The Golden1807 Journey

[Golden1807]

Alright everyone, I haven't been on this forum for a while but I'm gonna have a go at my first proper career thread. I've always struggled to keep a career going on FM so hopefully this element makes it more interesting.

Started as automatic unemployed

Leagues loaded:

Argentina
Brazil
England
France
Germany
Italy
Spain

I'll probably add/remove leagues throughout, I just didn't want to overload the system from the start.

I guess this is where I start applying for any job possible..

[Golden1807]

Straight off the bat I was approached by various poor teams in the basement divisions of Argentina/Spain/Brazil as well as Hereford. I did not expect a league two team coming in for me so early but I think I might go for it.

[Golden1807]

Hereford United F.C
Nickname: The Bulls
Stadium: Edgar Street
Stadium capacity: 5,710

Season Preview 2011/12

Division: Npower League Two

Media Prediction: 23rd

Finances:
Transfer budget: £0
Wage budget: £18,720
Balance: £182,711

Board Expectations:
League: Learn from the experience of participating in league two.
FA Cup: Reach the first round
League Cup: First Round
JPT: Learn from the experience

It's been a while since I managed at this level so it's going to be a huge test, especially with what looks like a team predicted for the drop.

Aim:

To avoid the embarrassment of an immediate relegation would do me nicely.

[SRL88]

Good luck with Hereford mate. Decent place to start.

[B.W.G]

Good club to start off with,good luck with Hereford.

[deltablue]

Decent starting point.

[Golden1807]

Cheers

Season 11/12: August

Bit of a bad start with 2 defeats in the league and a thumping at home to Reading in the League Cup but turned it around for a decent first 5 games. Particular highlight was a 4-1 away win at Cheltenham in the JPT.

On the transfer front I've managed to bring in a few faces but none to write home about yet.

[cpfc543]

Good luck with Hereford, looking forward to seeing your progress

[Golden1807]

cheers mate, been a slow start with the transfers and all that but I'm gonna get it motoring

[TheGreatTraveler]

Good luck with Hereford. No transfer budget though, so it won't be easy to improve much.

[Golden1807]

Season 11/12: September

A good month with some big wins has propelled me up the table early on. An last-gasp winner at Crawley wrapped up a thrilling 3-2 win! Hopes still aren't too high for the first season though, just want to get used to the team and build my own.

[Golden1807]

Yeh, it's tough without a transfer budget. It's gonna be a long slog to get a decent team here.

[deltablue]

Doing well though.

[Golden1807]

Crawley get emphatic revenge in the JPT. That's two cup dreams shot down in quick succession.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Are you bullish about your chances?

[Golden1807]

Are you bullish about your chances?

pun acknowledged and appreciated

[Golden1807]

Season 11/12: Half Way

Absolute up and down season so far, I just can't seem to snatch a cheeky draw here and there. It's been a case of win 2/3 in a row, lose 2/3 in a row. Nothing to shout about players-wise either, nobody stands out yet.

Fleetwood Town put me to the sword in the FA Cup 2nd round as well so I'll be glad to get this season out the way unless I can get some consistency and have a proper go at the playoffs

[Golden1807]

Don't even know what to say about this, absolute shambles!

At this point I'm glad I'm only on a one year contract.

Shocking!!

[Golden1807]

Hereford v Crawley is fast becoming a classic fixture, another epic match and one I could barely watch the last 5mins of

[cerud]

I think Crawley and Hereford are destined for rivalry! Good to see your career on the forums.

[SRL88]

Painful result against Southend and even though you have dropped down the table a bit it is still a decent season compared to what you set your targets as.

[deltablue]

Crawley looks like epic rivals for a while to come.

[B.W.G]

Not doing too badly in the league,those games against Crawley looked epic.

[Golden1807]

Hereford United 11/12 Review




League Two: 20th (predicted 23rd)
FA Cup: Second Round
League Cup: First Round
JPT: Second Round

In a nutshell, complete disaster of a season in the end. The second half was a disgrace, I've never suffered so many losses in a season in my life. I watched a couple of Saw films while playing this and I honestly don't know which was more horrifying.

