The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

[SK]

@vikeologist thanks mate. Yeah I’m sure I would’ve  won it eventually but it’s nice to not have to try and work my clubs around it moving forward.  Be great if you gave it another crack. 

[Cheekybananafm]

2022 Season - Hougang United

My first full season is over and I won't lie, it's gone pretty well. We were predicted to end 6th (out of 9 teams) in the S League at the start of the season, we massively exceeded that.

So close to winning the league in my first season! We were absolutely brilliant but fitness issues and suspensions got us towards the end and we fell away. 3rd place means we qualify for the Asian Confederations Cup next season.

In the Singapore Cup we somehow topped our group, we only won one match!

Unfortunately in the semi finals we faced LC Sailors and were knocked out 5-2 on aggregate.

Yep, the first leg killed it for us.

Transfers           Moments to Remember        Finances       Best XI      Playing Squad

Tomoyuki Doi was by far our best player this season, he ends as the clubs player of the year and the leagues top scorer with 20 goals.

Our best Singaporean player was Zulqarnaen Suzliman, the Right Winger ends with 7 assists in 23 games.

        

So a really good first season in charge, I fully expect a title push next season!

 

 

[goonergez]

@Cheekybananafmthats a very nice opening campaign and a very solid platform to build upon. Hopefully the title will be yours!

Does anybody know the situation regarding Canadian teams in the MLS and qualification for the Champions League. In the rules section it says Canadian teams are not included in the qualification process. Does that mean I need to win the Canadian Championship to qualify? Or have I messed up by joining Toronto and I don’t stand any chance of making it?

[BigJack]

Season 3 2023/24 - Cape Town Spurs

League Table    Cups    Squad    Transfers    Finances    Results 1    Results 2

Our second season in the DSTV Premier has been hot and cold. We have made some good progress on the pitch but not as much as I had hoped. We finished in 5th for the second season running after dominating most games but failing to be clinical enough in front of goal. We was predicted to finish in 9th so we have still had a decent season. 

In the cups we lost in the MTN8 QF to Kaiser Chiefs, in the Telekom Knockout SF to Amazula and suffered the heartbreak of a Final loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup.

The clubs finances are in a much better position. We received £250k for the final loss and also managed to sell Cupido to a Chinese club for a cool £1m. He asked to move to a bigger club and he hasn't really been setting the world alight. I transfer listed him and the offer came within days which was a no brainer as it sorted our finances out. 

Mamelodi Sundowns have sacked their manager and even though I've applied (no interview at time of update) I am still unsure if I would even take the role. I love winning things with the lesser sides and do think we are not far away from a title challenge. We have some cracking kids in the academy/reserve sides and with N'Goran joining this summer to strengthen the attack I may just stay on another season or 2 and see how it develops. I've started the Continental C Badge so we are getting a decent footballing education.

Club Career
							Leagues			Cups
Season	Nation		Division	Club		1st	2nd		1st	2nd	Cont.	CWC	Other Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	S.Africa	Gladbank Champ	Cape Town Spurs	1st	n/a		n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	Promoted to DSTV Premiership
2022/23	S.Africa	DSTV Prem	Cape Town Spurs	5th	n/a		SF	QF	n/a	n/a	Achieved National C coaching badge
2023/24	S.Africa	DSTV Prem	Cape Town Spurs	5th	n/a		RU	SF	n/a	n/a	Achieved National B and A coaching badges.

 

[Patrick69]

DUNGANNON SWIFTS

 

Season 2021 - 2022

 

When I started as manager of Dungannon Swifts, the were at the bottom of the table in the Danske Bank Premier. I knew I took a risk to become their manager as it was going to be a difficult job to avoid promotion. With11 matches played and only 7 points won, it was going to be a fight against relegation, 

After 33 matches the Danske Bank Premier was split. As we were found in the bottom half of the competition, we had to play 5 matches to secure our spot in the Danske Bank Premier.

After a season in which we were found either at 12th place or 11th place, we managed to avoid direct relegation. As we finished 11th in the Dansk Bank Premier, we had to play 2 matches in the Playoffs against a team playing in the Lough41 Championship.

 

So at the end of the season, we managed to avoid relegation and so next season we would again play our matches in the Danske Bank Premier.

 

We managed to bring Silverware to Stangmore Park as we managed to win a Cup:

 

 

[JamLUFC]

FM is now live, and so is my attempt at this.

I've loaded up pretty much every league (bar some I've played before) and the manager profile is set

I decided to play the waiting game and not dive into the first offer available, so took interviews in Indonesia, Turkey, Wales, Iceland, Belaurs, Bulgaria, South Africa, Ireland, England, Uruguay, Ukraine, China, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong, Austria, Russia, Latvia, Denmark and Slovakia.

There were some places I didn't want to start in as I had already done so before (England, Uruguay and Norway) and a couple of lower league roles in Indonesia which didn't appeal to me. I really had my eye on roles at Cork in Ireland and Norrby in Sweden but both turned me down after interviews

Eventually on November 15th I get offered an appealing job which I've accepted at Petrolul Ploiesti who are 5th in the Romania second division. Only a couple of games remain before the promotion playoffs so I have a real chance of sneaking an early promotion to the Romanian top division in.

[Safe Hands]

Decided to start again with the new game, encase there is any bugs in the beta. Spain was nice start but going decided to load some of the leagues you can start early, hopefully get some badges and jump a few leagues up to save on processing save. Hoping for a job in Ireland or Asia leagues that start early.

[Phelix]

@JamLUFC Hey bud, you may have missed it, but in order to be eligible for the leader board your manager age needs to be set to the youngest possible using your own birth day and month. Hope I've caught you before you've gone too far in the save to start over.

[goonergez]

36 minutes ago, Phelix said:

@JamLUFC Hey bud, you may have missed it, but in order to be eligible for the leader board your manager age needs to be set to the youngest possible using your own birth day and month. Hope I've caught you before you've gone too far in the save to start over.

I believe this rule was changed recently as manager age seemed to bare my interest in how the game unfolds. Maybe @vikeologistcan clarify but pretty sure it was changed recently?

