rlipscombe Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by dafuge:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dafuge: I declare the shots on goal ratio 'problem' officially fixed Yes, definitely fixed </div></BLOCKQUOTE> i wish that 'fix' would rear it's head in my game.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dafuge Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Season 2010/11 Review - Sirocco Works in the Northern Irish First Division After my league win last season, I was hoping for a good season in division 1, hopefully with a mid table finish. League Table League Positions Graph Wasn't expecting this! Half way through the season I hit some great form and started scoring loads. Result Haven't seen a league game like this for a while. WKD Intermediate Cup - knocked out in Group Stage. Irish Antrim Trophy - lost on penalties to Orangefield in the 3rd round. Irish Intermediate Cup - lost 2-1 to Dromore Arms in the 2nd round. Irish Cup - lost 1-0 to Portadown in the semi finals. The early cup games I used to give my youth players a chance, but I had a good run of teams in the Irish Cup and very nearly made the final. Squad Transfers Signed 5 young unattached Irish players following trials that really changed the way the team played. These three were particularly good: Grant Mason Martin Green Joe Clark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie15 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by dafuge:Season 2010/11 Review - Sirocco Works in the Northern Irish First Division After my league win last season, I was hoping for a good season in division 1, hopefully with a mid table finish. League Table League Positions Graph Wasn't expecting this! Half way through the season I hit some great form and started scoring loads. Result Haven't seen a league game like this for a while. WKD Intermediate Cup - knocked out in Group Stage. Irish Antrim Trophy - lost on penalties to Orangefield in the 3rd round. Irish Intermediate Cup - lost 2-1 to Dromore Arms in the 2nd round. Irish Cup - lost 1-0 to Portadown in the semi finals. The early cup games I used to give my youth players a chance, but I had a good run of teams in the Irish Cup and very nearly made the final. Squad Transfers Signed 5 young unattached Irish players following trials that really changed the way the team played. These three were particularly good: Grant Mason Martin Green Joe Clark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NepentheZ Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by dafuge:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dafuge: I declare the shots on goal ratio 'problem' officially fixed Yes, definitely fixed </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Wow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundo Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by NepentheZ:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dafuge: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dafuge: I declare the shots on goal ratio 'problem' officially fixed Yes, definitely fixed </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Wow. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Anyone would think he had Wallace & Ringstad playing up front for him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 The End It was coming sadly. We needed promotion for me to stand a chance of getting my contract renewed and it just wasn't to be. I couldn't sign any decent players and the team just fell apart following relegation. We only narrowly missed out onbecoming a First Division South team again! Having asked the forum about how they use the scout reports it became to clear to me the reason for my failure:- I was always buying for the moment! I'd construct a team good enough to do well in the division I was in then hope I could use loan players to fill in the gaps. It paid off until I got to the top tier, then it became far too clear how ill prepared I was! No strength in depth, players far below the division average and a team that wasn't gelling due such poor squad morale. Summary Lesson learned. I need to find the future talent when they're young then combine that with loan players and other competent squad players to prepare myself for future challenges. The important thing was that I loved every minute. Even when it came down to the wire and we just weren't good enough, it brought a smile to my face to think that I'd brought these little provincial minions to Sweden's top flight (albeit to gross 2 points!) The Future This challenge and forum provide one of the highlights of the forums and the FM scene in general and given the fun I had attempting this first time round, it would be wrong not to try again! I'd never really had a go at a challenge per se and I'm really pretty chuffed with what I managed at first attempt. However, I think I'm a better manager than I was when I started and I hope I can achieve domestic honours this time round. Now, this is where you guys come into play. As the legendary cookie asked, so shall I:- Where to next? I don't fancy Scandinavia as I'd like something fresh, but I'm open to any other ideas. I'd really like to see everyone's ideas on this, because at the end of the day, the beauty of this thread is that we all experience each others' challenges from the off and I don't want this one to be any different I shall decide on my new country simply by taking a count of the different options given and see what comes out on top. So, in cheesy X factor style, 'your vote really counts.' Cheers guys, what an overly camp diatribe that was! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundo Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 saab693 I'm sorry to hear you first management foray in Gundo's challenge has ended and that your next attempt will be from outside that footballing hotbed that is Scandinavia. Good luck in your new European adventure and I hope it's just as enjoyable. I'll throw two names into the pot for you: Croatia. Serbia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by Gundo:saab693 I'm sorry to hear you first management foray in Gundo's challenge has ended and that your next attempt will be from outside that footballing hotbed that is Scandinavia. Good luck in your new European adventure and I hope it's just as enjoyable. I'll throw two names into the pot for you: Croatia. Serbia. Thanks for the condolances mate and the recommendations. Keep them coming guys! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iseemonsters Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 saab693 - Unlucky, I guess the board's expectations didn't really give you much chance. A shame that overachieving caused you to ultimately lose the job! Never mind, you got them into the top flight, which is some achievement in itself. As for ideas for your next attempt - I noticed when I was picking a country that quite a few of the Eastern European leagues seem a bit underrepresented - for instance, Slovenia, Romania, Hungary, or my own choice, Slovakia. So if you're looking for something a bit different, those leagues might be worth a look. If you want my X-factor vote, I'll opt for... [tense silence] ... [more tense silence] ... Romania! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks guys, I'm definitely going to head to Eastern Europe. That much I've decided. Now I just need to know which country to go for..... ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaberdeenn Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 No-one joining me in Ireland? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart_The_Great Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 K Patro Eisden Maasmechelen - 2008/2009 - Belgian Third Division A Patro Eisden's fans were ecstatic after getting promoted from the Belgian 4th Division. Their joy didn't last long because their manager resigned from his post, with no one wanting to take the job they finally gave it to me. Pre-season The board expected a top-half finish in our return to 3rd Division. Not an easy task considering I didn't get a transfer budget. I got a pretty nice wage budget tho, so I was pretty optimistic. My plan was to assemble a team with loanies mixed with a couple of players I could get on a free. I got disillusioned pretty fast, no one seemed to want to come on loan to Patro. Luckily I could get a lot of players on a free, including some quality players for 3rd division. The Cup After a couple of friendlies the season started with 3 rounds of the Belgian cup. The board expected to get into the 5th round, I achieved that goal beating Opstal and a fellow third division team of which I can't recall the teamname. In the 5th round we got FCV Dender, a team that just got relegated from First Division with some quality players. I thought they'd trounce me but my boys fought brave and almost managed to achieve the biggest upset of the round. Too bad I didn't have any good penalty takers The actual Season Although we've got a stadium capacity of 4000 (1200 seated) the season ticket sale wasn't a big success. I was pretty disappointed of the league I got in, it was a lot harder than 3rd division B. I got in the same league as Lierse (only professional team of 3rd division), La Louvière (three seasons ago they were a force to be reckoned with in first division) and strong sides like Racing Mechelen, Harelbeke and Ronse. We had a great start of the season, we beat Racing Mechelen 2-5 at their stadium and Ronse 5-1 at home. After that we lost some valuable points to teams we should beat easily. We did get in 5th at the Midseason interval. We had a pretty quiet time at the january transfer window, we only signed a couple of youngsters on a free, including one of my favourite players on fm, Lauri Dalla Valle, I desperately tried to get him on trial at the beginning of the season but he didn't want to come. His contract at Jippo expired tho and I managed to finally get him on trial, after which I signed him. After a bad start of the second half of the season, including a 6-2 trouncing by Lierse, we got on a pretty good run and almost managed to win the third period title. A title that would ensure us of a play-off spot. Although we got a glorious win at La Louvière (0-5 on their fan day) on the last day of play we missed the play-offs due to a draw a week earlier (a match we should have won). We finally finished in 5th position, only missing the play-offs by 1 point. I wasn't too disappointed tho, it was a bit too early to get promoted and due to the good performances I know we can make a title challenge next season. Especially when I get an extra centerback and a better goalie, I conceded way too many goals last season. Key Players Matthew Bartholomew: The star of my team, managed to get him on a free after he got released by a second division squad and he didn't disappoint. Bagging a lot of goals (including some scorchers from distance) and also assisting a lot. Jonas Petit: Youth product of first division side AA Gent, capped at the U-19 level and great on the AMC position. Gives assists, scores goals, awesome player Karim Faye: Youth product of first division side Standard, I was really happy to get him on a free. Looked like a class act and lived up to that. Also plays the occasional game for u-20 Senegal. Carlo Del