[FM08] QUB: From Obscurity to Domination

[blake]

Hey everyone. There's been a recent growth of stories in here, so I may as well figure I would post my one. I'm currently up to around 2013, so I will post in the seasons that occurred from 2008 to 2013 in updates... and then, start posting a month by month summary. I apologise for the late start of updates.. but seeing the other threads has inspired me to keep going with this save, which I have been so happy with.

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Leagues Loaded (all to bottom division): England, France, Germany, Holland, Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Wales
Database Size: Large
Version: 8.0.2
Currency: AUD
Wages: Yearly

On the 1st of July, 2007, I started my quest as a manager. My only experience ever in football was when I used to play in a small sunday-league competition, before I eventually retired age 28, due to the strain of it as well as the desire to take up managing. I was 30 years old at this stage, approaching my 31st birthday, and keen to get into managing. It would seem like a ridiculous idea for a club to appoint me - I had never played the game at a high-level, and I had no experience whatsoever, not even as an assistant manager or coach. But, still, I held faith that some team would give me a chance - one chance, that was all I needed to glory.

I sent in applications to all the clubs that were without a manager, and even some that weren't - hoping that their manager was indeed under pressure, although I don't think the Manchester United board really considered my application for too long. After a week, I had received mostly rejections - after all, who would want to appoint a 30 year old with no experience? I was beginning to grow disheartened - when, on the 8th of July, I received a letter from a chairman named Dennis Clarke.

"Blake,

We have received your application for the Queens University of Belfast job, and despite your limited experience, we cannot find any other managers willing to take us forward, and we are willing to give you a chance. We are a small club in Northern Ireland, and we are located in Belfast. Are you willing to take the job?

Signed,
Dennis Clarke

I couldn't believe what was going on - I was thrilled. Who cares who the Queens University were - I had a job! This could be what was needed to kick-start my career. I needed no hesitation what all, as I fumbled with the pen, writing out a quick shaky response. I began to pack my bags, and went and caught the next plane to Belfast.

I caught up with the chairman before too long and discussed figures. It was hardly a lucrative role - they were prepared to offer me just $21,500 a year on a two year deal - and if I didn't perform, they wouldn't hesitate to show me the door. Despite, this, expectations were low within QUB - the media predicted them 11th of 12th in the Second Division of Northern Ireland, and they were widely tipped to go down. Still, I was determined to keep QUB alive and out of relegation - otherwise, my career with them would be gone too and it would be back to the tough days of unemployment.

Ground: Newforge Lane
Capacity: 1000
Media Prediction: 11th​

This was where my journey would begin - at a tiny Irish club known as QUB, who had just 40 season ticket holders and a tiny ground. It was going to be a very interesting season.

 

[hedger_14]

although I don't think the Manchester United board really considered my application for too long.

I laughed at that.

Anyway, good luck in your Managerial career. How long would that database take to load with all them divisions and a large database.

 

[blake]

QUB: End of Season Update (2007/08)
Northern Irish Second Division

Media Prediction: 11th

League Position: 7th
Intermediate League Cup: Winners
Intermediate Cup: First Round
Antrim Trophy: Second Round
Irish Cup: Semi-Final

Summary: My first season in charge wasn't an easy one. My squad didn't look like superstars, and I had no transfer budget and only limited amount of wages left to spend - however, I did the best I could. It proved to be a season of mediocrity - with the exception of the Intermediate League Cup. I got off to a strong start early in the season, but fell away towards the end and was even under pressure from relegation as I began to slide, but I rebounded from 10th with a big win in the last match to push me up to a final position of 7th - hardly spectacular, but still a good effort.

We were disgraced in the Intermediate Cup and Antrim Trophy, failing to win matches against non-league teams. We were beaten 2-1 away in our first match in the Antrim Trophy by Orangefield which was extremely disappointing and we suffered a similar loss in the Intermediate Cup. The board was not happy, but I kept my job, mainly thanks to the Intermediate League Cup which was undoubtedly the highlight of my season. I managed to finish 1st out of 6 in the group stages, beating First Division teams such as Lurgan Celtic and Dundela, before eliminating First Division side Bangor 3-1 at home, which was followed by an extra-time victory over PSNI, and then finally a 4-1 victory over Ballyclare in the final, which was a great effort as Brian Quilty scored a hat-trick to see us through.

