FM: Career Mode

[GoldenEagle]

This will be an attempt at documenting a managerial career in the critically acclaimed Football Manager series. I will be starting as a 31 year old unemployed American manager, with a background as a semi-professional player. I will be running an all league setup, which means every league in the game will be running on full, glorious detail.

My goal in this career is to someday manage a team to the European Champions Cup trophy. I anticipate this to be a long career. The dynasty will be a mix of media reports and manager journal entries. The media will report on the outside dealings of my team. The manager's journal will be my private thoughts on my club and job situations for you, the reader, to enjoy. I also hope to provide weekly reports from the top leagues around the world as well monthly reports on American players based aboard. I will also keep you up to date with the latest transfer news from my universe.

My gaming time is a bit limited at the moment. I only have time to really "game" on the weekends. FM has to compete with Civ IV, BBCF, FOF, NBA2k8 and others for my spare time. Updates may come slow at times.

Job House Rules:
-I must stay at a club for a full calendar year.
-I cannot apply for other jobs while my club is in season. In other words, I cannot leave my team during the season unless I am offered a job outright.
-I must leave the club in a better position that I inherited it in. For example, if I take over a club that is in 5th position or finished 5th the prior season, I must finish the season higher than 5th.
-I cannot leave a club in worse financial shape than I inherited it in. This will prevent me from loading up on expensive contracts and then leaving the club.
-I can only apply for jobs that are one level higher than the league I am currently in. For example if I managing in league 2 I can only apply for jobs in league 1. This is might get tricky if done across nations, so I will have to make a comparative analysis between leagues before applying. However, if I am outright offered a job, I can accept it assuming all prior conditions have been met.
-I am allowed to assemble a "known" list. My known list will be players that I bookmark after having coached against them or previously coached the player. Also, any American is allowed to get on my known list regardless of whether I have coached the player or coached against the player.

Game House Rules:
-I cannot sign a player unless I have scouted the player or had the player in for a trial.
-I cannot invite a player in for a trial unless I have scouted the player or the player is on my "known" list.
-No super tactics.
-I am not allowed to download any shortlist of players. Players must be discovered through scouting or playing against.
-I cannot take advantage of any other cheats.
If you have any other suggestions, please provide them. I am also using this to work on some creative writing. If you have any feedback, please add it.

The game starts on June 7th, 2007.

[GoldenEagle]

Job Hunting - June 7th, 2007

The game starts with many jobs available in thirty-three different countries. I have a basic criteria that I am looking for:

- I would like to be able to bring in obscure American players without having to worry about work permits.
-My wish is that the club season has not started yet for the team. This rules out most of the Scandinavian leagues, which would be a great place to start. Many American players go to these leagues to play, so it would make logical sense for a manager to get hired. But the Norway , Sweden, and Finland leagues have already begun their new campaigns. The Denmark league is the only league not to have begun.
-I am not opposed to managing in South America, but not as my first job. I feel if I go to South America I will need some experience or as a last desperate attempt to find a job. I just think it would be unrealistic for an unproven American to go manage a club in South America. This holds true for Europe as well, but I have to start somewhere.

I decide to apply for three jobs:

Holbaek - Danish 2nd Division East
This club is situated on the third tier of the Danish Football pyramid. It is listed as a semi-professional club. The finances are okay and the club is valued at $750k. They have a 10500 stadium, with 1100 seats. They have average training facilities and average youth facilities. There is another club with an opening in Danish 2nd Division East, but it is an amateur club and as fun as that might be, I will concentrate on getting this job for now.

Eindhoven - Dutch First Division
Eindhoven is predicted to finish 16th of 2oth in the Dutch First Division (the 2nd league in Dutch football). The club is valued at $1.6M with a 4373 all-seater stadium. It has a youth academy, which is a plus. The problem with this job is that it is very expensive to bring in non-EU talent in the Dutch league. I think the contracts have to be a minimum of $250k a year, which would be difficult for a club this small to pay.

