Teithio Cymru (Traveling Wales)

**After frustratingly running into problems with my laptop and then my save game becoming funny with loading and back dated versions a little way behind I had to call time on my journey around the world. Such a shame as I was enjoying visiting the 'different' countries thats for sure. But here goes one last save of the version and its going to be a long, tough one again.


Back in 2012 (I believe) I tried this challenge and its a simple one, win a Champions League trophy in Wales and if I can manage that, repeat it with another club, building them up. Effectively this should strengthen the league over the seasons and make it more competitive and more challenging with some of the bigger teams and leagues across Europe and the world. Thats the aim anyway.

Database: 17.3.0 Update
Leagues loaded as playable: Wales
Leagues loaded as view only: China, Hong Kong, Mexico, USA, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, italy, Holland, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay.
Approximate Player Count: 8,320
Game Speed: *****

So as you can see, the latest database is loaded along with Wales as the only playable nation simply as I have no thoughts of moving out of the country, not for a long time at least. Whilst loading a wide batch of countries across the continents to keep up to date with whats happening and hopefully eventually pick up some gems along the way.


Normal guy in charge, 'Dan' as he looks to gain some credibility in Wales. The only difference to my normal saves is that I've started with maximum past playing experience of International footballer whilst also the best coaching qualifications of the Continental Pro Licence. This will hopefully help me along the way especially in the early days of the career and boosts my stats nicely.


Only one 'real' place to start and thats at the already dominant force of TNS (The New Saints) who seem to win almost everything every year. The challenge will still be ridiculously hard even getting into the Champions League groups, let alone winning the bloody competition but maybe one day we'll get there.


The finances aren't fantastic in Wales, competition money is small and that leads to us having to fund our own way. We'll have to keep tight on the signings and probably focus on free transfers if we can as well as trying to keep wages down where possible. But if we can get a good run in the Champions League and begin hitting the group stages, the money will soon fly in.


Finally the squad I take control of. There is already a lot of talent here and with them being the dominant force I wouldn't of thought many changes will occur over the first summer as I try and find out how things are going to work here. Some aging players and some who perhaps 'lack' the quality required for the first team and just unnecessarily eating into the wage budget will probably be shipped out to pastures new.

I'm going to focus on this save and really play it to the strengths I can find, will also only be updating seasonal reviews with transfers, results and competitions as it'll be quick. The game is running quick with just one league loaded properly and only thirty two league games per season.

Next Post: Career History

** This page will get updated after each season is completed and the update fired out.

Next Post: TNS - Season 1 Review - 2016/2017

Best of luck with this @Dan, of course I'm going to be following.

Thanks @Shedender, it'll be a tough challenge.

Okay, being three seasons in already I have limited screenshots available to me but I'm hoping I have all the important ones to get you up to date. In this update I am going to go through the transfers we made in season one along with bringing you the competition reviews as I aimed to get out the blocks and start with a small trophy haul, also seeing if we could get on a Champions League run first season of my reign.


As I said in my previous post the next few seasons would be all about small transfers, free if possible to improve the side and keep the wages down, same for getting rid of players who are on wages unnecessarily eating it up. So the first season saw me bring in five new players in total and they are below.


Two midfielders and three defenders joined in the first season *Note the screenshots are three seasons old so stats have changed and some players have moved on. We really did strengthen first season though and I just had to hope that they didn't take too long to gel so we could have a successful season on the pitch as I and the board expected.


Our league form was as solid as you'd expect from a side predicted to walk to the league title. However there is expectations and making sure you do it, these were the results. The big news was Wes Fletcher who constantly found the back of the net, having a grand season. Our biggest defeat was only three one in the league throughout the season but only kept fifteen clean sheets, almost half our matches.


A league title in our first season, expected but we lived up to it. Taking the league title over Bala by a huge fourteen points. It was easier than expected as we also hit a huge goal difference of plus fifty, the next biggest was seventh place Aberystwyth with plus twenty. Rhyl had a shocking season, finishing rock bottom with just twenty three points whilst Newtown also went down.


The Scottish League Challenge Cup saw us go to the Semi Finals with the only goal we conceded knocking us out. We beat Dumbarton two nil away from home in the Fourth Round. A trip to Stranraer saw us win four nil in the Quarter Finals. Finally crashing out against Dundee United in the Semi Final, losing out one nil.


Breezed through the Nathaniel MG Cup to clinch trophy two of the season. A trip to non league league Haverfordwest saw us win two nil in the Second Round to get us off the mark. At home against Barry we won four one in the third Round before a Neutral Venue in the Semi Final saw us beat Merthyr T four one. The Final against Bala a thriller, we trailed two nil at half time, came back to clinch a leveler before Marriott netted the winner in injury time.


And a domestic treble was secured with ease as we ran through the JD Welsh Cup almost unchallenged. Two three nil wins in the Third and Fourth Round saw us then step up again as we welcomed Ton Pentre in the Quarter Final, beating them eight nil. Bala tried to upset our run in the Semi Final however we came through with a two one nil, before beating Connahs Quay four two in the Final to lift that.


No real 'success' in my first Champions League run, we faced B36 in the First playoff round, winning three one away from home and then eight nil in the home leg, easing through eleven one on aggregate. Vardar were next on our last, an away draw, nil nil in the first leg left us in good stead for the second, winning two one at home, coming back from a goal down with Saunders and Cieslewicz netting. Unfortunately FC Red Bull Salzburg were a step too far for us, beating us three nil on aggregate. We dropped into the Europa League where FC Midtylland beat us in the playoffs four one on aggregate. A round short of the group stage.

Next Post: TNS - Season Two Review - 2017/2018

Andrew Vincent looks an excellent prospect, should go on to be a very good player for you if you can keep hold of him. I'll be following this save

Thanks for the comment Andrew♣ obviously that is him after three seasons but he does look a strong player!

My first season in charge everything went to plan from what I could tell, we scooped a domestic treble from a possible four trophies, missing out on only the Scottish League Challenge Cup which I didn't see as a huge issue. Our Champions League run went on to a round before the Europa League group stage, a strong start but I want us to get better and better as the money would help us big time.


