[FM20] oooh it's good to be Muhlenbach

[mark1985]

So here we go! Thought I would try something different this time around. Yes, it's another youth based/local player save but in a country I've never managed in before. The mighty Luxembourg! I have used an edited database to get all the Luxembourg divisions all the way down to the 5th tier but I have started in the top one with the mighty Blue Boys Muhlenbach who have a bulging trophy cabinet with 2 3rd tier titles. The team is newly promoted and plays at the Stade Camile Profer (according to FM) and the Stade Mathias Mamer according to Wiki. I prefer the Stade Mathias Mamer because it's in Muhlenbach and is in a forest!:

I am currently playing here which is just south of Luxembourg City. Not as pretty, but it'll do

Muhlenbach itself is just north of the centre of Luxembourg City and has a population of 2,200. I will be playing this as a youth/homegrown save with a slight twist. I have decided I will represent the Kosovan Albanians of Luxembourg, so I have added Kosovan as second nationality and added Kosovan and Albanian players to the database. I will not be hunting for players outside of Luxembourg, but any Kosovans that come through my youth system are fair game, as are any other nationalities that come through my academy. Preferably all players will come through my academy but I will probably have to rely on loans initially. Obviously the long term goal is winning the Champions League with a team full of local homegrown players but that's a long way off.

You've heard of the Bad Blue Boys of Zagreb

Well it's time to meet the Good Blue Boys of Muhlenbach

 

Anyway, enough of my yapping, there's a preseason to so!

 

[mark1985]

Aims

Turn Semi Pro

Turn Pro

Qualify for Europe

Win a cup competition

Win the league

Win a European game

Qualify for the group stages

Qualify for the knockout rounds

Qualify for a European final

Win the Europa League

Win the Champions League

Have a youth product captain the team

Have a youth product win a full Luxembourg cap

Have a youth product captain Luxembourg 

Have my first team 11 all come from the youth system

Edited April 15, 2020 by mark1985

[deltablue]

Have fun.

[mark1985]

Season 2019/2020

Here I am. Season 1, game 1. Looking forward to getting started. Here's the top tier

I am aiming to finish midtable but as long as I avoid relegation, it'll be a good first season. Nothing much to say here to start, as I don't know too much about the teams, but I will know a lot more when I next update you at the Christmas break.

 

Cups

There are 2 cup competitions apparently and a run in one of them would be great but it's not essential. Staying up is.

 

Transfers

Here are my ins and outs for this season

As I am an amateur club, there have a decent amount of players coming it as I want to cover myself for any leaving. Most of the league appears to be at least semi pro so hopefully with a bit more money in the coffers, I can change that. I've got a few loans in as well to help fill me out and lots of young players coming in as youth is an important part of my save.

 

Other

I have added some back room staff in the shape of a HOYD and an U-19 manager. They are both also amateur but they are part of the long term plan of developing youth.

I have also set up a link with Schifflange in the 3rd tier. Their facilities don't look horrible and in the short/medium term, I hope I can pilfer some youth off of them and in the long term, when I'm semi pro/pro, send youngsters there on loan to develop. 

That's all there is to mention at the moment. I'll be back at the Christmas break to fill you guys in!

[mark1985]

Mid Season 2019/2020

So this season is going far better than I could have ever hoped so far. I currently sit in 3rd in the league. Yes, that's THIRD. Not bad for a bunch of newly promoted amateurs right?

There's a nice 6 point gap between 3rd and 5th which is valuable as the top 4 are the European spots. It's far too early to be seriously thinking about Europe, but getting there will be invaluable to my finances which are looking a little ropey (to be fair, it's my first season in the big time and that big time is the Luxembourg top tier...). Another potential way into Europe if things go belly up in the league is the cup.

 

Cup

I am also fairing well in the 2 cup competitions, of which only the main cup is a way into Europe, but I pleased to still be in both of them.

I've landed a tie against a lower league team in the minor cup so I'm confident of getting through there and hopefully I get a kind drawer in the main cup so that I can progress to at least the semis. Getting to a cup final would be amazing in my first season and could be an easier way into Europe.

 

Transfers

Not too much to add here apart from a gripe about being amateur and getting many of my better plays plucked away from me, which is why I want to become semi pro asap. Here's how it looks so far with Red Star Paris plucking far more than is fair (they've got another one going through in a couple of weeks as well)

 

Youth

Looks like there may be an ok youth intake coming up. Nothing spectacular but you can't expect too much early doors. My U-21s and U-19s sit 2nd and 4th in their leagues respectively and I have upgraded my youth recruitment as well so looks promising for the future.

 

Other

I have made links with 2 feeder clubs in the Luxembourg lower leagues - Schifflange and Norden so whenever I become semi-pro, I hope to loan some players down to them. I also hope to blag some of their youth products too if they develop anyone half decent. Player of the season so far for me is Bosnian striker Semsudin Dzanic who has banged in 16 in 21 in all competitions so far for me so keeping him is absolutely vital. 

Not much more to add at the moment other than hoping my great form continues into the second half of the season

[ManUtd1]

Nice start, man. Good luck!

[mark1985]

End season 2019/2020

Well this season ended far better than I could ever have imagined. Did I finish third? Nope. Second? Nope. I only went and won the damn thing!

