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Post by Nick on Feb 17, 2019 17:48:12 GMT
2028/29 End of Season ReviewWith the squad now laid out for you to have a look at, it's time to catch up with how they did on the pitch since the winter break. You'll remember that we were twelve points clear at the mid-point, still in the Swiss Cup and qualified from our Europa League group. What I'd call a much more 'normal' second half of the season. We started slowly after the winter break, drawing with Lausanne and Neuchatel Xamax before we lost at home to Young Boys and went out of the Europa League to Stoke (who would go on to beat Tottenham 2-0 in the final) 4-3 on aggregate, after a 1-0 win in Geneva. It wasn't until the end of February that we seemed to hit top form, going 14 games unbeaten since that defeat to Young Boys. We got our revenge against them by beating them 2-1 away from home in the league to all but seal the title, but they beat us in the Swiss Cup semi final three days later to ruin our chances of a domestic double. A title win that was never really in doubt since the early stages of the season. Few could argue that we didn't deserve it. Just 22 goals conceded over the course of the season, which is a new all-time Swiss record, and the basis on which we build our title win. I think at one point, Young Boys got within 7 points of us, but the win at their place killed any chance they had of building a comeback. St. Gallen were our closest rivals and, looking at their defeats, only lost to us, Basel, Zurich and Young Boys all season. Beating the shit is half the job in this league, so they could be pretty dangerous next season. Basel had a shocker, losing more games than they won and drifting out of the European places for what is surely the first time this century. Champions League football was the aim this season and we'll go straight into the group stage next season, which is fantastic for the finances. In fact, it was our run to the Europa League quarter finals that ensured Switzerland had an automatic group stage spot, so it's fitting that we're the ones to benefit from it. I've got a few players coming back from loan this summer that could definitely do a job in the first team squad and I'm going to talk about them in a separate post. As a result, I don't see this summer being too busy. We definitely need a back up to Pierini on the left wing, whether that's another inside forward, or a more orthodox wide man. We also need someone the other side to replace Angel Yesid who, at the moment, is due to go back to Italy.
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Post by Nick on Feb 17, 2019 20:55:50 GMT
New AffiliateGiven we're a Champions League club now(!), I wanted us to start getting the Servette brand out around the world. After a bit of persuasion, the board agreed to an affiliate and, I decided to have a go a finding one myself. Now, my general rule is to go through the reputation list of the Asian clubs and look at all their affiliate pages. If they don't have another European club, then that's usually a good place to start. Of course, like anything in FM, it can be a bit hit and miss. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are currently the third most reputable team in Japan and the first team in the reputation list without a European affiliate already. They are also the 18th most reputable in the whole of Asia, so I feel like this is probably the best affiliate we could have hoped for at this stage. £128k per year is nothing compared to what we should make in terms of merchandising. Onwards and upwards.
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Post by Ben on Feb 17, 2019 22:18:22 GMT
So now I've seen your midfield and attack, I take back a little about what I said regarding youth. But the fact you've got an experienced squad that has been around for a long time and you're calling 30+ legends is just a great way to play this game and (I am being slightly hypocritical as the average age of my squad is like 12) but something that players need to do more often. Consigli, though, is class, and well worth £60k+ a week - Fiore are stupid for not keeping him!
The league is looking really easy now - lets hope that Young Boys, Basel et al do mount some kind of comeback to keep the longevity in it for you.
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Post by ondrej on Feb 18, 2019 16:07:37 GMT
Hi Nick, I'm not sure if you are using custom kits in your save(s) but I made Servette kits some time ago.
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Post by Nick on Feb 19, 2019 17:17:12 GMT
Nice one, ondrej, I really like them. How do I get them in the game? Just add them to the graphics folder? If so, that doesn't seem to be working! I don't pretend to be a graphics expert though.
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Post by ondrej on Feb 19, 2019 19:08:00 GMT
yes, just extract the file and insert it to C:\Users\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2019/graphics. be sure to check game preferences/interface and un-tick then box saying 'Use caching to decrease page loading times' and just reload skin.
