[FM12] Now You Do Not Punish Someone, English Or Otherwise, For Being Rubbish At FM...

[Flamers]

You lost to MK Dons.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[SRL88]

Seriously, what the hell is going on in Milton Keynes?

[buzz2k7]

Have they got a tycoon owner?

[SnakeXe]

You lost to MK Dons.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

They've beaten quite a few teams, they're 5th

Seriously, what the hell is going on in Milton Keynes?

Have they got a tycoon owner?

No tycoon, just good management. They were promoted to the Championship in 2015, Premier League for the first time in 2024, yo-yoed a few times before clinging on from 2030 on. This season they're doing far better than they have done before, 17th twice and 15th were their previous finishes in this top-flight spell. Good on them, I say.

[AK22]

Fantastic result against at The Emirates against The Arse

[SnakeXe]

Fantastic result against at The Emirates against The Arse

That one was very sweet, their current manager hates my guts

[SnakeXe]

SnakeXe's Career - Season 22 - 2033/34

Story of the Season:

Premier League - 1st

Unexpectedly Chelsea dropped off badly, leaving us top, before Man City upped their game, and Arsenal came from nowhere to close the gap to a point. Indeed after 30 games we were bang in the middle of a 5-way title fight, 1st to 5th covered by just 4 points. 6 wins in 6 games later and we were wrapping up the title with a 2-1 win away at Everton!

FA Cup - Sixth Round (lost v Blackburn)

We needed a replay against Aston Villa, but I'm not sure why as we smashed them 6-1 in it. We got a bit of revenge for last year's final in the Fourth Round, sending holders Cardiff packing, then breezed past Championship Peterborough 3-0 in the Fifth. I rested a few players against Blackburn in the Sixth Round as our league form was starting to waver; unfortunately it was just one of those days and we lost 1-0. At least they went on to win it I guess.

League Cup - Winners

Probably the easiest trophy we'll ever win, the quarter-final with Arsenal notwithstanding. Stoke were breezed past 4-2 in the semi-final, whilst League Two Notts County never threatened to provide an upset in the final, their great cup run ending in a 3-0 humbling.

Results 1 - Results 2 - Squad

Transfers - £500k spent

After last year's excess, this year's frugality was very welcome with the club's bank manager. Bellucci and Nworuh in particular were absolute steals, whilst Ramón and Makweni also showed their quality in patches. I have a feeling Daniel will be a big player for us in coming years - he looks a great deep-lying playmaker. Rick van Meel was the big name going out, along with a lot of the fat from the squad, plus a few loans of promising players who weren't getting enough football with us.

Finances

Thankfully I didn't rip into the generous transfer budget the board offered - if I had we'd be in trouble!

5 Most Important Players:

5. Gil Reis - DR - What a season from the young right-back! I offered him a new contract in January to bump his release clause up from £14m to £25m - on this evidence I'll have to do so again.

4. José Manuel Ocles - DM/M/AMRC - Leading assist maker by a large margin, and popped up with some priceless goals as well.

3. Nestor Brenes - DRC - Led the backline fantastically well, his greater mobility edging him ahead of Sogoba in the pecking order. Earned himself a new two-year deal.

2. Marius Maciulevicius - AMC/ST - That's more like it, Marius. Absolutely imperious.

1. Mario Méndez - ST - A conversion to inside-forward really helped the balance of the team, and brought a great return from the young Argentine forward.

History:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season  | Team            | League/Competition    | Country      | Position | Notes                                                 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2012/13 | Weymouth        | Blue Square South     | England      | 2nd      | Playoff Semi-finalists                                |
| 2013/14 | Weymouth        | Blue Square South     | England      | 3rd      | Resigned in October                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2013/14 | Darlington      | Blue Square Premier   | England      | 14th     | 15th on arrival in October                            |
| 2014/15 | Darlington      | Blue Square Premier   | England      | 2nd      | Playoff Winners                                       |
| 2015/16 | Darlington      | League Two            | England      | 16th     | Resigned in January                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2015/16 | Southend United | League One            | England      | 21st     | Relegated, 24th on arrival in March                   |
| 2016/17 | Southend United | League Two            | England      | 1st      | League Two Champions                                  |
| 2017/18 | Southend United | League One            | England      | 2nd      | Promoted                                              |
| 2018/19 | Southend United | Championship          | England      | 17th     | Resigned in October                                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2018/19 | Wigan Athletic  | Championship          | England      | 4th      | 13th on arrival in October, Playoff Winners           |
| 2019/20 | Wigan Athletic  | Premier League        | England      | 15th     | Left in December                                      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2019/20 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      | 8th      | 14th on arrival in December, DFB-Pokal Winners        |
| 2020/21 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      | 1st      | B'liga Champions, Supercup Winners, EL Semi-Finalists |
| 2021/22 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      | 2nd      | Supercup Winners, CL & DFB-Pokal Semi-Finalists       |
| 2022/23 | Werder Bremen   | 1. Bundesliga         | Germany      | 1st      | B'liga Champions, Champions League Winners            |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2023/24 | Arsenal         | Premier League        | England      | 2nd      | Champ's League Semi-Finalists, League Cup Finalists   |
| 2024/25 | Arsenal         | Premier League        | England      | 1st      | Premier League Winners, League Cup Finalists          |
| 2025/26 | Arsenal         | Premier League        | England      | 1st      | Premier League Winners                                |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2027    | Santos          | Brasileirao           | Brazil       | 1st      | Brasileirao & Paulista Winners, Libertadores SF       |
| 2028    | Santos          | Brasileirao           | Brazil       | 2nd      | Paulista & Copa Libertadores Semi-Finalists           |
| 2029    | Santos          | Brasileirao           | Brazil       | 1st      | Brasileirao & L'dores Winners, CWC RU, Paulista SF    |
| 2030    | Santos          | Brasileirao           | Brazil       | 1st      | B'leirao, L'dores, Paulista, Recopa Winners, CWC RU   |
| 2031    | Santos          | Brasileirao           | Brazil       | 1st      | Brasileirao, Paulista, Recopa Sudamericana Winners    |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2030    | Brazil          | Friendlies            | Various      | N/A      | Appointed in July, P5 W2 D2 L1                        |
| 2031    | Brazil          | Copa América          | S. America   | R-Up     | Copa América Runners Up, Resigned in July             |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2031/32 | Vélez           | Clausura              | Argentina    | 1st      | Clausura Winners, Joined in February                  |
| 2032/33 | Vélez           | Apertura              | Argentina    | 1st      | Apertura Winners, Left in December                    |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2032/33 | Newcastle       | Premier League        | England      | 7th      | FA Cup Runners Up, Joined in December                 |
| 2033/34 | Newcastle       | Premier League        | England      | 1st      | Premier League & League Cup Winners                   |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Season:

It'll be interesting to see how this squad copes with the added pressures of European football. I don't intend to make many modifications, unless perhaps one of my old boys from Santos or Vélez were to become available at the right price. I agreed a couple of transfers from my feeder club Crvena Zvezda to arrive this summer way back at the start of the season - I'll have to cut a few names to make room for them, but they should be worth it.

[SnakeXe]

Former Club Watch:

Weymouth F.C.:

Boo.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13*  Blue Square South       2nd       Playoff Semi-finalists
2013/14*  Blue Square South       9th       I left in October (resigned)
2014/15   Blue Square South       10th      -
2015/16   Blue Square South       19th      -
2016/17   Blue Square South       9th       FA Cup 2nd Round
2017/18   Blue Square South       3rd       Playoff Winners
2018/19   Blue Square Premier     21st      Relegated
2019/20   Blue Square South       14th      -
2020/21   Blue Square South       14th      -
2021/22   Blue Square South       19th      -
2022/23   Blue Square South       18th      -
2023/24   Blue Square South       22nd      Relegated
2024/25   N/A                     N/A       FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
2025/26   N/A                     N/A       -
2026/27   N/A                     N/A       FA Cup 3rd Round
2027/28   N/A                     N/A       -
2028/29   N/A                     N/A       -
2029/30   N/A                     N/A       -
2030/31   N/A                     N/A       FA Cup 1st Round
2031/32   N/A                     N/A       -
2032/33   N/A                     N/A       -
2033/34   N/A                     N/A       -

NB * indicates that I was in charge for at least part of the season.

