Dinamo Zagreb comes with an offer. So they'll choose someone else? I'd send them off rudely, but their team is almost guaranteed to win the league and I think that can do wonders for my reputation.
((Here I will make a tesr about these. What if the previous were denied due to compensation? I'm saving before taking the interview. If they hire me then there's no test to do. If they don't, I'll save the not hired, reload and see what happens with same answers and resigning after taking the interview, if still not hired, I'll try again resigning before))
Van der Molen and Saadane are not going to make a fuss over not being loaned in the past window. Nobody wanted to loan the later and the two offers for the former didn't guarantee first team matches.
Apai has picked another injury that will keep him out for two weeks.
Albæk is not yet ready. Ortiz is rotated in and Ngome as Pinheiro doesn't start due to his last match.
It's a bad first half. We can barely do anything with the ball. We're 2-0 up because of the only decent cross being accidentally deflected by the defence into their own goal and another mistake in which a defender head the ball off their keeper's hands into Obama.
We do a bit more in the second half, but they get the goal in a lapse of concentration from Xavier, but there's no problem keeping the 1-2 to the end. I only makes substitution near the end due to very tired players.
Feyenoord lost their match again, so we're now second, nine points from Ajax, that are likely too much. We're better than ever with this small squad. I think my problem in past seasons was too much rotation.
Screw them! Dinamo gives the job to someone else.
((Here is where I do the test. I reload, go to the interview and resign.. The result is Dinamo does offer me the job. For a wage much lower than Vitesse pays, which I take as confirmation the reason they're not offering contracts in the end is the cost of the compensation)).
De Bock who just came back from an injury gets another to be out for five days, enough to miss three matches.
With two more games in the next five days, Brard and van der Molen come in to be made staying fit to come in the next matches if needed.
The first half is the opposite of the past match. We control the game, we get to their area consistently, create the chances, but 0-0.
Second half keeps the same pattern and when I'm thinking on changing to the narrow formation they go to the 4-1-3-1-1 and in the end we do nothing.
Girondins call offering an interview. I don't know. I'm tired of clubs coming and bothering me with their interviews when they don't have any real will to hire me.
Utvik, Mahlamba and Albæk return to the team.
First half is frustrating, we control the game but there's no way to get a shot on target, only one shot at the crossbar.
Second half is worse, as despite starting to get the shots on target, Xavier tiredness and Utvik's lapse of concentration gives them a goal. A change to the 4-3-2-1 makes even more shots on target, but their keeper does a good work. We should have won this, I'm not happy.
Ngome will miss the next match in three days with a strained neck.
Pinheiro is the only change due to Ngome's injury.
We get another good performance in the first time, but this time with prize, as Obama makes a good assist for Pinhero.
There are no slips in the second half and we complete the job with a second goal by Pinhero.
Shala finally gets a start and De Bock returns to the team.
We should be one goal up at half time, but referee made up an offside that made no sense.
We get the goal in the second half, but it's undone by the classic fullbacks in the other side of the ball never care to defend their man.
March 2024
Héctor Muñoz will miss a week through injury. Van der Molen had a small facial injury and will be available.
Albæk is suspended and Ngome will lose fitness if not played.
If we lose this match I'm out! What the ****?! How can you miss three shots from three yards?! And one with the keeper on the ground! And they let them a header from a corner, one against three. Go to ****! Obama made it level before half time with more aggressive mentality that had started before the corner..
Mahlambi, who made the assist for Obama's goal, gets one from Ngoma to give us the second goal. And from then they do nothing of note on attack. I only make subs due to cards or player being nervous.
First of the matches against top teams. Next is Ajax. Twente are four points behind.
We don't seem to do anything beyond preventing them from having any good chance. We're lucky enough to get a penalty that Mahlambi puts in the net.
Second half is the same, but with them scoring their only real half decent chance. Fortunately a few minutes later Ngome shows his size by heading a ball into the net.
Brard wants more first team football, Albæk talks to him and he drops it.