Once again I went to work in the window and the early transfers up to the end of January were all on the cheap, you'll soon see why we were able to spend money at the end of the second season to bring in three more expensive transfers. Six players left on a free transfer, young Luke Evans went to Aberystwyth on loan to get first team football, at just seventeen this could be a huge move for him. James Graham, who I only signed last season joined AFC Wimbledon for twenty thousand pounds.


Eight new faces then, the top four and first on the left on the second row are the ones that made an impact during the season. I bought in Luke Evans who we know went straight out on loan. Striker Bradley Reid originally looked an okay purchase, didn't live up to it though. Corey Thomas was a versatile defender and midfielder so a huge addition whilst Lavercombe became our new number one. Alfie Egan is a key part of our central midfield now. The final three players are young but already key players for us, they cost us a small fortune for a Welsh club but Cai Jones, Dobinson and Twibey are sensational players for this league;


Our league form was very strong this year around, losing out just three times acoss the whole season. The bigger issue was we picked up way too many draws throughout the season. Obviously taking a point is better than losing three but it felt like we were being knocked down each time. In two of our three defeats this season we also conceded five goals. Clean sheets weren't as regular as younger faces came in, keeping just five this seasons.


No change at the top of the pile though, back to back league titles for my reign and its began now. We won the league over Bala again this time by seven points however we fell one point short of last seasons tally which definitely feels like we've taken a step backwards. Thankfully its only a single point so I'm not as concerned about it. Bala finished just two goals short of our goal difference tally this year. Prestatyn make an immediate return to the division below and are joined by Cardiff Met Uni this year.


Scottish Challenge League Cup winners!! We were knocked out in the Semi Finals last season but went better this year to win the competition. With all home games we beat St Mirren in a six goal thriller which required extra time, us eventually coming out on top four two. We welcomed Glentoran and beat them four one in the Quarter Finals. A repeat of last years Semi Final this year as we faced Dundee United, this time we advanced though with a two one win and the Final was easy, a comfortable five nil win over Clyde. Trophy number two of the season.


Fairly straight forward run in the Nathaniel MG Cup, especialy in the last two rounds. The first round saw a tough tie against Bala but once again we got one over them with a four two win. Llandudno gave it their all but fell short in the Third Round as we beat them three two in Extra Time. The Semi Final and Final was very easy for us, beating Porthmadog six nil and then Port Talbot two nil. Trophy three of the season.


Domestic clean sweep secured, three cups and one league titles has seen my reign fully in swing now after just two seasons. We faced five rounds of the JD Welsh Cup, winning three to nil and conceding just three goals. Cefn Druids lost out one nil, we turned on the style against Pen-y-Bont, winning nine nil! Airbus UK lost out three two to us. The Semi Final saw us beat Aberystwyth three one and then dispatch Llandudno six nil in the final.


What a Champions League run! Its just what we needed and this is where our money came from to be able to spend on those new faces come the end of the season. We beat Alashkert in the First Qualifying Round five one on aggregate. Second Qualifying Round we dispatched Kairat seven four on aggregate then came the trickier ties. Maribor wouldn't of been so easy, however a three nil home win left us in the driving seat, taking a one all draw second leg to see us through. Dinamo stood between us and a spot in the Champions League Group Stage and we beat them! Drawing one all at home before winning three two late on in Croatia which saw us get in the groups. We were expectedly embarrassed there by the big teams drawing up against Spurs, Dortmund and Lyon, going out without a point.

Come the end of Season Two I believe our bank balance was sitting at around ten million pounds which I am focusing on upgrading the training and youth facilities as much as possible.

Next Post: TNS - Season Three Review - 2018/2019

GL with this save. CL group stage was really disaster for you I assume..

Another top season at TNS @Dan but I don't think anyone's surprised to see you failed to pick up a CL group stage point.

Thanks @Fatal Error we shouldn't run into any major problems being just the default database. The group stage will continue to be a disaster for us for a few seasons until we can really bring in some proper talent, not the youngsters we currently are.

Thanks @Shedender all as planned domestically at the moment, hopefully won't be long until we pick up points in the Champions League group stage however just reaching it for now is a big achievement, the money is doing us wonders, we just need to continue doing it!

Third season done and dusted and that brings you up to date with where I currently am on the game. Its been a very good two seasons previous winning seven trophies domestically out of a possible eight. We also hit the Champions League group stage last season which saw our bank balance rocket up and become easily the best in Wales. Now its time to try and repeat it and make it a constant theme of us getting to those groups and getting that money into the club.


Obviously the three players at the bottom of the window in the previous update were for this season and one more joined in the summer in the name of Henry Jones on a free transfer. I also went on to bring in another three players who joined at the end of this season/start of season four spending just over one and a half million pounds on the three new faces. Three players leave on a free transfer, I'm annoyed Tom Matthews left, we tried our best to keep him but he wasn't happy.


Here are the new faces for season three was just Henry Jones, top left of the picture. Another central midfielder who I hope will strengthen our core this season. Then came the four new faces which won't appear until season four. Striker Leon Adams looks promising especially with finishing of fifteen and composure of eleven. Two central defenders come in both under twenty in Luke Carney and Lewis Butcher.


We started the league season with a defeat for the first time in my reign but luckily we turned things around pretty quickly and twice went on a couple of impressive runs. Early in the season we went through a ten game unbeaten run in the league and after the Bala defeat we went on to win ten straight league games helping us towards a third straight title in my reign.


Nine points clear of second place Bala this year around and a brand new points record for myself in seventy six points, beating my previous best in the first year of seventy four points. We had a better goal difference this year around too. Bala once again finish second, third season running for them as they're clearly the second strongest side here in my books. West End had a shocking season, finishing bottom with just eight points, Newtown didn't fair much better with just eighteen points.


Back to back Scottish League Challenge Cup wins as we sail to the trophy this time around. Two away games got us starting with easy wins, beating Brechin four one and then Stirling six one with both games up in Scotland. We returned to Wales to welcome Motherwell who we thumped, six nil in a more than decisive showing whilst we went on to beat Dunfermline at a neutral venue to clinch the trophy for a second successive season, three nil.


Three times on the bounce for me in the Nathaniel MG Cup too as we went through the competition passing four rounds, conceding in just one! We beat Cefn Druids four nil in the Second Round, the first one we entered. It took Extra time in the Third Round against Connahs Quay where we won four two eventually. Bala had nothing against us in the Semi Final, we beat them three nil before thumping Cardiff Met Uni six nil in the Final with Fletcher netting a four minute hatrick.


