Saving Scottish Football 2021

[Mr_Grieves]

Season 17 Review


Managers

4th Summer in a row Celtic sack their manager.


Aberdeen Squad

I split the starts between my two keepers. Moya's price went up, Jorquera's did not so the chances are they'll both be here next season.
Neither of starting wing backs shone through. I knew what I had with Savage but was very surprised to see Tosh fail to get over 7ave. Backups will be under threat from several youth players coming through. My starting centre backs were set from day 1 and we made no changes with no sign of changes for next season from Gallego & Steinnes. If I can stumble across an upgrade then I'll take him because the drop off to the backups is huge.
Wingers Cairo & Chalmers came big at the end of the season. Cairo is already on his way out for a £10m profit in one year but there are plenty of youngsters already in the first team. Dominic Johnson did enough to spend another year as the left wings back up. Bill Connolly was a superstar that ran the midfield and secured his spot in the squad long term, as you would expect from a £17m signing. His Partner Petersson was not as good or fit this season and his ratings were not impressive. Lucky for him there is no clear replacement.
Up top Mateusz Swiatek became a monster having one of the best striker seasons I've had. Leo Orozco was on a similar level just that he scored a regular amount of goals. WIth summer transfers in place, I think both backups Dunbar & Ruiz will be leaving.


My Player of the Season
Mateusz Swiatek - Att

Polish striker Swiatek came into the club with Leigh Griffiths kind of stats and he destroyed the SPL record for goals in a season finishing with 45 goals in 35. In Europe, he had one great game but i think he's limited overall. Great SPL scorer but I need more in Europe.


Final SPL Table

Despite my youth team being put out for the last few games we actually pulled further away from Hibs for a dominant title win. Hibs and Dundee Utd as the two biggest teams in Scotland luckily get into Champions League places. Hearts beat the Old Firm for the Europa League place as Rangers & Celtic get into Europa conference for their 5th & 6th place finish. Glad Rangers have stuck with McGinn who I think can pull in Maguire's Hearts team.


Hibs Banned

All the European spots drop down one notch. Well Done Dundee Utd. Not sure if that's because of the Hibs financial fair play or the news that comes later.


Play-Off
Hamilton 4-4 Airdrieonians
Hamilton win 2-1 on Pens

Airdrie always seems to get to the playoffs but have never been closer to the SPL than this. Dunfermline will be the sole team coming up after almost 30 years out of the top flight


Europe
Hearts Win the Europa League Final doing what we couldn't and beating Arsenal to become the 2nd Scottish winner in 6 years.

Dundee Utd were the other stars getting the Champions League Semi-Finals losing to the best team in the world Atletico Madrid. They would also win the Scottish Cup
Celtic went a step further than us and the Europa League Q/F
We reached the last 16 of the Champions League
Hibs finished bottom of the Champions League group but beat Dundee Utd to win the League Cup
Rangers finished bottom of the Europa League group
Dundee Fell at the Europa Qualifiers


Club Rankings
6th

That 36/37 season is costing us a top 4 place​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

Aberdeen Season 18
Pre Season 2038/39


Has there been a more dramatic day before the season begins? Hearts who have for years punched above their weight will now do so without Harry Maguire who takes over at Dundee Utd after AVB took the England job. Hearts obviously still looking for a new manager. Celtic appoint former Dundee Utd youngster Louis Appere after he led Dunfermline to the top flight. The last time they took a manager from Dunfermline to worked out quite well

Season Targets
SPL - Winners
Scottish Cup - Winner
League Cup - Winner
Champions League - Europe after Christmas

Little change in the squad. Were a year older and should be a year better. A more favourable Champions League draw should come with being League Champions


SPL Pre Season Prices

Appointing Maguire has put Dundee Utd over the top as big favourites over Hibs. Hearts despite not having a manager are bigger favourites than my defending Champions?


Aberdeen Transfers

Manuel Zurbrugg - DC

Alfredo Ramirez - AT & Rodrigo Gonzalez
With Ruiz on his way out i knew back in January, i needed a new striker. I bid on two and got both. Ramirez is better right now but i think Gonzalez has the potential to be a great prospect long term as well as being good enough to play now.

