TinakoFM - Comments

042:

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How has it been (just over) a month since my last post!

Had every intention to return to the save but kept saying to myself “Tomorrow!”… and here we are.

I finally chucked myself into the game to get pre-season (and Super Cup) over and done with - mission accomplished. Bring on 2039/40!

Let's hope so, the trophy cabinet is gathering far too much dust! 😨

041:

Carles Carmona has completed a full season with Litex, as the Spaniard returns to Bulgaria with expectations of a mid-table finish. Here's how he got on:

Well, 8th is mid-table and that's exactly where Carmona and Litex place at the end of 2038-39. It was actually a good season, shown by the fact that the board and supporters are “pleased” with a rating of B-. There was also an added bonus of a spot in the Bulgarian Cup final, though that never looked like anything other than an obvious Ludogorets victory - which is what happened. That makes it 4 cup finals, 4 cup final defeats (2nd in Bulgaria!) for Mr. Carmona in the save. He'll get a trophy one day! 😂

With that cup final loss, it meant Litex could not secure European football in any other way than in the league. After placing 8th, they qualified for the “Second Phase", which sees 7th to 10th play each other twice to see who finishes top; that 1st place side would then meet 5th place overall in a play-off final. Sadly, Carles Carmona's boys were knocked off top spot on the final day of the season as Levski overtook them by beating Septemvri. So there'll be no trips aborad for Litex in 2039-40.

Carles Carmona, now over 500 matches into his managerial career, heads into 2039-40 with Litex. His contract expires at the campaign's conclusion. Due to Ludogorets winning the league and cup, Carmona will have a chance to secure the first piece of silverware of his career at the start of the new season: in the Bulgarian Super Cup, albeit versus the aforementioned dominant club.

Something else to note, Carmona's previous Bulgarian club Slavia Sofia were sadly relegated from the top division in 2038-39.

Thanks for reading!

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040:

Carles Carmona is back in management! Less than three months on from his decision to walk from Puskás Akadémia, the Spaniard has found new work - but to where, Chris Kamara?

Carles Carmona makes a return to Bulgarian football! Having previously coached Slavia Sofia as he won them promotion from the second division to the top-flight before being poached by FCSB, Carmona now looks to make a name for himself in Bulgaria's first league having only managed in it for a few months with Slavia.

Carles Carmona is the new boss of Litex, who are located in Lovech (north-central Bulgaria); which is roughly 93 miles northeast of Sofia. The club have history as far back as 1921 and have won the Bulgarian top-flight 4 times, though haven't touched success since 2010-11 - and that hasn't changed in the save, which has just seen the start of 2038-39. Litex started the save in the second tier, winning promotion at the first attempt and staying in tier one ever since; with their highest placement being 5th on three occasions; including in both of the last two seasons, missing Europe by two points in 2037-38.

The board of Litex have set Mr. Carmona an expectation of a mid-table finish, which is where the media are expecting too. The squad looks decent enough for the Spaniard, though transfers will need to be made if possible; finances/budgets are workable, if not overly good. It's worth noting that the first club to offer Carmona an interview post-Hungary was Beroe, a team basically in the same position as Litex - though Carmona rejected their advances after a look at the staff/squad, which seemed iffy. His first match in charge is, amusingly, at home to Beroe in a few day's time; no pre-season for Carmona's boys!

What will 2038-39 have in store for Carles Carmona? It'll be intriguing.

Thanks for reading!

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// Noteworthy Events \\

039:

2037-38 has finished, Carles Carmona has been at the helm of Hungarian top division side Puskás Akadémia - a club that hadn't yet lifted the OTP Bank Liga title, though had placed in second across six of the last seven seasons. Could the Spaniard be the one to nudge PAFC across the finish line into first? Well, let's see.

Ah.., that tells you all you need to know. Miraculously, as you'll see below, Mr. Carmona somehow avoided that media item featuring the word “sacked”. Here's how:

Safe to say, Carles Carmona's 263-day spell in Hungary with Puskás Akadémia was a flop. The Spaniard did not enjoy his time in Felcsút! There were plenty of early signs of that being the case too, with plenty of squad issues hitting his inbox pretty much from the day of his arrival. That coupled with a few injuries and finances restraints (- wage budget), the vibes with the club were certainly not immaculate. Mr. Carmona even decided midway through the campaign that he was planning to resign if he made it to the season's end. Which he didn't (only 5 games left, mind you), though evidently by his own accord - somehow.

A closer look at the fixture list shows an unceremonious last match in charge of Puskás Akadémia: A 7-0 away defeat in a Hungarian Cup semi-final to Ferencvárosi, who were actually 6-0 ahead after 29 (yes, 29!) minutes. One of the most embarrassing moments I've witnessed on Football Manager! Incredibly, the board did not sack Mr. Carmona on the spot at the Groupama Aréna - and that's despite the manager already being on probation due to a board meeting 3 games prior that saw him beg the board for a month to turn things around; having had a different meeting a month or so prior too. His departure had definitely been coming for a while, in truth. It does mean Carmona avoids another sacking on his record, as he resigned minutes after full-time having acknowledged that his tenure had become untenable.

