(FM24) LutterworthFox presents The Nearly Men - Club #4 - Valencia

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #68 - July 2039

I expected a Summer of total mayhem and, with a month of the Summer window to go it has been exactly what I thought it would be.....constant chaos!!

Let's start with the players that have left so far.

Total carnage! I said there were players who I didn't really want to lose, well nearly of them left! We say goodbye to the following first-teamers

Right Winger Lennard van den Dungen - I said in the previous season if a bid of more than £9m came in he could go, he leaves for just a tad over that, a big loss as he was a massive player in the last campaign

Central Defender Tommaso Giliberti - An absolutely huge loss, my best defender, my captain but more importantly, my only home-grown at club player in the first-team!

Striker Mike Sithole - What a deal though, signing 18 months ago for £425k, he leaves for 100x times that! A big loss but that was a deal I had to agree to 

Central Defender - Mihajlo Rakic - A back-up defender but another big loss, a good fee though for someone only rated at 2.5*

The others were bit-part players last season who won't be missed.

So overall just over £100m of sales but some big boots to fill. I said in the last post if we lost Sithole, Giliberti and van den Dungen I would need to replace them as they were key men, well I did exactly that and brought a couple more as well!

Salvador Ceitil - Central Defender - £8m from Nice

My replacement for Rakic, I do have some young defenders in the my squad but I felt none of them were ready to step up at the moment. Ceitil looks really good and can also play as a DM. 

Paulo - Right Winger/Striker - Free from Newcastle

Signing on a pre-contract to replace van den Dungen, he can also play up front and with me looking to play a slightly different formation this year, that's probably where he'll play.

Noe Vander Elst - Central Defender - £10.75m from Al-Ain

My replacement for Giliberti and in comparison he's probably better, the biggest draw for this lad was the fact he was homegrown and training at Club Brugge, so he is the perfect replacement. A top quality, tall, strong defender, I had to break the bank to bring him back to the club, he is my second highest earner at the club.

Volkan Kurumus - Striker - £6.75m from Hertha Berlin

My replacement for Mike Sithole, is he better? No but he looks a really good acquisition. He has 20 for determination, is quick and has good movement, perfect for the style of play I am implementing.

Theo Mercier - Goalkeeper - £1.6m from Caen

I said in the last post we only had Didier Boonen as a front-line goalkeeper so Mercier comes in as his back-up, but I'm also pre-planning. There have been numerous bids for Boonen so far and he is far from happy that've been rejected. I've said he can go for £20m which so far hasn't happened. If Boonen does leave I have full faith Mercier can step in as the No. 1 for this season.

So a decent Summer albeit absolutely mental. I've had so many more bids that I've turned down as they haven't met players valuations. I do feel at the moment we are slightly short in attacking midfield, we had Mertens last season who's loan expired, so far I haven't replaced him and I'm relying on youngsters to fill the void. This is why I've slightly changed my 5221 formation and moved on my attacking midfielders to a Striker.

A simple tweak but with so many decent forwards it was one that I needed to do. The only other change is I've changed the right-sided CM role to a B2B midfielder. 

The good news is it seems to have worked so far!

Four games, four wins including our first Pro League Supercup of the my time here.

A good start!

In other news we have moved into a new ground. The Club Brugge Stadium was completed in the Summer, it was agreed to be built before I joined the club and it offers us an extra 12k seats and a potential 12k more with expansions.

Hopefully this will bring more revenue in!

Now I move into the final month of the Summer transfer window, I still need to get rid of a couple of midfielders but only if the price is right. I also want another attacking midfielder but I want to wait until I sort out my Champions League squad, for some reason the squad registration doesn't appear until the day of the registration date. That is the final day of the transfer window! I need to make sure I have a space in my squad, I need to make sure I have the HGC and HG players to fill the squad to it's maximum and I can't see that until the registration opens. 

 

Edited September 26 by TheLutterworthFox

[leobiazzi]

Good signings! Hopefully, the board will change their mentality after you make them cash in the next couple of windows.

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #69 - August 2039

Well it's been another chaotic month at Brugge, it's now the end of August and somehow there's still a week until the Belgian window shuts!

I really thought I'd got to the end of the endless bids for my players but FM, with a couple of weeks of the window left, dealt one of it's cruellest blows.

My star Belgian midfielder Joao Silva, who I only signed in the Winter got his head turned by Arsenal, they bid less than the £23.5m I paid for him, there was no way he was going, he then lead a mutiny against me, over 10 players complaining I should let him, I had no choice, he had to be sold. Absolutely gutting, especially I made only a £6.5m profit on him.

Luckily we have a raft of DMs to replace him and most are good enough to take his spot so no replacement was required, what it did do though was give me a space in my squad and some money to spend on a new AM that I seriously needed. 

It has taken me a while to find the right AM, even though I only recently started bidding for players, I feel I've trawled half the World to find the right player, for the right fee, eventually I found that man!

In comes 22-year old Uruguayan attacking midfielder Javier Domingo. He has only cost me £2.5m and I think that is an absolute steal, I really can't see a fault in his attributes, he just needs time t bed into life in Belgium.

Luckily that is all the business done. I have turned down numerous bids for GK Boonen but so far no-one has bid the £20m I told him he can go for. 

I really feel we have a god, settled squad. It has shrunk down from the 43-man squad I had at the end of last season, to 30 players as it is now, it's not all just sales, a few have gone out on loan to get more game-time.

Now to the results and so far it's been OK but we have already lost a league game, it took me until matchday 36 last season!

It was away to Anderlecht, it was just one of those games, we played well but their keeper played amazingly and won POTM. After that we won the next three, plenty of goals along the way.

So we sit top, can we stay there though?

Now to some other news and firstly, even though we've only just moved into our new ground, I've managed to persuade the board to expand it! 

Another 6k seats incoming.

We've also been handed one of the toughest set of Champions League fixtures I've ever seen!

Three English sides including my boys, tycoon-owned Leicester City, we also face German giants Bayern and RB Leipzig and Spanish side Atletico Madrid. I can only see points coming against LASK but stranger things have happened!

Now I just have to see the last week of the window out with the hope no one else goes. We do have a healthy bank balance and transfer budget left. £97m sitting in the bank with £71.5m in the transfer kitty. Now I need to decide what to do, I know if I don't spend it then the board will take it away from me and give me a negative budget for next season. So the plan over this season is to make pre-signings for next Summer, decide who in the squad needs replacing and try to bring in better players, whilst still thinking about the Champions League squad registration rules. I want to make sure this money is spent but only if it helps the side.

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #70 - September 2039

A really quiet month games wise.

Only four games but overall it went really well. Two from two in the league and really good performances.

We sit nicely top of the league, 5 clear of OH Leuven in second.

In the Champions League we put up a fantastic fight against Chelsea, we parked the bus and bar conceding early on we defended well to only lose the game 1-0. We never really attacked!

In matchday two we had our easiest tie of the League Phase at home to LASK Linz, it took us a while to get going, the first half was highlight free but once we grabbed the opening goal we kicked on to seal a 3-0 win.

£2.4m for the win and £1.3m in gate receipts, a club record!

That may end up being the only points we get in League Phase but we live in hope!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #71 - October 2039

A real mixed bag this month.

Some absolutely stunning wins, including a 5-0 ay home to Lommel and then an insane game where Thierie scored 6 goals in a 6-1 rout of Antwerp. As you can see our home form is amazing, it's our away for this season where we're suddenly struggling. Four games away this month and only one win which was in the Croky Cup.

Genk I'll take but that loss to Oostende was really poor, we found ourselves 2-0 down after half an hour,, we tried to claw it back but failed and lost 3-2.

So two league defeats this season already, more than the whole of the last campaign.

The table is still looking pretty good though.

4 clear after 13 games, Interestingly Westerlo, who spent £98m in the Summer are in 3rd and currently unbeaten!

We also played one Champions League game, away to Bayern and battled to a 2-0 loss!

We had more chances than we did in the Chelsea game but they were so dominant. A long way to go before we're anywhere near their level!

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #72 - November 2039

It's been another month where in some games we look utterly unstoppable, then in others we struggle!

