Career Rangers Are Back And Better Than Ever

[forbes5]

Hi Everyone,

This will be my first story on the forum and I'm really looking forward to it. I've been a silent watcher of the forum for a longtime now and I think some of the stories/tips you've all came up with are amazing and really encouraged me to document my own journey.

I'm a massive fan of Glasgow Rangers and have been a season ticket holder for 10 years. With the last 3/4 years exempt I've always known my club to be successful and the current affairs of the team are unusual to me.

I'm here to bring success back to Ibrox and go one step further and make us a success on the european platform also.

Attached are my first season results from what I call my 'transitional' phase as I got to grips with how I wanted my team to play their football and put my master plan in place.

First season I won the Scottish Cup and finished 2nd in the league which I'm really happy with as Hearts and Aberdeen have great squads in FMM. 

My aim this season is to qualify for the Euro Cup and win the league. It's not going to be easy but with a few key signings I know we can do it. 

[forbes5]

Key Players.

Joe Garner - Target Man

Garner scored 28 goals for us last season and he's going to be essential in our fight for first place. 

Roland Lamah - Left Winger

An inspired free agent signing who managed 17 assists last season. Always dangerous going forward and will chip in with his fair share of goals. 

Wes Foderingham - Goalkeeper

Wes made some important saves last season and will no doubt be called upon if we manage Euro Cup qualification. 

Hot Prospects

Jai Quitongo - Poacher 

Young Jai is an exceptional young talent signed from Morton first season scoring 13 goals. Will be looking for 20+ this season.

Jack Paterson - Central Midfielder 

At 17 years old he's the youngest starter in my Rangers team. Already showing signs of becoming a top player and I expect him to spend his career with us.

[forbes5]

WE HAVE DONE IT.

We qualified for the Euro Cup.

We also had an unbeaten start to the season until Celtic beat us at Parkhead. Nothing worse than losing to your biggest rivals but to be fair we played really well and it's a massive improvement from being destroyed by them last season.

Despite this we sit level on points with Celtic after 5 games with Aberdeen currently sitting top of the pile.

Have a look at our new signings -

JOHN TERRY

One of the greatest defenders of all time and now he's here at Ibrox to help us win the league title. Bringing much needed experience to our backline and will be third choice behind Wilson and Tavares. 

YAYA SANOGO

Came to Ibrox to resurrect his career and Arsenal's loss is our gain. He is going to be great in that target man role and I can't wait to see him shine. 

CONOR HOURIHANE

I really can't believe we got a player this good on a free transfer. He's perfect for the box-to-box midfielder role and is easily our best central midfield player. 

[forbes5]

European Adventure Begins

Rangers are back in the Europa League. The tournament we reached the final of back in 2008 as it was formerly known as the Uefa Cup. 

As you may or may not know rangers were heavily criticised for their formation during this run to the final which many referred to as 'parking the bus' but this brought great success and with sheer determination and a bit of luck they made it through to the final only to be beaten comfortable by an Arshavin powered Zenit. 

the formation is a 5-4-1 which focuses on getting men behind the ball and limiting the space available for opposition players to exploit. We then play counter attacking direct football in order to hit teams on the break and nick a goal which we will protect with our lifes and grind out victory. Not pretty but hopefully effective. 

I plan to emulate this tactic ONLY for my european matches as I'm not nearly as good as any of my opposition. This year is purely a learning curve for my players and I don't plan to make much impact. 

First up for us was Borussia Munchengladbach and as you can see we were hammered in possession but managed to sneak away with a 0-0 draw. The media declares me as Mr Anti-Football but I'm buzzing. 

[BatiGoal]

Your first season was a close one. 2nd spot is a great start tho. I believe with some decent signings you're able to dethrone Celtic as new Scottish champs. Goodluck!

[Sousa_XI]

Good start and good luck with your save 

[Scratch]

Well... I've just taken Celtic to 16 consecutive league titles and a bunch of Champions League trophies as well, so I'm not sure I'm allowed to read about a Rangers career! Feels .... wrong... 

Just joking of course! Nice start and I'm sure you'll do great! I'll be following along...