The only good thing about Carmona's near-season-long spell with Puskás Akadémia was the European form, which was actually relatively promising. The Spaniard led the club from the third qualifying round to the knock-out play-off round in the UEFA Europa Conference League; only departing the competition via a narrow 4-3 aggregate loss to Swiss side St. Gallen. Even in the domestic cup, with that capitulation aside, a semi-final spot surpassed the board's expectations. It's was very much the league worries that messed up Carmona's time with the Hungarians.

Go to plan, that did not. Oh well, onto the next one! As the great David Norris once said: “It wasn't whether or not you got knocked down, it's what you do when you get back up!”.

Thanks for reading!

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// Noteworthy Events \\

038:

037:

After almost 4 years back in Romania with FCSB, Carles Carmona is once again a free man as he goes in search of the seventh job of his career - in what is the year 2037. With 4 nations from the ‘ABCCHRSSS’ visited, the Spaniard is still yet to head to Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Serbia or Slovenia. Will his new job take him somewhere there, or will it be a return to either Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania or Slovakia? Well, let's find out:

It's a first trip to Hungary for Carles Carmona! He has taken the reigns of top-flight outfit Puskás Akadémia, who are indeed named in honour of legendary national footballing hero Ferenc Puskás - or, yes, that lad that FIFA named that ‘best goal’ award in tribute to.

Despite beautiful but modest surroundings, Puskás Akadémia (founded in 2005) have made themselves Hungary's second best club so far in this save. They have admittedly never won the top division yet as Ferencvárosi have won every league title between 2018-19 and 2036-37, though they have placed as runners-up in six of the last seven campaigns; losing out last season by five points, and even heartbreakingly missing the trophy via a +1 goal difference for FTC in 2035-36 - ouch! Speaking of the OTP Bank Liga, it is a place higher in the league rankings than the Romanian league and the club/FCSB share the same star rating of three.

Carmona joins Puskás Akadémia with just 1 league match played, which was a defeat to DVTK. However, they had focus either side on European football. Yes, Carmona has taken over a club that currently sits in the UEFA Europa Conference League 3QR, having beaten Maccabi Netanya in the 2QR either side of that league loss. In an incredible twist of fate, in the third qualifying round Carmona will lead Puskás Akadémia home and away against… FCSB! You could not make it up! The Spaniard's first game in charge, though, comes days prior domestically vs. Szeged. In the league, Carmona's boys are second favourites behind FTC. The board expect a top two finish.

So, Hungary here we go! I'm excited, very much intrigued to see how Carles Carmona performs in new surroundings.

Thanks for reading!

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// Noteworthy Events \\

036:

2036-37 has come to a conclusion. Spanish manager Carles Carmona came into the campaign in the final year of his contract with Romanian top-flight side FCSB, as he aimed to finally get the club back into European football or at least surpass expectations of a top half finish. Could he achieve either goal and what decision would be made on his future at the season's completion? Let's take a look…

Welp. That looks bad. And, well, it is, of course. However, it's not quite as bad as it possibly looks, at least not in terms of the sacking itself. Mr. Carmona was actually sacked 6 matches before the end of the campaign, admittedly having failed to secure any of the aforementioned goals. It was unfortunately yet another bottom half placement for FCSB, as the team crumbled towards the end of the regular season having sat inside the top 6 practically all season long. That noted bad form was pretty much the reason why Carmona is now out of a job.

Game 1 of the post-season saw FCSB lose embarrassingly 3-0 away to Petrolul Ploiești, who genuinely dominated from start-to-finish. So, after the match the board called a meeting to discuss the Spaniard's future; though, confusingly, in the same message classed themselves as “satisfied" with Carmona's work thus far… FM, that! Despite 2 wins and an unlucky draw in the 3 matches after, the board still decided to sack Carmona despite the team sitting 7th (top of relegation round) and on solid course for the end of year European spot play-offs - which, naturally, FCSB ended up winning under caretaker Cătălin Bârleanu. Funny.

Still, Mr. Carmona wasn't all that bothered. At the beginning of the season he was more so in favour of extending his contract with FCSB come what May, though as the campaign had progressed he had decided that he wished to depart at the expiration of his contract in June - so only a couple of months early, shame about the sacked tag though.

Amusingly, literally a day before he was let go by FCSB the Spanish boss had actually turned down a job interview (given out of the blue) from Austrian top division strugglers Hartberg. He ignored the interview rather quickly, as he in fact did earlier in the season from Hartberg's counterparts - and relegation rivals - Ried; who also set up an interview without any application.

Based on the above, could a first trip to Austria be on the horizon for Carles Carmona? Who knows, I'm yet to find out myself.