Two Champions League games, firstly we played my old side Arsenal at home, they showed their class to smash us 4-0, full expected as well. We then faced Marseille at home and came out with a solid point, the game was pretty rubbish but we did have the better of the chances.

Five games in, four points but some tough games to go, Leicester (a), Leipzig (h) and Atletico Madrid (a). 

In the league it's been pretty decent. We did lose another game, away to Westerlo 1-0 in a game where their keeper was POTM. Westerlo are just good, they are odds-on favourites to win the league and are still unbeaten, they have drawn way too many games though, hence why they're second. In the other three league games it was three expected wins with some really good performances, I've attempted to mix the team around a bit to give some of the younger players a chance, whilst giving some of my key men a rest. It seems to be working.

We sit nicely top, we have played a game more than Westerlo but still sit six points ahead of them, not bad seeing as they beat us!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #73 - December 2039

We come to the end of 2039 and so far, so good! A few more defeats than expected but overall I'm really happy with the way this season is going. December has overall been really good result wise.

Four games in the league, 10 points gained with our only dropped points at home to Anderlecht, a tough match that on the overall stats we deserved to win.

Westerlo still unbeaten but have only won 55% of their matches! The love a draw! This means we sit 8 points clear with Westerlo having a game in-hand.

Only one game played in the Champions League and it was another defeat, this time away to tycoon-owned Leicester City, we put up a good fight but they were too good.

This means we are 3 points off the top 24 places with 2 games to go. Those games are home to Leipzig and away to Atletico Madrid, I'll be happy if we get a point out of those matches.

In other news we have had our annual youth intake preview and it looks pretty good.

A "golden generation"? Let's hope!! A new top-class GK would be fantastic.

We also have some awards news, firstly GK Didier Boonen won the European Golden Boy.

He really is a sensational player but he will be leaving in the next week. He's out of contract at the end of the season and won't discuss a new deal. A £16m bid has come in from a couple of Saudi teams which I've decided to accept. Better to cash in than lose him for nothing.

The second end of year award goes to defender Ivan Moreno who wins the Belgian young player of the year.

In fact we had the top 3 players with Left Back Teger in second and ex-Brugge midfielder Joao Silva in third.

Finally some transfer news. I've decided to spend some of the transfer budget on some new players, I will need to move players on but that should be easy.

The first signing is an ex-Brugge player. Defender Lois Schuermans left in the Winter to Brentford for £11.5m. He hasn't played and Brentford were happy to sell him for £20m, the good news is I had a clause in the deal when I sold him that we would get 50% of the profit of the next sale, so technically he's only cost me £15.75m. The reason I signed him was the fact he's homegrown at club. Something we very much need

The second player coming in is Left Back Samual Mensah, he will be joining from Chelsea for £2.5m, rising to £5.5m with instalments. I have spent this season with only Teger as a naturalLWB, he got injured for 2-3 months earlier in the season meaning I had to change formation to put a LB in, Stevanovic filled is as an IFB and did well but I do like the more-attacking WBs. Mensah will be Teger's understudy but, with so many games to come, will definitely get his chances.

I still have nearly £30m to spend which I will look to use on players to join at the end of the season, with the club running with a negative transfer budget model I know they will take whatever budget I have at the end of the season, so it's 100% the right thing to do to spend what I have before it get removed. We have plenty of money in the bank as well, around £60m so it's not like me spending the transfer kitty will send us spiralling into debt!

Edited September 28 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #74 - January 2040

This has been one hell of a month, but before I go through some stunning results let's firstly discuss transfers.

There have been a few players that have left, most of them were my choice bar one!

The biggest loss there is defender Stevanovic who has been a key players since I joined, Al-Ahli activated his release clause and I he wouldn't discuss a new deal. Because we brought Schuermens in we actually don't need to replace him. The others to leave were all back-ups and I felt it was best to let them go as I could then free up spaces to bring in better players.

As for the in's, there are only two new players that joined in the last month and here they are!

The first player to come in is wonderkid Marko Babic, a player I wasn't looking at bringing in but when I saw he had a release clause of £3.9m I had bring him in. he does have a £23m release clause but if he goes for that it'll be a nice profit.

The second player to join is attacker Mourad Zouaoui, signed from rivals Westerlo for £7.25m, he helps with the HG registration in the Champions League and is also top top quality for only 18. He will have to settle for the odd games and spending most of time coming on from the bench but I have high hopes he can improve enough to become a first-team player.

Now to results, I hope you're ready because this month has been the best so far! Firstly, domestic results and it's been a cracker of a month.

3 from 3 in the league with a bucket load of goals, we also progressed to the semi finals of the Croky Cup with a solid 2-0 win over Standard Leige.

8 clear of Westerlo, there are 6 games of the regular season to go before the league splits and the points get halved.

But its the Champions League where things got rather tasty this month. The starter was a home game against Leipzig, I felt we had a chance but we would have to play really well. We did exactly that, a stunning 2-1 win which we fully deserved.

This meant we headed to Atletico Madrid knowing that if we somehow won we could, just possible, steal a playoff spot. I really felt we had little to no chance of getting anything out of the tie but miracles could happen, well the miracle came true, this was probably my proudest moment of my two years in charge of Brugge.

An absolutely incredible 1-0 win, we defended for our lives, Domingo grabbing the only goal just after half-time, this is one of my best results on FM this season, total underdogs and we won!!!

And that meant we snuck into the final playoff spot!

The big thing is it gives us another £8m of prize money for just playing in the next round, massive!

Then the draw came out, we could've got Man City, PSG or the Milan sides, we didn't.....

We face Marseille, a team we played in the League Phase at home and claimed a decent 0-0 draw, it'll be tough but I do feel we have a chance!

 

Edited September 28 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #75 - February 2040

Another solid month domestically.

Four game in the league with ten points. The only slip-up, a 2-2 draw at home Genk in a game we found ourselves 2-0 up. Bar that though it's been really good, some really good wins and a fantastic two-legged win over Genk in the Croky Cup where we're into the final, the first time in my time here, and we'll face Union Sint-Gilloise. A winnable match.

The good form means we've now stretched our lead at the top of the table to 12 points, 2 games of the regular season to go. It's been nowhere near as good as last season but I never expected it to be. We had a massive target on our back so to be this far ahead is amazing.

Now we come to the Champions League, we unexpectedly got ourselves into the playoff round faced Marseille, a game I thought we had a chance in, the first leg was at home, we had most of the but failed to make them pay. Marseille were much better in front of goal and sealed a 2-1 win. Really annoying! 

So we went into the second leg needing something special and we just didn't show up. The game was awful, hardly any chance and it was fitting it would end 0-0.

A 2-1 loss on aggregate but to be honest we had done so well to even get here!

Edited September 28 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #76 - March 2040

A quiet month game wise, mainly because we had a break in between the regular season ending and championship group starting.

Three games and three really good wins including a cracking 2-0 win over title-chasing Westerlo.

After the Westerlo game we ended the regular season and prior to the split we were 15 points clear.

As the league splits the points get halved which meant our 15 points lead got cut, but whereas last season the points got rounded down, this season they got rounded up, meaning our lead was cut to 8 points.

We both won our first game of the championship group meaning, with 9 games to go, our lead is 8 points.

We will do well to bottle this!

We've also had the youth intake, it was expected to be a golden generation and this is what we got.

Still a golden generation! Two players classed as elite talents and here they both are.

Maxim Bernard is a natural central defender but he is under 6ft and I worry he isn't tall enough to play that role. I'll see how he develops but maybe he's best as a DM? He looks OK but does need some work in all areas.

Our highest rated is left back Sebastien Caron, I really like the look of this guy, his attributes are so good for a 15-year old. I also like the fact he can play as a LWB. I really think he can be an absolute superstar in the coming seasons.

Edited September 28 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #77 - April 2040

Another fantastic month.

There is a reason for that loss in the last game and that's because we wrapped up back-to-back title in the game before!

Five brilliant wins including an away win over Westerlo courtesy of a last-gasp winner!

I played a team full of kids and backup players in the Deinze game, just to see who was up to the task, it backfired but what it is doing is giving me an idea of who I can rely on as backups next season.

