[FM24] Word Groter | FC Groningen

[Vladis]

 

Hello and welcome to Groningen! I`m not the master of the long introductions and don`t want for this time to make any statements about aims of the save like "to win UCL 5 times in a row with academy players born in Groningen only". We will try to be as successful as we can (or as long as I have interest), trying to win any trophies, competing in Europe, developing youngsters, being smart in recruiting players and staff etc. I`ve chosen title "Word Groter" for this career as it means "to get bigger" and is used as the name of the club magazine and podcast.

Welcome Aboard! 

So, what we have in July 2023 besides the fact that we start new season out of Eredivisie?

• great facilities;
• nice looking and pretty modern stadium;
• decent financial position or at least we don`t have any major debts;
• Arjen Robben as U19` assistant manager!

About the squad.

Honestly, I have very limited understanding about the level of the teams in Eerste Divisie but I want to believe that we should be competitive for promotion battle with players at my disposal.  Johan Hove,  Marvin Peersman,  Daleho Irandust,  Isak Määttä,  Marco Rente,  Radinio Balker. I see all of them as key players for the next season but may be someone else could become the hero. My main concern for now is the lack of quality depth around the first team but we are in the 2nd tier after all...

Edited July 21 by Vladis

[danyates8]

Loving the layout so far of this, i'm a stickler for graphics so will be following this with a keen eye!

[Vladis]

On 21/07/2024 at 23:42, danyates8 said:

Loving the layout so far of this, i'm a stickler for graphics so will be following this with a keen eye!

Thanks;)

[Vladis]

 

Nothing fancy in our first pre-season. Five friendly matches, intensive training and some upgrades to our staff.

Tactics. We are only in the beginning of building cohesion and learning all principles of my tactical approach, but early signs are quite positive. We are trying to mix possession football with quick counter attacks. Looking ahead I can say that it turns out pretty good, but it's just the beginning.

Defeat in the opening day to ADO is not the perfect start but I like how we responded to this and won next four games. Statistically we are sound. Great possession numbers, xG but...again, it`s only the beginning of our path.  Irandust and  Emeran are on fire.

In other news,  Laros Duarte debuted for his national team. In 26 y.o. For Cape Verde.

[_Ben_]

Strong start! I've a soft spot for Groningen after FM22, I think, so I hope you're able to get them back into the top flight quickly.

[Vladis]

On 09/08/2024 at 23:28, _Ben_ said:

Strong start! I've a soft spot for Groningen after FM22, I think, so I hope you're able to get them back into the top flight quickly.

Thanks, Ben! I remember your legendary "Matryoshka" of course) I hope for the quick return to the top tier too, otherwise I`ll be immediately sacked))

[Vladis]

 

We need to improve our game away from home. ADO is absolutely unstoppable at the moment but our main short-term task for now is to reduce the distance from Willem II and don`t let them to break away from us.

[Vladis]

 

We are on winning streak, and we defeated Eredivisie side RKC Waalwijk in the KNVB Beker First Round. But wins are not as easy for us as it seems. In the last 10 matches only in one match the goal difference in our favour was 2 or more. Looks like top-4 is already established but our main and the only goal is promotion.

[Vladis]

 

We lost in probably the key match of the 1st leg, but we are still in race and moreover secured playoff spot as the best team of second period.

[Vladis]

 

Not the best defensive performances in last five matches but we anyway got nine points in the league, losing only to our competitors for promotion (which is sad ofc). In the Cup we`ve watched a thriller at De Kuip where we were in few minutes before real sensation but...

January transfer window is near to the end. We tried to send some players on loan but unsuccessfully. And also, I wanted to find a new club for our captain Bacuna as he is constantly moaning about everything and work through the sleeves in training. But no one is interested in him.

At the same time two players joined the team on loan deals.  Oscar Bobb (from Man City) who should add more creativity to our midfield trio and  Max Rosenfelder (from Freiburg), well rounded young center-back, who could also play at the right-back position and as defensive midfielder.

[_Ben_]

Oscar Bobb will surely be a great addition to your midfield. Things are looking pretty solid at the moment - confident to finish the job and get promoted?