Darlington F.C.:

Good season of consolidation.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013/14*  Blue Square Premier     14th      I joined in October
2014/15*  Blue Square Premier     2nd       Playoff Winners
2015/16*  League Two              18th      I left in January (resigned)
2016/17   League Two              17th      JPT North Quarter Final
2017/18   League Two              15th      FA Cup 3rd Round
2018/19   League Two              3rd       Promoted
2019/20   League One              22nd      Relegated, FA Cup 4th Round
2020/21   League Two              20th      -
2021/22   League Two              6th       FA Cup 4th Round, Playoff Semi-finalists
2022/23   League Two              9th       JPT North Quarter Final
2023/24   League Two              16th      JPT North Semi Final
2024/25   League Two              11th      -
2025/26   League Two              19th      -
2026/27   League Two              19th      -
2027/28   League Two              18th      -
2028/29   League Two              20th      -
2029/30   League Two              1st       League Two Winners
2030/31   League One              12th      FA Cup 4th Round
2031/32   League One              22nd      Relegated, FA Cup 5th Round
2032/33   League Two              2nd       Promoted, FA Cup 3rd Round
2033/34   League One              18th      FA Cup 3rd Round

Southend United:

Looks like being a long stay in League One.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16*  League One              21st      Relegated, I joined in March
2016/17*  League Two              1st       League Two Winners
2017/18*  League One              2nd       Promoted
2018/19*  Championship            15th      I left in October (resigned)
2019/20   Championship            20th      -
2020/21   Championship            12th      FA Cup 5th Round
2021/22   Championship            9th       -
2022/23   Championship            15th      -
2023/24   Championship            16th      FA Cup Semi Final
2024/25   Championship            21st      -
2025/26   Championship            19th      -
2026/27   Championship            16th      League Cup Runners up
2027/28   Championship            21st      -
2028/29   Championship            22nd      Relegated
2029/30   League One              3rd       Playoff Semi-finalists
2030/31   League One              7th       FA Cup 4th Round, JPT Finalists
2031/32   League One              17th      JPT South Quarter-finalists
2032/33   League One              11th      -
2033/34   League One              11th      JPT South Semi-finalists

Wigan Athletic:

Pretty firmly entrenched in mid-table now.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018/19*  Championship            4th       I joined in October, Playoff Winners
2019/20*  Premier League          11th      I left in December (job offer)
2020/21   Premier League          18th      League Cup Winners, Relegated
2021/22   Championship            2nd       Promoted, League Cup Quarter-finalists
2022/23   Premier League          17th      FA Cup 6th Round
2023/24   Premier League          19th      Relegated
2024/25   Championship            5th       Playoff Semi-finalists
2025/26   Championship            4th       Playoff Winners, FA Cup 6th Round
2026/27   Premier League          5th       FA Cup 6th Round, EL Qualification
2027/28   Premier League          19th      League Cup Quarter-finalists
2028/29   Championship            6th       FA Cup 5th Round, Playoff Semi-finalists
2029/30   Championship            4th       Playoff Runners Up
2030/31   Championship            2nd       Promoted
2031/32   Premier League          11th      FA Cup 5th Round
2032/33   Premier League          14th      -
2033/34   Premier League          12th      -

Werder Bremen:

It took them losing a Europa League Qualifier to wake up, but they finally have!

