Job Market Completely Broken

[jack1712]

The sackings seem completely unreasonable too though. After successive promotions (neither of which were expected of me), why did Dover sack me when I got relegated?

After I got sacked at Dover, Titus Bramble (lol) took over and got relegated back down to Skrill South and didn't lose his job, which I assume is reputation based?

I understand why I'm not getting offers from football league teams, and I'm not expecting to. But to be laughed away from the Wrexham job seems a bit strange. I have never been relegated from the Skrill Premier and have been promoted from it once. Why would Skrill Premier clubs be so reluctant to employ me?

I can't even get a job at a half decent Skrill N/S club. I have to join clubs who are usually in the relegation zone.

[kris0710]

The sackings seem completely unreasonable too though. After successive promotions (neither of which were expected of me), why did Dover sack me when I got relegated?

After I got sacked at Dover, Titus Bramble (lol) took over and got relegated back down to Skrill South and didn't lose his job, which I assume is reputation based?

I understand why I'm not getting offers from football league teams, and I'm not expecting to. But to be laughed away from the Wrexham job seems a bit strange. I have never been relegated from the Skrill Premier and have been promoted from it once. Why would Skrill Premier clubs be so reluctant to employ me?

I can't even get a job at a half decent Skrill N/S club. I have to join clubs who are usually in the relegation zone.

Getting sacked following relegation is hardly unreasonable. Yes you massively over achieved for two seasons but then ultimately failed. As in RL, promotion success tends to get forgotten pretty quickly by chairmen. With Bramble his better rep is likely a main part of him keeping his job. Can the club even afford to sack him?

I would say with your record the best shot of a Skrill Premier job would be a club struggling around Christmas. You will mainly get offers from clubs struggling in N/S as that is when managers leave. Won't get a job mid season for a side in the top 8 normally.

[Cougar2010]

With Bramble his better rep is likely a main part of him keeping his job. Can the club even afford to sack him?

Bramble probably wouldn't be judged on that season as he took over part way through.

[kris0710]

Bramble probably wouldn't be judged on that season as he took over part way through.

Did he? Jack said he got sacked after relegation and bramble took over so assumed that was at the end of the FL season. :confused:

[jack1712]

Won't get a job mid season for a side in the top 8 normally.

The Eastleigh job was going, and they were in the top 6 at the time, but all the good jobs seem to be going to ex-pros who were never even very good players and have done nothing as a manager. Surely my credentials and results in the league previously put me before Kevin Davies who has never even been a coach before

I think the only reason I get the jobs I do get is because there is nothing lower the game can give me. I know I can't expect it to be easy, but it should be a bit more possible to progress through the leagues.

[Cougar2010]

Did he? Jack said he got sacked after relegation and bramble took over so assumed that was at the end of the FL season. :confused:

So he did, sorry my mistake :o

[jack1712]

Did he? Jack said he got sacked after relegation and bramble took over so assumed that was at the end of the FL season. :confused:

Correct. I got sacked as soon as relegation was confirmed a few weeks before the end of the season

[jack1712]

Football history is littered with managers who have paid the price for overachieving & then failing to keep the momentum going.

As things stand you're just an average non-league manager with an up & down history, the main thing is that clubs are still willing to give you a go so you still have every chance of making it to the Football League to build up your reputation in the professional leagues.

Does that mean that its possible to get to a point where nobody will employ you?

[kris0710]

The Eastleigh job was going, and they were in the top 6 at the time, but all the good jobs seem to be going to ex-pros who were never even very good players and have done nothing as a manager. Surely my credentials and results in the league previously put me before Kevin Davies who has never even been a coach before

I think the only reason I get the jobs I do get is because there is nothing lower the game can give me. I know I can't expect it to be easy, but it should be a bit more possible to progress through the leagues.

Thats the problem though, for each success you then hit some kind of failure. Best bet would be to take the next terrible job, get promoted as we know you will then work hard to build a solid Skrill Premier side. From then the offers will come. You need a good couple of seasons, no drama! The reputation of Kevin Davies is likely to win the race against you, a big name ex pro running the shop is an easy sell to a chairman.

So he did, sorry my mistake :o

Yes, your mistake. I win.

[kris0710]

Does that mean that its possible to get to a point where nobody will employ you?

Almost! On a recent save i had to wait nearly two years to get job. In that time had just 2 interviews. Partly my fault as i was Sunday League Manager with only two countries loaded with lower leagues and the rest were major nations with only the top two leagues.

