Hannover, kicking ass since 1896

Die Fussballfabrik

Coming back to FM blogging. Oh, what a feeling. And what a waste of time, as my father said when he saw me playing the good old CM0304 for the first time.

As you have already notice, I’ve updated the blog (which I must admit I had completely abandoned days after starting it) with a couple of entries I worked around in the SI community during this past summer. The thing is, when FM hit my system it hits it hard, and after months of having the last #FM19 version sitting in my Steam library time has come for it to kick into my veins again and propel me to start this story.

You may be wondering what this is all about, and if you can read and have a minimal knowledge of your football shit you probably have already get to the place I will be making my home for this run. Yes, we’re visiting Germany, and we’re building a football machine in Hannover!

Why we? Because I’m only narrating the adventures of my in-game’s persona, who you’ll get to know more about if you keep reading.

I) Call it a comeback

I have already told you. I purchased #FM19 before it was released. I always do. Even I find no reason to play it at the time the beta launches, if I’m not interested in it, or if I just don’t have time, I always buy it. I have since I found the wonderworld of football managing videogames in 2002, and I will keep on doing it.

Never have I stopped playing this game, each and every year for the past 17 and counting. It wasn’t going to be different these days, it was just a matter of time since I tried my luck at it again. And after all, there is still plenty of time until we see the arrival of the series’ next iteration, so I’m still on the loop even though I must admit that once I saw all of the new stuff regarding the tactics included in this #FM19 I was a little worried it would be too much for me, the one taking full advantage of the streamlined Touch version of the game.

Turns out, it’s not that much. Cool papa beans!

II) Gegen-trending

Since I first managed Bayern Munchen back in CM4, I have never had a somewhat “serious” save in the German land. I remember managing Werder Bremen maybe circa 2010, but it was just a mid-season short spell as far as my head is able to create memories of it. Pizarro was a beast, tho, that I can tell you.

So with the death of Guardiola’s Barcelona and its tiki-taka, and the evolution of football hailing from his move to Germany and the emergence of minds such as Klopp, Tuchel and Favre, Gegenpressing became the new booming style you need to go with to be cool at school.

Actually, it was because I was watching and reading some breakdown of this season’s BVB side that made me come with the foundation to what I wanted to try in #FM19, and here we are.

III) Keeping it simple

The first thing I made clear in my mind was that I wasn’t going to pick a team playing any continental tournament this season (I’m playing with the last winter-updated DB, just in case). I wanted an easy start. I always struggle starting a new save. Once a few weeks have passed I’m in true shape and feeling great most of the times, but starting a new game is truly a struggle because it feels like too much to set up everything, become accustomed to the team and players and league, etc… So I wanted a simple start with a team not too big and without having to worry about more than domestic games.

I then created a new game, and looked for options in the Bundesliga. I considered multiple options but ultimately it came down to Stuttgart and Hannover. I would have loved to start with Schalke 04 or Bayer Leverkusen, as I’ve always like those teams for some unknown reason, but they both are on European competitions. Cold world.

IV) Why Hannover

Believe me when I say that you won’t find a worst club that Hannover 96. It doesn’t make any sense. I love Hannover’s logo, and I think that is the only reason I can give you for why I picked them, honestly.

Atrocious club, atrocious manager. Your perfect mixture

This club was formed before 1900. They set green, black and white as they colors yet for some stupid coincidence played and still do in red. What the hell is this joke. They have the 14th-biggest stadium in Germany. One of its icons is Steve Cherundolo, who has one of the greatest names I have ever stumbled upon. They have no fierce rivalry with any team as per the in-game club information screen. Its best player is a kid of 21 years of age named Waldemar. And now they’re also handing the club’s reins to a 26-year old manager, if you can even consider him that… #shakingmyhead

V) By the name of Rudolf goes “Der Ausbeuter”

Now meet Rudolf “The Exploiter” Gelsdorf, new Hannover 96 head honcho.

Handsome “Der Ausbeuter” on his first day at work

This fool is in his prime, which is widely recognized to come between ages 26 and 29 at the most sports. The problem is that “primes” are often assigned in that range to players, not head coaches. Born somewhere in Germany, our man Rudi will be the centerpiece of this story.

He doesn’t know what will come next, he never has, let alone asking me about it. I don’t know where all of this will end with Rudi at, if he’ll settle in Hannover and make a career in there, move places after a few months, or what is going to happen.

One thing is clear though, and it is that he doesn’t give a damn about who he is going to manage at the club. Be it a 14 year old kid, or a 35-plus veteran with more than 20 years of experience, he ain’t keeping any words or actions at home. If you want to make it in Hannover, you better come ready to give it all and leave everything you have out there in the field. Blood, sweat and tears will be real, like, literally real, around Rudi.

VI) Effort, Youth, Globalization

Check this out. It comes from Rudi’s introductory press conference.

We are citizens of the world. There are no barriers. Youngsters are the new carriers of our society. You either kick your balls working or are out of here. I don’t give a shit. Rudi Gelsdorf

Wow, son, hold your horses! Quite a quote to kickstart a new professional career, isn’t it? And more interestingly, does it pour any light into what is coming to Hannover under Rudi’s new regime? We’ll wait and see.

This is it for the introductory post to Die Fussballfabrik. I hope it is enough to build an early idea of what I (and Rudi, more than anyone) am up to with #FM19 for the coming weeks. In the next entry I will finish the introduction to Gelsdorf, talk about the team a little, and present the aims of the save and the story from both my and Rudi’s perspective.

Don’t create false expectations for this, though. As I already mentioned, I don’t have any idea where it will end, how often I will post, etc. I won’t be going match by match, that is for sure, and updates will come after I advance a few weeks in the game. I have not set a career path for Rudi, have no true idea or thought about teams to manage, the length of the save, etc. It may end after the first season, or after the 10th, in German or Brazilian soil, or who knows what.

I only hope you enjoy the football side of the story as much as the narrative, which is something I have to thank @FM_Grasshopper for inspiring me to do. His work is amazing and you should never stop reading him on Twitter and his site. Mad props to him.

Thanks for reading and see you soon. Peace.

You can stay updated to the minute between new episodes drops with the little pieces of content that I will be publishing on Twitter & Slack, where I live-post stuff as I play the game so you can follow Rudi’s path as closely as possible: