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Rise to the Top [FM 2017]


tastaiwan

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We're having a fantastic season, with Junior Stanislas and Piazza getting regularly on the score sheet. The wins against Wigan and Derby are particularly impressive. I expected to lose to Leeds, they're bloody rich, but other results were unexpectedly good, like Villa and Watford. Overall I'm very pleased.

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We're just under the top two teams, with potential to step into an automatic promotion spot.

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Tactically Familiar

We seem to have hit the part of the year where the players have gotten used to the tactic and things just start to click. Admittedly, things started less than well, but things quickly turned back to the good as we picked off win after satisfying win. This year might turn out really well for the Blackburn Rovers, especially if you look at our latest result.

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We beat Stoke out of the FA Cup. For reference, they're solid midtable in the Premier League right now. They also won the FA Cup last year. Things are going absolutely phenomenal. Ignore that little mishap against Gillingham, it happens, focus on Stoke. Let's keep the good times rolling!

I'm not one to stay away from the transfer market when January comes around, and I've sprung a few deals, not all of them by my choice...

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Well balls. Easily our best player an with room to grow, he griped about moving to a bigger club, and I just resigned to let him go. I have Paddy McNair to take his place, and Vicente Castro is a future superstar in the center of the field. I cashed in on around $6-8 million, less than what I should have taken but he would have complained some more and flipped our morale on its back, so there it is. He's off to Norwich to do whatever.

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This may look like a replacement for Cunningham, but I finalized the deal for him back in October or November. I love players with some good potential, and the fact that he's English and wasn't abhorrently expensive kinda itched my trigger finger, and before I knew it he was in the van.

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Yet another youngster to play up top, the Greek will play a role in a few years, hopefully. I've just had a good look at him and realized he doesn't play false nine, which will be a problem in the near future. Oh well, he'll do fine. As you can see, he's already got on the scoresheet against Brentford.

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So close to the top, I can taste it... 

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The Giant Killers???

We've already made it so far in the FA Cup, and we took out Stoke City in spectacular fashion. Against the odds, we played a spectacular game and took ourselves into the next round. We got a rather unfavorable draw against Man City, the financial powerhouse, but if we can do it on a cold, rainy night away at Stoke, maybe we could pull one off against City...

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The answer is no. We went on a bad run of games, and that path led straight into the arms of City. They got twice as many shots off than we did, and they handled us quite assertively. That was pretty expected though, I can't say I was expecting to go in and dismantle them, but I've got to admit there was hope.

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With 10 games left, we're four points ahead in the automatic promotion race, and with a little bit of a lot of luck, I think we're safe.

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The candidates for this year have come in, but there's really nothing much impressive...here's a look at the best players.

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Touted the best of the bunch, he looks...alright. I always like some loyalty, and his media description is promising, but looking at his stats there's really nothing to get excited about. We'll see how he develops.

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I always need a center back with low self belief that goes for the bike every once in a while.

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A Firecracker of an Ending - 2021/2022

Well then...

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I think I'll lead with this. Things were getting tight at the end, so I had to stop my squad rotation to get some good results at the end of the season. It worked in games like Brighton, but worked less against Sheffield Wednesday. Final match day, we're one point behind Watford, three points ahead of Everton. Things are looking bleak and we need to hope for some favorable results to get this done.

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As you already saw, we did our part. We got our three points to guarantee staying ahead of Everton, so we need Watford not to win. They're up against Aston Villa, 16th place in the league.

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Spoiler

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With that, we leapfrog them into first place and win the Sky Bet Championship! Blackburn Rovers, predicted to finish 19th or lower at the beginning of the season, pass the test of the Championship with flying colors and move into the Premier League, a new test that will challenge us thoroughly in the coming season. This transfer window will be key if we want to survive. We get $33 million to spend in the transfer window, so we can get some good players if they're interested.

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This graph illustrates quite well how tight it was at the end. Everton and Watford were predictably trading the top spot throughout the entire season, but in the end it was a horse race between us and the favorites to win the league. With some tense trading and a prolonged period in second place, we get the top spot when it mattered.

Overview

 

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3 hours ago, Lenzar said:

Nice work with this! Think Blackburn have the resources to keep growing?

