Don't want to read a long introduction story? Click here for the first post!

A club with a long history...

In the beginning...

SBV Vitesse (Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse) started out as a cricket club in 1892, but later that year they also focused on football. For two years they only played friendly matches, until in 1894 cricket was abandoned and a Gelderse league was established. Vitesse solely focused on football since then. They had some good players, such as Willem Hesselink and Just Göbel, who were also in the Dutch national team at that time. 

 
Vitesse in 1894

At first they were playing in blue and white jerseys, the colors of the city of Arnhem, but later moved on to yellow and black, which remain their colors until this day. In 1894 they moved to the Paasweide, and a year later organised their first international match, against English side Maidstone. Vitesse became champions in 1895 and 1896, and a new competition was formed: The Eerste Klasse Oost. More succes followed as they won the competition in 1898, 1903, 1913, 1914 and 1915, and since 1898 they were in the national kampioenscompetitie, a competition with all local champions.

In 1912 Vitesse reached the final of a national cup for the first time, but lost to HFC Haarlem (2-0). In 1914 and 1915 they narrowly missed the national championship, losing narrowly against HVV, and in 1915 to Sparta.

Picture of the 1914 team, narrowly losing the championship

In 1915 Vitesse rents a piece of land and the first stadium, Monnikenhuize is born. Also, some players picked up cricket again, and it wasn't until 1928 cricket was finally abandoned. 

After the 1914/15 season Vitesse played bad, often battling against relegation until in 1922 it happened: The club relegated.

Minor successes...

The year after they promoted again to the Eerste Klasse and under English manager Jefferson and played well for a couple of seasons, even making a cup final in 1927, but ultimately lost to VUC. But for the first time in Dutch history Vitesse managed to beat an English squad, West Ham United, 3-2. After the 1927 season Jefferson left and the club again had troubles sportively, often fighting relegation. In 1935 Vitesse again relegated.

The following years Vitesse had troubles getting promoted again, and the Second World War didn't make football easier either. Under the watchful eye of the Germans, the players once formed a big V, which stood for 'Vrijheid' (Freedom) and 'Victorie' (Victory), though the Germans thought it was a symbol for Vitesse instead. It's a sign we still see sometimes before some matches. 

Immediatly after the liberation, Vitesse promoted once again to the Eerste Klasse, and in 1950, a new stadium is built, Nieuw-Monnikenhuize. In 1952/53 Vitesse won their first title in the Eerste Klasse B, but lost their championship matches, with RCH becoming Dutch champions.

Stadium Nieuw-Monnikenhuize

Professional football...

In 1954 professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, and in 1956 the Dutch Eredivisie and First Division (Two competitions) were formed. Vitesse began playing in the First Division during its inauguration. In 1962 however, the KNVB wanted just one First Division and Vitesse were as such 'relegated' to the Second Division. In 1966 Vitesse promoted to the First Division, and in 1971 Vitesse were lucky enough to get promoted to the Eredivisie for the first time. Vitesse profited from a fusion of Holland Sport and ADO, who formed FC Den Haag, and as a result, a spot became available for the Arnhemmers. They did not fare well and ended rock bottom, relegating again, lost to Ajax 12-1 (Fuck you @VyKing🥰), their biggest loss in history. After this Vitesse played different promotion matches, and in between 1977 and 1980 shortly played in the Eredivisie, then relegating again to the First Division.

Henk Bosvelt (right)

The rise with Karel Aalbers...

Financially the club didn't do well in the 80s, and in 1984 it came to a split of the professional and amateur division of the club, with the amateurs becoming Vitesse 1892. Meanwhile, many people were afraid that the club would soon be bankrupt, but the club was saved by the city council. Karel Aalbers, an entrepeneur of the city of Velp and new owner since 1984, had to convince the city council, who in turn wanted fans to show their true affection for the club. The next match against VVV-Venlo was for free and 7000 fans flocked to Nieuw-Monnikkenhuize. Aalbers (Also known as 'Emperor Karel') laid out his plans: To be a steady team in the Eredivisie, and perform consistently in Europe. NUON, the main sponsor, would help financially reaching these ambitions. Karel Aalbers once mentioned there is only room for one club in Gelderland (the province). This expression caused anger in Nijmegen (NEC) and Doetinchem (De Graafschap), and this is how the rivalry between (especially) Vitesse and NEC was born. 

