10Sammo10

Season 27/28 Frankfurt Season 3 (Glory Hunter - Season 6) Transfers It was a much less extravagant window in regards to the number of players coming in, this time being in a better position to go for quality over quantity. Leaving the club were some players that contributed a lot to our first couple of seasons, but areas that we could upgrade. Kamada and Lindstrom saw minutes decrease, so I moved them on and Ayrton Lucas and Eggestein, two players I had bought to the club were starting to age so again, moved on whilst we could get a decent fee. The first incoming was turning Nkili's loan into a permanent. He developed really nicely and for the option to buy fee we had it was a no brainer. A second player joining from Bayern was Alvaro Fernandez. He has developed into a really good all round left back and I was more than happy to give him the game Bayern were not able to. We the strengthened further up the field spending a decent sum of £85m for Lovro Zvonarek and Pedro Neto. Zvoranek someone who is still young enough to develop further, but incredible stats already with the idea he would be a big source of goals from midfield. And Pedro Neto was the marquee signing. I was surprised to be able to beat strong competition to get him on board, but he was brought in to add to our attacking options. The League We pushed Bayern close this year, but unfortunately tailed off right at the very end of the season to have a slightly bigger gap than the race for the title really was up until the end of April. Unfortunately competing in 3 major competitions meant we didn't quite have enough to get the job done, but was a promising sign to see we were good enough to at least push. Hopefully we can go one step further next season. Champions League After a patchy start we made it comfortably into the play off round of the Champions league, not coming too far off the top 8 of the group phase. Incredibly the knockout rounds saw us first take on our first side in the Glory Hunter Challenge (Monaco) and get past them, we were drawn against our other former employers (PSG) in the last 16. We managed to beat them as well, but unfortunately Napoli were too much for us in the Quarters with Kvaradona and Osimhen still running riot for them. DFB Pokal Thankfully though we managed to get another trophy in the bag and secured the DFB Pokal. It wasn't the easiest of routes, getting past Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Leipzig before a pretty uneventful 1-0 win over Dortmund in the final, with that man Kalimuendo's early goal enough to get our hands on the silverware. The Squad Kalimuendo was once again incredible, not quite hitting the heights of his 50 goals last season, but still far too good. Alvaro Fernandez was an excellent addition and contributed really well going forwards as well, with lots of assists. Ulrich, Cunha, Neto and Zvoranek were a great supporting act for Kalimuendo, all getting a great mix of goals and assists. Hannibal stepped up and Nkili continued his development and is turning into an asset.

