[FM17] Journeyman Konny - Let's conquer the world

[BozzGer]

 

That's the profile of my manager in October 2019. I never planned doing a story out of this save, so I did some bollox like a 23-year-old as an International Footballer, but there happened some things I have to share with others.

~The story until December 2018~

I started the game as Konny Biggins, an Irishman with a Turkish background and in my mind living in Germany. After having two seasons of a British Steel Challenge in the depths of Northern Irish and Welsh football I had enough of that whole Semi-Professional "crap" and started with an International Footballer reputation and the highest National license.

In late April 2017 I took over at Nürnberg, they were mid-table in 2. Bundesliga with low risk to get relegated. When I took over there were 3 games left, the derby against Fürth, a game against Würzburg and league winners Braunschweig. With an interesting 5-2-2-1 approach we drew 0-0 in Frankenderby, won 1-0 through a goal by talented striker Cedric Teuchert against Würzburg and finished with a fantastic 4-0 against the boys from Lower Saxony. I was sure to get them promoted in at most 3 years but as I applied for a job in the Bundesliga to check my value they had enough of me and sacked me after just 33 days. 

The real career started then in Austria at Red Bull Salzburg who finished 2nd in 16/17. In that one full season, I managed them some fantastic things happened. Let's start with the Europa League  On the way to the group stage we managed to beat the Rangers, Trnava and AEK Athens. We topped our group where we met Basel, Bursaspor and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The first really weird thing happened in the first leg of the 1st Knockout Round meeting against Sparta Prague. We were 3-0 up after 20 minutes, the game ended 5-3 for us, but we were in danger to concede more than three. With the 2nd leg ending 1-1 we were through. Our opponent? Manchester City... With us struggling in the league and my general unhappiness with tactics, I decided to go with the approach from @Cleons "Art of Counter Attacking". In the home tie, we sat down with a 4-1-4-1  on Counter and no TIs and managed to kill the game. We had no shot on target for the whole 90mins but City couldn't break us so we went home with a 0-0. One week later in Etihad I was sure that alone couldn't help us so added "more direct passing" and a little bit more pressing. After 36 minutes Djuricin gave us the lead so City needed two to kick us out. As Wisdom scored an own goal in the 70th minute it was sooo nervy but we survived it and knocked them out of the EL. On the same day Pep Guardiola lost his job in Manchester. We lost the Quarter Final very unlucky to Genk, but this night in Manchester was just special.

The national cup is a short story. Went out in the 3rd round against Admira Wacker, because they have a crappy sized pitch in which our style of play was killed seriously.

The league... In review I can't tell how lucky we were winning the league. While playing the games it didn't felt like this. In March we could have gone 10 points clear Rapid Vienna, when losing to them sandwiched by the Man City games. Finally we won the title with more luck than judgment. In the last 4 games two 90+ winners rescued our chances and that Rapid drew against Wolfsberg on the last matchday was pure luck.

 

I didn't want to leave RBS, with some outstandig talent waiting to get through I hoped to be able to bring them to the Champions League Knockout Stages in 3-4 year. But AGAIN the board had some problems with my long term goals. After qualifying for the CL group stage by turning around a 2-4 in Zagreb with a 4-0 at home they decided to sell two of my three established Centre Backs on Deadline Day behind my back. When my talent is sold without that I control when I can't develop the squad in 1000 years. So I stepped down and nearly slammed my keyboard in anger. 

In December I went back to Germany taking over at Mainz 05. The first games didn't went that bad, in Freiburg we only lost because of two freekick goals (2-3) and against 1860 Munich we won a solid game 2-0. So I was hopefull going into the winter break. Could I rescue the club from going down, or will I regret resigning in Salzburg? You'll see in the next part (hopefully tomorrow).

[BozzGer]

1. FSV Mainz 05 ~ Season 2018/19 ~ Fighting against relegation

When I took the job Mainz was sitting on Relegation spot 17 with a team that should have played a quiet season in the middle of the table. As I told in the previous post, the first two matches weren't that bad with an unlucky defeat against Freiburg and a solid win against 1860 Munich. After 17 games we then sat on Play-Off spot 16 so I was hopeful to get the team out of any trouble.

