VyKing

The new season has begun new rules to "help" speed up the game (This is the EFL). Cracking game to kick it off last night Wolves vs Blackburn, Wolves being one of the favourite teams to bounce back up to the prem, finishing 2-2. On a personal level, Sheffield Wednesday under new ownership start our League one campaign away at Leyton Orient. Personally I'd be happy with a mid table finish as we work under transfer restrictions. We can only spend 2mill per season on transfer fees and loan fees, this season and next. Here are my promotion and relegation predictions within the EFL starting with the Championship. 1st. I can't see past West Ham, spent the money wisely and kept hold of Bowen. 2nd. Southampton, I believe the pain of being thrown out (deservedly) of the play offs will fuel them to push for automatics and will nip it at the end Play off winner - Wolves I believe will finish 3rd but are strong enough to get through the play offs and win it. Relegated teams - Lincoln City, losing their manager to Bristol in pre season won't have helped preparations. Bolton Wanderers, I don't believe they have strengthened well enough to stay up Charlton Athletic, I believe will fight hard but miss out. League One. 1st Plymouth Argyle - Always been a strong team and came good under Tom Cleverly unlucky to miss out last season. 2nd Luton Town - Jack Wilshere will want to prove himself with Luton, I can see them being very hard to beat Play off winner - Leicester City, Everyone has them as favourites but I think off field issues will hamper them in their quest for automatics. Playoffs and play off winners. Relegation - Bromley, I believe their first ever season at this level will be too much of a step for them and we will see them struggle. Mansfield, always their or their abouts in a relegation scrap, Clough has brought in experience but experience alone won't win them games Notts County, I just can't see where they stay up. Stevenage, This club deserves to be up there pushing for playoffs but they're a yoyo club at this level and will struggle to stay up this season after a fantastic year last year. League Two. 1st Swindon - I think they'll have a very strong start to the season and Holloway will guide them up. 2nd Walsall - A very good team and very strong at this level 3rd Chesterfield - been unlucky last 2 seasons finishing in the play offs and missing out. Play off winner - Grimsby Town, can't explain why on this one just a gut feeling. Relegation - York City - sacking their manager so close to the start of the season after winning the league to gain promotion, watching them in the league cup vs crawley the players didn't seem to want to be there. Will be a long season. Newport County - Been flirting with relegation for the last 2 seasons can't see them surviving a 3rd fight. What are your predicitons?

Has anyone had any luck recreating these in FM26? 🤣

Some background into this 4-2-3-1, The year is 2033 I've just been appointed the manager of Kaiserslautern after a stint in Norway with Bodo/Glimt. I wanted a defensively solid 4231 and I wanted to see what AI could cook up. This set of tactics saved Kaiserslautern from the bottom 3 finishing mid table after starting in Jan. The following season got me promoted. I then started using it in my Cleethorpes to prem save with the results below. If you give this a try please let don't hesitate to provide feedback and how it went for you. Happy to answer any questions. Jan 2023 2033/34 Cleethorpes Town save 2025/26 first 8 games in The tactics. ChatGPT 4231 Positive - This version is to use when you are all out favourites to win the game. And your weekly prep is High Press, created knowing you have a far superior team and are comfy going forward. ChatGPTBall 4231 Stronger team - I use this tactic as my main currently as it's a balanced style of play with emphasis on being solid at the back but hitting the team on the counter. ChatGPT 4231 Protect Lead - This is the tactic I switch too if the game is still 1-0 by the 60th+ minute and the game is tight you need to hold onto the lead to see out the 3 points. ChatGPTBall 4231.zip

Hi Mateusz, Welcome to the FMG community, it's a pleasure to have you here. Pull up a seat grab a cup have a good cup of Yorkshire tea and hope to see you around the place :)

With how this game was released and requiring constant fixes still now, I'm not 100% invested yet. If when it drops they fix a lot of things at the same time as hit the ground running in the lead up to FM27 it may go along way to fixing fans trust in the franchise.

