[FM 18] European Domination

[patchps15]

Long-time lurker here, first time posting. I have an ongoing long-term game, that I am already 18 seasons into. To motivate myself to continue this, I will update on here to document my adventures.

The rules of this save are as follows:

• Win every top level piece of silverware in every European country, in alphabetical order. 
• Once I join a team in a country, I cannot leave until I win every top level trophy, or I am sacked.
• Win the Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup in multiple countries.
• Win all international competitions (a bonus goal).

I will start by recapping my progress to this point.

First up was Albania

2017/18 Season

 

I started out by taking over at KS Dinamo Tirana. A fallen giant in Albanian terms. A team that had once been challenging for and winning titles, stuck in the second tier. This is how the top tier had turned out in recent years.

First season, I was able to win the Albanian First Category, and get Dinamo promoted back to where they belonged. I no longer have the league loaded, so cannot show any stats, however. The Albanian Cup campaign was unsuccessful, with a Second Round exit to Partizani, who also ended up winning the league title this season.

 

2018/19 Season

First season in the top flight, I guided us to 4th place, excellent progress, and exceeding expectations. The league winners were Teuta, a somewhat surprising outcome. In the Albanian Cup, we managed to go all the way and win it, beating Skenderbeu in the final after extra time. An unexpected first piece of silverware, but the first of many.

 

2019/20 Season

This season began with the Euro Cup First Qualifying Round, where our first venture into Europe was over as quickly as it began. We were no match for Israel's Hapeol Be'er-Sheva. Next up was the Super Cup. For some reason, I tend to find these to be a bit of a bogey competition. Here was no different, with us losing to league champions Teuta. However, we were able to avenge this defeat by going on to win the Albanian Superleague, and capture the first league title of my career. We were unable to defend our crown in the Cup, losing out to Partizani.

 

2020/21 Season

We began the season with a defeat in the Champions League First Qualifying Round to Legia Warszawa. This put us into the Second Qualifying Round of the Europa League, where we dispatched AS Trencin of Slovakia, then CS U Craiova of Romania, followed by Qarabag FK Agdam of Azerbaijan. So we actually made it to the group stages. But I wouldn't be there to play them. This is because we defeated KF Tirana to win the Super Cup, thus completing all Albanian trophies. I resigned immediately. I felt sad leaving the team I had built, but in this type of career you need to be ruthless.

Here is my favourite player from my time at Dinamo Tirana. Obviously only the stats between 2017/18-2020/21 apply to me.

Here is proof of the trophies won.

Next up was Andorra.

Order of countries and progress:

Spoiler

1. Albania (Dinamo Tirana) - Complete

2. Andorra (CE Jenlai) - Complete

3. Armenia (Pyunik Yerevan) - Complete

4. Austria (Union St. Florian) - In Progress

5. Azerbaijan

6. Belarus

7. Belgium

8. Bosnia and Herzegovina

9. Bulgaria

10. Croatia

11. Cyprus

12. Czech Republic

13. Denmark

14. England

15. Estonia

16. Faroe Islands

17. Finland

18. France

19. FYR Macedonia

20. Georgia

21. Germany

22. Gibraltar

23. Greece

24. Holland

25. Hungary

26. Iceland

27. Ireland

28. Israel

29. Italy

30. Kazakhstan

31. Kosovo

32. Latvia

(Liechtenstein?)

33. Lithuania

34. Luxembourg

35. Malta

36. Moldova

37. Montenegro

38. Northern Ireland

39. Norway

40. Poland

41. Portugal

42. Romania

43. Russia

44. San Marino

45. Scotland

46. Serbia

47. Slovakia

48. Slovenia

49. Spain

50. Sweden

51. Switzerland

52. Turkey

53. Ukraine

54. Wales

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by patchps15

[patchps15]

2020/21 Season

My next task was to find a job in Andorra. I know this place like the back of my hand, having won 25 league titles and 6 Champions Leagues with UE Sant Julia in another save.

