JLAB

Thanks, I saw you were doing a similar save with Pésci and didn't think they'd get relegated. Hopefully, it won't take long for them to come back up.

Congrats on the league win. Here's hoping you have a good summer and upcoming season.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - A Surprise Challenge for Europe? Sometimes, you have to endure the most challenging times of the season to truly enjoy the best time, and it feels like that might have been the case this season with Budapest Honvéd. After completing the summer transfer window, we got stuck in and tried to see what we could do in the league. I wasn't expecting to go on a run of seven wins in a row in all competitions or to suddenly be able to pick up eight wins in nine league matches. The momentum of these victories completely changed the complexion of our season from a relegation fight to something else entirely. I didn't see us suddenly being in a battle for European football coming, either. My relegation fears have been erased, and now I know what we can do. I am excited for the season ahead of us. I am less excited about the youth intake I am expecting, but at the moment, if we even get one good player, I'll call that a success.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - Finishing The Summer Transfer Window I needed to bring in more players, and Darwin Matheus fit what I wanted to bring in. He's good physically, and his technical skills provide what I want in an inverted winger. However, perhaps paying £130K might have been more than I should have paid for his services. It's a shame that he's inconsistent and doesn't like big matches. I needed more reinforcements, and loaning in Iker Kortajarena from Huesca made sense. He fit what I wanted to bring in central midfield, with the only negative being that he doesn't like big matches. The last player I brought in was Mariano Gómez, on loan from Tenerife. His 6'6" frame at centre-back was perfect, but I've brought in a player who doesn't like big matches. I need to stop doing that. The last two signings were made after suffering a disappointing loss to Vasas and being held by Zalaegerszegi at home. I knew then that the squad wasn't ready for what I wanted to do. It was why I ended up bringing in the last three players in the transfer window. Our 5-0 win Újpest is the only reason we've even got a positive goal difference. The run of form we're currently suffering before the transfer window's end is enough to make me concerned. Still, it is early in the season. I know that with my new signings, things can turn around, and we can avoid the drop.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - A Busy Summer Transfer Window If I wanted to ensure that my side would survive in its first season in the OTP Bank Liga under my leadership, I needed to get busy in the transfer market and secure the signatures of many talented players who could elevate the level of the playing squad. Whether the talent I bring in can ensure that the team is suitably prepared for the new league remains to be seen. The first person I brought in for £19K was Vinko Međimorec, a talented centre-back who I thought could help elevate the defensive side of the game. He might not be the quickest, but he does everything I want to a good standard. Moataz Zemzemi was my subsequent signing for free. I wanted to use him on the left wing, but he can also slot into the attacking midfield and central midfield quickly enough. Again, he might lack some pace, but he is good everywhere else. I had my eye on central defence again, and signing Péter Zachán on a free transfer felt like a good option. He lacks pace but makes up for it in other parts of his game. Signing Albin Ekdal was one for experience. The Swedish international was brought in to play the deep-lying playmaker on defence. He is slow, but I don't need him to be quick if he can create some fantastic chances. He has a lovely personality, is consistent, and likes big matches. What more could I want? Karlo Igor Majić was not a player I planned on signing, but when I realised that I could get him for £26K and he wouldn't want a lot of money, it made sense to bring him into the fold. He might have been playing his trade in the Croatian 3rd tier last year, but I like what I see in him, even if he doesn't enjoy big matches. Michael Brouwer is probably my best signing. He was brought in for £79K and is considered a leading player for the Hungarian top division. We might be paying him a lot of money weekly, but he's consistent and gives us strength in a position that was perhaps our weakest area last season. Aly Abeid is what I was looking for in an LB. He's consistent, has lots of international experience, and is suitable for the division. The fact he's also got speed, whereas some of my other players do not, also helps his cause. Our first loan-signing, Uroš Lazić, gives me some youthful talent in the RB position that we might have sometimes lacked. He can play in four different positions on the defensive wings, so he's my go-to talent if I ever need to change things up. Damien Dussant is the last talent I've brought in so far, and like Uroš Lazić, he is a loan signing. He can also play on both wings in the defensive position, so I feel suitably prepared for any problems that we might face injury-wise. Unfortunately, our debut match in the OTP Bank Liga didn't allow us to get off to the best start, having given up a lead against Kisvárda to lose 2-1 eventually. I felt we were unlucky to lose the game, and the performance gives me confidence that we can survive based on our performance. Long may our performances improve.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - Previewing the Season We headed into the new season as the favourite to finish bottom of the OTP Bank Liga, which was my fear as we entered the top flight of Hungary for the first time. I needed to figure out what I wanted to bring in. I hired my first Football Director, Jimmy Adjovi-Boco, to help me with this. The former Benin international had worked for Diambers for over 20 years when we approached him. I wanted to use his knowledge of potentially untapped market areas to get the upper hand. We've got £900K in the transfer budget to work with in the transfer market and close to £30K p/w in wages to work with. I have several areas of the team I want to improve. The positions that I feel we need new bodies for are GK, RB, CB, and LB, as a must-have. If I can improve the DM, CM, LW, and ST positions, then that would be a bonus. We've got a lot of work to do in the transfer window and just over a month to finish it.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - Our First Trophy Getting told what to expect when signing up for your new team can sometimes be impossible. Yet, when trusted with the side that produced the "Golden Team" of Hungary many years ago, I couldn't help but rise to the challenge and want to match those glory days, even surpass them one day. Having enjoyed a successful first half of the season before the winter break, I knew that my football style would entertain the fans while bringing the results needed to win the league. We continued our impressive form from before the winter break into the second half of the season, and it left me no doubt in my mind just how good my team could be if we genuinely continued to play in the style I desired. In the end, the league belonged to me with three games to go, and I watched my players lift the Merkantil Bank Liga trophy as we bounced straight back from relegation as champions in our first season in the 2nd tier. We had the best defence, the fewest defeats, the most wins and the best goal difference. I would have been surprised if we hadn't won the league with everything going our way. The first youth intake arrived, and we only had a single player that I could get excited about, but I also knew that it was unlikely to be something we focused on for a few years. That being said, Tamás Mészáros was the best player of the bunch, and if given the proper treatment, could become a decent player for us in the future. Going into next season, we have been given £877K to spend on transfers and a wage budget of £68K p/w. If I want to create the next generation of the Mighty Magyars, I must have the future in mind and be financially responsible with my spending. Seeing the prices of the average ticket price and average season ticket price was a first for me, and it makes me wonder just how much it can change over time as we become more successful over the upcoming years. I will always have the Hungarian National Team in mind as I prepare for the future, and seeing the team competing in the Euros in a group with Austria, Romania, and Sweden gives me hope that they can get out of the group. How far they will get remains to be seen. Still, the future is bright for Budapest Honvéd, and I want to be the man who takes them to that bright future.

