The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

[The Regista]

Dunfermline Athletic Football Club - End of Season 2021/22

 

I've come to the end of my first full season at The Pars and, following last  year's surprise Cup win, expectations were suitably raised. Rather than try and cover each competition separately, I figured I'd post the competitions page from in the game.

 

Spoiler

]

The main focus - the Scottish Championship - was achieved in reasonably easy fashion. Despite Dundee United being the bookies' favourites, they actually kept us going throughout the campaign. Omar Bogle and Ryan Edmondson both led the line really well, but it was winger Tanguy Coulibaly that ended up top scorer from left wing. The Championship winning squad included many loan players, and with the budget set at £3m I think there is ample room to begin building a new team for the Premiership.

We were unsuccessful in defending our Scottish Cup, losing narrowly in the semi final on penalties to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Last year's Cup runners up Kilmarnock also got their revenge by knocking us out of the Betfred Cup. Finally, we reached the final of the SPFL Trust trophy but lost to Ross County.

Continentally, we did ourselves proud. We qualified for the knockout round of the Euro Cup II by finishing 2nd behind Sparta Prague. Remarkably, we drew 5 of 6 games in the group stage, with the final game seeing us beat Portimonense 3-1 to finish above them.

 

What's next?

Spoiler

As you'll have seen from before, I applied for the Aberdeen job and was successful at interview. They wanted me to take over straight away which was a mistake on my part, as had it been at the end of the season I may have taken it up. This will sorta tell you where I'm at - I'm getting itchy feet, and I think I've taken Dunfermline as far as I can. With two trophies under my belt (only counting one of course), I've built a little bit up on the CV which should be good to begin applying for jobs. I've got the National A licence sorted too. 

The Hoffenheim and Watford jobs are available. Hoffenheim are 6th in the Bundesliga with 3 games to play. Watford finished 8th in the Championship and have bags of potential. There are some other interesting jobs in the market too - relegated Sheffield Wednesday, along with Once Caldas and Millionarios in Colombia. I'm not in any rush to leave Dunfermline but whilst my stock is high is could be good to move on.

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by The Regista

[Patrick69]

SEASON 2 (2021/2022)

Linfield, Danske Bank Premiership

My second season at Linfield was very successful. We won the Danske Bank Premiership with a total of 94 points and a gap of 19 points. For me it was the second time to win it. It was the fourth time in a row that Linfield did win this price. We managed to win 30 of the 38 matches in this League. The remaining 8 matches ended in 4 draws and 4 defeats. We scored 95 goals and conceeded 32 goals. It was Lavery becoming the topscorer with a total of 45 goals. Manzinga was second with 27 goals scored.

Besides winning the Danske Bank Premiership, we added another 4 trophies to our total. For the second time in a row, we managed to win the Northen Irish Cup. Also we were able to win the Northern Irish County Antrim Shield, All-Ireland Champions Cup, Bet McLean League Cup and Northern Irish Cup.

In the European competitions we were not able to win qualification. In the Champions Cup we lost in the First Qualifying Round against GNK Dinamo Zagreb. In the Euro Cup 2, we managed to survive the Third Qualifying Round against Laçi. It was Malmö FF that was to strong in the Fourth Qualifying Round.

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Patrick69

[MShing]

18 hours ago, The Regista said:

First decision of the save.

Plugging away with Dunfermline. We are top of the Scottish Championship by 4 points with a game in hand, into the Quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup with a good chance to progress against Alloa and in the semi final of the Trust trophy too.

I've been approached by Aberdeen. They're currently in 7th, 6 points behind 5th placed Motherwell with 3 games in hand on them.

I only took the interview on as I wondered where my stature was at. Clearly in Scotland it's pretty good given my first year in the game. Arguably the best club on paper in Scotland outside of Celtic and Rangers, I'm not 100% sold on the move. A 2nd tier championship win may be better on the resume than leaving now and someone else ruining my work. What would you guys do?

I'd stay too, get a promotion on your cv.

[MShing]

26 minutes ago, Patrick69 said:

SEASON 2 (2021/2022)

Linfield, Danske Bank Premiership

My second season at Linfield was very successful. We won the Danske Bank Premiership with a total of 94 points and a gap of 19 points. For me it was the second time to win it. It was the fourth time in a row that Linfield did win this price. We managed to win 30 of the 38 matches in this League. The remaining 8 matches ended in 4 draws and 4 defeats. We scored 95 goals and conceeded 32 goals. It was Lavery becoming the topscorer with a total of 45 goals. Manzinga was second with 27 goals scored.

Besides winning the Danske Bank Premiership, we added another 4 trophies to our total. For the second time in a row, we managed to win the Northen Irish Cup. Also we were able to win the Northern Irish County Antrim Shield, All-Ireland Champions Cup, Bet McLean League Cup and Northern Irish Cup.

In the European competitions we were not able to win qualification. In the Champions Cup we lost in the First Qualifying Round against GNK Dinamo Zagreb. In the Euro Cup 2, we managed to survive the Third Qualifying Round against Laçi. It was Malmö FF that was to strong in the Fourth Qualifying Round.

 

Sounds like a very dominant season. Any plans to leave yet? Do you have your eye on any jobs?

[Gregg88]

2031/32 - AS Monaco

Firstly....as expected, I dominated South Korea. I won the league, the cup and the Asian Champions League in the one season i spent there. It wasn't remotely fun. Got in, got the wins and got out!

I then styed unemployed until about April time where Monaco came knocking. They had the team, they were 6th in the league and I thought I could improve the situation.

We finished 5th, so got the Euro Cup rather than Euro Cup II thankfully. What I failed to notice until I had signed on the dotted line.....was the crippling debt! £73 million in the red to be exact. Great.

During the off season, I sold a lot of dead wood. I actually got £154 million in, with help from a big £80 million base fee for my GK. He wanted to leave because we didn't have champions league football, so I didn't have a choice. Those stats though....