We just got a takeover a few months back, and he pumped $15 million+ into the bank. I didn't check but I think he may be a sugar daddy because he's not scared to let me spend. Things are looking bright for Blackburn :D

I'm thinking of turning this into a long term challenge, winning the champions league with as many different clubs as I can and going for the world cup at the same time....it would be fun and really fit the spirit of the a journeyman save!

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When I Say I'm Gonna Win the World Cup, It Means I'm Gonna Win It

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There's no point in hiding it for a later reveal. I'm going for the double in England, winning the CL with an English team and taking the national team to win the World Cup. England will most likely take a lot longer than Blackburn, but I can win more trophies if I take a two-teamed approach. I think this also means that I'll make a list of teams I win the Champions League and World Cup with.

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This was coming to a close, which was another big factor in me looking for a national team job. It was more or less between England, Australia, and Croatia. I didn't think England would go for me but I guess they like what they see. Senegal pull up some trees on the way to the semi-final, and Romania have a good showing beating England on penalties, but otherwise it's a pretty routine World Cup.

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I've also got in hand the season preview, in which we're soundly predicted to finish dead last. Let's do a little better than that, eh?

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In terms of our games so far, I was a little disappointed we didn't beat everyone. but Bordeaux is a pretty good side so if there's any team I expected to give us a challenge, it was them. I was very disappointed in the boys when we drew with League 1 Preston.

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We got ourselves a few transfers as well, you can take a greater look at that when I list this year's squad. Orjan Nyland, the Norwegian stalwart, comes in to give our side a little depth. He's a fantastic player, but he's old and I want Sofu Ozdogan to develop as quickly as possible. Abdou Diakhate is the big signing of the year, he's very talented and will start almost every game. I look forward to having him on our side. Jedrzejczak (I might want to give him a nickname) is a Polish chap. I could either bring in an overpriced but high quality player on the right wing (looking at you, Theo Walcott), or I could invest in someone a little bit younger who'll turn into a great player. I obviously chose the latter. Michael Egueh Yacin (what in the world is going on with these outrageous names) is another young guy with lots of potential, he gives us depth in the middle.

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Here's the overall look at the squad, well filled out with 24 players. Our strike force is very young but will be extremely good in the future. If you take a look at our defensive half, everyone's in their 30s and most likely not getting their contract renewed, so that's something to look at next season. Good thing is we're in the Premier League, which usually means some good money.

Squad

Goalkeeper: Ørjan Nyland - Sofu Özdogan - Matt Macey

Right Back: Chris Solly - Nathan Thompson

Left Back: Scott Malone - Greg Leigh

Center Back: Murray Wallace - Aden Flint - James Chester - Sid Nelson (Wow, this is one disappointing category. Might just bring another player in for safety)

Defensive Mid: Vicente Castro - Paddy McNair - Michael Egueh Yacin

Center Mid: Abdou Diakhate - Adam Phillips - Leandro Bacuna

Right Wing: Junior Stanislas - Bartosz Jedrzejczak (wtf)

Left Wing: Michael Jacobs - Gerard Anderson

Strikers: Eddie Nketiah - Maurizio Piazza - Giannis Syriopoulos

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With England, you should have a solid pool of payers to draw from. What tactics are you going to employ with them?

Looking forward to the next year, and seeing how things go with the national side.

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45 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

With England, you should have a solid pool of payers to draw from. What tactics are you going to employ with them?

Looking forward to the next year, and seeing how things go with the national side.

I'm looking at using a 4-3-3, but with Reiss Nelson, Danny Welbeck, and the Ox on the wings, I might have to go with a 4-3-3 Wide. I'm not sure yet, there's a friendly against the US in August and I'll be sure to test some stuff there before I settle on anything concrete.

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4 minutes ago, tastaiwan said:

I'm looking at using a 4-3-3, but with Reiss Nelson, Danny Welbeck, and the Ox on the wings, I might have to go with a 4-3-3 Wide. I'm not sure yet, there's a friendly against the US in August and I'll be sure to test some stuff there before I settle on anything concrete.

Very cool.  Again, looking forward to it!

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I Never Said This Would Be Easy...

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Yeah...it's been a really rough time since the beginning of the season. We've won one league game, and we still only barely managed to put one over Crewe. Losses to Arsenal and Man City were expected, but Wolves? That's a new level of disappointment. Stoke and Leicester were similarly disappointing because I think the squad is good enough to play well, we're just not showing it.

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Just barely out of the relegation zone, this is going to be a battle of a season.

