pug 407 Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Pug's Update Season 2025-26 So after winning what I needed with AC Milan I applied for and got the managers job at Newcastle. Contract Offer . Job . Expectations . Title Odds . Transfers . So with a active transfer we didn't get off to the best of start's, with a 0-1 loss in the Community Shield. Result . Also a 1-3 hammering by Everton. Then we went on a run of winning the next 7 games before we got beat by Chelsea. Over all we won 32 drew 2 and lost 4 games to win the league by 18 points above Man Utd. Results 1 . Results 2 . Table . In the League Cup we made in to the final, with some good wins over Liverpool and Arsenal with a Extra-time win over Man City. League Cup Results . In the FA Cup again we made it to the final but this time Tottenham beat us 3-5. FA Cup Results . In the Champions League again we made it to the final to face Tottenham again, but this time I got revenge with a 9-4 win. Job History . End Of Season Awards . With Australia and the Con-fed cup we were drawn in a group with Holland Brazil and USA. I surprised myself by beating USA and Holland, to win the group by goal difference over Holland. Con-Fed Group . In the Semis we played Mexico and a 2-1 extra time defeat. In the 3rd place play-off was a 4-1 win against France. Results . The World Cup Qualifiers final stage was 5 nice easy wins, with me giving a chance with a few youths. Results . CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Club Leagues Cups Other & Notes 1st 2nd 1st 2nd Cont CWC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017/18 Soihull Moors Won Won Vanarama League 2018/19 Mthatha Bucks Won Won Won ABSA Premiership/Telkom 2019/20 Kaizer Chiefs Won Won Won Won All Domestic Trophies 2020/21 Kaizer Chiefs Won Left After Champions League Win 2021/22 Puebla Won Won Won Cup And League 2022/23 Puebla Won Won Won Won Apertura/Clausura/Champ League 2022/23 Pohang Steelers Won Won The League 2023/24 Pohang Steelers Won Won Won Won The Treble 2023/24 AC Milan 2024/25 AC Milan Won Won Won The Double 2025/26 Newcastle Utd Won Won Won Won The Treble 2026/27 Newcastle Utd ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Nation Cups Other & Notes World Cup Confed Cup Euro's AFC ACON Gold Cup Copa America ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2020/21 Nigeria 2021/22 Nigeria Won 2021/22 Chile Sacked After 4 Games 2022/23 Australia Challenge Progress. ------------------- Club ---- 5/10 Top Domestic Leagues(South Africa-Mexico-South Korea-Italy-England) 5/10 Top Domestic Cups (South Africa-Mexico-South Korea-Italy-England) 4/5 Continental Cups (Kaizer Chiefs-Puebla-Pohang-Newcastle Utd) 0/1 Club World Cup () International ------------- 1/5 Continental Tournaments (Nigeria/ACON) 0/2 World Tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 (edited) 2025/26 - Kaizer Chiefs Took a couple of months and a few failed applications at American clubs along the way (Sao Paulo ignored me altogether, Tigres at least offered an interview), but I finally found a job where I most wanted it: South Africa. And it happened to be with the arguably most reputable team in the country and the continent, Kaizer Chiefs! Of course that comes with the pressure of high expectations. Like, the win-'em-all-or-else kind of expectations. Sheesh. At least they only want me to reach the final of the Champions League... Competitions -- Fixtures I joined in March, so I only had two months of actual season to work with. The team was first in the league, but it was a fake position since basically everyone else in the title fight had several games in hand over us. In the end our performance wasn't good enough to make up for that, even though we only lost one league game, and we finished in a very disappointing 3rd position, out of the next Champions League. Which means I'll really have to win it on my first go, since otherwise I'd have to wait two seasons and a half for another shot at it. No pressure... The Nedbank Cup was the biggest disappointment, though, with all the big teams out of it we went out to Platinum Stars in quarter finals in injury time, although to be fair we didn't deserve any better. At least we're doing fine in the Champions League, and we've topped the group with ease (not pictured in the Competitions screen above) despite having to play half of it with the team in preseason mode and with three of our best players in the World Cup. ES Sahel await in the quarter finals come September. Thankfully, the board didn't feel like I was guilty of this season's failures, so I get to try again. Actually I was on the verge of being sacked for a week or two, but for a different reason: former chairman retired and sold the club barely two months after my arrival, and the new board wanted to install their own manager. Thankfully they thought better of it, but I'm sure I'll be on a short leash starting now. Crossing fingers. Roster One of the main reasons for our poor performance so far has been the horrid lack of balance in the squad. When I arrived I found we had two full backs and three center backs total, and one of the center backs was injured and another was retiring in three months. I had to recall a loanee right back just to have enough bodies to field an actual line of four at the back regularly. There's also only one real defensive midfielder (the rest can play DM but can't tackle worth a damn), and on the other end we have like a million right wingers and attacking midfielders between first teamers and reserves/loanees. Some serious transfer activity is to be expected next summer. From the current squad, the stand-out names are probably three youngsters who've been playing quite well so far. Number one is left winger Nkosinath Tshabalala, who's been our most consistent performer in our attacking line since I arrived, and who's also been picked as the Young Player of the Year. Second is Sibusiso Mkhatshwa, aka That Forward With The Unpronounceable Name. Scored lots last season, although he faded away suspiciously as soon as I arrived. Might not fit my tactics, dunno. Hopefully he'll stay with us and start doing what he was doing before I arrived. Lastly, goalkeeper Themba Teyise has made a good job as our starter, but he's very likely to leave for Europe next transfer window, since there's big clubs like Monaco tailing him. As for Nigeria and the 2026 World Cup, I'll be detailing that in an upcoming standalone update, since now club seasons and natural years don't line up with each other. And also because vike-style international tournament reports are fun. Season Team League Cup1 Cup2 Continental World Other Notes ===================================================================================================================================================================================== 2018 Selangor 2nd 3rd round Group Stg. N/A N/A N/A Joined in the offseason. National C license. 