(FM13) Super Caley go ballistic or they are atrocious: a Scandinavian Shankly story

[withnail316]

UEFA Champions League
Semi final

1st Leg: Inverness 3-0 Real Madrid
An incredible first leg, as we tore the Galacticos to shreds in the Highland rain. Ryan Gauld fired us in front from 10 yards after 25 minutes, then picked out Nilsson for a close range header 7 minutes later. The second half was a bit tighter, and with 10 minutes to go I thought we'd just shut things down. Stuart Armstrong had other ideas though, and curled home a peach with just two minutes to play. Three nil!

2nd Leg: Real Madrid 2-0 Inverness
Much like the Benfica game, I decided to play defensively in the second leg with a commanding lead behind us. Unlike the Benfica game however, there were three or four players who simply didn't perform. We gave a way a soft penalty in the first half which Ronaldo blasted home, and after 50 minutes it was 2-0 as we fell asleep at a corner. Straight after the game changed though, as Sergio Ramos got sent off (imagine that, what a shock!) I decided to be a bit more adventurous, and we struck the woodwork twice soon after, but crucially it meant the game was played in Real's half. Ultimately, that was enough to see us through. 

We'll meet Bayern Munich in Athens' Olympic Stadium at the end of May. 

 

[rodesire]

8 minutes ago, withnail316 said:

We'll meet Bayern Munich in Athens' Olympic Stadium at the end of May. 

Amazing amazing stuff there!  How are you rating your chances? You seem to be amazing at home and half-decent away, so will neutral ground be enough for your kids?

[Nobby_McDonald]

The stupid scheduling doesn't seem to have spoiled the season.

[withnail316]

1 hour ago, rodesire said:

Amazing amazing stuff there!  How are you rating your chances? You seem to be amazing at home and half-decent away, so will neutral ground be enough for your kids?

We're definitely underdogs for the game, the side is ridiculously young so getting to this final is probably three years ahead of schedule. My starting line-up will include four teenagers, two players aged 21, four players of 23 and 24 and 'old-man' Armstrong at 28. I'll just have to decide if we'll attack or sit back (likely the former.)

[withnail316]

Post-split fixtures

SPL: Inverness 4-1 Falkirk
A point here would have been enough to secure the league title, but we tore Falkirk to pieces to win the league in style. Struan Parratt grabbed two more goals, edging ever closer to 40 for the season, while young Johnston grabbed two as well. 

SPL: Celtic 1-3 Inverness
This was a bit of a barnstorming end-to-end affair, but we were far more clinical in front of goal than Celtic. Ryan Gauld dinked us in front after half an hour only for Celtic to strike straight back, but Xuxa scored a rocket with 20 to play before Nilsson slotted home a third, and the points were in the bag. 

SPL: Inverness 4-1 St Mirren
A final home game of the season, and we sent the fans home happy again. Strikers Nilsson and Parratt helped themselves to a brace each, and both are expected to travel to the upcoming Euros with their respective countries. Which is nice. 

SPL: Motherwell 0-4 Inverness
Two more for Parratt, taking him to 41 goals for the season, while Geraldo and Johnston got the other two. 

SPL: Hearts 1-1 Inverness
Not the best performance of the season, but a sentimental day. Club icon Luke James, who has been with us since the summer of 2013, scored the goal. It was his 231st - and almost certainly final - strike for the club. Not bad on a free, is it?

[phnompenhandy]

 HELLO!!!! Just latterly found this thread. Caley are my team - been following them since there were just Inverness Thistle. Always managed them in Div 3 in CM but as I'm a Lowest League manager, once they rose through the ranks I only took them on in demos of new FMs.

 

So this has been a lot of fun to follow - for me fascinating to see how long the real ICT squad members survived, and by cannily starting an old version of the game you could spot youngsters who in real life went on to make names for themselves. Fascinating to see how even when you start with a modestly-resourced club ib a top division it still takes years of struggle to establish yourself. I guess you're almost at the end of your story now - when you win the CL, where to take ICT next?

 

Anyway, just wanted to say this really made my morning!    

[withnail316]

3 hours ago, phnompenhandy said:

 HELLO!!!! Just latterly found this thread. Caley are my team - been following them since there were just Inverness Thistle. Always managed them in Div 3 in CM but as I'm a Lowest League manager, once they rose through the ranks I only took them on in demos of new FMs.