As for a plan, one does simply not exist for Mr. Carmona. All options appear to be open, as he searches for the right project. Well, I say “all options”, the Spaniard has reportedly told close friends that he will never return to Arena Națională as FCSB manager - which is probably the right decision given that club (albeit with two different owners) have now binned him off twice. Carmona is at peace with that though, especially given his second spell lasted 3 years/164 days as opposed to that 100-day stint back in 2028! It would've been nice to elevate them up the league, mind.

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

01: 🇭🇷 Orijent (2) | 2023–2024 |  Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

02: 🇭🇷 Istra (1) | 2024–2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

03: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

04: 🇸🇰 Železiarne Podbrezová (1) | 2031 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

05: 🇧🇬 Slavia Sofia (1+2) | 2032–2033 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0 | poached

06: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2033–2037 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

// Noteworthy Events \\

035:

Carles Carmona has completed his third season back with FCSB in Romania's top-flight. Off the back of a respectable, if somewhat disappointing, top 5 finish last season in 2034-35, the hopes were to improve upon that in 2035-36; though the board and supporters only wanted a top half placement. Let's check out what happened.

A bog standard, average campaign it was in the end for the Spaniard at FCSB. Incredibly patchy form meant that nothing of any real note ended up occurring, as Carmona led the club to an 8th-place finish overall - meaning no European football once again. Although that latter part was almost not true, as an original 7th-place placing put FCSB into the European play-offs; where they'd defeat Argeș before predictably losing in the final to U Craiova.

2036-37 is quickly on the horizon, in fact pre-season officially started days after the play-off final so the players haven't even had a holiday oddly. For the upcoming season, the board and supporters continue to want a top half finish; FCSB, even before Carmona's second arrival, are very much not the dominant club in this save that they are in real life; particularly shown by the fact they are around 6th or 7th in the average wages in the division, I think our highest earner is on like 8k p/w, whereas teams like Cluj are paying way into 15k-25k p/w for squad players. The gap is large! On the field, that was quite evident.

Speaking of the board, towards the conclusion of this campaign a takeover happened. Gigi Becali is no more! He chose to retire so sharply sold FCSB to Dănuț Samoilă for £6.5m, with the new guy immediately putting the club on the stock exchange and cutting (unused tbh) links to Premier League side Arsenal. It appears his plan is to keep Carles Carmona in the job (his contract runs until June 2037), though there was an incident soon after the takeover. It was a stupid incident in fact, one I'm sure (hope) is a bug.

I answered 1 of 2 press conference questions (other Q wasn't even about takeover) with something like “I hope to stay under the new regime for many years to come”. Fairly innocuous, I thought. Well, I was quickly called into a board meeting (!) to discuss my comments, which the game interpreted as the manager (paraphrasing)  “breaking an agreement to not discuss certain elements of the takeover”. Now, that would be a cool feature for FM… except they never mentioned anything to avoid in press conferences. I checked back through the takeover message, nothing. Checked promises tab, nothing. So my manager almost got sacked for that, luckily I just kissed ass and it keep Carmona at FCSB. Either way, very silly… unless I missed something? Even then, the question answer was hardly anything sack-worthy.

Let's see what Carles Carmona can do with FCSB in 2036-37. As noted, his contract does expiry at the end of the season, I'm not sure what the plan is yet. If Mr. Carmona makes it to the season's end, it's probable at this stage that he will extend his deal with the club. A departure is still very possible, though. Time will tell.

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

01: 🇭🇷 Orijent (2) | 2023–2024 |  Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

02: 🇭🇷 Istra (1) | 2024–2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

03: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

04: 🇸🇰 Železiarne Podbrezová (1) | 2031 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

05: 🇧🇬 Slavia Sofia (1+2) | 2032–2033 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0 | poached

06: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2033– | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

034:

Carles Carmona's first full season with FCSB over in Romania's top division has come to an end. Having placed in the bottom half (aka relegation round) in 2033-34, the Spaniard was aiming for a top half (aka championship round) finish in 2034-35. Did he and his team achieve that? Let's have a look:

Well… over to you, Mr. Gennaro Gattuso:

I haven't got much to say about this season in truth, in short: it's been frustrating.

In the regular season we were very good for the most part, not title challenge worthy (despite being in the title race around December/January, sitting 1st at one point) but we looked solid. Yet, when the post-season rolled around we evidently shit the bed badly - W1 D3 L6. Unexplainable, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Like last season (and all save, tbh), the majority of our opponents had impressive conversion rates of scoring with their first shot on target - which is, of course, nae good! Oh, and we also lost in the Romanian Cup semi-finals to lower-placed opposition again - shock! So no European footy for us once again.

The board and supporters rate the season at around the ‘C’ mark, so all fine in that regard I guess. They both want similar for next season, 2035-36, so a top half placement is desired. A transfer kitty of about £8m and a wage budget of about 33k awaits in the off-season, so there is money to spend on new acquisitions - of which we do need plenty in order to progress any further up the ladder. Carles Carmona - who did pick up 2 managerial monthly awards this campaign - has penned a new 2-year contract with FCSB, so is set to remain in Bucharest until 30 June 2037 - whether he'll survive that long is anyone's guess.

