Daddy

Season 18 - 2040/41 - Czechia - First Division: Back-to-back Championships! We haven't quite pulled away with the league yet, but winning consecutive seasons while having the European competition schedule congestion is a great sign we're on the right path. 2040/41 - Champions League: My goal was to push to finish in the top eight to continue making measurable progress. From there I hoped to be competitive in the round of 16. This run exceeded expectations as we only had one clunker of a match, and it was against Real Madrid who dominated the league phase. We also had big wins against Bayern and Manchester United. After enjoying our bye we get matched up against Girona. Girona has developed into a Champions League regular but has not been able to beat out Real Madrid for the La Liga title. Our run ended in the quarter-finals against PSG but didn't look out of place against the eventual runner-ups. Youth Intake: Context: 2.5 Yellow Stars floor is "Decent First Division" standard player and 4 stars have a ceiling of "Leading First Division Player". Misc Updates: Not crazy here, trimming some fat and some loans. This was one of the last big transfers I let go through. Now that the club is an established Champions League team money isn't an issue, but that's one hell of a lottery ticket coming through. two new additions to the wonderkid list. 2041/42 Season Preview: Have to plan for three in a row here. Anything else would be a disappointment. A tougher group than last season, but I'm still expecting to push for the top eight again. I think we're now starting to hit the point in the save where with the right draw and some luck we could probably win the whole thing at any point, but could also crash out early just as easy.

I was just offered an Affiliate club that I completed this challenge with a few years ago

Agreed, but I have two counterthoughts. If it weren't for this challenge as that manager you might look for a loan back to where it may not be as unrealistic for them to want control of him but to let you keep developing him. The other counter I have is the "According to my coaches." He may be a higher standard than what they're skilled enough to tell you. OR he may just be delusional lol.

Season 16 - 2039/40 - Czechia - First Division: Finally, I can check one thing off the checklist. We got hot and stayed hot until the last third, but even cooling off just meant draws and not wins mostly. This marks the first time since 2021/22, where Viktoria Plzeň won, that neither Sparta not Slavia Prague won the league. Champions League: I wouldn't call this an easy draw, but it was easier and I felt confident we would make the Knockout round with some points to spare. Expectations met, and a tremendous showing at Arsenal (they have had one season out of Champions League places and even won the premier league once. They haven't fallen off) had me thinking maybe we could shock a few teams, and then we drew Milan. I wish we put up a better fight, but this was a season of seeing progress for sure. Interesting Things of Note: There's nothing crazy here. I'm at the point where I can sign people long term and when they start complaining about playing time I loan them out and throw in favorable buy clauses. The goal is to send the players to other teams domestically to help build the nation as we go. We had climbed the coefficient rankings, but have since tumbled a little. This may be specifically for this league, but when they draw the champions group you can see how they give the first-place team the lower-ranked teams to close the season out. Similar to a weighted reward system. While it's a lot less fascinating sober I admit, when I figured it out my mind was blown lol. Youth Intake: The factory must grow. 2040/41 Season Preview: No messing with qualifying this season! Right into the most interesting Champions League draw I think I've ever had since they went to this format. The teams from pots three and four we need to beat. The top four teams we need to not get blown out. We won the league, but we're not dominating it, and there are fewer automatic qualifications. Combine that with not thinking the team is ready to push for completing the challenge, the league is still the first focus this season. However, I am still going to push hard in the Champions League. my goal is 15 points.

Season 15 - 2038/39 - Czechia - First Division: Still not as deep as I was hoping, the reputation has plateaued and I can't get better coaches. When the fixture congestion rolls in you can see in the league position graph we become inconsistent. Then when it opens up we climb up and stay up. Getting closer. 2038/39 Champions League: My goal was ten points to make the knockout and we managed to hit it. That was a rough schedule and I don't think we embarrassed ourselves against the top competition. We're not ready to push to win the thing yet, but we didn't look out of place IMO. Misc Items: Another very good, and very deep intake. We're managing to keep our players now, so with these deep intakes our depth is starting to build up nicely to where I have players asking to go ohn loan for more playing time. I view that as a good sign. 2039/40 Season Preview: Simple goal, make the Champions League out of the league again and push for a title challenge. 2040 European Summer Adventure: I think I had this exact combo last year and same results More manageable than last season so I again expect a top 24 finish.