[Vladis]

23 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

Oscar Bobb will surely be a great addition to your midfield. Things are looking pretty solid at the moment - confident to finish the job and get promoted?

Honestly, I`m not so confident) ADO and Willem II are pretty stable in their performance and any serious drop of form from my side could cost us direct promotion. We`ve secured playoff spot but we will need to beat Eredivisie team for promotion. So, not so easy task) Or I`m too pessimistic 

[Vladis]

 

Not the best month. We lost 7 important points in matches where I didn`t expect that. Luckily, Willem II also made few mistakes and didn`t break away from us.

 

[Deisler26]

Good luck. Just don't beat RKC 

[Vladis]

23 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Good luck. Just don't beat RKC 

Thanks, Deisler) I'll try not to beat them again. (no )

[Vladis]

 

It looks better now. Few tactical tweaks, a bit of luck and Verrips` return to goal allowed us to make a step into top two. End of the season is going to be interesting.

Our first Youth Intake. Looks promising at a first glance but I hardly see any world beaters here (maybe I`m too ambitious in my expectations).

So according to my staff here the best prospects:

 Aurimas Grudzinskas - great potential but unbalanced skills

 Karim Alioui - my favourite, well-rounded and versatile defender.

 Theo Versluis

 Rene Willems - second best for me. A room for development in heading skill though. 

 Daan van den Brink

 Abdelaziz Soufiani

 Jelle Beck

[_Ben_]

Doing really well! I think you've got enough about to you secure this promotion, now.

In terms of those youth players - my favourite part...

1 hour ago, Vladis said:

 Karim Alioui - my favourite, well-rounded and versatile defender.

WCB(D) for me!

1 hour ago, Vladis said:

 Rene Willems - second best for me. A room for development in heading skill though. 

L(D) for me!

1 hour ago, Vladis said:

 Theo Versluis

I like him. Certainly a static 10 - maybe EG(s)

1 hour ago, Vladis said:

 Daan van den Brink

Maybe Mez(a) and get him to get into that box!

 

[Vladis]

On 21/08/2024 at 00:54, _Ben_ said:

Doing really well! I think you've got enough about to you secure this promotion, now.

In terms of those youth players - my favourite part...

WCB(D) for me!

L(D) for me!

I like him. Certainly a static 10 - maybe EG(s)

Maybe Mez(a) and get him to get into that box!

 

Thanks, Ben, for taking time and evaluating my YI) Mostly agree with you about the best positions. However, I see 4-3-3 system as a base for building a team for the future and roles loke WCB or EG don`t fit this system) But good thing is that if these players will not match my requirements in the future they still could be sold for the good money.

[Vladis]

 

Yes, we did it! It was nervous end of the season as expected. The decisive moment of probably the whole season was the game with Willem II and these crucial 3 points almost guaranteed promotion for us. Our job for this season is done!

[Vladis]

 Eerste Divisie - Promotion  |  KNVB Beker - Third Round

Full Table | Team Stats Overview | Player Stats Overview

Squad | Player Stats (Detailed) | Data Hub | Transfers | Finances

Top Scorer -  Paulos Abraham (16)

Most Assists -  Paulos Abraham (8)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

We should be satisfied with this season. The main goal is achieved - we return to the top tier. We had a good campaign in KNVB Beker, defeated two Eredivisie teams and lost to Feyenoord in dramatic match in the third round. 

So, we are preparing for the busy summer as with almost no funds we should strengthen all the lines in the squad to match requirements of the Eredivisie level. Free agents, loans and hardcore.

[mannojunior]

A very good and ultimately successful first season! Looking forward to seeing how you recruit over the summer. 
 

The graphical layout of your posts are top notch 🔥

[Deisler26]

Easy money, congratulations.

[Vladis]

On 26/08/2024 at 01:38, mannojunior said:

A very good and ultimately successful first season! Looking forward to seeing how you recruit over the summer. 
 

The graphical layout of your posts are top notch 🔥

Thank you very much;) I`m slow in summer processing so it will take a time.