I've given up with Call of Duty in general last 2 years have been the first 2 I've not bought it. Going the same way with FC at the minute

I really enjoyed watching this video and seeing the comparison to the game Miles was pitching vs the game we got. It highlights how little progress was made in the 2 years they took to get this game made and released. It does make me wonder and worry about the direction we go for FM27 onwards.

It's been out over a month now with a fair few patches released. How are we finding it? Anyone who originally didn't? Have you gone back to try again? Those who have stuck with it? Have you grown to enjoy it?

Hey bud, First of all welcome to the forum, I’m your friendly neighbourhood Yorkshire tea rep of this place. Also a Yorkshireman. I too remember the good old days of times gone, what I have noticed despite the loss of a lot of places usually due to inactivity of said forums and growth of such things like discord etc, is that a lot of the old guard still linger in a lot of places, here for example we have a few from the old scene. Great to have you here though 😌 would love to see new ideas etc. Enjoy the site and grab yourself a nice cup of Yorkshire! VyKing.

Pass The Save.fm Who's next up to carry on @Tempelman's story? @Derek@Johno@Tempelman And anyone else wanting to take this historic club to the next level.

Vitesse Arnhem 2024-25: Mission Accomplished – 12th Place, 51 PointsKeuken Kampioen Divisie – Final Standings (May 8, 2025) Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts 8 Jong AZ 38 16 11 11 79 61 59 9 ADO Den Haag 38 15 11 12 51 49 56 10 MVV Maastricht [PL] 38 15 10 13 49 44 55 11 VVV-Venlo 38 15 7 16 45 48 52 12 Vitesse Arnhem 38 17 12 9 70 56 51 13 Jong Ajax 38 11 14 13 58 61 47 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 17 FC Den Bosch 38 9 9 20 41 65 36 Points earned on the pitch: 63. Sanctions: -12. From -12 to 12th. No one saw it coming. Everyone saw it end right. The Final Eight: A Rollercoaster to RespectabilityMD Date Opponent Result Venue Key Moment 31 Mar 20 SC Cambuur 2-2 Draw Home Van der Werff's 89' equaliser (FK) 32 Mar 27 TOP Oss 1-0 Win Home Bonnah's 25-yard curler 33 Apr 3 Willem II 2-3 Loss Away Conceded 2 in 3 mins (late collapse) 34 Apr 10 RKC Waalwijk 3-3 Draw Home 3 goals in 12 mins (madness) 35 Apr 17 Roda JC 2-1 Win Away Zaal's 92' header from Bonnah cross 36 Apr 24 VVV-Venlo 1-0 Win Home Manhoef's solo run & finish 37 May 1 De Graafschap 3-5 Loss Away Derby heartbreak (3 red cards) 38 May 8 FC Emmen 2-0 Win Home Clean sheet seals safety Run: 3W-2D-3L | +5 GD From 37 points (MD30) to 51. Play-off dreams faded after the De Graafschap