FM12 Big Euro Nation: Small Club to Big Club Challenge

[PRDH]

Chaps, I've just watched today's FM13 video blog on the network game options. The thing that leapt out at me was the ability to export teams from any stage in the game to play against other people in various types of competition. This intrigued me as it's a nice idea, especially in a challenge like this which sees us go along way into the future often and end up with players who are not real.

I reckon there's a way to incorporate it next year's challenge. For example, we could take the completing teams and put them in a knockout tournament against each other to come up with a 'winner'. Thoughts?

[Twellman24]

Chaps, I've just watched today's FM13 video blog on the network game options. The thing that leapt out at me was the ability to export teams from any stage in the game to play against other people in various types of competition. This intrigued me as it's a nice idea, especially in a challenge like this which sees us go along way into the future often and end up with players who are not real.

I reckon there's a way to incorporate it next year's challenge. For example, we could take the completing teams and put them in a knockout tournament against each other to come up with a 'winner'. Thoughts?

Uhm...that sounds AWESOME.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

I think that is a massively awesome idea...not 100% sure whether it means the teams need to have a manager playing as them, but if when someone completes they uploaded the save at that point then I could put it in a list and then create the league near the end of the season as well

[rlipscombe]

Brettney1980 - congrats on the Europa League win – can’t beat a European trophy whichever it is.

PRDH - that does sound really interesting! Would add an extra dimension to who has the best team!!

[PRDH]

I think we'd have to manage them, network game style. But I'm pretty sure there'd be a way round making it too tricky. It's all being done through steam next time too. Imagine the excitement in the thread as the teams were playing.

Edit - And then of course, if this was the equivalent of a domestic competition, we could have the Champions' League where the winner of each challenge's tournament met. Dafuge, Gundo, Razor and us lot competing for ultimate CSE glory!

[Lenzar]

So, before the season starts, I get an offer of £2.5m for Marenglen Asllani from my old friends at Sturm Graz.

Sadly, as his contract had a release clause (which I had attempted to remove previously to no avail), I had no choice but to watch him go.

First two games of the new SPL?

Celtic 0-1 Annan

Annan 1-0 Hearts

Two nasty games won without one of my star players. Missing Marenglen? I don't think so.

[PRDH]

Question in press conference before Taca de Portugal 3rd round. I'm playing Tondela that's bobbed between the bottom and unplayable leagues, but that I have a losing record against because of a loss in 2012 (it's 2047 now) in the same competition. We're now 1-33 to win. "You suffered defeat in your last game to Tondela..." Journalist loses plot!

Edit - I actually feel a bit cruel. Injuries within my cup squad made up of youngsters means I've had to strengthen and Cardoso is bullying this rabble...

[chris11223]

Iv'e just started this challenge, late i know , and i'm having trouble getting screenshots. when i take a screenshot using PrtSc button it doesn't take the game screen it just takes a picture of my desktop. I gave the Alt F9 thing ago but i can't find where they go does anyone have any ideas of how I can make this work?? any help would be appreciated

[Lower Leagues Rule]

The screenshots should be going to Documents/Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2012/Screenshots...and if not then its possible that Alt+F9 is something else on your computer, if this is the case then go into the shortcuts on FM and just add something else...I just use "P"

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Also likely to be a team change for me...I had a huge computer crash this week and just recovered it, all saves gone, so will be starting somewhere fresh...I have thought about going back to FAFE on FM09, but not sure right now

7000 Posts!!!

[PRDH]

Also likely to be a team change for me...I had a huge computer crash this week and just recovered it, all saves gone, so will be starting somewhere fresh...I have thought about going back to FAFE on FM09, but not sure right now

7000 Posts!!!

Herculean effort LLR! I should break 2,000 sometime this season.

[rlipscombe]

Fantastic effort LLR

[Lower Leagues Rule]

It is of course helped that I had over 1000 posts in the FM09 thread alone...lol

I think it is more of a sign of the terrible amount of time I spend playing and discussing this game...

[chris11223]

Thanks LLR, Iv'e worked it out now Time to give this a go!! I'm drawn to being an Italian team .. Any thoughts on this??

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Des Tiny's Câmara de Lobos

Segunda Divisão Zona Sul 2012/13

A New Beginning

In Brief

The Club: Info, Facilities & History

The Manager: Profile & Personal

Expectations: Avoid Relegation

Wages: €943 (€2,620)

Transfer: €0

Value: €230K (47th in POR)

Squad: Seniors

Star Players: Manoel (AMC) & Mario (ST)

My Summary

I like the look of the club, but the players are in general very poor, I am going to need to replace almost every single one. Mario & Manoel might remain in the team, but most of the others are very poor. Looking forward to a fresh start.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Thanks LLR, Iv'e worked it out now Time to give this a go!! I'm drawn to being an Italian team .. Any thoughts on this??

