Around the World in Eighty Clubs

[RaySunshine]

Pre-season

After his experience in China where, despite promotion, the team still slid into administration, Fogg was keen to avoid that happening again. One part solution to that was to find a senior affiliate as an extra money source. Welcome in Sporting Lisbon and your £78k a year!

The two loans out were all that Fogg had to show for his efforts so far. He's also been keen to move on Sayama and Suguri but no-one will take them despite Avispa's offer to take on some of the wages.

Fogg was also struggling to find any Japanese players available who he felt would seriously improve the first team. Two players came in who will help strengthen the squad but not really the first XI. Here's a little more about them...

29yo striker Seishu Ando has come in from Mito Hollyhock. He's spent the last eight seasons with them. He's certainly deadly in the J2 League but only got six in the top-flight last time around. Fogg hopes that he can add a few more in better performing team.

Masahiro Soma is a young 19 years old and more of one for the future but Fogg certainly hopes that he has a bright future ahead of him! He was released by top-flight heavyweights Yokohama F. Marinos without playing a game and has come to make his name here instead.

Fogg was very pleased with the pre-season results - especially the early wins against Ulsan and Suwon which were moneyspinners against Korean heavyweights. Fogg is hoping that this shows his side having serious top-flight potential.

This was the less pleasing side of pre-season though with the backline taking a bit of a battering before the season starts!

Having spoken to the board, this is what they expect of Fogg this season. The general consensus is that the team are going to go down this season but to fight bravely against it. Third round in The Emperor's Cup is pretty similar to last season and the added challenge not coming bottom in the J.League Levain Cup comes in too.

And this is what the pundits/bookies think - the team are going to go down. At one stage, they were seen as the most likely to stay up but that has now dropped back to par with Ventforet Kofu. Can Fogg's men shock them all two season in a row??

3rd, 15th, 14th and 17th are where the teams that Avispa are facing expect to finish up. That means there's the potential to earn some early points here. Will Fogg's men do it...

[sherwinriga]

Interesting start of a new season life back in J1 for Avispa! I'll expect to see them coming out strong to ensure that they'll be looked strong to take care of! I'm also thrilled on Sporting CP's partnership. Are you planning to loan for a Portuguese player to improve Avispa? Can't wait to see this one because Avispa is all in for a big, impressive attack!

[RaySunshine]

Hopefully you'll enjoy the start that they've made @sherwinriga! I can't bring any players in from Sporting at the moment as the foreign slots are already full and the rules are giving Fogg some selection headaches as it is! Maybe in the future though.

March 2036

March saw the first season in the J1 League for Phillip Fogg kick off and the first games of his international career too - hoping it will earn him the reputation points needed to get that MLS job.

Heavy hitters Kawasaki Frontale were the first game up and gave Avispa a real test. Thankfully, keeper Murayama was the hero of the day and his string of superb saves meant that the team left the game with a very well-earned point.

Things got even better in the game against Sagan Tosu (Beadle 2, Terasawa 72, Kuwahara 78). CB Beadle headed home the first goal of the season to get the team up and running but they were pegged back level in the second half. The lead was soon restored though when Terasawa poked home Okayama's low cross and Kuwahara headed home from a set piece routine. It was a great way to win a derby game!

The fine form carried on into game three where the team took on FC Tokyo (Okayama 48, Ando 90). Kuwahara had a rare penalty miss in the first half but it didn't matter as Okayama made the most of a penalty box scramble and newcomer Ando headed home a superb long ball from Oshiro to seal the game.

Just before the next game, Sayama left the club. Fogg could only get £20k for him but it was better than the nothing that he'd leave for at the end of the season.

The final club game was against Cereso Osaka (Okayama 14, 18, N Tani 49, Terasawa 84). This game had it all! There was a sending off for both sides - young CB Kubo getting his marching orders for Avispa and four superb goals to round off a great win.

The first of the cup games was postponed for the international break so this took Fogg onto his first Luxembourg duties...

With this squad chosen, they went to play Fogg's first game, a friendly against Kyrgyzstan (Ryan Raths 31, 35). CB Ryan Raths had never scored for his country before but two headers from set pieces in quick succession meant that Fogg had won his first game in charge of Die Roten Lowen.

More first goals followed in game two against North Macedonia (Monteiro Di Oliveira 24, 39, Osmanovic 60). Monteriro Di Oliveira, on his 101st cap, got his first national goals with a rebound into an open goal followed a 20 yard curler. RB Osmanovic then smashed home an 18 yard effort himself to get his first goal!

Avispa occupy a mighty third in the league which would give the side an AFC Champions League play-off place. It is though still a long, long way to go and Fogg doesn't really expect his team to finish this high! They're yet to kick a ball in the cup so all is to play for there!

A monster nine games come up in the next month with four of them in Levin Cup. It will be interesting to see how Fogg's men take on this challenge and who's left standing going into May!

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by RaySunshine

[sherwinriga]

Great start to kick off in J1 League! I'm also surprised that Avispa is now red hot and catch up with Yokohama F.Marinos, Tokyo Verdy, Nagoya Grampus and Kawasaki Frontale. This is going to be looked exciting as it would be because it's almost time to see my favorite teams squaring off against one another! I see Jubilo Iwata and Naogya Grampus right now and this is so nice to see them in that post, which it would have been great if I have a chance to take a look at them! Can't wait to see what's going to be next for the Wasps!

[RaySunshine]

It seemed that, in month two, the team came back to down to Earth a bit @sherwinriga. It's not panic stations yet but it doesn't seem like Fogg is going to have it all his own way in his time in Japan!

April 2036

Avispa Fukuoka and their manager, Phillip Fogg, took on the monster month of April and it's fair to say that they didn't have it all their own way! It began well enough with a good win in the J.League Cup against FC Tokyo (Tanaka og 90). The teams could only be seperated by an own goal when Okayama sent in a low cross and Tanaka, desperate to stop it, sent it into his own net.

This was followed up with a 0-0 draw against Gamba Osaka where Avispa looked the more likely to score but couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.

The familar red dots struck again in the run-up to the next game. Was this the hectic nature of this month coming back to haunt Fogg?

They didn't find goal scoring much easier in the game against Kashima Antlers (Ito 40). Ito managed to score a header but Sato got third time lucky after having been ruled out for offside twice earlier in the game.

There was frustration again as the league resumed in the game against Omiya Ardija. Despite looking the better team, Avispa couldn't score without Kuwahara but somehow conceeded two and came away beaten.

This added to the injury strife and Avispa were looking thinner and thinner going forward. This could really turn into a month of struggle from here Fogg thought!

Kashima Antlers (Kobayashi 63 pen 72) had been struggling in the league but managed a topsy-turvy game here. They took the lead early on but Avispa fought back through Kobayashi's great free-kick and assured penalty but they had one more goal to get and it finished all-square.

It seemed in the next game that Gamaba Osaka had given Avispa Fukuoka a favour when a player got sent off in the second minute but, despite having shot after shot, Fogg's men couldn't score and were left ruing thrown away points.

The cup came back and brought with it a bit of light in the game against Urawa Red Diamonds (Maudner 52, 70). Maudner had been struggling for minutes since his transfer into the club, mostly due to the foreign player restrictions, but here he showed how deadly he can be from the inside left position with two smart finishes that gave Avispa a good cup win.

In between all the action, the draw for the Nations' League was made and it's fair to say, looking at the world rankings, that it's handed Luxembourg a serious challenge. Does Fogg have what it takes to avoid relegation?

The better form from the Urawa game didn't transfer to the next league game against Ventforet Kofu (Kuwahara 5) though. Kuwarhara scored a fine header on his return from injury but, from there on, Ventforet Kofu put Fogg's team to the sword in revenge for having the league taken from them last season.

The month finished with a vital green dot against Kyoto Sanga (Kuwahara pen74). Kuwahara was elbowed in the back going up for a header and that gave a penalty away which Kuwhara went on to dispatch giving Avispa a vital win to finish the month with.

Despite what had seemed like a really tough month for Fogg and his men, they emerged still in the discussion for the continental places although Fogg is fully aware that there is an awful lot of the season to go yet. 15 points is a healthy total to have with the team looking to at least hoover up what is needed to survive. In the J.League Cup, things are even better with Avispa Fukuoka top of their group. Fogg doeesn't really expect to stay there but will enjoy it while they are!

Another monster month follows April with another nine games to get through and plenty of them are in the league which will give Fogg a serious rotation challenge to keep his squad going. Heavyweights Yokohama F. Marinos are a clear threat in there but Vissel Kobe and Tokyo Verdy will not be easy games either. Can Fogg's men hold on to the continental discussion and top of the J.League Cup or will they fall further down the table to where they're expected to be? We shall find out as the season goes on...

