Wagner Love - A SpVgg Bayreuth Story

[KidBlink56]

Haha, i've been doing nothing but reading this for quite a while now. In fact.... I don't even remember what I got on my comp to do.... That's FM I suppose. Great story so far. Without doubt, one of the best on the site. I will definitely be following.

 

[Micky Pain]

MARCH 2015

With the end of the season drawing ever closer, a few more targets are popping up on the radar for the next transfer window.
With the team really progressing as a unit, just about the only area I want some real big signing in is my defensive midfield, as it has become painfully clear that we have absolutely no one to fill the shoes of Bonaventura should he be unavailable.
I have a few targets in mind, but no where near enough transfer money to make an offer right now.
Although painful, the departure of Weiss at the end of the campaign might not be as hard a blow as initially anticipated, with the young players really progressing, and I am confident to fill the vacant spot in midfield rather fast.

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DFB POKAL 2015 - SEMI FINAL

The semi-final in the cup was one of those games that we completely stole from a far superior opponent. Although keeping the shots on our own goal to a very small number, we were having even less threatening moments in attack ourselves.
Skuletic scored both goals for us with our only shots on target during the entire match. He was at the right place at the right time during an early counter attack, and popped up once more close to the final whistle, after we had to withstand heavy pressure and only an ever-present Meza in goal allowed us to keep a clean sheet.
A very lucky victory sees us through to a record first cup final in late May.

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In almost a complete reversal of last weeks game, this time we were the clearly dominant team, but almost succumbed to leathal counter-attacking. Not quite innocent of complacency I lined up a rather weak team with mostly second-stringers against the dead last team in the league, but their lowly position belied the tenacity that was demonstrated by Dusseldorf on this cloudy March evening.
Although always threatening, it was our opponents that took the lead in the second half, and just when I was getting ready to grease my vocal chords for the post-match screaming in the dressing room, Andre took it upon himself to score the equalizer after a stunning solo effort.
Certainly not the result I was hoping for, but after reaching the cup final I was still too joyous to take too much offense by our sub-par performance.

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It seems our dreaded drop in form has begun, as we once more dominated a game in all aspects but getting the goals.
With more than six times as many shots on goal than our opponents it still took us well into the second half to score the equalizer, and were almost denied the win again before Feghouli hammered in a free-kick from close range against only ten men left on the pitch for Bielefeld.
Against a stronger team it might not have been enough, but I am glad we did pick up the vital points in the end.

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Once more not an empty seat to be found in the stadium, and the capacity crowd saw a strong battle for the top spots in the table.
It was a very vivid battle, with lots of dangerous situations on either side in which a brace by Petar Skuletic was enough to secure a vital narrow victory against a very strong Werder Bremen side.

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Despite not getting all the points in our three league fixtures, we made up ground to the top spot, now only one point behind Stuttgart in the table.
Even better than that is that we have all but guaranteed ourselves a spot in a European Competition - we need one single point to allow a lowest possible finish of 6th place.

The highlight of the previous month was undoubtedly to progress to the DFB Pokal final, a match that will see us face Leverkusen in May.

The coming few matches will shape if we can make a push for the title.

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---------- Post added at 02:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 PM ----------

Haha, i've been doing nothing but reading this for quite a while now. In fact.... I don't even remember what I got on my comp to do.... That's FM I suppose. Great story so far. Without doubt, one of the best on the site. I will definitely be following.

Thanks for the comment.
I just hope to avoid your wrath if you realize I kept you from something important....
Micky

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---------- Post added at 03:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

APRIL 2015

With only a few games left in the campaign, it is already save to say that we have achieved all but the most optimistic goals I set for the season.
Going in, I was aiming for a European Competition slot, and unless we loose every single one of our last games, the "worst" that can happen is a Europa League spot.
I knew we had a strong squad from the start, but actually being in a position to challenge for the title was something I didn't even dare to consider at the start.

With so many sell-out games at home, I took the trip to the boardroom and inquired about a stadium expansion, and it looks quite likely that we will see some reconstruction work in the off-season. It is still to be seen how much capacity we can add to our very small stadium, but anything will be an improvement.

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Although finishing with a very narrow score, it was close to a no-contest for much of the time.
It never seemed to be the question if we score, but rather when. Sergiy Sribnyi scored first close to half-time, and although we conceded the equalizer, it only added to our determination to put a couple more behind an overworked Bochum goalkeeper.
Bacci gave us back the lead with a header from a corner kick before Andre once more showed his amazing pace by completely outrunning the defense.
The late Bochum goal came as nothing more than consolation, and was too late to shift the balance in the game.

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A fairly even game against mid-table Hannover ended with a brace by Robert Zeher, scoring twice for the only goals in the match.
Although we had the luck on our side with two crossbar saves, it was nonetheless a well deserved victory against a determined but ultimately lackluster opponent.

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Underachieving FC Bayern seemed rather nervous right from the kick-off. They looked nowhere near the dominant side that was predicted to record a comfortable win prior to kick-off, and although the chances were evenly spread between both sides, it was Andre and Bacci that gave us the lead early in the first half.
Seemingly growing frustrated, the Bayern side resorted to a lot more physical , culminating in a second yellow card for Hyland, giving us the advantage in players as well.
Switching to a more containing style of play, we held the opposition at bay during the second half before Feghouli succeeded once more from a free-kick to complete the scoring.

Certainly, a fantastic performance and a great result against a team that I still consider the best in the league, despite a bad season.
To add insult to injury, todays defeat eliminated the last chance for FC Bayern to qualify for any European Competition.

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A game that could have very well decided the outcome of the season ended up changing very little. A once more sold-out Hans-Walter-Wild stadium witnessed the battle of the top two teams in the league.
Only a man of the match Enke in goal for Stuttgart saved a draw for a side that only managed two shots on goal.
It stings even more than that one of those two shots managed to find its way past our keeper, but a deflected Tagliani shot leveled the match not much later.
We were very much on the brink of taking the lead, but were time and time again denied by stellar goalkeeping, and so the match ended with an unlucky draw.

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With only two short matches to go, we dropped one spot in the league on goal difference. But if we perform well in our last fixtures we still have very much a shot at glory, as the last match day will see Dortmund and Stuttgart face each other, giving us a chance to overtake at least one of them in the table.

Not much left to do other than trying to keep our nerves in check for the final sprint.

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---------- Post added at 04:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:43 PM ----------

MAY 2015

A healthy and motivated squad is ready to take on the last three games of the season, and regardless of what happens, it will be the biggest success this club has ever seen.
Getting so close to the top it's only natural to want it all, and I can only hope that my players are in the exact same frame of mind.

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Still fighting to stay afloat in the league, Nurnberg seemed not as much determined to to win the game as they were to vent their frustrations accumulated over the season.
It was one of those games in which entertaining attacking play was too often brought to a halt by late tackles and and overzealous defending.
It took us a lot longer than it should have for us to score the first goal against a Nurnberg side that had only nine players left on the pitch.
Weiss scored in the second half, re-directing a free-kick into the corner of the net before Andre outran the entire defense once more to add to the final score.

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A very spirited match to end the season saw us face a very strong Leverkusen team. Although being pushed back into our own half for much of the game, we limited the attackers to mostly harmless long-range attempts.
Just before half-time we conceded the first goal under very questionable circumstances, but Vladimir Weiss equalized at the hour mark. Getting more of the game in the second half, we were close to taking the lead with a number of dangerous attempts on goal, but ultimately were beaten once more on the counter to steal the point from us in injury time.

Disappointing result, but even a win would have changed nothing as Stuttgart dominated their last two games to claim the title.

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The last whistle has blow in the last game of the season, and once more we were the surprise package of the league, finishing as runners-up in the table with a guaranteed spot in the group stages of the Champions League.
Although getting as many points in the league as last years Champions, FC Bayern, it was not enough to take the title.
Apart from how well we performed in general we can also take heart in the fact the we never lost to the league champions Stuttgart, winning twice and holding them to a draw during our three meetings.

All that is left now is to pick up our spirits from last weeks defeat and face Leverkusen once more, in the final of the DFB Pokal in only a few short days.
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---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 PM ----------

More later. Gotta finish some work so I can use Photoshop for something other than work.

