Up the Principality: my experiences as Liechtenstein manager (FM 15)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I'm giving virtually all the time I have for sports gaming over to Football Manager these days. One of the things I find most enjoyable about FM is the fact that I can play it in innumerable ways. I can make myself a Sunday league player with no coaching credentials and take over a team in the lowest levels of a nation with no footballing tradition at all. I can create a manager with world-class ability, and try to lead Chelsea or Barcelona to world domination. Or, I can choose any one of countless variations in between.

I've been aware that I could manage a national team in FM, either at the same time I'm running a club, or by itself. I've never given it a try, however, so I think it's time for a new adventure.

It's not possible to take over a team like Luxembourg or the Faroe Islands in an "out of the box" FM career, but I read about a way to "unlock" the smaller national teams. It doesn't require cheating or hacking the database, so I'm not worried that I've somehow corrupted my game.

Now I can introduce myself to you as the manager of the Liechtenstein men's football team.

I've been somewhat fascinated by the Principality of Liechtenstein since I was in eighth grade. My geography teacher assigned each of us a report on a European country and, by the luck of the draw, I ended up with Liechtenstein. I got a good grade on my report, so I figure I might have some kind of Liechtensteiner mojo.

I'm not going to manage a club in this career; I'm getting my fill of that experience in my FC Santa Claus save (which I'll still continue to write about for the forum here, too). I've loaded the Swiss leagues into my game, since a club from Liechtenstein's capital city, Vaduz, play in the Swiss leagues.

The story will last as long as my career as Liechtenstein manager. I don't see myself taking another job if, by some chance, it's offered to me, and if the Liechtenstein FA sack me, then the tale will end.

Hopefully a few of you will find it interesting to read about the attempts of a tiny nation to battle for international football relevance, and my attempts to help that happen.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

The story begins in the summer of 2014, shortly after the completion of the World Cup.

The next major competition for us, then, will be the European Championships, which will be decided in 2016. Liechtenstein will be attempting to qualify from Group G, which also contains Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Sweden...and our neighboring rival, Austria.

Our first match in the Qualifying Round will be 9 September, at home to Austria. We'll host Bolivia in a friendly six days before that, which will be the Blue-Reds' first match under my management. That will give me some time to look over the pool of players at my disposal.

On my first day on the job, I met the other members of the senior team staff. We'd all fit comfortably in an SUV.

Assistant Manager: Franz-Joseph Batliner
Goalkeeping Coach: Christopher Gahleitner
Physio: Egon Oehri
Physio: Adin Rinner

Thomas Kranz and Torsten Ritter work with the Under 21s as coaches. That's the entire national staff, right there.

Since the players on the national team will be doing most of their training at their clubs, it seems that national team staff will help out mostly with identifying and evaluating the players I'll pick for national duty. With that in mind, I brought in a new coach, Sven-John Gstöhl, who has a decent eye for talent.

Incidentally, I'm using "fake names" in this game, as I often do. I enjoy creating an "imaginary" world, where the heroes (and villains) have their own identities.

As we get closer to our match with Bolivia, I'll introduce you to the players whom I'll be selecting to represent our nation.

[Brian Swartz]

Tall order, international management is tricky. Hopefully this will be a long-lasting adventure for you!

[britrock88]

Following, as well. And very tempting to try to do the same kind of thing myself...

[collegesportsfanms]

I will be following along too, I love international management, and I'm a huge fan of FM. I hate Steam with a passion though, so I'm still hooked on WWSM 2007. Doesn't have some of the cool features that FM 15 does but I don't have to go through Steam, so it's worth the sacrifice.

Good luck, you've got quite a challenge ahead of you

[korme]

So what was the trick to "unlock" the smaller country?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! It's encouraging to see several of you posting in the thread already.

This will certainly not be the story of a footballing juggernaut that vanquishes all before it. Fortunately, the Liechtenstein FA has realistic aspirations, so I might be able to stay on the job for a while.

Originally Posted by korme

So what was the trick to "unlock" the smaller country?

Here's how it works.