Former owner Karel Aalbers

In 1988/89 the club promoted under the tutelage of cult trainer Bert Jacobs to the Eredivisie, and immediately after ended 4th in the Eredivisie, a feat no other promoted club has ever managed to do since. Also, Vitesse managed to reach the final of the KNVB Beker, but lost 1-0 to PSV, with Van Den Brom missing a penalty in the last minute of the game, he admitted recently he still has nightmares about it... 😅 Vitesse performed consistently thereafter and always was in the top six. In the UEFA Cup many memorable matches were played against teams such as Real Madrid, Inter, SC Braga and Sporting. Various players received invitations for the Dutch national team as well.

John van den Brom, also former manager of the club

In 1997 GelreDome was opened, a 25,000 all-seater with retractable roof. First scorer was Dejan 'DJ Superstar' Curovic, who also scored the last goal in Nieuw-Monnikenhuize. With Henk ten Cate as manager, and Nikos Machlas and Dejan Curovic as feared attacking duo, the club finished 3rd, their highest position to date. Machlas also received the Golden Shoe with his 34 goals.

1997/98 team

Financial troubles, fraud, and FC Hollywood near the Rhine...

This period was a nightmare for any supporter of any club, except if you're a Juventus fan, because shit hits the fan there on a weekly basis 🤣 Karel Aalbers was impeached in 2000 and suspected of fraud. During his reign he made a lot of debts due to the built of the very expensive GelreDome, purchasing expensive players, low transferfees in return, and he also made debts with NUON. NUON had paid their sponsership upfront and backed out of the contract, leaving Vitesse with a debt of 60M fld (26M Euro) to NUON. If it wasn't for the city council to step in, and the 'Vrienden van Vitesse' (Friends of Vitesse, three local entrepeneurs with a Vitesse heart), the club would definitely not exist anymore. Mr. Aalbers made a big financial mess of the club, but he is still in the hearts of many supporters, not mine, and that doesn't make my opinion popular with other fans. But on the other hand, it definitely had an impact on their fanbase as a whole, as from that point on, attendances in the stadium declined.

Vrienden van Vitesse

Sportively Vitesse still did okay, in charge was Mike Snoei at the time, and in 02/03 they had a decent European campaign in the UEFA Cup, first beating Rapid Boekarest. Werder Bremen was the next opponent, where at home Vitesse snatched a 2-1 win (I remember shouting Bück Dich (Rammstein song) at the German supporters 🤣). The away match was a nailbiter as Vitesse didn't play well and were 2-1 behind. With Krstajic scoring with great shot from distance, which went in by hitting the crossbar. Vitesse was down to ten men, as Rankovic got a red card for a very stupid tackle from behind. What happened next was nothing short of amazing, Gert Claessens (A Belgian midfielder) scored with a scorcher from distance, and in stoppage time, Emile Mbamba scored the 3-3, when he seized the ball from a defender of Werder in midfield and scored. To this day, this is my favorite match ever, it is still in my memory and whenever I'm in the mood, I still watch the summary of this match. After this we faced @Derek's Liverpool, but we unfortunately narrowly lost 1-0 in both matches.

Match summary

That same season the decline started as the club nearly avoided relegation, and ended 16th and thus had to play playoffs. It was clear the the club's financial issues also had an impact on the players. The next seasons that followed Vitesse had difficulties both sportively and obviously financially. The club earned the nickname 'FC Hollywood near the Rhine' because at this time period there was always something to talk about, mostly negative.

In 2008 entrepeneur Maasbert Shouten had a 20% stake at the club and - together with his company Afab - tried to support the club financially. In 2009 Vitesse legend Theo Bos became the manager, I will tell more about him in a later section. In 2010 the club again was in debt and Schouten demanded a 99% stake of the club in return for a loan. That same year Schouten looked for a buyer...

Maasbert Schouten

In Russian hands...

That same year he found a buyer, and Georgian businessman Merab Jordania became the new owner of the club. I'm sure Schouten lost millions on the deal to sell. Anyway, the press conference with the announcement of Jordania became, well, legendary. 'From now on, Vitesse will go for the title'. The whole country laughed their asses off, including me. Vitesse is the first Dutch club to fall into foreign hands.

