The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

[Gammonds]

Dunning Kreuger 2027/28

The squad rebuild for the 2027/28 season didn't entirely follow the Kreuger's plan. Jets first secured an excellent Australian free agent CB. His salary demands were a bit higher than ideal, but he's also likely to be a leading player in the heart of what's turning into a very good back line. In July, it was time to bring in the annual mob of job seekers to audition. Another good Australian winger with a high upside filled an identified need. An Englishman whose can play RB and CB was too good to pass up. He'll likely displace an academy product and youth international on the right, but his combination of talent, positive character traits and versatility are excellent for the A League. Finding a striker who is an upgrade on the current roster proved more difficult. None of the early summer trialists offered much, and the one Aussie who met Kreuger's requirements for the role also demanded 4x what anyone else on the roster was paid. Kreuger laughed that player and his agent out of the room, and went back to looking. In late July, Montpellier came knocking looking for Jets somewhat overqualified backup goalkeeper. A counteroffer later and Jets received their highest ever transfer fee - $750K up front, $900K total after expected add-ons are reached. With the retained income from previous player sales this left Kreuger with a healthy fund to spend on that striker he's been looking for - if the right player can be found.

Across the fall, Jets would contest 2 cups - the ongoing Asian Champion's League, and this year's FFA Cup. In the ACL, Jets were drawn against another Aussie team, Sydney FC, in the quarter finals. A 1-1 away draw was followed by a 0-0 home draw marked by poor finishing from a Jets side who largely dictated the course of play. It wasn't pretty, but Jets reached the semis on the away goals rule, and there were to face the K League's Pohang Steelers. Jets were at home for the first leg, conceded the first goal, answered promptly from a corner, and went on to win 2-1. Away to Pohang, Jets fought to a 1-1 draw, giving them a 3-2 aggregate win, and an unexpected berth in the ACL Final. Al-Duhail of Qatar were the other finalists. Injuries and a suspension forced Kreuger to rotate more than he would have preferred for the first match in the final. Regardless, Jets started strong and dominated the first half. Al-Duhail threatened occasionally in the second half, but not enough to make a difference as Jets ran off 2-0 winners. 2 more players picked up suspensions for yellow card accumulation for the second leg of the final - perhaps this version of the Jets are a bit too aggressive at times. Al-Duhail put up on a much more determined performance at home in a match that finished 2-2 after the teams traded goals twice. As you've most likely realized, that meant a 4-2 aggregate win for Jets. In a bit of a surprising twist, Kreuger's first trophy at any level was the Asian Champion's League 2027. If there was any question left, Kreuger's position with the board was now the opposite of uncertain.

Spoiler

In the FFA Cup, a 13-0 first round romp over amateur side Rockville Rovers was followed by a 1-0 win over fellow A League team Melbourne City to see Jets reach the quarter-finals. Next up for the Jets was Adelaide United. The match was scoreless after 90 minutes, but winger Bruno Silva came off the bench to score the winner from a free kick in extra time. Jets semi-final opponent was Queensland Lions, a semi-pro side who were this year's Cinderella story in the cup. Lions never had much of a chance, and did themselves no favors by having 2 players sent off for second bookings. Jets won 4-0, and if anything the scoreline failed to capture their degree of dominance across the match. A week after winning the ACL, Jets played their second consecutive FFA Cup Final. Jets were better than Brisbane in open play, if not by much, but couldn't manage to find a goal. A penalty in the 61st minute consigned Jets to a heartbreaking loss.

Kreuger spent 6 months looking and couldn't find a striker who would improve the squad. Jets had been getting a lot of their goals from the wingers up to this point, and that would have to continue. One of last year's attacking midfield acquisitions showed some promise of being able to turn into a decent center forward, and veteran winger Bruno Silva can lead the line as well. Including the 2 young strikers kept on the roster from the previous season Jets at least have a plenty of options even if they lack a clear first choice striker.

A week before the start of the A League season, star goaltender Fabian Flores suffered a serious knee injury. After an excellent run in the ACL and FFA Cup Jets were betting favorites to win the A League - but with Flores now likely to miss at least half the season, Jets prospects looked much dimmer. To compound Kreuger's frustrations, 5 Jets players expected to play important roles were called up for U23 Asian Cup. While it's great to have players worthy of international recognition, this tournament was likely to cost those players 8-9 regular season games - or about a third of the regular season. 2 more injuries left Jets needing to name 3 youth squad players to even fill their bench to open the season.

Kreuger perhaps worried too much this time. Jets opened the season by simply continuing the run of form they'd been on over the last 6 months. The players on international duty missed 8 matches. Jets went 5-3-0 across those games, and were top of the league. To be fair, luck had favored Jets a bit - 3 of the wins were by a score of 1-0, and 2 of those goals had come at the very last moments of stoppage time. Luck or not, Jets not only had escaped a dangerous opening leg of the season but were in the best position possible. The squad was a bit tired already, but with everyone but Flores back in the fold rotation became a realistic option again. Jets carried their good form across a busy February. In fact, they put together the club's longest unbeaten run - 16 competitive matches - before losing a Champion's League group match at the end of February.

It was March before Fabian Flores was ready to return to the squad. He had missed 15 of 26 A League regular season matches, and the first 2 group stage games of the Champion's League. In his absence the Jets, and backup goalkeeper John Hughes, has been excellent. Kreuger's assistant viewed Hughes as little more than a tolerable backup, and with some justification.

Spoiler

However, Hughes sported a 82% save percentage, 11 league shutouts, and was allowing .44 goals per match.

Spoiler

This also came behind a defense allowing by far and away the fewest shots in the league.

Spoiler

Despite Hughes' performance thus far, Kreuger chose to restore Flores as the starter right away - partly because he's a clearly better goaltender, but Hughes helped Kreuger's decision by putting on his worst showings of the season so far right before Flores returned.

The last 2 games before Flores returned were also Jets first 2 losses since the start of the A League season. Getting Flores back to match fitness in the midst of a busy season was slower than expected. It took until the final week of April for Flores to demonstrate why he deserved to be first choice in goal. The demonstration was emphatic when it came, with Flores turning in a man of the match performance while stealing a key league win for the Jets. The timing couldn't have been better, coming as it did at the end of a month where Jets had only mustered 5 points from the 4 league games prior. Entering the final month of the season, Jets held a 4 point lead atop the A League with 4 games to go, but needed a win in their final Champion's League group game to have any chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds.

Jets duly delivered the required Champion's League win by a score of 2-0, and drew Chinese Super League side Guangzhou for the Second Round. Wins in the next 2 A League matches secured the Regular Season title with 2 games to go - it's nice, but doesn't count for much unless the Jets also win the playoffs in early June.

Spoiler

The ACL Second Round was... intense. Jets won the first round at home 1-0, and were confident headed to the decisive away leg. Jets conceded an unfortunate goal inside the first 15 minutes, then simply failed to finish a remarkable number of quality chances. The tie went into extra time, where Kreuger made his 4th and final change in the 113th minute in anticipation of penalties. Veteran winger Bruno Silva, who had played every minute of the match, then seized the moment in the 120th minute and scored the goal that saw Jets through to the quarter finals.

Spoiler

Jets position in the league gave them a bye in the Elimination Final (1st playoff round). In the Semi Final Jets faced bitter rivals Central Coast Mariners. Jets largely controlled proceedings in the first half, but had nothing to show for their troubles. An early second half goal seemed to set them on their way, until CCM scored an absolute screamer from over 20 yards out in the 86th minute. Tension ratcheted up, but young central midfielder Paul Henderson scored the decisive goal in in stoppage time. Jets won 2-1, and were off the the Grand Final in just over a week. Jets met Western Sydney Wanderers in the Grand Final, and simply did what was needed. 1-0 wins aren't always the most exciting, but the trophy looks the same in the trophy case - and this one is sitting in the Jet's home.

With that win, Kreuger had very little left to accomplish in Australia. Jets are still in the Asian Champion's League, and collecting a second title in a row would be a nice boost to Kreuger's resume. More importantly, the FFA Cup will start in a month, and with the squad staying intact Jets should have a good run at that trophy. Those to competitions should be Kreuger's last in Australia - the A League can be wonderfully chaotic, but there's no compelling reason to stick around another year.

Progress: 2/32

Spoiler

Leagues: A League Finals Series(Australia) - 2028

Champions Leagues: Champions League (Asia) - 2027

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by Gammonds

[goonergez]

@Gammonds what a great read and what a great season. Pretty dominant if not a season that must’ve kept you on your toes? Where are you aiming for your next move?

[lapsik7]

SEASON 10 (2029-2030)

Kaizer Chiefs F.C.

My second season with Kaizer Chiefs was probably one of the best seasons so far. Apart from the South Africa Super Cup and some category 3 cup, which we treated as a preparatory period, we did not lose any match. We have won the South Africa League, South Africa Cup, League Cup and CAF Continental Cup this season. In the league itself, we scored 101 goals, losing only 13. Now I will have a slight rebuilding of the team, because several players felt that they were someone and wanted to leave European countries. Next season it's time to win the CAF Champions League and leave Africa.

 

 

Quote

 

4/10 Leagues won (Welsh League - 2023, I-League - 2024, K-League - 2028 RSA Premiership - 2030)
4/10 Cups won (Welsh Cup - 2021, Durand Cup - 2024, KFA Cup - 2028 Nedbank Cup - 2029)
2/5 Continental Tournaments won (Copa Libertadores - 2027, AFC Champions League - 2028)
0/1 Club World Cups won

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

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by lapsik7

[Surd]

SEASON 1 - 2019/20 (and a bit of season 2)
 

Well, well. wellity, well. What a bizarre start to this challenge. The Mighty Cocks had a season-saving run in and survived the lofty heights of the Chinese second tier. Just. With s few key signings, and an actual midfield, the Great Escape was achieved. Here was the run of a majestic ZERO points they had achieved before I arrived:
    

Top work my dudes.

And here was the final results and table after I worked my magic with some decent training and a good formation that I've used in other challenges to great effect:

 

Is is incredible? No. But is is a GODDAMNED MIRACLE considering these bunch of farmers and milkmen couldn't kick a ball straight before this? Yes. The final table looked as thus:

 It went to the last game, but the Great Escape was pulled off! Such football. Much success.

It was at this point something curious happened. Buoyed by the success the board wanted to sign me to another contract, offering me a WHOPPING NO MONEY! Again. After all I've done for them. Ingrates.

It was clear that the Mighty Cocks were not going to take me to Asian Champion's League glory this decade, and so I started shopping around while delaying contract talks like, "yeah, yeah, yeah fam, my lawyers will totess look it over in the morning" whilst simultaneously lobbing them in the bin. 

It was here that a new player entered the stage...... A job that I had just punted out there for a laugh. But this was no laughing matter. This..... was Vanuatu.

 

And OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH boy did I underestimate these lads. They went on an ABSOLUTE TEAR!

Now this is a story all about how, morale got flipped right upside-down, now I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you how I got Vanuatu to win a Continental Championship and move the goalposts of the entire challenge. Around this time I also resigned from Shenxin, I couldn't see the value in staying on in a club that would take a decade to get significant trophies. My focus now, the Vanuatu Hall of Fame! 

The games were against every nation which gets the win on quality TV show Pointless.

