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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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It nice to see Scotland....well...win a game...any game...never mind against Wales and England. 

Back down to Earth against Belgium but encouraging. 2 years is a long time in football. You'll have won the Champions League twice before then.

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4 hours ago, Benjoe said:

Was going to catch up on this just before leaving for work. Oh well, just 2 pages of events behind. Guess it'll have to wait! :lol:

I'll endeavor to make it 3 veggie this evening, then... :lol:

3 hours ago, andychar said:

It nice to see Scotland....well...win a game...any game...never mind against Wales and England. 

Back down to Earth against Belgium but encouraging. 2 years is a long time in football. You'll have won the Champions League twice before then.

Yeah, we were very much humbled. Ukraine was a kick in the gut. I think the 2054 World Cup is too soon. We should be in better shape for 2058.

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17 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

and then Mcleod heads home from 7 years in the 72nd,

That's an awfully long way out! :lol:

Gutting to go out in the semis, especially since it looked like you dominated from the stats. Gives you something to build for though!

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1 hour ago, Keano16 said:

That's an awfully long way out! :lol:

Gutting to go out in the semis, especially since it looked like you dominated from the stats. Gives you something to build for though!

*yards

Indeed. Lots to build on, here. 

1 hour ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Putting the Scots on a healthy diet? :D

*pages

Autocorrect was clearly my enemy on the train this morning.

Although, to be fair, I cannot be held legally responsible for anything I might say or do before my first cup of coffee.

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It's the law, people.

Edited by ManUtd1
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After all of this time...this is what Spanish law enforcement have uncovered?  Come on.

A homeless vagrant, who looks like Charlie Sheen after an ounce of coke?  Who willingly admits to the assault?

No.  Not possible.  There's no way he has any connection to Shakira.  I'm not having it.

The problem is, I never told the police or prosecutors about that raspy voice and the message it conveyed...after all, that would only lead to more questions, wouldn't it?  And it isn't like I can go tell them now, not many months after the fact, in the aftermath of this made-for-TV arrest.

No, someone has taken careful steps here.  They waited years for an opportunity.  And then covered their tracks all too well, knowing the risks I would take in pushing to expose them.

It smells of that sneakly **** Pique, who always was wanted to play like he was hard, but let Mascherano fight his battles for him. 

I'm not buying it.  Not in the slightest.  Whoever did this is still out there.

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14 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Maybe it was the goalie you signed only to declare interest in Berezin. I wonder what he's doing these days.

But seriously, you have made a lot of enemies on this save

11 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Nobody cared about Mankini enough to beat him with a folding chair.

That's..... something.

You either love Hakan or hate him. There's no in between. And, only a fine line separates the two.

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I've always wanted to go to Switzerland to see what the army does with those wee red knives.

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Scotland

November 2052 Mini-Update

Jamaica...remind me, why did we schedule this Friendly?  The final score was a modest 2-nil, but it wasn't much more than a kick-about at Hampden.

The trip to Ukraine had to be more serious business.  We needed a win or draw to seal the National League win, and promotion to the A series.  And we got it, leaving no doubt about who deserved to be promoted.  Revenge.  3 points.  A solid outing.

With Millar injured, I called up young Shaun Stevenson from Motherwell, who is on his way to Monaco in January.  A debut goal marked the occasion brilliantly, and he may well have just pushed Millar into retirement.

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Some interesting news out of Stade de Reims, as Tomas Vacha (one of the most promising members of the Czech imports I'd started hoarding before my departure) is now their all-time record league goalscorer.

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As we hit the holidays, things remain interesting across Europe.

Partizan continue to struggle, sitting 4th with only 9 wins from 22 matches.  Fenerbahce are 5th, with 8 wins from 16 matches...leading to their manager becoming "insecure" ...I announce my interest, to no discernible effect.  Panathinaikos are 3rd, with 8 wins from 15.

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Fener continue to struggle...which means Rivas is sacked in mid-Janary 2053.  I renew my interest and, while everyone assumes I'm the front-runner based on my declaration 10 days earlier, the Board has indicates a desire to give the interim manager a chance at the position full-time.  Ugh.  This could be frustrating...

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I've always wanted to go to Switzerland to see what the army does with those wee red knives.

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Fenerbahçe / Scotland

February 2053 Mini-Update

Well now, this is exactly the sort of development I wanted to see.  Granted, if the Board hadn't waited several weeks, bringing me in for an interview on January 30th, perhaps I could have worked something in the transfer market.  Officially hiring me 2 days after the window closes means I'm stuck with the squad, but it isn't a bad one.  We've got some talent here.

