DaneBramage

FC BESCHLING - APRIL 2022 We ended the season with a couple of big wins, and a draw sandwiched in between. I was tempted to rotate a few players with the title already won, but stuck with the first choice players instead to try and beat the 57 points SC Ludesch 1b won with last year. We just missed out, coming one point short of equalling their total. The 16 point gap over 2nd place though shows how good we were compared to everyone else. Andre Dewald had a large impact over the last few weeks of the season, making a good shout for why he should have been involved more earlier on. I'd brought him in now as despite how many goals we were scoring not many were coming from strikers, so it was time to give him a go up top. In the last five games he scored three times, while setting up seven more. Even with this limited gametime he ended the season as the league's top creator. Seven players started every game this year, and we dominated the league's end of season awards. AUSTRIA Red Bull Salzburg made it nine title wins in a row, before adding the cup to make it a double.

FC BESCHLING - 2022 YOUTH INTAKE A third batch in a row referred to as a golden generation. Not even a single player having one full star of current ability doesn't fill me with hope though. And the top three all being right wingers is an interesting choice. 22a Benjamin Allheilig is apparently the best of the bunch.

FC BESCHLING - MARCH 2022 BOOYAH! Champions, and we've done it in style. Two big wins and we've sewn up the title with three games to go. AUSTRIA Friendly wins over Iceland and Andorra

FC BESCHLING - JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2022 We began the new year well, with 10 points from a possible 12. We've maintained our 10 point lead at the top, and with only five games left it would take a disaster to screw this up. We should have been even closer to promotion by now, but we made a mess of the FC Schlins 1b game. We were 3-0 up at half-time and bossing the match, but somehow let them get back into it. Even then we should have won, but we missed a stoppage-time penalty. 20i Alexander Borst had a cracking couple of months, with three goals and three assists from defensive midfield. The only criticism would be the aforementioned missed penalty.

FC BESCHLING - NOVEMBER + DECEMBER 2021 20b Christian Appelrath, take a bow son. Three goals in three games took him to double figures for the season, and he's now several goals clear at the top of the scoring charts. Not just for us, but the whole division. We're the only team to take full points from these two months, and coupled with the teams previously in 2nd and 3rd struggling, we've now pulled out a 10 point lead at the top. AUSTRIA Austria won't be competing at Qatar 2022. A loss to Italy pushed them down to second in the group, and they weren't one of the best runners-up.

FC BESCHLING - SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER 2021 The good times continued as three more victories took our start to the season to eight consecutive wins. The streak was snapped in dramatic fashion though, as we lost comprehensively to FC Nuziders 1b, before FC Ratia Bludenz 1b doubled our pain and inflicted another loss on us. We remain top of the league, but our 100% record is gone and those two sides have established themselves as our nearest challengers. AUSTRIA The World Cup qualifying campaign has run into a bit of trouble, as a win over Luxembourg did little to counter the damage done by losses to Bulgaria and Italy.

FC BESCHLING - AUGUST 2021 Goals goals goals! Over these three games we had a total of 80 shots, and we're banging in the goals. Only one came from a striker though, the majority were from midfield and the wings. The only setback was early on against FC Schlins 1b, when we were 2-0 down after less then 10 minutes. But those were their only shots of the game, and we were ahead by half-time before making it sure after the break. We currently have four players who are averaging at least one goal or assist per game. Matija Ceh is one of them, and this month he contributed one goal and three assists.

FC BESCHLING - JULY 2021 Most of the summer was spent offering out new contracts (with zero pay of course) to keep players at the club, as well as turning down a few job offers myself. In the end nobody left, and we went into the season intact. And we made a cracking start. The good form from the end of last year rolled over, and we picked up two wins without conceding. The 7-0 win over FC Klostertal 1b was particularly pleasing, not just due to how many goals were scored, but also because five of them came from academy graduates. Whenever my AssMan was in charge of team selection last year he always picked 20b Christian Appelrath, but he wasn't one of my favourites. The silver stars put me off. But with the change to a 4-1-4-1 line-up needing an additional midfielder he's back in the team now, and with a hat-trick he's certainly made a good claim to stay in. AUSTRIA A quirk in the World Cup qualifying group fixtures saw Austria play Northern Ireland twice within a week, and two victories saw them stay top and retain their 100% record.

FC BESCHLING - APRIL 2021 At least we ended the season well, making it four wins in a row before a draw on the final day. The new tactic seems to be working out, and three successive clean sheets was a triumph. That being said, it was too little too late. There was too much distance to make up to the next side, and we couldn't rise above 6th place. At the top SC Ludesch 1b won the title with ease. Even if we'd a much better season, we still wouldn't have beaten them. Andre Voigt ended the season as the joint-highest scorer in the division with 11 goals. AUSTRIA Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup began with wins over Bulgaria and Luxembourg. Red Bull Salzburg won the tipp-3 Bundesliga, making it eight in a row and 12 in total. But they were knocked out of the OFB-Samsung-Cup by the eventual winners, LASK Linz (second win).

