Der kleine Bruder - A Stuttgarter Kickers story

[Venator77]

Welcome to my new FM21 save in Germany with Stuttgarter Kickers. My goal here is to take the Kickers from the depths of the German regional league to the Bundesliga and surpass our city rivals VfB Stuttgart.

We start out in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg, the fifth tier state league that covers teams from all parts of the state of Baden-Württemberg. My goals this season is to win the Oberliga, as we are one of the stronger teams in the division. So let's take a look at the team's info page.

Thanks to a user on Discord, I was able to get custom 2D kits for the club. Even though we are semi-professional, I expect us to make the transition to fully professional by the start of next season. Now let's look at the rules for the Oberliga.

The league is bigger than usual due to the pandemic, but that means more content to be posted, especially as we have 40 league games this year plus our run in the WFV-Pokal. I'm not quite sure what this promotion stage is, but I rather not get stuck with more matches to gain promotion. Now the fixtures.

WFV-Pokal 1st Round

Our first competitive game of the season came against Verbandsliga side Normannia Gmünd. We comfortably beat them 4-1 with a debut hattrick from new signing Berkant Canbulut.

Oberliga BW Matchday 1

We begin our league campaign with a big 5-1 victory against local rivals Reutlingen. The game was pretty quiet until the final 20 minutes, where we just threw caution into the wind and battered the Reutlingen defense.

Oberliga BW Matchday 2

Our first home game of the season puts us against TSV Ilshofen. We almost threw away the three points when they scored a stoppage time equalizer, but we refused to concede with two stoppage time goals of our own to win 4-2.

League Table

Not too much to see here. We are one of three teams to win both of our league games in September.

That's it for the Stuttgarter Kickers save. I will return soon with October fixtures and the summer transfer window business very soon.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. October has gone and the transfer window has shut. So let's take a look at what has happened so far.

As the Kickers squad was pretty scant when I came in, I set to work bringing in some quality players to boost our numbers and strengthen the side to win the league this year. This was also a window for next season, as I intend to win the Regionalliga Südwest next season. Meanwhile, we let go some of the deadwood to other clubs as I didn't plan to use them. There were also a couple of youth prospects that went out on loan to gain some playing time. Now the fixtures.

Oberliga BW Matchday 3

We travel away to Freiberg (yes, Freiberg, from Freiberg am Neckar) and dispatched of them 5-1. I honestly expected better from this side, they were tipped to be one of the favorites for the league title.

Oberliga BW Matchday 4

Our next game came against Astoria Walldorf's II team, who, according to the database I'm using, are a newly promoted side. We easily beat them 5-0.

Oberliga BW Matchday 5

We dropped points for the first time as we drew 1-1 with Nöttingen. Not happy about this result at all as we didn't play well all game.

Oberliga BW Matchday 6

We welcomed Rielasingen-Arlen and beat them 6-2 in a very exciting game to make up for the previous bore of a match.

WFV-Pokal 2nd Round

We record another big victory against Freiberg, this time in the WFV-Pokal.

League Table

Top of the table going into November, just what me and the supporters want to see. Ravensburg, touted as a mid-table side, got a good start to the season and currently lie two points behind us as the only other team who are unbeaten so far.

That's it for October of the Stuttgarter Kickers save. I will return soon with November fixtures.

 

[Crayth]

Good luck mate! Will follow how you get on!

 

[Venator77]

Tyvm!

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. November has passed, so let's look at the results.

Oberliga BW Matchday 7

We faced Neckarsulmer Sport-Union and comfortably beat them 2-0.

Oberliga BW Matchday 8

We record another routine victory, this time against Bruchsal. They played badly, conceding two penalties within 5 minutes.

Oberliga BW Matchday 9

Our next match came against SV Sandhausen's II team, and there were no upsets here as we win 2-0.

Oberliga BW Matchday 10

Our unbeaten run continues with a routine 3-0 victory against Backnang.

Oberliga BW Matchday 11

We had an uncharacteristically quiet game as we beat Oberachern 2-1. We done all the hard work before 10 minutes, but sat back for the rest of the game.

League Table

We are currently six points clear of 2nd placed Freiburg, who finally got their act together and won five league games in a row.

That's it for November. I will return very soon with December fixtures.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. December has passed so let's look at the fixtures.

Oberliga BW Matchday 12

We record a routine 3-0 victory against Pforzheim with a hattrick from our striker Tunjic.

Oberliga BW Matchday 13

Our unbeaten run continues with a 3-1 victory over Bissingen.

Oberliga BW Matchday 14

Our American striker Mario Rodriguez helped us edge past Ravensburg in a close 2-1 victory at home.

