KAZAKHSTAN: Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation

[Linecoigne1998]

Great updates so far and great job on getting that far in the Champions League already! All the best for the future

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Great updates so far and great job on getting that far in the Champions League already! All the best for the future

Thanks for reading!

 

[pipodeclown]

Just waiting for a regen named Borat...

 

[savan21]

How do you load the Kazakhstan Leagues? Great 3rd Season btw. Qualifying from among the likes of Dortmund, Shakhtar and Napoli is truly amazing

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Just waiting for a regen named Borat...

Me too! Thanks for reading!

How do you load the Kazakhstan Leagues? Great 3rd Season btw. Qualifying from among the likes of Dortmund, Shakhtar and Napoli is truly amazing

I used a database on Steam the opened up three levels of the Kazakhstan leagues.

Yeah, the 2017 Champions League was truly beyond my expectations. I have fears that will come back to haunt me but really I am so excited for what that did for my club co-efficient.

And thanks for reading!

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 SPRING CLUB OVERVIEW.

Here you can see our rise in Rankings, going from 98th to 53rd. A huge jump no doubted aided by our great success in European competitions and our stranglehold on the domestic league and cup. Similarly, as a nation, Kazakhstan has risen to 16th position for European coefficients, meaning we'll get better positioning for our EURO Cup spots. This will help me grow the league as right now my constant pushes in the Champions League Group Stages are our only source for coefficient points. The less my fellow domestic clubs have to do in Europe, the better.


And, the great Super League du Kazakhstan moved up 7 more places to get us closer to breaking the top 20.


2018 SPRING SQUAD.

Still worried about how most of the quality in my squad is foreign. I'm trying desperately to develop Kazakhstan talent but it's taking it's time. I might have to start sacrificing League appearances for my established, veteran Kazakhstan players to give the youth time to develop at the cost of possible losses and draws.




2018 SPRING TRANSFERS.

Not much activity in the transfer market as my squad has been pretty much set for awhile now. Mostly youth products brought in from across Kazakhstan as I attempt to sweep up all the talent domestically and use my State of the Art facilities to get them the best training available. A few more Serbian prospects coming in as well for relatively cheap prices that will give me talent to grow. Again, I hope some of these Serbian products will slip through the Servian national team cracks and be eligible for Kazakhstan in five years. This will only begin to pay dividends in the long-term however so until then I just need to be vigilant with domestic talent and give my youth as many chances as possible. Already, 2-3 youth products are mainstays in my squad and get regular appearances.




2018 SPRING LEAGUE RESULTS.

Still dominant domestically. Not much to say here other than to show the results. Maksim Fedin continues to perform amazingly and has been bagging goals more consistently than my strikers it seems. It's also nice to see Aleksandr Garkusha getting goals. He is one of my top youth products and probably my third best striker for my senior team so him bagging goals as the same rate as Luka Jovic is encouraging.




2018 SPRING LEAGUE TABLE.

Undefeated and with a goal difference of over 20. More interesting to me is the fact that Aktobe had the takeover last year and they are still only sitting in 7th place despite being the second most valuable club in Kazakhstan. Shakhtar K. is my constant foe at the top though they are a fair way off and I expect them to be a EURO Cup representative next season. We'll see.




2018 SPRING INJURIES.

We've been hit with another early string of injuries. Luka Jovic out for three weeks gave my youth product some needed starts and, while not welcomed, wasn't too bad of a hit on our squad. My tactics were stretched thin for almost a month when our constant force on the RW in Ulan Konysbaev went out for three weeks. Merkel deputized nicely along the right though and we were able to overcome. Finally, our rising star Serbian striker in Milos Jovic went down for over a month while he was complaining about not getting enough starting time. Luckily Luka Jovic returned from his injury right before this so again my youth product in Aleksandr Garkusha got more time to develop and start for us and give Luka Jovic some needed rests midweek.
​

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SECOND ROUND QUALIFYING.

Drawn against Rudar from Montenegro. I'm not worried here. Shouldn't be too difficult to qualify.

