mannojunior

Game of Thrones - Rise of the Spartans - 2023/2024 End of Season Review Stuart Davies ------ Welcome back to Edinburgh where the 2023/2024 has been wrapped up and our first season in Scotland is complete. So, how did we do?! ------ Cinch League Two As expected, we wrapped the League title up pretty quickly with an emphatic February and March. As the season wound down I was able to blood a few of our new youngsters who joined as part of the first youth intake, namely Kieran Ross. April and May saw a few more losses than normal but this was to be expected as we had won the league at a canter and it was time to experiment with the team selection. An absolutely outstanding league campaign. In cup competitions we exited the Scottish Cup in the Fifth Round away at St Mirren and then in our first final of the save, we lost out to TNS in the SPFL Trust Trophy on penalties. Gutting. ------ The league trophy is lifted by the boys. ------ Competitions A simply fantastic season in general. It saw magical cup runs, agony in both a semi-final and a final and then a resounded league title triumph. Onwards and upwards. ------ Youth Intake Our first youth intake was pretty poor, however we did get a Scottish striker named Kieran Ross who looks like he has something about him. He made 5 appearances at the back of the season, netting once which was on his debut. ------ Squad Overview It is hard to pick out individuals as this season has been such a team effort. Nobody has run away with assists, goals or other key metrics. Notable mentions must go to James Craigen, Cammy Russell and Jordan Cropper, all of whom have signed new deals. ------ Summer Window Heading into the summer I have decided that I want to give the core of the team the chance to impress in League One. With that in mind, I've removed players from the positions where I feel I need to strengthen this summer. Quality over quantity. Initial budgets have been set which allow me a decent stab at a couple of quality players. The only thing that stands in my way is a transfer embargo which is currently in place as a potential takeover happens. If it does, I am promised a new stadium!

Less transfer embargo's

Sad to see Tait go mate, what a hero he has been! But wow, Markovic looks like the real deal. Excited to see how he settles in!