No, you wouldn't be able to use the player.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - The Head of Youth Development Leaves To Become a Manager Having robustly started the season, I was surprised when I was told that Győri ETO had approached my Head of Youth Development, Peter Fehér, to become their manager. I braced myself for his departure, which eventually came in November. His side were in the same league as us, so it would be interesting to see how they get on. As for ourselves, having won the first game of the season, we kicked on and just kept on winning games. We've been potent in front of goals, and while there have been times when our defence has been shaky, we looked solid at the back as well. We've only lost three times in the first half of the season and unfortunately got knocked out of the cup, but that meant we could point our focus towards the league. The league has been in our hands since day one. We've only dropped off the top spot twice in the first 20 games, and we don't look like we will give it up either. Having such a strong lead at the top has given us the confidence to believe that promotion and the Merkantil Bank Liga will come home soon. Unfortunately, given Peter Fehér's departure, I can't tell you how good our youth intake will be this season, not that it's significant. Having someone from our academy look like a talent we can nurture and develop over time would be nice.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - Our First Game In Charge I was looking forward to my first game in charge, but I didn't plan on making any new signings immediately. So when I brought in Patrik Kovács on loan to help cover the left-back position, I knew I was covering two bases. I was bringing in more strength in depth and ensuring I met a match-day rule requiring me to have someone under 18 in my first-team squad. It does help that he's also a talented player. My first game in charge was a dramatic one against a newly promoted side, BVSC. This told me that my new club was still finding its feet with my current tactic, which was attacking in nature and one that would provide the supporters with entertainment. Having to come from behind and bouncing back from conceding an equaliser to secure a late winner was an incredible feeling for my debut game. The player who made that result possible was Bertalan Bocskay. He assisted the first two goals before scoring the winner. He is a star I plan to build the team around, and hopefully, I will be able to keep Bocskay at Budapest Honvéd as I plan to make the club the front for my plans to build the nation of Hungary. Welcome to life under István Barna. Where entertainment and drama reign free.

