Dan's east european adventure

[Pompey_Dan]

Like the bit you added to make it more realistic, unlucky but the other Cluj team do have some quality players

Cheers! Thank god for wikipedia!

---------- Post added at 09:50 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 09:55 PM ----------

Following the cup defeat against their biggest rivals, Dan Lake needed to lift the spirits of his U Cluj team if he wanted to keep their challenge for topspot alive.​

Heading into their next game U Cluj were 2nd in the league, 2 points behind FC Arges and 1 point ahead of their next opponents CS Otopeni.​

drew 2-2 v CS Otopeni
CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca were held to a draw by CS Otopeni in a close-fought match played at Clujana. Early on Otopeni's goalkeeper, Sorin Bobariu, had to make two sharp saves from Flavius Bad and Adrian Ionescu, before Camaroonian striker Kallé Soné Masué turned Andrei Nitu and scored with a powerful effort to give CS Otopeni the lead after 26 minutes. Midfielder Adrian Ionescu then equalised for U Cluj in the 32nd minute with a placed shot.
Kallé put the away side back in front after 51 minutes with a cool finish after a fine display of controlled passing from the Otopeni players. 8 minutes from the end of the game, U Cluj's equalised through Andrei Niţu. He ran fully 18 yards to connect with Charles Taylor's corner and score with a diving header.​

won 3-0 v CFR Timisoara
CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca enjoyed near total domination over a distinctly average FC CFR Timişoara side this afternoon. A brace from Flavius Băd helped U Cluj to victory.
There was early controversy as U Cluj were denied claims for a penalty when Bogdan Dolha was held back in the box. Striker Flavius Băd gave U Cluj a deserved lead with a well timed close range finish in the 18th minute.
Băd then doubled his goal tally and U Cluj's lead with an easy tap in from Charles Taylor's cross on 49 minutes. And, on the hour mark, Midfielder Adrian Ionescu made it 3-0 when he pounced on Dragu Titus' poor clearance. The sensational Băd thought he had completed the rout and bagged himself a hat-trick when he scored from a through ball on 74 minutes, but the goal was ruled out for offside.​

won 4-1 v CS Jiul
U Cluj extended their unbeaten record in the league to eight games following their 4 - 1 result against CS Jiul Petroşani. Midfielder Adrian Ionescu got U Cluj off to a flyer by scoring a powerful effort, his third in three games, after 5 minutes. Striker Flavius Băd then doubled U Cluj's lead with a close range effort on 67 minutes. An error from Andrei Niţu allowed Jiul's experienced striker Mircea Ilie to score against the run of play. When substitute Alin Ilin gave away a penalty, Zsolt Szilagyi confidently stepped up to score from the spot. U Cluj were in mood to sit back and defend their lead, however, and deep in injury time midfielder Dan Bucşă made it 4-1 with a deflected shot.​

won 1-0 v Fortuna Covaci
The Sepcile Rosii showed their superiority in a 1 - 0 victory over ACS Fortuna Covaci during their Romanian Second League Group 2 game at Clujana, but they could and should have scored more. The game was settled by Flavius Bad's goal scored just before half-time. U Cluj's leftback, Nicolae Musat, sent in an accurate cross from deep for the in form Băd to score with a solid header.​

CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca have now extended their unbeaten record in the league to nine games and are just a single point behind FC Arges. Some delightful early season displays have left Şepcile Roşii's fans dreaming of promotion after many pundits predicted little more than a top half finish at the start of the campaign.​

Their promotion credentials are set to be put to the test in their next game, however, away to the league's early pace-setters, FC Arges.​

​

 

[Jack Fulham]

I can see a promotion on the cards if you keep up current form

 

[Pompey_Dan]

Early days yet! Big game up next and then I'll be looking to get as many points as possible from the 7 games that follow, taking me up to the half season mark.

I just hope Flavius Bad keeps banging 'em in... strange, I wouldn't normally hope for a run of Bad form!

 

[easy88]

nice one mate, i`m romanian and Cluj is a big footballing city. The rivalry is massive, whenever these two meet each other, serious fights break out. U Cluj also had more supporters traditionally but since CFR played in the CL new supporters have tended to opt for them.

U Cluj are also in the process of building a new stadium: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=799074

Keep us updated

 

[Pompey_Dan]

nice one mate, i`m romanian and Cluj is a big footballing city. The rivalry is massive, whenever these two meet each other, serious fights break out. U Cluj also had more supporters traditionally but since CFR played in the CL new supporters have tended to opt for them.