I freed up so much wage space too. For instance I'm currently in Feb and I have £4 million in the transfer kitty but £804k available for wages! I know what you're thinking....just adjust it. But I've alwys thought the budget is set, if I go and adjust it too much, I will get more into debt. I'm still losing £14 million every month, so I'm back into debt (currently £23 million). Really need that Champions Legaue football!

 

In terms of the season that i'm over halfway through...

I had my first team out for that PSG game in the cup. I was 6-0 down by half time. I got "FM'd". It was insane....every highlight....goal. Another goal. Send help. Oops...another goal.....any signs of a keeper? Nope....another goal.

At least i'm within 2 points after beating PSG away and home. Go figure!

I've got the harder run in, so I think i'll be missing out on the title. But looking forward to bringing in some new faces to bolster the squad for a challenge next year.

I beat teams 1-0, 2-1 etc.

PSG beat teams 7-0...5-0....*cough* 8-1 *cough*.

 

Progress

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Gregg88

[The Regista]

So, with great reluctance I have left Dunfermline after securing promotion to the Scottish Premiership. I have taken them as far as I could have done.

I received offered from Bala in Wales, along with Nacional de Madeira in Portugal. Both reasonable options, but I'm off to a colder climate instead...

Spoiler

That's right - I'm off to Finland baby!!

Pretty stoked to have come by this position - one that should hopefully get me my first league title in this challenge. I now manage HJK Helsinki, the most successful team in Finnish football history. However, things aren't fantastic right now as the club find themselves in 5th place in the Finnish Premier League

We're 8 points off top spot with a fair number of games to go - could this be the right move at the right time? Either way, I've got more chance of being exposed to continental football here with a better standard of playing staff. I'm hugely excited about this opportunity, and we're getting stuck in straightaway with a game against FC Haka. 

 

 

 

[_JHTB_]

I think I'm close to a break from my save, two games of Copa Libertadores to not only come away from these games without at least a point and managing to conceded 9 goals in the process is an absolute travesty...

 

[thisisneeds]

So after winning the league title with Chennai City in my second season and winning the federation Cup, i moved onto China with Shangai Shenshua. I finished 3rd in my first season with them, and are currently in my second season with them, 3rd in table and into quarter finals of ACL. Loving this save so far. What a challenge! 

[Gregg88]

Last game of the season. I cry.

 

[MShing]

1 hour ago, Gregg88 said:

Last game of the season. I cry.

 

Unlucky. Do you think you can win it next year?

What's your finances like now? And why are you losing £14m a month, was it?

[Phelix]

@Gregg88 - I spent two seasons at Monaco and couldn't come within a whisker of PSG who got more than 97 points in each of the seasons. I finished 2nd both times, and lost every cup final to PSG in my time there. It was so frustrating that I left and resolved to return as PSG manager to tick the trophy off.

To rub salt into the wound, the youthful team I built then went on to win the title and knock PSG off their throne a couple of years after I left.

[The Regista]

9 hours ago, Gregg88 said:

Last game of the season. I cry.

 

Ouch...

[libbyshuss]

12 hours ago, _JHTB_ said:

I think I'm close to a break from my save, two games of Copa Libertadores to not only come away from these games without at least a point and managing to conceded 9 goals in the process is an absolute travesty...

i'd be close to a break of my laptop with results like that! That first one in particular is nuts!

[libbyshuss]

Season 239/40

Borrussia Dortmund

Having won the league last season this season was all about winning the cup. To bolster our chances I went shopping again and spend £121m on a young Croatian striker:-

 

Spoiler

I probably overpaid slightly but he did ok

League

A really strong start soon saw us open up a sizeable gap on the rest. We lost to Schalke and Wolfsburg early doors but we won every other game right through to the return against Schalke in February. We lost that too and had a bit of a wobble but we had such a large gap at the top it didn't really matter. We took the title with a couple of games to spare.

 

Cup

So this was the one we really wanted. It was going well until we got the semi-final. We were facing Bayern, who had just beaten us in the league. We were going through a sticky patch as well and I feared the worst but we managed to turn in a really good performance and get us through to the final. In the final we faced rivals Schalke, who beat us last season in the cup final and had beaten us twice in the league. We turned in our best performance of the season in the final, it was amazing. 

 

Champions League

We met Leicester in the quarter final, right in the middle of our sticky patch. It was close, but they won. To be fair, they have an amazing team at the minute, winning the premier league and current world club cup champions. Maybe Zidane was on to something after all

 

 

What next?

I've resigned so am now completely unemployed. I still need to win the Euros and Asian cups at international level and have France and Italy to knock off, as well as loads of club competitions. So still a lot of options open for the next move. I'll wait and see what comes available

 

Career Progression

Challenge Progression

 

[pug 407]

Pug's Update

So At The Beginning Of The Season, Out Of The Blue I Got A Offer For A Interview With  Crystal Palace. In The End They Decided To Go

With Steven Gerrard. So On To The Season And We Were Made Favourites  To Get Promotion. Also I Asked For And Got The Go Head For

My Continental B Licence. After A Few Games Into The Season I Noticed The Job At South Africa, So My 1st International Job. But That

Wasn't The Only Job I Applied For, I Also Applied For And Got The Job At CD León  In Mexico. So After 17 Games With Bolton Sitting

Top Of The Table I Moved On.

                                                                      CLUB CAREER                      
                                                                       -----------
Season     Club                Leagues        Cups                                     Other & Notes
                               1st  2nd       1st  2nd    Cont    CWC                                                                        ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020       Ansan                                                                       Finished 7th
2021       Ansan                                                                       Left After 17 Games 
2021-22    Bolton                                                                      Promoted 
2022-23    Bolton                                                                      Left To Take Over CD León
2022-23    CD León                                                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   INTERNATIONAL CAREER
                                                                   --------------------

Season    Nation         Cups                                                                         Other & Notes
                         World Cup    Confed Cup    Euro's    AFC    ACON    Gold Cup   Copa America
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022-23   South Africa

 Challenge Progress.
  -------------------

Club
----
0/10 Top Domestic Leagues
0/10 Top Domestic Cups   
0/5  Continental Cups    
0/1  Club World Cup      

International
-------------
0/5  Continental Tournaments 
0/2  World Tournaments       

 

[Gregg88]

16 hours ago, MShing said:

Unlucky. Do you think you can win it next year?

