The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge - Silver Age Archive

[vikeologist]

I've added the leaderbaord to the start. I don't think I've missed anybody out. I'll try to keep it reasonably up to date.

[Sankalan]

NAPOLI SERIE A 2024/25 UPDATE

I had heard that the Italian league is competitive, but it did not feel like that. It was throughout a two way clash between us and Juventus, and we won. The interesting thing was the gap between second and third, a staggering 23 points

The Coppa Italia was smooth as well. We defeated Juventus in the quarter finals, and from thereon, the cup was more or less our. Well, Perugia did hold us to a draw away from home, but we came back 3-0 and also won the final 1-2 later on

UEFA Champions league was like a dream. We made it all the way to the semis(where we wer smashed 7-2 on aggregate by chelsea, but considering the fact that we were never supposed to get past the group stage, it was really fun to see Gelsenkirchen kick out Real Madrid in the R16 and then kicking them out in the quarters. For sometime, I thought that I would actually complete the Pentagon, but, still, I have 4 more European countries(at least) to complete.

The brilliant run in the Serie A was capped with a confed Cup victory With Brazil. We were favourites, and Engand were our main challengers. So between us, each won a game-England in the group stage, we won the Finals

[table="width: 500"]
[tr]
[size=4][td]Year[/td]
[td]Nation[/td]
[td]League[/td]
[td]Position[/td]
[td]Cup-1[/td]
[td]Cup-2[/td]
[td]Continental[/td]
[td]Comments[/td]
[/size]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2014/15[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]14[/td]
[td]Quarter final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Always good for a first job...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2015/16[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Should boost my reputation in the Country[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2016/17[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Second Round[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]One continent ticked off[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2018[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Looking to end another continent by the next year. Ambitions!!![/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2019[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Third round[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Another continent done...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2020[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Opening(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Quarter Final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Patience[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2021[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Closing(1)[/td]
[td]1[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Why no league???[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2022[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]A league, at last[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Europe, here I come[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023/24[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Well, I do need to rent a house here now.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2024/25[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]First Blood in Europe[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Club
3/10 top domestic leagues(South Africa, Brazil,Italy) 
3/10 domestic cups (South Korea, Brazil,Italy)
4/5 club continental championships(Africa, Asia, North America, South America)
0/1 club world championship


International
2/5 continental tournaments (Africa, South America)
1/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup)

Overall
13/33 trophies

[threelions1goal]

I must be jinxed in this challenge.

In FM15 I was victim of the Copa Libertadores bug and had to re-start the challenge.

Now, in this challenge (I was seven seasons in) I've suffered a crash dump.........I thought they were a thing of the past.

I'm gutted.

Only thing for it is to start again immediately or I'll lose heart.

Will post my new 20 year old manager and my starting club when I get a job

[Sankalan]

3l1G:Well, I salute your determination. In the meanwhile:

DORTMUND, LIVERPOOL, BRAZIL 2025/26 UPDATE

Best season so far, also the first time I have completed a country in less than a season.

Started with 3 months of unemployment, before Dortmund fired their manager, and I took the job. Soon however, I regreted it. They just did not have the players to fit my tactic. We started losing games. Before I realised, the 18 point climb to the top had grown to 22, and the desired Europa League position seemed nowhere in sight. I really needed to get a few players, but a 7 figure transfer budget was just not enough. Also, they had been knocked out of the German Cup, so I had only one competition to add to this challenge.

Meanwhile, the Liverpool job became available. In the past I have had a successful career with Liverpool, and my current tactic was created there. They were still in the FA Cup, and only 9 points off the top, with a game in hand. The fact that the Ballon d'Or favourite was playing at Liverpool further tempted me. So I made the switch.

Back in familiar territory, the next 6 months were easy sailing. The club was 60m in debt, so even after scratching their coffers, they could offer me a transfer budget of no more than 1 million. But I did not need it. The players that I needed were already there, and my tactic was easily implemented. The funny part was that no sooner than I joined Liverpool, Emre Can wanted to leave for Dortmund. Now I had to agree to his demand, but Dortmund never made the bid. Apart from that, there is nothing to report from the Premier League, other than that we won it. The FA Cup was another great Adventure, facinc opponents like Villa, Huddersfield, MiddlesBrough and. The final against Man U was the only good opponent we had, and managed to edge them 2-1.

I quitted Liverpool and was greeted with Job openings at OM and OL, predicted to finish second and third in the French Ligue 1, But finishing fourth and fifth respectively. PSG did not win the league, it was Bordeaux(if I get the spelling right) but that job was stable. Applied for both, got offered both, But OL offered an Payroll of 2.76m, compared to the 10m of OM. So, you know which one I took. OM also plays(already) in my preferred tactic, and with OL breaking down financially, PSG should be my only competitor(and a dangerous one) and I could get France done in a single season as well. Having said that, I would not think twice before jumping ship to PSG, should it be possible.

Before that though, there was the world cup. Brazil were understandably favourites to win, and our group consisted of Mali, Costa Rica and Austria(really!!). Mali was brushed away 4-1. Costa Rica Followed 5-1. Austria drew 0-0 to a weakened squad. Next in line were England. This was a very important match because not only it would take me to the quarter finals of the world cup, it would also open the doors of Europe for me. We edged the game 1-0, to move on to Holland. 1-0 again, and Spain was next. This time, the media felt that we were likely to loose. won 3-0!!! One to go. Full time, 1-1. Start of extra time. And then Coutinho scores! 2-1! Viniscus adds his second on a counter within a minute. 3-1! Coutinho scores again, just before half time. lter, he completed his hattrick off a freekick. Brazil Wins the final 5-1!!!

[table="width: 500"]
[tr]
[size=4][td]Year[/td]
[td]Nation[/td]
[td]League[/td]
[td]Position[/td]
[td]Cup-1[/td]
[td]Cup-2[/td]
[td]Continental[/td]
[td]Comments[/td]
[/size]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2014/15[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]14[/td]
[td]Quarter final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Always good for a first job...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2015/16[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Should boost my reputation in the Country[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2016/17[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Second Round[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]One continent ticked off[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2018[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Looking to end another continent by the next year. Ambitions!!![/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2019[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Third round[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Another continent done...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2020[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Opening(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Quarter Final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Patience[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2021[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Closing(1)[/td]
[td]1[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Why no league???[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2022[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]A league, at last[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Europe, here I come[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023/24[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Well, I do need to rent a house here now.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2024/25[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]First Blood in Europe[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2025/26[/td]
[td]Germany[/td]
[td]Bundesliga(1)[/td]
[td]Left midseason[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]My shortest tunure, Oct-Dec[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2025/26[/td]
[td]England[/td]
[td]Premier League(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]SF of Europa[/td]
[td]Change is Good![/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Club
4/10 top domestic leagues(South Africa, Brazil, Italy, England) 
4/10 domestic cups (South Korea, Brazil, Italy, England)
4/5 club continental championships(Africa, Asia, North America, South America)
0/1 club world championship


International
2/5 continental tournaments (Africa, South America)
2/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup, World Cup)[b]COMPLETED[/b]

Overall
16/33 trophies

[boojar]

2019/20 and 2020/21 Season Review

LUTON TOWN

Leagues running: England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Holland

Haven't updated in a while as I went a little bit with not much time to play, but here's an update (and actual challenge progress!)

Continued to build and finished just outside of European qualification in 19/20 but showed steady improvement. Applied for some big jobs but kept getting passed over, but improved the team and really made a huge jump the next season with some pieces and an improved transfer budget. The team has been moving along nicely. Taking the team to UEFA Champions League was a great bonus but my youth team isn’t good enough where I think I can compete with Luton in Europe. I have to leave a bunch of roster spots empty due to not having enough Home Grown talent. However, I’m not sure if I need to jump ship as I am building a pretty great program and may be able to eek out a Premier League title or some Cups despite a relatively modest budget compared to the big guns.

I expect I am being passed up for some top jobs in England due to my commitment with Ghana but I had a great few years there. We won the ACON allowing two goals in the entire tournament and breezed through World Cup qualifying. We moved up to 4th place in the FIFA World Rankings.

I was going to resign following the ACON win, but now I feel I have a great chance to actually win a World Cup (or at the very least built my reputation) based on recent results. Bernard Mensah who I coach at an International and Club level has been one of the bright spots for me.