Transfers: I released no less than 18 players in my first season in charge, in an attempt to build the squad from new. I signed a variety of players - but undoubtedly the best of these was Brian Quilty, a 16 year old striker from Annagh United for free. Quilty became somewhat of a cult hero in QUB, despite being just 16 years and 30 days when he made his debut. He had a sublime season, scoring 32 goals from 34 games and being the driving force of my team - and without him, we could've possibly been headed for relegation. Another key signing proved to be 16 year old Aaron Riley, a goalkeeper, who despite looking a bit nervous when introduced to our first training, quickly became the main first-team keeper and he played well, participating in 38 games - the most of anybody in the season. Another promising signing was that of 17 year old Jamie Daly, who played in just 9 games after coming in the January transfer window, but scoring 10 goals from those 9 matches, including a haul of 4 in just one match.

Tactics: I quickly decided on a 4-2-4 tactic, with two attacking midfielders pushing up on the wings. This was a very attacking tactic, with the defensive line set high and the main goal was for my wingers to supply most of the goals with crosses from the byline into the box - or to the head of Quilty. This tactic worked fairly well for me, and despite conceding a few goals I think we played pretty well, considering our team.

Player of the Season:
Brian Quilty (Age 16)
Appearances: 34
Goals: 32
Av. Rating: 7.59

Best Eleven

 

[hedger_14]

Good first season you had there. Hopefully you can promote next season.

 

[mattfb]

Yeah, decent first season. Nice work Blakey.

 

[blake]

QUB: End of Season Update (2008/09)
Northern Irish Second Division

Media Prediction: 9th

League Position: 1st
Intermediate League Cup: Winners
Intermediate Cup: Winners
Antrim Trophy: Fourth Round
Irish Cup: Fifth Round

League Table

Summary: The 2008/09 season proved to be a fantastic one for us, and a completely unexpected win in the league as we dominated, losing just one game from our 22. We were always in control of the season, after getting off to a great start, and being champions of the league saw us promoted to the First Division for next year. The board were delighted - it was a completely unexpected effort, and they were more than happy me a new contract - their expectations were only to enjoy the experience of participating in the First Division. But, I had more plans, and I wasn't just going to settle to be a First Division team next season...

We retained our Intermediate League Cup, going back-to-back with a 2-1 victory over the competent First Division side Larne, who had only just been relegated from the Premier Division, with Brian Quilty scoring both goals to give us a memorable cup. This time we again extended our domination, taking out the Intermediate League Cup as well, although we were gifted a ridiculously easy draw. Our only tough match was an away game against First Division outfit Wakehurst in the Quarter Final, which we won 2-1 after being 1-0 down, thanks to a 89th minute penalty which Lisinski coolly slotted. They were the only league team we faced, although we were challenged by Sirocco, before holding on for a 4-3 away victory in extra time in the semis, as Quilty scored the winner in the 99th minute.

We also ended up with a few league records since 2007 (that are unbeaten since 2013, I'm from the future) such as Brian Quilty's 22 goals from 22 league games (best since then is 14), the 59 goals scored from 22 games by our entire team (best since then is 42), and also the biggest win - an 8-0 flogging of Clough Rangers (best since then is 5-0). It was a very successful season, largely thanks to Quilty.

Transfers: We sold no less than 19 players, including Jamie Daly after a very successful stint. Daly played brilliantly for the season, and featured in a record after scoring 5 goals against Clough Rangers in an 8-0 demolition, but when Farsley came calling for $65,000 plus future bonuses, I accepted. It was still a superb season for Daly, however, and he left our team with the record of 28 goals from 29 matches. I was very active in the transfer market, and the addition of the Polish leagues was a huge bonus, with a large number of very skilled Polish players more than happy to sign with us. I quickly scouted a lot of the Polish clubs, and found a lot of good players. I brought in around 10 players overall, with around 7 of them from Poland, most of who featured in the first team, and quite a few of the new non-Polish signings played in the Northern Ireland Under 19 squad - with Johnny Rios, a centre midfielder even captaining it. On the last day of the January transfer window, we brought in Michal Glanowski, a Polish centre mid who looked the real deal.