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by RaySunshine

[sherwinriga]

Mixed results may be a hard time to overcome if you can turn around the month of May, especially that Yokohama F.Marinos and Vissel Kobe are considered dominant in the J.League in recent years. I hope that you'll turn things up in the next matches, especially in trying to stay unbeaten in the Levain Cup group stage by beating one of my favorite teams in Jubilo Iwata.

[RaySunshine]

It's certainly not easy @sherwinriga but it won't stop Fogg from trying! You'll see the results below...

May 2036

The month of May began with a superb result against Vissel Kobe (Ando 72, Soma 88, Kuwahara 90) Kobe took an early lead but then dropped down to ten men. In the second half Soma crossed well for Ando to head home before posting home a neat one himself into the bottom right-hand corner. Kuwahara headed home a third from a corner and it was needed as Kobe tried for a late comeback.

In the cup, it was time to play Jublilo Iwata (Yoshida og72). Despite Avispa dominating, they took the lead through a superb curling effort. Eventually, Avispa clawed it back level when Kuwahara's wayward shot was deflected home off the Jubilo Iwata defender.

No goals were scored in the game against Oita Trinita but this did represent something of a let-off for Fogg's side who were certainly second-best throughout the game.

There was no such let-off in the game againt Yokohama F. Marinos though. Fogg's side were 3-0 inside 15 minutes and simply couldn't compete. Yokohama blew them away to set a mark upon their title ambitions.

This was followed by another defeat against Albirex Niigata. Fogg's men conceeded just before HT but, in truth, it could have been much, much worse as they were second-best throughout the match.

Finally, form was turned around in the game against Kagoshima Utd (Kobayashi 39). Just before HT, Kobayashi curled home a beauty of a free-kick and that was enough to secure all three points.

It was back to hard graft again though when Tokyo Verdy came to town and Fogg's men had nothing to show for the game.

It had been all-level in the cup game against Jubilo Iwata (Kuwahara 13, Okayama 71) but this time there were three points to be had! They took an early lead through a penalty but Kuwahara smashed it home when Okayama found him with a slide-rule pass. Okayama then got the winner when Oshiro's long ball into the box sent him through one-on-one to fire home.

There was one more game to play in the month and it was against Nagoya Grampus (Tanigawa 24, Kuwahara 75). Twice Fogg's team took the lead through Tanigawa's fine curling effort and Kuwahara's neat finish but twice they were pegged back and the points were all shared.

The final bit of news was a new job for Fogg. He was rejected from this role a year ago and no-one has taken it since. When it came back again, he did get the role. He leaps 70 places up the world rankings and gets to 50% reputation. Is this enough to get him an MLS job?

 

Fogg is pretty pleased with the team's postion in both the cup and the league. It's unlikely now that a continental qualification can be brought home but staying in the top-half would be great and, one more win in the cup and the team have got out the group - they certainly won't be bottom!

 

There are only two league games next month as the pace slows. Fogg needs this as his team are beginning to struggle for fitness. There's also the first two games of his Ivory Coast career to play. The challenges keep rolling!

[RaySunshine]

June 2036

The month began with some huge news for Fogg - he got his first US interview straight after taking up the job with Ivory Coast. It certainly seems to have gotten him the reputation boost that he needed.

In the month's first game, qualification from the J.League Cup group was at stake. It was topsy-turvy against Sagan Tosu (Maudner 80). Maudner headed home a superb effort to send Avispa on into the next round but they equalised almost straight away leaving the side with the challenge of the play-off's to face.

It was on to international duty next and Fogg took on his first round of games with Ivory Coast. It all began with dramatic match against The Gambia (Christ Traore 29, 87, Kouadio 57). Christ Traore scored the first with a good header past the keeper. The Gambia then pulled it level before Kouadio smashed in a beauty of free-kick. The Gambia had another leveller in them though so it took Christ Traore and another headed goal to get the win!

Things were a little more straightforward against Uganda (Nahounou 45+1, Kone 54). Nahounou made the most of a ball headed back across to him from a free-kick near the corner and Kone took advantage on the break - having enough composure to have another go when his first effort was saved.

And the month stops there as it appears that the already well-travelled Phillip Fogg is on his journeys once again...

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by RaySunshine

[RaySunshine]

Nashville SC

Fogg gets an MLS job! He was worried that the USA would be the hardest nut to crack in this challenge as it didn't have any form of lower-level football playable and all of the MLS teams have a 3-star reputation at least. But he's in - he's made it. Surely, he's on the homeward leg of the journey now!

Fogg looks at his chart and, having got into the USA, only Ireland remains before the home leg back in the UK to finish the challenge!

It's another new assistant to work with in American Gerson Echeverry. He has been at Nasville SC since 2027 having previously been the assistant manager at Rio Grande Valley.

The club's performance in the Supporter's Shield is varied to say the least! It's there to make of it what you will!

Fogg likes lots of what he sees in the Vision - high tempo, high pressing football and signing youngsters for the first team are things that he has been doing routinely around the world so he's quite happy to carry that on here!

[BML]

2 hours ago, RaySunshine said:

Picking a single 'keeper for an international break is a ballsy move from Mr Fogg!

[RaySunshine]

And not one he'll be repeating again in a hurry. He'd assumed that his predecessor had three keepers picked and that the game wouldn't let him progress without @BML. Apparently not...

Starting XI

Fogg's first team for Nashville SC is influnced by the fact that some players are injured and the game is being played during an international window so some players are away there too! Let's see who he has managed to pick...

29yo Canadian Tim Newton wears the no.1 shirt but is the second-choice keeper having made only three starts this season. This is his second season at the club and he had a similar role last time around.

Scott Sullivan is a 30 American taking up duties on the right side defence. He has one goal and one assist in 18 games so far. What more can he produce?

Next to him is 28yo Saudi Sultan Al-Enezi. He's played for Lens, Hamburg and Brighton and now plies his trade in the electric yellow of Nashville SC!

On the other side of defence, Fogg fields 32yo Belgian Jack Senga. Once of Reims, Senga has been at Nashville since 2031.

Derrick Abu is a 32yo Nigerian who started out at South Shields, Bolton and Stoke. He's been in the MLS since 2029 playing for Charlotte FC and Seattle Sounders before finding his way to Nashville.

Han-Noah Massengo takes up the more defensive part of the double-pivot. The 34yo Frenchman has played across England, France and Germany before making his debut season in the USA!

American Noel Buck has played for both the New England Revolution and San Jose Earthquakes before joining the midfield department of Nashville.

25 yo Sen Hanchen started out at Shanghai Port before playing for Sochaux and Le Harve. He has four goals and one assist so far. What else is in the tank?

36yo Ben Lederman has spent almost all his career at Polish side Rakow Czestochowa before opting to finish his playing days in America. He hasn't been a regular starter but Fogg hopes he brings something here.

Jeremy Antonisse is a 34yo Curacaoan who came through at Cittadella but just after Fogg left. It's a small world!

22yo American William Perez gets the nod up front from Fogg. He's played 16 games and got 3 goals so far. Fogg is going to need more to lift this side's prospects!

The MLS table shows Nashville rock-bottom and three points off the next postion. Fogg certainly knows that he has some work to do!

Two games are left this month. FC Dallas are just three places up from Nashville while New York Red Bulls are 10th in the Supporter's Shield. Fogg sees that the Bulls are not in his conference. Does one result against Dallas count in both competitions? As a newbie, Fogg has a lot of working out to do!

[RaySunshine]

June 2036

There were only two games left in the month when Fogg arrived and it's clear to say that they didn't make for an easy start to life in the USA!

Fogg got this in his inbox and it's fair to say that it confused him! The left side sounds bad. The right side sounds good! Are they really talking about the same intake?!

The North American Zone for the Champion's League was also drawn so Fogg found out who he would soon be facing.

Against FC Dallas, it was neck-and-neck for most of the game but neither side could score. Fogg had begun to think his side had earned at point at death. Clearly the players did too - they relaxed and let in a 94th minute corner with almost the last touch of the game!

Fogg was well-used to this kind of news by now but it never pleased him!

Fogg was expecting to be well-beaten in the game against New York Red Bulls (W Perez 51) and feared the worst when they curled in a goal in the 4th minute. His side fought back though and got level when Perez made the most of a defensive mix-up to poke home.

 

Nashville looked good in neither the Western Conference where they are bottom or the Supporters' Shield where they are two from bottom! Fogg knows there's a lot of work to do make this side a real contender here. Can he get round the USA rules though to do it?

5th, 6th, 19th and 8th mean that July does not sound like an easy month either! Who can Fogg get past the US rules to bolster the team and get things going stateside?

[sherwinriga]

I'm surprised that you had ended the run in Fukuoka to move into Nashville for a MLS job, which it's unfortunate for me that I might miss that team at all, though I want to take a final look of their roster so far because it's definitely a great team that you built and I loved it. However, I'll look forward into your progress in Nashville because that one would be more challenging than you'll expect.

