[FM22] West Afri-Can we bring newfound glory to the club? Yes, we can! [Complete]

[corinthiano]

December 2082

I thought we would struggle for goals but Skhiri and Boateng more than made up for Ibarra leaving and we continue our amazing form with another 100% month. The only game that was tight was against Ashanti Gold as expected where they had the better chances but we held tight and snatched a win at the end. We also were comfortably through in the Confederation Cup and I have to say I fancy getting out of this group against some opposition from less traditional countries.

Next Fixtures

Things start getting tougher after the mid-season break as we have to go to Accra Lions and Asante Kotoko.

[corinthiano]

The next round of improvements, still not option to improve Youth Facilities.

 

[corinthiano]

January 2083

We drop our first points in the Premier League, but in games where we absolutely where not expected to even get a point. To be only two points behind the top and unbeaten after almost half the campaign is pretty insane. We also keep progressing in the FA Cup as we beat Gold Stars to get into the Last 16.

Transfers

In

Out

We continue to invest heavily this season to improve the squad, bringing in the Ibarra replacement and getting more Ghanaian first team contenders.

I struggled to find an affordable replacement for Ibarra and whilst Libyan international Mkaari is not sensational, he looks to be decent for our level and already opened his account against Asante Kotoko.

Our most expensive signing but one we couldnt pass up. George is by far the best Ghanaian goalkeeper we could find and at 21 could be our No.1 for years to come.

Not an automatic starter, but provides good competition in midfield, especially at DLP.

Next Fixtures

The tough games in the Premier League continue as we start the month hosting league leaders Hearts of Oak. We'll also have to balance our schedule with the Confederation Cup, which I think will start impacting us in the league.

[corinthiano]

February 2083

I dont know how this team is still grinding out results. 100% in the Premier League with a superb win against Hearts of Oak and tough victories against Medeama SC and Tema Youth keep us top with a 3 point cushion. The only slight blemish is not being able to hold on to a late lead against Stade Tunisien, which means there is still all to play for in the Confederation Cup.

Next Fixtures

On paper we have a much easier month in the Premier League than February, but at some point the tired legs are going to kick in so we cant get complacent. Ideally we also make sure we progress both in the Confederation Cup and in the FA Cup.

[corinthiano]

March 2083

As imagined we struggled with tiredness this month and were lucky to keep the 100% record in the Premier League with some late wins against Legon Cities and Skyy, who we should normally beat easily. Not complaining though as Hearts of Oak dropped a couple more points and we now have a 5 point lead with 8 games remaining.

We are also still progressing in the cups with Quarter Finals appearances in the Confederation Cup and FA Cup guaranteed. Only downer is our first loss of the season at ASPAC which means we will probably finish second in our group.

Next Fixtures

Seems like it will be a quieter month but we have to consider there will be Confederation Cup Quarter Finals scheduled in at some point. Three tricky away ties in the Premier League means I will be happy to maintain that 5 point cushion towards Hearts of Oak at the end of the month.

[corinthiano]

April 2083

A lot less green in the fixture list as the number of games is catching up to us. In the Premier League it is 5 points dropped, which puts both Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko within striking distance of us. The draw at Ashanti Gold was actually a good result but we should have gotten more at WAFA SC. WAFA SC also came back twice against us to win the FA Cup Quarter Final on penalties, meaning we will not retain the trophy. In the Confederation Cup we finish second in the Group as predicted before narrowly edging out a strong Yego Foot side on aggregate goals.

Next Fixtures

If we want to win the Premier League we will have to do it the hard way as we play the Big Two in our last two games, with both of them hot on our tail. In the Confederation Cup in AS Tanda from Ivory Coast we have gotten a decent draw and can hopefully get through the Final.

[corinthiano]

May/June 2083

What an end to the season, when the pressured ramped up we delivered. First in the Confederation Cup when we easily dispatched AS Tanda in the Semi Final before securing Kojo's third Confederation Cup trophy with a dramatic last minute goal against Génération Foot in a very even game.

