A Bavarian Adventure (FM14)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I'm back, and this time, I'm taking my Football Manager career someplace different. I'm off to Germany; more specifically, to Bavaria.

Once again, I'm playing my favorite FM version, FM14. I've loaded a database that extends the German football system to the fifth level, the Oberliga. After browsing through the leagues (a process I can easily spend several hours on), I picked a club in the Oberliga Bavaria South.

The lovely town of Eichstätt is my new home, as I'm taking over the reins of Verein für Bewegungsspiele Eichstätt, usually written as VfB Eichstätt. The first three words in the club's name translate to "Association for Active Games." I'm certainly hoping to provide exactly that sort of football for the 14,000 or so residents of my new home town.

We have exactly two players on our roster, so my first job will be filling out the team. Since our first friendly is three days away, I need to complete that process quickly, or I'll be sending out a team full of grey ghosts.

I hope to be updating after every two or three matches, in my attempt to find the balance between playing and writing that will best keep my attention.

Wish us luck, and I'll be back once I've got some players to tell you about.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

6 August 2013

Meet the Team

Our opening match in the Division Bavaria South is tomorrow, and here's the squad I've managed to assemble.

I usually line them up in a 4-4-1-1. They are also learning a 4-4-2.

The star ratings are provided by my assistant manager, Jerome Schößler. Jerome's a 4 for Judging Player Ability and a 6 for Judging Player Potential, so you might want to take his assessments with several grains of salt. He gives every player in the team five full stars for Potential Ability.

Goalkeepers
Vladimir Hodzic (age 16; 3.0 stars) Vlad is a well-rounded young 'keeper, quick and good in the air. He could be mentally tougher.

Michael Hübner (age 16; 2.5 stars) I'd have no problem putting Michael between the posts for a big match. His positioning could use work, but he is a determined, hard-working player.


Defenders
David Bienemann (age 16; 2.5 stars) David can play both center and right back. He's eager in the tackle, but has very little pace. He'll be a useful reserve.

Max Gebauer (age 17; 4.5 stars) Max is the club's captain. He is insanely athletic, with bags of pace, and tackles ferociously, despite standing only 5'3" and weighing 114 pounds. Our first team left back.

Jens Helmes (age 23; 5.0 stars) Jens is the oldest player on the roster. Aggressive and determined, he also demonstrates sound defensive awareness. Jens will probably start at center back, but he can also play on the right side.

Rico Stange (age 16; 4.0 stars) I signed Rico for his versatility. He provides coverage for the starters all across the back line. He isn't particularly strong or fast, but he's comfortable on the ball and he'll put in a shift.

Paul Uphoff (age 16; 5.0 stars) Like Rico Stange, Paul can play any position in defense. His size isn't ideal for a center half, so he might have trouble defending big forwards--but he's got great wheels. Paul is likely to start beside Jens Helmes in our central defense.

Frank Wittwer (age 17; 4.0 stars) Frank is a ruthless tackler who gives his all for the club. He's slow to anticipate what's happening on the pitch, and his marking needs work. Frank will be part of a rotation at right back.


Midfielders
Olaf Adam (age 17; 2.0 stars) A right winger, Olaf plays with a lot of flair. Like a lot of young wide men, he can run, but his technical skills are still works in progress. He'll be a reserve.

Michael Ahrens (age 16; 2.5 stars) I like Michael better than my assistant does. His physical attributes are nothing special, but the mental side of his game is very advanced for his age. He'll start as our number ten, playing behind the striker.

Michael Hoffmann (age 17; 5.0 stars) M-Hoff is a tenacious defensive midfielder. His decision-making is questionable, and he can lose track of the man he's marking, but he's a skillful passer with a good first touch. Michael will be a fixture in the first team.

Werner Kunze (age 16; 3.5 stars) Versatile Werner can play on either side, but he's better on the right, so we'll use him there most often. He's fast, with a relentless work ethic, and he delivers a pretty cross.

Matthias Luginger (age 16; 2.0 stars) Matthias provides cover at AMC, and if we use attacking wide midfielders, he can slot in on either side, too. He's a big lad, and we can use him as a wide target man. Like a lot of our players, he's very quick.