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Sometimes You Just Need A Break From The Club

Thank goodness that I get a break once in a while to go and manage England. Without this little pause, my morale would be quite low because I would have to deal with constant adversity with Blackburn.

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The USA game was a lot tighter than I would have ever hoped, but from there things went a little easier and we found ourselves going straight through the International League without issue before having another friendly. Things are going well, but players always cry when I leave them out of the squad.

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When You Find Yourself In The B League

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It's a wonder we got demoted from the top tier lat year because this was a bit of a walk in the park. I think that's it for this year unless there's a friendly or two. First half year as England manager gets an A+.

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To Be Fair, It Was A Weaker Team

Just a minor update here.

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This month was a lot better. Games of note are Manchester United, who are a lot better than us, and Arsenal. I'm not sure if they played a player from their main squad because it was extremely weak. They must have cared very little.

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We're surviving a little better than we were earlier.

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I Thought We Were Doing Good But I Guess Not

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It felt so good beating Tottenham and Middlesbrough, and that draw against Liverpool was a work of magic as well. Looking at this now, though, that's a lot of red. To be fair we had a lot of difficult games, Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Tottenham, and looking at it that way it's pretty impressive we did how we did, but...I'm never really satisfied until I see a nice streak of green with a few yellows thrown in :D:D:D:):D:)

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In terms of transfers, there's this phenomenal Scottish goalkeeper, 18 years old, who would probably be one of the top three keepers in the league if I signed him, and he would cost me around $10-12 million. It would be so worth it, but I also have both Nyland and Ozdogan, one's good now, one will be great later. I feel anxious just thinking about bringing in a fourth keeper (I didn't forget about you Matt, I swear), so I think I'll abstain. I really want to raise the quality of the team. I might have to wait for the summer to do so, however.

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Let's Play The Wolves Some More

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Wow, I'm so glad we couldn't beat the Wolves when it mattered. I'm so elated about that, I'm fine with maybe getting relegated, it'll be an adventure!

Seriously though...we need to fight our way to a better position in the league because this is precarious.

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That Moment When...Wait What?

Starting with the sole transfer of the winter, Baptiste Santamaria joins us from Middlesbrough. People were complaining about a lack of depth in the middle, and although they're lying I thought I'd get in someone with talent.

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When you see it...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I can't explain it, I don't want to, but there it is. I don't know if I like it.

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I Just Want A Little Money For Transf-

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I definitely have a sugar daddy. This is a crap ton of money, and I can't wait to splurge all over the place, but when you look at how the end of the season went, I think this is a fine reward for my efforts.

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Wonderful results. We don't even look like a potential relegation candidate anymore.

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And it shows. We propel ourselves in a final attempt to get something good out of the season, and the team does not disappoint in the slightest. With the right signings, we should be quite a force next year. Pre-season update incoming, but first a little bit of England action.

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Summer Shenanigans With The Three Lions

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We beat the boys across the Irish Seas thanks to a brace from Harry Kane.

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The Maltese did not fare well when they came to visit us in London. Goals all over the board in this one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Just A Hiatus And Stuff

Realized I had a weekend to rest and thought I'd get a little progress with Blackburn while I'm at it. I've reached the beginning of the season, so I'll just bring you up to speed up to that point.

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Everything's been going peachy keen, but I'm sure you've noticed a few new names in that goalscorers' list. New players, who dis?

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First, lets take care of the World Cup Qualifying stuff. Switzerland might be tricky, but I'm hoping we qualify safely and soundly.

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Alright, transfers. I usually like to go for the bargains, and I stuck to that when I picked up Matias Rodriguez, but otherwise I splashed the cash. I want the best players I can get in the positions I need them, and I'm particularly happy with Salvatore Lotti, very high quality striker, and taking Toni Morales from Barcelona for under $20 mil.

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This is the squad, but because I tried to purge the squad of a few of the older players (I didn't even succeed with a lot of that) I'm still trying to pull a few bargains.

Goalkeeper Matt Macey

Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland

Goalkeeper Sofu Ozdogan

Right Back Matias Rodriguez

Center Back Miguel Lopes

Center Back Petter Lundqvist

Defensive Mid Paddy McNair

Defensive Mid Michael Egueh Yacin

Center Mid Baptiste Santamaria

Center Mid Adam Phillips

Center Mid Abdou Diakhate

Defensive Mid Vicente Castro

Winger Junior Stanislas

Forward Giannis Syriopoulos

Winger Bartosz Jedrzejczak

Winger Gerard Anderson

Winger Toni Morales

Striker Eddie Nketiah

Striker Maurizio Piazza

Striker Salvatore Lotti

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They honestly still expect me to get relegated? Over my dead body. Again, a few more transfers hopefully coming in.