[Safe Hands]

Going to have to start again forgot to add fix to names meaning Brazil really difficult. Glad in a sense as wanted to start in Malaysia 2nd divison but really weird no one got sacked after sim  most of season not sure if bug 1 team had 4 points after 19 games and still didnt sacked the manager. Re-think where I'm going now but probably start Europe. Thinking get to use players I know as doesnt really matter in South Africa or Americas as i dont know majority of players anyway so 30 years in future same as starting in day 1.

[siddhus71]

It is time. First time attempting the challenge, let's see what happens.

[goonergez]

Great to see so many saves going on or about to get underway! I’ll be keeping a keen eye with interest! This thread could be buzzing!

[JamLUFC]

4 hours ago, Phelix said:

@JamLUFC Hey bud, you may have missed it, but in order to be eligible for the leader board your manager age needs to be set to the youngest possible using your own birth day and month. Hope I've caught you before you've gone too far in the save to start over.

Had me worried then! But I think it was changed last year, the original post says any age is fine so I think I'm ok

[darren1983]

Not been able to play the game since sometime Saturday thanks to some health issues (nothing serious thankfully) but got a few days off now so should get loads of time in  

[goonergez]

Toronto FC: 2025 Review

Having joined Toronto mid season it was all about trying to improve the on field performances and try to ensure we made it into the post season play-offs. Even after the previous manager departed things looked good for that and for me it was about trying to climb the table and prove that in the right man for the job here. My arrival came during a transfer window but we didn’t conduct much business. I signed a promising young centre back as well as a young striker released by Bayern Munich but that was about it. Two players departed as well. I didn’t wanna go crazy as I need to get my head around the rules again and I’d rather wait until the end of the season and focus on building a squad to compete next time around.

We mixed 9 victories with 3 defeats to pull ourselves up and gain a highly respectable finish in our conference. I said when I arrived things looked pretty good and so it showed. Inconsistency was extremely frustrating but we were working with a very small squad and so to make the play offs had to be considered a real success.

A really disappointing performance in our play off opener saw us beaten 0-1 to Columbus due to an 86th minute winner. In truth we were lacklustre and the lack of a real genuine striker cost us as we wasted some really good chances to take the lead in the game. As one of the favourites to win the MLS overall this result really didn’t go down very well at all with either the fans or the board here.

Outside of the MLS we continued a similar pattern. Early and surprise exits in both the Canadian Championship and the Leagues Cup meant a trophy free season and put my job under serious jeopardy.

The aftermath of our season saw me twice called into board meetings to save my job and once for speaking to the press about said meetings. I managed to keep hold of my position but it’s fair to say I am under considerable pressure. I definitely understand it though, this season really did end up as a massive disappointment. I ended up struggling due to the lack of a real genuine clinical striker and just the fact I was working with such a small squad. There is work to do here if I want to strengthen the squad and have another go at it with a Toronto next season. Saying that I am going to be keeping my eyes open for any other positions in the MLS. Being a Canadian team certainly doesn’t help me and if a job comes available at one of the top American sides I may just try and jump ship. For now I focus on getting my preparations ready to strengthen this squad for another crack at trying to win silverware here.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	Black Leopards		SA First Division	4th
2022/23	Black Leopards		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2023/24	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, African Champions League Winners
2024/25	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, SA Knockout Cup Winners
2025	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	2nd		

2025-present	Nigeria

1/10 Top Domestic Leagues (2023/24 SA Premier League)
1/10 Domestic Cups (2024/25 SA Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (2023/24 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[spoon47]

Really looking forward to starting this on FM22 whenever I end up purchasing it. Is the language thing a strict requirement? Would love to have Spanish and German in there as I speak those in real life

[vikeologist]

23 minutes ago, spoon47 said:

Really looking forward to starting this on FM22 whenever I end up purchasing it. Is the language thing a strict requirement? Would love to have Spanish and German in there as I speak those in real life

The languages can be a small advantage. On the bright aide, your manager will speak Spanish and German by the end anyway. If you really want to speak Spanish and German from the start though, it's ok. It's a minor thing. 

 

4 hours ago, JamLUFC said:

Had me worried then! But I think it was changed last year, the original post says any age is fine so I think I'm ok

I changed it last year because somebody started 'too old' and I ran an experiment, and the age makes (AFAIK) no difference at all, at least at the start. Any age is fine.

[JamLUFC]

23 hours ago, JamLUFC said:

FM is now live, and so is my attempt at this.

I've loaded up pretty much every league (bar some I've played before) and the manager profile is set

I decided to play the waiting game and not dive into the first offer available, so took interviews in Indonesia, Turkey, Wales, Iceland, Belaurs, Bulgaria, South Africa, Ireland, England, Uruguay, Ukraine, China, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong, Austria, Russia, Latvia, Denmark and Slovakia.

There were some places I didn't want to start in as I had already done so before (England, Uruguay and Norway) and a couple of lower league roles in Indonesia which didn't appeal to me. I really had my eye on roles at Cork in Ireland and Norrby in Sweden but both turned me down after interviews

Eventually on November 15th I get offered an appealing job which I've accepted at Petrolul Ploiesti who are 5th in the Romania second division. Only a couple of games remain before the promotion playoffs so I have a real chance of sneaking an early promotion to the Romanian top division in.

Note to self, having all leagues open does not do wonders for my laptop. My test sim for the first two months was brilliant, but by January I'm going at an unworkable pace so regretably I need to half the leagues significantly and try again! Luckily because of the mid-season break I'd only played two games - fingers crossed I can be as lucky this time with a good job offer!

[Safe Hands]

Ready to go again. See where we end up this time

[beardymouse]

Here we go*! I've never given this way of playing a go before so am very excited by the new challenge (and the challenge of running this many leagues on my laptop!). Here's Donald Bundy. The 4'1" obese man with the visual stylings (but not footballing capability) of an English Carlos Valderrama 

I wanted to get stuck in as soon as possible, but my first offer was from Cefn Druids - a semi-professional Welsh team. I wanted something more exotic (and preferably professional), then this came along:

 

A China League One side who gained promotion last season but have struggled. There's very little wriggle room in the wage and transfer budgets and - aside from four fantastic foreigners (of who I'm allowed to play two) - the squad is very poor.