carnage, but survival? Secured with style. The Defining Moments of the Run-InRoda JC 1-2 Vitesse (MD35 – The Away Day That Felt Like Promotion) Play-off chasers at home, 1-0 up until the 92nd. Solomon Bonnah swings in a corner straight from the Bendtner set-piece bible. Timo Zaal rises like a salmon, buries it. 4,500 away fans turn Kerkrade yellow-and-black. Bendtner on the bench: fists pumping, pink shades flying. "That's my centre-back!" VVV-Venlo 1-0 Vitesse (MD36 – The Quiet Killer) Tense, gritty, perfect. Million Manhoef picks up a loose ball in midfield, nutmegs two, slots it home. Gelredome exhales. Luuk in post-match: "Sometimes you don't need fireworks. You just need three points." De Graafschap 5-3 Vitesse (MD37 – The Derby That Broke Hearts) The one that haunts. 2-1 up at half-time in Doetinchem, then three reds (two harsh, one stupid) and a collapse. 15,000 Superboeren fans mock the bus home. Luuk to the players post-match: "That hurt because we were better. Use it." (They did.) Vitesse 2-0 FC Emmen (MD38 – Perfect Send-Off) Final whistle. Safety confirmed. Bonnah & Van der Werff link-up for 1-0; Zaal nods in the second. 16,284 in the stands – highest of the season. Fireworks, scarves, "Sweet Caroline" for 20 minutes straight. Luuk walks onto the pitch alone, points to the badge, and the roof lifts. Season in Numbers: The HeroesPlayer Apps G A Standout Stat Solomon Bonnah 37 5 4 PoM 3, Avg Rat 7.19 David van der Werff 26(2) 12 4 PoM 4, Avg Rat 7.16 Timo Zaal 38 5 4 91% pass acc., Elias Huth 27(6) 11 2 xG 12.7 Bendtner Impact: 28 of 70 goals from open play. His "psychopaths" finished top-10 for goals despite the chaos. Tempelman's End-of-Season Reflection (Gelredome Presser, May 8)"Twelve months ago, we had nine players and a minus-twelve noose. Today? Twelfth place. 51 points. A team that fights. A city that believes. We didn't make play-offs. But we made Vitesse Vitesse again. Solomon Bonnah? Player of the Season. David van der Werff? Future star. Nicklas? The madman who made us finish. Next year? Eredivisie. That's not hope. That's the plan." Post-match, the squad laps the pitch. Bendtner leads a conga line – pink shades on, Danish flags waving. Fans throw scarves. In the tunnel, Temp hugs his dad: "The logo looks good up there now." Legacy: From Pixels to PrideAttendance: +28% (12,847 avg.) Club Shop: Scarves up 400%. New "Thuis" range sold out. FM 2026: Tempelman's logo pack includes a "De Vries Edition" with flames. The Kid in Presikhaaf: Downloaded the demo. Chose Vitesse first. Minus twelve became plus pride. Tempelman didn't just manage a team. He rebuilt a badge. See you in 2026-27. THUIS – TROTS – TEMPO.

