Turn it up to 11! (Then back down to 8)

I attempted to chronicle my career as a lowly Buxton manager trying to make it to the top (aka Dafuge challenge),but unfortunately, I forgot where I work. (cloud saving is your friend, but deleting excess saves using select all is not). After a short time pondering the intricacies of life and the universe (getting drunk), I resolved to appease my fans (what fans? - ed) by taking up the challenge once more (had nothing better to do) but lo! One wouldn't jump straight back into the same thing, oh no. One would check out this new create a club witchcraft for a while, before getting back into the meat. It turns out however, that it's pretty damned good and as such, I will continue my career here, in all it's "erhmagherd, it's not the REAL football manager" glory.

I've installed the unlocking of lower leagues. It is possible to go down as far as level 23, but I went for the 'mini' version which opens it up to level 11, then chose Sheffield FC (level 8) to start my career.

'Mr Zeus' Manager Profile

Unfortunately, I didn't take all the screenshots at the start of the career, since I didn't expect to be chronicling it for others to read, but here it is after the first year. Started the standard Dafuge challenge way, no qualifications and minimal experience. I put all my attributes into motivating because I have no idea what I'm doing. Not seen the feature before.

Club Facilities

In keeping with the Greek Mythological theme, our ground is named The Pantheon. It struck me after the fact that it is an excellent name, as the Pantheon was a temple for (mainly) 12 Gods; Zeus plus 11 others, which has strong correlation to the manager and the 11 players. As you can also see, they are not the best facilities in the world, but we're in Sheffield, which is quite possibly the greatest city in the world.

Club History

I have wiped all history, affiliations and rivalries from the records. We are effectively a brand new club. We also have the new nickname of The Mythicals.

I haven't changed anything else about the club. The players are the actual Sheffield FC boys. The stadium is located in the right place. Finances haven't been touched etc.

Good luck! Lets get to the first update!

Olympians United - Northern Premier League First Division South 2015/16

Season Review

Summary 1

Summary 2

League Table - Disappointed to miss out on the playoffs but that's the price paid for inconsistency. Sometimes we would take care of business at the top, only to get complacent and take a beating at the bottom.

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup - Meh, had zero interest in this.

FA Trophy - Didn't manage to get through the preliminary rounds but not to worry. FA Cup is where the action is!

FA Cup - It was a tight squeeze through the rounds, but we did OK. Really want to do well in the FA Cup for some income if nothing else.

Squad - Pleased with the squad for the moment. My assistants reports say that most of them are terrible, but I think that's in contrast to my strikers, who are amazing at this level.

Transfers - Had to bring in a few players, since we had none in certain positions, such as defensive midfielder. Cover for other places like both wings. The only thing I am happy with completely is my strikeforce.

Finances - Reasonable. We were making profit until I signed more players and persuaded one or two to enter contracts, rather than bonus schemes.

The Key Three

Conor Glavin - Even though my assistant thinks of him as a two star wannabe, he delivers the goods time and again.

Bennie Igiehon - The superstar of the team. This guy has it all. He can score, he can pass, he can assist, he can score again. He should be playing 2 or 3 leagues above us but hey ho, he's ours and he's loyal. I am not complaining!

Yoan Benyahya - Bennie's partner. Another prolific goal scorer. There was no difficulty in picking any of my key three. No one else comes close.

Summary & Next Season

I'm very happy with the achievements so far, for a new club! It's a shame we missed out on the playoffs - it was tight all season, but in the end we stumbled at the final hurdle. Next season I'm hoping to go one better. With a few smart signings and a years maturity and experience on everyone, I can't see a reason why we can't be up there battling.

Career Overview

Season    Team    		League           			Position	FA Cup     FA Trophy    Challenge Cup
2015/16   Olympians United  	Nothern Premier League 1st Div Sth   	9th           	3rd Qual   Prelim Rd	2nd Rd

Good luck! Lets get to the first update!

It's up now =D Well, the end of the first season review at least. Already had a season and a half under my belt when I decided to stick with it and put it on forums. Hope I can make it an interesting read

Olympians United - Northern Premier League First Division South 2016/17

Season Review

Summary 1

Summary 2

League Table - 4th Place. I'm happy with reaching the playoffs. It was a hard fought season to get there and quite frankly, we deserved it.

Playoffs - We managed to sneak the goal in against Stafford to send us through, but the final was a whole lot tougher and it was only the heroics of Tim Horn saving a penalty that we managed it. We even had a red card late in extra time.

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup - Meh, had zero interest in this.

FA Trophy - Well we got through the preliminary rounds, but failed at the first qualifying round. Not to worry, because the FA TrophyCup is waiting!!

FA Cup - Well we got through the preliminary rounds, but failed at the first qualifying round. Not to worry, because the FA Cup Trophy is waiting!!

Squad - One happy manager. There are still gaping holes all over the field in terms of quality, but going on ratings, work ethic and finishing alone, I am delighted. These boys saw it through all the way. Also in that shot is a few of my youth players I threw in to give them a little experience and to compare them with the rest.

