The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

Vossenoren · October 22, 2023

On 18/10/2023 at 08:37, vikeologist said:

Do your tactics work at other levels? I find that my tactics do work better in the top leagues, but not really at international level, and very much not in the Bundesliga.

Yep, anywhere but in the English basement leagues

Vossenoren · October 22, 2023

One year in:

Kim Vonk (South African):

After a horrible first two games in charge, getting pummeled 4-0 by eventual champions AmaTuks (University of Praetoria), and eking out a scoreless draw against eventual last-placed Hungry Lions (whose kit colors make me wish I could've landed a job with them), it was back to the tactical drawing board, scrapping the idea of going with just assistant recommendations. Because of a horrible lack of squad depth in midfield, I landed on a formation that could be viewed as a 4-3-3DM with a central defensive midfielder, an MCR and an AMLC. With an absolute break-out season from young winger Sandile Mokoena on the right, we managed to find ourself in the top spot of the league at the start of the final gameday, facing Praetoria Callies, who were locked into third place, with nothing to play for. Needless to say, we lost (0-2), and saw the title end up where it had looked to be going all year. Quite frankly I was shocked to have even been in title contention, because AmaTuks started their season with (what felt like) ten straight 3+ goal victories. In the promotion playoff, we handily beat the relegation candidate from the Premier, Baroka (4-1), and held PC to a scoreless draw. PC lost to Baroka in their first meeting, and I thought promotion was a sure thing. Unfortunately, the second match against Baroka was completely different as they beat us 2-0, and now I was in need of some help - which I got in the form of a draw in the last fixture between PC and Baroka, so based on goal difference it was a potential win and you're in situation against PC, whom, it should be noted, I'd failed to beat in our last two meetings. The match stayed scoreless until very late, when we managed to run out to a 2-0 lead and ultimately victory meaning promotion to the South African Premier Division!

Since it appears that you can only sign players to one-year contracts in S Africa, I might be able to construct a team capable of challenging for big things, despite my club's poor financial status, small wage budget, and the $2,500 transfer budget. Unfortunately it also makes it very hard to make money from player sales, since all anyone has to do is wait till the end of the year to poach whomever they want. Quite frankly (though don't tell the board I said this), I suspect the goal will be to snag a job at a bigger club in South Africa this coming season, with a view to winning everything there is to win from a club perspective in Africa by 2025, and maybe securing a national team job once my stature increases.

Maria Perez (Mexican):

Signed on as the Huesca B team manager, finding them in the relegation zone of the Spanish Federation 2 Group 3, in 13th place. It's been a bit boring to be a B team coach, since it's almost impossible to find staff, but I had a successful enough season playing a 4-3-3 2DM, finishing 6th. One benefit is that the board doesn't mind me taking coaching courses, meaning I obtained my C license and am currently starting on my B license. All the other chairpersons so far have been "too worried to lose" the other managers should they become accredited.

The goal is to finish my B license and finding a job as a first-team head coach in the season to come, and to start making my way up the leagues to a top-flight division by 2025

Hui Fan (Chinese):

Hired on by Guizhou in the Chinese First Division (or whatever it's called, second tier). Guizhou are a club coming back from financial disaster, failed to meet FPP criteria and are serving a transfer ban (no incoming players AT ALL from anywhere), with a small squad full of overpaid and undertalented players. Radical cutting of deadwood has left me with a grand total of 17 players at the club, but at least below my wage budget. For bonus flavor, my keeper is **** and the club's star player is unhappy, wants to move to a bigger team, and appears to have the mental fortitude of a billionaire social media platform owner. This meant I basically had to tailor my formation around the positions in which I actually had players, leading to a swashbuckling 3-4-3 wide diamond experiment, which I fully expected to get torn to shreds on a weekly basis, but shockingly, it is a murder machine. We're currently top of the league, have caused two upsets in the cup so far, and we're scoring goal for fun.

The goal is to bring some depth into the squad when I'm finally allowed to sign players again (July 1st), and win the league for that sweet automatic promotion. The finances at the club are actually fine, so I am tempted to try and stay the course at Guizhou with the aim being to win all possible Asian club trophies, taking a few coaching courses, and securing a national team job by 2025.

Jean Boulanger (French):

The last of my five managers to get hired, I've only gotten to play six games at the tail end of the South African First Division, but they have gone well, seeing us move comfortably into the top half of the table - a position in the playoff spots was already out of the question when I was hired. With Kim Vonk gaining promotion to the Premier Division, I don't have to worry too much about conflicts of interest on a meta level, at least not until I either win the D1 with current side Cape Town Spurs, or find myself poached by a PD team next season. CT Spurs' financial situation is good, the club has an amazing youth setup and would really merit a long-term save on it's own in other circumstances. I will be discerning about any potential job offers, as I suspect that winning the D1 is very much possible, and building the team to a PD contender might actually be easier than taking over at a bottom feeder in the PD.

The goal is to follow Kim into the PD, and either compete with her for glory there, or find a job back in Europe (potentially France) once my reputation increases some. The board seemed like they could be swayed to let me get my C license in the foreseeable future.

Roberto da Cruz Carvalho (Brazilian):

Ugh. I don't want to talk about it. Got hired at Chester, and, unaware that I had been able to grab loan signings right from the start, I waited until the end of the transfer window to try and grab some loan signings, leading to some rushed decisions. I also should've started recruiting free agents much sooner. As a result, my uninspired team of goal-allergic losers spent my entire tenure dead last in the Vanarama North, converting only one in fifty or so shots into goals, and surrendering any lead they might have gained with an alacrity that would draw scorn from WWII era French military leadership. I resigned in disgrace after I simply couldn't take it any more.

I was offered a chance to get my revenge on those good-for-nothing Chester failures when Bradford (PA) offered me the job, finding themselves in last place after those ingrates in blue managed to actually get a few results without me there. Chester was even on my calendar, and the final run-in to the end of the season saw me play all but one of my direct relegation rivals. Unfortunately, Bradford (PA) were every bit as useless as Chester, and to make matters worse I was unable to add to the squad through free agency. However, on the final gameday, we managed to grab a 1-0 lead, and with Alfreton getting absolutely demolished elsewhere, that put us into 21st, and safety. All we had to do now.. what's that? Oh we conceded immediately? Of course. Welp. I was fired.

Now, leaving the footballing graveyard that is the English lower leagues behind, I've found myself employed in China at QD Hamiu, a club with money and aspirations which found itself near the bottom of the league against all expectations (a familiar refrain). Undaunted, I accepted the job, and then learned that my first match in charge would be against our fierce rivals, who sat in 2nd place in the league. Amazing. Nothing for it but to set up my team and tactics (the club has an incredible amount of unregistered and untalented 30+ year olds, which I'm in the process of shipping out as soon as possible), and face the music. And the music was incredible. We managed to steal a win (and I do mean steal, we were not the better team), and I'm basically a club legend now.

The goal is to build on the early success I've had, continue clearing out the appalling amount of deadwood at the club, build up the squad with some decent youth players (there has to be one u23 on the field at all times, and the few younger players I have are trash). I don't suspect I'll catch Fan's Guizhou this season, and quite frankly I'd prefer to be managing in Brazil by 2025.

joehelsing1 · October 23, 2023

I'm very excited to try this challenge again on the new game!

Just beginning with a Hartlepool United save to get back into the game and to wait for any challenge breaking bugs to show themselves before beginning this challenge. I might begin sooner rather than later though despite going unbeaten in my first 10 league games at Hartlepool as the new consortium who bought the club intend on implementing a specific manager :'(

goonergez · October 23, 2023

4 hours ago, joehelsing1 said:

I'm very excited to try this challenge again on the new game!

