[FM16] Chasing Sir Alex - Season 3: FC Balmazujvaros (Hungary) - Preseason News. We lose a big star...

[yatesiboi37]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum but have written a few stories before on other sites using older versions of Football Manager. I am intending this save to be a rather lengthy one that will take a while (or an eternity) to complete successfully. For this game I have downloaded a number of previously unplayable leagues and plan on managing in at least one of them as the game progresses. I have always enjoyed managing lower league sides and guiding them through to the top levels. For that reason I will be starting this save unemployed and, to make things even more challenging, I plan on starting with no coaching badges and the lowest possible setting for previous experience.

The main aim for my story is centered around the Managerial Hall of Fame. The current leader is Sir Alex Ferguson, the enigmatic Scotsman racked up an amazing score of 5016 points before eventually retiring. It is my aim, starting in unemployed, to chase down and eventually surpass Sir Alex in the Hall of Fame.

I will be allowed to manage anywhere in the world and hopefully my challenge will incorporate a number of different leagues, challenges and continents. Can a new, young manager from London establish himself as one of the greatest in the history of the game? Or, like so many before him, will be struggle to stay atop in a profession so ruthless and cutthroat?

Join me as James Yates chases down Sir Alex!

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THE AIMS:

1. Reach the Worldwide Managerial Hall of Fame:

Current Leader: Sir Alex Ferguson (Score: 5016)

Current 20th: Vanderlei Luxemburgo (Score: 1771)

Current Leader (Hungary): Lajos Baroti (Score: 393)

Current James Yates Score: 91

 

2. Surpass Sir Alex's total of 49 trophies won:

Domestic Division Titles:

• 2016: Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II (Balmazujvaros FC)
• 2017: OTP Bank Liga (Balmazujvaros FC)

Domestic Cup Titles:

Other Club Trophies:

International Team Trophies:

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THE STORY SO FAR:

2015/16 - Balmazujvaros FC (Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II)

• Preseason
• August & September. Current Position: 1st
• October & November. Current Position: 2nd
• December, January & February. (Winter Break)
• March & April. Current Position: 1st
• May. Final Position: 1st
• End of Season Review.

2016/17 - Balmazujvaros FC (OTP Bank Liga)

• Preseason
• July & August. Current Position: 4th
• September & October. Current Position: 4th
• November & December. Current Position: 1st
• January. (Winter Break)
• February & March. Current Position: 2nd
• April & May. Final Position: 1st 
• End of Season Review.

2017/18 - Balmazujvaros FC (OTP Bank Liga)

• Preseason

[harryleechinyeow]

Good luck! Curious to see where u start.

[yatesiboi37]

James Yates will be starting his managerial career with zero coaching badges and no previous experience meaning that the teams genuinely interested in his services at the start of the game were extremely limited. As an unemployed manager I felt the best course of action was to apply for all available jobs which, given the the number of leagues I have loaded up, was close to 100 positions.

My lack of managerial skill meant that a number of teams were reluctant to even invite me to interview. Of the teams that did, most chose to go in a "different direction" but in the end I was able to find a club willing to take a chance on an unproven English manager with lofty ambitions.

Welcome everyone to James Yates' first managerial club. Balmazujvaros FC.

 

 

Club Background:

Balmazujvaros FC are a small, professional club located in the eastern region of Hungary. They are located fairly far away from the countries capital city with the largest nearby settlement being that of Debrecen. The club were only formed in 2011 and have spent the entirety of their existence in the lower realms of Hungarian football. They have never played in the countries top domestic division and have yet to win a meaningful trophy, with their best league finish (8th) coming in 2014.

The club are currently valued at just £120,000 and have a poor reputation, with a star rating of just 1.5.

Facilities:

 

As you can see, our facilities are fairly limited. This is a shame because a few of the other sides in Hungary, even those in our division, have some top of the range amenities.

Balmazujvaros play their home matches at the 2,250 capacity Sportter Utca stadium where the cost of an average ticket is just £2. The stadium itself has no roof, no under soil-heating and is currently in a good condition overall. The pitch itself is grass, which is nice because some lower league European sides play on a synthetic surface, which I have never been a personal fan of.

In terms of our other facilities there is not much else to get excited about. Our professional playing status means we will have some chance at developing players but this will not be helped by our training facilities, which are currently at a below average level. Our youth facilities are equally as poor, meaning we will have a tough time developing youth players. That said, we do have adequate junior coaching and a basic youth recruitment, meaning we could possibly produce some competent youth academy players in the future.

Competitions:

Balmazujvaros will take part in two domestic competitions this season.

The first of these is the Nemzeti Bajnoksag II (NBII). This is essentially the Hungarian Second Division and follows a fairly interesting format. It is a league made up of 16 teams with everyone playing each other twice over the course of the season, leading to a total of 30 matches each.

The relegation format is fairly straightforward, with the three teams who finish at the bottom of the table suffering direct relegation to the lower realms of Hungarian football. The promotion system is equally simplistic, with the league champion and the team who finish second earning promotion to the Hungarian top tier.

In terms of player rules the matchday squad is only allowed a maximum of 3 non-EU players and must contain a minimum of 2 Hungarian players under the age of 21, in an effort to develop homegrown players I assume. This should not be too much of a problem for me as I doubt I will be able to attract too many foreign stars.

The second competition that we will participate in is the Magyar Kupa. This is the only Hungarian cup competition and follows a fairly standard domestic cup format, with knockout games played over one leg, with the winner progressing to the next round. As far as I am aware, the early rounds have no replays, so tied games will result in extra time and penalties but games in the later stages appear to be played over two legs, with the aggregate winner progressing.

Hungarian Football:

Domestically the best sides in Hungary are Debrecen, Videoton, Ujpest and Ferencvaros; with the latter being the most successful team in Hungary, having won the top division a record 28 times. Debrecen are the wealthiest club in Hungary, currently valued at £4.5 million.

The international scene has been fairly average for a few seasons now. The international side are currently ranked 38^th in the world rankings, just behind Sweden, Senegal and Poland. In the past they have been competitive on the international scene but they have not reached an international final for well over 30 years. They are currently competing in the UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers in-game but things are not going well and they find themselves bottom of their group, with just three points from their first six games.

The most famous members of the current national team squad include Balasz Dzsudzsak (Bursapor), Adam Szalai (Hoffenheim), Daniel Toszer (QPR) and Adam Bogdan (Liverpool).

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That concludes our introduction to Balmazujvaros and to Hungary in general. Sir Alex's first job in management was at East Stirlingshire FC, where he remained for just a single season before moving on. Will James Yates' first managerial employment, in the lower level of Hungary, last for a single season similarly to Sir Alex? Or will Yates develop Balmazujvaros into a Hungarian powerhouse?

[ManUtd1]

Ooh -- good luck in Hungary. My journey will take me there with the national team at some point!

[yatesiboi37]

Good luck! Curious to see where u start.

Thanks for your comment. I hope Hungary is a sufficient starting nation?

Ooh -- good luck in Hungary. My journey will take me there with the national team at some point!

Thanks ManUtd! I have never managed here before so I am looking forward to it. Will be interesting to see how challenging the division is as it is not as reputable as I thought it would have been.

[deltablue]

Have fun in Hungary. I did with Vasas at the start of my own FM16 career.

[yatesiboi37]

Update 1: Preseason 2015

Hello all. This will be my very first update as manager of Balmazujvaros. I want to include quite a bit of detail in each update, as I want any readers to get a real sense of the club, the players, the staff and my tactical approach. I am considering doing updates every two/three months. This update itself will include everything that has happened during my first preseason in management and, as you can see below, it was a very hectic one.

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BOARD ROOM:

The president of Balmazujvaros is a man named Istvan Tiba. He was the guy willing to take a punt on a little known manager from England and, so far, I am beginning to like him a fair amount. Not only did he give me my first managerial job but he has been very fair with my budgets for the season:

• Transfer Budget: £1,750
• Wage Budget: £4,750 per week

I am sure many of you will see those figures and think I am crazy for being happy. In fairness I am not really sure why they bothered giving me any transfer budget but I was never going to need much, as I was always going to focus on free agents more than signing players from other teams. The wage budget should be enough to keep me interested this year and hopefully I will be able to attract some decent players currently out of contract.

Board Objectives (2015/16)

Nemzeti Bajnoksag II – Mid-table Finish
Magyar Kupa – Reach the 3^rd Round
 

CLUB STAFF:

 

 

I was the only English member of the club's staff upon arrival, with everyone else hailing from Hungary. The backroom I inherited was not very talented so I decided to bring in some of my own staff members.

I struggled to find a new assistant manager but eventually settled upon Olly Ford. The 31 year old Englishman is young but joins us having spent the past few seasons with AFC Wimbledon working in a variety of roles.

We signed three coaches; Tim Dittmer (GK), Csaba Ferenczi (Fitness) and Zsolt Lakatos (General). Dittmer is the only other English staff member we have and he will be in charge of training our keepers. He is a very talented coach, with a 15 rating for his goalkeeping coaching and he spent the past three seasons coaching the Mancheter City U18 squad. Ferenczi is a fairly poor local fitness coach but the best one I could find. Lakatos is also Hungarian but a bit more talented. He has well-rounded attributes and will be asked to cover a number of coaching assignments.

We also picked up a Head of Youth Development, 47 year old Arpad Soos, who hopefully can attract some talented local youngsters.

We signed a pair of scouts, Balasz Nagy and Attila Novothny. Both Hungarian nationals are not very talented but had enough knowledge of the country to provide me with some much needed insight into the local free agents.

TRANSFERS:

I will not show the 'out' transfers for this as it was merely me releasing a number of players who I deemed surplus to requirements. In terms of bringing players to the club though, I have been fairly busy...

A fairly impressive eleven players joined the club this summer as I picked up players that would fit the system I wished to implement.

I picked up a few players with a view to the future or to fill out the squad depth. The most exciting of these is Daniel Sarossy (17). I was able to offer a contract to the youngster but his club, Budaors, offered him to me for free. He is an attacking midfielder who already has very good physical attributes and some well-developed mental ones. He should get some game time this season as I look to develop him into a future star. In addition I picked up a forward, Edvin Hegedus (19) from a Hungarian amateur side. The youngster has good potential and will serve as a back-up this season. I also signed David Summerfield (19), an English attacking midfielder who recently left MK Dons. Finally I got a young Hungarian keeper from an amateur side, David Gerhat (21). He will likely be third choice this year but I felt we needed a third keeper in the squad.

The rest of the signings will all be heavily involved in the first team this season. My scouts did a great job of finding some Hungarian talents and I was able to pick up two experienced veterans for my defensive unit. Istvan Bank (33) is a central defender who has spent his entire playing career in the Hungarian top division. He is still very talented and should do well at this level. I also signed Zsolt Makra (33) from a Hungarian amateur side. The left-back will compete for a starting spot and his attacking-mindedness will suit our system perfectly.

I signed a pair of attacking European players to boost our strike force. Firstly I picked up Nikola Kordolup (25). The Serbian attacking midfielder has bounced around a few clubs and only played 45 competitive games in his career. Despite this lack of experience he is very well-rounded in terms of attributes, with every mental one being at least a 10. In addition I picked up a new forward in Ivan Somov (24). The Ukrainian striker has good finishing, heading and dribbling so should be an all-round threat this year. He is another one who is unproven, netting just 11 times in his 71 matches in the Ukrainian lower divisions.

For the final three signings I went further afield. Ivan De La Sierra (28) is a dead-ball specialist from Uruguay. He will slot into central midfield but will be in charge of corners, freekicks and penalties this year.

I have saved my two most exciting signings for last. Reinhard Brienburg (31) is an Aruban central defender. He was born in the Netherlands, spending his entire career in the domestic second division, but he recently declared for Aruba and became a full international. He is very talented, with strong mental attributes and a solid set of defensive ones, including 15 tackling. Finally, the player on the highest wage at the club, Joseph Cudjoe (19). Despite his age, the Ghanaian central midfielder is already one of the best players at the club, with the potential to become a league superstar. He has a superb set of physical attributes and his work rate of 16 should serve him well in the middle of the park.

THE SQUAD:

Goalkeepers and Defenders:

We have three keepers on the books this season, all Hungarian nationals. Our prime shot stopper is Laszlo Horvath (27) and he is fairly good for this level. Behind him we have Tamas Gaszi (20), a youngster with decent potential. He will be our second choice this season as having him in the matchday squad helps hit the rule of requiring two U21 Hungarians. The final stopper is the newly acquired David Gerhat (21).

At right fullback we have Csaba Vachtler (22) and Tibor Bokros (25). Both are fairly evenly matached in terms of skills but the difference is their tendencies. Vachtler is more attacking minded and therefore we likely start in the season in the first XI. It is nice to have thje option of Bokros though and I am sure he will see sufficient playing time.

We have an equally competitive situation at left fullback. Newly signed Zsolt Makra (33) is the most talented but Adam Nemeth (27) and Aladar Viragh (32) will both push him hard. Should Makra not play up to the standard I hope, look for one of the back-ups to step-up immediately.

The central defensive position holds a lot of experience. Newly signed Reinhard Breinburg (31) and Istvan Bank (33) will form an aging partnership to start the season. Behind them, options are pretty limited. Zsolt Pataki (20) is a youngster who will serve as a reasonable back-up if needed but if not we will have to rely on Tibor Bokros filling in from rightback or Lazlo Kiss (30) who is predominately a defensive midfielder.

Midfielders:

The lack of wingers when I arrived means we will be employing a formation that does not need them. We will need central midfield depth this season and we certainly have that. Our two new signings, Joseph Cudjoe (19) and Ivan De La Sierra (28) will likely slot into the starting line-up. Alongside them we have Hungarian Bence Bakos (26), probably the best player I inherited from the previous regime.

The depth at this position is extremely impressive. We have two quality back-ups in Hungarian Mark Konya (26) and Romanian Miklos Belenyesi (32). Konya is a very attacking option whilst Belenysi is more of a workhorse midfielder who will be used to win back possession and hurry opponents. In addition we also have Yuriy Vischak (20), a youngster who may find it difficult to crack the rotation with so much talent ahead of him.

Attackers:

 

Our attacking midfielder depth is not amazing. We have the newly signed Nikola Kordolup (25) as the main option and then the youngster Daniel Sarossy (17) behind him but other than that there is not a lot. Will Summerfield (19) will provide some depth but he is not very talented. Ivan De La Sierra and Mark Konya can fill in in this position if needs be.

Our forwards are relatively the same, good starting players but then thin depth afterwards. The newly acquired Ivan Somov (24) will lead the line this season alongside Hungarian poacher Adam Fekete (27) who was at the club when I joined. Behind them we have the newly signed Edvin Hegedus (19) and Romanian Ervin Zsiga (23), but the latter is more suited to playing on the wing and the former is very unproven, having not made a professional debut yet.

I shall definitely look to strengthen this position with some players, even if they are youngsters because at the moment I am worried. A few injures and things could go badly wrong for us.

TACTICS:

This is the tactic I will be using at the start of the season. Our lack of wingers meant I choose I fairly narrow formation, hopefully exploiting our talent in the central midfield position.

The width in this tactic will be provided by my fullbacks who will be asked to push forward whenever possible. In order to ensure that we do not get overrun in defence, my midfield trio is fairly defensive-minded and will be asked to help out the two centrebacks. They will look for the overlap whever possible and then the fullbacks will have three options (AM and two forwards) to aim at in the middle

We will likely be using a control mentality and a fluid shape most of the time, with the following team instructions:

• Fairly Wide Width
• Exploit the Middle
• Look for Overlap
• Pass into Space
• Roam from Positions

RESULTS:

W = 4, D = 2, L = 2

We had a fairly good preseason and the players seemed to adapt well to the tactic. We managed to cram in a number of fixtures and avoid any major injuries so we should be hitting the ground running with regards to the first league fixture. We failed to score loads of goals but our front two players gelled well. Adam Fekete and Ivan Somov netted seven goals between them in the eight fixtures. In addition, our defensive strength really shone through. Laszlo Horvath (GK), Reinhard Breinburg and Istvan Bank have formed a very solid trio at the back.

Our best result of the preseason was a 1-0 victory over Honved of the Hungarian First Division!

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So that concludes my first preseason in football management. I am happy with the squad I have assembled but have absolutely no idea what to expect from the Hungarian Second Division. I am hoping to achieve a respectable mid-table position and avoid relegation in the league. Will my aging backline be able to survive the rigors of an entire season? Will my unproven attacking unit be able to produce the goods when required?

Come back soon for an update covering the first few months of the season! Hope you are all enjoying this so far.

 

[tyler16]

Very well laid out, keep it up.

Interesting league too!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Maybe you should subtitle this Hungary for Success.

[yatesiboi37]

Very well laid out, keep it up.

Interesting league too!

Thanks Tyler. I have never managed in Hungary, so I am looking forward to a new challenge!

Maybe you should subtitle this Hungary for Success.

Haha. Love that Nobby! Is there anyway I can change the thread title? I am new around here and assumed I would be able to but cannot find anywhere to do it...

[yatesiboi37]

Update 2: August & September

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: Nemzeti Bajnoksag II

The preseason was a very busy period for James Yates. The 30 year old English manager is starting out in the fairly un-reputable realms of the Hungarian lower divisions with grand ambitions of eventually becoming the most successful manager in the history of the game, ultimately surpassing Sir Alex Ferguson in the Managerial Hall of Fame.

I felt that the preseason went pretty well and although many new faces had joined the team, I was happy with the strength and depth of the squad I had assembled. Our success would depend on how quickly all the new faces could gel with one another.

This update will cover the results, statistics, league standings and any other important business from James Yates’ first two months in management. Will Balmazujvaros be able to surpass the media’s expectations of a relegation battle?

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Before we kick this update off I must highlight this piece of surprising news. Having only just joined the club, experienced centreback Istvan Bank decided to retire from football completely. I asked him to wait until the end of the season but he decided he wanted to hang up his boots immediately. He ended up making two league appearances for us but after that he was gone.

With his departure I desperately scrambled around trying to find a new central defender to sign before the transfer window closed. In the end I opted for Nicolas Gonzalez.

The 22 year old Argentinian was actually offered to be by a football agent and, surprisingly, he turned out to be pretty decent. I signed him up on a fairly respectable contract but having missed the whole of preseason, his match sharpness was horrific and it would take him a while to get up to speed.

