Crazy Canuck on FM14 World Tour - Job Retraining

I've come back to FM thanks to NF's coupon, and now this will be my SP save to go along with the MP save with NF. It's been a while, so we'll see what happens.

Leagues Loaded: Everything (the default leagues)

DB Size: Small

Start Date: England (July 2013)

Same manager as usual, Canadian-Hong Kong Ricky Nakano. 25 year old and Sunday League Footballer.

Goals: It depends on the club. But the main goal is to have fun.

Updates will be annual. I hate spending time with monthly updates.

I have gotten a job and have started off with Kitchee Sports Club in Hong Kong. The main goal of this club is to win (since we're one of the better teams), and to improve the HK national team. Since I am managing in my other home country, I wouldn't mind staying here for the long term. HK has a fun little league.

Some of my previous adventures, and many failures, from FM12 and FM13, include:

Crazy Canuck on Big Euro Challenge Tour: Turkey + Tuna = Trophies

Crazy Canuck on FM13 Tour: Finding a home in the North American Soccer Wilderness

Crazy Canuck on European Managerial Tour: Hitchhiking Across the Continent Again!

Crazy Canuck on Tour: The Homecoming

July 4, 2013 - May 26, 2018: Kitchee Sports Club (Hong Kong)

• 1 x AFC Cup (2015)
  
• 5 x Red MR First Division League Champions (2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18)
  
• 3 x HKFA League Cup Final Winners (2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18)
  
• 1 x HKFA League Cup Grand Final Winners (2016/17)
  
• 1 x Canbo Senior Shield Challenge (2017/18)
  
• 1 x HKFA Cup (2017/18)
  
• 5 x Hong Kong Manager of the Year (2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18)
  

Career Record: 212 GP, 152W-25D-35L, 486 GF, 181 GA, +305 GD, Win Ratio 71%, 7 cup wins, 5 league wins in 1787 days

May 26, 2018 - November 25, 2025: Shanghai Shenhua F.C. (China)

• 2 x AFC Champions League (2021, 2022)
  
• 5 x Wanda Plaza CFA Super League (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
  
• 3 x TOSHIBA FA Cup (2021, 2022, 2025)
  
• 4 x Chinese FA Super Cup (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
  
• 6 x Chinese Manager of the Year (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
  

Career Record: 332 GP, 233W-43D-56L, 894 GF, 407 GA, +487 GD, Win Ratio 70%, 13 cup wins, 5 league wins in 2740 days

November 25, 2025 - March 2, 2027: Portland Timbers (USA)

• Nothing!
  

Career Record: 37 GP, 16W-10D-11L, 73 GF, 68 GA, +5 GD, Win Ratio 43%, 0 cup wins, 0 league wins in 462 days

March 2, 2027 - November 11, 2030: Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)

• 2 x Eredivisie (2027/28, 2028/29)
  
• 1 x KNVB Beker (2027/28)
  
• 1 x Johan Cruijff Schaal (2028)
  

Career Record: 180 GP, 121W-31D-28L, 442 GF, 192 GA, +250 GD, Win Ratio 67%, 3 cup wins, 2 league wins in 1350 days

November 11, 2030 - Present: AS Roma (Italy)

• 1 x UEFA Champions League (2032/33)
  
• 2 x TIM Serie A (2032/33, 2033/34)
  
• 3 x TIM Cup (2030/31, 2031/32, 2032/33)
  
• 2 x Supercoppa di Lega TIM (2031/32, 2033/34)
  
• 2 x Manager of the Year (2032/33, 2033/34)
  

Wages
2013/14 - $42,000
2014/15 - $48,000
2015/16 - $55,000
2016/17 - $75,000
2017/18 - $75,000
2018 - $90,000
2019 - $190,000
2020 - $230,000
2021 - $250,000
2022 - $250,000
2023 - $325,000
2024 - $325,000
2025 - $325,000
2026 - $300,000
2026/27 - $400,000
2027/28 - $1,300,000
2028/29 - $1,300,000
2029/30 - $1,300,000
2030/31 - $600,000 (Ajax)
2030/31 - $1,300,000 (Roma)
2031/32 - $2,200,000
2032/33 - $2,200,000
2033/34 - $2,200,000

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2013/14 Red MR First Division

Standings | League Fixtures | Cup Fixtures

It was a really exciting moment for myself and the team to win the league title. In the latter stages of the league season, Happy Valley and Citizen were real close in the fight to win the title, but we managed to hang on and win the league title.

Our cup competitions were probably a different story, but our board wasn't too fussed about losing those. Still, I don't like losing.

AFC Cup | AFC Cup Fixtures

We were already entered into the AFC Cup at the start of the season (I did not manage the 2013 AFC Cup Group Stage). It wasn't our greatest performance in the Group Stages, but we got the job done. Some high scoring matches were more than I wanted, but at the end of the day, we advanced and that's all that matters. Albirex (Singapore) was a bit tough to handle in the home leg, but we got the job done in Singapore. The rest of the competition won't occur till the next season begins.

Squad | Transfers

I was very excited about our talent at the start of the season, but not as much now. We have a lot of high earning players (and even more in the Reserves), but at times the team was inconsistent (and to an extension, I was inconsistent with tactics ). I think I turned the corner when I started to ignore everything my Ass Man said during matches. I do think we have a good base though.

This season, our foreign players, Juan Carlos Belencoso, Jordi Tarres, Jang Kyung-Jin, Han Rongze, and Dani Cancela were all important for our success. Unfortunately, the 3 Spaniards are going to be free agents come July, and realistically the only one who will probably come back is Cancela because he's not asking for an outrageous raise. Belencoso and Tarres want too much money, and they both had suffered injuries and they missed chunks of the season. They are also getting a bit old, so we need to get a bit younger, but also get quality players.