Well I am extremely biased towards Portugal, but I have had fun in the lower leagues of Italy as well, I find that each league has its own challenges that need to be overcome and each is a bit different.

[chris11223]

I was tempted to be a German team if only for the league prize money in the Budesliga which could make European competition a little easier in the long run but i cant seem to motivate myself to take a German team to the top (maybe an English thing :L) But Italy it is, holidaying now opening post should be up soon-ish

Also good luck at a new team LLR!! however i'm sure you won't need it being a seasoned veteran of this and all :L

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Thanks Chris, and generally I am ok in the bottom tier, but once I get into the top one is where I struggle, only completed the challenge once, and won the top division with two clubs. Good Luck in Italy, hope it goes well.

[Twellman24]

Zamora FC - Temporada 2024/25

Transfers

- We really weren't panning on spending much (we're the youngest side in the BBVA), but in the winter transfer window we broke down and spent 10m on a decent goalkeeper after conceding way too many goals (didn't make any difference). We also signed two forwards--Lewis, a North American who came from Angers at age 29 and ended up scoring 14 goals in all competitions, and Christopher Banton, a Liverpool man who arrived on a free but with a huge contract--he left for a month after telling me he was homesick, and spent another two injured. Meh.

We sold all the players who hadn't done well last season, including Renatinho, who we had bought a year ago for 4m.

Europa League

- Our first European adventura was cut way shorter than I expected. We murdered Kilmarnock 10-0 in the first round, but then fell to Dutch club AZ on away goals after getting scored in the 85th minute. Heartbreaking to be kicked out of the group stages five minutes from the end of the leg.

Copa Del Rey

- Eibar and Oviedo were not opposition for us in the first rounds, and in the quarterfinals, we were paired with Barcelona. They DESTROYED us. 10-0 at the Camp Nou. Yes, 10-0. We have lots to improve on, obviously. We managed to win the second leg 3-2 and say goodbye to the tournament semi-honorably.

La Liga

- We started promisingly, in the Top 6 and scoring loads of goals, with Sebastian Garcia netting them in just for fun. Towards October, we started conceding way too many goals. No matter what we did with the tactic and the formation, this did not change throughout the season. We had countless matches where we had way more CCCs than the opposition, who had two chances, and scored both. Frenchmen Meyer arrived in January and still conceded 35 goals in 17 games. Not good. This ultimately doomed us to the middle of the table, where we stayed until the end of the season. If anything, this gave us an excuse to play loads of our Zamora-borned youngsters.

Table

- Stats:

1 2

- Sebastian and Lucho had amazing seasons--counteracted by a horrible, horrible defense. Almost half of our squad is a youth product by now (all players with a "D" before their name).

Key players

D Dario

- Dario arrived in March of this season as a youth product--at age 15, he looks world class in a few years, if he trains accordingly. He was called "the next Fernando Torres" by March, and by May, "the next Alvaro Negredo." Mmmkay. He did become the youngest player in the history of La Liga to score, at 15 years and 300 days old.

Lucho

- The argentinean AM produced another great season--38 games, 7 goals, and 19 assists in all competition. Not quite sure why Argentina is not using him at the moment.

Maxi Die

- This Ghanean right back continued to prove himself as the best player in our defense. Played 27 games at a very high leve, and still managed to win the African Cup of Nations over the winter with his country. Seven seasons as a starter and he's only 25.

Sebastian Garcia

- Our star. Sebastian netted 38 in 40 this season in all competitions, and 29 in the league, which is a new record for him, and gave him the second top scorer in La Liga. He also got the Silver Boot for second top scorer in Europe.

He also got his first cap for Spain, which is amazing for us. First player for Zamora (and first Zamoran) to be called up for international duty. Let's hope he continues to get called, as he is currently the highest valued (and top scorer) Spaniard after Real Madrid's legend, Ibon. At age 29, he is 49 goals away from matching Higuain's record as Real Madrid's top scorer in the history of the club.

Finances

- Looking good and healthy--and next season we'll open Zamora Stadium, multiplying by 3 our capacity (8k to 24k).

Next season

- We won't be buying at all--and everybody will be pretty much staying, so the idea is to build up our talent and give it another try at European spots.