[jack1712]

Workington - Promoted after three years then threw the toys out of the pram when you couldn't control your budgets - Little progress made.

Little progress? Workington were rock bottom of Skrill North when I took over. I wouldn't call it throwing toys out the pram when the budget cant even sign one player good enough for the Skrill regional let alone Skrill Premier

[sosasoser]

The sackings seem completely unreasonable too though. After successive promotions (neither of which were expected of me), why did Dover sack me when I got relegated?

After I got sacked at Dover, Titus Bramble (lol) took over and got relegated back down to Skrill South and didn't lose his job, which I assume is reputation based?

Impossible to say without more details. What were your season expectations? Did you promise the board more than you should have to get a bigger budget? How far did you exceed expectations the previous season? Were you over budget and losing money for the club? Maybe you had a chairman who is just unreasonable?

I avoided the sack after getting 8 points in the Premier League all season and being relegated. However, the previous year we were expected be relegated from the Championship and got promoted. In the EPL I set expectations as low as I could. The team made tons of money that year and I stayed within budget. Even then, I went from untouchable board confidence at the beginning of the season to having to promise to get a certain number of points in the first 5 games of the next season. If I had promised the board to do better or exceeded my budget, I undoubtedly would have been sacked and rightfully so.

[jack1712]

Impossible to say without more details. What were your season expectations? Did you promise the board more than you should have to get a bigger budget? How far did you exceed expectations the previous season? Were you over budget and losing money for the club? Maybe you had a chairman who is just unreasonable?

I avoided the sack after getting 8 points in the Premier League all season and being relegated. However, the previous year we were expected be relegated from the Championship and got promoted. In the EPL I set expectations as low as I could. The team made tons of money that year and I stayed within budget. Even then, I went from untouchable board confidence at the beginning of the season to having to promise to get a certain number of points in the first 5 games of the next season. If I had promised the board to do better or exceeded my budget, I undoubtedly would have been sacked and rightfully so.

Media prediction was bottom, and I told the board I would try and stay up. Finances were fine as far as I remember

Worst example of this was (irrelevant, I know) was FM2010 when I got Dover from Conference South up to the Premier League after YEARS. Long story short, I got relegated in my first season with about 5 points then got sacked. Think that was partly caused by Javier Zanetti deciding to purchase the club and he didn't seem to like me

[Cougar2010]

Little progress? Workington were rock bottom of Skrill North when I took over. I wouldn't call it throwing toys out the pram when the budget cant even sign one player good enough for the Skrill regional let alone Skrill Premier

You were there for three seasons so you had three seasons to get the finances to a point where you were allowed a bigger budget.

Whilst its far from easy at that level you do have some control in terms of wages. At the very least you knew the position you were in when you got promoted.

[jack1712]

I expected the board to increase my wage budget to at least a realistic level. Got promoted with by far the lowest wage budget in the Skrill South but it barely increased when I got promoted. There were teams spending more money on one player each week than my entire weekly spend on wages

[sosasoser]

I expected the board to increase my wage budget to at least a realistic level. Got promoted with by far the lowest wage budget in the Skrill South but it barely increased when I got promoted. There were teams spending more money on one player each week than my entire weekly spend on wages

Did your team have the money to give you a much bigger budget? If the team isn't making the money, then it's not reasonable to expect them to give it to you. It's often not until December or even the next season that you see a substantial rise in budget after promotion because that's when the board knows they can afford it.

[jack1712]

I know they couldn't afford it and I wasn't prepared to hang around for a year knowing full well I had no realistic chance of staying up, hence the resignation. As predicted, Workington got relegated and are now back to yo-yoing between Skrill North and whatever is below it. I just thought that the fact I got up with such a low budget would more than make up for any reputation lost in resignation

[CloudYildiz]

And you think this is right?

Yes, finishing around 6th, not winning any domestic cups and no one outside of Portugal will notice you. You might expect Porto/Benfica/Sporting/Braga could take a chance with you, but they could also get a better foreign manager with better credentials instead of you.

The only way to change your fortune is to win the domestic cup (get lucky not drawing the top 4) or get succes in Europa (surviving the EL group stages or beat the giants in CL) which happened in my case before i got the Schalke job.

[Bluenosebear]

You can start a game unemployed in England with Sunday league reputation and be interviewed and offered the Swansea job you do the same in Italy and you'll still be unemployed 2 years later and you'll be lucky to get an interview. Feel free to try it for yourselves.