My topscorer totalled 13 goals which itself is poor.

I have an offer on the table from Port Vale who are in the same league and finished just above me. They seem to have a better squad so there'd be more to play with there. Same transfer budget of £0 though but least they have a better set of players. Anyway I switched FM off last night before making this decision because I feel a bit reluctant to jump ship after just one year.

I've also mixed the leagues up a bit so come june/july I will have some smaller reputation nations loaded from Europe so that could be another option.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                | League                        |  Country       | League Position   |  Notes     |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       | 20th              |            |

[deltablue]

That's a first class collapse.

[Niebiescy]

Don't leave! Turning things around is always far more satisfying than jumping ship to somewhere easy to win

[Golden1807]

Port Vale 2012/13

Team: Port Vale
Nickname: The Valiants
Stadium: Vale Park
Stadium Capacity: 19,148

Well I ended up taking the Port Vale job, mainly because of the traumatising second half to last season. I never really set out my goals at the start of this but my main aim is to:

Win all major leagues (England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany)
Win a South American league
World cup
African cup
Euros
Copa America

I'm not too disheartened about jumping ship early on, it's all part of the journey that will eventually get me to achieve the above.

Anyway back to Port Vale:

Media Prediction: 15th

Board Expectations:
League Two: Safe midtable

Transfer budget: £0
Wages: 21k

I didn't manage to bring very many in and had a lot of loans accepted but to then have the players go elsewhere.

I was excited about this guy who I brought in on a free but as you can see his calf went straight away so that's an early setback.

My aim for this season is to have a comfortable season with maybes a cheeky bid for the playoffs. I hope to be here for a couple of years at least and I'd like to think I can get promotion within that time.

[cerud]

Port Vale is probably a good move. Hereford would take a couple years at less to build up, but with the Valiants, you can progress to your goals quicker.

[TheGreatTraveler]

A good season with Port Vale and you might get a job in League 1 next season.

[Golden1807]

A good season with Port Vale and you might get a job in League 1 next season.

That's in the back of my mind, I've had my fair share of career games sticking with the same team from the bottom so I'm open to moving about a bit if it gets me there quicker.

[Niebiescy]

Didn't realize that your aims were so grand. How long will it take to complete all of those goals realistically? I have the same problem as you. I start a new save and then find it too hard to leave my current team. I've never ever had a proper save where I've gone from team to team like a manager would IRL even though I've played since the original CM. I'll follow this with interest and might just go for the same type of challenge once I reach my goals with Dortmund in my current save.

[Golden1807]

Didn't realize that your aims were so grand. How long will it take to complete all of those goals realistically? I have the same problem as you. I start a new save and then find it too hard to leave my current team. I've never ever had a proper save where I've gone from team to team like a manager would IRL even though I've played since the original CM. I'll follow this with interest and might just go for the same type of challenge once I reach my goals with Dortmund in my current save.

To be honest, I've no idea how long it would take, in a previous save it took about 3/4 seasons to win la liga with At. Madrid so I guess I'm in for the long haul. Normally I wouldn't start a game from the bottom with those kind of aims but doing this thread gives it a bit more meaning and interest. I enjoy moving around frequently, the longer I stay at a club the more comfortable I get and it just makes it harder to start again when I finally do move.

[Mike7077]

Hereford are absolute paupers and, even though you did somewhat collapse, 20th is not too bad. I think you were a bit harsh on yourself. Keeping them up is honestly an achievement. I guess, when you fly up the table, it doesn't feel like such an achievement if you end up collapsing afterwards. But still, 20th was a decent effort.

That said, Port Vale should be a decent step.

[Golden1807]

I couldn't bare another season like that, if I had turned a few of those defeats into draws it might have seemed more respectable. Have you played with Hereford before?