Micky

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---------- Post added at 06:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------

DFB POKAL 2015 - Final

The last game of the season, the cup final against a team that has beaten us only a week ago, and it became quite apparent that everyone in our team was determined to set the record straight.
If not for Rene Adler in goal, it could have ended a rather high-scoring affair, but he thwarted all our attempts in the first half, before Skuletic was denied no more to give us the lead.
I was proven wrong in my hopes that we would take complete control of the game, as our score only serves as awake-up call for our opposition, testing our own goalkeeper Meza time and again, until we finally succumbed to the pressure and conceded the equalizer.
A hard-fought battle went into extra time, before Andre was brought down in the box, allowing Robert Zeher to score from the spot for this historic win.
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History in the making, not only the first time ever in the clubs history to get to the final, but actually taking the title with us.
After loosing twice to Leverkusen in the previous season, it was all the more satisfying to get the victory in this dramatic final game. Oh yeah....

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Once more, an unbelievable season for us.
I would have never dreamed to come this close to even lifting the title, neither in the league nor in the DFB Pokal.
To be honest, the best I was anticipating was a spot in the Europa League, but to actually qualify for the Champions League is beyond spectacular.

The biggest "Low" this year is to loose Weiss in the upcoming transfer window, as he has developed into a star player, and a big part in the clubs success to date. We managed to get a good deal of money from the deal, so I hope I can fill the void fast, but it is still a sad moment to see him go.

After a stunning season, a number of our players were recognized with awards in the league, and well deserved I might add.

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With the last jubilant fans stumbling home after a great season, all that's left for me to do is show you the line-up that made all this possible:

A few weeks of deserved rest is all that separates us from the new dramatic season, from our first ever appearance on the European Stage and from the rest of our lives.
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END OF SEASON 6: 2014/2015
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[Mahmoud ElHamawy]

awesome story mate cant wait to read next i am loving ur team and ur determination to win everything i mean next season u can get the bundesligue and champions league in the season after tht just hope u get enough funds for transfers..

 

[Micky Pain]

SEASON 7: 2015/2016

PRE-SEASON 2015

The previous season ended with the announcement that for the first time ever we were included in the listing of the worlds wealthiest football clubs.

I still wonder why we weren't the main climbers, as we came from nowhere and ended up higher than the official "main climber", but, whatever.

Through very little transfer spending and great league and cup bonuses, we managed to become the fifth richest club in German football.
We are still in need of improvements in the sponsorship department, although we signed a new 1.21 Million per year deal.
I can only hope that a respectable showing in the Champions League will get some more investors interested in our team.

Constructions have begun on the stadium expansion, expected to take five month and adding 10.000 new seats, and both our regular and youth training facilities will also see some further improvements.

To no surprise, the board is getting used to the recent success, so they expect nothing but the best:

Not exactly a monster-budget for transfers, but at this point I am only in true need of a cover for the defensive midfield position.

I'll comment on the Garcia signing in January, as this is once again the transfer screen for the whole season.
Micky

Another rather quiet transfer season in terms of players brought in.
I had a number of targets for the defensive midfield throughout the last season, but many deals collapsed, whittling down the list to only a small number of players.
It came down to Salami, Lars Bender and Adrien, and although I still think we payed too much, the Portuguese player seemed the best deal.
Salami would have been asking for almost three times the wages I was willing to pay and Bender would have very likely cost in excess of 35 Million, and so in the end I am rather happy with the deal for Adrien that cost us 5 Million up front and monthly payments for the coming four years.

The other deal that I just could not turn away from was Hatem Ben Arfa, whom I sweet-talked all season long until he decided to leave Marseille at the end of his contract to join up with us.

The only other deal that I would have liked to see happen was the signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic after he left Barcelona, but at the last minute we were beaten to his signature by Inter.

On the other side, we finalized the deal for Weiss, joining Palermo as agreed upon last season.
We send two players on loan to our new feeder club Burghausen, and our young promising striker Fernandez will get a chance to play for Deportivo for a sizable loan fee.
With more than adequate cover in the midfield I also decided to part ways with Mahoto and Nainggolan in what I consider rather good transfer deals, and sub-par Teixeira will get an opportunity to play for a club more in his skill range.

There's a number of somewhat promising youngsters coming through our own ranks, but at the moment not anywhere near a standard that would warrant giving them a first team spot.

So, here is a more in-depth look at my key signings for the coming season:

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We played four friendlies to get ready for the coming season and to allow the new signings to blend into the squad, and although the opposition was more on the weak side of the spectrum I am quite satisfied with the performances.

I feel rather confident to be able to field a strong team with more than adequate cover in all areas of the pitch. Just about the only position in need of a good cover now is the left wing-back, as my current back-up is a solid substitute at best, but not really up to the task to fill the shoes of Franca in case of any long-term injuries. My scouts are once more on the task, and I am confident we can find a good addition to the squad in the coming months.

As it stands, the season will see us with this first-choice line-up:

Once more, a completely German-free German football team, but with many players being at the club for some time now, and having been signed rather young, I am only two spots short of the home-grown requirement for the Champions League - and those are easily filled from my youth squad.

In a few days, the new campaign will get underway with the first round of the DFB Pokal before we enter the season with the highest expectations to date.
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---------- Post added at 10:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 AM ----------

JULY 2015

With only one match in July, the first round of the cup, there is not much that can be said in the build-up.
Pre-match press releases have indicated that the most our opposition is hoping to take out of the game is a sizable gate revenue from playing a team of our stature, and for all intents and purposes, it should be a rather easy fixture.

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DFB POKAL 2015/2016 - ROUND 1

It's always nice to start the season with a relatively easy fixture, and this cup tie against Pfortzheim proved to be just that.
To say that we dominated does not do our performance justice: we prevented even a single shot, let alone any on target and held the ball in our possession for the majority of the game.
A debut goal by Ben Arfa started the rout, and after Bacci and Skuletic put their mark on the game, he added one more at the half-hour mark.
With a more careful playing style to avoid unnecessary injuries, it took until the second half before Andre scored his first of the season for the final result.

Exactly what was expected, nothing more and nothing less.
It is always nice to see the new signings making an instant impact, and now we can enter the current season on the back of a solid showing in the cup.
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AUGUST 2015

On paper it should be a rather easy month, but football is decided on the pitch and not in the betting bureaus. Nevertheless, I am reasonably assured that we can hit the ground running.
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The season started with yet another one of those games in which we managed to make the oppositions keeper the man of the match by pressing, threatening and hitting the target from all angles only to be denied by the man with the gloves.
We were clearly the dominant team, never in any real danger of conceding a goal, but lacking the little bit of luck needed to convert more than two of our numerous chances.
Petar Skuletic gave us the lead early in the game, but despite our complete control over the game it took well into injury time to record the well deserved second goal when Andre was to be denied no more.

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Having faced the agony of relegation two years ago through our doing in the play-offs, Hertha BSC was ready to exact revenge on us and took no pause to score the first goal of the game in under one minute.
They were a formidable opponent, with only very solid defending and goalkeeping on our side preventing their lead from increasing, until Korotetskyi proved once more his areal dominance by converting a header from a corner kick.
The game could have shifted either way, but in the end neither team managed to take full control and we left with one point each.

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This game with very few chances on either side turned into a one-man show by Andre, splicing through the defense time and again to record a more than deserved hat-trick.
Within the first few minutes the game was effectively over with Andre scoring twice. The consolation goal from the opposition come early abut had little impact on our hold of the game as we regained the two goal lead quickly with Andre's third of the game before Josue put the finishing touch on the game after coming off the bench.

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Our first ever victory in the Iduna Park saw us face a seemingly demoralized Dortmund side - only two short days ago the were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers through a heavy 10-0 aggregate loss against Barcelona.
Al the better for us, as it made it even easier to outplay our opposition through wide stretches of the game, starting right from the bat with a Petar Skuletic goal in the opening period.
More concerned with solid defense it took us close to the hour mark to record the second and final goal of the match with a rocket of a free-kick by Feghouli.

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With the first handful of fixtures being played, we are off to a great start.
We have claimed the top spot in the table and are still running in the DFB Pokal.
The team seems to perform quite well as a unit, although I have been given notice that Ben Arfa is showing signs of home-sickness - something I will have to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

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[Mr.T]

Ben Arfa on a free (H)
Great transfers bit ambitious from the board though for such a little budget, but they must (like myself) have complete faith in Micky Pain!
All roads lead to the German Title

 

[ELMaestro]

great story mate. trully inspiring. I myself am German and come from Memmingen who happen to play in the Bavarian Oberliga as well. You have me seriously considering trying something similar, though i'm too lazy to write an intensive story like you did. Already downloaded that database that you used for Oberligen. What you have achieved so far is tremendous, I wish you good luck with the rest of your goals.