Season   Team         League         Position  Notes and Achievements
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
2015/16  Luton  ENG   League 2       1st       Took over 8th place on Dec 16/15
                                              Promoted to League One
2016/17  Luton  ENG   League 1       1st       Promoted to Championship
2017/18  Luton  ENG   Championship   6th       Won Playoff
                                              Promoted to Premier League
2018/19  Luton  ENG   Premier League 15th      
2019/20  Luton  ENG   Premier League 8th
2020/21  Luton  ENG   Premier League 4th       Qualified for UEFA Champions League


INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Year   Nation                     NL    WC     Cont.   Conf.   Notes & Achievements
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
2019   Ghana                      N/A   N/A    N/A     N/A     Took over February, Friendlies only
2020   Ghana                      N/A   N/A    N/A     N/A     Qualified for ACON 2021
2021   Ghana                      N/A   QUA    WON     N/A     Won ACON, Qualified for 2022 World Cup



Challenge Progress


Club
 0/10 top domestic leagues ()
 0/10 domestic cups ()
 0/5 club continental championships ()
 0/1 club world championship


International
 1/5 continental tournaments (Ghana-2021 ACON)
 0/2 world tournaments ()

[Taz & The Devil]

Decided to give this a go. Took my first job at Chinese first division side Beijing Beikong in December 2015. They offered me a budget of £3.8m for Transfers and £160k a week for wages. A budget that dwarfs most of the league. I spent 3 months buying the best talent i could find, hampered a bit by the 3 foreigners rule but just had my first match in charge in the league. I hope its a sign of things to come.

[vikeologist]

T&TD - Welcome to the challenge. I guess Beikong is a bit of a sleeping giant, so good luck there. In real life I'm tempted to go to the odd first division match this season. There's 2 First division teams in my city now, so maybe at some point I'll see your team in real life.

boojar - Congratulations. Your loyalty is paying off. I'm surprised that you're not being offered better jobs. The whole new job while being an international manager thing is a mystery that I'd love to understand. Are you even getting interviews with other clubs?

sankalan - Shouldn't take you long to complete the challenge at this rate.

3L1G - What's the idiom. Shutting the barn door after the horses have escaped. All I can say is that I regularly backup my saves on to an external drive as well as having 3 rolling saves. Hope you do start again. Actually my game crash dumps just about everytime I exit the game, but it does it after saving the game so I'm not losing anything.

[threelions1goal]

3L1G - What's the idiom. Shutting the barn door after the horses have escaped. All I can say is that I regularly backup my saves on to an external drive as well as having 3 rolling saves. Hope you do start again. Actually my game crash dumps just about everytime I exit the game, but it does it after saving the game so I'm not losing anything.

Yeah, started again - can't keep away!!

I usually accept the game's suggestion of saving every two months (or whatever it is) I intend to backup my save to an external drive too - my only positive from earlier is that it happened only seven seasons in with me having won two trophies, rather than, say, 25 seasons in.......and only two trophies!!!!

Anyway, I'll upload my details tomorrow, but started in China this time at Tianjin - saddled with debt and languishing near the bottom of the league. The last transfer window has passed, so I'm stuck with what I've got.

£81k over wage budget, which to me is scandalous!!

It's interesting to see the budgets for T&TD as they are a million miles away from mine!!

The wage budget is pretty much used up by the five foreigners who are all over thirty. Luckily three of them, their contracts run out at the end of the year so they will be gone and I'll be back in budget.

[mayihavecookie]

Thank you vikeologist for your commitment to the UFMC. It is a small thing that hopefully adds something to challenge. Hopefully it's not too much work to keep it updated.

Sankalan, when did you start this challenge again, like a week ago? You'll be finished by end of february if you continue like that.

I have a small update: I took over Grasshopper Club Zürich (the team I support in real life and the team with which I will start an FM16 save once I'm done with this challenge) in April 2036 to try and get a national cup win in a tenth nation.

Grasshopper Club Zürich - Super League

Manager Profile | Cup Win

And we did it. I only had to play two games in the tournament. In the semi final we beat St. Gallen (who won the league) 3-1, and in the final we played against Basel and beat them 2-1. I also played around ten league games, but here we didn't do so well. I took over in 4th place and finished the season in 5th. Don't care. Won my eleventh cup title in my tenth nation and am now definitely finished with the club side of things.

To finish my career with the club I support in real life has been a plan for a while now, and it's nice that it worked out. I also had the Portuguese league loaded as well as the Bundesliga, where I had unfinished buisness.

I'm also managing the English national team at the moment and will take them to the EURO 2036 now, so I hope I'll be back with good news soon.

[b]CLUB CAREER

Season     Club             Pos   DC1   DC2    Cont    Notes & Achievements[/b]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014  CHN Renhe             11th  QF    n/a    n/a     Took over after 13 games in 16th 
2015  CHN Renhe             2nd   QF    n/a    n/a     Chinese Manager of the Year
2016  CHN Renhe             1st   Won   n/a    R2      Won Chinese Super League & FA Cup
2017  KOR Chunnam           2nd   R4    n/a    Won     Won Asian Champions League
2018  KOR Jeonbuk           1st   Won   n/a    Won     Won Asian Champions League, K-League Classic & FA Cup
19/20 RSA Kaizer Chiefs     2nd   Won   QF     n/a     Won SA Cup
20/21 RSA Kaizer Chiefs     1st   Won   R1     open    Won SA Cup, Be The Coach and Premier Soccer League
21/22 RSA Kaizer Chiefs     1st   R1    QF     won     Won African Champions League, left after 13 games in 1st
21/22 GER Borussia Dortmund 3rd   F     n/a    n/a     Took over after 26 games in 9th
22/23 GER Borussia Dortmund 1st   F     n/a    EL won  Won Bundesliga and Europa League
23/24 ESP Real Madrid       1st   Won   n/a    R2      Won La Liga and Spanish Cup
24/25 HOL Ajax              1st   Won   n/a    R2      Won Eredivisie and Dutch Cup
2025  ARG Boca Juniors      1st   n/a   n/a    Won     Took over after 15 games in 2nd. Won League & Copa Libertadores
2026  ARG Boca Juniors      1st   Won   n/a    Won     Won Copa Argentina, Club World Cup and everything else
27/28 ENG Arsenal           1st   Won   Won    EL R2   Won Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup
28/29 ENG Arsenal           2nd   R4    Won    QF      Left 2nd after 33 games, they went on the win League, won C.O.C.
29/30 ITA Juve              2nd   Won   n/a    R2      Won Italian Cup   
30/31 ITA Juve              1st   Won   n/a    SF      Won League & Cup double
2032  USA New York City FC  1st   SF    n/a    Won     Won MLS and NACL
32/33 ENG Manchester City   9th   n/a   n/a    SF      Took over after 30 games in 12th
33/34 FRA PSG               1st   Won   Won    Won     Won League, League Cup, Champions League, Finished Club Part!
34/35
35/36 SUI Grasshoppers      5th   Won   n/a    n/a     Won Cup title in a tenth nation. Really finished club part.

[b]INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Year   Nation        NL     WC     Cont.  Conf.  Notes & Achievements[/b]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014   -
2015   -
2016   -
2017   - 
2018   South Korea                               Joined 22.7.18
2019   South Korea                 QF            Sacked 6.2.19
2019   Cameroon                                  Joined 17.2.19 World Ranking 29th
2020   Cameroon      
2021   Cameroon                    Won           Won African Cup of Nations
2022   Cameroon             3rd                  Resigned 10.7.22 World Ranking 4th
2023   France        SF                          Joined 17.7.22 World Ranking 7th
2024   France                      QF            Sacked 14.7.24 World Ranking 4th
2025   -
2026   -
2027   Uruguay                     Final         Joined 10.1.17, Resigned 3.7.17
2028   Brazil                                    Joined 12.9.17 World Ranking 1st
2029   Brazil                             Won    Won Confederations Cup
2030   Mexico                                    Joined 21.7.30 World Ranking 18th
2031   Mexico                      Final         Lost both Gold Cup & Copa America final
2032   Mexico
2033   Mexico                      Won           Left 25.7.33 World Ranking 10th  
2034   England  
2035   England
2036   England         

Challenge Progress

11/10 top domestic leagues [China (Renhe 2016), South Korea (Jeonbuk 2018), South Africa (Kaizer Chiefs 20/21), Germany (Dortmund 22/23), Spain (Real Madrid 23/24), Holland (Ajax 24/25), Argentina (Boca 2025), England (Arsenal 27/28), Italy (Juve 30/31), USA (NYCFC 2032), France (PSG 33/34)] COMPLETED!

