Hello folks, I’m very happy to welcome you to a new episode of my Football Manager 2012 story. This update should have come a few days ago but I’ve had a terrible week which fortunately is over now. So let’s move on to what happened in the game, but not before a recap of the situation at the end of 2015: my Viitorul Constanta had a solid first half of the season and were top of the table before the winter break, three points clear of second placed Rapid. The Champions League group stage proved too difficult for us again though but we managed to get our first point in that competition thanks to an away draw at Paris Saint-Germain.
As you might remember our financial situation was pretty good thanks to all that Champions League money but I wasn’t expecting any extra transfer funds from my board. Well, they prepared a nice surprise for me before the end of January, they proposed a change of season expectations and I immediately took the chance: I promised them the title for a hefty 4 million pounds in transfer money!
You might remember that I mentioned a young Romanian centre back that I wanted to buy, I had spotted him in the Romanian national Under 19 team last season and tried to buy him ever since. After some negotiations with his club, Universitatea Cluj, we agreed on a price tag of 3.5 million pounds and the youngster joined Viitorul Constanta! Check out his profile, he’s pretty damn good for a 19-year old!
Dicu was the only player that I have bought during the winter break but I’m happy to report that I got back around 1 million pounds from selling two players: Paul Anton and Edward Motha (I had to let him go mostly because he’s non-EU).
The winter friendlies went fairly well overall but since we recorded two defeats I have to say that I wasn’t very optimistic before the first competitive game of the spring season.
My fears proved unfounded though as my lads demolished 6th placed U Cluj in a game which saw a debut goal from centre back Georgica Dicu. The defence proved leaky though and that was something to worry about.
The next game was going to tell us more about our strengths and weaknesses as we were about to face second placed Rapid away from home. They were just three points behind us at the top of the table so this was a crucial game in the title race.
Rapid vs Viitorul (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Octavian Ormenisan — Lubomir Cerny, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Danut Gongolea — Milton Mella, Silviu Pana, Nenad Grumic — Rodolfo Oliver, Rastislav Benko, Daniel Mazzoni
The opening minutes saw a superior Viitorul side and we managed to put that on the scoreboard after 15 minutes when a fine counter move saw Benko passing through for Oliver who coolly finished with a low shot. The Argentinian striker could have struck again on 33 minutes after receiving a good pass from Mazzoni but his shot was straight at the goalkeeper. Our domination was quite clear at that point and we finally managed to strike again just before half time when Juan Belencoso bagged a corner kick header.
The second half was quite pleasing to watch for me as my lads kept control of the game through great passing and ball possession. Daniel Mazzoni wrapped things up with another corner kick goal seven minutes from time but unfortunately Rodolfo Oliver picked up an injury that was going to keep him sidelined for two weeks. I wasn’t worried though as I had plenty of valid choices upfront.
Match highlights: click here to watch
The month of March continued with four more wins, an emphatic one against CSMS Iasi and three less impressive ones against Dinamo, Branesti or Otelul. The team was playing very well though and I have to say that each of these four games was a joy to watch.
The six-game winning streak managed to put some daylight between us and the other title contenders, we had nine points on CFR Cluj and Rapid at the end of March.
The month ended with a sensational Romanian Cup performance against FC Timisoara, we won the first leg of the semi final 4-1 but we could easily have scored a lot more. The winning streak continued in the league mostly thanks to Rodolfo Oliver who returned from injury with an insatiable appetite for goal, we won three games in a row and he was the only one to score in those games. Then we booked our passage to the Romanian Cup Final with a quiet 2-1 second leg win against FC Timisoara.
At that point our lead at the top of the Liga 1 table was extended to 12 points over second placed CFR Cluj with seven games left in the season. We were about to face them at home and I was eager to see my lads in action against one of the best teams in the league.
Viitorul vs CFR Cluj (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Octavian Ormenisan — Lubomir Cerny, Juan Belencoso, Georgica Dicu, Danut Gongolea — Martin Lukac, Mihai Onicas, Nenad Grumic — Rodolfo Oliver, Rastislav Benko, Daniel Mazzoni
My boys might have entered the game with a complacent attitude though and CFR came close to breaking the deadlock after seven minutes when we were saved by the crossbar. Then we started pressing forward but our offence was lacking precision and we were justly punished for that on 34 minutes when CFR took the lead thanks to a sensational shot from 25 yards out. We could have restored parity four minutes later when a free kick cross found Georgica Dicu unmarked but his close range header bounced off the crossbar.
