[FM19] Grand Tour

[TerminalPortugal]

The node map of the world. This map will be updated as we move around. Grey means that we have not visited the country as yet, yellow means in progress, green means it is complete. Click to view in more detail.

Disclaimer: I restarted this save as the last thread I changed the format about 4 times and was not happy with the thread in general. Therefore I am restarting the save. Hope this one to be the long term one now until such time as I decide to buy FM20.

Concept of the Save

This save is one I have done before. It used to go by the name of “Club Legend” but the principle is to start in a random country and then move around the world by a world map that has interconnected nodes. We then move around trying to hit as many countries as possible around the world. This time I am determined to make sure we get a lot of years out of this save as I remember very much enjoying the last one I did.

Rules Set

We are going to be starting with Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia as that was the club we randomly picked last time and we are going to start there again with Georgian experience-less manager Levan Galadze.

We must spend a minimum of 4 years in that country, we can only move on once we have secured at least 1 domestic title. I can choose to spend more time in the country should I wish.

We are allowed to move clubs domestically as much as we like, but we cannot move to another country before we have completed the target.

If we are revisiting a country by some quirk of the attached road map, we must spend 2 years in that country, but are not required to win the Championship as we should have done that the first time we visited.

The only leagues loaded are the ones the country that we are managing in are connected to. When we move we must change the leagues loaded to reflect the new connections.

Updates

I tried something different last time and I hated it. I was thinking to myself, why not provide the full match report of the games, but they really do not read well and they are too much effort to describe in detail every goal that is scored in my own words, especially in a save that is meant to be this wide ranging. Therefore I will be providing standard monthly updates with the usual information concerning results, league tables and any transfers that have occurred in month.

Country in Profile

Georgia has four connections with which we can move in the future; Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Therefore we will be loading these leagues along with Georgia.

Club in Profile

excerpts from Wikipedia

FC Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgian: დინამო თბილისი, pronounced [dinɑmɔ tʰbilisi]) is a professional football club based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the top flight of Georgian football.

Dinamo Tbilisi was one of the most prominent clubs in Soviet football and a major contender in the Soviet Top League almost immediately after it was established in 1936. The club was then part of one of the leading sport societies in the Soviet Union, the All-Union Dynamo sports society which had several other divisions besides football and was sponsored by the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs. Its main claim to European fame was winning the Cup Winners' Cup in 1981, beating FC Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2–1 in the final in Düsseldorf. It remains the only club based in Georgia to have ever lifted a trophy in European competition. Throughout its history, FC Dinamo Tbilisi produced many famous Soviet players: Boris Paichadze, Avtandil Gogoberidze, Shota Iamanidze, Mikheil Meskhi, Slava Metreveli, Murtaz Khurtsilava, Manuchar Machaidze, David Kipiani, Vladimir Gutsaev, Aleksandre Chivadze, Vitaly Daraselia, Ramaz Shengelia, and Tengiz Sulakvelidze. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, it would later produce some of the finest Georgian players such as Temur Ketsbaia, Shota Arveladze, Giorgi Kinkladze, Kakha Kaladze, and Levan Kobiashvili.

Dinamo Tbilisi was one of a handful of teams in the Soviet Top League (along with Dynamo Kyiv and Dynamo Moscow) that were never relegated. Their most famous coach was Nodar Akhalkatsi, who led the team to the Soviet title in 1978, two Soviet Cups (1976 and 1979), and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1981. He was also one of three co-coaches of the Soviet Union national football team during the FIFA World Cup in 1982. FC Dinamo Tbilisi are also 16–time Georgian league champions and 13–time Georgian Cup holders (the current records).

History

The history of FC Dinamo Tbilisi began in autumn 1925 when the Dinamo sports society set out to form a football club, at a time when football was gradually becoming one of the most popular sports in the world.

In 1927, FC Dinamo Tbilisi established a Junior club, "Norchi Dinamoeli" (young Dinamo). The Juniors club provided the senior with many young skillful players, including the first goalkeeper who played for Dinamo in the USSR championship, the first captain Shota Savgulidze, defender Mikhail Minaev, forward Vladimer Berdzenishvili and other famous players.

In the early years in Georgia no official championship existed, so the teams played friendly games against each other. The first match was played with Azerbaijan team Dinamo Baku on 26 January 1926, with the more experienced Azerbaijan squad winning 1–0. The Dinamo team starred: D. Tsomaia, A. Pochkhua, M. Blackman, I. Foidorov, N. Anakin, A. Gonel, A. Pivovarov, O. Goldobin, A. Galperin, S. Maslenikov, and V. Tsomaia.

Three days later, Dinamo played another Azerbaijan team, "Progress" and easily beat them 3–0.

Despite their success in the middle years of the 1930s, the Football Federation of the Soviet Union placed FC Dinamo Tbilisi in the first league instead of the Top League. Dinamo continued to show good form against the top teams, winning 9–5 in Tbilisi against probably the best team in the USSR championship, Dynamo Moscow. They later beat Dinamo Leningrad 3–2, winning 5 matches out of 6 plus a draw against Stalinec Moscow. This was enough for Dinamo to qualify for the top League.

The second championship started in autumn 1936. Altogether Dinamo played 1424 matches in the Soviet Union Championship. The first match was against Dynamo Kyiv, finishing 2–2, with goals by Nikolas Somov and Boris Paichadze. The team sheet was: A. Dorokhov, S. Shavgulidze (E. Nikolaishvili), B. Berdzenishvili, N. Anakin, V. Jorbenadze, G. Gagua, I. Panin, M. Berdzenishvili, B. Paichadze, M. Aslamazov and N. Somov.

