DBurns's Journeyman Career

[DBurns]

Hello everyone, after reading through a few great journeyman threads on here I've been inspired into starting my own journeyman career.


The highly influential threads are:

tomtuck
SRL88
SnakeXe

Career Introduction

My save is running with the latest FM Weegie update (15/06/12) with a large database with all current international players loaded as well as the following nations and leagues:

Argentina – Nacional B
Australia – A-League
Belgium – Derde Klasse
Brazil – Brasileirao Serie B
China – CSL
England – Blue Square Bet N/S
France – Championnat National
Germany – 3.Liga
Ireland – Airtricity Premier Division
Italy – Serie C2
Netherlands – Juplier League
N. Ireland – Carling Premiership
Portugal – Second Division
Russia – Pervyj Division
South Korea – National League
Spain – Segunda B
Turkey – 2. Lig
Ukraine – Persha Liha
United States – MLS
Uruguay – Segunda Division Profesional

Thats 47 leagues loaded from 20 nations which should allow me to travel the globe building my reputation.


Career Aims

I have no real set aims for this save, instead I will try to enjoy it as much as I can by playing it as though it is real life regarding job offers. This is my first time doing a journeyman save and I hope to manage in leagues I don't usually manage in such as Brazil, Russia and the United States.

My career start date is July 2011, the England start date.

[DBurns]

I have started my career as myself, a Sunday League footballer from Ireland, having recently turned 36. I have decided against having a favourite team so that it doesn’t affect my job prospects in the future.

I took a look at the current job centre and immediately applied for every available job.

All that is left to do now is to press ‘Continue’ and wait for the offers to roll in…..

[SRL88]

Surely someone must give you a job out of that lot .

Nice to see another person being influenced to start a career. I shall be following .

[DBurns]

So after pressing continue, I've received 10 job offers. They are as follows:

Guarani - Brazil - Second Division (6th) - 6th after 10 games in a 20 team league, 5 points off the top, a point off the play-offs and 11 points clear of relegation, decent squad but £29m debt?

Galway United - Ireland - Premier Division (10th) - 0 points from 19 games, 16 points off safety, threadbare and inexperienced squad, poor finances and that's before I mention the contract and budgets! Think we can rule out starting here!

Red Star 93 - France - Third Division - I would have a full pre season with the team, decent squad, no debt! But my last save was a long term one with PSG so don't really fancy going back to France.

Helmond Sport - Holland - Second Division - Decent but smallish squad, no debt. Predicted 11th, could be a handy enough start as well as decent budgets!

Sporting 'B' or Zaragoza 'B' - Spain - Third Division - Decided to group these together as I'm not keen on managing a 'B' team!

New England - USA - MLS East (9th) - Currently bottom but only just. Small squad but no debts and valued at £28m. Always wanted to manage in the MLS but think I might prefer to do so when I've a better reputation to fall back on should things go wrong!

Vila Nova (GO) - Brazil - Second Division (18th) - Third bottom and look like they're fighting for their lives as its tight at the bottom. Reliant on one striker for goals who has just broken his leg. Another one to rule out I think!

Donegal Celtic - N. Ireland - First Division - Debt free, an inflated squad however but a team I've seen play a few times due to them being fairly local.

Henan - China - Premier Division (12th) - 12th in a 16 team league, currently 6 points off relegation but 26 points off top spot and 13 points off qualification for the AFC Champions League.



Any advice on where my first move should be? Hopefully I've provided enough information for yous.

[DBurns]

Surely someone must give you a job out of that lot .

Nice to see another person being influenced to start a career. I shall be following .

Yes, 10 offers in fact listed in my previous post.

Your career was a big influence thanks, appreciate it!

[Welsh Wizard]

Donegal Celtic I would say is a good starting point but if you want something a bit futher away Helmond Sport is the perfect choice.

[DBurns]

Donegal Celtic I would say is a good starting point but if you want something a bit futher away Helmond Sport is the perfect choice.