We now have three more matches to see if any of the reserves can force their way into my plans for next season.

There is one lad who has really impressed me this season and it's one of our own. Amine Vandenbroucke came through the 2036 youth intake, before I took over and a pretty uninspiring loan spell at Hansa Rostock last season I felt it was right to keep him about and see what he could do in the cup games and the odd league game, he has also benefited from me trying out a tactic with wide men as he is one of very few player who can play out wide in the squad.

As you can see he's had a great season, 9 goals and 5 assists in 21 starts but its only in the past few games he's really made his mark. I've been playing him on the left wing as a Trequartista and he's bagged goals in the last two matches and averaged over 7 in all of the past three games.

His progress is also fantastic to see.

He ended last season with a current ability of 2*, he is currently 3.5*! For me it's all come from giving him game-time, training may have helped slightly but I've always found giving these kind of players matches works best.

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #78 - May 2040

And the end of the season is here, I did what I said I'd do, I played the reserves and bar a cracking win over Westerlo they really failed to shine.

I did play a stronger team against Westerlo but I did rotate, it was one of my key men though that made the difference, forward Valente with both goals. 

We also had the Croky Cup final this month where we faced Union Saint-Gilloise and we absolutely smashed them.

A 4-0 win in a dominant display, that is our first Croky Cup win in my two and a half years here, in fact it was my first final!

As I said there weren't any standout performers from the crop of youth/reserve players that I gave a chance to but there was one player who did well and I will look to give more game-time to next season.

Central defender Stiven Moreno was signed in Summer before last for £1.3m, he spent the first half of this season out on loan at Millonarios and did pretty well, he's spent the second half of the season in the first-team squad but wasn't really given too much of a chance. He played the last two games, against Anderlecht he didn't rate very highly but, playing as a BPD on the right he managed to complete 120 of his 123 passes! In the final match he didn't make as many passes but he did play as a CB (c) in the middle of the back three. He won 100% of his tackles (7/7) and got a 7.1 rating.

I will write a separate end of season review next..

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #79 - 2039/40 Season Review

The first season in our new ground was a memorable one!

A domestic treble including our first Super Cup and Croky Cup since I joined. We did lose a few more games than last season in the league but overall I was felt we performed better and more consistently than the previous campaign.

Our home form was really good, an unbeaten season in our new ground. We also managed to break the 100 goal barrier as well.

We also had a much better campaign than I expected in the Champions League with some stunning wins to scrape into the playoff spots, where we lost a tight two-legged tie against Marseille.

Let's take a look at the first-team squad and the key men over the season.

I really like the depth we have in the squad, we have some fantastic younger players forcing their way into the side and some academy graduates who are also improving. What I need to do in the Summer is trim the squad down a bit, we have had way too many players sitting on the side-lines, not able to get the match time they deserve. The likes of Rocchia (CM), Schoofs (CB), Clausse (DM) and Krumus (ST) are four of those examples. I need to decide if I give them more minutes next season or look to move them on.

Jean-Phillippe Thierie had another brilliant season, he ends as the clubs player of the season and the club and Pro League top scorer. 26 in 29 in the league, 30 goals overall. A key man and one I need to keep about.

Summer signing Aniello Valente also had a great season, he ends as the clubs young player of the season and excelled playing as the SS (a) behind Thierie. He made 32 starts, 11 appearances as a sub and bagged 16 goals with 8 assists. Another wanted man!

My player of the season is defender Ivan Morena, signed last Winter for £8.5m he slotted straight into the back-three playing on the right-hand side and has come on leaps and bounds this year. It's his pass completion rate that I really like. 93% in the league, 91% overall. He also ended 3rd for the most passes per game (77.8) and joint 4th for the most progressive passes over the season (248). At only 20 those numbers are incredible!

Financially we're also looking really good, the end of season review shows green all the way!

More money made in all areas, corporate hospitality is up by nearly double, helped by the new ground with prize money up by 50%.

We end the season with a bank balance of £55m, we currently haven't had the budgets but it will be a negative transfer budget as that is the model the club works to. I did spend nearly all the budget I had last season on players who will join in the Summer. I will go through them in the next update. Best to spend it whilst it's there!!

Overall I've managed the finances well this season whilst still feeling like I'm splashing the cash! We've made £193m on player sales, this includes clauses, add-ons, etc that come through over the year, we've spent £118m on players so a net transfer spend of -£75m. The board have spent a bit themselves, they have decided to expand the ground by 7,500 seats, spending £36m on it! They've also agreed to spend £4.9m on the training facilities. Even-so we end the season with year-on-year profit of £46m. Really good, finances stable...check. Squad settled....check!

To be honest I don't really to make massive changes to the squad this Summer, I have a few players already planned in to join the club, this is to replace outgoing players. GK Boonen is still refusing a new deal and will leave on a free, so a new GK is signed, RB Agirre is leaving for £17.25m to go to Saudi Arabia, I have his replacement already sorted. I also have a couple of HG players ready to join. I'll discuss them in the next update.

We still have the same issue as last Summer where I have half my squad wanted by other clubs, again they can leave is the bids is above their valuation and I feel they are dispensable. I really want to keep the core of this squad together though but every player has his price, the main thing I have to consider when selling is, can I find a better or comparable player for less/the same money/wages? That will determine whether they go or not.

And finally, we have a new Nearly Man to add to the list!

My ex-club Arsenal beat Napoli on penalties in the Champions League final, Napoli's first final and they lost, meaning they go on the list.

And here is the tale of the save so far, what a journey!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #80 - July/August 2040

Another pre-season down and once again it's been far from settled. 

So many bids for so many of my key men, I managed to stave off some of the interested clubs but release clauses meant we were destined to lose some big players.

A lot of outs, most of them backups who weren't good enough but there are some big losses there and here's the tale of the tape

Robert Agirre - Right Back - Only signed last Summer for £15.75m, he wanted to leave, he goes for a small profit

Jared Rocchia - Central Midfield - Signed on a free in the Summer of 2038, whilst he's been that bid was too good to turn down. A nice £6m profit

Ivan Moreno - Central Defence - A massive loss, one of our best players last season but Crystal Palace activated his £27.5m release clause, a £19m profit though

Oscar Fidalgo - Defensive Midfield - He spent last season loan at Everton with a £28m fee agreed. He was a key man in my opening 18 months here but fell out of favour. A good deal for a 30-year old

Paulo - Striker/Right Wing - He only joined last Summer on a free but never really got going, Leeds came in with a £10m bid with addons and I had to say yes

Gian Soriano - Central Midfield - Another massive loss, my best midfielder but Al-Wahda activated his £22m release clause, signed 18 months ago for £8.5m so a decent profit

Noe Vander Elst - Central Defence - The biggest loss of them all, one of my better defenders but more than that, one of my homegrown at club players who I signed last Summer to fill the Champions League squad registration. worse than that I only made a £2m profit. A huge loss.

Another big loss was Goalkeeper Didier Boonen who left on a free transfer after refusing to talk about a new deal.

So some big players have gone but overall we've made around £140m on player sales.

Now for the in's and I did spend quite a bit, I didn't fill all the gaps left from the players that moved on but I did want to make sure some of my younger lads got some game-time this season.

So please welcome...

Leon O'Hara - Goalkeeper - £25m from Rangers

Finding a replacement for Boonen was near impossible, O'Hara comes in for a hefty price tag but he is top class. I have high hopes he fill Boonen's shoes.

Blas Gimenez - Right Back - £24.5m from Fulham

My replacement for Agirre, another big fee but a top quality player and at only 23 he has plenty of time to improve. What I like about him is how attacking he looks, he has good crossing and dribbling and amazing pace.

Gautier Benoit - Left Wing - £10.25m from Standard Leige

A new homegrown player joins, he will help fill out the squad registration and also fills in the void on the left wing. I am looking to switch to a tactic with wide-men and currently we only have Vandenbroucke who can naturally play there. He looks really good, only 20 as well, his pace and agility is amazing, he has 19 for flair, an exciting player!

Paco Salavert - Attacking Midfield/Striker - £27m from Westerlo

Another homegrown player joins the ranks and this lad is incredible. Another young prospect who has a big price tag. He can play on the left wing, as an AM or as a Striker, versatility is huge!

