[FM14] This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

Another forameuss career

Stephen Smith Returns...

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

Another forameuss career

So it's back...I know I said in another topic that I had decided the structure of my save when FM14 came out, but after starting yesterday with Partick Thistle, I yearned for a return to the challenge I completed in FM13.

It's the TETRADECAGON. Part deux.

For those that didn't read it, here's my attempt last time, along with a couple of other managers. For those that are too lazy, the challenge is to win the following competitions...

Europe - UEFA Champions League, UEFA European Championships

Asia - Asian Champions League, Asian Nations Cup

Africa - African Champions League, African Cup of Nations

North America - CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF Gold Cup

South America - Copa America, Copa Libertadores

Oceania - Oceanic Nations Cup

World - FIFA World Club Championship, FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederation Cup

As for other rules, that's where I'm going to hopefully do things a little differently this time around. Nothing is set in stone at this stage, but as Stephen Smith sits in his modest Maryhill flat, he's plotting his way to the end of the challenge in the following manner.

• Start in either Africa or Asia
  
• Follow that with North America
  
• The penultimate leg will be South America ideally
  
• The final leg, Europe, will be with Partick Thistle, no exceptions
  
• Only manage nations on their own - no club/nation dual management whatsoever unless it is sensible
  
• Win something with Scotland, ideally the World Cup
  

That's just a few of the rules I plan to set myself, with most of the rest just being made up as I go along. There's going to be a whole load of failure for sure, but hopefully I can complete this for the second time.

I'll be adding the first full updates tomorrow as I join my first club, and set out on my journey.

[forameuss]

Contents

Chapter 1: Stephen Smith

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Henan Jianye (China)

Part 3: Newcastle United Jets (Australia)

Part 4: Sydney FC (Australia)

Part 5: Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea)

Part 6. Suwon Bluewings (South Korea)

Part 7. Peru (South America)

Part 8. Penarol (Uruguay)

[forameuss]

