The Marco & Remo Diaries - Epilogue #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

October 2, 2016

My FM16 journey has ended after finishing 10 seasons at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ), I now wait for FM17. However, after simulating 10 years into the future (to 2035), I have two short blogs to publish: (1) today's Marco & Remo Epilogue and (2) next Friday's Auf Wiedersehen GC Zürich: 10 years without Swartzendruber post.

Since Marco Simon and Remo Mahrer entered my Youth Intake in February 2015, I've been pretty obsessed about charting their progress. Events in my save meant that the duo parted ways quite early on in my save, but they have reunited: both in the Swiss National Teams and also facing off in against one another in Continental matches. If you haven't caught up by now, here's your chance:

Part I

Part II - Invincible

Part III - Breakthrough

Part IV - Heartbreak

Part V - Icons

Part VI - Reunion

Part VII - Galácticos

Marco Simon: Legendary Midfielder

Marco Simon at 35 years old.  Real Madrid Captain.  Global Superstar and Legendary midfielder — Marco Simon at 35 years old. Real Madrid Captain. Global Superstar and Legendary midfielder

Marco's career at Real Madrid has been incredible, hardly missing a game, totalling 467 appearances, 126 goals & 95 assists

Marco Simon, at 35 years old, is the Captain of Real Madrid in what has been a legendary career in the Spanish Capital. To date, Marco has won 19 Major Trophies at Real Madrid:

La Liga x5
Spanish Cup x5
Spanish Super Cup x5
Champions League Winner x2
European Super Cup x2
Club World Championship Runner Up x2

During the simulation, he received the most treasured of Media Descriptions in 2032:

Marco's media description in 2032: 'Legendary Midfielder'

He has exceeded the predictions I made, back in the 1st ever Marco & Remo diary blog post:

5 Years: GCZ captain at the age of 21?

10 Years: A Champions League winning captain?

15 Years: Swiss captain with over 60 International caps?

A GCZ Captain at 19, Champions League winner in 2029 (slightly longer than 10 years) and a Swiss Captain with 100 International Caps. Marco has done it all and more! Bizarrely, Marco Simon chose to cut short his International Career as Swiss Captain in November 2029. Perhaps he liked the romance of finishing on 100 caps with 24 goals?

Selling Marco to Olympique Lyonnais at the end of Season 5 of my save was heartbreaking, but seeing what he has gone on to achieve has left me proud. Marco has been recognised for this talents and achievements with several awards:

Named Players' Swiss Super League Midfielder of the Season Runner Up on two occasions
Named Swiss National Team Player of the Year on four occasions
Shortlisted for World Golden Ball on nine occasions
Best Player in Europe 3rd place
European Champions League Golden Boot runner-up

"We shall never see his like again....and now his watch is ended".

Remo Mahrer - Loyal Grasshopper

There's only one man I would want to see replace Marco Simon as Captain of the Swiss National team and on 21 November 2029, Remo made that step up from Vice Captain to Captain. What an incredible achievement for GCZ - providing consecutive Captains to the Swiss National team.

Unlike Marco, Remo has kept himself available for the Swiss National team...despite his advancing years:

Remo Mahrer (now in the English Premier League with Stoke): 132 International caps with 41 goals

It's difficult to cover all of Remo's story, without spoiling next Friday's blog post: 'Auf Wiedersehen GC Zürich: 10 years without Swartzendruber'. But all I can say is that Remo Mahrer has stayed incredibly loyal to GCZ. He now holds both GCZ records for appearances and goals. Surpassing GCZ legend Mats Gren's record of 427 league appearances and smashing Moussa Konaté's previous record of 153 goals for GCZ.

In total, Remo has played 628 times for GCZ: scoring 266 goals and assisting 145 times. In 6 of those seasons he was a 20+ goals-a-season man. His trophy haul does not match Marco Simon's but for individual honours in Switzerland, he is up there with the very best:

Named Swiss Super League Player of the Season on six occasions
Swiss Rookiee of the Year on two occasions
Players' Super League Midfielder of the Season on two occasions
Swiss National Team Player of the Year on three occasions
Swiss Super League Top Goalscorer of the Year on six occasions

Remo sadly did not make any of my predictions, but despite this he has carved out a very distinguished career both with GCZ and Switzerland:

5 Years: Score a Champions League hat-trick before the age of 21 years old? (Like Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale before him)

10 Years: Win the European Golden Shoe?

15 Years: Top scorer at a Major International Championship?

In the Summer of 2034, Remo finally said goodbye to GCZ and ended up in Stoke, England for what is the twilight of his career. For reasons unknown, the GCZ Management had allowed him to run his deal down thus leaving on a Free Transfer.

"We shall never see his like again....and now his watch is ended".

Well, it's been quite an incredible journey with these guys. I hope you don't mind me shedding a teardrop or two. I never could have imagined that I would get these two together in a youth intake, it's incredible luck and something which I have enjoyed blogging about. It's perhaps the crucial aspect of the GCZ save that I have enjoyed the most: youth development.