[RaySunshine]

It's the nature of the challenge to get around the world. I want to see now if I can complete it before FM24 having skipped FM23 to get this far @sherwinriga! I don't know if it helps but this is the last Avispa Fukuoka squad that Fogg selected...

July 2036

Nashville were not doing well prior to Fogg's arrival and it's safe to say that he wasn't finding it easy to turn things around!

The first game of the month did give him his first win the job - beating LA Galaxy (Shen Hanchen 57, Cesar pen 62). Against the run of play, Sehn Hanchen put the team ahead with a fierce strike into the near corner and then Cesar secured the lead by putting away a penalty. A defence mix-up from Acosta gave them a goal but it wasn't enough to lose any points.

Things did not go well against New England Revolution. The team were played off the pitch, 3-0 down by HT and could have been even worse!

Before the next game, a collection of players signed up by Fogg's predecessor arrived...

36 yo Calvin Bassey started out at Boro before going on to Burnley, Moscow and Monza. He's now signed up and does bring a left foot to the left back position!

Alex Gilbert is 34yo and joins fresh from Sheffield Wednesday where he's played regularly since 2026. He can play left-wing or up-front and Fogg hopes that he has an eye for goal!

30yo Tim Penfold joins from Derby County. He arrives injured and has only scored three goals in two seasons. Is he ready to score more stateside?

Emmet Doherty looks like the start of the set. The 24yo German comes in from Wolfsburg. He never quite broke through at German top-flight level but Fogg hopes that he's keen to make his mark in the USA!

Bolstered by the new recruits, Fogg hoped that the game against fellow strugglers Seattle Sounders (Kallon 82) would see an upsurge in fortunes - it didn't! The side were already 2-0 when Kallon put away a neat passing move and then they scored another to secure the result!

The final game of the month saw the side play Houston Dynamo (Buck 78) and the team created enough chances to win all the games this month and still went a goal behind. Thankfully, Buck smashed home a 25 yard leveller and Nashville got at least a point!

On the day of the Houston game, regular CB Sultan Al-Enezi left to join Bristol City so Fogg had to make a move. He brought in 28yo Italian CB Davide Bianchi from Atlanta United in order to bring a bit of quality into the backline.

Although never quite having had a companion on the road, Fogg sees that his assistant is finishing at the end of the season and wonders whether there is the chance to reunite with an assistant from earlier in the save...

 

Nashville remain bottom of the their conference and around the bottom of the Supporter's Shield too. What can they do to improve things?

The next month looks like a far busier one and it includes some Champions League games too! Fogg will be keen to see how his side far in continental competition...

[RaySunshine]

August 2036

If July hadn't been easy for Fogg, the long month of August could only be described as simply brusing! It all began when Nashville played Real Salt Lake (Doherty 71). RSL took the lead through a well-hit free-kick but Doherty then got his goal when Kallon hit a huge diagonal to put him 1-on-1 with the keeper who he duly chipped.

Fogg had hoped for the best in the game against Vancouver Whitecaps (Shen Hanchen 57) when Shen Hanchen hit first to put his side into the lead. Unfortunately, it was not enough though as Vancouver could do enough to score two and turn the game around.

Fogg's men couldn't even produce a goal in the next two MLS games against San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids and it's fair to say that, after those two games and the tough run that the team had been on, some of the Nashville board were asking questions about Fogg's approach.

Fogg was continuing to work to strengthen the team but it was fair to say that good quality candidates to bring in were hard to come by. He did manage to get a deal for Mark McConville over the line from San Jose Earthquakes. Fogg hopes that McConville can bring a bit more form and quality into midfield and help the side lift their game.

Things couldn't have started much worse against Atlas (Gilbert 22) than a sending off in the first minute but that's exactly what the team got when Scott Sullivan got his marching orders. They then put a corner in to take the lead. Gilbert then had an instant reply in the form of his first goal after Doherty played him through superbly. Sadly, it wasn't enough though as they put away a neat passing move.

Next came a double-header against Austin FC (Gilbert 41, Doherty 48). Twice Nasville took the lead through Gilbert heading a corner home and Doherty smashing home a good long-range effort. It wasn't enough though and the teams left level.

In the next game, there were not goals at all and Austin FC and Nashville again finished the game all-square much to Fogg's frustration.

 

Nashville remain around the bottom of both tables and it's fair to say that Fogg is not finding this an overly fun ride in the USA. He hopes that he can hang on to the close season and work more to put his stamp on the side. Can he manage that or will it be a more journeyed career in the USA.

September proves to be another busy month for Fogg and co. Four MLS games, another Champions' League game and the African Nations' Quals too. Ivory Coast are second in the group but level on points with third so they will want to get earning that's for sure!

[RaySunshine]

September 2036

The month began with the games for the Ivory Coast. Fogg's first competitive game came against Comoros (C Traore 5, 9, 33, Kone 90+3). Traore took contol of the game and had scored his hat-trick by half time. Comoros did get one back but Kone secured the three-goal margin in injury time.

This was followed by the game against South Africa (Oura 29). Oura got his first goal for the Ivory Coast, heading the team in front. South Africa then levelled up with a low cross being smashed home at the far post.

The months finishes and Ivory Coast are in a qualfiying place for the African Cup of Nations. Fogg is certainly hopeful that the team should qualify from the position they're in with two games to go.

The international break finished and Fogg jetted back to the USA to carry on with Nashville. That began with the game against Minnesota (Buck 30, Gilbert 69). It all began when Brewerton knocked a ball down for Buck to smash home from just outside the box. Minnesota levelled when a deep cross was headed home. But the scoring wasn't done - Doherty played a neat through-ball for Gilbert who slotted it home. It felt season-defining. The team were about to go on their longest-ever winless run but that was broken and Fogg hoped that this would persuade the team that his style did work.

It got even better in the game against Columbus Crew (Gilbert 4, 27, Doherty 10). Fogg's dynamic duo of Gilbert and Doherty struck again and, with three goals within half an hour, they simply blew the opponents away.

There was a dent to proceedings when the team took on table-topping Charlotte FC with the team not able to get the better of a far stronger side.

Unfortunately, Bianchi and McConville couldn't be registered for continental competition and it showed against Chicago Fire (Massengo pen 90+6). Massengo managed to score a penalty in the dying embers of the game but it's fair to say that it was already over by then.

Finally, the team took on Sporting Kansas City (Gilbert 36, Doherty 68). Gilbert's goal from a Doherty cutback and Bassey then got hold a poor corner midway into the Kansas half, hitting a beautiful great ball over the keeper's head for Doherty to chip home.

   

Despite Fogg's best efforts, the team remain bottom of the conference table and only just above that place in the Supporters' Shield. Nil point is the record in the Champions' League too. Can Fogg get something their last game to get that off his back?

Only two games remain - get something aginst Cruz Azul and that drops that 0 point marker; beat Vancouver Whitecaps and the team don't finish bottom of the conference - there's plenty of pride to play for!

[RaySunshine]

October 2036

It's fair to say that, for Nashville SC, neither of Fogg's dreams were achieved. Firstly, the side took on Cruz Azul. They scored with a neat, one-touch passing move in just the second minute. Fogg's charges went on to fight for the game but they couldn't get that goal to at least level things up.

Then came the final MLS game against Vancouver Whitecaps (Shen Hanchen 10). It looked like it was going to mission accomplished when Shen Hanchen put home Doherty's superb cross but, with almost the last kick of the game, LB Bassey was caught in possession and they whipped the ball across the face of goal and into the back of the net.

Fortunately for Fogg, things seemed to go much better for the Ivory Coast! In the first game against Tanzania (Christ Traore 74) the side struggled to score despite having almost total domination. Finally, much to the relief of Fogg, Christ Traore put the ball home and gave the side three much-needed points.

It was the same scoreline against Algeria (Kone 77) but here Fogg was far more pleased. Algeria are the most serious competitors for the single green slot to the World Cup so to beat them was really important for Ivory Coast.

Only two games have been played so far but Ivory Coast hold the top slot so far. It's not a bad place to be!

In came the youth preview for Nashville. Fogg was very pleased to see it but, as ever, he doesn't intend to be there long enough to really see it come to fruition.

This was followed by the draw for the play-off stage of the Champions League. Fogg still can't quite believe he qualifies with a team that failed to earn a single point but he does get a play-off game against Portland Timbers.

In the Supporter's Shield, Nashville finish up 26th. Fogg was pleased to see two teams worse than his. Sadly though, they were both in the other conference!

November begins with that Champions League game against Portland Timbers before he resumes Ivory Coast duty in order to seal qualification to the African Nations. Here we go!

[RaySunshine]

November 2036

It was an all-green month for Fogg with both club and country so he was very pleased with the way that November turned out! Much to his shock, it began with a win against Portland Timbers (Acosta 6, Gilbert 45). CB Acosta headed home an early corner and then Gilbert tucked away a neat finish to send the side on into the next round.