Achievements, Stats, History and Goals

Competitions

6/14

UEFA Champions League

UEFA European Championships

Asian Champions League

Asian Nations Cup

African Champions League

African Cup of Nations

CONCACAF Champions League

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Copa America

Copa Libertadores

Oceanic Nations Cup

FIFA World Club Championship

FIFA World Cup

FIFA Confederation Cup

History

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ASCII TABLE OF HISTORY (AND MANAGERIAL SHAME) |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Season | Team | Country | Continent | League | Finish | Cups | Continental | Notes |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013 | Henan Jianye | China | Asia | First Division | 1st | Semi-final | --- | League winners |
| 2014 | Henan Jianya | China | Asia | Super League | 15th* | DNE | | Resigned after 9 games |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2014/15 | Newcastle United Jets | Australia | Asia | A League | 5th | --- | --- | Finals Series Elimination Round |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2015/16 | Sydney FC | Australia | Asia | A League | 1st | --- | Group Stage | Finals Series Semis |
| 2016/17 | Sydney FC | Australia | Asia | A League | 1st | --- | 1st KO Rd. | FINALS SERIES WINNERS |
| 2017/18 | Sydney FC | Australia | Asia | A League | 1st | --- | 1st KO Rd. | Finals Series Runners-up |
| 2018/19 | Sydney FC | Australia | Asia | A League | 3rd | --- | Group Stage | Finals Series Semis |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2020 | Ulsan Hyundai | S. Korea | Asia | K LEAGUE | 6th+ | Qtr Final | --- | Arrived during the season |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2021 | Suwon Bluewings | S. Korea | Asia | K LEAGUE | 2nd | WINNERS | WINNERS | Korean FA Cup and Asian |
| | | | | | | | | Champions League winners |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022 | UNEMPLOYED | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| 2023 | UNEMPLOYED | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2023 | Peru | Peru | S. America | WC Qualifying | 4th | --- | - | 4th at the end of the year |
| 2024 | Peru | Peru | S. America | WC Qualifying | 5th* | --- | - | 5th when I resigned |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2024 | Penarol | Uruguay | S. America | 1st Opening | 1st | --- | --- | |
| 2025 | Penarol | Uruguay | S. America | 1st Closing | 1st | --- | Group Stage | 1ST DIVISION CHAMPIONS (as |
| | | | | | | | | open/close stage winners) |
| 2025 | Penarol | Uruguay | S. America | 1st Opening | 1st | --- | --- | |
| 2026 | Penarol | Uruguay | S. America | 1st Closing | 1st | --- | 1st KO Rd. | 1ST DIVISION CHAMPIONS (as |
| | | | | | | | | open/close stage winners) |
| 2026 | Penarol | Uruguay | S. America | 1st Opening | 1st | --- | --- | Moved to Boca in December |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2027 | Boca Juniors | Argentina | S. America | 1st Closing | 1st | DNE | RUNNERS UP | Copa Lib. Runners up |
| 2028 | Boca Juniors | Argentina | S. America | 1st Opening | 1st | --- | WINNERS | COPA SUD. WINNERS, CLUB WORLD |
| | | | | | | | | CUP WINNERS, Recopa Runners-up, |
| | | | | | | | | Supercup Runners up |
| 2028 | Boca Juniors | Argentina | S. America | 1st Closing | 1st | Semi-final | Semi-Final | Copa Lib. Semis |
| 2029 | Boca Juniors | Argentina | S. America | 1st Opening | 7th | --- | WINNERS | Copa Sud. Runners up, RECOPA |
| | | | | | | | | WINNERS, Supercup Runners up |
| 2029 | Boca Juniors | Argentina | S. America | 1st Closing | 1st | Qtr Final | WINNERS | COPA LIB. WINNERS, resigned |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2029 | Saudi Arabia | S. Arabia | Asia | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| 2030 | Saudi Arabia | S. Arabia | Asia | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| 2031 | Saudi Arabia | S. Arabia | Asia | Asian Cup | --- | Qtr Final | --- | Knocked out in Asian Cup qrtr |
| | | | | | | | | final, resigned |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2031 | New England Rev. | USA | N. America | MLS | 7th+ | DNE | --- | Arrived with 12 games to go |
| 2032 | New England Rev. | USA | N. America | MLS | 14th | Qtr Final | --- | SACKED at the end of the season |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2033 | San Jose Earthquakes | USA | N. America | MLS | 13th | 4th Round | --- | |
| 2034 | San Jose Earthquakes | USA | N. America | MLS | 17th | WINNERS | --- | RESIGNED at end of season |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2035 | UNEMPLOYED | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| 2036 | UNEMPLOYED | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2036 | CD Guadalajara | Mexico | N. America | LIGA MX Open | 1st(P) | WINNERS | --- | Joined Summer 2036, Open Cup |
| | | | | | | | | winners, open stage winners |
| 2037 | CD Guadalajara | Mexico | N. America | LIGA MX Close | 6th(Q) | Runners-up | --- | |
| 2037 | CD Guadalajara | Mexico | N. America | LIGA MX Open | 1st(P) | DNE | --- | Open stage winners |
| 2038 | CD Guadalajara | Mexico | N. America | LIGA MX Open | 5th(Q) | DNE | WINNERS | NACL WINNERS |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2038 | Venezuela | Venezuela | S. America | --- | --- | --- | --- | Joined in September |
| 2039 | Venezuela | Venezuela | S. America | Copa America | --- | --- | WINNERS | COPA AMERICA WINNERS |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2039/40 | Tuks | S. Africa | Africa | SA Premiership | 16th+ | --- | --- | RELEGATED,RESIGNED end of season|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2040 | UNEMPLOYED | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
| 2041 | UNEMPLOYED | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2042 | Canada | Canada | N. America | --- | --- | --- | --- | Joined in May |
| 2043 | Canada | Canada | N. America | Gold Cup | --- | WINNERS | --- | GOLD CUP WINNERS |
| 2044 | Canada | Canada | N. America | WC Qual.3rd Ph | 2nd | --- | --- | Qual. for 4th Phase |
| 2045 | Canada | Canada | N. America | WC Qual.4th Ph | 4th | --- | --- | Eliminated in Play-offs |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Key: * - left during season, DNE - Did not enter, + - arrived during season, (P) - Play-off winners, (S) - Play-off semis, (Q) - Play-off 1/4s |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Goals

Get the Partick Thistle job

Break the Old Firm dominance Fergie style

Manage Partick Thistle to European Glory

Get the Scotland job

Manage Scotland to World Cup Glory

Reach the top of the hall of fame

Win the World Club Cup with a team from outside of South America or Europe

Win the MLS Cup

Have any success with an Oceanic side outside of New Zealand

Manage at an international tournament held in Scotland

Win a trophy at Hampden

Win an international trophy with a "sleeping giant" - India, China, USA etc

Achievements

Europe

Metropolitan Man - 100 pts - Win the ECL with a side based in one of the cities in the Metropolitan man challenge

The Village - 500 pts - Win the ECL with a side based somewhere with a population of less then 10,000

Known in all the Boroughs - 300 pts - Win the ECL with a side based somewhere with a population of less then 100,000

Where did that come from? - 250 pts - Win the ECL with a side that has never previously qualified

Best Newcomer - 350 pts - Win the ECL at the first time of asking

Braveheart - 300 pts - Win the ECL with a Scottish side

Africa

Remember the Titans - 250 pts - Win the African Nations Cup with a nation outwith the big names

Africa Calling - 300 pts - Win the African Champions League with a team born on the continent

Asia

Waltzing Matilda - 100 pts - Win the ACL with an Australian Team

Struth Sheila! - 500 pts - Win the ACL with an all Australian team

Ooh! Ah! Korea! - 200 pts - Win the ACL with an all South Korean team

Keeping it In-House - 150 pts - Win the ACL with only players who are Asian Nationals

Party Poopers - 400 pts - Win the Asian Nations Cup with Australia

Middle Eastern Promise - 300 pts - Win the Asian Nations Cup with any qualifying team from the Middle East

Oceania

Spirit of 2012 - 500 pts - Win the OFC Nations Cup with anyone other than New Zealand

Lucky there's no Australia - 100 pts - Win the OFC Nations Cup with New Zealand

South America

They Won't be Back - 400 pts - Win the Copa America as one of the invited guest sides

Maiden Copa - 300 pts - Win the Libertadores with a side who never has before

The Real America - 300 pts - Win the Libertadores with an exclusively South American team

Messi and Neymar? Who? - 250 pts - Win the Copa America with a side that isn't Brazil or Argentina

North America

Home of the Brave - 200 pts - Win the NACL with an American MLS side

Team America - 400 pts - Win the NACL with an American side and the Gold Cup with USA

Land of the Brave - 250 pts - Win the NACL with a Canadian MLS side

Oh, Canada - 250 pts - Win the Gold Cup with Canada

**** hockey, guy - 600 pts - Win the NACL with a Canadian side and the Gold Cup with Canada

Land of Opportunity - 500 pts - Win the NACL with an all-American side with no foreigners

Cana-dare you - 1000 pts - Win the NACL with a Canadian-only side with no foreigners

Sombreros at Dawn - 100 pts - Win the NACL with a Mexican side

Easy Way Out - 150 pts - Win the NACL with a Mexican side and the Gold Cup with Mexico

World

Kurt Russel's Miracle - 1500 pts - Hold the four International Tournaments USA are eligible for at the same time (World Cup, Confed. Cup, Gold Cup, Copa America)

European Flair - 750 pts - Hold the three International Tournaments any European team are eligible for at the same time (World Cup, Confed. Cup, Euro Championships)

Doctor Who? - 500 pts - Win the World Cup with the original Champions Uruguay

National Hero - 500 pts - Win the World Cup with your home country

National Treasure - 600 pts - Win a continental and world double with your home country

Continental Legend - 500 pts - Hold both the national and continental championships at the same time

World Legend - 750 pts - Hold the world, national and continental championships at the same time

Assorted

Kilimanjaro - 1500 pts - Take a side from the bottom playable division in any African league to continental glory

Everest - 1500 pts - Take a side from the bottom playable division in any Asian league to continental glory

Elbrus - 1500 pts - Take a side from the bottom playable division in any European league to continental glory

McKinley - 1500 pts - Take a side from the bottom of the MLS to continental glory

Anconcagua - 1500 pts - Take a side from the bottom playable division in any South American league to continental glory

The Population Argument - 1500 pts - Win an international competition with a country with a population of below 5 million

Army Games - 1000 pts - Win an international competition with one or both of the World's most populated countries - China and/or India

A Wanted Man - 500 pts - Complete the challenge having never been sacked from any job

Clubs are too Easy - 1500 pts - Win the FIFA World Club Championship once on each continent

International Playboy - 2500 pts - Win all 7 international competitions by 2026

A Long Retirement - 2500 pts - Win all 13 competitions by 2030

Xenophobia - 5000 pts - Win all 6 club competitions without having ever signed a foreign player

[Champfan10]

Best of luck, I am (very) tempted to try your challenge.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

July 2013

So another career begins in the usual way - unemployment, general uncertainty and a round the world trip planned.

Above is my current set-up. I've got a pretty powerful laptop, but I don't want to add too many leagues at this stage and bog things down. Europe remains unloaded, as well as South America. I've loaded Scotland to see how my team Partick Thistle do over the years, and I always load the MLS due to it having problems back in FM12 with being added. The rest of the leagues are pretty self-explanatory - all Asian nations that can qualify for the Champions League are loaded, as well as South Africa. I'll aim to start in either of those continents, but we'll see what comes up.

The manager I've already talked about, but here's his vital statistics. I applied for every job going, but not many caught my eye until the following...

And so it proved - off I want to China

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Henan Jianye - 2013 Season

So I found myself in China, more specifically in Zhengzou, and even more specifically in Henan. I've found getting a job more difficult in this version, especially with the job interviews. Henan were the first offer that piqued my interest, but they're not the sort of club I usually go for. They're currently in the second tier of Chinese football, and in terms of the Champions League, they are miles off. But, you'll see what really attracted me soon.

