[FM20] The Great Liechtenstein Challenge - FC Balzers

[CTID86]

The aim of this challenge is to conquer the world with both FC Balzers and Liechtenstein by ultimately winning the Champions League with the club and the World Cup with the country.

For those unfamiliar with the challenge, it is based on the old San Marino Challenge but rather than being based in Italy, it is based in the Swiss football league system as that is where all Liechtenstein clubs play their football. Most people try this challenge with Vaduz who are in the 2nd tier and already professional, FC Balzers are a semi-professional team in the 4th tier.

2 reasons why this is HARDER than the San Marino Challenge:
1. The only way you can qualify for the Champions League is by winning the Europa League as only Swiss based clubs are allowed to qualify for Europe through league position. Winning the Liechtenstein Cup puts 1 club into the Europa League First Qualifying Round.
2. Being based in Switzerland, the profile of the league is much lower than in Italy. Therefore developing a club that can win the Champions League is much harder to do here. Less money, less reputation etc.

I will be posting updates on YouTube and doing live streams on Twitch for this career...a first for me!

Part 1 - The Welcome

Part 2 - S1 The Halfway Point

Part 3 - S1 The Cup Semi Final

Part 4 - S2 The Board Expects

Part 5 - S2 A National Legend Joins

Part 6 - S2/3 Doing The Double

Part 7 - S3 In The Hunt

Part 8 - S3 The Chairman Intervenes

Edited May 1, 2020 by CTID86

[CTID86]

Ok so below is part 2 of my Great Liechtenstein Challenge. In this installment there is a quick update of how the season is going so far, we play our Liechtenstein Cup Quarter Final game against Triesenberg and our 13th league game of the season against Kosova ZH to take us to the halfway point of season one. Were the media right to predict that we would be in for a relegation battle or have we managed to cobble together a team that an compete?

Part 2 - S1 The Halfway Point

Edited April 10, 2020 by CTID86

[JBZ]

Good luck with this 

I had a good game with Balzers in FM19, played about 8-10 seasons & won the Super League a couple of times but couldn't even get to the Europa League group stages and didn't come close to qualifying for anything with the national team

Swiss research much improved the database for the lower leagues for FM20, trying again with Eschen/Mauren this time

[TheRobert]

Good luck!

[Sheriff7]

The only way you can qualify for the Champions League is by winning the Europa League 

Did you checked it?In past even if you won EL you couldn't quilify to CL.I raised it in past and they should have fix it but you never know + i don't know what happens when EL2 starts.Good luck i had some amazing saves there.

Edited April 12, 2020 by Sheriff7

[rodesire]

2 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

The only way you can qualify for the Champions League is by winning the Europa League 

Did you checked it?In past even if you won EL you couldn't quilify to CL.I raised it in past and they should have fix it but you never know + i don't know what happens when EL2 starts.Good luck i had some amazing saves there.

I believe you get el2 spot as Lichtenstein once EC2 is up

[Sheriff7]

30 minutes ago, rodesire said:

I believe you get el2 spot as Lichtenstein once EC2 is up

If it is that way then it needs a double check.The "easiest" way to do it is to add the best players in world to Vaduz squad and quit/load it until the final.At least thats what i did back in fm17 (if i remember well).

[oche balboa]

Big fan of this. Good luck 

[CTID86]

On 12/04/2020 at 19:25, JBZ said:

Good luck with this 

I had a good game with Balzers in FM19, played about 8-10 seasons & won the Super League a couple of times but couldn't even get to the Europa League group stages and didn't come close to qualifying for anything with the national team

Swiss research much improved the database for the lower leagues for FM20, trying again with Eschen/Mauren this time

Nice, that's still some achievement. Obviously I'm hopeful I can go all the way but we shall see!

Swiss research definitely does seem better this time round too. Good luck with Eschen/Mauren! You should let me know how you get on. 

[CTID86]

On 12/04/2020 at 21:05, Sheriff7 said:

The only way you can qualify for the Champions League is by winning the Europa League 

Did you checked it?In past even if you won EL you couldn't quilify to CL.I raised it in past and they should have fix it but you never know + i don't know what happens when EL2 starts.Good luck i had some amazing saves there.

I believe I saw something from a developer about a year back stating that it was fixed that if you win EL, you qualify for CL. I have also heard from others who have got to the CL knockout rounds with Vaduz.

