[FM22] Euro Journeyman - Sunday League Footballer - No Qualifications - Twice Sacked - Twice Relegated

[DasMagicMullet]

Got to be honest, FM22 hadn't lit a spark in me. I'd started 10-12 saves and only went deep on one (2 seasons with Halifax). My 2nd season with Halifax was a record-breaking romp where we were so overwhelmingly dominant it sucked all the fun out of the save and I had no desire to continue.

I had Christmas away from all versions of FM/CM and this week started a new journeyman. French sunday league footballer, no qualifications and no real reason for anyone to hire me.

I skipped forward to Christmas, then started firing out applications at the rate Spiderman fires webs. (or Watford fire managers)

Whoever offered me the job first, I took. Enter Orijent 1919 of the Croatian 2nd Tier

Joining during the winter break, sat in 14th in a 16 team league, 8 points away from the safety of 11th place (relegating 31% of your teams each season, Croatia you harsh, son). I had 12 games to restore some pride and push everyone to safety.

You join me 8 games later: 3 wins, 2 draws, 3 defeats. Winning 3/8 when they'd only won 3/12 previously should make them happy, right?

I'm 12th in the league with 4 games left, a mere 1 point from safety. That should make everyone happy, right?

Wrong.

Everyone hates me.

Issue 1: The players hate me because I've got no reputation and I can't speak Croatian. Fair enough.

Issue 2: The players hate me because I gave them a nasty halftime talking to after they came in 3-0 down. 

Issue 3: The board hates me because the players hate me.

Issue 4: The board hates me because I haven't brought the wage budget down.

Issue 5: Nobody wants to buy my crappy players.

Issue 6: I am unable to release my crappy players because the board won't pay for it.

Issue 7: The players want better training.

Issue 8: I'm only allowed 2 coaches.

Issue 9: They are part-time, so only train twice a week.

So, this leaves me with a bit of a situation:

After 8 moderately successful games, my job safety is 'Very Insecure'

Positive 1: I'm actually enjoying this save.

Current objective: Don't get sacked, don't get relegated.

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by DasMagicMullet

[DasMagicMullet]

Season 1 Run-In

4 games remain, 2 away, 2 home. The 2 away games are against teams below me (13th & 16th), while the 2 home games are against teams near the top (2nd & 6th)

Game 1 is against the bottom club, Kustosija. A win could push me above Osijek II and into safety. Pre-game news informs me that a defeat could spell the end of my time in charge of the club. Fresh off a 2-0 win over Inter Zapresic and a good outing for the U19s, we take the game to our hosts in front of our FIVE travelling fans. 2 first-half goals either side of a home penalty and we leave 2-1 winners. Until the 87th minute, we were above the dropzone, but 2 goals in the last 5 minutes from Osijek II away to Inter Zapresic means that sadly we stay 12th.

Game 2 against 2nd place Cibalia again comes with a pre-game warning of imminent dismissal. A turgid 1st half is followed early in the 2nd half with an opening goal for Cibalia to devastate my player's confidence. 5 subs made in the 70th minute brings more effort to the pitch and a 91st minute equaliser from sub striker Duje Zrllic recues  a 1-1 draw  and a vital point. A point that, combined with another Inter Zapresic defeat, means that we actually climb out of the relegation zone by virtue of our head-to-head form. Not only this, but our recent form has boosted dressing room morale and in turn has moved my job safety back to 'Stable'. Result!

Game 3 is 2 weeks later, so a friendly is arranged during the vacant weekend against Austrian amateurs FC Almenland to keep the team fit. The 2-1 scoreline hints at a game much closer than it was in truth. 30 shots on goal with only 8 hitting the target nods towards the issues the squad has in general when it comes to finding the back of the net. 

Game 3 against Rudes is a true 6-pointer. Before the game, 4 teams are separated by 2 points with 2 games to play. 2 will survive, 2 will not.

