Coxie84

Thank you for the comment. It is a cool concept, challenging yes, if I stick to the max seasons, but I will see how I get on...

Welcome to the start of "The Real Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge"... This is a slightly different concept to the SAF Challenge that you may know and like...The normal concept of this challenge is to take over the club that are second from bottom in the English Premier League on the 6th November and emulate the 38 trophy haul in 26 years at Manchester United. However, this concept of the challenge will be split into three parts to emulate the three clubs, he took charge of in this managerial journey. I do know that he did actually manage four clubs but I wasn't going to be at a club are like three or four months at the start of this challenge like he was with East Stirlingshire. Any way, let's get started... Part One - Club 1 (Max Two Seasons) In Scotland, you have to start in the Scottish Championship and get them promoted to the Scottish Premiership within two seasons. In the second season, he won promotion by winning the title. The [with this same club] it is necessary to obtain salvation the following year in the Scottish Premiership. Sir Alex achieved this with St. Mirren from 1974 to 1978. Part Two - Club 2 [Max Five Seasons] Stay in Scotland and take the reins of a stronger club and win the title within 2 seasons. This part of the challenge depends on how easier or hard you want it to be. Of course, Celtic or Rangers would be the easier option, even take over Aberdeen like Sir Alex did or even a mid-table club...It's up to you! But that's not all. Always with the second club, you will need to win 3 cups in a single year including possibly the Europa League/Conference and the UEFA Super Cup. This must be concluded within the first five seasons. Optionally, you can stay at this club until you equal the same as Sir Alex: 5 national Cups, 3 Leagues and 2 European Cups. If you decide to do so, however, everything must be conquered no later than eight years of management. Sir Alex achieved this with Aberdeen from 1978 to 1986. Part Three - Club 3 [Max 13 Seasons] You head over the border to England and take over the reins of the club that is sat 6th November. You can use the in-game editor to take charge of the club if needed, since sometimes the team job isn't available or they won't hire you. I don't play with the in-game editor on, so I will sack that manager and then hopefully they will hire me... The goal is then to win: a national Cup within the first four seasons, the League title within the first seven seasons, the Double [League and Cup] within the first 8 seasons, the Treble [League, Champions League and FA Cup] within the first 13 seasons. Optionally, you can decide to stay in this club until you win exactly: 2x Champions League 2x Club World Cups 19x National Cups [FA Cup, Charity Shield, Carabao Cup] 13x Premier Leagues 2x European Cups (European Super Cup, Europa League). But in this case everything must be conquered no later than 25 years of management. Sir Alex Ferguson achieved all this with Manchester Utd from 1986 to 2013. So, that is the concept of the challenge split into 3 parts. You can have your say on the first 2 clubs but not on the club that will be sat in 19th in the league when you get to that part of the season on the 6th November 20XX.... The first club is....Partick Thistle F.C. The following updates on this challenge will be season reviews....

(FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part Four Welcome back to the latest chapter of the FM24 blog series called ‘Knights of Spring’ (‘Rycerze Wiosny‘). A nickname given to ŁKS Łódź due to their usually strong performances after the winter break in the league. If you missed the last chapter, please catch it here: (FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part Three ON THE PITCH In February saw the Knight of Spring pick up 7 points out of a possible 9. The main talking point was in the second match in this month as it was the Łódź derby and we had a score to settle as they beat us earlier in the season. Before that we beat Korona Kielce 3-1. Then it was the home tie against fierce rivals Widzew Łódź with Brazilian forward Weverton scoring twice in the 3-0 victory over them which brought up 11 games unbeaten. We made it 12 as we drew against Pogoń Szczecin before making it 13 games in the first match in March against bottom of the league Puszcza Niepolomice 2-0. Our unbeaten streak came to an end in the 1-0 defeat to Warta Poznań who are battling it out for survival. We managed somehow to pinch a late draw against top of the league Raków Częstochowa in the 1-1 fixture before ending the month with a 3-1 win over Jagiellonia Białystok, thanks to a brace by Weverton. In April, saw us lose for the very last time this season to eventual runners-up in the league Lech Poznań 2-1. Our January signing Weverton was yet again amongst the goals as he got another brace in the 4-2 win over Cracovia, a single goal in the games against Radomiak Radom and Górnik Zabrze as we looked to enter the race for Europa Conference League places going into our final four games of the season. So, the final month is here, May...The chance of European football is in our hands and we started of brightly with a 2-1 win over Śląsk Wrocław before a slight stumble but drawing games against Piast Gliwice and Zagłębie Lubin 0-0 and 4-4 respectively. Our final game was against mid-table side Stal Mielec and knowing we had to win to make sure of that 3rd place finish the Knights of Spring didn't let me down as Marcin Flis and Enzo Martinez our two defenders scored to win the match 2-1 and gave us that 3rd place finish. Table At start of the season, we were predicted by many to be in a relegation battle and they were so wrong. Our strong performance during the season and a couple additions in January saw us end the season in 3rd place and a chance in Europe too. OFF THE PITCH Our budget is in and a healthy £1.91M in the transfer budget. But, I have decided that I want to start scouting more and push a bit into the scouting range and now it's the world we can cover. However, we still have £1.47M in the transfer budget and I will only be looking to bring in players for the future and maybe the odd position in the first XI as I am pretty happy with the squad at the moment going into next season. End Of Season Review FINAL WORDS All updates on this series will be posted on here and on the FM Career Updates on the Sports Interactive Community forum page… In the meantime, please feel free to leave a comment with any feedback, questions and don’t forget to subscribe and hit the like button. All previous FM blogs can be found here and you can follow me over on X here…

(FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part Three Welcome back to the latest chapter of the FM24 blog series called ‘Knights of Spring’ (‘Rycerze Wiosny‘). A nickname given to ŁKS Łódź due to their usually strong performances after the winter break in the league. If you missed the last chapter, please catch it here: (FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part Two OFF THE PITCH So, if many don't follow Polish football then they have a winter break. It's from roughly late December to early February and that was my first chance to dip my toes into the transfer market for the first time in the series. Incomings... With no transfer budget and only a few grand in the wages I decided to go for players who are U22 so they don't have to be registered and also the five that I have signed have four star+ potential. The following players all came in on free transfers... Massimo Sandi - GK - The 21 year old Peruvian goalkeeper joins the club and will likely become our back up. Alan Sánchez - DEF - The 19 year old Bolivian defender was released by Real Tomayapo. Also, he can play upfront too. Dylan Talero - FWD - The 19 year old Colombian forward was released by Botafogo last season after not playing a single game. Also, was on the Inter Miami books. Weverton - FWD - The 21 year old Brazilian forward joins the club following his release from New England II. He is the marque signing of this window as that we are in need of a goalscorer and hopefully he can bag a few goals. Enzo Martinez - DEF - The 25 year old Uruguayan defender was released by Defensor Sporting. The last of the South American players to join the club. Outgoings... To the Łódź fans or even players that are reading this, I am sorry. I have let seven players from the first team depart during this window as that they were on high wages and also hardly played so that's the reason why. Levent Gülen - The 29 year old Swedish defender joins Schaffhausen for £2.4K. Kay Tejan - The 26 year old Dutch forward joins Cambuur For £26.5K. Anton Fase - The 23 year old Dutch forward joins De Graafschap for £38.5K. Jowin Radzinski - The midfielder joins a Polish side. Lukasz Dynel - Departs on a free transfer and joins Stomil Olsztyn. Yuya Kamon - The Japanese midfielder who was in the II squad joins Japanese side Ehime FC for £1K. Stipe Juric - On a season long loan to Sloboda Tuzia. Also, John Marshall from our backroom staff, who only joined at the start of the season has been pinched by Zagłębie Lubin. Gutted, however got £66K in compensation for him. ON THE PITCH Winter Preseason saw us take on a number of B or U23 sides from Europe. In the five games we played, we didn't lose so I am very happy how the new players and current players performed. Beat Atalanta U23 6-0. Beat PSG 2 4-0. Drew to Celtic B 1-1. Beat Juventus New Gen 4-2. Drew to Jong Ajax 2-2. FINAL WORDS All updates on this series will be posted on here and on the FM Career Updates on the Sports Interactive Community forum page… In the meantime, please feel free to leave a comment with any feedback, questions and don’t forget to subscribe and hit the like button. All previous FM blogs can be found here and you can follow me over on X here…

(FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part Two Welcome back to the latest episode of the FM24 blog series called ‘Knights of Spring’ (‘Rycerze Wiosny‘). A nickname given to ŁKS Łódź due to their usually strong performances after the winter break in the league. If you missed the last episode, please catch it here: (FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part One ON THE PITCH PKO Ekstraklasa October - December '23 So we didn't get off to the best of starts in October as we lost to Cracovia 1-0 which ended our five game undefeated run in the league. However, we follow it up with back to back 1-1 draws against Radomiak Radom and Lech Poznań with the latter at the time of playing them were 1st. Our attacking midfielder's Pirulo and Dani Ramirez getting a goal each. Our Austrian forward Husein Balić scored a hat-trick in our 5-2 win over Górnik Zabrze and is the only forward currently in the first team to score. So, over the next two months I decided to start bringing in some of the youth players to see if they can chip in with some goals because if Balić gets injured and a part from Pirulo I wouldn't know where the goals would come from. In November, saw the Knight of Spring win all three of our games in this month. It started with back to back 3-1 victories over Śląsk Wrocław and Piast Gliwice before an epic seven goal thriller against Zagłębie Lubin in the game that finished 4-3 in our favour. Youngster Hugo Ista scored first his goal in the Śląsk Wrocław game before Jan Łabędzki got his first goal as well but in the Zagłębie Lubin fixture. December arrives and we maintained our unbeaten streak nine games in the league by beating Stal Mielec 2-1 and then drawing against Legia Warszawa and Ruch Chorzów 0-0 and 2-2 respectively. Pirulo added to his tally and now is on likely 14 goals already this season before the winter break here in Poland. The league table as follows...We currently performing above expectation as many tipped us to be in a relegation battle. However, we are currently at the other end of the table and sit in 6th place and only a win away getting into the top four. So, can we live up to the nickname of Knights of Spring’ (‘Rycerze Wiosny‘) and perform strong after the winter break in the league and just maybe get into Europe? OFF THE PITCH I started this save with only a one year deal and just before the winter break I get called into the office and they have decided to offer me a two year extension which I said yes too. That's what we like to see, lots of greens in section in the game and also something I missed it that the owner is looking to step aside and takeover in progress...

