Cal585

Please tell me your game plan is to play the B Team in the first game and tell them all to play super aggressively. Trade a few red cards for their best players suffering unfortunate incidents.

Mostly just wanting to experience the situation the club is in. Real transfer mode, transfer window off, let's immerse myself in the scenario. I've done plenty of generic European saves before with and without teams/players that I know. But I haven't ventured to South America so thought it'd be fun to try and also learn about the club/leagues at the same time. It's not the end of the world when a couple of guys are missing, I'm just disappointed that I waited over a month for this specific reason and it got cut this year without warning.

Normally I don't really care too much about the last data update but this year I was looking forward to trying out a Brazil save and thought Santos would make a great pick. Very disappointed to see that this year they haven't updated all the Brazilian transfers for the recent window. Now I have to decide between using a community transfer update or using the new real world feature I was keen to test out.

Interesting. I don't have a strong opinion on whether the Match Engine should have updated (I've enjoyed my limited experience since upgrading from 22) but my feedback is that I am quite disappointed there's been no communication about it. Indications upon release were that they wanted to try and improve communication and transparency which is why I find it startling that for the first time they don't seem to have updated the ME in the post-Christmas patch and haven't said a single thing about it. I suspect that they're probably happy with where it's at and have locked it down for the conversion to FM25 which is likely to be a huge undertaking but it'd be nice to hear something/anything when making such a big change to their standard post-release support.

Wow, of all the things to be told weren't important I sure wasn't expecting morale to be one. As someone who played a lot of FMT where you couldn't influence it through player conversations or team meetings and were largely stuck with bad morale until you won or else went on long winning streaks when it was high, I would have confidently declared that it was one of the most important factors. I'm not saying it categorically is the case or that it hasn't changed in recent years, just that I'm surprised by such claims and would love to see a lot more testing before I bought into its diminished impact.

It is with a heavy heart that I walk away upon the end of my contract. As always there's the appeal to keep going, to make amends for my CL final loss and to see the development of young players but this feels like a good time. There's a few bugs starting to pop up in the save and I'm already pretty dominant in most games. The club want me to stay, belatedly offering me new terms but my mind is made up by now. I'm looking forward to trying FM24. The State of the Club: I leave the club with a lot of aging stars but still the best squad in the league and the best backroom team. I have agreed the signing of Ki-Jana Hoever from Wolves to fill the RB place. I'm actually impressed I managed to get him to sign under the player cap. There are also some brilliant young players coming through that make me wish I could keep playing to see how they develop. Abdulahi looks like he will dominate the midfield as a home grown player, at least until he forces a move through to Europe. Dimoski and Matheson are both coming through on the wings with huge potential. Collier and Balafas are brilliant young LB prospects, while Markovski was getting games ahead of Curtis Good at CB for me. Jamie Maclaren is still one of the best strikers in the league but he wants to double his wages with his current contract running down. I tried a couple of times to get something done but the board just won't allow the kind of contract he requests, so hopefully my replacement can smooth things over and escape my promise. Of the other old players still at the club, theoretically Langerak's age won't matter too much as a GK and Rogic and Mooy with their sublime technical skills should still control the midfield despite their lack of legs. Nabbout and Leckie might be on the way out but are still at a high level for the league. Caputo, Arzani and Pereira are all players in their prime that can take over and become the star players themselves. There is definitely a squad there capable of building a real dynasty. Reflections on my time: I leave as the most successful manager in the A League's history and accomplished my goal of winning the Asian Champions League. I kept things relatively simple on the pitch, relying on good transfer dealing and wage structuring to outcompete others. I mostly stuck with my 433 DM, and had very mixed results trying to swap to a 4231, perhaps as all my wingers preferred to cut inside into space that got quite crowded in the 4231. I found some of the opposing squad management was a little disappointing as they tried to balance their salary cap and often had large holes of unused wages so that I was playing opponents that were using 15/25k available. The foreign player restrictions did make things a little tricky in trying to improve the squads meaning having to compete with lesser European teams for the best Aussies but not being able to match wages. But I was incredibly excited to bring big names home, the likes of Langerak, Rogic and Mooy (the latter 2 having now retired) were my favourite parts of this save and I imagine they would have had a real effect on exciting the supporter base and helping to draw crowds and attention to the league. The Asian Champions League was also a fun occasion. I was surprised to become dominant so quickly, I was expecting it to take a lot longer to make the final, though I had some very lucky runs playing teams at bad times for them when they'd sacked a manager or similar. It was a bit weird as it really depended a bit on what time you faced opposing teams as the A League being on a different cycle changed the balance often meaning one match fit squad was playing another in preseason. I really enjoyed looking into some of the opponents though and getting a bit more of a feel for the teams in the competition. I didn't end up making a lot of use of the City links except for a couple of emergency loans for bench players so I probably could have got rid of that completely. I was actually getting several news items suggesting a takeover may end up happening in game anyway towards the end. I really enjoyed reclaiming the Heart identity though. The other expansion teams were also fun to set up, puzzle out which I'd choose and generate kits for them. The league additions I think were also a positive to the experience. The new teams struggled a lot which was frustrating and required editor help to become more competitive. I enjoyed the increased league format though, even if that did have a few bugs of its own! Editor lessons: As mentioned at the end, I found the small bug with the finals selecting the qualifying teams before the season finished. I set up the league in multiple stages to gradually expand each time new teams were added which was quite complicated. A lot of additional trouble was also self-inflicted by trying to use Canberra United who were set as a designated youth team in the DB. So in the end I'm surprised that it went as smoothly as it did! I'm not sure if the new clubs transfer issues were related to my editor use or not. They were generally unwilling to spend the money I gave them and I had to help transfer a few free agents to them to help. But they seem to finally be building up by the time I finished. I think they still had reputation and crowd attraction problems though. It's just so much harder to edit the A League than it is the MLS and both are harder than non-capped leagues without finals series. I was considering releasing the files on the workshop but I have no idea how much else may have been broken by my naivety. But I refuse to put an asterisk next to my success! Epilogue: For a bit of fun, I have simulated into the future to see how things transpired after my departure. 1 Year On: 5 Years On: And with that I bid farewell! Time to once again retire the Melbourne Heart name. It's been a fun journey, thanks for sharing it with me if you've been reading this!

