13th Man

Adding to @Hootieleece's comments on out of possession. At fist the other instructions + drop off more are odd, but then there's something to be said about pressing high and hard, but keeping the backline cautious and ready to retreat if the ball over the top comes?

Wow - Congrats! First one? Oddly enough, I played a lot of FM those first few months after having our first. She was a horrible napper and would only fall asleep on us, so I'd just hold her with my left and click with my right. Had to cut down on the out loud language and all that, but got to have the joy of a sleeping baby on me while also playing FM.

Second all of the above!

A bit rough to take over a cheat code side like PSG, but they are the one realistic French team that could win a CL so it makes some sense!

Verde y Veridad [World Cup Group Stage] “Welcome to another special World Cup addition of Verde y Veridad, the podcast where we speak the truth about all things Austin FC. I’m Mateo and I’m joined, as always, by Chris.” “Always good to be here, even if I’m not feeling very good.” “Yeah, this podcast has gotten a lot less fun since Lindsay left to go manage the national team…” “Correction, since Lindsay abandoned us. Left us to suffer through Savarese’s reign of uselessness.” “I thought we’d gotten you over this!" "Over how completely horrible Savarese is? Are you kidding?" "Chris, no. I meant: Are you still pining for Lindsay?” “Pining for the days when we actually won games? Where we were in contention for every trophy? Yes, yes I’m still pining for Lindsay. Yes I still sometimes pump volume on the Taylor Swift revenge tunes that pop up on the playlists.” “Taylor Swift? You're dating us a bit Chris.” “I’ll have you know Taylor Swift is still very popular, Mateo. Her ‘back to country roots’ album is top of the charts. I mean it’s not really country, but it’s just so damn catchy. And caty, so there’s that too.” “If you say so. But, to the point, be honest, if you were him, would you not take the national team job? In a World Cup year?” “If I got a job like Austin head coach, if I was winning things like we had been, I would never leave. It’s not like he’s done very well with the national team, has he?” “Are you saying you think Lindsay isn’t doing a good job?” “I don't like to speak I’ll of an ex, but no, I don’t think he did well. He’s been exactly average, if maybe a little worse.” “What about the win against Belgium? The really good game against Portugal?” “Friendlies, and one of them was a loss! Croatia too - loss. Every good team we’ve played - loss. Half of that Belgium team were getting their first caps anyway. Not that any of that matters. Now it’s the World Cup, and how have we looked? Terrible. We barely beat Angola! Angola!” “It was only 2-1 because of that clumsy Carter-Vickers penalty though. We were already up 2-0.” “I mean, yeah, but did we look like a top 10 team? Top 20 even? After that game I really wasn’t surprised when we completely collapsed against Denmark.” “That was brutal. There we were, completely in control. We had all the possession, Denmark had nothing happening. The Balogun goal was fantastic too. The play leading up to it looked just like what we got used to seeing here in Austin as well. Those combinations down the right, the interchange between the attack minded midfielder, the rightback and the right winger…” “You are right there, Mateo. Pulisic and Scally’s combination play down the right was so sharp in the lead up. Then when Pulisic’s cross got deflected up in the air, Balogun showed real poacher’s instinct to get to that and volley it in. But that was it. Literally it for the rest of the game!!! It was embarrassing!” “Oh, the unforced errors! That first Denmark goal was just…it was the opposite of a wonderful team goal right? Like, at every turn each player made the wrong choice. The terrible pass from Musah right to Christian Eriksen, of all people. I don’t even know where he was trying to go with it. Then Pulisic recovers the ball but just stands there like a deer in headlights while Eriksen said thank you very much. Then [GK] Steffen decides to rush out, even though the ball is closer to the corner flag than the goal. The winger just passes it around him, [CBs] Carter-Vickers and Palmer-Brown are just watching the ball and it’s an easy tap in. That whole sequence was just surreal.” “I mean, that’s what you get when you play a team full of players who hardly played at the club level this season