The Regista

August 2, 2021

@TerminalPortugal that's an awesome graphic to display your progress. I'd love to steal it!

July 29, 2021

Two more trophy wins for me. Firstly, the Club World Cup was acquired with Man Utd. A couple of narrow wins in the knockouts against LAFC and Liverpool sandwiched a demolishing of Spurs.

On the international scene, we've just picked up the Gold Cup with Mexico, beating USA aet following a Hirving Lozano free kick. With immediate effect I have resigned as Mexico coach. World Cup 2030 is not far away, though I can list a win already with France in 2026. I'm hoping for a decent African/Asian job after the tournament so I can knock those off ASAP, as I suspect that winning Copa America is not as difficult due to the levels of newgens created in the game as the save continues.

Up to 15 trophies now!

July 26, 2021

10 hours ago, TerminalPortugal said:

Thanks for the info, very helpful.

Not added additional Asian players, hope I don't get caught out there, but we shall see.

Proves how lazy I was to not search for @vikeologistpost re League Cup.

Chalk me up to 13 trophies. I know the UEFA Nations League doesn't count to the challenge but I added for completeness.

Shame the Europa League doesn't either!!

July 25, 2021

Very quick update from me with my first season at Man Utd.

A historic treble for the Red Devils, narrowly missing out on a quadruple with defeat in the FA Cup semi final to Liverpool on penalties.

This squad is insane. Rashford, Greenwood, Bruno and Shoretire are still hanging around, but as you can see I added Camavinga to the squad (£145m) and the 2027 Ballon d'Or winner Jeffrey van Amersfoort (£150m). These two have been worth the outlay despite us losing a Brazillian newgen AMC to Real Madrid for £180m. Along with these chaps, my defence boasts Kimmich, de Ligt, Upamecano, Kumbulla, Milenkovic, Reguilon. What was also nice to see is that two players I had during my tenue with Wolfsburg (Huarana and Williams) are also at United too!

No reason to leave at the moment - I want to win the FA Cup and we have my first real attempt at the Champions League to contend with. Although we only beat PSG in the Europa League final on penalties

As for summer dealings, we've snagged the European Golden Boy Eduardo Freitas from Porto for £60m, along with raiding two more players from the Primeira Liga. Juan Mendez, another Wolfsburg alumni, is also available on a free...

Now onward with Mexico for the summer!

(Aside, does the League Cup count for this challenge? I am fully aware the Europa League doesn't)

July 6, 2021

It's been a couple of months since I've had the time/desire to play FM due to my newborn son, but with routines in place it's now time to get back into the swing of things!!

For anyone who's new to the thread, or a reminder to those longer term players, here's the career so far...

I've just picked up the Man Utd job, and also now manage Mexico.

Let's get back to action!

April 28, 2021

UEFA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2028

Following on from our World Cup win two years ago, it's now time to take on the very best in Europe. As the defending champions following on from Rudi Garcia's reign, could we retain the trophy?

Squad.

The 23 man squad includes many names that were present in the World Cup win 2 years ago. Some new blood has come through though - the likes of Hannibal, Bonneau, Belhaoua, Sugira and Aouchiche make their tournament debut for Les Bleus. Jonathan Ikone also returns to tournament action for France after missing out on the previous two tournaments following an impressive campaign for Lille.

My first signing at Man Utd can also be seen here. See if you can spot who it is...

Spoiler

Group Stage

The draw presented us with a tricky group of Turkey, Northern Ireland and Spain.

Spoiler

The first game was against the Turks. We had played Turkey in a friendly three months prior to the Euros and won 3-1. I felt suitably prepared for the game, but Turkey set up very well defensively. A single goal from Yoann Besse was the difference early on in the game.

Next up were Northern Ireland. Camavinga, a new signing at Old Trafford, picked up a first half hattrick to see us through to the next round.

Finally, we played Spain. Not sure what happened here but we drew 0-0 against Pep Guardiola's side. Although there was some rotation of players, the performance wasn't amazing, but the draw was enough to see us into the Second Round.

Second Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

England were our opponents in the round of 16 having come through in 2nd place in a group that also consisted of Germany and Croatia. England went gung-ho for this one and fielded Rashford, Greenwood, Musiala, Sancho and Foden but could not break down the blue wall. Mbappe had his best game of the tournament so far and scored an early brace. Despite the pleasing win, we were to lose both starting centre backs Upamecano and Nianzou due to suspensions for accumulated yellow cards.

