[FMT19] Jumping on the Bandwagon - A Belarusian Story

Introuduction
At a time where World football has been shut down, there's one league in Europe which has continued to keep calm and carry on. A league which is gaining far more recognition and attention globally, than ever before. We are of course, talking about the former Soviet state of Belarus. A country with a population of around 9.5 million, times have been hard for a lot of the people here. The break up of the Soviet Union, like all countries, had an impact on Belarus, but this nation was hit perhaps even harder, with the Chernobyl disaster affecting large parts of the nation.

In football terms, things haven't been much easier. Belarus is dwarfed in population by neighbours Russia, Ukraine and Poland, so it's understandable that it hasn't been able to keep up with the success of these nations. But even neighbouring Latvia, have qualified for a major tournament, something which Belarus are yet to do as an independent nation. As for clubs, only BATE Borisov have appeared on the big stage, enjoying Champions League group appearances.

As for players, there are many considered great by the Belarusian people, but the only 2 who really stand out to the rest of us are the Hleb brothers. Aleksandr is one of the most capped players in the nations history, and arguably one of the greatest, as a UEFA Champions League winner. Younger brother Vyacheslav didn't win as many caps, but is still one of the highest goalscorers for Belarus.


Club choice
Usually when I start a save on FM, there are certain criteria I look for in a club. A longer history is much preferred, and within that, I prefer clubs who perhaps haven't achieved as much as they should have. Decent stadium is preferred, although not essential, and good facilities are always a massive bonus, but again, not essential. Clubs from a city with a sizeable population are preferred too. Thus, making a recipe, for the perfect sleeping giant.

BATE Borisov, as mentioned, are the stand out club to many. They've dominated Belarusian football, and have performed on the big stage in recent years. Perhaps a little too easy, and not as rewarding.

Dinamo Minsk have all the ingredients to be a giant too, and perhaps the club who have the potential to stand a real test to BATE. One of the biggest clibs in Belarus, but they haven't won a title since 2004. Perhaps one for the future, but again, not the club I was looking for right now.

A few other clubs stood out, but there was one that I decided to opt for in the end...

FC Gomel
Founded in 1959, FC Gomel have had an interesting history. At one point, they played as high as the 2nd tier of Soviet football, but ended the Soviet era down in the 4th tier. Since seperation, their history has been just as chequered. Relegation to the Belarusian 2nd tier is nothing new for the club. Firstly in 1995, and as recently as 2019 (albeit this story takes place before then). In between these times though, there was success. A league title win in 2003, as well as cup wins in 2002 and 2011. Recent European campaigns have seen Gomel face Liverpool and Schalke.

Gomel play at the 14,307 Central Stadium, and possess good facilities.

One thing which really stood out for me though, and gave this story even more substance, was the city of Gomel itself. With more than 500,000 residents, it certainly deserves a successful football team. On top of that, the city of Gomel was badly affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Even today, children continue to be born in the region with conditions relating to radiation. If ever there was a city that deserved to be brought together by football, this is one of them.

Let's see where this takes us!

So far so good. A pretty dismal start to the season was forgotten about with a superb win away at BATE. Been in really good form up until the midway point of the season. BATE won the 2017/18 cup, so 4th place is bound to be enough for Europe.

Shame our own cup draw couldn't have been better



.

So, yeah. That cup game away at Dinamo Minsk that I was scared of? Well, this happened...

Season Review 2018
Certainly not a bad season by all accounts, but I'm deeply frustrated by the 2nd half of the season. So many stupid results, and threw away so many leads, and those were the difference between getting a Europa spot. I was even top at one point. It certainly was an exciting season. Sadly, only the top 3 places get prize money, and as we missed out on Europe, I'll be heavily relying on youth graduates to add a bit of depth to the squad.

Hell of a season for a team that I've not heard of before! Nivaldo the saviour, seems like a decent little player!

Bring on next season!

Thanks mate! Yeah it was a decent campaign, I'm just so frustrated that we missed out on a Europa spot. Nivaldo was a beast for me.

Will start season 2 tomorrow.

Great start. Following.

Literally just read your one mate. A challenge I've started myself, just not stuck with yet.

Cheers mate, good start for you, I've not been on the forums for a while. Looking forward to your next update.

Summer 2019 update

Transfers
As mentioned, a pretty quiet summer of transfer activity. Very little money in the Belarusian league, and aiming for Europe and missing out can be quite problematic for the bank. I made a bit of money on transfers, but opted to pretty much stick with what I had. Only had 3 players come through the academy, none of which look hugely promising. They do however add a bit of depth to the first team.

Finances
At the midway stage of the 2019 season, this is how the bank balance looks. It's dwindled a lot since I came in, but as you can see, I'm well below budget in wages.


Results and League Overview
It's been a remarkable year for us so far. Only 1 league defeat in the campaign, and it was a narrow one away at high flying Dinamo Brest. Nivaldo has been on point for me again, scoring for fun in the first few games, but he's dried up a bit, albeit still putting in good performances. Last season went so well up until the midway point, so really aiming to avoid a crash again, but I'm very confident of a European place, and who knows, maybe we can snatch the title?

Meant to mention beforehand too, the uniqueness of the Belarusian Cup. While the league campaign plays through the summer months, starting in March, ending around November/December. The cup is played over the Winter months. So we start our campaign roundabout the midway point of the league season, and play through until the Quarters I think it is. Then the cup has a break while the league is shutdown, and recommences to play through to the final which takes place in May.