[forbes5]

4 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

Your first season was a close one. 2nd spot is a great start tho. I believe with some decent signings you're able to dethrone Celtic as new Scottish champs. Goodluck!

Thanks man!

The bonus of having a young squad is they'll keep getting better year on year. Despite me having to rely on free transfers I can see we are already a lot better than last season. 

[forbes5]

3 hours ago, Sousa_XI said:

Good start and good luck with your save 

Thanks mate. 

25 minutes ago, scratch99 said:

Well... I've just taken Celtic to 16 consecutive league titles and a bunch of Champions League trophies as well, so I'm not sure I'm allowed to read about a Rangers career! Feels .... wrong... 

Just joking of course! Nice start and I'm sure you'll do great! I'll be following along...

Well done! that's some achievement mate. I'm hoping to do something similiar with Rangers. My squad is a year or two behind the level of the Celtic starting squad but I'm making progress.

Really surprised by the level of Scottish football on this game, a lot of talented players going about the league. 

LOL, appreciate the support. 

[Scratch]

4 hours ago, forbes5 said:

Well done! that's some achievement mate. I'm hoping to do something similiar with Rangers. My squad is a year or two behind the level of the Celtic starting squad but I'm making progress.

Really surprised by the level of Scottish football on this game, a lot of talented players going about the league. 

Yeah, Scotland's not bad, and Celtic certainly has a nice advantage (which is why I chose them for my 1KC career). That made it easier for me, but it took about 6 years of constant improvement until I could finally add world class players to the team and finally win in Europe. You should be able to do that too, but yeah, you may need a couple of extra years. I'm confident you can do it however! Go for it!

[Del2378]

As a fellow rangers fan im really looking fwd to seeing this career progress and hopefully we dont need to wait too long to see us back on top?

[forbes5]

5 hours ago, Del2378 said:

As a fellow rangers fan im really looking fwd to seeing this career progress and hopefully we dont need to wait too long to see us back on top?

Hopefully man! would like nothing more.

[forbes5]

December Update.

FIRST SILVERWARE OF THE SEASON.

We've only gone and won the Betfred Cup! The least important competition we perform in but at Rangers, we want to win everything. Oh and I forgot to mention we beat Celtic to win it 

I really wanted to win my first one as Rangers manager as in future seasons I'll be looking to play my reserve and young players in this competition. 

Can we do the treble!?!? 

CRUELY KNOCKED OUT OF EUROPE

Nobody wants to be out of Europe before christmas but the fact we went out on goal difference was a hard one to take. Places 2nd, 3rd and 4th all finishing level on 7 points. We performed much better than expected the highlight being our draw away to Porto. This was a great learning experience for the team.

WALKING THE LEAGUE 

At this present moment we are 10 points clear at the top of the league and I'm really starting to understand my team and tactics. I start of balanced and mixed for everything and add instructions throughout the game as I see fit. Changing to short passing if we are being dominated in possession, changing to direct if we are struggling to get the ball into the final third and my most used one is probably pressing when we are in desperate need of a goal. 

We did just get hammered 3-0 by Celtic at home so I wouldn't write them off just yet. My players are performing above the level they're expected too whilst Celtic are underperforming, still a lot of football left to play. 

WHO WILL I SIGN? 

January transfer window is looming. I don't want to upset the balance of the team but I only currently have 3 centre halfs with John Terry being one of them and his contract is expiring in the summer. 

Please have your say - Do you have someone in mind who would come in and be a rock at the back for me? To help me see out 1st place and become champions. 

I currently have 1 million pounds to spend so get involved and have your say in my story guys. 

[forbes5]

JANUARY WINDOW SLAMS SHUT. 

One in, one out! 

We bring in John Souttar from Hearts for a transfer fee of 950,000. A bargain in my eyes as he's already a Scotland international at 21 years old. He'll battle with Wilson and Tavares for a starting berth. I'm looking to give him as much game time as possible due to his age and potential for growth. 

We let Josh Windass leave to join Huddersfield for 1.5 million which is excellent for a player who wasn't getting anywhere near our first team. He went out on loan to Walsall first season and impressed there but didn't fit into our system. 