Tactics: I continued my 4-2-2-2 structure to great success, and felt no need to change it. We had two good attacking wingers in Maziarz and Krajanowski and they combined well - both Polish players featuring in the Best Eleven.

Player of the Season:
Brian Quilty (Age 17)
Appearances: 39
Goals: 45
Av. Rating: 7.85

Quilty just kept getting better and better, performing brilliantly and dominating teams. I could soon rely on him to score at least once a game, and he earned many affectionate nicknames such QUUUIIIIIIILTTTTTTYYYYY... and the Quilt - the former being my nickname for him when he scores yet another goal in a close game.

Best Eleven

History:

Season       Team       League                Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007/08      QUB        NI Second Division    7th         Intermediate League Cup
2008/09      QUB        NI Second Division    1st         League Champions, Intermediate League Cup, Intermediate Cup

 

[mattfb]

Theres only oneeeee Brian Quiltyyy!

Gun season. Even tho I know what happens pree much every game you've played till 2013

 

[hedger_14]

Good season for you there, promoting.

 

[blake]

QUB: End of Season Update (2009/10)
Northern Irish First Division

Media Prediction: 12th

League Position: 1st
Intermediate League Cup: Semi-Final
Intermediate Cup: Quarter-Final
Antrim Trophy: Third Round
Irish Cup: Quarter-Final

League Table

Summary: Our cup performance was somewhat dismal but it was the only blight on what was otherwise an incredible season. We started off slowly, finding our feet in the First Division with a couple of draws and a loss, but from there it was all up-hill as we played some brilliant football. About the middle of the season, we again started leaking goals, and some problems in defence caused some trouble as teams regularly began to score 2 or 3 a game, but with the signing of right back Wojciech Smarduch our problems were solved, with the young Pole holding our team together. He became the pivotal player and we stopped conceding goals towards the end of the season and instead began scoring them again - and plenty of them. We scored 65 goals from 22 games - only fractionally under 3 a game, and finished the season in emphatic fashion with 19 points from our last 7 games, clinching the title over Tobermore United, a team who had also been promoted from the Second Division last year. So, alongside Tobermore United, we were heading to the Premier Division! They would at least be a friendly face there, to remind us from our days in Division 2, but there were definitely going to be no easy games. With the likes of Northern Irish giants Glentoran and Linfield competing in the Premier Division, it could just be a very long season indeed.

2009/10 was again the Quilty show, as he dominated, scoring an amazing 42 goals from just 33 matches, to take his tally past 100 for the club. I found a suitable partner in Jakub Kosecki who played alongside Glanowski in the midfield, and they worked superbly together, assisting our strikers and wingers and occasionally even scoring themself - particularly Glanowski, who was a great finisher from distance. I also found a gem attacking midfielder in Arnold Kolakowski, who could play striker or in the right attacking midfielder position, but with the signing of Sebastien Pluta, he was required only to play alongside Quilty, and he did just that, scoring 25 goals from 40 games throughout the season.

Transfers: It was a quieter season in the transfer market, as we bought just 6 more players to bolster our stocks - but 4 of these players broke into our first team and had a big impact - Pluta, Kosecki, Smarduch and Przewozniak. Przewozniak looked to be a talented young attacking midfielder - he was a superb crosser and could finish, as well as being very skilled at dribbling. Seemingly the perfect attacking midfielder, he contributed well with the 14 games he played in the second half of the season, scoring 2 goals and adding plenty of assists from his in-swinging crosses.

Tactics: With Pluta and Woz in the team, there was no need to alter our tactic and the 4-2-2-2 continued our glory again.

Player of the Season:
Brian Quilty (Age 18)
Appearances: 33
Goals: 42
Av. Rating: 7.94

Quilty continued his dominance, scoring his 100th goal for the club in the process and what a career it has been already for the 18 year old. He was the key man in success for the season, and he has already become a club favourite as well as perhaps one of the legends, despite being just 18. Big things await him.. or do they?

