New Year New Life: The Story of a Journeyman

[LutterworthFox]

April/May & 1 Game in June 2023

An amazing run but we tried to bottled it towards the end, was it enough to grab a play off spot?

Of course it was, but only just!

 

[killy]

Great read , thank you! Keep up the good job.It was very entertaining.The challenge you are up to is very interesting , can`t wait for the next update.

 

[LutterworthFox]

Great read , thank you! Keep up the good job.It was very entertaining.The challenge you are up to is very interesting , can`t wait for the next update.

Thanks so much for your kind words mate, just playing the play offs now, to say its nerve wracking is an understatement!

 

[LutterworthFox]

2022/22 La Liga 2 Play offs + End of Season Review

Semi Final v's Valladolid

A fantastic 2-legged result in a game where we were massive underdogs. Now to the 2-legged final for a place in La Liga!!
Final v's Cadiz

1st Leg

A good solid draw but we should've won, onto the 2nd leg!
2nd Leg

We have only gone and ****** done it! An amazing result, we played superbly. Palencia are on their way to La Liga!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely incredible, let's take a look at the squad who gained promotion:

You may notice a player missing and that's winger Ivan Hrutska who I only signed at the start of the season, that's because he asked to leave as Auxerre put a bid in, what I didn't know is when I accepted he would leave straight the way so missed the 2nd leg, no a bad deal though, I signed him for £650k, he left for £1.8m rising to £2.2m in add ons
And here are my 2 best players:

And here are the end of season reviews screenshots:

Here are our budgets for next season, absolutely ****** amazing!

Now I guess I have to stay for at least a season and see if I can guide the club away from relegation! It's gonna be tough but I love a challenge!

 

[LutterworthFox]

2023/24 Pre-Season - Palencia (Spain - LA LIGA!!)

Outs

Hruska I mentioned in my previous post as he left before the playoff final. A few first teamers have left but I replaced them with players of way better quality. I lost Gazivoda, Ballardo and Moreno who all featured quite a lot the past few seasons but didn't want to renew their contracts. Silly choice in my opinion seeing as they had the chance to play in La Liga. There are also quite a few youth players in there who were just taking up space.

Ins

A massive rebuild but definitely needed. Lots of signings so click their name below for their profile.

• Markus Juunikka - Defensive Midfield
• Fran Garcia - Left Wing
• Eneko Martin - Central Defence (Youth)
• Javi Rudi - Right Wing
• Mario Hermoso - Left Full Back
• Franklin Joseph - Central Defence
• Alvaro Garcia - Left Wing
• Gorka Lopez - Striker
• Giorgi Aburjania - Central Midfield

Some really good signings, we have definitely improved the squad massively. But it's still gonna be a huge challenge trying to stay up.

Hopefully the players can bed in quickly and we can get off to a half decent start.

Pre-Season Friendlies

Mostly easy friendlies as pre-season was quite short due to how late the previous season finished. Some pretty good results and some good performances.

Odds and Expectations

As expected we are predicted to come bottom but those odds aren't that long, be interesting to see if can get anywhere near survival.


And a final word on the finances! Talk about a boost! At the end of last season we sat at £5m, it's now £20m. This is due to a one-off payment for TV Rights for La Liga of £17m and monthly payments of £1m. Our finances are projected to be £51m at the end of this season. That is AMAZING!

 

[LutterworthFox]

August/September 2023

To say we are out of our depth would be a HUGE understatement! Look at those kick-ins, they are bad enough but you kinda expect that. So in the other games you need wins, something we haven't managed to do yet!

If this continues I will do as planned and actively look for a new job with a view to leaving at the end of season at the latest. I don't wanna hang about in Spain much more than another 3 or 4 seasons so need to improve my rep and club as quick as possible to make sure I win the League in that period of time. I don't want this save to get boring or stale and for me the best way to stop is to move clubs/nations every few seasons (I've already been here 4).

 

[LutterworthFox]

I know I have quite a few people reading this so I would like your thoughts.

I always play a save because I enjoy it and do what I wanna do but didn't wanna do anything without consulting my readers.

I am getting absolutely smashes with Palencia and tbh it's killing my enjoyment of the save, we are so rubbish for this league we just can't compete. The issue is in Spain the normal 3 are running away with everything and there is no way I will get a job with them for the forseeable future.

So my thought is to move country to the nearest bordering one, so that's either France, Andorra or Portugal. The problem is I will be leaving without winning La Liga, does anyone have a problem with that?

I want to progress this save and keep it fresh and enjoyable not only for you but also for me, and at the end of the day I need to enjoy it first and foremost. Your comments are appreciated

 

[LutterworthFox]

October/November 2023

Absolutely f*cking terrible but...... WE WON A GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If only I could find the gunshot emoji! Maybe it's time to get the **** outta Spain? I'm bored of Paella and these Spanish girls are getting boring now

 

[LutterworthFox]

December 2023

One month?? What is this? Well I just couldn't wait until the end of January for an update. Look at how well we are suddenly doing?!?!?!!?

