Despite the inconsistent form I was quite confident at the start of May and that was because all the injured players except Markovic were back to full fitness. I was finally able to field my preferred eleven against Dinamo in the first match of the month and our strength was obvious as we dominated the game and won it quite convincingly thanks to another brace from Denis Alibec. Moreover, both CFR Cluj and Rapid had lost their matches so we were back up in 2nd spot!
Then we had a crazy match against Otelul… Manoel finally scored his first goal for the club, then Otelul bounced back and made it 2-1 but substitute Marius Albu came off the bench and handed us the three points with an amazing double! We retained our second spot after that game and we were just 2 points behind leaders U Cluj!
I was hoping for another three points from our home match against 9th placed Petrolul but that just wasn’t our day: we dominated the game quite clearly but Manoel was denied by the woodwork on two occasions (click here to watch) so we had to settle for a draw.
Luckily U Cluj had recorded a draw as well so the two-point gap was intact before…
…before the big clash! We needed the three points to leapfrog U Cluj at the top of the table, it was a historic moment for the club!
Viitorul vs U Cluj (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Octavian Ormenisan — Ionut Peteleu, Alvaro Casanova, Ionut Putanu, Tshepo Tshabalala — Mihai Onicas, Alexandru Lazar, Nenad Grumic — Joabe, Manoel, Denis Alibec
The first eleven that I fielded was good enough in my view but we had problems on the bench as four of my usual substitutes were away on international duty with the under 19 teams! I just couldn’t believe that but it’s better to miss some substitutes than the important players I guess… Anyway, the game started well for us and we could have stuck in the 6th minute when a good move freed up Nenad Grumic inside the penalty area but his shot went well wide. Then things took a turn for the worse midway through the first half as the referee decided to award U Cluj a penalty kick for an alleged push on a corner kick. A defender stepped up to convert that spot kick, he fired a powerful shot… but it bounced back off the upright! That moment seemed to take the wind off the visitors’ sails and we took control of the game. Unfortunately another good chance went to waste on 43 minutes when Manoel found Joabe with a great pass but it was followed by a poor shot that was easily saved by the goalkeeper.
We continued the game with the same attitude after the break but unfortunately with the same wastefulness too: Alibec headed wide from six yards on 52 minutes. A few seconds later Manoel took things into his own hands, he made a tremendous run before entering the penalty area but he was denied by an unbelievable double save from the goalkeeper. The goal finally came moments later, a great long pass from Alvaro Casanova found Denis Alibec behind the defence, the striker continued with a great first touch before blasting into the back of the net! Get in! I switched to the counter tactic immediately after the goal to avoid any unnecessary risks and the decision paid off as my lads were keeping possession very well. The game was going our way but my Brazilians sealed the precious three points 15 minutes from time: Joabe fought like a lion inside the penalty area, his tackle sent the ball into the path of Manoel who fired it low into the bottom corner! We won and it was a massive victory!