Maasbert Schouten and new owner Merab Jordania

So, what happened here? For me personally I really have no idea, and there's so much rumours about this deal, it's unreal. Having said that, this deal always felt 'off' for me. Some say it's Abramovic, others say it's Chygrynski (They are friends of each other, so I read), and that Jordania was in fact a puppet. There was an obvious Chelsea connection, as Chelsea loaned out some decent players to Vitesse. Anyway, various players, mostly low quality, came to the club, and in the first year with Jordania at the helm the club again nearly avoided relegation. The club parted with Theo Bos early in the season in favour of Albert Ferrer, who played for FC Barcelona as a rightback earlier. He has to be worst coach Vitesse ever had, in my opinion. When I played bowling once, he came to the center actually demanding a lane to play on, very arrogant dude. 

Albert Ferrer

The next seasons saw some good investments in the club, and with Fred Rutten as manager, and Wilfried Bony as a profilic striker, the club ended 4th in 12/13. Wilfried Bony was chosen as 'Footballer of the Year' that season, scoring 31 goals in 30 matches. Bony never made it a secret that he plays for money, and as such refused to sign a new contract, and was sold to Swansea. Fred Rutten left the club, because Jordania and Rutten had a difference in vision, and Peter Bosz was the next manager. Bosz made the team play very attacking football, and a demanding high pressing game, at around half the season Vitesse was 2nd and could take over 1st to become winter champions, but didn't (The crowd was actually booing their own players and I was like: what the actual fuck are you moaning about?) The play did receive a lot of praise, for example the dismantling of PSV: 2-6.

Match summary

In the meantime a whole new training ground was formed at Sportcomplex Papandal, costing 100M Euro, and replacing 'De Slenk', which was litterally a swamp.

Dalibor Stevanovic training at 'De Slenk'

Sportcomplex Papendal

Rumours say Jordania spent too much money on the club, and the club still was a financial mess, Chygrynski took over shares. Also, Jordania seemed to be a hothead and shouted at another director: 'I WILL CUT OFF YOUR FUCKING FINGERS!!' during a discussion. Also, earlier, when the club was taken over by Jordania, then director Ted van Leeuwen had a hilarious interview with a Powned reporter. The reporter was - very obviously - just looking for sensation and a visibly annoyed Van Leeuwen (Who was a reporter himself) answered his stupid questions with a lot of sarcasm. When the reporter didn't get the sensational answers he wanted, and Van Leeuwen wanted to walk away, he asked the question again ('I ask you a very simple question and you just walk away'). Van Leeuwen: 'You're just not getting the right answers'. In the end the reporter askes if he is afraid of Jordania, to which he sarcastically replies: 'Oh yes, a lot, I look under my car every morning before I drive away'. 

Said interview between Powned and Ted van Leeuwen

Success...!

The first success, and only prize to date came in 2017, a KNVB Beker win! With Henk Fraser as manager, the club won its first ever prize. Vitesse normally don't do well in the KNVB Beker, but this time the club went all the way to the final, where they proved to be too strong against AZ, with Ricky van Wolfswinkel bagging two goals for the win. For me this is also (Obviously) a match to remember, it wasn't a very good match though. 

Match summary

Loads of fans (including me) went to celebrate this win, though attendances in the stadium still continue to decline. A lot of people say the club lost its soul, I agree with them to a certain level, there is no connection with the city of Arnhem, though Vitesse still remains my favorite club. Looking at the video below, and the early Gelredome days, the fanbase is definitely there, but still the club does not manage to attract those fans back to the stadium.

Celebration with the fans

Vitesse qualified for the first time in history for the then newly formed Europa League, but proved to be not strong enough at all to be contenders in their group. Fraser was fired not long after, and was succeeded once again by another club legend Edward Sturing for the remainder of the season. Under his guidance Vitesse managed to reach European football once again. At the end of 17/18 Valeri Ojf took over shares of Chygrinski, and became the new owner of the club.

Succes in Europe...

