The spartak revival

I did last night but I got crash dumps error 2 days after a 3-1 away

I've had a few issues with crash dumps on my save. I find if you delete the folder it creates then re load the game it seems to work fine again then.

Great to beat Shakhtar even on away goals, Zenit in the cup and holding the league with ten games to go will be tricky to break

I saw something online about deleting a folder so I have done that and working fine so far.That was the first crash dump I have had on 15 so far and hopefully be my last.Have it on auto save every 2 weeks but still lost that result.

Gutted Bloody crash dumps

Great performance over the 2 games to defeat Shakhtar. I tend to get 2 crashes every few hours using a mac but just save more often now. Had issues with them before but never to this extent. Good luck for the Everton fixture SBR

I have changed the autosave to weekly so hopefully if it does happen again I wont lose too much.Its happened before when I won the champions league final with Newcastle in my 3rd season and I lost it when it come back on.Frustration doesn't cover how I felt at that moment.


April was my biggest month in this save to date.A 2nd leg at goodison park to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the Europa league,a semi final in the Russian cup at zenit and 5 important league fixtures to try to retain my title.My season could effectively be over in a few weeks or I could be on for a treble.



So my league fixtures this month started with a trip to struggling mordovia.An artem dzyuba double ensured we brought home 3 much needed points.

Next up came a 4-1 demolition at home to terek.This match could of finished 8 or 9-1 but im happy with just the 4.My 2 loan signings both getting on the score sheet was also pleasing to see.Sebastian giovinco and jose manuel jurado scored the other 2 in an emphatic win.

Another 2-0 win came at home to ural.Again bakkali got a goal aswell as one of my favourites denis glushakov.Hes a very good player who partners romero and gil romero well in midfield.

A potential banana skin was not how I saw this fixture.krylja sovetov are struggling against relegation and not in good form but come away with a victory against us when we were in some of our best form.I dominated the match in terms of possession and goal scoring chances but they took there chance and won.

A very pleasing win against rubin Kazan to end the month.I have lost twice in the 3 I have played against them but giovinco,paredes and gil romero got the goals for us and we secured 3 very good points.



The league is pretty close.3 points separate us from zenit and we still have a home game against them very soon.We win that match and it could come down to goal difference.Kudos goes to CSKA.They weren't in a good position one bit but have come back well to get to 3rd.



Away against zenit is not a fixture I enjoy or have had much luck in in the past.Twice I have gone there and lead until the closing stages only to have victory snatched off me by a late goal.Not in this match though.After a dire first half we took charge with 3 quickfire goals from kombarov,promes and balanta.They did get one back but leandro paredes completed the scoring in the 70th minute to book our place in the final where we will play



Wasn't too long ago when we lost to CSKA and they are one of the in form teams of this year.Going to be tough but I am confidant.


Finally onto Europe.Last time out we lost at home to everton and had to go to goodison park looking for a positive result.Ideally I wanted to keep the clean sheet and nick a goal or 2.



One goal wasn't what I got.I got 4 and im through to the semi final.Giovinco opened the scoring from the penalty spot only for Samuel etoo to equalise.Eder alvarez balanta then put us ahead again on away goals and I was tempted to abandon my attacking mentality and sit on the lead but decided to keep going and I was rewarded with 2 more goals from denis glushakov.A great win and to get to the semis isn't what I was expecting but I am there.



Monaco got through against arsenal so I know they are going to be a tough opposition.With players like falcao,joao moutinho and kondogbia they can trouble us at the least.They also beat me to a signing in the summer in hirving Lozano so I am feeling a bit vengeful as I really wanted him.



This match really couldn't of gone better for me.Lucas romero,Sebastian giovinco and zakaria bakkalia fired us into probably our best performance and result so far in my short spartak career.



This was a dream for us.The last match against Monaco was great but this was even better.Over the 2 legs I had demolished a star studded team and there wasn't a bit of luck in it.Lucas romero has been amazing in the 2 matches and got a double here.Gaston gil romero deserved a goal in the first leg but couldn't get one so im delighted he got one here.Anthony martian got a comical own goal when kondogbia kicked it off his backside during a corner.Falcao and ocampos both scored for them but it didn't matter one bit.A 7-2 aggregate scoreline was a massive shock.Now onto the fina to play...



AS Roma.One of the biggest teams in Italy and just as star studded as Monaco.Daniele de rossi is one of my favourite all time Italians and he could influence the game massively.As could iturbe,pjanic and new signing Bernard.This is a game im really looking forward to.

So what a month.I secured my place in 2 finals beating some tough teams along the way and going well in the league but for the freak krylja sovetov result.In a few short weeks we could win our 4th Russian cup,retain the title and win our very first continental trophy.Or we could finish the season empty handed.Its going to be quite a ride.

