30/08/17: A Memorable Champions League Adventure - almost through to the Group Stage!

Since Malta's coefficients had dropped over the previous season, this year saw me enter the Champions League at the First Qualifying Phase, pitting me against Luxembourg's champions Jeunesse d'Esch-Altezze. Confident that this might be our first ever victory against international opposition, I fielded a defensive formation in the away leg, keeping the score 0-0. The return leg was the first ever game in the new stadium. And what a befitting way to open the venue, for the Knights overcame all my initial expectations by completing a 6-0 rout over their opponents.

However, I did not expect continued success, being drawn against Croatia's Dinamo in the Second Qualifying Phase. In the first leg, which was played at the Mdina Knights Stadium, we managed an incredible 2-1 victory, albeit Dinamo had 2 men sent off in the 57th minute, whilst leading 0-1. 

Thus, reasoning that I had won due to numerical advantage, I didn't hold much hope away from home, especially since they had an invaluable away goal. However, as fate would have it, not only did I manage not to succumb to a thrashing, but managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw after extra time, finishing the match with 8 men!

This was already an incredible achievement, and all the further I progressed meant more and more windfall when I was finally eliminated. The Third Qualifying Phase pitted the Knights against the Georgians Dinamo Tbilisi, another though match to endure.


After winning the first leg 2-1 in Tbilisi, I started to doubt whether this was all down to luck, or whether my team was really at such a high standard. Such a precious lead, with 2 away goals was then followed by another 2-1 victory at the Mdina Knights Stadium, meaning I had progressed to the Playoff, where the victor would eventually play in the Champions League Group stages.

Although I was so close to playing in the Group Stages, I certainly did not expect to progress against such formidable opposition as Austria Wien, and although we put up a tremendous fight, we could do nothing to stop them from progressing, losing 2-1 away from home, and then 0-1 at home.

This is certainly unbelievable progress, and has certainly shown me that my goal of winning the Champions League is certainly possible, and maybe not so far along in the future as I had previously anticipated.


Moreover, financially, it was even more rewarding; winning a total of £2,000,000 in prize money and almost £1,000,000 in gate receipts and match-day income. Hopefully this will be a huge catalyst in the increase of both Mdina Knights' and the Maltese Premier League's reputations, and enable us to buy ever better players.

Update - I did not notice before, but progressing so far has landed me in the Europa League Group stages! More prize money and more gate receipts :D

24/06/17 - New Stadium: New Dawn?

I'm certain that the new 10,000 all-seater Mdina Knights stadium will see a great deal of local success, but will it see success at the international level?

One thing's for sure, it will generate a great deal of money from gate receipts, a much needed benefit, as last season saw a small, but steady loss every month (although not enough to put the club back into debt), and it is now imperative that we start making profits.


On another note, I have finally managed to buy the first players from outside Malta, in the form of two Nigerians (although I could not scout them beforehand, so they are still an unknown quantity, until they join us in September). Hopefully, there will be more, since the level of Maltese players is still nowhere near enough to compete in Europe, although I am hoping it will improve gradually.

2016-17: A Tale of Two Halves

May 2017 brought with it the end of my seventh season in charge of Mdina Knights, and another enthralling story to go with it.

After that demolishing in the Champions League way back in mid-July, the domestic season started with a First Round cup tie against Second Division Naxxar Lions, a match which we won 3-0, and which I hoped would be a precursor for the season.

It was soon made clear though, that things were not to be plain-sailing, with a loss on the first match of the season against Floriana. However, my team was quick to dispel my fears that this season might not live up to the success achieved at the end of the previous, going on a 20 match unbeaten run, which saw us build a massive 10-point lead at the top of the League, and arrive at the Cup final (although it was a bumpy ride, progressing twice on penalties).

But there was to be a twist in what is soon becoming a traditional mid-season slump of form. Three losses in 6 matches, and that massive lead was excruciatingly chopped down, and another couple of draws saw us drop into second place.