Come on man

Season 14 - 2037/38 - Czechia - First Division: This was a great season. I knew we would have decent schedule congestion, and I didn't want another season where our league form suffers. We're still not ready to challenge for the league yet it seems, but I think our next goal is to solidify that 2nd place and Champions League position and then start challenging for first. 2037/38 - Europa League: I thought we had a tough draw, so I expected to finish in the top 24 at least, but we did much better than expected. This makes it all the more frustrating that we blew a 2-0 lead in the final league match and fell out of the top 8. We get Lazio, which had me thinking it was over, especially when we went down 3-1. A tremendous comeback then earned us Nottingham Forest which did not go so well for us. Had we finished top eight we would have had a different matchup. Youth Intake: Another great intake. We don't have any huge holes right now, so I appreciate the variety of talent. General Updates: Nothing major to report here. Bunch of loans and trimming the roster. He's currently pissed that I'm not letting him leave, but I have him for another four seasons so he'll have to get over it. Big movement for both us as a club and Czechia moving up to sixth place and getting a second Champions League League Phase spot. Unicorn Sighting: This dude has turned down Youth Training Facilities for years, but every idea is better when it's your own. 2038 European Summer Adventure: Our first time making it out of the League Path and into the League Phase proper. Our reward? That is one of the most brutal draws I think I've ever had going by coefficient ranks. 8-10 points is the landing point for 24th place looking at previous season tables. I think we can do that. My biggest fear is getting on a bad run of form between the league and this. 2038/39 Season Preview:

Season 13 - 2036/37 - Czechia - First Division: My hope was to finish in the top eight and push on as far as possible, and that's exactly what we did. I was a bit disappointed by the showing at Stoke, but a 4-2 aggregate loss to a premier league club is nothing to be upset about at this stage. It may be a lower league position than last season, but with the increase in schedule congestion with our run in Europe, I'm very happy. Overall the season was a success. Thankfully no big sales. I managed to fend everyone off. Two new wonder kids, and a former in the top ten now. Both of my players are seeing plenty of first-team time for me. "33C" on Southampton now has a value of "$91-141M" with a 35% profit clause for a player I sold for $2M. I'd have rather kept him, but whenever that one goes through, I hope, it will fund the club for a few more seasons. Thought I'd through a little world update for where we are from a build a nation PoV and a bit of the club info. For whatever reason the league history doesn't include the years the club was in the third division. I didn't snap a screenshot at time of intake so visuals a bit different. This is another really deep intake. Might be the best potential one yet. 2037/38 Season Preview: I don't believe we're quite ready to push for the league title yet, but with such a strong season last year I'm hoping to at least push for Champions League places. 2037 European Summer Adventure: First up was a trip to Portugal against Estoril Praia, who have turned themselves into a top-half club. An underwhelming draw had me a bit apprehensive, but that was unfounded as we won handily at home in the second leg. After that, we welcomed Swiss Cup winners Schaffhausen, and narrowly won. A gutsy road draw sees back in the Europa League for the season season in a row. Tougher draw than last season, but a great chance to see where we are in the world.

I average a season every other day, three at most. I work from home and my job allows many quick little breaks, so I frequently hit next a lot. I also find FM to be the perfect game to play while watching TV, right now I'm watching the Phillies game and playing, I don't like just watching TV so I need to be playing something.

Still some work to do there, but we've had some hints of success against them.

Season 12 - 2035/36 - Czechia - First Division: Was never really close to catching Sparta Prague, but was a fun race for the remaining Champions League spot. Our depth is finally stabilizing a bit, so now we're playing with fewer "Second Division" level players. Our keeper took a big step forward, and I have him locked up for the new four seasons. Other than the one sale to Southampton, mostly all loans or trimming the fat a bit. $2M was an underpay, but he had six months left and I got a 35% profit clause for a player whose value jumped to 74-112M. I don't like when we get raided en masse, but one big sale a season or huge clause triggering keeps us in the black for years with max facilities and getting lots of coaches. Another deep with potential intake. Bonus is the diversity of positions too. 2036/37 Season Preview: With the congestion of adding European competitions, I don't expect a repeat of second place. However, I am expecting our depth players' continued development into more starting-caliber players and the season to end in the Champions Group and fighting for Europe. 2036 European Summer Adventure: Feyenoord was a tough draw, but I was holding out hope that we could hang. I wasn't expecting to get past them comfortably. I had no delusions of grandeur after getting Roma, and then we won fairly cleanly at home 1-0. The second tie was 3-0 at the half and I was just happy to end with that score. I'm extremely happy with how we played, and it gives me confidence for how we'll do in the Europa League. Regensburg immediately jumped out to me. I'm not sure what happened in real life before the game time, so maybe there was a "tycoon" takeover and investment. There's nothing in the game that stands out in the club landmarks. This just appears to be a club that slowly built up through the pyramid. Regarding the draw, I'm hopeful to be in the hunt for a top 8. I'll be ambitious.

If I have a player locked up long enough I play hardball. All these players have refused to sign contracts almost immediately, so it usually becomes a choice to keep them until their contract runs out or sell them off. Plus some have come in so high the owner accepts.