  

It turns out, as has been widely confirmed by more idiots than just me, morale is the most important factor in going on a good run with a team that has no right to be on it. And this run of 3-1 victories the likes of which began to look like a glitch lead to the most glorious achievement of my career to date: The Oceania Nations Cup. A trophy so prestigious that, despite being a continental trophy, didn't make the cut for the challenge. Well to that I say: "SCREW YOU! I'm gonna make my own challenge! With blackjack! And Hookers!!...... You know what, forget the challenge part". Well, I'm adding it to the challenge and will become the inaugural pan-global champion!!!! Or something.



The Final was a tense 0-0 until the 95th minute where I swear on of the Kiwi defenders developed narcolepsy and the ball came off his arse from a good way out to go past the bewildered keeper who it seems also developed narcolepsy. Hey! I'll take it!

 

All this excitement meant that Vanuatu qualified for the Olympic Games! Which meant what I can only assume was a month's boat trip up the pacific rim. Likely what contributed to their performance, not the obvious gulf in class between the teams involved. That said, I picked up a win over Argentina! Valiant, but ultimately doomed, the mighty Vanuatu crashed out in the groups, finishing bottom, but returning to the capital of *checks notes* Port Vila as heroes. The golden generation of *checks notes* Ni-Vanuatu players to go down in the annals of time.

  

 

I also got into the Oceania Hall of Fame, just above Paul Temple, the New Zealand U19s coach. The lofty heights, eh?

 

Domestic 
Season	Club				Competition			Position	Notes & Achievements
2019/20 SH Shenxin			Chinese National 1st Division	11th		Great Escape Season (0 points at the midpoint to survival)		
2020/21 -					-								-			-

International
Year		Nation			Honours
2020		Vanuatu			Oceania Nations Cup

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

1/6 continental competitions - (Oceania Nations Cup)
0/1 world tournaments

That raps up the first season/into the second season of the challenge. Finding a club after stepping down from SH Shenxin proved harder than I thought it would, most clubs citing my lack of silverware. HAVE THEY NOT SEEN MY OCEANIA NATIONS CUP?! No-one understands me........ but wait.

 

COMING SOON
 

[vikeologist]

@lapsik7

[Gammonds]

@goonergez Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. The results were very good, but I was pretty concerned the wheels were going to come off my season right as things got busy in January. There also were quite a few important results that went my way be very narrow margins.

I'm going to stay where I'm at until December or so - the FFA Cup and Asian Champion's League knockout rounds only total something like 12 games, and I could really use the FFA Cup for the challenge. After that it's time to start looking for a new club job - I plan on targeting South Africa, but we'll see what happens.

[darren1983]

2024 Review - Seoul and Japan

 

 

League - It's taken me a few days to get the chance to finish this season but it'll only be a very brief update as I only had 6 games in charge. We won 3, drew 1 and lost 2 and those 2 defeats were against the top 2 so not too bad. A little frustrating was that we missed out on the champions league playoff by 1 point as in the 2nd to last game we conceded a 92nd minute goal to lose to the league winners as we chased a win I thought we needed (the team above us conceded a 90th minute goal meaning a draw would have been enough for us) we have a fairly old squad with a handful of promising youths so think a fairly big rebuild is needed here. Think I'll be here for about 3 or 4 years at least by the look of things. 

 

World Cup Qualifying  - Comfortable really. We're 10 unbeaten and have won all 5 of our games in this section, we ned 1 point from the next 5 to be the world cup, I think we'll be there.

Career Progress

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

International
Year	Country		Notes
2024	Japan		Qualified for final round of World Cup Qualifiers

Challenge Progress

Club
1/10 top domestic leagues – South Africa (2023 - Kaizer Chiefs) 
1/10 domestic cups – South Africa (2022 – Kaizer Chiefs) 
1/5 club continental championships – Africa (2024 Champions league – Kaizer Chiefs)
0/1 club world championship

International
0/5 continental tournaments 
0/1 world tournaments 

 

[goonergez]

Red Bull Leipzig: 2047/48 Review

My third full season at the helm was an important one as I looked to capitalise on previous successes to try and take my club forward and win some more trophies. I entered the last season of my contract here full of hope and excited to try and win more trophies at the helm. We spent a chunk of money in the summer once more,  including parting with £50,000,000 for central defender Ramon Santamaria from FC Porto. A player I had high hopes for having used him in my Columbia side. We made a profit in the market though, whilst still putting together a squad I felt capable of winning honours.

A stunning season comes to an end as we lift a third league title and second of my reign here. This one was much more convincing though, as we barely relinquished top spot and strung together numerous really good runs of form. The highlight definitely a Bundesliga record of twelve straight matches without conceding. A stunning season draws to a close with yet more silverware.

Outside of the league we found things much harder though. The domestic cup saw us once again fall short, losing out to Werder Bremen one round shy of the quarter finals. A 0-2 defeat at home a real shock and kept up my run of poor showings in the competition. In the Champions League we came second to Spanish champions Valencia in our group, beating Marseille and Standard Liege both home and away. We put in a great two leg performance to see off Liverpool before meeting with Valencia again in the quarter finals. We raced into a two goal lead away in the first leg before capitulating into a 2-5 defeat. The second leg started horrendously and after falling 0-2 down inside five minutes we did brilliantly to turn the game and win it 3-2. Unfortunately we were eliminated 5-7 on aggregate though.

My contract with the club is about to run down though, and I feel like it’s time to move on. A three and a half year spell ha brought with it two league titles, but elsewhere we’ve fallen short. I feel like now is the time to walk away from Leipzig and look to a new challenge. I hope that my successes here will allow me to be in the frame for any big jobs that come available. I want my next position to be one that will enable me to compete for numerous honours as quickly as possible. My eye is on Spain, but I am open to any opportunities really.

Columbia: 2047/48 Review

After an indifferent start with my spell in charge of Columbia, things have very much picked up over the past season. Consecutive away friendlies to Africa started the trend, as we beat Ghana 2-0 and then Senegal 3-0 just three days later. The next international break would give me my first taste of competitive action, with qualification for the 2050 World Cup in Brazil.

We started well enough, seeing off Venezuela at home with a 3-0 score line before going one better away to Paraguay. A last minute winner saw us complete a turnaround 2-1 victory over Argentina before we suffered a shock 0-2 defeat at home to Peru. The last international break saw us pick up victories away at Bolivia (1-0) before a confident 2-0 home win over Chile. Six games into qualifying we sit in 2nd spot, but a cool eleven points inside of the qualification spots.

Focus now shifts to the Copa America though, and a competition I want is to go far in. We will enter in Group A alongside Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, USA and Venezuela. I expect us to do well, and I am confident that we can. My current crop seem well organised and if I can get goals going in at one end I am confident we can push all the way. I’ll return after the tournament with an update on how we got on.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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


Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-		Columbia

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

[goonergez]

Columbia: Copa America 2048

My first major tournament as manager of Columbia was finally upon us, and I was excited to take my side into the Copa America. I did spring a late surprise with my squad though, leaving out all time record goal scorer and Barcelona legend Ruben Polo. He hasn’t impressed since I took charge scoring just once prior to the tournament, and I decided to try a different option instead. The decision wasn’t well received by the media or people of Columbia, but I was confident we could do better without him in our ranks.

It didn’t look that way in our first game as despite taking an early lead we threw away the victory and lost out 1-2 to the USA. That defeat could have proven costly and catastrophic to our hopes of progression, but we bounced back brilliantly. A 3-0 victory over Ecuador was followed with a 4-0 victory over Venezuela before a drab stalemate with Chile. Going into the final match against Brazil we had already qualified for the quarter final stage. A late penalty gave us a memorable 1-0 victory and we clinched third spot in the group and a tie against Mexico in the knockout stage.

A truly woeful performance saw us fail to find the net and crash out at the quarter final stage. For a team who had hopes of winning the tournament it was a really poor effort and early calls were obviously to see me sacked from my post. It wasn’t that we didn’t create chances, but we simply couldn’t finish any of them. In the end the media were potentially right in their criticisms of me for leaving Ruben Polo at home.

The aftermath of the tournament saw me become completely unemployed. I resigned from my positions at both RB Leipzig and Columbia hoping to find two exciting new possibilities. So far I’ve been out of luck club wise, but internationally I have already taken up a new post.

Ranked number 22 in the world, Nigeria is a very exciting opportunity for me within international management. I’m really keen to compete for honours, and this side should really be able to challenge for the African Cup of Nations. Hopefully I can complete the first hurdle and qualify before trying to win my first international honour. It won’t be easy, but there are some really good players within the squad and some exciting times ahead. Hopefully my next international adventure will provide some sort of success because spells with both France and Colombia have ended in real disappointment.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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


Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-		Nigeria

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

[goonergez]

Nigeria: 2048 Update

Although my club career has been filled with success, internationally I have endured some difficult times. A Nations League win with France about as good as it has got so far. A really poor showing by my Columbia team in the Copa America saw me jump over to Africa and take on the vacant position with Nigeria, just a few months shy of the African Cup of Nations. Another realistic trophy hanging in the balance, although first I would have to ensure my new nation were to qualify. Fortunately it took just my first two matches in charge to ensure we would be competing in the tournament. 16-year old Real Madrid winger Abdulwaheed Madu was a surprise inclusion for the first two matches of my reign, being called up despite never having made a first team appearance in Spain. Thankfully he paid back my decision, firstly scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Equatorial Guinea, before grabbing another in a 3-1 victory over Guinea Bissau. The latter clinching our qualification for the African Cup of Nations with a further two matches still to play.

Having clinched our spot in that tournament, attention turned to qualification for the World Cup in 2050 hosted by Brazil. Having missed a number of key players through injury for my first two games in charge, they returned for a crucial double header against Algeria and then the DR Congo. Mozambique were the other team drawn in our group, and we knew that only top spot would be good enough to qualify for the competition. We put together a pretty good start though, seeing off Algeria 3-1 at home before travelling to the DR Congo four days later for a 1-1 draw. Top of the group after two games, although with plenty of challenges lying ahead.

Just a month or so ahead of the African Cup of Nations we played our final two qualifiers, irrelevant as we had already clinched our qualification. We did well though, firstly beating Lesotho 4-0 at home before travelling to Equatorial Guinea and winning 2-0. We clinched top spot in our group with a 100% record, and having conceded just a single goal. Not a bad way to clinch a spot in a major tournament. With just six weeks to go until the tournament kicks off its time to begin preparations to try and lift my first major international honour. I'll return after the tournament to let you know how we get on, and if there is any update in my hunt for a new job at club level too.
 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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


Year		Nation			Honours
2042-2046	France			Nations League Winners (2043)
2046-2048	Columbia
2048-		Nigeria

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

[remix951]

2026 Season

This season was, quite honestly, an absolute slog. I spent a lot of money in the offseason trying to buy every Chinese player of merit, including bringing some youth in from the likes of Inter and PSG who happened to have been born in China. The results of which was a juggernaut team that absolutely ran roughshod through the domestic league (secured the title with five games remaining) albeit with a disappointing loss to top-rival Beijing in the Semis. The rest of the season in China was a breeze, we finished the season undefeated at 26-4-0: 

 

The Champions League was a bit more of a challenge, though there wasn't any moment I was overly sweating until the second leg of the final where I had three starters out on suspension or injury: 

 

 

An 86th minute goal from the youngster I bought from Inter sealed the deal for Shanghai Port and capped off another new trophy for my fledgling career. Coincidentally, my contract ran out this season and, despite the constant offers from the board, I will take this as a moment to ride off into the sunset on the Chinese Super League. 