2013/14 - Segunda B - 2nd, 79 points, lost in promotion playoffs - No Copa del Rey

2014/15 - Segunda B, 3rd, 76 points, promoted via playoffs! - Copa del Rey: Third round vs Sestao

2015/16 - Liga Adelante - 17th, 50 points - Copa del Rey: Second round vs Oviedo

2016/17 - Liga Adelante - 14th, 54 points - Copa del Rey: Forth round vs Athletic Bilbao

2017/18 - Ligha Adelante - 4th, 74 points, promoted via playoffs! - Copa del Rey: Second round vs Elche

2018/19 - Liga BBVA - 19th, 25 points, relegated! - Copa del Rey: fourth round vs Granada

2019/20 - Liga Adelante - 15th, 51 points, avoided relegation in the 78th minute of the last match - 2nd round in Copa vs Sabadell

2020/21 - Liga Adelante - 5th, 73 points, lost in promption playoffs vs Espanyol - 3rd round in Copa vs Zaragoza

2021/22 - Liga Adelante - 1st, 81 points, champions and promotion!!! - 4th round in Copa vs Real Sociedad

2022/23 - Liga BBVA - 16th, 38 points, avoided relegation! - 4th round of Copa vs Valencia

2023/24 - Liga BBVA - 6th, 57 points, qualified to Europa League! - 4th round of Copa vs Getafe

2024/25 - Liga BBVA - 10th, 54 points - Quarterfinals Copa dle Rey - 2nd pre-round Europa League - Sebastian Garcia EU Silver Boot and Spain int'l

[Lower Leagues Rule]

A solid season there Twellman, really just need to work on defense now. You are scoring enough goals to be near the top, if you can keep the back clean it will turn some results around. Best of Luck in the new season.

[Lenzar]

Just to ask...can we manage national sides? I've been given the England U19 job, but I'm not sure wether I'm allowed or not per the rules of the challenge.

[chris11223]

Aquanera comollo novi

Serie C2/B

The Squad -Seniors

The Club - Overview , General, Facilities

Finances

The Manager - Overview, Information

Season Expectations - Avoid Relegation

Quick Summary

The squad on the whole is quite pleasing, however, it is very young so I think i'll be looking to add some experience in some positions. Also there is a distinct lack of CM's so i'll have to delve into the transfer market to fix this but i plan to keep the majority of the squad intact so the players don't become unsettled. I think one of the main challenges will be turning a profit each month with this club given it has such a small stadium, 400 capacity, but if i keep a close eye on wages and player bonuses i think I should be able to manage it.

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Just to ask...can we manage national sides? I've been given the England U19 job, but I'm not sure wether I'm allowed or not per the rules of the challenge.

Not until after completion...

[Lenzar]

Not until after completion...

Right. I'll quit then.

[chris11223]

Season Update

Yeah, Urmmm.... I got sacked But if at first you don't succeed and all that .. Time to start again!!

[Lower Leagues Rule]

Season Update

Yeah, Urmmm.... I got sacked But if at first you don't succeed and all that .. Time to start again!!

Keep on going and get back on that horse Good Luck...

[Twellman24]

A solid season there Twellman, really just need to work on defense now. You are scoring enough goals to be near the top, if you can keep the back clean it will turn some results around. Best of Luck in the new season.

Hey thanks for commenting on the update, I was starting to thing nobody could read my posts lol. I agree--I'm making some tweaks to my tactic for this new season and hoping it does the trick. We need to get going and get to Europe again.

T24

[chris11223]

A Fresh Start

Serie C2/B

Manager - Information, Profile

The Club - General, Facilities, Finance, Senior Squad

Season Expectations - Top-Half Finish

Overview

With a media prediction of 9th and a large stadium by any leagues standards (37245 all-seater) hopefully the club can quickly start turning a profit from month to month. I think ill probably bring in a-lot of new faces and look for long-term replacements for Thiago Martins, Raffaele Biancolino and Francesco Montervino who are, at present, the stars of the team but they are all 33+ and I assume aren't too far away from retirement, I also aim to Inject some youth into the rest of the squad.

[chris11223]

Congrats on the success Twellman I'm sure if you tighten up your defense just a little bit you'll be right up their with the top teams

[rlipscombe]

Twellman - unlucky in the league there but maybe Europe had an effect? as LLR said tightening the defence a little should see you back up at the top of La Liga. good luck with the new tactic - hope it works!

chris11223 - good luck this time around. i have had some good times in Italy. have a good team there so hope it goes well for you.

LLR - good luck back in Portugal. Looks a good challenge.