11/10 domestic cups [China (Renhe 2016) , South Korea (Jeonbuk 2018), South Africa (Kaizer Chiefs 19/20), Spain (Real Madrid 23/24), Holland (Ajax 24/25), Argentina (Boca 2026), England FAC (Arsenal 27/28), England C1C (Arsenal 27/28), Italy (Juve 29/30), France (PSG 33/34), Switzerland (GCZ 35/36)] COMPLETED!

5/5 club continental championships [Asia (Chunnam 2017 and Jeonbuk 2018), Africa (Kaizer Chiefs 21/22), South America (Boca 2025 and 2026), North America (NYCFC 2032), Europe (PSG 33/34)] COMPLETED!

1/1 club world championship (Boca 2026 and PSG 2033) COMPLETED!

2/5 continental tournaments [African Cup of Nations (Cameroon), Gold Cup (Mexico)]

1/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup with Brazil)

[JoeLapira]

Haven't been on in a while but have been tipping away at my save. Last time I was on, I was managing Swallows in S.Africa but I wasn't happy there. Even though I won my first Challenge Trophy with them, I didn't think I could take them much further. I had started the season with them anyway and we were 10 games in, sitting in mid table when a vacancy at the Vancouver Whitecaps became available. The MLS season had just finished and Vancouver had a decent season, so I applied and got the job. In terms of finances and facilities this is the best club I have been at. I was able to make some good signings and got 3 good young players in the Draft and the season has gone better than expected. We're in the final of the Canadian Championship, we're 2nd in our Conference division, 2 points off of 1st and 3rd in the overall combined table, 4 points off of 1st. The conferences part of the competition is called the MLS Cup and the combined leagues is called The Supporters Shield, would I be right in saying that the first one is the League and the second one is the Cup?

In terms of Tunisia, we won the CHAN for the second time and had our World Cup Group drawn, we got Germany, Australia and Turkey. Tough group but I optimistic of coming out of it which is my minimum aim for the competition.

[vikeologist]

MLS (USA) - For challenge purposes the MLS Cup counts as the league, and the US Open Cup counts as the cup.

[JoeLapira]

I havent seen the US Open Cup on my competitions page, just the MLS Cup, the Supporters Shield, the Canadian Championship and the Cascadia Cup. Do Canadian teams not enter the US Open cup or something?

[Darius1998]

I think the Canadian Championship counts for Canadian clubs instead of the US Open Cup.

[JoeLapira]

Thats a bit of a joke. There's only 5 teams in the Canadian Championship, it'll be nice to win it but i certainly wont be counting towards the Challenge.

[vikeologist]

The US Open Cup is the one where MLS sides play in a cup against minor league sides. The wikipedia page doesn't say that it's changed name. it's the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The MLs Cup is the playoff at the end of the league and that's what we count as the league. The division standings themselves don't count for anything.

Hope this helps you identify which cup is which.

The Canadian Championship wouldn't count towards the challenge. The US open Cup and the Mexican Cup (oh and the Australian Cup) are the ones where not all the top division sides can enter, but they still count because they're the main cup in that league. the Canadian cup isn't the main cup, so it doesn't count.

Where there are special rules for leagues, i have the clarification in post 3 (I think). I'll put more detail in now.

I'm not making this stuff up as we go along, or making decisions myself. It's been discussed before and agreed upon.

[Darius1998]

In that case, do the Canadian clubs actually enter the US Open Cup?

[TheEarl]

The Earls Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

2021/22 - Aston Villa / Romania - English Championship (Tier 2)

After winning an amazing The Double with Rangers I made the biggest mistake (so far) in this save, resigning from the job as I thought I would get a great job somewhere else. But reputation in FM16 is something quite different than the reputation in FM15. Here its much more down to the reputation you got in the country/region you are playing in. So my scottish reputation was good but not the rest of the world. I searched around for a lot of jobs, but could only get Aston Villa, newly relegated to Championship football, but with a really nice 1,2M pound weekly wage-budget.

Season target was obvious get straight back to Premier League (where Villa belong right?). The team was however in a complete civil disorder. Everyone, and yeah I mean everyone in the first-team wanted out. I tried to convince as many as possible to stay, but it would not be easy. Including young players, no less than 41 players left on transfer, free transfer and outgoing loans.... 20 players where signed to the club.

It took a lot of patience to make the players familiar with the club and the tactics. In the start of the season we did really bad and found ourselves in 12th position after 14 games and I started to feel the pressure from the board. We lost already in 2nd round of League Cup 3-4 away to Peterborough.

In the FA Cup we met Swindon Town in the 3rd round and won 2-1 away. But playing Stoke away in the 4th round was "impossible" loosing 1-7 was an embarrassment. Around this time we found some good form in the league finally. In the final 23 games of the league we only lost 1 time. But 3 draws in the final 3 games meant we lost the 2nd place and final secure promotion spot. We finished in 3rd spot 1 point off promotion. It meant play-offs and we faced Charlton in the semi-final. We lost 1-2 away, but had high hopes for the home game. But our form was gone, we lost 0-1 at home and where out.

This meant we would loose our 30M pound parachute from Premier League, and a much smaller budget next season. I once again resigned.

Short story about Romania, we competed in the World Cup , but lost all games and where knocked out. I resigned from this job as well.

Season        Club            League             Pos.   Cup               Info.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16  HOL  Den Bosch     Jupiler League       11th   2nd round     Joined 19th, already out of Cup
2016/17  HOL  Den Bosch     Jupiler League        1st   4th round      Won the league and promoted!
2017/18  HOL  Den Bosch     Eresdivisie           14th   2nd round     Survived in a bad season.
2018/19  SCO  Falkirk       Championship          2nd  Quarter fin.   Promoted after playoffs, 3rd r. of leag. cup
2019/20  SCO  Rangers      Championship           1st  Quarter fin.   Promoted, 3rd r. of leag. cup
2020/21  SCO  Rangers      Premiership              1st   Winners        Double champion, QF of league cup
2021/22  ENG  Aston Villa  Championship           3rd  4th Round     Lost play-off semis, 2nd r. of lag. cup

Season        Nation             World Cup      Cont. Cup            Other
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020/21     Romania           In qualif.         NA                      Won Nations League B, Promoted to A
2021/22     Romania           4th in group    NA                      Qualified for World Cup, finished bottom

[b][i]Challenge Progress[/i][/b]

[b]Club[/b]
------------------------------------------
1/10 top domestic leagues (Scotland)
1/10 domestic cups (Scottish FA Cup)
0/5 club continental championships 
0/1 club world championship 

[b]International[/b]
-------------------------------------------
0/5 continental tournaments 
0/2 world tournaments

[vikeologist]

In that case, do the Canadian clubs actually enter the US Open Cup?

No. If you're managing a Canadian club in the MLS, you can't win a domestic cup for the purposes of the challenge; like with Wellington in Australia.

I expect there's some country with problems that we've never come across, but there are a lot of nations (in Europe and South America) that nobody has ever managed in for this challenge.

[JoeLapira]

I'll check my competitions when i get home from work but i dont recall the US Open Cup being on it , or in the board expectations at the start of the season.

Vike; i understand the rules completely regarding cups but if it is true that Candaian clubs cant enter the US Open Cup it should also be included in the opening posts as there are 3 sides in the MLS based in Canada.

[vikeologist]

Yes, I've added some extra information in post 3 about this.

[JoeLapira]

I plan to try and win the NACL with Vancouver, as i believe given a couple of seasons i could develop this side into a strong force in the MLS. Its gonna be a right pain not being able to add a cup along the way but it's just something i'll have to deal with.

I have to say I always enjoy spending a few seasons in the MLS with all its unique aspects to the league. I know some people can find them a bit off putting but i find adds to the challenge of the league.

[Darius1998]

Since I've won the Nedbank Cup (FA Cup) as well as the Telkom Knockout (League Cup type) in South Africa, I hope both count towards the challenge? Currently on my way to winning the league (barring a slight choke)...

[Sankalan]

Sorry to disappoint you DB08, but you can take only a single cup from a country. It is great to win two, but you get respect and nothing else for one. From hereon, my advice would be two willingly crash out of one cup if a country has two available, that will allow you to focus on other competitions.