The first 'Welsh' trophy I've not actually lifted! We never really got going against Port Talbot in the JD Welsh Cup Third Round, first one we came in at. Two nil down at half time, pulled two back with half an hour to go we couldn't find the winner and this cost us, seeing us lose in Extra Time.


For the second season running we made it to the Champions League group stage and again impressing along the way, showing how we're going from strength to strength each season. We beat Hibernians eleven nil on aggregate in the First Qualifying Round. FC Santa Colonal were dispatched in the next round fourteen one on aggregate. FC Red Bull put up a better fight, we drew one all in Austria before winning two nil at home. Finally beating Polish side Legia three two at home then grabbing a one all draw in Poland to get through. Again though no points in the group stage losing to AS Monaco, Schalke and Roma twice each.


And so this is how our finances look as we head into the competitive season for season four in charge. Our budget now sits at over fourteen million pounds which is astonishing considering we were at just over two hundred thousand pounds at the start of my reign. We have a very healthy wage budget to with over eighty three thousand of the one hundred and ten thousand pounds allocated spare!


And now we're fully up to date, here is the squad that will go into the fourth season, 2019/2020 and the potential in some of these players are huge! We're already fighting off small Premier League and bigger Championship clubs in England for some of the brighter players like goalkeeper Lavercombe, centre back Luke Carney and striker Calvin Dobinson. We will continue to fight these off and keep the squad together.

Next Post: TNS - Season Four Review - 2019/2020

Another top season domestically there @Dan,

Domestically yes, European wise no @Shedender we will eventually progress.

Season four has flown by once again as a much younger looking TNS side took to the field to try and once again dominate the domestic side of things in Wales. After missing out on one trophy domestically last season we looked to try and gain all four back this year. The main aims though were obviously to win the league to ensure we face Champions League football again next year and try to reach the group stages for a third year running in the Champions League this term. Here is how the season panned out.


Bar the players who you've already seen in the last update that joined early summer, there wasn't much to talk about in the transfer window this time around. A very quiet one for us as we settled the squad early. And because I was in a rush to get the update sorted for work I've screenshotted it early so this won't include any faces coming in this summer.


A thirteen game unbaeten run to kickstart the season saw us fly out the blocks, especially when we won the opening six on the bounce. We stuttered a bit before winning the next six before we finally tasted league defeat in November. After that we remained unbeaten for sixteen games with five draws and eleven wins. Just the two league defeats this season as we're getting stronger.


A new points tally for my reign, previously at seventy six points last season I believe we now move to seventy eight points. We will never beat the leagues best as it was set years ago and is no longer mathmatically possible. But the aim is to have the perfect season one day when TNS are strong enough and fighting Champions League oppositions, for now its early days. For the first time in this save Bala didn't finish second. Aberystwyth did instead and they were fifteen points behind us but sixteen ahead of Bala, a strengthening force?


We couldn't defend our Scottish Challenge Cup crown for a third season in a row as we were dispatched in the first round we entered, the Fourth Round by a very strong, recently relegated Ross County. They beat us six one up in Scotland, we stood no chance.


A fourth straight Nathaniel MG Cup for us along with the league in which we scored four goals in the first three rounds each. Beating Conwy four one, Prestatyn four one, Bala four two after Extra Time in the Semi Final before dispatching league runners up Aberystwyth on penalties in the Final.


Straight forward as we win back the JD Welsh cup after Aberystwyth won it last season. We conceded just one goal in the five rounds we played and that was first round in a four on victory. After that we went on to sail past the competition winning seven nil, three nil, two nil and then beating Bala in the Final one nil.


Group stages for the third season in a row and it was a fairly straight forward run to there. Beating FCI Tallinn first with ease. Viktoria Plzen provided a stearner test but we beat them six nil on aggregate before Partizani showed no fight in the second leg after a three two home win for us, we beat them five one to book our spot in the Groups. Perhaps the easiest group stage we've faced to date, still no points though narrowly missing out against CSKA at home and Ajax away!


A bank balance that won't stop growing! Three successive years of reaching the Champions League group stage has seen our bank balance move from just short of £300k to now over £20million! We did have £25million in there at one point however we've upgraded the youth and training facilities for what I believe is the third time in this career now! We're moving ahead. As you can see the board have also given me over £10million to spend on transfers this summer.

Next Post: TNS - Season Five Review - 2020/2021

This save on this computer is rapid, we're five seasons in already, mind you it helps we've only got one country and one division actually loaded and with just thirty two league games a year we're flying through it. We've had a very successful four years and look to continue that in season five. Aiming to hit those Champions League groups for a fourth year running, could we finally get some points there...


A busy summer, especially against the one last year and we spent money, its the way forward for this club now. With such low wages we can afford to begin to splash the cash so to speak. We ended up spending around two and a half million pounds over the season as we recruited seven new faces. Unfortunately on the otherside the big loss was Calvin Dobinson, he was in form last year but decided to join Wimbledon on a free (spoiler, a year in and he failed to play a single game for them).


And so onto the new faces, we strengthened (at least tried to strengthen) in every position on the pitch it'd seem, especially along that back line as we bought in four new defenders of the seven we signed. We also signed a new number one in Joe Busik whilst Nightingale and Clarke will hopefully help reinforce our midfield and attacking midfield.


I thought this was the year of the 'invincibles' as we just kept going unbeaten until January where we finally slipped up. We started the season very strong winning our first four league games whilst conceding just a single goal. We were much better this season despite the two defeats near the end of the season. And that should be enough for a fifth straight title in my reign,but how was the points tally, would it be better than last years personal record of seventy eight points.


It sure would, we beat last years points tally of seventy eight by four points as we picked up eighty two from a possible ninety six over the course of the season as we won twenty six of our thirty two matches, drawing four and losing out just twice winning the league by sixteen points over runners up Aberystwyth. Surprised to see Bala down in fifth. We also went on to set our new lowest goals conceded of twenty six, but finished ten goals short of beating the most we've scored in a season. No complaints though.


Again a terrible display in the Scottish League Challenge Cup, for the second season running we've cashed out in the first round we've entered as Queen of South beat us one nil in the Fourth Round.