Once the dust has settled from the conclusions of my FM16 save, I will collate their story into one place on my website. Both Marco & Remo have become legends in a fictional pixelated Universe, transcending space and time forever. Thank you for being part of their journey.

"We shall never see their like again....and now their watch has ended".

FMG

Auf Wiedersehen GC Zürich: Seasons 1-10 Review #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

September 30, 2016

3 minutes. I was 3 minutes from reaching the 2024/25 Euro Cup Final in Poland, in what would be Loïc Swartzendruber's 500th and final match in charge at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ) - ending a trophy-laden 10 year spell in Zürich. 3 minutes away from erasing GCZ fans' memories of a Semi Final exit at the hands on SC Bastia on away goals in 1977/78. Just 3 minutes.

But in those final 3 minutes, Olympique Lyonnais scored to equal a 4-1 1st leg defeat and take the tie into Extra Time at 5-5. The rest is a heartbreaking collapse, as documented by my [at the time live] Twitter updates. There will never be a 500th game in charge, instead I said my farewells at home against FC Thun - my 499th game - on the final day of the 2024/25 Swiss Super League season.

Today's blog post is the 1st entry of a two part farewell to GCZ. In today's Part 1, we review Seasons 1-10...the good, the bad and the ugly. For as regular readers know, this hasn't been a fairy-tale save... if anything it's been the HBO Game Of Thrones of FM16 saves. Brutal, unpredictable and strangely satisfying in every small detail. Part 2 will be released next Friday (07 October 2016) and will simulate the next 10 years of life without Loïc Swartzendruber for GCZ and the Swiss Super League. But before we look forward, let's take a look back on 10 years with GCZ...

Seasons 1-10

Season 1 was probably my most challenging pre-season, I had to build an effective team within a very limited transfer budget. The main success was keeping the players I had, certainly Munas Dabbur...who went on to become top scorer in the league with 19 goals. The team was micro-managed to such an extent that we ended up with a very specific asymmetric 4-3-2-1 formation. The success was mainly put down to the injury free season I had...with Yoric Ravet (Inside Forward) and Dabbur (Poacher) creating a really good partnership upfront scoring 45 goals between them in all competitions (71% of our goals came from these two guys!). There were also specific combinations, tweaked to make great use of the FM Match Engine, such as Deep Lying Playmaker Kim Källström consistently releasing Attacking Wing Back Taye Taiwo down the left flank. Again, both these players remained injury free and we managed to pip FC Basel to the title (securing Champions League football) AND win the Swiss Cup. This would lay the foundations for the Swartzendruber legacy that was about to unfold...

Top Performer: Munas Dabbur with 23 goals in all comps

Marquee Signing: Taye Taiwo (£13k)

Notable achievement: A Swiss Domestic Double

Overall Balance at end of season: £-1.8m

Yoric Ravet & Munas Dabbur...a 45 goal partnership in Season 1. — **Yoric Ravet** & **Munas Dabbur**...a 45 goal partnership in Season 1.

In Season 2 we continued with the 4-3-2-1 asymmetric formation, and made a strong start domestically. However a disastrous November, in which GCZ failed to win a game, saw us knocked out of the Swiss Cup to lower league Servette FC and have no chance of progressing in the Champions League. We did however progress to the EURO Cup due to a 5-1 demolition of RSC Anderlecht. As Season 2 progressed GCZ Homegrown talents Shani Tarashaj (22) and Nikola Gjorgjev (19) really started to shine: accumulating in the fantastic 2-1 away win against Sevilla FC. The standout signing was Goalkeeper and South African Captain Itumeleng Khune, who played the Sweeper Keeper role perfectly. As the season progressed, we used the 4-3-2-1 sparingly and used a higher tempo 4-1-2-3, resulting in better football and more goals. It did however start to freeze out the tricky wide ball players of Caio and Yoric Ravet, in favour of more traditional width.

Top Performer: Shani Tarashaj with 19 goals and 9 assists in all comps

Marquee Signing: Itumeleng Khune (£350k)

Notable achievement: A 5-1 home win against RSC Anderlecht in the Champions League

Overall Balance at end of season: £11.3m

After just 46 GC games and 1 season, Itumeleng Khune made the £5.5m switch to Fiorentina. — After just 46 GC games and 1 season, **Itumeleng Khune** made the £5.5m switch to Fiorentina.

Season 3 was so nearly a terrible campaign for us. We were overpowered in the Champions League, crashing out bottom of the group with two points. We also had long barren periods in the league, an example being from February to April...where we picked up on two wins (in 14 games!). We recovered in the final few games however, with new £3.5m striker Moussa Konaté hitting form when it mattered. We won the league on the final day, overturning a losing position against St. Gallen (where we had dropped to 2nd in the live league table). However this day will be remembered as the birth of a new star at GCZ: as 18 year old Remo Mahrer powered in a vital equaliser to send GCZ top once again. The Club was also taken over by Italian Businessman, Franco Soldati in January of 2018. The Club finances swelled to unimaginable heights, concluding in an £11m signing of Niklas Stark in January 2018.

