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An FM Career - Now With Added Bitterness.


hursty2

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Cheer mate, always a weird feeling when you get sacked from a game. :D

None are available at the moment but I expect that will change over the summer, I'm leaning towards a championship job at the moment or germany or spain...

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HB Koge – Season Summary 24/25

Superliga

Results 1Results 2Player Stats

This was my worst season in charge at HB Koge but everything was shaping up for it to be my best. We had just turned from a part-time club into a full time club, we now had the resources to be a real part of the Superliga. The squad in my opinion was a great deal better than that of last season but if there was one thing we lacked it was experience. This showed throughout the season and we only recorded 7 wins and posted out lowest points total in three years. Whenever we did show some sort of form, a loss would be right around the corner. It was real relegation form.

Champions: FC Kobenhavn

Relegated: Esbjerg fB, HB Koge

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DBU Pokalen

Again we were knocked out early from this competition at the hands of a much better side, Brondby beating us 1-0 in the 4th round.

Winners: Esbjerg fB

Runners Up: Silkeborg

Player of the Season – Malte Clemens

He was easily my best player this season but he still couldn’t drag the whole team over the line. His 12 goals and 4 assists earning him four MOM awards. I expect him to move to a much bigger club in the summer and I might even have a say in where he goes. He is dubbed the next Bastian Schweinstiger after all.

Previous Clubs

Stoke City: Stoke went through yet another manager this season, van den Brom being replaced by Ronny Levy, former Everton and Israel manager. He guided Stoke to a miserable 12th place finish but in his first year at the helm won the Carling Cup to save their season and enter them into the Europa League next season. Janusz Staszewskia and Markus Meyer remain integral to his squad whilst former key players Delph and Begovic left the club, Delph only on loan to Everton for the season.

Atalanta: Yet again they had another poor season finishing only two places above the relegation zone. They seem to be a club that no one is having any luck with, maybe the whole structure of the club itself needs to change? They couldn’t even make it past the 1st round of the cup.

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Champions LeagueEuropa League

What Next for Liam Hurst?

Time and time again I have been in this situation, one thing is for sure though, I am predictably unpredictable with my next destination in management. I’ve gone from the heights of Champions League football with Stoke to being relegated from a Danish league. There are many places that interest me but I know that I will be leaving Denmark for now and if possible moving up to a higher standard of football. Or at least a place where the names are much easier to spell and pronounce!

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Just been offered the Bristol City job who have just won promotion to the Premier League. They have offered me a 9k p/w contract with 17M transfer budget and 300k wage budget. I might delay and see what championship jobs show up as I fancy a go at getting someone promoted from the prem and building myself.

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Tough to go down, especially after battling so close all season. The Bristol job, however, could be interesting. You would be in a fight to keep them up and to eventually compete in the Premiership.

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Not as bad as it looked like it would be.

Dissapointing to see you went down but looking forward to see where you end up next.

Cheers guys, I can't wait for the new season!

Oh dear. Not good. Your finger got dirty in your squeaky bum.

It really was, I couldn't quite get it out in time.

Lack of leaders in your team appeared to cost you. One thing I've noticed in my save, is mental attributes are absolutely crucial. You can have all the talent in the world, but if your not mentally adept, you'll fail.

I'll assure you that my next team will be much tougher mentally!

Tough to go down, especially after battling so close all season. The Bristol job, however, could be interesting. You would be in a fight to keep them up and to eventually compete in the Premiership.

Yeah could be great in Bristol, we shall see.

Bad luck with the relegation; you were only one win from staying up :(

Doesn't look like your reputation has suffered too much if you're getting decent offers still.

Bristol were flattered by my interest, I don't know why though because I've hardly done anything in my career thus far. :D

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Bristol City – Season Preview 2025/26

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This was the only real job offer I got during my time off and I knew that from previous experience, you have to move quickly. Bristol City have just been promoted from the Championship after winning a thrilling play-off final at Wembley against Cardiff, beating the Welsh side 3-1. This will be their second season ever in the Premier League, their previous venture ending in relegation as they finished with only 23 points. I’m hoping that I will be able to do better than this but my sole aim will be to avoid relegation. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. The media don’t expect me to avoid relegation and are predicting that we will finish 19th. This could well happen if I don’t make the right signings and play the correct brand of football. I want to dominate teams at home with a quick passing, high pressing game but on our away trips we need to be solid a go for the smash and grab.

