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#180232 Cleansing Europe - One nation at a time.
xeraphine
#179558 Maldini - A Father & Son tale
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#179395 Frédéric Kanouté - Starting Again
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#179394 Watch out United, we're coming for you...
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#179393 We Are Football -- Tottenham Hotspur
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#179392 Flight of the Dragon
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#179375 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
Well, I'll get the bad news out of the way first: we did not retain our league title. Our involvement in the Champions League in the first half of the season (more on this later...) meant that we were playing catch-up all year, and a horrendous injury crisis (leaving 5 of our best 11 out) meant that we couldn't catch up. In the end, Austria Wien would win by just two points--but it wasn't really close all year long.
Coming off an average year, Philipp Siegl came of age and carried us, with his sidekick Dave Gomez as the rock in goal. I can't emphasis enough just how young this team is. Our best players all have the best ahead of them; the oldest key player in the lineup is local boy Markus Blutsch, who is still just 24. This team will continue to compete in Austria. New signings Dennis Peterson, a youngster poached from RB Salzburg, and Martin Galovic, a strong Bosnian center-back, are also both young. They'll be key cogs in the LASK machine for years to come.
Final Stats:
Oh yeah, did I mention that we competed in the Champions League this year? What a ride that was! We started off with a 13-0 drubbing of Maltese semi-pros Valletta before drawing Scottish giants Celtic in the 3rd Qualifying Round. I thought this was game over. Back to the Europa League.
I thought wrong. 2 goals in the last ten minutes of both legs put us through in dramatic fashion. And the best part was that we competed both home and away. Minnows from Austria? Nawwww.
Second Leg:
Then we drew Croatian giants Dinamo in the Playoff. Again, I was sure the fairy-tale was over.
How laughable. Five different players scored in Zagreb, while an insane performance by Dave Gomez kept them at bay to secure an improbably trip to the Group Stages. That's right--LASK Linz, nobodies even in Austria, were going to the Group Stages.
And then came the draw. Can you say... Group of Death? What a way to start our Champions League lives! Can you imagine the look on Eden Hazard's face when he steps into our humble little field in the mountains of Austria?
And the next incredible part was that we were actually in the same league as these guys! We were better than Shakhtar (1W, 1D), but we had just a -5 goal difference over 4 matches against Dortmund and Chelsea, each time taking the giants to the wire, and twice were unlucky to lose! Ludicrous, but it was true! My little band of youngsters were giving the giants in Europe a run for their money. It was just a shame that we'd have to settle for Europa League action next season, as Austria has just one spot in the CL.
#178939 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
So I played ahead a season...or two...or three... I'll just cut to the chase quickly. After two years in the top flight, the board was finally comfortable with actually giving me something to work with, to the tune of a €3.5M transfer budget. It was the increased wage budget that really helped, as I off-loaded some non-performers (John Perez for €2.3M and Javier Ruiz for €1.6M were crazy sales) and brought on four players who could immediately fit in, headlined by Tomislav Vuckovic, brought in for €1.2M. We were similarly busy in January, bringing in Miljan Milanovic and club record signing Ronaldo Useche (we should get him a name change to drop the last name....).
The result? An up-and-down season, but mostly up. We started out really hot, hit a super cold streak, but generally hovered around the top of the table the whole way through. That said, the first 35 games of the season were basically a 1980s romcom compared to the drama of to the end of the season: With one game to play, we were just one point ahead of giants RB Salzburg. And, of course, who do we visit on the last day? Salzburg. Fucking Salzburg.
And we won. We smashed them for two goals in the first thirty minutes, before Philipp Siegl (now a full Austrian international and the club's record league goalscorer at just 19) put the nail in the coffin shortly after halftime. In what was essentially an Austrian top-flight final, we went to their house under their terms and we brought the place down with our celebrations. What. A. Feeling.
Oh, and I forgot the best part of it all! Say hello to Linz, Mr. Big Ears. Maybe one day you'll find your way here permanently...
