[FM15] Where the Heck's It Gone? A hunt for lost glories...

[DodgeeD]

Asante Kotoko 2032/33 Season Preview

Club Overview

Stadium: Baba Yara Sports Stadium

Capacity: 51,500 all-seater

Season Ticket Holders: 17,227

Average Attendance (2031/32): 24,551

Season ticket holders and average attendance continue to creep up.

Expectations

Media Prediction: 1st

Board Expectations: Premier League – win the title; MTN FA Cup – not important; Super Cup – not important; 2032 CAF Champions League – win it

Last year’s final seems to have given the board big ideas and they now insist that I win the big one.

Facilities

Training Facilities: Good

Youth Facilities: Superb

Junior Coaching: Good

Youth Recruitment: Well-established

Finally got the youth facilities upgraded. The current chairman wants to leave though and is refusing to sanction any further improvements.

Finances

Balance: €4.7million

Transfer budget: €1.393m

Wage budget: €53k p/w

Current wage bill: €32k p/w

I got the wage budget restored to its former level. Just as well as keeping my best players resulted in the weekly wage bill jumping up by €8k.

Transfers

2032/3 Pre-season Transfer History

Scouting range: Worldwide

A few players came in but nothing to shout about. They are merely in there to provide cover and rotation options as my current first teamers pursue continental glory.

Super Cup

Asante Kotoko 0, Hearts of Oak 1

Two years in a row we have lost to our biggest rivals in stoppage time…

CAF Champions League

We completed the group stage during pre-season, winning all three games and topping the group ahead of TP Mazembe. Wydad Casablanca will be our semi-final opponents.

[DodgeeD]

5 games into the season and our winning run + unbeaten streak finally end:

Still, 40 league games won in a row - never had a run like that before even in minnow leagues with a dominant club!

[DodgeeD]

2032 CAF Champions League Update

YES!!

WE DID IT!!

It was hard work but it paid off this time. The semi was a struggle initially as we went two goals down in Casablanca but then stormed back to win 4-2. The return leg was a formality after that. The final was a rematch of last year as we faced Etoile du Sahel. 1-0 down at half-time in the first leg, I told the boys what I thought and Prince Adams went out there and bagged a brace to give us a narrow lead. The second leg was as nerve-racking as they come. Opoku gave us an early lead but it was all the home side after that. We hung on for dear life as they hit the woodwork three times, equalised, had a good penalty shout turned down and then had a goal disallowed on 89 minutes. There was still time for them to hit the post again but we held on to become the 2032 African Champions!!

Just look at how we were on the back foot in that second leg:

Nevermind that though - the important thing is we won, I got my second different Champions League title and we now get to go to the Club World Cup in Korea.

Our road to the final:

Next on my shopping list - either the O-League or the CONCACAF Champions League

[DodgeeD]

2032 International Review: D.R. Congo

Quick Overview:

2034 CAF World Cup Qualifying: 1st in Second Round Group Stage (on-going)

2033 African Cup of Nations Qualifying: 1st in Qualifying Group

Results:



World Ranking (Dec 2032):

That's much better! We are in a strong position in World Cup Qualifying, especially as we are yet to pay Madagascar. Expectations are thatwereach the final play-off round but with a favourable draw, we could go all the way...

Qualifying for the African Cup of Nations was a breeze. We only dropped points to cross-river rivals Congo and were never in danger of not making it.

The tournament itself is only a couple of weeks away. FECOFA want us to reach the last eight but that may be a big ask:

Egypt are the holders and South Africa have put in a decent showing in recent tournaments.We will do well to get through.

[DodgeeD]

Obviously, our success has grabbed someone's attention:

Makes little difference to me as I am moving on as soon as an interesting job opportunity presents itself (also good to win the Champions League without a tycoon's help). Would be nice for the club to make up for the inevitable loss of our key players.

