numero uno gunner Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Season 2021 Tianjin TEDA, Montreal Impact and Ivory Coast I took Tianjin to the Club World Cup as a way to round off my time with the Chinese club. We beat Zamalek in the quarter final 2-0, with a brace from Fredy Montero. Unfortunately, Atletico Madrid proved too strong for us in the semi final, eventually beating us 4-2. We had our chances at 2-1 down, including a missed penalty, but it wasn't to be. It was nice to round off by winning the third place play off though, beating Corinthians (COR) on penalties after an entertaining 1-1 draw. So it was time to up sticks and head to pastures new. Now, anyone who has read a couple of my previous posts will know this wasn't as straight forward as it should have been. I think part of the problem might have been my decision to take on the Ivory Coast job, but ultimately it took me eight months to even be offered a post, and even longer until I decided to accept the role at Montreal. I was actually offered four international jobs simultaneously, but chose Ivory Coast over Algeria, Morocco and Ghana. Algeria happened to be in our World Cup Qualifying group. We were already top of the group with 2 wins from 2 before I took over, and its a good job. 4 points from the next 3 qualifiers left us needing a win away in Burkina Faso to secure World Cup qualification. Thankfully, we managed it, and I'm already looking forward to my first taste of managing on the biggest stage of them all. A group of Uruguay, Iran and Denmark awaits. Obviously we have no chance of winning the World Cup, but I'd like to think we might make the knockout stages. Either way, for me this is a building tournament. The main prize is the African Cup of Nations the following year. I'm just about to take part in the CHAN, but as we are hosts I'm having to take it semi-seriously, as a ridiculously poor showing might end up in me struggling to keep hold of my job after a less than stellar qualification campaign. I turned down the Toronto job on the basis that the squad was incredibly poor, and the MLS transfer system is nuts. So how did I end up taking over at Montreal, you may be wondering? Essentially, I've done a Vike. I took over with one game to go in the regular season, and a 2-2 draw was enough to seal second place in the Conference and progress to the Conference semi-finals in the play-offs. A 2-1 home win over Columbus Crew was followed up by a defensive masterclass in the away leg, grabbing a late goal on the break to seal a 1-0 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate win. I adopted the same tactics for the Conference finals, beating Philadelphia Union 1-0 at home, and counter-attacking in the second leg to lead 2-0 just after half time, and 3-0 on aggregate. And at that point, my players switched off. Two quick Philly goals meant the game was back in the balance, so I went ultra defensive, and it was enough to see us over the line. LA Galaxy, a team that even refused to interview me earlier on in the season, were our opponents, and the game was to be played in their stadium. An early Santiago Garcia goal put us 1-0 up, but they pegged us back before half time. Both sides had chances, before Murilo put us 2-1 up in the 65th minute. We looked for a third for ten minutes or so, and then we went to our tried and trusted defensive mode, playing the clock and winding the game down. The ref blew up, and I'd somehow won another league title in 6 games! Montreal had won the Canadian Championship earlier on in the season, so Champions League football awaits. From what I can see, this squad doesn't seem to have any designated players. I need to get my head round the system, but if I can bring in three really good players, there's absolutely no reason this squad can't take on the Mexicans in the NACL next season. Exciting times ahead! Club Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 2016/17 Dungannon 9th Irish Cup winners, Mid-Ulster Cup winners 2018 Sligo Rovers 1st League winners! 2019 Tianjin 1st League winners! 2020 Tianjin 8th FA Cup winners! Champions League winners! 2021 Montreal 4th League (MLS Cup) winners! Country 2021 Ivory Coast Qualified for the World Cup Challenge Progress Club 3/10 top domestic leagues - Republic of Ireland (Sligo), China (Tianjin), USA (Montreal) 2/10 domestic cups - Northern Ireland (Dungannon), China (Tianjin) 1/5 club continental championships - Asian Champions League (Tianjin) 0/1 club world championship - International 0/5 continental tournaments - 0/2 world tournaments - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 @numero uno gunner Congratulations on doing a Vike with Montreal. I'm glad to see my legacy being continued in this challenge. I found the MLS to be a nightmare. Some of that was the bugs such as there only being about 4 players in the draft, but really the whole thing was a confusing slog. @Dusty_Manager Why did you decide to leave Young Boys. You didn't enjoy managing in Switzerland or want to give it one more season? Pity your perfect record of league wins has ended. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I have just had the worst game of my career so far... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted May 22, 2017 Author Share Posted May 22, 2017 (edited) @Fadedaf I was hoping it was a group stage gam, but I see that you had a 3-0 lead from the home tie. Ouch! And against Chelsea who'd been knocked out by Barca for the last 2 years! That might be the worst game of any of our careers. Did you give your half time team talk to Chelsea out of habit? Too soon? Please don't quit the challenge. Or go on a killing spree. You might not be able to play FM in prison. Edited May 22, 2017 by vikeologist Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 @vikeologist I must have been yelling my instructions at the wrong team! 1st KO round yet again... The last 3 years i've been knocked out by Barca as Chelsea and now i've been knocked out by the Chelsea side I built, as Barca. Not only that, Chelsea's new coach is Pep Guardiola who as a Barca legend has been popping up in my emails describing his happiness at this new exciting Barca side, then he goes and does that to us! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Barcelona Season 2040/41 Report So I left Chelsea in the summer to join my all time favourite team in Barcelona. They already had a very high quality squad with plenty of transfer money available to improve it, so I was very optimistic about my chances of winning some silverware this season. I made two big transfers, bringing in a new wide midfielder and a wonderkid striker who both ended up doing well. Anyways, heres how we went: Spanish Super Cup- Started my Barca career with two El Clasicos and it went very well as we won 3-0 at home and managed a solid 2-2 draw away to give me some silverware very quickly. Copa del Rey- Beat Ferrol pretty straightforwardly 5-1 in our first tie and then we drew Real Madrid in the 5th round. Two more El Clasicos and we did even better this time, with a 2-0 win at home and a great 4-2 win away in the Bernabeu. We then smashed our way through Espanyol and Vigo, both 6-0 on aggregate to met Valencia in the final. We played excellently and won a very one sided final 4-0 to add another trophy to our cabinet and one that counts for the challenge! League- Started reasonably well and only got better from there. We were neck and neck with Real Madrid for most of the season, however two wins in the Clasicos (that makes 5 wins and a draw for this seasons Clasicos!) meant we pulled away and ended up winning the league by a comfortable 11 points! We set a new record for goals scored and finished with a goal difference of 113! We had the two top goalscorers, top goalkeeper, best player and best young player. Playing an old fashioned 4-4-2 with Barcelona might be borderline illegal in real life, but it worked very well for us this season and hopefully will continue to do so next season. Champions League- We drew a group with Man City, Stuttgart and Stade Rennais. We ended up with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss courtesy of a last minute equaliser from City in the Camp Nou and an embarrassing 4-0 loss away at the Etihad. This meant we qualified for the next round but only came second in our group. We drew Chelsea, of course. I thought that I would be on the winning side of this tie for the first time in four years, and a great 3-0 win at home boosted confidence. However as I posted above, we got demolished 7-1 at Stamford Bridge. I watched my young midfielder Cormac O'Donovan, who I had brought from the youth intake all the way into a first team regular notch a goal and two assists as he tore through our defence. 