The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

[Joaquimorais]

[goonergez]

Humble Beginnings

Having first found this challenge two editions ago I’ve returned for a third attempt at completing this challenge. FM22 saw me get about halfway through which was a disappointment after falling just the Copa America short on the 21 edition of the game. I have a baby on the way early next year so my progress here will probably stall in the new year, but for now my focus is on this save and trying to progress as far as possible. 

I had tried to steer clear until the full edition of the game came out but couldn’t find myself getting into any other saves. In fact, since I first discovered this challenge a couple of years back, I haven’t managed to achieve much on FM outside of it. That’s why I always knew I’d be returning on this year's edition of the game. My save has begun but I decided to wait a few months in before posting and updating. Below is my managerial profile though as requested. I have already played a couple of seasons so have a few updates to come so will try to space them out. For that reason though @vikeologist I personally don't want the extra competition added into the challenge.

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by goonergez

[goonergez]

Polokwane City: Takeover Report

My managerial career began in a frustrating manner as I was passed up for even an interview by both City Rovers and NB La Masia. I wasn’t surprised to be passed up for employment but at least thought I had an outside chance of at least practicing my interview processes early on. Further frustration followed with the same rejection by Black Leopards just a few days later. I wasn’t overly disappointed not to pick up a role immediately, but it was somewhat frustrating.

Shortly after these rejections the domestic season kicked off and I was forced to wait patiently for an opportunity to crop up. My patience would be needed until mid-November when some of the poorer performing teams began to part services with their managers. My first interview opportunity would come at rock bottom Hungry Lions but as before I was overlooked to actually take charge. At this stage I began to panic that I may never be given a chance, but thankfully as December hit it’s middle, I picked up my first managerial job. And in truth it was a much more exciting prospect.

One of the bigger sides in the South African First Division this was an exciting opportunity to take charge and get my career underway. The playing squad looked a lot stronger than league position showed and I was excited to sign on the dotted line to take charge until the end of the season. The poor start had laid waste to pre season predications of fighting for promotion and meant that pressure was near enough absent for me in my early days. 13th position and way off the play-off pace, I would be tasked with trying to clear the nine point gap to get this team up to where it was expected.

The club was sitting well below pre-season expectations and meant that in truth I didn’t have much chance of failure early doors. My main aim would be to get the team to understand my style and tactics and hopefully improve on the field performances. Pushing on towards the play off places looked to be too much and so a top half finish was my only personal expectation.

The club is in awful shape financially and so the opportunity to bring in new faces was pretty much out the window. I would focus on using the players already on the books and start trying to focus on improving the squad for a push at promotion next season. For now my only target is to get the team performing well enough on field so I can earn myself a new contract to push on next season.

Season	 Team				League			Position			Notes & Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022/23	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		tbc		

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups

0/5 Club Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 International Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournaments

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by goonergez

[vikeologist]

Having given it some thought, I probably don't particularly want to add the Oceania Cup myself, although that is mostly because I want to complete the challenge quickly, and that extra cup could add 20 or 30 seasons.

That said, I have become manager of Fiji, so I might win it anyway.

There's something neat about 5 Champions Leagues and 5 continental international cups, and honestly, how many of us start this challenge because we're desperate to manage New Zealand. 

I'm not saying I won't add the trophy to the challenge if people want. Just that I'm a vote against as well.

[goonergez]

Personally I would suggest that the challenge is difficult enough as it is, without having to add anything else to it. Granted I may be saying that as somebody who’s never completed it, but the list of successful managers isn’t that great and I don’t feel that it’s an unrealistic amount of people completing it each year.

[vikeologist]

20 hours ago, Joaquimorais said:

Before I, or anyone else, get too invested in our saves, is this bug a challenge killer, or is it still possible to win the Champions League and domestic trophies?

There's no guarantee that SI will implement a save compatible fix, or even any fix at all based on last year.

I do recognise though that tis is the beta. It's not fair to complain if there's a challenge killer at this point. I started my save just to test to see if my tactics from the last 2 year still work (and boy, do they!).

 

Edited November 2, 2022 by vikeologist

[goonergez]

Polokwane City FC: 2022/23 Review

So my managerial career has reached the end of its first season and it’s fair to say my time in charge of Polokwane City has gone well.  

My arrival saw a vast improvement in fortunes and we lost just three games until the end of the season. Nine victories and three draws saw us climb up the table with ease before we ended with back-to-back defeats to put a blip on our efforts. If we’d won those last two games, we would’ve clinched a 3rd placed finish and a spot within the promotion play offs. As it was we slipped down to 8th place. 

Despite of that poor end to the season I managed to win pretty solid support from both the fans and the board. The end of the season saw me offered a new one year contract which I signed without delay. Having convinced the majority of the top performers in the squad to new contracts in quietly optimistic about next season. With some solid signings I’m confident that we can come back and push on for a finish much higher up the league table. The board ask merely for a top half finish and that alleviates a lot of pressure from my shoulders. The only disappointment for me so far is the fact that the club's financial situation is so poor that despite two requests they feel unable to financially support my request to complete a coaching course.

Season	 Team				League			Position			Notes & Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022/23	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  8th
2023/24	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  tbc		

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups

0/5 Club Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 International Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournaments

 

[Joaquimorais]

2 horas atrás, vikeologist disse:

Antes que eu, ou qualquer outra pessoa, fique muito investido em nossas defesas, este bug é um assassino de desafios, ou ainda é possível ganhar a Liga dos Campeões e troféus domésticos?

Não há garantia de que o SI implementará uma correção compatível com salvar, ou mesmo qualquer correção com base no ano passado.

Eu reconheço que tis é o beta. Não é justo reclamar se há um assassino de desafios neste momento. Comecei minha salvação só para testar para ver se minhas táticas dos últimos 2 anos ainda funcionam (e rapaz, não é!).

