[FM20] The Fourth Glass: I May Be Going Nowhere, But What A Ride

[ManUtd1]

March 2029.

A frustrating match in Arnhem, as we go ahead through an early Selmani goal but Vitesse find a way to win it 2-1, late. We'll have to chase the tie back in Georgia.

A remarkable start to the 2nd leg against Vitesse, as Tsivtsivadze makes a brilliant solo run through the falling snow in the 1st minute to put us up on aggregate. We control the match, but our joy is crushed in the 87th when Tsivtsivadze is denied a brace by VAR. Nevertheless, we hold firm. We advance on away goals, 1-nil on the night, 2-2 on aggregate.

We will face Toulouse in the Quarterfinals.

In other news, we sold 202 season tickets this year, up from 148 last year. Ticket prices are also up to $19 per match, $125 per season ticket (up from $15 and $104, last year).

All told, a brilliant start to the campaign.

[rodesire]

I am gonna be the person to rain on the parade. This new 4k seater means, you'll be limited to 8k seater stadium for the next 20 years. Hardly a place to base the European champions. Now the stadium after that... *salivating*

[Mandy42]

27 minutes ago, rodesire said:

I am gonna be the person to rain on the parade. This new 4k seater means, you'll be limited to 8k seater stadium for the next 20 years. Hardly a place to base the European champions. Now the stadium after that... *salivating*

but you need less bricks for the fortress wall around it, for the next 20 years at least

[ManUtd1]

8 hours ago, rodesire said:

I am gonna be the person to rain on the parade. This new 4k seater means, you'll be limited to 8k seater stadium for the next 20 years. Hardly a place to base the European champions. Now the stadium after that... *salivating*

7 hours ago, Mandy42 said:

but you need less bricks for the fortress wall around it, for the next 20 years at least

I guess we'll see, if/when it arrives.  I haven't paid much attention to stadium expansions in the last few years (for the reasons noted above), but haven't noticed a direct correlation.  I'm not expecting miracles, though!

[ManUtd1]

April 2029.

We snatch an early lead against the run of play in France, but cannot hold on. A 94th minute goal for Toulouse secures a draw, much more than we deserved even if I thought we would escape with all 3 points.

Back at our second home in Tbilisi, the same pattern continues. We sneak a goal against the run of play shortly before halftime, but cannot hold on after we're reduced to 10 men in the 76th minute. Toulouse win 2-1 on the night, 3-2 on aggregate.

Toulouse were the better team over 180 minutes. They deserve to advance, even if we could have scalped them. We didn't. A quarterfinal appearance is something we can be proud of.

[ManUtd1]

In case anyone is interested -- the Toulouse match set a record high attendance (3,202) and gate receipts.

[ManUtd1]

May 2029.

I think we've hit the point where domestic dominance is imminent, if not secured. Our 2nd XI held their own early on, and our 1st XI is roflstomping the opposition. I'm ready for Champions League qualifying to start.

[ManUtd1]

June 2029 - European Review.

Julian Nagelsmann's RB Leipzig beat Pascal Gastien's Toulouse to claim the Europa Conference League title. But Gela Tsivtsivadze claims the Golden Boot with 12 goals. Beautiful.

As far as the rest of Europe goes, I have to say that I'm getting really sick and tired of the English dominance in Europe. It has been utterly absurd on this save so far, far and away the worst I've seen in years.

   

[ManUtd1]

@Weiry @Makoto Nakamura

Just an update, as we've progressed to the start 2029/30 European campaign and thought you might be interested.

Meshakte has been given the last spot in the Europa Conference League again.  They're still in the 5th tier, and did not play in the Davit Kipiani Cup last year.  Merani finished 4th in the Erovnuli Liga and should have had that spot, since we won the Cup.

Seems like this will be an ongoing thing, but this is the last time I'll mention it.  It isn't affecting my enjoyment of the save, one bit!

[ManUtd1]

June 2029.

We start the month by obtaining further investment from the Board in our youth recruitment (expanding to extensive) and data analysis facilities.

The Erovnuli Liga's reputation has also increased, rising to 64th overall. Which means we're on par with the English and German 4th tiers.