Just beginning with a Hartlepool United save to get back into the game and to wait for any challenge breaking bugs to show themselves before beginning this challenge. I might begin sooner rather than later though despite going unbeaten in my first 10 league games at Hartlepool as the new consortium who bought the club intend on implementing a specific manager :'(

Get in here mate. Would be nice to not be the only one starting this on the newest edition.

_JHTB_ · October 23, 2023

Figured I'd give this another bash in FM24, maybe for once I'll be able to see it through instead of taking a break from my save to never return :rolleyes:

Starting manager profile, I've loaded a lot of leagues up to start with for a wider choice of initial clubs so really, I could end up on any continent for the first job

vikeologist · October 23, 2023

I really thought we'd see more people continuing their FM23 saves with FM24.

If anything, my tactics seem to work even better in FM24, although the only direct line of comparison I have is how my Netherlands team are doing, and that's a very limited pool of results.

Of course, i was quite close to completing, and I have approximately zero interest in starting the entire challenge again. I suffered for my trophies last year, with all the ridiculous bugs.

_JHTB_ · October 23, 2023

Kataller Toyoma

I had not too long of a wait for my first job as I took over at Kataller Toyoma in J-League 3 to give my first venture into Japan. I was split between this job and one in the South African second tier, but ultimately the want for something new settled me on a trip to Japan. The season is already midway through with us sitting 16th of 20 teams at the halfway point of the season. The season preview does suggest that the previous manager was underachieving however as they have us to finish 10th. The team I've inherited has an ok blend of older players and some young high potential players, but it is lacking in right backs on the whole, not really any. Thankfully, there is an open transfer window to give me some time to get this team more rounded to where it needs to be. This season though, will just be about familiarising myself with the team although we have promised to get a top half finish this season which is 9 points above where we are currently which is maybe an uphill task.

Edited October 23, 2023 by _JHTB_

joehelsing1 · October 23, 2023

1 hour ago, goonergez said:

Get in here mate. Would be nice to not be the only one starting this on the newest edition.

I will join you the second I get the sack :brock:

SkiIIs · October 24, 2023

10 hours ago, vikeologist said:

I really thought we'd see more people continuing their FM23 saves with FM24.

If anything, my tactics seem to work even better in FM24, although the only direct line of comparison I have is how my Netherlands team are doing, and that's a very limited pool of results.

Of course, i was quite close to completing, and I have approximately zero interest in starting the entire challenge again. I suffered for my trophies last year, with all the ridiculous bugs.

I dont know about others, but i find the most enjoyable part of this challenge is the start and forging your career someone in the wilderness. It then turns into a real slog towards the end when its about ticking off the league and cup (club and national) achievements.

Ive continued my save over a number of years trying to build my rep up whilst still managing USA. I've won 2 Gold Cups since but cant compete in the World Cup and no other major nation will give me an opportunity.

In club land i managed to get a job with Porthcawl Town in the JD Cymru South where i stayed for two years. At the time i had a 4 star reputation but that quickly diminished to 2.5 star now. I was then given the opportunity with Farsley in the VNL South and got them promoted in my first season. Survived my first season in VNL and have just started the second season. Still struggling to get other jobs and looks like i've hit the wall with this save just one World Cup short!

Just bought the new game last night so might start all over again....

_JHTB_ · October 24, 2023

Kataller Toyoma

J3 League – 2023 Season

Everybody hates me

As I knew when I took over the job, the team on the whole was underachieving against their pre-season billing, but there was quite a few gaps in their squad, fullbacks and central midfield being the main culprits so I improved them in the initial transfer window.

Our first game in charge was against the then first place team and I was left thinking I was onto a winner as we got a very handy 5-0 win away from home. We were brought back to our senses with a disappointing home loss before throwing away a two goal lead for a draw in the next two games respectively. Generally though, our form overall was very strong to end the season, essentially maintaining promotion winning form for the second half of the campaign. Alas we were very far away when we started so ultimately finished 8^th – which I am very happy with.

The off season will see a lot of changes as many players are out of contract, and given the entire top of the player hierarchy opposes me, so I am probably going to let them all go and do a full rebuild so I have the support of the players. It could backfire in weakening the squad and having a full new squad to gel but the players out of contract are also wanting more than I want to offer them in anycase.

Next season aims and Challenge progress

Obviously we have not much to show for progress yet in terms of the challenge, but next season I will be having the aim of gaining promotion to the second tier in Japan. I am currently working on a coaching badge too which is a positive and hopefully once I have that I will be able to start on the next one.

joehelsing1 · October 24, 2023

1 hour ago, _JHTB_ said:

Kataller Toyoma

J3 League – 2023 Season

Everybody hates me

As I knew when I took over the job, the team on the whole was underachieving against their pre-season billing, but there was quite a few gaps in their squad, fullbacks and central midfield being the main culprits so I improved them in the initial transfer window.

Our first game in charge was against the then first place team and I was left thinking I was onto a winner as we got a very handy 5-0 win away from home. We were brought back to our senses with a disappointing home loss before throwing away a two goal lead for a draw in the next two games respectively. Generally though, our form overall was very strong to end the season, essentially maintaining promotion winning form for the second half of the campaign. Alas we were very far away when we started so ultimately finished 8^th – which I am very happy with.

The off season will see a lot of changes as many players are out of contract, and given the entire top of the player hierarchy opposes me, so I am probably going to let them all go and do a full rebuild so I have the support of the players. It could backfire in weakening the squad and having a full new squad to gel but the players out of contract are also wanting more than I want to offer them in anycase.

Next season aims and Challenge progress

Obviously we have not much to show for progress yet in terms of the challenge, but next season I will be having the aim of gaining promotion to the second tier in Japan. I am currently working on a coaching badge too which is a positive and hopefully once I have that I will be able to start on the next one.

Are you able to see why they all oppose you? Is their a particular reason other than your inexperience?

vikeologist · October 24, 2023

Vikeologist's 2053/4 Porto Report

My first season on FM24.

My first stop on the search for my outstanding domestic cups was Porto in Portugal.

The reason for having Portugal loaded, for the last 10 seasons was because they have 2 domestic cups. I didn’t need the league, but we won it comfortably anyway.

We went out of the Portuguese Cup in a bonkers 5-5 match against Sporting. 2 added time goals. 2 extra time goals. We lost a penalty shootout on the 6^th takers.

However we won the League Cup. You have to start 2 under 21s, although you can take them off straight away. We didn’t have any U21s good enough to start, so that rule was a bit stressful.

So, 2 more cups to go, and I have Malaysia and USA loaded. My fiendish plan was to take over a Canadian MLS side and win the Canadian Cup. Not really in the spirit of the challenge, but more than that I’ve never been able to come to terms with the MLS. So, I’ve researched which nations have 2 domestic cups. I think some of the league cups don’t appear in the game, but I have Finland and the 2 Irelands to choose from. Might have 4 nations loaded (Malaysia, Finland, N Ireland and Re Ire) to increase my chances of getting jobs. Oh, and I think there’s Wales as well, but the other 4 should be enough.

Top Goalscorer – Òscar Arroyo – 39

My tactics work well in FM24, but unfortunately for my prospects of continuing my 1,000 goal challenge, I don’t think my lone strikers are going to notch up the same tallies.

108 minutes per goal is a massive falloff. I think I’ll have to go back to Fm23 if I want to finish that other challenge.