We have won 3 league games in a row, YES 3 LEAGUE GAMES IN A ROW!!! What have I done differently? Nothing! Just a team meeting to raise morale.
We are suddenly looking alright, solid at the back and sharp up front. Crazy, maybe the players know my intentions and don't want me to go. Well it's not your choice!

So now we are no longer bottom and only 1 point from getting out the relegation zone! Crazy!
So I 've had 1 job interview with bottom of the table Espanyol who are predicted to end 9th, I was going to take it if I was offered it but not sure anymore, we will see.
I have applied for a few jobs in France and been offered interviews with Stade Rennais and Montpellier but when looking at their dire financial state I declined the interview

 

[Tom26]

Enjoying the read mate, really like the idea as well.

If I were you, I would look at moving on and coming back to Spain at a later date - you've done a good job at Palencia with back-to-back promotions so I think you've earned a pass here.

Quick question though: how would you go about winning the continental competition in all 6 continents if you can only move to a neighboring country?

 

[LutterworthFox]

Enjoying the read mate, really like the idea as well.

If I were you, I would look at moving on and coming back to Spain at a later date - you've done a good job at Palencia with back-to-back promotions so I think you've earned a pass here.

Quick question though: how would you go about winning the continental competition in all 6 continents if you can only move to a neighboring country?

Thanks for the nice comment mate, yeh I think ill see how the season finishes and definitely leave at the end

As for yuor question, the idea is to get around the world as quick as possible but I know that obviously it'll be very hard to get far enough around to win all 6 but it's worth a try!

 

[yescomeon]

If it is to the detriment of your motivation to progress the save that I think it is fine for you to relax the 'win a title before you move country' rule. I think you could win La Liga, obviously not with Palencia, but if you could eventually get a job with a side like Valencia, Sevilla or Villareal then you might be able to win the league with them. That would still take a good few seasons of work.

I'm enjoying the story so would continue to read whatever you decide, but La Liga is one of the top leagues in the world, if you were move on and win some smaller European leagues I think that is cool. Regarding moving only to bordering countries. You're in a but of a cul-de-sac on the Iberian Peninsular, France would be a much better option for a move than Portugal, frees up more future possibilities, but still not the easiest league to win. I'm imposing a similar restriction on a save I am doing and I am counting ferry routes as borders (comes from playing risk I think), Palencia is only 3 hours on the train from Santander and there is a ferry to Plymouth there (unless you are still hiding from the ex-wife).

[Edit: Have you got additional leagues loaded because you have Morocco and Algeria nearby?]

 

[LutterworthFox]

If it is to the detriment of your motivation to progress the save that I think it is fine for you to relax the 'win a title before you move country' rule. I think you could win La Liga, obviously not with Palencia, but if you could eventually get a job with a side like Valencia, Sevilla or Villareal then you might be able to win the league with them. That would still take a good few seasons of work.

I'm enjoying the story so would continue to read whatever you decide, but La Liga is one of the top leagues in the world, if you were move on and win some smaller European leagues I think that is cool. Regarding moving only to bordering countries. You're in a but of a cul-de-sac on the Iberian Peninsular, France would be a much better option for a move than Portugal, frees up more future possibilities, but still not the easiest league to win. I'm imposing a similar restriction on a save I am doing and I am counting ferry routes as borders (comes from playing risk I think), Palencia is only 3 hours on the train from Santander and there is a ferry to Plymouth there (unless you are still hiding from the ex-wife).

[Edit: Have you got additional leagues loaded because you have Morocco and Algeria nearby?]

Thanks for the nice comment. Yes I do have all the extra leagues loaded that I downloaded in the Classen megapack. I said at the start that if I got to a "cul-de-sac" or a dead end then I would move to the a country Ive not already been to that I was able to get to without hopping over a country so if I was in Portugal I could potentially go across the Atlantic, down to Africa or up to the UK so plenty of potential destinations.

 

[dani3w]

I know I have quite a few people reading this so I would like your thoughts.

I always play a save because I enjoy it and do what I wanna do but didn't wanna do anything without consulting my readers.

I am getting absolutely smashes with Palencia and tbh it's killing my enjoyment of the save, we are so rubbish for this league we just can't compete. The issue is in Spain the normal 3 are running away with everything and there is no way I will get a job with them for the forseeable future.

So my thought is to move country to the nearest bordering one, so that's either France, Andorra or Portugal. The problem is I will be leaving without winning La Liga, does anyone have a problem with that?

I want to progress this save and keep it fresh and enjoyable not only for you but also for me, and at the end of the day I need to enjoy it first and foremost. Your comments are appreciated

Superb work getting to La Liga mate, but on the note of the quote above, you need to play the save to your enjoyment and keep it going mate, can't wait to see what you decide to do.