Before I launch into the Finals, I just want to quickly acknowledge a small bug in my custom league set up that extended the league (to accommodate the new teams) but didn't include those extra games in finals calculations. Which means that in contrast to the table above, Gold Coast actually made it into the finals instead of WSW who had a late surge after the "cut off". Elimination Finals: The first game saw Macarthur FC host Wellington Phoenix. Despite a remarkably even game in terms of stats (15 shots each, 1.41 XG each, 46-54% possession), Wellington ended up running out 2-0 winners thanks to a 95th minute clincher. Macarthur will feel very hard done by not to score. The other final saw Western United FC host Gold Coast United. Western United controlled this game but were just unable to convert. As the game went to extra time, they had a player sent off and Gold Coast capitalised to snatch a goal against the run of play. Western United will feel particularly hard done by that they couldn't convert from 2.44 XG. Semi Finals: The Phoenix have had a decent season but they only just snuck into finals and I'm not too worried about facing them. They have probably the best goalkeeper in the league, New Zealand international Alex Paulsen but I'm not overly concerned about the rest of their team. I go a front 3 of Leckie, Maclaren and Arzani who have temporarily pushed Nabbout onto the bench. Houston starts for me in midfield alongside Rogic and Mooy with Abdulahi some serious quality I can sub on if needed. We come out firing, hitting the crossbar inside the first minute. But it's Wellington who strike first with their first shot on target. A well taken free kick sees Nicholas Pennington get free in behind and a sumptuous first time volley fires it past the onrushing Langerak. Thankfully we get a response soon after as a practised corner routine takes effect and the outgoing captain Nuno Reis leaps at the front post to nod home. They push hard to regain their lead and also have an effort thunder off the crossbar. As we head into half time with the scores 1-1, neither side has racked up a huge amount of high quality chances but both have threatened to break things open. Maclaren has had an off day for me up front, so I might consider subbing him, while Mooy has been pulling all the strings in midfield and is probably my best player. They get an early chance at the start of the 2nd half but we see off the danger and settle down. I've instructed my players to play fairly cautiously in this one as I'm quite happy to take a draw before the decider in the 2nd leg at home. Mooy comes closest for me from a direct free kick but the game comes to a close without much more action. 1-1. In the other game, Brisbane manage to get a 1-0 win away from home against Gold Coast. Arzani pulls up injured after the last game and though he's right to go for the return leg, I move him to the bench and bring Nabbout in. Otherwise I keep the same team to go again. We start slowly this time with only the crossbar saving me from going a goal down after 40 seconds. It only counts as 0.12XG but it felt a whole lot more watching the build up. Finally on half an hour we manage to fashion a good chance ourselves, drawing a strong save from Paulsen. But he's not able to do anything a minute later after Rogic gets half a yard free at the 6 yard box to first time volley a cross home. He pops up again just before half time but this time Paulsen is prepared. A slow start but as the game has gone on we have started to assert control. Rogic and Mooy are bossing the midfield and besides a yellow card to Reis, I have no complaints about anyone. Both teams play cautiously at the start of the 2nd half, neither willing to open themselves up too much when the game itself is still on a knife's edge. Rogic does his best to break the stalemate on the hour mark but is cruelly denied by the inside of the post. Thankfully, just like the first half, this near miss is a catalyst for us to score a minute later, with Nabbout managing to get on the end of the cross just as I was making plans to replace him. He must have been motivated by the subs warming up! Instead I take off Nuno Reis, as the only worry I have now is about a potential 2nd yellow for him. Fujimoto also gets some game time to shore up the middle of the park with his no nonsense tough tackling approach. Arzani coming on for some match fitness after his recent injury returns to form in style, netting what must be the final nail in the 74th minute. Despite some early worries, we were able to seize utter control in the end and restrict them to only the 1 shot on target. We outperformed our 1.68 XG but never looked like dropping this one. A 3-0 win for 4-1 on aggregate. And we are through to the Grand Final for the last match of my reign! In the other match, Gold Coast made it tough for Brisbane despite being away from home, getting a 1-0 victory in regular time to force extra time. Unfortunately at this point Brisbane finally clicked into gear and piled on 3 goals in extra time for a 4-1 aggregate result as well. The Final Dance: The Grand Final rematch. Our chance to make amends for last season's limp finish and end my time at the club on a high. I don't want to fall into the same traps as last season where I concluded I was the superior team only for everything to unravel on the day. Brisbane have only improved since then and while I have been head and shoulders above everyone else in the league this season, they will be tough opponents with everything to play for. We go with the old reliable. Nothing too out there or aggressive, just trusting in the talent of my players to make something happen. Arzani comes back in for Nabbout as the only change. In the early stages we see a fair bit of the ball though struggle to get in behind Brisbane's defensive line. A couple of crosses flash past but we only hit the target twice and neither really looks like a good chance. But we do a great job of keeping Brisbane at bay with their limited attacks forward, preventing them getting a shot on target. I decide we need to seize the initiative and pile the pressure on. So we become more positive and look to see if we can break the deadlock. If I can score first then I can force them to come out more. But it very nearly backfires and it's only a good save at the near post from Langerak that keeps their first shot on target out. With my attackers struggling to make things happen, I turn to my reliables in Nabbout and Caputo to create something. And Nabbout has an instant impact, setting Leckie up 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper who somehow manages to keep it out. But we are pushing. Frustratingly Brisbane keep turning the ball over with my final passes and then countering but we finally manage to thread something through by just sneaking through their offside trap. Caputo races onto a through ball by Nabbout, the 2 subs combining and slots it home in the 74th! The Roar players protest but after a lengthy VAR check, the goal stands! At this point I know I should retreat a bit more but with the prospect of Brisbane opening up I sense the chance to win the game with a decisive 2nd goal. Unfortunately it backfires as Brisbane manage an equaliser in the 81st minute. But at least it doesn't have anything to do with my tactics. Instead Ivanovic runs around 2 different players into the box then somehow gets it past Langerak despite him getting a strong hand to the ball while diving. It's shockingly bad but we have 10 minutes to regain the lead and the momentum. Nabbout very nearly does so, but his header goes wide as we head into stoppage time. Suddenly it's all Brisbane and my players are panicking. Ivanovic gets a break away from a corner and it's only some last ditch defending that removes the danger and sees up through the extra time. A chance to regroup and come back strong! I've made all my subs now, so the only thing to do is reassure them that they've been unlucky and that if they keep going they can win. And guess who comes up big for me? Andrew Nabbout. The player of the save (not counting that CL shootout we don't talk about) gets on the end of a beautifully hit Delaine cross. Caputo jumps in the middle, drawing the defenders to him as the ball sails over his head, leaving Nabbout for a poachers finish at the back. I've learnt my lesson from last time and this time drop our mentality down to avoid any unnecessary risks. I don't forget this is the team that rallied to put 3 past Gold Coast in extra time last match. Brisbane pushes their line high which gives my forwards a bit of space to run into and an outlet to relieve some pressure. Despite their best efforts, my defence, brilliantly marshalled by the veteran Reis stands firm and we see out the win! A fitting way to end the save and we managed to go undefeated domestically all season! Despite Nabbout's masterful performance, it is Reis that gets player of the match and these 2 have really been key players for me and it feels so fitting that they are able to redeem themselves from the Champions League Final shootout disaster by coming up big here.