Duruji Kvareli also leap 338 places in the club coefficients table thanks to 2 successful years in the Europa Conference League, now sitting at 115th (20 spots behind Lokomotivi in 95th).

Georgia also rises to 24th in the coefficients table, sitting behind Ireland and Israel.

Our first Champions League draw sees us face Belorussian side Dinamo Brest in the first round, with the winner to face the winner of APOEL-Riga.

[rodesire]

@ManUtd1 how about you get Meshkani as an affiliate and try drag them up to top division?

[ManUtd1]

19 minutes ago, rodesire said:

@ManUtd1 how about you get Meshkani as an affiliate and try drag them up to top division?

Might be worth it,just to see what happens -- the Regional Leagues are inactive, but perhaps they're getting a reputation bump from the Conference League which would help them promote...

[ManUtd1]

June 2029.

Another massive disappointment with our youth intake. The best possible spin on this is that we have a lot of wingbacks and wingers, coming through. Quantity, not quality.

On the pitch, it was a straightforward month even if the 2nd XI dropped points against Torpedo Kutaisi. The Erovnuli Liga is already a two-team race, at the end of June.

One final bit of news, Vladimir Khakhaleishvili is now the club's all-time appearance leader, with 175. His contract expires in December 2030; it will not be renewed.

[ManUtd1]

July 2029.

The lads are at their most clinical in Belarus, smashing 3 past our hosts before they knew what hit them. A 3-1 win will take us a long, long way towards progressing through to the next round. Dinamo are a team we should beat, but the lead is not big enough to get complacent -- the 1st XI will play the 2nd leg.

And it's a good thing we didn't tempt fate, because Dinamo came to play in the 2nd leg. Nevertheless, we prevail 5-3 on aggregate, 2-2 on the night.

We'll face APOEL in the next round.

[ManUtd1]

August 2029.

We take care of business in Cyprus, a hard-fought 1-1 draw giving us reason to hope. We need not have worried. We smash the Cypriots 4-1 in the return leg, the result never in doubt.

In the Third Qualifying Round, we face CFR Cluj. We have every reason for confidence. Before kickoff in the 1st leg, however, we are met with the news that the winner will face Olympiacos for the right to play in the Group Stage. First things first, though. We've got a stubborn Romanian side to vanquish.

We blow the first leg against Cluj. A poor performance. A 1-nil loss that should serve as a wake-up call. It doesn't. A scoreless draw in the 2nd leg means we are eliminated from the Champions League. We had our chances, but couldn't put them away.

We will face Rijeka in the Europa League Playoffs.

[Weiry]

6 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

@Weiry @Makoto Nakamura

Just an update, as we've progressed to the start 2029/30 European campaign and thought you might be interested.

Meshakte has been given the last spot in the Europa Conference League again.  They're still in the 5th tier, and did not play in the Davit Kipiani Cup last year.  Merani finished 4th in the Erovnuli Liga and should have had that spot, since we won the Cup.

That is very strange and there's no logical explanation as to why Meshakte are getting put into Europe other than some in-game corruption between UEFA and the Georgian FA 

I haven't gotten around to looking at the file due to the holidays but will have a look later in the week. 

[noikeee]

Rijeka. Now that's a familiar club. Didn't they win the Champions League recently? Nah, I must have been dreaming.

Looks like you've reached the point when domestic competitions aren't a challenge anymore, it's all about Europe now.

[ManUtd1]

9 minutes ago, Weiry said:

That is very strange and there's no logical explanation as to why Meshakte are getting put into Europe other than some in-game corruption between UEFA and the Georgian FA 

I haven't gotten around to looking at the file due to the holidays but will have a look later in the week. 

No worries -- again, I appreciate all the time you put into this!  Save wouldn't be happening without you!

8 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Rijeka. Now that's a familiar club. Didn't they win the Champions League recently? Nah, I must have been dreaming.

Looks like you've reached the point when domestic competitions aren't a challenge anymore, it's all about Europe now.

Yeah, the domestic "stumbles" are down to the 2nd XI dominating matches but not putting the opposition away.  

