gggfunk

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

Season 2 (2024) - July & August Notvikens IK During the summer break we played four friendly games and we won all of them. I believe it gave us a lot of confidence as we came back to the league strongly, keeping up the good form from the first part of the season. With seven games to go we are fighting for the promotion. In the meantime, I completed my National A License and already started working on my first Continental badge. The board keep investing in my development and I'm so grateful. Unfortunately, it was the last time when the chairman helped me in anything as the elections took place, meaning the club now has a new board. I hope they will be as cool as the previous one! AROUND THE WORLD Euro 2024 Netherlands have won the tournament after winning the final game against Portugal.

Season 1 (2023/24) - Summary Around The World --- Premier League Very close results to what happened in real life that season, I like that! La Liga Getafe will play in the Champions League next season, wow! Serie A Napoli had much better season than in reality. Bundesliga Still Neverkusen... and a terrible season for BVB. Ligue 1 Business as usual. Champions League Manchester Derby in the final and The Citizens triumph. Europa League Great performance from Liverpool. Conference League Another final won by an English team. NXGN 2024

Season 2 (2024) - April, May & June Notvikens IK We started the new season with a home defeat, but then we got into a really good form and at the halfway stage we are sitting on the 3rd place. Now we have a short summer break to recharge the batteries and make a final push to ending the season as good as possible. I finished my National B License course and asked the board if I could start another one. Again, they said they are happy to approve and fund it. I was also offered to extend my contract for another year. I managed to get a €10 rise, meaning I will be earning €240 p/m. Still better than nothing! I have a great vibe with the board, I can even say they are my friends. Therefore, I was disappointed when I found out that the current chairman Anders Sundqvist is not going to start in the next elections. On a good note, I was given an assessment of the next youth intake and it seems there will be some talented kids joining us soon!

Season 2 (2024) - Winter Break Notvikens IK As Swedish leagues are played only through summer due to climate, our players went for a 3 month holiday. They reported back to the club on January 29th and we started preparations for the upcoming season. The first few weeks were mostly about fitness, and at the beginning of March we finally started to play some matches. Our financial situation is not too bad for a club of our stature. The target for the new season is again to avoid the relegation, but looking at the boys I strongly believe they can do much better than this. Obviously, we cannot really do any transfers due to being able to offer only part-time contracts, but we managed to convince some young players to join our team. Emil Lager and Charbel Henriksson seem to be good prospects and I intend to give them a chance to play. Please also meet our captain Jesper Gylling and biggest star Rasmus Mansson.

Season 1 (2023) - October Notvikens IK Our form dropped at the final stage of the season and we managed to win only one of the remaining games. Overall, I'm happy with our performance as when I started the club was at 8th and we finished at 6th. We can still improve in many aspects, but the foundation is there. Meanwhile, I completed my course for a National C License and now I can feel as a real football manager! (I still have to work at the airport to get by, though). Thanks to the board's kindness, I was able to start the following course too.

Season 1 (2023) - September Notvikens IK We have been on a great run this month, winning three games and drawing one. Unexpectedly, we became one of the contenders for the promotion, but I don't get my hopes up yet. After the win against our biggest rivals IFK Lulea, the board told me that they want to extend my contract and appoint me as the long term manager. However, they noted that they won't be able to give me a pay rise as they simply cannot afford it right now. As I love the club and really enjoy being the manager, I agreed and signed a new deal until 30/11/2024.

Season 1 (2023) - August Notvikens IK ----- First Games My official debut as Notvikens IK manager took place on July 29th when we faced our rivals Bergnasets AIK in the domestic cup. We won 2-0! Then, it was time to come back to the league. We played six games and won three of them, so I can't complain! The 0-7 loss in the Svenska Cupen Second Round doesn't look good, but we faced a team from the highest division so I had to be understanding for the boys. Actually, we were supposed to play this match on our ground, but the rivals made us an offer of €20k to buy the home advantage. Well, the additional money is always nice plus we had a chance to visit a bigger stadium, so I didn't hesitate to accept the generous offer.

Season 1 (2023) - July Notvikens IK ----- First weeks at the club On my first day I asked the owner if I could start my coaching course to have at least the basic National C License. Not only he agreed, but also promised to cover the costs! Please meet Jacob Engstrom who will be my assistant manager. As I'm a big fan of teams like Arsenal and Barcelona, it's obvious that I like attacking football. Therefore, I told my players that I don't want them to play defensively, I want goals! The core principles of our style should include dominating possession and relentless pressing. We will use a basic Vertical Tiki-Taka with some small adjustments. Let's see how this works in Swedish lower leagues!