Top Performer: Moussa Konaté with 24 goals in all comps

Marquee Signing: Moussa Konaté (£3.5m)

Notable achievement: Beating Basel on penalties to win the Swiss Cup. The 2nd Domestic Double

Overall Balance at end of season: £24.1m

Moussa Konaté became GCZ's record scorer in under 4 seasons.  Netting 153 goals in 206 games. — **Moussa Konaté** became GCZ's record scorer in under 4 seasons. Netting 153 goals in 206 games.

Season 4 was the birth of entertainment at GCZ. We took our football to the next level by breaking the points record in the Swiss Super League (95 points). Moussa Konaté ran riot, netting 34 goals in all competitions. We also had a very industrious midfield with Marko Grujic, Niklas Stark and 19 year old Vice Captain Marco Simon overpowering opponents. We also did exceptionally well in the Champions Leauge, winning Group C against AC Milan, Arsenal and Zenit, and then beating Valencia home and away. Before finally going out at the Quarter Final stage against FC Bayern. Despite big signings of Argentinian sensation Franco López (£7m) and Spanish Right Back Patric (£3.5m), the finances were healthy...mainly due to £20m in Champions League prize money. We also won our 3rd Domestic Double.

Top Performer: Moussa Konaté with 34 goals in all comps

Marquee Signing: Patric (£3.5m)

Notable achievement: Beating Valencia home and away in a Champions League knockout match

Overall Balance at end of season: £22.9m

Spanish Right Back, Patric played 49 times for GCZ and had an Average Rating of 8.15 in all comps — Spanish Right Back, **Patric** played 49 times for GCZ and had an Average Rating of 8.15 in all comps

Season 5 saw another Double win, with record signing Iuri Medeiros (£16.75m) contributing 20 goals and 28 assists. The football at times was golden, with 37 goal (all comps) Moussa Konaté operating in front of Homegrown talent Remo Mahrer in 'the hole'. Unfortunately, we had a terrible away result at PSV in the 1st EURO Cup knockout round, losing 3-0 after a 0-0 1st leg draw at home.

Top Performer: Iuri Medeiros with 20 goals and 28 assists in all comps

Marquee Signing: Iuri Medeiros (£16.75m)

Notable achievement: A 5th straight league title

Overall Balance at end of season: £24.9m

Iuri Medeiros holds the record of the fastest GCZ goal: 15 seconds! — **Iuri Medeiros** holds the record of the fastest GCZ goal: 15 seconds!

Season 6 was another 'nearly year' in Europe, as we went as far as the Quarter Final of the EURO Cup. Going out on away goals to Leverkusen. Our fabulous run to the Quarters, which included knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk and Man City, was orchestrated by January record signing Julian Weigl (signed for £24.5m). Julian Weigl would go on to become GCZ's heartbeat for the remaining 5 years of my time. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Marco Simon (record £20m sale to Olympique Lyonnais,) who had become our Homegrown Captain in Season 5, and Patric who had a £16.75m release clause activated by Tottenham. Nevertheless, we walked to a 6th successive title with only one loss in the league all season.

Top Performer: Adama Traoré with 15 goals and 14 assists in all comps

Marquee Signing: Julian Weigl (£24.5m)

Notable achievement: A EURO Cup run to the Quarter Finals

Overall Balance at end of season: £35.7m

The £24.5m paid for Julian Weigl remains a GCZ record. — The £24.5m paid for **Julian Weigl** remains a GCZ record.

Season 7 was the birth of the Homegrown XI Project, a 5 year project set out to achieve European glory with a comparable set of Academy players to rival the great European teams of Ajax (1995) and Barcelona (2011). During Season 7 57% of the team was made up from Academy players (12 out of the 22 players), however we did polish around the squad with some marquee players. This included Swiss National Goalkeeper for Roman Bürki (signed for £15.75m) and Regen Winger Víctor Silva (£8.75m) - who replaced record sale Iuri Medeiros (sold to Man Utd for £30m). We won the league again, despite having some barren spells in September and February. I also had the embarrassment of a Swiss Cup exit to lowly FC Lausanne-Sport on penalties. We exited the Champions League with a 5-0 aggregate loss to Juventus, however further pain against this team would resurface in Season 10.

Top Performer: Remo Mahrer with 16 goals and 14 assists in all comps

Marquee Signing: Roman Bürki (£15.75m)

Notable achievement: A 5-0 home win against FC Porto in the Champions League Group Stage

Overall Balance at end of season: £36.1m

Roman Bürki has been Mr Reliable for GCZ.  Missing only 9 games in 4 seasons and keeping 81 clean sheets. — **Roman Bürki** has been Mr Reliable for GCZ. Missing only 9 games in 4 seasons and keeping 81 clean sheets.