though right? Pulisic and Renya get 15 mins every other week if they’re lucky, McKennie moved to Real Madrid to rot on the bench, Palmer-Brown can’t even get a game for Besiktas. They all look like the game is just too fast for them, you know.” “You have a good point, but it’s not just that. Carter-Vickers had been the worst offender in terms of mistakes, and he plays every week for Celtic. It was his terrible, slow pass to Palmer-Brown that Demark intercepted for the second goal, when he was under no pressure remember. Musah’s had his fair share of mistakes too, and he plays as much as anyone at Valencia.” “Musah at least have some moments of quality though. He is also always full of running and menacing on the dribble. His goals against Portugal were special too. He’s worth the odd mistake because he brings so much. If Lindsay keeps Carter-Vickers in the starting line up, though, it’ll have to go down as Lindsay’s biggest mistake of the tournament. If he starts against Austria you can just not watch it, I’ll tell you the result. 3-1 Austria. Balogun scores a lovely goal and then Carter-Vickers gives up a penalty, gets red carded and McKennie runs around doing jack s***. Drop them both, I say. Tyler Adams too while we’re at it, he’s been useless. And don’t get me started on Renya. Why does Lindsay keep playing him? Roldan could play left wing better than that idiot, and be way better than McKennie as the attack minded midfielder.” “Wait, wait, wait! Is this about your theory that Lindsay should have called up [BBM] Levya? That he should be using Booth and Roldan more?” “All three of them are not only starters for Austin, something a lot of the players in the squad can’t say, but they are all very used to Lindsay’s system. That should count for something, right?” “I get what you’re saying, but you don’t actually think that Levya, Booth or Roldan is as good as Musah or McKennie, do you? Not even with Austin tinted glasses!” “Maybe not as talented, but I stand by my claim that they would have performed better. They know the system. They know how to play the Lindsay way. They all looked pretty good against Manchester City in the Club World Cup!” “You’re not wrong, but I don’t know if I’d be going out there picking my former players over more talented options. Well, I think I already know the answer to this question, but how do you feel about Austria?” “You know my answer to this. For one, this Austria team is no joke. You don’t think of Austria as a top team, but they’re really quite good. They’ve drawn with Brazil and France in recent friendlies…” [Laughter] “I thought friendlies didn’t matter?” “More importantly, they demolished Canada and thoroughly beat Uruguay. I mean it was only 3-2, but both the Uruguay goals came from corners. They tore up Uruguay on the flanks. On the other hand,of course they were supposed to demolish Canada, bless their hearts, but we were supposed to demolish Angola…” “Poor Canada. Speaking of going out early, how about Argentina crashing out in the group stage? Anyway, I agree with you. I have major concerns about our team. We have been vulnerable to the long ball to the flanks, but I understand that Lindsay wants our wingbacks to push forward as they’re probably our best players. We look disjointed and unsure going forward. I’m not feeling confident at all.” “You know what? I’m not hoping to lose, but I wonder if the silver lining is that Lindsay will return to Austin…” “You mean you’d take him back? After all you said about him?” “Are you kidding? I’d take him back in a heartbeat! Forgive his cheating ways and say it was all my fault. I’ll get down on my knees and beg if it means he’ll bring back some more of those sweet, sweet trophies. I mean, it’s perfect timing. Reports are that Savarese’s one loss away from getting fired.” “Did you see that poll?” “Oh yeah, I can’t believe it…can’t believe there are so many that think he deserves more time. 35%? Who are these people??? We’ve won the league the past three years and he can’t do better than 13th place in the Western Conference? Second from bottom of the entire MLS???” “No doubt that it’s time for him to go, but I wouldn’t hold your breath on Lindsay returning to us. He’s applied to openings at both Ajax and Leeds. He was considered a leading candidate at Ajax at one point and Leeds are expected to interview him any day now. I don’t know if he’ll get that job either, but it’s clear: He’s off to Europe, Chris. He’s the one that got away…”