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Post by Nick on Feb 20, 2019 19:01:43 GMT
2029/30 Preview and Mid-Season ReviewI got a bit carried away at the start of the season, so have played through to the winter break before we head into the next decade. Expectations and BudgetsNo real surprises from the chairman this year. I was given £19.6m to spend which is roughly what I've had for the past couple of seasons. I imagine I could spend that type of cash but, at the moment at least, I'm happy working on a budget and building the club's bank balance. In return for his money (the money I raised), he wants us to qualify for the Champions League again. As mentioned previously, that's got to be the level we aim for now. Two titles in the past three years is a great base to build upon and qualifying for the Champions League regularly is part of that stage. The Swiss Cup is still deemed important, with a semi final spot still the minimum requirement. We can be safe in the knowledge that we'll meet expectations in the Champions League as we go straight into the group stage. TransfersIt would appear we've got to the stage where we can loan players to FC Basel. Who'd have though that ten years ago. Yannick Furrer joins them for the season, while Karim Richard goes to St. Gallen on a similar deal. Plenty of outgoing loans once again, while we also see Simone Santoro's age finally catch up with him as he finds himself shipped off to Zwolle for the season. A good servant, but has probably played his last game for the club. Fiorentina wanted Andrea Consoli for all of a week and I jumped at the chance to sign him up for a ninth season. Angel Yesid also finds himself in the 'unwanted' pile and that suits us. He knows the club and our style and that suits me just fine. Our third loanee is Michael Girard from PSG. He's more of a 'proper' winger than we're used to, but I think we're getting to that stage where we need something different to break down deep, compact defences. Two permanent signings this summer. Farid Bouafia joins on a free from Lyon. Their loss is our gain as far as I'm concerned. Commanded a decent wage, but is still young, is creative, technical, with a bit of flair about him. At the very least he offers us good resale value. Next I paid Colombian side Atletico Nacional £450k for Kevin Portela, who might be my best signing yet. Immediately listed as a wonderkid after signing, he has big potential. Physically outstanding, he has excellent attributes for passing, decisions, vision, anticipation and positioning. Super LeagueWe started really slowly. The first round of matches were a bit of a shambles and I have to take the blame for it. I played around too much tactically, tried to be too clever and it back fired pretty spectacularly. I've since reverted back to the style that has been the basis of our recent success and the ship has been steadied somewhat with us going through the second round of matches unbeaten. We've had to clamber up the table from fifth position, but we have no reached the summit and can hopefully stay there over the coming months. Round 1 | Round 2 | TableBasel continue to be fairly average, and unless Julen Lopetegui can turn it around he'll probably find himself out of a job. One person that won't be worrying about his job security at the moment is FC Zurich manager, Marcel Koller. He may only have 1 for motivating, but he's getting a decent tune out of them so far this season: predicted fifth, but currently in second by virtue of losing their last game to my rabble. Young Boys started well, but have slipped recently and are still ominously placed. At the other end of the table, a solid looking Super League is propped up by FC Sion. They're slightly cut adrift, but they're not as doomed as Neuchatel Xamax have been in the past, or Stade Nyonnais were last season. No real surprises in the Challenge League thus far, with Winterthur top of the pile ahead of a Lugano side benefiting from having us as a parent club. Champions LeagueOur Champions League campaign was well-fought, but ultimately ended in finishing bottom of a group containing Bayern, Arsenal and Monaco. Fixtures | TableSlightly disappointed to only score three goals, but we were by no means the group's whipping boys (early hammering in Munich aside) and I feel like we gave a good account of ourselves. I'll gratefully take the prize money and hope to qualify again next year. Swiss CupEasy as you like in the early rounds. We've not been tested at all yet and have been able to rest players in all three rounds. The competition steps up a bit in the quarter finals as we head to Basel. With Young Boys losing to St. Gallen in the previous round, we know that if we can beat Lopetegui's under=performing side, we'll stand a good chance of winning the trophy for a third time under my management. Looking AheadWe're set to play Platanias, Avezzano and Sarpsborg in the winter break, which I'm sure gets shorter every year. The matches finish for six weeks from mid-December, but the players don't go on holiday until the first week of January and are back in training a week later. With only two weeks of holiday in the summer, it's a weird set up the Swiss have going. I'm happy with the squad and I've no intention of signing anyone in January, but that doesn't stop me from being on the lookout for another Portela or two. I'm also going to see if we can get another merchandising feeder club at some point. Other than that, it's 'as you were' and we go into the second half of the season knowing that we don't have European football clogging up our fixture list and this should benefit us hugely.