Then the focus turned back to the Premier League again as despite having a good lead up front we faced a very tough last three games. First we edged Berekum Chelsea at their place, still fatigued from the Confederation Cup game. Then we welcomed giants Asante Kotoko, knowing a win would clinch the title. I was personally happy with a draw that would mean we would win the title by avoiding the game in our last game at Hearts of Oak but we absolutely dominated the game and ran out easy 3-0 winners to bring the first Ghanaian title to Real Tamale and the Northern Region! We then finished the season with a very respectable draw at Hearts of Oak to finish on an amazing 91 points!

[Vakama2619]

Thats it accomplised, congratulations mate, been an amazing read.

[BML]

Huge. Congratulations corinthiano!

[Johnny-Trotter]

Great job - an amazing challenge completed!

[oriole01]

What a season! It's a welcome surprise to have seen you make the breakthrough in a tough league like Ghana so soon, it seemed like even you thought it would be a few more seasons yet. I suppose maybe having two big teams to contend with can be better than just one, as they will also be competing against each other for transfers and taking points off each other, not just your team. Well done on completing all the leagues, it's been a long but rewarding journey! Now good luck on the last challenge of finally winning the Champions League! How do you rate your chances next season?

[corinthiano]

On 15/11/2023 at 22:21, Vakama2619 said:

Thats it accomplised, congratulations mate, been an amazing read.

 

On 16/11/2023 at 04:01, BML said:

Huge. Congratulations corinthiano!

 

16 hours ago, Johnny-Trotter said:

Great job - an amazing challenge completed!

 

16 hours ago, oriole01 said:

What a season! It's a welcome surprise to have seen you make the breakthrough in a tough league like Ghana so soon, it seemed like even you thought it would be a few more seasons yet. I suppose maybe having two big teams to contend with can be better than just one, as they will also be competing against each other for transfers and taking points off each other, not just your team. Well done on completing all the leagues, it's been a long but rewarding journey! Now good luck on the last challenge of finally winning the Champions League! How do you rate your chances next season?

Thank you all! I am not quite done yet, as oriole01 mentioned there is still a Champions League to be brought to Tamale. You'd think I would be confident after winning the most reputable but I actually felt like we had better squads at Cosmos and Ifeanyi Ubah due to no foreign player restrictions. That being said, we should still be able to challenge for it, but it wont be a stroll.

[corinthiano]

2082/83 Season Review

An amazing season where we were just consistently good. Only three losses, one in each competition we played, as we secured an historic double!

Squad by Appearances

There was a lot of rotation with us playing in 3 competitions and the squad coped well with it. A lot of the fringe players will be leaving so we'll need to ensure we still have adequate depth over the summer.

Best XI

Surprised Mkaari didnt make it here, probably because Boateng had a very strong first half of the season and still made important appearances even after losing his place in the starting XI to Mkaari.

Awards

Despite us winning the league the Team of the Year is almost evenly split with the big two. Mkaari has done well to be third top scorer considering he only joined halfway through the season.

Top Performers

Continues to be huge for us down the left with an amazing 19 assists this season.

Shifted from BBM to Mezzala during the season and made his mark in the new role.

I pushed him further up the field this season to play as DLF and he was another to deliver in the new role.

Finances

The only negative of the season, it comes as we continue to invest in facilities and made some big signings this year. I think we have one more year of improvements and big signings before we have to scale things back.

Progress

15 countries and 15 top division titles. In theory that would be challenge completed, but despite the itch to get FM24 we need to give Kojo his last missing title, the Champions League!

[Sizeman21]

It all comes down to this final trophy, let's win it for Real Tamale! We are all holding our breath Corinthiano. 

[Vakama2619]

12 hours ago, corinthiano said:

 

 

 

Thank you all! I am not quite done yet, as oriole01 mentioned there is still a Champions League to be brought to Tamale. You'd think I would be confident after winning the most reputable but I actually felt like we had better squads at Cosmos and Ifeanyi Ubah due to no foreign player restrictions. That being said, we should still be able to challenge for it, but it wont be a stroll.

Here we go, lets get it done.

Also can't wait to see what you come up with afterwards

[corinthiano]

16 hours ago, Sizeman21 said:

It all comes down to this final trophy, let's win it for Real Tamale! We are all holding our breath Corinthiano. 

 

13 hours ago, Vakama2619 said:

Here we go, lets get it done.

Also can't wait to see what you come up with afterwards

Thank you both! Hopefully we can get it done this season but I wouldnt be surprised if it takes longer, we'll need a bit of luck against the big sides in North African and Nigeria.