Nemzeti Bainoksag II RESULTS:

W= 7, D= 1, L= 1

What an incredible start to life in Hungary! Not only were our results fantastic but we were very enjoyable to watch from a spectator point of view.

We kicked off the season in the best possible style, smashing Csakvar 3-0 at home. We then went on to replicate the result away from home with a victory over Soroksar. Our amazing form continued with a pair of home victories in our next two games, including a 6-2 thumping of ZTE.

We failed to win our next two games though as we hit a slight slump. We battled out a 1-1 draw away to Budaors before slipping to an extremely embarrassing defeat to Szolnok, who were struggling near the foot of the table when we played them.

We finished September in fine form though, romping to three straight victories including a superb 4-1 win away to 3^rd placed Vac.

During this two month spell we found the net consistently. We scored in every single fixture bar one and finished the nine games with a very impressive 24 goals scored. In contrast, our defence unit was very solid for the most part. We were able to keep three clean sheets and conceded just 10 times across the nine matches.

Key Games:

1) Balmazujvaros 3-0 Csakvar

I could not have asked for a better start to life in football management. Csakvar are not one of the strongest division opponents in terms of talent but they were still going to be a test in my first ever game.

Right from the outset though we created chances freely. The players really adapted to the system well over the course of the preseason and the front three have gelled magnificently, highlighted by their performances in this game.

Adam Fekete, one of the few players to maintain his place in the first XI following all my new signings, got our season off to a fast start. The poacher latched onto a superb cross from the right wing, tucking home a neat finish at the far post. We doubled our advantage just before half-time when Nikola Kordolup sliced open the Csakvar defence with a brilliant throughball. Ivan Somov latched onto the pass a coolly placed his shot past the onrushing keeper.

Kordolup capped off a superb debut ten minutes after the interval. The Serbian attacker was first to react following a Somov header striking the bar and he tapped home an easy finish from close range. We never looked like conceding and Lazslo Horvath had very little to do in goal. It really was a brilliant performance to start the year and one I was very proud of.

2) Balmazujvaros 6-2 ZTE

One of the most incredible games I have ever witnessed on FM. ZTE were sitting in the lower half of the league but this fixture was by no means supposed to be so one-sided. In fact, the first half was a very closely contested affair with both sides struggling to break down disciplined defensive units.

The second half however… wow. Probably the best 45 minutes of football ever? Adam Fekete continued his brilliant start to the season with five individual goals, including a hattrick within 25 minutes. I will be writing forever if I describe every goal but he scored two with his right foot (including one volley), one with his left and a pair of headers. Ivan Somov, who had supplied the passes for two of Fekete’s goals, also managed to get his name on the scoresheet with an outrageous long range shot (which would go on to win Goal of the Month).

We did concede twice in this one, the first goals we let in this season but who cares. When you score six times I can hardly have any complaints.

Magyar Kupa RESULTS:

Round 1:

The first round of the Magyar Kupa saw us drawn against lower league side Dabas (do not ask me what happened to their badge – but I assume it is not like that in real life). The board were expecting us to cruise through to the fourth round and we battled through this one thanks again to an Adam Fekete strike.

Dabas put up a god fight against a weakened side. I had rested a number of individuals due to our superb league start and not wanting to lose momentum in the NB II. In the end, the only goal came courtesy of a horrific back pass. The Dabas’ left fullback sold his keeper very short and Fekete pounced, rounded the stranded goalie and tapped home an easy finish. Dabas created some decent chances in the second half but in the end we were able to hold out.

Round 2:

Round 2 saw us handed one of the most difficult draws in the entire cup. Most sides at this stage were still getting drawn against non-league opposition but unfortunately for us we were pitted against Haladas from the Hungarian top division.

Amazingly, despite me resting players yet again, we were very very competitive. We created a number of decent chances and edged possession overall. Our best opportunity came in the 65^th minute when an Ivan De La Sierra freekick thundered against the crossbar with the keeper well beaten. In the end, it looked as though the tie would progress to extra time but we ran out of steam in the closing stages and twice in stoppage time to send us to a rather cruel defeat.

The board were not best pleased with us crashing out at this stage but we were given a tough draw and now can focus fully on the league, which so far has been a resounding success.

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Our outrageously good league form has seen a number of players put together some very impressive individual performances and means we currently have 11 players with an average rating above 7.0.

Our star performer thus far has been the newly signed Ivan Somov (8.01). Through his first 10 games for the club he has netted 12 times, provided three assists and collected three Player of the Match Awards. The Ukrainian has settled in really well and already looks to be too talented for this division.

Our defensive unit has been fairly efficient through the first two months and this is reflected in some decent individual performances. Our fullbacks have played extremely well with Csaba Vachtler (7.48) being the standout. The young Hungarian has collected five assists in his nine games whilst alos racking up 21 key passes, which for a defender is remarkable. On the left, Adam Nemeth (7.38) played extremely well prior to an injury but he was adequately replaced by Zsolt Makra (7.13). In the centre of defence, Reinhard Breinburg (7.33) has been fantastic. The Aruban international averages 3.60 tackles/game and has racked up a team high 137 interceptions in his 10 appearances. Alongside him, newly signed Nicolas Gonzalez (6.91) has played okay but there is still room for improvemtn for the young Argentinian.

Our midfield has been excellent. Ivan De La Sierra (7.62) has been amazing, with the Uruguayan netting twice, notching 39 key passes and generally providing a superb link between the defence and attack. Alongside him, Bence Bakos (7.35) and Joseph Cudjoe (7.21) have played like the workhorses I have required them to be. Bakos has covered 13.3km/game, the most distance per game of any player in the squad. Cudjoe has formed a solid rock in front of the back four. The young Ghanaian averages 3.61 tackles/game and has collected 37 interceptions, both highs for midfield players. In addition, his pass completion percentage of 83% is the best in the side. Mark Konya (7.03) has provided a very adequate fourth midfield option and has appeared in seven games thus far.

Our front three have been amazing. Alongside Somov, Adam Fekete (7.40) has developed into a dependable second striker and has netted eight times in his ten appearances. The play of our two forwards has been superbly enhanced by the performances of Nikola Kordolup (7.41) in his attacking midfield role. The Serbian has collected four assists, netted two goals and racked up a team high 43 key passes in just nine games.

LEAGUE TABLE:

Our incredible start to the season means we finish September atop the division. Our lead is only two points but we collected 22 points from a possible 27, so I have got to be pretty pleased with that. We are yet to play a number of our top half rivals, including a very impressive Gyirmot side who have absolutely demolished some teams this season. Vac were also hot on our tail until we beat them comfortably in the last game of September. The league itself is pretty tight, with just seven points separating ourselves and seventh placed Dunaujvaros.

We are 16 points ahead of the relegation zone so, barring any drastic failures, we should be able to stay clear of that for this season at a minimum.

Our goal difference (+14) is the best in the league and would have been better had we not got smashed 4-0 against Szolnok, who themselves sit in 11^th. Still not sure how we lost so badly to them…

OTHER NEWS:

Amazingly, we had stayed fairly injury free throughout the first month of the season but we suffered a big loss at the end of September when Adam Nemeth, who had been my first choice at left fullback, when down with a sprained ankle. The physio reckons he will miss a further two months and it is likely now that we will not see him on the field until after the winter break. A shame for a player who had broken into the first team. Luckily, for the team, we have sufficient depth at the position so it should not affect us too much.

Adam Fekete’s outrageous game against ZTE shall now hopefully be remembered for some time to come as he set a new record for goals in a game, both for Balmazujvaros FC and for the Nemzeti Bainoksag II as a whole.

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So that concludes my first update from life at Balmazujvaros. We have started the season in a very positive style and if we are able to maintain our current form throughout the campaign it would seem as though we will be competing for a league title or a promotion place. Saying that, it is still very early on in the season and the tightness of the league means a poor run of form could see us tumble back down the table.

I hope you are all still enjoying my story. Please do leave any comments, thoughts or suggestions that you wish to. Feedback is always appreciated!

 

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0

[deltablue]

Haha. Love that Nobby! Is there anyway I can change the thread title? I am new around here and assumed I would be able to but cannot find anywhere to do it...

You get me to do it, and I've just done so. No doubt when you move on you'll want me to do it again

[Nobby_McDonald]

At least I amuse somebody!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 3: October & November 2015

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: Nemzeti Bajnoksag II

We had started the year in fantastic form and, despite the media predicting a relegation struggle, we found ourselves atop the Hungarian Second Division following the first two months of the season. James Yates had made a number of new signings at Balmazujvaros and almost all of them had had a positive impact through the initial slate of games. 

We had managed to avoid the top level opposition at the start of the year, with the fixture scheduling offering us a fairly simply start, so it would be interesting to see how we got on against some of the better standard teams prior to the winter break. 

This update will cover the results, statistics, league standings and other important information from the months of October and November. Will James Yates be able to keep his side on track for an unlikely promotion or title challenge in his first season of football management?

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Nemzeti Bajnoksag II RESULTS:

W=3, D=1, L=2

Not quite as spectacular as our first two months but a pretty solid six games. There was definitely a slight drop off in our overall form and teams begun to counter my tactic very effectively which made things difficult. 

We started October in terrible fashion with a pair of away defeats against mid-table opposition. We were truly terrible in both these fixtures, barely creating any chances and looking very vulnerable in defence. We turned things around though after a two week break and went on to record three consecutive victories. We started with a solid home win against a struggling Szigetszentmiklos side before recording a vital win against Soproni VSE (who were 4th when we played them). We dominated against Siofok but could only manage a 2-1 victory as our finishing again let us down. We finished November with a 1-1 draw away from home against a strong Gyirmot side, who you may remember were challenging us for the top spot in the last update. 

Our defensive unit performed pretty well through these two months bar the opening game against Mezokovesd, which was surprising considering Reinhard Breinburg missed a few games due to international commitments. We did only manage one clean sheet though, conceding seven goals in our six matches. In attack is where we really faltered. We had been outstanding through the first two months of the season, netting on regular occasions but here our finishing really was a let down. We created chances throughout the month but converting them was another matter. We finished the six games scoring just seven goals , which is going to need to be improved if we wish to still push for promotion after the winter break. 

Key Games:

1) Balmazujvaros 2-1 Soproni VSE

We went into this game against Soproni on the back of some pretty poor form and I knew the 4th placed side were going to be a real test for our struggling squad. I had to try and get a result with an important two games coming up before the winter break began. 

Luckily for us we had a very fortunate start. 12 minutes into the game, Ivan De La Sierra whipped a freekick from the left into the box. Nicolas Gonzalez jumped for a header but was adjudged by the referee to have been pushed in the process. Replays suggested it was a pretty harsh decision against the unfortunate Soproni defender but I did not care; with the form we had been in we needed some luck. De La Sierra, the Uruguayan dead-ball specialist, subsequently rattled home a powerful spot kick to give us an early lead. 

The remainder of the first period saw us create a number of decent chances but yet again our finishing was a big let down. The front two of Adam Fekete and Ivan Somov, who had been so prolific early in the season, struggled to hit the target on a number of occasions. In the end I knew all this missed chances would come back to haunt us and with just twenty minutes left to play I was proved right. Some poor marking at a Soproni corner allowed Balasz Batizi-Pocsi to head home an easy header and mean we were staring at a disappointing draw. 

Just when things looked to be fizzling out we won a corner of our own. Despite De La Sierra's set-piece expertise, we were yet to score from a cornerkick this season at this point but what a great time it was to change that. Another superb delivery from the Uruguayan saw Nicolas Gonzalez flick a delicate header at the near post passed a stranded Soproni goalkeeper.

Although the overall team performance was not the greatest, securing three points was very important and the win seemed to spark the players to life as the final two performances of November were much improved. 

2) Gyirmot 1-1 Balmazujvaros

On paper, Gyirmot are the strongest side in our division and the performances they had put in at the start of the year proved that. Like ourselves though, they went into this fixture in a slight form dip so although I knew this was going to be a very difficult test, I believed we would be up for it. 

I tweaked the tactic slightly and set us up to play on the counter and boy did things go well. We attacked with pace and caused a number of problems for a very well structured Gyirmot defence. Like in the Soproni game though we really struggled with finishing our chances, the closest we came to scoring was a long range strike from Ivan De La Sierra which cannoned back off the crossbar. 

I was happy to get into halftime level but I could not help but think what might have been had we taken one or two of our chances. The second period saw me introduce Adam Fekete from the bench, the Hungarian had failed to score in all five games prior to this one so had been dropped from the starting eleven as I looked for goals. He immediately starting causing Gyirmot problems and begun linking with Ivan Somov similarly to how he had been at the start of the year. In the end, our pressure finally told when Fekete latched onto a superb Nikola Kordolup through-ball and rifled a right footed finish past the keeper at his near post. 

Unfortunately for us the goal seemed to spark Gyirmot into life and they almost equalised instantly from the kickoff, only denied by a brilliant near post save from Laszlo Horvath. They keep coming but we kept denying them and just as though it looked like we might hold on the goal came. A long range effort, from around 30 yards, was only parried away by Horvath in goal and Patrik Vass, Gyirmot's highly rated youngster, pounced first to tap home the rebound. 

It was a devastating way to concede but we played much better and I would have taken a point away from home against a very strong side at the start of the day. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Our slight drop in league form means that a number of our players individual ratings have fallen over the course of the season. In fairness, we were never going to be able to maintain such a high standard but we still have ten players with an average rating of 7.0 or higher which is pretty impressive. 

The top rated player is still Ivan Somov (7.53) but he has had a big drop off in form. The young Ukrainian managed just one goal in his six games over this two months whilst his shooting accuracy dropped from 55% to 44%. Still, his total of 13 goals scored in 16 appearances is pretty handy and he is easily the clubs top scorer. 

Our defensive unit has played fairly consistently and that is reflected in their ratings. Our best player here is still Csaba Vachtler (7.41). The right fullback has put together a team high six assists during his 13 games and has proved a reliable threat going forwards. Reinhard Breinburg (7.30) has been ever present barring the games missed due to international commitments but the man from Aruba has played magnificently. He leads the team with 225 interceptions and also boasts a tackle success rate of an amazing 95%. Zsolt Makra (7.10) has filled in admirably whilst Adam Nemeth has been injured. The experienced left fullback has become a true attacking threat, notching 33 key passes in his 11 games, a good number for a defender. Elsewhere, Nicolas Gonzalez (6.98) has played okay and goalkeeper Laszlo Horvath (6.91) has done very little wrong. 

In midfield Ivan De La Sierra (7.48) continues to lead the way in terms of ratings. The Uruguayan was one of few players who had a really good month and he now has four goals to go alongside his two assists, 58 key passes and three Player of the Match Awards. Bence Bakos (7.29) continues to put in solid performances without ever doing anyting spectacular. The Hungarian is an all round midfielder, racking up 57 key passes whilst also averaging 3.07 tackles/game. Joseph Cudjoe (7.08) has also played relatively well. The young Ghanaian is one of the best passers in the side and that is highlighted by his team-high pass completion of 83%. Mark Konya (6.99) has played in ten games and provided a very reliable fourth option in the centre of the park. 

In attack, Adam Fekete (7.26) struggled, managing just one goal but he now has nine total in 15 games this year. Nikola Kordolup (7.17) also saw a big drop off in form but the Serbian attacker has managed to register five assists alongside a team high 63 key passes, proving we are creating chances just not taking them!

LEAGUE TABLE:

So we lose out on the top spot but not to a side I expected. Csakvar were down in 5th position at the start of October but a tremendous run of form has seen them fly to the top of the table. This is the same side we beat comfortably 3-0 on the opening day of the season but seemingly they have turned things around since then. We actually managed to extend our advantage over Gyirmot by a couple of points following the last update, so find ourselves in 2nd place, four points clear. The league itself is still super tight, with just 10 points separating the top side and 8th placed Vac. 

Despite our relatively poor run of goal-scoring form through the past two months we still lead the league in total goals scored (31) and overall goal difference (+14). I thought our defensive unit had played pretty solidly throughout the entire season but as of now we have conceded 17 goals, the joint 6th best record in the league. 

OTHER NEWS:

Not a great deal else happened during these two months. We stayed injury free which was pleasing but there was not any exciting news bits to report. Instead I will take this time to show off my manager stats, which as you can see below are pretty darn poor. 

Looking over this again I really am shocked anyone wanted to interview me! Still, I tried to ask the board to allow me to go on a coaching course but they refused, stating that they did not want me improving my skills too much and then leaving the club for a bigger or better job! Crazy. 

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So that concludes my second full update of life in Hungary. A slight dip in form means we have dropped off the top spot in the division but we still have time to push for a promotion challenge, which in my first season of football management, would be really amazing. Sir Alex Ferguson failed to win any silverware in his first year of football management so if i could (and it is a big ask) steer us back to the top of the division and win the league I would be ahead of my aim already! 

We are now on a winter break, with league fixtures starting up again in February. I will post an update soon covering all the news from over the course of the break, which I believe will also include my first youth intake. 

I hope you guys are enjoying the story, the layout and the formatting. I apologise for the length of time between updates but I was actually on a real life holiday this past week, so obviously no time for FM. 

Season 1:
Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0

[yatesiboi37]

Update 4: Winter Break 2015/16 (December, January & February)

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: Nemzeti Bajnoksag II

The NB II, as with most European leagues, has a winter break that runs through December until February. The break saw the players given an extended holiday and also saw the re-opening of the Hungarian transfer window. This update will be fairly brief but will cover all the news from the three month lay-off, including transfers, youth intake and friendly performances. 

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TRANSFERS:

(Out)

Two players departed the club during the window, both of whom were deemed surplus to requirements. 

The most notable departure was that of Aldair Viragh. The 32 year old left fullback had become frustrated with his lack of playing time but ultimately he had wound up becoming my third choice leftback behind the impressive duo of Adam Nemeth and Zsolt Makra. The veteran was happy to leave but I was unable to find a buyer for his services so instead he was released on a free. 

Yuriy Vischak had made zero first team appearances this season, mainly due to the talented depth at the central midfield position. Although he seemed quite content in his back-up role I was able to shift him on to Naftovyk-Ukrnafta in the Ukrainian second tier, clearing a small portion of the wage bill. 

(In)

Three players joined the club, two for the future and one as a last minute desperation signing. 