10 of the 14 players involved in the match on the Chelsea side were signed by me... I feel like i've lost to myself here! Best Players: Top goalscorer and most assists- Paolo Ramundo (42 goals, 25 assists) The young striker I signed before the season (for only 13.25 Million Euros!) was fantastic all season and he is only going to get better. Highest avg rating- Mauro (24 goals, 13 assists, 7.95) Great stuff from the Portuguese wide midfielder who seems to fit my formation perfectly. Most POM- Pablo Acevedo (35 goals, 20 assists, 9 POM) The other half of the lethal Paolo & Pablo strike partnership was awesome this season. Results Results 2 Overall a pretty good season that I'm relatively happy with. 2 key trophies achieved for the challenge and we actually only lost 4 games all season in all competitions. The Champions League was a disappointment yet again but I suppose i'll just keep trying. My current plan is to stay at Barca until I win a CL, unless the PSG job comes up as I still need to grab the French league at some point. On the international side of things i've taken charge of the Ivory Coast for a second time and will build towards the 2043 ACON. Season Team Position Champs League Notes and Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 Royal Eagles 2nd - Promoted to South African Premier League 2017/18 Royal Eagles 1st - KO Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2018/19 Royal Eagles 2nd - FA Cup runners up, CL qualification, CL ongoing 2019/20 Royal Eagles 1st Semi Final KO Cup winners, FA Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2020/21 Royal Eagles -- Semi Final KO Cup winners, Super 8 runners up, left halfway through season for Molde 2021 Molde 1st - Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2022 Molde -- - Undefeated and 1st in the league when I left for Genk 2022/23 Genk 1st - EL Semi finalists 2023/24 Genk 2nd Group Stage Super Cup winners, Cup runners up, EL Quarter finalists 2024/25 Genk 1st Playoff Cup winners, CL qualification 2025/26 Saint Etienne 3rd - Supercup winners, Cup runners up, EL Semi finals, MOTS, CL qualification 2026/27 Saint Etienne 3rd Playoff Cup winners, EL Quarter finals, CL qualification 2027 Jeonbuk 1st Semi Final Took over in 6th position, CL qualification 2028 Jeonbuk 1st CHAMPIONS Cup winners, MOTS, FA cup best manager, CL qualification, 5th in CWC 2029/30 Tigres 1st + 2nd - Cup winners, Libertadores qualification, MOTS 2030/31 Tigres 1st + 1st CHAMPIONS x2 Quintuple winners, CWC qualification, double CL qualification again, MOTS 2031/32 Tigres 3/4th + 1st 2nd Round + runner up Recopa winners, CWC Champions, NACL runners up 2032/33 Roma 4th 1st KO Round Cup semis, CL qualification 2033/34 Roma 1st 1st KO Round Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2034/35 BMG 1st 1st KO Round Cup semis, CL qualification 2036/37 Chelsea 2nd 1st KO Round EFL Cup runners up, FA Cup semis, CL qualification 2037/38 Chelsea 2nd 1st KO Round FA Cup winners, EFL Cup runners up, CL qualification 2038/39 Chelsea 1st 1st KO Round MOTS, CL qualification 2039/40 Chelsea 2nd Semi Final CL qualification 2040/41 Barcelona 1st 1st KO Round CL qualification, Cup winners, Supercup winners, MOTS runner-up Challenge Progress Club 9/10 top domestic leagues (South Africa- Royal Eagles, Norway- Molde, Belgium- Genk, South Korea- Jeonbuk, Mexico- Tigres, Italy- Roma, Germany- BMG, England- Chelsea, Spain- Barcelona) 9/10 domestic cups (South Africa KO Cup- Royal Eagles, Norwegian Cup- Molde, Belgian Cup- Genk, Coupe de la Ligue(France)- Saint Etienne, Korean FA Cup- Jeonbuk, Mexican Cup Opening Stage- Tigres, Italian Cup- Roma, FA Cup- Chelsea, Copa del Rey- Barcelona) 3/5 club continental championships (Asian CL- Jeonbuk 2028, Copa Libertadores- Tigres 2031, NACL- Tigres 2031) 1/1 club world championship (Tigres 2031) International 3/5 continental tournaments (Copa America 2031- Brazil, Gold Cup 2035- Mexico, European Championship 2040- Spain) 2/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup 2033- Brazil, World Cup 2034- Brazil) International: Season Team Notes and Achievements ---------------------------------------------------------- 2018 China U23 Won Asian Games 2019 Cameroon Started ACON qualification, switched to Algeria 2019 Algeria Resigned after 2 games 2021 Nigeria Qualified for world cup, ACON qualification ongoing 2022 Nigeria Knocked out of World Cup in group stage, resigned 2023 Ivory Coast Started World Cup and ACON qualifying. 2024 Ivory Coast Qualified for ACON 2025 Ivory Coast Knocked out of ACON in quarter finals, resigned. 2026 Ghana Qualified for ACON 2027 Ghana ACON runners up, resigned. 2028 SK + France U23 Won U23 Asian Cup, Olympic silver medallists 2029 Brazil Qualified for World Cup 2030 Brazil 4th in World Cup 2031 Brazil Copa America Winners! 2032 Brazil Qualified for World Cup 2033 Brazil Confederations Cup Winners! 2034 Brazil World Cup Winners! 2035 Mexico Gold Cup Winners! 2036 Spain Started World Cup qualifying 2037 Spain Qualified unbeaten for the World Cup 2038 Spain World Cup runners-up 2039 Spain European International League Div.A Winners! 2040 Spain European Championship Winners! 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yugular Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 (edited) 2018/2019 Midseason report Thing went smoothly in League 1 even though our budget was one of the smallest in the league and board set target for just avoiding relegation. After 31 rounds we were still fighting to reach the playoffs which was my target: Spoiler I had some talks with few Championship teams in December but turned them down because I wanted to see how I could do with Carlisle. Then January happened and this: Spoiler And current league table looks like this: Spoiler This opportunity was too good to turn down. Promotion to Premier League is quite possible, i would even go as far as to say that its very likely, and we are still in contention for FA Cup also... Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 16/17 Carlisle 7th Sky Bet League 2 Lost in playoffs rnd 1 17/18 Carlisle 1at Sky Bet League 2 Promotion 18/19 Carlisle->Mboro season ongoing... Edited May 25, 2017 by yugular Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted May 28, 2017 Author Share Posted May 28, 2017 @yugular Good luck at Middlesbrough. Does the squad fit your preferred tactics? @Fadedaf Well done on picking up a couple more eligible trophies. Hope it doesn't take too long to grab the Champions League with Barca. The longer you stay there. the better they'll be, and the more your old Chelsea side will fall apart without you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 (edited) 2018/2019 End of season report We got the promotion as I fully expected. Interesting season ahead! We were also in contention to win FA CUP but couldnt score against opponent who lost one player because of a red card and another for injury and eventually lost in the penalties... End of the season was something. We could have secured promotion very early but the players were too nervous and couldnt win any games. Luckily a draw in the last round was enough... Spoiler Spoiler Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 16/17 Carlisle 7th Sky Bet League 2 Lost in playoffs rnd 1 17/18 Carlisle 1st Sky Bet League 2 Promotion 18/19 Middlesbrough 2nd Championship Promotion Edited May 28, 2017 by yugular Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug 407 Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 Pug's Update Season 2027-28 So Having Taken Over At The Chiefs, The Squad Looked Good On Paper. So Now Was The Time To See. So On To The League And A Very Easy Winning Of The League With Only 1 Defeat. Result 1 . Results 2 . The Champions League Was Already On To The Final, And A 2-1 Agg Score Over ES Sahel From Tunisia Another Trophy To The Collection. In The Cups First Was A Carling Black Label Final Against Orlando Pirates, And A Close 2-1 Win. Next Up Was A MTN 8 Qtr Final Against Royal Eagles And A 0-2 Loss. Next Up Was A CAF Super Cup Against Club Africain And A Very One Sided 6-0 win. In The Club World Cup First Up Was Mexican Team Tigres And A 4-3 Win. In The Semis Was Santos From Brazil And A 2-0 Win. So On To The Final And A Surprise Against My First Club Xiangtao And A 3-1 Win. Club World Cup Results . With Every Trophy Needed Time To