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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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5 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Thanks, man!  Glad to have you back.

Ah will huv a go tae dae mah best by scootlund. 

I can honestly say, getting time to read up on a few threads, and posting a bit in my own again was a great stress-relief. What a week it's been. 

Aye. Dae Moyes prouad eh. Or aelse... #NelsonKnowsWhatAelse

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Just now, Benjoe said:

I can honestly say, getting time to read up on a few threads, and posting a bit in my own again was a great stress-relief. What a week it's been. 

Aye. Dae Moyes prouad eh. Or aelse... #NelsonKnowsWhatAelse

I know the feeling, man.  I leave with the family on vacation in a few days, will be gone for 9 days...no FM.

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3 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

I know the feeling, man.  I leave with the family on vacation in a few days, will be gone for 9 days...no FM.

That sounds both amazing and a bit frustrating with no FM tbh how weird that is to say. :lol:  Ultimately it sounds great though!

Where's the destination?

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Forevah blawin' buhbbles...

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West Ham United / Scotland

January 2051 Mini-Update

So much for a quiet holiday season in France, with Apples, Emma and the twins.  Instead, I've been jetting off to interviews, scout and plan.

Nice was an option.  But they're rock bottom of Ligue 1, thanks to Renato Sanches managerial "skill."  West Ham is a far more appealing proposition, as they're still in the Champions League, sit 2 points off a European place, and are a natural fit for my Scotland project.  Emma also has any number of reasons to visit London...so perhaps we'll have an opportunity to reconnect...and talk.

We've got a relatively strong squad, but they're older than I would like.  I'll have a ton of cash to import youngsters from across the border.  I need to find a better way to put that.

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I'll do a full squad review this summer.

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58 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Tremendous Euro Qualifiers draw.

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Group D is brutal.  Poor Gibraltar is going to get grapefrukt.

Hey keep you're words about Gibraltar!!:mad::seagull:😅Your group looks strong though even Estonia is a decent national team..

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22 minutes ago, Sheriff7 said:

Hey keep you're words about Gibraltar!!:mad::seagull:😅Your group looks strong though even Estonia is a decent national team..

:lol:

Shame they don't have a manager like you!

My group isn't a compete pushover, but we should qualify without too much trouble.

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I don't read the forums for a couple of days and you've won the CL with Brugge, taken over Scotland and moved to London. Not to mention enlightening us on Cristiano's  cult teachings. 

Ireland and Northern Ireland will be some interesting matches....

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16 minutes ago, Keano16 said:

I don't read the forums for a couple of days and you've won the CL with Brugge, taken over Scotland and moved to London. Not to mention enlightening us on Cristiano's  cult teachings. 

Ireland and Northern Ireland will be some interesting matches....

 hey keano it's me ur Cristiano! Have you heard the Good News? I am me! He who brings the love! Send Me $10 and I'll send to the you a vial of My purest essence for you to do the bathing in, yes?

Welcome back, man! Those matches should determine who the runner up is, epic stuff!

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30 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

65 flippin pages? :lol:

I have a week off coming up soon. I might catch up with this. :cool:

Better late than never! Hampus can't wait to meet your acquaintance...Hrubes just wants those darn kids to get off his lawn.

6 minutes ago, Joe. said:

Fantastic, a 75 year old loony Russell Brand! 

Some definite potential there :D

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Went to negotiate a contract with a Scottish keeper...can't offer him anything, because my predecessor agreed contracts in excess of our $4.8M/week wage budget.

Absolutely gobsmacked. Brugge was less than $800k/week. Welcome back to the Premier League! :lol:

Some serious housecleaning needs to be done. Several big contracts expire in six months' time, for players over 30. They'll be the first to go.

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6 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

I'm surprised they're so poor, after 20 years of utter dominance (including after Hakan left).  Elfsorg's massive stadium doesn't hurt their standing.

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Malmö playing at the classic Ibrahimovic park...

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Let's get meta for a moment here.  At this juncture in the save, the remaining sides (other than Partizan and Panathinaikos) are "big" clubs in "big" leagues.  Even Leverkusen and Genk could be rapidly transformed into a CL winner.