Quarter Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

These blooming Spaniards are fast becoming the bane of my FM existence as they've suddenly worked out how to play against my French side. We were fortunate that Camavinga scored one of the goals of the tournament - a 30 yard wonder strike midway through the first half. Impressively we kept a clean sheet with Pavard and Todibo at centre back (not that they aren't great players, but losing both first choice centre backs was tough).

We soldiered on to the semis.

Semi Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

The Dutch were all that stood between us and a place in the final. This one took a while to get going. Nianzou notched in a header early on, but the 2nd half is where it really came alive. 3 goals in 11 minutes between both sides certainly gave the fans some excitement! The Dutch side has some impressive newgens including 2027 Ballon d'Or winner Jeffrey van Amersfoort. However JvA was kept quiet in this game.

Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

In a repeat of the Euro 2000 final, we faced home side Italy. And again the French were victorious though not after a Golden Goal this time. An early penalty from Mbappe was enough to set the scene, and the ever reliable Rayan Cherki cut inside from the right wing to fire home another one 23 minutes later.

With that, we won Euro 2028 and retained the trophy. I can also add this to my trophy haul for the save which I believe takes my haul to 11.

What's Next?

Spoiler

Having now won all international competitions possible with France, it's time to take my leave. My time with Les Bleus couldn't have gone any better or been more productive. I've chalked off the World Cup and Euros on the challenge and, with a heavy heart, I handed my notice in.

However, as one door closes, another one opens as they say, and I've got a shiny new international job to go with my new club position.

MEXICO

The Gold Cup starts in 2029, and the position became available. The Mexican side is really strong, currently ranked 7th in the world. The squad includes my former Wolfsburg player Juan Mendez, winner of the 2023 NxGn series, amongst many other exciting young players. This could hopefully be another quick win on my CV.

April 26, 2021

New Job

Big club, big job, but this has some sentimental reasons for it.

Why? Some of my ex players are now with the Red Devils. Both Huarana and Williams were with me at Wolfsburg when we won the Bundesliga. Morales was also at Nacional during my tenure there.

Looking forward to this one!!

April 25, 2021

Small update from me

Thank god we did it at the first try, as I don't think I could stomach another year in the MLS.

The domestic campaign has started off alright - we're currently second in the Eastern Conference, 5 points off NYCFC but with 4 games in hand due to the Champions League. I opted to let Josef Martinez leave on a free as I couldn't justify a £60k/week wage for a 34 year old designated player, even if he is a club legend. We signed Folarin Balogun last year, a younger and fitter version of Martinez out on the left side, plus it allowed us a slot to fill with a designated player (Ben Lederman, central midfielder who has done the rounds in Poland).

The above screenshot speaks for itself - apart from the first round we needed to do the job over both legs in order to progress. Thankfully the first leg of the final was the difference in the end, a solitary Balogun goal giving us the edge in Mexico.

So with that, it's 10 trophies for me now, and the end of my time in America. I've resigned my post and am currently on the lookout for a new job. There's the potential to head back to Scotland with the Celtic job, though Erik ten Hag is about to get the boot from Liverpool. Currently at Anfield are Allison, Trent, Fausto Vera, Illaix Moriba, Ansu Fati, Erling Haaland, Joao Felix, Lautaro Martinez... that's the job I want. Although they are 5th in the league, they have a game in hand on Man Utd and are one point behind the Red Devils. We will have to see if ten Hag gets the sack. Equally the Inter Milan job is "Insecure".

The Euros are also coming up with France - a strong performance there could only boost my profile further and maybe seal that job at Anfield.

Progress

April 22, 2021

49 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

@The Regista Yes, you have a league (the MLS) and a cup (the US Open Cup) towards the challenge. (The Supporters Shield wouldn't have counted for anything in and of itself, but you won the knockout part at the end as well)

The 3rd post in the thread should answer all these kind of questions

I didn't know about the Leagues Cup, but presumably not all the MLS teams are in it, so it doesn't count for anything. I'll update the 3rd post to clarify this, but if anybody thinks I've misunderstood and it should be eligible, let me know.

If I've counted correctly, you have 9 of the trophies now. One more and you'll be on the leader board, and eligible for one of my memes celebrating it, but please make sure you keep count, because I won't. There's also a challenge progress thing to copy and paste in the 3rd post, or do your own.