Move On. Managers History CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Club Leagues Cups Others & Notes 1st 2nd 1st 2nd Cont CWC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 Hunan Xiangtao Took Over In 16th Finished 6th 2017/18 Hunan Xiangtao Left After 20 Games 2017/18 Ulsan Hyundai Won 2018/19 Ulsan Hyundai Won Won Won Won All 4 Trophys 2018/19 Gladbach 2019/20 Gladbach Won Won DFB And Euro League 2020/21 Gladbach Won Won Won 2020/21 Fluminense Won Took Over In 14th Finished 8th 2021/22 Fluminense Won Won 2022/23 Tigres Won Won 2023/24 Liverpool Won Won Won 2024/25 PSG Won Won 2025/26 PSG Won 2026/27 Fiorentina Won Won 2027/28 Kaizer Chiefs Won Won Won Won ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Nation Cups Others & Notes World Cup Confed Cup Euro's AFC ACON Gold Cup Copa America ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018/19 Nigeria Won 2019/21 USA Won 2023/24 China 2023/24 S Korea 2023/24 Brazil Won 2025/26 Brazil Won 2026/27 Brazil Won Challenge Progress Club 8/10 Top Domestic leagues (S/Korea-Germany-Brazil-Mexico-England-France-Italy-S Africa) 7/10 Top Domestic Cups (S/Korea-Germany-Brazil-England-France-Italy-S Africa) 5/5 Continentals Cups (Ulsan-Gladbach-Fluminense-Tigres-Kaizer Chiefs) 1/1 Club World Cup (Ulsan) International 3/5 Continental Tournaments (Nigeria-USA-Brazil) 2/2 World Tournaments (Brazil-Brazil) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug 407 Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 @Fadedaf Good Luck On The Rest Of Your Save. Not Many To Win Now. @yugular Hope You Win Your First With Boro. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 @pug 407 Thanks! I thought I had a flying start to the challenge, but it looks like you are going really strong from the very beginning. @vikeologist I played with the same possession based control the ball and concede as few scoring chances as possible as I did with Carlisle and the squad was a fit to the tactic. I could have used some more creative AMC players though and there were some wingers i didnt need at all. Building up a competitive squad for PRM is very challenging... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted May 28, 2017 Author Share Posted May 28, 2017 4 hours ago, yugular said: @pug 407 Thanks! I thought I had a flying start to the challenge, but it looks like you are going really strong from the very beginning. Yes, all the people close to completing and you are very good at this. We need some not so good managers to balance things out. What happened to the good old days when people took 70 or 80 years to achieve this challenge? Congrats on promotion. Because you're not from England, maybe you wouldn't appreciate the rivalry between your team and Sunderland, but your fans would have been distraught at the FA Cup result. @pug 407 Are you managing an international side at the moment? With those 2 remaining international tournaments left, (and every 4 years) if you win them both first time you might set a record. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug 407 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 @vikeologist No International Job Just Applied For A Few Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) Season 2022 Montreal Impact and Ivory Coast Well, this wont be a massive update domestically. Despite my job veering from insecure to precarious at times, we somehow topped the league during the regular season. The main reason this is so impressive is because I kept my key players fresh as much as possible for the Champions League. So, we won the Supporters Shield, and went into the playoffs full of hope and promise. Misplaced hope and promise, as it turned out. New England beat us comfortably over two legs, 4-1. So completely frustrating. I targeted more goals from my front players, and two of my new signings definitely stepped up. Vladimir Weiss got 12 goals and 15 assists, and Jose Leonardo, my new striker, smashed 22 goals and provided 9 assists as well. Both are utter class, and have played a significant role in our NACL campaign. Speaking of, we got a tough break in the group stage, having Santos Laguna in there with us. I needn't have worried, though. Plaza Amador were beaten 3-0 and 4-0, and the Mexicans were hammered 4-0 and 4-1 as well. We've been phenomenal so far, and I'm hoping that we can take that form into the last 8. I've managed to avoid some of the big Mexican clubs in the last 8, were San Jose await. Weirdly though, it falls into the next season. How frustrating. Its been quite an eventful time internationally with Ivory Coast. We went into the CHAN as hosts, and two wins and a draw was enough to see us top the group and go through to face Mali in the quarter finals. I've never seen such a one-sided knockout match. We had 31 shots on goal to their 6, 13 on target to their 0 (yes, ZERO), we missed an extra time penalty, and yet we lost on penalties. It was a result which left me clinging on to my job going into the World Cup. A dour 0-0 draw with Denmark opened our campaign, and we followed that up with a smash and grab 1-0 win of Uruguay, courtesy of Wilfried Bony's goal. A 2-1 win over Iran meant that, against all odds, we topped the group and went through to face Romania in the last 16. A crazy game saw it 1-1 after 3 minutes, and 2-2 at half time. Souleymane Cisse grabbed his second of the match and that was enough to see us go through to the last 8 with a 3-2 win. Germany awaited, and, ultimately, they proved too strong for us. 2-0 down after 9 minutes, Cisse did pull one back for us after 15 minutes, and we had chances, but we fell just short. A brave effort, and a solid building stone in preparation for the African Cup of Nations. We qualified easily, 6 wins from 6, and I'm just getting ready for the finals now. I'm hopeful of a strong showing, and nothing short of winning it will be good enough for us at this stage. Club Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 2016/17 Dungannon 9th Irish Cup winners, Mid-Ulster Cup winners 2018 Sligo Rovers 1st League winners! 2019 Tianjin 1st League winners! 2020 Tianjin 8th FA Cup winners! Champions League winners! 2021 Montreal 4th League (MLS Cup) winners! 2022 Montreal 1st Won MLS Supporters' Shield, currently in last 8 of NACL Country 2021 Ivory Coast Qualified for the World Cup 2022 Ivory Coast World Cup quarter finalists. Quarter finalists in CHAN. Qualified for African Cup of Nations Challenge Progress Club 3/10 top domestic leagues - Republic of Ireland (Sligo), China (Tianjin), USA (Montreal) 2/10 domestic cups - Northern Ireland (Dungannon), China (Tianjin) 1/5 club continental championships - Asian Champions League (Tianjin) 0/1 club world championship - International 0/5 continental tournaments - 0/2 world tournaments - Edited June 1, 2017 by numero uno gunner Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Okay. Things have developed. Im going strong in my first season in Premier League with Middlesbrough and I managed to get a job on Croatian national team also! Next up in march there is playoffs against Sweden to qualify for EURO. Nice Also chasing down a Champions League spot with Middlesbrough. 100% sure we wont be relegated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Season 2023 Montreal Impact and Ivory Coast I've not finished the season, but this seems a natural place to provide another update. I had San Jose in the last 8 of the NACL. A battling 1-1 draw away in the first leg, thanks in part to Coy Craft snatching a goal on the break for us was followed up with a convincing 3-1 win at home in the second leg. We fell 1-0 down, but goals from Murilo, Jose Leonardo and Craft (again) saw us advance to the semi finals to take on America (Mex). An utterly crazy away leg saw us come back to Canada with a 5-4 advantage, mainly down to Jose Leonardo's ruthlessness in front of goal, as he banged in a hat-trick. We lost the return leg 2-1, but thankfully that was enough to send us through on away goals. We were actually 2-1 down after half an hour, and it made me a little worried we were in for another topsy-turvy semi final, but it didn't play out like that. In the other semi, LA Galaxy held Monterrey to a 0-0 draw in the first leg, but were smashed 4-0 away in the return, meaning we went on to face yet more Mexican opposition in the final. Coy Craft is certainly putting his hand up to be involved in the discussion when it comes to my all-time Challenge XI. We faced Monterrey at home in the first leg, something which was a little unusual for us, but it didn't