I love that the board just wants you not to get relegated. That's very generous of them. Overall, this is a big season it seems! Major investments following major overhaul in the system and tactics. It's a big risk, but also you're not going to knock anyone off the pedestal if you don't take a chance! Looking forward to seeing how it all goes.

At this point, are you just wondering the streets looking for players? How are you even putting 11 players on the pitch! All things considered, it's a miracle you are midtable. Maybe need to tone down the training sessions for those two match weeks? In general? I found that when I had players with top fitness etc, they could handle the intense training much better. Lower down the leagues, it led to a lot more injuries.

I’ve been all about balanced for a while now, especially for possession systems. The ball isn’t forced as much and it’s recycled when nothing is on. The players will still attack and go after it when there’s an opening though. Does seem like a time to take a chance and move on from the old guard. If Jester was just trying to keep his job, it might be too risky, but if there’s ambitions of Premier League and more, seems as if the current core can’t get you there.

32 players out! That must have taken ages to deal with. Necessary though. Seems like a great group of young talent arriving - ready to make an impact now and room to grow. Seems like the turnover hasn’t hurt form either!

The World Cup Draw and Preparations [Im not sure if the update changed anything, but in game we have the expanded tournament but with 16 groups of 3, with two from each group progressing to a round of 32.] Looking at the whole picture, one group stood out as the “group of death” - Germany, Brazil, and Ghana. The USA were given a fairly easy group. Denmark would likely give the US a tough match, but Lindsay felt confident they could beat them. Angola, however, were one of the weakest teams in the tournament and the US should win the game without trouble. The USA could beat lesser teams - results against Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Greece showed that. Against Croatia they’d been found out, however, and Lindsay wanted more chances to test the side’s mettle against top quality opponents. With that, Lindsay’s last friendly matches would be against two top teams in Belgium (8) and Portugal (5) before a final warm up match against New Zealand in which Lindsay planned to give the squad a chance to show what they could do. Transfers Serginio Dest moved from Barcelona to Athletico Madrid on loan with an option to buy to get back as first choice. Hopefully, he’d get more playing time as he’d been losing out to Valentin Rosier [who'd been excellent for Benjani’s Portsmouth in a different timeline…] McKennie also moved from Napoli to be a squad player at Real Madrid on loan, an odd choice in Lindsay’s opinion as he’d been getting only limited minutes at Napoli. Belgium - March 25, 2026 - Three Months Before the World Cup While Lindsay had previously been unimpressed with Balogun, he was in great form for Watford in the premier league, so got the nod over Sargent up front, with Reyna coming in on the left wing. A great win over a Belgium team ranked 8th in the world. Granted, it was not their strongest team with both CBs enjoying their first caps, but it was a good performance. The US scored after a fantastic assist from LW Reyna over the top of the defense and a great run and cool finish from Balogun. However, what Lindsay appreciated was that the US kept a strong attack including De Bruyne and Lukaku largely quiet. First, Pre match, he did not instruct his players to counter press, knowing Belgium had the quality to play through it. Lindsay was most proud, though, of an adjustment midway through the first half. De Bruyne had been getting too much space on the ball, even with CM(a) Musah man marking him. The role put Musah too far forward to properly mark him off the ball however, so Lindsay decided to flip the shape. [Disregard personnel, this screenshot came from the end of the match] With Musah now the BBM and McKennie CM(a), Musah’s relatively more withdrawn role allowed him to hound De Bruyne and severely limit his effect on the match. Portugal - June 3, 2026 - Ten Days Until the World Cup The squad remained largely the same going into the World Cup, with a few squad players going in or out depending on club form and needs. One big miss, however, would be the dependable Antonee Robinson at left back. With only Gorge Bello as a natural left back of any quality, Lindsay would have to rely on him and use Dest or Scally as backups. That did, however, leave room for Austin CM/RB Taylor Booth to come into the squad. Musah put on an incredible performance, scoring two fantastic goals, the first from a good spell of pressure where the US kept Portugal trapped in their box before LB Bello hung a cross intot he box where Musah got his head to it. The second was an absolute belter from outside the box on the turn as Portugal tried to clear a corner. The first goal conceded was a horror show of bad choices. CB Carter-Vickers committed to a ball far too high up the pitch, leaving a gaping hole for Portugal to break through. Bruno Fernandes is sent free on goal, and while Palmer-Brown is over to cover, that leaves his side open and Fernandes rolls it into the path of Rafael Leao who has only Steffan in goal to beat. The second came after Musah’s second. Lindsay had pulled his team back a bit, asking DM Adams to stay back more and switching Musah to a MEZ(s) instead of CM(a). Portugal was upping the pressure, and just as Lindsay was ready to instruct Adams to man-mark Fernandes, he finds a gap, receives the ball and has time to turn and find Joao Felix behind the US defense. All things considered, a draw would have been a fair result, but Ruben Dias rose to head in a free kick in the 80th minute to get the win for Portugal. Lindsay took a lot of heart from the performance, however, feeling like on another day the US could have easily won. They certainly weren’t outperformed by the 5th ranked Portugal - though maybe the quality of Portugal’s stars simply shown brighter. The final warm-up match before the World Cup saw the US bench given a shot to show what they could do. Lindsay handed two Austin players their first caps in CM/RB Taylor Booth and CM Roldan. Sadly, Lindsay wasn’t especially impressed with the depth. They struggled to create and New Zealand were able to comfortably defend for much of the match. West Brom’s Daryle Dike scored late in the first half, but otherwise it wasn’t until the starters came on late that the US looked dangerous. Final Thoughts pre-world cup Lindsay felt quietly confident that the US could surprise some people. The expectation was the second round, which would mean progressing out of the group stages and winning one knockout match due to the expanded format, but Lindsay felt his side could do better than that. He was hoping for a quarter final appearance, and felt a bit of luck might just get them into the semis.

