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Hospitalet - Season 1 - 2010-11 - Spanish Second Division B3.

Pre-Season

The aim at the start of the season was for a mid-table finish. i felt this was certainly a possibility with the team that i had at my disposal. This was especially the case if i could keep hold of my teenage superstar, Raul Lopez Solano, this I managed after rejecting countless offers and getting him to sign a new contract when my chairman accepted a measly 275k plus 20% sell-on.

I also brought in several players to help in positions that appeared to be on the weak side. This included breaking our transfer record by bringing in goalkeeper David Pociello for 35k.

League Season

We got off to a mixed start to the league season and found ourselves mid-table. The team kind of struggled at this point due to the uncertainty surrounding the club as we were in the midst of a takeover. The takeover happened in October and my job as manager was under immediate threat as the new owners wanted to install their own choice as manager. Thankfully after winning the second league game under the new owners they confirmed that they would keep me in charge for the time being.

As we approached the halfway point of the season we were firmly in the top half of the league and only a couple of points off the playoff spots. Girona at this point were easily clear at the top of the table as they looked unbeatable. I took the decision at this point that because i was so close to the playoffs and i had a few thousand left in the wage budget that i would make a concerted effort in the transfer window to improve the squad and push on for a playoff position. Some players therefore left and others that i couldn't sell were simply unregistered to fit in the new blood. The transfer history shows that i probably did more in this period than i had done at the start of the season as i know had a definite idea were the squad was weak and needed improving.

The new signings improved our team immensely as we started moving up the table and we broke into the playoff positions after 27 league games. As the teams were very close on points we quiclky found ourselves in second place and with Girona struggling for form we found ourselves gaining on them very quickly. Our form at this time was stunning as we looked as invincible as Girona had looked earlier in the season. I think the first time we hit the top of the table was after 34 games but because Girona played their next game the day before we did (we drew) and they won the graph indicates we were still in second place. A tightly contested run-in eventually saw us finish as champions of the league with a 2 point margin.

We were then entered into the semi-final of the 1st round playoffs to see if we could earn promotion. We had to beat Ejido over 2 legs to earn promotion to Liga Adelante. The 1st leg got off to a great start as we raced into a 2-0 lead by half-time. We then proceeded to fall apart and they eventually equalized in the 82nd minute. Luckily for us we earned an injury time penalty that we converted to take a 3-2 lead (with away goals counting) into the second leg. Would have preferred to have taken the 2-0 half-time scoreline into the next game! The 2nd leg again started well as we took an early lead only for Ejido to quickly equalize. By half-time we had played brilliantly and managed to score twice more to lead the game 3-1 and on aggregate 6-3. I felt confident at half-time that we could win promotion as Ejido needed 4 goals to defeat me on aggregate. My confidence didn't last as just like in the first leg we capitulated in the second half and Ejido managed to score 3 times to tie the score on aggregate 6-6. Thankfully this is how it ended and we were promoted to Liga Adelante on Away Goals!

In the Playoff final to decide who were the Second Division B champions we were up against Alcorcon. We didn't play very well in either game, especially my strikers who were awful in both games. After the away First Leg we found ourselves 2-0 down and it only slightly improved in the home second leg as we ended up being comfortably beaten 3-1. Still I am delighted to have done so well this season and earned promotion.

The Players

The key players to my season were;

David Pociello - GK - My record signing at 35k and i was happy with his contribution and worth the money i spent.

Dani Salas - DR - Brought in on a free at the start of the season he eventually became my first choice DR and had a solid season.

Migue - DL - Brought in during the January transfer window to fill the troublesome DL position which he more than adequately did.

Ivan Benitez - DC - He was brought in on a free and became my main center back and had a great season.

Giacomo Bonaventura - MC - He was brought in during the January transfer window and quickly became one of my best players. Played less than other players brought in at this time due to an injury in February that kept him out for several weeks but his 8 goals in 18 games were vital to the success of the club.