Firstly we picked up two young defenders in English left fullback Gideon Okito (18) and Ukrainian central defender Anatoily Tsvetoshenko (18). Both have very good potential and will get plenty of playing time and experience in the U19 squad this season and next as I look to develop them. Okito is yet to have made his professional debut having come through the youth academy of MK Dons. He is the second player I have signed who originates from that team, having picked up Will Summerfield in the summer window. Tsvetoshenko is also yet to make a first professional appearance, having played solely in the youth team of his parent club Zorya, of the Ukrainian top division. 

Finally we signed another defender, Croatian Vinko Buden (30). Buden was signed very late in the transfer window and I grabbed him due to a pretty severe injury suffered to one of our first teamers (more on that later). Buden was the best available option in my opinion and offers something a little different at the position. He has a very good rating for passing  and has a preferred move of tries killer balls often. He will be used as a ball playing defender, a role I have very little experience with using but it will make for some interesting viewing. Buden has had quite a journeyman career, spending time at nine different clubs in six different countries; his latest job being with Ceahlaul in the Romanian Liga I. 

RESULTS:

W = 5, D = 1, L = 0

We played a fairly poor standard of opposition during this run of friendlies prior to the winter break but I mainly wanted to use these games to boost the players conditioning and match sharpness, which I did effectively. We did pick up some very good results along the way however, including victories over Soroksar (from our division) and against FC Bihor of the Romanian Liga II. The one game we drew was against Slovakian seond division outfit Dolny Kubin, with our other three wins coming against lower level Hungarian sides. 

YOUTH INTAKE:

Reading through all the youth stories on this forum had got me excited for my first youth intake but unfortunately it was not quite as impressive as I had hoped. All the players who my Head of Youth Development found are from the town of Balmazujvaros, so all of these guys are local lads. Our facilities are not very good so in truth I was not expecting much but it appears we have two players who could have the potential to play for the club at some point in the future, which is beneficial given that the league rules require the matchday squad to have three Hungarian U21 players in it. 

Of all the youngsters, the most exciting prospect is Richard Pekar. The young striker is only 5'8" tall but, in my opinion, can be trained in the poacher role which we have used effectively in our tactical system this year. He has very good first touch and finishing for a 16 year old and he has fairly good physical attributes for his position, especially his acceleration and pace. He will need to improve his mental side, especially his composure and concentration but he already has good teamwork and determination which is positive. 

He currently has a balanced personality, which is not too bad but I will try and find him a tutor to turn that into a more positive one. 

The second youngster who may have a future at the club is Vilmos Papp. The right fullback has a lot more work to do that Pekar but he has the potential to become a good player for our club. The most positive thing about him is his speed; with a high rating for acceleration, natural fitness and pace. I ask my fullbacks to do a lot of running up and down the wings and it would appear Papp should be able to cope just fine with that workload. Where he does need to improve though is with his technical skills. He has a decent rating for tackling but his marking and crossing both are pretty poor. 

He does have a fairly professional personality though, so with a bit of hard work we could see some improvements over time. 

OTHER NEWS:

The winter break saw us suffer two major injuries, both of which will likely effect our first team line-up somewhat.

The first man to go down was club captain Laszlo Horvath. The first choice keeper suffered a twisted ankle in training at the start of January and went on to miss the entire friendly schedule. It is likely that he will be back in time for the opening league fixture but his fitness is going to be nowhere near where I want it to be. 

The biggest injury we suffered however was to star central defender Reinhard Breinburg. The Aruban international had been a rock at the heart of our defence this season and his loss will be a big blow, one that sparked the signing of Vinko Buden in February. Breinburg suffered a broken foot and he will miss around five months of action, meaning he will not return for us this year and could be a doubt for the start of next year. It is a big shame for a player nearing the end of his career and it remains to be seen whether he can make a successful recovery. 

On a more positive note, having denied me the opportunity to study for a course earlier in the season, the board decided that I was now allowed to start work for my first ever coaching badge. It will be important to collect badges as quickly as possible if I am to hope for better job prospects in the future. 

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That concludes my mid-season update. I will have another coming out fairly soon hopefully covering my return to league action and pursuit of a promotion spot. 

I hope you guys are all enjoying this story. I have a very distinct chance of attaining some silverware this season, which would set me up nicely in my pursuit of Sir Alex Ferguson. It remains to be seen how big a loss Reinhard Breinburg will be though as he had been outstanding at the back! Find out how we get on without him soon.

[yatesiboi37]

Update 5: March & April 2016

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: Nemzeti Bajnoksag II

The winter break was now over and it was back to league football for James Yates' Hungarian side. Not a great deal of business had been conducted over the winter months but a few new youngsters and an experienced central defender had joined the club. 

These next two months would see Yates' side contend a number of league games and I knew we would have to be in exceptional form if we were to continue our challenge for promotion. To make matters worth we would have to get by without the services of experienced central defender Reinhard Breinburg, who suffered a devastating training injury in the last update.

Still, this update will cover all the results, player statistics, league standings and other information from our return to league football. Will James Yates be able to steer his side ever closer towards an unlikely promotion in their first season?

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Nemzeti Bajnoksag II RESULTS:

W = 7, D = 3, L = 1

A pretty decent run of form following the winter break sees us collect seven wins in our 11 fixtures. We definitely found things more difficult but we managed to scrape some good results.

We kicked off the end of February with a very challenging tie against top of the table Csakvar, which we romped through with a 3-0 victory. We mirrored the result the following week against a fairly poor ZTE side. We inexplicably then dropped points at home to bottom of the table Soroksar, before rebounding with three victories on the trot. This run was ended when we were beaten by Szolnok, for the second time this year (they clearly have worked out how to counter my tactic). Our last four games saw us play out two boring 0-0 draws at home, and collect two wins against Kisvarda and Mezokovesd respectively. 

Despite the loss of Reinhard Breinburg our defensive unit was fantastic. During these 11 fixtures we managed to keep six clean sheets and only conceded seven goals, a stupendously good record of less than one per game. Yet again though however, our finishing greatly let us down. March was good; we netted 15 times in our first six games before floundering throughout April, scoring just five goals in our final five fixtures. 

Key Games:

1) Csakvar 0-3 Balmazujvaros

We had defeated Csakvar by the same scoreline on the opening day of the season but since then they had become a force to be reckoned with in the NB II. They had gone on an amazing run of form prior to the winter break and found themselves atop the table, just ahead of ourselves. This was a big game, we knew a victory would send us back to the top but a defeat would allow our rivals to extend their advantage. 

The players appeared to thrive under the pressure though and started brilliantly from the off. We got a dream result four minutes in when Adam Fekete collected the ball just outside the opposing area. He dribbled away from goal, and it looked as if there was no danger, before swiveling fiercely and unleashing a right footed power strike into the top corner. We continued to dominate proceedings and things got even better for us when Tibor Bokros tapped home a Nicolas Gonzalez flick-on following a corner.

We continued to dominate after the break and fashioned a number of good chances. We finished the game with 17 total shots and 55% possession. In contrast Csakvar managed just eight shots and zero of them were on target! We completed a fine performance in the 80th minute. Csaba Vachtler played in a right wing cross which rebounded off a defender and Fekete reacted first to stab home the loose ball. A superb start to life back in the NBII and a very well deserved victory.

2) Balmazujvaros 3-1 Mezokovesd

Our forwards had hit a real slump in form going into this game and indeed Adam Fekete and Ivan Somov both started on the bench in this game against Mezokovesd following their recent poor performances. 

The first half of this game was completely devoid of any real quality. We edged possession but failed to turn it into any real chances and both teams lack a killer instinct in the final third. I sent on Somov at the break, hoping the clubs top scorer would be able to make an impact from the bench but unfortunately it was our opponents who got the early breakthrough. 

Firstly a Mezokovesd forward out-jumped Nicolas Gonzalez to win a flick on which was further headed home by Ferenc Racz, who incidentally out-jumped our other central defender Vinko Buden. A poor showing all round by our two defenders. This goal cause me to also sen don Fekete, reverting to our strike force of old, one that had been less than effective the past few games. Then, out of nowhere, things seemed to click again. 

Fekete got the first goal just after the hour mark. He flicked home a Zsolt Makra cross with a deft header that flew across the face of the opposition keeper. Then, just five minutes later, Somov put us ahead. Makra again the provider with another left footed cross which Somov slammed home a close range header from. The young Ukrainian then made the game safe with just six minutes to play. Makra picked up his third assist of the contest with a low driven cross that Somov steered home on the half volley at the near post. Some really clinical finishing from a pair of players that seemingly had lost their way through the past few games. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Our league form has been exceptional and that is reflected in the individual performances of our players. We now have a superb 13 players who hold an average rating of at least 7.0 for the season. 

In terms of our leading player we have a new man atop the ratings. Csaba Vachtler (7.59) has been exceptional at right fullback and has put in consistently excellent performances throughout the entire year. The youngster leads the team with 9 assists and also managed to score his first ever goal for the club. 

The rest of our defensive unit have really picked up their games in the absence of Reinhard Breinburg. Zsolt Makra (7.32) has played very well on the left hand side of the defence and has racked up an astonishing 70 key passes in just 20 appearances, not bad for a fullback. Adam Nemeth (7.30) returned from injury and played admirably. In the centre, Nicolas Gonzalez (7.17) has really picked up his play, looking a lot more settled at the club, and the Argentine leads all players with 380 interceptions. New signing Vinko Buden (7.00) has made a bright start to life at Balmazujvaros but I have also seen improvements from Tibor Bokros (6.91) who got a lot of playing time whilst Buden worked on his match sharpness. 

Our midfield unit continues to impress and is led by the experienced Uruguayan Ivan De La Sierra (7.51). The 29 year old has notched 4 goals, 4 assists and a team high 117 key passes in his 28 games this year. Behind him, Hungarian workhorse Bence Bakos (7.30) continues to play well. Bakos leads the team in terms of distance covered, averaging 13.4km/game. Mark Konya (7.19) and Joseph Cudjoe (7.08) have also played really well. The two are the best passers in the squad with Cudjoe leading the way with a superb 86% pass completion through 25 games. 

In attack, despite their shortcomings through the final few games of April, Ivan Somov (7.41) and Adam Fekete (7.34) continue to play well. Somov is the clubs top scorer with 19 goals but Fekete is not far behind having netted 16 times himself. Nikola Kordolup (7.21) has also been impressive playing just off the front two. The Serbian attacker now has 8 assists and has surpassed 100 key passes for the season. In addition, young attacking midfielders Daniel Sarossy (6.88) and Will Summerfield (6.76) both scored their first professional goals during these fixtures. 

LEAGUE TABLE:

Our superb form sees us climb back to the top of the table but amazingly we are in no way guaranteed the title or promotion. All other teams have fallen away and it is now a three-headed race between ourselves, Gyirmot and Csakvar. Gyirmot have been excellent throughout the past two months and they look fully set on mounting a title challenge. We still have to play them, on the final day of the season, but hopefully it does not come down to that. Csakvar have played okay but their form has taken a slight dip. Still, with just four games to go, it really is anybodies title. 

Our excellent defensive form as of late means we now have the 2nd best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 24 goals in our 26 games. In terms of attack, we are still near the top, ranking 2nd for that as well having netted 51 times. Our goal difference (+27) is the best in the division.

Our final four games are against Szigetszentmiklos (A), Soproni VSE (A), Siofok (H) and Gyirmot (H). If we can play well in the two away games, especially during that tricky trip to Soproni, I think we have a real chance at clinching promotion. 

OTHER NEWS:

We picked up two big injures during this update.

Firstly we lost Edvin Hegedus to a pulled hamstring in training. Now this might not seem like a key injury but Hegedus was the prime candidate to take over following the poor form of Ivan Somov and Adam Fekete. Unfortunately Hegedus was not able to do that so I had to rely on our young attacking midfielders to take up the attacking burden with very little left at the forward position. 

Secondly, and this has only just occurred, we lost Nikola Kordolup for the remainder of the season. He twisted an ankle in training and it is now unlikely he returns to the side for the rest of the year. The Serb had been playing very well behind our front two but now that responsibility will fall to Ivan De La Sierra or one of our young attacking midfielders. Not an ideal scenario going into the finally four games. 

On a much brighter note though, I signed a new contract. I have so far enjoyed my time in Hungary and with the prospect of a promotion and next season in the domestic top division, I felt I had to resign. The chairman was only willing to offer me a one year deal but hopefully things will pan out in the future. 

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I hope everyone is still enjoying the story! I am ever so close to picking up a piece of silverware at the first time of asking, a feat Sir Alex Ferguson did not manage during his first year of football management. I have a very very long way to go before I overtake the Scotsman but a title victory in my very first season will be an ideal way to start.

Check back soon for an update that will cover the final four games of the year and see if Balmazujvaros can hold on for a promotion spot or even a league trophy!

Season 1:
Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0

 

[noikeee]

Yay, another Eastern Europe thread (for now), my kind of thread. 

That was a very convincing start, looks as if your tactics are really working, maybe I need to try a diamond/4312 in FM16 at some stage... How good are your fullbacks going forward, in terms of crossing and dribbling at least? I'm asking because I find that to be absolutely crucial in a narrow formation (the fullbacks are the only players that give width), but after a few seasons when the gameworld is taken over by regens, quality attacking fullbacks become very rare.  

[yatesiboi37]

18 hours ago, noikeee said:

Yay, another Eastern Europe thread (for now), my kind of thread. 

That was a very convincing start, looks as if your tactics are really working, maybe I need to try a diamond/4312 in FM16 at some stage... How good are your fullbacks going forward, in terms of crossing and dribbling at least? I'm asking because I find that to be absolutely crucial in a narrow formation (the fullbacks are the only players that give width), but after a few seasons when the gameworld is taken over by regens, quality attacking fullbacks become very rare.  

My fullbacks are not amazing but I find playing with a narrow midfield opens up a lot of space for them out wide as the opposition gets drawn in central. Zsolt Makra is the best in terms of skill, he has 11 crossing and 10 dribbling, pretty good for this standard. Csaba Vachtler on the other hand, who has been my best player and leads the team in assists, only has 4 crossing and 7 dribbling. 

[yatesiboi37]

Update 6: May 2016

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II

We entered the final month of the season leading the way in the Hungarian second division. There were just four games to play with promotion, and indeed a league title, well and truly in our own hands. We had suffered a few injury setbacks in the past update and I knew we were going to have to play at our full potential if we were to cling on for an unlikely title victory in James Yates' first season of football management. Could Balmazujvaros hang on and clinch, what would be, the first piece of silverware in their short history?

This update will contain results, player statistics and the final league table...

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Before we get started, this injury happened just one day before our open fixture in May. Leading scorer Ivan Somov would miss the remainder of the year with a twisted knee. Given that we were already struggling to score goals, his absence was a really big worry going forward. 

Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II RESULTS:

W = 2, D = 0, L = 2

We knew, going into our last four matches, that we needed just eight points to clinch the title but unfortunately we were unable to do that so would have to rely on the results of our rivals, Gyirmot and Csakvar. 

Obviiously, the big victory here was over Gyirmot on the final day of the season where we superbly beat them 2-0. Elsewhere we started the month off in terrible form, firstly falling to a Szigetszentmiklos side who were struggling near the foot of the table before following that with another away defeat, this time against Soproni. We failed to score in two straight matches for the first time in my career, as the absence of Ivan Somov came back to haunt me. We went ultra attacking in the game against Siofok and it paid off, as we came away with a 3-2 win. 

Key Games:

1) Balmazujvaros 3-2 Siofok

With a whole host of forwards out injured and having failed to score in our past two games I knew we had to go more attacking in this one. We ditched the control mentality and went attacking from the outset and I was very worried that it might have backfired when, after just 20 minutes, Siofok took the lead. 

However, we seemingly turned things around just eight minutes later when Ervin Zsiga got us back on level terms. Zsiga, the 24 year old Romanian, is not a name you would have seen much this year, having only made one first team appearance up until this point but he got his chance with injuries and the poor performances of others and boy did he take advantage. Zsiga met a deep cross from the right by Csaba Vachtler and nodded home an easy header at the far past. 

After the break we continued with the aggressive approach and we took the lead for the first time just four minutes after the restart. Vachtler again the provider, this time with a little chipped cross that was met by a powerful header from young Daniel Sarossy. The 18 year old is another who has seen increased opportunities late in the season and another who has taken full advantage. We wrapped things up just after the hour mark, Sarossy this time slipping in a neat throughball for Zsiga, who fired home a first-time right footed strike.

There was still time for a late Siofok goal and then some nervy final minutes but we held on for a very very important victory, courtesy of a player who was making his first start of the league season!

2) Balmazujvaros 2-0 Gyirmot

The final game of the year saw us come up against our rivals Gyirmot and I knew we would have to get a positive result here as our previous losses has cost us dear in the league standings. The players were focused and I could not have wished for a better start.

After just five minutes we won a corner kick which was crossed in by Zsolt Makra. His delivery was met by the head of Nicolas Gonzalez, who played a wonderful flick on. The ball floated across the six yard box and there, at the back post, to nod home was Vinko Buden, with his first ever goal for the club. Our superb start meant we could take things a little easier as the game progressed but in all reality Gyirmot did not threaten much at all. We made it into the break without any major scares and managed to stay well disciplined in defence as the second half began. 

The killer moment however came with just 13 minutes left. Another corner, but this one was not dealt with by the Gyirmot defence. The ball rebounded around the area, with at least three of my players making attempts to stab it towards goal but in the end the ball fell to the feet of Gonzalez. The Argentinian defender smashed a right footed strike high into the roof of the net before wheeling away in celebration. 

A superb end to the season for us, but would it be enough?

PLAYER STATISTICS 

We finish the season with a remarkable 14 players holding an average rating of at least 7.0. Not bad at all. 

The star performer continues to be Csaba Vachtler (7.54). The young fullback has thrived in our tactical system and it led to a team high 11 assists on the year. 

Elsewhere in defence, Zsolt Makra (7.32) and Adam Nemeth (7.24) both had solid campaigns rotating at the left fullback position, with Makra accumulating an astonishing 92 key passes.  In the centre, Nicolas Gonzalez (7.21) really improved as the season wore on. The Argentine youngster finished the year with 3 goals and a team high 456 interceptions. Vinko Buden (7.08) also showed gradual improvement as he found his feet at the club having arrived in January. The Croatian averaged an impressive 3.03 tackles/game. In additon, Tibor Bokros (6.91) played admirably, filling in at centreback and at right fullback. A big mention also to Reinhard Breinburg (7.30) who, before his injury, was an absolutely stalwart in defence. Club captain Laszlo Horvath (6.99) had a pretty solid year between the sticks. 