U Cluj are also in the process of building a new stadium: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=799074

Keep us updated

Thanks for the support and hyperlink, Easy88. I'm guessing that new stadium won't make an appearance on FM2010, shame 'cos it looks fantastic!

I do hope that I am doing your nation's league some justice. It's fair to say that I knew nothing about Romanian football before I started this thread but I have been reading up a lot recently. I believe that the real U Cluj are sitting 5th in Liga II at the moment?

 

[easy88]

Romanian football is sometimes overlooked, but if you can get promoted, you will enjoy Liga 1, its extremely competitive- the difference between 1st place and 6th place is currently 1 point in real life almost halfway through the season!!

U Cluj are ambitious and deserve to be in the first tier, and you're right, currently 5th, only a few points off the top. You should do well in the league, watch out for Arges and Otopeni they're pretty decent, also recently relegated.

Good Luck !

 

[Pompey_Dan]

I wish that there was more coverage of world football in the media, if you take the trouble to look there is some interesting stuff going on out there!

And just look at the impact some of the teams from so-called "lesser" leagues have had in the Champions League recently, the other Cluj team's efforts last season (beating Roma and drawing against Chelsea) and Rubin Kazan from Russia this season (drawing with Barca at home and beating them at the Camp Nou).

If anyone reading this is looking for a different type of challenge on FM2010 I highly reccomend loading up the leagues for regions that you are unfamiliar with and starting a journeyman game. I loaded up the east european leagues (Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Solvenia, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria) as playable and the English, Spanish and Italian Leagues as view only. I then started with an "automatic" reputation and as unemployed. The same could be done with Scandanavia, North/South America, Asia/Oceania for instance.

Also, if anyone is interested in the tactics I am using in this story then can be downloaded (via zshare) here (for home games) and here (for away tactics).

Thanks for following.

 

[James_Art46]

Romanian football is sometimes overlooked, but if you can get promoted, you will enjoy Liga 1, its extremely competitive- the difference between 1st place and 6th place is currently 1 point in real life almost halfway through the season!!

U Cluj are ambitious and deserve to be in the first tier, and you're right, currently 5th, only a few points off the top. You should do well in the league, watch out for Arges and Otopeni they're pretty decent, also recently relegated.

Good Luck !

the same thing happen here in my Bulgarian League ... finding it very hard to achieve promotion to "A" League ... only 1 point separate from 1st until 8th position ....

got sacked from my 1st team, but got promotion with my 2nd team. Now on the 4th season already, looking to survive in "A" League ...

@ Dan : nice start mate, sure be following this one .... 8-|

 

[easy88]

not to mention the european adventures of Unirea Urziceni this season who are on the brink of qualification on their CL debut, and were playing in Romania's 2nd tier 3 years ago

 

[Pompey_Dan]

It was 1st versus 2nd as FC Arges entertained title rivals Universitatea Cluj-Napoca, going into the game just one point seperated the two teams.

lost 1-2 v FC Arges
FC Argeş Piteşti battled their way to a 2 - 1 victory in this evenly-matched contest between two hard-working teams. FC Argeş' drew first blood when winger Cătălin Doman scored with a curling shot from the edge of the area in the 28th minute. It was a wonderful solo effort from Doman and the player looked delighted. Striker Youssouf Kamara then doubled FC Argeş's lead five minutes after the break with a well placed shot into the bottom corner. An error from Daniel Bălaşa on 71 minutes allowed striker Flavius Băd to score from close range. Deep in injury time substitute Michael Baird thought he had grabbed a dramatic equaliser for his team only to see Bălaşa clear the shot off the line! Zsolt Szilagyi picked up an automatic one match ban after collecting his fourth 4 yellow card.

On 1st November the U Cluj boarded issued the following statement: "The board are very pleased with Dan Lake's overall leadership of the team. The capture of Charles Taylor, who the fans believe to be an extremely good player, has been particularly pleasing."

drew 1-1 v FC Arieşul Turda
The U Cluj fans came away from Municipal largely in good spirits after snatching a late point in their match against FC Arieşul Turda. In a turgid first half Arieşul Turda saw more of the ball than their opponents, but after the break the game became a lot more open. Arieşul Turda took the lead after 57 minutes when striker Cristian Hărdau scored from Lucien Mihu's through ball. The Arieşul Turda were readying themselves to celebrate three points when U Cluj's Michael Baird dramatically scored a thumping header in injury-time to ****** the equaliser. A case of 'better late than never' for U Cluj and the fans were clearly delighted with substitute Baird's impact.