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

01: 🇭🇷 Orijent (2) | 2023–2024 |  Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

02: 🇭🇷 Istra (1) | 2024–2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

03: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

04: 🇸🇰 Železiarne Podbrezová (1) | 2031 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

05: 🇧🇬 Slavia Sofia (1+2) | 2032–2033 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0 | poached

06: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2033– | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 2 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

033:

So, Carles Carmona has moved back into his room at the Holiday Inn Bucharest, situated relatively near the Arena Națională, as he re-takes the reigns at FCSB in Romania. The main question was: Could Carmona last more than 100 days this time? Let's find out…

Huzzah! Mr. Carmona is still in charge of FCSB at the conclusion of 2033-34, unreal scenes.

More importantly, here's how Carmona's boys got on since his arrival back in early November 2033:

Well, Carles Carmona done the bare minimum in these 7 or so months - it's been minorly pleasing.

FCSB would win 8 out of 16 of the regular season matches left, notably winning 6-1 twice, but ended up missing out on the Championship Round by 1 point; meaning we concluded the campaign in the Relegation Round, much to the unhappiness of the board and fans who expected a top half finish. This did, however, theoretically give us a better chance of getting European football for next season as 7th and 8th get a chance at qualifying via play-offs (vs. 8th then. if won, 3rd), whereas 4th to 6th do not get any sort of European opportunity. Not that any of what I've just mentioned meant anything though, as I knew right at the start we weren't getting European football for next season - lo and behold, I was correct.

Mr. Carmona did lead FCSB top of the Relegation Round, winning 5 and losing just once; ending up 11 points clear of nearest challengers Csíkszereda. We would then face them in the European play-off semi-final, winning 3-1. However, days later Farul Constanța predictably beat us in the play-off final to gain UEFA Europa Conference League action for themselves - nought for us. For Football Manager 2025, I hope they include a way to predict your save to earn real life money - I'd be (at worst) a millionaire, especially with the amount of times the AI score with their first shot on target!😂 I would've also cashed in on the Romanian Cup too, as we lost in the semi-finals of that - actually, scratch that, I guessed a final loss - darn it, so close!

It is what it is, that be Football Manager after all. We move, 2034-35 begins in less than a month. Will Carles Carmona be able to kick on with FCSB, or will it be another sacking on the horizon? Either way, I'm intrigued to find out!

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

01: 🇭🇷 Orijent (2) | 2023–2024 |  Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

02: 🇭🇷 Istra (1) | 2024–2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

03: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2028 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

04: 🇸🇰 Železiarne Podbrezová (1) | 2031 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

05: 🇧🇬 Slavia Sofia (1+2) | 2032–2033 | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0 | poached

06: 🇷🇴 FCSB (1) | 2033– | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

032:

No, your eyes do not deceive you, Carles Carmona has made a shock return to FCSB on 4 November 2033 - having been sacked by the Romanians after a 100-day spell back in 2028. I know, I'm just as surprised by these developments! Let me explain.

It's important to make clear that this was not initiated by Carles Carmona, who was very much enjoying life at the helm of Slavia Sofia in their first season back in the Bulgarian top-flight for a number of years; having won promotion last season, of course. On 3 November 2033, out of nowhere (I didn't even know the FCSB job had become available) FCSB's owner, Gigi Becali, offers Mr. Carmona an interview. I wasn't sure what to think initially and at first preferred to stay with Slavia. However, upon thinking it through I was interested in correcting past wrongs and continuing unfinished business in Bucharest.

24 hours after that interview, Mr. Becali came back with a job offer for the Spaniard - which he duly accepted. I did not see this coming, Ludogorets had been struggling in the Bulgarian top-flight so it was in the back of my mind that that job interview could (albeit unlikely) possibly come, but one from FCSB? Not a chance, but here we are. Now, before I add some context as to why FCSB had a post open let's see what was occurring back in Sofia.

As you can tell, it had been an alright, if unspectacular, start to the season with Slavia Sofia as a newly-promoted side. P16 W5 D3 L8, sat 12th (of 16) as 6pts was the gap between us and bottom club Arda; only 3pts off second bottom Pirin, mind. I felt we were competitive and had a solid chance of staying up, but with 2 going down automatically and 1 via the play-off relegation was obviously still highly possible. So with all that, plus the chance to evidently take a step up in club (★★½ vs. ★★★) I thought it was the correct decision to leave Slavia in favour of a return to FCSB. Speaking of whom, here's how they've been doing.