Fabbro: King of the assists last season, although he doesn't possess great pace his acceleration makes up for that. Kevin Nicaise: My captain, great physical stats, scored a few headers on corners and was my nr 1 man at the back. I do need to find a guy to pair him with. Tried 3 different guys but they aren't quite as good. Marvin Basso: Not as good as Bartholomew but scored a fair amount of goals. Possesses a great deal of pace and is still young, man for the future. Youngsters to look out for Zigi Arras: Has been a substitute all season but still scored a lot of goals. His finishing isn't that high tho, a lot of teams want him so I might sell him if he doesn't develop the way I'd like him too and a good offer comes in. Lauri Dalla Valle: Not much to say, sheer class Jean-Yves Lieveld: Great prospect for the future, his physicals aren't that great yet but normally they should improve the next couple of seasons. Chased by half of the second and third division teams Marino Damasouliotis: It took me a while to spell his name correctly, young and talented Mathieu Pichot: Young goalie who could become a regular at Patro. Other stuff 3rd Division A season stats: Del Fabbro and Bartholomew got most assists Bartholow won the Young Player of the Year Award As well as the Fans' award for best Patro Player 3rd Division Round-up Best Eleven My manager profile after 1 season And finally my finances, might need to sell a player or 2 next season. But we're fine for now Next season The board expects a top-half finish. I'm going for a spot in the play-offs atleast. I think that's possible with some new signings (left midfielder, goalie and centre back). History 2008-2009: Third Division 1 5th Cya next season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Ok, this is the not-so-concise list I've narrowed it down to Bulgaria – 11 Croatia – 11 Czech Republic – 11 Hungary – 10 Poland – 11 Serbia – 11 Slovakia – 10 Slovenia – 10 Ukraine 11 I've discounted other leagues if their reputations were too high or too low. I needed somewhere to start! (Sorry iseemonsters, Romania had reputation 12!) So I'd appreciate any further thoughts on the new shortlist! Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr4z3d Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Just a started a new game in Bulgaria with Levski 2006. So far I'm halfway through the season and sitting in 1st on my way to promotion. I'll have updates when I finish the season. Anyways, has anyone completed this challenge yet, or even made it past the group stages of the CL, cause it seems like its gonna be a big challenge keeping good players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by cr4z3d:Just a started a new game in Bulgaria with Levski 2006. So far I'm halfway through the season and sitting in 1st on my way to promotion. I'll have updates when I finish the season. Anyways, has anyone completed this challenge yet, or even made it past the group stages of the CL, cause it seems like its gonna be a big challenge keeping good players. hi mate, well done on your progress out east, Bulgaria is one of the options I'm looking at. What's the league structure like? cookie completed the challenge in norway and is the only one so far. If you check a couple of pages back you'll see the review of his winning season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaberdeenn Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by saab693:Ok, this is the not-so-concise list I've narrowed it down to Bulgaria – 11 Croatia – 11 Czech Republic – 11 Hungary – 10 Poland – 11 Serbia – 11 Slovakia – 10 Slovenia – 10 Ukraine 11 I've discounted other leagues if their reputations were too high or too low. I needed somewhere to start! (Sorry iseemonsters, Romania had reputation 12!) So I'd appreciate any further thoughts on the new shortlist! Cheers Croatia is great fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
endtime Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Does the Croatian league still have the 4 foreigners limit? I really like nurturing domestic talent... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostwriter Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by Annihilator666:ghostwriter - I think £5mil must be the magic number. About signing players: I don't know how strict you are about how you find them, but I use the in-game player search feature along with my scouts, and I picked up some decent players before I turned pro. Hmm, well, I have a long way to go then . I have £500k at the moment. The only pro teams in the division at the start of 14/15 are the relegated 2 plus Lugano, Delemont and La Chaux de Fonds and none of those 3 have managed any higher than 3rd so far. As for signing players, the first couple of summers I used player search a bit but now I pretty much only use my scouts plus an end-of-season check for young players released from SL clubs. I do have a couple of pretty decent players, just not enough at the moment, I am pretty much hoping for SL clubs to loan me players each season or I take a step back. Anyway, congratulations on the promotion, 9 seasons is considerably quicker than it will take me I suspect. Pretty certain that turning pro is the only way tbh and even then you proved that it does not have an immediate impact. Good luck in the SL , the fact you are already pro should make it a bit easier than it might have been otherwise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr4z3d Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 It's a small league. Only the top 2 divisions are represented in FM. The first division is 16 teams (I think) and the 2nd division is divided into 2 