Burghausen - German Regional Division South
This is the best of the five jobs available in the German Regional League, which is the third league in the German set-up. It would also probably be my preferred choice of jobs. The media predicts the club to finish first, so a quick promotion could be in order. The club is valued at $1M with a loan debt of $275k. It has a youth academy and a nice stadium.

These are my top three choices. I will wait to hear back from these jobs before seeking different employment. I have plenty of time before most European leagues kick-off, but I would like to get in ASAP and start making some managerial decisions.

[GoldenEagle]

Job Updates - June 9th, 2007

I hear back from the first round of clubs. Eidhoven and Burghausen have both decided to reject my application. It is not really that surprising. Those were two ambitious choices. The good news is that Holbaek excepted my application and I will be considered for the job. I always want to have at least three options open, so I head back to the job board to apply for more jobs.

Eupen, Belgian 2nd Divsion
This league holds true to its name, and is the actual 2nd division of Belgium football. (In FM, there are three divisions playable in Belgium, so I would not be starting at the lowest league). The club is valued at $240k and is predicted to finish 9th out of 19 teams.

Erfurt, German Regional North
This is another club where I will not likely be considered for the position. But I throw my hat in the ring anyway. The club is valued at $1.2M and has a loan debt of $210k. It has a youth academy and the team is predicted to finish 10th in the league.

[Nugget699]

You must have Deep Blue I order to process every league in full detail. Your game is going to get bogged down hideously after no more than 2 seasons.

Good Luck though. Sweden is always a great place to manage I find. I once had 5 Alexanderssons in my team, so confusing.

[Northwood_DK]

If you take on the challenge of Holbæk I will be reading.

[Qwikshot]

Good Luck, I'll be reading...my Dorchester push has been dormant for the last two weeks...but I may finally punch into League 1.

[GoldenEagle]

Originally Posted by Nugget699

You must have Deep Blue I order to process every league in full detail. Your game is going to get bogged down hideously after no more than 2 seasons.

Good Luck though. Sweden is always a great place to manage I find. I once had 5 Alexanderssons in my team, so confusing.

I am pretty close to that. I have 12GB RAM computer with a quad-core processor and a VelcioRaptor hard drive. So far it is screaming. I am also going to add 4GB more of RAM in the future.

[GoldenEagle]

MLS Roundup - Week 10

-Jozy Altidore scored his 3rd goal of the season and led the Redbulls to a 2-0 victory over hosts Toronto FC. Sinisa Ubiparipovic added an insurance goal just before half time.

-The Thursday night ESPN game saw the Dynamo and Rapids battle to a 2-2 tie at Robertson Stadium. Brian Ching scored twice for the Dynamo in the 9th and 23rd minutes, but the Rapids cut the lead to one off a Conor Casey strike in the 34th minute. Jose Burciaga Jr. saw the visitors draw even with 83rd minute goal.

-Chicago managed to get 3 points at Toyota Park, with a 2-1 win over Chivas USA. Chris Rolfe scored the game winning goal in the 83rd minute. Cuauhtemoc Blanco converted a 45th minute kick from the spot to put the home team ahead. Alecko Eskandarian evened things up in the 72nd minute, only to have Rolfe spoil the draw.

-FC Dallas saw off the challenge of the visiting LA Galaxy, with a 2-1 win at Pizza Hut Park. Carlos Ruiz put the visiting team on the board with an 11th minute goal. However, Kenny Cooper equalized 7 minutes later and Brazilian Ricardinho gave the home side the win in the 58th minute.

-Houston goes on the road and gets three points after stealing a victory in Crew stadium. Dwayne De Rosario connected in the 71st minute to give the Dynamo the road win.

-DC United got a big win over rivals Red Bull of New York. Gonzalo Martinez scored twice in the 9th and 85th minute. Jamie Moreno added a goal in the 15th minute as United rolls to a 3-0 home win.