The Run Home: For all the previous worry about LB, it's actually RB I'm worried about now. The bargain signing of Delaine, our new French LB, along with really promising youngsters coming through and the capability of Goodwin to fill in there means we suddenly have incredible depth for the position. Our 16 year old academy prospect has actually gotten half a dozen games he's that good. Will be a real gem for sure. RB is much more concerning. Bailey Wright is leaving at the end of his contract and I promised Scott Galloway he could also depart after the season. We don't really have the youth prospects here either that are coming through. So my focus is on trying to sign a pre-contract here to join after the season finishes. This season's new star faces in Rogic, Mooy and Langerak have all been way too good for the league and really help my cruise home. Despite some early impact, I sign off on a loan move for my new Korean striker, sending him out on loan for the rest of the season to the Korean 2nd division. With Maclaren returning from injury and Caputo in deadly form, I just don't think he will get the game time he needs at this stage and this way he can start learning English while away. I keep hold of the Japanese midfielder though, as despite my midfield options becoming crowded, I feel he's good enough to be challenging for one of the slots. Despite the hiccup against Gamba Osaka, I find myself far more focused on the A League. I am determined to give it my best shot at an invincible domestic season. Complacency is an ever present problem with such a big lead opening up at the top though. We manage to grind out the results though, even when beaten on the XG stats. My Grand Final rivals Brisbane are the closest competition to me in the back half of the season but even they can't keep up as my lead grows. Not that they aren't trying, they're miles ahead of 3rd place themselves. The new expansion teams slowly improve and get a few results but they're still mostly clustered at the bottom with the notable exception of Gold Coast who are doing what the Knights did last season and sitting in the finals places. Knights are struggling this time round, though they outplay me in our meeting and I am exceptionally lucky to get a stoppage time winner. Viessel - Away: Our return leg is far less dramatic than the first. It ends up a very comfortable 4-0 but most of those come in an end of match collapse. But we've done what we needed and no complaints! Gamba Osaka - Home: I fire up the team to make amends for this one. The group comes down to this, with both of us head and shoulders above the other 2 teams. Anything other than a win for me sees them take top spot but if I can get a win and reverse the first leg result then my superior goal difference should be enough. We get off to a great start with an early goal and from there we take control with our supporters cheering us on. In the end we run out 3-0 winners and with that win, we go top of the group with 1 game to play. Ryomyong - Home: As long as I get a victory here, the group is ours. We are at home against an outmatched team, so I think it's fair to say Complacency is the biggest fear. In the end we have nothing to fear thanks to a Max Caputo goal in the 1st minute and a 6-0 win wraps things up nicely! Unfortunately, despite an unbeaten performance, Newcastle's single win and 2nd place finish is not enough for them to qualify from their group. Western United also finish 3rd in theirs, though they were competing with Yokohama F Marinos and Ulsan so that was always going to be tough. Brisbane though succeeded in equalling my performance, winning their group on GD after 1 win and 1 loss to Seoul who I have to play in the next round! The Rest of the A League: Despite some cagey matches we succeed in completing an undefeated season! Now the next task is to continue that run through the finals series. Brisbane trail valiantly behind me, though with a respectable 29 GD themselves. The expansion teams all seem to have an increased performance in the 2nd half of the season, with even Canberra as the worst getting 4 wins (and none of those against other expansion clubs). Victory have been the most disappointing. Despite a media prediction of being my closest challengers, they ended up coming in 13th, way off the pace.

