[FM22] - Trophy hunting accross the globe... err Europe at least! Borussia Dortmund

[RoguPL]

I know absolutely know the feeling of hectic transfer windows ! 

Mine were usually like this in Poland with teams unsettling 8-9 players of my starting 11. What resulted in 5-6 of them leaving. 

Kiros Stanley looks really good and is only 18 as well. 

[DomD]

Here are a few more.

Another one for the future. FC Bayern youth product.

And another one. Initially loaned him back to Odra for the season, but due to the requirement for a U22 player in the on field 11 at all times in the Ekstraklasa, I recalled him.

Bartosz Bereszynski is a Polish international who is obviously in the twilight of his career. I brought him in mostly so that he could mentor the younger generation, but he can also probably do some good work for us on the field too.

The replacement for Wlodarczyk, is Martin Garnerone. I would have preferred someone younger with some potential. But the 23 year old that I had in on trial decided to go somewhere else.

Overall, I feel like it was an ok window. There were a couple of players that I missed out on because I might have been a bit to conservative with the wages that I was offering them.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

July/Aug

Preseason and the first competitive matches in July were great. Than I we got Partizan in the ECL, which had me slightly worried. Before we played them I thought we would get in the groove by scoring a bunch of goals against newly promoted Stal Rzeszow. Unfortunately their goalie had a great game. Then against Partizan we got a red card early, second one in the ECL and were lucky that we didn't concede. Thankfully during this short barren spell we remained solid in defence and now we're winning again.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

UEFA Europa Conference League Draw

Well, I don't think any of these teams will get us a sell-out. But if things go our way, I think we actually have a chance of getting out of the group. Wisla Plock also made it to the group stage and got Marsaille. Some of the other big sides in the group stage are West Ham, Napoli, Villarreal, Galatasaray, and Hertha BSC.

The tricky part will be the fixture congestion, but the worst of it I think was actually the qualifiers in August.

[RoguPL]

That is a good start !! I love to see a lot of green in the schedule 

Congrats on getting to group stages. I think chances are high of getting to KOs 

[DomD]

10 hours ago, RoguPL said:

That is a good start !! I love to see a lot of green in the schedule 

Congrats on getting to group stages. I think chances are high of getting to KOs 

Thanks! The trick will be keeping all the players happy. I rotated between the league and European games, and some are getting concerned already.

[DomD]

One of my new signings, who had been playing better than I expected and became my main central defender. Now out for 2-3 months.

[DomD]

A couple of our players are on the verge of setting new team records.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

September/October

A perfect two months. Because I've been rotating the squad and saving my best players for the Europa Conference, some of the other games have been closer than I would have liked. But the players dug deep an we've put together an amazing winning run.

[DomD]

Made it with a game to spare.

Edited November 22, 2022 by DomD

[DomD]

A nerve racking game, but a late goal gave us the win. A huge result in title race. Although there is still half the season to go. After we missed the penalty, I thought we were in for a disappointment and Legia did have a couple chances of their own, so this could have gone the other way.

[DomD]

Lechia have offered me a new contract, but won't let me go on a coaching course. So frustrating. I wish you could make this part of the contract negotiations.

Their initial offer was 1,400p/w, negotiated up to 1,600p/w. It's a 2 year contract.

[DomD]

Looks promising. I wonder what we'll actually get.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

November/December

Another two months of excellent results. The board have now denied my request to upgrade the training facilities for a second time. First time I said it we needed it to attract better players, they said our team was good enough. Can't argue with that based on our seasons so far. Second time I said we need to keep up with our rivals. They said our rivals don't have better facilities. That is total BS. Ours are below average (1.5 stars), Legia's are excellent (4 stars), and the other teams in the top half of the table all have better facilities than ours. Frustrating.

Heading into the winter break now. Hopefully the transfer window does not disrupt our team too much.

Two of our players were called up to the African Cup of Nations, which is exciting. But I'm glad it takes place during our winter break.

Edited November 27, 2022 by DomD

[RoguPL]

Still unbeaten in the league  Congrats on qualifying to latter stage of ECL 

[DomD]

On 27/11/2022 at 18:54, RoguPL said:

Still unbeaten in the league  Congrats on qualifying to latter stage of ECL 

Thanks.

I knew that the run had to come to an end at some point. Still, not fun when it does.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

Jan/Feb 2027 Transfer Window

Out

Let go a few more who weren't getting the game time that they wanted and others that were never going to make the grade.

 

In

Brought in 3 for the future. Although the board think that we overpaid for Brusilo and Sfarlea, so we'll see how that turns out.