 

One sour note was my poor performance with Nigeria in the World Cup. The new format had three team groups with one group stage game against each team. We were paired with Portugal and Australia and while the tie with Australia was disappointing, the absolute destruction by Portugal was worse. The board fired me on the spot. I surfaced again with Morocco just in time to help them win qualification to the ACON. 

 

 

2/10 top domestic leagues (2022/2023 South African Premier League, 2025 Chinese Super League)
2/10 top domestic cups (2021/2022 SA FA Cup, 2025 Chinese FA Cup)
1/5 club continental championships (2023/2024 African CL, 2026 Asian CL)
0/1 club world championship

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

[dkouv]

Season 18 (2037/38) - RB Leipzig German Cup pursuit

I managed to upgrade the squad quite a bit over the summer, with one of my former Brazil stars William joining us in goal and a great left back I scouted all the way back for Fiorentina but who chose Atletico over us - Aleksandar Atanaskovic - joining us from Liverpool after for some reason being transfer listed. Another long-term target I finally managed to buy was another Brazilian Naldinho, an attacking midfielder who I wanted to get both for Fiorentina and Nantes but couldn’t afford to due to their foreign player limits.

This season was all about the cup and boy did we have some tough draws. It was basically like ACON with all these good quality German teams about, but having to wait a few months for each game. So I will produce an ACON-type summary below. I’m filling this up as we go along so please bear with the ramblings...

Round 2

Spoiler

We got drawn away at Dortmund in the second round and even though we beat them 2-0 at their place in the league, the cup was an altogether different affair: we went 1-0 up in the 11th minute, they pegged us back to 1-1 2 minutes later, 2-1 up for us, 2-2, 3-2 up for us, 3-3, 4-3 up in extra time and of course, you couldn’t make this up, they levelled things up at 4-4 in the 119th minute of extra time. On to penalties, and they missed their 4th but of course we then missed our 5th - but then our luck turned, with them missing again and us scoring, so we were through! This must be like the fifth or sixth straight shootout I won during this challenge, and I hope I won’t have to face too many more as I feel like I’m really tempting my luck at this point.

Round 3 (if applicable)

Spoiler

What did I say about not facing another shootout? We got drawn away to high-flying Frankfurt - 4th in the league - and had pretty good control of the game, but they scored two long-range wonderstrikes to peg us back to 2-2 in normal time. Thankfully this time, though, we scored in extra time and actually held on, avoiding the dreaded (or not so dreaded?) penalties. Spanish striker Morcillo, who was the hat-trick hero against Dortmund, came to our rescue again with a brace in this match.

Quarter final (if applicable)

Spoiler

Leipzig 2 - 1 Stuttgart We got a kinder draw at home to mid-table Stuttgart, and this was a much more comfortable game overall - though they managed to continue the streak of opposition teams taking their chances against us in the cup, scoring from a corner to make the 2-1 scoreline much closer than the balance of play deserved.

Semi final (if applicable)

Spoiler

Hannover 1 - 3 Leipzig. Ok, I really have to remember to turn off my instant result match plan before playing through the next game. Basically, there is this bug which makes your ass man do weird substitutions in-game if you have a saved match plan, and in this game it was out in full force. I was planning to substitute my underperforming right winger straight after half time only to find out that all my 3 subs were used up on players out of position, including a right back turned centre back with “gets forward whenever possible” as a PPM. Luckily the draw was kind to us and we managed to prevail over 2nd division Hannover, but I would definitely not want to be tempting fate like this in the final, which will be against 2nd placed Schalke.

Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

We went ahead on the 11th minute but Schalke fashioned some chances and equalised just before half time. In the second half however, our youngster Max Härtel took over the game, scoring a second goal and assisting our third to clinch the much needed victory!

 

So Germany done, and now just the English trophies remain. No jobs available at the moment and I’d like to avoid managing a few teams due to my Liverpool allegiance, so I might wait a while until a suitable job comes up - building up a smaller but well-resourced club would be ideal.

In terms of other competitions, I managed to win the league and had my customary CL final against Chelsea, which we lost on penalties after missing a penalty in normal time. Well, I definitely don’t mind my penalty shootout karma making a revenge-filled appearance in this game, just hope it does not continue into the future! ))

 

Summing up

Spoiler

For our players of the season, I've got to select Härtel who developed nicely and sealed the cup final victory for us, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Christophe Morcillo, who I signed last year from lowly Mallroca, and who scored a goal a game this season including a hat trick which kept us alive in the Dortmund cup tie and a brace which got us past Frankfurt. Our goalkeeper William also manages to get a slot for getting us through the Dortmund shootout, and having a 7.22 average rating throughout the season which s the highest I can remember for a goalie during this save.

  

                                                                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   
2030/31	   Fiorentina	      Serie A   	   1	    Won                                                                     
2031/32    Barcelona          La Liga		   1        Won 			  Runners up in the CL    
2032/33    Barcelona          La Liga		   1        Won           Won      Won 
2033/34    Nantes             Ligue 1		   4        Won                           Won the Europa league     
2034/35    Nantes             Ligue 1		   1        Won           Won                  
2035/36    Rostov             Russian PL	   1        Won           
2036/37    RB Leipzig         Bundesliga	   1     
2037/38    RB Leipzig         Bundesliga	   1        Won               
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                           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 third round
2026/27 Australia			       Won	
2028/29 Mexico						        Won
2029/30 Mexico						        			  Lost in World Cup third round
2030/31 France										  Won the Nations League
2031/32 France		            Won								  
2032/33 France										  Won the Nations League
2033/34 France		Won								  
2034/35 Brazil	
2035/36 Brazil								    Won										  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Challenge Progress:
  
Club
 9/10 top domestic leagues: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul); South Korea (Jeonbuk); Argentina (San Lorenzo); Italy (Fiorentina); Spain (Barcelona); France (Nantes); Russia (Rostov); Germany (Leipzig)
 9/10 domestic cups: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul); South Korea (Jeonbuk); Argentina (San Lorenzo); Italy (Fiorentina); Spain (Barcelona); France (Nantes); Russia (Rostov); Germany (Leipzig)
 5/5 club continental championships: CAF Champions League (Orlando Pirates), CONCACAF CL (Cruz Azul); Asian CL (Jeonbuk); Copa Libertadores (San Lorenzo); Champions League (Barcelona)
 1/1 club world championship: Barcelona
 
International
 5/5 continental tournaments: ACON (Ivory Coast); Asian Cup (Australia); Gold Cup (Mexico); Euros (France); Copa America (Brazil)
 1/1 world tournaments: WC (France)

Overall: 30/32

 

 

[goonergez]

Does anybody have any idea as to why my game has stopped adding leagues to my game? Ive set them up to be added but the date just comes and goes and they’ve disappeared from my list of leagues? It’s happened twice with France but then this season happened with three different nations. Frustrating coz I’ve had to spend a year without a club so far and there is no sign of that ending!

is it a problem others have seen or had? It could be a save breaker as I’m just stuck unemployed at the moment with no end in sight?!

[vikeologist]

4 hours ago, goonergez said:

Does anybody have any idea as to why my game has stopped adding leagues to my game? Ive set them up to be added but the date just comes and goes and they’ve disappeared from my list of leagues? It’s happened twice with France but then this season happened with three different nations. Frustrating coz I’ve had to spend a year without a club so far and there is no sign of that ending!

is it a problem others have seen or had? It could be a save breaker as I’m just stuck unemployed at the moment with no end in sight?!

So, you're going to need to add the league just before the date it gets added, and then play through the date before leaving the game. Set a note or something so that you get a reminder just before the date.

Add/remove leagues issue - User Interface - Sports Interactive Community (sigames.com)

Unless yours is a separate issue, in which case you're probably stuffed.

[goonergez]

3 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

So, you're going to need to add the league just before the date it gets added, and then play through the date before leaving the game. Set a note or something so that you get a reminder just before the date.

Add/remove leagues issue - User Interface - Sports Interactive Community (sigames.com)

Unless yours is a separate issue, in which case you're probably stuffed.

I’m a little worried. I added a couple of nations about a week before they would enter the game but when the date came and went they just disappeared and that was that. It’s happened two summers running with the French league, and at the moment I’m just stuck without a job coz nobody in Spain seems to get sacked. Worried it’s gonna kill my most enjoyable save ever.

[vikeologist]

1 hour ago, goonergez said:

I’m a little worried. I added a couple of nations about a week before they would enter the game but when the date came and went they just disappeared and that was that. It’s happened two summers running with the French league, and at the moment I’m just stuck without a job coz nobody in Spain seems to get sacked. Worried it’s gonna kill my most enjoyable save ever.

Really couldn't find anything else. I know it's a time-consuming pain, but it would be great if you reported it.

[goonergez]

32 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

Really couldn't find anything else. I know it's a time-consuming pain, but it would be great if you reported it.

I will have a look when I get home coz it’s probably me being silly. 

[goonergez]

Nigeria: African Cup of Nations 2049

Having only taken over the role of manager of Nigeria at the end of the Copa America it was already time for me to take charge of the side in a major tournament situation. Unbeaten in various qualifiers with me at the helm it’s fair to say that hopes and expectations were high in regard to having a positive go at the competition. It wouldn’t be easy though as I looked to win the African Cup of Nations for Nigeria for the first time since way back in 2029. The draw for the group stage was pretty kind really, with Mali probably our biggest threat. We were joined by Uganda and guinea in a group we were very much expected to win. Before that I named a squad lacking any real surprises, and including young winger Abdulwaheed Madu who had impressed with five goals in his first five appearances for his country. The now 17-year old winger still yet to play a minute for Real Madrid though. A week prior to the tournament we played a warm up friendly against Jamaica, and picked up a fairly routine win. I used the game to give as many players some minutes as possible and despite falling behind early we fought back to win 6-1.

Our tournament opener saw us face Guinea in what was a surprisingly close contest. We were the better team but failed to really create much of note. In the end it took a fabulous strike from our right back to win 1-0, kicking off the tournament with a much needed victory. Four days later we played Mali in the toughest of our group games. We fell behind early but produced a really good comeback to lead 3-1 at half time. We conceded midway through the second half before wrapping up a 4-2 victory with ten minutes remaining. Victory saw us clinch a spot in the next round as group winners with a game still to play. I made a host of changes for the game against Uganda, and we ended our group campaign with another routine win. A 1-0 victory making it three out of three as we prevented Uganda from even managing an attempt on goal.

The first knockout round gave us highly rated South Africa, and we faced a really nervy game. We dominated the first half before being battered in the second. Somehow the game was still locked at 0-0 and went to extra time. We grabbed a goal during the second period to win 1-0 and reach the quarter final stage. In our way would stand Guinea Bissao.

A gutting exit as we throw away a lead to crash out in a game we were heavily expected to win. Our opponents beat Morocco in the next round before losing the final to Algeria. I’m gutted with how things went, and unsurprising I was sacked from my position.

I was actually a bit disappointed to be sacked as I felt I could have done something with this nation over the course of time. I wasted no time in gaining a new position though and have already made my next move in international management.