So far this season, 2033-34, FCSB have been inconsistent, at best. They sit 9th after 14 matches having W6 D2 L6 (GD0, GF18 GA18), 11pts off leaders Rapid București and 9pts clear of bottom team Politehnica Timișoara. They are out of Europe, having initially lost to Rijeka in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying before exiting to Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. They also lost the Super Cup back in July to Cluj, but FCSB do remain in the Romanian Cup - which they won last season, with second division Dumbrăvița upcoming in the quarter-finals. Amusingly, we (Slavia Sofia) actually played FCSB in pre-season; losing narrowly 3-2, perhaps that made Mr. Becali take notice? 😏

Carles Carmona was last in charge of FCSB in the early part of 2028-29, when he was evidently sacked after just 100 days at the helm. Since then, FCSB have been through 4 different managers; Carmona's replacement, Cristi Negru, lasted 2 years & 18 days, though follow-ups Ilie Poenaru and Ilias Charalabous only stayed for 344 and 322 days respectively. Previous manager, Costel Ilie, was in the job for 1 year. All of them, like Carmona, were sacked. Quite the merry-go-round, On the pitch, they've largely managed to finish in the top half split, except for last season when they placed in the bottom half split; though still got Europe thanks to the cup triumph. The squad has undergone major changes since 2028, with only around 3 players I recognise from Carmona's first spell with FCSB.

The board expectation is to finish in the top half and reach the latter stages of the cup (already achieved?). In the longer term they want a challenge for a league title, which they now haven't won since 2024-25; with Cluj winning every edition since.

So, the save takes an unexpected turn - back to FCSB in Romania it is. Let's hope it goes better than 5 years ago!

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031 | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 05: 2032–2033 | Slavia Sofia | (🇧🇬 Bulgaria/1+2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0 | poached

Job 06: 2033– | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

031:

030:

So, Carles Carmona has finally hit some good form as he recovers from disappointing spells in Romania and Slovakia to gaining promotion over in Bulgaria. 2032-33 was quite the season for the Spaniard at Slavia Sofia, so here's a quick rundown of what went on.

Quite the season, that. The board wanted Slavia Sofia to reach the promotion play-off, so to go one better and gain automatic promotion was very pleasing indeed. And to get to the Bulgarian Cup final was a major surprise bonus, even if it was eventually lost to city rivals Levski Sofia (4th in top-flight); it's the second time in the save that Carles Carmona has reached a cup final and lost it, having done so in 2026 with Istra.

2032-33 actually began disastrously, as Carmona led Slavia Sofia to P4 W0 D2 L2 to position them 17th (of 18). I was anticipating another sacking on the way, but luckily I changed tactics from a standard 4-4-2 (my own making) we ended last season in to a route one style 4-3-3 DM (as recommended by staff). So full credit to the coaching staff, as with that change Slavia went on an 8-game winning streak across 7 league games and 1 cup fixture to fire up to 4th. The winning streak then ended, though Slavia remained an unbeaten run (since August 2032) as they didn't lose a match until February 2033. Just 2 league defeats followed across the second (post winter break) half of the campaign, as the club ended up placing 2nd and losing the cup final; as already noted.

Carles Carmona has signed a new one-year contract with Slavia Sofia, so is set to lead them into their top-flight return in 2033-34 after 3 seasons in the second tier. The initial expectation from the board, iirc, is to avoid finishing bottom of the top division, in which 2 clubs get automatically relegated and 1 goes in the play-off. I've no idea what to expect in that forthcoming season, we do have funds in the bank (~4m) so do have the potential to upgrade the squad. Time will tell.

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031 | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 05: 2032– | Slavia Sofia | (🇧🇬 Bulgaria/1+2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

029:

Prediction Recap:

Cup final loss = tick

2nd place finish = tick

Dobrudzha win on the final day, we fail to win = tick

Give me 1 second, I'm off to buy a lottery ticket because I can predict the future! /s

I'll let it slide on this occasion, I'm grateful for promotion!

Full breakdown of the season on the way later, but in short: Slavia Sofia are back in the Bulgarian big time!

Quite the season, one Carles Carmona and his boys can be proud of!

028:

How good does that look? 😍

We are going up, say we are going up!

Now can we get the title? Doubtful as we play 3rd and Dobrudzha (who won their game in hand, also securing promotion) play the bottom side. I don't really care anyway, promotion was all I wanted.

027:

Onto more important matters…

026:

Nothing achieved yet, but a crazy season no matter what. Prediction: 2nd, with cup final loss.

025:

Carles Carmona is aiming to rebuild his career after failed (and rather short!) stints with FCSB in Romania and Železiarne Podbrezová in Slovakia. To do so, the Spaniard has moved to Bulgaria to take over Slavia Sofia - a former solid top-flight team that has fallen on difficult times in the second division, though do look fairly well set-up for a rebuild… whether Mr. Carmona is the man for that, time will tell. He joined with Slavia sitting mid-table with 7 games to go, here's how those fixtures went.

No complaints, really. P7 W5 D1 L1. Carles Carmona moves Slavia Sofia from 12th to 8th in the process, ‘just’ 5 points off the promotion play-off.

