[FM22] Coffee, Cognac & Cigarettes

[haier_fm]

Where do we begin?

Yes, I have been away. No, I have not abandoned the game. Yes, this is still FM22, I still enjoy playing it. No, I do not foresee an upgrade yet. Yes, my Chemie Leipzig chronicles have long been put on the back burner due to a mixture of factors. Sometimes life gets in the way and priorities change and by the time I come back to play, the save becomes stale the further I put it off. Thus, keeping that in mind, I’m not sure whether we’ll see the end of this topic either, given my horrendous track record of staying consistent with updates. However, I have missed the storytelling aspect of the game and hence I have missed writing about my saves. This is the main reason why you’re seeing me on the forums once again, after a fairly long break from posting.

 

With that being put aside, this brings us to now.

I have managed in various leagues of the top 5 nations for a fairly long while now. No matter the team I end up choosing to manage, the experience is more or less the same. While I enjoy having to manage big names at big clubs, the allure of taking on a different kind of challenge renders itself to be a much more enjoyable prospect, considering my iteration of the game is, as of writing, 2 years old.

What challenge are we speaking of?

I could be very, very late to the party. However, having dove into various articles about different football stories and important people, I had come across the following articles, covering the history of Ernst Happel:

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2016/04/27/ernst-happel-the-quiet-austrian-who-conquered-europe/

https://footballmakeshistory.eu/ernst-happel/

And while reading the links above, it reminded me of @SixPointer's threads (linked below) I followed while covering my previous adventure with Chemie Leipzig. While I have done many iterations of saves involving moving clubs, I had never won any major European continental trophy, nor had I followed a set challenge. All of this to say – (1) why not do one to keep the game fresh, and (2) why not blog about it in the process.

 

 

How will this thread work?

It’s very likely that I won’t cover the save as in detail as I had done in my previous thread. Sure, having monthly updates etc. is nice, but it slows down the save progression and given the type of challenge I would like to take on, I think sacrificing a bit of the monthly detail in favour of faster progress works better. Plus, I also got to consider the amount of time I have available, hence my thinking.

No update has a certain structure set in stone as of yet, but it will most likely cover the season, including tactical experimentation, player recruitment and development, the league and cup campaigns.

 

Ernst Franz Hermann Happel (29 November 1925 – 14 November 1992) was an Austrian football player and manager.

Happel is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, winning both league and domestic cup titles in the Netherlands, Belgium, West Germany, and Austria. Happel won the European Cup twice, in 1970 with Feyenoord and 1983 with Hamburger SV, managed Club Brugge to a European Cup runner-up finish in 1978, and won a runners-up medal with the Netherlands at the 1978 World Cup. This is the best result ever for a non-domestic manager in a World Cup alongside Englishman George Raynor's Swedish runner-up campaign in 1958. He was the first of the six managers to have won the European Cup with two clubs (Carlo Ancelotti, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Jupp Heynckes being the other five). He is also one of six managers–– along with Ancelotti, Mourinho, Giovanni Trapattoni, Tomislav Ivic, and Eric Gerets–– to have won top-flight domestic league championships in at least four countries.

How does the challenge itself look like?

The structure of the challenge is explained more thoroughly in @JarheadFM’s thread (linked above), but for the sake of introduction to this:

The steps are split into five phases:

Phase I – In 7 seasons from taking over a club, predicted to finish in the bottom half in a league with 3.5/3-star reputation, win the national cup. This emulates Happel’s KNVB Cup triumph with ADO Den Haag in 1967/68.

Phase II – After the cup win, move to a bigger club within the same division. Win the league. This emulates Happel’s Eredivisie title with Feyenoord in 1970-71.

Phase III – Once the league title is won, move to a club in another country with a league possessing 3.5/3-star reputation. Win 2 league titles and the domestic cup. This emulates Happel’s return to Swarovski Tirol and his league titles in 1988-89 & 1989-90 + domestic cup title in 1988-89

Phase IV – Once the titles from phase III are won, move to a club in another country with a league possessing 3.5/3-star reputation. Win 3 league titles, 2 domestic cups and a domestic Super Cup. This emulates Happel’s successful stints in Belgium with Club Brugge and Standard Liege.

Phase V – Before moving onto this stage, all of the previous phases must be completed. By this point, move to a club in a league with a 4-star reputation in another country. Win 2 league titles, a domestic cup and a European Cup. Winning the Club World Cup is a bonus. This emulates Happel’s stint with Hamburger SV.