And just like that, we're into the Third Round. I'm very pleased with the two clean sheets as I think that is very telling of how dominant our defense can be and our possession game works against weaker clubs, especially in midfield where my technical stars can dominate a match. Also, it was nice to see the variety of scorers. 5 goals, 5 different scorers across the two legs.




2018 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE THIRD ROUND QUALIFYING.

AFC Astra Giugiu from Romania. Not your usual Romanian opponent in European play. Again, I am supremely confident of progressing and as such I might give some European time to my youth products to get them some quality appearances against the weaker opposition while I use my starting 11 to really strangle my domestic league and get it under my thumb.

Dear lord, Luka Jovic went off on these Romanians. Bagging four goals. I ended up fielding almost a full-strength squad to make sure I progressed and we didn't disappoint. I think it's fair to say we've qualified and Astra is out of the game with this result.

Much closer than the first leg but we were away in Romanian so they enjoyed some bit of homefield advantage. Luka Jovic put two more passed the Romanian club to increase his European tally to seven in this year's Champions League. He's looking to make a name for himself in Europe and with performances like these he's well on his way to doing so.




2018 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFF.

The Azerbaijan champions and Kazakhstan champions face off with a place in the Champions League Group Stages on the line. I'm intrigued by this match up but I think my quality up top and in the midfield will see us through easily.

Luka Jovic. What more needs to be said? The Serbian star adds two more to his European tally this year and puts us in a very good position to advance to the group stages. We were uncharacteristically timid with the ball, not holding possession and you can see the Azerbaijani tactic of fouling us worked in their favor as they racked up fouls and kept possession. This kept us shooting from outside the box, putting 9 shots off target throughout the match. That finaly goal from Luka Jovic in added time at the end of the match was very welcomed as I was frustrated all night we couldn't get that key second goal. Still, not bad for a first leg away in Azerbaijan.

What a close game, unfortunately. This was extremely frustrating to watch. Less shots than before, more on target, and two clear chances but we couldn't put that the ball in the net. We had way more possession but the Azerbaijani champions were determined to foul us and play dirty, getting 6 yellow cards and 26 fouls compared to our disciplined play with no cards and only 5 fouls. Still, we progressed to the Group Stages once again and that means a huge collection to my bank account, more coefficient points and probably more reputation earned.


Here's to a great 2018 Champions League Group Stage!


More to come
​

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 INTERNATIONAL UPDATE.


I thought it might be appreciated to give a quick update on the International scene and show how the Kazakhstan national team has improved these past four years.


A lot has changed and with my improving facilities, ASTANA has become and even more instrumental club in Kazakhstan as we provide the talent to the international side and continue to develop the future stars for KAZAKHSTAN.

As usual, the Kazakhstan squad has a large ASTANA bias, with seven players coming from our club. Of those seven players, six are in the Kazakhstan starting 11 and the other is a usual substitution. This number will only grow more as my academy produces youth products and we train the future of Kazakhstan football over the coming years.




2018 INTERNATIONAL UNDER 19 AND 21s.

As you can see from our Under 19 results, Kazakhstan looks to have a bright future. Victories against Israel and Sweden show promise in our nation's youth. This is with some of the best Under 19s having been already called up to the Under 21 and Seniors squads due to their quality. To see these victories, I was so encourage that we're heading in the right direction!



2018 INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN LEAGUE: DIVISION D.

Throughout the European League, our two matches against Serbia again show promise.

Malta was no match for us in our League matches either, losing overall 8-1 across both legs. Maksim Fedin and my youth product and 19 year-old phenom Aleksandr Garkusha are both big fans of Malta, both getting a hattrick and Fedin ending up with four.

Similarly, Liechtenstein was no match for us and our weak European League group was humbled and humiliated by the force of Kazakhstan. Garkusha and Fedin bagged another goal each here as both continued to be instrumental for the Kazakhstan senior squad.

The international game is not without its risks however and Maksim Fedin discovered that as he went down for 4-5 weeks during the last match. His development has been exciting but this will delay his continued growth in reputation globally.