Oberliga BW Matchday 15

We finish off 2020 with another close victory, this time against Villingen in a five goal thriller.

League Table

Still comfortably ahead of everyone else. Poor Lörrach, they are really struggling this season and considering how many relegation places there are, it wouldn't be surprising if they got relegated in January or February.

That's it for December. I will return with January fixtures and the result of the winter transfer window.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. January has passed and the winter transfer window has shut. First, let's take a look at our dealings.

Not a lot to discuss here, brought in a few more players to add quality and depth as well as a few more prospects. The only outgoing transfers were loan deals with the exception of Thomas Bromma, a 4th or 5th choice goalkeeper we didn't need anymore. Happy to see we got a transfer fee from him. Now the fixtures.

Oberliga BW Matchday 16

The first game of the year came against the hapless Lörrach-Brombach, bottom of the league with only a single point. We dispatched of them 4-1 without any trouble.

Oberliga BW Matchday 17

Linx gave us a difficult game as we struggled to score in our 1-0 victory over them. Only a penalty late in the first half allowed us to keep our winning run going.

Oberliga BW Matchday 18

We record a comfortable 3-0 victory against Göppinger SV in our first home game of 2021.

Oberliga BW Matchday 19

We narrowly defeated Freiburger FC in a five goal thriller in which Noah Lulic scored a brace to give us the 3-2 edge.

League Table

We are a game short of the halfway point of the season, and we are still unstoppable on our march to the Regionalliga.

That's it for January. I will return very soon with February fixtures.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. February has passed so let's take a look.

WFV-Pokal Quarter Final

We start off the month continuing our run in the regional cup, where we faced Verbandsliga side Hollenbach. We easily dispatched of them 5-0.

Oberliga BW Matchday 20

We meet our rivals Reutlingen once again, this time at home. It was a much quieter game this time as we beat them again by a goal to nil.

Oberliga BW Matchday 21

We record a routine victory against Dorfmerkingen.

Oberliga BW Matchday 22

Our away trip to Ilshofen sees us record what is probably our biggest win of the save as we destroy this team 8-0.

Oberliga BW Matchday 23

A perfect day for us as we solidify our hold on 1st place with a 2-0 victory against title rivals Freiberg.

League Table

It's only a matter of time now. Props to Lörrach, who finally doubled their points total.

That's it for February. I will return with March fixture very soon.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. March has passed and we are in the grinder now as we catch up on our league fixtures as a result of COVID. But first, our youth intake has come in, so lets take a look.

This is a very good youth intake, with already one youth player ready for first team football. Kural Han is our best product and he'll fit right into the first team come the start of next season. There are also a few other exciting prospect not quite first team ready, but look good for the future. With that out of the way, now it's time to discuss fixtures.

Oberliga BW Matchday 24

All we needed was 15 minutes as we trounced Nöttingen 3-0 to avenge our draw earlier in the season.

Oberliga BW Matchday 25

Relegation threatened Astoria Walldorf's II team come to the Stadion auf der Waldau, but leave disappointed as we win 5-2.

Oberliga BW Matchday 26

We record another big win, this time against Rielasingen.

Oberliga BW Matchday 27

It was goals galore as we demolish Bruchsal 6-2 in an entertaining 8 goal game.

Oberliga BW Matchday 28

This was one of our quieter game as we defeat Neckarsulmer Sport-Union 2-1.

Oberliga BW Matchday 29

We hosted Sandhausen's II team and comfortably beat the relegation candidates 4-1.

League Table

Any day now. Congrats to Lörrach, they finally won a league match. It won't save them, but at least they can be proud of it.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. April has passed, so let's look at the fixtures.

Oberliga BW Matchday 30

We step ever so closer to the league title with a 2-0 win against Backnang.

Oberliga BW Matchday 31

Our 2-0 victory over Oberachern allowed us to qualify for the Oberliga Promotion Stage, meaning we can finish no lower than 2nd place.

Oberliga BW Matchday 32

We continue our unstoppable run as we coast past Bissingen 5-2 away from home.

WFV-Pokal Semi Final

We played Neckarsulmer Sport-Union for the third time this season as we beat them 3-0 to reach the WFV-Pokal Final against local rivals SSV Ulm.

Oberliga BW Matchday 33

Our 3-1 victory against Pforzheim officially seals the league title for us with seven matches remaining. With that, we are at last promoted to Regionalliga Südwest for the 2021/22 season.

Oberliga BW Matchday 34

Our first game after lifting the league title was away to Ravensburg, where we had a quiet 2-1 victory.

