The Wanderer - FM 17

Good luck in the final, i'm sure you'll get your hands on the cup after breaking the points record in the league. Europe looking good considering you've already beaten FC Midtjylland and they've beaten Dnipro so fingers crossed for at least 2nd place in the group!
 
Ralph2211 said:
Congrats on another title, now for the Europa League. Knock out stages here you come!

Do you have a league team and a European/Big game team yet?
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Cheers. Really just depends on the condition of the players and what games we have coming up. As the league is already secured there have been quite a number of the fringe players playing the league games.
 
Shamrock Rovers Season 4

We are back at the RDS stadium for our EL game against Dnipro in the 3rd group game.

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A massive win as we secure our second win of the group. It was Holgate with the all important goal and the right back is developing a knack of popping up with big goals when they are needed. In the other game their was a big surprise as Midtjylland shocked Bilbao to open the group right up.

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We proudly sit top of the pile at the half way point. But with 2 away games still to come there is much work still needed. But needless to say we are delighted with our start and have put ourselves in a great position.

We have also had the Irish Cup Final against Cork City

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The back to back Quintuple dream is over after Cork City spoil the party. In fairness we cant complain as they where the better side on the day and fully deserve their victory. I must say that I have been mightily impressed with Cork City for the duration of my time at Shamrock Rovers and they have became a very good side. Also after the way the league ended last season know one can begrudge Cork City this success.

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We manged to win our last league fixture and in doing so set the League record points tally of 87 points. A great achievement from the club that will probably never been bettered again.

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I know this is called 'The Wanderer', but I don't want you to leave Shamrock lol!
 
Wilko said:
I know this is called 'The Wanderer', but I don't want you to leave Shamrock lol!
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I am starting to feel part of the furniture here at Shamrock Rovers and I would love to see what I could achieve in Europe over a period of time. But in terms of realism if a job offer has a sizable wage increase and the league/club has a bigger reputation I will have to consider it.
 
Shamrock Rovers Season 4

All that is left this season is Europa League action and as with last year our extended run in Europe means that our holidays have been put on hold til the group stage has ended.

We are off to Ukraine to take on Dnipro in the 4th group game.

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A night of disappointment in Ukraine as we come up just short. There wasn't much between the sides an a draw probably would have been a fair result. But as it is we have a long journey back home with nothing to show for our efforts. In the other game Bilbao get back to winning ways in a high scoring encounter against Midtjylland.

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Bilbao return top spot as the group really tightens up with 2 games remaining. We are still in a good position within the group and have a massive game next away to Midtjylland.
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Shamrock Rovers Season 4

We travel to Denmark in high hopes of getting a result that will keep our qualification hopes alive.

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Incredible stuff again from the boys in green as we come back from Denmark with all 3 points. A fantastic result and another big game performance. The other game also see Dnipro shock Bilbao in Spain.

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The table looks extremely good for Shamrock rovers fans as we are very close to becoming the first Irish side to qualify for a knockout round of a European competition. We have Bilbao at home in the final game where we no that a draw will be enough to see us through. Even a defeat might still send us through depending on the other result.

In other big news we have also been offered a trio of interviews. Scottish sides St Johnstone and Inverness CT as well as English Championship side Oxford. We have attended attended the St Johnstone and Oxford interviews to see what they have to say.​
 
Shamrock Rovers Season 4

Its crunch time in the Europa League. We are back at the sold out RDS stadium in Dublin for the game with Bilbao. We know that qualification is in our hands if we draw or win we are through.

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Incredible. I am running out of words to describe some of our performances in Europe over the last couple of seasons. An amazing result in which we played some terrific football against what where the number 1 seeds in this group.

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Not only do we qualify but we do so by topping the group and in doing so become the first Irish side to contest a European Knockout round tie. We have also been awarded 500,000 for topping the group along with 300,000 for every win along the way.

We are very excited to be in the draw for the knockout stages and when we glance down the possible opponents it would be easy to mistake this line up for the Champions League itself.

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A great draw for us as we get a very winnable tie against Ludogorets. We as always will go in as underdogs but we have been drawn at home in the second leg which is off a slight advantage and we are reasonably confident we can be more than competitive again on the European stage. These knockout games will actually be played at the start of the Irish season next year as the Irish league operates a Summer league. So for the mean time the players and staff are off to take a well deserved holiday.

