1. FC Union Berlin - Capital Domination


1. FC Union Berlin
September - 2018

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Fixtures:

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A slightly underwhelming month from the lads as we are struggling to hit top form. That's not to say the results have been particularly bad because they have been ok, but we are not playing particularly well. We started the month well with a 3-0 win away at Mainz with a Benteke hatrick, however we had to fight back from 1-0 down to draw 1-1 at Koln in the following fixture. A late Aguero goal gave Man City a win over us in the Champions League in a pretty uneventful game. A Koray Gunter goal then gave us a home win against Schalke, although they pressed heavily for an equalizer in the second half. The following game against Bremen saw Brandt play his best game since joining the club, bagging a first half brace on our way to a comfortable 3-0 victory. We travelled to Hamburg 3 days later and looked to be heading to a 1-0 victory before we went down to 10 men due to injury and Hamburg equalized with the last kick of the game, the second time this has happened to us this season!

League Table:

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Despite not really hitting top form yet we are unbeaten after 6 games with 3 wins and 3 draws and things would be looking a lot better had we not thrown away those 2 wins to last minute goals. The problem is the fact that Bayern have won their first 5 and look at this early stage to be too strong for their competition.

Player of the Month - Seko Fofana

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The French midfielder is now one of the first names on the team sheet and is keeping the likes of Gnabry and Rode out of the team.

Player Stats:

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Benteke is averaging a goal a start which is nice, but I'd like to see a little more out of Malcom when he gets his chance. Brandt has started pretty well but I think there is even more to come from him.

Other News:

1) We are continuing our pursuit of Freiburg striker Schroder, but Freiburg don't seem to want to budge and want over £30,000,000 for him. His is unhappy at the club and wants the move so hopefully we'll be able to pick him up soon.

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Next up will be the October review...​
 
Schroder looks like a beast! Hopefully you can land him for a tad less than 30M though!
 
30 mill would be worth it for your striker for the next 15 or so years!!
 
Yeti01 said:
30 mill would be worth it for your striker for the next 15 or so years!!
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I suppose so but I just don't want to pay that much for an 18 year old.

Just had an offer of £19,000,000 (£9,000,000 of that over 48 months) + £2,500,000 after 50 league games. Not sure whether to press ahead with it or not. I suppose I could sell Malcom for that amount or maybe more and that will cover the cost.
 
Safc-mad-scotty said:
I suppose so but I just don't want to pay that much for an 18 year old.

Just had an offer of £19,000,000 (£9,000,000 of that over 48 months) + £2,500,000 after 50 league games. Not sure whether to press ahead with it or not. I suppose I could sell Malcom for that amount or maybe more and that will cover the cost.
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Was that offer accepted?

Do your scouts say he has any improvement left in him? If so I think he is worth it. Of course, that it all predicated on you staying at Berlin. If he can give you 15 years of top level play then that is like buying 3 or 4 27/28 year olds at that level of quality (and higher) for 5 millionish each.

At that price - he's a steal.
 
Lippo255 said:
I must be a real tight ***, I shudder at the thought of spending that kind of Moolah! :p
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Its that Dad in you coming out mate! In real life I agonize over buying a coffee some days!!
 

1. FC Union Berlin
Oktober - 2018

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Fixtures:

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A very good month for us domestically, however the defeat at home to Zenit on the 2nd of the month leaves our Champions League qualification hopes on the brink. We did beat Maribor at home on match day 3, but the game away at Zenit on the last day will likely be massive in deciding on who goes through in 2nd place. In the league it was 3 wins from 3 with 11 goals scored and only 2 conceded. We have started to really feel as though we are hitting top form again. We also progressed past Werder Bremen in the German Cup 2nd round with goals from Brandt and Benteke.

League Table/Champions League Group:

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Luckily Bayern have started to drop points in the league, although we are both still unbeaten, and we have closed the gap behind them at the top of the league to just 2 points. In the Champions League we will probably have to beat Zenit by 2 goals away from home as it's likely both us and Zenit will beat Maribor again and lose to Man City.

Player of the Month - Julian Brandt

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5 goals and 2 assists in the 6 games this month from the tricky winger as he starts to repay the £30,000,000 investment the club made in him.