matter. A Craft brace, plus another goal from Vladimir Weiss saw us race into a 3-0 lead by the hour mark. They pulled one back, so we went into the second leg with a tidy two goal advantage. The only downside was losing Jose Leonardo to an injury. The second leg was 1-1 after 4 minutes, but then we decided to actually defend properly. They scored in the 89th minute, but it was too little, too late, and we held on to win the North American Champions League! Internationally, we went into the African Cup of Nations as favourites in my eyes. Senegal brought us crashing back down to earth in the first group game, beating us 2-1, and in fairness that flattered us. Congo were next up, and duly beaten 4-0, Souleymane Cisse grabbing a brace and Serge N'Guessan also scoring. Due to other fixtures, we knew we had to beat Burkina Faso in the final group game to progress, as I assumed Senegal would probably beat Congo (which they did). The game plan was simple, control the match and score early. We've got some quick players, and playing on the break suits us quite nicely. What I hadn't planned for was being 2-0 down in the first 25 minutes. Game plan out of the window, Serge Gnarby got us back in it just before the break. Assane Gnoukouri levelled things up the other side of half time, and then it was game on. We turned the screw, and an own goal put us in front, and in a qualification place, for the first time. As they flooded forward looking for an equaliser which would put them through in our expense, we hit them on the break in stoppage time, N'Guessan doing the honours. Egypt were our opponents in the quarters, and another Cisse brace sealed a comfortable 2-0 win. Tunisia has been playing really well, so you can imagine my unbridled joy and amazement when we found ourselves 4-0 up inside 30 minutes in the semi final. N'Guessan with a brace, Gnoukouri and Deble with the goals, which Cisse added another to after the break. An easy 5-0 win, in which I'd even managed to take players off to rest them for the final. A fantastic final saw N'Guessan (again) put us 1-0 up against Algeria, before we were pegged back. Cisse (again) put us 2-1 up, before we were again pegged back. Both sides had chances in the remaining minutes, but ultimately it was the goalkeepers who came out on top, meaning it was the dreaded penalties. I had flashbacks to the CHAN tournament where we lost to Mali despite battering them, and felt someone from our side would miss. 5 Algerian penalties, 5 Ivory Coast penalties, 10 scored. We then both scored our sixth, and seventh penalties. Algerian defensive midfielder Haris Belkelba steps up, but he hits a tired penalty which Mande Sayouba saves! It falls to captain Serge Aurier to take our eighth penalty, knowing if he scores he'll bring joy to a nation. He takes the long, lonely walk up. He's exhausted, having played every minute of the tournament. But it doesn't matter, as he smashes it in, sealing international glory! The fans go wild, as do his teammates, but, more importantly, as does his manager! Upon reflection, I think this tournament has shown me the importance of having a striker who can score goals regularly. That's what will win you international tournaments, and Ivory Coast have one in Souleymane Cisse. I know realistically I'm going to have strikers who are far better than him once I'm at one of Europe's top clubs, but he could grace one of those clubs I think. That said, I'm sure he'll end up missing out on my all-time Challenge XI. So what now? I'm about to step down as Ivory Coast manager, and will probably step down as Montreal manager as well. I'm definitely going to try and get a club job before taking an international one this time around, after the shenanigans which occurred when I departed Tianjin. Club Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 2016/17 Dungannon 9th Irish Cup winners, Mid-Ulster Cup winners 2018 Sligo Rovers 1st League winners! 2019 Tianjin 1st League winners! 2020 Tianjin 8th FA Cup winners! Champions League winners! 2021 Montreal 4th League (MLS Cup) winners! 2022 Montreal 1st Won MLS Supporters' Shield, currently in last 8 of NACL 2023 Montreal N/A NACL winners! Country 2021 Ivory Coast Qualified for the World Cup 2022 Ivory Coast World Cup quarter finalists. Quarter finalists in CHAN. Qualified for African Cup of Nations 2023 Ivory Coast African Cup of Nations winners! Challenge Progress Club 3/10 top domestic leagues - Republic of Ireland (Sligo), China (Tianjin), USA (Montreal) 2/10 domestic cups - Northern Ireland (Dungannon), China (Tianjin) 1/5 club continental championships - Asian Champions League (Tianjin) 0/1 club world championship - International 1/5 continental tournaments - African Cup of Nations (Ivory Coast 2023) 0/2 world tournaments - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Season 20 – 2035/36 – Benfica / Spain Season Review The next stage of my journeyman career saw me jet off to sunny Portugal to manage Benfica. The squad offered a pretty good mix of youth and experience, and was quite well suited to my (by now) favourite 3-5-2 tactic. I managed to bring in 5 players to strengthen the key areas in the summer, with a further 2 additions in the January window. In the league the team clicked immediately and I went on a pretty ridiculous run, winning something like 17 out of the first 18 games (and drawing the other game). This tailed off a bit, but we still secured the league with four games to go. At this stage of the challenge, however, cups are more important, and I took some pressure off by winning the league cup early, and wrapped things up by winning the main cup in the last game of the season. Both cup runs included some tense wins over Sporting and Porto, so I’m glad I managed to wrap it all up in one season. So job done, but it would have been nice to have another good go at the Champions league, where I really haven’t had much luck aside from my success with Marseille. Things looked promising after I topped a group containing Barca and Monaco, but then the team decided to shoot itself in the foot with a bazooka in the knockout stages. We got past Tottenham despite missing two penalties and conceding two worldies from long shots, but fell apart in the quarters against my old team Dortmund thanks to a series of three misplaced back passes and a needless penalty across the two legs, all of which were punished by goals. No cigar in the Champions League, but still a very good season. League | League Cup | Taca de Portugal Player review Top scorer – Mauro Moyano, 33 goals and 9 assists in 40(8) apps, rating 7.45. A new signing who hit the ground running and was our best player until his form dipped at the business end of the season, around the time of our CL elimination Top assists – Sebastian Solari, 16 assists and 3 goals in 39(8) apps, rating 7.32. Another new signing who performed very well in the midfield without being completely amazing Top rating – Ruben Chaves, 25 goals and 8 assists in 27(6) apps, 7.62 rating. Probably my best player, he came into form when Moyano faltered and scored all the crucial winning goals in the last couple of months of the season International Needless to say I qualified for the euros with Spain, but the players aren’t very well suited to any of the tactics I like, and the last time I used a tactic with wingers with Brazil it didn’t work out that well, which presents a bit of a dilemma. I’m hoping I can win the euros this time around to avoid waiting four years for the next championship. Manager progress 80% rep, down 5ppts. What’s next Euros with Spain, and I’m feeling a bit of pressure ahead of this one… Challenge XI GK: Lee Ki-Ho (Jeonnam, South Korea) DR: Lars Schaefer (Dortmund) DC: Nicolas Reimann (Dortmund) DC: Davide Ditomasso (Marseille) DL: Dirk Jan Büttner (Napoli) MC: Thomas Devos (Dortmund) MC: Yasar Cetin (Marseille) MC: Junior (Liverpool) ST: Pedro Filipe (Marseille) ST: Miguel “The Man” Rodriguez (Club America) ST: “Bruce” Lee-Sang Joon (Jeonnam, South Korea) Subs: Guillermo Vendakis (Marseille), Marcos Rogerio (AMC/ST, Fluminese), Luis Osorio (MC, Club America), Abdul Diaby (AMLC/ST, Napoli/Ivory Coast), Patrick Besse (DC, Liverpool), Remy Declerck (DL, Marseille), Lewis Clarke (GK, Liverpool) Club Career: Season | Team | Division | League | Cups | Notes & Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2016/17 | Accrington | League 2 (ENG) | 4 | n/a | Took over in December (team in 20th), lost on penalties in playoff final 2017/18 | Accrington | League 2 (ENG) | 1 | n/a | Promotion; League 