Scotland Club & Country
A Football Manager Career by Steve RobbinsWin a copy of FM24 in our Prediction League. Prizes are given out to the best predictor each month, so you have multiple chances to win.
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Steve Robbins
2031-32 Season - September to January
I have to say its been an incredible first half of the season!
Champions League
We had some winnable home games which we needed to get points out of, especially after we lost our opening two games away to Newcastle and Liverpool. We came back with two really good wins over Roma and Slavia Prague before home draws to Monaco and then last seasons winners AC Milan, in the final two games we needed to secure at least a win, we drew PAOK 0-0 away before absolutely smashing Austria Wien in the final game to secure a playoff spot.
16th place is absolutely fantastic, there was good and bad news from our other Scottish teams in the Champions League with Celtic nicking the last playoff spot but Rangers went out after a poor campaign
League Cup
A competition we lost last season on penalties in the final so I was determined to win this, we eased past Motherwell and Hibs to get into the final.
Where we faced Celtic, we conceded early and we never really got going, it looked like we were going to lose until academy star MacLeod grabbed an equaliser in the 90th minute to take it extra time, this is where Celtic fell apart (I've seen this happen before!), we scored 3 times in extra time to seal a 4-1 win!!!
As you can see from the stats we utterly dominated.
Premiership
Now to the league and my word it's gone well!!!
A sea of green but we have slightly fallen off in the last month or so. We have however been incredible, some hammerings, loads of goals, lots of clean sheets, sensational! That last game away to St Mirren was the real only downer of the first half of the season, we never really got going but with us so far ahead in the table I have decided to give some of kids a chance to prove themselves.
18 points clear at the top!!! DOMINATION!!!
In Other News
In the Winter window I decided to make one signing and that was to bring in a new goalkeeper, Gebhardt left after not getting enough first team football so I went out and brought myself a new, young GK, who can replace Henderson once he decides to retire.
In comes Jesper Buksrud, signed from Rangers for £11m, I nicked their first choice goalie to become my back up!!!
We've also had the completion of the expansion of the ground, it's now totally max'ed out with a capacity of just over 38k, currently we're getting around 25k a game which is a massive increase in the previous seasons.
A fantastic first half of the season, my plan now, with such a lead at the top, if the blood some of the youth players to see who has got what it takes to get a spot in the squad for next season. Hopefully we can continue our good form and end with another league title and hopefully we can progress further in Europe
dzanetti93
Brilliant first half of the season, you've got off to a flyer!
Probably helped by the fact St. Johnston look to have been relegated cause they seemed to have had your number the past few seasons and been a bit of a bogey team lol
Stadium looks great, hopefully be selling it out all the home games in the near future! Great informative & clean update as usual.
Steve Robbins
2031-32 - End of Season Review
Another season down, when I left you last we were smashing the league and still in the Scottish Cup and Champions League, let's see how it went……
Youth Intake
It was another solid looking intake, no elite talents but numerous top talents.
Of those players there were a couple that really stand-out
Ryan Taggart - Central Midfield
He will need to re-train as a DM as we don't play CMs but I feel he can do a decent job there, his mental attributes are top quality for a 16-year old.
Kyle Smith - Left Wing
He needs some work but he has some good physicals, bravery, flair and work rate, a great base to work on.
Scottish Cup
We had won the Scottish Cup three years in a row and flew through the opening rounds hammering Raith and then Partick, we then faced Celtic away in the Quarters and played really well to seal a 2-1 win. With Celtic beaten and Rangers already out if was ours to lose, we faced St Mirren in the semi's and played like absolute muppets, we took the lead but then just stopped playing, St Mirren scored mid-way through the second half and the game went to extra-time, St Mirren then grabbed a second goal to seal a 2-1 win and knock us out.
Not happy!
Champions League
When the playoff draw came out it threw up one mouth-watering tie, yes we were facing Celtic!! A shame as it would've been nice to have us both go through to the Last 16 but at least it guaranteed one team going through.
Obviously it was us that won, it was tight though, a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park followed by a 2-1 win at home, John-Paul Tait grabbing the winner.
Into the Last 16 and we were handed a tough tie, we faced Liverpool and, for the third straight season, we were dumped out in this round. 4-1 at Anfield and 3-1 at home, Liverpool were just too good but it was frustrating how poorly we played.
Premiership
Now we come to the League, we had won back-to-back titles, this would make it three in a row, in the last update you saw how far ahead we were, I spent the rest of games rotating and giving some the kids a go and they were excellent. The title was wrapped up in early-April, even before the Championship Group had started, it was an utterly dominant season, we scored so many goals (122) and amassed 101 points!
An incredible season!!!
Key Men
Fabrizio Montalto has an insane season, he lost his spot to Connor Smith on the right-wing last season but came back in this campaign and won it back, he ends as the clubs player and young player of the season, he also ends with the most assists and highest average rating, he only started 20 games with 24 games as sub, he got 13 goals and 23 assists with an average rating of 7.69!
Striker Jean Carlos Pajoy ends as the Premiership top scorer and has the most goals for Queen's Park this season, he scored 28 goals in 38 starts, another brilliant season but he now has some of the young lads breathing down his neck for a starting spot.
The Kids
I said I was going to blood the kids this season and I did just that, over 15 players that have come through the academy made appearances this season, I want to speak about four of them.
Firstly is forward Jay MacLeod, this lad is absolutely amazing, he dominated the Premiership player awards winning both the player, players player and young player of the year. He's also a fixture in the Scottish side , he managed 19 goals this season in 34 starts. His improvement has been immense this year.
Another Striker also excelled, John-Paul Tait was amazing when called upon, he also made his Scottish debut and grabbed a hat-trick in his second Scotland start when they beat Wales 4-0 in a friendly. He managed 12 goals and 5 assists in 21 starts, his improvement has been even bigger than MacLeod's, his current ability has jumped 1.5*'s in the last 9 months.
This lad is an absolute superstar, Craig Wiles came through last seasons intake and is already a fixture in the first XI, he also made his Ireland debut and all at 16 years old! He made 37 starts and scored 3 goals!!
The final player I want to speak about is midfielder Alex Harrison, he's not rated very highly but I recalled him from a loan in the Winter to give him a chance and, although he didn't played loads, he was really good when called upon, he even made his Scotland debut in the March internationals! I think he looks great and his rating is really low for someone who looks this good. He ended up making 7 starts for us averaging just under 7. Next season he will get more game-time.
The future is so bright at Queen's Park, we have a raft of kids coming through who have proved in the second half of this season they can mix it.
At the end of March both MacLeod and Tait were rewarded for their amazing rise by being named 1st and 2nd in the NxGN award, we also had Wiles is also in there. and Summer signing, defender Pires.
Here is the Best XI for the season.
And here's the whole squad
Scottish Teams in Europe
It's been a mixed bag for our teams in Europe this season.