They all are unimpressed by this small, fat, non-Chinese-speaking man. Let's see how this journey goes!

Solid badge as well...

*after an aborted attempt where I clearly didn't load enough low reputation leagues.

[JamLUFC]

Season One - 2021/22

So after the restart I was again patient and again got a job near the top of the Romanian second division with Universitatea Cluj (or U. Cluj as they're apparently known). We were fourth with five games to go before the split to the promotion playoff and we sailed into a top six place. From there we beat league leaders Hermannstadt away in the first game, but after that we never got close to them as they romped to top spot. We had a little wobble but with two games to go secured promotion to the top division.

 

The ambition now is to try and survive, which won't be easy as the bottom 10 teams out of 16 go into a relegation league, mostly driven by their points obtained earlier in the season so a strong start will be imperative. The board have already let me complete one course so the National C licence is also in the bag, and they've just approved me to start the course for the B licence which I should complete just after the start of the next season

One thing I've learnt from last year is that at this point I would already be looking for a new job thinking I wouldn't be able to push further however this time I'm not interested in looking and am happy to try and build on this success, stabilising for a year, and then maybe push on. Of course if a top side from the top division approach me I'd consider it, but until then I'll stick with a club who's backed me.

Internationally I'm not looking at until I can attract an Asian/African/North American team who may be able to challenge for silverware. Last year I did stints with Togo and Macedonia, and whilst I'm sure it developed my reputation a little I don't think I ever really gained anything from it

 

[Phelix]

I've started this challenge again, last year I got 15/32 trophies which is a new record for me so I'm excited to try again.

I'm doing it a little different though. I was uninspired by any of the teams that would take me early on, so I took the job as the Ghana U20's manager. I lead them to the U20 African Cup of Nations title, and then the second round of the 2023 U20 World Cup, which apparently has given me enough clout to land the senior management job of Japan in 2023. Meanwhile I had a club job in the Portuguese second tier with Casa Pia, that allowed me to grab my first two coaching badges before resigning.

I'm hoping a solid WCQ campaign with Japan (the Asian Cup just finished which is why the job was available) will lead me to a top tier club job somewhere, I've had an interview with Maritimo in Portugal, but didn't land the role.

[vikeologist]

I just wasn't enjoying the challenge I was doing, partly because of having started it on the beta and its attendant imperfections, partly because it was just so difficult and would take ages to get anywhere, and someone mentioned they'd managed to get a first job with

so here's my starting profile.

NNot saying it's forever, but I'm instantly enjoying this a lot more, trying to rescue Oldham from the relegation quagmire.

[Diego D10S]

                                                                                                                               Manager Update 2021 - 2023

 

 

Great start to my Oldham career. Was a club in shambles when I took over at the end of 2021.

But was able to stabilize the finances and win the leauge title with very limited resources at the end of 2023.

Starting to get attached to this team but will probably try apply for some better jobs during this upcomming season.

GL ALL !!!!  

 

 

 

 

[goonergez]

Toronto FC: 2026 Review

My first full season in Toronto has come to an end and this time around it was about ensuring we did a lot better than last season where we lost out in the opening game of the play offs. I somehow managed to keep hold of my job after that though and felt that we did a really effective job over the off season of strengthening our squad. I focused on bringing in younger players from abroad and it meant that by the time we entered the campaign we had a squad with both quality and depth. We were expected to do well and the bookmakers expected us to win the MLS. The board here wanted the same which meant that I was certainly under some pressure to deliver after a frustrating first few months at the helm.

A superb run of form towards the end of the season ensured we won the Eastern Conference whilst also clinching more silverware by finishing top of the Supporters Shield as well. The whole squad performed well all season and it’s nearly impossible for me to pick out individuals. It really was a stunning effort after a bit of a slow start to the campaign. By finishing top of the Conference we managed to enter the play-offs at a later stage and with high hopes of going on and lifting the MLS Cup.

The semi final saw us avoid the dangerous New York City FC, after they were knocked out in the first round by Chicago Fire. I had much more hope of defeating them and after we scored an early goal we cruised into the Conference East final. Fair to say the result was pretty comprehensive mind you.

Next up was New York Red Bulls who won the Conference East play-offs last season. The game was an extremely even contest although we probably just about edged the overall play. An early goal gave us the lead and we just about did enough to hold onto our lead throughout. We managed to grab a second just after the hour mark and held on to reach the MLS Cup final.

After the first half I had real fears that it simply wasn’t going to be our day. The first half was tight and cagey but we had the perfect opportunity to take the lead when Johnny stepped up to take a penalty. His effort was saved and we went in at the break locked at 0-0. The second half was a completely different game. We scored twice and could have had a load more as we strolled to another victory and the MLS Cup was ours.

Outside of the MLS we found ourselves competing in both the Leagues Cup and the Canadian Championships competitions. My hope was to go as far across those two competitions as possible hoping to sneak a cup victory and earn a spot in the North American version of the Champions League. I wasn’t actually sure if winning either of these competitions would do that but that was my target. 

The Leagues Cup went well for us all the way until the final where we suffered a shock defeat to New York City, a team we had beaten four days prior in the MLS. We never got going in the final and as soon as we fell begins we just struggled to create anything of note. We did create plenty of chances but we couldn’t find the breakthrough. A late penalty gave us a little hope but we couldn’t find the second and missed out.

The Canadian Championships was a disaster for us last season as we crashed out early, but this time I expected more from us. We breezed through Canadian league sides in both the Quarter Final and the Semi Final to book a spot with Montreal in the final. The semi was particularly pleasing as we were missing a host of first team regulars away on international duty. Sure to be a tense affair between two bitter rivals I had high hopes we could grab more silverware in the final though.

A superb performance in the final saw us defeat our biggest rivals and lift the trophy. We were nervous throughout the first half but in the second period we were brilliant. We scored two but in truth we should’ve scored more than that. Defensively we did really well to keep a clean sheet and it was extremely satisfying to win the competition after failing miserably in it last season.

