Football Is Bonkers

As you may have guessed from my previous comment, and the title, the end of the season became pretty absurd. I'll come to the absurd part shortly, but first, what happened to Napoli?

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A 5th place finish, that's what. I should be delighted with that, it's Europa League, and a massive turnaround in my first season. However...

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The previous manager had screwed the club so much financially that we failed FFP. I got us back under the threshold in January, then it dipped again in June, and I couldn't stop the process from there. I was angry more than anything, which led to a massive decision on my part.

I'm unemployed again. That lack of Europe would cost Napoli for seasons, and it put an unwanted blemish on my career. So I walked. Finding a new job wouldn't be difficult. Failing that, Lincoln just sacked Klopp, I could go home.

Instead Lincoln pinched Deschamps from Real Madrid, who reject me. It boiled down to two offers - Fiorentina and Marseille. Those who followed Luis Garcia last year know I enjoyed my time with Fiorentina, and I have played OM before back on FM 12. So it was a tough choice. In the end, this happened...

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I'm off to France! One of the strongest leagues in Europe right now, I'm looking forward to putting OM back in the mixer. Monaco are the dominant force in the league, with PSG and Lyon snapping at their heels. However, there is also a new potential superclub on the horizon, which brings me nicely to my next section.

2031 - The Year of the Tycoon

I said it had all kicked off. Since March 2031, I have had no less than 6 tycoon attempts, possibly more. There are some still ongoing as well. These were as follows:

Auxerre - Successful

Bologna - Failed

MK Dons - Successful

Notts County - Became a Consortium

Willem II - Ongoing (EDIT - failed as I typed this post)

Bologna (Again) - Became a Consortium.

4 months, 6 possible tycoons, it was ridiculous. I'll have to deal with Auxerre this year, whilst MK Dons are in league 2. If Willem II goes through, they will have to deal with FC Utrecht, who already have a tycoon powering them to the league title this season; a title which ended Ajax's dominance. Meanwhile, in Portugal, Maritimo have successfully turned Portugal's big 3 into a big 4. The only real failure was Southend, who meandered after getting their tycoon.

So with the world order not so much changed, as tipped upside down, this season will be one of the highest spending, and utterly bizarre. I still expect more tycoons though, so this could get even more bonkers yet.


 
OM - Season Preview

So before we begin, we just have enough time to examine what I've done in my time in France. With our first game being Thun in the Europa League Qualifiers, I've made big moves to try and revolutionize what was an aging squad. A few club legends have left, and a few favourites have arrived.

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I made that 34m transfer budget go a long, long way. We'll get to my biggest signing in a second, but you'll recognise a few names on that list. Contreras, Almeida, Ouattara and De Rosa all join me on the south coast. I wanted to bring in players I trusted. In the time since I left Lincoln, some of my key players fell out of favour, so I'm repaying them for helping me win that league title.

You'll also notice that I brought in Serdar Celik for 35m from Hertha. The Berlin based team have had a resurgence in recent years; this coming mainly from their youth academy. When I joined, it was highlighted that I had two keepers; aged 19 and 17. So naturally, I bought a 21 year old to be first choice. That said, he has 16 caps for the national side. This is him:

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The lad has serious potential, and some serious stats. He should become OM's number one for many seasons to come.

Other signings see a couple of younger players join us, whilst Juan Faria adds some steel to our defence.

In terms of transfers out, I sell a few of the players that helped OM win the EL in 2028. I can appreciate their service, but I want a younger squad with my design on it, so they don't quite fit.

This is the current first team squad after my spending spree.

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I'll be looking to utilise my younger players as well, but I like where this squad is headed. Give it a couple of seasons, and I think we can take the Ligue Un title, but it's going to need to be slow, steady progress.​
 
It's All About The Kids

One of the things that was made abundantly clear to me when I joined Marseille was that I needed to focus on my youth prospects. The club has a long history of bringing players through their academy or bringing young players into the world spotlight. Such players include Marcel Desailly, Didier Drogba, William Gallas, Franck Ribery, Robert Pires and club legend Jean-Pierre Papin have travelled the fabled path, and now it's time for me to help the next generation.

The Stalwarts

Currently, there are a couple of players that are regular starters under me that have come through Marseille. Those players are below:

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Coezy is the club captain, and a consummate professional. I came within inches of signing him for my Lincoln team in the middle of my reign, before the signing of Tello came up. He's been at the club for 17 years, making 363 league appearances, and scoring 135 goals. Needless to say, he's the focal point of the team.

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Thiago is a Spanish left back who initially joined the club's academy in 2022. Since then, he has become the first choice on the left side after a couple of loans. With the ability to play at defensive midfield as well, he is one of the more versatile players in the team.

