[FM23] - Moe Bumbercatch - a European journeyman story - chapter 4 - Juventus

[karanhsingh]

Meet Moe Bumbercatch, a Swiss/English former professional footballer who's playing career at Richmond AFC was cruelly cut short (in this world) because of a career ending injury. Not to be deterred, he has decided to go straight into management (despite having zero badges or experience), using the ethos taught to him by former manager Ted Lasso and his coaching staff.

While his aim is to eventually make it to the top of the game, there will be a few guiding principles through the journey. Moe will only take charge of the underdog/ challenger type clubs and never the established ones. Also absolutely no clubs that are backed by oil money/ sugar daddies/ tycoons. The aim will be to cultivate a healthy & trusting dressing room atmosphere everywhere, and truly progress each club both on & off the pitch.

Edited June 21, 2023 by karanhsingh

[karanhsingh]

This is the initial set-up in terms of leagues, most I have ever tried to throw at my computer with 15 active nations!

The Challenge League in Switzlerland is deliberately selected in order to hopefully provide the first landing for Moe. With time, will probably look to remove some of the leagues in order to speed up the game.

[karanhsingh]

After a long time waiting, finally in April 2023 there is an approach from a Swiss lower tier club.

The offer is swiftly accepted.

[karanhsingh]

At the time of Moe's arrival, the club was in the lower reaches of the division but without any immediate danger of relegation. He managed to guide them to a safe mid-table finish, before the work can really begin in earnest over the summer.

The tactic being employed by Moe is a 4-4-2 loosely inspired by Richmond AFC. In the future, perhaps he will look to move down the AML/R to the ML/R positions in order to have a more hard-working and compact set-up. But for now this suits the players available at his disposal.

 

Indeed this entire save is likely to see some variation of the 4-4-2 throughout the entirety of the journey.

Thanks to everyone tuning in! 

[Hootieleece]

Remember to have Team Bonding and Community Outreach Sessions in each training week. 

The Team Bonding sessions work great after matches (especially losses)

I am a big advocate of doing so to get the team cohesion and morale you are looking for. (As close as you can get to Ted Lasso in the game)

[karanhsingh]

23 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Remember to have Team Bonding and Community Outreach Sessions in each training week. 

The Team Bonding sessions work great after matches (especially losses)

I am a big advocate of doing so to get the team cohesion and morale you are looking for. (As close as you can get to Ted Lasso in the game)

I will do that! Good tip. 

[karanhsingh]

The transfers from the summer of 2023 - relying on freebies and loans for now:

As soon as we signed this guy, I knew he is going to be the one to fire us to promotion this season. So far, he hasn't let me down.

[karanhsingh]

We find ourselves top of the table at the half-way mark in the Swiss Challenge League

And thanks to the good form the board finally agreed for Moe to get his first coaching license as well! 

Slow & steady progress

[Swaban]

love the premise of this, good luck mate! Long live the 442

[karanhsingh]

11 hours ago, Swaban said:

love the premise of this, good luck mate! Long live the 442

Thank you!

[karanhsingh]

Okay, time to wrap up the 2023-24 season with Yverdon.

As expected, we did manage to win the league, thanks in large part to the 32 goals scored by on loan Italian striker Raimundo, which means we grab the only automatic promotion spot to the Swiss Super League.

An interesting news item popped up in my inbox a few days later - something I have never seen before!

[karanhsingh]

Now apart from that, we also had a memorable run in the cup, where getting past St. Gallen on a snowy pitch (top spot in the super league at the time) was probably our best result of the season.

Our cup run ended in the semi finals with a deserved defeat in Basel.

[karanhsingh]

Over the course of the past few months, Moe also managed to get his National B coaching license, and is now already studying for National A.

So this, along with the league win and promotion seems to have boosted his reputation a fair bit.

Yverdon would definitely be the tiniest club in the Swiss top flight with the smallest budget, stadium and fan-base. Also crucially, Bologna are refusing to send Raimondi back on loan for another season as they want to give him a chance. Recognizing that he has probably taken the club as far as he could, Moe decides to hand in his resignation and leave on a high. And with that, Chapter 1 comes to a close.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, karanhsingh said:

Moe decides to hand in his resignation

Wham, bam, thank you man!

Terrific season, though.

[karanhsingh]

1 minute ago, warlock said:

Wham, bam, thank you man!

Terrific season, though.

Ha! Fair to say we both got what we wanted from each other

[Hootieleece]

That 4-4-2 Wide is deadly in the ME this year. Happy for you on your promotion.

[karanhsingh]

22 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

That 4-4-2 Wide is deadly in the ME this year. Happy for you on your promotion.

Cheers bud!

[karanhsingh]

Chapter 2

Moe received a number of interesting offers over the summer of 2024.

West Brom - the English club had avoided relegation from the Championship and would definitely present an interesting challenge, also a route into the riches of the English Premier League.

Young Boys - probably the strongest club in Switzlerland, had recently sacked their manager due to a third place finish and trophy-less season.