The club still remains at Ashton Gate, the 120 year old, 22 thousand seater stadium so maybe we will be an ideal candidate for a new stadium in the future. The facilities are also very poor here with average ratings across the board, I will look to improve these facilities in my time here.

Transfer Budget – 17M

Wage Budget – 300K

Transfers

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Ali Riza Kiyak

He is one of the most exceptional keepers in the World at the moment but he has been at a small Cypriot club for some reason. If you can remember I was going to sign him for Stoke a while back but turned that down because of his astronomical wage demands. At least now he has been more realistic with his wage, he’s only on 33K per week.

Marvin Cowley

He is a player with a little premier league experience as he started off his career with Southampton before moving to Chelsea. At Chelsea he failed to feature much and was sent out on loan for much of his time there. Bolton took him on a free a couple of years back and again he didn’t play much. I will hopefully rekindle his career at Bristol City and give him a better chance in the league.

Istvan Buac

He is my most expensive signing of the window, coming in for 6.5M from recently relegated Birmingham. In my opinion he really does ooze class and at only 21 has a lengthy career at the top ahead of him. He can play both central midfield and right midfield which means that he can slot into both my chosen formations with ease.

Diego Bergstrom

Bergstrom comes in as another centre mid to bolster my survival hopes. He was a cheap deal at only 1.1M but let’s hope that his fee doesn’t dictate the impact that he can have. He is mentally strong as well so I will be looking to him to provide tutoring to some of the younger players at the club.

Kirk Adams

The club lacked quality at right back, in fact we didn’t really have any full backs at the club so it was something that I needed to press on with. Adams came in from Everton having been forced out by the club on the back of several loan spells.

John Lines

He is another right back and will share the duty with Adams. Lines is a completely different player to Adams and can be described an attacking full back who will bring another dynamic to the team. He doesn’t have any premier league experience but is much better than the standard of his previous club, League One side Fulham.

Lennart Adelborg

The Danish winger has been an integral part of the Danish national side recently but couldn’t make the same impact at Wolfsburg in Germany. Upon signing though I have been told that he may be a little injury prone but maybe his worst days are past him. Time will tell.

As you can see the players that I have signed in this transfer window all have a decent attribute rating for determination which will be integral to keeping our heads above water. I have done this because last year I felt that the players that I signed for Koge, lacked this vital attribute which in my opinion was the reason for my relegation. The key to being a better manager is learning from your mistakes and I feel that I have done that.

Squad

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The squad as a whole looks much better than I arrived and the new additions will fit in well with determined nature of the squad. I decided to keep on some of the older players in the squad because experience can be invaluable in the Premier League and it shows them some respect for getting them this far. Success this season is going to be built upon a solid centre back pairing and the ability to take out chances when we get them and I feel that I have the players that can do this. So does my new assistant manager, Frank Lampard.

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Ewwwwwwww...
Oh dear. Not good. Your finger got dirty in your squeaky bum.

You to disguist me!!!

Anyway, nice move to Bristol City and good luck in the Championship.

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Bristol City – August & September 2025

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The season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start against Newcastle, a brace from front man Filipe aiding us on our way to a 3-1 victory. It was the performance from new signing Buac that caught the leagues attention though, scoring a curled free kick within 5 minutes of his debut and then going on to set up the next two. That was a great first result for the home fans but we haven’t won in the league since losing out to Blackburn, Man Utd and Southampton. However we were unlucky in these games as we were not outplayed and matched the sides in terms of possession, just not being able to create many chances. We also played the first two rounds of the Carling Cup progressing easily with the use of some fringe players and now we will face Liverpool at Anfield in the fourth round.

On the transfer front I brought in two defenders to bulk up the squad, both Englishmen coming in for free. First was ex-Aston Villa left back Rory Kendall, arriving as a back-up to Gibson as I don’t feel he is good enough to challenge for a starting spot but I really needed cover. The second player was youngster Dave Adams, a centre back who began his career at Man City and has the potential to be much better than my current centre backs.

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Solid start, good luck in beating the drop.

Cheers, I will need all the luck I can get.

Looks like a tough season ahead.

Most definitely.