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019/20*  1. Bundesliga           8th       I joined in December, DFB-Pokal Winners
2020/21*  1. Bundesliga           1st       B'liga, S'cup Winners; EL Semi-finalists
2021/22*  1. Bundesliga           2nd       S'cup Winners; EL, DFB-P Semi-finalists
2022/23*  1. Bundesliga           1st       B'liga, Champs League Winners
2023/24   1. Bundesliga           2nd       CWC, DFB-Pokal Winners
2024/25   1. Bundesliga           4th       Champs League, DFB-Pokal Semi-finalists
2025/26   1. Bundesliga           4th       -
2026/27   1. Bundesliga           3rd       DFB-Pokal Winners
2027/28   1. Bundesliga           5th       Europa League Semi-finalists
2028/29   1. Bundesliga           4th       Europa League QF, DFB-Pokal RU
2029/30   1. Bundesliga           3rd       Europa League Quarter-finalists
2030/31   1. Bundesliga           4th       -
2031/32   1. Bundesliga           4th       DFB-Pokal Semi-finalists
2032/33   1. Bundesliga           4th       DFB-Pokal Quarter-finalists
2033/34   1. Bundesliga           2nd       DFB-Pokal Runners Up

Arsenal:

Terrible season domestically almost saved by a successful Champions League campaign, but Inter were too strong.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24*  Premier League          2nd       CL Semi-finalists, LC Runners up
2024/25*  Premier League          1st       Premier League Winners, LC Runners Up
2025/26*  Premier League          1st       Premier League Winners
2026/27   Premier League          1st       PL & CL Winners, FA Cup Semi-finalists
2027/28   Premier League          1st       PL, CL, CWC & LC Winners, FA Cup Final
2028/29   Premier League          3rd       League Cup Runners Up, Champ's Lg SF
2029/30   Premier League          1st       Premier League Winners, Champ's Lg RU
2030/31   Premier League          1st       PL & LC Winners, CL Runners Up
2031/32   Premier League          1st       Prem League Winners, FA Cup Runners Up
2032/33   Premier League          2nd       Champions League Semi-finalists
2033/34   Premier League          6th       Champions League Runners Up

Santos:

The streak of Brasileiro titles is broken, but still a good trophy haul.

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2027*     Brasileirao             1st       B'leirao, Paulista Winners, L'dores SF
2028*     Brasileirao             2nd       Paulista, Libertadores Semi-finalists
2029*     Brasileirao             1st       B'leirao & L'dores W, P'lista SF, CWC RU
2030*     Brasileirao             1st       B'leirao, CL, P'lista & Recopa W, CWC RU
2031*     Brasileirao             1st       Brasileirao, Paulista & Recopa Winners
2032      Brasileirao             1st       B'leirao, CL, & Paulista Winners, CWC RU
2033      Brasileirao             2nd       CL, Recopa & Paulista Winners, CWC RU

Vélez:

I'm surprised they're falling away this badly - only Villavicencio of the big stars has left (to Liverpool).

Season    League                  Position  Notes                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031/32*  Clausura                1st       Clausura Winners, Joined in February
2032/33*  Apertura                1st       Apertura Winners, Left in December
2032/33   Clausura                1st       Clausura Winners, CA 7th Rnd, CL SF
2033/34   Apertura                2nd       Copa Sudamericana Semi-finalists
2033/34   Clausura                5th       -

[buzz2k7]

Well done

[Nobby_McDonald]

Well done Snake.

Nothing Franchise FC do is good on them.

[arinceo]

Congrats Snake, amazing to see that England only has three UCL spots. What are the coefficients like at the moment?

[SnakeXe]

Well done

Thanks! Almost seems like it was too easy though, I mean I have a few special players like Marius and Reis, but most of the rest I'd say are solid at the top level but nothing more. Perhaps the physicality of the side (I could field a front six all over six feet, and my regular front six had four six-footers) compensated for the slight lack of technical ability. That theory is somewhat disproven by the fact our best performances all occurred when we got the ball down and played it, but never mind!

Well done Snake.

Nothing Franchise FC do is good on them.

Cheers, Nobby!

I think at some point you have to just treat them as a new start-up club in MK. They themselves have made a point of revoking their claim to be a continuation of Wimbledon FC, and gave all the Wimbledon FC related stuff such as domains and the FA Cup replica back to the London Borough of Merton.

Congrats Snake, amazing to see that England only has three UCL spots. What are the coefficients like at the moment?

It's still four, I just took the screenshot before Arsenal had played the Champions League final.

[SRL88]

Great season Snake. Im just going to keep saying MK Dons for the fun of it .

