(PAUSED) FM23 - Poles Apart, Let's Czech on how it's going. Youth Only - Czech Republic, Chapter Three

[KibworthBull]

This save idea was supposed to start in January after I fully explored the Newent save I was doing (Amateur Dramatics thread) but then I foolishly googled FM23 Leagues and one of my identified leagues came up as a download and... Yeah, it's starting now.

So if you were a fan of the previous save, it will stay unfinished for now (sorry Amy..)

Welcome to Lounovice.. Czech Republic

Located in the near central part of the Republic, Lounovice is a village of around 1,200 people, about 30km from Prague. They have a football team and they play in the 5th tier of Czech football, a tier with NO RELEGATION*

*vital for this save as my previous youth only saves have crashed and burned with relegation.. so I can take my time and not panic too much when the club gets relegated.. BECAUSE THEY CANNOT... Not sure why I am shouting, so I will calm down.

The name of the side stood out as in the long distance past I went by the handle, FM Novice - don't worry, not even I remember it really..

I've had a little bit of success with Youth Only saves before, on FM15 I took Tamworth from the National League North to the Premier League (and back down to the Championship again..)

We are an empty shell. I am the only member of staff on the books with a playing staff of 32 - 1 Bosnian, a Haitian, Liberian, Democratic Republic of Congoan, a Slovakian and a Pole, and a large number of Czechs. Right royal Billy basic. 

Star Player:

 

Aims:

• Become the biggest side in Czech Republic, Europe and the World (Reputation). At the start their are roughly 266 bigger teams in the Czech Republic. We are Obscure and in alphabetical order 108 similar sized sides. We don't even come close to appearing on either the European or World stages yet so lets leave those as "in progress"
• Win the Champions League with a squad of Academy Players
• Create affiliate links with clubs from all over the world - have an affiliate from each continent represent the first team AND their international full side
• Have a player from our academy represent Czech Republic at International Level from U19 to Senior
• Have a player from our academy represent another nation at Internation Level from U19 to Senior
• Create a team of full internationals from Czech Republic - positions based on the Scouts opinion opinion of their strongest position
• Create a team of full internationals from another nations (all excluding Czech Republic) - positions based ont he Scouts opinion of their strongest position
• Have 100 nations coming through my academy - they have to make a first team appearance to qualify
• Have a player from the academy make 1000 appearance for the club - only ever done this in Brazil
• Have a player from the academy score 300 goals for the club - only had 1 player do this before and he wasn't an academy player
• Create a team of 500+ appearance makers - positions based on the Scouts opinion of their strongest position

There might be more as I think of them/find ways I can track them using Excel Spreadsheets..

As you can see, it's a short save idea...

[Palkey]

Good luck, achieving those goals would be something... if only you were interested in a longer, more ambitious, save.  

[KibworthBull]

1 minute ago, Palkey said:

Good luck, achieving those goals would be something... if only you were interested in a longer, more ambitious, save.  

I know.. I know.. I really need to stretch myself more..

[wearesporting]

Good luck. Czech regens are great once you have the facilities.

[KibworthBull]

2 hours ago, wearesporting said:

Good luck. Czech regens are great once you have the facilities.

Thanks. I've had some amazing Czechs over the years so hopefully they can help me achieve the goals.

[KibworthBull]

July 2022

The season starts extremely early - 9th July and we are off and running.

A massive recruitment drive has ensured that we now have some staff. Not world beaters but you take what you can get at this level.

Filip Samec originally applied for the U18 managers role but I managed to convince him his future was in senior football so he can work alongside our bunch of teenagers instead. He can't give an opinion on who is a good player or who is worth investing the time into but his actual coaching bits are alright for this level. It's a low bar. Our level of coaching is above average for the division and my attributes are worse than his. He is alright with the kids too.

Michal Šilhan is a key member, being our first HoYD, a terrible personality, but I like his level of Determination and he favours the formations I like to use. So at least he will produce some round pegs for me. He'll also work well with the kids.

The football kicked off against Frýdek-Místek B, their senior side are tier 3 and include real life players, so they must be good. And they proved a little too good on the day. It was only 1-0 and we played a good % of the game with only 10 players so I am taking the positives from this.

Next up was a brilliant performance that got progessively worse as the match progressed, Tomáš Koloušek hit a hattrick in half an hour and we were cruising 3-0, then the pressure started to mount, 3-1 (32nd min), 3-2 on the stroke of half time. We kept them at bay until the 91st minute and the equaliser sneaked in. Our first point but it should have been better.

We've sold 65 season tickets and had 259 people attend the first match - that's 20% of the village.

Top of the table Poruba ended the month. The fans hoped for a draw but were expecting a defeat. We delivered the hope. It would have been better but Vojtěch Král missed a first half penalty. 10th after the first month is pleasing. We get that position at the end of the season and I will be content.

 

 

[KibworthBull]

August 2022

We get into August still searching for that first victory.

If we get to December and I am still looking then worry may set in.

9th placed Boskovice travel to Lounovice for the first game. We fall behind early and the mood darkens but our fantastic Pole, Radosław Banaszak dragged us back level before that man Tomáš Koloušek struck a 2nd half winner. We are off and running..

