Berwick Rangers: An English Club in Scotland

[Hampus Silverholt]

Chelsea 2nd Leg

The 11,800 capacity Gateshead International Stadium was the site of the second leg between us and Chelsea in what was undoubtedly the biggest game in Berwick’s history.

We hoped to profit from our two late away goals in the previous leg as we went into the game 3-2 down on aggregate.

Before I get into the game let me introduce you to David Herrera. Signed from Atletico Nacional in Colombia 3 years ago, he’s now arguably a world-class central midfielder and our best player.

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Here is a picture of David 53 seconds into the second leg against Chelsea. 53 SECONDS!

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If I was technically gifted enough to include GIFs in this story I would but here’s a couple of screenshots of what happened.

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Needless to say it ended like this.

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Less than a minute into the game we were down to 10 men. You honestly couldn’t write it.

With that we made no changes to the formation and sought to hit Chelsea on the counter for the rest of the game.

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But after 57 minutes the deadlock was broken with centre back Luiz scoring an own goal. That meant that Berwick players had scored 2 of Chelsea’s 4 goals over the two legs… Did someone say suspicious betting patterns?

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I knew after that goal that we were done. Chelsea are by far the best team in England and have only lost 1 Premier League game all season. But then we scored.

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All of a sudden we only needed one goal to progress to the quarter finals on away goals. Knowing that, I went with 3 strikers in the hope of performing a miracle.

But we couldn’t even create a chance until the 4th​ minute of injury time.

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But before we get into that chance let me introduce you to Vebjorn Aure.

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He was the player who scored the equaliser, which was his 41st​ goal of the season, and is our second best player behind Herrera. He has 18 Finishing, 15 Composure and 15 Technique.

Those 3 attributes meant that he was the only player who I wanted to be in this exact position with one minute of the game remaining.

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That’s right, after 94 minutes Vebjorn Aure, with his 15 technique, 15 composure and 18 finishing, had an open goal to send Berwick into the quarter finals of the Champions League after we had been down to ten men for almost all of the game against one of the favourites to win the competition.

Again, if I could incorporate GIFs then I would, but here’s some screenshots of the aftermath of Aure’s key chance.

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I’ve never cried over Football Manager. I was close to tears after that miss.

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​

 

[JamesScott2908]

Although I am gutted for you, This post made me laugh!

 

[PatrickLFC]

The first thing I looked for in that screenshot of Herrera was his UEFA Champions Leagues Red Card tally! Really bad luck there mate but keep at it!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

Although I am gutted for you, This post made me laugh!

It was just so so so so so typical, there was honestly no crueler way of going out. But I suppose it's more fun to read than a standard 4-0 loss on aggregate.

The first thing I looked for in that screenshot of Herrera was his UEFA Champions Leagues Red Card tally! Really bad luck there mate but keep at it!

I should have blurred out the amount of red cards for the suspense haha. As tactical genius Paul Lambert seemed to say every week as Villa manager "We'll pick ourselves up and we'll go again."

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

Well that result against Chelsea was demoralising.

I suppose there’s still an unbeaten season and a first Scottish Cup win that we can achieve but if 66 year old Steve Clarke doesn’t leave the Scotland job after the upcoming 2030 World Cup then the motivation for this save won’t be as high as it has been.

The ultimate goal is the Champions League but it may be out of our reach and it’s hard to find the motivation when you’re smashing teams every week in Scotland but then simply can’t compete with Europe’s elite clubs.

However we do move into our new stadium at the start of next season so hopefully that gives Berwick (and me) some newfound impetus to takeover Europe.

The last few league games and the Scottish Cup final posts will be up in the next few days and then hopefully I’ll crack on with next season as we move into the Berwick Stadium.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

I must admit that the Scottish leagues have appealed to me, but it worries me that I will get to exactly the point you are at.....once you've toppled Celtic and become the new team that beats everyone every week, I can imagine me becoming very bored very quickly. But either way, I've really enjoyed this story from start to finish and I do hope you keep going!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

I must admit that the Scottish leagues have appealed to me, but it worries me that I will get to exactly the point you are at.....once you've toppled Celtic and become the new team that beats everyone every week, I can imagine me becoming very bored very quickly. But either way, I've really enjoyed this story from start to finish and I do hope you keep going!

Yeah I think I'm pretty much relying on the Champions League draw being kind to us every season from now on. I think moving into the new stadium will keep me interested for a bit and hopefully at some point the Scotland job comes available.

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

The Invincibles? Maybe Not...

After the Chelsea result we had 9 league games left in our attempt to complete a whole season undefeated plus we had a Scottish Cup semifinal against Celtic. But we’re Berwick, so of course we can’t do an unbeaten season.