 

 

já tinha acontecido na temporada passada, eu achei que tinha sido erro meu, olha o xG das partidas, sem os melhores jogadores, eu jogo melhor mas  perco, você acha que mesmo se ajeitarem não vai corrigir no Save atual?

 

[Joaquimorais]

2 horas atrás, vikeologist disse:

Before I, or anyone else, get too invested in our saves, is this bug a challenge killer, or is it still possible to win the Champions League and domestic trophies?

There's no guarantee that SI will implement a save compatible fix, or even any fix at all based on last year.

I do recognise though that tis is the beta. It's not fair to complain if there's a challenge killer at this point. I started my save just to test to see if my tactics from the last 2 year still work (and boy, do they!).

 

olha, apenas 3 dos meus melhores jogadores eu consigo inscrever... muito dificil ganhar com um time da Africa do sul visto que Egito/Tunisia dominam a AFC

[vikeologist]

19 minutes ago, Joaquimorais said:

olha, apenas 3 dos meus melhores jogadores eu consigo inscrever... muito dificil ganhar com um time da Africa do sul visto que Egito/Tunisia dominam a AFC

I don't fully understand the bug. If I understand it correctly, are there players you can't register?

Is it because of something in the rules for the competition? Are the players you can't register recent signings.

I know the game doesn't detail any of the rules for registration, but there are a lot in reality, and maybe the game reflects that without explaining why you can't register the extra players.

Here is just part of the actual registration rules.

Quote

5. A complete list of a maximum of 30 players, along with the number of their licenses, validated by their national associations, must be registered on the online system or sent to CAF Secretariat in case of using the offline system. 6. This list must be registered before the 10th of July of the year of the start of the competition. It can be amended until the 20th of July but after the 20th of July the list becomes final and no new players can be added nor replaced up to the end of the competition, except in the case contemplated in the above para 2, 4 and the below para 7. 7. Starting from the 21st of July of the year of the start of the competition, no player can be replaced from the list. The federations will have the right to add players from the 21st and 31st of July (up to 30 players per list) and these players will only be qualified as of the Second Preliminary round and onwards. A National Association which has registered less than 30 players in July may after the Second Preliminary, starting the 1st of January until the 31st of January, complete its list up to a maximum of 30 players, provided that the additional list does not exceed seven new players. The licenses of the newly added players (whose numbers will vary from 1 to 7), duly filled in accordance with the provisions of the present regulations, must be registered through the online system on 31st January at the latest and after that date the system will not accept any new license.

I think your report (and the reply) is the only one, and it's in the wrong place. It's strange that only the 2 of you have reported it.

It should go here. 

[Africa] (Official) League Specific Issues - Bug Tracker - Sports Interactive Community (sigames.com)

SI might need a save game file to be able to look at it properly. Also, I'm worried that SI won't look at your bug report because it's in the wrong place. 

Is the reason you can't register all the players because you're trying to change who is registered?

Edited November 2, 2022 by vikeologist

[Joaquimorais]

5 minutos atrás, vikeologist disse:

I don't fully understand the bug. If I understand it correctly, are there players you can't register?

Is it because of something in the rules for the competition? Are the players you can't register recent signings.

I know the game doesn't detail any of the rules for registration, but there are a lot in reality, and maybe the game reflects that without explaining why you can't register the extra players.

Here is just part of the actual registration rules.

I think your report (and the reply) is the only one, and it's in the wrong place. It's strange that only the 2 of you have reported it.

It should go here. 

[Africa] (Official) League Specific Issues - Bug Tracker - Sports Interactive Community (sigames.com)

SI might need a save game file to be able to look at it properly. Also, I'm worried that SI won't look at your bug report because it's in the wrong place. 

Is the reason you can't register all the players because you're trying to change who is registered?

 

Olha, voce teve esse problema pra inscrever no Fm22? porque eu joguei no Fm22 e consegui inscrever todos, as regras sao 30 jogadores e nada mais, ja pesquisei no jogo, nas regras da competição e nao tem nada falando sobre algo a mais

[J_C_D]

Going to give this a go...

Manager profile: https://imgur.com/Igm9K9T

First job: https://imgur.com/3AVJ7ZI

Edited November 2, 2022 by J_C_D

[goonergez]

8 hours ago, J_C_D said:

Going to give this a go...

Manager profile: https://imgur.com/Igm9K9T

First job: https://imgur.com/3AVJ7ZI

Good to have you in here! You won’t regret it.

[vikeologist]

1 hour ago, goonergez said:

Good to have you in here! You won’t regret it.

They won't regret it immediately.

And how come everybody else can get a job with Polokwane, except me.

Actually, and I don't think this is a spoiler. Something to watch out for in South Africa is the having to start 3 under 23s in your team. You can take them off in the first minute if you want, but it caught me out a bit in my second season.

Edited November 3, 2022 by vikeologist

[Jivesinator]

On 24/10/2022 at 00:46, Jivesinator said:

Wow, it's been super long since I've gotten to this. I'm still actively going for it, and the quoted post here is to add context. Anyway, into the report.

Madura United FC

2023

It's been nearly four months since the finish of the last season, so I can't remember all the fine details, but I do remember that the offseason transfer window was a bunch of trialing domestic players and seeing who would stick. That got us a good right back and striker partnership, and our lone available foreign player slot went into a tailormade CM attack guy who predictably balled out. There was plenty of confidence that a trophy or two could come our way if we had fortune. So how did we do?

Reasonably well, but not good enough in the league.

And ditto for the cup.

We definitely had the talent, as we had a strong goalscoring output, a successful defensive unit that profited from our consistent attacking play, and xG for and against numbers that supported the case that we easily could've taken home the title. But unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards. The cup loss was particularly difficult to take, as we outplayed the opposition in the away leg only to draw, then gave up three goals to an opponent that had one off-target shot all game. They naturally went on to win the cup.