Not much history to speak of, but the squad is not too bad. Certainly enough to polish off the season, which has twelve games left to go. And talking of the league...

Results-wise, we are absolutely on fire. Unbeaten, and only eight points dropped in the eighteen games so far. Fantastic form, and means that barring a spectacular collapse, we'll be Champions and promoted to the Super League next year.

[ProddingAHoneyBadger]

Wow, Henan looking very strong, best of luck (not that you need it) could look to strengthen the midfield, on my save Henan got promoted first season and finished 8th in the Super League this season.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Henan Jianye - 2013 Season

So we started my career in China very positively. The team looked very good, and managed to adapt to my ideas of playing pretty well. Three heavy wins, and three creditable draws kept us unbeaten. With seven games to go, we knew that a few more wins would hand us the title, and then we could think about closing out an unbeaten season. We also have the second leg of the Chinese Cup semi-final to look forward to after a very good 1-1 draw in the first leg.

How short-sighted.

Let's all have a "First Drop in Form" Party!

We didn't just get beaten, we got absolutely thumped on several occasions. Twenty-seven goals conceded in seven games. If you looked at these results in isolation, you'd probably think we were relegation candidates rather than title winning ones. I would have accepted being dumped out of the cup usually, but around these results, it just made things worse.

So remember that thirteen point gap we had when I took over? The one that grew in my first few games in charge? It was now down to nothing. Literally. We were level on points with Yongchang going into the final two games, and we're in terrible form. Two wins would most likely give us the title, unless Yongchang can manage two ridiculously high wins.

That is how you do that.

That 4-0 win is probably the biggest relief I'll have in this save. A fantastic performance, and only our second clean sheet during my reign. What a time to manage it! We followed that up with a 7-2 win, which was surely enough, wasn't it?

Phew.

It was absolutely touch and go right up until the last game. We were level on points, just ahead on goal difference going into that one, but our fantastic 7-2 win was enough to edge us over the line after Yongchang lost their crunch game. Before that last game, we knew that we would be promoted no matter what thanks to two going up, but after being so far ahead when I joined the club, it would have been an absolute travesty if we didn't end as champions.

But we did it - now we can plan for next year.

Best Eleven

[forameuss]

Congratulations on winning the title You surely must have said or done something right after all those horrifying defeats, because in those last two games, it was at the opposite end of the scale! Onwards and upwards now

We just had massive problems with holding onto leads. We would go 2-0 up and be cruising, then lose four goals in quick succession. Frustratingly bad really, and most of the goals don't look like anything we could really stop, just lapses and shots just too good to be saved.

[pearcey_90]

Picture looks like someone that should be in jail

Top 1st season. Fans certainly got their monies worth with the amount of goals

[soccer.joel]

Good luck this time around

[chickenbroncitis]

Maryhill Mujahidin all the way. Mon the Jags.

[SRL88]

Your manager looks like Cleon .

[deltablue]

Congrats on almost throwing it away

[forameuss]

Maryhill Mujahidin all the way. Mon the Jags.

Maryhill is wonderful after all.

Congrats on almost throwing it away

Cheers! I love snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...

[AK22]

What a mixed bag of results!

The hard work starts now, though. Good luck!

[GazTheDoood]

Great start mate. Huge drop in form though, doesn't matter in the long run of course.

[forameuss]

What a mixed bag of results!

The hard work starts now, though. Good luck!

Indeed it does. The Super League will be a massive step up, but I'm enjoying getting my teeth into the managing of the team, especially with the new tactics. I think I end up enjoying playing in saves where things go to the wire - makes for a better story in my opinion.

Great start mate. Huge drop in form though, doesn't matter in the long run of course.

It doesn't really matter, but doesn't bode too well. Defensively we are absolutely dreadful at times, and that's in the second tier. We need to tighten up, otherwise we'll get blown away by the bigger teams. The Champions League is far, far away at this stage.

[forameuss]

I'm guessing you have transfer targets in mind to sort out that defence?

That shows weakness! I'll be lashing the defenders instead to learn them some discipline. It's cheaper.

[chickenbroncitis]

Just tell the strikers and midfielders to score more goals.

[forameuss]

Just tell the strikers and midfielders to score more goals.

The Kevin Keegan method. Standard.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Henan Jianye - 2014 Season

So a mid-table finish then? Aye, no bother. We'll really struggle to manage this, I've got to be honest, but it's the lowest the board would offer. Time will tell.

But on to the transfers

And also the finances...not looking too bad to be honest after a successful season last time out.