Nice. I shall update my own template and use the copy/paste one in due course. I think I'm at eight (unless I've missed anything?)

(EDIT - I realise the Torneo Intermedio is counted as a domestic cup, in which case I have 9)

Leagues

MLS (Atlanta United), Uruguayan (Nacional), Finnish (HJK Helsinki), German (Wolfsburg)

Cups

Scottish (Dunfermline), US Open Cup (Atlanta United), Torneo Intermedia (Nacional)

Continental

Copa Libertadores (Nacional)

International

World Cup (France)

April 22, 2021

ATLANTA UNITED FC 2027 SEASON RECAP

Very brief update from me baby HQ here.

I finally finished the first MLS season with Atlanta United. I'm not sure the league is for me - the squad restriction ruling isn't my cup of tea plus the season just seems incredibly long (although in reality not too dissimilar to a European League - perhaps I'm just conditioned). However, being on paternity leave with my newborn son/assistant manager has meant that I could finish the league whilst giving him cuddles/discussing tactics.

Anyway, we swept everything in sight, thus qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League and adding the MLS to my list of league wins. Having looked at the calendar for the Champions League, it looks to finish in May. One way or another, whether we get knocked out or somehow win the Champions League, I'll be leaving Atlanta by May 2028 at the latest, and looking to either to go South Africa or Asia.

Atlanta's squad was fairly solid to begin with designated players being keeper Carlos Bonfante, midfielder John Lundstram and club legend Josef Martinez forming the core of the squad. We're helped by having USA international striker Mason Pena (newgen) leading the line. In the early season, we picked up Efrain Alvarez for £1.4m of Allocation funds from LA Galaxy to play on the right side. As the season went on I figured we needed more firepower, so we also traded £4.1m of our Allocation funds for winger Folarin Balogun from Toronto FC. Balogun's arrival gave us the shot in the arm we needed to ensure carried on to win the Eastern Conference. The final saw us beat Austin FC 6-1, with Pena picking up 4 and Balogun bagging a brace.

Question - do either of the cup wins count towards the total for the challenge?

Looking forward to getting the new season underway - it's break or bust for the CONCACAF Champions League!!

Additionally, I'm still with France and we've qualified for Euro 2028. We did lose our first game under my management to Poland 1-0, though this did not affect our qualification plans at all. We also won the Nations League again beating Spain 4-2 aet in the Semi Finals, and thrashing Holland in the final 5-0.

I've got another week of paternity leave to go - hopefully my new assistant and I can win our first trophy together!!

Career Progression

April 15, 2021

Now on paternity leave - time to fire this game back up.

Will catch up on all the latest updates soon!

April 1, 2021

Cheers @dkouv

For the sake of reviving the save I may go unemployed and start again somewhere else. It's been a good few weeks since I've properly played and resigning and starting new somewhere may reinvigorate the save.

March 31, 2021

Quick update from me - not fallen out of love with the save or challenge. I've just had a baby but he's currently in hospital after an operation so trying to get through that first. I'm sure FM will be great for me on those night feed shifts when he's at home!

Atlanta is going OK. We're top of our conference in the MLS with half the regulation season completed. Can't say I'm having the most fun with the MLS still, so depending on how we do I may weigh up leaving Atlanta for pastures new.

March 9, 2021

@goonergez when we taking over Maidstone United from Hakan then mate?

---------------------------------

I've decided to give the MLS a go this season, and will leave if we don't accomplish anything with Atlanta. After drawing the opening game 0-0 against NY Red Bulls, we've picked up 5 wins in a row and are currently top of the Eastern Conference by two points.

Think I've got my head around the wage cap system etc. Perhaps the league will grow on me...

March 7, 2021

I may have made a mistake with Atlanta.

Not sure that I'm a fan of the MLS system, particularly the squad and transfer restrictions. Seems confusing, limiting to me. That being said, I can always go for the CONCACAF Champions League with a Mexican side.

Anyone else found it similar with the MLS?

March 6, 2021

34 minutes ago, goonergez said:

I’m gutted to say that my most enjoyable save on this years edition will have to be restarted. I made a huge error in setting up my game and realised that I disabled attribute masking. I didn’t realise whilst in South Africa because I just thought my scouts knew all the players because they were only showing me South Africans. When I went to China it became clear it was wrong as I was being presented with all sorts of South American wonder kids I wouldn’t know anything about. I’m gutted. Absolutely shell shocked!