I think midtable with Port Vale might be a decent first season. Having a few up and down results with these as well but it seems more solid.

[Mike7077]

Nope. I did consider taking that job, but went for Gold Coast Utd instead. I just know what the resources are like there. They operate on one of the lowest budgets and smallest fanbases in League Two. Keeping them up is not easy.

[Golden1807]

Yeh I had no transfer budget and the wage budget was near enough maxed out. Was a tough season but all part of the journey.

[deltablue]

Port Vale certainly isn't somewhere it's easy to win

[SRL88]

Shame with how the season ended for you at Hereford, but good luck with Port Vale.

[Golden1807]

Epic matches are staring to be a regular for me. I was on the losing end this time but you just can't beat being involved in stuff like this:

Not a massive talking point this one but seeing as it was my first match against my old club I thought I'd give it a mention. They are in the relegation zone at the moment so it looks like I got out at a good time. Anyway, a sweet little victory.

This is my first re-gen signing who looks like he has a lot of promise, at least at this level. Picked him up on a free half way through the season.

[Golden1807]

Season 12/13

Port Vale

League: 12th (Media Prediction: 15th)
FA Cup: First Round
League Cup: Second Round
JPT: First Round

A very solid season, much better than my previous one. Again with a non-existent transfer budget I was always going to struggle to launch a serious promotion bid. As it happens I never really got near the playoffs nor did I look like getting into a relegation scrap. It was a typical mid-table season which I'm happy with for a first year with the club.

I've managed to get a few free signings over the line which I will update on later when they go through.

Star Players:
Tom Pope and Marc Richards - my two strikers who got 32 between them. They weren't my preferred pairing but my big signing was out for 5 months with a torn calf and never really got firing after that.

Thomas Kilbane - my regen centre mid settled in well, expecting big things from him over the next year or two.

I've been offered a new 2 year deal which I negotiated and finally signed a new 1 year deal. I like the idea of being able to re-assess every year in case I get a good offer but at the minute I have no intention of leaving Port Vale.

I've included this to show my usual starting lineup as a way of keeping tabs on how it changes over the seasons to come. Some are faded out because of holidays.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                |  League                       |  Country       | League Position   |  Notes      |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       |       20th        |             |

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| 2012/13  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       12th        |             |

[TheGreatTraveler]

Good season with Port Vale. Hopefully they give you an actual transfer budget next year.

[deltablue]

Bit better that Hereford or that wouldn't have looked good.

[Golden1807]

2013/14 Preview

Port Vale



Media Prediction: 10th

Bit of an eventful summer, I let a few contracts run down to free up the wage bill allowing some better quality players to come through. Some I had already sealed on frees during Jan-April time. I never thought about leaving after last season so didn't even look at the job centre. I'm still hoping to stay here for another couple of years during which time I hope to win promotion. I think with the signings I've made I have found a good balance in the team and am a lot more confident this time around.

Unfortunately the striker I signed last season who sat out 5 months of the season with a torn calf is now out for 5-6 months again, this time a hip injury. I've shifted quite a few highly-paid squad players and replaced them with loan signings (0% contribution) and youngsters on low contracts who could do a job. This season certainly looks to be one to look forward to and hopefully I have something to play for towards the end of it.

I also had a bit of a staff overhaul. I took the time out to look at the club's staff and realised the coaching staff were shocking so I brought in some replacements. I also replaced my assistant manager and scouts.

My monthly updates tell me the board are pleased with my performance but we seem to be constantly losing money so I think it might be time to move on either after this season or next.

Board Expectations: To achieve a respectable league position.

Finances: Transfer Budget (£0) Wage Budget (20k)

Transfers

Key Signings:

Adam McGurk

Magnus Okuonghae

Jonny Gorman

Derrick Williams

David Aketxe

Joe Mckee

Adam Dodd

Aims: To better last season and make a push for the playoffs. I'm hoping to at least come close to promotion to encourage me to stay on beyond this season. I've managed to bring in some decent players, though I've had to rely on loans and free transfers because yet again I was given no transfer budget. Wasn't surprising really give the state of the clubs finances (balance of about -400k).