Budapest Honvéd - Building A Nation - Allow Me To Introduce Myself Hungarian football has fascinated me over the years. Although the country is no longer the powerhouse it once was, its history as the first team to lose two World Cup finals and its current position as a footballing nation provide me with something I had been longing for. A challenge. Allow me to introduce the protagonist, István Barna. At 23 years old, he has been handed the managerial reigns of Budapest Honvéd and has great aspirations for the former Hungarian giants. The 14-time OTP Bank Liga champions got relegated last season, just six years after winning their 14th crown, making them the perfect team to take over as Barna attempts to build up the nation of Hungary. The board's specific demands are getting promoted to the OTP Bank Liga automatically in the first season and working towards developing the best youth system in the country. These demands sound reasonable enough. Producing the best youth system in the country would help Barna build up the next generation of Hungarian talent for his long-term goal. Managing the Hungarian National Team. Yes, we have some lofty goals for ourselves, but that's a long-term goal, and we won't need to worry about it for a very long time. The supporters have some more aims to work towards. We need to develop players using the club's youth system, play entertaining football, and get automatic promotion to the OTP Bank Liga while being competitive against our main two rivals, Ferencvárosi and Újpest. Barna's football philosophy only allows him to get his teams to play entertaining football. Now, what are the long-term goals for this journey? Budapest Honvéd Surpass Ferencvárosi's OTP Bank Liga title wins, and Magyar Kupa cup wins. Become the Champions League winners and eventually surpass Real Madrid's record total. Ensure that Hungary are number one in the club nation coefficients. Hungarian National Team Win the World Cup. Win the Euros. Win the Nations League. Become number 1 in the world. We have long-term ambitions for Hungarian football, and I have no idea if we can pull this off, but I am willing to try either way. Let our journey with Budapest Honvéd begin.

I've got a league and team in mind for my next attempt, but I've also gotten distracted by other save ideas that I'm tempted to try. So, it might be a while before I make my next attempt.

Ironically, during my Youth Academy Challenge in Poland with Motor Lublin last year, they became the best team in Czechia when I had the league loaded as a result of loading up all of the teams that get recommended for doing a Polish League save. So I'd been considering doing a save with them as a result. Hope you have fun with them.

Real Jaén - Season 3 - It's Finally Over The drama started before our last two games even began. I had taken a press conference and answered a question about my future. The board didn't take kindly to the fact I had responded to the question and demanded a meeting, threatening to sack me if I didn't attend. I attended the meeting and apologised for the situation, and we ended our conversation there, declaring that they hoped our next meeting would be more positive. Unfortunately, we took on Marbella next and were beaten 4-1. The players looked short of confidence, and I was frustrated with their efforts. "It's not my fault we're in this position. The players know how to play my system. It's just they're terrible at playing in it," I told myself, trying to deflect the blame from myself. I had reached 100 games in charge just a few games before, and I thought the team would survive. I just had an unlucky season. We have enough points to stay in this division. The board had a different view on things. After losing 4-1 to Marbella and suffering my ninth defeat in a row, I was called into another meeting, and this time, Real Jaén sacked me. When I was told my contract would be terminated, I could remember my reaction as clear as day. "I hope you get relegated! It's not my fault the other teams are overperforming!" It wasn't my finest moment, but I was extremely bitter. I genuinely believe that I could still turn things around and that I wasn't happy with being forced out like this. So I watched to see what they would do. The side had dropped into the relegation zone, and my bitterness couldn't stop me from cheering on Poli El Ejido, hoping they would relegate Real Jaén for what they had done to me. Yet, Real Jaén managed to win their first game free from my management, and it made me wonder why going from a 4-3-3 to a 4-1-2-1-2 had ensured they could win this game. It just upset me even more. In the end, Real Jaén ended up surviving, and Recreativo Granada got relegated with 42 points, so that win truly was needed to keep Real Jaén up. It doesn't matter to me, though, for my journey with them is over now. It's time I move on to my next journey. Watch the video below to watch my last game in charge and my two board meetings. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 14