Vitesse Arnhem – 30 Games In: The Halfway HouseKeuken Kampioen Divisie – Matchday 30 (April 5, 2025) Current Standings: Pos Team Pld Pts 8 Willem II 30 47 9 Jong AZ 30 46 10 Jong Ajax 30 43 11 VVV-Venlo 29 43 12 Ado Den Haag 29 41 13 Vitesse 30 37 ... ... ... ... 17 FC Den Bosch 30 21 *(Points earned on the pitch: 49. Sanctions: -12. Safety secured. Play-offs? 10 points away, but the maths still works.) Temp stands in the Papendal canteen on a drizzly Monday, marker pen in hand, circling the "37" on the whiteboard like it's a personal dare. "Thirty games," he tells the backroom staff over koffie. "We started at minus twelve. Now we're eleventh on merit. Thirteenth with the baggage. That's not a story. That's a fucking statement." The Grind: What 30 Games Look LikeW: 13 | D: 10 | L: 17 Goals: 54-42 (finally positive) Away record: 7W-7D-2L (the real miracle) Attendances: 15,030 avg. (Theo Bos Stand sold out 14/15 home games) No more minus points panic. No more "survival" whispers. The Gelredome faithful now chant for promotion. But 10 points off 8th with 8 games left? It's a sprint. Temp's mantra in every presser: "We're not chasing shadows. We're chasing the badge." The Focal Points: Three Wins That Defined the SurgeVitesse 1-0 Almere City A Elias Huth 5th minute goal was all it took. Bendtner in post-match: "That's how you make a statement on a Saturday" Jong FC Utrecht 1-2 Vitesse Ice-cold execution. Schwarz's 60-yard radar pass for 1-0; his overlapping run for 2-0. "Little Ronnie" Temp: "SChwarz is our little magician" Vitesse 5-2 Helmond Sport The comeback etched in Gelderland folklore. 2-0 down → 3-2 up in 18 minutes. Bonnah and Van der Werff running the show. TikTok clip: 3.2M views. Bendtner to the ref: "That's my left-back, ref!" The Heroes Holding It TogetherPlayer Apps G A Key Stat Solomon Bonnah (LB) 29 4 4 1.4 xG 3 PoM David van der Werff (AM) 18 4 3 xG 5, xA 4.5, Pass % 93% Timo Zaal (CDM) 30 5 3 91% pass accuracy Elias Huth (ST) 19(6) 8 1 xG 7.5 Bendtner Effect: 18 of 48 goals from open play. "My little psychopaths," he calls them. Sessions now feature "Bendtner Drills": 1v1s where losers do press-ups while he narrates their Arsenal misses. The Road Ahead: 24 Points Up for GrabsDate Opponent Venue Notes MD31 (Mar 20th) SC Cambuur Home Must-win (we drew 1-1 in October) MD32 (Mar 27th) TOP Oss Home Play-off chasers MD33 (Apr 3rd) Willem II Away Must-win MD34 (Apr 10th) RKC Waalwijk Home Chance to beat a promotion chaser MD35 (Apr 17th) Roda JC Away Play-off chaser MD36 (Apr 24th) VVV-Venlo Home MD37 (May 1st) De Graafschap Away Warm-up for finale MD38 (May 8th) FC Emmen Away Potential Play-off spot Maximum haul: 37+24=61 pts. Enough for top-8 in most scenarios. Realistic: 5 wins = 52 pts. Play-off contention. Minimum: 3 wins = 46 pts. Safe mid-table, head held high. Temp's Locker Room Memo (Pinned to Every Door) On April 5th, after a 3-0 win over FC Dordrecht, the squad bus back to Arnhem blasted "Sweet Caroline." Bendtner stood up, pink sunglasses on, and yelled: "Eight games to make the world remember Vitesse again!" Solomon Bonnah, quiet as ever, just nodded at Van der Werff: "We got this." In Presikhaaf, that kid with Football Manager 2026 is already editing the Vitesse badge with flames around it. Temp's pixels are about to become playoffs. Or at least, that's the plan.