Rangers went out in the League Phase of the Champions League
Celtic lost to us in the Playoff and we then went out in the Last 16
Dundee United lost in the Playoff of the Europa League
Aberdeen lost in the Last 16 of the Conference League
But one team did so well!!
Hibernian, who ended bottom of the Premiership got all the way to the Europa League final!!! They beat the likes of Malmo, Galatasaray, Lyon and Feyenoord along the way but the final was against Chelsea and they lost 3-1, what a run though!
Even so, our co-efficient ranking will drop a place next season as we will be overtaken by Netherland, this doesn't affect our European spots for next season, we'll still have six teams in Europe with three in the Champions League but, with us dropping to 7th next season we will lost a Champions League spot for the following season.
I'm pretty confident, looking at our co-efficient points, that we will retake 6th spot from the season after
Next Season
So what an incredible season, a League Cup win and a third straight Premiership title, the League this year was so easy, we dominated from start to finish and I fully expect that to continue, next season though I will be focusing on the Champions League, we need to start progressing further, not only to help ourselves with money and improving our reputation but also to get the co-efficient increasing.
With my focus on Europe I will be blooding even more kids in the domestic competitions, I hope to play at 6 academy players in each XI in most of the domestic games and hold my key men back for Europe and the big domestic matches.
My aim this Summer is to look at improving the squad as a whole, the kids will play but can I improve the non-academy players, can I find a better Right Back that Larossa? Can I find a better Centre Back than Murillo? I have had my scout scouring the World for players that are upgrades on these type of players so as long as I can get the right deal there may a few changes this Summer, it all depends on the deal and whether I can move the players being replaced out. The kids will stay, they are the future but I need to keep the squad as a whole moving forwards.
dzanetti93
Sheer dominance in the league this season & congrats on becoming Centurions! Great to see Montalto reclaim his spot at RW & have a stand out campaign.
Future definitely looks bright with Macleod & Tait coming on leaps and bounds & could be a killer duo for seasons to come.
Hopefully see some good upgrades in the summer and see you push the team forward in Europe now!
CameronFM
Another dominating league campaign! Think it is fair to say that you are now the leading force in Scotland and it is showing with that performance!
Gutting about the Scottish Cup, but to take 2 out of 3 domestic competitions, it is still good going. Champions League will eventually come, can’t wait for the party!
Steve Robbins
2032-33 Season - Summer Transfers and Opening Games
So I had this great plan for the Summer, the kids are going to play the domestic games but I wanted to upgrade my key men with better players, my choice, if I find someone better for relatively low cost then I'll bring them in and sell the player they're replacing on, what I didn't envisage was clubs unsettling my key men before I even started!!! It's been a big Summer, lots of outs but I really feel I've majorly improved this squad and I feel we are well set for a run at the Champions League this season.
Transfers Out
As I said, it's been a tough Summer as you can see by these out's
9 players sold, all from the first-team, we lose our first choice RB Larossa, Our No. 1 Henderson, Arismendi, one of our key DMs, James Hill, a CB who started most games last season, LW Boyer who went to Newcastle after they activated his release clause and then the big one, we lost Striker and save legend Rodrigo Muniz. The good news is, for most of these, I brought in better players for less money.
Nearly £80m brought in as well and pretty much all of those sold were for a profit on what I paid for them.
Transfers In
Nahuel Alcaraz - Defensive Midfield - £12m from Racing Club
With Arismendi leaving and Anguissa retiring I needed a new DM and this lad is a huge upgrade on both those players, a big fee but well worth it.
Shuichi Hasegawa - Goalkeeper - £3.9m from Yokohoma
Compared to Henderson this lad is head and shoulders above him, a stupidly cheap fee and only 24, this lad is going to be a superstar for us.
Juan Vergara - Central Defender - £2.5m from Millonarios
My replacement for James Hill and like the others, a huge upgrade, only 19 as well, this lad is incredible and will only get better!
Alexander Isak - Striker - Free Transfer
My short-term replacement for Muniz and what a signing, Isak is still amazing at 32 and will provide great experience to MacLeod and Tait whilst providing Champions League experience in those big games.
Keiichi Takahashi - Right Back - £5m from Kashima Antlers
With Larossa going I needed a new RB, this lad isn't as good as Larossa but I really struggled to balance quality with price, Takahashi is only 22 so has time to improve and will provide great attacking impetus on that right-hand side.
Takeharu Tsunoi - Defensive Midfield - £4.3m from Yokohoma
My third Japanese signing of the Summer and this was a last minute signing, he can play in both defence and midfield and will provide good options when needed. Another young signing who also looks first-team ready.
An absolutely brilliant window, we have some incredible talents coming in, we've lost some big players but I do feel this squad is more than ready for another amazing season, and all with a profit of nearly £45m!!!!
Opening Games
We've started really well this season, I've stuck with what I said, I've played the kids in the domestic games and filled in when we've had injuries or fitness problems with my big game players.
5 games, 5 wins, amazing! Jon-Paul Tait has had an amazing start with 6 goals!
Already top, can we stay there?!
Champions League Fixtures
We have what looks like a solid set of games to play in the Champions League.
We face Liverpool and Man City which will be tough but in the other games I fully expect to be challenging, a playoff spot is well and truly on but can we sneak top 8?
Scottish Teams in Europe
Finally, it's been a brilliant Summer for our fellow Scottish teams.
In the Champions League we have ourselves and Celtic who both automatically qualified
Rangers lost in the Champions League playoff on penalties to Sporting Lisbon but that means they drop down to the Europa League
They will join Hearts, who automatically qualified and St. Mirren who got through four rounds of qualifying to get into the League Phase
In the Conference League will be Aberdeen who got through three qualifying rounds to seal a League Phase spot.
Six teams in Europe this season, a massive boost and it should help our co-efficient rise.
Qualifying for next seasons European spots has been dented by the fact we've dropped down to 7th in the co-efficient rankings, Netherland went above us and this means we lost an automatic League Phase spot in the Champions League, it should be a one season blip though as I fully expect us to do enough this season to overtake Netherlands.
BassyBoyYT
Absolutely dominating in Scotland and the mixture of good youth into your squad is only gonna help! Curious to see what Isak can do mate 😀
Expectations coming into the UCL this season?
Steve Robbins
We've got to the Last 16 and lost for 3 straight years, I want to get a Top 8 spot in the League Phase which bypasses the Playoff round and then hopefully we can get to the Quarters with an easier Last 16 draw
dzanetti93
Great start to the season for the younger boys!
You had to do a bit of an unexpected rebuild in the summer, but doesn't look to have affected the squad! Looks like another promising season
CameronFM
I really like the look of Alcaraz! As you say, perhaps paid out on the higher side, but will certainly make your money back and some! Hasegawa looks quality as well, no real area of concern across his attributes which is a massive bonus.