 

So this has been a lot of fun to follow - for me fascinating to see how long the real ICT squad members survived, and by cannily starting an old version of the game you could spot youngsters who in real life went on to make names for themselves. Fascinating to see how even when you start with a modestly-resourced club ib a top division it still takes years of struggle to establish yourself. I guess you're almost at the end of your story now - when you win the CL, where to take ICT next?

 

Anyway, just wanted to say this really made my morning!    

Hello mate, really nice to have a fan of the club following this career, it's been fun so far, so welcome along!

While you're right that playing an older version of the game does allow us an option of considering names who have made it in real life, that doesn't really suit my managerial style. While I'm not a purist in terms of LLM (though I have lots of time for those who are) I do live by an ethos of only signing players my scouts identify, or those who perform against us. Of course, having 15 scouts spread all across the world really helps on that front, but the ethos remains all the same! 

As for the future, well, the obvious place to go after winning one CL is to try and win two. And then three - I think I won nine of them by the time I finally left my old Norwegian club, so there's plenty of life in this tale yet! 

Besides, I still have the first one to win yet...

[withnail316]

UEFA Champions League Final
Saturday 23rd May 2020
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v FC Bayern München
OAKA Spyros Louis, Athens, Greece

Route to the final - Inverness Caledonain Thistle

Route to the final - FC Bayern München

Pre-game

And so the biggest game in the club's history - and probably in Scottish football's last 50 years - is finally upon us. Standing in front of us is the mighty Bayern, (managed by Rafa Benitez), runners-up last year and playing in their fifth final in 11 years. They'd just secured the Bundesliga title for the third time in four seasons, and their side is packed to the brim full of talent. Still, you could say the same of Juventus, Chelsea and Real Madrid, and we managed to put all three of those sides to the sword, and Bayern's Champions League form hasn't been that impressive, so who knows?

With Vasilev ineligible, my big decision in team selection was over who to select instead of the suspended Rico Smith in midfield. I elected to play Xuxa (21) alongside Mustafa Copobianco (18), while I also went with youth at the back. Murray Wallace has been terrific, but Nania is as good as him, while Krause has officially hit 'wonderkid' levels. I did feel a little sorry for Dirley Rodrigo who didn't even make the bench, though.

1st half

An incredible start! With less than 60 seconds on the clock, Martin Nilsson put us into the lead with the game's first attack! Armstrong switched play from right to left and found Gauld, who got to the byline and picked out a cross. Parratt met it, but his volley hit the post...and the Swede turned in the rebound.

We kept that lead for 7 minutes, when Argentine winger Daniel Marino fired home a 25 yard free kick to level. Bayern dominated for the rest of the half, but we got in all square. 

Half time: 1-1

2nd half

Absolutely nothing happened until the 72nd minute, but then disaster struck. We gave the ball away half way line, and Luc Castaignos was slipped in, and he left Jenks helpless from 18 yards. We responded by throwing men forward, but the chance for redemption never came - it was Bayern's time. 

Final score: Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-2 FC Bayern München

 

Edited October 16, 2018 by withnail316

[rodesire]

bayern are utter frauds, going 2-4-0 in group stage and stealing the final like that  

[withnail316]

Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Season summary 2019/2020

League (SPL)
Media prediction: 2nd
Finished: winners

Cups
Scottish Cup: eliminated in the quarter final (won by Celtic)
Scottish League Cup: winners

Europe
Champions League: finalists (won by FC Bayern München)
Europa League: won by Fiorentina

Top scorers
Struan Parratt: 51 appearances (49 starts): 41 goals (27 in the league)
Martin Nilsson: 48 appearances (28 starts): 20 goals (14 in the league)
Luke James: 39 appearances (32 starts): 15 goals (11 in the league)

Top assists
Ryan Gauld: 13 in all comps
Stuart Armstrong: 10 in all comps

Positives
Well, well, well. What a season. I'm writing this in the immediate aftermath of the Champions League final, so I'm naturally more than a little disappointed that we missed out on the biggest prize of all. However, that shouldn't overshadow what has been a wonderful season. When the CL draw was made, I'd have been happy enough with 3rd in the group and a crack at the Europa League, so I can't grumble at all about missing out in the final. As mentioned above, we're about three years ahead of schedule for making the final, so I've got every hope that next time we get there, we'll come home with the trophy. Domestically we've been dominant too, although I was disappointed with the cup exit. We now have over €40m in the bank too, so unless the board decide it's time for a new stadium (it is) I won't be selling any of my starting players this summer. 

