[FM16] If I had a Nicol for every goal, I'd have just over six dollars

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup Qualifying Third Round Group 1

Matchday 6



Defending's for wimps.

We are going to get absolutely battered at the World Cup with defending like that, but at least we're exciting to watch. In a four minute period across both halves, four goals were scored. One in the first minute of stoppage time, one in the second minute, and then somehow two in the 47th minute. Crazy game.

Line-ups

Match Report

Player Ratings

Match Stats

[forameuss]

The CHAN result of the return leg is not shown. It is instead Senegal 1-0 Sierra Leone.

Noticed that, should be edited now.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Nations Cup Qualifying Group B



A qualifying campaign that is by definition going to feature a whole load of mismatches, and we had one today. Botswana first up against the Senegal Sluggers. 5-0 ended up flattering them slightly, and we move on from there.

Line-ups

Player Ratings

Match Stats

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa



Must be doing something right. We move to a record high in the World Rankings ahead of the Summer's World Cup. If we're even in the top 20 by the end of that, I'll be happy.

And speaking of the World Cup...



Don't let those World Rankings fool you. We're going to be massively up against it here.



We'll head to Argentina to test our mettle against the best, before returning home to face Gabon, then it's off to the tournament which will take place in Argentina. Yes, I am going to sack my travel agent who booked that particular round trip.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup Squad Announcement





The Cut

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

Pre-tournament Friendlies



Well, well, well. A 1-1 draw with a very good Argentina side is a great start to our preparations. I was actually happier at 0-0 than I was at the final whistle, as we looked a much better team, digging deep to deny Argentina chances. We flagged a bit towards the end, and when they took the lead I thought that was that. All credit to them for getting back into it though.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Friday 14th June 2086



Saturday 15th June 2086

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Sunday 16th June 2086



16th June 2064

World Cup Group C

Turkey vs SENEGAL

Club Atletico Banfield Stadium, Banfield











A good win against a decent Turkey side, and now we're just one win away from - presumably - a spot in the 2nd round.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Monday 17th June 2086



Tuesday 18th June 2086



Wednesday 19th June 2086



Thursday 20th June 2086

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Friday 21st June 2086



21st June 2064

World Cup Group C

SENEGAL vs Japan

Buenos Aires Community Stadium, Buenos Aires











A wonderful second half performance saw us disappear into the distance and blow away a poor Japan side.



The group is now tightening up. Turkey got a brilliant result against Germany to move onto three points, just behind ourselves and Germany on six. With the Turks only having Japan to play, they could still catch us with a big enough win.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Saturday 22nd June 2086



Sunday 23rd June 2086



Monday 24th June 2086



Tuesday 25th June 2086

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Tuesday 25th June 2086

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Wednesday 26th June 2086



26th June 2064

World Cup Group C

Germany vs SENEGAL

Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza











Oh **** no.

I knew I was going to be up against it, but I didn't think it was this bad. Even so, I thought it wouldn't matter, because we still won two games. Unfortunately...





Turkey beat Japan to take themselves to six points and drew level with us. Our absolute capitulation saw us drop to 3rd by two goals. A 3-0 defeat would have seen us through, but unfortunately I only realised our predicament when it was too late.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Thursday 27th June 2086







Friday 28th June 2086

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086

Knockout Stages

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

World Cup 2086





"Concerns raised"...absolutely. I was pretty hopeful going into the tournament, and thought that maybe we could sneak our way to the quarter finals or something. We actually weren't too bad, but one game has completely ruined us. A terrible 5-0 defeat, and we finished 2rd on goal difference. As it was, we would have ended up playing France in the next round, which would almost certainly have seen us lose, but still it's a missed opportunity.



Still, the board were understanding, and it looks as though I'll be allowed to continue. It's my intention to manage in the African Cup of Nations in January, but after that it's probably time for me to go. Hopefully I leave in glory.

[vossmaj]

Oh dear, what a throwback. Didn't expect that! Looking at how the rest of the tournament went, at least you lost against those who easily strolled to the World Cup then. I guess you are on to the next part of your career then? Or are Senegal officials more patient than I think they are?

Edit: Ah, I see. Good luck then for the ACoN!

[forameuss]

Oh dear, what a throwback. Didn't expect that! Looking at how the rest of the tournament went, at least you lost against those who easily strolled to the World Cup then. I guess you are on to the next part of your career then? Or are Senegal officials more patient than I think they are?

Edit: Ah, I see. Good luck then for the ACoN!

