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#410030 Tongey's Gap Year [FM18]
DNZY
#410012 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
LFF TAURĖ
THIRD ROUND
Making light work of Lietava. A special day for Pavel Pavlyukovich to mark his 50th goal for Stumbras, ploughing a shot into the top corner in a relatively controlled first half. Our wingers combined for the second as Marius Urba crossed in to be headed home by Marcinkevicius to book our place in the next round. Lietava could have gatecrashed when Stankevicius got lucky with a pot shot that Zukauskas couldn't get to, but going through the motions we saw it out.
FOURTH ROUND DRAW
Uh-oh. Not them again. Confused? Go back to the brief Suduva spell where they stunned us on penalties in the same competition.
#409976 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 16
Make it one win in ten, at least we looked a lot more vibrant without breaking through. Pavel Pavlyukovich came closest but was denied by Utenis keeper Armen Zaqaryan, while at the other end Utenis rattled the bar midway through the second half. It fizzled into nothing and with a break nearing, our momentum is really slowing down.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
Worrying form, only picking up six points from a possible eighteen. Not too upset about the Zalgiris and Trakai results but Zalgiris Kaunas was a banker for us, and should have delivered something at home to Utenis too. Pavlyukovich is finding rhythm now to grab us some goals, but it seems he's the only one who can nowadays with Kabura's lengthy absence.
LEAGUE TABLE
You can well discount us from winning the league this season, falling like a stone and may even be out of the running for Europe too with a nine point gap to third place Atlantas. Trakai pleasantly surprising the league sitting safely top midway through the campaign. Imperative that we finish in the top six at the very minimum.
JUNE/JULY 2042 SCHEDULE
A less frantic few weeks as we enter a mid season break. First obstacle in the LFF taurė followed by key games at home to Atlantas and an away day to Suduva. Wins are necessary.
LFF TAURĖ
THIRD ROUND DRAW
I Lyga side Lietava summon us to their place to do battle.
#409975 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 15
Going from bad to worse, cruelly denied something with two late Trakai goals against our ten men. Had no attacking threat on the game and resorted to guarding ourselves at least a point, even moreso when stand in midfielder Matulevicius saw red with consistent fouling. Trakai deserved their win and Igor Villerruss broke our resistance with five minutes left and it was only a matter of time before the floodgates burst open with Kancelskis applying the second. One win in our last nine games, should I be nervous?
#409974 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 14
Obliterated in a defensive mismatch with Zalgiris' terrifying attack. Pavlyukovich may have brought us some early thrills but soon became downhills. Rrapaj cancelled it out just four minutes later and not even ten minutes since being in front, we fell behind with a Seslija penalty. Matas Stesko rallied home a third for good measure to have us silenced by half time. Zalgiris were awarded another penalty straight into the second half but Raimondas Zukauskas came true this time to keep it out, but what goes up must come down and Lukas Zutautas saw red to kill any hope. Arnas Zukauskas' consolation didn't smooth over two more Zalgiris added to submit to their superiority.
#409967 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 13
Hacked off, we should have buried Zalgiris Kaunas six feet under. Gave the nod to 16 year old striker Marius Vasiliauskas to aid our striker crisis and almost lit the fuse immediately but devilishly unlucky the post got in the way of his shot. Lukas Zutautas doesn't score many and it continued that way as a low shot from outside the area shaved the post from a corner. The visitors were never in it and we'll rue these dropped points.
Making matters worse, in form Chiorescu is suspended for the tough game at Zalgiris coming up.
#409964 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 12
At last something to savour, then again they're rock bottom. Pavel Pavlyukovich stepping up to the plate with a goal and an assist to Audrius Urbys to calmly see the game out on the right side of the scoreline. FBK Kaunas' day wasn't made any better with a red card but frankly they were never in it.
Seems that Urbys broke a goal drought in the process.
#409962 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
A LYGA
MATCHDAY 11
Not quite the bounceback I wanted, but at least it wasn't a defeat to former side. A rare marking error from McParland allowed Slovakian striker Tomas Cicman to get goal side of him and finish off comfortably from close range. The central midfield exploitation was the formula to chalk up the equaliser; Lukas Zutautas and Ştefan Chiorescu magnetised the Suduva line to be drawn out, leading to a killer pass into Pavlyukovich for a well worked equaliser. It ended up finishing that way with Suduva missing a key chance late on.