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We lost to Hearts in a game that would’ve confirmed the title if we had won it. I’m not too bothered about going the season unbeaten it’s just so typical for us to lose like that after smashing teams all season. That loss was also our first in 59 domestic games.

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However we got the job done in the next game and confirmed our 4th​ Premiership title in a row.

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This is what the league table looks like after 33 games. If we win all our remaining games we’ll beat our points tally from last season by 2 points.

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Yet we still haven’t won the Scottish Cup in our history and had a semi final against Celtic to try and change that.

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He may have missed the easiest chance ever against Chelsea, but Vebjorn Aure bailed us out against Celtic in the semi final. His hat-trick took his season tally up to 52 and booked us a place in the final against Aberdeen.

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Meanwhile Chelsea are into the Champions League semi final.

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If only we got an easier draw in the first knockout round!

The next post will be the 2030 Scottish Cup final. After 12 seasons surely this is the year we can end our Scottish Cup hoodoo.

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[brooksey84]

Being on holiday for 2 weeks first thing i check on the internet still loving this. If you get bored of this and do not want to continue at any point please upload your save at some point. Love how you write a story.

 

[johnstrac]

I'm in 2 minds, I'm keen to see you win the Scottish Cup after so long but then again COYR !

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

Being on holiday for 2 weeks first thing i check on the internet still loving this. If you get bored of this and do not want to continue at any point please upload your save at some point. Love how you write a story.

Cheers mate glad you’re enjoying it! And I’m not bored of the save just yet but if we struggle in the Champions League in the next couple of seasons that might be the time when I decide to call it a day.

I'm in 2 minds, I'm keen to see you win the Scottish Cup after so long but then again COYR !

Haha Aberdeen haven’t finished in the top 6 for the past 6 seasons and this is the first time they’ve reached the final in this save. So I apologise in advance…

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

2030 Scottish Cup Final

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The last ever game at Shielfield Park, Berwick’s home since 1954, ended Berwick 3-1 Dundee. In many ways the game was a fitting finale as 6 Scottish players, including 3 teenagers, started for us yet it was our all time top goalscorer George Neil who grabbed two goals to ensure victory.

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We won all our remaining league games meaning that this season we end with a record of Won 36 Drawn 1 and Lost 1. Not too bad.

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However, league success was an afterthought as we had the all-important 2030 Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen.

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It’s only our third final in the competition after we lost to Rangers in 2024 (after having 2 players sent off) and lost to Celtic in 2026.

But before we get into the final, let me introduce you to Sindri Snorrason. (Oh yes it happened again).

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He joined us for £70,000 8 years ago in our first season in the SPL. Since then he’s been a mainstay in the team and is the current captain of Berwick.

As is tradition for a Berwick player in a cup final/big game, he decided to get sent off… this time after 40 minutes. It was the second time in three Scottish Cup finals that our captain had been sent off.

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So you know what happened next don’t you?

Well actually… it didn’t make that much of a difference.

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Berwick have won the 2030 Scottish Cup

We have done it! We actually won the Scottish Cup! And with that we completed the domestic treble.

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Snorrason’s sending off did not have that much of an impact overall, despite Berwick academy graduate Kevin Soutar grabbing one back for Aberdeen. They also had a player sent off late in the game but we were always in control.

So the season ends on a high as we win the Scottish Cup for the first time in our history. The full review of the 2029/30 season will be in the next post.
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[FM_TNSSO]

Can I suggest in next season's cup final you set your captain to ease off tackles.....or just don't tackle at all or go near anyone ;-)

Well done on bagging the treble.....now just for that Champions League Trophy now!

 

[banger93]

Just read all the way through! Great story mate! Keep going and win that champions league!! It’s what you started out to do so gonfinish it!

Was also wondering how you do your scouting? You’ve found some absolute gems over the years! Do you go look at teams to see the players individually or do you get your scouts to scout diff regions and let them come to you?

Thanks in advance

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

Can I suggest in next season's cup final you set your captain to ease off tackles.....or just don't tackle at all or go near anyone ;-)

Well done on bagging the treble.....now just for that Champions League Trophy now!

Haha to be fair I didn’t tell him to ease off tackles after picking up his first yellow card so this one might’ve been my fault this time…

Just read all the way through! Great story mate! Keep going and win that champions league!! It’s what you started out to do so gonfinish it!

Was also wondering how you do your scouting? You’ve found some absolute gems over the years! Do you go look at teams to see the players individually or do you get your scouts to scout diff regions and let them come to you?

Thanks in advance

Cheers mate, hopefully the Champions League win is closer than I think!

And it takes a bit of time but I scout almost all players manually. Not a fan of the scouting on this years FM, especially waiting for a week for a full report to come through for a player and the fact that my scouts come back with recommendations for about 3 players when I send them to a country for 6 months!