Banaszak has been poor so far (harsh to judge after 3 games maybe) but hopefully this will be the spark he needs.

We go back to back baby..

The same pair secure victory against Celakovice.

The only defeat so far has been against a B team. And we have 2 back to back to close out the month.

Vlasim B are 100% from 5 games, they have a side in the 2nd tier of Czech football - very much favourites for the league. The scoreline says they won 2-1, but my word was it one sided. We are not the blue team.. We almost got away with it - the winner was in the 86th minute. Our goal scorer was 15 year old Vojtěch Král - showed bravery to take a penalty after missing one earlier in the season. Unsurprisingly he is now the youngest goalscorer

We saved the best performance for the last game of the month, away at Xaverov B, 3 unanswered goals and another 3 points. 

A fine month leaves us 11th

Vlastimil Brotánek is proving to be a fine player. His time is extremely limited as he is 25 and 1* Current Ability so likely to be replaced the first intake, but he is doing the job. Aggresive, Very Brave, Tackles, and has good jumping reach. 7.34 from his 7 games so far.

[KibworthBull]

September 2022

What better way to spend your 37th birthday - victory over Kyjov.

Tomáš Koloušek has hit his 6th goal of the campaign. I have no idea how - Concentration of 1, Work Rate of 1, Stength of 2. He must have some amazing hidden attributes that boy.

Back to back clean sheets, and a few moments away from a treble of them. Somewhere John Trewick would be very happy (obscure reference that precisely one reader will get..)

We have to settle for a draw at Vinor, but it's still only 1 defeat from 9.

Christopher Chukwuma has been ever present between the sticks, he's 16 and a Nigerian by birth, and Polish by dual-nationality. A MoTM performance gives us another 3 points when we face off against Svitavy.

The only fly in the ointment at the moment is we seem to have a knack of letting in late goals. A 94th minute goal squanders 2 points against Libus, but it's still an unbeaten month. First one of the save. You can take the team out of Newent...

Just over 1/3rd of the season complete. No danger of promotion and no danger of finishing bottom. Exactly where I want to be.

[KibworthBull]

October 2022

Ah the bitter taste of defeat. How i've missed you. Away to 2nd in the table Hlavice and the showed their dominance. It wasn't a contest.

Liskovec had lost 5 on the bounce, but before that they won 5 out of the first 6 games so which side turned up was always going to be interesting. The good version did.

Back to back defeats and it seem's we are trying to spell out a Welsh village.. Ll

Chochen sat bottom of the table so the perfect side to boune back against. We made a few changes with Daniel Kozel, Kamil Slepička, and Jan Macha starting their first games for the club. Fun fact if you say Jan Macha really quickly, it sounds like Juan Mata.. sadly that's where the comparison ends. Macha is rubbish.. but the only other option is hopelessly out of form.

We dominated most of the game but late goals again.. our first point of what is turning to be a very poor month. None of the 3 changes performed.

I want to go back to August and September. CAFC turn us over before we gain another point in the 5th game of the month.

Try to pick the bones out of that month? According to the analyst we were unlucky in some of the games but outclassed in others. Grim reading but the only poor month we've had in the save so far. 9th, a mere 23pts off the leaders..

Christopher Chukwuma has been a strong player all month, despite conceding 10 goals. Only 16, if he had arrived as part of an intake then I would be waxing lyrical about the lad, as it is though he is cannon fodder for the next guy to come along.

[KibworthBull]

November 2022

2 league games this month. Which is 50% more than December - the only drawback about custom leagues, the fixture split is often odd.

We played an inter-club friendly to give some of the squad some match sharpness. The side with the most first teamers lost 3-1. Food for thought..

Our last home game in 2022 was another game where we are decent for 65-70 minutes before fading away, Tomáš Koloušek gave us the lead before we got pegged back. Most of our squad are rated as "low quality" for the first team and boy is it showing right now. Koloušek now has double figures, not bad for someone described as being so weak that his own **** would knock him down.

Late goals are a bummer... but they are brilliant when they go your way.  Kamil Slepička somehow describes himself as a striker. He looks like he couldn't finish his dinner. A late, late winner secured the 3 points against Ostra. Radosław Banaszak set up both of the goals.

Our first win in just over 2 months.

[KibworthBull]

December 2022

One match this month, but it's a toughie. Away to Boskovice who sit 3rd, very near the top of the also-rans as the leaders are running away with it. A defensively solid display but a bit toothless in attack, our 2022 calendar year ends with defeat.

We took 2 fans...

Star man was Milan Vebr, comfortably our 2nd best player in the squad. A 6'7 weakling, although he does tip the scales at over 13 stone, so likely to be bone rather than fat. He can't head, tackle or mark. He can jump but doesn't really know what to do when he gets there..

I'm going to completely ignore the gradings as I've played enough FM to know they completely random at this stage of the game with the level we are at. I'll focus on the distribution though. Potentially two Centre Mids is good as we only have 3 currently at the club, and three strikers.

