Britain and India Challenge

[cletus]

Just discovered that the India National job is available. I'm not allowed to apply, right? I've won the Durand Cup once, but not the league.

[crouchaldinho]

Cletus That's crap timing! No, you're not supposed to apply for it until you have at least won one Indian league title. The idea is that the national job would not be given to an inexperienced manager without a decent track record.

Your reputation would probably not be good enough to get the job anyway.

C.

[Guest]

I've just tried to get going on this challenge but, disaster has struck and my save is corrupted!

Holidaying again now though and hoping to get HASC again.

[Guest]

Phew, HASC were available again without me having to reload several times on the season reset day. I got lucky there I suppose.

[Terror]

So i've reached the 2014/15 season now. I've won all but one of the last league championships. Its getting pretty easy at this point no one really gives that much of a challenge. I've lost a couple cup finals by fluke against nearly always east bengal. Its strange how i always lose to them.

My players are developing pretty well. Alex is one of my favorite players. He is natural in much every position except wblr and st. His mental stats have developed well and i would highly suggest signing him.

Manoharan: As you can tell by his attributes, he's definitely one of my best players. Found him as a free transfer at teh beginning of one of the years. Although not performing incredibly well (still pretty good) he's young and has lots fo time for him to shine. For some reason, he always gets managed to get injured right before any important match (champions league or East Bengal games)

Ahmed: Like Alex, this guy can play a myriad of positions. Also one of my best performers switching from dc to mc whenever i need him. His physical stats are lacking, but i think his mental make up for it.

Rawat: Just like ahmed, he's a drifter of positions. I usually stick him in the mc position and he hooks up well with Pradeep (who for some reason i haven't posted a screenshot of - probably my best mc, i may put that up later)

Thunde: Oh man, this guy is just incredible. For around 6 years this person has been the star of my team. He plays in the middle of the 3 fowards that i have playing and just blasts those goals in like they're nothing. Take a look at this: History I believe that's 158 goals in 160 games for me. I don't know where i would be without him. And i'm not sure what i'm going to do when he starts declining/retires. Hopefully Manoharan can take his place in the upcoming years.

Anyway, i've been attempting to get to some english team in either the premiership or the champion ship but i get shot down everytime. My reputation is world class but i'm not getting anywhere. I think i'm going to try get some international job (not india) and get successful with them while getting the youth academy going in vasco. Anyway, i'll keep you updated on how it goes. I've got only adequate training and youth which kinda blows, but they're working on it apparently and will have them upgraded.

As for the asia cup, I've never actually participated in it. Has anyone got in? How do you get in? Do i have to purposely place second?

[cletus]

Nice work, Terror.

You have done very good, winning so much. Could you post some SS of your history/progress in the domestic league/Durand Cup?

By the way. As I understand the rules, you are not allowed to move to England, before you have won the Asian Confederations Cup (ACC). I thought that winning the league, would qualify for the ACC. That's how East Bengal has qualified for it in my game....

[crouchaldinho]

Yes, when winning the league you should qualify for the Asian Confederations Cup, like cletus said. That is where you will boost your reputation.

What version of FM are you running?

By the way, you've got some great Indian players there. They will come in handy when you get the Indian national job.

C.

[Terror]

I'm running WSM08 with the 8.02 patch running. I tried purposefully losing and getting second on a round and i didn't qualify. And everytime i in the league i go to the champions league which is practically impossible to qualify from. This is lame...

[Nightowl]

Oil & Natural Gas Corporation 2015/16 Season Report

Big news this season. First, as mentioned previously, my Confederation Cup performance earned me a spot in the Asian Champions League, which went far better than I could have hoped, with a 5-1-0 group stage record. Off we go to the next round! I feel sorry for my players, they haven't had any time off for a couple years (both the Confederation Cup and Champions League are played during the usual off season break).

I have begun applying for jobs, unsuccessfully so far. A sampling: June 2015, applied for the Millwall (Championship) job. Lost out to Phil Parkinson, who had been fired by Championship last place finishers Southampton in December. In July, tried to get jobs at Aldershot and Notts County (both league 2), and lost out yet again to a regen and a newly retired Jonathan Woodgate. Looks like they want a higher reputation before they will consider me.

I did get some good news later on. Following the Asian Nations Cup, Bobby Houghton was relieved of his position as India manager. I quickly submitted an application, and the next day was offered the job! Part 2 of the challenge is about to begin. The next day saw us drawn against Sri Lanka in the first round of Asian World Cup qualifying; two days later the updated world rankings were published, with India dropping 6 places to 99th.