In midfield our play dropped of a little as the season went on. Ivan De La Sierra (7.50) was our key performer though. The experienced Uruguayan finished the year with a team high 135 key passes. Bence Bakos (7.25), Mark Konya (7.13) and Joseph Cudjoe (7.10) all had solid seasons in the centre of the park without really troubling the stats makers. Cudjoe did finish the year with a team high pass completion percentage of 85%. 

In attack, star forward Ivan Somov (7.38) finished the year with 19 goals in just 26 games. He also collected four Player of the Match Awards, a joint team high. Behind him, strike partner Adam Fekete (7.24) also had a prolific year, finishing with 16 goals in his 30 appearances. Nikola Kordolup (7.19) had a solid season playing just behind the front two, finishing with 4 goals and 8 assists. In addition, teenager Daniel Sarossy (7.01) really progressed as the year went on and he finished with two goals and three assists in 17 games. 

LEAGUE TABLE

YES! What an achievement!

We went into our final game with Gyirmot level on points knowing that a draw or a victory would secure us the title. Fortunately for me the players were able to deliver and we finish the season as champions of the division. To make matters worse for Gyirmot, losing to us on the final day meant not only did they concede the title but they also missed out on promotion as Csakvar finsihed one point ahead of them. 

It has been a great year for us and I am very happy with our performances. Over the course of the season we finished with 56 goals scored, tied for the best record in the division. We conceded 29 times, with that being the 3rd best defensive record in the league. However our goal difference (+27) was the best in the division by quite some distance. 

OTHER NEWS

The only real news to tell you about is this:

An NBII title victory for James Yates and his Balmazujvaros side at the first time of asking! It is the first ever trophy that the club have won and is also James Yates' first piece of silverware as he looks to track down Sir Alex. 

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Sir Alex Ferguson currently sits on 5016 Hall of Fame Points but, with my first ever piece of silverware, I have just taken a small first step in closing him now. The Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II title awards me 31 Hall of Fame points, meaning my total is now off the mark. Just another 5000 or so to go... 

I hope you guys are enjoying this read. I'll be back shortly for an end of season review update!

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

[yatesiboi37]

Update 7: End of Season Review (2015/16)

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II

James Yates' first season in football management turned out to be a rather successful one. The young Englishman managed to begin his career with a victory in the second tier of Hungarian domestic football. Yates was able to attract a number of excellent free agents to Balmazujvaros and his small Hungarian side were able to secure the first piece of silverware in their footballing history. 

This update will look back at the clubs performances in all relevant competitions, the individual player statistics for the season and act as a presentation for the clubs yearly awards. Join me as we take a look back at James Yates' title winning season at Balmazujvaros FC.

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Competitions:

Merkantil Bank Hungary NB II. Final Position: 1st

Played: 30 (W = 19, D = 5, L = 6)
Goals Scored: 56, Goals Conceded: 29, Goal Difference: +27
Points Total: 62

An unbelievably first season saw us end the year as league champions. We were tipped for a relegation/lower half finish by the media before the season kicked off but we defied all expectations and rocketed to the top of the table. The media's favourite Gyirmot had a good year and they looked to be our biggest rivals in the early stages but they fell away as the year progressed and ended up missing out on promotion. In their place Csakvar had a tremendous year, pushing us all the way in the end and finishing just two points behind!

Our superb performance meant that we were well represented in the end of season league awards:

Firstly, I managed to secured the Manager of the Year award for the Hungarian second division. My win ratio of 63% was best in the division but I was pushed all the way by Gabor Toldl, who did a great job steering Csakvar to a well deserved 2nd place. Attila Supka finished in third having guided his Soproni side to a 4th placed league finish. 

Gabor Bori, Gyirmot's experienced winger, finished the year as the leagues best player having averaged a rating of 7.56 through his 28 games. For us, Ivan Somov capped off a great first season at the club by finishing third. His 19 goals were the most scored by anyone in the league and his average rating of 7.40 was the highest for any forward in the division. 

The Team of the Year was dominated by Balmazujvaros players, with six of our squad making the first eleven. Ivan Somov was joined in attack by Ivan De La Sierra, who had a superb season in the centre of midfield. Where we really excelled was in defence and three of the leagues best back four come from our club. Zsolt Makra, Nicolas Gonzalez and Csaba Vachtler all make the team and are joined by club captain Laszlo Horvath in goal. 

Magyar Kupa. Final Position: Second Round

Played: 2 (W = 1, D = 0, L = 1)
Goals Scored: 1, Goals Conceded: 2, Goal Difference: -1
Knocked Out: 2nd Round vs Haladas (2-0)

A relatively poor season for us in the Magyar Kupa, Hungary's premier cup competition. The board had expected us to reach the Third round but we were unable to do so, losing to top division side Haladas 2-0. We had won our first round game, against third tier side Dabas, 1-0 courtesy of an Adam Fekete strike but we did not manage a good cup run overall. The board were obviously disappointed but our early exit did mean I was able to focus fully on the league. I will be hoping for a better performance next season in this competition. 

Player Statistics:

We finished the season with a phenomenal 15 players holding an average rating of 7.0 or higher. Below are some key stats from Balmazujvaros' title winning season in the NB II:

• Ivan Somov finished as the clubs' top scorer, netting 19 times in his 26 appearances. The next best goal tally was from Adam Fekete, who tallied 16 goals in 30 games. 
• The only player to finish with a double-digit assist tally was right fullback Csaba Vachtler, who set-up 11 goals. The next best total was from Nikola Kordolup, who finished with 8 assists in his 27 games. 
• Ivan De La Sierra and Ivan Somov finished with the joint most Player of the Match Awards, with 4 apiece. 
• Aruban international central defender Reinhard Breinburg was solid defensively, finishing with a team-high 3.80 tackles/game. Nicolas Gonzalez finished with 456 defensive interceptions in his 29 appearances. 
• The most prominent players this season were Ivan De La Sierra and Adam Fekete, who both appeared 30 times this season. 

Player Awards:

1) Player of the Year: Csaba Vachtler (RB) - 28 matches, 11 assists, 79 key passes, 1.84 tackles/game, 2 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.54

Csaba Vachtler secures the Player of the Year Award having had a superb season at right fullback. The 23 year old Hungarian was magnificent going forward and seemed to adapt to our tactic excellently. As mentioned before, he led the team with 11 assists this season and was our primary playmaker in the final third. His attributes are not overly amazing but he does have good physical traits which allow him to consistently work up and down the flank.

He is under contract for another season and it will be interesting to see if he can step-up next year in a higher division against better opposition. The youngster will definitely be given a chance though, coming off the back of a fantastic first year under James Yates. 

2) Defensive Player of the Year: Zsolt Makra (LB) - 22 matches, 4 assists, 92 key passes, 2.59 tackles/game, 3 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.32

This was a close run thing between two experienced defenders in Zsolt Makra and Reinhard Breinburg but in the end Makra edges it. The 34 year old Hungarian joined the club in September last year and proved to be an excellent signing and quickly became the first choice at left fullback. The veteran fullback managed to be an influence going forward, notching four assists and 92 key passes in his 22 games. He was also solid in defence and consistently slowed down opposition wingers.

His attributes, especially his physical ones, began to drop off as the season progressed and it is unlikely that he will be a key player next season. I do want to keep him around though, he has a fairly professional personality and has proved a vital tutor to our youngsters. 

3) Midfield Player of the Year: Ivan De La Sierra (CM) - 30 matches, 4 goals, 4 assists, 135 key passes, 4 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.50

The experienced Uruguayan midfielder was another new addition last summer and he settled into life in Hungary superbly. He operated as one of our central midfield three, with an emphasis on pushing forward, which he adapted to excellently. He finished the year with the most key passes of anyone on the side and also pooped up with four goals and four assists. 

His physical attributes really are not anything amazing but his technical traits are much more advanced than most people in this division. He was a constant threat from set pieces; with high ratings for corners, freekicks and penalties. I am not sure if his lack of physicality will become a problem next season against a higher level of opposition but he will likely stick around for at least another year and test himself in the countries top tier. 

4) Attacking Player of the Year: Ivan Somov (ST) - 26 matches, 19 goals, 3 assists, 4 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.38

The 24 year old Ukrainian had a fantastic first year in Hungary, netting 19 times in just 26 games. The youngster was a goal machine and notched two hattricks as the season progressed. His 4 Player of the Match Awards were joint first on the team. There were patches where Somov struggled to find the net but on the hole he was prolific and had a brilliant season. 

Where Ivan De La Sierra lacks physicality, Ivan Somov thrives off of it. The forward has high ratings for strength, pace and acceleration, making him a handful for any opposition defenders. His mental attributes are also pretty advanced and he has good finishing. It is likely he will lead the line next season in the top division of Hungary and he should be able to cope, having found this level of football far too easy. 

5) U21 Player of the Year: Joseph Cudjoe (CM) - 29 matches, 85% pass completion, 73 key passes, 2.95 tackles/game, Ave Rating: 7.10

At regular intervals last year I forgot just how young Joseph Cudjoe was. The 20 year old Ghanaian was a main stay in the first eleven last year having joined the club as a free agent in the summer. The youngster played as one of our three central midfielders and offered an calming presence to the side. He was extremely effective passing the ball, notching a team high pass completion of 85%, retaining possession and initiating attacks. In contrast he was also an effective defensive presence, tallying almost 3 tackles/game playing in front of the back four. 

Cudjoe did progress a little as the season wore on and he is under contract for a few more seasons. I am hoping he will be able to cope with the step-up in opposition next year and continue to progress as an individual. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I was very very happy with my first season in football management. To grab a league title and a promotion at the first time of asking was a superb achievement. The individual performances of most of my players was also extremely impressive; with a number of them finding life in the Hungarian second division far too easy. 

I have most of the squad under contract for at least another year but I have a feeling it is going to be quite a big step-up next year competing in the top tier of Hungary. I will have all the news from the preseason (including new signings and re-signings) out very soon hopefully. 

As previously mentioned, a title winning season means James Yates has gained his first Hall of Fame points. Obviously the NBII is not the most reputable league in the world but Yates gains 31 points as he looks to hunt down Sir Alex Ferguson's outrageous total of 5016. 

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It has been a very successful first season at Balmazujvaros Fc and I am now very much looking forward to competing in the top tier of Hungary next year. 

Hope you guys are all enjoying this story. Obviously my updates are not as regular as some of the other stories on this forum but I am trying to keep things going as quickly as possible. Join us again shortly for a preseason update.

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

[Northernpilgrim]

Congratulations on the first of many trophies

[yatesiboi37]

This update will serve as a little introduction for James Yates' second season in football management. The young Englishman's first season was a very successful one, one where he collected his first piece of silverware as he attempts to chase down Sir Alex Ferguson atop the Managerial Hall of Fame. 

Having been offered a new contract at the end of last season, I would like to welcome everyone back to Balmazujvaros FC. 
 

Club Background:

Not much has changed in terms of the clubs background from a year ago. We are one of the smallest sides in the Hungarian top division and are based in the town of Balmazujvaros in the eastern region of the country. The club were formed in 2011 and this will be the first time in their history that they have competed in the Hungarian top division. Last years NB II title victory was the teams highest ever domestic league finish and the first trophy the team have ever won. 

The clubs valuation increased since last year to £400,000 and our club reputation also went up; it is now 2 stars. 

Facilities:

Our facilities are still fairly limited which is going to put us at an even greater disadvantage in the top division, as there are a few Hungarian clubs who have top of range facilities. 

We still play our home games at the 2,250 capacity Sportter Utca stadium where the cost of an average ticket is still just £2.  Our ground is the smallest in the top division by some margin. The stadium is in a good condition and the pitch itself is also in a good condition. 

In terms of our other facilities there still is not much to get excited about. Gaining promotion, I was hopeful the board would be willing to upgrade our facilities but they were unwilling to, citing lack of funds. The only thing I was able to get increased, slightly, was our junior coaching which now stands at an average level. 

Competitions:

Our promotion sees us compete in the top division but we still only have two domestic competitions to partake in. 

The first of these is our new league competition, the OTP Bank Liga. This is essentially the Hungarian top division and follows a slightly different format to the NB II from last season. The league is made up of just 12 sides but everyone plays each other three times, leading to a total of 33 games each. 

The relegation format is pretty straightforward, with the bottom two sides being dropped back to the NB II. The league champions gain entry to the UEFA Champions League (Second Qualifying Stage) and the teams finishing 2nd and 3rd qualify for the UEFA Europa League (First Qualifying Round). 

In terms of player rules, the matchday squad is only allowed a maximum of 5 non-EU players. This is an increase on last year (where I was only allowed 3) and suits me as I seem to be favoring foreign players at the moment. 

The past ten seasons have seen a few different league champions but the most successful teams in recent years have been Videoton (3) and Debrecen (5). The most successful team in league history is Ferencvaros, who have lifted the champions trophy a total of 28 times. 

The second competition that we will participate in is the Magyar Kupa. This is the only Hungarian cup competition and follows a fairly standard domestic cup format, with knockout games played over one leg, with the winner progressing to the next round. As far as I am aware, the early rounds have no replays, so tied games will result in extra time and penalties but games in the later stages appear to be played over two legs, with the aggregate winner progressing.

Hungarian Football:

Domestically the best sides in Hungary are Debrecen, Videoton, Ujpest and Ferencvaros. Debrecen are the wealthiest club in Hungary, currently valued at £4.5 million, and are the reigning Magyar Kupa holders. The OTP Bank Liga is the 36th most reputable league in Europe. 

The international scene has been fairly average for the past few seasons and last year was no better. The international side are currently ranked 32nd in the world, just behind Senegal, Ireland and Slovenia. They finished 5th in their Euro 2016 Qualifying group, meaning they failed to make the finals. They are currently just about to start their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign but given the group (shown below) it is unlikely they will progress. 

The most famous members of the current national team squad include Balasz Dzsudzsak (Fiorentina), Adam Szalai (Hoffenheim), Daniel Toszer (QPR), Nemanjia Nikolic (Legia Warsaw) and Adam Bogdan (Liverpool).

World Football:

France were host nations for Euro 2016 and they came very close to winning the title  but lost in the final to Spain courtesy of an Alvaro Negredo goal in extra time. The biggest surprise packages were Sweden, who made the semi-finals and Bosnia & Herzegovina, who made it to the quarters. Croatia failed to make it out of their group and Germany were defeated in the second round, losing to Italy. 

In terms of domestic competitions, here is a rundown of the most recent league champions from the top European divisions:

• Barclays Premier League: Manchester City
• Liga BBVA: Atletico Madrid
• Bundesliga: FC Bayern Munich
• Serie A: Juventus
• Ligue 1: PSG
   
• UEFA Champions League: Atletico Madrid (defeated Manchester City 1-0)
• UEFA Europa League: Arsenal (defeated Napoli 2-0)

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That concludes my re-introduction to life in Hungary. I will be back soon with a preseason update as we begin our journey in the OTP Bank Liga. Will James Yates be able to keep his small Hungarian side in the division? Or will they be relegated at the first time of asking?

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

[yatesiboi37]

Update 8: Preseason 2016

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

Hello again. This will be my very first update as manager of Balmazujvaros in the top division of Hungary. Having gained promotion last year we would be looking to stay afloat in the countries best domestic division, hopefully avoiding relegation. In order to do that I knew the squad needed strengthening quickly. This update will cover everything that has happened during my second preseason in management and, as you can see below, it was a very very busy one.

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BOARD ROOM:

The clubs finances improved greatly following last seasons promotion. Sponsors, TV rights and prize money has seen the club almost double in terms of valuation but we are still quite poor in comparison to the bigger Hungarian clubs. Despite this, the board awarded me a fairly hefty budget for the season:

• Transfer Budget: £104,000
• Wage Budget: £22,400 per week

Those numbers may not sound amazing to some but they are a vast improvement on last season. The wage budget in particular is excellent, five times as much as I had at my disposal last season. It should mean that I am able to attract some talented players to the club. 

Board Objectives (2016/17)

OTP Bank Liga - Fight against relegation
Magyar Kupa - Reach the fourth round

CLUB STAFF:

The clubs' staff remain very similar to last season although I made a few slight additions. One of our scouts from last year was actually approached by Debrecen and they unfortunately enticed him away. Luckily for me I was able to pick up someone even better in the form of Victor Leonenko. The 46 year old Ukrainian spent most of his playing career in the top division of Ukraine but has turned to scouting upon retiring and we eagerly signed him up.

I also released our fitness coach from last year as he was pretty poor. The standard of fitness coaching in Hungary seems pretty terrible all around in truth but I was able to sign Oleg Gupka, another Ukrainian, from a Ukrainian second division side for quite a healthy stack of compensation. He was worth it though, the 40 year old has a rating of 20 for fitness coaching. 

Elsewhere, I did pick up a coach for our U19 sqaud in the form of Tibor Sandor. As you can see below we have some exciting young prospects coming through and I was keen for them to get some extra attention in training. 

TRANSFERS:

(Out)

Seven players left the club over the course of the summer and all were deemed surplus to requirements. Miklos Belenysei had a decent year last season but was 33 years of age and very much on the decline. The Romanian midfielder had been at the club since 2011, so I felt a little bad releasing him having just gained promotion. Ervin Zsiga was also released. The 24 year old forward will be best remembered for scoring two goals in our penultimate game of the year and essentially sending us up! Still, he lacks the talent required for the next level. Likewise, Laszlo Kiss (who spent all of last year on loan), Zsolt Pataki (one appearance all season) and David Gerhat (third choice keeper) were all let go. 

We did sell a couple of players as well. Tibor Bokros was never happy with the amount of playing time he was receiving despite maiking 16 appearances over the course of the year. His game time was only going to dwindle more so I let him leave; he made the decision to join ZTE, who were relegated from the NB II last season. I also sold Sando Andorko. The 22 year old winger spent all of last season on loan but I had no use for him in my tactical plans for I allowed him to leave. He joins Csakvar, who were promoted with us, so we shall likely see him again this year!

(In)

A pretty busy transfer window with a total of 12 players joining the club. A number of these are youngsters brought in to flesh out the U19 side but we made a few key signings. 