Did you approach Millonarios with a balaclava on?! Vergara is a massive steal at that price for the spread and resolute personality - easily my favourite signing of the lot!
Steve Robbins
2032-33 - Mid-Season Review
Winter Transfers
I had no plans for any business this window but I've decided to be proactive and not wait, the reason for this is there are quite a few unhappy players at the moment, mainly because I'm blooding the kids in the domestic, thats means I have a lot of my key men asking for more game time! Both Ajer and Tierney have had enough and are retiring at the end of the season so I need to replace them and then there is talk of both Montalto (RW) and Jashiri (DM) wanting to go. Neither have left but in the Summer they will more than likely leave. So I decided to bring in a couple of players to get them bedded in.
Tomislaw Dolcek - Left Back - £15m from Dinamo Zagreb
A player I looked at in the Summer but felt it was worth waiting, with Tierney heading towards retirement now was the time to get him in, a big fee but a quality looking player.
Nikola Mance - Defensive Midfield - £3.3m from Rijeka
A player I actually signed in the Summer but I sent him back to Rijeka on-loan, with Jashiri wanting a move I decided to recall him to get him into the first-team squad for some game-time.
League Cup
Once again it was another successful campaign in the League Cup, Hibs and Falkirk were beaten to get us in the final.
Where we faced Rangers, I decided to stick to starting my kids and did an OK job, the game only really kicked into life in the second half, MacLeod scoring just after the second 45 started. Rangers then pegged us back but sub Pajoy scored within minutes of their leveller and that's how it ended. Another League Cup win!
Premiership
What an incredible run it's been! 24 games in and we're still unbeaten!
The kids have been incredible so far, I have had to bring in a few of my key men just to try and keep the likes of Isak, Pajoy, Connor Smith, etc happy but the main bulk of the youth players have been given their chance and have been so good.
Miles clear!!!!!!
Champions League
Now to the big one, I kept my key men back for this and my god did they repay me!!!!
Just look at that!!! 8 games, only a single defeat and that was against Man City, we even went to Anfield and won an absolute thriller 5-4!!! Napoli and Porto were also beaten away, sensational!!! That meant, for the first time, we had a sealed a top 8 spot, bypassing the playoff round!!
Scottish Teams in Europe
But it wasn't just us who's had a good season in Europe, as you can see above Celtic were so close to a top 8 spot, they played Arsenal away in the final, all they had to do was avoid defeat for a top 8 place, unfortunately they lost 2-0 but what a run they had, they even went to Juve and won!
In fact all six teams made it out of the League Phases with Aberdeen sealing a playoff spot in the Conference League, Hearts got a top 8 spot in the Europa League with Rangers and St Mirren ending in the playoff spots!! It's been by far the best season for the Scottish clubs in Europe and it's reflected in our current co-efficient score.
We currently have the second highest score behind England for this season, if we keep that up we get another Champions League spot for next season, what it does mean though is it looks like we will go back above the Netherlands into 6th next season meaning we get back the Champions League spot we lost by dropping down to 7th for qualifying this season.
Things really are looking up but we really need one of us to go on and win something now!
In Other News
One big piece of news is wonderkid Striker Jon-Paul Tait, who has been sensational this season, was awarded the Golden Boy for 2032. What a year he's had, 23 goals and 17 assists in 35 starts, this lad, along side MacLeod are going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, what I have to do now if hang on to them! The vultures are circling!!
Michael cox
Congratulations on the cup final win against Rangers
Steve Robbins
2032-33 - End of Season Review
Welcome back! This may be a long update, it's been a busy final few months!
Youth Intake
Once again we have another really good-looking player in the latest intake.
I say good-looking, clearly that his attributes and not that shocking photo of him! Please welcome Jake Falconer, a second awesome looking left back in the past three intakes. He's going to have to improve if he's going to take that LB spot off Craig Wiles!
We also welcome this lad, central defender Liall Coult, he looks solid and will do a decent job in the years to come
Scottish Cup
It was another brilliant campaign in the Scottish Cup, we eased into the final with wins over Raith, Hearts, a lucky win over Ross County and then a hammering of Kilmarnock in the semi final.
In the final we faced Celtic, a tough, tight games which went to extra time after the 90 minutes ended 1-1. It was settled by one of our own, Right Back Michael McKinlay stealing in at the back post to win the game and our fifth Scottish cup win in six seasons.
Premiership
As you will expect, we smashed it in the League, we lead from the front and never ever looked in danger. We had some great wins but did lose a couple towards the end, mainly because I rested players for much bigger matches.
Lots of green though, some amazing wins along the way!
One point less than last season, still 100+ points in successive seasons is amazing.
Champions League
Now to the big one, I wanted to get past the Last 16 this season after falling at that point in the last three seasons.
In that round we faced Hoffenheim, we got a solid 0-0 draw away and then went crazy in the home leg scoring 6 goals!
An amazing win against a decent team but it was about to get much tougher!
Barcelona were our opponents in the Quarters, we went to the Nou Camp in the first leg and played well, it looked to be heading to an amazing 0-0 draw until, in the last minute of injury time, Vitor Roque scored and they would take a 1-0 lead with them for when they come to the Malkay McKay Stadium.
I had hope, I knew we were good enough if we got it right and my word did we!!! We went mad in the first half scoring three times, Barca got one back just before half time but we managed to see out a famous victory against one of Europe's elite and we're into the semis!!!!
Where we faced another Spanish giant Real Madrid, again the first leg was away and Real were just too good, they ended 3-1 winners with a couple of second half goals.
We still had a chance though, we knew we could match then and just like the Barca game we had an amazing first half, three goals scored putting us ahead on aggregate but this is where we fell apart, Jude Bellingham ran the show, we ran out of legs and Real scored mid-way through the second half, levelling the tie and taking it to extra time.
The players were shot and Real dominated, Bellingham again running the game and set up Thuram to score the goal that would knock us out.
What a brilliant run though, we were so close to another amazing shock, we got to the semis of Europe's premiere competition and mixed it with the big boys!
Player Awards/Key Performers
I could talk about so many players but I'll try and keep it short!
Firstly is academy star Jon-Paul Tait, he ends as the clubs player of the season and also dominates the Premiership awards with player, players player and young player of the year! He also ends as the Premiership top scorer with 23 goals in 25 starts, overall he scored 29 goals and got 17 assists from 33 starts, this lad is absolutely incredible!
Jean Carlos Pajoy ended as the clubs young player of the season, he didn't make as many appearances as normal, mainly due to Tait and MacLeod doing so well but still managed 26 goals in 29 starts!
Talking of MacLeod, he had another solid season, he does seem to like to go numerous games without scoring and then bangs a shed load in. He ends with 19 goals and 9 assists in 40 starts
Wonderkid academy star Craig Wiles had a really good season, an ever-present at Left Back he was solid in defence and really good going forward. He made 32 starts, scoring 3 goals and getting 3 assists. He is an absolute superstar!