Aside from that, the save took a 180 near the end of the season. Lowly Madura United had a tycoon takeover. It started as a sequence of inbox items that originally started after the chairman had decided to step down. I didn't think much of it and neglected to screenshot the first few, but that first screenshot was when it started to become a lot more serious. About three in game weeks after the first message, the takeover was completed. Money was no longer a concern. My dumb idiot brain couldn't comprehend it. I think the lowest prestige league I've had a tycoon takeover happen in during a save was the Mexican top flight. Needless to say, it's Indonesian Galactico time.

Last thing, I have begun to sporadically stream this run and plan to at least do every trophy live. Not trying to self-promote, but if you see me in the FM22 Twitch category, that's what I'm doing. I'll edit out this part if self-promotion goes against site rules.

Madura United FC

2024

Time flies when you're having fun! I last left off with an insane tycoon takeover of a 1.5 star rep Indonesian team that seemed hell-bent to deus ex machina me in the right direction going forward. Since then, the transfer policy has been simple: Outscout, outspend, outwin! I shattered the national transfer fee record by a factor of 5 to sign a regular starter-level player from the bench of DC United, just because there was simply no way I could possibly spend beyond my means. It should go without saying that bringing my team together was a bit like hunting down the Infinity Stones. With all that in mind, how did we do?

Not even close.

We won the league with five games to spare. We had an absurd goal output, and the only reason we didn't have the best defensive record in the league is because of how often we gave up complacency goals. After putting together the Infinity Stones, we were inevitable. The stars that made this trophy possible were new signings Andi Aziz and Otávio, a striker and center back respectively who plugged our weakest positions with bonafide starpower, and Masril Prima, a stunning creative player who averaged over a goal contribution a game in all competitions.

And in the cup, we got ourselves a double! We got a fairly easy draw all the way through, only facing one other ISL team before our final match with Persib Bandung. Persib is the only club that has given us a consistent challenge in the league, and they were the favorites on the other half of the bracket and made it through. The first leg of the final (yes, the final was two legs) coincided with an international break for the Southeast Asian Championship, and both squads ended up losing a few players to international duty. But we came out firing, securing a 2-0 away leg win, then simply preventing Persib from coming back to haul our second trophy of the challenge. A quick shout out is in order for Herry Muliadi, the aforementioned former DC United player who had an inconsistent season, but carried the squad on his shoulders during the semifinals and finals. Without his timely performances, it's quite possible that we go to penalties against Persib and lose out on the cup.

A couple more additional housekeeping things: I've started a living document using Google Sheets that'll track my progress, with updates at the end of every session I play. It's currently just got the stuff needed to track the conditions for the challenge, but I hope to add video clips of each trophy win, images of the key players of each team I manage, up-to-date competition standings, and more things that I might think of. I'm having a blast with the challenge so far, and I'd be excited to share as much of the save with this small group of dedicated virtual managers as I can.

Also, I think it's worth it to share the file of the Madura United tycoon situation, as it's a really unique and interesting scenario that I hope someone else may have a fun time playing. I saw a dedicated thread for posting such saves, so I'll do it there some time soon.

[Jivesinator]

I also feel like it's my obligation to show a spoiler of my upcoming Asian Champions League campaign, as it's too funny not to. I beat Antonio Conte's Shanghai Port 5-0 away, dealing with the aging Aaron Mooy and Oscar way more comfortably than I thought we could. Having only played since FM21, it's likely that this is my best match ever.

 

 

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2023/4 Black Leopards Report 

I couldn’t get a better job. Maybe because I wouldn’t commit to staying at other clubs for a long time. I’m a manager in a hurry.

Despite having no money, and therefore very few players, we won the league fairly comfortably with a couple of matches to spare.

Once again, almost all my players want to leave, but I’m not sure this is a bug. We just don’t have much money.

I really, really plan to escape for sure this summer. I might have to wait until after the Oceania Cup with Fiji though. After that competition I’ll quit, hopefully with a tournament win to make me more attractive to employers.

Top Goalscorer - Mahlatse Leso - 19

I play with one striker, and rotated quite a lot between 2 because of needing to have 3 U23s in my starting eleven. Leso is the young backup in that scenario, but his scoring rate (per 84 mins) was much better than my supposed best striker, so perhaps I should have played him every match.

Highest Average Rating (minimum 10 matches played) – Kiyaam Bull – 7.52

One of only about first teamers to stay from my first season, Bull was a key central defender.

Man of The Match – Talent Chawapiwa – 5

This was my other striker. To be fair, he’s better as an attacking midfielder, and I did play him there a lot, so maybe that’s why he didn’t score as often as Leso.

Most Valuable Player– Kiyaam Bull

As I say next up is the Oceania Nations Cup with Fiji. We’re both the holders and host nation, so we didn’t have to play the first round a few months ago.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division		Position	MVP		Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1		5th				Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1		1st		Kiyaam Bull 	SA Cup Q/F

International
Year			Team				Achievements
23-			Fiji


Challenge Progress 0/32

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

International
 0/5 continental tournaments 		
 0/1 World Cup	

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by vikeologist

[vikeologist]

Before I play the Oceania Nations Cup, I should say that I'm not adding it to the challenge. Nobody wants it, including me to be honest.

So even if I win it, it won't count.

[goonergez]

Polokwane City: 2023/24 Review

After beginning my career midway through last season, I had high hopes of progression with my Polokwane City side this time around. My arrival had brought definite improvement last time around and I was confident that with some positive activity in the transfer market we could come back and do even better this time. Financial restraints didn’t help my cause in improving the squad, but we did a great job of reducing the weekly expenditure on wages. We brought in seven new faces whilst chalked nearly £5,000 per week off the bill and I went into the season feeling pretty positive about our chances.

We started the season in sensational form winning our first six matches and staking our claim to be involved in a fight for the league title. A blip saw us lose four of our next six but we bounced back and showed immense courage to regain our form and push ourselves onwards. 30 league goals from veteran Puleng Marema helped us on our way and we clinched the league title with three matches remaining.

