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Soviet Surge | Part 20 | FCSB #1: Romanian Domination
Having led Rijeka to the Croatian title, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov continued his Soviet Surge across Eastern Europe by joining his seventh club in six countries. And that side was FCSB in Romania.
Improving San Marino Part 1 | Davide San Marino
In more than 160 matches – as of the start of the 2020/21 campaign – San Marino have only ever won one match, and that was a friendly against Liechtenstein in 2004. So that got me thinking – how do you go about improving San Marino?
Trotters Talent | Part 29: Walking In A Wonderkid Wonderland
There are few things in Football Manager that I love more than unearthing a talented Brazilian wonderkid midfielder. And the good news for Bolton Wanderers fans was that, in January 2034, I snapped up not one but two at the same time.
Soviet Surge | Part 19 | Rijeka #4: Record Breaking Handzic
HNK Rijeka were right in the mix for the Croatian title, just six points behind the almost unbeatable Dinamo Zagreb. Their efforts had once again been led by free-scoring striker Zijad Handzic, while the club’s owners were reportedly worried by manager Vladimir Latunov walking away at the end of his contract in the summer.
Trotters Talent | Part 28: Johnson & Johnston
Our focus on developing Bolton Wanderers’ academy products has continued to go well through to the 2033/34 campaign. Ten of our first-team squad came through the ranks and at least four are first-choice starters, but with that comes the inevitability that some players won’t quite make the first team.
Soviet Surge | Part 18 | Rijeka #3: Big Name Signings
A first season in Croatia ended without a trophy but offered glimpses of promise, including a potential superstar striker smashing goalscoring records. However, the HNK Rijeka board were unhappy with Vladimir Latunov not signing high-reputation players, which he immediately set about addressing in the summer of 2028.
Trotters Talent | Part 27: Navarro’s Dream Debut
A tough start to Bolton Wanderers’ second season back in the Premier League was long forgotten thanks to a solid defence leading a turnaround in form. As a result, our better players were being linked with some huge moves in January 2033.
Soviet Surge | Part 17 | Rijeka #2: Lethal Handzic
Life in Croatia had gotten off to a solid start but a worrying dip towards the last month or so of 2027 had Vladimir Latunov slightly concerned about the strength of his new HNK Rijeka side. With that in mind, he used a 50-day winter break to begin spending the £20 million or so transfer kitty available to him.
Trotters Talent | Part 26: Crazy Ten Goal Thriller
After 444 league appearances for Bolton Wanderers, it was time to bid farewell to true Trotters Talent hero Nigel Turner. The club captain and first player to step up from the successful Trotter Talents academy into the first team was, sadly, moving on at the end of his contract in 2032.
Soviet Surge | Part 16 | Rijeka #1: Rebuilding Rijeka
Having wrapped up the national title in Czech Republic, adding to those in Poland, Turkey and Hungary, it was time for Russian manager Vladimir Latunov to spread his wings once more. He’d resigned from Viktoria Plzen and eventually wrapped up a move to Croatia with HNK Rijeka.
Trotters Talent | Part 25: New Tactic Triumphs
Bolton Wanderers had made a confident start to life back in the Premier League for the first time in two decades. A series of solid but unspectacular had the Trotters sitting just outside the European places at the half-way mark.
Soviet Surge | Part 15 | Plzen #2: Czech-Mate
Life in the Czech Republic had gotten off to a flying, goal-filled start for Vladimir Latunov in his first six months with Viktoria Plzen. But he now faced a two-month winter break to explore his new country and assess some of the exciting youngsters his scouts had been busy discovering.
Trotters Talent | Part 24: Into the Premier League
After nine years in the Championship and 11 years in charge of Bolton Wanderers, we’d led the club back to the Premier League as Champions in 2031. Now we had a huge task on our hands to strengthen the squad for a relegation battle.
Soviet Surge | Part 14 | Plzen #1: Scoring Goals For Fun
Having wrapped up a title in Hungary, following previous success in Poland and Turkey, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov was swiftly on his way to the Czech Republic to join Viktoria Plzen in May 2026. He signed a two-year deal worth £4,200-per-week.
Trotters Talent | Part 23: Championship Title Battle!
A strong start to the 2030/31 campaign had Bolton Wanderers in the midst of a promotion battle at the mid-way point of the season. However, concerning defensive performances and an injury to star man – and, of course, Trotter Talent academy product – Solomon Suraka were causes for concern heading into 2031.
Trotters Talent | Part 22: Salter Forgets Which Team He Plays For!
A second loss at the final hurdle of the Playoff Final condemned Bolton Wanderers to a ninth season in the SkyBet Championship in the 2030/31 season. This was my 11th season in charge of Bolton and I’m relatively confident we’ve slowly but surely built our strongest squad so far.