Another intriguing opportunity for me sees me stay within Africa and jumping to Morocco, who like my Nigeria side had crashed out to Guinea Bissao. There’s another talented squad here, and I feel like I can do something with this nation. I want to start cracking international football but it needs to happen soon. Hopefully this will be the job that makes it happen. On the club front I’m also still hunting a new challenge and am still left frustrated. Hopefully a new and exciting opportunity will come up soon so I can crack back on at club level as well.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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



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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

[dkouv]

12 hours ago, goonergez said:

Does anybody have any idea as to why my game has stopped adding leagues to my game? Ive set them up to be added but the date just comes and goes and they’ve disappeared from my list of leagues? It’s happened twice with France but then this season happened with three different nations. Frustrating coz I’ve had to spend a year without a club so far and there is no sign of that ending!

is it a problem others have seen or had? It could be a save breaker as I’m just stuck unemployed at the moment with no end in sight?!

I had this last summer (in-game summer, not actual one!) when I tried to add the Scottish league, it just didn't get added. However I managed to add the Dutch one after that without problems. So it could either be random or restricted to certain leagues, hopefully not the latter. Have you tried saving a day or two before the league is due to be added and then reloading a few times to see if it works?

[goonergez]

4 minutes ago, dkouv said:

I had this last summer (in-game summer, not actual one!) when I tried to add the Scottish league, it just didn't get added. However I managed to add the Dutch one after that without problems. So it could either be random or restricted to certain leagues, hopefully not the latter. Have you tried saving a day or two before the league is due to be added and then reloading a few times to see if it works?

Thankfully I have recovered the error. I went back to a save a couple of days before and then went through the process again. Basically once set to join the game don't turn the game off before it all becomes active!

[goonergez]

Morocco: 2049 Review

It's approaching two years since I won the Bundesliga title with RB Leipzig and left at the expiration of my contract with the club. At that moment I certainly didn't feel like I would still be hunting my next club job nearly two years later. Part of the issue was probably myself, as I was somewhat consumed with my career within international management. A failure at the Copa America with Columbia was followed by more of the same in the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria. I quickly picked up a position to become the new manager of Morocco and set my focus back on trying to return to club management as a priority. Although I had kind of cast aside the task of finding a new club role its not to say it was my fault. Over the past couple of years there has been a real lack of available top jobs and that has meant I haven't even been interviewed for jobs. I've attended one of them and was offered the job before declining. Villarreal looked an exciting prospect but they offered a measly transfer budget of just £4,000,000, far lower than what I was after. I was determined to land a job with a real big club, and so instead carried on my focus with Morocco whilst on the hunt.

My first task as manager was to lead the side in a couple of friendly matches. A 1-2 defeat to Mexico was far from embarrassing, but we bounced back well to beat Guinea 3-0 just four days later. Our first competitive action didn't go to plan though, as a shock defeat to Gabon (despite 25 attempts in our favour to their one) saw us slip out of top spot in World Cup qualification. We responded well by beating Cameroon (twice) and Gabon, but it was too late and we finished second to Cameroon in our group.

Finishing in second spot may have been a disappointment, but thankfully it wasn't catastrophic. Thankfully we still qualified for the World Cup by virtue of having one of the best records in qualifying by a second placed team. A real relief, and I am excited to lead my side out on the biggest stage of them all. Expectations will have to be modest, but we've been put in a group with Portugal and the UAE and I am confident we can perform well.

Attention now shifts as our next focus becomes trying to begin our African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. We've got a group of Botswana, Equitorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, and will be clear favourites to progress.

My search for a new job at club level is starting to get me down, as I believe my resume is more than sufficient to be in a role.  I don't want to give up my hope though, and will continue waiting for the right opportunity. I'm determined not to just jump into a job, instead waiting for the right opportunity with a big side. At least I have my role with Morocco to keep me going. Hopefully we can perform well in the African Cup of Nations qualifying, and get me back into a major tournament. 2051 could definitely be a big year for me. Hopefully it'll bring some impressive showings on the international stage, as well as with any luck bringing me my next position within club football.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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



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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

[Surd]

4 minutes ago, goonergez said:

Thankfully I have recovered the error. I went back to a save a couple of days before and then went through the process again. Basically once set to join the game don't turn the game off before it all becomes active!

Or you could do it my way, load every league and sit back and enjoy while your laptop melts through the couch. 

[Gammonds]

Dunning Kreuger 2028/29 - a sudden but inevitable change of venue

Kreuger planned to make only a few changes to the squad this off season. After all, why fix what was working pretty well? Jets 3rd choice CB had unrealistic expectations for a new contract, and thus was allowed to leave on a free at the end of the season. His replacement was another CB with an expiring contract - and a slightly better player to boot. The hunt for a satisfactory striker continued, but with no obvious good options. On a more concerning note, good performances over the past year drew attention to several members of the squad - most notably star CB Lachlan Minors. Kreuger didn't hesitate to reject offers for him, but he and several other players had release clauses which were rather reasonable. Fortunately from Kreuger's perspective, the offers for Minors were the only ones recieved before September, and so the squad remained intact.

Jets continued their ACL defense in the Quarter Finals against Pohang Steelers, who they'd beaten in last year's run. The first match was away, where Jets fell 0-1 in a match they didn't deserve better from. Coming home for the decisive match the squad looked a bit sharper, and opened wonderfully by scoring on a lightning fast counter. Jets went in at the half up 2-0 in the match, 2-1 on aggregate. Jets generated several chances early in the second half, Pohang returned the favor later, but neither produced anything more until Jets iced the match with a goal early in stoppage time to secure the 3-1 aggregate win. Jets then faced Jeonbuk in the semis. Jeonbuck at this point had been the strongest side in the K League over the past 5 years, and were probably the best of the remaining teams in the tournament. Jets were underdogs on the road, but put in a solid if unspectacular performance in holding on to a scoreless draw. Playing the second leg in front of their own fans, Jets thumped Jeonbuk 3-1 to reach the final. Sadly, first choice CB Lachlan Minors broke his foot in the 13th minute, and was certain to miss the start of the A League season - not to mention the ACL final and FFA Cup semi final. Syrian side Tishreen were Jet's opponent in the final. Kreuger considered his side strong favorites, but Jets put on what almost has to be their worst display of finishing ever in the first leg. Despite offensive inefficiency, Jets won 1-0 in the first leg.

Spoiler

Tishreen was much sharper in the second leg, but Jets finishing was also better. A 2-1 away win secured the 3-1 aggregate win, and Jets second consecutive Asian Champion's League trophy.

Spoiler

Jets began their FFA Cup campaign with the expected thrashing of a lower tier team - this season it was also their first match of any description after their Grand Final win. A rash of training injuries and a few players called up for international duty left the squad a bit depleted for the Second Round match against Western United. Regardless, Jets won that match 3-0, even if the scoreline flattered their performance a bit. Macarthur FC offered limited opposition in the Quarter Finals, and fell to the Jets 1-3. The semi-final was a close match where it took Jets until the 75th minute to find the breakthrough. A 1-0 win took Jets to their 3rd consecutive FFA Cup final. Third time's the charm for Kreuger's Jets in the cup. This one never had much suspense to it, as Jets cruised to a 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix.

With that, Kreuger has won everything he can at the club level in Australia, so it's time to look for a new challenge. The South African Premier League seems like as good a place as any to win club trophies in Africa, so that was where Kreuger looked first. Conveniently, 2 sides were looking for new managers in December 2028 - both under-performing a bit, and in a relegation struggle, but with plenty of time to correct themselves. Of the 2 Maritzburg Utd looked to be the better opportunity. They'd been projected to finish mid-table, and had the financial resources to build a decent squad for the division quickly enough. Kreuger applied, and was quickly hired - he joined a mere 10 days after winning the FFA Cup in Australia.

Spoiler

It quickly became apparent that Maritzburg were actually in pretty poor shape. Several regular starters, and a team leader, had personalities that didn't handle pressure well. Kreuger has made it a point to move those types of players on in past jobs, but won't be able to do much about it this season at least. The squad also isn't well suited to Kreuger's typical 4-3-3. Interestingly, the squad does have 3 players who look like strong options a CAMs, which presents some interesting tactical options to experiment with. Kreuger only had 2 games to work with before the SA winter break, and chose to keep it simple for the time being. 1 draw and 1 loss were not good results, but Maritzburg could easily have won both matches and even that 1 point was enough to keep them out of the automatic relegation spot.

On the international front, Cameroon was active across 2028 in qualifying for both the World Cup and African Cup of Nations - for 2030 and 2029 respectively. As expected, Cameroon made easy work of qualifying for AFCON, doing so with 2 matches remaining in group play. Overall, Cameroon finished 2028 undefeated on the year, with 7 wins and 1 draw. The opposition was weak, but Cameroon's dominance was satisfying and left Kreuger optimistic regarding his team's chances in AfCON.

Kreuger's 2nd attempt at the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon started in January 2029. Cameroon were drawn in Group A with Guinea, Libya and South Africa. Star striker Youssoufa Moukoko came into the tournament carrying a minor injury but was expected to be fit before the end of the group stage; other than him the squad arrived healthy and (largely) match fit. Things went a bit sideways for Cameroon in their second match of the group stage. A 1-0 win secured qualification to the knockout rounds, but Cameroon lost 2 players to injuries that looked likely to see them miss the rest of the tournament. While losing a first choice right wing hurts, he's fairly replaceable to this team. Star CM Gerard Toukam on the other hand is nearly irreplaceable for Cameroon. 3 wins from 3 matches meant Cameroon won their group, but the third win cost yet another injury. This time it was the second choice left wing who was likely to miss the second round. Injuries or no, Mali were no match for Cameroon in the second round, and fell to a 5-0 defeat with only the faintest of protestations. Cameroon then proceeded to handle Tunsia comfortably in the Quarter Finals, winning by a score of 3-0. Cameroon next had a bit of apparent luck, and were drawn against Burkina Faso in the Semis - on paper the weakest of the remaining competitors. Kreuger rotated his side a bit in anticipation of a much tougher opponent in the final, and Cameroon duly delivered a 4-0 win. The Final was a bit of a grudge match - Cameroon faced defending champions Ghana, who had eliminated them in the semi finals of the previous AFCON. Cameroon's rash of injuries remained a problem, but Kreuger only had to rule out one player - the winger who had been injured in the group stages. Toukam had recovered enough to play, so Kreuger chose to start him even though he wasn't fully fit. Two other players were recovering from more minor injuries, but available off the bench. A 21st minute red card for Ghana seemed to offer Cameroon a opportunity, but it still took until the 80th minute to find the breakthrough.

The run through the tournament had been dominant, the final itself a close run thing, and Cameroon have won the African Cup of Nations 2029.

Spoiler

Winning a first international trophy was wonderful, but while Kreuger is very fond of his Cameroon team he was also left a bit uncertain about his future there. The next World Cup was just over a year away at the end of AfCON, and while Cameroon should easily qualify they they have very little chance of making a deep run, let alone winning. On the other hand, there's probably not a better option for Kreuger available to manage internationally either in the World Cup or a continental tournament prior. As things stood, Kreuger intended to stay with Cameroon for the time being, but also keep an eye out for a better option.

