Just as a side note, I am prepared to locate screenshots for people if wanted, but bear in mind if you want one of a player, he's probably already retired.
 
Loving this story, love the commitment. Youve done well to even compete with Man city with the team they had
 
Loving this story, love the commitment. Youve done well to even compete with Man city with the team they had

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it! City are ridiculous on this file, with so many good players. I'm happy to giving it a good go, but with Simeone gone, this is definitely my chance to assert dominance.
 
small world

love this story. I am also a 23 year old (you may be 24 now) from Lincoln - although I support Leeds. Glad to see you go back!
 
love this story. I am also a 23 year old (you may be 24 now) from Lincoln - although I support Leeds. Glad to see you go back!

Not quite 23 yet, I've got about 3 hours to enjoy being 22 yet! Glad you are enjoying it though, I'm delighted to be back where it started as well
 
June 2033 - The End of Season Round Up

It's been a long, gruelling season as normal. Fixtures-wise, it's hardly been kind either, with some fun runs. It's been a enjoyable season though, with me being back at the helm of the club that I essentially raised from nothing to superiority. With Gallardo replacing Simeone at City, and a whole host of other changes to the league, it's set up nicely. We saw last time that our league form was imperious, but our cup form shaky at best. We teetered on the brink in Europe. So, did I manage to get us back on track?

View attachment 156466

View attachment 156469

View attachment 156468

Well, we were ****** good, I'll give us that. We were unstoppable in the league. We dominated from start to finish, and we seal our second league title. City finished 22 points back in the end, and were more in danger of being caught by 3rd place WBA than challenging us.

The cups did not see us improve, and we take no silverware from those. I'll have a proper go at them next season with the right players, and the right tactics.

The Champions League was a confusing beast this year. We didn't impress in the groups, we didn't impress against PSG and we certainly didn't against City. Yet, we reached the final against Monaco. Not only that, but we went and won it. No idea how, but neither me or the fans are complaining.

In terms of awards, there were 2 stand out players. Malenica, a January signing from Hertha came close with some great goalscoring form, but the awards for Player of the Year and Young Player go to:

Massimo De Rosa (PotY)

View attachment 156477
The Aussie is one of the best players in the world right now. Unstoppable at times, the utility player has made the right wing his own this year with Luis Felipe injured. Dazzling footwork, good eye for a goal, and can pick out a pass. He's more or less the complete package.

Sam Mitchell (YPotY)

View attachment 156476

A RW by trade, he's come through the team into a right back role through injuries. It's now his permanent role as well, with some stunning performances reminding me of Almeida in his best days. Only 18 as well, this guy should lock the position down.

Here are a few other awards to boot:

View attachment 156473

View attachment 156472

View attachment 156471

View attachment 156470

 
All Good Things Must Come To An End

It's time for me to write a post I was trying to avoid. After a long old haul of six months, and many game hours put in, I'm putting my journey with Lincoln out to pasture. Regrettably, I just haven't got the time these days to put together a worthy update or two.

That said, it's been an absolute pleasure to write this tale. From starting in the National League, to securing Premier League survival, to getting my mitts on the Champions League Trophy, I've thoroughly enjoyed sharing it with you folks. Whilst the file may continue in private, I'm glad that my final posts here detailed a triumphant return to my hometown club.

Keep an eye out in the future, as I have one further project to bring through on FM this year. It'll either be FM Base Mk III with a twist, or one of the Luis Garcia style stories. But for now - thanks for reading guys.​
 
This was an awesome story, I've been meaning to read it for a while and as I was sat at work procrastinating I gave it a shot!

Superb achievements with Lincoln, was sad to see you leave them but then great to see you rejoin.

I'm sure you enjoyed playing it as much as we did reading it!
 
This was an awesome story, I've been meaning to read it for a while and as I was sat at work procrastinating I gave it a shot!

Superb achievements with Lincoln, was sad to see you leave them but then great to see you rejoin.

I'm sure you enjoyed playing it as much as we did reading it!

I loved it, it ranks as my favourite FM save across any versions. I'm already looking forward to having another crack it again next year, and naturally, it'll all be documented on here.
 
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this story from start to finish. Reading your success wanted me to play the game more and more. Can't wait to read your new story.

Well done!
 
They say you should never go back...


...but here I am!

