Muggert Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Well.. That didnt take long. Before the season starts I've left FC Seoul after a great stint. The new advenure continues in .... Brazil... Atletico Mineiro! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowy Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 On 28/02/2019 at 18:32, Crowy said: Gremio 2027 Club Overview ~ Finances ~ League Table ~ Squad So I've resigned from Atalanta, I was looking towards the Liverpool and River Plate jobs as they were very insecure. Unfortunately, neither teams sacked their manager and Gremio approached me the main reason I took the job is that they're still in to the Copa Libertadores. After a few months struggling to find saves with FM, I've decided to continue this save from this point. It's the only real save I've enjoyed this year and I'd love to complete it. When I reloaded my save the last save point was just after retiring from Atalanta, but I've taken the same path and become manager of Gremio. CAREER PROGRESS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren1983 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Season 2028/29 - Borussia Dortmund Before the season started I took over as manager of France after the 2028 Euro's. After finishing 2nd last season we entered the transfer market as I continued to lower the age of the squad and as a result we even made a profit while doing so. In the 2 and a bit season's here I've lowered the age from 27 to 24. Bayern had a shocking start and we had a 7 point lead over them after just 6 games and it turned out that Red Bull would be our biggest challenge. A shock home defeat to Dusseldorf in the last game before the winter break meant we went into that break level on points with Red Bull. 9 straight league wins coming out of that (including beating Red Bull and Bayern) opened up a nice lead that we never lost and we won the title by 6 points in the end. In the cups we had a pretty tough group of PSG, Napoli and Legia. We ended up finishing 2nd behind PSG. We then beat Juventus both home and away, 1/4 finals and we had Liverpool, 3 late goals from us (all after the 85th minute) gave us a slightly flattering 4-0 win. The 3-1 away defeat meant little. Man City in the Semis and a 1-0 home win gave us a chance but another 3-1 defeat ended our run. In the German cup we had a few struggles but managed to get to the final where we beat Mainz to secure a double. No interesting jobs currently so I might stay here for another crack at the champions league while keeping an eye on the job market. Not a great deal to say here, a bit like with Dortmund I'm trying to lower the age of the squad (I dropped the 35 year old Paul Pogba) we won our Nations League group but then fell in the semi finals to Germany. World cup at the end of this season which is the target. Career Progress Season Team Country League Position Notes 2018/19 Tshakhuma South Africa 1st Division 3rd Lost in playoffs 2019/20 Tshakhuma South Africa 1st Division 1st Promoted as champions 2020/21 Tshakhuma South Africa Premier League 4th Cup runners up 2021/22 Tshakhuma South Africa Premier League 4th Cup winners, left on 11/3/22 2021/22 Orlando Pirates South Africa Premier League 2nd took over in 5th on 11/3/22 2022/23 Orlando Pirates South Africa Premier League 1st League & Champions League winners 2023 Guangzhou Evergrande China CSL 1st Took over with 13 games to go. Won league 2024 Guangzhou Evergrande China CSL 1st Won league, cup and champions league 2025 LAFC USA MLS 1st Won supporters shield and MLS Cup 2026 LAFC USA MLS 8th won champions league and cup 2026/27 Borussia Dortmund GER Bundesliga 5th Took over in 5th with 8 games to go 2027/28 Borussia Dortmund GER Bundesliga 2nd 2028/29 Borussia Dortmind GER Bundesliga 1st League and cup double International 2021/22 Ivory Coast World Cup qualifying, Nations Championship 3rd place 2022/23 Ivory Coast AFCON winners 2024 Wales Qualified for Euro’s 2028/29 France Won Nations league group Challenge Progress Club 4/10 top domestic leagues (2023 South Africa – Orlando Pirates, 2023 China – Guangzhou Evergrande, 2025 USA – LAFC, 2028 Germany – Borussia Dortmund) 4/10 domestic cups (2021 Telkom Cup – Tshakuma, 2024 Chinese Cup – Guangzhou Evergrande, 2026 US Open Cup – LAFC, 2028 Germany – Borussia Dortmund) 3/5 club continental championships (2023 African Champions League – Orlando Pirates, 2024 Asian Champions League – Guangzhou Evergrande, 2026 North American Champions League - LAFC) 0/1 club world championship International 1/5 continental tournaments (2023 AFCON – Ivory Coast) 0/2 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Its 2 years since I tried and failed to do this challenge but with no real save on the go I've decided to give it a shot. I've added a couple of Asian leagues and South Africa alongside Scotland and England as I've noticed not many people start there. Now its time for a job hunt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 I have my first job and I'm starting in the National League South Mid-way through the season and we sit in 12th Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren1983 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 I didn't really want to resign from Dortmund but I had to because the club I was going to couldn't afford the financial package to buy me out but here I sit as a new manager of Lyon. Like Dortmund I think this will be a bit of a project to get them the title. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 2018/19 Season - Woking - National League South Half a season in charge, we had our ups and down but with 3 games left we sat in the playoffs, unfortunately we lost our bottle drawing the next 2 meaning we missed out on the playoffs by 2 points and 1 place. That's it for this season, we were out of all the cups before I arrived. Hopefully with a full preseason in charge I can improve the squad, start gaining badges and hopefully improve my reputation Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEarl Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Hello everyone Still fun to read all the great updates here. I havent played FM for a year or so, and never tried FM2019. I thought I might give it a go for the first time tonight. Then this is always the challenge to try out. Would like to start off in an exotic country this time. Anyone has a suggestion or two on where to start? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cobble Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 NIce to see that this thread has exploded back into life! Welcome to the new players, and welcome back to those who are returning. After my most recent update I had just joined Bayern having just won the Euros with France, and just lost out in the Champions League semi final to Liverpool as Sporting. Unfortunately, I knew the inevitable was coming and my Sporting team got absolutely looted (although I did buy two of their midfielders for Bayern as well...) and they ended up selling near £700 million worth of talent that summer :O My first league season with Bayern was frustrating - the team kept drawing daft matches 0-0 in which we'd absolutely dominate, and in Europe we just scraped through the group stage. Although we stumbled into a 3rd place finish in the league that year, I believe I only kept my job due to a quite remarkable Champions League victory! In each knock out stage, I seemed to have the first leg at home, and would absolutely destroy my opponent at home (including a 6-0 win over Man City) before getting battered away from home and sneaking through. Somehow, this continued all the way to the final where I faced off against a Monaco team led by Pep himself. We snuck a hard fought victory, which along with the German Cup provided some recompense for a pretty dismal league campaign; that summer I also won the Confederations Cup as France. For the second season, the aim was clear - the league was everything and... we stumbled into victory thanks to a Dortmund draw in the penultimate game. We crashed out of the German Cup in the Semi Final and got decimated by Barcelona in the Champions League quarter final. Tbh, I couldn't wait to leave! With my resignation tendered to Bayern, I went into the World Cup with a France team containing my former Sporting striker (now of Liverpool), Mirko Esposito. This kid is absolute magic, and is rated 5 stars by the coaches - Mbappe is only rated 4 1/2! We just about triumphed, with the main point of note being a 119th minute World Cup Final win over Germany; I did NOT want penalties against the Germans! With all the dust settled, I departed from France and awaited new positions to arise. I turned down Monaco and Arsenal to take over Real Madrid - and my first point of call was buying my old wonder-kid, a 22 year old Mirko Esposito... I've also taken over the Ivory Coast, with an eye firmly on next summers AFCON! Final Thoughts: > I HATE the new World Cup set up with a passion. It's going to brutal when that takes place in real life > As I write this, a 31 year old Mbappe has 110 goals in 161 appearances for France. 8 of these were against Andorra though, so.... > It's the year 2030, and Real Madrid haven't won the Champions League since 2018.... > I think I will go to S.Africa after this. I prefer having clubs as a longer term project and building them up, but at the same time I love trying to achieve this challenge. > My favourite two clubs so far have been Jeju in Korea and Sporting Lisbon - the team I built there was quite phenomenal, and I regret not making a save of that team for online play! Thanks all!!! Challenge Progress Club 4/10 top domestic leagues - Singapore S-League 19/20 (Home Utd), K-League 2023,2024,2025 (Jeju), Portugal Liga NOS 26/27, 27/28 (Sporting Lisbon), Bundesliga 2029/30 (Bayern Munich) 4/10 domestic cups - RHB Singapore Cup 18/19 (Home Utd), KFA Cup 2025 (Jeju), Taca de Portugal Placard 27/28 (Sporting), DFB-Pokal 28/29 (Bayern Munich) 2/5 club continental championships - AFC Champions League 2025 (Jeju), European Champions League 2028/29 (Bayern Munich) 1/1 club world championship – 2029/2030 (Bayern Munich) International 1/5 continental tournaments – Euro 2028 (France) 1/2 world tournaments – Confederations Cup 2029 (France) Other titles New Paper League Cup 18/19, 19/20 (Home United) AFC Cup 19/20 (Home United) Hyundai A-League (Regular Season) 2020/21 (Melbourne Victory) U23 Asian Games w/ South Korea 2022 U23 Pacific Games w/ New Zealand 2023 Taca de Liga