Nicolo Crotti - AML - Another player signed on a free in January and another Italian. He would prove to be my best left winger and contributed 7 assists during the second half of the season.

Raul Lopez Solano - AMR - My best player and still only 17 years old. I have so far managed to keep him but more and more clubs are becoming interested in him. His 17 Assists during the season shows his quality.

Gionatha Spinesi - ST - Yet another player brought in on a free during the January transfer window and yet another Italian. He made a great contribution to the team with 11 goals in 17 games and had a good quality to his game which made the team much more consistent.

Gonzalo Rico - ST - Gonzalo was already at the club when i arrived and he became my number 1 striker and ended the season as our top scorer with 23 goals.

Post-Season and Aims for Next Season

After the season finished the board announced that they had to expand the stadium to meet with the league regulations. We will now play our home games at a different stadium and hopefully we will still be playing Liga Adelante when we return to our own stadium!

The End Of Season Review shows that in our league Raul Lopez Solano managed to get the most assists of anybody and he was also voted our Fans Player of the Year.

My aim for next season is simple - Survival!

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Welcome to the challenge Kabijingal. The players are very young so hopefully they will develope well. (I have always found Scnoors name funny since snor means snot in swedish).

Well done Stella getting out of the second division in the first atempt. Got to be a good feeling considering the time some of us has spent down there...:o

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FC Libourne-Saint-Seurin, 2010-11, French National

League Position - 4th : Past Positions

Squad

Transfers

Summary

I started out with a decent squad, definitely one that could avoid relegation. However as always I cleared out the rubbish within the team, and using the wages that this freed up I brought in some better players. As the season progressed we never looked like relegation candidates, and after a good run of form mid-season and after that, we managed to finish 4th, one place of the play-offs. It was very close 4th and down, we never looked like catching the 'Big 3' in the league, however we should in theory be one of the stronger sides next year.

Key Players

Jean-Baptiste Paternotte - A solid center half, the experienced Frenchman proved to be vital at the heart of our defence.

Julien Valero - One half of our deadly strike-force, this man's goal ratio of 1 every 2 games is very good and he rarely failed to perform.

Jean-Mathieu Descamps - The other half of our deadly strike-force. He didn't start as many games as Valero, but he scored a few more. 24 goals in 29 starts and 8 sub apperances is definitely a statistic that cannot be ignored. He was narrowly beaten to top scorer in the league by just 2 goals.

One to Watch

Vivaldy Joaquim - Well, when I was first looking at the squad I was shocked to discover a 15 year old AMRL/ST, whom the assistant believed to be nearly as good as our starting two strikers. Not only that, but he 'had the potential' to be better by them, and even be a 'good Ligue 2' player. Even more amazingly, he came through the youth system. This season for him was nothing more than a learning curve in my opinion, it was a shame he didn't score in any of his 13 starts and 9 sub apperances, although he did score for the French U19 side twice.

Career Overview

Season     League          Position   Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11  French National    4th       None



[b]Trophies won:

[/b]

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SC Rot-Weiss Essen 10/11 Pre-season round up

| Manager Profile | Squad | Information | Facilities | Confidence | Finances | Transfers |

Well, I finally got around to playing some of this challenge! RWE started with a pretty big squad and many of them where pretty useless. Many players where let go for free and a decent number where brought in to strengthen the squad so that, hopefully, we don't get relegated. Pre-season games where pretty good - 4 wins 1 draw 1 loss. First game of the season is away against Sandhausen, who are predicted to finish mid table. Hopefully this game will provide me with a yardstick as to where my team is at.

Season Goals

  • Not to get relegated (mid table would be ideal - anything better is bonus)
  • Next transfer window I really need to improve my central defenders
  • Try not to get a negative goal difference
  • Get at least 40 points

Transfers

Here is the most interesting/exiting picks of the bunch:

Maik Kegel - My scouts found him at one of those trial days and he looks to be a very exiting prospect for the future. Heck, he is as good as my other attacking mids already.