My main method is to scout the under 20s national teams as well as players that are in the full national side but not playing for a major European club (for instance if I see a young Colombian playing for PSG I know I’m not going to get him but if I see one playing for Medelin then I know he’s in my price range).

Also find Czech Republic and Serbia under 21s to be places to pick up really good prospects, usually for less than £1m. I’ve also had luck finding good players by scouting the youth teams of Bulgaria, South Africa, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Chile and Mexico so it just really depends how much time and patience you’ve got to trawl through all these teams and players.

If it’s not national sides then I’ll use team reports, particularly on clubs from Argentina and Brazil. So I get a team report from all the clubs in the top divisions from Brazil and Argentina, then when that comes through I view the squad of each team and on the squad view I added the option to see the players potential and current ability so I can judge which players I want to scout further.

(I can send screenshots of how I do that if that doesn’t make sense as before this FM I never used team reports but it’s a really useful and less time consuming way to scout players).

But yeah if all that’s too time consuming then Colombia u20s, Serbia u21 and Czech Republic u21s would be my first port of call.

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

2029/30 Season Review

Unsurprisingly this was our most successful season yet as we completed the domestic treble and progressed to the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the first time.

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Champions League: Knocked out by Chelsea in 1st​ Knockout Round
Premiership: Winners
League Cup: Winners
Scottish Cup: Winners

It shows just how unlucky we were to be drawn against Chelsea in the 1st​ knockout round of the Champions League as they went on to win it!

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It was probably the most successful season Scottish teams had in Europe collectively since the start of the save.

Celtic: 3rd​ in CL Group, knocked out in EL 1st​ Knockout Round
Hibs: Europa League Second Knockout Round
Hearts: Europa League 3rd​ Qualifying Round
Raith: Europa League 2nd​ Qualifying Round

Also our under 20s won the youth Champions League for the second season in a row.

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It might have something to do with me flooding the squad with players who I’ll try to give to other Scottish teams on the cheap so I can improve them.

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As for Scotland, Hearts were the surprise package by finishing third whereas Rangers finished 6th​ for the second season in a row. Dundee United won immediate promotion back to the SPL.

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We unforgivably only scored 122 goals compared to 135 league goals scored last season…

Unsurprisingly all sorts of records were broken this season including most wins and points in SPL history.

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And with 43 league goals Vebjorn Aure seemed to break every record and win every award possible this season including the European Golden Shoe

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He scored 54 goals in 38 games in all competitions this season… but I still won’t forget his open goal miss against Chelsea that would’ve sent us into the Champions League quarter final.

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Here’s the full view of the squad, only one first team outfield player failed to score this season!

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Berwick players dominated the individual player stats in the league, particularly the average ratings.

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The second highest scorer in the league was Andrew Brett.

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He’s been Celtic’s main striker for the past 5 seasons. Talking of Celtic… they have made the astute business decision to increase their stadium capacity by 500 for £3.5m.

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Brett is unlucky to have emerged around the same time as George Neil or else he’d be Scotland’s first choice striker. He’s even unluckier to be missing out on the upcoming World Cup with injury.

For that 2030 World Cup, 15 Berwick players were called up, 13 of which were in our squad this season.

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I’ll be watching Scotland’s progress eagerly as there are 5 Berwick players in the squad and I also want the job eventually! Also let me know if you want to see screenshots of any of the players.

We’ve been given £16m to spend but in all honesty keeping the players we have at the club is more important than any transfers.

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At the moment for some reason telling a player that he’s an important influence in the dressing room means that he wants to stay at Berwick rather than move to Man United… Long may that continue!

We’re also seeing an increase in sponsorship deals.

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Along with the new stadium move it means that, starting from next season, we should be bringing in a lot of revenue that isn’t prize money.
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[banger93]

Yeah mate if you wouldn’t mind putting up screenshots, that’ll be great thanks!

 

[JamesScott2908]

Congrats on finally winning the Scottish cup! Still a thoroughly enjoyable read and looking forward to seeing how next season pans out in the new stadium!

 

[JT3197]

Last time I read this post Berwick was just in the Premier - now they are 4 time champions! You're doing a fantastic job.

The new stadium will help you out massively - look at those shirt sales for example - hoe are you only selling 3000+ shirts!

 

[ratmsm1]

Last time I read this post Berwick was just in the Premier - now they are 4 time champions! You're doing a fantastic job.

The new stadium will help you out massively - look at those shirt sales for example - hoe are you only selling 3000+ shirts!

The shirts thing never seems to work right. My rangers save starts with around 30k being sold, despite in real life there's 50k fans everyother week wearing them minimum. Similar happens in game with Celtic.