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Shamrock Rovers Season 4


Just when we thought the excitement was over for this season we have a big decision to make. We have received as serious job offer.
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That's right we have been offered the managers position at Oxford Football Club who are currently an English championship side. I am currently earning 1,000 p/w at Shamrock Rovers and the offer currently on the table with Oxford is at 5,000 p/w. On top of that the club and league reputation is a lot better than what we currently have here at Shamrock Rovers. It would be a great place to get the foot on the ladder of the English game and it is the first championship side to show any interest in me. On the other side we have just created history with Shamrock Rovers becoming the first Irish side to qualify for the knock out rounds of a European competition and I would quite like to see that through. I have delayed the offer for week until I make my decision but i really am on the fence with this. We know we are going to have to make the jump up from Shamrock Rovers at some point but is this the right time? is it the right club?​
 
You can't leave Shamrock now! You might win the Europa League! Can you put it off until then end of the season?
 
Shamrock Rovers Season 4

Well we have packed our packs and have set off for a crack at the English game. As we mentioned in the last update Oxford made us an offer that in the end was to good an opportunity to turn down. We leave behind a great football that we can proudly say we have taken back to the top of Irish football. We leave the club in a great financial position as well as a star studded squad. Our achievements at Shamrock Rovers have been more than we ever could have dreamed off when joining 3 an bit seasons ago. Our achievements are as follows:


3 x Irish Premier League Titles

2 x League Cup

1 x Irish Senior Cup

2 x Presidents Cup

3 x Leinster Cup

First Irish team to qualify for the Champions League group stage

First Irish team to qualify for the Europa League Knockout rounds


Oxford Season 4

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As we settle down in our new office it doesn't take long to notice that there is plenty of work to do at this club and not very much time to do it. Oxford find themselves in the middle of a relegation fight in the championship, exactly where the preseason predictions had suggested after being promoted last season.

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A quick look over the playing staff and it was obvious to see why. The squad lacked any real quality and was based more of a hardworking midfield. The first thing that jumped out straight away was the lack of goals and this is something that will have to be addressed urgently.

Oxfords story over the last number of years has been one of mid table league 2 side who now find themselves in the Championship after 2 promotions in a 4 year period. If you where in any doubt that this was probably a promotion to soon for the club a look at the finances would certainly put you straight. With the lowest wage budget by a considerable margin in the championship, already well over the set wage budget and very little if any transfer funds it is clear as day this club is punching well above its weight in this division.

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At least the board are a realistic bunch with my objectives to fight bravely against relegation and be competitive in the FA Cup.

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With only a few days before our first fixture in charge there will be no honeymoon period here and we must find a way of competing for every point on offer. The transfer window will be coming up next month and that may give me a chance to shape some sort of a squad together with a bit of wheeling an dealing. I am very much looking forward to a different kind of challenge than we had at Shamrock Rovers and hope to have a positive effect on this club.​
 
Oxford Season 4

With only matter of days between arriving at oxford and what would be my first competitive fixtures the team selection was left to my Assistant who has been in and around the squad for the last number of years and knows the players. I have went for a basic formation with a defensive base to it to try and grind out some much needed points.

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Well if we where in any doubt about the size of the task we have taken on we have been very much reminded in our first few games in charge. It has been a difficult start with us losing our first 3 home games by the smallest of margins each time. We have actually looked a lot better away from home where we are able to sit deep and counter teams as they over commit. There has been a number of positives so far, one being that in all the games we have been competitive for the the entire 90 minutes and have always been still in the games which does give us a chance of picking up points. The other big plus is that we actually have a goal scorer at the club in the form of the experienced Nick Blackman and as the saying goes if you have a goalscorer you always have a chance.

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The recent set of results has seen us slip into the relegation zone 3 points from safety. Not and ideal start to our life at Oxford but we are actually enjoying the challenge and can take enough confidence from our performances that we will soon start to pick up points.​
 
Oxford Season 4

Ok so we have just had the January transfer window and have had some time to try an put together a team capable of escaping relegation.

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Transfers Out:
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We tried to get rid of as many as the high earner that wouldn't be regular starters. It meant having to accept cut price deals for many of them but we where happy just to get them of the wage budget. All was reasonably quiet until very late in the window Rangers came in with a 1.2 Million pound offer for target man Denny Johnstone. Denny is someone we would have liked to keep around but with the money we got we where able to add someone of genuine quality for this division.