I may have overpaid for a backup defender but his stats are already there with the starters so even if i don't make money off him he'll be a more reliable backup than i had last year.



Three youngster join

Out

Last seasons best signing Cairo was sold for profit as planned. He came good in the end after a terrible first half. Fellow winger Kaminski who i should have never bought as he held back some youths from game time was sold for a small gain but he did a job in the midfield when injuries hit. The best player when i joined the club Jhonnier Ruiz hit the age of 31 and was sold for only £6,75m A great deal considering his two replacements came in for free. Gustavo Varela did his usual stock gap job for me. Didn't make much on him but he'll be a top signing for Dundee. Sion Savage was a must sell with contract disagreement. Fellow defender Cristian Cardozo failed to step up and was sold off for a very small profit along with several youth players that didn't make the cut.​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

August


Hearts get their new manager. My former u18 Manager from Dundee Utd.

Fixtures

We make what must be my best ever start to a season. Won all but one games but at least 4 goals including against Dundee Utd & Hibs. Hibs was a bit more fortunate thanks to the red card.


SPL Table

I got no bids for Swiatek this summer?


Champions League Draw

We were 1st seeds and got this draw! Dundee Utd got the group of death. Hearts got the easiest group i've ever seen


SPL Transfer Window

A sell heavy window for Scottish teams with only 5 buys on page 1


Aberdeen Transfers
As usual, i had my business done before the start of the season. Dunbar went cheap but with a 25% future fee if he flourishes at Celtic rather than being out 4th striker. Steinnes was my best Cb but i had a min Fee on him and he never wanted a new deal ever so he left us for undervalue.​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

September


Fixtures

A terrible month in the league. Drawing at Parkhead was not a disaster although throwing away the lead was disappointing. We beat Dunfermline but against Hamilton we were 3-0 up with 25 minutes to go and somehow dropped 2 points. Their 3rd goal from Flint is a man who always scores against me after i sold him from my first Dundee Utd squad.


SPL Table

Despite our month of capitulations were still top but all the usual suspects as well as Dundee are within 6 points off the top spot. Kilmarnock & Dunfermline look set to spend the season fighting for top spot.


Champions League

We could not have made a better start. We rolled over Liverpool in our first game before going to Rome and grabbing a point, which was a letdown after taking the lead in 91 minutes.
​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

October


Fixtures

We started off by throwing away more points with another 3-3 draw with a cellar dweller. The international break came at just the right moment and we returned from the October break with 3 wins in the league over the top 6 teams and then beating Hibs in the League Cup Semi-final. WE'll play Kilmarnock in the final. How they made it is beyond me. They have been the weakest team left since the Q/Fs


SPL Table

Our run of form takes us clear at the top. Rangers & Hearts fall off the pace leaving Celtic, Hibs and Dundee Utd as the likely contenders.


Champions League

We lost to the worst team in the group somehow. Fairly level game but we died off at the end and the group is wide open.
​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

November


Fixtures

We should have won 3/3 for November but a 94th-minute red card led to a 95th-minute equaliser.


SPL Table

Little changed except St Mirren swapped places with Dundee and Dunfermline look to be in big trouble.


Champions League

Well, there is good news and bad news. We beat Hertha who was our closest rivals for the last 16 spots. We then went to Anfield looking for a result and we got my worst result in many years of football manager at Anfield of all places.
​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

December


League Cup Final
Aberdeen 4-0 Kilmarnock

We have no problem winning the first trophy of the season


Fixtures

Hibs managed to get 3 points from us in a top of the table clash but that was with our squad knackered from the previous champions league tie and they would be clumsy with their points during the month. We won the other 5 games with Celtic being the only other top team we faced before the break.


SPL Table

We go into the break with a 9 point lead from Hibs with Dundee Utd right on their tail. Big que for 4th place behind the Old Firm.


Champions League Group

We didn't just beat Roma we thrash them getting back the goal difference we lost to Liverpool.

Dundee Utd finished 3rd and drop into the Europa League while Hearts finish bottom of the worst CL group of all time.


Last 16 Draw
Aberdeen vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid will be the favourites to knock me out in my usual spot.