[corinthiano]

2082/83 West African Review

CAF Champions League

7 teams make it this year, with 4 of them progressing to the Quarters.

Strong showing from Ivory Coast as ASEC Mimosas win their 6th title.

CAF Confederation Cup

We were never going to match the 10 teams from last season, but 8 is a very decent showing, with a very strong 6 making it past here.

We all know how this one ended, great first continental success for Real Tamale.

West African League Rankings

No move between West African nations, but Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Benin move up due to strong performances in Africa.

League Champions

No new winners other than Real Tamale, with ASEC Mimosas winning a mammoth 80th domestic title.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Couldnt get back up to the top tier as they finish 8th in the Second League, did have a decent run to the Quarter Final of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Win their 8th title this year, comfortably!

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Frustratingly missed out on the Liga Brava title on goal difference, but did win the Taça Brava and subsequently the Taça Nacional de Cabo Verde for the 4th time.

AFC Nhacra: Very strong season as they won the double! As expected lost out to Kano Pillars in the Confederation Cup though.

Ayéma FC: Didnt make into the Championship Group again, topping their relegation group.

CNEPS Excellence: Really poor 8th place finish again and poor in the cups too, they are a mid table side now.

Banjul Utd: Off the pace in the second tier this year as they finish 8th.

ASN NIGELEC: 8th in the Superligue and knocked out in the First Round of the Coupe du Niger.

Unisport: In the Championship Group and not dead again, finishing 5th out of 6.

CFFEB: Better in the league as they finish 5th and knocked out in the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Faso.

Flamme Olympique: Couldnt defend their title as they finish 5th. In Africa knocked out twice to tough opposition, Hearts of Oak in the Champions League and FUS Rabat in the Confederation Cup.

Avenir AC: A bit better as they finish 4th in Ligue 1 and get to the last 16 of the Coupe du Mali.

Cosmos: Opposite of last season, strong in Africa as they got to the Champions League Semi Final, but weak in Ligue 1 as they finish 4th.

Ifeanyi Ubah: A lot better in the NPFL as they finish second. Also got to the last 16 in the Federation Cup.

Edited November 18, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

September 2083

We have some games before our league campaign begins. Not the easiest Preliminary Round draw in the Champions League but we managed to get through the Angolans comfortably. The we got to play in the Super Cup in a game that highlights the luck we will need to win the Champions League. In an even game ASEC Mimosas went up 2-0 early in the second half and I thought we had lost it. Then we rallied to score two late goals to even the game and were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute. Tchinto stepped up but missed it and from the following play ASEC Mimosas scored the winner to disappoint Real Tamale fans. Gutting to lose that way but glad we competed on equal terms with the African champions.

Not an easy draw again, as we will have to eliminate a very strong ES Sahel side to make it into the Champions League Group Stage. The games will be just before the league campaign starts and the transfer window closes, so I'll cover it after the Season Preview.

[corinthiano]

2083/84 Season Preview

With the title win last season we are now the 3rd most reputable club in the country and 4th favorites for the title. The aim has to be to compete with the top two to at least earn Champions League football should we not win it this season. We now also have a player in the Media XI!

Transfers

In

Out

Not a lot on the incoming front as we focused on spending money on players that would improve the first team and only sign squad players for free or little money. On the outgoing front we cleared a lot of deadwood and a few squad players, most notably Theo Boateng and Clinton Akaminko. Both were not starters and the money helped fund first team improvements so I was happy to let them go. The three bigger signings are in defence and midfield:

Good midfielder that will play either as Mezzala or BBM for us.

I struggled to find good Ghanaian defenders. Dwomoh is not an automatic starter but he is young and has lots of room for development.

Will be the midfield partner to Asiedu, with Ben Ammar dropping back to DLP.

Assistant XI

Only thing I would change here is dropping back Ben Ammar to DLP and putting Osei at BBM or Mezzala. We dont have amazing depth, but do have some good youngsters I would be OK to put in should we need to rotate the squad.

Initial Fixtures

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice the date of the first game is before some of the transfers we made, but I'll leave the update for that for later  

[corinthiano]

October 2083

I should not have been worried about ES Sahel, we dominated the tie and are comfortably into the Champions League Group Stage. In the Premier League we make a solid start to our title defence.