Highest Average Rating (minimum 10 matches played) Stéphane Leonard – 7.70

My big money signing was out for 5 months of the season with 2 separate injuries and played only 20 matches. He was great when he wasn’t injured though.

Man of The Match – Òscar Arroyo – 7

MVP – Walter Frees

Along with Leonard, the other attacking midfielder who I brought in. Unlike Leonard he started virtually every match, although he didn’t seem to know that since he constantly complained that he wasn’t playing and even missed training.

World Cup with Netherlands up next, (plus finding my next club job).

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.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-			Netherlands


Challenge Progress 28/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 8/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 4/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia)	
 0/1 World Cup

Edited October 24, 2023 by vikeologist

_JHTB_ · October 24, 2023

4 hours ago, joehelsing1 said:

Are you able to see why they all oppose you? Is their a particular reason other than your inexperience?

Yeah, it was largely due to inexperience/lack of reputation in comparison to them, but it was then enhanced when I annoyed them by complaining at a performance in a post match team talk where we hadn't played that well.

Most of the problem players have either left over the off season or have come to better terms now we're in a new season.

JaytheGreat · October 25, 2023

About a year into the game we have signed with our 1st club!

JN Xingzhou

We join them in last place, 11 points out survival with 8 games left. So while not totally dead we have to be almost flawless. Either way I'm very excited to get my 1st club job.

Sudan

7 Games Play, 4 wins, 3 losses, +6 in World Ranking.

It's gone really well with Sudan so far, we managed to squeak our way into the Africa Cup of Nations at the expense of Gabon just to be handed and a group of death featuring Cameroon, Nigeria and Uganda. We are by far the lowest ranked team in that group and should be happy to grab a point. We also were given Benin in the World Cup Qualifiers who are about 30 spots higher then us and have players playing in Europe, meanwhile the only player I have playing over seas is Mohamed Eisa the starting Striker for MK Dons. But I won't complain it's been a fun team to manage so far and maybe we have an upset or 2 in us. We have managed to improve our World Ranking from 127 to 121 so that's something to be proud about I think.

Vossenoren · October 25, 2023

@vikeologist a +100 GD in the league :o Literally beating opponents by an average of 3 goals is exceptional

vikeologist · October 25, 2023

In my 1000 goal challenge recently, on FM23 I had 149 and 150 GD seasons, and that's in Scotland with 38 match seasons. But certainly an improvement on my Bundesliga seasons of pain.

Edited October 25, 2023 by vikeologist

joehelsing1 · October 25, 2023

Alrighty, lets so how this goes then!

joehelsing1 · October 25, 2023

In the land of maple leaves and icy chill, Joseph Brown, a newbie on the managerial hill, took the reins at Cavalry FC, oh so green, folks raised eyebrows, a sight rarely seen. With questions swirling like a winter storm's gust, will Joseph's leadership rise, or be lost in the dust? Time will unveil this footballing quest, as Joseph proves he's more than just a hopeful guest. - Thank you ChatGPT.

vikeologist · October 25, 2023

Vikeologist's 2054 Netherlands World Cup Report

The tricky, and possibly impossible, part of completing this challenge is going to be the international (World Cup & Euros) side. I doubt that my Netherlands side can win, but all the big Euro nations wither won’t give me the job again, (Spain, France) or have never offered it to me because I’m Scottish (England). I’ll be interested to see at the end of the tournament) if this changes in FM24. Of course, possible Netherlands will turn out to be the best side in the world, and I’ll never need to manage anyone else.

I am expected to get to the semifinal, which I deem somewhat unlikely, so this will probably just be another step closer to not being able to complete the challenge.

The good news is that my old MVP from Dortmund, Noah ‘I am’ Groot should be back from injury in plenty of time for the tournie.

Group Stage

Netherlands 3-0 Uruguay

Netherlands 7-0 Japan

Two very one-sided matches.

Costa Rica next.

Second Round

Spoiler

Netherlands 8-1 Costa Rica

England, italy and Argentina have both been eliminated already, so I’ll get the chance to find out if England are any more amenable to having me as a manager in FM24.

Although obviously things are going well with Netherlands for the moment.

Turkey next, which obviously won’t be as easy.

Third Round

Spoiler

Netherlands 0-2 Turkey

Lots more top nations went out this round, and unfortunately that includes us. We suddenly looked toothless. Turkey were awarded a penalty in about the 83^rd minute and added a second after we had to go all out for an equaliser.

Quarter Final

Spoiler

N/A

Semi Final

Spoiler

N/A

Final / 3^rd Place Playoff

Spoiler

N/A

After The Tournament

Spoiler

It was extremely disappointing to go out like this, although Turkey did make it all the way to the final.

Obviously I would have been sacked, so I jumped first in case that means they’ll offer me the job again in the future.

England and Spain still won’t offer me a job, and there’s no point going to Argentina and Brazil for 4 years, so my choices are Italy (again), Belgium (again) and Portugal. None of them are particularly appealing choices.

I don’t have much to base it on, so I’ve taken a gamble on the lowest ranked one, Belgium, just because their squad is fairly young, and I’ll be introducing completely different tactics which might work better for them.

6 World Cup failures in a row now.

joehelsing1 · October 25, 2023

4 hours ago, vikeologist said:

Vikeologist's 2054 Netherlands World Cup Report

The tricky, and possibly impossible, part of completing this challenge is going to be the international (World Cup & Euros) side. I doubt that my Netherlands side can win, but all the big Euro nations wither won’t give me the job again, (Spain, France) or have never offered it to me because I’m Scottish (England). I’ll be interested to see at the end of the tournament) if this changes in FM24. Of course, possible Netherlands will turn out to be the best side in the world, and I’ll never need to manage anyone else.

I am expected to get to the semifinal, which I deem somewhat unlikely, so this will probably just be another step closer to not being able to complete the challenge.

The good news is that my old MVP from Dortmund, Noah ‘I am’ Groot should be back from injury in plenty of time for the tournie.

Group Stage

Netherlands 3-0    Uruguay

Netherlands         7-0    Japan

Two very one-sided matches.

Costa Rica next.

Second Round

Hide contents

Netherlands         8-1    Costa Rica

England, italy and Argentina have both been eliminated already, so I’ll get the chance to find out if England are any more amenable to having me as a manager in FM24.

Although obviously things are going well with Netherlands for the moment.

Turkey next, which obviously won’t be as easy.

Third Round

Hide contents

Netherlands         0-2    Turkey

Lots more top nations went out this round, and unfortunately that includes us. We suddenly looked toothless. Turkey were awarded a penalty in about the 83^rd minute and added a second after we had to go all out for an equaliser.

Quarter Final

Hide contents

N/A

Semi Final

Hide contents

N/A

Final / 3^rd Place Playoff

Reveal hidden contents

N/A

After The Tournament

Hide contents

It was extremely disappointing to go out like this, although Turkey did make it all the way to the final.

Obviously I would have been sacked, so I jumped first in case that means they’ll offer me the job again in the future.

England and Spain still won’t offer me a job, and there’s no point going to Argentina and Brazil for 4 years, so my choices are Italy (again), Belgium (again) and Portugal. None of them are particularly appealing choices.

I don’t have much to base it on, so I’ve taken a gamble on the lowest ranked one, Belgium, just because their squad is fairly young, and I’ll be introducing completely different tactics which might work better for them.

6 World Cup failures in a row now.

Unlucky man!

How do you find it in the latter stages when you are trying to tick the last few boxes?
Are you still motivated and enjoying it? Or has it turned into a chore?

vikeologist · October 26, 2023

7 hours ago, joehelsing1 said:

Unlucky man!