 

[Micky Pain]

SEPTEMBER 2015

Although we start with almost two weeks of free time, the rest of the month will be rather congested with three league games, a cup game and our first two Champions League games.
Certainly a testing fixture list for our small squad.

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A sold-out stadium saw us battle once more with one of our fiercest competitors.
In the fight for the top spot in the league it was Leverkusen that managed to score first in an otherwise even match-up.
As a game that was mostly fought out in midfield it featured very few really threatening moments, and it took us well into the second half until Bacci rose above the pack to connect with his head from the corner.
A deserved, but nonetheless somewhat lucky draw for us at home today.

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In our first ever competitive European fixture we were considered slight underdogs against the Swiss league champions Zurich, but we turned all predictions on their head right from the kick-off.
Andre came out to test the opposition from the start and was rewarded only minutes in with his first goal. A quick double from Ben Arfa added to the score before Andre popped up once more for his second goal of the game.
Brown Ideye only added to Zurichs misery with an own goal before Christian Bruels added the icing on the cake with a spectacular volley from the edge of the area for the final score.
I don't think I could have wished for a better performance in this historic first Champions League fixture for us.
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With confidence high coming in from last week, we were almost robbed of the win by a determined Bielefeld side.
Dominant play in all areas of the pitch saw us snap the lead when Ben Arfa found himself some space to beat the goalkeeper one-on-one, but several lapses in concentration eventually lead to us conceding the equalizer close to the final whistle.
A last-ditch attacking play was ended abruptly when Andre was brought down in the box from behind, but then calmly stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty for a narrow win.

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DFB POKAL 2015/2016 - ROUND 2

2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin came out to play, confident after a good run in their own division, but was outclassed right from the start in this heated fixture.
Within three quick passes Petar Skuletic found himself through on goal and calmly converted the first shot of the game for the lead and only minutes later added yet another to his tally. Andre increased the lead to three goals at around the half-hour mark to put the game beyond doubt in the first half.
Ben Arfa than put his mark on the match before leaving the pitch, allowing his replacement Christian Bruels to score the last goal in a purely dominant performance.

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The good run at the start of the season continued with a strong showing against Hannover, a team that despite their lowly stature in the league always puts up a good fight.
On this day it was the strike-force of Skuletic and Andre that scored the only two goals of the match, giving us a comfortable win in a tight month.

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It seems that the news of our participation in the most prestigious club competition has not reached our dear fans, as only an embarrassing crowd of just over 3000 fans came out to see us play our first home fixture of the Champions League.
They might have very well intended to spare themselves having to watch a heavy defeat, and although we played strong attacking football for much of the game, they would not have been that far from the truth.
A lapse in concentration saw us concede a goal early in the first half, and despite pushing for the equalizer throughout the game, it was ultimately Genoa that added one more, breaking our will to take back the game for good.
Genoa is quite possibly the strongest team in the group, but I was nevertheless hoping to ****** a point at home to keep the hope of progress in the competition alive.

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After a packed month of September, we are still in the top spot in the league, winning all matches except the fixture against our closest contender in the league.
We had a solid performance in the Champions League, although the defeat against Genoa might put a damper on our ambitions.

I am particularly impressed with Ben Arfa up to this point, as he was always a threat in the games he played and already racked up a sizable amount of goals.

Although it's only early in the season, I am very pleased with where we find ourselves at this stage of the season.

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---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:09 PM ----------

great story mate. trully inspiring. I myself am German and come from Memmingen who happen to play in the Bavarian Oberliga as well. You have me seriously considering trying something similar, though i'm too lazy to write an intensive story like you did. Already downloaded that database that you used for Oberligen. What you have achieved so far is tremendous, I wish you good luck with the rest of your goals.

Thanks.
I can only encourage you to try lower leagues. I normally end up with a Leeds save, but this is the first other team that I ever played for more than two seasons.
It's certainly a challenge to start in the Oberliga, especially in terms of getting players, as you can't really rely on the "usual suspects" and have to find amateur gems to see you through, but so far this is probably the most fun I had playing FM.
When I started to write this down I never envisioned how much work it would be to keep this going, but it's a great experience to relive those great moments again and share them.
Not sure if I ever make another story like this when I'm done here as I'm spending more time with the story than with the game, but getting some appreciation certainly makes it worthwhile.
Micky
P.S. We used to beat Memmingen on a regular basis when I was still playing ice hockey growing up, hehehe
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[ELMaestro]

i was wondering with which leagues did you start ur game cause i couldnt find some of the players in my database ingame that you mentioned. would be a great help since im starting now with memmingen thx

P.S. I still play icehockey though not at a club anymore^^ also it is amazing how even in the oberliga in germany most clubs have an impressive stadium capacity i doubt any other country has such impressive stadiums in the lower leagues

 

[Micky Pain]

OCTOBER 2015

So far we are on a great run in all of the competitions we are a part of, and I am confident we can keep our run going, although the coming fixtures feature some very tough opposition.

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Despite the heated build-up to the match it was an average at best and boring at worst fixture between our two teams.
While the team-play in midfield was great to watch on either side, it never created enough threatening situations to give either team the right to demand more than one point.
I was hoping for more, but one point against a strong team is still not to be frowned upon.

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Although fairly evenly matched in most areas of the game, we proved deadly accurate with our finishing, getting most of our shots on target and many of those past the keeper.
The scoring started with a freak goal by Franca, lifting a long cross into the box and managing to fool defenders and goalkeeper alike for his first of the season.
Andre and Ben Arfa found themselves on the receiving end of some stellar passing to add their names to the score-sheet before Hamburg managed to pull one back just before half-time.
The second half continued with some pitch-perfect performances, although the Bacci goal off a corner kick remained the last of the match for a convincing final result.

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Once more a miserably small home-crowd of only 3290 fans came out to watch us face Marseille. Desperate for the win we were denied the full three points as we managed nothing more than the equalizer through Bacci in a game that saw us being the slightly stronger team.

Being held to just one point, we are still in the running, although Marseille now has the advantage over us in the group table, solely on away goals.

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With a Hoffenheim team suffering through a bad spell, I was anticipating a victory today, but nothing close to what the home-fans and myself were about to witness.
After a somewhat timid opening period, we turned the style **** to eleven and completely ran the opposition into the ground, with Ben Arfa and Skuletic getting two goals each before half-time.
Andre increased the lead even further just as the game restarted before substitute Erman Celik scored his first goal of the season.

A fantastic performance all around, and a new league record at that:

No surprise really that the team of the weak was heavily populated by our own players:

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DFB POKAL 2015/2016 - ROUND 3

In this third round cup tie we came out and picked up right where we left off only a few days ago.
Unlike Hoffenheim, however, Dortmund refused to back down after Bacci and Ben Arfa had given us a two goal lead only a few minutes in.
Dortmund pulled one back in the first half before Andre restored the two goal advantage, but Dortmund seemed even more determined to not let this game slip away.
Just before half-time we conceded yet again, but more solid defending and confident goalkeeping by Meza proved enough to see this game out without any more scoring.
I am very glad that we managed to keep our composure until the very last whistle to progress in the cup, in a fixture that could have gone either way.

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Only a few days after our cup game we were faced once more with the bane of the 3-4-3 formation.
We managed to break down the defense early in the match when Andre coasted past the defense for the early lead, but Wolfsburg managed to draw level almost immediately.
It took us close to half-time to restore the lead through Robert Zeher, but once more we were unable to increase the lead and so saw yet another equalizer in the second half.
With the draw all but in the books, it was young midfielder Jamie Walsh who stole the match for us with his first ever goal for our side.

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We managed to build up a narrow lead in the league table and have re-affirmed our top-seat after some great performances.

The Champions League group stage has seen a rather shocking result, with Zurich snatching a narrow victory over Genoa at home.
We ourselves have dropped to third place in the group, and the upcoming fixture against Marseille could very well present a make-or-break scenario for us.

The stadium expansion has completed late in the month and everyone will be looking forward to new record attendances in the coming weeks.

After a sub-standard last season and a current run of disappointing results, FC Bayern seems to be tearing apart at the seams. They just now have fired their third manager this year, were selling their main strikers Neymar and Gomez at the start of the campaign and are now cursed with a squad of chronically unhappy players.
I'm telling you this not to gloat, but as a pretext, as I have set my sights on a few of their players that I have begun to sweet-talk.