The first problem was that there were no vacancies, and I had to wait until late April until I was able to get anywhere.

I was appointed as CE Jenlai manager, with them sitting in 5th place in the Andorran First Division (top flight on my save). They are generally a side who yo-yo between the top and second tier, and so my initial challenge was to establish them as a top flight side. Then, I would have to overthrow Lusitans, who were holding a monopoly over the league since the start of the save.

In the limited time left in the season, we were able to consolidate our position and finish 5th. We were already out of the cup when I joined. The league winners were again Lusitans.

 

2021/22 Season

This season saw a great improvement in the league, with us exceeding expectations to finish 3rd. The Andorran Cup campaign was a disappointment, with us crashing out to lowly Carroi. Lusitans again won the league.

 

2022/23 Season

We began with a venture into the Europa League, beating Bangor City of Wales, before falling to Northern Irish Linfield in the First Qualifying Round. A season of consolidation followed, as we again finished 3rd, closing the gap to Sant Julia and winners Lusitans. A decent cup campaign resulted in us losing to Lusitans in the Semi Final.

 

2023/24 Season

The Europa League Preliminaries saw us despatch Fola Esch of Luxembourg, but we then fell to Apollon Limassol of Cyprus. This season, everything came together with us going all the way to win the league and cup double, beating Sant Julia in the final. An excellent achievement, ahead of schedule.

 

2024/25 Season

All that was left to win in Andorra was the Super Cup, but before that we had an intriguing match up. The Champions League First Qualifying Round saw us drawn against my old club, Dinamo Tirana. After a hard-fought two legs, we emerged victorious on away goals. An unexpected success. We were knocked out by a far too strong Slavia Prague in the next round. In the Europa League, we defeated Stromsgodset of Norway, before losing out to NK Maribor of Slovenia. We then defeated Sant Julia in the Super Cup, and Andorra was complete!

Favourite player

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by patchps15

[patchps15]

2024/25 Season

Armenia was next. I had little knowledge of this league or the country, and so no idea which teams to look out for. It took me until December to find a job, thankfully not as long as before.

Pyunik Yerevan were my new team. A very interesting club, with a fantastic youth academy for this level, I had numerous excellent regens at my disposal. They had once been dominant in this league, winning 10 titles in a row between 2001 and 2010. However, they had fallen on harder times, with Alashkert FC initially taking over, before Shirak Gyumri became an utterly dominant force.

My first task was to steady the ship at Pyunik, with them languishing in 7th place in a 10 team league. I was able to steer them to a 5th place finish, which was an acceptable outcome. We were already out of the Armenian Cup when I arrived. As you can see, Shirak destroyed the league.

 

2025/26 Season

Next season saw vast improvement, with a mixture of signings and youth leading to an excellent 2nd place finish in the league, although still miles behind the mighty Shirak. They also defeated us in the cup final, denying us an unlikely doublbe. But an excellent season all round, despite the lack of silverware.

 

2026/27 Season

Our Europa League campaign commenced with wins over Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia, and FK Rad Beograd of Serbia. Unfortunately, Krasnodar were a step too far in the next round.

An immense effort this season saw us overcome Shirak, including a late-season 1-0 win in the 93rd minute against them, to snatch the title. We also won the Cup, beating Alashkert in the final. An excellent season, defined by the consistency needed to take down Shirak.

 

2027/28 Season

Once again, all that remained to win was the Super Cup. Before that, however, the season began with a Champions League First Qualifying Round defeat by NK Maribor, followed by, in the Europa League, victories over Luxembourg's FC Differdange 03 and Romania's FCSB. We were defeated in the Fourth Qualifying Round by APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus.

Up next was the Super Cup, in which we defeated Alashkert, and so the trophy cabinet for Armenia was complete. Next up was Austria, although there were currently no jobs available. I decided to stay with Pyunik for the time being. This season saw us win the Cup again, defeating Gandzasar in the final. However, Shirak were able to wrest the title back from us in a very close race.