Thanks, so far I've narrowed it down to three - Donegal Celtic, Helmond Sport and Guarani.

Donegal Celtic because of them being a local(ish) team, Helmond Sport because I've never managed in Holland and Guarani because there's something about them that attracts me to them but similar to the MLS, I might leave managing in Brazil to a later point in my career. Leaning towards Donegal Celtic.

[Northernpilgrim]

Guarani are a club with a big history, and probably shouldn't be slumming it in the second division. Restoring them to former glories would be a cracking challenge.

[DBurns]

After ruling out the Helmond Sport job, I weighed up the pros and cons of both Donegal Celtic and Guarini.

And I've come to a decision....

[Northernpilgrim]

Don't keep us waiting too long for the answer!

[DBurns]

So my first job is in Brazil. I decided to jump straight in to the complicated league system and figured the best way to learn the system was to manage there.

I will hopefully enjoy my time here and if I do, it means I'll come back later in my career after I've built up my reputation (may take a while).

We currently sit 6th in the league, in a promising position. I have 3 days to prepare for my first match, away to the other Brazilian side to offer me a job - Vila Nova (GO)! What a way to start my career!

[DBurns]

Guarani are a club with a big history, and probably shouldn't be slumming it in the second division. Restoring them to former glories would be a cracking challenge.

Don't keep us waiting too long for the answer!

Think you'll be happy with my decision!

[cerud]

I've been playing against Guarani in my career Good club and frustrating to play against Good luck.

[DBurns]

I've been playing against Guarani in my career Good club and frustrating to play against Good luck.

Thank you hopefully my Guarani are as frustrating to play against as they are in your career!

[DBurns]

DBurns’s Career – New Club – 2011 – Guarani FC

Board Expectations:
Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B: Respectable league position
Copa Kia do Brasil: Knocked Out (Quarter Finals)

Personal Expectations:
Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B: Top half finish
Copa Kia do Brasil: N/A

Season Budgets:
Transfer Budget - £36,900
Wage Budget - £59,891 per week (currently spending £49,451 per week)
Balance - £518,752

[Welsh Wizard]

Good club to start with. Brazil can be confusing but can be quickly worked out. The amount of games normally main issue.

[rancer890]

Good luck in Brazil. It'll be a long season (literally).

[tomtuck01]

Will definitely be following this. Good luck in Brazil.

[JackJCFC]

Good choice, best to avoid the dutch league and their crazy promotion rules!

[FMtillidie]

good luck mate.

[SRL88]

Good luck in Brazil fella .

[deltablue]

Guarani looks a good club to start with.

[DBurns]

DBurns’s Career – July 2011 – Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B

Results

My career started at the home of the other Brazilian club to offer me a job where we recorded an easy enough win. My first home game was against the team just above us in the league with a 0-0 draw a fair result. We followed this up with two consecutive 2-0 victories over two mid table teams. Another 0-0 draw in the next game saw us move into the top four before an away trip to top of the table Vitoria. A terrific performance and another clean sheet led to a great victory.

So, 6 games, 6 clean sheets and 14 points in my first month in charge! Not a bad start.

League Table

After a terrific first month in charge, we've moved up from 6th to 4th in the table and are now 5 points clear in the race for a play off spot. Hopefully if I can continue this fine form and defensive performances then I'm confident of securing a play off place at the very least.

[DBurns]

Good club to start with. Brazil can be confusing but can be quickly worked out. The amount of games normally main issue.

Good luck in Brazil. It'll be a long season (literally).

Yes, it does seem like I'm in for a long season but I'm enjoying it so far.

Will definitely be following this. Good luck in Brazil.

good luck mate.

Good luck in Brazil fella .

Guarani looks a good club to start with.

Thanks for the support guys, appreciate it very much!

Good choice, best to avoid the dutch league and their crazy promotion rules!

Could it be anymore crazy than Brazil?

[deltablue]

Excellent start. Might get an early promotion.

[DBurns]

My first month was a record breaking month in the club's history:

[DBurns]

Excellent start. Might get an early promotion.

