My Greatest Challenge: Knocking Fergie Right Off His ****ing Perch. And You Can Print That

[AK22]

Man makes me wonder, if this was scripted.

I wish it was! At least I'd know what was coming then

Wow. What a come back in the CL semi final! I wonder what odds you'd get on that IRL? Good to see you still doing well both domestically and continentally.

I know! Possibly the best comeback ever, against one of the best sides in Europe.

What an incredible comeback against Madrid,hopefully you can hold off Gladbach in your race for the title!

Unfortunately, once again, we bottled it! Not a happy bunny

That was incredible, against Real Madrid as well, which made it extra amusing for me.

I'll just second that.

I'm feeling the Madrid anti-love here

[DazRTaylor]

Weird season. You won arguably the most unlikely Champions League ever, with some of your first leg scorelines earlier. Yet you choked the league again.

[Rikulec]

I'm not sure if I'd be happy or gutted after such a season. Still a good job to win the CL.

[Dexter_Morgan]

A mixed bag there, winning the CL is a fantastic achievement but losing the league again from a winning position so late would frustrate me Congratulations on winning the CL though

[cerud]

Ouch...that's harsh to lose on a point difference.

[Animosama]

I hope you are fining that player ?

[Jason the Yank]

But hey, more points from the Champions League win.

[B.W.G]

Unlucky with the bottling but you won the Champions League which should more then make up for it!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Losing the title by four goals. I know that kind of feeling way back from a CM01/02 save.

Well done on another Champions League though.

[Big Marv]

I reckon the bookies were almost paying out on you in the springtime. Onwards and upwards though!

[noikeee]

Second everyone on how insane those CL turnarounds were, and how amusing it was that one of them was against Real Madrid. Ultimately that must've been one of the greatest Champions League winning campaigns I've ever read on here.

... and also one of the most shocking league chokes. I'm sorry to poke fun as it's on bad taste but you do find the Champions League easier than the Bundesliga don't you!

[JackJCFC]

Abolsutely gutting to miss out on the league like that but the CL win more than makes up for it!

[hamilton162]

Absolutely gutting to choke in such similar fashion for the second year running, your players just seem to switch off just a game or two too early

[Lenzar]

Probably already tried it, but maybe do a team meeting before the title run-in? Might keep the morale up.

[AK22]

Dortmund - End of Season 2035/36

It's been a bizarre year, full of incident and dramatic comebacks. Another Champions League victory is great news, but I'm now extremely concerned about the team's composure when it comes to seeing out a league campaign, having now gifted two successive Bundesliga titles to our rivals, Gladbach.

The club has now risen into the top ten of the European rankings, which is great news all round. Of course, winning three Champions League trophies has helped significantly, securing our place alongside the continent's elite.

Budesliga - 2nd

DFB-Pokal - 2nd Round

UEFA Champions League - Winner

Finances | Transfer Summary

Topscorer - Marvin Swinkels (33 goals)

Most Assists - Alex Fernando (21 assists)

Highest Average Rating - Edin Muratovic (7.58)

Fans Player of the Year - Edin Muratovic

Looking at the stats, it's the core of the team that stand out the most, with strong showings from Fuentes, Muratovic, Swinkels and Alex Fernando. The front two have really struck up a strong bond together, looking as if they have played in the same team for years; Alex sits in the deeper 'number 10' role, loading most of the bullets for Swinkels to fire home. However, as great as they've been, there does seem to be an apparent lack of goals from the rest of the squad; nobody else made it into double figures, which is a concern, and will be something I'll be looking to improve on next year. I'm also considering bringing in a couple of experienced heads over the summer, just to see if some new personalities will calm the nerves and turn us back into the title winners.

[AK22]

Weird season. You won arguably the most unlikely Champions League ever, with some of your first leg scorelines earlier. Yet you choked the league again.

Yeah, totally crazy stuff; if we had lost the Champions League too, I would have been sick as a parrot!

I'm not sure if I'd be happy or gutted after such a season. Still a good job to win the CL.

A bit of both, really. We really shouldn't have ballsed the league up like that.

A mixed bag there, winning the CL is a fantastic achievement but losing the league again from a winning position so late would frustrate me Congratulations on winning the CL though

Thanks Dexter!