The next two seasons were not that successful, in 20/21 however, with German manager Thomas Letsch at the helm, that changed. In that season Vitesse ended in 4th place and managed to reach the final of the KNVB Beker again, though narrowly lost against Ajax 2-1. The next season Vitesse played in the newly formed European Conference League in a tough group with Tottenham Hotspur, Rennes and NS Mura, beating Dundalk FC and Anderlecht in quite impressive games to qualify. They beat Tottenham at home and narrowly lost away. Tottenham gave up their last game against Rennes, because of corona infections and Rennes received a reglementary win, and Vitesse, for the first time in Europe, went through to the next round. AS Roma was next after the winter break, and like I said before, they played like f-ing cowards, and won the tie luckily. Eventually Roma would be the first winners against Feyenoord in the final. 

Thomas Letsch

While impressing in Europe, the club didn't play too well in the competition, but managed 6th place, but lost the play-off final for European football.

Under pressure of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Valeriy Oyf was looking to sell his shares, and at the same time clear all debts (He invested 155M (!!) in the club during the 12 year Russian tenure), making an end to the Russian ownership.

In American hands...

The club was sold to the American investment company The Common Group, though the club is still waiting to this very day for approval of the KNVB. Which brings us to the current season (Finally, right??). A lot of strong players' contracts were expiring last season, and Vitesse had to be built up again. The club could not do much transfer-wise either because of the takeover, so had to rely on free transfers and loans. This season so far did not start out well, because of the quality of the selection, as well as how Letsch wanted to play. Bochum came and took over Letsch (At the right time, I believe) and former player Phillip Cocu is the new and current manager. Under his management so far Vitesse, with limited resources, managed to scrape a few more points in, and quite some impressive games (2-2 away to Ajax for example, they should have won that), but are close to the relegation zone in 13th place.

In the winter transfer period former Vitesse gem Davy Pröpper returned to the club, after retiring last season whilst at PSV, though he became injured with a nasty knee injury for the remainder of the season. Also, Marco van Ginkel returned, again a former player and Isimat-Marin was also brought in to strengthen the defence. 

Marco and Davy in a previous season

In 2018 Vitesse formally terminated their contract with the owner of stadium Gelredome, which is (I think) a suicidal action of the club. Vitesse believe the rent of the stadium is too high and want to pay a lower sum, and as such, they terminated the contract. if Vitesse didn't do that, the contract would be extended to 2043, with the same conditions. This issue has not been resolved to date, it will leave Vitesse without a venue, but Vitesse believe they have so called 'eternal playing rights' of the stadium. It has been a mud throwing contest in the media from both sides lately. Vitesse states Michael van der Kuit (Owner of Nedstede/Gelredome) does not want to talk to them at all, and he states Vitesse should come with a proposal. In my opinion this has been a dick measuring contest.. Vitesse has sued the owner, and the judge explicitly told them to talk. If Vitesse has no stadium to play in next season, before 1st March, the KNVB could take their license. However, I think it will not go this far.

Legends, icons and other former players

Vitesse has had quite a few famous players along the years, players you maybe know, or should know, or don't know at all...

Theo Bos

Theo Bos played his entire career at Vitesse as a defender, and is the true legend of the club. A no-nonsense center back. He also managed the club after his retirement, right before the club was taken over by Jordania. He went through all above transitions of the club, beginning with the promotion of the club in 1989. Unfortunately, he died in 2013, at the tender age of 47, of pancreatic cancer. The south stand (The most fanatic side) is named after him. 

Henk 'Charley' Bosveld

Another true legend of the club, who was a center midfielder and right winger. He has been chosen as the best Vitesse player of the 20th century. He died of a heart infarct at age 57 in 1998. The east stand is named in his honour.

Edward Sturing

While (Surprisingly) not a legend in the game, for me he is. Playing a total of 9 seasons for Vitesse, and was regularly (interim) manager of Vitesse after his playing career. He still is a coach at the club to this day, and actually, one of two legends still alive. The north stand is named after him.

Just Göbel

Former goalie, at the time (1920s) considered as one of the best goalies in Europe. The west stand is named after him.

Toon Huiberts

Former striker of Vitesse, and playing 17 seasons for them. After his career ended he became teammanager, scout, and host of the club. He died in 2005. The businessclub is named after him.

John van den Brom

An icon of the club, though before he moved to Ajax he flipped the middle finger to the Vitesse fans. Still, he also managed the club after retirement.

