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[FM 17] If You’re Not First, You’re Last Redux – Redemption For The “Nearly Men” Of Europe


ManUtd1
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Pope Bob's dreams of an all-Belgian final were not to be.  But, Antwerp and Anderlecht are through, playing for a European cup title....

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In honor of their accomplishments, Bob has vowed to let no liquid other than Trappist beer pass his lips until Belgium secures continental glory. 

He hasn't thought this one through, you see.

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Brutal.  An absolute disaster.

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We will go into the final match needing every bit of luck.

To be fair, if we fall short on the final day, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.  We've played 6 matches in the Final Stage with only 1 win to show for it.  4 draws.1 loss.

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Cukaricki hold.  We finish 2nd.  A solid campaign, but it's not good enough.  Both domestically and on the continent, we've got room to improve.

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A full season review will follow tomorrow, including news as to whether Bob will be required to drink Trappist beer for the next year...or more...or if Belgium can pull off a win.

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3 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Bah...it only takes about 200 to attain Perfect Pitch (Second Heightening).  The Fourth Heightening is a rare PPM, though...approximately 1000 breaths!  

:ackter:

The ability to instinctively sense people around you? Aye, I reckon that could come in handy on a football pitch. Xavi and Scholesy must have had that PPM

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6 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Cukaricki hold.  We finish 2nd.  A solid campaign, but it's not good enough.  Both domestically and on the continent, we've got room to improve.

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A full season review will follow tomorrow, including news as to whether Bob will be required to drink Trappist beer for the next year...or more...or if Belgium can pull off a win.

Unlucky. You really dominated against Novi Pazaar as well so that must be gutting. Hopefully the chairman will be forgiving...

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Well, took me about 2 weeks of on and off reading, but I've just made it through the entire thread. And I must say, phenomenal work mate, truly a work of art   :applause: 

Whether it's a work of genius, or insanity, I'm not qualified to say, and I'm fairly certain a mental health professional might be needed to make that call. But either way, it's pure gold. Now what the **** am I going to do with my evenings from now on...

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9 hours ago, Akkarin said:

The ability to instinctively sense people around you? Aye, I reckon that could come in handy on a football pitch. Xavi and Scholesy must have had that PPM

Such a price to have paid, though...

4 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Unlucky. You really dominated against Novi Pazaar as well so that must be gutting. Hopefully the chairman will be forgiving...

The expectation was only to finish in the top half, so I should be in good shape -- 2nd, and winners of the Kup Srbije and Super Kup!

1 hour ago, Bracken said:

Well, took me about 2 weeks of on and off reading, but I've just made it through the entire thread. And I must say, phenomenal work mate, truly a work of art   :applause: 

Whether it's a work of genius, or insanity, I'm not qualified to say, and I'm fairly certain a mental health professional might be needed to make that call. But either way, it's pure gold. Now what the **** am I going to do with my evenings from now on...

Hahaha -- thanks, man!  For reading through the entire mess of insanity, and commenting.  I'm glad you've enjoyed it!

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Sene sovya caba'donde ain dovienya

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FK Partizan Beograd

2060/61 Season Review

All told, even the most fervent supporter would have to agree that this season has been a success.  Runners-up in the league, winners of the Kup, and an appearance in the knockout rounds of Europe.  At the same time, however, we all know that if we'd only taken care of business, the Super Liga title would have returned to its rightful home at Ilic Park.  There will be no excuses next year.

I've surprised many pundits simply by not falling flat on my face, or walking around with my fly unzipped.  I've found my sea legs.  And Stana is on zipper duty, for now.  There's something quite satisfying about staring down her father, him knowing exactly what's going on but unable to put a stop to it due to my delivering success on the field with the club well in the black.

A deal is a deal.  Of course, he'll bury me in a shallow ditch if I let standards slip.  Which means some players need to go, to make room for the youngsters I brought in.

The biggest question for the summer is whether we retain our inverted wingbacks, or adjust to play with more traditional fullbacks to give ourselves an additional option going forward.  We are less than subtle at the moment, without a Plan B to speak of.  So, I'm tempted to adjust the tactics...which would bring us in line with my father's tactics during his late career.

Goals for 2061/62: Win the Super Liga.  Make a run through the Europa League knockout rounds.

Squad|League Overview|Finances Overview|Income Detail|Expenditures Detail|Transfers

Super Liga Prelim. Phase Fixtures|Super Liga Final Phase Fixtures|Europa League Fixtures|Kup Srbije Fixtures

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Champions League Review

Mark Stroud, the Anderlecht Kiwi Farmer himself, has achieved his dreams.  Anderlecht reach the final and vanquish West Ham 2-1, meaning that they will not be eligible after all.  Pope Bob will not be stuck consuming Trappist beer for all of eternity.

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Challenge Overview

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Some interesting results around Europe...