(FM24) Knights of Spring – ŁKS Łódź: Part One JULY '23 Preseason No one really cares about preseason right? For me, it's all about getting to know the players and rotating them during the fixtures to see who can play where and trying out the new formation. There were a lot of rotation during the five games to see what my strongest XI would be before my first game in charge. The first game being of course Legia Warszawa.... The preseason saw a mixture of results as Husein Balić made an immediate impact by scoring a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over GKS Tychy. a couple draw follows before losing to Slovakian side MŠK Žilina 3-0. We won the final game 4-2 against Kecskeméti TE. Just to recap below what the season expectations are before we head into the first game... PKO Ekstraklasa Our first game of the season was against none other than 15 time Ekstraklasa champions Legia Warszawa. Of course, it has to be against one of the best sides in Poland but the only difference between us and them was one goal decided by VAR and it was award to them. It meant I lost my first opening game 1-0 and boy, I hate VAR already. However, in the very next match against Ruch Chorzów, VAR was my best friend, my mate and oppo as it awarded me my first win. Kay Tejan strike in the 64th minute was the only goal of the game. AUGUST '23 PKO Ekstraklasa Spanish attacking midfielder Pirulo, who I remembered being in the squad back on FM21. Well, he scored a brace in the 5-0 win over Korona Kielce to send us into second place in the league after only three games. As you can see the 'Łódź Derby' was next and to me this was gut wrenching to write this as that I know how much this means to ŁKS Łódź fans and myself. I promise, revenge will be sweet....What didn't help was the fact that Bartosz Szeliga got sent off for a bad tackle in the 2-1 defeat. However, we were back to winning ways in the 2-0 victory over Pogoń Szczecin as Macieji Silwa and Dani Ramirez getting their first goals of the season for the Knights of Spring. The never say die attitude was clear to see in the fixture against Puszcza Niepolomice with us equalising in the 91st minute, thanks to Adrien Louveau header in the 1-1 draw. SEPTEMBER '23 PKO Ekstraklasa & Puchar Polski The first two matches of the month saw us drop points against two completely different teams at either end of the league. Warta Poznań in the relegation zone came back twice to secure a point against us. Bloody twice, we were in the lead and let it slip to draw 2-2. However, we played at the time top of the table Raków Częstochowa. Who in turn, saw us came back three times to rescue a point in the 3-3 draw. Spanish attacking midfielder, Pirulo scored our/his first hat-trick of the season and then he followed it up with another hat-trick.... In the 7-2 hammering of Jagiellonia Białystok. But in their defence, they were down to ten men after 5 minutes...I don't care because a win is a win and that result is the biggest league win so over in this save. We take a break in league action as we entered the first round of the Puchar Polski and quickly say bye to it as we lose 2-1 and ending a cup run at the first hurdle. Plus side of it means we can just focus on the league and finishing as high as we possibly can and especially higher than our fierce rivals Widzew Łódź. Table Still early days in the league but I am happy for two reasons. Firstly, we are at the top end of the table in 6th place and secondly we are above Widzew Łódź, who are four points behind us. OFF THE PITCH If you wasn't aware but the first transfer window I have disabled as I want to focus on the players at the club. However, I have decided to bring in four new faces all Englishmen to the backroom staff. John Marshall - Scout - Previously at a Chief Scout at Wolverhampton. Matt Higgins - Scout - Previously at MLS side Inter Miami as a Scout. Michael Harding - Head Physio - Previously at East Bengal and Newcastle United. Phil Jones - Technical Director - The former Manchester United defender hangs up his foots after playing career spanning 16 years to focus on his new non-playing career.

Thank you pal...