The first victory in the USSR championship was in the match against Spartak Moscow on 25 September with Mikheil Berdzenishvili scoring the winning goal. Dinamo finished the season in 3rd place. They challenged for the title, but this faded after the 2–3 loss against Krasnaia Zaria Leningrad. Dinamo also played an unforgettable match in Moscow against Spartak Moscow in the Soviet Cup quarter-final, when Dinamo beat them 6–3. They reached the first edition of Soviet Cup final, but lost 0–2 to Lokomotiv Moscow. Their first international match was against the Spanish team Baskonia in 1937, which Dinamo lost 0–2.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Dinamo was one of the top Soviet football teams, even though they did not win a title. They were often referred to as the "crownless champions" with the team including: S. Shavgulidze, A. Dorokhov, S. Shudra, B. Frolov, M. Berdzenishvili, A. Kiknadze, V. Panjukov, V. Berezhnoi, G. Gagua, V. Jorbenadze, and G. Jejelava.

In the 1950s, the team was led by Avtandil Gogoberidze who spent 14 years with Dinamo. He still holds the record for games played and goals scored for Dinamo, with 341 matches and 127 goals. In the same period, the following players starred for Dinamo: G. Antadze, Vladimer Marghania, N. Dziapshipa, M. Minaev, A. Zazroev, V. Eloshvili, and Avtandil Chkuaseli.

A prominent place in Dinamo history belongs to Andro Jordania, a coach who is considered as one most important figures in the club's history. His period in charge was seen as "the Renaissance" of Dinamo's traditions, which laid the ground for the major successes connected with his name. The club's Digomi practice ground is named after him.

The first major success came in the 1964 Soviet Top League when Dinamo won the Soviet Top League, with the team unbeaten in the last 15 matches. At the end, Dinamo was tied with Torpedo Moscow so the teams played an additional match in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which Dinamo won 4–1. Georgian supporters celebrated the victory by naming their team "Golden Guys".

A popular French magazine, France Football, wrote: "Dinamo has great players. Their technique, skills and playing intellect enables us to name them the best Eastern representatives of 'South American Football Traditions', if Dinamo were able to participate in the UEFA European Cup, we are certain, they would bring the hegemony of Spanish-Italian teams to an end." However, no Soviet team appeared in the European Cup at that time.

The line-up of the winning team in 1964 was: Sergo Kotrikadze, Giorgi Sichinava, Guram Petriashvili, Jemal Zeinklishvili, Guram Tskhovrebov, Vladimer Rekhviashvili, Shota Iamanidze, Slava Metreveli, Vladimer Barkaia, Mikheil Meskhi, Ilia Datunashvili, and Alexander Apshiev. Coach: Gavriil Kachalin.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the quality of the Dinamo team was further enhanced by several skillful players: Mikheil Meskhi, Slava Metreveli, Murtaz Khurtsilava, Revaz Dzodzuashvili, Kakhi Asatiani, Gocha Gavasheli, Guram Petriashvili, Piruz Kanteladze and the Nodia brothers.

Dinamo's first appearance in Europe was in 1972 against Dutch team Twente in the UEFA Cup. Dinamo won the game 3–2, with two goals scored by Givi Nodia and one by David Kipiani. The following players appeared on the field in this historic match: David Gogia, Revaz Dzodzuashvili, Vakhtang Chelidze, Murtaz Khurtsilava, Shota Khinchagashvili, Guram Petriashvili, Manuchar Machaidze, Kakhi Asatiani, Vladimir Gutsaev, Levan Nodia, Givi Nodia, and David Kipiani. In the second match Twente won the game 2–0 and progressed to the next round.

In 1973 Dinamo won their first International tournament. After beating Atlético Madrid and Benfica, the club won the Columbus's Caravela Trophy.

In 1976 Nodar Akhalkatsi was appointed as Dinamo's head coach. It was under his leadership that Dinamo achieved greatest success. The club was referred to as the "Great Team" between 1976 and 1982, characterised by a mobile, fast and technical style of play.

In this period Dinamo won the Soviet Cup for the first time in their history, convincingly defeating Armenian side Ararat Yerevan 3–0 in the final, with goals scored by David Kipiani, Piruz Kanteladze and Revaz Chelebadze. In 1978 the club won the Soviet Top League for a second time. Next year Dinamo won the Soviet Cup again by defeating Russian side Dynamo Moscow in the final. In 1979 the club played its first match in the UEFA European Cup tournament. In the first round Dinamo knocked out English side Liverpool, at the time one of the strongest teams in European football. After losing the first match at Anfield 1–2, Dinamo comfortably beat the opponent 3–0 in Tbilisi and advanced to the next round, where they were eliminated by German champions Hamburg. In the 1970s Dinamo also eliminated famous Italian sides Inter Milan and Napoli in European competitions.

The highlight of Dinamo's history was winning the 1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup, including knocking out clubs like West Ham United (4–1, 0–1) and Feyenoord Rotterdam (3–0, 0–2), and beating East German side Carl Zeiss Jena 2–1 in the final on 13 May 1981. Vitaly Daraselia and Vladimir Gutsaev scored goals in the final.

Dinamo Tbilisi, winner of 1981 European Cup Winners' Cup, on a Georgian stamp, 2002

Helmut Schön, 1974 FIFA World Cup winning coach said: "It is to be said directly, Dinamo deserved the victory. This team has top quality performers."