I also don't know what happens when EL2 starts, having seen anything concrete online. I guess we will find out. If I go into EL2, I just have to win that to get in EL and win that to get into CL. Just means I can only play CL once every 3 seasons instead of once every 2. End goal would remain the same for me

[rodesire]

58 minutes ago, CTID86 said:

I believe I saw something from a developer about a year back stating that it was fixed that if you win EL, you qualify for CL. I have also heard from others who have got to the CL knockout rounds with Vaduz.

I also don't know what happens when EL2 starts, having seen anything concrete online. I guess we will find out. If I go into EL2, I just have to win that to get in EL and win that to get into CL. Just means I can only play CL once every 3 seasons instead of once every 2. End goal would remain the same for me

Well, if you win Europa/CL every year, you could play in UCL every year..

[CTID86]

2 minutes ago, rodesire said:

Well, if you win Europa/CL every year, you could play in UCL every year..

Yes I would have to win the UCL or EL every year to stay in it. Lets say season 1 I win the Europa League, season 2 I lose in the UCL final, I would be in the Europa League in season 3. So in some ways it would be better to go out of the UCL earlier if I am not going to win it so that I can drop to the EL and hopefully win it again.

[CTID86]

In this episode we catch up on what happened in the January transfer window, we check out the youth intake, discuss some other club news and also play two HUGE games!

First up we have the Liechtenstein Cup Semi Final against the big boys, FC Vaduz. Can we beat the only professional club in Liechtenstein or have we finally met our match?

Following on from that we have the big local derby in the league against Eschen/Mauren. What could go wrong?

This is not an episode to miss (ok, I'm biased but still, its pretty action packed)

Part 3 - S1 The Cup Semi Final

[mark1985]

Had a really fun save with Eschen/Mauren a few saves back. Good luck!

[CTID86]

5 minutes ago, mark1985 said:

Had a really fun save with Eschen/Mauren a few saves back. Good luck!

They are doing pretty well in my save! I considered a couple of their players too, Livio Meier and Simon Kuhne. Didn't end up signing either but both are involved with the NT.

Thanks!

[CTID86]

It's part 4 and in this one we round up what happened in the first season of this Liechtenstein Challenge. Were we able to lift the Liechtenstein Cup and qualify for the Europa League? Could we come through the Promotion Playoff to take us to tier 3? And are my board of directors getting too big for their boots?

This episode also covers off our pre-season transfer activity for season 2 and the first league game of the new season as well as a quick roundup of the National Team progress.

Part 4 - S2 The Board Expects

[CTID86]

In this episode we reach the halfway point of season 2! Tune in to find out which Liechtenstein legend has signed for the club, see the live draw for the cup semi final and watch us travel away from home to play current table toppers, Chiasso!

There is also a short National Team update and a look at the sorry state of affairs at Vaduz!

Part 5 - S2 A National Legend Joins

[CTID86]

In Part 6 we review season 2 where we managed to hold our nerve for the league and cup double! We look at some new signings, a few departures, success with the national team and review the upcoming season in tier 2. Then...the big one... our first ever match in European Competition... but is it what we expected? Did this challenge just get even HARDER?!

Part 6 - S2/3 Doing The Double

[Sheriff7]

Good start in Europe.The bad thing with teams from Liechtenstein is that you are going to start always from 1st quilifier which means no rest after last season and no time for  pre season.Anyway good luck!I had some amazing saves there with Vaduz and Liechtenstein.Their national team is very talented for their population.

[CTID86]

10 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

Good start in Europe.The bad thing with teams from Liechtenstein is that you are going to start always from 1st quilifier which means no rest after last season and no time for  pre season.Anyway good luck!I had some amazing saves there with Vaduz and Liechtenstein.Their national team is very talented for their population.

Absolutely, I was surprised with how early the Euro Cup 2 begins. We had only just released the players whose contracts expired on 30th June. 

I suppose the good thing about starting in the 1st Qualifier is that when we become way too good for that level, it will just act as our pre-season schedule. Also, its a bit more prize money I suppose.

Vaduz struggling a little in my save, only just avoided relegation from the Challenge League by 1 point! Could do with them stepping up!

