[FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)

Buzzing this is back!

So glad this epic career has resumed. Welcome back @DNZY.

@b0nb0n @davysrfc @bigmattb28 @Shedender - Great to be back!

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (HOME)

First Leg:





Such a cruel blow to us, surviving with ten men for the guts of an hour. Trailing one nil on aggregate, we knew we’d resign ourselves should our Balkan neighbours netted once. Evenly matched contest throughout, making it very difficult for Dinamo to break us down. Arguably having the better chances, we were given a huge boost with a penalty slotted by Rosic to level the tie. Balance of play shifted after the dismissal of Ninkovic but Dinamo were struggling to mount many shots on target. Sadly for us though, a late goal was lurking – brought on defender Obuca to tighten up at the back but a weary clearance teed up the away goal for Kopecky in the 119th minute. Aggrieved, not discouraged.

T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 1



Starting the season off with a slender victory over Petrovac. Game was far from pretty with talking points few and far between. The only thing that mattered was the final score with our one goal, centre back Marco Radulovic rising highest to meet a header from an inswinging corner. Petrovac gave it a good go but the early red in the second half killed the game.

MATCHDAY 2



A setback so early in the season, blowing a late penalty that could have won us the game. Radomir Rosic helped himself to the first penalty but couldn’t hold our lead till half time when an unmarked Nikic punished us. With four clear cut chances in the second half, I’m baffled how this ended all square, but the moral of the story is this: DO NOT sub the goalscorer. With Rosic off, Ninkovic nominated himself for the second penalty and failed with Bokelj’s 35 year old keeper pushing it over the bar. Not ideal, but we live and learn.

MATCHDAY 3



Low scoring, scrappy slow burners seem to be the norm in the Montenegrin leagues but more than enough against Dečić. Italian born Frenchman, Francesco Borghetti looked sharp and threatened on a few instances before latching onto Zoran Matic's cross and swept home. Speaking of Matic he had a goal disallowed for offside, right call but annoying nonetheless.

MATCHDAY 4



Simply too good for Cetinje, our wingers destroying their full backs with four goals from crosses. Radomir Rosic took centre stage with a composed hat-trick while Dragan Scepanovic and Milos Vujanovic also getting in on the action. Dead atmosphere in the second half after that breathless first and left the game at five.



Unsettling news, barely lasted twenty minutes as a substitute.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A strong start was expected, though that careless draw at Bokelj irks me a bit. Not seen a great deal from our strikers but with our attacking midfield three it compensates well; Rosic in fine form lately.

LEAGUE TABLE



Only side to break into double figures after the first four, Petrovac and Bokelj chasing behind us at this very early stage.

Looking good in the opening round of games mate, keep it up!

@bigmattb28 - Baby steps, baby steps.

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NEW SIGNING



Federico Vitali - ST(C) - unattached free agent

In addition to Borghetti and Tvaradze, we welcome Vitali to join our strikeforce. Serie A and Serie B experience with his former clubs Frosinone and Catania, the Ascoli born poacher is well in his prime and no doubt he'll add some goals to his resume. All giddiness aside, 15 goals in 118 appearances for someone with 16 finishing is deeply concerning but hopefully can find his level in the Montenegrin farmlands. Of course me being me, we've left it too late to register him for the first half of the season, so it'll be until January until he debuts in a league game but is eligible for the cup.


T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 5



Rosic to the rescue as we nearly went down to a smash and grab Grbalj. Controlled the tempo for 90% of the game until we got stretched at the back, allowing Radovic to place the ball in the back of our net. Sparing our blushes, mostly Borghetti's blushes who somehow headed a free header from a yard out onto the bar, man on fire Radomir Rosic bailed us out with a netbuster from an attacking corner.

MATCHDAY 6



Lovćen were easy prey, Borghetti grabbing some inspiration with a brace that included a sublime 20 yard finish. Rosic continued contributing goals for three and a first of the season for Lazar Ilic capped off a one sided affair, even with their red card.

