Ronaldo Beckham Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) I haven't posted in here for a while as I wanted a break from the save and do a Sunderland save but I am back and will post an Lille/Senegal update soon. Just a preview of how the season went so far. Edited February 21, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safe Hands Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 4 hours ago, goonergez said: I’ve really struggled with this years edition of the game, although have just enjoyed a pretty successful save with Perugia in Italy taking them from the third tier up to Serie A. After a proper bringing down to earth relegation I wanted a new challenge and so am joining you in here. I am truly awful at this game though so not anticipating very much at all. I reckon I could float around the initial wave of jobs for years and years 😂 I’ve been trying to manage in countries I’ve not really gone through before though, and this challenge looks absolutely made up for that sort of situation. I’m excited to get started, but very much apprehensive about what I can even try and achieve 🙈 Dont worry mate your in good company. I did half a season in mexican 2nd division, 3season in south africa 2nd division and just finished 1 season in south African prem. So 5 seasons in no progress but first good job. Loved my time in africa. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Beckham Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Lille/Senegal 2029/2030 Season Review As I said in my previous post I managed to win the Coupe De France and I also finished 3rd in the league which guarateed Champions League football so this will be my first test to see how well I can do in the Champions League. I aint expecting to win it but weirder things have happened. Luis Loucao was my top scorer and best player overall. Also doing well with Senegal at the moment with only 1 loss in 6 competitive games played so far. Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 20/21 Club Athletico Juventud 2nd Promoted to Campeonato Uruguayo 21/22 Club Athletico Juventud 4th Manager Of The Year 22/23 Club Athletico Juventud 1st Won The Campeonato Uruguayo 23/24 Lanus 21st 24/25 Lanus 4th Promoted Back To Liga Profressional de Futbol 25/26 Lanus 1st Won the Liga Profressional De Futbol 26/27 Lanus 3rd Won the Chinese FA Cup 27/28 Lanus 7th Won the Asian Champions League 28/29 Cape Town City/Ireland 11th Won The Needbank Cup 29/30 Lille/Senegal 3rd Won Coupe De France Challenge Progress Club 2/10 top domestic leagues - Uruguay, Argentina, 4/10 domestic cups - Argentina, China, South Africa, France, 2/5 club continental championships - Copa Libertarodes, Asian Champions League 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/1 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 I've never taken on this challenge before, so this is very much a debut attempt for me. Like many others here, my initial job opportunity has seen me join a club in the second tier of South Africa. It took several months of waiting around, but eventually I signed my first managerial contract on 27th January 2021. I'm really excited about the challenge ahead, and feel I have very much fallen onto my feet. The lucky club to take a punt on me is Royal AM, who were sitting firmly within mid-table at the mid season break. I took over the club with a couple of weeks before my first game in charge. The inherited squad looked pretty strong and it certainly appeared as though the league position was below their ability. The board laid out plans for promotion next season, but for this season only focused on achieving a top half finish. That looked like a very achievable target, and I was hoping for a little more than that. I wanted to use the rest of the season to get to know my players, to focus on pushing for promotion next time around. In regards to the squad there wasn't much room to bring in my own faces. I was given a decent enough transfer budget of around £130,000, but the weekly expenditure on wages was already above the designated budget. The squad was on the large side though, so I did immediately set about clearing some players. Arrival wise I made just the one, as 19-year old winger Siyabonga Buda was grabbed on loan from Orlando Pirates until the end of the season. I've played quite a way through already, but it's fair to say we endured a difficult start to life under my management. We opened up with a 0-0 draw against Cape Umoya Utd, although we dominated the game and should really have won it. In fact we prevented our opposition from mustering up a single chance on goal throughout the 90 minutes. Next up we lost 0-1 at home to Polokwane City to a first minute goal, before failing to score again away at Richards Bay. Thankfully that game ended in a 0-0 draw. Defensively my side looks really good, and hopefully it won't be long before we start putting the ball in the back of the net. I'll return at the end of the campaign to update on how we managed to get on. Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Real Kings FC: 2020/21 Review I joined with my club sat 9th in the table, but a little under halfway through the campaign. The squad was definitely underperforming, and I was confident that I could get the team performing much better through to the end of the season. Expectations from the board were purely for a top half finish too, meaning I wasn't really under any pressure for the opening stages of my managerial career. We opened up with three straight games without a goal though, drawing 0-0 twice and suffering a disappointing 0-1 loss in my opening home game in charge. We ended that run with a fantastic performance though, beating top flight opposition in the first round of the SA Cup. A 2-0 victory at home to Swallows FC giving me my first taste of victory. We would go on to the Quarter Final stage before narrowly losing out 2-3 to top flight Sundowns. That victory seemed to give the players a new found confidence, and suddenly we were picking up results consistently. A fantastic run of form saw us climb up the table quickly, and before long we had to be genuinely considered as in contention for at least a play-off spot. Chasing down Cape Town Spurs for the title looked unlikely, but finishing in the top-3 positions was very much a target. Our form changed when we managed to get veteran Zimbabwean striker Cuthbert Maljila scoring. The 35-year old struggled before my arrival and was wasteful in our opening three goalless games before really kicking into gear. He scored 16 goals in the last 20 matches to really help us on our climb up the standings. The slow start cost us in the end though. We managed to close the gap down to the leaders to as low as six points, but that was with just three matches remaining in the season and we couldn't quite get there. If there were another five matches or so I would've fully expected us to nick the league title. Our season was not without achievement however. We picked up a highest ever league position as well as a record for the most points by the club in a season as well as the fewest defeats. Not too bad for a first few months in management. Our second placed finish ensured we secured a spot in the promotion play-offs and fighting for the chance to go up. Third placed Uthongathi joined us as well as the Black Leopards who finished one place from bottom in the Premier Division. We started terribly, losing out 1-2 at home to Uthongathi before bouncing back in style. We followed up a 4-0 away win at the Black Leopards with two further victories to clinch top spot and promotion at the first time of asking. An incredible first few months in management draws to a close with a much better outcome than I had expected. My aim was to set up a promotion push for next season, but after a difficult first few matches we were sensational and never looked back. I'm delighted, and already looking forward to competing in the top flight. We've extended contracts for the majority of the players I wanted to keep at the club for another season, which gives me something to build around. Our youth intake has seen us snap up a fair few promising younger players, although nobody ready for first team football just yet. 15-year old goalkeeper Franklin Goldman seems the most exciting, but he won't be around the first team just yet. Hopefully we can secure our safety and then I can look to the possibility of changing jobs. Ideally one of the top sides in South Africa will come available and then I can look to chalk off a couple of competitions early. I'm under no illusions that my first full season in management will prove difficult though. Hopefully we can do ourselves justice and be competitive every time we step on the field. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Season Review 2021/22 - Chennai City FC Competitions - Squad - Transfers - Finances CHAMPIONS YET AGAIN! Two championships in as many tries. After running away in the start of the season we threw a bunch of points towards the end while battling in the ChL. We were heavily outmatched in that competition. Key players: ML Langerman - MR Domingues - ST Magassouba Outlook: With more trophies than league losses I let my contract with Chennai run out. I've achieved what I wanted from my first step and will seek new adventures elsewhere. My next step could be China, South Korea, Mexico, USA, South Africa... Only time will tell who's interested in taking a chance on me. History: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 (edited) Season 10 (2029/30) - Fiorentina League Soon after I quit San Lorenzo, the Fiorentina job came up and I decided to go for it with a chance to revive one of the sleeping giants of European football. Unfortunately comatose rather than sleeping may have been the better term for Fiorentina, as I joined a side 18th in the table with about one-third of the season gone. They were definitely underachieving though, and had already played most of the better teams in the league, so I managed to put together this amazing run when we won 12 straight and actually came up into the CL qualification places. In my 13th game in charge, we had a chance to seal the deal at home to 5th placed Napoli, who were already 2 points behind us. But despite going in 2-0 up at half time, we managed to lose the match 3-2 thanks