I said before the season started I wanted to give some of my academy players more game-time and that was the case for Right Back Michael McKinlay, he isn't the best but overall he had a solid season. He made 33 starts scoring 3 goals including the winner in the Scottish Cup final!
Now to a player who isn't at the club as the moment and that's Midfielder Ray Horne, will he ever play for us when he comes back from his loan art Stenhousemuir? Probably not but he had a stunning season in League Two ending as the player of the season with 15 goals and 10 assists from 36 games, all from midfield!
And here is the clubs Best XI for the season.
And the whole squad.
Scottish Clubs in Europe
A quick word on this as it was a brilliant season for most of the Scottish Clubs.
Alongside us getting to the Champions League Semi's, Celtic got to the Last 16 but lost to Chelsea
In the Europe League St Mirren lost in the playoff round to Roma, Hearts got all the way to the Quarters before losing to Newcastle, Rangers went one better than that, getting to the Semi's before also losing to Newcastle
Aberdeen were the sole team in the Conference League, they got to the Last 16 before getting absolutely smashed by Brighton.
So another great season and it's been Scotland best co-efficient wise.
We dropped to 7th this season meaning next season we lost a European spot but, as you can see, we have done so well this time around that we go back above Netherlands into sixth for next season.
The bigger news is, we have ended with the second highest co-efficient for the season, so unless something goes horribly wrong, we should get an extra Champions League spot as the two highest co-efficient scorers get extra spots! That is massive news!
In Other News
And finally, some bits of news.
Firstly is the budgets for next season and my word it's a whopper!
£72m and a £200k per week in wage budgets. I will be spending some of it that's for sure!
We also had some of the academy lads in the NxGN award and for the second season Jay MacLeod won the award. The future is bright!
And the final piece of news is that, for some reason, we're in the Club World Cup!!! We were seeded fourth and were handed a really tough group!
Can we get out of that group? It's going to be tough.
So another brilliant season down, another treble and a brilliant run in Europe, now we need to kick on, there is going to be some movement in the squad this Summer. Both Ajer and Tierney are retiring and it's likely that certain players will leave, Montalto, Isak, Ilie have all asked to move and with some of the kids doing really well I can afford to sell some of these lads, bring some of the kids in and then buy two or three top quality players to get this squad ready for another push at the Champions League.
I expect it to be a busy Summer!
BassyBoyYT
Tait is just too good for Europe 😁 great showing in the Champions League and losing to Madrid in extra time is just a sucker punch… you gave a great showing and hopefully you'll carry on this form into the next season 💪
Steve Robbins
2033/34 - Transfer Update and Club World Cup
Just a quick update to look over the transfer business so far and how the Club World Cup went.
We had what looked like a tough group and after losing the opening game to Bayern 3-2 we needed 2 good wins to get out the group. In those 2 games we were incredible.
We hammered both Al-Ahly and Boca to seal 2nd spot in the group
In the Last 16 we faced Dortmund and scored twice late on the seal at 2-0 win.
Then, in the Quarters, we faced this seasons Champions League runners-up Chelsea and it was a step too far as lost the tie 3-1.
A decent run though overall.
Transfers Out
I said this Summer would be a busy one and it's been just that. We've had bids for so many players, Man United came in for Tait for just over £15m, I said no and then fell out with him, I've said he can go for £33.5m. Newcastle then activated Left Back Craig Wiles' release clause of £23.5m, luckily I managed to tie him down to a new bumper deal with the release clause now set at £80m.
I kept those two but lost a few first-team players
Out go Goalkeeper Hasegawa who wanted the move, a decent profit as I signed him for £3.9m last Summer. Isak also moves on after falling down the pecking order, he was signed on a free so another good profit. The one that annoyed me was Winger Montalto, one of our best players but he had already said he wouldn't sign a new deal which runs out next Summer, a big loss but Connor Smith is so good on the RW that Montalto won't be missed. The other players to leave were all back-ups or kids that were never going to make it.
We also lost Ajer and Tierney who both retired and Jashiri who asked for a move but I couldn't the deal right, he goes to Leicester on loan for the season with a future fee (mandatory) of £9.25m
Transfers In
So I needed some new recruits and I really feel I've done very well with my business.
Lewis Miley - Attacking Midfield - £8m from Aston Villa
I watched him play yesterday on MOTD and thought he looked amazing, so I looked at him on FM and my word he's good. A solid player who can play anywhere along the line behind the striker and also in central midfield.
Flemming Lygaard - Winger/Striker - £5m from Toronto FC
My replacement for Isak, he can also play on either wing. He looks really good and will do a great job as back-up to Pajoy, Tait and MacLeod.
Emmanuel Barrientos - Central Defender - £28m from Newcastle
With Ajer leaving I needed a new right-side CB and I went big! A club record fee, a cracking looking player who will slot in defence alongside Murillo.
Nando - Striker - £12.25m from Sao Paulo
With the rumours swirling about Tait leaving I went in for this lad to replace him when he eventually leaves, currently there have been no more bids for Tait but I expect him to go. Even so this lad is incredible!
Efraim Ilharco - Goalkeeper - £12m from Sporting Lisbon
My replacement for Hasegawa, in comparison Ilharco is actually better and he cost me half as much. A top quality keeper!
So some really good business but we have spent a lot!!! Nearly £65m spent with around £35m of player sales. It's pretty much decimated our bank balance so there will no more in's for now unless someone leaves. I do have a really healthy squad now with a good mix and youth and experience.
Steve Robbins
2033/34 - Opening Games and European News
What a start it's been!
As you can see it's getting a bit too easy domestically, I'm mixing the team around a lot to keep playing some of the kids and we're still battering most of the teams.
I would love this season to end unbeaten!
But it's Europe where we need to continue improving, we got to the semi's of the Champions League last season and it is my aim to go one step further!
As ever we automatically qualified for the League Phase of the Champions League and we have a decent set of fixtures.
We should be able to get enough points in those games to be challenging for a top 8 spot.
As for the other Scottish teams in Europe, well it's gone well with both Falkirk and Rangers getting through their qualifying rounds to get into the League Phase. That means we have two teams in the Champions League (Us and Celtic), two in the Europa League (Rangers and Dundee United) and Falkirk in the Conference League. Let's hope all five of us have good run in their respective competitions.
Finally, a bit of transfer news, there is good and bad news, firstly the good, Jon-Paul Tait stays but there is a bad side to that, he broke his leg in training and is out for 4-5 months. A huge loss.
Another piece of bad news is we have lost one of our highest rated youngsters and left back Dolcek moves to Liverpool after the activated his £20m release clause. A big loss but I will not be replacing him.
It was nice to get all business done early in this window and not go frantically rushing about as we got towards deadline day. Now for a big push in the Champions League!