[deltablue]

Looks like a potentially challenging group.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Even Burkina Faso won't be an easy win. Not an easy group at all.

[DodgeeD]

Obviously, our success has grabbed someone's attention:

Makes little difference to me as I am moving on as soon as an interesting job opportunity presents itself (also good to win the Champions League without a tycoon's help). Would be nice for the club to make up for the inevitable loss of our key players.

Nothing came of this in the end as the deal collapsed in late January. That did mean that we were under a transfer embargo for almost all of the window, however.

[DodgeeD]

Looks like a potentially challenging group.

Even Burkina Faso won't be an easy win. Not an easy group at all.

I just hope the FA are as understanding as you guys if we don't get through

[DodgeeD]

2033 African Cup of Nations

Hosts: Ivory Coast

Holders: Egypt

Group Stage

We had something of a group of death facing as we did the holders as well as South Africa (one of the top ranked African nations) and perennial dark horses Burkina Faso. We started against South Africa and got off to a flyer, charging into a two goal lead. At half-time, having told the team the pressure was off before the game, I told the boys to keep up the good work. I soon wished I had gone for "don't get complacent" as we were awful in the second half. Somehow, we held out until the 80th minute when South Africa finally pulled one back. The inevitable equaliser came a few minutes later but luckily there was no last-gasp third goal as the game finished 2-2. Two points dropped or a good point earned? I'm not sure the result represented either...

Up next, Burkina Faso. For a long time, this was a carbon copy of the first game: we raced into a two goal lead; we were rubbish after half-time; it was soon 2-2... but then a big difference as we rallied and scored tiwce in the last ten minutes to pick up a priceless 4-2 win. However, with South Africa beating Egypt, that meant we would need at least a point in our final game to go through...

The holders were heavy favourites a rightly so. They were the ones who raced into a two goal lead this time. I told the team to buck their ideas up at halftime and they did... a little bit. Then we went three down before a late consolation that was little more than... well, a consolation. a 3-1 defeat it was, leaving the final table looking like this:

[DodgeeD]

2033 African Cup of Nations

Hosts: Ivory Coast

Holders: Egypt

Here's how the other groups played out:

And the knockout rounds:

Ivory Coast beat defending champions Egypt on penalties in the final:

[DodgeeD]

2033 African Cup of Nations: Aftermath

We had the ignominy of being labelled as 'underachievers' while Ghana, thanks in no small part to the seven Asante Kotoko players in their squad, were tagged overachievers for their third place finish.

I care little for media tags though. What the suits at FECOFA thought was much more important. Would they keep faith in the long-term development of the team? Or would they tell me to FECOF?

Thank you for understanding.

[DodgeeD]

Asante Kotko 2032/33 Season Review

Quick Overview

First Capital Bank Plus Premier League: 1^st – CHAMPIONS!!!



League Results 1 | League Results 2

Sly Tetteh Memorial Cup: Runners-up

MTN FA Cup: Winners!!

Domestic Cup Results

2032 CAF Champions League: Winners!!

2032 FIFA Club World Cup: 5^th place

2033 CAF Super Cup: Runners-up

2033 CAF Champions League: Group Stage (Ongoing)

Continental Results

Review

My work here is done. The CAF Champions League was hard-fought but well-deserved. The league, despite a couple of defeats this time, was once again won at a canter. In my final game in charge, we won the cup for the first time since I came here – nice to go out on a high. The only thing missing was the CAF Super Cup, which we lost on penalties (and we won’t mention the Club World Cup *cough*).

Key Players

Kwesi Hardy (DL) – scored some key penalties and provided plenty of assists too.

Emmanuel Chibsah (MC/AMC) – Another great season – can’t be long before he heads to Europe.

Prince Adams (AML/ST) – fewer goals than in recent seasons but was key to our Champions League success.

One to watch

Kwaku Appaih YP19a (MC/AMC) – I had low expectations for this guy so his good form was a pleasant surprise.