Matthias Martin (age 17, 2.5 stars) This Matthias is a stylish central midfielder with a good motor. His dribbling and passing skills are refined, and he sees the pitch well for a teenager. I'll pair him with Hoffmann, because their skill sets complement each other well.

Christoph Schuster (age 16, 2.0 stars) Christoph is another player I value more highly than Jerome does. His attributes are a good fit for the role I want him to play: an active wide midfielder who runs up and down his wing, delivering crosses and tracking back on defense. He'll start on the left side.


Forwards
Dennis Bieler (age 16; 1.5 stars) Dennis doesn't impress my staff either. I think they're undervaluing how well he fits the Advanced Forward role I envision for him. He's big, strong, and can finish. Dennis will be part of my rotation at forward.

André Gebhart (age 16; 3.0 stars) André is a mirror image of Dennis Bieler in some ways. He has pace, which Dennis lacks, and he plays with much more panache. The rest of his game isn't as polished. Perhaps I'll use him as a super-sub when I need a goal.

Thomas Kiefer (age 16; 2.0 stars) Another pacey, flashy forward, Thomas can play the deep-lying role in a two-striker formation or lead the line as a solo front man. He'll have first shot at the number 9 shirt.

Christopher von der Weth (age 16, 1.5 stars) CVDW is an classy player, well suited to several different roles. He lacks one signature skill, but he also doesn't have a real weakness. I'll use him as a reserve, or when I play with two strikers.

We're very, very young, eager, and raw. I get the feeling most of the teams we'll play are pretty much the same way.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Greyfriars Bobby

He gives every player in the team five full stars for Potential Ability.

Soooo ... you're saying there's a chance?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Soooo ... you're saying there's a chance?

Hmmm...I'm not sure what I'm saying there's a chance of. There's a chance the quality of players in Bavaria South isn't very good, and that my squad is actually a group of young galacticos-in-the-making.

There's also a chance my assistant doesn't know a good footballer from a hole in the ground, and since Jerome's not the highest-rated judge of potential talent in the football world, that might be the more likely situation.

Anyway, it will be fun to find out. Thanks for the comment...stop by again.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Clubs in the Oberliga, like VfB Eichstätt, aren't eligible for the German Cup. So, unless we move up a level, all our matches will take place in the German Division Bavaria South.

We've begun league play, and here's how we've started out:


7 August 2013: Eichstätt 2-0 Schwabmünchen
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Uphoff, Gebauer, Kunze, Martin, Hoffmann, Schuster, Ahrens, Gebhardt.
André Gebhardt fired a brace within ten minutes early in the second half, giving us three points. Both goals were made by Michael Ahrens, who played Gebhardt in beautifully both times.

10 August: Pullach 2-1 Eichstätt
Hodzic, Helmes, Uphoff, Stange, Gebauer, Kunze, Ahrens, Hoffman, Schuster, Luginger, Kiefer.
I would have loved to have more than two days before our trip to the outskirts of Munich to face Pullach, a big club with a wage budget twice as big as ours. It was a gritty match, on a terrible pitch in rainy, windy weather.

We fell behind quickly, as the home side fired two goals in quick succession. An own goal, which happened when a Pullach defender deflected a Matthias Luginger drive past a helpless 'keeper, gave us a bit of hope, but we couldn't manage to equalize.

17 August: Eichstätt 1-0 DJK Rosenheim
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Stange, Gebauer, Kunze, Martin, Hoffman, Schuster, Baker, Gebhardt.
Paul Uphoff came out of the Pullach match with an injury, so Rico Stange got another start at center back. Rosenheim lined up with two defensive midfielders shielding their back line, so I switched to a 4-4-2. Gebhardt headed in a pretty cross from Dennis Bieler and we made the goal stand up.

The board had declared this fixture a Fan Day, so I wish we could have given them a better show. Still, we got the result, and we're fifth in the league after three matches.