• Begin a new career game in Football Manager.
• I'm not using an edited database for this game, so you can select the Official 15.3.0 Update Database for your game.
• Choose the nations you'd like to load for your game. If the small nation you'd like to manage isn't an option, don't worry. I chose to load Switzerland.
• Click on the green button in the bottom right corner: Next: New Game Overview."

The next steps are the key.

• For "Database Size," choose "Advanced." Up comes a grey box which you've seen before, if you've ever decided to customize the player pool for your game.
• I'm using a Large database size.
• Under "Nations," add the country whose national team you'd like to manage.
• Check the box beside "Players of nationality," at least. I checked all the boxes, but I'm not sure that makes a difference. This will ensure there are enough players loaded into the game's database to create a player pool for your chosen country.
• Continue as you usually would. When you're picking the team you'd like to manage, you should have the option of taking control of the small national team you've set up.

I hope those directions weren't too much.

[Young Drachma]

Ooh will be tough, but love the idea. Following! Finally got FM15, so it's great. More hours on this one that I have since 2010.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 September 2014

Without playing a match, Liechtenstein dropped 19 places in the world rankings during the past two months. We're currently #168 in the world; among European nations, only the Faroe Islands, Andorra, and Gibraltar are ranked lower.

I've spent the past weeks traveling to see players in the national pool compete in various competitions. I've watched matches in Denmark, Bulgaria, and Switzerland, and I've had the chance to see the sizable contingent who play their club football in Vaduz several times.

Today, the 23-man squad who will represent Liechtenstein in our friendly against Bulgaria and our European Championships qualifier against Austria assembled at our team hotel.

Here they are. Each player will be highlighted with the position group where he's expected to make the biggest impact.

Goalkeepers


Andreas Kranz (uncapped)
A physically imposing keeper, Andreas stars in the Austrian Premier Division.
Nicolas Matt (16 caps)
Nicolas is highly respected by his teammates, and will wear the number one shirt.
Andreas Wanger (3 caps)
Captain of the local club, Andreas gives us a solid third 'keeper.


Defenders


Simon Hitti (uncapped)
A reserve center back for now, Simon has potential for the future.
Pius Hug (uncapped)
Hard-working Pius toils in the Swiss lower leagues, but his athleticism earns him a spot in our first eleven at center half.
Allesandro Laternser (uncapped)
Allesandro can play all along the back line, and will start at left back by necessity.
Niklas Matt (uncapped)
Niklas aspires to captain Liechtenstein one day, but for now he's a reserve.
Jürgen Wohlwend (uncapped)
A rugged tackler, center-half Jürgen plays his club football in Turkey.
Enis Zech (uncapped)
Enis, our best defender, is a natural center back who will play the right flank for now.


Midfielders


Nicholas Batliner (uncapped)
Nicholas will be a reserve holding midfielder, where his pace and tackling will come in handy.
Jürgen Frick (10 caps, 3 goals)
Pacey Jürgen can play out wide or in the middle of the pitch, and will feature in both places.
Fabian Girstmair (12 caps)
Fabian is a very good athlete, but doesn't always keep his head in the game.
Mathias Girstmair (uncapped)
Only 20, Mathias is already a polished player, and he'll be a fixture in the national side for years.
Thomas Girstmair (29 caps)
Veteran Thomas, athletic and skilled, is a fine defensive midfielder.
Manuel Goop (uncapped)
A versatile left flanker, Manuel is a dynamic attacking force--and might be our best left back, too.
Martin Hilti (uncapped)
Martin plays in Belgium's top league, and will start on the right wing.
Diego Kaiser (uncapped)
Diego can play varied roles in the middle of the park and is mentally tough for a young player.
Jurg Zech (1 cap, 4 goals)
A versatile reserve, Jurg was a legend in his one international appearance to date.


Attackers


Sven-John Banzer (uncapped)
Sven-John is unafraid of any challenge, and he is a creative player.
Ecki Batliner (uncapped)
Ecki has the potential to be a long-time front man for his country.
Patrick Bühler (108 caps, 14 goals)
A legendary player, Patrick's versatility and savvy make him valuable at age 39.
Mario Frommelt (24 caps, 2 goals)
Mario, who can lead the line or play in the hole, is the team's most clinical finisher.
Julian Hilti (uncapped)
A hamstring injury will keep Julian, a well-rounded forward, out of action for a few more days.