A keen eye among you would have noticed that I forgot to mention Happel’s triumph in the UCL with Feyenoord. Indeed, this aspect is also included in the challenge. However, because of the sheer gap in finances, player quality and overall club/league reputation between the top 5 leagues/nations, this would be hard to achieve. Therefore, the challenge outlines that a UCL can be won at any of Phase II, III, IV.

The goal at each club would be to leave it in a better position than was found financially, structurally (in terms of the players, the personnel & facilities) and socially (club reputation domestically) where possible.

That's the foreword over,

thank you for reading.

[SteinkelssonFM]

Wishing you all the best with the challenge, I thought long and hard about starting this save prior to firing up the AFC Wimbledon save. Of course @SixPointer played his role iny inspiration, glad to see him referenced here too. Agree the detailed updates would absolutely slow down progress, so looking forward to your lesson time bound updates. 

[uroszila]

This is perfect challenge for the people that like to play a journeyman save (myself included). I have finished it back in the FM21 times, but I still have fond memories for this save. I think that with the current work-life balance I will unfortunately never finish it again. Nevertheless, I am very much looking forward to see where your path will guide you. Good luck.

[haier_fm]

Chapter I

It dawned on me fairly recently that I haven’t ventured much outside of the top 5 leagues, bar for the few saves (one with Gornik Zabrze in Poland’s Ekstraklasa, Fredrikstad FK in Norway’s Eliteserien and a LLM save in Sweden) which hadn’t stuck due to the lack of immersion. Having looked at the leagues with 3/3.5 star reputation, I narrowed my choice of nation down to:

-          Norway

-          Sweden

-          Denmark

-          Netherlands

-          Belgium

-          Austria

-          Switzerland

-          Czechia

-          Ukraine

-          Portugal

 

      Reasoning and thinking

Norway and Sweden – As aforementioned above, I already have had the experience of managing them.

Denmark – A nation with a very interesting league split, could provide a unique challenge

Netherlands – Feels as though this nation is fairly popular within the masses. I would prefer to manage in a nation only a fair few play in. It is nothing personal, I just want a unique experience for myself.

Belgium – The second nation with a very interesting league split.

Austria – Been done by @SixPointer, would prefer to venture slightly away from it for now. Maybe a league to manage in the future

Switzerland – My most recent save involved managing here. Love the footballing system and have a very good knowledge of the teams and players. FC Basel’s one of the teams I support – could be a team I take over at a later stage.

Czechia – Rarely see many managing here (afaik), would be interested.

Ukraine – Involves defeating the Dynamo & Shakhtar hegemony. Would be interested.

Portugal – Unfortunately not as interested - I would prefer to manage in Central Europe, if possible. Maybe a decent option to take over one of Sporting, Porto, Benfica or Braga in Step III/IV before going to the big leagues.

And so having evaluated the nations available, I searched for suitable clubs I’d see myself forming a bond with. I like playing this way, as it very much helps with the immersion of the save. The challenge already restricts the choice of club, as I am only allowed to pick any team predicted to finish in the bottom half of the league. That means no Rosenborg, no AIK, no Odense Boldklub, no Zorya Luhansk. Essentially, the choice had been boiled down to Chornomorets Odessa in Ukraine, Bohemians Praha in Czechia and SC Heerenveen in the Netherlands.

However, out of all the choices, the appeal of managing at a club belonging to an eccentric league system had me more excited. Which meant that the choice was fairly straightforward to make:

 

Bruges (in Dutch and Flemish : Brugge) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country.

The area of the whole city amounts to more than 14,099 hectares (140.99 km²; 54.44 sq miles), including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge (from Brugge aan zee, meaning 'Bruges by the Sea'). The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval and about 430 hectares in size. The city's total population is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of whom around 20,000 live in the city centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km² (238 sq mi) and had a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008.

Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg, it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North. Bruges has significant economic importance, thanks to its port, and was once one of the world's chief commercial cities. Bruges is a major tourism destination within Belgium and is well known as the seat of the College of Europe, a university institute for European studies.

Beyond the antique residential lots and the low storey cottage housing, where strong Flemish culture collides with the flow of goods and cargo of the port, Bruges is home to two football clubs, who both coincidentally share the same ground at the Jan Breydel Stadion. One of the clubs, Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging (Royal Football Association Club Brugge) had found long-lasting success after their time under Ernst Happel. The other side, however, had had a torrid time, despite being the initially more successful side in the city.