Portugal 2027/28 (Sporting) Supertaca Candido de Oliveira 27/28 (Sporting) DFL Supercup 28/29 (Bayern Munich) Supercopa de Espana 30/31 (Real Madrid) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cobble Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 3 hours ago, TheEarl said: Hello everyone Still fun to read all the great updates here. I havent played FM for a year or so, and never tried FM2019. I thought I might give it a go for the first time tonight. Then this is always the challenge to try out. Would like to start off in an exotic country this time. Anyone has a suggestion or two on where to start? I'd recommend Korea. I found some of the smaller countries had really limiting caps on foreigners which just became more hassle than they were worth, but with Korea you do get some good quality coming through the youth teams as well. I'd never played there before and had three really fun seasons! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Atletico Mineiro sacked me after a horrible start. I went into a non-winning streak after loosing my best 5-6 players to europe. At least I won State. I won't miss the 500 games a season and I guess the Copa Libertadores will go through Argentina Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEarl Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 1 minute ago, Muggert said: Atletico Mineiro sacked me after a horrible start. I went into a non-winning streak after loosing my best 5-6 players to europe. At least I won State. I won't miss the 500 games a season and I guess the Copa Libertadores will go through Argentina Tough luck. I always loved to manage in Brazil, and had a lot of fun there. But I guess its a bit about how you like the game. Unfortunately I can't start in Brazil, as I guess I won't find a club there with the starting criteria. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 17 minutes ago, TheEarl said: Tough luck. I always loved to manage in Brazil, and had a lot of fun there. But I guess its a bit about how you like the game. Unfortunately I can't start in Brazil, as I guess I won't find a club there with the starting criteria. I'm pretty sure if I did not just add the european leagues in the summer I could have kept some of my players but most of them had release clauses that was acitvated by PL teams ;-) As a starting spot I had a great save a couple of seasons ago starting as Jomo Cosmos from South Africa. I'd say South Africa or the second tier in China/South Korea would be a good starting spot. Not that I didn't like Selangor, but I'm sure I could have a faster way to the top in either of those leagues Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Time to go for the CONCACAF Champions League. A just sub-top team in Mexico might be a good bet. After my sacking in Mineiro I won't be getting one of the top teams in that league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEarl Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 11 minutes ago, Muggert said: As a starting spot I had a great save a couple of seasons ago starting as Jomo Cosmos from South Africa. I'd say South Africa or the second tier in China/South Korea would be a good starting spot. Not that I didn't like Selangor, but I'm sure I could have a faster way to the top in either of those leagues South Africa is very useful through the years of this challenge. China have I also tried before, as well with UK. I will see if I might start in South Korea, but think it will be even more exotic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispypaul Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 I finally finished my first full season with Stuttgart - will try and post an update tomorrow when I have a free moment when my 4 week old son is asleep Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispypaul Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 14 hours ago, Steve Cobble said: I'd recommend Korea. I found some of the smaller countries had really limiting caps on foreigners which just became more hassle than they were worth, but with Korea you do get some good quality coming through the youth teams as well. I'd never played there before and had three really fun seasons! I didn't start in Korea but had a spell there and enjoyed it. One of the better Asian leagues IMO - although you do have the military service issues (I lost one of my best players to that...) I also really liked managing in Chile. For South America a relatively straightforward structure and not too many games. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowy Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 GREMIO - 2027 Manager Profile - Crowy - 2027 Key Players - Helder ~ Diego Lainez ~ Wildson ~ Romario ~ Pablo Victor Squad Overview - Overview ~ Match Stats Competitions Overview Here is just a quick overview of my 2027 second half of season with Gremio, the form was very up and down whilst I struggled to settle on a formation we had a couple of good win against teams such as Corinthians but losing games to Bahia made qualifying for the Copa Libertadores a little more difficult. I did still have a chance for qualifying on the final day as results went out way but I lost 4-2 to Internacional. I think this may be a long term job to win the Copa Libertadores as I think this team needs a lot of work. I only have one year left on my contract so I will see how we progress this season once I do transfers and settle on a formation. CAREER PROGRESS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 (edited) Leon A short season review! We battled with inconsistencies and troubles with finding the right tactic. I managed to not get fired, and I'll be strengthning the squad. We end up 12th Spoiler Season Team League Finish Cup 1 Cup 2 Contin SuperCup Notes 2018 Selangor Malaysian Super League 5th Win Took over with 2 games to go in 6th place 2019 Selangor Malaysian Super League Win Win QF Win 2020 Selangor Malaysian Super League Win 2nd QF Playoff Win 2021 Selangor Malaysian Super League Win RU SF GS Win Resigned after the season 2022 FC Seoul South Korean K League 2 Win Win Took over to start the season, Promotion 2023 FC Seoul South Korean K League 1 2nd QF 2nd Rnd Resigned after the season 2024 Atletico Mineiro Brasileirao Serie A Win 2nd Rnd State Win, Sacked after 12 games in 12th 2024/25 Leon Liga BBVA Bancomer 12th Took over in 3rd after 6 games Ghana We managed to qualify for the ACON .. Let's get that first international trophy! Edited May 15, 2019 by Muggert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Small update: It's now February 2020, and I have been out of a job for almost an entire year. I keep getting interviews for jobs, getting the "Macon set for XXX FC after interview..." articles, but have received no offers. The most predominant thing in my inbox is "Interview unsuccessful". I got an offer from the Japanese-Singaporean team in Singapore, which happened to be my favorite league in my original save, but I decided to turn it down because I felt as though my reputation was more befitting of a team in a higher league. Now I wish I had accepted the offer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispypaul Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 (edited) Crispypaul VfB Stuttgart 1. Bundesliga 2027/28 League - Table | Fixtures 1 | Fixtures 2 - I went into this season hoping for some gradual improvement. However after a while it looked like we would be challenging for the title, which we managed to secure the title with a game left. We didn't concede a goal for the last 10 games! Cup - Fixtures - comfortable win over lower league opposition but then knocked out in a disappointing home defeat to RB Leipzig Finances - no problems here now Transfers - some frustrations particularly after the £33m from the Mensah sale wasn't reinvested. Andujar and Carrizo were good signings. Squad - much happier with this now. Need to tweak the full backs. Key players - Sebastian Olivera - turning into a very good keeper. Mario Billinger - part of the reason we won the league was our very tight defence, and Billinger was part of that. Sadly his contract runs out in a year and he won't sign a new one so may have to sell Dirk Adlon - the other centre back did even better including winning his first full Germany caps Nicolas Carrizo - needed to improve central midfield and the £5m signing from Estudiantes did that. Hector Andujar - losing Mensah meant we needed another left winger and the £8m Argentine did that Andreas Frischneckt - wonderkid striker from our youth team Finances - the incredible prize money from winning the league boosted these massively, and we managed to clear our debts. Future - I was hoping winning the league title would lead to job offers elsewhere but I was turned down flat by both Liverpool and Man City. So going to stay for now. Euro 2028 has finished so I'm seeing what international jobs are around. On an aside, Brexit was finally cancelled! Domestic Season Team Division Position Notes 2019 Home United S-League 1st Cup, League Cup, AFC Cup winners, National B licence 2020 Deportes Santa Cruz Chilean Primera B 1st Promoted 2021 Deportes Santa Cruz Chilean Primera 3rd Cup Winners, Qualified for Copa Libertadores, Continental B 2022 Deportes Santa Cruz Chilean Primera 1st Cup Winners, Copa Libertadores Knockout, Continental A 2022/23 Pumas Mexican Premier Division 1st Apertura and Clasura Winners, CONCACFA CL winners, Continental Pro 2023/24 Maritzburg Utd South African Premier Division 1st MTN8, Telkom, Nedbank Cup Winners 2024/25 Maritzburg Utd South African Premier Division 1st MTN8, Nedbank Cup, African CL Winners 2025 Ulsan K-League 1 3rd Joined 20th July 2025, KFA Cup Winners 2026 Ulsan K-League 1 1st ACL, KFA Cup Winners 2026/27 VfB Stuttgart 1. Bundesliga 15th 2027/28 VfB Stuttgart 1. Bundesliga 1st International Year Team Achievements 2023/24 Cameroon African Nations Championship winners, AFCON qualifying group stage 2024/25 Cameroon AFCON Runners Up, Resigned 2026/27 Iran Asian Cup Winners Challenge Progress Club 6/10 top domestic leagues (Singapore, Home United, 2019; Chile, Deportes Santa Cruz, 2022; Mexico, Pumas, 2022/23; South Africa, Maritzburg Utd, 2023/24; South Korea, Ulsan, 2026; Germany, VfB Stuttgart, 2027/28) 4/10 domestic cups (Singapore, Home United, 2019; Chile, Deportes Santa Cruz, 2021; South Africa, Maritzburg Utd, 2023/24; South Korea, Ulsan, 2025) 3/5 club continental championships (CONCACAF, Pumas, 2022/23; CAF, Maritzburg Utd, 2024/25; AFC, Ulsan, 2026) 0/1 club world championship International 1/5 continental tournaments (Asia, Iran, 2027) 0/2 world tournaments Edited May 17, 2019 by Crispypaul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispypaul Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Small update - applied for a number of openings after Euro 2028 and England came calling so I am now England manager too. Nations League coming up first before World Cup 2030 qualifying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 (edited) Another small update. I resigned for Leon after a horrible half a season. My new destination is in Africa. Kaizer Chiefs has offered me a contract. I need to start qualifying and winning trophies and especially continental. 