Tim Siedschlag - I'm quite pleased about this capture. Probably the best striker on the team right now. He is the closest thing to a complete striker we have...

Jan Tauer - Really needed a decent left back and Tauer on free transfer is a great signing I think

Diogo Rocha - Another bargain free transfer. As good as my other older kepper, Maczkowiak and only 22

Preston Zimmerman - A young American/German striker. Hopefully he will turn good in the future.

Mads Timm - A Danish attacking mid - I bought him before Kegel so I don't know how usefull he will be now.

The other transfers where just covers for other positions really.

Season report to come soon. Hopefully :D

EDIT: First game of the season 1-0 Away to Sandhausen :D Patrick Fabian, a defender on loan from Bochum picked up man of the match. He was absolutely dominant in the air.

EDIT 2: What a game! Second game home against Osnabrück 3-2 Top of the table :D

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What the hell, how do people get promoted so fast:confused:

By having good tactics for your team (ATM I'm using a 4-4-2 wingless diamond) and getting good signings on free transfer. I'm not finding it too difficult at Essen ATM. Won 4 Drawn 1. :D

But I spent A LOT of time finding good transfer targets and getting my tactics perfect.

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El SID!!! EL SID!!! Hehe thats twice in the same breath :p Congrats Dude.

As for the Stadium I have seen the construction delay before, it is kinda gutting, but you will get there.

Thanks mate, season update coming in a little while, containing a few surprising results ;)

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SC Preußen Münster

190px-sc_preussen_muenster_logosvg.png

Predicted Finish - 1st

Actual Finish - 1st - League Table - Graph

Transfers

First Division:

We managed to retain the league this year, but not without drama. Dortmund put up a stiff resistance all the way, but my game in hand helped me leapfrog them into 1st place, where I would finish the season. Maranhao finished top scorer in the division and El Sid was awarded the Manager of the Year award.

Team of the Year

Champions League:

We were in a group consisting of Barcelona, Ajax and Red Star. A creditable 0-0 draw and a surprising 1-0 win against Barcelona set up our final position in the group.

Group Stage

1st Knockout Round

We have been knocked out in the 1st knockout round twice already, but I didn't want that to repeat. Panathinaikos were our opponents, but we edged them over two legs to progress to the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal:

Porto were our opponents in the Quarterfinal. We held them to a 0-0 draw at home inspite of Porto being the better team, and were lucky to come out of that without any serious damage. We then proceeded to destroy them in the Second Leg. Who says no team can win at the Estadio de Dragao :D

Semifinal:

Liverpool were the other semifinalists in my side of the draw.

First Leg

Second Leg

We were desperately unlucky to have missed out on the finals :(

Champions League Final

Europa League Final

Season        Division        Position       Achievements

2010-2011    Third Division      1st          Promotion
2011-2012    Second Division     3rd          Promotion via Playoffs
2012-2013    First Division      12th          -
2013-2014    First Division      3rd           -
2014-2015    First Division      3rd           -
2015-2016    First Division      3rd           -
2016-2017    First Division      1st          Champions!
2017-2018    First Division      1st          Champions again!

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I've always fancied a game in France, so I'm bringing my Uruguayan manager across to Paris to take charge of Racing Club de France - Levallois 92. I don't know if anyone else has picked this team, so I'll give you a quick background, because the club has an interesting history - they won Ligue 1 back in 1936 (as RC Paris) and are also five time winners of the Coupe de France back in the 30s and 40s (also as RC Paris). They were then engulfed in a financial crisis, went bust, and dropped down through the divisions. There have been a couple of attempts to revive the club since then, but they never seem to have gone anywhere.

Normally, I avoid any team with some kind of history - I prefer to start with an empty trophy cabinet and fill it myself - but this one is too interesting to pass up. Also, their nickname is "The Penguins" which is pretty adorable. :D

Here's my manager profile.