What's your finances like now? And why are you losing £14m a month, was it?

I'm really not sure if I can win it! PSG just dominate. I rely on them mucking up tbh.

I'm £23 million in the Green. But projected to lose £132 over the season (without competition money etc). I'm restructuring conracts to get rid of bonuses to try and change that. Any tips? Haha.

 

13 hours ago, Phelix said:

@Gregg88 - I spent two seasons at Monaco and couldn't come within a whisker of PSG who got more than 97 points in each of the seasons. I finished 2nd both times, and lost every cup final to PSG in my time there. It was so frustrating that I left and resolved to return as PSG manager to tick the trophy off.

To rub salt into the wound, the youthful team I built then went on to win the title and knock PSG off their throne a couple of years after I left.

I can see myself going along the same lines if I don't get near next season! Annoying isn't it.

[_JHTB_]

9 hours ago, libbyshuss said:

i'd be close to a break of my laptop with results like that! That first one in particular is nuts!

Yes, I wasn't best pleased especially as it was against a fierce rival, though I would say me fining half the team 2 weeks wages after the game may have something to do with a poor performance against Velez though luck maybe isn't with me given we have both a Brazilian and Argentine team in our group to make it the absolute toughest of all the groups. That said, I was lucky in the sense that Sao Paulo after thrashing us could only draw against the worse team in the group so in spite of us losing two on the bounce it is still in our own hands as to whether we qualify or not. (would have technically been had they not drawn, but goal difference and results against wouldn't fare us all too well).

I did have to close the game after the second one, but itching to get back at it, so me talking about taking a break from the save was all just me flouncing 

[libbyshuss]

15 minutes ago, _JHTB_ said:

me talking about taking a break from the save was all just me flouncing 

lol, we've all been there!

[lukefox44]

@Gregg88

Unlucky with the league mate, I'd be heartbroken haha

Those finances would scare me, you going to stick around and give it another go ?

[lukefox44]

Just a quick question lads, I've got another international job (I'll do an update soon), has anyone got any tips on international management ?

 

It feels like I'm missing something or a way to get the best out of my teams.

[_JHTB_]

44 minutes ago, lukefox44 said:

Just a quick question lads, I've got another international job (I'll do an update soon), has anyone got any tips on international management ?

My honest answer would probably be no, I'm not really a fan of international management, though a few things I make sure to do when taking a new job is firstly to see if any of their best players have announced international retirement and to try and persuade them back and then I also sign a few scouts for the national team so I can make sure the national pool is well scouted and keep me informed of any potential players undeclared. I probably should tailor my formations more to what the best players of the squad are but they do usually fit into your regular formations 4 defender formations. Issue is with international management is pretty much every game matters so you can't really take long to perfect a tactic with a team as it will often see you sacked.

[vikeologist]

51 minutes ago, lukefox44 said:

Just a quick question lads, I've got another international job (I'll do an update soon), has anyone got any tips on international management ?

 

It feels like I'm missing something or a way to get the best out of my teams.

Have you managed international teams much?

Be careful which jobs you take.

Make sure they have a good goalie.

Be wary of teams that have 1 really good player. It's a team game.

I mean, I'm not very good at international management, although it is the one thing I miss at the moment doing the youth challenge when you can't manage them.

I wonder of anything has changed this version.

Edited January 11, 2021 by vikeologist

[lukefox44]

17 hours ago, _JHTB_ said:

Issue is with international management is pretty much every game matters so you can't really take long to perfect a tactic with a team as it will often see you sacked.

Think this is where I'm struggling a bit.

Especially in Asia and Africa, in qualifying I'm playing teams much much worse than me and I feel like I cant learn alot then I get to a tournament and play a similar level team and fall to bits.

 

17 hours ago, vikeologist said:

Have you managed international teams much?

Never before this challenge haha. 

 

All I do is pick the squad from the national pool and pick a relatively simple tactic and play the matches, it feels too basic as if I'm missing a part of it somehow. I'm sure I'll get used to it, hopefully soon.

[Gregg88]

20 hours ago, lukefox44 said:

@Gregg88

Unlucky with the league mate, I'd be heartbroken haha

Those finances would scare me, you going to stick around and give it another go ?

Anytime I drop points, I know it's not going to be good for the season!

I'm going to stick around for this season and then move on I think. I'm not a fan of the league, so want out ASAP! I have just taken the Portugal job though

[_JHTB_]

6 hours ago, lukefox44 said:

All I do is pick the squad from the national pool and pick a relatively simple tactic and play the matches, it feels too basic as if I'm missing a part of it somehow. I'm sure I'll get used to it, hopefully soon.

I don't really think you're missing anything much, it's just how international management on the game is really.

On 11/01/2021 at 21:11, vikeologist said:

I wonder of anything has changed this version.

From my experience so far, nothing has changed in the functionality from last time, even new staff roles like Performance Analyst aren't available on the international side so pretty much the same as last time round.

[lukefox44]

4 hours ago, Gregg88 said:

Anytime I drop points, I know it's not going to be good for the season!

I'm going to stick around for this season and then move on I think. I'm not a fan of the league, so want out ASAP! I have just taken the Portugal job though

Yeah I can imagine that's incredibly annoying. My first season at Supersport in South Africa felt a bit like that but the other two sides dropped points at the back end of the season, knowing the other teams were just going to win most weeks is tough isn't it haha.

Good luck with Portugal, any major tournaments coming up?

[lukefox44]

31 minutes ago, _JHTB_ said:

I don't really think you're missing anything much, it's just how international management on the game is really.

If I'm not missing anything, its incredibly bare bones in game. Even the national pool is already sorted it just feels like picking a starting 11 from a massive squad.

Saying that I'm sure I'll start enjoying it more if I actually have some success haha

[Gregg88]

27 minutes ago, lukefox44 said:

Yeah I can imagine that's incredibly annoying. My first season at Supersport in South Africa felt a bit like that but the other two sides dropped points at the back end of the season, knowing the other teams were just going to win most weeks is tough isn't it haha.