[ManUtd1]

August 2029.

We approach the first leg of the Rijeka tie having failed to find the back of the net in 4 matches -- the 1st XI in two matches against Cluj, the 2nd XI away to Zestaponi and at home against Dinamo Tbilisi. Granted, we've only given up 1 goal in those 4 matches. But we need to find our shooting boots.

We don't bring out shooting boots, but break the streak in the 1st leg thanks to two headed goals of pinpoint free kicks served by Vasile State. We take a 2-nil advantage to Croatia. Where we hold firm, a scoreless draw ensuring passage to the Europa League Group Stage.

We'll face Jose Mourinho's Roma, Young Boys and Crusaders. We should battle Young Boys for 2nd, I'd think.

It was a brutal month. But I'm pleased. We have a good shot to advance in the Europa League, and sit 4 points clear of Lokomotivi in the Erovnuli Liga, despite the 2nd XI playing all of our domestic fixtures.

The Board won't let us sign up another affiliate, but is more than willing to continue investing in our data analysis facilities. That full-world FM30 save the lads are planning is going to be epic.

[wynter]

1 hour ago, ManUtd1 said:

August 2029.

 

The Board won't let us sign up another affiliate, but is more than willing to continue investing in our data analysis facilities. That full-world FM30 save the lads are planning is going to be epic.

 

Building the greatest scouting network known to Georgia. 

[ManUtd1]

September/October 2029.

Our Group Stage campaign starts disastrously, as we take Young Boys to the woodshed, but only embarrass ourselves in the end. A 1-nil loss, with their goal coming against the run of play.

A 3-1 loss to Jose Mourinho's Roma on Matchday 2 is a bitter pill to swallow, but we leave Roma with our dignity intact. And follow that up with a 3-1 win over 10-man Crusaders in Northern Ireland.

All told it was a long, hard month. Our legs are tiring. But the end is in sight. 7 matches to play. The Davit Kipiani Cup final. 3 Erovnuli Liga matches. 3 Europa League matches.

Our youth intake also arrived. It was as poor as the preview indicated.

[ManUtd1]

35 minutes ago, wynter said:

Building the greatest scouting network known to Georgia. 

We've spent $500k on scouting already this year, it'll be approximately 5x what we spent last year by the end of the season...and is more than we spent on all costs in many seasons 

[ManUtd1]

November 2029.

An interesting twist in November, as the Georgia national team position opens up, after a poor World Cup qualifying campaign which saw the Crusaders annihilated 7-nil by Ireland.

I applied for the job after some deliberation (regarding whether it was the "right" time to do so). The FA ultimately concluded that Giorgi Amirani is was not the "best person for the job," and instead hired the guy whose resume includes getting sacked by Saburtalo, Rustavi and Zestaponi in the last 3 years.

A few hours after I got the message that I wasn't the "best person" for the Georgia job, we spanked Young Boys 4-1 at the Wankdorf.

Imagine how badly we would have abused Young Boys if Giorgi Amirani was the best person for the job.

2 matches to play, we're still on for the title despite the 2nd XI slipping up against Dinamo Tbilisi. We are also still in with a shout to reach the Europa League knockout rounds, but would need help from Crusaders who host Young Boys on Matchday 6.

[ManUtd1]

December 2029.

An emphatic 2-nil win on the final matchday confirms our domestic treble. In the end, our 5-point margin over Lokomotivi was closer than I wanted. We also only secured 85 points, as compared to 90 last year. We did score more goals (80, an increase of 10), but also conceded more (21, instead of 18). We need to do better.

After the final whistle, I sacked our Head of Youth Development. We've had several poor intakes in a row, and it's time to see if our increased reputation can land a better candidate. Fingers are crossed.

Mourinho is up to his old tricks before the final match, but he's probably just mad because we sent some of the local "talent" to visit him the night before the match. I decide to speak to the media for the first time in years.

We get the last laugh, holding Roma to a scoreless draw in front of a record crowd of 4,395, which means that Young Boys win the Group. We drop to the Europa Conference League, but have every reason to be proud of our efforts.

