ManUtd1

Oh my goodness, yes! He will be a libero. The tactic is basically the same one I've been playing all year, PM Draugrson, which is detailed over on FtCS even if the save is no longer being documented there. I've got one tweak I'm using more and more, but otherwise this is what I'm playing with: Full details here: https://www.fmcheapseats.com/index.php/2021/10/27/the-night-is-dark/

September 2036 - Cup of Nations Qualifying. Our eyes meet as he walks into the room, ahead of the qualifiers against Angola and Mauritania. Achille. Soon to join us in Sagarejo. A legend in the making. A legend that -- after back-to-back wins, including an unnecessarily hard-fought, come-from-behind win in Nouakchott -- will take the pitch at Nigeria 2037.

August 2036 - Champions League, Group Stage Draw. After years of frustrating draws, the Football Gods look down upon us with kindness in 2036. Even urCristiano cannot contain his sheer joy upon drawing our ball from the hopper -- Group D, with Austrian champions TSV Hartberg. Arne Slot's Barcelona are out of Pot 2, but we do not mind one bit -- Olympiacos is also in the mix, but again they are not my concern. The odds of advancing to the knockout rounds for the first time have increased exponentially, on paper.

August 2036 - Champions League, Playoffs. I must confess that Finland will always have a special place in my heart. Yet, Sweden has taken me by surprise this time around. Unable to sleep after a frustrating draw in the 1st leg, Mat took me to a beat poetry open mic at a seedy nightclub on the outskirts of town. Attendance was sparse. The lights were low. But, the atmosphere? Electric. Especially that lanky blonde lad, what blew out a candle melodramatically at the end of an improvised ode to his ex while a dancer with a face like a catcher's mitt gyrated slowly on stage. Truly inspiring stuff, as demonstrated by our emphatic win in the 2nd leg.

August 2036 - Champions League, Third Qualifying Round. Tasked with Russian opposition in next qualifying round, we know we cannot look past them. But we sure try. Underwhelming in the 1st leg (2-1), we proceed to hit the woodwork 5 times in the 2nd leg to keep things far closer than they ever should have been even if the outcome is never truly in doubt. We will face the Swedish champions in the Playoffs -- 180 minutes for a spot in the Group Stage.

July 2036. Upon arriving in Kaunas, we decided to tour our host's facilities -- an exercise in comparative, single-destination groundhopping, if you will. Not many clubs with a 500-person capacity stadium can lay claim to a spot in the Champions League, after all. While the facilities are rustic, there's no cause for the Georgian media's denigration of the pitch as "literally a potato farm." A cheap shot even in the best light, it seems. We should not be so quick to forget our own humble roots. No room for that kind of snobbery. I tell Mat as much but he just shrugs me off, mumbling some platitudes to appease me. I try to explain that his reaction is precisely the sort of arrogance we need to put back on the shelf. He just rolls his eyes. An elderly gentleman casually approaches when we arrive at the pitch, extending a hand in a gesture of friendship, a warm smile across his face. Dirt under his fingertips? Clearly a man who works with his hands. A man of the people. Salt of the earth. The groundsman, perhaps. I return the gesture. "Good evening, sir. Tell me, is this the potat-- I mean, the Tauro Stadionas?" "Why, yes, it is, my good man. I've seen your picture on the television, you must be Mr. Gorami. Welcome to Kaunas! I'm the owner. Adomas, Adomas Potato. Pleasure to meet you!"

Raumpress? Raumpress.

For the first time in ages, we have little if anything to do. The Erovnuli Liga is on break for the Euros. We're out of the Davit Kipiani Cup, much to my undying shame. And Mat "forgot" to schedule friendlies for Cameroon because he was too busy playing Roblox with Awoa. So, when the report comes in from Fabrika, it takes a few minutes to fully wake up from my 2nd nap of the afternoon to appreciate the significance of what I'm being told. And for the excitement to take hold. An excellent class, you say?

June 2036 - European Rankings Update. Following our Jekyll & Hyde year in European football, Gareji rise to 23rd in the club coefficients table, with the Erovnuli Liga rising to 28th and Georgia regaining a Second Qualifying Round seed for the Champions League qualifiers. Now, let's not backslide this time. Alright, lads?

June 2036 - European Review. In the Champions League, Gerardo Seaone's Atletico defeated Marco Rose's Dortmund, 2-1. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United took home the Europa League with a 4-1 win over Didier Deschamps' Juventus. And, as noted above, $tevie Me's Leicester City crushed the heart, dreams and vestigial tail of one Gary "Sizzurp" Neville, defeating Gareji Sagarejo, 2-1 (aet). In the active leagues, Solskjaer's United won the Premier League, thanks to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool defeating Vincent Kompany's Manchester City at the Emptyhad, 2-1, on Matchday 38. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Julian Nagelsman's Bayern did Bayern things, with the Bundesliga climbing to the top of the league competition rankings. Diego Simeone's Inter defended their Serie A title. Julian Stephan's Real Madrid reclaimed their La Liga title. And, finally, PS-****ing-G can **** right off.

May 2036. We conclude the biggest month in club history by taking out our frustrations on Saburtalo. It isn't their fault. But we slap them around, nevertheless. Despite only playing in the tournament since the holidays, Giorgi Dvali takes home the Europa Conference League Best Player award while Davit 'The Bull" Toroshelidze is named to the Best XI. Quite the turnaround from our display display in Champions League qualifying and the Europa League Group Stage.a ti The lads have every reason to be proud of themselves. The question being, can we parlay this good run into a genuine challenge for the Champions League knockout rounds in the European campaign to come? Only time will tell.

Extra Time & Post-Match Wrap-Up.

Extra time - 98th minute.

Extra Time - 91st minute.

93rd minute.

87th minute.

75th minute.

71st minute.

61st minute.

55th minute.

51st minute.

Halftime. A justin Bieber tribute act takes the pitch, paying tribute to a man who we lost far too young. There isn't a dry eye in the house. (In part, due to Gary holding Jamie down and spitting in his face repeatedly -- before swigging more purplish-pink drink from the bottle.)

40th minute.

35th minute.