Ouch...that's harsh to lose on a point difference.

It's not very nice for sure! Need to score more goals next season

I hope you are fining that player ?

Anyone that gets sent off gets fined a week's wage, regardless of whether it's two yellows or not. They don't always like it!

But hey, more points from the Champions League win.

Indeed Update for that soon!

Unlucky with the bottling but you won the Champions League which should more then make up for it!

It was great to win the CL, but it was the league I was really after. I'll get my hands back on it again eventually!

Losing the title by four goals. I know that kind of feeling way back from a CM01/02 save.

Well done on another Champions League though.

It's a tough way for it to happen. And on the final day too

I reckon the bookies were almost paying out on you in the springtime. Onwards and upwards though!

I know! We were miles clear at one point.

Second everyone on how insane those CL turnarounds were, and how amusing it was that one of them was against Real Madrid. Ultimately that must've been one of the greatest Champions League winning campaigns I've ever read on here.

... and also one of the most shocking league chokes. I'm sorry to poke fun as it's on bad taste but you do find the Champions League easier than the Bundesliga don't you!

It's ridiculous, isn't it. The thing is, we're normally excellent for the majority of our Bundesliga games, but just can't get over the line. It's really very frustrating!

Abolsutely gutting to miss out on the league like that but the CL win more than makes up for it!

It certainly wasn't a bad consolation prize, anyway

Absolutely gutting to choke in such similar fashion for the second year running, your players just seem to switch off just a game or two too early

That definitely seems to be the case. The problem is it all gets quite nervy towards the end, and every game we drag it out, the worse it gets. I normally do all the teamtalks, but I'm considering letting my Ass Man have a go next season if we get into the same situation.

Probably already tried it, but maybe do a team meeting before the title run-in? Might keep the morale up.

Yeah, I've tried it, but didn't really have too much of an effect. Morale isn't really the issue, as most are good/very good, which is normally enough to see us through the majority of games. I'm starting to think that it's a personality thing; maybe need a few more leaders in the squad.

[AK22]

Fergie/José Watch

Becoming a three-time Champions League winner has certainly helped my Hall of Fame total, having now comfortably re-entered the top twenty (going above Pep Guardiola, amongst others):

I'm only a thousand points off the top five, so they're now starting to appear in the distance:

Season     Team              League                     Finish    Cups                             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013       FK Vidar          Oddsenligaen Avdeling 3    4th       Cupen 1st Round
2014       FK Vidar          Oddsenligaen Avdeling 3    2nd       Cupen 2nd Round
2014/15    Taranto FC 1927   2nd Divisione Girone A     4th       N/A
2015/16    Taranto FC 1927   1st Divisione Girone B     6th       TIM Cup 1st QR, Coppa Italia Lega Pro SF
2016/17    Taranto FC 1927   1st Divisione Girone B     4th       TIM Cup 1st QR, Coppa Italia Lega Pro 2nd Round
2017/18    Taranto FC 1927   1st Divisione Girone B     N/A*      * Resigned 14/12/17
          Tigre             Primera B Nacional         11th      Sacked 26/05/18
2018/19    S. Urfaspor       1. Lig                     1st       Türkiye Kupasi 2nd QR
2019/20    S. Urfaspor       Süper Lig                  8th       Türkiye Kupasi 2nd QR
2020/21    S. Urfaspor       Süper Lig                  N/A*      * Resigned 12/01/21
          Rangers           Scottish Premier League    2nd       Scottish League Cup Winner, Scottish FA Cup SF
2021/22    Rangers           Scottish Premier League    2nd       Scottish FA Cup Winner, Scottish League Cup QF
2022/23    Rangers           Scottish Premier League    1st       Scottish League Cup Winner, Scottish FA Cup QF
2023/24    Rangers           Scottish Premier League    1st       Scottish League Cup Winner, Scottish FA Cup 4R, CL 1st KO
2024       Toronto           MLS                        8th       N/A
2025       Toronto           MLS                        N/A       * Resigned 16/03/25
2024/25    Betis             La Liga                    11th      N/A
2025/26    Betis             La Liga                    4th       Copa del Rey 4th Round
2026/27    Betis             La Liga                    3rd       Champions League Last 16, Copa del Rey 5th Round
2027/28    Betis             La Liga                    3rd       Europa League Winner, Copa del Rey Winner
2028/29    Betis             La Liga                    3rd       Champions League QF, Copa del Rey QF
2029/30    Betis             La Liga                    3rd       Champions League SF, Copa del Rey SF
2030/31    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 7th       N/A
2031/32    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 2nd       DFB Pokal 2nd Round
2032/33    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 2nd       Champions League Winner, DFB Pokal Winner
2033/34    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 1st       Champions League Winner, DFB Pokal Winner, CWC Winner, German SC
2034/35    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 2nd       Champions League 1st KO, DFB Pokal Winner, Euro SC, German SC
2035/36    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 2nd       Champions League Winner, DFB Pokal 2nd Rd, German SC