Among the locals, Canadian/Dutch/HK midfielder Matthew Lam got better as I moved him to his natural AMC position, and Huang Yang, HK-international who was born in China, are my key players with HK citizenship.

A very solid nucleus in place, but there will be change.

We also have some nice youngsters in my first intake with the club, but that will come later, probably near my season preview update.

Club Info | Finances | Affiliations | Facilities

Our club infrastructure is very good for the quality of the league, and I'm certain it will only get better as we improve in all competitions. Financially, we could be better, but continued success means the AFC Cup and potential to get better.

I signed a new one year contract worth $49,000 so I will be managing the club through the 2014/15 season.

Goals:

• Repeat the league success
  
• Acquire quality foreign players with salaries below USD$90,000, preferably Chinese to take advantage of having only 2 years to gain citizenship. I'm willing to pay for guys like Han Rongze if it can help the club team and help the national team down the road.
  
• Positions needed: ST, DC (an extra one won't hurt), backup GK (a cheap one). More depth overall, especially HK depth, is good.
  
• Cut some salary, because our reserve squad is actually nearly as big as our first team, except I never bothered using our reserve team for games unless everyone got injured. And in our youth team, we can fill up 2 youth teams.
  

Career

2013/14: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title

You know I love a HK save

You know I love a HK save

I knew out of everyone here, at least you will like it.

I reckon this is the first save in HK where I didn't mess everything up and get my club relegated.

Oh, and England won the World Cup! Need to get this save checked by SI because that's surely a bug!

Rancer winning the HK title in the first attempt. This cannot be Rancer his account must have been hacked. I call for an investigation

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2014/15 Red MR First Division Season Preview

Red MR First Division: Win the league

2013/14 AFC Cup Expectation: Reach Semi-Final

Canbo Senior Challenge Shield: Not important

HK FA Cup: Not important

Transfer Budget: $71.02k

Wage Budget: $1,164,348 (currently spending $1,123,967)

No pressure!

Rancer winning the HK title in the first attempt. This cannot be Rancer his account must have been hacked. I call for an investigation

I swear, I did win the league. I don't know how, but I did win it.

===

AFC Cup Draw:

Quarter-Final (2 legged)

Q1 - Yangon Utd (Myanmar) - Qadsia (Kuwait)

Q2 - Naypyitaw (Myanmar) - Al-Shorta (Iraq)

Q3 - Kuwait SC (Kuwait) - South China (HK)

Q4 - Shabab Ordon (Jordan) - Kitchee (HK)

Semi-Finals

Q1 v Q3

Q4 v Q2

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2014/15 Red MR First Division Pre-season Transfers

Transfers

We didn't acquire a whole lot of players, because we don't really have the room under the board imposed salary cap. But we did get 3 players.

Dong Fangzhuo - one of the more hyped Chinese players in its history, Dong's soccer career has gone from a can't miss prospect, to a journeyman struggling to find a place to fit in. I'm surprised my scout found him on a free (or maybe not given his career trajectory). It's hard to believe he's only 29, but he can still contribute at this level. I have enough faith in him to give him a 2 year deal to succeed in HK's top flight. He last played in China's third tier, with Hebei Zhongji, with 12 goals in 22 games. He did a good job in pre-season.

Shin Young-Rok - I don't know which Shin Young-Rok this is, since a Shin Young-Rok I remember IRL is actually a striker and a bit younger , but he looks decent enough. We already have a South Korean on the team, so hopefully it's not too big of an adjustment. It's a one year deal, and I wanted a foreign right back, so he fits the bill.

Chiu Kwok Keung - Chiu is a backup goalie. Wang Zhenpeng was solid to Sun Hei for $12,000 so I needed a replacement. Unfortunately, Han Rongze will be at the Asian Games, so we will have to rely on this guy for a few games. It was either him or a 16 year old. So I signed him on the cheap. He'll be playing some big games though, including the AFC Cup quarter-finals!

We also have a couple top prospects in our system:

Yiu Siu Yuen is a young DM who looks fantastic and can easily slide into the DM role at Kitchee, while Au Kwok Kin is a young AMR with lots of untapped potential. I really do think both guys will get their HK caps in a couple years with the right guidance, given the current talent that exists with the HK senior team. Both of these youngsters will also be at the Asian Games.

Welcome back rancer. Well, we return at the same time and you're already more successful than me! Best of luck with what I'm sure will be a top notch thread.

Looks like the AFC Cup draw could have been kinder - has the path to the AFC Champions League been reopened now? I spied an India save where it had... Just Indian clubs or AFC winners I wonder?

Welcome back rancer. Well, we return at the same time and you're already more successful than me! Best of luck with what I'm sure will be a top notch thread.

Looks like the AFC Cup draw could have been kinder - has the path to the AFC Champions League been reopened now? I spied an India save where it had... Just Indian clubs or AFC winners I wonder?

Cheers DodgeeD. Well, I took over a club that seemed well-established, and Kitchee won the 2013/14 league title IRL anyway, so I was more matching expectations than anything. Not sure about a top notch thread, since looking at my past few threads, I haven't had a truly enjoyable one since FM12, or even FM11 with Real Oviedo.

And we actually lost in the Quarters unfortunately, 2-1 in the first leg, and a scoreless draw in the return leg. I didn't really bother posting the result, because I was a bit peeved because of the amount of players we lost to the Asian games. Rongze and my two youth products were additions I wasn't expecting to miss for another month. Dong Fangzhuo was also injured to my dismay for the 2nd leg. It sucks, but what can you do. Not surprisingly, both Myanmar and HK teams were eliminated in the Quarters.

And no unfortunately AFC Cup Finalists aren't eligible to compete in the AFC CL. Kuwait SC actually won the initial tournament in the game before my first season with Kitchee, and they were in the AFC Cup Group Stages in my second season. HK actually got a playoff spot in the latest assessment, but it probably couldn't get coded in time for the January transfer patch.