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i was wondering with which leagues did you start ur game cause i couldnt find some of the players in my database ingame that you mentioned. would be a great help since im starting now with memmingen thx

P.S. I still play icehockey though not at a club anymore^^ also it is amazing how even in the oberliga in germany most clubs have an impressive stadium capacity i doubt any other country has such impressive stadiums in the lower leagues

I loaded most of the European leagues as well as MLS, Mexican, Argentinian and Brazilian leagues in a large database.
A lot of my current players are regens, so they won't show up in your save.
I do like to get a lot of players from Eastern Europe, as I tend to find a lot of talent there, and the German leagues don't have to worry about work permits.
If you just started I can highly recommend Georg Geers, he is top-class in the Oberliga.
Lucas Winck is also great, but I can't tell you what leagues you need to have loaded for him to show up. The best you can do is get a good parent club and loan players and arrange some high-profile friendlies for money.
Anyway, yeah, the stadium capacity is great for the start, I guess mostly because a lot of the stadiums are multi-purpose arenas owned by the city and not by the club itself.
Hope you like lower-league managing your home-town.

Micky
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[Micky Pain]

NOVEMBER 2015

The scouts and myself are working overtime these days to find new and fresh talent, and I think we found yet another good addition to the squad, in the form of young and promising Mexcican wingback Jesus Ernesto Garcia for the upcoming transfer window.
He was already starting in the top flight of Mexican football at seventeen and we are close to completing the deal with Cruz Azul.

_______________________________________________________________________

Traveling to Marseille, the noise level at match day was deafening with 65.175 roaring fans cheering for the home team.
It was a tough game against this spirited French side, who were no doubt the better team.
We held firm in the first half, but things went from bad to worse when Marseille put one up after Bacci had been sent off.
With the progress from the group stage on the line, we threw caution to the wind and went on all-out attack, and were rewarded when Andre found himself alone in front of the keeper, not to be denied.
Switching tactics once more it was all defense for the rest of the match, getting tested from all angles but holding firm to record a vital draw.

With another point, and the away goals now canceled out, we once more switched places for the second place in the group.

_______________________________________________________________________

A new record crowd at home of just over 25.000 fans saw a slightly nervous Bayern side visiting to test their strength.
Although we had a firm grasp on the game our legs were still too tired from the previous match only days ago to effectively threaten the defense. We tested the opposition keeper numerous times and were denied by the woodwork twice, but I suppose we depleted our luck in the last match, and so this goalless draw was all there was to be had on this chilly November day.

_______________________________________________________________________

Another fairly uneventful fixture that took place mostly in midfield, with nice passing and build-up moves, but rarely any dangerous situations resulting from it.
We got the lead early through Petar Skuletic, but although we had a few attempts to increase the lead it was ultimately Schalke that pulled one back to level the game.
It could have gone either way, but the draw seemed about the only fair result on this day.

_______________________________________________________________________

This must-win fixture in the Champions League was hardly ever in doubt to be a comfortable victory. Not to be victimized by complacency or even arrogance, we nevertheless fielded a strong side, and despite the final score, Zurich did manage a number of chances on our goal.
It was our side, however, that got all the goals when Skuletic opened the scoring in the early minutes. After Andre was brought down in the box and converted from the spot, it was Skuletic again, completing his hat-trick with two more goals in the space of three minutes.

_______________________________________________________________________

What had been described as a rather close match-up prior to kick-off turned into anything but that once the game got underway. It was almost complete dominance right from the start with very rare spells in which we let Koln get even out of their own half.
Despite plenty of chances it took us until the half-hour mark to get the lead through Andre, and almost another thirty minutes for him to record his second goal of the match.
The late goal by Skuletic put the icing on the cake and helped to let the result tell more of the story of this game than the two goals would have done.

_______________________________________________________________________

Getting closer to the half-way point of the season, we have held firm onto the top spot. We drew twice against strong opponents, and despite loosing the two point lead over Leverkusen we still hold the best goal difference in the league, a testament to our strong defense.

We are still looking good in the Champions League, although Marseille managed to steal a point in their match with Genoa, putting them two points behind us but putting the pressure on us now to get at least one point in our last game to secure the second place.

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---------- Post added at 06:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:42 PM ----------

DECEMBER 2015

With the end of the year drawing closer, the team is really starting to come together. We only had two new signings, so the chemistry was never really that upset, but it seems we are coping quite well with the pressure put on us by the board and the media to take the league title, and so far it is going very well according to plan.

Despite his stellar start for our side, Ben Arfa is still having difficulties to adapt to life in our sleepy Bavarian town, and I decided to give him some time off following the Genoa fixture to sort out his personal matters.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, a highly prolific target is in my sights and I am on the verge of making a move, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, or risk letting the rumor leak out, so I will keep the name a secret for now.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

For some reason, matches against Gladbach are always tight, regardless of their lowly staure in the league and their current bad spell, and this one was no different.
It started with a bang as Andre tucked the ball away with his first touch of the game after a deadly accurate cross found his waiting head, and was minutes later only denied by the woodwork. Gladbach found their footing after that and managed to draw level, but it took only moments for Skuletic to restore the lead.
What followed was a heated match with chances on either side, but luck was on our side as Andre eventually put the game beyond doubt close to the final whistle.
Gladbachs late goal only proved consolation in our hard-fought victory.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Everybody knew exactly what was at stake going into this final group fixture, and it showed with a firework of an opening period. Being denied twice by the keeper, it still only took four minutes for Skuletic to get the first goal.
Playing pressing but considerate football for much of the first half, we had our chances to increase the lead, but were unable to get any more shots past the keeper.
Genoa eventually managed to break down our defense and draw level and even got the lead close to the end. I could not be more proud of my guys for not letting this seemingly competition ending goal get the better of them, and with the first attack following the kick-off we leveled the match once again when Andre outran their entire defense.
The very late goal in injury time that literally stole the game from this shocked Genoa side summed up one of the most inspired performances I have seen us play all season.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Only days after the last exhausting fixture we were simply out of steam and failed to make our chances count for more than just the one goal by Andre.
With all the possession we had, and the countless times we managed to challenge the keeper, getting just one point has to be a bit of a disappointment.

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Wolfsburg is another one of those teams that always make us struggle, and it was a very similar tale this time around as well. We had a firm grip on the mid-field, but whenever we lost the ball, Wolfsburg was always threatening with their three fast strikers, and so it was them that got the first goal of the match.
We fought back valiantly, and after a number of good chances it was an unlucky deflection credited as an own-goal that gave us the equalizer.
With time running out it was the tireless legs of Andre that once more cut through the defense to score the winning goal and a not undeserved victory in the end.

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Half-time in our freshman year as title favorites, and so far we are living up to each and every expectation. Going into the season I was a bit worried about how the team might react to the added pressure, the first time ever that we are not performing above expectations as their is hardly anything more that can be expected of us - but yet again, we are up to the task.
With a slim lead in the table, it's time to catch our breath now and pick up where we left off once the season resumes.

Expecting nothing more than an admirable showing in our first ever season in the most prestigious club competition - the Champions League - I couldn't be more happy if I tried.
Not only did we advance to the knock-out stages, we actually did so as the group winners after our dramatic win over Genoa a few weeks back.
Seeing as what caliber of clubs are still left in the competition I don't fancy us to go far, but I do think we will be able to put up a great fight against whoever we will face, and help our club grow in stature and international respect in the process.

Now off to some weeks of well deserved rest before the second half of the season gets underway..

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---------- Post added at 09:06 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 06:33 PM ----------

JANUARY 2016

The new year began with a number of great news, only adding to my general happiness at the moment.

For starters, Ben Arfa has reported back after only two weeks of leave, now feeling confident to play for our team after his home-sickness has apparently gone.

Our latest signing Garcia has also finally arrived. He will certainly need some guidance to develop his mental abilities, but he seems to be a great wing back with his pace and crossing skills, and provide a welcome cover for Franca. For now I will keep him in the youth squad to help him adapt to live in Germany without the added pressure of important matches.

The big news are finally ready to be revealed:
After sweet-talking two highly regarded players who are in their last year under contract at their current teams, I waited no longer than the opening minutes of the new year to fax their agents a contract, and I am ecstatic that both have agreed to sign for us at the start of the next season in July.
Who am I talking about, you ask?
None other than flamboyant Argentinian winger Angel Di Maria, and German attacking midfielder Toni Kroos.

I can't wait to see this one in action in the coming season.

Another great bargain, most certainly helped by the fact that he is only just recovering from a slipped disc that had him miss most of the season so far.

I will certainly have some thinking to do, as with those new signings we will be having an abundance in attack minded midfielders, but that is something to consider in the summer.