Concerns & disappointments
I think I can leave this largely blank this year, although I'm slightly concerned we're slowly running out of Scottish players. There were only three Scottish starters for the CL final, with three more on the bench. I'll have to keep a close eye on our homegrown quota, especially as I expect to sell three homegrown players this summer. 

Ambitions
Secure a first domestic treble, and another deep run in Europe. 

Player of the season
Struan Parratt. What a season for the 18 year old. 

Attendances
Lowest attendance: 18,178 v Dundee United
Highest attendance: 20,000 (sell-out v various sides)
Average attendance: 19,328 (96% of capacity - 19,290 in the league)

Finances
€43m in credit

Edited October 16, 2018 by withnail316

[withnail316]

2 minutes ago, rodesire said:

bayern are utter frauds, going 2-4-0 in group stage and stealing the final like that  

I think I played into their hands by attacking them, tbh. If I could play it again, I'd probably sit back a little. 

[ManUtd1]

3 hours ago, withnail316 said:

I think I played into their hands by attacking them, tbh. If I could play it again, I'd probably sit back a little. 

That's always a tough call. I love counterattacking big sides in Europe, but depending on their formation I may push forward pretty hard (especially if I have the talent to do so).

Easy to second guess yourself, is all I'm saying. What a season!

[withnail316]

22 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

That's always a tough call. I love counterattacking big sides in Europe, but depending on their formation I may push forward pretty hard (especially if I have the talent to do so).

Easy to second guess yourself, is all I'm saying. What a season!

I can get stuck in a "let's let them worry about us instead" mindset, but realistically we're a couple of years off being good enough for that.

[kidthekid]

Terrible result for football. I'm not sure I'll ever watch football again after what Bayern did.

[withnail316]

3 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Terrible result for football. I'm not sure I'll ever watch football again after what Bayern did.

Heartbreak for the whole football world. Even Bayern's fans wanted to lose to get rid of Rafa.

[withnail316]

Really pondering what to do with Luke James. He is my only striker old enough to tutor young strikers (which he has done brilliantly for Parratt and Nilsson, and he's now working with Johnston) and he could still do a job in the league. 

If I sell James, young Johnston will be dropped to 4th in the pecking order, which is likely to stall his development. If James stays and I sell Nilsson, Parratt and the incoming Brazilian wonderkid are first choice, with Johnston on the bench and James as back up. 

I suspect we would get a very healthy fee for Nilsson too (not that we need the money.)

[withnail316]

He's too good to be a 4th choice striker, isn't he? 

He's definitely good enough to act as our back-up. 

[rodesire]

Can you loan out Stephen somewhere good once his tutoring is done?

[withnail316]

4 minutes ago, rodesire said:

Can you loan out Stephen somewhere good once his tutoring is done?

I could do yeah, but he's good enough to play here and if he stays, I can keep a close eye on his development. I'll only have the same problem next year if I loan him out too, I suspect. I'll see what happens over the window and make a decision. Who knows, if Nilsson has a good Euros then somebody may make an offer I can't refuse. 

[kidthekid]

Wow Luke James got an England cap. 

[withnail316]

2 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Wow Luke James got an England cap. 

He did, back in November 2016. He has scored a hell of a lot of goals, and he was in the midst of a 49-goal season when he was picked. 

[withnail316]

On 04/10/2018 at 13:07, withnail316 said:

Also, the club's money is burning a hole in my pocket. We've got €34m in the bank, so I find myself looking at players I don't really need and considering offers. 

Look at this youngster:

Central midfield is possibly my strongest area, but look at him! My scout thinks he'll cost between €5.75m-€7.75m, which means breaking my record. I've got to bid, haven't I?

 

On 05/10/2018 at 10:30, withnail316 said:

Got him. 

Ugh. The kid has just told me he hasn't settled in Scotland, and we now have Dortmund sniffing around him. Considering he hasn't played many games, he seemed to be progressing well as player, so this is a shock.