to some excellent finishing from their strikers and some wastefulness from ours. We hit a bit of a dodgy patch after that and never really recovered, finishing 5th behind - you’ve guessed it - Napoli in the end. Europa league it is, a big improvement on where we were when I took over but I could have done with some CL money because the… Squad …needs a complete overhaul. I mean if you ever need proof that the transfer AI needs to be improved try taking over an AI team mid-season a few years into the game. The Fiorentina team is full of 32 year olds (I mean not even 30+ but literally most of the original first team players are 32+), and I could really feel their form and attributes dropping off as we reached the business end of the season. To make matters worse the old manager signed 36 year old Piotr Zielinski in the summer for £2m - madness! I’ll try to shift most of the old guys in the summer, but some of them are impossible to sell because they’re too old and on too high a wage. At least Zielinski is retiring in the summer so I won’t have to pay his wages anymore after that. I tried to freshen up the squad a bit in the winter window, but my key signing Nunez - who I knew from my Mexico team - could not be registered because the AI manager pre-arranged a transfer of a crappy Columbian player which I did not see, and which took priority. I have a couple of very promising youngsters who are a bit too raw for the first team, but I think I’ll just play them next season, freshen up the squad where I can and try to qualify for the CL, giving us something to build on for the longer term. In: Out: Cups A quarter final exit on penalties to Bologna in the QF of the Italian Cup. Key players Only two players were consistent for me this season: Nikola Milenkovic is a pretty amazing centre back but his physicals are dropping now so I'm not sure whether to sell him while he still has value; and Tofol Montiel who was surprisingly good upfront, outshining my former Ivory Coast favourite Kouname, who to be fair is getting on a bit at - no surprises - 32 years of age. A World Cup with Mexico is next, after which I hope to find an international job at one of the bigger European or South American nations. 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 2026/27 Jeonbuk K League 1 1 Won Won A quickly completed treble 2027/28 San Lorenzo Argentine Premier 2 2028/29 San Lorenzo Argentine Premier 1 Won A domestic double + Copa Sudamericana 2029/30 San Lorenzo Argentine Premier n/a Won Won Copa Libertadores in November 2029/30 Fiorentina Serie A 5 Took over in 18th but just missed out on CL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Nation Cups Notes World Cup Euros Asian Cup 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 2025/26 Ivory Coast Lost in World Cup second round 2026/27 Australia Won 2028/29 Mexico Won ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Challenge Progress: Club 4/10 top domestic leagues: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul); South Korea (Jeonbuk); Argentina (San Lorenzo) 4/10 domestic cups: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul); South Korea (Jeonbuk); Argentina (San Lorenzo) 4/5 club continental championships: CAF Champions League (Orlando Pirates), CONCACAF CL (Cruz Azul); Asian CL (Jeonbuk); Copa Libertadores (San Lorenzo) 0/1 club world championship: International 3/5 continental tournaments: ACON (Ivory Coast); Asian Cup (Australia); Gold Cup (Mexico) 0/1 world tournaments: Overall: 15/32 Edited February 24, 2021 by dkouv Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Izo finally finds a new home One year ago Izo left Chennai City after 2 succesful seasons. Finding the right club for him proved more difficult than he imagined. Today he was appointed the new manager of South African team Jumo Cosmos. Izo took over the team after 30 games, while Black Leopards in second was 1 point behind after 29 games. They drew and we won on goal difference. We're in the Premiership even before it starts! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safe Hands Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Not sure if asking for tips is in the spirit of the challenge. Is it best to take any international job even if it's a no hoper or just build yourself up and wait to get a better one. I briefly took one 2nd season but resigned as wanted to build myself up, but now want to try and get into the international scene. Also can your club get annoyed if you take 1? Just got a great job and dont want to risk upsetting the board. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 10 minutes ago, Safe Hands said: Not sure if asking for tips is in the spirit of the challenge. Is it best to take any international job even if it's a no hoper or just build yourself up and wait to get a better one. I briefly took one 2nd season but resigned as wanted to build myself up, but now want to try and get into the international scene. Also can your club get annoyed if you take 1? Just got a great job and dont want to risk upsetting the board. Asking for tips is fine, although you may get a difference of opinion on this question. I think generally you should only take international jobs where you have a chance of winning something. Managing small nations doesn't achieve anything, apart from making it more difficult to get a new club job. The exception is taking a short term junior international job early in the challenge, i.e. an U23 job for the Asian Games. However, do not do this unless you already have a club job. Generally the cons of international management heavily outweigh the pros, unless you're actually going to win something. I'e never known clubs to get annoyed about managers taking international jobs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safe Hands Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 13 minutes ago, vikeologist said: Asking for tips is fine, although you may get a difference of opinion on this question. I think generally you should only take international jobs where you have a chance of winning something. Managing small nations doesn't achieve anything, apart from making it more difficult to get a new club job. The exception is taking a short term junior international job early in the challenge, i.e. an U23 job for the Asian Games. However, do not do this unless you already have a club job. Generally the cons of international management heavily outweigh the pros, unless you're actually going to win something. I'e never known clubs to get annoyed about managers taking international jobs. Thanks mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug 407 Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 3 hours ago, vikeologist said: Asking for tips is fine, although you may get a difference of opinion on this question. I think generally you should only take international jobs where you have a chance of winning something. Managing small nations doesn't achieve anything, apart from making it more difficult to get a new club job. The exception is taking a short term junior international job early in the challenge, i.e. an U23 job for the Asian Games. However, do not do this unless you already have a club job. Generally the cons of international management heavily outweigh the pros, unless you're actually going to win something. I'e never known clubs to get annoyed about managers taking international jobs. I Agree With @vikeologist On Going For A International Job That You've Got A Chance Of Winning Something. If You're At A Club Sometimes The Chairman Will Pull You Up About It. But Tell Them You Can Do Both Jobs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) Royal AM: 2021/22 Review My first full campaign has a manager has drawn to a close, and after a brilliant end to last season we enjoyed another good one this time around. After promotion following a play-off win last time around we entered this campaign full of hope. Ten new faces came into the club, and we managed to keep hold of all the players we wanted to in pre-season. We started the season brilliantly before eventually fading off a little. We were never in a relegation scrap, but fell away after threatening a late push towards the league title. With seven matches left we were a mere five points off of the leaders but fell away after a few poor results. A 5th place finish is nothing to complain about though, and I am absolutely delighted with how things went. Our league finish will also see the club compete in continental competition for the very first time, entering the African Confederations Cup during the 2022/23 season. I was left surprised with just how well we coped with the step up in division. We were never in danger, and were eventually unlucky to fall as low as we did. For much of the season we were competing right at the top with both Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Although we fell away towards the end of the season I really do feel we should be very pleased with out efforts at this new level. The South African Cup was a disappointment though, as we crashed out at the first hurdle. We were unlucky to draw Kaizer Chiefs and put up a good fight despite a 0-1 defeat. Not only did we enjoy a great season on the field, but I also completed my first coaching course to pick up a National C Licence. Everything has started really well for me in the world of management. I'm not sure what to do now though, in regards to my job. My contract here is expiring this summer, but I am unsure whether to sign a new one. The club are keen for me to do so, but I am keen to keep my options open. Ideally one of the big jobs at the likes of Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs or Sundowns will become available and I can move forwards. If I could get a job with one of the top sides in this nation I really feel I could do well and pick up some competition wins. Sundowns looks a realistic possibility after a disappointing campaign. They had won the previous four league titles, and were favourites to add a fourth to their collection. As you can see from above that didn't happen, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them part ways with their manager. If they do I will definitely throw my name into the hat, but for now I will just have to wait and see. Season Team League Position Notes & Achievements 