Nicklas Bendtner's Coaching Journey: From "Lord" to the TouchlineNicklas Bendtner, the Danish striker once as famous for his on-pitch bravado and off-pitch memes as for his goals, hung up his boots in 2021 at age 33. But football's pull proved too strong. "Football is a big part of my life and I cannot leave it," he said at the time. What followed was a deliberate, if unconventional, pivot into coaching—one fueled by redemption, elite mentorship, and a hunger to pass on lessons from a career that saw him score 113 goals across Arsenal, Juventus, Wolfsburg, and beyond, but also stumble through scandals and self-doubt. The Spark: Badges and Reflection (2020–2021)Bendtner's coaching ambitions surfaced publicly in late 2020, amid his final playing stint at FC Copenhagen. In interviews, he spoke of enrolling in UEFA coaching courses, viewing them as a way to "have what it takes" for management. His autobiography, Both Sides (published that year), laid bare the pitfalls he'd navigated—gambling addiction, a 2013 drink-driving ban that sidelined him from Denmark duty, and clashes with managers like Arsène Wenger. "I've been unlucky, but I've been seeking bad luck," he reflected, hinting at the wisdom he now wanted to impart to young players. Retirement came quietly in June 2021 after a brief, nostalgic spell with Tårnby FF's "M+32 Old Boys" team—a fourth-tier Danish side for over-32s where he kept fit with old mates. "I’ll spend a lot of time understanding that it's really over now," he told Danish TV, but added he hoped coaching would "give me as much or maybe more than it did as a player." By then, he'd quietly begun his UEFA A Licence, drawing on contacts from his playing days: Wenger, his Arsenal mentor; Ståle Solbakken at Copenhagen; and even a nod to Jürgen Klopp. Building Blocks: Internships with the Elite (2022–2024)Bendtner's early coaching path was less about head roles and more about apprenticeship—shadowing the best to build credentials. In 2022, he completed practical stints as part of his UEFA progression: Arsenal (with Mikel Arteta): A homecoming to the club where he'd scored 43 goals in 153 games. Bendtner observed Arteta's sessions, absorbing the Spaniard's emphasis on possession and mentality. "I've been very lucky to have been coached by some of the greatest managers," he later said, name-dropping Arteta as a key phone-a-friend. Arsenal staff reportedly reacted with amused skepticism when he first mentioned his badges—"You????" one quipped in a 2025 documentary. Liverpool (with Jürgen Klopp): Another Premier League giant. Bendtner trained under Klopp's high-intensity Gegenpressing regime, gaining insight into man-management from a coach known for turning misfits into winners. "He talks to them at the highest level," noted Ranheim's Kåre Ingebrigtsen of Bendtner's network. FC Copenhagen: A return to his boyhood club, where he bridged theory and practice by mentoring academy forwards. His brief 2019–2020 playing spell here had already given him insider cred. These weren't token visits; they were mandated "practice" for his badges, blending humility with his trademark swagger. By 2023, he'd earned his UEFA A Licence, positioning him for senior roles. "I really want to take the coaching courses," he'd said a year earlier, and now he had the paper to prove it. First Steps: Youth and Assistant Gigs (2023–2025)With credentials in hand, Bendtner dipped into hands-on work. In 2023, he joined Rosenborg BK—where he'd scored 23 goals in 2017–2018—as a youth coach, focusing on strikers. It was a natural fit: the Norwegian club valued his experience with "hungry" talents, echoing Wenger's old praise. He drilled finishing drills and shared stories of his Arsenal loans (Birmingham, Sunderland) to teach resilience. By early 2024, he moved to Ranheim IL, a second-tier Norwegian side, as an assistant under Ingebrigtsen. Here, Bendtner handled forward coaching and set-piece analysis, his 6'4" frame still imposing as he demonstrated headers. "He has taken coaching training, and then he needs a bit of 'practice'," Ingebrigtsen explained. Ranheim's mid-table finish that season owed much to improved attacking output, with locals crediting Bendtner's "villain-to-mentor" vibe—drawing from his own redemption arc. Off the pitch, Bendtner stayed visible: podcasts, a 2025 documentary revisiting his Arsenal days, and social media posts blending humor (pink sunglasses selfies) with insight. Fans on X speculated wildly—"I’d love to see Nicklas Bendtner as a coach. Think he has the personality," one wrote in January 2025. Another joked about his potential to manage Arsenal, citing past wage excesses. The Big Leap: Vitesse Arnhem (2025–Present)Bendtner's breakthrough came in summer 2025, when Dutch second-division side Vitesse Arnhem—relegated and reeling from near-bankruptcy—tapped him as first-team coach under rookie manager Templeman. It was a bold hire: Bendtner, 36, arrived via Ryanair in a Louis Vuitton bag and pink shades, turning heads in Arnhem. (In this timeline, his Ranheim stint impressed Degryse, Vitesse's Belgian scout, who saw echoes of a "Danish Dani Alves" in the club's needs.) His role? Sharpening attackers in a squad blending youth (like David van der Werff) and grit. Bendtner's sessions mix Klopp intensity with Arteta finesse—possession games laced with "SHOOT, YOU COWARDS!" barked in four languages. He's credited with transforming Vitesse's front line: from minus-12 points (due to sanctions) to 17th on 16 by Christmas 2025, with clean sheets and away wins galore. Left-back Solomon Bonnah calls him "King Sol's drill sergeant," but Bendtner just grins: "I know what it's like to be written off at 28." Legacy in the MakingAt 37 (as of November 2025), Bendtner's journey is far from over. He's eyed for head roles—whispers of Rosenborg or even a Danish national youth post—but insists he's in no rush. "If I'm ever in doubt... I have a few numbers in my phonebook," he quipped. From meme to mentor, he's proof that football forgives the fallen. As one X user put it, "The transfer market is cooked over 80 mil for a Nicklas Bendtner"—but on the touchline, he's priceless.