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I found the bargains I was looking for.

Sebastian Persson joins us from IFK Göteborg, he's not good now but there wasn't much better I could do. I went for a Luis Antonio from Barcelona, but he turned us down and went to Celta Vigo instead.

Diogo Queiros joins the squad from FC Porto, he is very good and will start.

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We've made it to the Europa League group stage, so things are positive on that front. We've had a bad run in the premier league, but that's probably because I want to rotate the squad just a little bit. I'll probably play the best players to make sure we do well. Salvatore Lotti is an absolute beast, he's worth his weight in goals.

Europa League Group Draw

Difficult group, especially with Inter in here, but Galatasaray might be beatable.

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Some nice tranfers mate! Lotti looks like solid business, and I like the other guys too. 

Can I get you to screenshot the Schreiber guy from Man udt? 81M seems an awful lot in value for a regen who is early 20's I presume. 

Also I find it funny that you're going to Europe with Blackburn and bookmakers expect you to go down. Hopefully you won't though, of course!

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@Benjoe

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As you can see, I've already scouted him, because I'd like to dream I could purchase a player as good as this. He is an absolute monster, I'm pissing my pants just thinking of playing Man Utd...I guess this is what you can get for $81 million, maybe I should get a signing like this next year.

In fact, I was looking at a player who would have been available for around $30 million, so I could have afforded him. However, I already bought a few players, i.e. Lotti, so he just turned into a dream. I wish I would have spotted him earlier.

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Right now they'd take around $16 million, but I just don't have that money right now, and I don't know if he'll still be available by the time this summer roles around, when I might have some money. Just look at this guy, the worst thing is I could have afforded him and just missed him in my scouting searches..

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Greek regen names are the best, hands down!

Nice WC qualifying group, too!  Good to see the Irish pushing for a spot at the Euros -- awful nice of you to gift them a point at Wembley, to aid the cause, too.  :lol:

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8 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Greek regen names are the best, hands down!

Nice WC qualifying group, too!  Good to see the Irish pushing for a spot at the Euros -- awful nice of you to gift them a point at Wembley, to aid the cause, too.  :lol:

Sometimes you just gotta help an Irish brother out, eh? Haven't checked recently, still out for all those Greek regens in your save?

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Mourinho made clear before the match he would wipe the floor with me, and he definitely delivered on the promise. The Europa League is looking okay though...

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Perhaps we even have a chance of getting out?

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11 minutes ago, tastaiwan said:

Sometimes you just gotta help an Irish brother out, eh? Haven't checked recently, still out for all those Greek regens in your save?

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Perhaps we even have a chance of getting out?

Yep, still running with the Greeks -- qualifying for the 2046 World Cup begins in a few months!

I'd say you have a chance -- beat the Swiss and you've got one foot in the door.

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That win against Internazionale was a nice surprise, which resulted in this:

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Good stuff, lets see how far we go.

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Also, Arsenal are eyeing up my Greek wonderboy and he's expressed that he wants to leave. Basically, if they meet his release clause of $31.5 million, he's out. I think I could bring in someone to take his spot on the right wing, or just let Jedrzejcauigkafdhgkafy????? take the lead there. That guy needs a nickname...I can bring in a quality player, though, with $30 million...

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You could just call Jedrzejcauigkafdhgkafy for Skrtel's fake brother. They could be brothers!

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See? No difference. 

Looking solid in Europe. Quite unexpected that you'd take 1st place and Inter would bust completely. :D 

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1 hour ago, Benjoe said:

You could just call Jedrzejcauigkafdhgkafy for Skrtel's fake brother. They could be brothers!

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See? No difference. 

Looking solid in Europe. Quite unexpected that you'd take 1st place and Inter would bust completely. :D 

Better than any of my ideas, he shall be dubbed so!

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Just now, tastaiwan said:

Better than any of my ideas, he shall be dubbed so!

I'm stoked! Although I don't know if Skrtel's fake brother is really better than Jerdzguausnzkgoahbgkdd. Okay, nevermind, it's gotta be!

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