[FM14] Doing It Down Under! v2.0

Heartbreaking stuff!

Keep your chin up, it was never going to be easy but you now have the experience to adapt to the challenges which lie ahead

That sucks mate, nothing more heartbreaking than a narrow loss in a must not lose game You'll be back.... just watch this space!

Justice Yeah, now I know what it's like to be relegated

Ziechael Watch it closely, watch it closely

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We trudged into the changerooms, muddy and miserable. Michal Piter-Bucko tore his captain's armband off in disgust and Radoslaw Janukiewicz sat down in tears, clutching at his jersey as he came to terms with our relegation. Marcin Robak made his way down from the commentary box and looked solemn. I nodded to him and he told everyone to sit down. I was about to deliver what would be my hardest post game speech ever but then the Pogon chairman, Jaroslaw Mroczek, walked in. He turned to my assistant and told him to take the team talk. I was amazed.

"Jaroslaw, what are you doing?"

"Come with me Sean-Paul."

I followed him through the corridors of the stadium and out into the carpark. Waiting was a black limousine. I climbed in, cautious and Jaroslaw was emotionless. I had no idea where we were going. He whispered to the driver and we sat in silence for 45 minutes as we got to our destination. I was started to become a little scared of what would happen as Jaroslaw looked a little weird, and I was not liking the situation. We finally rolled into our destination- Warsaw Chopin Airport. My face drained as Jaroslaw finally turned and faced me. He put his hand inside his breast pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. Inside was a cheque for $775,000 and a one-way ticket to Sydney.

"It's over."

Those 2 words were all he had for me, and his car drove away swiftly as I walked into the airport. My flight was in 3 hours, and I sat down in the lounge hoping no one would recognise me. Pogon was no more, Newcastle no more. It was time to start searching once more. It's over. But Lodovico's Legacy is not.

Simple but effective update, love it. Nice pay off as well

i read this daily and the relegation must hurt but you got a great pay off go and have a holiday

Good to see a story which isn't purely success, having to fight for it makes it just that more pleasurable when you achieve your goal!

Great stuff Feliks!

Ziechael It was definitely a good payout

No1VillaFan Making sure to

Griffo Yeah I'll learn from this and become a better manager

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The 2014/15 instalment of the Polish Ekstraklasa has finally come to a close, and what a season it was. We saw obscure clubs break out, we saw a thrilling title race, we saw disappointment from the relegation phase. Here's a comprehensive look at the season that was.

League Table

Regular Season

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Zaglebie Lubin and Gornik Zabrze surprised Poland with their stunning compaigns, putting them on top of the table at the end of the season ahead of the likes of Legia and Lech. Meanwhile, Widzew had a disappointing campaign whilst GKS Katowice and Dolcan Zabki, freshly promoted, expectedly struggled. However, the real deal lay ahead with the Championship and Relegation Phases.

Championship Phase

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Despite a late charge from the powerhouse Legia, Zaglebie Lubin used their regular season buffer to take home the title, 2 points clear of Legia and a whopping 11 points clear of 3rd. In the end, the race was a two-horse race and the rest were playing for nothing. Zawisza were clearly out of their depth and were pummelled.

Relegation Phase

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As the big boys battled it out for a title, 8 unlucky teams fought as well- to stay afloat. Drawing was the way to go it seemed, and every team bar one drew at least twice. Dolcan Zabki were the fairytale story as they climbed their way up and out of the relegation zone, which was subsequently filled by first timers GKS Katowice and the chokers, Pogon Szczecin. Unfortunately those 2 teams will not be competing in the Ekstraklasa next season, to be replaced by Miedz and Kolejarz.

The Champions

Zaglebie Lubin

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Last season, Zaglebie Lubin were also-rans, finishing 5th but never really challenging for silverware. That all changed this time around, as wily manager Orest Lenczyk helped his team take the Ekstraklasa by storm. After a good start, their season was in the balance as they hovered mid table. Then they went on a phenomenal 10 game unbeaten streak and ended up topping the regular season by 6 points over Legia. Their championship phase was tarnished by just a loss to Wisla, and they managed to secure the title with a stirring 4-2 win over Zawisza. The club will now celebrate their 3rd ever Ekstraklasa title and the Miedziowi fans will be rejoicing for quite some time.

The Unfortunates

Pogon Szczecin & GKS Katowice

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Of course, in a league structure teams must be relegated, and the 2 unlucky teams this season are Pogon Szczecin and GKS Katowice. Pogon looked to be safe after some great end of season form, but their form capitulated and they lost their last match to Dolcan Zabki, meaning they were relegated. Meanwhile, Katowice were a new team in the Ekstraklasa and were always facing a battle. The lack of firepower meant they eventually went down back to the second division.

