[FM15] Avenir Beggen - a Luxembourg Youth Challenge (take two)

[deltablue]

6 hours ago, Ceching You Out said:

[strips off clothes]
[runs outside]
[has a hard time explaining situation to police]

 

Definitely my favourite post so far

[Bedese]

Congrats on turning Pro! Not a bad intake, either.

[Ceching You Out]

13 hours ago, Adonalsium said:

I wish I had such great potentials even once in a five years. I usually just end up booting out a dozen youth players every year because they're just so bad, and getting like five or six MAX from the youth intakes due to - you guessed it - more bad youth players.

Their potential looks a lot better on paper than it actually turns out to be, not that I'm complaining. I think we're in an unusual situation where our reputation outstrips our actual talent a bit. We're a borderline 2 star rep club and I don't think our players reflect that yet. Combined with the uneven distribution of quality in the league, our 5 star prospects aren't quite as impressive as they seem -- most are simply "leading" for our division which is unsurprising for the second best team by rep.  I think, anyway.

 

6 hours ago, deltablue said:

Definitely my favourite post so far

Cheers, deltablue! Thanks for following along!

6 hours ago, Jupjamie said:

Congrats on turning Pro! Not a bad intake, either.

Thank you, sir! I'm wondering if we're finally hitting a level where our best prospects don't become insta-starters and require a couple years of development instead. Did you notice an immediate change in your youth intake when you went Pro in San Marino?

[tyler16]

Nothing more FM than getting a nice looking central defender who happens to be 5'9" with low bravery and natural fitness. So frustrating.

[Bedese]

43 minutes ago, Ceching You Out said:

 

Thank you, sir! I'm wondering if we're finally hitting a level where our best prospects don't become insta-starters and require a couple years of development instead. Did you notice an immediate change in your youth intake when you went Pro in San Marino?

Actually, I didn't really notice any change in the quality of players we were getting when we went pro - it's what we could do with them. When you're pro, your players now train full time, which means they develop a lot faster than they would when they're only training once or twice a week. We were still getting the 0.5* CA/5* PA players, but now they actually had a chance to reach their PA, rather than stagnate and not develop so much. There will be a huge difference in your squad's quality, but IMO that comes from them developing more, not because you get more talented players in.

[DodgeeD]

15 hours ago, Ceching You Out said:

[strips off clothes]
[runs outside]
[has a hard time explaining situation to police]

 

Pro bono lawyer needed

[BoxToBox]

18 minutes ago, DodgeeD said:

Pro bono lawyer needed

Or a pro boner one, perhaps.

[Ceching You Out]

On 8/17/2016 at 12:49, tyler16 said:

Nothing more FM than getting a nice looking central defender who happens to be 5'9" with low bravery and natural fitness. So frustrating.

It wouldn't be FM if the player archetypes made any sense. They can't all turn into Fabio Cannavaro...

 

On 8/17/2016 at 13:31, Jupjamie said:

Actually, I didn't really notice any change in the quality of players we were getting when we went pro - it's what we could do with them. When you're pro, your players now train full time, which means they develop a lot faster than they would when they're only training once or twice a week. We were still getting the 0.5* CA/5* PA players, but now they actually had a chance to reach their PA, rather than stagnate and not develop so much. There will be a huge difference in your squad's quality, but IMO that comes from them developing more, not because you get more talented players in.

Well...drats. I've been expecting the increased development, but I'd hoped that it would bump their level as well.

 

On 8/17/2016 at 14:34, DodgeeD said:

Pro bono lawyer needed

 

On 8/17/2016 at 14:53, BoxToBox said:

Or a pro boner one, perhaps.

[sheepishly looks around]
[coughs a little too loudly]

[Adonalsium]

I just keep waiting for the FM Materazzi.

[Ceching You Out]

Redemption -- our first real silverware.

 

And then...

 

[Ceching You Out]

 

Well that was short-lived.

[Ceching You Out]

Avenir Beggen - 2028/2029

Squad / League / Transfers

How was the league?

We finished second, only four points behind Jeunesse Esch before a meaningless loss on the last day.

 

Did you miss Duarte Lima?

Terribly so. I spent most of the season crying like I was watching The Notebook. Players like that only come around once in a lifetime. Hopefully.

 

Whatever. Anything else noteworthy?

Cup winners. Opted for another upgrade to youth facilities. But everything pales in comparison to... drumroll please...

That means the summer will be filled with the tedious process of converting the most talented staff and players over to full-time contracts and simultaneously deciding on a wage structure for the club to keep us out of the red.

Jeunesse Esch have snatched away our GK Coach and that makes me irrationally angry. He was far and away the best one with any interest in us. One more reason to end their dominance, I suppose.