[Golden1807]

Bit better that Hereford or that wouldn't have looked good.

I was pleased with that season. In a way I enjoy when a job takes a while to get right. Easy promotions at the click of a finger bores me. All about the journey.

But yeh if I couldn't better the Hereford season I'd have been bitterly disappointed.

[Golden1807]

Disgrace

Laptop nearly went through the window.

They are 22nd

[SRL88]

Nothing more annoying than when you get beat by a struggling team at home when you expect a comfortable win.

[deltablue]

Throw a defender through the window instead.

[Golden1807]

Season 13/14

Port Vale




League Position: 4th (Media Prediction: 10th)

League Table

FA Cup: First Round (Rochdale (a) 2-1))
League Cup: Second Round (Blackpool (h) 1-4)
JPT: QF (Oldham (a) pens)

A fantastic season!! The first half of the season was a bit hit and miss, we were hanging just outside the playoff places with a shocking display from the strikers. I was really struggling to score and was fearing another midtable season. About January time I decided to mix it up to a 4-1-2-2-1 or what most teams call the 4-3-3 pretty much. I dropped both my starting strikers and replaced them with my on loan striker/winger who banged them in from that point. It made a massive difference and the end of season form was superb. The playoffs then awaited...

Playoff Semi-Final 1st leg - Rotherham (Away)

1-4

Couldn't have asked for much better. I was hoping to hold them to a draw and get them back at our place to beat them and at half time (1-1) it looked to be heading that way. However, an absolute onslaught in the second half got us one foot in the final.



Playoff Semi-Final 2nd leg - Rotherham (Home)

2-0



Managed to avoid a collapse and saw out the tie with a comfortable home win. Into the final we go.

Playoff Final - Scunthorpe United

3-0

Another fantastic performance. I've got a bit of a superstition about being on the right in a neutral game, I much prefer the right but it didn't matter here. Half way through the season this was unthinkable, so changing the tactics it seems has fired me into League One.

A special mention must go to Magnus Okuonghae who chipped in with an impressive 10 goals this season, 5 coming in the last 6 games of the season. You can imagine my disgust when he was on international duty for the Playoff final but it turns out we didn't need him.

My team


Future

I'm yet to sign a new deal with the club, I delayed one offer and then rejected the next because it fell just before the playoff final. I know accepting didn't mean I couldn't then leave anyway but I'm trying to keep it as realistic as possible. At the time I didn't think I could stick around if I lost the final, thought I hadn't ruled anything out. But winning promotion has made joining Port Vale really worth while and I'm pretty sure I'll be accepting the offer when it comes back in a week.

Into League One we go!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                |  League                       |  Country       | League Position   |               Notes              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       |       20th        |                  N/A             |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| 2012/13  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       12th        |                 N/A              |
| 2013/14  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       4th         |       Promoted via Playoffs      |

[SRL88]

Great job getting promoted .

[Mike7077]

I'm sure you can expect a phone call from Robbie Williams at any moment!

Well done!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Port Vale is probably a good move.

I think you need either medication or counselling.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Bollocks, you took Vale up.

There must have been around 50,000 Scunthorpe fans at Wembley.

[deltablue]

Is the crest meant to be leaning on its side abit?

[Mike7077]

On the club website and the Wikipedia page the crest sits upright.

[Golden1807]

Not sure, from what I found some were upright and some were slanted. I didn't really take much notice tbh

[Nobby_McDonald]

Is the crest meant to be leaning on its side abit?

It's been on a night out in Burslum.

[Golden1807]

2014/15

Port Vale

League Table

An excellent season which surpassed all my expectations. We were in and out of the playoffs all season but just fell short in the end. Regardless of this great season however, I felt it was time to leave because I didn't want to get to comfortable with a certain team. I was predicted 19th for this season and for the second season was predicted 6th so that shows the progress I made there.