Outside of the league we also have a good account of ourselves in the SA Cup, reaching the second round. A penalty shoot-out win saw us through Hungry Lions in the preliminary round before a sensational comeback saw us defeat TS Galaxy of the Premier League 3-2 in the First-Round proper. Our run came to an end in the next round though as we were dismantled 0-5 by Stellenbosch FC to suffer elimination.

Our achievements didn’t go unnoticed and as the season drew to a close I found myself rejecting advances from a couple of Premier League sides. Firstly, Maritzburg United and then Golden Arrows came in offering interviews, but I felt by holding out until the end of the season I would give myself a chance of finding a position with a more competitive side. My plan is to leave when my contract expires in a few weeks' time and look to take charge of a side in the topflight where I can compete to win some major honours. Hopefully my reputation has been enhanced enough with Polokwane City that I can make that a reality.

Season	 Team				League			Position			Notes & Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022/23	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  8th
2023/24	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  1st (C)			SA First Division Winners		

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups

0/5 Club Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 International Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournaments

 

[goonergez]

Mamelodi Sundowns: 2024/25 Update

Having waited for the expiration of my contract with Polokwane I was forced to remain patient for a month before my application for the position at Mamelodi Sundowns became a reality. They returned with a job offer and before I knew it, I found myself as the manager of one of the biggest sides in African football. Fifteen times winners of the South African Premier League and also fairly recent winners of the African Champions League. I put pen to paper on a two-year contract at the club, with ambitions of winning a whole host of major honours.

Unfortunately, my plans didn’t come to fruition, and I was relieved from my duties with just seven games remaining of my campaign in charge. I had got the season off to a good start and as we hit the winter break, we sat second in the league and very much in with a chance. Unfortunately, our return from the break was woeful and after a woeful run that saw us win just twice in eight matches I was sacked. I was extra disappointed as after falling short in both the Super-8 and Knockout Cups we had a genuine change with a winnable quarter final of the SA Cup match to come against Golden Arrows.

I didn’t blame the board for their decision though as our form literally seemed to fall off a cliff. We dominated plenty of games but a pack of ability to score goals ended up costing us too many points and by the time I was sacked we were way off the pace and looking a trophy free season square in the face.

It’s onwards and upwards though and for now I have to just remain a little patient. I still back myself to succeed at this level and for now I’ll just wait until the end of the season and see if any more big jobs become available. I’m sure one will, and I’ll be looking to jump straight back in when that happens.

Season	 Team				League			Position			Notes & Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022/23	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  8th
2023/24	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  1st (C)			SA First Division Winners
2024/25	Mamelodi Sundowns	S.Africa Premier		        -		

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups

0/5 Club Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 International Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournaments

 

[vikeologist]

Mini-update

After gaining promotion with Black Leopards, I had 2 international tournaments in the summer in an attempt to boost my reputation. (I'm not sure it works if you resign afterwards, but I fancied doing the tournies anyway).

First up was the Oceania Nations Cup with Fiji. That was horrible. The players are so bad. I managed to scrape my way to the semifinal where we were beaten by New Zealand. No interest in ever doing that competition again.

I resigned and almost immediately took over Morocco U23s for the Olympic Games. We went all the way to the final, beating France and Argentina along the way, before losing to Italy in the final.

I then saw @goonergez's update, and decided to take a leaf out of his book by resigning from Leopards and waiting for a good job to come along. I thought I'd made a terrible mistake, as no good club jobs came along until the following April, but finally Kaizer Chiefs sacked their manager and I've been given the job with 6 league games to go. We're in 11th, so no chance of doing anything this season in the league other than ensuring we don't get relegated.

Even better, I've realised cranking up the save this morning, that my first match is a SA Cup semi-final. This kind of cheeky parachuting in at the last moment to win a trophy is what I used to equally cheekily call doing a Vike. In my first completion, I actually took over a club on the afternoon of the second leg of a final, although I didn't actually manage to Vike the trophy on that occasion. 

Regarding the African continental registration bug, I have a theory that it's caused by having players that have (ever) played in that competition for another club, so I will be taking that into account with who I sign for Chiefs. 

Domestic
Season	Team		Division		Position	MVP		Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1		5th				Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1		1st		Kiyaam Bull 	SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem						Took over with 6 matches to go.

International
Year			Team				Achievements
23-24			Fiji				Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23			Olympics Losing Finalists


Challenge Progress 0/32

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

International
 0/5 continental tournaments 		
 0/1 World Cup	

 

[vikeologist]

Somewhat appropriate that my first fining for poor performance is;

[J_C_D]

 

Polokwane City - 2022/23 Review

After opening up with 3 defeats we were able to steady the ship going on an 8 game unbeaten run (7W, 1D). However, the wheels soon came off and we only won 1 of the final 7 games and ended the season with a 5th straight defeat.  

 

Challenge Progress

 

Quote

Ultimate FM Challenge.pdf

 

[J_C_D]

 

Chippa United - 2023/24 Update

Following a board meeting with the higher-ups at Polokwane City it looked like my tenure was soon to be coming to an end with the club sat in 14th. Divisional rivals the 'Chilli Boys' sat in 11th sacked their manager and I chanced my arm and applied for the job. A step in the right direction considering the club were in the South African Premier Soccer League last season and following their relegation had media expectations of finishing 2nd and bouncing back immediately, lets see if I can get the club back on track and back into the top flight.

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by J_C_D

[J_C_D]

Chippa United - 2023/24 Review

I now know why the club are nicknamed the 'Chilli Boys' - since joining the club, form has been nothing but hot and that saw us rise up the table from 11th to a playoff place in 2nd. The Playoff Mini League was out of our hands for the final game with us needing Cape Town Spurs to do us a favour. With just 1 point from 3 games (annoyingly came against us at home) it was highly unlikely that they were going to manage anything away at Richards Bay whose South African Premier Soccer League place was on the line. Much to my surprise (and delight) Cape Town won the game 2-0 and with that our promotion back to the South African Premier Soccer League was confirmed! As for Polokwane City, things didn't get any better following my departure and they were relegated. Very much a season of hot and cold.

