Mainz survived with relative ease in their first season back in Bundesliga. But the big challenge now facing Roberto Lazaró, moving into his third season in Germany, was to continue developing his young squad - some of whom were one year away from obtaining homegrown status.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 11 | Stepping Up To Bundesliga
Roberto Lazaró led a young but exciting Mainz side to an expected automatic promotion despite a firesale of 26 players for £119m in his first season in Germany. Now the pressure was on Lazaró, who was already listed in Mainz fans' favoured personnel, and his inexperienced side to survive back in Bundesliga. But the longer-term... Continue Reading →
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 45 | Dodgy Penalty
The city of Stuttgart was awash with football fans celebrating VfB Stuttgart becoming Champions of Germany for the first time in 37 years. The fans were unanimous that Japanese manager Robaato Rasamu was the man responsible for this success, and celebrated shoulder to shoulder with their hero sinking pints of craft beer across the city's numerous beer halls.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 44 | Battling Bayern For Bundesliga
VfB Stuttgart came into 2044 absolutely flying and posing serious questions over FC Bayern's ability to make it 32 consecutive Bundesliga titles. So manager Robaato Rasamu didn't think too much work was required in the January transfer window.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 43 | Newsflash: Bayern Lost A League Match
Robaato Rasamu was starting to think he'd made life far too difficult for himself by refusing to manage in England and attempting to complete his Pentagon Pursuit with teams that have never previously won the European Champions League. Twenty years into his career as a Football Manager, FC Bayern's consecutive Invincible seasons had left him feeling downright depressed and he needed a few days away from football.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 42 | Bayern Are Too Good
A tactical switch had seen VfB Stuttgart kick onto a new level at the end of 2042, sitting nicely in the Champions League group phase but massively trailing the seemingly unbeatable FC Bayern. And that uptick in form saw 58-year-old Japanese manager Robaato Rasamu handed a new deal worth £31k per week until June 2047 to continue his good work at the club.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 41 | Huge Record Signing
VfB Stuttgart enjoyed a strong season but found themselves well short of a relentless Bayern, who'd now won 30 Bundesliga titles on the bounce. So Robaato Rasamu felt changes were needed to attempt to close the gap in his third season in Germany.
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 40 | Lucky Champions League Draws
Midway through his second season in Germany, Robaato Rasamu was beginning to realise the size of the task he faced at VfB Stuttgart. FC Bayern had virtually cemented their 30th consecutive Bundesliga title after splashing £300m in the summer and his side were coming up second best against Europe's elite. But he trusted in his... Continue Reading →
Pentagon Pursuit | Part 37 | Rasamu Moves To Europe
In November 2039, Robaato Rasamu completed four fifths of his Pentagon Pursuit mission as his Athlético Paranaense side lifted their first-ever Copa Libertadores. The one remaining task was arguably the most challenging - to, ideally, win the European Champions League with a team that has never previously been Champion of Europe.
OstDeutscher Sieg | Part 45 | The End of OstDeutscher Sieg
Ruprecht Prusseit - the first man ever to win a Bundesliga title with a team from East Germany - led Union Berlin to a fifth Bundesliga title in six years and a second Champions League crown in three years in 2043. And that marks the moment where we brought this particular FM Story to an end.