#176802 Watch out United, we're coming for you...
xeraphine
#176246 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
2017/18
Oh, the frustration. I suppose this is what you get with a team led by teenagers and young stars, many of them new to the side--consistent inconsistency. A dominant winning streak, followed by streaks where we couldn't find the 6-yard box, let alone the goal. This was the glaring issue with this season, highlighted by the second half of the season, when a four-game winning streak was followed by an 8-game winless streak. That was the streak that killed off all hopes for the title, as we dropped in the standings to a distant third, behind a rampaging RB Salzburg.
In the end, we did achieve European football, qualifying for the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League. I've still got bright hopes for the coming seasons, but this one a huge let-down and one heck of a lot of frustration. We achieved one place higher than last year on the same number of points--we'll need to really make progress next term to keep our momentum going.
Our front three performed very well. Darko Jevtic's form was solid throughout the season, and he relegated a misfiring Perez to the bench. He was supported by Philipp Siegl's blinding pace and hot shooting, and player-of-the-year Markus Blutsch, who had a team-leading 47 key passes. Our defense was pretty good all year, mostly thanks to outstanding performances by the full-backs (who are extremely important in our narrow system) and the young American keeper.
Player of the Season: Markus Blutsch (23, Austria, M/AM(C))
#176170 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
After a disappointingly successful first season in the top flight, it was time to build on that and make a real push to be contenders in Austrian football. With a lauded brand of blitzkrieg-fußball that's surprised the Austrian world of 4-4-2 and 4-3-3, we needed to bring in some more young, hungry talent to bolster the ranks. With the success last season bringing in new sponsors and greater matchday income, it was going to be a busy summer.
Transfers:
Let's start with the out-bound players. We managed to raise a cool €3.725M by selling off some players, some of them key. €2M for Lars Gulpen was the toughest sale, but at his age and wages, I just could not refuse Elche's offer. Right-back Stefan Lainer was out for an outrageous €825K (triple what his value is), and keeper Cican Stankovic was sold for €725K, already replaced by American Dave Gomez.
On the flip side, we went on a spree, bringing in no less than six players who could make an immediate impact on the first team.
Final Squad
Despite the summer spree, our fortunes this season still ride on the backs of players who are returning from last season. Attacker and wonderboy extraordinaire Philip Siegl leads the line ahead of new captain Luis Tavares's box-to-box role. John Perez and Markus Blutsch complete the attacking trio. Baumgartner and Wimmer make up our Austrian back-line, while Dave Gomez is given the clear #1 shirt to boost his confidence and development.
The team is extremely young, but are determined to show the country that winning with kids is not a pipe dream.
#175912 Watch out United, we're coming for you...
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#175911 Nomad
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#175242 Johno's career II
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#175241 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
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2016/17 Season End
Boom. Three games, zero losses, including two unbeaten against leaders SK Sturm Graz, cutting their lead at the top to just one point. It remained insanely and incredibly tight going into the final fixture of the season, with just three points separating first from fourth; European competition from nothing. Just one fixture, away to giants Austria Wien, separated us from a fantastic first season in the Bundesliga.
But we let it slip. A 0-3 whipping left us fourth, and Rapid's win in the cup the following week saw us fail to qualify for that last Europa League spot. Words can't describe the feeling of lost opportunity. It's easy to look back at our expectations at the beginning of the season and call this a success, but to come so close to the title and not even qualify for Europe is hard to take.
On the bright side, Siegl signed a three-year contract extension, with a club option for another two beyond that, locking him in for the long-term. That didn't stop the giants of Europe from returning to their sniffing, nosy ways though...
Final Stats:
Lars Gulpen was our star man this season, contributing 12 goals and 7 assists from his advanced midfield role. John Perez started his LASK career extremely well, but faded towards the end of the season. 7 goals from 11 appearances remains a phenomenal return. And finally, star youngster and fan-favorite Philipp Siegl recovered well from his shaky first half. However, he'll need to improve greatly next season to continue his development.