Next Fixtures

A tough month early on with a trip to Ashanti Gold and hosting Hearts of Oak.

[corinthiano]

November 2083

The month didnt start off well with a weak performance against Ashanti Gold, where we were lucky to just concede once. We however rebounded really well to win the next 3 games including a huge win against Hearts of Oak. We were lucky they had a player sent off in the end of the first half and we took control after that.

Next Fixtures

Tema Youth and Berekum Chelsea will away will be tricky again, but I am confident of getting results in the other games, including our First Round FA Cup game against lower league opposition.

Edited November 19, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

December 2083

A bit of a frustrating month as injuries mean we have not been as free flowing as last season. We knew the Tema Youth and Berekum Chelsea games were being tricky, but we were up 2-0 against Tema Youth until the 87th minute so really threw away two points and against Berekum Chelsea we were the better side but just not clinical enough in front of goal. We also had a game pulled into December at Asante Kokoko, where a draw was actually acceptable. But this all means we are in third and chasing Ashanti Gold and Hearts of Oak.

Next Fixtures

Another tricky away game in the Premier League this month but we have to have a 100% month to keep up with the leaders.

[corinthiano]

Potentially tricky draw as South African sides tend to be good, but I think we stand a decent chance of progressing.

[corinthiano]

January 2084

A 100% month in the Premier League, including the clubs biggest ever win keeps us on the heels of Ashanti Gold. In the FA Cup our second team comfortably see off Second Division side Achiken.

Transfers

Out

It is only one transfer out but it is a big one as Ben Ammar has his release clause activated and heads to Saudi Arabia. The annoying thing is that this happened a day after our transfer window closing, leaving me unable to sing a replacement. The silver lining is that he has been injured most of the season only making 2 appearances, so we have been coping without him. A big blow nonetheless...

Next Fixtures

The Champions League campaign begins...

[corinthiano]

February 2084

The Champions League group is tight, with CF Rahimo doing surprisingly well. We lost our first game despite playing better but followed that up with two narrow wins to see us in second place, the good thing is we have two home games coming up so are in a decent position. In the league it was relatively comfortable other than the Gold Stars game, where we were 2-0 but rallied in the second half to win the game. Ashanti Gold dropped points so we now could leapfrog them if we win our game in hand.

Next Fixtures

The marathon continues in March, with a key title clash against Ashanti Gold and two games against the South Africans in the Champions League, 4 points from those would go nicely in our bid to qualify to the Quarter Finals.

[corinthiano]

March 2084

It has not been pretty, but mostly effective, with us scraping by wins this month. The only problem is we lost the big one against Ashanti Gold, which could well cost us the title, or even worse, see us finish third and miss out on Champions League football next season. Talking of Champions League, two wins against the South Africans see us guarantee first place in the group, which is great as we can give the first team a much needed rest in the last game of the Group Stage.

Next Fixtures

Another busy month, but at least the fixtures in the Premier League are a little better than in March.

[corinthiano]

April 2084

An almost perfect month in the Premier League until Karela FC equalized in the 84th minute. It leaves the title unlikely and a huge chase for second and Champions League qualification. In the Champions League we got a kind Quarter Final draw against Africa Sports, which we comfortably saw through and now head into the Semi Final.

Next Fixtures

Away to the league leaders is not how you want to start the month if you are chasing for places and have a Champions League Semi Final 4 days later, but here we are. If we can get a draw in Egypt I fancy our chances of seeing off the tie in Tamale.

[corinthiano]

May/June 2084

There we have it, Kojo finally got his Champions League trophy! After getting through Zamalek it was another North African side that Real Tamale played in the final. It was a comfortable affair as two Mkaari goals in the first half sealed the deal, with ES Tunis never really threatening in the game. The season kind of fizzled out after that as 3rd place was confirmed and we lost the FA Cup on penalties to Asante Kotoko, but who cares when you have won the Champions League and are looking forward to retirement 

[Number seven]

You can't retire now. Next challenge winning the Nations Cup with all the same nations

[corinthiano]

2083/84 Season Review

Not a stellar season compared to last but we got the trophy that mattered.

Squad by Appearances

There was quite a bit of rotation at the back this year and we were able to give a bit of playing time to some of the youngsters.