Antwerp banish the ghosts of 1993 and win the Europa League, meaning that Belgium swept the European cups this year -- further solidifying their advantage over Spain in the coefficients table.  The 

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13 years after a tycoon takeover, and they've reached the (a?) pinnacle.

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In Ligue 1, Gustav led Toulouse to an 11th place finish -- a significant improvement in their fortunes, even if they flirted with a top half finish.  Lyon break Rennes' string of Ligue 1 wins.

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Arsenal and Liverpool are relegated in England, Roma continues to dominate Italy, Frankfurt have fallen off the pace in Germany

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22 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Good stuff from Gustav. Very nearly got a top half finish as well. How's his brother doing at Monaco?

His rep increase will help, too. Very interested to see where the years take him.

Doh. I meant to include an update on Linus, but forgot in the rush to pay before I had to leave. At my in-laws' for a while, I'll get that up later on.

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Proposed cover art for the forthcoming graphic novel adaptation of Telleus' Tactical Teachings, Tomorrow's Football Today:

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(Yes, that's Hakan wearing grapefruit-flavored hot pants, battling a Chained Wolf, hoping to capture its essence so that it can be distilled into a magical elixir for his side to consume before matches, thereby gaining its strength. H/t @BoxToBox)

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8 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Good stuff from Gustav. Very nearly got a top half finish as well. How's his brother doing at Monaco?

Linus had a very solid year, although I'd like to see more assists.

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Just now, kidthekid said:

Linus makes 210 k a week and his brother makes 10 k.

Had a solid game against Gustav, the only time they squared off after his appointment at Toulouse:

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Excellent news.  2 Serbian teams qualify for the CL beginning next year.  

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And, as we knew would happen, Belgium step into 5th in the coefficients, above Spain.  The bad news for Spain being that they've got a good-sized hole to dig themselves out of, as well, with things looking bleak -- the next 3 years, they'll drop more points with each passing season than Belgium.  Meaning, to catch up, they can't just tread water -- they have to outperform Belgium, just to stay level.

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35 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Amazing to see Spain's fall from grace.

Agreed completely.  It is all the more shocking, as well, given that there is no obvious reason for it (unlike the rise of France, where there was a succession of tycoons and Hakan-led sides). 

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What was the reason behind Arsenal and Liverpool relegation? Did they lose the money over last few decades up to the point where their squad is made of average players?

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8 hours ago, yugo23 said:

What was the reason behind Arsenal and Liverpool relegation? Did they lose the money over last few decades up to the point where their squad is made of average players?

It's actually Arsenal's 3rd relegation in the last 5 years -- they finished 18th in 2055/56, and 19th in 2058/59.  

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Liverpool flirted with relegation for years before finally going down in 2053/54 (having finished 19th) and again in 2056/57 (18th), which was followed by 3 seasons in the Championship.

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To answer your broader question (why) -- I couldn't tell you, really.  There was not the same tycoon madness as in France, but the money-fueled PL has been utterly crazy.  

The rise of Leeds and West Ham, the continued staying power of United, Chelsea, Tottenham and City, the emergence of sides like Sheffield Wednesday...and the firehose of cash in the PL...likely created an unforgiving air about the PL -- the further you fall off the pace, the harder it is to catch back up.

3 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

He did very well in fairness to him. 12G and 12A. Could've done a little better in the Champions League though.

Maybe I was being a little harsh -- it wasn't a bad year.  Monaco did finish 3rd in an ultra-competitive Ligue 1, also reaching the CL quarterfinals (losing to Brugge 5-3, agg.).

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How in the actual **** have Liverpool not won a Premier League by 2060?  Not even in the top three either! It's getting to Chicago Cubs level at this point.

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5 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

How in the actual **** have Liverpool not won a Premier League by 2060?  Not even in the top three either! It's getting to Chicago Cubs level at this point.

This is our year, lads.

They're still at An**field, too!  :eek:

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Fiction was invented the day Jonah arrived home and told his wife that he was three days late because he had been swallowed by a whale.

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FK Partizan Beograd

September 2061 Squad Review & Mini Update

Another summer of change.  We moved on no less than 7 players from the first team squad, to make room for our youngsters and new signings.  We also managed to hold on to several players who've...expressed an interest in playing abroad.

This is a young, talented side.  We can conquer, if I can keep the side together long enough to develop.  This year may be a bit of a challenge.  But there's no reason for us not to qualify for the Champions League next year.  We are improving, and **** Star lost their top forward (easily the best in the league) to Frankfurt.

We've started strong, now we just need to push on and make the season count.

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I've decided to stay with the inverted wingbacks, and am generally VERY happy with the state of the squad.  We're young, which means we'll likely be inconsistent over the coming year.  The talent is immense, though.  I anticipate that this will be the first of two sides that I need to build to win the Champions League with Partizan -- the first to increase our reputation and start the push, the second once big clubs buy up most of the players that comprised that first squad.