Game of Thrones - Rise of The Spartans - November 2023 to January 2024 Welcome back to another installment in the Game of Thrones save. You join us at a very good time as things are looking rosy on all fronts. Let's get into this shall we? ------ Viaplay Cup Heartbreak. Our Viaplay Cup run comes to an end at Hampden Park in the semi-final. We came up against a strong St Mirren side and put up one hell of a fight. Sadly former Liverpool player, Steven Caulker settled the tie with his strike in the 52nd minute. What a run it has been for us as a club. The run has generated a lot of additional funds that are very much needed at the moment. We should not have made it this far but we defied the odds. ------ SPFL Trust Trophy Another huge win in cup competition as we dump out our senior affiliate in the SPFL Trust 4th round. A really disciplined performance and Dundee never got going. We met Kelty Hearts in the quarter final and another solid performance put us into the semi-final. Can we just take some time to appreciate Kevin Waugh, who as a central defender has 17 free kick taking. Anyway, who's next? We get drawn at home to Arbroath in the semi-final. Is there a final on the cards?! ------ Scottish Cup How many domestic cup competitions do you need in Scotland, seriously?? Relative plain sailing in the Scottish Cup so far. It feels strange saying that as a League Two side. 13 goals scored and just two conceded across the three games. Some nice draws have also helped. Our first real test came in the Fourth Round as we were drawn against higher division Annan Athletic but that really didn't matter as we dismantled them 5-1 in front of just 431 people. This team is incredible! We now face a trip to St Mirren who broke our hearts in the Viaplay Cup semi-final. Can we get some revenge? Maybe, but the money will also be nice. ------ Cinch League Two Finally we can get down to the business end of proceedings. Our priority is the league and making sure we get out of this division. I think it is safe to say that we are going to do that. Just one league defeat in the past four months and that was at the start of October. We have been on an incredible run since then and the boys have been fantastic. There really is no stopping us right now. When you look at the last few months we have started to turn on the style with a 5-1 win over Elgin City, a 5-2 win over Stranraer and most recently, a 7-2 win at home to Stenhousemuir. Simply fantastic. I would suggest it is safe to say that if we don't win the league from here, it will be the biggest bottle job in recent footballing times. We have opened up a 25 point gap between us and Clyde in second. 25 points! Okay, Clyde have a game in hand so it may be cut to just 22 but that is insane. I have no words for how good this team are. We are simply too good for this division. ------- Club News The board have seen the light and have given me a new deal, keeping me at the club until 2025. Transfer News There is always a high turnover of players in the lower leagues and this is no exception. Not ideal as St Mirren recall Ethan Sutherland from his loan deal. He was a great option down the left and has just started to come into form. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, our senior affiliate, Dundee United, have recalled Craig Moore as they want him to play at a higher level. This one was tough to take as he has been a mainstay in the team playing as the ball winning midfielder. I wish him well as he has a great career ahead of him. With two key players being recalled it was time to dip into the transfer market. This was not going to be a simple task as our board had cut our scouting budget to £0, meaning our scouts were unable to do anything. How lovely. First through the door is a replacement from Dundee in the form of 16 year old Scott Constable. A very talented youngster who can operate at both central midfield and right back. He's probably better suited to right back in his current form. With Sutherland departing, this left a gap to fill out on the left hand side. Up steps Danny Rowe who has joined on a free transfer and will add experience and quality to our attack. He's not got any pace about him so I may have to bring on fresh legs early into the second half if needed but he is technically excellent for this level. Extremely delighted to have this signing wrapped up. Last up is Ali Shrive. I still wanted another DM in the squad and I think he will do a job for us for the rest of the season. ------ Player Stats Our dominance this season means that it is hard to even find somebody who has underperformed. Midfield maestro James Craigen leads the way for assists with 10. Delighted to extend his contract recently for a further two years. Cropper and Russell continue to form a formidable partnership down the right hand side. Cammy Russell has returned to form in front of goal and he is top of the charts for goals with 15. James Wilson has also continued his upturn in form and has 13 goals to his name. ------ It's safe to say things are going well. Let's crack on with the rest of the season shall we?

Sadly, Mr Henderson left the club 👀

Absolutely! How long can it last though? Cheers mate!

I mean, we did beat St Mirren reserves 9-1 earlier this season... No idea how we've come so far but surely we can't make a final?