Two seasons have passed since I last updated here. Well, two and a bit, but I'll deal with the bit next time. When I made the decision to stop updating this, we were at the end of 2033, and what had been my best season to date. So, what happened in 2033/34? Did I carry on my dominance?

View attachment 143234

Erm... no.

Don't be fooled by the table, it wasn't that close. We just drew too many games in the end. In fact, we had very little to show for the season in total, with just the 4-3 aet win against Monaco in the CL final to show for the major trophies. City nicked the league, and then thumped us 4-0 in the FA cup to boot, to rub it in.

So, smarting from that dire campaign, we looked ahead to 2034/35. I made moves in the market to bring in some young English talent, and it paid off both for club and international level. A World Cup win in 2-34, defeating Germany 2-0 in the final inspired me and the team to a resounding success in England.

View attachment 143233

On the continent though, we suffered a horror show in Marseille. My former team were in inspired at the Stade Velodrome, and Eduardo Contreras reminded me why I signed him twice, scoring 4 in a 5-0 win. Shortly after, I confirmed I'd be signing him for the third time. We did take home the FA Cup, completing my first major domestic double after all that time.

And so to 2035/36 we get to. In a pattern that mirrors previous seasons, it's not going so well. We might have won matches, but the performances are patchy, and we only sit 4th in the league in this early stage. It's looking like this could be one of my roughest seasons yet.

View attachment 143232

Next time out, we'll meet the newbies, and find out who exactly managed to survive the last two seasons since I left the story behind. Keep your eyes peeled folks, Lincoln are back for a while to come.​
 
The Squad

As you would expect from five transfer windows, the squad has changed somewhat since I was last here. That said, there are a few familiar faces within that hold the squad together.

View attachment 143003

This is the eighteen from our recent game against Roma. The squad is all very standard apart from a couple of additions. Torrent joined us from Barca for 30m this season, while Hugo Ellis joined from Southampton after they were relegated, along with his academy counterpart River Gosling.

Scullion is a Scottish CB who cost me 30m from WBA, whilst Josep Moreno also joined this season from Barca, and is proving quite the substitute so far.

All in all for an 18, it's pretty solid. We have players outside that as well, with Ballinger and Dyche two notable inclusions in that. Ballinger joined at 16 from Bournemouth, with Dyche coming through the academy, and both are starting to impress. Meanwhile, Kevin Milton is with Palace on loan for the year after some finishing issues last time out, and Josh Binns (an Arsenal grad) is up in Geordieland for the year. We also have Contreras, but he is currently injured.



 
England

Being the England manager has its perks, and lifting the last World Cup is one of those. Since then, we've won the ENL, and pushed ahead with our 2036 European Championship qualifiers, to be hosted in Wales and Scotland.

View attachment 143000

The squad is an interesting blend of players, with young and old mixed together. The main absentee from this group was Marshall who was injured. Lee came in to make his debut though, and was pretty solid. Brannan of Leicester also has a proven track record as well.

At the other end of the pitch, we have a frightening set of options. Webb on the wing is superb to watch, and the man who came through the Barnet academy is Englands key player. Up front we have recent convert Taxi. Brazil's loss is our gain, and he has been unstoppable so far. Nuhu, Pullin and Broadhurst are all quick down the flanks, and Heath is a superb option to have. The Lincoln man suits playing two strikers, having supported Malenica so well in previous seasons.

Meanwhile, the leading caps and goals looks like this:

View attachment 142998

Experience wise, we have plenty available. A lot still make appearances for the NT, and are invaluable to have in pressure situations to calm things down.

View attachment 142996

Goalscoring is more of an issue though. Lynch no longer features, and neither does Cronin. The fact Taxi is 4th on my national pool for goals is somewhat alarming, and an issue that needs dealing with. Thankfully with Ballinger, Heath, Binns and Milton all coming through Lincoln, we may finally have a solution to that problem. Backhouse at WBA will also be a terrific threat once he comes through his teenage years.​
 
Before we get down to the updates of Lincoln's season, a quick look at the league history for the top 5 leagues in Europe, in ranking order.

Ligue 1

View attachment 142794

Unsurprisingly, a two horse race since the start in France, with PSG and more prominently Monaco dominating the league. The French have also started to dominate in Europe as well, finally usurping England. Needless to say, it would be nice to see another team challenge in France, but it wont be happening soon.