My odds to win the league this season were 4-5, with the media predicting a first place finish. Season tickets increased significantly, from 252 to 440. But in the biggest piece of pre-season news, my assistant manager singled out a promising youth from our new batch of youngsters, like usual. I went to take a look, thinking he would be as poor as every other assistant manager highlighted player I ever get. I'll let you imagine my reaction when I saw this:

He's already good enough to be a star in India, and my coaches believe he will become even better! He does have an odd combination of positions, being able to play left wingback and left attacking mid, but with no ability to play left midfield. No matter, I'll train him there and give him some games here and there, and by next season he should be ready to star.

The team won the Federation Cup without much trouble, with only a 1-0 game vs. East Bengal in the semi at all close, and we dominated that game as well. My unlikely Champions League run came to a crashing halt, however, with a 4-2 aggregate loss vs. Persepolis. All in all, I'm happy with the teams performance in its first try in this competition.

When the time came to name my first India squad, I selected 10 players from my squad (2 more of my national team regulars were injured at the time, or would have been selected too). This of course caused the media to complain. What did they expect? I have a team composed solely of Indians which is the best in the league. I saw it as finally bringing in some players who should have been playing long ago. We'll see who was right.

The first half of the NFL season was a bit disappointing, leaving me in third place. Still, I was confident I could recover and win the league. The Durand Cup went well, however, with my team winning the final 1-0 over East Bengal in an apparently breathtaking display of football.

My India squad made it to the group stage of World Cup Qualifying, with victories over Sri Lanka (6-3 agg) and Turkmentistan (7-6 agg) in the qualifiers. As you can guess, I'm liking my offense, but the defense is giving me fits. The group stage has seen us drawn against Australia, Iraq, and Syria. I fear our run will end at the hands of the Aussies. We also managed a hard fought 2-1 loss to Iran in a friendly, not a bad result against a far superior side.

Like previous years, several players won Asian awards in January. I won't be highlighting these any more unless its something special. I will mention that I finished third in Asian Manager of the Year, the first time I have appeared in this list.

In Indian player news, Hardip Singh won the Club World Championship Best Player Award (Blackburn won the Champions League last season), and Avinash Coutinho continued to bounce around Europe, moving back to France to join Lyon for 8.75M + clauses.

The second half of the season went well, my 8-1-0 record was enough for a third consecutive first place finish.

So, another league title, two more cups, and a return to the Champions League. All in all, a successful season. I'm really going to start aggressively pursuing English jobs now, as I feel there is little left for me to prove in India. Quick question: is it possible to be notified in game when jobs become available? Or do you just have to keep checking the jobs screen repeatedly to see any openings. If it can't be done automatically, maybe an idea for future versions of the game: being able to tell your agent to keep an eye out for new opportunities. Just a thought.

Back with another update later, I think I'll begin mainly focusing on the national side in future updates, with just a brief mention of ONGC's performance (its getting a bit repetitive), unless something unusual happens. Expect bigger updates again once I manage to find an English club.

[Terror]

Holy crap, Nightowl! That guy is amazing! He's going to be amazing. He's the player to take to england with you. What are your youth facilities looking at?

[milanfan_apoorv]

Are your scouts allowed to go to South America? I'm thinking about the rule that to sign a player you must scout them first

sign them on trial, then get a scout report. it takes 100 something trials to get a few good guys so be prepared.

[Terror]

Has anyone successfully made it to England?

[Nightowl]

What are your youth facilities looking at?

My training/youth facilities are adequate/basic. I'm really starting to believe the talent of your youth players is as much based on luck as your facilities.

Has anyone successfully made it to England?

I've applied for every job I've seen (at least 10, probably more), from Premier all the way down to League 2, and I've been refused every time. It almost seems that getting your first job in England may be one of the most difficult parts of the challenge.

[Frazza Pee]

Hi I'm starting this as it looks hard. Have I to load all players from any Countries?

[Terror]

Load players from Britain.

I think the best way to get into england is by doing well internationally. Maybe get india into group rounds of asia cup and then get a job at like a european country --> english team. Otherwise, i have no idea because i've been applying everywhere.

[Frazza Pee]

Too late I just Loaded up Scotland as that's where I'll be Managing

[Frazza Pee]

Your looking at the new manager of ONGC :

Untitled User

[cletus]

I think this challenge requires a change of rules.

I won the league for the first time in 2012/2013, but past time winners East Bengal had qualified for the Asian Champions League in 2013, through their achievements in the Asian Confederations Cup (they won in 2009 and 2011). That meant that I also played in the ACL and I don't think it's possible to play the ACC anymore.

So what do we do? I think it will be very hard for any Indian team to win the ACL.

Terror has experienced the same, I think.

[Terror]

After applying around 100 times to various teams, i got the job at southend! They have some pretty good players and are underperforming at 20th in the championship. Good thing too! I was not goign to be able to get 1st that season with vasco

I gave up trying to win the ACL, I got to the semis (via goal difference, so lucky) and then got demolished 8-3. I don't think its possible for me to go do the ACC.