The squad looks a good one, some changes definitely needed in the off-season but I can see potential. A decent transfer budget set too (~3.4m, iirc).

I reckon next season should, at worst, be enjoyable - the board have altered the expectation to reaching the play-off (3rd), though that may change again before next season begins. Either way, let's get it!

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031 | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 05: 2032– | Slavia Sofia | (🇧🇬 Bulgaria/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

024:

Carles Carmona headed back out on yet another job search. After departing FCSB in October 2028 it took the Spaniard until January 2031 to find new work, but I am pleased to say this job search was much more busy and much quicker in terms of the new job arriving; he left Železiarne Podbrezová in November 2031, the new income begins in April 2032. Let's see who with:

Carles Carmona heads to Bulgaria, as he takes over the reigns of second division outfit Slavia Sofia!

It was a busy job search that saw offers from Železničar (Serbia), Spartak Subotica (Serbia) and Mezőkövesd (Hungary), three relegation-threatened outfits nearing the conclusion of their seasons. All three offered Mr. Carmona the role but, after much delay for each, he chose to decline them as the Slavia Sofia job became available. Admittedly, I made a bit of a gaffe in that I thought Slavia were top-flight mid-table, whereas they are actually second tier mid-table. I know of Slavia IRL as a decent top-flight team so just assumed they were still there without looking properly.

That was, however, before I accepted the job, so I knew what I was getting into at that point - deciding to follow through with Slavia as it's a good project. They were pre-season favourites for the title, have secure finances and have average-to-good facilities; and a big stadium. After struggling at a few clubs, Carles Carmona wanted a project and he has found one. It does make a third straight sacking quite possible if Slavia flop at the start of next season*, but hey-ho. As for now, it is April 2032 and there are 7 fixtures left to play. Slavia sit 12th but are 12 points clear of relegation (15th to 18th), the gap between Slavia and 9 points off the promotion play-off and 10 points off automatic promotion. Therefore, it ought to be a simple, no fuss end to the campaign and time to prep for 2032-33.

*especially given the board wanted automatic promotion in 2032-33, pressure if very much on. Surely Mr. Carmona can't flop again?

Show Spoiler

 

I'm actually looking forward to this, but then again I was also just that for both FCSB & Železiarne Podbrezová and look how those jobs turned out… 😬 We'll see.

Thanks for reading!

--

// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031 | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 05: 2032– | Slavia Sofia | (🇧🇬 Bulgaria/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 |

// Noteworthy Events \\

023:

So, Carles Carmona had a month to save himself from the sack as manager of Slovak top-flight team Železiarne Podbrezová. With mid-table expectations, the club were sitting at the time of the board meeting around the relegation zone after 7 defeats in 11 games to start the league campaign. Carmona requested more time and was given 30 days or so, could the Spaniard turn it around?

Nope. Carles Carmona has been sacked by Železiarne Podbrezová, which makes it back-to-back dismissals following that 2028 sacking by FCSB in Romania.

I wasn't actually too fussed by the start of the season, which probably says more about how I feel about Football Manager than anything else. Still, though, I wasn't too annoyed with the squad at hand, the results just weren't coming - every team we played, more or less, happened to be in good enough form to always score against us and also impressively keep us out, what more can ya do eh?

#WeGoAgain! Carles Carmona is back at the job centre, his second home at this point.

Thanks for reading!

--

// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031 | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

// Noteworthy Events \\

022:

Carles Carmona has one month to save his job at Železiarne Podbrezová… in that period: 4 of the top 7, including 1st (a), in his next 4 games. It's not looking good, bruv.

Taking the Des Buckingham managerial route, I see. 😁

On my save I went from late 2028 to early 2031 with only a few interviews which was unusual compared to my past experience on old FMs, so perhaps SI have tweaked something in regards to securing a job in FM24?

021:

Carles Carmona begins job number four in the save, as the Spaniard takes his bags to Slovakia for the first time as he takes over at Železiarne Podbrezová. He joined with 4 matches left of the regular season, with 10 further encounters on the way post-split. Here's a rundown of how that portion of the campaign went:

I consider that a fairly good start to life with Železiarne Podbrezová in Slovakia. Mr. Carmona arrived with the club 9th and he ends up moving them up a space to 8th after 14 games in charge. He only lost once in his opening 5 games, winning thrice. Across the remaining 9, he led Podbrezová to 4 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses. Overall, all 5 defeats in charge were narrow 1-0 losses. It's gone well, I've enjoyed playing it out.

Going into next season, 2031-32, the board have now upgraded their five-year plan to now aim for a mid-table position; as opposed to simply avoiding relegation, which I previously mentioned as being too low an expectation. Carles Carmona heads into that season with 1 year left on his contract, let's hope he lasts that long at least! Or he gets poached by Bayern Munich or something… /s

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031– | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | 

// Noteworthy Events \\

020:

Carles Carmona's search for a new job has been extensive and seriously time-consuming, as it is now 2 January 2031 - he was sacked by FCSB on 4 October 2028… - but the Spaniard has belatedly found himself some new work. But where?