I feel I definitely made the right choice starting in HK. A league I recognize, a short season so I can breeze through without slogging through 40+ games, home away from home irl, a good club to taste some early success. And it's in Asia of course where I managed a challenge for 5 years.

Go and buy Yapp Hung Fai if possible!!! Best Hong Kong GK and it can let you have more foreigners for other positions.

Go and buy Yapp Hung Fai if possible!!! Best Hong Kong GK and it can let you have more foreigners for other positions.

I highly doubt new South China manager Leslie Santos (who I could have snapped up as coach after he got sacked - Sun Hei iirc) would sell him to a rival like us.

I already signed Han Rongze to a contract extension anyway, so he should get HK citizenship eventually. I'm now not sure if he will join HK after 5 years though. I do think he will get capped by China within that time frame. Akande will also get HK citizenship within a year, so that will clear up some spots for other foreign players to join.

2015 AFC Cup Group Stage

Dempo (India)

Kitchee (HK)

Persipura (Indonesia)

Thanh Hoa (Vietnam)

Should be a fun group, with 2 of our 3 opponents being in playable leagues. I think we got what it takes to advance. The board wants a Quarter-Final appearance, but as you will see later in the end of season update, we probably need to win the thing to get money in.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2014/15 Red MR First Division Youth Intake

With our Adequate Junior Coaching and well established youth recruitment, I was hoping for some good youngsters. We did okay, although we only got the phrase 'Player X is one of the better players in this year's youth intake', which isn't great. But they look good according to the attributes.

Youth Intake

The best player of the intake is Leung Chun Wing. He looks alright, but I didn't really need another AMR.

Our other good prospect is striker Poon Siu Fai. He looks pretty good already for the league. He's no finished product but I could use him decently in an emergency at least...

Our other new prospects include:

• GK Wong Man Ho
  
• MC Siu Tze Lung
  
• MC Lee Po Ming
  
• WBL Fung Ka Wai
  
• DC Chan Ho Yin
  

Overall, a decent intake. You can't really complain about getting several 2.5 star+ potential guys, which is a minimum 'good HK league player'. But I was hoping for more defenders. We already have 2 good AMR prospects, and I don't even use attacking mids. We got a goalie and a striker which I wanted, a CB who can't really jump, a couple midfielders who don't play into my tactic, and a wingback. Meh there's always next year.

And in other news...we're league champs and I'm a Hall of Famer.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2014/15 Red MR First Division

Standings | League Fixtures | Cup Fixtures

A relatively straightforward league campaign, outside of a couple hiccups against Southern District and Eastern. I (and the board) don't really care about the cups so I'm not too fussed about getting eliminated in those games. The HKFA League Cup is very confusing with a Main Stage and a Loser Stage. More confusing than you lot with MLS.

AFC Cup | AFC Cup Fixtures

As you can see, we lost to Shabab Ordon in the 2014 AFC Cup. We had a tough group in the 2015 AFC Cup, especially against Indonesian powerhouse Persipura. We finished 2nd to them and faced fellow HK side Citizen, who we defeated with relative ease. Like every season, we will have to wait for the Quarter-Finals in September, with a totally different team probably...

Squad | Transfers

A pretty big squad, and we sure needed it with all the injuries and players MIA because of tournaments! Our two transfers this past off-season weren't great, but Shin Young-Rok and Chiu Kwok Keung were good in a pinch. And Chiu especially, since Han Rongze (and our YP duo) left for a couple tournaments.

In net, we got our steady GK in Hang Rongze, who will get his HK citizenship next January. Defender Jang Kyung-Jin had a great season, but he wants to move on, and we do too despite his good season. Our midfield core is headlined by veterans Huang Yang, Matthew Lam, and Chan Man Fai. Our strike force is led by our dynamic duo of Alexander Akande and Dong Fangzhuo. Christian Annan also did well in limited playing time. I'm especially proud of Fangzhuo. I did something Sir Alex couldn't do, make Dong Fangzhuo a successful footballer. He even got a couple caps with the Chinese team.

We also relied on a trio of youngsters: Au Kwok Kin, Mak Kwok Kit, and Yiu Siu Yuen. They all developed very well, and I expect them to challenge for spots next pre-season along with my new patch of youngsters.

Club Info | Finances | Affiliations | Facilities

Our finances are not very good at all. The good news is that we can probably cut over $300,000 in player salaries - maybe more because we paid nearly $150,000 to dudes to sit in the reserves. We may cut between $400,000 and $500,000 when all is said and done. We're going to need a strong AFC Cup run...

Awards:

• Dong Fangzhuo - HK Footballer of the Year, HK Fans' Player of the Year
  
• Alexander Akande - HK Top Goalscorer
  
• Ricky Nakano - Manager of the Year
  

Goals:

• Win the title again obviously!
  
• Get the youngsters onto the first team, because they're cheap and can be as good as our really expensive veteran players, with potential to grow
  
• Get a new contract, they haven't given me a new contract yet...I want to stay
  
• We might have to sell all our key players (Akande, Dong Fangzhuo, Lam, Huang Yang), either try and resign them and buy another year of youth intakes, or sell them, or just keep them and let them leave on frees...but we do have cap room, so I will try to resign them as long as they don't have ridiculous demands.
  

Career

2013/14: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, Manager of the Year

2014/15: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, Manager of the Year

Manager Ricky Nakano signs extension with Kitchee Sports Club

They offered a new contract, and after requesting a wage budget increase from $1.2 million to $1.4 million, they agreed and I signed. I received a $7000 increase in wages, so pretty happy about that.

"I'm very happy to agree on a new contract with Kitchee. Mr. Tam (Chairman Tam Wai Ho) has been very supportive of the club since my arrival, and we both share the same vision to win at the league and continental level. I love the fans and I love managing in this league. I hope to bring continued success at the club in the coming season."