The only domestic cup competition I've not lost yet, the Nathaniel MG Cup and that run continued, just as we squeezed past two non league sides on penalties in the second and third rounds, luck was on our side. We improved in the Semi Finals and Final to win three nil and two nil to lift it for a fifth year running.


Back to back JD Welsh Cups again now and the fourth time we've lifted it in five seasons as we ran quietly and easily through the competition conceding just two goals. They were in our first game as we beat Barry four two. Then going on to win three nil, four nil, two nil and finally dispatching Bala one nil with an eighty eighth minute header from defender Butcher to see us lift the trophy again.


The best we've done in Europe to date. Not only did we reach the group stages for a fourth year running, not only did we pick up some group points for the first season ever, but we made it out the group, well, kind of, we dropped into the Europa League. A good unbeaten run in the qualifiers saw us beat Stjarnan four three on aggregate, Kukesi four nil on aggregate then Azerbijan side Qarabag three two on aggregate to get to the groups. We played 'contained' football against all three teams and came off narrowly on the wrong side of a few scorelines, but beating PSV at home and drawing one all away saw us beat them to third. Unfortunately in the Europa League First Knockout Round Shakhtar, as expected had to much for us, beating us seven one on aggregate.


Look at those finances! Five seasons ago we had just under three hundred thousand pounds in our bank balance, now we sit on twenty five million pounds! Unreal what European football can do to such a small club. We did hit around the thirty million pound mark before the youth and training facilities underwent another upgrade and I spent a bit of money on a couple of new faces. Over eleven million pounds to spend on transfers whilst also have a spare wage budget of two hundred thousand pounds!


So the squad, abilities, potential ratings and stats for the season. As you can see Bursik has become my new number one and this season kept twenty three clean sheets, a new club record. We have so much strength and potential strength in our squad throughout the whole team. The likes of Sam Evans, Tom Donegan and Bradley Reid will leave this summer on a free whilst I bring in new faces to replace them, we have such a young side which I'm excited to see grow if we can keep them happy.


Finally, take a look at these three players, they came through our youth intakes over the last couple seasons and are huge prospects for the future should we be able to keep them tied down and in this league I will definitely be giving them game time this season coming. Simon Ford, Lucas Maguire and Steve Hargreaves all came through this year and have already had bids from the likes of West Ham and Everton.

Next Post: TNS - Season Six Review - 2021/2022

Great to see you've decided to splash the cash @Dan and another superb season minus the Challenge Cup run.

Got to start spending to strengthen this squad @Shedender

Season six has come to an end already and as always the aim is the same, try and dominate the domestic season, like we have been doing but to focus on maintaining our European efforts of reaching the group stage and who knows, progressing with them eventually. Lets see how another season unfolded over the last ten months.


Not too busy on the transfer front, especially with us bringing in new faces, just two players joined this summer and they have become what i believe is our all time most expensive single transfers. Benjamin Taylor joins from Southampton for nine hundred thousand, potentially rising to one million whilst Craig Baxter joined for the same fee. Elsewhere no money came in. We did bring Shane Long in on a trial but before it expired he retired so couldn't offer him a deal. Agutter joined Carmarthen on loan for the season.


How good do these two players look, especially for a side playing in Wales. Benjamin Taylor, just twenty one years old is very promising in the attacking midfield area but is unhappy as he wants to move back to a bigger side already. I'm hoping I can keep him for a couple more seasons, he is tied down until the end of next season. Whilst Craig Baxter is a superb striker and has great physical stats to. Already capped four times by the under twenty ones whilst Taylor is capped twice at full level.


So close to becoming the 'invincibles', a step closer than last season too as we finished with just one defeat all season, a narrow three two defeat against Port Talbot. We are starting to run riot against most of these teams now. Bangor potentially becoming a bogey side for us as we drew two of our three league head to heads with them this season.


Another new points tally for us, I believe that is three seasons running now as we improve from eighty four points last season to eighty five this season, dropping just eleven points over the course of the full season with four draws and one defeat. We comfortably won the league title for a sixth year running, by thirty three points over surprising second place Barry. Bala are really off the early pace they were showing now.


Finally we have regained the Scottish League Challenge cup and its the third time in six seasons we've lifted the trophy now. A relatively easy run through the competition this year. We beat Airdrie one nil at home before beating Falkirk on penalties in Scotland. Dispatched Celtic under twentys two nil before smashing Raith six two in the Final.


Still not lost this trophy during my reign as we make it six in six years with a straight forward trophy win. Aberystwyth the only side coming close to beating us as we won three two, we then beat Bala, Llandudno and Barry three nil in the third round, Semi Final and Final respectively.


But it wasn't to be the clean sweep domestically, which I think we've only completed once in six years now. The JD Welsh Cup will avoid us for a second season in the last four I believe as we miss out on penalties against Aberystwyth in the Quarter Finals on penalties.


Group stages again, we had a straight forward run through to them, still not facing any 'big' teams in the qualifiers so we are able to get this far again. We beat Murata seven nil on aggregate, Astra four one and aggregate and then SJK five three on aggregate to get into a group of Juventus, Besiktas and Liverpool. Unfortunately we finished with just three points. We deserved at least a point away at Besiktas and somehow smashed them out the park, six nil at home.


Not a huge gain this year financially because of the summer spending and then the training and youth facilities going up once again. Soon they'll hopefully be state of the art facilities and we'll be really proving to be a force within Europe. Twenty six million pounds in our balance which had hit over thirty five million I believe. A transfer budget this summer of fifteen million with a wage budget of over three hundred thousand pounds!


And everything you need to know about the squad this season. Our young, sixteen year old keeper Steve Harper was our number one most of the season, conceding the least in the league and keeping the most clean sheets, a superb effort, he even claimed an assist. Elsewhere Maguire made twelve appearances and Ford made seventeen, getting the youth in early. You can see how the majority of our squad are under twenty with bright futures. Once again I'll review the squad and sort the outgoings over the summer. What a first season here for Craig Baxter though, forty four goals in thirty eight games across all competitions.

Next Post: TNS - Season Seven Review - 2022/2023

Craig Baxter looks quite good @Dan and nice to see the "huge" transfer fee has paid off for both him and Ben Taylor. Thumping with against Besiktas in the Champions League but it's a shame you still can't seem to progress in the group stages though. KIU.

Hah! There's a team called Barry, love it.