Youth Intake

Not much to shout about here but I’m leaving anyway so no bother!

Transfers

2032/33 Transfer History

A few squad players came in but the core of the first team has been the same for most of my time here.

The Season Ahead...

Time to explore the job market and see where to next.

[DodgeeD]

That's me up to date (internationals aside) with the thread now caught up with the game. My job hunt began in frustrating fashion as the long-serving manager of Auckland City (in charge for 23 years!) let his contract run down to the last week before signing a new two-year deal... The OFC Champions League will just have to wait.

There were a few end of season retirements and job switches that opened up the following interesting opportunities:

1. Hayes & Yeading - they've approached me before and I was tempted but the timing was wrong. They finished last season a credible 9th in the Championship. Could I complete their fairy-tale rise to the Premier League?

Transfer budget: €3.4 million

Wage budget: €325k per week

Continental competition: N/A

2. Galatasaray - the biggest team in Turkey need a replacement for their recently retired manager. A chance to splash the cash and have a crack at the UEFA Champions League beckons

Transfer budget: €18.75 million

Wage budget: €1.3m per week

Continental competition: UEFA Champions League

3. Videoton - 3rd in last season's OTP Bank Liga, this is a good chance to build a domestic and potentially European force as well as dabble in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League

Transfer budget: €6,75 million

Wage budget: €110k per week

Continental competition: Europa League

4. Llaneros de Guanere - underperforming in Venezuela's Liga Movistar, this side are looking for someone to pull them into the top half of the table and back into contention for next season's continental places.

Transfer budget: €500k

Wage budget: €125k per week

Continental competition: Potential Copa Sudamericana/Copa Libertadores place

5. Guantanamo - I'll admit it: the name got my attention! One of the weaker teams in Cuba but they offer the chance for a crack at the CFU Club Cup and will be easy to leave if a NZFC job comes up.

Transfer budget: €21.5k

Wage budget: €5.75k per week

Continental competition: N/A

Galatasaray would be a great job but it seems more like one for the end of my career... I'm tempted by the challenges Hades & Yeading and Videoton offer but would still lean towards winning the other non-European Champions Leagues first. Llaneros and Gauntanamo will offer huge long-term challenges, however.

I think I'm going to sleep on it.

[dllu]

Hayes & Yeading in the Championship??

[DodgeeD]

Hayes & Yeading in the Championship??

Yep, and we also have Lincoln, who have risen up from the Conference. Stoke have been the biggest fallers so far as they currently reside in League 1.

[DodgeeD]

Actually, scrap that - just checked more closely and the biggest decline has been Doncaster from the Championship to the Conference North

[DodgeeD]

July 2033 International Update: CAF World Cup Qualifying Second Round

It has actually been a year since we kicked off our qualifying campaign with the Cup of Nations qualifiers and tournament causing the twelve-month pause. Last time we had seized control of the group with an impressive away win over Senegal and a comfortable home victory over Libya. How would we fare when hosting the lowest ranked side in the group, Madagascar?

Pretty well it would turn out:

Just for a laugh, we let a ridiculously long-named opponent score to give the commentators a tongue-tying moment.

We then hosted out-of-sorts Senegal in Kinshasa. Did their poor form continue or did our good form hold up? Tough to say but it was one-way traffic as we picked up a 4-1 win to put us on the brink of qualification.

Libya were the only team capable of stopping us, sitting 5 points behind with two games to go. We would face them next in Tripoli. Luckily for us, the only danger would be posed by the setting of civil unrest as we strolled to a 4-0 win. That has guaranteed us top spot and a place in the play-off round. We can now treat our final match in Madagascar next September as a friendly and a chance to hand out a few caps to youngsters.

The play-off round is in October. Fingers crossed for a winnable tie!

[DodgeeD]

That's me up to date (internationals aside) with the thread now caught up with the game. My job hunt began in frustrating fashion as the long-serving manager of Auckland City (in charge for 23 years!) let his contract run down to the last week before signing a new two-year deal... The OFC Champions League will just have to wait.