[Terror]

Southend Job!

[milanfan_apoorv]

frazza the latest to join.

enjoy

[Frazza Pee]

It's hard as no-one wants to join. My team has a rep of 100!

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by cletus:

I think this challenge requires a change of rules.

I won the league for the first time in 2012/2013, but past time winners East Bengal had qualified for the Asian Champions League in 2013, through their achievements in the Asian Confederations Cup (they won in 2009 and 2011). That meant that I also played in the ACL and I don't think it's possible to play the ACC anymore.

So what do we do? I think it will be very hard for any Indian team to win the ACL.

Terror has experienced the same, I think.

I don't understand why that is the case. I don't believe this is how it works in real life. See the quotation below:

The AFC also runs three levels of annual international club competitions. The most prestigious (and oldest of the current AFC club competitions) is the AFC Champions League tournament, based on the UEFA Champions League, formed in 2002/03 with the amalgamation of the Asian Champions Cup and the Asian Cup Winners Cup. (An Asian Super Cup competition between the winners of these two major tournaments ended with the birth of the AFC Champions League.) The other competitions branched off this in 2004 when the 'Vision Asia' blueprint for development was launched. This led to the top fourteen AFC nations, the 'mature nations', sending their best teams to the AFC Champions League. The next 14 nations, the 'developing nations' qualify to send their teams to the AFC Cup.

The rest of the AFC-affiliated countries, the 'emerging nations' send their teams to the AFC President's Cup. The teams which qualify from each country are usually the champions and the cup winners [1]. Currently there is no promotion and relegation between the different levels of nations.

However, if an Indian team is a winner or a runner-up in the AFC Cup, they will be invited to play in the Asian Champions League, under the rules for the 2009 competition.

Are you sure that this isn't what is happening on your game?

It's very strange. Perhaps FMIndia will be able to clarify for us.

I think you should attempt to just win the ACL anyway!

C.

[crouchaldinho]

By the way, well done to Terror and good luck in England. Plus, welcome to Frazza Pee !

C.

[cletus]

Excuse me, but hasn't Terror forgotten about not moving to England, before winning the ACC? And what about the Indian National Team?

[Terror]

Originally posted by cletus:

Excuse me, but hasn't Terror forgotten about not moving to England, before winning the ACC? And what about the Indian National Team?

Well, since i think East Bengal had won the ACC, I couldn't qualify. :-\

And i have the India job atm. I lost to Iran on the WCQ 4-2.

[Nightowl]

ONGC & India 2016/17 Season Update

ONGC's season went as expected, winning the league and the Indian cups. More shockingly, we made the Asian Champions League final. We won 2-1 at home, then went on the road, with Al-Ittihad winning by the same score, so off we went into extra time. They scored in the 93rd minute, but we replied in the 105th, so after a 3-2 loss, aggregate 4-4, the Champion's League was ours on the away goals rule! I really should mention here how much I hate that the away goals rule continues to be in effect in extra time, it seems to tarnish my achievement winning this way.

Winning the ACL entered us into the Club World Championship. In the second round, we beat Urawa Reds in a shootout after a 1-1 draw. After losing 3-2 to Sao Paulo in the semi final (a game which only looked close because of an 83rd minute goal and a 90th minute own goal long after the game was decided), we played New York Red Bull in the third place game. Another draw (0-0), and another shootout, which we won, and with it took third place and a 1.3M prize!

The India team has flourished under my guidance, winning our third round group with a 5-0-1 record. We were drawn into Final Group B along with Australia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. I was worried at first, but I was wrong. As of this writing on August 30, 2017, we have a 6-0-0 record and have already qualified for the World Cup with 2 games to spare. Hardip Singh, who has been mentioned often here, leads Asian qualifying with a 8.19 rating, and 23! goals (aided by playing in the qualifying rounds, but the second top scorer has 8). I guess that shows what a European Champions League winning star striker can do in Asian qualifying, especially when you take advantage of his pace and have the team continually allowing him to run onto the ball. Give me an weak group in the World Cup, and I just might qualify for the second round!

Despite all this success, I have yet to find a job in England. I have continued to apply for every job I see, even in League 2, and so far nothing. Maybe my nationality works against me, maybe my reputation still isn't great after all this, but this job search is getting frustrating. You would think someone would give me a chance, but when even the likes of Accrington, Colchester, and Tranmere don't want you, you have to worry.

Back with another update, hopefully including a new job and/or a successful World Cup run.

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by Terror:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cletus:

Excuse me, but hasn't Terror forgotten about not moving to England, before winning the ACC? And what about the Indian National Team?