Over 44,000 at Stoke. :)

Britannia Stadium now has a capacity of 59,487 and is one of the biggest grounds in the league. :cool:

Definitely looks like things will be tough, but you have made a decent start.
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Bristol City – October 2025

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I was expecting Arsenal to be a much tougher challenge than they were and we pulled off a massive upset, beating them 2-0 in the first game of October. It was a great performance, with two first half goals and 55% of possession over a team like Arsenal. We couldn’t build on this unfortunately and lost the next two league games by tight margins and in my opinion we deserved to win both of them as we again dominated the game. Although you don’t get anywhere with just possession, we failed to turn it into chances, something that is becoming increasingly noticeable. We played Liverpool for the second time this month, coming up against them in the League Cup. We were totally outclassed and we were lucky not to lose by more. It is imperative that we get a few wins in November, just to keep morale up in the team.

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Bristol City – November 2025

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November became a great month for us as we picked up 3 wins out of 5, to keep us clear of the relegation zone and up in mid-table. It started off with an exhilarating game against Sunderland, the final score 4-3. We charged out of the blocks, 3-0 up within the first 27 minutes of the game with two goals from Filipe and a simple goal for Adelborg. Sunderland pulled one back before Adelborg scored his second of the game, an absolute cracker from 35 yards out. 4-1 and you would have thought it was all over but no, Sunderland weren’t finished and fought till the end pulling it back to 4-3, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats. Fortunately for us we held on to grab the win in a hectic game. We followed this up with a scrappy victory over Bolton, Filipe adding another two goals to his tally for the season. I can officially declare Man City as my bogey team, with Stoke I was always smashed by them and the same can be said about our 3-0 loss to them. This was only a blip and we returned to winning ways with a last gasp winner over Middlesbrough, delighting the fans. That was all the good news over for the month as we literally rolled over for West Ham, putting in a sub-par performance. But still it was a great month for us and now I go into December without the winter break, which is a welcome change.

Cheers SRL88, this was a much better month!

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Good start! Looks like your team have bottle this time. Your old club would have buckled when Sunderland pulled it back to 4-3.

I've been sure to get highly determined players this time. :D

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Bristol City – December 2025

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As you can see it was a great month for us but it still could’ve been even better, had we won the games we were expected to. The month started off with a solid 1-0 victory over Huddersfield, in which we dominated for the whole game, failing to put away the chances we had. Tottenham were next and to my surprise we pulled off an amazing counter attacking victory, coming out as 3-1 victors. We only had 41% of possession in this game but we were lethal when we went forward. Chelsea provided us with much more even game and we both had chances to win the game. Fortunately for me we took one of our chances, underperforming Decock applying a deftly executed finish to earn us the three points. The next two games were ones that you would expect us to win because of our recent scalps. However, as is football we lost the next two failing to make any chances against Everton, whilst completing dominating WBA but not being able to make any of our 17 chances count.

Overall, a good month for the club and now we can look forward to the second half of the season, continuing the bid to avoid relegation.

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Bristol City – January 2026

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It was a very average month compared to the last one but we still managed to remain in more or less the same position. The month started off with a very even game at home to Blackburn, both goals coming within 5 minutes of each other. Then came our second 1-1 draw of the month, another tight game against a decent Newcastle side who have been underperforming this season. Our first win came in the FA Cup, we dispatched of Stockport 2-0 sending us into the next round of the prestigious cup. We returned to the Premier League against Man Utd but their very good team easily beat us 2-0 and handed us our first loss of the month. We responded magnificently though, recording a 1-0 win over my former side Stoke, who were in a great run of form. To cap off the busy month was a 4th round FA Cup tie against Charlton and I paid the price for playing a weakened side, drawing the game 1-1, Charlton forcing the game into a replay.

Only one win in the league this month but we’re still well clear of the relegation zone. Going by the previous season’s, 35 points is usually enough to secure a spot in the league next season but I want 40 plus. There are plenty of games left to do so.

During the transfer window I made one move, bringing in German Montero from my old club Atalanta. I am hoping that he brings some more goals to my strike force as we are severely lacking in that department.