FC BESCHLING - 2021 YOUTH INTAKE For what it's worth, the intake was listed as a golden generation again. I'm not sure who the potential best player in the squad is. 21i Hubert Bucklers was mentioned as the standout in the news item, but when sorted by potential, either 21a Attila Krecska or 21p Marius Lorenz is top. I see either, because everyone is apparently 5 star potential, so I don't really know which end is the top and which is the bottom. Again we had a non-EU player we can't sign, which does beg the question why they're even in our youth system.

FC BESCHLING - MARCH 2021 The month started with a mutiny, as the squad called a team meeting about the poor dressing-room atmosphere. I told them to stop whinging and suggested winning a few games might improve things. The tactic-hopping continued, and we might have stumbled on to one that works. With a 4-1-4-1 formation in place (with a holding midfielder) we snapped our losing streak with two successive wins, which propelled us back into the top-half of the table.

FC BESCHLING - JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2021 Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What a sad state of affairs this is. We're aquaplaning out of control, I'm jumping around between various tactics and nothing is working. Against FC Thuringen 1b we led twice, but each time gave up the lead and then gave them a third for good measure. We were masters of our own downfall hosting SC Tisis 1b, with a 7th minute sending-off ending any chance we had early on. And when we visited SV Ludesch 1b an experimental 5-4-1 was a disaster, with neither wing-back knowing what they were doing. We've plummeted down the table, and I'm not sure we can rule out falling any further.

FC BESCHLING - DECEMBER 2020 We had a mixed holiday season here. After we smashed SPG Grosswalsertal 1b Christmas was a happy occasion, but any New Year's celebrations were cancelled following the loss to SK Burs 1b. We dominated the game and should have won, but our defence was back to its usual tricks and just caved in under the slightest bit of pressure. We had the best defence in the division last year. I don't understand how they've gotten so bad so quickly.

FC BESCHLING - NOVEMBER 2020 The SK Meiningen 1b game was a miserable affair. Twice we went behind, twice we pulled level, then conceded in stoppage-time. I threw a hissy fit after that and changed every training session for the next two weeks to defensive training. And lo and behold, we only went and achieved our first clean sheet of the season. SV Ludesch 1b still haven't dropped a single point and our running away from everyone else, I'm aiming now just to keep the rest of the season respectable. I had been using some of the academy graduates regularly, but they're not ready for this and I've gone back to mostly using last year's players. Andre Voigt has stepped back in and performed well, with five goals and four assists in just eight appearances. He's massively overplaying compared to his ability, where his best technical attribute is 6. AUSTRIA The Nations League was wrapped up nicely with wins over Czech Republic and Serbia, and Austria won the group with ease, finishing seven points above their nearest rival to secure promotion to group A.

FC BESCHLING - OCTOBER 2020 Is this the traffic light of hope? Our things starting to turn our way? Our defence (or lack thereof) is a disgrace, but at least we're scoring goals and that was enough to secure victory over FC Klostertal 1b. We have the best attack in the division, but the joint-second worst defence, and that's what's really hampering us. AUSTRIA Another draw with Bulgaria and a victory over Czech Republic keeps Austria top of the Nations League B group.

FC BESCHLING - SEPTEMBER 2020 Ouch. Three losses in a row. The SC Tisis 1b game was a real kick in the nuts, as we pulled ourselves back from a three goal deficit, only to concede in the 95th minute. We're only in the second month of the season but I can think we can already write this year off. SV Ludesch 1b look pretty unbeatable at the top. AUSTRIA Austria are the early pace-setters in their Nations League B group, with a win over Serbia and a draw with Bulgaria sending them top.

FC BESCHLING - JULY + AUGUST 2020 Not much happened over the summer. There were rumblings of a takeover, but nothing came of it. With no money to play with we're not able to invest in our facilities at all, so we probably could use a takeover sooner rather than later. We started the season against a newly relegated side, and got a decent result from them. Two wins followed and we were looking good, but things went badly wrong against FK Koblach 1b. The game was much tighter than the scoreline suggested, but they took their chances and we didn't. The league has seen a slight re-shuffle and there's now only 12 teams rather than 13, so we have two games fewer this year. Meaning we can't afford to give up too many losses like this, and SV Ludesch 1b already have a good lead over us. 20b Christian Appelrath is the first of our academy graduates to make an impact, with a goal and an assist against SK Burs 1b. AUSTRIA Friendly victories over Wales and Belarus prepared the national side for Euro 2020, but it didn't lead to a very good showing. Losses to Switzerland and Croatia were somewhat redeemed by a win over Denmark, which meant Austria just about squeezed through as one of the best 3rd-placed finishers. In the second round though Germany awaited, and Austria couldn't pull off an upset.