Vitesse Arnhem – Kerstborrel 2025: From Minus Twelve to Sixteenth (Almost Respectable)19 down, 19 to play. Keuken Kampioen Divisie table on 12 December 2025: Vitesse Arnhem  16 points (−12 start → current total 28 earned on the pitch) FC Emmen    14 pts Helmond Sport   13 pts FC Den Bosch   12 pts The punishment is still there in the ledger, but it no longer feels like a death sentence. It feels like a mortgage we’re paying off faster than anyone thought possible. Temp gathers the squad in the Gelredome tunnel on a cold festive evening, the place smelling of mulled wine and frying kroketten from the supporters’ club upstairs. He doesn’t make speeches any more; he just shows them the league table on his phone and says, “Look. We’re not a meme any more. We’re a proper football team again.” The Three Away Days That Changed EverythingFC Den Bosch 0-4 Vitesse (Matchday 10 – October storm, plastic pitch, 2 300 away fans who’d driven through horizontal rain) Solomon Bonnah decided that night that left-back is apparently the most attacking position in modern football. Two assists, one screamer into the top corner from 22 metres, and a last-man tackle in the 89th that had Bendtner on the touchline applauding like he’d just seen prime Ashley Cole. The four goals were all different, all gorgeous. Van der Werff, Zaal (header), a Bonnah rocket, and a cheeky back-heel from millionaire-in-waiting Million Manhoef. Den Bosch’s PA played “Simply the Best” ironically after the fourth. Our fans sang it for the next forty-five minutes straight. TOP Oss 0-2 Vitesse (Matchday 16 – Friday night, minus three degrees, pitch like glass) Classic smash-and-grab. Bonnah again: 60-metre diagonal that David van der Werff took on the chest and volleyed in for 1-0, then a 93rd-minute break where Solomon simply refused to stop running and slid the second in himself. Afterwards the TOP Oss chairman joked in the tunnel, “We didn’t lose to Vitesse tonight. We lost to Solomon Bonnah FC.” FC Emmen 2-3 Vitesse (Matchday 19 – the night the Gelredome believed in miracles again) Down 2-0 after 31 minutes. Roof ready to come off for all the wrong reasons. Then Bonnah picks the ball up on the left touchline, looks up once, and plays a pass with the outside of his boot that threads three defenders and finds Van der Werff for 2-1. Ten minutes later he wins a penalty (fair), converts the rebound after the keeper saves it (debatable), and in the 89th heads in the winner from a corner. Final whistle: 4 000 away fans in the tiny stand singing his name like he’s a returning king. Solomon – quiet, polite, 21 years old from Rotterdam – just points to the Vitesse crest and walks off. The clip has 1.8 million views on TikTok and counting. Solomon Bonnah – The Unexpected HeartbeatSigned on a free from FC Utrecht’s second team in the summer because Marc Degryse rang Temp and said, “Trust me on this one, he’s Dani Alves with a Dutch passport.” Nineteen starts, two goals, four assists already. Defends like he’s angry at the ball. Attacks like the byline owes him money. Bendtner has stopped calling him Solomon. Now it’s just “King Sol” – delivered every single time with theatrical sarcasm that somehow feels like the highest praise. The Bigger Picture at Christmas28 points earned on the pitch would put us 9th. Only five defeats in nineteen. Three clean sheets (Zaal and the evergreen Ranon reading each other’s minds). David van der Werff joint top of the assist charts. And the Gelredome attendances creeping back above 14 000. Temp ends the session early. He lines the players up on the centre circle, snow starting to fall inside the open roof, and says only this: “Minus twelve in August. Sixteen points halfway through the season. That’s twenty-eight reasons to believe we’re doing something right. We're hunting top half. Not survival. Because this badge deserves more than just staying alive.” Solomon Bonnah is the last to leave the pitch. He stands under the crest he now carries every week, looks up at the dark Arnhem sky, and quietly says “Bedankt” to nobody in particular. Somewhere in Presikhaaf a kid is opening Football Manager 2026 on his new laptop. He scrolls to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, finds Vitesse, and smiles at the logo he’s seen a thousand times before. This time, though, the story behind it is finally catching up to the picture.