Fogg's attention then turned to Ivory Coast. The first game was against Congo (Kone 9, Oura 68, Sidibe 85, 89). It was certainly a dramatic game! It was level at HT and then Oura struck to set up a 2-1 lead. Sidibe then scored to give Ivory Coast a two-goal cushion. Congo weren't done though and scored to make it 3-2. Thankfully, Sidibe wasn't done either and he scored again to secure all three points!

Things were not much easier against Comoros (Kone 27, Y Traore 70, Chaka Traore pen 76). It took until nearly the half-hour mark for Ivory Coast to make the breakthrough and until late in the second half for them to secure the result but it was enough for the side to qualify for the African Nations. Fogg is going to his first major international tournament!

It was then back to Champions' League work and the game against Toronto FC (Massengo pen 16, Shen Hanchen 19, Gilbert 52, Doherty 66). It's fair to say that Fogg was absolutely stunned by his team's performace as they simply blew Toronto FC away to secure a place in the second round.

When that draw is made, the present holders of the competition is probably not what you want coming out the hat but it's what Fogg has got! The game doesn't take place until next February. How much will change by then?

At the end of the month, Echeverry retired having stayed on to coach the side through the Champions League campaign. Fogg did try to recruit former assistant managers and players into the role but they all said no. One said that they simply didn't like him so that was that!

Paul Lomeli ends up getting the gig - It's his first job in the game but he has some good attributes for the role and Fogg hopes that he'll be a good second pair of hands until his time in the US is over at least. Fogg is yet to find an assistant with any travelling potential. Could he be the one?

[RaySunshine]

Season Review

At this point, up comes the season review! The overall XI is a real mixed bag: two players had left before Fogg had even joined, two left no long after Fogg had arrived and three Fogg assumed had must got their name in the team before he arrived because they certainly didn't do it for him!

Doherty, who came in under Fogg even if he didn't go out to get him, got two of the awards and both Shen Hanchen and Noel Buck have been regular stars for Fogg so he's pleased to see them there.

And here is the vision that has been given to Fogg. It's going to be a challenging transfer policy to sign u23s and not sign over 30s based on the players that are being offered to him. But, for the time he's going to be here before he starts looking to Ireland, that's what he's going to be working towards.

[RaySunshine]

December 2036

Even though there were no games in December, it certainly wasn't a quiet month.

Retirement seemed to be the name of the game and midfielder Lederman began the month by hanging up his boots.

Next up came the draw for the African Nations' group. It's fair to say that, given the other teams in the draw, Fogg does not feel like he's been handed an easy job but her certainly hopes that he can get out of the group and go on to do something special.

Then there was the job of picking the team that were going to out there. The tough decision for Fogg was dropping Kossounou who was now without a club and coming towards retirement on 98 caps.

Finally, there was a signing - Ernesto Duke comes in. He started out in Nashville's academy and then had two seasons with FC Motown before making the step up and into the MLS.

[RaySunshine]

African Cup of Nations

As befits someone travelling the world, Fogg steps into his first international tournament with Ivory Coast. The group began with a game against Algeria (Kone 44, 70, 82). Kone sparked the game into life and scored a hattrick! He tormented the Algeria backline, made the most of their mistakes and scored his goals.

Game two was against Angola (Kpakpe 1, Christ Traore pen 56). CB Kpakpe struck early in this game and Christ Traore scored his second in order to make it two wins out of two.

This allowed Fogg to rest the entire first team in the game against Togo (Chaka Traore 53, 90+3, Kamate 64) but that decision made no difference to the result and the team ran out 3-0 winners and got their first clean sheet of the tournament.

The first of the knockout games saw Ivory Coast take on fellow heavyweights Senegal and Fogg could not believe his eyes! The team cruised to a 3-0 win with the highlight being Junior Bita's first goal for Ivory Coast - a superb curling effort from outside the box.

The QF saw the side take on Morocco. Oura played a neat throughball for Kone to finish and Christ Traore powered home a header from Oura's cross. This sent the team on into the semi-finals and Fogg began to wonder, just wonder, what this team might be capable of doing...

... but alas his dreams were brought to heel with a tough game against Nigera. They dominated the game and were good value for their single goal and this sent Ivory Coast into the third-place playoff.

Thankfully, Fogg's men turned on the style again and this meant that they did finish with a medal around their necks - even if it was bronze.

So the tournament comes to an end. Fogg's next international dream is the lure of managing in a World Cup...

[RaySunshine]

Pre-season

In order to try and balance the books, Fogg was working on getting players out but only managed two - Pelayo dropped out of MLS level football and Horvath moved to the nation of his parents' birth in order to get some first-team football.

Next up was the draft and here are the youngsters that Fogg chose:

Fogg was keen to strengthen in the LB postion and this made Miguel Diaz his first pick. The next two were simply talents too good to ignore and so Fogg brought young CM Louis Lopez and RB Eduardo Cervantes into the fold. At the moment, Lopez wants to play as a DM so Fogg knows that there is re-training work there to do.

29 yo Scottish CB Gavin Balfour joins the side from Championship side Plymouth Argyle. Fogg had to fight off competition from other English clubs to get his man but is now hoping that he has a player to be a real rock in a defence that struggled last season.

Too late for the CONCACAF Champions League, Kyle Buete comes into the team. Fogg is hoping that he's the much-promised serious improvement in the LB postion and he's American too which will help in registration terms!

Pre-season games were positive for Fogg - the two next pieces of news weren't though...

Injuries are never good and Doherty is a key player to be missing for both Champs League games and the start of the season. Fogg is worried.

The board expect a much higher level of competition from the side that finished bottom of their conference last season...

... the bookies aren't sure that he'll get it though. Can he prove them wrong with the signings that he's made?

So the season kicks off with two Champs League ties against the holders Tigres. Fogg feels like the odds are against him there and then the seaosn kicks off against the Eastern Conference play-off finalists Chicago Fire. It's a certainly a tough start for Fogg and his men. What can his team produce?

[RaySunshine]

February 2037

The competitive season began with the CONCACAF Champions League knockout games against Tigres UANL (W Perez 89). The side played their heart out for Fogg in order to match the holders of the competition and then beat them in the last minute. McColnville sent a deep free-kick to the back post, Bianchi headed it across and Perez put the ball into the back of an empty net!

Fogg was delighted to be taking a lead out to Mexico and was even more delighted with what his team managed when they were there. In the second game against Tigres UANL (W Perez 10, Bianchi 40). Nashville doubled their lead when their keeper flapped at a cross and dropped it to Perez. Adamcyzk then had his spill in order to give them an equaliser in the match. The scoring wasn't finished though and Bianchi flicked a corner home to give Fogg's side two wins and progress on into the next round!

This was the bad news from the game though with the hero of the two legs joining the injury list at the club.

The league season began with the tie against Chicago Fire (Macchioni og 10). Nashville pinched an early goal when Shen Hanchen whipped a cross in which bounced off Macchioni, lobbed the keeper and trickled in. From then on, Chicago took a hold of the game but, although they were able to equalise, they couldn't find a winner.

 

Although it's very early days with only one game played, Fogg is simply pleased not to see the bottom of the table in sight here!

The highlight of next month's games has to be the QF games against Club America who got to the semi-final last season only to be knocked out by Tigres. With them already having been knocked out by Fogg's plucky Nashville, can they do the same again?!

[RaySunshine]

March 2037

 

The sense of joy continues for Fogg. His team have turned around from the struggles of last season and continued their superb run into March! Game one saw the side take on Inter Miami (Beavers 29). A single goal was enough to secure all three points when Buck crossed over to Beavers, playing AML, to head home at the far post.

Vargas isn't a regular team player but he is a promising youngster and Fogg is frustrated that he won't be able to give him any minutes.

The next game was one of the big ones of the month in the form of the Champion's League QF against Club America (Bassey 1, Bianchi 49). Fogg was sent into dreamland when the side won an early throw-in Bassey came up from the back and was there to head the side into the lead! That was doubled when Bassey turned provider - sending in an inswinging cross for Bianchi to head home. Could the team really get as far as the semi-finals?

League action returned and there was a game against San Jose Earthquakes (Brewerton 1, Bianchi 28, Doherty 50). Brewerton stuck a beauty of a daisy-cutter, Bianchi continued his fine corner-scoring form and Shen Hanchen played a beauty of a ball over the top for Doherty to run onto and finish. Three goals, three points.

Goosebumps ran down the spine of Phillip Fogg as his side walked out at the famous Estadio Azteca. They were only increased when Gilbert scored first to send the side ahead against Club America (Gilbert 22). From there though, the Mexican side took control of the game, scoring three goals to bring the scores level and give Fogg a nervous heart. Thankfully, they couldn't score again and away goals were enough to send the side on into the Champions League semi-finals!