[ManUtd1]

December 2029 - Season Review.

Our first trip to the Champions League was less glorious than I'd hoped. I'd like to think that we tightened our grip on Georgian football this year, even if the Erovnuli Liga was closer.

There's no question our squad is strong than it was. I want to add a few players, though. Having spent time improving our defense, I'm turning back towards the attack. I wouldn't mind a mezzala or two. And we need a new backup regista. Backup wingbacks wouldn't hurt, either, as that is arguably our biggest weakness right now in the 2nd XI.

I'm also torn over Gela Tsivtsivadze. Goose had an amazing year, and is a long-term squad player. I will give some serious thought to dipping into the market to replace Tsivtsivadze.

Goals for 2030:  Improve on our performance in the Erovnuli Liga. Make a run in the 2029/30 Europa Conference League knockout rounds. Make a run in the qualifying rounds for the 2030/31 Champions League.

Squad | Erovnuli Liga | Transfers

Finances | Income | Expenditure

[ManUtd1]

December 2029/January 2030 - Off-Season Bits and Bobs.

The Europa Conference League draw pits us against C***aricki, who beat us twice during the 2027/28 Europa Conference League Group Stage.

We have no further "official" news regarding our new stadium, but when I went to check for an update in the facilities tab, the planned capacity at our new ground is now 5,750, up from the original 4,025.

We will also receive $411k for television rights in 2030, up from $334k last year.

We've also stolen Dinamo Tbilisi's Head of Youth Development, Zurab Gogrichiani, who is a massive upgrade.

In transfer news, my primary goal has been to shore up the midfield. Dinamo nicked 2 of our primary targets, but we have confirmed three big signings that can step into the squad and (hopefully) compete for spots in the 1st XI in due course.

Our first confirmed signing is Sudanese international Omer Farjallah, at the cost of $90k from Jazeerat Al-Feel. He will join the squad next summer and train as a mezzala, likely starting in our 2nd XI.

Guinean U21 Oumar Toure will join for $75k from Soumba FC, to take up the regista role in our 2nd XI.

Finally, we've also signed Cameroonian U21 Yannick Eto'o on a free from APEJES, as his contract was expiring. He will join up with the squad in the summer, and train as a mezzala.

[ManUtd1]

February 2030.

Another $1.9M for the lads' FM supercomputer.

The media still can't wrap their heads around our success thus far, and are predicting that we finish 2nd again.

A solid pre-season. We're ready for the Serbians.

[Mandy42]

11 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

February 2030.

 

Another $1.9M for the lads' FM supercomputer.

 

The media still can't wrap their heads around our success thus far, and are predicting that we finish 2nd again.

 

A solid pre-season. We're ready for the Serbians.

 

 

They are watching porn, any use of the letters F and M mean something completely different 

[ManUtd1]

2 hours ago, Mandy42 said:

They are watching porn, any use of the letters F and M mean something completely different 

[ManUtd1]

February 2030.

The first leg against C***aricki kicks off with fireworks. 3 goals in the first 13 minutes, the only problem being that the 3rd was scored by the Serbians after we'd rushed out to a 2-nil lead, and let our concentration slip. We continued to dominate but couldn't turn that control into goals, and were rightly punished as a result. Kote "Reshi" Tkeshelashvili found the winner in the 75th, to give us a 3-2 advantage heading into the 2nd leg in Belgrade. But I can't shake the feeling that we'll regret not putting the Serbians away when we had the chance.

The second leg was a nervy affair, which saw us concede a penalty early on before missing one of our own. In the end, it took Gulordava finding Goose breaking the Serbian offside trap in the 88th minute, to send us through. A 1-1 draw on the night, 4-3 on aggregate. Not pretty, but enough to see us through to the Second Knockout Round.

Drinks are on Amirani at Belgrade's famous Itcky Kitty, fellas. Word is that we've been invited into the aviation-themed, VIP-only Cockpit Lounge.

We will face Arne Slot's Villarreal in the next round.

[Mandy42]

you say

[ManUtd1]

7 minutes ago, Mandy42 said:

you say

The original Itchy Kitty was outside of Malmo, but the Belgrade location is much more famous.  This just looks like someone trying to profit off the brand recognition.  Outrageous.