Well, since i think East Bengal had won the ACC, I couldn't qualify. :-\

And i have the India job atm. I lost to Iran on the WCQ 4-2. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I didn't realise that was the case.

I'm not quite sure what to say about this situation really. In real life, Indian teams wouldn't start qualifying for the ACL after success in the ACC (wikipedia confirms this), so I obviously wasn't expecting that it would happen in FM.

My verdict is that players should play to the spirit of the challenge. This certainly means winning the Durand Cup (the second oldest football tournament in the world) and two consecuative league titles. It also means success in continental competition.

In light of the problems with how the ACC and ACL are programmed on Football Manager, I am not going to make a hard and fast rule about whether or not you should win the ACL. Go as far as you can in the competition - whatever you feel is realistically successful. I would personally suggest getting into the later stages.

For those who don't have these problems, they should still try to win the ACC.

C.

[crouchaldinho]

Great job with the national team Nightowl ! Keep up the good work!

C.

[coldkohmew]

Same here.I like the away goals rule!!!

[Nightowl]

Oil & Natural Gas Corporation/India 2017/18 Season Report

The ONGC season went as usual, with a league win (17-1-0, 52 for, 4 against), and victory in the Indian cups, to go along with a second straight Champions League victory, again on road goals (interestingly the defending champion bypasses the group stage, entering the competition in the quarters). As a result, I became the most successful manager in Asia, according to the in-game hall of fame. A fourth place finish in the World Club Championship followed, losing to Sao Paulo in the semi, then AC Milan in the third place game.

On the job front, teams continued to ignore my applications. I began declaring interest occasionally in insecure jobs, only to be laughed at by the chairmen, except in a few cases of League 2 sides. None would hire me, however.

In national team news, remember my previous confident statement that I could see myself advancing to the second round if drawn with an easy group? Well, no such luck, as I landed in Group H with Brazil, Holland, and Mexico. I'll be happy to leave with a point. Asian Nations Cup qualifying also began, with me in Group D with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. Halfway through qualifying, we sit in first place in the group with a 3-1-0 record.

So, contract renewal time came up and I decided enough was enough, refusing to sign and hoping to find a job in the summer. Winning everything was getting a little stale, and I really wanted to move on. The team won the Super Cup Final vs. East Bengal in my farewell match, and I was unemployed two days later (funny, one of my coaches followed me out of the club - does he really think I'll sign such a mediocre coach in England?). A week passes, and I get a news item that Derby (Premier) is looking to replace Sam Allardyce once his contract is complete, and it was speculated that I would replace him. Interesting. I checked the job screen, and declared interest in all insecure Premier League jobs (Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Derby, and one I forget). All of a sudden, the news comes back that I would be seen as an ideal candidate for all these jobs, and the chairmen admitted they were considering me for the jobs. Two days later Newcastle filed Ian Holloway and offered me the job! They offered a 2 year, 1.1M p/a contract, with a 10.25M transfer budget, and a 62M p/a wage budget. I asked for four years for some extra security, and they accepted, so on Monday, June 11, 2018, two days prior to my first World Cup match, I was introduced as the new Newcastle manager.

The moral of the story? It seems to be far easier to get a job when you are unattached, even when you're only on a 1 year contract with a ridiculously low salary (and therefore low compensation, I would assume). Premier teams who were recently laughing my interest off were clamouring for my services. So, a tip to those who have gotten to this point without landing an English job: if you are confident in your reputation, maybe its better to be unattached and go hunting for a job in the summer. It worked well for me!

As a farewell to ONGC, here is a screenshot of our achievements in my time there:

And a quick question about the challenge rules. Level 3 asks that we win the Champions League with a British/Indian squad. Does this mean we should purge all foreigners from our squad as soon as we arrive, or can it be a gradual process, as long as the squad that completes the challenge is as required? Also, where do we draw the line on British players? Is it anyone with a British nationality (first or second) no matter which national side they choose to play for, or does it extend only to those who will play for a British side (declared for a British team, or at least not declared for another nation). What about players who gain British nationality by spending time in England? In the spirit of the challenge, I'm assuming we're aiming for British born players or club youth products, and not building a team of naturalized young Brazilians/whatever we signed. crouchaldinho, let us know what you were going for here. For now, I'll assume what I said about the spirit of the challenge above.

Back later with an introduction to my Newcastle side, and the results of my World Cup run.

[flea_market]

ive got through my first season with Air India. its been a mixed bag for me. i cant seem to attract the players i want, even players in clubs that arent in the top league in India wont come to my side.

so instead ive been concentrating on kids, 16yo or so. ive got a few decent youngsters, hopefully they'll move into the first side and so i wont have to sign too many players.

in my first season with Air India, i got to the semis of the Durand Cup, knocked out by a Mohan Bagan team head and shoulders above me.