Introduction Nickname "Rycerze Wiosny" ("Knights of Spring") was given to them due to their usually strong performances after the winter break in the league. So, I’ve been blogging FM content since May 2020 and I have never really blogged the same club twice a part from the club I support Walsall FC in England. However, I had thought back in March about bringing back an old series back to life but was put off previously as someone once said to me that it wasn't a good idea and no one would be interested in. Now, i thought sod it, if I enjoy it then that's all that matter's right. There were two saves from FM21, so I ran a quick poll over on X and the winner was a series called 'Knights Of Spring' with Polish side ŁKS Łódź who play in the top tier. Also, during the poll is was great to see that both clubs retweeted it and their supporters too. The Club's Background & History ŁKS Łódź were founded in the 1908, The club is based at Stadion LKS, at Al. Unii Lubelskiej 2 in the West of Łódź. After years of financial hardships, the club declared bankruptcy in May 2013 and was re-founded by a partnership between fans and local investors in the fifth tier of the league pyramid. The rebuilt club returned to the top division in 2019. On 28 May 2023, ŁKS secured promotion to Ekstraklasa after a 1–1 draw against Arka Gdynia; this result also confirmed ŁKS as I Liga champions. However, in real life they were relegated to the second division after just one season back in the top flight. In their history, they have finished Champions of the Ekstraklasa in 1958 and more recently in 1997-1998. They have also won the Polish Cup, once and that was in the 1956-57 season. In 2009, the new Atlas Arena was completed adjacent to the football stadium. It is an indoor arena and has already hosted international events in basketball, volleyball and boxing. The City council still intend to construct a brand new stadium on the site of the current football stadium. It was intended to be complete in time for UEFA Euro 2012, but now is expected to be finished in late 2013-early 2014. Although Łódź is not a Euro 2012 host city, it had been believed that a failure by Ukraine to be ready on time would lead to Poland hosting the entire tournament on its own and therefore requiring more host cities. There were four Polish host cities (Warsaw, Gdańsk, Poznań and Wrocław) involved in hosting the tournament. It was envisioned the new stadium will hold approximately 34,000 seats, as required by UEFA. Due to their rivalry, Widzew Łódź have ruled out using this new stadium and instead intend to rebuild their own stadium. Support for the project was undermined by the successful re-call of the Łódź city president in early 2010. The city has also announced a public auction for their stake in the club as they can no longer afford to cover the clubs loses. Owing to financial constraints and lack of demand from LKS fans, the stadium size was scaled down to 16,500 in 2012. ŁKS Łódź have adventured into Europe, with the most recent being in the 1998-99 season. They played Manchester United in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League, but lost the tie 2-0 on aggregate. After losing to United, they then faced AS Monaco in the UEFA Cup and were knocked out in the 1st Round of the competition 3-1. The club has a fierce rivalry with the cross-town club Widzew Łódź, in which is known as the "Łódź derby" match, with the two clubs being intense both on and off the field. Stadium Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź (ŁKS Łódź Municipal Stadium), also known as Stadion ŁKS, is a multi-purpose stadium in Łódź, Poland. The ground has hosted football games since 1924. The stadium was built for ŁKS Łódź. Stadium had a capacity of 45,000 (record attendance: 21.08.1971 ŁKS vs. Polonia Bytom 0–0). It was demolished in 2014 and replaced by a single stand with a capacity of 5,700. A new 16,500-seat stadium was planned on the same site. Support for the project was undermined by the re-call election of the Lodz City President in early 2010. The interim president has questioned the cost of the stadium. The city has also announced a public auction for their stake in the club as they can no longer afford to cover the clubs loses. In November 2013, a contract was finally signed to begin construction of the new stadium with Mirbud, with completion within 20 months. Initially only one stand with a capacity of 5,700 seats was built. Once completed on all four sides the stadium will have a capacity of over 20,000. There is no timeline yet for the further development as LKS do not require the extra seating as they are currently in the 4th tier of Polish football because of relegation caused by bankruptcy. The new site is adjacent to the original stadium. As of 2017 ŁKS advanced to the 3rd tier of Polish football resulting in the Mayor announcing that the remaining three tribunes will be built. The work on the remaining tribunes started in September 2019. The completed stadium was opened in 2022. On 24 May 2021, the President of the City of Łódź Hanna Zdanowska signed a bylaw granting the Stadion Miejski named after pre-war footballer and hockey player Władysław Król. Also, the last time I was managing this club I did an article which featured on the club website which was awesome to be asked to do. “Knights of Spring” #7 In the Onslaught, that is, the Englishman leads the ŁKS in the game Football Manager. CoxieFM Signs Arrives back in Poland to take over the reins as ŁKS Łódź. I am looking forward to walking around Stadion Miejski again and hopefully winning the Ekstraklasa again. Squads First Team There are 22 players in the first team and there are five of them left from my time I managed them back in FM21. I think I have a decent starting squad for this first campaign and hopefully if we avoid relegation from the Ekstraklasa in the first season. ŁKS Łódź II In the second team, there ain't many players I will look to bring into the first team during this campaign. U19 There ain't many in the U19s squad at the start of the campaign, however there are a few of them which I am look to move up into the second squad or maybe in the first team in the next couple of seasons. Formation Back on FM21, I used a formation called the back attack which was slightly like this one so I'm thinking at using a Xabi Alonso style formation. Club Vision Is to avoid relegation from the Ekstraklasa and by achieving this, I should get a new contract hopefully otherwise it's going to be a short series. Finances Having looked at the finances for the clubs transfer & wage budget, there seems I won't be bringing in anyone relying on the squad I have. Also, the first transfer window is disabled anyway... My Aims & Objectives My aims and objectives for the first five seasons; 1st Season - Survive the season. 2nd Season - Get a mid-table finish and get into the latter stages in the Polish Cup. 3rs Season - Top three in the Ekstraklasa. 4th Season - Win the league and get back into the Ekstraklasa. 5th Season - Get into Europe and win the Polish Cup. My plan for season six onwards; Be the best club in Poland. Win either the Europa League or Conference. Win the Champions league. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I can't wait to get started on the "Knights of Spring" save. Final Words All updates will be posted on the FM Career Updates on the Sports Interactive Community forum page… All previous blogs can be found over on my WordPress page called CoxieFM.

Glad to see your back...a true FM gentleman. Also, I was only looking at some of this on your page the other day

Noted and it looks good on the screenshots

What skin are you rocking with Steve

Many thanks for the comment and the first to do so... So which PL side did you get?