Match highlights: click here to watch
So, we were in command with one game left but the situation wasn’t as simple as it seems. The bottom line is that the title was not in our hands and that is because the Romanian Liga 1 rules say that when two teams have equal points at the end of the season the difference is made by the results between those two teams. And since we had lost both home and away against Rapid that meant that we were going to lose the title if we finished tied on points with Rapid… I really wished that Football Manager was less realistic :)
However, we did have a slight advantage, at least in theory: we were going to face 13th placed Sportul in the last game of the season while Rapid were going to have a tough battle against arch rivals Steaua…
Sportul vs Viitorul (Liga 1)
Starting Line Up: Octavian Ormenisan — Ionut Peteleu, Alvaro Casanova, Ionut Putanu, Tshepo Tshabalala — Mihai Onicas, Alexandru Lazar, Nenad Grumic — Joabe, Manoel, Denis Alibec
We were perfectly capable of beating Sportul, I was quite sure of that. But my hopes suffered a big blow after just three minutes when midfielder Nenad Grumic cracked under the tremendous mental pressure and made a horrendous tackle that left the referee with no choice than to send him off. We were one man down but luckily that didn’t stop Denis Alibec, he took matters into his own hands and gave us the lead with a fantastic solo effort on 8 minutes! We were back in the driving seat but Sportul were not going to surrender and they made it all square with a fabulous shot from 20 yards out. The numerical disadvantage was not doing us any favours and Sportul nearly took the lead on 34 minutes. We were relying only on individual actions and that was the case just before the break when Alibec created another chance for himself but missed it… The first half ended 1-1 and we were down in 3rd place at half time as U Cluj were leading Ceahlaul 4-0 and Steaua vs Rapid was 0-0…
Despite the numerical disadvantage I decided to gamble and set up an attacking 4-2-3 tactic for the second half. That decision nearly paid off after just three minutes but substitute Corado Carstoiu was unable to beat the goalkeeper. We were pushing forward but Sportul were hanging in there… But not for long: two minutes after the hour mark a fine move brought the ball to Manoel and the Brazilian striker banged it home! I quickly checked the other results after that goal and the news were good: Steaua vs Rapid was 1-0! I changed the strategy to counter, we just had to hang in there and hope that Rapid were not going to fight back against Steaua… We were doing our part well, things were fairly quiet against Sportul but we had something to celebrate again on 70 minutes. It wasn’t a goal from my lads but a goal from Steaua, they were leading Rapid 2-0! There was no way back at that point, the situation was in our hands. We nearly made sure of the title five minutes from time when a good cross found substitute Dejan Danicic inside the penalty area but his header rattled the crossbar… Then Sportul tried a desperate final dash but we were hanging in there… Three minutes of added time were indicated, Steaua vs Rapid was still 2-0… Three minutes and 27 seconds of injury time were played before the referee finally blew that damned whistle! We are the Liga 1 champions!
Match highlights: click here to watch
We won the title against all odds and that will give us the chance to play Champions League football next season. However, that doesn’t mean that we’ll go straight into the group stage. Unfortunately we’ll have to go through no less than three preliminary rounds before the group stage!
The board and the fans were happy, they were saying nice words about me, but nothing mattered more for me than the words of Ionut Putanu, a player that I have promoted from the under 19s team! He had a wonderful season, scored no less than 11 goals and I guess we would never have won this title without him.
Joabe also played an important part as he provided the most assists in the whole league!
Strangely we had just one player in the team of the season and that was youngster Ionut Putanu!
I received an award too, manager of the year. Well, I guess I deserved it this time ;)
In my view three players carried the team on their shoulders this season: Denis Alibec, Ionut Putanu and Joabe. The other lads did well too but most of them had to deal with injuries and those surely affected their average ratings.
Last but not least I have to say that our financial deficit is under control, we should receive almost 2 million in TV rights so I guess we can hope for a green balance if we reach the Europa League or Champions League group stage.
That’s about it folks, I still can’t believe that we have won the title. I honestly wasn’t expecting that at the end of April as I was more concerned with securing a top three spot and Europa League qualification. But I was in for a nice surprise, the team really turned up for the last five games and clinched a massive success. Thanks a lot for reading ;)
vaibhavc
6 декабря, 2011 at 16:45
Amazing Johnny! That was fantastic to win it, especially with so many injuries. Champions League will help your finances a lot. Which qualifying phase do you go into?
Johnny Karp
6 декабря, 2011 at 17:05
Thanks mate. We’ll have to go through three qualifying rounds so it will be very difficult to reach the group stage but I hope we’ll at least fall back into the Europa League.
Calin
6 декабря, 2011 at 17:32
Congrats on such a remarkable feat, winning the title so soon after getting promoted is certainly an amazing thing. You’ll have some tough times and a huge competition in the Champions League, but maybe with a bit of luck you’ll manage to get into the Euro Cup groups — that would certainly help your club a lot. Either way, it’s an incredible performance and I am sure that Hagi is really proud.
Johnny Karp
6 декабря, 2011 at 19:36
Thanks mate, I’m sure that Hagi would be proud indeed. Maybe this will happen in real life too, Viitorul should be in Liga 1 next season from what I see.