These bugs about getting jobs were flagged when the game was launched on these very forums, they clearly haven't been fixed so why not everyone get off the OP's back

[todo por ella]

To chuck in my penny's-worth, I think the OP just needs to be a little more patient rather than blaming the game. I speak from a similar frustrating place. Like the OP I took a team from 3rd to 1st division in three years, and for the last 2 have taken comfortable mid-table positions without threatening at the top whatsoever (in the Argentine league). Has this 'achievement' led to the world's biggest clubs breaking down my door? Of course not.

I feel personally my time at Arg mid-table club has come to an end and I have taken them as far as I can, so am looking more or less always for the next move. The only concrete offer was from Verona at the foot of the Serie B table. Got laughed off from a team relegated from Brazil's Serie A, and an unsuccessful interview with Ecuadorian mid-table team (mainly because I did not want to play direct football, against board's philosophy). But it is dead right that even in Brazil I should not get the time of day, only top Argentine coaches with a few titles are invited to the party.

When it comes, the next move will likely be an Argentine team a little better ranked than us, or a top-five/10 team in Uruguay, Chile, another S American league ranked below ours. But OP, this is correct. Our success so far was with one club, a fluke as it were - we have to continue climbing the ladder before any 'big' clubs come knocking.

[Lawlore]

Ok- it's something I'm sure I'll regret doing, but just for fun, let's try lining this up with the real world:

Who finished 6th in the Portuguese League last season?

I didn't know, so I looked it up. It was CS Maritimo.

Who was their manager?

I didn't know, so I looked it up. It was Pedro Martins, who had one international cap in his career, having played only for clubs in Portugal. I'll be honest, the name doesn't ring any bells to me, and he's got a one-sentence Wikipedia entry in the English version. But he's managed a few sides, including Espinho, and had been at Maritimo a few years.

He did move clubs at the end of last season- to another Portuguese Primeira Liga side, Rio Ave. As far as I can tell, nobody outside the country was interested in him- although, of course, he may not have been interested in leaving the country. It doesn't line up perfectly, but it's pretty close.

[Dagenham_Dave]

Ok- it's something I'm sure I'll regret doing, but just for fun, let's try lining this up with the real world:

Who finished 6th in the Portuguese League last season?

I didn't know, so I looked it up. It was CS Maritimo.

Who was their manager?

I didn't know, so I looked it up. It was Pedro Martins, who had one international cap in his career, having played only for clubs in Portugal. I'll be honest, the name doesn't ring any bells to me, and he's got a one-sentence Wikipedia entry in the English version. But he's managed a few sides, including Espinho, and had been at Maritimo a few years.

He did move clubs at the end of last season- to another Portuguese Primeira Liga side, Rio Ave. As far as I can tell, nobody outside the country was interested in him- although, of course, he may not have been interested in leaving the country. It doesn't line up perfectly, but it's pretty close.

Yes, but is Martins a 'master tactician' like GoldenBoot though? That's the real clincher.

[Golden Boot]

Yes, but is Martins a 'master tactician' like GoldenBoot though? That's the real clincher.

I only ever speak the truth Dave. I'm a brilliant FM player. No point pretending otherwise.

My OCD lends itself perfectly to this type of game. On the other hand, I'm not so good at fast moving games like Call of Duty. A need to explore every nook and crannie doesn't work well with those types of games.

[forameuss]

We need SKELETOR and Golden Boot to have some kind of rap/wizard/bun battle to see who is the undisputed Champion. I imagine it would look something like this

[CityAndColour]

He did move clubs at the end of last season- to another Portuguese Primeira Liga side, Rio Ave. As far as I can tell, nobody outside the country was interested in him- although, of course, he may not have been interested in leaving the country. It doesn't line up perfectly, but it's pretty close.

If he was English, and he'd finished 6th on the back of two promotions, I'd expect a few league clubs in England to know of him.

[Lawlore]

If he was English, and he'd finished 6th on the back of two promotions, I'd expect a few league clubs in England to know of him.

Which then brings us back to Stephen Constantine. Clubs know of him? Sure. Would they consider him for a job? Apparently not, despite his best efforts. Much better, in the club's eyes, to go with someone who actually has some kind of profile and track record in England, like Martin Allen, Paul Ince or Steve Evans. That's what happens, even if it's not fair and the wrong move.

[Golden Boot]

We need SKELETOR and Golden Boot to have some kind of rap/wizard/bun battle to see who is the undisputed Champion. I imagine it would look something like this

LOL good one.