[PRDH]

Lusitânia Açores - The Future

Right, so, this is the first of my new updates. In this one I'll be dealing with those players who have yet to make their mark on the first team squad and who are under 20. I'm calling them 'the future' as that's what they are for the club.

Of the ten players I'll detail we've got a couple of left-wingers, a centre half, a goalkeeper, a right winger, a right back, a left back, a central midfielder and two strikers.

Juan Carlos Barbosa - Out on loan at one of my feeder teams at the moment after a disappointing time in the cup squad. He has some raw ability, but has yet to realise it. Needs to get his head down and work hard to make the step up especially as he's got a couple of excellent players in front of him in the pecking order. Having said that, he had an excellent season in the lower leagues last time out and has showed that he has a career waiting for him sometime, whether it's with me or at another club is what needs to be found out.

Hélder Vilhena - This young left winger is making some progress, and that is what has snuck him into this update. That and the fact he plays in a historically weak area of the team. His determination hopefully means he'll make the most of his potential and his career in the youth team is a strikingly successful one. His breakthrough may come soon, though he has recently had a couple of players sneak ahead of him in the depth chart.

João Cunha is an imperfect right winger, and therefore had a disadvantage starting out as he had to learn a new trade. He is becoming a decent player and could have a role to play, I don't think it's ever going to be a key role, but squad players are just as necessary. If he can keep improving then he has a part to play at the club, otherwise I'm sure he'll find somewhere else he is needed.

Anatoli Cerga, the Moldovan/Portuguese striker is pretty close to leaving this list far behind. He's got the makings of an excellent striker, I am grooming him to replace Cardoso as the creative striker, a role that is requiring him to improve his range of passing. He's making great strides in that direction and is slowly gaining more game time. If he played in a less congested role I imagine he's be farther along his path by now, but as it is he's still a player who gets limited game time. His future path has been cleared slightly through the sale of Abakar Tigabe - the first youth product with extensive first team experience to be sold. He went to Porto in a surprisingly big money move. Anyway, high hopes for Cerga and I think he will be a long term first team player.

Antony Marchand - Another player with decisions to be made re:nationality. He was born in Angra, but has, for now, decided his international future lays with France. I think it's a decision that actually matters because he has potential, and could eventually be good enough to play for either country. He is currently third in line 'keeper behind established first teamer Dias and his able deputy Davies but I think he may overtake the Englishman soon. He is moved into the cup squad this season and is performing admirably. A definite future at the club.

António Manuel Almeida - Another strikingly talented forward player. This time a natural successor/competition to Marques as the finisher and potentially a partner for Cerga. With his pace and finishing ability he is already a dangerous player and as he matures he should grow mentally and physically into an excellent player. High hopes.

Tomás Medeiros - Potentially the most talented of the bunch is this midfielder. He fits nicely, age wise, into the club's progression. Vieira (33) and Santos (26) are ahead of him in the pecking order, but that just gives him time to steadily rise up through the ranks, hitting the first team at his peak. With him around the creative berth in midfield is safe for another decade at least!

Fernando Coentrão - This young lad sneaks onto the list because of his excellent cup-squad performances, he is also improving fastest of the players to appear for a long time. He isn't in the first team frame yet, but if he continues playing well and training strongly then it won't be long before he's challenging for his league debut. I wasn't expecting him to get there this fast. He still needs to work on his positioning, but if he can sort that out he has a big future.

José Santos - Santos is potentially the closest to a major first team breakthrough of the lot. He may already have made it had he not had a horrible injury keeping him out for 7 months. The reasons for this are two-fold. One he's an excellent prospect and has a very high ceiling and two, the centre back partnership is an ageing one. Rui Lopes is past it and though João Paulo is still a great player, he is now into his thirties. With no ready-made replacement, the youngsters are going to get their chance soon.

Hope you're not utterly bored by my continued youth product mission, and next time... The First Team and (possibly some information on the club).

[rlipscombe]

PRDH - you really do have some great youngsters coming through. Medeiros looks like a great prospect as you say and is set to be a key player for you for years to come. Jose Santos looks like he can be a top defender with a bit more development physically and Antonio Manuel Almeida is a player i would sign today. massive potential as a striker. Him and Anatoli Cerga who is another top prospect will lead your line for years to come.

[PRDH]

Thanks rlips, I'm really excited about those front two, the only problem is there are some stunning players ahead of them too. I might write up the first team this evening too.

[chris11223]

Your club is producing some real young talent there PRDH with the right guidance some of them could be world class players in the future, especially the two forwards.