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Post by Ben on Feb 20, 2019 23:11:01 GMT
Was hoping to see some Colombian wonderkid, but your link goes to Bouafia!
Great work, once again Nick. You're catching me up in terms of game date - I need to stop messing around and play the games!
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Post by Nick on Feb 21, 2019 12:53:20 GMT
Ah shit, does it? I’ll sort that when I get home.
I’ve definitely found that sweet spot between nations loaded and being settled at the club. I don’t have to spend time making major changes now, meaning I’m rattling along nicely.
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Post by Nick on Feb 21, 2019 17:53:21 GMT
I have updated Portela's screenshot above, but here he is to save you a click:
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Post by Nick on Feb 21, 2019 19:04:12 GMT
One wonderkid turns into two!Franco Mocci came through our youth academy in 2025/26 and, whilst he stood out, he's been a bit of a late bloomer. He initally found his path to the first team blocked by Chevalier, Cortesi and, the now departed, Mazzocchi. He spent the 2027/28 out on loan at Lausanne, where he played 31 games and scored 11 goals. Last season saw him play at FC Zurich, where he made 19 appearances and scored 9 goals. Two years of Super League action at a young age has seen him earn his stripes and this season he was given a chance in the first team squad here with me. He's made 16 starts this season, with a further 9 sub appearances and scored 11 goals - the highest of our three strikers so far this season. He recently earned the wonderkid tag. In terms of training, I've taken a simple view. He trains as a Complete Forward due to that role focusing on the most attributes (I think), while his individual focus is currently on 'Attacking Movement', mainly to focus on his Decisions.
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Post by Nick on Feb 21, 2019 20:46:09 GMT
2029/30 Round Three ResultsWe came back from the winter break well rested, at our peak in terms of conditioning and started 2030 where we finished 2029. Aarau took a surprise lead in that first game, but it lasted two minutes before normal service resumed. By half-time it was 3-1 and we've not looked back since. A disappointing draw away at Young Boys further shows you how far we've come in a short space of time. The 4-1 drubbings are a distant memory and we now visit Wankdorf (LOL!) and dominate the game. Routine wins against Grasshoppers, Luzern and St. Gallen set us up nicely for the cup quarter final against Basel, but we turned up and were completely impotent. Just one of those games where you know you could be playing until the following morning and you still won't score. We lost 4-2 on pens, further prolonging our quest for a league and cup double. Rivals Sion have a good record against us, but we, and especially they, are a different beast these days and we blew them away with a 4-1 win. Basel came to the Stade Geneve and barely put up a fight. They're so bang average at the moment, which makes the cup defeat even more bitter. Four points from Zurich and Lausanne, including coming from 2-0 down against the latter means we've now gone 18 league games without defeat and it'd take a brave man to bet against us retaining our Super League trophy. It's been fairly closely fought over the past nine matches. We've kept Zurich and Young Boys at arms length, but opened up more of a gap after game #26 when we beat Zurich 1-0 and YB lost at home to St. Gallen by the same scoreline. With just the league to focus on, we're pretty nailed on for the title, we just have to bring it home now.
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Post by Ben on Feb 22, 2019 8:08:59 GMT
As much as I love a South American wonderkid, there's nothing better than one coming through your own system! As you said, he's a little raw when on the ball (Decisions/Concentration) but he's got all the makings of a really good attacker! What are his promises? What's his value like and who wants him? Do you think you'll have any problems keeping him?
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Post by Nick on Feb 22, 2019 13:43:10 GMT
Absolutely mate, I agree 100%. I definitely get more ‘attached’ to players when they’re from my own academy - I’m sure you’re the same.