On paper, we are frighteningly weak in the back. We lack natural full backs on both sides; there's not a left back who is ready for duty with the senior team in the player pool right now.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

3 September 2014

I awarded the captain's armband to Thomas Girstmair, a decision that was almost universally approved by the team. My decision especially pleased a few of the veterans, who had expressed their concerns about the youthful nature of the squad at a team meeting. Goalkeeper Nicolas Matt is the vice-captain.

That positive vibe was shaken the next day, when central defender Pius Hug planted his foot wrong in a training exercise and broke his foot! He'll be out for at least four months, and his injury leaves us even weaker in a spot where we're already far from strong. I called up Sandro Schurte, the closest thing to a natural left back in our player pool, to take Pius's spot. Sandro, 22, plays in the Austrian lower divisions, and he's got decent speed and defensive awareness.

Today's opponent, Bolivia, entered the match ranked 71st in the world. They're faster, more skilled, and more experienced than we are, and they were expected to roll to an easy result.

Here's the team I selected for my first match as Liechtenstein manager:

GK: Nicolas Matt
D: Sandro Schurte, Enis Zech, Jürgen Wohlwend, Niklas Matt
M: Mathias Girstmair, Thomas Girstmair
AM: Manuel Goop, Mario Frommelt, Martin Hilti
ST: Ecki Batliner

A crowd of 3,247 turned out at Rheinpark Stadion in our capital, Vaduz. They saw us create two good chances in the opening minutes of the game. Bolivia 'keeper Ovido Saavedra turned Goop's drive away, and Batliner sent one fizzing just wide of Saavedra's right post.

Just past the half hour, Frommelt delivered a cross from the right side, and Goop found enough space at Saavedra's far post to tuck it inside. Liechtenstein were up, 1-0!

Bolivia started the second half on the front foot. After Thomas Girstmair fouled a streaking Bolivia attacker just outside the area, substitute Ramiro Flores fired in a free kick that Nicolas Matt nearly got his fingers on.

La Verde nearly scored again, when some poor defensive positioning left Roberto Mendez alone on the left wing. He crossed to Oliver Justiniano, whose shot from very close range was batted away by Matt.

When the final whistle blew, we'd held a dangerous opponent to a 1-1 draw. Our supporters were elated, and veteran Jurg Zech, who had been among the curmudgeons who'd questioned my team selection earlier in the week, called the match "one of the proudest moments in Liechtensteiner football."

Austria awaits, so we won't have long to enjoy the feeling.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

8 September 2014

For several reasons, the Austria match would present us with a more imposing challenge. Austria are a far better side than Colombia, some thirty places higher in the world rankings. We would be playing them at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, where most of the tens of thousands of fans in attendance would be rooting for us to lose. And, the match was a European Championships qualifier, so the home side would have plenty of incentive to win.

Nicolas Matt and Martin Hilti's comments to the media in the days before the match reflected the bouyant spirit in our changing room. The draw with Bolivia had our players feeling confident; they knew they'd have to play over their heads to achieve a similar result against Austria, but they were raring to go.

I kept the 4-2-3-1 shape I used against Bolivia, with a few changes to the team sheet.

GK: Matt
D: Laternser, Zech, S. Hilti, Matt
M: T. Girstmair, M. Girstmair
AM: Goop, Frommelt, M. Hilti
ST: Banzer

Simon Hilti, who came on as a late substitution against Bolivia, would start tonight. Sven-John Banzer, who looked good off the bench the other night, replaced Batliner.

With just over 49,000 on hand to watch, Austria took control of the match from the opening kickoff. Ten minutes in, young FK Austria Wien star Dietmar Müller lashed a fierce drive that Matt could only push away. Müller was first to the rebound, and put it past Matt before he could recover. Front man Christian Frank was the next to test our 'keeper, but Matt saved his placed shot and held on to Müller's follow-up attempt.

