FM14 - Susie On Tour #1: S.L. Benfica

S.L. Benfica are one the biggest sides in Portugal, and they will be your club to manage for this first stage of the tour. As you are one the biggest sides in the country you will have some of the best players, the best facilities, the best youth, and some money to spend to help you dominate your rivals and qualify for European competition. Despite the fact you are a colossus in Portugal, you will need to strengthen in Europe and can expect to have it tough at times against the major European sides. Do you have what it takes to keep up the domestic expectations saddled upon the Encarnados and get results in Europe?





Founded on 28 February 1904, Benfica is one of the "Três Grandes" (Big Three) football clubs in Portugal. Benfica is the most widely supported football club and the twenty-sixth richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €109.2 million. The motto of the club is "E pluribus unum" and the official anthem is "Ser Benfiquista". Benfica team is referred to as "Águias" (Eagles) or "Encarnados" (Reds), while the supporters are called "Benfiquistas".
Domestically, Benfica has won a record of 32 Primeira Liga titles, a record of 24 Taça de Portugal (and 4 consecutively), a record of 9 Doubles, a record of 4 Taça da Liga (consecutively), 3 Campeonato de Portugal and 4 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. Benfica was the first club in the history of the Primeira Liga to have completed an entire 30 game season unbeaten, in 1972–73.





The Liga ZON Sagres is contested by 16 clubs each season, but only five of them have won the title. Founded in 1934, the league is in its 80th edition (counting four provisional championships in the 1930s) and is dominated by the nicknamed "Big Three": SL Benfica, FC Porto, and Sporting CP, who have a total of 77 titles, with Belenenses and Boavista winning the other two.
The league has been increasing in reputation in the last few years, having achieved 5th place in UEFA's European ranking of 2012, breaking into the top five and passing the French Ligue 1, one of the historical "big five" leagues, for the first time since 1990.

CHALLENGE DYNAMICS

This challenge will last for three years, upon completing your third season in Portugal
(1st July 2016), you can no longer collect points for this destination.
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You must start set your manager experience as "Automatic" and play in a new save from June 2013.

You have until 6pm BST on 6th April 2014 to submit your screenshots in this thread, and accumulate as many points as you can within the confines of a maximum of 3 seasons in the game.

You may not manage any other teams, or use other programs to aid you in this challenge

You may not use any editor or scouting software.
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HOW TO SCORE POINTS
Submit screenshots via reply within this thread of your progress.
Unclear or doctored screenshots will not be rewarded with points.
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Liga ZON SARGES
Relegated: -10 points
16th-9th: 0 points
8th: 2 points
7th: 3 points
6th: 4 points
5th: 5points
4th: 8 points
3rd: 10 points
2nd: 15 points
1st: 25 points

Taça de Portugal
Losing Quarter Finalist: 2 points
Losing Semi Finalist: 5 points
Losing Finalist: 10 points
Winners: 15 points

Taça da Liga
Losing Quarter Finalist: 2 points
Losing Semi Finalist: 5 points
Losing Finalist: 10 points
Winners: 15 points.

Champions League
Fail to Qualify for group stages: 0 points
Group Stage Exit: 2 points
Knockout Round Exit: 5 points
Losing Quarter Finalists: 10 points
Losing Semi Finalists: 15 points
Losing Finalist: 20 points
Winner: 30 points

Europa League
Group Stage Exit: 0 points
First Round Exit: 2 points
Second Round Exit: 3 points
Losing Quarter Finalists: 8 points
Losing Semi Finalists: 10 points
Losing Finalist: 15 points
Winner: 25 points
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RIVALRIES
(Competitive Fixtures Only)
Beat Porto: 5 points
Beat Sporting Lisbon: 5 points
Beat Belenenses: 3 points

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POINT DEDUCTIONS
Sacked: -25 points (and the challenge is over)

I'm in. Gonna start this after I finish my season with Arsenal.

I'm in. Will start this when I inevitably get sacked in my Rangers save. Probably tomorrow...

Cheers boys, more numbers the better.

I'm very tempted to run this alongside my Rangers career.

Please do Shedender it's a 3 season task job and you have some time to complete it.

Just Bout to Start this Save Now sounds fun.

Cracking. Remember to post your entries for this tour in here. Thanks.

Brought in Diame and Clement Grenier - going to try and play the box formation I was using in my Arsenal save.

Sacked my assistant manager and brought in David Seaman. Because that's how you win things.

David Seaman sucks.

You need more Jamie Redknapp telling you who are "top, top, players"

What is the required league set up? Is it Portugal only or can we add others?

Blown my budget on two players, had to sell Pereira (RB) to make it happen. One of them should cost about £25-30m but I got him for £8m because his agent owns 65% of him and would want £17.75m, but in Portugal I don't ever have to give that dickhead any money. The other is the key to my success.

Just drew against the cunts from down the road, Belenenses.

Shit keeper error.

Signed two players, costing a combined £1.9 million while I shipped out Maxi Pereira for £5.5 million.

You can load up any other leagues you wish to add for this leg of the tour.

I'm going to jump on this tonight, no guarantees I'll finish 1 season as I'm a very slow player at times

Will post an update if I get anywhere near worth mentioning

Oscar Cardozo should be illegal.

Will give this a start later tonight

Welcome aboard, the exits are here, here and .... well you don't leave ....

No seriously. I'm glad this is picking up.



Bit of a monster isn't he?



Cracking stuff, looking forward to seeing the progression.

What screenshots do you require? Just ones for league, cups and victories against Porto/Sporting/Belenenses?

I'm very tempted to try this although I'm reluctant to get distracted from my Carles Puyol career as it's the first story I've done in a while to last longer than a couple of seasons.

Yep

Great Cardozo is missing first 3 months of the season

Will be starting this soon too.

Cracking!

Any Graphic Guru's out there fancy helping me with some snazzy title graphics for this please?

Maybe an idea messaging someone directly mate.

Going to start this in the next half hour. Am I allowed to holiday past the friendlies to the first competitive fixture of the season? I hate that part of pre season.

Suppose so. Not in the rules. You play it as you want. Just no editing software to be used.

Lost 5-1 to Braga. Have the easiest CL group though, CSKA, FC Copenhagen and Olympiakos. Just beat CSKA 2-1.