That's my quick International update. I'll be doing more of those, probably each season, to keep you all aware of how Kazakhstan is growing as a country that is quickly becoming OBSESSED with football, much due to the rise of ASTANA.


As always, thanks for reading, folks.


More to come
​

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 KAZAKHSTAN CUP.

The Kazakhstan Cup. Basically a cakewalk, much like the league, and as such, this won't be a very long update.




2018 CUP THIRD ROUND DRAW AND RESULT.

Total domination, minimal resistance. We came, we saw, we conquered. This is how the Cup goes these days. Most of Kazakhstan has come to accept it. Those who have not accepted our complete domestic dominance will soon find themselves under foot.




2018 CUP QUARTERFINAL DRAW AND RESULT.

Well, looky what we have here. Our affiliate who has made a name for itself by being the surprise of the Cup this year. I feel bad ending their run but these things have to be done.


Business as usual. Garkusha continues his marvelous form and the 19 year old puts two passed Baiterek.




2018 CUP SEMIFINAL DRAW AND RESULT.

The takeover club in Kazakhstan who's rich owner has done little to improve their quality. Or so I thought until these two legs were completed. I usually use a heavily rotated squad during the cups matches, full of youth and foreign youth, and here was no different. That made these matches closer than they should have been but the experience for my youth players is invaluable and a win is a win.




2018 KAZAKHSTAN CUP FINAL.

As soon as Garkusha scored, I knew this was over. Grujic scoring a bit later, I felt the scoreline would be higher but I backed off a bit, went more defensive and less combative as I didn't want to risk my players and I gladly took the 2-0 victory and the Kazakhstan Cup.


Once again, Cup Champions and we'll probably do the double once again.


More to come
​

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 SUMMER LEAGUE RESULTS.

Another dominant summer run in the league saw us end the season undefeated. Our youth product striker Garkusha can be seen here really bagging the goals now as Denilson was moved out mid-June. See more about that below.

Clinched the league with plenty of fixtures to spare. No worries. Once again, a dominant campaign in our completely pacified domestic competition.


2018 SUMMER DEVELOPMENTS.

Our facilities continue to get upgraded, pushing our quality higher and higher. I know this will pay huge dividends in the near future with my club, especially the youth academy products.

Looking at how we shaped up and the youth forwards coming through my academy, I deemd Denilson surplus and therefore offloaded him for a decent sum after only a single season with the club. He did okay deputizing at the striker position but he had little ceiling for improvement and I have strong younger candidates for his appearances waiting in the shadows. It was the right time and ASTANA just didn't have room for him anymore.

We get a new affiliate, this one based in China, and I look forward to the possible financial windfall this could produce.

I couldn't pass up this free transfer in the summer window as I grabbed a current Juventus loanee for free. His wages were a bit more than I wanted but he might offer value and worst case I sell him for a nice sum and move him on.

2018 SUMMER injuries.

It wouldn't be summer without injuries, two to my developing RB Konan. One in the very beginning of June and another soon after he returned. Luka Jovic wasn't out for too long but his time away gave my youngsters more appearances and minutes to develop and I wasn't too worried.

Even though Luka Jovic went down for a few matches and playing mostly in European competitions during the Qualifying Rounds of Champions League (which run right as our season is winding down) he still managed to break the goal scoring record for our league.


That's all for the summer, folks. The summer/fall edition of our 2018 Champions League performance in the Groups Stages will soon follow!
​

 

[dani3w]

Very surprised to see you reached the CL group stage first season and then every season since, good work.

 

[kandersson]

this story is awesome, could you post screenshots of your best kazakh regens?

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Very surprised to see you reached the CL group stage first season and then every season since, good work.

Thanks. It was very surprising given what competition we were up against but I think my tactics and counterattacking really aided us in staying competitive. We'll keep pushing and hopefully keep racking up those coefficient points. I'm more worried about the other Kazakhstan clubs represented in Europe and their performances.

this story is awesome, could you post screenshots of your best kazakh regens?

Thanks for the kind words. Next update will be on Kazakh prospects after reading this. Cheers!

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2019 YOUTH PROSPECTS.