Worringly we have no DM - we've only got 1 at the club and he's average, and no natural Full Backs. I bet the AMC will be the best player as it's a role we don't currently utilise. The plan at this stage will be to sign most of them to provide some depth and to clear out some of the senior garbage.

We shall find out in either March or April so they should get some football this season.

 

I wish I could enjoy a happy new year with the family, but that's both my Assistant Manager and U18s Manager speaking to other clubs

[KibworthBull]

January 2023

New year.. New Problems..

A short story

Not his first offence.. he had been a bit complainy as well. A squad player - 213 minutes on the pitch across 10 appearances at an Avge 6.54. Wont be missed.

Filic Semec will be missed, our Assistant becomes No.1 at Litomericko, 10th in another league at our level. Aleš Dvořák goes up a level as U19s gaffer, so some staff recruitment is required.

Michal Sýkora joins the fold as Ass. Man. He doesn't bring much to the party.

A tactical tweak for the first game of the month, year and first for ages. A move away from 4-1-2-2-1 to 4-2-3-1 - or to put it simply, dropped the DM for an AMC.

Union Celakovic are two places below us, but on the pitch, miles apart. A 4-1 smashing and our best result of the season. Tomáš Koloušek with a double.

Vlasim B is the other game in the month. 16pts clear at the top of the table and unbeaten. 

An unbeaten month.

100% record

2 wins out of 2.

The tactical tweak seems to have created a positive result. Firmly 9th in the table now.

 

[KibworthBull]

February 2023

The transfer window is OPEN...

*reminds myself it's youth only..

The star man gets injured.. BUT hopefully it will deter people from trying to sign him.

Ben Konwlo, a 16yr old Liberian comes in for this debut against Xaverov B, positionally he is a like for like replacement, but it's like comparing Apples and Pears.. An 11th minute penalty consigns us to defeat.

Just scrap everything I said about tactics working in the last post. 3 games (including a higher graded oppo friendly) - nothing positive to report.

Next month could be intake month..

[KibworthBull]

March 2023

ARGHHHHHH....

83rd minute, penalty Henri Morency steps up... it's saved... long ball over the top and Vinor score the only goal of the game to take the points.

No goals scored since we beat the champions elect in January..

All of the these defeats have been against sides a middle of the road side should be beating. Next up, the side in 3rd. No clue what we will produce. Another goaless and pointless afternoon.

We couldn't even score against ourselves..

11th with 5 games left. We could end up somewhere around 14th. Top half looks beyond us. The only positive about a poor finish and a culling of the squad, could mean that expectations could be lower next season. Yep, that's how my mind works.. We start April at home to Libus. For everyones sake, 3pts is needed.

[KibworthBull]

April 2023

Pivotal month.

Intake due.

Bottom side due.

WE NEED GOALS.

We got nothing. But a serious injury.. and a minor ish one

No goals in 3 months (nearly) and the board do this?

Turn people off for good why don't ya.

But first.... Ultimately only 2 of them don't get bought into the fold. There will be a changing of the guard in the summer.

2 of them immediately good enough to become part of the first team.

After many hours negotiating, we can finally get a game in, as Hlavice come to town.

We've gone 4-4-2 and 3 of the graduates make up the midfield.

SOOOOO Much better. Marek Šebek got the goal, but the whole team played well. It actually looked like football. 160 hardy souls enjoyed the occasion. 4 debutants in the end.  Tomáš Dort (1A)  becomes the youngest in the club's history.

And boy could we end the month well.. Czech/Canadian Kim Cahill (1D), that's Kim, not Tim, had a debut of dreams.

9th with 2 to play.

 

[KibworthBull]

May 2022

The end of our debut season.

2 games to cover off and then a number of players will exit stage right.

As we kick off the first game of the month, away to the bottom side Chocen, our finishing range is anywhere between 13th and 6th. Victory meant we were guaranteed to finish no lower than 10th and we had 3 straight wins since our intake.

This intake will not go down in the folklores of the club in 20 years time but they were exactly what we needed right now.

Kim Cahill (1D) has had a mighty impressive start, multiple assists and a couple of goals. We end the season with a point.

[KibworthBull]

2022/2023 Season Review

• Czech Lower Division Group L - 9th, 11 wins, 11 defeats. Some times we were very good - beating the unbeaten leaders, other times we were very poor - not scoring or winning for nearly 3 months between January and Intake Day.
• We failed the objective and the board are satisfied with our performance. A tad harsh I would say.

Goalkeepers:

Only 1 player featured in every minute of every game, and that was Christopher Chukwuma, he had a fine season, but it has to be said he had very little competition. But credit to the lad, the lack of competition didn't mean he stood on his laurels at any point. Lukáš Čáp (1G) will be the 2nd choice next season and it will be fun to see if he can close the ability gap.

Released: Peter Vaughan

Defenders:

Milan Vebr is the most wanted man in Lounovice right now with 24 clubs after his signature. Our captain and 50% of the star defenders. The other, Vlastimil Brotánek missed only 95 minutes across the season and despite being of limited ability was our most solid performer - topping the ratings for anyone who played most of the campaign. The fact that these two hardly missed any action is possibly as a result of having so little depth in the squad, Martin Balis was so often the sub to come on when required, and the Slovak is young enough to keep coming but the 2 intake players will be the priority. Both are a long way off right now but will get their chances.

