Hey guys, I bet you didn’t expect to see me around with what looks like a story. :) Well there’s good news and bad, the good news is that I am planning on updating you with my FM progress from time to time as part of my Football Manager 2012 Malaga story. The bad news is that this may be season updates or just a topical post every now and then, but I’m not committing to anything as of yet and certainly won’t be writing more than once a week if that. These posts will just outline my league position and progress through other competitions as well as a look at my favourite players. Around the time I decided to stop doing such regular posts you guys had categorically chosen Malaga for my Football Manager 2012 story and I decided to honour that even if I didn’t start writing a story. So, let’s get down to business and see what happened during my first season in Spain.
Transfers
Malaga have a very old squad, they may be talented but a little over the hill for my liking. I decided to correct that this transfer window and brought in eight new faces and one loan signing. Six of these players are below the age of 22 and all held in the highest regard which you can see on the scouting network.
I also had a lot of dead weight to offload, mainly due to the last manager bringing in a lot of new players but failing to lose the older ones. I managed to raise £7 million which balanced nicely with the players coming in meaning my net spend was £24.5 million.
La Liga results — August to December
I wanted to start the season well but knew this squad would take time to gel just like I would with the new game. Considering the amount of new players that needed time to settle we did exceptionally well winning 11, drawing 2 and losing 3 of our first 16 league fixtures. Joaquin was by far our star player of the first 6 months.
La Liga results — January to May
The second half of the season went fairly well, my boys managed 13 wins, 3 draws and 6 losses from our remaining 22 games. The 6 losses were a little worrying but on reflection they all came against the best teams in Spain and at a tough time for me injury wise. My centre back Kara and young striker Niang were on form come the seasons end and by far my best performers.
La Liga final league standings
Well you’ve seen the results which in my opinion were very good, but how did this translate in the league table? Well Barcelona walked their way to the title finishing 17 points clear of the chasing pack…it will take a lot to catch them! Real Madrid scored a lot of goals and finished the season on 82 points while you know who finished 3rd…Malaga hit an all time high of 77 points. Finishing third guarantees me Champions League football and leaves me comfortable in the knowledge that At. Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal are behind me. This was a fantastic start to my Football Manager 2012 Malaga story.
Copa del Ray results
Malaga did OK in the Copa del Ray but lost 4-3 on aggregate in the quarter-final against Real Madrid. I used this competition to rest key stars and should hopefully have more strength in depth next year.
Best performer and most important player: This award has to go to Kara, the centre back cost less than £1 million yet was by far my best player scoring 17 goals and looking solid in defence.
Most improved player: This was another easy decision, while Badelj and Camacho developed well Niang seemed to grow in front of my eyes. The striker struggled to make an impact after his decent start, but during the last ten games lit up the league. Niang finished the season with a goal every three games…not bad for a 16 going 17 year old :)
Season 2011/12 progress
La Liga final position: 3rd
Copa del Ray: Quarter-finalists
Well that is all for today guys, sorry for the short update and minimal detail…but I don’t have much time these days. I think my first season went well but Malaga need a little more strength in midfield and more pace at the back, then we’ll be a force to reckon with. My next post may be a while away but will be presented in a similar fashion. Until then please feel free to comment below, I love hearing your thoughts.
Johnny Karp
31 октября, 2011 at 10:05
You know, I was just wondering yesterday about your Malaga career and I was going to email you and ask for a quick friendly update on your results :) No need for that now, great season! :)
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 10:10
lol, yeah I just couldn’t resist sharing my save :) I’ll probably continue doing these sorts of posts on an irregular basis, not as good as before but its something for the readers I guess.
Excessive
31 октября, 2011 at 10:29
Haha, I knew you couldn’t resist the allure of writing ;)
Brilliant season anyway though mate, looks like you are closer than you think to destroying the big two of Spanish football!