2020/21 Real Kings FC SA 1st Div 2nd (P) Won promotion play-off 2021/22 Real Kings FC SA Premier 5th Qualified for Confederations Cup 0/10 Domestic Leagues 0/10 Domestic Cups 0/5 Club Continental Championships 0/1 Club World Championship 0/5 International Continental Tournaments 0/1 World Tournaments Edited February 23, 2021 by goonergez Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britrock Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) >Squad …needs a complete overhaul. I mean if you ever need proof that the transfer AI needs to be improved try taking over an AI team mid-season a few years into the game. The Fiorentina team is full of 32 year olds (I mean not even 30+ but literally most of the original first team players are 32+), and I could really feel their form and attributes dropping off as we reached the business end of the season. @dkouv this was in issue last year as well, I took over Orlando Pirates 10-15 years in and they literally didn't have a CB in their squad. Needless to say they were at or near the bottom of the league when I took over. A few years of sane squad rebuilding later and we had two league titles, a couple of cups and both continental competitions in the trophy cabinet. Edited February 23, 2021 by Britrock Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 After a successful first 18 months in management, I have just completed my first move as a manager. I had a really good spell with Royal AM, culminating in a promotion and culminating in a solid 5th placed finish in the South African Premier League. Realistically I was going to struggle to compete for honours with them though, and so I had already decided that now was the time to have a look around at other potential options. After a poor season it looked like Sundowns were the most likely to part ways with their manager, but in the end it was a surprise departure that gave me my new position. Spoiler Shortly after clinching a first South African Premier League title since the 2014/15 season manager Conti Khubeka resigned from his position and announced his retirement from management altogether. Frustratingly I had just signed a new one year deal with Royal AM after feeling like I wasn't going to get my move. Thankfully the excess compensation didn't scupper my chances though and shortly after attending an interview I was handed a contract to join Kaizer Chiefs. As soon as the job became available I was sure it was where I wanted to go. After a solid first role I felt like I had earned the position, and now I can try and compete for major honours. This club is much better equipped and the resources are vast. I will have the opportunity to try and retain the league title, as well as ply my trade in the African Champions League. The opportunity to pick up some trophies was the main reason for my move. Hopefully I can settle in quickly and we can have a real go at trying to win some silverware. It won't be easy, but I am confident that we can give it a real go and I am excited to get stuck in. It's sad to be waving goodbye to Royal AM, but it was an opportunity that I simply couldn't miss. Season Team League Position Notes & Achievements 2020/21 Real Kings FC SA 1st Div 2nd (P) Won promotion play-off 2021/22 Real Kings FC SA Premier 5th Qualified for Confederations Cup 0/10 Domestic Leagues 0/10 Domestic Cups 0/5 Club Continental Championships 0/1 Club World Championship 0/5 International Continental Tournaments 0/1 World Tournaments 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) Izo quits Jomo Cosmos Not that I really wanted to. The game crashes on a game at 23rd of december if I play, instant result or holidays past it. I tried resigning from Nigeria but same result. If I resign from Jomo Cosmos I can continue. So... I need to resign from Jomo Cosmos. As you noticed by now I've been appointed as a manager of the Nigeria in the meantime. I'll continue with them as I seek a new adventure. Short season review: We struggled to find consistency but held our ground through out the season. We won the Knockout cup and that means there's only 9 cup tournaments to go! Competitions - Squad - Knockout cup win! Let's see where this goes from here... Bummer... History: Spoiler Edited February 23, 2021 by Muggert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regista Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Club Nacional de Football/France 2025 Update Erm... Not quite sure how to put this... Just... dominant. Nacional So yeah... we didn't lose. In fact, we won every game bar one. Spoiler No Playoff required as we won both Opening and Closing Stages. We also won the Intermedio, though needed extra time to do so. Transfer-wise, we picked up James Rodriguez from Feyenoord for about £550k. He featured a fair amount and it was nice to bring him in. Spoiler Not much else to say other than I'll stick around for the Copa Libertadores campaign. We go in at the Group Stage - can't say I expect us to smash through it like we did the Uruguayan First Division France Safely through to World Cup 2026 by winning our group. Two 7-0 demolitions of Estonia (thought it was more), along with a solid defence saw us finish top quite comfortably. Additionally, we also won the 2025 Nations League by defeating Spain 2-1 in the final. Not required for the challenge I know, but still a nice addition to the resume. I'm looking forward to the World Cup next year - should be great fun going in ranked 1st in the FIFA World Rankings. If we win, I'll hang around for the Euros to try and knock them off early. Progress Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 @The Registais that the James Rodriguez???? Unbelievable dominance from you though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzzaMurray73 Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Am I too late? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 1 hour ago, MuzzaMurray73 said: Am I too late? For what? The challenge? No. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 On 23/02/2021 at 18:01, Britrock said: A few years of sane squad rebuilding later and we had two league titles, a couple of cups and both continental competitions in the trophy cabinet. That is exactly what I am hoping for ))))) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukefox44 Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Luke Fox Borussia Dortmund 2035 / 2036 It's been a while since I've played this save but just managed to finish a very interesting season. After concentrating on the Senegal job for so long I was a bit worried about what jobs in Europe i would be able to get, Dortmund hadn't even finished in the top 3 in the league for 4 season but with the money the had I was hoping to have a good season and hope for a massive club to offer me a job and start working towards the Champions league. I was also reunited with two of my ex players, which was nice. Francis Juma -Who I gave him his Professional debut at Anderlecht almost 10 years ago. Spoiler Mahamane Rachid - Who I signed for £30m at DL Pro Spoiler Dortmund won the cup the year before I joined so we had to play Bayern Munich in the Supercup. Bayern had won 11 of the last 12 league titles, so this was a good opportunity for me to see where we would be as squad in the upcoming season. It was a very close game that ended 2-2 and we won on penalties, the result might not be the most important but the performance gave me a lot of confidence. As a side note it was Bayern's first game in their new 110,000 capacity stadium, but they've obviously been so successful over the years the Supercup means nothing them and they sold us 87,000 tickets. Spoiler Europa League I will get the Europa League out the way first, it would of been nice to win it, but the league and focusing on qualifying for the Champions League took priority. Group Stage Spoiler Some pretty poor results but we just got through. First knockout round Spoiler Not an easy draw but a home win followed by a very good away performance saw us progress. Second knockout round Spoiler Favourable draw, rested some key players in both legs, through relatively easily. Quarter finals Spoiler This should of been a winnable tie, but we were outclassed at home by a Spurs that finished 8th in the Prem. Semi finals Spoiler Final Spoiler Bundesliga We started really well going unbeaten in our first 10 games, but so did Hertha who had a Tycoon take over earlier in the save and have some serious money to spend. Big favourties for the title Bayern Munich didn't start as quickly as us. Spoiler By the halfway point of the season we were still unbeaten but Bayern had found their form and were only 1 point behind us, despite us only dropping 8 points from a possible 51. Spoiler Ten games later and with only 7 left in the league we finally lost, but again Bayern were right on our tail, 2 points behind. I couldn't shake them off, it felt like we won every week, but so did they, i can see why they've been so dominate in Germany in recent history. Spoiler Game week 30 saw Bayern lose on Sunday to Schalke, giving us the chance on Wednesday to beat RB Leipzig to go 6 points clear with only 4 games to go and surely mean we were too far ahead to be caught. We only managed a draw and with 4 games left 4 points ahead, this was going down to the wire. Spoiler Game week 31 and this time we played before Bayern. We put in a poor performance and lost 1-0 to Freiburg, a win for Bayern against relegation threatened Werder Bremen would've seen them to within a single point of us. But against the odds Werder Bremen managed a draw and afforded us a touch more breathing space, all be it only 3 points. Spoiler Game week 32 and with Bayern in striking distance of us should we lose I was getting nervous, I shouldn't of been as we smashed Koln 7-2 and put the pressure on Bayern playing later to keep up with us. Bayern were playing another relegation threatened team in Stuttgart, I thought there was no way they could throw points away in back to back game against this sort of opponent. They did Stuttgart got a vital point in their survival push and a vital point in the title race for me. 2 games left and 5 points clear, surely we couldn't bottle it now. Spoiler Game week 33, Bayern played rock bottom Wolfsburg who were all but relegated, a first half red card for Wolfsburg and Bayern went