I resigned from Pyunik in the Summer in anticipation of Austrian jobs becoming available.

Favourite player

[patchps15]

 

2028/29 Season

Now onto Austria, where I am currently. This was a big step up, and while there were top division jobs available, none were interested in taking me on. This meant I would have to set my sights lower to begin with.

Union St. Florian are a team who were yo-yoing between the Austrian First Division and the Regional Leagues, having just been promoted once again. This was going to be a far different task, building a team up from meagre beginnings. The first team squad were mostly late 20s, and 30 plus, so an overhaul would be in order. However, resources meant that this could only happen gradually. I made many youthful signings to freshen the team up, to try to avoid relegation.

In the Premier Division, there had been the expected RB Salzburg dominance, with a couple of titles for Rapid Wien also.

The season began with a chastening defeat to lower league SV Strasswalchen in the FA Cup, but steadily improved to the point where we were never really in danger of being relegated, finishing in a comfortable enough 11th place. FC Liefering won the league, but due to their close ties to RB Salzburg meaning they cannot be promoted, LASK were the beneficiaries, and went up.

 

2029/30 Season

What followed was probably the worst season I've ever had on FM. I've only ever been relegated once, but we for sure deserved to be this season. A Second Round FA Cup exit was followed by a turgid season where we emerged with our heads barely above water. My attempted improvements mostly backfired. Once again FC Liefering won the league, with Wolfsberger AC being promoted.

 

2030/31 Season

This season saw a massive improvement in our fortunes, as we started to push towards the top end of the league. For a while it looked like we might make an unlikely bid for promotion, but SC Austria Lustenau pulled well clear in the end. The FA Cup saw us go on a decent run to the Quarter Finals, but Rapid Wien were far too good for us. A 4th place finish in the league represented excellent progress.

 

2031/32 Season

This season ended up as a mixture of frustration and optimism for the future. Looking like prime promotion candidates, we headed the table at the halfway point. Unfortunately, we then fell away after the winter break, and while we did pull things back, we left ourselves too much to do, finish 3rd. Our FA Cup campaign was ended early with a tough draw with Rapid Wien in the Second Round. Floridsdorfer AC achieved the promotion I felt should have been ours.

 

2032/33 Season

It was absolutely my goal to be promoted this season. I knew the team was good enough, it was just down to whether we could hold it all together. We suffered an early exit from the FA Cup to Wolfsberger, but that was not my focus. In the end, promotion was achieved, but SKN St. Polten pushed us close. Happy to get out of this tricky division, with bigger tests to come.

 

2033/34 Season

I had no idea how my first season in the top flight would play out. Would we be steamrollered, or would we be able to complete with the big boys? The structure of the league means that 22 games are played, then the league splits in two, the top 6 and the bottom 6 then enter the Champions Playoff and the Relegation Playoff respectively, taking 50 % of their accrued points forward. They then play 10 more games. Amazingly, we managed to finish 5th in the main season, picking up enough points to be comfortably safe from relegation. We were found out somewhat in the Champions Playoff, finishing 6th, but a fantastic effort all round. Rapid were the eventual winners. No progress in the cup, witha Second Round exit to Austria Lustenau.

 

2034/35

Now we come to this season. At the winter break, we sit in 8th, which is fine, as I'm still only looking to stave off relegation. We also have a great opportunity in the FA Cup, in the Quarter Finals, with Salzburg and the two Wien clubs all having been eliminated. We face Austria Lustenau in the quarters. We have 4 games before the league splits, with the opportunity to secure our league status for another season if we can finish in the top 6.

[patchps15]

My team is developing into a decent side, but our finances are looking grim. We have very little to work with in wage and transfer budget, so it remains to be seen how we will progress. My current First 11 looks like this, with a few squad players.