April '24 & End Of Season Review Premier League In April saw us drew at home against the Gunners, thanks to late goals from Wissa & Dasilva to rescue a point for the Bee's. Of course, we lose in the very next match against City 3-1. I hate playing against City!! Six goals galore in the game against Saudi United, I mean Newcastle as both sides shared a point each in the 3-3 draw. Soon to be relegated to the Championship Luton beat us 1-0 which I wasn't surprised about and standard on FM of late before ending the month with a 3-0 win over Forest. The final games of this first season in May, saw a 3-1 victory over Palace before EPIC wins over Burnley and West Ham United 7-0 and 5-1 respectively...There were seven different goal scorers in the Burnley fixture and five against the Hammers which was nice to see us win the final three games to end the season on a high. Table We finished the season in 15th place and nearly 19 points clear of the drop zone which I am happy with.

Feb - Mar '24 ON & OFF THE PITCH NEWS... On the 3rd Feb, we travelled to Sheffield to play the Blades in the League with both sides looking at moving away from that relegation battle and it was us that came away with all three points. Goals from Pinnock, Borbas and Dasilva secured the 3-1 win. Also, below was the confirmation that Wissa will be leaving the club for Saudi in the summer for £35M+. In the FA Cup 4th round replay, we beat the Tractor Boys 3-1. I just can't see why we couldn't do that in the first place and had to rely on the replay. They of course took the lead but goals from Borbas, Wissa & captain Norgaard sealed our next round tie against Brighton. Well, might as well cover it now, it ended 0-0 after extra time and then we won 4-3 on penalties to win the 5th round match. Them, travelled across London to face the Gunners who beat us 2-1 to knock us out at the QF stage of this season's competition. Anyway, back to League action now as we look to move away from the relegation zone. In the other six league games across Feb to Mar, we only managed to win against Brighton and Fulham but then dropped points losing to the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Spurs. TABLE So with only eight games remaining in the league, we are currently 13 points clear of relegation zone. There are still 24 points to play for as we look to remain in the league. To be honest, i reckon our highest placed finish would be 15th as that Brighton are 9 points ahead of us in 14th place. As long as we survive then I ain't fussed if we even finished 17th. In the summer, we will be welcoming the following to the Brentford Community Stadium. Malcom Palacios - The 20 year old defender on a free transfer. Oscar Hojlund - The 19 year old midfielder from FC Kobenhavn for £3.5M. Jobe Bellingham - The 18 year old midfielder from Sunderland for £12.5M. Both the latter's signing have famous brothers and the latter one of the two is more for the future if/when we get into Europe and need of home-grown players. Not even got passed the first season and thinking of Europe, lol....

January '24 TRANSFER NEWS So my first transfer window has arrived and there has been some in's and out's at the Brentford Community Stadium. Little recap, I did start this challenge off with real world transfer so part from the normal players coming and going I made my own decisions. OUTs Firstly, I will start with the outgoing...I was not going to let any of my first team players leave, however stupid Saudi money came in it was hard to resist. Al-Ittihad offered me £55M+ for our top goalscorer at the time Bryan Mbeumo and now he earns £875K a week and was our record fee received for a player. The other transfer is Yoane Wissa imminent departure to Al-Nassr for £35M+. The latter not completed yet as our transfer has closed but there is still open... But £90M for both and have sell on clauses ain't bad bit of work in this first window... *Remember legends like Owen and Beckham playing the game? Well they both have signed for Wrexham after departing the Bee's. Riley Owen (no relation) but Romeo Beckham is are both off to Wales. I will keep an eye on Romeo to see how he does. I could see that transfer happening in real life. INs I signed six players during in my first window as the Bee's manager. I think three or four of them were at the first of January and then two were on deadline day. That's when roughly the Mbeumo money came in.... I brought in three defenders, one midfielder and two forwards into the club and they were as follows Nicolas Romero - Atletico Tucuman - £4.5M. The 20 year old defender has a bright future and will look to push into the first team. Thiago Borbas - RB Bragantino - £5.5M. The forward comes in and I will look to start him ahead of Maupey as he's only on loan and rather play permanent players. Hopefully play alongside Toney when he gets back from his ban. Carlos Dominguez - Celta Vigo - £2.8M. The 22 year old joins and like Romero will look to push for a starting spot of the coming months or seasons. Matteo Gabbia - AC Milan - £5M. He was transfer listed my the Italian giants and with a couple of injuries in the first team, decided to bring the24 year old defender to London. Wilfried Gnonto - Leeds - £30M. The first of the deadline day signing and they biggest fee of this challenge so far. I felt I had to bring in another forward and the 20 year old Italian fits the bill. Jordan James - Birmingham - £13.5M. The second deadline day signing, however the young lad has returned back to the Blues on loan for the rest of the season. He has the potential to become a five star rating. THE MATCHES In the League, we brought in the new year with a home victory of bottom side Everton, thanks to a debut goal from defender Carlos Dominguez who's only just arrived at the club that morning and got PoTM award. However, first choice GK, well my first choice Thomas Strakosha got injured in training days after and is out for two months. Drawn against another Scouse club in the 3rd round of FA Cup at home and pushed of a miracle to got into the 4th round after a 2-1 win. In the 4th round we drew against Ipswich Town, so the replay will follow at a later date. How come we beat a Prem team but draw against Championship, well the enjoys of FM right. The final game of the month was the away tie against Wolves, which we won 2-1. TABLE Slowly but surely we are moving away from the drop zone and currently four points above it. There is like six points difference for midtable positions so the odd win could see us climb the table or even drop back into the relegation places if we lose. However, wild card is that we are only 13 points from a European place but with 15 games still to go anything is possible right?