No-one really made either full back slot their own. Vojtěch Král did alright for someone so young, but already looks likely to be replaced by Karen Hovhannisyan (1F). 4 players contributed to the left back role and none of them really made it their own. We could have done with Karen being a left back, but can't be helped. Maybe next year.

Released: Richard Ondrášek, Jiří Poštulka, 

Midfielders:

So many options, most of them out wide. Even had to mess about with the zoom feature to get all of them into a screenshot, and even then I failed..

Radosław Banaszak was the star - when he performed, so did we. Ended the season playing as a striker in a 4-4-2 and scoring goals. Our best player on paper. Another with a host of clubs interested. Miroslav Neuberg, Henri Morency, and Tomáš Habart was my midfield diamond for most of the campaign, until intake and the switch to 4-4-2 and they didn't get a chance. Neuberg is a good player for the level and did alright, both Morency and Habart are young players who struggled the more the season went on. Habart especially as he could only play as a DM at the start, and it's a role that didn't really suit us long term. Filip Kraus (1B) and Tomáš Dort (1A) are already better than the above and will be the priority. Banaszak was our right sided option until the switch when Kim Cahill (1D) landed with a monster bang. If he can keep his start going then he'll get some crazy numbers next year. 

On the left was Jaroslav Buchta, primarily because we didn't really have a creditable alternative, we now do. Miroslav Majer (1E) has already got a couple of goals under his belt.

Released: Jaroslav Buchta, Nenad Jahić, Jan Mácha, Vasilis Zacharakis, Kevin Malcolm, Martin Krobot

Strikers:

The main man was Tomáš Koloušek with 14 goals when we played with 1 up top, a number of games he was the guy that gave us the "w". When we moved to two up top Marek Šebek got his chance and took it with 5 in 8. Kamil Slepička only got 1 goal, but that was a 94th minute winner so #scenes. The intake doesn't give us anything to get excited about so will probably be as you were again next season, but without Kamil.

Released: Kamil Slepička

10 departures, most were senior players who didn't have anywhere left to go in the potential stakes and we signed 14 of our intake and they all have a lot of potential. The 4 games that they have been around for have shown the slimest of glimpses that we are in a healthier state after the retained list than before.

Have we made any progress to our goals?

Very minimal..

• Have 100 nations coming through my academy - they have to make a first team appearance to qualify
  • 2 nations have come through the academy and played for the first team - Czech Republic (5) and Armenia (1)
• Have a player from the academy make 1000 appearance for the club
  • 4 players have made 4 appearances for the club
• Have a player from the academy score 300 goals for the club 
  • 3 players have scored 2 goals for the club.

I did say it was minimal..

 

[KibworthBull]

July 2023

Season 2 is off and running and IT'S GOING TO BE OFF THE HOOK!!!!

No it won't...

Apartantly I am infectious.. Or my enthusiasm is. Managed to convince the board to improve our Youth Recruitment from Limited to Basic, and they were the ones that were concerned about my health.

We've also moved up 10 places to 256th most reputable side in the Czech Republic.

The board have also acknowledged the project and lowered expectations and we've moved from Group L to Group D.

Bohemians Prague B are the merry band of heroes that we faced off against in match week 1 and despite having 53% possession we were able to do more with the ball than them and we start the campaign with all 3 points. A review at the odds suggest that this result is not much of an achievement.

We went back to back..

100% July. A strong start making the board look a bit silly.

Marek Šebek with a goal in each, and Vojtěch Král showing that he has worked on his penalties in the off season. None of the kids doing anything dramatic so far.

2nd in the table.

[KibworthBull]

August 2023

Urgh...

We paid the penalty against Hrobce - giving two of them away which were both converted.

We've moved Radosław Banaszak into a central striker role for this season and he bagged a hattrick against Brumov B, most importantly for the save, Kim Cahill (1D) set up two of them. We are top of the league - let's call the season now.. A first as well that we've got Player of the Week.

Miroslav Majer (1E) becomes the first graduate to get sent off (a nice one to tick off..) as we taste defeat on the road to Kutná Hora.

The trip to Sardice featured a midfield 4 of graduates. A late penalty meant we picked up a point. We sit 6th. 

The best graduate this month has been our Czech/Canadian.

 

 

[KibworthBull]

September 2023

I threw Tomáš Rajnoch (1P) in for his debut against Ostra - he's by no means anywhere near being ready but Tomáš Koloušek was only fit enough for the bench. He got 75 minutes and went up an entire star after the performance. Sadly it was a grey star but kudos on the improvement. 

Koloušek has had no chance to get any momentum going this season - already onto his 2nd injury

Man of the Match, Scored the only goal, won the half time raffle (possibly..) Tomáš Dort (1A) was the man (boy..) at Slavkov u Brna.

Taborsko B are top of the tree, 5pts ahead of us in 6th so an ideal benchmark to see where we are against the strongest of the league. For context their first team are doing well in the 2nd tier of Czech Football. We give them a slightly red nose, but they are just too strong.