I guess you're struggling a bit with the tutoring side of deveolping the players, due to all these youngsters being much better then the "old men" at the club! However, Benjamin and Baxter are wonderful signings for a Welsh team, possibly including Swansea and Cardiff depending where they are in your save!

I know financially it's worth staying in the Champions League, but with your side capable of beating sides like Besiktas it must be disappointing not to get a run at the Europa League because now I think you would stand a chance!

A good couple of seasons there and some class results in Europe which would be massive IRL!

The whole Welsh teams playing in the Scottish cup thing has blown my mind!

Indeed Craig Baxter does look good @Shedender and he also produced on the pitch last season and as you're about to see, he does so again this year around. Its going to be a long journey to get out the Champions League group stage unfortunately.

There is indeed @Suffolk Seasider from which I'm guessing is 'Barry Island'. This is true, we don't have any real 'older leaders' within the squad so its all fairly youth based at the moment but they're doing more than okay to date. That is true about heading to the Europa League group stage to potentially get through however could prove to not be worth it if we end up with a tough group and head out of that.

Thanks a lot @KEZ_7 our European results are weird but as you said would be 'huge' if they were real life results. I really don't see the point in us playing in the Scottish League Challenge Cup, just seems a point entry for us.

I can't believe we're seven seasons into this save already, flying through and I see no chance of this save stopping anytime soon, not on my behalf anyway. With the young but talented squad we've put together now I'm fully expecting us to continue to dominate over the years and probably even more so than we have been to date. We're the only team in the league with this sort of money at our disposal and now easily boasting the best facilities in the country.


So lets start with transfers and well, it was quiet. In fact I didn't bring any new faces in during the summer and only Callum Gribbin joined at that was at the end of the current season so he is yet to play for us, but a bargain on a free transfer. Elsewhere, former number one Daniel Lavercombe joined Middlesbrough in a five thousand pounds switch. January just gone saw me reject some huge transfer offers, up to £5million for Steve Hargreaves our 17 year old number one as well as over £2.5million for both Cai Jones and Craig Baxter. But we're not a selling club right now, we're here to sign the best to improve them.


Callum Gribben was a former Manchester United youth who was let go and found himself clubless. Now its a bit of a punt bringing him in but the midfielder looks quality stats wise and will definitely fit into my rotational midfield. His wage is quite big, as a few of them are getting now but hopefully hes worth it.


INVINCIBLES! Nearly the perfect season, nearly! Just two results all season where we dropped points and annoyingly both were at home. We started the season emphatically with a three nil win over Bala which was followed up with a sensational ten nil win over Cefn Druids and then eight nil one over Carmarthen, I was hoping we'd keep those sort of results going through the season but we let up a little. However still recorded some stunning results in the likes of a couple six one victories, a six two, six nil and a couple five ones showing how far we've come over the last couple years.


Not only my biggest points haul but the clubs record points tally in the league of ninety two from a possible ninety six points. And our best season defensively conceding just fifteen goals whilst at the other end we found the net one hundred and eight times. Ran away with the competition winning in at the end of January and finishing twenty eight points clear of second place Bala.


Back to back Challenge Cup titles again and we ran riot through the competition, scoring for fun in all four rounds we played in. We faced all our games away from home, beating Stirling four one with Luke Evans netting a hatrick. Berwick four nil with Baxter netting a brace, Evans also on target. The Semi Final saw us face Glentoran and win four one with four different scorers. And in the Final we beat Falkirk five one with attacking midfielder Nightingale hitting a brace.


Seven seasons in and seven straight Nathaniel MG Cup titles for myself, just like the league we've not lost this year. Three nil win over Afan Lido in the second round followed up by a big five one victory over Aberystwyth in the Third Round. We then beat Bangor City three nil in the Semi Final and Connah's Quay four one in the Final.


And the perfect season domestically was secured when we clinched the JD Welsh Cup and i think only the second time we've taken all four domestic trophies in a season. We came close to being knocked out a couple times here. Narrowly avoiding defeat against Cefn Druids to beat them two one. We then required extra time to knock out Aberystwyth, five four in the end, a nine goal thriller. Bala were much easier in the Quarter Finals as we won four one before beating Barry two nil in the Semi Finals. Again the Final was against Connah's Quay who we beat two one. Dynamic duo Evans and Baxter on the scoresheet.


What a season in Europe! By far the best we've done to date! Its almost a 'formality' now that we get to the group stage and we faced the likes of Maribor and Ludogorets to get there. Originally beating FH eight one on aggregate in the second qualifying Round. Maribor fell to us, six one on aggregate before we overturned a one nil home defeat against Ludogorets to win four nil away to book our place in the group stage. Another tough group, as expected, we played out a nine goal thriller against Bayern but lost six three. Beat Basel at home four three. Only other noticeable result was the nil nil away at Basel to see us finish third.

Into the Europa League knockout rounds we went and we didn't back down, we played two thrilling head to head ties with FC Kobenhaven and came out nine seven winners on aggregate as we won three two at home before a bizar six five away win. The Second Knockout Round against Real San ... wasn't quite as entertaining, we drew one all away and that proved vital as a nil nil home result saw us advance on away goal. Unfortunately Monaco in the Quarter Finals was always going to be a hurdle too far, we blew a two one lead with ten minutes to go to lose three two at home before losing five one in France.


Again the finances haven't 'jumped' like we have seen over the first few years but we are continuously upgrading our youth and training facilities as well as our youth coaching so making improvements all the time, this saw our balance cut from over thirty five million to twenty seven million come the end of the year. Over sixteen million pounds at my disposal for the transfer window and a wage budget spare of two hundred and thirty thousand pounds still.



To finish things off a quick look at the squad that finishes the 2022/2023 campaign. It was only seventeen year old goalkeeper Steve Hargreaves that played every minute this year as he featured in all sixty three matches, the mans quality. Defensively we had a good year the likes of Roux and Rhodes rotating. All the centre backs were rotated to ensure they got 'some' minutes over the season. Same with our midfielders. Ryan Brobbel once again had a good year with ten goals and eleven assist in his twenty three starts. Paul Nightingale had a great year, twenty three goals and twenty one assist in fifty seven games. Luke Evans thirty five goals and twenty two assist in fifty four games - And named Welsh player of the year, first person to take it away from Gareth Bale. Whilst my main man Craig Baxtter scored fifty five goals and assisted thirty two in his fifty nine appearances this year. He is now on ninety nine goals in ninety nine games in all competitions for the club.