Thanks. Hopefully, but still a long, long way to go yet!

[markyosullivan]

So far, so good

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - August 2011 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B

Results

A fairly average month with 4 draws from 5 wins but we remain undefeated under my management. We started the month off with a great win over mid table Duque de Caxias before forgetting how to score in the next four games but only one goal scored. The away draws were good results but we should have won both the home games as we had the possession and chances. But I can't complain, I'm still undefeated after 11 games and we're in the top four.

League Table

So we hold on to a top four spot but only just. If we're going to stay there, we're going to have to start turning some of these draws into wins. Next month is however a tough month as we play 3 of the top 6, so if we are still undefeated at the end of September I'll be delighted.

[DBurns]

So far, so good

Thanks. Yes, no complaints so far!

[cerud]

Ahhh yes...the draws of Serie B. I had tons of draws too. Annoying.

[SRL88]

Lots of draws there. Hopefully you can start notching up a couple of wins.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - September 2011 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B

Results

We started September the way we finished August - with two consecutive 0-0 draws and again we had chances to win both games. After scoring only one goal in the past six games, we hit four in the next two games as two 2-0 victories fired us up to second place. We finished the month with two of our best performances of the season which moved us to the top of the league for the first time this season.

League Table

11 games to go, a point clear at the top, the question is can we score enough goals to get the wins we're going to need to win the league. We have only conceded 3 goals in my seventeen games so defence is not a concern at all. I'd settle for a top four place and promotion but there's no reason we can't win the league.

[DBurns]

Ahhh yes...the draws of Serie B. I had tons of draws too. Annoying.

Lots of draws there. Hopefully you can start notching up a couple of wins.

Yes thankfully we have started turning some of those draws into victories.

[DBurns]

Another record broke:

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - September 2011 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B

Results

A great month with five clean sheets from six matches but again scoring goals was the problem. We started the month with three consecutive 1-0 victories which put us four points clear at the top. But again our old failings came back to haunt us with three draws to finish the month including two goalless draws before conceding the first goal of the month and only the fourth goal in 23 games.

League Table

So, with 5 games left to we are currently two points clear at the top and six points clear of the final promotion place. I'm confident of finishing top as three of our last five games are against teams in the bottom half with the other two games home matches.

[markyosullivan]

How many teams get automatically promoted?

[cerud]

Great record this month! markyosullivan, 4 teams get promoted, the top four.

[SRL88]

Do you even know the term defeat .

[tomtuck01]

Going along excellently dude, keep up the good work.

[DBurns]

Brilliant!

Think I may have overachieved a little!

[SRL88]

Great work fella. Well done on promotion .

[DBurns]

How many teams get automatically promoted?

As cerud said, the top four get promotion.

Great record this month! markyosullivan, 4 teams get promoted, the top four.

Thank you!

Do you even know the term defeat .

Going along excellently dude, keep up the good work.

Cheers guys, hopefully we can finish the season undefeated!

[tomtuck01]

Basing it on defence, like me.

[DBurns]

Great work fella. Well done on promotion .

Thanks! All that is left to do now is to win the league.

Basing it on defence, like me.

Yes, definitely! Only four goals conceded in 27 games!

[DBurns]

Good to know the future is bright:

The big hopes for the future:

[Welsh Wizard]

Well done on promotion

[SRL88]

Bruno Mendes looks like a real talent.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - September 2011 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B

Results

Another month of clean sheets, we may only have scored 3 goals but it was enough to secure 11 points from an available 15. For once, our performances were poor throughout the whole month and we were lucky to remain undefeated. Both draws seen us dominated by the other team whereas the wins could have just as easily been three defeats but I'm not complaining.

League Table

The 11 points we secured through the month meant we first secured promotion, and then won the league with three points to spare over second place. I am delighted considering we were predicted to finish 11th and on my arrival, we were sixth.

[DBurns]

Well done on promotion

Cheers

Bruno Mendes looks like a real talent.