​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

January


Fixtures

With so many changes teething problems were expected and that came in the 1-0 loss to Rangers. I was taken back with being squarely beaten next time out against Ross County so I'll need to get the squad more settled so were ready for Real Madrid


SPL

We may have opened the door for Hibs & Dundee Utd with our midseason rebuild. Hopefully next month the squad will be settled and back on it.


Transfer Window
The big selling window for the SPL. Bowtell was Hibs captain. Can't wait to bring down the EPL in 200 years time!


Aberdeen Transfers

I went into the window with the sole intention of selling off some of my first-teamers and promoting some youths. I ended up buying 10 players. Thanks to our hike in reputation all the min fee guys in my shortlist wanted to join so my squad is brimming.


In

Def
Juan Pablo Garcia - Gino Di Blasio - Calvin Ramsey

Two new wingers that will be backups with potential to start and the most nostalgic signing of the save. I started my first games with Calvin Ramsey at RB for Aberdeen in 2020. 18 years later I'll give him a runaround or two before the season is out. Hopefully, he'll want to be a coach after that.

Midfield
Aleix - Said Zakaria - Aleksandar Milic

A prospect for the middle of the park is Barca youngster Aleix. Zakaria was not needed till the summer but for half a million what the harm. He will start behind wonder winger Millic who was the best player on my shortlist.

Attack
Ramon Navarro & Boris Massarotti

The last thing i needed was a striker but Massarotti & Navarro are both better than the strikers i currently have in house and will eventually move for far more than i bought them for.

2 for the youth Team

Out

​

The biggest window for sales as 4 starters are sold with 3 other first-teamers. The biggest is my sharpshooter Matty Swiatek for £16m. He was inching towards being dropped anyway and once it became clear i could get some minimum fee or expiring players he was on his way to China. His striker partner Alfredo Ramirez was moved on for a quick £10m profit at the point where we had 6 first team strikers. De Freitas had a min fee and MR was another spot where i had his upgrade just waiting to sign the deal. He was supposed to be going to China but Hearts came in and met his release clause and amazingly he chose to go to Scotlands 4th best team. Great for the league that he's hanging around. The defence saw the biggest hit with The starting right side sold off in Tosh and Gallego. Both were the best in their position but £23m for the two will help youngsters get some game time. Zlatkovic was totally out of my plans so Lyon get themselves a bargain for a backup DL.​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

February


Fixtures

Our terrible new squad form reared its head against Celtic but it was just a blip as we scored at least 4 goals in every other game including 5 against title rivals Hibs in a game where they had a chance to go top with a win.


SPL Table

Hibs went from being right on our tails to being out of the race in 3 weeks as our gap is up to 7 points and an easy March run of games ahead.


Champions League Last 16 1st Leg
Aberdeen 1-0 Real Madrid

We win the game and keep a clean sheet. The last 10 minutes were the longest with 10 men but we held on and will be looking to do the same for the next 90 minutes in March

​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

March


Fixtures
4 games and 4 wins as expected against the bottom 6 teams. The win against Dundee saw an end to David McCrackens 2 years at the club. After a great start to the season, they have plummeted to the bottom 3.


SPL Table

Top 3 look set as we head to the break. We have got them at arm's length and should take the title unless we collapse.


Champions League Last 16
Real Madrid 4-1 Aberdeen
Real win 4-2 on agg

We couldn't follow on from our dramatic 1st leg win. With all the changes we made in January we were on a hiding to nothing here.

​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

April & May


Fixtures

We won it by beating Hibs in Aberdeen, A small slice of revenge for the cup semi-final


SPL Table

​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

Season 18 Review


Managers

Hearts are the big side to sack their manager this season. It was a bad appointment from day 1 after the wonders Maguire pulled off for them


Aberdeen Squad

Keepers Jorquera & Moya shared the workload. At least one of them will be sold in the summer, maybe both if i can find a top drawer starter at a good price.
Piatek & Marcelinho held off strong challenges from Garica & Di Blasio. Both could be sold for the right price with plenty of talent now coming through looking for first-team time. In the middle Zubrugg disappointed but will get another chance next season. Martinez & Centurion will not be far away from starting themselves although non of my CBs are champions league level unlike the rest of the squad.
Midfield was quite solid. Petersson is a great back up but i need Aleix or Saevarsson to step up to partner with Connolly next season. Wingers are like wing-backs. Starters are more than good enough but lots of u18 and reserve talent are ready for their chance.
Up top Orozco was our player of the year and without a bid over £20m he and Navarro will be starting up top next year. Yet again some supreme talents right on their tails.