 

[LutterworthFox]

Superb work getting to La Liga mate, but on the note of the quote above, you need to play the save to your enjoyment and keep it going mate, can't wait to see what you decide to do.

Thanks mate, that's exactly what I will do but didn't wanna move away from my original aim without sounding the readers out. After guaging all the response it's clear people don't mind. So I have a plan to move to either France or Porutgal next, have a couple of seasons there and a bit of fun then hope to the next bordering nation, obviously if I go to Portugal there is no other bordering nation so will either hope over the Atlantic or down to Africa

 

[LutterworthFox]

January/February 2024

We beat Bilbao! What a win! Form as you can see has been patchy but a **** sight better than the start of the season.

We are still out of the bottom 3 but my god it is tight. I'm definitely going to be leaving at the end of season at the latest, this would we one **** of a way to sign off!

 

[LutterworthFox]

March/April 2024

After a slow start in March, April has been so much better and that little run at the end of the month means........

With 3 games to go it is SO tight!! We are in pole position to stay up but our final 3 games are not easy. We have Bilbao and Barca away! Luckily we have a little buffer on the bottom 3, what a time to hit a bit of form, we are now in our highest position since the 1st game of the season!

 

[LutterworthFox]

May 2024 + End of Season Review
3 games left can we do it?

3 defeats, not good but the Barca and Bilbao defeats were expected, the Levante game however was the killer, we were 17th, they were 19th. But did we survive?

No we didn't, absolutely gutting, we put ourselves in with a great chance of staying up but blew it at the end. Overall though it's been a decent season especially after the really poor start, we had some epic wins, some bad defeats and some absolute kick ins from the big boys.
Here is the squad:

And here is my best player:

And here are the end of season review screenshots:

So my time at Palencia ends with disappointment but in the 5 season we have had 2 promotions and an epic journey. It's now time to move on with either France or Portugal on the horizon, stayed tuned!


​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​

 

[LutterworthFox]

NEW CLUB!!
It's taken a very long time for the right job to come up. I applied for and turned job a lot of them but then a job came up, not the biggest but something very very interesting.

Red Star FC in the 2nd tier of the French League, am I mad I can hear you asking. But here is the reason it's so interesting.

They have a tycoon chairman!! Oh **** yeh. 2nd tier of French football and a £5.4m transfer budget. This is gonna be fun!
Here is a little bit of history off of their Wiki page:
Red Star Football Club, also known simply as Red Star (French pronunciation: [ʁɛd staʁ futbɔl klœb]), is a French association football club founded in Paris in 1897. The club currently play in Ligue 2. As of 2016, Red Star plays its home matches at the Stade Jean-Bouin[2]​ as their traditional home, Stade Bauer in Saint-Ouen does not meet the necessary requirements of a French second tier stadium.

Despite the club's long spell under a semi-pro status, Red Star has a rich history. The club was founded in 1897 under the name Red Star Club Français by French football legend Jules Rimet. Rimet later went on to serve as president of both the French Football Federation and FIFA. The original FIFA World Cup trophy was named in his honour. Red Star is one of the founding members of Ligue 1 and have spent 19 seasons in the first division; the club's last stint being in 1974–75. In cup competitions, the club has won five Coupe de France titles, which is tied for fifth-best among clubs.

So it's currently March 2025 and Red Star are 13th in Ligue 2.

9 games left, we aren't going down and are way too far off the promotion spots (top 2 automatically, 3rd in a promotion play-off). So a few games to assess the squad with no real pressure.
Here is the 1st team squad:

Here is the reserve squad:

And here is the Under 19s
:

Here are who I think are my key players:

We do have a very very good squad, they just need to improve morale and we can definitely be pushing for promotion next season.
Here are a few other random club screens:

Finances currently aren't that good but I expect the Tycoon chairman to pump money in and as and when required.
So what are my aims for my 3 or 4 seasons in charge?
I want and expect promotion next season, stability and staying clear of relegation is the aim for season 2, then I want to get Red Star European football before I move on.

 

[LutterworthFox]

[FONT=&quot]2024/25 End of Season Revie & Final 9 Games
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[FONT=&quot]With only 9 games left it was always gonna be tough but after a few games of rubbish draws we have actually played very well and a nice little run of wins. We did lose our final game but that was our only defeat.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We jumped a few places which was nice. I am quietly confident we can definitely push the top 3 next season.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Most of the players performed pretty well and I won't look to change too much for next season. Maybe sign a DM as I like to play 4141 or 41221 and replace the 2 outgoing loanees. We do have some good players in the reserves who I may look to promote and sell a few of the underperforming or unhappy players.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Here are the end of season reviews screens:[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]So a nice end of season run and it looks good, hopefully we get some decent budgets and we can make a few small improvements to the squad.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]See you at the end of pre-season[/FONT]