Next year in 1982 as reigning champions Dinamo advanced to the semi-finals in the Cup Winners' Cup tournament, where they were eliminated by Belgian side Standard Liège. In the 1980s numerous skillful players appeared on the team, but for various reasons they were not able to do their best: Grigol Tsaava, Mikheil Meskhi (Junior), Otar Korghalidze, Gia Guruli, Mamuka Pantsulaia, Merab Jordania, Levan Baratashvili and many other talented players.

From 1983 a crisis began. It was hard for the club to qualify from the first rounds of the Soviet Cup. They also performed poorly in the championship. From 1983 to 1989 the team appeared only once in the UEFA tournaments.

Dinamo Tbilisi played its last game in the Soviet Top League on 27 October 1989 against Dynamo Kyiv. Dinamo played its first and last official matches in the Soviet championship with Dynamo Kyiv, with both matches ending 2–2.

In 1990 the Georgian Football Federation refused to participate in the Soviet Union championship. That meant that no Georgian football clubs would appear in Soviet tournaments. From that moment the more recent history of FC Dinamo Tbilisi began.

During this time, as a means of distancing from the Soviet past, the club was renamed to Iberia Tbilisi. This move was largely opposed by the supporters and by 1992 the club returned to its initial name.

The club played its first match in the Georgian National championship against Kolkheti Poti on 30 March 1990. Dinamo lost the historic match, 0–1. Ultimately the club recovered from this setback and won the first Georgian National championship. The club also won the next 9 championships.

In 1992 came Dinamo's first double: the team won the league and the Georgian Cup, beating Tskhumi Sokhumi in the final. In 1993 Dinamo played its first international official match representing independent Georgia. Dinamo won the home match against Linfield 2–1, with goals from Shota Arveladze and Gela Inalishvili. The second leg in Belfast ended 1–1. However the club was disqualified for attempting to bribe the referee in the first leg.

Despite continued success in national cups and championships, the club had no success in European club tournaments.

In 1996 Dinamo passed 3 rounds in the UEFA Cup. They beat CS Grevenmacher 4–0, 2–2, Molde FK 2–1, 0–0 and Torpedo Moscow 1–0, 1–1. In the next round the club was unable to overcome Portuguese side Boavista and left the tournament.

Dinamo came very close to advancing in the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League group stages, but were eliminated by Athletic Bilbao on the away goals rule, 2–1, 0–1. The migration of key players to European clubs caused negative results. It became harder and harder for the club to win the Georgian Championship or Georgian Cup.

In the early 2000s, famous Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili purchased FC Dinamo Tbilisi. In 2003 the club won the Georgian Championship and Georgian Cup.

In 2004 Dinamo, under the leadership of Croatian coach Ivo Šušak, won the CIS Cup in Moscow, beating Latvian side Skonto 3–1 in the final. In the same year, Dinamo successfully made it through the UEFA Cup qualifying rounds, after defeating BATE Borisov (1–0, 3–2), Slavia Prague (2–0, 1–3) and Wisła Kraków (2–1, 3–4) and qualified for the group stage, where their opponents were Newcastle United, Sporting CP, Sochaux and Panionios. Dinamo lost all four games and finished bottom in the group.

In the following season Dinamo were again Georgian champions and they won the Georgian championship again in 2008, when the head coach of Dinamo was Czech Dušan Uhrin.

In 2009 the club beat Olimpi Rustavi and won the Georgian Cup.

In January 2011, FC Dinamo Tbilisi was purchased by Georgian businessman Roman Pipia. That year, the club successfully played in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds, but they were not able to overcome AEK Athens in the play-off round.

After a bad performance in the Georgian championship of 2011–12, Dinamo could not qualify for any UEFA competitions for the first time. The new owner immediately started the modernization of the club starting with the reconstruction of the Digomi training ground. The Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena was reconstructed as well. The pitch surface was changed with a new specially adapted surface for the local climate. Renovated Youths Football Academy also began.

The club were beaten 5–0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League play-off round in the 1st leg and again 3–0 the following week at White Hart Lane, thus crashing out 8–0 on aggregate.

After that in national competitions Dinamo won the double in the 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons.

Stadium

Construction of the Dinamo stadium started in autumn 1929 although the project was soon suspended. The construction was renewed in 1933 (chief architect – Archil Kurdiani). Finally it finished on 12 October 1935 and envisaged 23 000 spectators.

In 1960–1962 the stadium was reconstructed and the number of spectators increased to 36 000. After reconstruction the stadium was officially opened on 27 July 1962. Dinamo Tbilisi hosted FC Dynamo Leningrad in the Soviet championship and defeated it with minimal score 1–0.

The demand for a new and bigger stadium had increased due to the successful performance of Dinamo Tbilisi. This was the Communist time, when every problem had to be solved by the USSR supreme government body. The leader and the first secretary of Georgian Communist Party Eduard Shevardnadze was able to persuade official Moscow, that Georgia needed a bigger and better stadium for home matches. By the time the stadium was built, it had the third biggest capacity in the Soviet Union. It could fit 78,000 supporters and fulfill every standard and requirement of the Soviet Football Federation as well as the UEFA.

The first official match played after the stadium was built occurred on 29 September 1976. This was the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1/16 final match between Dinamo Tbilisi and Cardiff City. Dinamo won the opening game 3–0.