MATCHDAY 7



Known as the 'Montenegrin classic', Sutjeska's performance was far from classic and barely got a sniff of our 18 yard box. Dragan Scepanovic tucked away his 50th career goal with a fine assist by Borghetti, while midfielder Milos Vujanovic's deflected free kick assured victory. Game wound down to sideward passing in midfield before Fabry's frustration earned him a red in injury time. Six straight wins over our rivals in all competitions.



It'll take a lot to de-throne us.

GRUPA CRNA GORA

SECOND ROUND DRAW



Two legged affair with Iskra from tier two side in round two. Too much two?

SECOND ROUND, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Thorough job done in the first leg, clocking four away goals on return to Pod Goricom. Second choice wingers Zoran Matic and Elvedin Terzic set the tone nicely in the first quarter of the game. Our new Italian striker Vitali impressed on his full debut, even if his two goals were tap ins via goalkeeping errors. Iskra caught us on the break to pull one back but the odds are stacked against them in the second leg.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Still without a scratch going into October, perhaps deserving more at Grbalj. The 4-2-3-1 wide system working almost optimally with Ilic and Scepanovic on the wings with Rosic underlapping. Still yet to see the best from our strikers but Vitali could be the answer once 2056 hits.

LEAGUE TABLE



Still top with Petrovac creeping behind by a single point. Won't be long until the league table fully breaks into subgroups.

Unbeaten month is always good mate! That Vitall looks a cracking player.

bigmatt28 - Indeed he does, seems he can finish better than my current strikers for sure.


T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 8



First game in which we failed to score. Like watching paint dry.

MATCHDAY 9



Struggled on another torn up pitch but one goal was enough to snatch victory. Zoran Matic corrected his key side netting miss before half time to finish excellently after a delicately flicked header by substitute Borghetti opened the angle for him. Our Romanian keeper Ionut Zdrâncă was tested deep into injury time but stood ground to comfortably deny Mladost a sweaty equaliser. I dare say we may not get so lucky next time.

MATCHDAY 10



Laid down our first marker in a top of the table clash with Petrovac. Dragan Scepanovic took very little time to get our motors running after calmly finishing a through ball from Borghetti. Petrovac nearly got us wobbling but squandered big chances to keep our lead in tact. Set pieces were the crucial step to success; firstly Borghetti getting his laces behind a free kick from twenty yards, then a similar one hit the bar dropped to the feet of Lazar Ilic who shepherded the ball into an empty net. Although a late goal wiped away a clean sheet, it didn’t wipe away the smiles on our faces as we move four clear.

MATCHDAY 11



Entertainment in a disappointing scoreline. Being the home side we should have built momentum from Radulovic’s lucky early goal but it was quite the opposite. We were awfully skittish when Bokelj broke on counter attacks, one leading to a well deserved equaliser by Petrovic. Ionut Zdrâncă was well tested making two critical stops to keep us level, while at the opposite end Lazar Ilic somehow headed over from two yards. Even a red card couldn't help chances materialise, leaving the game to fade into a draw. Right result on the day.





Bokelj leaving us with virtually no strikers heading into our next game.

GRUPA CRNA GORA

SECOND ROUND, SECOND LEG (HOME)



Quality over quantity, Iskra should have won this - no lie. Took our goals very well indeed, Vitali continues to splurge his talents in the cup games, part time midfielder Sreckovic powerfully headed in a corner and Zoran Matic finished a free kick like something straight off the training ground. Iskra deserved their goal, but bottling five clear cut opportunities is sinful. Dejan Milosavljevic definitely the busier of the two keepers.

QUARTER FINAL DRAW



Our bogey side in the quarters.



T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 12



This could have finished any scoreline on Dečić's slurry pit(ch). Both sets of defenses must have stayed at home because it was almost too easy slipping in behind, not to mention two own goals offering further help. Tvaradze passed fit for the game offered his first goal of the season, Scepanovic and two own goals stacked in between two Dečić retaliations. Sead Obuca almost added a fifth but somehow his bullet header was denied on the line.

