The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

[goonergez]

CF Valencia: 2052/53 Review

After reaching the Champions League final last season I felt I had taken AS Monaco as far as I could. Challenging at the top seemed a way off and for that reason I opted for a new challenge, taking the job at Valencia. Ironically the team who defeated me in said champions league final. Expectations were high for a strong season, although things proved a lot tougher for me than I believed that they would be. That’s not to say it’s all bad, and in fact my reign here got started in the best possible way, as we lifted the European Super Cup with a victory over Europa League winners Inter Milan.

The score line didn't really do justice to our performance, as we raced into a 3-0 lead before shipping a couple of goals. It was a deserved victory though, and nice to turn up and immediately win a trophy. The league proved to be a lot tougher for us though, competing with Barcelona and Real Madrid. In the end Barca were just far too good and we ended disappointingly way off the pace.

we started and ended the season with strong runs of form, but suffered a real blip in the middle portion. After the winter break we picked up just one win in nine and that proved to be extremely costly as we went from a title challenge to fighting it out for the top four. In the end we achieved a solid enough finish, at least ensuring champions league football for next season.

Our real success came in the domestic cup though.

We were helped by an easy draw as we defeated Numancia, Cadiz, Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo to reach the final. Our performance in said final was probably our best performance all season and we were comfortably the better side. A second major trophy of my short reign, and a very satisfying one indeed.

My first season here draws to a close and I am left unsure as to where I really stand. We ended way off the pace in the league, but at the same time the top two both produced unreal campaigns. We did enough for a champions league spot though, and in its own way that has to be considered a success. I made quite a flurry or transfers too, so it’s good to be going through a transition and still produce a reasonable season. Winning the Copa del Rey was pleasing though, a first domestic cup for me in nearly twenty years. That stands out as by far my biggest achievement of the past few years.

I’m unsure whether I want to stay here though. Much like with Monaco I feel like we’re really off the pace of the top sides. I like to build a team, but time is beginning to run against me in this challenge and I have a hell of a long way to go. In fact does anybody know what happens with regards to a managers age and enforced retirement or anything? I’m not sure as I’ve never played quite this deep into a save. I’m still enjoying it, but I am worried my save is beginning to fade into insignificance with me left well short of completion.
 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			TBC		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[vikeologist]

23 hours ago, dkouv said:

Thanks! Being part of the elite in this challenge would truly be the pinnacle of human achievement, although perhaps the true elite save is when you slog it out for 100 years not giving up to finally clinch the challenge on your 20th ACON attempt )))

Think I'll continue with the Southampton save for a bit but the processing time is getting very slow so I'll probably switch to some kind of one club / youth only save as an antidote; though I'm not sure if it will be as part of the official challenges or not... I see you switched to the youth challenge yourself after completing this one, are you enjoying the youth save in this FM? For this challenge, I think this FM version has been much more bug free than most, which definitely helped with the completion (especially as I started the save on the beta, which usually does not work long term)

At one point I wasn't that far off  the 20th ACON attempt. It was over more than 1 save, but a couple of us were in double figures for personal successive failures.

Doing the youth save offers a change to this challenge.

This challenge got a bit boring when I was winning the league every single year, just with different teams.

I'm on my 28th season of the Youth Challenge, and haven't won anything yet, (other than 2 successive division wins) so it's a different type of long hard slog, and progress is very slow. I've completed it before, but I got lucky and did it much quicker.

[lapsik7]

SEASON 13 (2032-2033)

Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.

The first season at Schalke is behind me, unfortunately this season I won nothing. It was really impossible to dethrone Bayern this year, they were great and I lost some stupid points. I was close to winning the German cup, but in the final the BVB team turned out to be too strong. In addition, I played in the Europa league, where Tottenham turned out to be too strong in the quarterfinal. Besides, this season was basically not interesting in any way. The only interesting thing is that Bayern's only defeat in the season happened at the beginning of the season in a match ... against Schalke 04. The transfer window is behind me before the next season and I think that we will be able to fight for something this year. I am looking forward to the next year because I really feel that this is the first major challenge in this career.

Quote

 

5/10 Leagues won (Welsh League - 2023, I-League - 2024, K-League - 2028 RSA Premiership - 2030 Liga MX Apertura 2031)
5/10 Cups won (Welsh Cup - 2021, Durand Cup - 2024, KFA Cup - 2028 Nedbank Cup - 2029 Knockout Cup - 2029)
4/5 Continental Tournaments won (Copa Libertadores - 2027, AFC Champions League - 2028 CAF Champions League - 2031 CONCACAF Champions League - 2032)
0/1 Club World Cups won

1/5 International Tournaments won (African Cup of Nations - 2027)
0/1 World Cups won

 

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by lapsik7

[efcfan]

FM 21 Ultimate Challenge: End of 2021 Season Update

So when I took over at Cobreloa, I was hoping to get in the top half of the table. Well, I didn't deliver on that promise. But it's okay, as results looked really good. 

This might be the craziest run in I have ever had. We just clicked with a more attacking mindset and a 4-2-4 tactic that seemed to work well. So, how did the league table end up?

Promoted as champions, thanks to some amazing form by ourselves, and some mixed form by some of our rivals. I know that winning the Chilean second tier doesn't count, but this is going to be so critical. Not only does it mean I have something tangible on my resume, and can allow me to get better jobs. I'm also still the manger of Peru U20, but I might give it up at the end of the year to get a senior national team job.  I'm planning to stay on after promotion, but obviously will be looking in case something comes up at the end of a season.

Challenge Progress:

0/10 Top Leagues

0/10 Domestic Cups

0/5 Continental Club Titles

0/5 International Confederation Titles

0/1 World Cup

0/1 Club World Cup

Other Titles: 2021 Chilean 2nd Tier (Cobreloa)

Job History

Club:

Cobreloa: 2021-

International:

Peru U20: 2021-

[berrers]

SEASON 10

2031

MINNESOTA UTD

Quick update as it has been a while

LAMAR HUNT TROPHY (USA FA CUP)

*SPOILER ALERT* Minnesota won the Trophy but I left the club before the quarter final stage.

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Butchered Metropolitan FA in the first round.

Header from a set piece in a tight game to put us into the semi's

This time we make the final !

A good result in the away leg

Injury time winner to claim the CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!

MLS LEAGUE

UPON LEAVING!

 

Having set out to win what was my main objective in coming to north america in the CONCACAF CL it was time to look to move on.

A haul of 2 Supporters Shields, Lamar Hunt Trophy & The CL during the 4 year spell. Disappointed to not win the MLS Cup having lost 2 finals

Everton had just finished the 30/31 season in 8th and had made the decision to end Unai Emery's 5 and a half year tenure at the club.

With a very healthy wage and transfer budget I will be looking to make a major overhaul of a fairly unbalanced squad.

WHAT'S NEXT

Getting stuck into the Everton job with the view of hopefully putting together a title and European challenging squad in the seasons to come!

Local rivals Liverpool are the current dominant force having won the league the previous 2 seasons so we will be looking to close the gap on them.

No international jobs have come up this season that have taken my eye although the euro's are at the end of the coming season in 31/32 so I may take a job then for the following world cup.

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by berrers

[efcfan]

@berrers 

Congrats on winning the CONCACAF Champions League with Minnesota United. As a proud Everton supporter, I wish you all the best with the Toffees. 

[timpy00]

Season 2029/2030

It's been a while since my last update. After becoming a dad my time was mostly spend at my girlfriend an my son. Last couple of days I had some time to pick up my save game, so time for an update.

After a very dominating season at the Mamelodi Sundowns we started this season with one major goal, winning the Champions League so we can scratch off this continent of the list and move on. After Kaizer Chiefs won the Champions League last year, we knew from the start we were one of the big favorites to win it.

But first of all we had to play the African Supercup after winning the African Confederations Cup last season, we played against Kaizer Chiefs the current champion on the Champions League.

It was the first of many games against Kaizer Chiefs during the season. It also ment we won our first price this season in good fashion, which I was very happy about it. A good confidence boost, and also the start of a good serie of games starting with the South African Super Eight trophy. In which we saw our next two games against Kaizer Chiefs and in the end won the final in a close and exciting game. So after only two months our first two trophies of the season were already claimed.

After that we could focus on the league, the champions league and the South African Knockout Cup. The only trophy in South Africa that we hadn't won yet. And being undefeated for the season till then we lost the semi finale of the tournament agains our greatest competitors in the league Supersport United. Unlucky for me this trophy still isn't in my possession, and when things go according to plan this season for us this was our last change of winning this trophy

Luckily for us the competition went pretty well at that point and in South Africa they play a lot of games and cups, so besides the League and the CL we still had a change at winning a trophy in the South African FA Cup, which we are the title holders in. And a quite remarkable run it went. Not only did we beat Kaizer Chiefs yet another time, we also played an insane final against Chippa United. Just three days before the final we played our league game against Chippa, and we won in the extra time with 0 - 1. With that experience we thought it would be hard battle to win this cup. But it wasn't hard at all, an insane game especially for a cup final. And a very dominating win.

Cup wins are nice but with the dominate form we showed these two years we had to win the league to show us the very best team of the country. For a long time we were running to break our own points record set last season at 75 points. But in the last couple of months of the season our schedule was pretty insane with a lot of times only 1 or 2 days between games. While in front of the league and running for CL we had to manage fitness of the players, and that unfortunately made us lose some points. But still we were the clear victors of the league and won the title back to back. Only thing what was a bit of a shame is the fact we lost one game against Kaizer Chiefs and got a draw in the other.

