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

[ManUtd1]

This is precisely the type of result that is apt to anger the Chairman.

 

7 points back, after losing a match we had every chance to win against our greatest rivals.

Time to study chapter 4 in Hampus' Telleus Bible again.

[BoxToBox]

Ahhhh! I love that Red Star are using the old wingless wonder formation.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

9 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

The good news?  Malmo win their 3rd title in 4 years.

 

The bad (or, if you're the half-brother he pushed away, somewhat enjoyable) news?  Gustav was sacked at Stora Valla after 28 rounds.

 

Resurgence for Malmö. Hopefully they'll start dominating again. Unlucky for Gustav. What are his managerial attributes?

[ManUtd1]

6 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Ahhhh! I love that Red Star are using the old wingless wonder formation.

They're dominating domestically. I've decided to splash some cash in the transfer window, hopefully it'll work out...

5 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Resurgence for Malmö. Hopefully they'll start dominating again. Unlucky for Gustav. What are his managerial attributes?

I'm away from my laptop for most of the day busy will post his attributes tonight - as I recall offhand, he's got good stats but a very modest rep.

[ManUtd1]

12 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Unlucky for Gustav. What are his managerial attributes?

 

He landed on his feet at Toulouse, at least.  

[ManUtd1]

Sene sovya caba'donde ain dovienya

FK Partizan Beograd

December 2060 Mini-Update

The early-season goodwill has long been spent.  Our poor run of form in late November through early December didn't help either.  Fortunately, Crvena Zvezda has struggled these past few weeks.  Absent that, they'd be out of sight.  As it is Cukaricki leap-frogged both of us.

Our poor form encompassed the end of the Europa League Group Stage -- a poor loss at home to the Portuguese, and a drubbing in Istanbul.  We go through as Group winners, but the aura of invincibility -- such as it existed -- has been well and truly dispelled.

Let's not kid ourselves, though.  This is a side that has done well domestically (despite a rough few years), and has been a consistent presence at the group stages of European competitions (and beyond).  We're not overperforming.  And not underperforming, either.  The squad has started to show some respect, though, given that I've proven to not be a complete idiot.

With nearly 2 months until our next competitive match (in Moscow, no less), there's some time to kill.  We need to start working our new signings into the squad, and get everyone on the same page again (after spending the last 6 months getting there...).

Six months?  That's all it has been, eh?  I can't quite tell if that feels too long...or too short.

  

[ManUtd1]

A quick glance at Europe...Real Madrid are looking to win their 4th straight title in Spain, while Monaco have a slight advantage to stop Rennes from winning their 8th straight Ligue 1 title.  Frankfurt, Fiorentina and Brugge are all struggling.

 

Four potentially-eligible teams remain in the Champions League -- Leipzig, Anderlecht, Rennes and Dijon (!)...turns out Dijon had a tycoon takeover in 2052 that I didn't notice.  

 

Dijon finished 2nd in Ligue 1 last year (and reached the CL knockout round), and seem to be yet ANOTHER emerging force in France.  Cesario Balde (from Hakan's Brugge days) leads the line for Le DFCO.

Ok...CL Group Stage results:

 

[oriole01]

3 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

our potentially-eligible teams remain in the Champions League -- Leipzig, Anderlecht, Rennes and Dijon (!)...turns out Dijon had a tycoon takeover in 2052 that I didn't notice.  

They're already eligible, mate!

It's crazy that France keeps being the perfect habitat for clubs to become serious contenders, the amount of times Hakan managed there is proof enough of that. How many of their clubs have had big takeovers over the years?

[yugo23]

On 5/7/2017 at 01:10, ManUtd1 said:

He's outstanding, on a run of form:

  

With that name, he has to be good.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

11 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

 

He landed on his feet at Toulouse, at least.  

Wow, he has very good attributes. He should have a successful career.

[yugo23]

On 6/10/2017 at 04:06, ManUtd1 said:

Two clubs that I'd love to take over -- Sevilla and Athletic, who I have a particular affinity for, from time I've spent in Spain.  Beyond that, there isn't any specific club I'm hoping for...I've had great fun with Hearts and Falkirk in the distant past, but they're almost certainly never going to become eligible.  Torino, as I would like to see them succeed.  

Sorry if I interrupt the flow of this thread with my comments to the older posts I find interesting as I read them. 

There is hardly other club in Europe that deserves to have their fortunes changed in FM universe. Grande Torino - the best team Italy has ever seen, disappeared in one tragic moment. They never recovered from that loss, allowing Juventus to establish their dominance. 