Soviet Surge | Part 13 | Honvéd #4: Chasing the Hungarian Title
A swift rebuild of Honvéd FC was afoot as Vladimir Latunov had his side sitting pretty at the top of the Hungarian Division I heading into 2026, just two seasons after they flirted with relegation.
Trotters Talent | Part 21: Promotion Challenge!
The new era at Bolton Wanderers had seen the club remain unbeaten at their new Eddie Davies Arena home through the first half of the 2029/30 campaign. And they were right up in the mix for the promotion and playoff places despite selling off some of their most exciting Trotter Talents at the start of the season.
Trotters Talent | Part 20: Three Massive Sales Begin New Era
An exciting new era was afoot with Bolton Wanderers all set to move into brand new stadium, the Eddie Davies Arena, as the 2029/30 season began. But our 10th season in charge of Bolton began with a flurry of big money bids for our academy product talents.
Soviet Surge | Part 12 | Honvéd #3: Goal Hungary
The mission of lifting every league title in Eastern Europe meant there was no room for sentimental attachments for Vladimir Latunov. That was tested when, having succeeded in Poland and Turkey and performed a turnaround in Honvéd’s fortunes, the summer of 2025 saw him headhunted by admirers from afar.
Trotters Talent | Part 19: Final Match at ‘The Reebok’
Heading into 2029, Bolton Wanderers’ defensive approach was working nicely as they sat just outside the playoffs and into the fourth round of the FA Cup having knocked out a Premier League side.
Trotters Talent | Part 18: The New Alan Shearer
The final season at the University of Bolton Stadium – formerly the Reebok Stadium and Macron Stadium – saw Bolton Wanderers competing in the SkyBet Championship for the seventh successive season. That’s because the club is set to move to the brand new Eddie Davies Arena for the 2029/30 campaign.
Soviet Surge | Part 11 | Honvéd #2: Strike Sensation Sandro Luiz
Honvéd had enjoyed an immediate surge under the leadership of Russian manager Vladimir Latunov. At the half-way mark of the 2024/25 campaign, they were already just three points short of their tally in the entirety of the previous season. And they were sitting pretty in third in Hungarian Division I.
Trotters Talent | Part 17: Flourishing Academy Products
Bolton Wanderers’ young prospects were starting to respond to the faith we’d shown by throwing them into the first-team, in most cases extremely prematurely when they were still only considered to be playing at National League level.
Trotters Talent | Part 16: Bolton’s Second-Biggest Sale Ever
The key focus of this FM21 save is to focus on homegrown academy products, or Trotters Talents. So with that in mind, it’s pleasing to now have 12 academy products in the Bolton Wanderers first-team squad heading into the 2027/28 campsign.
Soviet Surge | Part 10 | Honvéd #1: Feeling Hungary
After a season of absolute domination with Turkey, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov decided it was time for a new challenge in his mission to surge his way across the Soviet football world. To do so, he ripped up his Galatasaray contract and headed for Hungary with Honvéd.
Trotters Talent | Part 15: Potential Chinese Superstar
The goals of Ryan Cassidy had singlehandedly inspired Bolton Wanderers into the upper reaches of the Championship in 2026/27, along with a pretty damn solid defence. But could they maintain their strong start to the campaign and push up into the playoffs?
Trotters Talent | Part 14: Goalscoring Hero
The steady growth of Bolton Wanderers was confirmed by the media finally deciding they were no longer favourites to be relegated in the 2026/27. However, the club’s financial concerns returned thanks to the new board’s strange decision to blow a non-existent £100 million on a new stadium.
Soviet Surge | Part 9 | Galatasaray #4: Turkish Delight
Season two in Turkey was proving to be somewhat of a breeze for Russian manager Vladimir Latunov, whose Galatasaray side had the Turkish Super League virtually wrapped up at the half-way mark with a 14 point lead.
Trotters Talent | Part 13: Bolton’s Exciting Future
Exciting times appeared to be on the horizon for Bolton Wanderers as new owners were installed on Christmas Day 2025. The new consortium, led by local investor Rick Harris, were able to quickly get acquainted with their new side as Bolton faced a ridiculous three games in four days over Christmas.
Trotters Talent | Part 12: Goodbye Financial Ruin?
Bolton Wanderers had continued to exceed expectations by staying in the Championship for a third successive time and recording a second successive top ten finish in 2024/25. There’s plenty to be excited about with the club’s finances looking in ruder health and with just one year remaining on the monthly director’s loan repayments.
Soviet Surge | Part 8 | Galatasaray #3: First Taste of the Champions League
Heading into the summer of 2023, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov was enjoying a growing reputation having just wrapped up consecutive titles, adding the Turkish league to the Polish crown he’d won with Legia.