TheZiggy
6 декабря, 2011 at 17:52
Wow, that was some ride. Good thing I put the safety belt on. ;)
Congratulations on winning the title in such dramatic fashion. Good thing Rapid failed to handle the pressure in their last match. I want to know, why when you really want the whistle to blow at the end of a really tight match, there always seems to be at least 3 minutes of extra time, and the ref then keeps playing for a while beyond that.
Hopefully next season you will be able to make it the group stages of the Champions League, or at worst in the Europa League. If you achieve that, your financial situation will definitely be greatly improved. Just by the promise of European football, it should help getting better players to join the club as well.
Johnny Karp
6 декабря, 2011 at 19:37
It was quite a ride indeed, I think I needed a safety belt myself because I kept jumping up and down on my seat during that last game :) I’m with you on the added time issue, those minutes seem never ending…
Laxeyman
6 декабря, 2011 at 18:30
Fantastic season Johnny! What a turnaround after the poor run in form, brilliant mate :) Would be great if you can get through the qualifiers and into the CL, but you should get into the Europa League anyway which will be great I’m sure.
Johnny Karp
6 декабря, 2011 at 19:38
Thanks mate, we’ll need to get past two of the preliminary rounds to make sure of reaching the Europa League group stage.
Erbsademon
6 декабря, 2011 at 20:45
Fantastic season!! Looking forward to reading about next season and the challenge of the Champions League.
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 06:52
Thnaks mate, I hope we will have a long European journey next season.
Darren Smith
6 декабря, 2011 at 21:04
The season started with some excellent transfers and very wise preparation. at that time I had a sneaky feeling you may be challenging for the title but within this first page those hopes were dashed somewhat….then you went on a sensational run and just shocked the whole of Romanian football. Fantastic achievement and I can’t wait to see you go up against Europe’s elite. (Maybe not the elite but you’ll have a chance to do so) ;)
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 06:53
Thanks Darren. I wasn’t hoping for the title at the end of April but what happened after that surprised me along with everybody else :)
Kevin
7 декабря, 2011 at 00:21
Hi Johnny
I’ll start by saying congratulations on winning the Romanian Championship and qualifying for the Champions League. More importantly though, at least for me, was a riveting story that unfolded before my eyes as I scrolled down the screen ever so slowly as the end of season tension mounted. Your writing here was just pure genius. Fantastic!!
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 07:00
Thanks for the compliment Kevin, I am happy that you enjoyed the story.
Lye
7 декабря, 2011 at 07:02
Hi Johnny,
It’s such a roller coastal ride. I thought you have blown it away by the form in April but the last few games in may really turn the fortunes around. Congratulation on the title win. Bet next season will see you win the double and hopefully you have a pleasing outing in the Champions League.
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 08:59
Thanks Lye, it was quite a turnaround indeed but I guess we were lucky to see the other contenders dropping a few points as well. I think our first contact with the Champions League will be tough but hopefully we’ll gain something from the experience.