Brilliant run by Notts County in the League Cup to.

[SnakeXe]

Great season Snake. Im just going to keep saying MK Dons for the fun of it .

Brilliant run by Notts County in the League Cup to.

Cheers

It was a great year for the underdog in the League Cup (except for us winning the thing) - we were the only Premier League side in the last four.

[SnakeXe]

2034 FIFA World Cup

Hosts: Australia

Holders: England

Group Stage:

Group A

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Australia   |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 5     | 0     | +5    | 9     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Iceland     |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 4     | 3     | +1    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | New Zealand |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 3     | 3     | 0     | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Costa Rica  |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 0     | 6     | -6    | 0     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group B

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Germany  |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 4     | 2     | +2    | 7     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | France   |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 4     | +1    | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Colombia |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 3     | 3     | 0     | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Japan    |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group C

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Spain    |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 5     | 2     | +3    | 7     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Uruguay  |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 3     | 2     | +1    | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Portugal |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 5     | 3     | +2    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | China    |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 7     | -6    | 1     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group D

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Italy       |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 4     | 1     | +3    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Poland      |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 3     | 2     | +1    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Chile       |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 3     | -1    | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Ivory Coast |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group E

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Netherlands |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 9     | 0     | +9    | 9     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Russia      |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 7     | 5     | +2    | 4     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Mexico      |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 8     | -6    | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Nigeria     |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 2     | 7     | -5    | 1     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group F

| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | DR Congo     |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 9     | 4     | +5    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Serbia       |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 9     | 5     | +4    | 6     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Saudi Arabia |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 6     | -1    | 4     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Albania      |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 2     | 10    | -8    | 0     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group G

| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | South Africa |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 6     | 1     | +5    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Argentina    |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 2     | 3     | -1    | 4     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Guatemala    |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 3     | 5     | -2    | 3     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Israel       |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 4     | -2    | 3     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Group H

| Pos   | Inf   | Team  |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Iran  |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 5     | 2     | +3    | 9     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Congo |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 8     | 5     | +3    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Greece|       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 1     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Brazil|       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 1     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Knockout Stage:

Second Round:

France 3 v 0 Australia

Iceland 0 v 1 Germany

Poland 1 v 2 Spain

Uruguay 1 v 2e Italy

Serbia 0 v 2 Netherlands

DR Congo 0 v 3 Russia

South Africa 3 v 1 Congo

Argentina 2 v 1 Iran

Quarter Final:

France e1 v 0 Italy

Germany 1 v 1p Spain

Netherlands 3 v 1 Argentina

Russia 4 v 0 South Africa

Semi Final:

France 1 v 2e Russia

Spain 1 v 2 Netherlands

Third Place Playoff:

Spain 1 v 0 France

Final:

Russia 0 v 1 Netherlands

Russia so close to becoming the first Eastern European side to win the World Cup, but the Netherlands followed up their European Championship triumph on home soil with their first ever World Cup win.

[SnakeXe]

SnakeXe's Career - Season 23 Preseason Update - Newcastle United

Board Expectations:

Premier League - Champions League qualification (minimum of Champions League qualification, predicted 4th out of 20)

FA Cup - Sixth Round

Carling Cup - Unimportant

Community Shield - Unimportant

Champions League - First Knockout Round

My Expectations:

Premier League - I'd be very disappointed to fall out of the top four after winning the title, but less so to not retain it

FA Cup - I'd like to finally win it

Carling Cup - See what the backup 11 do

Community Shield - As it's against Blackburn, who ended our chance of a domestic treble last season, a win would be satisfying

Champions League - I agree with the board, we should definitely be looking at getting past the group stage

Budgets:

Transfer: £35,680,000 (£55,650,000 remaining)

Wages: £1,146,057/week (£850,065/week currently)

Balance: £28,951,424 (+£11,312,002 since last season)

Squad:

I've kept the physical attackers like Makweni, Maciulevicius and Vujadinovic, but added a bit more technical quality on the ball around them. We're very strong in all areas now, which is crucial as we'll have a much bigger problem with fixture congestion than last season. The first choice 11 hasn't really changed a huge deal - I could still put out my first choice side from last season and feel very comfortable about it - but there's a big difference in the quality beyond that. I certainly feel we can compete on all fronts.