Season 1 (2023) - July Notvikens IK ----- Introduction Here I am, the manager of Notvikens IK. Let this moment last forever! The club Notvikens IK is a semi-professional Swedish football club located in Lulea in Norrbotten County. Since their foundation in 1936 the club has participated mainly in the middle and lower divisions of the Swedish football league system. The club currently plays in Division 2 Norrland which is the fourth tier of Swedish football. They play their home matches at Tunavallen in Notviken, Lulea. They got a cool badge, right? We are in the middle of the season and our situation in the league looks like this. As you can see, all the players are only on part-time deals that end on 30/11/2023.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the comments! If you want to see I've just started the new thread here:

Welcome all to my Zero To Hero story. As some of you may already know, this is not my first attempt to write here about this kind of save, but this time I intend to do it properly. Thank you again for all the comments in my previous thread, I really hope you will like this one even more. First of all, I want as much realism as possible, hence my manager will have no badges and Sunday league experience. However, I won't start unemployed as I don't want to waste time by waiting several months to get a job in a random club to which I have no connection at all. Instead, I have chosen my starting point - it's 4th tier of Swedish football. I won't be playing as myself this time as I needed a fresh start, plus I've never been to Sweden anyway so it would be weird. The manager and his background will be fictional, but some elements will be based on myself. More details below, let's go... Save Structure I have loaded 45 leagues from 23 nations, large database, original game mode. No editor files, no editor use. No save scumming. First transfer window off for realism purposes. The Story I'm Marcel Bukowski, a 31 years old Polish guy born in Jelenia Góra. Football has always been my life and I'm a big fan of Arsenal London and FC Barcelona. Obviously, I dreamed of becoming a professional player but I realized very fast that I lacked talent to be anybody more than just a Sunday league footballer. When I was twenty, I stopped playing for good and became a youth coach at a local amateur club. I really liked the job but there was no money in it and I had to do something for my future, so I finished my studies and started looking for a real job. Unfortunately, the situation in Poland was far from perfect and even though I had my diploma I couldn't find a good position. Luckily, I had a cousin in Sweden and I asked him if it's worth to go there and if he could help me to settle. This is how I ended up in Stockholm. I lived in the capital city for a few years while working many different jobs, mostly in the construction. As I already spoke good English, I wanted to do something better for my career. One day I learned from my friend that there was a vacancy at the airport in the city called Lulea. Even though it was around 1000km away from where I lived, I decided to try and apply. Long story short, I got the job and moved to the north part of Sweden. All this time I kept my strong passion to football and I regularly attended league games of a local club Notvikens IK. Honestly, I fell in love with the club! The people, the atmosphere, the cool badge, kits, all of it was special! After being a regular guest at the stadium I got to know the club's owners and we even became acquaintances. We talked about football and they always admired my tactical knowledge. Still, I was very surprised when one day they asked me if I would be interested in a part-time job as a youth coach. I had to make sure that it wouldn't overlap with my full-time airport job and when it was clear it was fine, I agreed and started working in my beloved local club. June 2023 We were in the middle of the season, the first team played well and sat at safe 8th place in the Division 2 Norrland. Unfortunately, during the summer our manager had to resign from his position due to personal reasons and the club urgently needed a new boss. As there wasn't a quality replacement available and our situation in the league was rather safe, the board decided to wait until the season is over. To my surprise, they asked me if I want to become the interim manager. I couldn't say no! My contract is valid only until 30/11/2023 and the salary is €230 p/m. Obviously, I had to keep my airport job...

Thanks to all who have been reading this, but I have decided to end this save. To be honest, I lost my interest after I started to receive job offers from big clubs, it just got away immersion from me as it seemed unrealistic. I believe I made a mistake by starting too high in the pyramid. Also, I have been rushing through seasons which is not good. Taught by experience, I will start another save of this kind later this week, and this time I intend to do it right. I will start in the 4th tier of Sweden and will be playing slowly.

Season 6 (2028/29) - December & January Hamburg SV We started a new year with a fantastic performance against RB Leipzig who just appointed Zidane as their manager. In the next game with Freiburg we were leading 2-0 and I thought our form is going up, but I couldn't be more wrong as eventually we lost the game 2-3. Still, we are 11 points ahead of the relegation zone. Transfer Window As we were a bit overloaded in defense and short in offence, I decided to sell two defenders in order to raise funds to improve our attack. Our first choice right wing-back Reuell Walters was sold to Leipzig, while young prospect Bo Rosfeldt left to Salzburg. Thanks to this, we managed to sign 23 years old winger Arijon Ibrahimovic and experienced striker Timo Werner. The latter one is still a big name in football and is likely to cause a sharp increase in revenue from shirt sales. I believe he's still got plenty to offer on the field too. Meanwhile, I completed my Continental Pro License and now I have the highest coaching badge available. I was also named the Polish Manager of the Year. And it seems that I am wanted by Sevilla. Maybe my former player Pedro Vite who plays for them now has put in a good word for me?