They'll be hearing from my lawyers.

[ManUtd1]

March 2030.

Season ticket sales keep increasing slowly, up to 237 this year (202 last year). Ticket prices also rise to $21 per match (up from $19), with season tickets now priced at $143 (up from $125).

The first leg against Villarreal was a hard-fought affair, until the introduction of Levan "Goose" Akhobadze. Within minutes, he turned a hard-fought 1-nil lead into a dominant, 3-nil result -- playing Kavtaradze in behind the Spanish defense, to set up our 2nd, before a brilliant solo effort made it 3. (My head tells me Goose is nowhere good enough to be in our 1st XI, but my heart doesn't want to agree.)

The second leg in Spain sees Villarreal throw everything at us, including the proverbial kitchen sink. We bend, but we do not break. Villarreal win 1-nil on the night, but we advance with a 3-1 aggregate win.

Rudi Garcia's Marseille await in the quarterfinals. A big ask.

That being said, we've hit the ground running, rotating the squad heavily for all but one match in March.

[ManUtd1]

March 2030.

We ride our luck against Marseille in the first leg, in front of a record crowd of 4,497. We couldn't get out of our half in the first 45, but tweaked our tactics to get a foothold in the match, with the crossbar denying Kote "Reshi" Tkeshelashvili an unlikely winner. We will settle for a scoreless draw.

The return leg does not start well in Marseille, as our hosts find the back of the net after only 30 seconds. An unstoppable rocket from Barcelona-bred left back Carles Bellerin. It should be 2-nil after 3 minutes, when Bellerin misses a sitter. Marseille make it 2, in the 31st. 3 in the 48th. We have yet to register a shot, much less one on target. A lesson in just how far we have to go. Jankowski pulls one back in the 64th. It is our first shot of the match. Any hopes of a miracle are promptly quashed, though, as Marseille restore their 3-goal lead within minutes. Even though we are well-and-truly beaten, Goose doesn't stop running, grabbing a goal in the 87th minute. The final insult? A 93rd minute penalty. Goose seems personally offended, chasing down a long clearance from Kurashvili moments later and smashing home our 3rd in the 95th minute. Epic. The match finishes 5-3. Marseille deserve the win. The scoreline flatters us, and should serve as a personal embarrassment to the French keeper.

We're out of Europe. For now. No rest for the wicked, though. We host Lokomotivi in 3 days' time.

[ManUtd1]

I went to check after the 2nd leg against Marseille, and...yep.  Goose is officially a "club icon."  It's not just in my head.

He will get the start against Lokomotivi. 

[ManUtd1]

March 2030.

Promoted to the 1st XI for a massive match against Lokomotivi, 3 days after snatching a brace in Marseille? You have to wonder, is Goose feeling any pressure. Nope. He opens the scoring in the 4th minute. We control the match, but tired legs work against us. Goose's goal is the difference. A 1-nil win, our 2nd win of the campaign over our primary domestic rivals in a 6-week period.

The Legend of the Goose continues to grow.

[ManUtd1]

May 2030.

A solid run of matches sees us reach the midpoint of the domestic campaign, 6 points clear of Dinamo Batumi, 9 points clear of Lokomotivi.

We've given Goose a run in the 1st XI, and...well, like Shakira's hips, these statistics don't lie. One way or another, he's outperforming Tsivtsivadze.

[ManUtd1]

June 2030 - Misc Updates & European Review.

Our latest round of youth and training facility upgrades is complete. We've got a ways to go, but the Board rejected my request for another round of upgrades...except for the data analysis facilities, we're investing another $2.5M there.

Shockwaves around Europe as the Erovnuli Liga reputation jumps to 58th, a whisker behind the Icelandic top tier and 2nd tiers in Poland and Norway. Duruji Kvareli are now sitting 52nd in the club coefficients table.

This means that, starting with the 2031/32 European campaign, Georgia will have 2 Champions League places, 1 Europa League place and 2 Conference League places:

Meshakhte are back in the Europa Conference League. And, for some reason, 35 Sapekhburto Skola are in the Champions League preliminary round.