Wow, Epic win over Monaco Good luck against Roma

Great 2-legged win over AS Monaco. I always feel that winning the Europa League is a rite of passage for up-and-coming teams in FM, so I hope you beat Roma!

Cheers lads.I already know the result of the Europa final is but youll have to wait a short while.2 matches left then update.

Been following but haven't commented yet. Class victory against Monaco, dominated both looks by the looks of things as well! Hopefully you can edge Zenit in the league

So the month is upon us.The chance for European glory for the first time.The chance of a Russian cup win for the first time for 13 years.The chance to retain my title against the stern challenge of zenit.So lets see how I did.



Zenit at home.A massive victory that clawed back top spot for us and the manner of the victory was very impressive.Romero,gil romero and dzyuba with the all important goals and I was on a massive high.

Tough game against dynamo away and I needed another victory.Zakkaria bakkali with a very early goal settled the nerves and while both teams threatened a lot another goal wasn't to come and we got another 3 points.

Tom were all but relegated already and we put the final nail in the coffin with a solid 3-0 win.Savitskiy got himself a double and lavezzi got the goals and we were still on top with 2 final games at home.

Kuban is my bogey team.Maybe more so than rubin Kazan.They held us to a 0-0 draw and we didn't deserve anything.Not enough chances were created and these 2 points dropped might just be costly.

A late late tap in from giovinco settled this game against a team languishing near the bottom of the table.Lucas romero had put us ahead at a time I thought we would of got a few more.

So was that Kuban draw costly or did zenit drop points also?



And the answer is yes it was costly as zenit won all their remaining games after losing to me.I had a massive chance with the final games being at home but Kuban again are the thorn in my side.Its a shame as we had it all our hands and we have to curse that Kuban game.

So 1 trophy down and not won.What about the cup?



Well at least we got one domestic trophy.I would of preferred the league but this will certainly do.Kombarov and gil romero with the early goals to settle this tie against my biggest rivals.

And last but by no means least the Europa



Im not going to lie this was heartbreaking to watch.We were the better side throughout the match and deservedly took the lead late on through denis glushakov before gervinho followed up on his own shot to equalise a couple of minutes later.Kevin strootman then provided the heartbreaking moment smashing it in from 25 yards right after kick off in extra time.I had various chances in extra time but just couldn't find a way through.My lads performed great but it just wasn't our day.To get to this stage and lose is horrible but to get to this stage was an achievement in itself and I hope I can build on that next season.

I had 1 year left on my contract and i requested a new contract which the board felt was right.



A bit more job security too as I wasn't sure at the time if I was going to win the league or not.

Also balanta was attracting interest from PSG and man utd so I was quick to offer him a new contract.



Again as with all my major players there are a fair few clauses and a big minimum fee release.I don't mind about that so much though.I need my players more than money.

All in all its been a decent season.Lost the league which is a massive downer but my performances in Europe and winning the cup made up for it.Already looking forward to the new season.

Cheers for reading norbb.As you can see by my last post it all didn't go according to plan but a decent season on the whole and I can keep my chin up with the performances.

Absolute killer that! Must have thought you'd done it after scoring in the 85th minute! So close in the league as well. Good luck next season.

Wasn't ideal mate but saw a lot of positives.

The fans player of the year has just been decided and its no surprise.



This guy has been an absolute beast since he came here and deserved it last year I think.The other 2 main candidates aren't much of a surprise either.All 3 dcm/cm players have been amazing.



The best 11 pull no surprises either.Maybe savitskiy at lw but no others.If bakkali had been here all the season he would of got it for sure and ill be looking at loaning him again if possible.

Gutted for you there. To lose is one thing, but to lose in that fashion is particularly hard to take.

I know mate and it was a gutting moment especially when I didn't deserve to lose it.Hope my next European journey is like that and wont be too long till my next European final isn't too far away.

Heartbreaking

Good to see you win the cup, shame you lost the league so closely to and the europa league, take a lot away from reaching the final though!

It was a shame yeah but like you said I can take a lot from the Europa campaign in particular.

After last season I thought about what sort of signings I would be doing in the summer.I was handed 22m to spend but a lot of space in the wages so after moving that about a bit I ended up with 42m to spend and had 200k free wage money.I ended up doing what I mostly always do and built for the future a bit more.Top young players like romero,gil romero and savitskiy are now that little bit more experienced and better too.No matter about the disappointment from last season as they could take just as much from it as I could so hopefully we can have a good campaign again in all competitions.

First off my incoming signings.And theres a few of them.



With all them brought in and no plans on buying or selling anymore this is how my squad looks including those loaned out.