The next reconstruction of the stadium was held in 2006 (architects-Gia Kurdiani and Archil Kurdiani Junior) and the number of spectators was changed to 54,549. The stadium was opened with the European championship qualifying match. On 6 September 2006 the Georgian national team hosted the French national team and was defeated with the score 3–0. In 2012 the turf of Dinamo Arena was changed. Energy and irrigation systems were also fully rehabilitated. There was new lighting to satisfy demands for high standards. The VIP box was fully changed and fixed according to UEFA standards.

Even though the stadium's maximum capacity was 78,000, Georgian football fans can remember matches with more accommodation. For instance, in 1979 Dinamo was hosting one of the best British teams – Liverpool. The first match was played in England at Anfield, and Liverpool won 2–1. The attendance was 110,000 and their support played an important role in winning. Dinamo beat Liverpool 3–0 and qualified in the next round. In the Soviet Union Dinamo stadium kept the record with an average attendance of 45,000.

The record attendance was repeated in 1995 for Georgia vs Germany. The football clubs Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv often played their autumn international matches at this stadium.

Hundreds of Georgian, European and even South American stars played in Dinamo stadium. In 1985 the stadium hosted the qualifying stage of the Juniors World Cup. Cláudio Taffarel and Muller played for the Brazilian national team.

In 1995 the stadium was renamed Boris Paichadze National Stadium after a major Georgian international footballer. It is home to the Georgia national football team. Holding lit torches, 80,000 fans came in 1981 to congratulate the team on their European Cup Winners Cup triumph.

The stadium hosted the 2015 UEFA Super Cup match between Barcelona and Sevilla. Barcelona won 5–4 in extra time.

FULL CAREER DETAILS IN SPOILER 

Spoiler

 

Clubs Managed

 Dinamo Tbilisi ( Georgia) - January 2018 - December 2021

 Tom Tomsk ( Russia) - December 2021 - November 2023

 FC Krasnodar ( Russia) - November 2023 - May 2026

 Qarabag FK ( Azerbaijan) - May 2026 - June 2030

 Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz ( Iran) - June 2030 - May 2034

 Balkan Balkanabat ( Turkmenistan) - August 2034 - November 2038

 FK Olmaliq ( Uzbekistan) - December 2038 - October 2042

 FK Astana ( Kazakhstan) - December 2042 - December 2046

 Alga Bishkek ( Kyrgyzstan) - January 2047 - Present

Total Clubs - 9

Honours

  4 x Georgian National League -  Dinamo Tbilisi (2018. 2019, 2020, 2021)

  2 x Sekartvelos Tasi -  Dinamo Tbilisi (2018, 2020)

  1 x Sekartvelos Sup'ertasi -  Dinamo Tbilisi (2021)

  2 x Kubok Rossii -  Tom Tomsk (2023),  FC Krasnodar (2026)

  2 x Rosgosstrakh Priemjer-Liga -  FC Krasnodar (2024/25, 2025/26)

  4 x Azeri Super Cup -  Qarabag FK (2026, 2027, 2028, 2029)

  4 x Topaz Premyer Liqasi -  Qarabag FK (2026/27, 2027/28, 2028/29, 2029/30)

  4 x Milli Futbol Kuboku -  Qarabag FK (2027, 2028, 2029, 2030)

  1 x Iran Pro League -  Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz (2031/32)

  1 x Iranian Super Cup -  Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz (2032)

  1 x AFC Champions League -  Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz (2033)

  4 x Turkmenistanyn Yokary Ligasy -  Balkan Balkanabat (2035, 2036, 2037, 2038)

  4 x Turkmenistanyn Kubogy -  Balkan Balkanabat (2035, 2036, 2037, 2038)

  3 x Turkmenistanyn Naybasy Kubogy -  Balkan Balkanabat (2036, 2037, 2038)

  2 x AFC Confederation Cup -  Balkan Balkanabat (2037, 2038)

  4 x Uzbekistan Superleague -  FK Olmaliq (2039, 2040, 2041, 2042)

  3 x Uzbekistan Kubogy -  FK Olmaliq (2040, 2041, 2042)

  4 x Kazakhstan Premier League -  FK Astana (2043, 2044, 2045, 2046)

  3 x Kazakhstan Super Cup -  FK Astana (2044, 2045, 2046)

  1 x Kyrgystan First Division Zone B -  Alga Bishkek (2047)

  2 x Shoro Top League -  Alga Bishkek (2048, 2049)

  2 x Kyrgyzstan Cup -  Alga Bishkek (2048, 2049)

  2 x Kyrgyzstan  Super Cup -  Alga Bishkek (2049, 2050)

Total Trophies - 60

Countries Completed

      

Current Country

Kyrgyzstan

 

 

Edited January 12, 2020 by TerminalPortugal

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi

Squad Overview - January 2018

Squad

The squad is pretty strong for the Georgian National League. The two main strikers particularly in Rojano and Carbia are going to give defences problems. Mongil is also a standout player at centre-back, he should anchor things nicely at the back. One of our best players Kharabadze is on loan at FC Zurich for two years so, we will have to deal with that. He is our best left back. Not too sure why Dinamo allowed that to happen, but it appears to be tied to a future optional transfer on the part of the Swiss club, hopefully they pass on him in two years time.