I finished 6th in the league, something i want to improve on.

cant wait for my second season now.

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by Nightowl:

The moral of the story? It seems to be far easier to get a job when you are unattached, even when you're only on a 1 year contract with a ridiculously low salary (and therefore low compensation, I would assume).

So, a tip to those who have gotten to this point without landing an English job: if you are confident in your reputation, maybe its better to be unattached and go hunting for a job in the summer. It worked well for me!

Yes, I did wonder about this.

It seems to me that the whole compensation business is a bit overdone in FM.

Like you say, quitting your job and then going job hunting seems to be the best move in order to me successfully to England.

As for your question about the nationality business, I think you know my answer. We're really looking for British (and Indian) born players.

It is up to you how you purge the squad. I would suggest getting rid of the foriegn players as soon as possible but that might not be too practical if you have just joined in the middle of the season. When completing the requirement of the challenge, the team should be just British and Indian though.

You've done amazingly well Nightowl - I'm dead impressed with your record now. Will be really interested to see how you get on now in England.

C.

[Nightowl]

Thanks for your reply crouchaldinho. As I said, I figured I knew what your answers would be (and agree), but it doesn't hurt to have it laid out for everyone in the challenge. Now we all know what's expected.

As for your question about the nationality business, I think you know my answer. We're really looking for British (and Indian) born players.

That's what I assumed. Although a question occurs: how do we handle a British born player with a second nationality, who later decides to play for his second nation? Do we let him play on, or do we mercilessly purge him from the side?

It is up to you how you purge the squad. I would suggest getting rid of the foriegn players as soon as possible but that might not be too practical if you have just joined in the middle of the season.

As I joined in June, I'll be going with my original plan of having a MASSIVE summer purge of foreign players. Hopefully their sales will raise enough funds to bring in some quality British players (the 2 Indian players already in Europe are looking far too expensive...).

[cletus]

Mohammedan update from Cletus Spuckler:

Season 2012/2013

After last seasons promising 2nd place, this season was going to be the turningpoint for Mohameddan.

The season started with a good victory in the Federation Cup after a 4-1 over SC Goa in the final.

After that victory the season was vere well played and ended with the first trophy in many years for Mohammedan: Table 2013.

No succes in the Durand Cup, where we didn't made it past the groupstage.

Also lost the Super Cup against rivals East Bengals. But now we were ready for the ACC (I thought). But as written above, we were qualified for the ACL, starting march 2014.

Federation Cup[/b): Winners

Durand Cup: Groupstage

NFL: 1st - 13W, 4D, 1L, +19 GD

League Table

Super Cup: Lost 0-2 to East Bengals

Season 2013/2014

After winning the league for the first time, focus was on retaining the title and it went very well. This year we beat the Bengals by 5 points, finishing 1st again. Big thanks went to striker Odafe Onyeka Okolie who scored 13 leaguegoals in 16 appearences.

After the 2nd league win, we were to play in the ACL and were drawn in group G with Saitama(Japan), KTB(Thailand) and Binh Duong(Vietnam). Most games we were big time underdogs, but we managed 2 homewins against KTB and Binh Duong. Saitama was superior with 5 wins and 1 draw.

Federation Cup[/b): Lost the final

Durand Cup: Lost in semifinal

NFL: 1st - 15W, 2D, 1L, +32 GD

League Table

ACL: Groupstage - 2W, 2D, 2L, +1 GDACL 2014 grouptable

Season 2014/2015

This season, it was time for "the Treble" - won the Fed. Cup, The Durand Cup and the league. The fans loves me and the board also. By the way training facilities/Youth facilities have been upgraded to Top and Good and the board has promised to do another upgrade soon....

In the ACL, we were up aginst Saitama, Sydney and BEC (Thailand) and again we were no where near the groupwin. Again Saitama was the winners, and we won both our matches against BEC and draw both matches against Sydney. This looks very tough.. not sure that I stay in India until I've won the ACL.

Federation Cup[/b): Winners

Durand Cup: Winners

NFL: 1st - 13W, 4D, 1L, +26 GD

League Table

ACL: Groupstage - 2W, 2D, 2L, +3 GD

Super Cup: Lost 2-3 to East Bengals

ACL 2015 grouptable

Durand Cup History

Federation Cup History

There has not been an opening for the Indian National Team yet. The team has not qualified for anything, so I hope they sack the old man soon.

Am I allowed to move to England, even though I'm not Indian National Team Manager?

Congrats to Nightowl. Well done. Looking forward to hear about your progress with Newcastle

[cletus]

Short Mohammedan update from Cletus Spuckler:

During the holiday (late july), the Indian Nat. Coach job was available. I applied and got the job. Expectations are low: "The board hope you enjoy the experience of participating in the World Cup Quals (ASI)"

First matches are the 1st rnd in World Cup Quals (ASI) against Chines Taipei (ranked 193rd). We are currently ranked 113th. Shouldnt be to difficult....