When I took over, we had already been eliminated for 2017/18, and we lost in the 3rd round in 2018/19. Due to start shortly, but the final, should we get that far, won't take place until May 2020.

Season 2 update should be done tonight guys. Back in work so not had as much time. Played a little last night, and up to matchday 23 out of 30. Will see how the next couple of games pan out, but if all goes well, perhaps my next post will be a broken down race for the title.

Update - Matchday 27



So, as you can see, results have gone well, and the table looks just like this:


A far better season than I could've imagined! Europa League is guaranteed, but the title race isn't over yet, and we're well in it. So, a race to the finish line it is. Let's see how I get on...

Matchday 28
Neman Grodno vs Gomel
BATE vs Dinamo Brest
KICK OFF

HALF TIME - Neman Grodno 0-0 Gomel
BATE 0-0 Dinamo Brest

GOAL! - 53 mins - Neman Grodno 0-1 GOMEL

GOAL! - 56 mins - NEMAN GRODNO 1-1 Gomel

GOAL! - 75 mins - NEMAN GRODNO 2-1 Gomel
BATE 1-0 Dinamo Brest

GOAL! - 82 mins - BATE 2-0 Dinamo Brest

FULL TIME - Neman Grodno 2-1 Gomel
BATE 2-0 Dinamo Brest

No change after 28 games. Defeat for both sees them go neck and neck into the final 2 matches. Matchday 29 next.

Matchday 29
Gomel vs Isloch
Dinamo Brest vs Slutsk
KICK OFF

GOAL! - 22 mins - DINAMO BREST1-0 Slutsk

GOAL! - 42 mins - Gomel 0-1 ISLOCH

GOAL! - 45 mins - DINAMO BREST 2-0 Slutsk

HALF TIME - Gomel have it all to do at the break.

GOAL! - 46 mins - GOMEL 1-1 Isloch - What a start to the 2nd half as Nivaldo scores!

GOAL! - 48 mins - GOMEL 2-1 Isloch - Unbelievable! Nivaldo does it again, and the title race is back on!

GOAL! - 60 mins - DINAMO BREST 3-0 Slutsk

GOAL! - 67 mins - GOMEL 3-1 Isloch - Nivaldo gets his hat trick!

GOAL! - 80 mins - GOMEL 4-1 Isloch - Nivaldo scores 4!

GOAL! - 90 mins - DINAMO BREST 4-0 Slutsk

FULL TIME - Gomel 4-1 Isloch
Dinamo Brest 4-0 Slutsk

So it all comes down to the final day!

Matchday 30
Vitebsk vs Gomel
Torpedo Zhodino vs Dinamo Brest

So it comes down to the final day in the race for the title. Dinamo Brest looking to win their first ever title, while Gomel hunting for their first since 2003. Dinamo travel to 9th place Torpedo Zhodino, whom they beat 3-0 earlier in the season. For Gomel, it's a tough trip to 4th placed Vitebsk, who themselves have a lot to play for, as they look to hold on to their Europa League spot. H2H record decides those level on points in the Belarusian league, so Gomel's only option is to better Dinamo's result.

KICK OFF

GOAL! - 12 mins - TORPEDO 1-0 Dinamo - Not the start in mind at all for Dinamo, but no complaints from Gomel, who go top!

GOAL! - 15 mins - Torpedo 1-1 DINAMO - Lively start in Zhodino as Dinamo regain top spot with a quick equaliser.

GOAL AND RED CARD! - 37 mins - TORPEDO 2-1 Dinamo - Torpedo regain the lead as Dinamo go down to 10 men! Gomel go back top, and now surely in the driving seat.

GOAL! - 45 mins - Torpedo 2-2 DINAMO - The 10 men equalize!

GOAL! - 45+2 mins - TORPEDO 3-2 Dinamo - The goals keep coming in Zhodino

HALF TIME - Despite being goalless, it's Gomel who lead the title race with 45 minutes to go, as the goals rain down in Zhodino.

GOAL! - 52 mins - TORPEDO 4-2 Dinamo - A fourth for the home side! Dinamo in real trouble now, they need to score twice just to tie and hope Gomel draw or lose. Is the title going back to Gomel?

GOAL! - 61 mins - Torpedo 4-3 DINAMO - Brest aren't going down without a fight are they?

GOAL! - 65 mins - TORPEDO 5-3 Dinamo - Surely no way back now?!

RED CARD - 75 mins - GOMEL - Straight red for 17 year old Stanislav Kovalev. Backs to the wall for Gomel now as they look to grind out the point, which at present, would secure the title. Of course if Vitebsk score, the title is back in Dinamo's grip.

GOAL! - 82 mins - VITEBSK 1-0 Gomel - Heartbreak for the visitors. They've got 10 minutes to save their title bid. Can they do it?

FULL TIME - Torpedo Zhodino 5-3 Dinamo Brest
Vitebsk 1-0 Gomel

DINAMO BREST ARE CHAMPIONS


Absolutely devastating to lose the title that way! With 15-20 to go, we were comfortable, and I felt obliged to stick with my defensive counter formation which had got us through without a sweat, as Dinamo were 5-3 down and a draw was enough. Then one of my youngsters I subbed on gets sent off! Held on for all of 7 minutes before they scored. Went gung ho for the last 13 including injury time, but the closest we came was Nivaldo heading wide. The players were knackered at the end and just totally ran out of steam!