drew 1-1 v FCM Tg. Mureş
As FCM Tg. Mureş failed to clear a 21st minute corner Zsolt Szilagyi was at hand to capitalise and giave U Cluj the lead with a well timed close range finish. U Cluj were nearly gifted a goal on 88 minutes through Rareş Vârtic's lapse in concentration but they failed to capitalise on the opportunity presented to them. Last week U Cluj claimed a point after scoring a last minute goal, this time they were on the receiving end. Ciprian Prodan dramatically scored a close range header in injury-time to ****** the equaliser for FCM Tg. Mureş.

lost 0-2 v FC Drobeta
CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca's run of games without a win in the Second League Gr.2 has risen to four following their 0 - 2 result against FC Drobeta. Despite recent performances, Şepcile Roşii remain on course for promotion - a result that was predicted to be beyond the team by many in pre-season. With it still being early in the campaign, it remains to be seen whether the side can last the pace, but if the poor displays continue for much longer then the club may end up being nothing more than the top half team that the pundits envisaged.

For the first time this season questions are being asked of Dan Lake's managerial abilities. His U Cluj team were unbeaten when they faced FC Arges on October 21st, but they lost that day and have failed to record a win in the three games that followed. Is the team's slide to fourth place in the league a temporary blip or a sign of real troubles?

---------- Post added at 10:39 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 10:56 PM ----------

A local radio station recently hosted a phone-in with U Cluj manager Dan Lake. A number of Sepcile Rosii fans contacted the show to express concern at the teams recent poor form. In reply to one disgruntled fan Lake said "we must learn to press home an advantage and finish teams off, instead we have allowed complecancy to creep into our game. I know this, the players know this and we all know what we must do about it."

won 1-0 v Gaz Metan CFR Craiova
A much needed three points for CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca today, but they should really have won by a bigger margin. Despite being largely wasteful in front of goal Dan Bucşă scored the winner for U Cluj 18 minutes into the game.

drew 2-2 v Minerul Lupeni
Minerul Lupeni's Codruţ Catană was left red-faced in the 8th minute as he managed to put the ball into his own net. Then things got even gloomier for M. Lupeni as midfielder Peter Omoduemuke saw red for a nasty foul on 37 minutes. Further controversy then followed as U Cluj were denied a penalty. For all their dominance, and numeral advantage, U Cluj couldn't stretch their lead and Joseph Afusi made them pay when he equalised for M. Lupeni in the 85th minute. And the drama wasn't over as experienced M. Lupeni goalkeeper Claudiu Ardelean fumbled a routine shot into his on net in the 90th minute and winger Cristian Diaconescu scored with a real poacher's effort in injury-time to ****** a draw for the home side.

2 points dropped


drew 2-2 v CS Dacia Mioveni
Two draws in two games for CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca as they were held at home. Daniel Năuiu and Wasiu Taiwo both scored to twice put the visitors ahead. But each time U Cluj fought back, first through Michael Baird's penalty kick and then Zsolt Szilagyi's header.

won 2-1 v FCM UTA Arad
Flavius Băd had previously played over eight hours of competitive football without a goal before his 62nd minute strike today. He also scored the winner on 87 minutes with a screamer from the edge of the area, this after UAT had got themselves back in the game.

At the halfway point in the season U Cluj sit in fourth place, 2 points behind CS Otopeni in 2nd, and 7 points behind league leaders FC Arges. First and second place at the end of the season gain promotion to the top flight.

In early december the Romanian League shuts down for their 'winter break' games resume in March 2010.

 

[Pompey_Dan]

After a three month winter break the Romanian League was all set to resume in March 2010, U Cluj would rejoin a four way battle for promotion with FC Drobeta, CS Otopeni and FC Arges. U Cluj are currently inhabiting fourth place despite most pundits predicting a mid-table finish for the Sepcile Rosii this season.