Recordkeeping:

 

 

 

 

[The_Gato_In_Goal]

Nice job turning pro! Only a matter of time before you can win the league regularly.

[tyler16]

Finding coaches in obscure leagues is a major pain. Swear there will be 200 guys unemployed wanting to coach but not a single one has any interest in say, fitness coaching. I feel your pain.

Solid in the league. Gap closing!

And leave poor Lima alone.

[Adonalsium]

Maybe you could try looking for some near-retirement goalkeeper via scouting? They usually have high goalkeeping scores for coaching

[deltablue]

Well done on the cup.

[Ceching You Out]

20 hours ago, The_Gato_In_Goal said:

Nice job turning pro! Only a matter of time before you can win the league regularly.

Cheers! Hope is the thing with feathers, and all that.

 

15 hours ago, tyler16 said:

Finding coaches in obscure leagues is a major pain. Swear there will be 200 guys unemployed wanting to coach but not a single one has any interest in say, fitness coaching. I feel your pain.

Solid in the league. Gap closing!

And leave poor Lima alone.

Exactly that! 900 interested coaches, but only 10 each for the GKs or Fitness.

Lima . He probably doesn't understand anyway!

 

12 hours ago, Adonalsium said:

Maybe you could try looking for some near-retirement goalkeeper via scouting? They usually have high goalkeeping scores for coaching

That's how I ended up with Winckel (just poached) and Piskor (my U19 Head Coach and in charge of intakes). Fingers crossed that I'm able to snatch someone similar over the course of the next season or two -- drives me crazy to have poor coaching.

 

10 hours ago, deltablue said:

Well done on the cup.

 

Thanks, deltablue!

[Ceching You Out]

 

Bafflement Before Irish Trip

Gilles Schleck
Luxembourger Wort

 

Ahead of the club's travel to the isle of Eire, Davide Santor, Avenir Beggen's Press Officer, spoke with the media. After addressing several uninteresting questions in a collected manner, calmed by the absence of once Ralph Wiggum, Mr. Santor sipped from his glass of water and leaned back. Pierre Prussian, a man looking to redeem his credibility and visibly confident for the first occasion in ages, posed a question regarding the club's opponents in the Europa league.

Quote

PP: How does the squad feel about the results of the draw?

DS: Well, we feel--

[Ralph Wiggum pokes his head between the curtains behind the podium]

RW: Very lucky. A lucky draw.

DS: Are you just AIMLESSLY WANDERING THE CLUB GROUNDS?!

[Davide Santor's eyes widen and he blushes]

[silence]

RW: Leave. Leave, leave, leave. Four leaves! Very lucky draw.

DS: That will be all for today.

[Ceching You Out]

Out of a group of very kind possibilities, I thought we had a chance regardless of who we faced. I may have been a little too ambitious.

In more positive news, Luc Schauls continued our tradition of getting sent off after the tie has already been decided. We'll add his name to the illustrious list.

[Adonalsium]

Don't you really have any even halfway decent replacements for that useless pugilist Schauls? It's like a part of his job description at this point. "Oh, we're losing by 3 goals. About time to go tell the referee to send me off."

Hell, at this point the referees are probably so used to it that they'll send him off regardless of what he's doing.

Have you issued him warnings? Cut his wages? Bought him an anger therapist with the wage cuts?

[Bedese]

Maybe his secret ambition is to become a wrestler. 'Oh, we're out? Alright, let me just practice my DDT real quick...'

[Adonalsium]

You know what, I think you're right. Maybe we should petition the Spunkmaster himself to retire from football at an early age to start a new career in the world of pro wrestling.

And when Mr. Schauls retires, his "Attacking" coaching score better be at least 20.

[Ceching You Out]

Unfortunately he's heads above my other left backs -- skill-wise of course, he's only 5'8". And he at least saves his violent expeditions for the bright lights (and televisions) of continental competition. Either he's looking to make the highlights on Europe's answer to SportsCenter or he's auditioning as you both suggest -- Schauls the Spunkmaster with his signature Figure 4-4-2 Leglock.

[Ceching You Out]

And now it's time for the elusive "Assorted Mid-season Updates Before the Youth Intake" (final name still TBD):

We've seen this before...

 

Rage! Or not actually, I've known this day was coming. The aforementioned Piskor, head of my U19s and youth intake responsible guy, has always wanted to be a Head Coach proper. I'd tempted him to stay a few times but he'd always made compensation non-negotiable that sides wouldn't pay compensation. Sad to see him go, although I wish him well and may track Mertzig's progress to see how he gets on.

 

 

The hero we deserve (but not the one we need) has found another home. Time for a new yearly segment -- "Duarte Watch" (final name also still TBD) -- where we follow the brute through the twilight of his career. Or as long as it lasts anyway.