My attitude with managing "minor" countries (and by minor I purely mean ones that don't really stand a chance of the World Cup) is that I'll give one shot at their continental competition. In rare cases, I may hold on in the case of a failure, but given that most tournaments happen every four years (CONCACAF and CAF are the exceptions), it's a long time to wait. In most cases, I'll give one go, and if I fail then it's off I go. I could well end up playing in the same tournament with many different teams.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Germany did dick on everybody so no shame with that defeat.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

So, there was a qualifying campaign for this, but after my screenshots ballsed up a bit, I'm going to cover it in less detail than before. So here we go.

I qualified.



Moving on...

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087



On paper, it's a good draw, but I'm always wary of these kinds of groups. Especially since a fair bit of pressure has been put on me winning this. I don't want to wait a few more years.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087 - Squad Announcement





The Cut

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Saturday 18th January



Sunday 19th January

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Monday 20th January









That's the way to do it.

Good opening win after a close opening period.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Thursday 23rd January



Friday 24th January

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Saturday 25th January









Remember the World Cup? Senegal do.

An absolutely stinking performance. Not really much else that needs to be said. We now face a huge uphill battle to qualify, given we now face Togo who sit top of the group.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Monday 27th January

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Tuesday 28th January









We did our bit, somehow managing to beat the previously unbeaten Togo side to move onto six points. Would it be enough, or would the ghosts of last summer come back?





Unbelievable African Jeff!

Nigeria just needed any sort of victory and they would have breezed through as group winners thanks to their big win against us. But they completely blew it with a draw against Congo, and we sneak through in second.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Wednesday 29th January





Thursday 30th January

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Sunday 2nd February

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Tuesday 28th January









A big sigh of relief as we somehow make it past our shoot-out (literally) with Cameroon. A tight game full of niggling challenges. We had more shots, but so many of them flew way off target. We didn't do enough to win the game in normal time, just lucky we had enough about us in the shootout.



Another shootout in the final quarter final, but it's South Africa we'll play, with Togo going on to face Algeria.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Thursday 4th February









Say it quietly, but we may just be coming into form at the right time. A comfortable semi-final win over South Africa, and we're into the final



Where we'll face Algeria, who absolutely dominated Togo in the other semi final. It'll be a tough one.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa

African Cup of Nations 2087

Thursday 4th February









Not a classic by any means, and we were pretty much dominated. But it only takes one stat to win a game, and that's goals scored. We got 2, they got none, and we are the African Champions.







Where now for these heroes? Well, for them it's back to work. For me it's very much the opposite...



Byyyyyyyyyyyyye...

[cplpeters1900]

Great win in the ACON! Where next I wander?

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 3

They're the Lions and I'm Mufasa



Just before I leave the shores of Africa, a quick note to show how far we've climbed with that win. I know it's because no other sides are really playing in January, but to get to 8th in the World is a great achievement considering that we bombed out of the World Cup 6 months ago.

But anyway, on to the next step.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

















We're on our way to beautiful Belo Horizonte, chasing some Copa glory.

[vossmaj]

Congrats! Excellent work as always. And a very entertaining read - as always. Good luck now in Brazil.

BTW: Are you usually instant resulting?

[deltablue]

Typical forameuss, struggles early on in a tournament and goes on to win the thing

[forameuss]

Congrats! Excellent work as always. And a very entertaining read - as always. Good luck now in Brazil.

BTW: Are you usually instant resulting?

It varies. I have done at certain points in the save for league games, but by no means all the time. If I feel like my tactics and team are going well, I'll instant result a few while I'm doing well, then adapt when it starts to go wrong. It's usually around the time that I'm in the latter stages of a continental competition that my interest for the league goes way down.

Typical forameuss, struggles early on in a tournament and goes on to win the thing

Effectively we just had one bad game at each tournament - had we lost 3-0 against Germany we'd have been through. We were absolutely woeful against Nigeria, but then did pretty well for the rest of the tournament. That's kind of why I've done so much international football in this save - I really enjoy the sudden nature of it. In club football you can have a run of ten terrible games and still go on to win the league, but with an international side you're usually only one or two games away from disaster. Guess it's just good that oor Boaby is a born winner.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train



You'll all know who Mineiro are, but here's a rundown of what they've done. Put simply, they're a giant. If you asked 100 people to name all the Brazilian clubs they could, I'm confident these guys would come up more often than not. It's probably only Santos, Fluminense and Flamengo that are as well known, at least in my mind.

They've won it all, and won it all many times. I couldn't be better placed to win the two competitions I need to win here.



Again, I couldn't be better placed. This is a great squad, albeit a bloated one, and I shouldn't really have to do much to compete.