Was looking at this guy the majority of last season.Hes young and going to be a top player by my scouts reckoning and hes Russian and that can only help me.Not bad for 3m.Loaned him back to dynamo Moscow for another year as hes a first team regular there but would struggle get into my team just yet.Probably spend next season away on loan too.16 years oldand already got 9 u21 caps show hes probably going to be a full international at 19.



Im looking forward to seeing this guy develop.Attributes already looking strong.The scouts and coaches already have rave reviews about him.I did want to send him out on loan but no one was willing to take him on.Ill use him as much as possible but he may struggle to get ahead of my first choice cms.He will end up costing a lot of money by the time all the add ons are paid but he should be well worth it.



Everyone knows this lad.Didnt make it at man utd so I brought him in a free.After comparing him with Salvatore bocchetti and serdar tasci it come out that he was better so to get him in on a free and on less wages than both them 2 made good sense to me.Wont be in my starting xi more often than not as balanta and amartey have them spots nailed down but a good player to come in.



Another free transfer from Manchester.This time from city.Again he had better attributes on comparison and again lower wages and younger.I think he will be sold on in a couple of years but not a bad player.



A favourite with a lot of players came in and part of the deal was to loan him back for a year which is fine by me.He could be great in a few years time and either be sold on at a massive profit or if he performs and develops like I hope he will be at spartak for years to come.



Love finding top quality regens and getting them for next to nothing and eastern Europe always has a few you can get.1.3m is all I paid for him and already has some good attributes.I might loan him out before the end of the transfer window or he could be used in most cup matches and some league matches.



Asmir begovic on a free transfer.Not a bad coup if you ask me.He would be my first choice without a doubt but I will have to rotate given the strict Russian rules about Russian players on the pitch.He is a top quality gk though.



My current first choice rw is quincy promes but Patrick Roberts puts him to shame a bit on the attributes and is so much younger.He has cost me a bit of money and after add ons will cost a lot more and his wage of 70k a week isn't ideal.If I can keep him I will but if theres 2 years left on his contract and he wants more than 130k a week (The salary cap im setting myself) or he wont sign then he will be moved on.And at a profit im sure.



These attributes at the age of 18 are very good.Dominant in the air and great positioning,teamwork and work rate.One that's more for the future for sure and maybe getting loaned out.



Brought this guy in purely because he is Russian and is semi decent.Wont light the world on fire but again given the rules I do have to play Russians and he will fill in when I need an extra Russian.There aren't too many good ones about to be honest so players like him and solovjov are needed though solovjov is a great prospect.



Again another brought in purely for his nationality but one I feel can contribute.He isn't too much different than savitskiy so itll be a good little battle for my lw starter spot.

So with my squad finished off for the summer and no more planned incomings or outgoings this is what my squad looks like including those loaned out.




Its only really the the fb areas which aren't great but they are the positions I use for the Russians and theres no decent Russian fbs.In fact I have the best ones.The potential ability on this squad is amazing and its now just a matter of keeping them,giving them enough matches and developing them as best I can and in a few years time I can realistically challenge for the champions league with any luck.

One thing I cant do is lose my best players right now.Lucas romero is again attracting interest and came to me saying he wanted to move to real Madrid.This is how I dealt with it and his response was surprising.



I am a little worried about what he wants me to do in a year but I at least have him for another year.And his minimum fee release is still 60m so that's still a massive sum.If there was no minimum fee release I would sell him for 90m though.

Here are the overall transfers.



PSG met the fee release of murru and I got near double what I paid for him a year early so happy there even though he was a top player.Sold bocchetti and tasci on for just over 5m altogether too.Good transfer window for me.

With me finishing 2nd in the league I have to play in 2 rounds of qualifying for the group stage.Not ideal but I am confidant of getting there.First up I have



Very confidant of a win against these and ill probably be playing tielemans just for sentimental reasons.

Cracking signings for the club I would hold onto Romero til you get massive offer like I got from PSG.

You should be able to beat Anderlecht Hope Youri will go riot against them

A lot of money spent but hopefully it comes off mate! As Johno said you should beat Anderlecht!

The minimum fee release is what they would have to pay. That's why I set it at 60m.madrid sniffing round gil romero now and his is only 40m so when I get back on I'll be trying to renew that. Yeah I spent a fair bit but won't be spending much now unless I lose someone or someone special comes up

Just caught up on the last season! Very unlucky in the league, but a great run in the Europa League! Well done on the cup win too!

Some great signings SBR, Patrick Roberts is an absolute phenom in my career and will hopefully prove as much for you! Good draw against Anderlecht also, looking good for another good year as the season edges closer to it's start.