I go into the game knowing that a victory could guarantee survival should Inter Zapresic lose again. If that happens, I can start planning for the new season by getting a few players to the club on trial and seeing who I could pick up come the end of season. I manage to avoid killing the entire team during a pre-game meeting and we take the game to Rudes and get a penalty in the 22nd minute. Andro Svrljuga, my veteran right-back (and the only player I managed to upset in the team meeting) steps up to give us a 1-0 half time lead. Despite being 2-0 early on, Inter  Zapresic have collapsed to by 3-2 down at half time. As it stands, we are 10th and we are safe. A moment of madness then shelves all future planning as our defence parts as if Moses himself was playing up front, allowing Rudes to equalise. A Rudes red card and the kitchen sink being loaded into the catapult do not change events and the game finishes 1-1. 

We go into the final game of the season in a position of safety, with an away game against Dugopolje (7th). However, the potential disaster lies in the fact Osijek II and Rudes play each other. Both our games against Rudes this season ended in a draw, so being level on points and H2H means that goal difference comes into play. If I go down to Dugopolje and Rudes get a draw or better against Osijek Reserves then not only are we relegated, but I'll also  be out of a job.

 

And here I end this update.

[DasMagicMullet]

The Final Game

2 days out, my coach suggests I hold a team meetings to discuss the final game. Aye alright, they always go well don't they? I decide to ease the pressure and tell them to play their own game, which immediately upsets 25% of the players, most of whom are fully aware of how bad they are. Thankfully, the other 75% are onboard with my zen approach and I again survive a team meeting without drawing any blood.

The day of the match arrives, and I see no point in changing either the team or the tactics that have us unbeaten in the last 5 league matches. I tell the guys to match the fans passion and flickers of life stir in a few of them.

Game time.

15th Minute:

A cagey start and an early booking for one of my centre halves. No real chances to speak of at present.

Orijent 0-0 Dugopolje

Osijek 0-0 Rudes

Current position: 11th

Survival Confidence: 7/10

30th Minute:

Despite being on top and having 66% of possession, quality trumps quantity and Dugopolje take the lead in infuriatingly simple fashion. HUGE goals elsewhere though as Osijek score twice in a minute, then add a 3rd to lead 3-0 against Rudes. At this point, Rudes need a miracle. Suddenly... A NEW CHALLENGER EMERGES. Inter Zapresic, despite losing their last 4 games, sit with us on 33 points, and are at home to already relegated bottom club Kustosija. If they find a goal then we are going to have to win this match.

Orijent 0-1 Dugopolje

Osijek 3-0 Rudes

Inter Zapresic 0-0 Kustosija

Current position: 11th

Survival Confidence: 4/10

Half Time:

I switch from a Cautious mentality to Balanced and give the team an encouraging word. The remainder of the half passes with no further goals across any games. We are 45 minutes from survival.

Orijent 0-1 Dugopolje

Osijek 3-0 Rudes

Inter Zapresic 0-0 Kustosija

Current position:

Survival Confidence: 4.5/10

60th Minute:

Absolute disaster. Whilst we try our best to get back into the match and have an effort cleared off the line, Inter Zapresic score in the 48th minute, and as things stand we are 12th and we are going down. Substitutions are imminent and a massive 30 minutes lie ahead. 

Orijent 0-1 Dugopolje

Osijek 3-0 Rudes

Inter Zapresic 1-0 Kustosija

Current Position: 12th

Survival Confidence: 2/10

75th Minute:

3 substitutions are made in the 62nd minute and tactics change to be more attacking, more direct. Despite having 68% possession, we still cannot break the Dugopolje defence. No goals elsewhere. We are 15 minutes from  relegation and I'm 20 minute from the job centre.

Orijent 0-1 Dugopolje

Osijek 3-0 Rudes

Inter Zapresic 1-0 Kustosija

Current Position: 12th

Survival Confidence: 0.5/10

78th Minute: I gamble, I roll the dice. I take off my right-back for another striker and switch to long ball. 

82nd Minute: Chance! A free kick 25 yards out is fumbled, but my new striker is unable to convert the rebound. 