So I resigned at the end of the season and that turned out to be a massive gamble because I still had a Regional reputation and was being dismissed for every job I declared interest in, from the championship to random European leagues. I was beginning to think I'd dropped a clanger when out of nowhere I was approached by Uruguay. It seems way too early for an international job but it doesn't look like there'll be much else on offer and it gives me a good chance to improve my reputation.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                |  League                       |  Country       | League Position   |               Notes              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       |       20th        |                  N/A             |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| 2012/13  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       12th        |                 N/A              |
| 2013/14  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       4th         |       Promoted via Playoffs      |
| 2014/15  |  Port Vale           | League One                    |  England       |        8th        |                 N/A              |

[deltablue]

Pity you left.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Good move leaving.

[Golden1807]

2015-18

Uruguay

2015-17 South American World Cup Qualifiers

Group Table

A straight-forward qualification process with some fantastic results. Beating Argentina 7-1 and 4-1 were particular highlights and I qualified with a bit to spare.

2018 World Cup
Group Stage:

Uruguay 4-0 Senegal
Uruguay 1-0 England
Uruguay 2-1 S.Korea

This was a lot easier than I thought and gave me a lot of hope going into the knockout rounds.

Second Round: Uruguay 2-0 Tunisia

I was always confident going into this one and it was just a case of getting through with no injuries and suspensions.

Quarter Final: Uruguay 2-2 Ghana (Ghana win 3-2 on pens)

The draw was really starting to open up for me and I could see a clear route to the final after Ghana beat Brazil on pens. It wasn't to be however, after Ghana twice came from behind and went on to win on pens for the second game in a row. Bitter disappointment given how the draw turned out to be quite favourable and I thought we might go on to win it.

Star Player:

Darwin Vidal - Deserves a mention after 4 World Cup goals from right wing. He is a regen and looks like he could be a star in the future.

Future:

I never expected to win the World Cup this time around but we gave it a real good go and came so close. My main aim when taking this job was just to enhance my reputation which managing in a World Cup has done as I now have a 'national' reputation. This will open a lot more doors for club management so hopefully I can continue by rise. I am undecided whether or not to stick with Uruguay on top of a club job because it has been fun and I feel I can have a good run at the Copa America which I want to win.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                |  League/Tournament            |  Country       | League Position   |               Notes              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       |       20th        |                  N/A             |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| 2012/13  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       12th        |                 N/A              |
| 2013/14  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       4th         |       Promoted via Playoffs      |
| 2014/15  |  Port Vale           | League One                    |  England       |        8th        |                 N/A              |

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| 2015/17  |  Uruguay             | WC Quals                      |  N/A           |        2nd        |                Qualified         |
|   2018   |  Uruguay             | 2018 World Cup                |  N/A           |        N/A        |            Quarter Finals        |

[SRL88]

Nice work getting the Uruguay job .

[Golden1807]

Cheers, came out of nowhere to be honest, while I was getting dismissed for Championship jobs.

[Golden1807]

2018 World Cup final

England 2-0 Ghana
Shawcross
Huddlestone

Should have been me

[Golden1807]

Got a job offer from N. Forest on the table. Debating it at the minute and probably gonna sleep on it. They are 10th in League One (Oct). I know I left League One when I left my last job but I'm seriously considering it.

[SRL88]

Forest would be a great place to start building up. They have all the foundations there!!!

[Nobby_McDonald]

See if you can be the next Ole Big Ead.

[Golden1807]

Nottingham Forest


Nickname: The Reds
Stadium: The City Ground
Capacity: 30,576

I accepted the job offer from Forest with them lying in 10th place after a miserable relegation from the Championship. With a media prediction of 3rd and a healthy looking bank balance it looks like a good move though the stuttering start will have to be addressed and I'll have to bring in my own players.