There's a lot that could be read into this, but there's no question this is a massive improvement on the previews we've been receiving.

All the results from Europe are here, as the English domination continues...

   

[Mandy42]

they might be looking at football data while the boss is in the building

but what do you think they do after?

the data centres for porn....

[ManUtd1]

July 2030 - World Cup Review.

John van den Brom's Netherlands claim their first World Cup title at Spain 2030, with a 2-nil win over Mauricio Pochettino's Argentina.

Solid showings from Vinny Perth's Ireland and Robbie Neilson's Scotland, who reached the quarterfinals, while Hristo Zlatinski's Bulgaria reached the semifinals.

Probably best not to dwell on the Second Round eliminations of: Jurgen Klopp's Spain, courtesy of Vladimir Weiss' Serbia; Ney Franco's Brazil, at the hands of Mounir Jaaouani's Morocco; and, Manuel Baum's Germany, by Pedro Martins' Portugal.

[ManUtd1]

July 2030.

Beware the Ides of July. That's how the saying goes, I think.

The start of our European campaign saw our domestic form crater. While the 1st XI prepared to face Lincoln (I know...), the 2nd XI lost away to Dinamo Batumi. One week later, our passage to the next round of Champions League qualifying all but confirmed, the 1st XI took up the cause away to Lokomotivi Tbilisi...and fell on their faces. The 2nd XI then promptly drew against Merani at the Kvareli Fortress.

While these three sides are our biggest domestic competition, it was an unacceptable run of form. One part of the problem? Gela Tsivtsivadze has scored 2 goals in his last 7 matches, dating back to May, and only 4 goals in all competitions this year. He played with the 2nd XI in July, but was utterly ineffective (In contrast, Goose has scored 12 goals since May, with 4 assists. He was also our top goalscorer last year, playing with a less-talented 2nd XI.)

For the time being, Goose will stay with the 1st XI. I plan to replace Tsivtsivadze over the winter break. After all, if he can't be counted on to bully our domestic opponents, what use is he?

While our domestic campaign was hitting a speed bump, our form in Europe has been nothing less than scintillating. As one would expect, the 1st XI annihilated Lincoln 13-nil in the first leg, allowing the 2nd XI to finish the Gibraltarianerses off with a straightforward 4-nil win. Gibraltarianerses? Close enough.

We then faced the Icelandic champions, for a lively 5-2 win in the first leg. The lads left it late in the return leg, but eventually romped to a 3-1 win in Reykjavik off the back of 2 brilliant assists from Goose, to give us the equalizer and lead.

Goose is on tonight, and his hips don't lie.

We advance to the Third Qualifying Round for the first time, and will face Hungarian champions Ferencvaros for a spot in the Playoffs.

[Benjoe]

Damn, you went through the cheap seats ( ) quickly to get to the Crystalmeth - I mean Crystalbet - league!

I was sort of, kinda, very much so, hoping you'd struggle in the lower leagues and manage there for decades while you lost the last drop of sanity. 

I guess I must accept, that we live in an alternative universe to the one I truly want to live in. Maybe some day I will find inner peace and go live in that alternative universe.

Where the tap water is sangria; chickpeas are living things; cashew nuts are growing on houseplants; dogs are our overlords; geese look like this:

Spoiler

 

Until then I suppose I can slightly  appreciate your succes and happiness - if nothing else due to the man, the myth, the goose - Goose. 

 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Benjoe

[ManUtd1]

Sorry to disappoint, @Benjoe!

I've been waiting to use that gif, but had too much fun with Shakira... 

[Benjoe]

1 minute ago, ManUtd1 said:

Sorry to disappoint, @Benjoe!

I've been waiting to use that gif, but had too much fun with Shakira... 

It's okay, you never fail to disappoint me, and I've learned to accept your flaws. At the end of the day:

 

Well, if you can have fun with Shakira, there's no reason to do much else! 

[ManUtd1]

August 2030.

We had a full docket this month. Before the first match kicked off, though, I went back to the Board, hat in hand...and they agree to invest further in our youth and training facilities. Progress.