But in the end, the most important thing this season is the Champions League. Winning that would mean that I'm done at the African Continent and that I could move on to a new club in a new league. Just like last year the final of the Champions League was between two South African teams. In fact till the final we managed to win every game we played in the Champions League, so a more deserved spot in the final wasn't possible. And off course we met the Kaizer Chiefs again this season. Early in the season we managed to win all our games against them, but the last game in the league that we played them we lost. So there was a though battle in front of us. But after being this dominant for two years the victory was ours.

To end the season we had the World Cup to play with the Nigerian national team. We started our job at Nigeria most and for all to aim for the African Cup of Nations in 2031. But the World Cup is a nice experience for us to look where we stand. Unfortunate it was a short run and after beating China 2-1 in the group and losing to Switzerland 1-3 we faced Mexico in the second round, and unfortunately that was the end of our run in the World Cup

 

 

Next up is a new adventure, it took a couple of months to find a new team. But during October of 2030 we joined Cruz Azul in Mexico, at the point we jump in we are standing 17th in the first phase of the competition with 6 games to play. We probably gonna mis out in the play offs, but we hope to be ready for the second stage of the competition. Also we will be playing in the Champions League due to the performances of the team in the season before. Also in the start on 2031 the African Cup of Nations is on the schedule.

[goonergez]

CF Valencia: 2053/54 Review

My first season at the helm of this great club was pretty successful, although we failed to mount a serious challenge in the La Liga title race eventually finishing in a distant third. Winning both the Copa del Rey and the European Super Cup ensured the season was considered a success though and had enabled me to start looking towards the future with this club. Having been a real force both domestically and continentally I had inherited an ageing squad, and was well prepared for a stint here that would involve transitioning the club in order to become competitive again.

My second campaign would be a mixed bag, with some impressive moments as well as some disappointing ones. We kept ourselves firmly in the hunt in La Liga, although the impressive and almost unbeatable Barcelona would prove uncatchable. 

A good effort from us, but we never really threatened to win the crown, and in the end would have to settle for a Champions League spot instead. Barcelona really are a force to be reckoned with. A mid season opportunity to compete for a trophy presented itself as we entered the Spanish Super Cup. A four team competition involving the countries finest. We scrambled our way through a difficult semi-final against Real Sociedad, eventually grabbing a late goal to win 1-0 and reach the final. Barcelona would await us, a team I hadn't managed to beat since taking over here.

Twice we led, and twice we threw it away. Leading 2-1 we conceded with virtually the last kick of the game to ensure an extra time period. We held on desperately, and were rewarded by prevailing in the forthcoming penalty shoot out. A surprise victory and another trophy for my collection with this club.

The Copa del Rey and the Champions League both ended in disappointment for us, and both in strange circumstances. The domestic cup saw us breeze through to the semi-finals where we were paired with Atletico Madrid. A shock first leg saw us thumped 0-3, but we returned in style for the second leg. A 3-0 victory saw the game into and through extra time before we crashed out on penalties. The most disappointing part for us being that both Real Madrid and Barcelona had been eliminated earlier on in the competition. In the Champions League we breezed through our group stage with five victories and a draw to book a tie against Inter Milan. We were soundly beaten 0-2 in Italy in the first leg before succumbing to a 0-1 defeat at home in the second leg. Very disappointing indeed seeing as we were fancied as one of the favourites for the tournament.

My second season in Spain was fairly solid, although not spectacular. In the end a couple of poor defeats cost us the opportunity to lift a number of different trophies. We were competitive though, and by winning the Spanish Super Cup at least we didn't end the season empty handed. For now I plan to stick with this club and give it another season to try and compete for the league title. Unless a truly impressive challenge becomes available over the summer I can't see myself leaving Valencia. 
 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[Tubzinho]

Slowly getting there with this challenge. Favourites of the CAF CHampions League which then basically leaves with with the big three leagues and bigger trophies. Finding it really hard to take charge of a South American team right now, I have feeling that the Gold Cup and Copa America may well end up being the last competitions to win.

 

Club Career

Year		Team (Country) 			League	Notes and Achievements

2020-2021	Notts County (ENG)		1st	National League Winners, FA Trophy Winners 
2021-2022	Notts County (ENG)		1st	League Two Winners
2022		IK Start (NOR)			11th	- 
2023		Rosenborg BK (NOR)		1st	Eliteserien Winners, Norwegien Cupen Winners	
2023-2024	Hertha BSC (GER)		4th	DFB-Pokal Winners
2024-2025	Hertha BSC (GER)		1st	Bundesliga Winners
2025-2026	River Plate (ARG)		1st	Copa Libertadores Winners (2025), Copa Argentina Winners (2025), Supercopa Argentina (2026), Recopa Sudamericana (2026), Liga Profesional de Futbal (2026)				
2025-2026	Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)	2nd	-	
2026-2027	Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)	1st	Coupe de France Winners (2027), Ligue 1 Winners (2027)
2027-2028	Cruz Azul (MEX)			1st	Leagues Cup Winners (2027), Liga MX Apertura (2027), Copa MX Winners (2028), Liga MX Clausura (2028)
2028-2029	Cruz Azul (MEX)			1st	Campeon de Campeones Winners (2028), Campeones Cup Winners (2028), Liga MX Apertura (2028), CONCACAF Champions League (2029), Liga MX Clausura (2029)	
2029		Guangzhou Evergrande (CHI)	1st	Chinese Super League Winners (2029)	
2030		Guangzhou Evergrande (CHI)	1st	Chinese Super Cup Winners (2030), Chinese Super League Winners(2030), AFC Champions League Winners (2030), Chinese FA Cup Winners (2030)
2030-2031	Glasgow Celtic (SCO)		1st	Scottish Premier League Winners (2031), Scottish FA Cup (2031)
2031-2032	Kaizer Chiefs (RSA)		1st	Telkom Knockout Cup Winners (2031), Total CAF Confederation Cup Winners (2032), Dstv Premiership Winners (2032), Nedbank Cup Winners (2032)
2032-2033	Kaizer Chiefs (RSA)			MTN 8 Cup (2032)			
									

International Career

Year		Country		Notes &  Achievements
2020-2022	Georgia		-
2022-2023	Nigeria		World Cup Runners Up (2022), AFCON Winners (2023)
2025-2026	Chile		-
2026-2030	England		Nations Cup Winners (2027), European Championship Winners (2028), Nations Cup Winners (2029), World Cup Winners (2030)
2030-2031	Japan		AFC Asian Cup Winners (2031)

The Rules:
 
The 32 Competitions you must win to win the challenge

6 International Tournaments

- FIFA World Cup			- Won England (2030)
- UEFA Euros (Europe)			- Won England (2028)
- AFC Asian Cup (Asia)			- Won Japan (2031)				
- Copa America (South America)
- Gold Cup (North America)			
- AFCON (African Cup Of Nations)	- Won Nigeria (2023)				
 
10 Leagues
THE BIG FIVE 
- La Liga (Spain)
- Premier League (England)
- Bundesliga (Germany)			- Hertha BSC (2025)
- Ligue 1 (France)			- Olympique Lyonnais (2027)				
- Serie A (Italy)				

 
AND 5 OTHER TOP LEAGUES 
- Eliteserien (Nor) 			- Rosenborg BK (2023)
- Liga Profesional de Futbal (Arg) 	- River Plate (2026)
- Liga MX Apertura \ Clausura (MEX)	- Cruz Azul (2027/2028 & 2028/2029)
- Chinese Super League (CHI)		- Guangzhou Evergrande (2029, 2030)
- Scottish Premier League (SCO)		- Glasgow Celtic (2031)	
- Dstv Premiership (RSA)		- Kaizer Chiefs (2032)		

 
5 Champions Leagues
 
- UEFA Champions League (Europe)
- Asian Champions League 		- Guangzhou Evergrande (2030)		
- Copa Libertadores (South America)	- River Plate (2025)	
- North American Champions League	- Cruz Azul (2029)	
- CAF Champions League (Africa)			

 
FIFA Club World Cup

10 Others (Domestic Cups from 10 separate nations)

- Norwegien Cupen (NOR)			- Rosenborg BK (2023)			
- DFB-Pokal (GER)			- Hertha BSC (2024)
- Copa Argentina (ARG)			- River Plate (2025)
- Coupe de France (FRA)			- Olympique Lyonnais (2027)
- Copa MX (MEX)				- Cruz Azul (2028)
- Chinese FA Cup (CHI)			- Guangzhou Evergrande (2030)
- Scottish FA Cup (SCO)			- Glasgow Celtic (2031)  
- Nedbank Cup (RSA)			- Kaizer Chiefs (2032)
-
-

------------------------------------------------------------

 

[goonergez]

July 2054: Update

So this is a very brief update just to give you a man update on a new development within my managerial career. I’m still with Valencia, just about to enter my third season at the helm. I’m keen to compete for both the La Liga title and the Champions League, having struggled in both so far. This summer has seen an overhaul of the squad as I’ve looked to add some real quality to the squad. I’ve spent just shy of £200,000,000 on new players, although we have raised nearly that in departures as well. The star signing will hopefully be young Argentinian right back Sebastian Sacchetti, who’s arrived from Espanyol in a club record deal of £65,000,000. Rayo Vallecano striker Tomas has also come in, with us parting with £40,000,000 for a real proven goal scorer. We’re second favourites behind Barcelona to win the title, and I am really hopeful that this will be our year. I believe we now possess a squad that should be able to compete with the real top sides both domestically and continentally.