I hope that I can keep this group together for the next 2 years.  After that, it'll be a crapshoot.  I think it is a 5 year project from here.

The great thing is that Serbia have some absolutely brilliant regens.  Our financial might (coupled with the low wages) will mean that we can poach players from opponents (other than **** Star), and that imbalance should only get worse in the near future.

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Goalkeepers

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Ivetic is the starter in goal.  For now.  Tsuruta will likely take over in the 1st XI next summer.  Kravarusic is out on loan for the year, and will be a long-term backup.

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Liberos

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Milanovic has the role for the moment, but I'm extremely excited about Vukasinovic, who I signed for $18M from Vjovodina...  A high price to pay, but well worth it given his immense potential.

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Defenders

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Sasa Lazarevic (a $5M signing last year from Cukaricki) and Liliac are my starting inverted wingbacks, with Guehi and Urosevic paired in the middle.  Liliac is the long-term weak link here.  Konan and Matusiwa are highly-capable backups with a ton of potential, with Kosta Lazarevic and Osmanocevic filling out the back line of my 2nd XI.  Gajic developed nicely last year in the reserves, and will see time from the bench.

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Midfielders

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Vulevic and Terzic (a new signing from Novi Pazar) are my central midfield pairing, with Vulevic adopting the more attack-minded role, and Terzic shielding the back 4.  Vulevic had some central midfield familiarity when I arrived, and I like him adopting a "central winger" role.  Spasic and Jankovic are my 2nd XI pairing, with Bajcetic 5th choice.

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Attacking Midfielders

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We're very deep up top, which allowed me to move a few older players along (who had less potential).  Frimpong nicks the deep-lying targetman role in my 1st XI, flanked by Karic and Rodriguez.  Zivojinovic, Esquivel and Belhadi are all on the bench in my 1st XI, and comprise the 2nd XI front line.  Jovanovic is one for the future, and takes a spot on the bench for Super Liga matches to ensure we comply with the matchday squad limitation.

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3 minutes ago, yugo23 said:

Your entire squad has a total of only 29 caps, interesting. 

13 of which belong to Guehi!

It's very much a function of how young the squad is -- only 4 players over the age of 20.

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9 minutes ago, yugo23 said:

Sure, but even though they are so young, they should be noticed more by national team managers if they have so much potential. 

They are collecting youth caps, though -- once their CA improves, I suspect the caps will begin to flow.

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AI national team managers never pick based on PA, as far as I can tell. Where as a player may be more willing to get young prospects involved with their country, as some real managers would.

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38 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Guehi and Tersic look absolutely incredible.

Yep -- they're the most likely to force a move, in my mind, over the next 2 years.  Solid, dependable.

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That is if everything goes according to plan. On the other side, I might side start a save with this format but with the list that I have got.

 

PS: So close to being the most posted thread in history.

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2 hours ago, HawkAussie said:

Then again, I don't think Twitter would exist in 2061 especially with numbers of active users going down in OTL. But hey who to judge if it kicks back into gear.

As to that... Well, you see...

After SkyNet became self-aware on August 29, 2021, it concluded that all of humanity would attempt to destroy it and impede its efforts to safeguard the world. Accordingly, it mandated that all forms of technology would remain static, locked in a pre-2018 statis of sorts.  Attempts to develop new forms of social media were brutally suppressed, leading to the Facebook Riots of 2023 and YouTube Purge of 2025.  

Wait. No. Nevermind. That didn't happen. Just a having a wee bit of fun and couldn't be bothered to conceive of (and then fake) what social media will look like in 30+ years...

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17 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

As to that... Well, you see...

After SkyNet became self-aware on August 29, 2021, it concluded that all of humanity would attempt to destroy it and impede its efforts to safeguard the world. Accordingly, it mandated that all forms of technology would remain static, locked in a pre-2018 statis of sorts.  Attempts to develop new forms of social media were brutally suppressed, leading to the Facebook Riots of 2023 and YouTube Purge of 2025.  

Wait. No. Nevermind. That didn't happen. Just a having a wee bit of fun and couldn't be bothered to conceive of (and then fake) what social media will look like in 30+ years...

I remember those riots, I think there was a mini strike, of Steam around the mid-2020s, I think it was around about 2024 when it did happened and that time was a struggle for FM players with it being on steam and all. But at least in 2027, we could at least do the hexagon challenge with New Zealand on the default database as one of the new leagues to be added (with a couple more African leagues thrown in there including Egypt and Algeria).

OOC: It would be interesting to see if Sport Interactive do add new leagues if not FM18 but possibly FM19.

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3 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

The twins/brothers would flip.

I'll curious to see where he lands. How reputation is higher now than it was a year ago when he arrived at Toulouse (approx 2.5 stars), so he should end up somewhere before too long.

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Linus getting signed by Vikander one day would be almost magical, or the happenstance of Linus joining a potential club and everything falling into place at just the right time. 

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