[DazRTaylor]

Out of interest, how are the Italian clubs doing? I assume you still have the tax bug there.

[AK22]

Dortmund - Pre-Season 2036/37

Once again, the league will be the priority, and I'll be praying we don't end up messing it up again. The board have lowered their expectations slightly, requesting a title challenge (£44.5m transfer budget), instead of insisting on winning it; maybe this will help reduce the pressure on the players come the end of the year. We're predicted by the media to finish first, so, once again, we should be in with a great chance; just need to find a bit of bottle from somewhere!

Title odds are pretty close. We're 5-1 favourites, slightly ahead of Gladbach at 6-1, with Bayern expected to be back in contention with at 12-1, and Leverkusen at 14-1. It's pretty clear that it's likely to be the usual two-horse race, but it will be interesting to see if Bayern make the revival that everyone seems to be expecting.

The squad is decent enough, although I was considering bringing in some older, more experienced heads to see if they would make the difference to get us over the line. In the end, I decided against this, hoping that the current crop of players will learn their lessons from the past two league campaigns; the law of averages suggests we should do it eventually, anyway!

Seyit Cem Konuk - Not a bad free transfer, with a decent level of potential.

Umberto Montemurro - Another one for the future. Rated 5* potential.

Abdoulaye Cissé - The only big money signing of the summer, but should be an immense right winger.

[AK22]

Out of interest, how are the Italian clubs doing? I assume you still have the tax bug there.

Yeah, I have the tax bug, so they're all pretty much buggered.

Juventus are the dominant team, having just won their fourteenth Serie A title since the start of the save. They've also been the best in Europe too, reaching two Champions League finals, but winning neither.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Cisse looks an absolute cracking player, with those attributes he should cause havoc

[cerud]

Cisse...wow!

[noikeee]

Cissé should be worth that fee, am pretty surprised you managed to buy a world class player from direct rivals like Schalke whilst paying only a sane amount.

[B.W.G]

Good luck for the new season,Cisse looks like he will cause havoc for the opposition!

[Lenzar]

Cissé looks simply amazing for what you paid.

Let's hope that you now have enough balls in the squad.

You're in 2036 now - how long did the last few real players last until?

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - August/September 2036

On paper, it looks so far, so good, but in reality, at best, we've started in average form. We made a terrible mess of the German Cup tie against non-league Münster, needing a very late extra time goal to avoid a penalty shoot-out. This was followed by an equally abject show against Düsseldorf in our opening Bundesliga fixture, this time needing an own goal in the dying minutes to start our campaign with a victory. Since then, there's been a couple of glimmers of what we're capable of, most noticeable in the Super Cup against Benfica, and with Swinkels and Alex Fernando both finding the net regularly already, but we really need to improve.

Gladbach have started the season well, already establishing themselves as the early leaders, although, with a game in hand, we are still easily within reach of them. I'm not convinced we'll see the revival of Bayern this year, though, as they've lost two games already!

​Next Time

We'll travel to Italy to face Fiorentina in our next Champions League match; a tricky tie, where I'll be happy with a point. Austria Wien are the other team in the group, so we should beat them comfortable. Back in Germany, we've got some big matches on the road, with trips to Kaiserslautern, Schalke and Gladbach all coming up over the next few weeks.

[AK22]

Cisse looks an absolute cracking player, with those attributes he should cause havoc

Cisse...wow!