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 10:45
lol, you got me Jake…I actually finished the season and thought, how can I not share this ;) We took a big stride forward this season, but looking at the quality in Real and Barca makes me feel a million miles away from them.
tom
31 октября, 2011 at 10:59
AHHHHHHH….feel better now lol
With those signings i cant ait to see your future side…Kara sensational…
whats are the finances like? Considering between PSG and Malaga…
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 11:05
The finances start very well but I’ve really splashed the cash and in my second season after spending a boat load we’re £5 million in debt….but I expect to recoup that with been in the CL. I reckon either of those two teams would be fun but think PSG would have the more generous board if I’m honest.
Lye Kuek Hin
31 октября, 2011 at 11:10
Hi Darren,
Thanks for sharing with us your updates. Excellent results finishing behind Spain’s two strongest teams. Your managing touch is still as good as ever and i bet you will finish 2nd and above next season. Keep us updates.
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 11:31
I enjoy writing the stories Lye, just struggle for time but these short seasonal updates should be doable I think. Its been a great start, but I want to do this right and rely on youth alone so may take a little longer than two or three years to beat the champions, but it’ll happen eventually :)
paine
31 октября, 2011 at 11:30
A nice season, 3rd position is brilliant for Malaga, then you secured some outstanding talents like Niang and Kara (a beast!) so the future looks surely bright for you.
What about Kameni, was he reliable enough?
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 11:55
Yeah I did manage some decent signings. Kameni is reliable but he has the odd bad game, on the whole a great keeper though.
Bill
31 октября, 2011 at 11:32
Shame ur still posting here :/
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 11:54
If you feel that way stop reading my posts…seriously you’re boring me now so stop or I’ll ask Johnny to ban you!
plobdork
31 октября, 2011 at 16:20
wtf darren is a great part of the fms community!!!
Johnny Karp
31 октября, 2011 at 16:28
He always was and surely will be ;)
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 18:53
Thanks for the support guys I appreciate it, guess some people get bored and just feel like trying to bring others down.
George Dobson
1 ноября, 2011 at 18:57
Darren is brilliant for this website
Darren Smith
1 ноября, 2011 at 19:03
Thanks for the support George.
Nathan
31 октября, 2011 at 11:56
Nice to see your post.
Just wondering what formation/tactic you use, and what position you play Niang as. I bought him, have played him a fair bit but he hasn’t developed much in the first season :( He took nearly the whole season to get over language/teamwork issues and fell a little flat after a great start in cup games. He’s only 17 so I’m hoping a bit more first team time next season will do him good.
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 12:11
Thanks Nathan, I use a 4-5-1 with short passing but keep the philosphy balanced and strategy standard. That setting will change as my side gets better and Niang is deployed as a poacher. I experienced similar issues as you with Niang, he hasn’t developed much in the first year but from what I’ve seen he makes massive improvements in the third season so I’m holding out till then and playing him as much as time allows.
vaibhavc
31 октября, 2011 at 13:03
I knew you couldn’t resist! All these names are coming back to me as I managed Malaga in the demo! What is your formation like? I used a 4-2-3-1, Cazorla on the left wing, Buaonette AMC, and Joaquin on the right wing.
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 13:08
lol, yeah I couldn’t resist :) I use a 4-5-1 with both wingers pushed up…basically a more conservative version of my Manchelona but it will get more attacking this coming season.
Denson
31 октября, 2011 at 14:05
Great start finishing above a lot of strong teams, well done i look forward to the next post
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 18:55
Thanks Denson, hopefully we can build on this next season.
Martin Pickard
31 октября, 2011 at 17:52
Hahahah I knew it would be long :P
Great first season in charge Darren, amazing signing and I can definitely smell and a title of some sort next season!
Think you should definitely keep us posted with an update at the end of every season…it would be rude not to now you’ve started :P
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 18:42
lol, what can I say mate…it just wasn’t the same without the readers feedback :)
Sears
31 октября, 2011 at 18:02
Missing you’re stories so much pal so great to see you back with these season updates…. you had an excellent season so best of luck next season in the league and the CL!!