In the winter break, I was confident of signing some serious improvements, especially because I had a budget of around 20M €. But in the end, I only signed experienced Center Back Marvin Matip from 2. Bundesliga side Ingolstadt and Goalkeeper Mande Sayouba who didn't extend his contract at Stabaek as backup for Jonas Lössl. 

I wasn't too sure what to do with tactics. I have too many technical wise fine players to play an all and all Counter Attacking but for possession football the is too bad in general. In the end I decided to play something like a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1. 

As you can see this didn't work out THAT well. I felt like in FM15 where I was so bad at tactics that I lost with a mediocre Hannover side 12 out of 13 games. I was sure that I'll be sacked in the next weeks. But then I tweaked the tactic a little bit again and a miracle of Mainz happened...

Suddenly we won against giants FC Bayern and after that a goals galore in Bremen. We lost only one more important game, away against high flyers Leipzig. The last game could have been a serious Relegation thriller in Munich but after we won against Freiburg we were 3 points and around 10 goals clear the Munich Lions (they were 16th, the Play-Off spot), so I played a heavily rotated squad in this game. In the end we were able to stay in the league but I wasn't happy at all. In Batterings like the 6-0 in Dortmund, I don't want to be the 0 anymore since I improved heavily in tactics and stuff in the last months. Unfortunately I don't have a screen of the team. Sorry about that...

Here is the final league table. Remarkably is that we lose the 4th Champions League spot to Italy after this season. Until we'll be able to fight for this spots the other clubs hopefully will have "won" this back. 

Next Post: 2019/20 ~ Fight for Relegation or establishing Mid-Table?

[Hootieleece]

Bundesliga seems like a real pain to get out of the fighting Relegation/Midtable club to top 5/6 for Euro play.

 

The Prize money allows you to buy good players, but the problem is that they are usually top 5/6 teams castoffs and they go buy better players with your transfer money.

(currently playing Hertha Berlin in 2030) also if you build up your youth system. They are for ever trying to snap up your players........leading to wages spiraling out of control and a bunch of whiny players who can't find the net, even though their all "Professional" Personalities.

[BozzGer]

@Hootieleece Yeah, that's a thing in Germany I think. I'm in love with the actual Bayern squad in this save, I hope that I can take over from Carlo in the next few seasons.

[BozzGer]

FSV Mainz 05 - Season 2019/20

Transfers:

And AGAIN the board sold an important player without my "permission". But because Öztunali is a pure Winger and I played with Inside Forwards/Wide Midfielders and after a bad run in January and February a   5-3-2 only with Full Backs I didn't miss him at all. In January then Jhon Cordoba left, who helped us staying up in the last season because Muto was awesome and our Youth Product Jonathan Burkhardt and the absolute bargain Renat Dadachov were solid enough. On the other side, there were some huge deals. I don't like old players at all but after I wasn't able to win more than a Europa League in 5 years with an ever young Leverkusen I decided to bring in the experienced Cahill and Castro. Also we spend a club record fee for Polish talent Kapustka and 9M for FM legend Balanta who then was immediately injured for 5 months. In winter I adjusted the squad with Iver Fossum, who wasn't needed at Chelsea and Mammana to have enough quality CBs to be able to play a formation with 5 at the back. Jacob Bruhn Larsen I loaned from Dortmund and he'll stay for 7,5M. I can tell that he was awesome until he suffered the same injury as Balanta and was out for the season.

Results: 

This season was AWESOME. We could have gone for Champions League spot 3 but for the last two matches all of our Full Backs were suspended or injured so I had to play some bollox 3-5-2 without a real cover for the back three. The other option was a back four with 4 CB like Germany at the World Cup 2014 so I was wrong I think. But u have to see from where we come so this 5th place is pretty nice. Continental football in the next season! Also we won the cup but where pretty lucky to do so. Bayern and Dortmund were gone after Round 2 and 2. Bundesliga side Fürth beat Leverkusen in the other Semi Final. Our Semi Final against my former club Nürnberg was at least pretty funny.

Some random screenshots...