Definitely the definition of midtable form right now! Rough October, great November, decent December…all averaging out to midtable. Which is good but can also be so frustrating. You planning on sticking with the 5–2-2-1 for the most part? It’s tough to go away from defensive solidity!

I was, but getting beat on the flanks has been a major issue already! Not his fault, but between having the CM(a) on his side and that issue it’s hard enough to stomach him as a WB(s)

Who cares about the defeat! Bayern is defeated, and by a lot! Ok, yes, thank stings, and so does the loss to Newcastle after being in such a promising position. But most importantly, you’ve won the league and taken down Bayern!

I feel like some role adjustments might get you that channel penetration - maybe a CAR as one of the double pivot? The box rest set up can also enable you to switch flanks quickly. I’ve been liking a balanced philosophy to ensure players use their support or play it back to be recycled when they can’t find a way through.

A proper test [My wife getting the latest Zelda game over the past weekend has led to way more FM time than usual. The long, long pauses between matches has also meant lots of time to think tactics and write everything up.] Lindsay left Austin with a heavy heart but in a buoyant mood after lifting the MLS Cup a second time. Now able to solely focus on the US national team, he was faced with his first set of friendlies that he’d arranged himself. 14th ranked Croatia would be a good test of the team’s quality, while the 31st Ivory Coast would be an easier match but still more of a challenge than national sides like Qatar and the U.A.E. A disappointing result and a lesson learned by Lindsay. The US came out of the gates quick and could have scored twice within the first two minutes and spurned several good chances in the first 10-15. This dominant early spell made Lindsay overconfident so that when Croatia began to settle into the game and enjoy some possession he reacted too strongly - and as if he was still managing powerhouse Austin instead of a side roughly equal to its opponents overall and worse technically. Upping the lines and the intensity of the press had the opposite effect of what Lindsay intended, giving control over to a Croatia team that was able to carve through the press. You can see on the xG and momentum graphs how the middle of the match saw the US flatline while Croatia built up a head of steam. During this period, Croatia’s pressure told as CB Richards deflected a shot into his own net. Unlucky, but Croatia had very nearly scored only a minute before. When Lindsay reverted back to the usual Coiled Spring at halftime (high DL instead of very high, mid block and a medium press), the US began to create chances again. Unfortunately, woeful finishing cost the US in the end, with Sargent, Balogun, and Pulisic all guilty of letting good chances go to waste. The system was working when Lindsay let it, but the players simply weren’t finishing the chances created. The US won through a goal from PF Sargeant, and looked good overall, but once again were let down by their finishing with an xG of 2.36 but only one goal to show for it. The Ivory Coast also had their chances to score, and dominated possession, but Lindsay wasn’t especially worried about possession when his side had the better of the chances. Another lesson was learned here as well - the US was vulnerable to the long ball to the flanks. Against Ivory Coast’s 3-4-1-2 formation, he’d instructed his players to force the narrow shape wide. Unfortunately, despite their narrow formation, Ivory Coast seemed to welcome the US strategy, and play through their WBs who were allowed to bomb forward. Lindsay took away that instruction and told his players to mark and close down both WBs and the Ivory Coast barely threatened after that. After some poor games from Balogun, Lindsay wasn’t sure about him staying on as a starter. Musah too had looked only so-so, while Mihailovic continued to excel in the CM(a) role. In the back, Erik Palmer-Brown (formerly of Man City, now at Besiktas) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (formerly of Tottenham, now at Celtic) were proving to be the most reliable CB pairing.

Which would be a decent formation for the US other than that the national side isn’t good in terms of forwards.

Solid closing to the season! (Thinking you had two in a row where Anderlecht way out performed their xG?) Either way, looking for that title next season. You planning on prioritizing that over Europe considering the challenge?