How do you find it in the latter stages when you are trying to tick the last few boxes?
Are you still motivated and enjoying it? Or has it turned into a chore?

At the end it's always a chore, and a lot of other people have felt that way as well. Near the end most people are just at clubs for a year doing the same thing again and again. M9st people have outstanding domestic cups, though my being 3 behind was unusual. My experience at the moment of spendibg ages on teams domestic and international and it all being undone in one match is typical. Completing the challenge is always finally a test of being bloody minded. The thing that worries me is if it starts makking people miserable. Thats why i used to make a far bigger fuss of people getting 10 trophies and getting on the leaderboard. At that point it's hopefully still fun. For a few years i did a whole thing about the challenge being a sort of illuminati Cult, and then i did memes, but eventually i Ran out of ideas.

The other challenges end on a real high of winning the champions league with a team you've developed over years. Here you usually just tick off the last box.

But it's OK that the challenge is more fun at the start. People donthave to complete it, and I'm sorry that I've suggested in the last few pages that they do. I'd just really like to see some of the people who've come close do so.

joehelsing1 · October 26, 2023

2 hours ago, vikeologist said:

At the end it's always a chore, and a lot of other people have felt that way as well. Near the end most people are just at clubs for a year doing the same thing again and again. M9st people have outstanding domestic cups, though my being 3 behind was unusual. My experience at the moment of spendibg ages on teams domestic and international and it all being undone in one match is typical. Completing the challenge is always finally a test of being bloody minded. The thing that worries me is if it starts makking people miserable. Thats why i used to make a far bigger fuss of people getting 10 trophies and getting on the leaderboard. At that point it's hopefully still fun. For a few years i did a whole thing about the challenge being a sort of illuminati Cult, and then i did memes, but eventually i Ran out of ideas.

The other challenges end on a real high of winning the champions league with a team you've developed over years. Here you usually just tick off the last box.

But it's OK that the challenge is more fun at the start. People donthave to complete it, and I'm sorry that I've suggested in the last few pages that they do. I'd just really like to see some of the people who've come close do so.

Yeah I get what you mean. Their are however folk who embrace the grind in these kind of challenges, so it is nice to know it is still around for the few.

Perhaps an alternative challenge to run parallel with would be to run lets say a 10 or 15 year challenge which allows you to accumulate points based on certain achievements in this challenge?

For example, 40 points for being the manager of a 4 star club. 50 points for a 5 star club. 30 points for winning a nations top league. yadda yadda yadda.

vikeologist · October 26, 2023

14 minutes ago, joehelsing1 said:

Yeah I get what you mean. Their are however folk who embrace the grind in these kind of challenges, so it is nice to know it is still around for the few.

Perhaps an alternative challenge to run parallel with would be to run lets say a 10 or 15 year challenge which allows you to accumulate points based on certain achievements in this challenge?

For example, 40 points for being the manager of a 4 star club. 50 points for a 5 star club. 30 points for winning a nations top league. yadda yadda yadda.

Lots of people have introduced challenges like that. Most challenges never catch on.

The most successful challenge of that type has been things like the Ultimate World Club Challenge. Not sure if this is the most recent version.

ANGL · October 26, 2023

En 23/10/2023 a las 15:11, vikeologist dijo:

I really thought we'd see more people continuing their FM23 saves with FM24.

If anything, my tactics seem to work even better in FM24, although the only direct line of comparison I have is how my Netherlands team are doing, and that's a very limited pool of results.

Of course, i was quite close to completing, and I have approximately zero interest in starting the entire challenge again. I suffered for my trophies last year, with all the ridiculous bugs.

I was planning to move to FM24 with my save at the beggining, but by the end of the summer I got bored of my save. Got an offer from Man City, accepted it and the team was like a wrecking ball, so felt bored without a really challenge. It is for me a little as Skills said before - the most fun for me was South Korea and Mexico.

Anyway, at the moment I am with a test save in FM24 - but I think I will be back here with full release

_JHTB_ · October 26, 2023

Kataller Toyoma

J3 League – 2024 Season

I thought we’d be good, but not that good

Last season we were very much showing promotion winning form in the time at the club I had, so I was pretty confident that we should be able to achieve promotion this season after improving the quality of the first team squad and getting rid of some of the dissenting voices within the club.

To say we started the season well would be an understatement, we were blowing teams away. In fact in the first half of the season our record stood at 18 wins and 1 draw in our 19 games which was beyond what I had thought we’d be able to manage. We did slow down a little in the second half of the season but were still far and away the best team in the league eventually winning the league by 28 points and falling just shy of the 100 mark.

The league was not the area that gave me the biggest surprise however, as the cups went very well for us. The league cup saw us better two teams from our league in the early rounds before beating the top of the league above in the next to set up a tie against top flight opposition. In this two legged game we were only 1 minute away from reaching the semi-final before they equalised in 120+1 to take it to penalties and duly won.

In the Emperors cup we did even better, knocking out 2 J1 League sides on the way to the Quarter Final here where we somehow ended up against a non-league side who had found their way through to this stage which after a lacklustre first half we fired 3 in the second half to reach the cup Semi-Final. Here we would face one of the pre season favourites in Kashima Antlers but again we gave them a good game and were ultimately leading 2-1 heading into the last 2 minutes. As they were pushing for an equaliser we managed to grab a 3^rd on the counter and they collapsed as we scored twice more in stoppage time to record an impressive 5-1 victory and put us in the cup final.

The cup final was not scheduled for a good time – the day after contracts run out – which meant a lot of our squad players actually retired before the game but thankfully our 3 loanees had their loans extended for 3 days so they could play. It was a tight game but not one that we were outclassed in, and with the game hanging in the balance we scored our only shot on target as one of the aforementioned loanees scored his final goal for the club and somehow, we won the cup.

Progress

I was not expecting anything to be updated in the second table for quite a while yet so I am actually at a loss as to what to do next. The original plan was probably to stay with Kataller Toyoma in the second tier and see where we got, but, with us winning the cup I’m not sure if there is an overall benefit. Winning the cup did actually qualify us for the Asian Champions league, but despite our cup exploits this season I don’t see much of a chance for us there.

We have managed to complete two coaching courses and are now working towards our 3^rd.

vikeologist · October 26, 2023

@_JHTB_ Being behind on cup achievements is a constant problem, so this does make your choices interesting. I see your dilemma. Are you thinking of moving to a completely different nation? How did Japanese sides do in the ACL? If one is unlikely to win the CL with a Japanese side, it might be ineffective to stay in Japan just to win the league. You're likely to win a league and not a cup eventually; almost certain in Mexico (as there is no domestic cup), but there are 2 leagues a year and you have to go there if you can't face the MLS.

_JHTB_ · October 26, 2023

2 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

@_JHTB_ Being behind on cup achievements is a constant problem, so this does make your choices interesting. I see your dilemma. Are you thinking of moving to a completely different nation? How did Japanese sides do in the ACL? If one is unlikely to win the CL with a Japanese side, it might be ineffective to stay in Japan just to win the league. You're likely to win a league and not a cup eventually; almost certain in Mexico (as there is no domestic cup), but there are 2 leagues a year and you have to go there if you can't face the MLS.