Carles Carmona heads to Slovakia with Železiarne Podbrezová!

A more humble home venue, compared to FCSB's national stadium home.

It has been a struggle in finding Carles Carmona his next job, from 4 Oct 2028 and 2 Jan 2031 the game decided that it was only going offer him clubs in relegation battles, even then the job interviews were few and far between - which is bizarre, sure the manager flopped at FCSB but he still managed a big club and holds prior experience of getting a non-Europe team (Istra) into Europe and into a cup final. So to literally only get relegation (even relegated, at points!) interviews was rather ridiculous - in my opinion, of course.

Amusingly, Dinamo București (Romania) gave Mr. Carmona an interview three times across that aforementioned period - but evidently went with someone else each time. Slovakia's Michalovce (who sit 3 points and 1 place below Podbrezová as it stands, interestingly) did actually offer him a job a while back, but they were overachieving as a likely-to-be relegated side so were rejected by the Spaniard. Other than that, there wasn't much more to the job search frustratingly. I was prepared, and somewhat expecting tbh, to keep holidaying/applying until Carles Carmona reached his mid-60s (about 10-15 years away) and then just retiring him - citing lack of interesting jobs - and adding a new manager into the save.

Anyway, Železiarne Podbrezová are still a club I'd consider a bit low for Carmona but they pass the bare minimum of what's acceptable in my eyes. Across the save so far, Podbrezová have finished: 5th, 9th, 5th, 3rd, 3rd, 7th and 6th in the Slovak top-flight between 2023-24 and 2029-30. They've played European qualifying football every season since 2027-28, predominantly in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Last season was their best in the save though, as they won the Slovak Cup and played UEFA Europa League qualifiers this season; dropping down to the UECL eventually, and exited that competition back in August to Vojvodina (Serbia). They lost the Czechoslovak Supercup to Sigma Olomouc a month prior too.

This season has been, compared to the above, terrible since those early cup disappointments. They currently sit 9th (of 12) with 4 regular season matches left to play after the winter break. Podbrezová are 11 points clear of automatic relegation, 5 points clear of the relegation play-off and 7 points behind the top 6 (split upcoming). Their reputation is 2 stars, which is the same as Istra so basically Carles Carmona has dropped back down to ‘his level' after getting that big chance (and failing) at FCSB.

Their five-year plan is simply to avoid relegation, which seems a bit low considering their history in the save but perhaps that's their level now - time will tell.

Away we go, then. Next update will be, all going well, an end of season wrap up.

Thanks for reading!

--

// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

Job 04: 2031– | Železiarne Podbrezová | (🇸🇰 Slovakia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | 

// Noteworthy Events \\

019:

Carles Carmona headed into his first season with FCSB full of hope and expectation, having finally landed a job that would see him start a season in the hot seat; as opposed to coming in mid-season. As previously shown, the season did not start well at all for Carmona's boys… but how did it finish? Well, let's take a look:

Welp, that was short and not-so-sweet, wasn't it? Carles Carmona is sacked by FCSB after just over three months into the 2028-29 season! Ouch. That has to be my fastest sacking on Football Manager for absolutely ages, I don't think I've been sacked that quickly in a save since like FM12/FM13/FM14; as I'm usually managing teams with low expectations. Mr. Carmona has, evidently, failed in his first ‘big’ job.

Based on prior posts Carmona's sacking is understandable. However, since I made those posts form had actually picked up quite a bit. After that U Cluj win posted previously, we did lost to Farul Constanța heavily at home 4-0 - but actually started the match on top, before shipping like 3 goals before half-time iirc. Following that, however, we won back-to-back Liga 1 fixtures and won 1/drew 1 at the start of the Romanian Cup group stage; thus sitting top of our group. The match that got Carmona sacked, though, was a 2-0 away loss to leaders Cluj. The board subsequently called an urgent meeting:

Their criticisms were that the board were unhappy that our projection was only to stay clear of relegation (having set expectations of a top two (or three?) finish pre-season), Carmona's “lack of support” and the defeat to Farul Constanța (but not Cluj, oddly) - the first and third are fair, but the middle was debatable in my opinion; player support and fan support was relatively fine when I checked prior to Cluj. Carmona attended the meeting and literally pleaded for more time, but the owner disagreed and sacked him on the spot.

I was expecting the sack at some point to be honest, but I do feel like the timing of this one was a tad harsh. Though I have heard that Gigi Becali, the owner, is a bit of a, erm, 'maverick' so I guess if it is harsh it is very much in Becali's wheelhouse to be fair. In the meeting I did avoid clicking an answer that would set a promise, because based on prior FM experience (albeit a number of FMs back) after clicking that they set a points target of sorts across the next month. But I didn't think that would be realistic as the board clearly weren't happy with W3 D1 L1 prior to the meeting, so why would they accept something like that after a meeting. Perhaps a too presumptuous call on my part, but I guess we'll never know.