Trotters Talent | Part 11: Sliding Down The Table
Bolton Wanderers were continuing to defy expectations in the SkyBet Championship, sitting in the playoff positions heading into 2025. That had been mostly inspired by the goals of free-scoring Ryan Cassidy, but it couldn’t be expected for the side to continue to challenge at the top.
Trotters Talent | Part 10: Super Ryan Cassidy
Bolton Wanderers had survived in the Championship for two seasons, including a strong top half finish in 2023/24. But finances were a still major issue, with two years remaining on the £500,000 monthly director’s loan repayments.
Soviet Surge | Part 7 | Galatasaray #2: Targeting the Turkish Title
Life in Turkey had gotten off to a flyer, with Vladimir Latunov’s third club in three seasons sitting top of the Turkish Super League heading into 2023. But things were about to get interesting with key players running out of contract and on the move.
Trotters Talent | Part 9: Trotter Talents Step Up
Bolton Wanderers were once again performing well above expectations in their second season in the Championship, sitting nicely in the upper mid-table as 2024 approached. But the most pleasing thing about the club’s progress is the number of homegrown players starring in the first-team.
Soviet Surge | Part 6 | Galatasaray #1: Three Clubs in Three Seasons
Vladimir Latunov indulged his jubilant Legia Warszawa players in copious bottles of vodka as the squad raucously celebrated becoming the most successful club in Polish history. But the elation would soon end as the Russian manager’s achievements didn’t go unnoticed.
Trotters Talent | Part 8: Top Of The Championship!
Bolton Wanderers had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping them in the Championship for a second season and building on that relative success was going to be hard work. Finances had improved slightly but the club is still losing money, with three years remaining on £500,000 monthly loan repayments.
Soviet Surge | Part 5 | Legia #2: New Hometown Hero
The winter break in Poland’s Ekstraklasa gave Vladimir Latunov and his in-form Legia Warszawa players a chance to reflect on their strong start to season two of the Soviet Surge. After 19 games of the 34-game season, Legia were unbeaten and 13 points clear at the top.
Trotters Talent | Part 7: Goalkeeping Hero
Bolton Wanderers had made a surprisingly decent start to life in the SkyBet Championship in 2022/23. The red hot relegation favourites were sitting firmly in mid-table at the start of November, some seven points clear of the drop zone after 18 games.
Soviet Surge | Part 4 | Legia #1: Moving to Warsaw
After winning the Polish FA Cup for the first time in Zaglebie Lubin’s history and a terrible conclusion to the league campaign, Russian manager Valdimir Lutunov swiftly jumped ship when rivals Legia Warszawa came calling.
Trotters Talent | Part 6: A Massive Championship Challenge
Bolton Wanderers had a day to remember at Wembley as a win over local rivals Rochdale catapulted the club up to The Championship on the back of two consecutive promotions.
Soviet Surge | Part 3 | Zaglebie #2: Cup Drama and a Late Twist
The long, cold Winter break in Poland gave me time to get over the wrath I felt towards Nicklas Bendtner. However, it came too late to stop me unleashing that fury upon some of his high-earning former Zaglebie Lubin teammates.
Trotters Talent | Part 5: Exciting Youth Potential
Bolton Wanderers were performing well beyond expectations in their first year back in League One. The side predicted to finish 20th and battle relegation by the media was sitting in the playoff positions as the clock ticked over to 2022.
Trotters Talent | Part 4: Doyle and Delfouneso Dominate
Bolton Wanderers had sealed promotion back to League One at the first time of asking by winning the League Two title. However, a serious lack of finances and the continuing crippling debt meant any rebuild was going to be difficult as we made the step up.
Soviet Surge | Part 2 | Zaglebie #1: Bizarre Tale of Lord Bendtner
In the first part of this brand new save surging into the former Soviet Union, we created a Russian manager and selected our first club – Polish side KGHM Zuglebie Lubin.
Soviet Surge | Part 1: Finding a Team in the Eastern Bloc
Welcome to a brand new save here on the FM Addict Football Manager blog! We’re casting our eyes east for this adventure, as we embark on a Soviet Surge across Eastern Europe.
Rossoneri | Part 7: Record-Breaking Season
Consecutive draws with Juve and Inter had AC Milan sitting a healthy 14 points clear at the top of Serie A, still unbeaten and with a game in hand. But a surprising progression to the Champions League semi-finals meant we had 12 games in 43 days to conclude the season.
Trotters Talent | Part 3: Getting Bolton Firing
We’d made a solid enough start to life in League Two with Bolton Wanderers. At the mid-way point of the season we were third and just three points off top spot.