Michael cox
Michael cox
Congratulations beating Celtic in the final
Steve Robbins
2033/34 - Mid-Season Update
Transfers
I was really hoping for a quiet Winter window and it looked to be heading that way, I decided to left LW Ilie leave, he is now 30 and has fallen down the pecking order, £15.75m is a good deal, for me that was it, then came the last week of the window!!! Both CB Vergara and ST Nando has their release clauses activated (yes I forgot about them!) and it was too late to entice them to stay, two huge losses and with Nando it was even too late to find a replacement.
I decided to bring two players in, both experienced England internationals.
Ben Chilwell - Left Back - £1.6m from Galatasaray
With me only really having Wiles as a decent LWB I needed to bring a new player in, I struggled to find someone to be happy to be back-up so went for Chilwell, a cheap fee and good experience.
Ben White - Central Defender - £1.5m from Wolves
My short-term replacement for Vergara, it was a real struggle to find a decent CB for a cheap fee and with me having a couple of decent players out on loan who could come in next season I went for another experienced player to plug the gap.
League Cup
Once again it was a good campaign in the League Cup
I did mix the team about and we struggled to break teams down, both Motherwell and Dundee United were beaten in extra time.
To the final and we faced Celtic where we absolutely hammered them!
A 5-1 win in a game we utterly dominated, we certainly have the number of Celtic at the moment.
Scottish Cup
We faced Rangers at Ibrox in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup and with a raft of injuries and the fact the game was in-between a couple of huge Champions League games I had to play a rotated side, we took a late lead but the legs tired and Rangers scored twice late on to knock us out. Not happy!
Premiership
As you'd expect we have absolutely dominated the league with some insane wins!
Loads of goals and if you look above you will see we have beaten Celtic 6-0!!!!
Still unbeaten and with 14 games to go we sit 16 points clear. A fifth straight title is pretty much tied up.
Champions League
We had a decent set of fixtures in the League Phase and did OK but we fell to a couple of defeats against the bigger teams.
I can take those defeats, we did play but they were too good. The big one was the win over Barca, a stunning 3-0 win. We did go into the game against Crvena zvezda knowing a win would see us into the Last 16, bypassing the playoff round but we drew the match and did not play well.
This means we go into the playoff round where we face Porto.
Scottish Teams in Europe
As you'll see above Celtic also managed to seal a playoff spot, they will face Napoli
In the Europe League Rangers ended 5th sealing a Last 16 spot, Dundee United got a playoff spot and will face Villarreal.
In the Conference League Falkirk got a playoff spot and will face Fehervar.
So all 5 teams that got into the League Phases of their respective competitions have qualified for at least the playoffs, that's pretty good.
Our co-efficient for this season currently sits at 16.000, the joint third highest, it keeps us in 6th in the overall ranking a couple of points ahead of Portugal and 2 points behind Germany.
Other News
A couple of pieces of awards news for my boys!
Jon-Paul Tait, who has just come back from his broken leg, won the FIFA Best U21 Mens Player award.
And Jay MacLeod ended the year as the European Golden Boy, these lads are good!
Steve Robbins
2033/34 - End of Season Review
700 Up
This save has been utterly incredible and towards the end of the season I managed by 700th game over my time at Queen's Park and my brief stint as the Scotland Manager.
Some amazing stats, a 69% win percentage and a whopping 1,681 goals!!! That's 11 seasons at Queen's Park and we've managed to win all that!
Champions League
We had to play in the playoff round and were handed a winnable tie against FC Porto, we went to their place in the first leg and sealed a stunning 3-1 win. Then in the home leg we did not defend well but managed a 3-3 draw to go through 6-4 on aggregate.
Then we got the last 16 draw and as an un-seeded team we always knew we were going to get a tough tie and we got exactly that as we faced PSG!
The first leg was at home and we didn't show up, PSG did what they had to do and won the game 2-0.
We then went to the Parc de Princes and came away with a stunning win, unfortunately it wasn't enough and we went out 3-2 on aggregate. It was nice though to see us go toe-to-toe with such a big team.
So an early exit from the Champions League and with us out of the Scottish Cup all we had to focus on was the Premiership.
Premiership
When I left you from the last update we were once again miles clear at the top of the League, so it will come as no surprise that we won the League AGAIN!
The one thing I wanted was the unbeaten season but we failed at that as we lost to Celtic away, this game was sandwiched in-between the two PSG games so I had to rest players, I'll put that down to why we lost.
We won the League with 6 games to spare and after that I mixed the team around a lot and played some of the kids, results did suffer slightly but it was a good experiment to see who were up for the task!
Another dominant season!
Key Players
Fans Player of the Season goes to wide-man Connor Smith, he was by far our best and most consistent player this season, scoring 16 and getting 19 assists in 38 starts, he also ends as the young player of the season and with the most assists, most POTMs and highest average rating at the club!
Academy star Jay MacLeod ends as the clubs top goal scorer with 17 goals in 43 starts, a solid season for him but for him to be our top scorer is pretty poor, what it does show though is we shared the goals around a lot more!
Another academy star Craig Wiles had an amazing season, he's only 18 and already has 25 Ireland caps and 91 league appearances for us. This lad is going to an absolute superstar and I fully expect the big clubs to come calling soon.
He also won the NxGN award, the third straight season a Queen's Park academy player won the award.
And here is our Best XI for the season.
Scottish Clubs in Europe
It wasn't as good as last season I'll be honest.
Both us and Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League in the Last 16 with Celtic losing to Liverpool
In the Europa League Dundee United were knocked out in the playoff round to Villarreal, Rangers got to the Quarter finals beating Fiorentina in the Last 16 before losing to Spurs.
Falkirk got to the Quarter final of the Conference League, they beat Fehervar in the playoff round, then AEK in the Last 16 but lost to Man United in the Last 8.
Still a solid season overall and we end on 19.400 points, this keeps us in 6th place but we are catching Germany up in fifth!
Another good run next season and we could well be over-taking Germany to fifth, that would give us a seventh European spot and a fourth in the Champions League!
Youth Intake
For the first time in a while we had a pretty average intake with no elite talents and four top talents, two of which look relatively decent, are they world-beaters? No, but they could do a decent job in the years to come with the right training, mentoring and game-time out on loan.
Both look pretty decent but only time will tell if they improve enough for a first-team spot.
Next Season
Now we look forward to another season and we have to contunue to try and improve to get further in the Champions League, the one thing that screwed us this season was the sales in the Winter window, losing Nando, Vergara and Ilie without really replacing them meant we had to blood some of the kids, especially with so many injuries and fitness issues. I need to improve the squad overall and look to replace those players we lost in the Winter. We will also be losing Chilwell and White, both signed in the Winter and have decided to retire.