Premier League

View attachment 142793

Man City feature a lot as you would expect, with Arsenal and Utd picking up the occasional title. These days, it is a tumultuous battle between Lincoln and City for the top, with the majority of the big 6 having dropped significantly.

Bundesliga

View attachment 142790

The Bundesliga has been the most interesting league by far. Bayern, the old powerhouse, have almost dropped back into the pack, with Schalke and Dortmund being the dominant teams in this age. Leipzig popped up in there as well, but they have dropped back these days, as have Koln.

Serie A

View attachment 142791

Yeah... not really much I need to say about this one.

La Liga

View attachment 142792

Real Madrid remain the dominant team in Spain. Barca have tried to keep up, but Valencia and Villareal have arguably caught them up, and challenge them for 2nd on a regular basis. Atletico have dropped way back into mid-table obscurity.

Champions League

View attachment 142788

For the Champions League, there has been no massive shocks. Lincoln have picked up 4 titles, whilst in recent times Dortmund and Monaco have featured strongly. Spanish teams rarely make the final. Juventus, despite their Italian dominance, often fail to challenge the more competitive leagues.

Europa League

View attachment 142789

The Europa League has seen a variety of winners ranging from West Ham to Bayern. Ajax's title in 2025/6 remains the last notable action from The Netherlands, with the dutch league dropping down below Scotland to 10th.​
 
Last edited:
You're the first one to win the Champions League in two consecutive seasons and currently the only one!
 
Welcoming in the New Year

So, I have three months to update you with. I should probably get on with that really. Naturally, we start with the fixtures for that period.

View attachment 142305

So. Pretty successful then.

Realistically, it couldn't have gone better for us. You could perhaps argue that we conceded too many goals. However, we scored that many that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. With a larger squad these days, with plenty of strikers, I've had to do a bit of rotating, but it hasn't harmed our chances too much.

The United draw was perhaps the only blip but we then went and trounced their local rivals 6-3. That was probably my favourite game of the period, followed by the 4-0 win over PSG.

Match in Focus

I couldn't let that City game go without having a closer look, so here you go:

View attachment 142303

View attachment 142302

The performance to start with was very reminiscent of the Liverpool/Arsenal game of yesteryear, as we blitzed the Citizens off the start. By 13 mins, we were 4-0 up and coasting. By HT, it was 5-3. It was that kind of game really. City went down to 10, and missed a pen at 5-3, before a De Rosa wondergoal killed the game off completely. A proper top of the table clash.

Awards

View attachment 142301

Somewhat pleased with this. Juventus midfielder Rico claimed WGB/WPotY, but Luis Felipe came in a creditable second for both awards after a stunning season. TotY RB Sam Marshall claims Golden Boy for the second season in a row, and the 21 year old international still has an average rating of 8.30 in 90 league apps for the club.

Elsewhere, De Rosa claims Asian player of the year.

Record Breakers

View attachment 142300

I'm now really glad I chose him because I needed an HG player.

League Table

View attachment 142299

And lastly, the league table. We look to be in a two horse race as per normal. It's pleasing to see Liverpool back up near the top, but former club Leicester appear to be struggling. Top three players for the season also come from us as well, whilst the lack of top scorer demonstrates our players sharing the load.

Next Opponents:

CL - Monaco vs Lincoln

COC SF - Cardiff vs Lincoln

FA Cup 3rd Round - Lincoln vs Chesterfield

PL - Everton vs Lincoln

With the board giving me another 40m to play with this window, I should be in for a fun month. Hopefully it won't take as long to update this time either!




 
Last edited:
January 2036

Traditionally January is a hectic month, certainly at clubs that I'm managing. Instead, it turned out to be pretty tame. We'll deal with the incoming players first.

View attachment 141438

All three players are realistically signings for the future, but Mazinho stands out. The French/Brazilian winger started his career in PSG's academy, and he impressed in the lower levels. Loan spells to Aberdeen (twice) and Rangers were to follow, with his second spell at Aberdeen yielding a Scottish League Cup winners medal. It wasn't to be though, and upon finding him on the list, I snapped up the chance to acquire him before West Ham made a concrete bid.

View attachment 141433

The diminutive winger takes the number 7 shirt for us, and we will look for his trickery and guile to support Josh Davies on the left wing, especially after Massimo De Rosa's shift towards the centre of the pitch. Why PSG ever let him go for just 13.75m is beyond me.