It was asked that I show some of the youth prospects that have sprung up in my save. I decided to make an entire update about this and highlight the future of the Kazakhstan nation side. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I also have a large collection of Serbian youth prospects who have a decent chance of missing out on a call up to the Serbian senior side, long enough to get them Kazakhstan eligibility and see them switch to Kazakhstan permanently. That's a whole nother update.


The way the Kazakhstan schedule and season is laid out, the youth intake occurs around August, towards the end of the season.

1. Aleksandr Garkusha, 13/1/2001 - Attacking Midfielder (Center), Striker (Center)


This right here is the future of the Kazakhstan forwards. At 18, Aleksandr has already garnered 8 appearances with the senior side and bagged 6 goals. He has great potential as it stands and also had some really good stats. 18 Finishing and 16 Heading make him just an overall beast in front of the goal. He is special to me in that he only knows ASTANA, having come from our youth academy in 2017. Since then, it only took 1 appearance with our youth side, FTs Astana, for me to see his value and put him in the reserves and give him as many minutes as possible. He repaid that trust instantly, scoring 7 goals in 17 appearances with the senior ASTANA side in 2018. 2019 has been no different, seeing him match his goal total of 7 from the previous year in only 13 appearances. Aleksandr is already the best striker the Kazakhstan senior national side has and I expect him to lead their attack for another 15-17 years minimum. I also have hopes of holding him for his entire career.

2. Valerii Shibalaev, 13/11/2000 - Defender (Right, Center)


The future of Kazakhstan on the right side looks set as Valerii is developing rapidly into a key piece of my club. Yet to make an appearance for the Kazakhstan senior national side, Valerii is will soon change that. Having arrived from Kairat for 575k in 2017, Valerii quickly proved himself in my Youth and Reserve side and quickly began featuring for my squad in 2018, grabbing 9 appearances during congested fixtures and performing well averaging a rating of 6.88. 2019 started and Valerii found his role in Astana grow as he featured more and more for my squad, with my starting RB getting two injuries and having a hard time staying fit. Already in 2019, Valerii has 15 appearances with an average rating of 7.06. Though he came from the academy of my historic rivals, he is young enough that he can prove himself in front of the Astana faithful and become a legend both for club and country.

3. Alimzhan Mataev, 1/10/1998 - Attacking Midfielder (Center)/ M (RC), AM (R)


The eldest of my promising group of Kazakhstan youth prospects, Alimzhan is also the best at this point. He is currently in a heated battle with Maksim Fedin, the star of the Kazakhstan senior side and my starting AM (Center), for both starting jobs. Another Kairat product, Alimzhan arrived for a feeof 1.4m in 2016 and took his time to make it into the Astana squad, not receiving more than one or two appearances until two years later in 2018 when he featured 21 times at AMC. It is no coincidence that Maksim Fedin went through two injuries that year and open the gates for Alimzhan to start. He repaid that trust completely, bagging 2 goals and 4 assists in those 21 appearances with an average rating of 7.46. His 2019, Alimzhan has wasted no time in cementing his place at Astana, appearing already an additional 17 times with 3 goals and 2 assists. Though his numbers aren't as impressive as Maksim Fedin's, his 2019 rating of 7.70 shows that he does more on the pitch than his numbers show. Unfortunately, Alimzhan has the "Unambitious" personality and so he's received much tutoring in attempts to rid him of his negative mentality and perhaps give him a renewed sense of purpose as he will soon bear a heavy crown for Kazakhstan internationally.

4. Ramil' Islamov, 6/2/2001 - Defender (Center)


Alongside Valerii Shibalaev, Ramil' is the future of the Kazakhstan backline for the next 15-17 years. Though not as promising as the others on this list, Ramil' has some qualities that show promise and as such he makes this list. He'll require more time than the others and has yet to show himself worthy. Arriving from Taraz in Kazakhstan in 2018, Ramil' appeared 33 times for our Reserves, contributing with a goal and 3 assists and ending the year with a 6.79 average rating. Tall but not too strong, Ramil' will receive lots of tutoring over the coming seasons as he is developed closely with eyes on him receiving his chance in the next 2-3 years. His climb will be hard as I have 3 Serbian youth Defenders (Center) who are already quite good and all three are moving towards Kazakhstan eligibility. Astana will not give up on Ramil', however, and he will receive every opportunity to prove himself and feature for club and country in the future!