HSV come offering an interview. I tell them to ****** off.
Maybe I should've gone back to that narrow 4-2-3-1 that worked so well in Zwolle to beat Ajax, but I'll keep trust in this system.
First half is going along the lines of the defensive adjustments I've done. They're not getting clear shots but we're not creating anything. In this match I'm happy with a point, so I'm fine with how things are going; if we can get some free kicks that's all I ask and we've had a couple.
Second half is all to the drain with poor defending. They have (almost) never defended a cross from deep reasonably. In the first goal, to the near post, Xavier doesn't track their striker to remain ball side. In the second that's to the far post, Boscagli was close to the scorer, then took pains to run away to a point of the ball's path where it was way too high to reach it, instead of remaining ball side toget to it first when low.
Apai just broke his lower back and will miss two months.
We get our youth intake.
From playing against the top team to play against the bottom one. Albæk and De Bock returns are the only changes.
Good first half, some very nice chances go begging but from good goalkeeping and last ditch defences. We go to half time one goal up after exchanging Mahlambi and Brard positions.
The second half we miss a penalty and it seems to go to a 1-0 from them going very defensive since they got a red card in the first half (just after our goal), and van den Berg gets the second from a freekick deflecting from keeper to post and back to keeper and two minutes later a superb strike by Muñoz.
April 2024
The board offers a new contract, because I went to a interview with Málaga: they're at top level in Spain close to European qualification. I still have two more years worth of contract, so no, I'm not signing new contracts.
Boscagli makes it to have some chance to impress, Brard steps in due to Mahlambi being injured and in the bench there's a young player who may be the answer to improve our chance creation and will play this match unless something happens to force me not to.
Van Kloppersluis came into the side around mid of the second half. His first touch he found a good pass to van den Berg when surrounded by three, his second touch was a goal. Later he missed a great chance. Den Bosch found the net in a first time long range, but they couldn't complete the comeback.
Real Sociedad offered me an interview. They were just a few points below Málaga, so I applied and asked to start at the end of the season. They have indeed offered me the contract and it's even more than Vitesse. With that there's more than enough income to be out of financial trouble forever even none of us worked again, given we don't give in to luxury. I negotiate it up to almost double my current wages
((Now let's hope end of season means including the reputation raise from league finish))
We're against that formation in our last match against a bottom of the table team. I'll start as usual but will likely make changes to be more aggressive. Winning today would make a top three finish likely, losing may make it very hard.
This is unbelievable. I don't mean that for once we have the deep cross along the byline behind the defence, Ngome misses, but the fact that the ball is sent clean to Obama for a clear counterattack after a corner and the referee blows half time.
We get to their area consistently, more than usual against that formation using the 4-2-3-1 wide, even before they get a red card. But crosses go just too behind or the strike isn't clean. Shala and Ngome have the winner in the late minutes and squander their chances.
Traoré has broken the clean sheets record for the club.
We're favourites and they also line up defensively, though not such a narrow formation.
We don't get as many chances as in the previous match, but we get more of top quality chances. Still miss the, but one to get us ahead.
In the second half Mahlambi sends a through ball to van den Berg that he buries to ensure our win. Van Kippersluis missed narrowly a chance for a superb goal.
We've ensured playing Champions League next season!
Two games left against NEC and Feyenoord in which we can get direct passage to Champions League group stage.
We'll need either to beat them and not lose next match or improve upon their result today and not lose to them.
Pinheiro starts on the left wing after Ngome missed very clear chances in the past two matches. Amadou starts as I think he can prove his worth and I've not used him as much as he deserves.
Sigh. The game starts with Pinhero wasting a chance even easier than Ngome did. Later they go ahead, but Pinhero makes up burying a free kick and Mahlambi then scores a penalty. We're lucky to be ahead as we've not done a good match.
I go to a diamond for the second half and it works right, giving us two more goals. They get one with a great strike and a hole in our defence as all were worried with surrounding a player.
Oh, come on. Traoré picks up a injury that will last just to the last match in which we play for the second position.