The Golden Generation?

So having met the two players best placed to talk about the academy, it's time to look at the generation I've been tasked with bringing through. Some, like Serdar Celik, have come in from other clubs, but I'm pleased to say we have a few home grown talents to work with.

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Armand Akakpo was one of my first signings for the club. The young striker cost £2.9m from FC Metz, but as far as I can tell, he looks the part. The youngster is quick, and already has a wonderful eye for goal, and I'll be looking to blood him early.

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Mathieu Vial looks like he has a good future as well. A solid enough defender, he was highlighted as a key youth prospect when I first joined. I'll be working on bringing him through slowly, probably in the cups, but he should see some time on the pitch this year.

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Goretta is someone I'm very excited about. The kid can see the pass before it happens, before controlling and dispatching the ball with ease. He reminds me of a young Aleman. A quick, agile player as well, Goretta should become an OM and French legend, especially under my tutelage.

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Michaud is another player who was brought in, this time from Nantes. Again, another quick player; I see him as the long term successor to Coezy down the right. He does need to work on his crossing, and dribbling though. As such, I'm monitoring him in case I decide to convert him to CAM.

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Kayembe is another transfer in from Nantes. Not my doing though, my HoY pulled the strings here. You won't catch me complaining, the centre back looks like he could be a solid partner for Vial in the future, and I'll be pairing them up where possible.

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Lastly, there is Beukenkamp. The Dutchman is very good for his age, and reminds me a touch of Depay in his prime. He's definitely in and around the squad this year, and will start in the cups as a certainty. Watch out for the name, this kid is going places.

The HoY

To bring through my new generation, I needed a Head of Youth Development that I believed would be able to bring through quality players. David Salavert was just the man I wanted. I went back for Speakmann, my ex-Lincoln HoY, but he'd just joined Arsenal. Salavert has a good reputation, and based on the fact that he's brought in Michaud and Kayembe, I'm confident he'll work out well here.

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Another Star Of The Future

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Originally, I wasn't going to sign anyone else before the window shut. That's before I noticed Arsenal tracking this young fella at Feyenoord. A quick look at him shows me all I needed to see, and I wrapped the signing up within hours. My striking options are starting look very good for the future.

Meanwhile, the August update should follow later today.​
 
Omg alot can happen in a few days, last i saw all was rosy and comfortable at lincoln, next thing youve left lincoln rescued napoli from relegation. Joined your home nation to rescue them and now attempting to rebuild a fallen giant,
Good luck the team youve built over just 1 window looks very promising!
Ill make sure i dont fall behind again lol.
On a side note, lincoln didnt want you back?!?!?!
 
Omg alot can happen in a few days, last i saw all was rosy and comfortable at lincoln, next thing youve left lincoln rescued napoli from relegation. Joined your home nation to rescue them and now attempting to rebuild a fallen giant,
Good luck the team youve built over just 1 window looks very promising!
Ill make sure i dont fall behind again lol.
On a side note, lincoln didnt want you back?!?!?!

I didn't reapply, I'll be back there one day, but not just yet, I'm off around Europe first.
 
August 2031

So, you've met the new players, mostly. Now to find out if they can actually kick a ball, or whether I've signed the next Ali Dia. We'll be kicking off our season in Switzerland, where we go to play FC Thun. For a first game, it was a very successful trip, scoring 3 away goals.

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We thumped in the second leg as well, as we reach the Europa League playoff easily.

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The Europa League delayed the start to our league season, so we eventually kicked off with a derby game against Nice. We started solidly, and Coezy and Contreras both continued their goalscoring form to give us our first points of the season.

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Djurgardens in the EL should have been easy, but we contrived to get a draw with their only 2 shots on target. Something tells me I need to work on my defence still.

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We followed that up with a drab 0-0 draw with Metz. In a similar fashion, we dominated the game, and got nothing. We can't afford to drop points like this.

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No escape this time for Djurgardens, as we thump them in the Velodrome. Two goals for CB Ruiz and a goal for Beukenkamp were the highlights as we reach the group stage.

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That group is as follows:

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West Ham may be a threat, but we should get out easily from this. I've never won the Europa League, I wouldn't mind starting now.

Lastly, we play Angers, where yet again we can only draw. I'm less than impressed, but it is definitely something I can work on with the defence.

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Undefeated in the early stage table. Lyon top, but I expect PSG and Monaco to fight them yet.

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I said it before, I said it again, Football is Bonkers!

I will get to Marseille in my next update. But first, we have something way more entertaining to look at - the Euro 2032 qualifiers to look at. And oh boy, it's a stunner to look at.