onto win 3-0. We were playing Schalke, I was excited at the prospect of lifting our first league title in 12 years against our biggest rivals, but likewise they would love to derail our title push. That's exactly what they did, we took an early lead and I was half thinking the job was done, but they levelled the scored just before half time. A point would of left us 3 points ahead of Bayern but with a goal difference +10 higher still all but securing the title for us. Schalke not content with just postponing our celebrations but completely cancelling them buy scoring an 84th minute winner giving Bayern a realistic chance on the last day. Spoiler Game week 34, the final day of the season, a draw would win us the title as long as Bayern didn't win by 10 goals. We played Werder Bremen who had done us a massive favour a few games ago by holding Bayern to a draw, Bayern played Augsburg. Bayern won 4-1 but that didn't matter as we also won 4-1 and the title was ours. We also tried to help Bremen for their role in our title win, at 4-1 when I felt confident the game was won we stopped going forward and just knocked it around the back not even trying to score. This proved to be crucial for them as one more goal scored by us would of seen them drop into the relegation playoff on having scored fewer goals than Stuttgart. It was the least we could do. Spoiler It was a very good season, even if we did limp over the line a little bit. But to beat out Bayern is no easy task, just look at the past winners. In this save i seem to be having a few of these really lose run seasons and its the most fun I've had in a save in a long time. Spoiler The quality of our season was also reflected in the Bundesliga team of the season. Spoiler What next After our poor performance in the Europa League I was sure the Champions league was possible for this Dortmund team, but they handed me a £125m transfer budget and with some sales i could really strengthen and have a good crack at it. I decided to give it one more year in Germany but then Barcelona offered me an interview and they appeared to be one of the best if not the best team in Europe (They even have Predrag Medic, who I Loved at Palmeiras). I was undecided on whether to take the job if offered it, but it turned out not to be my decision as they went in another direction. So I will have a crack at the Champions league and cup this year with Dortmund and hope something pops up. Challenge update Spoiler 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukefox44 Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 20 hours ago, The Regista said: Erm... Not quite sure how to put this... Just... dominant. Some season that mate. You staying or you on the move? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 2030 World Cup - Mexico This is already my third World Cup, and I haven’t had much luck with it so far. My Mexico team are actually pretty decent, I’d put them on at least the same level as the Ivory Coast team with whom I reached the third round 3 years ago. We probably have fewer superstars but quite a bit of depth and a few very handy players, so I fancy getting into the knockout stages but don’t expect to go far once there. Goalkeeper is probably our weakest position which normally doesn’t bode well for these international tournament. A group of Japan and Serbia, I’m expecting some close but winnable games. Group Stage Spoiler Mexico 2 - 0 Serbia. The first half was very tight, but I went more attacking in the second and it paid off with a well-worked goal and a penalty sealing the win for us. Japan 1 - 4 Mexico. Two VAR penalties made this an easy win for us despite me playing my reserves. One of my players got injured for the rest of the tournament so I’m glad I rested my stars here. Sweden next. Second Round (if applicable) Spoiler Mexico 4 - 1 Sweden. I went 3-0 up after 40 minutes but then had a player sent off and Sweden quickly got a goal back. A double from Juventus winger Diego Lainez eventually saw us through without too much hassle, and it’s probably good to get the customary random selling off out of the way early on in the tournament. France are next. Third Round (if applicable) Spoiler Mexico 1 - 3 France. It was actually quite a close game, but their quality told in the end, with a double from 31-year-old Mbappe sealing the win for France and ensuring another 3rd round exit for me. Given the quality gap between the two teams I can’t really complain, but I’ve grown fond of this Mexico side and it’ll be a shame not to be able to take them into the later stages of the tournament. Quarter Final (if applicable) Spoiler Semi Final (if applicable) Spoiler Final / 3rd place play-off (if applicable) Spoiler After the tournament Spoiler I’m hoping to get a job with one of the big guns in Europe or South America, though I’m not sure if my rep is high enough for that. Bizzarely enough I was offered the France job after the last World Cup 4 years ago, but after the euros and the Copa 2 years ago all big teams rejected me, so I’m not sure what to expect this time round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukefox44 Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 On 23/02/2021 at 17:13, goonergez said: After a successful first 18 months in management, I have just completed my first move as a manager. I had a really good spell with Royal AM, culminating in a promotion and culminating in a solid 5th placed finish in the South African Premier League. Realistically I was going to struggle to compete for honours with them though, and so I had already decided that now was the time to have a look around at other potential options. After a poor season it looked like Sundowns were the most likely to part ways with their manager, but in the end it was a surprise departure that gave me my new position. Reveal hidden contents Shortly after clinching a first South African Premier League title since the 2014/15 season manager Conti Khubeka resigned from his position and announced his retirement from management altogether. Frustratingly I had just signed a new one year deal with Royal AM after feeling like I wasn't going to get my move. Thankfully the excess compensation didn't scupper my chances though and shortly after attending an interview I was handed a contract to join Kaizer Chiefs. As soon as the job became available I was sure it was where I wanted to go. After a solid first role I felt like I had earned the position, and now I can try and compete for major honours. This club is much better equipped and the resources are vast. I will have the opportunity to try and retain the league title, as well as ply my trade in the African Champions League. The opportunity to pick up some trophies was the main reason for my move. Hopefully I can settle in quickly and we can have a real go at trying to win some silverware. It won't be easy, but I am confident that we can give it a real go and I am excited to get stuck in. It's sad to be waving goodbye to Royal AM, but it was an opportunity that I simply couldn't miss. Season Team League Position Notes & Achievements 2020/21 Real Kings FC SA 1st Div 2nd (P) Won promotion play-off 2021/22 Real Kings FC SA Premier 5th Qualified for Confederations Cup 0/10 Domestic Leagues 0/10 Domestic Cups 0/5 Club Continental Championships 0/1 Club World Championship 0/5 International Continental Tournaments 0/1 World Tournaments Finishing 5th in your first season in the SA top flight is not easy at all, looks like you're flying in this save. Are the Kaizer Chiefs set up for instant success? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regista Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 11 hours ago, goonergez said: @The Registais that the James Rodriguez???? Unbelievable dominance from you though! Yes sir, its THE James Rodriguez. At 34 he's a decent rotation option in the Uruguayan First Division. 12 minutes ago, lukefox44 said: Some season that mate. You staying or you on the move? I'm staying for the Copa Libertadores campaign. I want to see how this squad compares against the big teams from Brazil and Argentina. Nacional were in the Copa Libertadores this season before I joined, but got knocked out in the qualifying rounds. This season I did become incredibly lazy with the game though. The standard 4-2-3-1 gegenpress filled in with the appropriate players was the reason we destroyed the Uruguayan campaign, and often we'd be a few goals up before half time. I'm not sure why that is - whether it's something I'm doing or something within the game. Either way, the results are what they are, and because of the results and the unknown of how good the Nacional squad actually is is under a non-AI manager against the rest of South America is why I'm hanging around until the Libertadores campaign is over. You've seen with the couple of newgens I posted that we've got some cracking players coming through - the main battle is trying to fend off European and bigger South American sides (Boca are already after one, and they just won the Libertadores). Unless my transfer period is incredible, I'll be on the hunt for a new job in a year or so - ideally in South America again and hopefully with a World Cup win on the CV!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 56 minutes ago, lukefox44 said: Finishing 5th in your first season in the SA top flight is not easy at all, looks like you're flying in this save. Are the Kaizer Chiefs set up for instant success? I’m just reaching the midway point of the season and it seems very much like they are. There was a shortage of central midfielders but I went out and dealt with it upon arrival. The volume of games is mad here though. So many different competitions but to be fair we’re competing throughout. Progress in the champions league has been nice too. Hopefully we can carry the form through the rest of the campaign. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Izo returns to Asia After a short spell in South Africa and after guiding Nigeria to the ACON, Izo returns to Asia clubwise. FC Anyang are currently in the second tier in South Korea. We still have a shot at promotion but I'm not judged on this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatournFan Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Can't get a save going on for more than 3 seasons this year so I decided I might as well give this challenge a go, hopefully it'll be fun! Introducing Mr. Worldwide, because who else would be fitting to take on this worldwide (eventually) career: Спойлер The first step of my career will be in South America, which I think is the only continent I have not yet touched on FM ever. National teams of Cambodia and Turkmenistan are also available so one of them might be my first dip in the international management if I decide to apply. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukefox44 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 17 hours ago, The Regista said: Yes sir, its THE James Rodriguez. At 34 he's a decent rotation option in the Uruguayan First Division. I'm staying for the Copa Libertadores campaign. I want to see how this squad compares against the big teams from Brazil and Argentina. Nacional were in the Copa Libertadores this season before I joined, but got knocked out in the qualifying rounds. This season I did become incredibly lazy with the game though. The standard 4-2-3-1 gegenpress filled in with the appropriate players was the reason we destroyed the Uruguayan campaign, and often we'd be a few goals up before half time. I'm not sure why that is - whether it's something I'm doing or something within the game. Either way, the results are what they are, and because of the results and the unknown of how good the Nacional squad actually is is under a non-AI manager against the rest of South America is why I'm hanging around until the Libertadores campaign is over. You've seen with the couple of newgens I posted that we've got some cracking players coming through - the main battle is trying to fend off European and bigger South American sides (Boca are already after one, and they just won the Libertadores). Unless my transfer period is incredible, I'll be on the hunt for a new job in a year or so - ideally in South America again and hopefully with a World Cup win on the CV!! Yeah those youngsters you've got look very good. With those sort of players you should have a decent Copa Libertadores, some of the big Brazilian teams are a whole other level though haha. I found in South America the top jobs seem to pop up quite often, so a decent world cup and you should be set. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukefox44 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 17 hours ago, goonergez said: I’m just reaching the midway point of the season and it seems very much like they are. There was a shortage of central midfielders but I went out and dealt with it upon arrival. The volume of games is mad here though. So many different competitions but to be fair we’re competing throughout. Progress in the champions league has been nice too. Hopefully we can carry the form through the rest of the campaign. Yeah the games come thick and fast dont they. Just wait until you get to Brazil though, about a 70 odd game season. South Africa is pretty fun though isnt it, some really good youngster come through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 7 minutes ago, lukefox44 said: Yeah the games come thick and fast dont they. Just wait until you get to Brazil though, about a 70 odd game season. South Africa is pretty fun though isnt it, some really good youngster come through. I’ve really enjoyed it but it feels like a right slog. I’ve got 8 league matches left but with the various cups and champions league could still be close to 20 games left. I’ve just passed the 2022 World Cup though so the fixture list is pretty mad. On two occasions I’ve had 5 matches in 10/11 days. It’s crazy the amount of rotation. in all honesty I’ve enjoyed the different experience though and the same will be said when I go to South America and that. Part of my reason for going into this save was to experience some different leagues etc and so it’s an enjoyable experience so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatournFan Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Well it looks like my actual first step in management will not be in South America, but in Asia, as it happens Turkmenistan made the decision to give young Mr. Worldwide a chance. The first game with me as a manager looks to be an away friendly against Bahrain in early September, and we're expected to start our qualification for the Asian Cup of Nations soon after. As for players, Ruslan Mingazow, who represented Slavia Prague once upon a time, is by far the best, most well-balanced Turkmenistani player in the database who can play as both a winger and a center-mid and also slot in the striker spot in case of emergency. As for the rest of the team, Turkmenistan is apparently blessed by decent-ish center-mids in general. Not so much in other positions though, and in fact, there's only one left-footed left-back in the whole country seemingly. I had a few interviews at various South American clubs, but unfortunately to no avail, however I'll certainly get another opportunity as the majority of leagues there start in winter of 2021. Right now I'll occupy myself with international management and see where that takes me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
timpy00 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Season 2027 Been some time since my last update, during the birth of my first child, but we are back with some action. Some big expectations were up for this season. Not only by the board, but definitely also by myself. The board expected us the become champions, make it to the cup final en make if to the Asian CL final. Quite some pressure, but it also ment we are one of the big teams in the continent and this could be a season to scratch a couple titles of the list. And for the first time in our career we were going to make a Champions League run in any continent. The season started pretty decent, and together with Suwon we were the top teams in our league. For a long time we were slightly in front of them, but in the end of the season Suwon went on a 13 game win streak and we were struggling sometimes. It ended up in us not becoming champions, which was a disappointment cause the whole season it felt like this was our season. Nut luckily for us there was more to play for. In the cup we made it to the final after having some luck in the draw of the tournament. In the final we were facing Jeonbuk. As you can see above Jeonbuk ended up 4th in the league on quite some distance from us. But we were warned. In the competition we played Jeonbuk 4 times and only managed to gain 1 single point against them. So this cup final, played over two games, was far from easy for us. A though battle it was, playing 1-1 at home, XG was equal. So we knew it was going to be a very hard battle to take the cup home. And what a game it was. At the end of the game the XG standings was: 1,13 - 0,67 in advantage of Jeonbuk. But the end result of the game was: This 4-0 victory which was completely against the odds was very nice for us. I managed to win another trophy, and finally (with luck) won against our nemesis of the season. Not only was winning the cup great to make our season, it also was a good warm up for the AFC Champions League final we stil had to play. The champions league went very smooth for us. Until the final we won every single game we played, and we also outplayed every team we went up against. Only struggle during the trip to the final was in the quarterfinal where we faced Pohang from our own competition. But just as the rest of the journey of the CL, we were way the better team in the final and beating our opponents twice with 3-1. Here the prove that I actually won the prices before I moved on: After the season I was doubting if I would stay to try and win the league or move on. Eventually I got a job application at West Ham United in the Premier League. Currently not the side to win any titles but a very nice change to improve my career. So I decided to go to London, for what looks like a hell of a job because the Hammers were bottom of the league with a serious gap to the save spots in the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukefox44 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 3 hours ago, goonergez said: in all honesty I’ve enjoyed the different experience though and the same will be said when I go to South America and that. Part of my reason for going into this save was to experience some different leagues etc and so it’s an enjoyable experience so far That's exactly why I started doing it as well, and with all the different leagues this has been my longest save by far for a long time. If anything now I'm into Europe it's starting to lose me a little bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
goonergez Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) Kaizer Chiefs: 2022/23 Review After a really solid season and a half in charge of Royal AM, I surprisingly got the opportunity to take over at the newly crowned champions of South Africa at the beginning of the 2022/23 season. A first league title since 2015 had led to a managerial retirement and I jumped at the chance to move over in the hunt for some quick silverware. Joining this club was all about success for me, with the aim being to put as many winners medals as possible around my neck in as shorter time as possible. One thing I learned quickly was just about how much competitive football there is to play here, especially with a Champions League campaign due to last seasons title win. In total there would be four domestic competitions to take on, as well as the aforementioned Champions League. With the World Cup taking place mid-season as well it meant that fixture congestion would be a huge issue throughout the campaign. For that reason I did make some transfer moves immediately after my arrival, with six new players joining. Central defender Luke Fleurs was the most expensive, arriving from SuperSport United in a £350,000 deal. Two new midfielders were signed too, including a hero from my time with Royals AM. Luvoyo Phewa was picked up in a £150,000 deal and would play a big part in our season. My first match in charge was a shot at silverware, although we lost the season opening Be The Coach match 0-2 against rivals Orlando Pirates. After that we comfortably navigated a couple of rounds of qualifying for the Champions League as