[Brian Swartz]

In case you're not aware, the star rating is relative to the other players on your squad. So basically all of your players have very similar potential. Similarly bad or similarly good remains to be seen

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

In case you're not aware, the star rating is relative to the other players on your squad. So basically all of your players have very similar potential. Similarly bad or similarly good remains to be seen

Thanks for that information, Brian. How could I have played FM for three years or so without learning that?

I'd always thought the rating was relative to the league, rather than my squad. Now I see how it works. If I somehow acquired a wonderkid, my staff would probably give him five stars, and the other players would see their ratings drop sharply.

That makes sense, and thanks again.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

24 August 2013
Eichstätt 0-1 Ismaning
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Stange, Gebauer, Kunze, Martin, Hoffmann, Schuster, Ahrens, Gebhardt.
Blah. We tested the Ismaning 'keeper only once, and it's hard to win when your attack is that toothless. Some horrendous play from our defense allowed Stefan Mahrt to stroll up to our goal unimpeded and score with ease. Rico Stange, one of the defenders who was burned so badly there, was dreadful all evening long.

31 August 2013
Affing 0-2 Eichstätt
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Uphoff, Gebauer, Kunze, Martin, Hoffmann, Schuster, Ahrens, Gebhardt.
I made one change for this fixture, replacing Stange with Paul Uphoff. We came out swinging, and within fifteen seconds Christoph Schuster lofted a pass over the top for André Gebhardt to run onto and tuck away.

We were much sharper offensively, carving up Affing several times and forcing their goalkeeper to make several fine saves. Finally, in the match's waning moments, Gebhardt hammered a shot off a Affing center back's keister and in.

We had the ball only 42% of the time, but that's not how the winner is decided. Our victory enabled us to trade places with Affing, taking over seventh place.


2 September 2013
Transfer Deadline Day
The first few matches of the season revealed a few areas in which I wanted to tweak our roster. I needed to find someone, besides André Gebhardt, who can find the goal. I wanted to locate a defensive midfielder, so I can switch to a 4-1-4-1 when I face a strong opponent or when I want to protect a lead. And, I hoped to find a player who can provide us some cover for our wingers, who seem to run out of gas late in matches.

I'm trying to solve the last two problems by retraining players who are already in the team. Thomas Kiefer has a skill set that should enable him to play effectively as a central midfielder. I've used him there in our last two matches, and he's been fine. That will allow me to drop Michael Hoffmann back to shield the back four when the circumstances of the match demand it. Christopher von der Weth could already play as an AM(C) and an AM(R), so it wasn't a big change for him to drop to M(R). I've also brought him in to provide cover on the left wing. I'm going to train Thomas as a centre mid and Christopher as a winger.

The other hole was (hopefully) filled today, the final day of the transfer window. I brought in a 19-year-old forward from Ludwigsburg called Werner Kulovits. Standing 6'3", Werner can serve as a powerful target man, and he has enough pace to frustrate the center backs who can match his size and strength. Werner is Austrian, the only non-German player on the team.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

7 September 2013
Pipinsried 1-1 Eichstätt
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Stange, Gebauer, Kunze, Martin, Hoffmann, Schuster, Ahrens, Gebhardt.
We got bad news from the physio this week: Paul Uphoff, who had just laid claim to a spot in the first team, hurt his Achilles tendon and will be out for a while. So, for our match away to sixth-place Pipinsried, I returned Rico Stange to the eleven.

We scored early in the second half, on a delightful long throw into the area by skipper Max Gebauer. The ball bounced twice before André Gebhardt gathered it and hammered it into the upper right corner. Geb's goal, his fifth, made him the league's top scorer.

Both teams deserved a point, and we both moved up in the table: us to sixth, and them to fifth.


14 September 2013
Eichstätt 1-1 Landshut
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Stange, Gebauer, Kunze, Martin, Hoffmann, Schuster, Kulovits, Gebhardt.
One good thing about not playing for a cup is the ability it gives me to keep my team fresh. In fact, I might have to start thinking about giving the reserves some run in the first team before long, so they don't become stale.

I played 4-4-2 against Landshut. New striker Werner Kulovits got his debut, and he opened his account in style--heading home a Gebauer cross. We very nearly got all three points, but Landshut 'keeper Alexander Hayer saved beautifully from Gebhardt as time was dwindling down.