2 points record (104). Moved to Sheffield Utd at end of season 2018/19 | Sheffield Utd | Championship (ENG) | 1 | n/a | Promoted 2019/20 | Sheffield Utd | Premiership (ENG) | 7 | semi | 2021 | Jeonnam | K League (KOR) | 5 | n/a | Joined when 10th in the league, after a one-year job search 2022 | Jeonnam | K League (KOR) | 1 | won | Domestic double 2023 | Jeonnam | K League (KOR) | 1 | won ACL + cup | A historic quadruple 2023/24 | Ajax CT | South Afr Prem | 9 | won AfCL | A champions league win with an super-thin squad (joined in CL group stage) 2024/25 | Ajax CT | South Afr Prem | 2 | won FA cup | 2025/26 | Ajax CT | South Afr Prem | 1 | won CL + 2 cups | A quadruple of sorts 2026/27 | América (MEX) | Mexican 1st Div. | 2 | won Mex cup | Joined 2 games before play-offs. Lost in play-off final 2027/28 | América (MEX) | Mexican 1st Div. | 1; 1 | won NACL | Won closing and opening league + champ league 2028 | Fluminese | Brazil Ser. A | 8 | n/a | Joined 1/3 through the season. Qualified for Copa Lib. 2029 | Fluminese | Brazil Ser. A | 1 | won Copa Lib + CWC | 2029/30 | Valencia | La Liga | 4 | n/a | Joined with team in 10th, qualified for CL 2030/31 | Dortmund | Bundesliga | 1 | won Ger cup | Domestic double 2031/32 | Olympique Marseille | Ligue 1 | 1 | won FRA cups + CL | A quadruple 2032/33 | Napoli | Serie A | 1 | ITA cup | Domestic double 2033 | San Lorenzo | Primera Div. | n/a | semi | Joined for half a year hoping to win a cup, then left 2034 | Liverpool | Premiership | 8 | won both cups | Cup double (well, that's not really a double is it...) 2034/35 | Liverpool | Premiership | 1 | won Europa + ENG cups| A quintuple, if you count the Charity Shield 2035/36 | Benfica | Primeira Liga | 1 | won 2x PRT cups | A domestic treble International career: Season | Team | Tournament | Notes & Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018/19 | Greece | Euro quals | Took over in Autumn 2019/20 | Greece | Euro | Quarter-finals; lost to France 2021 | Egypt | WC quals | Qualified by beating Nigeria in final group game 2022 | Egypt | WC | Quarter finals; lost to Poland on penalties 2023 | Egypt | ACON | Lost in semis (Ghana, extra time) 2023/24 | Jamaica | WC quals | 2024/25 | Jamaica | Gold Cup | Winners! 2026 | Jamaica | World Cup | Group stage exit 2027 | South Korea | Asian Cup | Winners 2028 | Ivory Coast | ACON quals | Qualified 2029 | Ivory Coast | ACON | Winners 2030 | Ivory Coast | World Cup | Lost in semis 2031 | Brazil | Copa America | Winners 2033 | Brazil | Confed Cup | Winners 2034 | Brazil | World Cup | Runners up 2035 | Spain | Euro quals | Qualified Challenge Progress: Club 9/10 top domestic leagues: KOR (Jeonnam), RSA (Ajax CT), MEX (Club América), BRA (Fluminese), DEU (Dortmund), FRA (Marseille), ITA (Napoli), ENG (Liverpool), PRT (Benfica) 8/10 domestic cups: KOR (Jeonnam), RSA (Ajax CT), MEX (Club América), DEU (Dortmund), FRA (Marseille), ITA (Napoli), ENG (Liverpool), PRT (Benfica) 5/5 club continental championships: Asian CL (Jeonnam), African CL (Ajax CT), NACL (Club América), Copa Libertadores (Fluminese), Champ League (Marseille) 1/1 club world championship: Jeonnam 2023, Fluminese 2029 International 4/5 continental tournaments: Gold Cup (Jamaica), Asian Cup (South Korea), ACON (Ivory Coast), Copa America (Brazil) 1/2 world tournaments: Conf Cup (Brazil) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Nice to see lots of progress here, @Fadedaf and @pug 407 looks like you both are getting close to completing, and @numero uno gunner is very fast out of the blocks! I'm losing a bit of motivation for this challenge after all the jumping from one top team to another; have a bit of an itch to start at the bottom again with a new lower league save But it would be super nice to get over the finishing line or get a bit closer before I have a break, probably depends how things go on the international level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloryFan2002 Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 @dkouv You're so close don't quit on it now you only need 4 more trophies Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug 407 Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 2 hours ago, dkouv said: Nice to see lots of progress here, @Fadedaf and @pug 407 looks like you both are getting close to completing, and @numero uno gunner is very fast out of the blocks! I'm losing a bit of motivation for this challenge after all the jumping from one top team to another; have a bit of an itch to start at the bottom again with a new lower league save But it would be super nice to get over the finishing line or get a bit closer before I have a break, probably depends how things go on the international level. Sorry You Feel That Way, Hopeful You Can Finish It Before FM 2018. Good Luck With What Ever Save You Do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 @dkouv Obviously I hope that you finish the challenge, but I understand that it can get tough, so maybe a little bit of a palate cleanser will do you good. Come back though. I guess it depends how the Euros go for you. Look on the bright side. If you really mess up and get sacked, there's a good chance their next manager will come from one of the big Spanish sides and open up a door for you, and there'll probably be lots of good jobs with other big euro nations that might suit you better. It does seem as though your time with Spain is going to be make or break for your imminent success. Also bear in mind that you might have the domestic side of things wrapped up in 2 seasons, and then you can fly through the international tournaments on holiday. @numero uno gunner Congrats on your success so far. Are you looking to manage in different nations than your first Ultimate completion; even though that's only possible to a point? @yugular Good luck getting to the CL and the Euros. Impressive stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Barcelona 2041/42 Report Another season finished with Barca, where our sole purpose was to win the Champions League. Signings of several promising youngsters in the summer made me very optimistic this would be a successful season, and we were made 4/1 favourites to win the CL, with the next closest being only 8/1. Here's how we went: Spanish Super Cup- 4-0 aggregate win over Valencia, good way to start the season. Copa del Rey- We beat Girona and Levante before just scraping through against Villareal on away goals in the quarter final. We then beat Espanyol in the semis to face Real Madrid in the final. Yet another El Clasico and a good win as we dominated and ran out 2-1 winners. Good to win this cup again although it was never a priority. League- 35 wins, 3 draws, 0 defeats, +116 GD. I've never seen a more domestically dominant side than these Barca Invincibles. We set a new record for points at 108 and won the league by a ridiculous 14 points over Real Madrid, who only lost 2 games all season one of which was to us. This is undoubtedly the best team i've ever built in any FM game. Clean sweep of all the awards as we won best player, goalkeeper, top 2 scorers, best manager and best 2 young players. Additionally we had 1st and 2nd on the Ballon d'Or podium as well as the world player of the year and European golden boy. Champions League- The big one, could we end my wait for this elusive trophy and live up to our favourites tag? We were drawn into a group with Gelsenkirchen, Juventus and Arka and we finished top with 6 wins out of 6. We then faced Porto in the 1st KO round and breezed past them 4-0 on aggregate. We then faced PSG and a great 4-1 win at home meant we went through 5-3 on aggregate. In the semis we were drawn to face Real Madrid. The first leg was a disappointing 2-1 loss where we were awarded 2 penalties but only scored 1. The second leg was incredibly nervy but we were able to secure a 1-0 win and go through on away goals. Into the final where we faced Man United. It was a very nervous and tight game all the way through although we completely dominated. Unfortunately this did not translate to goals, and they proceeded to score a late winner with their second shot on target. This competition is just brutal. Every year i think that i can't possibly be as gutted as the year before but it somehow keeps getting worse. This team I have is almost perfect, I honestly can't think of much else I could do to improve it and we were still not good enough. We lost only 3 competitive fixtures this season, the second leg against PSG and first leg against Real where we went through anyways, and the CL