[GoldenEagle]

Job Hunt Update - June 12th, 2007

Erfurt, the latest German Regional club I applied for, made the decision to go elsewhere. There are three job openings left in the German Regional Leagues. Burghausen has already eject my application. Emden and a club named Oggersheim are the only two clubs that I have shot at managing if I want to jump into the German Regional League right now.

I decide to apply for the Emden job. The club is valued at $775k. It has a youth academy and is project to finish 13th of 24th in the Regional North Division. I will wait to hear back from them.

[GoldenEagle]

MLS Roundup - Week 11

-The Thursday night game featured Real Salt Lake hosting FC Dallas. The game turned out to be a real bore fest, ending in a 0-0 draw. Neither team managed to get a shot on target. The man of the match, FC Dallas center back Drew Moor, received a match rating of just 7. Oh my.

-Chivas USA beat Colorado 1-0 on an Ante Razov goal in the 28th minute.

-Chicago won at DC United in a game that provided some fireworks. Both teams had players being sent-off. Ben Olsen was shown red in the 15th minute for DC United, while Chicago's CJ Brown drew the same fate in the 61st minute. Chirs Rolfe scored in the 45th minute and Cuauhtemoc Blanco put the game away in the 79th minute. United got a consolation goal in the 90th minute off the foot of Marc Burch.

-Taylor Twellman scored on a 58th minute penalty kick and then added another 3 minutes later from the run of play. Twellman's efforts were good enough for the Revolution to get a 2-0 win over the visiting Crew.

-New York and Kansas City drew at one. Jozy Altidore continued his scoring ways with a goal in the 53rd minute. Kansas City had initially led the game when Carlos Marinelli put the Wizards ahead in the 4th minute.

-LA Galaxy, last place in the west, continued to struggle. They dropped a 1-0 decision at home to Real Salt Lake. Robbie Findley put the Gals in shock mode with his 85th minute strike to steal the three points on the road.

-FC Dallas also continues to struggle with an away loss at Toronto FC. The game featured a wild last six minutes. Joseph Lapari, a 62 minute substitute, put the home team ahead 1-0 in the 84th minute. Kenny Cooper scored in stoppage time, but Lapari found magic again. He scored in the waning moments of the game to give Toronto FC the 2-1 win.

-Chivas USA bolstered its squad by signing a few players. Former Manchester United and South African winger Quinton Fortune and former US youth international DJ Countess signed with the club. In addition, the club was also able to secure the services Uruguayan U-20 midfielder Ribar Roriguez in a $1M move from Uruguayan club Danubio.

-Houston traded defender Wade Barrett to Kansas City for defender Sasha Victorine and a draft allocation.

-DC United acquired Jacob Peterson from Colorado in a draft allocation deal.

-The Galaxy signed a 24 year old Mexican midfielder named Jorge Rodriguez from Mexican First Division A side Indios. It was $100k move. To make room on the roster, the Galaxy released striker Alan Gordon and midfielder Josh Tudela.

[GoldenEagle]

News and Rumors - June 17th, 2007 edition

England

-Reading are attempting to sign Brazilian winger Mota from Korean side Seongnam. Reading have offered $2 million dollars for the players services. Mota qualifies for a work permit through his dual Portugal citizenship.
-Newcastle has expressed interest in PSV defender Carlos Salcido. The 27 year old Mexican would bolster the Toons defense. Salcido is an established international. He has been at PSV for one season, after making a $5.25M dollar move from Chivas.
-Adrian Mutu is being courted by Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neil. Mutu, currently contracted by Serie A side Fiorentina, scored 16 goals last season in 33 appearances. Mutu can play as an attacking midfielder or in a withdrawn striker role. Mutu, however, is reluctant to go to Aston Villa, stating he believes better offers are in his future.
-Tottenham is pursuing 22 year old Peruvian left winger Jefferson Farfan from Dutch side PSV. Juande Ramos is preparing a bid for Farfan. However, PSV boss Co Adriaanse has issued a hands off warning to Ramos, stating Farfan is an important asset to the club.
-Arsene Wenger is looking to bolster his goalkeeping corps by adding Frenchmen Sebastien Frey to the mix. Frey, currently playing for Italian squad Fiorentina, started 38 games last season for the club.