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER '23 I only had a week to get ready for my first game in charge and it was a home tie against Northern London's Tottenham Hotspur. Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo were both on target to give me a debut to remember as we came back from behind to beat Spurs 2-1. Only days later, we faced another North London side in the Arsenal and we so nearly made it two wins in a row, however a late goal by the Gunners meant I drew by second game in charge 2-2. Mads Roerslev and Bryan Mbeumo had given us a two goal lead but we had to settle for a point as we were pegged back. Our unbeaten streak continued for another six as we made it eight games without defeat. In that eight games we drew six of them in a row either 0-0 or 2-2 which looks mad as below. My second win in charge was a 2-0 win over the Hammers at the London Stadium with goals from Wissa and Roerslev. However, it was managerless Chelsea who gave me my first defeat in charge of the Bees' in my ninth game. They beat us 5-2. Table So after nine games in charge and we end the year 2023, we currently sit in 16th place. However, we are only one point above the relegation zone which is slightly worrying but it could have been better if we had made some of them draw wins. On the flip side some of them draw could have been easily defeats and we could have been in the drop zone. Tactic So, this is the tactic, I will be using for this challenge and its somethings a lot different to what I normally play tactically with. If you know me or seen my content before, I do like to play an asymmetric tactic but not this time FM fans... Going to use a 352 which has been created by FRANKLYFM84, here is the links so why not try it out or show them some love my dropping a like etc...

Can I emulate one of the greatest managers of all time in this challenge… STARTING THE SAF CHALLENGE ON FM24... This involved me simulating the game on FM24 until the 6th November and taking over the club that sits in 19th in the Premier League on that day, pretty much what Sir Alex Ferguson did back in 1986 (I was about two years & half years old then) when he took over the reins as manager of Manchester United. Also, I’d like to say I am not a United fan, however I have massive respect for what Sir Alex achieved during his managerial career, a true legend and one of the greatest managers in the English game. Also, I am not a fan of any Premier League clubs so I am not fussed at which club I get but you will already know what club I got from the thumbnail anyway… So before I get started, here are the rules etc. if you don't know already... RULES TO THE SAF CHALLENGE... You need to; Stay at one club – The Scotsman managed Man United for 26 years. Aim to bring Youth Players through – “Class of 92“. Persuade long term players to become part of your backroom staff. Goals of the Challenge; Win a Domestic Cup/Trophy within 4 seasons – Ferguson won his first Cup vs Crystal Palace in 89/90. Win a League title within 7 seasons – Ferguson won his first title in 92/93. Win a League and Cup double within 8 seasons – Ferguson won his first double with United in 93/94. Win a League, Cup and the Champions League within 13 seasons – Ferguson won the infamous treble in 98/99. Total number of trophies that the Scotsman won during his managerial career at Old Trafford; Premier League (13) FA Cup (5) League Cup (4) Community Shield (10) UEFA Champions League (2) UEFA Europa League (1) (Replaces the Cup Winners Cup) UEFA Super Cup (1) FIFA Club World Cup (2) (One Replaces Intercontinental Cup) A few rules to follow when taking this Football Manager Challenge on; No usage of the in-game editor – Which I never have on anyway. Also, have Real World transfers on and the first window disabled to add that little bit of a challenge. No buying or selling from/to your direct rival. – This depends on the club I get really. Plus it’s difficult if one of the so called top six club come in and offer you £100m + for a player, I don’t think anyone would reject it in this day and age compared to when Sir Alex was manager. No more than 11 signings per season, of which only 8 can play in the first team that season. Spending restrictions. Promote as many youth players as you can and have a minimum of 1 player promoted from the youth academy in every single matchday squad. Promote at least 1 new player to the youth academy to the senior team every single season. Sacked or Relegation the challenge comes to an end. ON 6th NOVEMBER 2023… The Premier League table looks like this… So, its Brentford that sit in 19th place, which I am surprised to see them so far down the league table to be fair as I thought they would have been higher up the table. I was thinking it would have been more like Burnley, Luton or Sheffield United I would have takeover as manager but I was so wrong. Well, it could have been Burnley if it wasn't for that points deduction for Everton or if the Bees scored difference wasn't greater than Burnley's. The Bees league record so far isn't the greatest with them only winning once. However, they are only two points from getting out of the relegation zone we ain't to bad to be honest and doable. But, my first two games in charge are against North London clubs Tottenham and Arsenal. Also, we are out of the Carabao Cup beaten in the 3rd round by Aston Villa. BREAKING NEWS CoxieFM takes over the reins as the new Bee's manager and replaces previous manager Thomas Frank...Only time will tell if I can rescue the Bee's from the drop and lead them on to greatness...

