Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 8 August 2024 RAMS SIGN CALABRIA RamsFanzine: Derby County have signed 27 year-old right-back Davide Calabria from AC Milan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 8 August 2024 MATHENIA SNUBS BARNSLEY RamsFanzine: Rams goalkeeper Christian Mathenia has been unable to agree personal terms with Barnsley and his transfer deadline day move now looks dead in the water. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 8 August 2024 NACHO JOINS DERBY RamsFanzine: Derby County have completed the signing of 34 year-old centre-back Nacho from Real Madrid. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Game date: 8 August 2024 CHAPMAN’S RAMS MOVE COLLAPSES RamsFanzine understand that Derby County were all set to sign Burnley's 20 year-old right-back Daniel Chapman until the player failed his medical. Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Game date: 8 August 2024 TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSES RamsFanzine: A busy transfer window for Derby County saw Director of Football Igor Stimac bring nine players into the club for a combined total of £69M. Stimac oversaw eight players leave the Rams permanently for a combined £70M, with three more leaving on loan. Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 11 August 2024 Derby County 0-4 Fulham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 1 September 2024 RAMS AUGUST ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: Derby County end August rock-bottom of the Premier League with no points from three matches and the Rams have yet to score a league goal. The only consolation for caretaker manager Aljosa Asanovic was a 3-1 victory over League One Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 So Stuniverse was a miracle worker after all. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Game date: 1 October 2024 RAMS SEPTEMBER ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: Derby County moved off the bottom of the Premier League, in a month that saw the Rams lose only once (to Manchester United), drawing twice and winning once, as well as progressing to the next round of the Carabao Cup after a penalty shootout against Championship side Bristol City. Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 1 November 2024 RAMS OCTOBER ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: Derby County continue to struggle under caretaker manager Aljosa Asanovic, losing all three of their Premier League matches in October. The Rams did progress in the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory over League Two Barnet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Game date: 25 November 2024 STUNIVERSE SACKED RamsFanzine: Derby County today sacked manager Stuniverse at the conclusion of their internal investigation. The club issued a short Press Release confirming the sacking and stated they would be making no further comment as they were expecting to have to defend a claim of wrongful dismissal. In a surprising development, Assistant Manager Aljosa Asanovic, who had been managing the first-team during Stuniverse's suspension, also left the club together with first-team coach Stefano Eranio and goalkeeping coach Mart Poom. U18s manager Justin Walker has temporarily been placed in charge of the first-team. Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 29 November 2024 RAMS NOVEMBER UPDATE RamsFanzine: Derby County Caretaker Manager Justin Walker got off to a winning start as the Rams beat second-bottom Leeds United 2-0 to leap-frog them and move off the bottom of the Premier League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 31 December 2024 RAMS DECEMBER ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: Derby County had a successful December under new manager, Croatian Dinko Jelicic, moving out of the Premier League relegation zone and reaching the Carabao Cup semi-final with a 3-1 victory over League One Millwall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Game date: 1 February 2025 TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSES RamsFanzine: Derby County Director of Football signed 33 year-old midfielder Jorginho from Chelsea and sold 31 year-old attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence to Newcastle, plus a few more departures on free transfers and loans. Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Game date: 1 February 2025 RAMS JANUARY ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: A win, a draw, and a loss in January keeps Derby County one place above the relegation zone. The Rams defeat Crystal Palace 1-0 on aggregate to reach the Carabao Cup Final, where they will play Manchester City, but go out of the FA Cup at the hands of Chelsea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Game date: 23 February 2024 DERBY COUNTY WIN CARABAO CUP ON PENALTIES RamsFanzine: Derby County's goalkeeper David Raya was the Wembley hero as the Rams beat Manchester City to win the Carbao Cup on penalties. Raya made three penalty saves in total, two during the penalty shootout, as Dinko Jelicic's side lifted the Trophy. Life-long Rams fan, and former Derby County manager Stuniverse was at Wembley Stadium to see the Rams liftvthe trophy he was unable to win during his five full seasons at Pride Park. Croatian Jelicic, by contrast, has won silverware after a mere three months at the helm. Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigmatic Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 6 hours ago, kidthekid said: So Stuniverse was a miracle worker after all. tbf, I think Stuniverse would have struggled with his best centre backs being replaced by past-it veterans and having no team cohesion whatsoever. Can't blame him for falling out with Igor over that The Carabao Cup's an interesting twist though 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, enigmatic said: tbf, I think Stuniverse would have struggled with his best centre backs being replaced by past-it veterans and having no team cohesion whatsoever. Can't blame him for falling out with Igor over that Thank you, @enigmatic. And Derby County are struggling this campaign compared to the last couple of seasons I was manager. 