We lack consistency but are massively overachieving, the board love me (A+), the fans are still skeptical (C) so the right time to ask for an increase in facilities.

More often than not our worst players are the graduate academy boys right now but that's the stage we are at. We are barely an embryo.

2 victories to close out the month and everything seems rosie.

1/3 of the season gone and we sit 4th. WILL TAKE THAT

[Matty Aqua]

Nice idea! - Good to have another managing in Czech Republic! 

[KibworthBull]

October 2023

A new day... a new skin..

Gone Tato..

Away to 2nd place Hrusovany is a tough task to start the month, very little between the two sides was how the cliched journo would have described this one. Both sides star men were the keepers. A point and a clean sheet.

Sometimes when you watching matches you can feel it slipping away from you and that was most definately the case at home against Valassky, 2-1 up after 18 minutes (Marek Šebek with a double) and we kept the lead until the 79th minute and then the momentum is their way and the winner came just before the end. 

Our league season is possibly in danger of petering out already. 13 points behind the leaders (one go up). My aim is to better last seasons 9th place finish, in both place and points.

We would be terrible dog owners... BECAUSE WE CANNOT HOLD ONTO A LEAD..

1-0 up to lose 2-1. 1 point from three games this month. Not our best.

Marek Šebek, the only real contributor of the month.

Replacing staff is becoming a real issue.

[KibworthBull]

November 2023

Litvinov at home. Started like the October games did, an early lead (Radosław Banaszak) and then just before half time, something very odd happened - we scored again and didn't concede, and then it happened for a third time. Very strange..

Also odd.. people want to work for me now.

Pavel wanted to be U19s manager - I had grander plans for him.

Back in July, beating Bohemians Prague B felt like such a fantastic start - they are 3rd bottom of the table now, and the table doesn't lie at this stage.

They led twice but we were still able to throw away a lead beyond the 80th minute. It happens so often we might as well call it doing a Lounovice.

[KibworthBull]

December 2023

December is the month where we get a glimpse of the future. Intake preview

But first some football, Uhrineves sit 14th and haven't picked up any points for a while. It's also our last home game before Christmas. It was "wrapped up" before half time, but Kim Cahill (1D) did pick up an injury which means we shall see him again in 2024.

Miroslav Majer (1E) pick up his first MoTM award.

Much tougher asks in the final two games of the year. Away to 2nd and Home to 3rd.

At 2-0 down against Hrobce minds could have wandered to the boys Christmas party (not that many are actually old enough to drink) but the strike pairing had other ideas and we stole a point thanks to Radosław Banaszak and Marek Šebek.

No such come back against Kutná Hora. They are on another level to us at the moment.

I've gone straight to the negative - no Left Back or Strikers... both are much needed, although 3 Left Wing Backs - you'd hope one at least would be trainable. The keepers are interesting as you don't normally see 2 coming through in the same season. More defensive cover and more depth in midfield would also be good. The reality of course will be much different.

[KibworthBull]

January 2024

Here's to 2024

And playing 2 games a month for the rest of the season.

The objective was "not finish bottom of the league" and we have pretty much secured this so the plan is to rotate the graduates to ensure that they all get some exposure in the side and use the next 11 games for development.

Karen Hovhannisyan (1F) and Tomáš Rajnoch (1P) came in for the Sardice game - both have played before with Karen quite close to being ready for football, Tomáš is miles away.

Central Defender Manuel Bechtel (1H) and Right Winger Tadeáš Jarolím (1N) got their first senior starts at Brumov B. A first clean sheet for Bechtel and a 7.2. Radosław Banaszak with a late double.

8 more points to break a record for the best season.

[KibworthBull]

February 2024

The approach of kids first sometimes works and other times it fails badly.. Ostra taught us a lesson, one that I hope we all learn from. 

Our top scorer from last season is yet to score

Even if he scores double figures from this point of the season, he'll be looking for a new club in the summer.

I decided to give Keeper Lukáš Čáp (1G) a debut against Slavkov u Brna, the first time we had picked a different keeper in the nearly two seasons of the same, three first half goals against suggested it may not have been the best idea, but again, a clear learning opportunity.

Results would be better if the strongest side was picked, but it's about the long term here.

2 months till intake day.

[KibworthBull]

March 2024

Away to the side absolutely bossing it at the top of the table.

It would take a very brave FM'er to give the kids the game..

We went as strong as we possibly cpuld, but still had 3 graduates in the 11. 

A record defeat and wipes out the positive goal difference

Just like last season we need the injection of more players from the intake day. 

I put in a couple of friendlies to help boost the season. We couldn't beat ourselves and then lost a player for 8 weeks in the other.

But before the final game of the month.....

INTAKE...

There is no-one life changing but we have fresh, new, exciting rubbish..

2 new nationalities - Israel and Slovakia. Both Left Wing Backs.

Salvatore Salvadori (2A) is now our 4th best midfielder. Absolutely a base to work from.

Michal Šelicha (2B) is the best Centre Back we've ever produced - I will worry if I am saying that in 10 years..

Zdeněk Sýbek (2C) is the first choice Right Back now. Overwrites what was there already.