However, some poor form from my competitors coupled with some few wins from my side saw me return to the top, although with only a precarious lead, which I took through to the final round of matches.

But before that, I had to see through the fourth successive Cup final, and having had 2 matches in the previous six days, my players were exhausted, and their morale was low, having lost the previous one, leaving my lead at the top of the league at one meagre point. So it was, that the Cup dominance was finally broken, and the trophy went to Sliema Wanderers.

A week off allowed the players some rest, and although morale was still quite low, we went into the final match of the season against second-placed Tarxien knowing a draw would be enough to certify a second successive Premier League trophy. The match started with a kick in the teeth, with Tarxien scoring a penalty in the 19th minute, however, with Tarxien dominating play, hope was restored with a goal a minute before half-time. That must have been an enormous catalyst, as the second half was truly a different story, with the Knights dominating possession, and finally turning this dominance into two late, late goals.

This season was truly a tale of two halves, and although we did finally win the Premier League, after hanging on with the skin of our teeth, there certainly remains much to work upon.


The Premier League dropped 17 places to 238th.

Appointed Malta's Under 21 Manager

A step closer to becoming Malta's manager :)

The story so far!

After successfully managing in the English lower leagues for the past 3 editions of Football Manager, the introduction of dynamic league reputation in FM11 led me to try my hand at managing in Malta.

The goal: simple. Take a club from the lowest league in Malta and lead them to Champions League glory, in addition, be appointed as Malta's national manager, and lead them to World Cup glory. :)

So, since Football Manager doesn't contain Maltese leagues out of the box, I had to wait for a custom patch to appear on the internet. And the first one that did come out (admittedly not the best, as a much better one was released, although a bit later) was quickly implemented in my game. As a club, I chose Mdina Knights, residing in the basement of the Maltese Second Division (being the third tier, which isn't actually the lowest league in Malta, but the lowest one in the patch).

The First Season (2010-11) 

Having been tipped to finish the season in last place, and having heavy odds against me in all the matches, the Knights managed a very creditable second place finish on goal difference on the very last day, having spent the whole season hovering around mid-table, and thus winning immediate promotion to the First Division.

Having been drawn against Premier League opposition in the first round of the Cup, it was no surprise that we were immediately eliminated.

Although not yet in the Maltese Premier League, I was keeping my eye on its reputation, and after the first season it didn't do too well, dropping 63 places from 255th to 318th.

 

The Second Season (2011-12)

After being promoted against all odds from the Second Division the previous year, I didn't hold high ambitions for my Mdina squad. After spending all year in the relegation places, a similar push as the season before at the very end saw the Knights escape the clutches of relegation with a win in the very last game, securing their status in the First Division.

 

As in the previous year, I was drawn against Premier League opposition in the first round of the Cup, and was immediately eliminated. The Premier League meanwhile dropped a massive 137 places to 455th.

 

The Third Season (2012-13)

After a tough relegation battle the previous season, my second season in the First Division started quite poorly, with two defeats in the first three matches. However, a run of just one defeat in 15 matches (a highlight of which was a magnificent 7-1 win against Valletta) saw the Knights topping the table (again having been heavy favourites for relegation), and finally winning promotion to the Premier League.

 

Yet again, I had no luck in the Cup, being drawn against the Premier League champions, and yet again falling at the first hurdle. The Premier League meanwhile started gearing up, moving up 52 places to 403rd.

The Fourth Season (2013-14)

Having been tipped for relegation from the First Division the year before, it is needless to say that I was heavy favourites to be thumped in every match in the Premier League. However, surprisingly, I started really well, remaining unbeaten for the first six games, and finding myself battling near the top! However, the increased number of games in the Premier League, and, for the first time ever, competitiveness in the Cup took its toll on my squad, and a meagre run of 1 win in 11 matches saw me drop dramatically in the table, to the point when, after 18 matches (where the league then splits into two tables of 6 and 4 teams), I found myself in the bottom four for the first time, and was consigned to participating in the Relegation Pool.