A fantastic season with Toronto FC draws to a close and it’s fair to say it was a real success. We won the MLS Eastern Conference, the MLS Cup, the Supporters Shield and the Canadian Championship in a massively successful trophy filled campaign. My efforts didn’t go unrewarded either,

I put pen to paper on a new contract with the club just days before we went and won the MLS Cup. After barely clinging to my role here at the end of last season it shows just how far I’ve taken this squad in the twelve months since. Funnily enough I don’t intend to stick around to honour any of that new deal here though. Despite all of our successes my side haven’t qualified for the Champions League and so for me it’s going to have to be a goodbye. I don’t intend on leaving America but I will be hunting around for a new position here to try and chalk off that said Champions League crown. It’s incredibly disappointing though as I feel that there is more than enough quality in this Toronto squad to do so. If only we had managed to find means of qualification.

Our season can easily be divided into three very different segments. The first phase saw us win games but also lose a fair few as we struggled to get our season up and running. We were scoring plenty of goals but unfortunately leaking too many at the other end. The second section saw us draw six games in a run of seven as our defence started to improve but our own goal tally started to dry up. We kept ourselves near the top of the pile but needed to find some form if we wanted to kick on. The final portion of the season was simply sublime. A really good run of form saw us competing right at the top end of our conference as we strung together a magical unbeaten run seeing us score plenty and defend solidly.

My time with Nigeria has moved along pretty steadily although it hasn’t all been happy. I took the job shortly after a poor showing in the African Cup of Nations but a fair while passed before I actually led my team out in a match. We won a couple of World Cup qualifiers and a couple of qualifiers for the next edition of the African Cup of Nations as well. In honesty it’s that competition that my focus is on with Nigeria. 

I also led the team into the World Cup although it didn’t quite go to plan. We won a couple of warm up matches against Costa Rica and Ukraine before facing off in the group stage with Germany and El Salvador. We were beaten 1-3 by Germany having been in the game right until the end before we thumped El Salvador 4-0 in a result that saw us qualify for the knockout stages. Unfortunately we were beaten 1-3 by South Korea and crashed out. The expectations were for us to go as far as the Third Round of the tournament but thankfully I have managed to keep hold of my job. Hopefully I can do better when we head into the African Cup of Nations.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	Black Leopards		SA First Division	4th
2022/23	Black Leopards		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2023/24	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, African Champions League Winners
2024/25	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, SA Knockout Cup Winners
2025	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	2nd
2026	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Canadian Championship Winners, Eastern Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners		


2025-present	Nigeria

2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (2023/24 SA Premier League, 2026 MLS Winners)
1/10 Domestic Cups (2024/25 SA Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (2023/24 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[goonergez]

Job Update: December 2026

After a hugely successful campaign with Toronto FC I was gutted to find out that I hadn’t qualified for the Champions League. Especially disappointing considering how strong my squad was and that I felt we would be capable of going a long way in the competition. Being a Canadian team in the MLS proved to be a setback in the end and I felt I was left with no option other than to look elsewhere for a position.

I had my eyes firmly on one job and after failing in the play offs it finally happened for me as Los Angeles FC removed their manager from his position. I had attended an interview with Columbus Crew but in truth the LAFC job was the only one I wanted.

I am unbelievably excited to take this role and I’m keen to get stuck in. Having won the MLS Cup last season that pressure is off of me and instead I can focus elsewhere. I’ll get to compete in the domestic cup this time around and hopefully longer term the Champions League. I’ll be aiming to put together a solid campaign this season to qualify for next years Champions League. First up is about strengthening the squad though and we also have the third pick in the first round of the draft upcoming. Before I focus too much on the MLS though I have the small matter of the African Cup of Nations with my Nigeria side.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	Black Leopards		SA First Division	4th
2022/23	Black Leopards		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2023/24	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, African Champions League Winners
2024/25	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, SA Knockout Cup Winners
2025	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	2nd
2026	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Canadian Championship Winners, Eastern Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners		
2027	Los Angeles FC		MLS Western Conference	ongoing


2025-present	Nigeria

2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (2023/24 SA Premier League, 2026 MLS Winners)
1/10 Domestic Cups (2024/25 SA Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (2023/24 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[b4usiddhu2]

Ok then, Starting the save now. Glad I played this save last two months on FM20 and enjoyed it. 

Bought FM22 and here we go !!

 

[Safe Hands]

IRN BRU RANGERS 2021/2022



I had some really good jobs offers in Germany 3rd division and Dutch 2nd. I thought they were too unrealistic so turned them down. I fancied a new league to took up the reigns at Irn Bru Rangers in Hong Kong. I cant even find a picture of their badge on the internet.T hey had some solid foreign players who were excellent for the league 2 strikers and a keeper. The rest was a bit pants and they were 2nd bottom. There isn't much to add, I couldn't get anything going as you can see from my record of 3 wins in 11 games. Most disappointing is there are 3 cups in Hong Kong which all like champions league format starting as group then onto knockouts. We had all 3 to go at and failed to get out of the groups. It really was disappointing, I have my C licence and working on my B. However I don't know what I'm going to do, i feel its been a wasted season. Plus nearly all my squad is leaving ive manged to keep 1 of the good foreign players rest wont sign new contracts. There is some promising youth players but I really do need a full rebuild I have 3 players left from my starting team. Hong Kong is weird it a small league with 8 teams so you got weeks without a game even with 3 cups. Don't know if to take my badges and see what i can grab or start all over again and head to Europe as I original intended. I really didn't enjoy this season at all.

[Phelix]

2 hours ago, Safe Hands said:

Don't know if to take my badges and see what i can grab or start all over again and head to Europe as I original intended. I really didn't enjoy this season at all.

Take the badges and run. A rebuilding project isn't what you need at the start of this challenge, badges will get you a better job without the need for performances in the Hong Kong league.