On 33 minutes, veteran Thomas Osmic skipped past Simon Hilti and beat Matt from 15 yards out to double Austria's advantage. It was their 14th shot, to zero for us. Not long after, Austria skipper Andreas Juric found himself with space just outside our area. The AC Milan midfielder curled a shot inside Matt's left post. 3-0, Austria.

We finally generated a decent chance in the waning minutes of the half. Manuel Goop took Alessandro Laternser's long ball and slipped it to Banzer, who had space inside the Austria penalty area. Banzer had the Austria 'keeper, Stefan Konrad, out of position, but he banged his shot off the post. Konrad pounced on the ball before Martin Hilti could stuff it home.

The second half was relatively uneventful, as Austria choked off the game and coasted to a 3-0 victory. We had one more tantalizing opportunity, but Konrad saved Mario Frommelt's curling shot and kept his sheet clean.

I wasn't terribly unhappy with the way we played, especially after the first half hour or so. We generated a few fairly good chances against a team that, on paper, was greatly our superior. The average Austrian player is valued at £1.9 million; the average Liechtensteiner, £50,000.

The team met one last time before they returned to their clubs, and they were very positive about what they accomplished this week. They'll return to international duty next month, for two more European Championship qualifying matches.

Here are the scores from the other matches in Group G:
Montenegro 1-1 Sweden
Russia 4-0 Moldova

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 October 2014

Any football manager faces a challenge when the injury bug strikes his squad. When you manage a team like Liechtenstein, where the player pool is shallow to begin with, the challenge is especially daunting.

On the 21st, I learned that captain Thomas Girstmair tore a groin muscle. Their club physio informed me he'd be out until late November, so he's definitely going to miss the qualifiers against Montenegro and Russia. Two days later, I got bad news from Hoffenheim, where Mathias Girstmair injured a hamstring in training. Mathias won't be back on the pitch for almost a month. Just like that, my starting midfield pair was wiped out.

As if that wasn't enough, Simon Hilti is also sidelined, after injuring his foot. While he's easier to replace than either of the Girstmairs, his absence will only make our lack of depth in the back more acute.

The proposed squad list I got from assistant Franz-Joseph Batliner had only THREE natural defenders, plus Alessandro Laternser, a defensive midfielder who's been playing in the back for us. I agreed with most of FJ's choices, but there were a few guys he doesn't seem fond of that I'm not willing to drop.

We both believe midfielder Jürgen Stricker, 22, merits his first chance to earn a full international cap. He's played 12 times for his country at the youth level. Jürgen is fast, and he's willing to do his duty defensively.

Had Franz-Josef Marock, 20, been healthy last month, I'd have called him up from the Under 21s then. He can play anywhere along the M and AM strata and as a front man, and he offers good technical skills and a bit of pace. He'll certainly get onto the pitch, and he might even start.

The other new man in the squad will be midfielder Horst Hartmann, 22, making his first senior team after appearing 22 times at the youth level. He's been in good form for Vaduz, and he played well in the European Under 21 championships last year.

Batliner wanted me to drop veterans Patrick Bühler, Jurg Zech, and Fabian Girstmair, but I disagreed. Both Bühler and Zech can play defense if I need them to, and I don't think you drop a man who's played over a hundred times for his country, like Patrick has, unless he demonstrates he's no longer up to the challenge.

So, I'm replacing the three injured players, and that's it.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

9 October 2014

Bad things are supposed to happen in threes, not fours.

The day after I submitted my squad list for next week's fixtures, Enis Zech strained ligaments in his knee while training with Vaduz. A know-nothing pundit had suggested that Enis didn't deserve a spot in the team, and now he won't have one for the next two months.

Since Pius Hug is still injured, BOTH the men I want to start at center back are unavailable. Andreas Berthold, 27, might be in line to make his first national team.

My manager character is a Liechtenstein international with five goals in 64 appearances, and he's 37. Sounds like he might have been a center back to me. I'm tempted to go into the editor and bring him out of retirement...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Like my FC Santa Claus dynasty, this one might be lost if I can't get FM 15 running again.

I'm thinking about giving Liechtenstein another go, with FM 14. There were things I like better about that version of the game, anyway.

We'll see.