DavidBeckham Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 ..and a new chapter begins~ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodesire Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 ..and a new chapter begins~ Glorious! How's the squad looking? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Glorious! How's the squad looking? Very bad! Lots of players on the wrong side of their thirties earning huge wages! It's no surprise that they finished 9th, 11th then 9th in the last three seasons. It's going to be a much tougher challenge than Rome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 Preseason 2023/2024 - Sevilla FC Why Sevilla? 1. I set out to manage in the four big leagues and hoped to win the league and champions league with each of their clubs. Having experienced life in England and Italy, Spain or Germany was always going to be my next destination and Sevilla was the only job available in the summer. 2. I have always liked Sevilla and how they go about their business. They pride themselves on bringing players through their academy, most notably Jesus Navas and Daniel Alves and I admire that a lot. 3. The huge challenge attracted me. Sevilla hasn't done well in the last couple of years, finishing 9th, 11th and 9th in the last three seasons. It's going to take some time but I want to bring the respectable Spanish club back to the top to compete with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Board Expectations LIGA BBVA: Respectable league position Spanish Cup: Quarter Finals Very realistic expectations from the board here. With no European football, I want to go as far as possible in the Spanish Cup. The media is expecting a 7th place finish from us this season. Budgets Transfer: 10 million pounds Wages: 950k pounds A very small budget in comparison with what I had at Roma/Watford. However, it is understandable as Sevilla had no European football in the last few seasons. I would need to scour the loan and free transfer markets to strengthen the ageing squad. Squad Revamp Wholesale changes were needed as the squad was full of ageing and overpaid players. In short, only nine players were deemed good enough and 14 players were signed. Goalkeepers We have two promising young keepers in Higes and Maza but neither are good enough for the first team in my opinion. However, with limited funds and no quality keepers on the market, I have no choice but to give both of them a chance to stake a claim in the first 11. Who would you play? Defense Out of all the defenders at the club, only the two left-backs, Luberto and Rahman were good enough. Jablonski and Gaillard were brought in on loan to compete for the right-back position. Gaillard will start the season as first choice as he is slightly better than Jablonski defensively and more importantly, the Frenchman is more hardworking. Anderson and Guichard were signed on free transfers and they will form the first-choice central defensive partnership. Guichard was a squad player with me at Watford when we won the champions league and he will look forward to regular first team football in Spain. Young Cancarini and Marlet will back them up after signing on loan. Midfield With no ball-winners in the squad, both Lanoix and Costa were brought in on loan. Lanoix won the champions league with me at Roma last season and will start the season as first-choice. Costa broke his ankle unfortunately in the last preseason friendly and his loan may be terminated if I manage to find a replacement. Four wingers, namely Ashley, Gojkovic, Regnier and Thomas were either signed on free transfers/on loan as the current wide players in the squad were either too old or too slow. Ashley in particular excites me a lot and my fellow countryman can have a big season if he can stay injury free. Last season's fans' player of the year Ruiz will start the season as the first choice midfield raider, with exciting 3.1m pounds signing, Roussos poised to take over once he adapts to life in Spain. Midfield anchors Rami and Samper were already at the club and we managed to fight off lots of interest from the big boys in the impressive Rami. He will start as first-choice. Strikers Jaime was picked as the first choice false 9 choice in preseason but too suffered from an unfortunate injury. Simeone will attempt to wrestle the false nine position off Jaime at the start of season, with loan signing Hadji as backup. Preseason Friendlies A testimonial for long serving Iborra kicked things off before we traveled to China for a preseason tour. After a couple more friendlies back in Spain, we are all ready for the start of an new era against Elche! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 August to December 2023/2024 - Sevilla FC League We started the season off well with four consecutive victories against Elche, Granada, Villarreal and Cordoba. The string of victories came to an abrupt end when Real Betis beat us 2-1 at home. We bounced back against Zaragoza before we faced a ridiculously tough run of fixtures (highlighted in red). The lads held Valencia to a creditable draw away before mighty Barca came visiting. We started the game superbly and grabbed the lead through last season's champions league winner Lanoix before disaster struck. Our right-back conceded a penalty and was sent off for a second bookable offence. They converted and we had to play out the rest of the game with ten men. Thankfully, the lads showed resilience to hang on and we escaped with a 1-1 draw. Real Madrid were the next visitors and we were on the back foot for most of the game. Our defense held strong and managed to keep them out in a goal-less draw. We traveled to Atletico Madrid to end the horrible run of fixtures and it was one game too many as we got demolished 4-0. With the tough games out of the way, we went on a seven games unbeaten streak (5 wins & 2 draws) to go 5th in the table. The boys over-achieved so far and I couldn't complain. Spanish Cup We overcame Celta 5-2 on