Germany
-Werder Bremen boss Thomas Schaaf has said the club is not interested in selling 22 year old attacking midfielder Diego. Chelsea have reportedly offered $32 million dollars for the young Brazilian.
-Bochum are interested in signing young Brazilian center back Miranda. However, the player has stated it would take a very lucrative offer to lure him away Sao Paulo.
-Hannover may soon need to be replacing attacking midfielder Arnold Bruggink. Bruggink, 29, has been rumored to be drawing interest from EPL side Birmingham City. Hannover states it has yet to receive an offer for the player.

Italy
-Genoa are preparing a $3 million dollar bid for Atlante goalkeeper Federico Vilar. But Atlante are reluctant to let him go, with a report that the keeper is not for sale at any price.
-Palermo and Torino are two clubs expected to compete for the signature of Hammarby attacking midfielder Petter Andersson.
-Empoli are looking to make a big splash in the transfer market, with a $13.25 million dollar bid for Santos full-back Kleber. Kleber, who can also play on the wing, has been capped 9 times for the senior Brazil national team.
-Egyptian striker Amr Zaki may soon be playing in Serie A. Sampdoria are vying for his signature, along with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad and English club Ipswich.

Spain
-Experienced Argentine striker Claudio Lopez may soon find work at Mallorca. The club and Lopez are in negotiations about a contract for the free agent. However, Zaragoza have signed the player before a deal could be reached.
-Barcelona have shown interest in 21 year old attacking midfielder Silva from Valencia. Valencia are not likely to let the youngster sign with a rival without a hefty transfer fee.

[GoldenEagle]

Job Hunt Update - June 20th, 2007

Bad news on the job front. Holbaek and Emden have both decided to hire other managers. This is a setback, I was hoping to get hired at Holbaek. The only job still on the table at this point is Eupen, the Belgian side. I decide to apply for three more jobs:

B 1908, Danish Second Division East
This is the amateur side that I hinted at in an earlier post. The club is valued at a measly $24k. The media predicts the club to finish 15th out of 16th. This would be a challenging job. The stadium seats 7200 with 2500 of those seated.

Oggersheim, German Regional Division South
This is the last remaining German Regional job and quite frankly the worse in my opinion. The club is valued at $250k. It is predicted to finish 18th of 18th. They can pack 30,000 into their stadium, but only 6,000 of those can have seats. There is a reason the club is the last remaining job in Germany.

Kommunalnik Slonim, Belarusian First League
This job, situated in the 2nd league of Belarus, would be interesting. The club has already played eight league games and sits 11th out of 14th with 9 points. The only reason I am interested in this club is that it seems like a good situation. They have a 2000 all-seater staduim. The club is valued at $150k. The first-league only lasts until November.

Stal Dn, Ukrainian First League
This club plays in the First League, which like Belarus, is the second division behind the Highest League. It is valued at $275k with a stadium capacity of 3000. They have not started the season yet. The media predicts they will finish 12th out of 20 teams.

[GoldenEagle]

Job Hunt Update - June 21st, 2007

I finally get a job offer. Danish side B 1908 has extended me an offer to manage their squad. However, the finances look even worse than imagined. I will get paid nothing to coach the squad. The transfer budget will be nothing and I will $120 p/w to spend on player contracts. I decide to delay the offer for a week. If no other offers come along, I will take the job.

Kommualnik Slonim have hired a manager.

[Flasch186]

its incredible that youre capable of running the full world....incredible.

[cubboyroy1826]

I posted this in another thread but did not get an answer. I downloaded a kit for the region i am playing in and i was wondering where the heck do i extract the logos to?