Next Post: TNS - Season Eight Review - 2023/2024

Poor Connah's Quay, losing finalists in both Welsh only cups.

Do you know if any fellow teams in the the Welsh Premier League have even progressed to group stages of either European competition?

Wow, Craig Baxter with another excellent campaign. You've done well in Europe @Dan. KIU.

Yep fair play to them for reaching them both though @Suffolk Seasider! Unfortunately they're not quite reaching the group stages just yet. But then again aren't getting the investment we are.

He is insane in this league @Shedender and had another wonderful campaign this year.

Season eight has been and gone and we're now at a point where we've seemed to hit the wall and struggling to figure out how we get over it. We're constantly making the Champions League groups now, six straight seasons before this one kicked off but we struggle to get out them, last year we did move to the Europa League Quarter Finals admittedly but we did face an 'easiest' run. Could this year go any better.


Straight to the transfers then and it was a rather busy one on both sides of the rotating door, originally I bought in Bilal Lefeuvre from Manchester City for four million pounds, a strong looking defender but as you can see bottom right, he joined Southampton come January as they met his six million pound release clause. More on the signing front below, outgoings saw the board annoyingly accept a bid from Watford for strong centre back Cai Jones and the deal was done, annoying indeed! They also did this for keeper Steve Hargreaves but I pursuaded them we needed to keep him.


So four new faces for the season, well three for the season and one for six months or so. You can see why I was so excited by Bilal Lefeuvre, I hate release clauses! Southampton had a bargin there. Andrew Steel joined on loan simply as backup as we didn't have a second keeper in the team. And then two new faces come the end of the transfer window saw Peter Vernon and Domenico Gatto join to hopefully sure up our defence following Cai Jones departure.


Two seasons in the league without defeat, infact we're now eighty league games without defeat and the target has to be one hundred now. It shows how far we've come over the year. Again we had a huge win near the start of the season, beating Bangor eight two! Midway through the season we kept five clean sheets on the bounce, at the end we kept six on the bounce in the league alone. Again like last season, just two draws all year, one at home, one away.


The same points haul as last season and just four points off hitting the maximum points tally available. We also scored the same amount of goals this year, one hundred and eight however did concede five more than last years fifteen. Winning the league by a massive thirty five points come the end of the season it was a truly dominant showing by us.


Scottish Challenge Cup winners for three years running now and my fifth in total as we draw level with record holders Falkirk. It really shows how easy this competition is becoming for us as we didn't concede a single goal in the four matches we faced. We beat Raith three nil in our only home match of the competition before traveling to Stranraer beating them three nil. A five nil win the Semi Final against Dunfermline followed before facing fellow Welsh side Barry in the Final and beating them one nil.


Our run in the Nathaniel MG Cup goes on as again we clinch it. I believe its ten times in a row for TNS now and eight in a row for myself. We eased through the first two rounds without conceding a goal. Aberystwyth may of scored against us but we hit four. Connahs Quay gave us a good game as we beat them four three in the Final.


But it wasn't to be back to back perfect seasons as we failed to retain the JD Welsh Cup one again. Imagine crashing out the cup without actually conceding a single goal! Well thats what we done. Beat Ton Pentre seven nil in the Third round before beating Aberystwyth and Afan Lido one nil. But Bangor held us to a nil nil and beat us four two on penalties in the Semi Finals.


I felt we had our 'easiest' Champions League group to date but unfortunately it still turned out not much better than previous efforts. We had a very easy run to the group stages this year beating Cliftonville seven two on aggregate, HJK thirteen one and Anorthosi nine three on aggregate. A group consisting of Monaco, Ajax and Anderlecht saw us only take points of the latter, four infact which in turn saw us claim a head to head victory over them in group position to once again head to the Europa League knockout Rounds.

But it was a quick Europa League exit as AC Milan beat us three nil in Wales in the First Knockout Round and a strong draw nil nil in Italy saw them advance, we gave it a go though.


This year the finances actually look worse than the year before but that is due to yet another training and youth upgrade which should see us hit state of the art facilities if I am correct in my judgement. As soon as they get there we'll definitely start to save money and hopefully help produce talent which can always be sold on. Another big transfer budget and still plenty spare in wages.


Not quite the finishing post this time but the player stats are in for the season and as normal there are a few standout performances. Steve Hargreaves made another fifty seven apperances this season and kept thirty two clean sheets which is superb for an eighteen year old, this limited Steel to just one appearance. Roux had a super season at right back. Alfie Egan I feel is underated, a great year for him whilst Nightingale and Luke Evans once again put in strong performances from the attacking midfield area. But obviously there is one man that took the plaudits. Craig Baxter scored another sixty one goals this year in fifty matches.


The final post this time was the interesting offer I had come into my inbox in February. After Wales failed to qualify for the Euros they approached me to become their new manager to take them forward. Unfortunately its not an opportunity that I wanted, especially not yet anyway so it was rejected swiftly.

Next Post: TNS - Season Nine Review - 2024/2025

We're now nine seasons down and completed and personally I'm not feeling any signs of lack of motivation in this save yet and I'm hoping you guys are still reading and enjoying the save. Despite it being very predictable now domestically we're beginning to spring a couple surprises in Europe and thats the main aim of this save. Unfortunately things are going to get tough for us this summer as you'll see shortly but we're in good stead overall.


A very busy transfer window with both new comings and out goings as we try and strengthen the squad constantly. As you can see we're beginning to spend more money on players with four signings costing us over ten million pounds. A free transfer as well along with two loanees which we'll investigate into in a second. Outs were busy to with five leaving on free transfers. Three deals saw us make money, younger players leaving who were nowhere near ready for Premier League football yet whilst three went out on loan.


Bad news is these four players weren't happy and wouldn't accept a new deal in January, meaning they were available on free transfers and have all been snapped up. Very poor from them especially the likes of Maguire and Ford who I have bought through over their younger years. I'm going to need to build on the summer coming as these are big players to leave.