Guram Kashia

A more recent icon, also a cult player if you ask me. He came during the tenure of Jordania and just, well, impressed. Limited technically, but just a no-nonsense defender who has earned a lot of respect of the fans, including his (iconic) salute to a veteran in an Airborne match (More about that later).

Dejan Curovic

Another cult player of Vitesse, is DJ Superstar. He formed a deadly attacking duo together with Nikos Machlas. He died in 2019 at age 51 with sudden leukemia.

Other notable players

Other notable players include Jan Dommering (Still holds the record for most goals for Vitesse, 155), Nikos Machlas (Most goals in a season, 34), Theo Janssen, Nicky Hofs, Roy 'Das Phantom' Makaay, Phillip Cocu, Bob Peeters, Bosko Bursac, Ben Hofs, Frans de Munck ('The Black Panther'), Jan de Natris, Louis Laros, Stefan Nanu, Willem Hesselink, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Wilfried Bony, Mason Mount, Nemanja Matic, Piazon, Giorgi Chanturia, Valeriy Quazaishvili, Kelvin Leerdam, Matthew Amoah, Bryan Linssen, Mahamadou Diarra... The list goes on.

Players I met

I have met a few players over the years. Aleksandar Rankovic lived in my neighborhood when I was a kid, and I saw him sometimes. Tomas Kalas, while on loan from Chelsea, came into my store, and he was a very friendly, down to earth guy, and very polite. Renato Ibarra also visited my store, but he was like a stereotypical dude from the ghetto (Ecuador). Albert Ferrer I already told you about. Kashia, Quazaishvili and Chanturia (All Georgian) regularly played bowling together while at Vitesse. Piet Velthuizen (Former goalie) also came to play bowling and asked me questions about my style of play (I play bowling two-handed), as well as Theo Janssen and Nick Hofs.

Stadium and training ground

Stadium Gelredome

Opening in 1997 at the cost of 95M, stadium Gelredome was a very ambitious project of then-chairman Karel Aalbers. It has a retractable roof, and 25,000 seats. When it opened it was one of the most modern stadiums in its excistence. In 2000 it also hosted some UEFA Euro Cup matches. Dubbed the biggest theater in the Netherlands, it has hosted some memorable concerts and other events as well. Nowadays Vitesse rents the stadium of Nedstede, and in the event if Vitesse wants to own the stadium, Vitesse will have to pay a multi-million penalty, incured by the province of Gelderland, because of past financial problems. 

In the beginning Gelredome was mostly sold out, but as I pointed out before, people have lost connection with the club, I think it is averaging around 14 to 16,000 at the moment.

Sportcomplex Papendal

Replacing former training ground De Slenk, opening in 2013 at the cost of 100M. At the time one of the most modern training grounds in the Netherlands. Though Papendal also houses other sporting complexes for a lot of professional Olympic athletes.

Rivalries and other special matches

Rivals

NEC (Or Nek) from Nijmegen (Shitmegen) are Vitesse's most hated rivals and most heated derbies. It can be compared to 'De Klassieker' between Ajax and Feyenoord. Memorable matches include a nosebite of Sebastien Sansoni (Vitesse) against Roy Beerens (NEC, later played for Vitesse by the way), and a last minute winner of Piazon. Past season it came to riots when NEC lost, and their fans turned to the police. And, one of the stands of their stadium collapsed. Vitesse fans were celebrating the win, when suddenly the stand collapsed, luckily there was a container right under the stand which broke the fall, it could have been a lot worse! Make no mistake, this is the second most heated derby in my country, and hooligans of both clubs hate each other a lot. A match win can make an entire season for either team.

Other rivalries include De Graafschap. Both matches are named the Gelderse Derby, though me personally, don't find these very interesting. Though not a rival in the game, for me personally Ajax is also a massive rival, but that is perhaps because they're the club to beat here.

Yearly Airborne match

This match is played in September, and to remember the Second World War. Veterans are (or were) invited to this special occasion, and Vitesse always plays in a special kit in light blue and purple. 

I think I'm done here, unless I think of anything else, I'll update this post! I will start my game tomorrow!

Jay Hallam stood at the edge of the touchline, the sea air rolling in from the nearby coast, carrying with it the scent of salt and the distant cries of gulls. He was a long way from Sheffield. The steel city had shaped him, hardened him, but here, at the heart of Worthing FC, everything felt different—lighter, yet impossibly heavy.