Good luck with Portugal, any major tournaments coming up?

It really is! Haha. I have actually just beaten PSG to go top. For how long though....

Uhhh I'm into the nations league semi's, but that's a nothing tournement. I think it's the Euros next for me!

How're you getting on?

[JamLUFC]

So one of those dilemma/what would you do queries?

I'm manager of Newell's Old Boys, after 21 games we're 5th - 3 clear of 7th place and 11 off top so have a good chance of qualifying for the Copa Liberatores. I've built up a good young squad and we're playing some good attacking football, easy on the eye and score goals for fun - but do concede a lot.

I've been offered the now vacant job at Estudiantes (LP), who are top of the league as their manager left to go to Independiente in 12th place. They're 5 points clear of Boca at the top, and are in the Copa Liberatores this season (which runs annually as opposed to throughout the season). They're punching above their weight this season.

Budget wise - I've got £20m at Newells whereas I'm only being offer £4m if I switch. Newells also seem to have better youth players.

My heart is telling me to stay as I have a fun squad with Newells, but my head is saying for the challenge I'm more likely to win a trophy this season and am straight into the continental cup if I switch.

[vikeologist]

10 hours ago, lukefox44 said:

If I'm not missing anything, its incredibly bare bones in game. Even the national pool is already sorted it just feels like picking a starting 11 from a massive squad.

Saying that I'm sure I'll start enjoying it more if I actually have some success haha

Another thing, that may be really obvious, is to hire a couple of coaches (or scouts) with really good JPA, and scout everybody regularly. I never look at the national pool. I'm not entirely sure what the point of it is. I use player search and ensure that I search for players that are partially the target nationality.

[lukefox44]

14 hours ago, Gregg88 said:

Uhhh I'm into the nations league semi's, but that's a nothing tournement. I think it's the Euros next for me!

How're you getting on?

Not bad mate, just about to start my 3rd attempt at an international tournament, hoping to break my quarter final jinx this time.

 

4 hours ago, vikeologist said:

Another thing, that may be really obvious, is to hire a couple of coaches (or scouts) with really good JPA, and scout everybody regularly. I never look at the national pool. I'm not entirely sure what the point of it is. I use player search and ensure that I search for players that are partially the target nationality.

Maybe I need to try it that way, I pretty much exclusively use the national pool to select my squads.

[bjwphneb]

On 16/11/2020 at 19:00, vikeologist said:

@bjwphneb Good luck at Dortmund. Have you taken over mid-season?

 

I didn't, took over during summer. Been so busy with work I've managed to play just one season in two months 

[bjwphneb]

Scott Williams 2043/44 (FM20)

Mini End of Season Update

As previous post said, managed just one season in two months. So slowly grinding through the trophies another ticked off for Scott in Germany. Unfortunately didn't get the double, lost in the second round to "the team with the very long name", but Scott's time in Germany is done, he has not enjoyed his time there at all. Ended up with just 1 point in the last two matches but thankfully bayern only managed 2 themselves so despite losing to Liepzig on the final day, Scott was still able to get his hands on the trophy. Not too sure how, felt like a really poor season, as you can see from the other competitions the team isn't very good, just happen to be slightly better than the rest thankfully. 

 

Challenge Progress

Spoiler

Personal Career

Hall of Fame Rank:      6
Clubs Managed:         12
Nations Managed:      9
Trophies Won:         33
Runner Up Medals:     14
Manager of the Year:     10
Number of Sackings:      3 (Kaizer Chiefs, Suwon, Brazil)

Career Earnings: £74 Million
---------------------------------------------------

Club Career
                                                                    
Season    NAT    Club        Division    Pos    Cup 1    Cup 2    Cont    CWC    Things to Note                    
2020    CHI    Nublense    Primera Div B    6th    R2    -    -    -    Playoff Winners, U19s Runners up in Div 1
2021    CHI    Curico Unido    Primera Div    7th    R2    -    R1    -
2022    CHI    Curico Unido    Primera Div    1st    Won    -    R1    -    Domestic Double, MOTY
2022/23    ARG    CA Union    Superliga    17th    R5    -    -    -    Avoided Relegation
2023/24    ARG    CA Union    Superliga    15th    R5    -    -    -    Avoided Relegation
2024/25    ARG    CA Union    Superliga                        Resigned End of Phase 1
2025/26    RSA    Kaizer Chiefs    Asba Prem    2nd    RU    Won    -    -    KO Cup Winners RU in other Comps
2026/27    RSA    Kaizer Chiefs    Asba Prem    3rd    RU    R1    Won    -    Champions League Winners, MOTY
2027    KOR    Suwon        K League 1    7th        -    QF    -    Joined July in 5th, Sakced September 15th
2027/28    ARG    Velez        Superliga    2nd    -    -    -    -    Joined December in 8th
2028/29    ARG    Velez        Superliga    1st    Won    -    QF    -    Domestic Double
2029/30    ARG    Velez        Superliga    2nd    Won    -    Won    -    Copa Libertadores and Copa Argentina Winners, won both Supercups MOTY
2030/31    ENG    AFC Bournemouth    Premier League    9th    R3    R2    -    -    Somehow won Superliga manager of the year for 2030
2031/32 ITA    AC Milan    Serie A        6th    -    -    -    -    Joined with 7 games remaining U18s won the legaue and cup
2032/33    ITA    AC Milan    Serie A        2nd    R1    -    R3 UEL    -    
2033/34    ITA    AC Milan    Serie A        1st    Won    -    SF    -    Invincibles! Centurians! League + Cup double
2034/35    ENG    Chelsea        Premier League    1st    R5    QF    R1    -    League Winners, Super Cup Winners
2035/36 ENG    Chelsea        Premier League    2nd    R5    R3    R1    -    Nearly Got the Sack
2036/37    ENG    Chelsea        Premier League    1st    R4    QF    Won    RU    Second League Title and UCL
2037/38    ENG    Chelsea        Premier League    1st    Won    Won    Won    -    First Quadruple
2039    KOR    Seoul        K League 1    2nd    Won    -    -    -    Lost the League on GS
2040    KOR    Seoul        K League 1    1st    QF    -    Won    -    League and ACL Double!
2041/42    ESP    Real Sociedad    La Liga        4th    R5    -    R2    -    Qual for UCL, dissapointing in UEL after topping group.
2042/43    ESP    Real Sociedad    La Liga        2nd    Won    -    QF    -    First UCL appearance since 2013/14, First trophy since 1987
2043/44    DEU    Bor. Dortmund    Bundeslig    1st    R2    RU    GS    -    Awful Performance in all competitions, don't know how BVB won the league
----------------------------------------------------