East and West Groups where the top team from each group makes it to the 1st division, and the 2nd placed teams play a game to decide who gets promotion. There is also a Bulgarian Cup, where the 2nd div teams start in the 1st round, and the 1st div teams join in the 2nd round. I think there's about 6 rounds in total, so it's definately winnable in the first couple of seasons. To my great dissappointment, only EU players are allowed in the 2nd division, while there is a max of 4 EU players in the 1st division allowed, so you can bring in your Brazilians when you get promoted . I haven't had a taste of 1st division football yet, so I'm not sure how hard it is up there, but the 2nd division is winnable in the first season, because there are sooo many players to choose from, just as long as you make some good decisions in the transfer market and tactic wise. Also, there are 26 games played in all, with a 3 month winter break in starting in December and finishing in March. Anyways, have fun time choosing where you're gonna play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr4z3d Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by cr4z3d:It's a small league. Only the top 2 divisions are represented in FM. The first division is 16 teams (I think) and the 2nd division is divided into 2 East and West Groups where the top team from each group makes it to the 1st division, and the 2nd placed teams play a game to decide who gets promotion. There is also a Bulgarian Cup, where the 2nd div teams start in the 1st round, and the 1st div teams join in the 2nd round. I think there's about 6 rounds in total, so it's definately winnable in the first couple of seasons. To my great dissappointment, only EU players are allowed in the 2nd division, while there is a max of 4 NON-EU players in the 1st division allowed, so you can bring in your Brazilians when you get promoted . I haven't had a taste of 1st division football yet, so I'm not sure how hard it is up there, but the 2nd division is winnable in the first season, because there are sooo many players to choose from, just as long as you make some good decisions in the transfer market and tactic wise. Also, there are 26 games played in all, with a 3 month winter break in starting in December and finishing in March. Anyways, have fun time choosing where you're gonna play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaberdeenn Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by endtime:Does the Croatian league still have the 4 foreigners limit? I really like nurturing domestic talent... Yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostwriter Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 and as for saab, i'd be going for bulgaria or maybe czech r, slovenia or slovakia myself. ukraine could be also good for trying to dislodge shakthar and dinamo. from what i read on this thread, hungary should be avoided due to the league cup and the ridiculous number of games it entails... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 This is all great guys! I've narrowed it down now to Slovenia Slovakia Czech Rep Ukraine Bulgaria I'm a little disappointed there are only two divisions for all these leagues. Does that not put people off? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OugaBagga Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I know it says the database should be unedited but what about the Jermain Defoe fix that SI suggested is that allowed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundo Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by OugaBagga:I know it says the database should be unedited but what about the Jermain Defoe fix that SI suggested is that allowed? As SI have advised us gamers to edit it, it's fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OugaBagga Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 ok thanks my first attempt at a challenge like this so I thought I would start in a country with only one league so I chose Wales on holiday now its suprising how quick the holiday is going Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OugaBagga Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I am the manager of Bridgend with a HUGE all seater stadium that holds.....900!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iseemonsters Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Originally posted by saab693:This is all great guys! I've narrowed it down now to Slovenia Slovakia Czech Rep Ukraine Bulgaria I'm a little disappointed there are only two divisions for all these leagues. Does that not put people off? I thought about the two divisions thing too - but from what I've read, experienced players of this challenge would probably tell you that the meat of the challenge is in establishing yourself in Europe - when you read the season reports of people's long-running games, domestic dominance often seems to come relatively quickly, followed by a long hard slog to make yourself competitive in Europe too. Therefore, in the long-term scheme of things, the difference between climbing through two leagues and through three won't have too much effect on the long-term enjoyment of the challenge. That's how I thought of it anyway. I'm having fun in Slovakia, and I was also very tempted by Slovenia - but I actually think each of those leagues will offer a fun challenge! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OugaBagga Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Stupid non patient board i losy my first 8 games in the league and then they scaked me I am going to start again in another country possibly Belgium because you get quite a few good european parent clubs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks for the tips everyone saab693's next attempt at Gundo's challenge will take place in ....... ......... the Czech Republic! Holidaying now.