21 September 2013
Aichach 0-1 Eichstätt
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Stange, Gebauer, Hoffmann, Kunze, Ahrens, Martin, Schuster, Gebhardt.
A trip away to Aichach is as tough as it gets in Bavaria South. They are a big club, with a wage budget that is probably five our six times the size of ours. They're top of the league, scoring 13 goals and conceding only two in seven matches.

We came out in the 4-1-4-1 shape I use to protect a lead, with Michael Hoffmann playing as a defensive midfielder.

Aichach earned a corner in the 10th minute, and their Norwegian winger, Aasmund Stenersen--who earns as much per week as our entire team--delivered a beautiful ball for one of their big center backs to head in. We missed a great chance to draw level when Gebhardt's goal was waved off; he'd barely drifted offside. It was the correct call, but it still stung.

Still, it's hard to find fault with the lads after a match like this. We gave Aichach as good a run for their money as anyone has all season. Max Gebauer continued his outstanding play; he made 8 tackles and 13 interceptions, and was named Man of the Match.

The worst news came after the match. I'd brought Kulowits on to replace Gebhardt, who had a rare off game. Werner twisted his ankle and it looks like he will be out for a while.

We're currently sixth, in a group of teams on 13 points.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

28 September 2013
Eichstätt 1-0 Hankofen
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Bienemann, Gebauer, von der Weth, Martin, Hoffmann, Kunze, Ahrens, Gebhardt.
Despite the fact we were playing at Westpark-Stadion, our home ground, we were made underdogs to a scrappy Hankofen side. I decided to give Christopher von der Weth a start on the right wing, and I'm glad I did. On 36', Michael Ahrens made another inch-perfect pass which von der Weth lashed across the face of goal into the far corner of the goal.

I realized we've played all of the rest of the top seven clubs in the league now, and we're holding our own just fine.

After the match, I talked our chairman, Andreas Reich, into looking for a parent club for us.

4 October 2013
Big news! We upgraded our backroom staff considerably with the hiring of coach Jaakko Sjöblom. Jaakko is an affable Finn, a polyglot who speaks Finnish, German, Swedish, and some English. He's also a versatile coach with a special talent for working with young players--a highly desirable quality for a club with only two or three players who would be too old for an American high school varsity team.

Our one-man scouting team, Thorsten Dittrich, found a defensive midfielder who was looking for a club, and I wasted no time signing him. His name is Bastian Müller. He's brave and strong, both physically and mentally, and he should be a very effective midfield destroyer at our level. He'll step into the first team, either at MC or DM, depending on our tactical needs.


5 October 2013
Raisting 0-2 Eichstätt
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Bienemann, Gebauer, von der Weth, Hoffmann, Müller, Kunze, Ahrens, Gebhardt.
By the time Raisting center back Marcel Brand was sent off with his second yellow card, we were already up a goal. Gebhardt turned provider, playing in von der Weth for his second goal in as many matches.

Raisting's aggressive play didn't stop there. Gebhardt emerged limping from a particularly rough challenge, and his substitute, Dennis Bieler, got the best revenge by smacking one past the 'keeper five minutes later.

New man Bastian Müller played well in his debut, playing in the middle of our 4-4-1-1.


12 October 2013
Eichstätt 1-0 Burghausen II
Hodzic, Wittwer, Helmes, Bienemann, Gebauer, Hoffmann, Kunze, von der Weth, Martin, Schuster, Gebhardt.
Burghausen's senior team play in the German Third Division. Their second team was predicted to run riot in Bavaria South, but they entered the match in 12th.

A crowd of 253, our biggest of the season, turned out to watch on a crisp October day, and we gave them their money's worth. André Gebhardt scored a tough, gritty goal, fighting off two defenders and tucking the ball in past the goalkeeper's outstretched left arm. Burghausen tested Vladimir Hodzic only once, and he was equal to the task. He hasn't conceded a goal in over 350 minutes now!

Now we're up to fourth, six points behind Aichach, who finally lost (to Unterföhring, last week).