[ManUtd1]

9 hours ago, oriole01 said:

They're already eligible, mate!

It's crazy that France keeps being the perfect habitat for clubs to become serious contenders, the amount of times Hakan managed there is proof enough of that. How many of their clubs have had big takeovers over the years?

Hahaha I'd completely forgotten about Rennes...

France has been extremely strong. Tycoons have included at least Rennes, Dijon, Tours, Nantes (twice, although they never really won anything), Lyon...I vaguely recall that Toulouse may have had one, no laptop access today, though, so I can't check until tonight (my time).

7 hours ago, yugo23 said:

With that name, he has to be good.

Absolutely!

4 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Wow, he has very good attributes. He should have a successful career.

Toulouse could be a tough proving ground...France is brutal.

3 hours ago, yugo23 said:

Sorry if I interrupt the flow of this thread with my comments to the older posts I find interesting as I read them. 

There is hardly other club in Europe that deserves to have their fortunes changed in FM universe. Grande Torino - the best team Italy has ever seen, disappeared in one tragic moment. They never recovered from that loss, allowing Juventus to establish their dominance. 

No apologies necessary! I tend to be the worst offender, in terms of random asides...and trips down memory lane are always welcome. Just enjoy the thread!

That's exactly why I'd love to take on Torino. No doubt.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Speaking of asides, did Telleus ever have a playing career? I know Gustav went from Monaco to management but did Telleus do anything similar? 

[ManUtd1]

3 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Speaking of asides, did Telleus ever have a playing career? I know Gustav went from Monaco to management but did Telleus do anything similar? 

Telleus' playing career was modest and largely unremarkable, his only claim to fame being that "one time, he hacked the **** out of Joey Barton" during a pre-season friendly with Telleus' amateur side in Malmo. "Talk ****, get kicked," was all Telleus would say about the incident in his later years. 

There is, however, little corroborating evidence. Barton has steadfastly refused comment for decades.

From there, Telleus ventured onto the terraces, where he quickly was promoted within the ABBA-influenced Malmo FF Ultras group, known as the Super Troupers, given his commanding presence and perfect pitch.

Telleus' tactical blog, "Inverting The Swede" was notable in his pre-managerial days not just for a strong love of the game, but also his creative use of profanity to colorfully punctuate key points of emphasis and masterful use of MS-Paint to recreate critical moments in matches. As to the latter, a high-definition rendering of Telleus' depiction of Cristiano Ronaldo frolicking on the sidelines at the 2016 European Championship final hangs, to this day, at Ronaldo's footballing museum in Madeira.

It is truly the stuff of lore, but Hakan always maintained that he was inspired to work towards his coaching badges based on a fever-dream, involving an unheralded American manger taking Malmo to the Champions League title.

Reprinted with permission of the Telleus Museum in Malmo. All rights reserved.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

12 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Telleus' playing career was modest and largely unremarkable, his only claim to fame being that "one time, he hacked the **** out of Joey Barton" during a pre-season friendly with Telleus' amateur side in Malmo. "Talk ****, get kicked," was all Telleus would say about the incident in his later years. 

There is, however, little corroborating evidence. Barton has steadfastly refused comment for decades.

From there, Telleus ventured onto the terraces, where he quickly was promoted within the ABBA-influenced Malmo FF Ultras group, known as the Super Troupers, given his commanding presence and perfect pitch.

Telleus' tactical blog, "Inverting The Swede" was notable in his pre-managerial days not just for a strong love of the game, but also his creative use of profanity to colorfully punctuate key points of emphasis and masterful use of MS-Paint to recreate critical moments in matches. As to the latter, a high-definition rendering of Telleus' depiction of Cristiano Ronaldo frolicking on the sidelines at the 2016 European Championship final hangs, to this day, at Ronaldo's footballing museum in Madeira.

It is truly the stuff of lore, but Hakan always maintained that he was inspired to work towards his coaching badges based on a fever-dream, involving an unheralded American manger taking Malmo to the Champions League title.

Reprinted with permission of the Telleus Museum in Malmo. All rights reserved.

Give my thanks to the Telleus Museum . 

That **** Barton probably deserved it.

[ManUtd1]

2 hours ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

Give my thanks to the Telleus Museum . 

That **** Barton probably deserved it.

That he did, I'm sure! On principle, if not for anything specific.

[yugo23]

Unless I missed it, last Inter title was with Mourinho in 2010? 