Season 26/27 Frankfurt season 2 Transfers I really, really hate transfer windows like the one I had this season. I had planned to make more changes than I would usually like (around 8-9 incomings) but due to a combination of teams unexpectedly coming in for players who I was planning on moving on further on down the line with offers that did not make sense to reject and a few of my star men being poached by those damn release clauses I ended up having a Nottingham Forest style window. The plus side is it should stand me in good stead for the next seasons and mean less work is needed and a more settled team for the long run. Departures could be split into 3 categories. Those players I actively wanted to sell - Plizzari, Wind, Foti, Gotze, Toure, Doyle and Ramaj really didn't do anything close to enough last season to be good enough players to be regular rotation options, so I was happy to accept the bids that came in for them and move them on. Plizzari was our number 1 last season, but a string of errors towards the end of the year in key games meant he had to go. Those players I was intending on keeping as squad players, but offers came in for more than made sense to reject - Sow, Tuta, Kamada. All 3 were getting closer to the end of their careers and the bids that came in allowed us to upgrade on them with younger, better players. And those I was powerless to keep and gutted to lose - Kolo Muani, Andrey Santos and Lucien Agoume. All 3 had their release clauses activated. My former club Monaco really stitched us up snatching Muani for a bargain price. At least I got to use Santos and Agoume for half a season, but it almost made it worse losing them then as they were harder to replace in January and left a huge hole in the midfield. The big incoming signings were made replacing the star men we lost to release clauses. Muani was replaced with Arnaud Kalimuendo. Someone who tore up France whilst I was at Monaco, but a less successful time at Tottenham after a big money move there, meant I was able to give him an opportunity in Germany and be my main man up front. Amadou Onana came in in January to replace Santos/Agoume. Some serious physicality and athleticism added to the team and the two of them was half of my outgoings. Elsewhere there were quite a few bargains brought in to the side to provide competition for places and allow for rotation across the 3 competitions. I signed Raya as my number 1 for a second time bringing him over from Monaco. The defence was bolstered with Omabamidele coming on a free and Bisseck coming with him to be backup options in the centre. The main signing was Torunarigha, coming in for £20m as that was one of the main areas I identified as needing strengthening, a quality left sided centre back. Calegari and Becker came in as competition on each side and both have some really nicely rounded stats. Hannibal was a bit of a steal from United where he struggled for game time. And the midfield was fleshed out by Eggestein, Nkilli and the first of two regens signed Ito. All adding different strengths and options in there. Support Kalimuendo, we managed to get Cunha to return to Germany on a free which was a real coup and Laurin Ulrich was a really exciting young addition who I was hoping could become a massive player for us. Lewelling and my second regen Marnick Symons again fleshed out the attack primarily to be used in cup competitions. The League It was not to be this year, but there was a positive to take in the fact that Bayern no longer appear to be an unstoppable force and it was actually Dortmund who took the title in a much closer contested race than I had anticipated. I think with a few strong additions we can hopefully run it a bit closer next season. But Champions League qualification and a boost to some already healthy finances was very welcome. DFB Pokal Unfortunately we ran into Bayern in the semis and were not at the races. They comfortably dispatched of us meaning we'll have to put focus onto both domestic competitions next season. Europa League - Fortunately the season was not wasted though. Whilst it doesn't help us move on from Germany any quicker, we managed to tick off a potentially tricky trophy and it was a bit of a breeze to be honest. We blitzed through the groups, event throwing in a 10-0 win in there and had a pretty straightforward run to the final and even that was a comfortable victory, putting 4 past Marseille. Ulrich producing a masterclass with a 10 rating, a goal and 2 assists. The Squad Kalimuendo was by far the standout this season, notching an incredible 50 goals in all competitions. He was backed up really nicely though by the likes of Ulrich, Lewelling and Cunha who all put up some really decent numbers. Hannibal and Onana were really strong in midfield covering all areas and contributing to a lot of goals too. Bornauw and Torunarigha were a really solid partnership at the back and the base were everything was built. Raya proved to be a big upgrade in goal and for 1.5m Becker proved to be a bargain putting in really solid performances and getting his fair share of assists. Next season the focus will be on really challenging domestically and with the number of transfers I ended up having to do last year I'm hoping to only having to sprinkle a little bit of additional quality with a handful of signings this time around. Thanks very much for the graphic Stevemc. I'll try and spend a bit of time before my next update not making my additions to it look so amateurish.

Nice! Look forward to see who you go with and updates. I've been the same and the challenge has definitely upped the enthusiasm to play. Really nice template. I'd be keen to use if you were able to share . Especially as I'm not going down the international route either and will be trying to get the conference league done.

Season 25/26 (4) - Frankfurt Transfers Out The first thing I did was clear out the deadwood and there was a lot of. Nobody that left in the summer window was anyone that I wanted to keep hold of and I managed to raise some funds to improve some areas of the squad. In Shipping out so much deadwood meant there was a lot of reconstruction needed, so I was very active in the window. Noah Dorman was a regen and one for the future, but he looks quite handy. Wing back was a key area and my main priority to strengthen. Thierno Balde and Aryton Lucas came in to provide some attacking threat from deep. I've not used either before but Balde has some nicely rounded stats, combined with some electric pace (18) and Lucas seemed to be bit of an all rounder. Agoume was someone I had my eye on whilst at Monaco and I decided to pull the trigger this season. A good all rounder and I gelt I needed some energy and physicality to the midfield. The same applied to Andrey Santos who has a bit more technically as well and was probably the marquee signing. Broja, Richarlison and Bella-Kotchap all came in on loan to bolster the squad. Initially the plan was for Broja to be the main striker, but when Richarlison was available too I brought them both in to fight it out and whoever impressed the least would go back in Jan. Unfortunately there was a major departure in Jan, that had all the makings of derailing my season. With 45 minutes of the transfer window remaining, Man United came in and activated Evan N'Dickas release clause. My best centre back and key man was suddenly gone out of nowhere and I had no time to replace him. What made it worse was that same day Southampton recalled Kotchap from his loan due to lack of minutes, but I completely missed that and only found out whilst working out a contingency plan for life without N'Dicka. The league We made a brilliant start to the season and went into the winter break in 2nd and only a few points off Bayern. Unfortunately our form dove off a cliff post-winter (Partly due to Man United's antics) and we only just crept into the European places. It took a huge win against Mainz, our challengers, on the penultimate game of the season to secure Europa League football next season and hopefully a chance to challenge for that. DFB Pokal Absolute Deja vu from my first season at Monaco. Heartbreak on penalties in the final. A tight game against Leipzig went to penalties and after 17 penalties in a row being scored, we missed and it was a familiar feeling. The Squad Kolo Muani was the standout performer with 24 goals and 6 assists. He got a large portion of those goals before the winter break and flying at the start of the season. The same could be said of Richarlison who got all but 1 of his goals before the winter break. His 1 goal after was in the cup final to be fair. His form made me terminate Broja's loan and I was very close to activating his optional fee, but having seen his second half of the season form I'll be looking at other options. Bornauw carried the defence and was huge for me with N'Dickas unexpected departure. Lindstrom and Sow are players I've looked at signing in other saves and they didn't disappoint. There will be a lot more activity in the transfer window next season to try and make a competitive squad across 3 competitions. I had the N'Dicka money left over and spent that in the build up to this next season to make sure I didn't lose it in next season's budget. So we have some squad players already coming in and I've been given a tasty budget to bring in some more expensive signings in key areas.