[BigJack]

Ivory Coast

International Update 2023 and 2024

Results 1    Results 2    Nation

My first foray into international football came as manager of Ivory Coast. I decided to do a double update as we took over in September 2023 and only had a few games to play that year. We started with the 2-2 draw with Scotland before a couple of mixed results. A win against Egypt was followed by a loss to Guinea. Onto 2024 and we had a perfect year. No major tournaments to compete in but qualifiers for both the 2025 AFCON and 2026 World Cup. I am playing with a very attacking style and with the quality and depth the Ivory Coast provide I knew we could blow sides away and that we did. We qualified for the 2025 AFCON with ease and went into the finals as one of the favourites. 

2025 AFCON

Results    Squad

We kicked off with quite a tricky group. Although Sierra Leone looked like an easy win. The other two sides, Morocco and Burkina Faso were both ranked similar to ourselves in the FIFA rankings and both proved to be tricky games. A tight 1-0 win over Morocco to kick of the group stages was followed by a 3-1 win over Burkina Faso. That's not tight you say? we scored 2 goals in the 89th min and 92nd min to get the points. I was able to rotate for the last group game and the back up players showed the depth we possess with a 5-2 win. 

Onto the second round and a nightmare draw against Egypt. We had beaten them in a friendly but that means very little. we took a 2-0 lead inside 7 minutes and then got battered for the following 83 but managed to scrape through 2-1.

In the quarter finals we drew Algeria, another powerhouse side in Africa. This was another tight affair, settled by a Eric Baily header from a corner. That was all we needed and progressed 1-0 

Onto the last four and we faced Morocco again. They took an early lead before we pulled level just before half time. We thought we had settled it when taking the lead in the 85th minute, only for them to get back on terms with the last kick of the ball in the 9t5th min. Onto extra time and we turned it up a notch and pulled through 4-2.

The Final. Ivory Coast vs DR Congo. On first looks I thought this should be easy, I was wrong. Looked at their squad and didn't realise just how many decent players they had and from then I knew we was going to be in a tough game. It was an absolute snore fest minus the 4 red cards. How we never lost I dont know, both sides down to 10 men in normal time which ended 0-0. In extra time we had another 2 players sent off and literally clung on for penalties. I needed not worry, as we managed to bag the trophy with a 6-5 win on penalties. 

With a World Cup just over a year away, I will be staying in the role until then. I highly doubt we can win it but ill stay put at least until another attractive role becomes available.

Club Career
							Leagues			Cups
Season	Nation		Division	Club		1st	2nd		1st	2nd	Cont.	CWC	Other Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	S.Africa	Gladbank Champ	Cape Town Spurs	1st	n/a		n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	Promoted to DSTV Premiership
2022/23	S.Africa	DSTV Prem	Cape Town Spurs	5th	n/a		SF	QF	n/a	n/a	Achieved National C coaching badge
2023/24	S.Africa	DSTV Prem	Cape Town Spurs	5th	n/a		RU	SF	n/a	n/a	Achieved National B and A coaching badges.




International Career

Year	Nation		F.Rank	NL	Cont.	WC	Other Achievmennts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023	Ivory Coast	56th	n/a	n/a	n/a	Took over on 10/09/2023
2024	Ivory Coast	41st	n/a	n/a	n/a	Qualified for 2025 AFCON
2025	Ivory Coast	25th	n/a	WIN	n/a	Won 2025 AFCON.


Challenge Progress

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

International
1/5 Continental Tournaments (Ivory Coast 2025 AFCON),
0/1 World Tournament

1/32

 

[Safe Hands]

6 hours ago, Phelix said:

Take the badges and run. A rebuilding project isn't what you need at the start of this challenge, badges will get you a better job without the need for performances in the Hong Kong league.

Starting again, I let my contract expiry but couldnt even get a interview at a conference team. I'd basically lose a year of game time to get a job I would get at the start. 

[Phelix]

15 minutes ago, Safe Hands said:

Starting again, I let my contract expiry but couldnt even get a interview at a conference team. I'd basically lose a year of game time to get a job I would get at the start. 

A lot depends on the leagues you have loaded. I don't want to play with a conference team at any stage (poor finances mean it's hard to get them let you get coaching badges). I prefer to play in more obscure European leagues or lower South American leagues in Chile/Uruguay/Colombia. I don't like playing in Asia either, so I only really load Australia and aim to win the ACL with an A-League team.

[Safe Hands]

3 hours ago, Phelix said:

A lot depends on the leagues you have loaded. I don't want to play with a conference team at any stage (poor finances mean it's hard to get them let you get coaching badges). I prefer to play in more obscure European leagues or lower South American leagues in Chile/Uruguay/Colombia. I don't like playing in Asia either, so I only really load Australia and aim to win the ACL with an A-League team.

Makes sense. I know getting any job is unrealistic but before I start I list all the playable leagues in order of rankings and try to take something below 100 to start. Limit choices and probably makes it much harder for me. On Hong Kong got a great offer from a dutch club in 2nd division but it was ranked 62 and thought too unrealistic.

 

Started again looking to start Turkey lower leagues , spain or italy. Spain and italy are just above 100 but choices below are mostly the lower leagues of England and small nations in Asia.

[darren1983]

 

Mamelodi Sundowns Review - 2023/24

 

League - A very strong season. Helps when you take over the reigning champions and the team that had won 5 of the last 6 league titles but we smashed it this season, scoring goals for fun, breaking records along the way, we never really looked in danger of not winning the title mainly as the other big sides all had really bad seasons with Cape Town fighting relegation for most of it! Title was wrapped up early so I could focus elsewhere.