Away from the club game I’ve now returned to international management as well.

It’s been four years since I’ve managed at international level, having resigned from my role at Morocco after winning the African Cup of Nations. My new country is ranked 17th in the world, but is the top ranked side in Asia. The Asian Cup is coming up soon so hopefully I can take us into the tournament and walk away with a second major international honour. The squad looks good enough, and my nation has won the past two editions of the competition. Hopefully my spell in charge here will be a swift and successful one. I don’t want to stay in charge for long, but obviously it has to be my number one aim to win the upcoming completion and chalk another one off of my list. Especially as the past few years have definitely seen my progress towards the challenge start to stall. I definitely don’t want to see my efforts pale into any level of insignificance. Something which is just beginning to happen for me.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-present	South Korea

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by goonergez

[lapsik7]

SEASON 14 (2033-2034)

Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.

It was probably the worst season of my career. I won nothing again. In the league, I took only 6th place, mainly because of away matches. I only won three times away from home, against the worst teams in the league. In the German Cup I was eliminated in the semi-final with Union Berlin from the 2nd Bundesliga, of course after the away match. In the Champions League, I managed to win the group, but after leaving it I was eliminated immediately thanks to Atletico. As I said at the beginning - this season is a drama. Now I am facing the World Cup with the England team, maybe I can win something there.

Quote

 

5/10 Leagues won (Welsh League - 2023, I-League - 2024, K-League - 2028 RSA Premiership - 2030 Liga MX Apertura 2031)
5/10 Cups won (Welsh Cup - 2021, Durand Cup - 2024, KFA Cup - 2028 Nedbank Cup - 2029 Knockout Cup - 2029)
4/5 Continental Tournaments won (Copa Libertadores - 2027, AFC Champions League - 2028 CAF Champions League - 2031 CONCACAF Champions League - 2032)
0/1 Club World Cups won

1/5 International Tournaments won (African Cup of Nations - 2027)
0/1 World Cups won

 

 

[berrers]

2031/32

EVERTON

 

TRANSFERS IN'S/OUT

Everton was quite an unhappy camp when I first came in with a lot of players wanting out to play champions league football, so I decided anyone who wanted to leave could and we could all start a fresh.

 

A few quid was spent! I had my eye on Hills during my time as England manager where he was kicking around in Man Utd's reserves doing nothing, Paid a fortune to get Romero out of Barcelona was surprisingly interested in joining 250,000 reason why! Ivanov fitted the bill for a young quick mobile cb.

LEAGUE CUP

Having beating championship Bournemouth in the semi's 5-1 on agg over 2 legs we faced Man City In the final.

Runners up!

FA CUP

We should have beaten Fulham inside the 120 mins. Penalties our undoing

EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE

We were probably a bit overpowered for this competition with the squad we had. We managed to beat Astana 11-0 away and 10-0 at home

Nice to get some Silverware in!

PREMIER LEAGUE

In summary we pretty much bottled the league title. After beating Liverpool away we had 2 games to get one win to win the league both at home where we hadn't lost a game all season......

FM did its normal end of season voodoo and we finished runners ups to our bitter rivals!

 

WHAT'S NEXT

I didn't really expect to mount a title challenge this season but we should have won it so we'll be looking to go one better next season whilst also trying to make some progress in the champions league.

Nothing ticked off the list this season either which is a bit of a gutter but to be expected in the first season of a re build (that's what I tell myself)

Still nothing on the international front but the euro's are this summer so something might pop up for me to take control of with a view to the next world cup!

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by berrers

[Libertine13]

I'm a long time lurker of the forums and have been looking to get involved in a challenge. I usually only play one save for the entirety of the game's cycle, but that got pretty boring quite quickly so here I am. I've got zero experience managing in lower leagues outside of England AND starting a save unemployed, so I'm well out of my comfort zone!

Day 1...

 

First Job...

 

My first port of call is Afan Lido, languishing down in 10th in the JD Cymru South division. Looks like we're well off any sort of promotion push considering only one team gets promoted from here. So this season will be a chance for me to assess the playing squad and get used to managing complete duffers.

[vikeologist]

6 minutes ago, Libertine13 said:

I'm a long time lurker of the forums and have been looking to get involved in a challenge. I usually only play one save for the entirety of the game's cycle, but that got pretty boring quite quickly so here I am. I've got zero experience managing in lower leagues outside of England AND starting a save unemployed, so I'm well out of my comfort zone!

Day 1...

 

First Job...

 

My first port of call is Afan Lido, languishing down in 10th in the JD Cymru South division. Looks like we're well off any sort of promotion push considering only one team gets promoted from here. So this season will be a chance for me to assess the playing squad and get used to managing complete duffers.

Welcome to the challenge. Tempted to start a hall of fame for moustaches now.

[darren1983]

Not really been om FM lately thanks to boring real life but got some time these next few weeks. Should have my first full season in South Korea done some point today/tomorrow and looking to crack on now

[JamLUFC]

So my laptop got wiped which meant I lost my current progress, so I've decided to restart and try to take a different route with things, as the challenge itself is the most fun I've had in a FM game this year. So to start with I got the profile set up

 

I decided to vary it as well by holidaying the first 5/6 months to give different jobs to usual. When I came back from it in April there were few jobs available, however to my surprise I did get offered a job interview by the fifth placed Kaizer Chiefs. My preference was to get a job in Mexico, Colombia or Uruguay as they were countries I never managed in before however this would be a big chance to get one of the continental competitions locked down in three years - so it shouldn't have come as a shock when they rejected me.

I've eventually got to the 31st May and have taken a job in Uruguay with Central Español.

The leagues nicely poised with seven games to go - we could easily make the playoffs or get relegated!

[goonergez]

South Korea: 2055 Asian Cup

Our arrival in China for the competition was greeted with anticipation and excitement. We were considered favourites for the tournament, and quite rightly slow. Ranked 18th in the world we were the highest ranked side in the competition, and anything other than a good run would have to be considered as a real failure.

I expected us to do well, but I certainly didn’t expect us to breeze through the tournament quite like this. We dominated every game all the way to the final, in truth failing to score many more goals. We didn’t concede a goal until the end of the semi-final, in a game which we were comfortably winning. An unbelievable run that would see us face Australia in the final. Our opponents were the second highest ranked Asian side in the world, but we were still considered favourites to win the trophy.

My side completely bottled it, and we failed to pick up the trophy. In truth we made a couple of huge defensive errors that ended up costing us. Firstly in conceding the first goal, and again just a minute after levelling the tie. We created more than enough to win the game, but we’re far to wasteful in front of goal. The third goal flattered them really, but we didn’t do enough to win the game and ended up paying the price.

At this stage I am completely torn about whether to stick it out or resign from my position. Realistically this nation will not cause any waves at the World Cup, meaning I have a four year wait for the next edition of the Asian Cup. The thing is that this side should win that competition, just as we should've won it this time around. For now I am going to stick it out and try not to act on the impulse of my disappointment. For now my focus shifts back to club management though, and my position with Valencia. I'll be brutally honest though, this is possibly the most disappointing and devastating result of my long managerial career. I'm currently feeling completely broken.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners
2054/55	CF Valencia		La Liga			TBC

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-present	South Korea

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[vikeologist]

23 minutes ago, goonergez said:

South Korea: 2055 Asian Cup

Our arrival in China for the competition was greeted with anticipation and excitement. We were considered favourites for the tournament, and quite rightly slow. Ranked 18th in the world we were the highest ranked side in the competition, and anything other than a good run would have to be considered as a real failure.

I expected us to do well, but I certainly didn’t expect us to breeze through the tournament quite like this. We dominated every game all the way to the final, in truth failing to score many more goals. We didn’t concede a goal until the end of the semi-final, in a game which we were comfortably winning. An unbelievable run that would see us face Australia in the final. Our opponents were the second highest ranked Asian side in the world, but we were still considered favourites to win the trophy.

My side completely bottled it, and we failed to pick up the trophy. In truth we made a couple of huge defensive errors that ended up costing us. Firstly in conceding the first goal, and again just a minute after levelling the tie. We created more than enough to win the game, but we’re far to wasteful in front of goal. The third goal flattered them really, but we didn’t do enough to win the game and ended up paying the price.

At this stage I am completely torn about whether to stick it out or resign from my position. Realistically this nation will not cause any waves at the World Cup, meaning I have a four year wait for the next edition of the Asian Cup. The thing is that this side should win that competition, just as we should've won it this time around. For now I am going to stick it out and try not to act on the impulse of my disappointment. For now my focus shifts back to club management though, and my position with Valencia. I'll be brutally honest though, this is possibly the most disappointing and devastating result of my long managerial career. I'm currently feeling completely broken.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners
2054/55	CF Valencia		La Liga			TBC

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-present	South Korea

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

@goonergez You know me. Generally I derive great pleasure from the pain of others, but I am somewhat close to feeling sympathy for you. I hope your fortunes reverse soon. Empathy doesn't suit me.

[vikeologist]

@lapsik7 I remember that you managed at Real Kashmir. If you get the chance (and are able to access BBC iplayer) you should watch the documentary about ex-Scotland international Davie Robertson managing the club. (there's 2 documentaries, but the second one won't be available until next week)

BBC iPlayer - Real Kashmir FC

 

Actually everybody should watch it. It's very interesting, and Davie's a character. If I was starting this challenge now I'd probably start at the club.