[Flasch186]

I think they go in

my docs/ SI/ graphics/kits

and I think it'll pick them up from there.

[cubboyroy1826]

Okay that is where i installed the Russian kit for the league i am playing but nothing is showing up. When i extract the kit it automatically names it first division. I tried changing the name to Russia but still nothing. Any ideas?

[Flasch186]

not sure about that but I do know you have to go into preferences and chenge the skin or something to get it load it all up....

boy i wish someone smarter than me regarding the files tree and where stuff goes because having the real kits and logos helps a ton in the enjoyment department IMO.

[cubboyroy1826]

I appreciate you trying to help.

[cubboyroy1826]

Got it figured out thanks for trying.

[GoldenEagle]

MLS Roundup - Week 12

-Columbus opens the week on Wednesday with a 2-1 over visiting Kansas City. Eddie Gaven scored in the 63rd minute. The Wizards struck back when Argentine Carlos Marinelli converted a penalty kick in the 74th minute. New signing Wade Barrett was sent off in the 81st minute. The move proved costly, as Brian Carroll was able to convert a controversial penalty kick in the 87th minute.

-The Thursday night ESPN special was a classic. The Dynamo beat Chivas USA 3-2. Romba Sosa, American International Brian Ching, and Dwayne De Rosario all scored for the Dynamo. Alecko Eskandarian scored twice for Chivas USA.

-Colorado beat the slumping FC Dallas, 2-1 at home. Ciaran O'Brien and Mehdi Ballouch scored for the rapids. Kenny Cooper continued his hot form, with a 5th minute strike for the Hoops.

-The new look LA Galaxy (more on this later) beat Columbus with a 2-1 victory at home. Chris Klien and Landon Donovan scored for the Galaxy, while David Beckham drew a yellow card. Ned Grabavoy scored in the 68th minute to even things at 1, before Donovan scored the game winner.

-New England smashes Toronto FC. Four different Revs found the back of the net. Chris Albright, Mkhoheli Dube, Khano Smith, and Michael Videira scored the goals. Toronto had Julius James sent off in the 63rd minute.

-Salt Lake topped DC United with a Javier Morales 24th minute strike. That goal held up for a 1-0 win.

-Houston beats Kansas City to complete a six point week for the Dynamo. Michael Harrington scored first in the 69th, but the visiting Dynamo scored twice in the last six minutes. Brian Ching scored in the 84th minute and Mike Chabala scored the game winner in the 90th minute.

-The LA Galaxy, sitting in last place, made drastic moves in an attempt to rescue the season. The Gals first signed Mexican keeper Juan de Dios Ibarra from Rayados. The fee was around $500k. The Galaxy then outright cut Carlos Ruiz. They made the latter move to free money under the cap.

-Toronto FC made a couple of trades to help out in midfield. They acquired Pablo Mastroeni from the Rapids for Jim Brennan and a draft allocation. They also added youngster Justin Mapp to the mix, in exchange for another draft allocation.

-Carlos Ruiz goes from one last place team to another. The Crew picked up the Guatemalan international. Former Crew keeper Brad Friedel criticized the move in the media, calling Ruiz a "punk".

-Kansas City have signed 36 year striker Gerardo Mascareno. Mascareno, who has one Mexican national team cap, last played in the 2001-02 season for Mexican side Leon. Hello Kansas City, this is 2007. Kansas City also added Mexican defender Edoardo Isella. Isella played the 2006-07 season with Mexican side Jaguares.

-New England have made a puzzling move by shelling out $1.3M dollars for Adin Brown, from Norwegian side Aalesunds. Brown previously played for the Revolution during the 2002 season. The deal could rise to $2.7M dollars.

-Chicago added a defender with the cap space cleared by the Mapp deal. They inked Tecos B right back Edson Alvarado for a fee $130,000.

-New York addressed a hole in the center defense by adding young center back Michael Orozco from Mexican side San Luis for $1.5M dollars. Orozco has dual citizenship and will not count as a youth international slot.