Player Stats:

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Seko Fofana is having an outstanding season in the roaming playmaker role, becoming the heartbeat of the team. If France don't hurry up and give him a well deserved first cap soon then I'm sure Mali will be happy to have him! Serge Gnabry is also playing pretty well so far this season, although I'm worried he may get an Ivory Coast call up soon and then he won't count as a German player any longer as he will no longer be eligible to play for the German national side (which is the rule I set).

Other News:

1) The club have agreed a deal to sign Freiburg wonderkid Torsten Schroder for an initial £19,000,000 (with £9,000,000 of that over 48 months) and an extra £2,500,000 after 50 league appearances. In order to cover most of the cost of this deal, we have agreed to sell Malcom to Real Madrid for £15,000,000 + 25% of his next fee. I would have liked to get more but hopefully he develops well and we are rewarded with a future transfer of his.

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2) Upgrades to the training and youth facilities were completed and we also upgraded our youth recruitment, leaving our facilities looking like this.

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Next update will be a November review, will Bayern slip up and allow us a chance to overtake them or will they open the gap up at the top? Also, will we be able to pull of a shock at home to Man City in the Champions League?​
 
Not a bad deal there really, considering Malcom has struggled & Schroder looks class!
 

1. FC Union Berlin
November - 2018

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Fixtures:

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This month was a bit of a role reversal from last month as we were fantastic in the Champions League but disappointing in the league. We won 2-1 away in Maribor as expected, but it took a late winner from young Colombian centre back Yepes with his first goal for the club to give us the win after going down to 10 men early on. We followed that win up with an unexpected 1-0 win over managerless Manchester City with a screamer from Kimmich. In the league it was 3 consecutive draws, with Malcom not performing up front in the absence of Benteke. The draw against then 17th place Kaiserslautern was particularly annoying as they equalized after going down to 10 men, before keeping us out for the last 30 minutes despite our constant pressure.

League Table/Champions League Group:

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We're actually still unbeaten in the league but we are drawing too many games. It's already looking a big ask to catch up with Bayern as they sit 8 points ahead of us and look very strong. The win over City in the Champions League actually didn't make that much of a difference to the group as we're going to have to win in Russia on the last day anyway. The only difference is that if we had lost to City we would have had to beat Zenit by 2 in order to turn around the head to head record.

Player of the Month - Muhamed Besic

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Nobody really stood out this month so I'll give it to Besic for his MOM performance against City in the Champions League.

Player Stats:

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Stafylidis picked up an injury vs City and will probably miss all the games in December, which may turn out ok as the backup left back has been crying about his game time. Kimmich had a decent month and we've been trying to give young Colombian centre back Yepes as much game time as possible as we feel he has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the league.

Next update will be a live update of the crucial Zenit game in the Champions League...
​
 
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Zenit vs FC Union Berlin - Live Updates

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KICK OFF - FC Union Berlin get the game under way here in Russia. Remember, Berlin need to win tonight in order to progress through to the knockout rounds. If they lose or draw they will drop into the Europa League.

3 - GOAL. It's the perfect start for the German side who have come out of the blocks flying, with Brandt cutting inside from the left and smashing the ball past Kozachenko in the Zenit goal to make it 1-0. There's plenty of noise coming from the away end now.

6 - It's nearly 2 for the Germans as a well worked corner makes it's way to Benteke inside the area and his effort is turned behind for a corner.

11 - First chance for Zenit comes from a corner but Gutierrez's header is easily saved by Trapp.

26 - The Union fans were celebrating again as Fofana followed up a rebound from Brandt's effort and put it in the back of the net, however Brandt was offside from Kimmich's original pass and the goal is ruled out.

36 - Another well worked corner arrives at the edge of the box where Fofana drives the ball towards goal, only for it to come crashing back off the post. Berlin won't feel comfortable as long as they only have a 1 goal lead.

HALF TIME - It's 1-0 to Berlin at half time in Russia and as it stands they are heading through to the 1st knockout round.

46 - Zenit kick off the second half. Just the one change at half time as Malcom comes on up front for Berlin for Benteke.

48 - Zenit have started the second half well and Trapp had to be on his toes to save an effort from Rog. An early warning for Berlin.