He’s currently valued at £3.5m and is wanted by Basel. That would normally cause me a bit of concern, but we’re now the most reputable team in the country and obviously playing Champions League football, so when I rejected their latest bid (of £13.5m) he didn’t even bat an eyelid. It’s a great position to be in domestically. I dare say he could have his head turned by a team from a more reputable league, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
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Post by Nick on Feb 23, 2019 19:18:35 GMT
Are we benefiting from issues in Basel and Bern?As we wrapped up successive titles for the first time, and our third in four years, by an eight point margin, the lack of competition was evident ever since we got our act together in October. We're currently on a 27 game unbeaten run and it's begging the question 'are we benefiting from issues in Basel and Bern?' I was unsure what it was going to prove, but I've noted down the points totals of each position since 2019/20 - our first Super League season. I've then taken an average of each position's total and added a key to show where the 'Big Three' have finished in that time. Zurich have been added due to the anomaly that was the 2024/25 season. I'll concentrate on my Servette team first, briefly, before comparing some 'Top 3' data that I've found quite interesting. Our rise was steady and consistent. We have, however, improved significantly quicker in the last four years. Basel have gone in the opposite direction. Consistency around the middle of the decade, but have slowly declined ever since. Young Boys remain the constant. Only two seasons outside the top two, they are the epitome of consistency this decade. The titles were spread fairly evenly. Young Boys picked up four during this period, while ourselves and Basel have won three apiece. The average points totals of the league winners during this period was 77.09, meaning that the years we've won the league have been with above average points totals - we've raised the bar. When winning the league, Basel have done it with an average points total of 72.33, Young Boys have done it with a total of 78.75. We've done it with an average points total of 80.66 - keeping the bar raised. In fact, Basel are an interesting case. They've only scored more than 70 points once in this period, back in 2022/23, when their 82 points was enough to win them the title. They've not come within 14 points of that total since. Over this period, they've averaged 62.90 points. If they'd have been true to their average in 2022/23, they'd have finished third rather than first. I talk about their decline, and it's true that they've performed poorly over the last two years, but the truth is that they've not actually been that good since the start of the save. Even in 2023/24 and 2025/26, they won the league with less than 70 points, benefiting from a) Young Boys also having a poor season and b) my Servette team not yet reaching the levels that we're now accustomed to. Young Boys have averaged 72.54 points since we've been promoted, some 9.64 points per season more than Basel, although this is slightly skewed by three excellent seasons at the turn of the decade. Their average since then is a slightly more modest 69.25. They're interesting too. I can't prove it before this season, because FM doesn't retain the information, but they are notorious for a slow start, before a late-season surge sees them move up the table. Take this season for example. They finished second, but weren't previously that high since game week #16. They were consistently around 3rd/4th before taking advantage of a St. Gallen collapse to claim the other Champions League place. This isn't the only time it's happened. Our own performances are positive. Upon our promotion I earmarked 40 points as the total needed to stay up. History shows that to be true. Only once has a team gone down with more than 40 points and the average for safety has been 38.55. We have averaged 60.09 points since returning to the top flight, just 2.81 points per season less than Basel. Given that we were promoted into the division, and not already established, I think that's pretty outstanding. On the eve of the 12th anniversary of me taking over Servette, the other thing I wanted to look at are managers. Clearly we've benefited from trust between manager and chairman. The same cannot be said of the other two. Goran Jozinovic, manager of Young Boys, has been in his position for just 83 days. Basel manager, Julen Lopetegui, has been there for one year and 76 days. Since June 4th 2018, when I took over Servette, Basel have had ten different managers, seven being permanent, but none lasting more than two years. Young Boys have had thirteen, nine permanent, with three of those lasting less than a year. Five managers since 2027 with none of them lasting over a year. Unless something changes in this department, we will continue to dominate Swiss football, or one of the other clubs will come in to take their place. At the start of this piece I mentioned that I don't know what I planned to prove and the truth is I still don't, but it was fun looking at the numbers, so I hope you found it interesting as well. You know, if walls of text are your thing.