[Sheriff7]

Yes the money are good and woulb be much easier when you climb up in european coefficients.Still you are going to start from 1st quilifiers but your are going to be seeded in every draw.Vaduz decide to use more local players IRL and that's why they dropped some talent.3-4 years ago when they were in Superleague they had a very talented squad.

[CTID86]

I'm all in favour of them using local talent in my FM save, just fingers crossed they can stay in the Challenge League so that those young players are playing at a decent level. 

Maybe as the save goes on (if I become I rich club, which seems a long way off) I can maybe look at overpaying them for their young talent and see if that financial boost helps them win promotion to the Super League.

[CTID86]

In this latest update we are just over halfway through our third season and it is all still to play for as we continue our journey up the leagues with FC Balzers.

Watch this update to see our brand new signing, 16 year old regen, Noah Kottelat, high hopes for him! We also take a look the national team where we secured our best result yet! Finally we play a Challenge League match against Rapperswil.

Part 7 - S3 In The Hunt

[CTID86]

Well season 3 is over and I don't think it will come as a spoiler to you all to learn that it is the first season of this career that we haven't won a promotion. In part 8 we wrap up the season, review the ups and downs and get a little bit angry at the chairman meddling in our affairs. We also give the National Team some air time as we play our second game of the UEFA Nations League away at Hungary with a young 16 year old making his international debut.

We also briefly look ahead to next season and take a look at the progress of Vaduz and Eschen/Mauren.

Part 8 - S3 The Chairman Intervenes

 

Now available in HD btw!

[CTID86]

In Part 9 we take a look at how the early part of season 4 has gone in what is looking like a very close league table. We delve into the summer signings that were made to strengthen the side and look at our attacking players and their recent form with absolute delight.

We then play against promotion chasing Aarau who traditionally we have struggled against having only beaten them once in five meetings so far.

With a third of the season complete is this Balzers team the best it has ever been?

Part 9 - S4 A Flying Start

[CTID86]

Here we are at part 10 already and we mark this episode with some huge news for the club and the long term prospects of this career. We managed to win the Challenge League in season 4 and so we take a peak back at that and all the things that have happened at the club since then. We look forward to our first season in the Swiss Super League, look at some great new signings and some very recognisable faces that have joined the coaching department.

We also play a big game against an overseas team, what could that possibly mean?!

The developments have been plentiful and so there is information a plenty in this milestone episode so it is one that you definitely don't want to miss!

Part 10 - S5 A New Chapter

[JBZ]

On 14/04/2020 at 13:01, CTID86 said:

Nice, that's still some achievement. Obviously I'm hopeful I can go all the way but we shall see!

Swiss research definitely does seem better this time round too. Good luck with Eschen/Mauren! You should let me know how you get on. 

You're doing well man, Super League already, had a couple of your videos on in the background while playing my own game

(just started my third season with Eschen/Mauren, in the Challenge League after successive promotions but just gone out at the first hurdle in my first European game to Glenavon, which was disappointing)

[CTID86]

On 12/05/2020 at 21:39, JBZ said:

You're doing well man, Super League already, had a couple of your videos on in the background while playing my own game

(just started my third season with Eschen/Mauren, in the Challenge League after successive promotions but just gone out at the first hurdle in my first European game to Glenavon, which was disappointing)

Thanks, appreciate you watching! It is going well so far, I was hoping to reach the Super League by Season 7, so I am ahead of schedule. Youth intakes have been disappointing and our showing in Europe hasn't been great either so we havent had it all our own way.

Yeah defeat to Glenavon must have hurt, that will feel like an opportunity missed. Challenge League will be a tougher test but with that league I feel like everyone can beat everyone, its a very open league from my experience.

[CTID86]

We have reached the halfway point of season 5 and as it's winter break time, we take a look back at the season so far, our first ever season in the Swiss Super League. From disastrous starts, conceding late and struggling to navigate life with the smallest wage budget in the league to historic results and an amazing coaching team. We have it all covered in this episode in what has been a rollercoaster of a season so far.

We watch the highlights from what is the best result of the save so far, swing by the National Side, Vaduz and Eschen/Mauren to view their progress and contemplate what the rest of the season may hold for my FC Balzers side.