Managed to pip Fola Esch by a single point on the last day of the season. Absolutely unbelievable. I have to say it's one of my best ever FM achievements, probably second only to winning the Europa League and 10 straight titles with Austria Vienna on FM12. I played Fola Esch on the second to last game and managed to salvage a draw away from home with a  68th minute goal. I then just had to match them on the last day, which I did with a win away to Rosport and the title was mine! For a bunch of amateurs, that's a hell of an achievement especially given that I'm a newly promoted team. So next season I will be playing in the flipping Champions League so the amount of money I'll get from that will be insane for a Luxembourg club. I have to say, Dzanic was the hero for me with 25 goals in 34 games but Samassa with 11 in 17 (the bulk coming in the second half of the season) really helped to carry it home for me.

 

Cups

I managed to reach the quarter final of the main cup and the final of the other, which was played a week after the final day of the season. I got a spanking in the final from Fola Esch who were understandably fired up after coming second to me in the league and my lads probably had one foot on the beach anyway. It would've been nice to win, but I can't complain really.

 

Transfers

Little to add here other than I will be trying to get my 3 loan signings back next season and I will be trying to nab a few transfers to help me defend my title over the course of the summer

 

Youth

Here is my youth intake with probably Kevin Frising as the stand out. Given how low my youth recruitment and junior coaching is, an average intake was to be expected

 

In good news though, I managed to upgrade my youth recruitment which means I know how both average youth recruitment and average junior coaching. My European money will be pumped straight into my youth set up to help achieve my goals. My U-21 and U-19 teams both finished 3rd in their respective leagues so that's fairly promising for the future and the better my youth facilities/coaching/recruitment gets, the better they will hopefully do going forward.

 

Other

Not much else to add here other than me going semi pro after at the end of the season. That'll help me keep my players and hopefully attract better players to help me progress. Onwards and upwards for next season. Cannot wait to get started. First things first, get my players signed up to semi pro contracts to avoid the opposition nabbing them from under my nose. I'll be back before the start of next season to let you know how that went!

[mark1985]

Start of season 2020/21

Here we go! Ready to start a brand new season. I am aiming to finish in the European spots again (although the board are happy with a top half spot apparently) although winning again may be a step too far. Here's the league table at the start of the season

 

 

Europe

Not expecting much this season, especially as I've been drawn against Rangers although Luxembourgs best achievement in Europe did come in beating Rangers in the Europa League so you never know. The money should be nice though

 

Transfers

Here are the ins and outs. Not much to see here as I have faith in the team that won me the league last season

 

Youth

Not much to say here other than I hope to make more progress here with my U-21s and U-19s challenging in their leagues and I hope my money from Europe can go into upgrades here.

[mark1985]

Mid Season 2020/21

I was hoping to be competing this season and competing I am! I currently sit top of the league with a 3 point gap over surprise package Una Strassen (as someone who speaks German and Italian, this team name REALLY annoys me).

I have had a fantastic first half of the season (in the league at least) and long may it continue.

 

Cups

I have used the cups this season as a way of keeping the squad happy and using it to play squad players as well as players in need of game time. Luckily with the exception of one game (where I played an almost full strength team), I have played lower league teams. I came unstuck in the 4th round of the Luxembourg Cup and 3rd round of the FLF Cup against lower league teams. My fault really as I was playing the squad players, but I was saving my main players  for the league (which has paid off so far) so not the ened of the world. I achieved the boards minimum expectations so alls good.

 

Europe

Well it was an adventure whilst it lasted. I drew The Rangers in the Champions League and as  the teams lined up. I thought of the full stadium, and the TV deal and what went through my head? Not the Champions League theme tune. Not the ching ching of my bulging bank balance. But this (swapping 'wrestling' for 'football' and 'Las Vegas' for 'Muhlenbach' of course):

I didn't disappoint myself and only lost 3-1 on aggregate and played in front of a massive 48,300 at Ibrox in the away leg. That led me to the Europa League where I played Flora Talinn who I sent packing back to Estonia in a massive 6-1 aggregate win. I drew Moldovan giants Sheriff Tiraspol and got thrashed 7-3 on aggregate. But the experience and money were invaluable.

In terms of the other Luxembourg teams:

• Racing Luxembourg got knocked out in the first qualifying round of the Europa League to Icelandic power house Stjarnen
• Duedlange proved Iceland is far better at footy than Luxembourg by also going out at the same stage 4-2 to KR
• Fola Esch beat Balzan FC from Malta 10-0 on aggregate, beat Dundalk 2-1 on aggregate before finally losing to Norkopping 2-1 in the 3rd qualifying round

I am crossing my figures that our coefficient gets a boost from that

 

Transfers

Got a few loans in but the worst thing happened and in October Dzanic went back to Bosnia on a free. Fortunately it hasn't effected me too much and I've managed to keep scoring, but I'm an injury away from a goal scoring crisis.

 

Youth

The U-21s lie top of their league and the U-19s sit 3rd. I may pop up some of my U-21s into the main team to bulk the squad out  and give them some experience in the first team ready for next season. I plowed some of my European money into improving my youth facilities which is a great use of it and they will be ready at the start of next season. 

Other

Not much to say here other than long may my league form continue