I also managed to convince Christian Annan to a new contract, cutting his wages in half. I don't indeed to spend to the budget, but it gives more flexibility and it doesn't hurt to ask. Given our highest expenditure was wages, if we can control that, we should be fine financially. Of course I will keep my ears open if there are vacancies, but I am finding success here and winning trophies.

Kitchee Sports Club 2015 Offseason Contract Extensions

It is another offseason for manager Ricky Nakano and Kitchee Sports Club, and the league title holders are making sure that they have all their key players under contract beyond the 2015/16 season.

The club has officially announced that the following key players have been signed to extensions:

• Striker Dong Fangzhuo has had interest from clubs back in China, including a rumoured offer from Jia League side Hunan Xiangtao, but he has agreed to sign a new two year contract through the end of the 2016/17 season. The extension is worth approximately $180,000. He will earn $88,000 a year plus bonuses. The 30 year old has bounced around in his career, but he has found a home in Hong Kong, scoring 13 goals and adding 18 assists in 36 games.
  
• Midfielder Matthew Lam has signed a new contract until June 30, 2017. His new deal will have him earn $63,000 a year plus performance bonuses. The Edmonton native had 4 goals and 5 assists in 34 games before tearing his hamstring near the end of the season, and received his first cap for Canada.
  
• Starting 'keeper Han Rongze has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2016/17 season. His new contract will pay him $41,500 a season plus incentives. In 30 games, he collected 13 clean sheets and conceded 24 goals for the HK champs
  
• Striker Alexander Akande had some interest back in England, but he elected to sign a new contract with Kitchee until June 30, 2017. The 26 year old was this year's Top Goalscorer in the league, and overall had 23 goals and 11 assists in 39 games. He is awaiting his paperwork to become a HK international and he won't have to use up a valuable foreign spot in the domestic and international competitions.
  

And as of July 14, it's official. Akande is a Hong Kong citizen. Hope he can help out with the HK team up front.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2015/16 Red MR First Division Season Preview

Red MR First Division: Win the league

2015 AFC Cup Expectation: Reach Quarter-Final (Done!)

Canbo Senior Challenge Shield: Not important

HK FA Cup: Not important

TV Rights: $416,000 (a sharp increase from last season's total, considering we only got $276,151 from the league and the AFC Cup combined! We did move up in the Asian league rankings from 32nd to 25th this past January)

Transfer Budget: $0

Wage Budget: $1,168,136 (currently spending $835,661)

We have cut around $300,000 in salaries from last season, which will hopefully mean an extra $300,000 in profit. Add in an extra $150,000 if the TV Rights email isn't lying to me, we could make an extra $450,000. Consider the fact we lost nearly $500,000 last season, I would take a year where we only lose $50k.

We also had a transfer budget before the league reset date (August 1), but we spent it all.

=====

AFC Cup

Quarter-Finals

Kitchee (HK) - Safa (Lebanon)

Persib (Indonesia) - Al-Zawra'a (Iraq)

Pesipura (Indonesia) - Muharraq (Bahrain)

Ahed (Lebanon) - Darul Takzim (Malaysia)

Semi-Finals

Ahed/Darul Takzim - Persipura/Muharraq

Kitchee/Safa - Persib/Al-Zawra'a

I don't really know if we got a good draw or not, considering that Safa have all grey players. But any team that makes it this far will be tough, and given that we are only going to be starting the season, it will be a tough matchup.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2015/16 Red MR First Division Pre-season Transfers

With a lot of cost-cutting, we had a lot of opportunity to get some new players on the team. We did sign the 4 players mentioned already, plus Huang Yang to a new contract, but we also needed some additions, specifically foreign players and Chinese players.

Transfers

We were a bit busy during this transfer window, but we did well within our resources.

Li Xudong - a young Chinese defender who is versatile. He has played for Harbin Yiteng, Shanghai Shenxin, and Liaoning Whowin in his career, although without much success in the CSL. He'll be counted on to contribute in HK

Park Hyung-Il - a young Korean defender. He has good skills for his age, and he wasn't getting much time or opportunity at Incheon (1 game in 2 years). A bit of a risk because he wasn't a proven commodity before the season, but my scouts really like him, and he's gone off to a good start already.

Sun Haosheng - a cheap loanee (we are only paying half a season of our 50% contribution - so around $7000) who will do really well to cover until his contract expires. And who knows, maybe he'll do well and convince him to sign him permanently.

Matthew Pike - Another young defender who was originally a West Brom youth product. He was in the lower leagues in China when Eastern picked him up, and we bought him. It was expensive given our limitations, but I think he's a solid player, and a HK international to boot.

Li Hon Ho - our new backup goalie.

We're also in the middle of our AFC Cup campaign, but that update can come later.

Kitchee Sports Club - 2015 AFC Cup

So, as stated before, we were in the Quarter-Finals of the AFC Cup competition, against Safa of Lebanon. Here is how the games went:

Quarter-Finals vs Safa (Lebanon)

1st leg: Kitchee 0-0 Safa

It was a very disappointing first leg. I came out with a plan to attack given our home support, and Safa would bend but not break. Nothing really more to add but I wasn't happy that we couldn't score at home, but at least we didn't give up an away goal, so all goals will be double in Lebanon.

2nd leg: Safa 0-2 Kitchee

I felt that we had the upper hand against Safa, and we finally broke through with Dong Fangzhuo's early marker in space. It was a bit of nervous times since Safa were coming and our defense wasn't exactly great so far in the season, but Annan got a rare start because Matthew Lam was suspended and he got the clinching goal.

We face Indonesian club Persib next.