Part 11 - S5 Finding Our Feet

[CTID86]

In part 12 we play the final game of our first ever season in the Swiss Super League against Lugano. Have we been relegated? Have we avoided the drop? Or do we have a relegation/promotion playoff around the corner? We also find out how the Liechtenstein Cup went and whether we will have European Football in season 6.

One thing is certain, season 5, whatever the outcome, has been an emotional rollercoaster with some amazing highs (beating Basel 3-0 at home as we saw in part 11) and some terrible lows (injuries, suspensions, relegation scrap). I guess that is what makes Football Manager 2020 so addictive right?

Part 12 - S5 An Emotional Rollercoaster

[CTID86]

After avoiding relegation in season 5, we check in to see our early progress in season 6. After a significant budget increase we take a look at some of our key summer recruits, check out our progress in the Europa Conference League (or whatever it is called) and we have a home game against Servette in the Swiss Super League.

It's all change at FC Balzers with a number of new signings including a former England international, a regen who looks to be a star of the North Macedonia NT and a couple of signings from arch-rivals, Vaduz.

Part 13 - S6 Dizzy Heights

[CTID86]

Season 6 has finished and in part 14 we find out just how we got on in our second ever season in the Swiss Super League and how we fared in the Liechtenstein Cup that we attempt to win for the third year in a row. We also look at a new signing, the son of a former Barcelona player, ponder our plans for next season and look at a couple of players set to leave the club.

This is followed by an international game against Georgia at home. Surely a winnable match and one that we need to target if we want to move the National Team forward in the same way that the club side have been.

Part 14 - S6 The Best of the Rest

[CTID86]

In part 15 of this Football Manager 2020 challenge that I call home there is a lot to cover. We review our league and European form so far in season 7. Although the league form may leave a little to be desired (is third season syndrome a thing?) we are having a European adventure that we can never forget. We look back on what surely goes down as the biggest result in FC Balzers history... maybe even the biggest result in the history of ANY Liechtenstein club.

We also play a tough league game away at title chasing Young Boys and review a couple of very interesting new signings. First up, a former Premier League winner and ex-Man City player, then a former Serie A goalkeeper with more experience than I can shake a stick at!

Part 15 - S7 A European Adventure

[CTID86]

In this latest episode of The Great Liechtenstein Challenge we have a lot of things to cover as season 7 has been... eventful so far. We take a look at our less than desirable league campaign and the players that will be leaving in the summer as we plan a clear out. We also look at our AMAZING form in the Europa Conference League and ponder what the future may hold in that tournament.

We have a Super League match against Basel which we cover in this episode and we look at a couple of new signings and a key player who left the club after two and a half seasons to join Villarreal!

Part 16 - S7 Going Big In Europe

[CTID86]

Following season 7 where we played 59 competitive fixtures it was clear that we needed to improve not only the starting 11, but the squad as a whole. In part 17 we take you over the highs and lows of season 7 and take a look at the new signings that have come in to drive the club forward.

Gone are some of the familiar players and in are some new faces including a Switzerland international legend. We also review our current season 8 progress including the Europa Conference League.

There is also a Swiss Super League match against St. Gallen to enjoy!

Part 17 - S8 Changing of the Guard

[BradWilko]

I'm doing a save with FC Vaduz, however I can't do a save with Liechtenstein? How do you manage them. My fm20 doesn't give me the option. 

[CTID86]

On 15/06/2020 at 20:24, BradWilko said:

I'm doing a save with FC Vaduz, however I can't do a save with Liechtenstein? How do you manage them. My fm20 doesn't give me the option. 

 

Hey, I think I answered you on Twitter right? Hopefully you got it sorted now?

[CTID86]

It's part 18 and there is so much to cover in this episode including our first league match of season 9 away to Sion. We also review how season 8 went as we were in the hunt for three trophies. We take a look at some new signings, including a former Liverpool and England man and some departures including a huge player for us.

There is also time to swing by the manager profile page for the first time, take a look at a few new staff members, the finances of the club and how the facility upgrades are going. Like I said, plenty to cover in just 1 video!

Part 18 - S9 Clinical Finishing

[CTID86]

In part 19 of The Great Liechtenstein Challenge we play TWO matches! First up is a Europa Conference League group match against Club Brugge. Second we have a league game away at Servette which will take us up to the half way point of the season. Not to do too much of a spoiler alert but there are goals galore in this episode!