Back in the SAPSL, Kreuger had very little success adding players in the January window - a free agent CB who's never likely to be more than a depth option was the only player signed. Maritzburg opened the second half of the season in February with a league loss and a draw - but their fellow relegation strugglers were equally bad, and Maritzburg moved out of the relegation playoff spot on goal difference. The FA Cup was an opportunity to boost morale by finding the squad's first win since October. Maritzburg nearly squandered their chance against a lower league side, but pulled it out. A second consecutive win, and first league win under Kreuger, lifted the squad's mood a bit while closing out February's matches.

February had shown signs of improvement but March was another poor month for the squad - winless, with 2 draws providing the only points. From there the squad finally started to perform a bit better, and managed a record of 4 wins, 4 draws and only a single loss across the final 2 months of the season. That was a rather decent run, but still only enough to finish 13th. It also was enough to satisfy the board's expectation for the year, but much improvement is needed in the future.

The upcoming squad rebuild looks to be substantial. Both 1st team GKs will be leaving - the starter is in decline and jumped on the money offered by a team in Qatar, and the backup is of no real value. Across the rest of the squad, there are probably only 3 nailed on starters for the next year, assuming they can all be kept. Those 3 are a high quality attacking mid, a good striker with room to improve still, and a very solid CB/RB. Outside of those players, every position can be improved on, and a large number of players will likely be needed to rebuild the squad. Obviously, finding a good GK is the first priority. A first choice CB and a quality CM are probably the next 2 priorities, with reinforcements on the wings coming in next. Clearly, Kreuger and his general manager should expect to be busy during the offseason.

Total Progress: 4/32

Jobs & Trophies:

Spoiler

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


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

Total Progress: 4/32
1/10 Top Domestic Leagues: 2027/28 A League
1/10 Domestic Cup: 2028 FFA Cup
1/5 Club Continental Competition: 2027/28 Asian Champion's League
0/1 Club World Championship

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

 

 

[treva]

On 06/01/2021 at 22:48, treva said:

2036/37 Season

This season was all about the Champions League. Regardless of what happens, it would be my final season at Spurs. Instant resulting all non-Champions League matches, we ended up falling one point short of a three-peat as Arsenal came out on top with a flawless home record. We picked up our second straight Carabao Cup but dropped out of the FA Cup in the fifth round, the first time we've not made the final since taking charge.

In the Champions League we went perfect through the group stage, beating Atletico Madrid, Marseille and Shakhtar both home and away. Our next two fixtures probably couldn't have been easier, seeing off Schalke 5-1 on aggregate before dumping out Hertha Berlin 6-0 on aggregate in the quarter final. Then came the big one: Arsenal in the semis. We took the upper hand with a 1-0 home leg victory, however it all unravelled at the Emirates where we went down 3-1 - the final goal coming from a ridiculous 35 yard free kick. Another Champions League heartache, particularly because I have no doubt that our squad is the best in the world - to not have won a Champions League with them is a travesty.

That left just one competition left before resigning - the Club World Cup. We had luck with the initial draw, easily dispatching Auckland City and Morella to set up a revenge match with Arsenal in the QF. We dominated from start to finish and qualified for the semis with a 4-0 victory. Barcelona were more of a match in the semi final as they took us to penalties. Luckily we have the best goalkeeper in the world and thanks to two saves we made it through 4-1 in the shootout. PSG, who beat us in last year's Champions League final, stood between us and the trophy. This time around we made no mistake, beating them 3-1 to sign off the season with a much deserved world championship.

It's been three amazing seasons with Spurs and, whilst it's a shame we didn't win the Champions League, it's time to crack on with the rest of Europe. The Juventus and Monaco jobs are available, so let's see what happens.

 

 

With Mexico there's not been a lot to report except we won the CONCACAF Nations league, beating both Costa Rica and USA 4-1 to take the title. We've moved up a spot in the world rankings to 9th and now we are ready for the Gold Cup to start.

 

 

Challenge Progress 12/32

Club

4/10 Top Domestic Leagues: Indonesian Liga 1 (x2), Chinese Super League (x2), Liga BBVA Bancomer MX Apertura (x2), English Premier League (x2)

4/10 Domestic Cups: Piala Indonesia (x2), Yanjing Beer Chinese FA Cup, Copa Argentina, Emirates FA Cup

2/5 Club Continental Championships: CONCACAF Champions League, Copa Libertadores

1/1 Club World Championship: Spurs 2037

International

1/5 Continental Tournaments: 2035 Africa Cup of Nations

0/1 World Tournaments:

After some months away from Football Manager I've decided to get back into my Ultimate Challenge save. Look forward to reading some of the current attempts in this thread and cracking on again with my own save!

[treva]

 

This was always going to be a difficult season with Juventus having finished 6th in 2036/37 and with a squad that was pretty rubbish in all honesty. As I'm not in this for the long haul and with limited financial backing, I decided to go for experience, solidifying the CB position with Marc on loan from Barcelona for the season and Rui Neves signed from Liverpool for £22.5 million. We also brought in Chelsea and Argentine striker Nelson Gimenez for £17.25 million. We sold young attacking midfielder Pablo Herrera to Hertha Berlin for £20 million to help offset some of the costs.

Whilst it wasn't a disaster season it ended with zero trophies. In Serie A we finished third, four points behind champions Atalanta and three behind Inter. In truth we were bang there until a poor February saw us pick up just 5 points from a potential 15. We were beaten by Inter in the Coppa Italia quarter final and the Europa League wasn't really much of a priority where we were dumped out by Sevilla in the second knockout round.

Plan is to try and win Serie A next season and move on. Hopefully we can get a few signings in to elevate the squad, most importantly finding a regular match winner to turn our seven draws from this season into victories.

 

 

 

Challenge Progress 12/32

Club

4/10 Top Domestic Leagues: Indonesian Liga 1 (x2), Chinese Super League (x2), Liga BBVA Bancomer MX Apertura (x2), English Premier League (x2)

4/10 Domestic Cups: Piala Indonesia (x2), Yanjing Beer Chinese FA Cup, Copa Argentina, Emirates FA Cup

2/5 Club Continental Championships: CONCACAF Champions League, Copa Libertadores

1/1 Club World Championship: Spurs 2037

International

1/5 Continental Tournaments: 2035 Africa Cup of Nations

0/1 World Tournaments:

Edited May 13, 2021 by treva

[goonergez]

Morroco: 2050 World Cup

Whilst my club career has seen me go unemployed for the past two seasons I can’t help but apologise for inundating you all with my international exploits. My most recent time being with Morocco.  The year 2050 began with a couple of African Cup of Nations qualifiers, that we navigated with real ease. Firstly we saw off Botswana 2-0 before thumping Equatorial Guinea 4-0 a few days later. This set us up nicely for the summer, and the World Cup in Brazil. I say that but our preparation for the competition really didn’t go well. We were beaten 2-3 by Sweden before fighting back from three goals down to draw 3-3 with lowly Costa Rica. At this stage I wasn’t confident ahead of the tournament, but keeping a straight face to my players and the media.

An unbelievable run saw us reach a first ever final where we would face off against Germany. We were brilliant throughout, especially against Argentina in the semi-final. We had achieved much more than I ever believed possible and produced some real memorable performances. We got fortunate with a couple of draws (China and Croatia), but also beat some real strong sides throughout.

Heart breaking for us as we lose out to virtually the last kick of the game. I was almost ready for extra time seeing as we had scored so late to level the tie. I was hoping we could take the game to penalties and steal it as we were comfortably second best throughout the game. I’m proud of our efforts but it is a devastating way to lose out. I’m absolutely delighted with our efforts as I guided Morocco to a first ever World Cup final. Not in a million years did I think it was possible, and it was definitely a real overachievement. But it’s a nice situation to have had and it sets us up really nicely for our next major tournament, the African cup of nations. Hopefully we can show similar character and fight and enjoy another successful and surprising tournament. We’re up to 14th in the world rankings now, a real testament to work we’ve put in since I took over.

The summer also saw me finally pick up a new club position after two years without a club.

I join one of the biggest sides in France for my next position. PSG have dominated French football since 2018, but it will now be my job to try and topple them. It won’t be easy but I’m excited to be back in management. I’ve been presented a transfer budget of around £25,000,000, and that should be enough to add a few players of quality. We’ve already got some good players here, and I’m keen to build upon that. The board only ask for Europa League qualification which eases some early pressure on me. Hopefully I can put my break to good use and hit the ground running when we begin action in a few weeks time. The world cup has shortened my time frame to work with the team, but I’m sure we can cause some waves pretty much straight away.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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


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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

[lapsik7]

SEASON 11 (2030-2031)

Kaizer Chiefs F.C.

After 2.5 years in South Africa, I won what I came here for - the Champions League. Interestingly, in the final, I met the eternal rival, the Orlando Pirates. In addition, I added all the trophies possible in South Africa, which surprised me, because I lost 2 basic midfielders before the season and it was impossible to replace them with anyone interesting. All in all, it may be confirmed by the fact that we did not do well in the league than a year ago. After the last game of the season, I resigned.

 

Quote

 

4/10 Leagues won (Welsh League - 2023, I-League - 2024, K-League - 2028 RSA Premiership - 2030)
5/10 Cups won (Welsh Cup - 2021, Durand Cup - 2024, KFA Cup - 2028 Nedbank Cup - 2029 Knockout Cup - 2029)
3/5 Continental Tournaments won (Copa Libertadores - 2027, AFC Champions League - 2028 CAF Champions League - 2031)
0/1 Club World Cups won

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

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by lapsik7

[treva]

2038 FIFA World Cup

Off the back of the embarrassing Gold Cup performance we still came into this World Cup with an extraordinary record, having finally officially lost a game for the first time in about 25 matches to Portugal in the warm-up. In all honesty I wasn't expecting much but if we got the rub of the green I knew we were still a top 10 side in the world and we could compete. We had drawn Australia and Switzerland in the group stages. Neither side worried me but with many groups having one obviously lesser side this seemed more even than the majority of groups.

Group Stage

Spoiler

Mexico 2-0 Australia

Very comfortable win. Probably should have been more and we were left on edge until the 84th minute when a second made sure of victory.

Mexico 1-0 Switzerland

Similar story to the opener. If anything we hammered their goal more than we did Australia but again it took until the 84th minute to be assured of qualification to the knockouts.

First Knockout Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

Mexico 3-1 Indonesia

A very kind draw after finishing top of the group. I started my career in Indonesia so have a soft spot for the nation but we put them to bed with relative ease, even if they clawed a goal back out of the blue to make things interesting.

Second Knockout Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

Mexico 2-1 Colombia

Again the draw seemed to be relatively kind, although Colombia came into the tournament ranked 10th, just one spot behind us. They went ahead early but it was all us from then on and we came from behind thanks to a belter from our winger and a thumping header from our central midfielder.

Quarter Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

Mexico p2-2 Argentina

This is where I expected our competition to end. But what a performance from the lads. We went behind once again but managed to level and take it to extra time. With players out on their feet we somehow pulled off an absolute stunner to take the lead, only for them to equalise with minutes to go. Penalties it was and with some very dubious attributes and up against the mighty Diachara from my Spurs days I expected us to fall short. However, despite going behind, we pulled it off in sudden death to land perhaps the biggest victory of my career to date.

Semi Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

Mexico 1-3 England

The fairytale came to an end. No surprises really, our team were knackered. Lacking squad depth compared to the other teams that had got this far, I knew tiredness would eventually catch up with us. The killer blow was a 30 yard free kick just after half time which could have been saved. We gave them a good game, though, and the lads could be proud of their performance.