MATCHDAY 13



Dragan Scepanovic is tearing it up right now, a fine hattrick to maintain our unbeaten season. His positioning and spatial awareness were both spot on, getting in the right positions for each of his finishes. Cetinje were no great shakes even if Milosavljev grabbed a consolation, only to get sent off moments later.

MATCHDAY 14



It's a worrying sign when the home team don't play like the home team, i.e. us. Despite the penalty decision going our way to take the lead early on, precious little went our way after the dreadful Radulovic error handing Grbalj level, 90 seconds later no less. Milosavljevic has impressed in performances recently earning him some game time and didn't disappoint, saving twice from point blank range to prevent a turnaround. If it weren't for a red card slowing Grbalj down, we'd have surely cracked to our defeat of the season.



Still unbeaten, but no clean sheet in seven games in all comps. Defensive focus on the next agenda.

GRUPA CRNA GORA

QUARTER FINAL, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Tragic first leg, but buoyed by a late away goal by the exciting Vitali who continues to score in the cup. Absolutely overrun all game, leading to concede two casual goals and could (and definitely should) have been more. Deservedly beaten, pressure all on us heading to our back garden for leg two.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



As a perfectionist, it's the yellows and reds that grab my attention; we were poor at Jedinstvo, woeful at home to Grbalj and Bokelj are definitely a tough nut to crack. Performance-wise, Dragan Scepanovic has illuminated these last couple of games with 5 goals and 2 assists.

LEAGUE TABLE



Just surpassing the halfway point and even after defeating them twice this season, Petrovac continue to cling onto our ankles with 32 points at the top. Eleven clear of third it is guaranteed to be a two horse race, head to head may be a blessing if this continues.

Second fiddle to Scepanovic, looks set to miss the rest of the season. Cannot afford to lose Scepanovic now.


T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 15



Closing out the calendar year by beating the relegation favourites Lovćen. Two ahead only four minutes deep with Scepanovic and Jovanovic scoring two belters. Switched off when they launched a long throw into the box for a way back, but Jovanovic settled it with a second screamer. Credit must also go to Nenad Andrisic who slotted in at central mid, getting three assists and would have got man of the match if not for his penalty miss deep in first half injury time. Both sides ended with ten but barely affected the end result.



Invincible season looming?

GRUPA CRNA GORA

QUARTER FINAL, SECOND LEG (HOME)



FORZA VITALI! A second half coup de maître overturned Bokelj's firm lead, having rocked us with Domuzin's early strike to eliminate our away goal advantage. Looked hopeless heading into the break before a poor backward header gifted Scepanovic with a well taken equaliser. Words were said, it ignited our performance with Federico Vitali heroically netting twice and won it with a peach from 25 yards. Into the semis as a league and cup double seems doable.



I'll toot my own horn when required.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



That'll do, that'll do.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Best way to close out 2055. I could rave on about the scoring abilities of Vitali, the consistency of Scepanovic and even Jovanovic contributing but what a month for Nenad Andrisic; 2 games, 5 assists. Excellent work.

LEAGUE TABLE



No change in picture for top spot, though the gap to third is now fourteen points.

It’s tight at the top, but fingers crossed you can edge Petrovac when the season is done! Cracking result in the cup too!

Petrovac is a tough opponent but in the end we will win! Go Buducnost!

@AdamRK @bcsaulJ - I'm very surprised how far Petrovac have come, punching well above expectations. Definitely enjoyed the cup comeback!

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TRANSFERS

OUT





Couple of pre-contract departures, the only major one that mattered was Nenad Andrisic who'll be joining our near rivals Petrovac in July. Can't say much about the others, fourth to fifth choice in their positions at best.

IN



Spent a sizable amount on a new left winger in lieu of a threat that Lazar Ilic would walk after not allowing him to talk to potential bigger clubs. Delved into the loan market also, bringing in a new centre back.



Injury to Roganovic forced us into the aforementioned loan deal.