Game of Thrones - Rise of The Spartans - September 2023 Update It is safe to say they love playing football in the Scottish lower leagues. I feel fatigued just watching all the fixtures pile up. Anyway, given how much has happened in September, let's have a look at what's happened this month. Moving forward, I plan to do two to three updates per season but it is all subject to change and the mood I am in. Anyway, on with the show! -------- Transfer News Before we look at the results on the pitch this month I should probably address a couple of pieces of transfer business that has taken place. Three new signings have arrived to bolster our squad. First through the door was a signing that I have definitely made with my heart rather than my head, in the form of Sean Canham. I loved Canham when he played for my local club many years ago and he definitely has another year left in the tank! A decent option of the bench no doubt and will score a goal or two. Luke Watt arrives to provide cover across the backline and in defensive midfield. He's no star player but on a relatively cheap wage he will help with rotation and injuries. The third and final signing is actually a rather exciting one as goalkeeper Scott Fox joins on a free transfer. Fox is a massive upgrade on my current keeper who is a youngster in on loan and at 36, his experience will no doubt be a massive help this season. Delightful. --- --- Club News Is a takeover on the cards? Who knows, but there are certainly a lot of rumours flying about. --- Viaplay Cup Umm, we've made the semi-finals? How the **** we've done that, I do not really know. A sensational performance on the night and the boys defended with their lives. Scott Fox in goal made a host of sensational saves to see us through. I thought we were pretty poor going forward but that was to be expected given the size of the opposition but to come away with a win and progress to the semi-final is mind blowing. Who's next you say? We've avoided Celtic and Rangers - is a run to the final on the cards? --- SPFL Trust Trophy Spartans are giant killers. That is all. Another higher division scalp is claimed. I still don't really understand this cup competition but we march on! Next up, a home tie against our senior affiliate. --- Cinch League Two Unbeaten. A sea of green. Dominance. September has been a special month, with six wins in a row, including some massive cup wins. In the league, it is maximum points and more fantastic performances. Stenhousemuir was a tough ask up first as they were sitting top of the table but we were able to keep them at bay with a 3-2 win at home. Elgin City were brushed aside at ease, with Sean Canham getting his first goal for the club. Forfar and East Fife followed and another Sean Canham goal! Two good wins but certainly not our best performances of the season. Can you complain when you are winning games? Yeah I'll shut up. With seven league games played and September coming to an end, we sit top of the pile. We've opened up a 5 point gap between ourselves and Stenhousemuir. Time to kick on. --- Player Statistics Chris Erksine continues to lead the way with goals, although he's had a notable drop in form over the past few games. Cammy Russell sits second with 7 goals but again there has been a drop in form for him. James Wilson sits third but I am starting to become concerned about him. All 5 of his goals have been in cup competitions and he is yet to score in the league. I know he is 16 but Canham is now getting his change to nail down the number 9 jersey. Central midfielder Craigen leads the way with 6 assists and he is also joined by right wing back Cropper on 6. Sadly, Cropper picked up an injury in the Aberdeen game seeing him sidelined for the next month. Cammy Russell isn't far behind with 5 assists from the right hand side. Some familiar faces make up the top three in the average performance category and it is Cropper who takes top spot. A real shame that he's picked up an injury but that is football. Before we round this off, I must introduce you to our midfield maestro who has been simply sensational so far this season. Craigen is a baller.

Thanks mate, much appreciated! If it goes well it definitely has the potential to move over to different countries!

Cheers mate! I’m loving it so far and looking forward to seeing how far I can take them. Not really managed in Scotland before but love a good Scottish newgen!

What can I say?! You’ve absolutely smashed it mate. A thoroughly deserved UCL title and pride of Scotland! Been a magnificent story to follow and look forward to seeing how you can progress and try and close that gap with England! Any chance of the Scotland job again?