Semi-Finals vs Persib (Indonesia)

1st leg: Kitchee 1-1 Persib

Given our poor record against Persipura in the Group Stage, I knew Persib could be trouble. And they were. A lot of our play was in the centre of the pitch and we couldn't get that breakthrough. Until Korean import Park Kyung-Il got that key goal off a corner, which meant my attacking set pieces training paid off. Unfortunately, we forgot that they still had a chance to score, and Persib kept the ball away from us for a minute and they found an opening to get an advantage on away goals. We have to win in Indonesia. Park will have to sit because of a suspension, so we will need to rely on our depth for the 2nd leg.

2nd leg: Persib 1-3 Kitchee

We scored within the first minute of the match, but Dong Fangzhuo got called offside. No worry, we tried the exact same thing, but Dong was onside and we're out early. Our striker force of Dong and Akande managed to help us take a commanding 3-0 lead in the game, and despite a late goal by Persib, we move on once again 4-2 on aggregate.

Onto the Finals against a very tough side of Bahrain, Muharraq. Fortunately, we're at home and it's winner-take-all.

Finals vs Muharraq (Bahrain)

Kitchee 3-2 Muharraq

A full house at **** Kok Stadium as we look to win our first AFC Cup. On paper, Muharraq looked a lot better than us, but we have a hard working team and two strikers who have been scoring on all opposition regardless of quality. We played our brand of soccer, controlling the game, passing it around, and waiting for an opening to attack. And we did attack. And Akande scored not one, not two, but three times over a 17 minute span to take control. We probably got a bit too overconfident as Muharraq come back, first with an innocent deflection, then we just stand around, not moving our feet, for the second. We try to hang on for the last part of the match, and we do.

Kitchee Sports Club, your 2015 AFC Cup Champions.

If you managed in HK, you would probably know our stadium name.

==

Awards:

Dong Fangzhuo - AFC Cup Top Goalscorer (3rd place)

Why the final play at **** Kok Stadium but not Hong Kong Stadium rancer890? Hong Kong Stadium have more capacity lol

Why the final play at **** Kok Stadium but not Hong Kong Stadium rancer890? Hong Kong Stadium have more capacity lol

**** Kok is our home stadium and the AFC Cup Final is played at one of the finalists' home stadium. So I guess it was our stadium in the end.

Some good early progress there rancer - the AFC Cup is always a good one to win

Some good early progress there rancer - the AFC Cup is always a good one to win

Thanks DodgeeD. I'm very pleased with the AFC Cup title. Should help with getting the club rep (and my own rep) and the league rep up to a good level, and improve the HK newgens as well.

We're a team built to win now, and hopefully we can go back in 2016.

I see a former United legend in Dong Fangzhuo

I see a former United legend in Dong Fangzhuo

No truer words have been said. Alongside the likes of Bebe, and the god-like Eric Djemba-Djemba who still got more bank accounts than career goals. Now if we can bring them all to HK for a reunion...

Dong Fangzhuo - FM07

Dong Fangzhuo - FM14

Thanks DodgeeD. I'm very pleased with the AFC Cup title. Should help with getting the club rep (and my own rep) and the league rep up to a good level, and improve the HK newgens as well.

We're a team built to win now, and hopefully we can go back in 2016.

Kitchee is far too strong in real life, winning the league without lost a game, maybe you should change to other clubs in HK and develop the quality of HK league. Also, I think you should bring the HK national team and fight for a world cup qualification place(as a Hongkonger).

Kitchee is far too strong in real life, winning the league without lost a game, maybe you should change to other clubs in HK and develop the quality of HK league. Also, I think you should bring the HK national team and fight for a world cup qualification place(as a Hongkonger).

Tbh I think Kitchee might probably be my only HK club in this career. The only way I will probably stay in HK if I'm sacked from Kitchee and I can't into the Jia League in China or the Challenge League in Korea. South China have sacked their manager two straight years, and them along with Citizen seem to be the next tier below Kitchee. The third tier is Southern District and Biu Chun. And I hate South China so no way I'll manage them.

Kitchee are a big enough club that I can attract quality foreign players from China and rest of Asia, and afford their wages (since my wage budget is 50% of turnover), while being able to continue to win trophies and hope that a Guangdong province based club or Henan Jianye will have an opening and hire me (and once I feel I have the reputation to be able to apply for the Fuli or Rizhiquan club I will do so. Hengda won't hire me so no point trying to apply.

I would love to manage the HK team, but I will resign from Kitchee if I do (I don't like managing both at once). I rather Kim Pan Gon have some success and keep his job. Even if the national team spot is open I don't want it. The HK clubs need to have better HK youngsters because the current group isn't good enough imo. I rather manage the team when the first couple newgen groups are a bit older and more developed.

First Job Offer while employed:

The honour goes too...PS Kemi Kings, from the Finnish Ykkonen (that's 2nd tier). They seem to have a bit more money than Kitchee (it'll be hard not to since we're always in debt by January), but I currently manage a top division club, who have been in the AFC Cup competition 3 times now, and I have won the AFC Cup. The Ykkonen is 1.5 star but that's really it. To add, the chairman is currently listening to offers.

The good news is that there are 2 Canadians on the team. That's it though.

No thanks. Sticking with the HK plan.

League Competition Rep Rankings:

Rankings

The HK league moves up another 6 spots to 19th, just one less than the Jia League. In my first season, we were 32nd in Asia.

We will still be in the AFC Cup unfortunately. Too bad the ACL/AFC Cup spots don't change as the league rankings changes.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2015/16 Red MR First Division

Standings | League Fixtures | Cup Fixtures

Another successful season overall I win my 3rd straight title with Kitchee. We should have clinched the title a couple games before the last one, but we didn't win. We did what we needed to do in the last game though.

We played too many Cup games which affected us in the AFC Cup and the league matches. We might have to play less of those.

AFC Cup

We won the 2015 AFC Cup, and we're off to a good start in the 2016 AFC Cup, winning our group. It wasn't easy as you can see, but we did it and that's the most important thing.