[PRDH]

Lusitânia Açores - First Team

Right, I've just fallen out of the Champions League in the Group Stage for the first time in about 25 years. A shocking performance at Rangers saw me lose out on goal difference. Not happy about it at all. Domestically I'm sitting top fairly comfortably at the moment.

Anyway, to the players. I've been ruthless and picked a player I consider my prime choice even when realistically it's a rotation to get this to eleven players.

Ricardo Dias - For long term followers it'll be no surprise to see that Dias is still first choice. The 31-year-old has had a great career for club and country and he could still be around for another 5 years. 111 caps for Portugal and, in total, 580 appearances for me is a great record and he's played well too. He has a couple of decent players in back up who hopefully will be ready by the time he eventually hangs up his gloves.

Shéu Sousa - One of the players who's in a rotation situation. I give him the credit here on account of his searing speed which is a real asset in attack and defence. He's very strong defensively, but could, perhaps, be better going forwards if I was being really picky. He has the spot sewn up for the national side too. With him around the position should be safe for years to come.

António Reis - Not the strongest position in the team and Reis rotates again. His main assets are decent defensive ability again linked with explosive pace. He is probably the most vulnerable player in the first team and one I would, in a perfect world, have a replacement for in an intake soon.

João Paulo - Another legend of the club. He has 122 Portugal caps and a further 450 for the club. He's a brute at the back and a potent force from set pieces as evidenced by a total of 78 goals at club level. As a pure defender there are few better in the world.

Luis Miguel - A recent promotion to the first team as Rui Lopes has declined through age. He's a good player, though not quite of the standard of Paulo. He made his debut for the national side last season and has been kept in the squad without getting on the pitch again. He is a player who, with the players coming through, could have a big part to play for the next few years.

Miguel Teixeira - Another veteran of many campaigns in the Azores and one who is starting to be pressured. He is getting old and has an exciting younger player snapping at his heels and they are again probably a rotating pair. 81 caps for Portugal and a another crate load for the club for the defensive shield. He has had it all as a player with passing ability and creativity linked to his defensive strength makes for a top player.

Paulo Jorge Vieira - Another of the veterans here and one who has been under pressure for quite some time now with some excellent depth in the attacking midfielder role. He's broken the 100-cap mark for Portugal and has 500+ games in Angra too. What a career he has had, could maybe score more goals, but as a dictator of tempo and creator in the middle of the park there aren't many better.

Sérgio Rodrigues - One of the most prodigiously talented players I've had through the youth system. He has great ball skills and is also a real threat in the air. He's another player closing in on 100 international appearances and has made more than 250 appearances in the league alone for the club, a figure which would surely have been higher had he not struggled with injuries throughout his career.

Lasse Tuominen - The joker in the pack here, a player who wasn't produced by the club. He's been the hardest to displace, but these last two seasons have seen him come under real pressure and as he ages the all-youth team becomes an increasingly common occurrence. He must be bargain of the century, when he signed for the club as a teenager for £500 (Yup, just five hundred) from his Finnish homeland I did not expect him to go to make more than 300 appearances for the club and almost 100 goals.

Pedro Cardoso - Here we are, the man, the legend. His name is now synonymous with Lusitânia Açores and the youth project. With 632 club appearances and 503 goals he has a fantastic record. With 86 goals in 120 games at international level he's shown he can do it there too. He is now starting to age and lose his pace, but is still a key part of the side as he nears his 34th birthday. I don't know how much longer he can go on for, but as the link player the pace is less important and technically he is still a top player and mentally he is probably unmatched. A real legend and the man who's career I am desperate to finish before FM13 arrives.

Rodolfo Marques - The man who will, I assume, take Cardoso's mantle as the leader of the line. He is still only 21 and has already made more than 100 league appearances and has bagged more than 60 goals too. He is currently the finisher, but may move over into the creator role when Cardoso retires, depending on whether Cerga is ready to be thrown into the action. What is for certain though is that he is already a cracking player and can surely still get even better. Whisper it, but maybe he could even be better than Cardoso eventually.

Next up... The rotationals...

[PRDH]

Your club is producing some real young talent there PRDH with the right guidance some of them could be world class players in the future, especially the two forwards.

Thanks, I've not signed a player for about 10 years now, so all the players I have (bar the one mentioned above) have come through the youth set up. I don't know what's in the water, or whether it's just the fact they've been exposed early and often, but I've been very, every lucky.

[chris11223]

Thanks, I've not signed a player for about 10 years now, so all the players I have (bar the one mentioned above) have come through the youth set up. I don't know what's in the water, or whether it's just the fact they've been exposed early and often, but I've been very, every lucky.