[CityAndColour]

Which then brings us back to Stephen Constantine. Clubs know of him? Sure. Would they consider him for a job? Apparently not, despite his best efforts. Much better, in the club's eyes, to go with someone who actually has some kind of profile and track record in England, like Martin Allen, Paul Ince or Steve Evans. That's what happens, even if it's not fair and the wrong move.

I think the example used earlier in this thread (Stuart Baxter) is a better one, as he has actually managed club sides in semi-decent European leagues.

[milnerpoint]

Lets see how many people fall over themselves to hire Steve Keen after his recent exploits. Close to finishing the season with a treble, the first ever for the club he is managing.

[Lawlore]

I think the example used earlier in this thread (Stuart Baxter) is a better one, as he has actually managed club sides in semi-decent European leagues.

Fair enough- I'm just personally less familiar with Baxter's career and didn't know whether he'd actively tried to get club jobs in England.

[CityAndColour]

Lets see how many people fall over themselves to hire Steve Keen after his recent exploits. Close to finishing the season with a treble, the first ever for the club he is managing.

And already has a busted reputation in England too.

[Fletchdt]

I have just joined FC Utrecht in 2017 who are in the top league in Holland. I was originally with Rushall Olympic who i took from the Skrill North to the top of League 1 in consecutive seasons before i started offering for jobs. I was offered the Utrecht job after i applied. My reputation is National and i have Sunday league experience. So i was quite surprised when i was offered the job. Looking at the league reputations between the top league in Holland and the English league 1. There is only 1/2 a star difference.

What i did find interesting was that I also tried resigning from Rushall and was never offered an interview for most of the jobs including the Utrecht one. I got offered a lot more interviews for while i was still employed.

While i was in charge of Rushall i had quite a few job offers mainly from either clubs in the same division or 1 division higher, but normally near the bottom of their table. I never had one from abroad though.

[milnerpoint]

And already has a busted reputation in England too.

Did that reputation follow him to Thailand, or do you think they were relatively uninterested in what had happened to him previously at Blackburn?

[Dagenham_Dave]

I was originally with Rushall Olympic who i took from the Skrill North to the top of League 1 in consecutive seasons

I'm still amazed at how people manage this. It's the getting out the Skrill Premier in one season I find incredibly difficult due to being part time, and having had just one year's worth of youth intake and no money to strengthen the team.

[CityAndColour]

Did that reputation follow him to Thailand, or do you think they were relatively uninterested in what had happened to him previously at Blackburn?

I don't really understand the point you're making or how it correlates to the OP.

The fact that Kean even managed a high profile club (and had a good reputation as a coach) would have gotten him a job in most leagues of a similar standing to Singapore on name value alone.

[BoxToBox]

I'm still amazed at how people manage this. It's the getting out the Skrill Premier in one season I find incredibly difficult due to being part time, and having had just one year's worth of youth intake and no money to strengthen the team.

I find you're mostly facing 4-4-2 down that low, so getting a solid 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 means you usually have the advantage, pick up a strong targetman and a pair of fast wingbacks on non-contracts, if you have to, and you should smash all around.

[jack1712]

I'm still amazed at how people manage this. It's the getting out the Skrill Premier in one season I find incredibly difficult due to being part time, and having had just one year's worth of youth intake and no money to strengthen the team.

There isnt a huge difference between the top half Conference N/S and most of the Conference Prem, even in real life. League 2 shouldnt be winnable 2yrs after being in Conference N/S though, if only for financial and facility reasons

[Dagenham_Dave]

The thing with the Skrill Premier though is there's only one automatic promotion place. It's an absolute bitch to get out of if you're a part time team.

[Fletchdt]

I'm still amazed at how people manage this. It's the getting out the Skrill Premier in one season I find incredibly difficult due to being part time, and having had just one year's worth of youth intake and no money to strengthen the team.

In another save i have just won the Blue Square Prem with Cambridge by a clear 15-20 points if i remember right. I am currently sitting top of League 2 coming into the Xmas period as well. As BoxtoBox said most teams play 4-4-2. My preferred formation is 4-5-1 so we tend to over run teams through the middle. Also i always spend hours searching for free transfers etc. So most of the time my team ends up being one of the largest in the league. Which i think is important as the games come thick and fast in BS Prem.

[BoxToBox]

Aye, forgot that, there are some brutal runs in those leagues, if you can scrape a big/bigish squad, you'll win quite a few just by having starting 11's a 94%+ condition.

[Fletchdt]

Aye, forgot that, there are some brutal runs in those leagues, if you can scrape a big/bigish squad, you'll win quite a few just by having starting 11's a 94%+ condition.