FC BESCHLING - APRIL 2020 Three games left to decide the season - could we clinch top spot? It was still possible, but it required VfB Hohenems 1b to slip up, so we had to keep our fingers crossed. And ultimately, it didn't quite happen. They dropped two points, but so did we. And even if we'd had a perfect month, we'd still have been behind them on goal difference. It was our games against VfB Hohenems that sent the title their way. If we'd got even a point from one of them we'd have been champions and promoted. But the two losses (1-0 and 8-2) tipped the scale in their favour. AUSTRIA Red Bull Salzburg won the tipp-3 Bundesliga, making it seven in a row and 11 in total. They then made it a double with a 2-0 victory over Rapid Wien in the OFB-Samsung-Cup (two in a row, seven in total).

FC BESCHLING - 2020 YOUTH INTAKE This group was referred to as a golden generation, which I'm going to assuming is a massive over-exaggeration. That being said, 20a Robert Besenic looks better than my current first choice goalie. We can't register any new players at this stage of the season, but he'll be straight in next year. The top few personalities actually look fairly decent. Everyone's been signed apart from 20k Marijan Djukic, who we can't give a contract to as he's non-EU.

FC BESCHLING - FEBRUARY + MARCH 2020 I hate this fixture scheduling. July to April is way too long for just a 24 game season, and we end up with months holding just one match. I've had to add plenty of friendlies throughout the year to keep fitness levels up. After the recent dodgy run of form I changed from a 4-4-2 formation to 4-5-1 instead, so I suppose at least the friendlies helped with us getting used to the new shape. And so far it seems to have paid dividends, as we gathered full points from February and March. We remain behind VFB Hohenems 1b with our results mirroring theirs, but have slightly pulled away from 3rd place with a game in hand. David Falkenhain is one half of my centre-back pairing, and he acquitted himself nicely with his first goals of the season (including the late winner against SC Tisis 1b), while also guiding us to consecutive clean sheets for the first time in several months. AUSTRIA The March international break saw Austria pick up a pair of victories, over Kazakhstan and New Zealand.

FC BESCHLING - JANUARY 2020 After beating FC Ratia Bludenz 1b I thought we could really take it to VfB Hohenems 1c and open a little gap over them. Instead, we were absolutely demolished and allowed them to regain top spot. A shameful, embarrassing showing saw us ship seven goals by the 60 minute mark, and the two late goals we scored meant nothing. Nine players were fined.

FC BESCHLING - DECEMBER 2019 A bit of a disastrous month. Against FC Lustenau 1907 1c we were missing a couple of important players through suspension, and without them we were abysmal. Seven players earnt themselves a week's fine for this performance (I mean, they're not actually being paid anyway, but it's the gesture that counts). My AssMan was then stolen away by a 7th tier side, leaving me as the sole member of staff at the club. I'm using that as the excuse for the defeat away at SK Meiningen, which made it three losses in our last four games. The only consolation is that VfB Hohenems 1c had a poor month as well, so didn't pull away from us. But on the other hand, the two sides directly below have caught up.

FC BESCHLING - NOVEMBER 2019 Just as I was starting to think everything was going our way, a 2-0 loss to FC Koblach 1b smacked me back down to earth. An early red card put us on the back foot and we were dominated for the rest of the match, and were lucky not to concede more. Elsewhere in the division VfB Hohenems 1c had slipped up and suffered their first defeat, so a home tie against FC Klostertal 1b gave us a great opportunity to capitalise on this. Three goals in little more than half an hour gave us a comfortable win that sent us top of the table, albeit having played one more game. Andre Dewald had a mixed month. Although his assists from set pieces were the catalyst for the win over SPG Hochmontafon 1b, it was also his sending off in the following game that caused the end of our winning streak. AUSTRIA A loss to Slovenia threatened to disrupt the qualification campaign, but in the final group game a victory over Latvia ensured Austria made it to Euro 2020.

FC BESCHLING - OCTOBER 2019 Just the two league games this month, and our good form continued as we made it six wins in a row. As we approach the halfway point of the season we remain one point behind VfB Hohenems 1c, who are the only team to have beat us. After scoring in the first two games of the season Goran Vargic hit a dry spell, but he got things rolling this month with the opening goal in both matches. AUSTRIA Wins over North Macedonia and Israel have given the national side a two point lead at the top of their qualifying group.

Thanks! In the past couple of weeks I've loaded up FM a few times, ticked a bunch of nations, but then once I got to the team selection stage not been able to see anything that motivated me, and just closed the game down instead. So finding a league with literally only one option to choose from made sense to me at this time. Also there's the (possibly misguided) hope that as the only senior team in the league, they're in a good position to challenge at the top, and an early promotion never hurts.