These guys turned up on the day of the game so couldn't feature.

We went back to our best... 2-0 up and let them back into it.

[KibworthBull]

April 2024

We need a win.

It's been a tough few weeks on the pitch but hoping to see a spark from the new blood.

Ceska Trebova who sit in 10th place - they have nothing to play for - a perfect game to get a Win. 5 of the Yr2 intake are involved in the squad.

Filip Kraus (1B) helped himself to a double and we got the victory. 

Oqbah Al-Shaar (2E) became the 3rd nationality to come through the intake. He is Israeli. He is a rare player with a decent personality.

He is also a record breaker.

A much stronger month

[KibworthBull]

May 2024

It feels like it's been a very long season. It hasn't been. I've been playing this save for 8 days and am now 2 seasons down, so 4 days per season is a pretty quick turn around. At current rate of play I'll get to around 85 seasons in before FM24 arrives.

Maybe by then we will be out of the 5th tier..

Oqbah Al-Shaar (2E) was called out in April, he has now scored his first goal for the club. 

Record breaking season folks.

We are on fire.

5 wins on the trot without conceding.

 

[KibworthBull]

2023/24 Season Review

• Media Expectation - 17th
• Actual Finish - 5th

We were never in contention at the bottom of the table, which was fantastic. We were also never in the mix at the top. A very strong end of season is suggestive of better things ahead.

• Finished 4 places and 8 points better off than LY
• Average Attendance was up by 30 people
• Twitter followers increased by 101

Player Review (focusing on the graduates)

Goalkeepers:

Christopher Chukwuma only missed 1 game. Strongly suspect he will play most of next season as well. There isn't anyone competiting for the slot yet. Michal Rataj (2D) is the best of the rest.

Released: Christ Mbombo

Defenders:

Michal Šelicha (2B) has had a very promising start and the plan is that he will partner Vebr from the off next season with Petr Harásek (1J) on the bench. We have a lot of 1 star full backs that have come through the intake and they will all get opportunities in pre-season to stake their claims. Zdeněk Sýbek (2C) has put in some good performances already.

Released: Vlastimil Kocourek, Tomáš Urbánek, Martin Balis

Midfielders:

Kim Cahill (1D) is an assist machine, 16 last season, he just needs to add a few more goals to his game but he's already very much the first name of the team sheet. Ironically he is classed as the worst of the intake players but performed the best. Stats don't lie. Filip Kraus (1B), Tomáš Dort (1A) and Miroslav Majer (1E) pretty much made up 3 of the 4 midfield slots over the season with Majer showing the most improvement. He was the 5th best ability when he came in and now he is classed as the best of the bunch.

Released: Ben Konwlo, Jaroslav Mach, Henri Morency, Michal Baran, Tomáš Habart, Jan Salák

Strikers

I'll ignore the elephants in the room as they are not intake players..

Tomáš Rajnoch (1P) played twice, a total of 150 minutes. He's not ready. Will he ever be?

Released: Tomáš Koloušek, Ondřej Hrubý

Achievements:

In summary we are a long, long, long, long, long way from anything.

Next Season:

Mid table has been talked about. I suspect we shall start quite well, tail off around Christmas and the New Year and then storm back once the 3rd intake arrive. Patterns are forming..

[KibworthBull]

July 2023

Happy new season...

After a bruising pre-season where we took on several tier 3 sides and lost, we did beat our first side from another land. Slovan Bratislava U21s came over and returned back on the wrong side of a 2-1.

I sense we could be about to have quiet a tought season at the lowest level - the board want mid table, but the squad is weaker than last year - a natural removal of the wastage to allow the kids to develop. They haven't developed yet.

Spartak Kaplice away on the opening day, very much a point gained rather than lost. Marek Šebek off the mark.

We all know what's coming next...

Yep, Šebek gets a double as we come from behind to beat Smichov.

Kim Cahill (1D) on fire early on in the season.

 

 

[KibworthBull]

August 2024

One of the OGs moves on. With the midfield being the 1 position where we are stronger with the grad's then he hasn't started a game for a while. They are same level so he will do fine.

It's Marek Šebek world and we just live in it. If he was an intake player than my word would I be excited by him. But he's not so he's just a group of pixels.. but boy what pixels... another goal and we win again, this time against Rapid Liberec.

Dobříš sit top with a 100% record - this is a real test of where we are.

Strike 2... I am not strong enough to sack him yet... he want's new training facilities... He does however, get dropped to the bench for the Dobříš visit.

Sadly Dobříš show why they are now 4 from 4.

Kolovec offered us a chance to bounce back, they sat 14th - Šebek went to town and got a matchball.

US Prague, sit 2nd in the table, another that's had a good start to the season - another test? Or will Šebek steal the headlines? We started well.. but faded fast... on the plus side Ondřej Frejlach (2F) made his senior debut.. coming on just before we let them back into the game..

Just hope he turns up to train..

The month ends strong with victory against a side higher up the table than us.

Despite a good start we are already not in the mix for the 1 promotion spot..

[KibworthBull]

September 2024

Your non contract mate... the door is there...