Early January had us play in three easy friendlies. While we did perform well, we also picked up a number of small injuries that will leave us short-handed for the first league fixture of the year.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Although we were missing both starting strikers and Feghouli on international duty, I was hoping for more out of this match.
The squad looked demotivated and the passing was never particularly impressive. Going down one goal early didn't help either, and although we had more chances than the opposition after Zeher managed to score the equalizer, we were simply missing that spark needed to take the game.
Against a team like Aachen, a draw is only a fraction better than a defeat, and a giant disappointment to restart the season.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

After the previous weeks rather weak showing, we needed to bounce back with a solid win, and that is exactly what we did in this sold-out home fixture.
After a somewhat nervous opening period, we took full control, resulting in Andre scoring the opener from an impossibly narrow angle in the first half.
Korotetskyi added the second goal of the game with one of his trademark headers from a set-piece, seemingly extinguishing any lingering confidence that Hertha had left.
Although we racked up numerous chances during the rest of the game, we were unable to add any more goals to our tally.
I wish we had scored more, but a solid performance today is sure to give us a boost for the coming, much harder games.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

The third league fixture in the space of just one week had us run in with tired legs, but spirits high as ever. It started off with a great spell of dominance, culminating in a corner kick that ever present Korotetskyi once more headed past the keeper with real venom. Seemingly running out of steam after an explosive opening period, we somehow managed to loose our hold on the game, allowing 1860 Munchen to score the next two goals, edging a narrow lead in the game.
Fresh legs by some of my designated substitutes eventually helped to reclaim the midfield, allowing Zeher to level the score. Korotetskyi gave us back the lead with yet another converted set piece, and despite being pressed hard by our opposition, it was ultimately Andre that put the game away in injury time.

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Finishing the month with a fixture against a strong opponent, and with two key players -Feghouli and Meza - missing on international duty, the fans were nevertheless filling the stands to the brink.
Korotetskyi was denied yet another great goal from a corner kick as his header deflected off of the feet of a defender and counted as an own goal, only minutes into the game.
Dortmund pulled one back under questionable circumstances, but after some dizzying passing, Josue found himself alone in front of goal and calmly placed the shot low in the corner of the net.
Despite a number of great attempts to increase the lead, we were time and again stopped by very physical play by our opponents, and eventually succumbed to a brief period of being dominated to see the game draw level once more.
Although we were missing a few players, I can't be happy with only getting one point out of this game.
__________________________________________________ _____________________

With the season underway again, I feel we have underachieved in our recent league fixtures. Although we kept our undefeated run going, we could and should have won all four of our games.
Only with the help of Leverkusen playing a very similar set of games have we managed to hold onto the top seat.

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[Micky Pain]

FEBRUARY 2016

In the upcoming month with five fixtures in various competitions, I can only hope that we get out of our slight slump of the previous weeks.
We are still going strong, but against some rather weak opposition we dominated a lot less than I would have hoped for, and in the coming weeks against some of the leagues top teams we need to perform a lot better.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Considering that this was a match between the two top teams in the league, it turned out a rather boring affair. Neither team did enough to take full control of the proceedings, and chances were few and far in between.
An otherwise solid officiating was almost marred by a very strange, to say the least, penalty decision, but Wilmer Meza was there to keep the spot kick out of our net.
Despite not looking one bit like we came out to win today, I am nonetheless pleased we didn't loose to our closest competitor in the league.

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DFB POKAL 2015/2016 - QUARTER FINAL

What had been considered a somewhat comfortable home-victory for Bayern prior to kick-off turned into a rout of the highest caliber for us.
Being quite familiar with having the odds seemingly stacked against us, we wasted no time taking full control of the game right from the first whistle. After some great build-up play it was Andre who cut through the defense to open the scoring. Although we had a number more chances we still allowed Bayern to get back into the game, but after they had managed the equalizer we only took minutes to restore the lead with Andres second goal.
The second half was all ours, Bacci and Ben Arfa increased the lead to three goals within the first ten minutes after the game restarted, and although we were pushing and knocking on our oppositions goal it took us all the way to injury time to score yet again, this time with a powerful effort by Petar Skuletic.
As matches go, I can't recall having ever watched any better.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Coming off a high from a few days earlier, this match started in much the same fashion - dominant midfield creating chances left and right and the defense holding firm on our end.
Ben Arfa found the channel early and was not denied by the keeper for the first goal only minutes in before Andre increased the lead close to half-time. On more of a fluke than a real chance, Bielefeld pulled one back, but it never gave them back the confidence to really challenge the outcome of the game.
With a lot of my first-team players resting for the coming weeks, it was still a very solid performance, and three points in our quest for the title.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- FIRST KNOCK-OUT ROUND

Just getting this far was a monumental achievement, and with us facing a strong Roma side on their own soil I was simply hoping for the best.
Although we were not given much chance in the build-up to the match, it turned out to be a very tight affair, with the shots and scoring opportunities spread evenly between our two sides. Our increasingly pressing play - an effort to get an important away goal - was ultimately punished by conceding the only goal of the match in this narrow defeat.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

With everything set on bouncing back from last weeks unlucky defeat the team came really out to impress. In an at times absurdly dominant match in which we allowed not a single shot on our goal it came as a bit of a surprise that we only recorded two goals through Feghouli and Celik, but I can be more than happy at the understanding between my players that I have seen on the pitch today.

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Through some shuffling in the table in the previous weeks, we were once again playing against the second placed team in the league in the space of one month, and quite possibly the strongest team in the league with Stuttgart.
We were slightly outplayed in the opening period, and went down one goal only minutes into the match. Fired up, we were getting more of the game, and creating a number of great chances and in the end scored the equalizer when Andre found the space to convert from the edge of the area close to half-time.
When Stuttgart went down to ten man after a vicious foul all signs pointed towards us getting the lead, but some stellar saves from the goalkeeper kept the score level until the final whistle.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

After a mixed bag of results, we have still managed to play our way into the Bundesliga history.

We still kept the lead in the table by holding our closest chasers to draws and every week gets us one step closer to fulfilling our expectations.

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---------- Post added at 10:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:20 AM ----------

MARCH 2016

The closing weeks really pile up the fixtures with possibly seven games this month.
Although I wouldn't consider any of the teams we will be facing easy opponents I will need to rest my key players and hope the subs perform up to the standard that the fans and myself have grown used to.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

With a second rate team for the most part, it wasn't a very exciting game to watch.
Although much of the action was happening in midfield it was less good passing play and more overly physical tackles that marked the majority of the fixture.
One of the few chances that either team managed to mount on goal saw us grab the game when Robert Zeher calmly tucked the ball into the corner with a placed shot.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- FIRST KNOCK-OUT ROUND

Braced to see us exit the competition at this stage, I was surprised to say the least at how much we dominated this game.With all of my key players rested and this Roma side having been forced to travel the long way to Bayreuth, we had the obvious advantage in the fitness department.
In the space of just over five minutes, Petar Skuletic was giving us a two-goal lead in the opening period before the match turned into more of a brawl than a football game. Cards were shown plenty on either side, and too many stoppages disrupted the flow of what had started as a tremendous match. In their quest for the all-important away-goal, Roma left their defense vulnerable enough for Andre to slip through and increase the lead even further.
Bacci might have very well saved the game, thwarting a clear chance, although his sending off for his strong tackle put our position in doubt.
In the end it was solid defense and more than a pinch of luck that helped us see the game through to advance to the next round.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

With spirits high as never before it came as little surprise that we dominated this game against underachieving Hoffenheim. A superb hat-trick by Andre in the first half snuffed out any hope our opposition might have had, and a second-half goal by Skuletic and Francas bizarre long-range free-kick only added insult to injury on this rainy March evening.

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It comes to a sort of compliment to our team that Werder Bremen has opted to employ a very defensive formation over their usual attacking 3-4-3 when they came to play us on this day. We started with a very strong performance, creating a number of chances, although many of our attempts were denied by a very packed defensive area.
Ultimately, Andre found himself some space and showed composure by placing a stunning curled shot into the corner of the goal for the lead.
We piled on the pressure, but it was in the end the only shot on goal that Bremen managed all day long that stole the game in the second half, holding us to a draw.

