023 - 2027 *** Estonian leagues (tables) / 2027 ***
  12. 2026-2027 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 4th season Youth intake 2026 *** Competitions. We'll play in the 3rd league, and this means that we will no longer participate in the various local Cups. But we'll not be allowed to play in the national cup of Malta either. As a result, we'll participate in two competitions : the 3rd league and the National Amateur Cup (= Cup of lower leagues). The 3rd League will take place according to a different system compared to the leagues we have participated in until now. There are two groups of 8 teams each, and each team will play 4 rounds, i.e. 28 matches. The team ranked first in each group will promote to the 2nd league, the teams ranked second will participate in the promotion playoff, and the last two ranked in each group will be relegated. *** As expected, in the media prediction we're considered a team that will fight to avoid relegation (15th place, 200-1 odds). The board set the objectives with this prediction in mind. Of course, the players we have (and the set of tactics I use ) will allow me to easily get a much better position in the table. *** Transfers (none) and released players. We played 7 friendly matches (the first, lost 4-2, against a team from the 2nd league, and the other 6 against some teams from lower leagues). As before, we used many young players from U20's and U18's teams , and some of these players (more precisely, 4) proved to be good enough to be promoted to the main squad. The main squad. The U20's squad. The U18's squad. *** August - September Matches played in August and September Yes, I agree, it's crazy. A newly promoted team (and which until then had never played in the 3rd league) scores 9 goals in its first game. Even I was surprised by what I was seeing. It was as if I had watched a Chuck Norris movie. *** October - November Matches played in October Matches played in November In October we won 12 points out of 15. A good record, but there was also a problem : in the only match that we lost, my team played very badly. Then, in November, we started with a series of 3 bad results (although in all these 3 new matches we played quite well and deserved at least a draw in the first two matches and a win in the third). (Since at that moment I suspected that the FM "no longer likes" the tactic I was using, I changed the tactic, but I continued to use the same configuration (4-2-3-1 2DM)) *** December Matches played in December Only 5 points out of 12. Moreover, the last 3 matches were similar to the November "series". We played better than the opponents, but due to bad luck we lost at least 4 points. *** January - February We lost 3 quite important players. It was to be expected, of course, but the fact that two of them left us for clubs in the lower Maltese leagues seemed stupid to me. I mean, why would a player who played in the first eleven in the 3rd league prefer a club from the 5th league ? Or, even more hilarious, from the 6th league ? FM's imagination has no limits... Matches played in January and February 9 points out of 18, and the team is playing weaker and weaker. If until now it happened that the team plays well but has bad luck, now it's not about bad luck but simply a sign of a sharp drop in form. Anyway, after that match we lost against Rabat Ajax I decided to change the tactics again, but not to give up the 4-2-3-1 2DM configuration. *** March - April Matches played in March Matches played in April After 3 matches won using the new tactic (4-0, 5-1, 5-2), a series of 4 defeats followed. Sure, I could say that both against Rabat Ajax and against Marsaskala, the team didn't really play badly and maybe they didn't deserve to lose both games. But, overall, we are in a massive decline in form. Besides, even the game (FM) told me : 4-2-3-1 2DM is bad ! Very bad ! I shouldn't use something so bad, especially since with the help of this "bad" I got 3 promotions. Unfortunately, I used this "bad thing" too much, that is, for about 4 years. Even FM has a limit of patience. *** However, even a second place ranking can be considered a very good performance for a newly promoted team... especially if that second place allows participation in the promotion playoff. So, we'll play in the promotion playoff against Mtarfa. A team that achieved, like us, 48 points in 28 matches. The problem is that we only got 6 points in the last 6 matches played, while Mtarfa got 17 points in the last 8 matches. In other words, they are in good run of form ... and we aren't. At this moment I decided to change not only the tactics but also the configuration. Since the playoff will take place in the "one match, neutral stadium" system, my option could be useless. A new configuration might not have an effect right from the first match, especially when the team's morale is very low. But I have no choice. Using the old configuration we would have lost 100%. Using the new configuration, at least I feel like I'm doing something, even if we lose. *** We lost : I have no reason to complain. Mtarfa was obviously the better team. *** Some details : Player stats and team stats Best 10 players Best eleven (2026-27 and overall) *** Competitions Transfers and released players Finances. We "have" debts of over 440,000 and our sources of income are totally insufficient. Therefore, there is no chance to improve our facilities and it 's unlikely that the Board will allow me to take a coaching course. As a result, after 4 years I still don't have any coaching licence. *** The U20's and U18's competitions take place in a very "strange" system. It's about 16 teams that play each other 4 times, which means that each team plays 60 matches during a season. It's probably an error, but it seems interesting to me because basically these competitions turn into a real test for the tactics used. Of course, both the U20's team and the U18's team use the same tactics that I use with the main team : *** Maltese leagues (tables) / 2026-27 ***