Shame to hear - fresh start, fresh mind, fresh African Champions League

March 2, 2021

CLUB NACIONAL DE FOOTBALL SEASON 2026 REVIEW

First full year in Uruguay, and we had already added the Uruguayan First Division title to my resume last season. However, this year we had my first shot at the Copa Libertadores to deal with, along with defending our domestic crown. European teams were swarming around my squad like vultures too, so what happened?

FIRST DIVISION

Spoiler

We've successfully defended our title again. No need for the Playoff as we won both the Opening and Closing stages, along with the Intermedio.

This season was just as seamless as the prior, although we did have to contend with the riches of the European football to deal with. As my main focus this year has been the Copa Libertadores, I've denied every single transfer offer where possible. This has lead to some anger amongst the younger players that want to make that next step, but I have a career to manage too and I'll be dammed if I'm not going to give the Libertadores a good go. To do that, I need all the players I can get.

What I will say is that Nacional produce probably the most consistent Uruguayan newgens around. Here are a few of the current crop that have made it to the first team:

Spoiler

This title win takes me to 5 league wins in total, though only 3 count towards the challenge. I am now the 10th most successful English manager of all time according to the game - you love to see it.

COPA LIBERTADORES

Spoiler

South America - completed it mate.

This was a turnup for the books.

We started off with a group of Deportivo Tachira, Palmeiras and Universidad San Martin. I must have underestimated the squad, because we picked up wins in 5 of 6 games, only drawing with the Brazilians at home. Kuki Zalazar - one of the star players of the team - notched 3 goals in the first three games, with winger Matias Fonseca pitching in with 4 in the last four. We finished top - surprising as Palmeiras are one of the stronger teams in the competition.

Independiente were up next n the second round. The first leg was a dull affair - a 0-0 draw in Brazil. However when it came to playing in Uruguay, we were rampant. Fonseca picked up 5 in one match as we piled on the misery for Independiente - final score 9-1.

Brazilian side Santos were our opponents in the quarters. Buoyed by our win in the previous round, our defence held firm and kept a clean sheet in both games. Two competent wins of 1-0 and 3-0 saw us through to the semi finals.

We faced a member of our group next - Palmeiras were looking for vengeance after our matches in March and April. We travelled to Brazil again and came away with another draw, 1-1 this time. But the home leg again was something else. The Reggenpress (patent pending) was too strong, as we ran our 4-0 winners.

ANOTHER Brazilian team met us in the final - Botafogo. In a tense match, a quick salvo from Fonseca and Zalazar bought home the Copa Libertadores to Nacional for the first time since 1988 and my first continental competition.

Still shocked about this. Genuinely did not think we'd get close. Do you think I underestimated Uruguayan football? Has anyone else had any similar stories?

Spoiler

THE FUTURE

Spoiler

With the Libertadores out of the way, there is nothing left to conquer in South America, and with my contract with Nacional expiring at the end of 2026, it's time to find a new job.

We're heading to North America now...

ATLANTA UNITED FC

I've never managed in the MLS so very much looking forward to this. Atlanta are one of the stronger sides in the MLS currently, winning the MLS as recently as 2025. This year they found themselves way out of the conference playoffs and manager Guillermo Schelotto left to take another job on at Boca Juniors (a job I applied for in backup in the event that the Copa Libertadores didn't go well).

Nothing else has come up on the market - I'm waiting for a top, top European job before I head back there. So it's time to knock off the other continents and this is a fantastic opportunity to do that. We'll need to play at least one season without continental competition with Atlanta, but that should give me plenty of time to assess and implement the Regenpress in the team.

PROGRESS

Spoiler

March 1, 2021

@goonergez Fingers crossed next season for you. What's the alternative if it doesn't come off?

@_JHTB_ Good to see you back. Nice combo to get you back in to the swing of things too!

@Muggert Excellent season from you there. Can Anyang do the business in the K League 1?

@SatournFanGotta love Hong Kong. Can you build on your first season do you think?

@Diego D10S Welcome to the thread!

@numero uno gunner How long a contract do you have? Sometimes other clubs won't want to pay the compensation to get you, so that will sometimes cause you to not get an interview in the first place. I would say if you can't see yourself gaining anything worthwhile from where you are, resign. At least then you're more flexible and a more attractive proposition for a future club.

