***The Official Football Manager Thread***

[Zac]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Transfer window just closed. Took me three days complete the off season.

I know its going to be a struggle to beat Bayern for the league (they crushed us in the DFL Supercup), even with such a good team. Germany and France have the same issue. One team is just on another level financially and reputation wise, so they can bring a slightly higher quality of player than the group below them.However I think we might be within a chance this year. But I'm really building for future seasons.

Here is who I brought in last January, right after I took over.


And I sold Kagawa to China for 20M.

Then this summer here is what the business looks like.


I way over payed for Jorge. But I had already lost Schmelzer and PSG, United, City and RM were coming in for Guerreiro, so I thought I was going to lose both. So I panicked and made sure I got the best one my scouts had brought me so far. Now I have two potential world class left backs.

Also got Donnarumma cheap because Juve made an offer for him after Buffon retired, and they refused to sell to them. This upset him. My DoF brought this to my attention so I had him make a bid and it worked. Then a few days later they offered peanuts for Burki and I let him go. Pretty sure I came out better in that swap. But I would have liked to kept him around as the backup.

I also didn't want to sell Volland as he is a good German player. But as I'm only playing with one up top he wasn't going to get the game time he wanted so I let him go. He wasn't happy about me only playing him 5 times after I took over, so.

Even after all that business, we still had a lot of money to work with. So I figured I'll build for the future with some future transfers of good young players. Squad was already too big, and that balance was burning a hole in my pocket.


All are currently 20 and will be 21 when they join next summer. Retsos is a Greek center back who can also play as a DM. McKennie as I'm sure most of you know is an American midfield player who can play defensive, central or attacking. And Dolberg is a Danish complete forward who can also play as an IF on both wings. All have massive potential to be key players for the club. I just hope they get good time this year at their current clubs so they don't stagnate.

I can't get over how stable and wealthy Dortmund are. This is our financials after all that was done and the window had closed. And I had increased our wage budget and scouting budget with some of the transfer funds.


And here is what I'm working with this season. Its a large squad. But I plan to do some heavy rotation to get the younger players involved more. I'll also probably move a few of the older players on in January if there is decent interest. I have too many good wingers/inside forwards, need to get rid of at least one to keep play time complaints down. Was going to loan out Sancho, but got no hits. And I thought about loaning out Larson, but he tore up pre-season so I plan to use him.

I also converted Max Philipp into a complete forward last season, a la Roberto Firmino. And hes doing exactly what I had hoped. Scored 10 goals and had 10 assists for me after January last year. And now has been predicted to be the top goal scorer in the league pre-season, but I don't see that happening.

Spoiler

So second in the league again is the goal. And quarter finals of CL, and final appearance in the Pokal.

[Zac]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***




Oh, okay cool. So you like want to increase it from 20M to like 50M or something, just in case.






Are you trying to give me anxiety?

[jvalverde88]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

ZO after receiving that email.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

I'm debating moving on from this current save, mostly because Arsenal have tons of money and I can just buy to fix problems. For now I think I'm gonna do a save where I start fifteen years in the future, and figure out a career from there, or I might give my{or another) American pyramid one more go.

[Zac]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Not a great second season.





I guess this is what happens when you spend way too much and bring in way too many players. End up with a big squad, and despite having some injuries to "key players", you are forced to rotate way too much. So no one really gells and finds consistency.

We also lost in the first knockout round of the CL to Man United 4-3 agg. However the season wasn't a complete throw away, we played in the Pokal final against Leipzig and won 2-0. But they beat us both times in the league.


EDIT: I'm having a nervous break down over this summer window. Its ****ing insane. I just lost Pulisic to Bayern for this 80M release clause. He refused to sign a new deal because last summer I rejected City and PSG. So now I'm losing him to the biggest rival in the league. ****.

[studbucket]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

So I've never seen this happen. I mean, we weren't expected to beat Leverkusen, but cool that the players did this.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

EDIT: I'm having a nervous break down over this summer window. Its ****ing insane. I just lost Pulisic to Bayern for this 80M release clause. He refused to sign a new deal because last summer I rejected City and PSG. So now I'm losing him to the biggest rival in the league. ****.

Gettin' real tired of this realism.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Went back over my American database, located some of the more frustrating problems with a fresh pair of eyes, and I'm now running a 10-year soak test, if it works, I'll be starting in 2027

[ImTellinTim]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

EDIT: I'm having a nervous break down over this summer window. Its ****ing insane. I just lost Pulisic to Bayern for this 80M release clause. He refused to sign a new deal because last summer I rejected City and PSG. So now I'm losing him to the biggest rival in the league. ****.