Agree totally. So many times you look at the AI team on matchday and see a lot of their players at 90% and below condition.

[rancer890]

My career:

July 2013-May 2018: Kitchee Sports Club (HK)

May 2018-November 2025: Shanghai Shenhua (China)

November 2025-March 2027: Portland Timbers (MLS)

March 2027-Present: Ajax

If I could somehow make the jump from MLS to Ajax, I think the game is fine.

FWIW I did have a very successful career in Asia: five league titles each with Kitchee and Shenhua, 1 AFC Cup, and 2 AFC Champions League. I also managed to finish 3rd in the Club World Cup, beating a Liberatodores winner in one of them. 1st in the Chinese HOF, and 2nd in the Asian HOF. I have a 70% winning percentage. So OP, if I had to win 10 league titles, and 3 Asian trophies to join a then underachieving Ajax team who didn't win a single trophy in the save, you probably need to win something - and win it alot. Or win league trophies with a big club in a lower rep league.

[Dagenham_Dave]

So most of the time my team ends up being one of the largest in the league. Which i think is important as the games come thick and fast in BS Prem.

The teams I manage have supports around the 5-600 mark. Having a huge squad means financial meltdown, unless it's full of loans (limited per season) or non-contract players (useless for Skrill Premier level).

The only way is to somehow turn professional, but it never happens for me when I get to that level.

[robwesty85]

My opinion for what its worth. Right you have stated you have a National rep, so that basically means by breaking down the wording you are reputable in that nation. Correct? Also you started with the lowest rep possible. So basically your manager was a Conference level player at best. So imagine now IRL I dont know say James Constable who has played at higher levels but really is a Conference player took over a job in Serie C and got a club up into Serie A and was starting to mix it with the big boys do you think there would be a handful of Chairman any higher than League 1 that would say "We gotta get Constable back over here and working his magic!". I doubt it. Also as far as I can tell you dont say how many seasons you have been in the top flight and what your best top flight finish is. If you want answers to the problem upload the save as has been asked plenty of times and provide some screenies for us to see what you are actually doing. There might be an element of BS here maybe you have yo-yo'd between divisions since reaching the top flight. Ill say it again the biggest problem IMO for you is you started with the lowest rep and that is like a Skrill Premier player wanting a top job because he has had success in a smaller nation. Look what Mourinho had to do to get out of Portugal. No one snapped him up from Uniao to go to Chelsea he had to work his way through to a top job in that country first, which I will admit if you are pushing the big boys consistently for a couple of season or winning the national cup then you should be in with a shout of a Porto or Benfica.

[jack1712]

The teams I manage have supports around the 5-600 mark. Having a huge squad means financial meltdown, unless it's full of loans (limited per season) or non-contract players (useless for Skrill Premier level).

The only way is to somehow turn professional, but it never happens for me when I get to that level.

Clubs wont go pro until they can afford to do so and are properly established in the Conference, which usually takes a few years.

it does make the league more difficult but going pro then getting relegated would be disastrous

[Menion]

You've reached the point where I would expect a lower end English Premier League side to be willing to give you a chance.

That's exactly what I expect as it is consistent with real life. Not many clubs take a punt on a manager from a smaller league.

[ommerson]

Good discussion this. It has frustrated me a lot in the past that even when I do well in a certain (mostly lower) league, the job offers are totally absent.

Okay, I always start off wit sunday league rep, dutch nationality, so when I'm a title challenger in the Swedish 4th tier I'm aware of my slim chances of getting offered a job outside of sweden. The thing that bugs me though, is that after a couple of good seasons, not even nescessarily with any prizes or promotion, managerless clubs at the same level in Sweden don't seem to notice me at all as a possible candidate for their jobs. My rep is probably growing very slowly, and I started off low in the first place, but in the same league I cannot be ignored as easily I guess, even if I'm only active for two seasons.

Seems not unlikely for a club in the bottom half of my (or another regional division of the same tier) league thinks "Hey, that guy challenges for the title with a club similar to ours, we want him to take us to that same level".

Other example: I've taken over at a club (I think it was Brechin in SL1) who were solid at the bottom of the league, favourites to go down by monstrous odds. But I manage to keep them in the league. Why isn't any club in distress interested in me doing the same for them?