Seems there is a lot this year! Thoroughly enjoying Scotland so far 💪🏻

Game of Thrones - Rise of The Spartans - July/August 2023 Update Welcome back to Scotland where pre-season is done and dusted and we find ourselves at the end of August. Our transfer dealings in the main are complete and the squad is taking shape nicely. Let's see what's happened shall we? Transfer Window Let's start with the outs. A lot of deadwood taking up valuable wages and that had to be sorted. Sadly, only two have left us so far but they have freed up a good amount in the wage budget to allow me to strengthen. No key players have been lost which is a good thing, although you wouldn't usually see that on FM in the first transfer window. Lots of incoming as we looked to revamp the side and prepare for our first season in League Two. We took full advantage of our affiliation with Dundee United, along with other Scottish clubs helping us with free loan deals. First up, Chris Erskine joins on a free transfer and he will no doubt be a key player for us. I am going to stick him in the number 10 as an Advanced Playmaker and hope his technicals and experience shine through. Craig Moore joins on a season long loan and he is going to be a key cog in central midfield. He can operate well in both a more reserved playmaking role or as a more defensive midfielder. The initial plan is to drop him in as a BWM alongside a slightly more offensive DLP. We were looking light up top and after scouring the loan market I came across 16 year-old James Wilson and brought him in for a season. His finishing, composure and speed should give him the base to be a really good player at this level. Lots of others have also joined to strengthen the ranks and we are setup nicely for the season ahead. -------- -------- ---------- ---------- Results We are well and truly underway here, with a lot of games played up front to include several cup competitions. Viaplay Cup What. A. Start. Bloody hell, I didn't expect us to come together so quickly! We opened up with a 3-2 loss away at Livingston, but that was to be expected. What I didn't expect was 3 wins on the bounce with sensational victories over the likes of Airdieonians and Hamilton. Chris Erskine certainly hit the ground running along with Cammy Russell and we put ourselves in a strong position for qualification to the next round. And we did just that! We came second in the group with 9 points and got ourselves through to the Second Round where we would face top division Motherwell. She is, thanks for asking, just in case you wondered. What is going on?!?! An absolutely storming performance and we were 2-0 up within 18 minutes thanks to goals from Cammy Russell and a penalty from James Craigen. Shaw quickly got one back for the visitors but veteran Erskine restored our two goal cushion before half time. From there, we hung on and knocked out Premiership opposition! Sensational. It's sets us up with a Quarter Final at home to Aberdeen. --------- SPFL Trust Trophy Just the one game so far in the SPFL Trust Trophy and we absolutely destroyed St Mirren Reserves. Shall we move on? I feel sorry for them. James Wilson nets his first hat-trick of the season. --------- Cinch League Two In an amongst the chaos of the cup competitions we actually had to start our league campaign. Things didn't start well as despite battering Clyde in the stats, we came up short in the only stat that matters, goals. A disappointing start considering our cup success. Things improved though as we thrashed Dumbarton away from home with Erskine at the double. We then travelled to Peterhead to round off the month and a comfortable 3-0 win ensued. A decent start and platform to kick on from. 6 points from three games, certainly can't complain with that. Disappointing to have lost that Clyde game but they are a relegated side and they have started the season strong. A position to kick on from. -------- Tactical Approach This is an insight into how we are lining up this season. I always like to build a squad that has a capable replacement in each position and I feel we have that for the most part. We probably lack depth at GK, RB and LB but we can look to address that as the season goes on should we need to. -------- Player Statistics Our lightning start to the season has seen a lot of good performances across the board. Erskine has been phenomenal in the 10. Cammy Russell has transioned to a right winger for me and he has been very good in that role. Both wing backs are performing and grabbing assists which is great to see. Wilson is slowly getting there but we must remember he is only 16. Craigen from central midfield has been another shining star and his stats show it. As you'd probably expect from the system we are playing, the assists chart is dominated by our wingers and wing backs. Strong signs. Erskine leads the way with goals, closely followed by Russell and Wilson. Russell has been electric from the right hand side and he is contributing both goals and assists in large quantities. ----- For now, that's your lot. Once again, thanks for reading!

Cheers mate! Anything I should know about the club/team? Don't want to be upsetting the locals!

Game of Thrones - Rise of The Spartans Let's get down to it, why am I referring to Game of Thrones? Well, over the last week or so I had been looking for inspiration for a new save. I am currently blogging my take on a Glory Hunter Challenge over on the FMLibrary website but I have failed to really get into it so far. I have taken in copious amounts of written FM content since FM 24's release and the types of saves that have got me most interested have been club and country saves. Special shoutout to LutterworthFox whose save with Queens Park has been a joy to read and follow and it sparked my interest in Scotland. In my quest to find a new save, MaddFM pointed me in the direction of a blog post detailing potential clubs to manage in order to knock certain teams off of their domestic thrones. And this ladies and gentlemen, is where we start. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the concept of this Game of Thrones save? As I alluded to above, the ultimate aim of the save is to de-throne those domestic clubs that are dominating the top flight in their nation. We then have to establish ourselves as the top domestic club and in doing so, claim the throne as our own. European success is not the determining factor in this save but having a good European adventure will certainly make our task easier. If you hadn't guessed it already, we will be doing this in Scotland. Who are The Spartans? My subtle reference to Spartans is actually a reference to the club that we will be managing in this save. The Spartans is a club based in Edinburgh who have just been promoted to the Scottish League Two. The club are now operating at their highest level and this is their first foray into professional football. The club was originally formed in 1951 by ex-players of Edinburgh University with the intention of being a club solely made up of graduates from the University. The club has since changed their stance and now find themselves competing in League Two for the first time. As you'll see, this really is going to be a challenge to get the club from League Two, all the way to the top flight. The facilities and reputation could certainly be better but at the same time they could also be worse. It is a base from which we can start and build our way up. We will be playing our trade at Ainslie Park Stadium which in truth looks very decent for this level of football. --------------------------------------------------------- Save Objectives I don't think that I particularly need to elaborate too much on the aims of the save as the above is fairly self-explanatory. However, the below will help us take stock on our success: 1. De-throne Rangers and Celtic 2, Become the best club in Edinburgh 3. Become Scotland manager 4. Improve the national rankings -------------------------------------------------------------- Stuart Davies So with the scene set, who will be leading the Spartans out this season? Well, for those that know me, I am a sucker for narrative and I always create a fictional manager to take the reigns. It is no different with save and I take great pleasure in introducing you to Stuart Davies. Born on 1st December 1988, Davies played for the majority of his playing career in Scotland, amassing 300 appearances for Elgin City. Not a superstar of Scottish football, but a name that most Scottish football fans would have heard of. Davies has recently obtained his Continental B Licence and has taken the vacant managerial role at Spartans FC. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for sticking around and making it to this point. Next up I will bring you an overview of the club and a look at our early season form.