Case in point -- we've won 6 straight at West Ham, with an aging, overpaid side.

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We just played City off the park -- our defense gave up 3 stupid goals, yeah, but look at this match:

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5 goals, with a missed penalty and hitting the woodwork 3 times.  We now sit 5th in the League, 4 points off a Champions League place with 13 matches to play.  

I'm not feeling particularly motivated.  I need to find that motivation.

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15 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Let's get meta for a moment here.  At this juncture in the save, the remaining sides (other than Partizan and Panathinaikos) are "big" clubs in "big" leagues.  Even Leverkusen and Genk could be rapidly transformed into a CL winner.

Case in point -- we've won 6 straight at West Ham, with an aging, overpaid side.

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We just played City off the park -- our defense gave up 3 stupid goals, yeah, but look at this match:

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5 goals, with a missed penalty and hitting the woodwork 3 times.  We now sit 5th in the League, 4 points off a Champions League place with 13 matches to play.  

I'm not feeling particularly motivated.  I need to find that motivation.

Not sure you'll find motivation in the Premiership the way this save has gone. Scotland & the east end of London are a long way from Florence. 

I used to live in West Ham, and personally I'd quite like you to win with them quickly and move on 😄 Can't stand that club. 

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1 hour ago, Joe. said:

Not sure you'll find motivation in the Premiership the way this save has gone. Scotland & the east end of London are a long way from Florence. 

I used to live in West Ham, and personally I'd quite like you to win with them quickly and move on 😄 Can't stand that club. 

:lol:

That may need to be the plan. Frankly, this West Ham side is already good enough to win the CL. I'll screenshot the squad later tonight, when I have my laptop.

22 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

How could you be, managing West Ham?

:kriss: Elderly Russell Brand would like to speak with you, in private.

 

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Ok, as promised, here is a very quick look at my West Ham squad.  No additions were made during the January transfer window.  My goal is to win the CL as soon as possible, and move the **** on.  Frankly, this is a side that is 110% capable of doing that.

Goalkeepers:

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Sweeper:

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Fullbacks:

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Centerbacks:

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Central midfielders:

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Attacking midfielders:

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Overview:

The squad is over-paid, aging rapidly and unbalanced (we lack depth at fullback and central midfield).  But...there's no reason that this squad, on its day, can't win the CL.  

So, let's do this thing.

 

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All I'm trying to do is help you understand that The Name of the Rose is merely a blip on an otherwise uninterrupted downward trajectory.

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West Ham United / Scotland

March 2051 - Champions League First Knockout Round

The lads are still learning the tactics, but my word...we're rampant.  Dortmund were lucky to leave London only down 2.

We made it hard on ourselves in Germany, but got the job done in the end in smashing fashion.  We're on to the quarterfinals, where we'll face Frankfurt...tough draw.

Our stay in London may be a short one...

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A great draw, all around -- Fenerbahce, Rennes and Leipzig are all in the mix!  The Turks have been lurking around in the early stages of the knockout rounds, but the latter 2 seem destined to become eligible at some point.  Rennes did just fire Wee Wes, though, so we'll see.

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Cor that squad is most definitely getting on a bit. 

If you don't win it this year, it'll be a hard slog next year - but if you're not planning on staying around for long, there's no need to sign up and coming youngsters. You may as well go in deep and splash the cash on established players.

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5 hours ago, Joe. said:

Cor that squad is most definitely getting on a bit. 

If you don't win it this year, it'll be a hard slog next year - but if you're not planning on staying around for long, there's no need to sign up and coming youngsters. You may as well go in deep and splash the cash on established players.

Yep - the age/wage combination is very troubling. Win and move on, that's definitely the plan. If I can get past Frankfurt, anything is possible.

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Now I've justified this to myself in all sorts of ways. It wasn't a big deal, just a minor betrayal.