And now, the outgoings.

View attachment 141432

Once again, nothing of massive importance. Aragon leaves after only 6 months, with the former golden boy failing to impressive after joining on a free. Sep Moreno also departs on loan, and I'm expecting him to leave in the close season. New recruit Fausto goes up to Scotland for 6 months, whilst Ballinger is off to Leicester. Milton is recalled back from Championship Palace, and is instantly off to Premier League Forest in a bid for regular top flight football; for my sake and England's.

Finally, we deal with the results for the month.

View attachment 141431

Pretty much spot on really. Everton gave us a rough ride at the start of the month, but we dominated from there. Chesterfield got dumped out the FA Cup, whilst Cardiff suffered the same fate in the League Cup. We face Spurs and West Ham in the 4th round/final.

So, where does that leave us? Still top basically. City did manage to drop back slightly to give us some breathing space, but it's still going to be a tough few months ahead of us.

View attachment 141428


 
One game to go

So much for monthly updates...

That said, it's all with good reason. This season has been so ridiculously close that trying to find a point to update without detracting from the tense nature of it has been difficult. So, without further ado, we'll start by looking at the table.

View attachment 140623

It is all still very much to play for across the table. At the top, Lincoln and Manchester City duel it out on the last day at the Etihad for the title. With City two points behind, all Lincoln need in Manchester is a point. Given the goalfest witnessed at Brown Park earlier this season, anything is possible.

4th Place sees unlikely contenders Aston Villa challenge Liverpool for the last Champions League spot. Both teams have had good seasons, and either way will get European football next year, but the extra money is always a lure.

At the bottom, it's between old club Leicester and Everton for survival. Leicester took a point at home to City last time out, damaging their title hopes whilst saving their own skins for another match. With the two teams facing each other at Goodison, that will be as feisty as the game in Manchester.

Elsewhere, United continue to go further downhill, as they look set to finish in the bottom half of the table. West Ham have nothing to play for, having beaten Lincoln in the Capital One Cup final, meaning they secure European football. Cardiff will join them on the continent if they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Speaking of the continent, the Champions League looks like this:

View attachment 140612

Once again, I am the least popular man in France. Monaco, Lyon and PSG all fall by the wayside as we reach the final with relative ease. Portugal do well in Europe with Maritimo and Benfica both putting up solid performances. The final itself will be at the Stade de France, and Real Madrid feature in it for the first time since 2028. That was also the year of Lincoln's first ever Champions League victory, and I'd be more than happy if we can come up with a repeat performance.​
 
The Two Trophies

To close our season out, we had two massive games - City away in the league, and Real Madrid in France for the Champions League. The big question is this - did we do enough to secure both titles and expand our silverware cabinet?

Premier League

We travelled to City knowing a point was all we needed. So we took all 3. With Xavier Torrent in fine form, we dominated the match to win 3-2, and seal the title in the den of our mightiest rivals. My former club Leicester couldn't quite save themselves, losing to Everton to go down, but we secure my 2nd title since my return. Kudos to Aston Villa as well, who secure Champions League football for next season. Man Utd also do, having beaten Celtic 1-0 at De Kuip for the Europa League final. Chelsea take home the FA Cup.

View attachment 140280

Following the match, a number of awards were dealt with:

Sam Marshall - Young Player of the Year and Highest Average Rating in a PL Season (8.42)

Luis Felipe - Player's Player of the Year

Sam Marshall, M Wallner, P Mukendi, Luis Felipe, M De Rosa, X Torrent - Team of the Year

Robin Van Persie - Manager of the Year (Not me, but this one amused me)

Champions League

One down, one to go. The short trip to France was easy enough, and the match was entertaining enough. More so for us though as the Spanish champions couldn't cope with a beautiful counter attacking display. Destroyers in chief Torrent and Malenica combined time and time again to terrorise the defence, as we sealed a 3-0 victory.

View attachment 140271

And now for more awards:

Xavier Torrent - Top Goalscorer - 14

Mislav Malenica - 2nd Top Goalscorer - 12, Best Player

Freddie Sands, Sam Marshall, Michael Wallner, Jose Exteberria, Cesar Neira, Gino Baack, Mislav Malenica, Xavier Torrent - Team of the Tournament

So, success on the home front. Can I do it again with England in Scotland/Wales?


 
Top