National coach assignment

[cletus]

By the way. Be sure to check the Job Centre every day, if you're looking for the National Job. I heard nothing in the news about the resignment of the former national coach, so you really have to check it yourself. And there was nothing in the Job Security-section indicating that the Job Status was insecure.

[crouchaldinho]

That's a good tip Cletus - I always put the job security and available jobs on my manager overview so that I can glance at it easily most days.

C.

[cletus]

Mohameddan Update from Cletus Spuckler:

Well, one year has gone as Indian coach and the results have been satisfying.

Chinese Taipei - 1st rnd, 1st leg

Chinese Taipei - 1st rnd, 2nd leg

A predictable result, but never the less, very good, as the indian team never has gotten past 1st round. In second round, Myanmar waited. Their ranking were almost similar to ours, so this could be tough.

Myanmar - 2nd rnd, 1st leg

Myanmar - 2nd rnd, 2nd leg

And it was tough, to the last minute. Lost the 1st leg 0-2. Won the 2nd leg 2-0 and the mtch went to extra-time. No scoring so it was time to penalties. And as you probably know, penalty-taking is not the favourite-traning subject for indian players. But this time, luck was on our side and we won the shoot-out by 4-2. That meant that we were in the group stage! Fantastic.

Drawn in group with Oman, Jordan and Japan we were not expected to go any further. And the experts were right:

Group results

In all matches we really had no chance. Looking forward to the Asian Cup...

As for Mohammedan, the season 2015/2016 were a little disappointing. Table

Didn't win the Fed. Cup or the Durand Cup either. So I went shopping. I now has top training fac. and excellent youth fac. This means that the top-players from East Bengals and Mohun Bagan now are willing to join my team. And having a transfer budget at 5 M Rs and a salary budget at 2 M Rs, money was not an issue.

Our third participation i n the ACL, was again unsuccesful. Asian Champ. League table

For the third time in a row, we were in group with Saitama UTD (Japan) and they seem to be to hard to beat. And next year I haven't qualified for the ACL, due to my 2nd-place, and I think I need a good result in the ACL, before applying for any good english team.

That's all for now.

[crouchaldinho]

Nice update Cletus ! Keep up the good work!

C.

[Nightowl]

India World Cup/Newcastle Pre Season

A long one, so get ready.

INDIA - WORLD CUP

Sadly, injuries were the theme of the World Cup, with 3 central defenders getting injured between the naming of the squad and the start of the competition, leaving me with only 1 healthy centre back. In the first game, a striker was injured, and between the first and second games, my last central defender was hurt, as well as my starting left midfielder.

Game 1, vs. Brazil: A 3-1 loss, less than I expected, and we scored (even if it was a free kick)! We were out shot 25/10 to 6/2, but possession was 50-50, shocking against the Brazilians. Even though my team is built to keep possession, I didn't expect the same tactic which dominated Asian teams would survive so well against a world power. Of course, this may be because they cut through my defense like butter every time they had the ball, and didn't need to dally.

Game 2, vs. Holland: A 6-3 loss; with a midfielder and a fullback playing at centre back, what were you expecting? Out shot again 26/16 to 10/8, but won the possession battle 53 to 47. Going to have to get that up to about 80% to keep teams away from my awful defense though. On the bright side, Hardip Singh scored a hat trick. I can see why Blackburn won't sell.

Game 3, vs. Mexico: A 2-0 loss, who knew Mexico would be the team to shut us out. A pretty even game, they converted their chances and we didn't. We were barely out shot 13/7 to 11/5 , and we won the possession battle 54-46. Hardip Singh's goal tally stays at four, not a bad return for a player from a small team like India.

NEWCASTLE

Some interesting news, the two signings singled out in the Premier season recap worst signings of the season were both made by Newcastle. I see now why they need a new manager.

Had a look at the Newcastle first team squad, to see what kind of British presence they already had. A quick overview of the players:

(for the rest of this post, all players whose names are followed by a * are from the original database, just for interest)

GK Ben Foster*, 35, ENG

Still looks relatively solid, may get me through a season or two before needing to be replaced, but I'm already searching for a top notch replacement.

D RC Sam Hutchinson*, 28, ENG

Originally a Chelsea youth product, bought for 8.25M a couple seasons ago. Should be a solid contributor on the back line.

D C Luke Scott, 18, ENG

A product of the Newcastle youth system, played 11 games last season and 5 the year before, performing very poorly. Looks promising, but is not ready for this level; I'll look to loan him out.