Career Progress

Quote

Ultimate FM Challenge.pdf

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by J_C_D

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2024/5 Kaizer Chiefs Report 

Took over with 6 matches to go, in very vague relegation trouble, but more importantly in the South African Cup semi-final. We had 2 easy matches and won the cup easily, the Vikeing ™ of which not only sees me pick up my first eligible trophy of the challenge, but also qualify for the next Confederations Cup. I’ll have to be careful with any new signings that they can be registered for that competition, and the Champions League beyond that. I've already decided not to try to sign one player in this situation, (played for another club in a continental comp) until I see what happens at registration for the Confed Cup.

After Black Leopards where I had about 22 players total, this club had about 60 or 70 and despite its vast resources was over the wage budget, so I’m releasing lots of players over the summer. My wage bill is down about 40% so far.

Top Goalscorer - Kamohelo Mahlatsi – 9

An attacking midfielder, although I think he was utilised as a striker before me. 

The club don’t have a proper senior striker. My starter is 17 years old, and scored 7 goals in 6 starts with me. His backup is only 15 years old, and sets a new CSE record for me as my youngest scorer ever, or at least the 4 years or so of the Records thread. Honestly they’re the same ability so the 15 year old might start next season if I don’t bring in somebody new, but promising as the kids are, it’s the most obvious position to improve upon.

Highest Average Rating (minimum 10 matches played) – Elijah Masinga – 7.21

This would have been the 15 year old striker, Kyle Molefe, if not for the 10 match requirement. A goal every 50 minutes, 4 goals in 2 starts.

As it is, it’s the 17 year old striker, Masinga, instead, even though he only started his 7 matches under me.

 

Man of The Match – Brandon Petersen - 4

Our goalie. These awards tell the tale of how bad the team was before me. Peterson’s 14 for eccentricity showed its head a few times in my matches, so I wouldn’t say I’m fully committed to him. He is a bit loco and unpredictable.

Most Valuable Player– Reeve Frosler

I think he’s my best player. His ratings were dreadful before I came, but he showed me enough to be sure that he can be my key player. Ostensibly a right back, but he’s very adaptable. I’ve offered him a new 2 year contract.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division		Position	MVP		Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1		5th				Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1		1st		Kiyaam Bull 	SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem		10th				Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.

International
Year			Team				Achievements
23-24			Fiji				Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23			Olympics Losing Finalists


Challenge Progress 1/32

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

International
 0/5 continental tournaments 		
 0/1 World Cup	

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by vikeologist

[vikeologist]

Still only a sample size of 2, but in my main save, I've had no problem registering all my players for the African Confederations Cup, which people have reported an identical problem with.

Now, none of my players have played in the Confed Cup (or any continental competition) for any other team since the start of the save.

So, I'm not sure the absence of something proves the thing, but I do continue to  think the theory above is the cause of the problem.

Obviously Joaquimorais's save game has lots of players who couldn't be registered and so will be much easier for SI to say if that is indeed the cause.

So, for those of us managing in S Africa, I'd suggest avoiding signing players who've played continental footie for other African teams since the start of saves.

[J_C_D]

Mamelodi Sundowns / South Africa - 2024/25 Update

Approached by the South African FA it felt right to take the job given I am aiming to grow my profile in the nations domestic competition. Just after the midway point of the season Steve Komphela resigned from the reigning champions to take an opportunity with Egypt. This left vacant a job that was just too desirable to not apply for and thankfully, my interview skills saw me offered the job.

[vikeologist]

@J_C_DYou certainly seem to be better at interviews than me. I think I'm too honest about how mercenary I'm going to be.

Everybody seems to be taking the same route, starting in S Africa. This is not the only possible route. In fact I don't think it's even the best route. I only started in S Africa because I wanted to try something different for my test save, which has turned into a concerted effort.

Edited November 6, 2022 by vikeologist

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, vikeologist said:

@J_C_DYou certainly seem to be better at interviews than me. I think I'm too honest about how mercenary I'm going to be.

Everybody seems to be taking the same route, starting in S Africa. This is not the only possible route. In fact I don't think it's even the best route. I only started in S Africa because I wanted to try something different for my test save, which has turned into a concerted effort.

I am planning to start in South America whenever I finally start this challenge. 

 

[J_C_D]

Mamelodi Sundowns / South Africa - 2024/25 Review

Having taken over the reigns of the defending champions in 4th place with just under half of the season to go I knew there was a good chance of us going on to retain our title if we hit a bit of form. What I didn't expect was us to win all 12 of our remaining league games. The step up in quality from Chippa Utd clear to see and just goes to show why the club is such a force domestically. However, I do seem to be leaving a curse on my former employers, as like Polokwane City, Chippa Utd also succumbed to relegation following my resignation. The club motto 'The Sky is the Limit' appears rather applicable; let's aim for continental success with this domestic powerhouse. 

Career Progress

Quote

Ultimate FM Challenge.pdf

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by J_C_D

[goonergez]

I am beginning to worry that the ability to win the African champions league may be severely hindered by the registration issues. I don’t want to skip out the trophy but I don’t think I’m capable of building a team from no previous experience Continentally that can win the competition. I’m having to name makeshift defences full of younger prospect players and I think every time I reach the business end I’ll be beaten by a bigger team.

[vikeologist]

2 minutes ago, goonergez said:

I am beginning to worry that the ability to win the African champions league may be severely hindered by the registration issues. I don’t want to skip out the trophy but I don’t think I’m capable of building a team from no previous experience Continentally that can win the competition. I’m having to name makeshift defences full of younger prospect players and I think every time I reach the business end I’ll be beaten by a bigger team.