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Post by Nick on Feb 23, 2019 19:46:25 GMT
29/30 Season ReviewJust a quick one from me as I've already ruined any news bout what happened this season with the post above. The final round of games were approached in a professional manner and, due to largely playing just once a week, in peak physical condition. I could rest and rotate if needed, whilst keeping the important pairings like central defenders the same in each game. Six wins and three draws in the round took our unbeaten streak to 27 matches. We've always been good at putting winning runs together, even after promotion, but albeit on a different scale. In a 36-game season, 27 unbeaten games is always going to put you in a position to win the league, so the other teams really need to start stepping it up. Zurich and St. Gallen both promised to give us a challenge this season, but both faltered towards the end and allowed Young Boys in. For the second time in the save, our feeder club will be joining us in the Super League, after Lugano beat Aarau 6-0 on aggregate in the playoff. Of course, this means they can no longer be our feeder club, just like Nyonnais before them, but does give me a small amount of satisfaction. Rivals Sion go straight back down and are another team to change their manager more times than I've changed my pants since taking over here. Basel improve on last season's sixth place finish, but only by one point and one position. With a fairly reputable man in charge, it'll be interesting to see if they invest this summer, or chose to end Lopetegui's 1 year and 76 days in charge. Just the 25 goals conceded this season, as we continue to conceded less than a goal a game and this was largely down to the centre back pairing of Yoan Severin and Nico Ludi. Ludi is the future, but Severin will be a massive loss when he retires. I imagine this will be his last season as first choice. 65 goals scored wasn't as a good as last season, but when your defence is that solid, it doesn't matter. Franco Mocci's first season in the first team ended with 15 goals, while Nicholas Pierini ended the campaign with double figures in both goals and assists. Loan signing, Angel Yesid, finishing with 10 goals, 7 assists and an average rating of 7.33. Off the pitch, the youth and training facility upgrade will be completed in October, we'll be on the lookout for a new feeder club, and I've recently turned down the chance of an interview at Real Madrid. All in a day's work eh?
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Post by Nick on Feb 24, 2019 18:20:39 GMT
A new decade means a new look tactical styleFor a couple of seasons now we've been playing a high tempo, gegen-pressing style with very little by way of changes from the preset, save for a couple of individual instructions. It's been the basis of our success over the past two years, but I'm keen to not want us to stand still, whilst also being aware that now, more than ever, teams sit very deep and compact against us, even the sides in the top half. I've long been an admirer of the ' vertical tiki-taka' style, but never really had the players to pull it off. Previous attempts were short-lived and ended in failure. I was eager to keep the gegenpress we're so used to, but wanted to amalgamate the two styles. A pretty simple image to understand hopefully. There were similarities in both styles, particularly in transition and out of possession. Luckily for me, it was in possession that I wanted to make the changes. We now have the technical ability to pull off a shorter passing game, so that seemed like a logical instruction to add. Work the ball into the box is an instruction that can be as frustrating as it is practical, but we have good, technical players with high decision making, so it should work well with the squad we have. Hopefully we can take fewer long shots as a result and look to work the ball from side to side, looking for an opening, with greater patience than we currently are. I've also asked the players to be more expressive on the ball. We've got some of the league's best offensive players at the moment and getting more out of their creative ability is paramount to scoring goals. And so, the new 'Gegen-Taka' style was born. This is how we line up both home and away. I've played around with two roles/positions mainly. I've looked at attacking wing backs, but with both first choice players naturally getting forward due to having the 'gets further forward' PPM, the supporting role gives us greater balance when we transition from defence to attack. The box-to-box midfielder has also been changed to a 'deep-lying playmaker' and back again. Having two playmakers in the side seemed a bit counter-intuitive, although I know it can work well. The box-to-box midfielder gives us more going forwards with runs from deep and I'm trying to teach Portela to get forwards whenever possible, but my coach doesn't think it'll be a good idea. Early days, but the signs are positive. At this stage, I guess results are secondary to performances because we probably would have won those games regardless, but I've definitely noticed two things already. A) we're taking far fewer long shots, as I'd hoped, and B) we're having less possession than we used to, but generally creating more chances with it. At the moment, I think this is down to the higher risk passes being played due to the players being more expressive on the ball, but is something that I'll keep an eye on over the first round of fixtures.