well as a few in the Super-8 Cup as well. Our league form started well, but we were several games behind the majority of teams and so didn't really get a true assessment of how we were doing. As the season wore on we continued winning, including a 3-1 Super-8 Cup Final against SuperSport United. That win gave me my first trophy, although it doesn't count towards this challenge. With the games coming thick and fast we did pretty well to keep on winning. I had hoped that picking up a trophy early in the season would help us to find some impressive form, and that certainly proved the case. We quickly climbed to the top end of the league table, and navigated a tricky Champions League group with a 5-1-0 record. I was particularly pleased with an away win and home draw against Egyptian side Al-Ahly who looked a tough team to beat. The only down side to our start was a disappointing Quarter Final exit in the SA Knockout Cup, although that is another competition that doesn't count towards this challenge. The World Cup came and went, but our form certainly didn't. As the close of the season rolled around we found ourselves in a three way title battle as well as finals of both the SA Cup and the Champions League. A two legged victory over Zamalek of Egypt booking us a final against ES Tunis who had won three of the previous four editions of the competition. Fighting glory on three fronts brought with it huge fixture congestion, and a lot of squad rotation. The Champions League final in particular hitting at a busy period. I had high hopes though, although knew we were in for a really tough game. The score line actually looks a heck of a lot worse than our performance. We went in at half time trailing by 1-2, but very much in with a shout. Just over five minutes into the second half one of our wingers received a straight red card for an elbow and we simply capitulated. They made the extra man count and really put us to the sword. It was a very disappointing end to a really good continental campaign though. Next up came the final of the SA Cup, where we would play against Sundowns. Again fixture congestion had proven tough, as just three days before the final we travelled to title rivals SuperSport United in a game which ended 2-2. We went into the Final really confident, although memories of the Champions League hammering fresh in our minds. A superb first half display saw us score two early goals and take control of the tie. They pulled a late goal back, but we held firm to clinch the first trophy of my reign that counts towards this challenge. A first SA Cup for my side since 2012/13, and a really high point in my blossoming career. The SA Cup final win meant we had two games left in order to try and clinch a famous treble. We sat top of the league table from SuperSport United, although only on goal difference. Two winnable games remained, and if we picked up maximum points we were assured of the league title and another opportunity for next season to compete in the Champions League. Black Leopards were up first in a game just four days removed from the SA Cup Final. Perhaps feeling the effects of our celebrations we produced a lacklustre display, before grabbing an 89th minute winner to grab a 2-1 victory. That coupled with a 3-1 victory for Orlando Pirates over SuperSport United meant that we would win the title with a point on the final day. Realistically only a huge swing in goal difference could turn it on us, and so we went into the final day full of excitement and anticipation. The game itself was a thriller, although our performance was far from our best. We grabbed a 4-2 victory though, clinching the league title and a sensational treble. A fantastic season in charge comes to a close, with plenty to look back on fondly. To win the league title was fantastic, especially as it was unexpected. To grab the SA Cup and the Super-8 Cup adds real gloss to the season, although losing in the Champions League final really hurts. Not just the fact we lost, but the fact we took a thumping in doing so. If we had managed to add the Champions League trophy to our cabinet then I would've almost certainly looked to move on in my career. Having picked up the league title and the SA Cup, I am now off and running in this challenge though. In a way I am glad that we didn't clean sweep though, as it means I have the hunger for another season here. I want another crack at the Champions League, and will be staying on for the coming campaign. If I can pick up that trophy then we have finished off in Africa and then we can look to move on to a different challenge. For now my focus is on this club though, and what to do to improve for next season. The squad is impressive, but we are losing a few key players in the summer. Winger Siphelele Ntshangese is the biggest one having agreed a free transfer to Al-Rayyan. He bagged a quite ridiculous 30 goals this season, second only to striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane. I'm going to have a pretty big transfer budget though, and will look to bring in a few players to help us on our way. We're off and running though, and the success we've experienced has just grown my hunger for more. Spoiler Season Team League Position Notes & Achievements 2020/21 Real Kings FC SA 1st Div 2nd (P) Won promotion play-off 2021/22 Real Kings FC SA Premier 5th Qualified for Confederations Cup 2022/23 Kaizer Chiefs SA Premier 1st (C) SA Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, Super-8 Cup Winners 1/10 Domestic Leagues (2022/23 SA Premier Division) 1/10 Domestic Cups (2022/23 SA Cup Winners) 0/5 Club Continental Championships 0/1 Club World Championship 0/5 International Continental Tournaments 0/1 World Tournaments Edited February 25, 2021 by goonergez 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regista Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 7 hours ago, lukefox44 said: Yeah those youngsters you've got look very good. With those sort of players you should have a decent Copa Libertadores, some of the big Brazilian teams are a whole other level though haha. I found in South America the top jobs seem to pop up quite often, so a decent world cup and you should be set. Sadly I've lost both of them to foreign teams paying release clauses. Approx £18m received in transfer fees, only £3m added to the transfer budget. Go figure. Still though that's a lot of money for the Uruguayan league. We beat Boca 2-1 in a friendly so there are promising signs. I have a few more coming through too but not on the level of those I've just lost. @SatournFanWelcome to the thread!! Good luck on your journey! @timpy00West Ham - interesting. Bit of a stop gap for you until something better comes along? Definitely gaining some more reputation in England would be helpful if one of the big jobs came available, though I've found that they rarely do. Lampard are still at Chelsea/United, Guardiola moved to Spurs, ten Haag is at Liverpool after Klopp moved to Barcelona. The Arsenal job is one that has become available multiple times though, but I don't fancy it. @goonergez Nice work with Kaizer Chiefs. Unlucky with the Champions League - I'm predicting a riot next season for you though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) Izo - Nigeria - ACON 2025 Review We won our group pretty convincingly with 9 point and a +9 goal differential. Then we won against Ivory Coast, Senegal and Angola on our way to the final. In the final we went up against Marocco who we beat in the group stage. Did Izo win his first major trophy of his career and open doors previously slames shut? Spoiler We had it pretty much under control until Onyenka got injured and we had to play the final 10 minutes with 10 minutes. A couple of good chances in succesion and a goal on the last. Well... Let's try again next time... I really thought this team had that special something! Bummer... A win would have raised some eyebrows! Edited February 25, 2021 by Muggert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamLUFC Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 2032/33 Things can change so quickly. Six months in the job at Everton and guiding them to the Euro Cup Conference from a relegation battle I began working on putting a squad together for a run at the top four and the FA Cup when I noticed a job in Germany come available - Borussia Dortmund. I applied and surprisingly was offered the spot with a £200m transfer budget. I went big in strengthening and put a team together which I thought could challenge for the title complete with 32 year old Erling Haaland back from Chelsea for £30m. The business was good, but Haaland was a masterstroke. 30 goals in all competitions and firmly backed up by solid attackers behind us saw us lead the pack for the entire season and eventually won the league title with a game to spare, in turn ending a run of 20 consecutive league titles for Bayern Munich. In an interesting twist, when I was Everton manager I got into a verbal battle in the press with long standing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp - who in the summer also moved to Munich. I made sure to gloat about the title win when I could, and I believe I now have a rival narrative which I hope will continue at other clubs. The cups we were less successful in. The DFB-Pokal Cup we had a good run to the Semis where we lost to Bayern whilst in the Europa League (we finished 5th the year before so missed out on the Champions League) we lost in the first knock out round to Roma. Whilst we had a strong side out, this wasn't too disappointing as at the time we had a few first team injuries and allowed us to focus on competitions which matter for the challenge. As for what's next, I'm happy with my current position however I'll have an eye open for Spain, Germany, Italy and England's top jobs as the chance to win two trophies there and having a solid crack at the Champions League, however if the best option is to stay in Germany and have a crack at the Pokal and the Champions League then I'm fine by that. On top of the league win, I also got my first management job in five years. I was offered jobs in Uruguay, France and Holland and ultimately opted for the Dutch job due to the quality of the squad. In a twist of irony we played France in the Nations League Group A, along with Scotland and Wales, and dominated the group with six wins and 23 goals. That saw us qualify for the Nations League finals which I'll update on next season. We're also fourth in the World, and assuming we get through our World Cup qualifying group with Iceland, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan and Denmark, I think we'll be one of the favourites to win the World Cup. One of the reasons I think this is Yassine Wallenburg who has just been voted World Player of the Year for 2032. I don't think he's too bad! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatournFan Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Well it looks like I made a crucial mistake by only loading South America from the get-go - none of the clubs even grant me an interview opportunity, so I guess I'll have to postpone the South American adventures of Mr. Worldwide until better days. In the meantime, I added all Asian leagues into the mix, with India, Hong Kong and Australia becoming available in the summer of 2021 so hopefully my first club job will be in one of those countries. While I wait, let me give a quick update on Turkmenistan. First of all, remember how I identified Ruslan Mingazow as the single best footballer in Turkmenistan? He... turned out to be not that good, and in fact, in almost a year of being in charge of Turkmenistan, Mingazow only scored twice and assisted once in 10 games. The real hero turned out to be Altymyrat Annadurdyyew, who managed to score 5 times and made 3 assists. Also, the Asian Cup of Nations qualification didn't start 'soon after' the friendly against Bahrain in September of 2020. In fact, I had to wait until March 2021 to play the first group stage game against Indonesia. Speaking of that, here's our group: Doesn't look to be that strong, does it? Well, you'll see what happened once the group stage is over. Let me just say that we're far from favorites... So, before all of that, we played a lot of friendlies and I managed to assess the squad somewhat. Here are our 2020 results: Bahrain and Thailand outclassed us entirely, but as far as other games go, we were unlucky not to win more of them. A few players stood out, like the aforementioned Annadurdyyew and his striker partner Mihail Titow, as well as the majority of our defence, who, despite conceding so many in just 6 games, showed their overall quality. My early conclusion that Turkmenistan was blessed with good center-mids was entirely wrong though - we lack good passers and some real authority in the midfield. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safe Hands Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 12 hours ago, JamLUFC said: 2032/33 Things can change so quickly. Six months in the job at Everton and guiding them to the Euro Cup Conference from a relegation battle I began working on putting a squad together for a run at the top four and the FA Cup when I noticed a job in Germany come available - Borussia Dortmund. I applied and surprisingly was offered the spot with a £200m transfer budget. I went big in strengthening and put a team together which I thought could challenge for the title complete with 32 year old Erling Haaland back from Chelsea for £30m. The business was good, but Haaland was a masterstroke. 30 goals in all competitions and firmly backed up by solid attackers behind us saw us lead the pack for the entire season and eventually won the league title with a game to spare, in turn ending a run of 20 consecutive league titles for Bayern Munich. In an interesting twist, when I was Everton manager I got into a verbal battle in the press with long standing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp - who in the summer also moved to Munich. I made sure to gloat about the title win when I could, and I believe I now have a rival narrative which I hope will continue at other clubs. The cups we were less successful in. The DFB-Pokal Cup we had a good run to the Semis where we lost to Bayern whilst in the Europa League (we finished 5th the year before so missed out on the Champions League) we lost in the first knock out round to Roma. Whilst we had a strong side out, this wasn't too disappointing as at the time we had a few first team injuries and allowed us to focus on competitions which matter for the challenge. As for what's next, I'm happy with my current position however I'll have an eye open for Spain, Germany, Italy and England's top jobs as the chance to win two trophies there and having a solid crack at the Champions League, however if the best option is to stay in Germany and have a crack at the Pokal and the Champions League then I'm fine by that. On top of the league win, I also got my first management job in five years. I was offered jobs in Uruguay, France and Holland and ultimately opted for the Dutch job due to the quality of the squad. In a twist of irony we played France in the Nations League Group A, along with Scotland and Wales, and dominated the group with six wins and 23 goals. That saw us qualify for the Nations League finals which I'll update on next season. We're also fourth in the World, and assuming we get through our World Cup qualifying group with Iceland, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan and Denmark, I think we'll be one of the favourites to win the World Cup. One of the reasons I think this is Yassine Wallenburg who has just been voted World Player of the Year for 2032. I don't think he's too bad! Hi mate the spreadsheet with your record of jobs etc did you knock it up yourself or use a template? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamLUFC Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 3 hours ago, Safe Hands said: Hi mate the spreadsheet with your record of jobs etc did you knock it up yourself or use a template? Just made it up, feel free to use it as base/guide Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safe Hands Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 3 hours ago, JamLUFC said: Just made it up, feel free to use it as base/guide Cheers mate, got to win something first lol. Current season got first trophy in the bag so hopefully be posting a good season review over the weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 @Muggert well done on getting to the ACON final, unlucky there but looks like you had the "classic" ACON experience; better luck next time eh. Did you keep the Nigeria job, and are you sticking round with them for now? @SatournFan I started off managing Turkmenistan as well, didn't get far with them though, the players are pretty terrible... And Thailand actually seem to be very good on this FM so a 3-2 loss ain't too shabby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 @dkouv I'm sticking around for the World Cup in 2026. One of my best memories was my Ghana world cup run in the Ultimate challenge a couple of years ago. Lost the final though. Tremendously proud of that one :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
berrers Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 (edited) SEASON 6 2026/27 - LAZIO - PRE SEASON / TRANSFERS A few quid was spent, didn't plan on signing Esposito but he fell in my lap at what I considered a very cheap price for him during the January window. Tonali was also a bit of a coup on the price from Spurs. COPPA ITALIA Knocked out in the semi's CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Started the group badly with a 4-0 defeat to Chelsea but overturned them at home 1-0 Knock out 1st leg ... thought we were done and dusted.... One of the strangest games I think I've had on FM. Every time we went forward we pretty much scored. 7-0 at the nou camp..blimey! We then knocked out Bayern... so that was them and Barca taken care of... name on the trophy surely! 8th place in the Bundesliga Hertha in the semi's.... 2-0 up in the away leg...completely blew it. Gutted Hertha didn't do themselves justice in the final SERIE A We went into final game of the season 1 point behind juve. Carlos Carvahal's Milan done us a favour and we just about got it done against Benevento to see us crown as champions! Considering we didn't win in our first 6 games of the season and I feared I would get sacked this was a very good achievement THEY ALL COUNT !!! INTERNATIONAL ENGLAND Took the England job with a view to winning the Euro's next summer but for this season it's just nation league action. Defeat to Spain in the nation's final after defeating Germany in the semi's. WHAT'S NEXT With Serie A won it would be easy to think that I may as well move on to try and win another league elsewhere but after missing out on the domestic cup in Brazil I am conscious that I don't want to have to keep going back to countries later on in the challenge to get these cups so I will be giving it another go this season to win the coppa italia but it is likely this will be my final season in Italy. We will also be having another go at the winning the champions league but I feel I may have missed a trick in not winning it this season after knocking out Barcelona and Bayern in consecutive rounds On the international front the upcoming season will just be about building up to and hopefully qualifying for the euro's in the summer! Edited February 27, 2021 by berrers 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
