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

[Lenzar]

Fingers crossed that you beat Gladbach.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - April 2037

Mixed emotions at the moment, as we've secured our place in two cup finals, but now look out of the race for the Bundesliga title. We're still playing decent football, but having lost an always difficult visit to Leverkusen, as well as failing to beat Gladbach in a pivotal match that could have swung momentum in our favour, I'm resigned to finishing another season as runners-up.

Having knocked both Roma and Marseille out, we're into the Europa League final, where we'll face Arsenal. This will be our fourth major European final in five seasons, and we'll go in to this in good form, as well as being the favourites; we just need to replicate some of the performances from the previous rounds, and I don't see any reason why we won't lift the trophy.

​Next Time

The season comes to a close, and we'll need Gladbach to majorly **** it up, if we're to pip them to the Bundesliga title. It's unlikely, but not entirely out of the question, as has been proven in the previous couple of years by us. We also have our two finals to play, against Augsburg in the DFB-Pokal, and Arsenal in the Europa League.

[AK22]

It's Gladbach title to lose.

You can still win the league.

It's unlikely that we'll beat Gladbach to it now. They've got Hertha (A), Regensburg (H) and Wolfsburg (A), and I'm fully expecting them to win at least two of those games, which will be enough to lift the trophy.

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

Fingers crossed that you beat Gladbach.

We were all over of them, so it's disappointing not to take the victory. It would have closed things up to a single point too, if we had won, which would have made Gladbach sweat a fair bit!

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.

Arsenal will be tough opposition, but most definitely beatable. I hope we do it!

[B.W.G]

Hopefully you can capture the DFB-Pokal and the Europa League.Best of luck against Arsenal

[Dexter_Morgan]

It really must be some team Gladbach have to take 3 titles in a row away from what was a quadruple winning team when they took it off you.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - May 2037

It was always going to be unlikely that Gladbach would slip up, but I'm pleased that we held up our end of the bargain by winning all three of our remaining league games. Pretty nonchalantly too, without conceding a goal in the process; it's a good finish to our campaign, and a solid recovery from what was a terrible pre-Christmas period.

Gladbach did drop points in their run-in, but still managed to cling on to the top spot by a point. That's three titles in a row for them, and more concerning, the fifth time we have finished second in the past six seasons; we still just don't seem to have the mentality needed to win multiple league titles.

Europa League Final 2037 (Paris) - Arsenal vs Dortmund

Talk about being robbed! We were all over Arsenal for the ninety minutes, although it was our profligacy that meant we couldn't make our pressure tell. Naturally, The Gunners found a winner with the last kick of the game, denying us any right of reply, and leaving me with a very bitter taste in my mouth; we're meant to be the Kings of European finals!!!

DFB-Pokal Final 2037 (Berlin) - Dortmund vs Augsburg

After the earlier defeat to Arsenal in the Europa League, it was imperative that we won the German Cup to ensure the season didn't fizzle out with disappointment. Once again, we didn't shower ourselves in glory, having been reduced to ten men early in the first half, before allowing Augsburg a lead shortly before the break. During half-time, I laid into the team; they were being useless, and really needed to quickly buck their ideas up. Thankfully they did, with Marvin Swinkels finding an equaliser before Alex Fernando won the trophy with a last minute goal! There's always drama in a Dortmund cup tie!

[AK22]

Hopefully you can capture the DFB-Pokal and the Europa League.Best of luck against Arsenal

Cheers. One out of two wasn't bad, but we should have won both.

It really must be some team Gladbach have to take 3 titles in a row away from what was a quadruple winning team when they took it off you.

They're pretty good! In Stephan Gerland they have one of the best strikers in Europe, so it's no surprise they're so competitive as they've always got a goal in them. All round, I still think we're a better team, but they just seem to have the edge at the moment.

[DazRTaylor]

Overall, I assume you are disappointed with your season?

Hard to take mate?

[hamilton162]

Disappointing to lose in such a frustrating fashion against Arsenal, although at least you bounced back to win the cup Are you going to be looking to move on in the next 18 months or so, given that you've now spent a considerable amount of time at Dortmund?

[Lenzar]

Interesting to see where the Europa Final was.

Arsenal have a history of late finishes at the Parc des Princes.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Successful yet frustrating.