Squad | Transfers

My starting XI and key subs this season:

GK - Han Rongze

DR - Sun Haosheng | Lo Kwan Yee

DC - Matthew Pike | Li Xudong

DC - Park Kyung-Il

DL - Li Ngai Hoi

DM - Gao Wen | Yiu Siu Yuen (YP1a)

MR - Huang Yang | Au Kwok Kin (YP1b)

ML - Hu Weiwei | Chan Man Fai

AMC - Matthew Lam | Xu Deshuai

ST - Dong Fangzhuo | Wang Hongyu

ST - Alexander Akande | Christian Annan

I think it was important with the key depth we had to go along with our star players made the successful season possible. The important thing is to try and keep the core together at reasonable salaries. Our defense is better with all our additions (we had 2 new starting CBs in Park and Pike and a new RB Sun Haosheng). Our midfield and strikers are mostly the same, although signing Dong and Akande will be more difficult since they have agents, along with Lam. Huang is starting to decline, and I believe it's really time to get Au to be a regular starter. Yiu already played a lot of games this past season. I think he's ready to be a full time starter.

Club Info | Finances | Affiliations | Facilities

We made a bit more money, thanks to our successful especially in the AFC Cup. Unfortunately we also relied on $400k+ in 'investments' from the board to keep us out of the red. We're still in the red, but not too bad. With consistent success, the money will take care of itself.

Game of the Year: New Radiant 1-2 Kitchee - Nothing beats 2 goals in extra time.

Awards:

• Top Goalscorer - Alexander Akande (2nd place)
  
• Manager of the Year - Ricky Nakano
  
• HK First Division Best XI - Sun Haosheng, Park Kyung-Il, Matthew Pike, Matthew Lam, Huang Yang, Dong Fangzhuo
  

Goals:

• Pretty much the same as last season. My contract is ending soon and I haven't gotten a new one yet, but I could get a new one like a couple years back in late May
  
• I've been getting some interviews this past season, including a very interesting one from CSL side Changchun Yatai. I think I'll only get more as I keep winning. I'm all ears. I would prefer to move to a top flight club though.
  
• My personal rep has increased to 'Continental' (85%), so it would be great to get offers from teams in the CSL and the K-League (Classic ofc. The old N-League is the new K-League Challenge. All very confusing) for example.
  

Career

2013/14: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, Manager of the Year

2014/15: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, Manager of the Year

2015/16: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, HKFA League Cup, 2015 AFC Cup, Manager of the Year

21/05/2016: Manager Ricky Nakano signs multi-year contract extension

Kitchee Sports Club and current manager Ricky Nakano have agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension which will keep the 27 year old Canadian with the club until June 2018. He will make an annual salary of $70,000 a year and there is also a steep buyout clause for anyone who wants to hire Nakano while he is still under contract to Kitchee.

In a statement to the media via a Kitchee spokesperson:

"I'm very excited to be able to come to terms on a new two-year contract with Kitchee Sports Club. We have had so much success together I feel that this club is perfect for me. This multiyear contract is a commitment between the club and myself to maintain our current level of success. I would like to thank the club and the fans, and most importantly my family for all their support. I hope to try my best to bring a 4th consecutive league title to Kitchee next season, and to compete for another AFC Cup win."

Well done on the continued success rancer and especially winning the AFC so soon So you don't get the ACL spot then? Thought this was fixed?

A very impressive career so far. Keep those AFC wins piling!

Well done on the continued success rancer and especially winning the AFC so soon So you don't get the ACL spot then? Thought this was fixed?

I never did get a spot Raware. I don't know if it's fixed or not. The Second Round (Round of 16) is a one off match, but in game it's two legged aggregate. Someone's (*cough* SI *cough*) probably not updating the competition along with the AFC Champions League thing.

I suspect prize money needs to a bit more looking at the figures (USD$8k a win? Really ).

A very impressive career so far. Keep those AFC wins piling!

Thanks rodesire. Will try although it's always hard to win any trophy for consecutive years, especially one as volatile as the AFC Cup.

Like especially in our 2016 campaign. We did not have great results in the first few group stage games, and we really had to quit playing around in games 5 and 6 and attack.

There are also quite a few unknowns on our roster, as our key players will have 1 year left on their contracts again. I don't mind renewing it every year but every year you do it, it's every year the current core get one year older.

Kitchee SC Contract Renewals

Now that the important stuff, my contract, is handled, next is renewing the contracts of our players.

• July 1 - Li Xudong: Signs a new 1-year extension until June 2018, at $52,000 a year plus bonuses
  
• July 2 - Han Rongze: Signed a new extension until June 2018, $51,000 a year plus bonuses
  
• July 2 - Alexander Akande: Signed a new 2 year contract unitl June 2018 worth $160,000 plus bonuses. He will earn $81,000 a year.
  
• July 2 - Park Kyung-Il: Signs a new contract until June 2018. He will earn $45,500 plus bonuses under his new contract.
  
• July 3 - Li Ngai Hoi: Signs a new contract extension until June 2018. He will make $30,000 plus bonuses.
  
• July 6 - Matthew Pike: Signs a new contract till June 2018. He will earn $47,000 plus incentives.
  

This probably means that Matthew Lam, Huang Yang and Dong Fangzhuo are probably gone after the season. If there are offers, I will consider selling.

We have also renewed the loan deals of Hu Weiwei and Wang Hongyu. Both are season-long loans.

We also have new sponsorship deals:

• A new main kit sponsor who will pay $275k, up from $166k
  
• A new continental competition sponsor deal worth $135k, up from $83.46k previously
  

New sponsorship deals is $400k, an increase of $150k from last year. Both sponsorships are 1 year agreements.