Formation

This is the formation we will be attempting to play with as a manager. The main logic of the formation is to play a nice short passing game, with plenty of hard work closing players down when we lose the ball to this end we are deploying pressing forwards and defensive wingers.  The inverted wing backs will act as extra men in midfield when we are in possession. Overall the tactic is designed to keep possession and try and attack the opposition. Above in theory would be our best XI but Kharabadze won't be available to us.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Manager Profile - January 2018

Here is our avatar for this game; Mr Levan Galadze. A Georgian born in Tbilisi and taking on a Georgian giant in Dinamo. At the moment we have no badges and so we are hoping we can quickly get on that matter and the club is amenable to finances a few courses.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Pre Season Friendlies 2018

The pre season was comprised of local Georgian and Russian sides. We managed to get six wins out of six which is good going for a new system and a new manager. Looks like we are ready for the season ahead.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - 2018 Season Betting Odds

The odds have been published for the coming season and we are second favourites for the title behind title holders Torpedo Kutaisi. In my last save this prediction was well off, so we will see if history repeats itself.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - March 2018

Our first month in management could not have gone much better as we pick up 4 wins from 4 to start the season with a perfect record. We sit top of the table with Torpedo Kutaisi only 2 points behind after starting the season well. Carbia and Kutalia have started the season very well getting 3 goals each.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Transfer Window

The transfer window closes at the end of March and the business has been done. Only three of the signings were done after I arrived. They are Sergey Kositsin, Ruslan Bolov and Artur Rylov. We also allowed a couple of youngster to go out on loan to get some first team football down the leagues.

Sergey Kostsin

Ruslan Bolov

Artur Rylov

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - April 2018

You can't really ask for much more than what the players are giving me at the moment. Another perfect month as we extending our winning run to 10 straight games. The opening tie was a key one as we faced Torpedo Kutaisi away, but we came through that test and we continued the form all month. Fran Carbia and Antonio Rojano both scored in all games in the month apart from one. The strike partnership is becoming pretty fearsome. It is already looking like it will be a long way back for the rest of the league to catch us.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - May 2018

It's been another very good month for us as we put a huge gap between us and 2nd placed Lokomotivi Tblisi. We had to fight through in the middle of the month as the goals dried up a little but we still managed to get a lot of tight wins. We did drop the first points of the season in away draw against Saburtalo, so the idea of a perfect season is gone, but we do remain unbeaten (now standing at 16 games). Interestingly Torpedo Kutaisi favourites for the league are dropping like a stone and are now in and around the relegation places.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - June 2018

It's been another perfect month for us as we collect another 4 wins. The only game which was even close in terms of a contest was against Kolkheti-1913, where we relied on a goal from centre-back Victor Mongil, but elsewhere we have imperiously dominant. The Georgian Cup also kicked off this month and we negotiated that without too many issues against Second Division opposition 3-0, to advance to the next round. I think at this stage the league is very much over, we have a 24 point lead and you just can't use dropping even half that number of points from now until the end of the season. So in our first season we should get the Georgian title to ensure that we have the option of moving on once we complete the 4th year in Georgia; but I am looking to build much more than that here.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Transfer Window

The transfer window has opened and shut again and there some moves. In comes goalkeeper Artem Leonov and out goes Sergio Noche, also Giorgi Zaria goes out on loan for the remainder of the season.

Artem Leonov

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - July 2018

This month there was only one league game which we squeaked by against Sioni Bolnisi 2-1 The majority of the month was spent playing in the Europa League Qualifying phases. Montenegrin side Rudar Pljevlja did not give us many problems as dispatched them 7-0 on aggregate, but we were then drawn against tough opposition in Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv, and we are half way through that tie as we speak, with a 1-0 deficit following the away leg to make up. The fact we could not get an away goal is going to make the game difficult for us, but have faith in the boys that we can at least score against Maccabi at home and then we will see which way the tie goes. It would nice to advance in Europa League.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - August 2018

A very stacked month and one which included a lot of European football. We had it all to do against Maccabi Tel Aviv after our loss 1-0 away, and we did an expert job on them back in Tbilisi, winning 2-0 to send us into the next round of the Europa League. Next up we faced Mladost Podgorica, making it the second Montenegrin side we had faced in the qualifiers, and we got through them without too much issue. However we faced Istanbul Basaksehir in the next round and we got well beaten away 5-1. The result definately flattered them but they took the chances that came to them. We tried to recover at home and did pretty well but a 2-0 win was not going to cut it and we exited the Europa League. Elsewhere there were three more league games to negotiate, and they returned three victories to us, we are very much nearing the league title in the coming fixtures if we continue winning, it will be mathematically impossible to be catched, as it stands it is just completely implausible that we will be caught.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - September 2018

After the diversions of European football we were back to domestic action. Our form has continued to be pretty much impeccable, we did drop our second set of points this season as we drew away to Dila Gori, but this draw actually was enough to mathematically confirm us as Georgian Champions. There are still 8 games to go of the season and 10 when we won the league and we already confirmed Champions. It's not surprising as we have a 30 point lead in the league. In the cup we faced fellow Tbilisi side Lokomotivi and beat them handsomely to advance to the Quarter Final stage. We are getting close to completing a domestic double. As confirmed Champions we now have the option after four years to leave Georgia, it's nice to get that sewn up in Year One of our tenure in Georgia.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - October 2018

We continue to just produce results after results, as we sweep the month with 5 wins out of 5. The game I was concerned about was the Georgian Cup Quarter Final against Tskhinvali, and we completely outplayed them. It is looking like an unbeaten season is palpably within touch, we should be able to do this. We are now unbeaten in 32 games in the league which is absolutely incredible.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - November 2018