I think it will largely depend on what jobs are there for moving countries, I'd not be against say getting a Japanese top flight jobs as whilst leagues may be easier to tick off, I feel I'm still too early into the save to be worrying too much about that, more focused on coaching badges and general reputation raising. According to my profile, two J League sides without managers currently are interested in hiring me so, while I don't know that I'll be actively applying to them, I may still be tempted should they come knocking.. The issue I don't think is whether Japanese sides can with the ACL though, more that Japan is on a Calendar year schedule where the ACL is Sep-Jun so staying where I'm at whilst I'd be in the ACL it would take another year near enough to see if the team is in any way good enough to compete there.

There is a job opening at one of the Chinese Super League teams with one of the teams still in the Champions League, so that could be an interesting option to try and luck my way into ticking off one continent already on the club side, but based on squad registration rules in the respective divisions, I think Japan might be the easiest to win the ACL with. Whilst you can only name 5 foreign players in a match squad, you are allowed any number in the squad as a whole including free range on goalkeepers which would make a bit of a difference.

vikeologist · October 26, 2023

6 minutes ago, _JHTB_ said:

I think it will largely depend on what jobs are there for moving countries, I'd not be against say getting a Japanese top flight jobs as whilst leagues may be easier to tick off, I feel I'm still too early into the save to be worrying too much about that, more focused on coaching badges and general reputation raising. According to my profile, two J League sides without managers currently are interested in hiring me so, while I don't know that I'll be actively applying to them, I may still be tempted should they come knocking.. The issue I don't think is whether Japanese sides can with the ACL though, more that Japan is on a Calendar year schedule where the ACL is Sep-Jun so staying where I'm at whilst I'd be in the ACL it would take another year near enough to see if the team is in any way good enough to compete there.

There is a job opening at one of the Chinese Super League teams with one of the teams still in the Champions League, so that could be an interesting option to try and luck my way into ticking off one continent already on the club side, but based on squad registration rules in the respective divisions, I think Japan might be the easiest to win the ACL with. Whilst you can only name 5 foreign players in a match squad, you are allowed any number in the squad as a whole including free range on goalkeepers which would make a bit of a difference.

yes. You're right. I'm always about tactics, but it's important to just enjoy the game, and coaching badges are important as well. Often people find themselves in a first job which won't pay for any.

goonergez · October 26, 2023

FM24: Ultimate Challenge

I dusted off my suit and got prepared for the long managerial journey I was about to embark upon. I was certainly under no illusions as to the enormity of what I was about to take part in. I’d already decided to begin as I always have done, travelling to South Africa.

I decided to ignore the original available jobs and wait for a mid season opportunity. My hope was that one of the bigger sides in the second tier would be underachieving, allowing me to swoon in and achieve a level of immediate success. It took a while but around ten games into the season the jobs at both AmaTuks and Baroka became insecure. Two sides who should be fighting it out at the top end of the table but instead found themselves languishing lower down. On December 2nd the AmaTuks manager was relieved from his position and I decided to bite the bullet and apply.

It took just a week for me to gain an interview and then a further week to be offered the role. On the 14th of December I was offered a contract to take over AmaTuks until the end of the season. I did not hesitate in accepting the position.

Pre season expectations of a 3rd place finish has given way to an unconvincing start that saw the side say in 11th place in the table. A record of 4-4-5 was certainly unspectacular, mainly down to conceding far too many goals. My first task on the pitch would be to shore up the defence and start to pick up much more positive results. Despite sitting in 11th place, we were only 5 points adrift of the play off places. There was definitely the opportunity to push forward during my initial period in charge.

My first game would come just two days after my appointment, although the opposition would be the rock bottom side Milford. After that would be an away trip to Black Leopards in the cup before facing 9th placed Marumo Gallants. After those three games would come the mid season break and the perfect opportunity to bring in some new players and also to build my back room staffing team.

The board want me to achieve a mid table finish but I am after a bit more. I’m hoping we can put together a strong run of form to push for the promotion play offs, although I would accept a finish inside of the top 5-6 positions. The real hard work won’t come until the end of the season as I look to push us towards the top flight. I’m under my illusions as to the pressure I’m under, but I am confident that I can achieve big things with this side.

SkiIIs · October 27, 2023

Made the decision to give up on my FM23 effort of just the World Cup short and start again on FM24. Profile below:

Waited 6 months for the right opportunity to come along and i think I found it with Sichuan who just finished the campaign in 6th position in the Chinese Jia League which is the second division. The Board's aim is to finish in the top 3 so the expectations will be massive for someone getting their first taste of management.

Interestingly, they were only formed in 2017 and were acquired by the Man City group and our partnership means we can loan players from them as an affiliate so will see what i can snap up there.

Edited October 27, 2023 by SkiIIs

SkiIIs · October 27, 2023

Season 2024 - Sichuan Jiuniu FC - Chinese Jia League

With the expectation being a top 3 finish, the aim is to get the team promoted into the Super League as the top 2 get promoted. This leaves us very little room for failure but we're up for the challenge. I entered the fray under huge financial constraints which was discussed during the interview, however as the season began we wiped that debt with the injection of sponsorship money which surprisingly is commercially sound!

Thankfully the team I inherited was quite strong with just enough foreign players required, and a good balance across most positions. The wage bill of 48k pounds was taken up by 30% to one player, our main man up top pictured below. Despite my initial thoughts, it was proven to be money well spent!

The first game of the season gave me a real scare, losing away to Dalian 7 - 3! Was thinking this beta version is going to be fun with these sorts of scorelines, but we quickly settled in going in long winning periods. It was evident quite early that we had a team that could win the title and that we did relatively easy. Promising signs for the future was that we made it to the QF of the FA Cup knocking out sides from the Super League along the way.

This guy is on super wages for this level but was a class above this league so not sure what he was doing here to begin with. The picture below is after I resigned him and he agreed to cut his wages in half :lol: . He will lead the line for us next year again

SkiIIs · October 27, 2023

Season 2025 - Sichuan Jiuniu - Chinese Super League

Second season in and first in the big league, I had an inkling that we would be able to compete and hold our own in this league. A couple of good performances against a couple of the opposing teams last year in the Cup and a solid 5 - 6 loss to Man City in a friendly had me quietly confident that we would better the Boards expectation of surviving relegation.

The Super League allows for slightly more foreign players which is always fun to shop for, but much would rely heavily on our mate 38 year old Negrao up forward for us.

We started off quite well winning the first two games, and Negrao scoring 3 out of the 4 goals, so it was business as usual it would seem. We then only got 1 point out of the next 3 games which brought us back to earth a little. We then found our groove mid right on the midpoint of the year where we went the last 18 games undefeated. In that run there were 7 draws which was literally one too many! Nonetheless, it was a wonderful first ever season in the top league and qualifies us for the Asian Champions League next year.

The FA Cup was a competition that we took seriously not only cos its a quick way to get the first achievement of this challenge, but also because the league is only a 30 game season and isnt overly draining on the players fitness levels. There is a nuance that you must start an u21 yo and it was quite noobish of me not to go sign one... i had all year and it still didnt register... I ended up sacrificing my DM position for a one star 16yo from the youth side throughout the competition. We eased through the first two rounds to make the QF. The Beijing Guoan game looks closer than it was, we had gone 3 - 1 up before they scored a consolation game. We then faced Zhejiang who we had lost to at home in the league. We copped a goal in the first minute but managed to turn the game around with a goal before the break and the winner in the 81st minute. The final is played over two legs with the first leg away, we scored in the first 10 minute before copping a horrific own goal by the goalkeeper. A 1 - 1 result without conceding a shot on target had me confident that we could win at home and thats exactly what we did. First tick of the challenge!