We have also recently announced the appointment of former player Christian Annan as our U18s Manager. He will work closely with our youngsters to enable them to succeed at the current level and the next level. In a press release by Ricky Nakano: "We're very excited that Christian Annan has decided to stay with us in his post-playing days as our new U18s manager. As you may have noticed, during my tenure the U18s manager spot has been left to manage between our assistant coaches. I believe that with our youth players, we need one voice and we decided we had to specialize in a specific U18s manager. Christian is the perfect match and he will work closely with our staff to ensure that our youngsters receive the best coaching possible and improve these players as footballers and young people."

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2016/17 Red MR First Division Season Preview

Red MR First Division: Win the league

2016 AFC Cup Expectation: Reach Quarter-Final

Canbo Senior Challenge Shield: Not important

HK FA Cup: Not important

TV Rights: $565,000 (increase from $416,000)

Transfer Budget: $75k

Wage Budget: $1,078,670 (currently spending $943,745)

Pretty much the same objectives. Onwards and upwards to another good season with Kitchee.

=====

AFC Cup

Quarter-Finals

Q1 -Pune FC (India) - Al-Zawra'a (Iraq)

Q2 - Kitchee (HK) - Al-Arabi (Kuwait)

Q3 - Zeyar Shwe Myay (Myanmar) - Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

Q4 - Al-Shorta (Iraq) - Selangor (Malaysia)

Semi-Finals

Winner Q3 - Winner Q1

Winner Q2 - Winner Q4

Interesting matchup against Al-Arabi. They have all real players and they have a lot more money than we do.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2016/17 Red MR First Division Pre-season Transfers

A new offseason is a new opportunity to improve the squad. I feel we made decent signings, if we can get them to play more.

Transfers

Shay Spitz - recommended by my scout while he was in China. Spitz also has American and New Zealand nationality. He wasn't getting playing time at Liaoning Whowin so we loaned him till the end of his contract in December. We could sign him permanently, but it's all down to price.

Ma Zhe - young defender who has had trouble finding playing time due to foreign restrictions and injury.

Li Hon Ho - we resigned him to be our backup. Unfortunately he has been our starter because Han Rongze was injured for a while.

Returning loanees Wang Hongyu and Hu Weiwei have been great for us.

We got rid of some players, including the sale of Xu Deshuai. Au Kwok Kin was sent out on loan but we recalled him after an injury.

Kitchee Sports Club - 2016 AFC Cup

We're hoping to make another run at the AFC Cup, but we have to take it one game at a time.

Quarter-Finals vs Al-Arabi (Kuwait)

1st leg: Kitchee 2-2 Al-Arabi

2nd leg: Al-Arabi (4) 2-4 (6) Kitchee

We encountered a couple tough games against Kuwaiti club Al-Arabi. In the 1st leg, we had to overcome an 87th goal and we very luckily tie it in the 89th minute. A 2-2 home draw is dangerous because we might have to score 3 goals just to be safe. We head into halftime up 2-1, but I'm still very nervous, and they tie it with under 30 minutes to go. With Al-Arabi pressing we manage to spring Wang Hongyu free and he uses his speed to get past the defender and slot it home. With Al-Arabi throwing everything for a goal to tie, we counter their attack and Wang gets the hat-trick.

Semi-Finals vs Selangor (Malaysia)

1st leg: Kitchee 1-0 Selangor

2nd leg: Selangor (0) 0-1 (2) Kitchee

I was quietly confidence against Selangor. I felt we were the better team, and I'm sure my players thought the same. We won the home leg 1-0 when it should have been 3-0 or 4-0 if we were onside. I was very nervous going into Malaysia because we squandered some chances back home and I thought if Selangor got a break here and there we might lose. We only scored 1 goal in the 2nd leg, but I felt safe because there was no way Selangor was going to score 3 goals in 45 minutes. We're going to the Finals again!

Unfortunately, it's a very strong team in Al-Zawra'a and we will be playing in Iraq.

Finals vs Al-Zawra'a (Iraq)

Al-Zawra'a 4-2 Kitchee

It sucks, but we lost that game. And unfortunately, my players didn't really seem prepared for Al-Zawra'a, as they were tentative at the start and it just snowballed. My assistant didn't really know how to prepare for them (thanks man ) so I setup to defend set pieces. We defended set pieces pretty well, but it was the open play where we were horrible. Our defensive back 4 were constantly a step behind their attackers, and Han Rongze didn't really help by booting 3 goal kicks to them that led to goals. He had 6 consecutive clean sheets before the match and his rating dropped from 6.8 at halftime to 5.5 after the game because his distribution was awful. We have more possession but they did more with the ball. We woke up a bit with 2 Matthew Lam goals after I went Route One + Overall + Push Higher Up + Hassle Opponents but it was too little too late. Their goal after Lam made it 3-2 was the nail in the coffin and sucked out whatever hope we had left.

It might have been a different game if Wang Hongyu wasn't injured, but we still had Akande and Fangzhuo.

On the bright side, we still got $187k in prize money ($139k net after bonuses) and over $200,000 in gate receipts. We were going to win in the bankbook no matter the result.

Ah well, let's win it in 2017.

Fantastic so far. I have only just found this and realised your in HK as well.

Unlucky in the AFC Cup,

Fantastic so far. I have only just found this and realised your in HK as well.

Unlucky in the AFC Cup,

Thanks Didacus. HK's been lots of fun.

In other news: I've had several job interviews, latest with Adelaide United in the A-League, but they're chose someone else. Not sure if I wanted to go there anyway (they chose a rookie manager), but would have been nice to have a job offer to reject.

Nice run in the AFC Cup. I think that is one of the harder cups to win on FM because you don't have the best players and the teams seem closely matched (also, I've never won it despite two attemots with clubs from HK and India so it must be hard ). Best of luck with going one step better next time (if you stick around that is)

Nice run in the AFC Cup. I think that is one of the harder cups to win on FM because you don't have the best players and the teams seem closely matched (also, I've never won it despite two attemots with clubs from HK and India so it must be hard ). Best of luck with going one step better next time (if you stick around that is)

I learned long time ago that any trophy DodgeeD doesn't win is hard.