[timpy00]

African Cup of Nations 2031

 

After a not so good World Cup performance a few months later it's time for the African cup of Nations. No mather what the result will be this will be our last quest with the Nigerian team, there a lot of players in the squad and the future isn't looking that bright for the country. Being one of the favorites we hope we can take the trophy home an scratch another price of the list of prices we need to win.

Just as the European Championship the African Nations Cup have 24 countries active in the tournament, and we will start in one out of the six poules of four. The first two teams and the four best number threes will go through, with our squad that should be an easy job. And we did well. We lost against Mali in of those games where we couldn't finish our changes. But after winning the first game with 4 - 1, we almost where through from that point.

2nd Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

In the  second round we are facing Ivory Coast, one of the better countries in the recent history of the continent. But there best days lay behind them. It took us some time for making the first goal, but after all we made a well deserved victory.

Quarter final (if applicable)

Spoiler

In the quarterfinals we face Burkina Faso, looking at the teams in the quarterfinal we were quit lucky with this opponent. From the looks of it they are one of the lesser teams in the tournament yet. A pretty weird game with a lot of shots, but not that good of finishing and affords from our side ended up with a very nice victory. Only thing we couldn't be happy about was the last 10 minutes of the game where we gave them two goals and a couple of changes.

Semifinal (if applicable)

Spoiler

No weak teams are left in the semis. We are matched with DR Congo, we had scored over twenty goals in the tournament so far. But none of that attacking power of them was shown in the game. Congo managed to got a few opportunities, we did better in creating changes but not in finishing and so after 120 minutes of play a penalty shootout was gonna decide which team went through the final. Congo shot two of their penalties wide and therefore Junior Adamu made the final penalty for us, which got us in the final.

Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

In the final we face Morocco, the reigning champion. And they won every game this tournament so far, with a 5-1 victory in the semis to give them a good confidence boost going into this final.

A very weird game was played in the final, with Morocco gaining the lead in the first quarter of the game. After that something magical happened, we were insanely effective this game. We managed to score four headers, with centre back Bassey scoring two headers out of corner kicks. Being so effective took all the stress out of the game so halfway through the second half we were cruising to the title.

Aftermath

Spoiler

After winning the final I am extremely happy I got this trophy on my list. It also means I won 10 cups now out of the 32 to complete the challenge. I am resigning from the Nigeria job and will be looking for a new nation which got the change to aim for a victory at their continent.

 

[JamLUFC]

Season 1 - 2021

Straight in with Central Espanyol in the Uruguayan second division, and with seven games to go we could finish anywhere between 2nd in the automatic promotion place right down to bottom as just 12 points separated 11 positions with us firmly in the mix

First up for us was Cerrito away who sat top, which I think you call going straight into the cauldron but we sneaked away with a 0-0 draw. 0-0's were the story of our run in as we picked up three draws by that score and three wins in our first six games which set up a dramatic final day where we sat in 7th on goal difference - 4th down to 8th were all level on points and only a couple of goals in it! Thankfully it was in our own hand as we were at home to Rampla Juniors who sat above us. As long as we won and wasn't burnt too much on goal difference we were in. The story of our season continued though as the game stayed 0-0 for ages which meant we had to throw everything forward before conceding in the 90th minute. 

In hindsight it's probably not the worst thing as we're some way off top division level and gives us a year to prepare. I'm playing a 3-4-1-2 formation which I've never used before and despite not scoring much I've really been impressed with our football. I think we have some time left now until the next season as the top division is still playing for another 3 months. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with a bit more time to put ideas in and build on this and get promotion.

I found my first attempt at this challenge I would often jump at the first sign that we've peaked as a team. This time round I'm going to try and spend a bit more time at a club trying to establish my reputation. Rather than trying to zig zag between 2/3 clubs before getting to the top level I'm hoping to build this team up to the point that I'm getting poached by the top clubs in Uruguay and then hopefully Brazil and Argentina.

[darren1983]

Season 2025 Japan and FC Seoul Season Review

 

A few weeks later than planned thanks to real life but I finally finished this season. I'll start with Japan stuff first as it's nice and quick, we won 3 and lost 1 of our remaining qualifiers to win our group with ease. We go to the World Cup in 7 months time just hoping I do enough not to be fired before the Asian Cup which is 6 months late. Got a nice squad here with half the team being 30 and slightly over and having loads of experience with 4 or 5 players 23 and under carrying us forward. I like this mix and we are currently 19th in the world rankings

On to FC Seoul with the target to finish top 4 and try and win the cup to get us back into the Champions League. Few summer deals saw me target young South Korean players as most of our foreigner spots were filled. We did not start well as we lost 4 of our opening 5 games and I feared the worst, we then only lost 1 of our next 24 games (winning 18 of those) to find ourselves leading with 4 games to go before the league split (after 33 games the top 6 all play each other once as do the bottom 6) we then lost 3 and drew 1 only scoring once as the team just froze.  2 week international break came at the right time and we came back and found some form as we won 2 and drew 3 of the final 5 games. Crucially 2 of the draws came against the 2 sides directly below us in Suwon and Jeonbuk which meant after 38 games we won the league by a single point. We certainly stumbled over the line but I'll take it. Our key player was clearly Alaa Dali with the Syrian striker scoring 35 goals and getting 10 assists in 40 games.

In the cup we breezed through really, only conceding 1 goal in our run to the final. A hat trick in both games from Dali was enough to see us past Suwon and win the double

Career Overview

Season		Club			League		Position	Notes/Achievements 
2020/21		Cape Town Spurs		Championship	3rd 		Promoted via the promotion mini league
2021/22		Cape Town Spurs		Premiership	3rd 		3rd when leaving with 3 games to go. National C coaching badge
2021/22		Kaizer Chiefs 		Premiership	7th 		Took over for final 3 games. Won Nedbank Cup. 
2022/23		Kaizer Chiefs		Premiership	1st 		Won Telkom Cup. National A & B badges done
2023/24		Kaizer Chiefs		Premiership	1st 		Won Champions League. Continental C Badge
2024		Seoul			K-League	5th 		Took over with 6 games to go. Continental B Badge
2025		Seoul			K-League	1st 		Won league and cup double. Also got Continental A Badge

International

Year	Country		Notes
2024	Japan		Qualified for final round of World Cup Qualifiers
2025	Japan		1st place in World Cup Qualifiers Group

Challenge Progress 

Club

2/10 top domestic leagues – South Africa (2023 - Kaizer Chiefs), South Korea (2025 – FC Seoul)
2/10 domestic cups – South Africa (2022 – Kaizer Chiefs), South Korea (2025 – FC Seoul)
1/5 club continental championships – Africa (2024 Champions league – Kaizer Chiefs)
0/1 club world championship

International
0/5 continental tournaments 
0/1 world tournaments 

 

[SK]

@goonergez

Unlucky mate. That’s gotta hurt. So close 

[vikeologist]

11 hours ago, timpy00 said:

African Cup of Nations 2031

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

After winning the final I am extremely happy I got this trophy on my list. It also means I won 10 cups now out of the 32 to complete the challenge. I am resigning from the Nigeria job and will be looking for a new nation which got the change to aim for a victory at their continent.

 

[goonergez]

CF Valencia: 2054/55 Review

So my last update was to give a rundown of how my South Korea side got on in China for the Asian Cup. Unfortunately having cruised through to the final we were beaten 1-3 by Australia to blow my chance of winning a second major international honour. We were favourites for the game an dominated proceedings, but simply couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. It’s fair to say that the disappointment from that tournament carried on with my Valencia side as we ended a campaign with plenty of disappointment and even more frustration.

We never really threatened to win the league although we were pretty close for much of the campaign. Defensively we shipped more goals and we dropped points in some really silly games. Barcelona and Real Madrid are just too strong and never seem to drop points. We did finish the season with three more points than last season though, and we are at least showing signs of improvement over an entire league campaign. Barcelona pick up the crown for a fourth successive season though.

Outside of the league we suffered similar problems. We qualified from our Champions League group before progressing one round through the knockouts. Eintracht Frankfurt were dispatched before Man United thumped us over two legs at the quarter final stage. In the Copa del Rey we comfortably navigated to the semi finals where we were drawn against Barcelona. A 1-1 draw at home set us up nicely before we drew 0-0 away in the second leg. Unfortunately that saw us crash out on away goals and ensure a season without a trophy for the first time since I took charge.

At this stage I’m torn about what to do. My contract has a year to run and I am excited about potentially going again. My squad is full of promising youngsters and I would hope that another year of experience may help to challenge for honours next season. At this stage I’m thinking of just seeing what happens over the summer. If a good opportunity comes up I think I’ll go but I’m more than happy to stay here if nothing does appear. I believe I deserve an opportunity to manage a top club, and now it’s just a case of waiting for that opportunity to present itself. I've almost shelved my own ideas of completing this challenge though, with my manager starting to get older and a large amount of trophies still to collect. I'm going to carry on going, but fair to say I am no longer expecting to get close to completing.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners
2054/55	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-present	South Korea

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[Libertine13]

On 02/06/2021 at 12:00, vikeologist said:

Welcome to the challenge. Tempted to start a hall of fame for moustaches now.

Thanks! The handlebar moustache will play a key part in any success we have!