(FM24) Resurrecting de Godenzonen: October ’23 Welcome back to the latest episode of the FM24 blog series called ‘Resurrecting de Godenzonen’. If you missed the last episode, please catch up here… October ’23 Europa League Group F / Matchday 2 / (H) v FC København The second game of the group stage saw us beat Danish side FC København by three goals to one. On loanee wonderkid, FM words not mind but I know he will be in the future scored with a bullet header before Nanasi and Taylor made it three nil before the break. Another FM wonderkid for the Danish side scored a thunderous outside of the break consolation goal. Eredivisie / Matchday 8 / (H) v A REPORT THIS ADPRIVACY In the Noord-Hollandse derby if I have that correct, we continued our unbeaten start in the league with a 2-0 win over AZ. Berghuis penalty and Brobbey goals were enough to seal the win as we moved into 1st place again in the league. Eredivisie / Matchday 9 / (A) v FC Utrecht Well, that wasn’t in the script as that we were FM’d away at FC Utrecht losing to them 1-0. They scored early on and we could not hit a barn door. We had 21 shots and only 5 on target as we lost our first league game of the season in matchday 9. Eredivisie / Matchday 10 / (A) v PSV Eindhoven However, three goals by Brian Brobbey ensured that we moved back to the top of the league again in a 3-0 win over PSV. In an even-ish match, but goals win games and it was a great response following the previous league defeat. Europa League Group F / Matchday 3 / (A) v Freiburg We remain unbeaten in the group stage as we drew against German side Freiburg in a match that should have had more goals in but the GK’s were on top form in both nets. Steven Berghuis scored our goal before in got cancelled out 9 minutes later. Neither side could find that winning goal to take all three points so a point each. Eredivisie Table REPORT THIS ADPRIVACY Only on top by goal difference. It actually by seven goals so that 7-0 win on opening day is the difference between us and Feyenoord who I think are going to chase us for this title all season. Final Words All updates on this series will be posted on here, also on the Sports Interactive Community page & in the FM Library Discord channel… In the meantime, please feel free to leave a comment with any feedback, questions and don’t forget to subscribe and hit the like button. All previous FM blogs can be found here and you can follow me over on X here…

How many seasons are you in?

I was very surprised at the 1st match. Nanasi is class but watch out for Breivik....

(FM24) Resurrecting de Godenzonen: September '23 Welcome back to the latest episode of the FM24 blog series called ‘Resurrecting de Godenzonen’. If you missed the last episode, please catch up here… Kits... These beauties were made for me by wightyyyy over on the FM Library Discord channel. Kappa returns to Amsterdam, Home is a simple retro inspired number with the Kappa taping down the sleeves, Away brings back the pattern from the 89/90 Umbro away kit just recoloured in a stylish modern number. Third kit is a blackout version of the Van Gogh Starry Night Painting with metallic silver accents. September '23 Eredivisie / Matchday 3 / (A) v Fortuna Sittard Have I stumbled across another CoxieFM hidden gem in Emil Breivik as this lad scored a brace in the 4-2 victory at the Fortuna Sittard Stadion. If anyone else has signed Emil then please let me know because I highly recommend him already and we are only months into this series. Eredivisie / Matchday 4 / (A) v FC Twente I thought this game would have been our first test against a former Eredivisie winners but obviously not. Yet again, Emil Breivik scored brace again in the 4-0 win. The other highlight was Steven Berghuis coolly chipped in penalty, delightful to see. That's four straight wins in a row but remain in 2nd place in the table. Europa League Group F / Matchday 1 / (A) v HJK We took a break from league action as we entered the group stage of this season's Europa League fixture against Finnish side HJK. I actually thought this was going to be the easiest matches of the group. Oh was I bloody wrong as I underestimated them and but out a rotated squad and nearly paid the price. A close range header by Steven Berghuis rescued a point. Eredivisie / Matchday 5 / (H) v Feyenoord We played our first home game in a while following three away games in a row in all competition as we welcomed top of the league Feyenoord to the Johan Cruyff Arena. Both teams could not be separated in this epic battle for top spot and ended in 3-3 draw which I'd take. They were they strongest team so far in the league and happy with the point. On loanee Evan Ferguson scored a brace with Steven Bergwijn getting our other goal. Eredivisie / Matchday 6 / (H) v FC Volendam Two goals from Evan Ferguson sends us top of the league on goal difference as we beat FC Volendam 4-0. Also, in his first league start of the season Carlos Borges scored two goals and claimed the PoTM award. Unbeaten in six league games now... Eredivisie / Matchday 7 / (H) v RKC Waalwijk Honestly, I am going to have to do some research on this lad to see if he's good for anyone else. But, yet again Emil Breivik finds the net in the 4-1 victory over RKC Waalwijk not once, not twice but a hat-trick with his third coming from the spot. Also, one of my other new signings WB Braian Aguirre scored the 4th goal of this game. Table Only top of the league after seven games on goal difference. I see PSV are in 4th and seven points before the top two...