February 28, 2021

FRANCE WORLD CUP 2026

It's taken 6 season for me to see a full international tournament in the save, but here we are.

Managing France, one of the pre-tournament favourites and ranked number 1 in the world, could we go and make it 3 successive World Cup victories?

Squad

Spoiler

The following 23 men were charged with two missions - defending the World Cup, and completing a treble of World Cup victories:

The goalkeeping department was fairly straight forward to pick. Meslier has been first choice for the country since Lloris retired. Areola has had a solid season with Monaco and warranted a call up, and Burnley's Mike Maignan also had a fine season in the Premier League.

Picking defenders was arguably the hardest part of the job. Upamencano, Nianzou. Pavard, both Hernandez's and Todibo were all definitely going to be in the squad. Ait-Nouri was a fine choice as backup to Theo Hernandez, whilst I knew of Alphonse having signed him for Wolfsbug last summer after extensive scouting. Dumont was an interesting one - a newgen currently at Arsenal, his best role actually a Mezzala, and thus his versatility filled out one of the final spots in the squad. So many other great players missed out though - Kimpembe, Varane, Badiashille, Kounde, Fofana, Zouma, Zagadou, Lenglet, Mendy - France really are blessed with depth here.

Turning to the midfield, and the first selection here was Camavinga, quickly followed by Tolisso. Pogba's experience and quality, along with a good season for United, warranted his selection. Somehow, some way, Aouar is still at Lyon. He picked up a 7.43 average rating for Lyon with 10 goals and 12 assists. I also did a bit of an Eriksson - selecting the uncapped Yoann Besse as backup to Aouar. Besse, currently at PSG and in his second full season for the club obtained an average rating of 7.23 with 11 goals and 4 assists in 38 games. Should we need more goalscoring prowess from midfield, perhaps he could be the man.

Out wide and going forward, the obvious name is Mbappe. Having moved to Real Madrid for £195m, Mbappe proved why he is the best in the world for Los Blancos, with a 7.88 rating and 20 league goals. His role was to play out wide, with the 30-year old Anthony Martial to play up top on his own. Rayan Cherki, normally out wide left for Chelsea, had to switch to the right flank for this tournament. Bizarrely in retrospect, I was very light in terms of rotational options out wide, choosing to fill the rest of the squad out with Edouard and Demebele, the only out and out striker in the team. Sadly, that meant leaving out Thomas Lemar and Oussmane Dembele - both whom played during the qualifying campaign

We were going in to the tournament with two tactics in mind - a 4-2-3-1 Gegenpress with a 4-3-3 VTT in reserve.

Our first choice for each game was as follows : Meslier, Pavard, Upamecano, Nianozu, Theo, Camavinga, Tolisso, Cherki, Aouar, Mbappe, Martial

Group Stage

Spoiler

A relatively straight forward group. Despite a slow start, we were victorious over Chile 3-0, following up with a 5-0 win against DR Congo. Anthony Martial was the star of the group stage, notching 4 goals up within the two matches.

Second Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

A routine victory in the second round. Senegal did not pose too much of a threat and a quick double-salvo in 7 minutes from a Nianzou header and an Mbappe curler put is in pole position for the win.

Third Round (if applicable)

Spoiler

The third round saw a repeat of the 2018 World Cup Final teams, though the result remained the same. Again, we took some time to get going, but again Nianzou and Mbappe proved the difference makers as the Gegenpress proved too strong for the Croatians.

Quarter Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

The toughest test so far. Fortunately, Martial found his scoring boots after going without a goal in the previous two matches. We rotated slightly here, as Upamecano was suspended due to yellow cards. Todibo deputised at the back and provided to be a great rotation, with Dumont replacing Aouar due to fatigue. Martial picked up the first goal after a nice bit of interplace between Tolisso, Mbappe and the Chelsea striker. Mbappe made it two just after a long ball over the top of the Dutch defense from Camavinga, reaching the ball before keeper Biljow. Martial then scored his second from the spot, only for Donny van de Beek to beat the poor Benjamin Pavard twice to cross for Chong to head in to begin a possible fight back. However, Dumont scored one of the goals of the tournament - a left footed first time strike after a cut back from Mbappe. Into the semis we went.

Semi Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

Over 90,000 people came to the Rose Bowl to watch France and Mexico play out one of the more memorable World Cup semi finals. It was also a chance for me to come up against Juan Mendez, the winner of 2023 NxGn series that I signed for Wolfsburg that summer.