The biggest task on our list was the Champions League qualifying campaign, beginning with Ferencvaros. A 1-nil win in the first leg was more illustrative of our inability to break down a stubborn defense, although we have Levan "Goose" Akhobadze (who else?!) to thank for finding a late winner. The return leg in Budapest was also one-sided, with a goal Kote "Reshi Tkeshelashvili ensuring a 1-nil win on the night (2-nil on aggregate), and safe passage through to the final qualifying stage...

...to face AA Gent, the defending Belgian Jupiler League champions. We were utterly brilliant in the 1st leg, in Gent, but couldn't bury our hosts. We left with a 1-1 draw, and every reason to be confident as it is a result we would not have hesitated to take, before kickoff. My fears were soon realized, however, as the Belgians actually showed up to play in the 2nd leg, claiming a 1-nil win on the night and the spot in the Champions League Group Stage that I so desperately wanted.

Which means we've dropped to the Europa League. We enjoy a brilliant draw, and avoid the big sides -- Liverpool, Manchester City and Inter. We will face Ernest Faber's Athletic and Galatasaray, while also getting another chance to slap Young Boys around.

After Young Boys won our Europa League Group last year (finishing ahead of Jose Mourinho's Roma, no less), you can't count them out. And we'd be foolish to look past the Basques and Turks. My goal is to finish 3rd, and secure a spot in the Europa Conference League knockout rounds.

The 2nd XI were eliminated from the Davit Kipiani Cup by Lokomotivi, but I don't mind. It eases our fixture congestion, as we will have 1 less match per month for the run-in. That may not sound like much. And it isn't. The reality is that the Cup is not important at this juncture -- our Board literally seems to have forgotten about it (likely due to the bug we've discussed earlier). Moreover, logically-speaking it would not take priority over the Erovnuli Liga and European campaigns. So I will not mourn that missing game.

With all to play for in the Europa League, we sit 8 points clear of Lokomotivi (although they have a game in hand), with 10 matches to play. Perhaps the biggest match is in 4 weeks' time, when we host our title rivals at the Kvareli Fortress in the middle of a key stretch of 5 straight matches -- away to Athletic, then at home against Dinamo Batumi (3rd), Lokomotivi (2nd), and Galatasaray, before closing with a trip to Merani (4th).

[rodesire]

Ooof, that 0-13 spanking of devils, dayuuum son!

[Mandy42]

The headline anytime to goose gets injured / has a goal drought or you sell him

[ManUtd1]

9 hours ago, rodesire said:

Ooof, that 0-13 spanking of devils, dayuuum son!

This ain't the Georgian Regional League, baby!

7 hours ago, Mandy42 said:

The headline anytime to goose gets injured / has a goal drought or you sell him

Followed shortly by this one, as I'm strung up by my innards on the walls of the Kvareli Fortress.

[ManUtd1]

September 2030.

This year's youth intake preview was the most promising one we've had in years. But the proof is in the pudding.

Our new Head of Youth Development certainly deserves credit for bringing in the best class we've had in years.

The most promising players to my eye are Giorgi Rotiashvili, Lasha Geguchadze, Kakhaber Sharvadze, Giorgi Samkharadze, and Badri Kokhreidze. None are dead-certs for the first team, but they're a far better crop than what we've been seeing.

[ManUtd1]

September 2030.

Our first test of the Europa League Group Stage was away to Athletic, a big ask under any circumstances. We fluffed our chances, though, while the hosts buried theirs. Up until their 89th minute penalty, I thought we might nick a point. In the end, we suffer a 2-nil loss which hurts, but isn't anything to be ashamed of considering the circumstances and how we've come in the last 9 years. The goal is simply to continue progressing, slowly and steadily.

Domestically, we faced two big matches at the Kvareli Fortress in September -- likely title-deciders against Dinamo Batumi and Lokomotivi. We smashed them both - 4-1 and 3-1, respectively. As a result, we now sit 8 points clear of Lokomotivi, with 7 matches to play and a game in hand. Barring a monumental collapse, we should be celebrating another title in 2 months' time.