Chris @ Chester
7 декабря, 2011 at 07:49
Well done mate, I was waiting for this post because I had a feeling you were going to finish near the top, but with so many good teams I didn’t know whether you’d win it or not. And Kevin’s right your storytelling throughout this has been excellent. Kinda makes me want to grab a small club and storm up the leagues :-)
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 08:59
Thanks Chris, I’m glad you enjoyed the storytelling ;)
Martin Pickard
7 декабря, 2011 at 09:53
Wow talk about edge of the seat stuff! Congratulations on an amazing title success! I think you’ll be a little suprised in respect to Champions League qualifying…i’m sure its split into two types now…Champions route and Best Placed…so you should possibly avoid the big runners up in the qualifying and be drawn with the winner of Welsh Premier, Northern Irish Premier and Eire Premier…I maybe wrong but I think thats what happens. Again fantastic achievement and I’m looking forward to your next update with the ins and outs…should be some strong players interested in joining you now :). REMEMBER…the qualifiers start early July so get some friendlies in :)
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 11:08
You are right Martin, the Champions route should be easier in theory but I think we could still meet strong sides from the Czech Republic or Croatia, Serbia and so on. Pre-season will be quite short this time, I know that ;)
CsAtlantis
7 декабря, 2011 at 13:26
Winning the title against some major teams like Cluj and Bucharest is a great achievement Johnny, your young team is starting to show their progress
Hopefully you can get a good draw in the Champions League, the money from reaching the group stage will be immense to help your club push on
Hopefully Manoel can make a real impact next season, he looks like he can still improve
Putanu has immense potential, such great performances despite not being near his full ability
Good luck for the new season Johnny, hopefully you will get some money to help with continental competition
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 14:42
Thanks mate, reaching the CL group stage would mean the end of our financial problems. I don’t think I’ll be getting any money before that though unless the chairman will find some cash somewhere ;)
Ana Garcia
7 декабря, 2011 at 15:03
Amazing well done Johnny!!!
Three qualifying rounds? If you get beaten in one does that mean you drop out of Europe totally or do you go into the Europa league?
Its been so long since I managed in Europe I have totally forgotten. :)
Its a great feeling when you promote someone from the youth team and they go on an exceed all expectations and judging by your assistants report he could be even better.
I really hope you can make the groups stages I know it will be difficult, but think of how good your finances will look!!
The very best of luck!
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 15:08
Thanks a lot Ana. If we get knocked out in the first qualifying round it’s totally over. If we get beaten in the second then we enter the Europa League play-off and if we win that we get into the Europa League group stage. And if we get beaten in the CL play-off we’ll get to the Europa League group stage.
Stromson
7 декабря, 2011 at 18:23
Wow, talk about a dramatic finish! You really had me on the edge of the seat there, and it was definitely a thrilling run to the title. I thought (at least in FM11) that Romania went straight into the group stage? Has the reputation really fallen that quickly?
Johnny Karp
7 декабря, 2011 at 21:49
Thanks mate. The reputation is falling in real life too so I guess the game proves realistic again. From next season Romania will no longer have a team straight into the group stage ;)
Martin - F.M.J.S
8 декабря, 2011 at 14:39
Congrats Johnny, what a great finish to the season, I hope that you will be able to qualify for the CL group stages, but at least you have made it to the Qualification stage and it just a case of improving every season.
Good luck
Johnny Karp
8 декабря, 2011 at 16:03
Thanks Martin, I agree that it’s a good step forward even if we don’t qualify for the group stage.
Malhar Bhadbhade
8 декабря, 2011 at 15:44
hey johnny,
congrats!! you might have surprised yourself, but i did have a feeling that you might just clinch it. i really respect your patience and determination. hopefully you make it to the champions league group stages…it will be a wonderful experience regardless of what happens there. will also be great financially…good luck for the next season and hope you have more success. cheers!
Johnny Karp
8 декабря, 2011 at 16:04
Thanks mate, it was quite a surprise indeed. Reaching the group stage would be fantastic but it might be tough to go that far.
Alex
8 декабря, 2011 at 19:32
Great season, congratulations on winning the league. With a bit of luck you’ll get to the Champions League and pocket some cash. Vazquez? Sorry, who?
Johnny Karp
10 декабря, 2011 at 14:05
Thanks mate. I have already forgotten about Vazquez :)
Sears
8 декабря, 2011 at 20:50
Congrats on a phenomenal title win mate! I must admit — I thought you’d lost your chance, though with a few games remaining anything was possible. Well done ;)
Johnny Karp
10 декабря, 2011 at 14:06
Thanks Sears, I wasn’t hoping for the title either at the end of April.
Mariano
30 декабря, 2011 at 00:49
Congratulations Johnny!
This kind of season ending makes FM even a better game, when having to play your game but at the same time checking your rivals game…………:)
Cheers and good luck in the ties of Europe CL!
Johnny Karp
30 декабря, 2011 at 10:12
Thanks Mariano, it was quite an exciting finale.