Btw, I have taken the Saudi Arabia Job to get the Asian Cup(we are third best in asia so need some luck) after England figured out that a domestic double in their Country and a World cup was not sufficient for a manager to get their Job. The gelsenkirchen(Defending champions of Bundesliga and Champions League) job became available, but somehow I did not take it. Currently, RC Lens is doing extremely well in the league, which is a surprise

[nikolast86]

Hi everyone. So after playing fm/cm for about 20 years now, I decided to try this very intriguing and demanding challenge. Gonna be playing it on FM Touch 2016 and decided to start from Asia/Africa, loading Korea, China, S.Africa and India. The plan is to get some reputation and few titles there before moving to the more demanding S.American and European leagues.

First year, after few unsuccessful interviews got hired by Gyeongam in 2nd S.Korean league. The team was in horrible condition, but it seemed possible to turn things around because of the structure of the league, as it consists of 11 teams that play each other 4 times for a total of 40 matches. Out of 11, 1 goes straight up and 2-4 play playoffs for one more position. It turned out that I was horribly wrong. Managed to play 8 games 2-1-5 record and unemployed again. By the way, I did not manage to resist on signing 40-year old Alessandro Del Piero Anyway, about 10 games before the end I get hired by Anyang, a team with much smaller budget, but in much better shape. They were 7th at the moment, with chances to enter the playoff. We did not make it in the end, as it took me some time to get an appropriate formation for the team, but we ended up 5th.

Second year, signing a few key players, plus getting a number of promising cheap guys on loan from bigger clubs we make a great start in the season, leading since the beginning despite mid-table predictions. We also kicked out one of the biggest teams in the country from FA cup and lost to another only in penalties (15-14!!). It was really a pity as it seemed that we could have reasonable chances of going all the way in the cup. Anyway, despite a terrible ending in the season (1 victory in the last 8 games) we manage to secure promotion to the premier division (K classic). I am currently thinking on whether to try going to some bigger club, as I have started building some reputation, but I think I will give it a chance with the team in the first division. Do not want to get too attached though, as the clock on the challenge is ticking, so titles should start piling up soon.

Hope to manage and keep the challenge going and keeping you informed on the progress.

CLUB CAREER

Season        Club                League           Position        Cup 1      Cup 2       Cont.                 Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015  KOR Gyeongnam        K Challenge (2nd)         -                                           Took over after 13 games, sacked after 8 games
2015  KOR Anyang           K Challenge (2nd)        5th                                              Took over with 10 games left 7th, ended up 5th
2016  KOR Anyang           K Challenge (2nd)        1st          5th rou.                         Champions! Promotion to K Classic 

Challenge Progress

Club
0/10 top domestic leagues
0/10 domestic cups
0/5 club continental championships
0/1 club world championship

International
0/5 continental tournaments
0/2 world tournaments 

[threelions1goal]

Welcome Nikolast

Okay, further from my previous post where I had to restart this challenge because of a crash dump which infected my save, here is my manager profile

Profile

Information

What a handsome young chap!! (Information 2)

So...... a brief update.

As stated in my last post, I couldn't get a job for love nor money during the first season, but then Tianjin in China took a punt on me.

They were in 11th position when I took over and had a media prediction of 10th - there were around ten games left until the end of the season.

The club, financially, were in a mess. The wage bill was sky high - around £40k over budget, with the vast majority of that being spent on the five foreigners.

I had an ageing Argentinian forward who was on £41k per week - the Chinese guys were only on around 2-3k per week

Anyway, things were disastrous with injuries, results, finances, the squad and I managed to only win three matches, but we finished in thirteenth

Because of the clubs poor finances, the training facilities were downgraded so I asked the board if they would upgrade them again but was declined, so I left it at that and decided to get rid of the high earning forigners who were at the end of their contracts and try to rebuild.

Unsuspecting (by me) a journalist asked how I felt about the facilities being downgraded and if I got on with the chairman - I told him I was disappointed but understood regarding the training facilities and that me and the chairman had an understanding.

With that, the board requested I attend a meeting as they were unhappy I had "leaked" the story to the press - they wanted to know why I said what I had, regarding the facilities and I told them it was because I thought by saying what I had, it would make them reconsider their decision. They asked why I felt I shouldn't be sacked and I said because I don't think the club needs any more upheaval .......... so they sacked me anyway (maybe because I looked ill on that screenshot - too much Chinese Sun and sweet and sour sauce I reckon!!)

So I spent the next few months looking for a new job, applying for many but not even getting an interview. By this point it was April 2017, so I thought "well at least I'll get a club in the summer and have a full pre-season"

Then came a job offer from Glentoran, in Northern Ireland which I accepted and they hired me

So, with 6 matches to go, I'm 6th in the league and only 5 points off a European spot!!

Plus, in true Vike fashion, I have no shame in accepting the hard work of others and I'm in the Semi Final of The FA Cup Which means I'm two matches from winning the first trophy in this restarted challenge!!!!!

(I'll probably get knocked out, but you have to dream, don't ya!!)

[sherwinriga]

3L1G, what a bad run in Tianjin, but you would have proved better in the FA Cup. You would have to take to win that competition for sure. Good luck in winning it!

[Sankalan]

SAUDI ARABIA ASIAN CUP 2027 UPDATE

I expected to get the most difficult competition done quickly after the world cup, but that was not to be. The fear started to set in when I realised that the board wanted no more that Quarter Finals, and Quarter Finals it was. We got draws against Oman And Jordan in the group stage, but a victory against Qatar allowed us to make it to the second round. Here we met China, we were 'just about favorites' but still needed extra time to beat them 2-1. Then came South Korea, and brushed us aside 4-1. So much for the Asian Cup.

Really, though, Taking the Earl as a target() I have ~16 years to try and get the Euro, North America And Asia, and vikeologist advices to go for Asia first, so I would like to see what other Asian nations become Available after the Final. Australia would have been he best, but they won, so that wont be possible So Iran or South Korea maybe? well nothing three days after the Cup is done.So Am I stuck at Saudi?

It is not as if I will finish this season without adding trophies though. At the half way mark, we are at the top of Ligue 1 standings, and PSG is not Second. It is RC Lens. Another upset is sure to happen, whether it is us or RC Lens remains to be seen. The League cup started with pitting us against PSG, and we crashed out, but the FA Cup still remains. Not that I need it though, I just need the League, and I will get it.

Oh, and for Humor, bought Ivan Rios for 4.1m from Madrid at the start of season, played him in a couple of matches, and sold him in January to City for 7.75m. Easy money!

[TheEarl]

Really, though, Taking the Earl as a target() I have ~16 years to try and get the Euro, North America And Asia, and vikeologist advices to go for Asia first, so I would like to see what other Asian nations become Available after the Final. Australia would have been he best, but they won, so that wont be possible So Iran or South Korea maybe? well nothing three days after the Cup is done.So Am I stuck at Saudi?

I am really happy for anyone to (try) break my "record" its there to be taken really. It was never a perfect save. But this challenge is much more about go with the flow as vike says. Enjoy urself, maybe go to place no one has gone before.

But just to make things clear Sankalan you are playing FM15 right?

[boojar]

boojar - Congratulations. Your loyalty is paying off. I'm surprised that you're not being offered better jobs. The whole new job while being an international manager thing is a mystery that I'd love to understand. Are you even getting interviews with other clubs?

Not even an interview. My reputation is up to Continental and I admit to be applying for only the top jobs in England but, yeah, no interviews at Man City, United, Arsenal when those jobs have come up. I will see if I notice a change after the 2022 World Cup when I plan to leave Ghana.

[Taz & The Devil]

Season 2016 - Beijing Beikong

League | Senaya | Competitions/Budgets

Beikong offered me a huge budget of £160k per week for wages and over £3m for transfers. In the end i ended up spending £3.3m on transfers (I recouped £2.3m) and £95k a week on wages (budget screenshot is from after we achieved promotion). The season started with a 9-2 victory and i thought my expensively assembled squad would walk the league but we never came close. Hebei Huaxia Xingfu hit the top of the league from week 4 and then never left top spot winning the league by 10 points. We did take second though and get promoted. We had a blip where we lost 3 in a row and dropped to 8th in week 8 but by match 14 we had hit second place and wouldnt drop below it again.

Top scorer Yao Junior Sènaya scored 18 goals in his first 13 games but unfortunately only scored 3 in his next 17 games. I just couldnt get him to rediscover his touch. Maybe if he had have kept his early season scoring feats up we would have done better but i'm happy with the season.

We also managed to reach the quarter finals of the FA Cup, losing 3-1 to Super League side Changchun Yatai.

I approached this season as if it would be my only with the club so i spent a lot of money and took a punt on a few players as my scouting network was very poor (5% world knowledge) but looking at the Super League job adverts that have just become available and some clubs are operating in the top flight on budgets as low as £24k per week for wages so it looks like i will be having a second season.