(FM24) Resurrecting de Godenzonen: August '23 Welcome back to the latest episode of the FM24 blog series called ‘Resurrecting de Godenzonen’. If you missed the last episode, please catch up here… August '23 Off The Pitch Just a little recap on the board expectations before heading into this month fixtures and transfer news. So, the board want me to win the Eredivisie in my first season so no pressure then. Also, reach the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League Playoff rounds. Transfer News I toyed with this signing and did actual delay it by a week as I was unsure to part with the £6M loan fee. However, I thought why not just take the hit and what would be the worst that could happen. Welcome to the 18 year old Irish forward Evan Ferguson from Brighton on a season long loan. I expect Evan to challenge Akpom and Bobbery for a starting position up front. However, it was the last of my signing as the coming days I decided to splash some of the remaining transfer budget and brought in three more players. Emil Breivik - Signed from Molde for £3.5M (£4.2M). Martin Vitik - Signed from Sparta Prague for £6M. He was recommended to me by someone of the FM Library discord channel. Sebastian Nanasi - Signed from Malmo FF for £2.5M. Eredivisie / Matchday 1 / (H) v Heracles What an opening day...My first game in charge saw us win 7-0, with new signing Sebastian Nanasi playing in the Shadow Striker role scoring a hat-trick on his debut. He also picked up a deserved PoTM award too. Can we play you every week for fans chanted. Eredivisie / Matchday 2 / (A) v Excelsior Our first away game of the season wasn't as easy as our first game. New signing Emil Breivik got his first goal of the season before on loanee Evan Ferguson sealed the three points with the last touch of the game in the 97th minute to win 3-2. But it wasn't all plain sailing as they did peg us back to 2-2 after Chuba Akpom has given us a two goal lead. But a win is a win and that's all that matters. Europa League Playoffs / Aberdeen In the 1st leg, Steven Bergwijn was named PoTM after his fine performance by assisting three times in the 4-0 win over the Scottish side. Three of the goalscorers were new signings Nanasi, Breivik and Ferguson which I am buzzing about and nice to see when that sort of things happen. The other goalscorer was Steven Berghuis. The 2nd leg finished 1-1 meaning we went through 5-1 on aggregate. Brian Brobbey with our only goal of the game in a much changed side from the 1st leg. Off The Pitch So that win meant we went into the draw and this is our group...I really think we have a good chance of topping this group and heading into the latter stages of this competition. Transfer News I wasn't done in the transfer market and on deadline day, I decided to bring in a GK. Welcome Rui Patricio from Italian giants Roma for a steal in my eyes for £2.5M. With his experience, he will slot in as No1 whilst Rulli is out. Table Early days but you can see that current champions Feyenoord are going to be the team to beat.

I totally get you pal... lucky for my my OCD allows me just for FM

I do prefer asymmetric formations

(FM24) Resurrecting de Godenzonen: Preseason July '23 Welcome back to the latest episode of the FM24 blog series called ‘Resurrecting de Godenzonen’. If you missed the last episode, please catch up here... Preseason July '23 Off The Pitch News So having looked at the 1st team again in depth. I noticed that we were quite light in the defensive positions and with CB Kaplan out for up to 11 months, I had to bring in someone to cover him. So, with the first preseason game fast approaching, I decided to see what the DoF would recommend in the CB position. Welcome Danish CB Simon Kjær for £2M from Serie A Champions in 2022, AC Milan. He comes in as one of the best CB at the club, despite being 34 years old. Preseason Game 1 / Racing Club Genk It was the 1st of two games against Belgium opponents during this preseason. de Godenzonen were held to a 2-2 draw against Genk. It took until the 12th minute to see anything decent and boy did it and it wasn't what I wanted either. Our Croatian CB Josip Šutalo flew in two footed and was instantly shown a red card for that tackle. They went on to score two goals before Steven Bergwijn pulled one back before the break. It was Chuba Akpom who scored with 6 minutes to go to seal the match. Off The Pitch News So shortly after the Genk game, I decided to splash the cash and bring in another defender. An Argentinian defender who can play right/left back from Lanús for £5M, 22 year old Braian Aguirre. He's another one from the DoF recommendation page to be honest and I have never heard of him. Preseason Game 2 / Royal Antwerp The second preseason game against Belgium opponents ended in a 1-1 draw this time. Again, they took the lead before Dutch winger Gabriel Misehouy came off the bench late on in the match to level the tie. So, the first two games ending in draws, however was going with this tactic the right one or should I have gone the Ajax way? Preseason Game 3 / Slavia Prague The next two games were against Czech sides and we definitely FM'd the first of the two with shots on target, lol. Our Dutch forward Brian Brobbey found his scoring boots and grab a brace whilst new signing Simon Kjær scored with a bullet header to give us our first win in preseason by three goals to nil. Off The Pitch News Our first departure of this series was Gabriel Misehouy, who was in his final year at Ajax and he didn't want to sign a new deal as I tried a couple of times but wasn't having any of it. So, when Man City decided to come in for him for £2.1M, I thought why not try and see how much add-ons I could get it too. Well, hopefully it could rise to £6.5M... Preseason Game 4 / Sparta Prague The final game of preseason, I decided to swap and few players round in decent positions just so I know if and when I need to call on them, I know they could do a job. Well, Branco van den Boomen first game in the centre of the park saw him score a brace to give us a 2-1 victory of the Czech side.