51 - Another chance for Zenit as Shishkin turns an effort towards goal and Trapp has to make another sharp save. Very nearly 1-1 here.

59 - Another chance for Rog and another save from Trapp. Zenit are really cranking up the pressure here.

70 - Berlin really should have killed the game here, as Malcom heads a chance from 6 yards straight at the Zenit keeper.

75 - GOAL - Now they have killed the game and this time Fofana's goal stands. A smart pull back from Herrmann arrived at the feet of Fofana on the edge of the box and he smashed the ball into the far corner. Berlin look to be heading through the group stages for a second year running.

80 - It's another very good chance missed from Malcom, as he turns the ball wide from 12 yards after an incisive through ball from Brandt.

FULL TIME - The game is over here in Russia and Union Berlin are heading through to the knockout stages with a 4th win on the bounce in the Champions League after losing their first 2 matches.

Next update will be a December review...


​
 

1. FC Union Berlin
Dezember - 2019

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Fixtures:

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An almost perfect month as we win all 5 games, only conceding the 1 goal in the process. The month started extremely well with the 4-0 home derby win, topped off by a Malcom brace in the last 10 minutes. The big Champions League win vs Zenit followed and we then won 3 league matches on the bounce against Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Wolfsburg.

League Table/Champions League Group:

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We sit in 3rd just 1 point behind Bayern and Schalke, however we have a game in hand on Bayern and they have a game in hand on us. We qualify through our group in 2nd place, enjoy the Europa League Zenit!

Player of the Month - Seko Fofana

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Again the Frenchman is so pivotal to our team. When he plays well, we play well.

Player Stats:

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Joshua Kimmich is becoming more and more impressive in the middle of the park for us and I feel like he is one who has slipped my attention. He is a regular starter but I never realized he was playing that well to be honest. Mustafi has proved to be the best centre back so far this season, with Gunter not quite hitting the form of last season.

Other News:

1) The draw for the Champions League 1st knockout round has been made, and it was not a kind one for us as we play Real Madrid in the next round. We'll be the massive underdogs but we did draw away at the Bernabeau last year and only lost by 1 goal at home, so we may have a chance... :p

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Next up will be a January review...
​
 
Great month mate! Really hope you can topple Bayern!!
 

1. FC Union Berlin
Januar - 2019

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Transfers:

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Just the two main transfers which we have already covered this month. The one other deal was to loan out young defensive midfielder Krstevski to feeder club 1860 Munchen. He's come along really well in his development since joining the club from Bochum last year after being tutored by Besic and the first team football for half a season in the second tier for league leaders 1860 should help his progression even more.

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Fixtures:

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2 wins from 2 in January after the winter break. A Julian Brandt hatrick in the first half at Mainz was added to by a Benteke goal shortly after half time to give us a 4-2 victory. We followed that up with a 4-1 win at home to Gladbach. I gave a debut to Schroder and he paid me back with a goal and an assist. His goal was his 8th in the Bundesliga this season after bagging 7 for Freiburg in the first half of the season.

Other News:

1) Our finances are looking abysmal. I'm not actually that worried at the minute because the prize money we receive should wipe out the estimated debts, however I do feel as though we may need to make a decent profit in the summer transfer window in order to avoid going this deep in the red again. I also probably need to reduce the wage bill as the TV money in Germany is absymal and we don't earn much in gate receipts so we don't have a lot of regular income coming in. However, we are now at a place as a squad where we don't really need to invest that much so we can mostly focus on bringing the youngsters through. Now I'm just rambling as a way of justifying the debts I have ran up! XD

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Next update will be a February review, featuring the home leg of our 1st knockout round tie against Real Madrid!​
 
Great stuff, Brandt is an excellent signing, turning a profit on the Correa swap too! That German striker looks unbelievable!
 
PatrickLFC said:
Great stuff, Brandt is an excellent signing, turning a profit on the Correa swap too! That German striker looks unbelievable!
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Cheers mate, have really big hopes for Schroder. Got a few in the under 19's who should be making their way through in a couple of seasons or so as well!
 