Transfers:

A big net profit so far this year, as I was able to replace with equal or better for bargainous prices (hat-tip to the scouts). Cristian Álvarez Toca should provide very able competition to Méndez down the left, whilst Sedat Yucel is a very exciting looking young playmaker. Andy Wakefield is a pure poacher, who I was able to replace Skowronski with, making a net profit plus adding another to the crucial home-grown list. At the back, the pair from Crvena Zvezda, Blazo Jeftic at centre-half and Dragoljub Martac in goal should be formidable. A double-your-money bid for Mathebula was gratefully accepted from AC Milan - the South African had never really held down a first-team slot and didn't really fit into my preferred style of play any more. Other than that it was mostly backups moved on and a couple of punts on youngsters.

Key Men:

Goalkeeper/Defence

Gil Reis - D/MR - World-class full-back.

Midfield

Michel Bellucci - DM/MC - Excellent debut season was rewarded with an international debut in the summer - he'll be a stalwart of this team as long as I'm in charge.

Mario Méndez - AML/ST - Although he wasn't shabby as a centre-forward, he was reborn coming inside from the left flank last year, terrorising defences all season long. I can't wait to see more.

Strikers

Marius Maciulevicius - AMC/ST - Did what was expected of a player of his calibre last year, I'll be looking for even more this year though.

[ManUTactician247]

Interesting to see 2 Congo's not only make the World Cup but get to the 1st Knockout Round!

[AK22]

Not a bad season

Well done on a unexpected double!

[Nobby_McDonald]

A couple of really weak World Cup groups and some small nations making the Second Round.

Franchise FC will always be Franchise FC. The owners moved a team 70 or so miles without putting thought into the loyal fans who supported the original Wimbledon for years.

[SRL88]

Gil Reis .

[SnakeXe]

A couple of really weak World Cup groups and some small nations making the Second Round.

I'd also like to point out that I was bang on the money about Brazil being rubbish.

Franchise FC will always be Franchise FC. The owners moved a team 70 or so miles without putting thought into the loyal fans who supported the original Wimbledon for years.

Even when the owners who moved the club aren't involved any more and they have an entirely new generation of fans in Milton Keynes? It was a despicable act in the first place, no doubt about it, something which goes completely against the role of football clubs in England (and most of the world). I think they've since done right by the original supporters of Wimbledon by handing the legacy over, and with AFC Wimbledon going strong and the FA having tightened the rules to avoid it happening again, there's an argument to be made that everyone's better of for it having happened. The people of MK have a football club, the people of Merton have a football club that they're closer to than 99% of the fans in England are to theirs, and it can't happen again.

[SnakeXe]

Gil Reis .

[noikeee]

Caught up now, with the rest of your Brazilian trophies, the Argentina stint, and Newcastle. Too quick to get that league title back there in England! I think you should try a policy of signing only Indonesian U21s or something, it all seems far too easy..

[SnakeXe]

Caught up now, with the rest of your Brazilian trophies, the Argentina stint, and Newcastle. Too quick to get that league title back there in England! I think you should try a policy of signing only Indonesian U21s or something, it all seems far too easy..

Yeah I was a bit disappointed with how easily it all came together to be honest. The big clubs seemed to fall over each other to give us points, and then just fell away at the end when it was shaping up to be an epic fight to the last game. My rough plan at the moment is to take Newcastle to the top of the game - top ranked team in European coefficients, Club World Champions, etc then head back across the Atlantic for a bit, either to the USA or Mexico. Depending on what my in-game age is by then (it's 47 now, I want to move into international management in my 60s, if I get that far), I'll either give Asia a go or return to Europe and add Spanish, French and Italian domestic trophies to my cabinet.

[ManchesterUnited-]

How about loading up the Estonian league.

I read that you can win up to 10 trophies in a season due to the regional trophies they have.

Winning all 10 in one season would be a great achievement!