Again, strangely in retrospect, we rotated heavily. All yellow cards were wiped out at this stage, but Todibo retained his place in the team as we rested Nianzou for a possible Final. Pogba, making his only start of the tournament, replaced the rested Camavinga. Aouar returned for Mbappe, with the Lyon midfielder playing out wide with Dumont remaining in the centre behind Martial. Edouard also started the game on the right for Cherki.

Aouar opened the scoring inside 10 minutes, picking up a flick on from Martial in the inside left position. Martial then turned goalscorer, latching on to an aerial through ball from Theo before rifling home his 7th goal of the tournament. His 8th goal was created by Aouar, with a curled ball in behind the Mexican defence with TM placing a well aimed left footed near post finish beyond the Mexican keeper Acevedo. His 9th goal then came from the spot, as we headed in a half time 4-0 up with almost two feet in the World Cup Final.

After the restarted, Mexico were reinvigorated. A well placed pass between Pavard and Upamecano in the inside left found Lainez, with a good finish beyond Meslier in goal. Martial restored the four goal lead, this time from the right side. Dumont and Edouard, both quiet so far, combined neatly, with Edouard placing a low cross in to the six-yard box for Martial to poke home. Mexico then struck back - Lainez finding himself behind Pavard to cross to an umarked Hernandez for a header. Two minutes later, Edouard, making his only appearance of the tournament and having just come alive in the second half, found himself with a few yards of space to fire home in the top left corner. Into the Final we went to face Italy, whom beat Norway 3-2.

Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

A third successive and fourth overall World Cup was ours.

The team for the final was the same as our first choice - Meslier, Pavard, Upamecano, Nianzou, Theo, Camavinga, Tolisso, Cherki, Aouar, Mbappe, Martial. The Italians, staying faithful to their roots and aiming to dominate possession, played a 5-3-2 system.

In truth, the final was one of the least memorable games of the tournament as a footballing contest, but easily the biggest of the save so far. The Italians came close by hitting the post from a corner, along with Upamecano making a goaline block to prevent us going 1-0 down. However, Cherki stepped up to take a direct free kick on the left hand side of the penalty box, putting it beyond Donnarumma in the top left corner of the Italian net.

Our task was made slightly easier as Castrovilli was sent off just before half time for a horror tackle on Theo. The Italians carried on with the 5 at the back system as we looked to double our lead. Sadly our forwards were quite poor - most notably Mbappe whom hadn't scored since the Third Round. Despite this, it was the Real Madrid man's cross that lead to our second, resulting in a goalmouth scramble with Martial notching his 11th goal of the tournament (but still finished behind Erling Haaland's total of 12).

The World Cup was heading back to Paris!

What's Next?

Spoiler

This is an easy one to say - I'm hanging around for the Euros after which I'm off as there is nothing left for me to accomplish in the European international scene!

The victory should also hopefully open up the bigger jobs around Europe now when they come calling. Before the win I had an interview offered from Sevilla, plus the Guangzhou job was offered to me too. But I'm in to the knockouts of the Libertadores with Nacional, so I can't justify leaving the Uruguayans until the Copa has concluded for us.

February 25, 2021

7 hours ago, lukefox44 said:

Yeah those youngsters you've got look very good. With those sort of players you should have a decent Copa Libertadores, some of the big Brazilian teams are a whole other level though haha.

I found in South America the top jobs seem to pop up quite often, so a decent world cup and you should be set.

Sadly I've lost both of them to foreign teams paying release clauses. Approx £18m received in transfer fees, only £3m added to the transfer budget. Go figure.

Still though that's a lot of money for the Uruguayan league. We beat Boca 2-1 in a friendly so there are promising signs. I have a few more coming through too but not on the level of those I've just lost.

@SatournFanWelcome to the thread!! Good luck on your journey!

@timpy00West Ham - interesting. Bit of a stop gap for you until something better comes along? Definitely gaining some more reputation in England would be helpful if one of the big jobs came available, though I've found that they rarely do. Lampard are still at Chelsea/United, Guardiola moved to Spurs, ten Haag is at Liverpool after Klopp moved to Barcelona. The Arsenal job is one that has become available multiple times though, but I don't fancy it.

@goonergez Nice work with Kaizer Chiefs. Unlucky with the Champions League - I'm predicting a riot next season for you though.