We should be in good shape.  But, Turkey is a completely new challenge.  A new world, really.  Technically, our home ground is  on the Asiatic side of Istanbul, for ****'s sake! A completely different continent!

I have no doubt that we can eventually take Fener to the top.  Whether I can entice the bairns of Scotland to join me here is a completely different question, though.  Ludwig and TomasZ are along for the ride.

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Woohoo!  I'm extremely excited about this move.  This is going to be completely different from Germany, France, England, etc.  I probably haven't managed in Turkey since CM 01/02!

The squad registration rules are certainly something to be aware of (max squad size of 28, no more than 14 foreigners in the squad, no more than 11 foreigners in the matchday squad, required to have one Turkish keeper), and the fixture list looks like a nightmare with the Turkish Cup having a 6-match Group Stage during the winter.

It's going to be beautiful.  More to the point, Fener is going to be a great shout.

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Edited by ManUtd1
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Alright, I had waaay too much fun looking into this stuff.  So, you guys have to indulge me with some fun facts about Fenerbahçe (aka Fener)...all taken from Wikipedia:

  1. Fener went through the 1922–23 season of the Istanbul Football League undefeated without conceding a single goal...good luck replicating that feat.
  2. Fener are known as the Sarı Kanaryalar (The Yellow Canaries), or the Sarı Lacivertliler (The Navy Blue-Yellows).
  3. They were the first Turkish club to win a non-domestic trophy, in competition with non-Turkish sides.
  4. Fener have the all-time best record in the Turkish league cumulative standings with the highest number of wins and the least losses as well as the most scoring football team in history.
  5. Fenerbahçe is the name of a neighbourhood in Kadıköy district, Istanbul, Turkey, located on the Asian side at the shore of the Sea of Marmara. The name means "lighthouse garden" in Turkish (from fener, meaning "lighthouse", and bahçe, meaning "garden"), referring to a historic lighthouse located at Fenerbahçe cape.
  6. Fenerbahçe was founded in 1907 in secrecy, due to the strict Ottoman rule -- Sultan Abdul Hamid II had forbidden the Turkish youth to set up a club or engage in the game of football played by the English families. The lighthouse situated on the Fenerbahçe cape was a big influence on the design of the club's first crest, which sported the yellow and white colors of daffodils around the lighthouse. The kits were also designed with yellow and white stripes. Fenerbahçe's activities were kept in secrecy until a legislation reform in 1908, when, under a new law, all football clubs had to register to exist legally.  The crest and the colors of the club were changed in 1910 when Hikmet Topuzer redesigned the badge and Ziya Songülen changed the colors to yellow and navy, still seen today.
  7. The Kıtalararası Derbi (Intercontinental Derby) is the name given to any football match between Fenerbahçe SK and Galatasaray SK (two major Turkish teams from the Asian and the European parts of Istanbul, respectively.)  It is also known as the Ezelî Rekabet (the Eternal Rivalry).  
  8. The first game played between the two sides was a friendly game on Sunday, 17 January 1909. The game was played at Papazın Çayırı (“the field of the priest”) where Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is located today, and finished 2–0 in favour of Galatasaray.  In 1908, the local teams in the league needed a regular football field, so this land was leased from the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II for 30 Ottoman gold pounds a year.
  9. The rivalry between the two top Turkish clubs can be traced back to some social, cultural and regional differences. Galatasaray was founded in 1905 by Galatasaray High School students, thus Galatasaray was considered the classic representative of the high class society of Istanbul. On the other hand, Fenerbahçe was founded by local men in the district of Kadıköy on the Asian side of Istanbul; Fenerbahçe was known as the peoples club and was considered the representative of the blue-collar workers. Fenerbahçe attracted fans from all over Turkey because of their act of valour in times of war and for winning the first non-domestic competition in Turkish football history, while Galatasaray was heavily supported by aristocrats from Istanbul, however they managed to close the gap between the two clubs after clinching the UEFA Cup in 2000. The class differences between the fanbases have faded out and the social gap that once separated the two sides has closed over the years. Nowadays, both clubs boast fanbases that represent all the social classes.
  10. In 1912,  Galatasaray SK president Ali Sami Yen and Fenerbahçe SK president Galip Kulaksızoğlu agreed to merge the clubs, in order to form a strong Turkish team to face the non-Turkish teams in the league. According to this agreement the new club would have been called Türkkulübü (The Turkish Club), full white kit with a red star. On 23 August 1912 they presented the petition to the International Olympic Committee – Ottoman section. But because of the Balkan Wars in 1913, the agreed-upon merger never went through.
  11. Fener's stadium is named after Mehmet Şükrü Saracoğlu, a Turkish politician and the fifth Prime Minister of Turkey. He was also the chairman of Fenerbahçe S.K. for 16 years between 1934 and 1950, including holding that post concurrently with his time as prime minister from 1942 to 1946.
  12.  