Sorry yeah, that’s what I meant. Just need to get to that promise land…

The Star Spangled [Coiled] Spring A few posts ago I made fun of America’s view of itself as a winner through and through. While this is obviously false, the idea comes from the fact that the country has been the biggest world superpower for most of the last century. The combination of population and abundant natural resources certainly has plenty to do with it, but when I honestly think of the strengths of this country, I think of flexibility, diversity, and individualism (though the latter is prone to being taken to selfish extremes). We have innovative ideas because we have a lot of ideas coming from a lot of places and a lot of opportunities to give those ideas a chance (not equal opportunities, just a lot). What does this have to do with Lindsay’s US national team? As he adapted his Coiled Spring style of play, he would be looking to use these ideals to form a national football philosophy that suited his players. Where a lot of American managers have tried to tap into the national ethos of hard work and fighting hard, Lindsay would focus on creating a system that was flexible and diverse, allowing each player to play to their strengths while also becoming more than the sum of their parts. The thing about Lindsay’s Coiled Spring style was that it was very flexible and could accommodate a lot of different types of players. With the amount of rotation required in the MLS, Lindsay had found that his system allowed a lot of players to be successful even if they accomplished the goals of their role in different ways. The roles and shape gave player’s directions for where to be and their role in the team, but gave a lot of freedom within that set of guidelines. The right wing, an IW on support, was a good example of this. On the more condensed overload side, the role was to progress the ball, combine with the RB, CM(a), and create chances for the forward. They weren’t the primary goal scorer, but they should be able to finish chances. First choice Emiliano Rigoni was a perfect inverted winger - good on the dribble, solid passing, and capable of finishing chances, he was the player Lindsay planned the role for. However, Fagundez and Bender also frequented the position and were both very effective as well, but for different reasons. Right footed Diego Fagundez was a more prototypical winger. He was direct in his running, often beating people to the outside and getting to the byline despite IW instructions. This created space for the CM(a) and he had a lot of assists from cutbacks and through balls from wide areas, along with crashing in at goal and scoring after great, incisive runs. Ben Bender was more like Rigoni - left footed so more prone to cutting inside. While he could beat defenders on the dribble, he was more of a wide playmaker. He floated in and out of plays and would suddenly show up with a fantastic cross to the opposite winger, an around the corner pass that put the CM(a) through on goal, or show up at the back post for a header. All three had games where they looked like world beaters, and others where they struggled. When it was the later, Lindsay could put either of the other two on and they would bring something different and would often change the match - like Bender’s game winner in the 2024 MLS Cup final. Yet Lindsay almost never changed his instructions - IW(s) + stay wider and roam from position - and when he did it was a reaction to the flow of the match or the way the opposition was set up, not because of which of the three were on the pitch. The fact that all three had success in the role while being very different players stylistically showed how flexible the system was. It was about roles in the team. The RW needed to be able to progress the ball, operate in tight spaces, and score when chances fell to them - but it didn’t matter how they accomplished those goals. Similarly, the BWM DM role required the player to proactively win the ball back in and around midfield. Starter Valencia did this through aggressive tackling and interceptions, while the bigger De los Santos tended to either try to win the ball in the air, or force the attacker to commit before muscling them off the ball. Again, different players, each with their own play style, but both able to perform the same task within the team. With no ability to recruit players, having a flexible system that could allow a variety of different talent profiles to succeed would be a massive asset. As long as the player could do what was required of his role, it didn’t matter how he went about it. Lindsay planned on tinkering with some roles and duties as he progressed, but in his first sessions with the national team, Lindsay introduced the Coiled Spring to the players. For his first match in charge, Lindsay went with a shape that would focus on the game changing ability of Christian Pulisic as the Ace in the Hole. Balogun [just today switching to the US in real life] got the nod up front, while Renya and Musah switched roles compared to what one might expect. The thought for Lindsay was that Renya was a very good dribbler and a solid finisher, and Lindsay hoped the young man could prove a similar presence to former winger Fagundez at Austin. Assistant coach Josh Wolff (actually Lindsay’s predecessor at Austin FC) suggested Musah on the flank and Lindsay quite liked the idea. The RW was a dynamic, creative role in the side, so a fit and mobile midfielder sounded like a good fit. Easing into it The opening match against a Greece national team ranked 51st in the world, America was expected to win. Greece was known