I'll start with the usual system, but may change it to something else. Brard starts as he's had very high ratings and Mahlambi hasn't played too well lately. Ngome to use his strength and jumping reach and Albæk because he always does well despite how low coaches rate him. We need to win to be second. I'm risking starting Traoré, as I may be taking risks later in the game that I'll want him and I'd rather not change goalkeepers.
Bah. Things were looking alright and pointing that I'd need some tweaks for more offensive penetration, when De Bock counts on Albæk to risk a tackle, but finds when he misses Albæk didn't stay to cover but as soon he started the tackle, he ran out and opened him the easy cross. Traoré almost stays still. Later they score a goal without Traoré jumping. Confirming he's not at all fit to play, so in the end I have to bring Apai in. I also go 4-2-4 and taking risks, but the finishers are missed and they get another goal despite an initial good save by Apai. Second half is tests and time for youths.
We finally get the shots and Albæk nets a long shot off a corner. Only one more goes on target and it's saved. We finish with another refereeing farce, as they don't disallow a goal with three players offside blocking the goalkeeper's sight of the ball. When my players are well off any point they could interfere our goals are disallowed.
To be honest, the players were already on holidays against NEC, but we were lucky.
Vitesse will need to play the last qualification play off to get into the group phase.
Such a fall in balance is worrying. I don't know why. Facilities were already finished, there are no loans and I'm in no way anywhere near the wage limit. Transfer expenditure per month is high, but not as high as to justify this huge lowering of balance.
Since I'm a month from leaving the club, while I'd like to do some things for Vitesse like signing the kind of striker we need for my system, another manager will come behind me who may not want that player, so I'll let Allach take my responsibilities and I'll take a holiday till day before moving.
Third place in Eredivisie doesn't raise reputation when it's at 60%.
P.S.- Final bits before moving to Real Sociedad:
Team awards: Salomón Obama, that has been from some time ago a club icon, is the favourite player of the fans. Something I like to see is no red cards and I'm surprised most yellows go to Brard and not Albæk.
Commercial summary is very positive, with increase of income in most things.
The board had to make a cash injection, though.
Budgets for new season are bigger than the past, though not by much.
Finally, Traoré got second place in goalkeeper of the year.
June 2024
The budgets are not much higher than in Vitesse.
Buffffff, the Real Sociedad squad. This team should've been last on zero points. I'm just starting to watch but I have only one centreback that's half decent... as backup. There's a good one who's more of a fullback but he's loaned from Real Madrid.
No right fullbacks except one who's a recycled right midfielder. One acceptable left fullback who finishes contract this month.
Central midfield is full of quite good players, though, even when half of it are ageing.
Contreras, who's our best striker if we were to play in a system not requiring a creative one, wants to leave to Atlético. He wants titlea that won't be won here this coming season, so he agrees that if an offer comes above €13.5M, he's to be let go.
And only one fitness coach. How was this club at top level? How did they finish twelfth? A club in this state should be two divisions below at best.
The first signing completed takes a big chunk of the transfer budget, but we need it: Pirouz Mohammadi, for five millions. It's a bit painful the fact of taking away Vitesse's top centreback, but I need at least one centreback I know I can trust.
Olympique de Marseille met Enzo O,mos' release clause of forty two millions. It's a pity only 30€ comes back to the transfer budget, but it's good as we need more signings.
I had also made an offer for Ngome. A winger that's so strong and jumps so much like him is very rare, but with the needs we have in other places it'd be stupid to use up budget on him.
The only good defender, who was loaned, has the loan extended.
Olmos transfer is confirmed. Thanks to it, I have twelve millions in the transfer budget to work in the signings we need.
Olympique comes for Contreras with a deal that will turn out to be worth above seventeen million, so I accept it as promised.
The best goalkeeper has some clear weaknesses in communication, so I've signed Bernardoni, who's better in almost everything and comes for just three million.
Contreras leaves to Marseille and the squad comes saying they're unhappy with the lack of depth.