Slavoj Mýto came to us in 2nd place and it's incredibly frustrating that we let them back into the game with a 93rd minute equaliser. They are unbeaten and only a point behind the leaders. We are getting closer this season but fully expect us to be a long way from the Champions at the end.

Especially if we look gift horses in the mouth.. a lacklustre draw away at Speřice - 15th in the table.

Sigh... the Hrusovany - identical stats apart from the bit that mattered.

An injury to Kim Cahill (1D) meant that Jakub Obajdin (2H) got his senior debut at Olympia Hradec Kralove. I also threw in Salvatore Salvadori (2A) to the deep end as well. Obajdin got a 9.0 with 2 assists in the 3-0 win. Pressure on Kim..

5th place but 13pts behind the leaders.

[KibworthBull]

October 2024

Valassky are having a similar season to us - very much best of the rest, althought they bested us. The other two games are sides at the bottom of the table and we should be winning them.

The seasonal trend appears to be =IF(AND((Marek Šebek>Defenders,Goals>1,Lounovice Win,We lose)) - I know i've missed some " in the equation for it to work, but it's been a long day. Anyway he gets a couple to beat Novy Bor. Michal Šelicha (2B) continues to build on a good start to the season with his first goal for the club. 10 away games unbeaten too.

Of our 22pts by the end of the month, only 6 have been claimed at home. A 2-2 draw against Urcice is not good as they are 15th

[KibworthBull]

November 2024

I might petition to play all our games away from home. 11 unbeaten.

Technically a point at home to Spartak Kaplice is a positive, but another where it was 3pts going into injury time. Kim Cahill (1D) picks up a dodgy ankle and we might not see him till Christmas. The positive was Jan Štochl (1C) got his first for the club.

We ended the month away from home, and Tomáš Dort (1A) finally came to the party. For someone who was deemed brilliant when he first arrived, he hasn't consistantly performed on the pitch.

He'll still be Armenian to me. Not that he's really done much in those 18 games... yet.

4th - will take that, although this is normally where the season dips.

 

[KibworthBull]

December 2024

December.. the month where we get the glimpse towards what we might be getting in March or April.

Also the month where we start to slip away.

And finally.. it's the month where we start to play every 14 days.

Home against a side struggling and away to the side top of the table.

2nd best against Rapid but a Radosław Banaszak double saw us home. Both Michal Šelicha (2B) and Ondřej Frejlach (2F) will be suspended for the trip to the leaders, or 50% of the defence.

And my word what a dull game it was... 5-2 down at half time, we got it back to 5-4, then 6-5 for the last 10 minutes but couldn't quite get parity. Two more for Banaszak.

4th going into 2025, we are on course for a record points haul and with that I would hope a highest finish. 

Intake Preview

All positions are covered - really hope one of the strikers is something we can utilise. Other than that i'm happy to wait and hope.

[KibworthBull]

January 2025

Kim Cahill (1D) picks up the plaudits for the victory against Kolovec - very much an even game decided by a spark of magic from our right winger to set up... who else..

If we have any asperations to get into the 4th tier then the US Prague game is one we should be winning. 1 shot on target out of 13. AND..

Next month we play 2nd and 3rd. Our toughest month of the save.

Our first potential poach. They are the same level as us (the first team) so would be a step back to move. The decision will be revealed next month..

[KibworthBull]

February 2025

This may not be pretty.

2 very tough games and one of our best players injured

M. Albrechtice had a player sent off in the 2nd minute, by the 14th we were 2-0 up. A very comfy day in the end. Extremely promising. Annoyingly though the physio was a busy man - Michal Šelicha (2B) will miss 6-8 weeks, Filip Kraus (1B) the next 4-5 weeks.

The friendly was an attempt to build some match sharpness and a favourable away draw.

Fantastic month on the pitch and Majer (1E) is sticking around as well.

7 games left, intake around the corner. Almost feels good

 

[KibworthBull]

March 2025

It's been less often this season than last but our in-ability to keep a late lead does rear it's ugly head every now and then.

Speřice were a beaten side until the 93rd minute.

We almost ballsed up the Hrusovany game too - they missed a late penalty after we were 2up.

Two friendlies for fitness this month.

But the board are happy

Intake - initial gut reaction is underwhelming. Although I have signed them all as there were one or two that suggested that they might have something. And we are amateur so don't have to worry about a wage budget.

Muhammet Dursun (3A) is a 6'4 Centre Half with 4 for Heading, 4 for Strength. Hopefully he will grow into his body. He should add another nationality to the list though.

Kryštof Vostárek (3B) has a very high attribute for finishing, but not much else.

 

 

 

[KibworthBull]

April 2025

Debuts for Muhammet Dursun (3A) and Kryštof Vostárek (3B) from the start against Olympia HK with Jakub Štochl (3J) coming off the bench.

Rinse and Report for Valassky. Almost to the minute.

Injuries starting to take their toll as 3 regulars missed most of April.

We are almost secure for 4th - 3 games left.

[KibworthBull]

May 2025

3pts against Novy Bor secured our 4th place and equalled our best ever points haul. Marek Šebek went to 24 goals for the season.