2019 Selangor 1st Winners Winners East Playoff N/A N/A Domestic treble! Manager of the Year. National B and A licenses. 2020/21 Melbourne City 1st/Winners 2nd round N/A Group Stage N/A N/A Joined in the offseason. Manager of the Year. Continental C and B licenses. 2021 Changchun 7th QF N/A N/A N/A N/A Joined in July, 7th, 11 games remaining. 2022 Changchun 4th Winners N/A N/A N/A N/A Continental A license. Qualified to ACL through cup win. 2023 Changchun 3rd Winners N/A Group Stage N/A Super Cup Winners Continental Pro license. Entered Asian HoF. 2024 Changchun --- --- N/A Group Stage N/A Super Cup Winners Left in June for Hebei with the team 3rd in the league. Hebei CFFC 2nd Winners N/A N/A N/A N/A Joined with team 15th, expected top half. 2025 Hebei CFFC 2nd Finalists N/A Winners 3rd Super Cup Winners ACL champions! 2025/26 Kaizer Chiefs 3rd QF N/A In progress N/A N/A Joined in March. Challenge Progress Club 2/10 top domestic leagues (Liga Super Malaysia 2019, Hyundai A-League 2020/21) 2/10 domestic cups (Piala FA (Malaysia) 2019, Chinese FA Cup 2022-2023-2024) 1/5 club continental championships (Asian Champions League 2025) 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Other titles Piala Malaysia (2019) Chinese FA Super Cup (2023-2024-2025) Edited October 16, 2018 by Dalbeider Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble248 Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 (edited) 2017/18 - Thanda Royal Zulu FC After leaving Braga B, I hung out for a while applying to any and every job and got offered a bunch in India, but South Africa came calling and it was a team with a higher rep and I figured would give me a better chance of clearing the challenge faster than plugging away in India. So off I went! When I got there, the team barely had 11 players - I think there were like, 9 or something? Which was nice for me because i basically just ran riot in the transfer market looking for all the positions and the depth I needed, with loans and everything. Which also meant that I got some pretty good deals on players who turned out to be pretty good, or at least according to my coaches. I had a good feeling about it because the season preview had me tipped to win the league (also my expectation), and that I was really competitive in the friendlies, which were against teams in the Premier League. Had what I thought was an okay start to the season, but everyone around me was floundering so very quickly rushed to the top of the table and never left. I don't know if it's because I'm too used to playing FM in the EPL, but the teams really just kept losing when winning would've kept the pressure up on me. Ended up winning the title with 5 games to spare. Meanwhile, was in the South African FA Cup? Which I don't think counts for this challenge but anyway, got some really, really good luck with the draws, either getting smaller rep teams (some not even playable) in the first three rounds, and then got the higher rep teams in QF and SF but with home advantage. Beat Ajax CT 2-1 in extra time, then (then) bottom-placed Chippa Utd in the SFs to face Orlando Pirates in the finals. Defence pulled off absolute heroics to keep the ball from going in the net (all 4 defenders got ratings of 7.0 or higher), and then clawed back from 2 down in the penalty shoot-out to win 6-5 and win the trophy! Also means we qualified for the African Confederations Cup, which isn't the African Champions League so doesn't count but...we could use the cash. So it was a really good season, but I imagine the Premier Division isn't going to be nearly as straightforward. Might have to jump ship to Kaizer Chiefs or something if the job opens up if I'm gonna win it and move on with the challenge. On the bright side, I'm now up to the Continental C badge, so the added boost to the reputation has helped. I think. I don't know if getting your badges helps your reputation but it certainly seems so. Season Team League Cup1 Cup2 Continental World Other Notes ================================================================================================================================================================================= 2017 Braga B . 4th N/A . N/A . N/A N/A N/A Joined in December 2016. National C license. 2017/18 Thanda Royal Zulu FC 1st (NFL) Won (SA Cup) . N/A N/A . N/A . N/A . Joined July 2017. National B license, National A license, Continental C license. Challenge Progress Club 0/10 top domestic leagues 1/10 domestic cups (SA Cup - Royal Thanda Zulu FC) 0/5 club continental championships 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments 0/2 world tournaments Edited October 17, 2018 by womble248 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 @womble248 The South African FA Cup/Nedbank Cup totally counts for the challenge, so congrats on your first trophy! According to the rules, cups count as long as all the top tier teams take part in it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble248 Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 48 minutes ago, Dalbeider said: @womble248 The South African FA Cup/Nedbank Cup totally counts for the challenge, so congrats on your first trophy! According to the rules, cups count as long as all the top tier teams take part in it. Oh brilliant. Thought it had to be the top cup or something. Have updated accordingly. Thanks mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shankly84 Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Will 2019 be carrying on from here or will there be a new thread? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted October 19, 2018 Author Share Posted October 19, 2018 Carrying on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shankly84 Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Looking forward to starting a new journey on the new version. I seem to have the job hopping bug as I couldn't stop swapping jobs even after completing the challenge 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkhead Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Having a go at this on this version. Never tried it before. Suspect I will give up early though - awful at the game, and constantly starting again due to being so indecisive, but we will see.