So, Carles Carmona - who, btw, did amusingly pick up a Manager of the Month award (!) days before his FCSB sacking - is on the move once more. Where will the Spaniard end up next? I'm intrigued to find out.

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028 | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 1 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | sacked

// Noteworthy Events \\

018:

017:

016:

Carles Carmona is off to Romania! After almost 7 months out of a job, the Spaniard has found his feet at FCSB.

That's a nice gaff, eh?

Carles Carmona has landed by far his biggest job thus far, as he takes over arguably Romania's biggest club in FCSB (aka Steaua București).

Well, that statement has asterisks attached to it. One being that in the save so far, Cluj and Farul Constanța have won two titles while FCSB have won only one (2024-25). Another is that FCSB aren't in Europe for Carmona's first season in charge due to placing 4th, if 'only' 11 points off champions Cluj. A third asterisk is the major controversy around 'FCSB vs. CSA Steaua'. That's a whole different issue, one I'll be learning more about but for a rundown check out Wikipedia here. Interestingly, CSA Steaua have been promoted back (been up-and-down across the save) to the top-flight for 2028-29 - tasty!

For the first time in the save, Carles Carmona starts a new job at the beginning of a new season - how refreshing! I'm looking forward to this one.

Thanks for reading!

--

// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

Job 03: 2028– | FCSB | (🇷🇴 Romania/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | 

// Noteworthy Events \\

015:

Carles Carmona headed into his third full season (fourth overall) with Istra in 2027-28 under a cloud of disappointment from the preceding 2026-27 campaign, which saw the club meander at the bottom portion of the Croatian top division; having placed 2nd and reached a cup final in the previous season. Could he regain 2025-26's success, or would it be a second consecutive slog of a campaign with Zeleno-žuti? Let's take a look:

Well… there's the answer. Carles Carmona is out of Istra.

It was mentioned previously that the plan was for Carles Carmona to remain for one last season into June 2028. Well, that was cut short by six months due to events coming to a head on New Year's Day. There are both on field and off field reasons for Carmona's premature departure from Istra.

Firstly, on the pitch. Unfortunately last season's poor form carried into this campaign as Carmona's second rebuild with Istra failed to reach the heights of the one prior, as Istra sat 9th (second bottom, relegation play-off spot) from pretty much the first few rounds of the season… with only promoted Cibalia, a club very much not equiped for top-flight life, stopping Istra from sitting with the wooden spoon. After 19 league matches, Carmona's boys had won just three times and had lost twelve - with the additional triumphs coming in cup ties with lower-league opposition. They were already nine points adrift of safety.

Somewhat amusingly, Istra had played would-be champions Dinamo Zagreb twice and came away undefeated with one win and one draw - work that one out! Looking back, Carmona's recond against Dinamo whilst with Istra was very good, oddly.

As you can tell above, it had been an awful opening six months to 2027-28 and the media, supporters and club (and, partially, the players) were beginning to vulture around. The board were not terribly displeased (marked as a ‘C’) but did call a few board meetings to discuss the on field issues. This is where the off field reasoning comes into play.

The first meeting at some point earlier was basically a non-event, but the secondary meet occurred on this now noteworthy New Year's Day. On this occassion it was the board trying to interfere with team selection, as they questioned why left winger Florian Rieder was starting. Naturally, Mr. Carmona did not take them putting their nose into his business very well - as he hit back staunchly in the meeting. Interestingly, that defiance worked as the board dropped the issue. However, hours earlier Carmona had requested an additional meeting to request a coaching course to add to his National C licence.

The board immediately quashed any discussion in regards to Carmona's coaching course request, something they have done more than a few times already since he completed the National C course - citing, rather selfishly, that they didn't want Carles Carmona to improve as a manager as it might make him leave for another club. So for this reason, which had been pedalled by the board before, Mr. Carmona decided to quit his post at Stadion Aldo Drosina, somewhat regrettably.

So, here we are. Carles Carmona is back on the market. He did, however, take the second part of the season off on holiday, as he took rest back in his native Huelva, Spain. It is now 29 May 2028 and Mr. Carmona is back on the look out for a new job. But where will job number three take him? Will he remain in Croatia yet again? Or will it be, for the first time, somewhere else in the ‘ABCCHRSSS’ for the Spaniard? Time will tell.

Finally, a quick update on how Istra got on: They reached the relegation play-off, as expected, and ended up beating Rudeš 4-2 on aggregate to stay up. Elsewhere, Carmona's first club, Orijent, were sadly relegated from the second tier automatically in last place after 29 defeats in 36 games.

Thanks for reading!

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// Save Recap \\

Job 01: 2023–2024 | Orijent | (🇭🇷 Croatia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | contract expired

Job 02: 2024–2028 | Istra | (🇭🇷 Croatia/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 3 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0 | resigned

// Noteworthy Events \\