PRDH

Right everyone, I'm going to attempt this again this year. Not been around for a while, but will attempt to make some progress. I have decided to head to Romania to begin my journey. The lucky club? I've taken over Bucovina Rădăuți, they have no real history of any note. Promoted into Liga II in Romania, they do not have much infrastructure - a 2,000 seater stadium, basic or poor facilities and £185,268 in the bank. Should be a good challenge!

Cranking up the new game now. Holidaying in Italy. Let's see what the promotion gods throw me...

Right everyone. I have a new computer. I have installed FM17. I am at home ill. This seems like the perfect time to fire up a challenge game! Downloading the Italy save and ready to launch myself back into the mix!

Hello all! Not been around for a while. Life just gets busier and busier. But I have got the new game and after an enjoyably bobbing around the Swiss Leagues last year I'm going to try this challenge again. I'm in-between computers at the moment, so they'll be a bit of a wait, but that save-game in Italy and the option of San Marino might be too much to resist!

Hello everyone! After so far failing to get into any save on the new game, I'm returning to my spiritual home - the Big Euro Thread! Sad to see we've lost a few of the old-timers, and that the thread seems a little quiet, but glad to see iseemonsters1 taking over the old thread and doing an excellent job on it. Anyway, it's half-term for me, and that means I have some time to kill, and a chance to get into the game without having to mark anything! Currently holidaying in Turkey as it's a nation I've not attempted in the past. Hoping to takeover an Istanbul-based minnow since it's my favourite city in the world.

LLR - Sad to hear that you're handing over responsibility for the big euro challenge. I'd love to have taken over the reins, but alas I'm also playing the game less and less recently due to work etc.

I usually play in the Big Euro challenge when I start, so this year I'm going to combine the two and holiday until I get San Marino promoted and go from there! Looking forward to it!

Been attempting this in Iceland, with very little success. About to head to pastures new, I really want to do it in Scandinavia so maybe Norway or Sweden.

İstanbulspor AŞ Post 1 - An Introduction Manager Overview | Information Club Overview | Domestic Leagues | Facilities Welcome one, welcome all to this news page about İstanbulspor AŞ, our might Istanbul Bulls. We're very excited to welcome our new manager - Peter Harmer. The appointment may come as a bit of a shock since he has yet to complete any coaching badges and his playing career was hardly illustrious. We have heard tell of a fine goal in a sports hall in rural Romania where he passed the ball out of defence, then made a lung-busting run out of defence all the way to the opposition box before slotting the ball under the goalkeeper. But since no record of this feat exists we have to rely on the manager's word... Still, we feel he is the right man to lead the team forward after its promotion to the Turkish Second Division (White League). We imagine, with the appointment of an English manager (with Armenian second nationality) that we will see an increase in foreign media attention so thought we should provide a few details about the club before cracking on with the traditional press conference. Located in Istanbul, among the footballing giants of Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, life was always going to be tricky for the little club founded in 1926. However, despite this the club has achieved some notable successes, finishing second in the 1958-57 Turkish Super League and appearing in the UEFA Cup in 1998. Tough times fell when the Uzan family withdrew their support in 2001 plunging the club into financial crisis. The club was rescued by the government in 2003, but relegation from the top flight followed in 2005 and a continual fall found the club in the fourth level of Turkish football before the recent promotion to the third tier. This is where we find the club now with a 4200-capacity stadium and generally adequate facilities. Thank you all for reading and now it's time to open the floor to questions for our new manager. Peter Harmer - Good afternoon everyone, a real pleasure to be sitting here in this grand old city, as the new manager of İstanbulspor. It's a great club and I hope to bring success back to it. Journalist - Hi Peter, great to see a man with such passion installed as manager. Can you tell us a little about your background? PH - Of course. I am, as you know an Englishman, but I do have Armenian ancestry and it was this which pulled me to this part of the world for my first job in management. I've never played the game professionally and I don't have any coaching qualifications, although I'll be looking to rectify that last point during my time here. J - We here you're a bit of a linguist, how will that affect your management? PH - Well, I speak English, French and Spanish, so I suppose that helps me communicate with a large number of footballers, but I don't think it'll have a huge effect. J - And what will your priorities be? PH I want to reshape this club from the bottom up. I want this team's success to be built on a foundation of youth team players. I think they can really encapsulate the spirit of the Bulls, and so I'll be looking to train a number of high class Calves and bring them into the senior team. J - I'm sure that'll excite the fans. PH - I hope so! Any other questions? J - I don't think so, I'll let you get on with the job? PH - Thanks everyone, I'll speak to you all soon.

Yeah, I wanted to find a team in the far east of the country - somewhere in Vladivostok or the island just off it, but looking through the Eastern division that teams would come from, there were none from that far east. I wanted it to bookend my epic (if I say so myself) game in the Azores with all the home grown players. Take the Champions League as far east as you could. Anyway, instead I'm in Turkey and I've picked a club, just got to write the opening post now and then get going (well, along with doing some bits of work)!

Can't get excited about any of the clubs coming up in Russia, might be time to consider Turkey...

Day off today, and I think we all know what that means. Yup, time to find a team for this challenge. Thinking I'm heading East. All the way east - to Russia.

I think I'm going to hold out to start my proper save when the Beta finishes. I think my strategy this year is going to be to start a game in both this thread, and Gundo's. I'm thinking maybe Iceland and Italy for a nice full spectrum of challenges. Although the problem is, San Marino also really appeals. So many choices this year!

As a long term member of the Big Euro nation I'm thinking of trying a small nation as well this year. I can't decide where I want to end up yet, but for some reason a Scandinavian country, maybe Iceland, really appeals.

Hello everyone, good to see this thread up and running again. I have managed to be out of the country for the release date - terrible planning, so will just have a watching brief for a few days, but am looking to throw myself in properly when I'm back. I'm tempted by Scotland this year, but I don't know. I really want to recreate the feeling of Lusitania Acores a few years ago where my youth academy was basically the national team in waiting, so I may be tempted to go to a smaller nation and jump into Gundo's for the first time. Otherwise, Russia or Turkey hold a significant amount of interest. Good luck everyone!