Strutting in Stuttgart

Welcome to my first story here on FM Scout! Having been somewhat of a secret admirer of FM stories through various websites, I've decided to try my luck with my own. Hope you all enjoy it and I'll be open to any feedback!


In this story, I'll be trying my luck with the much inconsistent German side, Stuttgart. I have a slight affiliation with Stuttgart, as my uncle, Rui Marques, used to play for them. I have been there, seen a couple of matches and still got my Stuttgart jersey’s in my house!

History/Honours

• Formed in 1912
• Bundesliga winners on 5 occasions, most recently in 2007.
• German Cup winners on 3 occasions, most recently in 1997.
• UEFA Cup runners-up in 1989.

Stadium

Stuttgart play in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, originally built in 1933, it has been renovated many times and now holds a maximum capacity of 55,896 spectators, 50,000 for international games.

Kits

Notable former players

Mario Gomez

The German international began his career at Stuttgart, where he also made a name for himself. 87 goals in 156 games for Stuttgart in total, before making a then Bundesliga record move to Bayern Munich.

Sami Khedira

The big German man also began his career at Stuttgart, making 126 appearances from 2006-2010, scoring 14 goals in the process. After an impressive World Cup showing in 2010, he moved on to Real Madrid.

Krasmir Balakov

Krasmir Balakov, a Bulgarian legend in his own right, racking up 92 caps and a key member of the 1994 Bulgarian side, that finished 4th in the World Cup. He joined Stuttgart in 1995 and ended up spending the rest of his career there, retiring in 2003. He made 236 appearances, scoring 54 goals, and he’s also a very lovely bloke!

Rui Marques

I could hardly leave my uncle out! After initially joining Stuttgart on loan, from Hertha Berlin in 2001, he permanently joined in 2001, making 47 appearances for the Germans in total, before moving on to Maritimo in 2004. In a career hampered by injuries, the small amount of appearances was due to injuries, however he was very much a fan favourite (no bias I promise!). Also an Angolan international, making an appearance in the 2006 World Cup!

Ryan Sampaio had his first press conference this afternoon, this is what he had to say:
‘‘I’m honoured to become the new Stuttgart manager, especially as my first job in Football. I’d decided to take the course after finding it hard to find a job after finishing university, and I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I love Football, I know Football, so why not learn more about it and try and get a job there. I know I lack the experience, however that doesn’t mean I can’t be the right person for this job. I’ll do my upmost best to try and end Bayern Munich’s and Borussia Dormund’s spell of dominance.’’

Despite not knowing any German, Sampaio is still adamant he can succeed.

‘‘I’m not going to sit here and say not knowing the language is a barrier. However most people these days can speak English, and I’ll be very dedicated to learning German. They might not quite understand what I want them to do at first, but Football is a universal language itself and we can communicate through that.’’

Pre-Season

‘‘I’m not too worried with some of the results here. Of course we should of won some of these matches, however it’s about gaining that fitness and adapting to the tactic that I’m interested in, and I feel we progressed with that.’’

Transfers

‘‘I had a look at the market, after the chairman had given us a quite decent transfer kitty, of £12m. I saw we had no holding midfielder and I always like to have one. To see Javi Garcia transfer listed already, I felt I had to take action and decided to loan him in. Also to add some defensive steel, Toby Alderweireld was also transfer listed, by request this time, and I felt like just under £9m for a defender of his quality was difficult to say no to. Afellay falls into the same category as Garcia, transfer listed, and well worth loaning in. Batshuayi is one for the future, but can slot into the team from the get go. I’ll be honest in saying I didn’t know much about him, I can’t even pronounce his name! But he looks like a right gem and I was willing to take that £6m gamble on him!’’