Oberliga BW Matchday 35

Our final game of the month sees us destroy already-relegated Lörrach 6-0.

League Table

Very happy to see us going up to the Regionalliga after the team was stuck there for three years. Lörrach, Sandhausen II, and Bruchsal meanwhile have confirmed their relegations to the Verbandsliga.

That's it for April. I will return with May fixtures and the end of the season in Germany.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. The football season in Germany has ended, so let's take a look at our results before we look at the results of the top domestic German competitions.

WFV-Pokal Final

LETS GOOOOO!!!! The first game of the month was our big cup final against one of our local rivals in SSV Ulm, who are currently chasing the Regionalliga Südwest title (and subsequently promotion to the 3 Liga). We pulled off a shock 2-0 victory as we prevented Ulm from a fourth consecutive trophy by winning our first WFV-Pokal. This result allows us to participate in next season's DFB-Pokal.

Oberliga BW Matchdays 36-40

With nothing left to play for, I combined the rest of the league fixtures together. We won all five of our remaining fixtures to ensure that we finished the season unbeaten. Here's the final league table.

Astoria Walldorf II and Freiburger FC ended up being the other teams to get relegated from the Oberliga this season. As it turns out, the Oberliga Promotion stage was a three team playoff between the 2nd placed teams of our league and two other Oberligas. Freiberg ended up pipping Worms to the top of the three team group and were thus promoted with us to the Regionalliga.

Now for results from around Germany.

The Bundesliga was won once again by Bayern Munich. Arminia Bielefeld, Freiburg, and playoff loser Union Berlin were relegated to the 2 Bundesliga.

Hamburg won the 2 Bundesliga and were promoted with Hannover 96 and playoff winner Paderborn. Würzburger Kickers, VfL Osnabrück, and playoff loser Eintracht Braunschweig were relegated to the 3 Liga.

The DFB-Pokal was won by Bayern Munich, who beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the final.

That's it for today. I will return soon with results from around Europe.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. Here are the results from around Europe.

The Premier League was won by Chelsea, who pipped Tottenham Hotspur to the league title. Because of the results in Europe going to English clubs, Manchester United missed out on Champions League football despite finishing 4th. How unlucky for them.

The EFL Championship was won by Norwich City, who were promoted with Bournemouth and Middlesbrough. Rotherham United, Coventry City, and Wycombe Wanderers were relegated to League One. Wycombe in particular had a horrid season, setting a record low points total of 7 in the Championship with a record low 1 victory and record high of 41 losses.

The Serie A was won by Juventus quite comfortably. Spezia, Benevento, and Crotone were relegated to Serie B.

Serie B was won by Brescia, who were promoted with Cittadella and Lecce. Reggiana, Chievo Verona, Virtus Entella, and Pisa were relegated to Serie C.

La Liga was won by Atletico Madrid, who almost bottled it after a few bad results. Real Valladolid, Huesca, and Cadiz were relegated to La Liga 2.

La Liga 2 was won by Malaga, who were promoted with Tenerife and Espanyol. Logrones, Sabadell, Cartagena, and Castellion were relegated to the 3rd tier.

As I included Yugoslavia in my save, the First League was won by Dinamo Zagreb. Željezničar Sarajevo, Radnički Niš, and FK Sarajevo were relegated to the Second League.

The Second League was won by Mura, who were promoted with Slaven Belupo and Shkendija. Tabor Sezana, Radnik Bijeljina, Napredak Kruševac, and Bravo were relegated.

The Champions League was won by Manchester City, who beat Inter Milan 3-0.

The Europa League was won by Leicester City, who beat Real Madrid on penalties after drawing 1-1 after extra time.

That's it for Season 1 with Stuttgarter Kickers. I will return very soon with the start of our Regionalliga Südwest campaign.

 

[Venator77]

Hello and welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. Season 2 has started and now everything is back to normal, with COVID now nothing more than a bad memory. As I discussed before, we got promoted into the Regionalliga, and that brings some new rules as well. Let's take a look.

All the transfer windows and league starting dates are back to normal. We can finally sign non-EU players, but we are limited to three. So far, I have not signed any non-EU players, but all the transfer business will be covered in the August 2021 post. Now the league fixtures.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 1

We start off our league campaign with a nice 2-1 victory against recently relegated Saarbrücken. We played very well and earned our points.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 2

Our next match came against Mainz's II team. We recorded a comfortable 4-2 win, but we were a bit shaky in the second half when they started to score.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 3

Our great start to the season continues as we defeat Bayern Alzenau 2-0 in our first home match of the season.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 4

We wrapped up July with a big 5-1 victory against Balingen, where our young striker Mawerick Dressen scored a hattrick.