Champions League - Mainly the focus was here, we cruised through the early rounds and even the group stages where we won all 6 with a GD of like +22, the semi final first leg was a real battle as we went down 2-1 away to Zamalek of Egypt, a team with many players in my Egypt squad, but 2nd leg we crushed them. Final was nervy as we dominated without really taking our chances but we won 2-0 and became the kings of Africa

MTN 8 - this is for the top 8 from the previous season. No important so rotated and tested out some ideas, we still won it though

Nedbank Cup - the main cup in South Africa, winning the league so early meant I was able to focus here in the later rounds when fixture congestion started to be an issue but we never really were tested as the big sides fell early leaving us an easy win

Telkon Cup - cup for just the top flight teams, again not important so rotated a lot and our back ups won this as well

Squad - Not the biggest but was enough, in 2nd half of season I basically had 2 teams and I just flipped between them each game, it worked as we won everything this year

Key Players

Peter Shalulile - what can I say? 38 goals in 46 games. Insane, wasn't even first choice but played a lot against the lesser sides and hammered them
Fargie Lakay - started the season on the right wing, went to striker and ended with over 30 goals as well
Sibusiso Vilakazi - started the season as a back up but always seemed to score or assist so forced his way into the main team 2nd half of season as I changed things up a bit
Thando Buthelezi - was rotting away in the reserves when I took over, became a key player and also had nearly 20 goals this season
Grant Margeman - was a star man at start of season with lots of assists (ended the season with 19) but 2nd half wasn't as effective as I changed his role to fit others in. Still an excellent player for us wherever he plays though

Egypt Review

 

Not really a massive amount to write here as yet. Took over with them 25th in the world which is where they still are. We're on course for the 2025 ACON and World Cup qualifying starts soon. More on these guys in the middle of next season I think when the ACON come along.

 

Career Overview

Season	     Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
2021/22      Black Leopards		Championship		5th 		Took over after 11 games down in 15th place
2022/23	     Black Leopards		Championship		1st 		Promotion. Got 1st coaching badge and started on the 2nd 
2023/24	     Mamelodi Sundowns		Premiership		1st 		Won all domestic cups, African Champions League, got 2nd and 3rd coaching badges

Year		Nation			Honours
2024		Egypt

Challenge Progress

1/10 top domestic – South Africa 2024 (Mamelodi Sundowns) 
1/10 top domestic cups – South Africa 2024 (Mamelodi Sundowns)
1/5 club continental – Africa 2024 (Mamelodi Sundows)
0/1 club world championship

0/5 continental competitions 
0/1 world tournaments

What's Next?

Well I've won everything club wise in Africa so should probably move on, not many interesting jobs on offer right now though so may hang around here for half a season till the ACON then leave Africa (I'll obviously have to return at some point if I don't win the ACON) but will be keeping an eye on the job page very week. 

[goonergez]

@darren1983thats one hell of a dominant season right there! I thought my spell in South Africa was good but wow! Any ideas where you want to go to next?

[darren1983]

57 minutes ago, goonergez said:

@darren1983thats one hell of a dominant season right there! I thought my spell in South Africa was good but wow! Any ideas where you want to go to next?

Yeah turned out alright didn't it?  

Honestly not sure I've ever had a season like that before, think having a side that was already the best in the league and didn't need much (I only brought in some younger players really) was a big advantage as usually you take over someone that has been doing poorly, added that it was a season where all our rivals were poor and I think they all sacked their managers during the season also made us look a bit better. I just checked and we scored 176 goals in 58 games this season  

As for next I quite like the idea of South Korea as never really spent much time there in FM but not too fussed, I want to leave Europe till I've finished the rest of the world but if something interesting pops up there then who knows?

[Safe Hands]

9 hours ago, Phelix said:

A lot depends on the leagues you have loaded. I don't want to play with a conference team at any stage (poor finances mean it's hard to get them let you get coaching badges). I prefer to play in more obscure European leagues or lower South American leagues in Chile/Uruguay/Colombia. I don't like playing in Asia either, so I only really load Australia and aim to win the ACL with an A-League team.

Sorry mate re-read what you put and think I understand. 

 

Let say you loaded your games and lowest ranked leagues were say Dutch and russian 2nd division

I did the same but added hong kong, conference north and south, wales.

 

You would get job offers in russia and Dutch league where as on my game those teams wouldnt look at me and I'd but stuck to hong kong and wales?

Is that about right?

[b4usiddhu2]

20 hours ago, b4usiddhu2 said:

Ok then, Starting the save now. Glad I played this save last two months on FM20 and enjoyed it. 

Bought FM22 and here we go !!

 

ok then, with 2months in, I got this job in Chinese First Division League after a weird firing of their existing manager. They were predicted to finish 2nd or 3rd in the division. With 4 games left, they are currently in 7th position with just 3 points behind the playoff spots. Two of those games are against the teams directly above them and hence should be good ones to win. Surprisingly enough, they won the 2 games after their manager was fired with one of them against the table toppers. 

 

Honestly hope I can take them to playoffs and somehow get promoted. If not, I will keep looking for other jobs meanwhile. Using this to pass the game time and also get some coaching badges which they agreed for during the hiring interview.

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by b4usiddhu2

[vikeologist]

11 hours ago, Safe Hands said:

Sorry mate re-read what you put and think I understand. 

 

Let say you loaded your games and lowest ranked leagues were say Dutch and russian 2nd division

I did the same but added hong kong, conference north and south, wales.

 

You would get job offers in russia and Dutch league where as on my game those teams wouldnt look at me and I'd but stuck to hong kong and wales?

Is that about right?

The leagues you load don't make any difference to the first jobs one can get. If you don't load low enough teams, you won;t be able to get a first job.

I'd have thought the coaching badges would have helped you get the second job, but it's certainly the case that one can become less employable rather than more if, for instance, you leave a job. I don't know exactly how the 'hiring' algorithms work, but generally taking a crappy first club or international job isn't a good move. I think players have won a crappy league to start off with, and still been less employable.