Solid keeper, could be improved upon, but fine for now

Full-backs are a weak point, both in quality and depth

Wingers are a strong point

Timmermans was an absolute beast in the first division, and still scores at a decent rate. Pio is my main striker now though.

[patchps15]

February 2035

My only signing during the transfer window was Marco Diederich on loan from Wolfsberger. He's a former player of mine, and will provide cover in the RB position. Nothing else possible due to the worrying finances. We really need a takeover or investment. Wage budget is decreasing all the time as well.

On the pitch, it was pretty grim as well. 1 point from 3 games confirms our participation in the Relegation Playoff with 1 game to go, but at least we'll have an advantage taking more points forward than the bottom sides. Need an upturn in form to ensure our survival.

 

 

[patchps15]

March 2035

A disappointing start to the month as we crashed out of the cup on penalties despite being the better side. However, there was a turnaround in form, largely due to a change of tactics. Two vital wins give us plenty of breathing room in the relegation playoff.

At the top, it's a two horse race, Rapid and Salzburg running away with it. Rapid are a good side, winning the Europa League last season, and I don't expect them to lose from their 5 point advantage.

Edited April 17, 2020 by patchps15

[patchps15]

April 2035

A real turnaround in fortunes, with a perfect month making us safe from relegation. The top team in the Relegation Playoff goes through to the European Places Playoff for the chance to enter the Europa League. Would we be able to make it?

May 2035

Consecutive defeats meant that it went to the last in the battle for top spot, but the win against Floridsdorfer put us through to face St. Polten, who were defeated. So we shall be in Europe for the first time next season. The money will be welcome, but I'm not sure how much I will be able to strengthen to prepare for it. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, at the top, Rapid nearly blew it, but did just enough to hold off Salzburg.

A mixed season generally, but one that can be counted as a success. Remains to be seen what improvements can be made in the Summer.

 

Edit - this doesn't look promising

Edited April 17, 2020 by patchps15

[patchps15]

2035 Summer Transfer Window

The financial state at the club is becoming pretty dire, and so I've only been able to bring players in on loan. There has also been a major loss, with the board accepting a bid against my wishes for long-time team member and captain Hans Eisentraut. He moves to SCR Altach for a measly £550k.

I was able to generate some transfer budget by offering the lowest bonuses for winning competitions, but I still cannot offer substantial wages. To say I'm happy with my dealings would be false, but I'm at least satisfied that we have some depth.

I'm definitely still in the market for more loan signings, but we shall see what happens.

Meanwhile, we have had the Europa League draw

We play Gandzasar Kapan of Armenia, a tie we should really be winning, and we need all the cash we can get from it.

In the league, we're not predicted to do much, but I'm hopeful we might be able to make the Champions Playoff. The board just want me to avoid relegation again, so I at least have that going for me.

Edited April 17, 2020 by patchps15

[patchps15]

July 2035

August 2035

Excellent and unexpected progress in the Europa League. I didn't expect to get past Bordeaux, but not only that, we made the group stages. Our league form may have suffered a bit, with the small squad stretched, but overall a positive start to the season. We have a decent group in the Europa, one I think we could possibly qualify from.

We could have got Sevilla, Liverpool or Bayern, so I'll take Brugge as the top seeds.

Meanwhile. there has been one big sale. My top scorer and club legend Kenzo Timmermans has left the club. It was a really tough one to let him go, but I negotiated with Sturm Graz to get £8 million for him. With the club's financial state I couldn't turn that down. So with this and the £2.3 million from the Europa League, we are on much better footing. Still sad to see Timmermans go though.

That meant I had to find a replacement. I still only had a small transfer budget of about 800k, but I hope this signing will be sufficient to plug the gap.

Conrad was signed for 750k, and is still finding his feet, save for a magnificent hat-trick versus Bordeaux.

I hope things are looking up for the club after a time of uncertainty, and we need to kick on in the league.