Could you also post screenshot of Europa League past winners. 

[noikeee]

Bit inconsistent in the Serbian league (well, for dad's incredibly high standards). Could it be that the overload tactics are proving not stable enough?

[ManUtd1]

3 hours ago, yugo23 said:

Unless I missed it, last Inter title was with Mourinho in 2010? 

Could you also post screenshot of Europa League past winners. 

2010 was the last year that Inter won the Champions League and Serie A.  They've never fallen into the bottom half of the Serie A (lowest finish was 10th, in 2023/24), but haven't had a ton of success.

 

In terms of the Europa League...

  

Just now, noikeee said:

Bit inconsistent in the Serbian league (well, for dad's incredibly high standards). Could it be that the overload tactics are proving not stable enough?

Naw -- I don't think it's the tactic.  I think it boils down to two factors:  we weren't fluid on the tactics until recently, and the squad isn't ready to play them just yet.  As to the latter, I'm making moves to get the pieces in place...and then it should just be a matter of time.   We're controlling matches and dropping silly points, which (while frustrating) seems to be simply a quality issue. 

We'll get there.  The oddsmakers in Vegas put the over/under at 5 years for Champions League success. 

[yugo23]

Inter were 11 times 2nd in Serie A since the start of this save, and once Europa League finalists. At least they won one TIM Cup.

Torino also went close to winning Europa League once. 

[ManUtd1]

3 minutes ago, yugo23 said:

Inter were 11 times 2nd in Serie A since the start of this save, and once Europa League finalists. At least they won one TIM Cup.

Torino also went close to winning Europa League once. 

That's a painful statistic!  

Love that Torino got close to something.  One of my journeyman save ideas for 18 includes them 

[ManUtd1]

As tempted as I am to complete the squad purge a few more players, I think my transfer business is done for the winter.  Additional older players have been moved on, with a bevy of youngsters added to the mix.  

  

I did miss out on several players, but the one that hurts this most is this South African lad that I wanted to refine for a "central winger" role.  He opted for Anderlecht instead of Belgrade...little ****.

 

This summer, Boumsong, Mura and Anastasi are going to be out the door.  Hadzic and Peralovic may follow them.  The latter two are good enough to stay, but I've got youth that are more promising that will need the minutes to develop.  

Frankly, if I were to get a good offer for any of these 5 tomorrow, I would probably accept it.

I'll do a full squad review after my transfer business is complete this summer, as the squad will be lined up at that point.

[yugo23]

I haven't managed in Serbia since FM11. Rules were quite strict in terms of number of foreign players. I believe it's better now?

[ManUtd1]

12 minutes ago, yugo23 said:

I haven't managed in Serbia since FM11. Rules were quite strict in terms of number of foreign players. I believe it's better now?

It's not bad -- you can have up to 6 non-EU players in the matchday squad (UK/Ireland are considered EU, even after Brexit).

Very manageable.

[yugo23]

It was much worse before. I will check, but I think it was total of 3 or 4 foreign (including EU as foreign) players at the club in the days of CM4.

Edited July 11, 2017 by yugo23

[ManUtd1]

Sene sovya caba'donde ain dovienya

FK Partizan Beograd

February 2061 Mini-Update

A poor match in Moscow sealed our fate.  We had to chase the tie back at Ilic Park, which meant we were exposed on the counter.

Going out on aggregate hurts.  But we are showing promise.  We simply need to put a run of matches together domestically, and make sure that the 3-1 win over title-contenders Cukaricki isn't a one-off.

14 matches to play in the Super Liga,  with a spot in the Champions League qualifiers up for grabs between the top 3.  And, a Kup Srbije quarterfinal next week.

Win one or the other, and the season has to be deemed an unqualified success.  All to play for.  

 

Edited July 11, 2017 by ManUtd1
correcting date

[HawkAussie]

Just in case your interested here is the full list of teams from the history that has actually been in one European final but lost it.