The Legend

Marcus Piossek (Gornik Zabrze)

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The Ekstraklasa player of the season was Gornik Zabrze right winger Marcus Piossek. Already known to be one of the best players in the league, the gifted Pole returned to his homeland after 10 years in Germany. Over the course of the season, he scored 8 and assisted 7 goals in a mesmering cacophony of dribbling, crossing and shooting which has etched his name alongside some of the greats.

The Finisher

Johan Elmander (Legia)

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Legia made one of the Ekstraklasa's greatest signings in the off season, bringing Swedish international and former Norwich and Galatasaray striker Johan Elmander to the club. He didn't fail to disappoint in his first season at the club, slamming home a league high 15 goals, defeating Pogon's Marcin Robak by 1 goal.

The Import

Nikola Lekovic (Lechia)

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The award for the best foreign player went to Serbian Nikola Lekovic, possibly the best all-round left back in Poland. He consistently ran the show from the back for Lechia Gdansk, scoring 2 goals and assisting 6 over the course of the season.

The Mastermind

Orest Lenczyk (Zaglebie Lubin)

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The undoubted manager of the year was the old statesman Orest Lenczyk, who at 72 is still showing the Ekstraklasa what he's made of by guiding his team Zaglebie Lubin to an unlikely title. He made the most of limited resources and was clearly the mastermind of the competition.

The XI

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The team of the season was not dominated by any 1 team, and instead saw a great spread from many clubs. Marcin Robak, captain of Pogon, made the team despite his club being relegated. Surprisingly, both the player of the year and golden boot failed to make even the bench, however Nikola Lekovic made the team at left back after winning Foreign Player of the Year.

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So the Ekstraklasa has drawn to a close for the 2014/15 season, and it's now time to look ahead to 2015/16. Can Zaglebie Lubin retain their title? Can Legia finally go back to the top? And can the newcomers stay up against the odds? All these questions will be answered next season, so make sure not to miss any Ekstraklasa action!

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After 6 months of Polish winter, I was utterly chilled. I mean, I was born there but after living in Australia for 25 years it takes a while to get used to sub-zero temperatures again. Football management was boring me, so I decided to take a break for a while and I went to Fiji. It's a magical place, and so much warmer. Football isn't followed here so I'm never recognised and the scenery is nice, if you know what I mean. But you can only do nothing for so long, and soon I grew bored of this lifestyle. My house was back in Newcastle, and I flew back over in late September. The Australian press lapped up my return and I knew it was a matter of time before an A-League club contacted me. But was it worth it?

Fast forward a month, and I thought it was worth it. Watching the start of the A-League, I realised how much I missed managing the beautiful game. Europe might not be my calling, but the A-League is and when Europe sees me dominating Australia I'm sure to be on their radar. But for all my motivation, I still needed a club. I never saw the answer coming.

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Australian Prime Minister Clive Palmer has forayed back into the A-League once more, buying Sydney FC for an undisclosed fee. The leader of the Palmer United Party is looking for change at his new club.

His first act has been to sack manager Frank Farina, and with his usual thumbs-up, told journalists that his ideas were too 'old' and that he wanted a 'young fella' at the helm. Pundits are wondering just how the Australian PM can juggle a country and a football club at the same time, but Palmer has assured journalists he will give them equal attention.

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And for the first time in my life, later that day I spoke with the Australian Prime Minister. About joining his football club....

It's great seeing you back in Australia, and in my opinion, Sydney is a great choice! Good luck man

At least it isn't Abbott...

Could you imagine our prime minister (England that is lol) doing this... he would single handedly ruin football the way he's ruined the country! Good luck back in Oz

Zed Yeah, they're well supported and really I'm just looking forward to going back to Oz

Griffo Palmer as PM would be awesome

Ziechael Thanks

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Sean-Paul Lodovico is the man the new board has trusted with running the reputable Australian club

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The Sydney FC board has today announced the appointment of Sean-Paul Lodovico as the club's new manager. The 27 year old had been unemployed since being sacked from his role at Pogon Szczecin but has found an avenue into management once more with the A-League club.

The new hierachy at Sydney FC, led by Australian Prime Minister Clive Palmer, have brought in Lodovico as a replacement for Frank Farina who was dismissed for being old fashioned. The youthful Lodovico seems a great choice, at just 27, and also has great A-League experience having guided the Newcastle Jets to a Grand Final berth in their first season, ironically against his new club.

The Sky Blues are currently sitting in 8th after a decent start, and Lodovico's first task will be their match against the Melbourne Heart on the 24th of October. Sydney FC will be looking to start well for their new gaffer.