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr4z3d Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 2008-2009 Levski 2006 in the Bulgarian Western 2nd Division I chose to manage Levski 2006, a team founded in -- you guessed it -- 2006, which is named after the very famous Bulgarian team called Levski. Take a look at the info screen. League The season started out with a couple of wins against some big sides, and then of course the team recorded a draw against one of worst teams in the league (****ing hell). However, going into the winter break, we were 5 points clear in the first place. After the winter break, the team continued its success going on a 15 game undefeated run, which was of course halted by another team at the bottom of the table (!!!!!!). Anyways, at one point we were 11 point s clear, but this became 5 points after 2 draws in the league. However the boys managed to bring home the title with 1 game to spare due to the other team in 2nd place drawing, and in the last game we faced the 2nd placed team away and came out of the game with a 2-1 win, which really was the icing on the cake. Final Table Position Graph Cup In the Bulgarian Cup 1st round, teams from the 2nd division enter. I was expecting to have an easy match, or at least a match against one of the teams from our division, however we got CSKA Sofia. To those who don't know Bulgarian football, CSKA Sofia is one of the biggest teams in Bulgaria, and the funny thing is they got relegated during the 2007-2008 season that was being holidayed. So, our team faced a giant and lost 3-0 at home, and its a shame this isn't the dafuge challenge, because in England you can make quite a but of money off cup runs, but the match only resulted in only 3000 pounds, which wasn't enough because at the end of the season the team was about 100k pounds in the red. Players The players of the year haven't been announced yet, but my 2 players of the year were my Left and Right AM who really kicked ass in attack and made defenses cry. Here they are: Overview Squad Spas Bayraktarov Dimitar Krastev Hopefully I'll be in Europe in a couple of seasons Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachFlu Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Meldert, Belgium - November 29th 2028 Champions League Group Stage matches 3-5: Meldert - Hajduk: 4-0 Not much comment needed, really. A must-win match against the weakest team of the group, and we easily rolled over them. Hajduk - Meldert: 2-3 The away match wasn't quite as easy as the home match, but we managed to bring the three points home Benfica - Meldert: 1-5 We needed one point to qualify for the knockout stages. Didn't quite expect it would be so easy. The first half was very even, but we ran away with it in the second half. Benfica didn't quite deserve such a heavy score, but heck, watch me not caring. Group table - one match to play. Mission accomplished. The last match will decide who'll win the group, but whatever happens, I'm very pleased with our performance in Europe this year. We've been scoring quite well. Hopefully we can continue to do so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annihilator666 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I've decided to take a break from my Swiss game because the temptation of starting a career game, now that the new patch is out, was too much to resist. I might be back in a few weeks or so. Good luck to everyone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 OK the Czech choice is out the window! I inherited a team full of good players, great finances, a parent club, a feeder club, ability to scout outside of the country etc It's just not in the spirit of the challenge! I shall try again to find another country! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest niresearch Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 very good of ya! I like the sound of someone else's suggestion of Ukraine and the task of trying to dislodge the top two team's monopoly of the country! Or you could just try another Czech holiday? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjtopor Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'm rather lonely in Poland - you could join me here. You assuredly will not have any problems like feeder clubs or huge budgets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachFlu Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Meldert, Belgium - December 17th 2028 I'll start with the last Champions League group match: Meldert - Valencia: 4-5 This would have been a frustrating match if the outcome had been important. We played quite well, and our offense did what they had to do - score goals. Our defense had already given it away by then though. They were allowed to score much too easily, and it's pretty hard to recover when you're 4-1 down against a team like Valencia. Final Group table. I guess that kinda sums up our position in Europe at the moment: we can score with the best of them, but we concede with the worst. In some matches that works out, but against the top teams that's usually tricky. One observation about our progress in Europe over the past fifteen years or so: we've been incredibly consistent. Sure, we've gone out early once or twice, but in general, it's been a slow but steady progress. No sudden bursts of unexpected over-achievement that jumped us up the ranks, or anything like that. Basically, we're a league team, not so much a cup team. Slow but