Here we go folks, it’s time to find out whether my Viitorul Constanta managed to survive in the Romanian First League or not… Welcome back to my Football Manager 2012 story for the decisive episode of my second season in charge, the final two months of the 2012-2013 season. As you know we were 11th at the end of March with a thin 5-point cushion over the relegation zone (the bottom four teams get relegated). Let’s see how the survival battle went…
We had a crucial game right at the start of April as we were about to face 14th placed FC Brasov, a team that was standing just four points behind us…
Viitorul vs FC Brasov (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Alberto Cobrea — Ionut Peteleu, Chakib Benzoukane, Ionut Rada, Lucian Filip — Corado Carstoiu, Alexandru Lazar, Mihai Onicas — Georgian Paun, Vlad Rusu, Joabe
We started the game pretty well, we enjoyed a good spell of domination for a while but it was all in vain as the visitors broke the deadlock and that happened yet again on their very first (and last) shot on target! Luckily we managed to restore parity three minutes before half time as Mihai Onicas was brought down inside the penalty area and then converted the spot kick by firing into the top corner.
We went close to taking the lead six minutes after the restart when midfielder Alexandru Lazar fired one against the crossbar but Brasov came close as well after five minutes but we were saved by the woodwork. The game was in our hands, we were clearly dominating it and fortunately we made that count on the score board on 67 minutes when young midfielder Gabriel Iancu fired one right under the crossbar from the edge of the area. There was no reaction from the visitors after that goal, we kept things under control and clinched the very important three points.
Match highlights: click here to watch
I wasn’t expecting much out of the next game as we were facing 2nd placed CFR Cluj, I told the lads that we had nothing to lose there… That seemed to benefit my team as we fought back from 2-1 behind and managed a surprising late equaliser! This was an unexpected bonus point but I admit that we had some luck to get a draw there. Unfortunately midfielder Gabriel Iancu suffered a serious injury during the game, his season was over, so I decided to promote Alin Roman from the under 19s squad to replace him.
That point was not going to save us from relegation, we had to do well against the fellow survival battlers and that meant that we had to get something out of the next game, away at 13th placed Pandurii.
Pandurii vs Viitorul (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Alberto Cobrea — Ionut Peteleu, Alvaro Casanova, Chakib Benzoukane, Lucian Filip — Corado Carstoiu, Alexandru Lazar, Mihai Onicas — Georgian Paun, Vlad Rusu, Joabe
I decided to use the attacking version of my Barcelona tactic even if this was an away game, I thought that a more offensive approach would surprise the home side and hopefully give us the three points. My plan seemed wrong in the first half as we played rather poorly and nearly conceded a goal on the half hour mark but luckily our goalie saved us on that occasion.
We started to look a bit better after the break but the match was heading towards a goalless draw. Well, that draw would have been good… Pandurii broke the deadlock 18 minutes from time by taking advantage of some dismal marking from my lads on a free kick and then bagged two sensational goals to wrap things up (you really have to watch those goals!). Midfielder Corado Carstoiu then scored a consolation goal for us but it still was a painful defeat against a direct relegation rival.
Match Highlights: click here to watch
We were still in 11th place after that game and fortunately we had a bigger gap to manage, 8 points over the relegation zone! There were 7 games left though, plenty of time for things to go wrong…
Our last month of the season was going to be a lot easier with three points in the next game as we were facing 12th placed FCM Tg. Mures at home, I was quite optimistic before the game and was already calculating that we were going to be almost safe with a win…
Viitorul vs FCM Tg. Mures (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Alberto Cobrea — Ionut Peteleu, Chakib Benzoukane, Ionut Rada, Lucian Filip — Mihai Onicas, Alexandru Lazar, Georgian Marcu — Georgian Paun, Valentin Simion, Joabe
Well, the first half didn’t go as planned at all… It’s true that we dominated the game, we do that almost every time, but we were unable to create any really dangerous chances. Moreover, Ionut Rada left the pitch on a stretcher and substitute Alvaro Casanova ruined our first half with a wild tackle inside the penalty area while allowed the visitors to take the lead from the spot.
I was hoping to see some better stuff in the second half, I asked my lads to do better, but it was FCM Tg. Mures who played better… First they hit the crossbar on 50 minutes and then played even better after having a man sent off two minutes later. They made it 2-0 after a textbook move and we were suddenly back in relegation trouble again…
Match Highlights: click here to watch
But things were about to get a lot worse… We faced strong 8th placed FC Timisoara in the last match of the month and it was… horrible… The match was a total disaster for us, Timisoara ran us ragged from start to finish and bagged seven goals in the process! This probably was my most embarrassing defeat in Football Manager!