During the season i got the club to finance National C License and i am currently doing National B Licence. (Rules mention starting with no qualifications but i assume we can then do them in game)

[b]CLUB CAREER
                                        League                        Cups
Season        Club                                                   1st  2nd   Cont.   Managerial Statistics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/b]
2016    CHI   Beijing Beikong   National First Division - 2nd        Q/F  N/A    N/A    P34  W23  D4  L7  F73  A37  W67%

[b]Challenge Progress

Club
---------------------------------------------[/b]
0/10 top domestic leagues ()
0/10 domestic cups ()
0/5 club continental championships ()
0/1 club world championship
[b]
International
---------------------------------------------[/b]
0/5 continental tournaments ()
0/2 world tournaments ()

[TheEarl]

cookie I think this is the first time someone won a trophy in Switzerland on this challenge. People might correct me if I am wrong. I am looking in my savegame to win titles with clubs/competitons that others have never done before.

[fiz]

I'm switching over to Linux steam so I may just restart the challenge. Haven't made much progress anyway

[pug 407]

Pug's Update Season 2021/22

After Finishing 4th Last Season, The Chairman Give Me 144 Million To Spend. I Think I Spent Wisely To Strengthen The Squad. After A Few Games For My

Player To Get Use To My Tactic. We Went On A Unbeatable Run Of 25 Games With Out Defeat. Coming To The Final Stretch We Were 12 Points In Front Of

Schalke. When We Went Through A Bit Of A Sticky Patch. In The End We Needed 1 Point From Our Last 2 Games. We Just About Managed It Drawing The

Second From Last And Losing The Last. So Champions And The 2 Cups Time 2 Resign.

With Spain I Was Drawn In A Group With Portugal And Ukraine. Which We Won Winning All Our Games. Next Up In The Semi-Final With A 4-2 Win Against

England. Next Was Russia In The Final With A 3-0 Win. With Not A Lot Of Jobs About, I Applied For And Got A Job At Mexican Side Monterrey

                                                                      CLUB CAREER                      
                                                                      -----------
Season     Club                Leagues        Cups                                     Other & Notes
                              1st  2nd       1st  2nd    Cont   CWC                                                                        ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16    Cambridge Utd                                                               Promoted To Div 1.Won JPT                     
2016/17    Cambridge Utd                           Won                                 Promoted To Championship.
2017/18    Cambridge Utd                      Won                                      Promoted To Premier League,Won FA Cup
2018/19    Newcastle Utd       Won                                                     Won The Premier League
2019/20    Newcastle Utd       Won                 Won     Won                         Premier league/C1C/Champions League
2020/21    Newcastle Utd                                         Won                   Won Club World Cup
2020/21    Dortmund                           Won                                      Resigned NUFC Took Over Dortmund In 12th
2021/22    Dortmund            Won            Won  Won                                 
2022/23    Monterrey


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  INTERNATIONAL CAREER
                                                                  --------------------

Season    Nation         Cups                                                                         Other & Notes
                        World Cup    Confed Cup    Euro's    AFC    ACON    Gold Cup   Copa America
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16   Iran U23                                                                                    Won AFC U23 Championship
2016/17   France U21                                                                                  Won U21 Championship
2018/19   England U21
2019/20   Algeria                                                                                     Never Played A Game
2020/21   Spain                                                                                       
2021/22   Spain                                                                                       Won UEFA Nations League

   Challenge Progress

Club

2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (England-Germany)
2/10 Domestic Cup (England-Germany)
1/5  Continentals Cups (European)
1/1  Club World Cup

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/2 World Tournaments

[JoeLapira]

Tunisia 2022 World Cup Report

Going in to the tournament the board only expected us to be competitive, personally I wanted to at least reach the last 16, which would be the farthest a Tunisian side has gone. Our group contained Germany, Australia and Turkey, a tough group but I felt we could still manage to finish in the top 2.

Our first match was Germany, even though they didn't have any real life players they were still a strong side and they dominated the opening stages of the game, but we restricted them to long shots and gave up no clear cut chances. Then just before half time we had our first attack and we scored. After a positive team talk my players went out in buoyant mood and soon after the restart we scored again, 2-0 up against the Germans, who'd have thought it. Thankfully we managed to see out the remainder of the game and our first 3 points were in the bag.

Next up was Australia, after losing their opening game to Turkey, I was fairly confident going into this game. But that confidence was shattered within 15 minutes as the Aussies took a 2 goal lead via a penalty and a corner. We were playing well but 2 set pieces had killed us. I was tempted to change things but didn't until about the 65th minute when it was still 2-0. I changed to our 4-4-2 diamond which allowed us 2 strikers on the field but also gave our all conquering right back the freedom to get further forward. This changed the game, a goal and an assist for our right back and we were back in it 2-2. We couldn't find the 3rd goal but with Turkey beating Germany, I was happy enough with the draw.

So the Turks were up next, a draw here would be enough to send us through, as would a defeat if Australia failed to beat the Germans. The game against Turkey was boring, we cancelled each other out in all departments. I made a few changes, bringing off some of my key players to rest them for the next round. The game dragged into injury time, but suddenly it sparked into life. Both teams started having great chances, for the final 4 minutes it was like a basketball match. Then with pretty much the last kick of the game Turkey scored, fortunately Germany had convincingly beaten the Aussies 4-1 so that meant with 4 points we were through.

The Last 16 pitted us against my home country, Rep. of Ireland. We played them in one of our pre tournament friendlies and comfortably beat them 1-0. Confidence was once again high going into the game and as the game moved through the early stages it was clear we were the better side. A goal in the 30th minute for us help settle any remaining nerves and then a second on 55 minutes and we were dreaming of the quarter finals. A very late goal from the Irish was a mere consolation and either Iran or Spain awaited us in the quarter finals.

To the shock of the football world, Iran beat Spain on penalties and once again the optimism within our camp rose. Iran had essentially drawn their way to this stage of the tournament, scoring only 1 goal. Defensively Iran were very strong and it was obvious how they had got this far but like our other matches prior to this, if we need a goal, i just change my right back to CWB on attack duty and he transforms our offensive play. Within minutes of the change we were 1 up, the assist coming from Mbakari, the right back. Iran had no answer offensively, failing to register a shot on target and it was onto the semi final we went.

Awaiting us there was one of the Tournament favourites; France. This side was littered with quality players, Lloris, Varane, Schniederlin, Rabiot, Pogba and Martial. This was gonna be tough and it was. France absolutely dominated us with Martial scoring an early goal. If it wasn't for the heroics of our retiring goalkeeper we would have been outta the game by half time. This continued into the second half with the French registering 21 shots with 12 on target with us not even having an attack yet. On 80 minutes I gambled and stuck Mbakari on the attack and guess what he scored. Unbelievably we were 1-1 going into the final few minutes, but our players were out on their feet and a chipped ball over the top from Pogba onto to speedy Martial sunk us. We fought bravely throughout but our time in the World Cup had come to an end.

I holidayed past the third placed playoff against Turkey as I wanted to finish up before i went to work, we won it on penalties. Italy beat France in the final, but overall i was delighted with how we played and how far we went. Mbakari was selected as a sub for the Team of the Tournament and we were selected as biggest overachievers in the World Cup report. Jobs with Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Costa Rica and Mexico have all come available and I applied for them all. Hopefully I can get one as although I have loved my time as Tunisia boss, it is time for a new Challenge.

[JoeLapira]

Just a quick update on the club side of things. My Vancouver side currently sits top of both our Conference and the Combined table so things are going excellently well for us. The draw for the 22/23 NACL took place and we drawn into a group with FC Tuaro and Cruz Azul. Cruz Azul are 2 time defending Champions of the NACL and outright favourites to make it 3 in a row. With the group winner the only one to progress, it's gonna be tough to qualify but if we intend on winning this competition we're gonna have to beat some top sides along the way. An American/Canadian side have been to the final 5 out of the last six times with Vancouver reaching the final in 2019. Hopefully we can go one step further and secure my first continental trophy.

[Sankalan]

OM LIGUE 1 2026/27 UPDATE

The Asian Cup was a bad experience, but the fact that no other job became available(In Asia, N. America or Europe) was equally bad. Currently, I am stuck with Saudi, let's see what happens there.