Andreja Petkovic - M(L)/AM(L) - £200k from Partizan (rising to £220k)

Shrewd business to invest in a product of a famed youth academy in Partizan. Almost similar to Ilic and being three years his junior, he can only overtake Lazar's ability. Exactly what's required in a run of the mill winger; speed, trickery on the ball and can cross a ball. May not even see him perform to his peak but a token of generosity on my part. There is a twist however...



Partizan were desperate for him back on loan which not only helps us give him more game time in a better league, but also reaping monetary gain from monthly fees. Pure genius.



Marek Pacholik - D(C) - season long loan from Sparta Praha

What a coup from our parent club. A Czech hopeful who has already bubbled into under 21 level internationally. Commanding in the air, mentally fantastic for a teenager of this level, a cut above what we have in the locker already.



That is...until I forgot to do my research. Turns out he was already loaned out to Mladá Boleslav on top of getting first team action at Sparta, therefore unable to register him. No money lost, but a move with no gain. Waste of my time.

FRIENDLIES



We asked for the big boys in friendly action, taking away a very respectful draw with Bundesliga opposition in Nürnberg with Vitali on the scoresheet, and thrashing Levski by three unanswered goals. (Ignore the fact that Vardar beat us, they're having a good year in Macedonia).

T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 16



Straight into the roster, straight onto the scoresheet. A splendid league debut for Federico Vitali, earning the winner against our rivals Sutjeska with a dipped header that grazed the underside of the crossbar and in - the Italians always do things with finesse. Victory was sweeter with scumbag Antic failed miserably trying to snap Rosic's leg in two, straight red for his troubles. Never in doubt.

MATCHDAY 17



I think we've found our serial goalscorer. Couldn't get going in the first half hour, Jedinstvo taking the lead and could have doubled or tripled their earnings. Vitali on the counter is a lethal weapon; made the runs, broke up their shape and scored twice to boot, bellissimo. Radomir Rosic was called upon for a late penalty against the ten men, sending out a message already with ten games remaining.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



No rust just thrust, picking up two wins from two. Unquestionably the player of the month belonged to the Italian striker spearheading our attack. Definitely getting our money's worth.

LEAGUE TABLE



Petrovac refuse to lie down, matching us stride for stride in the title race and still are equal with our point tally. A sixteen point gap now to third.

YOUTH INTAKE



Two words; bang. average.

T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 18



Laborious victory over Mladost with the crunch game against Petrovac on the horizon. In a game where Vitali failed to deliver magic, instead produced by our wingers as Ilic crossed in for Scepanovic to clear the dead air in the ground. Vitali made way for Borghetti who flicked a header into the path of Vujanovic for a late second. Need to perform better than this.

MATCHDAY 19





Whelp, our resistance had to be broken sooner or later but we couldn't afford it to be them. Their two strikers Stamatovic and Mujkic have 35 goals between them and it showed, the partnership on the break was electrifying and Mujkic delivered the crushing blow coming close to half time. You'd have bet your house on Vitali to finish a one on one in the last ten minutes, but Petrovac keeper Amar Stanic played the role of guardian in the scenario and saved it. 20 and out.

MATCHDAY 20



The bogey label wiped from memory, meticulously forcing our way to a crucial late victory over Bokelj. Defending continues to be the Achilles's heel in our gameplans, falling behind early on with lazy marking and positioning. Vitali returned to scoring ways in emphatic fashion with a top drawer postage stamp from 25 yards and the first of two penalties by Rosic nudged us ahead. Bokelj missed two sitters before inevitably equalising going into the break. If it weren't for a red for Ivica Petric's red this game could have gone either way, in the end it had to be decided from the technicality of a penalty and who better than Rosic to close the deal heading into injury time. Mighty relief not to drop more points.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A red mark that symbolizes blood being drawn in this title race. Far from impressed with the manner of our results, breaking sweat to overhaul Mladost, creatively absent at home to Petrovac and scraping past Bokelj with two pens. I hold my standards high for a team of this stature.

