canvey!!'s FM09 Alphabet Challenge

canvey!!’s FM09 Alphabet Challenge

The Challenge: To celebrate a career with 26 clubs representing, in order, the letters of the alphabet.

The idea is simple: you need to spend 1 year at a club or nation for every letter of the alphabet, in order.

You must start in the lowest division of any league system which has three divisions or more. You may not begin as manager of a national team.

How to Start

First, you need to work out what leagues you are going to choose. This can be quite time consuming, as you need to make sure you are fine for letters. It is very important that you check beforehand that you will have enough letters to complete the challenge. There would be nothing worse than playing for 21 seasons only to find that you don’t have a club for the letter ‘v’. Below is a list of the divisions in which you can begin:

Belgian Third Division A

Brazilian National Third Division

Danish Second Division East/West

English Blue Square North/South

French CFA – B/C

German Third Division

Italian Serie C1 -- This is tolerated as the game crashes when Serie C2 is loaded

Northern Irish Second Division

Norwegian Second Division Group 3/4

Portuguese Second Division Group B/D

Scottish Third Division

Spanish Second Division B2/3/4

Swedish Second Division N/WG/SG/SS

You may load any additional nations and choose any database size. Once you have started, take a screenshot of your profile at your first club, beginning with the letter A.

Suggested Set-ups

If you want to avoid managing a national team, the minimum set-up is:

English Blue Square North/South and upwards

Spanish Second Division B and upwards

If you do not mind managing a national team, the minimum set-up is:

English Blue Square North/South and upwards

Greek Superleague

Jamaica or Jordan and Zambia or Zimbabwe loaded as an additional nation. You will also need to manage Uruguay.

Bear in mind that teams can be relegated out of playable leagues, and any job won’t be immediately available. You must retain the same manager for all clubs.

Here is an example set-up. In fact, it is my set-up.

Additional Rules

• You must spend more than 1 year (366 days if a leap year) at the club or nation
  
• However, you can spend more than a year, and this may be necessary if you cannot move on to the next club or nation
  
• You cannot manage auxiliary clubs. You must go straight from letter to letter. You can, however, be unemployed between letters.
  
• You must add yourself as manager of a club beginning with A in any of the divisions above
  
• You must go through the letters in alphabetical order.
  
• If the club you want has been relegated out of playable leagues, you may reload to make sure that team gets promoted. However, you may not reload to avoid the team getting relegated.
  
• External programs such as Genie Scout or Football Manager Modifier must not be used. The database must not be edited. It is advised to be up to date with the latest SI patch.
  
• Player Attribute Masking must be on
  
• I recommend that you do not sign players that you cannot scout, but this is your personal choice
  
• Your past experience must be set to Sunday League Footballer. I advise that you use your real nationality, gender and age.
  
• I’m not even sure if it is possible, but you cannot manage B or Reserve Teams.
  

Screenshots you must Provide

• A player profile of you after you take charge at your ‘A’ club. You must add yourself as that club’s manager, and cannot start unemployed.
  
• A player profile at the point you take over every subsequent club.
  
• A manager history listing all of your 26 clubs if you manage to complete the challenge
  
• No other screenshots are necessary, but you are encouraged to add league table screenshots and can add any more that you wish.
  

Thread Rules

Player naming is allowed (this is a warning for those of you who do not wish to see it).

Tactical Discussion is allowed (once again, a warning for those who do not wish to see it).

Notes

You may update as often as you like, as long as you provide the necessary screenshots. You may, obviously, play the game at your own pace. If you wish, you can post your league setup when you begin.

How to Post a Screenshot

• While in FM, press the 'Prt Sc' button (usually next to F12 on your keyboard).
  
• Open an image editing program such as Paint and paste the image
  
• Save the file as a JPEG
  
• Or press Alt+F9 and look for the image in Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2008\screenshots
  
• Upload the image to an image hosting website such as Photobucket or Imageshack
  
• Post the direct Url to the image here.
  

If there are any questions, please feel free to ask. Good luck to everyone!

I thought you were going to go for something related to 'The Sims' as you seemed to indicate you spent a bit of time on that forum where you got the other smileys. Is this related to the challenge on there boards where you have to have 26 generations of Sims?