His boots sank slightly into the damp turf as he surveyed the scene before him. The squad trained in short bursts, sharp movements against the grey of the evening sky. He knew their names now, knew their stats and strengths, but they were still strangers in practice. It was one thing to pore over match footage and formations late into the night; it was another to command respect on this modest pitch, miles from the grandeur of football’s elite.

At thirty-nine, Hallam had lived and breathed the game—but always from the sidelines. A talented midfielder in his youth, he had once dreamed of playing at Hillsborough, pulling the strings for his boyhood club, Sheffield Wednesday. But football had never promised fairness, and by the time he reached his mid-twenties, a torn ACL had stripped him of the career he had envisioned.

Rather than drift into bitterness, Hallam rebuilt himself in the background of the sport. He earned his coaching badges, studied the tactical innovations of the game, and built a reputation as a keen analyst. Clubs in the lower leagues sought him out for opposition scouting, tapping into his meticulous eye for detail. He wasn’t a name, wasn’t a flashy ex-pro with international caps—but those who worked with him knew he understood football on a deeper level.

Still, understanding the game and leading men through it were two very different challenges. Worthing wasn’t a glamour move. It was a risk, a leap, a test. The Vanarama South was unforgiving, demanding grit and adaptability. He knew that. And still, here he stood.

He inhaled deeply, pulled his jacket tighter against the breeze, and took his first steps onto the training pitch. This was his club now. His players. His responsibility.

And no spreadsheet could prepare him for that.

Thanks to Google Gemini for the title idea 😉 
 

Have been playing moneyball with Wolves, after being inspired by Clayts and Munstermann. You can find them on youtube, I would definitely recommend it!

Holidayed the first season and Wolves caught my eye, they finished 11th and qualified for Conference League after winning Carabao Cup, took over end the season. Currently, in my second season with them.

2nd Season

 
Weird thing was that Tottenham won the title at Arsenal after beating them! 😵‍💫

Finished 6th and beat Liverpool to win Carabao Cup. Also won Conference League

Transfers

Going to pick few decent ones, that have made huge impact.

Have to say this is the best signing I have made by far, joined the club in January 2025, impressive record! 

Another top class signing in goal for us, Been superb.

Genuinely can't believe how I got him for 6M, What a signing and already dominating in 3rd season. Was top of the charts on key passes and passes completed while using FMdatalab

It may looks painfully slow to look at data but absoutely worth it in the end, I wouldn't even sign any of those players if I wasn't doing moneyball 😂

3rd season so far

Amazed how we have started the season, with us facing the big boys already! Gutted about Liverpool loss as they scored with last kick of the game 😞 

The Challenge

To win every continental title in the 5 confederations.

The Route

We are starting in Africa in the South African 1st division, moving onto Asia>North America>South America>Europe

The Rules

We start with zero coaching badges and Sunday league management. The aim to develop as a manager as we progress.

We only apply for managerial jobs that see us progress.

Once we win a continental trophy we leave that team to look for a job in the next continent.

The database

Using the most upto date transfers from around the world

Post updates

Once a month I will update with a summary and screenshots of my progress

Another thread from me! This time it's in France and have picked Stade Rennais FC, I believe they are fame for their academy, hopefully I can keep the trend going, and promote youngsters and sell on for huge money!

Crazy to see all those decent players came through!

Season so far

Very unlucky to lose to Monaco, they scored the winner in 90th minutes.

PSG only goal was coming from defender mistake. Their keeper got MOTM.

Transfers

Not alot to say, only signed Hirving Lozano, on free.

We also just been taken over by Swiss tycoon, will be interesting for the club, got 82M to spend, will focus on the youngsters and hopefully improve the coaching team across the club.

Will try and update as much as I can due to work!

After Matt lost the files for his saves (stupid Matt!), we now start the High-Five Journeyman! Starting with a random club in the top 5 leagues in Europe, can we become one of the best managers around? There's only one way to find out!

I have decided to start FM24 with FC Utrecht, in Holland. I feel they are a decent middle team and build the club up 🙂 Finances isn't great to start with, 4M in the bank and around 2M to spend. Wage budget is terrible, was way over budget before having to sell key players and deadwood to reduce the budget.