 

 

2020/21

My first season in management wasn't exactly anything to shout about. Very uneventful to say the least. Afan Lido were down in 10th after eight league games prior to my appointment and I was only able to get them into 6th position come the end of the season. We only finished 16 points off top, so there's not too much of a gap to close for us to get out of this league.
The squad isn't blessed with any sort of ability but Ioan Clatworthy was the star man, notching 22 league goals in 27 appearances. I ended up playing with an asymmetric 4-4-2 (looks more like a 3-5-2 to be honest), mostly due to a lack of right sided options within the squad or available to bring in. Hopefully next season we'll be pushing for promotion. Of our youth team graduates, Tomas Maggs (a left sided winger) and Jonathan Kinsey (striker) looks like they'll be an integral part of Afan Lido's promotion push next season.

Season		Club			League		Position	Notes/Achievements
2020/21         Afan Lido               Cymru South     6th             N/A

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Libertine13
Added achievements

[vikeologist]

@goonergez I hope you're still enjoying the challenge. You'd be surprised by how quickly (in terms of time playing the game, rather than seasons in the save) you might finish the challenge, if that was your priority, but as I've indicated before, getting through the challenge quickly can be quite boring. 

You might note that my quickest completion was in 2057 and ask what I know about getting through the challenge quickly, but ironically, the reason it takes me so long is precisely because I cherry picked my jobs so that I won the league every full season. 

The first time I completed the challenge I spent 9 seasons (I think) in the middle with Newcastle, precisely because I was so bored with the challenge and wanted to build something, (Alternative take, I was so rubbish at the game it took me 9 years to win with Newcastle, but why re-write history?)

It also takes me a while because I suck at international management. You may doubt your own abilities on that front, but I think I (and another challenger whose name I've forgotten) have lost more ACONs than you've had hot sinners (AFAIK).

[lapsik7]

SEASON 15 (2034-2035)

Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.

In the third season, as Die Königsblauen's coach, I found that I had to learn from the previous season, where my away games were terrible for me. I figured I'd spend the entire preparatory period outside my stadium and it basically paid off. In addition, I bought a player who in Hoffenheim became the top scorer in the Bundesliga and he did not disappoint me either, because he repeated it. In addition, I completed the squad with one central midfielder. Besides, I came up with the idea for DFB Pokal and UEFA Europa League to play the substitutes there. What did this plan bring? Victory in the Bundesliga, victory in the DFB Pokal, victory in the UEFA Europa League. The perfect season from any angle.

 

Bundesliga

DFB Pokal

UEFA Europa League

 

Quote

 

6/10 Leagues won (Welsh League - 2023, I-League - 2024, K-League - 2028 RSA Premiership - 2030 Liga MX Apertura 2031 Bundesliga - 2035)
6/10 Cups won (Welsh Cup - 2021, Durand Cup - 2024, KFA Cup - 2028 Nedbank Cup - 2029 Knockout Cup - 2029 DFB Pokal - 2035)
4/5 Continental Tournaments won (Copa Libertadores - 2027, AFC Champions League - 2028 CAF Champions League - 2031 CONCACAF Champions League - 2032)
0/1 Club World Cups won

1/5 International Tournaments won (African Cup of Nations - 2027)
0/1 World Cups won

 

 

[lapsik7]

@vikeologist Yes it's true. I'm on vacation right now, so I'd love to watch it, thanks

[Libertine13]

2021/22

My second season was a slight improvement on my first. For the vast majority of the season we were involved in a three way battle for the title but unfortunately the wheels fell off for us in dramatic fashion as we only managed 4 points from our last 5 games of the season, which included a demoralising 0-1 loss against rivals Port Talbot in the final game, which also incidentally handed them the title. We were only 5 points off the eventual winners in the end. Had we won we that final game of the season we would have won the title on goal difference!
Ioan Clatworthy was once again our best player, with a record of 21 goals in 30 appearances. Young academy graduate, Jonathan Kinsey managed 13 goals in 29 games and is still yet to celebrate his 17th birthday. In fact the squad is pretty much full of academy graduates now so fingers crossed there's plenty of room for improvement amongst the players we already have at the club. Especially considering how difficult it is to find players who improve the team and actually want to join.
Next season has to be a title win and promotion though, I can't afford to spend any longer in the second tier of Welsh football!

Season		Club			League		Position	Notes/Achievements
2020/21         Afan Lido               Cymru South     6th             N/A
2021/22         Afan Lido               Cymru South     5th             N/A

[SK]

Season 2027

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Went back to my Salford save in FM20. Won the League and CL with them for the first time which was unreal.

In any case. This season was a real mixed bag for me, ultimately an disappointed due to the CL. I bought some quality players including a young Chinese CAM for 50 mil. It was a lot but there’s little quality in China so you pay big for what there is.

 

Champions League-Well this was a disaster. Drawn with Melbourne City, Ulsan and YokohamaI, I  was on 2 pts after 3 games with a tough away game to Melbourne city to come. A 3-0 win followed by a 2-1 home win against Ulsan put me top of the group going into the last game. Twice I led, twice I threw away the lead and Ulsan scored in the 90th minute putting me out. I had to changes tactics from a disciplined 433 which worked wonderfully last year to a more expressive 4231. That was the formation I stuck with for the remainder of the season.

 

League- I really struggled for motivation in this but managed to win it with 73 pts after 30 games. Shandong pushed me but I had a solid gap for half of the season and never really looked like losing it. My home form is unreal as I’ve gone 40 games unbeaten in all comps. I had a lot of injuries to my foreign players which really hurts in China. Signed Pogba at the midway point on a free to replace one of my injured foreign players.

Cup- if there’s one saving grace from this it’s that I won the cup: the semi final against Shanghai was a tough game that I won in ET. Also had to beat Shandong in the QF who are the second strongest Chinese side. Unbelievably a first division side made the semi and beat powerhouse Shandong so I had a straight forward final. Two 1-0 wins secured it and there’s another cup lifted for the challenge.

 

With the cup out of the way I can really focus on the CL. As long as I get top 2 and automatic CL qualification then I’m happy with that.

 

Unfortunately one of my star players got a 8-9 month injury and it’s taken a hit on him. I am going to look to replace him, soumare and probably pogba meaning I have two foreign spots opened up. I’m thinking I want attacking players so I can really rotate in the league and CL, some of thr CL registered players won’t play much in the league before CL games etc. I’ll also look to bolster the Chinese contingency with some more quality. I’ve got a lot of players to offload as well as my squad is way too big. 

 

I’m really hoping next season the CL is won so I can move on. On a positive, I’ve had a good run of trophies now so I’m hoping that’ll lead to good jobs; especially on the international front. The euros are coming up so hoping to snag a good job post this for the World Cup.

 

 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	3rd (promoted via playoffs)		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA Premier League	4th
2022/23 Kaiser Chiefs	        SA Premier League       1st.  Won Knockout Cup and Be the Coach.
2023/2024 Kaiser Chiefs         SA Premier League       1st. Won Super 8 and Be the Coach. CL Finalists.
2024/25 Kaiser Chiefs SA Premier League 1st. Won Knockout Cup and Champions League.
2025    Guangzhao.               Chinese Super League.   3rd. Started in 3rd with 5 games to go.
2026    Guangzhao                Chinese Super League.   1st.  Lost the final of CFA Cup   
2027    Guanzhao                 Chinese Super League.   1st   CFS Cup winner

International 
2021-2023. Nigeria. Lost in QF of AFCON. Sacked. 
2023- present- Ghana. Lost in R of 16 AFCON. Resigned before being sacked.
2026-2027 Ivory Coast AFCON Champsions. Resigned after.

2/10 top domestic leagues (2022/23, 23/24, 24/25 SA Premier League, 2026, 2027 CSL)
2/10 top domestic cups (2022/23, 24/25 SA Knockout Cup, 23/24 Super 8 winners (first 3 all South African(, 2027 CFA Cup)
1/5 club continental championships (2024/25 African Champions League)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2027 AFCON)
0/1 world tournaments

 

 

 

 

[goonergez]

There’s some really good posts going here guys and some really nice differences in clubs and nations etc. It’s always a nice boost to catch up on a number of new updates.

@vikeologistthabks for your words of encouragement. I think for me it’s not so much about completing the challenge, just making continual progress towards it. This is the first time I’ve taken on this challenge and I’ve absolutely loved it. I think I’ve found my new way to play this game with this challenge. I’m not very good at the game in truth so the success I’ve had throughout (albeit less and slower than others) has kept me ignited with the challenge. I think I’ve just got to the stage where I’m not going to complete it and am now just plodding along taking on different challenges. The enjoyment and hunger for the save is still there and I am still going to push towards trying to complete, it just may take me an embarrassing amount of time. As long as people are happy for me to keep posting I will though.

[Libertine13]

2022/23

We were battling for top spot all season against Carmarthen and very nearly bottled it on the last day of the campaign where we had to come from 2 goals down against lowly Briton Ferry
to salvage a 4-4 draw to win the league and promotion on goal difference! Once again Ioan Clatworthy led the line fantastically, finishing with 27 goals in 30 games.
His strike partner, 17 year old Jonathan Kinsey, finished on 19 goals in 28 games. We also had a great cup run, albeit in the lesser of the two domestic cup competitions, where we lost in the final against eventual Premier League champions TNS. 

Promotion to the top flight finally achieved. We'll see how we get on next season, I can't see myself getting a job at a team challenging for the title just yet so a season of consolidating top flight football is all I can really hope for right now.
 

Season		Club			League		Position	Notes/Achievements
2020/21         Afan Lido               Cymru South     6th             N/A
2021/22         Afan Lido               Cymru South     5th             N/A
2022/23         Afan Lido               Cymru South     1st             Cymru South Champions and Promotion

[berrers]

2032/33

EVERTON

 

TRANSFERS IN'S/OUT'S

Cast was on loan to us last season and we made the deal perm on a bosman

- We struggled when our main England wonder kid striker and top epl scorer last season Rob Brain went down with injury towards the end of last season so Boyer was an important addition.