It's going to be a struggle though, no doubt about it.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Henan Jianye - 2014 Season

So yeah, the Premier League is not being good to us. We're hanging on in there, really are, but three draws in seven games is not mid table form. If we don't start winning soon, it'll be either the sack, or an end of seaeson relegation closely followed by a resignation.

Rock bottom.

Early days yet, but it's not a good start at all.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Henan Jianye - 2014 Season

As April drew to a close, Henan's season picked up massively. That 2-1 win at Changchun was massive, and totally deserved, despite looking like we would throw away another two points. We managed to squeeze past in the end, to get our first three points. Then, like buses, we added a second win with a romping 4-1 victory against Fuli.

But those that read my other career will know of my notoriously itchy feet. Jobs were flying around all over the place, and I started to think that it would take too long to get the Champions League with Henan. Rightly or wrongly, there were developments...

I blanked the media, but they sensed something was up...

I was never really going to avoid Australia, was I? And it also means I'll get to manage the greatest striker ever to have lived.

Emile. William. Ivanhoe. Heskey.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season

So my new club is Newcastle United Jets of New South Wales, Australia. As you can see, we don't have too much history, but then one title win in only thirteen years of existence isn't too bad. We have decent enough training facilities, but the youth facilities are disappointing. Realistically though, youth will (hopefully) only become an issue come the European leg, which will be the longest. I can live with short-termism until then.

I'm very happy with the squad. Probably the happiest I've been in a new club situation. The star of the show is good old Heskey, and he'll be key to my team if he can stay fit. James Brown and Ben Kantarovski are going to be key too back in midfield.

As some of you may know, Australia has an almost interminable off season, taking up almost six months. I join not too far into that, so it'll be a while before my first game. I also don't have much of a transfer budget, but there aren't many changes I want to make to be honest.

On with the season!

[ProddingAHoneyBadger]

Best of luck in Australia, lets see how many Heskey can get

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season

What looks like a bumper update isn't so much one, given that all but four of the above results were friendlies. I wanted to get a lot of matches under my belt before the season started so that the squad would be in the best possible state. Maybe I overplayed, but that will only become apparent once it's too late.

Once we actually got started in the season, we were brought back down to earth with a bump, picking up only four points in four games. Our two defeats were narrow though, so I'm not too worried. It's not like we're getting pumped each week like we were at times with Henan.

Good old Ivanhoe got his first goal under my tutelage though - and I want to take a few moments to speak about the much derided Heskey. He has been just what I wanted. The new FM14 ME is making him a joy to play with - if you float the ball into the box with him as an attacking target man, he will score. Unfortunately, his fitness is proving an issue - I had to tell him to rest after that first game, which I'm hoping is not going to be a theme this season.

Aw screw it, I can't stay mad at this guy and his cheeky wee face...

We need to finish top six to reach the finals series, but it's very much early days at the moment.

[forameuss]

Best of luck in Australia, lets see how many Heskey can get

Emile Heskey's rating is laughable

I'll make you all eat your words, just you wait

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season

As the transfer window shut, I forgot to outline the few transfers I brought in.

I don't think any of the players I've brought in will set the world on fire, but they're the best I could get on my budget and considering the squad rules. They'll do a job, and provide a good bit of depth.

There were another four games in November, and our form was mixed again. We had to wait until the end of the month for a win, but once again Heskey came to the rescue after his rest, netting the second in a 3-0 win.

Again though, the matches were all achingly narrow - we just need to score those half chances and we can convert those draws into wins.

A bit of a climb, but it's a short season in Australia - we need to pick up.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season

It's great to have a bank-rolling chairman, but he won't do it forever. Our financial state can be best described as "unstable".

Results could also be described as unstable, as we had a third month running of flattering to deceive.

However, I think it's time for me to put this up...

When we score, Heskey scores. He is playing exactly the role I need - the direct battering ram at the head of our team.

7th still. Looks like we might have to either sneak into the finals series, or miss out altogether.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season

A bumper update this time, as I forgot to take monthly screens. We're just about at the half-way point, and there's three months of the season left to go.

The second half of the season as undoubtedly better than the first as we embarked on a bit of an unbeaten run. We only lost twice in the remaining fourteen matches, but there were too many draws, that's for sure. Again, we just need to convert one chance in those games, and we'll be getting two more points. They'll soon add up, and probably be the difference between a good season and a great one.

Anyway...

I said in the previous post that we might have to sneak into the finals series, and so it has proved. We made it by one single point in the end after a stuttering finish. But I do have hope for the play-off style end of season series. One off games can throw up some strange results, so we certainly stand a chance.