We'll start with the youngsters first. Chris Paul (18), Elan Assiana (18), Josh Murrary (18) and Admiral Muskwe (17) are all youngsters from English sides who were released over the summer. They all have reasonably good potential and will get plenty of playing time in the U19 squad this year. Paul is a Northern Irish central midfielder, who hails from the Tottenham academy. He has recently represented his country at the U19 level. Assiana was born in England but is of Democratic Republic of Congo nationality. The central defender was released by Charlton. Murray is an English right fullback and joins us having failed to make the grade at Manchester City. Finally Muskwe, who is joint English and Ugandan nationality, is a forward who joins from Leicester City's academy. 

Another youngster we signed, who has a better chance of playing first team football this year is Douglas (19). The young Brazilian is most adept at playing in a defensive midfield role but I am confident I can mold him into a box to box central midfielder. Douglas last played for Santo Andre in the lower realms of Brazilian domestic football where he made 11 league appearances. 

We made two signings to add depth to the squad and they were Jozsef Zsok (31) and Gabor Roma (24). Both are Hungarian nationals signed from amateur sides for minimal contracts. Zsolt is an experienced attacking right fullback, who spent most of his career in the OTP Bank Liga, and will provide a solid backup behind the star man from last season Csaba Vachtler. Roma will play as our second or third choice keeper this year and likely will not be called upon much. 

The final five signings will all be in or around the first team this year. Firstly, we were able to persuade Olexandr Aksyonov (22) to join us on a free from third tier side Avangard Kramatorsk. The young Ukrainian central defender is already very talented and will immediately compete for a starting spot in the centre of the defence. He is strong and has good tackling, with a rating of 14, so should be very well. 

Steven Rivera (24) was a player I tried to sign during January of last year but I could not afford his wage demands. Now that we are promoted, I was able to offer him a worthy contract and he gladly accepted. The young Colombian attacking midfielder is a very good technical player and I expect him to compete directly with Nikola Kordolup for playing time behind our two forwards. 

The final three signings are the most exciting. Firstly we picked up an outstanding central midfielder in the form of Phenyo Mongala (31). Despite his age, he is quick and is technically one of the best players in my squad. He is a seasoned international, having won 38 caps for Botswana and joins us having spent last season in the top domestic tier of his homeland, where he finished with an average rating of 7.47 in 28 games. 

Another African international I picked up was Faris Abdallah (22). The young left fullback has already played 29 times for Sudan and is honestly a superb find. He is quick and amazing in the air (heading - 14, jumping reach - 16), He has high ratings for tackling and marking but is also a threat going forwards with decent passing and crossing. He has spent his whole career playing in his homeland, so it remains to be seen how well he settles in Hungary but he has the potential to be a league superstar. 

Finally, I took a gamble. Rundell Winchester (22) was by far the best forward available, and it could be argued I did not need another striker in the squad, but I am a sucker for any Caribbean player. Winchester is a current Trinidad & Tobago international, having played 12 times for the senior side and netting 4 goals. His attributes are by no means amazing but the one thing I like about him is his speed. He has 15 acceleration and 15 pace which, at this level, should cause all sorts of problems for opposition defenders. Winchester could turn out to be a massive flop but I am very excited to see him on the field.  

THE SQUAD:

Goalkeepers and Defenders:

Club captain Laszlo Horvath (28) will likely get the nod as our starting keeper this season after a fairly solid year last time around. Our starting fullbacks, in the form of last years player of the season Csaba Vachtler (23) and new signing Faris Abdallah (22), should be very exciting. The depth at both fullback positions is somewhat lacking but I was encouraged by the progress of Gideon Okito (19) towards the end of last year and veteran Zsolt Makra (34) still has one season left in him.

We have a bit of a log jam at the central defender position, with four fairly talented players. New boy Olexandr Aksyonov (22) leads the way followed by Nicolas Gonzalez (23), who improved massively in the second half of last year. We also have vice captain Reinhard Breinburg (32) who is trying to return following a big injury and Vinko Buden (30) who was signed in January as a replacement for the injured Breinburg.  

Central Midfielders:

Another position where we seemingly have a wealth of talent. We of course deploy three central midfielders but should have enough depth for this year. Phenyo Mongala (31) should prove to be the key man this year but most of our players from last year should be able to make the step up. Bence Bakos (27) and Joseph Cudjoe (20) will be the most likely to start alongside the Botswana international but our key midfielder from last year, Ivan De La Sierra (30) should also be in the mix. 

Consider also that we have Mark Konya (27) who proved to be a reliable rotation option last year, Akos Sigler (21), who spent all of last season on loan and the young potential of Douglas (19) and this is a strong, deep group. 

Attacking Midfielders:

New signing Steven Rivera (24) will be in direct competition with Nikola Kordolup (26) for the starting spot behind our front two, although Daniel Sarossy (18) progressed extremely well last season and will likely feature in the first team more this time around. 

Forwards:

Rundell Winchester (22) may find it hard to break into the first team giving the scoring efficiency of Ivan Somov (25) and Adam Fekete (28) last year but it will be a direct competition between those three for two starting sports int he first eleven. Edvin Hegedus (21) has loads of potential but failed to improve loads last year during an injury hit campaign. 

TACTICS:

A very similar tactic to the one we deployed last season with just a few changes. I am going to ask my leftback and rightback to operate as fullbacks as opposed to wingbacks due to the increased attacking strength of the opposition we will now face. My wide defenders are going to be expected to contribute a lot more to the defensive side of things than they were last year. 

One of our three central midfielders will sit slightly deeper, controlling the game and dictating attacking play. That responsibility will likely be given to Phenyo Mongala this year, freeing up Joseph Cudjoe to play in a more fluid role. Our one attacking midfielder will be used as a shadow striker, alongside a false nine/deep lying forward and a poacher. I want this three players to interact more and I am hoping this set-up will allow them to do so. 

We will likely be using a counter mentality and a fluid shape most of the time, with the following team instructions:

• Fairly Wide Width
• Work Ball into Box
• Look for Overlap
• Pass into Space
• Roam from Positions

RESULTS:

A fairly straightforward preseason for us. The emphasis was on learning the slight adjustments to the tactic and ensuring everyone was in good match shape come the start of the season. We managed to achieve these things and came away without any major injuries which was positive. We also showed a solid defensive line, conceding just twice in our six friendly games and keeping five clean sheets. 

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So that concludes my second preseason update with Balmazujvaros as we prepare for life in the top tier of Hungarian football. I am well aware that that was a very lengthy update and congratulations to anyone who read the entire thing! I'll hopefully be back soon with news of how we get on in our first few months of OTP Bank Liga football. Can we survive the drop in what is likely to be a very tough first season? 

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 1

[krakonico]

Going to continue reading this one... Good Job till now n Balmazujvaros FC

[yatesiboi37]

On 8/10/2016 at 16:08, Northernpilgrim said:

Congratulations on the first of many trophies

Thanks Northern! Still got a super long way to go before I get anywhere near Sir Alex but it was very pleasing to kick my career off with a trophy win!

11 hours ago, krakonico said:

Going to continue reading this one... Good Job till now n Balmazujvaros FC

Thanks krakonico. Will be good to have some regular readers around. Very pleased with how we have started and looking forward to a big challenge in the form of the OTP Bank Liga. 

[noikeee]

Extreme squad makeover!

I am confident on your squad's ability to stay up, but be wary on the first few matches the team might take a little while to gel. I should know, I've done the exact same thing many times in the past...

[yatesiboi37]

2 hours ago, noikeee said:

Extreme squad makeover!

I am confident on your squad's ability to stay up, but be wary on the first few matches the team might take a little while to gel. I should know, I've done the exact same thing many times in the past...

Hi noikeee. I totally agree with you. I simply cannot help overhauling squads. I love bringing in players, especially those from smaller, obscure nations and it definitely takes time for them to gel. I am still hopeful we can stay up though. 

[yatesiboi37]

Update 9: July & August 2016

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

The top tier of Hungarian football gets started very early in the calendar year, with league games commencing in July! The preseason following our promotion has certainly been a busy one, with a whole host of new faces joining the squad, but we will be relying on the same key core of players that led us to a superb title victory last year in the NB II. 

There are a number of talented sides in this division and the media predict us to be well in the thick of a relegation battle this season. This update will cover the results, statistics and league standings from our first two months in the Hungarian stop division. 

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OTP Bank Liga RESULTS:

W = 3, D = 3, L = 1

Well, well, well. Given all the new additions to the squad this summer I did not expect us to start this brightly! We did not have the toughest opening fixtures in terms of opposition strength but I was very happy with our results.

We kicked things off with a 1-1 draw at home to Ujpest in the first ever OTP Bank Liga game in the clubs history. We followed up a decent start with a pair of very pleasing 1-0 victories against strong opposition in the form of Vasas and Ferencvaros (the most successful club in Hungarian history). Things then came apart as we were defeated 4-0 away to Haladas, the same side who knocked us out of the Magyar Kupa last season. We bounced back very well with an amazing 4-1 away victory against Bekescasba before finishing August with a pair of draws against two of the weaker sides in the division, Paks and Csakvar. 

During this two month spell we were very solid defensively, bar the game against Haladas. In total we only conceded eight goals in our seven fixtures and managed to keep three clean sheets, a very good performance in the top division of Hungary. In contrast, we struggled in front of goal through the first few games but finished August with nine goals scored total. Still, had you offered me 12 points from our first seven fixtures at the beginning of the year, I would have gladly accepted.

Key Games:

1) Balmazujvaros 1-1 Ujpest

Not the most impressive of results but a historic one nevertheless, in what was the clubs' first ever game in the top division of Hungary. 

Ujpest have won the Hungarian top division 20 times in their history and, despite recent dips in form, they still have a decent squad. The early stages suggested that we were going to struggle against this strength of opposition as Ujpest created a number of good chances. Their pressure paid off in the 22nd minute when they took the lead, when they striker rose highest to angle a header back across goal. 

Going behind seemed to spark us back into life and we grew into the game as it went on. Our best chance of the first half came when Joseph Cudjoe rifled a shot against the foot of the post. The second half was much of the same, Ujpest edged possession but we were still creating chances. 

In the end we took one of them, in the 78th minute. New signing Rundell Winchester side-footed a close range finish against the foot of the post but reacted quickest to tap home the ball as it rebounded back into the six yard box. In the end, it was a scrappy goal but meant we started life in the Hungarian top division undefeated! 

2) Balmazujvaros 1-0 Ferencvaros

Our toughest test of the first few months came in the fixture away to Ferencvaros, the most successful team in Hungarian history and one full of international players. 

Given the quality of their side I genuinely thought we would struggle in this one but we dominated possession from the outset, finishing the match with 59% of the ball. This played right into our hands as we took very few risks and knocked the ball around confidently. We created a few chances and all we needed was to take one of those and we did so in the 25th minute. 

Adam Fekete knocked a neat pass into the path of Ivan Somov, who nipped in front of a sleeping Ferencvaros defender. The Ukrainian forward poked home a left footed finish to give us an early advantage, one we would not rescind. 

This game reflected how we played through the first few months; retained possession, passed the ball confidently and took our chances when they came, without giving our opponents a look in. 

Magyar Kupa RESULTS:

Round 1:

We were handed a kind draw in the first round of the Magyar Kupa, coming up against an Ibrany side from the lower realms of Hungary. We dismantled them with relative ease, going three goals up inside the first half an hour courtesy of a superb brace from Rundell Winchester. 

We never looked like conceding and eased through the second round where we were drawn against MTK Budapest FC, who were relegated from the top flight last season. They will likely prove to be a much tougher test. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Our superb start to the year has seen us get 13 players with an average individual rating of at least 7.0.

The star so far has been Nikola Kordolup (7.95). The Serbian attacking midfielder was under pressure from new signing Steven Rivera (6.80) for a starting spot but the extra competition has sparked him to perform way above his level from last year. The Serbian attacker scored one goal, notched two assists and played 30 key passes, the second best number in the side. 

Most of our new signings have struggled to adapt to life in Hungary but one who has thrived is Rundell Winchester (7.85). The young Trinidad & Tobago forward has been superb; scoring three goals, tallying two assists and playing a team-high 35 key passes. He loves to dribble the ball and his pace has caused problems for most opposition defenders.

In defence, another new signing has played very well. Faris Abdullah (7.53) has been exceptional at left back and he has been able assisted by Csaba Vachtler (7.40) at right fullback, our star player from last season. Our central defenders have played okay, with Nicolas Gonzalez (7.01) playing reasonably well. Olexandr Aksyonov (6.83) has struggled to adapt and more playing time might be afforded to Reinhard Breinburg (7.40) and Vinko Buden (7.00), who have been limited in appearances so far. 

In midfield Ivan De La Sierra (7.46) has continued from where he left off last season. The Uruguayan has played very well in limited opportunities this season. Joseph Cudjoe (7.37) has almost made a very good start to the season, proving the youngster is capable of playing at this level. Our new Botswana  international, Phenyo Mongala (7.07) has made a good start to life at the club, he has a 90% pass completion rate and averages 3.56 tackles/game. Young Brazilian midfielder Douglas (6.96) has played well in the few games he has featured in. 

Our attackers have been boosted by the arrival of Rundell Winchester but Ivan Somov (7.10) has performed very well after a stellar season last year in the NB II. The Ukrainian is the clubs top scorer yet again, having netted four times in seven games this year. Adam Fekete (6.87) has not played badly but he is yet to opening his scoring account for the year.

LEAGUE TABLE:

 

Through the first seven league games we find ourselves sat in 4th position, much better than I ever could have imagined when we kicked off our campaign. As of yet, no-one has really dominated, with league leaders Debrecen only six points ahead of ourselves (and we have a game in hand on them). Likewise, there is only four points separating us and 9th placed Paks, demonstrating that this league is likely to be very tight. Csakvar, who came up with us last season, have found things a little more difficult than ourselves and they currently sit in 10th, with the worst goal difference in the division. 

Given what I have seen so far, I am confident we can avoid relegation but it is very very early in the year. I am also well aware that a run of bad results could see us slip very quickly to the bottom of the table. 

OTHER NEWS:

Some big injury news to report on this update unfortunately.

Firstly, we lost Adam Nemeth to a broken foot in a reserve game. The injury will keep him out of the side for a very extended period of time. Nemeth was likely going to act as a back-up this season but luckily for us we have sufficient depth at the left fullback position so should be okay. 

We also lost back-up forward Edwin Hegedus for a month. The youngster is not a massive blow to my first team plans but he has very good potential and this is the second big injury he has suffered in the past two seasons, which is not proving helpful for his development. 

Finally, we lost Bence Bakos in the second game of the season to some strained knee ligaments. The injury will keep him out for two months and he is a big loss to the first team having played excellently last season. Luckily we have a number of rotation options in the central midfielder position who can fill in for Bakos during his absence. 

Someone I have not mentioned at all this update is Daniel Sarossy. The young Hungarian attacking midfielder had progressed very well last season and was in line for an increased role in the first team this time around. Despite this, interest starting to build for him from around Europe and when I rejected a bid from Dundee United, Sarossy became very unhappy. I offered him back out and when Inverness CT came in with a £120,000 bid I had to take it. It was a record received fee for the club and we have plenty of attacking midfield depth meaning he will not be missed. 

Finally, with a number of youth players now joining the club, I was keen to find somewhere to loan them out to should I wish to do so. The board agreed that this was a good idea and they have started the hunt for an affiliate club. 

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So that concludes the first update from life in the OTP Bank Liga and what a good start it has been. I have been very impressed with how well the team have played so far against some very strong sides. I am confident we can avoid relegation but there is a very long way to go in this season. 

I hope you guys are all still enjoying this story and hopefully I'll be able to add to my trophy cabinet soon. The next update will cover our progress in the Magyar Kupa and the next few months of our league campaign. 

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 1

[yatesiboi37]

Update 10: September & October 2016

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

Having started our first season in the Hungarian top division in fine form I was looking to continue our fine performances throughout September and October. We found ourselves in 4th position int he league table following our first seven games but there was still a very long way to go in the league season and the standings themselves were very close, with a number of teams bunched close together. 

This update will cover our continued progress in the OTP Bank Liga as well as the next round/s of the Magyar Kupa. It will also cover the player statistics, league standings and any other important news from the latest two months. 

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OTP Bank Liga RESULTS:

W = 4, D = 1, L = 2

We continue to prove that we well and truly belong in this level of football with another two solid months. Given that five of these seven fixtures were away games, I was very happy with a points total of 13. 

We kicked off September with two excellent victories against, probably, the two most talented sides in the whole of Hungary in the form of Videoton and Debrecen. We were brought right back down to earth with a defeat away to a struggling Diosgyor side in our next game before being comprehensively beaten by Puskas Akademia in out first game of October. We bounced back with a pair of 2-1 away victories against two strong sides (Ujpest and Ferencvaros) before finishing the month with a well deserved 2-2 draw against a very strong Vasas side, who were top of the table at this point of the season. 

During this run of games we definitely improved in front of goal, netting in every single game and finishing with 10 goals scored. Our defensive unit struggled a bit more; after keeping two clean sheets in early September we ended up conceding nine goals in our final five fixtures. 

Key Games:

1) Videoton 0-2 Balmazujvaros

Videoton had only lost one game all season going into this fixture and, alongside Debrecen, they had set the early pace in the OTP Bank Liga. I knew this was going to be a very tricky fixture, considering we had failed to win both of our last two games and due to this being an away game. 

Still, I rolled out a fairly strong line-up and we started the game in superb style. Our patient passing attack has proved extremely effective this season; with our solid midfielders unwillingly to give away possession and our creative final third players able to fashion enough chances to keep us competitive. 

We finished with 59% possession but only had six shots. We have, at times, struggled to take these chances but there were no such problems in this one. Ivan Somov fired home after 12 minutes following a neat Nikola Kordolup through ball and then, just one minute later, Somov doubled his tally. This time Kordolup played a lofted ball over the top of the Videoton back four which Somov ran onto excellently. He took a few touches before rifling a right footed strike across the keeper. 

We kept the ball superbly throughout and, despite Nicolas Gonzalez picking up a red card with 25 minutes left to play, we limited Videton to long shots and half chances. A fine win for us away from home. 

2) Ferencvaros 1-2 Balmazujvaros

As I have mentioned before, Ferencvaros are the most successful side in Hungarian league history and this fixture represented the second time we had come up against them this season. Amazingly, this game also resulted in our second victory over the countries best domestic side!

Things did not start as well as I wanted in this one though. I very much enjoy playing counter attacking football but an early goal meant I had to alter my approach almost immediately. We failed to deal with a long throw, something I we have not seen much of in Hungary, and the loose ball was tapped in by Gabor Boban. We stayed pretty hesitant in attack  but as the game wore on I knew I had to go more attacking. 