Still, a very interesting and probably difficult challenge you got there canvey!!

Yes it is.

And I just hope someone actually does it (obviously I'll be doing it).

I will attempt it, it looks easier than dafuge's

A is for AFC Telford

My Profile.

I’ve taken over AFC Telford. My set-up is provided in the screenshot in the OP. Let’s get this shown on the road!

The manager picture is credit to duccio.

This isn't difficult as such IMO, more time consuming, I will give it a go though, gives me an excuse to try out AFC Wimbledon

well canvey!!, your challenge will be involve my cherry popping FM09 Season(s) and my first attempted Challenge

set up, starting profile .

PaulHartman71's Alphabet Attempt

Season     Letter     Club        Season At Club   League Positions   Other Information

 1          A     AFC Wimbledon      First             N/A                N/A

I will also be starting this now (also with AFC Wimbledon)

By the way, the letter that counts for the club is the one on the short name, i.e. the one that appears in the league table.

this Jon Main at AFC Wimbledon has very impressive for me so far, 4 goals in my first 2 games. I'm hoping he can continue with this excellent form.

Main just won August POTM, after scoring 6 in 5

shame we're only 16th though

Lost 0-4 to Southport in my opening game .

At the beginning of December at the moment, top of the league although it is very tight. Hoping to get promoted this season though.

Currently in February, things are looking very good at the top of the table, almost certain promotion is on the cards

Just entered April. Still top but it's as tight as ever.I have 63. Team Bath have 60 and a much superior goal difference to me. Bath City in 3rd have 58. Chelmsford and Bromley have 56. 7 games left so it's anyones really.

Ok Canvey a question for you, I am looking at doing this as my second challenge of FM 09, but I was wondering if you would be ok with me running it at the same time as I run the "Greatest Football Manager Challenge" as I think it would be great fun to do that while trying to follow the alphabet around the world as well

I'll be starting of with JoseRR's as I love the lower leagues in Bigger Europe, but wanna have a go at this too

Edit: While I have been waiting I have been looking through club lists, as I really don't want to play in England and Spain, and I have come up with a way around them, to drop Spain & England you have to be playing in Greece (X), Switzerland (Y) & Scotland (Q) as they are the only playable nations in Europe with these letters other than the big two. So my likely set-up is a four country grouping of Scotland, Greece, Switzerland and one of the following (Belgium, Poland or Romania) as these three cover both J & U in one move. looking forward to the set-up when I come, just glad to have found a way out of England

blew the title and lost it to Goal Difference.

will have to hope for the best in the playoffs now :*(

Ok Canvey a question for you, I am looking at doing this as my second challenge of FM 09, but I was wondering if you would be ok with me running it at the same time as I run the "Greatest Football Manager Challenge" as I think it would be great fun to do that while trying to follow the alphabet around the world as well

That's fine, as long as it follows the rules of this challenge.

lost first playoff Semi to Fisher 1-0, went into the second one nervous as hell, but came out with a cool 4-0 victory to put us into the final

will be posting my end of year 1 update in a bit

A is for AFC Wimbledon, First Update

In a season which we were top for the vast majority, we managed to blow it and lose the title on goal difference. However we went through fairly comfortably in the play-offs anyway, so it was all good.

I have to say my initial squad was very strong, and despite bringing in a few players, it was still very much the squad I began the season with.

Final Squad

League Table

Position History

Finances

Admittedly our finances do not look good, but hopefully revenue received from playing in the Blue Square Premier, and a cup run will put us back on track.

Transfer History

Aims for the near future:

Survive in the Blue Square Premier

Get Promoted to League 2

Leave AFC Wimbledon, and take control of a 'B' team

PaulHartman71's Alphabet Attempt

Season     Letter     Club        Season At Club   League Positions          Other Information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1          A     AFC Wimbledon      First      2nd in Blue Square South   Promoted via play-offs

Well done Paul, shame about missing out on the title. Good luck finding a 'B' team once 8th July comes .

i'm staying at AFC Wimbledon until we reach League 2

well that's dependent on whether or not we get relegated to the BSS, if that happens I will leave probably.