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DFB POKAL 2015/2016 - SEMI FINAL

With only a few days since our last game, it was once more time for the substitutes to shine in this cup fixture. Proven again that anything is to be expected in the cup, this game that was considered an easy victory for us turned into a very tight affair, and one that could have swung either way. In the end it was the strength of Ben Arfa that won the day after he out-muscled two defenders for the ball and hammered it in from close range.
A somewhat lucky victory, but we nonetheless have reached the final for the second year in a row.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Can't talk, my throat is still hurting from the post-match bashing of my team.
Embarrassing.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- QUARTER FINAL

Three days after this last pathetic performance I can't say that I was too confident facing one of the best teams in the world at home. Yet, it seemed that my screaming rage last week did its job in shaking up the team, and we played in no way like the underdogs we were considered to be. A very even match saw us get the lead in the first half when Andre found himself on the receiving end of some stunning build-up play and was not denied at close range.
Inter was pushing back with a number of chances, but defense and Meza in goal were very much up to the task and denied the opposition time and again.
With the victory all but in the books, fans and players alike were shocked to see the late equalizer stand, despite an obvious offside position.

Despite having been robbed of the win we can still feel somewhat encouraged by the fact that even fourteen Inter players were not enough to defeat us today.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

The season is nearing its end and we have managed to increase our lead in the table to four points now. Although our unbeaten run of twenty-eight matches has ended with a quite embarrassing result, we can be proud to even have it kept up so long.

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---------- Post added at 01:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 AM ----------

APRIL 2016

With the end in sight, we are still going strong in any of the competitions we were part of, and we have certainly shown that we are a force to be reckoned with in recent times.
All that is left to do now is to finish the season as strong as we started.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

The month began with a rather solid performance against a lackluster Schalke team. As a team that was still in the running for a Champions League spot in the coming season, they showed very little resistance against our strong attacking play.
Adrien started the scoring with a screamer from more than 35 yards out to set the tone of the game, and after spells of almost complete dominance it was Petar Skuletic once more at the end of a precise cross to give us the two goal lead before half-time. Looking more composed after the game restarted, Schalke managed to pull one back, but it seemed only to add to our determination to completely steamroll our opposition. Bacci restored the two-goal advantage not much later from a set piece, before Andre put any lingering doubts away with a superb solo effort.
A win like this was just what was needed to keep our spirits up ahead of the upcoming Champions League match.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- QUARTER FINAL

A match for the ages if I have ever seen one, and a challenge for my already strained nerves at that. With a brave fight being about the best thing I thought we could muster today I was pleasantly surprised by the determination shown by my guys on the pitch. Nothing was to be seen of the media pressure, let alone being awestruck by Inters star-studded line-up.
After a fairly even first-half we got the lead when Andre beat the offside-trap and found himself alone in front of goal, not to be denied. With the all-important away goal in the bag, we let our concentration slip once too many and were ultimately punished by the equalizer in the second half. Tired legs in extra-time led to many mistakes all over the pitch, but it was our very own Petar Skuletic that managed to capitalize on a botched clearance to give us the lead.
With Inter throwing everything forward to salvage the game, it was Erman Celik in the end that put the game away with a precise headed effort off a corner kick.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

High-flying Koln will no doubt feel robbed of this game, as they were clearly the better team on the pitch today. With many of our starters on the bench, completely spent after the Inter game, it was a line-up of mostly substitutes that went out there for us to get the points, and put in a great performance against our ever-threatening opposition.
We were outplayed and out-shot throughout the entire game, but the defense held firm and denied even the most dangerous attempts to score. The first-half goal by Andre came from one of the few clear chances we had all day long, and it proved enough in the end to get the vital points.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Without as much as a single shot on our goal, the final result only tells half of the story of this match. Coming out flying it was the first attack of the game that allowed Ben Arfa to give us the lead, but despite countless more chances it remained the only goal of the match.
It never looked likely to be in any doubt that we would get the points, and vital points it were.

With todays victory, the race is over in the league. Stuttgart had dropped two vital points the day before, and with only two games left, we cannot be caught in the table.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- SEMI FINAL

The round of the last four had us travel to Manchester for this semi-final fixture. In this tightly contested match, it was the unbelievable speed of Jim Bird that cost us dearly on the break in the first half for the only goal of the match.
We pressed on and tested the keeper - and the woodwork - a number of times, but all the efforts were in vain in our quest for the equalizer, and the important away-goal.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE- SEMI FINAL

Just one week after the first leg we welcomed Manchester back on our own soil to set the record straight, and it started with a bang. Right from the kick-off we turned up the pressure, and Petar Skuletic was the man of the moment after he broke free of the defense and scored hard and low for the lead. Just minutes later Vitaliy Gryschenko scored his first ever goal for us with a stunning volley from the edge of the box to give us a two-goal lead.
We conceded not much later, tilting the tie back towards our opponents on away-goals, before Ben Arfa restored the two-goal advantage in the second half.
Holding firm until the end, we were once more punished by the officials when Dos Santos ignored the offside rule to score the aggregate-winner in injury time.

That the FA has once again "remained silent over my recent comments regarding the officials" doesn't help much when you get knocked out of the competition. Idiots!

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Thinking it would be nice to give most of my subs some playing time, this game turned into the second most embarrassing moment of the season. It was just awful to watch, and I have to give more considerations to my mental well-being the next time I submit my players list. Not only that, but we actually lost on own goals by two of only three first-team starters in the line-up. This game shall not be spoken off again - ever.

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A confusing month has ended. On the one hand, we did win the title, which should be more than enough reason to cheer, but the questionable circumstances that saw us exit the Champions League and the last pathetic performance still leave a sour taste in my mouth.
In any case, we did what was expected in the league and more than surprised even myself in the cups, so I suppose the pendulum swings towards a cheering mood in the end.

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---------- Post added at 02:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 PM ----------

MAY 2016

In this short month there is not much left to do but see out the last two matches, and hopefully finish on a high-note.

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Having learned my lesson about playing a weak side, the subs were firmly placed on the bench, and a strong starting formation was ready to see us through the last fixture of the regular season.
After a testing opening period, it was Andre that popped up and shot his way into history books, now the holder of the Bundesliga record for the most goals. With spirits depleted, Wolfsburg put up only the slightest of fights against our continuing threats on goal, and Andre was ultimately rewarded with his second goal around the one-hour mark for the final score.
A solid victory, and a great showing for the fans to finish the season.

Season over, here's where we're at:

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DFB POKAL 2015/2016 - FINAL

Anything can happen in the cup, and today it did. Not trying to understate the facts, but the most flattering thing that can be said about the final score was that it was a lucky victory for Hannover, at times unable to get the ball even into midfield and scoring with their only attempt on goal. I guess when you can't cash in on your dominance you don't deserve to win, and so we were denied the double with a rather disappointing performance.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

But in any case....



Yeah, we were expected to win and all, but to make it official is a great feeling.
I wish we could have grabbed the cup as well, for the second year in a row, but it was not to be. And getting it all in one year leaves little to improve on in the next year, so I guess it's alright.

We have broken three league records this year as well, getting the biggest win (6-0 against Hoffenheim), the longest undefeated run (28 games) and the new top scorer (Andre).

We did well in the Champions League, and despite the heart-breaker semi-final I am overjoyed at even getting this far - and at what teams we overcame on the way. If someone would have told me at the start that we would kick Inter out of the competition, I would have taken his temperature and urged him to get help.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Well, the excitement is slowly wearing off, so it's time to take a look at the rewards that were handed out this year:

A great season for our very own Bacci, the longest current member of the squad at only 22 years of age, picked up all the way back in 2010 as a free agent.

Another great achievement for Sofiane Feghouli, really blending in well after we "rescued" him in the last year out of the Ukrainian league.

Ever-present Petar Skuletic duly deserves this award, not only scoring but providing as well, and the reason behind many victories this season.

Another unbelievable season for this rising star, our very own wonderkid Andre, and another record to his tally.

It could have been any number of players in this category, but I think having two strikers and two defenders in the mix is a good representation of why we won the league.

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After our first ever European Competition, it is most certainly great to be a part of the awards categories here as well.

First and second place in the Champions League top-scorer category is a fantastic achievement for us.

The Champions League dream-team might very well be called "Barcelona and friends", but getting one of our players in is a great moment for us.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

I actually managed to get my very own awards as well:

But all this would have been nothing without those guys:

__________________________________________________ _____________________

It can be safely said that we have firmly established ourselves in the Bundesliga, and have shown our intents on the international stage.
After a few short weeks of rest, it will all begin again, new faces will be joining our side, some might leave, and our sight is set on the few remaining trophies to be won.

END OF SEASON 7: 2015/2016
​

 

[Paul LUFC Custus]

that must have taken ages to write and unlucky about the champions league but the Bundesliga is yours

 

[matyfatymole]

Congrats Mate A Fantastic Read And Layout. One Of The Stories On Fm-Base. Anywayz What Are Your Targerts For This Season. Retaining The League & Maybe Winning The Champions League!