Wining ways were brought back against Charlotte FC (Shen Hanchen 55). Buete played a beauty of a cross in from the left hand side and Shen Hanchen was on hand to poke it home.

International football then began with Ivory Coast taking on USA (Christ Traore 25). It's fair to say that Fogg's side were blown away, being three goals down inside 15 minutes. Given the way the game played, Fogg couldn't even call Traore's goal a consolation.

Things were better against Cameroon (Kone 14, Oura 65). Fogg was sent into panic when the side conceeded early for the second game in a row but, thankfully, the side had enough about them to turn things around. They hold on to their 23rd place in the world rankings.

The final game of the month was a return to league action against Minnesota (Gilbert 89). Gilbert scored a beauty of a lob towards the end of the game to try and spark a fightback but it wasn't on and Fogg suffered his first league defeat of the season.

 

The side remain the MLS play-off places which is pretty superb and in the top-half of the Supporters' Shield. It's a long way from last season and solid rock-bottom.

A busy April begins with a remarkable triple-header against Sporting Kansas City. Fogg takes on the 19th-placed side in the league before then playing them twice in the Champions League SF. 13th, 25th 23rd and 12th then follow in the league meaning that there should be points there for Fogg to gain!

 

[RaySunshine]

April 2037

Fogg had been in dreamland with the start of the season so far and the way that his team was playing. However, all dreams end with a bump back to reality and it's fair to say that Fogg received this in April! It all began with the dramatic triple-header against Sporting Kansas City (Gilbert 46, 90+2, Balfour 57). This was a really topsy-turvy game - Nashville took a two goal lead in the second half but then Sporting Kansas City managed to turn it around and get a 3-2 lead. Parity was gained in the dying embers when Gilbert struck low and hard. Rydland of Sporting Kansas City was beginning to look like a real danger...

This was real blow though as one of the team's most important players was going to sit out most of the month.

And so it proved in the first leg of Champions League Semi. Rydland scored twice for Sporting Kansas City and Fogg's team couldn't produce anything.

Just to make things harder, the team took two knocks before the next game came around.

Fogg reserved one of the most chest-thumping, hopefully inspiring teamtalks for this game where his side needed to overturn the deficeit at home. It looked promising when Brewerton headed home against Sporting Kansas City (Brewerton 36) but sadly the team couldn't produce enough to level the tie.

To make up time after the continental excitement, the team had to play three games in seven days. Monday's opponent was LAFC (Gilbert 90+2). The team were pegged back thanks to a free-kick but, at the end, Doherty hit a huge ball upfield which Penfold neatly flicked on for Gilbert to finish. It was positive to see a rare good touch from Penfold in a Nashville shirt.

There was little positive to say in the Wednesday game against Toronto FC (Massengo 11). Massengo got an early goal but, from then on, the team simply weren't in the game and Toronto took all three points in style.

Fogg really wanted to get all three points against struggling Houston Dynamo (Penfold 12) on Saturday and it looked like it was going to be the case when Penfold got his first goal for the club. Houston had other ideas though and got one back to level the scores.

The month finished with a few days rest before the Portland Timbers game. This was real backs-to-the-walls work and the team had to fight hard to get so much as a point out of proceedings.

 

Just like the results, the team have been brought back down to earth a little. The team have dropped all round but, thankfully unlike last season, the team are not attached to the bottom of the league.

May could be Fogg's last full month in charge of the team and it's another packed one. None of the teams are in the top-four in terms of the league though and everything is still close so Fogg hopes that he can gain a few points and get a few more green dots in the month ahead!

[RaySunshine]

May 2037

Fogg set off into May in seach of more green dots and the team did not disappoint! The first of them came against LAFC (Gilbert 69, Shen Hanchen 75). It all looked the worst when LAFC took the lead. The team fought back however and Gilbert pounced on a defensive lapse before William Perez played a beauty of a through-ball for Shen Hanchen to finish off.

This was followed up with a win against Houston Dynamo (Doherty 11, 51, Buete 54). Doherty scored two fine far-post headers before Buete, LB, turned the ball onto his right foot and he curled a beauty into the far corner.

At that point, the league wins stopped. Next up was goalless draw against Colorado Rapids. Despite dominating the chance creation and xG, Nashville couldn't score and it left Fogg fuming on the sidelines.

A frustrating defeat was followed by an even more annoying defeat against Cincinnati (Gilbert 57, 61). The team started slowly and despite Gilbert's best efforts, by the time that they started scoring, they were too far behind and simply couldn't catch up.

Frustration was continue in the game against Colorado Rapids. Once again, the team dominated by couldn't score the vital goal that would have given them that vital three points.

A heavily-rotated side had no such trouble against Pittsburgh Riverhounds (Beavers 4, 81, Sarbazi 53, Massengo pen 54). The team were slow again to get scoring but took the game away from their oppostion in the second half.

The final game of the month was another frustrating defeat at the hands of Sporting Kansas City with Fogg's arch-nemisis Rydland scoring again!

 

Nashville launch up the league and, in the conference, they step up into the MLS play-off postions. Fogg might be counting down the days before he makes a move to Ireland but he's pleased with how the team are doing nonetheless!

There might only be eighteen days till Fogg is looking elsewhere but there are three league games, one cup game and two friendlies for Ivory Coast to go! It's certainly not going to be a quiet half-month for Fogg prior to looking to pastures new!

[RaySunshine]

June 2037

May had shown a fair smattering of green dots but, by the end of June, Fogg was beginning to feel like that glorious run at the start of the season was a long way away. The first game of the month wasn't a disaster when the side took on Vacouver Whitecaps (Sarbazi 78). Despite them dropping down to ten men before the 20 minute mark, Fogg's side laboured to make the most of it. Eventually, at the end of the second half, Sarbazi was there to head home Buete's great cross.

There was no such luck against Cincinnati in the cup. A goaless game and extra-time took proceedings on to a long, long penalty shootout but, unfortunately, Fogg's men did not come up trumps and crashed out the cup.

The month's only win came against FC Dallas (Gilbert 77, Doherty 81). Gilbert headed against the post but was on hand to tuck home the rebound before Doherty smashed home a beauty of a free kick - three points in the bag!

The next two games had very little joy in them though. First up, was a heavy thrashing at the hands of New York Red Bulls where Nashville failed to lay so much as a glove on them.

A thin squad got thinner again as Jay Perez was ruled out for long spell. This was not good news for the youngster's development...

This report utterly baffled Fogg - he couldn't tell here what exactly looked excellent!

The result against LA Galaxy certainly wasn't excellent as the side crashed to defeat again without scoring a goal.

Thankfully, in the intervening period, Ivory Coast had reminded Fogg what it felt like to win!

It began with a game against Barbados (Sidibe 77, Chaka Traore pen 82). It took time for the goals to be scored but Sidibe got free in the box to head home unopposed and then Chaka Traore followed up with a penalty.

Against the odds, Ivory Coast took a lead against Scotland (Fofana 54) when Fofana smashed home a 20-yard beauty. Unfortunately, the team couldn't hold on and the honours were shared at the end.

With Nashville looking utterly exhausted, Fogg was worried about what he was going to get against Minnesota (Doherty 58, Shen Hanchen 59) and he certainly feared the worst when the side were 2-0 down at HT. He let rip in the teamtalk and the side came out with intent in the second half. Doherty got one back when he was put through one-on-one by McConville's superb through-ball and Shen Hanchen levelled a minute later by half-volleying home Doherty's ball over the top.

 

Somehow or other, despite the tricky month, Nashville remain in the playoff places. Fogg knows though that things are getting tighter and tighter and he can't take that postion for granted in the time that he has left in Nashville.

Thankfully, there are only three games next month for Fogg's exhausted crew. 1st, 2nd and 11th though don't sound like such an easy month! What can Fogg's men do and will he still be there for all of the games as now it's time for him to be looking towards the shore's of Ireland...

 

[RaySunshine]

July 2037

July began with a tough game against New York City FC. It was backs to the wall all the way for Fogg and his men but he was very proud of the fact that they managed to sneak out with a 0-0 draw.

The point did come at a cost though as Kyle Buete picked up an injury that would rule him out for a month at least.

There was very little joy in the game against LA Galaxy (Gilbert 41) either. Nashville were well and truly beaten but there was larger news afoot...

... Fogg had applied for a post in Ireland but it was clear that the compensation charged by Nashville was something an Irish side could never afford. This forced Fogg to walk. He is now solely the manager of Ivory Coast and readily available for the next job in Ireland that comes along!

[RaySunshine]

July 2037 contin...

Fogg was pleased that, the day after he waked out of Nashville SC, he was offered a job with Houston Dynamo. He chose not to take it however as his focus is squarely on getting a job in Ireland now.