As you can we have some whopping budgets!! A bit odd seeing as our bank balance is only £65m! There's no way I'm going to spend so much that we go into the red so my budget will be my bank balance, players will be sold, players will join, my aim this Summer is to improve the options at Wingback and also in defence whilst bring in players to replacement Ilie (LW) and Nando (RW). It should be a busy Summer!
Steve Robbins
2034/35 - Summer Transfers
This will be just a transfer update, no results, will just go through who's left and who's come in as there is a lot of business!
Transfers Out
Bloody release clauses have done us again, we say goodbye to both Tsunoi and Alcaraz who's clauses got activated, Alcaraz was the most gutting one, Liverpool came in with literally 2 hours of the window left, I had no time to find a replacement. We also say goodbye to Lygaard (RW), Takahashi (RB), Buksrud (GK) and Jashari (DM), all were on the fringes and with the academy players doing so well I could sell them, most for a decent profit and still not lose any quality in the squad.
So £97m of out's, let's see who came in!
Transfers In
Firstly is two signing I made last season who went straight out on loan, for this season they're back and they're going into the first-team
Ecio Hasicic - Goalkeeper - £3.4m from Rijeka
An amazing looking young keeper who, with Buksrud leaving, with provide back-up to Ilharco. He'll be getting game-time in the cup competitions.
Da Silva - Centre Back - £6.75m from Flamengo
Another top quality looking young lad, he'll provide back-up in defence this season but will get his chance in the cup games.
Kelby Neilson - Right Back - £3.9m from St Mirren
The first of two signings for the future, I wanted to a) send some money to other Scottish teams and b) build for the seasons ahead. Neilson is a quality, young RB and will spend this season on loan to our parent club Raith Rovers
Danny Kiely - Left Back - £4.2m from Falkirk
And here is the second of those “for the future" signings, another decent looking full back, Kiely will also spend the season on loan at Raith.
Sol Wark - Left Back/Centre Back - £10.75m from Celtic
A lad I'd looked at a few seasons ago, I decided against a bid and he went to Celtic, I needed a player to provide back-up to Wiles at LWB and also Murillo as LCB, Wark can do both and looks really good.
Ognjen Stojanovic - Centre Back/Defensive Midfield - £7m from Crvena zvezda
I took a bit of a punt on this lad, he looks absolutely amazing but for a defender he is short, can he fit into a back three as a Libero? That's my hope and if not he can play as my DM instead.
Titouan Berger - Central Defender - £23m from Monaco
The biggest deal of the Summer and what a player! With Ben White retiring I needed a new right-footed CB, this lad can play either BPD on the right or the Libero in the middle with ease, I am so excited as to how he will fit in and think he can take this side to a new level.
Roosevelt - Right Wing/Central Midfield - £5m from Sao Paulo
A last minute signing due to Lygaard leaving, offers versatility as he can play naturally in three different positions, another young signing who I think can be a superstar in the coming years.
Dwayne Keizer - Left Wing - £6.25m from Aston Villa
Another punt, he looks really good attribute wise to me but he isn't rated very highly, he won't get his chance this season as he'll spend the season on loan at Huddersfield, an exciting prospect in my eyes.
Ryan McArthur - Right Wing-back/Central Midfield - Free Transfer
Remember this lad? Yes he was the academy star who wanted to move to Man United, well three seasons later he hasn't played a game and left on a free!! So I brought him back! He will provide back-up in either midfield or at right wing-back. Let's hope he's learnt his lesson and won't leave again!
Ferran Torres - Winger/Striker - Free Transfer
We needed a bit of experience in our squad and Torres fits the bill, a top quality forward who can play anywhere along the forward line.
A very busy Summer, I do feel the squad is a lot better now, the loss of Alcaraz though has really hurt our midfield and we will now have to rely on the kids to fill the gap, at least until the Winter window.
weesean15
What leagues have you got loaded for doing this? Im very interested in doing it myself
Steve Robbins
I only have England and Scotland loaded both down to the lowest level in the normal DB. That's it
dzanetti93
Just caught up! You've got a tight strangle hold on the SPL which is great to see!, little blip last season in the Scottish cup, but hopefully make up for it this season!
Some great signings made in the summer, hopefully see you challenge for the top 8 League Phase spots in the CL this year and make another push at improving this season & maybe even get that invincible season!
I always wondered how you set up your save with how quickly you go through the seasons. Makes sense you only have the English & Scottish leagues loaded!
Do you have any other leagues on view only?
Steve Robbins
2034/35 Season Review
Welcome back, I've decided seeing as I'm playing quite quickly, to shrink to one post a season (with a possible Summer transfer update on the side), this means the posts will be less frequent. Also I'm going to focus the posts more on Europe and the players, less on the domestic side, mainly because it's pretty obvious, bar a miracle, that we won't dominate in the League at least. Europe is the main goal, not only for us, but also the other Scottish Teams
Firstly, transfers and in the Winter I sold and signed two players….
We say goodbye to two stalwarts of the save, both have fell out of favour and wanted a move, it's good money for players who I saw as back-up at best.
Now the two in's
Firstly is Defensive Midfielder Roger Machorro, we were really short in this area due to the late departure of Alcaraz in the Summer window. He joins for £8.25m from Monterray. A top quality player who is a huge upgrade on anyone we have at the club
Secondly is a player I didn't really need but when I saw him and the fact he had a £2.5m release clause it was a no-brainer, Julio Medel is an absolutely incredible talent and will fit seamlessly into our team as an AM behind the two striker.
I said I wouldn't speak too much about domestic stuff so here are screenshots of how it went and as expected we dominated!
Easy as ever! We had the title wrapped up with six games to go and lost three of our matches towards the end when I played rotated sides.
Now to Europe and what a season it's been, not just for us but also for some of the other Scottish Clubs!
Let's start with ourselves and we had a decent run in the League Phase ending with 14 points, we went into that final match against Leverksuen knowing a win would seal a top 8 spot, we lost and did not play well meaning a spot in the playoffs.
Where we faced Villarreal and we eased past them with a 2-0 away win followed by a 2-1 win at home. Medel with 3 of those goals
It then got tougher as we faced Arsenal in the Last 16, I had no expectations of winning the game but we ended up winning the first leg at home 2-0 in a fantastic display. We then went to The Emirates and played our flat back 5 defensive formation which worked a treat as we drew 0-0 sealing a spot in the Quarter finals!
We managed to miss the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and AC Milan, all whom had won it in the previous few seasons, instead we faced Inter Milan. We went to their place in the first leg, deployed the 5 at the back tactic and came from 1-0 down to seal a 2-1 victory courtesy of a late Pajoy goal. We had the advantage going into the home leg but Inter scored mid-way through the second half which sent the game to extra-time. Usually in previous season we have ran out of legs in this period of the game but it was total opposite, Inter fell apart, we scored twice, both goal by Jon-Paul Tait, a 4-2 win on aggregate and for the second time in two season we were into the semi's!