Transfers In:
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My first piece of business was to head back to Ireland and pick up young 17yo Eddie Browne from Cork City. Eddie is someone who my scouts raved about when at Shamrock Rovers but as we didn't play wingers there was no need to bring him in. We are very much going to play wingers and we ended up battling it out with Liverpool for his signature which should tell you all you need to know about his quality. We also welcomed some old Shamrock Rovers players that we had sold on for big money at the time in on loan. Unfortunately my excitement got the better of me when I seen Nolan's name and missed the part where he had already played for 2 clubs this season meaning he is actually unavailable for the entire season. The other big player to arrive had got everyone at the club very excited. The Denny Johnstone money was used to bring in Chelsea player Jeremie Boga. Boga is a quality addition and is something of a surprise that we where able to tempt him to Oxford. It is a massive boost to our survival chances and I would even go as far as saying that if we are to stay up this year it will be because of Jeremie Boga.

Eddie Browne:
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Jeremie Boga:
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We will be hoping for an immediate impact from our new men as on the field things are beginning to look less positive.

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A horrible run in the league that saw us loose all 3 league games since the last updated. we still haven't been able to pick up a home point which is a bad sign. In the FA we did progress through to the 4th round where we got spanked my West Ham. The only positive from this was the money we earned from a sell out London Stadium crowd. Again Nick Blackman has been carrying the fight up front but just hasn't had the support and young Eddie Browne also weighed in with a nice debut goal.

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Our position hasn't changed from the last updated but the points gap is now 6 from safety. It is fair to say we have had a pretty rocky start here at Oxford but again the performances in general have been ok and have deserved more than we have got. Hopefully the new signings will bed into the squad pretty quick and we start heading in the right direction.​
 
Quite a challenge you have with Oxford, I'm a bit torn as I'm glad to see you getting a move to a Championship club, but I would have loved to have seen how far you went in the Europa League!
 
neavie pops23 said:
Quite a challenge you have with Oxford, I'm a bit torn as I'm glad to see you getting a move to a Championship club, but I would have loved to have seen how far you went in the Europa League!
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Yeah one I am surprisingly enjoying very much as it is something completely different to what we had at Shamrock Rovers. I will be keeping a close eye on how my old club does in the knockout rounds. The European football was the one thing that was making me think twice about taking the Oxford offer but in the end the challenge and opportunity was to big to turn down
 
Good luck with Oxford. Any plans to import a few Shamrock players?
 
Oxford Season 4

Our survival chances have just taken a major blow as the news come through from the medical department that Nick Blackman will likely miss the rest of the season after picking up an injury in the Wigan game. The go to man for goals up top has been carrying the sides scoring burden since we arrived and will be a huge miss for us going forward.

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Without out main man we are hoping one of the younger strikers at the club can step up and take their chance.

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Results wise it has been a lot better this month as we pick up two away wins. We have actually picked up every point away from home since I arrived and haven't won a game at home yet. This is a first for me in FM as i would normally struggle away and have good home form. We need to find a solution as if we can maintain the away form while picking up few home wins we will headed in the right direction.

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Despite our form improving we are still 5 points from safety as the other teams have also started to find some form. With 11 games to go we still have enough time to turn this around and beat the drop.​
 
The 1-0 loss to Bolton was a bit of a blow especially on the back of a good away win against Wigan, but as you say still 11 games to go and time to turn it around.
 
****, was hoping to see how Shamrock rovers did. Ah well, good luck at Oxford!
 
Oxford Season 4

We start this update with more bad news, another long term injury to one of our key men. Joe Rothwell has broken down and will now miss potentially the rest of the season. Another major blow.

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Results wise the importance of each game was increasing with each week as we where looking to scramble to safety.

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In what usually would have been a decent run against some top sides we really do need to start turning those draws into wins and 3 points. Young on loan striker Kessou came into the side and has performed quite well in Blackmans absence.

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The gap is still 5 points and although we have picked up a few results Bolton have gone on an run of their own and seem to be picking up some incredible results. At this stage the battle looks to be a 3 horse race between Oxford, Bolton and Birmingham with Charlton all but relegated already. There is now an international break for 2 weeks and when we regroup again we will have 7 massive 'cup finals' left in the league, where we will need to win at the least 4 to have a chance of surviving.

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