- Marcelo looks like a midfield tank. 6ft + and has a bit of everything about him.

LEAGUE CUP

Defeat to Liverpool on pens. 2 shoot out defeats out of 2 in consecutive seasons. Leeds the surprise winners in the final.

FA CUP

Make that 3/3 for defeats on Penalties  this time to Chelsea... at least they stopped Liverpool.

 

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Quite a tough group. Qualified with a game to spare with Juve away being our only defeat.

I was quite happy when we drew Anderlecht out of the hat and was even happier taking a 2-0 lead to Belgium from the home leg.....

Laptop out the window kind of game!... I didn't

 

PREMIER LEAGUE

More points than last season but still not enough and Liverpool won their 4th Title in a row. A bad away run including a defeat to Norwich around Late March/Early April was my undoing!

INTERNATIONAL

After a 2 year break from International management following my world cup final defeat with England on home soil to Spain we were back in the game!... with my conquerors

Things got off to a rough start with a 5-2 walloping from the Dutch. We won the remainder of our game including avenging holland 1-0 but that opening defeat proved decisive and we could only finish runners up.

WHAT'S NEXT

2 Seasons in a row now without any trophies to tick off the list feels like quite a gap and the tenth is proving very elusive and frustrating to get!

2 penalty defeats in cups, runners up in the league again and a strange CL capitulation to Anderlecht has made this by far and away the toughest season of the challenge.

We go again with the ev though and i'll be looking to finally topple Liverpool in the league (I feel like I cannot leave without doing so now)... However if I haven't being able to win a big trophy next season I may have to review the situation.

Internationally I have a fairly easy WCQ group with Spain which qualification in that will put us into next summers world cup in China...

The spain squad isn't quite as strong as it was and they have aged a bit since they won the last world cup but we should be able to get to the latter stages at least

 

[FMBlake]

September 2024 Update

Introduction:

Hey guys, my name is FMBlake and I will be posting updates on here about my Ultimate FM Challenge. When I first heard about this I thought it sounded like a brilliantly challenging, long-term save, and after some thought and time I have decided to give it a go. Historically on FM I tend to do long-term saves with one club, in FM20 I spend 30 seasons at Palermo. But this challenge is something I have never done before, and that is why it is so enticing.

Anyway, on to the save.

 

I decided to load all of the South American, North American and Africa leagues, with the aim of ticking off all of these continents before moving onto Asia and then ending my career in Europe.

Here is how my profile looked at the beginning of the save:

The first job I got was in the Argentine 2nd Division with PM Guillermo Brown (GB). I took over when they were bottom of the league, ended up finishing 14th, avoiding relegation and exceeding expectations. In my second season with PM GB we finished 7th in the 2nd Division after being predicted by the media to finish 20th! I had signed some former stars, the likes of Maxi Rodriguez, Christian Rodriguez and Ricky Alvarez all came to PM GB to see out their careers, all contributing effectively throughout the season. As I entered my third season with PM GB I was growing frustrating as the club lacked ambition and money, therefore they kept rejecting my proposal to get my coaching badges. So 4 games into season three with PM GB I decided to resign and take my talents elsewhere.

After applying for a number of high profile jobs I had to settle for a club in another second tier competition. This time I was headed to Uruguay and took over Racing de Motevideo in the Uruguayan 2nd Division. In my first season at the club we finished 4th in the league, reaching the playoffs for promotion. We went on to win the semi-final and the final to gain promotion to the top league in Uruguay! Due to my success I was able to get my first International job, albeit with an U-23 side, I took the Nigeria U-23 job. After managing the U-23 side for just 4 games, the National Team job became available, I applied, and somehow got it! I was shocked! I am now managing the likes of Osimhen, Ndidi, Ihenacho and Iwobi, some really talented players. I was also finally able to get my National C License.

Now I am in 2024, in my second season with Racing de Monetivdeo, but we are now playing in the Uruguay 1st Division. We have played the opening stage and Intermedia and are currently sat 4th on the overall table. The board are delighted as we are overperforming and already achieved the club's 4 year plan! With Nigeria we are 1 win away from qualifying for the AFCON.

I am really enjoying the save, slowly making progress and awaiting my first league title. I hope you enjoyed this update, I will post more as I progress.

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by FMBlake

[JamLUFC]

Season 2 - 2022

I've gone slightly early on this, but with two games to go this is the situation in the race for the top two spaces for promotion. Rampla still have to play River Plate and CA Cerro so hopefully there will be enough points taken off each other and we can get through!

 

Two games later...

Job done. Two wins for us and dropped points for the rest saw us take promotion and the league title on the last game of the season to send us to the top division for the first time since 2013. It was a good season for us but picking up 6 wins in the last 7 games was what propelled us over the line!

As for what's next, my contract is for another year so I'm going to give the top division a crack with Central Espanyol. It'll be tricky though as our goalkeeper is retiring and we have a light squad. The attacking play at times was so enjoyable though that I'm hopeful we can get results. Another factor in what I'll decide on my future is the board not allowing me to take my National C licence course. The top flight in Uruguay seems mad with an opening, immediate and closing stage so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in that

 

[Libertine13]

2023/24

First season in the Cymru Premier wasn't exactly a memorable one. We finished 8th, but was never in any danger of relegation. Of our 11 league games we won, five came within our first six games! For a while I was thinking this could be a title challenge! I'm not exactly sure what happened after our really good start but it was a slog from then on. The board decided to make the club a professional outift, which I thought was a bit odd. Only TNS are professionals in the Cymru Premier and we're by far the smallest club in the league right now.  Clatworthy (13 goals in 31 apps) was out performed by Kinsey this season, the youngster ended the campaign on 21 goals in 31 apps. We were knocked out of both cups disappointingly in the first round.

I've also just remembered to try get the coaching badges done, so I'm a little behind on those and only now studying for the National A licence! I'm hoping to be pushing for the top half next season, the teams who finish between 4th and 7th have a play off for one of the European qualifying spaces, which would be a massive help!

Season		Club			League		Position	Notes/Achievements
2020/21         Afan Lido               Cymru South     6th             N/A
2021/22         Afan Lido               Cymru South     5th             N/A
2022/23         Afan Lido               Cymru South     1st             Cymru South Champions and Promotion
2023/24         Afan Lido               Cymru Premier   8th             N/A

[goonergez]

CF Valencia: 2055/56 Review

So my fourth season at the helm of this great club has drawn to a close, but could we do better than any of the previous three? We'd picked up trophies during my time here, although last season proved to be my first barren season at the helm. Having clinched the Copa del Rey a couple of years back this season was all about trying to win the domestic league title as well as the Champions League. Both tough asks, especially with a very young squad that I had managed to assemble.

A fantastic campaign draws to a close with my first La Liga title, and a first for the club in six seasons. Another trophy chalked off the list and very much a deserved one. We blitzed through the majority of the competition, only losing on very few occasions. Up top we were sensational, and defensively we were even better. Having sat behind Barcelona for the bulk of the season we pipped them 2-0 at home on the thirty third matchday to finally go to the top of the pile on our record against them (having drawn the other game 1-1 away). A run of straight victories saw us home, and we ended up going through the entirety of the season from the winter break without losing a game. An incredible run that saw us deservedly lifting the La Liga title.

We added a second Spanish Super Cup of my reign as well, defeating Barcelona 1-0 in the final. The competition is far from the most important thing, but its always nice to lift a trophy. Outside of that we endured a pretty disappointing campaign though. In the Copa del Rey we managed to cruise through to the semi-finals, before we lost out to Real Madrid. A disappointing 0-3 defeat away in the first leg was always going to be tough to overturn, and we didn't manage it despite beating them 1-0 at our place. In the Champions League it was a similar story. We smashed through our group as winners before seeing off Manchester City with more ease than I had thought in the first knockout round. We succumbed in the Quarter finals though, losing out on aggregate to Barcelona. A 1-2 defeat away in the first leg cost us, although we did manage to pick up a creditable 1-1 draw at home in the second match. It was disappointing to yet again crash out earlier than hoped though, and this competition continues to elude me.

So if I am honest my work here is pretty much done. The Champions League is the only trophy I haven't managed to win with this club, but I feel like there will be plenty more options to do that during my career. After four successful and enjoyable years my contract is drawing to a close and I will be walking away from the club. Winning the Spanish title will surely put me right at the top of any big clubs list now, and its time for me to move on and look for a new challenge. I'm not really sure where to go next though and it will probably come down to the most exciting opportunity to arrive. I should be in a position to pick up any big job in Europe now, and that is a really exciting situation to be in. I'm going to revel in my success until my contract expires and then look at where to move on to next. I'll return with an update when I pick up a new position.
 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners
2054/55	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd
2055/56	CF Valencia		La Liga			1st (C)		La Liga winners, Spanish Super Cup Winners

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-2055	South Korea

5/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners, 2055/56 La Liga winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[SK]

Big win @goonergez. Epic title race 

[efcfan]

Ultimate FM Challenge Update: 2022 Season

Things are going decently well with Cobreloa, as we have a chance to stay up, but I'll let you know at the end of the season. I was able to get my first full international job with a senior side. So, who am I going to work with?      

That's right, I will be taking over the reigns at Bosnia. They just failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and are currently ranked 38th in the world. The goal is going to be to qualify for the 2024 Euros and be competitive in the Nations League. What does our group look like in the Nations League?