Group A-C

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England and Romania see off a relatively easy group to go through. England drop points twice against Greece but I'm not too aggrieved; it was a solid effort from us.

Northern Ireland are our first surprise, as they go through over Croatia. Israel will be also be joining them in Portugal, but that was a rough group where four teams were in it.

The Czech's destroyed group C, while Denmark pip neighbours Norway to the second spot from the group. Remember, one second place team doesn't qualify. Three spots are gone, only six left.

Group D-F

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And we've found the unlucky loser. Spain are the ones to miss out after a dismal campaign. Belgium dominated the group, but the lack of the former world champions and current Euros holders will stir things up.

As will the lack of the French team. They lose to Wales and Scotland in what counts as yet another shock. Wales proved to be a very defensive team, and their eight goals was the second worst in the group.

Italy and Sweden both avoid the curse on the bigger teams. However, the shock in this group was Austria finishing fourth. Azerbaijan have one of their best campaigns to date to finish third.

Group G-I

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Another group, another giant falls. Germany are goners this time, with Turkey and Ireland going through. What that also means is that we have all five home nations going to Portugal this summer, huzzah!

Moving on, and Holland and Poland get through an easy group unscathed.

Switzerland weren't so lucky though, as the 2022 World Cup winners drop out. Ukraine and Slovakia should be challenging enough though.

Group J

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Lastly, Serbia and Russia join the party. Serbia go through with a 100% record, and Russia will need to prove they aren't just also-rans this time out.

So, utter chaos. Major teams out, all the home nations, the tournament promises to be superb. It's also the best chance England have of winning a tournament in a long, long time. We have to seize the opportunity.

Next time, we finally get back to the south of France, where we find out what OM have been up to since August.


 
Marseille - The Story So Far

So I promised I'd update you on Marseille. Well, it's been a while for them; six months in fact. However, I am still no nearer to deciding whether this is the club for me. The board have been fine, the fans turn up in droves, and the players are good, but it feels like there is something missing.

Let me expand further. When I was at Lincoln, I had a purpose. With Napoli, I had good intentions, but I was screwed over. With Marseille, it doesn't really feel as if they have enough. It doesn't help that France has two new tycoons in PSG and Auxerre. The club is almost going backwards.

To an extent, this has been seen on the pitch as well. Marseille just haven't performed there either. We've got the possession play spot on, but scoring is an issue. We then concede a silly goal, and repeat it the next match. It's frustrating.

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I've written us off for Champions League this year, we've been way too inconsistent. Hopefully we can do enough to get Europa League. Speaking of which, we get Leverkusen after topping our group. God dammit.

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So, what now? Well, I'll be staying in France for the time being. If a challenge I like the look of comes up then I'll consider it, but otherwise it is just focus on the end of the seasons, and the upcoming Euros.


 
Isnt moving to a team towards the bottom of the league a huge step down?
 
Isnt moving to a team towards the bottom of the league a huge step down?

I see them as a challenge. Besides, I spent three years living in the city for university, so I have personal ties to it.
 
A Homecoming Of Sorts

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So, it's official. I'm a fox now. To say my enjoyment of the file has gone back up would be accurate. This is promising to be one of the biggest challenges I've faced in my management career.

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Why the challenge? Well, one look at the league table tells you why. We have 10 points. That's right, just 10. We are 13 off being safety. I'm not sure what Giggs was doing, but he wasn't doing it particularly well. I've got a hefty challenge on my hands just to get us a win.

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The fixtures don't look kind either. My first two matches at the King Power are Spurs, and Lincoln. That'll be rough for me. I still have big teams to play. My only consolation is that we have the FA Cup. I'll be aiming to challenge in that, but ultimately survival is my only goal for this season.​
 
Going Full Circle

I've got a lot to cover here, so this will be slightly chaotic. Bear with me folks, as you have throughout.

Leicester City

So, first we deal with the Foxes. Seemingly stranded, in horrific form, the works. Let's be fair, I've put my reputation well and truly on the line. Someone summon an ostrich.

As always, we lead with the league table...

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The ostrich summoning worked. Leicester survive. All it needed was the right signings, and just a little bit of luck to kick start our campaign. That match was this one:

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An absolute humdinger, but we won seven of our last remaining 10 games from there. That win gave us enough confidence to really kick on. Fabry and Pujol finally proved why I signed them as well, and they became key in the run in.

We'll get to my first pre-season with the Foxes shortly. Next up though..

Euro 2032

At the time of writing, the tournament hasn't finished.

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And that's why. We're in the final. The group stage was simple, and we breezed through it. Serbia on the other hand was very, very rough. We should have won that game with ease, but a late equaliser sent us into extra time. Thankfully, we did the business. Sweden was also very straight forward, but the 2 day turn around to the Spain game was ridiculous. Our players were completely shattered.