5. Alibek Maslenov, 19/2/2000 - Attacking Midfidler (Right), M (R)


Although similar to Ramil' in terms of promise, Alibek has some redeeming qualities that I believe will give him every opportunity to succeed. 17 Determination and an 18 Natural Fitness make him and imposing player and already his crossing at 16 means he will be a threat from the right for many years. Decent Pace and Acceleration mean he is deceptively fast. Arriving from Tobol in 2018 for 220k, Alibek appeared twice for Astana and average 6.80 without any goals or assists. He has since been sent on loan to Zhetysu in Kazakhstan to receive more consistent first team action and already has 18 appearances with 6 assists and an average rating of 7.19. Next season he will be brought back and probably deputize on the RW side with my underrated 30 year old mainstay on the RW Ulan Konysbaev. The competition will not be easy however as over the past 4 years Ulan has bagged 31 goals and 27 assists with an average rating of 7.25.


I hope this youth prospect update was interesting. I have plans now to incorporate an update every few years concerning my top prospects as well as highlight my youth intake every year as I realized I haven't been capturing that or showing it here.


Thanks and more to come
​

 

[cpontier]

Awesome story!!! Great job!!

 

[kandersson]

great update mate, and Garkusha is amazing! He could become a legend for both club and country

I think you posted a screenshot of the wrong player for Maslenov, as it shows a 30 year old named Konysbaev

Keep up the good work!

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Awesome story!!! Great job!!

Thanks, friend! Your feedback is appreciated.

great update mate, and Garkusha is amazing! He could become a legend for both club and country

I think you posted a screenshot of the wrong player for Maslenov, as it shows a 30 year old named Konysbaev

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for reading and thanks for letting me know about the incorrect youth player.

Here's the correct image for Alibek Maslenov.

Thanks for reading all!

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 SUMMER/FALL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.


The group stages have been drawn and we don't have an easy road ahead of us. Last year was so promising as we shockingly advanced after surviving a group of Shakhtar, Napoli and Dortmund. This year, I have hopes of duplicating that success as I push for more coefficient points.


2018 GROUP STAGE DRAW.

What a tough group, seeing us face three powerful and prestigious European clubs. Ironically enough, both Dortmund and Shakhtar were in our group last year and we advanced to the Knockout stages so here's hoping we can duplicate that success.


2018 GROUP STAGE MATCH ONE.

A rude awakening as Manchester United completely dominate the match. They have 4 clear chances, 30 shots to our 5 and their 4-5-1 absolutely tears apart my 4-1-2-2-1. 14 of their 30 shots were on target and we're lucky the scoreline isn't more in their favor. Nevertheless, Stanojevic and Marrone both have a decent match for us.


2018 GROUP STAGE MATCH TWO.

Now this is more like the ASTANA we know. A tough draw at home against the German powerhouse Dortmund. About equal in shots though Dortmund had the two clear chances. Maksimovic had a great match and was unlucky to not score at least once. Still, to salvage a point against Dortmund has improved my opinion of this group after that Matchday one nightmare against Manchester United.


2018 GROUP STAGE MATCH THREE.

This year's Champions League seemingly won't go like last years. About even in shots, we dominated possession with 58% and yet we were firing from long range and couldn't find the net. Shaktar jumped ahead with a very early goal and then the two quick, stupid yellows to Luca Marrone at the start of the second half (in the 50th and 56th minute) guaranteed we wouldn't be leaving Ukraine with a point.


2018 GROUP STAGE MATCH FOUR.

I changed our approach a bit and it paid off, as we again dominated possession and picked up a much needed point in the group. We had 2 clear chances and buried one of them with Luka Jovic getting a great pass from Stanojevic and hammering it home right before the half. We played strong defense from then on out and stifled Shakhtar until that final whistle blew.