International Career

Season    Nation        Rank    Continental    World Cup    Things to Note
2023    Honduras    67th    -        -        Relegated from Nations League
2024    Honduras    72rd    -        -        Qualified for Gold Cup 2025
2024    Russia        42nd    -        -        2nd in NL Div B    
2026    Russia        30th    -        2nd Rnd v SUI    Topped Group, Lost to Switzerland
2027    Nigeria        12th    RU        -        AFCON Runners Up, Resigned as Manager
2031    Guinea-Bissau    53rd    Won        -        AFCON Winners
2032    Portugal     3rd    Won        -        European Championship Winners
2034    Portugal     4th    -        RU v Holland    Unsure how we haven't won that one
2035    Mexico        13th    Won        -        Gold Cup Winners
2036    Mexico        11th    3rd         -        Nations League Winners | 3rd in Copa America
2038    Brazil         1st    -        2nd Rnd v UKR    Lost to Ukraine
2039    Iran        28th    RU v Australia    -
2042    Iran        21st    -        2nd Rnd v MEX
2043    Iran        15th    Won        -        FINALLY! 4 Long years with Iran comes to an end.
2044    Peru        
-----------------------------------------------------
Challenge Progress
6/10 Leagues         (Chile; Curico Unido 2022, Argentina; Velez 2028/29, Italy; AC Milan 2033/34, England; Chelsea 2034/35,
            South Korea; Seoul 2040, Germany; Borrussia Dortmund 2043/44)
7/10 Cups        (Copa Chile; Curico Unido 2022, RSA Telkom KO; Kaizer Chiefs 2025/26, Copa Argentina; Velez 2028,
            Copa Italia; AC Milan 2033/34,  English FA Cup; Chelsea 2037/38, Korean FA Cup; Seoul 2039,
            Copa del Rey; Real Sociedad 2042/43)
4/5  Continental    (Africa; Kaizer Chiefs 2026/27, South America; Velez 2029, Europe; Chelsea 2036/37, Asia; Seoul 2040)
0/1  Worlds

4/5 Continental     (AFCON; Guinea-Bissau 2031, EUROS; Portugal 2032, GOLD CUP; Mexico 2035, ASIAN CUP; Iran 2043)
0/1 Worlds

Total 
21/32
 

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by bjwphneb

[_JHTB_]

United States of America World Cup 2030

This is my second World Cup and like the previous one the aim is simply to keep my job though we did get what was probably a tough group with Austria and Egypt with the FA wanting us to reach the second round.

Group Stages

Spoiler

Because of the group stages by the time we actually played our match we simply had to win to progress following Austria's victory over our opponents Egypt. The game was pretty one sided in our favour though we didn't really capitalise on our superiority to the extent I was hoping but we did record a 1-0 victory. That meant our match against Austria wasn't really that important which I was thankful for initially as we were 2-0 down at half time, we did show a second half resurgence though and came back to win the game 4-3 eventually to top our group.

Second Round

Spoiler

A relatively favourable draw for us in this round with us facing Ireland but similarly to our match against Austria we went in behind at the break courtesy of a Troy Parrott strike, thankfully we continued our strong second half showing to turn the fixture on it's head and progress to the next round after a 2-1 victory.

Third Round

Spoiler

Of the teams we could have drawn in this round Croatia would arguably be one of the weaker opponents, but that mattered not as they comfortably beat us 2-0 even if the expected goals did suggest we were hard done by I can't really remember that many chances for us to score our xG higher largely due to having more shots not necessarily better chances.

Quarter Final

Spoiler

 

Semi Final

Spoiler

 

Final/3rd place playoff

Spoiler

 

What Next?

Spoiler

As mentioned early, this tournament was largely just something that was there not something that we harboured hopes of winning, by reaching the 3rd round I exceeded the requirements of us so should keep my job going forward into next years Gold Cup which was all I really hoped from the competition, even if it was a little disappointing to exit as we did as I felt we may have been able to give Croatia a game.

 

[lukefox44]

 

Luke Fox

Nigeria 

AFCON 2031

Here we are again with Nigeria, I didn't really want to go back but there was an AFCON in less than 3 months and it was the only job available. I applied fully expecting them to turn me down after my failure with them 6 years ago, but apparently they were prepared to give me another go. They were ranked the 4th best side in Africa and had some very good youngsters come through since I was last here.

Group stages

Spoiler

We were really good in the groups, beating a very decent DR Congo team 5-0, only months after them snatching a smash and grab 1-0 in a friendly. We rested all 11 players in our last game as the group was already won and we still won 6-1, confidence was growing in both me and the players.

 

Second round

Spoiler

We were drawn against a decent South Africa team, their world ranking didn't really reflect how dangerous they were, but having managed there for a few years i was fully aware of the squad and the dangers they would pose us. This was evident as they took a relatively early lead, and started defending for their lives. We were so dominant, we eventually levelled the game with 25 mins left and were pushing hard to take the lead, we had many chances and missed a one-on-one with only a few minutes left, it was going to extra time. Extra time followed the same pattern, but we just could not find the breakthrough. Our centre half even cracked a 30 yard volley of the post with the last kick of the game.

Penalties started as badly as it could and we missed our first. Ndlovu a player I tried to sign many times at supersport missed followed by my old captain Mokgang hitting the post. We had a penalty to win it, I thought we were off the hook. I could not have been more wrong, we missed to win it and then missed in sudden death, we were out.