Champions League: We start our next foray into Asia with a very mixed bag in terms of opponents. Gamba Osaka is a rematch of the Quarter Final and will be challenging opponents, but Viettel FC from Vietnam and Ryomyong sports Club from North Korea are new and interesting opponents! Viettel FC (Vietnam): The Cong - Viettel Football Club, commonly known as The Cong or by its most recent former name Viettel FC, is based in Hanoi. Established in 1954, The Cong is apparently short for Physical Education and Sports Team Work and was managed by the Ministry of Defence. Their traditional colour is red, leading to the nickname Cơn lốc đỏ (Red Tornado). They are one of the most widely supported clubs and also the most successful club in Vietnamese football history, having won a record 19 national titles, including nine consecutively, from 1971 to 1979. They played in the Champions League group stage in 2021, though didn't get out of the group. In 2022 they qualified for the AFC Cup instead and this time managed to make it out of their group before losing in the first knockout round. So relatively new to this stage but starting to gather a bit of pedigree. Ryomyong Sports Group (North Korea): Ryomyong Sports Club is an association football club based in P'yŏngyang, North Korea. Ryomyong means light of the dawn in the Korean language. They've played a bit in the AFC Cup in recent years but beyond that I don't actually know much information about football in North Korea. Game 1 - Home to Viettel: Caputo deputises for the injured Maclaren and Leckie also misses but otherwise I name my strongest 11 in a 4231. Caputo shows he is more than competent at covering for Maclaren, scoring 3 times, though only 1 ends up counting. Nabbout also scores a goal, giving me a handy 2-0 lead. They have a player sent off on the hour mark to give myself a man advantage in addition. Feeling safe, I sub Caputo off and bring on new signing Jung-Hwan. The Korean striker is only on the pitch for a few minutes before he scores a scrambled goal from a corner for a dream debut. Leckie replacing Arzani also grabs 2 goals as well, staking a strong claim to be starting these games. The red card really changed the match and meant we ended up absolutely dominating in the end. 5-0 (Caputo, Nabbout, Jung-Hwan, Leckie, Leckie) Game 2 - Away to Ryomyong: We come out firing with Leckie scoring in the very first minute. A goal 3 minutes later for Caputo confirms that this will be a very long day for them. We end up walking off at the break 6-0 up. The 2nd half is much more disappointing but the game is already over so can't criticise them too much for conceding. 7-1 (Leckie, Caputo, Nabbout, Caputo, Mooy, Leckie, Nabbout) Game 3 - Away to Gamba Osaka: This is a much tougher affair. We switch to our 433 but they still get the better of us in the first half, scoring in the 41st minute. Nabbout has a shocker so he gets subbed off. Experienced heads Wright and Rogic also get dragged as the errors pile up. Unfortunately we don't get the desired response and a poor clearance from Langerak results in a turnover goal for them in the 65th. Leckie manages to pull one back straight away though to keep us in the game. We push forward but they hit us on the break to restore the 2 goal cushion. But the fight isn't over yet, with Caputo getting onto the scoresheet in the 85th minute to bring us to within a goal. Sadly we can't seem to get the final strike and the whistle blows before we find a way through. 2-3 (Leckie, Caputo) Our first loss since the Champions League final! A League: During these Champions League fixtures, I play a rotated squad and we just about manage to remain undefeated. Nieuwenhuizen manages to throw away a hard fought lead by coming way out of his box and trying to take on the opposition striker for a 3-3 draw against CCM. We manage to win the other games by a single goal though with slightly unconvincing performances. Unfortunately I am unable to agree new contracts for Bailey Wright or Nuno Reis. The downside of spending on the 2 new kids is that I can't increase wages much. Reis, at 34, wants to double his wages which I can't justify. He ends up signing a pre-contract with a Portuguese club. I manage to resign Nabbout though! Speaking of contracts, I am now down to the last couple of months of my contract and though the board has indicated they will be offering one, they haven't actually given me anything yet.

A League Season: I would argue that the side I have assembled is the greatest to ever grace the A League. We have a lot of aging stars that are on the verge of going off the cliff, so I can't predict what will happen to the squad in a year or 2 but for now we have everyone in their peak. The biggest challenge is managing the squad with the next generation all wanting to test themselves in Europe. Langerak gets injured early for a while but this gives a good chance for Nieuwenhuizen to get some game time and further his development. He's turning into a good goalkeeper for the A League now and he's homegrown! He might not be the level for a deep Champions League push but he's still a valuable squad member. The season itself goes really well, with us dominating the league in the early games. I'm starting to wonder if I might even go unbeaten for the whole season. The new expansion teams are all struggling except for Gold Coast who are a respectable midtable. They all seem to be slowly improving though, so there's hope for the league! Transfers: End of the year I also manage to pull off a huge transfer coup. Out goes Karimi back to Iran for 500k, freeing up his wages and his DP spot. In to replace him is club legend Aaron Mooy at the end of his Chinese contract. Despite the interest in returning to Melbourne for his final seasons, he's quite dubious about our ability to pay him sufficiently. In the end we manage to haggle him down to 14.5k a week, which is a huge drop in his previous wages but also way higher than any other contract we have ever given out before. He is a pure upgrade on Karimi as a playmaker and is an Aussie national. Him and Rogic combining in midfield is mouthwatering and they should absolutely destroy any opposition at this level. Their combined lack of legs is a concern but if I have the ball it won't matter too much. Unfortunately Porto manage to finally steal Adam Houston away from me for a solid 2.5 mill. They also agree to loan him back for the rest of the season which is handy. Abdulahi wants to leave as well but I'm not wanting to let both homegrown wonderkid midfielders leave at the same time so I refuse to budge on his asking price despite his unhappiness. Maclaren helps talk him round. Swiss youngster Ribeiro also finally gets his move abroad after Luzern trigger my 3 mill asking price. He becomes the 2nd highest transfer in the club history after Tillio's 3.2 million transfer previously. I'm not too concerned as he was backup to Tom Rogic and I have Lopane return from his loan in China also able to cover the same role. These moves mean I have some wage budget available again and 2 foreign player slots now open but I'm honestly not sure I need to use them. The team is already stacked at every position. Except for ST as Jamie Maclaren injures his ankle and will be out for a month. A time for Max Caputo to shine with the Champions League games approaching! I end up signing a couple of young promising Asian youngsters to fill out my squad (as the CL rules allow an extra foreign player if they're Asian). The injury to Maclaren means there's another space for a striker. South Korean Choi Jung-Hwan agrees to join in a 625k move from Gangwon in the K League. He's still a bit raw but he's got great hold up and aerial play allowing something different for the attack. Japanese youngster Hotaru Fujimoto also agrees to join for 675k from Vissel Kobe. He's got really good defensive stats and looks like an upgrade on Gomulka for a purely defensive screening role. Great anticipation, tackling and decision making along with decent positioning and work rate looks really promising. Just needs a bit more teamwork. Neither are highly adaptable which may be problematic, but worth the risk!