Edited October 27, 2023 by SkiIIs

vikeologist · October 27, 2023

Vikeologist's 2055 Penang Season Report

I was without a club job for about a year. Eventually a suitable job in Malaysia came up. Penang, although not one of the biggest clubs were defending champions. When I took over after 14 matches they were close to the relegation places, but more importantly they were in the FA Cup semifinal. In fact the FA Cup matches would be played before any league matches, and I had the opportunity to win the cup in those 3 matches and leave without having played a single league match. However we lost in the final, probably because I hadn’t really figured out my best team.

So I had to play the rest of the league, where we did ok, and then straight on to the Malaysia Cup.

We won this cup easily. Honestly by this point, no other team stood a chance. The final was a little bit close though. We won 2-1, but only went 2-0 up in the last 15 minutes, and then they pulled one back in injury time. That was as scary as it got though. It was a very easy cup win.

And so, now I just need one more cup to finish the domestic side, and have the N Ireland and Wales loaded.

Won’t bother with stats and MVPs as it was only half a season.

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.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-			Netherlands


Challenge Progress 29/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 9/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 4/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia)	
 0/1 World Cup

goonergez · October 27, 2023

AmaTuks: 2023/24 Review

My arrival at the club filled me with promise and to be fair the early signs were good. Either side of a late loss to Black Leopards in the SA Cup, we managed to win the first two league matches of my reign. That brought in the winter break and gave me a six week period to try and get my feet under the table. On the back of two league victories I was content. I started with my back room staff but in truth couldn’t find upgrades. The only new arrival was Czech legend Milan Baros who arrived as a coach for the first team. On the pitch I looked for new recruits but again finding upgrades proved difficult. We grabbed a couple of players in on loan but my focus was more on departures. The squad was extremely bloated when I arrived and I put my focus on clearing some space in the squad and freeing up some money on the weekly wage budget.

We returned from the break with really abysmal form, failing to win in five straight games. I felt dragged back down to earth and began to fear about whether I could repair the damage. Thankfully I could. We lost just one more game as we steadily climbed the table to finish just three points adrift of the promotion play off spots in 5th.

Loanee striker Promise Mkhuma was a big part of our improvement in form as he ended the campaign with 18 league goals. Defensively I just couldn’t stop us from shipping goals which meant we were forced to try and out score everyone. Not to complain too much though as I hadn’t had a chance to really stamp my mark on the squad as of yet.

A record of 10-4-3 in the league since my arrival shows promise, and also shows we were heading in the right direction. In the end we just left ourselves with too much to do to reach the play offs, but it gives me positive thoughts to take into the summer. The one year contracts in South Africa mean that I can pretty much rebuild the entire squad in order to push forwards next time around. My aim is promotion, anything short of that will be a disappointment. The board have handed me a new one year contract, but unfortunately can’t afford to send me on any coaching courses yet.

Season	Team		Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 AmaTuks		5th

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

JaytheGreat · October 28, 2023

Season 23/24 - JN Xingzhou - Chinese Super League

We had to play perfect to avoid relegation and that's exactly what we did going unbeaten in all 8 games, including winning 5 of them. Honestly I felt like we played a lot better against the top teams then against teams closer to us. The biggest problem is we need to overhaul this team, we lost our best player on a free and haven't had a youth intake and I'm currently trying to free trial like a mad man to scrap up every bit of talent I can find. We have a decent budget but we don't have the rep to bring in top players. I feel like it will be another nail biting year for us.

Sudan

13 Games Played, 6 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses, +11 World Rankings.

The FA is ran by a bunch of freaking ungrateful clowns. I beat favored Benin in World Cup Qualifiers to get them into the World Cup Qualifying Group Stages, I got a point off Uganda in the African Cup of Nations group of death just to get fired after the tournament. I gave this country all this momentum, increased their status was given an impossible task and then was shown the door when I over performed. I would be more upset if I hadn't been hired to a much better nation right after.

African Cup of Nations Group Stage

Spoiler

Ghana

Oh yeah this is going to be fun. Every available team in Africa wanted me so I went with the best one. We play Mali, Burkina Faso, and Tunisa which is a tough group but I really like our chances to qualify for the World Cup.

_JHTB_ · October 28, 2023

Kataller Toyoma

J2 League – 2025 Season

We started the season with another trophy as we managed to beat the winners of the top league in the super cup as we looked to pick up where we left off from last season. In the league we continued as we were from last season with just some fewer goals – which is to be expected. I am a little surprised we still were as dominant in the level above but I was fairly happy with my off season acquisitions so was confident enough for a fairly successful season.

We managed to put in another good showing in the cups, though we were knocked out at an earlier stage than last season in the league cup, the last 16. The Emperors cup we knocked out quite a few J1 League sides as we looked towards a second cup title. Alas, it wasn’t to be this time as we were knocked out in the Semi-Final.

We also got our first taste of continental competition in the Asian Champions League. Our group was probably as tough as it could be alongside one club each from South Korea, China and Australia. Our opener against Suwon Bluewings was a good indicator that we were not going to have chance overall at winning the competition though we did make a game of it in a 5-3 loss. We did then proceed to win the next 3 games in the competition which actually gave us a shot at qualifying for the 2^nd round. Alas, Suwon again outclassed us in the next game before we faced of against Melbourne Victory knowing a victory could get us through as one of the 3 best second placed teams. Unfortunately, it was a poor performance and a 1-0 loss and out of the competition.

Progress

I have managed to leverage a few more coaching badges from this season and currently am working towards Continental A licence now which is a good step.

I have decided not to extend my contract here so will be looking for a new job now though I’m not sure if I will be looking in Asia or further afield.

_JHTB_ · October 28, 2023

FCSB

Romanian SuperLeague

In January I was forced to resign from Kataller Toyoma as I was not signing a new contract and was on a month to month only so I set out looking for a new job. Actually, it took quite some time to actually get any offers with numerous teams interviewing and not offering. So it took 2 months for my next job offer to come (technically I got offered a job in January, but it was with another Japanese team which didn’t seem worth it.

FCSB is actually a very interesting job for me to get, not least because we are still in with a shout of the league title this season. Even if we fail this season, I feel for the league the team is in good shape to attempt to go for the league and cup double next season as well as being financially sound enough to allow me to get my final coaching badge once I’ve finished my current one.

Edited October 28, 2023 by _JHTB_

goonergez · October 29, 2023

AmaTuks FC: 2024/25 Review

My first full season in management arrived quicker than I was expecting as we endured a difficult and busy summer. Eight new faces arrived but well over that departed the club. The squad was now much stronger across the park but also a lot smaller. I was very confident in this squad but also panicked that injuries and suspensions could derail things. Our first team squad was just 19 players, three of which were promoted up from the youth system just to offer some cover. We had definitely added significant quality into our ranks though. The board wanted a top half finish but I had my eyes on promotion. I wanted a good campaign to give me some publicity and then at the end of the season I could look to join a top club in the top flight to go for some major silverware.

A fantastic campaign in which we showed class and a clinical nature before eventually falling short. We returned from the winter break to chase down TS Galaxy at the top with a quite remarkable 24 match unbeaten run. We entered the final two matches with a four point cushion but drew both to get pipped on the final day. The performances of our attacking players was very positive as defensively we were still far from where I wanted us. Thankfully Tariq Whiteman on the left wing was superb all season and thankfully we managed to outscore the majority of our opponents. To throw away the title on the final day was heart-breaking, especially having conceded an equaliser in the third minute of injury time.

Finishing in 2nd saw us make it into the promotion play offs though, meaning that our season was not yet complete.