[Vladis]

On 26/08/2024 at 05:08, Deisler26 said:

Easy money, congratulations.

Thanks! It`s a June but I don`t have money yet 

[_Ben_]

Congratulations! Enjoy the summer of sensible spending!

[Vladis]

On 27/08/2024 at 22:38, _Ben_ said:

Congratulations! Enjoy the summer of sensible spending!

Thanks! I`m still at the first summer days, so a lot of work is ahead of us)

[Carambau]

Late to the party again... Congrats to promotion!  

[Vladis]

On 18/09/2024 at 20:28, Carambau said:

Late to the party again... Congrats to promotion!  

Thanks, Carambau!)

[Vladis]

We are back again!

 

It's been a busy summer. Despite the very limited scouting network and finances our recruitment team has done a good job we`ve strengthened the squad with some decent players.

----------

NEW SIGNINGS

Goalkeepers:

  

Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson (29 y.o., free transfer) - ex-Arsenal goalkeeper spent solid season in Cardiff where he made 16 clean sheets in 45 matches.

Lino Karsten (23 y.o., free transfer) - great founding of our scouts in German lower leagues. Lino is very talented young keeper and already rated by our staff higher than Rúnar.

 

Defenders:

  

Melayro Bogarde (22 y.o., loan from Hoffenheim, 500k optional future fee) - Melayro already wore a Groningen shirt in the 21-22 season. But he spent only 7 matches those time. Now he is much stronger and could become one of the team leaders in the upcoming season.

Andreas Skovgaard (27 y.o., 300k from Cracovia) - good central defender in prime years. Graduate of famous Nordsjelland academy, he moved to Heerenveen in 2018 but didn't spend a single match there and left the team 3 years later.

Ryan Flamingo (21 y.o., loan from Sassuolo) - another young Dutch defender signed on loan. For Ryan next season will be 3rd in a row in Eredivisie. Last years he was regular starter for Vitesse and Utrecht sides.

 

Midfielders:

  

Emerson Hyndman (28 y.o., 400k from Memphis, USLC) - pretty skilled and creative midfielder was found in 2nd tier of an American soccer pyramid. Maybe we slightly overpaid for him, but I believe he could add some quality to our attacks. 

Tony Njiké (27 y.o., free transfer) - decent upgrade to our defensive midfielder position. Last season he was at National League, playing for Chateauraux.

Anas Tahiri (29 y.o., free from SC Heerenveen) - not the popular decision among our fanbase to sign player from our main rival but at it was hard to resist from signing on free such quality playmaker.

 

Strikers:

Sydney van Hooijdonk (24 y.o., 875k from Bologna) - our main transfer and most expensive signing in this summer so far. I have big hopes for this guy. He knows how to score and he is still 24 y.o.

----------

And also, we have two players who returned from loan:

Tomas Suslov (Slovakia, 22 y.o., attacking midfielder) - biggest name in this squad, our star. Unfortunately, he wants to move to the bigger club and I`ve promised him to let him go for at least 15M. But good news is that nobody wants to pay these money for him so far. So, there is a chance he will remain at the club at least until winter.

Florian Krüger (Germany, 25 y.o., striker) - I see him as back-up striker. Last season he scored 7 goals in Bundesliga 2 for Braunschweig.

----------

Players Out

All departures here have been planned. Mainly these players were released because of their quality doesn`t match Eredivisie standard. In case with Bacuna it was low work ethic. I wanted to keep Duarte but here already in winter asked to leave the club after the end of contract so it`s good that we got decent compensation for him from Belgian side. We still have few players to release as soon as we find new clubs for them.

----------

FC GRONINGEN 2024 - 2025 (as for the August 11th)

Projected Best XI

 

----------

Friendly matches | Season Odds | Board expectations

[Vladis]

 

 

The first game of the season turned out to be not what I expected, after all Sparta is a team that we should be able to handle, especially at home. Next came the expected defeat to PSV and a disappointing home game against NEC where we conceded penalty at 90+6 minute. But next two games were like a breath of fresh air. Very important 6 points allowed us to look more positive into the future. However, we should improve our defence, 9 goals in 5 matches are too much.