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West Ham United / Scotland

April 2051 - Champions League Quarterfinals

Clinical.  That's the only word to describe our performance in the first leg against a team that sitsclose to my heart.  A masterclass of counterattacking football.  I don't even know where to begin.  If we play like that, we'll beat anyone on the continent.  And our tactics are not fully fluid yet...terrifying.

That being said, if we find a way to **** this up, and I have to stay in London for another year, I may not make it through.  Emma has been distraught, as she cannot travel to London incognito so that we can talk in person, and my packed schedule doesn't allow for it either.

The 2nd leg in Frankfurt was a subdued affair.  Atilla was so depressed that they couldn't even coax him out of his enclosure.  Suffice to say, it was a much less harrowing atmosphere without him dive-bombing us during warm-ups.  We sought to merely close out the tie, conserve energy and keep focused on the match itself.  Mission accomplished.

Domestically, we're in solid shape -- we're in a 3-team battle with Manchester United and Watford for the last Champions League spot, with 5 matches to play.  The only blip was my 2nd XI losing to Palace a few days before the first leg against Frankfurt.

Scotland's qualifying campaign is very much on track, even if we were less than impressive away to Estonia.  Regardless, 3 points are 3 points.

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Matheus is a beautiful Libero albeit old and Ebeneezeeeeeeeeeer! 4 goals and an assist in a game against Frankfurt. Mental. 

But yeah, you gotta get over this quickly. Old squad and you don't want to stay. If you glip it this year you'll probably have to rebuild since you've got a lot of ageing players. 

Knock Leipzig and take Fener in the final!

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1 minute ago, Benjoe said:

Matheus is a beautiful Libero albeit old and Ebeneezeeeeeeeeeer! 4 goals and an assist in a game against Frankfurt. Mental. 

But yeah, you gotta get over this quickly. Old squad and you don't want to stay. If you glip it this year you'll probably have to rebuild since you've got a lot of ageing players. 

Knock Leipzig and take Fener in the final!

Ebenezer Norudeen is such an incredible name.  No wonder he's got a jovial personality!  I figure that he and Mumbu like to party.

That is most definitely the plan -- win it now with fingers crossed that Fener reach the final.  The backup plan being a top-to-bottom rebuild from scratch, learning to love West Ham in the process.

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Any Leipzig scouts in attendance must be absolutely ****ting it.  Kurt Zouma's boys had best be ready.  This was our final match, the Saturday before Ze Germans come to town for the first leg.

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Paolo Postorino's Tottenham currently sit 2nd in the Premier League, mind you.   

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Ehhh... cool. Whatever you say, I'm sorry. You're the man. The dude in the chair.

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West Ham United / Scotland

April 2051 - Champions League Semifinals

I start the first leg with the same lineup that annihilated Tottenham over the weekend.  With luck, we didn't blow all of our luck in that match.   Zouma's lads set out to play a 4231 with wingers, which we'll need to assess.

I need not have concerned myself.  A comprehensive display means that we have one foot in Amsterdam before hopping a flight to Germany.  4-1, when it easily could have been more.

The second leg was straightforward -- while Leipzig did hit the woodwork twice, the result was never truly in doubt.  The big issue was Nurudeen twisting his ankle early on...a big scare, but he'll only be out for 2 weeks, and will play in the final.

We're going to Amsterdam, lads.

The 2nd XI lost to Liverpool over the weekend, but no matter.  We're going to win it this year, aren't we lads?!  That's the spirit!

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Edited by ManUtd1
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Fenerbahce set up a dream final, with a 3-2 win in Yorkshire.

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To be fair...it's a dream final...but only if West Ham pull it off.  If not, I'm stuck in London for a few years and Fenerbahce are ineligible (which would be a massive shame, I'd LOVE to head to Turkey).

[Edit: The final is a few hours away from being played.  No matter how giddy I am...can't rush it.  The full-blown treatment is in order.]

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Just now, Makoto Nakamura said:

Seriously hope you can win the final to get out of London and add Turkey as a destination, good luck! :D

Thanks, man!  Not a patch on your exploits, but I'm hopeful we can pull it off.  :D

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