Best XI

Skhiri was also introduced into the Overall Best XI.

Awards

Premier League

Champions League

Despite only finishing third in the Premier League Kojo retained the Manager of the Year Award and Ebenezer Atta won Young Player of the Year as he was given more time this season and was impressive up front. In the Champions League Mkaari's goals earned him the Player of the Season award.

Top Performers

Had another good season, especially in the Champions League.

Definitely got a return on Anthony's transfer as he was instrumental in midfield.

A quieter season for him, but still very consistent.

Had to mention him as winning Young Player of the Year as bench player is no mean feat. Always delivered when he came on.

Finances

The club lost money despite winning the Champions League. The youth costs have really risen so if Kojo was going to stay on he would probably need to cut those back.

Progress

So after 60 odd years the journey is finally over. This has been by far my most enjoyable save in all my CM/FM years, so it is no wonder it is my longest. I hope everyone reading enjoyed the journey  

[corinthiano]

26 minutes ago, Number seven said:

You can't retire now. Next challenge winning the Nations Cup with all the same nations

 

Kojo would be 300 years old by the time I did that!!

[Number seven]

Well it was a great read following your story. Congrats with the achievement.

[corinthiano]

15 minutes ago, Number seven said:

Well it was a great read following your story. Congrats with the achievement.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[Sizeman21]

Excellent finish to this Corinthiano, kudos to sticking with the challenge. Now you can rest 

[KibworthBull]

Massive congratulations on finishing an epic challenge.

[KristianT]

Congratulation! Been great and inspiring following this! Incredible stamina.

[Vakama2619]

Congratulations on an amazing challenge and thanks for an amazing read. Defo can't wait to see what you cook up next.

Also just out of curiosity, which club was the one Kojo spent 9 days at again?

Edited November 23, 2023 by Vakama2619

[oriole01]

Damn that was fast . Congratulations on a job well done and an epic journey completed. I've been following since the beginning and it was an enjoyable career every step of the way, so I'm very happy to see you reach the end. Good luck on whatever comes next; personally I'm rooting for you to go back and start the Brazil challenge over again, but I'm sure you'll come up with something cool no matter what it is. For the moment, all hail King Kojo!

[corinthiano]

18 hours ago, Sizeman21 said:

Excellent finish to this Corinthiano, kudos to sticking with the challenge. Now you can rest 

Thank you, was hard at times as there is always a temptation to do something different but it was worth sticking to it in the end!

18 hours ago, KibworthBull said:

Massive congratulations on finishing an epic challenge.

Thanks!

18 hours ago, KristianT said:

Congratulation! Been great and inspiring following this! Incredible stamina.

Thank you!

13 hours ago, Vakama2619 said:

Congratulations on an amazing challenge and thanks for an amazing read. Defo can't wait to see what you cook up next.

Also just out of curiosity, which club was the one Kojo spent 9 days at again?

Thanks! It was Majestic SC in Burkina Faso. Kojo took over just as they were relegated to the second tier and due to a bug they ended up with no division when the new season started, so there was not much of a point to stick around.

9 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Damn that was fast . Congratulations on a job well done and an epic journey completed. I've been following since the beginning and it was an enjoyable career every step of the way, so I'm very happy to see you reach the end. Good luck on whatever comes next; personally I'm rooting for you to go back and start the Brazil challenge over again, but I'm sure you'll come up with something cool no matter what it is. For the moment, all hail King Kojo!

Thanks! I think I'll likely be back in South America for a new save in FM24. First I am going to play the Small Club to Big Club Challenge though to get myself familiar with FM24 before taking on a new long term save once the last patch is out.

[perfect79]

Been an awesome journey, really enjoyed following it.

Kojo finds himself the 15th best African manager of all-time!!

What side did you enjoy managing the most?

[corinthiano]

On 29/11/2023 at 15:28, perfect79 said:

Been an awesome journey, really enjoyed following it.

Kojo finds himself the 15th best African manager of all-time!!

What side did you enjoy managing the most?

Thank you!

That is a tough question, but I think it would be CNEPS Excellence in Senegal as we built up a really strong side that became the foundation for them to go and win the Champions League without Kojo. It was the one side where money wasn’t a problem so could go aggressive in the transfer market and that made it very fun!