The second half saw us create a number of chances whilst maintaining possession (56%). In the end, our increased pressure paid of when, with just 15 minutes left to play, Rundell Winchester smashed home a left footed strike low into the bottom corner from just outside the area. things got even better for us seven minutes later when we snatched a deserved winner. Another Winchester long shot was this time parried away by the Ferencvaros keeper but first to react was Bence Bakos. The defensive minded midfielder tapped home the rebound, for his first competitive goal in two over seasons. 

Magyar Kupa RESULTS:

Round 2 (vs MTK - NB II)

The second round of the Magyar Kupa saw us drawn against MTK of the NB II. We were knocked out of this competition at this stage last year but had a much more favorable draw this time around against a side really struggling for form in the Hungarian second tier. 

We played a fairly strong side and never looked like conceding. Rundell Winchester scored a fine finish from the edge of the area early on and MTK never looked like getting themselves back into the tie. There was time in the second half for Steven Rivera to tap home a close range finish, giving the Colombian attacker his first goal for the club having joined in the summer. 

Round 3 (vs ESMTK - NB III)

We made things a lot more difficult for ourselves in the third round despite what was, on paper, a relatively easy draw. We came up against ESMTK, a side currently playing in the third tier of Hungary and, given our performance in the previous round, I was confidently of waltzing through. 

This was not the case and ESMTK played extremely well and had the best chance of normal time, when a header from a freekick smashed against our crossbar. We really did struggled to fashion chances against a disciplined five-man defence but we got the breakthrough in extra time. Nikola Kordolup, on as a substitute, smashed home a close range finish following ESMTK's failed attempts to clear a corner. We managed to hold on and progressed to the fourth round, where games would now consist of two legs.

Round 4: First Leg (vs Vac - NB II)

Another favourable draw for us against a Vac side sitting mid-table in the NB II. The first leg of this fourth round tie was played away from home but we produced an excellent display that almost guarantees our progression to the next round despite the second leg being played next month. 

We dominated from the outset and created chances at will in the first half. A hectic twelve minutes saw us net four goals, including a brilliant brace from Ivan Somov. The second half saw us ease off somewhat as I made a number of substitutions. The second leg will be played at home and barring a nightmare, we will be progressing to the next round.  

PLAYER STATISTICS:

We are playing so well. 15 players in the squad now hold an average rating of at least 7.0, which is pretty impressive. 

Rundell Winchester (7.69) has taken the top spot in terms of individual performances. The young Trinidad & Tobago international has adapted to life in Hungary excellently and has put together a number of brilliant games. The forward has scored eight times in 12 games, alongside four assists, three Player of the Match Awards and a team-high 2.10 dribbles/game. 

Our fullbacks continue to be the standouts among our defensive unit. Csaba Vachtler (7.52) and Faris Abdallah (7.26) both suit my tactic perfectly and are having great seasons. Vachtler, who led the team in assists last year, has added another four this year in his 12 games. In addition, back-up fullbacks Jozsef Zsok (7.55) and Zsolt Makra (7.37) have played superbly, mainly in our cup games but I am very happy with this position overall. In the centre of defence, I have really struggled to decide on my favourite pairing with all four centrebacks putting together mixed performances this year. Reinhard Breinburg (7.16) has been the most impressive but Vinko Buden (7.15) averages the most tackles/game, with 3.52. Olexandr Aksyonov (7.08) has shown steady improvement the past two months but Nicolas Gonzalez (6.98) has shown some struggles after a decent start to the year. 

Our central midfielders have continued to impress. I honestly thought Ivan De La Sierra (7.65) would struggle at this level but he has thrived. The Uruguayan has collected three Player of the Match Awards this year and played a team high 73 key passes. Joesph Cudjoe (7.29) continues his strong start to the year. The young Ghanaian has played better this year than he did last and he contributes well to all phases of play. October saw the return of Bence Bakos (7.13) from injury and the Hungarian picked up right where he left off. His 3.36 tackles/game are a team-high for midfielders. Young Brazilian ball-winner Doulgas (6.99) has seen more first team action than I expected him to. Experienced new signing Phenyo Mongala (6.95) has been fairly solid, his 89% pass completion is easily a team high. 

In attack, Nikola Kordolup (7.62) continues to impress in his shadow striker role, playing much more consistently than he did last year. The Serbian 27 year old has netted four times and collected a team-high five assists in his 14 appearances. Ivan Somov (7.21) is still the clubs top scorer, having now netted 10 times in just 16 games. The Ukrainian now has 29 goals in 42 games for the club since he joined on a free transfer in the summer of 2015. Steven Rivera (7.07) has shown some improvement recently and notched his first goal for the club. Adam Fekete (6.94) has struggled to find the net as consistently as last year but has still played well. 

LEAGUE TABLE:

We maintain our 4th place league position following the past two months. The top of the table is still extremely close, with just seven points separating the league leaders and 6th placed Ferencvaros. A slight gap has opened up between the top six teams and the bottom six teams, with Ujpest already six points behind the team in 6th. Vasas put together a strong run over the past two months which sees them sit atop the division. Debrecen and Videoton continue their title challenge but we are right up there alongside Puskas Akademia and Ferencvaros. At this stage, with 19 games to play, the title really is anyones to play for. 

I have been impressed with our attacking prowess, especially given that we struggled in front of goal at points last season. We have so far notched 21 league goals this year, tied for the third best total in the division. Our defensive unit has remained relatively solid despite a rotation at centreback. Our 17 goals conceded is the sixth best defensive record in the division. Our goal difference of +4 is someway behind the league leaders Vasas (+12) and third placed Videoton (+10).

OTHER NEWS:

Not much in the way of other news this update. We did suffer one relatively big injury however. 

We lost Vinko Buden to injury right at the end of October. It is unlikely he will feature now until after the winter break. Given our struggles at the centreback position this was a fairly big loss. Buden had been the most efficient tackler in the the centre of our defensive and he will definitely be missed in the short term. 

In other news, following my request in the last update, the club have given me a affiliate club to send players on loan to. Hajduszoboszlo are in the NB III, so the standard of football will not be excellent but it will allow some of my younger players to gain some first team football experience. In fact, our new partner club actually have better training facilities than ourselves, so it could aid their development even further. 

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So, we have continued our decent start to life in the Hungarian top division. We are now almost halfway through the league season and so far things are going even better than I thought they would. We are still alive in the cup, so have plenty to play for in the next two months prior to the winter break. As of yet no side has established themselves as favourites for the title so, by all accounts, we have a chance. I am confident we can avoid relegation from this position. 

Sir Alex Ferguson failed to secure any silverware in his second season of football management and, as of right now, I am still in contention for two trophies. Can James Yates' further his early advantage over the enigmatic Scotsman?

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 1

[yatesiboi37]

Update 11: November & December 2016

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

This will be my last update prior to the winter break starting and so far we have adapted to life in the OTP Bank Liga very nicely. We find ourselves in 4th position in the table and have a realistic chance of competing for the title given that no side has set themselves apart from the pack. We still have a very long way to go this year but I have been really impressed with our performances so far this season.

This update will cover league results, our progress in the Magyar Kupa, player statistics and standings. 

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OTP Bank Liga RESULTS:

W = 5, D = 0, L = 0

A fairly easy run of games on paper as we took on a number of sides struggling at the bottom of the table but five victories is a superb way to end the calendar year. 

We kicked off with a tightly contested home victory against Haladas, a side I had failed to beat in two attempts prior since arriving in Hungary. We then comfortably defeated a struggling Paks side away from home with a 4-0 victory. The next two games saw us narrowly defeat the leagues bottom two sides in Csakvar and Bekescsaba. We ended December with a brilliant 2-1 home win against a high-flying, strong Videoton side. 

We attacked with a real efficiency this month, scoring in every game and finishing the five fixtures with an impressive 12 goals scored. In defence we were very solid, despite the absence of Vinko Buden, keeping two clean sheets and conceding just four goals. 

Key Games:

1) Paks 0-4 Balmazujvaros

One of our most dominant performances this season saw us easily dispatch an average Paks side away from home. We dominated this one from start to finish, ended the game with 23 shots and 62% possession, not bad at all for an away fixture. 

Once we were ahead there was no looking back and we grabbed the first goal in just the 4th minute. Faris Abdallah crossed from the left and Ivan Somov snuck in between the two centrebacks to poke home. That was only the beginning of what would turn out to be a mixed game for Somov. The Ukrainian slammed home a loose ball in the 10th minute, following a Csaba Vachtler cross, to give him his second of the game. Somov completed a 35 minute hattrick just before halftime, combining well with Rundell Winchester before slotting home from the edge of the area. We added a fourth straight from the kickoff, Winchester again knocking a nice throughball to Somov, before the Ukrainian placed a neat finish past the onrushing keeper. 

We continued to dominate in the second half but could not find another goal. The last five minutes however did not go particularly well, a goalmouth scramble in the area led to Ivan Somov going down with an injury. He had to be substituted and the extent of the damage was pretty severe, we shall discuss later the exact nature of his injury. The 90th minute also saw Ivan De La Sierra miss a penalty, the first one he has failed to convert since joining the club. 

2) Csakvar 1-2 Balmazujvaros

This is the first game that we would be without Ivan Somov, following his injury in the previous game, and boy did we miss him. Csakvar were languishing near the bottom of the league and I had won all three previous encounters against them in Hungary. However, we did not get off to the best of starts. 

Just 52 seconds had passed before Istvan Eszlatyi nodded home a close range header to give the home side an early advantage. We did play our way back into the game and just as we begun to look threatening, we made things even harder. Joszef Zsok was shown a second yellow card inside 25 minutes and was given an early bath. Not only were we a goal down but we would have to play the remaining 65 minutes with just 10 men. 

Amazingly, we were able to get back on level terms quickly. Rundell Winchester went on a weaving run from the halfway line, driving past two defenders, before sliding a cross-field pass into the path of Akos Siger. The young Hungarian midfielder rifled home a right footed finish into the bottom corner. We made it into the break with things evenly balanced but with a man down, things were going to be difficult. 

Luckily we managed to stifle a number of Csakvar attacks in the second half and a moment of magic with just 11 minutes to play meant we came away with an unlikely victory. Nikola Kordolup knocked an excellent through-ball over the top which Winchester sprinted on to. He raced away from the Csakvar backline before placing a tidy finish past the onrushing goalkeeper. 

Magyar Kupa RESULTS:

Round 4: Second Leg (vs Vac - NB II)

Our excellent performance in the first leg saw us take a 4-0 advantage into the home tie and meant I could play a very weakened side without any worries. We did go behind early on but a Zsolt Makra penalty in the 31st minute meant we ended the game with a draw but progressed to the quarter final stage with a 5-1 aggregate win. 

Quarter Finals: First Leg (vs Ujpest - OTP Bank Liga)

The quarter finals saw us come up against a team from our division for the first time in this competition and we blew it bigtime. Ivan Somov was out injured and a number of our stars were tired following international duties. 

Just six minutes in and we were already two goals down. The second half was no better despite the introduction of Rundell Winchester. The Trinidad & Tobago striker did manage to pull a goal back, to make it 4-1, and maybe give us a chance in the second leg but we quickly conceded again. The game finished 5-1, my worst defeat since joining the club and we will now need a miracle in the second leg, which takes place after the winter break, in order to have any chance of progressing. 

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Despite our shocking cup exit, we have played magnificently in the league and that has led to us now having 15 players who hold an average rating of at least 7.0.

Rundell Winchester (7.77) continues to be the star man. The new signing who joined in the summer has played so so well and has scored 11 goals in just 16 appearances. He is also tied for team highs in assists, with seven and in Player of the Match Awards, collecting four. His pace has proved a real handful for opposition defenders this year and he loves nothing more than dribbling directly at them, average 2.42 dribbles/game. 

Our fullbacks continue to play very well. Csaba Vachtler (7.40) and Faris Abdallah (7.38) have put together some very strong performances this year. Both players contribute well to the attacking and defensive phases of play equally well. Their back-ups, Jozsef Zsok (7.36) and Zsolt Makra (7.24) have also put in good performances when required. Our central defenders have continued to be the weaker link. Olexandr Aksyonov (7.15) has shown some big improvements over the past few months and has now racked up 175 interceptions, the second most on the team. Vinko Buden (7.15) was out injured for these games and Reinhard Breinburg (7.12) did not have the best of months. Nicolas Gonzalez (6.97) has played okay, notching 225 interceptions this season, the most of anyone on the team. 

In midfield Ivan De La Sierra (7.64) continues to be the standout. The Uruguayan has collected four Player of the Match Awards this season and racked up a team-high 90 key passes this season in 21 appearances this year. Bence Bakos (7.28) and Joseph Cudjoe (7.27) have both continued their strong start to the league, with Bakos' 3.60 tackles/game the highest for any midfield player. Youngsters Douglas (6.99) and Akos Siger (6.97) have actually outplayed the experienced Phenyo Mongala (6.96).

Despite his injury, Ivan Somov (7.32) has scored 14 goals in just 18 games, meaning he is the club's top scorer at this stage. Nikola Kordolup (7.38) has continued to play well but his form definitely dropped off slightly the past two months. The Serbian attacker is still the club's joint leader in assists, with seven. Steven Rivera (7.15) has started to look more settled the past few games and his improved performances have been a welcome addition. Adam Fekete (6.90) has really struggled in front of goal, having netted just four times in 19 games this year. I was considering selling him but with Somov now injured he will be relied upon more. 

LEAGUE TABLE:

What?! Top of the league! Our amazing run of five victories in our past five fixtures has seen us rocket up the table, from 4th to 1st. This league is really baffling. Vasas, who were top at the last update, have taken just one point from their last five games. Videoton, who were third, managed just seven points in their final five games whilst Debrecen managed just eight. The poor form of the top three has seen ourselves, Ferencvaros and Puskas Akademia climb the table with ease. To put things into perspective, Videoton won the title last season having lost just 3 games all year. Debrecen finished second, losing just four times. So, at the halfway stage, the big two have already lost more games this year than they did in the entire season last year. 

We have impressed in front of goal as of late and our 33 goals scored is the highest total in the league. With Ivan Somov facing a lengthy lay-off though, it will be interesting to see if we can continue that efficiency. In defence, we have conceded 21 goals, giving us the joint 3rd best defensive record in the division. Our goal difference (+12) is now the best in the league. 

OTHER NEWS:

Only a couple of injuries to report but one was a really big loss. 

Firstly, we lost ball-winning youngster Douglas to a pulled hamstring. The young Brazilian has played eight times for the first team but has dominated in the U19s, playing 15 games at an average rating of 7.35. He has been developing well and it was annoying that he missed the whole of November. He should be back to full fitness after the winter break. 

A huge loss. Star forward Ivan Somov will miss around five months after breaking his foot. It is viable that he plays again this season but his timetable means he will  not be around until the very end of the season at the earliest. With our leading scorer out, more pressure will now be heaped on new signing Rundell Winchester and the ineffective Adam Fekete. With the transfer window opening soon, I could be in the market for an emergency forward. 

Despite our humiliating defeat in the cup, the board were obviously extremely impressed with my progress in the OTP Bank Liga and decided to offer me a new contract. At this point in time I am more than happy to stay at Balmazujvaros, so decided to readily accept. I am now under contract at the club until June 2018. 

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A slightly mixed update in terms of emotions. Obviously our league progress is phenomenal and we have a realistic chance of doing a Leicester City this season and becoming very very unlikely league winners. There are still 14 games left to play after the winter break however, so I do not want to get too far ahead of ourselves. 

Still, our performance in the Magyar Kupa quarter finals was shockingly bad and we are almost definitely out of that competition. In addition, the loss of Ivan Somov will be a massive blow and I am unsure how we will cope without his goals for the remainder of the year. 

Adding an OTP Bank Liga title this season would be a massive surprsie but would put me well ahead of the pace in my chase of Sir Alex! Join us soon for a winter break update.

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 1

[noikeee]

Holy crap. Commentators all over Europe, be afraid, you might have to spell Balmazujvaros soon. 

[yatesiboi37]

On 8/16/2016 at 16:53, noikeee said:

Holy crap. Commentators all over Europe, be afraid, you might have to spell Balmazujvaros soon. 

Haha. We have a long long way to go but things are looking promising. It has definitely helped that none of the big Hungarian sides have performed to their potential so far this season...

[yatesiboi37]

Update 12: Winter Break 2016/17 (January & February)

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

The OTP Bank Liga has a slightly shorter winter break than the one I experienced in the NB II but the league still takes two months off over January and February. The break allowed my players to regain their fitness after a number of small injuries riddled the club through November and December. It also saw the opening of the Hungarian transfer window, as well as my second youth intake at Balmazujvaros. 

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TRANSFERS:

(Out)

Just the one player departed the club permanently in January, with Botswana international Phenyo Mongala being sold to Rangers in Scotland. The 31 year old central midfielder had played reasonably well since joining on a free transfer back in the summer but he had not quite lived up to expectations. Given that he was being outplayed by youngsters Douglas and Akos Siger, it seemed silly to keep him in the squad and deny players with greater potential more playing time. Once transfer-listed, it did not take clubs long to show interest in him and I eventually accepted a bid from Scottish top division side Rangers for £55,000. Mongala played 18 times this season, averaging an individual rating of 6.96. 

We also sent young goalkeeper Tamas Gazsi out on loan to Penzugyor in the NB II for the rest of the season. He is slated to become their first choice shot stopper and the experience should help him improve somewhat. 

(In)

Two players joined the club during the transfer window and I continue a tradition of using the winter break to add youngsters to the squad. These time I picked up a pair of African regen teenagers, who have the potential to be real stars at this club. 

Firstly I picked up forward Michel Samba-Bandza. The youngster was available on a free following the expiration of his contract at Etoile du Congo, in his homeland. He played two seasons in Congo, scoring 14 goals in 39 appearances. The 18 year old striker has already represented the Congo at U20 level, having scored 13 goals in just nine games, and is a physical specimen. He has double digit ratings for every single physical attribute, with the highlight being a pace rating of 16. His technical skills are a little lacking but if I have learned anything from Rundell Winchester this season, it is that a physical beast can thrive in this division. With Ivan Somov facing a lengthy lay-off and Adam Fekete proving ineffective, Samba-Bandza could be given first team opportunities early in his career. 