They also play in this stadium, which looks like one of those wonderful cauldrons where everyone's close to the pitch and stacked high to the heavens. But then, there's also this...



**** is going on here? I'm no stranger to three sided stadiums (Hiya Firhill, hiya pal!) but I've never seen one so stark. It looks like someone's just bumped one whole side and no-ones noticed. Are they hosting a gig there and set up the stage a little too early? So many questions...

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train





So far this season, they've done not too badly. We lost the South American Super Cup to Sao Paulo, but have been relatively unblemished in the State Championships and the Copa Libertadores. Thanks to the compressed nature of the South American Continental calendar, the Libertadores will be done by Summer. Autumn/Winter sees the Sudamericana played, so by the end of the year we could have achieved both of our objectives.

We did lose one of our State Championships game to Cruzeiro, and given we only play each side once in that tournament, we could have lost before we really started. There is a playoff system there though, so there's still a chance.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

March to May 2087



We're rolling now.

Bear in mind this is a 6-7 week period, but we still played 14 games. With the 38 game league season not even started yet, it's going to get worse in terms of fixture congestion. We managed to win the Minas State Championship by roaring back from behind against Cruzeiro in the final. A first trophy for me in Brazil.

Also, we managed to make it through to the quarter final of the Copa Libertadores, putting us within six games of the trophy. A great group stage with only two points dropped, a great first leg performance against Deportivo Cali (then a terrible second leg one) and we're going well.



We'll face Mexican opposition in the quarter final in the shape of Tigres, and it could be a reunion with Cruzeiro in the semis if we both get through.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

May 2087



The league begins, as does the ridiculous number of fixtures. Bear in mind that in England, their 38 game season starts in August and finishes in May. This league starts in May, and ends in December. While at the same time there's also the Libertadores, the Sudamericana and the Brazilian Cup. Coming from someone who really enjoyed the 21 game seasons in Gibraltar, this is going to be torture.

Still, we're now only four games from the Libertadores trophy after we dispatched Tigres fairly convincingly. In the league we've started well enough, but an opening day defeat wasn't quite what I wanted. I'd like to win the league, but if we don't, I'll settle for just finishing in the Libertadores qualifying spots to make sure we can be in next year if we fail.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

June 2087

Transfers



The culling begins as I try and cut down on the ridiculous size of the squad. Obviously I need to keep it at a decent size, as I'll need to rotate quite heavily





But I still need a few players in to fill problem positions. Wilson Aponte joins to fill the right side of the pitch, and Leandrinho joins to give us a ball-playing defender. Continental.

Results



It's certainly title-challenging form at this stage, without being title-winning form.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

July 2087

Results



A battle of the giants in the semi final of the Libertadores as we face River Plate. A wonderful result in Beunos Aires in the first leg saw us with two away goals to take back to Belo Horizonte. Lucky we did, because we could not keep up the same level of performance in the second leg. We were totally up against it, and were lucky to get away with a 1-0 defeat. That put us through on away goals to meet Sao Paulo in the final.

We played pretty well in the league around the semi final clashes, but after reaching the final we lost to little Chapecoense. Maybe that was still on our mind when we stumbled in the first leg of the Libertadores Final. 2-1 to Sao Paulo, and we go back to the Independencia knowing we'll need to score, but protecting our one away goal.

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

Copa Libertadores Final Second Leg



We had one objective really in this match. After losing 2-1 in the first leg, but still holding that away goal, I sent the team out to attack from the off. I can't for the life of me set up defensive teams, but offensive...that's different. We had so many chances in that first half that it looked like we'd run away with it, but at half-time we had to settle for 2-0. Sao Paulo came back into it, but not enough to lay much of a glove on us. Time ran out, and that's the way it finished.

Copa Libertadores Champions.







Yass! The Party Man himself hails me as a wonder-maker! He invited me over to Brazil for a party, but I had to say no, as I might need to drive in the next few months.

[Adelaidean]

Nice to know Ronaldinho's looking out for you at the age of 107

[forameuss]

Chapter 3 - If I had a Nicol for every time I've scored, I'd have about six dollars

The Octadecagon Experiment





Chapter 3 Part 4

All Aboard Ronaldinho's Party Train

August 2087



You can almost set your watch to my sides. No sooner have we secured the Libertadores trophy than we start to completely throw away the league. Four defeats in six this month, and that is most certainly not title-winning form.

[forameuss]

Nice to know Ronaldinho's looking out for you at the age of 107

He'll still be partying.

Wimmy wham wham wozzle indeed.