aggregate and a tough tie against Villarreal awaits us in the next round. Two goals from ball-winner Tshimpi put us in a great position after the first leg at home and we survived a scare in the second leg to go through. To end off, something interesting which I experienced for the first time on this version #WrongColorCombination Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Experiencing my second takeover bid after Watford's a couple of years ago. Keano was rumored to take over me then and this time round, it's Poyet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakonico Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Hope you can continue as the Sevilla's head coach. Besides, I finished the FM14 Demo, unbeaten with Sutton Utd, some draws, and beating some L2 side in the FA Cup, if I buy the game I will face a CH side in the next round, in the league I'm 10 points ahead of the second position with 21 games to play. One of my new signings, Jhon Cosgrove (release from Fullam) 20 yo SC is doing good with 21 goals (12 in the league) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Hope you can continue as the Sevilla's head coach.Besides, I finished the FM14 Demo, unbeaten with Sutton Utd, some draws, and beating some L2 side in the FA Cup, if I buy the game I will face a CH side in the next round, in the league I'm 10 points ahead of the second position with 21 games to play. One of my new signings, Jhon Cosgrove (release from Fullam) 20 yo SC is doing good with 21 goals (12 in the league) The board has allowed me to stay! I will certainly be attempting to take Sevilla all the way to the top before I depart for Germany Glad to see that you are enjoying the game! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolanthustrel Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Good work pinching points off Valencia, Barcelona, and R.Madrid. You look well poised to make a challenge there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Good work pinching points off Valencia, Barcelona, and R.Madrid. You look well poised to make a challenge there. Quality of players still far off from theirs though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Season Review 2023/2024 - Sevilla FC League Remaining Fixtures (January to May) Final Table (3rd, Qualified for Champions League Group Stage) The club saw a dramatic dip in form in January after we lost our first choice center back and right winger to long term injuries. Thankfully, results improved with the returning players and the lads managed to put together a nine match unbeaten run ( 8 wins and 1 draw) at the end to finish third behind the giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. We were only predicted to finish 7th and 3rd was a terrific achievement in my first season with Sevilla. Awards Only 1 in the team of the season but I am extremely proud that he's an Englishman \o/ Very surprising for a non league winning manager to bag the award Spanish Cup (Knocked out in fifth round) A very disappointing cup run but it was due to unforeseen circumstances. The first leg at home against Villarreal went unbelievably wrong for us as we conceded from two direct free-kicks and a badly defended corner. With the squad very badly hit by injuries and a run of tough fixtures to come, I decided to rest most of my players for the second leg and we were knocked out 2-5 on aggregate eventually. I expect to do better next season when the squad is hopefully deeper. Squad Analysis Squad Stats With so many players coming in (14 in total), I was pleased with the season's work. The players didn't take very long to gel and we could have got much closer to the two giants if our first choice center-back and right winger stayed fit throughout the season. First 11 The first 11 with the most number of appearances for those who requested Top 3 Players Archie Anderson Archie was signed on a free transfer in the summer and what a bargain it was. Despite looking a little lost when his regular partner Guichard was out injured for a long time in the middle of the season, the Scottish center-back was impressive for most parts of the season and even managed to bag 5 goals at the other end. Chris Ashley I did mention in the season preview that Chris can go on to have a big season if he stays fit. Unfortunately, the pacy winger from England was out for a long time in the middle of the season and unsurprisingly, it coincides with our dip in form. Ashley still managed to score 9 goals and grab 14 assists from just 27 starts in a remarkable season. Giannis Roussos My player of the season! The Greek magician carried the team for the second half of our campaign and ended the season with 14 goals and 10 assists from only 23 starts. Giannis was eased into our first 11 as he was signed for 3.1 million pounds only last summer. I have big hopes for this guy next season! How are my former clubs doing? Roma won the Serie A after finishing four points clear of rivals Juventus. They were knocked out very early in the Italian Cup by Inter and too failed to progress beyond the first knockout round in the Champions League after a close 2-3 aggregate defeat against Valencia. Watford continued to disappoint domestically as they failed to win the Premier League once again since I left the club. They finished 4th behind eventual champions Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. This also meant the Hornets finished the season trophy-less as they were halted in all cup competitions. Future Plans To end things off, should I or should I not? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Tricky one. There's definitely a strong case for you to go (as much as I hate to say it given where my classico allegiance firmly lies) being Beckham and all but there are still a few genuine reasons why I think you shouldn't. You haven't been in Sevile for long and they have the potential to be genuinely competitive. Indeed you arrived declaring your intention to build them up to compete with Madrid and Barcelona so it wouldn't be right to suddenly jump to one of those, especially so soon, you even said a few days ago... "I will certainly be attempting to take Sevilla all the way to the top before I depart for Germany" So you shouldn't suddenly abandon that so quickly and easily. There's also the fact that Ancelotti simply retired, and I'm always wary of taking over a side that hasn't been underachieving (especially national teams) since they already carry high expectations and there's little to work towards to there's little satisfaction to be gained from success, at least that's what I feel about taking over a club in that position and generally avoid it, that goes double for the 'moving to a rival' aspect though that's just personal moral preference. No doubt a Madrid move is on the cards at some point but it just doesn't seem right to do it now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 To be realistic you should go, after all you are Beckham and he did, so did Ronaldo, Modric and Bale. Sad face is for the last 2 obviously. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Tricky one. There's definitely a strong case for you to go (as much as I hate to say it given where my classico allegiance firmly lies) being Beckham and all but there are still a few genuine reasons why I think you shouldn't.You haven't been in Sevile for long and they have the potential to be genuinely competitive. Indeed you arrived declaring your intention to build them up to compete with Madrid and Barcelona so it wouldn't be right to suddenly jump to one of those, especially so soon, you even said a few days ago... "I will certainly be attempting to take Sevilla all the way to the top before I depart for Germany" So you shouldn't suddenly abandon that so quickly and easily. There's also the fact that Ancelotti simply retired, and I'm always wary of taking over a side that hasn't been underachieving (especially national teams) since they already carry high expectations and there's little to work towards to there's little satisfaction to be gained from success, at least that's what I feel about taking over a club in that position and generally avoid it, that goes double for the 'moving to a rival' aspect though that's just personal moral preference. No doubt a Madrid move is on the cards at some point but it just doesn't seem right to do it now. Quality analysis mate.. my eventual decision is largely due to your advice To be realistic you should go, after all you are Beckham and he did, so did Ronaldo, Modric and Bale.Sad face is for the last 2 obviously. To be honest I wasn't very happy to see all those players leave for Real Madrid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Preseason 2024/2025 - Sevilla FC I am staying with Sevilla! On top of the Real Madrid offer, I had international job offers from Spain and Italy. However, I decided to stick with what I set out to achieve in Spain and signed a new deal to continue with the small project at Sevilla Board Expectations LIGA BBVA: Respectable league position Spanish Cup: Not important European Champions Cup: Group Stage The new owners were very kind with their expectations this season. In fact, expectations for the Spanish Cup were lower than that of last season (I was expected to reach the quarters). Europe will be tough as our squad are still some way short of Champions League quality. Budgets Transfer: 16.94 million pounds Wages: 950k pounds Our transfer budget is only approximately 7 million pounds higher than that of last season and this shows that our new owners aren't excessively rich. Our wage budget stayed very much the same. Transfers in Alessandro Galli With both of last season's midfield anchors sold (they weren't exactly suited to the role as they were deep-lying playmakers), Alessandro was brought in for 4.3 million pounds from Italian giants Juventus. The Italian midfield player is one of the most committed players you will see around and he possesses wonderful technique and tackling ability. Juan You simply don't turn down a Spaniard who has quality on the ball, is versatile and is available on a free transfer! Like Galli, Juan wears his heart on his sleeve and has wonderful ability on the ball. A fantastic addition to the squad. Max Langston Max graduated from Watford's academy when I was still at Vicarage Road and he followed me to Roma on loan when I left. The English goal scorer failed to convince the coaches in England that he is good enough for the squad and has been shipped out on loan for many seasons running. I know how good the lad can be and when the opportunity to bring him in on loan arose, I couldn't resist Bojan Pavlovic I have been tracking the German hardman for quite some time and I finally had the opportunity to bring him in for a reasonable price. Bojan is one of the tightest man marker you can find in European football and is extremely athletic. He will definitely add stability to our shaky defense this season. Fabio Pedrocchi Fabio is brought in as cover to Galli in the midfield anchor role. The Italian is another no nonsense defensive midfield player who has excellent work rate and teamwork. Pedrocchi is also good in the air and that is exactly what we need as we conceded lots of goals from corners last season. Vladyslav Shkavron I was the one who signed Vladyslav at Roma and since I left, he has failed to establish himself with the Italian giants. Our lack of quality out wide (apart from Chris Ashley) had been evident throughout last season and the explosive left-sided winger will add pace and direct running to our team this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 August 2024/2025 - Sevilla FC League I couldn't complain about the start we had, with the boys managing three wins out of three in the opening month of the season. Greek magician Giannis Roussos was on fire in our first fixture and his brace helped us to a narrow 2-1 win against our rivals Real Betis. It was Chris Ashley's turn