Best Eleven

History:

Season       Team       League                Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007/08      QUB        NI Second Division    7th         Intermediate League Cup
2008/09      QUB        NI Second Division    1st         League Champions, Intermediate League Cup, Intermediate Cup
2009/10      QUB        NI First Division     1st         League Champions

 

[mattfb]

Theres only oneeeee Blake.

tweaking Legend. Amazing ████.

 

[treva]

Man you're a good manager. I say you get playing FM10 and do a career story (i.e as manager going from club to club having started in the lowest leagues and making his way to the top.) Brilliant effort mate.

 

[Ollie_H]

nice work! that's well Impressive! I'm gonna start posting my career save as well, currently
at a Singaporean club . But that quilty lad looks gun!

Ollie_H added 0 Minutes and 57 Seconds later...

nice work! that's well Impressive! I'm gonna start posting my career save as well, currently
at a Singaporean club . But that quilty lad looks gun!

 

[hedger_14]

Yeah. 100 goals before the age of 20 is really good.

 

[blake]

Changed my updating style, slightly, instead of posting a summary I will just do each summary under the league or cup. A slightly longer read, hope nobody cares. TL;DR is down the bottom for you lazy people

QUB: End of Season Update (2010/11)
Northern Irish Premier Division

Media Prediction: 15th

Premier Division: 1st

League Table

Well, well, well. What can I say. We defied all expectations - it was simply a dream run for me. Into QUB I had come as a 30 year old Australian manager with no experience, and no real expectations from the board - and within 4 years I had taken them from a floundering club in debt on the brink of relegation, to a top-class Northern Irish team who would be competing in the Champions League next year! It was simply an incredible effort throughout the year, and I was absolutely delighted. Glentoran and Distillery proved to be extremely tight competitors, and I was thrilled to get the victory. It proved to be an extremely tight competition, with Glentoran seeming to be impossible to break away from. They even pushed ahead two thirds through the season, and with morale not so high it looked like I wasn't going to win - however, we hit a dream run of form towards the end of the season, winning 7 of our last 8 league matches to secure a victory by a narrow 5 points. We would be heading to Europe! I was simply delighted - a run in the Champions League would surely see us eliminated early, but we were $400,000 AUD in debt and we would definitely be able to use the money given to us merely for participating (a fee around the $300,000 mark).

League Cup: Semi-Final
This was our first real test of the season, with the group stage being held before any of the matches in the Premier Division. We were granted a very tough group, with the likes of Linfield, Glenavon (not Glentoran) and Cliftonville in - and it looked like I was going to just enjoy the experience. However, we were in brilliant form and dropped just 2 points in a draw with Cliftonville - winning the other 5 games. The highlight of the Group Stage was easily our 3-2 away win over Linfield after being 1-0 down at half-time, as I rallied the troops and we came out and performed superbly for a great win. We progressed 2-0 in the quarter final with a win over Distillery, largely thanks to a crucial penalty awarded early, but we were sent packing after an incredible match, which we eventually lost 5-4 in extra time. Dungannon hit the front early, but we responded with three quick goals before half-time, before the Dungannon striker scored on the brink of half-time to see it 3-2 at half-time. They followed that up with an early goal, and after 90 minutes the scores were locked at 3-3. However, a quick extra-time brace from a different striker secured a 5-3 lead, and we couldn't peg it back in time, scoring one goal and missing a few other chances, in our loss.

Antrim Cup: Semi-Final
The Antrim Cup now just consisted of the 16 Premier Division teams battling it out in a knock-out format, and it was always going to be tough to record a victory early. Even still, we played some superb football, coming back in the 1st Round from 1-0 down at half-time to finish 2-1 winners in extra-time, and it was much of the same in the Quarter-Final, as this time we blew our lead of 1-0 to leave it 1-1 after 90 minutes, before an extra-time goal saw us through to the Semis with a 2-1 win. The Semi-Final saw us drawn against Glentoran, which proved to be an incredible match. After an opening 40 minutes scoreless, Glentoran struck two quick goals to take a 2-0 lead at half-time, which looked to be good enough for the match. However, we fought back, scoring a quick goal after half-time before Glentoran replied with one of their own, making it 3-2 in their favour. In the 88th minute we managed to steal a goal to recover the scoreline to 3-3, and after no goals were scored in Extra Time, the match went to penalties. We got off to a flier, as they missed their first penalty and we led 3-2 after three rounds. However, from there it went sour as we missed two of our last three penalties whilst Glentoran scored five in a row after their first miss to secure a disappointing 5-4 penalty loss to Glentoran after a 3-3 draw in normal play.