Transfers

Feels happy with the signings I have made.

Yes, I have signed 38 years old Papiss Cissé, purely for back up/impact sub

3 goals in 3 apps so far, even tho he is complaining he wants to be a first team starter! 😄

OUT

Toornstra was top earner and was 34! had to hire an intermediary to sell him!

Avest, handed transfer request cos I didn't improve the forward department even tho I have. Silly bugger.

Eredivisie

League so far, I am very surprised how well we have started this season, albit we are a point ahead of PSV, who we faced next 😄

Hoping to do monthly updates and will post whenever I can due to work commitment.

A FRESH NEW START HAS BEGUN! Taking our completely inexperienced manager we aim to conquer the world and become the greatest manager the world has ever seen! Starting unemployed who will be our first club?

BACK BY UNPOPULAR DEMAND... THE WORST TACTIC THE WORLD OF FM HAS EVER SEEN... HAS RETURNED! Yes that's right folks our manager Nit Wit is back and he has created a really bad tactic in the aim of taking Chelsea from Premier League to League Two. With possible bankruptcies in the middle!

I am here to rewrite past wrongs with Arsenal! Last year I used the three worst Football Manager tactics in the world and got them relegated to League 2. Now we aim to conquer not just England but Europe as well with the Gunners!

Arthur is a Performance Analyst a career he started from his love of Football Manager and past researching experience for SI to help create the game he loves.

Born and raised in the picturesque town of Sheffield, Alfie grew up surrounded by the echoes of football chants and the aroma of freshly brewed tea. His love for the game blossomed as he kicked a worn-out ball against the cobbled streets, dreaming of managing a team to glory.

It was a rough night for Arthur who had just been on the bus parade with the team and joined in the celebrations through town, as he drives down Hanover Way in the city centre Arthur has unknowingly received an email for a potentially new opportunity.

Football Manager 2024 is here! And like every year we start off our adventures in Football Manager's new game with my beloved Derby County! After heartbreak not getting into the playoffs last season can I take over from Paul Warne and get the Rams back in to the Championship?

Matt's lost his saves when getting a new laptop. Because of this we are here in France with Strasbourg with the top five countries in the world loaded. The aim is to do our best until the end of FM23 and the start of the FM24 Beta!

So I had an issue with FM and I lost my saves and couldn't run the game either. So I've got that resolved now and I'm back to take 1860 Munich to the Bundesliga (well hopefully).

I've made some transfers and I'm really excited to see how our keeper Gauer develops during this save.

So how is it going? Well, so far so good as we sit top at the halfway point and on a decent unbeaten run after coming through a tough run.

The star of the show so far seems to be Vrenezi and keeping him fit is the only way we will see this through to promotion. He's been there with either an assist or a goal whenever it's mattered

Zero To Hero is back again for the FM23 game cycle. Starting as a Zero can we become a Hero of the game? We begin with Brazilian manager Aleixo who has just joined Prestatyn Town in Wales. With our first game soon to be played will we do good? Or realise there's lots of work to do?

Just finished my first season with Lens and wow, didn't even expect to see us finishing 2nd! Just created a tactic based on the players at the club and literally flew off. Pushed PSG all the way til 10 games left, and sadly they beat us and pulled away. Maybe I am overachieving already with Lens?

Also, huge special mentions goes to Openda, who smashed 42 goals in 39 games in all competitions! Surprised he haven't got called up to Belgium senior squad ffs.

Huge mention to Jovic, who absolutely caused havoc down the left hand side

TRANSFERS 

Most of them are already signed when I took over,

I have signed the following players
Hedl, Jovic, Datro Fofana, Christensen, Guliksen and Pascanu and Marshall-Rutty and few many youngsters.

Pretty please with Rutty's development since joining
 

Out - Fofana wanted to leave due to Spurs interest in him so off he went.

Slowly playing Sylla, more into first team football as Fofana's replacement and seems to have done well.
 

Lastly, we won Coupe de France!
 

Surprised we won it easily in the final, especially with Le Harve, knocked out PSG in the semi-final!
 

Vitesse zuigt, Ajax regel.

Now that is out of the way, welcome to my journey with Ajax. Did you know the name Ajax was derived after a figure in Greek Mythology? No? Me neither but here we are.

Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːjɑks]), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the legendary Greek hero) is the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 36 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie, since the league's inception in 1956 and, along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated that competition.

Ajax was one of the most successful clubs in the world in the 20th century. According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, Ajax were the seventh-most successful European club of the 20th century and The World's Club Team of the Year in 1992.^[5] According to German magazine Kicker, Ajax were the second-most successful European club of the 20th century. The club is one of five teams that have earned the right to keep the European Cup and to wear a multiple-winner badge. In 1972, they completed the continental treble by winning the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup. They also won the first (albeit unofficial) European Super Cup against Rangers in January 1973. Ajax's most recent international trophies are the 1995 Intercontinental Cup, 1995 UEFA Super Cup and the 1995 Champions League, where they defeated Milan in the final; they lost the 1996 Champions League final on penalties to Juventus. In 1995, Ajax was crowned as World Team of the Year by World Soccer magazine.

Ajax is also one of four teams to win the continental treble and the Intercontinental Cup or Club World Cup in the same season/calendar year;^[6] this was achieved in the 1971–72 season.^[7] Ajax are one of five clubs to have won all three major UEFA club competitions.^[8] They have also won the Intercontinental Cup twice, the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, as well as the Karl Rappan Cup, a predecessor of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1962.^[9] Ajax plays at the Johan Cruyff Arena, which opened as the Amsterdam ArenA in 1996 and was renamed in 2018. They previously played at De Meer Stadion and the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium (for international matches). Throughout their history, Ajax have cultivated a reputation for scouting, spotting and developing young talent, and have remained focused on developing a youth system.

Information

Bodens BK is a Swedish football club located in Boden in Norrbotten. The club was formed on 2 November 1916^[1] and began playing soccer in 1918.^[2] It is currently playing in the fourth tier of Swedish football, Division 2.

Bit of History

During the three seasons of 2003 to 2005, Boden played in the second highest division, Superettan, which made them the northernmost team in Swedish professional football by a margin of 400 km or more, depending on season.

After successfully staying up with some margin in 2003, the ensuing season saw Boden barely scrape through to avoid relegation on the last day of the season. The 2005 Superettan campaign appeared to be the most successful thus far, and included memorable victories against teams such as the previous year's top-flight residents Örebro SK (1–0) and AIK (5–1). With 24 games played and stunning form Boden seemed safe at mid-table, but failure to win or even draw any of their last six games, together with the Phoenix-like resurrection of near-discarded Mjällby AIF, saw the latter team secure a new contract while relegating Boden to the newly recreated Division 1.

For the 2006 season, the club which had managed to keep hold of several key players, entertained an outspoken ambition of instantly returning to Superettan. However, injuries to important staff such as the two main new signings, New Zealand striker Brent Fisher and American midfielder Ryan Caugherty, as well as poor results away from home, meant the team finished at a mediocre 8th place. The following season resulted in another mid-table finish. In 2008, Boden were relegated from Division 1 after finishing last, failing to record a single win in their last nine games.

Unlike what had been the case after their Superettan relegation in 2005, Boden did manage to immediately bounce back from Division 2 in 2009. In their first season back at Sweden's fourth tier level since 1998, the club produced a strong season finish, winning eight out of their last nine games and eventually the league, five points clear of local rivals IFK Luleå. Once back in Division 1, the objective for 2010 was survival, which was ensured only in the last game of the season, when Boden defeated Carlstad United away from home, leapfrogging that team into 10th place and a renewed contract. Unable to repeat the accomplishment, Boden were again relegated to Division 2 in 2011, finishing nine points from safety and winning only four league games.

In the two years that followed, Boden were unable to regain promotion, finishing fifth in Division 2 on both occasions. In 2014, the club produced an eighth-place finish, after uninspiring results.

Full name	Bodens Bollklubb
Nickname(s)	BBK
Founded	2 November 1916; 106 years ago
Ground	Boden Arena, Boden, Sweden
Capacity	5,300 seats, FIFA 2-star qualification
Chairman	Olle Lindström
Manager	Jamie Hallam
League	Division 2 Norrland
2019	Division 1 Norra, 14th

7 games to go, 2 points in it 😬, as you can see from the stats, Haaland is a beast, almost double the goals of the next person