 

                                                                                                  [Old Badge]                                 [New Badge]

Cercle Brugge Koninklijke Sportvereniging (Royal Sports Association Cercle Brugge) is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges. Cercle have played in the Belgian Pro League since the 2003–04 season, having previously spent several years in the Belgian Second Division following relegation in 1997. Their immatriculation number is 12. The club plays home games at the 29,042-seat Jan Breydel Stadium, which they share with fierce rivals Club Brugge. Cercle Brugge won their first national title in 1911, and won two more titles (in 1927 and 1930) before the Second World War. The side also won the Belgian Cup in 1927 and in 1985, and have represented Belgium in European tournaments on several occasions.

[Cercle Brugge KSV, 1911.]

Bruges in the mid-1800s had been a city influenced by English tradition. The local population intertwined with the culture as the already present British population would seek to affiliate themselves with English-speaking schools established in the city and its peripheries. Children of the upper class had travelled across the Channel for education, religious monks founded houses in Britain and priests went on so-called 'English missions'. Essentially, the influence of English culture had apparently set the stimulus for social, economical and cultural life of Bruges. Projects in Education had heavily involved the English model, meaning a separate emphasis had been placed on moving the importance of sport forward to its students.

[Royal Cercle Sportif Brugeois]

The Association of Former Students of the St. Francis Xavier Institute formed the Cercle Sportif Brugeois sports association on the 9th of April, 1899, before having its footballing division join the Belgian Football Association in 1900, having also been awarded the registration number (matriculation number) 12. The association sought to promote football, cricket, lawn tennis, running and cycling. The whole Cercle denomination had been associated with a homogenous, Catholic society, strongly supported by the influential local politicians and mayors during the period of its founding. The Cercle football division, nowadays referred to as Cercle Brugge KSV, had been the first side from Bruges to win the Belgian National Championship, the highest honour in the country, in 1911. Two more titles followed before the onset of WWII, in 1927 and 1930, before slowly sliding into obscurity and stuck in the perpetual loop of a typical yo-yo club.

If interested, I've provided a link to a more elaborate history of Cercle and its social dynamics against its rivals, Club Brugge. I think it is worth a read: https://www.the-low-countries.com/article/farmers-versus-snobs-the-social-fault-lines-between-club-brugge-and-cercle-brugge/

Manager Backstory:

Whenever I start a new save, I always prefer to create my own manager with his own backstory. Many different people prefer to play in many different ways. This is just my way of doing things.

Manager - Ihor Dmytrovych Horban (b. 10^th March, 1992)

 

Ihor never really considered football until relatively late on, upon receiving an innocent birthday gift in the form of a football at the age of 9. Dabbling in various sports in the local youth centre in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, and being noted as average by his swimming coach, football was just another bow in his string, having in addition taken up judo early on. However, amidst all the sports taken up due to the pressure of his parents, football was unexpectedly the discipline which he had a natural knack for, quickly coming to grips thanks to his natural athletic ability, hence rendering himself as a tenacious destroyer in the middle of the park. Because of this, football became a solid passion for the foreseeable future, strengthened by being offered an academy contract by his local club Nova Vinnytsia at the age of 13. And while he excelled academically (specifically in mathematics and physics), one of the few things that he had to be by default in exchange for football, coming out with a foundational degree in Mathematical Engineering in one of the regional polytechnic institutions in Ukraine by the age of 20, he signed a professional contract with the local club at the age of 18, playing part-time for the II team amidst his university studies. But it wasn’t until his third season with the club that he had exploded onto the scene with his club. Within the 90 appearances in all competitions between 2010-14, Horban scored 10 goals.

 

Off the back of his successful season, it was during a recreational match during his holiday in Antwerp that his talent had been spotted by K Beerschot’s then coach Dirk Vercauteren. Having been impressed by his superior mental ability and technique in the tackle, not to mention the ability to run, Vercauteren had found a starting midfielder by chance. Knowing that a move abroad was very much a possibility, involved with very high risk, Horban had run down his contract with his local club, where he would play out his best season to date. As a free agent, he would accept a contract with the Beerschot, who were then languishing in the 4^th division of Belgian football. 80 appearances, 7 goals, 2 promotions had earned him a respectable reputation of a solid player established in the Belgian footballing system.

And it was near his peak, midst winter of 2018, where KAA Gent came knocking. Planning for the future, a contract was signed at the end of the 2017-18 season, where Horban would be studying for his coaching qualifications in the process, given his bit-part role he’d be assigned with the club. From being a bench warmer, to a regular substitute, to consolidating his spot in the starting XI, Horban unfortunately had suffered a horror ACL and MCL tear in his right knee in the game against Standard Liege. It was heartbreak, as Horban was on the periphery of being a regular for his national team aside from his growing influence in his team. 30 appearances prior to the injury followed by a long 421 day absence had meant that in the last 8 games he would ever play in his career, he would call it quits, having lost his motivation, pace and trust in his body to play at any level of sport. 38 appearances, 5 goals and 5 international caps would be the number forever frozen in time for Horban and his playing career.