[SnakeXe]

How about loading up the Estonian league.

I read that you can win up to 10 trophies in a season due to the regional trophies they have.

Winning all 10 in one season would be a great achievement!

That sounds quite interesting! Do you know roughly how many games a full season is including all the cups? I got quite annoyed with the lengthy domestic season in Brazil so don't fancy jumping into another 79-matches-per-season gig again quite yet

[Nobby_McDonald]

Even when the owners who moved the club aren't involved any more and they have an entirely new generation of fans in Milton Keynes? It was a despicable act in the first place, no doubt about it, something which goes completely against the role of football clubs in England (and most of the world). I think they've since done right by the original supporters of Wimbledon by handing the legacy over, and with AFC Wimbledon going strong and the FA having tightened the rules to avoid it happening again, there's an argument to be made that everyone's better of for it having happened. The people of MK have a football club, the people of Merton have a football club that they're closer to than 99% of the fans in England are to theirs, and it can't happen again.

Milton Keynes had a football club, Milton Keynes City who were level 8 or 9ish of the pyramid system. What about that club then? Funny how nobody in Milton Keynes cared about that team yet when they are essentially given a team in the Football League they all crawl out of the woodwork. Also funny how Milton Keynes wasn't a city when Milton Keynes City existed.

A lot of people dislike/hate Manchester United, myself included (dislike for me) and rightly take the **** that most of their fans aren't from Manchester. At least the team is from Manchester.

There are only two teams I hate. Surprisingly one of them isn't Port Vale. The two are Franchise FC and FC United as I think the reasons behind their formation are frankly ridiculous.

[SnakeXe]

Milton Keynes had a football club, Milton Keynes City who were level 8 or 9ish of the pyramid system. What about that club then? Funny how nobody in Milton Keynes cared about that team yet when they are essentially given a team in the Football League they all crawl out of the woodwork. Also funny how Milton Keynes wasn't a city when Milton Keynes City existed.

A lot of people dislike/hate Manchester United, myself included (dislike for me) and rightly take the **** that most of their fans aren't from Manchester. At least the team is from Manchester.

There are only two teams I hate. Surprisingly one of them isn't Port Vale. The two are Franchise FC and FC United as I think the reasons behind their formation are frankly ridiculous.

Fair enough I didn't know about Milton Keynes City! That is even more ridiculous then.

I don't really hate Man Utd to be honest. I hate losing to them, and I hate how that fat little Shrek lookalike always belts one in against us, but no more than that. The clubs I hate are Liverpool, Chelsea, and Beitar Jerusalem. Beitar because they've been institutionally racist for a good part of the last 20 years, Chelsea because of their blood money, and Liverpool for slightly more irrational reasons. In fact I hate Liverpool more than anyone because it's fairly irrational. It just makes my blood boil whenever they win a game.

[ManchesterUnited-]

That sounds quite interesting! Do you know roughly how many games a full season is including all the cups? I got quite annoyed with the lengthy domestic season in Brazil so don't fancy jumping into another 79-matches-per-season gig again quite yet

I have no idea to be honest. I do know that the top Estonian league only has 10 teams in it though.

[karax268]

I have no idea to be honest. I do know that the top Estonian league only has 10 teams in it though.

As far as I know the estonian league isn't in the database

[Flamers]

@karax268 I will put money on the fact that someone has created one

[ShyBaldBuddhist]

You'd win that bet. It's in Unknown Hackers massive file that includes most of the smaller nations and loads of African leagues

[SnakeXe]

No use for this save though, unfortunately!

[Das Hannes]

No use for this save though, unfortunately!

Well, as an Estonian, I looked through some football forums and found this: http://www.upload.ee/files/1960422/Eesti_vol.2.09.dbc.html

That's the Estonian Leagues patch, if you ever want a damn hard challenge then try it.

[SnakeXe]

Well, as an Estonian, I looked through some football forums and found this: http://www.upload.ee/files/1960422/Eesti_vol.2.09.dbc.html

That's the Estonian Leagues patch, if you ever want a damn hard challenge then try it.