2018 GROUP STAGE MATCH FIVE.

Heartbreaking. Possession was so evenly split and yet we had the better chances of the night, two real good chances and we failed to take advantages of these opportunities and it came back to haunt us. Once again, an early goal put us behind and we chased the lead from then on. Man U were happy to sit back and let us come at them for long stretches of the second half and we couldn't put our chances away. This spelled the end of our run in Europe.


2018 GROUP STAGE MATCH SIX.

What a fitting end to our 2018 European run. A tightly contested first half that ended 0-0 and gave me hope came crashing apart almost as soon as the second half whistle sounded. We went ahead in the 49th minute off a corner and I was leaping out of my chair. Dortmund then responded with 2 goals in six minutes to break my heart. Luka Jovic, the ever-present forward with the big goals this entire European run, then pulled us even two minutes after Dortmund pulled ahead. I was estatic and we were pushing for a third and the lead when soon after, not TWO MINUTES AFTER JOVIC SCORED, Dortmund pulled ahead for good. The rest of the match was no contest as Dortmund held the ball and battered our defense, pushing for a fourth. It was a miracle we stayed strong and only lost by one but even that stung our pride and sent us back to ASTANA for the rest of the year bitter. There's always next year, I guess
2018 GROUP STAGE REVIEW.


A disappointing end as we crashed out with two of the same opponents from last year. Seems they've learned their lesson to not underestimate our Kazakh side.


Nevertheless, making it to the Group Stages is huge both in terms of increasing our treasure chest as well as building coefficient points and club reputation.


I have high hopes for next year's Champions League. Until then, thanks for reading!
​

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2018 END OF SEASON REVIEW.


Here was are, 2018 has ended and we're closing the curtain on another year in Kazakhstan. As usual, we've brought home the domestic double and that doesn't look like it'll stop any time soon. In Europe, we ha a very difficult Champions League campaign where our group was one of the strongest and we took last place. No worries, it's all a step on the stairway to European dominations. That's right. Manchester United, Dortmund, all of them will soon fear us as the horde we are. We shall bring a reign of terror across all of Europe that will know no end.


Soon.




2018 AFFILIATE.

A new piece to my end of the season will be giving regular updates on my Kazakhstan affiliate Baiterek.


As you can see here, Baiterek took first in the second league of Kazakhstan professional football, totally dominating the lower league and gaining promotion. Truly a good sight to behold. I have my doubts, however, that it wasn't just due to the loans I gave them and I fear they might not last long in the top flight of Kazakhstan football. As such, precautions must be taken to ensure Baiterek can replenish their roster and grow in quality.

I consider this an affiliate investment. I bought an utterly trash youngster for 10m, injecting the cash straight into the Baiterek coffers and giving them some funds to perhaps stay afloat in the top divison of Kazakhstan. We'll see how wisely they spend that money, however.




2018 CLUB REVIEW.

We did the double and did so undefeated and thus my captain loves me for it! Maksimovic is also 1 year away from being eligible for Kazakh nationality. We'll see if he gets a last minute call-up and gets tied to Serbia. That'd be my luck.

End of Season awards saw Merkel once again named the Fans Player of the Year. Maksim Fedin was the young player of the season as be continues to score almost as frequently as my forwards and he leads the Kazakhstan national side at the AMC.

Our finances are still quite healthy, with our coffers sitting at nearly 70m and a profit made every year. The Champions League influx of cash and grants almost make it impossible for us to not be profitably. However, we must continue to lock down Champions League football or we won't stay in the green for long.

The injury report continues to get deeper and deeper as the years go on. My starting RB, Konan out for months with a broken leg really tested us but also gave time for our youth RB prospect to grow and he took advantage of that growth. Mataev out for 2 months with a broken foot slowed his development and is another injury on his growing list. He's not injury prone yet but I think he might be and my coaches just don't know it yet. He's one of the most promising youngsters in Kazakhstan however so I'm hoping beyond hope he can put together a few seasons without injury.