for playing defensively, and with the 41 place difference in rankings, it was likely that the USA would have to break through a low block. All's well that ends well, but it started horribly. After only 5 minutes, a Greek winger picked Musah’s pocket on the wing, and then was able to charge down the entire flank, drive into the box, and cut the ball back for a teammate to score. The first half then followed a bad pattern of the US squandering chances. Pulisic drove into the box and earned a penalty…but Musah’s tame effort was saved. Along with the two big mistakes, the midfielder looked completely out of sorts on the flank and was pulled for his own sake after only 32 minutes. He was replaced by Josh Sargent as Lindsay reshuffled the front line. Musah would get his chances again in the future, but in the center where he was more comfortable. [Lindsay would also think twice about the personnel and tactical advice from Wolff in the future…after all, he had been the one to squander Austin’s talent - leaving Austin just about bottom of the MLS the same year that Lindsay made the final.] By the end of the first half, the USA had a xG above 2, without anything to show for it as they squandered chance after chance. The second half saw them regroup in the locker room, and face a stern talking to from Lindsay. Whether it was the half time talk or simply getting themselves sorted during the break, they remembered how to score. Ten minutes later the score was 3-1. Balogun scored two beautiful goals, Sargent added another, and Balogun would later complete his hattrick after earning a penalty. In the end, it was comfortable, but the first half had Lindsay terrified. Overall, though, the play looked good and the players seemed to take well to the system. Against 36th ranked Mali, Lindsay started out in the standard Coiled Spring, but found Mali were enjoying too much possession with their narrow 4-4-2 diamond shape. He switched to higher, more intense press and a player brought in to the national side for his creativity ended up scoring twice in ten minutes. Central midfielder Djordje Mihailovic at AZ in the Netherlands, was not your prototypical American midfielder. Unlike Adams, McKennie and Musah he wasn’t especially aggressive or industrious, but he possessed something not seen anywhere in the squad - elite vision. Lindsay had included him in the squad for this very reason, and after his failed attempt at using Renya in the midfield and Musah wide against Greece, he tried out the Dutch based player in the CM(a) role and he was a revelation. Yes, he scored twice, but just as importantly, he looked fantastic on the ball all match long, putting in some stunning passes including a perfectly weighted through ball for Reyna to score the third US goal. He might not be a great player against top sides, when the US would need to defend and play on the counter, but he would be a great option to help break down stubborn defenses or help retain possession. The defense gave Lindsay a bit of a worry, though. Mali ended up scoring through a long ball and a cross that took the American defense out of the game. They also had several other very good chances that made Lindsay wonder about the high line. Direct play behind the defensive line was looking too effective. Overall it was a good win, and it was only in the second half, when Lindsay pulled a lot of the starters, that Mali really got any sort of traction. Second International Break October brought the most useless international break that Lindsay could imagine, first playing 59th ranked Qatar then 69th ranked United Arab Emirates. He would use it as a training exercise to get the squad used to the Coiled Spring. The US thoroughly tore apart Qatar, but had a more frustrating day against the UAE. They scored fairly early, but then couldn’t find the net again for a long while. In fact, they had 3 goals called back for offsides and another missed penalty to go along with a lot of missed opportunities. They finally managed 2 goals late in the 2nd half but most of the match remained frustratingly at 1-0.

Ha! Worked out nicely for me too. It was time for him to go and my wife’s from Michigan and went there so that’s become my college team. He did well for a while, but I think better suited to college. This is definitely good news. I struggle to get invested in the national team simply because the quality of play is so dire, but he’ll be a major asset I think. Especially if we learn to play on the counter again.

Wow! Great opportunity even if the fun in is quite tricky. Even if Bayern do what Man City did to Arsenal this season, it still seems like a successful year. Also, got to love when the academy boys step up and perform well to cover an injury!

Finding those quality backups is often more of a challenge then bringing in a new first choice player. You need quality, can’t break the bank, and need them to be okay with less game time. Well done with all that business!

Solid end to the season and now the project can truly begin!

Congrats on the cup! Think with the system getting more and more refined, the league can be a possibility next time around. Having 17 year olds ready to break into the side is quite helpful too…Just need to get that pesky Esposito et all from scoring on you for Anderlecht!

Hard to play bully ball when you’re smaller. Think the youth route seems wise, especially as you can sell the ones if the value is right. Looks like hard, grinding work until then though. As long as Jester can keep them mid-table, though, a run can be made at playoff spots and promotion. Then the finances will no longer be a worry!