France was a much better experience. As I reprted earlier, we and RC Lens were 8-9 points above the rest of the league at half way stage, but Lens went down soon after. PSG was already not performing upto the standard, so despite a good surge in the second half, they were no match for us. We defeated them home and away, so really, they are no longer what they used to be.

The cups were not as good though. PSg sent us out of the league cup, Montpeiller sent us out of the FA Cup and Monaco took the responsibility in the Europa League. I am leaving the country now, which means the Champions League must be taken in either Spain(Atletico, Real or Barca) or Germany(Bayern or Gelsenkirchen)

[table="width: 500"]
[tr]
[size=4][td]Year[/td]
[td]Nation[/td]
[td]League[/td]
[td]Position[/td]
[td]Cup-1[/td]
[td]Cup-2[/td]
[td]Continental[/td]
[td]Comments[/td]
[/size]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2014/15[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]14[/td]
[td]Quarter final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Always good for a first job...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2015/16[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Should boost my reputation in the Country[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2016/17[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Second Round[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]One continent ticked off[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2018[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Looking to end another continent by the next year. Ambitions!!![/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2019[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Third round[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Another continent done...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2020[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Opening(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Quarter Final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Patience[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2021[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Closing(1)[/td]
[td]1[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Why no league???[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2022[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]A league, at last[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Europe, here I come[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023/24[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Well, I do need to rent a house here now.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2024/25[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]First Blood in Europe[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2025/26[/td]
[td]Germany[/td]
[td]Bundesliga(1)[/td]
[td]Left midseason[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]My shortest tenure, Oct-Dec[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2025/26[/td]
[td]England[/td]
[td]Premier League(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]SF of Europa[/td]
[td]Change is Good![/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2026/27[/td]
[td]France[/td]
[td]Ligue 1(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Tenth Round[/td]
[td]Fourth round[/td]
[td]QF of Europa[/td]
[td]That elusive Asian Cup! My first International disappointment...[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Club
5/10 top domestic leagues(South Africa, Brazil, Italy, England, France) 
4/10 domestic cups (South Korea, Brazil, Italy, England)
4/5 club continental championships(Africa, Asia, North America, South America)
0/1 club world championship


International
2/5 continental tournaments (Africa, South America)
2/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup, World Cup)[b]COMPLETED[/b]

Overall
17/33 trophies

[vikeologist]

Sankalan - Congrats on passing the half way mark.

JoeL - Very impressive run in the World Cup. I never overachieved in my challenge. At best I met expectations, and often enormously failed to do even that. Good luck in the NACL.

Pug - Good progress. Monterey should give you a good chance of success, both domestically and in the NACL.

T&TD - Beikong may well be a good club to stay with. At least i'm convinced there's a lot of bad Chinese jobs in the game. Anywhere where you can stay financially healthy is a good spot. Yes, you can and should study for qualifications. I suppose the instructions were confusing. Have edited it now. I think its safe to assume in real life no chinese SL club is operating on just 24k a week, but I guess the game hasn't caught up with the crazy trabsfer situation that's kicking off.

boojar - In theory after the world cup, some of the top club managers should leave their jobs to take up international posts.

3L1G - well, as we say here, TIC. This is China. You could have slept with your Chairman's wife (he probably wasn't), but don't make him lose face in the press. Hope you managed to vike the Irish cup, (patent pending).

n86 - Great start. Good luck in the top division.

[JoeLapira]

JoeL - Very impressive run in the World Cup. I never overachieved in my challenge. At best I met expectations, and often enormously failed to do even that. Good luck in the NACL.

I think i got a good stroke of luck with getting Ireland and Iran in the knockouts though. Ireland topped a group containing Brazil, Egypt and Russia. Iran came second in a group with Argentina, Mexico and Ivory Coast(I think). Hopefully if i can come through the group stage of the NACL i can enjoy similar luck in the knockout draws. It would be great to get my first Continental trophy in the bag. Then with what should be increased rep I should be able to return to Africa and Asia and get jobs with better clubs.

Sankalan; Fair play to ya for progessing so fast, what is your secret?

[Sankalan]

Luck is definitely a factor, but I have managed in all of EFIGS in earlier. The good thing is I have not had to switch from fm15 to fm16, which from what i have heard is quite difficult.

Additionally, winning 4 different champions leagues in quick succession without caring for leagues allowed me to get good teams to manage. Napoli, Liverpool, OM, were all predicted to finish second, and you know that a human manager can improve that to first quite easily. I haven't, for example, won the premier league with Newcastle, or the Asian Cup with Saudi!

[JoeLapira]

EFIGS, whats that?

Ya from what i understand switching from 15 to 16 is meant to be tricky, fortunately i never played 15 so I'm alright in that sense. Getting those 4 continentals out of the way so quickly is a serious achievement though. I'm about 6/7 years into my game and on my 4th club but i'm just about to compete in my first continental tournament. Hopefully i can win it either this year or next and then quickly move on to another continent.

[Sankalan]

EnglandFranceItalyGermanySpain

[TheEarl]

Completions

[TABLE=class: outer_border, width: 500, align: center]

[TR]

[TD] Challenger

[/TD]

[TD]Version

[/TD]

[TD]Year Completed

[/TD]

[TD]The Update

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]TheEarl

[/TD]

[TD]FM15 Full

[/TD]

[TD]2043

[/TD]

[TD]EOC Report[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]NormandyWept

[/TD]

[TD]FM15 Classic

[/TD]

[TD]2085

[/TD]

[TD]EOC Report[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Vikeologist

[/TD]

[TD]FM15 Full

[/TD]

[TD]2085

[/TD]

[TD]EOC Report[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Leaderboard and Notable Saves

Number of the33 eligible challenge trophies gained, (10 minimum, sorry, SuperGord who achieved 9 on FM15)



mayihavecookie - 29

Burtur - 18

Sankalan-17

Pug407 - 11 *



*FM15 save

Think you have a mispelling in your own finishing year here vike you finished 2075 right?

I guess the * should state: FM16 save not FM15 as those without * are on fm15 right?

[JoeLapira]

EnglandFranceItalyGermanySpain

Ah that makes sense alright, how didnt i spot that. I refer to the them as the Big 5 or the Top 5.

[pug 407]

Pug - Good progress. Monterey should give you a good chance of success, both domestically and in the NACL.

Hope So Mate They Won It Last Year. Only Come Up Because The Manager Took Over Mexico. Really Been Lucky On 2016 With Jobs

[mayihavecookie]

mayihavecookie's 2036 EURO Report



England - European Championship

Games

I took over the England national team after their Group Stage out at the World Cup 2034. England is still one of the better teams in Europe, maybe behind France and Germany. So I hoped we had a chance at the European Championship 2036.

The two years before the EURO went okay. We won all the games in our EURO Qualifications Group. In the Nations League we finished 2nd in our group with Spain and Holland.

We won our three group games against Belgium (2-0), Cyprus (5-1) and Romania (3-0). In the 1st Knockout Round we met Scotland, and we struggled. Scotland played a strange formation with 5 players in the centre, 1 DM, 3 CMs and 1 AM. We didn't manage to get any possession and never really had a chance to score. After 80 minutes we gave away a penalty and went down 0-1. We went full risk to try and equalise. I even put one of centre backs in the second forward slot as I already used all three substitutions due to injuries. And somehow, after 96 minutes we managed to score from a corner. So we were through to extra time, where we scored two more goals to a 3-1 win.

Next we met Italy, and the game went very similar to the last one. We didn't manage to break down the ultra defensive Italian team and had to go to extra time again. And again we made it even harder for ourselves by giving away a penalty. This time we couldn't recover from the 0-1 after 117 minutes.

We went out in the Quarter Final and I resigned before I was sacked.