And that's all my signings. Clearly we have lost two central defenders who I haven't replaced but we have a raft of decent, young CBs who can fill in, if not I can look to signing a new CB in the Winter window, we have £72m in the transfer kitty still to spend!

The squad looks pretty good, like I said before I really want to give some of the kids a go, the likes of Stiven Moreno (CB/DM), Thomas Schoofs (CB) and Luke Lewis (CM) deserve a go, it'll be interesting to see how they do.

Now to the results and it's been a decent, yet unspectacular start to the season. We've struggled with players as we had nine of them on international duty at the Olympics! We've also had numerous injuries to contend with, so with all that to deal with it's been a solid start!

A penalty win in the Supercup opened the season, it was a shocking performance! We've also played six league games, only dropping points in one, a 2-2 draw away to Oostende, we were 2-0 up and chucked it away!

Nicely top and a little gap forming already.

We've also had our Champions League fixtures and compared to last season it looks OK!

Overall I feel we can three of those home games if we play well. Another point from somewhere else should mean we sneak into the playoff spots.

Edited September 29 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #81 - September 2040

After a shaky start to the month things have turned around and look a lot more positive!

That loss to Sint-Truiden was really poor, we scored early and then fell apart. The tactic I had planned to use this season with 3 at the back, WBs, 1 CM and then 4 attacking players just wasn't working. It was time to switch back to the tried and tested tactic with the extra midfielder and 2 AMs instead of wide men and it worked well.

Even against Bayern we played well and it took a late goal for them win 2-1, we more than matched one of Europe's best.

We then followed that with three fantastic 3-0 wins, our first points of the Champions League came in the win over Besiktas. A game we utterly dominated.

So the month started awfully but ended with a lot of positives.

9 games in and top, just look how poorly Westerlo are doing, they are odds-on favourites to win the league!

[Michaelinho]

Looking good to win the league. Westerlo not having the best possible start so far. Hopefuy the team can get this going! 
 

Any major expectations for the CL this year? 

[TheLutterworthFox]

2 minutes ago, Michaelinho said:

Looking good to win the league. Westerlo not having the best possible start so far. Hopefuy the team can get this going! 
 

Any major expectations for the CL this year? 

The hope it to get into those top 24 spots to claim a playoff place. I think that's the best I can wish for. We did it last season so if we can go step further and get into the Last 16 that would be amazing!

[chile_paul]

Really enjoyed catching up on this career. A great journey so far!

How long do you think it is going to take before you can get Club Brugge to the point that they can seriously challenge for the Champs Lge title??

Presumably you need your reputation to get boosted to the point where your better players aren’t having their heads turned all the time by bigger clubs?

[TheLutterworthFox]

2 hours ago, chile_paul said:

Really enjoyed catching up on this career. A great journey so far!

How long do you think it is going to take before you can get Club Brugge to the point that they can seriously challenge for the Champs Lge title??

Presumably you need your reputation to get boosted to the point where your better players aren’t having their heads turned all the time by bigger clubs?

Thanks for the kind words mate.

 

Clearly it's going to take a while! It's frustrating that every summer we get our squad decimated. My hope is that every season we progress one step further in the Champions League 

Last season we got to the playoff round so my aim is:

40/41 - Last 16

41/42 - Quarters

42/43 - Semis 

43/44 - Final

44/45 - Winners

For me that is massively optimistic but it's a plan at least!!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #82 - October 2040

Another brilliant month!

Three game in the league, seven points gained. The 3-3 draw against Union Saint-Gilloise was just one of those games, we were 2-1 down, clawed it back and then conceded the leveller in injury time.

Against Rangers we didn't play well, they went down to 10-man early but we failed to make the man advantage pay, then in injury time chaos ensued! We scored in the 91st minute but Rangers managed to grab a leveller in the 94th minute!

In this update though I want to talk about that final match of the month. In the Croky Cup game I decided to give a whole raft of the kids a go and some them really impressed.

The first player I want to show if one of our own, Central Midfielder Giovanni Imparato, he came through last season's youth intake but not as an elite talent, his improvement over the Summer meant he came into the first-team squad, mainly because 2 of my 3 main-line CMs were injured. He got his full chance in the cup game, grabbed a goal and ended as POTM.

Next is another intake player who came through last season but only as a top talent. Hakan Hilligsmann is a right winger/Striker, not rated very highly but he came of the bench and within 3 minutes scored a beauty from the corner of the box!

The third player is someone I brought in the Summer, I didn't want to make the Summer update too long so didn't speak about any of my "other" signings. Branislav Duric came in from Partizan for £875k, he's spent the start of the season in the B-team, Club NXT, he started in the AM role and did really well. He didn't make an assists but got a 7.1 rating and had an xG of 0.21 and an xA of 0.38, not bad for a young player.

 

The final player is Noah Hawkins, he came on as a RWB but can also play in midfield, he came on in the 66th minute and in his time on the pitch provided an assist and two key passes. Is he amazing? No but I do feel with some game-time and mentoring he could be a decent back-up.

None of them look like World beaters but the future is definitely bright.

At some point I will talk about more of the young players I brought in during the Summer, there were quite a few so didn't want to make the July/August post stupidly long! I wanted to spend my transfer budget before it got took off of me and felt this the right way to go about it. Even if they don't make the grade the fee's were small and I could make a profit on them.

Finally, we the stadium expansion has been completed and we now have a capacity just short of 49k

This should hopefully bring in some more revenue

 

Edited September 30 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #83 - November 2040

Three games in the league and it's been a mixed bag

Leuven was fantastic, we were clinical with 5 goals from 8 shots on target and and xG overperformance of +2.12. But bar that performances haven't been great. The two other games were tough ones but we should've won both, we had very few chances, especially for the amount of possession we had, teams this season seem to be sitting deep on us and we are really struggling to break teams down, something I am personally struggling to find how to counter that, answers on a postcard!

Still, we sit top, a point clear of Standard Liege. 

In the Champions League we've had two tough games, the first was at home to Atletico Madrid, a team we beat last season to secure our playoff spot, this season it didn't go as well!

A 1-0 defeat, a really poor match with very few chances, on the face of it the stats show we had the better of the game but didn't make that pay.

We then faced Benfica at home, once again the game was devoid of quality, hardly any chances but we managed to scrape a 1-0 win, defensively we look pretty solid, we just need to find new ways of breaking teams down.

The table looks pretty good though.

Comfortably in the playoff spots with three games to go. 

LASK we should definitely be winning, even though it is away. Nice will also be a game we should expect to win, Napoli will be the toughest by far, let's hope by the time we play that match we'll already have claimed a playoff spot!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #84 - December 2040

Well what a month it's been and it's all down to one thing, a change in tactic!

I mentioned in the last update that we were struggling to break teams down, struggling for shots and therefore not scoring enough. Well this month it all changed!

7 games, 7 wins, only 1 goal conceded!! Absolutely incredible. I had this tactic as back-up for over a season now but was too afraid to try it, it looks really attacking in the formation but the style is a lot more conservative, sitting deep, playing shorter but then when the ball gets forward it quick, wide, attacking play and my word did it work!

A 4-1-4-1 tactic, it helps as we have hardly any CMs but loads of AMs! The back 4 morphs into a 3 with the LB moving into midfield, it's then job of the defenders to get it to the RPM or AP and then get it moving quickly. Teams sitting back just can't cope with the sheer number of options we have when going forward and all of them have chipped in! As you can see from the results it's gone so well but I want to show you a before and after picture of the main stats.

The first 5 games are from last month, the next 7 at this month. As you can see there is a massive shift in shots and shots on target. Nearly triple the shots with just under double on target. We have missed quite a few chances but a lot of those off target shots have been blocks or hitting the woodwork. We have also nearly tripled out xG and increased our % possession.

One player who has massively benefited from the shift in tactic is attacking midfielder Javier Domingo. In December he's made 7 starts, he's scored 7 and got 3 assists. In 2 of those games he has got a 10.0 average rating!

 Not bad for £4.5m!!