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Bristol City – February 2026

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An absolutely appalling month for us, scoring only one goal and failing to post one victory. We were even knocked out of the FA Cup in a surprise loss against Charlton. We kicked off the month with one of the most drab football matches ever, a 0-0 draw with a weak Burnley side and this started off our poor run. Arsenal smashed us 3-0 even after going down to ten men at the 30 minute mark, we produced one of the worst displays of my tenure but it was coming. The FA Cup replay was next and again we put in another lack lustre performance, Charlton delighting their fans with a 2-0 victory in extra-time. We just couldn’t hold out till penalties, although we deserved to lose. Then followed another loss, 2-0 to Southampton in a game where we only made 2 chances to Southampton’s 17. We gained some rest bite from the defeats against Aston Villa, pulling off a 1-1 draw but we were still dominated and gained a fortunate result.

I was expecting to hit a poor run of form but we have simply forgotten how to play football. We have gone from dominating sides to being given our own lessons. I only hope that we can somehow find a goal scoring touch or we will soon be plummeting down the table, into the relegation zone.

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Knew it was going to be a difficult season, so you're doing great staying up. Clear relegation and then you can use your cash to build the squad into a contender :)

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Looking pretty safe now.

Don't jinx me. :D

Slippery slope! You're lucky there's four **** poor team below you!

Hey! I thought I was doing pretty well.

Knew it was going to be a difficult season, so you're doing great staying up. Clear relegation and then you can use your cash to build the squad into a contender :)

Can't wait till the transfer window, although I never seem to be able to find the right players.

Stoke on the up then. :)

They should be back in the CL in no time but they just got knocked out of the Europa League 2nd KO round against Dortmund. A far cry from their CL final appearance a few years back.

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Bristol City – March 2026

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After what was an abysmal winless last month we have gone through the whole of March unbeaten pulling off some amazing results along the way. The game against Liverpool was one of two halves, in the first they went up 2-0 and it looked as if we were down and out by then. To my surprise and delight we pulled one back and then got the next two minutes later. A great, character defining comeback. Another draw was on the cards against Sunderland but with both of us fighting against relegation, I was hoping on 3 points. The next game against Bolton is one where everything clicked, a 5-0 demolition giving us our first win in 8 games. Unlike usual, we took most of our chances and made Bolton pay for missing theirs, which was very welcome. The Bolton game had given us a new found confidence and that showed in the next match against league leaders, Man City. We pulled off an extraordinary result, beating them 2-0, Jarne Decock scoring an amazing solo goal on the counter attack.

That rounded off the month perfectly and means that only 3 points are needed in our next game to ensure safety. Who’d have thought we’d be safe with 6 games to go? However, we still need those 3 points but the next games couldn't be any easier with West Ham and Middlesbrough both in our way.

The club is also in the midst of a suspected internal takeover. I hope the new bloke is rich!

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Bristol City – April 2026

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We could secure safety in our first game of the month and we did just that, earning a 1-1 draw with West Ham. We should have won the game but we conceded a penalty in the 96th minute, 3 minutes after time should have been up. This was enough to earn us another season in the top flight and it is a good feeling to be safe with so many games to go. We were not finished for the season; a high finish means more money for the club and we showed this by beating Middlesbrough 5-0 on their own turf, a great performance from the lads. However, we struggled in the next two games and succumbed to two losses, an extremely disappointing one at home to Huddersfield included.

Now that we are safe it is time to start focusing on next season and the improvements that need to be made to the squad. In my opinion we desperately need to improve up front but it is a problem that I have always had. I just wish I could find another Andras Nagy that will bang in 25+ goals a season and then everything else will fall into place. I even tried signing the man himself but he was after more wages than I could offer and in the end moved to some Saudi Arabian side, for 41K a week. The defence is ok but I will look for a beast of a centre back that I can rely on for the whole season. All in all the squad won’t change dramatically but will definitely have some key inclusions. I’m also expecting to invest in some youth as our own youth intake was shocking!

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Bristol City – May 2026 & Season Review

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There is not too much I can comment on for this month really as we had already secured survival and these games were dead rubbers to be quite honest. We did give the fans a good sending off for the season though, beating Everton 2-1 on the final day and leaping above them into 12th. The extra money from that will be nice for the balance! I’m just going to get stuck into the season review.