Thanks! Nice, I enjoyed managing them. Got some good backing from the board as the seasons went on as well. I think I got lucky with the PSG job coming up though as they are unstoppable as long as Mbappe is there. But good luck with dethroning them! Frankfurt was the only available job so I’ve take up that challenge. Fear I could have a similar issue to PSG with Bayern though..

Season 3 2024/5 After an almost full pre-season, I by chance noticed on my news page something very interesting. This left me with a dilemma. After making some transfers and feeling like I might challenge, I decided it wasn't worth the risk and that getting the league title with PSG and moving on should be a sure thing. It was also a rare opportunity to manage Neymar, Messi and Mbappe as it's very rare I'd be at a club that could afford or attract them in a normal save. On top of all that, it was a chance to also have a good shot at the Champions League. I applied and was offered the job 3 days before the Super Cup against who ? Monaco of course. We started with a nice win and a trophy in the first game. French Cup Despite not paying any attention to this competition and seeing it as an opportunity to rest some players, we got our hands on the trophy for a second time. The League France complete. It would have been a huge failure to not win this, but we got it done easily. My personal target was to do it as Invincibles, but unfortunately we didn't manage that. Lyon and Marseille rose to the occasion to defeat. Mbappe's goal record was insane and outscored 8 teams in the league. 16 point margin in the end Champions League I thought we had a really good chance at ticking this one off with the squad we have. Unfortunately we didn't achieve that. It became apparent very quickly in the quarter final away to Bayern that we couldn't afford to cater for both Messi and Neymar and they physically dominated us and made it very difficult to recover in the second leg. We'll see what offers come up in the summer, but if I am not able to move on, I will hopefully give it a better shot next season. The Squad Obviously Mbappe was a joke on the goal front, but it was really fun managing Messi and seeing some of his moments. Sane was a key asset on the wing and his pace gave us something different. So many assists and a good number of goals. Araujo and Kimpembe formed a really solid partnership and someone who was really key was Seiweld who did a lot of dirty work in the middle to allow the attackers to work their magic. There is not a huge amount going on with available jobs. Currently just Frankfurt available. Will see what movement there is through the summer, but hopefully a new country awaits.