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FC Libourne-Saint-Seurin, 2011-12, French National

League Position - 5th : Past Positions

Squad

Transfers

Summary

The team wasn't a whole lot different to that of the first season, but I would like to think it was still improved. A few players were released and a few more were brought in during the summer, leaving me with a decent squad. It was close at the top for the promotion spots, however we didn't have good enough form in the closing stages of the league to pose a significant threat. There's always next year!

Key Players

Julien Valero - The 28 year old French striker had another good season, scoring 23 goals in 39 starts, finishing second in the golden boot for the league.

Mounir Soufani - The 30 year old Moroccan had a good season at left back.

One to Watch

Vivaldy Joaquim - One year on and Vivaldy started to score goals for the club. He scored 6 goals in the league and one in the cup. He also scored twice for the French U21 team in 4 apperances for them.

Career Overview

Season     League          Position   Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11  French National    4th       None
2011/12  French National    5th       None




[b]Trophies won:

[/b]

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Sin miedo, Algeciras! Fifth Season, 2014/15

After the amazingly frustrating last season, the goal is to achieve top 4 and fight in the playoffs. That's the idea at least.

Transfers

- Another busy summer, with several people leaving and arriving throughout the year even. Thiagowas one of our best signings, and several youngsters got in, like Lopes or Rodrigues. We also brought Bernardi from Cadiz B, an italian striker who we paid lots of money for, our most costly transfer so far. We also brought in Brais from the youngster team.

- We let go several people as well. Strikers Fonseca and Garcia left after not proving much last season, and amazing Portuguese star Falardo at age 31 left to England, Scunthorpe payed 200k and we didn't want to negate him the opportunity. French goalkeeper Agustin was also sold for 200k back home.

Transfers

___________

Segunda B - Grupo IV

- It is already a tradition for Algeciras to start the season in a very crappy way and build strong from there. We moved in the lower half during the first half of the season, and we rocketed up from there, to the point of getting a point more than last season, for a grand of 74 points. We ended the season third, and well into the playoffs. We won several games by three goals or more, and we felt like we deserved that playoff spot.

- During the playoffs, we were confident of doing some harm to more important teams. We were drawed with Leganes first, who we dispatched 4-1 at home and only lost 1-0 away, moving on to the semifinal...were Mallorca waited. We literally drawed the worst team we could have drawed.

- We only managed to tie 1-1 in the first leg, and things were not looking pretty, but we amazingly pulled a 1-2 win at Mallorca, leaving the islanders with another year in Segunda B and moving on to the final, for the second time in five years.

- We drew Granada. The team that had kicked us out of the Copa del Rey this season. The one that had won our group, and the most scorer of the year in Spain. We played the first game home of course, just as with any other playoff leg we have ever played. We dre 2-2 after winning 2-0, conceding two goals in the last 15 minutes of the game. In the second leg in Granada, we scored first by an amazing header by italian CB Mazzei. In the second half, we a penalty against. Granada scored, and when we were going for the 1-2 that would give us back the advantage, they scored in a counter attack. Again, once again, gutted.

Final table

- Copa del Rey:

- We beat Antequera 2-0 in the first round, then lost to Granada home 2-3 and with one man less.

________

Stats

- Amazing season, just sad the way it ended. On goal, Julio Benitez was class; he conceded les than one goal per game, and proved why we had sold all the other first team goalkeepers this year.

- The defense was nice as well. Strasser played his last games of his career, and is now a manager trying to get a job out there. Italian and Portuguese centerbacks Mazzei and Silva know each other pefectly by now and did an amazing job, particularly.

- The midfield was even better. Amato scored, stopped, passed, everything, and all from a def mid position. Thiago gave thirteen goals and he didn't even play all games as a starter. And youngsters Brais and Lopes were very promising, even scoring some goals. Specially Lopes, who scored some 30 yard screamers that were not expected as his age.

- The offense was the best of the league without a doubt. Nunez was only good for a month or two, and his age started showing after that. Mathieu scored 11 goals, but then Bernardi arrived. this guy surprised everyone; scored goals, ran, dribble five players at once to score against Sangonera...class. Barba, with 32 goals in all two competitions, registered his best season so far, breaking his own record...but as usual, he choked during the playoff legs, only scoring once in six games.