 

[Cam!]

Whoa! You have done really well getting them into the bundesliga. Well done.

 

[Micky Pain]

that must have taken ages to write and unlucky about the champions league but the Bundesliga is yours

Yeah, certainly not a story that I can write real quick in my breaks...

Whoa! You have done really well getting them into the bundesliga. Well done.

Congrats Mate A Fantastic Read And Layout. One Of The Stories On Fm-Base. Anywayz What Are Your Targerts For This Season. Retaining The League & Maybe Winning The Champions League!

Thanks all.
Well, what I want to do for the next season is to aim for the double - league and domestic cup.
For the Champions League I am not so sure. It's a tough competition, and one bad game can ruin it all, so the immediate goals are to win the group-stage and I'll take it from there.
I made some great signings to improve the team a bit more, so I suppose we'll do OK in the next season.
Gotta get some food, then maybe more updates

Micky


---------- Post added at 06:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:35 PM ----------

SEASON 8: 2016/2017
​

PRE-SEASON 2016

After a fantastic season, we have once again improved our standing in stature and finances alike. Certainly a big help not only in attracting the best players to join our side, but to actually be able to pay them properly.
We actually rose to to become the second richest club in Germany, only topped by struggling Bayern Munchen.
But see for yourself:

Not to toot my own horn, but the title-winning season saw yours truly rise to the rank of club icon in Bayreuth - and rewarded with a new contract worth more than four times my previous salary.
Still not enough stature, apparently, to land the England job I was applying for following the European Championship fallout amongst underachieving teams - and with Germany winning yet another competition I don't see a vacancy in my homelands national squad anytime soon.

Outside the squad, work has begun on improving our training facilities, and the pitch will receive under-soil heating to keep the matches running smoothly during those icy Bavarian winters.

_______________________________________________________________________

No surprise here, the board has smelled blood an they want more. Finally a sizable amount to spend on transfers, although I cannot think of many areas that I would need to significantly improve. We already tied up two high-profile signings at the end of their respective contracts, and one more just recently came up that might be yet another fantastic bargain.
I will still be looking into getting maybe another defender in, but the very few targets that I would consider spending real money on have so far shown no interest in joining us.

More on a hunch than real need for yet another attacking midfielder, we made a bid for Mesut Ozil after he decided to leave Juventus at the end of his contract, and I was more than a bit surprised when he actually accepted. With the caliber of clubs racing after his signature, I had little hope of even getting noticed by him, but lo and behold:

Not a bad testament to how much our humble club has grown in stature.

With that said, let's take a look at all the transfer happenings in the build-up to the season:

The signing of Toni Kroos was already completed during the January transfer window, and I can only imagine on how much he is itching to once again test his skills with the best, as his former club Bayern has now failed for the second consecutive year to qualify for any European Competition.
Angel Di Maria is another signing completed in past January, when we took advantage of his long-term injury to offer him a contract before Milan did. Mesut Ozil was on my radar long before Toni Kroos was, but despite my best attempts he refused to sign a contract while he was still at Juventus. Once he decided to leave his former club, I swooped in and tried again, with not much hope, but our growing reputation seemd to have swayed him in the end.

In the out-box were three long-time players for our side, and I am still somewhat saddened to see them go. Christian Bruels has been with our team since the 2010 season, but he seemed to struggle in recent years in the Bundesliga, so we decided to let him seek his fortune elsewhere. Tagliani is a similar story, and rather than having him waste his talent on the bench we allowed him to move clubs. The hardest player to sell was Josue, our rock-solid Portuguese midfielder, but with the addition of three new world-class players for the midfield, he fell too far down the pecking order to justify keeping him with the team. I'm sure he can make a name for himself in the Premier League next season.
We let go or sold of another handful of players that tried valiantly, but never really managed to break into the first team.

Her's a look at the three big signings we completed this year:

With this amount of great, and more importantly versatile, midfielders at my disposal, I am confident that we can withstand even the worst injury crisis or congested fixture list.
_______________________________________________________________________

With a small number of friendlies, we prepared for the upcoming season, gave the new signings some match-day experience and shook off the pre-season slumber.
On the whole, we played very solid and eye-pleasing football, although the heavy trashing we delivered to Leeds hurt on a more personal level. Always having a place in my heart for that team, I can only hope that it shakes them up enough to finally escape the League 1 obscurity for good.

With the first kick-off just around the corner, we have one of the biggest squads we ever registered for the season, and a mighty one at that:

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JULY 2016
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DFB POKAL 2016/2017 - FIRST ROUND

It's certainly nice to start the new season with a bang, and today was just that.
Adrien set the tone of the game with a stunning curled shot from more than 40 yards out, and the game was on. Numerous shots on goal were eventually successful when Andre found the target, and a debut-goal by Ozil increased the lead to three goals in the second half.
Skuletic then put his mark on the match with two quick goals, and after Korotetskyi was once more successful with a header, completed his hat-trick just before the final whistle.
We couldn't have asked for a better start to the season, and to our ambitions in the DFB Pokal.
_______________________________________________________________________

 

[-Hoops]

Absolutely inspiring, this is the kind of thing that makes me want to play fm
Amazing achievement, hats off mate, excellent.

 

[Micky Pain]

AUGUST 2016

With the new season about to begin, we are faced with a very tough opening period.
Not necessarily due to strong opponents, but due to the Olympic Games deriving us of eight of our players, five of which are starters.
We will begin the season without our top scorer and down three first-team defenders, with very little cover in that area. My scouts are working overtime to find some last-minute back-ups to strengthen the squad.

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With a very small squad, only five substitutes available and the team filled with two youth players, we kicked off the new season. Mostly uninspired, it was a game that saw chances created more through errors made by the opposition rather than through confident build-up, but we kept our opponent in check enough to deny any chances on goal. Despite a few chances we were never able to put anything away until youngster Michael Ernst connected with the head from a corner kick to record the only goal of the game.
Not the best game ever, but a record nonetheless:

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Facing a strong Wolfsburg side with our thin line-up turned out to be a monumental task.
We were on the back-foot for much of the proceedings, and only another outstanding performance by Meza in goal kept the score level in the first half. Holding firm, we managed to catch our opponents off guard in the second half, allowing Skuletic to tuck away the first goal on the counter. Inadvertently, however, the inexperience of the center backs showed during a botched clearance, allowing Wolfsburg to draw level late in the game.
Considering the relative strength of the squad I had to work with, the draw is still a quite satisfying result.

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A few injuries took even more players out of the squad this week, forcing me to play Feghouli in defense, as even my youth back-ups were now out for a few weeks.
We went down one goal early after some blatant communication errors in defense, but our strong midfield allowed us to reclaim more of the game, and we eventually managed to draw level just before halftime when Skuletic hammered in a volley from close range.
Skuletic added one more at the hour-mark to give us the lead, but despite a few good chances to extend the lead even further, we were unable to prevent the equalizer at the other end.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

With the Olympics finally over, this was the first game since the DFB Pokal tie that we lined-up with a full-strength side.
Although we had a few good chances, and more and better ones than our opponents, the early goal by Andre was the only score in an otherwise quite unremarkable game.

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Although we didn't jump to the top of the table as I would have liked, I can be quite happy with the results. With a very weak side during most of the games, we still recorded two victories and held some strong teams to draws.
We signed one more defender as a back-up, twenty-four year old Frenchman Darnel Situ, who seems to be quite capable of filling in when needed. We had a few more small injuries that will keep some of the key-players on the side in the upcoming fixtures, but on the whole things are looking good.

In the Champions League, we have been handed a tough group, with OL, Benfica and Inter all looking to snuff out our ambitions of advancing from the group stage.

So far, with four games played, we are in seventh place:

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[Mr.T]

Yes!
Youv'e coome a long way Mr.Pain!
First ever German Title
*Recalculating Destination*
All roads lead to the Champions League!!!

 

[Raikan007]

dude, the last time i read you were in like tier 5, fantastic mate, well done! have you shared your tactics?? i think alot of people might like this one, seems to work! high five!

 

[Micky Pain]

SEPTEMBER 2016

This month will be a rather congested affair. Although we start with almost two weeks of free-time, the rest of the month will see six games in various competitions.
At least the early resting period will allow us to recover from all the small knocks my guys are carrying.