After much venting about the betrayal of 2 of the most important players for my team to anyone who would listen I decide to move on and focus on the next bit of silverware I have available. On a completely unrelated note I decide that Reis and Nabbout don't really need contract extensions beyond this their final season just yet. Would it negatively impact the team if both the captain and vice captain left at the same time? Maybe. But there's still plenty of time to worry about that when I feel less hostile towards them. In some small consolation, Mathew Leckie was deservedly recognised for his Champions League performances, as despite being 33, he won the top scorer and also the MVP award. Caputo, Ribeiro, O'Neill and Wright also joined him in the dream team 11. Getting 5 players into that team isn't terrible, particularly when 2 of them are under 21! Australia Cup Quarter Final - Brisbane Roar: So this and the semi final (spoiler) actually took place before the ACL final, but I didn't want to break the flow of the narrative before. The Quarter Finals drew us against Brisbane in Brisbane. Grand Final rematch and a chance to put things right after that humiliating 4-0 defeat. We had everything to play for here but it was not a good start. We went a goal behind after 6 minutes and then were 2-0 down after 16. We managed to barely hold on for the rest of the 1st half before I could make some changes and motivate them at half time. It really seemed to work and Caputo nabbed one back in the 52nd. But Brisbane weren't going to relinquish their lead that easily. Maclaren came on as my last sub and repaid my faith by scoring the equaliser in the 82nd minute to take us to penalties. This time we were fine, with all 5 of our spot kicks going in (see why I was confident in the ACL final) before Brisbane missed their 5th. It was a win, though barely a convincing one that showed we were ready to reclaim our title from them. Australia Cup Semi Final - Adelaide United: Again a slow start cost us, as Toure opened the scoring on 9 minutes. I'm not sure if my pre-match talks are just not getting the traction or what is going on there. Thankfully this time, Abdulahi had a quick response equalising after 16 minutes. After that, the game really shut down with not much happening. Eventually Nabbout snatched the lead for us in the 86th minute to avoid another penalty shootout, before Abdulahi made sure with a 91st minute sealer. A 3-1 win, courtesy of a couple of late goals. Not super convincing. A League opening match - New Zealand Knights: Of all the expansion teams, the Knights are probably the strongest. I had no doubts that this was a tricky opener, though at least I had some competitive matches under my belt thanks to Asia. Nabbout broke the deadlock on half time to really give me a lift. At this point I was cruising and pulled off a bunch of star players due to the upcoming ACL Final. Big mistake, as the Knights suddenly equalised in the 80th. A tense 10 minutes remained but neither team could break the deadlock. Not a loss, but not the start to the season I hoped for. A League Match 2 - Perth Glory: Hurting from the ACL Final loss, I wanted a reaction in this match and I mostly got it. A dominant first half saw us take a 2-0 lead at the break courtesy of Ribeiro and Nabbout. Cagalj pulled one back for Perth in the 2nd half but they never really looked like snatching anything from me. Australia Cup Final - Western United: We played them in the ACL Semis a couple of weeks ago, now another huge match in the Australia Cup final. This game at least was moved to the MCG so the fans could attend. I picked pretty much the same line up as for the ACL Final, except this time I had my best defender in Pereira available to me. Arzani almost gave us an early lead but a goal mouth scramble saw the ball stay out. But I didn't have to wait too much longer before I finally saw the play I'd been anticipating since the transfer window closed. Rogic with a beautiful through ball to Maclaren who took 1 touch then fired it past the keeper. The first half an hour was very relaxing with them failing to register a single shot. Then suddenly they got a breakaway, beat Langerak and we were only saved by the post. That seemed to sober the lads up and the rest of the first half transpired without event. The second half took a while to get going before suddenly Leckie was brought down for a penalty. His shot was straight at the keeper but he managed to get to the rebound first to make the most of it at the 2nd attempt. Despite this, Western United weren't out and they were starting to throw players forward and get chances. In an effort to shut this down, I brought on several defensive players. Thankfully the comeback never eventuated and instead they conceded another penalty. This time Leckie made sure the first time. 3-0 win and the first silverware. A huge turnout as well, with 43,000 away fans (my a league opener only got 11,000) for a total of 80,000 people packing out the stadium.