I might be wrong about what's causing it. In my 2 saves (1 of which was a test save) I've only had 1 player who couldn't be registered. Hopefully SI will look at Joachim's save he uploaded to them, and one way or another, it might be something they can fix before tomorrow's proper game launch.

I'm not optimistic about SI fixing much of anything after last year, but this is just the beta. If bugs are going to be fixed, this is when it will happen. 

It is hampering me a bit, planning ahead. I'm finding it difficult to find anyone worth signing, whether they've played continentally or not, but also I suppose if they have, it is making me a lot less keen to sign them.

However, I could be wrong. I was just offering it up to SI as a hypothesis.

[goonergez]

I have a strong feeling that is the cause of the issues. I tried to avoid signing anyone who had played Continentally but it left a very limited pool of decent enough players and in truth I don’t feel they’re decent enough to win the tournament. I’m a bit ahead of my updates but it may be a case of giving it one more shot after tomorrow and if not then I may just skip it and hope to come back to it towards the end of my attempt.

[vikeologist]

13 minutes ago, goonergez said:

I have a strong feeling that is the cause of the issues. I tried to avoid signing anyone who had played Continentally but it left a very limited pool of decent enough players and in truth I don’t feel they’re decent enough to win the tournament. I’m a bit ahead of my updates but it may be a case of giving it one more shot after tomorrow and if not then I may just skip it and hope to come back to it towards the end of my attempt.

Actually, you're probably right. Created a new manager test save to look at Supersport's registration, and their one unregistered player fits the hypothesis.

Give it one day though. There'll be loads of fixes in one go with the proper release.

Edited November 7, 2022 by vikeologist

[vikeologist]

7 hours ago, goonergez said:

I have a strong feeling that is the cause of the issues. I tried to avoid signing anyone who had played Continentally but it left a very limited pool of decent enough players and in truth I don’t feel they’re decent enough to win the tournament. I’m a bit ahead of my updates but it may be a case of giving it one more shot after tomorrow and if not then I may just skip it and hope to come back to it towards the end of my attempt.

Sorry, mate. Looks like this won't be fixed for tomorrow. 

The question is whether any fix would be save game compatible? I've not seen a bug like this before, so no idea whether it's simple or difficult to fix. You'd think it would be simple though. Were they registered before? - yes. Was it this season? - no. They must have the same code in other continents, so just copy it over. Hopefully if you do need to come back to it, it will be fixed by the time you do.

Anybody starting this challenge on the release version, do take into account this bug if thinking of starting in S Africa.

You really don't need to start in Africa. However @Ronaldo Beckham it's only just been possible to get a first job in S America in previous versions. It might be impossible now. Every year the first job you can get becomes a little bit more difficult.

As the 2nd person to ever start this challenge, my first job was in the S Africa Premier League, where I managed to miraculously steer Swallows clear of relegation. (Actually, my first job was in the Chinese Super League, but it took me 5 minutes to realise that a miracle wouldn't be enough there. I learnt my first and probably still most important Ultimate Challenge lesson. Look before you leap at a job.

I still remember seeing the challenge for the first time and thinking, well, that's impossible, but I could give it a try for a half hour or so.

Ironically the guy who created the challenge probably actually did only do the challenge for half an hour, before disappearing and leaving the rest of us arguing about exactly what his initial rules actually meant like US Supreme Court justices interpreting the constitution.

Edited November 7, 2022 by vikeologist

[goonergez]

@vikeologisthow have you found out tomorrow won’t be a fix? I’m going to finish my current season and if I fail in champions league I’ll shimmy round the rest of the challenge to come back at the end. Maybe removing South Africa and reinstating it later may solve it. Lots to ponder for sure.

[vikeologist]

4 minutes ago, goonergez said:

@vikeologisthow have you found out tomorrow won’t be a fix? I’m going to finish my current season and if I fail in champions league I’ll shimmy round the rest of the challenge to come back at the end. Maybe removing South Africa and reinstating it later may solve it. Lots to ponder for sure.

They've only just looked at it (again) on the bugs' thread. ((I tagged you asking if you could send them a save file). Any changes they make tonight, even if they do, won't be part of the build they release tomorrow, or more likely tonight. I mean, they would need to test the fix.

As I've stated before, it is just the beta, although it would be nice if they asked CSE people to test the alpha. Challenges do tend to identify major problems. The Youth challenge figured out their player development problems real fast once the beta came out.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

@vikeologist I will do a test save now with all of the official South American leagues loaded to see what happens.

I will update you soon.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

@vikeologist this is my profile for my test save. This isn't my official entry as I wont be doing this challenge until after Xmas.

I applied for all of the jobs including the international jobs and I got offered the Malta, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Palestine jobs.

I wont be accepting these but I just wanted to see which ones would offer me the job.

I got job interviews from Gremio Esportivo Brasil and Athletico Cearense.

I then got offered the Athletico Cearanse job who are in the Brazilian Ceara State Championship which is quite a few leagues down from Brazilian Series C I think but you lot will know better then me.

I didn't get offered the Gremio Esportivo Brasil job though. 

At least that gives people an idea of where they can start if they want to start in South America.

 

 

[Jivesinator]

@Ronaldo BeckhamState championships are a separate competition structure than the pyramid system in Brazil, they're regional competitions at the beginning of the calendar year between clubs from multiple different levels. If the leagues are the same as FM22 and you've got everything loaded from Brazil, you're in one of the Serie A-C leagues. I'm pretty sure your team is Serie C which means you're in a split league with two stages.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

8 minutes ago, Jivesinator said:

@Ronaldo BeckhamState championships are a separate competition structure than the pyramid system in Brazil, they're regional competitions at the beginning of the calendar year between clubs from multiple different levels. If the leagues are the same as FM22 and you've got everything loaded from Brazil, you're in one of the Serie A-C leagues. I'm pretty sure your team is Serie C which means you're in a split league with two stages.