Premier League

Results 1Results 2Player Stats

It was a brilliant come back to the Premier League for me and the club. A 12th place finish subduing our pre-season critics from the media and other managers. We not only finished in 12th but did so by playing some attractive football, dominating teams but lacking any sort of cutting edge which is something I’ll need to sort out next season. Our goal difference of ‘0’ highlighted our lack of fire power but showed how good our defence was throughout the season, with the 7th best defensive record. I’m not sure whether to keep the defence though, it has performed well above what I expected it to so there may be some signings made to improve it, if only slightly.

Bolton 0-5 Bristol

Champions: Arsenal

Relegated: Huddersfield, Burnley, Middlesbrough

FA Cup

We were disappointing in this competition, faltering to Charlton in a fourth round replay as we went through a bad patch. Arsenal went on to add their second trophy of the season defeating West Brom 1-0 in the final, fully deserving the plaudits coming their way.

Winners: Arsenal

Runners Up: West Bromwich Albion

Carling Cup

Another cup tournament that we bowed out early from, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool sending us out in the quarter finals. Surprisingly the winners of this competition were Bolton, overcoming Chelsea 2-1 in the final and earning themselves a spot in the Europa League next season.

Winners: Bolton Wanderers

Runners Up: Chelsea

Player of the SeasonIstvan Buac

He really came into his own throughout the season putting in good performances consistently. One of his best assets is his ability to find a key pass and this paid off as he assisted 13 of our goals during the season and contributing 4 of his own. Because of his good form he has been called up to the Serbian squad for the World Cup so I expect interest in him to increase over the months but hopefully I can keep him.

Other Notables

Bruno Filipe

He finished up as the top goal scorer for the club but he was out injured for much of the season due to little niggles. An injury prone player is not what I need at the club and with his contract running out at the end of next season; it may be time for him to move on, especially when he is demanding 69K per week to sign a new contract!

Jamie Westcott

The central defender was ever present for me this season and played a key role in my solid defensive record. He is a monster in the air and wins most, if not all aerial challenges so expect to see him at the club next season.

Previous Clubs

Stoke City: They really had an average season this year only managing a 7th place finish whilst not doing anything notable in the cups or Europe. Yet again they sacked their manager half way through the season which has become a scary thought for any new manager coming into the club. I’d expect that is on the mind of new manager, Marco van Basten.

Atalanta: A much better season for the Italian club, narrowly missing out on a Europa League spot finishing 8th in Serie A. They too sacked their manager just after Christmas and it proved to be a good move, the new man taking them from the relegation zone up into 8th.

HB Koge: They couldn’t bounce straight back up from relegation last season and came 5th in the league, a hugely disappointing season for them.

Around The World

SuperligaLa LigaEredivisieSerie ABundesligaAxpo Superleague

Champions LeagueEuropa League

What next for Bristol City?

I am going to say this now just to get it out of the way. Next season is going to be much tougher, teams will have probably figured us out and will take a much more cautious approach to games so I am going to have to think long and hard about what I want to do with the club next season. Realistically, I think that a similar position is achievable but with the right signings and a potent striker all that could change. I need to find these players though and as you know this has proven hard for me down the years. However, onwards and upwards!

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  • 2 months later...

“Woah, where have you been?” exclaims the crowd.

Yes yes, I know you’ve all missed me…

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Bristol City: Pre-Season 2026/2027

Last season was a solid season for the club but I expect this season to be much harder when second season syndrome kicks in! Another season of consolidation will be good for us and so will a nice little cup run.

Board Expectations

Premier League: Mid-Table

League Cup: Fourth Round

FA Cup: Fifth Round

Media Prediction: 14th

Transfer Budget: £10m

Wage Budget: 468K (currently spending £446k per week)

Transfer Summary

Gergo Vincze (ST) – Purchased for a measly 525K, Vincze comes into the club as a decent back up striker, with deadly finishing.

Jose Mendoza (ST) – Another striker to add to the squad but he is definitely coming in as a first team player. The Ecuadorian was performing well in the top league in Ecuador but will he be able to make the huge step up into the Premier League.

Kristian Weitzer (ST) – Well yes, another striker and maybe I’ve gone a bit overboard on the agenda. However, this player came in on a free after being released from Man Utd and he has all the attributes to becoming a great striker for the club…along with the other two.

Nasser Nabeel Ghaloom (CB) – A long winded name for the Qatari but a beast of a defender. Not what you would expect from a country such as Qatar. He was 5M but hopefully should be worth every penny.

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