Season 11 - 2034/35 - Czechia - First Division: My goal was to compete for a European spot, and we just missed out on the championship group. We competed in the European playoffs and lost in penalties in the final, for a spot that ended up not going to Europe anyway lol. My hope coming off the congested season was the team would do better this year, but losing our star keeper and striker the previous season and then our best midfielder for this season really showed. By xG we should have been 5th. We did get an active player on the NXGN list. I'd say we're set there except his contract is in its final year, he won't renew, and will be going to Southampton 1/1 (not sure why the transfer date was set there). The one thing I can not complain about is that we get loaded intakes every season. For Reference three-star players are "First Division Standard", so about half the class has First Division potential. 2035/36 Season Preview: I'm a little nervous about this upcoming season. I don't think the bottom will fall out or anything, but I am worried about plateauing here. It's also very difficult to keep the wolves at bay to allow us to take that next step forward. I wouldn't be surprised if we fight for European finish, but I also wouldn't be surprised to just be midtable.

It is not.

Season 10 - 2033/34 - Czechia - First Division: My suspicions were confirmed that our roster wasn't deep enough yet to handle Europe and the League and succeed in both. I wasn't expecting to make it to the quarter-finals, so that was a pleasant surprise. Losing our Keeper and striker led to both giving up too many goals and not scoring enough. Our backup striker has developed into a decent player. Our keeper is still considered a Second Division player. Adding to the "fun" we also just lost another good player right before the season clicked over. Another update on the one that got away...for free. It's a hell of an intake with some incredible nationality diversity. Keeper is a big need which makes me quite happy to see our top prospect of the class. 2033/34 Season Preview: Hopefully, the other European teams leave me alone for the year. If they do We'll be in the hunt for Europe again.

It's happened to me as well and it was okay. Player history will also show the player only having been at your club as well.

Season 9 - 2032/33 - Czechia - First Division: In jest, I had said I needed to raise my expectations and we would win the league. Turns out we're a bit closer than I realized. In the final ten matches of the season, I believe the team just wore down. The oldest player is 24, so there are still a lot of young legs and brains out there. Two big moves last season. Southampton taking our best player in the midfield wasn't ideal, but we did get a nice 40% clause on there and if he sold for his current value we'd probably get 8-10 M in the bank in addition to the initial $2M. The painful one was Ali Ali leaving to Inter on an expired contract. He was our best player and immediately ranked as #2 wonderkid in the world. A very nice intake here, with a couple of players, jumped right to the first team as rotation pieces. 2033/34 Season Preview: I will underestimate the team again, but that's because of the addition of European football to the schedule. Hopefully being extra diligent about rotation and fitness we'll at least make the top six group again in the league, and I'd like to see us make the top 24 in the Europa League. I wrote this before the start of the season and decided to play until the Europa League was drawn. In that time my keeper was sold to Man City for 10M. My current best keeper is a "Good Second Division" player. That makes everything more difficult and my most dire need for a future intake is a keeper. I only have three left in the system and this is the only player with real potential.

congrats @Ron_Swanson

Back to back Usti posts Season 8 - 2031/32 - Czechia - First Division: Our first season in the top division went incredibly well. A really poor performance against Slovacko in the Champions group cost us a place in Europe. Regardless, the season was an incredible success when the only goal was to not go back down immediately. We're no longer flying under the radar and keeping my top players is now an issue. Not pictured is my star wingback who refused to sign and left right after the season rolled over. Fortunately, we've had some deep intakes and strong facilities are helping to replenish the first team. The end product didn't quite match the preview, but we could still add more depth that will help out. 2032/33 Season Preview: Clearly my expectation setting has been way too low the last few seasons, so I'm going to say we win the league

congrats @Cultured Left Foot

Season 7 - 2030/31 - Czechia - Second Division: I was concerned after two of my best players had release clauses activated right at the start of the season. Things did get dicey at the end and I was worried about blowing the lead we built. However, in the end, it all worked out. There is no standout star in this intake, but some quality to add to the club. 2031/32 Season Preview: I don't think they fancy my chances much. I played the first two matches and I think the team has a legitimate chance at staying up. I don't think it'll be easy though.

congrats @resurectedja

Season 6 - 2029/30 - Czechia - Second Division: The team was way more competitive than I expected, but there's still a bitter taste to leave so many points at the end and miss a shot at promotion. Not quite as deep of an intake, but some real talent at the top of the class. A Unique player here. He came right in at Second Division standard with "Could Improve a lot" potential. Just trimming the roster. 2030/31 Season Preview: I'm going to raise my expectations from last season and say I expect the be in the hunt for promotion again this season. Our training facilities are great, and I've been allowed to hire a lot of coaches, even if they aren't great.

Well, I suppose I was not optimistic enough after all. I'm guessing the Tycoon takeover and all the upgrades I've been able to get have pushed the timeline faster than I realized. They came in hot with a big investment, including boosting facilities. I've then been able to get consistent upgrades and coaching classes approved. Little concerned about the mediocre looking preview, but as you can see above I've had a lot of facilities upgrades.

Season 5 - 2028/29 - Czechia - Second Division: By xG we should have been a midtable team, but our offense let us down this season. Nothing major again. Hopefully, this beefy boy develops into just what I need. Overall it was a good intake once again very deep in potential. 2029/30 Season Preview: I'm not sure why there is a spike in expectations. That has me a bit concerned. Maybe I'm underestimating the team, but I feel like we're a season away from that.