League Table

Not a bad start if I do say so myself.

That's it for July 2021. I will return soon with August fixtures and the summer transfer business very soon.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. August has passed and the summer transfer window has shut. So, let's look at our business.

Lot's of newcomers entering the club, including a batch of Eintracht Frankfurt rejects. Most outgoing players were youth loans. Now the fixtures.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 5

It is derby day (somewhat) as we face VfB Stuttgart's II team. We played them a couple of times before with mixed results, and this time, the points were shared as we drew 1-1.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 6

We had a big game to play against FSV Frankfurt, right behind us in the table. Our good run continues with a 2-1 victory away from home thanks to a brace from striker Bleron Visoka.

DFB-Pokal 1st Round

What a match this turned out to be! We hosted the Bundesliga 2 side Jahn Regensburg in our first DFB-Pokal match of the save and we won! We managed to edge past them 3-2 after extra time, with a last minute goal that had me jumping out of my seat in celebration. So relieved we didn't have to deal with the penalty shootout.

WFV-Pokal 1st Round

Our first regional cup match of the season saw us face against VfR Aalen, a fellow Regionalliga side. I want to win this competition again so I can participate in next year's DFB-Pokal, so I was very happy to see us defeat them 3-0.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 7

Back to league matters, we hosted our rivals SSV Ulm, who we faced in last year's WFV-Pokal final. We repeated our triumph here with a 1-0 victory in our favor.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 8

Alas, we are no longer in the ****-easy Oberliga as we tasted league defeat for the first time in the save, as we lose 4-2 to Steinbach Haiger. I was a little disappointed with the manner we lost. We held a 2-1 lead, but our lapse in concentration allowed Steinbach to score three goals in the final ten minutes to win the game.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 9

Our final match of the month, a transfer deadline day clash against Sonnenhof Großaspach, put things back on track as we beat the title contenders by a single goal.

League Table

Now that the league is starting to take shape, we are currently in a strong position at the moment. We have been predicted for mid-table this year, but I would not count out a push for promotion.

That's it for August. I will return soon with September fixtures.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. September has passed, so lets look at the results.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 10

We had a productive trip to Hessen Kassel as we emerged 4-2 victors.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 11

Unfortunately, this was another disappointing performance from our lads as we slipped to a 1-1 draw with Kaiserslautern's II team, who are currently struggling around the relegation zone. We needed better performances than that to secure the league title.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 12

We did better against midtable Hoffenheim II as we won 2-0 away from home.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 13

The league games are coming thick and fast as we record another victory, this time a 2-1 home victory against the Sarrland-based team Homburg.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 14

We face off against Aalen again, this time in the league. We couldn't repeat our cup victory against them as we ultimately drew 1-1.

League Table

We currently remain in 1st place, three points ahead of Sonnenhof Großaspach, who picked up their form during this month by picking up 13 points in their last five matches. Saarbrücken and Mannheim, two of the sides relegated from the 3 Liga last season are performing worse than expected, with the former currently sitting in the relegation zone.

That's it for September. I will return with October fixtures soon.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. November has arrived, so let's review October results, it's been a doozy.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 15

Robert Schick put in a good performance as we defeat recently-relegated Waldhof Mannheim 2-0 at home.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 16

It was an embarrassing day for the Kickers as we end up on the wrong side of an eight goal thriller as we lose to newly promoted Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz 5-3. It was a disappointing defensive display as we were less clinical than the Hessian side.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 17

Fortunately, we put this embarrassing display behind us as our new prospect Ljupco Dimovski scores a hattrick against Freiburg's II team as we win 3-0.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 18

We record a very important victory against high-flyers Elversberg by beating them 3-2. This game was not good for my mental health as we almost threw away our good result when Elversberg scored twice in five minutes in an attempt for a comeback.

DFB-Pokal 2nd Round

What. A. Game!!! We managed to destroy the Bundesliga side Mainz 5-0 in our DFB-Pokal fixture against them. I cannot even believe we managed to secure such a victory. I had whole heartily thought we would be stopped here, but no. Well, I guess this means we'll partake in the Eighth Final in February.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 19

Of course, we probably partied too hard at out Pokal result because our last fixture of the month was a frustrating 1-1 draw with Freiberg. God dammit.

League Table

We're still clinging to top spot with a bunch of teams hot on our heels.

That's it for October. I will return with November.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. November has passed so let's look at the results.