There were a few end of season retirements and job switches that opened up the following interesting opportunities:

1. Hayes & Yeading - they've approached me before and I was tempted but the timing was wrong. They finished last season a credible 9th in the Championship. Could I complete their fairy-tale rise to the Premier League?

Transfer budget: €3.4 million

Wage budget: €325k per week

Continental competition: N/A

2. Galatasaray - the biggest team in Turkey need a replacement for their recently retired manager. A chance to splash the cash and have a crack at the UEFA Champions League beckons

Transfer budget: €18.75 million

Wage budget: €1.3m per week

Continental competition: UEFA Champions League

3. Videoton - 3rd in last season's OTP Bank Liga, this is a good chance to build a domestic and potentially European force as well as dabble in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League

Transfer budget: €6,75 million

Wage budget: €110k per week

Continental competition: Europa League

4. Llaneros de Guanere - underperforming in Venezuela's Liga Movistar, this side are looking for someone to pull them into the top half of the table and back into contention for next season's continental places.

Transfer budget: €500k

Wage budget: €125k per week

Continental competition: Potential Copa Sudamericana/Copa Libertadores place

5. Guantanamo - I'll admit it: the name got my attention! One of the weaker teams in Cuba but they offer the chance for a crack at the CFU Club Cup and will be easy to leave if a NZFC job comes up.

Transfer budget: €21.5k

Wage budget: €5.75k per week

Continental competition: N/A

Galatasaray would be a great job but it seems more like one for the end of my career... I'm tempted by the challenges Hades & Yeading and Videoton offer but would still lean towards winning the other non-European Champions Leagues first. Llaneros and Gauntanamo will offer huge long-term challenges, however.

I think I'm going to sleep on it.

So, I interviewed for jobs 1-4 and got offers from all of them. I was really tempted by Videoton and Galatasaray but in the end decided it was not the right time to go to Europe just yet...

I was all set to take a left-turn towards Venezuela when all of a sudden, some unexpected news from half a world away came...

[DodgeeD]

Give it some welly! Team Wellington

Finally, after more than 20 years in the job, the Team Wellington coach retired! (This is only the third managerial change in New Zealand so far since this save began!)

I promptly dropped everything a jumped on the next plane to Wellington. One interview later and I was installed as the new manager.

To make it even better, Team Welly are one of the top sides in the NZFC and are in the next edition of the Oceania Champions League.

I am hoping for a short but successful stay. Canterbury United as defending champions will be my biggest rivals.

The squad has only a handful of New Zealanders with a lot of British players who weren't quite good enough to make the grade back home.

I'm told Chris Jack is my star player - he is certainly one who can offer me options in the squad! - and Sam Hunter is my hottest prospect. Let's see what role he gets to play if any.

[DodgeeD]

September 2033 International Update: CAF World Cup Qualifying

We played our final game against Madagascar and picked up an easy 4-0 whilst handing out a few debuts at the same time. I am generally encouraged by the potential quality of the young players (helped by the fact that I have activated the DR Congo domestic league no doubt) and I could well stay here long-term whatever happens in the final phase of World Cup qualifying.

Speaking of which, the ten group winners have now been paired for two-legged head-to-head matches with the five winners going to China next year.

I prayed to the gods of football for Gabon but I guess they just heard the 'G' part and we drew Ghana...

Ghana are ranked 27th currently compared to our 46th but I can take heart from the fact that Senegal were ranked in the 20s when the previous group stage was drawn. It will be tight and I know that my former players from Asante Kotoko will make Ghana a threat. An intriguing pair of matches awaits! At least we have no pressure, having already met FECOFA's expectations. Hopefully, the pressure will get to our opponents and we can squeeze though.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Stoke dropping like a stone.