Yes, I'm considering bringing him into the first team squad next season to get him tutored before hopefully loaning him out.

[DBurns]

DBurns’s Career – 2011 Season Review – Guarani

Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B – 1st, Champions

Results (before my arrival) – Results (after my arrival) – Final Table

I couldn’t have dreamt of winning the league upon my arrival at the club when we were sitting sixth and the board expected a ‘respectable league position’. We were only five points off spot but the league was very congested. Our fantastic defensive record was the main reason behind our rapid rise up the table with us only conceding four goals in twenty eight games, a terrific record. Granted, we only scored twenty six goals during my reign but that was enough to win fifteen games. I thought the lack of goals would affect us as it led to thirteen draws but thankfully not, we finished three points clear of Nautico.

Copa Kia do Brasil – Quarter Final

We were already knocked out before my arrival unfortunately. We were however only beat by a goal by Ceara, one of the teams we’ll be replacing next year as they got relegated from the first division.

Other

I decided against making any major transfers as I felt there was enough within the squad. I added three free players to add depth with Mauricio placed in the title winning U20 squad and he starred, so one for the future possibly. Leandro done well in his appearances, scoring three and assisting four goals and I’m hopeful he is good enough for the first division. Edmilson struggled for game time as I had a settled team which I was happy with and seen no reason to change, disappointed he requested a transfer but I should make a healthy profit should I sell. Neto and Danilo didn’t feature in my plans so I was delighted to get rid of their wages and receive £105k for them. I was also happy to get rid of Emilo’s wages as he was never going to get near my first team squad.

Regarding finances, in the time I’ve been here the balance has risen from just over £500k to over £3m, I have slightly reduced the wage bill and am well within my wage budget. I have also raised £105k through transfers although we are still ££28.5m in debt which is a concern.

Player of the Season

3rd – Fumagalli – My best attacking player. Scored the first goal of my reign as well as other crucial goals, his link-up play was terrific. Just a shame he is 34 and I’m unsure he will cut it in the first division next year but time will tell.
2nd – Bruno Reclife – Nine man of the match awards in 30 games for a left back speaks for itself. Alternated between playing as a full back and a wing back depending on the system, his only downfall is his low bravery and determination but still stood out at this level.
1st – Domingos – A terrific defender, with great defensive attributes for the level as well as being a competent passer. Very rarely he was beat, but similar to Fumagalli he isn’t getting any younger so I may have to look for a replacement soon.

My Career

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Season   |  Team           |  Country   | League                           | Position     |  Notes            |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2011/12  |  Guarani        |  Brazil    | Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B    | 1st          |  6th on arrival   |

Next Season

Nothing else on my mind bar keeping Guarani in the first division, it doesn’t matter who else keeps calling. I will now get a chance to properly analyse the squad and will hopefully improve the club both on the pitch and behind the scenes.

[SRL88]

Excellent season fella. Bring on next season.

[deltablue]

Great work already.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - 2012 Season Preview - Guarani FC

Board Expectations:

Campeonato Brasileiro: Avoid relegation
Campeonato Paulista Serie A1: Quarter Final

Personal Expectations:

Campeonato Brasileiro: I would settle for 16th place
Campeonato Paulista Serie A1: Quarter Final

Budgets:

Transfer Budget: £1.58m (£93k remaining)
Wage Budget: £73,330 (currently spending £62,891)
Balance: £3,375,401 (increase of £2,856,649 from my arrival)

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - 2012 Pre-Season - Guarani FC

Friendlies

A bonus that we managed to win three of the games as my only concern was getting the squad fit. Thankfully, we avoided any injuries and are more than ready for the start of the league!

Transfers

The squad needed strengthened in the centre of midfield due to my two favoured formations requiring four central midfielders. This meant Vitor Miranda, Augusto Recife and Felipe Guedes all came in. My third formation features wingers, a rarity in Brazil. For this reason I added two quality wide men - Jonathan Blanes and Yoshimar Yotn.

[DBurns]

First game of the season, away to Corinthians who are predicted to win the league. No problem to us!