[JackJCFC]

Shame about the Europa league and pretty gutting to miss out by a point in the league but a 3 trophy haul is no bad achievement. Champions of the World

[cerud]

Grabbing the silverware you did is a good achievement, but tough to miss on the others when so close.

[deltablue]

Pity you missed out on the two bigger prizes.

[AK22]

Dortmund - End of Season 2036/37

Despite lifting three trophies, it's mainly been a season of disappointment. Once again, we've missed out on the league title, finishing in second place for the fifth time in six years; there's a very concerning trend appearing here, a trend that we don't seem to be breaking. We also didn't have the luxury of a European trophy to fall back on, so I haven't had the glowing report off the Board that I'm used to.

Having reached the Europa League final, we've now climbed up to be ranked the second best team in Europe. This is quite an incredible feat, even more so when you consider that we're only the second best team in Germany!

Budesliga - 2nd

DFB-Pokal - Winner

UEFA Europa League - Runner-Up

Finances | Transfer Summary

Topscorer - Marvin Swinkels (34 goals)

Most Assists - Alex Fernando (18 assists)

Highest Average Rating - Edin Muratovic (7.62)

Fans Player of the Year - Marvin Swinkels

The team analysis is very similar to last season, with the stars of the show all appearing down the spine of the team. Once again, Swinkels and Alex Fernando have had a prolific year, totalling over 60 goals between them; considering they are both just 21, the future is looking incredibly bright for both of them as they have yet to hit their peak. Perhaps when they do, we may end up winning a league title!

[AK22]

Fergie/José Watch

The three trophies have helped me into the top ten of the Hall of Fame, although there's a sizeable gap between myself and Bobbie Di Matteo in ninth:

I reckon it's about time the top five started to get worried:

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
2036/37    Dortmund          Bundesliga                 2nd       DFB Pokal Winner, Europa League Runner-Up, CWC Winner, Euro SC

[AK22]

Overall, I assume you are disappointed with your season?

Hard to take mate?

It's getting a bit frustrating now, but at least I'm still picking up the trophies. If they were completely trophy-less seasons then I'd be more irked than I am.

Disappointing to lose in such a frustrating fashion against Arsenal, although at least you bounced back to win the cup Are you going to be looking to move on in the next 18 months or so, given that you've now spent a considerable amount of time at Dortmund?

I won't be going anywhere until I've won another league title with them, maybe even two. I want to ensure it's clear we're the best team in Germany before I leave. Also, despite the lack of Bundesliga titles, I'm really enjoying it here, so don't have much motivation to move on yet.

Interesting to see where the Europa Final was.

Arsenal have a history of late finishes at the Parc des Princes.

Indeed they do!

Successful yet frustrating.

That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell.

Shame about the Europa league and pretty gutting to miss out by a point in the league but a 3 trophy haul is no bad achievement. Champions of the World

I'm liking your positive spin, Jack

Grabbing the silverware you did is a good achievement, but tough to miss on the others when so close.

Pity you missed out on the two bigger prizes.

It really is annoying! In the past two seasons we've missed out on the title by goal difference, then by a point; it's such fine margins, which is making it quite agonising at times.

If all else fails, I may have to go down the 'Buy Gladbach's best players' route; I've got enough money in the bank to do so

[elbilly]

Unlucky dude, but like as said before you didn't come away from the season empty handed. I would definitely buy Gladbach's best player if you can afford it and any may be their attacking or shooting coach too while you're at it.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Some pot of money you have there. Can you pay off my mortgage please?

[Lenzar]

Some pot of money you have there. Can you pay off my mortgage please?

It's 2037. You'll be in a home by then.

[AK22]

Dortmund - Pre-Season 2037/38

Ok, we're going to do it this year, we're going to win the league. Well, that's what I'm expecting, anyway! The media concur, predicting a first place finish, and the Dortmund Board insist on it, offering £48.71m of transfer funds, in addition to a wage budget that's now over £2m. Title odds are the same as last year; we're 5-1 favourites, ahead of Gladbach at 6-1, with Bayern back at 16-1.

Pre-season has gone extremely well, perhaps the best ever since I've been in charge of the club, with good showings in all matches played. We've also lifted the German Super Cup, beating the Champions with a convincing showing, so I'm feeling very optimistic of a fruitful season ahead. That said, I've thought this for the past three years, and we all know how they panned out.