This also came up in the month and Fogg found it an interesting one! Dodoz doesn't have the quality to be a first-team regular or even a surefire squad member for Ivory Coast. What hope does he really think he has of playing for France?!

No jobs in Ireland have come up yet and there are no Ivory Coast games next month. At least one manager's role in Ireland is coming under scrutiny though so Fogg is keeping his cv fresh and ready...

[RaySunshine]

August 2037

There were no games in the month for the Ivory Coast first team but Ivory Coast B were in CHAN qualifying action. The first leg against Nigera B (Kone, 39, 44, 79, Sylla 16) was simply a dream - Fogg's team blew them away, 3-0 by HT and three goal leaders at the end of the game.

Another week, another job offer from the MLS but Fogg's eyes are fully fixed on getting that job in Ireland!

Game two against Nigera B (Coulibaly 90) was a much harder affair. Nigera took a two-goal lead and closed the lead down to a single goal but, with the game coming to an end, Coulibaly scored his goal to secure Ivory Coast B's progress.

Ivory Coast are in World Cup qualifying action next month and Fogg is still keeping a close eye on Ireland but no job has come up yet...

[RaySunshine]

September 2037

Two World Cup Qualifiers made up the month for Fogg. The first was a perfect win against Sierra Leone (Christ Traore 43, 55, Kone 63, Diallo 77). The side were only 1-0 up at HT but they found another gear in the second half and the team ran out comfortable winners.

Fogg wondered how he didn't get the same result in game two. Ivory Coast dominated throughout against Tanzania but they couldn't find a finish and, frustratingly for Fogg, the points were shared.

In the WC Quals, the table starts to close up. Algeria are only a point behind now and Fogg knows that he will need to better their results in the next two games in order to secure progress to the World Cup.

The next month has no mucking around. It begins with that vital game against Algeria - win that and Fogg knows his side are at the World Cup. No jobs came up in the Irish league in September so Fogg is hoping that October starts to create some vacancies...

[RaySunshine]

October 2037

Something of an unexpected disaster month hit Fogg in October! It began with a frustrating draw against Algeria. Once again, Ivory Coast dominated the game but couldn't score the goal that would take them to the World Cup.

Worse was to follow in the second shot against Sierra Leone (Kpakpe 67). Sierra Leone took a shock lead against Ivory Coast and that had Fogg worried. Hope was restored when Kpakpe headed a corner home but, in pushing for the winner, Ivory Coast ended up too open and conceeded a goal at the end.

Distaster! Ivory Coast dropped down to second with two frustrating results that see them crash out of what, at one stage, had seemed to be a comfortable World Cup position.

Fogg retains his job with Ivory Coast - just - and is still waiting for a job in Ireland to come up. Now that the Irish season has finished, Fogg needs to wait for the end of the year and contracts to end to see if that produces another job...

[RaySunshine]

November 2037

Following on from the shock of not qualifying for the World Cup, Fogg was under pressure to find new players and begin a new era for an ageing Ivory Coast side. Unfortunately, a new raft of good players were not easy to come by. This was shown well in the friendly against Peru where, despite it being a close game, they scored and Ivory Coast didn't.

Fogg was pleased that interviews kept coming from MLS jobs but he was fully focussed on getting into Ireland as soon as possible. Game two was a much better result. With the axe hanging over him, Fogg managed to turn out a win against Syria (Amian 65, Chaka Traore 69) with Amian being a new member of the squad and getting a goal in just his second appearance. Fogg hopes that the 24yo is the start of a bright future.

Only two months after their last hire, Cincinnati are out looking for a manager again. But, again, Fogg turns them down waiting for that role in Ireland. At least one manager's contract is up at the end of December. Will it be renewed...

[RaySunshine]

December 2037

In December, Fogg's hopes were raised when UCD's manager, Shane Keegan, was lured away to Rochdale...

In the end, there was no joy as former player and Shelbourne manager, Ollie O'Neil, was given the post. This does however, leave the Shelbourne post empty...

[RaySunshine]

January 2038

It takes until the 12th January but an interview eventually comes up for Shelbourne. Alongside a job cv put in for newly-promoted Finn Harps, Fogg is hoping that job is going to finally come up...

[RaySunshine]

Shelbourne

... and finally, Fogg's luck is in! Half a year after walking out of Nashville SC, Fogg finds a job in Ireland. He takes on Shelbourne who he remembers well for their European adventures in the early 00s. It's fair to say though that things are far harder here now than they might once have been.

And so, Fogg sets off on the penultimate leg of the journey with Josh Honohan by his side. Let's see a little more about the man who will be Fogg's new assistant...

Josh has been the assistant here for the last couple of years. Prior to that he had a playing career in Ireland that Fogg hopes will supply all the information that he needs to know!

Unlike their heady days of challenging the early stages of the Champions League, it's fair to say that things are now harder. Promotion and relegation have been on the cards in recent seasons.

The finances of Shelbourne are not looking so good and so a brave battle against relegation with very little cash appears to be on the cards for Fogg. It could be an interesting year!

[RaySunshine]

CHAN

January 2038 brought the CHAN tournament around and the chance for the players of Africa to shine. It began with a game against Gabon (Kone 39, Operi 42). Sylla whipped in a beauty of a cross for Kone to smash home on the volley and Operi got his goal when Sylla sent in a zinger of a low cross for him to finish with.

Then came the shock! Ivory Coast dominated the game and ruled the xG against DR Congo but they didn't put the ball in the back of the net.

This meant that the side simply had to win against Burkina Faso (Sylla 3, Kouassi pen 75). Sylla got a goal early to put the game on its way and Kouassi saw it out with a penalty finish to send Ivory Coast on and into the quarter finals...

It began well in the QF against Ghana (Kouassi pen 45, 52). Kouassi took on the mantle of the injured Sylla. He scored another penalty to get things going and then made a neat run to get the second and secure the result.

All good things have to come to an end though and that took place against Algeria. Algeria dominated the game and had the chances but they couldn't score. As the game went on, Ivory Coast got better but in the end went all the way to penalties and that was Ivory Coast's undoing.

This took them into the third-place play-off again. The opponents this time were South Africa (N'Guessan 17, P Kone 23, Sylla 59). It's fair to say that Ivory Coast walked the game and so another bronze medal was afforded to Mr Phillip Fogg!

[RaySunshine]

Pre-Season

As ever with a pre-season window, the transfers dominate the story. For once, an out is in the spotlights. Leading CB, Jimmy Byrne, was bid for by Rotherham. The board took hold of the bid and told Fogg that it was to be accepted. The man was off...

Then there were ins. Fogg had trialled every player that he could talk through the door but signed none of them. It then dropped back to a fairly desperate set of loans and Fogg is worried that this might cost him...

Liam Doherty comes in from Sligo Rovers and Fogg hopes that he has goals in him. Last season, he got seven goals and three assists in the league. Will this be enough...

Mark Harrison comes in from Newcastle. This will be his first first-team season for anyone. Can he step up to the mark and bring security at the back?

Dion Watts of Brighton is a real punt gone wrong. Fogg doesn't think that he'll work out to many minutes on the pitch as a result!

Federico Perrini is the other competition for the CB slot. He comes in from Brighton and Fogg hopes that between the two of them they can keep enough out to keep the team up.

There are plenty of competitions for Fogg to take part in this season. It's fair to say that the team are expected to struggle in all of them. Especially in the league...

The prediction is bottom of the table and in a group of two with Dundalk! 9th however gives the chance to stay up via a play-off. Can Fogg's men at least achieve that?

Pre-season was simply full of goals at both ends! Fogg isn't quite sure what to make of it but he hopes that it's not going to bode for a boring year in Ireland!

It doesn't start easy though - 8th, 1st and 7th twice are in the opening month. Those 8th and 7th games are vital. What can Fogg do here in Dublin...

[RaySunshine]

Starting XI

So this is the XI, slightly injury-influenced that Fogg is going to put out in his first game with a certain amount of trepidation it has to be said...

John Dennis: The 25yo goalkeeper started out in the English league at Ipswish, Wigan and West Brom without ever making an appearance. He joined last season and let in 23 goals in 14 games! Things have got to get better this time around for Fogg!

Tommy Kelleher: The 28yo is the club captain and is in his fifth season at the club. He got one goal and four assists last time around and was one of the team's better players. Fogg will be looking for him to lead the way once again.

Kieran Burke: Buke, 27, started out at Nottingham Forest but never got a game there. He came to Shelbourne in 2031 and has two FAI Cups and two Leinster Cups to his name.

Mark Harrison: The 18yo loanee from Newcastle is yet to make his first competitive appearance in football. What does he have to offer?

Gary York: Injury throws 21yo Gary York into the starting line-up. He began at Fulham but never played there. He had two seasons at UCD doing fairly well there before joining Shelbourne.