New Goalkeeper: I'm pretty happy with the state of my squad. The only position that isn't great is the Goalkeeper. My hope last season was that my young goalkeepers could develop while Fruchtl took the big matches. He has since moved onto Freigburg but my GKs haven't developed as much as hoped. Nieuwenhuizen is decent for the league level and normally I would put the games into him to develop him more. But he leaves a lot to be desired in the Champions League. He has started my last games in the Australia Cup as well as the Second Round of the Champions League and he struggled in both competitions. I'm out of foreign spots though, so if I was to bring anyone in they'd have to be Australian and the only solid option I can see is Mitch Langerak currently in the J League. I offer contract extensions for Leckie and Goodwin, both in their 30s. At this stage in their careers, they're happy to accept a drop in wages for career stability. It also allows me to drop Leckie off his DP contract and slot him into the wage budget. This then allows me to buy 36 year old Langerak for 750k on a DP contract up there with the Rogic and Maclaren. Am I taking short sighted decision by giving lengthy contracts to older players and giving a huge contract to a 36 year old goalkeeper? Sure. But I'm banking on Langerak being the final puzzle piece for this season at least. Gamba Osaka - ACL Quarter Finals: The second Osaka team we have come up against in the knockout rounds (the other being their fierce rivals Cerezo). Founded in 1980, they were an original J League member and won their first title in 2005. They then went on to win the 2008 Champions League, beating Adelaide United in the 2 legged final. A significant drop off after this though ended in relegation in 2012 despite scoring the most league goals. They rebounded the next season, winning the 2nd division before winning the J League the year after. They then turned this into a treble by winning the cups as well. Their more recent seasons have been a bit less successful, with the exception of the 2020 covid season (where they came 2nd) they haven't finished in the top 4 since 2016. This is probably the best time to play Osaka. While they are 3rd in the league after 29 games, they've also lost 2 of their last 3 games. Their 2 best players Wellington Silva and Leandro Pereira are both pushing to leave as well suggesting there might be some squad turmoil. I do also have the advantage of playing this game at home as well and despite a few players being tired from International duty, I at least have a full squad to choose from. It's not a great start to the game as my captain Reis gets himself a yellow card 6 minutes in. Not only does this threaten trouble for the rest of the game, it also means he misses the next round if I make it through. And my chances of that get a huge boost when Leckie opens the scoring 17 minutes in. Bit of a lucky goal as their keeper came for a cross, missed it, and it fell for Leckie to knock in at the back post. Similar scenes 4 minutes later as this time a long hopeful switch sees their defender misjudge their jump and this time Nabbout can hardly believe his luck as the ball runs through to him 1 on 1 with the keeper. 2 defensive mistakes, 2 goals for me. Just to round things off for the half, Caputo (deputising for Maclaren) scores a beauty. On the spin, he smashes a half volley into the goal. They come out firing in the 2nd half, with Panya pulling one back after my defence fell asleep and let him in behind. This seems to reinvigorate my players and a well worked overload down the right ends up with Leckie scoring a back post header at the hour mark. Caputo then seals the match with an audacious chip of the keeper from the top of the box. We end up with a very convincing scoreline of 5-1, though we only managed an XG of 1.3. It has kind of been the story of a lot of our Champions League games that our forwards massively outscore their XG. I suspect our low reputation might be playing into it a bit with teams a lot more likely to leave space in behind for us to exploit. Langerak was also great on debut and prevented quite a few goal opportunities for them. Western United - Semi Final: The inconceivable has happened and Western United actually beat Seoul to play me in the Semi Finals. It took penalties for the 2nd time in a row to make it through but they did it. It's remarkable really as they don't even have any Designated Players in their squad. It's absolutely brilliant for the league and should help with increasing our reputation. It's also great for me as I am now something like 9 games unbeaten against them. Despite trying to fire up my squad against our Melbourne rivals, the game is rather dull. There's not a heap that happens except that my CB Gabriel Periera also receives a yellow card that means he misses the final if I make it. I guess that would be a straight swap for him and Reis when my captain returns from suspension. We eventually win a penalty in the 2nd half after a clumsy tackle and Maclaren buries it. There's really not a lot to talk about other than that from this game. Both sides were clearly feeling the pressure of trying to get through to the semi final while fitness was still building at this stage of pre-season. My veteran defence proved too strong for their late search for an equaliser and they didn't get much in the way of chances. The biggest talking point for me is why this was scheduled at their home stadium that only fits 15,000? It meant I could only get 750 "away" supporters travelling to a Melbourne derby in the Champions League Semi Finals. There's no way this wouldn't be moved to the MCG in real life. Tractor - The Final: I think this is my first time playing an Iranian team! They managed to beat Al-Ittihad 1-0 in the Semi Final to make it here, so congratulations there. They are a bit of a surprise to encounter in the final though, as they've never won their domestic league or made it past the round of 16 in real life. They have won the Hazfi Cup though. Ironically this means that if they win, they will have conquered Asia before Iran. Founded in 1969 in Tabriz as part of the new Tractor Manufacturing Company, they have a long history in the top 2 divisions. There seems to be some political discussions about a pan-Turkism identity which I won't go into here but I am excited to play a team from a league I know nothing about. This was one of the reasons I made this save to explore some of the unknown teams that compete in this competition. With Pereira suspended I fall back on my old reliable centre back partnering of Reis and Good. Otherwise I have my full strength squad ready to go. We start a bit more cautiously, trying to feel our way into the game and not take any big risks on such an occasion. They're a bit more aggressive than us at home but still making sure they don't take any unnecessary risks. The biggest chance of the first half goes to Leckie who has a header tipped onto the bar. Otherwise the game passes fairly uneventfully. At half time, each team has had 3 shots, while nobody has got 1 on target yet. They've edged possession at home which is to be expected. Unfortunately my 2 team leaders in Reis and Leckie both seem to be struggling with the occasion and looking a little iffy. Arzani also looks like he's running out of puff after recent injury concerns, so there's already quite a few candidates for early changes. But I limit myself to just opening up the risk a little, see if we can take control of the game away from them and silence the home crowd. Both teams remain defensively strong in the 2nd half. Leckie gets half a chance that he blasts way over but at the 60th minute both teams have yet to hit the target. I make the first of my changes, bringing on old reliable Andrew Nabbout to see if he can do it for me again. Bailey Wright also picks up a yellow, so he gets substituted for Galloway. We still fail to conjure much and it's Tractor who start to gain the momentum. They even manage a shot on target which Langerak pounces on. My last move is to bring Caputo on for Maclaren who has struggled to touch the ball all game. Tractor keep pressing though and Langerak is forces to make a flying save to tip a powerful drive over the bar. With 3 minutes left to go they break forward and in behind my defence to go 1 on 1 with the keeper. Langerak commits, is beaten and the ball rolls forward only to go just wide of the post. At this point we are barely holding on. But we managed it. We make it to full time at 0-0. I give them a strong motivational speech about how they can reach within themselves to do better and make a change to a 4231. We've had no luck all game with the 433 so may as well give it a try. Immediately we start creating a few chances. Leckie manages to get 2 shots on target, both well held by their goalkeeper. My defence looks a lot more sure with the double pivot and Gomulka on to provide some extra screening. We start the second half on the front foot again. Caputo should have broken through the defence but for a cynical professional foul. The ref is a spineless coward and only gives him a yellow. Leckie has another shot saved, then finally Tractor kick into gear. They force a desperate diving save from Langerak who tips it around the post. The investment was well worth it, he has been amazing for me. Thanks to his heroics ET ends 0-0. Onto penalties... Outside of Leckie, Rogic and Nabbout, my team is abysmal at penalties. And of those 3 only Leckie is actually any good. I'm regretting my decision to bring Caputo on for Maclaren, as Caputo has about the same ability as my GK. Despite this, I confidently tell me players this was what the penalty training practice I carefully scheduled the other day was all about. I assure them they've got this. There's no notable reaction. Leckie scores his no problem, then Rogic blasts it into the top corner. Tractor score their 1st, but Langerak comes out with a huge save on their 2nd, picking the right way to dive. Nabbout steps up to give me the lead and goes straight down the middle to the keeper who doesn't move. They score their 3rd and it's back to 2-2. New boy Delaine scores a delightful penalty to make it 3-2 but they match his efforts. Gomulka then slots the 5th, meaning if Langerak can make the save we have won... Alas, he picks the right way but it's just out of his reach. Then my captain steps up and... misses. Well it's a save but it's a red X. I can't bare to watch as Langerak faces the last player down who has the audacity to Panenka while Langerak dives out the way. We lose 5-4 on penalties in my final season. Damn.