I think I'll probably let him leave if Dortmund (or any other non-Scottish club) make a serious offer. Realistically his tackling stat isn't going to climb into double figures, and I only play with two CMs so I'd been training him as an RM, and we have plenty of cover. It will sting as he obviously has great potential, but I think it's the right thing to do.

[Nobby_McDonald]

On 16/10/2018 at 12:23, rodesire said:

bayern are utter frauds, going 2-4-0 in group stage and stealing the final like that  

They didn't lose a game, unlike Inverness.

[withnail316]

Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Season preview - SPL 2020/2021

Board expectation: win the title
Media expectation: 1st

Transfer budget (remaining): €30m
Wage budget: €547,000p/w (€140,000p/w under budget)

It's taken longer than I would have hoped, but the new season is finally arriving on the horizon. You may notice there is a boatload of cash available in the club's budgets this summer, that's largely because I haven't been able to find too many players to improve us, but the youngsters are a year further along in their development, so I still expect us to be a better side this season. I've also been sitting on the club's money in the hope that the board agree to a new stadium, and being cash-rich should reduce the amount the board needs to take out in loans. They have at least spent a bit of money on keeping our training facilities at their current top-class level. 

Our run to the Champions League final last year has catapulted the club within touching distance of Europe's elite, we're now 22nd in the coefficient rankings, while the SPL moved into the top 10 of the competition rankings. That means the possibility of European football for every club in the top 6 at the end of this season. 

The board's expectations this summer have increased a little from the last two years. I'm now expected to add both the Scottish Cup and the League Cup to the title, but they haven't gone overboard in their European demands. Just being in the group is enough to satisfy them. I'd like a little more than that, but as long as we have some kind of European football after Christmas, I'll be happy enough. 

My biggest decision in transfer terms this season surrounded young striker Stephen Johnston. I was pondering selling Martin Nilsson, who scored in the Champions League final last year, in order for Johnston to be able to stay and develop as our third choice striker. In the end, I decided that at 18 I could give him one more year out on loan before fully integrating him next season. I had hoped to send him to a fellow SPL side, but none of the fools would take him (even when I offered him without any wage demands!) There was a couple of Premier League sides interested in a year-long loan, but I decided he would be better off playing at a lower-level (I've already sent a couple of players to Championship clubs in this save and they wilted) so he was sent out to feeder club Queen of the South. 

We have had a bit of a clear out this summer though. The biggest fee received was €12.5m from Dortmund for young German Karl-Heinz Bienemann. He'd said he was unsettled in Scotland, and as soon as BVB came in, he was always on his way. Rico Smith also returned to his homeland after just a season at the club, he joined Ajax for €3.5m. Daniel Greig joined Watford for €3m +50% of his next fee, and Neil Wilson joined Middlesbrough for €2.2m. Finally for now, I'd promised Tom Hateley I'd let him leave this summer, and I kept that promise by accepting a €700,000 offer from Bradford City. 

As far as new arrivals are concerned, the only signing who will get straight into the first team is Brazilian wonderkid Garrinchinha, who will probably start ahead of Nilsson up front. A steal at €1.7m. I have made a couple of additions for the future, though. Winger Mouhamadou Mbaye arrives for a record-equalling €8m from Lorient in Ligue 1, and full-back Emiliano Fernandez comes in for €3.5m from Estudiantes in Argentina. The last permanent deal was for young defender Eamon McGee for €675,000 from Hibs, but we also brought in AC Milan's Domenico Cirigliano on loan until next summer. 

[withnail316]

Despite the improvement in Scottish football, the national side had a miserable time at this year's Euros. They took five of our players with them, but finished bottom of a group including Belgium, Ukraine and Czech Republic. Scotland then dropped 17 places in the rankings, from 8th (!!!!) to 25th. 

It was Germany who won the Euros, beating Holland 3-0 in the final, and our own Rudi Krause played in every single game. It's only a matter of time before a really big club comes calling for him. 

[withnail316]

Another request for a new stadium has been turned down. Despite our smallest home crowd being 19,217 this season (20,000 capacity) we've apparently only had a 71% occupancy level. A little bit odd, and probably linked to a pre-season cup...even though that was played at Old Trafford! Will try again in the winter. 