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Post by Nick on Feb 27, 2019 19:50:08 GMT
2030/31 Season PreviewIt was a busy summer window. Our increased reputation coupled with our South American wonderkids has seen a plethora of bids and heads being turned for the first time in the save. Mainz were after a new 'keeper. First they went for Pesaresi. After they were knocked back countless times, they changed their target to Toutain. Those bids were rejected too. Both players are unhappy with this, but I remain convinced that, in the long run, it's the best thing for them. I realise Mainz play in the Bundesliga, but they finishing mid-table each year and not fighting for trophies. Surely they should be wanting to stay here and play in the Champions League? Neither of those two kicked off as much as Kevin Portela though. Boy was he unhappy that I rejected every bid that came from Leverkusen. He's got a price - like everyone - but they were well below my £40m valuation of him. With another three and a half years on his contract, I actually hold the cards at the moment. If, or when, Leverkusen come back for him, they'll get him on my terms. Lyon and Torino are also interested in him. The usual loans left the club, but I also sanctioned the deals of Ivan Martin (£1m) and Simone Santoro (£2.5m) away from the club. As a club we'd out-grown them and, for the first time, selling players was quite easy. The board armed me with a WARCHEST of £22m, but I kept spending to a minimum. I did however break the club's transfer record twice in one window. First in was Peruvian wonderkid, Robert Sanchez, from Alianza Lima for £750k. A natural left winger, I'm re-training him to play on the opposite flank as an inside forward. I think he'll be quality. Already worth £4.4m as well, so the resale value is there too. Next in was Pachequinho from Palmeiras, where I had to pay £1.1m in compensation for him. He's literally just turned 18 so I expect big developments from him in the next 18-24 months. Hopefully he turns into a top player. Two more joined in the shape of Rezart Hoti, whose loan move was made permanent on a free transfer and, somewhat predictably, we went back to Fiorentina to loan Andrea Consoli. It must be some sort of bug in the game. He's 27 now, keeps signing new contracts but just doesn't get a look in. It's been a decent start in the league, the loss away at Young Boys the only real blot on the landscape. We've done it without really hitting top gear just yet, maybe aside from the 8-2 win at Winterthur, but they and Lugano are out of their depth at this level, like most of the Challenge League teams to come up. The good news, apart from the fact we're top, is that Young Boys and Basel make up the top three, hinting the Big 3 might be back in business. Hopefully both have the longevity this season, Basel especially, and don't tail off. We're comfortably through the Third Round of the Swiss Cup, and I really want the aim to be the domestic double this season. Our Champions League group is a bit of a shitter. Chelsea, RB Leipzig and Dinamo Zagreb. I'd have thought that thirds would have been a real option, but Dinamo humbled us at home and we face a real struggle to not be the whipping boys of the group. We're still miles off where we need to be in Europe. Youth and training facility upgrades will be finished in a matter of days and I've recently added Brisbane Roar to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in our list of Asian feeder clubs (although I use the terms Asian loosely with Australia).
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Post by ozzywizard on Mar 3, 2019 20:35:43 GMT
Slowly working my way through this Nick, I'm up to page 3. Brilliant work and great patience against the challenges that you've faced. I think bringing a club up that is way behind in infrastructure (especially attendance) is one of the hardest and purest challenges on FM. To do so sensibly with an eye on financial stability like you're doing makes it 10x harder. Anyone can gamble with virtual money, hell even real teams gamble, but to do so within your means must be much more satisfying?
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Post by shrewnaldo on Mar 4, 2019 18:26:06 GMT
I actually really enjoyed the "wall of text" and the look back at the average points per position. I like this aspect of long saves particularly. The unique gameworld and way in which the leagues change over time is a really interesting side story so good to read
Are you using the new gegen-taka in Europe too or sticking more conservative against the better teams?
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Post by Nick on Mar 4, 2019 18:29:46 GMT
2030/31 Season ReviewRound 2 | Round 3 | Round 4I've got a bit behind in updating, but it was a frustrating end to what was an inconsistent season. I initially blamed the patch, and it's true that it definitely coincided with a loss of form mid-way through the season, but if truth be told, we weren't at 100% even before then. I'm struggling to put my finger on what went wrong, even now, but everything was just a bit off. Nicholas Pierini's form fell off a cliff and that coincided with his 'homesickness' and a want to return to Italy. He's a club icon and has given me 10 years of his career, so I don't begrudge him a move back home, but it would have been nice to have him at his influential best. That said, 18 goals and 16 assists over the course of the season is close to his best in terms of output, but he scored in clusters rather than consistently. Yoan Severin, now 34, is another who's influence (and ability) has waned this year and he can no longer be considered first choice. His legs are going, as you'd expect, and our very high defensive line just isn't suited to him anymore. Anyway, I digress... We pushed Young Boys all the way and, were it not for dropping points in three of our last four games, we'd have snatched an unlikely title from them. We fell close to the final hurdle in the Swiss Cup, losing to Young Boys, who really are becoming a nemesis, in the semi final. They'd go on to complete a domestic double, something we've still not done, with a win over Basel in the final. We did okay in the Champions League. Despite losing our first four games, we managed to finish third after beating Chelsea and Dinamo Zagreb in our final two matches. Crystal Palace were too good for us in the Europa League though. The board aren't happy we didn't win the title, or the Swiss Cup, and I nearly fell victim of my own success. With my job at "very insecure" for a while, the ship has been steadied without a trip to the boardroom, but I'm aware they'll probably want silverware again next season. Speaking of which, early signs suggest a busy summer. About three quarters of my squad are wanted by other clubs, some far bigger than our own, and it's going to be really tough to keep hold of them, particularly the South American contingent. Off the pitch, little has changed, so not a great deal to report on that front.