Standard de Liege - famous Belgian club struggling in mid-table and looking for a fresh start.

AA Gent - see above.

FC Twente - actually had a decent season finishing 5th in an Ajax dominated Eredivisie but had recently had their manager leave.

So I thought about it long and hard - and eventually it came down to two choices. Liege or Young Boys. Liege as @SixPointervery well knows is a hugely attractive club, and the opportunity to return them to the top in Belgium and win their first league title in 20 odd years was very tempting indeed. 

However, I eventually decided to stay in Switzerland with the Young Boys of Bern. Even though this really should not be much of a challenge domestically, we can probably go and buy the best players from other Swiss clubs. What I really want to see is how much of a dent we can make in Europe. And this is probably the only season for it - thanks to finishing 3rd we will be competing in the UEFA Conference League. Which I see as potentially even a winnable competition for a club of Young Boys stature. 

[karanhsingh]

And so, Moe Bumbercatch is officially in charge of the Young Boys... there is definitely a joke or two in there somewhere 

Let's go!

[SixPointer]

Lovely start to your journey!

[KlaaZ]

Very solid start, good luck at YB! Would love to try journeyman myself at some point (once I'm done with Nancy) got an idea of starting at the bottom with the aim of winning the CL on every continent.

[karanhsingh]

27 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Lovely start to your journey!

Cheers!

13 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

Very solid start, good luck at YB! Would love to try journeyman myself at some point (once I'm done with Nancy) got an idea of starting at the bottom with the aim of winning the CL on every continent.

Thanks! I am just focusing on one continent, my PC can't handle any more 

[Swaban]

As much West Brom would have probably made it easy for you to then take over a Premier League, or top Championship team, I like the idea of staying in Switzerland with Young Boys, it feels like a more realistic option 

[karanhsingh]

1 hour ago, Swaban said:

As much West Brom would have probably made it easy for you to then take over a Premier League, or top Championship team, I like the idea of staying in Switzerland with Young Boys, it feels like a more realistic option 

Yes agreed. I'm feeling good about the move and the decision. 

[karanhsingh]

Okay, time for some more updates from Young Boys.

A fairly busy summer, with a LOT of money coming in.

I was sad to see Amenda go as he is a young product of the academy, but he really wanted to leave. Zesiger is an excellent defender too but did not want to deny him a move to the EPL.

The two key players from the incoming transfers are -

Becir Omeragic is an excellent young Swiss defender who replaces outgoing club captain Zesiger and can potentially lead our side for years to come.

Zeki Amdouni - another Swiss international and he was available on a free transfer! We had to make him the highest earner in the squad but it should be worthwhile.

Also here are in my mind the two best players from the original squad:

What a talent this lad is! For reasons best known to him he rejected a move abroad in the summer to stay with us. However, he will not sign a new deal and has a 19m release clause to foreign clubs. We will enjoy him while we can!

A good pacy forward with an excellent personality to boot, Elia will be crucial both from the wing and up front to our chances this season.

[karanhsingh]

Also we have come up with two new tactics to suit the Young Boys squad.

The 4-3-3 will probably be our primary tactic and definitely for the harder games - it is designed to get the best out of Rieder.

A flat 4-4-2 this time rather than the one with a VOL because Reider cannot play there.

[karanhsingh]

Here is the list of the sides competing in the UEFA Conference League, ordered by co-efficient.

I really think we have a shot!

[Jogo Bonito]

Good luck with BSC. I had many years managing them in Switzerland and over several versions too.

The league will be a formality and you should be strong in Europe too.

The two new signings you highlighted are good and the two 'originals' spotlighted are also very good quality to build around. And I see Raimondo on loan too 

[Hootieleece]

Love the names of the Tactics!

 

[13th Man]

Nice start to your save! Young Boys will give you a good chance at a European run.

Even if it doesn’t go well, though, remember that it’s not about wins or losses, it’s about making these Young Boys better versions of themselves, on and off the field.

[SixPointer]

Nice transfer business. Brought in big money using a very realistic feel by not standing in the way of players.

Rieder is definitely one of the players of FM23 for me. I think he’s actually at Real Madrid in my save. He doesn’t get as much recognition on the forums as others. 

[karanhsingh]

16 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Good luck with BSC. I had many years managing them in Switzerland and over several versions too.

The league will be a formality and you should be strong in Europe too.

The two new signings you highlighted are good and the two 'originals' spotlighted are also very good quality to build around. And I see Raimondo on loan too 

Thank you! Did not realize you have some experience with Young Boys yourself 

15 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Love the names of the Tactics!

Lol thanks 

14 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Nice start to your save! Young Boys will give you a good chance at a European run.

Even if it doesn’t go well, though, remember that it’s not about wins or losses, it’s about making these Young Boys better versions of themselves, on and off the field.

Ha I see what you did there!

7 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Nice transfer business. Brought in big money using a very realistic feel by not standing in the way of players.

Rieder is definitely one of the players of FM23 for me. I think he’s actually at Real Madrid in my save. He doesn’t get as much recognition on the forums as others. 

Thanks! Funny enough, did not know about Rieder before this save. Yes this is definitely true.

[Jogo Bonito]

4 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Thank you! Did not realize you have some experience with Young Boys yourself 

Haha, that's a joke I heard similar variations of from a work colleague when I was managing them. Combine the Young Boys and their stadium name, you can imagine the extent of the comments.

That's why I now always call them BSC 

 

[karanhsingh]

52 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Haha, that's a joke I heard similar variations of from a work colleague when I was managing them. Combine the Young Boys and their stadium name, you can imagine the extent of the comments.

That's why I now always call them BSC 

 

Oh yes Wankdorf 

I really wonder what they were thinking when they named the stadium. 

[karanhsingh]

The half-way point report from the 2024-25 season is here.

No complaints so far, its been pretty smooth sailing. The Swiss Super league should already be in the bag, while we have qualified comfortably for the knockouts of the Conference league as well.

I believe Atalanta, Freiburg and Villarreal will pose the biggest threats in Europe, maybe OGC Nice as well.

Amdouni has made a brilliant start to his Young Boys career, earning his first cap for the Swiss NT as well. Imeri has been an assist machine from the left flank, but there is no doubt in my mind that Fabian Rieder is the best player at the club.

[karanhsingh]

Meanwhile, Moe Bumbercatch is officially a continentally licensed coach now.

And his reputation continues to improve gradually

[karanhsingh]

On 04/06/2023 at 14:40, Jogo Bonito said:

Haha, that's a joke I heard similar variations of from a work colleague when I was managing them. Combine the Young Boys and their stadium name, you can imagine the extent of the comments.

That's why I now always call them BSC 

 

And speaking of the stadium, some good news on that front too! Wankdorf is getting even larger!

[13th Man]

Oh wow.  That Wankdorf.  Oh wow.  It's getting bigger and bigger [sorry, couldn't help myself].

One - Bumbercatch has them playing really well.  Seems like you can really focus on Europe with the league all but settled.

[Carambau]

Easy going here  Hope you do well in Europe too!

[Jogo Bonito]

Starting the necessary work to expand immediately it says. Good luck for the rest of the season.

[warlock]

This thread took an unexpected turn. Here's hoping for more football!

[karanhsingh]

6 hours ago, warlock said:

This thread took an unexpected turn. Here's hoping for more football!

Indeed  i will try to bring it back on topic now....

[karanhsingh]

And back to the football we go!

The January transfer window brought one significant departure.

At the age of 27, it was time to let Elia try his hand in one of the top European leagues. I did not want to stand in his way, he has been a great servant to the club.

Also by this time we had established that the 4-3-3 was faring better than the 4-4-2 and crucially allowing our best player Rieder to flourish. So the incoming signing had to be someone perfectly comfortable playing the right flank. 

Ritsu Doan was the chosen man. Someone I have often scouted on FM saves but never signed before, I look forward to seeing how he does with our side. He joins from Leipzig for 4.8m after being deemed surplus to requirements there.

[karanhsingh]

So I will first focus on our European campaign, since the league title was all but secure already.

The draw was kind to us - we got fellow Swiss side Basel in the round of 16. I was confident we should comfortably go through.

And so we did:

However after this, our European bid took a big hit with the below news item - we were rocked by the announcement that our top scorer and one of the best players at the club had suffered a very serious injury.

We would have to try and finish the job without him.

[karanhsingh]

The draw for the quarters and semi finals was made:

I was confident about Levski. Freiburg or Atalanta though, would be a very difficult match-up.

[karanhsingh]

THIS is what happened in the first leg of the Levski game.

Indeed, all sorts of records went tumbling. I don't think I have ever had a result like this. 

Obviously the second leg was totally moot  though we won it 2-1 to win the tie 14-2 on aggregate.

Atalanta of Bergamo await.

[SixPointer]

The young boys are flying!! Shame about such a horrendous injury, especially when he’s done so well since he arrived.

I drew 2-2 with Sofia. Can’t help but feel I vastly under performed now 

[karanhsingh]

20 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

The young boys are flying!! Shame about such a horrendous injury, especially when he’s done so well since he arrived.

I drew 2-2 with Sofia. Can’t help but feel I vastly under performed now 

Haha. I have absolutely no idea what happened in that game. Everything went in!

[karanhsingh]

We battle hard but go down 0-1 in Bergamo.

It will all be decided at Wankdorf

[karanhsingh]

The line-ups for one of the biggest games ever for the Young Boys

A dream start as we go a goal up inside minutes! It's Camara, who heads home from a corner

We reach HT at 1-0. Atalanta are definitely dangerous as well, and we need another goal. Itten is having a quiet game (no repeat of his Sofia heroics) so he makes way for Raimondo on 60 minutes.

And there it is! The young Italian has not played a lot since his loan move and he's certainly not repeated the amazing season he had with Yverdon, but he has popped up with an absolutely crucial goal here. 

We go defensive for the last 15 and manage to see the game out somehow.

It is a deserved win finally, and the Young Boys are in the final!!