My Player of the Season
Leonel Orozco

Not as prolific as former partner Swaiatek but a better player that makes as well as scores goals.


Final SPL Table

Aberdeen wins the league and it was always at arm's length after the winter break. Hibs and Dundee Utd finished 10 points apart too and Maguire's end of the season gave Dundee Utd thoughts of sacking him but he's still there and Hibs won the Scottish cup. For now. More 10 points gaps to Celtic who got a Europa League spot and Hearts who had Rangers right on their tails but both make it to the Europa conference. Not much to choose between the bottom 6 that stayed up. WIll be a hard toil for Motherwell and Raith to overcome those teams.


Play-Off
Ross County 1-2 Raith

You'll never see a more dramatic final than this! Raith led for over an hour just for Ross County to equalise in the 93rd minute. Extra Time awaited surely unless Raith could go right up the park and score the winning goal with the last kick of the season.


Europe
Dundee Utd was one penalty away from giving Scotland back to back Europa League winners

Aberdeen did the best in the champions league reaching the last 16
Hearts finished bottom of their champions league group
Rangers Failed to get out of their conference group
Celtic disappointingly went out of the Conference last 16, a rare miss for them.
Dundee failed to get out of their conference group but shouldn't have been in Europe anyway. A good showing from a non-top 6 side.



Club Rankings 6th =

No change and we are where we are. Just a notch below Italy and France but no way we can consistently outscore these nations.​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

Aberdeen Season 19
Pre Season 2039/40


Managers

Motherwell are in trouble. The man who got them up has moved to Hearts. Not a great appointment by them. His replacement however is an expert in getting clubs relegated. 3 seasons 2 teams down and St Mirren's worst season in the save.


Season Targets
SPL - Winners
Scottish Cup - Winner
League Cup - Winner
Champions League - Champions League Q/F

I'm shooting a bit higher. The transfers we made will make us better immediately and our depth is as good as I've ever had.


SPL Pre Season Prices

These bookies never learn, do they! Our only weakness is CB yet were 4/1 to win a 3rd title in a row.


Aberdeen Transfers

In

GK Alen Basic

All my time I've been waiting for a world-class signing and a decent keeper and finally 19 seasons in i have it. Sparta who are never short of a wonderkid has provided me with my first generational keeper.

Defense
Hakan Mehmet, Vern Ferreira

Mehmet will be my backup LB after i accidentally loaned out Perez who was going to play that role. Ferreira will probably join him out on loan

Midfield
Stuart Willetts ML, Sven Kern ML, Dominik Trela DM

I'm not sure how i sold my entire left-wing and now find myself with more than ever in that position. Willetts was signed in January on a Bosman, Kern was too good to pass up and Trela is a overpay that i hope to use in Champions League games when i use a DM


No youngster join with the u18s pretty full and my focus being on the first team. I did loan a keeper from Chelsea but he'll only play if there's a red card or injury to Basic or a u19 that's getting a runout.


Out

With all this movement plus the work we did in January some had to go. Dominic Johnson could play anywhere on the left but was already a victim of progress from our youth team and we made a 3* profit on a player that's been very good for me. Iban Martinez was due to start at CB for me this season but with no offers coming for a position that were heavy in-depth i had to let him go. Marcelinho despite looking to have all the tools was the DL i eventually decided to sell on, due to having the highest value. Gary Chalmers joins the Europa League winner so I'll have a whole new left-wing and left wing-backs. I was always going to sell one of my keepers and it turned out i sold both of them after discovering Basic. Paul Kirkwood a prospect who played well but didn't develop quite enough. I'm sure he'll go onto bigger things than Ross County where he will tear up the championship.



​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

August



Fixtures

What an awful start! The squad is in a perfect place to have our best ever season but our start is stuttering at best. A 90th-minute winner was the only goal against Kilmarnock. Our best 11 were then knocked out of the League cup in only the 2nd round for only the second time in the save. We did get a morale-boosting win over the new team Motherwell but we were destroyed by title rivals Dundee Utd. The international break is desperately needed.