 Quarter finals

Spoiler

 

 

Semi Finals

Spoiler

 

 

Final

Spoiler

 

 

What's next

Spoiler

I said in a comment earlier I wanted to break the quarter final jinx I had, I did that in a way, I guess. I have once again resigned as Nigeria manager, it's an ageing squad and in 2 years time the best players might be getting a bit too old. I will keep an eye out, there has just been an Asian cup, so maybe I can pick up a big job in Asia.

 

Challenge progress

Spoiler

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by lukefox44

[vikeologist]

Quote

confidence was growing in both me and the players

Yep. Right then, saw what was coming. 

[lukefox44]

1 hour ago, vikeologist said:

Yep. Right then, saw what was coming. 

It's the hope that kills you isn't it haha

[dkouv]

@lukefox44 that is the quintessential ACON experience right there; I hope your laptop survived the tournament and better luck next time  (but maybe with a break from Africa for now?)

[dkouv]

Season 6 (2025/26) - Cruz Azul / Ivory Coast

The aim of the season was to win the CONCACAF Champions League. I already had a good squad, but with an £18m budget I couldn’t resist a bit of wheeling and dealing in the summer, so I signed a bunch of wonderkids from Argentina and Mexico, mostly to bolster our defence. There was some drama in the league, where I managed to overturn a 3-0 first leg defeat to win the Apertura final against Club America.

Anyway, onto the Champions League - turns out it’s a pure knockout tournament, they sure like their knockout cups in North America. We easily (and I mean easily) dispatched a random Costa Rican team in round 1 and then holders LAFC in the quarters. The semi against Monterrey was also pretty easy and so I faced the team I have faced in almost every final so far, our local rivals Club America. They must be getting sick of us by now as we prevailed yet again. The key player was Joel Nunez who played for Club America and scored a hat trick against us in the Apertura final, so I duly signed him for his release clause afterwards. He proceeded to score in each leg of the CL final against his old team, and the trophy was ours.

 

I enjoyed signing those wonderkids but this part of the save was getting kind-of boring in the end so I’m happy to soon be out of here. I’ll try to win the Clasura and then probably resign and look for a new club job. The World Cup with Ivory Coast is also around the corner.

Our key players, like last season, were striker Perez Tica who again scored a superb 40 goals in all comps and attacking midfielder Marcel Ruiz. New signings Fernando Ramirez and Uriel Raviolo really improved our defense, and of course Joel Nunez was key in procuring us that much needed CL win.

 

  

                                                                CLUB CAREER
                                                                -----------

 Season    Club               Division       League     Cups                           Notes
                                                        1st    2nd    Cont    CWC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020/21    TS Sporting        RSA Div. 1       5                                      Took over in 9th, finished 5th
2021/22    TS Sporting        RSA Div. 1       1                                      
2022/23    Orlando Pirates    RSA Premier      1        Won    Won                    A quintuple of league, MTN 8, Knockout cup, Nedbank cup and CAF confed cup   
2023/24    Orlando Pirates    RSA Premier      1        Won    Won    Won             A clean sweep domestically + champions league    
2024/25	   Cruz Azul	      Mex Liga BBVA    1  	Won                           Won both apertura and clasura
2025/26	   Cruz Azul	      Mex Liga BBVA    1  	              Won 	                                              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

 Season Nation         Cups                                                         Notes
                       World Cup   Euro's   AFC   ACON   Gold Cup   Copa America

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020/21 Turkmenistan         
2021/22 Uzbekistan                                      			    Qualified for World Cup through playoffs
2022/23 Uzbekistan                                       			    World Cup Group Stage; Asian cup Q/F
2023/24 Ivory Coast
2024/25 Ivory Coast				   Won
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Challenge Progress:
  
Club
 2/10 top domestic leagues: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul)
 2/10 domestic cups: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul)
 2/5 club continental championships: CAF Champions League (Orlando Pirates), CONCACAF CL (Cruz Azul)
 0/1 club world championship: 
 
International
 1/5 continental tournaments: ACON (Ivory Coast)
 0/1 world tournaments:

Overall: 7/32

 

[fromcoystocottbus]

Blues Traveler

Season 3 (2022/23)

FK Podbrezova (Slovak First Division)

Been a little bit since my last update, when I took over SK Odeva Lipany in the Slovak Second Divison and took a team projected for relegation to a mid-table finish.

We continued the reconstruction of the roster, taking full advantage of the league rules allowing a maximum of five foreign players on the field at once. Our first-team lineup included two players from Brazil (Rafinha and Wictor Dias), one from Belarus - where I still had scouting connections from my first job in charge of Sputnik Rechitsa (Alexey Mosichev), one from Nigeria (Bankole Olawale Adekuoroye) and one from the United States (Danny Beason). My backup striker, Enzo Arevalo (6 goals in 10 league appearances), was also from Spain.

We started out hot, on the cusp of the top two (promotion), though we eventually settled into mid-table ahead of the three-month winter break in Slovakia. The highlight, though, was a 2-0 upset over top division Zilina in the Slovak FA Cup. Unfortunately, we met our match against Ruzomberok, another top division side, in the following round.

 

We stood at 8-2-8 through 18 matches, and promotion looked like a longshot.

BUT: Expectations were so low that clubs in Slovakia took notice. First, Zilina, sitting seventh in the First Division, offered an interview after sacking their manager. They didn't hire me -- instead, hiring the coach of Podbrezova from the top division.

Podbrezova, meanwhile, was also impressed enough by our efforts at Lipany...

 

So here we are. It's a relegation battle to finish out this season, but the team is in decent form. Excited to be in the top division in a European country and hope we get enough support from the board to make a real run - both in the league and domestic cup - in 2023/24.

 

[lukefox44]

12 hours ago, dkouv said:

@lukefox44 that is the quintessential ACON experience right there; I hope your laptop survived the tournament and better luck next time  (but maybe with a break from Africa for now?)