[DodgeeD]

Team Wellington 2033/34 Season Preview

Expectations & Budgets

Generous budgets and high expectations for the domestic league but I think I can deliver. Personally, I will put high importance on the Champions League of course.

Elsewhere, the board agreed to improve youth facilities as part of my initial contract agreement and we have acquired a Turkish parent club as well.

Transfers

Scouting range: Oceania + UK & Ireland

2033/4 Pre-season Transfer History

The usual cull of players upon arrival at a club as I shifted out the players who were taking up squad slots and chunks of the age budget. Agents representing British players who had been released by League 1 sides and South Americans looking to kick off the journeyman part of their careers early offered me plenty of options to bring new faces in. The key performers will be as follows:

Bienvune Mukendi (DRC/DM/MC) – not the best player in the squad but by far the most experienced. He has always done a job for me in my DR Congo squads and I will be looking for more of the same here.

Fraser Lawson (MRC/AMRC) – a loan signing from Aberdeen, who looks to be a great prospect. As I have to field two U20 players in each matchday squad, he should get plenty of gametime too.

Gordon Durrant (SC) – much like Scott Fletcher in my Perth Glory days, here is a young Scot who didn’t make the grade at Celtic. Hopefully, he will thrive in the ASB Premiership.

One more player of note, not a new signing but an existing squad member, is Michael Moore (MLC/AMC). The experienced New Zealand international has been impressive in pre-season and I will be looking for him to lead the team in our quest for silverware.

Charity Cup

Team Wellington 2, Canterbury Utd 4

Hmm… The traditional pre-season super cup game was not the best of starts. The worrying thing is that we led 2-1 until the 75^th minute and then suffered a late collapse.

OFC Champions League

This does not start until April 2034 but in super-organised fashion, the preliminary round has already taken place and the group stage draw has been made:

A shame my old New Caledonian charges AS Magenta are missing but the group stage should be a formality and it will all come down to whether or not we can beat Canterbury Utd in the knockout rounds...

[DodgeeD]

Stoke dropping like a stone.

If it's any comfort, they seem to have stopped the rot and look early favourites for promotion this season

[DodgeeD]

November 2033 International Update: CAF World Cup Qualifying

The two-legged final round was spread over the October and November international breaks. In October, we visited Ghana to play the first leg in my old stomping ground Asante Kotoko's Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

At most hoping for a draw, I was not expecting that! We dominated the game throughout and Ghana rarely looked a threat. Surely, that would be enough to make the return leg a formality?

It was. Months after our Cup of Nations first round exit, we find ourselves qualified for the next World Cup!

Two names you will have noticed on the scoresheet proved to be the unlikely heroes over the two legs: Loric Musasa, a late comer to the international scene put the previous DRC managers who overlooked him for so long to shame with three goals; and Aldrich Tshiembe, a French-born forward who finally responded to my call-up and scored in each game.

China 2034, here we come!

[DodgeeD]

The other CAF final round ties played out as follows:

My own DRC boys aside, no real shocks as Egypt and Tunisia win through. Cameroon sneaked through in the clash of the two highest ranked CAF sides and South Africa needed penalties to edge out Nigeria in another top level clash.

[DodgeeD]

2033 International Review: D.R. Congo

Quick Overview:

2033 African Cup of Nations: Group Stage

2034 CAF World Cup Qualifying: Qualified for World Cup!!

Results:

World Ranking (Dec 2033):

Rankings Graph

The Cup of Nations was a disappointment but it was a tough draw and my team has matured a lot since then. Our young players are getting better and we have now convinced a few French and Belgian born players to join us. That meant we had better World Cup Qualifying results and can now look forward to a trip to China next summer.