Cissé should be worth that fee, am pretty surprised you managed to buy a world class player from direct rivals like Schalke whilst paying only a sane amount.

Good luck for the new season,Cisse looks like he will cause havoc for the opposition!

Cheers guys, Cissé should be amazing for us. I triggered his release clause, so that's why he was a decent price; even better, the fact I signed him off a rival club

Cissé looks simply amazing for what you paid.

Let's hope that you now have enough balls in the squad.

You're in 2036 now - how long did the last few real players last until?

I think they're all gone now! To be honest, I'm not really sure, but I would have imagined most had disappeared by about 2032.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - October/November 2036

Absolutely dire, that's what we've been. The warning signs were there from our early fixtures, so it's no real surprise that things have gone horribly wrong against the much better teams. Our Champions League defence is in major danger of turning into a disaster too, as we've failed to win any of our away games. This means we'll need to beat Fiorentina in our final group fixture, a side that dominated us when we played them in Florence; I'm not feeling overly confident at all, especially as we've been so hit and miss recently. Something is majorly amiss here, but I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

Having dropped points in seven league games already, I fear our title challenge is over before it really began. We've just been too sloppy for our own good, and despite Gladbach not being on great form either, they are comfortably ahead of us. With Frankfurt doing so well too, we've got a battle on our hands if we're to regain our runners-up spot, as well as needing to keep a wary eye on the chasing pack behind.

​Next Time

It's **** or bust against Fiorentina in the Champions League, with us needing to win our remaining group game to progress into the knockout rounds, and make a decent fist of defending our trophy. We'll also participate in the Club World Cup, with this, on current form, being our most likely chance of lifting some silverware in what is turning out to be a disappointing season.

[deltablue]

Can't wait to see how Montemurro turns out.

[Jason the Yank]

He's enjoying it.

[forameuss]

And although you had a line in the sand before given it's in FM, the great man has now retired, so you have your real yardstick now

[cerud]

You're not out of the title race yet.

[DazRTaylor]

I see what you're doing here.

Previously, you have dominated only to lose it at the last.

Now you are letting the rest dominate, only for you to nick it at the end.

[Raware]

Still early days yet...plenty of time to catch them up

[Nobby_McDonald]

He's enjoying it.

So are nineteen other Premier League managers.

[denzil85]

And although you had a line in the sand before given it's in FM, the great man has now retired, so you have your real yardstick now

I want to believe that in the next few months, an unknown English manager will actually get a job in the lower leagues in Norway, hoping to topple Fergie for real!

[noikeee]

Ooops, looks like this season is not going along the plan! Plenty of time still to pick up form, it may be a good idea to concentrate everything on either the Champions League or the Bundesliga (like resting players on the other competitions), depending on the result of the Fiorentina match.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - December/January 2036/37

As unstoppable as we have been recently, December started badly with the draw against Fiorentina, a result that saw us fail to qualify from our Champions League group; our defence of the trophy was over. Of course, this was all our doing, due to earlier poor results against opposition we should have done a lot better. It's a big disappointment, but we'll give the Europa League a good go when that reconvenes in February. Since then, it's been a constant stream of green, progressing nicely in the DFB-Pokal, as well as getting the job done in the Club World Cup too (although needing a penalty shoot-out against Grêmio in the final). And it's this piece of silverware that has seen me become the greatest English manager of all time, surpassing the mighty Bob Paisley!

Back in the Bundesliga, our excellent run has seen the gap to Gladbach reduce to five points, as well as overtaking Frankfurt into second place. We're not completely out of it, and if we can keep this form going, there is the possibility that we can reel them in. Also, for once, we have the superior goal difference, which could be extremely beneficial later on. I'm feeling a bit more positive again now, although we can't afford to drop many points from our remaining games.

And the Ballon d'Or goes to Gladbach star Stephan Gerland. Fierce!

​Next Time

We're off to compete in the Europa League next month, with a tie against Czech champions, Sparta Prague. This should a fairly routine couple of games, as I'm expecting to reach the latter stages of this competition, as long as we don't get too complacent and cocky. On paper, our forthcoming run of league fixtures doesn't look too challenging either, so I'll be looking to make further ground on Gladbach over the coming weeks.