[b]CLUB CAREER

Season     Club             Pos   DC1   DC2    Cont    Notes & Achievements[/b]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014  CHN Renhe             11th  QF    n/a    n/a     Took over after 13 games in 16th 
2015  CHN Renhe             2nd   QF    n/a    n/a     Chinese Manager of the Year
2016  CHN Renhe             1st   Won   n/a    R2      Won Chinese Super League & FA Cup
2017  KOR Chunnam           2nd   R4    n/a    Won     Won Asian Champions League
2018  KOR Jeonbuk           1st   Won   n/a    Won     Won Asian Champions League, K-League Classic & FA Cup
19/20 RSA Kaizer Chiefs     2nd   Won   QF     n/a     Won SA Cup
20/21 RSA Kaizer Chiefs     1st   Won   R1     open    Won SA Cup, Be The Coach and Premier Soccer League
21/22 RSA Kaizer Chiefs     1st   R1    QF     won     Won African Champions League, left after 13 games in 1st
21/22 GER Borussia Dortmund 3rd   F     n/a    n/a     Took over after 26 games in 9th
22/23 GER Borussia Dortmund 1st   F     n/a    EL won  Won Bundesliga and Europa League
23/24 ESP Real Madrid       1st   Won   n/a    R2      Won La Liga and Spanish Cup
24/25 HOL Ajax              1st   Won   n/a    R2      Won Eredivisie and Dutch Cup
2025  ARG Boca Juniors      1st   n/a   n/a    Won     Took over after 15 games in 2nd. Won League & Copa Libertadores
2026  ARG Boca Juniors      1st   Won   n/a    Won     Won Copa Argentina, Club World Cup and everything else
27/28 ENG Arsenal           1st   Won   Won    EL R2   Won Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup
28/29 ENG Arsenal           2nd   R4    Won    QF      Left 2nd after 33 games, they went on the win League, won C.O.C.
29/30 ITA Juve              2nd   Won   n/a    R2      Won Italian Cup   
30/31 ITA Juve              1st   Won   n/a    SF      Won League & Cup double
2032  USA New York City FC  1st   SF    n/a    Won     Won MLS and NACL
32/33 ENG Manchester City   9th   n/a   n/a    SF      Took over after 30 games in 12th
33/34 FRA PSG               1st   Won   Won    Won     Won League, League Cup, Champions League, Finished Club Part!
34/35
35/36 SUI Grasshoppers      5th   Won   n/a    n/a     Won Cup title in a tenth nation. Really finished club part.

[b]INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Year   Nation        NL     WC     Cont.  Conf.  Notes & Achievements[/b]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014   -
2015   -
2016   -
2017   - 
2018   South Korea                               Joined 22.7.18
2019   South Korea                 QF            Sacked after losing in the AC QF
2019   Cameroon                                  Joined 17.2.19
2020   Cameroon      
2021   Cameroon                    Won           Won African Cup of Nations
2022   Cameroon             3rd                  Resigned after finishing 3rd in the WC
2023   France        SF                          Joined 17.7.22
2024   France                      QF            Sacked after losing in the EURO QF
2025   -
2026   -
2027   Uruguay                     Final         Joined 10.1.17, resigned after losing in the CA Final
2028   Brazil                                    Joined 12.9.17
2029   Brazil                             Won    Won Confederations Cup
2030   Brazil               QF                   Sacked after losing in the WC QF
2031   Mexico                      Final         Lost both Gold Cup & Copa America final
2032   Mexico
2033   Mexico                      Won           Resigned after winning the Gld Cup
2034   England                                   Took over after the World Cup
2035   England
2036   England                     QF            Resigned after losing in the EURO QF                                                     

Challenge Progress

11/10 top domestic leagues [China (Renhe 2016), South Korea (Jeonbuk 2018), South Africa (Kaizer Chiefs 20/21), Germany (Dortmund 22/23), Spain (Real Madrid 23/24), Holland (Ajax 24/25), Argentina (Boca 2025), England (Arsenal 27/28), Italy (Juve 30/31), USA (NYCFC 2032), France (PSG 33/34)] COMPLETED!

11/10 domestic cups [China (Renhe 2016) , South Korea (Jeonbuk 2018), South Africa (Kaizer Chiefs 19/20), Spain (Real Madrid 23/24), Holland (Ajax 24/25), Argentina (Boca 2026), England FAC (Arsenal 27/28), England C1C (Arsenal 27/28), Italy (Juve 29/30), France (PSG 33/34), Switzerland (GCZ 35/36)] COMPLETED!

5/5 club continental championships [Asia (Chunnam 2017 and Jeonbuk 2018), Africa (Kaizer Chiefs 21/22), South America (Boca 2025 and 2026), North America (NYCFC 2032), Europe (PSG 33/34)] COMPLETED!

1/1 club world championship (Boca 2026 and PSG 2033) COMPLETED!

2/5 continental tournaments [African Cup of Nations (Cameroon), Gold Cup (Mexico)]

1/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup with Brazil)

[vikeologist]

Think you have a mispelling in your own finishing year here vike you finished 2075 right?

I guess the * should state: FM16 save not FM15 as those without * are on fm15 right?

Oh yes, you're right. I did finish in 75. That last section of the challenge made me really lose track of what season I was in. Incidentally, the hall of fame will always be the order that people complete the challenge in, so Earl, as the first one to complete the challenge, will always be top.

the reason i have an astersik next to pug's name is to induicate that he got 11 trophies in his FM15 save, not the FM16 save he's doing now. Everyone on the leaderboard is on FM15. I guess it will make more sense if and when pug reaches 10 trophies on his FM16 save. He's on 6 at the moment.

mihc - Commiserations on the Euro Championship. Have you quit Grasshoppers now?

[TheEarl]

Oh yes, you're right. I did finish in 75. That last section of the challenge made me really lose track of what season I was in.

the reason i have an astersik next to pug's name is to induicate that he got 11 trophies in his FM15 save, not the FM16 save he's doing now. Everyone on the leaderboard is on FM15. I guess it will make more sense if and when pug reaches 10 trophies on his FM16 save. He's on 6 at the moment.

mihc - Commiserations on the Euro Championship. Have you quit Grasshoppers now?

Ahh then I understand

[mayihavecookie]

vike Yes, I quit Grasshoppers after we won the cup. I holidayed for two years after the Euro, now I'm England manager again. I applied for Argentina, but was denied again. So when England offered me my job back, I thought why not.

[Sankalan]

REAL MADRID LA LIGA 2027/28 UPDATE

I am a Barcelona Fan, so it was a tough descision to start with. But the sheer quality of the club attracted me and I joined them(not as the first choice, but got the job). I was presented with quite a solid squad, the best player of which I sold for ~80m and got a replacement and an added defender for a combined price of less than 30m. The expectations were to win everything, save the spanish cup, but i won that as well.

There were a couple of bad moments though, like my star defender wanting to leave for more reputed Nott. Forest, and selling off my second choice keeper for a good price after getting a transfer request, and losing my first choice keeper to a one month injury soon after. Had to use the reserve team keeper for quite a few matches, including away to Barca, who thrashed us 6-0. In the start of the seaason as well, we were samshed 5-2 agg in the spanish super cup, but that competition has no value to the board or to the challenge.

Only Germany is now left amongst the big five, so I hope to finish the clubs part pretty soon, though it is tough to leave a club that is offering ~300m as a transfer budget. Now, although I must stay for the Clubs World Cup.

[table="width: 500"]
[tr]
[size=4][td]Year[/td]
[td]Nation[/td]
[td]League[/td]
[td]Position[/td]
[td]Cup-1[/td]
[td]Cup-2[/td]
[td]Continental[/td]
[td]Comments[/td]
[/size]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2014/15[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]14[/td]
[td]Quarter final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Always good for a first job...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2015/16[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Should boost my reputation in the Country[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2016/17[/td]
[td]South Africa[/td]
[td]Premier league(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Second Round[/td]
[td]Quarter Finals[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]One continent ticked off[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2018[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Looking to end another continent by the next year. Ambitions!!![/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2019[/td]
[td]South Korea[/td]
[td]K League Classic(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Third round[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Another continent done...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2020[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Opening(1)[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]Quarter Final[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Patience[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2021[/td]
[td]Mexico[/td]
[td]First Division Closing(1)[/td]
[td]1[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Why no league???[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2022[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]A league, at last[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023[/td]
[td]Brazil[/td]
[td]Brasilearo(1)[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Europe, here I come[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2023/24[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Well, I do need to rent a house here now.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2024/25[/td]
[td]Italy[/td]
[td]Serie A(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Semi Finals[/td]
[td]First Blood in Europe[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2025/26[/td]
[td]Germany[/td]
[td]Bundesliga(1)[/td]
[td]Left midseason[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Left mid season[/td]
[td]My shortest tenure, Oct-Dec[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2025/26[/td]
[td]England[/td]
[td]Premier League(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]SF of Europa[/td]
[td]Change is Good![/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2026/27[/td]
[td]France[/td]
[td]Ligue 1(1)[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Tenth Round[/td]
[td]Fourth Round[/td]
[td]QF of Europa[/td]
[td]That elusive Asian Cup! My first International disappointment...[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2027/28[/td]
[td]Spain[/td]
[td]La Liga[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]N/A[/td]
[td]Champions![/td]
[td]Pentagon!![/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Club
6/10 top domestic leagues(South Africa, Brazil, Italy, England, France, Spain) 
5/10 domestic cups (South Korea, Brazil, Italy, England, Spain)
5/5 club continental championships(Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Europe)[b]COMPLETED[/b]
0/1 club world championship


International
2/5 continental tournaments (Africa, South America)
2/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup, World Cup)[b]COMPLETED[/b]

Overall
20/33 trophies

[TheEarl]

First a bit of apology but I dont always have time to write season updates. Lately somehow I felt a bit discouraged to write them also (not related to my progress being good or bad), but now I find myself quite far ahead in my savegame compared to my updates. So I should post within today quite a few of them as my savegame is now in 2027/28 season. Well enough "defending myself" for now here is the first update....

The Earls Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

2022/23 - Kasimpasa / Ghana - Turkish Superleague (Tier 1)

After resigning from Aston Villa and Romania I quickly got a new international job as manager of Ghana. They had been without a manager for a whole year and I had been tracking them for a long time. As mentioned in another savegame it might be a minor bug to the game that they participated in the World Cup 2022 without a manager. It suited me well to take over them after World Cup though as we would be straight into African Cup of Nations season. In the qualifying stages to ACON we had only 1 game left against Togo, but where already qualified after 5 out of 5 possible wins. We won the final game against Togo also to setup a participation in ACON in january.

Meanwhile I couldn't get a club job. I actually got interviews with clubs like Liverpool and Galatasaray, so they didn't laugh at me anymore but they choose other candidates for the actual job. I stayed without a club for sometime to focus on Ghana.

We played a couple of friendlies and actually won away against both Bolivia and Mexico. In the run up to ACON we played Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe. Beating Ivory Coast 4-2 with our first setup and playing a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe with our second setup.

African Cup of Nations 2023

Group pitted us against Tunisia, Cameroon and Eq. Guinea. A group we should do well in but should watch out for Cameroon especially.

Ghana - Tunisia 3-3

An awful period around halftime meant we where 0-3 down after 49 minutes. We fought back brilliantly to claim a 3-3 draw against the first opponent. Goals from Bernard Mensah (61st min), Isaac Donkor (63rd) and Mahatma Otoo (82nd) did the trick.

Ghana - Cameroon 6-2

We fielded the best possible line-up for the game against Cameroon. Went down 0-1 within the first minute but then never looked back. We where 3-2 up at halftime before cruising in to a nice victory in the second half. Goals from: Daniel Amartey (4th), Jordan Ayew (14th), Christian Atsu (16th), Jordi Osei-Tutu (55th), Eghan Shadrach (60th), Bismarck Ngissah (88th)

Ghana - Eq.Guinea 5-1

An easy victory in the final group stage game where we could rotate the squad a bit to rest some players. 3-0 up at halftime and a very comfortable 5-1 win in the end. Goals from: Bismark Ngissah (14th), Andre Ayew (pen 32nd), Godfrey Donsah (38th), Jordan Ayew (56th), Elvis Manu (85th)

Ghana - Guinea Quarter Final 2-1

A tricky draw in the Quarter Final. Guinea normally not a team to fear, but they where the host nation. We took an early lead 2-0 in the first half and could hang on to it. Guinea clawed one back in the 64th minute, and we had a player sent off in the 70th minute, but 20 minutes of heroic defensive fighting gave us a 2-1 victory in the end. Goals from: Jordan Ayew (26th and 33rd)

Ghana - Ivory Coast Semi Final 4-2

A repeat game of our friendly before the tournament had the exact same outcome. We won by 4-2. Again we found ourselves 0-1 down in the first minute of the game. We then scored twice to go 2-1 up before Ivory Coast equalized in the start of the second half. We pushed on for the lead again and got rewarded after Jonathan Tah was sent off for Ivory Coast. With the extra man we could score twice in the later stages of the game to win 4-2 and secure a place in the Final. Goals from: Bismark Ngissah (17th, 18th and 78th) , Eghan Shadrach (79th).

Ghana - Cameroon Final X-X

The Final saw us playing Cameroon for the second time in the tournament. This time we took the lead in the first half 1-0. Jordan Ayew was unfortunately injured but his replacement Mahatma Otoo did really well. Cameroon came back in the first half though and the halftime score was 1-1. We had the upper hand though and scored twice in the middle of the second half to gain a 3-1 lead Cameroon could never fight back from. Goals from: Mahatma Otoo (19th and 65th), Alfred Duncan (60th).

Final Score: Ghana - Cameroon 3-1

That meant ACON winners and another achievement to my progress.

During ACON I had finally got a club to take over as well. Kasimpasa in the Turkish Superleague had finished 2nd the season before, but now they found themselves in 12th place and sacked their manager. It was mid january so I had about 2 weeks before the transfer window shut to get some replacements to suit my style. I ended up with loaning a right back from Liverpool names Tom Laugier. Signing a brazilian goalkeeper Marcos Felipe from Ponte Preta. A brazilian midfielder was also bought Leandrinho from Gremio, and finally a french defender Sami Larabi from Angers.

My first game was a cup game that was in the middle of a group stage. We won the first game 5-1 away to Kocaeli. This meant we qualified early from the group as the previous manager had done well in this competition. So in the last group stage match that we played, my second game in that competition we rotated the squad and lost 1-2 to Eskisehirspor. It didn't matter as it set up a Quarter Final tie with Galatasaray over two legs. I was eager to show Galatasaray what they missed out on in the summer and my boys did me really proud. The definitely best game of the season, maybe the best so far in my career happened as we smashed them 6-0 away in the first leg. We then went on to win 1-0 at home for a comfortable 7-0 win on aggregate. I was beginning to hope I could get a trophy with Kasimpasa already in my first season. The league was out of the question but the Cup might do. In the Semi Final we got favorites Fenerbahce once again over 2 legs. We got an awful start to that tie, loosing 0-2 at home after having 2 players sent off and finishing the game with just 9 men. The away game didn't go any better we lost 0-2 here as well, and lost out 0-4 on aggregate.

In the league we did really well winning 7 out of my first 8 games, and a draw. 22 out of 24 points saw us climbing the table really nicely. Then we lost heavily to Osmanlispor 2-5 and drew 1-1 to Eskisehirspor. The rest of the season included 6 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. We got revenge against Fenerbahce in the league beating them 3-0 at home. It meant that Galatasaray won the league in the end on 68 points, the same as Fenerbahce but better results between teams. Bursaspor ended on 59 points in 3rd, Osmanlispor in 4th on 57 points and we ended in 5th also with 57 points. But that 2-5 loss against Osmanlispor meant we lost out on Europa League qualification due to result between us and Osmanlispor going in their favor. I was gutted not to Qualify as the money from the competition and the reputation would mean a lot.

I decided to resign again both from Ghana and Kasimpasa (Ghana resigned after ACON). And once again it was out to search for new jobs.

Season        Club            League             Pos.   Cup               Info.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16  HOL  Den Bosch     Jupiler League       11th   2nd round     Joined 19th, already out of Cup
2016/17  HOL  Den Bosch     Jupiler League        1st   4th round      Won the league and promoted!
2017/18  HOL  Den Bosch     Eresdivisie           14th   2nd round     Survived in a bad season.
2018/19  SCO  Falkirk       Championship          2nd  Quarter fin.   Promoted after playoffs, 3rd r. of leag. cup
2019/20  SCO  Rangers      Championship           1st  Quarter fin.   Promoted, 3rd r. of leag. cup
2020/21  SCO  Rangers      Premiership              1st   Winners        Double champion, QF of league cup
2021/22  ENG  Aston Villa  Championship           3rd  4th Round     Lost play-off semis, 2nd r. of lag. cup
2022/23  TUR  Kasimpasa   Super League           5th  Semi Final     Took over in 12th pos, already knocked out of euro.comp.

Season        Nation             World Cup      Cont. Cup            Other
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020/21     Romania           In qualif.         NA                      Won Nations League B, Promoted to A
2021/22     Romania           4th in group    NA                      Qualified for World Cup, finished bottom
2022/23     Ghana              NA                  Winners              Already qual. for ACON, won it and left

[b][i]Challenge Progress[/i][/b]

[b]Club[/b]
------------------------------------------
1/10 top domestic leagues (Scotland)
1/10 domestic cups (Scottish FA Cup)
0/5 club continental championships 
0/1 club world championship 

[b]International[/b]
-------------------------------------------
1/5 continental tournaments 
0/2 world tournaments