Where we faced Barcelona, once again the first leg was away and Barca grabbed an early goal, MacLeod then drew the game level just before half-time and after that it looked to be heading for a 1-1 draw, that was until the 93rd minute when Roque scored his second of the game and gave Barca a 2-1 win.
I still felt we had a chance though going into the home leg, our form at The Malkay MacKay Stadium had been really good this season so I expected us to push for a win. Kier Hamilton scored mid-way through the first half to level the tie on aggregate but Yamal scored for Barca only 8 minutes later, we immediately went for a second goal and grabbed it courtesy of Medel and at half-time the tie was level at 3-3. As we pushed for the winner we were caught on the break and Barca grabbed what was to be the decisive goal, we couldn't find a way back and as the whistle blew we had lost the tie 4-3.
Another incredible run though and I really feel we are challenging the big boys much more than we were in the previous couple of seasons. We need to go that one step further now and reach a final!
As for the other Scottish team well it went pretty well..
Celtic - They qualified for the League Phase of the Champions League by beating Anderlecht and Ajax, they then gained 12 points in the League Phase to end 22nd and seal a playoff spot where they lost to Barcelona
Rangers - Automatically qualified for the League Phase of the Champions League and gained 12 points ending 21st. They beat Rennes in the play off before losing to Liverpool in the Last 16 3-0 on aggregate
Dundee United - Automatically qualified for the League Phase of the Europa League and ended 11th gaining 16 points sealing a playoff spot, they lost in that round Hoffenheim 3-2 on aggregate
Aberdeen - Won two round of Europa League Qualifying before losing to Kairat in the 3rd round. They then beat Pafos in the Conference League final qualifying round sealing a League Phase spot. They did amazingly to end 5th in the table gaining 13 points from 6 games meaning they bypassed the playoff round. They then beat Steaua Bucharest on the Last 16 and Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Quarters. They then beat Austria Wien in the Semi sealing a spot in the final!
Ross County- They beat Dnipro, Sligo Rovers and CSKA Sofia in qualifying to seal a spot in the League Phase of the Conference League where they got 11 points from their 6 games ending 11th in the table meaning a playoff spot. They then beat Levski Sofia in that round before beating Konyaspor in the Last 16, Servette in the Quarters and Nice in the Semis
Meaning…………
A Ross County v Aberdeen Conference League final!!!!!!! Absolutely mental
Aberdeen win the Conference League AND get relegated to the Scottish Championship! This gives them a Europa League spot next season and that means we'll have 7 teams in the Europe next season!
Now for the even bigger news! These good performances this season means we are projected to jump from 6th in the co-efficient rankings to 4th and this is huge!! 4th gives us 4 automatic League Phase Champions League spots and 2 automatic League Phase Europa League spots, so for the 36/37 season we'll have 6 guaranteed teams in the League Phases, this is going to massively bump up our co-efficient in the coming season, more than already is!
If you look on the far right column our co-efficient for next seaosn is 96.467, the 4th highest and only 5 points behind Italy in the 3rd! Amazing!
I'll keep you updated when the ranking for next season comes out as to if we have claimed 4th spot.
Key Men
The only place to start is with Jay MacLeod, this lad is just so good. He ends as the clubs players of the season and the Premiership player of the season. 43 starts, 17 goals and 14 assists. Amazing!
Jon-Paul Tait also had an incredible season, he ends as the club young player of the season and the top scorer at the club with 27 goals in 30 starts. He had a few niggle injuries through the season which kept him out but when he played he was incredible.
Finally I want to speak about Goalkeeper Efraim Ilharco, he nearly left in the Summer but I turned down £40m for him, I was so glad I could keep him about as he had an amazing season playing 54 times and keeping 26 clean sheets with an average rating of 7.28
Here is the Best XI
And here is the whole squad.
As you can see the tactic has changed from what I've been using in the previous couple of season, the 424 has gone, we no longer play Wingers, instead we're rocking a 352 formation and it's working a treat!
The roles suit the players and do change dependant on who's playing there. I've also kept a Libero! It's the first time as well that I've kept automatic duties on my Wingbacks, this just helps when changing mentality throughout the games.
So another brilliant season down, we are getting closer to that elusive Champions League title and it was brilliant to see another Scottish team lift European silverware, especially against another Scottish team! Getting to 4th in the ranking is an amazing feat but we can't stop there, we have to keep improving, not only ourselves but also the other Scottish sides.
Next season we go again, I don't foresee many changes, it really depends who leaves the club. We have £112m to spend if we need it so I may go big on one, maybe two players if the right option comes up. The bank balance is only at £72m so I really can't go spending all that money!
Michael cox
Smashed the league
Unlucky against Barcelona
And an all Scottish Europa Conf final, interesting…
Steve Robbins
2035/26 - Summer Transfers + Co-efficient News
Transfers Out
I expected a quiet Summer and all in all it was relatively peaceful. We did however lose a few players, one of those was a big loss!
I'm sure you can pick the big one out and that's academy star, Left Back Craig Wiles who moves to Manchester City for an initial fee of £36.5m, rising to £47.5m with add-ons, a big loss but he clearly wanted the move. The other notable loss was defender Barrientos who got his head turned by Saudi Arabia! The other players to leave were all back-ups.
Transfers In
Alessandro Colonna - Left Back - £24m from Stuttgart
My replacement for Wiles, he's just about as good and at only 21 he has time to improve.
Stian Gudevang - Defensive Midfield - £10m from Molde
I didn't exactly need this lad but there's no way I could not bring him in once he got recommended to me, he looks an absolute superstar and is only 19!
Denis Yeremenko - Right Back - £21.5m from Shakhtar
With Barrientos and MacArthur leaving I was light on players who could play RWB so I went big and got this lad in. Another incredible player.
Marius Hansen - Central Defence - £8.5m from Bodo/Glimt
I needed an extra resource to play at CB, another young lad who will only improve and can play anywhere along the back-line
Co-efficient News
I said in the previous post I expected us to move up to 4th in the co-efficient rankings and now we've had it confirmed. This is huge!
A guaranteed 4 Champions League proper spots for next season and 2 in the Europa League!
BassyBoyYT
Phenomenal signings. Shame Wiles has left the club, but it's an incredible replacement you've bought! Yeremeko seems to me to be a solid player who really has a great future. Defensively you will look miles better 😀
Insane rise on Scotland itself and man now is going to be make or break season!!!
Steve Robbins
2035/36 - Europe Review
This is going to focus solely on the Champions League and the other teams in Europe, as expected we dominated domestically and it's Europe that matters in this save!!