LEAGUE TABLE



So blessed Petrovac lost twice this month opening up a three point gap at the top. In an ideal world it would have been six, but hey ho we play the cards that are dealt to us. Who'll keep their composure the longest?

Fortunately an irrelevant defeat against Petrovac, now we have to remain focused on the goal. Go Buducnost!

T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 21



Escaped and I mean 'escaped' in caps lock. Brutal display on our part and Dečić will be massively annoyed that they couldn’t break through. Ionut Zdrâncă was the only thing preventing an assured defeat, twice getting in the way of their one on ones. Not going to win a league if we play like this.

MATCHDAY 22



Pushed our way to victory at struggling Cetinje, not without sweating a little bit towards the end. Matic, Rosic and a delicious free kick from Vitali left us well in the driving seat despite a quality finish by Ziadic in between. Could have almost rued a penalty miss by Rosic early into the second half, especially with Ziadic getting his head on another goal back after our keeper went completely AWOL from a floated free kick. Nevertheless, the more points we gain the better.

MATCHDAY 23



Alarm bells ringing. Poor game overall, but third placed Grbalj were the more clinical. Mirza Smaljovic twice netting from similar positions as he cut inside from the left away from our centre backs who were chasing shadows. Only a single shot on target for us, Vitali not up to his usual standard. Not his fault he was feeding off scraps.

MATCHDAY 24



Hardly an accomplishment against winshy Lovćen, condemning them to the drop. Vitali and Borghetti tag-teamed up top in a two striker system, combining for Borghetti's opener just six minutes in. Missed an abundance of chances with their keeper swatting away everything like his life depended on it. Sadly, he couldn't stop Sead Obuca's bullet header from a corner to confirm their second tier status next season.

MATCHDAY 25



Pressure is definitely getting to us, failing to put a dent in Sutjeska. Neither side truly deserved a win, but to be fair and balanced Sutjeska were the more likely suspects especially with a clumsy two footer by Roganovic almost cost us the game. Vitali came closest for us, but was denied from an acute angle. We're falling to pieces at present.

GRUPA CRNA GORA

SEMI FINAL, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



One foot in the final already, taking a luxurious lead back to Podgorica. Three very well taken goals too; Scepanovic set up a lovely one-two with Matic to sweep home, Vitali brought another majestic solo effort with an ice cool finish and Andrisic took penalty duties and blasted home from the spot. Scepanovic perhaps would have made it four late on, but could only finish down the throat of the keeper (careful that doesn't get taken out of context). Opportunities to rest players for the second leg.

SEMI FINAL, SECOND LEG (HOME)



Even our second string put in more fight than Jedinstvo's "big guns". Had everything under control, reducing the visitors to pot shots and routine stops for Milosavljevic before getting injured. A rare goal from Jaba Tvaradze all but wrapped the tie up, took his goal seriously well too with an exquisite header. Awarded a penalty in injury time which Rosic failed to disappoint, earning us a 5-0 aggregate win and gearing up for a cup final in June.



It's all up to Ionut Zdrâncă for the rest of the season between the sticks.

FINAL DRAW



Petrovac relied on penalties in their semi final, both sides fighting for a league and cup double. Can we thwart their plans?

RESULTS OVERVIEW



With a tense end to the season, dropping points in three games is something we could really have done without. Definitely a dry spell in goalscoring threat compared to previous months with exception to our two legs in the cup. Vitali just slowing up his momentum up top.

LEAGUE TABLE



The Sutjeska draw paid a serious penalty, dropping to second with two games left. It'll have to be one of Bokelj or Dečić to do us a massive favour and roadblock Petrovac from winning their final two. As for us, another crack at Jedinstvo at home, followed by a potential banana-skin at local side Mladost (technically now called OFK Titograd). May the best team win.