Oh ok cool. I didn't have a clue about the league/pymarid structure in Brazil so I appreciate you explaining to me.

 

[ANGL]

I plan to start this challenge tomorrow, with the full game release. Any tips on which nations to load? I was thinking about loading the top 5 european leagues + leagues from the continent I am playing, is that right or there is a better way to set up the game?

[vikeologist]

23 minutes ago, ANGL said:

I plan to start this challenge tomorrow, with the full game release. Any tips on which nations to load? I was thinking about loading the top 5 european leagues + leagues from the continent I am playing, is that right or there is a better way to set up the game?

You can add and subtract leagues as you go.  No reason to have top european divisions loaded at start unless you're starting in that nations lower leagues.  You just have to make sure you start with leagues you can get a first job in. 

[vikeologist]

To mark the launch of the full game, I'm going to give some unsolicited advice to those thinking of undertaking the challenge for the first time.

First, you need to add the Asian internationals as per the opening post. I think you might not be able to complete the challenge without doing that.

Secondly, South Africa is the obvious nation to start off in. I think there's 4 of us actively doing the challenge on FM23 atm, and we all started in South Africa, but there is a bug where you can't register players for the continental competitions if they've played continental football for another team since the start of the save. The way around it is to be careful who you sign, and maybe don't sell all your useful existing players who you will be able to register.

Although most people start in S Africa or China, an option is to start in a much lower league in Europe or even S America, and try to work your way up quickly winning the most prestigious competitions first.

The challenge takes a long time, but you can still enjoy it even if you don't complete it. If you do want to complete it though, it might take you a long time. I think it's taken me more than a year both times I have.

Don't start in a tiny Asian nation. Sure, you might win a domestic league and cup, but you might find it even harder to get your next job than at the start of the challenge.

Don't dive straight into an international job at the start of the save if you stand no chance of winning anything with them. Having an international job makes it harder to get a club job.

Lastly, most of the above might not be true of FM23. Who knows? Pretty sure the Asian internationals thing is though.

[Crispypaul]

  

        

  Crispypaul
PSG
Ligue Un
2035/36

League - Season Review 1 | Season Review 2 - unbeaten and extremely comfortable title win

French Cup - Fixtures - won this one too with a defeat of Montpelier

Champions League -  Fixtures | Table - topped the group as expected, then tonked Ajax at home in the 2nd round.  8-1 and 9-3 two legged defeats of Inter and Man Utd followed to setup a final against Man City, sadly we just lost.

Transfers - terrible squad depth when I joined so had to spend money and shift some deadwood

Finances - funding was scaled back a couple of years prior so not as healthy as they have been

Squad 

Key players:

Titouan Kerleroux - had a good couple of seasons for a mediocre Bordeaux and stepped up here

Erling Haaland - rubbish...just kidding as he scored 61 goals in all competitions at 35

Nicolò Rovella - strong season from the experienced midfielder

Deni - brought him over from RB Leipzig for a reasonable fee

Nuno Mendes - good season from the experienced left back

Luis Uribe - world class centre back

With France done I resign at the end of the season

England - just about to play the 2036 Euros

Domestic
Season	 Team			Division		Position			Notes						
2021/22  Black Leopards    	South African 1st  	 1st				Champions, Promoted
2022/23	 Black Leopards	 	South African PSL	 7th
2023/24	Supersport United	South African PSL	 1st				Champions, AFCL, Nedbank, MTN8 winners
2025	LA Galaxy		MLS			1st				Champions, won US Open Cup and NACL
2026	Busan			K-League 1		1st				Won KFA Cup
2027	Busan			K-League 1		1st				Won AFC CL, KFA Cup
2028	Independiente		Primera Division	 2nd		
2029	Independiente		Primera Division	1st				Won Cup, Copa Libertadores
2029/30	Tottenham		EPL			5th				Won EFL Cup, FA Cup, Europa League
2030/31	Tottenham		EPL			2nd				Won EFL Cup
2031/32	Tottenham		EPL			1st				Won CL, EFL Cup, resigned
2032/33	RB Leipzig		BL			2nd				Won Cup
2033/34	RB Leipzig		BL			1st
2035/36	PSG				L1			1st				Won Cup

International
Year	   	Team				Achievements
2023		Panama				Gold Cup QF, resigned
2026		Iran				Appointed after World Cup
2027		Iran				Won Asian Cup, resigned
2027		Ivory Coast			Appointed after AFCON
2028		Ivory Coast			Qualified for AFCON
2029		Ivory Coast			Knocked out in AFCON semis, resigned
2030/31		Brazil				Played WC qualifiers
2031/32 	Brazil				More qualifiers, won Copa America
2032/33		Brazil				Top of qualifying group
2033/34		Brazil				Lost in WC final, resigned
2034/35		England				
2035/36		England				Qualified for Euro 2036
		
Challenge Progress

Club
 7/10 top domestic leagues (Supersport United, South Africa, 23/24; LA Galaxy, USA, 2025; Busan, South Korea, 2026; Independiente, Argentina, 2029; Tottenham, England, 2031/32; RB Leipzig, Germany, 33/34; PSG, France, 35/36)
 7/10 domestic cups (Supersport United, South Africa, 23/24; LA Galaxy, USA, 2025; Busan, South Korea, 2026; Independiente, Argentina, 2029; Tottenham, England, 2029/30; RB Leipzig, Germany, 32/33; PSG, France, 35/36)
 5/5 club continental championships (Supersport United, Africa, 23/24; LA Galaxy, North America, 2025; Busan, Asia, 2027; Independiente, South America, 2029; Tottenham, Europe, 2031/32)
 0/1 club world championship 

International
 2/5 continental tournaments (Iran, Asia, 2027; Brazil, South America, 2032)
 0/1 world tournaments

[Crispypaul]

     

England
Euro 2036
 

Group Stages - Fixtures | Table

Won all our games albeit narrowly.  Bulgaria await next. 