Stats

__________

Economy

- We made a million euros in benefits this season, for a grand total of 1,5 M Euros. Still the board won't let me change the turf, which is in a horrible condition.

__________

In Conclusion

- What else can I say guys. Here we are again. Season six.

___________

10/11 - Algeciras CF - Segunda B, Grupo IV - 15th (avoided relegation) - 40 points

11/12 - Algeciras CF - Spanish B, Grupo IV - 4th (lost in playoff final to Ferrol) - 68 points

12/13 - Algeciras CF - Segunda B, Grupo IV - 10th - 54 points

13/14 - Algeciras CF - Segunda B, Grupo IV - 5th - 73 points

14/15 - Algeciras CF - Segunda B, Grupo IV - 3rd - 74 points

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Racing Club de France - Levallois 92

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French National 2010/2011

National: 2nd

Coupe de France: 9th Round (defeated by Pau FC)

Season Review: Very pleasing first season overall. We started the season at a canter and topped the league for a couple of weeks, but the last time we reached the summit of the division was around week six. But we spent the entire season amongst the promotion challengers - whether we would actually snatch one of the three promotion places was left in doubt until the penultimate week, but victories over some of our nearest rivals for those automatic promotion spots in the second half of the season - a tight 3-2 win over Stade de Reims and a thrilling 5-3 win over ESTAC, both at home, meant that promotion was always in our own hands.

We closed out the season with three straight wins, which made the distance between us and first place Stade Brestois look a lot less than it really was. Brestois hit top of the league in week 13, and wasn't dislodged for the rest of the season. The two point gap between us and them was largely a result of them already having promotion wrapped up and us still having something to play for, but really there was never any chance of coming first. Our 2-0 defeat of Sporting Toulon Var in the penultimate week was eventually enough for us to guarantee promotion, and then a 1-0 victory on the last day against FC Gueugnon leapfrogged us above ESTAC to claim 2nd place.

My Player of the Season: Brice Uras - the 24 year old striker was a Marseille reject who we signed on a free at the start of the season. He scored 29 goals in 35 starts in all competitions, and was the National league's top scorer, as well as being named the runner up for the French National Star Player of the Competition award (given to the player with the most man-of-the-match awards in the division, as far as I can tell).

Most Valuable: Jose Becker - £170k

Top Scorer: Brice Uras - 29 goals

Fans' Player of the Year: Brice Uras

Next Season: You can't ask for too much more than promotion in your first season of a challenge like this - though of course, there's always the chance of getting promoted too fast and struggling. I think the squad needs to be significantly strengthened to avoid a really difficult season in Ligue 2, so a lot will depend on two factors - what caliber of players a newly promoted club can attract in Ligue 2, and what kind of wage/transfer budget the board makes available.

The financial situation of the club has actually been less of a concern than normal in the first few seasons of a small club to big club challenge so far - we started with £480k in the bank, and though we whittled that down to £240k by the end of the season, I felt like as long as I didn't explode the wage budget, increased attendances and prize/TV money might mean we were close to breaking even next season. However, the board just sank £2.37m into adding 2,000 seats to the stadium to bring it up to the league's standards (I'm guessing Ligue 2 requires all-seater stadiums?), which changes the financial situation quite a lot. We'll see if they restructure that debt and whether it proves to be a millstone around our neck.

Season       Division           Position      Coupe de France          Achievements
2010/11      National           2nd           9th Round                Promoted

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Wow - well, there's good news and there's bad news.

The first piece of good news is that we just turned professional - always an important milestone to reach.

The second piece of good news is that the TV money in Ligue 2 is way more than I was expecting - £4.4m, which means that if we can stay in the division, with that kind of money coming in every season, we have a good chance to put the club on a sound financial footing for a run at getting into Ligue 1.

The bad news is that despite all that TV money, the board has set our wage budget at LESS than it was last season :eek: - down from £7.75k/week to £7.25k. Which means that instead of signing talented new players on full time contracts, I have to actually get rid of some of my players who are on part time contracts and aren't even good enough for the division anyway.

I think it worked out like this because the board have yet to restructure that stadium construction debt - so we're £2.1m in the red. Over the course of the season, the TV money should erase that and leave us with a nice surplus, but the game isn't taking that into account when calculating my budgets. I'll just have to hope they restructure the debt, and then I can go cap in hand to the board for a budget increase. We'll see!

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FC Saarbrücken - German Third Division - 2010/11

Prediction: 20th

Final Position: 11th

German Cup: n/a

Top Scorer: Abdelaziz Ahanfouf - 18 goals

Player of the season: Guillaume Beuzelin

Overall a pretty disappointing season, although seeing as everyone expected me to go down a modest finish of 11th was that not bad. However seeing as I actually led the table and was going strong well into 11 games into the season, the complete collapse which saw me ship goals like nobody's business, saw me slide into mid-table mediocrity over the next two thirds of the campaign. It was a slow rebuilding process of getting rid of some dead wood and bringing in some talent to replace them. However the holes in the side are still apparent.

As you can see from the stats, scoring goals was not the problem but keeping them out was. 60 goals conceded, only 9 clean sheets and plenty of games where I was heavily outshot by the opposition. I was helped mainly by the wise old experience of veteran shot-stopper Uwe Gospadarek who pulled off some fine saves and was an ever present at the back all season. The current captain of the side and probably has one season left in the tank.

Although I am confident of the midfield and attack it is the defence I am still worried about, as due to financial constraints it looks like I am going to stick with what I have at the moment. Its not a bad squad by any stretch of the imagination but it can definitely do better and perhaps challenge further up. I just need to get rid of the consistency and get on the back of some solid form. It seems as if my team can certainly play some of the best teams off the park - such was my early season form I actually thrashed Union Berlin 3-1 at their own ground. I have to stop them having complete meltdowns and going on 8 game winless streaks.

The key to this is the current German 3rd division player of the season Guillaume Beuzelin. 16 assists just about sums it up. I'm playing him as deep-lying playmaker to devastating effect. He really is the heartbeat and soul of my team at times.

Next season has seen me carelessly go over the wage budget after some big buys and an overall strengthening of the squad. I just hope to God it pays off. I still felt the midfielder to play alongside Beuzelin was crucial but I think i have found the perfect replacement. I just hope the defence holds out and Gospodarek can have another good season without any injuries. The main aim should be to better 11th place and maybe get a little closer to the top 3. However actually contesting that top 3 position is still a little way off I think.

Season			Division		Final Pos.		German Cup		Top scorer
===============================================================================================================
2010/2011		Third Division		11th			n/a			Ahanfouf (18)	

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Well I didn't get sacked. It's a pity but hopefully I'll be able to bounce back and solidify. It's what I did with Domegliara last year. I've managed to keep hold of Kresic too, and also strengthen my team so fingers crossed I'll be back to take the world by storm.

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Hey all,

I got frustrated with my BC Branco save after a crash robbed me of some impressive results. After installing the new patch, I thought I'd have another go and see if I could get the team back on track. For 90 minutes of my first game back, I thought I'd made the wrong decision - but then came injury time. Sir Alex would be proud! :D

EDIT: And another intriguing enticement to get back into the game - I was approached by the FA for the England U21 job. Turned it down to stay within challenge rules of course but it means I must be doing something right. ;)

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Hey all,

I got frustrated with my BC Branco save after a crash robbed me of some impressive results. After installing the new patch, I thought I'd have another go and see if I could get the team back on track. For 90 minutes of my first game back, I thought I'd made the wrong decision - but then came injury time. Sir Alex would be proud! :D

Wow, , that's some late comeback!! :thup:

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FC Libourne-Saint-Seurin, 2012-13, French National

League Position - 7th : Past Positions

Squad

Transfers

Summary

A very disappointing season. I thought that the team had significantly improved from that of last year, but it seems that that wasn't at all the case. Some of the players who had been decent in previous seasons turned into very crap players. A few players turned out well, but it's hard to see how things will improve. The scouts give me decent players, not great players, but only decent ones. The way I am going I could be in this division for another 5 seasons, which I am sure the board wont be too happy about.