The second signing was that of Willy Bidonga, a midfield who my assistant believes already possess a similar skill level to that of Joseph Cudjoe! Bidonga is also 18 years of age and has already broken into the Gabon senior national side, making three appearances. Like Samba-Bandza, he is also very physically adept but the real skill here is he passing, for which he holds a rating of 17! He also has a 15 rating for technique and a fairly professional personality, meaning he is only likely to improve in the future. 

RESULTS:

W = 2, D = 2, L = 1

Not an excellent slate of friendly games but I was happy with our goal scoring form considering we were missing star forward Ivan Somov. We defeated Giarmata and Hajduboszormeny (try pronouncing that), both lower league sides from Hungary. We drew with our affiliate club, Hajduszoboszlo and defdend well in a scoreless draw against the toughest opposition we faced, Spartak of the Serbian top tier. We somehow managed to lose against Mezokovesd, who are currently still in the NB II. 

YOUTH INTAKE:

A much more exciting youth intake than the one we had last season, with a fair amount of potential coming through in this group. We still need to improve the starting skills of our youngster because, as you can see below, even the best players from our youth intake do not have the greatest of starting skills. I signed the top five of these players, alongside Milan Biro (who I thought looked better than my assistant suggested). There are three individuals in this group who I am the most excited by:

The first of these is Tamas Duro, sporting an interesting haircut. The 16 year old central defender is part of an all-homegrown youth intake, having been born in Balmazujvaros. The youngster has a decent set of base attributes, with good strength and pace. The most promising aspect is his rating of 14 for tackling. His bravery, positioning and teamwork are also positive aspects but he has a lot of work to do, with a number of 1 rated attributes. In addition, his personality (unambitious) is not going to help in the long run. 

Jozsef Bernath is a fairly exciting looking prospect. The youngster is only small, standing at 5'9" and is not very prolific in the air. Where he does impress though is with his pace (12) and acceleration (14). That quickness could set him in good steed to become a decent forward in the future. I am unsure as to what type of forward I want to mold him into. His good finishing (13) and composure (10) suit a poacher type role but he also has good dribbling (12) meaning he could well play just off the furthest striker, similar to how I have used Rundell Winchester this season. Bernath also has a professional personality which should mean that he works hard in training and improves quickly. A very exciting young man indeed. 

Finally, we have another forward in Csaba Lazar. Lazar is slightly better in the air than Bernath but not quite as quick. His still has decent ratings for pace (11) and acceleration (12) but the most exciting aspect of his attribute set-up is his finishing (14), first touch (12) and composure (12). The rest of his technical aspects need a lot of work but the basics are there and he has the potential to become a decent poacher in my opinion. His personality is currently balanced, which is fine and a lot better than a negative trait. 

OTHER NEWS:

Not much in the way of other news but there was one training injury that is worth mentioning.

This happened right at the end of the winter break and will see Ivan De La Sierra miss a large portion of the final 14 games of the season. The 30 year old midfielder was in line for much more playing time given the departure of Phenyo Mongala but the Uruguayan's absence means we will be relying heavily on youth, with Douglas, Akos Siger and the newly signed Willy Bidonga expected to contribute more. 

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That is the end of this seasons winter break update and it has been fairly uneventful, although I was very happy with the latest youth intake. I will have another update out soon covering our return to league action and search for a very unlikely OTP Bank Liga title!

I hope everyone is still enjoying this journey. Technically, I still have the opportunity to win two pieces of silverware this season, although I am almost all but out of the Magyar Kupa following a terrible first leg performance in the quarter finals. 

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 1

[RCtheOnly]

Great work so far! Inspired me to start an unemployed save myself, hope you can manage to keep it up despite the injuries

[yatesiboi37]

10 minutes ago, RCtheOnly said:

Great work so far! Inspired me to start an unemployed save myself, hope you can manage to keep it up despite the injuries

Thanks RC! 

Are you going to start with no badges/experience? Definitely let me know who you end up starting out with!

[RCtheOnly]

27 minutes ago, yatesiboi37 said:

Thanks RC! 

Are you going to start with no badges/experience? Definitely let me know who you end up starting out with!

I started out without any badges or experience and managed to get a hired for Fram, an Icelandic team in the 2nd tier.

As I joined they were in the middle of a losing streak of 4 games in the domestic cups group stage until I salvaged their and my first win in the competition!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 13: February & March 2017

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

The winter break passed very quickly and we were back in action in late February. We had miraculously found ourselves top of the table following the seasons first half mainly due to some excellent form on our part and some shocking performances from our rivals. We had a very challenging run of games upcoming through these two months though and a number of the top tier Hungarian sides had strengthened considerably in the January transfer market. 

This update will include information of league results and standings, as well as our progress in the Magyar Kupa. We will also look at player statistics and any other interesting news. Could we maintain an unlikely title push in our inaugural season in the OTP Bank Liga. 

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OTP Bank Liga RESULTS:

W = 4, D = 1, L = 3

Not a terrible run of games but definitely could have been better. We managed to win half our games but those three defeats could prove costly as we manage just 13 points from a possible 24.

We picked up where we left off prior to the winter break with a pair of impressive victories over Diosgyor and a decent Puskas Akademia side. We then could not get a result over Debrecen away from home. Debrecen, our main rivals for title victory this season, had spent big in January and it was clearly paying off. We then were comprehensively beaten by an Ujpest side who humiliated us in the quarter finals of the Magyar Kupa. We turned things around slightly with a decent 2-2 draw against a good Vasas team before destroying Haladas, who are really struggling now. We finished March with a disappointing defeat to Ferencvaros, a game we lost to an injury-time winner, before defeating Paks 2-1 at home.

Despite missing star forward Ivan Somov, we were prolific in front of goal. We managed to score in every single game and finished the eight matches with a total of 18 goals scored. On the flipside, our defence has really struggled. We are constantly conceding goals to crosses, with our central defenders not being efficient enough in the air, and this led to us failing to keep a clean sheet. We conceded 14 times in eight games, not the form of champions.

Key Games:

1) Balmazujvaros 3-1 Puskas Akademia

Puskas Akademia are a decent side and having previously battled through against a fairly weak Diosgyor side I was looking for an improved performance in this one.

The game itself was pretty even through the first twenty minutes but then we got the break I knew we needed. Nikola Kordolup was bundled over in the box and the Serbian picked himself up to take the spot kick. Unfortunately for us though, he seemingly forgot where the goal was and subsequently blazed his shot high over the crossbar. Honestly, one of the worst penalties I have ever seen. Missing out on this chance cost us almost instantly as Puskas Akademia took the lead 10 minutes later; a cross through the right side and a powerful header.

Luckily for me, Rundell Winchester decided to make my half-time rant a little less stressful. The Trinidad & Tobago forward collected the ball on the edge of the area, rolled a defender with an exquisite turn and rifled a left-footed strike into the top corner of the net.

My half-time speech lifted the teams spirits and we came out a different side in the second half. We started to dominate possession, finishing with 58% and created some good chances. We took the lead just after the hour mark, unlikely scorer Csaba Vachtler cutting in off his right flank and slotting a well-placed shot past the keeper from a tight angle. We continued to dominate and in injury-time we capped off the performance with a third goal. Steven Rivera clipped a brilliant through ball over the top of the defence. Winchester raced away from the back line and tapped a calm finish past the onrushing keeper.

A superb performance, especially in the second half, and we would need more of the same in order to continue our title push.

2) Debrecen 2-1 Balmazujvaros

A huge game in terms of importance for us. Debrecen were shaping up to be our main rivals this season and, following some new additions in January, they were looking stronger than ever. We were going into this one following a very good second half performance against Puskas Akademia, so I was quietly confident.

Unfortunately our defensive frailties were exposed yet again. In the 23rd minute we conceded. A cross from the left saw Nicolas Gonzalez outjumped by a forward who headed home. It was a familiar sight for me, having watched tall, powerful forwards dominate our central defenders on a weekly basis.

Yet again though, we made it into the break on level terms courtesy of our Caribbean forward. We hit Debrecen on the counter attack, ending with Adam Fekete playing a nice ball across the front of the goal and Rundell Winchester tapping home into a vacant net. Possession was pretty even (50% each) but we were struggling to create chances against a well-disciplined side.

Just ten minutes into the second half and we were behind again. This time, a corner kick was headed home by Norbert Balogh. Debrecens young forward has a 17 rating for jumping reach and 13 for heading. My defenders simply are not good enough to deal with someone that good in the air, and this is definitely something I will look to address next season.

We were unable to find a second goal, only creating a few half chances as the game faded away. This was a big loss, against a side competing for our top spot.

Magyar Kupa RESULTS:

Quarter Finals: Second Leg (vs Ujpest – OTP Bank Liga)

We went into this game with the tie all but over following our humiliating 5-1 defeat at home. Still, we tried our best to get back into the contest, playing the entire 90 minutes on overload.

We were unable to overturn the deficit, despite scoring four times on the night. The highlight for me personally was the performance of Michel Samba-Bandza. The young Congo forward was making his competitive debut and notched two goals. He came close to a hattrick in the final five minutes but thumped a header against the post.

In the end we crash out of the competition, losing 8-5 on aggregate, in what turned out to be a pretty exciting cup tie for the neutrals.

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Our continued good league form means we now have a very very impressive 18 players holding an average rating of at least 7.0.

Our star man continues to be Rundell Winchester (7.68). If he does not win the award for the league’s best player I will be miffed. The young Trinidad & Tobago international has now reached double digit totals for goals (16) and assists (10) in just 24 appearances. His dribbling ability is unmatched and he is one of only two players to have played over 100 key passes this season.

In defence, our fullbacks continue to impress with Csaba Vachtler (7.40) and Faris Abdallah (7.35) both playing very well. Between them, they have collected 12 assists from their fullback positions whilst both playing solidly in defence. Where we have struggled, as mentioned before, is in the centre of defence. All four of our centre backs are fairly weak in the air and this has really cost us over the past two months. Olexandr Aksyonov (7.10) has played the most consistently out of all the central defenders but Vinko Buden (7.09) and Reinhard Breinburg (7.04) have both struggled. Nicolas Gonzalez (6.94) has been even more disappointing and this is definitely a position I need to strengthen.

In midfield, Ivan De La Sierra (7.60) still has not returned following his injury. In his place, the newly signed youngster Willy Bidonga (7.50) has been incredible. In his six games so far he has averaged an 81% pass completion rate whilst also notching 3.13 tackles/game. Joseph Cudjoe (7.26) continues his good play and is closing in on 100 key passes for the season. Bence Bakos (7.23) averages 3.00 tackles/game, second only to Bidonga and is still playing strongly. Douglas (7.04) and Akos Siger (6.98) have also both impressed over the recent months, leaving me with lots of options in the centre of the park.

In attack, Michel Samba-Bandza (7.50) has made an incredible start to life in Hungary. The young Congolese forward has scored five goals in just six games. Ivan Somov (7.28) also made a surprise return from injury, coming off the bench in the final two games of March, but is yet to find the net again. Adam Fekete (7.04) has now scored 10 goals this year, his second consecutive season with at least ten goals. Steven Rivera (7.22) continues to outplay Nikola Kordolup (7.23) in recent games but the two attacking midfielders have both played well, collecting eight goals and 14 assists between them.

LEAGUE TABLE:

Our slight dip in form and the continued good play of Debrecen see our rivals leapfrog us and take up the top spot. With just six games left in the season we are now three points behind our rivals, although the prospect of European football is a real possibility now considering we are nine points clear of 4th placed Ferencvaros.

Vasas and Puskas Akademia have both fallen away from the top spots following some poor form and Haladas now need a miracle if they are to avoid the drop.

Our final six games of the season see us take on: Bekescsaba (A) Csakvar (H), Videoton (A), Diosgyor (A), Debrecen (H), Puskas Akademia (A). The home game against Debrecen will only mean something if we can perform in the four games prior, a run which includes a very tricky trip away to Videoton.

OTHER NEWS:

Despite seeing Ivan Somov return from injury at the end of March, we suffered two fairly big injuries in this update which will likely damage our title chances.

 

Firstly, we lost Michel Samba-Bandza to a pulled hamstring suffered in the game against Ferencvaros. The young forward had been a revelation since joining the club but, with Somov not yet at full fitness, we will be relying on Adam Fekete a whole lot more through the final few games of the year.

In addition, we lost Faris Abdallah to a lower back stress fracture. This injured was suffered whilst on international duty playing for Sudan. The injury will see our starting left fullback miss the rest of the season and will mean that veteran Zsolt Makra will be expected to step-up until the end of the year.

The final piece of news in positive. Rundell Winchester is a regular in the Trinidad & Tobago squad nowadays and the youngster bagged his first ever international hattrick. It was in a friendly game against a very poor Montserrat side but still, a great achievement for a man who is having a fine domestic campaign.

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So, with just six games left in the season we are very much among the front runners. Debrecen are surely favourites but my aim is to push them as hard as possible and hopefully secure ourselves some European football for next season. We have been battered by key injuries the past few months and I will be gutted if we fall away because of that. 

Having crashed out of the Magyar Kupa, the league title is the only chance I have at securing some more silverware this season. Sir Alex Ferguson did not win any trophies in his second season of football management, so there is no pressure on me to secure the title this time around but, given how poorly the main Hungarian teams have been over the course of the season, I may never get a better chance. 

I hope you are all still enjoying this story and thanks everyone for their comments!

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 1

[deltablue]

Damn, such a shame to see your lead slip like that.

[noikeee]

Still very possible to get the title and even if you finish 2nd it's a fantastic season for the club.

[yatesiboi37]

On 8/20/2016 at 10:01, deltablue said:

Damn, such a shame to see your lead slip like that.

It was always going to be tricky to win back to back titles and it was totally unexpected. We still do have a shot at some silverware but we also have the chance to get into Europe, which would be a great achievement. 

On 8/20/2016 at 21:05, noikeee said:

Still very possible to get the title and even if you finish 2nd it's a fantastic season for the club.

Definitely still got a chance but as you said, wherever we finish now will be a massively positive achievement for the club!

[yatesiboi37]

Update 14: April & May 2017

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

This will be my final update for this season (sorry it has taken a while to post - I have been on holiday... again). We finished March two points adrift of our rivals Debrecen at the top of the OTP Bank Liga, with just six league games left to play. We had a real mixture in strength of opposition through our final few games but if we were to secure an unlikely title victory we would need to perform at the top of our game throughout April and May. 

Would we be able to secure an unlikely second league title having won promotion last year? This update will include results, player statistics and that all important, final league table. 

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OTP Bank Liga RESULTS:

W = 4, D = 1, L = 1

A pretty solid end to the season in terms of results but would it be enough? We end up securing 13 points from a possible 18 to end the year but would obviously be relying on Debrecen slipping up elsewhere if we were to secure the league trophy. 

We kicked off April with a pair of solid, if not spectacular, victories over tow struggling sides; Bekescsaba and Csakvar. We then slipped up away to Videoton, losing 1-0 despite a dogged performance we cold not find a way past their disciplined defensive unit. We bounced back with a convincing 3-0 away victory against Diosgyor before the biggest result of this update saw us beat rivals Debrecen at the Sportter Utca. We finished off the season with a drab 0-0 draw away to Puskas Akademia.

During this run of games we were superb in defence, only conceding one goal and keeping an astounding five clean sheets, Despite our defensive nature, we were still fairly efficient in front of goal, netting nine times in the six fixtures but we did fail to score on two occasions. 

Key Games:

1) Balmazujvaros 3-0 Debrecen 

I already knew this was going to be a big game when I wrote the last update. Our results leading up to this game meant we certainly had a chance of securing the title but we would have to perform in front of our home crowd. 

With a nervous team-talk given by myself before the game, I could not have ever dreamed of getting the start we did! After just 41 seconds we were in the lead. Nikola Kordolup played a brilliant one-two with Rundell Winchester on the edge of the Debrecen box before collecting the final pass a steering a neat finish home. A great start but I was instantly worried about Debrecen's attacking prowess. Our opponents did create some chances (16 total shots) but these were limited to long-shots and half-chances, as our defenders did a great job of stifling a decent attacking unit. 

The second half continued in a similar vain and we defended well and looked to hit our opponents on the counter. The killer blow, that I felt we needed, came just after the hour mark. Kordolup sprayed a brilliant pass out to the right wing and Csaba Vachtler delivered a first time cross. The whipped ball was met by the head of Michel Samba-Bandza, who steered a header beyond the keeper into the far corner. With a two goal advantage, Debrecen started to throw everything they had at us but we stayed solid at the back and put the game to bed with just 12 minutes left. Almost an exact replica of the previous goal, another Vachtler cross, another Samba-Bandza header and this game was over. 

This was a superb win for us against a very very good side but would it be enough to secure the league title?

PLAYER STATISTICS:

Every single player in this squad has performed above and beyond my expectations this season. It has left us finishing the season with a grand total of 18 players averaging a rating of at least 7.0 (the most I have ever had on FM). These players are not the most talented in the league but they are suited to the tactic and the tactic definitely works!

The star man this year has been Rundell Winchester (7.65). The summer signing has been incredible up top and finishes the season as the clubs leading scorer with 19 goals. He has also contributed 12 assists and leads the team in key passes, with 136, in his 30 games this year. His seven Player of the Match Awards are also a team high.

In defence, the star players were my two fullbacks. Csaba Vachtler (7.44) built on a brilliant campaign last year and new signing Faris Abdallah (7.35) proved to be a steal as a free transfer, as he dominated on the left flank. An extra thing to note was the emergence of Gedeon Okito (7.38). The young English fullback ended up starting the final four league games with Abdallah out injured and he was excellent. Hopefully he can continue to improve next season. In the centre of defence we were a little weaker but Vinko Buden (7.16), Olexandr Aksyonov (7.13) and Reinhard Breinburg (7.03) all played pretty well. Where we struggled this year was with dealing with the aerial ball, so look for me to grab a defender with good heading in the summer, 

In midfield the key man, yet again, was Ivan De La Sierra (7.56). The Uruguayan continues to impress despite my assistant believing him to lack the skills for this division. De La Sierra finishes the year with three goals, four assists and four Player of the Match Awards. The play of Willy Bidonga (7.39) was particularly pleasing. The young Gabon international joined the club in January and excelled in the final half of the year, finishing with a team high 86% pass completion rate. I am excited to see what he can do over a full season. The continued growth of Joseph Cudjoe (7.28) was also pleasing, as the young Ghanaian finished the year with 109 key passes. In Cudjoe and Bidonga we have two very talented young central midfielders with very bright futures. Bence Bakos (7.18) had another good season, effectively doing all the dirty work in his box-box role. In addition, young Brazilian midfielder Douglas (6.99) impressed in his first year with us. 