2nd Round 

Spoiler

England 2 Bulgaria 1 - closer then expected but we got through where we face the Netherlands

 Quarter Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

England 1 Netherlands 0 - a goal in the first minute was enough, although not for the fans blood pressure.  Italy next.

Semi Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

England 4 Italy 0 - an absolute thrashing, sets up a good final against Spain

Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

Spain 0 England 3 - an early goal plus two late ones after a Spain red card led us to lifting the trophy

 

[goonergez]

Kaizer Chiefs: 2025/26 Review

With my sacking from Sundowns coming towards the end of the season I wouldn’t have to wait long for my next opportunity. Kaizer Chiefs had finished the season in 3rd spot and without winning a cup competition but possessed a squad that contained some definite quality. I was offered a two-year contract to take charge and didn’t remotely hesitate in signing the paper as soon as possible. I saw this as the perfect opportunity for redemption after my struggles with Sundowns.

I was unable to clinch a league title with them but we did come mightily close. In fact I’ve we had avoided a disappointing 0-2 defeat at home to SuperSport United in our final home match of the season we would’ve walked away with the league title. Bearing in mind we had actually endured a very difficult and slow beginning to the campaign we did well to close down an eleven point gap to Sundowns at the midway stage. The big change was my two central defender signings that arrived during the winter transfer window.

Outside of the league we had all of the domestic cups as well as the continental tournament of the African Confederations Cup. We did fairly well in reaching the semi-finals of the SA Knockout Cup but crashed out at the first hurdle of the Super-8 to Amazulu. With registration issues for the Confederations Cup, I was actually happy to reach the latter stages and we made it all the way to the Quarter Finals. Especially satisfying as we had only three defensive players registered and was having to fill the back line with our more defensive midfielder options.

We did manage to lift some silverware though and it is the first trophy win for me that counts towards this challenge.

We scrambled our way through the early rounds, needing extra time to see off Uthongathi and then scrambling through TS Galaxy after a penalty shootout. From there we stepped up though. Firstly, SuperSport United were beaten and then we won our semi-final against the holders Amazulu. The final saw us absolutely dominate the game and to be fair it’s only really a surprise that we only managed to win by the odd goal.

It’s fair to say that I enjoyed a pretty good first season with this club. Winning the SA Cup was extremely pleasing but I actually think I’m more happy with this surprising piece of news I received at the end of the campaign.

Only the winners of the league normally qualify for the Champions League so to get in actually puts me ahead of my personal schedule. Now I just need to hope that the squad registration issues won’t affect me although I’m not holding out much hope. I’ve got another year to run on my contract and I’ll be aiming to put together a charge for the league title as well as a good effort and showing in the continental competition.

A fantastic first season in charge leaves me excited to go into the next campaign. I think challenging for the league is realistic and it would also be nice to go as far as possible in the Champions League. With the right additions over the summer I’m confident in our abilities to do just that.

Season	 Team				League			Position			Notes & Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022/23	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  8th
2023/24	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  1st (C)			SA First Division Winners
2024/25	Mamelodi Sundowns	S.Africa Premier		     -
2025/26	Kaizer Chiefs		S.Africa Premier		2nd			SA Cup Winners		


0/10 Domestic Leagues
1/10 Domestic Cups (2025/26 SA Cup)

0/5 Club Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 International Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournaments

 

[goonergez]

Kaizer Chiefs: 2026/27 Review

After being sacked by Sundowns we enjoyed a really good season here as I began to repair the damage caused by that failure. Last season we finished in 2nd place and qualified for the Champions League for this term. On top of that we won the SA Cup meaning that this year I could focus our attentions onto trying to win the Premier League and the aforementioned Champions League.

Our summer transfer activity centred around a holding midfielder and in particular 24-year old Brice Ambina of Cape Town City. We chased him throughout the entire off season before finally clinching his signing in a £200,000 deal. The other notable addition was Gabadinho Mhango. The 34-year old striker enjoyed fruitful spells with both Orlando Pirates and more recently Amazulu, and arrived here on a free transfer to offer cover up front.

Our ambitions looked realistic from the early stages of the season. We managed to get to the final of the Super-8 Cup before losing to Sundowns, and did more in beating Amazulu 2-1 to lift the SA Knockout Cup.

Our league form was similar to last season though as we started rather slowly before kicking on.

We would eventually lift the league title with a couple of games to spare to cap off a very good domestic campaign. Our side was defensively strong, and we managed to bag goals all across the field. I was extremely pleased with how well we managed to do, and we also chalk off another trophy for the challenge.

The latter stages of our season did hurt somewhat though. We were knocked out of the SA Cup by Sekukhune United at the semi-final stage as well as being completely undone over two legs by Sundowns in the quarter finals of the Champions League. Squad registration issues definitely costing us in continental competition as we were forced to rely on youth players on their way up into our first team squad.

Season	 Team				League			Position			Notes & Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022/23	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  8th
2023/24	 Polokwane City		S.Africa Div1		  1st (C)			SA First Division Winners
2024/25	Mamelodi Sundowns	S.Africa Premier		    -
2025/26	Kaizer Chiefs		S.Africa Premier	2nd			SA Cup Winners
2026/27	Kaizer Chiefs		S.Africa Premier	1st (C)		SA Premier League Winners, SA Knockout Cup Winners
		


1/10 Domestic Leagues (2026/27 SA Premier League)
1/10 Domestic Cups (2025/26 SA Cup)

0/5 Club Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 International Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournaments

 

[Crispypaul]

I think I will call it a day on my FM22 attempt now - I've had to holiday another season and still can't get a decent job in La Liga or Serie A plus I still need to win the World Cup, Cup of Nations, Gold Cup, Club World Cup (which I have just missed) plus another random league and cup.  And FM23 is calling out to me!

I might come back later on FM23, will see.