We also signed Ally Fotheringham on a pre-contract agreement from Sunderland. Young and Scottish and at 17 looks a real talent - check that leadership and agression! 

 

Edited February 8, 2017 by forbes5

[forbes5]

SEASON FINALE.

We are all set for a tense finish!!! 

Last game of the season at home to Celtic level on points and ahead on goal difference by 5 goals - the stuff dreams are made of. Not only can we win the league but beat our rivals at the same time... complete and utter chaos. 

ALL WE NEED IS A DRAW. 

I'm taking my time with this one, do I play the safe 4-5-1 formation, or do I go with the European 5-4-1 defend for our lifes tactic. 

Next update will declare all, we also have Celtic in the Scottish cup final in the game after this. We could end the season with a treble or a measly Betfred Cup. Our season rides on the two remaining matches.

[forbes5]

CHAMPIONS.

Second year back and we're champions already! I'm delighted with the way the season has gone. We were cruising to a 3-0 win before Celtic brought it back to 3-2. The game then went 4-2, then 4-3. 

In the championship group (top 6 all play each other last game of the season for those unfamiliar with scottish football) we adopted a 4-5-1 formation which brought goals goals goals. We completely collapsed defensively keeping only one clean sheet but I just didn't have trust in the 4-4-2 helping us see out the league win even though it was so effective throughout the season. 

Scottish Cup Heartache.

The treble wasn't to be as Celtic got their revenge in the Scottish Cup Final. I'm not overly disappointed as the league was our priority but I'm going all out for the treble now in season 3. 

End of Season awards. 

Joe Garner - Player of the year

Our top scorer for the second year running and at 30 years old is at the peak of his powers. 26 goals from 46 games is nothing special but the big man delivered for us when we needed him most. 

Roberto Mancini - Manager of the year

IS THIS SOME SORT OF JOKE?

Baffled as to why Mancini won the manager of the year award over myself. The guy has an impressive CV in football but his team, the former champions were expected to win the league and he didn't deliver. No idea where Brendan Rodgers disappeared too but the way I see it, it doesn't matter who the opposition manager is, it's all about rangers.

CONFUSION.

Upon checking the end of season player stats I've realised that my central midfield players have created the most assists in the team. Credit to Holt and Hourihane but as I am focusing on distributing the ball to the flanks, shouldn't this be reflected with higher assists from my wingers/wingbacks? Some insight into this would be much appreciated. 

Season 3 will follow - Champions league qualification awaits us and some big singings are needed.

[forbes5]

Summer Transfer Window.

We've been busy in the transfer market.

Callum Paterson joins us from Hearts for a fee of 2.5 million which is a lot of money for us but more than justified. He's an excellent wingback and will be a fixture for Scotland and Rangers for years to come.

Witi was highly recommended by my scouting team and he adds something different to my squad. A tricky winger with plenty pace and already has 17 international caps, all be it for Mozambique. 

Sam Hutchinson is a former Chelsea reject but will do a job for us at centre back. He comes in on a free transfer after a couple of decent seasons in the championship with Sheff Wednesday. 

Liam Bridcutt was available on a free transfer and I felt we could do with a defensive midfielder in the squad. He gives me the option of playing a protector of the back four particularly in Europe. 

Major departures for us were Martyn Waghorn and Harry Forrester. Harry had a transfer request in and wasn't getting enough gametime whereas Martyn was just far too inconsisent. 

[forbes5]

Back in the big time. 

We qualified for the Champions League after battling our way through 6 matches, 3 seperate qualifying rounds. 

AC Milan, Dortmund and Porto - not exactly the easiest of groups. I'm excited to test my squad at the highest level and will use this as a learning curve for future seasons. 

Anything you'd like to see me include in this save? For example, show you my current squad, an indepth discussion about my tactics etc. 

 

[BatiGoal]

That CL group looks tough there. Group of Death by the looks of it. Interesting to see how that's going to unfold. 

[forbes5]

23 minutes ago, BatiGoal said:

That CL group looks tough there. Group of Death by the looks of it. Interesting to see how that's going to unfold. 

All will be revealed tomorrow mate. Along with a new formation I've adopted for the season ahead. 