 

[withnail316]

August & September

SPL: Falkirk 0-3 Inverness
The season started in comfortable fashion, as we brushed Falkirk aside. Struan Parratt smashed us in front from the spot after just three minutes, and Garrinchinha scored on his debut before half time. Alejandro Wilson scored his first for the club late on in the game, and we'd got off to the perfect start. 

SPL: Inverness 6-0 Motherwell
I'd hoped we'd be a little more adventurous this season, and so far we're looking very good in front of goal. Ryan Gauld scored the first and made the second for Parratt, before Garrinchinha picked up a knock. On came Martin Nilsson, and the big Swede helped himself to a hat-trick. Liam Polworth added the icing to the cake. 

SPL: Hamilton 2-5 Inverness
With Garrinchinha still missing, the Parratt and Nilsson show continued. They scored all five between them, this time it was Parratt who left the pitch with the match ball. 

SPL: Inverness 3-0 Rangers
Our record against Rangers is ridiculous, to be honest. This was the 17th time we've played them in my time, and we're still unbeaten. A 15th win secured by a brace from Nilsson and one from Armstrong. 

SPL: Dundee United 0-3 Inverness
With a big Champions League game in midweek to follow, I made a string of changes for this game. One of those, Luke James, scored a brilliant opener on a very rare start, before Parratt and Krause secured the points. 

CL Group G: Maribor 0-3 Inverness
Maribor are unquestionably the weakest side in a group containing Inter and Valencia, but we had to be professional and get the job done. We were better than professional, we were excellent. Two more for Nilsson and one from Capobianco ensured we'd come home with all three points. 

SPL: Inverness 2-1 Hibernian
I got my prep wrong for this game, essentially telling the lads "it's just Hibs", and they gave us a real scare. It took two late goals from Houshang Banaei to avoid what was looking like an embarrassing defeat. 

League Cup 3rd round: Arbroath 1-5 Inverness
I handed debuts to four youngsters in this game, and also gave a start to the recalled Stephen Johnston (who was slacking in training on his loan spell) and they all performed admirably. Polworth opened the scoring inside five minutes before Johnston powered home a close-range header. James slotted home our third before setting up Juric for his first Inverness goal. Defender Jean-Luc Rastello celebrated his debut with a goal late on to cap off terrific display. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 St Mirren
Martin Nilsson is enjoying himself at the start of this season, and he bagged both goals in a comfortable win. It wasn't plain sailing though: both Ryan Gauld and Stuart Armstrong, two vital players for both us and Scotland, picked up knocks that could see both miss two months action. 

CL Group G: Inverness 3-0 Valencia
Simply superb. We've had some great European wins, but I can't remember any against big clubs that were quite this comfortable. Valencia, who included our old winger Wanderley, who signed for them for €20m after just one year with Southampton, simply had no answers to the questions we posed. Parratt, Nilsson and Geraldo were the scorers. 

[Nobby_McDonald]

You're pissing the SPL now.

[withnail316]

19 minutes ago, Nobby_McDonald said:

You're pissing the SPL now.

So far so good. I keep expecting Celtic to throw some serious money around in the transfer window, but they've largely kept their powder dry. They are spending €11m more than us on wages a season, though. 

[withnail316]

October

SPL: Aberdeen 0-1 Inverness
A bit of a disjointed display after the high of the European night, but the lads got the job done. Martin Nilsson scored the game's only goal. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Celtic
We were almost neck-and-neck at kick off, but Laudrup's men simply couldn't live with us. A rocket of a free kick from Houshang Banaei opened the scoring after an hour, and Nilsson sealed the points with a goal 15 minutes later. We could (and maybe should) have had several more, but two will do. 

CL Group G: Internazionale 2-2 Inverness
A tremendous game of football, and a very decent result. We fell behind to a blistering free kick after 12 minutes, but Garrinchinha levelled straight after. Martin Nilsson put us in front before half time, but a second half free kick from Paul Pogba secured Inter a point. 

SPL: Dundee 0-2 Inverness
A much-changed side, but we seem to have plenty of depth at the moment. Stephen Johnston was the difference, grabbing both goals in 4 second half minutes. 

League Cup quarter final: Inverness 4-0 Falkirk
Our League Cup form has been terrific over the last few years, we haven't lost in it since the final in 2017. Falkirk were brushed aside, and Garrinchinha was the star. He bagged a double, while Parratt and young Rastello got the others. 