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted October 20, 2018 Author Share Posted October 20, 2018 Each year the quality of first jobs one can get goes down ever so slightly. Wonder if that trend will continue this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkhead Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Seems ok. Have just applied for all jobs (75) and been offered 12 interviews and some clubs haven't come back to me yet. Frustrated at not getting an interview for the single job available in South Africa though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted October 20, 2018 Author Share Posted October 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Junkhead said: Seems ok. Have just applied for all jobs (75) and been offered 12 interviews and some clubs haven't come back to me yet. Frustrated at not getting an interview for the single job available in South Africa though! I think getting as good a first job as possible is important, even if you need to wait. Was the club in the S African top division? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkhead Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Nope, second. The only top division jobs I've been offered are in Malaysia. I am really tempted to holiday through to today's date and see what happens then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 I've jumped straight into this eager to get the adventure underway. Manager Profile pic: Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 HI all, I've followed this challenge for a while now and have decided to give it a go for FM19, starting in the Beta so fingers crossed I don't come across an incurable bugs! For now here are a few screenshots to show I've set up the game correctly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 2026 - Nigeria (World Cup report) 2026 was a seriously busy year for Nigeria, all things considered. The World Cup in summer was the obvious standout, but before that we had to deal with the African Nations Championship, aka The Annoying Cup That Doesn't Really Count For Anything. Thankfully we had a decent bunch of Nigeria-based players to use, and despite some hiccups along the way, we did well enough to please the FA: 3rd place, and only a 1-0 extra time defeat to Guinea in the semis kept us from facing eventual champions Senegal in the final. Not a bad warmup. But the Big Thing (TM) was the 2026 World Cup, to be held in Canada of all places. As mentioned earlier, we'd been handed a relatively easy group with the hosts, Poland, and Uruguay. All but Canada were higher in ranking than us, but eh, rankings are lies anyways. I was hopeful of getting past the group stage, probably second behind Uruguay, and then cross fingers for a decent match up in the second round. Squad We have a quite strong squad with few weak points. Our forward line stands out in particular, with the likes of Iheanacho, Efebo, and Onyekuru coming in great form. Wilfred Ndidi is our all-terrain midfielder who can also make a very passable central defender, while Yusuf Aliyu will do his best to keep our sheets clean. We don't have too many youngsters, but the average age is still well below 30, so this team should be able to remain mostly unchanged for the next couple of major competitions. Group stage Spoiler Nigeria 3-3 Uruguay: a crazy match to begin with. We were on top most of the game, but two lapses of concentration at the start of each half put us 3-1 down. Iheanacho's brace and an own goal by Uruguay in injury time gave us a point we probably deserved. Nigeria 2-0 Poland: a much calmer affair. We took the early lead this time (Iheanacho again), doubled it after half time (Iheanacho again), then proceeded to put the game to sleep. A key win. Nigeria 2-0 Canada: ...and then Iwobi got himself sent off five minutes into what was supposed to be the easiest match of the group stage. Sigh. Still managed to take the lead soon after in a corner kick, but then Taiwo decided 10 vs. 11 was too easy and got another red. Nineteen minutes in. Siiiiiigh. We still managed to survive until the Canadians returned the favor via double yellow to one of their midfielders. We kept holding on, and in the last minute got gifted a penalty kick for the final 2-0. What madness. Top of the group thanks to Uruguay's draw with Poland. Austria next. Second round (if applicable) Spoiler Nigeria 1(2)-1(1) Austria: terrible finishing on both sides throughout the match. We scored early thanks to an own goal, and Austria pulled level 11 minutes before full time. Extra time only brought more missed chances, so penalties it was. And true to form, both teams missed their first two attempts. We scored the next two, Aliyu stopped Lazaro's fourth for Austria, and Onyekuru missed the chance to seal the deal, because of course. Thankfully Aliyu did it again in Austria's fifth and we were in the quarterfinals just the same. Too much drama. Good news: we're through. Bad news: Iheanacho is probably out for the tournament with a pulled hamstring. In any case, time to finally face the big guys: Belgium next, after they squeaked past Venezuela. In other second round news, Spain is out after losing to Germany, France beat Croatia 6-1 in extra time, current champions England (haha) fell to Argentina on penalties, and Ukraine shocked Brazil. Quarterfinals (if applicable) Spoiler Nigeria 0-1 Belgium: they were without De Bruyne due to injury, and for most of the first half it looked like that'd be enough to keep them at bay. No such luck, and we went 0-1 down only two minutes before the break. We pushed them back during all the second half, but couldn't find the goal in the end. Close but no cigar. Oh well, can't complain. We did ourselves proud and anything further would've required some of the luck we spent against Uruguay and Austria. Semifinals: Belgium-France and Portugal-Italy. No surprises this round. Semifinals (if applicable) Spoiler Nope. France destroys Belgium 5-1 and Italy beats Portugal 2-0. 