[AK22]

Can't wait to see how Montemurro turns out.

He should be good!

He's enjoying it.

Been quite a week for him, hasn't it?!

And although you had a line in the sand before given it's in FM, the great man has now retired, so you have your real yardstick now

Very true, although I doubt I'll match the number of league titles he's won.

You're not out of the title race yet.

Definitely not. We play Gladbach at home in April, so we could easily make it very tricky for them.

I see what you're doing here.

Previously, you have dominated only to lose it at the last.

Now you are letting the rest dominate, only for you to nick it at the end.

Damn it! You've seen through my plan. It's all about the false sense of security

Still early days yet...plenty of time to catch them up

Indeed there is. A lot can happen between now and the end of the season.

So are nineteen other Premier League managers.

Love him or hate him, the Premier League won't be the same without him.

I want to believe that in the next few months, an unknown English manager will actually get a job in the lower leagues in Norway, hoping to topple Fergie for real!

I love that idea! Perhaps I should get on a boat, heading across the North Sea!

Ooops, looks like this season is not going along the plan! Plenty of time still to pick up form, it may be a good idea to concentrate everything on either the Champions League or the Bundesliga (like resting players on the other competitions), depending on the result of the Fiorentina match.

We don't need to worry about the Champions League now I think we'll be focusing on the league now, although I would like to win the Europa League too, if possible.

[Rikulec]

Unlucky to drop out of the Champions League, good luck.

[Lenzar]

I wouldn't worry too much about having a bad season. Even Fergie had them (though nobody feels sorry for him when he does )

You must surely be odds on favourites for the Europa now. That'll still be worth a lot of HoF points..

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - February/March 2037

Asides from the absolute 'mare we had in Prague, it's been another superb run of results for us, with the return leg against Sparta being the stand out performance! Alex Fernando and Marvin Swinkels are both in terrific form too, firing in goals for fun, and keeping us well in contention for a shot at some silverware in all three competitions; this is something that I didn't think I would be saying after our disastrous start to the campaign!

We're continuing to close in on Gladbach, having chivvied another two points away from their advantage. The ball's most definitely still in their court, but I'm pleased that we are keeping the pressure on; with seven games to play, there's plenty of time left to catch them. At the other end of the table, it's starting to look very bleak for Aachen and Ingolstadt, who are both drifting away from the pack above, and look condemned to relegation to the second tier.

​Next Time

The closing weeks of the season are promising to be eventful, with us going so well again. We've got Roma in the Europa League next, as well as a trip to Mainz in the semi final of the German Cup, so that's a great opportunity to reach another cup final. Straight after the Mainz game is our pivotal league fixture at home to Gladbach, where a victory could see us climb above them in the Bundesliga table; we're definitely not out of this yet!

[letissierandhenryaregreat]

Can you please upload this save game file? Sorry that I keep asking, just really want to get back into playing FM

[AK22]

Unlucky to drop out of the Champions League, good luck.

I wouldn't worry too much about having a bad season. Even Fergie had them (though nobody feels sorry for him when he does )

You must surely be odds on favourites for the Europa now. That'll still be worth a lot of HoF points..

Cheers, I think you're right about us being one of the favourites; Marseille, Roma, Galatasaray and Arsenal are likely to be our biggest rivals of the other sides left. Actually, this season isn't turning into the write-off I thought it was going to be, with my job status back up to 'Very Secure'!

[AK22]

Can you please upload this save game file? Sorry that I keep asking, just really want to get back into playing FM

I'll upload after I've finished with it, but not yet. I'd find it a bit weird letting someone have it while I'm still playing the save- sorry!

[letissierandhenryaregreat]

I'll upload after I've finished with it, but not yet. I'd find it a bit weird letting someone have it while I'm still playing the save- sorry!

Thank you, I understand! At least I got a reply from you

[Animosama]

It's Gladbach title to lose.

[Rikulec]

You can still win the league.

[cerud]

Looks like the season will be decided by your looming match with Gladbach. Should be a fun match to play

[JackJCFC]

Shocked to see you miss out on a top 2 place in the CL but you should be favourites for the Europa now. Title still do-able too.