In attack, Nikola Kordolup (7.24) and Steven Rivera (7.22) split time at the CAM position with both excelling. In combination, the duo scored nine goals and collected 14 assists, whilst both surpassing 100 key passes. towards the end of the year I begun to favour Rivera but both players should be around next year. Ivan Somov (7.15) made his return from injury during the last few months of the year but he did not look his old self. He still finished the season with 14 goals in 24 games. Adam Fekete (7.07) played about as well as I thought he could at this level. His goal totals were also down on last year but he did net 12 times in his 30 games. Both of these players will be pushed next year by the emergence of Michel Samba-Bandza (7.49). The young Congo forward finished the season in emphatic fashion, netting seven times in just nine appearances. 

LEAGUE TABLE:

So here it is... the moment of truth:

YES! What a result!

We finish atop the table, three points clear of our rivals Debrecen. The keen-eyed among you will have worked out that we actually secured the title with our victory over Debrecen in the penultimate game of the season. Whereas we played well through the last six games, securing 13 points, Debrecen total collapsed. They managed just eight points in their final six games and that frankly, was not good enough to win the title. 

I literally have no idea how we have managed to do this but we have secured back-back league titles in Hungary. Debrecen finish 2nd whilst Ferencvaros clung onto 3rd (and the final UEFA Europa League spot). Last season champions Videoton, who won the league with a points total of 74 last season, finish in 4th place. Csakvar, who came up with us last year, managed to avoid relegation and ended the year in 8th. Haladas were relegated with a few games to go but Bekescaba joined them on the final game of the season. 

This has been a superb season and I have managed to add a second piece of silverware in just my second season!

OTHER NEWS:

The only major news is this:

An 'impressive managerial career'... the media love me already. This is only the second trophy the club have ever won, adding to the NB II title we picked up last season and becomes James Yates' second piece of silverware in just his second season of football management.

Our excellent league campaign means we will be competing in the UEFA Champions League next season. A very exciting, yet daunting achievement for my small Hungarian club. 

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Sir Alex Ferguson still sits on a whopping 5016 Managerial Hall of Fame points but I am very very slowly catching him up. The OTP Bank Liga title is worth a little bit more than the NB II title I secured last season and adds another 60 points to my total. This means James Yates now holds a Managerial Hall of Fame total of 91, less than 5000 to go before I surpass Sir Alex. 

I hope you guys are enjoying this read. I'll be back shortly for an end of season review update!

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 2

[yatesiboi37]

Update 15: End of Season Review (2016/17)

Club: Balmazujvaros FC
Division: OTP Bank Liga

I never imagined that my second season in football management would turn out to be more successful than my first but it definitely did. Having secured promotion and an unlikely division win in the NB II last year we entered the OTP Bank Liga, Hungary's top division, for the first time in the clubs history. The media expected us to struggle, the board expected us to struggle and even I expected us to struggle but we upset all the odds and had a historic season. James Yates managed to secure a second piece of silverware as he continues the journey to surpass Sir Alex. 

This update will look back at the clubs performances in all relevant competitions, the individual player statistics for the season and act as a presentation for the clubs yearly awards. Join me as we take a look back at James Yates' second consecutive title winning season at Balmazujvaros FC.

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Competitions:

OTP Bank Liga. Final Position: 1st

Played: 33 (W = 20, D = 6 L = 7)
Goals Scored: 60, Goals Conceded: 36, Goal Difference: +24
Points Total: 66

The media had tipped us for relegation this season but we defied all the odds and ended the season as league champions. Our title win was down in part to our superb performances but it was also reliant on the down seasons of some of our rivals. Last year's winner Videoton had an awful season by their standards and finished the year in 4th place. The most successful club in Hungarian history, Ferencvaros, also had a poor year but managed to secure UEFA Europa League football, finishing in 3rd. Debrecen pushed us the closest but fell away through the final month and gifted us the championship. 

Our excellent league performance once again meant we were well represented at the end of season awards:

Firstly, I was able to secure the Manager of the Year Award for a second consecutive season in football management. I finished absolutely miles ahead of the competition and, despite finishing 2nd, Debrecen are not represented, showing how poor their season was. Antal Simon of Vasas finished as runner-up after guiding his side to  5th place and Tamas Peto of Ferencvaros ended in 3rd (despite only managing for half the season). 

Rundell Winchester, who signed for us on a free transfer at the start of the year, was rightly named the OTP Bank Liga Player of the Year. The 23 year old Trinidad & Tobago international was exceptional throughout the season and finished as the leagues joint top scorer. His average rating of 7.61 is one of the highest I have ever had over the course of an entire season in FM. The only player who came close to surpassing Winchester was Debrecen's right winger Adam Bodl, who had a great year finishing with a 7.54 average rating. 

The Team of the Year was an interesting mixture of players with seven different clubs having representatives in the XI. Three of our players made it into the squad; with fullbacks Faris Abdallah and Csaba Vachtler joining Player of the Year Rundell Winchester in the leagues best side. Debrecen and Videoton both had two players make the side, whilst Vasas, Ujpest, Ferencvaros and newly relegated Haladas all had one representative. 

Magyar Kupa. Final Position: Quarter Finals

Played: 7 (W = 5, D = 1, L = 1)
Goals Scored: 16, Goals Conceded: 9, Goal Difference: +7
Knocked Out: Quarter Finals vs Ujpest (8-5)

We had a much better run in the Magyar Kupa this season, reaching the quarter finals before we completely self-destructed and got destroyed by a fairly average Ujpest side. We cruised through the early rounds following some favourable draws against lower league Hugarian sides before dispatching NB II side Vac in the 4th round. We then came up against Ujpest in the quarters and lost the first leg 5-1 at home in what was our worst performance of the season. I am hoping to reach the later stages of this competition next season!

Player Statistics:

We finished the season with a phenomenal 18 players holding an average rating of 7.0 or higher, probably the most I have ever had on FM. Below are some key stats from Balmazujvaros' title winning season in the OTP Bank Liga:

• Rundell Winchester ended the season as the clubs top goalscorer. The Trinidad & Tobago forward netted 19 times in 30 games in his first season in Hungary. Two other players surpassed double digit goal tallies; Ivan Somov (14) and Adam Fekete (12). 
• Our top scorer also ended the season as our leader in assists as Winchester finished with 12 total. The only other player to finish with double digit assists was fullback Csaba Vachtler who ended the year with 10. 
• Rundell Winchester really did have a brilliant season and he ended with the most Player of the Match Awards, collecting 7. Ivan De La Sierra and Adam Fekete finished in joint second, collecting 4 Player of the Match Awards each. 
• Right fullback Csaba Vachtler ended the season with the most tackles/game, with 3.28 whilst Olexandr Aksyonov ended the year with the most interceptions, totaling 328. 
• Joseph Cudjoe appeared in the most games this year, playing 32 times. The next highest behind him were Vachtler (31), Adam Fekete (30) and Winchester (30).

Player Awards:

1) Player of the Year: Rundell Winchester (ST) - 30 matches, 19 goals, 12 assists, 136 key passes, 2.12 dribbles/game, 7 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.65

This was a very easy award to give out. Rundell Winchester, who joined the club as a free agent in the summer, had an unbelievably good season en-route to winning the OTP Bank Liga Player of the Year and finishing as the clubs top scorer. He also managed to lead the team in assists, proving his all-round threat as a scorer and a creator. 

His attributes really are not that impressive but his pace makes him a real handful at this level. His willingness to run at opposition defenders is highlighted through his team leading 2.12 dribbles/game. His outstanding season has meant that a few bigger clubs have started to show an interest so it will be interesting to see whether I can hold onto him. I will likely offer him a new contract, given that his wage at the moment is fairly manageable. 

2) Defensive Player of the Year: Csaba Vachtler (RB) - 31 matches, 10 assists, 90 key passes, 3.28 tackles/game, 2 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.44

Our young Hungarian right fullback had another brilliant season as he easily made the transition from playing NB II football to the top division. His 10 assists were second highest on the team and means he has now had two consecutive double digit assist seasons since I joined the club. He also managed to almost double his number of tackles per game from last year showing a real improvement in the defensive third. 

He is another player whose attributes are not amazing but yet again, his physical traits make him a nuisance at this level. I should likely be able to keep hold of him for many seasons to come and I will be definitely offering him a new contract. 

3) Midfield Player of the Year: Ivan De La Sierra (CM) - 24 matches, 3 goals, 4 assists, 91 key passes, 4 PoM Awards, Ave Rating: 7.56

For the second consecutive season, Uruguayan central midfielder Ivan De La Sierra is named as our best midfielder. The 30 year old did not play as many games as I would have liked this season, mainly due to a few niggling injuries but when he did play he was superb. He managed to rack up 91 key passes in just 24 appearances and proved that he could compete at this level. 

He is the opposite to most of my players in that he is no physical specimen. He relies solely on his technical attributes, which are very advanced in comparison to most in my squad. He is a constant threat from dead-ball situations and will likely be around next season. As age becomes a factor he will likely see a reduced role but for now, he has proven he belongs at this level for sure. 

4) Attacking Player of the Year: Nikola Kordolup (CAM) - 28 matches, 5 goals, 8 assists, 117 key passes, 1 PoM Award, Ave Rating: 7.24

Nikola Kordolup was one of the players who actually played a lot better this year than he did last. He had an okay season last time out in the NB II but really stepped up his play in the top division this season, The Serbian attacker often played just off the two forwards and ended the season with five goals and eight assists. He also managed to rack up 117 key passes, which was exceptional. 

He is another who attributes suggest a fairly average player but he is pretty well-rounded, with very few individual stats under 10. He will definitely be around next year but he begun to get outplayed during the back end of the season by Steven Rivera, so it will be interesting to see who performs best next year. 

5) U21 Player of the Year: Joseph Cudjoe (CM) - 32 matches, 81% pass completion, 109 key passes, 2.35 tackles/game, Ave Rating: 7.28

In his final year of eligibility for this award, Joseph Cudjoe again claims our Young Player of the Year Award. The 21 year old Ghanaian midfielder stepped his play following last season and really impressed. He had the most appearances for the club, starting 32 games and managed to surpass 100 key passes for the first time in his career. His pass completion percentage dropped slightly but he was still effective in distributing the ball. 

He is another of our younger players who is very strong physically but Cudjoe also has a very nice set of technical and mental attributes. He is under contract for a few more seasons and he could easily develop into a club legend given his young age. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this season has gone far better than I ever could have hoped. I signed a whole host of unproven free agents at the beginning of the season but they all came through in varying degrees and we established ourselves as one of the strongest teams in the country. Poor campaigns from our league rivals meant we were able to battle to an unlikely league title but, should our opponents return to their usual standards, we will likely face a tough challenge next season. We had a much better showing in the Magyar Kupa this time around but I would love to win the domestic cup before considering my future in Hungary. 

I have the majority of the squad under contract next season, with just the odd few back-up players seeing their deals expire, so I should remain competitive in a division that I believe will increase in standard. 

As previously mentioned, the OTP Bank Liga title has raised my number of Managerial Hall of Fame points to 91. Just under 5000 more needed to surpass Sir Alex Ferguson!

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Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 2

 

 

[deltablue]

Excellent!

[noikeee]

Spectacular season and achievement, very well done.

[RCtheOnly]

Back to back huh? Not bad at all, perhaps you can clinch a double next season if you keep going like this!

[Hootieleece]

Congrats on BacK to Back Promotions.

That being said, often times I find the first season after promotion is easier than the 2nd if your team isn't totally outclassed at the higher level.  I think that first season after promotion AI Teams misjudge your team and play with overconfidence that you can exploit.

Even though you had an easier draw in the Domestic Cup your showing proves that your team is capable of staying in the top League.

 

 

 

[yatesiboi37]

On 8/26/2016 at 11:06, deltablue said:

Excellent!

Thanks Delta! Went a lot better than I had expected.

On 8/27/2016 at 01:21, noikeee said:

Spectacular season and achievement, very well done.

Thanks noikeee. Was a hugely impressive season from the team but the focus now is on trying to repeat our success next year.

On 8/28/2016 at 20:59, RCtheOnly said:

Back to back huh? Not bad at all, perhaps you can clinch a double next season if you keep going like this!

I would love to grab the cup but the league is surely going to be tougher this year. Surely our rivals are going to improve on their performances next year and I feel like we will face a far greater challenge atop the league. 

On 8/29/2016 at 15:30, Hootieleece said:

Congrats on BacK to Back Promotions.

That being said, often times I find the first season after promotion is easier than the 2nd if your team isn't totally outclassed at the higher level.  I think that first season after promotion AI Teams misjudge your team and play with overconfidence that you can exploit.

Even though you had an easier draw in the Domestic Cup your showing proves that your team is capable of staying in the top League.

I think that was definitely the case. Plus, the top Hungarian sides had down seasons by their standards so should they step-up their play next year. We have definitely shown we deserve to be in the OTP Bank Liga but I am expecting this coming year to be a lot more challenging.

[yatesiboi37]

This update will serve as a little introduction to James Yates' third season in football management before we get stuck into the rigors of preseason. Having had two amazingly successful seasons in management thus far, the young English manager is well on his way to chasing down Sir Alex Ferguson atop the Managerial Hall of Fame. 

Having yet again been offered a new contract at the end of the season, I decided to accept and that means I will be spending the following year in Hungary once again. I do not want to get stuck at one club forever but for the time being I am more than happy to continue my successful times at Balmazujvaros FC. 

Club Background:

Not much has changed in terms of the clubs background since last season. Despite are title victory, we are still one of the smaller clubs in Hungary, at least in terms of financial prowess. Last year, Balmazujvaros competed in the OTP Bank Liga for the first time ever  and the league trophy we won marked only the clubs second piece of silverware in their short history, following the NB II title won in my first season of management, 

Despite our increasing stature in Hungary the clubs financial situation has actually decreased, with the club halving in value to just £180,000. Our reputation continues to improve however, with the club now holding a 2.5 star reputation. 

Facilities:

Our facilities are not looking amazing, especially given that we are reigning league champions. 

We will continue to play our home games at the 2,250 capacity Sporter Utca, although we will not be able to use it for UEFA Champions League games as it is not large enough. In addition, the pitch condition has deteriorated since last year and is now poor.

Our other facilities remain exactly the same as last season. The clubs fairly poor financial situation means that the board were unwilling to upgrade any aspect of the facilities. One news note that I did receive was this:

I would have definitely preferred the board to have invested in other aspects of the club (such as facility upgrades or allowing me to go on coaching courses) but I guess it is a step in the right direction. I have no idea how much purchasing our stadium will cost but I am assuming a fair amount?

Competitions:

This will be the first season ever that I compete in more than two competitions. 

The main competition that we will be competing in is the OTP Bank Liga. The league follows the exact same format as last year, with 12 sides playing each other three times for a total of 33 matches. The bottom two sides get relegated to the NB II. The league champions gain entry to the UEFA Champions League (Second Qualifying Stage) and the teams finishing 2nd and 3rd qualify for the UEFA Europa League (First Qualifying Round). 

We head into this campaign as reigning league champions. Videoton and Debrecen have been the most successful domestic sides in recent years, each winning the league title three times in the past eight seasons. The only other league winner was Gyor, who now play in the NB II, a fate we shall be trying to avoid in the next few years. 

The second competition that we will participate in is the Magyar Kupa. This is the only Hungarian cup competition and follows a fairly standard domestic cup format, with knockout games played over one leg, with the winner progressing to the next round. Vasas won the Magyar Kupa last season and, although we made it to the quarter-finals, I will be looking to go a bit further this time around. 

The third competition that we will enter is the Borsodi Szuperkupa. This is essentially the Hungarian version of the community shield and is contested at the start of the season between the league and cup winners. This year we will take on the aforementioned Vasas in what will be a great opportunity to add a piece of silverware to James Yates' collection. 

The final competition is the UEFA Champions League. Despite winning the league we will be entering this competition in the First Qualifying Round, meaning we will have to win four, two-legged ties, to hold any chance of progressing to the group stages. No Hungarian side has made the group stages of the Champions League since Debrecen managed it in 2009. 

Hungarian Football:

Domestically the OTP Bank Liga has dropped slightly in terms of reputation and is now ranked 38th in European competitions, just behind the Turkish second division and the Kazakhstan top tier, proving we still have some ways to go in terms of improving Hungarian football. Debrecen, Videoton and Ferencvaros are still the biggest clubs in Hungary with the former being the most valuable club in the country. 

The international scene has taken another hit, with the senior national side slipping to 50th in the world rankings. This has mainly been caused by their poor performances in the World Cup 2018 Qualifying group:

On paper, it definitely was not the hardest of groups but the national side have done a good job of making it look very challenging. They are eight points adrift of clear leaders Portugal and are currently in 4th place behind Switzerland and Latvia. There are still four games to go, so it is still possible for them to qualify, but it is looking very unlikely. 

World Football:

Nothing much to report on the international scene given that there were no major global competitions running this season. In terms of domestic winners, here is a quick rundown of the most recent winners from the top European divisions:

• Barclays Premier League: Chelsea
• Liga BBVA: Real Madrid
• Bundesliga: FC Bayern Munich
• Serie A: Juventus
• Ligue 1: PSG
   
• UEFA Champions League: Chelsea (defeated Manchester United 3-0)
• UEFA Europa League: PSG (defeated Napoli 4-0)

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That concludes my re-introduction to life in Hungary. I will be back soon with a preseason update as we begin our defence of the OTP Bank Liga. Will we be able to challenge for the title again? Or will we slip back to reality?

Season 1:

Sir Alex Ferguson - East Stirlingshire (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 1

Season 2:

Sir Alex Ferguson - St. Mirren (0 trophies won). Cumulative total: 0
James Yates - Balmazujvaros FC (1 trophy won). Cumulative total: 2

 

[deltablue]

How do you think you might do in Europe? 

[yatesiboi37]

1 hour ago, deltablue said:

How do you think you might do in Europe? 

I have no idea. It will all depend on who we get drawn against in the qualifiers. I would love to make the group stages but think that is a massive ask. Would have preferred Europa League to be honest, we are no way ready for Champions League football.