3rd place playoff/Final (if applicable) Spoiler Nada. Portugal got third place (1-0 in extra time), and Italy stole the World Cup from the favorites France in extra time for a 2-3 win. After the tournament + challenge progress Spoiler Obviously the FA were delighted, and so was I. That means that I'll be in Ivory Coast with Nigeria one year from now trying to lift the African Cup of Nations. And seeing how the other African teams did in this World Cup (all out in the group stage, only South Africa managed a win), we can be confident in our chances. We were selected as the overachievers of the tournament, too. *** Nigeria fixtures Season Nation Continental World Final ranking Notes ====================================================================================================================================================================== 2023 Japan/Cameroon N/A N/A 74th/27th Qualified for ANC. 2024 Cameroon QF N/A 32nd Qualified for ACoN. 2025 Cameroon QF N/A 41st Sacked after ACoN. Nigeria N/A N/A 26th Joined after ACoN. Qualified for ANC and WC. 2026 Nigeria 3rd QF 21st Qualified for ACoN. Challenge Progress Club 2/10 top domestic leagues (Liga Super Malaysia 2019, Hyundai A-League 2020/21) 2/10 domestic cups (Piala FA (Malaysia) 2019, Chinese FA Cup 2022-2023-2024) 1/5 club continental championships (Asian Champions League 2025) 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Other titles Piala Malaysia (2019) Chinese FA Super Cup (2023-2024-2025) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 So it turns out it's a lot harder this year to get a job! All Asian leagues loaded and a few others and after many interviews over 18 months I've not had a single job offer! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 10 minutes ago, fmgrandtourer said: So it turns out it's a lot harder this year to get a job! All Asian leagues loaded and a few others and after many interviews over 18 months I've not had a single job offer! I got a job in the 2nd tier of the Chinese league after about 7 months of game time. Seems similar to last year from my perspective. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 9 minutes ago, blackdevil said: I got a job in the 2nd tier of the Chinese league after about 7 months of game time. Seems similar to last year from my perspective. I got incredibly frustrated and have started again! Maybe it was just my interview technique! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 (edited) 2 minutes ago, fmgrandtourer said: Maybe it was just my interview technique! I usually stick to what they want to hear. Particularly if they have any philosophies they like. The club I took over had just been relegated from the Super League and didn't have any so was a bit fortunate there. And also say the budget's are fine and no changes needed...try to come across as not making wholesale changes and such. Edited October 25, 2018 by blackdevil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Well that didn't anywhere near as long as last time! 1 month to be exact. I'm off to Indonesia Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 (edited) Congrats hope it goes well. And congrats @Dalbeider on a good world cup showing. Edited October 25, 2018 by blackdevil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble248 Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 2018/19 - Thanda Royal Zulu FC Having now been promoted to the Premiership, I set about re-organising my squad to be competitive in the league. I didn't think I'd get much out of the season - figured I'd end up somewhere around mid-table and slowly push for more. How wrong I was. I got lucky with a lot of decent unhappy players in other clubs - goalkeepers not getting enough playing time, midfielders who needed exposure or also weren't getting enough playing time and so brought in a few really good players on loan. Also arranged to sign a lot of people when their contracts expired, the star in particular being Keagan Buchanan, who scored more than 25 goals for me all season in all competitions. In addition, Kaizer Chiefs had an absolutely dreadful start, which meant that they had a lot of catching up too - too much, as it turned out. As the season drew to a close it was a race between myself and Sundowns, who were doing really well and at one stage had a 3 point lead with a game in hand. Except that they bottled it. Slowly as it progressed somehow, despite drawing a few games and losing one or two as my squad got stretched completely thin by the African Confederations Cup (from last year's SA Cup win) and the SA Cup, Sundowns did even worse. The deciding game was Sundowns playing away at Kaizer Chiefs (funnily enough), needing to win to take the fight to my next match where a draw would've done it. They went 1-0 down, pulled it back to 1-1 but on 82 minutes conceded a second to also concede what I thought (and so did the media) was an incredibly unlikely prospect. So I've now won my first league of the challenge! Cup-wise was also another miracle. The SA Knock Out cup saw me face Sundowns away in the first round, immediately after getting smashed 3-0 in the league by them. Yet somehow, with a slight change in tactic, we went there and whacked them 4-1. Quarter-final was against the Premiership's whipping boys Jomo Cosmos, who we beat 5-3 in a game of epic proportions. Semi-final was a 5-0 thrashing of Milano United (again, no idea how that happened but I was definitely not complaining), before strolling to a 3-0 win in the final to win another domestic cup. As for the SA Cup, I'm renaming this the extra-time cup for me. First round was a breeze against some Regional League team, but every game from then on pushed me to extra time. Stellenbosch were my big bogey team last year, and this year we went 2-0 up before bottling that, and then scoring a third in extra time. Moved on to the QFs, drawn against Bloem Celtic, once again throwing away a 2-0 lead and having to win 3-2 in extra time. SFs saw us face Kaizer Chiefs away, in the midst of difficult league fixtures, and qualifying rounds for the African Confederations Cup. This one went much differently - we went 1-0 down, pulled it back to 1-1, then conceded in the 80th minute to drop to 2-1 and then equalised in the 82nd to pull it to 2-2 and extra time. Then we scored to win 3-2 (again) to make it to my second consecutive final. The final was even more insane. We conceded in the 2nd minute and were getting positively dominated