withnail316 Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Right then - the league has loaded, and one of the four clubs I was interested in has a vacancy. It is the only job available in the Netherlands, so I shall chance my arm and apply... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 *tenterhooks* Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 3 minutes ago, Deisler26 said: *tenterhooks* The other three clubs were NAC Breda, Groningen and Heerenveen, but I've had an offer from the other club which I'm very happy with. Update coming soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 *holds breath* Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 5 minutes ago, withnail316 said: The other three clubs were NAC Breda, Groningen and Heerenveen, but I've had an offer from the other club which I'm very happy with. Update coming soon. Good selection. I look forward to it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Football Club Utrecht (From Wiki) Football Club Utrecht is a Dutch football club founded on 1 July 1970 and based in the city of Utrecht, the fourth largest in the Netherlands. The club's colours are red and white. FC Utrecht was founded in 1970 as a merger of three clubs from the city of Utrecht: VV DOS, USV Elinkwijk and Velox, the former of the three having won the national championship in 1958. FC Utrecht has won the KNVB Cup three times in, 1985, 2003 and 2004, also winning the Johan Cruijff Shield in 2004. After winning the Johan Cruijff Shield, Utrecht became the first club outside the "Big Three" of Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV to win the trophy. Utrecht is also the only club outside the Big Three that has never been relegated from the top-flight Eredivisie. The club play their football at the 24,426 Galgenwaard Stadion, which has been their home since 1970. (From FM) The club have spent the last few years in the bottom half of the table, with two 10th place finishes and an 11th in the last three years. Unsurprisingly, the media expect us to finish around 10th again, and I sign a four-year deal with a mid-table brief. The first thing I note about the club is the fan-base: there are 17,000 season ticket holders, while the club has good training facilities and average youth facilities. I'll have at least an eye on the youth side as I have every intention of bringing through talented youngsters where possible, so I'll hope for an upgrade in the near future. Interestingly, the club has rivalries with two of the 'Big Three'. Feyenoord and ADO Den Haag are considered rivals, but the real venom is saved for Ajax. Lovely. Oh, and here's one thing that really caught my attention: the stadium has the potential to double in size! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 *exhales* Excellent choice! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 1 minute ago, BoxToBox said: *exhales* Excellent choice! Thanks! It's a mid-range club in the league, but it feels like there is real potential to grow, and yet it is still a step up from Sweden. That applies to all four of the clubs I was interested in, but I'm glad I didn't have to wait too long for one to become available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Great choice! Best of luck! How are RKC doing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 1 minute ago, Deisler26 said: Great choice! Best of luck! How are RKC doing? Cheers! They got relegated, promoted again at the 2nd attempt, and then spent three years finishing in the relegation play offs... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Better than IRL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 Oh yeah, I arrive at the club on the 15th July, with the season set to start in just 19 days - and my very first game is against Ajax. Tasty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Looks like a good decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 Football Club Utrecht Season preview 2018/19 Media expectation: 10th (of 18) Board expectation: achieve a safe, mid-table position Transfer budget (remaining): €215,000 Wage budget: €97,000p/w (€3,000p/w under budget) A very short period to get bedded into the club after my arrival, but the season will wait for no man. This update will be fairly short as I've only just arrived, but here we go. My assistant told me the squad was in reasonable shape, and while I don't entirely trust his judgement, I don't have time this summer for major squad surgery, so I better hope he is right. The board had only made €1.5m available for transfers, and we spent just under €1m of that on winger Said de Jong from Ajax, while Mickael Thiriet joined for €375,000 from KV Mechelen. Winger Peter Van Dijk joined on loan from PSV, as did versatile defender Erik van den Berg, although the former hasn't cost us a penny. We also picked up Vasco Nunes and Sekou Tidiane Angban on free transfers, while I'm still trying to persuade Morgan Boggi to join us, too. There was only one player leaving the club and that was Timothy van den Berg, who joined Go Ahead Eagles for €350,000 before I had arrived at the club. I'm also hoping to get a couple of our youngsters involved, although I suspect this year may be too soon for either of them. Still, both have a huge future at this club: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Great start with having Lagendijk, another swan in the making? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 12 hours ago, deltablue said: Great start with having Lagendijk, another swan in the making? Both of them look quite handy, and I would hope to have both in the first team in two years. I'll keep them at the club this year and let them develop a little, before loaning them out next season, I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 31, 2016 Author Share Posted August 31, 2016 It turns out my transfer window wasn't quite done. Firstly we spent €500,000 on solid central defender Ferry de Regt from VVV, and on transfer deadline day we loaned in PSG youngster Jean Roy for an extra body in midfield. I had tried to bring in the familiar figure of Sondre Tronstad, but I forgot how much of a tool his agent was, so that deal became impossible, despite the two clubs agreeing a fee. C'est la vie. There was also a deal in the backroom staff, with the removal of my assistant. I simply couldn't trust his judgement of our players, so he was given a cool €500,000 and walked away with our best wishes. There was also a few players leaving the club, with midfielder Jordy Zwarthoed joining Lech Poznan for €1.5m, and striker Jip Bartels joining Lierse for €1m. We also loaned out Takagi to RKC just to cut our wage bill, although realistically he has no future with us. August Really pleased with the way the season has started, although I must admit I'm somewhat surprised. Our performance against Ajax was a complete shock (not to mention a great way of getting the fans onside) although the next two games were a little bit of a disappointment performance wise. Now we've hit the international break, I'm hoping a couple of weeks of training will allow us to get up to speed with our training, and so hopefully performances can improve as the season goes on. Still, very satisfied with our start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 TAKAGIIIIII Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 31, 2016 Author Share Posted August 31, 2016 1 hour ago, Deisler26 said: TAKAGIIIIII He got injured on his debut after scoring an own goal... and is out for four months Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted August 31, 2016 Author Share Posted August 31, 2016 September The international break did us a massive favour in allowing the players to become more accustomed to my style of play, and now we seem to be flying. A perfect month, capped off with an outstanding home win against Sparta. I've also agreed deals with all the players whose contracts were running down who I wanted to keep, which became possible when the board made more money for wages available. They've also agreed to spend €2.3m on upgrading our youth facilities. Lovely stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Dutch Shankly doing well in his new job. That pair of youngsters also looks amazing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 1 hour ago, withnail316 said: He got injured on his debut after scoring an own goal... and is out for four months FFS. Sure it isn't Jonathan Woodgate reincarnated?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 October A couple of disappointing results this month, but I can't really fault the performances. We were excellent in the game with AZ, and were it not for a questionable offside decision we would have picked up a point. PSV meanwhile are on fire at the start of the season, but it took two goals in the last 8 minutes for them to beat us in front of a capacity crowd. We were too strong for NAC Breda, and if we can keep this kind of form up we have a chance of being involved in the European race come the end of the season. Speaking of Europe, the board have agreed a deal with PSG to become our new parent club, which could prove fruitful over the next couple of seasons. We've also taken on FC Volendam of the second tier as a feeder club, and I'll be tempted to loan both of our promising youngsters come January. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 7 hours ago, Deisler26 said: FFS. Sure it isn't Jonathan Woodgate reincarnated?? Certainly a Woodgate-type performance. I wonder if I can tempt Tottenham into buying him... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 7 hours ago, noikeee said: Dutch Shankly doing well in his new job. That pair of youngsters also looks amazing. Cheers, really enjoying it at the moment. And yes, high hopes for both of them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 On 9/1/2016 at 02:37, withnail316 said: Certainly a Woodgate-type performance. I wonder if I can tempt Tottenham into buying him... Well if he goes on to net a Wembley winner against Chavski he would be worth every penny they pay. --------------------------------------- Great start with the win against Ajax in your opening game and a good start in overall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 Probably just a coincidence of course, but I've never encountered as many knocks per game as I've had in the Eredivise. An injury in every game so far, and in one game we had four. Mental. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 I don't tend to have that many injuries, but it can get a little rough out there Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 13 minutes ago, Deisler26 said: I don't tend to have that many injuries, but it can get a little rough out there Thankfully nothing is too serious, but I've never seen anything like it. During training we seem to be ok, so maybe it is a tactical thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 22 hours ago, Maw74 said: Well if he goes on to net a Wembley winner against Chavski he would be worth every penny they pay. --------------------------------------- Great start with the win against Ajax in your opening game and a good start in overall. Cheers, man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 November An unbelievably busy month, but bar the last-minute loss to Feyenoord, we've been outstanding. At this stage, only PSV have scored more goals than us, and I'm beginning to think we have a chance of squeezing in to the top 4 this year, which would mean avoiding the European play offs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius1998 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 5 teams separated by 2 points. This is incredible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 December A bit of a rotten month, to be honest. Two poor performances, and while we improved for the game with Ajax, they were just that bit better than us on the day. The board weren't best impressed with us crashing out the cup in the last 16, but all in all they're pretty happy with my first six months at the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 11 hours ago, DB08 said: 5 teams separated by 2 points. This is incredible. Not quite so tight now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 I've been very, very busy in the transfer window, although every deal has been for next season. We've brought in six players on Bosman deals, and all of them are Dutch. Which is nice. This year we've had something of a shortage in midfield, with only two of our own central midfield players who are good enough to stay at the club, as well as Jean Roy who is on loan. We'll have five players to choose from for the heart of midfield next year after signing three midfielders. (Van Dijk has been with us on loan this year, so signing him permanently was an easy decision) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Mmmmmmm, bosmans! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 8 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Mmmmmmm, bosmans! The corner stone of any nutritious breakfast. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 January Just the two games in January, but a much improved month. We were magnificent in the win against Roda, and despite trailing twice in Arnhem we had the character to get something out of the game. We're looking good for a top-6 finish now, although my target is 4th, which would be an exceptional first season in the Eredivisie. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Can't beat RKC! Woooo! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Best of the rest behind Ajax, PSV, AZ and Feyenoord is an excellent season for Utrecht's level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 4 minutes ago, noikeee said: Best of the rest behind Ajax, PSV, AZ and Feyenoord is an excellent season for Utrecht's level. Definitely, and if we can split them, even better! 4th means avoiding the EL domestic play offs too, so that has to be my target. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 February The pattern of recent months continues, meaning we're excellent at home and poor on the road. We've won 6 games away from home in the league, but our last victory was back in November, so I'm trying to make a few tweaks to turn that form around. Fortunately, only three of our last 8 games are away from home, and so hopefully that poor form shouldn't have too much of an impact on our push for Europe next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 March An away win, at long last! A good month for us, and which ensures a 6th place finish at the absolute minimum for us. We've put in three really good performances, although I know we need to tighten up defensively as we shouldn't be conceding three goals in any home game. We have however lost key striker Leon de Kogel to injury for the rest of the season - and probably for any European qualifiers next year, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Looking good for direct Europa League qualification. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 5 hours ago, noikeee said: Looking good for direct Europa League qualification. It's a nice little gap, and with three home games, I'm pretty hopeful we can stay there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Youth intake 2019 A handy bunch, hopefully a couple of them turn into decent players for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius1998 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 de Laet looks quite good already. Slightly on the slower side but in that position, I don't think it will matter too much. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 His excellent OTB will easily make up for any pace issues. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 3 hours ago, BoxToBox said: His excellent OTB will easily make up for any pace issues. The biggest issue is I don't use an AM at the moment. Very much 4-4 f'in 2, so finding a role for him will be a challenge. Still, plenty of time for my system to evolve before he's challenging for a place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Just now, withnail316 said: The biggest issue is I don't use an AM at the moment. Very much 4-4 f'in 2, so finding a role for him will be a challenge. Still, plenty of time for my system to evolve before he's challenging for a place. Won't fit in as one of your CM's? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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