Wow, that’s one hell of a season mate! That UCL final is surely on the cards very soon!

Things just keep getting better and better mate! You’ve done really well to hold on to your key players in the window. How have you approached scouting throughout this save? You seem to unearthing some real gems from outside the top 5 leagues. Following this save has firmly cemented the fact that my next save will be a club and country one!

Another stellar season mate! It’s only a matter of time before you have that long European run. Harrison is criminally underrated by the game and I can’t quite work out how?!

That is a massive summer window for you! Some top talent arriving and it’s shown in the early season form. Can’t wait to see how you do in Europe

Congratulations on another amazing season mate! You are absolutely smashing it. Only a matter of time before you are making the UCL semi/final. Cracking work with the academy too! Reckon there is a chance you get the Scotland job back at some point?

Big transfer window mate! Be interesting to see how the new boys do. Hernandez looks like he could be a really handful off the bench with his pace. Looking forward to seeing how you get on this season!

2025/2026 End of Season Update (Season 3) We walked out to a guard of honour away to Kaizer Chiefs in our penultimate game. It's safe to say I think the boys had been partying hard following the title win. A shocking performance at Kaizer Chiefs was followed by a drab 1-0 loss at home to Sundowns to end the season. In reality, who cares?! We are champions! A fine season comes to and end and we sit top of the pile. A really fantastic achievement with this being our first season at the club and given the club's poor season last year. This means we enter the African Champions League next season. Players of the Season I simply couldn't choose one player of the season, so I chose two. First up, the main man himself, Joel Kojo. What a season. Kojo had big shoes to fill following the departure of Shandre Campbell. Despite a slow start, he blew the league away and scored an incredible 28 goals in 29 appearances in the league. Secondly, we have Waylon Renecke who joined from Norwich in the summer. He was by far our best defender and lethal from set pieces. 11 goals, 4 assists and an average rating of 7.36 from central defender. What a player! Looking Ahead There is a big summer ahead of us. We must now focus our attentions on winning the Champions League so that we can tick off the Africa leg of our adventure. Our rise to the top should mean that the most desirable players are interested in joining us. With plenty of contracts expiring in the summer, it gives me the chance to complete a squad clearout ready for a rather heavy transfer window. We desperately need to add quality and depth to our squad to compete in the Champions League and this will be the biggest summer window of our career so far. Add to that the fact that we will only qualify for the Champions League again the following season if we win the league. Which means we have to be competitive on all fronts next season. This will give you a flavour of where I am looking to improve next season. Methembu remains but I am almost certain to sell him this summer to get a decent fee, rather than letting him leave on a free next summer. Personal Development Our reputation has sky rocketed to 30% following our famous season and we are also still on course to obtain our National B licence. This is setting us up nicely for when the time comes to leave Africa and move on to our next leg. ** Please note that this was very much a Beta save and I am now going to be blogging my main save of FM24. I will be continuing with this save in the background but progress will be slower. If you are interested in my blog, you can find the introductory post here - https://libraryoffm.wordpress.com/2023/11/14/statman-dave-hunting-for-glory-prologue/

