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.

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.

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.

Love this one, Portuguesa had a really good team in the 90s when I was growing up. Look forward to seeing them back at the top!

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Very happy for you! Felt your pain following all the WCs and Euros you didn’t win, international management is so cruel.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

October/November 2082 We could not have wised for a better start of the season, I was confident for the home games but getting away wins at Kerala Utd and Tema Youth for a 100% start meant we were in dreamland, until... Transfers Out I knew this was a risk when we signed him as he required a low release clause, but admittedly had forgotten about it and not expected him to be so good either. We dont have great back-up options up front so will have to reshuffle things until the window opens up in January. Next Fixtures It is a busy month but in theory with a lot of winnable games, if we can cope without a main striker.

Mine too 😊 - especially with it being the only former Spanish colony in Africa.

2082/83 Season Preview The bookies half our odds and have us finishing three positions higher than last year and we have Skhiri in the Media Dream Eleven now. I do expect gradual improvement though as we did not find many Ghanaians that could improve the squad. Transfers In Out It wasnt a great transfer window for us as we spent close to $1M but in the end only mildly improved the team. On the outgoing front D'Ghay moved back to Morocco as we found a decent Ghanaian right back to open up a slot for us to sign Luc Tchintcho from Cameroon. Other than him we saw some improvements in defence, here are the challengers to the First Team. Not great, but Ghanaian so will do. Gyamsi is actually a strong addition to the back line but we are way overpaying him on salaries. Hoping I can talk him down from that in 6-12 months. Originally signed as left back cover with Muntari leaving, also challenges the youngster Oduro in central defence. Tried to make the most with the foreign slot and Tchintcho will hopefully deliver. We'll have to reshuffle things in the midifield diamond though with Skhiri dropping back to Mezzala. Assistant XI Looks like my assistant would not shift the midfield, but in my view Skhiri becomes a Mezzala, Ben Ammar the BBM and Akaminko/Kafari-Addy fight for DLP. Initial Fixtures We have a tricky start, especially our away trips.

Confederation Cup Preliminary and First Round In Ghana we go back to playing the first couple of Qualifying Rounds in Africa before the league season begins. We got a very tough draw to start us of with Ismaily of Egypt and I thought it could be a short campaign this season. But we did well to hold our own in Egypt before dominating the return leg in Tamale. We were then rewarded with an easy tie against SK Windhoek of Namibia who posed no threat, Highlight here the biggest win in the clubs history with Ibara netting 7 goals in a game. We get another kind draw in the final qualifying round and should make it to the Group Stages.

2081/82 West African Review CAF Champions League A slightly weaker year as 6 West Africans making it to this stage and disappointingly the two big Ghanaian sides dont get through. First time in a while we dont have any West Africans in the final as Club Africain win their 3rd title. CAF Confederation Cup They were light in the Champions League but in the Confederation Cup a mammoth 10 teams make the Group Stage, with 6 progressing further. With so many West Africans in the last 8 it was disappointing to see the title go to Morocco as MAS Fès win their 2nd title. West African League Rankings Not a lot of movement, just another swap in the top by Ghana and Nigeria. League Champions One new champion in Benin as former Kojo sides in Guinea-Bissau and Guinea win the title. Former Champions MC Breweries: Continue the yo-yo run as they are dead last in the first tier and are relegated again. Out in the First Round of the LFA Cup. Kamboi Eagles: Dropped of this year as they finish 5th. Nô Pintcha da Brava: Better this year again as they finish 2nd in Liga Brava, but still knocked out early in Taça Brava. AFC Nhacra: This year they closed the deal as they win their 9th domestic title. Ayéma FC: Didnt make into the Championship Group again, finishing 4th in their Relegation Group, comfortably ahead of the drop zone. CNEPS Excellence: Really poor 7th place finish again and best cup result was a Quarter Final in the Coupe du Sénégal. Banjul Utd: Off the pace in the second tier this year as they finish 8th. ASN NIGELEC: Better in the Superligue as they finish in 7th and far away from relegation. Unisport: Back in the Championship Group and not dead last this time, finishing 5th out of 6. CFFEB: Finish in mid-table again at 9th and are knocked out in the Semi Final of the Coupe du Faso. Flamme Olympique: Do really well to win their 6th domestic title, but are knocked out in the Preliminary Round of the Champions League. Avenir AC: Drop off again as they finish in 8th in Ligue 1. Their Confederation Cup campaign also ends early in the Preliminary Round and they lose the Coupe du Mali final on penalties. Cosmos: Better domestically as they reclaim best of the rest behind ASEC Mimosas, but are knocked out in the Second Round of the Confederation Cup to Adamawa Utd. Ifeanyi Ubah: Mediocre again as they finish in 9th.

2081/82 Season Review A very good improvement this year, we managed 11 more points and finished two places higher, although there is still quite a gap to the Top 3. The absolute bonus this season was winning the FA Cup. We were lucky with the draws as we never faced anyone higher than 8th in the Premier League, but I'll take it as it gives the club its first piece of major silverware and gets us African football next season. Squad by Appearances We avoided major injuries which allowed us to play a core team more or less consistently, unless we had fixture pile-ups. Other than central defence we had a pretty consolidated first team. Best XI 7 new players in the Best XI as we clearly improved the first team. Awards Ibara was scoring for fun this season and is the record goalscorer in a single season in the Premier League. This earned him the Young Player of the Year Award and a spot in the Team of the Year. Top Performers I didnt think he was going to be this good when I signed him but boy was I wrong. Scored for fun and was incredibly consistent. Scored a surprising amount of goals considering his role and his poor finishing. One of the legend of the clubs and still performing among all the talent we brought in. As always, a good attacking full back does well in Kojo's tactic and Maldonado is no different. Finances Not bad at all considering we spent $1.5M on training facility improvements. The $1.1M for winning the FA Cup was a pleasant surprise. Could be in for a nice profit next season if we manage to get to the latter stages of the Confederation Cup. Progress Decent progress, next season the challenge will be to balance African football with domestic football and close the gap to the top 3.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it