I've spent a fair bit of money this summer, although none of the signings are likely to become immediate fixtures of the first team. In my opinion, Poplawski is probably the pick of the bunch, as he's home-grown and developed enough to be considered a decent back-up to our strikers. The rest are all investments for the future, and although they won't be first picks yet, they should become fantastic players if they deliver the promise they offer.

Jaroslaw Poplawski - Brought in to add another option to the front line, and will offer Swinkels and Alex Fernando some competition.

Ihsan Efe - Already a Turkish international, this 19 year old will be a brilliant centre back.

Abduraghmaan Burton - Another extremely talented youngster, who should turn out to be a classy fullback.

Over the course of the summer, I've received a fair few job offers, all of which are fairly enticing.

They're all great teams, but none offer significantly more than what I currently have at Dortmund. Additionally, I don't feel ready to move on until I've won at least one more Bundesliga title, and on my luck, that could easily take several seasons!

[AK22]

Unlucky dude, but like as said before you didn't come away from the season empty handed. I would definitely buy Gladbach's best player if you can afford it and any may be their attacking or shooting coach too while you're at it.

In the end, I decided against this option. It probably would have swung the balance in my favour, but would have felt a bit dirty using this approach.

Some pot of money you have there. Can you pay off my mortgage please?

It's 2037. You'll be in a home by then.

It's a very handy stash! Not that I spend too much of it, as I tend to be fairly frugal in the transfer market.

[SRL88]

Surely this is Dortmund's year.

[AcidBurn]

Just catching up with this thread fantastic progress towards the top of the HoF, you'll be up there in no time!

[cerud]

The Supercup may be small, but hopefully it spurs your players to a title at the end of the season

[Animosama]

i think you are gonna sweep this year.

[Jason the Yank]

Should have taken over at Man United. If for nothing else then for the possibility of the stadium being named after you instead of SAF.

[noikeee]

I'm going to admit I'm actually enjoying the constant frustration of having built the club to world class level, yet can't win the Bundesliga. Refreshing (because of the uncertainty, not like the threads where you know people are just going to sweep all available trophies year after year). Maybe beating Gladbach in the Supercup will give you the psychological advantage there, good luck for the new season.

[JackJCFC]

Glad you stayed at Dortmund, more of a challenge than any of those other clubs.

[deltablue]

Tough being runners up 5 times in 6 years, still got a good thing going so should break that soon.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - August/September 2037

A 14-0 victory"][/url]; what a way to start the season! Fair enough, Wolfen are a non-league club, competing in the DFB-Pokal for the first time in twelve seasons, but it's still feels fantastic to hand out such a thrashing; we didn't even allow them one shot at goal! Our strikers had a field-day, bagging twelve between them, breaking several records in the process too. In contrast to this, it's been a bit of a slow burner in the Champions League, having dropped points at home to Spurs, before having a nightmare in Kragujevac against the Serbian champions. These two results have now made life extremely difficult, meaning that we'll probably need to take maximum points from our remaining games if we're to qualify.

Our Bundesliga campaign has started as well as I could have hoped for; unbeaten so far, without conceding a goal, and already leading the table. With Gladbach having already lost twice, we're four points clear of our main rivals, and already have a superior goal difference too. Can we keep this up?

​Next Time

Benfica are the other team in our Champions League group, and we'll need to beat them home and away to get ourselves out of the mire we're currently in. There's plenty of domestic fixtures coming up too, including the derby against Schalke (A).

[AK22]

Surely this is Dortmund's year.

I've been saying that for a while now

Just catching up with this thread fantastic progress towards the top of the HoF, you'll be up there in no time!

Thanks AB, I'm pleased to break into the top ten. Will get a bit tougher now, though.

The Supercup may be small, but hopefully it spurs your players to a title at the end of the season

Possibly, but we always do well in the Supercup. I think we're more of a cup team than a league dominating team.

i think you are gonna sweep this year.

No pressure then

Should have taken over at Man United. If for nothing else then for the possibility of the stadium being named after you instead of SAF.

I really like the sound of that!