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Post by Nick on Mar 6, 2019 19:17:45 GMT
2031/32 Transfer and First Phase Round UpWell, I kept my job! It would have been more than a little harsh to lose it after my first season of failing to meet expectations, but stranger things have happened in the world of Football Manager. The chairman seemed to recognise his mistake and has lowered expectations ever so slightly this season. We're now just expected to qualify for the Champions League, which would mean finishing in the top two. With Young Boys being our main (read: only) real rival, I'd say that is the bare minimum to expect, but I want us to put last season behind us and push towards another title. We're expected to reach the final of the Swiss Cup, a competition we've not won for three years now, and really should be more dominant in. We've had to qualify for the Champions League this year and the board wanted us to reach the Playoff round. I'll reveal already, we went one better. The transfer window was mental. As soon as it opened I was inundated with offers for what seemed like half my squad. Kevin Portela had been after a move for a good six months and when Southampton met my asking price of £40m (+50% of next sale), I gave him his wish. The other major transfer was a weird one. Enis Idrizi came through the academy in 2030 and, while he looked a decent player, and played well for the youth team, never really stood out as someone that would go on to be a star. This summer saw a three-way bidding war between PSG, RB Leipzig and Dortmund, with the latter's offer of £12.5m (+ 50% of next sale) the highest we received, and off he went to Germany. Time will tell if I've made a mistake, but if I'm wrong, we'll benefit massively financially at the very least. The rest of the outgoing transfers were as you'd expect, the usual mix of loans with a few cash deals. There is still massive interest in Robert Sanchez, who was unhappy I rejected an offer of £8.5m from Real Madrid for him. Realistically, we'll keep him for another six months, but I hope for him to be here for this season before selling him on. With Juventus and Barcelona still watching him, it'll be tough to get that far though. The one thing that has benefited from these sales, is our bank balance. Money should never be an issue again. Not a huge deal coming into the club, despite the transfer budget boosted to £76.8m! I extended the loan of Marco Hermel for another season from RB Leipzig, then paid a new club record, £2.4m, to Universidad de Chile for midfielder, Nicolas Oyarzun. I like the look of him. He's got that 'midfield general' kind of feel to him. Six foot tall, physically excellent, can pass, is creative, has a good first touch, determined and isn't too bad at tackling either. His report said he'll take time to settle, but once he does, I think he'll be excellent for us. On top of that, we welcome back Karim Richard, Yannick Furrer and Pedrag Nikezic back from various loans over the past few years, with all three having played their way into my first choice midfield already. Vladimir Pihler is also promoted from the youth team and will play as a backup option for the ageing Nicholas Pierini. We've had a pleasing start, but Young Boys have flown out of the blocks slightly quicker than we have. We play them next, at home, having drawn 2-2 at their place on the opening day of the season. Even at this stage, there is a six point gap between us and Sion & Zurich, who have both lost four times already and I expect that gap to grown ever wider over the next round of games. Basel, having improved a bit last season, seem to have slipped back into their coma and offered little resistance when we beat them 3-1 away from home fairly recently. Opening FixturesA busy start to the season due to our involvement in the aforementioned Champions League qualifiers. Aggregate wins over Hajduk Split and Anderlecht were rewarded with a brutal group of Bayern, Milan and Atletico Madrid. Naturally, I don't expect much joy from any of them, and the point we've already got from Milan is probably going to be the only thing we shout about. Nevertheless, we're there and that's the important thing at the moment. Progress in the Swiss Cup has been swift and easy, and we play a non-league team in round three as well so we should come through that unscathed. I've had a little revamp of the scouting team over the summer, an area I've neglected for a little while. There are a few things to refocus on over the coming season, with that just being one of them. We've currently got five players 31 and over in the squad and, at the moment, no plans in place for when they retire/regress far enough to not play. Severin (34) and Pierini (33) are the oldest and I need to start taking more care of the squad by focusing on the next couple of years rather than just the here and now.