In Season 8, we broke the points record in Switzerland by amassing an incredible 101 points: with 33 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. Our flamboyancy reach ridiculous levels, scoring 101 goals in the league. Our play was expansive with Wingers Nikola Gjorgjev & Nikola Vlasic being directly involved in 60 goals (either assist or goal). Remo Mahrer also reach new heights with 18 goals and 18 assists, he had officially developed into a phenomenon for both Club and Country. With 14 International goals in 32 caps, he was recognised as Swiss National Player Of The Year (Nati award). But there was the continuing heartbreak in Europe. After a terrific performance away from home against Monaco (winning 2-1), we succumb to a 3-1 loss at home. After being 3-1 up in the tie, the team folded in the final 30mins...eventually losing the tie 4-3 on aggregate. I hoped the experience would teach the youngsters who now had a 60% share in my 1st team (15 Academy players in squad of 22). I was to be proved wrong...

Top Performer: Richairo Zivkovic with 28 goals in 26 starts (all comps)

Marquee Signing: Silvan Widmer (£9.5m)

Notable achievement: A records points tally to win an 8th consecutive league title and a 4th Domestic Double

Overall Balance at end of season: £15.5m

With 63 league goals in 81 games, Richairo Zivkovic replaced Moussa Konaté as No.1 Striker at GCZ. — With 63 league goals in 81 games, **Richairo Zivkovic** replaced Moussa Konaté as No.1 Striker at GCZ.

Due to [in part] my miss-management and an inactive Boardroom (as discussed here), Season 9 was a struggle to survive Financial Fair Play (FFP). My great legacy was on the brink of collapse in my penultimate season! However, we balanced the books and had to sell on the fringe players...sadly these were mainly Academy products. In essence, the Homegrown Project was over...just 3 years into the plan. Instead we bought established stars to steady the ship: Wingers Bismark Ngissah & Regen Florian Rahn. Despite the potential doom and gloom around the Club, we actually went on to have a great season including the away hammering of Young Boys way 7-1 and Basel 5-0 to clinch the title as Unbeaten Winners. The tweaked high tempo 4-2-3-1 was working wonders, with Julian Weigl & Academy product Nuno Gouveia forming an irresistible partnership in midfield. There was but more heartache though, and we went out Galatasaray S.K in comical fashion as documented in my Season 10 preview here. The team needed experience, which was the driver in my recruitment for my 10th and final season at GCZ...

Top Performer: Richairo Zivkovic with 32 goals in 30 starts (all comps)

Marquee Signing: Bismark Ngissah (£10m)

Notable achievement: An Unbeaten Season and my 5th Domestic Double (and surviving FFP!)

Overall Balance at end of season: £2.9m

After 12 years at GCZ, Moritz Bauer left the club with 8 league titles. — After 12 years at GCZ, **Moritz Bauer** left the club with 8 league titles.

Season 10 had become an obsession with Europe. After 9 Swiss Super League titles and 5 Swiss Cups, we had become a Domestic Powerhouse. We recruited to a specific kind of player: experienced with high levels of concentration, players that had vast Europe experience. German duo Willi Orban and Christoph Kramer arrived from Leverkusen in a £6m double deal. To fund the recruitment some big decisions were made, Club Icon Nikola Gjorgjev was sold to Barcelona for £30m (equalling the record sale again). We also said farewell to Club Record Scorer Moussa Konaté who was sold back to Sion on the cheap after falling out of favour in the Central Striker position. However, Europe didn't go swimmingly at first...we recorded our biggest ever defeat against Juventus: 8-0. It was the darkest day in the 10 seasons and I used the Winter Break to shore up the leaky defence and re-sign Niklas Stark for £15m in order to add more experience [and German steel]. We stumbled our way in to the EURO Cup Knockout rounds thanks to two wins against Lech in the Champions League Group Stage. We knocked out Dortmund, Roma and Porto en route to a famous 4-1 1st leg home win against Olympique Lyonnais. Despite the euphoria, we crumbled in the 2nd leg...3 minutes was how close we came to that European Cup Final...on what would have been my 500th game.

World Cup Winner Christoph Kramer joined GCZ, helping the club to its first European Semi Final since 1978. — World Cup Winner **Christoph Kramer** joined GCZ, helping the club to its first European Semi Final since 1978.

We won the league this season, making it 10/10. But I leave GCZ with regrets of what might have been. What might have been possible if I had curbed my enthusiasm for entertainment and goals. It is the right time to say goodbye to this wonderful club, in what has been a great FM save.