[DomD]

On the verge of a new league record.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

January/February/March

The winter break seemed to have robbed us of our momentum. February was miserable as we suffered our first loss and then couldn't score against teams we should be beating. I was fearing the worst against Getafe in the ECL but we played the match of our season to win 3-0 away from home, followed up by thumping of Pogon. But our league form dipped again with poor performances against Roakow and especially against Wisla Plock. Somehow we're still hanging on to the top spot in the table, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

The problem with advancing in the ECL and Polish Cup is that we have another packed month ahead of us. Napoli, led by Thomas Tuchel, will be a stern test. I just hope that we don't get thumped and our morale doesn't take a big hit.

[DomD]

Finally convinced the board to improve our below average training facilities. I was amazed at the low cost. Why were they so reluctant to do it.

[DomD]

The boys just love European nights. Looking at the Napoli squad I was fearing the worst. Then 5 minutes in and they get a penalty and I thought the flood gates would open. But Bingourou Kamara in goal came up with an enormous save to keep us in it. Not long after Babacar Gueye score the first of his two goals. I still expect Napoli to win the tie overall, but this was an amazing showing.

Too bad more fans didn't turn up. Our top attendance since I've been here is still 27,690 from when we played our rivals Arka last season. But they were relegated and I was hoping some of the the European games would bring bigger crowds. Hasn't happened yet.

We did earn more money.

[DomD]

Things are coming down to the wire and Legia Warszawa are the team that will be standing in our way.

[DomD]

First trophy for me at Lechia and only the my second of this career.

We had a really poor first half. But after telling the players that they needed to step up in the second half their performances improved. It did help that Legia got a red card in the 84th. PoM went to our young Brazilan WB, Kiros Stanley, coming off the bench to provide an assist along with some good defensive work.

[DomD]

And we clinch the double. Legia lost against Lech the day before, giving us a chance to grab the title with a win.

[RoguPL]

Congrats on the double ! 

Champions League qualifiers it is next season

[DomD]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to it. A little afraid of my players being poached by bigger clubs, but we'll roll with it.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

April/May

Here are the results for the last two months and the final table. Gotta say that after the blip we had in February, it was great to finish strong and capture the title and the cup. I'll post a full season recap tomorrow.

[DomD]

Season 6 - 2026/27 - Lechia Gdańsk - Ekstraklasa (Poland)

Season Review

Competing in Europe meant we had to rotate the squad quite a bit. There were a couple of players who complained about playing time, but overall we managed to keep morale high. I thought that we could compete for either the Polish Cup or the League, but the players were up for both, and a good run in the Europe Conference League to boot.

 

Best 11:

Babacar Gueye was a bit of a revelation. I didn't use him much last season and didn't think of him as more than a backup. But he asked for more game time and once Wlodarczyk left there was no reason to deny him. I was pleasantly surprised as he kept scoring, especially early in the season.

 

Awards:

 

Records:

 

Accolades:

 

The career so far:

If I was still trying for the Ultimate Football Manager Challenge I would resign and look for a club in another country. But I'll stick with Lechia for now to see how we do in the Champions League. And I want to see how some of our younger players develop,

[DomD]

More records:

Edited December 13, 2022 by DomD

[DomD]

Quite a few players made teams of the season:

[DomD]

I had taken some time away from FM, but I think I may be back. So here is some updates.

Our exploits in Europe had some positive impacts on the club and the Polish league standing within Europe.

[DomD]

I haven't finished my coaching badges, because the board are being obtuse. So, I wasn't expecting any job offers, but all of a sudden they started rolling in.

First Greuther Furth approached me. They finished 6th in the 2. Bundesliga this season, having been relegated from the Bundesliga the year before. A step up for sure, but not too crazy I don't think.

 

Next I had an interview with Hannover. They were relegated from the Bundesliga after having been just promoted the season before. This one was a bit more unexpected, but their transfer budget is actually quite a bit smaller than what Freuther Furth are proposing.

 

This one was the biggest surprise of the lot. Finishing 14th in the Bundesliga, they just want me to fight against relegation. The transfer budget seems reasonable, but I'm not sure how it compares to what other teams will be spending.

[Carambau]

HSV would be an interesting choice  

[DomD]

20 June 2027

This is how the profile is looking right now.

[DomD]

Now we have this. What will happen if I go ahead and choose my staff here? Will I be able to see if there are offers from other clubs for me, or does this basically meant that I'm accepting the job?

[DomD]

I got the same offer of making staff changes from Hannover. Not as many of the staff as I thought would want to wanted to go to Germany, and some of them showed up in strange positions (coach to chief scout) so I didn't end up making any changes. Both clubs offered me 8,000 p/w contracts, but Furth with a much bigger transfer budget. Although they have an older and smaller stadium. I delayed both for a week to see if HSV come in for me too.

In other news Middlesbrough triggered Vanharen's release clause.

[DomD]

Season 7 - 2027/28 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 2. Bundesliga (Germany)

New Job

There was no offer forthcoming from HSV, so I had to pick between Greuther Fürth and Hannover 96. Greuther were offering a much higher transfer budget, so I chose them as that should give me a better chance to build the squad that I want.