So, we were back to where we started the month, even a bit worse: 12th with five points over the relegation zone.
There were five games left and the situation was not looking good at all since we had three out of five games away from home.
What was even worse was the squad morale after that crushing 7-0 defeat but that was solved with a team meeting, I encouraged the lads although I would have rather slapped a few of them. Anyway, morale was back on track after that meeting but we had to play a lot better if we wanted to survive.
Five games left, did we make it? Go to the next page to find out!
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Chris @ Chester
19 ноября, 2011 at 20:13
I’m sure you are glad to be at the end of a tough season there johnny, at least your still in the top flight so you should be able to push up the table next season. Some key signings are needed though and some of your youth will have to step up a bit. I look forward to your next post to see how you prepare for it. Good luck mate :-)
Johnny Karp
19 ноября, 2011 at 21:56
You are right Chris, I’m glad it’s over! Thanks for the good luck wish, we’ll surely going to need some luck if the board won’t come up with some cash :)
Alex
19 ноября, 2011 at 20:29
A nice comfortable mid-table finish there ;). Good to see you stayed up, I can’t wait to see your signings. With a few quality additions I think you’ll be up in the top five. That must have been quite an inspirational team meeting you had there, dragging you players away from suicide.
All the best for next season.
Johnny Karp
19 ноября, 2011 at 21:57
Thanks Alex, it was really tough but I guess that team meeting did the trick ;)
Marc Patching
19 ноября, 2011 at 20:43
Great job!! Let’s hope you can build upon the great achievement of survival and begin to make some real dents in the Romanian League. Question, did you ever feel like giving up on the tactics or was it down to players not being good enough?
Johnny Karp
19 ноября, 2011 at 21:58
Thanks Marc. I did think about changing the tactics but in the end I decided to stick with the current set up because I know it can give me the kind of football that I want to see.
Kevin
19 ноября, 2011 at 21:11
Hey Johnny
Well that whole season was quite a struggle and a real nail biter going into those last few games but I’m delighted that you survived in the end. A great story as always and I’m anxious to see those new signings particularly the one from Argentina as you always seem to find some gems south of the Tropic of Capricorn.
Johnny Karp
19 ноября, 2011 at 21:59
Hey Kevin, this probably was one of my toughest seasons in the business ;) That Argentinian lad is good, I can tell you that! :)
Joelance
19 ноября, 2011 at 21:15
That was a pretty serious season. Finishing 10th in your first season isn’ t too bad. Knowing you, you’ll probably be challenging for the title next season. All the best with your finances. :)
Johnny Karp
19 ноября, 2011 at 22:00
Thanks for the confidence mate but it will be highly unlikely to be in the title race without some money to spend. It’s quite different here compared to England where you can get some excellent players even at a small club in the Premier League.
denson
19 ноября, 2011 at 22:05
Good season johnny, just wonderin have you found any good regens in your game ?
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:34
Thanks mate. I did find some good newgens, one will be joining the club on July 1st ;)
Darren Smith
19 ноября, 2011 at 23:14
Well the season was a low point considering your usual Johnny, but when you put that next to real life it was a fairytale which says a lot about your ability :) I can’t wait to see the new signings and have no doubt that a top 6 finish is just around the corner. Well done for staving off relegation mate.
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:35
Thanks Darren, I really don’t know where we could end up next season but I’m quite confident that it will be higher than 10th ;)
TheZiggy
20 ноября, 2011 at 00:21
I believe I predicted a mid-table finish, but I didn’t think it would be quite so tough in getting there. Well done, survival was the first part of building for the future.
Look forward to seeing the new signings you make, to strengthen the squad for the next season.
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:35
Thanks Ziggy, I admit that I wasn’t expecting it to be so tough either.
CsAtlantis
20 ноября, 2011 at 01:56
You managed to finish well off the relegation spots in the end, and beating Vitorui away is an excellent thing to bring to next season
Your goalkeeper needs more time to develop, he still has some way to go in terms of PA, with all those games surely he will start improving very soon
Your bank balance is not the best but I think the board will support you, after all you are sticking to the budgets that they set, any losses shouldn’t really be blamed on you
Next year should be an exciting season, with some reinforcements challenging for a top half finish should not be a problem at all
Oh yeah Johnny, I think for FM2012 away games are far harder than in FM2011, even when I was playing as AS Monaco my attacking formations (4-2-4 or Manchelona) thrashed most opposition teams at home comfortably yet choosing the same tactic away against the very same teams turned into a thrashing (with them thrashing US though :()
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:36
Thanks for the comment mate. I think you’re right about the away games, I had the same feeling.
vaibhavc
20 ноября, 2011 at 03:45
I am sure you are not too happy with the season, but your board is, and that is what matters quite a lot. The team meeting helped your team quite a lot. And good job upsetting the big teams! You got some good points from them.