February 25, 2021

Small update:

Firstly the World Cup draw has been made - France, Chile and DR Congo. Not the easiest but we should be winning that group with ease.

Secondly, on to Nacional. We've just beaten Boca 2-1 in a friendly but I've just lost my two star newgens to European sides. I am considering my position as I'm unsure as to whether this is worth my time now. There are some newgens of decent quality but none of the quality of those we've just sold. There aren't any jobs right now that are worth applying for and my contract runs out at the end of this season.

February 24, 2021

11 hours ago, goonergez said:

@The Registais that the James Rodriguez???? Unbelievable dominance from you though!

Yes sir, its THE James Rodriguez. At 34 he's a decent rotation option in the Uruguayan First Division.

12 minutes ago, lukefox44 said:

Some season that mate.

You staying or you on the move?

I'm staying for the Copa Libertadores campaign. I want to see how this squad compares against the big teams from Brazil and Argentina. Nacional were in the Copa Libertadores this season before I joined, but got knocked out in the qualifying rounds.

This season I did become incredibly lazy with the game though. The standard 4-2-3-1 gegenpress filled in with the appropriate players was the reason we destroyed the Uruguayan campaign, and often we'd be a few goals up before half time. I'm not sure why that is - whether it's something I'm doing or something within the game. Either way, the results are what they are, and because of the results and the unknown of how good the Nacional squad actually is is under a non-AI manager against the rest of South America is why I'm hanging around until the Libertadores campaign is over.

You've seen with the couple of newgens I posted that we've got some cracking players coming through - the main battle is trying to fend off European and bigger South American sides (Boca are already after one, and they just won the Libertadores).

Unless my transfer period is incredible, I'll be on the hunt for a new job in a year or so - ideally in South America again and hopefully with a World Cup win on the CV!!

February 23, 2021

Club Nacional de Football/France 2025 Update

Erm... Not quite sure how to put this...

Just... dominant.

Nacional

So yeah... we didn't lose.

In fact, we won every game bar one.

Spoiler

No Playoff required as we won both Opening and Closing Stages. We also won the Intermedio, though needed extra time to do so.

Transfer-wise, we picked up James Rodriguez from Feyenoord for about £550k. He featured a fair amount and it was nice to bring him in.

Spoiler

Not much else to say other than I'll stick around for the Copa Libertadores campaign. We go in at the Group Stage - can't say I expect us to smash through it like we did the Uruguayan First Division

France

Safely through to World Cup 2026 by winning our group. Two 7-0 demolitions of Estonia (thought it was more), along with a solid defence saw us finish top quite comfortably.

Additionally, we also won the 2025 Nations League by defeating Spain 2-1 in the final. Not required for the challenge I know, but still a nice addition to the resume.

I'm looking forward to the World Cup next year - should be great fun going in ranked 1st in the FIFA World Rankings. If we win, I'll hang around for the Euros to try and knock them off early.

Progress

February 15, 2021

Very quickly after my update - I decided Molde and Olympiakos didn't offer too much for me.

Yes the league titles could be there, along with cups, but I'm no closer to trying to tackle the continental game.

So it's time to head out of Europe and expand my horizons. And one job has turned up in a nation a few of you have managed in already.

Let's go to Uruguay...

Club Nacional de Football - Takeover Update

Possibly the first proper go I've got with a top side in a continental competition. The Nacional job became available as the previous manager was struggling to keep promises, yet Nacional are top of the Uruguayan Opening Stage

The first game is the playoff against Deportivo Maldonado. I'm not sure how this division works as I've never managed in South America. But I'm very much looking forward to this challenge, and hopefully continuing the good start to the save.

The club made the Libertadores, but got knocked out in the second qualifying round to Velez. So this season is just focusing domestically, get the squad playing how I want, and get ready for next year.

I think this is a great job to take on to get a foothold in South American football. Let's have it.

February 15, 2021

VfL Wolfsburg - End of Season 2024/25

It's the end of my 2nd full season (2 and a half in total) in Germany, and I have some good news!!

Bundesliga

One of the big five leagues is ticked off. Our league title was confirmed with 3 games to go.