Final/3rd Place Playoff (if applicable)

Spoiler

Mexico 1-0 Portugal

This was a bonus. I rested pretty much everyone - not sure if they did the same but we deserved our victory even if the only goal of the game came from the spot. Third at a World Cup with Mexico - I'll take that.

What's next?

Spoiler

A massive performance from a squad I wasn't sure was ready to challenge the best in the world. Bodes well for a second run at the Gold Cup - hopefully this time there will be no slip ups and I can leave Mexico having done the nation proud.

 

[lapsik7]

SEASON 12 (2031-2032)

Club de Fútbol Tigres UANL

After a successful adventure with Kaizer Chiefs, I went to Mexico at the invitation of Tigres. For sure, the great news is that I found a team that does not stand out from other teams, so I will be able to fight for the national championship. But more important to me is that Tigres is in the CONCACAF Champions League, and that's what I'm here for. There is a whole season ahead of me, a short preparation period, but I think it will not be a problem when I have players with great skills.

Quote

 

4/10 Leagues won (Welsh League - 2023, I-League - 2024, K-League - 2028 RSA Premiership - 2030)
5/10 Cups won (Welsh Cup - 2021, Durand Cup - 2024, KFA Cup - 2028 Nedbank Cup - 2029 Knockout Cup - 2029)
3/5 Continental Tournaments won (Copa Libertadores - 2027, AFC Champions League - 2028 CAF Champions League - 2031)
0/1 Club World Cups won

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

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by lapsik7

[efcfan]

Guess I will give this a try, and thanks to @vikeologist for running this. 

The above screenshot is to show that the manager is Sunday Leaguer with no badges. I went with 20 years old because that way I have more time to manage to get all the trophies.

To start, I loaded up China, Mexico, United States, Australia, and South Africa. In past saves, I haven't managed too long in these countries, so I am excited to see where this goes. In case nobody will hire me at club level, I am willing to manage a youth international side to get some experience and maybe win something. 

After applying for a few jobs, I ended up getting offers from a bunch of youth international teams. And I finally got a job.

Ghana was a nation I managed on an old save a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed my time with the Black Stars. CAF is a really fun region, and most of my international success on FM has happened at the AFCON. The U20 Cup of Nations is coming up in a few months, and my goal is to try and win it, so a club can take notice. And getting a coaching badge might help.

 

[efcfan]

2021 U20 Cup of Nations: Ghana U20

First international tournament, and my first taste of management. Would Ghana be able to win the tournament, or at least not do too badly?

Well, that wasn't great. Drawing with Mauritania was bad, even if they were hosting. Drawing with Nigeria was not terrible, but we needed to beat Tunisia to go through. Well, thanks to striker Kwadow Opoku scoring all 5 goals, we were able to get the result to go through in second place. Our reward was playing South Africa, who was just better. We beat Tunisia to get the bronze medal. 

On the bright side, Ghana did qualify for the next U20 World Cup, which I am not sure I will stick around for. That being said, I will stick around for a bit, so I could keep getting experience. 

On the club side, jobs started to open up during the tournament, and I applied to all of them. After getting told no a bunch, someone finally said yes. 

Y

Sekhukhune United currently play in the second tier of South African football, and they have been struggling in the league, which got their last manager sacked. Fun fact, the club is located in one of the Boer republics in the northeast of South Africa. So what exactly does Mr. Santos need to do?

Not too bad. Just try and build a promotion winning team quickly and a focus on young players. 

We have 14 games left, and are oddly both in a relegation battle and can move up the table quickly considering how tightly bunched it is around us. Let's hope this goes well, though I could screw this up. 

[goonergez]

Morocco: 2051 African Cup of Nations

My last update saw an exciting summer take place in my career, as my Morocco side reached the World Cup final and I returned to club management with a new position at AS Monaco. My Morocco side had performed way above any expectations, and it meant we could look forward with some real excitement. We easily navigated our last two qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations, ending the campaign with six wins from six, and also conceded just the one goal. This meant that the arrival of January bought with it another major international tournament for me to lead my side out in.

Our arrival in the Ivory Coast saw us heavily fancied for the tournament after a really strong showing at last summers World Cup. We started off well enough, thumping Guinea 6-0 in our opener. Next up was Egypt, and we came out of the traps far too quickly for our opposition. We found ourselves up 2-0 within three minutes, and cantered our way from there. A 5-0 score line making it two wins from two and giving us a spot in the second round with a game to go. We rounded our group campaign off with yet another win and another clean sheet, comfortably navigating past Angola with a 3-0 victory. Three wins from three saw us comfortably into the knockout stages, and we had achieved no less than perfection so far. Pre tournament predictions of a strong showing were already baring fruit, and we were looking good value to go deep in the tournament. I was still nervous though, having crashed out disappointingly in the second round during my time with much fancied Nigeria two years ago. I was confident this side was better than that though, and was ready for us to try and push on as the competition got tougher.

The first game of the knockout stage was actually tricky, and Burkina Faso provided a significant threat. We controlled proceedings, but it wasn’t until the final twenty minutes that we finally made the break though. Once we’d taken the lead we quickly added a second though and booked our place in the quarter finals. A tough tie with Ivory Coast was also navigated with relative ease really. We started well and grabbed an early goal to take command of the tie. A second at the end of the first period proved enough and we coasted through the second half without any drama. The semi-final was probably our biggest test really, as we took on Algeria. We dominated the game, but ninety minutes came and went and the match was deadlocked at 0-0. Extra time was more tentative, but we finally found a breakthrough with just eight minutes remaining. We sat back and clung on for the win, and a spot in the final of the competition.

Spoiler

 

A fantastic performance from us saw us comfortable winners and crowned as the African Cup of Nations winners for 2051. We started bright, and Real Madrid youngster Ilyan Ouaamar bagged two goals to put us in the driving seat. Ouaamar then scored a third to complete his hat trick to go in at half time 3-0 in front and never looked back. Our opposition surprisingly pulled one back, but we stayed strong to hold on for a famous win. For me that was it with Morocco though, and I decided to walk away as the tournament drew to a close. Despite making a surprise run to the final in the last World Cup, I couldn’t see us ever winning it. For that reason it seemed a good time to walk away and try to find a new international challenge elsewhere.

 

AS Monaco: 2050/51 Mid-Season Report

I don’t want to delve too much into my return to club management just yet, but it’s fair to say we’ve made really good progress. Taking over last summer meant that the World Cup had reduced the time I would get to spend getting my side ready to play to my personal style and methods. Transfer activity was also restricted although we did conduct some. We raised just over £90,000,000 in player sales, but spent near enough all of that on new faces. 21-year old striker Vanderson was one of the most exciting, joining from Flamengo in a £24,000,000 deal. The other really exciting arrival was 20-year old Ukrainian goalkeeper Dmytro Papuk. He cost us £27,500,000 from Dynamo Kiev but really has been one hell of a signing.

On the field we’ve done well. A sluggish start saw us crash out of the Champions League during the qualifiers, but we’ve bounced back well in the Europa League. In fact we’re currently enjoying a 24 game unbeaten run, which leaves us chasing several different competitions. I’ll update more when the season draws to a close, but so far my time with this club has been a real success. Hopefully we can keep our form going and ensure that it isn’t a season of what if's.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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


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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

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

 

[SK]

Season 2026

So I took over the end of last season sitting in 3rd with 5 to go. 3W, 1L, 1D later and I finished 3rd.

 

My squad was very weak beyond a few main players so I focused on signing Chinese players. Unfortunately I didn’t realise I could only sign 2 above 21 year olds which meant I was signing very overpriced Chinese youngsters much to the dismay of the board. This later hurt as I lost 8 players to the Asian Games. I also signed Kabak and Rhiannon Brewster for my foreign limits.  I also bought Wu Lei from Espanol which was a great signing despite being 33.

 

League- started terribly with 4 points from the first 5 games. Changed tactics to a more robust 433 which worked a treat. Went unbeaten in 19 and won 12 in a row. By that point it was a cruise and I won the league by 10 pts. I will say I did score a fair few late winners so I’ll want to strengthen for next season. 

Champions League- I had Jeonbuk in the initial play off game which to be honest was the harder game compared to the group.  I was 3-0 up but then leaked 2 goals making it a nervy end. Luckily held on.

 

Group stage was a cruise and won 6/6. Ditto the round of 16 winning both legs easily and breaking the record for the most consecutive wins in the CL. I had sydney in the QF and despite being very under strength due to the Asian games I won the first game 2-0. Unfortunately bottled the second leg and lost 3-0. 7/8 were back but half were too tired to play and the others barely able to. Very annoyed as a win in this comp would’ve been enough for me to go.

 

Cups- relatively straight forward run here. Had to win the QF in pens and won the SF 5-0. The final was a bore draw 0-0 in both legs. They shot out to a 3-1 lead in pens but they missed their next two shots. Went full circle and ended up losing 9-8 in pens. Disappointed to not be able to tick this off the list. 

 

Pretty successful season considering I was scrambling in the main window, I at least feel like I’ve got a core in my squad.

Focus now is to splurge on the best Chinese talent I can get and make the most of my 2 over 21 signings. Lacked a bit of depth in the CL which hurt.

 

After the WC there was a flurry of job opportunities. None of the big boys offered me one but I got an offer from Ivory Coast, Senegal and Iran. Iran was tempting for the Asian cup but I’d really love to try win it with Australia (home country). Ivory Coast look good and the AFCON is around the corner. I finished top in my group so I’m ready for it. Will provide an update once it is finished.

 

 

 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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

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

 

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

0/5 continental competitions
0/1 world tournaments

 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by SK

[goonergez]

AS Monaco: 2050/51 Review

Last summer I made my return to club management after a two year break, when AS Monaco offered me a contract to take charge. I hadn't set out upon missing two years of my managerial career at club level, but at the same time my international career was just beginning to get interesting. Having taken Morocco to the World Cup final shortly before my appointment by Monaco, we went even better in January as we lifted the African Cup of Nations after winning 3-1 against Mali in the final. That victory led me to resign from my position of manager at international level, and instead focus on things with Monaco. We had a good start to the season, and found ourselves fighting on a number of fronts.

As always my arrival at the club led to a bit of a shake up. We raised £90,000,000 in player sales, although we spent just shy of that on new faces. Young Ukrainian goalkeeper Dmytro Papuk was the most expensive, signing from Dynamo Kiev in a £27,500,000 deal. Promising winger Nick Kyhl was another exciting signing, arriving from FC Copenhagen in a £18,000,000 deal. Both would go on to be a huge part of a successful campaign for us. Papuk conceded just 25 league goals, and Kyhl bagged 13 league goals and 12 assists. Another summer arrival in Vanderson (Flamengo for £18,000,000) was also impressive, and grabbed an impressive 21 league goals.

My career started well enough, as we played Paris Saint Germain in the French Super Cup. A great curtain raiser for the season ahead.

Picking up my first trophy with the club brought with it some false hope though. We didn't start the league campaign particularly well, and crashed out of the Champions League one round of qualifying prior to the group stage. That was particularly disappointing, as we followed a 1-0 home win with a shock 0-2 away defeat to PSV. All was not lost though as we dropped down into the Europa League.