timpy00 Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 Season 2027/2028 To give you guys an idea what I am doing at the number 20 of the Premier League, well. I hope some experience in England is good for my reputation, also I will stay here till a good team in a country comes available to continue my journey for prices. To give you guys an idea, I took over after 19 games, the standings after those games were as followed: So a gap of eleven points to the save spot, looking at the squad I saw the potential to battle for relegation and really think we could make it. We also had a job application at Crystal Palace, but the squad and the possibilities at West Ham looked better for me, so I decided to join the Hammers. The squad only won once, and that was in the season opener. So a very long stretch without any notable results as you can see above. Only positive note is that most games looked to be very close, so hopefully I can manage to turn that around and the coin flips in our fever and we can manage to win some games. We had a though start with an FA Cup match against Liverpool, here is how the second half of the season went: As you guys can see we went on winning quite a lot of matches. With a total of 32 points, which in the end was slightly enough to stay in the Premier League. A though battle, but for sure one to remember. Also the results we managed to achieve looked very promising for the future. With some signings done for the upcoming season we were quite pleased with the future ahead of us. It was just after the season in June were we had to make a interesting choice. Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa came available, they are one of the top teams in there league. And I rather scratch the African prices as soon as possible of my list. The Sundowns ended third which wasn't good enough for them. I decided do show some interest for the job, which ended up in West Ham sacking me. At this moment I really hoped Sundowns would take me as their manager because there weren't any other interesting jobs at the moment. Fortunate for me, they decided to offer me a contract, which I happily signed. So upcoming season we will battle in South Africa. Reactions: Spoiler @goonergez Congrats with a hack of a season, dominating everyone. Good luck winning the Champions League upcoming season. @The Regista Yeah, as wrote in this update it was a stop gap. Now were back on track to (hopefully) win some prices for the challenge. @Muggert Too bad losing the final, though beat. Hopefully winning it next time. @JamLUFC good luck with Dortmund in the next season, hopefully you can win the cup and make a good run in the CL. Interesting spot for sure if you would stay or move on. GL. @SatournFan GL with Turkmenistan, what is your plan with this country looking at your career? @berrers Congrats with the title, very unfortunate in the CL. Good luck next season with winning the cup and maybe another good run in the CL. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatournFan Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 @timpy00 As of now I'll try my best to qualify to Asian Cup of Nations, but regardless of the outcome I'll probably leave them after that because, as mentioned earlier, the player quality is truly awful and it's hopeless trying to achieve something real with that team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 Season 2021 Inter Turku Well, as debut seasons on this challenge go, that's the best one I've had so far. I spent a lot of time deciding on where I was going to begin this challenge, as I think getting the 'right' first job is really important. I had a range of offers, and ended up heading north to Finland. Inter Turku were predicted to finish third, so I knew that with a few tweaks to the squad we could potentially challenge for the title, and have a decent crack at a cup competition too. No pre-season, as we went straight into the cup group stage. I made the decision to only use one tactic, and stick to it no matter what until the squad were comfortable with it. We ended the group stage unbeaten, with 2 wins and 3 draws. The first two rounds of the knockout stages were easy enough, with 3-1 and 5-1 wins over lower league opposition, taking us into the semi finals. There, we faced FC Haka, and goals from Souleymane Diarra and Timo Furuholm (more on him anon) were enough to see us take on SJK in the final. Furuholm put us in front just before half time, before SJK pegged us back not long after half time. However, in Furuholm we have the ultimate goalscorer in this league, and he bagged a second which was enough to seal the first trophy in my challenge! One of the advantages of being in Finland meant that games are only weekly, so if you can get a settled starting XI, you can do pretty well. That was how it turned out for us, as we only lost 2 of our 22 league games, meaning we topped the table by a point going into the championship round of 5 fixtures. Three wins on the bounce meant we had a 4 point advantage over IFK Mariehamn with 2 games to go. The prospect of the double was tantalisingly close, and then we imploded. A 3-1 defeat away at sixth-placed FC Lahti meant we went into the final day with a 1 point lead. We hosted HJK, the team the media predicted would run away with the league at home, whilst IFK travelled to SJK. We were abysmal, and duly lost 2-0, with what was probably our worst performance of the season. IFK were drawing 1-1, and I knew they'd be pushing for a winner as we had the better goal difference. And then... absolute scenes! SJK had scored! And then hit another to win 3-1, handing us the title in the process! Furuholm was absolutely phenomenal all season long, and smashed 29 goals in 36 games, along with 5 assists. Benjamin Kallman, our attacking left midfielder, netted 16 times with 7 assists, and the two dovetailed brilliantly at the start of the season. Seref Can Buyuk created 14 goals from central midfield, whilst Douglas set up 10 goals in 24 games from right back. Our defence was brilliant in the most part, and 7 of our side made the team of the year, including our goalkeeper and all 4 defenders. Weirdly, Kallman didn't, despite being called up to the Finland squad on the back of his performances. What next? Well, my time in Finland is done, as I've won both available trophies. It's now November 2021, which means some interesting jobs will hopefully start to come up. I'm not wedded to a plan, so I'm open to my next move. In an ideal world, I'd like to head westwards, with either of the Americas a possibility. I'm not going to rule anywhere out at this stage though. Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 2021 Inter Turku 1st League winners! Finnish Cup winners! Manager of the Year. Challenge Progress Club 1/10 top domestic leagues (Inter Turku - Finland) 1/10 domestic cups (Inter Turku - Finland) 0/5 club continental championships 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments 0/1 world tournaments 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safe Hands Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 Season 2025/26 After guiding Polowanke to 8th in out debut in the prem with 2 games to go the Orlando Pirates job came up and jumped in both feet when offered the job. As a parting gift i was able to get upto my Continental licence A before departing. I was purring when I seen the squad is was loaded with pace, some great youngers, older heads and I was given a massive transfer budget and wage budget. The squad did have some glaring holes, the keepers were poor, then didn't have much in the centre midfield and although all the wingers had tremendous pace none had decent finishing. They finished in a disappointing place in the league so we had no continental cups to look towards. I decided i want to play a high press short passing game, mainly because they had a playmaker set in the reserve for some reason who i thought i would build around. I signed a 19 year old keeper on a free i scouted at my other club to be the number 1, a Trinidad and Tobago cdm on a free who has 40 caps, new striker from Argentina as I was sure my main striker would be on his way to Europe with Porto, Seville all interested and with him having a 500k buy out clause thought he was gone but nobody ever bid. I also signed my best midfield from my old club as back up who they let go on a free after I gave him a new contract. The back room team was a mess. This is the first time I was able to bring in quality coaches and scouts. Our excitement was short lived, we played some one off cup game against Kaiser chiefs we were soundly beaten. Then came the MNT 8 cup where we faced Sundowns we played ok but went down 1-0. Not a great start. once the league started though we were blowing teams away. At the half way point we only lost 1 game at home against a team near the bottom (my fault was experimenting with a formation) we built a commanding 10 point lead I also won my first cup the Knockout cup. What a game in the final against Sundowns, the laptop nearly went out of the window. Leading 2-0 with 15 mins to go we set up to sit back and counter, Sundowns scored 2 in the last 8 minutes to take the game to extra time. We reverted to our normal tactic and went ahead again. Again we tweaked things only for them to score again and take it to Pens. Luckily Jonck our regen keeper seems to be a bit of pen expert and game up in the clutch. So we won on pens and my first cup knocked off the challenge. Now we had another cup and league to concentrate on. We made it to the Quarters of the cup but are old pals Sundowns comfortable beat us. This in the end had a impact on our league race and was a blessing in disguise. We signed 3 new players in the transfer window. A Thailand international if or striker whose been disappointing, a young playmaker whose walked into the team and an 18 regen LWB from Colombia. We got hit with a mid season slump around this time. We needed Jonck 2 games running to save us with a last min pen save, we lost against my old team 1-0 having 30 shots. Sundowns cut the gap we were still clear by 9 points but Sundowns had 3 games in hand. Well they were fighting on 3 fronts and it turned out to be there downfall, every time we slipped up they did as well as they were playing a game every 2 days. It meant although not playing well we got enough points that going into 4th last game we had Sundowns at home. They were tied from playing a day prior and we managed to beat them 3-0. We were champions with 3 games to spare and 1st league knocked off. We did the double. What next Being honest this was my 5th season in South Africa. I kinda of bored now and wouldn't mind seeing where I can go next. I working on my B licence so going to knock off some 2nd division leagues and add some European as I have none selected. However I'm in the African champions league so I've got to go for it but the schedule is crazy and cost Sundows. The squad good but the mid season slump worried me, the goals dried up. I've got some great young players who will be a year older and big budget to play with so hoping we can do it at the first time of asking as don't think I can do more than another season here. Will post my progress next time round when I've put it in a format. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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