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Aeriel view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus, from the north looking south.  The European side of Istanbul is on the right; the Asian side is on the left.

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Just now, BoxToBox said:

14 Scots and 14 Turks walk into a bar....

If you believe everything you read on the Internet (and, why wouldn't you?! It's on the Internet!  It has to be true!)  -- Scotland and Turkey are connected by a series of 12,000 year-old caves.

So, they're basically the same country.

Pfeifferfranz, Wikimedia Commons

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6 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

If you believe everything you read on the Internet (and, why wouldn't you?! It's on the Internet!  It has to be true!)  -- Scotland and Turkey are connected by a series of 12,000 year-old caves.

So, they're basically the same country.

Pfeifferfranz, Wikimedia Commons

Downright reasonable belief, to be quite honest. I'd take it up with the FA.

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Note: if you zoom in enough on the aerial photo, you can make out the stadium.

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The lighthouse is also visible in the aerial shot of the stadium.

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Edited by ManUtd1
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I don't wanna jinx it but this could be on of your best clubs. By the way, it says you're a Fiorentina icon. Are you a legend at any clubs? Given the amount of trophies you won at places like Malmö or Leeds, you'd think you would have legendary status there.

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I'm curious to see a sort of 'Where are they now?' for some of your former players.. obviously Zajicek follows you everywhere but what about the likes of Rugi and any other players who particularly impressed?

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Another fun fact: Fenerbahce is situated in the Fener (Fanari) district of Instabul/Constantinople, which during the Ottoman Empire housed prominent Greek families (also known as Phanariotes) who were well educated and were important assets to the administration of the Ottoman Empire and were also merchants.

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3 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

I don't wanna jinx it but this could be on of your best clubs. By the way, it says you're a Fiorentina icon. Are you a legend at any clubs? Given the amount of trophies you won at places like Malmö or Leeds, you'd think you would have legendary status there.

I feel the same, man. I have very high hopes for Fenerbahce.

I'm not a legend anywhere, that I know of. I'd have to stick around longer to gain that status.

2 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Just curious is Okocha listed as one of the favorite personnels? I know he was so good they gave him Turkish name "Muhammet Yavuz"

I'll check when I can get to my laptop later.

56 minutes ago, Joe. said:

I'm curious to see a sort of 'Where are they now?' for some of your former players.. obviously Zajicek follows you everywhere but what about the likes of Rugi and any other players who particularly impressed?

I'll do a post on this later - I wish I'd kept a shortlist of former players, but should be able to check pretty quickly for the most memorable.

36 minutes ago, Lordemort said:

Another fun fact: Fenerbahce is situated in the Fener (Fanari) district of Instabul/Constantinople, which during the Ottoman Empire housed prominent Greek families (also known as Phanariotes) who were well educated and were important assets to the administration of the Ottoman Empire and were also merchants.

Great fun fact! 

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5 hours ago, Joe. said:

I'm curious to see a sort of 'Where are they now?' for some of your former players.. obviously Zajicek follows you everywhere but what about the likes of Rugi and any other players who particularly impressed?

Alright, this gets a bit lengthy...arranged by club, with the players in no particular order.  These are the ones who stand out to me.

From the Malmo days...we have Lundqvist, Augustsson, TomasZ, Djiribori and Depode (with the 1st two also being a part of my Sweden squad).

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And, who can forget Tommy Bjelland -- the Danish player that caused me to send poor Vito to Yemen.

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From Fiorentina...Rugi, Civiero, Jannsens, Crncevic, Besevic, Gherardini, van Driessche, Postorino, and Vasalas (also Greece).

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Postorino is easily the most successful former player, who became a manager:

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Leeds...Friberg, Carcel, Barrera, Bierhoff, Rosenberg (also at Gladbach and Sweden), and Lefis (Greece).

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Saint-Etienne...Fagerjord, Sanz, Karachi, da Silva, Kazaki, Traore.  Tons of loyalty from Karach, Traore and da Silva!