Top Performer: Bismark Ngissah with 18 goals and 19 assists (all comps)

Marquee Signing: Niklas Stark (£15m)

Notable achievement: A Euro Cup Semi Final (and 3 minutes away from a Final grrr)

Overall Balance at end of season: £10.1m

Notable Stats

During the 'The Swartzendruber Years' GCZ have jumped 174 positions in Club Reputation Rank (from being the 223rd Ranked Team Worldwide in 2015 to 49th in 2025).
The Club's average attendance has grown by 12,818 fans. Including 10 capacity crowds of 25,000 in 2025, a Club record. Hopefully the next manager can convince the Board to relocate to a new stadium.
80 players featured in 'The Swartzendruber Years': 25 GCZ Academy Players (31.25%), 6 Homegrown in Switzerland (8.75%) and 40 outside of Switzerland (60%). See below:

A third of players used have been GC Academy players

Thank You

Now that I have wrapped up Seasons 1-10, I am ready to sim 10 years into the future. To see what becomes of GCZ without me. This will be presented in Friday 07 October's blog post. But before that, I need to thank a few people who have really helped me in this save (and apologies in advance if I have missed anybody out). I moved into the Swiss League for the first time in FM16 and their help and support has been appreciated:

@aulit_z - The Swiss Researcher for Football Manager, please follow him. He reports on some of the best [& most outrageous - yet accurate] Swiss transfer news. The Swiss FM database can have no better person overseeing it. Danke, mein Freund.
@FootballSwiss - This Twitter account has some passionate support. It pretty much covers every Swiss Super League game, in some way of the other. I shall certainly be following, even though I leave Switzerland for pastures new. Keep up the good work Gents, I will be reading!
The next few accounts are GC fans that are good guys to talk to. It made my job feel more important as they took an interest in my save, thanks for your support and I wish GC every success in the future: @cedinho19, @Oli_Marriott, @TheUmlautAfobe, @frederikhvillum and the magical @talentfactoryFM

Hopp GC Forever,

FMG

The Marco & Remo Diaries - "Galácticos" Part VII #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

September 25, 2016

March 2025: It's been over an in-game year since I last updated you all on the developments of Marco Simon & Remo Mahrer, two exceptional Academy players of the 2015/16 Youth Intake. This update takes place two thirds through my final season at Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ): Season 10 (2024/25). It's therefore the final Diary post, before I simulate 10 Seasons after 2024/25 wraps up, where I will finish the Marco & Remo Diaries with an Epilogue post. So let's see what they've done in a year and whether they've lived up to their potential...

Marco Simon: a Swiss Galáctico

I always knew Marco Simon was destined for great things, potentially good enough to reach the summit of European football. It's one of the reasons why I insisted on 30% of any profit made when selling to Olympique Lyonnais (OL), I knew OL was just a stepping stone towards the European Elite. In the summer of 2024, Real Madrid came calling and Marco was part of a £200m investment programme from new (fictional) Real Madrid Club President: Israel Abdessalem.

Here are the three predictions from my very first Marco & Remo Diary post:

5 Years: GCZ captain at the age of 21?

10 Years: A Champions League winning captain?

15 Years: Swiss captain with over 60 International caps?

He achieved the 5 year prediction pretty quickly, captaining the Club at 19 years of age to a Swiss League and Cup Double. There's no better place for Marco to be in order to achieve the 10 year prediction and in 2024/25 Real Madrid are on course for a Champions League triumph:

Marco Simon will easily achieve the 15 year prediction almost 7 years early, he currently sits on 52 International appearances for Switzerland. He is also Swiss Captain and a Global Superstar with a Leader mentality:

Swiss National Manager Zinedine Zidane replaced Swiss Captain Granit Xhaka with Marco Simon

I have simply run out of superlatives to describe Marco Simon, he's the greatest alumni that GGZ could have and nothing makes me feel more proud in FM16 than seeing him dominate on the Continental & International scene. One of my long term challenges for this save was:

Produce and develop a Newgen, through the club's youth intake, and see them go on to become a Ballon d'Or winner (either at the club or elsewhere)

Marco Simon is the best bet for achieving this and something I will address during the Epilogue blog post.

Remo Mahrer: a Grasshopper Galáctico

Remo has had to be patient in the last 18 months

It would have been pretty incredible if Remo Mahrer hit the same dizzy heights of Marco Simon's career. Although he isn't yet a Galáctico, he is still with GCZ and his career has been a success story:

A winner of 4 Swiss Cups and 7 Swiss Super League titles (including a goal on the final day of the 2018 season as a teenager, to clinch the title from Basel on the final day!)

A two time Swiss National Player of the year (Nati award). 49 International Caps and 20 goals.

The one thing missing from his trophy haul with GCZ is also what I crave the most: a European cup (as discussed in my last blog post). As we entered Season 10, Remo was out of form and struggling to make the team. The lowest moment for probably both Remo and myself was the 8-0 loss at home to Juventus. Remo was on the bench and I had run out of ideas with the team. Tactically outclassed, I used the Winter Break of Season 10 to re-address the tactics in the team. One major decision was to put faith in Remo Mahrer once again. This was facilitated by a long term injury to first choice Central Striker Richairo Živković. It was Remo's time to shine.