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Fresh and rested, and with most of my starters ready for the game, it was a true case of men against boys. We came out flying, testing the goalkeeper from the very first moments, and were rewarded when Celik, Andre and Di Maria gave us a three-goal lead in the space of just four minutes. Angel Di Maria added another goal at the half-hour mark after he dribbled past two defenders, and Korotetskyi scored his first of the season with a strong header to increase the lead to five goals before half-time.
Allowing more of my young substitutes to be part of this game, the scoring ebbed down in the second half, with yet another header by Celik being the final goal in a truly dominant performance.
Although the injury to Di Maria looked rather nasty, at the very least we have more than adequate cover in that area.

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The first fixture of the Champions League had us travel to Lyon to face this strong french side. It turned out to be a very even match, with chances on either side, but equally stellar goal-keeping to keep the score level. We went down one goal through spot-kick after Bacci had handled the ball in the box, but we never let the game slip away. We had a number of chances to draw level, but it took all the way to injury time for Skuletic to hammer in a long-range effort for the draw and an important away-goal.

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Even with this being the third game in the space of just under a week, there was absolutely no excuse for playing as uninspired as we did in this match. Passes rarely found their intended target and the finishing was abysmal at best. There were hardly any chances that deserved to give us a goal, and although the defense was tight most of the time, the late goal by 1860 Munchen was a long time coming.

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DFB POKAL 2016/2017 - SECOND ROUND

The bets way to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat is undoubtedly to hammer the same team only a few days later, and in the cup no less. A complete turn-around from the previous game, we didn't waste any time to announce that this was our game, and pelted the opposition with shots left and right.
It still took until the half-hour mar to get the lead when Mesut Ozil cut through the defense to score from close range.Andre and Skuletic set up each others goals in the second half to the delight of the home fans, increasing the lead to four goals before Ben Arfa curled in a free-kick to extend the lead even further.
With time running out, Skuletic finally completed his more than deserved hat-trick to put the icing on this revenge cake, served cold.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

With the season being well underway, it became time to affirm our claim for the title in this match against the current league leaders Dortmund.
Fairly even in the opening period, we were able to get the lead just before half-time when Ben Arfa literally passed the ball into the net after he was at the end of a cross that would have taken uncanny skill to miss from. Dortmund fought back in the second half, recording a number of great chances with only Wilmer Meza standing in the way of the equalizer, but after Celik doubled our lead from another corner kick, their spirit seemed broken and allowed us to see the game through to get the vital points.

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The second Champions League match saw us face Portuguese runners-up Benfica in our first home fixture of the competition.
It was an all-out attacking bout, with errors on either side leading to countless chances, and a high-scoring match that left no one on their seats. We went down early in the first half after a mistimed tackle left Felipe Bastos with a clear view on goal, but Andre showed his amazing skill on the other end to outplay the entire defense and calmly record the equalizer. Skuletic gave us the lead on the counter, and added yet another one just after the second half had started. Benfica refused to give up, and after Meza fumbled the ball and put it behind himself, they were back in the game. We conceded the equalizer not much later, and for a period it looked likely we would be forced to see the game completely slip away, but the fresh legs of substitute striker Fernandez were enough to see us through after he scored his first ever goal for us.

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September proved to be a very tough month, and a mostly successful at that. The only moot point being the embarrassing defeat against 1860, but the team didn't get rattled and bounced back immediately with a great cup tie and very strong performances in the Champions League.

We still remain in seventh place, but only three points from the top, and it is still early enough in the season to shift up a few gears.

We signed two more players this month, both center backs to bolster the defense, but unfortunately the signings were too drawn out to still fall within the transfer window.
We will have to make do until January before the two new youngsters will join our squad, 17 year-old Kevin Jansen and our new record-signing Giancarlo Bolzoni. My scouts were going crazy over this 18 year-old Italian defender, and with the track-record of great players they have found for our club, I allowed myself to go nuts on this 20.5 Million deal.

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---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:57 PM ----------

Yes!
Youv'e coome a long way Mr.Pain!
First ever German Title
*Recalculating Destination*
All roads lead to the Champions League!!!

Yeah, working on that, and the group stage looks alright so far, but in the knock-out stages anything can happen....

dude, the last time i read you were in like tier 5, fantastic mate, well done! have you shared your tactics?? i think alot of people might like this one, seems to work! high five!

My scavenging tactics to get top-players seem to work quite well - I got tons of top-class players by flattering them enough to leave their clubs at the end of the contract, so I had talent at my disposal that I could have never afforded to buy. It pays, literally, to keep an eye out for unhappy players, or sign players in their last few month of their contract while they recover from some nasty injury or so.

As for tactics, I played mostly JP Woody Brian Clough 2010 tactics until I reached the Bundesliga, only modified the player roles to fit my players strengths and weaknesses, and in recent seasons created my own. It;s basically a narrow 4-1-2-1-2, but with wing-backs to exploit the flanks.
I might upload them at some point, but they won't be plug-and-play, as I once again switch the player roles to fit the actual players. I got top class players in midfield and switch them around, so if I play Ozil as AMC, he's an advanced playmaker, but Kroos I play as a Trequartista, e,g,

Anyway, thanks for reading

Micky


---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:09 PM ----------

OCTOBER 2016

With another busy month ahead of us, we can only hope that our newly completed training facilities can do their part to keep the squad fit and healthy for the upcoming weeks, and to keep the current run of consecutive wins going.

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The month started with this rather uneventful fixture against Leverkusen. While it wasn't a bad game at all, it wasn't very remarkable either, and the only goal of the match by Andre was one of the very few noteworthy events on this rainy October evening.
We were just about solid enough to get the vital win.

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The student has become the master, as we completely hammered our former parent club Nurnberg in this weeks league fixture. Attacking from all angles, it was the finishing of Ozil, Andre and Bacci that gave us a comfortable three-goal lead at the half-hour mark, and the game was effectively over at that point. More concerned with keeping the result respectable rather than actually trying to fight back, Nurnberg put up the barricades, but Petar Skuletic was not to be denied his score to extend the lead even further. Coming off the bench, young hopeful Fernandez completed the rout with a placed shot in the final minutes.
What impressed me even more than the great result - and yet another clean sheet - was the amount of team-work shown on the pitch, as evidenced by five different goal scorers.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

I can't honestly say that I expected much of this match, going up against Italian powerhouse Inter, and on their own soil at that. We fielded a strong team with all key-players fit and available, but it was Inter that had most of the ball, and plenty of chances to record a comfortable victory. Wilmer Meza in goal was once again the difference, making a string of fantastic saves and keeping the score level. A somewhat lucky decision to reward us a penalty gave us the lead in the first half, when Andre showed composure to score from the spot.
We held firm in defense, and with fortune on our side we managed to hold on to this important win in the group.

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With many first-team players out resting from the previous game, we fielded a rather weak team against Gladbach in a game that came quite close to an upset at times.
We did have more of the ball, and more good chances as well, but it was never a really dominant affair, and one slip in defense could have seen this game end quite differently.
In the end, it was a corner kick, converted by Bacci with his head, that gave us the lead and with it the three points.

__________________________________________________ _____________________


DFB POKAL 2016/2017 - THIRD ROUND

A sold-out stadium saw us battle in this third round cup tie, against a strong Leverkusen side.
We got an early goal through a superb solo-effort by Andre, cutting in from the side and rounding the last defender to tuck away the goal into the corner.
With Leverkusen fighting back strongly, we had fewer chances than our opposition for the rest of the game, and when we did threaten a solid Rene Adler was always ready to scoop up the ball. Just when it looked like we might be able to scrape by with the one goal advantage, we conceded the equalizer late in the game, forcing the game into extra-time.
Tired legs led to a quiet extra-time period, culminating in an exciting penalty shoot-out.
Ultimately, luck was not on our side, and so we we were knocked out of the cup on penalties.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

Still seemingly distressed over the cup tie loss, we didn't exactly play our best on this day.
No doubt, we were the better team, but we lacked that little spark to put away much of our chances, and so the early goal by Petar Skuletic remained the only one in this game.
I'll take the win, but I can't be too happy with the overall performance.

__________________________________________________ _____________________

On the whole, a great month, and although we got knocked out of the cup, I am still quite happy with how the recent fixtures turned out. We won all of our league games, allowing us to climb up the table to second place, and although we didn't score as much as I would have liked in most of our games, we didn't concede a single goal.

I am actually quite shocked at how the first three games in the group stage turned out.
I was expecting Inter to take the lead and Lyon being the team to beat for second place, but the opening matches turned those predictions on their head. I was considering Benfica as must-win for us, and we did just that, if only barely, but the amazing victory in Milan was something I didn't even dare contemplate. As it stands, we are in great shape to reach the next round, and having the home-ground advantage in two of the next three matches might prove to be a vital boost for us.

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