#409958 Dominating The World [FM18]
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#409837 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
A LYGA
MATCHDAY 10
Kabura's loss undoubtedly showed as we failed to devise any attacking threat, causing to lose back to back games. Safe to say it wasn't a classic but the one goal that counted came late in the game, Petravicius heading in with help from the crossbar to deflate a solid showing.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
It was going so well until the decline, now finding us four games without a win. The Kabura loss is huge and now leaves it in the hands of Pavlyukovich who only struck one this month. For continuity sakes, we seem to win, draw or lose by the same scoreline every two games. By that logic we should expect two wins coming up?
LEAGUE TABLE
Lost a lot of ground, especially to runaway leaders Trakai. A great fall to fifth now, though not too far from second but not too far from seventh either.
MAY 2042 SCHEDULE
May greets us with the return of Suduva, the two Kaunas clubs plus more tough match ups with Zalgiris and Trakai. Hoping for better fortune before the transfer window reopens.
#409836 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
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MATCHDAY 9
Utenis upset the form book, inflicting us with a narrow defeat. Kabura completely off colour, missing two key chances in the first half to which we'd pay a price. That price came in the WORST possible time to concede, two minutes into first half injury time - Taavi Unt nodding in at the back stick from a corner to squeeze in front at HT. It completely took the wind out of our sails, looking awfully timid thereafter and almost conceded again with sloppy defending. Substandard display to end our run.
#409834 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
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MATCHDAY 8
Moments away from handing revenge to Trakai, but denied by that man again Dominykas Zutautas. We felt we had done enough with a deflected Chiorescu shot on the lead up to the end, but a direct gameplan worked with the clock ticking. Zutautas was quiet for the most part, until that one moment cost us three points. On the bright side it stretched our unbeaten run to seven games and still looking hard to break down.
#409833 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
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Two absentees for a big clash with Zalgiris. Sarkisyan bruising easily it seems.
A LYGA
MATCHDAY 7
A respectable draw against the strongest team in the division. Zukauskas on form again, whipping in a delicious cross to Pavlyukovich for his second goal of the season and handing us a rather surprising lead. Zalgiris were on shaky form, winless in three, but Entonio Rrapaj secured them an equaliser from a corner to make it game on. Kabura came closest to a winner, narrowly poking wide as he ran into the area to end it in a cagey draw.
#409832 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 6
The second local affair ended in the same fashion. The defensive strategy armoured every move ZK came up with, combined with Arnas Zukauskas' commanding performance on the right wing. He assisted all three goals, Kabura converting twice while Chiorescu backed it up for a third 3-0 win on the trot. Elastic football from our boys.
#409830 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
A LYGA
MATCHDAY 5
ez pz. Local derby brewed up one way traffic for us, thanks to a catalogue of errors from the visitors. Zukauskas was gifted the credit of an opening goal thanks to a wayward defensive header landing straight into his path. Kabura smashed in a second thanks to a beautifully weighted pass by Zutautas before another clumsy defensive mix up allowed Marcinkevicius to ram into an empty net for complete control of the game. Unbeaten in four with three consecutive wins and clean sheets, our system is adding up nicely.
#409489 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 4
Yep, think I've found a system to complement our style. Well drilled defensive performance was half the job (even played a 17 year old left back on the right), the other was creating goals - both executed finely to demolish my former club. Pavlyukovich chimed in with his first goal in speedy fashion and setting the tone for the game. Midway through the half and we were 2-0 up, awarded a pen in consecutive games, McParland took the duties and slotted his first goal for his new club to light up my face. A frantic first half ended with Zutautas shooting long onto the crossbar to avoid holding a three goal lead at the break. Second half was just how I remembered Suduva; great going forward, intimidating attacking press, absolutely useless at finishing. With Turbic seeing a straight red it was job done, Chiorescu got in on the action in injury time for a rather smug mental victory over the enemy.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
Steadying ourselves nicely in the league with a lot of positives to take away from the month, despite the opening defeat. Tightened our defence and it's helped us to two wins on the bounce. Kabura beginning life well, just needs more consistency.
LEAGUE TABLE
The Trakai defeat doesn't seem so bad after all, they lead the way with us chasing behind them in second, level on points with Zalgiris. Poor start for champions Atlantas, picking up only one win and losing three.