We resumed the attacks after the break and we finally broke through on 56 minutes when Rodolfo Oliver was brought down inside the penalty area and Rastislav Benko converted the spot kick. Our attacks became even more intense after the equaliser and we were rewarded for that 12 minutes from time when a great cross from Lubomir Cerny was powered in with a header by Daniel Mazzoni. The decisive win was ours and that meant that CFR were out of the title race while Rapid moved back into second place but with a 14-point deficit.
Match highlights: click here to watch
That win also meant that we had broken a record, 12 consecutive wins!
And we also grabbed the 13th by the end of April, a quiet 3-0 at struggling Sportul.
The league table at the end of April was a pleasant sight, we only needed one more point out of the last five games to make sure of our third consecutive title!
There’s not much suspense left, I know that you know that we did win that title. But I invite you to the next page to see what happened in the Romanian Cup final and a few interesting facts about our squad and club. So click that little number «2» just above the comments section ;)
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Laxeyman
21 января, 2012 at 14:22
Great season Johnny, your side are now completely dominating the Romanian League, you’ve built by far and away the best team in the country :) I don’t think it’ll be long before you translate your success onto the European stage, hopefully it can be next year :D
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 16:22
Thanks mate, I’m not sure about next year but we’ll get there, step by step ;)
denson
21 января, 2012 at 14:24
Good Season Johnny!
I was just wondering are you planning on leaving Viitorul and when ?
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 16:22
Thanks mate. I will leave only after we win the Champions League so that might be a long, long time from now.
Alex
21 января, 2012 at 18:46
Thought so, you’re not the sort to be hasty in leaving a club.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 20:54
I’m a faithful guy in general: just one wife so far and only a few jobs :)
Sears
21 января, 2012 at 14:30
Great season Johnny! You absolutely dominated the league, and that domination should be continued from here on. Hopefully you can improve in Europe next season, good luck!
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 16:22
Thanks Sears, Europe is our next target ;)
Kevin
21 января, 2012 at 14:48
Hi Johnny
Another excellent season and the stats prove how well you have built this team up over the last three seasons. Lets hope this can translate into a better Champions League effort next season as I know that must be your top priority now?
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 16:23
Thanks Kevin, the Champions League is my top priority now but we’ll have to make sure of keeping the domestic battlefield under control as well.
vaibhavc
21 января, 2012 at 15:36
Another wonderful season Johnny, well done. The stats show how you have improved in the past years. Next time, continue this type of form in the Champions League please!
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 16:24
Thanks Vaibhav, I hope we’ll have such a winning streak in Europe someday.
billy
21 января, 2012 at 17:10
Congrats on winning ur third consecutive league title and the Cup. How do u find young players with so much potential.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 18:01
Thanks mate. About the players, the scouts do the finding, I just sign them ;)
billy
21 января, 2012 at 18:10
ok thanks. what formation do u use.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 18:32
4-3-3, details here: https://www.footballmanagerstory.com/2011/10/download-barcelona-tactic-for-fm-2012/
billy
22 января, 2012 at 00:47
ok thanks is there any way u could send me ur saved Game.
Johnny Karp
22 января, 2012 at 10:36
I can do that but since I’ve already advanced into pre-season last night I guess the best way would be to upload the save game in my next update, OK?
nielsneutron
21 января, 2012 at 17:17
Great run Johnny you should be proud.
However why not stay with the U19 squad it could let you try out new players for your team.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 18:02
Thanks mate. I will think about the U19 job but I’m inclined to resign because that would give me more time to focus on Viitorul.
Woody
21 января, 2012 at 18:26
your side dominated the second half of the season
hopefully next season you’ll do better in the champions league instead of / as well as dominating domestic
anyway good luck and well done
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 18:33
Thanks Woody, I hope we’ll get our first CL win next season.
Alex
21 января, 2012 at 18:43
Obviously that was a fantastic finish to the season. Dicu’s attributes look brilliant and he should develop into a quality centre half. My only concern is his determination of 8, I just hope that doesn’t hold him back. I look forward to seeing how you build on this next season.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 20:54
Thanks Alex. Dicu’s determination is a concern for me as well but his other attributes are very good, especially the physical and mental ones.