SPL Table

Only Dundee Utd are perfect, i moan about our start but were still second with 3 wins.


Champions League

It's our turn to get the easiest group in history. Top or nothing despite our start.


SPL Transfer Window

The usual selling show with Dundee Utd outdoing us in the clearout. Hibs return to Europe sees them spend £16m on a Brazilian striker. Always nice to see teams follow my lead. They were also the busiest team on page 2 really bulking up their squad as were Celtic. Dundee Utd for all their sales made no new signings.


Aberdeen

Two youngsters in with one going right back out on loan with three other prospects. Manuel Zurbrugg frustrated me last year so i accepted a bid from Chelsea for him. With plenty of options in DC he was the one i was least excited about.​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

September


Fixtures

We took an extra month off it seems as we were on fire putting 4 past Rangers before a backup team thrashed Raith. We ended Hibs 2 year unbeaten run at Easter road to really put down our title credentials.


SPL Table

We stay on Dundee Utd's tails after they drop their first points of the season. St Mirren in 3rd is the story of the season so far along with Rangers & Hibs in the bottom 6. The bottom 3 of Motherwell, Killie & Raith are in for a long season.


Champions League

I expected big things from this group but this goes beyond my dreams. We started off with putting 9 past Dynamo Kyiv but was brought down to earth in the first half against or German senior affiliates Monchengladbach. In two minutes our first-half dominance was flipped with 2 goals from Becerra. The second half was a different tale where we put away all our chances and turned the game on its head to secure 6 points from 6 and already a 4 point lead on 2nd place.
​

 

[JohnG70]

Just caught up with this thread after starting reading yesterday. The progress is unreal like! Is this all whilst using a 4-4-2 tactic? Or have you had to tweak tactics from season to season to stop the computer figuring your teams out?

 

[Mr_Grieves]

Just caught up with this thread after starting reading yesterday. The progress is unreal like! Is this all whilst using a 4-4-2 tactic? Or have you had to tweak tactics from season to season to stop the computer figuring your teams out?

When I'm considerably weaker i shift to a 4-5-1 with a DM and try to hit on the counter. Otherwise, I'm usually 4-4-2 but the roles change depending on the player if there a winger or Inside forward etc. i always have a deep-lying playmaker in midfield whatever the tactic.

Progress wise the league has been fine but in Europe, i feel like a major flop. One final in almost 20 years while other Scottish sides mainly Celtic have carried the weight

 

[Mr_Grieves]

October


Fixtures

Three wins over last seasons top 6 teams and then came Hamilton. We dominated the match but got FM'D


SPL Table

A second defeat lets Dundee Utd pull further clear at the top by 4 points. St Mirren somehow appears in 3rd. The bottom 3 have been abandoned at the bottom.


Champions League

I said this would be easy but this is a joke. Halfway through and nobody else is over 2 points.
​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

November


Calvin Ramsey retires

After unsurprisingly failing to get regular 1st team action Calvin Ramsey who was with me at Aberdeen on day 1 of the save has decided to call it a career. Thankfully he's stayed on as a coach to mentor many future Aberdeen youngsters to have a career like this


Fixtures

Four games and four wins. The only time we score less than 4 was a 3-0 win at home to league leader Dundee Utd


SPL Table

We won the 6 pointer at the top but still stay 2nd. A tribute to how amazing Dundee Utd have been for the first 4 months


Champions League

I may have jumped the gun on the youngsters with Borussia winning both their games while we only got a point meaning we'll need to put a strong team out for Match 6

​

 

[Mr_Grieves]

December


Rangers sack John McGinn

I really hope he gets another job in the SPL hopefully Hearts being in need of a new manager in my opinion


Fixtures

5 games and 5 wins and that's 11 in a row.


SPL Table

Dundee Utd also wins 5/5 to stay right on our tails. We are the clear top 2 and the title will be going to one of the new firms. I may have jumped the gun on Rangers now i see them in the 10th spot. No danger of Relegation as Raith & Motherwell have those spots secured.


Champions League Group

We secured the top spot with a 2-0 win but at least Hibs are in Europe after Christman although it is the Europa League


Last 16 Draw
Aberdeen vs Red Bull Salzburg

Thank god we won the group.​