9 unbeaten and away to the worst side in the league.. of course we lose.. grrr!!

Our line up for the last game of the season was a momentus moment - every single one of them came through the academy. Most of them are on merit. Maybe the strikers are forcing it. Smashed it though.

Well happy with 4th. 

[KibworthBull]

2024/25 Review

Positives

• Best League finish
• Most points
• Most goals scored and fewest conceded.
• Average Attendance, Season Tickets and Twitter Followers at highest levels of the save
• Best Recruitment levels in the tier

Negatives

• Despite the above we still finished 19 points behind the leaders
• Our debt doubled in the past 12 months, without much income we will not be able to go Semi Professional

Achievements

• Steady progress in the Create a team of 500+ appearances - all of the midfield added around 28 games to their totals. Those 4 are the success stories of the development. Kim Cahill (1D) and Miroslav Majer (1E) were outstanding at times, very good at other times. Of the 2nd year intake, Zdeněk Sýbek (2C), Michal Šelicha (2B) and Oqbah Al-Shaar (2E) all featured heavily.
• Austria became the 4th nation to be represented by the graduates when Muhammet Dursun (3A) came through

[KibworthBull]

July 2025

The wheel continues to churn, we continue to make progress by the inch.

Zdeněk Sýbek (2C) has a fine start with 2 assists in the opening day victory.

There's over 100 teams in this "division" according to the betting so it's very diffcult to work out how good a victory is, or how poor a defeat is until your well into the season.

Kryštof Vostárek (3B) moves onto 3 goals in 4 club games - not bad for a 15 year old.

[KibworthBull]

August 2025

Not the best news to start the night. He was unhappy that the facilities hadn't been upgraded - I'd shown him the bank statements but wasn't appeased. We now need a keeper to step up.

After a scratchy draw, we went to Újezd Prague and were 0-4 after 10 minutes... the fact we got it back to 4-6 by the end has to be something... maybe. Michal Rataj (2D) was the keeper for that one. He got rested for the next game.

We are fighting like beavers but just can't find the wins. Kryštof Vostárek (3B) moves onto 5 goals this season. 12th in the table. No promotion this season.

 

 

[KibworthBull]

September 2025

Tactical switch up at the start of the month. 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1. Marek Šebek sure as eggs are eggs, enjoyed the switch. The board and the fans both expected defeat against Vsetin. Have they forgotten Sebek?

Kosnomosy was my 100th in charge. An end to end classic that we came out on the wrong side.

Miroslav Mejer (1E) has had a fine month, but we had been talking in the week leading up to Hartvikovice that he needed to add some more goals to his game. 'Slav delivered..

The switch has defo worked. Which is nice.

7th. 

[KibworthBull]

October 2025

That feeling when it's backs to the wall, and you end up finding a way to get a win. Unbelievable.. Sorry, not sorry Skalice.

Not 1 goal conceded across the month. The switch to 4-2-3-1 has allowed me to give a debut to the likes of Lukáš Kindlmann (3C), not that he has done much yet, but thought it would be nice to give him a mention. We should have beaten Batov but 7pts from 3 games is a solid, unbeaten month.

Someone needs to beat Vratimov a couple of times. There is a chasing pack and we are just about in it.

Recruitment and Coaching continue to become more costly.. I mean, it gets better.. I'm not convinced it makes much difference.

[KibworthBull]

November 2025

A dominant display against Tatran Kadan but dropped points to show for it. 5 games without conceding. Every game this month is at home, which means travel expenses are at a minimum. 

The decision was taken before Satalice to go for the throat - they are 15th so we went attacking and had a lot more attacking threat, but also looked a bit ropey in defence. It worked but only just. Zdeněk Sýbek (2C) getting the decisive goal.

Zdeněk Sýbek (2C) the difference in the next game as well. He can take a penalty for sure.

The below error message is a worry... it's not stopped the game so we procede.

[KibworthBull]

December 2025

Away to the league leaders - they have lost once all season, they are 7pts ahead of us. If we are serious about a promotion charge (and I'm not convinced we are) then we need a win. Not a great month

Vratimov have this guy up front.. he scored all 4... seems like a cheat code.

It don't rain but it pours..

Just what we need on the back of the injury.. No replacement service available.

[KibworthBull]

January 2026

After the December horror show, I allowed the HoYD to pick the side for the game against Újezd Prague, and it was an odd one. He decided Jakub Walter (3N) was good enough to make his debut. It didn't really work.

One mission against Napajedla (4th and in good form) - stink the place out and come away with a sneaked point or maybe an unlikely victory.. It seemed a good idea until the 18th minute and we were behind.

It's one of those spells..

[KibworthBull]

February 2026

It'll soon be April.. It'll soon be April.. It'll soon be April..

A revertion back to 4-4-2 and back in the goals and the points. Jakub Štochl (3J) marked his first game of the season with a first goal for the club. The crowd of 468 was a record attendance - 180 away fans. It seemed like a local derby but the clubs are nearly 100km apart.

The tactical plan is to try and get Jakub as close to the goal as possible before trying to let him get the ball. Let him use that 15 finishing attribute. 2 games down and it has worked so far.