With some exquisite passers in midfield like Julian Weigl (Passing 18/Vision 17) and Academy players: Nuno Gouveia (Passing 16/Vision 16) & Lukas Oswald (Passing 16, Vision 16), we've managed to use Remo as the most advanced forward in a 4-3-3. With the exception of the stalwart defence we've deployed, Remo IS the reason why we face Porto in the Euro Cup Quarter Final. He destroyed Dortmund away from home in the Signal Iduna Park and produced the most magical goal at home to Roma:

Every club has iconic moments that resonate through its history. On Thursday 06 March 2025 Remo Mahrer made that iconic moment, defining my era at GCZ forever. Finishing a fine team move in a 2-1 win against AS Roma at the Letzigrund during a Euro Cup Knockout match. This is probably my favourite goal at GCZ so far. Here is the finish in two different angles:

We're now approaching a Euro Cup Quarter Final against Porto, where we will be relying on our Grasshopper Galáctico once more. Stay updated via my Twitter or await a blog post about how Season 10 concludes here on fmgrasshopper.com. Thanks to all those who have shared my Marco & Remo Diary posts, it's been an absolute pleasure charting their amazing careers with you. For a recap on past blogs see below:

Part I

Part II - Invincible

Part III - Breakthrough

Part IV - Heartbreak

Part V - Icons

Part VI - Reunion

As ever, thank you for reading. I think I have at least 3 more FM16 GCZ updates in me:

(1) A Season 1-10 recap on all the shit that's happened in this save

(2) A simulation 10 years into the future and what it meant for GCZ without Loïc Swartzendruber

and (3) an Epilogue for Marco & Remo...as we see what they get up during the 2020s and 2030s.

FMG

Season 10 - The beginning of the end #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

September 14, 2016

90+1 and 120+1. Two critical minutes in two separate games that highlighted the great weakness of my team in Season 9. In each occasion Galatasaray had scored, to swing both legs of the 2nd Knockout Euro Cup tie in their favour - 6-5 on aggregate. Out of Europe once again in the most frustrating of circumstances, a behavioural trait all to familiar for Grasshopper fans:

Season 1 (2015/16) - Not in Europe
Season 2 (2016/17) - Euro Cup 2nd Knockout Round
Season 3 (2017/18) - Champions Cup Group Stage
Season 4 (2018/19) - Champions Cup Quarter Final
Season 5 (2019/20) - Euro Cup 1st Knockout Round
Season 6 (2021/22) - Euro Cup Quarter Final
Season 7 (2022/23) - Champions Cup 1st Knockout Round
Season 8 (2023/24) - Euro Cup 1st Knockout Round
Season 9 (2024/25) - Euro Cup 2nd Knockout Round
Season 10 (2025/26) ?

To have regular European football beyond the Swiss Winter Break is an achievement in itself, we are habitual underdogs fighting against a breed more powerful than us in stature and in wealth. Yet there is something missing in those games, a quality that is independent of affluence & reputation: the mental state of Concentration & Decision Making. Today's blog serves as an introduction to my tenth and final season in Zürich, managing Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ). I will discuss the remedies to correct the lapse in concentration that has plagued my team in recent years and the platform in which I have tried to build for GCZ to continue the successes without me.

Postponing the Homegrown XI?

Back in Season 7 I evaluated the Homegrown prospects in the Club that had made it near or into the 1st team squad. I had at the time FIVE capable Centre Backs that were good enough to sustain Domestic success: Bianco, Zwicky, Manco, Upamecano & Loosli. The real question back then was whether they could step it up and develop further, as discussed:

"Despite not being ball players, all five will make competent CBs in the Swiss League. Only time will tell if they can step up and cope on the Continental scene".

Bianco (now at Servette) moved on that Summer after failing to improve his game. Zwicky followed a year later after being sold to St. Pauli, as I battled to keep the club afloat from Financial Fair Play. For Season 9 I was therefore left with a Homegrown trio of Manco, Upamecano & Loosli, who by now were 24, 25, 26 years old respectively. This was their time to establish themselves on the Continental stage...

90+1, Zürich

So the tie is delicately poised at 2-2 against Galatasaray in the 1st leg of the Euro Cup 2nd Knockout Round. What we really need now is to accept a draw and attempt to win the 2nd leg. To concede again would be devastating...

A correct space between the CB pairing & generally a very good back line shape with seconds to go (highlighted in the blue sphere), our DM is out of position though (pink sphere)...

Our blue Circle starts to shrink, with Upamecano moving in closer to Manco.  A smaller circle is not necessarily good here... — Our blue Circle starts to shrink, with Upamecano moving in closer to Manco. A smaller circle is not necessarily good here...