I do need to leave it a while, but it's just so often it's too tempting not trying to jump back in every 2 years haha.

Congrats in Mexico as well mate, where you looking to go next?

[dkouv]

8 hours ago, lukefox44 said:

Congrats in Mexico as well mate, where you looking to go next?

Thanks mate, yep Mexico was fun, good budgets and lots of talented youngsters to buy - but it does feel like you're constantly playing cup games.

Not sure where I'll go next, depends on the jobs really - for now there's nothing on but I'm keeping my eyes on Argentina, China and South Korea for those other continental trophies. I've also loaded up France just in case something comes up there as I think my rep is high enough to get me a decent European job. Hopefully there'll be a bit of a merry-go-round after the world cup which will open things up.

Edited January 14, 2021 by dkouv

[The Regista]

HJK Helsinki End of Season 2022 Update

Ladies and gentlemen, number 30 is up for Helsinki

A very short update from me as I'm pretty sure I've only played less than 15 matches. To recap - I took the HJK job on with the club in 5th place, 8 points off top spot. I set about immediately sorting the team cohesion, and we managed to string together a great run, going unbeaten in those 9 games. The squad, for the Finnish league, is very strong, and so grinding results out whilst getting the team to play my preferred vertical tiki-taka system wasn't as difficult as it could have been.

We ended the regular campaign in 2nd, two points off leaders SJK. We played them first in the Championship phase, and with the home advantage despatched them 3-0. Leapfrogging them to the top spot, we won our next 2 matches as did SJK. However, we lost our penultimate game to KuPS 2-0, whilst SJK could only manage a point against KPV to set up a final day showdown. The fixture gods were on our side as we were due to play, on paper, the weakest team in the Championship phase - 6th placed AC Oulu. With home advantage again along with a vastly superior goal difference, we only had to match SJK's result to win title number 30 for the club and league win number one for me. A 3-0 win with two goals in the first 15 minutes sealed a pleasing title win and gets my league campaign wins off the mark.

As for what's next - I'm not sure. The league win is a definite reputation boost and I picked up the manager of the month award for September taking my total awards to 6. We've qualified for the Champions League qualifying stages, to which the board want to reach the 2nd Qualifying Round along with winning another league title. If we could progress further that would be fantastic - HJK have played Champions League group stage football before! With a few tweaks this team could become unstoppable domestically, so I'll be searching the transfer market for the right additions. It may also be a good moment to consider the international game with three trophies under my belt. But for now, Helsinki is where I'm staying, and let the good times continue!

 

[lukefox44]

2 hours ago, dkouv said:

Thanks mate, yep Mexico was fun, good budgets and lots of talented youngsters to buy - but it does feel like you're constantly playing cup games.

Not sure where I'll go next, depends on the jobs really - for now there's nothing on but I'm keeping my eyes on Argentina, China and South Korea for those other continental trophies. I've also loaded up France just in case something comes up there as I think my rep is high enough to get me a decent European job. Hopefully there'll be a bit of a merry-go-round after the world cup which will open things up.

Not so much the good youngsters but if enjoyed the big budgets china is great fun, even if you have to spend a massive amount on anyone chinese.

[Gregg88]

2033/34 - Napoli & Portugal

Well.....3rd season with Monaco, I managed to win the league! But no cups. Annoying.

Pretty chuffed with the league though! Scored many, only lost 2. And now I've been offered a job with Napoli!

I would do a big old write up for Monaco, but I really didn't like anything about it. Haha!

 

So Napoli.........

They finished 7th last season, so Euro II it is. Finances are low. £14m in the bank, but £23m in transfer budget.

The team is half decent! Loads of young players, so I can build and actually enjoy it for the challenge!

 

 

Oh and I'm still with Portugal. Got the World Cup at the end of the season, which should be fun! I've ditched any players over the age of 32. Brought up a few younger players and annoyed the "regular" players who don't fit into my tactics. Annoying media messages all the time about them.

 

I will provide a better update at the halfway point of the season once i've got rid of the deadwood

 

 

[lukefox44]

Luke Fox 

Tigres UANL

2030 / 2031

After leaving South Africa it was my intention to go to North America and finish off what I thought would be the easiest of the three remaining champions league, it didn't take me long at all until i was offered the TIgres UANL job, they were clear favourites in the season preview but with only 6 days until the season started the squad was very thin, I only had 18 first team players and some glaring gaps in positions. I managed to bring in a few loans to just thicken out the squad but I was really hoping that in the Opening stage at least I could get through pretty much injury free and really reinforce the squad for the closing stage and the champions league. 

Opening stage

League table

Spoiler

We were really good for most of the season before limping over the line in first, with only 1 point from our last 3 games. But as we know, in Mexico the league means nothing, so onto the play off stages.

Quarter Final

Spoiler

Won the first leg at home 2-0 and was hoping that an away goal would kill the tie. That's not really how it played out, they were all over us, so at 0-0 I went defensive and tried to hold on in the second half. We did concede but managed to to keep our 2-1 aggregate league, and knock out a very good Club America, despite them only sneaking into the play offs late on in the league.

Semi Final

Spoiler

Not really sure what happened here, we scored nearly 50 goals in 19 league games and Monarcas Morelia had conceded the most goals of the teams in the top 8. Apparently they had been working on a more defensive system and played a 5-3-2 this time instead of the 4-4-2 they played in the league against us. The home leg was 0-0, but without them having an away goal a score draw would see us through. They managed to nick a goal on the break and then hung on for the clean sheet. Back to back games without a goal for us was shocking.

 

Final

Spoiler

 

 

Closing Stage

League table

Spoiler

Only two points less than the opening stage but only good enough for 4th place. The Champions league was going on during this stage and with only needing to make the top 8 I did rest players for a fair few games this stage, when I played our first 11 we did look at better, more settled team than the opening stage.

Quarter Final

Spoiler

A 5-1 win in the first leg meant with up coming Champions league games I was able to make 11 changes in the second leg and not really have to worry.