APRIL 2042 SCHEDULE
Busy April in store with six games, two of them against local opposition. Back to back home games with Zalgiris and Trakai will offer a strong test before the two away days.
#409488 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 3
Opted for a more defensive 4-4-2 approach and it worked to a tee, grinding out a first win against champions Atlantas. Pavlyukovich and Kabura both had blocked shots at one end, while Atlantas spurned their best chance when Cortinovis' fast breakaway - the finish was not up to par. Chiorescu nearly came to the rescue with a free-kick, though the upright had other ideas. Ten minutes left and the ref pointed to the spot, leaving responsibility in the hands of our right back Poskus and had no jitters to confidently put it away.
Newton's third law in effect again. Losing our only right back, plus our best left winger for the reunion against Suduva after the international break.
#409487 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 2
First point on the board, yet it probably should have been more. Kabura didn't offer the same oomph effect this time around, but did come close to breaking the deadlock but the keepers flapping body denied him. Perhaps against the run of play we fell behind, Tarasevich pulled way out of position to put pressure on the rest of the defence, thus allowing Vasiliauskas an open invitation for a 1-0 HT lead. Red card for Scurtu softened Utenis up before we eventually drew level. Another impact sub with Edgaras Marcinkevicius replacing Kabura on 75 minutes and with his first touches of the game shot home from a corner. Edgaras almost won the game for us too, heading narrowly wide with five minutes left. Steady start to life here.
#409484 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
A LYGA
MATCHDAY 1
Dealt a bad opening hand away at Trakai, in a game where they simply finished better than us. Kabura set the game alight when we was brought on at half time to debunk Dominykas Zutautas' first half brace, two goals from the Rwandan brought the game level on the hour. Sadly, we failed to come away with anything as Zutautas rounded off his hat-trick to deny a Cinderella debut at Stumbras.
"If he can perform like that in one game, I can't wait to see what he has in store for us over the season".
Already losing someone key to injury after one game.
#409482 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
TRANSFERS
IN
Some business carried out in each area other than goalkeeper to anneal the entire squad. One familiar face returns to the save, one hope for the future and one experienced head, maybe two.
Conor McParland - D(C) - unattached free agent
With great pleasure I welcome Dungannon 'hall of famer' McParland into my heart again here at my new club. Like a fine wine he has matured immensely in the mentals, most in double figures. Not quite the oil painting as far as his technicals go, but I have utmost faith in him to be the plinth of my defence. Needs to get cracking on the Lithuanian though.
Olivier Kabura - ST(C) - unattached free agent
I had asked the Discord on a decision to put pen to paper on this deal, no doubt this Rwandan striker will produce in big games. Those physicals are ridiculous. Tiny amount of extra work and he'll be the most exciting forward in the league. God bless arbitrary agent offers.
Ştefan Chiorescu - DM/M(C) - £26k from Vytis (rising to £29k)
Gambling a bit of cash on someone a little older, but already holds experience in this division to perform. 33 but naturally very fit to be a proper box-to-box midfielder, only problem is he doesn't lean too much towards defending nor attacking, but can slide in the hole between defence and midfield when trying to close out a game. Really hope it pays off.
Deal came just in time too, one of our only central mids could struggle to make the start of the season.
FRIENDLIES
Mostly defeats, but we played some proper heavyweights in that mixture before easing past our feeder club. Chiorescu on the scoresheet in that one, already positive vibes.
The wonderful crowd at Bet365 have increased our odds slightly from 17-2 to 9-1. Atlantas won the title last season to be the forerunners with Zalgiris slightly behind them. My former employers Suduva are predicted to finish ahead of us and we just can't let that happen. New goal for the season. Two of our local rivals FBK Kaunas and Zalgiris Kaunas hot favourites to finish in the bottom two.
#409434 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
Working my way up to North Eastern Europe and a welcome return to Lithuania to take charge at newly formed club FC Stumbras Kaunas, not to be confused with the alcohol company. The club were set up in 2013 on the basis of the Lithuanian footballing academy, drafting a squad mostly of teenagers and began life in the II Lyga Southern Zone (third tier). From that moment on, Stumbras advanced on a fast rise to the A Lyga in 2015, winning the I Lyga to get there in 2014, narrowly avoiding relegation first season and making slight improvements the year after. The club logo features a bison or 'aurochs' in reference to the Kaunas coat of arms and traditionally play in blue with white trim.