Transfers - Bit of a strange one. Made 3 transfers in, but 2 of them went straight out. They didn't break into the first team because of poor performance, cried about it and I had to let them go.

Finances - Will be calling Wonga.com soon!!

The Key Three

Greig Stewart - Hero of the park. He doesn't have the following of a star striker, or the idol status of a great winger, but he quietly gets on with the job in the centre of midfield. Reliability is something I treasure and he is reliable.

Bennie Igiehon - As last season, he's just banging in the goals. Take a look at his profile for all you need to know.... and he's only 23!

James Taylor - OK, so he may not have been a "key player" through the season but look at him! He came through this years youth intake and the guy will be a damn legend in no time!! Since I started him in a few games, he's gone from strength to strength mixing it up with the big boys at only 15 years old! What kind of 15 year old scores twice in only their second game?!! I should also add that he's been played as a right midfielder, a position that's not even on the board for him.

Summary & Next Season

Well, needless to say I'm pretty chuffed with a promotion. I always hoped we'd be up in and around the playoffs, I didn't expect to come out victorious on the other side. Next season will be more of the same. Strengthen the squad where it needs it most (defence) and try to carry the momentum through and snatch a top half spot. I don't fear a relegation scrap; I think the lads we have will be more than capable, especially some our young blood who have already proven their quality and mental capacity.

Career Overview

Season    Team            	League                       		Position    	FA Cup     FA Trophy    Challenge Cup
2015/16   Olympians United      Northern Premier League 1st Div Sth     9th		3rd Qual   Prelim Rd    2nd Rd
2016/17	  Olympians United	Northern Premier League 1st Div Sth	4th		1st Qual   1st Qual	2nd Rd

Halfway through the season and sitting very pretty. Last 13 games are 12 unbeaten with 1 loss. Currently on a (up to now) 4 game win streak. Games in hand are awesome =D

Excellent work!

Olympians United - Northern Premier League Premier Division 2017/18

Season Review

Summary 1

Summary 2

League Table - 4th Place. Mixed emotions really. We deserved to be up there and promoted, but we spurned our chances throughout the season. If I'd been offered 4th at the start of the season I would have taken it, but having been 3 games in hand and only a point behind 1st, I'm disappointed. We got over that little drop in form, but our last 8 games were infuriating. We only took 7 points from a possible 24. 2 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses. Another 7 points and we would have been champions. Most of our losses towards the end of the season came against teams from the bottom 3rd.

Playoffs - We outplayed Mickleover and deserved to get through the semi final, but had to rely on penalties to do it. Thankfully, my boys don't miss! As for the final, we should have lost heavily. Somehow we managed to keep Marine at bay, snatch a late late goal and hold on for the victory. Should we have been promoted? Yes. Should we have won the playoffs? No

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup - I can understand the defeat by Blyth. They're one of the best teams in the league and cup and eventually went on to the semis. 3rd straight year we finished in the 2nd round.

FA Trophy - Another pathetic cup run. I'm half tempted to sack the cups off altogether at this point. I know we're never expected to get far, but losing against opposition we could quite happily smash in the league is frustrating.

FA Cup - Aaaaand again. Our captain got a straight red after only 11 minutes. It was all downhill from there.

Squad - Once again I'm happy with how everyone has performed. Unfortunately the wage bill is escalating. The board are happy to keep give me a decent budget, that I don't actually need, but even so, my wages are taking the club into the red. The problem is some of my best players are going to want real contracts soon.

Transfers - Some solid transfers in this year. I converted the excess wage budget into transfer budget and am very happy with the signings, particularly Callum Reed and Corey Barnes. We have, as I aimed to do, strengthened the back line. All that's missing is a solid leftback

Finances - The board injected about 60k a short while before the end of the season which makes things look better than they are. Promotion to an almost real league should help with sponsorship and maybe attendance.

The Key Three

Greig Stewart - Man hasn't put a foot wrong all season. He's the first name on the team sheet if he is fit, which he mostly is. He hasn't been named supporters player of the year two years running for nothing you know!

Bennie Igiehon - Once again, a goal machine. This year he is the leagues top scorer. Earlier on in the season he was 8 or 9 goals in front of 2nd place, but a poor end of season and a goal draught meant a few caught up to him. Still, he had enough of a cushion to warrant an award.

Callum Reed - The 2nd name on the team sheet now. Bought at the end of last season, slotted straight into the defensive line and never moved. While his attributes don't look up to much, he puts in consistently solid performances week in, week out.

Summary & Next Season

Again a promotion. This one was a strange one. Halfway through the season, I was already dreaming of next year, checking out potential backroom staff, contemplating the increase in fortune, reputation and ego. At the end of the season, I had a sweat on to make the playoffs. We couldn't buy a win for love nor money. Ultimately, we're there. I believe we can stay up with the players we have. One or maybe two signings will make it for us. I would love to sign a shed load of higher quality players but finances dictate otherwise. So instead of going half arsed and just signing a couple of amazing players, we're going to tighten everything up and try to sort out the cash flow. Another thing lurking is the stadium. The Vanarama guys want us to upgrade our stadium, but the board say we don't have enough money. Who knows what will happen. We shall see!!