T-COM 1.CFL

MATCHDAY 26



Hung on by the skin of our teeth but got what was required going into the final day. A three minute salvo by Rosic and Scepanovic respectively had us cruising into the break. Two quick yellows for Vujanovic soon turned the tide on the game as we conceded and dropped further and further into our own 18 yard area. A breathtaking curler from outlandish territory had Jedinstvo back in it; one goal-line clearance and a rattle of the woodwork later, hearing the final whistle was music to the ears. Excuse me while I change my underwear..



Meanwhile in Bokelj, absolutely fantastic news as Petrovac return to second by virtue of a late defeat.

MATCHDAY 27




Judgement day with fingernails bitten down to the nub. Conceding within the first five minutes didn’t exactly calm the nerves, and we really didn't look tidy all game. Thankfully we could rely on top scorer Radomir Rosic to come to the rescue with this 14th goal of the season. The objective was simply not to lose but fate threw every possible curveball in the book. Scepanovic foolishly got himself sent off and Marko Vukcevic nearly gifted the restoration of Mladost's lead. A sweatdripping draw that at long last confirmed us as champions of Montenegro again!

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Four points out of six was just about good enough, Radomir Rosic turning up for a change with some handy goals.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE









God bless head to head records! I’m a tad disappointed that it came on a technicality but it means another nation is ticked off. Devastating for Petrovac. Europa League spots going to Grbalj and Jedinstvo while Lovćen recorded the second worst points tally in league history to plummet into the second tier. Bring on the cup final!

Almost down to the bare bones on the wings. No Scepanovic due to suspension, his backup injured, Ilic injured on the left. May need to shuffle the deck going into the final.

GRUPA CRNA GORA

FINAL



The double or revenge for Petrovac?

the chaaaaaaampioooonsss!
Fantastic double, we have respected the winning tradition, let's continue like this!

Great to see you back here @DNZY, glad I came back to read up on this, what a great season, very close to the end but a fine double!

Great end to the season mate!

@bcsaulJ - Thanks man, you seem to be my biggest fan lately! Will try not to disappoint!

@Dan - Glad you're still enjoying, delighted to be moving up the ranks again!

@bigmattb28 - Was very touch and go I will admit!

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Centre back Roganovic won in a landslide vote of the fans' player of the season award, reminds me of a McParland-esque figure winning multiple aerial battles throughout the season; Scepanovic and Vukcevic not even close in terms of vote percentage. A catalog of fine goals to choose from throughout the year, but Slobodan Jovanovic's fearsome hit at relegated Lovcen stood out among all. Signing of the season was a no brainer, the attainment of Federico Vitali may have been the best transfer of the story. Finally, Roganovic's partner-in-crime Dusan Vukcevic earned young player of the season.



Half of his goals may have been from penalties but Radomir Rosic put in good shifts to top the goals tally this season for us, finishing with 14. Although Vitali was only playing for half the season, you cannot argue with his contributions almost reaching a 7.5 average rating - what a machine. Assists spread out from left, right and centre but sourcing regularly from left winger Zoran Matic and deep lying playmaker Nenad Andrisic, both notching 8 assists. Nemanja Ninkovic didn't always get in the team but when he did, his midfield skills were on display topping passing completion with 87%. Honourable mentions to Dragan Scepanovic on the right wing too; 12 goals, 7 assists and 4 man of the match awards - grossly underrated. Discipline-wise, Montenegrins love flying in with tackles but none more so than Perica Djukic with 15 yellows, while Milos Vujanovic lost his cool on two occasions.

AWARDS





Despite Federico Vitali getting robbed of the cup player of the season title by the equally solid Zoran Matic, his eight goals in six cup games won him the top goalscorer award instead.



An impressive five players were drafted into the Team of the Season, baffled how Francesco Borghetti ended up as the second striker but we'll roll with it. Roganovic, Vujanovic (maybe), Rosic and Scepanovic definitely earned their spots.



I do feel Kolakovic deserved it more considering they took us right to the wire with limited funds compared to us but I guess sentiment is irrelevant as I win Manager of the Season.