Athletic Bilbao [ESP]
Espanyol [ESP]
Wolverhampton Wanderers [ENG]
Brugge [NED]
AZ [NED]
Videoton [HUN]
Koln [GER]
Dundee United [SCO]
Stuttgart [GER]
Torino [ITA]
Casino Salzburg [AUT]
Lazio [ITA]
Alaves [ESP]
Middlesbrough [ENG]
Fulham [ENG]
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk [UKR]
Wolfsburg [GER]
AA Gent [BEL]
Leverkusen [GER]
Partizan [SRB]
Rennes [FRA]
Rapid Wien [AUT]
MTK Budapest [HUN]
1860 Munich [GER]
Gornik Zabrze [POL]
Ferencvaros [HUN]
Austria Wien [AUT]
Fortuna Dusseldorf [GER]
Carl Zeiss Jena [GER]
Standard Liege [BEL]
Lokomotive Leipzig [GER]
Stuttgart [GER]
Mallorca [ESP]
Panathinaikos [GRE]
Nice [FRA]

I know this is a big list.

Edited July 17, 2017 by HawkAussie
Antwerp is gone.

[ManUtd1]

You've been snooping through my notes, @HawkAussie! 

This would be great fun, and it's something I've thought of -- opening up eligibility to club sides who've also reached but lost another European Cup final (the Europa League or Cup Winners' Cup; Intertoto doesn't count, of course).  The problems I've considered are mainly practical - the sheer number of leagues and clubs, and how to determine eligibility going forward once the save starts.

For example, if Partizan win the Europa League, are they out? What if Sevilla reach the CL final but lose...are they now eligible?

What about Fiorentina, who've historically won the EL but lost a CL final?

I've considered a hybrid - only winning the CL removes a side from eligibility. So, in the examples above, Partizan and Fiorentina would remain eligible.

Sevilla's example is less clear...does a loss in the CL final in-game control, or do the Europa League wins disqualify them? I'm inclined to say the former...

But, if that's the case, why not make all clubs who've reached the Europa or CWC final eligible, but haven't won the CL eligible? I also like the sound of that, but the number of clubs grows very, very quickly, to the point that having eligibility criteria almost seems silly.

There are a whole bunch of ways to do this, and there is no doubting that any set of "rules" would still see a wide variety of eligible clubs, just based on the historical record alone. 

So...err...yeah. I haven't thought about this. Much...

[ManUtd1]

7 matches to play, the split for the Final Phase sees us level with Cukaricki on points, but 2 back on goal difference.

 

All to play for, lads.  Up first?  Cukaricki, away.

[ManUtd1]

3 potentially-eligible clubs reach the quarterfinals...and we'll have 2 Belgian sides in the semifinals!

 

Is an all-Belgian final in the cards...?  Maybe!!!

 

[yugo23]

That's a big list of clubs. So many German (and Austrian, and Hungarian) clubs on that list, and some of them are now really far from that glory. 

What if a club lost all three finals - CWC, EL and CL, perhaps in that case 3 European titles are needed to remove them from eligibility.

Which other clubs besides Partizan and Red Star won Superliga? It's highly unlikely in real life that any other club will do it, yet in the game it seems to happen quite often.

Edited July 12, 2017 by yugo23

[Akkarin]

On 11/07/2017 at 00:09, ManUtd1 said:

From there, Telleus ventured onto the terraces, where he quickly was promoted within the ABBA-influenced Malmo FF Ultras group, known as the Super Troupers, given his commanding presence and perfect pitch.

Wait, hold it. Hakan has Perfect Pitch?? And this is only revealed now, after 83 pages of story? This explains so much, but wherever did he find that quantity of Breath in this day and age? I wonder what other secrets have been buried in throw-away memorabilia and historical facts like this up there in Malmo...

[HawkAussie]

6 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

You've been snooping through my notes, @HawkAussie! 

This would be great fun, and it's something I've thought of -- opening up eligibility to club sides who've also reached but lost another European Cup final (the Europa League or Cup Winners' Cup; Intertoto doesn't count, of course).  The problems I've considered are mainly practical - the sheer number of leagues and clubs, and how to determine eligibility going forward once the save starts.

For example, if Partizan win the Europa League, are they out? What if Sevilla reach the CL final but lose...are they now eligible?

What about Fiorentina, who've historically won the EL but lost a CL final?

I've considered a hybrid - only winning the CL removes a side from eligibility. So, in the examples above, Partizan and Fiorentina would remain eligible.

Sevilla's example is less clear...does a loss in the CL final in-game control, or do the Europa League wins disqualify them? I'm inclined to say the former...

But, if that's the case, why not make all clubs who've reached the Europa or CWC final eligible, but haven't won the CL eligible? I also like the sound of that, but the number of clubs grows very, very quickly, to the point that having eligibility criteria almost seems silly.

There are a whole bunch of ways to do this, and there is no doubting that any set of "rules" would still see a wide variety of eligible clubs, just based on the historical record alone. 