It's pretty hard imo because you pretty much enter two teams. In group stage you have a team, then it's the offseason, then in the knockout rounds you can have an entirely new team and it's early in the season. The year I won and this past year I had two very different teams. It's exciting though because of the adjustments you have to make.

I'm open to offers if it's the right fit but haven't found anything. I'll just keep winning and improving the HK national team in the meantime. I still have goals here, so it hasn't gotten boring yet.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2016/17 Red MR First Division Youth Intake

This is probably my best youth intake at Kitchee. So good I had to name my YPs down to f.

Youth Intake

YP4a - ST Lau Man Hon - Finally got the youth striker I wanted. He looks very good at this level.

YP4b - MC Hui Cheuk Man - I don't use CMs but he's got a decent starting base.

YP4c - WBL Chan Chun Kwan - I rather train him to be a LM than a DL.

YP4d - DM Yau Chi Ho - Our third good DM prospect. Looks very good.

YP4e - AMR/MR Chan Chun Yu - I don't really need another AMR/MR, but I guess it's good depth.

YP4f - AML/ML Wong Chi Ho - We will teach him what 'passing' means shortly.

Oh, and we're moving on up. Asian Competition Rankings.

Fantastic youth intake!

This reminds me of a Singapore save I did way back with FM07. City-state saves are a lot of fun - I don't have to tell you!

Fantastic youth intake!

This reminds me of a Singapore save I did way back with FM07. City-state saves are a lot of fun - I don't have to tell you!

Thanks bbgunn. Welcome to the forums.

Haven't managed in Singapore before (probably won't in this save either because I want to manage a team that can make the ACL) but it looks like a fun little league like HK.

I signed all the above YPs, plus the guys at least 2.5 stars potential, and the Canadian/HK guy.

Kitchee Sports Club - Hong Kong - 2016/17 Red MR First Division

Standings | League Fixtures | Cup Fixtures

Another fantastic season for myself and Kitchee SC as we win our 4th consecutive league title. We had some bumps in the road but we overcame them. We also did well in the cups, winning the HKFA League Cup Final and the HKFA League Cup Grand Final. We went to the Finals of the HKFA Cup but we lost in extra-time. We didn't really play well in that game. Overall though, 3 trophies is good.

AFC Cup

We had a disappointing end to the 2016 AFC Cup, but the 2017 version is a new year and a new beginning. We had a straightforward group where we scored for fun, and we easily won the top spot of the group. Viet side Ha Noi T&T were tough in the 1st leg, but the 2nd leg was a breeze. The 2nd leg was also after we lost in the Cup Final, so it's great to see the professionalism of the group in concentrating on the task ahead. The rest of the tournament will be fun and challenging.

Squad | Transfers

It's a squad I find that keeps getting more depth and getting better results.

My starting XI and key subs this season:

GK - Han Rongze

DR - Sun Haosheng | Chan Wing Kwan (YP3b)

DC - Matthew Pike | Li Xudong | Leung Tsz Kin

DC - Park Kyung-Il | Chan Wai Chun (YP3c)

DL - Li Ngai Hoi | Shay Spitz

DM - Yiu Siu Yuen (YP1a) | Wong Chi Wai (YP3a)

MR - Huang Yang

ML - Hu Weiwei | Chan Man Fai

AMC - Matthew Lam | Alexander Akande | Lam Hon Chiu

ST - Dong Fangzhuo

ST - Wang Hongyu | Viterale Antoine

It is unfortunate that Dong Fangzhuo will be leaving for Henan Jianye in the CSL, but I think we have enough depth at the position for next season. Akande, Antoine and our YP Lam should be good options at striker, and of course I'm always open to improving the position at the right price. We used 5 of our young players (from the academy during my tenure) in key situations and they all did well. Some of our older players will eventually have to leave as I sign youngsters to their first professional contracts, and in Yiu Siu Yuen's case, his second contract.

Club Info | Finances | Affiliations | Facilities

Money wise, we made good profit thanks to the 'Other' Income, a $400,000 increase in gate receipts, and more sponsorship income. Over the next season, the goal is to simply keep this up.

Awards:

• Top Goalscorer - Wang Hongyu (3rd place)
  
• Young Player of the Year - Yiu Siu Yuen (2nd place)
  
• Manager of the Year - Ricky Nakano
  
• HK First Division Best XI - Hang Rongze, Sun Haosheng, Park Kyung-Il, Alexander Akande, Matthew Lam, Wang Hongyu
  

Goals:

• Good players, low cost. The off-season will be a time of transition as we continue to give our young players experience and slowly introduce them to the first team, but we will have to have some vets to provide leadership and help us win.
  
• I would like to keep Wang and Hu, but we might have to transfer fees for them...so it will be tough to replace them if they don't come back. 50 goals might be potentially gone for next season.
  

Career

2013/14: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, Manager of the Year

2014/15: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, Manager of the Year

2015/16: Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, HKFA League Cup, 2015 AFC Cup, Manager of the Year

2016/17: kitchee SC (Hong Kong) - Won league title, HKFA League Cup, HKFA League Cup Grand Final, Manager of the Year

The first job that I actually applied in this save to was the Guangzhou Hengda job:

Yes I'm interested...

I wouldn't mind staying if I don't get the job, but I rather get the job.

So you're telling me I have a chance...

An interview? Yes please!

Oh...

Back to trying to win another league title with Kitchee...

I'm a bit less enthusiastic about Shandong, so I'm staying (unless something I like comes up of course).

Shame about the Guangzhou Hengda job but at least you'll get to win another title in HK! Disappointing to see Dong Fangzhou go too...I think you'll find it difficult to replace him. Sad to see Happy Valley relegated . All this Asian action is making want to start a save again in HK! It's been 4 years!