TRANSFERS

OUT







Losing a lot of weight in the squad, eleven leaving and one retiring. Perhaps the two big losses are our right back Djukic who had no intention of extending his contract, and Borghetti who probably left kicking and screaming with a move to the Romanian top flight at the song of just over £75,000.



Seems that Montenegro's coefficients were in a bad state when I came in, of course working my magic I allowed them to move into the second qualifying phase. Such inconvenience that I've to trample on some weaklings in the first qualifying round this season.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Probably the weakest of the bunch, San Marino's Pennarossa don't have a snowballs chance in hell.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND





Sparing all the longwinded details, we destroyed them. Four from Vitali, braces for both Matic and Ilic plus rare goals for the departing Andrisic and utility midfielder Ninkovic took us into double figures for the two legs. Felt bad for Pennarossa and offered them a measly one goal after a lapse of concentration but this was a total mismatch. An aperitif to prepare the appetite.



Lost a good centreback in the process for a lengthy spell.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Not too far to travel, FCSB are a tricky draw but we should be up for the challenge.

...meanwhile..



Is this the end of the road for Vitali too? £375k up front and a quarter milli over a year. Dangerously good offer by Anhzi Makhachkala.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



A tense draw with two away goals in Bucharest was a top result. Vitali went about his business and shrugging off the transfer talk to plant the seed of our first goal after great work by Zoran Matic. Set pieces were our kryptonite, twice conceding from dead ball situations even when Scepanovic restored our advantage. Native Romanian Zdrâncă hadn't much else to do throughout. Tightly poised for the return leg in Montenegro.

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (HOME)



God bless the away goal rule (only when it's in our favour)! Very disjointed game with neither side creating too many worrying chances, although falling asleep at the back allowed FCSB's South African sub striker Njabulo Madikane, leaving us in a tricky predicament. From there on it was kill or be killed, Federico Vitali stepping up to the plate to continue his streak of scoring in Europe to take advantage late in the tie. 3-3 it finished on aggregate, sending us one step closer to potential group stage territory.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Crossing over into the Borat-land as Astana prepare for our visit.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Gingerly saw out an impressive draw in the Kazakh capital, having Ionut Zdrâncă to thank for keeping us in it. Our Italian stallion Vitali made it seven in five games, feeding off a fine cross by Scepanovic in the buildup. Astana looked short of confidence at times, wasting some good chances before one jittery mistake by Ninkovic had Sergei Larin a clean shot at goal to equalise. A late red for Astana wound the game down nicely for the return leg.



...which Zdrâncă will miss sadly. My faith has to go into Milosavljevic to pull off the heroics.



Vitali stays! Yeah, so what if I continuously delayed the deal, in the form he's been in lately you can hardly blame me? The prospect of Europe might be enough for him to stay with good grace.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (HOME)





Oh my days, sheer dominance! Only the four when it really could have been seven or eight, Astana left their footballing smarts on the plane. Ninkovic made up for his first leg cock up and blew Astana away with his long range strikes, one from a free kick while Roganovic headed in a corner for an insane three nil half time lead. Even Caccianiga's clumsy red couldn't slow down the fiery momentum, Vitali topping the cherry on top of the cake with a deflected free kick in a famous night at the Pod Goricom Stadium. Guaranteed group stage football so my departure will have to wait!

CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF DRAW

If you update your game with the latest update of the "FM2019 Real Names and German National Team Fix File" you will get the right name of the montenegrin cup

C'mon Buducnost, we can win against the polish giants! Great results so far!

Superb win over Astana. Still glad this is continuing. KIU @DNZY.

@Qvordrup - Thankfully I'm leaving Montenegro for good so won't have to worry about that! Besides it's FM17...

@bcsaulJ - Thank you for the continued support!

@Shedender - Glad you're still enjoying, it's a shame work is holding me back from providing the updates more regularly.