Real Jaén - Season 3 - I Could Be Sacked?! Sometimes, things fall apart before your eyes. After enjoying a great January and picking up 13 points from the first six games of 2027, we somehow ended up enduring one of the worst periods of my life. Losing seven games in a row has entirely made me lose all of my confidence in the side. Heading into the game against top-of-the-table Linares, we were dragged into a relegation fight. Despite having over 40 points, it was not ideal. It was getting bad enough that the media said I needed a win to keep my job. Despite all this negative energy around the club, our latest youth intake was outstanding, but I couldn't celebrate because of how quickly things turned against me. This wasn't helped because I lost 2-1 to Linares despite taking a first-half lead. I'm still in a job, but it feels like it's just a matter of time before it's taken away from me. Watch the video below if you want to see the players who came through the youth intake. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 13

Real Jaén - Season 3 - Injuries Have Hit Us Hard When I thought things were going well, we started to struggle again. Taking six points in seven matches into the winter break is not ideal, but at least we picked up some points. Despite our stumbles in the past two months, we're still near the playoffs, even if we've dropped to 9th place. From here, the board's goal of a top-half finish still looks realistic. Unfortunately, the youth intake preview doesn't look impressive, and I fear we will not get the reinforcements I desire until perhaps next season. What I didn't see coming was an interview offer from 2nd-tier side Lugo. Despite everything, other teams in Spain have recognised my work. Watch the video below if you wish to see the goals in all their glory. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 12

Real Jaén - Season 3 - In A Financial Mess? Things were off to a decent start in our 3rd season in the Segunda Federación Grupo IV despite giving up the lead in three of the first four matches. We managed to win all of the matches in October to ease my concerns about the team, with only a defeat to Cádiz CF Mirandilla to speak about. Even if we were fortunate to win against Melilla and avoid losing to Recreativo de Huelva, the team's performance in October was encouraging. After 11 matches, we are in 5th place, only four points behind the leader Cádiz CF Mirandilla. This shows just how big of a task it was to try and overcome them. Progress has been made, but I would be surprised if we can keep up this run of form after suffering injuries to some of our best players. I am also starting to get concerned about our finances, and I have no idea what the current owners will do to ensure our financial stability in the future. I'd prefer not to find ourselves in a position where we are forced to sell some players, but you never know with some owners. Feel free to watch the video below to see the goals we scored and conceded. You'll also be able to see what injuries I am concerned about. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 11

That's already out, isn't it?

Real Jaén - Season 3 - Preview The new season has arrived, and before the other teams have done all of the transfers and loans, we are predicted to finish in 10th place. Given that we finished in 9th place last year, it tells me how much we overachieved last year. It was funny that Lozano dropped his concerns over the lack of sufficient quality squad depth because of our "recent signings" when we didn't make a single signing outside of the youth graduates playing for the team. I also decided to go over every player at the club who would be in my first-team plans for this season in the video below. I decided to avoid taking a lot of screenshots here to stop clogging up this update. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 10

Real Jaén - Season 2 - Season Review We only had three games left to end the season after the youth intake so it wouldn't be a long stretch to the end of the campaign. Still, we picked up five points and shocked Sevilla Atlético towards the end of the season, and we even cost someone the league title. So it turns out our draw against Unión Atlético cost them the title and their promotion. We secured our best finish so far, securing the same points as last season but losing six fewer games. It turns out that drawing nine more games but only winning three fewer games can have that effect. We've kept the same wage budget as last season but have also been given a bigger transfer budget. We can't use that transfer budget. The board want me to just attempt to avoid relegation, but they now also want me to avoid signing players over the age of 30, develop players using the club's youth system and to play possession football. Suddenly, the board have given into my ideals for the club vision and the Youth Academy Challenge. The supporters also feel the same way, even if we lost another 98 followers this season. They see what I am trying to do and are willing to back my ideals for the Youth Academy Challenge. Suddenly, I feel less pressure to sign players than I ever do. So far, so good. We're starting to slow down on the goal conceded, but we're also slowing down on the goals scored. If you want to see the full review of the season, feel free to watch the video linked down below. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 9