 

Maybe this will be a posit--

 

Damn it. Why cut so much of our revenue? They did however sanction a Youth Coaching upgrade to max us out. Swings and roundabouts or some such.

[Bedese]

Figure 4-4-2 leglock is one of the best things I've ever read 

[Adonalsium]

I've no idea what it is, but it sounds appropriately brutal.

[Ceching You Out]

17 hours ago, Jupjamie said:

Figure 4-4-2 leglock is one of the best things I've ever read 

Thank you, sir 

8 hours ago, Adonalsium said:

I've no idea what it is, but it sounds appropriately brutal.

A play on the famous move below. Now as to what it entails? I can send a masked Schauls around your way to explain further if you like?

 

 

[Ceching You Out]

Not a bad intake. Definitely some potential here if they can realize it. First intake under my HoYD in about five years -- personalities seem a tad worse, although not particularly different.

Could use a little work on his physicals, although I'm excited about his potential. An Unsporting personality isn't my favorite, but my coaches assure me he is incredibly professional underneath it all. Biggest concern is that he's injury prone.

Also weak physically. Less of a concern in the middle of the park though. If he develops I may contemplate how to make room for a midfield maestro type.

Buried on the depth chart. DC continues to be my deepest position.

Promising, particularly due to the dearth of quality wide players at the moment.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Ceching You Out said:

Not a bad intake. Definitely some potential here if they can realize it. First intake under my HoYD in about five years -- personalities seem a tad worse, although not particularly different.

Also weak physically. Less of a concern in the middle of the park though. If he develops I may contemplate how to make room for a midfield maestro type.

Wow. I like Schnell.  Enganche him up!

[Adonalsium]

Schnell, schnell! Make him into a star, ja!

[noikeee]

Another hugely entertaining career I hadn't come across yet, but will definitely be following this.

I'm betting on 2200 as the year you finally lift the Champions League.  Professional status and max junior coaching should give you a massive boost though. I can see a Luxembourguese title in the near future...

[Ceching You Out]

On 8/21/2016 at 14:41, Jimbokav1971 said:

Wow. I like Schnell.  Enganche him up!

He does have potential, doesn't he? I've always been hesitant to use an enganche -- seems so easy to mark them out of play with a DM. Perhaps this is my chance to give it a whirl. In the meantime he'll get shoe-horned into whichever role just for the experience.

On 8/21/2016 at 15:37, Adonalsium said:

Schnell, schnell! Make him into a star, ja!

All in due Zeit, meine Freunde! Berlin wasn't built in a day.

 

10 hours ago, noikeee said:

Another hugely entertaining career I hadn't come across yet, but will definitely be following this.

I'm betting on 2200 as the year you finally lift the Champions League.  Professional status and max junior coaching should give you a massive boost though. I can see a Luxembourguese title in the near future...

Glad to have you following, noikeee! At the very least I aim to keep the story interesting.

[Ceching You Out]

Avenir Beggen - 2029/2030

Squad / League / Transfers

How was the league?

Finished second. No prize for guessing the two teams we dropped points to.

 

Are you ever going to catch Jeunesse Esch?

I'm beginning to seriously wonder. As fast as we're improving, they're keeping ahead.

 

Whatever. Anything else noteworthy?

Hold on, I've got a point to belabor regarding the 13 straight league champions. If they'd been able to secure a better result away from home either of the last two years, Jeunesse Esch would've been in the Europa League group stages. I scouted their team for a lark -- I've got 2 five star players; they've got a full roster. And that probably still minimizes the quality gap.

Our finances are something to watch for the future. We've burned through a lot of cash this year and may need to start advancing deeper into the EL to break even without cash injections. Attendances have been slowly rising over the years but that may not be enough.

And now for what is sure to be everyone's favorite, new, short lived segment...

 

Lima La Vida Loca:

Lima joined one of the upper midtable sides (FC Differdange) in mid-season after sitting out a year. Once he returned to something resembling match shape, he even made a few well-rated appearances. However rumor has it that in his excitement to join the first match, he took the field missing the bottom half of his kit. Always making an impression, that Duarte.

 

 

Recordkeeping:

 

 

 

 

[Ceching You Out]

Some ugly draws in there, plus a few beautiful ones...
 

Gorgeous. We're actually heavy favorites. Somehow I've missed capturing the results but suffice it to say 8-1 away made it academic before a 3-0 home leg.

When this was drawn before the first tie, I was delighted; they were the easiest we could get. But after looking at the club, we're not quite on their level yet.

And it showed. Not too far off though.