at that point. Managed to equalise in the 22nd minute, but then lost my captain and best defender to injury in the 28th minute. As the match bumbled on I lost my vice-captain to a "bruised head" in the 68th minute, and had my right back exhausted to below 50% before the 70th minute so pulled him off as well. Just as I was contemplating pushing forward, I then lost the substitute midfielder to injury, leaving me down to 10 men with 5 minutes to go. I figured I didn't have anything to lose so didn't really change much except putting up a Counter mentality and having one of my 2 remaining midfielders go box-to-box and hoped for penalties. Somehow, against the run of play, my brilliant striker Puleng Tiolane scores in the 102nd minute, and from there we just about hang on to take the cup. I still don't know how that happened. So yeah, rather unexpectedly, I've won the treble this season and actually managed to pull my club's finances out of the red! Which also means I've actually got a transfer budget now (which is decently sized, I might add) and a slightly bigger wage budget, which should help with strengthening. Especially because that final took out two of my best players and I've got to go and play the Confederations Cup group stage without them for the time being. By the way, I am completely confused by the African Continental Competitions. Why am I playing the group stage in June??!?!?! Also, looking for an opinion - given Kaizer Chiefs' rotten season, manager Zico inevitably got the sack. The job might open up - interim manager at the moment - should I jump ship to their (comparatively) riches, or stick with Thanda and build the team to hopefully win the African Champions League at some point or when a better team comes along? On a side note, I'm now also the manager of Ivory Coast. To add to my wonderful luck, we're hosting the next African Cup of Nations, so I don't even need to bother with qualifying! Although now I've said it, I bet I'm getting sacked next season... Season Team League Cup1 Cup2 Continental World Other Notes ================================================================================================================================================================================= 2017 Braga B . 4th N/A . N/A . N/A N/A N/A Joined in December 2016. National C license. 2017/18 Thanda Royal Zulu FC 1st (NFL) Won (SA Cup) . N/A N/A . N/A . N/A . Joined July 2017. National B license, National A license, Continental C license. 2018/19 Thanda Royal Zuliu FC 1st Won (SA KO) Won (SA Cup) In progress . N/A N/A Continental B License 2018/19 Ivory Coast . N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A . Played only one game. Challenge Progress Club 1/10 top domestic leagues (SA Premiership - Royal Thanda Zulu FC) 1/10 domestic cups (SA Cup - Royal Thanda Zulu FC) 0/5 club continental championships 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments 0/2 world tournaments Others SA KO Cup - Royal Thanda Zulu FC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 I'm pretty keen to give this challenge another go on FM19. I've been trying to do a dafuge challenge this year but haven't been able to play as much, definitely been missing this challenge. Hopefully I can wrap that one up soonish and get going on this one! Last time I started during the FM17 beta and finished about a month before the beta for FM18 came out so hopefully i'll get on it soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 2018 Season - FC Borneo - Indonesian Division One 4 months, 22 games, 6 wins! We started in the bottom 4 and unfortunately we were dreadful and relegation was confirmed in the final match! Not the best start to the save but hey we can rebuild for next season can't we? Errrrr maybe not! Sacked after 4 months, guess it's time for a new job hunt! In some good news however the board has agreed for my first coaching badge to be learnt around 2 months before getting the boot! Oh dear!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, fmgrandtourer said: Sacked after 4 months Oh dear, that didn't go so well. Hopefully you'll finish off the coaching badge whilst un-employed which would be helpful....hopefully. I've been distracted by Counter Strike so not played for a few days and now I've been enticed by Red Dead Redemption 2 so might be a while before I finish my first season in China. Edited October 26, 2018 by blackdevil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 2 minutes ago, blackdevil said: Oh dear, that didn't go so well. Hopefully you'll finish off the coaching badge whilst un-employed which would be helpful....hopefully. I've been distracted by Counter Strike so not played for a few days and now I've been enticed by Red Dead Redemption 2 so might be a while before I finish my first season in China. Luckily I've continued studying it! Getting a few interviews and job offers, just delaying until I see if any better jobs come up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 (edited) December 2018 - New Job Well it hasn't taken too long, 5 weeks to be exact and I have an offer. It's actually not a bad one either! Welcome to Singapore and welcome to Tampines They ended the 2018 season 3rd in the Top division of Singapore which means because Niigata Unicorn ended 2nd and cannot play in Continental Comps we get a spot in the Asian Confederations Cup! Fingers crossed this job goes better than the last one! Edited October 26, 2018 by fmgrandtourer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 So I loaded up my old FM18 dafuge save and was greeted with a 5-2 thrashing immediately so i've decided to give up on that one and transition to FM19 and back to this challenge! I'm going to set a few rules for myself to make it different to my first completion which are: no managing of the same clubs as last time (although for a few international teams this may be unavoidable as I think I had a stint managing every country in Africa at least once) and no starting the same way as last time which was in South Africa. I have loaded up leagues in all countries in South America and a smattering of countries across Europe that could be interesting, I would love to try to start in South America if it's possible, especially as I managed to complete the challenge last time without ever setting foot on the continent (club-wise that is, I managed Brazil for quite a while). My goal is to finish faster than my last attempt which was in the year 2063 if possible while managing an entirely different set of clubs. Manager profile: I will update when I find a club job! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I have taken charge of Fortaleza, who are struggling in the Colombian Primera B division. The facilities, reputation and players all look very solid however so I'm excited about this job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowy Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 (edited) Curico Unido 2018 Manager Profile League Table I'm excited to be starting at this team, my first team is a team in the top tier of Chile that's set to be relegated. It should give me a good chance of promotion in my first season, I've never started as a team set to get relegated and I've also never managed in Chile so I'm looking forward to starting here. They also have 39 players and I like a squad of around 25ish so I should be able to re build the squad to the way I want. Edited October 31, 2018 by Crowy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
viney Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 (edited) I'm going to be starting this challenge right now. As I'm over 20 in real life, I'd like to introduce you to my randomly generated manager, Gerda Albrektsson. I've decided to start in Malaysia (no idea why). Wish me (or should I say Gerda) luck! Edit: It didn't take long to get a job... As of December 31st 2017, Gerda Albrektsson is manager of Kelantan in the Malaysian Super League. Edited October 31, 2018 by viney Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmgrandtourer Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 So I've had to restart this challenge due to some crashes and not being to progress at some matches. Now the full game is out it's time to start again. Will edit this when I get a job with relevant screens Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Glad to see this thread is alive and well! I’m still going on my game, but real life has made it slow going. Domestically I’m not too far from finishing, but internationally it’s going to take a bit longer. I’m not buying 19 until I’m a double challenge completer! I’m still playing 17, which shows how long this save has taken me so far... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowy Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) So that was a bad start to my save, I'd improved the financial side of things with the club and the level of play in Chile's second tier is actually not shockingly bad. I felt I could get this team straight back up with the players they had and I added in a few loans for depth. The Issue was accepting the job straight away instead of asking to start it at the end of the season, as through the whole of the transfer window I was getting blamed by players for bad dressing room atmosphere and I'd only had one game in charge, sp this was going to always be a struggle from the start. Tactically as well I just could not get anything to work in this country, if i tried to press they'd punt it over top and create lots of chances that way. If I sat deeper we conceded slightly less but constantly gave the ball away in dangerous areas, of the 33 goals I conceded 20+ were from set pieces. On a brighter note this is the Ultimate FM Challenge whilst getting sacked is not ideal, I'm able to continue my save and search for another club, let's see where I end up next! Challenge Overview Spoiler Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 Curico Unido Chile Primera Division B 10th - - - Sacked after 17 games ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAREER STATS ------------ Curico Unido - P 17 W 4 D 7 L 6 GF 24 GA 33 GD -9 WR 23% Days in Charge: 214 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall - P 17 W 4 D 7 L 6 GF 24 GA 33 GD -9 WR 23% Days in Charge: 214 Edit: I'm a sucker for punishment, it took me until August to get another job and it's a team in the same league that currently sit 8th Top 6 qualify for play offs though so that should be attainable depending on my poor tactical decisions again! The main issue is their finances are 350K in the red so still no coaching badge for me as of yet Edited November 3, 2018 by Crowy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Fortaleza 2019 Season Report First season of the challenge is complete! I took over right after the 2018 season finished so I had to wait the entire offseason before even playing a game but I think I have made a pretty decent start. This team was predicted to finish 12th in the league and had a strange squad with a decent amount of talented youngsters so I was reasonably optimistic. League- Colombia has one of those Opening + Closing stage style leagues with playoffs for each as well as an overall table for some reason. We had a pretty rough start but slowly improved and managed a 6th place finish in the opening stage meaning we made the playoffs where we actually scraped a 2-1 aggregate win over Real Cartagena before being knocked out 2-1 on aggregate by Cortulua. The closing stage saw us go even better and finish 2nd, just ahead of a couple others on goal difference. We did somewhat choke in the playoffs though, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Deportivo Pereira in the quarters. Copa Colombia- We easily won our group containing Real Santander, Llaneros and Orsomarso all from our division before drawing Atletico National in the second round, one of the best teams in the country. We performed admirably with a 0-0 draw at home and a 1-1 draw away, which I thought might mean a win for us but unfortunately away goals aren't a thing here. We lost the ensuing penalty shootout as I had guys with pen taking attributes of about 6 taking my attempts. Best Players: Top goalscorer- Sebastian Acosta (17) Pretty embarrassing for the strikers that our left midfielder managed to top the scoring charts. 