The players who deserve a mention are:

Paterne Mutombo (DC) - only 23 but already has 42 caps and at €22.5 million is the highest valued player in the squad

Aldrich N'Goma (MC) - our top-rated player according to my coaching staff

Aldrich Tshiembe (ST) - brandishing his new DRC passport, the striker has bagged 3 goals in his first 3 caps

John Hamadi (AMC/ST) - our best young player at present

As for the World Cup itself, the group stage draw looks like this:

Not sure what to make of it really. Italy will be tough as always but we may stand a chance of getting second. I certainly would not want to swap places with Egypt, Cameroon, or South Africa, who each face an uphill struggle to make the top two. I would gladly take Tunisia's place, however.

FECOFA have organsied a low-budget training camp:

And their stinginess means they refuse to sanction any firendlies in CHina or the Far East as it's "too far to travel" even though we will be going there anyway for the finals!

[deltablue]

Well done overcoming Ghana.

[DodgeeD]

Well done overcoming Ghana.

Cheers - now we just have to overcome Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia as well.

[DodgeeD]

April 2034 Update: ASB Premiership

Ooh, the seasons do fly by down in New Zealand. After a mere 16 games, the regular season is over! We had a shaky start but once the new signings settled and the squad got used to my tactics (the same 4-2-3-1 I used at Asante Kotoko), we led from the front and finished top of the pile:

The highlight of the league campaign was a 6-1 thrashing of Canterbury Utd to show that the Charity Cup was just a blip.

Or was it? There were play-offs still to contend with to determine the actual champion. We faced Auckland first over two legs, winning 7-4 on aggregate. The only worry was that in the second leg, we were 3-0 at half-time and then totally switched off to lose 4-3 on the night. Canterbury awaited in the final, to be played as a one-off match at our stadium:

I hate play-offs.

As happened with Perth Glory in the A-League, our dominant regular season form counted for nothing as we lost the final. The sending off didn't help and the 120 minute marathon 3 days before the OFC Champions League kicks off (with 3 games in 5 days to come) was not appreciated either...

To win the OFC Champions League, we will have to show Canterbury Utd up once again...

[DodgeeD]

April 2034 Update II: OFC Champions League

To say reaching the final was a walk in the park would not be entirely accurate as our progress did involve quite a bit of running around in stadiums and I believe my players may have perspired on occasion. We topped our group with ease, winning each game by five goals or more. The best that Tonga, Tahiti, and Fiji had to offer was just not good enough:

We avoided domestic rivals Canterbury Utd in the semis as we drew AS Auteuli, who pipped my former side AS Magenta to the New Caledonian title last season (the first time AS Magenta had not won the title since I left). I enjoyed the return to Stade Nouma-Dialy (Auteuli being one of the many sides who share the ground), especially as we matched our group stage performances with another convincing win. Our form dipped slightly in the home leg as we only managed five goals:

We now have yet another final clash with Canterbury Utd. We lost the Charity Cup and the Play-Off Finals. Can we make up up for it by winning the big one?

[DodgeeD]

May 2034 Update: OFC Champions League Final

So, it was Canterbury again... Would we prevail this time? The final was a two-legged affair and the first leg suggested not:

I was livid that my team had completely bottled it and told them as much. Before the second leg, I was harsh on the players once more and told them to go out and get one over our rivals. Would it be enough to overhaul the three goal deficit?

Oh yes!

A fantastic comeback (though of course I would rather have not been in the position to need such a result in the first place)!

3 down, 3 to go!

[DodgeeD]

Team Wellington 2033/34 Season Review

Quick Overview

ASB Premiership: 1^st

Champions Play-Off: Finalists

Charity Cup: Finalists

Domestic Results | League Table | Champions Play-Off Final | Charity Cup Final



OFC Champions League: Winners!!

Continental Results | Final Leg 1 | Final Leg 2

Review

OFC Champions League won at the first attempt (or fourth if you count my years at AS Magenta). A shame we couldn’t add any domestic silverware ahead of being top of the league… I will stay in charge for now but I will be on the look-out for openings at sides in the Americas so I can add to my continental collection.