[Seth Anacondas]

Callum is class. Good stats around make him a good wing back/ winger and 14 Leadership is a bonus. Definitely a good return on the 2.5 million paid.

[forbes5]

6 hours ago, Seth Anacondas said:

Callum is class. Good stats around make him a good wing back/ winger and 14 Leadership is a bonus. Definitely a good return on the 2.5 million paid.

I agree he's a great wingback. In this save money is tight and I need to spend wisely but no regrets about spending the bulk of my budget on him. 

[forbes5]

New formation.

I've reassessed my squad and found a system which best suits my current crop of players. It resembles a 2-4-3-1.

Playing two ball winning midfielders gives my wingbacks licence to roam and the plan of action is for these players to cover for them so I don't lose my defensive shape. 

With the wingbacks bombing up the line I've changed my wingers to inside forwards with their job now to provide goals as well as countless assists. 

My advanced playmaker's job is to feed the inside forwards and poacher and should end the season with the highest number of assists. My thought choice with my poacher is I want someone in the box at all times with the amount of attacking play I expect from my team he should be scoring 30+ goals per season.

 

[Scratch]

Nice going. I agree Callum Paterson is class. I took him to Celtic in an alternative reality and he did a great job for quite a few years.

I wouldn't worry about the manager of the year award. I use to complain about it every year. I'd win the league by 40 something points with 100 goal difference and still they'd give it to someone else. Eventually I started winning some though. Messed up logic. That said, I think they might have tweaked in the update last week. Did you update?

Anyway, great going, keep it up!

[forbes5]

Who will be our new hero?

Joe Garner at 30 years of age is starting to decline as a footballer. I've always found on Football Manager that strikers enjoy their best goalscoring seasons around 28-30 years old but of FMM this seems to work differently.

We have 4 players waiting in the wings to become our star striker. With 5 options it was so tempting to play with 2 upfront but in truth I cannot create a formation with 2 forwards which works for me without having a negative impact on my defence. 

Who would you like to see given a chance at Ibrox? 

 

[Sousa_XI]

Great season again.. You describe the save in a very nice way I have enjoyed reading 

[forbes5]

26 minutes ago, scratch99 said:

Nice going. I agree Callum Paterson is class. I took him to Celtic in an alternative reality and he did a great job for quite a few years.

I wouldn't worry about the manager of the year award. I use to complain about it every year. I'd win the league by 40 something points with 100 goal difference and still they'd give it to someone else. Eventually I started winning some though. Messed up logic. That said, I think they might have tweaked in the update last week. Did you update?

Anyway, great going, keep it up!

Thanks Scratch! been following your celtic save and you're doing a great job. Noticed Ryan Giggs had a spell as Rangers manager in your save, he's the Hearts manager in mine. 

18 minutes ago, Sousa_XI said:

Great season again.. You describe the save in a very nice way I have enjoyed reading 

Cheers Sousa. Appreciate the support. Hope you continue to follow me on my journey.

[forbes5]

Group of Death? 

I can't believe we've managed to escape this group and with only one loss to show for it. We progress to the last 16 topping our group and only losing once.

The 4-0 victory against AC Milan was really something special. 

[forbes5]

Novelty Betfred Cup.

We seem to like winning this competition and we can cross of one trophy on our hunt for the domestic treble. 

Ryan Hardie, the homegrown talent is starting to show his potential. He scored against Celtic in the semi which will give him instant hero status amongst the rangers supporters. His double ensured we seen off Dundee in the final.

[Scratch]

2 hours ago, forbes5 said:

Thanks Scratch! been following your celtic save and you're doing a great job. Noticed Ryan Giggs had a spell as Rangers manager in your save, he's the Hearts manager in mine. 

I think he was Hearts manager in mine too. He got sacked about 5 or 6 times and each time he'd pop up at another Scottish club... Once Gareth Southgate got sacked from the England job (about 12 seasons in), he started managing in Scotland and got sacked a couple of times. I'm not sure what it is, but the game decided that both those managers would spend their careers in Scotland.

It'll be interesting to see what happens for your Ryan Giggs as your save progresses. 

But anyway, congratulations with the Champions League group and the Betfred Cup. I can't keep up with how fast your posting this!