Real Jaén - Season 2 - Youth Intake Having enjoyed a tremendous first half of the season, seeing us struggling to pick up our form after the winter break has been annoying. Having at one point been looking like we were challenging for promotion, we've now slipped down to just trying to stay in the top half of the league. Thankfully, we're not in a relegation fight, but it would have been nice if we could have kept up our challenge for the playoffs at least. That being said, we just had our youth intake, and if you take away some of the personalities, it is a promising intake. Manuel Gómez has been considered the best player for potential. Unfortunately, he is unambitious, but we could work on that with some mentoring. Francisco José Silva is a winger who I think I can improve, but we need to ensure that we give him the development he needs. Being able to play in three different positions couldn't have helped his development. Roberto López Ruiz is an exciting player I could use in all three positions in midfield, but I need to work on his personality and playing ability. Manuel is the last player that I want to cover. His fairly ambitious personality is exciting for me. While inconsistent, I believe he can be the leading CB partner with Mato long-term. In the video linked below, I covered the other youth candidates with three stars of potential ability and some changes in the backroom staff that were out of my control. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 8

The absolute state of this intake.

Real Jaén - Season 2 - Winter Break and Surprise Promotion Challenge? Sometimes, things start going so well for you that you can't stop playing. This was the case for me during my 2nd season at Real Jaén when we were suddenly not feeling like a side struggling for life in the Segunda Federación Grupo IV. We were enjoying a great start to life in the 4th tier of Spanish football, where we went unbeaten for the first time in the first two months of the season. We did suffer defeats, but the teams that beat us were also fighting for promotion. Last year, I looked over my shoulder, nervously looking towards the relegation zone, but this year, we find ourselves in an unlikely battle for promotion. I don't expect us to keep this challenge up, but hopefully, it is a sign of good things. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for our youth intake preview. While we're being told that it is an excellent intake, the grades that I was given tell me otherwise. If we get a good youth intake, I will be pleasantly surprised. If you want to see the goals that we managed to score, then feel free to watch the video linked below. I even introduce you to my set-piece coach, who is currently being poached by a team in the league above us. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 7

Real Jaén - Season 2 Preview As the new season ticked over, we were not expected to be doing very well. Struggling in a relegation fight was what people predicted we'd be doing this season, but with the young talent at the club, it could change very quickly. The board asked if we wanted to make a B team this season, and I declined the offer. We simply don't have the money or the squad depth to justify the decision just yet. I also decided to go over every player at the club who would be in my first-team plans for this season in the video below. I decided to avoid taking a lot of screenshots here to stop clogging up this update. YAC - Real Jaén - Part 6

Real Jaén - Season 1 - Our Youth Intake and Season Review We managed to get our first youth intake at Real Jaén, and it told me that we were heading in the right direction as we finally had some much-needed reinforcements for our team. Sergio Gabarri is the player with the most potential, and he's well-rounded for 16, even if he has a lot of room to grow. He will likely find himself in the first team more often than not next season. The same thing can be said about Guillaume Retailleau, the player my backroom staff is most excited about. He relies more on his physical abilities than anything else but has a good starting base. We had some excellent results as we ended the season and were finding our feet. Picking up four wins, one draw and three defeats in the last eight games of the season, I played the younger players to give them first-team experience in the previous three games once we had officially secured our survival. You wouldn't have known that we were in a relegation battle and were at one point in danger of being sacked. Looking at our final league position, we were never in danger of going down, but we weren't in contention for a playoff spot, showing that we were merely a mid-table side. Honestly, I'll take just being a mid-table team for now. It allows us to build a base and gradually improve the squad. We had been given a wage budget of £43K p/w, so we shouldn't have to worry so much now about being unable to provide players the wages they want. The board has lowered their expectations for the next five years and wants to avoid relegation for the first season and establish ourselves for the next four years. It eases the pressure off my back. We do lose 39 followers on social media, but that's fine. The fans want us to maintain a higher reputation than Linares, which I am perfectly fine with. Watch my latest video below if you want to see more players who came through the first youth intake. I covered them more there, and one of our facilities got downgraded. YAC - Spain - Part 5