Simon Quinn: 27yo Irishman Quinn has been at the club since 2034. The Man City youngster was previously a League One regular for Cardiff.

Andrew Boylan: The 31yo Irishman is a vital player at Shelbourne and has been since 2034. He's spent all his career in Ireland and he'll have a big role to play in the team achieving it's goals this year.

Mark Doherty: The 30yo winger began at Shamrock Rovers and had one season at AFC Wimbledon. Since 2032, he's been a high-performing regular at Shelbourne.

Seamus Keogh: Fogg has put the 28yo Irish midfielder just behind the striker. He's been at Shelbourne since 2031 and has been a regular scorer and assister.

Nathan Smith: The 25yo began his training at Spurs and has been at Shelbourne since 2032 when he cost a princely £400k! Fogg can only dream of such sums being available now...

Liam Doherty: The on-loan 22yo got seven goals and three assists in the league last season for Sligo. Can he go on to lead the line well for Fogg's Shelbourne?

Edited September 30, 2023 by RaySunshine

[RaySunshine]

February 2038

And so a season in Ireland for Phillip Fogg begins! Game one was against Waterford (Doherty 21, pen 44, Burke 30). It was a game of high drama with Doherty finishing off a super run and scoring a penalty. CB Burke finished off a set piece played in by Doherty.

Game two against UCD was a far more bruising encounter! UCD dominated from the off and it's fair to say that Shelbourne really didn't feature against their more high-flying opponents.

Next up came the double-header against Longford Town (Smith 21, Burke 53, Boylan 61) and Fogg was delighted the with the cup result. What he wanted now was to achieve the same in the league...

... and it's fair to say it didn't happen with the side suffering a 1-0 defeat to Longford Town. They scored from a deep cross to the far post and, despite the game being pretty even, Fogg's men couldn't get back into it. The missing of a couple of real sitters towards the end really worried him.

One win at the moment is enough to keep the team in the playoff places but Fogg knows that it's seriously early days at the moment and he'll want to see more hope of getting points and scoring goals soon.

March is a packed month but the opener is a game that Fogg will hope to get points from. Shamrock though are expected to be far harder opponents. The rest of the month's points could come from Finn Harps. What can Fogg's men do?

[RaySunshine]

Overcoming some technical hitches, Fogg's journey across the world continues!

March 2038

The month began with highly-dramatic game against Dundalk (Keogh 31, M Doherty 48, L Doherty 83). 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2 and finally 3-2! Loanee Liam Doherty got the winner when their keeper punched a headed strike away and he was on hand to volley the ball home.

With Mark Doherty being one of the team's better players this really wasn't the news that Fogg wanted to hear with the team trying to claw together vital points!

Things did not go so well against Shamrock Rovers (Burke 55) however! Burke did manage to head home from a well-worked throw-in routine but, with the team already having conceeded four by that stage and with another coming, it was of little concern.

Another frustrating defeat followed in the game against Derry City and there was very, very little for Fogg to smile about at this stage...

... and even less when the team's midfield grit was injured too!

A cup game against lower-league Wexford (Smith 1, Boylan 21, Burke 39, Keogh 74) provided just what Fogg was after with the team scoring for fun to progress into the next round.

A return to league action saw the team taking on Bohemian (McCarthy 21). Youngster Aaron McCarthy got his first career goal when Keogh turned full De-Bruyne to knit together a great passing move to send him through. Unfortunately, they got a penalty later on to match up the scores but Fogg was pleased with the point.

Before the international break came newly-promoted Finn Harps (M Doherty 48, 51, L Doherty 64). Mark Doherty marked his return to action with two great goals and Keogh knitted the passing again together to send Liam Doherty through on goal too.

It was then time for Ivory Coast to take up the reigns. It began in the game against Sudan (Oura 68) which finished in a frustrating 1-1 draw despite Fogg's team dominating the play.

Worse was to come against Morocco where Fogg's players, once again, had the better of the play but couldn't produce much for it!

The final game of the month was against Waterford. The team didn't win but a 4-3-3 with a half back dropping in to make a back three made a promising look in the second half.

The month finishes and Shelbourne are still in the play-off places much to Fogg's disbelief. The longer this lasts, the more amazed he becomes!

The table for Ivory Coast's qualifying makes less pretty reading though and Fogg wonders how much longer his international career will last if things don't pick up.

Three teams, St Patrick's, Longford and Dundalk sit below Shelbourne in the table. If nothing else, Fogg wants to get points in those three games along with whatever else he can gain in the month. It is, however, another monster month - what sorts of stamina do this team have to show?

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by RaySunshine

[RaySunshine]

April 2038

Considering that he was leading a team who were ranked as almost dead-cert favourites to go down, Fogg was simply bowled over by the unbeaten month of April! It all began in the game against UCD (L Doherty 56, M Doherty 77). Liam Doherty started the scoring against the higher-ranked side with a 20-yard daisy-cutter and then Mark Doherty finished it off with a great header from McDermott's cross to hand Fogg's men a famous win.

The cup came next with a game against Athlone Town (Burke 4, 30, Watts 32, M Doherty 45+1, Smith 55, 80). It was the first time that the new 4-3-3 formation was tested against lower-level opposition and it's fair to say that it worked well for the side!

Derry City (Kelleher 79) in the league came next. Kelleher scored late on with a great long-ranger into the far corner but Derry City pegged them back immediately and the game finished all square.

The game against St Patrick's Athletic (Smith 8, 16, M Doherty 35) was one that Fogg had pinpointed for points earning. Smith scored two neat finishes and Mark Doherty chipped the keeper to finish all the scoring before half time!

A game against out-right league leaders Shamrock Rovers (L Doherty 14, Kelleher 45+1) came next. Doherty gave an early lead by nodding home a cross before things were levelled up. Kelleher then scored a backpost header to restore the lead. Even when things were levelled again, the team were proud of a famous point earned.

With so much happening this month, the side that took on Wexford (Kane 18, Redmond 31, Perrini 48) but they were still able to win and the youngster Redmond netted his first goal for the side. Young midfielder Smirnov played his first game too and looked highly promising.

A full-strength side resumed action against Longford Town (Kelleher 26, L Doherty 34). Captain Kelleher continued his fine scoring form by finishing off Mark Doherty's deep cross before. Liam Doherty then scored from an outrageous angle after his deep cross beat everyone and ended up in the back of the net!

The final game of the month was a close one against Dundalk (M Doherty pen 23, Smith 53, L Doherty 71) but the three goals that Fogg's men scored were enough to get all three points and complete the unbeaten month!

After an amazing month, Fogg's men are riding high in the league. Fogg has noticed that, somehow, the pre-season prediction has changed since the season began but he's still beating whatever it was thought that this team could do! How long can it last for the year that Fogg is here...

The packed months keep coming in Ireland and May starts with two vital cup games - one of which give Shelbourne the chance to appear in a cup final. Can they manage it...

[RaySunshine]

May 2038

May began with two cup games for Shelbourne. The first was against lower-league Sligo Rovers (Boylan 1, 27, Burke 3, Redmond 9, M Doherty 17, 45+3, Quinn 34, Keogh 82) where the goals flowed and Shelbourne simply cruised on and into the next round.

Fogg had hoped that his team would be a in a cup final after the match against Bohemian (M Doherty 19) and it started well when Mark Doherty scored from a defence-splitting Smith pass. They had other ideas though and scored three to take the lead. Shelbourne didn't stop dominating though and missed a penalty and had a goal ruled out for offside just to rub the salt in!

Revenge was taken upon Finn Harps (Quinn 7, Harrison 10, M Doherty 37, Smith 54). Quinn scored the pick of the bunch with his opener which was a long-range bullet of a shot that nearly took the net off!

It was then home action against St Patrick's Athletic (Kane 66) and youngster Kane got the winner when a Redmond strike came back of the bar and left Kane with an open goal to tap into!

No goals were scored in the game against Bohemian and the points were duly shared.

The same was true against Waterford (L Doherty 20) although, this time, Shelbourne had led through Liam Doherty's fine headed finish before things were levelled up again.

At the end of this month, Fogg was simply in dreamland! He'd expected to be fighting to keep his team in this divsion at all - now he's fighting to be in Europe! For how long can the dream continue...

An Ivory Coast-less World Cup means that Fogg only has one tie in June!

[RaySunshine]

June 2034

There might have only been one game in June for Phillip Fogg but didn't stop it being a busy month for the Shelbourne manager. The game was against UCD (M Doherty 8, 28, Boylan 50) and Fogg was delighted with the result as his team took a three-one win and a helpful three points before the World Cup began...

Ivory Coast 'helped' Sweden (Christ Traore 15) warm up for the World Cup by inflicting a 1-0 defeat on them. Oura made a nice cross from the right and Christ Traore was there to head it home. Fogg is now watching the TV with keen interest as he intends to make this his last Ivory Coast game and raise his reputation with a higher-ranked nation!