[forameuss]

There must be some secret you know of that no other manager has ever been able to figure out when it comes to Heskey

In all honesty it's the standard of the league. His stats (as you'll see in a later post) are not great. He still has his strength - but that's like saying that trees still have trunks - but the rest of his stats are declining rapidly. He's 37 after all. It might be the system, but the standard of what he's coming up against has to be a big factor. I'm certainly loving having him on my side.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season - Finals Series

We were drawn against Melbourne Heart in the semi-finals, a side who had beaten us 4-2 just a few weeks earlier. Heskey missed that game though, so you know what's going to happen...

Or not. Absolutely gutting result to be honest. It was a ding-dong battle right up until stoppage time, when I made the mistake of trying to consolidate and play for penalties. They scored with pretty much the last kick of the game, leaving us absolutely no time to get an equaliser. To make matters worse, we played the last twenty or so minutes without our best player. Emile Ivanhoe Heskey carried off with a busted trunk. As you'll see in the next update, that could be his final game for the club...

Sydney ended up winning the title after extra time against Central Coast Mariners.

Which could end up being very important.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season - Finals Series

It's been a crazy ride, but after the season ended, I was hit with some terrible news.

Apparently someone - it wasn't me - transfer listed the legend. He's annoyed, and even after taking him off and telling him he was indispensable, he doesn't want to know. He'll be leaving the club come the end of his contract, and that's not good news.

But then, just a day before their crunch Finals Series match with Central Coast Mariners, the Sydney boss left the club of his own accord. A shock move (and no doubt a bug) but after the disappointment of losing my man crush, I threw my hat into the ring. I expected the usual fire and brimstone response from my own board, but it wasn't forthcoming.

All going swimmingly, and even though I kept quiet in the media, I was quietly confident that I could get the job. But then reality kicked in.

Ouch. Harsh, but I suppose it's fair. Sydney just won the league, and I'd only managed 5th with the Jets.

Heartening to hear after just one season, and good news since it looks like the Sydney job is a no go...

Haud' on...

Hold on just one minute...that's a job offer, from the top team in Australia currently. A team that - and I know I sound like I've cast Heskey aside so soon - boasts this guy in their ranks

It's a tough decision.

[Jason the Yank]

ADP is no Heskey, that's for sure.

[Mattias333]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Newcastle United Jets - 2014/15 Season - Finals Series

It's been a crazy ride, but after the season ended, I was hit with some terrible news.

Apparently someone - it wasn't me - transfer listed the legend. He's annoyed, and even after taking him off and telling him he was indispensable, he doesn't want to know. He'll be leaving the club come the end of his contract, and that's not good news.

But then, just a day before their crunch Finals Series match with Central Coast Mariners, the Sydney boss left the club of his own accord. A shock move (and no doubt a bug) but after the disappointment of losing my man crush, I threw my hat into the ring. I expected the usual fire and brimstone response from my own board, but it wasn't forthcoming.

All going swimmingly, and even though I kept quiet in the media, I was quietly confident that I could get the job. But then reality kicked in.

Ouch. Harsh, but I suppose it's fair. Sydney just won the league, and I'd only managed 5th with the Jets.

Heartening to hear after just one season, and good news since it looks like the Sydney job is a no go...

Haud' on...

Hold on just one minute...that's a job offer, from the top team in Australia currently. A team that - and I know I sound like I've cast Heskey aside so soon - boasts this guy in their ranks

It's a tough decision.

Im utterly gutted to see these images.

Was hoping and pray the FM gods would have sorted and updated the horrid process of applying for other jobs.

Drives me round the twist. Ok fair enough if you do bad or finish mid table and apply for a team of similar stature you deserve the old "resign or apologise" rubbish. But a lot of the time you'll achieve genuine success with a small club and then get made to feel bad for even thinking of applying for a bigger club? Seems over the top. Always felt it would work better if say you applied, then the other side had to request permission to speak to you regarding an interview. Thats how it works in real life after all. Glad theyve added the interview feature but surely it wouldnt be hard to input the realism side of things. Sparks all new things that could happen like real life....for example your Swansea manager and Liverpool request permission to speak to you and Swansea your club reject. You could take matters into your own hands and resign in anger meaning no compo for Swansea etc....or you could release a media story to force the issue or talk to the board about the situation etc.

Then the other side of my frustrations....a club laughing off your application only to then offer you the job. Forget how often this happened to me on FM13!

Either in regards to your superb career thread ill be following with interest. Keep thinking about giving the A-League a pop. How is Alessandro DP's stats? Surely they've declined worse that Big Emile's?

[forameuss]

Im utterly gutted to see these images.

Was hoping and pray the FM gods would have sorted and updated the horrid process of applying for other jobs.