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From Stade de Reims...Perets, Necas, Nantsos (he was at Greece and ASSE, but in the 2nd XI at the latter because he was still developing)

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Christos gets a shout-out, from Greece.

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Frankfurt, Brugge, West Ham and Monaco are too recent to be nostalgic about.  Holland had too many non-regens for me to grow too attached to anyone.

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6 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Just curious is Okocha listed as one of the favorite personnels? I know he was so good they gave him Turkish name "Muhammet Yavuz"

Unfortunately, Okocha is not listed.  But LVG is...wow.  At least Fellaini never became an Icon.

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8 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

I don't wanna jinx it but this could be on of your best clubs. By the way, it says you're a Fiorentina icon. Are you a legend at any clubs? Given the amount of trophies you won at places like Malmö or Leeds, you'd think you would have legendary status there.

Spoke too quickly...I am also "favoured personnel" at Brugge:

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4 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

That is tragic. On they other hand they have a player listed as a favorite personnel called "James Enaholo", could you check his nationality.

Can't pull him up -- he was a goalscoring-regen signed from Dortmund in 2037, retired in 2048.

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1 minute ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Bjelland did quite well for himself. Went from being the reason for Vitoro’s ... extended holiday... to Denmark manager. Karachi basically became what Buffon is now.

Bjelland benefitted from the "Boy Named Sue" philosophy.  Had to fight to be taken seriously, for everything, for his whole life.  Made him strong.

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Woah. Much to catch up to. Did not foresee the events would unfold like this.

Hoped Monaco was there to stay - especially considering your sons, and the Scottish program.

Disgrace as well, that Uche Okechukwu isn't listed as preferred personnel at least for Fener!

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Just now, Benjoe said:

Woah. Much to catch up to. Did not foresee the events would unfold like this.

Hoped Monaco was there to stay - especially considering your sons, and the Scottish program.

Disgrace as well, that Uche Okechukwu isn't listed as preferred personnel at least for Fener!

Get yer priorities straight, you lazy...oh, nevermind.

Monaco winning the CL utterly and completely grapefrukt my Scottish plans.  Didn't even leave a fiver on the bedside table.

The twins are getting along fine -- Linus is a beast (even if his current manager was less than impressed by his extracurricular activities being captured and gif'd... *cough*), Gustav will never play at a high level.

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Gustav is already a Monaco (Reserves) legend!

2 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

(even if his current manager was less than impressed by his extracurricular activities being captured and gif'd... *cough*)

Absolutely no idea what you are talking about. :rolleyes:

 

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@kidthekid I did a little more digging.  

It looks like Enaholo came through at Dortmund in 2031.  

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He had a primary/secondary Nigerian nationality, and chose to play for them.  He was their top goalscorer in 2 years.  

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He isn't in Nigeria's all-time Best Eleven, but made it into the annual list from 2037-44:

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1 hour ago, ManUtd1 said:

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Seems about right!

“Attack philosopher!”:D:D:D

Feck it, I did English to Turkish and got those. Steep football sounds like what you'd do on a sh*tty Sunday League pitch.

Edited by Fer Fuchs Ake
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I randomly noticed this a moment ago, having switched into the FM window momentarily...look who is on the verge of getting sacked by Karabükspor, of all teams...

Somewhere, Ronaldo is reveling in the misery of the foul Midget Beast, aka He Who Reeks Of Sulfur.

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Great player.  Crap manager.

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Awesome seeing some of those names, can't believe I'd forgotten about Jan Lundqvist! Also well impressed with the loyalty from the St Etienne players - must be a lovely place to settle down.

Thanks for that 👍

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40 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Messi, stahp..... Go live on a tropical island and make your money through advertisements.

Maybe he was sanctioned heavily in-game for tax evasion, and has to continue managing to pay off the Spanish crown.

That's one theory...

7 minutes ago, Joe. said:

Awesome seeing some of those names, can't believe I'd forgotten about Jan Lundqvist! Also well impressed with the loyalty from the St Etienne players - must be a lovely place to settle down.

Thanks for that 👍

You're welcome -- in fact, thank you for the suggestion!  Seeing names reminded me of some great times with these players!  

The best example -- being reminded of the moment when it struck me to move Janssens to right back at Fiorentina, allowing Besevic and Crncevic to get on the field at the same time...unleashing the beast in what would prove to be the year we won the CL.  Beautiful!

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