SPL: Inverness 2-1 Hearts
An OG and a powerful Rudi Krause header put Hearts to the sword, but we were sloppy. 

[withnail316]

November

CL Group G: Inverness 2-1 Internazionale
An outstanding performance leaves us within touching distance of the last 16. Inter got their noses in front in the very first minute, but Martin Nilsson and Struan Paratt's partnership came up trumps again. They grabbed a goal each to seal an outstanding win. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Falkirk
Once again it was Parratt and Nilsson who did the damage, but we should have had at least three more. 

CL Group G: Inverness 5-0 Maribor
Progression to the last 16 was secured in style, the Slovenians simply couldn't cope with us. Nilsson helped himself to two more, one for Garrinchinha, one for Parratt and a rocket from Banaei as 20,000 Caley Thistle fans went absolutely mental. 

SPL: Inverness 1-1 Hamilton
Very disappointed to drop points, but Hamilton deserved something from the game. Garrinchina opened the scoring, but we were very sloppy. 

SPL: Rangers 3-3 Inverness
We let a 2-0 and 3-2 lead slip here, which was immensely frustrating. Sturan Parratt put us in front and Nilsson thumped home a second before half time. We lost Capobianca to a second yellow right on the half time whistle though, which turned the game Rangers way. They scored two quick second half goals, but when Parratt put us back in front with 20 to play I thought we'd hold on. Frustrating. 

[withnail316]

December

Scottish Cup 4th round: Inverness 4-0 Falkirk
A confident display in a much changed team, and Falkirk couldn't cope. Garrinchinha was outstanding and grabbed a hat-trick, while Murray Wallace powered home a header from a set piece against his old club. 

CL Group G: Valencia 1-3 Inverness
Absolutely superb display, which sealed top spot in the group and a last 16 time against Lyon. Nilsson and Parratt had us two up before some fans had even taken their seats, and Capobianco sealed it with a rocket late on. 

SPL: Inverness 0-1 Dundee United
Totally my fault. I didn't make enough changes and didn't warn the lads about complacency, and we got what we deserved. 

SPL: St Mirren 0-4 Inverness
Much better, and it spelled the end of Martin Allen at the Saints, who had been at the club since 2013. Nilsson bagged three more, while a little dink from Parratt added the icing to the cake. 

SPL: Hibernian 1-3 Inverness
The games just keep coming, and fortunately the squad is largely standing up to the challenge. Gelson Geraldo tore Hibs to bits and grabbed himself a hat-trick here. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Aberdeen
Two more for Parratt, who is edging ever closer to 100 goals for the club. 

SPL: Celtic 1-1 Inverness
There's very little between us when we meet on the pitch, although we seem to be more consistent against the lesser sides. Murray Wallace levelled for us 10 minutes from time. 

SPL: Motherwell 0-0 Inverness
I tore into the players after this dire affair, then immediately called a team meeting to try and focus a few players. 

SPL: Inverness 4-0 Dundee
A treble from Parratt and an OG was a great response to the meeting, and Celtic dropped points again. Lovely stuff. 

SPL: Hearts 0-3 Inverness
Two more from Garrinchinha and one from Banaei ensured we saw out 2020 in fine style. Celtic threw away a 2 goal lead too, so the gap was suddenly 10 points. 

[withnail316]

Interestingly, the big clubs seem to have woken up to the talent we have in the squad. Napoli are looking at Argentine CB Nania, Atletico Madrid are sniffing around his defensive partner Krause, and managerless Dortmund seem to like Nilsson. I'm in no hurry to sell any of them, but they all have a price - €20m ought to do it for the two defenders, €18m or so for Nilsson.

[withnail316]

Just a follow on from my last post, I think I may let one of the defenders leave if the money is right:

These have been my first choice pairing this season, and I wouldn't have thought I'd need to explain why! Both are monsters, so it's understandable why both are in demand. If I could get something like €18m-€22m (which would be a club transfer) for either of them, it would go a long way towards ensuring the board don't have to take out a loan when they finally approve the new stadium. Both players were signed for €5.75m, so it would also be a substantial profit for the club. 