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:37
Thanks Vaibhav, I guess Vaslui really hate us right now because that loss cost them the title!
ri916
20 ноября, 2011 at 08:20
exciting striker from argentina? you better not have poached becchio from leeds! ;)
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:37
No, it’s not Becchio, I doubt I could afford his wages. It’s a 17-year old newgen ;)
paine
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:32
Just one word: difficult!
A difficult season, you risked a lot here Johnny, I’m glad you survived and surely you’ll have some work to do to improve your team.
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 09:38
You are right Paine, it was difficult and I fear that improving the team will be an equally challenging task given the lack of money.
Themightymcphed
20 ноября, 2011 at 10:40
Survival is always the main aim when taking such a small team up. As Valentino Rossi says «first year to learn, second year to win»!
Good luck for next season, looking forward to seeing how you take your team forward mate!
I agree with the theory of the away games being more difficult this year. I know teams will always get a boost playing at home, but wee diddy teams that should be easily turned over all of a sudden gain a whole new level of ability and performance at times and I’ve had to make more severe tactical shifts than normally I would.
Also, getting annoyed at the amount of times players close down the ball………running backwards. Anyone else finding this?
This is the first time in a few years that I’ve bought the game right at launch. I normally wait until there’s been a few patches out and all the main bugs are fixed. Perhaps my players are just monumentally talented at playing football in reverse! Haha
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 14:15
Thanks mate. I haven’t noticed the reverse glitch that you are mentioning, maybe you do have a special team :)
Ana Garcia
20 ноября, 2011 at 12:55
I still think you had a good season, and you got your main goal which was survival.
Your finances are still quite worrying but hopefully with prize money and TV rights you can get them back on track.
Whats the rules on foreign players in Romania?
Anyways the best of luck! :)
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 14:16
Thanks Ana. I am allowed to have unlimited foreign players but the rule in Liga 1 is to have no more than five non-EU players in the first eleven and at least five Romanian players in the match squad.
Laxeyman
20 ноября, 2011 at 15:20
Well, it all turned pout all right in the end Johnny, a nice mid table finish, comfortably away from the relegation zone :) Your young players will all have improved after a season in the top flight, so hopefully they can push on next year, and push you up the league.
Johnny Karp
20 ноября, 2011 at 17:29
Thanks Laxeyman, I still have faith in some of the youngsters and I hope they will step up next term.
Lye
21 ноября, 2011 at 01:14
Hi Johnny,
I have never seen you fall into relegation struggles in FM before. I think Viitorul may become your biggest challenge out of all your stories. There are some nervy moments but you did pretty well especially the win over Vaslui which give you a boost to survive. Next season will be the real work and i believe you are in frame to challenge for a top four finish. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
21 ноября, 2011 at 07:23
Thanks Lye, I agree that this seems the most difficult career I’ve had so far.
Martin Pickard
21 ноября, 2011 at 09:02
Well done on staying in Liga I. It was a hard fought season but YOU’V delivered top league football again for Viitorul. You’ve now laid the foundations to progress and I’m sure you’ll bring in the right player to enable you to do so. Great post and I’m looking forward to your next one with all you signings :)
Johnny Karp
21 ноября, 2011 at 12:18
Thanks Martin, it will be difficult to get the funding for all the signings that we would need but I guess I have to settle for a small steps policy for now.
Stromson
21 ноября, 2011 at 21:15
Sorry for my late response, Skyrim and all. ;-) Regardless, this was a really thrilling season to follow, and honestly one of my favorites thus far. I enjoyed the constant «Will we or won’t we» fall into the relegation zone thing, and I’m glad your squad buckled down in the end and capped off a successful survival campaign. Looking forward to the next season!
Johnny Karp
22 ноября, 2011 at 07:47
Thanks mate, all is well that ends well I guess :)
George Dobson
21 ноября, 2011 at 21:49
well done to stay up Johnny good luck for next season I cant wait to see who your new signings are :D
Johnny Karp
22 ноября, 2011 at 07:48
Thanks George, I hope I’ll have the time to write a new post today.