Patrick Roberts has started off like a beast dp.Might of been a big transfer in terms of fee and wages but if the first few games are anything to go by hes going to be massive for us.
Cheers for catching up wilc.Was a gutting end to the season but im happy with it overall.

So just a quick post as only played 3 matches in july.

Having winning the Russian cup I was in the Russian super cup against Zenit.



With balanta,gil romero and romero all at the Olympics I had a bit of a selection problem.I decided on having a cb pair of Michael keane and Daniel amartey and it proved to be a silly choice.Both played poorly in a 5-1 defeat.Not how I wanted to get my season underway.



Next up came our trip to Belgium to face Anderlecht.I decided to start youri tielemans thinking a game against his previous club might spur him on.The lad didn't get the chance coming off in the 4th minute through I Injury.Bit of bad blood there?We still got a good 1-0 thanks to Patrick Roberts.A good result to take back home.

I only had one match in the league with it being july and the lottery of the fixture list gave me quite a fixture to start off my league campaign.



What a difference a week makes.I was a bit miffed off with losing the super cup let alone losing it in that fashion but the lads proved to be too strong for zenith this time with goals from the impressive quincy promes and denis cheryshev.A good way to start the league.

Don't you just hate it when that happens

Quite frustrating when that happens.

This season my main aim is to retain the title.After that is to go one better in the Europa should I end up in that competition or get to the quarters of the champions league.Russian cup isn't a priority.



A trip to mordovia was the first fixture just after my 2nd leg encounter against Anderlecht and I rested a few players for it.A 3-1 win was a good result. and kept us top of the league.dzyuba,boye and Patrick Roberts all got on the score sheet and we looked good value for the win.

A big one for the season and out of the way and another win.Patrick Roberts and lucas boye both getting goals.Roberts in particular is looking very good and is settling in fine.The runs he is making in these matches are quality.Fast and skilful and with a cracking shot on him.Im happy I got him in now.

Lost a game against anji early last season and didn't want to do this.Another solid win which could of been far better had 2 Patrick Roberts goals been onside.Oh well our run continues.

A bogey team of ours and another tough game out the way.Our 4th 3-1 win in a row with 2 goals from humam Tariq and another from lucas boye.After a disappointing season last season I feel boye is really stepping up to the plate now and long may his form continue.



So after 5 games and 5 wins im on top and got a bit of room for error.Reminding me a lot of my first season when I was unbeaten until that 4-0 defeat to Kuban in march.Can I go anywhere near that far again?Im not so sure but im in a commanding position and have 3 of the toughest fixtures out of the way in the first 5 games.Happy days.



Another win against Anderlecht and another clean sheet.A 4-0 aggregate score wasn't what I was expecting as they do have some good players.cheryshev,giovinco and Tariq with the goals to put me through.One thing you don't see in the picture is this.



2 matches he has played agaist his former club and both times he has got injured.Not happy.Worst of it is is his contract is up at the end of the season and he is unwilling to sign a new one as he doesn't feelim playing him enough.I have promised to play him more and he would of been one of my starting cms especially this month with romero and gil romero at the Olympics and injured.Just have to hammer the playing time for him when he gets back as I don't want lose him especially on a free.

So after getting passed Anderlecht in the final qualifying stage I was unseeded and drew...



Not a great draw for me but I could of had man city.



So a trip to the mestalla is pretty daunting but I came away with a great result.When I was 2 down I was fearing the worst and was already thinking of the Europa league but when makeev got injured I changed formation and managed to score twice.The own goal was fortunate but lucas boyes wasn't fortunate at all.Great goal smashing it in from a tight angle.



Now this was a great victory.I dominated from start to finish and it could of been a far bigger scoreline.I was expecting so much more from Valencia.Giovinco and a dzyuba double sent us through to the group stages of the champions league.Lucas romero returned from a holiday I sent him on after the Olympics and did pretty well too.



The draw for the group stage was not kind to me in the slightest.Bayern munich will be formidable opposition and Liverpool for the 2nd year running will be hard work.Club brugge last year were beaten semi finalists in the Europa league losing out to my conquerors roma so they could prove hard though I expect to take at least 4 points off them.I think the Liverpool games will be key to me getting out of this group.

On a lighter note gil romero has signed a new contract.He too like romero and balanta is on 85k a week and he too has a minimum fee release of 60m so he might have to lump it here for a bit if my permanent tormentors for my players real Madrid want him on the cheap.



I hope I can carry on this form into septemeber and push further away in the league and who knows maybe even spring a surprise in the champions league.

Good win over Valencia Tough group there but Liverpool again?!

I know mate.I think I might get through but I need a win against them.I think 9 points could see me through.Bayern will win all of them I think.