I'm going to admit I'm actually enjoying the constant frustration of having built the club to world class level, yet can't win the Bundesliga. Refreshing (because of the uncertainty, not like the threads where you know people are just going to sweep all available trophies year after year). Maybe beating Gladbach in the Supercup will give you the psychological advantage there, good luck for the new season.

In a weird way, I'm enjoying it too! Even though I've got a really good side, it's still being constantly challenged, which is spurring me on. Once I've started to become dominant, I'll be off, though, as there won't be much of a challenge then.

Glad you stayed at Dortmund, more of a challenge than any of those other clubs.

Totally agree. Would have been too easy with the other teams, perhaps with the exception of Juventus. Probably would have been ok for a season or two, but I expect I would have become bored after that.

Tough being runners up 5 times in 6 years, still got a good thing going so should break that soon.

At least we're consistent, though

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - October, November & December 2037

In the end, we qualified from our Champions League group with a fair amount of ease, despite making a mess of our opening games. We even could afford to drop points in Portugal, against a distinctively average Benfica side, as we followed this with convincing victories in North London and at home to Radnicki 1923. Of course, I would have liked to have topped the group, but I'd still feel fairly confident about playing any side in Europe on the form we're currently in.

We're still right on track for a successful season in the league, although you could argue that we've had a mini wobble after drawing with Kaiserslautern and then being defeated by Gladbach. However, those results aside, it's been three brilliant months in a row, as we're still comfortably atop of the Bundesliga table at the half way point. Our defence is still extremely resolute, having only conceded the eight goals, which is proving a very strong foundation to go forward on. One minor negative, though, is the defeat to Regensburg in the German Cup, a competition that we usually do well in. It was a poor game, and in all honesty, the players weren't really up for the battle; they'd better bloomin' win the league now then!

​Next Time

We've drawn Betis in the First Knockout Round of the Champions League, one of my former clubs, so it will be interesting to see how they've progressed since I departed seven seasons back. I'd like to think we'll be favourites, but would definitely like to take some kind of lead with us to Seville for the second leg.

[Rikulec]

Looking good in the league, don't blow it now!

[Animosama]

So far so good.

[cerud]

Nice to see Bayern languishing in the mid-table.

[b101]

Good start, and I'm impressed you resisted the urge to get some easy HoF points with Barca/Real

[Jason the Yank]

Now you can concentrate on (not blowing) the league.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - January & February 2038

We've pretty much started the new calendar year in the same manner that we finished the previous; we're unbeaten, playing some great stuff, and scoring plenty of goals. In particular, Alex Fernando is having a brilliant spell, scoring twelve in the past eight matches, and breaking the thirty goals for the season mark; he is on fire! We've also secured a very solid result from the first leg of our Champions League tie against Betis, winning by two goals and keeping a clean sheet. From our perspective, this is pretty much a good as a result as we could have expected, as it means Betis will need to score three to go through, whilst being wary of conceding an away goal (which I fancy our chances of getting).

I'm not really a fan of doing big business in the January transfer window, but having decided we needed another bod in central midfield, I went big and spent £17m on signing Robert Wittek from Stuttgart. He had requested a transfer, wanting to move to a bigger club, so I took the opportunity to break the club record; he'll be unavailable for Champions League action this season, but will get definitely get into the league team. Talking of the Bundesliga, we're now nine points clear at the top, with local rivals Schalke still occupying second place. Gladbach are way back, trailing us by 16 points, and look completely out of the race for the title; this really is ours to lose (again )!

The Ballon d'Or was once again won by Philip Schmitt.

​Next Time

Surely we can't mess this up, can we?! That said, there's a very tricky trip to Leverkusen coming up, followed by the derby with Schalke, so we're certainly not home and hosed yet. We've also got the trip to Seville to take on Betis in the second leg of our Champions League Last 16 tie; I'm hoping my former club are kind to me!

[AK22]

Looking good in the league, don't blow it now!

So far so good.

Now you can concentrate on (not blowing) the league.

I'll be devastated if we blow it from here. Nine points is a huge margin!

Nice to see Bayern languishing in the mid-table.

They still haven't really recovered, have they. More than happy for them to stay there too!