#175186 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
The winter break and transfer window was fairly uneventful. We took advantage of our newly expanded scouting range to bring in two Americans for free after their MLS contracts expired: talented sweeping keeper Dave Gomez and speedy striker John Perez.
On the outbound side, we dropped some expiring contracts (who weren't getting played anyway) by mutual consent to clear up wage budget for the pair of Americans. The offers continued to come in for Philipp Siegl despite his slow start to the season. PSG raised their bid to an amazing €5.25M. I had to reject though. In our first year in the league, we just didn't have the reputation to attract players of that caliber and potential, even with an extra 5 million (which would have trebled our current cash balance...). Siegl did not complain, and with 1.5 years left on his contract, I figured we could always sell him for that, or more, in the summer.
The season resumed with a fury: 4 wins out of 5 brought us right back into contention not just for European football, but for the league itself. Incredible performances from Lars Gulpen and new-boy John Perez saw us reel off a six-match unbeaten run in March. We were playing some fluid stuff, and each home game brought more fans to see their local team soar back into the Bundesliga.
With four games left, we were an incredible two points from the top of the league.
It's not going to be easy though... our last four games are just brutal. Three trips away to top-half teams, while the only home game is to top-team SK Sturm Graz. It's improbable, but if we can take points off of Sturm Graz, the unthinkable may actually become reality.
#174949 Watch out United, we're coming for you...
xeraphine
#174680 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
Thanks, Sam! Just a few
2016/17 First Half
It definitely didn't start off like we dreamed. We earned just one point in our first three matches, with two tight losses and an unfortunate draw. But then it picked up. Five wins in six, with a 93rd minute winner adding the exclamation mark on a dramatic win over 24-time champions FK Austria Wien. It certainly took a while for the boys to get into their groove, but once they did, it was fun times in Linz.
After ten matches, we were joint top of the league. There was a real belief in the team and with the fans that survival had become an after-thought. Continental football was now a real possibility. Four games without a win in November put a damper on things, but a second win over FK Austria Wien in Vienna brought the mood back up, and we went into the winter break in an incredible position. Second in the table, 8 points from first, 3 points from seventh. Tight battle!
Philipp Siegl failed to reproduce his brilliant form, scoring just two goals and showing some inconsistency, but Markus Blutsch and Lars Gulpen more than made up for it. The team as a whole was inconsistent and streaky, which was no surprise given how young the boys are across the board, but a few more winning streaks could provide us with an unlikely qualification to European competition!
#174622 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
Summer 2016
Well, that was anti-climactic. It turns out that getting promoted in Austria doesn't come with a financial boost. In fact, it comes with a negative impact as all of my players were given hefty bonuses. And that's why we're starting life in the top flight already overspending our wage budget. The goal, of course, is to stay up by whatever means possible, which is pretty much the same squad that got us up. The first thing I did was to bring Sebastian Wimmer back on a permanent basis, before offloading contracts to try to bring at least some additional quality into the team.
Then came the inevitable: after a solid debut season, our young star Philipp Siegl began to get linked with Europe's giants. The dollar offers coming in the door were eye-popping from the likes of PSG and Dortmund, and the temptation was almost impossible to resist... But the chairman did not force the sale, and Siegl was remarkably loyal to us. So we did not sell.
Transfers:
Nothing spectacular in terms of transfers this summer given the budgetary constraints. Charlton was nice enough to overspend on Noordhoff, which allowed us to make a deadline-day swoop for Porto academy graduate Luis Tavares, a technical and talented young midfielder. The kid is a pitbull on the field: tireless, vocal, gritty, but with silky touch and a good turn of foot. He'll be introduced slowly into midfield, but should help us keep play ticking under pressure.
Season Objectives:
We have to stay up this year. That's the only objective, really: stay up and put ourselves in a good position to make the top flight our home. We've got a lot of young, talented, hungry players: Lars Gulpen is 23, Markus Blutsch is 21, Sebastian Wimmer is 22, Dominik Baumgartner is 20, and, of course, Philipp Siegl is just 17. If we make sure we stay in the top flight, the future is very bright indeed.