So as you would expect we have extended our lead at the top of the Pro League table

9 clear of Standard, 15 clear of Gent in 3rd. 9 games of the regular season to go before the league splits and the point get halved.

We also got a fantastic 3-0 win away to LASK in the Champions League, putting us on 10 points after 6 games, matching our points tally from last season.

 

That should be enough to seal a playoff spot.

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #85 - January 2041

Overall another good month, results aside it's been another transfer window trying to keep all my players at the club, unfortunately that did not happen, I'll go more into that after we look over the results

I mean there isn't all greens like last month but we had some tougher games, especially in the Champions League. 

Firstly the cup game, I decided again to play a whole team of reserves and kids, they did well but we struggled to defend our lead, conceded late and then lost on penalties. 

In the League we've won two from two and a couple of very solid performances.

Our lead has been stretched to 12!

In the Champions League we only gained a point from the final two games, they were really tough matches. I went a bit more defensively against Nice, we did well but didn't create anything. Against Napoli I went with the 4141 and we got destroyed, we actually took the lead but after that Napoli took over and fully deserved their win. This just shows that the tactic I built that was hammering everyone rubbish just isn't the right tactic to play against Europe's better sides. Something to think about for sure!

A solid League Phase for us, we got a point more than last season but we did have a much easier set of fixtures. Now the plan is to try and get through the playoff round.

Now we come to transfers and for 29 days of the Window I staved off all bids, so many of them but no one complained at all! But then, with two days of the window to go we got an offer for one of our best players that I couldn't turn down. 

Attacking Midfielder Valente joins Inter Milan for an initial fee of £48 with £11.75m of addons and % sell-on clause. Signed for £9m, a huge profit but an absolutely massive hole left in my attacking midfield.

This was probably the one area I couldn't afford to lose anyone, I have plenty of kids as back-ups but none of them are anywhere near Valente's level. I had to go out and buy a player but it was impossible to find someone of Valente's quality at such short notice, the fees were either too high, the wages too much or the players not good enough.

Eventually I signed two players, both young but both with the ability to be the long-term replacement for Valente.

Thorsten Simon-Eitel joins from Colo-Colo for £3.5m. Naturally a CM, another area I am short of decent players but my aim is to train him as an attacking midfield (AP) and see how he goes.

Secondly is Matheus, a player I've looked at before and once I lost Valente I went in for him. He joins for £12.5m from Atletico Mineiro. A top quality player, a good personality and at only 22 has plenty of time to grow, again he'll be trained as an AP in attacking midfield.

Both will get their chances alongside Domingo, who will win the battle? It's all to play for!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #86 - February 2041

Another fantastic month, firstly domestic action.

Four games played, nine points gained with our only loss to second-placed Standard. There is a reason for that, this game was in the middle of the two legs of the Champions League playoff round, I rested players and gave some of the reserves a chance. Standard played well and deserved the win, our GK was POTM!

Still sitting way clear, three games of the regular season to go.

Now to the Champions League, in the playoff round we missed out on all the big hitters and were drawn against Spanish side Getafe, still a tough game, they have consistently been in the top four of La Liga over the last five season. We were at home first and we had to win.

Well we did it....just!

A 1-0 win and the goal courtesy of Winter signing Matheus, we deserved to win over the 90 minutes but it was only a slender lead and we would have to be at our defensive best in the away leg.

I switched formation for the game, I went with the more defensive tactic, this drops the AMs back to CMs and quite a few roles to a little bit more conservative, well it worked a treat, we actually had a decent share of the game, it was pretty even and we used our pace on the counter to set up chances. Getafe did score first to level the tie but we scored just before half-time to go back into the overall lead, as we sat back Getafe came at us but in the last minute we hit them on the break, Thierie running clear of the defence to slot home and seal a 3-1 aggregate win!

Into the Last 16!!!

Where we will face last seasons Budesliga champions Frankfurt, this will be a very tough match but it could've been worse!!!

[Michaelinho]

February has been an wonderful month! Hopefullu the team can stay on this high 

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #87 - March 2041

The months keep ticking by and we are still playing amazingly. The 4141 which I changed to last month has worked well in the most, against the bigger teams it's struggled but what I've done this month is revert back to the 523 tactic which has done me so good so far at Brugge

Another 9 points from our 4 games this month and another where we lost our final league game of the month! We played well against Westerlo but I had to rest players and that's what lead to the loss.

We're now at the end of the regular season and with Standard on an amazing streak of 6 wins from 7 games they have closed to gap to 8 points, as you can see that gap is now down to 4 after the points get halved. It's the closest it's been in 3 seasons at the club. Makes it more challenging!

Talking of challenges, it's time to see how the Champions League we went and for the first time in the save Brugge are into the Last 16, where we face Bundesliga's reigning champs Frankfurt, the first leg was at home and we had to take advantage of that.

We didn't! It was a chaotic first half, we scored early but 9 minutes later they scored twice, we levelled right on half-time but Frankfurt regained the lead on the hour mark, we then levelled again and saw the game out. Stats-wise we full deserved to win, we had more chances and more shots on target, they were just clinical enough.

A big setback and I knew it would be tough in the away game. I switched back to the 523 tactic to try and shore up the defence a bit more and it seemed to not be working as Frankfurt scored early to take the lead in the tie, we again scored just before half-time to make it 4-4, the second half was full of chances, for both sides, it was end-to-end but no one could find a way though and it would go to extra-time.

Again there were chances aplenty but mid-way through the first half of extra time we swung a corner in and defender Schoofs rose highest to bullet a header home, now all we had to was hang on.....and hang on we did!!!!

An absolutely incredible win, I fully expected to get hammered, they are so much better than us on paper but who cares, we're into the Champions League quarters!

Where we will face English giant Chelsea!

A really tough game but I know we can give them a match, can we win? Probably not but we'll give it go!

Now we come to the annual youth intake, no elite talents this time but plenty of top talents.

After looking through the 5 of them there are 3 that I feel can actually push into the first-team squad in the coming seasons, world-beaters? No but definitely worthy of monitoring.

Herve Gerard for me is the best of the lot, he is naturally a Striker, he has good finishing but also looks good on the ball

Amadou Seck is also a Striker, he's a bit taller than Gerard but where he lacks the ball-playing ability he makes up for it in speed!

Finally is Central Midfielder Nio Janssens, I like the fact he has good first touch, technique and passing, he looks like he could be a fantastic playmaking midfielder.

The future is once again bright!

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #88 - April 2041

The penultimate month of the season, firstly the League, 5 games and some decent wins but we have drawn a couple.

Against two of the better teams in the league but both matches were frustrating, especially the 0-0 over Anderlecht. Performances are definitely slipping a bit, maybe the tactic is being found out a bit? I'm not sure. Something to think about over the Summer

10 clear, we have a game in-hand which is coming next away to Gent, win that and we retain the title.

But it's the Champions League where things are getting exciting, we're into the Quarters but we have Chelsea in our way. The first leg was at Stamford Bridge, I decided to try and defend and play on the counter....it didn't work!

A 3-0 defeat, we never really got going.

To the second leg and all I wanted was for the lads to do themselves and the club proud, no sitting back this time, we had to go for it. Overall we played really well, we had more possession and more chances, we also defended fantastically. We ended up 1-0 winner courtesy of a 93rd minute Schuermans winner. A cracking result which shows we can mix it.

Overall an absolutely incredible run, my aim for this season was to go one step further than last, which would've been reaching the Last 16, we achieved a step further which was incredible. Next season the aim is to go a step further which may end up being very difficult, if we can one again reach the Quarters though I'll be bloody delighted!

 

Edited October 2 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #89 - May 2041 and End of Season Review

A really good end to the season, some blistering performances, the league title was sealed in the first game of the month as we smashed Gent 5-0 away, I did play a full strength team in the Antwerp and Standard games but in the final two matches I gave some of the kids ago and a few of them really impressed.

Firstly is attacker Branislav Duric, a Summer signing from Partizan for £875k, he scored his first goal for the club in the win over Gent and looked a real threat.

The other impressive performer was Goalkeeper Daniele Sgambati, an intake player who came through last season. He played in the Gent game and produced a fantastic performance.

Two player I may look to give more game-time to next season.