We are bottom, but we have yet to play against Denmark. We also drew with Belgium at home and lost to Portugal away. So if we can stay in Division A in the Nations League, qualify for the 2024 Euros, and make a good run in the 2024 Euros, then it would help with a reputation. Of course, we are staying with Cobreloa for now. 

Challenge Progress:

0/10 Domestic Top Leagues

0/10 Domestic Cups

0/5 Club Continential Championships

0/5 National Team Confederations Championships

0/1 World Cup

0/1 Club World Cup

Other Trophies: Chilean First Division B (Cobreloa, 2021)

Job History:

Club:

Cobreloa: 2021-

International:

Peru U20: 2021

Bosnia: 2022-

[darren1983]

So a "fun" element to managing in South Korea is when your players get called up for military service with no prior warning (unless I missed the news item which could easily have happened) and gets sent on loan to another club for 2 years  

[Crispypaul]

I am going to give this one another shot - here is my profile

And I got a great offer after only a week - I am now managing Cape Town Spurs (formerly Ajax Cape Town) in the 2nd tier of South Africa.  

[vikeologist]

24 minutes ago, Crispypaul said:

I am going to give this one another shot - here is my profile

And I got a great offer after only a week - I am now managing Cape Town Spurs (formerly Ajax Cape Town) in the 2nd tier of South Africa.  

I looked to see how many times you'd achieved this challenge, and... you haven't. I feel like you're one of the challenge mainstays, but maybe that's because you've never found the sweet, sweet release of fulfilling your purpose on this world. Good luck this time. (How many times do you think you've started?)

[Crispypaul]

57 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

I looked to see how many times you'd achieved this challenge, and... you haven't. I feel like you're one of the challenge mainstays, but maybe that's because you've never found the sweet, sweet release of fulfilling your purpose on this world. Good luck this time. (How many times do you think you've started?)

Thanks!  I think I started in FM18 if I recall so this would be my fourth iteration but fifth try (I gave up earlier in FM21 as I got a job at Spurs too quickly to be realistic)

[vikeologist]

How would people feel if I explicitly said in the rules for the challenge that using Genie Scout is against the spirit of the challenge?

TBH, not having used Genie Scout I'm not 100% sure what it is exactly. I don;t think it's a save game editor per se. It might not actually be that different from looking at things like googlesheets of what different personalities mean.

However, to my mind, the 'no save game editor' rule doesn't just mean not being allowed to change things (apart from cosmetic things. If I bought the editor I'd change the strips of every club I manage to pink), it also means not looking directly at elements of the game which are hidden.

To be clear, not knowing exactly what Genie Scout is, I'm not insisting on this. If many of you feel that Genie Scout should be allowed, I'll leave things as they are. This challenge doesn't have LLM type rules. The only rule is to enjoy the game. (That's not true. There are lots of rules, and if you break any of them I will track you down).

Edited June 11, 2021 by vikeologist

[goonergez]

2056/57 Update

There isn't really much to report but I will swiftly drop by. Having left at the expiration of my contract with Valencia I am still without a job at club level. It's not for the want of trying but so far I simply haben't found an opening anywhere that I want to go. I have gone back into international management though, with Brazil. We've played a host of World Cup qualifiers, and so far my record reads 4-0-0. We've done well to climb top of our group, but there is still work to be done. Hopefully I will get back into club management soon though, I am chomping at the bit.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners
2054/55	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd
2055/56	CF Valencia		La Liga			1st (C)		La Liga winners, Spanish Super Cup Winners
2056/57 -
2057/58

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-2055	South Korea
2057-present	Brazil

5/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners, 2055/56 La Liga winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[Libertine13]

2024/25

Another season complete at Afan Lido with no progress made. My cause wasn't helped at all by a huge injury crisis at the beginning of the season that left me without my star striker Kinsey, my first choice keeper and basically my entire midfield for a couple of months. In the absence of Kinsey, Ioan Clatworthy stepped up big time ending the season with 31 league goals in as many games
(13 clear of anyone else in the league) and he also got named as Cymru Premier Player of The Year. Despite only finishing 9th in the league we were top scorers by 9 goals, but defensively we were leakier than a sieve. We did have a half decent run in the Nathaniel MG Cup where we lost in the semi's to Cardiff Dracs, but the main domestic cup was another no show, crashing out in the third round.

Since going professional I've had to sign everyone on professional contracts where possible so we're absolutely haemorrhaging money, we're around £150k in debt already! I can't do anything to help because no one offers actual money for players, not that I have many players of value and the prize money and TV deals are woeful. I can't see myself getting the club out of this hole without some divine intervention so to be completely honest I'm in desperate need of another job opportunity. I'll plan to stay here until another job comes available for me.

Season		Club			League		Position	Notes/Achievements
2020/21         Afan Lido               Cymru South     6th             N/A
2021/22         Afan Lido               Cymru South     5th             N/A
2022/23         Afan Lido               Cymru South     1st             Cymru South Champions and Promotion
2023/24         Afan Lido               Cymru Premier   8th             N/A
2024/25         Afan Lido               Cymru Premier   9th             N/A

[goonergez]

2057/58: Job Update

An unemployment patch of just shy of 18 months has finally ended for me, and I now have a new position. It took a lot of patience but finally a challenge came up that I felt suited me and now you are looking at a manager from the Italian Serie A. It took long enough for a really good opportunity to pop up, but finally I feel I have the right one. I was waiting for a big job in England or Portugal really, but yeah I have ended up in Serie A.

Napoli presents exactly the sort of challenge I was after and I am extremely excited to get stuck in. The squad has potential, but they haven't achieved very much really. My task here is to push this club onwards and start to look at challenging for honours. It won't be easy and it'll take some time, but I am confident I can do it. Money isn't flowing too freely though so I will have to be clever with recruitment. Basically I am going to need to sell in order to buy, and that makes things difficult. I'm sure I can build a squad capable of challenging here though, I just have to accept that it is going to take a while for me to achieve what I want out here.

This is the league table as I take charge.

This season is all about trying to sneak into continental football. A top-7 finish would achieve that, and I think that would represent a good start to my time here. The media predicted Napoli an 8th placed finish in pre-season, so in honesty it has very much been par for the course so far. I've joined midway through January though, and bringing in new faces may prove difficult due to a lack of time. Italian football has been dominated by Juventus and the two Milan clubs, so it is going to prove a tough ask to achieve with this side. I have time though, and I will be using the rest of this season to try and get a grip on the squad and identifying new faces to bring in over the summer. As I said I am hoping we can sneak into one of the continental competitions though, and at least show some progress.

Brazil: 2057/58

Being without a club may have proven a really frustrating period yet again, but it's fair to say that my time with Brazil has gone really well so far though. World Cup qualifying has ended, and we ended up finishing comfortably top of the pile. After my first four matches at the helm ended in victory we added a host more. A 0-0 draw with Chile was followed by a 3-0 thumping of Argentina before we beat Paraguay 4-0, Columbia 4-0, Ecuador 5-0 and Bolivia 4-0. A really easy path into the World Cup in the end. The only blotting of my spell in charge so far was a slightly disappointing 1-2 defeat away at France in a summer friendly.

In March we will take on Belgium and Italy away in friendlies as I look to get my squad ready for the World Cup tournament. We will then have two warm up matches at home to Cameroon and Albania before the competition begins. We've got a nice easy group though, paired with Poland and Haiti. I'll be hoping we can go a long way in the tournament and hopefully we can chalk off another competition for the challenge.
 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

2020/21 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	2nd		
2021/22 Uthongathi FC		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2022/23 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		SA Knockout Cup Winners
2023/24 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		
2024/25 SuperSport United	SA Premier		2nd		Confederations Cup Winners, SA Cup Winners
2025/26 SuperSport United	SA Premier		1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, CAF Super Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners, 
2026/27 SuperSport United	SA Premier		3rd		SA Knockout Cup Winners, CAF Champions League Winners
2027	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	6th		
2028	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Chinese FA Cup Winners
2029	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	2nd		Asian Champions League Winners, Chinese FA Cup Winners
2030	Beijing Gouan		Chinese Super League	1st (C)		Chinese Super League Winners, Chinese Super Cup Winners
2031	DC United		MLS East Conference	6th		
2032/33 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	5th		Copa Argentinos Winners
2033/34 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Sudamericana Winners, Copa Argentinos Winners, Argentinian Super Cup Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2034/35 River Plate		Argentinian Premier	2nd		Copa Libertadores Winners, Sudamericana Super Cup Winners
2035	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	5th		MLS Western Conference Winners
2036	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, MLS Western Conference Winners, Leagues Cup Winners
2037	Seattle Sounders	MLS Western Conference	1st		MLS Western Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners, Campeones Cup Winners
2038/39	Mainz FC/ Schalke 04	Bundesliga		-
2039	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	5th		
2040	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	1st		Supporters Shield Winners
2041	LA Galaxy		MLS Western Conference	-		CONCACAF Champions League Winners
2041/42	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2042/43	Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		4th
2043/44 Bayer Leverkusen	Bundesliga		6th
2044/45 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		7th
2045/46 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2046/47 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		2nd		DFL Super Cup Winners
2047/48 RB Leipzig		Bundesliga		1st (C)		Bundesliga Winners
2048/49	-
2049/50	-
2050/51	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd		French Super Cup Winners	
2051/52	AS Monaco		French Ligue 1		3rd
2052/53 CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		European Super Cup Winners, Copa del Rey Winners
2053/54	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd		Spanish Super Cup Winners
2054/55	CF Valencia		La Liga			3rd
2055/56	CF Valencia		La Liga			1st (C)		La Liga winners, Spanish Super Cup Winners
2056/57 -
2057/58	Napoli			Serie A			TBC

Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-2049	Nigeria
2049-2051	Morocco			African Cup of Nations Winners (2051)
2054-2055	South Korea
2057-present	Brazil

5/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners, 2055/56 La Liga winners)
4/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners, 2053 Copa del Rey Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

1/5 continental competitions (2051 African Cup of Nations)
0/1 world tournaments

 

[Gammonds]

Dunning Kreuger 2030-31 - A Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal

Opportunity knocked for Kreuger at the start of the off season. Orlando Pirates, one of South Africa's biggest clubs, fired their manager at the end of the recent season in the midst of a board takeover. Kreuger saw an opportunity to take over a club in a much better position and applied. When Maritzburg refused to let him go, Kreuger resigned from that job, and was promptly hired by the Pirates.