Part 19 - S9 Goals Galore

[CTID86]

It's part 20 of The Great Liechtenstein Challenge where I hope to celebrate a decade in charge of FC Balzers with a successful tenth season. In this episode we take a look back at season 9 and just how close we came to winning every competition we were in. We also look at two or three big name departures and a few exciting arrivals. We contemplate what the season may hold and also take a look at a few players we are still trying to sign!

Season 10 is then kicked off with the first game of the season, a Super League match at home to Zurich with a few of those new signings on display.

Part 20 - S10 Edging Closer

[CTID86]

In Part 21 of this Great Liechtenstein Challenge we kick off by looking at the form of the club side, FC Balzers, as we hit the halfway point of the season. We also take a look at some new signings and two huge departures for differing reasons.

Following our review of the situation with the club side, we turn our attention to the national team where we play Andorra in a UEFA Nations League Promotion/Relegation Playoff fixture!

Part 21 - S10 Is History Repeating

[CTID86]

It's part 22 of The Great Liechtenstein Challenge and we start a brand new decade. We have been with the club for 10 years and are looking to kick off season 11 in style. This video features the opening match of the season against St. Gallen.

Before that we take a look at how season 10 went for the club, the signings we have made (and missed out on), a facilities check and say goodbye to one or two familiar faces.

Part 22 - S11 A New Decade

[CTID86]

It's almost the halfway point of season 11 and we take a look at how the rest of the summer transfer window went, including a record signing for £6.5m and a record sale as we lose a key player for £21m.

We then turn our attention to the final game before the winter break, a Super League match against Winterthur. Can we top the table going into the break?

Part 23 - S11 Maybe This TIme

[CTID86]

It's part 24 and there is plenty to cover. We start by taking a look at a heartbreaking season 11 but then turn our attention to the optimism of season 12. We review some new signings and a couple of new additions to the coaching team. There has also been a takeover. What does that mean for the club?

We then take a quick check on the facilities and finances before kicking off season 12 away to Lausanne in the Swiss Super League.

Part 24 - S12 Perennial Bridesmaids

[CTID86]

In part 25 of The Great Liechtenstein Challenge we take a look at our form in season 12 as we approach the end of the season, to find out whether it may be our year. There is then a lot to cover in what has been a very eventful season so far.

We check out which players left the club (including two joining Real Madrid) causing us to bring in around £60m in transfer fees and who their replacements are. We also take a look at our coaching staff, including a new assistant manager, the facilities, our recent youth intake and the finances of the club.

There is also time to swing by the National Team to see whether Liechtenstein are starting to make waves on the international scene and who our most important players are.

Part 25 - S12 Transfer Activity

[CTID86]

In part 26 we have the biggest news of the challenge so far! In season 12, we won the treble! We look back on the remarkable season where we lifted the trophies of the Swiss Super League, Europa Conference League and Liechtenstein Cup. We take a look at the goals that won FC Balzers their first ever European competition with a victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

We then take a look at what that success means for season 13. We review the players that have joined and left, a new manager of our B team (a French legend no less) and then we finish up by playing Liechtenstein vs Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Part 26 - S13 Treble Winners

[Sheriff7]

Great!So are you going to play in EL next season?

[CTID86]

11 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

Great!So are you going to play in EL next season?

Certainly are. We are in the Europa League group stage. We drew Marseille, AEK and Zillina. Came through the group in second place and have Lokomotiv Moscow in the first knockout round. Not a bad draw because some big clubs dropped down from the Champions League but we managed to avoid the really scary teams.

[CTID86]

lt's part 27 and we begin season 14 with growing pressures, expectations and reputations. Our first game of the season is away to newly promoted FC Wil 1900 as we look to start the season how we finished the last.

Before that we take a look back at season 13 to see if we were able to defend our Super League title and take a look at how our first ever Europa League campaign worked out.

There are also some new signings, some exits and a star player who may well be on the verge of leaving the club!

Part 27 - S14 Dealing with Success

[CTID86]

We kick off episode 28 by reviewing how season 14 is working out for the club side, FC Balzers. It's the halfway point of the season and some familiar faces have left the club for big transfer fees but has it affected results on the pitch?

Attention is then switched to the national side and our Uefa Nations League campaign. We have a very big match to play but will our young players be able to handle the pressure following some great results?

Part 28 - S14 A Tense International