First match up is a tough away fixture and I already have an injury crisis with not one single fit centre back. Heavens to betsy

[Golden1807]

My first return to Port Vale since my departure. In my head I was well received with the fans acknowledging the job I done there dragging them from League Two. With them currently sitting in 2nd in League One it seems the foundations I built have really pushed them on. Add to that a free signing I made has recently been sold for £7m so that has boosted their struggling finances massively.

JPT Quarter Final

A quick note on my Uruguay progress. This was taken a couple of months back and we have since dropped behind France into 2nd but it shows the progress I have made with them.

World Rankings

Bring on Copa America 2019!

Favourable draw there.

I've never really been open to the idea of managing a club and country at the same time but I'm enjoying it. It brings something different to the game and when I finally leave Uruguay it will be for another international job, most likely a different continent.

[Golden1807]

Not again

[Golden1807]

2018/19

Nottingham Forest

League Table

Position: 2nd (predicted 3rd, 10th when I took over)

A fantastic season once I got to grips with my team. I had a hit and miss start with a horrific injury list which was further worsened when my two best midfielders were struck down with 5 month injuries on my first game. I brought in a few wingers on frees as I was very short in that area. I also brought in Henk Baum who proved to be a great signing. I'm delighted to clinch promotion straight away because I didn't want to linger in this division for too long especially with bigger teams like QPR coming down and making it harder to get out.

My league record with Forest since taking over in October was:

Played: 23
Won: 19
Drawn: 9
Lost: 5

I never really expected to get these up straight away, after their bad start and the team weakened with long term injuries I was just eyeing up the summer but I've reached the Championship now and hope to solidify my position within that league next season. A special mention must go to Bienvenu Ndongala who managed 34 in 44 in the league and single-handedly fired us up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                |  League/Tournament            |  Country       | League Position   |               Notes              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       |       20th        |                  N/A             |

| 2012/13  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       12th        |                 N/A              |
| 2013/14  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       4th         |       Promoted via Playoffs      |
| 2014/15  |  Port Vale           | League One                    |  England       |        8th        |                 N/A              |

| 2015/17  |  Uruguay             | WC Quals                      |  N/A           |        2nd        |                Qualified         |
|   2018   |  Uruguay             | 2018 World Cup                |  N/A           |        N/A        |            Quarter Finals        |

| 2018/19  |  N.Forest            | League One                    |  England       |        2nd        |               Promoted           |

[deltablue]

Cracking start.

[Blanco]

Nice - more importantly, how did the other cup game go???

[Golden1807]

I forgot about that. I drew 1-1 and took the tie to a replay at my place where I lost 1-0. Immediately after that I played them away in the league and won 2-1 so a mixed set of results against the old boys.

[Golden1807]

2019 Copa America

Uruguay

My squad this time around features a lot of regen players who I think could make a big impact at this tournament. I still have a few players on the wrong side of 30 in the squad but this will most likely be their last outing on a stage like this (except for Cavani who I am determined to see get 100 international goals - currently 85)

These are some of the regens I have bled into the squad, not all are starters but most are:

Horacio Straconi
Facundo Alvarez
Gaston Biscayzacu
Alvaro Gonzalez
Diego Gonzalez
Luis Romero
Darwin Vidal
Mateo Welker
Luis Rodero



Group Stage:

Uruguay 0-0 Peru

I kicked off the tournament with what looked like an easy win, given that they didn't put up much of a fight during the WC qualifiers (I won 3-0 and 0-2). I battered them with 20 shots but somehow didn't manage to break the deadlock.

Uruguay 1-1 Colombia

62% possession and 14 shots to their 4 suggests I should have walked this, especially after their second minute red card but it was an own goal that spared my blushes as I stumbled to another draw.

With both Colombia and Peru boosting their goal differences with big wins of Trinidad & Tobago I went into the final game needing either a convincing win or for Peru v Columbia to have a winner.