My understudy pairing are these two:

I'd only sell one of Nania or Krause so the other would be partnered with one of these two. OK, they aren't quite at the same level, but both are extremely solid, and I'm confident neither would let us down. 

Another reason why I'm considering a sale is because it would open up a path to the first team for one of these two. McGee is probably 18 months off being ready, but Rastello is more than capable of stepping up to becoming our fourth centre back. He's been excellent in the few games he's played, and he's got time to develop into a top quality defender. 

[rodesire]

you got a monstrous pipeline of players there!

[withnail316]

3 minutes ago, rodesire said:

you got a monstrous pipeline of players there!

Yep, it's our strongest area I think. In an ideal world I'd have that in every position, which is definitely the aim...

[withnail316]

I think Krause has just taken the decision out of my hands. He wants a new deal worth more than double his current €19,750p/w. Far too much for us to pay, especially considering we have a couple of players with the "match top earner" clause in their contract. He's been listed. 

EDIT: Five clubs (Arsenal, Real Madrid, Porto, Sporting and Inter) have offered us €18.75m, plus 50% of any sell-on. Not bad at all. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by withnail316

[rodesire]

26 minutes ago, withnail316 said:

"match top earner" clause in their contract

This is such a toxic clause to have, especially in growing clubs.  Any chance you could get rid of this for those two guys?

[withnail316]

5 minutes ago, rodesire said:

This is such a toxic clause to have, especially in growing clubs.  Any chance you could get rid of this for those two guys?

It works both ways. In this case it's a real pain, but I've used it before and had players accept a decent percentage less than they were originally demanding, and it's also meant I signed players I thought I had no chance of getting. 

I've offered one of them a new deal with the clause missing, while the other one I'm trying to shift on. Fingers crossed. 

[withnail316]

Ouch

With Krause almost certainly leaving and this injury to Vasilev in a 6-0 win against Motherwell, I think I can officially rule us out of any return to the Champions League final this year. 

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A good move for him, a record fee for the club and a profit of €13m. That's decent business, I think.

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But wait, there's more:

It would seem there isn't just one transfer record being broken, there's two. Alba is joining us for €8.5m, which means Armstrong can shift inside to cover for the injured Vasilev. 

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I was feeling quite confident about winning the treble this year, then I noticed that the League Cup semi was scheduled the day after a Scotland game...surely it would get moved, right?

Nope. Celtic are missing players too, but not 14 of them...

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January

SPL: Falkirk 1-5 Inverness
Falkirk might be my favourite club to play - the lads certainly enjoy coming up against them. All five goals came in the second half though - two for Nilsson, one for Parratt, one for Polworth and another for Johnston. 

SPL: Inverness 6-0 Motherwell
We're looking outstanding at the moment, especially Struan Parratt. He bagged four goals here, and Clifford and Garrinchinha helped themselves to the other two. 

SPL: Hamilton 1-4 Inverness
Parratt is getting closer to 30 goals for a third year in a row, and he helped himself to two more here. Ryan Gauld and Banaei grabbed the others late on to seal it. 

SPL: Inverness 3-0 Rangers
Garrinchinha had a great time starting up top here, and Rangers couldn't cope with him. He's now up to 14 goals after two here, and considering he's only started 12 games, that's an outstanding return. Banaei got the other one. 

Scottish Cup 5th round: Inverness 4-0 Hibernian
Garrinchinha and Parratt got two more here to send us safely through. That didn't tell the whole story though. I managed to pick up a touchline ban for the next game (the Celtic tie in the league cup) by not paying attention in the post match interview. Considering we have so many players away on international duty, it was going to be difficult enough already! Whoops. 

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Seem to have got to the stage of a save when one of my scouts is telling me that a goalkeeper worth €25m is a "good player". Oh, you think so, mate? I heard that Messi kid at Barcelona is pretty handy too, yeah? Sacked. Idiot.

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February

League Cup semi final: Celtic 1-2 Inverness
I don't know if my assistant is a drinker, but if he does, I owe him the best crate of beer in the world. How we got through this tie I'll never know, and I wasn't helping anybody sat up in the stands banned. I'd selected the best side I could with 14 players away on international duty, but that included terrible youth team players in goal and at left back, while most of the rest of the team were understudies. We had just three players on the bench...but we did still have Garrinchinha in the side. He scored both goals, while Celtic missed a penalty before the second one, and their goal only arrived in the 93rd minute. Somehow, the treble is still on - we play St Mirren at Hampden in next month's final though, who have beaten us at the national stadium before. 