The winter transfer window saw little activity for U Cluj, manager Dan Lake said "Ideally, I would like to strengthen our defence but the transfer funds are not available. That said, I believe that the current squad of players are capable of gaining promotion." The only transfer activity Lake got involved with was the sale of young centrehalf Ionut Farcas to Liberty Salonta.

won 3-1 v CSM Rm Valcea
An efficient performance from U Cluj saw them run out 3 - 1 winners over CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea at Zăvoi. U Cluj's three goals came courtsey of an own goal, Zsolt Szilagyi's header and Baird's penalty strike.

won 3-1 v FC Silvania
Dan Lake appeared in positive mood as he met journalists ahead of U Cluj's match against FC Silvania in the Romanian Second League Group 2.
Adrian Ionescu gave U Cluj the lead with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 19th minute. Striker Michael Baird doubled U Cluj's lead with a placed shot from close range on 54 minutes and Ionescu added yet another with a placed shot in the 66th minute. FC Silvania centre-back Raul Crisan earned himself an early bath for persistent fouling before his team managed to grab a consolation goal in the 80th minute.

won 1-0 v FC Bihor
It was a typically scrappy match between these two rivals. Early on FC Bihor were denied claims for a penalty and the decision proved decisive when Striker Flavius Băd gave U Cluj the lead with the only goal of the game in the 15th minute. Flavius Băd also picked up a sprained ankle and is expected to be out for 2 months, given his scoring record this is a major blow to U Cluj's promotion push.

drew 0-0 v Baia Mare
Four wins from their last four league games was the kind of blistering form Dan Lake had demanded of his U Cluj players, but FC Baia Mare were in no mood to become their fifth victims in that run. The spoils were shared in a largely disappointing game.

won 3-1 v Muresul Deva
U Cluj were back to winning ways against CS Mureşul Deva (2006) at Clujana, and it lifted them back into third place. The pick of U Cluj's goals was a breath taking 35 yard free-kick by Ghanian Charles Taylor scored, a massive strike and a real contender for goal of the season!

lost v 3-2 CS Otopeni
This game represented a chance for U Cluj to leap frog CS Otopeni into the promotion places, but teh Otopeni players had their own ideas. After 36 minutes striker Kalle had bagged himself a hat-trick and the home side were 3-0 up and cruising. At half time, U Cluj manager Dan Lake slammed his players and made two changes. The young brazilian striker Gabriel Machado came on and almost turned the game around, he nabbed two goals and nearly a third when his injury time header whistled just the wrong side of the post. Lake seemed dispondent after the game and was quoted as saying "promotion isn't impossible but the guys have just made it a lot harder for themselves."

With 11 games left, U Cluj are in fourth place on (46pts) behind FC Drobeta (48), CS Otopeni (51) and FC Arges (53). Some pundits in the media are already rubbishng their promotion chances and many can't see the top two teams being dislodged.

---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:41 PM ----------

At the business end of the Romanian season things were really hotting up, as four teams battle for just two promotion places in the Second League Group 2.

In their next 6 games U Cluj would face two of their promotion rivals.

won 2-0 v CFR Timisoara
U Cluj enjoyed near total domination over their opponents here at Clujana this afternoon.
Striker Michael Baird gave U Cluj the lead with a screamer from the edge of the area before the in form Gabriel Machado sealed it with a close range header.

drew 2-2 v FC Arges
A real six-pointer this one, CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca in 4th faced 1st placed FC Argeş Piteşti in a close-fought match.
Hotly tipped for player of the season Arges' striker Adrian Iordache got his team off to a flyer but U Cluj got back in the game and tooke the lead courtsey of a brace from Gabriel Machado. U Cluj's manager could be forgiven for believing that his team were heading for a historic win over their opponents as they dominated the second half, but there was a twist in the tail. Winger Adrian Sălăgeanu equalised for FC Argeş after 80 minutes with a sublime long range effort.

The spoils are shared against table toppers FC Arges

won 1-0 v CS Jiul
CFM Universitatea Cluj-Napoca battled to a deserved 1 - 0 victory over CS Jiul Petroşani, but the match was certainly not one for the purists with neither side able to keep the errors out of their game.

drew 0-0 v Fortuna Covaci
A real bore draw saw U Cluj cover a lot of ground but also concede far too many fouls, ultimately meaning their effort was too often for nothing.

won 2-0 v Aerial Turda
An efficient performance and three points for U Cluj. Goals from midfielders Bogdan Dolha and Dan Bucşă rounded off victory for the Sepcile Rosii. Anchor man Dan Bucşă is among a group of players touted as winners of the Romanian 2nd League Group 2 Young Player of the Year award.

drew 1-1 v FCM Tg Mures
Striker Flavius Băd returned to the side and had an immediate impact scoring after 23rd minutes. Young midfielder Lucian Bungărdean then equalised for FCM Tg. Mureş after 74 minutes with a well timed close range finish.

won 2-0 v FC Drobeta
U Cluj manager Dan Lake demanded a polished performance against promotion hopefuls FC Drobeta. "If we lose this game the players can forget about going up!" said Lake in the pre-match press conference. Often criticised by the press, U Cluj winger Rareş Stan gave a man of the match performance scoring one goal and making another for Adrian Ionescu.