Having been casually involved in the KAA Gent’s academy coaching staff, and having been noted for his extensive, scientific approach to the game, he was ensured the completion of his last badge under the financial backing of KAA Gent and the Belgian FA, before being formally released from their books.

Fresh out of his playing career, collecting respect and admiration from the representatives at both Beerschot and KAA Gent, Horban now had everything to continue his footballing passion, albeit from a different perspective and position.

General Philosophy

Horban, while playing in the Nova Vinnytsia II team, had always rewatched tapes from Dynamo Kyiv’s campaigns in the 90’s, given that his extended family had all lived in the capital, and had hence supported the capital’s biggest side. Lobanovskyi’s academic background had somewhat mirrored Horban’s own, so the match and admiration had been a natural one.

While studying for his badges, Horban had included Lobanovskyi’s 98/99 Kyiv, Sacchi’s Milan and Klopp’s 12/13 sides as inspirations and influences. Horban himself had been a physical and intense, yet intelligent holding midfielder, tasked with breaking down opposition attacks and designating attacks to his teammates. Given his playing experience and style, and the meticulous degree of planning and management, Horban intends to set up his teams tailored to the league’s + each individual fixture’s demands, adapting to teams through rehearsed pressing-traps, meticulous off-the-ball work and varied mechanical styles of attack.

As Horban does have his own non-negotiables when it comes to his tactical and coaching philosophy, he will generally seek logical solutions, due to the strength his academic background provides.

Fast-forward to May of 2021. While KAA Gent had nurtured Horban and had aided him to receive required coaching towards management, their proposition of taking up the Head Coach position of the U19s squad had not garnered enough interest. Beerschot had too appreciated Horban’s skills as a player and were impressed by the Ukrainian’s managerial capabilities shown during his training programme. However, the club from Antwerp had come off the back of a stellar campaign under the guide of interim Frank Magerman, having ensured comfortable safety, following the odds labelling them as clear relegation favourites. As a result, Beerschot had no open positions for the fresh Horban come the start of the 2021/22 season.

However, having narrowly escaped relegation to the 2^nd tier in the previous season, the board at Cercle Brugge KSV announced the resignation of Dominik Thalhammer, meaning a spot in the Belgian topflight had become open. Horban stepped in as one of the very few keen candidates, made it through two rounds of negotiations, and after having been deemed as the ideal candidate, the Cercle Brugge board had brokered a two-year deal.

 

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On 23/10/2024 at 21:13, SteinkelssonFM said:

Wishing you all the best with the challenge, I thought long and hard about starting this save prior to firing up the AFC Wimbledon save. Of course @SixPointer played his role iny inspiration, glad to see him referenced here too. Agree the detailed updates would absolutely slow down progress, so looking forward to your lesson time bound updates. 

On 24/10/2024 at 04:45, uroszila said:

This is perfect challenge for the people that like to play a journeyman save (myself included). I have finished it back in the FM21 times, but I still have fond memories for this save. I think that with the current work-life balance I will unfortunately never finish it again. Nevertheless, I am very much looking forward to see where your path will guide you. Good luck.

Thank you so much for the initial support. We'll see how it goes. As for now, I am quite excited to be getting stuck in.

Next post will hopefully cover the shenanigans many face before hitting continue for the first time in the save.

Thank you for reading.

Edited Friday at 17:46 by haier_fm

[Carambau]

Nice to see one of the greatest managers in history honored  Viva Ernstl! Good luck in your save, bud  

[SteinkelssonFM]

Excellent choice of save, and choice of club. The exact same club I thought of starting with 🤯 Kevin Denkey was one of the main sources of inspo, along with a strong collection of images for the face packs. 

[haier_fm]

On 25/10/2024 at 23:10, Carambau said:

Nice to see one of the greatest managers in history honored  Viva Ernstl! Good luck in your save, bud  

Thank you, much appreciated!

On 26/10/2024 at 00:12, SteinkelssonFM said:

Excellent choice of save, and choice of club. The exact same club I thought of starting with 🤯 Kevin Denkey was one of the main sources of inspo, along with a strong collection of images for the face packs. 

No way! Well, I think Kevin Denkey is still here at Cercle in 2021 afaik. Given the lack of options up front, he's definitely going to play a big role for the near future.

I play without face packs installed - never really considered having them. Could be a thing I do, we'll see...