ADO Den Haag – Another Comeback

The world is on lockdown and it seems half the population has turned to Football Manager for solace.  Me? Not so much.  I need no solace from self isolation given it is, more or less, my socialising of choice.  Nevertheless, working from home and saving two hours a day commuting has given me more time to play my favourite game.  Add to that a surge in FM activity across ‘the scene’ and a save that has grabbed my attention, and I’ve found the increasingly fleeting urge to blog returning with gusto.

Flamengo / Den Haag / Rapid… – games galore, an apology and a hiatus

First of all, another apology. I know it has been a long time since my last update and I hope that no-one has been waiting expectantly. I am currently in the process of moving house which, added to the usual work and family commitments, is consuming an awful lot of my time and effort.

Added to that, I have been writing for a couple of other projects. The first, also FM-related, could be worth your attention – the ‘Clear Cut Chance‘ styles itself as an FM Magazine for thinkers. So if you fit into that bracket, please sign up for email alerts or follow on Twitter.

Secondly, I started writing about real-life football matters at an excellent site called Think Football. The site is well worth a look and, so long as you avoid those attributed to ‘Shrew Naldo’, you should find some interesting reading.

So please do not expect any regular activity on this blog for the coming months. Instead, I’m afraid there will only be intermittent blogs as and when I find the time and wifi access. I’m afraid that the blog might be a little ‘on hiatus’ for the next 2-3 months but it certainly will not be dying off completely. I enjoy the writing too much. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those times when circumstances dicate!

In the meantime, here’s a brief rundown of my time in Brazil and a few other matters.

Den Haag – Title secured, legacy ensured, resignation tendered

Apologies for another long wait between updates but it’s been a mental few weeks in the Naldo household and writing blog updates hasn’t been top of the priority list, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, I’m back with news of a long-awaited success as we FINALLY secured the Eredivisie title… and I promptly resigned.

So there really shouldn’t be too much to this update. A look back at our title-winning season, a look at the legacy being left at the club then why I left and where I’ve ended up.

Read on for more details…

Den Haag – Patience is a virtue…

… but dropping a 4000lb cluster bomb on the Amsterdam ArenA might be more efficient.

That mob from the capital are swiftly becoming the bane of my (FM) life. Not only have they won the title for the fifth year running, i.e. every season I’ve been playing this save, they also beat me in both domestic cup competitions this season.

I’m not sure that I can blame them for Arsenal knocking me out of the Europa League but, other than that, they are single handedly responsible for ADO Den Haag winning diddly squat instead of a lovely shiny treble.

Anyway, the squad continues to strengthen but much of this update will be spent looking at the new tactic and, specifically, how it has provided us with more defensive stability this season – this at the request of @fm_samo and @fmanalysis

Den Haag – Progress but not quite enough

The least that anyone can expect and the absolute minimum aim for any Football Manager is to make progress year-on-year. Progress can take many forms – a higher league position, a minor trophy for a small club or even simply strengthening the squad on a budget whilst maintaining the status quo during a transition year.

For Den Haag, last season was the first of those and I’m hoping this season will be one of the latter two options.

After the forced sales of two big stars at the start of last year, the aim is to keep this developing squad together and build on what has certainly been a positive, if ultimately frustrating, campaign.

Incidentally, there was no new sponsorship deal announced – hence why I’ve stuck with the same kits as last year.

Read on for more details of how we fared last year, some important transfer news and a fair bit of detail on the developing Germanic Total Voetbal tactic…