Key Players

Rafita - An experienced Spanish player, this guy was a true godsend. 12 Goals and 7 assists, a very reliable player to have in the team.

Julien Valero - The Frenchman didn't have a very good season, only scoring 12 goals. He was still a decent player up top though.

One to Watch

Vivaldy Joaquim - In his third season at the club, FCLSS' own had a very good season. The 18 year old started 26 games, scoring 12 and setting up 8.

Career Overview

Season     League          Position   Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11  French National    4th       None
2011/12  French National    5th       None
2012/13  French National    7th       None




[b]Trophies won:

[/b]

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Well, that was fun - just played Benfica away in the League Cup, followed by Benfica at home in the league and then Porto away and Sporting CP away! :eek: As expected, lost all 4 and now squad morale has nose-dived. Only Porto dominated us though (4-0 and could have been many more). At least the big guns are out of the way now and we have 12 games to save ourselves from relegation. :)

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Well, that was fun - just played Benfica away in the League Cup, followed by Benfica at home in the league and then Porto away and Sporting CP away! :eek: As expected, lost all 4 and now squad morale has nose-dived. Only Porto dominated us though (4-0 and could have been many more). At least the big guns are out of the way now and we have 12 games to save ourselves from relegation. :)

that's a seriously tough run there Dodgee!! but at least thery're out of the way. good luck staying up. :thup:

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F.B.C. Unione Venezia - Serie C1/A - Season 2013/14

i'm going to keep this review brief, as i get married on Tuesday and wanted to get this up before i go away, as i have just completed the season. So, how did Venezia get on?

League Table: 1st Graph

We only went and won Serie C1/A!!! :D As the graph shows, we were always in the running and we hit the top with a few games to go and hung on to clinch the title at home on the final day.

As for the Coppa Italia, we made it to the 3rd qualifying round where we were heavily beaten 5-1 away at Calgliari. In the Serie C Cup, we went direct into the 1st round, where we comfortably progressed to the final group stages, which we qualified from. That saw us in the semis against Mantova. A 2-0 home win gave us a lead to protect, and although we lost 2-1 away we were through to the final to play Serie C2/A side Foggia. The away leg saw us escape with a 1-1 draw, but we demolished them 4-0 at the Pierluigi Penzo to cimplete a league and cup double!! :eek:

we finished the season with the Serie C1 Super Cup against Mantova. A 0-0 home draw left me feeling pessimistic but we ground out a 1-1 draw away to complete an historic treble!

Transfers

I have highlighted 3 players for praise, as i'm limited to time:

Lloyd Sam - RM produced a much improved second season and broke our record for most assists in a season. Hopefully he can make the step up.

Daniele Paponi - performed again, scoring 22 league goals, having formed a great partnership with...

Esteban Schmitt - a full season of football saw the young Belgian match Paponi with 22 goals. Hopefully these two can handle the step up.

Finances

A profit was made this season, and had to be after last seasons losses. The aforementioned summer sales were added to with the £500k departure of New Zealander Christie. Although a decent player, and the NZ captain, he wasn't a regular and £500k was ridiculous money really. helped the bank balance no end.

As for targets for the new season, i have just one - SURVIVE!

Anyway, i won't be around for about a week because of the wedding and honeymoon, so i shall wish you all a merry christmas now.

FORZA LAGUNARI!!

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rlipscombe - Congratulations - on both the wedding and the tremendously successful season! :thup: I'm sure you're itching to get started on your first season in Serie B, but as a married man myself, I have one piece of advice - try to resist playing FM while on your honeymoon. :thup:

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