Having missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season we spent the play off campaign producing performances far below our best. We failed to beat the winners home or away and that ended up costing us promotion. We weren’t bad we just couldn’t quite do what was needed to find ourselves preparing for a Premier League campaign next time around.

A successful first full season in management for me, although I’m left with a sour taste in my mouth with how it ended. We were minutes away from winning the league title and ended up not even managing promotion. The harsh realities of a league with just one automatic promotion spot. All in all it was a good season though. A huge unbeaten run and plenty of bright and exciting football.

The club want me to sign a new deal, although I’m somewhat torn about staying. Both SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs enter the summer without a manager and I am going to throw my hat into the ring with both. Ideally one of them will give me the opportunity and I can leave for pastures new. If not then I’m happy enough to stay for another season here. I guess we will find out over the next few months.

Season	Team		Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 AmaTuks		5th
2024/25 AmaTuks		2nd (lost in promotion play-offs)

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

Edited October 29, 2023 by goonergez

vikeologist · October 29, 2023

Vikeologist's 2056 Belgium Euro Report

One quick club update. Just before the tournament started, I took over as boss of Welsh champions TNS when their boss left to manage new England.

Should be relatively simple to win at least one of the cups. Hopefully it will only take half the season.

Anyway, Belgium.

The FA expect me to reach the semifinal. We’ve been drawn in a hellishly tough group, but that can be a good thing, as long as we do manage to progress.

One of our two best players will probably miss at least the group stage with injury, and we’re thin on the positions he can play.

I don’t think we stand any chance of winning, but unfortunately, I’m not going to get a job with many of the top Euro nations. At least if I fluke a Euro, I’ll have the option of Brazil or Argentina to win the World Cup.

Group Stage

Spoiler

Belgium 1-0 Spain

Belgium 3-0 Albania

Belgium 3-1 Italy

Top of the Group of Death. Italy were knocked out of the competition.

Our goalie went off injured at the end of the Italy match when we’d already used all our substitutions. The main problem is that he’ll be out a couple of weeks.

Our reward is to play Bosnia & Herzegovina. That looks easy, but they beat England in their group stage.

Second Round

Spoiler

Belgium 2-1 aet Bosnia & Herzegovina

I knew they were trouble. They went ahead with a penalty. We had 2 goals ruled offside on centimetres. We equalised late, and scored the winning goal even later in extra added time. I kept most of my first team on the pitch throughout for penalties. Thankfully we do have 6 days to recover before our next match against Portugal.

Quarter Final

Spoiler

Belgium 3-0 Portugal

No problems.

Old team, Netherlands next.

Semi Final

Spoiler

Belgium 2-0 Netherlands

I have 2 international trophies left; this and the World Cup. Before I’d notched up 3 and 2 semifinal losses respectively. This was fairly comfortable, and hope has his malicious grip on me.

However in the final we’re up against the top ranked nation in the world, Germany. However, they’ve had an easy route to the final, other than an extra time victory over England. Reaching this final is the only thing they’ve achieved in the last couple of years, but obviously still a tough match.

Final

Spoiler

Belgium 1-5 Germany

1-0 and our best player issued a straight red within 20 minutes. It was all downhill from there.

After The Tournament

Spoiler

At least I won’t be sacked. It’s a fairly young squad, and we should be a contender for the World Cup in 2 years.

I’ve still applied for the England, Spain and France jobs though, even if I know they won’t offer me the jobs.

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.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-			Belgium			Euro Losing Finalists


Challenge Progress 29/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 9/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 4/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia)	
 0/1 World Cup

_JHTB_ · October 29, 2023

8 hours ago, goonergez said:

Both SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs enter the summer without a manager and I am going to throw my hat into the ring with both. Ideally one of them will give me the opportunity and I can leave for pastures new. If not then I’m happy enough to stay for another season here. I guess we will find out over the next few months.

Both SuperSport and Kaizer Chiefs are very appealing jobs from the top flight in South Africa so I think it was a no brainer for you to apply for them both. Quite unlucky not to be promoted this season, though would suggest if you don't get either of the aforementioned jobs you should be in a good place to win the league next season.

1 hour ago, vikeologist said:

At least I won’t be sacked.

Oh I've forgotten the horror of International Management, good you managed to reach the expectations at least. How are you finding international management in FM24 where compared to FM23? I know there was some changes, but unsure how much of a difference it will make overall

_JHTB_ · October 29, 2023

FCSB

Romanian SuperLeague 2025/26

I did have some aspirations of winning the league this season as we only had to make up 4 points over 10 games. After 3 games I was thinking that we had a good shot as we had won 2 and drawn 1 of our games and found ourselves atop the table. Unfortunately, due to injuries and the previous manager deciding to only register two centre backs and 3 fullbacks meant defensively we were much weaker and ultimately the first 3 games was as good as it got, only 1 win in the remaining 7 games with 4 losses too as we found ourselves slump back to the 4^th place we started the Champions Playoff in. We did manage to win in the European Playoff Final so we will at least have some sort of continental competition next season.

Progress

The squad does need quite a bit of overhaul, especially in the defensive ranks so I will have a busy off season trying to make this team into one that can challenge for the title next season. I am hoping to win the league and cup double next season.

vikeologist · October 29, 2023

3 hours ago, _JHTB_ said:

Oh I've forgotten the horror of International Management, good you managed to reach the expectations at least. How are you finding international management in FM24 where compared to FM23? I know there was some changes, but unsure how much of a difference it will make overall

Haven't noticed any difference, except I'm doing slightly better at international level, but wasn't much room to get worse.

SkiIIs · October 30, 2023

On 28/10/2023 at 19:05, JaytheGreat said:

Season 23/24 - JN Xingzhou - Chinese Super League

We had to play perfect to avoid relegation and that's exactly what we did going unbeaten in all 8 games, including winning 5 of them. Honestly I felt like we played a lot better against the top teams then against teams closer to us. The biggest problem is we need to overhaul this team, we lost our best player on a free and haven't had a youth intake and I'm currently trying to free trial like a mad man to scrap up every bit of talent I can find. We have a decent budget but we don't have the rep to bring in top players. I feel like it will be another nail biting year for us.

Sudan

13 Games Played, 6 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses, +11 World Rankings.

The FA is ran by a bunch of freaking ungrateful clowns. I beat favored Benin in World Cup Qualifiers to get them into the World Cup Qualifying Group Stages, I got a point off Uganda in the African Cup of Nations group of death just to get fired after the tournament. I gave this country all this momentum, increased their status was given an impossible task and then was shown the door when I over performed. I would be more upset if I hadn't been hired to a much better nation right after.

African Cup of Nations Group Stage

Reveal hidden contents

Ghana

Oh yeah this is going to be fun. Every available team in Africa wanted me so I went with the best one. We play Mali, Burkina Faso, and Tunisa which is a tough group but I really like our chances to qualify for the World Cup.

first job in was with a Super League team?

SkiIIs · October 30, 2023

12 hours ago, vikeologist said:
Vikeologist's 2056 Belgium Euro Report

One quick club update. Just before the tournament started, I took over as boss of Welsh champions TNS when their boss left to manage new England.

Should be relatively simple to win at least one of the cups. Hopefully it will only take half the season.

Anyway, Belgium.

The FA expect me to reach the semifinal. We’ve been drawn in a hellishly tough group, but that can be a good thing, as long as we do manage to progress.

One of our two best players will probably miss at least the group stage with injury, and we’re thin on the positions he can play.