[Safe Hands]

2021/20222 Cameroon





 

 

 

 

Decided to start again had a few interviews but only jobs offers were the Chinese 2nd division which only had a few games of the season remaining. Didn't fancy waiting 5 months so turned them down. I applied for every job and was shocked to be offered the Cameroon job. They had a disaster qualifying for the world cup but wre the host nation in the AFCON starting in January. It felt unrealistic but i decided not to look a gidft horse in the mouth. The squad was ageing but had some immense quality Onana in goal, Augussai brilliant box to box and some decent strtiker like the evergreen Chupo Moting. We had one warm up game before the AFCON against DR Republic Congo, we won comfortable 3-0 playing a direct 433 dm. So onto the tournament where were were drawn against Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia I was confident we could get out of the group

Spoiler

So it proved, we were rarely troubled winning all 3 games without conceding a goal







 

2nd Round (if Applicable)

 

Spoiler

We faced Ghana who I thought would offer a sterner test but we were never in trouble and ran out comfortable winners

Quarter Finals (if Applicable)

 

Spoiler

We faced Tunisia and felt confident we would win this game having a superior squad and so it proved right Auggasi was excellent as a box to box. The whole team performed well. We did concede a later goal but managed to hang on for the win where Nigeria were waiting for us in the semi final

Semi Finals (if applicable)
 

Spoiler

I toyed with the idea of changing our direct high press 433 and change to a counter attacking 442 and i was worried about the threat from Nigeria they had some strong players and the conditions were 31oc. Decided not to change anything and it worked a treat. We faced into a 2-0 early lead thanks to two goals from Lyon Toko, who returned in the semi has being injured in the group. At half time decided to knock down our pressing and tempo with the conditions and we comfortable 3-0 victory.

Other semi was Senegal or Ivory Coast. I really didn't fancy our changes against Mane ands co but they were beaten by the Ivory Coast


 

Final (if Applicable) 

 

Spoiler

I felt we could beat the Ivory coast, the conditions were perfect for our pressing game. We had to leave our left back out as he was too tired. Our captain was also tired but is essential to our tactic so i left him in. We dominated the game but couldn't find a break through. Just before full time Kessie was read cared so thought we could avoid the lottery of pens. Unfortunately we couldn't find the break through. Most of out players were nervous going into pens so i was worried. However we have Onana one of best keepers in the world and his 2 pens and our players holding their nerve meant we won. So one of the international cups out of the way very early before ive even took a club job.









 

What next. The team is ageing and with them not qualifying for the world cup I see no reason to stick around. Next step is to take a club job and work my way to my badges while keeping an eye on any international opening which might offer a chnace to win some silverware. 

Profile below so not to spoil the progress of Afcon


 

Spoiler

hoping this spring boards me into better job offers
 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Safe Hands

[b4usiddhu2]

2 hours ago, Safe Hands said:

2021/20222 Cameroon





 

 

 

 

Decided to start again had a few interviews but only jobs offers were the Chinese 2nd division which only had a few games of the season remaining. Didn't fancy waiting 5 months so turned them down. I applied for every job and was shocked to be offered the Cameroon job. They had a disaster qualifying for the world cup but wre the host nation in the AFCON starting in January. It felt unrealistic but i decided not to look a gidft horse in the mouth. The squad was ageing but had some immense quality Onana in goal, Augussai brilliant box to box and some decent strtiker like the evergreen Chupo Moting. We had one warm up game before the AFCON against DR Republic Congo, we won comfortable 3-0 playing a direct 433 dm. So onto the tournament where were were drawn against Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia I was confident we could get out of the group

  Reveal hidden contents

So it proved, we were rarely troubled winning all 3 games without conceding a goal







 

2nd Round (if Applicable)

 

  Reveal hidden contents

We faced Ghana who I thought would offer a sterner test but we were never in trouble and ran out comfortable winners

Quarter Finals (if Applicable)

 

  Reveal hidden contents

We faced Tunisia and felt confident we would win this game having a superior squad and so it proved right Auggasi was excellent as a box to box. The whole team performed well. We did concede a later goal but managed to hang on for the win where Nigeria were waiting for us in the semi final

Semi Finals (if applicable)
 

  Reveal hidden contents

I toyed with the idea of changing our direct high press 433 and change to a counter attacking 442 and i was worried about the threat from Nigeria they had some strong players and the conditions were 31oc. Decided not to change anything and it worked a treat. We faced into a 2-0 early lead thanks to two goals from Lyon Toko, who returned in the semi has being injured in the group. At half time decided to knock down our pressing and tempo with the conditions and we comfortable 3-0 victory.

Other semi was Senegal or Ivory Coast. I really didn't fancy our changes against Mane ands co but they were beaten by the Ivory Coast


 

Final (if Applicable) 

 

  Hide contents

I felt we could beat the Ivory coast, the conditions were perfect for our pressing game. We had to leave our left back out as he was too tired. Our captain was also tired but is essential to our tactic so i left him in. We dominated the game but couldn't find a break through. Just before full time Kessie was read cared so thought we could avoid the lottery of pens. Unfortunately we couldn't find the break through. Most of out players were nervous going into pens so i was worried. However we have Onana one of best keepers in the world and his 2 pens and our players holding their nerve meant we won. So one of the international cups out of the way very early before ive even took a club job.









 

What next. The team is ageing and with them not qualifying for the world cup I see no reason to stick around. Next step is to take a club job and work my way to my badges while keeping an eye on any international opening which might offer a chnace to win some silverware. 

Profile below so not to spoil the progress of Afcon


 

  Reveal hidden contents

hoping this spring boards me into better job offers
 

 

Great start to the challenge. 

[Cheekybananafm]

Hougang United - 2023 Season Review

After last seasons good run to end in 3rd I had high hopes for this season and overall we did well! 

A place higher and a point more than last season. At one point though we were top and coasting, the season started really well, 6 wins out of 6 to start with no goals conceded but a really bad run of form after that scuppered any hope of ending top. We had a really good run towards the end of the season to claim 2nd spot and gain qualification to the Asian Confed Cup for another season.

In the Confed Cup we did really well getting out of our group but unfortunately faced Johur in the semi's and were knocked out really unluckily 5-4 on aggregate.

We also fell short in the Singapore Cup getting knocked out in the group stage after a poor showing.

Overall though a good second season in charge, we are improving all the time and hopefully next season we can go that one step further in the league.

Moments to Remember    Player Award & Stats   Squad

Player of the Season - Maksat Dzhakybaliev

Top Scorer - Tomoyuki Doi

Most Assists - Zulqarnaen Suzliman
 

In other news:

I have gained my National C Licence and am now working towards my National B

I have got my first international job, taking charge of Oman, currently ranked 76th in the World and are the 11th best team in Asia, we join at the start of the Second Rd of Qualifying for World Cup 2026 and have started really well.