The CB unit remains small and overlays with our DM's sphere - not good at all.  Three critical Defensive positions covering only one opponent effectively (No. 20) — The CB unit remains small and overlays with our DM's sphere - not good at all. Three critical Defensive positions covering only one opponent effectively (No. 20)

The defensive trio of CB, CB and DM are now behind the movement of the ball.  We're playing catch up and face a real battle to get goal side of our opponent: Spanish Attacking Midfielder Dani Olmo (No. 13) — The defensive trio of CB, CB and DM are now behind the movement of the ball. We're playing catch up and face a real battle to get goal side of our opponent: Spanish Attacking Midfielder Dani Olmo (No. 13)

The Concentration and Decision making is very poor here, we're actually starting from a decent shape yet we've allowed ourselves to get sucked in (Upamecano) or remain stationary (Manco). Ultimately it's a great finish from Dani Olmo...but he should never been allowed to get a shot away. Upamecano's Decision to occupy the same space as Manco and my DM Fede's overzealous pressing meant the one pass Ristic could make was made easy for him. Here's the painful goal in it's glory, we lose 2-3 at home and need to score at least 2 goals in Turkey:

120+1, Istanbul

"Mistakes are meant for learning, not repeating"

It's one of the fundamental principles I have installed at GCZ, and I accept young players make mistakes But the Centre Back pairing of Manco & Upamecano can no longer be considered young, they are 24 and 25 years of age. Below shows a real mess in the CB positioning and also the poor positional play of my DM, Fede again. This was seconds away from a Penalty shootout, after GCZ battle bravely to be winning 2-3 away from home...

Upamecano is lost at sea, helping to play Ademílson (No. 16) onside along wit loanee LB, Luca Cioffi (No. 2).  I've also highlighted our DM, Fede (No.16 in pink) — Upamecano is lost at sea, helping to play Ademílson (No. 16) onside along wit loanee LB, Luca Cioffi (No. 2). I've also highlighted our DM, Fede (No.16 in pink)

Upamecano pushes forward, but the damage is done.  Manco it not aware of Ademílson and decides to focus on No.14, which he presses — Upamecano pushes forward, but the damage is done. Manco it not aware of Ademílson and decides to focus on No.14, which he presses

A lucky rebound is falling to Ademílson.  It's too late for Upamecano and certainly for Manco, who is unawares what's behind him — A lucky rebound is falling to Ademílson. It's too late for Upamecano and certainly for Manco, who is unawares what's behind him

The easiest of tap ins for Ademílson, who sends GCZ out with the final kick of the game.

It's a complete disaster, one which you can read through at your viewing pleasure on Twitter, as I live tweeted the fucker (it's full of emotion). If you do not have Twitter, then see the goal here:

Nevertheless, in these two key moments (90+1 and 120+1), I knew I needed to change the Centreback pairing and also recruit a high quality Defensive midfielder. I had been overly loyal to these Academy players, who certainly showed real potential at 20-23 years of age, but they have peaked. It's time to say goodbye with the stage now set for juggling the precarious finances at GCZ once more and give Europe a real go in Season 10...

New recruits

My quest for decent CBs and a DM was made easier by being 9 years into a save. I had a number of targets who were already scouted and reviewed. I'm delighted to say that I landed my top three targets: Willi Orban, Christoph Kramer and Regen Centre Back: Zoran Dragovic. All three for £7m.

Orban and Kramer, despite their advancing years, offer superb Concentration and experience. Zoran Dragovic on the other hand will only get better, who I already consider an upgrade from the trio of Season 9: Manco, Upamecano & Loosli. In fact, we've already waved goodbye to two thirds of the Homegrown CBs, with Upamecano leaving on a Free Transfer and Loosli making a huge move to Young Boys. Manco is the only survivor, saved by his versatility at Right Back and his low wages. 27 year old Vice Captain Fede also stays, who will serve the last year of his contract as back-up to Kramer.

The beginning of the end

It's only fair that I leave GCZ in a better financial state than when I joined in 2015. Despite this being 'only a game', I want to leave GCZ with a platform to do well in future years (as I plan to simulate 10 years into the future after Season 10 is complete).

Therefore the ruthlessness in the Sales Transfer Market didn't stop at Centre Back, as we waved goodbye to GCZ icons: Club record scorer Moussa Konaté and Homegrown talents Nikola Gjorgjev and Nedim Bajrami. The next GCZ manager will certainly not have to worry about Financial Fair Play or juggle the books in his/her's 1st season like I had to. The overall balance entering Season 10 is close to £40m.

So this is it, the beginning of the end. The squad I have now is the one that people might remember me by - it has exceptional Homegrown Academy talents in and around the 1st team and their future is bright...but it's now combined with players containing high levels Concentration and Decision Making. Let's hope we rock the Continental dance floor one last time...