So in other words, you had a typical Dortmund off-season, except Bayern didn't rob you blind - you actually got fair value.

[Zac]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

So in other words, you had a typical Dortmund off-season, except Bayern didn't rob you blind - you actually got fair value.

Yes, and yes. I didn't get robbed by anyone, but I lost 6 first team regulars due to release clauses being activated. It was kind of insane. I'd never seen anything like it before in my time with FM.

Pulisic to Bayern for his 80M clause
Schurrle to Liverpool for his 22M clause.
Yarmolenko to United for his 42M clause.
Guerrreiro to PSG for his 62M clause.
Rues to Juve for his 55M clause.

And the kicker. Virgil Van Dijk was brought in the January window because he was unhappy at Liverpool. I paid 39.5M for him. He wouldn't sign unless I gave him a 38M release clause. He played 10 league games and in the summer PSG activated that release clause.

So I made out like a bandit on the money front. But lost a lot of good players. Raked in 318M in total with some other smaller sales.

I did end up spending 213M. And I have 240M to use still if I feel like it. But I don't see a need at the moment. Having all this money is odd to me. I'm so used to playing with smaller, and usually broke teams.

And on the Bayern front, they also brought in James Rodriguez for 40M and Dembelee for 35M. Who had been bought by Leverkusen from Celtic and was the leagues top scorer two years in a row. Its like no matter what moves I make, they one up me.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

So putting the finishing touches on my American database, and leaving this one up to public opinion, should I edit teams to have geographical rivalries within America? For instance, San Francisco City and San Francisco Deltas, or FC Cincinnati and AFC Cleveland, etc. Or should I leave it as is, and only have the game created 'competitive' rivalries?

[Zac]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

So putting the finishing touches on my American database, and leaving this one up to public opinion, should I edit teams to have geographical rivalries within America? For instance, San Francisco City and San Francisco Deltas, or FC Cincinnati and AFC Cleveland, etc. Or should I leave it as is, and only have the game created 'competitive' rivalries?

Maybe not everyone, but at least the cities where there are more than one club.

[rdnk]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Yes, and yes. I didn't get robbed by anyone, but I lost 6 first team regulars due to release clauses being activated. It was kind of insane. I'd never seen anything like it before in my time with FM.

Pulisic to Bayern for his 80M clause
Schurrle to Liverpool for his 22M clause.
Yarmolenko to United for his 42M clause.
Guerrreiro to PSG for his 62M clause.
Rues to Juve for his 55M clause.

And the kicker. Virgil Van Dijk was brought in the January window because he was unhappy at Liverpool. I paid 39.5M for him. He wouldn't sign unless I gave him a 38M release clause. He played 10 league games and in the summer PSG activated that release clause.

So I made out like a bandit on the money front. But lost a lot of good players. Raked in 318M in total with some other smaller sales.

I did end up spending 213M. And I have 240M to use still if I feel like it. But I don't see a need at the moment. Having all this money is odd to me. I'm so used to playing with smaller, and usually broke teams.

And on the Bayern front, they also brought in James Rodriguez for 40M and Dembelee for 35M. Who had been bought by Leverkusen from Celtic and was the leagues top scorer two years in a row. Its like no matter what moves I make, they one up me.

Welcome to real life. Dortmund is basically the academy for all of the super-clubs in Europe. Bayern is well known for cannibalizing the rest of the Bundesliga for its ambitions, which may or may not be in the best interest for the Bundesliga.

Having played with smaller/poorer clubs and then jumping up to a big money team, I agree that having bags of money is bizarre. You go from getting by on astute international signings, free transfers, listed veterans and academy kids to basically being able to turn your team over in one year if you want to.

[Suntan Superman]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

Welcome to real life. Dortmund is basically the academy for all of the super-clubs in Europe. Bayern is well known for cannibalizing the rest of the Bundesliga for its ambitions, which may or may not be in the best interest for the Bundesliga.

Having played with smaller/poorer clubs and then jumping up to a big money team, I agree that having bags of money is bizarre. You go from getting by on astute international signings, free transfers, listed veterans and academy kids to basically being able to turn your team over in one year if you want to.

After spending 9 years at Viborg FF, and moving to Arsenal, it was jarring experience to have a player get injured for the year and just be able to purchase a replacement, who might just be a career replacement, then have someone upset at me get sold off for gobs of money, and bring in someone for gobs of money who fits my system even better. Normally I'd just resort to starting a 16 or 17 year old at Viborg.

[Kobalt]

Re: ***The Official Football Manager Thread***

So Leverkusen beat Bayern on the final match to win the title and stop Bayern from winning its 10 straight league titles in my save.

So unrealistic, Neverkusen would never