1 hour ago, enigmatic said: The Carabao Cup's an interesting twist though Yes, I expected Derby to lose the two-leg semi-final against Crystal Palace, but they won through... so I attended the Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City. I’ve supported the Rams my whole life so I wanted to go to Wembley. I’ll be honest, Derby rode their luck at times, but goalkeeper David Raya stepped up magnificently to make three penalty saves and, effectively, win the cup. I was pleased for them... but I’d be lying if a part of me wasn’t jealous that we’d not managed to lift a trophy during my time at the club 🤢 Edited November 9, 2019 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) Game date: 28 February 2025 RAMS FEBRUARY ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: The highlight of February was Derby County's incredible Carabao Cup Final victory over Manchester City. In the Premier League, one win, two draws and only one defeat, has put the Rams (17th) six points clear of the relegation zone with 10 matches left to play. Can Dinko Jelicic's Derby County avoid relegation to the Championship? Edited November 10, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Game date: 31 March 2025 RAMS MARCH ROUND-UP RamsFanzine: Two wins (including a 2-0 victory over Arsenal) and two defeats and Dinko Jelicic's Derby County remain 17th. The Rams now have an 11 point gap between themselves and the relegation zone. With six matches to play, and the bottom three struggling to pick up any points, surely that's already enough for the Rams to beat the drop? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 Game date: 30 April 2025 SURVIVAL SECURED FOR RAMS RamsFanzine: A win and a draw in April were sufficient for the Rams to climb to 16th and secure another season in the Premier League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) Game date: 12 May 2025 DERBY COUNTY FINISH 14TH RamsFanzine: A win and a loss in May sees Derby County finish 14th in the Premier League. Buoyed by lifting the Carabao Cup in February, the Rams players grew in confidence and improved Premier League results after that Trophy win saw them comfortably pull away from the relegation zone. Rams fans have taken new manager Dinko Jelicic to their hearts and are already asking: Stuniverse, who? Edited November 10, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) [FM19] Derby County - Director of Football Challenge Save in Summary Stuniverse - hired as Derby County manager 25 June 2018; sacked 24 November 2024 (suspended [holidayed] July 2024). — 2018/19 Pld 46, W 28, D 8, L10, F 115, A 45, Pts 92 - 1st Sky Bet Championship Carabao Cup - 4th Round (Cardiff City) FA Cup - 3rd Round (Arsenal) 2019/20 Pld 38, W 9, D 7, L 22, F 55, A 74, Pts 34 - 17th Premier League Carabao Cup - 4th Round (Tottenham Hotspur) FA Cup - 3rd Round (Tottenham Hotspur) 2020/21 Pld 38, W 18, D 5, L 15, F 54, A 42, Pts 59 - 7th Premier League Carabao Cup - 4th Round (Blackburn Rovers) FA Cup - 5th Round (Liverpool) 2021/22 Pld 38, W 19, D 7, L 12, F 62, A 54, Pts 64 - 7th Premier League Euro Cup - 2nd Knockout Round (Liverpool) Carabao Cup - Quarter-Final (Arsenal) FA Cup - Quarter-Final (Chelsea) 2022/23 Pld 38, W 20, D 6, L 12, F 59, A 35, Pts 66 - 8th Premier League Carabao Cup - 2nd Round (AFC Bournemouth) FA Cup - 3rd Round (Manchester City) 2023/24 Pld 38, W 16, D 5, L 17, F 69, A 73, Pts 53 - 9th Premier League Carabao Cup - 4th Round (Chelsea) FA Cup - Quarter-Final (Manchester United) — 2024/25 - managed by Aljosa Asanovic (caretaker), Dinko Jelicic. Pld 38, W 11, D 7, L 20, F 34, A 63, Pts 40 - 14th Premier League Carabao Cup - Winners (beat Manchester City in the Final) FA Cup - Third Round (Chelsea) Edited November 10, 2019 by Stuniverse 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) My closing thoughts... Overall, I really enjoyed this save and I'm glad I decided to do it. I'd never done a Director of Football Challenge before and, whilst frustrating at times, it definitely adds a different dynamic to managing a football club in FM. Yes, the AI needs improving and it's not 100% set-up for the Director of Football to completely run the show, but it definitely adds a uniqueness to the experience. I'm proud that we won the Championship in our first season, and then improved every season (based on points won) for the next four seasons in the Premier League after promotion, even though my Director of Football Igor Stimac kept selling my best goalkeepers and centre-backs. I thoroughly enjoyed our Euro Cup adventure in the 2021/22 season, although I didn't appreciate how much that would take out of a relatively small squad in the Premier League campaign. That was the season where we finished 8th and missed out on Euro Cup Qualification, only for Chelsea (I think it was) to win the Euro Cup meaning we qualified for the Euro Cup after all. And then a bug in FM meant we never did play in the Euro Cup that following season. It was about that time, when the Football Club were raking in the BIG BUCKS, that Igor lost control of the wage bill, as well as selling players on the cheap, whilst paying over the odds on his signings, Igor was also offering ridiculously high salaries on contract renewals for players who weren't key players or regular starters. It became harder and harder for me to maintain my motivation and when the board reduced the transfer revenue retained to just 30% it reached the point where I really couldn't face another season as I knew it would be a long, hard slog and the summer proved that as, one by one, I saw my best players being sold by Igor on the cheap. I'm sorry I decided not to manage Derby County through the final season of the save but, with my enthusiasm growing for my first FM20 save, I thought struggling through another season on this save woud take too much energy and leave me drained when the FM20 full version released. At least doing it the way I did, you got to see how that final 2024/25 season unfolded and we can forever debate the fact that Dinko Jelicic was able to win a Domestic Cup, whereas Stuniverse failed to do so... I'd like to thank each and every one of you for following along with this save and especially those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to like, comment, or send me a direct message along the way. I can't tell you how much I appreciated it and the interaction on here really kept me going throughout the save. Most of all, I hope you enjoyed the Derby County - Director of Football adventure. Stuniverse got to work with his hero, Rams legend Igor Stimac... ... and Stuniverse will return with a new FM20 adventure soon... Edited November 10, 2019 by Stuniverse 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted November 21, 2019 Author Share Posted November 21, 2019 (edited) In case you wanted to follow my new FM20 save, well... [FM20] Stuniverse's FM20 Adventure is now underway... Edited November 21, 2019 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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