  13. 2026 John X / EstHam United Tallinn, Estonia / 4th season The 4th season will be similar to the second and third. The same three competitions, the same objectives (avoid relegation and some reasonable results in the two Cups), even the same media prediction (50-1, 14th place). Transfers (none) and released players. The staff (only four people : two managers, an assistant manager and a HOYD). Club facilities (same as in 2023, at the beginning of the career). *** We played several (five) friendly matches, matches in which we also used some young players considered by HOYD to be good enough to be at least reserves for the main team. Our club does not produce very good young players (not even compared to other clubs in the same league), but for now even these few slightly better players are good enough for us. The main squad The U20's squad / The U18's squad *** February - March Matches played in February Matches played in March A series of surprisingly good results, even if the elimination from the cup was a bit shameful, considering the fact that Hell Hunt is, after all, a 5th league team. *** April - May Matches played in April and May Wow ! 24 points out of 24 I don't know how these exceptional results can be explained. The team isn't much better than in the previous season, and the tactics used are exactly the same from the end of that season. However, we not only did get better results, but the team's play was better, at least according to the xG table. *** June - July Matches played in June and July In the first game we were really unlucky ... and in the following ones the team started to play more and more poorly. It was expected. After all, our very good run of form could not last forever. *** August - September Matches played in August and September Only 5 points out of 12. Fortunately, at the end of May the difference between us and the team ranked 2nd (Ganvix) was 12 points, enough to give us the first chance for first place and direct promotion. However, it would be desirable to not lose in the direct match we'll play against Ganvix in the 25th round. In the xG table we continue to be leaders, although the difference between us and Ganvix has decreased. *** October Matches played in October We won the West/South series of the 4th league and, thus, we managed to get promotion to the 3rd league. A good performance, of course, but I have to admit : we were lucky. If this competition had 30 games, we would probably have ranked second. And not because Ganvix is an extremely good team. In their direct match both teams played mediocre (at most !). It seems that the general level of this league is low, so it is very possible that next season will be very difficult for us as newly promoted to the 3rd league... especially since this league consists of only 10 teams and up to 4 teams of these 10 can be relegated. *** Some details : Player stats Best 5 players Best eleven (2026 and overall) Note: the club has so far received three generations of young players, in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Of the 48 players we received, only two were good enough to secure a place among the best 18 players of the 2026 season. What will happen if 4-5 important players will leave us ? It's quite worrying. And, unfortunately, we're starting to have financial problems, and this means that our facilities will remain as undeveloped in the future as they were in 2023. Competitions Transfers Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions. As in the case of the "Maltese" career, also in Estonia the club's reputation grew a lot with the promotion to the 3rd league. If at the middle of the season we were only 86th out of 106 Estonian clubs, once we won the league we climbed to 57th place (!!). *** Estonian leagues (tables) / 2026 Estonian Cup and Estonian Small Cup 2023 - 2026 *** Youth intake 2026 ***
  14. 2025-2026 Michael X / Victoria Hotspurs, Malta / 3rd season Competitions. When we played in the 6th league, we participated in 4 Cups. In the 5th league, the number of Cups we participated in dropped to only 3. Now, in the 4th league we'll participate in only one Cup (National Amateur Cup = Cup of the lower leagues), plus the Gozo Island Supercup (and this because we won the 5th league in the last season) Media prediction. Surprisingly, although we are newly promoted to the 4th league, we don't have the lowest odds. It's true, our odds are only 10th out of 11 teams, but, anyway, it's much better than it was at the beginning of last season (then it was 600-1, now it's 150-1, even if the teams we'll play against are obviously better). As far as I know, the odds depend on the reputation of the club and the quality of the players. The reputation of the club hasn't significantly increased in the last 2 years (in 2023 we were the 56th club in Malta, now, in 2025 we are the 58th. The lower leagues have a very low reputation and winning them does not add many points). So, it's clear that now we have better players, and this is probably due to the youngsters I brought to the main team from the