Here is the overall performance for the club in all competitions.

An absolutely amazing season, all due to that fantastic Champions League run to the Quarters finals. Domestically I didn't feel we were as good as previous seasons but we still only lost 3 games and had a cracking goal difference.

Here is the whole first-team squad.

It was another stunning season for Striker Jean-Phillippe Thierie, 26 goals in 40 starts including 21 in the league. He ends as the Pro League player of the season and the leagues top scorer.

One of our own Amine Vandenbroucke has another great season. He ends as the Pro League Rookie of the Season and fully deserves, at only 21 he has cemented his place in the first XI and can play in a multitude of positions, he's spent most of his season playing as either a Striker or on the RW but is equally as good on the LW. He finishes the season with 10 goals and 13 assists in 39 starts.

With the loss of Valente in the Winter I needed Javier Domingo to continue his fine first half of the season form and take the mantle of our best attacking midfielder, whilst he did dip in parts he was still a huge player for us, ending with 16 goals and 12 assists from 36 starts.

Now for some other news, firstly the stadium is being expanded again, this now takes the new ground to it's max capacity of 53,619! Hopefully lots more gate receipts.

We've also spent the whole season with takeover rumours swirling, with nothing actually coming to fruition but, as the season ended, a takeover was announced to be close but then, a day after the season finished, we got the bad news.

The takeover had collapsed, there was no word as to whether it was a tycoon but I was hoping a new chairman would mean the removal of the negative transfer model. We live in hope!

Finally, the Champions League final, it was nice to see my old club Sampdoria making it another final, 6 years since I took them to European glory, they faced Napoli who lost in last season's final, meaning they got added to the Nearly Men list, well they didn't stay on there long! One of my boys Clayton got an early red, Napoli scored twice to seal a 2-0 win. 

So another season down as I can really see the progression we are making, we got to the last 8 of the Champions League and my hope is we can match that next season or even go another step further.

I really feel this squad is settled, high in morale and looking good on the pitch. I do need to continue to make improvements though, we need to continue to challenge in the Champions League and to do that I need to find upgrades on the players I already have. There are two positions I want to improve, that's a CB and a RW. I've actually already got deals in place, it was best to do it early before the chairman took all my transfer budget off of me, these will be announced in the next update. 

Once again though it's a Summer of hoping big clubs don't come in for my key men. The bank balance sits at £53m so I don't need to sell, I don't feel I need to buy so the money wouldn't really help. The only reason a player will leave is if they kick up a fuss and cause a drop in morale. I really hope that doesn't happen!

 

 

Edited October 2 by TheLutterworthFox

[chile_paul]

17 hours ago, TheLutterworthFox said:

 

 

 

Looks like the N E England clubs are having a revival back to even better than the early years of the 2000’s with both Newcastle and ‘Boro in the quarter finals!!

I had seen Newcastle were doing well when you were with Arsenal; have they actually won anything in your career or are they being the Nearly Men of England?

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

1 hour ago, chile_paul said:

Looks like the N E England clubs are having a revival back to even better than the early years of the 2000’s with both Newcastle and ‘Boro in the quarter finals!!

I had seen Newcastle were doing well when you were with Arsenal; have they actually won anything in your career or are they being the Nearly Men of England?

 

Thanks for commenting mate.

In the Premier League, Newcastle haven't done as well as expected. They are consistently in the top 6 or 7 but 4th is their highest position they've ended in the league. Elsewhere though they've done OK. So far, in the save, they've won:

Europa League x 5 (2025, 2027, 2031, 2034, 2040)

UEFA Super Cup x 3 (2025, 2027, 2040)

FA Cup x 1 (2030)

League Cup x 3 (2030, 2035, 2041)

Community Shield x 1 (2030)

So not bad! 

As for how close they are in the Champions League to winning or at least becoming nearly men, the furthest they've got is the Quarters final, they've got that far 6 times!

 

Middlesbrough have been tycoon-owned since 2024 but in the past month their owner has scaled down funding, so far their highest Premier League finish is 3rd (2040), they've ended in the top-4 3 times in 5 seasons.

In the save they've won:

FA Cup x 2 (2032, 2039)

Championship x 1 (2028)

Community Shield x 1 (2039)

In the Champions League they've got to the Quarters twice (2039 and 2041)

So not a lot for 17 years of tycoon ownership!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #90 - July/August 2041

Another busy Summer down but it's not been as chaotic as previous ones. A few players have left, some big losses but none of my superstar players have gone. 

We say goodbye to LB Teger, RB Gimenez, RW Kurumus and DM Clausse, the only first-choice player there is Gimenez, the rest were backups and sold for a decent profit.

The big plan this Summer was to trim the fat, I've definitely done that. I have however signed 4 new players, so please welcome....

Chrysis Georgiou - Left Winger - £65k from Banik Ostrava

I mean how could I turn this down, he popped up on a scouting recommendation, what a stupidly low fee for an incredible player and as you'll see by the results he has started like a train!

Daniel Rosales - Central Defender - £44m from Almeria

A massive fee but a top quality defender, a CB was one of my two aims for this Summer, he is a huge upgrade on the players I already have who can play as a CB and is only 22, plenty of time to get even better!

Lucas - Right Wing - £17m from Internacional

My second aim of the Summer was a new RW, especially as I let Kurumus leave, this left me with Vandenbroucke and the kids to play there. This lad looks incredible and like Georgiou, you'll see by the results he's started amazingly!

Sekou Le Guern - Right Back - £4.8m from Rennes

My replacement for Gimenez, I didn't really have a top quality player who can play as RB so needed to sign someone, Le Geurn isn't rated very highly but I feel he can become a quality player.

So a decent Summer, I've sold as much money as spent so the board are happy!

Now to the results, I've eluded to it already but we our new signings have started incredibly and the results have matched that!

We start with Belgian Supercup, we faced Antwerp, started slowly, but eased to a 2-0 win.

Then the league started and my word we have been sensational! Usually we start the season quite slowly, not this year!

7 games, 7 wins, a shed load of goals and more clean sheets than not! As you can see the new boys have started really well with Lucas scoring 7 in 6 with 3 assists and Georgiou grabbing 5 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. 

But its another player who's really grabbed my attention and that's Winter signing Matheus, he was signed to play as an AM but with me switching to a 4231 this season and Domingo being my first choice I had to try him as a Striker, another reason was Thierie, my main Striker asked to leave, luckily no one came in for the £25m I said he could go for, I had to try Matheus as a Striker just in case he left and he was incredible!

6 goals in 5 starts with an average rating of 7.89!! Maybe I've found my new man up top!

So 7/7 which puts us top, but only just!

Westerlo have also started with a 100% record. This could be a fun season if we both carry this on, we play them at home in mid-October , a massive game so early in the season!

Finally, European news. The big thing this season is due to the poor performances of the Belgian side in Europe the past couple of seasons (bar us of course!), Belgium have slipped down to 7th in the co-efficient rankings, meaning we lose a Champions League spot, with only 1 team going straight into the League Phase. Well this season has also started poorly, with only us in the Champions League, Westerlo and Antwerp (dropping down from the Champions League) in the Europa League and Standard Liege in the Conference League after losing the Europa League qualifying. Currently we will drop down to 8th in the co-efficient rankings. All 4 of us need a huge season in Europe!

So we needed a winnable set of Champions League fixtures and I feel we've had that but we do have some tough ones. 

We have two must-win home games there in Nice and Partizan with AC Milan and Manchester United the other two, we need to really win one of those. In the away games we have three really tough games in PSG, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, anything out of those will be a bonus. Reims we have to win!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #91 - September 2041

We start with one hell of a start to the Champions League! 

Beating Man Utd is one thing but beating them and dominating the match is something else!

And then this happened!!!

A backs to the wall performance against Atletico, we did not deserve to win but we bloody did!!

Two from two!!

Now to domestic action, only two games and with the Champions League games taking centre stage I did mix the team about a bit.

We drop points but we have still performed well over the two games.

Still neck and neck between us and Westerlo, they have spent £145m this Summer to try and take us on and are actually favourites to win the League! Not on my watch!!