A League Expansion: The final 2 teams of my homemade league expansion join this season, taking us to a total of 16 members. With the increased number of teams, I have reduced the overall season to playing each team twice home and away. It also means that the top making finals feels more like an accomplishment than the current system of 8 of 12 teams making it through. Sadly I did miss out on creating a Tasmanian team. Canberra and Auckland are confirmed expansion targets in the next wave so they had to be added. And in this second wave restoring Gold Coast and elevating Wollongong Wolves made a lot of sense for sensible expansion target and have existing clubs that can be used. Tassie unfortunately would need a club created from scratch. I also considered a 2nd Western Australia team, maybe from Fremantle, but again I couldn't find a good candidate. And jumping to 18 teams was a bit more than I wanted to commit to. Gold Coast United: For the first team added, I decided to bring back Gold Coast to the league. They fell out of the league some time ago but have done a good job of rebuilding and are now a quality state league team. This means that Queensland will now have 2 teams playing from the state which seems important for the league and Gold Coast made more sense than bringing back the North Queensland Fury. They are occasionally talked about as a possible expansion in real life and the only previous club that could realistically rejoin. Wollongong Wolves: Another NSW team but they are one of the biggest clubs outside the A League. Many argued they should have got a licence last time round instead of Macarthur who are a 3rd Sydney team. Wollongong are slightly south of Sydney so at least they are geographically distinct. Kind of similar to Newcastle or Central Coast as regional NSW cities outside but near Sydney. With a big fan base, they should hopefully slot straight into the fixture. Season predictions: With my off season strengthening I am favourites again domestically ahead of bitter rivals Victory and defending champions Brisbane. The 2 new teams aren't actually rated too badly for their first seasons. Better than Canberra who is still struggling to make any meaningful impact with signings. Gold Coast being rated higher than the Knights is particularly surprising as the Knights only just missed the finals last time out. Asian Champions League Draw: The draw to the Champions League throws me up against another Japanese team, this time in Gamba Osaka. In surprising but good news, Western United also made it through their Second Round fixture and if I beat Osaka, I will be playing the winner of them and Seoul in the semi final. An all Australian semi final would be great for the league but there's a long way to go before that happens as we are both underdogs in our next matches.

The Final Season (Part 1): Things get worse after our Grand Final capitulation. Aiden O'Neill requests a transfer, wanting to move onto bigger things. After some negotiation, I finally sign off on him moving to FC Tokyo for 1.1 mill. The fans are absolutely furious with me for doing so though and he leaves a sizable hole in my midfield. Then the rest of my midfielders seem to want to follow him out the door. Dual Scottish national wonderkid Adam Houston (homegrown) demands I engage with offers from Rangers and Celtic. Porto throw their hat in the ring for Joel Ribeiro. Even my other midfield wonderkid Idrus Abdulahi receives significant interest from Japan. The only midfielder who isn't interested in leaving is Karimi and that's probably because I'm paying him 5k a week to stay. The one good bit of news is that I am able to renegotiate Arzani's contract. By giving him a 1.4 mill release clause, I'm able to get him to drop his weekly wages slightly and remove his DP status which will potentially allow me to bring in a big name elsewhere. He is now effectively taking up O'Neill's salary cap space. There's some rumoured interest in him but I'm hopeful of keeping him despite the new release clause. He's taken over from Nabbout on the RW and also my primary backup for Leckie on the LW. The staff at the club also need a significant restructure. I lost one staff member who became too good for me to afford his wages, while letting go a few I thought I could upgrade. One of the positions I upgrade is the DoF as this is the last year of my contract and I'm hoping he can do a good job running the club after I leave. I also need a new Assistant Manager. Who better than my predecessor Patrick Kisnorbo? His time at Troyes did not go well, but he is skilled and has an affinity for the club. I am surprised he is willing to drop back to being an assistant after getting a taste of being the leading man but he may end up being the natural candidate to replace me at the end of my contract. Australia Cup: Our introduction to this year's version of the Australia Cup is not gentle. Instead of getting a easy state league team to walk over, we get drawn against fierce rivals Melbourne Victory. They manage to score in the opening minutes of the game and I'm left wondering what happened to our once mighty team. I needn't have worried though. We rally superbly and end up absolutely blowing them away 6-2. In the next round we get given more A League opposition in the form of Macarthur. Less dramatic than last game, we still get a comfortable win. I don't hate the cup games during preseason, it gives me a chance to gel my first team players together while they are fresh and not worried about rotation. Tom Rogic also remains on the transfer list after his last loan was not made permanent. There's interest in him for more loans but I seem to be the only team willing to make an actual permanent offer for him. He's been transfer listed for several months now and seems quite willing to take a pay cut to leave. With the help of my now freed up DP spot and their willingness to pay part of his wages, I succeed in securing his services. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with him, particularly as he's now retired in real life. He's better as an AM than a MEZ, so I might shift more fully across to the 4231, though he's quite capable of playing in CM for those tougher ACL games. He's not a like for like replacement for O'Neill, more of an upgrade on Joel Ribeiro who is still waiting for someone to offer my asking price which I've promised to accept. He's quite comfortably my best player now and I'm excited to see what he can do behind Jamie Maclaren. In other good news I succeed in tying down Houston and Abdulahi to new contracts. A couple of promising 17 year olds also join for tiny fees from state leagues. I also offer a bunch of trials out to free players and find a potential gem in a French left back, Thomas Delaine released by Metz. He takes my last foreign player spot and is the wrong side of 30 but he is happy to accept really low wages while being comfortably better than most of the team (seriously, he accepts a 1.2k p/w wage which is incredible for my salary cap). It is a bit of a risk using my last foreign player spot on a position where I already have Craig Goodwin, but in the end I decide I need to go for it. It means I don't have to rely on a 16 year old and my backup RB to cover if Goodwin is out. It also potentially releases Goodwin to cover further forward as well where he normally plays in real life. Sadly while I wait on his work permit he misses the next round of the Champions League. Asian Champions League (Second Round): Yokohoma Marinos are up next in the second round of the competition. I've beaten them before (so won't write a club summary here) but think I had a stronger team back then during my 2nd season. My team will eventually be stronger but its a bit in transition at the minute as I try and replace the likes of O'Neill, Talbot and Fruchtl. Tom Rogic is registered for this and hopefully he can hit the ground running. It's also at home which is a big advantage. The board only expected me to make it to this stage so there would be no shame in losing but I really want to try for a deeper run in my final season. As it turns out, I couldn't have asked for a better start! Maclaren plays Arzani through for the opening goal 14 seconds in (a club record). But I haven't even stopped celebrating when Yokohama equalise a minute later... Things then slow down for all of about 10 minutes before Leckie plays Tom Rogic through on goal to restore our 2-1 lead. This time the inevitable reply takes 6 minutes to come after Wright horribly slices a clearance behind him for Bautista to run onto and score his 2nd. Then because we obviously can't let this stand, Maclaren scores a 20 yard screamer from the top of the box. 3-2. Then Goodwin decides he will do one better and scores from just about the corner of the penalty area. They then look to score from kick off and only a great save by Nieuwenhuizen prevents them scoring. We finally make it into half time 4-2 and I just need to take some time to recover from that opening. They're beating us on the XG but we've scored 4 from 1.3 thanks to screamers from Maclaren and Goodwin. I try to convince my players to calm it down and control the match a bit in the 2nd half and it seems to work. Maclaren puts the ball into the back of the net for our 5th but it's ruled out for offside. The 2nd half is far calmer after that. I make some defensive changes, pushing Reis into DM and bringing Gomulka on as well to shore up the centre. They have to push against us and Maclaren takes advantage of this to score his 2nd. We end up walking away with a 5-2 win despite the same XG! A very hectic game that could have gone either way if it wasn't for 2 wonder goals that swung the match. The only downside was the attendance. I had more supporters turn up for the group games. Well their loss I suppose.