_________________________________________



T-COM 1.CFL



Not worrying too much about the league this season as I'll be out the door once we exit Europe and leaving duties to my assistant. So far so good, picking up back to back wins over newly promoted Rudar and more impressively continuing our good form when playing Petrovac. Bokelj however still seem to cause us issues, holding us to a one all draw with Vitali continuing to rack up goals domestically and continentally.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Legia were certainly a few steps above our usual weight class but almost held on until a late goal undid our good work. Federico Vitali came mightily close from a free kick only for the crossbar to save Legia's skin. The continuing Polish pressure drained us, eventually leading to substitute Milisavljevic to sneak one under our own Milosavljevic (yes, there is a difference in name) to win the game for the Wojskowi. Can we pull off the same antics that Astana faced in the second leg on our own patch?

CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF, SECOND LEG (HOME)



Close but no cigar. It's sad because we would have held off Legia and perhaps winning the game before Vujanovic's red card on the hour mark. Vitali did his damnedest to lead a charging counter attack, threaded a beautiful ball into Ilic for a one on one but it lacked any power and down the throat of the keeper. Vujanovic struck a similar free kick against the woodwork but down the line his red card was our caveat. Three minutes after the dismissal arrived the inevitable from Ove Lindgren thus sealing our fate. Europa League group stages it is...

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP STAGE DRAW

Long time reader, first time poster. Great read. Where are your transfers in for this season?

@Evan Kane - Thank you for your kind words, glad you're enjoying it! I didn't really bring in anyone as I'll be leaving after the EL group stages.

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T-COM 1.CFL



My assistant is hanging on by a thread. Only one win this month, a convincing 3-0 display against Mladost (P) simply paving over cracks. What makes things even worse is losing to our local rivals Sutjeska. Let's go with the "Europa League hangover" excuse.



News on the injury front, lost our best left back for a month and a bit. Pretty sure I've no other natural left backs. Oopsie.


UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP G

MATCHDAY 1



Words escape me sometimes. Quite possibly be my biggest giantkilling of the save thus far. All the credit goes to our stalwart defence and an outstanding shift from Milosavljevic in goal holding 8 saves, including a superb point blank reaction from a Valencia corner. Vitali once again proving indispensable to the club to guide the ball into the net following poor defensive marking and silencing the 71,000 in the Mestalla Stadium. The improbable now made probable?





On top of losing our left back, our only competent right back also misses out for the only "realistic" winnable game at home to FC København. Can a makeshift back four disrupt the Danes?

MATCHDAY 2



Evidently yes, but only just. København wasted three attempts handed to them on silver platters, calling on more heroics from Milosavljevic and continuing to cement his place as first team keeper. Roganovic was immense for the second game in a row, turning into an absolute unit of late at centre back. Didn't exactly create much throughout the ninety but I'm sure our fans will forgive us for looking at the bigger picture. Nice to see a sellout at the Pod Goricom.



don't say it..
don't say it..
don't say it..
don't say it..
don't say it..

WE MIGHT ACTUALLY QUALIFY FROM THIS GROUP!

T-COM 1.CFL



Wow...just wow. What on Earth happened at Jedinstvo? Odds on me getting sacked before finishing the EL games? Let's just move on from this trainwreck shall we?

GRUPA CRNA GORA



At least we haven't lost our touch when it comes to obliterating tinpot second tier sides.





Last month it was makeshift defence, this month it's makeshift central midfield.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP G

MATCHDAY 3



With Beşiktaş lining up in a 3-4-3, there was only one outcome, perhaps taking longer than everyone expected. Flashbacks to the Valencia game we hit the front through the penalty spot; Rosic tapping in after missing the initial spot kick. The laborious task of trying to keep three clean sheets in a row was too much and Mehmet Akgül broke the sequence to escape his marker and tap in a whipped cross to the back post. Winding the clock down we thought we'd hang on for yet another point, Beşiktaş had other ideas in mind with substitute Turgut Tayük breaking our hearts with a screamer from 25 yards. No shame in that defeat, just the disappointment of "what could have been".

my face when i saw the result in Valencia astonishing win!
Now we must return to victory in the league