What does it take to "challenge for the Premier Division title"?

So, just finished my third season, topping the table for most of it just to see Chelsea go on a 15 games unbeaten run and slipping past me:

Bit of a blow, but at least the board should be happy as the minimum expectations were to mount a challenge for the title? Well, they're not:

So, what does it take? I don't see how i could've challenged Chelsea more, without actually winning.

I might add that the same thing happened in the first season too. Topping the table with ten games to go, ending 3 points behind, and the board's to only have qualified for CL through participation in the PL. The difference is I won the CL that year and would have qualified even if i was relegated to the championship(?).

I don't know the official answer but had a thought. Maybe it's because technically you weren't really challenging for the PL title.

For a long stretch of the season you were first then dropped to 2nd and stayed there until the end of the season. Maybe what the board wanted was for you and Chelsea to be swapping places often throughout the whole season.

Just an idea but otherwise I'm as confused as you are.

I would report this as a bug. If they asked you to challenge and you did (cleary, you did) then they shouldn't be disappointed.

but the confidence is ok, sure the board are dissappointed because you only achieved the minimum expectation (or at least that's the way i see it)

Challenging and qualifying for the CL is two different steps on the expectations ladder. So from what I can tell, the game only thinks he has qualified for the CL and not challenged for the title.

Only 1 point behind. Definitely a bug, imo.

oh without a doubt i'd mark that one down as a challenge - and it should say so on the second line.

but the overall confidence bar in green looks fine and the board being "dissapointed" is fair enough too

This is a bug. Have you posted this in the bugs forum?

i'm auto-saving the game every week so i was able to go back to various points in the season, and it appears that the board is actually aknowledges that i am challenging for the title and therfore is pleased all the way when i'm second in the league. This is confidence bar just before the 38th and last game of the season:

At this point I'm actually 3 points behind Chelsea and need them to lose their last match for me to win the title. (they drew)

It appears the "challenged for title"-step of the expectation ladder is only valid during the course of the season and is dropped when the season is concluded, and the board ends up being either delighted (if you won) or dissapointed (if you finished second (and maybe third and fourth also)) and nothing in between. But i guess I'm a bit blinded by the words as the confidence bar, as some of you pointed out, is at "okay".

btw, i only achieved the minimum expectation in the CL as well, with the board being pleased:

despite being trashed by rivals Man Utd in the semis..

that's interesting - thanks begilsson