90th Minute: 4 minutes of added time is announced. I need to score twice or Inter Zapresic need to concede, otherwise it's all over.

91st Minute: MASSIVE CHANCE! Agony as we play a ball over the defence but the Dugopolje keeper produces a fantastic stop

92nd Minute: Kustosija have a player sent off. The end is near.

Full Time

It's all over. Inter Zapresic hold on and climb above us. Despite putting a sold run together, we ultimately couldn't save ourselves and we're down. I tried my best for the club, but I leave the  ground knowing that there will be no place for me at the club after today.

Gutted.

Edited January 9, 2022 by DasMagicMullet

[DasMagicMullet]

Inevitably, I am fired after the game has ended:

However, there are positives amongst the rubble. Whilst I haven't enhanced my reputation, I have boosted my other markers and have gained a few extra basic language skills:

To the job centre!

[DasMagicMullet]

Back in the game!

My time away from management in the end amounted to little over a fortnight. Despite being offered roles with Barry Town and Hemel Hempstead, I have taken a 6-month contract to try and save Reymersholms IK from relegation from the Swedish 3rd Tier

The club:

No history, poor facilities, poor prospects.

The league:

With 15 games left of the season, this isn't the worst situation to be in.

The squad:

Despite the bleak outlook, there are some good players in the squad with decent mental attributes. Ilyas Merkes looks a leader. There is a concerning lack of goalscorers in the team.

[DasMagicMullet]

The first 6 games are in the bag with a pleasing return of 2 wins and 2 draws. 

A very clear divide has emerged within the division, so finishing top of the also-rans in 9th place seems to be the goal for the season:

Behind the scenes I am certainly faring a lot better than I did in Croatia, with the back of both the board and the squad:

Recruitment is a virtual non-starter as my staff aren't good enough to identify any players who want to join, so I ended up sending trial invites to 100-120 swedish players without a club. Only 4 agreed to the trial.

Reputation remains at 5%, only change in stats is my managing finances has increased 2% to 47%.

I have been granted permission to train towards my National C Licence, so hopefully will start to be more use on the training ground.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by DasMagicMullet

[DasMagicMullet]

7 games have passed, and in that time we've suffered near total collapse, losing 6 out of 7 and sinking back into relegation:

Both ourselves and FOC Farsta are playing our final 2 games against teams in the top 4, so quite simply I have to hope that we can scrape a point in one of them and Farsta lose both. Joint points go to goal difference, so 12th place seems our only hope.

We also have to contend by bottom club Vasterhaninge, who have gone 4 games unbeaten and face an easy final few games than the teams above them.

For the 2nd time in 6 months, relegation seems a real possibility.

[DasMagicMullet]

The penultimate game brings defeats for the bottom 4 clubs, but crucially for the other 3 teams, they are at home in their final games, whilst I play away at 3rd placed Syrianska.

In the lead-up to the game, I ignore news about staff meetings and youth releases as I know I could well find myself unemployed again before the weekend is through.

I attend a press conference and accidentally press 'Storm Out' instead of 'End Meeting'. This hasn't been a happy time.

The final day arrives with 4 teams in a battle to survive. 

Half Time:

Cagey first half everywhere, 3 of the crucial games sit at 0-0, however Varmbols in 11th are 3-0 down, meaning a goal could not only take us out of danger, but could actually push us above the playoff zone:

I lie and tell the boys they have been the better team and send them back out for the 2nd half, dreading a Syrianska goal.

Full time

Farcical. Despite starting the 2nd half brighter, we contrive to give away a needless penalty and quickly collapse to a 2-0 defeat. For the 2nd time in 6 months I have been relegated. 6 defeats in my final 6 games with only 2 goals scored tells the story of what I initially feared, this group was nowhere near good enough to compete. Again, I am fired.

Who will employ me now?

 

 

[DasMagicMullet]

 

I stay in the Sweden 3rd tier, because frankly, I couldn't get a job anywhere else. I have a full pre-season to prepare and a full season to thrive. I have to make this season count otherwise I'll never get another job.