It would have been nice to take Lechia Gdansk into the Champions League. But Greuther were offering me 8,000 p/w compared to 1,600 p/w that I was making in Poland. They also agreed to send me on the Pro License course and there is more money to spend on staff. Not to mention the facilities are significantly better than what I had at Lechia.

So, a  new chapter begins. First task is to find some staff, because the club is short in some areas and as I mentioned before I was unsuccessful in bringing anyone with me from my previous club.

[DomD]

Season 7 - 2027/28 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 2. Bundesliga (Germany)

Season Preveiw

So far the transfer window is a bit crazy, but I'll update that once it shuts.

This is what the board wants:

This is what the bookies think.

The finances aren't what I thought they were:

[DomD]

Season 7 - 2027/28 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 2. Bundesliga (Germany)

Summer Transfer Window

Of course the transfer window didn't turnout anything like what I was envisioning. Many of the players that we started pre-season with had their head turned by offers from other clubs. The biggest lost central midfielder Nuno Moreira. The players we brought in are decent, but no one that I'm particularity excited about.

[DomD]

Season 7 - 2027/28 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 2. Bundesliga (Germany)

July/August/September

The season is of to a good start. Of course I would like to have avoided the two losses and some of our wins were closer than they should have been, but we do sit at the top of the table.

[DomD]

Season 7 - 2027/28 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 2. Bundesliga (Germany)

End of Season

Promotion was secured with several games left to play. But the financial picture is looking bleak. Certainly a lot worse than I thought based on the transfer budget when I took the job. We were bleeding money all season long and in January my transfer budget was slashed to 0. The prize money for finishing 1st did wipe out our current debt, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to re-enforce the squad in the summer.

[DomD]

After paying out the bonuses for getting promoted the overall balance is looking rather grim again.

So, it will be hard to strengthen the squad.

I wouldn't mind adding this guy. Would be great to have someone like him take the freekicks. But stamina of 4!?! How can someone with a stamina of 4 even be a pro footballer?

[DomD]

Season 8 - 2028/29 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

Season Preview

We have no money, the players available on frees are poor, it's going to be a struggle.

Edited May 22, 2023 by DomD

[DomD]

Season 8 - 2028/29 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

August/September/October

The season has started remarkably well. We were lucky to start the season against some of the weaker teams in the division, which gave us some momentum and we managed an amazing 4-2 win against RB Leipzig. Things have cooled off since then and we have gone all of October without a win and were knocked out of the cup. Still if we can keep up these sort of results we should finish well clear of relegation. Hopefully there is some good prize money at the end of the season, because the financial situation is looking more and more dire each month.

[DomD]

Season 8 - 2028/29 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

November/December

Somehow we managed to win against Bayern, but soon after that things started to fall apart. We had some injuries to deal with, but I was hoping we could scrape together at least a couple of results. Instead we are falling down the table like a lead balloon.

[DomD]

Season 8 - 2028/29 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

January to May (end of season)

Just a quick update, since I failed to post any since December. We managed to halt our slide down the table but also couldn't replicate our form from earlier in the season. Going into the last game we still had a chance of finishing as high as 7th. But we lost 0-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach and finished 9th. Overall not a bad finish, but our early season form had me dreaming of European football next season.

Earlier in the season there was a board takeover. The new board took out a 32M loan and for finishing 9th we received around 55M. So the finances are finally looking healthy. The board also announced that they are starting the process of building a new stadium.

Before the season was over I was offered a new 3 year contract on 16,000 p/w. A huge raise, and as much as I was tempted to see if I could get a job with a higher profile club, I couldn't pass that up.

Several players that were nearing the end of their contract have already singed with new clubs. So I need to re-build, but also hopefully improve on what we had.

[DomD]

Season 9 - 2029/30 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

Season Preview

The bookies don't have much confidence in us this time around either. The media thinks we'll finish 13th.

[DomD]

Season 9 - 2029/30 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

Summer Transfer Window

I had some money to spend this time, time will tell if I spent it wisely.

Signed on a free Johann Lino has the potential to be the signing of the season. But will he be good enough for the Bundesliga?

 

I thought I was getting a good fullback, but I'm afraid I overpaid.

 

Dominic Bittroff is our big money signing. I have big hopes for this lad.

[DomD]

Season 9 - 2029/30 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

August - October

When Hoffenheim utterly outplayed us in the 2nd game of the league, I thought that it was going to be a rough start to the season. But thankfully results have picked up since then. The games are close but we're winning a fair share of them. Last season things took a turn for the worst in November, hopefully this time around we can avoid such a big slump.

[DomD]

Season 9 - 2029/30 - SpVgg Greuther Fürth - Bundesliga (Germany)

November - December

Once again we hit a mid-season slump. Some of these games were really close with us being the better side statistically, but it is the result that counts and these results aren't good.