SportingCP21 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 By bigish I mean a club that's big but not an elite team. A team which has a good stature in European football and a nice squad/facilities to be able to turn into an elite side and dominate domestic and european football in the next few years. I want a fun challenge, either a team from a lower European nation who I can turn into an elite European side, or a team in a division where there are powerhouse teams such as Bayern in the Bundesliga or Real Madrid and Barca in La Liga so I can try to end their dominance. Can anyone suggest me a few great teams to be? So far on my shortlist I have A.Madrid, AS Roma, Schalke 04, Dortmund and Shakhtar but not sure which one to choose. Any other suggestions are welcome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I'd add Lyon and Marseille to the side. Plenty in the UK leagues too.. Rangers, Leeds, Middlesborough? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyPenguin Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Forza Viola! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martplfc1 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Could try turning Italian football back into the powerhouse it once was? Plenty of teams there - Fiorentina as above, Lazio, Napoli? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luka_zg Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I'd add Lyon and Marseille to the side.Plenty in the UK leagues too.. Rangers, Leeds, Middlesborough? hehe..i don't think that anyone outside the UK would ever consider Rangers,Leeds and especially M'boro to be "bigish" teams. OT: Sporting Lisbon, Valencia, HSV, Fenerbahce, Spartak Moscow, Anderlecht, Feyenoord, Sevilla, Tottenham, Monaco Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportingCP21 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 I have used Sporting CP on every save as it's the team I support but want to try a new challenge elsewhere. Italy is very appealing as they have a number of potentially great teams and teams that used to be giants in Europe such as Inter and AC Milan. I was thinking strongly of taking over Roma as they have a great squad already with room to improve, but first i'm going to take a look online at all the history of these teams and their current squads and decide from there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneronaldo Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Schalke/Gelsenkirchen, facilities about as good as it gets, plenty of youth & decent money in the bank, huge modern stadia, yet won **** all for the past 50 years (German Cup & Supercup in 2011, German League Cup 2005) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpedpolecat Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 hehe..i don't think that anyone outside the UK would ever consider Rangers,Leeds and especially M'boro to be "bigish" teams.OT: Sporting Lisbon, Valencia, HSV, Fenerbahce, Spartak Moscow, Anderlecht, Feyenoord, Sevilla, Tottenham, Monaco Rangers? Are you sure? Huge club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
howhigh1337 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Shakhtar is easy, almost no real challenge in domestic league, and lots of money to quickly rise on euro stage Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Obvious bias but Newcastle? Large stadium/fan base, good players to start but with obvious deficiencies and the challenge of getting Mike Ashley to actually give you some money. Few quality prospects in and around the first team at the start too with Mitrovic, Perez, Mbemba and Aarons. Got to compete against two of the richest clubs in the world in Man City and Chelsea, and old powerhouses like Man Utd & Arsenal. Not forgetting teams like Spurs and Liverpool who'll be challenging for European spots too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurs08 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Obvious bias but Newcastle?Large stadium/fan base, good players to start but with obvious deficiencies and the challenge of getting Mike Ashley to actually give you some money. Few quality prospects in and around the first team at the start too with Mitrovic, Perez, Mbemba and Aarons. Got to compete against two of the richest clubs in the world in Man City and Chelsea, and old powerhouses like Man Utd & Arsenal. Not forgetting teams like Spurs and Liverpool who'll be challenging for European spots too. When he said good stature in European Football I'm not sure the Intertoto Cup was quite what he had in mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Rowell Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Also obvious bias given my username (after Gary Rowell) but Sunderland. Big fan base, good stadium and facilities. I've always managed to get them among the elite within 5-10 seasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportingCP21 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 When he said good stature in European Football I'm not sure the Intertoto Cup was quite what he had in mind. Newcastle is a nice team but I'm not sure I'm ready for such a challenge yet. I want to manage a team I can potentially dominate Europe with in the next 5 years, which is why i've decided to go for Schalke 04. It was a tough choice and was very close to being AS Roma but I love the look of the team, their youth, the stadium and facilities. This team has great potential and the added incentive of trying to end Bayerns dominance was the dealbreaker for me. Wish me luck on my Schalke journey guys I'll need it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luka_zg Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Rangers? Are you sure? Huge club. Huge if we talking about Scotland. In euro terms, rangers are not huge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronic187 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Liverpool are the best option here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Valhalla.. Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I'd definitely recommend Dortmund who are already on your shortlist. Without a doubt. Loads of home-grown players for European restrictions (it's actually a joy registering players and easily filling up the quota), huge stadium, great facilities, and buttloads of cash with no debt. The challenge is in dethroning Bayern; because there's nobody else who will beat them, unlike the EPL where anyone can beat anyone else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFCBeer Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Surprised no-one mentioned Ajax Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soninho Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Malmo FF. Swedish first division, little more of a challenge than Dortmund or Shachtar. Champions league football! Great youth facilities and youth prospects, and a board that wants to develop youngsters. Your challenge is to compete in CL, make the Swedish division grow and develop a great team for europe..! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMan Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Ajax. Obviously a massive club historically but not a threat in Europe anymore. Always loads of decent young players to develop aswell. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 When he said good stature in European Football I'm not sure the Intertoto Cup was quite what he had in mind. We won the Inter-Cities fair cup in '69 too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
r0x0r Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 If Dortmund meet your spec for "biggish" then Arsenal are probably easy mode for it. It really doesn't take a lot to make them the best team in the world, and they very easily become the richest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokes_83 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Liverpool, Napoli, or Dortmund would be my votes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportingCP21 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 A lot of people are mentioning Dortmund, I had decided on Schalke04 but now I'm leaning towards Dortmund, what are the clear differences between the two sides? Who has the better youth prospects? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Valhalla.. Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 A lot of people are mentioning Dortmund, I had decided on Schalke04 but now I'm leaning towards Dortmund, what are the clear differences between the two sides? Who has the better youth prospects? As a Dortmund fan I'm perhaps biased, but they do definitely have some great prospects. They also have top training and youth facilities (which the board will upgrade to the best very soon after game start). They usually bring through professional and determined regens each year as well; I always seem to get "quality/key player" potential youths. Did I mention they have buttloads of cash? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Rowell Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Malmo FF.Swedish first division, little more of a challenge than Dortmund or Shachtar. Champions league football! Great youth facilities and youth prospects, and a board that wants to develop youngsters. Your challenge is to compete in CL, make the Swedish division grow and develop a great team for europe..! That sounds appealing for a different long-term save - haven't really done Scandinavia much Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limmy Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 A lot of people are mentioning Dortmund, I had decided on Schalke04 but now I'm leaning towards Dortmund, what are the clear differences between the two sides? Who has the better youth prospects? Schalke are a great challenge. Not won the title in nearly 60 years and have arguably the biggest fan base in Germany. Cracking youth setup too. Managed them in last years version and won the league and cup double in the 2nd and 3rd seasons, super cup too & ended Bayerns domination - Meyer & Avdijaj can become world class fairly early on if you give them game time and it looks like Leroy Sane has been given an upgrade so can potentially fill the void left by Draxler. Also, Gabriel Barbosa was the main man for me - Looks like he's even better in this years version. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchbitil Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 By bigish I mean a club that's big but not an elite team. A team which has a good stature in European football and a nice squad/facilities to be able to turn into an elite side and dominate domestic and european football in the next few years. I want a fun challenge, either a team from a lower European nation who I can turn into an elite European side, or a team in a division where there are powerhouse teams such as Bayern in the Bundesliga or Real Madrid and Barca in La Liga so I can try to end their dominance. Can anyone suggest me a few great teams to be? So far on my shortlist I have A.Madrid, AS Roma, Schalke 04, Dortmund and Shakhtar but not sure which one to choose. Any other suggestions are welcome. I reached Champions League semifinals with BATE from Belarus in the second season. It's fun, though quite difficult since league's reputation severely limits who I can sign, and your best players will demand to be sold all the time. Scouting is crucial. Belarus has only one Champions League spot so you are in