Good start, and I'm impressed you resisted the urge to get some easy HoF points with Barca/Real

Cheers. I wouldn't go to Man Utd or Barcelona anyway

[fuzzrab]

I have just spent the last few weeks reading up on this thread. In have to say it has been brilliant so far. KUTGW. As a Rangers fan IRL i was glad to see you knock Celtic off the top. Here is to hoping you can make Dortmund the dominant force in Germany/Europe (although you are already preetty dominant in Europe).

[Nobby_McDonald]

It's 2037. You'll be in a home by then.

I'll only be 60, cheeky *******.

[deltablue]

Will be difficult losing this time.

[efrumttr]

What a fantastic thread! Spent most of yesterday and today reading through the whole thing. Has inspired me to pick up my lower league save I had abandoned. Cheers!

[noikeee]

Looks like you're finally having a proper dominant year in the Bundesliga, looks easy even - you'll surely claim that trophy back.

Wittek looks class, money well spent.

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - March & April 2038

We've done it! What a relief! Champions! In the end, it was fairly straightforward, actually winning the title without kicking a ball (we beat Kaiserslautern on the Saturday, before Schalke failed to beat Bayern Munich on Sunday), in what has been the easiest league campaign of my time at Dortmund. It's not as if we've majorly improved, we're still on target for a high-70s point total, which is about average for us, but the rest of major contenders, in particular Gladbach, have really slipped away.

In addition to our league success, we've also gone and successfully navigated ourselves into the Champions League Final. After seeing Betis off, another Spanish team was up next in the Quarter Final, in the form of Real Madrid, and we absolutely smashed them! The first leg has to be our performance of the season, a game that we went into the break 5-0 up, before adding another close to full time; with a lead of six goals, the second leg in Spain, was pretty much a non-event, and despite losing by two goals, we were still more than comfortable victors. We followed this with a professional couple of games against Man Utd in the Semi Final, clinically doing what was needed to make our way to our fourth Champions League final.

​Next Time

With the league all sewn up, it will be full focus on the Champions League Final, where we'll face Barcelona in the Bernabeu. I'm sure they'd love the lift the trophy in their rivals back yard and I'm expecting a very close game.

[AK22]

I have just spent the last few weeks reading up on this thread. In have to say it has been brilliant so far. KUTGW. As a Rangers fan IRL i was glad to see you knock Celtic off the top. Here is to hoping you can make Dortmund the dominant force in Germany/Europe (although you are already preetty dominant in Europe).

Thanks fuzzrab! Pleased you're enjoying reading it

Will be difficult losing this time.

Thankfully, it was never in doubt this year

What a fantastic thread! Spent most of yesterday and today reading through the whole thing. Has inspired me to pick up my lower league save I had abandoned. Cheers!

Cheers! Good luck with your own save

Looks like you're finally having a proper dominant year in the Bundesliga, looks easy even - you'll surely claim that trophy back.

Wittek looks class, money well spent.

It has been pretty easy, to be honest, but I'm delighted to have broken the curse now

[B.W.G]

Congrats on winning the title, made it look quite easy as well

[AK22]

Borussia Dortmund - May 2038

With the league over and done with, I had the luxury of being able to rotate the squad in our three remaining games. Despite them being dead-rubbers, on the whole, the team still seemed fairly committed, with good performances to finish our season; it was just a shame we couldn't rub salt into Gladbach's wound by beating them in our penultimate fixture.

We managed to maintain our ten point advantage at the top of the table, confirming our dominance over the rest of the pack. We also finish as the top scorers, as well as the tightest defence, so it's been a brilliant campaign overall.

Champions League Final 2038 (Madrid) - Barcelona vs Dortmund

This was pretty much another classic Dortmund Champions League performance, and enough to secure my fourth Champions League trophy with the club. Barcelona are a good team, not quite legendary status any more, but still more than a match for most sides in Europe, so it wasn't a major shock that they started the game well and took an early lead. It took us half an hour or so to get a foothold in the match, earning ourselves an equaliser with our first major foray towards the Barcelona goal. Thankfully, we really clicked into gear after break, taking the lead almost immediately from the resumption, before converting a penalty just after the hour mark. This was enough for Barcelona, who struggled to make their possession tell, and meant we could celebrate yet another landmark continental victory.

[AK22]

Congrats on winning the title, made it look quite easy as well

Thanks! It was certainly a lot easier than anticipated. It makes a nice change not to lose out on the final day of the season