They want more players up front and I tell them that I will sign replacements, which was already on my plans as I want a creative type of striker.
We're bringing in two strikers. Not the best in terms of physicality or finishing, but what I think we need to get my system ticking.
I also make offers for a couple of centrebacks and a left fullback. The centrebacks seem happy with the contracts, though one does have an offer from another team, the fullback asks way too much for a rotation player that only was going to cost a couple millions.
Kalinic, our first choice goalkeeper until Bernardino signed, is leaving to Villarreal for free so we can save most of his wages.
The first centreback signs his contract.
July comes and with it the new players, two of whom (Gentile and Arrué) was already agreed before my arrival.
With the sales and purchases, balance has gone up to thirty million from eight in the red.
Summer 2024
Luiz Felipe, one of the two centrebacks I made an offer for, arrives to the club. He's not someone to say he's excellent, but he's clearly better than anything we had before. With Mohammadi to be around, speed is not as important.
Illarramendi will be out for a month.
Nahuel Cáceres is the other striker I bought as he's the type of player I need for the position, even if he's supposed to be far from world class. Fans don't like him, I think he should perform well.
((Ok, I must have been bugged: As I look at squad now I see a lot more players than I had at the start, including two decent centrebacks)).
Carpi makes an unnegotiable offer for Iker Pérez, young decent centreback, since now I have too many centrebacks (where was he when I came?) and it is for a total above his value, I accept it.
Juan Iturbe refuses to renew his contract, since he's in his last year I offer him and he gets angry.
What **** is this?
Three days of summer break.
The youth facilities have been downgraden and the board doesn't want to improve them because I've been few time here, like that had anything to do with our facilities being downgraded.
Markel Etxeberría is signed to be a back up on the right side.
The director of football brings a young fullback for the other side.
Iturbe will miss almost all the season from running in the first friendly.
We'll get a lot of money from TV, nice.
I accept the boards' expectations: I don't want to put more pressure on the players than needed and I wouldn't get more funds anyway.
I get the commercial summary. It's good.
We tried to get him at the start and he wanted too much. After being released, his wages were acceptable and we've got Ghoulam to start at the left of our defence, which frees Gerhardt to play in midfield.
Youth development director brings Biljan for the future.
Luiz Felipe will be out for two months after hurting his knee ligaments.
By DoF's work we get Kiselev on loan with no cost to us. He's what we need for back up in the right wing.
Ghoulam picks a one month injury in a friendly against Newcastle I took for the money.
The day I accept an offer for Coates, who's on to his last year of contract, I confirm the signing of Daniel Ayala, who is a touch slower than I was told.
Coates leaves before the next friendly and just after it the last signing I plan to make is confirmed with another centreback to start alongside Mohammadi: Martín Valjent.
There isn't enough budget to offer more than the standard bonus to the players.
With Alonso and Biljan awaiting decision on loan deals out and Lukaku on a half a million transfer out to remove excess players, the transfers are done and I am quite happy with them. We've got the squad down to a manegeable size, got plenty of money into the club and I believe the players coming are good enough to trust on a mid table finish we're aiming for.
Friendlies have been a bit underwhelming. Many draws due to lack of precision in the final shot, even though chances are better than at Vitesse. In the good side, along with the usually good play is that we beat Atalanta and should've beaten Udinese without Gerhardt's mistake, both Serie A teams. In the negative, we lost badly against Premier League Newcastle.
As said, the transfers have helped finances greatly, as we were eight millions in the red when I took charge.
Confidence is going down for things that aren't my fault: young signings? No young players I could find were ready, and no high profile signing was affordable.
Due to some stuff it's looking likely I won't be able to play the season, maybe even half, before FM18 I hope in the next few days I can shove some good time. I'll start playing key instead of comprehensive.
So far it's going well, after like seven league matches I have Real Sociedad in the top half not far from European places with some good performances.
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I hope in the next few days I can shove some good time. I'll start playing key instead of comprehensive.