 

 

Edited October 4 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #92 - October 2041

One game in the Champions League this month and it was a toughie. Away to PSG, after the last two results I knew we had a chance and we did play really, it looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw until a late goal for PSG sealed a 1-0 win for them. Still I'm really proud of how we defended and how goalkeeper O'Hara played, he ended as POTM with a rating of 8.3!

In domestic action it was a dodgy start to the month with two draws, one of those was at home to Westerlo, seeing as they are favourites to win the league it was a solid point, we did deserve to win both games though. We then smashed Charleroi 5-0 before the kids did us proud in the Croky Cup

A couple of the cup scorers grabbing their first goals for the club.

Firstly is 2041 intake player Senne Evrard who came off the bench to score within minutes of entering the pitch. Not the greatest player in the world but a good moment for the lad.

Secondly was forward Amadou Seck, another player who came through last seasons intake, he also came off the bench to score. He was out on loan but wasn't getting the promised game time, he came just in time for this game and capped it with a goal!

The POTM was left back Eduardo Pascoal, he came through the 2039 intake and has spent the last couple of seasons out on loan, this season he is the back-up to Mensah as I really felt he deserved a chance, he proved it by putting in an 8.2 performances, grabbing an assists and making 6 key passes.

Even with a couple of draws the league table is still the same. Westerlo matching us all the way.

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #93 - November 2041

Two Champions League games this month, it started so well with a cracking win over Partizan.

We then faced Nice at home, a game we really needed to win but we decided to defend like clowns.

A 3-2 loss in a really poor performance overall.

That's put a big dent in our chances of getting a top 8 spot, we have 9 points from 5 games, another point should be enough for a playoff spot but with the amazing way we started I expected more.

3 games to go and all of them are really tough

Domestically though we have really kicked on with some cracking wins and brilliant performances.

4 from 4, only a goal conceded as well. Much better than the previous month.

Westerlo have also slipped a bit meaning we have a nice lead at the top

In other news, for the second time in 6 months we have an impending takeover, no tycoon, it looks like an inside job, guessing that means, if it goes through, there'll be no changes to our financial position or club vision.

[Taunton]

This is a great thread. Well written and a mighty challenge.

Wish you good luck taking Brugge to the top and looking forward to see which team you choose next.

[TheLutterworthFox]

7 hours ago, Taunton said:

This is a great thread. Well written and a mighty challenge.

Wish you good luck taking Brugge to the top and looking forward to see which team you choose next.

Thanks so much for your kind words. Glad you're enjoying!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #94 - December 2041

Its been a good season so far but this has probably been the best month!

In the League it's been fantastic!

5 from 5, loads of goals and some amazing performances.

In the final game there was a first club goal for 2038 academy star Noah Hawkins, he's spent the last few seasons out on loan but this year he's stayed to provide backup to the RBs and DMs. So far he's been solid in the games he's played.

We stretch our lead on Westerlo who once again have had an iffy month.

There was one game in the Champions League, home to AC Milan and we put in one hell of a performance to seal a 2-1 win!

Absolutely bloody brilliant and this almost seals a playoff spot with two games left.

Chelsea and Remis away to go, we could sneak a top 8 spot but it will take something special!!

In other news, for the second time in six months, we had an impending takeover which ended up collapsing. Really frustrating! I could do with a new chairman to remove this "negative transfer model"!!!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #95 - January 2042

It's been another busy month, mainly due to the Winter window, I'll go through that in a moment, firstly, the results!

Let's start with the Champions League, the final two games of the League Phase, the first game was away to Chelsea and we just didn't show up.

A 3-0 defeat in a very one-sided game. 

The good news was, even though we lost, we had guaranteed a playoff spot. 

We then faced Reims and played fantastically to claim a 2-0 win.

A brilliant League Phase, last season we got 11 points, this season we've gained 15 including memorable wins over Man Utd, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.

And that means we seal a playoff spot, just missing out on a top 8 finish.

Domestically, it's been business as usual

Back-to-back Croky Cup wins where I did rotate the side and two brilliant wins in the League.

Still unbeaten with the gap now stretching to 12 points. 7 games of the regular season to go before the league splits and the points get halved.

Now to transfers and it's been a much busier Window than I wanted. I've turned down so many bids it's untrue, I said at the end of the last season if any player came to me and asked to leave, I'd agree a valuation that I'd sell them for, then if a bid for that fee came in, they could go.

That means we have lost three players during January.

Thorsten Simon-Eitel was signed last Winter and has never really got going, he's spent most of the time complaining about the lack of game-time then been rubbish when called upon, he leave to join for £5m profit from what I paid for him.

Jean-Phillippe Thierie has been a colossus for us since I joined the club 4 years ago, he asked for the move and hadn't been his prolific best this season. He joins Al-Arabi for £22.5m, a £19m profit from when he joined in 2035.

The third sale was the big one for me. Luke Lewis has been sensational for me, he joined back in 2038, on a free transfer, when I brought him in it was just to fill the squad out but in the past season and a half he has been one of my key men in the centre of midfield. When Sampdoria came in for him I turned their initial big of £23m down, he asked to go and I managed to get £40m + £7.5m of addons, a massive fee but a big loss.

Three players leave and three new players join the club.

Firstly is my replacement for Thierie up front, Melano Huiswoud joins from Genk for £10.75m, there were two reason why I went for him, firstly he's homegrown, secondly, he was the top scorer in the Pro League.

The second signing is a new midfielder, even before losing Luke Lewis we were short in this area. Wonderkid Jaroslav Krejci joins from Bani Ostrava for £4.4m. He looks absolutely incredible.

The final signing is Ivan Pervan, naturally a CB but my plan is to play him as a DM. Another Wonderkid, he joins from Dinamo Zagreb for £9.75m, a big fee but another top quality player who can only get better.

Some brilliant business if I do say so myself!

Now to push on, get the title wrapped up and hopefully go on a long Champions League run!

Edited October 6 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #96 - February 2042

Just a couple of days into the month and we had the Champions League playoff round draw, we could've been drawn against either of the Milan club, Bayern or Newcastle, we were handed Nice, you could call it a "nice" draw! Well it's definitely better than it could've been, we actually played Nice in the League Phase this season and lost 3-2, time for payback!

The first leg was away and the plan was to keep it tight and hope we could maybe nick it, well my players had other things in mind! An absolutely bonkers game!

A 5-4 win, it was an absolutely mad game, but it's a win and puts us in pole position as we head into the home leg.

And in that game we played bloody brilliant to banish the demons of the League Phase loss, a fantastic 3-0 win, 8-4 on aggregate and we're into the last 16!

Now to domestic action and it's been another solid month but it's not been all victories this time!

Away draws to Anderlecht and our nearest challengers Westerlo isn't too bad, alongside us they're the best teams in the league. We did gain two big wins, especially as I rotated to keep players fit for the Champions League games.

15 clear now with 3 games of the regular season to go.

[TheLutterworthFox]

Champions League Last 16 draw

We will play Manchester United, like Nice we played them in the League Phase, the opening game of the campaign and we beat them 1-0! It gives us hope but over two legs it's going to be a very tough tie!

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #97 - March 2042

Here we go, a second season in a row into the Last 16 of the Champions League, could we once again cause a stir and get into the Last 8?

Well English giants Manchester United stand in our way, a tough game but with the first leg at home we needed to make sure we came out with a lead of some sorts

Well we put in one of the best performances in my time at Brugge, we were clinical, defended well and came out with a stunning 4-1 win!

Now all we had to do was not fall apart at Old Trafford. It did not start well! We found ourselves 2 down in 6 minutes, the nerves were showing but I encouraged the boys and we managed to see out the half, it was time for a huge team talk and somehow it worked! We came out for the second half and within 5 minutes we had grabbed 2 goals to put ourselves back in full control. We then defended fantastically to see the game out and seal a 6-3 aggregate win!

One of the best wins in the save so far, we were huge underdogs but to go through and in style is massive, we're into the Last 8 in successive seasons and we will face last seasons winners Napoli. Probably one of the best teams in Europe and they have just knocked Man City out after beating them 6-0 in the second leg. An impossible task but you never know!!!

Domestically things have also gone really well.