steady progress is not a bad thing, but our upper ceiling is probably not far off. Another year or two of good performances in Europe and we may be able to just make it into a second seeds position, but that's about it. We'll never be able to attract/keep the type of players to become one of the absolute top teams in Europe (I think.) So if we're ever gonna win the Champions League, we'll need a season where we grow above ourselves for a month or two and manage some serious upsets in the knockout rounds. The league, then: Mid-season table. A surprisingly smooth domestic season so far. Brugge and Mechelen stayed close on our tail for a decent while, but eventually they dropped off a bit, giving me a comfortable lead. With 4 key players and a few regular backups leaving last summer, I'm quite pleased that we're doing so well. We definitely have a bit less quality in the team compared to last season, but it's been one of those seasons where everything clicks together well. Our defense is a bit touch and go at the moment. Domestically we're holding out quite well, but the European matches are making it clear that we could use a star at the back. Those are much harder to find than forwards though. We haven't lost a league match yet, which means we have another shot at staying undefeated until the end of the season. That's something we've never managed to do. Well, we remained undefeated for the second half of last season as well, so in a way we're now undefeated for an entire season... but that's not quite the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie15 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by saab693:Thanks for the tips everyone saab693's next attempt at Gundo's challenge will take place in ....... ......... the Czech Republic! Holidaying now.... Best of luck mate, you should have fun in the Czech Republic! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie15 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by cookie15:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by saab693: Thanks for the tips everyone saab693's next attempt at Gundo's challenge will take place in ....... ......... the Czech Republic! Holidaying now.... Best of luck mate, you should have fun in the Czech Republic! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Note to self: Read all posts first I think this is a change in the recent update, my new club had a boat load of players too! You could join me in Serbia, or alternatively you could have a go in Belarus (that was my back up and i think you would be the only one!!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlipscombe Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 i'm coming to the end of the first season with Sloga in Serbia (5 games to go) and it's fair to say it's not quite gone as planned. with 5 games to go, we're one place above the drop zone with 3 points in hand. my 3 next games are all at home, but to say we don't play well at home would be an understatement... we are in a terrible run of form at the moment, which i'm struggling to get out of, and the goals have dried up. i'm seriously worried that we might fall at the first hurdle. my initial enthusiasm for Serbia is seriously on the wane and i have lost a bit of the passion for Sloga i had. i am having doubts as to whether i want to continue with the game should i avoid relegation, as i feel i might have missed my chance of a quick promotion. i think i'll play the last games tonight and see how the mood takes me... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie15 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by rlipscombe:i'm coming to the end of the first season with Sloga in Serbia (5 games to go) and it's fair to say it's not quite gone as planned. with 5 games to go, we're one place above the drop zone with 3 points in hand. my 3 next games are all at home, but to say we don't play well at home would be an understatement... we are in a terrible run of form at the moment, which i'm struggling to get out of, and the goals have dried up. i'm seriously worried that we might fall at the first hurdle. my initial enthusiasm for Serbia is seriously on the wane and i have lost a bit of the passion for Sloga i had. i am having doubts as to whether i want to continue with the game should i avoid relegation, as i feel i might have missed my chance of a quick promotion. i think i'll play the last games tonight and see how the mood takes me... C'mon mate i've only just joined you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlipscombe Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by cookie15:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe: i'm coming to the end of the first season with Sloga in Serbia (5 games to go) and it's fair to say it's not quite gone as planned. with 5 games to go, we're one place above the drop zone with 3 points in hand. my 3 next games are all at home, but to say we don't play well at home would be an understatement... we are in a terrible run of form at the moment, which i'm struggling to get out of, and the goals have dried up. i'm seriously worried that we might fall at the first hurdle. my initial enthusiasm for Serbia is seriously on the wane and i have lost a bit of the passion for Sloga i had. i am having doubts as to whether i want to continue with the game should i avoid relegation, as i feel i might have missed my chance of a quick promotion. i think i'll play the last games tonight and see how the mood takes me... C'mon mate i've only just joined you! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> ha ha!! i sell it as some great place to play, and then think of quitting at the first hurdle!! maybe i'll play on then, just for you... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundo Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by rlipscombe:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cookie15: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe: i'm coming to the end of the first season with Sloga in Serbia (5 games to go) and it's fair to say it's not quite gone as planned. with 5 games to go, we're one place above the drop zone with 3 points in hand. my 3 next games are all at home, but to say we don't play well at home would be an understatement... we are in a terrible run of form at the moment, which i'm struggling to get out of, and the goals have dried up. i'm seriously worried that we might fall at the first hurdle. my initial enthusiasm for Serbia is seriously on the wane and i have lost a bit of the passion for Sloga i had. i am having doubts as to whether i want to continue with the game should i avoid relegation, as i feel i might have missed my chance of a quick promotion. i think i'll play the last games tonight and see how the mood takes me... C'mon mate i've only just joined you! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> ha ha!! i sell it as some great place to play, and then think of quitting at the first hurdle!! maybe i'll play on then, just for you... </div></BLOCKQUOTE> It can take at least two or three seasons (maybe a little longer) to grow 'attached' to a team imo. Stick with it in Serbia rlipscombe, even if things aren't going to plan at the minute they will eventually fall into place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundo Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by CoachFlu:Meldert, Belgium - December 17th 2028 I'll start with the last Champions League group match: Meldert - Valencia: 4-5 This would have been a frustrating match if the outcome had been important. We played quite well, and our offense did what they had to do - score goals. Our defense had already given it away by then though. They were allowed to score much too easily, and it's pretty hard to recover when you're 4-1 down against a team like Valencia. Final Group table. I guess that kinda sums up our position in Europe at the moment: we can score with the best of them, but we concede with the worst. In some matches that works out, but against the top teams that's usually tricky. One observation about our progress in Europe over the past fifteen years or so: we've been incredibly consistent. Sure, we've gone out early once or twice, but in general, it's been a slow but steady progress. No sudden bursts of unexpected over-achievement that jumped us up the ranks, or anything like that. Basically, we're a league team, not so much a cup team. Slow but steady progress is not a bad thing, but our upper ceiling is probably not far off. Another year or two of good performances in Europe and we may be able to just make it into a second seeds position, but that's about it. We'll never be able to attract/keep the type of players to become one of the absolute top teams in Europe (I think.) So if we're ever gonna win the Champions League, we'll need a season where we grow above ourselves for a month or two and manage some serious upsets in the knockout rounds. The league, then: Mid-season table. A surprisingly smooth domestic season so far. Brugge and Mechelen stayed close on our tail for a decent while, but eventually they dropped off a bit, giving me a comfortable lead. With 4 key players and a few regular backups leaving last summer, I'm quite pleased that we're doing so well. We definitely have a bit less quality in the team compared to last season, but it's been one of those seasons where everything clicks together well. Our defense is a bit touch and go at the moment. Domestically we're holding out quite well, but the European matches are making it clear that we could use a star at the back. Those are much harder to find than forwards though. We haven't lost a league match yet, which means we have another shot at staying undefeated until the end of the season. That's something we've never managed to do. Well, we remained undefeated for the second half of last season as well, so in a way we're now undefeated for an entire season... but that's not quite the same. Valencia don't look like fading out as a European force anytime soon then heh? Good to see that despite you losing star players that you've still managed to steady the ship and managed to progress to the knockouts of the CL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlipscombe Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by Gundo:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cookie15: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe: i'm coming to the end of the first season with Sloga in Serbia (5 games to go) and it's fair to say it's not quite gone as planned. with 5 games to go, we're one place above the drop zone with 3 points in hand. my 3 next games are all at home, but to say we don't play well at home would be an understatement... we are in a terrible run of form at the moment, which i'm struggling to get out of, and the goals have dried up. i'm seriously worried that we might fall at the first hurdle. my initial enthusiasm for Serbia is seriously on the wane and i have lost a bit of the passion for Sloga i had. i am having doubts as to whether i want to continue with the game should i avoid relegation, as i feel i might have missed my chance of a quick promotion. i think i'll play the last games tonight and see how the mood takes me... C'mon mate i've only just joined you! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> ha ha!! i sell it as some great place to play, and then think of quitting at the first hurdle!! maybe i'll play on then, just for you... </div></BLOCKQUOTE> It can take at least two or three seasons (maybe a little longer) to grow 'attached' to a team imo. Stick with it in Serbia rlipscombe, even if things aren't going to plan at the minute they will eventually fall into place. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> yeah, yeah i appreciate that. i think i was just being a bit dramatic!! i was really into the game first half of the season, but we've nosedived and i can't seem to get us back on track. maybe i'll just get to the end of the season and make a new push next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie15 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by rlipscombe:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gundo: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cookie15: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rlipscombe: i'm coming to the end of the first season with Sloga in Serbia (5 games to go) and it's fair to say it's not quite gone as planned. with 5 games to go, we're one place above the drop zone with 3 points in hand. my 3 next games are all at home, but to say we don't play well at home would be an understatement... we are in a terrible run of form at the moment, which i'm struggling to get out of, and the goals have dried up. i'm seriously worried that we might fall at the first hurdle. my initial enthusiasm for Serbia is seriously on the wane and i have lost a bit of the passion for Sloga i had. i am having doubts as to whether i want to continue with the game should i avoid relegation, as i feel i might have missed my chance of a quick promotion. i think i'll play the last games tonight and see how the mood takes me... C'mon mate i've only just joined you! </div></BLOCKQUOTE> ha ha!! i sell it as some great place to play, and then think of quitting at the first hurdle!! maybe i'll play on then, just for you... </div></BLOCKQUOTE> It can take at least two or three seasons (maybe a little longer) to grow 'attached' to a team imo. Stick with it in Serbia rlipscombe, even if things aren't going to plan at the minute they will eventually fall into place. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> yeah, yeah i appreciate that. i think i was just being a bit dramatic!! i was really into the game first half of the season, but we've nosedived and i can't seem to get us back on track. maybe i'll just get to the end of the season and make a new push next season. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> A manager of your talent will no doubt keep them up and get promoted next season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Morning! cookie i agree, it def seems with the patch its harder to get an empty team to start a game with. In the end I went for Slovenia, and found a team with fewer players than others which was nice. I'm actually nearing the end of the first season so I shall report back with more details once i'm done Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 ah just been asked to place my vote for the Slovenian Player and Young Player of The Year awards! That's a nice touch I'd not seen before Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab693 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 saab693 - NK Verzej - 2008/9 - Slovenian Second Division So here we go again! Here's my Manager Profile and here's the Club Information and finally here's the squad. The Season My oh my. This one was tense, certainly none of the overachieving that cost me at Jarfalla! As you can see from the League Table we were very close to being relegated which would have been the end of attempt2 at Gundo's challenge! In fact going into the last game of the season we were bottom of the league and it took this victory to save our skin! It wasn't all doom and gloom though, if you take a look at the positions graph, you can see we spent most of the season in mid table before nose diving at the end. I blame a lot of this on my woefully inadequate tactic! Sadly I couldn't sign any decent full backs or wingers so tried to create something narrow using central players. It was always going to be hard to pull off without any width but at least we did it! The Players Nothing to get too excited about really, but here are the best rhree Javier Grbec - An Argentinian loan player who contributed a fair few goals Tomaz Kozar - his strike partner who also did pretty well Ermic Camdzic - Our attacking midfielder who contributed a few goals and a decent amount of assists The Future In the short term I'll be looking to consolidate in the Second Division. This suits me fine as I don't want to race up to the First Division, get a new contract then get relegated and lose everything. ("doing a Jarfalla" if you will). I'm going to need a solid back four next season so will be buying a couple of full backs and probably try and get hold of some wingers as well. I'll also reinforce the existing positions with better players hopefully. So, happy enough with year one in Slovenia. Will be hoping for a solid mid-season finish next year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlipscombe Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally posted by saab693:ah just been asked to place my vote for the Slovenian Player and Young Player of The Year awards! That's a nice touch I'd not seen before i've had it before in Czech republic. nice touch - shame there was a bug and i couldn't vote!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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