Drives me round the twist. Ok fair enough if you do bad or finish mid table and apply for a team of similar stature you deserve the old "resign or apologise" rubbish. But a lot of the time you'll achieve genuine success with a small club and then get made to feel bad for even thinking of applying for a bigger club? Seems over the top. Always felt it would work better if say you applied, then the other side had to request permission to speak to you regarding an interview. Thats how it works in real life after all. Glad theyve added the interview feature but surely it wouldnt be hard to input the realism side of things. Sparks all new things that could happen like real life....for example your Swansea manager and Liverpool request permission to speak to you and Swansea your club reject. You could take matters into your own hands and resign in anger meaning no compo for Swansea etc....or you could release a media story to force the issue or talk to the board about the situation etc.

Then the other side of my frustrations....a club laughing off your application only to then offer you the job. Forget how often this happened to me on FM13!

Either in regards to your superb career thread ill be following with interest. Keep thinking about giving the A-League a pop. How is Alessandro DP's stats? Surely they've declined worse that Big Emile's?

It is a bit binary, I have to admit. You either get the fire and brimstone, or the "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed" speech. They could definitely add some colour around this and mean that looking at other jobs doesn't automatically mean the end of your career at another club. I get that the fans might be mad, but it shouldn't be such a binary choice.

The laughing off part is a bit questionable though, and it's something that's been there a while. May end up raising it as a bug, see what they say.

ADP...well it depends where look. I'll post up his stats later on, but mentally he's pretty good. Technically he's amazing, and up there with the best. Physically...well, he's 40, so you can probably guess how bad he is physically.

[berrers]

Good read so far keep up the good work:thup:

[forameuss]

Good read so far keep up the good work:thup:

Cheers berrers!

I'll be hopefully updating tonight with my first foray into life at Sydney, and my first foray into a new version of FM after the update today. Exciting times.

[pearcey_90]

Is Del Piero still there? If so going to build the team around him?

[Mattias333]

It is a bit binary, I have to admit. You either get the fire and brimstone, or the "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed" speech. They could definitely add some colour around this and mean that looking at other jobs doesn't automatically mean the end of your career at another club. I get that the fans might be mad, but it shouldn't be such a binary choice.

The laughing off part is a bit questionable though, and it's something that's been there a while. May end up raising it as a bug, see what they say.

ADP...well it depends where look. I'll post up his stats later on, but mentally he's pretty good. Technically he's amazing, and up there with the best. Physically...well, he's 40, so you can probably guess how bad he is physically.

lol Love it! Can remember ADP declining rapidly on FM13, even in the first year. Ive never managed in the A-League though so maybe like you said the standard is low defensively so he can still be a god, like Emile lol!

Glad someone agrees on the applying for other jobs issue. Does wind me up. Nothing dramatic required just feel theres potential there, especially for the modern day journey man manager. Should be so 1 or the other. So many issues arrise now when managers get sacked and potential replacements are discussed and people apply etc.

Keep up the good work chap!

[forameuss]

lol Love it! Can remember ADP declining rapidly on FM13, even in the first year. Ive never managed in the A-League though so maybe like you said the standard is low defensively so he can still be a god, like Emile lol!

Glad someone agrees on the applying for other jobs issue. Does wind me up. Nothing dramatic required just feel theres potential there, especially for the modern day journey man manager. Should be so 1 or the other. So many issues arrise now when managers get sacked and potential replacements are discussed and people apply etc.

Keep up the good work chap!

Cheers!

Is Del Piero still there? If so going to build the team around him?

Well, about that. I may not get a chance to update tonight fully, so will bring you all the terrible news that greeted me in my first few days.

When I joined, there were pretty much no staff. Most importantly, no assistant manager or Director of Football, meaning I needed to do all the boring admin stuff like renewing contracts myself. With only a couple of weeks until this years players expired, including one Alessandro Del Piero, I got about renewing. All accepted, except one. I'll give you one guess who.

Turns out the now 40 year old Italian wanted to retire. "Nonsense," I said, "This is Australia, you barely even need to move and you're already the best player here". He wasn't too convinced, but after asking him to reconsider (nice feature by the way) he said he'd think about it. Fast forward to his contract expiring, and the bad news was dropped. He had thought about it, but ultimately stuck by his decision to hang up his boots. Gutted.

So it's bye bye from him...

But hello to this guy, my new marquee player, Florent Malouda...

I'm not exactly ******* myself with excitement here...

[Mattias333]

lol! lovely twist! Surely Florent can still do a turn down under though good luck chap!

[forameuss]

lol! lovely twist! Surely Florent can still do a turn down under though good luck chap!

He's judged by the scouts to be comfortably the best player in the squad, but I was quite enjoying having these ageing beasts in my team. Malouda is a very good player, but he's no ADP. He's certainly no Heskey.