[deltablue]

Great way to start.

[tomtuck01]

Pah, you conceded a goal!

[SRL88]

Excellent way to start the season .

[cerud]

Great job in Serie B! How are you finding the Brasileirao? Bit of a jump?

[DBurns]

Pah, you conceded a goal!

Haha was a poor goal to concede as well but only the 5th goal conceded in 29 games!

Excellent way to start the season .

Thanks!

Great job in Serie B! How are you finding the Brasileirao? Bit of a jump?

Only played 3 games so far, haven't had much chance to play. Will get an hour in before the match tonight then a few hours after.

----

Expect a monthly update tonight!

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - January 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Paulista Serie A1

Results

As previously mentioned, we started the season with a terrific victory over Corinthians. This was followed up by a very creditable draw with Palmeiras. I am very surprised by how well the squad has taken to the higher level considering it is basically the same squad that won promotion.

League Table

Undefeated and currently 9th but only two games gone. Not much more to say but I'm confident we can hold our own in the league.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - February 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Paulista Serie A1

Results

A very good month with only one defeat coming at Sao Paulo. We seem to play well against the big teams which is encouraging for when we step up to play in the Brasileiro. The defence has remained pretty solid as well as the attack creating more chances which is pleasing to see. We were unlucky not to get a point from the Sao Paulo match as we dominated the game but just couldn't score.

League Table

A good month sees us move up the table and into 6th place, if we could finish there after 19 games I'd be very happy. No reason why we shouldn't be able to hold onto 6th place or even push on.

[SRL88]

Going along very nicely indeed. Keep it up .

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - March 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Paulista Serie A1

Results

Another good month, bar the Santos game but when the two clubs are compared then its easy to see why they won 4-0. I'm glad we are starting to score a bit more often whilst still keeping things tight enough at the back. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going in order to secure a play off place.

The highest we've been all year, 4th. I would be delighted if we can stay in 4th place and with only 3 games remaining, there's no reason as to why we can't maintain our position.

[DBurns]

Going along very nicely indeed. Keep it up .

Thanks mate, I'm a few months behind in my updates as I had trouble uploading images last night.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - April 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Paulista Serie A1

Results

A terrific end to the league campaign. 3 fantastic performances earned us 7 points from a possible 9 which secures a play off place. As well as that, we progressed to the third round of the cup but we lost our first leg match 2-0 which puts us in a bad position for the return fixture.

League Table

In my last update I said I'd be happy finishing 4th. Well I'm ecstatic that we managed to finish 3rd! This means the quarter final draw looks like this:

A winnable game for sure, but it will not be an easy game.

[tomtuck01]

Excellent performance in the state championship so far.

[DBurns]

And into the semi finals we go!

A fantastic game which I'm delighted to come out of with a victory. All six goals were well worked goals and neither team deserved to lose which is why I'm so happy its us that progress to the semi finals:

Sao Paulo will be very tough opposition but we'll have a go!

[cerud]

Nice job against Portuguesa! Sao Paulo are difficult opposition, but you can give them a good go.

[DBurns]

Nice job against Portuguesa! Sao Paulo are difficult opposition, but you can give them a good go.

Excellent performance in the state championship so far.

Thanks lads! Yes, Sao Paulo will be tough to beat.

[DBurns]

Sao Paulo proved to be a step too far!

1-0 flattered us when you look at the stats and consider they also missed a penalty! Just shows we still need to improve which is not going to happen anytime soon as the board won't allow any improvements to the training or youth facilities even though I'm well within my budgets and have built up a healthy balance!

[SRL88]

Shame about going out, but a good run.

[DBurns]

Shame about going out, but a good run.

The better team won. As I said, I can't see us improving much as the board are reluctant to invest in the club. Can't see myself staying past this season unless something changes but then again I'm not being linked to any jobs!

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - May 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro

Results

So we got dumped out of the cup which means we can fully concentrate on the league. We have started well in the league winning both our home games against similar opposition and drawing both away games against bigger teams.