#174570 Nomad
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#174505 Heed-ing to the promise land
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#174504 Johno's career II
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#174503 To the Dream
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#174377 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
The second half of the season was quite unremarkable in the end. We didn't need to go on any great winning runs, but instead kept pace and slowly pulled away from the pack, winning the league by a comfortable six points. By March, promotion was practically guaranteed bar a major meltdown, and we still managed a comfortable margin despite just two wins in our last six matches. The team ticked along like clockwork.
New signing Niek Vossebelt was the star man, leading the team with 17 goals and 8 assists. Young midfielder Markus Blutsch cemented his first team spot with great creativity and 8 goals from deep, while teenager Philipp Siegl continued his hot form in the second half.
Player Season Stats:
As the end of this season was quite uneventful, I figured I'd talk a bit about our tactics. We have a very defined style that I'm committed to, no matter the system: quick passing, fluidity and team football, incisive passing, packed midfield, and quick transitions from back to front. The system I relied on this season is shown below. It is pretty much a 4-4-2 diamond, and the whole idea is to make and exploit space and to attack in layers with unpredictability.
There are pairs to accomplish this all over the field. The AP(S) drops deep to dictate play and the CM(A) charges forward into that space as the tip of the midfield diamond from deep. The two shadow strikers work the channels and look to latch on to balls played into space, although the Very Fluid style means they often drop deep as well to help possession. When they do make their runs against the defensive line, they open up space for the BBM(S) and the full-backs to support play and retain possession in the midfield area. The anchor man and the central defenders stay deep to keep some measure of stability in the back.
The one weakness in this system is quick balls played down the flanks on the counter, though the FB(S) duty means that the full-backs don't charge forward at every opportunity, so counter opportunities are a bit controlled. That said, we do occasionally struggle against teams strong on the flanks with speedy wingers who can beat our full-backs.
#174374 To the Dream
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#174369 Watch out United, we're coming for you...
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#174265 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
We took a while to get going with just 7 points out of our first 5 matches, but we were just unstoppable in August and September. A 10-match unbeaten run took us firmly to first place by the end of October, and the mood was fantastic. We were taking care of business, as expected. Each match was machine-like, and after we'd brush our hands and get ready for the next. 5 goals against in that 10 game span showed the defense was just spectacular.
But then came the inevitable November dip: a 0-3 bashing to FC Liefering saw the doubts begin to creep, and suddenly we found ourselves second.
After hearing the U18s Manager rave on and on, I decided to change things up a bit. I gave 16-year-old Philipp Siegl a debut. The kid is small and very young, but I figured his burst of pace and trickery of dribble might liven up the team a bit and get the fans excited for the future. And boy did he deliver. An assist and a fine performance in his debut saw us run out 4-0 winners in Vienna, and a stoppage-time minute winner in his second match sealed his place in fans' hearts. The win put us in front at the winter break by a hair, and gave us a boost to push on in the second half.
Remember that name: Philipp Siegl.
Table:
Results:
#174264 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
After last season's close call, the expectations this year are very clear: promotion at all costs. That's the expectation by both the media and the board. I told the team exactly that, and I think we're fully capable of doing so. Considering our finances, we really should be getting back to the Bundesliga.
Unfortunately, our budget hasn't really improved without the promotion, so I'll have to sell in order to bring in new players. Luckily, a few big contracts were expired, and a few aging squad players were let go to make room for some young blood. I'm pretty excited about a few of the young talents we were able to bring in.
Transfers:
Initial Squad:
Our Dutch duo should lead us in midfield, while Markus Blutsch is developing nicely, and should be a force making runs from deep. I'm very optimistic about this squad with our 4-3-3-0 system.
Everyone's expecting promotion this season. It's up to us to make it happen.
#174263 A.E.I.O.U. - An Austrian Adventure
xeraphine
Thanks, guys! Definitely looking forward to pushing for promotion this season--that's the expectation at least!
#174194 Watch out United, we're coming for you...
xeraphine