D C Gary Steadman, 25, ENG

Another Newcastle youth product, my coaches consider a League 1 player (I agree) and unlikely to improve. An emergency back up at best, or gone in the purge.

D C Steven Taylor*, 32, ENG

Team captain. Still at Newcastle after all these years, and still looking very solid. At his age, should give me a few more good years before needing to be replaced.

D/WB L Grant Basey*, 29, WAL

Former Charlton youth, decent premier quality. No hurry to replace, but a backup if I can find something better.

DM, M RC Chris McGregor, 28, SCO

Once a Hibs youth, great technical and mental stats, decent physically. The best British player in the squad. Looking to move on, though.

ST Dave Booth, 22, ENG

Newcastle youth, a good back up but doesn't have the quality to be a consistent starter. Will be kept as a squad player.

ST Nathan Eccleston*, 27, ENG

An original Liverpool youth, very solid striker. A sub on the current English World Cup squad.

Plus many reserves, none worth mentioning (Michael Dawson is there, but at 34 has declined greatly and won't help).

Obviously, I will be focusing on bringing in a whole new midfield, and hopefully another good striker. The defense isn't bad, maybe a new short term starter, then I'll upgrade it later.

So I began a search for new British players, sending out scouts and checking reports, checking on expiring contracts, and looking at youth squads. Here's what I came up with to start:

New signings:

D C Jack Hobbs*, 29, ENG, Bristol City (Champ), free

AM C Mark Randall*, 28, ENG, Everton (Prem), free

M C Craig Gardner*, 31, ENG, Reading (Champ), free

AM RC Giles Barnes*, 29, ENG, Bolton (Prem), 1M

AM RC, F C Stephen El-Abd, 26, ENG, Northampton (Champ), free

-All of the above are solid, if unspectacular. Will temporarily fill holes in the lineup until better players are found, and then become low cost squad players.

WB/AM L Rajesh Agarwal, 19, IND, ONGC (NFL), 275k

The great regen produced by my old club ONGC; a bit pricey for a young unknown in India, but I don't mind helping the old team out. I hope to develop him into a star, but he will need to gain a work permit/another passport first. Off to Poland this season.

D LC, M L Craig Hogg, 22, SCO, Everton (Prem), 1.5M

Transfer listed by request, will come in and be a back up to start, hopefully developing enough to take over the starting left back spot. My scouts are very high on him.

ST Darren Hawley, 24, ENG, Shef Wed (Prem), 10.25M

My biggest signing, pretty quick, and has very good striker attributes. Unproven at this level, with only one mediocre season under his belt two years ago.

AM L Adrian Bruce, 25, ENG, Portsmouth (Prem), 7.5M

My other big signing, he's slower than I prefer my wingers to be, but is a masterful passer, crosser, and dribbler, and has very high work rate, teamwork, and creativity ratings.

I signed a large number of younger players who aren't ready for the first team yet. My goal is to sign as many young British players as I can, in the hopes that some of them become stars. This is even more important since most of the good established British players I've found are ridiculously priced. I can buy 1 good player, or about 20 or more good prospects. Guess which I prefer, especially since the team is not near contending for the Champions League.

Next up, a massive purge of the evil foreigners who are poisoning our team. The following have moved on, hopefully with more to follow:

Lars Stubhaug* 2.8M

Yuval Shpungin* 5M

Gelson Fernandes* 2.7M

Robert Hatchi 10.5M

Santiago Rosa 16M

Fabio Ceravalo* 5.5M

Kurt Cue 10.25M

Nikola Peeters 10.75M

Plus some with low fees, not worthy of mention. Hatchi and Cue really hurt, as they are excellent young players who would have helped a great deal, or might have fetched higher fees. Many players were sold on at no/little profit, but what can I say? I want the foreign presence gone as soon as possible. Plus, Newcastle seemed to pay FAR too much for some of these players, considering age and ability. This is not the smartest way for me to build a team, but in light of this challenge, I want the British/Indian players to take over from the beginning. I see growing pains ahead...

With some of this new wealth, I made one final big pre season purchase:

D C Jack Rodwell*, 27, ENG, Everton (Prem), 13.5M

An Everton youth product, he's a very solid central defender. He'll form a strong partnership with Steven Taylor, and seems capable of taking over his role as both the heart of the defense and team captain in a few years.

I had offers accepted for several other strong British players, but they were unwilling to sign with us. So I still have 22M left to spend, with no takers. Maybe in January...

To finish off this update, our title odds this season are 100-1, with the media expecting us to finish 13th. See how we fared in my next update.

[crouchaldinho]

Nightowl - Really top quality update! Unlucky in the World Cup but dead impressed you made it there.