The final month of the season was going to be a big one for us. There were two things at stake, whether we could win the Georgian Cup and whether we could go unbeaten in the league. In the cup even to reach the final, first we had to negotiate the semi final against Torpedo Kutaisi, whom have had a disappointing season in the league considering the expectations at the start of the season. We got past them pretty easily and this set up a tie against Second Division champions Dinamo Batumi. On paper we may have been big favourites but we still needed to turn up and we did winning the final 3-0, to make it a league and cup double. In the league to keep on the straight and narrow in the pursuit of an unbeaten season. The only time in the final month we were a little tense was the game against Chikhura which ended 0-0, but we managed avoid defeat and end the season unbeaten, amassing an incredible 102 points, which ended up being 46 points ahead of 2nd placed Lokomotivi. Elsewhere in the league Rustavi are relegated in bottom place, and SK Samtredia and Sioni Bolnisi still await a playoff to see if they can survive for another season in the top division. All in all it has been an incredible first season!

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - End of Season Review 2018

Squad Overview

End of Season Awards

Manager Profile

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Pre Season 2019

We had a pretty tough test for our first game against Bulgarian titans Ludogorets, which we managed to draw, but were pretty well dominated. The remainder of the pre season was games we should win and we did without too much trouble.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Season Betting Odds 2019

The bookies have released their odds for the season and we have been made favourites for the league with Torpedo Kutaisi most likely to give us a run for our money. Considering how far ahead we were last season, the odds look very favourable.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - March 2019

We have had by our standards quite a bad month. We first lost the Georgian Super Cup on penalties to Samtredia and then in the league we are unbeaten but have got two draws in our first four games, meaning we actually sit in 3rd place at the end of the month. I have no doubts that we will recover but it goes to show that things can change. The next update will be the transfers and we have lost Carbia, as he was not going to sign a new contract which expired imminently and we needed to cash in on him. 

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Transfer Window

It has been a busy transfer window for us. We lost three players in and around the first team, the biggest loss is Carbia, the star striker last season but we had no real option to keep him so had to cash in on him. Rukhaia was a player I wanted to keep but he is older and the money was good, and we have good options in his position. In terms of arrivals they are below.

Alexey Solovjov

Ramazan Izaev

Beykan Simsek

Artur Danielyan

Elivelton

Vitaliy Fedoriv

Edited December 27, 2019 by TerminalPortugal

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - April 2019

After our indifferent start to the season, we then drew our first game of this month as well, and while we weren't losing I was beginning to think that we were in a bit of mini-crisis if you can call a team who has not lost 46 games a crisis when you draw a few games. But we started getting the wins again and ended the month having netted wins in all remaining fixtures. We have now officially dropped as many points after 10 games as we did all last season. We do however return to the summit of the division and now have a 4 point lead, which can be cut to 3 points if Saburtalo can win the game they have in hand over us and Dila Gori. I still think we will quickly speed away from the pack, but we are definately lacking the quality of Carbia up front this season, although at the end of the month we definately started showing we know where the net is with some bigger wins.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilsi - May 2019

May was a great month for us as we needed to be as consistent as last year and suddenly just like that we were as superb as last season. 6 wins out of 6 and suddenly the league looks like it may be over again this season as we now extend a 12 point lead over Saburtalo. The goals are coming from all areas and not just the front two and we may need to rely upon that this season.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - June 2019

Well it finally happened, we lost a domestic game after 56 games of league football. We finally lost rather unfortunately to Dinamo Batumi at home. Our unbeaten streak will end at 55 games undefeated. Elsewhere in the league we were fine and won the other remaining 3 games in the month. We also went through the Georgian Cup beat Chikhura. The unbeaten run had to end at some point at it has happened at the end of this month. Hopefully morale recovers and we can put a new run together. In terms of the league we look unassailable at this point at the top of the league, so I expect to be lifting the Georgian league title at the end of this.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tblisi - Transfer Window

We are getting inundated from all of the Middle East for our players, so it is proving difficult to keep a hold of them, and we have managed to deflect their bids away, even protesting a board intervention on Mongil. It is still likely we are going to lose someone at some point. As for the people leaving here, both backup goalkeepers have been found new homes, Djigui Diarra is the replacement and we will promote a youth prospect to third keeper. Elsewhere we also sigend Mehmet Uslu, Ilja Viznovich and Andrey Lyakh, whose profiles are below.

Djigui Diarra

Mehmet Uslu

Ilja Viznovich

Andrey Lyakh

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - July 2019

After two wins in the league, July was mostly concerned with Champions League qualification. Our first test was Kisvarda of Hungary, a test that we passed quite easily. That set up what I expected to be a very difficult tie against Legia Warsaw. But we pulled off a majestic performance in Poland to pretty much guarantee a place in the next round short of a complete collapse. We didn't collapse and won the return leg 1-0, to win 6-0 on aggregate, quite the shock. In the next round we will face Romanian powerhouse CFR Cluj, so that no doubt will be very tough, but we have confidence now.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - August 2019

Another month that is dominated by European qualifying football for the Champions League. We continued to fly the flag for Georgian football as we rather unexpectedly knocked out CFR Cluj as we beat them 2-1 on aggregate in two tough games. We then faced Viktoria Plzen, in what would prove to be another tough set of games. Unfortunately for us it was a step to far. A 2-1 home win, sealed our fate somewhat, as it meant there was a lot needed to be done in the Czech Republic. We did manage to get a draw there and were search for the 2nd goal that would have given us a shot at extra time and potential qualification but it was not to be. In the league it was mostly plain sailing; one draw and the rest of the games were wins. Speaking of the league our lead is now 25 points, I knew eventually the lead would get out of hand like last season. We are now very close again to being confirmed Georgian champions for the second season in a row.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - September 2019

Another great month, one in which we once again secured the league title with our victory against Chikhura. We also started our Europa League campaign off and what a performance for our first game as we pulled off an amazing win on the south coast of France against Nice, winning 1-0 to start our Europa League campaign in the best possible way. We also made it through to the Georgian Cup Quarter Final for the second year running by beating Kolkheti-1913. All is going very well this month.