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 18:40
Thanks mate, the first season went well and I’ll keep you all updated on season number two.
vaibhavc
31 октября, 2011 at 18:26
I just realized you bought Kameni. I bought him for 5 million as well! How coincidental?
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 18:39
Yeah Kameni is a good keeper for the price tag, great minds think a like lol :)
Laxeyman
31 октября, 2011 at 21:12
Good to see you update Darren, and you had a fantastic first season with Malaga, getting into the CL is fantastic and will surely be a springboard to even more success in seasons to come :)
Darren Smith
31 октября, 2011 at 21:32
Thanks Laxeyman, this should be the spring board we need but time will tell. My biggest enemy is myself…I demand to win with youth and that just isn’t possible sometimes so we’ll see if it catches up with me this season or proves a big success.
Calin
1 ноября, 2011 at 06:49
Nice to see you back, Darren, I know it’s hard to stay away from story telling in Football Manager :)
You also had a really nice season and you already are a match for Real and Barca and I am sure that the second season will be wonderful!
Darren Smith
1 ноября, 2011 at 09:06
Thanks Calin, I have already started the second season and while the team feels a little weak against the big sides I get the feeling we’ll challenge after bedding in a little, hopefully anyway :)
George Dobson
1 ноября, 2011 at 15:55
great to see you back Darren I hope you have a good next season looking forward to your next guide
Darren Smith
1 ноября, 2011 at 15:58
Thanks George, hopefully we can take this into next season and build on it. :)
Kevin
1 ноября, 2011 at 23:44
Hi Darren
Third spot is an excellent position for your opening season especially after revamping the squad somewhat. Now you have European action to look forward too :)
Darren Smith
2 ноября, 2011 at 11:47
Thanks Kevin, I can’t wait for Europe as my expectations are to miss out in the group stages. :) We’re fourth seed.
CsAtlantis
2 ноября, 2011 at 04:22
Wow, Malaga have a lot of money to spend, nice to see another club other than Real/Barca with some big transfers
Niang is developing very well, his composure, finishing and well rounded physical attributes make him already a decent option at 17
Kara is also a brilliant well rounded defender at 22 years old, amazing in the air and great on the ground
How is Paco Alcacer doing? He came in with a bigger price tag than Niang!
Darren Smith
2 ноября, 2011 at 11:45
Yeah its great to splash the cash but their wages and small stadium make for a trap door if you’re not careful. I’m now in debt and didn’t see it coming. Niang is a real beast in the making and superb off the bench but Alcacer just doesn’t improve and play as I expected…one more season without improvement and he’ll be gone I think.
Nathan
5 ноября, 2011 at 03:54
Alcacar is a tricky one, I had him in FM2011 and he didn’t do anywhere near as well as expected. I think it’s vital that you get a tutor for him to increase determination. Surely that potential is not for nothing? Fierro would have been a better buy though…
Darren Smith
5 ноября, 2011 at 12:35
Fierro has joined the team in my second season, but Alcacer was bought on his potential…however he just doesn’t seem to improve and I can’t wait forever as results get effected in order to develop him. If someone would take him on loan all would be fine but no one will unfortunately. :(
Thom
4 ноября, 2011 at 13:34
Hi there,
I’ve also got a file going with Malaga at the minute, I’m well on track to finish 3rd as you did, my main problem is how to juggle Buonanotte, Joaquin, Cazorla and Griezzman (new signing.)
What formation do you play to get the best out of them and who do you prefer out on the right?
Thom
Darren Smith
4 ноября, 2011 at 18:20
They are a good team to manage but I am struggling to fully settle in Spain. Barca and Real seem impossible to shrug off unlike in previous FM’s. I use a 4-5-1 with both wingers pushed up, Carzola is my left winger and deployed as an inside forward while Joaquin scored more than 15 goals from the right wing as a winger. I then rotate Buonanette and Duda into the squad for cup games and when the other two seem a little tired or the opponents are easy.