Predicted 1st team line up for the 2024/25 season

As ever, thank you for reading. I will be playing my final season throughout September, I hope to live tweet the odd European night, if time permits. Stay tuned for more late late drama :-)

FMG

The Marco & Remo Diaries - "Reunion" Part VI #FM16 #WeAreTheCommunity

September 7, 2016

Thursday 22nd February 2024 - There has never been a more apt time to write a Marco & Remo diary post. This is because £43m rated 24 year old Marco Simon returns to the Letzigrund to face off against his boyhood club - Grasshopper Club Zürich (GCZ). Marco now plays for Olympique Lyonnais (OL), and if you are yet to read his journey to stardom...see the previous 5 blog posts below.

Part I

Part II - Invincible

Part III - Breakthrough

Part IV - Heartbreak

Part V - Icons

During the Part V, I had pretty much lost all hope of bringing back Marco Simon to the Letzigrund. Marco now commands a World Class transfer fee and because of the Financial Fair Play Fiasco outlined last week...it's near on impossible to bring him back. However, this saves unpredictability can never be questioned...as in December 2023, I was drawn against Marco's OL side in the 1st Knockout Round of the Euro Cup. Marco was coming home.

Today's blog therefore is a summary of our two legged skirmish. Remo Vs Marco, Zürich's two prodigious talents.

1st leg: GCZ vs OL

On a wet Thursday night a near capacity crowd of 24,581 turned up to see Marco Simon play a decisive role in a 1-1 draw between the two clubs. Marco played in a narrow 4-4-2 diamond.

The formation that I have fallen upon for Season 9

He played with all the Box-to-Box traits that I had added to his game since he was 16, with 43 completed passes with 6 being key. He mixed up his game and covered the 3 midfield stratas with ease. All despite my best efforts to close down at all times and tackle hard. Marco simply showed his class.

Marco Simon Vs GCZ: 43 completed passes, 6 key

His homecoming was sealed on the 81st minute strike, where Marco showcased his predatory instincts of 'Gets Forward Whenever Possible' & 'Gets Into The Opposition Area'. The PPMs I helped train have come back to haunt me! Here is the all important away goal to break my heart:

The game was pretty even, and I had my chance to seal a vital victory when Noah Loosli was tripped in the box on 87 minutes. Sadly Richairo Zivkovic couldn't make it count, with Super Regen Keeper Julien Jacquet saving well.

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Remo Mahrer on the flip side had a dreadful game. Twice thwarted by Julien Jacquet in the OL goal early on, he had an ineffectual game. I was disappointed - and showed no hesitation subbing him when he went down injured on 64 mins. Here are his passing contributions for the 63 mins he played:

Remo Mahrer Vs OL. 14 completed passes, 1 key

With only 7 days between fixtures, Remo had a race against time to get fit for the Second leg...

2nd leg: OL (1) Vs GCZ (1)

I entered the 2nd leg in buoyant mood, despite not having a left back (loan Regen Luca Cioffi was suspended) and Remo Mahrer ruled out through injury. Last year we had gone away to Monaco and won 2-1 and our away form this year in the league had been red hot (7-1 away win at Young Boys and 5-0 away win at Basel). The mentality of those matches was to attack but I had to be conscious of OL's attacking threats - they already had the important away goal and could counter me.

Olympique Lyonnais v Grasshoppers_ Preview Line Ups.png

Cesar Hernandez_ History Achievements.png

GCZ lined up with a disciplined focused 4-4-1-1 with two DMs. I had to counter Mexican Right Back regen Cesar Hernandez's ferocity. Cesar was a trialist only a month ago at GCZ, but I couldn't conclude the deal due to FFP and him wanting £60k wages per week. My Left Back area was decimated so Centre Back Dayot Upamecano played with Vlasic's attacking talents being sacrificed for a Defensive Winger role on man mark duty. I don't normally go to these great lengths to stop a player, but with no recognised Left Back in the squad...I was compelled to do so. Marco Simon proved in the previous match that he can bypass my micro-management skills, so I left him untouched and decided to punt on Julian Weigl & Fede causing the AI problems.

Richairo Zivkovic makes up for the 1st leg penalty miss!

...We did it! A solitary strike from Richairo Zivkovic was enough to see us through. In truth, the game way scrappy and I rode my luck on numerous occasions. But I am happy that tactically my left side weaknesses were not exposed - I had to sacrifice a lot of my attacking threat but it paid off. My first European Knockout progression for 3 years.

HOPP GC!!!!

Marco Simon had a standout game, despite not progressing with OL into the next round. He gave a Man Of The Match performance, with 63 completed passes with 9 key. He also dominated physically, winning 13 of the 15 headers attempted. It was Marco that dominated the midfield once again, not me. But football is a cruel game and GCZ progress.

So, I survived the encounter with Marco Simon - the best Regen I have produced at GCZ. It will be interesting to see what's next for Marco. He is currently £43m rated and has one year left on his deal at OL:

If he does leave for a transfer fee during the Summer of 2024, I am due 30% of whatever profit OL make on him (signed for £20m). So he could save the club financially once more. As for Remo Mahrer, he has another two European nights to show his talents and right the wrongs of the 1st leg...

As always, thanks for reading.

FMG