[Safe Hands]

 Not played much but loaded up this morning to see what jobs I could get and the offers have been flooding in.

One is Eintract Frankfurt in Bundesliga, is the best one to take in terms of the challenge but it feels like cheating that in first season of the game I'd get a big Bundesliga team. I've delayed it as well as Hannover 96 that's a bit more realistic as they are just above relegation spots in Bundeliga 2. Also delayed an offer from Huesca in 2nd division in Spain.

 

Also have lots of lower league offers in spain and portugal but turned them down and knocking them off to save on processing speed.

 

What are peoples thoughts on the Frankfurt offer. I know it a game etc but would feel like I'm cheating taking a job of this size as my first club?

[goonergez]

Nigeria: 2027 African Cup of Nations

My domestic managerial career may have seen me move from Toronto to Los Angeles but now it was time to head to the democratic republic of Congo and lead my Nigeria team in the African Cup of Nations. Two years ago I was given my opportunity in international football as Nigeria endured a disappointing campaign but this time around I had high hopes for a successful tournament. Ranked 22nd in the world we would enter as one of the favourites to go on and win the trophy.

Our preparations were to suffer serious setbacks as injuries took their toll on me before I was even able to select our squad. Former captain Wilfried Ndidi was ruled out and was closely followed by winger Ebrechi Eze. Two big players missing for us and sure to leave holes in our squad. The only positive that Real Madrid striker Victor Osimhen had recovered from an injury of his own and was able to travel.

We were drawn in a group alongside South Africa, Cape Verde and Niger and were just about favourites to win it.

We opened against South Africa and had to settle for a 1-1 draw in a game we dominated. After that we picked up two comfortable victories to pick South Africa on goal difference and book our spot in the knockout stages.

A poor display saw us crash out to Angola at the first hurdle though. We never got going and despite creating plenty we failed to take any chances as we suffered an early exit once more.

Unsurprisingly I was sacked from my position in the wake of this tournament and exit international management for the time being. I’ll return at some point but for now my focus shifts back to LA. This was a real hastening experience and one I’ll have to learn from before I return.

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	Black Leopards		SA First Division	4th
2022/23	Black Leopards		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2023/24	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, African Champions League Winners
2024/25	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, SA Knockout Cup Winners
2025	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	2nd
2026	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Canadian Championship Winners, Eastern Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners		
2027	Los Angeles FC		MLS Western Conference	ongoing


2025-2027	Nigeria

2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (2023/24 SA Premier League, 2026 MLS Winners)
1/10 Domestic Cups (2024/25 SA Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (2023/24 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[goonergez]

1 hour ago, Safe Hands said:

What are peoples thoughts on the Frankfurt offer. I know it a game etc but would feel like I'm cheating taking a job of this size as my first club?

Having won the AFCON with Cameroon I personally can’t see any issues with it. You’ve already managed to prove yourself in an international position so why wouldn’t you be given an opportunity like that at club level. 

[SK]

4 hours ago, Safe Hands said:

 

What are peoples thoughts on the Frankfurt offer. I know it a game etc but would feel like I'm cheating taking a job of this size as my first club?

Play on I reckon. Won a major tournament so it’s deserved 

[vikeologist]

9 minutes ago, SK said:

Play on I reckon. Won a major tournament so it’s deserved 

The challenge is going to have good and bad 'bugs', although given your tournament win, I'm not sure this is even a bug.

Hell, maybe my (and someone else) being able to get the Oldham job first is a bug. Every other L2 team didn't even give me an interview. 

It's just part of the game, along with being able to hold national and club jobs concurrently.

[goonergez]

USA Takeover: July 2027

Just a very brief update from me as I reach the business end of my season with LAFC. I’m not going to put anything in here about my club level progress but I am updating you on a new international position.

Having won the Gold Cup the Americans parted company with Steve McLaren and I decided it was the perfect nation for me to return to international level with. There is an upcoming Nations League campaign and it will only be two years until the next edition of the Gold Cup. Hopefully that’ll give me the opportunity to get my international progress up and running. The USA are ranked number 9 in the world so I am taking over a very well set nation. Hopefully I can chalk off the Gold Cup in a couple of years and continue to build my growing reputation. Especially after the setback of my time with Nigeria

Season	Club			Competition		Position	Notes & Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22	Black Leopards		SA First Division	4th
2022/23	Black Leopards		SA First Division	1st (C)		SA First Division Winners
2023/24	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, African Champions League Winners
2024/25	Cape Town City		SA Premier Division	1st (C)		South African Premier League Winners, SA Cup Winners, SA Knockout Cup Winners
2025	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	2nd
2026	Toronto FC		MLS Eastern Conference	1st (C)		MLS Cup Winners, Canadian Championship Winners, Eastern Conference Winners, Supporters Shield Winners		
2027	Los Angeles FC		MLS Western Conference	ongoing


2025-2027	Nigeria
2027-present	USA


2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (2023/24 SA Premier League, 2026 MLS Winners)
1/10 Domestic Cups (2024/25 SA Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (2023/24 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[darren1983]

Got turned down for a couple of interviews with Chinese clubs over the summer so I stayed with Sundowns but I've got to October and am bored, we're too good and have been winning each game by 3 or 4 goals so after yet another side didn't even offer me an interview I just quit, focus on Egypt for a couple months with the ACON and then see where things lie after that. 

[Phelix]

1 hour ago, darren1983 said:

Got turned down for a couple of interviews with Chinese clubs over the summer so I stayed with Sundowns but I've got to October and am bored, we're too good and have been winning each game by 3 or 4 goals so after yet another side didn't even offer me an interview I just quit, focus on Egypt for a couple months with the ACON and then see where things lie after that. 

Yeah, I've found it easier to get interviews if I'm not currently attached to a club. I guess teams can sometimes be put off by having to pay compensation to buy out your contract. Sometimes another club has even asked me to resign in order to avoid paying compensation.