Although this was quite disappointing after a positive start to the campaign, the comparatively easy opposition I was now facing in the league gave me the opportunity to focus more on the Cup, and with great toil and determination successfully managed to win it, beating eventual Premier League runners-up Msida SJ in the final. It was the first of what was hopefully to be a long list of successes at Mdina. Additionally, it meant that the Knights would compete in Europe the following season!

The Premier League continued on its rise up the rankings (obviously due to my presence :) moving up 122 places to 281st.

The Fifth Season (2014-15)

My second season in the Premier League inevitably saw me look forward to it more ambitiously than the previous year. There was however, some European business to be conducted before the domestic season had even started, the Cup success of last year pitting the Knights against the Israelites M. Petach Tikva in the Europa League 2nd. Qualifying Round.

This was quite needed as I found myself in a miserable financial situation, although its revenue was barely felt, such was the huge amount of debt I had garnered over the previous four seasons. After losing 3-1 twice and being thumped out of the competition, I focused my sights on the Premier League crown. After another almighty impressive start to the campaign, the team however seemed to lose grip halfway through the season due to an enormous amount of injuries and suspensions, and what I had hoped to be a title-challenging campaign dwindled to a mid-table finish, although this season I managed to stay in the Championship Pool.

For the second successive season, I had a successful Cup run, winning it again, and although I had qualified for the Europa League via a league placing, this now meant that I went directly into the Second Qualifying Round instead of the First.

The Premier League meanwhile continued on its steady rise up the rankings, moving 52 places up to 229th, and thus surpassing its position at the start of the game.

The dire financial situation which we found ourselves in after the end of this season however, led to the board deciding that it would be better to operate on a semi-professional status for the time being.

The Sixth Season (2015-16)

 Determined to go strongly out of the blocks, and this time keep up the pace throughout the campaign, I was in no way again helped by the fact that I was still made pre-season favourites for relegation! This is very understandable, since, as I myself found out while scouting for potential (free) new players the previous two seasons, I quickly discovered that quite a lot of my players where nowhere near the level in the Premier League. However, it seemed that with a good relationship between the players, and them with me, they were performing above standard, and I hoped that with a couple of signings, I would finally taste Premier League glory this year.

The Europa League pitted me against a very strong team in the form of Dynamo Moscow, having been themselves eliminated from the Champions League against Chelsea, having beating them at home! (But then losing, not so heavily, away). So, I was quite impressed after losing only 2-1 away, but not more so than holding them 1-1 at the Centenary Stadium, quite an impressive feat!

However, as the season started, I focused all the team's energies on lifting the title. After yet again another awesome start, mid-season brought about some poor form, although we kept fighting, and come the end of the season, found ourselves pushing for the title. A surge of great form towards the end culminated in a final match draw against second placed Msida SJ, ensuring the title went, for the first time ever, to Mdina, and also, that there would be Champions League participation the following season.

The Cup was soon seeming to become a permanent resident in the Mdina Knights trophy cabinet, winning the trophy for the third consecutive time, while the Premier League moved another 8 places up the rankings to 221st place.

After several years of the board trying to expand the stadium (which I can't see how they thought they could do, since we don't even own the stadium), and obviously being rejected by the local council, it was a great piece of news when they finally told me they would be building a new stadium.

Current Date

So this leads us to the current date with the Knights' situation as follows:

We are currently Maltese League and Cup holders, and, after having participated in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the Champions League (and being demolished 0-8 on aggregate against Teplice), in a much better financial situation, with a healthy bank balance of £170,000 (in fact the first time ever to have less than £100,000 of debt!) although still with no transfer budget, and unable to interest players not based in Malta, something I hope won't last long, as we are now competing in the Champions League.

The club status is still semi-professional, but I hope that will change after this season, when the new stadium will also be finished, which will hold 10,000 people, considerably more than my current 2,000 capacity stadium, which I fill week in week out.

The seventh season is about to start, (and will hopefully end with some more trophies in the bag!) and I will regularly update this blog after any notable events in the Knights' story. Feel free to leave me any comments! :)