Semi Final

Spoiler

A 2-1 win at home was a good result but did leave us a little bit vulnerable to the away goal. I shouldn't of worried, we went 4-1 up and the game was over, my 3 best players came off at 50 mins, saving them for important games to come.

 

Final

Spoiler

First Leg

A very good 4-1 win away from home.

Second leg

Yeah, no idea what happened there, they scored two worldies from 30 yards and then two scruffy goals from corners. I don't think they created a proper decent chance all game but managed to score 4. Nothing happened in extra time and it was onto pens. For the second time in not very long at all in this save I lost on penalties. To be honest having already been in the Champions league when I joined for this season and having qualified for the next one with my opening stage performance winning the league would of been nice, but it wasn't the end of the world,

 

Champions League

First round

Spoiler

Turns out the Champions league is just 5 rounds of knockout games. We were drawn against a very poor Costa Rican side, made 11 changes in both legs and still won around 15-0 on aggregate I think it was. So unremarkable I didn't bother taking the screenshots.

 

Quarter Final

Spoiler

First Leg

Well the first leg didn't go to plan, 2-0 down and not even an away goal, it felt like the writing was on the wall and we would be out with our real first challenge in the tournament.

 

Second Leg

If we were going to get anything out of this game we need to win 2-0 to just take it to extra time or by 3 clear goals. With this in mind I went super attacking from the start, I pushed the full backs to CWB attack, my Segundo volante went on attack, my AP went on attack, we went with a higher line and a quicker tempo. This seemed to work as we were 3-0 up by half time, however we were still only a conceded away goal from going out. The second half was cagey and they started having more chances and it just felt like one of those games where they would score late on and send us crashing out. We did score on the counter in the 87th min, just to make those last few minutes comfortable. 

This was massive for us, it was honestly one of my favourite comebacks I've had on this game in a long time.

 

Semi Final

Spoiler

First Leg

Again we haven't made it easy for ourselves, conceding two away goals again, at least this time we were level on aggregate going to the home leg.

Second Leg

This was a crazy game it felt like every time someone went forward it was a goal. 2-2 at half, we had now cancelled out the away goals and if we scored again turned them in our favour. An early second half own goal from a corner gave us this lead and left them needing to win on the night or they were out. We scored again and made the last 15 minutes stress free, onto the final.

 

Final

Spoiler

I felt like we had a pretty tough draw in the quarter and semi with playing other Mexican teams, but this meant there was all MLS ties as well and Philadelphia union, having a poor MLS season had made the final.

In the end the final was very simple. The Champions league was ours.

What's next?

Spoiler

After getting the big prize I was after I decided to resign before the start of the next season, which is only like 3 weeks in Mexico. With my next destination hopefully Argentina and their season finished in hindsight I probably should of stayed and tried to win the opening stage while waiting for the right job to open up. Saying that I'm doing pretty well in the winning the league side of the challenge, so leaving a touch early isn't too bad.

Challenge progress

Spoiler

The way the Mexican league works I decided to slightly colour coordinate the Club update table. I think it looks a bit prettier and easier to read at a glance as well.

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by lukefox44

[libbyshuss]

wow, mexico sounds mad as a box of hammers

[lukefox44]

1 hour ago, libbyshuss said:

wow, mexico sounds mad as a box of hammers

I kind of enjoyed it, but wouldn't want to stay there for long I dont think. Some really good young players made it interesting but the structure is strange.

The league almost feels like you're playing a lot of games for nothing, especially if you lose on the playoffs like me.

The champions league is essentially a domestic tournament as nobody from outside Mexico could really compete.

Hows your save going? Found a new club after Dotmund yet?

Edited January 15, 2021 by lukefox44

[dkouv]

2026 World Cup - Ivory Coast

I don’t expect much from this tournament but since no good international jobs have come up since the ACON I thought I’d give this a go with Ivory Coast. With a ridiculously long knockout stage, I hope to qualify from the group for a spin of the wheel in those knockout rounds. In terms of the squad, our goalkeeper is still crap, our best defender Bailly retired (at 32!) and Aurier is too old so we’re pretty light at the back. But the attack is very strong since adding the French league also added in two amazing regen strikers to complement Pepe and Kouame. Our group has France and Peru in it, and two out of three teams qualify, which looks within reach.

Group Stage

Spoiler

Ivory Coast 3 - 3 Peru. Ah, the joys of International football. We won 4-1 on xG, Pepe missed a bunch of sitters but still managed to score 2, and they equalised thanks to an own goal by our GK which bounced off the post, off him, and into the goal. Oh, and we had a last minute winner disallowed by VAR.

France 1 - 3 Ivory Coast. Erm, what was it I said about the joys of international football? The first half was surprisingly even, and then France gave away an early second half penalty which Kessie duly converted. We then suddenly became completely dominant and scored 2 more, before a late-ish comeback by France saw them score one and miss a few chances.

An all-African second round tie against Mali is next.

Second Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

Mali 0 - 3 Ivory Coast. We had a bit of a shaky start but after Mali missed some chances we became more and more dominant, and some good finishing ensured we ran out comfortable winners.

England next and I don’t think we’ll beat them. My two starting center mids, Kessie and Traore, are also out through suspension.

Third Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

England 2 - 1 Ivory Coast. We ran them close but England were deserved winners in the end thanks to a Joe Gomez header from a corner.

Quarter Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

 

Semi Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

 

Final / 3rd place playoff (if applicable)

Spoiler

 

After the tournament

Spoiler

That’s it for me with Ivory Coast, so I’ll be hoping some decent jobs become available after the World Cup, at both club and international stage. I'm not sure I like this new World Cup format though, no time to test the tactics properly in the group stage and so much randomness; winning this one could take a while...

EDIT: England actually won the whole thing, beating Norway in the final so I probably shouldn't feel too bad for losing to them

Lots of good international jobs available but think I'll go for Iran, with Asian cup only half a year away and the number of manageable Asian teams dwindling considerably. Their players look ancient though, hope they can last another half a year!  (or Australia: just noticed that they're an option too...)

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by dkouv

[timpy00]

 

Gonna start the challenge as well. Hopefully up for a big run.