League Table

5th, can we finish the season now? I highly doubt we’ll be anywhere near 5th come the end of the season but for now I’ll enjoy being up there.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - June 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro

Results

The difference in class between us and the bigger teams in the league really showed here this month with 4 defeats from 6 games and we only scored 2 goals all month. I really wish I could say that there are funds to improve things in the transfer window but sadly there isn’t and we’ll do well to hold onto our top players.

League Table

So we slide down to 13th after this disastrous month. As a lot of the teams below us have games in hand we need to start scoring and more importantly, start winning!

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - July 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro

Results

Similar to last month really as the difference showed big time, teams just seem to carve our defence open at will and we can’t create anything at the other end.

League Table

Another poor month sees us slip further down the table and into the relegation zone. The only positive is that it’s so tight down there, a couple of good results could pull us up into midtable.

[DBurns]

DBurns's Career - August + September 2012 - Guarani FC

Campeonato Brasileiro

Results

A much improved run of results which included beating some of the bigger teams. We were considerable underdogs in every game throughout this two month period so I'm delighted we managed to gain 21 points from a possible 36. Leandro went on a bit of a scoring run at the start of September which coincides with a change in tactics to best utilise our wingers and centre midfielders. I was thrilled to finally beat Sao Paulo as they've always held the upper hand over us in previous encounters.

League Table

A terrific two month period drags us out of the relegation zone and pushes us up near the top half. Ten games to go and we sit 11th, I'd be more than happy with that considering our finances and squad in relation to the rest of the league.

[DBurns]

I forgot to take a screenshot of the league at the end of August, hence the double month update above.

[tomtuck01]

Almost perfect run through September.

Looking good for a possible top half finish.

[DBurns]

Almost perfect run through September.

Looking good for a possible top half finish.

Nearly, would have been a terrific month considering the teams we played and defeated!

Cheers, hopefully we can break into the top half!

[DBurns]

Just went to load up my save to check something and my save won't load!

And I have no backup save either, completely devastated!

[SRL88]

Gutted .

What are you going to do now?

[DBurns]

Gutted is an understatement mate

I really do not know, might start a save with a bigger team before making a new journeyman career on the new patch when it comes out.

[cerud]

I hate when that happens. I've started saving two different saves everytime I log off just some one is good. Happened too many times to me FM11.

[markyosullivan]

before making a new journeyman career on the new patch when it comes out.

Pretty sure there's no new patch coming out. But yeah unlucky, you were doing well

[DBurns]

I hate when that happens. I've started saving two different saves everytime I log off just some one is good. Happened too many times to me FM11.

Yes very annoying! Will know for again!

Pretty sure there's no new patch coming out. But yeah unlucky, you were doing well

Is there not a patch after the summer transfer window?

[tomtuck01]

Is there not a patch after the summer transfer window?

Yes. It's called Football Manager 2013

[DBurns]

Yes. It's called Football Manager 2013

Always thought there was a patch but nonetheless I'll download a third party update once the window closes. But for now, I'm unsure of what to do, think I'll manage a big club but unsure whether to post on here about it. How are bigger club careers perceived on here?

Any other ideas?

[tomtuck01]

Always thought there was a patch but nonetheless I'll download a third party update once the window closes. But for now, I'm unsure of what to do, think I'll manage a big club but unsure whether to post on here about it. How are bigger club careers perceived on here?

Any other ideas?

Have seen people say that they aren't all that interested in reading career updates that start with the user at a big club.

[DBurns]

Have seen people say that they aren't all that interested in reading career updates that start with the user at a big club.

Yea that's what I thought myself tbh.

[Welsh Wizard]

Bad luck with your save.

Would say if something different was done with a big club like a youth challenge or something it might have more interest.

[deltablue]

Or only signing domestic players. Nothing wrong with it (and only the really big clubs have that problem, there was a good one at Stoke not long ago which isn't far off) but if you're going to win most things on a regular basis it's not that interesting for a lot of people.