WOW!! not signing a player in around 10 years and still being the 'top dog' in the country (I assume) that really is something!!

[PRDH]

WOW!! not signing a player in around 10 years and still being the 'top dog' in the country (I assume) that really is something!!

Yup, dominant domestically, just a pity my CL performances are suffering. I'd love to get another win (I've only won it once) before I put this game to bed with all home-grown talent. I think the team is as good as the one that won the thing, so I just need a bit of luck.

[chris11223]

End of Season Update

Salerno - 2012/13 - Serie C2/B

Serie C2/B

The league got off to a fantastic start with the team winning the first 7 games but then hitting a slight slump in form but even then we only lost 1 game in 7, however, only winning 1 as well. This little run disappointed me because the draws were against weaker opposition and we should really have won these games, not to mention allowing league rivals to catch up with us.First half of season results. With over half of the season gone and only 1 defeat in the league I was quietly confident of being able to achieve promotion in my first season with the club but I knew that the month of January and February would show me if my squad had what it took to get out of the league. Unfortunately the second half of the season did not go to plan with only 4 wins in the last 17 or so games it was clear that having a relatively small squad was taking its toll, that coupled with a small injury crisis meant that the results for the Second half of the season made for grim reading . Eventually thought we managed to finish a respectable 6th in the League and qualify for the play-offs. However, going into this on the back of a poor run of form was not ideal and we fell at the first hurdle and were knocked out in the semi-final stages.

Serie C Cup

To be quite honest I don't quite understand this competition, I assume its something like the FA Vase or St Johnston's paint trophy, something for the smaller teams to compete over. Anyways we went out in the group stages which didn't please the board very much at all.

Transfers

I pretty much replaced everyone and released anyone who I deemed surplus to requirements in an attempt to reduce the wage bill a little. The strikers I brought in as long term replacements for the aging Raffaele Biancolino and Thiago Martins were 19 year old Haitian Assad Zetrenne and 23 year old Slovakian Ajdin Redzic I had high hopes for these two when I signed them, Zetrenne as one for next season and Redzic as a striking partner for either Biancolino or Martins. Redzic quickly developed into the squads best striker (on paper) and everything was going well until the new year when all of my forwards seemed physically unable to score and both Zentrenne and Redzic going over 1000 minutes each without a goal. I think i'll have to look for a slightly more experienced, proven goalscorer at the end of the season to see if that can show these two where the net is.

In midfield I brought in quite a few players including what I think is a gem in the form of Sebastiano Pappalardo who is regularly capped at Under-19 level for Italy. However, his progress has been slowed by three Injuries he picked up mid-season and hes never fully recovered to full fitness for some reason. The other midfiCristian Caccetta, Facundo Zampa and Raffaele De Martino to come in for Francesco Montervino and Marco Bonura when they weren't match fit.

In goal I signed Simone Santarelli to replace Salvaroes Pinna when he retires at the end of this season.

Finances

We posted around a 550k loss this season, I think mainly because of having to pay for the upkeep of such a large stadium (37000+ all-seater) and then only filling around 15% of it at home games, the form my team showed towards the back end of the season didn't help a great deal because this discouraged fans from attending home games and the last home game of the season had an attendance of less than 1000. Hopefully next season with a few additions to the squad we will be able to maintain our form and start attracting more spectators.

Next season

The wage budget has been increased slightly from 14.5k to 18.25k and with a few undeserved big earners leaving after their contract expires I should have a large enough available budget to attract some of the quality required to bolster my team for a title challenge net season.

In terms of transfers I am looking for a few CB's to sure up my defense, a CM's to act as cover and a proven goalscorer at my level. I'll probably look towards the free agents to avoid transfer fees.

I also aim to keep all of my current squad together but if the right 'big money' offer comes in for one of my players it might be too hard to refuse.

[chris11223]

PRDH - You've got a solid team there and with some of the youngsters in your other post coming through to replace some of the 'golden oldies' you look like you are set to be on top for the foreseeable future.

[PRDH]

Solid season there chris11223, definitely a position to build on, and being in the promotion places at the halfway point shows that. Just need to maintain that form.

[Troy Damage]

League: Table - Graph - Results1 - Results2

We were pretty solid this season, we hit the top after 7 games and held onto first place for the rest of the season, not losing until a bit of a wobble against Werder Bremen in the 17th game of the season, we then lost the 18th as well against Hannover who thumped us 3-0, following that game we found ourselves 2-0 down to gladbach at home at half time and in danger of losing the top spot. If we had not won that game we would have slipped to second place, fortunetly we responded excellently in the second half producing this result, ending the losing streak, it proved a key moment in our season.