On the plus side, a first England goal for Chelsea midfielder Dawood saw us home. We'll be playing the Dutch in the final; a match between the two most in form teams of the tournament. It promises to be a classic.

Pre-Season

So, with my international goings on to one side, back to Leicester. Or, well.... maybe not. This season saw two massive retirements hit the Premier League. Firstly, Diego Simeone, arguably City's most successful manager ever, retired from the helm at the Etihad; replaced by Barca's Marcello Gallardo. Could City's dominance finally be over?

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Well, the man best placed to do it was Didier Deschamps at Lincoln. But..

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You guessed it, he retired. So there is arguably a power vacuum at the top of the league. The way I see it, there is only one man to fill that vacuum...

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I'm back.
 
just read this entire story. Loving it, glad to see you've gone back To Lincoln. Looking forward to seeing a couple more league wins.
 
Euro 2032 Final

Before I get back to business at home, there is the small matter of the European Championship final to deal with. England have been one of the form teams of the tournament, but Holland, our opponents, have been just as good. They did lose to Scotland though, so anything is possible.

Having rested a few players in the game against Spain, not necessarily by choice, we are back to a full compliment for the match. Lynch has been well, our Lynchpin, for the tournament so far, and we look to him again to fire us home.


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It wasn't our greatest performance, but it is our first ever European Championship win, and our first major silverware since '66. Unsurprisingly, Lynch scored yet again, and from there we sat back a little. The Dutch were then somewhat sucker punched as we broke quickly for Jamie Morris to score his first ever England goal, and all but seal the trophy. Celebrations all round at the final whistle, and I look forward to progressing further on with this squad in future, and maybe also within my own club squad.

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Home Sweet Home

So, having returned to my old team, I've got some work to do. The first thing to address is the Premier League. This is the winners record for the last 5 years:

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City 5-1 Lincoln

I really need to tip that balance back in my favour. The loss of Simeone is a massive blow to City, but joyous to me; I always had issues trying to break through the Argentine's team. Gallardo is good, but is he good enough?

I've also got the team to look at. This is the best 18 from my title winning season:

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Not that many remain anymore. A few are at OM, and Aleman at Napoli. I've also sold some of that team since I joined as well, to make room for a change of policy. It'll be a similar idea to what I wanted at Marseille; working with the kids of the future. The Lincoln squad I inherited was a touch too old for what I wanted.

That's not to say that I am getting rid of all the old guys. Woloshen still survives me, and I'm delighted to see Baack, Sakanoko, Luis Felipe and Sands still with me among others. I also have English legend Bradley Lynch at the club, who I know I can get the best out of. Plus, Mark Morrison remains; the first real success story of my new and improved academy.

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Transfers-wise, I had a clear policy in mind - young players, preferably home grown. We'll come to a couple of them in a post I have planned to follow this one. However, with the additions I've made, I'm pretty confident I've secured the clubs long term future. I am still trying to secure the signings of some of my England squad though - my delayed arrival from Leicester somewhat cost me as some of my key players left to other clubs. Some I signed for Leicester before I left. Call it a parting gift.

(For the record, Boukerche was not my signing, and he's ****. Off he goes.)

Do the results match the revamp though, and have I been successful?

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Well, kinda. Ignoring the Community Shield, my first league meeting with Gallardo remains inconclusive. It's not a defeat though. The rest was all straight forward, and it is nice to see that Lynch is continuing his fine scoring form. Also nice to see Leicester on form. I expect to see them do well this year.

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Champions League


Ajax, Lincoln, Dynamo Kyiv, Viktoria Plzen

Manchester City, Porto, PAOK, Red Bull Salzburg

Real Madrid, Lyon, Sampdoria, West Ham

Juventus, Barcelona, Maritimo, Tottenham


 
September/October 2032

So, with transfer dealings out the way, and the draws made, it's time to get to work. We need to hit the ground running this first couple of months and set a benchmark for my new reign.

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Or... not. Our league form is great, I have nothing against that. Three draws are a little much, but I'll cope. What is disappointing is our cup form. We're out the League Cup to championship side Stoke; a real disappointment. Our champions league appearance has been poor as well, with only four points. I was expecting all nine.

I can to a certain extent attribute our lack of consistency to the sheer number of injuries we've had. Luis Felipe broke a foot, Neira is out for 2 months, as is Woloshen and Lynch. Baack only just returned, and Sakanoko, Wallner and Fernandez still have a way to go.

The upside is that our youth players have performed admirably at this difficult time. Here is a selection of those that have stepped up below:

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