Irish Cup: Fifth Round
We continued our poor luck in the Irish Cup with a disgraceful showing. We made our first appearance in the Fifth Round, after not being drawn in any of the first four rounds, and we had a disasterous display, losing 2-1 to a non-league team despite having 12 shots to 4 and 62% of the possession. I slammed my team after the match, and it was easily our worst loss all season.

Transfers: The 2010/11 season was undoubtedly the season of the Polish. With Quilty moving out for $160,000+, there were obviously clear vacancies that were needed to be filled - and in came Dawid Jankiewicz, a young 19 year old Polish striker that had impressed in an early trial. Fans were reluctant to embrace him; they doubted he could live up to Quilty's standard, but their doubts diminished as he began to dominate teams, finishing with 41 goals at 38 games for the year, an incredible effort that surely would've been better than Quilty, considering the new standard of league. He also set a new record, after scoring 26 league goals in a season for QUB (admittedly, there were just 22 games per season in the First and Second Divisions whilst there were 30 in the Premier Division). Also, in came a Bulgarian centre defender, Daniel Gramatikov, who was later called up to the Bulgarian national team to train with the squad alongside the likes of Martin Petrov and Dimitar Berbatov, but never played a game. He became a rock of defence, and with his incredible technical attributes, it was easy to see why. He was soon appointed captaincy and the fans embraced him, as he was a very likeable player. Another key signing was that of goalkeeper Leszek, who came into the first team as the replacement of long-standing young goalkeeper Aaron Riley, who seemed content to sub, whilst playing for the N. Ireland U19 team.

Brian Quilty - The star that never was (spoilers to 2013)
The one name the fans had been screaming for my entire time in charge seemed to be Brian Quilty.. and, he had an incredible record for QUB, scoring over 100 goals at a ratio of better than a goal a game. He helped the club be promoted from the Second Division to the Premier Division and was undoubtedly a fans favourite. He was reportedly happy at the club, but with the club in extreme financial doubt at a debt of over 300K, he was sold after Linfield put in a bid of $160,000 plus bonuses for him. He agreed to sign a deal, but since then he never returned to form and started just 18 times for Linfield, scoring a meagre 2 goals. Still, in 2013, Quilty is considered a club legend and he will never be forgotten as one of the players who helped build the club to where they were. He was a true icon on the club and still has his original manager, Blake, listed as his favourite personnel - as, he was one of mine. He moved on to Carrick on a free transfer in 2012, and has played 29 league games for them, scoring 7 goals at an average rating of 7 - nothing like the dizzying heights he once reached. Still, with the club moving forward, he simply wasn't considered quite up to Premier Division standard, but he will be remembered for being a star striker and one of the club icons in their push to promotion.

Player of the Season:
Dawid Jankiewicz (Age 19)
Appearances: 38
Goals: 41
Av. Rating: 7.79

It was a fine first season for Jankiewicz, who again earned affectionate nicknames from his boss such as the Yank and Janky. He looks set to be a perfect replacement for Quilty, and he had a fine debut season with QUB, undoubtedly being a key player in the team's successful Premier Division campaign.

Best Eleven

TL;DR - Won Premier Division, did poor in cups, sold Quilty, bought gun 19 year old Polish striker Dawid Jankiewicz who dominated league and cups.

History:

Season       Team       League                Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007/08      QUB        NI Second Division    7th         Intermediate League Cup
2008/09      QUB        NI Second Division    1st         League Champions, Intermediate League Cup, Intermediate Cup
2009/10      QUB        NI First Division     1st         League Champions
2010/11      QUB        NI Premier Division   1st         League Champions

 

[mattfb]

Who needs Quilty when you have Jankiewicz! (And 11 other Polish stars )

Gun season mate, legendary work.