 

Dropped points in the opening match but I did rest and rotate. We followed that up with two solid wins and then a nice easy win the Croky Cup semi final second leg to seal a 3-0 aggregate win. In the final we will face Standard Liege.

The end of the regular season and we are still unbeaten and end top by 15 points.

Then the league splits and with that our points are halved. Westerlo gain a point on us as they got their points rounded up, this means with 10 games left we have a 7 points advantage.

Now we come to the youth intake and we may have just unearthed an absolute superstar.

Please welcome half-Belgian, half-DR Congolose defensive midfielder Friedrich Mavinga

I am so excited by this lad, he will come straight into the first-team and will get some game-time in the league. I really hope he lives up to the hype!

[Toin]

You're making fantastic progress, and Mavinga looks like he could be world class!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #98 - 2041/42 Champions League Quarter Final v Napoli

Here we go, our second shot at the Champions League quarters and its the current holders that stand in our way.

First leg away, we had to keep it tight and it was actually us that took the lead!! But by half-time Napoli had scored twice to take the lead, then within 2 minutes of the second half starting we had fallen apart, they scored twice more to make it 4-1, it was all about damage limitation now, see the game out and maybe sneak a goal, well we did just that. A second goal for Domingo meaning a 4-2 loss in the first leg. It is going to take a miracle to come back from this.

Then, in front of a packed Brugge Stadium something incredible happened. Napoli had so many chances, but our defence was amazing. We took the lead early on and by the time the half-time whistle blew we had doubled our lead, clawing back the two-goal deficit from the first leg. The game then went end-to-end, O'Hara is goal was unbeatable, Rosales and Ceitil in the centre of defence held firm, the whistle blew and it would go to extra time. 

Then, 5 minutes into the 30 minutes we broke, Ceitil played it down the right to Vandenbroucke who played a gorgeous throughball to Domingo, he took a touch and blasted it home!!!! 3-0 to Brugges and 5-4 ahead on aggregate, now all we had to do was somehow see the game out. We defended for our lives, Napoli were dead on their feet, the minutes ticked on and then the whistle blew!!!! 

Miracles do happen! I sat here in shock, we had just pulled off one of the best wins in any game of FM I've ever played!!!!

BRUGGE ARE INTO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIS!!!!

Where we will face Barcelona

I'd say we haven't got a chance but after what has just happened I have full confidence!!!

Edited October 6 by TheLutterworthFox

[Michaelinho]

What an amazing season so far 

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #99 - April 2042

I'm blasting through these league games as quick as I can now, the league is all but over and I just want to play these Champions League games!!!

Easy as that, one draw but 13 points from 5 game is more than enough, especially as Westerlo have absolutely capitulated!

12 clear of Antwerp who now occupy second. We have a game in-hand on them. One more win and it's over.....well it's already over isn't it?!

Now it's time for the Champions League....next up the Semi's v Barcelona!

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #100 - 2041/42 Champions League Semi Final v Barcelona

Here we go! Nice, Man United and Napoli dispatched to reach the clubs the semi final of the Champions League. I am confident but I also know at some point our luck is going to run out!

With the first leg at home we have to get a win, we need to take an advantage to the Nou Camp.

What happened next was the most insane thing I've ever witnessed. We were huge underdogs, I can't even comprehend what happened, usually I'd describe it but nothing will make it sound as good as it actually was.......just look at this!!!!!!!!!

6 bleeding 0!!! SIX NIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I honestly have no words for what I've just witnessed, we're pretty much nailed on for a final spot now. Hopefully we haven't peaked too soon!!

Before the second leg we face Anderlecht in the league, we sealed a 2-2 draw and with Westerlo drawing Antwerp 0-0 it means that we have sealed the title. What a week it's been, now to see the second leg against Barca out!!

Well we saw it out, just! Lucky we had a 6 goal advantage, we never really showed up, maybe it was complacency, who knows but it doesn't matter! WE'RE INTO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL!

Where we will face Juventus.

Tough on paper but they really haven't been doing well. Currently 7th in Serie A, they haven't won a single league title in the save so far and the furthest they've got in the Champions League before this season is the Quarters in 2029. We actually have a chance!!!!

So league over, there literally is only the Champions League to play. Time to blast through these final games, play the kids, not risk a single first-teamer and get to the final!!!

Edited October 7 by TheLutterworthFox

[TheLutterworthFox]

Part #101 - 2042 Champions League Final v Juventus

Here we go, the biggest game of the save so far. We won it with Sampdoria, we won it with Arsenal, both amazing victories but this would eclipse everything, probably anything I've ever achieved on FM. 4 and a half seasons at Club Brugge and it could all be over. We still have one hurdle to navigate though and that's Italian side Juventus. They have not been successful at all in this save but it's still a big team, a better team than us but we have beaten so many big teams in this run and I have confidence we can take that final step.

The teams are in, Club Brugge only have one absentee, Left Back Mensah is on the bench but not fit enough to start, acamdey star Pascoal gets the nod.

Juventus, managed by Roberto De Zerbi only have one injured player, striker Nshimirimana is out but I don't see him as a key player.

I did live updates on a Discord and here it is......

6 mins - first chance of Brugge, Lucas runs down the right, he plays a cross in, it's met by Matheus but it's easily saved

10 mins - Juve's first chance, it's a shot from distance by Vidal which is wayward

13 mins - It's all Juve, they have another chance but Bek Hansen's shot goes just wide

30 mins - After a quiet 15 mins or so we get a highlight, we have a free-kick, about 20 yards out, Lucas hits it but it hits the top of the wall and loops wide

44 mins - GGGOOOAAAALLLLLLLL!

Its a bloody brilliant move, Domingo picks it up deep, some lovely passing through midfield, it comes to Babic, he plays a gorgeous ball over the top to Matheus, he takes a touch and dinks the keeper! 1-0 to Brugge!!!

And that's half-time! 1-0 up, it's been tough so far, but we have the lead!

 

46 mins - Juve already pushing. A ball over the top finds Kucera, he runs into the box but it's well saved by O'Hara in goal

The corner comes in, its won in the air by Juve and it's hacked off the line by Le Guern

54 mins - Juve score, its shocking play from us, we lose it in midfield then just step off and let them come at us. Pascoal at left back should do better, he lets Garcia run by him and he slots home. 1-1. We need to get our act together

69 mins - We're getting back into this slowly, Pascoal marauds forward from left back but his shot is way wide

81 mins - We seem to be in control now, playing around really well and Domingo running the game, he plays it to Babic who strikes from 25 yards and it goes a whisker over

Its gone quiet, no highlights 4 mins injury time

And that's it, full-time. 1-1, we have definitely grown into the second half. Extra time incoming!

91 mins - Bloody hell, Juve kick off, play it backwards then bang, two passes and they're in, Kucera is clear, he smashes it but O'Hara tips it onto the bar!

94 mins - Another Juve chance and another great save from O'Hara, this time from a free-kick

101 mins - O'Hara is there again, this time tipping an angled shot around the post

103 mins - YYYEEESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Juve play out, it's a poor pass into midfield, Matheus collects it, he slides Domingo in and he puts it home!!!! 2-1 to Brugge, now we have to hang on!!! PARK THAT ****ING BUS!

Extra time half-time. 2-1 up, 15 mins to go!

118 mins - Corner to Juve, nail biting time!

Its cleared

120 mins - We try to keep the ball but lose it, Helmer runs into the box for Juve but its a great block from Rosales

Corner to Juve again

CLEARED!

2 mins injury time

ITS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD

BRUGGE ARE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS!

I can't quite beleive what has just happened

I'm a mess

The greatest achievement I've ever had on FM

I'm in an absolute state of shock. What an amazing season, what an amazing run and what a sensational win. There is no way I can top this.

I have to let this sink in, I'll write an end of season update in the morning!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited October 7 by TheLutterworthFox

[leobiazzi]

OMFG, you actually did it. What an incredible accomplishment in such a short time, congratulations!!

[corinthiano]

What a run!!! Congratulations!

[Michaelinho]

Wow! What an extraordinary season you’ve had with Club Brugge. It’s almost a shame you ‘have’ to leave te club now. Enjoy this amazing achievemsnt!