Luka Jovic once against led the league in goals with 15. That's with him only appearing in 75-80% of our league matches as he was given a lot of rest between the Champions League matches. Cesar with 24 shutouts also was great as he has been a maintain in goal for us now for almost five years. But, without much statistical evidence to support him, Merkel took the top honors for PoM awards with 9. He just puts in consistent performances every match.

Here, in order, are my Squad, Reserves and Youth squad. If you'd like to see any players specifically, feel free to ask.

And finally the transfers for the year. For the second year in a row, not much in terms of incoming transfers, just prospects from around the country who I don't want to suffer in the below-average facilities of my domestic foes and a few Serbians here and there for my Serbian contingent. At the end of the two windows, we even stayed positive in terms of transfers, spending less than we took in, and that was a good thing to see. Mario Lemina on a free was a great piece of fortunate business and, even if I can't find a place for him going forward in my midfield, I could easily sell him for 1-3m profit.


That's my 2018 season, folks. Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. I look forward to what 2019 will bring, both domestically and across Europe. Thanks for reading, as always, and more to come
​

 

[Gaius Baltar]

KAZAKHSTAN
Cultural Learnings of Football Manager for Make Benefit Glorious Nation


2019 SPRING PRE-SEASON.


Well, here we are. It's been four years now at ASTANA. Much has changed in Kazakhstan and much more will change in the coming years.


I'm so excited to continue growing this club and nation and my interest has only continued to be renewed as the seasons tick by. I hope you are all entertained. It's going to get a lot more fun.

Competition review went as expected. A dominant pre-season, mostly at home, with one match way out in China for my Chinese affiliate. Season ticket sales looking good at 3774, up about 9%. Not the growth I want to see but decent and steady.


Finally, our commercial summary and profitability continues to look decent. New sponsorship with a 28.6% increase in value is encouraging. The great climb in the income generated by corporate and hospitality facilities is also a welcomed sight as we push to supplement our income. Our success and the prize money that came with it gave us a profit of 16.5m.




2019 CLUB/LEAGUE GROWTH.

Club coefficient has me sitting at 53rd and expected to rise to 44.3 from 37.3 next year, leapfrogging a lot of clubs near me. Still another 52 spots to climb

Not much growth in Club Value as I sit now at 123m. I've been investing a lot in youth and facilities but I anticipate that to slow as I reach the highest level of facilities soon and will then only be updating facilities occasionally.

The Super League du Kazakhstan sitting at a healthy 23rd, rising seven spots since last season. Our rise has been steady and I'm confident we'll crack the top 20 in the next year and top 15 by 2021. From then forwards, it'll be a slower, calmer rise as we cut through the meaty, more established leagues of Europe.




2019 PRE-SEASON SQUAD MOVEMENTS.

Two extensions in my squad. Grujic extends for another 5 years plus 3 year club extension. This should tie him down for the prime of his career as I seek to make him a legend at ASTANA. My youth star and future god of forwards, Garkusha, also extends with a 5 year deal and 3 year club extension. Only 18 years old but already 7 goals and a 7.12 average rating. 2019 will be a big year for Garkusha as Denilson's departure makes him my second choice in terms of strikers. He will have to battle with 2 Serbian youths for that second spot that is in no way guaranteed.

Two injuries in our pre-season friendlies. Never a good sign but the risks come with the game. Jovic going down hurts especially but both Jovic and Fedin are supported by young, promisng Kazakh studs so I'm excited to see the youngsters will be getting some match time.

My spring activity was pretty active when you see the transfer number. 15.75m in total spending. But that was spread across 8 players and 10m of which was spent on investing in my affiliate on one below average player. That was an affiliate investment, see below.

Otherwise, I brought in another 3 Serbian youths, including Dzafic who is very promising already at 19 years old and a French/Central African goaltender with massive promise and a cool last name.

As part of my growth, I decided it was time to sign a teacher. This is my first attempt as I found a high Leadership, good Determination player and signed him with the intent he will tutor my youth and help them become better men as they look to establish themselves in Kazakhstan league.




PRE-SEASON TOP 5.