Glory Hunter 2023/24 - Season 2 Summary Transfers - Out - There weren't any major departures. We managed to keep our key men together, whilst shipping off some players not in long term plans to help with the transfer budget. Embolo, Henrique, Camara, Minamino and Aguilar were squad players the season before, but not players I wanted to rely on so we got some good fees In - There was a number of incomings in key areas and I was happy with the players I was able to bring in to club. We raided Brentford who relegated, so getting in David Raya to be the new number one and Rico Henry for a combined fee of less than £30m was a real coo. The Free transfer market was one we had plenty of success and De Vrij and Bamba were brought in to improve the quality, but also the experience and again seemed to good to be true. Ben Romdhane was also poached from Tunisia. Someone I have not come across before, but has really nicely rounded stats. Soppy and Van de Ven came in to at first provide cover across the defence but potentially become long term stars. Tottenham were desperate to get rid of Ndombele so I picked him up on a cut price loan deal. I was hopeful I could bring the best out of him. If I couldn't it was low risk and something I didn't need to commit to. And finally most of the money went on Brennan Johnson. Half my budget, but a player I love and could make the Right side his own. Competitions - The League Once again, PSG were too strong. Mbappe didn't score as many, but still a large number. We secured second, even after prioritising other competitions when it became clear PSG were going to walk away with it. Next year, hopefully we get closer. Champions League - A very unexpected run in this competition. Part of me was hoping for a third place group finish to have a good go at the Europa League. But after getting through the group we had some favourable draws which took us to the Semi's. We got past the two Italians sides in Napoli and Inter, but unfortunately Liverpool proved too much. Just as they did when we met in the groups. French Cup - Fortunately the season was not wasted. We ticked the first competition off! Cruising to the final we met the nemesis in PSG. I tried a completely new tactic and put a lot more focus on opposition instructions for this one and it paid off. We took a 3-0 lead in the first half with Ndombele paying his loan fee off and some getting a brace. They fought back, but we just clung on to get that first trophy which allows us to put all focus on the league next season. The Squad £40m to put together a title winning squad.

Glory Hunter - Season 1 summary Monaco 2022/23 Ended up going for Monaco rather than Nice. Didn't get off to a great start, getting pushed into the Europa League, after failing to get past Benfica for Champions League qualification. I wasn't devastated by this though as I saw it as a good opportunity to challenge for the Europa league, which might be one of the trickier trophies to get my hands on, depending on club choice. Transfers - There was quite a lot of activity for a first window Out I felt there was quite a bit of deadwood and a lot of squad players I thought I could updgrade on quite cheaply, so the following departed. The only one I was unsure of was Boadu who I have great success with in previous version of Football Manager, but I felt I had better options and wanting 2 players for each position I couldn't fit him in so decided to cash in. In Coming in was a lot of young talent. With the PSG dominance on the nation, I feel this will likely be my longest stint at a club for this challenge, so I wanted to bring in plenty of youngsters who can grow to hopefully build a title challenging side. Schjelderup and Fofana, likely need little introduction and should turn into very important players. And at worst, players I can turn a tidy profit on. Wanting to play 3 in the midfield, I was light there so Seung-Ho (An absolute steal) and Hamer came in to provide some competition and Fagioli was signed with an option to buy, so another I couldn't really lose on. Finally Fran Garcia came in to hopefully become my long term left back, with some very good all round attributes. Competitions - League We finished second on the final day, but we were never in a title race. We flirted with it around christmas when PSG dropped the odd point, but they ran away with it. I fear I may be trying a while to topple them, when you look at Mbappe's goal tally... Europa League As mentioned earlier, I had high hopes for this competition and saw it as a great chance to tick it off early. Unfortunately after a good start we met one of the strongest sides in the competition early at the last 16 phase, Man United. They got the better of us in both legs and unfortunately we will have to wait for another shot at the Europa. French Cup This one was agonising and probably something that will haunt me. PSG went out early, which gave me a great shot of getting this one done at the first attempt and being able to throw everything at the league next season. It ended with heartbreak in the final though as we lost on penalties to Nice (The side I originally planned to pick). Mo Camara missing the decisive spot kick and this one hurt a lot. The squad - There some players that shone this season. Disasi and Badiashile formed a good partnership and certainly one that could become a long term thing. Vanderson was brilliant and offered so much in attack as well. Kevin Volland was a goal contribution monster, with 25 goals and 11 assists. Scheljdrup had a great first year and looks like he will become a star man. Fofana quietly hit the 20 goal mark, mostly in cups but showed he will be a long term heir to our top goalscorer Ben Yedder who oozes class. Have already made some free transfers for next year which should add a lot to the squad and have been given a tasty £68m budget, which alongside sales will hopefully put me in a good position to build a squad that can hopefully at least put up a challenge to the PSG dominance.

Going to start up a save an give this challenge a go. Looking at Nice. Hopefully get the Conference League early as it looks like a winnable competition. Some good younger players (Todibo, Thuram) but unfortunately quite a lot of Prem deadwood to get rid of. Looking forward to seeing other updates