The scenic centre of Lithuania and second largest city in the nation, Kaunas homes the club. About 100km from capital city Vilnius, Kaunas garners a population nearing 300,000 spanning across its 157 square kilometres and was one of the first cities to be named 'UNESCO City of Design', showcasing it's beautiful old and vintage buildings alongside Lithuania's two largest rivers - the Nemunas and the Neris. At the confluence lies it's landmark, Kaunas Castle - built in the mid-14th century.
The majority of Stumbras' home games are played at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium, an all-seater multi-purpose stadium holding 9,180. This UEFA Cat 2 stadium was built in 1925, home of the great FBK Kaunas side before dissolving in 2012, though reforming a few months later. Many big clubs have played on this grass surface over the years, including Hamburg, Liverpool and Celtic in European competitions; it also hosts international athletics championships every so often. The stadium is under current reconstruction and expansion, boosting the capacity to 15,315 before 2019.
Not a huge amount of trophies have been won by the club due to it's recent discovery, though they did win the I Lyga in 2014 in a tight finish ahead of FK Fakyrai and Utenis by three points. Most recently in September 2017 they stunned Žalgiris to lift their first ever LFF taurė, winning in the 85th minute in a tense 1-0 final finish. FM-era hasn't offered too much else, only securing two more I Lygas in 2018 and 2032 plus one more cup final, losing in 2034 to Trakai. Two star training and youth facilities at the club could provide Stumbras with the power to develop some decent talents for the future and improve the quality of the squad.
SQUAD
I have to say this squad looks promising, four or five looking like becoming real symbols to the club in a few years. Despite the positives, one or two positions need strengthening in numbers and quality - right back for starters and definitely strikers. Domestic talent aplenty, though it's because of a strict six foreign player rule.
KEY PLAYER: Raimondas Zukauskas - GK
Doesn't blow me away at first with his questionable recent form but has good attributes in the right areas to make him important. Below 6 foot is a worry but demonstrates feline reflexes which may compensate. Definitely a protector of his surroundings, I like that. Aerial threats and one on ones could be his downfall though.
SEASON EXPECTATIONS
They must think I'm so good that I can achieve the Champions Playoff twice. But what that means essentially is reach the top six and it'll be job done - in an eight team league I only have a 25% chance of screwing it up. Semi final of the cup could be a difficulty depending how well we burst out of the traps.
#409018 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
___________________________________________
Nation: Armenia
Media Prediction (Odds): 2nd/8 (9-2 2F)
Expectations: Challenge for title
Pros: Stable budget. Strong squad with determined individuals. European football almost a guarantee. Fans would love to see me here.
Cons: Finishing second behind Pyunik in the last four seasons. Former manager well loved at club, need to make good impression.
The fans and media stir the pot in a leading campaign to be their next manager.
RESULT:
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Instead they opted for a player-manager and cut the middle man out. Cheapskates.
Nation: Montenegro
Media Prediction (Odds): 6th/10 (55-1)
Expectations: Mid-table mediocrity
Pros: Established club in Montenegrin top flight for over 20 seasons. Exciting prospects in squad. Redemption in Montenegro (?).
Cons: Not ready to face Montenegro league again. Wage budget slashed to the bone. Average position last number of seasons either 6th or 7th.
RESULT:
Not too sad, I set out high demands for my signature and were against my proposal to stretch the wage budget. Good riddance.
Nation: Lithuania
Media Prediction (Odds): 4th/8 (17-2)
Expectations: None set out. Top half at a guess.
Pros: Large squad to give me options. Offering me reasonable budget proposals, both transfer and wage. Small league with four teams guaranteed European football.
Cons: Fans are already writing me off. Might not be good enough to challenge for silverware.
Fans indeed writing me off, or laughing me off - which is even worse.
RESULT:
Well, well, well. Seems I glittered my interview to convince Stumbras to hire me. Is it time to return to Lithuania?
#408898 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
Some call him an Irish sporting treasure, though many are still left in the shadows about who the bearded man in the shade is and how successes have jumped him up the footballing ladder, exploring nations many reluctantly decline.
A career beginning in 2016 and now reaches its quarter century anniversary, David has obtained twenty major honours in nine different countries, however a ‘transition’ has recently stifled Nealon’s almost untouchable perpetual glory ratio.