So...err...yeah. I haven't thought about this. Much...

Much, more like a lot of time of reading that post before thinking about what to do with it.

 

[ManUtd1]

17 hours ago, yugo23 said:

That's a big list of clubs. So many German (and Austrian, and Hungarian) clubs on that list, and some of them are now really far from that glory. 

What if a club lost all three finals - CWC, EL and CL, perhaps in that case 3 European titles are needed to remove them from eligibility.

Which other clubs besides Partizan and Red Star won Superliga? It's highly unlikely in real life that any other club will do it, yet in the game it seems to happen quite often.

I'm away from my laptop today, but Cukaricki and Backa recently obviously won it recently. I'm pretty sure Vojvodina have as well.

15 hours ago, Akkarin said:

Wait, hold it. Hakan has Perfect Pitch?? And this is only revealed now, after 83 pages of story? This explains so much, but wherever did he find that quantity of Breath in this day and age? I wonder what other secrets have been buried in throw-away memorabilia and historical facts like this up there in Malmo...

Perhaps from all those academy prospects who just weren't good enough...?

14 hours ago, HawkAussie said:

Much, more like a lot of time of reading that post before thinking about what to do with it.

If only!  I've got a number of save ideas for what to do "next," and expanding this challenge in Europe has always been among them.

Edited July 12, 2017 by ManUtd1

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

I see Anderlecht's tycoon is still going well for them. Any other unexpected tycoon takeovers?

[ManUtd1]

19 minutes ago, Fer Fuchs Ake said:

I see Anderlecht's tycoon is still going well for them. Any other unexpected tycoon takeovers?

None that I've noticed - it is still @AnderlechtKiwiFarmer, too. He hasn't moved on.

[oriole01]

15 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

None that I've noticed - it is still @AnderlechtKiwiFarmer, too. He hasn't moved on.

I can't imagine the uneasiness if Gunnar ever ends up at Anderlecht with the Kiwi Farmer still there. Especially if he goes about asking for dates with his daughter again....

[Bedese]

7 hours ago, HawkAussie said:

Much, more like a lot of time of reading that post before thinking about what to do with it.

 

Man, get out of here. It's hardly a revolutionary idea, it's entirely feasible that somebody else had also been thinking of it. Seriously...

[BoxToBox]

9 hours ago, HawkAussie said:

Much, more like a lot of time of reading that post before thinking about what to do with it.

 

[Keano16]

9 hours ago, HawkAussie said:

Much, more like a lot of time of reading that post before thinking about what to do with it.

 

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

35 minutes ago, Keano16 said:

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

[HawkAussie]

6 hours ago, Keano16 said:

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Ow, you should of told me that earlier, now I have a headache because of you.

[mjaferrie]

My money is on Toothless Bob. 

[Akkarin]

On 12/07/2017 at 14:43, ManUtd1 said:

Perhaps from all those academy prospects who just weren't good enough...?

[ManUtd1]

2 Super Liga matches and a cup final to play...can we pull off the domestic double?!  In my first season as a manager?

 

 

**** Star up first, at a bizarrely-proportioned pitch...98x93?!?  In other words, it is about a short as allowed...and as wide as allowed.

 

We then finish away to Novi Pazar, and at Ilic Park against Indija.  Cukarici is away to Borac, and at home to Novi Pazar.

All to play for...

[ManUtd1]

4 hours ago, Akkarin said:

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

[ManUtd1]

On 7/11/2017 at 21:20, ManUtd1 said:

3 potentially-eligible clubs reach the quarterfinals...and we'll have 2 Belgian sides in the semifinals!

 

Is an all-Belgian final in the cards...?  Maybe!!!

 

Incredibly enough, we've got 2 Belgian sides in the Europa League semifinals as well:

 

Their coefficient is going to get a little bump...and...whoa...Belgium is set to overtake Spain in the club coefficients table:

 

[ManUtd1]

The dimensions of this pitch... 

   

It's like this field the is the equivalent of @Benjoe's Nelson ... short and WIDE.

Edited July 15, 2017 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

Corners require a layover in Belgrade...

 

"Anything that travels that far ought to have a **** stewardess on it."  

      --Crash Davis

                        --Michael Scott

[ManUtd1]

Lesson for **** Star -- when facing a side that's content to sit back in a compact shape, and hit the channels in transition, at pace...don't use all 93 yards of width...kind of opens the channels up.

 

Battered them.  Beyond any and all expectation.