The rest of the world after the 23/24 season: Premier League So last season Liverpool beat Manchester City on goal difference. This year it went the opposite way with the title going to City on GD. United came 3rd again by a significant distance and West Ham took the last CL place, just pipping Chelsea and Arsenal. Leeds slumped back down to 9th, though did make the Quarter Finals in their first CL run. Newcastle finally recovered, only just missing out on Europe to Leicester. Spurs finished 11th as the biggest struggler. Down the bottom, Brighton and Palace both ended their PL runs and Sheffield Untied also went down with an abysmal 13 points. Replacing them is Blackburn, Wolves and West Brom who beat out Burnley in the Play Off Final. Federico Chiesa was the biggest transfer in, joining United for 79 mill, while Declan Rice joined PSG for 71 mill. Darwin Nunez went to Benfica for 66 mill while Chelsea bought 4 players for a total of 200+ mill (Michael Olise, Gabriel Jesus, Curtis Jones and Josko Gvardiol) LaLiga RM and Barca flipped this season with Madrid walking the league and beating Barca by 11 points. Betis surprisingly came 3rd, followed by Villareal. Atletico were all the way down in 9th. In the transfer market, Barca brought in Rodri for 61 mill, while Madrid brough in Zubimendi for 53 mill. Ligue 1 PSG walked the league this time, beating Lyon by 19 points. Monaco dropped down to 4th after last season's heroics. Nantes were the biggest team to go down. PSG had the top 3 transfers with Matheus Nunes and Hakim Ziyech joining Declan Rice. Serie A AC Milan won their 2nd title in a row, narrowly holding off Lazio. Juventus continued their slide, dropping another place down to 6th. Sampdoria, Salernita and Brescia took the step up. Andriy Lunin to Inter and Nkunku to Juventus were the biggest transfer incomings. Bundesliga Dortmund finally overthrew Bayern, pipping them to the title by 1 point! Turns out Wolfsburg managed to hold Bayern to a draw in the 2nd last match which was the crucial difference. A poor season for Leipzig who finished down in 7th. Biggest incoming was Edouard from Palace to Bayern for 48 mill, while Leipzig brought in Malo Gusto from Lyon for 40 mill. Then the next 3 big transfers were all Bayern. St Pauli and Schalke won promotion back this season. European Competitions Manchester City won their 3rd Champions League in a row, beating Liverpool in a penalty shootout. Bayern were knocked out in the QF by City, while PSG didn't even make it past the 1st knockout round against Benfica. Real Madrid and Barcelona lost to Liverpool in successive rounds on their way to the final. Dortmund added to their domestic success by beating Sevilla of all teams in the Europa League final. Chelsea finally got some return for investment beating Villarreal in the Conference League. My Transfers: Gabriel Pereira [65k] - 20 apps (1G) - 7.29 The 24 year old Brazilian was great for me in CB. Capable of playing the ball out from the back while also being solid, he is an all round defender who is great at this level. The only downside is his foreign player status alongside his hefty wage for this level but the man is the future of my defence. Nikita Rukavytsya [58k] - 19 apps (9G, 3A) - 7.04 For a 36 year old playing 1 final season before retirement, he was my super sub. Filled in very well for Maclaren when needed and scored some big goals. Was very happy with his service and wish him the best finding a new job as HoYD. Craig Goodwin [45.5k] - 14 apps (1G, 3A) - 6.91 Struggled coming into the team adapting to the LB position. Was initially very disappointing given his high wage before finally getting some form going after being given more licence to attack. His season was cruelly ended before the Grand Final and it'll be wait and see which player returns for me next season. Giannis Balafas [1.6k] - 1 app - 6.4 The 16 year old was one for the future. Due to injury only got 1 game at LB. Callum Talbot - 19 apps (1 A) - 7.01 Had a solid season at RB and performed well for me in the CL. Good free transfer on small wages. Iliya Shalamanov-Trenkov - 10 apps (10 conceded) - 6.87 The 21 year old GK got a few games in the league in what was always planned to be a transition season for him. Hoping he can be my main GK next season. Alessandro Lopane - 6 apps (3 G) - 7.23 Struggled to find a position in the team before getting loaned out to Zhejiang in the CSL for 6k and a bit of game time which will hopefully aid his development. Will return to me in 2025. Christian Fruchtl - 19 apps (21 conceded) - 6.99 Absolutely immense for me and pivotal to my Champions League success. Was one of my best loans I've ever made. Sad to see he's on the transfer list at Bayern but way too good for this league. Retirements: As mentioned above, Nikita Rukavytsya retired after 1 great season for me, alongside club stalwart, Florin Berenguer. He played 6 seasons for me and still got 14 games in his final season despite a large drop in ability. It's probably the right time for him to leave the club but he was a great servant. Hopefully he finds a good coaching job. Squad Depth: ST: Maclaren, Caputo Wings: Leckie, Nabbout, Arzani Mids: Karimi, O'Neill, Gomulka, Abdulahi, Houston, Ribeiro, Lopane FBs: Goodwin, Galloway, Talbot, Balafas CBs: Reis, Pereira, Good, Wright GK: Shalamanov-Trenkov, Nieuwenhuizen My depth has thinned out a lot, but I still have a lot of quality. Midfield is the one area I am well supplied in, yet I am determined to try and bring in Mooy for my final season at the club. His contract expires at the end of 2024, so I might have a chance on a free. Another LB would be useful as well, though the youngster Balafas is quite capable for his age of filling in. Caputo looks ready to take the step up and lead the line when Maclaren is absent. Arzani really stepped up after Tilio's departure and while Leckie and Nabbout are ageing, I am hoping they will do me proud for 1 more season. All 3 can play on either wing which is helpful and Goodwin can also cover the LW if LB cover is found.