U20's and U18's teams. Transfers and released players. *** The team played 6 friendly matches. I selected all 3 squads and asked our HOYD (who is also my assistant manager) to select the players ("slight rotation" and "more rotation"). I brought in the main team all the players (no less than 11) from the U20's and U18's squads that he considered good enough for the first eleven. The main squad. The U20's squad. The U18's squad. *** August - September Matches played in August Matches played in September We started the season poorly, with a defeat in the GFA Super Cup. A series of 5 exceptional matches followed (13 points out of 15), including a 10-2 away win. Unfortunately, in the last 4 matches the team played more and more poorly and only got one point. It's true, we were also unlucky because both in the second match (2-3) and the last (0-1) we probably deserved at least a draw. *** October - December Matches splayed from October to December Only 4 points out of 12. The series of bad luck continued, because in the second and third matches we conceded 4 goals from 5 shots on target. More annoying is the fact that, according to the xG table, although we play mediocre, our opponents don't play very well either ... but they manage to collect points and we don't. To be honest, before the start of the championship I would have been very satisfied with a 6th place. But after that series of wins in the first rounds, missing out on promotion would have been frustrating, especially considering the large number of teams (4) that were going to promote. So, I decided to replace the main tactic (= I replaced one Knap tactic with another Knap tactic) but not to give up the 4-2-3-1 2DM configuration *** January - February Matches played in January and February We didn't play much better than from September to December, but we won 11 points out of 15 now. In the last 3 rounds we are going to play against the teams ranked 6th (Attard) and 5th (Ta'Xbiex), but the fact that we have a big goal difference gives us an advantage, so probably 4 points won in these last 3 games would be enough for promotion. *** March - April Matches played in March and April In the first match we had 2-1 in the 82nd minute ... but we stupidly lost a match that we could have won very easily. Fortunately for us, the next match (won by us) as well as the opponents' semi-failures ensured our promotion with one round before the end. (Note : In fact, theoretically, we could still have missed the promotion, but only if we had lost the last match 12-0). All in all, it seems that, at least according to xG table, we deserved this promotion. *** Some details : Player stats. Best eleven (2025-26 and overall). Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions. Club reputation. Surprisingly, in just one year our reputation has grown significantly. At the beginning of the season we were 58th out of 67 Maltese clubs. Now we have just reached the 35th place (!!). I don't know where this spectacular growth comes from. *** Finances. Our financial situation is extremely bad. Because in 2023 we started this career directly as a semi-professional club and the club's sources of income are minimal, we ended up having debts of over 300,000 after only 3 years. Unfortunately, this bad situation prevents me from improving the facilities (which are exactly as undeveloped as in 2023). Worse is that our Board invokes the financial situation every time I request a coaching course : in December the Board did not allow me to start the coaching course for the lowest licence (national C licence ) even if the same Board was very enthusiastic about "unbelievable job" I'm doing. Then, in April, after three consecutive promotions, the same "very happy" Board refused me a coaching course again ... However, even though I don't have a coaching license, some clubs in the Maltese first league keep inviting me for job interviews. And if in December I was invited by a club whose team was in last place, in May the invitation came from a club (Sliema) that ended the competition just one point away from a place in the Conference League. *** Maltese leagues (tables) / 2025 - 26 Youth intakes 2023 - 2025
  15. June - December 2025 John X / EstHam United FC, Estonia / the end of the third season June - July Matches played in June and July Only 6 points out of 15. The month of June was extremely bad, although in this match we probably deserved more than a defeat. In any case, starting with July I used another tactic, but without giving up the 4-2-4 2DM configuration. *** August - October Matches played in August, September and October 16 points out of 21 and, finally, 6th place. Unfortunately, a weaker performance than last year (4th place). *** Some details : Player stats. Best eleven (2025 and overall). Transfers and released players. Competitions. Tables of the U20's and U18's competitions. *** Youth intake As in the previous intakes, we receive players with a fairly good PA. But their CA is pitiful and their development possibilities are extremely limited, considering the facilities we (don't) have. ********** Estonian leagues (tables) / 2025 ********** This is the last post in this format. Since I noticed that the story of two different careers in the same post can cause some confusion, I decided that from now on, a separate post will be dedicated to each season of a career. From time to time I'll add posts that will contain comparisons between the two careers or details about various other events.
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