This was slightly-troubling news but at least made clear what European places Shelbourne were fighting for this year.

Next in was the youth intake. It didn't look stunning but Fogg was happy to take anything that looked remotely positive.

After Watts had established himself in the midfield, it was a bit of a blow to Fogg to find out that his contract was running out and that he would soon be leaving to join Ipswich! A replacement would be needed soon....

... meet Romeo Dabo! The young Ivorian has come in to take on the role and work under the current manager of his national team!

Shelbourne remain in second place and it's clear where the European spots are now - the dream continues!

July has five games in it - what can Fogg and Shelbourne make of them as they look to tie down that promising European spot that would do so much good to the club's finances!

[RaySunshine]

July 2038

The months of perfection came to an end in July but Fogg was still very pleased with the position that the club was holding at the end of the month. Derry City (L Doherty 12) were the month's first opponents and a single strike from Liam Doherty was enough to hand Fogg all three points.

This was not news that Fogg wanted though - to find out that his keeper would not be playing the next two games!

Next up in those games were Longford Town (L Doherty 10). This time Mark Doherty sent a ball over the top and Liam finished it on the half-volley to secure all three points for Shelbourne.

No such luck came against Shamrock Rovers (M Doherty pen 20) though. Both sides got a penalty but it was Shamrock Rovers who got the final goal and ended Fogg's fine unbeaten run to this point.

Winning ways were resumed in the game against St Patrick's Athletic (M Doherty pen 39, 41). Mark Doherty struck twice in quick sucession to secure all three points and Fogg was, as I'm sure you can imagine, very very pleased!

Fogg also opted for an international change - he thought it raise his repuation prior to getting on to the English stage of his journey - alas it didn't!

The month's finishing red dot came in the game against Dundalk (M Doherty 4) Mark Doherty got the game off to a flyer with an early goal but, alas, Dundalk had two in store and that was enough to take all three points!

Shelboure remain second in the table with only 11 games to go. Fogg is dreaming of a miraculous European qualification before he looks to leave the shores of Ireland...

Another month - more cup games! This time, as well as the start of the final run-in, the FAI Cup begins too. The action never stops in the Irish league!

[RaySunshine]

August 2038

The glory days continue! Fogg can't quite believe that his relegation-threatened Shelbourne side have had a perfect month! It began in the league and the side took on Finn Harps (L Doherty 20, 40, Smith 27, Keogh 68). The pick of the bunch was the super volley that Doherty put home from Smith's cutback cross for his second goal.

Cup action came next and Shelbourne took their place in the semi-finals against Waterford (M Doherty pen 29, Burke 90+6). Waterford had two players sent off in this match to liven things up a bit but it took until the 96th minute and the dying embers of the game for Burke to head home corner and send Shelbourne into the EA Sports Cup Final!

The cup action carried on with Shelbourne beginning their work in the FAI Cup and the opponents were Finn Harps (Boylan 53, L Doherty 56). The goals came in quick succession with Boylan putting away a low cross sent in from the right by Kelleher and Liam Doherty curled the ball in from the edge of the box with the outside of his foot!

League action was rare this month and came next against UCD (L Doherty 36, 63, Harvey 84) and Fogg could barely believe the ease with which his team away the supposedly better side. Dreamland indeed!

Keogh might be planning to move on to pastures new but Fogg did want him to be able to play this month! McDermott, though has shown he has no interest in going anywhere - even when a £100k bid from Ipswich has come in!

A final cup match came up against amateurs Letterkenny (Harvey 4, Redmond 8, Kelleher 50, McMaster 78). An almost-completely rotated side put the amateurs to the sword and the goal of mark went to McMaster when the youngster got his first professional goal.

The team remain in that high second place! Can they hold on through the last nine games of the season and get that second place - it would be a real miracle for Fogg and his team.

Three of those nine games come up in September. There's the small matter of the Cup Final in there as well. Can Fogg get silverware which would mark unbelieveable progress for his Shelbourne side! Fogg also has the small matter of his first game managing Mexico to sort as well...

 

Edited November 7, 2023 by RaySunshine

[RaySunshine]

September 2038

The month of September began with a win for Fogg in his first game as Mexico manager against Qatar (Huerta 47, Jaramillo 70). It took until the second half for the goals to come and, little did Fogg know it, but it would be some of the only points he'd see that month!

Action with Shelbourne began with an FAI Cup Quarter Final against Sligo Rovers. Despite playing a team in the lower league, Fogg's men couldn't come up with a goal and they ended on the receiving end of a giant-killing and crashing out the cup.

No more joy was to come in the league game against Derry City (L Doherty 26). Liam Doherty gave the side the lead after he scored from a cutback by Nathan Smith. The team couldn't hold on to it though and slumped to defeat.

The defeats were worth it though for the next game - the cup final against UCD (L Doherty 27) when Liam Doherty headed home Mark Doherty's cross. They equalised when Burke's crossfield ball didn't find a teammate. With both sides missing a penalty in normal time too, the game went on to extra time and Dabo scored the vital penalty in the shootout to give Fogg his first silverware since leaving Japan!

Reality struck soon after the cup final when Shelbourne took on runaway league leaders Shamrock Rovers (M Doherty 60). The point that Mark Doherty's goal earned was made all the more creditworthy when the side went down to ten men and had to fight away to protect that point! The draw was enough to confirm that Fogg's men could not be relegated though!

Before the next match, the results of the youth intake were revealed and only the top two names were enough to interest Fogg this year!

The month's final game saw the side take on Waterford (Smith 44). Much to Fogg's shock, Waterford scored their first two shots of the game and were 2-0 up inside four minutes. Smith did get a goal back but that was all Fogg got as consolation for the game...

Due to a tough, tough month, Fogg's men slipped down a place although they also have two games in hand. It's fair to say that Fogg would easily take for the fourth piece of silverware that his trip around the world has earned him!

If it all goes to plan, this October represents the last month that Fogg will be leading Shelbourne for before the season closes and, in the new year, his attention will turn to home and the completion of his journey. He'd really rather like to seal that second spot if he can but there is a rather large run of away games in there!

 

[RaySunshine]

October 2038

The season comes to an end and Fogg was very proud of the unbeaten month that it finished with! Game one was against St Patrick's Athletic (M Doherty 20, 40, L Doherty 24). St Pat's managed to finish the game with only nine players but two out of the three goals had been scored before a red card was shown so Fogg felt pretty pleased with his team's work.

There was a brief international window at this stage and Mexico took on U.A.E (Martin 59) and Fogg secured a 1-0 win thanks to Martin's quick work for a goal.

For Shelbourne, 3-1 came up in the game against Dundalk (M Doherty 25, 58, Burke 81). Dundalk managed to get to half-time level but, after a few rousing words from a frustrated Fogg, Shelbourne raised their game and cruised to victory in the second half.

The month's only clean sheet came in the game agaisnt Bohemian (Smith 27, Burke 41) and CB Burke was out to prove that he was a corner-heading superstar with his second goal in two games!

The win came at a cost though with two key players missing the final run-in to the end of the season.

Fogg's favourite scoreline of 3-1 came up again in the game against Finn Harps (M Doherty 9, L Doherty 61, Smith 90). Fogg was pleased with the win but wasn't pleased with...

... with a second LB injury! Youngster Gary York was required to step up to the plate and finish off the season!

At this point, second place was secure but the wins dried up. The first of two draws came against relegation-threatened Longford Town (M Doherty 56). Longford even took the lead but the ever-reliable Mark Doherty was able to secure a point for Fogg.

And, at last, the season finished with another 1-1 draw against Bohemian (Burke 28) Burke rose high again at a corner to score the final goal of the season for Shelbourne!

 

And so, much to Fogg's amazement and delight, the season finishes and the team predicted to go down at the end of the season finish best-of-the-rest, in Europe and have a trophy. Not a bad season's work eh?

 

 

[RaySunshine]

Season Review

Bizarre is the only way Fogg could describe this - three players that didn't play including two who'd left before the season even began feature alongside another who didn't get a minute in a formation that Fogg didn't use! Other than that, it's fine!

Doherty swept the board for awards and, when you see the number of records he broke, it's clear why...

A friendly window comes up for Mexico now and, little do Shelbourne know it, but in the new year, Fogg will at last be looking to complete his journey and return home!

[RaySunshine]

November 2038

In what felt like Fogg's first proper test as Mexico manager, the team came up trumps against Uruguay (Reyna, Herrera pen 42, Garza 78). It was a comfortable win in front a packed crowd which made Fogg feel pretty good!

Game two saw the side take on Syria (Huerta 7, Garcia 34, Herrera 61). Once again, the goals flowed and Fogg's perfect record as the manager of Mexico continued!

And now, all of Fogg's games of 2038 are done. He's now waiting for the 15th January and the chance to return home to complete the challenge!