Uruguay 1-0 Trinidad & Tobago

I had 24 shots in this match to their 3 and somehow I only came out with a 1-0 win. I was sweating all the way through this with Columbia only 2-1 up v Peru knowing that could change easily and my 1-0 deficit wouldn't be enough. I managed to sneak through though courtesy of Cristian Fernandez's goal and have booked my place in the business end of Copa America.




Knockout Stages:

Quarter Final:

Uruguay 1-0 Mexico

An even contest separated by a second half Darwin Vidal goal. It was by no means a comfortable performance as Mexico had their chances and add to that Cristian Fernandez going from hero to zero with a red card forcing a shuffle in tactics. For the second competition in a row Brazil have managed to fall early with me lying in wait in the next round so my path is opening up.

Semi Final:

Uruguay 1-0 Chile

Next up were the hosts Chile in a match where I again dominated in terms of chances but could manage the one goal. An old head popped up in the form of Luis Suarez to grab what turned out to be the winner. The end of the game was made easier after an erratic 5 minutes from Jaime Vargas saw him booked twice and Chile reduced to 10 men.

Final:

Uruguay 2-0 Colombia

Prior to this I was sat with my Venezuela shirt on hoping for a shock result in their semi with Colombia but it wasn't to be and for the second time this tournament I was facing the Colombians. 16 shots to my 13 shows it was a very tight affair and could easily have been taken to extra time. It was Cavani who put me ahead with his first goal before half time and with Colombia being reduced to ten men right after the restart the second half was a lot more relaxing. Rising star Darwin Vidal sealed it 5 minutes into stoppage time to give me my first major trophy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------WINNERS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I managed to win the Copa America without bumping Brazil or Argentina but I did have to overcome the hosts. After the way I stumbled through the group stage I couldn't see me going on to win it but my form picked up and I find myself with a Copa America medal to my name. I think I'm going to stick with Uruguay until after the next World Cup because I feel I have some good young players coming through. Plus I've not long taken over at N. Forest and don't think it's the right time to be starting fresh with a new international team with having to get to know players while I'm still doing that at Forest.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team                |  League/Tournament            |  Country       | League Position   |               Notes              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Hereford United     | League Two                    |  England       |       20th        |                  N/A             |

| 2012/13  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       12th        |                 N/A              |
| 2013/14  |  Port Vale           | League Two                    |  England       |       4th         |       Promoted via Playoffs      |
| 2014/15  |  Port Vale           | League One                    |  England       |        8th        |                 N/A              |

| 2015/17  |  Uruguay             | WC Quals                      |  N/A           |        2nd        |                Qualified         |
|   2018   |  Uruguay             | 2018 World Cup                |  N/A           |        N/A        |            Quarter Finals        |

| 2018/19  |  N.Forest            | League One                    |  England       |        2nd        |               Promoted           |

|   2019   |  Uruguay             | 2019 Copa America             |  N/A           |        N/A        |               Winners            |

[Nobby_McDonald]

Well done on the promotion and Copa America win.

[Golden1807]

Season Preview 2019/20

Nottingham Forest

Media Prediction: 24th

Transfer budget: £1m

Wage budget: £35k

The transfer budget looks prosperous but I've had to shift all that onto the wage budget because the current wage total was over £50k. Because of this I've had to feed off scraps and look for bargains on a free. Even that hasn't been easy because I still haven't been left with a lot of wages to play with. The reason it's so high is because there are average players here on high wages that I can't get rid of and can't get to agree to a cut.

My squad looks frighteningly average in this division and I can see it being a struggle after what has been an underwhelming summer on the transfer front. I'd be delighted to stay up, although I know anything can happen in this division. I've had a host of players reject a loan move here although I received two from Lazio after an affiliation was made.

On a side note, Port Vale were promoted via the play-offs so I can continue my rivalry with them as well as the big one with Derby.

Board Expectations:

To stay clear of relegation.

Hopefully I can achieve this because I don't want to become a yo-yo club.

I will update on my transfer business when it comes to an end as I'm still hoping to bring in somebody worth shouting about.