for a tough challenge to be a champion every single year, though Dinamo Minsk is definitely a strong competitor. You have to go through three qualification rounds to even reach Champions League group stage, and then you need to compete from the fourth drawing pot. It's fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportingCP21 Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 As a Dortmund fan I'm perhaps biased, but they do definitely have some great prospects. They also have top training and youth facilities (which the board will upgrade to the best very soon after game start). They usually bring through professional and determined regens each year as well; I always seem to get "quality/key player" potential youths.Did I mention they have buttloads of cash? Schalke are a great challenge. Not won the title in nearly 60 years and have arguably the biggest fan base in Germany. Cracking youth setup too. Managed them in last years version and won the league and cup double in the 2nd and 3rd seasons, super cup too & ended Bayerns domination - Meyer & Avdijaj can become world class fairly early on if you give them game time and it looks like Leroy Sane has been given an upgrade so can potentially fill the void left by Draxler. Also, Gabriel Barbosa was the main man for me - Looks like he's even better in this years version. Thanks for the advice, I decided to flip a coin since I couldn't decide between Dortmund and Schalke and ianded on Schalke, hopefully I've made the right choice. If you have advice on players I should sign please let me know. Thanks! I reached Champions League semifinals with BATE from Belarus in the second season. It's fun, though quite difficult since league's reputation severely limits who I can sign, and your best players will demand to be sold all the time. Scouting is crucial.Belarus has only one Champions League spot so you are in for a tough challenge to be a champion every single year, though Dinamo Minsk is definitely a strong competitor. You have to go through three qualification rounds to even reach Champions League group stage, and then you need to compete from the fourth drawing pot. It's fun. That sounds like lots of fun. I may have to consider this for a future save! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soninho Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 That sounds appealing for a different long-term save - haven't really done Scandinavia much It's really fun, very recommended! This version of FM also contains a larger group of talanted Scandinavians since Sweden won u21 euros and norway and denmark also riding that wave.. Managed to bring Zlatan home in FM14 after contract ended but don't think it's possible in this version though. Good luck and have fun! And to OP. I would also choose Schalke over Dortmund.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportingCP21 Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 Started with Schalke managed to sign Zivkovic and Bernardo Silva, played two friendlies so far and won them both. I feel this is going to be a long and successful career here at Schalke! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
puffascruffowitz Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Everton is a good challenge. Pretty good squad with young talents, the only issue is not much cash available to you when you start. Have to be creative at first, but I'm in my 2nd season of the save and have them in CL after finishing fourth the first year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunner86 Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Started with Schalke managed to sign Zivkovic and Bernardo Silva, played two friendlies so far and won them both. I feel this is going to be a long and successful career here at Schalke! Not so much advice on who to sign, but on who to keep - and that is Leon Goretzka Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soninho Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Started with Schalke managed to sign Zivkovic and Bernardo Silva, played two friendlies so far and won them both. I feel this is going to be a long and successful career here at Schalke! Well with their youth facilities it's going to be a really fun save! Might give them a go in the future too..! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
theHDTreatment Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Huge if we talking about Scotland. In euro terms, rangers are not huge. That club no longer exists. The new one in it's place is small potatoes at home and in Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 That club no longer exists. The new one in it's place is small potatoes at home and in Europe. A Celtic fan? Pretty sure nobody at Ibrox cares about that technicality. Rangers are still the same team, IMHO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggyhood Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 How about Hertha Berlin..... good facilities..... not won the Bundesliga since '31 but have a 70,000 seater stadium, loyal fans and in a great city.... my visit to watch them play a couple of weeks ago could mean I'm biased but that's where my next save will be lol!!! Ok trying to topple Bayern maybe impossible but you should be able to get them into Europe and build on that. Of all the capital cities in the 'big 5' major European nations/leagues Berlin is seriously lagging behind in terms of footballing achievements. Had a great Hertha save once - and was the reaosn that prompted me to go to teh Olympiastadion to watch them (although was in Berlin for the Hoffenheim game the other week but got waylaid in a bar!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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