Okay so a quick rundown on all our new faces. Laranjeira was a superb purchase especially as we got him on a pre contract deal and didn't cost us a penny. Next in were the two loanees as we bought in a goalkeeper as backup for Hargreaves whilst Eze on loan from Spurs will turn out to be a great deal this season. Come January we continued our strengthening big with two defenders and a midfielder coming in. Palmer and Places to once again sure up our back line whilst Kingsmill will help strengthen our midfield. Finally Jordan Sence looks a great bit of business, yet to play for us as he joins us this summer from OM.


Three and a half seasons without a defeat in the league! Its an unbelievable run we're now on and really shows how much we've strengthened and move away from the pack over the last few years especially. Two eight nil wins this season sensationally. A fair few clean sheets once again over the year and plenty of games seeing three or four goals per game for us. We're definitely improving each year.


Third year running where we've hit a 90+ points tally but we were two points short of the last two years tally on ninety two points. We did score the most league goals over the last three years though, having scored one hundred and eight, one hundred and eight and this year one hundred and nine. Conceding just seventeen which is really good now. Winning the points by twenty four points.


And another one of these as we're now the most decorated side to win this competition six times! We actually conceded a couple this year around, beating Patrick Thistle at home three nil in the Fourth Round. A trip to Falkirk saw us win three one in the Quarter Final before beating Raith three nil. A second all Welsh Final saw us beat Bala two one, a late Taylor goal securing the trophy.


Nine in a row for me here now and next season we'll look to make it ten. Just two goals conceded in the whole competition once again we're proving our dominance. Three nil in the Second Round over Connah's Quay, four nil in the Third Round over Barry. The Semi Final saw us smash Airbus UK six one before narrowly getting another one over Aberystwyth in the Final, winning two one.


We regain the JD Welsh Cup after last year missing out, losing in the Semi Final after not conceding a goal from inplay. But we nearly faced an early exit this year as it required extra time to beat Barry in the Third Round, one all after normal time but four one in Extra Time. Fourth Round we hit four again, Port Talbot on the recieving end of a four nil win. We beat Cardiff Met Uni two nil in the Quarter Finals, Bangor one nil in the Semi Final and another victory over Aberystwyth in the Final, winning three two as Laranjeira scored late on.


As usual of late, an easy run through to the group stages. We beat Zalgaris six nil in the first leg and drew nil nil in the second leg but already safe and advanced. We went on to beat Vardar seven nil on aggregate before a thrilling game against Astana saw us win seven three on aggregate. A tough group stage, we were seeded third in it for the first time ever, only beating Basel in the opener but that proved enough to see us finish third and produce a stunning Europa League run.

A home draw against Shakhtar originally I thought wouldn't be enough, but we beat them two one away with a late Leon Adams goal to send us through. Next up Russian opponents Spartak Moscow, we beat them three one at home before a three three away draw saw us advance again. Europa League Champions Stoke up next and the English side rued missed chances, a three two win in England followed up by a stunning two nil home win saw us reach our first ever Semi Final. Unfortunately we narrowly bowed out against Ajax. A three two defeat in Holland was followed by a goalless draw at home as we couldn't quite find the net.


This is the first year the finances haven't been over twenty million pounds in ages. But we've had to spend money and got more to spend so I can't see them getting any better any time soon. Now we're paying more for transfers and wages its going to be harder to maintain a good balance as Welsh football doesn't supply good money. But all my upgrades have been worth it. State of the art training facilities and superb youth facilities with the final upgrade underway along with Exceptional junior Coaching, we're a club on the rise.


And finally the player stats for the season. Hargreaves obviously our number one again for the year as he is now twenty, he started with us at just fifteen/sixteen I believe so has come along way. Another fifty league appearances for him this year. On loan keeper Webb featured fifteen times. Places, Butcher and Vincent all picked up good ratings at the back as did Max Palmer who joined in January. Midfield saw pleasing seasons for Karl Clark, Ben Kingsmill and Laranjeira. Luke Evans had another strong season whilst I played two up top this season for the first time ever rather than just one. Baxter and loanee Exe shared the goals with fourty two each.

Next Post: TNS - Season Ten Review - 2025/2026

Superb European run @Dan. KIU.

Thanks @Shedender it sure was a good season for us in Europe last year.

Season ten proved to be one of the most challenging seasons I've faced in my TNS reign to date. Relationships with the board got very tight and began causing issues especially to my motivation of the save. Whilst we're not being challenged in the league anymore with our lengthy unbeaten run, they began to go over my head regarding transfer business and this has seen some key players leave the club over the last season, making us a weaker side.


Busy was one word for it. As you can see on the left I restricted my spending this year following our money depleating a little last year around so stuck to free transfers and loan deals mainly. Delighted to of got Eze back after his loan spell. But it was the out goings that caused an issue. Yes we bought in eleven and a half million pounds but the board let go of some big players. They accepted a four point two million pound offer for number one, hot prospect Steve Hargraves who joined Chelsea, eight hundred and fifty thousand for Laranjeira, One million pounds for Clark as well as accepting just over half a million for Twibey. And then in January decided to accepted two and a half million for Christian Eze after a wonderful season!!


Here are the new faces who try to fill in the holes that the board decided to unneccessarily create, leaving us weaker than we've been for some years now. Bulka, Marquez, Ozturk and Bloom all here for a season long loan, think a couple may be here for two years. Eze was a superb addition before he left in January, he had been sailing. Chalaris brilliant fits the number one keeper role for us and I'm happy with that addition.


Yet another unbeaten season and we're now 140 games + unbeaten in the league. We were so close to setting a new record but decided to drop points on the final day meaning for a third season from the last four we've drawn two and won the rest. The results are coming down a lot more as we've decided to play counter attacking football over attacking and it has seen us concede a lot less goals at the moment.


Now four straight seasons of hitting ninety points and its a third year in four that we've hit ninety two points in a season. Still searching for that perfect season of ninety six points though. Barry have really strengthened over the years and once again finish second, thirty two points behind us. No surprises over the bottom two who go down with Cefn Druids just hanging on via goal difference.


Poor from us not being able to hold on to this. We were solid in the Fourth Round against St. Mirren but a Quarter Final tie against Aberstwyth saw us lose in extra time after being two one and three one at throughout the match.


This is the one cup we don't seem to be able to let go of. Ten times in a row now for me we've lifted this and it was very straight forward for us conceding just one goal. We beat Porthmadown one nil in the opening round we entered. Two nil against Barry before beating Bangor one nil in the Semi Final. Airbus fell to a three one defeat in the Final in one of Eze' final game for us as he scored a brace.