I wouldn't advise you get too attached to clubs - you've got 26 seasons to complete. If you want to spend 2 at each club, that's 52!

yeah, but I feel the need to get a fairly decent reputation first, otherwise i'll be constantly managing BSS/BSN/BSP teams, and that's no good because some of the letters are of fairly high rep teams

well, that's interesting. Restart date occured, and got news item saying that Milwall have announced an affiliation with us. Wont use their players as it would imo be 'cheating', but will definitely have the money that they'll give us

I typed that before I saw that they're only going to give us an annual fee of 9.5K. Better than nothing though.

Paul - why not save that as a seperate game and then you can play it later on?

maybe, but i'm still not leaving until we get to League 2.

A is for AFC Wimbledon,

In my second and final season at AFC Wimbledon, the team managed to secure a secure position in the Blue Square Premier, a great achievement for myself and the club itself.

Squad

Table

Position History

Finances

I decided to end my reign shortly after I took these screenshots, and have since been holidaying looking for a job with a 'B' team.

Will edit in the updated table in a bit.

EDIT:

PaulHartman71's Alphabet Attempt

Season     Letter     Club        Season At Club   League Positions          Other Information
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1          A     AFC Wimbledon      First      2nd in Blue Square South    Promoted via play-offs
 2          A     AFC Wimbledon      Second    14th in Blue Square Premier  Runner Up in Conference League Cup/resigned 29th May 2010


Days Spent at each Letter:

A - 690

Nice work Paul. What is your reputation now? Surely not enough to get any higher ranked club just yet?

If I could be bothered, this would be an awesome challenge. I just don't fancy having to wait weeks on end in the hope of getting the QPR or QotS jobs, then getting stuck again trying to manage Xerex or Zimbabwe.

Anyway, GREAT idea for a thread.

There are smaller rep X & Z teams in Switzerland at least as well

Might attempt this, start at Annan Athletic and finish at Zwolle if I can make it through 26 seasons

Just a friendly bump. Sorry I'm not yet very far into this, but I've been really busy recently. My schedule generally opens up after Sunday so I should have more time to complete my own challenge!

sorry canvey!!, for now have 'quited'. Holidayed for about 2 years in game time after resigning from AFC Wimbledon, and just couldn't get a 'B' job

That's a real shame. Maybe you were right to stay on for two seasons, but it still wasn't enough. Let's hope someone can.

Well, I'm picking up this challenge today - starting with Annagh United in the Northern Irish Second Division. This is a challenge I intend to delve in and out of as and when the dafuge or gundo challenges are getting me down. I have loaded quite a few leagues, but it will take quite a while to build a good reputation from this starting point. I'm pretty confident I can get off to a winning start with the boys from Annagh though

.

Have decided to start this again. Don't know if I'll finish it, but I'm going to have another go regardless. Have started at Annan Athletic of the Scottish Third Division. Starting Profile

Hooray \o/. Good luck .

hopefully I have fun in my inevitable failure, but maybe after 5 months of neglect this challenge will finally get the interest it deserves!

EDIT: fwiw, leagues loaded are: England (Blue Square South/North)< France (National and Above), Germany (Second Division and above), Italy (Serie B and above), Holland (Eerste Divisie and above), Portugal (Liga Vitalis and above), Scotland (Third division and above) and Spain (LIGA adelante and above)

In hindsight I've perhaps loaded not enough 'lower leagues', but for now I just want to focus on my career at Annan Athletic.

This sounds like an interesting one, will likely start it tonight. Be interesting to see how far I can get with it, predicting D at the most for now.

Will have to do some research to see what leagues I'll need to turn on first though, especially still playing with FM07 where it'll be different from now.

I failed the challenge. Started with Alfreton in the Conference North, and won my first two games. Then I went seven without a win, conceding over 20 goals, killed my players morale with multiple fines and got fired in September.

Oh dear .

I will definitely be giving this a go when I finish dafuge's challenge, that may be a while at the moment though!

I'm currently in late October at Annan. Was looking very shaky at the start after a pretty poor month, then throughout October there was a massive consortium takeover 'drama', will he takeover, wont he. The consortium did takeover, and despite telling me that it had always been his plan to bring in a new manager, he'd decided to give me a chance. Ever since this, we've signed some new players, brought in some loan signings and we've been flying up the league!