Ultimate FM 2009 Challenge: Andria

Just like I announced yesterday, I kicked off my latest Football Manager 2009 challenge. After creating my profile I set myself to unemployed and let luck decide: I was not too lucky, since I got chosen as manager for minnows Andria Bat, Italian Serie C2/C relegation candidates.

However, according to the information screen provided by Football Manager 2009, this Andria team was the club where football legends like Cristiano Lupatelli, Gianluca Petrachi or Nicola Amoruso started their career! I hope I'll have at least a few youths in my setup to develop into players as good as these mentioned!


For now, I didn't even get to finish my friendlies with Andria since I kept searching for players and bargain buys - with no scouts, abysmal knowledge of the world and a "hefty" transfer budget of 11,000 EUR, I do not find myself in the best position ever. :(

However, I managed to snap for just 5k EUR this little jewel that performed well in training matches. Marco Malgioglio is really a great player but unfortunately his pace and acceleration stop him from being better. However, for the division I'm in, he's a jewel!


I was also impressed by this left winger I started with. He's the team captain and he's the best rated player for now, following the friendlies. Unfortunately Luigi Di Simone is 30 years old and I don't see him improving over the following years...


Now, let's get back to playing. Will my team manage to avoid relegation? I truly hope so, I plan to promote next season at most!