Edited December 27, 2019 by TerminalPortugal

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - October 2019

October has been an amazing month for us and the big highlight has been our European campaign. Last month we beat Nice in their own backyard and first of all we welcomed Krasnodar to Tbilisi and we gave them a footballing lesson as we battered them 4-0. Then we hosted Turkish giants Besiktas and managed to get the 2-1 victory against them. We have been nothing short of brilliant in Europe and we are now very very close to qualifying for the First Knockout Round. The league was wrapped up last year and we have continued our good form in it, now sitting 25 points clear of Dila Gori after 32 games. In the Georgian Cup we were perhaps a little fortunate as we had to rely on penalties to make it through, but we managed to come through and we advance to the semi final.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Job Offers

I didn't really discuss international jobs, for a while I won't be taking them. Anyway we reject the approach from the Georgian National Team to become their new manager.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - November 2019

This has been a bit of a bittersweet month. Dinamo Batumi have proven to be a bit of bogey side when they knocked us out of the Georgian Cup at the semi final stage. Having said that we were very unlucky to lose, we dominated the game and were hit on the counter attack. That was disappointing. However we have been sensational in the Europa League, not only securing passage to the next round, but also securing that we would win the group itself. This month we drew away to Turkey against Besiktas, a fantastic result and then took Nice apart at home to make sure that we would be winning the group. We have one game to play against Krasnodar. It won't matter to us but it has everything riding on it for them. I am very and proud of how we have performed in Europe representing the pride of Georgian football.

On a secondary note, we have a player that has shot through in the youth ranks by the name of Data Cheishvili. He is just 15 years old but I cannot ignore him. I considered putting him in the first team at 14 years old but thought better of it. This guy may well be one of the best Georgian footballers in the future, he is already not far off the standard of Antonio Rojano.

Data Cheishvili

Edited December 27, 2019 by TerminalPortugal

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - December 2019

One final league game and one final Europa League Group game to end the season for us, and they both ended in a draw and both mattered for very little to us. In the end we won the league by 29 points, another huge landslide and we were never in danger of being caught by any of the other teams. Dinamo Batumi went on to lift the Georgian Cup after knocking us out, and that trophy will be a target for next season. In Europe we advanced to the First Knockout Round, so I will be waiting with baited breath to see who we get in that. In the league Dila Gori, Saburtalo and Dinamo Batumi qualify for the Europa League. Chikhura are relegated and Sioni and Samtredia will need to see if they can get by a playoff game to survive in the league.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - End of Season 2019

Squad Overview

Team of the Season & Awards

All Time Best XI

Manager Profile

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Pre Season and Europa League First Knockout Round 2020

I am a little annoyed as the registration for the competition kind of screwed us, with changes in personnel we were only allowed to make three changes to persons already registered and it really cost us. Anyway we probably stood minimal chance anyway as Lazio beat us 5-0 in Italy, we did get a measure of respectability by holding them to a draw in Georgia. In the friendlies we pretty much did a great job, when we could test everyone who has come into the club since the transfer window opened. Anyway it's a lesson learnt. We bow out of the Europa League.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - 2020 Season Betting Odds

As expected we remain favourites to win the league. Torpedo are 2nd favourites, it is a little surprising since they really have not, in the two years I have been at Dinamo been involved in the title picture.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - March 2020

This our 3rd season in Georgia and we have started off like greyhound this season with Dinamo. Four big wins from 4 and we top the table and are 5 points clear after just four games. It is a very good start to the season; certainly better than last season where we struggled early on a little bit.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Transfer Window

We only had one player leave permenantly and that was Fedoriv, who was getting old and did not have a place in the team anymore. In the end we spent a lot more time on getting players into the club to add quality and depth where we needed it. We should now be ready to battle on multiple fronts. Our acquisitions are below:-

Beykan Simsek

Mohamed Omolade

Asamoah Ashimeru

Arutyan Manukyan

Tiago Pinto

Nikola Stijepovic

Vincent Kone

Alex Magellanes

Elivelton

Ilnur Alshin

William Goulart

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - April 2020

Our perfect has continued this month. I am clearly seeing the benefits of the strength in depth that we now have allowing for more variability to the players that we can start and rotate but also the strength off the bench that we now have in games. There was only one game against Kolkheti-1913 where we were lucky to get the win, getting the winner in the 96th minute of the game. We now sit 9 points clear of Dila Gori and Sioni Bolnisi, and again it is looking more and more like we will be heading towards another Georgian title, our third in row.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilsi - May 2020

We have been nothing short of unplayable this month. We have only conceded one goal in the whole month and scored tonnes, including a 9-0 demolition of Saburtalo when Kone got 6 goals in the game. We are already 21 points clear in the league and we are not going to be catched. At the moment we are 17 games in and have won 17. We could replicate the first season here where we went unbeaten, but the way we are playing the perfect season is not out of the realms of possibility at this stage. 

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - June 2020

The Georgian Cup 3rd Round kicked off this month and we squeaked by Kolkheti-1913 by a 1-0 scoreline. Elsewhere in the league it was business as usual as we put everyone away with another 3 wins. We already have 60 points from our 20 games; a perfect record and already 27 points ahead of second placed Sioni Bolnisi. The Georgian league must be the most boring league in the world to watch!

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Job Offers

Another job offer comes our way this time from Russian outfit Tambov, we must reject them as it has only been three years in Georgia. Next season we may be able to agree an end of the season takeover with a prospective employer.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Transfer Window

Some action in the mid season transfer, we lost starting goalkeeper Diarra, as his release clause was activated by Bld. Erzurumspor of Turkey, which was a pretty big blow to us. Alexey Solovjov also was surplus to requirements this season and was sold to Neftekhimik of Russia. Into the club there was only one transfer and that was a replacement goalkeeper in the shape of youngster Lucas, profile is below.

Lucas

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - July 2020

July always turns into the month when our European adventures begin, and this year it is no different. Before I discuss that there were two league games and we continued our perfect record with another two wins, now bringing us to 22 wins out of 22 games. I am beginning to wonder whether can go all the way to 36th game winning them all, but it is still a long way to go before that happens. Irrespective of this the points gap is now already 30 points to Sioni Bolnisi, and so it won't be long before we get our third straight Georgian title. In Europe we started off in Malta against Hibernians Paola and let me tell you it was an absolute massacre, as we ran in 16 goals to nil. A quite frankly ridiculous haul. We were in no forgiving mood in the return leg when we put another 8 past them, to complete an aggregate 24-0 win. Next up came a much sterner test against Azeri side Qarabag, and we lost our first game of the entire season, in fact the first game we did not win outright this season by 2-1 over there, this was after having taken the lead. Despite the initial disappointment I felt it was a good result and we could build on it at home. We did just that when we recieved them in Georgia, with the game finishing 2-1 in normal time and Isaev bagging the crucial winner and his second of the night to send us through, where we will be facing Danish outfit FC Copenhagen in what will be very hard fought affair I am sure.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - August 2020

This month was a crunch month for us as met Copenhagen in the Champions League qualifiers. In the home tie we were sucker punched twice by them in the final minutes of the match as they got two late goals to completely change the complexion of the tie, and were not to recover from it as we lost again 1-0 in Denmark to exit the Champions League. This meant we then had to go through the 4th Qualifying Phase of the Europa League, where we faced Qarabag again, it would be four games in two months and this time around we were not in the mood to mess around with them as smashed them home and away beating them 12-1 on aggregate. In the league the somewhat inevitable draw happened as we went through a dry patch of not really getting many goals mid month, the perfect season is over, but going unbeaten is still very much on. The win against Kolkheti guaranteed us the title, earlier than ever before if my knowledge serves me rightly, as we sit 36 points clear of second place, but had not been in doubt since about the start of the season really that in the end we would get our hands on the Georgian National League trophy for the third year in a row.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - September 2020

This month the Europa League kicked off in earnest and we faced Genk in our group and again pulled off another great European night as we went to Belgium and won 3-0. This month we also got through to the Georgian Cup semi final beating lower league opposition. The league continues to be a walk in the park. We are still undefeated this season, with that draw being the only bleamish from a perfect season. I think with 7 games to go we look unbeatable in the league and we will likely go undefeated again.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - October 2020

Well the unbeaten run is over, Dinamo Batumi seem to have a real knack of beating us if the conditions are right, a red card for us in the game and injury time goal for them gives us our first loss of the season. It shouldn't matter but it does to me, we were 5 games away from securing another unbeaten season. In the Georgian Cup we got through to the semi finals thanks to a 1-0 win. Europa League football has gone well as we beat Sheriff and drew against Napoli at home to put us in a very good spot to go through to the First Knockout Round.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Job Offers

This job offer came a little too early, next season especially in the second half of the season, we should be able to delay starting the new job until the 4th year in Georgia is complete. For now we have to decline, Qarabag's advances.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - November & December 2020

The Georgian cup final is the first thing worth mentioning, as we beat Rustavi in the final convincingly 3-0 to complete the double this season. The league still had something on it as we could break our record points total that we set in 2018 and we managed to do that to make it our best performance in a league season with 103 points collected. Second place Dila Gori finished on 54 points, 49 points behind us, which is astounding, we got almost double the points they got all season and they finished 2nd. Along with Dila Gori, Saburtalo and SK Samtredia will be playing European football. Shukura Kobuleti go back down after a season in the top flight and surprising Kolkheti-1913 and perenial underachievers Torpedo Kutaisi will be playing for their lives in a playoff. In Europe we managed to get through in 2nd place in Group D, a loss at the Sao Paolo in Naples sealed our second place finish. But we manage to return to the First Knockout Round and we have a lot more firepower this year and the start of next barring losing players to do more than we did last year against Lazio, hopefully the draw is favourable.

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - End of 2020 Season

Squad Overview

Team of the Season

Best All-Time XI

Manager Profile

[TerminalPortugal]

Dinamo Tbilisi - Season 2021 Betting Odds

Finally I would say that the odds are reflective of the reality of the league over the last few years, we are overwhelming favourites and Torpedo Kutaisi are no longer seen as challengers to the title. At 2-5, I think that is still worth a fair few coins to be fair.