SPL: Dundee United 0-1 Inverness
Once again we had Garrinchinha to thank, but we had to wait until the 82nd minute for the breakthrough. 

SPL: Inverness 4-1 St Mirren
Rubbish in the first half, scintillating in the second.  Geraldo, Johnston, Parratt and Garrinchinha on target. 

SPL: Inverness 4-1 Hibernian
Poor old Hibs. No mercy - Garrinchinha, Parratt (2) and Nilsson with the goals. 

Scottish Cup quarter final: Hamilton 1-4 Inverness
We're scoring a ridiculous number of goals at the moment. Garrinchinha helped himself to three more and made one for Johnston. We'll meet St Mirren again in the semi.

SPL: Aberdeen 0-4 Inverness
Sublime performance. Parratt, Rastello, Johnston and Clifford with the goals. 

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Youth intake

One prospect, but I'm not as convinced as my assistant. Time will tell. 

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UEFA Champions League
Last 16

1st Leg: Olympique Lyonnais 0-2 Inverness
An outstanding first leg leaves us in a strong position for the quarter finals. Both goals came inside the first twenty minutes, with Parratt slotting home the opener in our first attack after three minutes. Garrinchinha smashed home a second 15 minutes later, and we shut Lyon out for the rest of the game.,

2nd Leg: Inverness 4-2 Olympique Lyonnais
We made life tough for ourselves, but an outstanding second half sees us through. We were behind 2-1 at the break (Parratt) and a man light after Alba picked up a second yellow right on the whistle. Fortunately, we raised our game and blew them away. Parratt got two more, then Gauld (who made all three of Parratt's goals) curled home a free kick to seal it. 

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March (through to the split)

Scottish League Cup final: St Mirren 1-5 Inverness
A fourth League Cup in a row, and the sixth in my time at the club. We did get a bit lucky at the start, we were awarded a dodgy penalty after 11 minutes with Parratt slotted home, but from then on we blew them away. Parratt helped himself to another before Geraldo grabbed two for himself, and Conor Clifford slotted home a second penalty two minutes from time. 

SPL: Inverness 2-1 Celtic
For this meeting with Celtic I was at least available on the touchline, and it allowed a little tactical tweak which may have won us the game. For long periods of time it looked like we'd have to settle for a point after Nilsson's opener was cancelled out, but six minutes from time, Garrinchinha won it for us. The title is so close I can almost taste it. 

SPL: Dundee 0-5 Inverness
Dundee are limping towards the trap door, but they got no helping hand from us. Nilsson helped himself to a hat-trick, one from Parratt and another Geraldo missile. 

SPL: Inverness 1-0 Hearts
A result here was enough to secure the title before the split, and we got it - just. Struan Parratt slotted home another penalty, but we were pretty mediocre overall, and the lads got the Fergie treatment at full time despite securing the title. 

Scottish Cup semi final: St Mirren 0-3 Inverness
Another meeting at Hampden with St Mirren, and once again we blew them away. Rastello, Garrinchinha and Banaei secured a meeting with Celtic in the final at the end of May, and a chance to secure a first domestic treble. 

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UEFA Champions League
Quarter finals

1st Leg: Inverness 2-0 Chelsea
Almost the perfect first leg performance gives us a great chance of a second successive semi final. I say almost perfect because we utterly dominated this game, yet it feels like Chelsea got away with just a two goal deficit. Nilsson fired us in front after just two minutes, his 9th Champions League goal of the season, and Capobianco slotted home a second after 65 minutes. It's a decent lead, but we're not over the hills and far away just yet. 

2nd Leg: Chelsea 3-1 Inverness (3-3 on aggregate, Inverness Caledonian Thistle progress on away goals)
PHEW! One big sigh of relief, but an immensely frustrating game. Struan Parratt slotted us in front after 33 minutes, but not before captain Ryan Gauld was sent off for violent conduct. Chelsea took advantage of the extra man in the second half, and grabbed their third with 20 to play. We had to survive wave after wave of their attacks from there on out, but survive we did. We're through - just - and we'll meet our old friends Bayern in the semi final.