1. FC Union Berlin
Februar - 2019

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Fixtures:

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Another very strong month for us domestically, with 4 wins and a draw away to Bayern in the league. We started with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Koln before two very difficult away games at Bayern and Schalke in the space of 4 days. Firstly, we fought back from behind to draw 1-1 in Munich with an excellent individual goal from Seko Fofana and we then fought back from 1-0 down to beat Schalke with second half goals from Rojas and Ocampos. A 3-0 away win against Werder Bremen and a 2-0 home win against Hamburg wrapped up the month, with Schroder scoring in both of them. Speaking of Schroder, he will be seeing even more football than expected this season after Benteke broke his ankle at the start of the month, ruling him out for 2-3 months.

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The negative this month is we are all but out of the Champions League after losing 3-1 at home to Real Madrid. We started the game very well and went 1-0 up early though Mustafi, however the closing stages of the first half saw the game turn on it's head as they equalized in the 39th minute and Besic then got himself sent off in the 45th minute. We fought well in the 2nd half but goals in the 88th and 91st minute from Odegaard and Benzema put one foot in the quarters for Madrid.

League Table:

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We are second and behind Bayern by just the one point, however we do still have them to play at home. The goal differences are very similar but one slight edge we do have is that we are yet to be beaten in the league after 23 games.

Player of the Month - Joao Rojas

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The Ecuadorian winger has been mainly backup this season, however has had a very good month in February with 3 goals and a few very good performances.

Player Stats:

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Schroder has been very impressive so far with 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 starts. One issue I am having is the discipline of Besic, with 7 yellows and 2 reds so far he is costing us in certain situations with reckless challenges.

Other News:

1) I decided to sell backup right back Donati to CSKA Moscow for £8,000,000. He wanted to leave the club and we have Rode who can fill in at right back if Korb gets injured so I decided to go ahead with it. It also brought some much needed money into the club and we made a profit of £5,600,000 on the 29 year old so it was a good deal all round.

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Next up will be a March review, with 3 Bundesliga games, a German Cup 3rd round tie, the return leg of the Champions League 1st knockout round tie against Madrid and a youth intake!​
 

1. FC Union Berlin
Marz - 2019

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Fixtures:

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Another very solid month for us, taking 10 points from 4 games in the league and progressing to the quarter finals of the German Cup. We also gained a reputable 1-1 draw away at Real Madrid in the second leg of our Champions League tie, which obviously wasn't enough to put us through but shows the only real difference between the two teams was the red card to Besic 40 minutes into the first leg. The highlight of our league performances this month was the 3-1 win at home to then 4th placed Stuttgart, with goals from Yepes, Schroder and Gnabry, who was filling in for the injured Fofana. The low point was obviously the 0-0 draw away to Augsburg which allowed Bayern to jump back above us in the league, however we regained top spot during the final match day of the month.

League Table:

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So we head into the last two months of the season and last 7 games 1 point ahead of Bayern Munchen. We still have Bayern to play at home, which could be the key moment in the title battle. Hopefully we don't end with 8 men on the pitch this time!

Player of the Month - Torsten Schroder

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The young German was lethal in front of goal in March, bagging himself 5 goals in 6 starts. I'm slightly worried that my coaching staff are now saying he's reached his potential now at just 19 years old whereas when he first signed they were saying he mad the potential to improve lots in the future.

Player Stats:

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Schroder has been very good since joining and is arguably already putting in the best performances of a striker for us in this save. I've had a lot of players come to me recently asking to join specific clubs. Generally the way I've found of dealing with these situations is to set an asking price which is at the top end of what I would accept and then telling them they can move if their asking price is met.

Youth Intake:

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Not a great intake but certainly not a bad one. The best player is the goalkeeper and best case scenario is that he develops to the whole 3 and a half star potential and becomes first choice for the club, but more realistically he will develop into a solid backup option for the club. We also got a half decent right winger but I doubt he'll make it at the club, however I obviously won't write him off just yet.

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Other News:

1) After Benteke's injury I went to call up young winger Wehner to the first team squad for a few months for a few appearances off the bench, however I realized that you have to be 17 to play in the Bundesliga. Still, his development is coming along very nicely and there is certainly promise in our under 19's.

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Next update will be an April review, with league games against Leverkusen, Dortmund and Hertha, as well as a quarter final German Cup tie against Dortmund in the defence of our trophy.​
 
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