2 of the main strikers are on massive goalless streaks and I will definitely try to improve that area next year. Most assists + Highest avg. rating- Hamilton Valencia (7, 7.03) The right midfielder was one of our better players this season, although that is a pretty low total to top the assists chart. Most POM- Acosta, Camilo Blanco and Santiago Garcia (4) another low total but always good to see a defender (Blanco) get into the end of season awards. Transfers Results Results 2 The good news is I have managed to complete my first 3 coaching badges and increase my reputation up to 25% which is really good progress for my first season. I have also taken charge of Argentina under 23s as they seek to qualify and compete in the Olympics next year which could be a reputation booster as well as giving me some knowledge of the country. Season Team Position Champs League Top Goalcorer Highest avg rating Notes and Achievements --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 Fortaleza 6th + 2nd - Acosta (17) Valencia (7.03) National A,B,C licenses complete Challenge Progress Club 0/10 top domestic leagues () 0/10 domestic cups () 0/1 club world championship () International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_e Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Will be giving this challenge a go at FM19. I started last wek at the beta, and after a few months looking for a job I got the position at Asker, in the Norwegian 3rd tier (I'm Norwegian myself, so a good fit). We were in the relegation zone when I took over, but a really talented squad so there was no need for it. We won most of our remaining games, and actually finished pretty close to the promotion play off zone. Next season we strengthened the team quite heavily, and really ran away with the title, losing only 3 games, winning the league with 11 points. Our first year in the 1st division (2nd tier), and we won back to back promotion!! I think I replaced 9 players from the starting 11, and it took some time to make the team function, but when we did we were impressive. We sealed our promotion spot in the last round, beating 3rd place Bodø/Glimt 2-0 at home. Asker is ready for Eliteserien (1st tier), but I am not sure if I am. The club wont let me take any badges, and going from semi pro to professional status will cost a lot. If any better club comes in for me, I'm ready to take on another adventure. Season | Club | Nation | League | Cup | Continental | Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 | Asker | Norway | 1st | 3rd Round | None 2019 | Asker | Norway | 2nd | 3rd Round | None INTERNATIONAL Season | Nation | Titles ------------------------------------------------ CHALLENGE PROGRESS TROPHY LIST (only trophies that count towards the challenge, trophies won twice are not listed) None Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowy Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) I've had a shocking start to my career, almost got sacked twice by two teams in the same division, not much to update on as I weren't able to make any transfer etc, I'll do proper league updates when (IF) I complete a full season. I don't think I've ever struggled quite this much on a challenge in FM but I'm enjoying it. I'm hoping this club gives me the chance to bring my own players in over the break and have a full season at it. I could still get sacked yet. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 Curico Unido Chile Primera Division B 10th 1st Rd - - Sacked after 17 games 2019 Deportes La Serena Chile Primera Division B 11th - - - Took over in 8th ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAREER STATS ------------ Curico Unido - P 17 W 4 D 7 L 6 GF 24 GA 33 GD -9 WR 23% Days in Charge: 214 Deportes La Serena - P 13 W 3 D 4 L 6 GF 13 GA 16 GD -3 WR 23% Days in Charge: 102 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall - P 30 W 7 D 11 L 12 GF 37 GA 49 GD -12 WR 23% Days in Charge: 316 Edited November 4, 2018 by Crowy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 I have moved clubs to Loko Zagreb in Croatia, a club challenging for Europa League football. I thought this was an opportunity to move to a better league and improve my reputation further. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 (edited) PS Barito Putera - 2018 Report Hello and welcome to PS Barito Putera, an Indonesian First Division side presently languishing in the relegation zone. Barito Putera has a very interesting story. They're named after a former (now deceased) club chairman, and enjoyed lots of success in the mid to late 90's, but are now struggling. This is my first attempt at the Ultimate Challenge in FM19, and I hope that it may be my only attempt! I have decided to only load the divisions in Asia to start, partly due to it being where I plan to start and also to save the life of my PC. Squad: I would be lying if I said that our team is good because it is quite awful. We start with ZERO fullbacks because the previous manager sold them in the transfer window, my star Central Midfielder received a season (and likely career-ending) injury during the pre-season, and there is a shortage of depth in every position. Not pictured, however, is an Under-21 team full of 5* potential players who will most likely be playing first-team football before the season is over. Finances: Finances at Barito Putera are far better than I predicted them to be. FM rates them as "okay", but with 600k in the bank and a transfer budget and wage budget big enough to buy some Malaysian wonderkids, I have nothing to cough at. Unfortunately, the club will not fund my first coaching badge because of how poorly we're faring in the league. Hopefully I can remedy this before I get the sack, or the season ends. Ambitions: The board wants us to finish mid-table, as the team is currently doing in real life. Unfortunately, the media predict us to finish dead last, and I happen to agree with the media on that front. After drawing 1-1 with a team we absolutely need to be winning against, my hopes for the team are quite limited, at least for this season. My goal is survival and also to pick up as many coaching badges as possible. PS Barito Putera is going to be quite the challenge: but what beginning club isn't? The next update from me will be either the end of the season or the point I get sacked and hired by a new club. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 PS Barito Putera Indonesia Liga 1 (Top) TBD - TBD - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments Borrowing the code from Crowy, hope you don't mind. UTV. Edited November 5, 2018 by CaesarXI Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowy Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Welcome to the challenge @CaesarXI the only thing I mind about your post is that you used UTV in it! Good Luck in Indonesia, I've never managed there but would imagine it's a tough place to start. @Fadedaf nice start to your challenge nice to see you challenging for europe already, having a first club where you could get your first 3 licenceses must of helped, what are your manager stats like? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 @Crowy yeah getting the badges was super helpful, and my new club have agreed to let me do another one straight away. Manager stats are still not very impressive but i've got a few 7s and 8s going. Hope your season in Chile is going well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_e Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 @vikeologist, I see now, after three seasons, that I did a mistake when loading up the game. My manager age was set to 24 years old (I know I choose 20 at first, and I'm 31 IRL so very weird). It must have happened with a bit back and forth beta testing of the profile interface. Really enjoying this save, and I would say I got no advantage having the extra 4 years when applying for jobs. But I really dont want to continue playing to later be excluded from the challenge (although its obviously my fault). I would think, and hope, that other players on the challenge wouldnt consider this cheating. Am I allowed to continue the challenge even with that error? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 46 minutes ago, thomas_e said: @vikeologist, I see now, after three seasons, that I did a mistake when loading up the game. My manager age was set to 24 years old (I know I choose 20 at first, and I'm 31 IRL so very weird). It must have happened with a bit back and forth beta testing of the profile interface. Really enjoying this save, and I would say I got no advantage having the extra 4 years when applying for jobs. But I really dont want to continue playing to later be excluded from the challenge (although its obviously my fault). I would think, and hope, that other players on the challenge wouldnt consider this cheating. Am I allowed to continue the challenge even with that error? it's fine with me for you to continue . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_e Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Just now, vikeologist said: it's fine with me for you to continue . Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Warriors FC - 2019 Report Well - let's just say that Indonesia didn't exactly go to plan. After playing (and losing) my first few games, the transfer window opened, much to my excitement. However, like moths to a cliff-face, my players attempted to leave in droves. Although I was able to secure quality first team signings, the dynamics never seemed to recover and after the season-ending injury of my star signing, Barito Putera quickly went downhill. I had no choice but to resign, though of course, I was given my first badge on the way out. At first, I was at a loss. The only teams who actively sought my signature were those in the second tier of Indonesia and Malaysia, both locations I did not wish to return to. After two months of job searching (I resigned in October), the decision of who to manage came between two clubs; Tampines Rovers and Warriors FC in the Singapore Premier League. I came to the conclusion that Warriors FC was the better decision, strictly because they had won the league the year previous and were guaranteed a spot in Champions League qualification. Squad: When I first took over the club, there was one word you could use to describe the squad: large. The club was filled with so many awful players that it was like the purge once the transfer window opened. After doing some whittling and introducing new blood: I have built a squad sufficient enough to win the league, or so I hope I do. Finances: Although the champions of the Singaporean Premier League the season before, Warrior's FC is sufficiently poor. I have had to do some major bargain hunting in order to find players that fill positions well, and was unable to sign the best (and free Agent) Singaporean striker due to the wage demands I couldn't afford. If I decide to stay with Warrior's FC past this season, I fear debt and bankruptcy may be on the horizon. Ambitions: Unlike Barito Putera in Liga 1, Warrior's FC is poised to win the league, and, if I try hard enough: the domestic cup as well. That is my only goal with Warriors: win the league, win the cup, and get some coaching badges. Hopefully, I can use that to jump to Korea, Australia, or China. Staying here more than one season would definitely be a mistake: but I guess we'll just have to see how the league crumbles. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 PS Barito Putera Indonesia Liga 1 18th - 2nd Round - National C Badge 2019 Warriors FC Singapore Premier League TBD - TBD East Asia Playoff ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments Screenshots below. Spoiler 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barsiem Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 I was all set to give this a try on FMT. Loaded the game with South Africa and China, thinking I'd start in SA & after a few years maybe able to get a Chinese job, simmed until I got offered a job, and was offered one within a day! With Shandong Luneng no less! I then realised I cannot start with no reputation in FMT, which has spoilt the effect for me... Ho hum will have to find something else. I've no chance of completing this in full fat due to the time required Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 1 hour ago, barsiem said: I was all set to give this a try on FMT. Loaded the game with South Africa and China, thinking I'd start in SA & after a few years maybe able to get a Chinese job, simmed until I got offered a job, and was offered one within a day! With Shandong Luneng no less! I then realised I cannot start with no reputation in FMT, which has spoilt the effect for me... Ho hum will have to find something else. I've no chance of completing this in full fat due to the time required don't know anything about FMT, but you're allowed to do challenge, if you want . just explain what differences are clearly if you want me to clarify instructions at start of thread . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 @vikeologist are you doing the challenge at the moment? or going to attempt on FM19? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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