We've been really helped out by Bayern being TERRIBLE this year. Neuer retired at the end of last season and was replaced by Porto's Diogo Costa, but they've had an inconsistent year drawing more games than usual. We, however, were excellent, going unbeaten all the way to the beginning of March. Our match away at Gladbach was just after our Champions League exit (see below), and the hangover carried on within the squad for a couple of weeks. Despite this, Bayern continued to drop points, with us confirming our Bundesliga title with a 1-0 win over Schalke.

After losing the title on the last day of the season last year, this feels very sweet.

DFB Pokal

Sadly, Bayern did get one over us in the Pokal, with almost a repeat of last season's final taking place one stage earlier. We defended deep and compact, but Lewandowski opened the scoring from a dubious penalty decision. Fabio Vieira scored another straight after, and that was all she wrote.

UEFA Champions League

My first experience of the Champions League this season isn't anything to write home about. We were drawn in a group with PSG, Milan and Young Boys. PSG topped the group on 16 points, with us needing to beat Young Boys on the final group match day to go through. A 4-0 win was good enough to put us through to the semis where we faced the Old Lady, Juventus.

Again, with the young squad, sadly they weren't ready to face a well drilled unit in Juventus. Although they weren't sitting top of Serie A at the time, a 1-0 defeat in Germany followed by a 2-1 defeat back in Turin was enough to send us packing at the last 16 stage. The board wanted us to be competitive, and I think we achieved that.

Wonderkids

I've mentioned the wonderkids a few times - so here's some screenshots of them and the ones joining us in the summer.

Spoiler

Peder Jespersen

The new Danish number 1 was one of the last signings this summer, arriving from AB for £14.5m. I didn't expect him to oust Tim Ronning in between the sticks but it turned out that Jespersen was putting in some great performances that when a £25m bid for Ronning came in from Porto, I felt comfortable in letting the Swede go.

Leonardro Henrique

The versatile one of the bunch - Henrique was my first signing in the summer of 2024. Joining for his release fee of £12.75m, the Brazilian has found himself playing right wing, central midfield, right wingback and even as a centre back this season. Only a matter of time before he ends up in the Brazil team.

Juan Camilo Martinez

I'm surprised someone at Boca hasn't called the police for daylight robbery! Just look at this lad! We picked up Juan for £7.25m. Yup - that little money. He's been unreal at the back, able to play alongside Stones, Christensen and Leite with ease. He's great in either a back 3 or in a partnership. Just a rock, and lethal in the air too.

Simon Williams

Williams was one of the more expensive signings at £25m from Portsmouth. He's been my first choice AMC throughout the season, with Gotze barely getting a look in after an injury early on in the season. I'd like to see him add more assists to his game (only 6 in the Bundesliga this year) but I hope this will improve as he gets older.

Juan Mendez

Winner of the 2024 NxGn series, Mendez arrived from Chivas for £15m in deal agreed at the end of the previous season. His gametime has been limited due to the form of Kaio Jorge and Matias Arezo, but he's been able to deputise on the right wing when not able to start in a striker role. He's off to a great start for Mexico too.

Miguel Angel Huarana

One of the best transfers I have ever made on Football Manager. Miguel is the star of Bolivia at just 19 years old. He joined us in summer 2023 for £500k from Guabira in his native Boliva, and he is on his way to becoming the best player the country has seen since Blanco.

The Future...

I think my time at Wolfsburg is over, but I have saved a separate file to continue on with them should I wish. I've left the club with a number of wonderkids with two more joining in the summer, so the project is there to continue for me at a later date! But for the challenge, other than a cup competition which I could easily pick up elsewhere, there's not much left for me to achieve here. We've picked up the trophy that's the main reason we came to Germany and achieved it in two and a half years, and although the infrastructure is there it's at least another 2-3 years before we're consistently somewhere near Bayern. This year was a freak - Bayern were terrible after losing Neuer (Lewandowski retires this summer, Gnabry is on his way to Barca).

As my next step - right now I've got Molde offering me a job, and the Olympiakos job is available. However unless something drastic happens I can't see any top tier jobs becoming available anywhere else (both in Europe and further afield). Sevilla is the biggest team I could go to, but that would be a waste of time as I can't see their squad being competitive. Both Molde and Olympiakos could yield relatively straightforward league titles despite both teams underperforming in their respective divisions.

What do you guys think? Stay in Germany until a better job comes along? Or take one of the two jobs on for a quick league title?

ASIDE - not much to discuss re the French job. We've won every game including smashing Estonia 9-0 after they eventually went down to 8 men...

Progress

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Posts posted by The Regista