(Do I need to post the league table?)

[GoldenEagle]

News and Rumors - June 24th, 2007 edition

England

-Aston Villa have expressed interest in signing CSKA Moscow winger Yury Zhirkov. Zhirkov, who plays on the left side, has appeared in 12 games this season with 1 goal. CKSA Moscow may be reluctant to let him go, as they sit second in the Russian Premiership. The deal is rumored to be worth $9M dollars.
-Man City is looking to sign HSV's Vincent Kompany. Kompany, the 21 year old center back, has already been capped 14 times by his native Romania. HSV paid $10.5M dollars for the player, just one year ago.
-Middlesbrough are targeted defender Dorin Goain. Goain is currently playing Romanian First League side Steaua. Goain has said he would welcome a move to the Premiership.
-Sebastien Frey is flattered by interest from Arsenal. He stated it would be foolish to turn down a move to the Gunners.
-Frey might not be the only signing that Arsenal make this summer. Valencia and Spain international Joaquin has been linked with Arsenal. However, Arsenal may have to open the bank to get the flamboyant left winger.
-Middlesbrough have also been linked to 23 year old full-back Jelle Van Damme. Van Damme, based at Belgian side Anderlecht, has 16 caps for Belgium.

Germany

-HSV has said it has no interest in selling Vincent Kampany to Manchester City. HSV manager Huub Stevens is upset that Man City are try to lure away a top youngster.

Italy

-Antonio Di Natale has stated he is not interested in moving to Portsmouth. However, he stated he did wanted to move from his current club Udinese. Di Natale feels that they are better options on the table than the EPL side.

Spain

-We reported last week the F.C. Barcelona has been linked with a move for attacking midfielder Silva. Silva is reportedly flattered with the interest from Barcelona, stating that he would be interested in a move to Barcelona for monetary purposes.

[GoldenEagle]

Brice Takes Over at B 1908

Danish Second Division East club Boldklubben af 1908 have appointed American Tim Brice as their new manager. Brice faces the enormous task of keeping the amateur squad up in a league full of top club reserve sides, semi-professional teams, and other top amateur clubs.

B 1908 plays at Sundby Idraetspark in Amager. The stadium can hold up to 7200 people with 2500 of those being seated. It has adequate training facilities and minimal youth facilities.

Brice may be facing a complete roster turnover. No players are signed to professional contracts and may be signed away at any time, with B 1908 receiving no compensation. B 1908 is listed as an amateur club and can only offer amateur or youth player contracts.

"It will be a challenge," said the 31 year old American. "But it is a start in the football world."

Brice is well-connected to the American player market, serving as former semi-pro player and as a scout for several MLS teams. He hopes to bring over some of the top amateurs based in the US.

"It will be tough trying to talk them into coming over for no pay. But it will be a chance for players to put themselves into the European shopping window."

Brice also hopes to supplement his squad with the top available amateur talent in Denmark. "If we can scout and identify the top amateur and youth players in the country, then we will have a chance to compete. If not, then we will likely be facing a relegation battle."

Brice will begin work immediately assembling his squad in preparation for the season ahead. He will be in charge of the club this Sunday, when his side takes on amateurs Randers KFUM Fodbold.

[gi]

Gratz on a job!

[Flasch186]

Probably dont need to post league tables all the time but at critical junctures or when a promotion/relegation race develops or massive upset.

[cubboyroy1826]

Congrats on the job. I took over a Russian team Tekstilshchik and although they may not be the best place to start i am having fun so far.

[Northwood_DK]

Good stuff. A danish club will keep me reading.

Take a look for Mads Laudrup. He is the younger son of danish super star Michael Laudrup and a huge amateur talent in RL.

[GoldenEagle]

FYI Dynasty is not dead. I just have to find the time to write and I want to restructure the content as well. At some point, I may start a new thread since these changes will be very different.