in our next game as the English winger bagged two goals in a hard fought 2-0 home victory against Celta. We traveled to Granada for our final game in August and got off to a perfect start with two goals in the first eleven minutes. Big money signing Vladyslav wrapped up the game with the third in a pleasing 3-0 victory. After a great month, we lie 3rd in the table behind Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. Valencia, Barcelona and Real Madrid are in 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. We can expect a tough September with games against Valencia and Real Madrid to come. Champions League A really tough draw in Sevilla's first season back in Europe's elite competition. We are some way behind Bayern and Liverpool in terms of quality and it would be tough trying to get points off them. Two wins against Anderlecht is absolutely crucial if we want to qualify from the group stages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 September to November 2024/2025 - Sevilla FC League We suffered a dip in form sometime in mid September all the way til end October, losing 1-4 at Valencia and drawing four other games goal-less. This could be attributed to the fixtures pile up due to the tough Champions League mid-week fixtures and a couple of key attacking players out with injuries. Thankfully, with the tougher games out of the way and the players returning, we managed to put together a 5-match winning run in November. I was proud to see us sit second behind the mighty Real Madrid on 34 points, with the leaders three points ahead. We were only fifth favorites for the title and the boys did well to overachieve so far this season. There were no other surprises as Atletico, Valencia and Barcelona completed a familiar looking top 5 in Spain's elite division. Champions League We have been brilliant in our first season back in the Champions League so far. The lads got off to a solid start against Anderlecht with a 3-0 victory via goals from Adaon Tshimpi, Giannas Roussos and Archie Anderson. A shock 1-0 victory followed at Anfield where the Reds were surprisingly lacklustre. Our vocal fans then inspired us to an impressive 3-1 home victory to put us top of the group with three wins from three \o/ With us sitting five points ahead of second placed Bayern Munich, I decided to rest most of our first choice players in the away game against the German giants and we paid for it in a disappointing 1-3 defeat. We bounced back in Belgium with a 2-0 win against Anderlecht to put us through as group leaders. I was extremely pleased that the last home fixture against Liverpool will count for nothing and the youngsters will be able to get some valuable game time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Doing a good job in Sevilla, who took the Real Madrid job? It's also nice to see some English players doing well in Spain. Would be nice if you can dump Liverpool out of the CL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Looks like a very good season so far, definitely worth staying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Doing a good job in Sevilla, who took the Real Madrid job? It's also nice to see some English players doing well in Spain.Would be nice if you can dump Liverpool out of the CL. Thanks mate! It certainly feels great to bring English talent abroad and seeing them do well \o/ Ciro Ferrara took the Real Madrid job and they are absolutely flying in the league at the moment And Liverpool qualified! Looks like a very good season so far, definitely worth staying. Cheers mate! Never regretted staying Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 December to January 2024/2025 - Sevilla FC League I was angry with myself for being too greedy in our opening game of the month against Atletico Madrid. With ten minutes to go, the game was well-poised at 3-3. I could have tried to close out the game and settle for a point but decided not to eventually as I went for all three. In the end, we paid for my greediness as Atletico found the winner late in the game. Thankfully, the boys showed bouncebackability once again in our next five fixtures as we secured fifteen points out of fifteen against Malaga, Osasuna, Valladoid, R. Betis and Celta. We stayed second but are now four points behind the relentless Real Madrid. Barcelona are level on points with us in third place. Valencia and Atletico Madrid sit in fourth and fifth place respectively. I would be happy to end the season right now as we were only tipped by the media to finish fifth. I can't see us winning the title as the gulf in quality between us and sides like Real Madrid, Barcelona and even Atletico are too big Spanish Cup We were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Valencia after some horrific defending by our right-back in the 1-3 first leg defeat. The boys fought back heroically in the second leg to win 2-1 at home but it was not to be. Champions League We lost our last game against Liverpool as I decided to give my second choice players some game time after the lads did brilliantly to secure top spot with a game left to play. I was pleased to see us top the group with 12 points at the end and it sets us up against Benfica in the first knock-out round. January Signings Giannis Arvanitidis It was evident that we need more firepower after some toothless displays in the first half of the season. Cultured striker Arvanitidis joins his fellow countryman Roussos in Seville for 16.5 million pounds and I have high hopes for the Greek pair. With some luck and hard work, they can go on to form a real deadly partnership next season . Rene Medina Our scouts came back begging me to sign this magician from Argentina and I couldn't resist. Rene is one of the best passers in world football at the moment and has terrific technique and bravery. He was available for a mere one million pounds and I signed him up as fast as I could. What a bargain!! Moon Sun-Chae Moon was with Sevilla on a season-long loan in the season before I took charge. I wanted to extend his loan deal for a further year but was tied down by the quota for non-EU players. When I had the chance to sign him permanently for 900k pounds in January, I got the deal done immediately as he looked even better now. In addition, Moon is a Korean superstar and this signing will certainly boost our shirt sales Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Unlucky against Valencia, going well in the league and it's tight at the moment with Barcelona and Valencia, Hopefully Real Madrid will drop some more points so you can put pressure on them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 Unlucky against Valencia, going well in the league and it's tight at the moment with Barcelona and Valencia, Hopefully Real Madrid will drop some more points so you can put pressure on them. Thanks mate! We came good in the end! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 Season Review 2024/2025 - Sevilla FC League Remaining Fixtures (February to May) Final Table (Champions!) We went on a crazy unbeaten run in the last three months of the season, winning 13 and drawing 4 out of 17 games to beat both Barcelona and Real Madrid to the La Liga! This was largely due to our solid defense as we finished the season with only 20 goals against us. We won the league eventually on 92 points, 4 ahead of second placed Barcelona and 5 ahead of Real Madrid. Awards 4 in the team of the year and 1 named on the substitutes bench this time round! Not too surprising as my number one conceded the least amount of goals in the league this season! He was one of the few players who stayed with me since I joined the club and I was really proud to see our first choice false nine bag the top scorer award! Champions League (Knocked out in quarter-finals) A solid year back in Europe's elite competition. We progressed as group winners ahead of Liverpool and Bayern Munich before knocking out Benfica in the first knock-out round. Liverpool was back for more in the quarter-finals but we came up short in the end as the players were rested for the crucial La Liga games. Spanish Cup (Knocked out in quarter-finals) I would have wanted to go further this time round but again, the league was always the priority and we paid the price for resting players in this competition. Squad Analysis Squad Stats The squad overachieved by a mile as we were only tipped to finish 5th in the league this season. The loan signings were also integral in a season where we won our first league title since 1946. First 11 The first 11 with the most number of appearances for those who requested Top 3 Players Giannis Roussos My player of the season last season had another great year! The Greek magician ended up with 15 goals and 23 assists in 37 starts and was our main attacking threat from central midfield. Vladyslav Shkavron Vladyslav was never first choice when he was with me at Roma and having brought him to Spain last summer, I decided to play him down the left wing for most of our games and he took up the responsibility superbly. The Ukrainian ended up with 14 goals and 19 assists and is a deserving winner of the Spanish Young Player of the Year award. Bojan Pavlovic Very rarely would I give the player of the season to a defender but Bojan deserves the recognition fully! He was the only change to our back four this season and what a difference he made! We went from a side with a leaky defense to the best defensive team in one season and the German hard man single-handedly turned this around. One of my best signings of my career so far! How are my former clubs doing? Roma had a disappointing season by their standards, finishing 4th in Serie A and getting knocked out of the Champions League in the semis by fellow Italian giants Napoli. They were also knocked out in the quarter-finals by AC Milan in the Italian Cup and finished trophy-less this season. Watford missed out on the Premier League once again after finishing 7 points behind eventual champions Chelsea. On a brighter note, they were superb in Europe as they beat Napoli 4-1 in the Champions League Final to win one of football's biggest prizes. That was their only piece of silverware this season as they failed to go all the way in the domestic cup competitions. Future Plans With the release of FM15 (beta version) only two weeks away, time is running out for me to complete what I wanna do on FM14 and I have yet to manage in Germany. Given the speed I am playing at, it would be impossible to win with a German club if I play on for another season in Seville. However, I have yet to win the Champions League with my current club. Would you go for the Schalke job? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Well done on the title, great stuff. As a bit of a Dortmund fan I'd have to say no to Schalke but if you really want to manage in Germany then maybe take it, if winning CL is priority right now then maybe better to stay with Sevilla. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Pity you couldn't go further in the CL but fantastic league win! I knew you didn't have to go to Madrid. If the timing regarding FM 15 was different I'd definitely advise against Schalke but at the same time you shouldn't feel like you have to rush to complete your objectives and switch over to a new version at the earliest opportunity. I would have carried on with FM 13 if I hadn't won the CL with Ipswich less than a week before FM14's release, and in hindsight I wish I had anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 It's a shame this thread will end soon, been an incredible ride. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 Well done on the title, great stuff.As a bit of a Dortmund fan I'd have to say no to Schalke but if you really want to manage in Germany then maybe take it, if winning CL is priority right now then maybe better to stay with Sevilla. Managing in Germany probably edge out winning CL with Sevilla at the moment Pity you couldn't go further in the CL but fantastic league win! I knew you didn't have to go to Madrid. If the timing regarding FM 15 was different I'd definitely advise against Schalke but at the same time you shouldn't feel like you have to rush to complete your objectives and switch over to a new version at the earliest opportunity. I would have carried on with FM 13 if I hadn't won the CL with Ipswich less than a week before FM14's release, and in hindsight I wish I had anyway. Thanks mate! I know I won't be able to resist FM15 when it is released so I need to rush to complete the cycle on my save! It's a shame this thread will end soon, been an incredible ride. Thanks mate! Hope you keep following and there will definitely be one on FM15! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Thanks mate! Hope you keep following and there will definitely be one on FM15! Absolutely! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDR Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Fantastic achievement across multiple clubs. Already looking forward to the FM15 thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Absolutely! Fantastic achievement across multiple clubs. Already looking forward to the FM15 thread. Cheers lads! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Preseason 2025/2026 - FC Schalke 04 Why Schalke? Eventually, it was down to either staying and trying to win the Champions League with Sevilla or exploring and completing the management cycle in Germany. The impending release of FM15 made my decision easier and due to the limited playing time left, I went for the job in Germany. Schalke's last piece of silverware was the Bundesliga title four years ago and the Germans have since suffered a slump. We will also have no European football this season as the boys finished a disappointing 8th last season. Board Expectations Bundesliga: Qualify for Champions League German Cup: Semi Finals In comparison with the board at Sevilla, the Germans are much more demanding as they expect a top 4 finish despite the lads only finishing 8th last season. With no other cup competitions, the owners are also expecting a long run in the German Cup. I am looking forward to the challenge of trying to meet their lofty expectations! Budgets Transfer: 25.93 million pounds Wages: 2.1 million pounds A surprisingly immense budget considering the fact that we are not in Europe this season. It is obvious that the owners want us higher up in the league table as soon as possible. With many overpaid and over aged players at the club , there will be a lot of room to manoeuvre financially if I manage to clear the deadwood. Squad Revamp A staggering 83.79 million pounds was raised from the sale of unwanted players and as a result, 8 players were brought in to bolster the squad. Aluisio I needed a left winger who can go straight into the first 11 and Aluisio certainly fits the bill. The Brazilian wide player is quick and delivers quality crosses more often than not and I am looking for a good number of assists from him this season. Magnus Augustsson I tried to get Magnus when I was at Sevilla but he opted for Newcastle instead. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sign him again when he was available for a reasonable price in the summer. The Finnish center-back is a terrific man marker and has tremendous determination both on and off the field. He will compete for a spot in the first 11 this season. Jose Miguel Lanoix Jose was with me at both Roma and Sevilla (only on loan) and I couldn't resist bringing him in on a permanent deal in Germany. The Frenchman won the Serie A, La Liga and Champions League with me and if he can prove to be half the success he was, he will be a bargain at a mere 1.5 million pounds. Karabo Ntsoetsa I was interested in bringing Karabo to Seville but he chose the Italian giants Juventus two seasons ago. I needed another quality keeper in the squad and tried to sign him again and thankfully, I was successful this time round. The Portuguese will compete with his fellow countryman, Luis Silva for the no. 1 spot. Gregory Ribeiro With many small players in the squad, I wanted to add more height and power and Gregory is the chosen one after some crazy scouring in the transfer market. He is the only tall-ish left-back I can find and the Frenchman will go straight into the starting 11 as our first-choice left full-back is out for a considerable period of time. Adaon Tshimpi Another familiar face arrived in Germany and if you guys remember, Adaon was a loan signing with me at Sevilla. With the lack of quality ball-winners on the market, I went back to my former team to try my luck and succeeded in bringing in the tried and trusted Belgium hard worker. He will start the season as first-choice. Michael Turpitz Michael has been on my shortlist for a considerable period of time and when I realized I needed a midfield anchor, I looked no further than this powerful German. Michael is a leader, incredibly brave and quick and he will compete hard for a place in the starting 11. Ralf Wagner Last but not least, we brought in a young right-back in Ralf Wagner. I wanted to bring in more German players to add to the core we already have at the club and Ralf is one of the most talented young right-backs you can find in Germany. The timing of his tackles are immaculate and I am looking to develop him into the first-choice right-back at both club and country. Preseason Friendlies The German season kicks off real early and we face a trip to FC Union 60 in our first competitive fixture of the season. Can't wait for the start! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Heath Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Interesting move and looking forward to seeing how you get on at Schalke. I'm guessing from the look of your new signings that the main squad issues were defensive. Hope you can carry on your impressive pre-season form into the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Magnus looks a beast! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 Interesting move and looking forward to seeing how you get on at Schalke. I'm guessing from the look of your new signings that the main squad issues were defensive.Hope you can carry on your impressive pre-season form into the league. Absolutely, the squad is unbalanced and a tad heavy on the attacking side, almost similar to how Man United are like in real life. Hopefully the signings will add some balance to the squad! Magnus looks a beast! He looks great! But I am a little concerned about his Composure and Concentration though, and he hasn't settled well so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 15, 2014 Author Share Posted October 15, 2014 August to November 2025/2026 - FC Schalke 04 League We had a solid start to the season under my tenure at Schalke. The boys did well to stay unbeaten for six games (4 wins and 2 draws) before a shock 1-2 home defeat against HSV. We took an early lead through 'the next Ronaldinho' Renato but his fellow countryman Cristian had a shocking day at the back as we leaked two goals in quick succession. The lads pushed hard to find the equalizer but to no avail as we suffered our first loss of the season. We bounced back with two comfortable victories against Dresden and Stuttgart before the tough away fixture against giants Bayern Munich. It was never going to be our day as we gifted them an early penalty to go one nil down. The boys never recovered from that setback as they were outclassed eventually in a 0-3 defeat. I feared the worst as we had to face Dortmund and Leverkusen in our next two fixtures. Thankfully, the lads showed their bouncebackability once again and bagged all six points from the two tough games. We ended November on a high with two more victories against Wolfsburg and Gladbach. After 14 games, we sit in second place behind title favourites Bayern Munich on goal difference. Dortmund are a mere two points behind us in third place. Both Leverkusen and Stuttgart had poor starts to the season and lingered in mid table. German Cup Nothing much to write about here as we stayed in the competition after eliminating FC Union 60 and Frankfurt in the first two rounds. Frankfurt was a tough nut to crack as the lads worked really hard to grind out a narrow 1-0 victory. Second division outfit Braunschweig awaits us in the next round! Last minute signing AC Milan made a last minute bid for my second choice left winger and I decided to let him go since he was keen to move on. Brazilian winger Ricardo was brought in as his replacement as he is available on a free transfer and had been on my shortlist for a few years now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Nice one! Guy looks good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
krakonico Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Nice work since my last comment Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Nice work since my last comment Nice one! Guy looks good. Cheers guys. Bayern are absolutely unstoppable!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 December to January 2025/2026 - FC Schalke 04 League Two perfect months! Our lads have been brilliant at the back and conceded only a single goal throughout the two months. Osnabruck, Mainz, Hoffenheim were all beaten by us before the winter break and Bundesliga's top scorer Federico Espindola bagged three in three \o/ After the winter break, the boys kept up their good form by beating Werder Bremen 3-0 at home, with January signing Giorgos Kolaxidis grabbing a debut goal. Two more victories and as many clean sheets followed against 1860 Munchen and Hannover and our keeper was immense in these two scrappy games. Despite our terrific form, Bayern Munich were even better, beating all their opponents like us and went one better to score a lot of goals to improve their goal difference on us. Dortmund fell further behind after a bad January and they are now seven points adrift. German Cup With no other cup competitions this season, the second choice players were given a rare opportunity to make an impression and they took it with glee as they beat Braunschweig 3-0 at home to set up an away tie against Freiburg. With both Bayern and Dortmund already knocked out, I would be really disappointed if we don't win the cup from here. January Signing Giorgos was our only January signing despite us putting in bids for a number of players. Most of them chose clubs with European football on offer and I wasn't too happy but understood their decisions. As mentioned earlier, the Greek striker came off the bench to score on his debut and he will provide some much needed cover for the brilliant Espindola. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Great work keeping pace with Bayern. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Great work keeping pace with Bayern. Sadly, it didn't last as long as I would've liked it to be Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Season Review 2025/2026 - FC Schalke 04 League Remaining Fixtures (February to May) Final Table (Runners-up) Eventually, the lads came up short in the league and finished 4 points behind the mighty Bayern Munich. We suffered a bad patch in the middle of February all the way till the end of March and it was due to injuries suffered to key players and tough games against the likes of Bayern and Dortmund. Despite conceding the least amount of goals in the league, we scored 23 goals less than Bayern and that played a major part in their title win. Awards Proud to know that the league's top scorer is in my team We have players at the extreme ends of the pitch in the team of the year \o/ This is a surprise but Aluisio is the league's assists king and finished the season with 6 goals and 19 assists in all competitions! German Cup (Winners) We won our first piece of silverware under my tenure! To be honest, I would be really disappointed if we fail to win this as both Dortmund and Bayern crashed out