Yet we don't seem to end up being able to hold on to this one. The JD Welsh Cup saw us given home advantage for the third three rounds, winning two nil, six nil and then four three in the Quarter Final against Llandudno. But it would be Bala who stopped us winning this one, losing two one in the Semi Finals.


As usual with late, straight forward for us to get into the Champions League group stage, we went on to beat St Patricks nine one on aggregate there. We beat Bate eight one which does show how far we've come over the years before beating Slovan four one on aggregate. A very tough group which we were dealt but we did beat Porto three one and more surprisingly, probably our best ever result, a draw away at Barcelona. Four points wasn't enough to go through here though.


Finances are appearing to be back on track. We're just short of the twenty million pound mark in our bank balance come the end of the year and the board have allocated thirteen and a half million pounds of it for transfers. I don't plan on using much of it unless I really find a couple strong players....for the board to sale for peanuts a few seasons later. As long as we hit the champions League groups again next year we'll add another twelve million pounds anyway.


And finally the player stats for the season. Our new number one proved to be a great coup, he managed to equal Hargreaves 19 league clean sheets through the season this year which is a stunning effort for his first year in Wales. Craig Baxter got injured early in the season so only appeared twenty five times and scored seventeen. This was when Eze stepped up before he was sold. Leon Adams done okay up front, Luke Evans once again brilliant as was Bloom on loan and Nightingale.


Some good news to finish the update. We've increased our European spots and for the first time ever we are going to have two sides in the Champions League as well as have three teams in the Europa League from the 2027/28 season. Big rewards for a few more teams next year around.

Next Post: TNS - Season Eleven Review - 2026/2027

We're both managing the same team, now I'm feeling the pressure if I don't live up to the same sort of dominance.

Half your league will be in European competition soon

You're still dominating somewhat domestically but I suppose that's to be expected. It must be frustrating though that the board keep accepting bids for your star players though? Unfortunately though that's the curse of managing in a 'small' country like Wales.

I've had ten seasons to get us here @DNZY and plenty of money from Europe!

They will indeed @Suffolk Seasider that;d be a site!

Thanks @Shedender

Thankfully the board eased off my back this season and let me take control of most transfers. There was one I had to lose thanks to the board but we will run down on that later. Once again European progression was our main aim with their being extra spots now available in the league I'm sure other teams are going to push more in the league now.



A busy summer for us where we really cut down on our spending. A lot of free transfers went out at the start of the window as they were out of contract and no longer good enough for us. Supple and Agutter probably could of still done a job but were snapped up by Watford and Llandudno. Unfortunately the board accepted a deal for Jordan Sence, he joined Forest for four and a half million. A couple of smaller, youth deals took place bringing in almost another million. Incomings was cheap for us, bringing in six players, three from Manchester United and spending just three million in total.


Now we really strengthened all over this summer. Two strikers in from Manchester United and at a good, young age where we can still get the best out of them. A couple midfielders as we had to replace Sence and sure we did that with the quality of these two. Whilst bringing in a young left back in Lumenza and a strong centre back from AC Milan.


Yep, unbeaten again as we're still waiting for someone to step up and actually beat us. We were four games away from the perfect league season this year until a trip to Barry cost us. A nil nil draw the first time we dropped points all season and proved to be the only time in the league throughout the year. We picked up a fair few clean sheets again this year and won games comfortably. Not too many 'big wins' as the counter attacking football is definitely being more defensive for us.


Five seasons in a row where we've hit ninety plus points and finally hitting our records point tally, ninety four points and just two points short of the perfect season with one draw and thirty one wins. We scored ninety eight games whilst conceding just thirteen all year. We won the league by thirty seven points and as you can see at the bottom, we're now unbeaten in one hundred and seventy six league games. If we can stretch it for one more season we'd hit 200! It won't be easy though.


We're back in control of the Scottish Challenge Cup. A fairly straight forward showing from us as we got started with a two one win at home against Dunfermline. Staying at home for the Quarter Final we beat Dumbarton four nil. Livingston welcomed us in the Semi Finals as we won three nil. An all Welsh Final saw us beat Aberystwyth three two.


Another season where we've not dropped this trophy, a couple of nervy rounds though and that started in the Second Round as we required penalties to beat Bangor City. An away trip to Merthyr T saw us win two nil before we required extra time to beat Barry in the Semi Final. Finally beating Bala three nil in the Final.


And we've done the clean sweep, despite out dominance its not often we take all four domestic trophies but we've done it this year. Beating Port Talbot three nil in the Third Round, Holywel five one in the Fourth Round. Another tie with Barry this season saw us welcome them in the Quarter Finals and beat them three two. Non league Carmarthen were saw off by us with a six one Semi Final win before we beat Connahs Quay two one in the Final.


The best we've done in the Champions League group stage to date, but first how we got there. Its the last time we faced the earlier round where we beat Mladost six one on aggregate. An eight two aggregate result followed to gain passage to the Champions League group with Bayern, Juventus and Olympiakos. And we picked up eight points from six games. Beating Olympiakos twice and drawing with Juventus twice whilst both times missing out on a point from Bayern by a single goal.

Into the Europa League we went and finally got a win over Ajax in our eight attempt. Before that we lost three two away from home, left us in a great place. Winning one nil at home to advance on away goal. Unfortunately we couldn't get past Italian giants Inter Milan though who beat us seven four on aggregate.


We're spending so much on wages now a days that we struggle to make money throughout the season. We definitely need to try and cut back on what we're spending but then we lost the talent we're bringing in. Its abit cache twenty two. As long as we keep hitting the Champions League group stage we'll be doing okay.


Once again my Greek keeper was our number one and had a superb year in between the sticks. Really helping us to some strong clean sheets. Plenty of rotation in the back line as we tried to use everyone and keep as many players fit as possible. Into midfield and loanee Bloom had a busy and great year. As did summer signings Leandro and Diez. Evans once again done very well as did both summer signings up top. Baxter still playing a crucial role.

Next Post: TNS - Season Twelve Review - 2027/2028

Class, great to see progress in the coefficients too.
How did the other Welsh qualifiers get on? Would be interesting to see if they're making any progress off the back of your success. Might you even try and take one of the other jobs and try and make Wales a little stronger as a whole?