As my new signings began to get to grips with things our results began to pick up though. By Christmas we were in the middle of a 24 match unbeaten run in all competitions. We had navigated through the Group Stage of the Europa League, and were fighting it out at the top of the league with Lyon and Marseille. Champions of the last thirty three years PSG were seriously underperforming. In fact they would go on to finish the season down in 4th place, even missing out on qualification for next seasons Champions League.

January seemed to hit my team hard though, as I tried to juggle my responsibilities here with my Morocco team in the African Cup of Nations. Although my efforts at international level saw us pick up the trophy, Monaco form dipped. We were winless during a tough patch which saw us crash out of the French Cup and slip off the pace in the league. Shortly after my resignation from Morocco we crashed out of the Europa League too. A last gasp goal by Manchester United seeing us crash out at the Second Knockout Round stage. Disappointing although not surprising. We picked up form after that exit, although winning the league title proved to be a little beyond us.

In the end the French Super Cup turned out to be the only trophy to enter our cabinet, and the only winners medal to be draped over my neck. After enjoying a really good run of form during the middle portion of the season that definitely has to be considered a disappointment. We did lay good ground work for the future though. I managed to shift on a host of older players, and we brought in some really bright talents. I'm hoping that next season we can push towards more trophies. I'm excited with the squad that I have, and I am sure that if we can have another successful transfer window then we should be in a great place to compete across multiple fronts. Hopefully next season will be our year for success.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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

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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

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

 

[lapsik7]

SEASON 12 (2031-2032)

Club de Fútbol Tigres UANL

The adventure in North America, specifically in the Mexican Tigres, ends after the first year for a simple reason - I won the league and the champions league, I don't need anything else. Now a great adventure awaits me in Europe, where I have to visit the 5 biggest leagues, and the plan is to close my entire career with a clamp in Flint Town, where I started or in my beloved club - Pogoń Szczecin. In a nutshell, the year in Tigres was very intense, I needed a few reinforcements at the beginning and with a quite large transfer budget at my disposal, around 15 million euros, I was able to get 3 players from the national team who played in other Mexican clubs. This allowed me to dominate Apertura, then I managed to win Clausura and for dessert I managed to win the Champions League, where in the final tie I easily beat another Mexican club - Santos Laguna. It was my first job in Mexico and I generally recommend it, great adventure, interesting players, you can really positively surprise yourself with the level. After the season, of course, I quit my job.

Liga MX Apertura table and play-offs:

Liga MX Clausura table and play-offs:

CONCACAF Champions League play-offs:

Quote

 

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

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

 

 

[efcfan]

FM 21 Ultimate Challenge--2020/21 Update

We go live to South Africa for a live look at how things went for Miguel Santos. In fact, there is even a picture. 

Yeah, that did not go well at all. In hindsight, that was a bad club. Despite a tactical change, we just couldn't get the results, and left in 13th place. This resignation was more of a go before you were pushed, as the board called me into a meeting to discuss manager's future.

Only getting 11 points is bad, and to make matters worse the club was in debt and would be in huge trouble. Taking a hit to the reputation was probably coming anyway, so why not take the hit. I've loaded up a couple more countries and will update you next when I get a job. Hopefully I pick better. 

[goonergez]

@efcfanunfortunate start there my friend. Dust yourself off and I’m sure you’ll go better wherever you end up next!

[fromcoystocottbus]

Well, after stepping away from the challenge for a while and working on a Tottenham career, among others, decided to just start from scratch rather than pick up with a campaign where I had lost some interest.

Blues Traveler

Ultimate FM Challenge

 

I've applied to all available openings, both club teams and international. Casting a wide net in hopes of ending up with a couple of options to begin the campaign.

Will be back soon with an update on where we're moving to begin the campaign!

[efcfan]

@goonergez Thanks for the kind words. 

FM 21 Ultimate Challenge: 2021 Update

So after the dumpster fire that was my last job, I ended up applying for a lot of jobs, and decided to try a different league. Well, someone was nice enough to take me on. 

Sichuan Jiuniu is my next port of call, in the Chinese 2nd tier. They are a younger club, and seem to look a lot better than what I had in South Africa. 

It's going to be a relegation scrap, but we have some good talent, including a youngster on loan from Manchester City. Yes, you read that right. All the board wants from me is to stay in the division for the next few years. 

I managed in China once, though that was before China curbed a lot of the spending rules. Hopefully this goes well. 

[SK]

2027

 

 

Quick update here. I had the AFCON where I really fancied my chances with Ivory Coast. I was handed a straight forward group and beat Mozambique 4-0 and Cape Verde 3-1. Both games I was able to take off some of my best players and slow the game right down to save on fitness. I drew 2-2 with Algeria but rotated my whole squad and even subbed on my 3rd GK meaning everyone got game time.

I beat Guinea 6-4 in the 2nd round, tbh it was 6-1 and they got a few consolation goals. I drew Egypt in the QF who I dominated from start to finish 2-0. Next up was Senegal who I thought was the best team alongside me. I shot out to a 3-0 lead in the first half and controlled it well from there. A late goal from there was not enough to stop me.

In the final I had Algeria. I was confident given my second team drew with them. It was a dull affair but I scored from a corner 19 minutes in and never looked like conceding. Nicholas Pepe scored a 25 yard screamer with 5 to go to finish it off with a 2-0 win and we were champions. Amad Diallo was the standout all tournament. 

 

Everyone was elated and was looking forward to future successes; however I will not be part of that and have handed in my resignation in what was a very short 6 month stint. I am glad to be able to finally tick this off at the 3rd time of trying.

Africa is now fully completed so I will be on the lookout for an international job in one of the other continents. 

 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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

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

 

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

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

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by SK

[lapsik7]

SEASON 13 (2032-2033)

Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.

I come back to Europe and I got a great club right away. Schalke 04 is not a weak club, because in the previous season it took 4th place in the league, and this season the predictions are in 7th place, but there are big shortcomings in individual positions. I am looking forward to this challenge, I think I will have fun, and as an addition we will play in Europa League.

Quote

 

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

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

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by lapsik7

[efcfan]

So sadly the save I was using wouldn't load. The good news is that I can start again, and I wasn't too far along anyway. So I'm restarting, but with a twist. Instead of going to South Africa and Asia, why not start in the Americas? I'm using the same Miguel Santos profile, and hopefully starting in either North America or South America will be the ticket.  

So after looking over some jobs, I ended up getting an interesting job.

Peru is currently in the U20 South American Championships, having beaten Argentina. It's pretty rare to take charge in the middle of an international tournament, but this should be a good job. If we can have a good tournament, then that should raise my rep. On a personal note, Peru is a country I haven't managed in much, so this will be a new experience. Plus, it's always good to take a look at the young talent in South America first hand. 

[efcfan]

Ultimate FM Challenge: 2021 South America U20 Championship

First international tournament in my first job with Peru. Goal was to qualify for the finals, and anything there would be a bonus.

First Stage:

Topping the group and going undefeated? I'll take it. As I said, I can't take credit for beating Argentina, as the AI handled that. We beat Paraguay and Venezuela by an identical 1-0 score, and had a good draw with Chile.  

Final Stage:

A disappointment, though not a huge surprise. We drew our opening game against Chile, but then lost the last 4 games. Most disappointing was that we could have gotten 4th and a spot at the next U20 World Cup if we had beaten Colombia. Sadly, we could not. All in all, a pretty positive showing.  Manager reputation is unchanged, but the experience should help us out in the future. Not a lot of jobs open, so I am prepared to wait it out for a good job and for more options. 

[goonergez]

AS Monaco: 2051/52 Review

My second season in France has come an an end, and it ended up being somewhat of a non event for us. There was no trophy added to our cabinet or my collection, although we did reach a cup final.

We were in a title chase all season without ever truly taking any control of it. Ironically I turned down the position at PSG last summer after interviewing for it, so for them to go on and win the title is somewhat irritating. Defensively we were fantastic this season, but we dropped points at crucial times whilst PSG and Lyon were just relentless. The French Cup was an absolute disaster for us though. We crashed out to second tier Toulouse on penalties at the very first hurdle. A changed side did well to fight back from an early two goal deficit to draw 3-3, but the lottery of a shoot out saw us fall and suffer an early elimination. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to win a domestic cup.

The Champions League turned out to nearly be out competition though. We scraped through our group before shocking everybody by eliminating Barcelona, Liverpool and Benfica to reach the final against all odds.

Valencia are one of the strongest teams on the continent now though, and we weren’t really even competitive with them. I’m not ashamed to have lost out although it is somewhat devastating. Hopefully I’ll get plenty more opportunities during my career to win this competition, it just wasn’t meant to be just yet.

Another season draws to an end and this one just leaves me feeling a little bit empty. Having chosen to turn down the chance to go to PSG, to watch them lift the league title really hurts. I’m scared as to what I can achieve with this team, and worried how long it may take to win trophies. I’m not going to leave the club, but I’m definitely keeping my options open at the moment. Hopefully a good opportunity comes up where winning trophies is a realistic possibility in the near future. I’ve put together a good squad here, but it’s extremely youthful and a lack of experience may well hold us back.
 

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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

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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

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

 

[Gammonds]

Dunning Kreuger Season 2029-30: Not much excitement for anyone this year.

Maritzburg's board was not well prepared to build a squad to challenge in the SA Premier League. One of the things that had drawn Kreuger to the job was a healthy payroll budget. While there was plenty of room to work with in the budget overall, the board imposed remarkably low limits on what an individual player could be paid. That unfortunate reality made attracting the right players far more difficult than Kreuger would have preferred - a couple of quality free agents had reasonable demands that exceeded the board's limits. Still, new players arrived. An acceptable backup GK was first, and a CM who should compete for a starting role came next - both on very reasonable salaries. SA not only has a foreign player limit, it also has a work permit system. That system works slowly, and caused Kreuger concern as the start of the season approached. A planned starting GK and right wing were both waiting for a response - both very good players for the league, but neither with the international experience that would ensure they received permits. The GK's permit was granted on appeal 2 days before Maritzburg's first match of the season, and the winger's the following day.

As it happened, those 2 moves concluded the squad build for at least the first half of the season. It wasn't quite according to plan, but Kreuger was satisfied with what he'd brought in. The GKs both seemed to be fit for purpose, and with a bit of luck the starter will be a long term solution. The new right winger has a very high upside, and adds some much needed speed to the squad. There's plenty of depth in the midfield, although several players need to adapt to different roles. The big miss in Kreuger's plan was a new CB. There just wasn't an option good enough to sign, and some minor reshuffling of the depth chart left the back line looking at least decent. This version of Martizburg didn't appear to be a great squad, but looked at least decent. They're predicted to finish 7th, and while the odds don't look good for anything more Kreuger thinks his squad can do a bit better than most folks expect as long as they pull together well.

10 matches into a season is generally a good place to make an early assessment of a season. After 10 matches, the new signings had been as good as expected. Right winger Gustavo Ferre in particular performed very well and GK Juan Baez was solid if not spectacular. A lack of depth at CB remained a concern, and the left flank was an area of weakness. Maritzburg sat 5th in the table, and while it had taken some luck to get there, climbing the standings a bit wasn't out of the question. The midseason break, and the January transfer window were an opportunity to address some of the squad's shortcomings, but at first review it was largely a missed opportunity. Only one new addition arrived, a defensively minded center mid. While he's a quality player and filled a need in the squad, areas of greater weakness remained unaddressed.