[DasMagicMullet]

An absolutely solid pre-season started with bringing in 7 under 20 players released from larger teams. Part time training is always difficult to progress with, but I customised the schedule to ensure that all players were familiar with the new tactic being asked of them:

Team unity is mostly positive and they're all part of the same core social group:

 

And more importantly, pre-season results have been good, chalking up wins against teams 2 leagues above in some cases:

The media have predicted a 5th place finish, the board just want us to avoid relegation. The squad is ready and so am I. Time to finally get this career back on track!

[DasMagicMullet]

Halfway through the season and having played each team once and we are absolutely dominating. 11 wins from 13 and 7 points clear at the top of the league:

Getting players in early during pre-season and getting them drilled tactically has really paid off as we've been able to sweep aside almost anyone in our path. Our single defeat of the season was borne of pure farce, as I had 3 players sent off and surrendered 2 goals in the final minute:

Player-wise, I switched striker Albin Broberg out to the right wing and he's been an absolute revelation, scoring 13 goals in 13 games:

It seems at this stage a near certainty that for the first time ever, Vanersborgs FK will be stepping up to the 3rd Tier of Swedish football.

(Side note - I've been in the 4th tier all this time and didn't realise. Swedish football is confusing)

[DasMagicMullet]

Real life has hampered my playing time over the last few days, however I now find myself with 4 games left of the season, and after a rather rocky patch, locked in a race for the title with my sworn local enemy, Vanersborgs IF:

After a spell of only 1 win in 5 games, I decided to dip into the transfer market and bolster the centre backs, centre midfield and also sign another striking option. A switch to a more attacking mindset has thankfully appeared to turn the tide:

On paper, the run in is slightly better for us, but our form still isn't out of the woods yet. After 2 relegations, am I finally on the road to redemption?

 

[DasMagicMullet]

CHAMPIONS!

3 wins from our next 3 games means that we have won the title with a game to spare. In the end it was in front of the 3rd lowest crowd of the season, with only 80 souls deciding that the game was a good idea.

Glory, finally, hopefully the first trophy of many.

Now to decide what comes next.

 

[karanhsingh]

Well done, nice turn-around there!

[DasMagicMullet]

After testing the water with a few job applications, it was clear that I still won't be able to get any roles that could help me progress too much at this stage, so I accepted a new 12 month contract to stay with Vanersborgs.

Frustratingly though, the board insisted on 3 new preferred playing styles that in my mind will be difficult to achieve with the style of play that got up promoted, and the style of play that will keep up in the Ettan. Going to be an interesting 12 months. (If I make it that far)

 

[DasMagicMullet]

Oh, hello. Right at the start of pre-season, Tobias Linderoth is given a job in the Swedish Premier League, leaving his role at 2nd tier Skovde vacant.

It's not something I courted, but they've come knocking and handed me the chance to step up from the 3rd tier and really get my career moving.

We're predicted to finish 15th in a 16 team league, and my brief is to fight bravely against relegation, but with 3 months of pre-season ahead I'm certain I can overachieve again here.

[DasMagicMullet]

Now that I'm on the other side of real life COVID issues, I'm finally back in the game and pre-season is finally drawing to a close.

The club vision is still to just avoid relegation, which I believe will give me a lot of breathing space, especially given that the quality of the squad is certainly good enough to stay up.

 

Of my starting 11, I'm mostly happy with the mental qualities of the team. The left flank is an area of concern as both players have low concentration, but I don't worry too much about the wings.

The only piece of business I'm looking at before the season starts in a fortnight is a possible replacement for Edvin Nilsson in the centre.

Will update after 6 games.

 

[FM-AP]

Good luck for the upcoming season!

[DasMagicMullet]

The first 6 games are in the bag, and on paper I'm doing ok, however there are certain areas for concern.

I started the season with 3 clean sheets, but since then my defence has been prone to silly mistakes, meaning that I haven't won any of my last 3 games.

In addition, 4 of my 7 goals have come via defenders, with my main striker as yet to find the target. Can't let that continue..