Thank you! That’s the plan! Let’s see how that goes 👀

Wednesday 13th May 2026 - Orlando Pirates v SuperSport United It's D-Day at the Orlando Stadium. Ciro Venturo's SuperSport United know that if they pick up a point they will be crowned Premiership Champions with two games to spare. Quite the unthinkable achievement given last season's poor performance. Orlando Pirates know that they must win to keep their outside chance of a title push alive. The big team news is that SuperSport will be without their star man and captain, Lerate Mthembu who is ruled out through suspension. 8' PENALTY!! Orlando Pirates have the change to take the lead from the spot. 8' GOAL!! The penalty is converted and Orlando Pirates take the lead, 1-0. 9' GOAL!! SuperSport hit back instantly. Jayden Adams hits one from the edge of the area and a wicked deflection sends the ball into the bottom corner. 1-1. 14' GOAL!! Orlando Pirates restore their lead. Dansin finds himself clear on goal and slots past Chigova. 2-1. 23' PENALTY!! It's all action here and SuperSport have a penalty. Joel Kojo has the chance to level the scores once again. 23' GOAL!! Joel Kojo smashes his penalty into the top corner. 2-2. 34' PENALTY!! A third penalty of the afternoon and it goes the way of SuperSport. 34' IT'S MISSED!! For some reason SuperSport's Joel Kojo opted not to take the penalty. Right back Augustin Pereira stepped up and blasts the ball wide. 2-2. 44' GOAL!! SuperSport take the lead for the first time in this game. Joel Kojo gets in down the left hand side and whips a low cross into the path of Juninho who taps home. 3-2. 51' GOAL!! Joel Kojo smashes in his 32nd goal of the season and his second in the game. SuperSport are taking control. 4-2. 80' Squeeky bum time. The game has calmed down and SuperSport are controlling the game and look to be heading to the league title. 83' GOAL!! It's a Kojo hat-trick and SuperSport are going to be lifting the trophy today. Sensational. 5-2. 88' GOAL!! SuperSport are cruising. Ndlovu fires home after pinball in the box. 6-2. (edited) 90' Full Time. Orlando Pirates 2-6 SuperSport United. What an achievement. Words can't describe how proud I am of the boys for their work this season. After coming in off the back of a disastrous season, I thought a top 4 push would be a sensible starting point. The boys proved me wrong. Champions with two games to spare and I think it is going to be a win by some margin! Full season review to follow.

April/May 2026 Update (Season 3) DStv Premiership 13 points from a possible 18 means that we haven't quite done enough to clinch the title with three games remaining. Two hugely frustrating games have cost us an early title lift. The 3-3 against Polokwane was absolutely unacceptable. We were 3-0 up and cruising at half time but we come out for the second half looking like a completely different side and we were lucky to hold on to a point in the end. Then a 7-5 defeat at home to Sekhukhune United and I really don't know where to start with this one. 3-0 down inside 20 minutes. A Juninho hat-trick looks to have dug us out of a hole, only for us to concede two late goals to come away with nothing from the game. If we concede 7 goals we absolutely do not deserve anything and I can't describe how angry I was after that defeat. Absolutely unacceptable at this stage of the season. It's hotting up with three games to go. Realistically it is only Orlando Pirates who can catch us and that will require us to lose all three games. Couldn't have asked for a nicer run-in, right? What a joke this is. Who scripted this? Regardless, being 8 points ahead with 3 games to go, forget who the opponents are, if we don't clinch the title from here then we really don't deserve it anyway.