Thanks, I'll consider it for my next save

[peanut87]

Hey mate,

Nice work on the career so far! Just wanted to say cheers for filling up a few days work for me and getting me looking forward to play again (motivation for the game dropped right off until I stumbled across here). I'm really enjoying the game again. Must be nice knowing that people all over the world are following your career too!

Looking forward to what comes next!

P.S - I'm more of a lurker than commenter on here, so take it as a compliment that I had to pipe up!

[SnakeXe]

Hey mate,

Nice work on the career so far! Just wanted to say cheers for filling up a few days work for me and getting me looking forward to play again (motivation for the game dropped right off until I stumbled across here). I'm really enjoying the game again. Must be nice knowing that people all over the world are following your career too!

Looking forward to what comes next!

P.S - I'm more of a lurker than commenter on here, so take it as a compliment that I had to pipe up!

Thanks, I'm glad you've been enjoying it! I love being able to share my game with people who actually like to read about it, rather than my other half who obviously couldn't care less, or my non-FM playing, non-football watching mates . Also very glad to hear it's inspired you to play and enjoy the game more - I always think that's the mark of a great thread (not blowing my own trumpet at all!) and is certainly what I aspire to with my threads.

[SnakeXe]

So we've been kind of goal-crazy this season...

[SnakeXe]

Season 23: Halfway House Update

Blackburn in the Community Shield were the first challenge of the season, not that important in the grand scheme of things, but revenge for last season's FA Cup elimination would be nice. A Bellucci double sent us on the way to a 4-0 win.

The league campaign started badly, with away defeats to Man City and Arsenal - both undeserved - giving us just one win in the first three games. Things got back on track though, as we won every game until a humiliatingly poor 3-0 loss away at Liverpool. Defeats in difficult away games would become a feature of our league campaign - two more would follow in this first half of the season, to Man Utd and Everton. Fortunately we won every other game, including a 9-0 spanking of Chelsea, to end the year top on goal difference, albeit with Arsenal having a game in hand.

The Champions League group draw was incredibly kind considering we were fourth seeds - Juventus, Besiktas and Sparta Prague. We took full advantage, scoring for fun in every game bar those against the Old Lady. They nicked an undeserved win at St. James' Park, but we got what we deserved in Turin to top the group in the final game. A tie against Sevilla awaits.

The League Cup was again low on the list of priorities, but I hoped we'd make a good fist of defending it. We went 2-0 down against Portsmouth in the 3rd Round, but deservedly won 3-2 after extra time, before Man City again dealt us an incredibly harsh defeat away from home to end our chances.

The Good

• Stunning goalscoring form
  
• Topping the Champions League group
  
• Topping the Premier League
  

The Bad

• Out of the League Cup
  
• Poor away defeats against our immediate rivals
  
• And not a lot else, fortunately!
  

Results - Premier League Table - Squad

[SnakeXe]

And my graphics card crashed, so that 9-0 win was wiped out. Wonderful.

Won 2-0 when we replayed it so it's as you were except with 7 less goals.

[crouchaldinho]

How absolutely gutting! Losing a 9-0 win! Damn it!

[SnakeXe]

How absolutely gutting! Losing a 9-0 win! Damn it!

I think literally every single game I've had to replay because of a crash of some kind has been a win, and a good win at that. So frustrating. Especially as I don't think I ever lost more than one or two in total in the three editions (09, 10, and 11) that I played on my laptop. Mac >>> PC for FM, it seems.

[SRL88]

You certainly like taking a beating at the hands of the bigger sides away from home.

[deltablue]

Still awful when you lose something like that.

[HotChocolate]

And my graphics card crashed, so that 9-0 win was wiped out. Wonderful.

Won 2-0 when we replayed it so it's as you were except with 7 less goals.

I always save the second after I come away from a game like that.

[SnakeXe]

I think I will as well in future! Actually getting into the habit of saving it immediately after every game would be good I think.

[SnakeXe]

Saved before I even hit the press conference

[SRL88]

I approve .

[ManchesterUnited-]

Well done! (even though i support united!)

[deltablue]

That's one for the album.