10 games update. Ten games in. Minus twelve points at kick-off, now minus one. Seven points still separate Vitesse from 19th, but only one from zero. Temp alone in the empty Gelredome on a Monday night in October, the floodlights off, just the glow of the big screen replaying the table. He allows himself one quiet laugh that echoes around the stadium like a child testing if anyone’s home. ### The First Ten: A Private Diary Game 1 – Vitesse 3-2 Jong AZ (Opening night, 9 847 in the stands) The first roar when the teams walked out almost knocked him backwards. He had designed that badge a thousand times on a 15-inch monitor; now 20 000 yellow-and-black scarves carried it like a battle standard. We were 2-0 up in 37 minutes – Timo Zaal curling one in from twenty-five, pure PlayStation. Then we nearly threw it away in the last ten. When the board went to 3-2 in the 93rd he looked at Bendtner on the bench. Nick just shrugged, Danish for “Welcome to management, mate.” Three points. Still minus nine. But the Gelredome shook for twenty minutes after the whistle. He walked straight past the press and hugged his dad in the Theo Bos Stand. Game 2 – Almere City 2-2 Vitesse (the night the deficit finally moved) Twenty-eight minutes. We’re 1-0 up, eleven men behind the ball, season slipping away again. Timo Zaal steps out with the ball like he’s Cafu reincarnated, finds Hoogewerf on the half-turn, one touch, threaded ball, substitute taps in. Minus nine becomes minus eight for the first time since May. On the coach home the players start singing “Sweet Caroline” – badly, out of tune, but loud. Bendtner films it on his phone and sends it to Arsène Wenger with the caption “This is why I’m here.” Game 8 – Helmond Sport 1-2 Vitesse (the night it felt real) Bottom of the table, away, plastic pitch, 1 800 home fans giving it the big one. We score in the 75th and 94th minute – both goals straight off the training ground. Huth heads the winner from a corner routine Bendtner had been drilling for three weeks. After the game the Helmond fans ironically chant “Lord Bendtner, Lord Bendtner”. Nick takes a bow on the pitch like it’s the Emirates in 2011. Table after the game: Vitesse −2 points. For the first time all season, the club shop sells out of scarves. The other seven games were typical Eerste Divisie chaos: 1-1s that felt like defeats. But the line keeps going the right way. ### Tonight’s Table (after Matchday 10) 19. FC Emmen  6 pts 20. Vitesse    −1 pt Eleven points earned on the pitch. Eleven points taken away before a ball was kicked. Almost square. Temp finally stands up from the empty stand, walks down the stairs and onto the pitch. The grass is still wet from the afternoon rain. He takes his phone out, opens the Football Manager Graphics forum – still active after all these years – and posts for the first time since 2022. Tempelman Tonight, 23:41 Title: Logo update complete We’re not back yet. But you can see the picture now. He attaches a screenshot of the league table and the Vitesse badge he made when he was seventeen – the same one glowing above him on the Gelredome roof right now. Then he turns the screen off, looks up at the dark stands and whispers the line he’s said to the players every day since July: “Minus one today. Zero tomorrow. Plus something the day after that.” Somewhere in the distance a late tram rumbles past on the Batavierenweg. Arnhem is awake. And for the first time in a long time, it believes again.