1. Branislav Stanojevic, 19 - DM (C)


Having arrived at ATANA in 2017 for 750k from FC Red Star Belgrade, Stanojevic quickly established himself in my reserves side and was brought up quickly to the main squad. In his 38 appearances since that day, Stanojevic has an average rating of 7.71, scored once and recorded 6 assists. But much more than simple statistics, Stanojevic has been coveted across all of Europe as a future star and has refused to sign a new contract, saying he believes ASTANA and Kazakhstan are below him. Fro a 19 year old, his attributes are impressive and in Kazakhstan he is a god in our league. He regularly features in front of our defensive line and organizes our attacks in the deep lying playermaker role. He has two years left on his current contract and if I cannot extend him soon, he will have to be sold sadly.

2. Luka Jovic, 21 - ST (C)


The stellar signing that everybody who FMs knows, Jovic also arrived in 2017 and also came from FC Red Star Belgrade, this time commanding a fee of 1.5m to his club and 6.5m to his agent. Jovic was brought in to be the quality attacker I had so lacked my first two years in charge at ASTANA and boy has he delivered. In 50 league appearances, he has scored 28 goals and boasted an average rating of 7.28. A very easy personality, Jovic is happy in Kazakhstan and offers much in the way of his prowess in front of goal. A real fan favorite, Jovic looks to command our strikers for many years to come. He is currently locked down until 2022 with a club option to extend him another 3 years. That club option will certainly be triggered.

3. Nemanja Maksimovic, 24 - M (C)


A new member of ASTANA when I took command in 2015, Maksimovic arrived from Domzale a loan with a future fee of 2.7m that I exercised at the end of 2015. Since then, Maksimovic has featured nearly 100 times for ASTANA, grabbing 10 goals and 15 assists. Maksimovic is our stalwart at midfield, working tirelessly to connect the defense and attack averaging 7.69 in his four seasons so far with us and being instrumental in our success both domestically and in Europe at large. Maksimovic also has never appeared for Serbia and is 365 days away from being eligible to feature for Kazakhstan. Truly a club legend in the making, Maksimovic represents the future I am trying to build at ASTANA and I am very attached to this player. None of his attributes stand out but he is quality at many things and fills many roles for us besides being our captain these last three years. A legend.

4. Marko Grujic, 22 - DM, M (C)


My first splash in the transfer market, Grujic arrived in the fall of 2015 from FC Red Star Belgrade (are you seeing a trend?) for a fee of 2.2m and he has since then been a beast both in the DM and M roles of my formation. In these 4 years, Grujic has racked up 80 appearances and 9 goals, contributing with an additional 9 assists and an average rating of 7.53. Grujic is one of the main reasons I've been experimenting on new formations as I attempt to get my 3 quality midfields on the field, even if its only in Europe due to foreigner limits in Kazakhstan. Cut from the same clothe as Maksimovic, Grujic has no particular standout attribute set but is instead consistently quality on many levels. Also like Maksimovic, Grujic has never been capped by Serbia and currently has a little under two years until he is eligible to feature for Kazakhstan. As you can imagine, I am counting down the days hahaha

5. Ismaily, 29 - D/WB (L)


Another one of my early signings, I grabbed Ismaily from Shakhtar in January, 2016 for 2.3m. Since then, he's featured on 81 occasions, adding 11 goals and 12 assists, averaging a 7.84 match rating. Consistently quality on the left, Ismaily has been ever-present for us since signing. A fast player, Ismaily regularly exploits the low quality of Kazakhstan football to his advantage. Ismaily also has had the joy of knocking Shakhtar out of the Champions League on two occasions since arriving from the Ukrainian giants, much to their dismay. An average Brazilian LB at heart, Ismaily has never featured for Brazil and I have hopes he can give Kazakhstan 4-5 good years internationally when he is eligible in two years.


One thing to note that causes me much sadness. None of the my top 5 are Kazakh. This concerns me but I know I am early in my project here at ASTANA and I have hopes that in 3-4 years, this top 5 will be 2/3 or 3/2 in terms of Kazakh representation.
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