Key Players

Josh Hughes (DRL) – best average rating in the squad (no mean feat when Durrant was banging in so many goals). A classic attacking full-back with a lethal combo of deep crosses and long throws.

Gregor Fridge (AMR/ST) – The fans were unsure when I signed this one due to his volatile temperament but he turned out to live up to his name as a cool customer. A shame injuries cut his season short.

Gordon Durrant (AML/ST) – Durrant rounds off our trio of super Scots. Scored goals for fun, coming up just shy of 40 for the season.

Transfers

2033/34 Transfer History

I was quite active both in sending players on their way and bringing new faces in. Some of the new signings didn’t work out and will be leaving before the new season starts. The two January signings who added a lot to the team were:

Carl Fellowes (DRLC) – signed from rivals Canterbury Utd. Added a lot to our defensive options.

Mark McIvor (MC/AMC) – was out of contract and without a club for the first half of the season but was in great form after joining us. Nice to have an in-form local lad in the squad amongst all the English and Scottish players!

One to watch

Josh Young (MC/AMC) - brought in by my HoYD as a reject of the Man City youth team. Showed some signs of promise and should develop into a good first team option for us.

Youth Intake

Not much to shout about here… Still waiting for a great YP on this save.

The Season Ahead...

As said above, I will keep a keen eye on the job market. It wouldn’t be so bad to stay and have a crack at securing the domestic title and representing Oceania at the Club World Cup but if a good opportunity in the MLS or South America comes along, I will take it.

[DodgeeD]

World Cup Preview: China 2034

Group Stage Draw

The usual suspects make up the favourites. We, of course, have long odds. The FA only expect us to 'be competitive' but I have a sneaky feeling we can get out of our group. Looking at the squads, Italy obviously have several world class players but the Czech Republic only have one (a striker who is warming the benches at Man City) and Saudi Arabia have no-one of note apart from a couple of decent defenders.

Speaking of squads and best players, we got some bad news on the eve of the squad announcement:

Aldrich N'Goma - One of our best and most experienced players...

My final 23 is as follows:

Not the best squad as I said above but I think we can hold our own and aim for second if we play well.

In N'Goma's absence, the key players will be:

Paterne Mutombo (DC) - young but with plenty of international experience and our best defender by a long way

Idd Joel (MC) - will have to fill the hole left by N'Goma's absence

Aldrich Tshiembe (AMC/ST) - a new addition to the squad but has proved lethal

Yes, our backbone will be made up of players from QPR, Hull and Leicester... I still say we can make the second round!

Warm-up friendlies went well:

Of course, we lost to Slovakia only to lull the Czechs into a false sense of security!

Bring.

It.

On.

[DodgeeD]

World Cup 2034 Group E:

D.R. Congo v. Czech Republic

Bad news on the morning of our first game:

Goalkeeper is a weak position for us. Mayasi has a 3* rating for CA but the back-ups have 2* and 1* respectively. We'll just have to make do...

This was a key clash for us. I am confident about our chances of beating Saudi Arabia but it would mean little without victory here. The Czechs must have been thinking the same so it was all set for a tense clash.

Just about!

Leicester striker Tshiembe was the hero with an early penalty to get us on our way and a late winner. In between, the Czechs played the better football but we showed resilience throughout to retake after each equaliser.

In the other game, the result was as expected though Italy were made to work hard to beat Saudi Arabia 2-1.

I just hope we don't blow it against Saudi now...

[DodgeeD]

World Cup 2034 Group E:

Saudi Arabia v. D.R. Congo

Having won our opener against Czech Republic, there was a chance to secure early qualification for the second round here if we could win and Italy did not lose.

That was one weird game! We scored after 18 seconds and then sat on the edge of our proverbial seats for 89 minutes. Saudi had a goal disallowed for offside on 89 minutes to really make us sweat but we hung on for two wins from two.