Cup: Results

I played the youngsters against third tier Bielefeld and they were very disappointing as we deservedly crashed out. It was a shame as we could have won this competition, especially as Bielefeld made the final, where they met a second tier side, in what was was a bad year for Bundesliga sides in the cup.

Champions League: Group Table - Results

I was just pleased to make the group stage after two tough qualifying rounds, but Porto were suprisingly poor and we eased into the knockout rounds. We put in two great performances against Chelsea, but it was just a shame we couldn't reproduce the same level against Roma in the quarters.

Finances: Balance

The finances took a bit of a hit as we completed a £22m purchase of our stadium, and then at the end of the season sunk a combined £21m into both the stadium and the training facilities, still in reasonable shape though.

Transfers: Page1 - Page2

Huge quantity of ins and outs as per, club stalwarts Andersen and Salva both lost their starting places this term and subsequently I decided to cash in on both whilst they still retained significant sale value, we got £5m and £7.5m repectively. Ignacio Wisniewski was signed for £4.1m and was the man who took Andersen's place, he was the best of the ins.

Squad: Overview

We are not too far off from where I would like to be now, I may make a few changes in the centre of midfield this summer but nothing to drastic elsewise, we are strong both offensively and defensively and should look to push on and dominate German football with this young team.

Profiles:

Conor Morgan: The American has now made 213 appearences for the club, he continues to improve and impress.

Paul Hughes: He is rapidly becoming one of the best defenders in the world, in terms of pure talent he is our best player, he was a little disrupted by a few injuries this season but was still strong.

Ignacio Wisniewski: I finally found a quality partner for the excellent Hughes this summer and his name is Wisniewski, which is a seriously odd name for an Argentinian considering he has no secondary nationality.

Marco Hoogendoorn: The dutchman proved that he is the long term solution to my historical right back issues in his first full season at the club.

Julian Bruhlmann: He had been threatening to supplant Salva on the left wing for a while now, and this was the season which he finally became a regular starter and he generally justified his selection.

Joetex Mumuni: He was picked up for just 675K in January with only 6 months left on his contract, and I'm confident this will prove to be a shrewd peice of business.

Gabriel Gomila: The Spanish international is one of our best players but he has been interesting Real Madrid for about 18 months now, and with one year left on his contract his wages demands are north of 50k a week which would make him our highest payed player by a mile, in other words it won't happen. His days as a trier player could be numbered sadly.

Ledio Ademi: Winner of the Bundesliga top scorer award, winner of the European Golden Shoe, runner up in the Champions League top scorer award, enough said.

[rlipscombe]

PRDH - you do have a fantastic team there and the fact that it is now a homegrown team makes it even better. i REALLY hope you get to win the CL again before FM13. if you manage it i would be more than happy to name Luisitania Acores as the best team ever to have come out of the challenge - FACT.

[PRDH]

PRDH - you do have a fantastic team there and the fact that it is now a homegrown team makes it even better. i REALLY hope you get to win the CL again before FM13. if you manage it i would be more than happy to name Luisitania Acores as the best team ever to have come out of the challenge - FACT.

I'll try my damnedest! Will have to improve, didn't get out of the group stage this time!

[chris11223]

Good season Troy Damage, winning the league and quarter-finals in the champions league! good luck in the next season and I hope you can got a little further in the champions league.

[Troy Damage]

Thanks chris11223, looks like you had a very solid first season and with a few tweaks promotion could well be on the cards next season, good luck to you too.

[Lenzar]

So in January 2018 now, winning the league comfortably (it took until January for me to draw, though I've lost twice as well), and again into the Champions League Round of 16, coming 2nd in a group that featured Arsenal, Schalke and FC Twente; we managed a draw against Arsenal at the Emirates!

We'll play Man Utd in the Round of 16...

Also through to the League Cup final - if I win, I've won every competition in Scotland.

[marty78]

Chaps, I've just watched today's FM13 video blog on the network game options. The thing that leapt out at me was the ability to export teams from any stage in the game to play against other people in various types of competition. This intrigued me as it's a nice idea, especially in a challenge like this which sees us go along way into the future often and end up with players who are not real.

I reckon there's a way to incorporate it next year's challenge. For example, we could take the completing teams and put them in a knockout tournament against each other to come up with a 'winner'. Thoughts?

I think that is a massively awesome idea...not 100% sure whether it means the teams need to have a manager playing as them, but if when someone completes they uploaded the save at that point then I could put it in a list and then create the league near the end of the season as well

I think we'd have to manage them, network game style. But I'm pretty sure there'd be a way round making it too tricky. It's all being done through steam next time too. Imagine the excitement in the thread as the teams were playing.