Darren Smith
21 января, 2012 at 19:21
Well done Johnny, that was a stunning second half to the season as you destroyed everyone in your path. I can steadily feel the domestic domination rising and that new Romanian defender is insane for his age, he’ll be a national hero in years to come let alone a hero for Viitroul.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 20:55
Thanks Darren, I’m quite confident that we’ll be dominating the domestic scene from now on but hopefully we’ll manage to make some sort of progress in Europe as well.
TheZiggy
21 января, 2012 at 20:11
Fantastic second half of the season, showing total domination. For once the safety belt was not required. You’ve done a great job. Dicu looks tremendous for his age and will be an undoubted star for the club, well worth the 3.5 million in my opinion.
Johnny Karp
21 января, 2012 at 20:56
Thanks Ziggy, I could have grabbed Dicu for less a year back but I didn’t have that money at the time.
CsAtlantis
22 января, 2012 at 00:37
That’s a huge win streak Johnny, well done in winning the league and cup again (Brasov were pretty resilient in the final for a Second Division team)
Good to see that your new stadium and youth facilities will be ready soon, just have to keep going at Europe and hope for a simpler draw
Maybe you can try the Romanian U21s or go for the full international team Johnny if a spot opens up?
Johnny Karp
22 января, 2012 at 10:35
Thanks mate. I’d surely take the U21 job or the senior national team ;)
Malhar Bhadbhade
22 января, 2012 at 05:46
hey Johhny,
after the beginning of the season, i was in no doubt whatsoever that you would wrap up the league comfortably. the winning streak certainly helped, quite amazing!!! as you say, you are now comfortably the best team in romania, an europe looms as the next massive challenge. all the best for that, and hopefully you can make it to the europa league next season. btw. do you get a direct entry into the champions league group stages? sorry, i forgot :P
Johnny Karp
22 января, 2012 at 10:37
Thanks Malhar. We have to go through three qualifying rounds before the group stage but I don’t worry too much about those since we will probably meet weaker sides.
Frank
22 января, 2012 at 16:01
Hi Johnny,
Congratulations on winning the double. Now that you are the dominant force in Romania you can focus more on the Champions League next season. Good luck :)
Johnny Karp
22 января, 2012 at 17:37
Thanks mate, I hope we will have a bit more luck in the CL.
billy
22 января, 2012 at 18:08
Thanks I will be waiting for ur next update
Bhargav
23 января, 2012 at 06:50
Fantastic Johnny! Congrats on the double. You have put some real distance between you and the rest of the league. It’s just a matter of time before all of Europe fears you!
Johnny Karp
23 января, 2012 at 09:23
Thanks mate, I hope that time will come sooner rather than later ;)
Calin
23 января, 2012 at 07:02
Congrats on winning the title, I don’t think anybody doubted it, but you’ve dominated with so much style that you should be proud of yourself. Signing Georgica was a great piece of business, he is an incredible lad even though you had to pay a pretty big price for him. But I’m sure he’ll return the favor and bring in even better performances than this season. Hopefully, you’ll be able to hold on him for many seasons from now.
Johnny Karp
23 января, 2012 at 09:23
Thanks Calin, I’ve already slapped a 20 million price tag on Dicu so I hope the big clubs will stay away for a while.
Martin - F.M.J.S
23 января, 2012 at 13:49
Another great season mate. I hope that you can build your side now ready for the CL next season and get close to qualifying for the First Round Knockout stage?
Johnny Karp
23 января, 2012 at 14:42
Thanks Martin, I hope so too. I don’t think that we’ll be reaching the CL knockout stage soon, I’d be happy to finish third or at least get our first group win.
Martin - F.M.J.S
24 января, 2012 at 08:25
I agree mate but I just wanted to set the bar a bit higher :)
John Martin
23 января, 2012 at 21:42
another great season there mate. You’ve made this save into my favrouite story at the moment!
Johnny Karp
24 января, 2012 at 07:34
Thanks mate, that’s nice to hear.
Martin Pickard
25 января, 2012 at 11:45
Great post as per Johnny and now you seem to be in the same position as me…easily winning the league but doing not so well in Europe…I’m sure with all the champions league money coming in you’ll be able to bridge the gap between the two in no time! Keep you the good work…I’m looking forward to the next update
Johnny Karp
25 января, 2012 at 14:43
Thanks Martin, I have a lot less money then you but fortunately I don’t have to pay huge salaries to guys like Eto’o and company :)