early before the quarter-finals. FC Union 60, Frankfurt, Braunschweig, Freiburg and Wolfsburg were all eliminated by us before we face our rivals Leverkusen in the finals. It was a nervy and close encounter all the way till the end and was eventually settled by a towering header from a corner. Brazilian center-back Cristian was the hero and we ended the season on a high \o/ Squad Analysis Squad Stats We were only tipped by the media to finish 3rd in the league and our Salary Per Year is the 6th highest. All in all, we overachieved and I had to be happy with the season. First 11 The first 11 with the most number of appearances for those who requested Top 3 Players Luis Silva Our number one played an integral role in maintaining our fantastic defensive form throughout the season. The Portuguese shot stopper saved our team single-handedly at times this year and made a number of crucial saves late in games. I have very rarely named a goalkeeper among my top 3 players and Luis certainly deserved the recognition. Jurgen Zimmermann The best defensive full-back I have ever managed in my career so far. The German right-back is a brilliant man-marker and has fantastic tackling ability & positional sense. Like Luis, he played a huge part in our commendable defensive record this season. Federico Espindola Naming my player of the season couldn't get any easier! Federico's importance to our side is like how Suarez was to Liverpool and Bale to Tottenham. With the team already struggling to keep up with Bayern Munich in terms of goals scored, things would have been worse if we did not have the Argentinian sharp shooter on our side. Espindola finished the season on 27 goals and 12 assists and he is our best player by far this season. How are my former clubs doing? I was glad to see Sevilla retain the La Liga after edging Real Madrid to the title by a single point. However, that was their only piece of silverware this season as my old boys were knocked out early in the Spanish Cup and the group stages of the Champions League. Roma failed to recover from last season's disappointments as they finished 3rd, 12 points behind winners Napoli in the Seria A. They were also knocked out in both the Italian Cup (semi-finals) and Champions League (1st knock-out round) to finish the season trophy-less. Watford finally managed to wrestle the Premier League title away from Chelsea's grasp and finished an impressive 13 points clear of their nearest rivals. Things weren't that rosy in the domestic cup competitions as they were knocked out in both the FA Cup (sixth round) and the Capital One Cup (quarter-finals). My first ever club also managed to reach the final of the Champions League, only to lose out narrowly (1-2) to Italian champions Napoli. Future Plans Time is running out as I continue to try for the Bundesliga with Schalke before the release of FM15! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Excellent season, hopefully you can build on it quickly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I'd have stayed in Spain myself. Much more going for it than Germany other than the Oktoberfest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Excellent season, hopefully you can build on it quickly. Thanks mate! I certainly hope so as time is running out haha! I'd have stayed in Spain myself. Much more going for it than Germany other than the Oktoberfest. But I really wanted to manage in Germany before FM15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Preseason 2026/2027 - FC Schalke 04 Board Expectations Bundesliga: Challenge for the title German Cup: Final German Super Cup: Not important European Champions Cup: First Knockout Round As you can see, the expectations have gone way up from last season and it will be a tough challenge trying to meet all of them. Surprisingly, the media's expectations have gone down and we are only expected to finish 4th this season behind Bayern, Dortmund and Hoffenheim. Interesting. Budgets Transfer: 17.05 million pounds Wages: 1.8 million pounds I was really shocked to find out that our budgets have gone down despite the fact that we will be playing in the Champions League this season. It's gonna be real tough trying to put together a squad capable of challenging on all fronts for the upcoming season. Transfers In Valentin Couturier Valentin was my first choice midfield anchor at Watford but he always preferred to play in the center of defense. The extremely intelligent Frenchman was brought in to add some much needed leadership and experience in defense and he will go straight into the starting 11. Max Langston Max was a graduate from Watford's youth academy but has once again struggled to break into their first team squad. I had him on loan at Roma and Sevilla and I couldn't resist bringing him in again as our third choice striker this season. Konstantin Panis My first choice left-back last season was deemed injury prone by our scouts and when big clubs came offering 28 millions pounds for him, I had to sell. Konstantin is a good man marker and can run up and down the flank whole day as he has incredible stamina. He will go straight into a new-look back four this season. Preseason Friendlies After a couple of friendlies, we have a tough game in the German Super Cup against champions Bayern to look forward to. I will be hoping that our boys can match them this time round. Looking forward to the new season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Clocks's ticking, hopefully you can claim the Bundesliga quickly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 Clocks's ticking, hopefully you can claim the Bundesliga quickly. Been real busy with work, I'm struggling to get a run of games going! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBeckham Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 FM15 beta is out, which also signals the end of this thread :*( Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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