Still, I've still got the MLS to come, hopefully there's more scope for ridiculous signings there.

[pearcey_90]

How you going to deploy Malouda as doubt he has the pace anymore to be a rampaging winger? Maybe move him more inside?

[forameuss]

How you going to deploy Malouda as doubt he has the pace anymore to be a rampaging winger? Maybe move him more inside?

He can play in quite a few positions, but he's still a natural AML. His physical stats aren't the greatest, but they haven't degraded to the point he'll be useless. I'll try and play him as an inside forward and encourage him inside. He's not going to be getting to the byline, that's for sure. Early crossing (he has a 15 for crossing) may be the order of the day.

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Sydney FC

I know I've already made my decision, but before I confirm it, I'm going to introduce a new feature that I'm going to make use of in this save. I know there's an overall best eleven for each club you manage, but as far as I know, there isn't a career best eleven for each manager. So I'm going to make one.

At the moment, I'm not going to make a whole team, as let's face it, I couldn't pick 11 players that deserved it at this stage. I also can't actually remember any Henan players, so I'm going to induct a few Newcastle United Jets players into the team now, and each season more players will be added.

Inductees

Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey

What can I say about the man mountain that is our Emile? When I joined the club, I thought he'd be pretty average, but he turned into, in all seriousness, the best player I had. His second best ever goal-scoring season, and his most successful in terms of goals per game (0.5). I know it's a weaker league, and I know he's still Heskey, but him leaving the club pretty much made me leave too - that's how important he was.

Welcome Mr. Heskey.

James Brown

The soulfully-named midfielder has been a fantastic little player for us, and looking at his stats, he's probably better than this level. He could have probably done better in terms of average rating, but when he was fit, he was one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Ben Kantarovski

If Brown was one of the first, and Heskey was the first, then Kantarovski fell somewhere in between. A natural Regista, which is exciting as one of the new roles, played almost every game without fail, and was fantastic in that role. I pretty much always try to play with a DM in whatever formation I use, and they're a critical part of how I play. Well deserved place in this team.

The Team

GK

DL

DC

DC

DR

DM - Ben Kantarovski (history)

MC - James Brown (history)

MC

AML

AMR

SC - Emile Heskey (history)

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| [b]GK[/b] |
| VACANT |
| |
| |
| |
| [b]DL[/b] [b]DC[/b] [b]DC[/b] [b]DR[/b] |
| VACANT VACANT VACANT VACANT |
| |
| |
| |
| [b]DM[/b] |
| [b]Ben Kantarovski[/b] |
| [url="http://i.imgur.com/Oc6RFav.png"]Stats[/url] | [url="http://i.imgur.com/5stumld.png"]History[/url] |
| |
| |
| [b]MC[/b] [b]MC[/b] |
| [b]James Brown[/b] VACANT |
| [url="http://i.imgur.com/eBcyWso.png"]Stats[/url] | [url="http://i.imgur.com/IrzMbtQ.png"]History[/url] |
| |
| |
| [b]AL[/b] [b]AR[/b] |
| VACANT VACANT |
| |
| |
| |
| [b]SC[/b] |
| [b]Emile Heskey[/b] |
| [url="http://i.imgur.com/JgQnQ68.png"]Stats[/url] | [url="http://i.imgur.com/UniQf7i.png"]History[/url] |
| |
| |
| |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

[forameuss]

This isn't a career...this is a dynasty

a forameuss career

Sydney FC

Confirmation of me joining Sydney FC. This is a huge club compared to Newcastle, and with their history, and indeed their current form, we can definitely aim for success right away.

Poor youth facilities again, but the rest looks good.

This is not so good. Only three other members of staff if you don't count me, and the multitude of directors. First thing will be to bring in an assistant manager, then we'll look to fill the rest of the gaps.

Financially, we're not in the best of shape. We're projected to lose millions, but looking at the graph, I think we should be getting sponsorship and TV money in soon, so it may not be representative. Still, it's not the situation I thought I'd be in at one of the top clubs in the country.

Fairly comfortable with the team at this stage following some players leaving at the end of their contracts. I'll need to strengthen in some spots though, but in Australia that's difficult. Florent Malouda will come in, which will help.

Of course, I already told you about Alesandro Del Piero, but here's confirmation of the terrible news.

He'll be a big miss for us, but hopefully Malouda lessens the impact somewhat.

We're currently in the off-season, so we've got a little while to go until our first game. We'll also start our Champions League campaign, but not until next February. Exciting times.

[deltablue]

I know it's a weaker league, and I know he's still Heskey, but him leaving the club pretty much made me leave too - that's how important he was.

You poor thing