Following the unparalleled quadruple winning season with Northern Irish side Dungannon Swifts in 2036, only one major trophy has since been lifted by the Dubliner, going through five jobs in the process with various contrasting effects, outing to hurt his integrity.
In a recent interview, I confronted the 48 year old about dealing with half a decade of decline and negativity.
‘Is it a dark age for Nealon?’
Social media backlash and ‘trolling’
The internet term “trolling” is a culture where individuals comment, perhaps some hiding under a persona in an attempt to cause stirs, quarrels and even going as far as attacking a person or public figure over social media.
Following tough stretches in Armenia, Lithuania and Montenegro – Nealon experienced both sides of the spectrum from jaunty banter to scathing personal attacks.
A Twitter profile relating to the ‘ultras’ of his most recent post at FK Zeta tagged Nealon in a vicious, threatening tweet, calling him to tend to his resignation and to leave Montenegro in the next 24 hours.
Nealon gave his take on this.
Facing the sack and his perspective on 'player power'
Armenian club Banants FC appointed the Irishman in 2039, expecting bountiful reward after being headhunted from another Armenian club Erebuni in the same season, to which he had been struggling. Sadly, it was not all roses at Banants either – narrowly pipped to the European places despite a 4th place finish.
The following year was no better, Banants had turbulent spells in form which caused them to fall into 5th place with a quarter of the season remaining. Nealon had been called into a private meeting with board members following defeats to Shirak, Pyunik and what was his last result – a 3-2 defeat to Alashkert leading to his sacking despite reaching a cup semi-final.
Some fans and neutral parties have sympathy for him calling it a harsh sacking, though others say it was the right decision. Why are managers at such a high risk of losing their jobs when form suddenly goes south? It led to a passionate rant:
His perspective on player power and how they should own up:
Plus a brutal assessment on the board power, using Banants as the example:
‘A bitter aftertaste’ of relegation
In 2041, Nealon was announced as FK Zeta manager in Montenegro and it was perhaps not his most memorable moment, coming through a tough season finishing in 9th place, before losing the relegation playoff that followed. Nealon describes how this first relegation in his long-standing career felt.
But that wasn’t all the pain his Zeta side faced. Leading them to an historic cup final…only to be thrashed 7-0 by league champions Budućnost.
What lies ahead?
Now unemployed, Nealon is in search of a new job and now feels it’s the perfect time to recreate himself and his ideology. Outlining his five year plan, he doesn’t shy away from a challenge, revealing that he aims to bring glory to his next club in the queue.
@jambowambo asks on Twitter: “what country next I wonder?”
#408858 Putting The Town On The Map
DNZY
#408278 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
FINAL
Time to walk away and hide under a pile of coats until everyone's left the stadium. So yeah, that happened. I could go into detail but I may get suspended from sortitoutsi using colourful language.
A final nail in the coffin too. Don't think I'll be welcome back here for millennia to come.
#408275 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
RELEGATION PLAYOFF FINAL, SECOND LEG (HOME)
Tried our best but failed. Relegation is confirmed. The gameplan was torn up after 41 seconds by Stankovic, levelling our away goal tally and involved us now needing five. Our Belorussian signings combined with Dashuk paving the way for an exquisite pass into Volkov to perhaps give us very dim light on the situation. Rakotoharimalala might not ever narrow his name but narrowed the deficit, heading in Barsukov's cross until maybe our eyes lit up when Volkov grabbed his second, leaving us with two goals to retrieve. Unfortunately, Jedinstvo copped on to layer their defensive line and withstand any further chances we came up with. Rest in pieces.
First relegation I've experienced since FM14, bitterly disappointed. Being brutally honest, we deserve it.
#408273 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
___________________________________________
T-COM 1.CFL
RELEGATION PLAYOFF FINAL, FIRST LEG (AWAY)
.... That's all folks. It'll take a miracle to overturn this. A second half implosion has us one foot in the grave after a long range effort separated the teams at the break. Twice we struck the woodwork before Jedinstvo grabbed a second which then followed a knockout third a couple of minutes later. Antic responded quickly with a deflected effort for an away goal which would have been good enough for the second leg. But no, our misery piled up even further with number four and five heading into the last five minutes of the game. We require a comeback of all comebacks.
#408202 Dominating The World [FM18]
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#407935 San Marino Challenge FM18!
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#407893 Dominating The World [FM18]
DNZY