With only four games to go, the top of Second League (Group 2) is tight with 2nd, 3rd and 4th places seperated by three points.

 

[ViVa La QuiRKe]

Good Luck Mate.

Ps, downloading oyur tactics at the moment, I've heard goo things =P

 

[Pompey_Dan]

Good Luck Mate.

Ps, downloading oyur tactics at the moment, I've heard goo things =P

Cheers mate, I've got it all to do in these last four games!

Do you mean tactics or training schedules tho'? (As I'm not sure that my 4-1-4-1 tactics are that good!)

 

[stigen]

this is quite intresting, keep it up

 

[cuddles]

im enjoying this story, 4 games left u can still do it!

 

[Jack Fulham]

Come on mate, hopefully you can still make it to promotion

 

[TeddyBearChelsea]

Thanks for making me want to try something new... It's made me more adventurous and I've decided to go to Slovenia And it seems you're dong well, so keep it going

 

[easy88]

good luck in the final four games buddy!

 

[Pompey_Dan]

Thanks for making me want to try something new... It's made me more adventurous and I've decided to go to Slovenia And it seems you're dong well, so keep it going

Nice one, hope you are having fun in Slovenia... I have found it interesting to check in on how the real "U Cluj" have been getting on and found this cool website with world football stats/results:http://www.soccerway.com/ it might be worth a look TeddyBearChelsea.

Thanks to everyone following this story for their encouragement... I'll post the final run in later today!

---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 AM ----------

Asked in a press conference what his team needed to do to secure promotion, U Cluj manager Dan Lake responded with “win our next four matches, and even that might not be enough!” Lake’s comments serve to remind us just how tight things are at the top of the Romanian Second League (Group 2) as the 2009/10 season draws to a close.

won 3-1 v Gaz Metan CFR
A determined performance from U Cluj saw them run out 3 - 1 winners over Gaz Metan CFR Craiova, the highlight of the game was undoubtedly a superb hat-trick from U Cluj's Flavius Băd. After the game, former U Cluj favourite Ovidiu Sabău heaped praise on Băd, he commented that his former team have a real gem of a player.

won 2-1 v UTA Arad
Striker Michael Baird gave U Cluj the lead with a real poacher's effort in the 17th minute, the Australian then doubled their lead with a curling shot from the edge of the area on 62 minutes. Romanian Under 19 captain George Tucudean's strike, 3 minutes from the end, proved the only consolation for UTA.

won 5-1 v M. Lupeni
With their push for promotion in full swing, the Sepcile Rosii’s last home game of the season would draw their biggest crowd of the season. Before the match the Lupeni manger, Iosif Rus, and the media were in agreement that Flavius Băd would have to be stopped if M. Lupeni were going to get anything out of the game. A leading journalist commented that he expected Băd to put on a real performance in his next appearance.
Lupeni had obviously not read the script as they got off to a flyer on 8 minutes in front of a packed house at Clujana. It only took six minutes, however, before man of the moment Flavius Băd brought U Cluj level. Centre-back Zsolt Szilagyi then made it 2-1 in the 17th minute with a fine header from point-blank range. Baird had no trouble in scoring from the spot to make the score 3-1 and midfielder Bogdan Dolha then added to the lead with a placed shot from close range on 57 minutes.
There were no prizes for guessing who completed the rout on 63 minutes as that man Băd popped up again with a close range header.

Three wins from three games was enough to lift U Cluj into third place level on points with CS Otopeni but behind on goal difference. Just one point seperates 2nd place from 4th place and the final day of the season looks sure to have many fans on the edge of their seats.

FC Argeş wrapped up the title with an impressive 5-1 win over Mureşul Deva, after they were amongst the favourites throughout the season. Their manager Petre Gigiu has been labelled the mastermind behind the success and is the name appearing on the shortlist of many bigger clubs.

At the other end of the table FC Bihor are the first team to be relegated after a poor season in which they amassed a lowly 23 points. Four other teams from a possible six will be relegated on the last day of the season as only three points separate 12th place from 17th!

The pick of the last day fixtures is the CS Otopeni v FC Arges clash. The last round of fixtures looks like this:

Next up: can Lake, Băd, Szilagyi and company claim second place and make it to Liga I?

 

[Jack Fulham]

Come on mate, you can do it