WFV-Pokal 2nd Round

We coast past Verbandsliga side Breuningweiler 3-1 to advance to the next round of our regional cup.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 20

We record a routine victory against Astoria Walldorf by beating them 3-1.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 21

We reach the halfway point of the league season with a big 4-0 victory against Gießen.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 22

We do the double over underperforming Saarbrücken by beating them 3-2 in a close matchup.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 23

Mainz II avenges the Mainz first team by beating us 3-1 at home. How annoying, but we deserved to lose for our 2nd half display.

League Table

Despite the various setbacks we suffered in the league, we managed to extend our lead over 2nd place to five points. It is a fierce battle directly below us as four teams vie for 2nd place separated by three points. It's likely that one of those four teams would get promoted if we run into bad form, so I hope to keep ourselves competitive to the end.

That's it for the Kickers save. I will return with December and January fixtures as well as the winter transfer window very soon.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. January has passed and the winter transfer window has shut, so let's take a look at our business for the window.

At the beginning of this season, the board granted me a healthy transfer budget of just under €1 million. For a 4th tier side, this is a lot of money, and I used a portion of the budget in this transfer window to bring in a few exciting prospects who are also first team ready, such as 21 year old Venezuelan Enrique Zauner from Sandhausen and 17 year old Greek striker Nektarios Michailidis from Mannheim. Just like the previous transfer windows, most outgoing transfers were loans, with a few deadwood players going out permanently.

Now the results.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 24

Our homegrown striker Dimovski put in a good shift as we beat Bayern Alzenau 2-0 away from home.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 25

The final game of 2021 was our home fixture against Balingen, who we comfortably beat 4-1.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 26

The first game of the new year was our derby day clash against VfB Stuttgart's II team. This time, we were able to prevail with a 1-0 victory thanks to Robert Schick's first half strike.

WFV-Pokal Quarter Final

We faced off against Ulm in the regional cup, where we would destroy them 5-1 to advance to the semi-finals.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 27

We record a close 1-0 victory against FSV Frankfurt to bring our winning run in the league to four matches.

League Table

We're starting to run away with the Regionalliga Südwest title as our lead over the rest extends to nine points. It is still very tight at the top half of the table with five points separating 3rd and 10th place, though Ulm has shown signs of pulling away from the rest.

That's it for December and January. I will return soon with February fixtures.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Stuttgarter Kickers save. February has passed, so let's look at the results.

DFB-Pokal Eighth FInal

It was only a matter of time before our run in the DFB-Pokal ended, and it was here as we lose to Freiburg 4-3. I'm absolutely gutted in the manner we lost because it took a last minute winner from the away side to dump us out. We have been brilliant though, and I hope for more of the same if we win the WFV-Pokal this season.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 28

We soon bounced back from our heartbreaking defeat at Freiburg by beating Ulm in a big 1st-vs-2nd clash as we approach the business end of the season. It was a close match were we fell behind early, but we rallied ourselves and bounced back for the important victory.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 29

We avenged our previous defeat to Steinbach Haiger by beating them 3-0 at home.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 30

Our excellent run of form continues with a comfortable 4-0 victory away to Sonnenhof Großaspach.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 31

We had a rare bad day at the office as we closed out our game against Hessen Kassel to a frustrating 2-2 draw. We were 2-0 up at half time, but we threw the result away as Kassel rallied to save a point. Very unhappy about this result, we should've beat them.

League Table

As the season draws closer and closer to a conclusion, it's looking more likely that this year's Regionalliga Südwest title (and subsequently promotion into the 3 Liga) will be going to us, as our lead over 2nd place had increased to thirteen points.

That's it for February. I will return with March fixtures as well as the youth intake very soon.

 

[Venator77]

Welcome back to the Suttgarter Kickers save. March has passed and the youth intake is in. Let's take a look.

To my satisfaction, we got another productive year with the youth, though unlike last year, none of the prospects here are first team ready. Now for the month's fixtures.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 32

We avoided another embarrassing result by beating Kaiserslautern II 3-1.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 33

It was a bit of a slow day at the office as we came from behind to defeat Hoffenheim II 2-1 with a brace from left winger Robert Schick.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 34

Everything had seemed to go wrong when we visited Homburg, as we lost 4-2 due to a stupid own goal and a fantastic performance from Yugoslav striker Damjan Marčeta, who scored a hattrick against us.

Regionalliga Südwest Matchday 35

We resumed normal excellent performances by beating VfR Aalen 2-0 with two goals in the second half.

League Table

It's safe to say at this point that we are going to win the league and get promoted again. Sure we had our hiccups, but we did very well.

That's it for March. I will return with the end of the season in Germany very soon.