The Pirates offered 2 things that made them a very appealing choice - a first rate squad ready to compete for the league, and a berth in the African Champion's League - by way of being the defending champs. The squad didn't have any glaring deficiencies, and there was plenty of room in the transfer and payroll budgets to work with. There was no good backup left back at the club, and the starting right back had allowed a club in Italy to catch his eye. Kreuger allowed that player to go, and addressed the fullback positions by signing highly rated players for each of those spots. Sometimes it really is good to work for a powerhouse club.

South African soccer maintains a cluttered schedule for most teams, with 2 domestic cups to go with the regular season. As one of the better teams in the division, Pirates were also busier than most - they're also contesting the Super 8 and African Champion's League. All of this, and a super cup, made for a busy campaign, and a truncated preseason. Fortunately, the qualifying rounds of the ACL are littered with semi-pro sides. Those matches had all the drama of preseason games, and Pirates made their way through to the group stage while accumulating the expected outlandish scorelines.

The Super 8 Cup had the feel of a preseason tournament - it's early enough in the year that teams haven't really taken shape yet, but the board still expected Kreuger's Pirates to put on a good showing. Said good showing was duly delivered in the form of Kreuger's first club trophy in South Africa - and while it's a minor cup, early silverware did help establish Kreuger's credibility and lift the team's confidence a bit.

Spoiler

However, that confidence was not in evidence in the opening games of the regular season. Pirates stumbled out the gate, collecting a couple of poor results immediately. Those losses helped Kreuger finally really see where his squad was lacking. Much like with his previous Maritzburg squad, several members of this Pirates squad don't perform well under pressure. Much to Kreuger's chagrin, one of those was his shiny new right back - quickly relegated to the role of overpaid and over-promised backup. Still, there was just enough about this Pirates squad that they remained a very promising group. After a bit of shuffling the lineup to favor mental toughness over perceived talent, performances improved notably in the league - but those incredibly busy periods (sometimes 4 games in 8 days) challenged the fitness of the squad, and required careful rotation.

The South African Knockout Cup began immediately after the Super 8 final. Pirates won in the first round and Quarter Final handily before facing Bloem Celtic in the Semi Final. That match up offered more than enough drama as Pirates went all the way to penalties to win. The final against Golden Arrows was a bit of an anti-climax as Pirates won 3-0, giving Kreuger his first major trophy in South Africa.

By the mid-season break, the Pirate's form had stabilized, and the team had climbed into second in the league. Sundowns were in first by a commanding margin - 10 points, although Pirates went into the break with a game in hand. While there was room to improve the Pirate's squad in several areas, Kreuger chose not to make any major moves in the winter transfer window. The only signings were 2 low cost youth prospect, neither of whom was expected to play for the senior team this season. As the transfer window closed, several Pirates players caught the eye of 2 Chinese clubs. Those clubs bombarded Pirates with offers for players Kreuger had no intention of selling - most notably a star left wing with several years on his contract. Fortunately, that player was content to stay, and the barrage of unsolicited, out of the transfer window offers finally ceased when Henan met the release clause for a Pirates and South African National team left back. While that player was very good, Kreuger was already contemplating moving him on in the next transfer window - but late February was clearly not the preferred time.

The second half of the season opened with a busy February, and continued into an even busier March. The unreasonably packed schedule wore down some of the players, and Pirates suffered a couple of unfortunate and unlucky results in March. A league loss to a bottom half team started the month, and a draw to a mid-table side ended it. Those results left Pirates with an incredibly difficult task to chase down Sundowns for the league title. In the mid month, Pirates lost in the SA Cup Second round in extra time as their backup goaltender had a truly awful match. While exiting that competition earlier than hoped was unfortunate, the 2 cup trophies Pirates had already won that year were more than sufficient to contain any tears shed.

In the African Champion's League, Pirates were drawn in Group D along with fellow South African side Bloem Celtic and 2 much weaker teams. Pirates finished the group stage in second and qualified for the knockout rounds, winning 4 games but losing to Celtic twice. Celtic became familiar and unwelcome foes this season - Pirates faced them in both domestic cups they won in addition to the African Super Cup, the already mentioned ACL, and the expected league meetings. The draw for the knockout rounds was not unkind to Pirates, presenting them what appeared to be the clearest path to the final of all the remaining competitors. In the quarter final, Pirates met ES Tunis. Home for the first leg, a 1-0 win was if anything a bit underwhelming. A 3-2 win away secured Pirate's berth in the semi final against Raja Casablanca. The away leg ended 1-1, but Pirates were much better in front of their own fans a week later a won that match 4-0 to make the final.

The final saw Pirates face leading South African side Sundowns. The opening minutes of the match were a bit wild, as Pirates saved a penalty 11 minutes in, then Sundowns had a man sent off before the 20th minute. From there, Sundowns defended desperately, and successfully, for the next 70 minutes. Sundowns generated all of 1 shot from the time they went a man down, but Pirates couldn't manage to score in normal time. The match went to extra time, where Pirates finally scored in the 92nd minute. From there, the game trickled to an exhausted end, and Pirates walked away African Champion's League winners.

Spoiler

The second half of the SA Premier Soccer League season had very little drama in it. Sundowns were dominant this year, failing to equal the league's record points total by losing an irrelevant game on the final day. Pirates were very good in the league, equaling their best ever win total and setting a new team record for points. That return still wasn't quite good enough to expect to win the league, but there also was very little to do against the sort of year Sundowns had.

Spoiler

Overall, the season was a smashing success, and in most ways that vindicated Kreuger's decision to walk away from Martizburg. With the African Champion's League won, moving to another league becomes an option, at least if the right opportunity opens up. Still, Sundowns aren't likely to perform to the same level next season, and many of the Pirates players are still improving. With a productive off season and a focus on the league over cups next year, Pirates should have a very good shot to knock Sundowns off the top of the league.

Spoiler

 

Challenge Progress: 6/32

Spoiler

Season		Club		Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
2020/21		Chrobry Golgow	PL First Division	17
2021/22		Chrobry Golgow	PL First Division	5
2022/23		Chrobry Golgow	PL First Division	6		Promoted via playoffs
2023/24		Konyaspor	Turkish Super League	14
2024/25		Konyaspor	Turkish Super League			Fired after 5 matches
2024/25		Newcastle Jet	A League		8
2025/26		Newcastle Jet	A League		4		Lost in 1st round of the playoffs
2026/27		Newcastle Jet	A League		7
2027/28		Newcastle Jet	A League		1		Won Grand Final (A League title) and Asian Champion's League
2028/29		Newcastle Jet	A League				Won FFA Cup and Asian Champion's League, resigned before regular season
2028/29		Maritzburg Utd	South African PSL	13		Joined in December
2029/30		Maritzburg Utd	South African PSL	7
2030/31		Orlando Pirates	South African PSL	2		Won SA Knockout Cup and African Champion's League


Year		Nation		Achievements
2025 - 2030	Cameroon	African Cup of Nations - 2029

Total Progress: 6/32
1/10 Top Domestic Leagues: 2027/28 A League
2/10 Domestic Cup: 2028 FFA Cup (Australia), 2030 SA Knockout Cup (South Africa)
2/5 Club Continental Competition: 2027/28 Asian Champion's League, 2030/31 African Champion's League
0/1 Club World Championship

1/5 Int'l Continental Competition: 2029 Africa Cup of Nations
0/1 World Cup

 

 

[Surd]

On 11/06/2021 at 12:20, vikeologist said:

How would people feel if I explicitly said in the rules for the challenge that using Genie Scout is against the spirit of the challenge?

TBH, not having used Genie Scout I'm not 100% sure what it is exactly. I don;t think it's a save game editor per se. It might not actually be that different from looking at things like googlesheets of what different personalities mean.

However, to my mind, the 'no save game editor' rule doesn't just mean not being allowed to change things (apart from cosmetic things. If I bought the editor I'd change the strips of every club I manage to pink), it also means not looking directly at elements of the game which are hidden.

To be clear, not knowing exactly what Genie Scout is, I'm not insisting on this. If many of you feel that Genie Scout should be allowed, I'll leave things as they are. This challenge doesn't have LLM type rules. The only rule is to enjoy the game. (That's not true. There are lots of rules, and if you break any of them I will track you down).

Honestly, knowing who the future wonderkids are is less helpful in this challenge than in others. In challenges to get a club up 10 divisions? Sure! It's a game breaker. But in a save where you are constantly changing teams? Less useful. Still useful if you end up stuck in a team for 3+ seasons, so potentially on the tier below save scumming?