Career Overview

Season    Team            	League                               	Position   FA Cup     FA Trophy    Challenge Cup	Misc
2015/16   Olympians United      Northern Premier League 1st Div Sth     9th        3rd Qual   Prelim Rd    2nd Rd		
2016/17   Olympians United    	Northern Premier League 1st Div Sth    	4th        1st Qual   1st Qual 	   2nd Rd		Playoff Champions
2017/18	  Olympians United	Northern Premier League Prem Div	4th	   1st Qual   2nd Qual	   2nd Rd		Playoff Champions

After a very rude awakening to Vanarama Football, we finally managed to pull it together and have succeeded in stringing a few wins together, culminating in my very first Manager of the Month award!! With the cup loss in there, I didn't realise we'd done quite as well as we have in the league recently!! Happy days! The balance to this is the wins have all come against the bottom feeders of the division, so while it's great to get the points advantage, it doesn't mean we're any good - just not as bad as them.

We're sitting pretty at the moment in 11th, 9 points clear of the relegation zone and only 5 away from the playoff positions. However, with a current record of 6W, 1D, 6L - it's anyone's guess where we will end up. Quite literally depends on which side of the bed my boys get out.

Yes you heard it here first folks. We have abysmal luck in cup matches. There are three things that seem to keep cropping up in every cup match. Red cards, injuries and own goals. This is a perfect example of us getting knocked out of the FA Trophy at the first attempt again. They had only one shot on target, yet still managed to win 2-0.

Olympians United - Vanarama North 2018/19

Season Review

Summary 1

Summary 2

League Table - Escaped relegation by a single point. Shocking season as evidenced by the stats. We conceded 26 goals in our last 9 games. For want of a better phrase, it was ****ing terrible. On the plus side, we are still in the division. It's a short sharp shock and the dream of the sailing up the Premiership is over. Now the hard work begins.

FA Trophy - Just no. Can't score against them, but we sure as hell can score for them.

FA Cup - Another miserable outing. I'm rapidly losing patience and hope that we'll ever get anywhere in the cups.

Squad - It's ok. They're working well, but it's sooo up and down. Made a few decent signings, but Alex Brown, whom my scouts were raving about, turned in terrible performances of the worst kind. Very disappointed. Liam Walsh on the other hand was amazing. I only bought him because James Taylor for whom I had high hopes is having ego issues and apparently we're too puny for him.

Transfers - Only a few signings. As above, Liam Walsh is far and away the best of the bunch. Alex Brown has turned out to be a turd, but I'm willing to give him time. Perryman was an impulse buy. He was highly rated by my scouts, I took a look and grabbed him for next to nothing - just like his wages so can't complain.

Finances - Once again, the board injected cash - although they've taken a ~70k loan out to expand the stadium. We need to get it to at least 3k capacity to comply with the league regulations. There's been a few cries of having to sell players, but we shall see.

The Key Three

Greig Stewart - My best man again. I don't know what else to say. He makes the key passes everywhere. He's busy and he works hard. Very rare he has an off day and I would pay him triple what he's asking if needs be. (Don't tell him that though!). I'm pretty sure he will end up being a club legend barring any serious injury or ego inflation.

Liam Walsh - New signing and I'm delighted with he's achieved so far. Every game his name his popping up. Walsh dribbles, Walsh intercepts, Great pass by Walsh, Walsh shoots, Walsh does this, Walsh does that. If next season he does half as well, he will be the bargain of the century.

Callum Reed - As last season. He's been there pretty much every game. Unfortunately he got pretty badly injured towards the end of the season, along with 2 other key players. That contributed heavily to our major drop in form, 9 games without a win and only 2 draws.

Summary & Next Season

I'm happy we're still in the Vanarama North. The manner in which our form and team fell to bits with a few players out concerns me greatly though. I have some serious work to do with regards to the squad and a closer analysis of the tactics is probably also in order. We do need to sign a few more quality players in key positions, but with our funds and reputation being almost non-existent, that's going to be very tough.

Career Overview

Season    Team            	League                               	Position   FA Cup     FA Trophy    Challenge Cup	Misc
2015/16   Olympians United      Northern Premier League 1st Div Sth     9th        3rd Qual   Prelim Rd    2nd Rd		
2016/17   Olympians United    	Northern Premier League 1st Div Sth    	4th        1st Qual   1st Qual 	   2nd Rd		Playoff Champions
2017/18	  Olympians United	Northern Premier League Prem Div	4th	   1st Qual   2nd Qual	   2nd Rd		Playoff Champions
2018/19	  Olympians United	Vanarama North				19th	   3rd Qual   3rd Qual

Yes you heard it here first folks. We have abysmal luck in cup matches. There are three things that seem to keep cropping up in every cup match. Red cards, injuries and own goals.

Heh, 5 cup matches so far this season.

In addition to the 2 own goals and 2 red cards shown here, we've had 4 semi-serious injuries.