I don’t think we stand any chance of winning, but unfortunately, I’m not going to get a job with many of the top Euro nations. At least if I fluke a Euro, I’ll have the option of Brazil or Argentina to win the World Cup.

Group Stage

Reveal hidden contents

Belgium      1-0    Spain

Belgium      3-0    Albania

Belgium      3-1    Italy

Top of the Group of Death. Italy were knocked out of the competition.

Our goalie went off injured at the end of the Italy match when we’d already used all our substitutions. The main problem is that he’ll be out a couple of weeks.

Our reward is to play Bosnia & Herzegovina. That looks easy, but they beat England in their group stage.

Second Round

Reveal hidden contents

Belgium      2-1 aet        Bosnia & Herzegovina

I knew they were trouble. They went ahead with a penalty. We had 2 goals ruled offside on centimetres. We equalised late, and scored the winning goal even later in extra added time. I kept most of my first team on the pitch throughout for penalties. Thankfully we do have 6 days to recover before our next match against Portugal.

Quarter Final

Reveal hidden contents

Belgium      3-0    Portugal

No problems.

Old team, Netherlands next.

Semi Final

Reveal hidden contents

Belgium      2-0    Netherlands

I have 2 international trophies left; this and the World Cup. Before I’d notched up 3 and 2 semifinal losses respectively. This was fairly comfortable, and hope has his malicious grip on me.

However in the final we’re up against the top ranked nation in the world, Germany. However, they’ve had an easy route to the final, other than an extra time victory over England. Reaching this final is the only thing they’ve achieved in the last couple of years, but obviously still a tough match.

Final

Reveal hidden contents

Belgium      1-5    Germany

1-0 and our best player issued a straight red within 20 minutes. It was all downhill from there.

After The Tournament
Reveal hidden contents
At least I won’t be sacked. It’s a fairly young squad, and we should be a contender for the World Cup in 2 years.

I’ve still applied for the England, Spain and France jobs though, even if I know they won’t offer me the jobs.
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.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-			Belgium			Euro Losing Finalists


Challenge Progress 29/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 9/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 4/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia)	
 0/1 World Cup		

That hurts!!!

goonergez · October 30, 2023

AmaTuks: 2025/26 Review

In the end my quest to move on from AmaTuks and into the top flight would end in disappointed as both Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United would look elsewhere. Added to the pain of our promotion failure this left me drained but I tried to dust myself off to focus on gaining promotion with my side. One positive note was that at last the board granted my wish to be sent on my first coaching course. It had only been eighteen months of constant asking.

I added a number of new faces in the summer and it paid off. Winger Tariq Whiteman was once again our main man although seventeen year old striker Lawrence Mkhize would end up as our most surprising performer. He top scored with an impressive 11 league goals.

We actually started the season really badly, sitting three places from bottom after losing four of our first ten matches. Thankfully we strung together another impressive unbeaten run to climb up the table and get another shot at the promotion play offs. Unfortunately Casric Stars had forged too big of a lead for us to get close to chasing them down.

I left the club at the end of the regular season meaning I didn’t get a second straight crack at the promotion play offs. Unfortunately it was more of the same for AmaTuks who once again failed to get promotion into the top tier. Hopefully they can carry on progressing despite of my departure.

With that I bid farewell to the club as I move on to a new club in the top flight. I won’t spoil it here but it’s a really good opportunity for me and now it’s time for me to really sink my teeth into the challenge. I will now lead a side capable of winning silverware and that is my aim. I’m walking into a bit of a challenge but I’m confident in my abilities to step up and in truth I cannot wait to get started.

Season	Team		Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 AmaTuks		5th
2024/25 AmaTuks		2nd (lost in promotion play-offs)
2025/26 AmaTuks		2nd

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

SkiIIs · October 30, 2023

Season 2026 - Sichuan Jiuniu - Chinese Super League

Going into the season I had no doubt that we could challenge for the title after a really solid 3rd place last season. To be fair, the Chinese league seems a lot weaker in FM24 than what i remember it used to being. We made some shrewd signings over the break including a 34 year old Victor Wanyama which i thought was exciting at the time but quickly found out he was a good back up to my other foreign players.

The season played out the way i thought it would, we started off well and found ourselves atop of the ladder from round 5 and never relinquished it to win the title by a fair margin. We also breezed through the FA Cup all the way to the 2 leg final which we ended up winning 7 - 5 to retain. In the Champions League we completed the group stage undefeated to top the group. We did draw our first two games against Port Lions of Thailand and Korean giants Ulsan Hyundai which made me nervous as only the top team goes through to the second round directly. I still have my doubts whether we can win it with Sichuan, but with the second round starting in February, we'll find out pretty quick. In the second round we've been paired up against Japanese champions Vissel Kobe.

On the coaching badge front, Sichuan have been very kind and I am currently studying for my Continental B licence and have a 2.5 star rating.

Edited October 30, 2023 by SkiIIs

SkiIIs · October 31, 2023

So February came around really quick. When we received the scout report of our opponents Vissel Kobe came through, I knew it was going to be a tough proposition as most of their players came back with 4.5 - 5 star ratings. First game away and my concerns were made to be accurate as we found ourselves down 3 - 0 shortly after the break. We did get some respite tho as they were given a red card in the 72nd minute and we scored in the 77th minute to take an away goal back to the home leg and give us a little bit of hope.

That hope was squashed 16 minutes into the home leg as we went 2 - 0 down and 5 - 1 on aggregate. Credit to the team as we managed to level the game at half time. We ended up winning the game 4 - 3 which in reality was a fantastic result but we were simply outclassed. I certainly think with the access to manage in J1 in FM24, that winning the ACL will be much more challenging with the Chinese teams (albeit i didnt manage one of the bigger clubs here). With this in mind, i resigned the next week with nothing left for me to win in China and will look for a club in either Japan or Korea which i have both loaded.

It took me 3 months to find my next job and its with none other than...... Vissel Kobe!!! They had been struggling in the league and were sitting in 9th position when I started but did have a couple games in hand. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of the ACL in the Semi Final against Korean opposition, so it's not going to be that short of a stay here. We have already qualified for the next ACL for winning the league last year which should start in the second half of the calendar year.

Edited October 31, 2023 by SkiIIs

JaytheGreat · October 31, 2023

On 29/10/2023 at 21:12, SkiIIs said:

first job in was with a Super League team?

1st job was Sudan, but they were my first club job after applying for a year. They were newly promoted so they only had about 1 star in reputation.

vikeologist · November 2, 2023

Vikeologist's 2056/7 TNS Season Report

Wrapped up my last cup with TNS in Wales at the first opportunity, the Nathaniel MG Cup at the end of January. Still 44 matches just to get to this point though with the 2 cups and Europe.

The cup final actually was a bit stressful. We had a man sent off in the second half with the score at 1-1, but managed to win 2-1.

17 clubs. Mind you, I'm on 13 national jobs, (admittedly I've managed Australia and Belgium twice) not including my U23 stint.

I am winning the league at a canter, but I think I’m going to resign straight away and concentrate on my 2 remaining needed trophies, the Euro and the World Cup, ideally both of which I’ll be able to win with Belgium. By no means certain that I will be able to win them with anyone and complete the challenge though.

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.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-			Belgium			Euro Losing Finalists


Challenge Progress 30/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 4/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia)	
 0/1 World Cup

Danny_H22 · November 2, 2023

I've done pretty well with this challenge in the past, but never completeled it because of time limitations. I wasn't sure what my main game was going to be on this years FM, but I've found myself unemployed, with no badges or experience so looks like I'm giving it another go

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