Season 6 (2028/29) - Autumn Hamburg SV I was hoping that we would make some progress this year and wouldn't be involved in the relegation battle, but we are struggling again. Honestly, our squad lacks quality. We have got some talented youngsters, but they are not ready to deliver at this level yet. At least we are doing well in the domestic cup. Surprisingly, after the sensational Dortmund win my name appeared in the speculations as a candidate for Villarreal job. When I was asked about it by some journalists and I refused to comment, the board apparently took it as a loyalty gesture and they were very pleased with me. It turned out to be only rumors anyway as a couple of days later Brazilian manager Jair Ventura was given the job. Still, it was nice to be included among the contenders even if it wasn't real. AROUND THE WORLD GOAL50 2028

Season 6 (2028/29) - Summer Hamburg SV New Deal After long considerations, I have finally decided to prolong my contract with Hamburg. I feel needed here, the players and the board respect me, plus honestly there weren't any interesting vacancies so it was the right thing to do. My new deal is worth €134k p/m and is valid until 30/06/2032. Pre-season We arranged friendlies against some big teams and there were plenty of goals. In the meantime, I did some reinforcements in our coaching, recruiting, and medical departments. Many people left, and many people joined. First of all, I decided not to extend the contract of my assistant manager and instead to reunion with Tomasz Wałdoch who worked with me in Legnica. Summer Transfer Window Then, it was time to strengthen our squad. The most expensive signing was a centre back Eryk Grzywacz who joins us permanently after two successful loan spells. Most of the players we signed are young prospects or simply squad depth additions. Regarding outgoings, we lost only Pedro Vite who felt he deserved to play in a bigger club, hence I approved his move to Sevilla. August Results Three league games and three draws. We are a bit disappointed as we could have easily won the matches against Wolfsburg and Freiburg, losing the crucial goals very late. AROUND THE WORLD Euro 2028 Ireland have shocked the world by winning the final against Spain. Evan Ferguson was the biggest star of the tournament and also the best scorer with 6 goals. After the Euro Klopp left Bayern to become a head coach of Germany National Team. The rumors were that Tomas Tuchel might be the one to replace him, but it turned our that another sensational return happened - Pep Guardiola is back!

Season 5 (2027/28) - May Hamburg SV Good last two performances and we finish the season at 12th place. Not bad for the first year in Bundesliga! The board have offered me a new deal but I am still not sure if I want to stay. My contract is valid until June 30th so I must decide soon. AROUND THE WORLD Premier League Newcastle managed by Unai Emery win the historic title, while Arsenal is second... again. Man City haven't sacked De Zerbi yet despite the big downgrade, perhaps because they still have the Champions League final to play... La Liga Real demolished the league by winning 35 games. Carlo Ancelotti still got it! Serie A Tite's Milan stop the two-year Napoli's dominance. Ligue 1 PSG as always. Champions League Man City save their terrible season by winning the CL final. Europa League Unbelievable, but Tottenham have just lost their third final of a European cup in a row. Conference League Marseille win the trophy.

Season 5 (2027/28) - April Hamburg SV The month started well as we collected seven points in three games. Even though we lost the next two encounters, we need just 1 point or positive results in other games to avoid the relegation. The match against Hoffenheim was my 200th game in football management, it went by so fast!

Indeed, we would have been pretty much safe now if we had won that game, but what can you do. The Schalke loss was a similar disappointment as they were 16th at the time and this was a very important game.

Season 5 (2027/28) - February & March Hamburg SV Seven games to play and we are 6 points above the relegation zone. It looks good, but we still need some points. It's worth to add that my contract expires at the end of the season. The board seems to be happy with my work as they have already offered me a new deal, even though we don't know yet if we manage to stay up. I prefer to wait with my decision to keep my options open, just in case.

thanks mate! thanks! you should definitely try it, it's very rewarding.

Season 5 (2027/28) - December & January Hamburg SV Two wins, one draw, and four defeats in the last seven games. We are struggling, but somehow still sitting above the relegation zone. Transfer Window I asked the board for additional transfer budget but they refused, so I had no other choice but to sell someone. There was a strong interest in Juninho from Brazilian clubs and we accepted offer worth €13.25m plus bonuses from Internacional. He's been good for us, but given the fact that we bought him two years ago for only €3.4m, this is a great business. We signed only one player - 30 years old defensive midfielder Gustav Berggren from Raków. This was the main position where we lack quality so hopefully he'll be a good improvement. He costs us €2.2m plus 50% of the future fee. I completed my Continental A License and started working on the final course which is Continental Pro License.

Season 5 (2027/28) - October & November Hamburg SV We've been in a very disturbing form lately, but we are still above the relegation places. Bundesliga is not easy! AROUND THE WORLD GOAL50 2027

Season 5 (2027/28) - August & September Hamburg SV A promising start of the season!

Season 5 (2027/28) - July & August Hamburg SV Transfer Window After promotion I was expecting a nice amount of money to improve the squad, but all I was given was €5m transfer budget. So, again I had to look for opportunities. Besides Tom Bischof and Robert Ramsak, we also signed permanently Reuell Walters who did a great job for us on loan. The free transfer of experienced wing-back Christopher Lenz has also been completed. Filip Rejczyk who I worked with in my first year in Legnica when he was loaned from Legia, has joined us from Sunderland. I can't wait to see how he has developed! We also bought German centre back Hendry Blank who was one of the best defenders in Ekstrakalsa last season. Regarding outgoings, the leader of our defense Mario Vuskovic has left to Sevilla as I promised him that an offer above €10m would be accepted. Transfer Summary Friendly Games Are we ready for Bundesliga? I really hope so!