In the transfer deadline day we`ve completed another one transfer.  Daam Foulon (25 y.o., 220k from KV Mechelen) signed to improve depth at the left flank of defence.

[Deisler26]

Oof, that late penalty must have stung

[Vladis]

3 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Oof, that late penalty must have stung

Yes, it hurts, of course. Discipline in and around of our own box is still a problem.

[Vladis]

 

We brought our winning streak to four matches, but then Ajax and Feyenoord appeared in our schedule alongside with tough RKC side. We looked good in match with Ajax which can`t be sad for Feyenoord game. We keep working. 

[Vladis]

 

We're definitely not in the best conditions at the moment. 7 matches without a win, including a penalty shootout defeat to Eredivisie side Cambuur, before we finally beat Volendam...which is absolutely the worst team in the league right now. Possibly, it`s time for some tactical tweaks without touching basic principles of my system. As you can see, for example, we chose 4231 for the last match.

[Vladis]

 

 

We went into the winter break with four matches' winless streak. However, draws with AZ and PSV can be put in our favour both in terms of play and results. The rest went good for us and in the first game of 2025 we defeated a very tough Sparta in an away game.

January transfer window is still opened but some major deals are already done.

We've waited for a good offer on Suslov and finally let him go to bigger side. I`m pleased that he will stay in Netherlands. Very good player for the league. We`ve also agreed 25% profit from the next transfer clause. 

Three players went on loan for more playing time.

NEW SIGNING

Ramon Hendriks (23 y.o., loan from Feyenoord, joining on full status 01/07/2024 (end of contract)) - top bargain deal. Very good young defender who is comfortable on the ball which is important for our system.

We`ve activated future fee clause for Bogarde and he will also become permanent member of our team in the summer.

Edited Saturday at 11:17 by Vladis

[Vladis]

 

TRANSFER UPDATE

Deadline Day was really busy. We had several variants to strengthen the squad, and three signings were finally done.

  

Jeppe Okkels (25 y.o., free transfer) - massive player for the club of our calibre. He was one of the leaders of the Swedish side IF Elfsborg but declined to stay in Sweden. He should add quality to our left flank. 

Marco van Ginkel (32 y.o., free transfer) - big name at Euroborg! ex-Chelsea playmaker has agreed to play for us for the food) He`s still capable of performing on a good level but there is a nuance...few days after joining us he got injured almost until the end of season. Big sign - big loss.

Nemanja Motika (21 y.o., loan from Atalanta) - unplanned loan of very good young winger. After Abraham was moaning about signing Okkels at his position I decided to find a new club for him and we`ve even got offer from Belgium, but Abraham rejected it and decided to think about his future after the end of contract. And the deal with Motika was agreed few hours before his decision. So, we have for now five players on two positions of winger. Sorry for my bad English 

[gggfunk]

Good first season in Eredivisie so far, keep up the good work!

[Vladis]

26 minutes ago, gggfunk said:

Good first season in Eredivisie so far, keep up the good work!

Thanks, mate! Yes, at least we meet expectations at this moment, but the league is very unpredictable aside from top 3. So, we could even climb to top 6 or to fall outside the top ten.

[Vladis]

 

Things are going really better! Yeah, maybe not the hardest schedule for last 5 matches but it`s a good sign that we take points in games where we at least slight favourites.

[Vladis]

 

We were certainly very lucky in Amsterdam, but to take points away from Ajax is very pleasing. That trick didn't work with Feyenoord, unfortunately. In a very important match against Emmen we were saved by a change of formation at half-time. We scored all four goals by switching to 4-2-3-1.

YOUTH INTAKE

Intake is very average. There are only a few names to highlight.

 Sven Hake - introduced as the most talented among others, but I don`t really know what to do with him  

 Romeo de Haan - could be decent centre-back if he will improve his jumping skill.

 Pieter Rosema - the best one for me. Very balanced skill range and professional personality,

 Melvin Parmentier - second one. Probably box-to-box in the future. I like his aggression and determination. And good personality,

New contract is here.

Edited 18 hours ago by Vladis