And I think it's a real petty that getting offered a job at an ambitious club at a lower league as the one I'm in (say I've gotten a team promoted and they see me as the ideal man to do the same for them) doesn't happen ever. Been playing FM since the CM times and never had any offers of a team in a lower league than the one I am in (like getting offered the Reading job when at Swansea). Chances are there is a problem with salary, but in Skrill and similar levels those differences won't be as big and that shouldnt offer a big problem for another club I guess. And I am free to accept a lower fee for my services off course, but they don't even try.

I can go along with SI's point of view concerning rep and how that grows, but there's a distinct difference in the situation GoldenBoot suggests (I understand why Bordeaux laugh him off, let alone Madrid, although the Bury-case is an odd one perhaps, maybe a one off) and dwelling in some lower league without ever getting an offer from similar clubs of the same or equivalent regional league (or lower) in the same country. If I get two promotions in my first two seasons I'd expect to have acquired some fame and subsequent interest from similar clubs in that country, even if I started with sunday league experience. My footballing skills don't really count when I've proven my manager-skills, alhough in a relatively short time. One promotion may be luck, but two... Should trigger some interest one would think.

So in that respect I support GoldenBoot, not for not getting the Barcelona or Bordeaux job, but not being offered the Belenenses, Maritimo or Chaves job.

[Cougar2010]

The two main problems in your Sweden & Brechin examples are money and rivalries?

A) Money - Clubs at that level simply don't have money so its unlikely that they can pay off your contract with your current club which is a huge negative in being linked to/getting offered a job at the same level.

B) Rivalries? - Maybe not the best description but I suspect the general feeling would be why would he want to come and manage our club when he is already being successful with a similar club in the same league. Simply put they don't think you would be interested in managing them at that stage.

In both cases if you resigned and were unemployed you would get far more offers and those clubs would be interested in you.

[kris0710]

I am with Cougar on this one. Clubs in the lower levels in Scotland and Sweden won't have the money to buy you out of our contract. As with the OP original Bury complaint - yes he should be in with a shot but if the club can't afford the £20k+ to get him then what is the point of interviewing or even considering.

I have to disagree with your comment on lower league clubs offering you a job. I had a long save with Cambridge which took seven years to win the Skrill Premier but we went straight up from League Two as runners up. The following two or three seasons i had five or six offers from League Two clubs and many many more interview offers from clubs. Almost every League Two job going i was offered a sit down with the chairman. All this was on the back of me starting with Sunday League rep. For the first six years of mediocre i received just a handful of interviews in the Skrill Prem but successive promotions opened the floodgates. In one season i had a job offer from League Two Wrexham and even managed to get myself an interview with PL strugglers Everton. Thats a lower club noticing my good, recent promotion record and a PL side offering an up and coming guy an interview.

The other thing i slightly disagree with is the statement "My footballing skills don't really count when I've proven my manager-skills". On the face of it you are right but then as had been mentioned by someone before if you, a former Semi Pro player is head to head for a job with a former Professional or International footballer then their rep is obviously higher than yours. The OP gives little to no details of who gets the jobs that he thinks he should get. When jobs appear at Belenenses, Maritimo or Chaves who gets the managers seat? Pros? Internationals? Former players? For all we know a host of former Portuguese internationals got the jobs!

[Golden Boot]

OK a quick update:

Terek Grozny are a mid-table side in the Russian Premier division (a couple of divisions above Portugal), and when the job became available I immediately applied for it. This time I was accepted for an interview (which went well), and I was sure that I would get the job. The only other contender was a Russian manager whose current side were in the 2nd div and struggling to avoid relegation. His reputation was regional, so I was a bit surprised that he was in the frame for the job.

Anyway, a news item suddenly popped up to say that another Russian manager had registered an interest in the job. His current side were also in the 2nd div, but they were 5pt outside the promotion places with a few games left, so his side were in with a shout of getting promoted. His reputation was also Regional (i.e. nothing special). I was still confident of getting the job.

Another news item immediately flashed up saying that Terek Grozny had given this other manager the job. To say I was a bit bemused is an understatement. However, on reflection he is a Russian and his side were doing reasonably well in the 2nd div, although I still believe the game should have given me the job.

On a positive note I at least got an interview with a pretty good side with decent finances, so maybe things are lokking up. Still didn't get the flippin job though!

Maybe if I can somehow with the Portugese Cup (1-0 up from the first leg) I will get an even better offer in the summer.

Edit: On further reflection, there is no way a regional manager in real danger of being relegated out of the game be considered for a job like Terek Grozny, who are not that far behind the likes of Spartak Moscow and Zenit in my save. That is probably more disconcerting than not getting the job.