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Post by ozzywizard on Mar 6, 2019 21:39:46 GMT
Finally caught up. Great read Nick. Like how it's not all going your way (sorry) with Young Boys pushing you and Europe being a barrier. Challenge now is to get rid of this selling club tag you have because you won't progress in Europe with unhappy players or even worse them getting poached all the time. Also... Gegen-Taka...
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Post by chaodck on Mar 11, 2019 16:42:50 GMT
Terrific save Nicko! Finally made the time to read it completely. Much of a similar approach to what I have done with TeBe Berlin, even if you went to the loan side of things and I tried to approach it through the free agents side, managing those tight budgets at the start surely paid off after the Takeover. After the growth spurt and domestic success are you aiming for Europe or do you think you've taken Servette as far as it can be?
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ianf
New Member
Posts: 92
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Post by ianf on Mar 13, 2019 13:40:50 GMT
Did I see on Twitter you started a new save?
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Post by Nick on Mar 14, 2019 17:53:22 GMT
Did I see on Twitter you started a new save? No, not just yet mate. I was/am looking at different ideas for my next venture, but there seems to be plenty of life left in this one yet. Just had an enforced five days away from FM, so back now with fresh enthusiasm.
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Post by ozzywizard on Mar 14, 2019 20:34:48 GMT
Ahh I thought there was a new update! Reassurance of an upcoming update is nearly as good haha!
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ianf
New Member
Posts: 92
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Post by ianf on Mar 15, 2019 2:24:03 GMT
Did I see on Twitter you started a new save? No, not just yet mate. I was/am looking at different ideas for my next venture, but there seems to be plenty of life left in this one yet. Just had an enforced five days away from FM, so back now with fresh enthusiasm. Great news!
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Post by Robson on Mar 19, 2019 22:12:32 GMT
Did I see on Twitter you started a new save? No, not just yet mate. I was/am looking at different ideas for my next venture, but there seems to be plenty of life left in this one yet. Just had an enforced five days away from FM, so back now with fresh enthusiasm. (don't think I have the hang of quotes on here)
This looks long term and successful Nick. What have been the key takeaways for you from a longer project like this?
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Post by Nick on Mar 25, 2019 19:27:56 GMT
2031/32 Season ReviewA really disjointed season. I've been away recently and managed to play little bits of the season here and there but not really got properly stuck into it. The result was that it's felt a bit all over the place and lacking fluidity. Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4We started the season really well, going unbeaten through the first round of matches, but not quite hitting the highs of the past few seasons. Franco Mocci was hitting the goal trail, hitting seven in nine to take us into the winter break top of the table, albeit only a couple of points ahead of Young Boys who, like us, weren't quite hitting their stride. Then we had to contend with the winter patch SI brought out and our fixtures in the third round of games were about as random as you can imagine. Three losses, but 3-0, 4-0 and 8-0 wins thrown in for good measure. The inconsistency handed the advantage back to Young Boys, albeit briefly, as we beat them 3-2 at home to leap frog them back into first. From then on, they hit self destruct and we ground out results to make it look like a very comfortable league victory. At the other end of the table, Winterthur's 32 points is the highest of any side to finish bottom since the save began, and the season before they stayed up with 29 points, so they can count themselves more than a little unlucky. Grasshoppers won the playoff so they retain their Super League status, while Basel came perilously close to the trap door. Last season's third place finish looking like a brief improvement, but nothing more. I'm expecting much more of a challenge from Young Boys next season - 69 points is well below their average - but I'm also expecting more consistency from my players too. 79 points is a good total, but we have the players to do more, especially in defence. It may be time to dip into the €115m I have in the bank. We once again wait for a domestic double, after Sion knocked us out in the quarter final this season. A cup team we are not. It looks like we're going to be busy this summer. The problem with retaining players for numerous years is that eventually they feel like they want a new challenge. Barely a fortnight after the season finished and already Flavien Ferreira (GK) and Arben Dervishi (RB) want something new, Yoan Severin is retiring, Nicholas Pierini still wants to return to Italy and Robert Sanchez is wanted by the likes of PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona. And I've done next to no scouting this season. *rolls eyes*
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