And in the other match, the Czechs took the lead twice but Italy fought back both times to grab a 2-2 draw. That meant:

[DodgeeD]

:mad:

Now my second choice keeper is out. That leaves me with the exotically named Screve Makengo between the sticks... 2 caps and only 1* CA to his name... Our match with Italy just got tougher...

[DodgeeD]

World Cup 2034 Group E:

D.R. Congo v. Italy

Our place in the second round was already assured but we still needed a point to top the group and avoid a likely second round clash with Spain.

I have no idea what was going on in that first ten minutes. I honestly thought we were going to completely and utterly humiliated so credit to the boys for making the scoreline look respectable.

That left the final group table looking like this:

Group stage round-up and second round draw to follow.

[DodgeeD]

World Cup 2034 Group Stage Round-up

No huge surprises or chocks, except perhaps for Mexico's complete mare of a tournament and poor showings from Belgium and Colombia. New Zealand had a decent showing in Group A with six Team Wellington players in the squad and were unlucky not to get through. A couple of my former Perth Glory players also featured for Australia but would miss out on the next round also.

The second round pairings are:

...meaning our reward for getting through the group stage is:

The dream may not be on for much longer!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Great effort in the World Cup. Will the dream stay alive?

[deltablue]

Good World Cup so far. Spain will be a challenge!

[Dexter_Morgan]

Great job getting out of that group

[Raware]

Fantastic to get out of that group

[DodgeeD]

Great effort in the World Cup. Will the dream stay alive?

Good World Cup so far. Spain will be a challenge!

Great job getting out of that group

Fantastic to get out of that group

Cheers guys Getting out of the group stage was always my main aim, anything else a bonus (if you can call Spain a bonus )

[DodgeeD]

World Cup 2034 2nd Round:

SPain v. D.R. Congo

Having already surprised everyone and pleased the big wigs at FECOFA by reaching the second round, there was no pressure on us for this game. We were not turning up to make up the numbers though. This was knockout football and anything could happen:

Alas, the expected defeat happened. The in-game headline made in sound more dramatic than it was:

By the time we lost those players to injury, we were already two goals down with less than ten minutes to go... That provided a sense of anticlimax as we couldn't push to rattle the Spaniards by pulling one back... And we led for twenty minutes in the first half! At that point, we dared to dream but it was not to be...

[DodgeeD]

World Cup 2034 Knockout Stages Round-up

Japan and Serbia both had great runs but ultimately could not go any further than the last eight. Brazil had a tough run playing out classic matches against Germany and Italy before finally succumbing to bitter rivals Argentina. England also picked up impressive wins over Spain and Holland (the 2030 winners). In the end, they would fail to take their chances in the final as Argentina came out on top:

As for me, it's back to club football until the next international break. DRC's run to the second round delighted fans and suits alike and I will sitck around to see how far this team can go in the 2035 Cup of Naitons.

[fmFutbolManager]

Bloody good show in the World Cup. Could have been a kinder draw than Spain. Back to domestic leagues and could a new job be on the horizon...

[DodgeeD]

Bloody good show in the World Cup. Could have been a kinder draw than Spain. Back to domestic leagues and could a new job be on the horizon...

Yeah, can't help but wonder how it would have worked out if we hadn't collapsed so spectacularly in that first ten minutes against Italy. A draw there and we would have topped the group and played South Africa - by no means an easy game but we would have had a better chance of progressing.

As for the club career, a few big jobs came up over the summer - PSG's manager retired and that set a merry-go-round in motion as the Real Madrid, Newcastle (3rd in Prem last season), and Blackburn (2nd in Prem last season!) jobs all became available. I want Europe to be the final chapter in this career though so I will wait for the MLS season to end in November and see if any jobs come up there for a crack at the CONCACAF Champions League.

[DodgeeD]

No sooner had China 2034 ended than our thoughts turned to Angola 2035:

We should be capable of taking first in that group and securing direct qualification for next January's showpiece.

[deltablue]

Good effort against Spain.