Scottish Clubs In Europe
Celtic - Champions League
They had a brilliant season overall, they qualified for the playoff round ending 17th in the League Phase, they then beat AC Milan in a crazy 2-legged game to reach the Last 16 where they beat Atletico Madrid before losing the Spurs in the Quarters
St Mirren - Champions League
As expected they struggled in parts but did just enough in the League Phase to scrape the final playoff spot where they lost a tight 2-legged game to Dortmund
Rangers - Europa League
What an absolutely incredible run it was for Rangers, they had to win the playoff game to get into the League Phase where they did enough for a knockout playoff spot, from there they went mad beating Genk, Arsenal, Wolves and Nice to get to the final but unfortunately they lost to Benfica.
Aberdeen - Europa League
The did enough to claim a playoff spot but lost to fellow Scottish side Ross County. A repeat of last season Conference League final!
Ross County - Europa League
After beating Aberdeen in the playoff round they then lost to Wolves in the Last 16.
Kilmarnock - Europa Conference League
A really good run for Kilmarnock, they had to get through two qualifying round to seal a spot in the League Phase where they ended 5th, bypassing the playoff round. They then beat APOEL in the Last 16 before losing to Lyon in the Quarters.
Overall a really good season for all the Scottish teams but now we have to see how I did, strap yourselves in!!!!
Queen's Park in the Champions League
We had our best League Phase yet, ending unbeaten, winning 6 and drawing 2, some great wins along the way as well including smashing Leipzig and beating AC Milan
Top of the pile as well!!!!
This meant we bypassed the playoff round and went straight into the Last 16 and this is where it went crazy!!!
Last 16 v Liverpool
A tough ask but we came out the first leg at Anfield with a solid 1-1 draw even if they utterly dominated the game, our goal was scored by winter signing, defender Barry Rai grabbing the goal meaning we went back to our place with high hopes of getting through.
Liverpool once again has most of the chances but their shooting was way off, academy star Jay MacLeod scored twice in the first half to seal a stunning 2-0 win and a place in the Quarters.
Quarter Final v Manchester City
Another English side and this was probably the toughest!!! The first leg was at home, Man City played well and took a deserved lead on the hour mark, we made a few changes and the game turned, Kier Hamilton, our longest serving player after coming through the 2024 intake scored with 15 minutes to go, then with nearly the last kick of the game pounced after a shot was saved to smash home and seal a stunning 2-1 win!
We still had to go to the Etihad though and see the tie out, we really didn't play well, we struggled to keep hold of the ball and our defending at times was farcical, Man City took the lead mid-way through the first half but we immediately levelled courtesy of Tait, Haaland then scored before we levelled again in first half injury time. Man City took the lead for a third time and the game looked to be heading to extra time, that was until the 85 minute when Jon-Paul Tait nodded home to make it 3-3 and 5-4 on aggregate, we're into the semi's!!!
Semi Final v Chelsea
ANOTHER ENGLISH TEAM!!! Chelsea stood in our way for a first ever Champions League final and I had high hopes, the first leg was at home and we absolutely dominated, Chelsea never got going, we absolutely battered them, the forward line of Medel and Tait proving the difference as we smashed them 4-0!!!!
We went to Stamford Bridge in the second leg knowing we just had to see the game out, Chelsea scored just before the half hour mark but we never looked in danger of capitulating. Then in the second half the academy boys did what they do, Tait and MacLeod scoring to seal a 2-1 win, 6-1 on aggregate and a spot in the final!!!!
Final v Tottenham
Yes ANOTHER ENGLISH TEAM!!! Four round, four teams from South of the border! Spurs had ended the Premier league season in 5th but has put Manchester United out the semi's on penalties. It was going to be a tough game but they boys had been given a good rest prior to the match as the League was wrapped up weeks ago!
The first half was cagey, very few chances and hardly any highlights, at half time it was 0-0, we were doing OK though, restricting Spurs to only a few half chances.
The game then went crazy in a bonkers 4 minutes, firstly, we took the lead in the 52nd minute, a corner by Hamilton was flicked on by MacLeod and Tait was at the back post to tap home!! We then went for the kill and scored a second goal two minutes later, Machorro and Yeremenko combined down the right, Machorros cross came in and was met my MacLeod to put us two up!
Spurs had to come out and they scored two minutes after our second goal, de Jong hitting a lovely shot from the edge of the box. Now we had to stem the tide!
As Spurs pushed forward we held firm and tried to hit them on the break and we scored a third goal with just under a quarter of an hour to go, a Spurs corner was cleared, Colonna ran down the left, he played it to Tait, Tait layed it back to Colonna who smashes it home! 3-1!!! NOW JUST SEE IT OUT!!!
Time ticked on, the fans were biting their nails, I was pacing my kitchen, then the whistle blew.
QUEEN'S PARK ARE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely incredible, I have no more words, this is my greatest achievement on any FM ever!! What a crazy journey!!
Co-efficient Update
And that win, combined with how well the other Scottish teams cements Scotland place near the top of the rankings, we are currently in the 4th but the forecast is for us to move up to 2nd!!! The big issue is how far England are ahead!!! I don't think we'll ever be able to catch them!
They sit 30 points clear of us, there is no way we can catch them alone, we have to hope for either a) the English teams to capitulate or b) the AI to make the Scottish teams better and win competitions. I don't see either happening unfortunately! I'm not stopping though, I'll at least see how close we can get to them and review it in a few seasons time.
Key Men
Below is the Best XI for the season, it's great to see 4 academy players in there.
There really is only one player to start with and that Jon-Paul Tait, he had his best season so far and dominated the awards, not only at the club but in Scotland and in the Champions League. He won nearly every award!! 45 goals scored in 38 starts, this guy is an absolute superstar!
Summer signing Alessandro Colonna was one of the big reasons why we did so well, when I lost Craig Wiles in the Summer I was worried but this lad has stepped in and been incredible. An assist machine from LWB, he's also chipped in with 9 goals including the final goal in the Champions League final.
Julio Medel, signed last season had a great season, he had to rotate with Jay MacLeod but always performed when called upon, he ends with 27 goals in 30 starts. Incredible!
Another academy star impressed this season, RWB Michael McKinlay didn't play loads, he was used in domestic action more than anything but when he played he was brilliant and ended as the Premiership Young Player of the Season.
Finally is my favourite player and that Kier Hamilton, he came through the 2024 intake and is now our longest serving player, he isn't highly rated but this lad is solid, playing as the AM behind the front two he is a constant threat, whether that's from his set pieces or his shots from the edge of the box. He had his best season to date scoring 10 goals and grabbing 14 assists in 29 starts.
And here is the whole CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNING squad!!
What an absolutely incredible season it's been, we are European Champions!!!! How on earth do I top this? I honestly don't know but we will dust ourselves down and go again for another Champions League win next season! What we need now though is the other Scottish clubs to use our win as motivation to start progressing in Europe as well, it's the only way we're going to take down the English!!!
Wightyyyy
Absolutely smashed it Steve 👏