final. Despite all the successes of this season it still feels like a failure, as i've made no progress for the challenge. Best Players: Top goalscorer- Paolo Ramundo (45 goals, 21 assists) the Pablo and Paolo show was renewed for another season as they smashed 81 goals between them. An incredible season for this guy as he just keeps getting better. Most assists, Most POM, Highest avg rating- Nathan Giggs (11 goals, 26 assists, 8 POM, 8.09) The Ballon d'Or winner was incredible all season and was arguably our best player despite missing a decent amount of the season through injury. Honourable mentions: Julian Biesinger (21 goals, 13 assists, 6 POM) Pablo Acevedo (36 goals, 17 assists, 7 POM) Nicolas Alonso (21 goals, 12 assists) Carlos Perez (12 goals, 6 assists) Pablo Castro (33 clean sheets) Results Results 2 Invincibles CL Final Overall This should be classified as a fantastic season but the way it ended kind of ruined it. No more challenge progress to report so I guess i'm staying here for another season to try to finally win the CL, although i'm starting to think it'll never happen. Definitely empathising with @dkouv as i'm losing a bit of motivation as well but i'm determined to finish this off eventually. On the international side of things i'm not going all that well, as it seems the Ivory Coast don't really have the players to fit my favourite formation. We missed out on World Cup qualification on goal difference and were knocked out of the CHAN in the group stage. I'm amazed I haven't been sacked but i'm not super optimistic about our chances in next years ACON, but you never know I guess. Season Team Position Champs League Notes and Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 Royal Eagles 2nd - Promoted to South African Premier League 2017/18 Royal Eagles 1st - KO Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2018/19 Royal Eagles 2nd - FA Cup runners up, CL qualification, CL ongoing 2019/20 Royal Eagles 1st Semi Final KO Cup winners, FA Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2020/21 Royal Eagles -- Semi Final KO Cup winners, Super 8 runners up, left halfway through season for Molde 2021 Molde 1st - Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2022 Molde -- - Undefeated and 1st in the league when I left for Genk 2022/23 Genk 1st - EL Semi finalists 2023/24 Genk 2nd Group Stage Super Cup winners, Cup runners up, EL Quarter finalists 2024/25 Genk 1st Playoff Cup winners, CL qualification 2025/26 Saint Etienne 3rd - Supercup winners, Cup runners up, EL Semi finals, MOTS, CL qualification 2026/27 Saint Etienne 3rd Playoff Cup winners, EL Quarter finals, CL qualification 2027 Jeonbuk 1st Semi Final Took over in 6th position, CL qualification 2028 Jeonbuk 1st CHAMPIONS Cup winners, MOTS, FA cup best manager, CL qualification, 5th in CWC 2029/30 Tigres 1st + 2nd - Cup winners, Libertadores qualification, MOTS 2030/31 Tigres 1st + 1st CHAMPIONS x2 Quintuple winners, CWC qualification, double CL qualification again, MOTS 2031/32 Tigres 3/4th + 1st 2nd Round + runner up Recopa winners, CWC Champions, NACL runners up 2032/33 Roma 4th 1st KO Round Cup semis, CL qualification 2033/34 Roma 1st 1st KO Round Cup winners, MOTS, CL qualification 2034/35 BMG 1st 1st KO Round Cup semis, CL qualification 2036/37 Chelsea 2nd 1st KO Round EFL Cup runners up, FA Cup semis, CL qualification 2037/38 Chelsea 2nd 1st KO Round FA Cup winners, EFL Cup runners up, CL qualification 2038/39 Chelsea 1st 1st KO Round MOTS, CL qualification 2039/40 Chelsea 2nd Semi Final CL qualification 2040/41 Barcelona 1st 1st KO Round CL qualification, Cup winners, Supercup winners, MOTS runner-up 2041/42 Barcelona 1st Runners Up Unbeaten in the League, Cup winners, Supercup winners, MOTS, CL qual. Challenge Progress Club 9/10 top domestic leagues (South Africa- Royal Eagles, Norway- Molde, Belgium- Genk, South Korea- Jeonbuk, Mexico- Tigres, Italy- Roma, Germany- BMG, England- Chelsea, Spain- Barcelona) 9/10 domestic cups (South Africa KO Cup- Royal Eagles, Norwegian Cup- Molde, Belgian Cup- Genk, Coupe de la Ligue(France)- Saint Etienne, Korean FA Cup- Jeonbuk, Mexican Cup Opening Stage- Tigres, Italian Cup- Roma, FA Cup- Chelsea, Copa del Rey- Barcelona) 3/5 club continental championships (Asian CL- Jeonbuk 2028, Copa Libertadores- Tigres 2031, NACL- Tigres 2031) 1/1 club world championship (Tigres 2031) International 3/5 continental tournaments (Copa America 2031- Brazil, Gold Cup 2035- Mexico, European Championship 2040- Spain) 2/2 world tournaments (Confederations Cup 2033- Brazil, World Cup 2034- Brazil) International: Season Team Notes and Achievements ---------------------------------------------------------- 2018 China U23 Won Asian Games 2019 Cameroon Started ACON qualification, switched to Algeria 2019 Algeria Resigned after 2 games 2021 Nigeria Qualified for world cup, ACON qualification ongoing 2022 Nigeria Knocked out of World Cup in group stage, resigned 2023 Ivory Coast Started World Cup and ACON qualifying. 2024 Ivory Coast Qualified for ACON 2025 Ivory Coast Knocked out of ACON in quarter finals, resigned. 2026 Ghana Qualified for ACON 2027 Ghana ACON runners up, resigned. 2028 SK + France U23 Won U23 Asian Cup, Olympic silver medallists 2029 Brazil Qualified for World Cup 2030 Brazil 4th in World Cup 2031 Brazil Copa America Winners! 2032 Brazil Qualified for World Cup 2033 Brazil Confederations Cup Winners! 2034 Brazil World Cup Winners! 2035 Mexico Gold Cup Winners! 2036 Spain Started World Cup qualifying 2037 Spain Qualified unbeaten for the World Cup 2038 Spain World Cup runners-up 2039 Spain European International League Div.A Winners! 2040 Spain European Championship Winners! 2041 Ivory Coast Missed out on World Cup qualification on goal difference Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 @Fadedaf Well that was a kick in the teeth for you. Reading through it I was formulating my 'that's a relief' comment, but, no. There's definitely something masochistic about this challenge. Now that I'm doing the youth challenge, occasionally I wonder if I miss international management, remember all the world class players that didn't fit into my tactics, and quickly realise, no I don't miss it at all, or the playing an entire season just to have it all wiped out with one goal. I'm not doing a very good job of encouragement, am I? Just look at it this way. As men, this is our version of childbirth. It hurts like hell, but 5 minutes after you've finally pushed that ugly, bloody trophy out of your managerial yoohoo, you'll have forgotten the pain. Not that I've forgotten that loss in the Confederations Cup final with Holland that I played sometime in the summer of 2015, so, ok, maybe this challenge will cause you lasting psychological damage, but it's worth it. ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 @vikeologist Yeah I may actually go insane trying to complete the challenge, but it was made to be extremely difficult to finish so I guess it's working! Hopefully if i do ever win the CL it will be that much sweeter for all the failures. Also I now have a very interesting decision to make: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 1 minute ago, Fadedaf said: @vikeologist Yeah I may actually go insane trying to complete the challenge, but it was made to be extremely difficult to finish so I guess it's working! Hopefully if i do ever win the CL it will be that much sweeter for all the failures. Also I now have a very interesting decision to make: What's difficult about that decision? Next you'll be complaining that you have to choose between dating a supermodel and playing Football Manager. I sometimes wonder how my life (and indeed Giselle's, and Tom's lives) would have been different had I made a different decision when faced with that dilemma a few years back, but, on the whole, no regrets. Enjoy Paris. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 @vikeologist I've just seen that PSG have won the league for 15 years in a row now... so maybe I shouldn't have complained haha. The only problem is that if and when I meet my old Barca team i'll be absolutely thrashed as long as they have a semi-competent new manager. Although if PSG have enough money i'll just see how much of the team I can buy off them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 @dkouv - You can't quit now! The end is in sight! Realistically, you are going to have to manage at two more clubs (league and cup double in Spain and then one more domestic cup elsewhere) and a top European nation to win the European Championships and World Cup. That's definitely doable. Keep going! @vikeologist - Well, Ireland and the USA were both new leagues to me, but I'd managed in Northern Ireland and China last time round, and I'm fairly certain I'll end up in Brazil shortly. Essentially, I'm not at a level where I can get a top European job yet, and I'd rather try and get the Copa Libertadores out of the way sooner rather than later. I've applied for a few jobs in South America, but realistically want a club where I can think about winning the Copa Libertadores within a few seasons. @Fadedaf - Good luck at PSG (not that you'll really need it!). I know the Champions League pain well. You'll win it eventually! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 (edited) 2019/2020 End of season report I have some mixed feelings about this. Team played superbly again. Same tactic continued to work, but I had to make some alternatives that I can use when defending the lead and when facing opponents that can beat my possession. BUT! Again my team failed to impress in the last phase of the league and the form in last 8 games was LDLWLLLW which meant that we dropped outside Champions League slot Last round 6-3 win against Chelsea meant that we qualified for EC still In Capital Cup I dropped against Chelsea and in FA Cup we lost to ManCity. League table: Spoiler Squad stats: Spoiler Oh did I mention that my team is cheap? Here it is: Spoiler @vikeologist Thanks for the thumbs up Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 16/17 Carlisle 7th Sky Bet League 2 Lost in playoffs rnd 1 17/18 Carlisle 1st Sky Bet League 2 Promotion 18/19 Middlesbrough 2nd Championship Promotion 19/20 Middlesbrough 5th Premier League EC slot Edited June 5, 2017 by yugular Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekybananafm Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Really wanna start this challenge, any tips on what nations/leagues are best to start with? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 4 minutes ago, Cheekybananafm said: Really wanna start this challenge, any tips on what nations/leagues are best to start with? I quess it depends on how you approach the challenge. If you want to be as fast as possible I would start in some league that has short distance to win a first league title. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekybananafm Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Just now, yugular said: I quess it depends on how you approach the challenge. If you want to be as fast as possible I would start in some league that has short distance to win a first league title. Yes want to finish it as quick as I can. So would you suggest Asian/African nations? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 2 minutes ago, Cheekybananafm said: Yes want to finish it as quick as I can. So would you suggest Asian/African nations? I have't played that much FM in years, but back in the times when i played infinite hours it was the fastest route to gain some reputation for your manager and looking back this thread it seems like the way to go perhaps... I am playing this for fun (at least when i started) and chose England, which I feel is one of the most challenging places to start this challenge. However I have been lucky and I got handed a job for a team that was already 90% to achieve promotion to PRM in third season of the challenge.. So there are many options and you need to look at the job market. Sometimes there comes great jobs available and you need to stay alert. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekybananafm Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Just now, yugular said: I have't played that much FM in years, but back in the times when i played infinite hours it was the fastest route to gain some reputation for your manager and looking back this thread it seems like the way to go perhaps... I am playing this for fun (at least when i started) and chose England, which I feel is one of the most challenging places to start this challenge. However I have been lucky and I got handed a job for a team that was already 90% to achieve promotion to PRM in third season of the challenge.. So there are many options and you need to look at the job market. Sometimes there comes great jobs available and you need to stay alert. Thanks for the advice, my laptop isn't the best so have to be careful how many leagues I load. Am gonna start tonight. Gone with China, South Korea and South Africa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Good luck on the challenge @Cheekybananafm If you go to a league that you are unfamiliar with just remember to read the rules for the league Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 (edited) Spain 2036 European Championship report Last time I had a go at the Euros was with Greece in 2020, which seems like an eternity ago. I’m hoping for more success this time with Spain, although I don’t expect it to be all plain sailing – there are some very strong European teams around, including my nemesis from the World Cup Holland. We have a moderately difficult group with Ukraine, Switzerland and Armenia to start things off. Group stage Spoiler Ukraine 1 -2 Spain. Goals: Cazorla x2 We were utterly dominant but decided to give away a penalty after a corner to make things a bit nervy at the end. Spain 1 – 0 Switzerland. Goals: Hernandez A tight game which I edged thanks to a headed goal from a set piece. Qualified for the second round now. Spain 3 – 0 Armenia. Goals: Blanco, Ramos x2 I even rested my goalkeeper for this one Still, we’re not exactly firing on all cylinders – it was goalless in the first half – but I hope form picks up a bit in the knockout stages. Serbia are up next, in a game played at Aberdeen Community Stadium (the euros are co-hosted by Scotland and Wales) Second round (if applicable) Spoiler Serbia 0 – 2 Spain a.e.t. Goals: Canovas, Hugo We were in control but a bit toothless – missed some good chances in normal time and finally put Serbia to the sword in extra time. Portugal are up next and I’m not feeling too confident, they seem like one of the best teams of the tournament, dispatching Greece 10-0 in the group stages. On the plus side, Holland got eliminated by Switzerland so at least I won’t have to play them again. Quarter final (if applicable) Spoiler Portugal 1 – 1 Spain (Portugal win on penalties). Goals: Canovas. Eugh. We were the better side in a tight game, went ahead in the second half only for Portugal to equalise with a long-range worldie. We then went on to miss a penalty and a host of great chances, largely thanks to some amazing saves from their keeper. And as you have it, their keeper saved our first three penalties in the shootout to send Portugal through. Semi final (if applicable) Spoiler Final (if applicable) Spoiler After the tournament Spoiler Got the sack for the first time in this save, I guess it would have been a bit too good to be true if I managed to complete the challenge without this happening I’m not really sure whether to blame bad luck or tactical ineptitude for my exit – the defeat to Portugal was super-unlucky, but then we struggled to score goals all tournament, and I never quite got Spain firing as much as I should have. I’ve taken over the England job, which has the extra incentive of ending a very long barren trophy spell at the international level – yes, that’s right, they still haven’t won anything of note since 1966. But the quality of players is much worse than Spain, so I don’t want to set my hopes too high yet… Edited June 5, 2017 by dkouv Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirajzl Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 @Fadedaf Winning the CL in this FM is the hardest it's ever been to me so I feel your pain, especially when you're trying to do this challenge. The CL knockout rounds are almost a coin toss, even when you have a superstar team. Either it's not been like that before or I'm imagining things. It almost reminds me of international management. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkouv Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 @vikeologist Thanks for the tip - no good club jobs are available yet but I don't think the post-Euros merry-go-round is quite finished yet, so hopefully there'll be something there. And as you say, holidaying should make things much quicker once I'm done with the club side of things. @Fadedaf Was also about to congratulate you but then saw the end result of the CL final and... Well, it can't get any more frustrating from here at least, can it? I hope you soldier on and complete this, PSG should offer as good a shot as any team aside from the amazing Barca side you've assembled, and you get the extra bonus of caring about the league results. If you have enough money maybe just buy the top players off all your competitors and you'll walk the CL In retrospect I realise I was quite lucky to win the CL quite early on with Marseille, have got nowhere near apart from that... @yugular Nice progress, would be cool if you manage to win the PL with Borough, and quite an achievement! @numero uno gunner Thanks - I don't really think I'll quit, maybe just have a break and come back to the challenge. But I'm still going so far @Cheekybananafm I started in England because I enjoy the English lower leagues, but would recommend China or South Korea for the most efficient route to success. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 @numero uno gunner I hope you're checking that the Copa Lib is still running in your save. Probably best to get it asap this version. Impossible to know how often it stops, but there must be at least 15 people have reported it on the bugs forum, and lots more that haven't bothered because there's no fix, so what's the point? @Cheekybananafm Good luck wherever you start. Certainly most people who've gone deep into the challenge have started in S Africa or China, but if you can do what @yugular and a few others have done and get to the top of a big nation quickly, that probably is the fastest way, because you get a high reputation quickly, and can therefore get a top international job earlier. In order to do this challenge quickly, you need to start winning the international trophies early and often. Trouble is unless you're very good at the game, you're not going to emulate yugular. Anyway, if possible in S Africa or China you need to start in the top division, or with a team that can be promoted more or less immediately. Not sure how good a team you'd be able to get in S Korea. I'm not sure that many people have actually started there, though most go through S Korea at some point. @dkouv I didn't realise you hadn't been sacked yet. I think I was sacked something like 15-20 times when I completed, though most of those were by national FAs. Anyway good luck with...... No sorry, as a Scot, can't do it. @shirajzl Given that I have to win the CL with a tiny Russian team to achieve the Youth Challenge, that's not very encouraging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yugular Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 10 hours ago, dkouv said: @yugular Nice progress, would be cool if you manage to win the PL with Borough, and quite an achievement! Its highly unlikely. Especially Manu has so strong team that beating them in a league would take years... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 @vikeologist - I've just checked, and it stopped in 2019. What the hell? I'm absolutely furious. I'm not going to restart this challenge, my game time is currently over 7 days! What do I do? Does that mean that I can't complete the challenge? What have other people done? How do I report it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 (edited) 28 minutes ago, numero uno gunner said: @vikeologist - I've just checked, and it stopped in 2019. What the hell? I'm absolutely furious. I'm not going to restart this challenge, my game time is currently over 7 days! What do I do? Does that mean that I can't complete the challenge? What have other people done? How do I report it? Sorry to hear that. As I'm sure you're aware, that's what stopped my challenge this time round. Lots of people have reported it but it won't serve any purpose. It can't be fixed. SI have stopped even responding to the thread. They said that it was fixed in the last update, which seems not to be true. And obviously you can't complete the challenge without the Lib. So, I guess people need to check their Copa Lib fairly frequently, at least until they achieve it. @Fadedaf and @dkouv I know you've got the Lib, but is it still running in your saves? If you're furious, you could vote on my 'unacceptable number and severity of bugs' poll in General Discussion. About a third of votes say that this year's version is unacceptable, and yes, some of that third have a more solid justification than others, but if you look through the thread you'll see that there are some quite well known members of the forum who feel as I do. Edited June 6, 2017 by vikeologist Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 I'm furious. I can't believe I've wasted all this time and I'm not going to be able to complete it. I never stood a chance, either, as it stopped so bloody early. I can't imagine too many people were winning the Cope Libertadores inside three or four seasons in this challenge? I'm not sure I have it in me to start again. Those early seasons are so difficult. I'm just getting to the point in my career where I'm managing better teams (I took over Palmeiras in Brazil yesterday!). Could we have a section on the leaderboard if we were to win everything else? I feel robbed of the opportunity to complete the challenge through no fault of my own. Maybe an alternative? I don't know what though. Having to win the Champions League in Europe with two different clubs maybe? Everyone has said how difficult it is to win with one so far after all?@vikeologist - Can you link me to the thread? I'll happily vent right now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 This forum doesn't work too well for me, so despite trying for about the last half hour, I can't get to the other parts of the forum. Also I was able to get to The Guardian website, and have seen that one of my mentors, Helen Dunmore, has died, so just want to roll up in a ball and mope. But I will edit my post with the links when I'm able. Nurture your wrath until then, please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 @vikeologist @numero uno gunner looks like the Libertadores stopped in 2036 in my save, so I glad I grabbed that back in 2030. Looks like the 'last ever' winners in 2036 was Tigres as well so for a second I thought my win was the last season ever! Also how about for @numero uno gunner and other special cases where everything is won but the Lib, how about the Oceania Nations Cup is added instead? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug 407 Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 21 minutes ago, Fadedaf said: @vikeologist @numero uno gunner looks like the Libertadores stopped in 2036 in my save, so I glad I grabbed that back in 2030. Looks like the 'last ever' winners in 2036 was Tigres as well so for a second I thought my win was the last season ever! Also how about for @numero uno gunner and other special cases where everything is won but the Lib, how about the Oceania Nations Cup is added instead? Or The Copa Sudamericana Which Is Still In South America. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowLittle Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 I'm giving this a go, quite excited about it, although concerned my laptop can't deal with the crazy amount of leagues and also slightly concerned at the Copa Libertadores cup bug. Just waiting for my 1st job and I'll make sure I post updates on this. Wish me luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
numero uno gunner Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 @pug 407 - Copa Sudamericana has stopped as well, unfortunately. Oceania Nations Cup could be one way forward. Europa League? Equivalent in Africa or Asia? I'm still ages away from completing the challenge, but I'm not going to stick around in Brazil long-term now, that's for sure. I'm just over halfway through the season with Palmeiras (took over part way in anyway) but I'm only 5 points off the top of the league and in the last 8 of the cup. My plan had been to assess the squad and plan for next season, but if I can get in and out with a trophy on the board I'll be happy, all things considered now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadedaf Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 @YellowLittle good luck! where are you thinking of starting off? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowLittle Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 @Fadedaf Cheers mate, I've just got a job with Meizhou in Chinese second tier. Not really sure of the best league to start to be honest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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