As it happened, the second half of Martizburg's season was rather boring. At the end of the year, Maritzburg was exactly where predicted - 7th in the table, and with 4 points separating them from the teams both above and below. Despite the apparent decline from early returns, the season was in many ways a quiet success. All 5 new signings were as good as expected, and a couple of youth prospects seemed to be coming along nicely. While the league results were underwhelming, Maritzburg did have a two very good moments this year. In the FA Cup, they reached the semi finals before losing in extra time, and on the final day of the PL season played title spoiler by drawing away to Bloemfontein Celtic, allowing Sundowns to pip them to the title on the second tiebreaker.

Successes aside, changes seem to be afoot in South Africa this coming offseason. Maritzburg are a team that can be built into contenders, but it will take time. Several richer clubs with better squads have been a bit unsettled over the past year, and there will probably be several coaching changes at top half teams. Kreuger isn't above jumping ship to a stronger club, and plans to keep a close eye on a couple of the traditional powers.

On the international front, Cameroon went through 2029 with a perfect record. As you may recall from last season's report, Cameroon won all of their games in AFCON. The second half of 2029 was devoted to the last qualifying matches for the 2030 World Cup. Cameroon were heavy favorites in their group, but 4 consecutive wins were very satisfying, and left the Cameroon squad in an excellent mood with the World Cup approaching. Entering the 2030 World Cup, Cameroon were ranked 10th in the world, and hadn't lost since 2027. While impressive, both the ranking and results flattered them. Assessing the players available for selection, Cameroon realistically looked to be a middling side at the World Cup - expected to advance beyond the group stage, but not much threat to go deep in the knockout rounds.

Cameroon's group draw included Serbia and Iran. Opening their tournament against Serbia, Cameroon played to a bore of a scoreless draw. They were much better against Iran, winning 4-0 in a game that easily could have seen a larger margin of victory. In the Second Round, Cameroon faced Serbia. While Cameroon was favored, Serbia were not to be taken lightly. The game was a back and forth affair in which Cameroon prevailed 3-2. This set up a Third Round match up with Argentina. Argentina went ahead early after a penalty awarded for a handball, but Cameroon leveled the score before the half when Yousouffa Moukoko scored on the counter. Argentina pressured across the second half, but Cameroon held firm, and the match went to extra time. Cameroon lost there in heartbreaking form, conceding from a corner in the final minute of the match.

Spoiler

That result marked the end of Kreuger's stay as the Cameroon head coach - having already won AFCON, it was time to look for a international team elsewhere to collect a different continental trophy.

Total Progress: 4/32

Spoiler

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


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

Total Progress: 4/32
1/10 Top Domestic Leagues: 2027/28 A League
1/10 Domestic Cup: 2028 FFA Cup
1/5 Club Continental Competition: 2027/28 Asian Champion's League
0/1 Club World Championship

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

 

 

[efcfan]

Ultimate FM Challenge: New Club Job

So after applying to a bunch of jobs, someone finally decided to give me a chance. And I'm pretty excited about it. So who gave me a chance?

Cobreloa, who currently sit 9th in the Chilean second tier. And I join them at the perfect time, as there is a midseason break. Thus, I shall get to work with scheduling some friendlies to improve morale, as well as to get to know the team tactically.

So, how are we looking in the table?

9th is not good. However, we are only halfway through, and are 12 points clear of relegation. More importantly, we are actually only 7 points off the top. But to get promotion, we are going to need to win the league. 2nd doesn't qualify you for promotion or even a playoff spot. Thankfully the board only wants a top half finish, and to build towards promotion. Goal is to get off to a good start, and to start to improve my rep so I can get a better job either in Chile or abroad. 

[goonergez]

August 2052 Update

A very brief update here just to tell you that I have gone through a job change during the pre-season and will be lining up as manager of a new team. It wasn't an easy decision to leave AS Monaco, but when this job came up I just couldn't turn down the opportunity.

Valencia are one of the biggest teams in Europe now, and fight it out for the La Liga title every year with Barcelona and Real Madrid. The opportunity to manage a side that should be competitive across all fronts was just to good of an opportunity for me to turn down. Ironically it was my new club that defeated my AS Monaco side in the final of the Champions League last season.  They have won a couple of league titles in recent years, and I just felt I had more of an opportunity to win honours quickly here than I did in France. It wasn't an easy choice to walk away from AS Monaco, but it was definitely the right decision for my managerial career. Especially as I have been a little worried recently that my attempts at this challenge have begun to fade into nothing. I have taken over at the beginning of August though, meaning that I don't have very long to build a squad before the season gets underway. I'm both excited and a little nervous to find myself in such a huge job. Hopefully things will go well for me though and we can win trophies regularly to get me back on a successful pathway.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements

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

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

4/10 top domestic leagues (2025/26 SA Premier League, 2030 Chinese Super League Winners, 2037 MLS Cup Winners, 2045/46 Bundesliga Winners)
3/10 top domestic cups (2022/23 SA Knockout Cup, 2024/25 SA Cup Winners, 2028 Chinese FA Cup Winners, 2032/33 Copa Argentinos Winners)
4/5 club continental championships (2026/27 CAF Champions League Winners, 2029 Asian Champions League Winners, 2034/35 Copa Libertadores Winners, 2041 CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
0/1 club world championship

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

 

[dkouv]

 

Season 19 - 2038/39 - Southampton - Challenge Complete!!

Pre-season Jobs at Man Utd and Southampton became available after the summer’s World Cup, and since I couldn’t face taking over at ManU, I chose to replace Hasenhüttl - who moved on to become England manager - at Southampton. It looked like Southampton were very much a club outperforming their budget, finishing just behind the big six for several years in a row. The squad was actually in a much better shape than usual, with well balanced players in every position and lots of talented Brazilians to fill up the Brexit foreign player slots. I signed some strikers from South America in the summer, but most of my business was done in January as quite a few of my long-term targets from the time at Leipzig were nearing the end of their contracts so I managed to snap them up at low fees.

Cups That January squad building turned out be be key, as we navigated past a tricky Carabao cup semi against Man City in January to set up our first chance of an English trophy in a winnable final tie against Sheffield United. We were in control throughout the match but didn’t create much. In the end a goal from one of our January signings Jerome Serrano broke the deadlock and we held on for a 1-0 win.

League I was aiming for a CL spot in the league, and it was tight at the top between us, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd. A good second half of the season saw Man Utd fall away, and saw us pull away from City and Liverpool into a close second spot behind Chelsea. Then with three games left Chelsea lost away to Man City and we beat United at home to sneak into the top spot by a point. Both us and Chelsea won the next two games, and I had an away tie against already-relegated Bournemouth to seal the title.

I wasn’t expecting an easy game as our South Coast rivals beat us at home earlier in the season and so it proved, a match of almost no chances and a fully deserved dull 0-0. But somehow Chelsea also managed to draw at home to 17th placed West Ham; couldn’t quite believe it and we were Champions!

   

So, definitely much quicker than I expected, I got the last two trophies needed and with it the challenge is complete!

Key players Our defence was absolutely immense, with two naturalised Brazilian centre backs Alexandre and Paulo Vinicius key throughout the season. Our best signing was probably Alessio Castellani, who I had me eyes on at Leipzig and managed to sign on the cheap in January as his contract was due to expire - he finished up with 2 goals and 9 assists in 17 games, and an average rating of 7.54. Another signing worth singling out is Jerome Serrano - I signed him for £64m when at Nantes, then he went to PSG for a similar amount and I managed to get him in on the cheap for a nice swan song at Southampton - he didn’t play well in every game, but scored that Carabao cup winning goal and a few other crucial ones in his short spell with us.

   

Highlights of the challenge Honestly this challenge was surprisingly plain sailing, especially the international side of the game, and compared to my previous attempts much more enjoyable and less painful. Guess there weren’t that many dramatic ups and downs, but I certainly didn’t mind! It’s strange, think with this challenge if you get lucky in a few cups and internationals you can make pretty quick progress, but you can also get unlucky, get stuck and lose the motivation. Anyway, enough self-reflection; in terms of favourite teams I have to put down my four years with France at the top, with that tense extra time World Cup final win against Holland probably the moment of the challenge. Other than that, Nantes and Cruz Azul were probably the most enjoyable club spells, and the 6 month stint in charge of Australia to win the Asian cup was the closest I’d come to “doing a Vike”, something which I still have not done properly in all my attempts at this challenge, maybe next time…

Progress summary

                                                                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   
2030/31	   Fiorentina	      Serie A   	   1	    Won                                                                     
2031/32    Barcelona          La Liga		   1        Won 			  Runners up in the CL    
2032/33    Barcelona          La Liga		   1        Won           Won      Won 
2033/34    Nantes             Ligue 1		   4        Won                           Won the Europa league     
2034/35    Nantes             Ligue 1		   1        Won           Won                  
2035/36    Rostov             Russian PL	   1        Won           
2036/37    RB Leipzig         Bundesliga	   1     
2037/38    RB Leipzig         Bundesliga	   1        Won 
2038/39    Southampton        Premiership	   1              Won               
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                           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 third round
2026/27 Australia			       Won	
2028/29 Mexico						        Won
2029/30 Mexico						        			  Lost in World Cup third round
2030/31 France										  Won the Nations League
2031/32 France		            Won								  
2032/33 France										  Won the Nations League
2033/34 France		Won								  
2034/35 Brazil	
2035/36 Brazil								    Won										  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Challenge Progress:
  
Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul); South Korea (Jeonbuk); Argentina (San Lorenzo); Italy (Fiorentina); Spain (Barcelona); France (Nantes); Russia (Rostov); Germany (Leipzig); England (Southampton)
 10/10 domestic cups: South Africa (Orlando Pirates); Mexico (Cruz Azul); South Korea (Jeonbuk); Argentina (San Lorenzo); Italy (Fiorentina); Spain (Barcelona); France (Nantes); Russia (Rostov); Germany (Leipzig); England (Southampton)
 5/5 club continental championships: CAF Champions League (Orlando Pirates), CONCACAF CL (Cruz Azul); Asian CL (Jeonbuk); Copa Libertadores (San Lorenzo); Champions League (Barcelona)
 1/1 club world championship: Barcelona
 
International
 5/5 continental tournaments: ACON (Ivory Coast); Asian Cup (Australia); Gold Cup (Mexico); Euros (France); Copa America (Brazil)
 1/1 world tournaments: WC (France)

Overall: 32/32

 

[vikeologist]

10 hours ago, dkouv said:

 

 

Season 19 - 2038/39 -  Challenge Complete!!

 

 

Congratulations. That's one of the fastest completions, (if not the fastest) in the history of the challenge. I don't want to get too hung up on records, but well done.

And now you join the elite of people to have completed the challenge twice. Doing it once is a sign that we're committed. Twice is an indication that we probably have been.

The standard question, what next? One of the other challenges? 

[dkouv]

9 hours ago, vikeologist said:

Congratulations. That's one of the fastest completions, (if not the fastest) in the history of the challenge. I don't want to get too hung up on records, but well done.

And now you join the elite of people to have completed the challenge twice. Doing it once is a sign that we're committed. Twice is an indication that we probably have been.

The standard question, what next? One of the other challenges? 

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

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