[Blanco]

Sounds nasty.. good luck with keeping them up, and make sure you finish above Vale

[Golden1807]

I'll be devastated if Vale overtake me and hear the fans chant 'you should have stayed at a big club'

[Golden1807]

First game of the new season in the Championship ends in misery though the scoreline may flatter Blackpool somewhat given the amount of chanced we created.

[Golden1807]

Avoided an early slip up in the cup with a last-gasp winner from one of my youngsters. I took a risk giving a few fringe players ago but I'm happy with the win, if anything just to make sure morale doesn't drop early on in what is going to be a tough season.

[deltablue]

Still, it's only the beginning...

[Golden1807]

League Cup 2nd Round

Miserable exit from the cup but I expected it here. Wolves have just come down from the Prem and I had to rest a lot of players.

Unfortunately I got the message that one of my bigger prospects Sam Holden has decided to run down his contract and leave at the end of the season. I'd love to convince him to stay but he won't even negotiate.

[Golden1807]

This has come out of the blue. They are in the Championship as well and just below me but its definitely an attractive offer. Think I might delay the decision a week.

[Golden1807]

I rejected the Blackburn offer after the week delay because I thought if I was going to manage in the championship it would be with Forest because I was having a good season. Then this offer came in from Larisa. Obviously not a huge team and Greece wasn't exactly on my list of leagues I want to win but it would be something different. Don't know what to do but I'm seriously considering taking this one.

[Golden1807]

I rejected this job offer as well. I was very close to accepting but having made it to the Championship I don't think a struggling Greek side would be an appropriate switch.

[Golden1807]

Picked up this gem on a free.

Henry

He demanded a minimum fee release clause though so I can't see him being here much longer unfortunately.

[deltablue]

What is his clause?

[Golden1807]

£3mil, he wouldn't budge on it. I negotiated about 4/5 times and got to the point where I was about to see the dreaded red withdrawal from negotiations screen.

[deltablue]

Well that probably won't be activated too soon.

[Golden1807]

I hope not

[deltablue]

Not with a current value of 85k I don't think.

[Golden1807]

That screenshot must have been from a month or so back because his value is now £2.2m

[deltablue]

Oh dear, well that's a rather different and less promising situation.

[Golden1807]

I'm gonna try and re-negotiate soon and see if I can get rid of it or at least increase it.

[Golden1807]

Half way update:

Unbelievable start to the season and one I really didn't see coming. This has set me up for a real push for promotion in the second half of the season which would be the stuff of dreams. I'm delighted with this because it shows I made the right decision in rejecting Blackburn's offer. There is still a lot of dead weight at the club that needs shifting though.

FA Cup 3rd Round draw: Everton v Forest - bit of a stinker but one we will give our best in.

[Golden1807]

Another thriller I'm involved in but I'm starting to see my fair share of defeats in these kinds of matches.

[Golden1807]

Looks like my centre defender could be off.

Sam Holden

This is the player who announced he would run down his contract and leave in the summer. I wasn't even aware of this release clause but it looks like he's getting a Premier League move. How long he is there for I have no idea.

Not great timing anyway.

[Golden1807]

Another absolute cracker and probably the most entertaining game I've been involved in. A late equaliser to grab a point against Thierry Henry's Wolves in a game that I went in expecting a defeat.

[Golden1807]

Notts Forest youth intake 19/20

Based on the assistant reports the three players to watch are:

Claudio Clarke

Josh Gardner

Leigh Topliss

I've also got a striker with the surname Scholes so I might have to keep an eye on him for the sake of it.

[Golden1807]

The Run In

With six games to go I have comfortably secured a playoff place and lie 7 points behind an automatic promotion place.

Six remaining games:

A couple of tricky games left in there especially the away match at Stoke but with playoffs now secured we have nothing to lose. I'd love to somehow snatch an automatic place to avoid the heartbreak of a playoff loss but it will be an almighty task. I'm also delighted with how Henry has turned out since joining, back-to-back hatricks destroyed Boro and Cardiff.