Excellent work with Newcastle so far. I can't wait to find out how you get on. I'm afraid my challenge has gone on the back burner at the moment as I have so much studying to do (I'm doing a postgrad degree). My St. Albans City game is taking up what very little time I have. While I have such little time to devote to the game, I cannot see myself picking up the Mumbai FC challenge, as there is so much to do with the squad. When I'm over this hurdle, i.e. the large amount of work I've got on, I will undoubtably return to it. So I'm living the challenge through you now!

Good luck with Newcastle United. Hope the British / Indian revolution goes well for you!

C.

[cletus]

Mohammedan update from Cletus Spuckler

Well, I'm still playing this challenge. Anyone else?

Hers' a few SS to show the progress since last:

NFL Table 2017

NFL Table 2018

As you can see, we're pretty invincible...

In our 4th participation in the ACL, things started to go our way:

Group stage

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Finals

Well, We didnt go all the way, but I'm satisfied. Ahmed Hossain won the Top Goalscorer Award.

Thinking about resigning when current contract expires in may this year. Probably easier to get jobs in England, as Nightowl has written above. Though it could be fun to win the ACL..

As for the national team, here's our run inthe Asian Nations Cup Qual:

Group results

Table

India has qualified for the Asian Nations Cup for the first time since 1964.

Japan, Maldives and Syria are the teams that we're in group with.

The results has moved India up the World Ranking to a current 71st place:World Ranking

[cletus]

By the way.

Have sold the first Mohammedan player to scottish St. Mirren:

Satish Ghosh

Ghosh' history

Got 18M Rupees him (£210K)

[coldkohmew]

Originally posted by cletus:

Mohammedan update from Cletus Spuckler

Well, I'm still playing this challenge. Anyone else?

Hers' a few SS to show the progress since last:

NFL Table 2017

NFL Table 2018

As you can see, we're pretty invincible...

In our 4th participation in the ACL, things started to go our way:

Group stage

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Finals

Well, We didnt go all the way, but I'm satisfied. Ahmed Hossain won the Top Goalscorer Award.

Thinking about resigning when current contract expires in may this year. Probably easier to get jobs in England, as Nightowl has written above. Though it could be fun to win the ACL..

As for the national team, here's our run inthe Asian Nations Cup Qual:

Group results

Table

India has qualified for the Asian Nations Cup for the first time since 1964.

Japan, Maldives and Syria are the teams that we're in group with.

The results has moved India up the World Ranking to a current 71st place:World Ranking

Great job!!!

Hope more players will move out of asia.

[DodgeeD]

I've been following this thread with interest for the last few weeks. I'm about to start a nice long summer break from work so I'm thinking about getting a new game started to kill the time.

How long would you say it takes on average to get a season done? (the fact Crouchy said it only takes a short time to do the seasons is appealing):

[cletus]

Well, theres only 18 games in the league.

Max. 4 games in Federation Cup (Pre-season tournament) and max. 4 games in the Durand Cup.

When you get to the later stages (playing in the ACC or ACL and managing the India National team), off course the gametime increases.

I'm not a fast player, so my game time for 11 seasons were about 6 days (144 hours) inclusive ineffective gametime, when I left the computer for other doings

Hope you will give it a go. It's been very fun for me.

I'm still playing and here's a little update:

I resigned as Mohammedan-manager on June the 24th 2019 and shortly after there were 7 possible teams to apply. Three teams offered me a contract: Leicester,Sunderland and Everton - all in the Prem. League. After rewieving the team, I went to Everton and Goodison Park. The team was not overcrowded with non-UK players and looked pretty strong.

I've bought one player from India, Ahmed Hossain who were my topscorer in Mohammedan. Bought him for £475K and now after 3½ month, he has proven to be good enough. Valued at $1,1M and won the November Player of the Month. (My coaches says he's crap, but the fans love him)...

Lying 8th in the table after 15 games. 6W, 4D, 5L and a GD at +2.

SS will follow soon....

[cletus]

Cletus Spuckler update:

Short update, as this challenge seems to be dead.

In The Asian Nations Cup I took India to the quarterfinals. Results

Lost to Iraq in the quarterfinal. Iraq won the tournament.

As posted earlier, I resigned at Mohammedan and took over the job in Everton.

First season has just been played and it went very well. Finished 2nd.

Here's the team

There were only four non-UK & Irish players and they were quickly sold.

My indian representant is Ahmed Hossain and here is his career stats.

Next season has just started and we're directly qualified for the Champions League.

[Nightowl]

Seems like things have slowed down a bit here, but I'm still at it. Other business just got in the way of me playing for a while, but I'm back. I'll have my first Newcastle season update in the next day or two.

Hope to hear more about how everyone else is getting on soon!

[Terror]

Sorry, i've been mia for a bit.

Quickly though, I REALLY want to sign this guy...