[tyler16]

Somewhat surprised you're still weaker than what I'd consider a mid level Danish club. Are the teams you're coming across in Europe composed on mostly grey players? What was your initial setup? Just curious, thanks.

Oh, and the Lima bit was hilarious. Pleeeeease sign him up as a coach when he hangs up his boots. (Assuming he can figure out how to, of course.)

[Ceching You Out]

You're right on target -- they are a mid-level Danish side. The smallest European sides have grey players, smallish are a dice roll, and medium to large have real players. I started with only Luxembourg playable and any decent European leagues as view only, which in my understanding doesn't do much besides make league tables visible. Then loaded all players from top clubs (plus Luxembourg of course) on a medium database. Three seasons ago I added to the playable leagues in the hopes that they'll stay competitive instead of turning into grey players -- top level in Italy, Spain, England, and Germany plus all levels of France since that's the main transfer market for Luxembourg.

It's not as accurate as a scouting report, but below is an idea of how the Danish side's salaries compare to ours. For reference, our top salary is $35k p/a and top value is $165k.

 

Cheers! I'm hoping ol' Lima plays for another few years before retirement. But when he calls it quits, I might have to sign him up just for the entertainment value, especially if he's a fan favorite.

[Ceching You Out]

While we're taking a break for Miscellaneous Mid-Season Meanderings (name still pending), let's check in on Pierre Piskor -- my former U19 Head Coach that was responsible for the youth intakes where I gushed over the personalities.

I didn't realize his results with Mertzig had been so bad, or alternatively that their expectations were so high.

Didn't take long for him to find a new home in the French National league. He has a task in front of him, he's taking over a team in last (see below). And yes, I did cheekily check to see if he'd come back to us while he was unemployed. He's too big for his Avenir Beggen britches these days.

[Adonalsium]

See, what'd I tell you about HB? Easier than cake. Let's hope for even more Faroese football coming your way.

[noikeee]

Classic European tie between a Luxemburguese side and a Faroese side. The crowd must've been thrilled with the quality of football. 

[Ceching You Out]

5 hours ago, noikeee said:

Classic European tie between a Luxemburguese side and a Faroese side. The crowd must've been thrilled with the quality of football. 

Got to give the people what they want! Two European superpowers battling it out for glory.

[Ceching You Out]

10 hours ago, Adonalsium said:

See, what'd I tell you about HB? Easier than cake. Let's hope for even more Faroese football coming your way.

Hmm, maybe if I could fix the draw for a few years...

[Ceching You Out]

Another solid intake, although the personalities don't thrill me. Per my now codified strategy, I'm only signing players with 4+1 or 3.5+1 potential; in this case that's the top 4.

I should probably be more excited about this guy than I am. As he's already one of my best DCs, he's going to be a star; I just wish I had a tutor to change him from Unambitious, although my coaches assure me he still fits in with our very professional squad.

 

 

 

[Mascarpone]

Not a bad intake, Borges and Theis seem to have a good future in front of them!

[BoxToBox]

Borges looks the business.

[Ceching You Out]

12 hours ago, Mascarpone said:

Not a bad intake, Borges and Theis seem to have a good future in front of them!

 

12 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Borges looks the business.

 

High hopes for him. Fingers crossed he delivers!

[Ceching You Out]

Is this the year we win the title?

 

 

Or just the year I murder an Azerbaijani kid for seriously injuring a player I'm highly invested in since I've been nurturing him along for a few years to reach his amazing potential?

[tyler16]

God damnit, Orxan Mammadov.

[Adonalsium]

Maybe you should give Lima a call? Ask him to come over, knock some heads, y'know. If my players get injured during a game, I usually seek out the player who did the injuring and then set all of my guys to tackle him hard.

On the plus side, at least Borges looks very promising. He could go on to greater things than poor old Beggen. Thank god he's unambitious.

And on another plus side, looks like you're set to win the title this year! Like, finally.

Just make sure to never play the Spunkmaster in the most important games.

[deltablue]

Losing 6-2 isn't 'not that far off '

[Jimbokav1971]

On 24/08/2016 at 16:15, Ceching You Out said:

 

Another solid intake, although the personalities don't thrill me. Per my now codified strategy, I'm only signing players with 4+1 or 3.5+1 potential; in this case that's the top 4.

I expect that my HoYD at Partizan is significantly better in his role than your HoYD, (by the very nature of the levels the clubs are at), and I see quite a regular difference between what a player is initially rated at and what he is rated at a year or so later. 

You have to remember that the star ratings do not represent actual CA or PA ratings, and that they are more "perceived" CA and "perceived" PA ratings. You might be getting rid of players that a year or so down the line actually look much better. (It usually seems to go up rather than down from what I am seeing).