Edit - And then of course, if this was the equivalent of a domestic competition, we could have the Champions' League where the winner of each challenge's tournament met. Dafuge, Gundo, Razor and us lot competing for ultimate CSE glory!

Sounds great, can't wait to return to this challenge when FM13 comes out.

Also likely to be a team change for me...I had a huge computer crash this week and just recovered it, all saves gone, so will be starting somewhere fresh...I have thought about going back to FAFE on FM09, but not sure right now

7000 Posts!!!

Ouch.

[brettney1980]

Dardanelspor A.S - Season 2022/23

We lost the season opener the Turkish Super Cup to Besiktas 4-2 (did play a lot of backup players). In the league we went top after 9 games and stayed there (other than for 2 games in the second half of the season (games in hand etc.)) for the whole season. Won the league fairly comfortably even with playing backups before Champions League games.

Finances|Confidence

Turkish Premier|Championship Group

Transfers and more sales.

Europe;

First up came the European Super Cup.

So a Trophy already.

Straight into the Champions League Group stages this year and we finished 2nd, a poor start losing to Rapid Vienna saw me a little worried and then when we drew with Liverpool second game i thought we would be heading into the Europa League again ... But we came back and even though we suffered a 2nd loss against Benfica we still managed to qualify from the group.

Marseille was the team to face in the 1st K.O round and we beat them 4-2 at Home in the first leg and managed a 1-0 victory at their ground playing a defensive game. The Q-Finals saw Porto come to our ground and the 4-3 victory we managed to scrape in the last seconds of the game no less didn't fill me with confidence. 2nd leg saw them beat us 2-1 in a game we just didn't get into ... We go out on Away Goals.

Lineup

GK Mickey Van Der Hart - Great new signing and on a Bosman Free.

RB Murat Guray - Now a Turkey international recently winning his first Cap.

CB Mehmet Yildirim The great signing from last season continued to hold onto his first team spot, we do have alot of good CB's coming through so will have to work hard.

CB Haris Skoro - Continues to be a solid performer,

LB Ertan Ersoy - Picked up 3 Turkey caps (another converted Turk from us, your welcome National boss).

CM Tayfun Aydin - A product of our Youth Academy, has now made 229 appearances for the club.

CM Martin Marx - Slotted in at CM more this season, with our new signing Ramos not living up to expectations.

IFR Osman Ozparilti - Back to his best, had a great season for the club .. Seems to play better when i bring in new cometition for him to compete with. Won another 2 Turkey caps.

IFL Olcay Onder - Played at CF as well when needed, did enough of a job to just about edge the spot over Marx.

CF Liam Cameron - A more prolific season than last, 21 goals in 36 starts.

CF Afonso Katchipwisayla - A couple lessgoals than last year seemingly allowing Cameron to grab a few more.

Backups;

Paulo Ramos - Signed to partner Aydin but didn't do enough to keep the place.

Oguzan Kefkir - Competition at IFR managed 17 starts (mostly before Champions League games).

Malte Gerling - Had his best season for the club making 26 appearances. Took Turkish Citizenship.

Heiko Schulze - Played 8 times conceeded 8, took Turkish Citizenship.

Mo Soumare - Really unlucky that Cameron decided to stay, cannot break up the succesful Cam-Katch partnership.

Kamber Toktali - A great youngster, the best academy prospect since Aydin and i can see him partnering Aydin in CM in a year or two. Only 17 and has made 11 apps, 1 goal after his debut in the Europa League Final last season.

Season    Division     Pos   Turkish Cup     Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13   Second       2nd    Third Round    Promotion!
2013/14  First Div.    10th  Second Round    Mid-Table - Check!
2014/15  First Div.    8th    Third Rd.      Just below Playoffs
2015/16  First Div.    Top!  Second Round    Champions!!!
2016/17   Premier      5th    Fourth Rd.     Made it into Europe!! Somehow.
2017/18   Premier      4th    Fourth rd.     Champs Group.
2018/19   Premier      5th    Fourth rd.     Snuck into Europe via Fair Play!
2019/20   Premier      4th     Q-Final       Champions League!!!
2020/21   Premier      2nd     Semi's        Beat Barca in Champs League!
2021/22   Premier      2nd     Q-Final       Won Euro Cup and League Titles!
2022/23   Premier      1st     4th round     Won Euro Super Cup and League Title.

[PRDH]

Great season there brettney, congrats on the title.