3rd place 5 points behind Ajax CT with 3 games to go. Ghana has qualified to the ACON. Let's get it rolling after a couple of misses. Edited May 17, 2019 by Muggert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEarl Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 Really struggling to find a place to start this year. Seems more difficult to get that first job... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 I have uploading problems.... The last 3 games with Kaizer Chiefs... A - Polokwame City, 4-0 A - Ajax CT, 2-0 H - Real Kings, 6-0 We win the league by 2 points! Next up the ACON with Ghana! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 Daing... We lost in the ACON final. Had hoped to cross that one off the list. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Cobble Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 On 16/05/2019 at 10:58, Crispypaul said: On an aside, Brexit was finally cancelled! Didn't know this was a thing! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEarl Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 Finally got started with Cape Umoya in South African First Division will post screenshots later today Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 2019/20 Season - Woking My first full season in charge, we were expected to get into the playoffs but we went step further than that. National League South - An amazing season, it went all the way to the 3rd from last game where we clinched the league title. FA Cup - We reached the 3rd Round, a great run before we were hammered 7-0 by Stoke FA Trophy - We got all the way to the semi final before a 5-3 aggregate defeat to Leyton Orient Key Players - Stacy Agnew - Greg Luer - Josh Casey In Other News - Eventually the board agreed for me to learn my National C Licence which was completed right at the end of the season, I immediately asked to do my National B which was also agreed. My rep is now 1*. What Next? - Hopefully we can push for promotion again next season. The quicker we rise up the leagues the quicker my rep increases. I will be keeping my eyes open for a bigger and better job to keep my rep improving and gaining my badges. Domestic Season Team Division Position Notes 2019/20 Woking National Lge South 1st National C Licence, FA Cup 3rd Round, FA Trophy 0/10 top domestic leagues () 0/10 domestic cups () 0/5 club continental championships () 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 @TheEarlLet's get it on!! :-) @stevelcfc2011 Great season. Domnated Carlisle. Nice to see! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Kaizer Chiefs ABSA Premiership - 2025/2026 Review Champions League: Winners! My first major trophy is history! A good season with our only loss being to Enyimba in the Group stage. League: 4th - Super 8: Win! - Knockout Cup: QFinal - Nedbank Cup: 1st Rnd - One season long battle against Mammelodi Sundowns. We got the best of them in the Super 8 and ChL, while they won the Knockout cup, In total we played Sundowns 6 times this season. We did not have a good enough squad to compete in the league and we were lucky to hold on to 4th. SQUAD Key players: DR Badboy - AMR Sapula - AMC Motupa A good season with lots of players getting gametime. We have some of the brightest talents in the country and our squad should be deep enough to loose a player or two. Our Attackers never really excelled unfortunately. Motupa was our player of the season. 6 goals in the knockout rounds of the ChL from his AMC position. New season I could stay and go all in for one of the cups and a chance at the CWC, but I think I'm gonna resign and hunt the other trophies in another continent. I'll get the CWC later... Africa... You've been good to me! Ghana We managed to qualify for the ACON and had a good run but Ivory Coast beat us in the final. We also managed to get runners up in the CHAN We qualified to the World Cup and there will be an update on this shortly. Career Progress Spoiler Challenge progress Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 (edited) Ghana - 2026 World Cup Review The last two international competitions we've been in we have been runners up in the ACON and CHAN. Our FA expects us to reach the third round. Group Stage With the new group format the 2026 world cup pinned us against South Korea and Israel in the group. In normal terms I would rate us as favourites. We started off against Israel and dominated in a 4-0 win! .. The next game was a battle for 1st place against South Korean sporting my old Seoul-prodigy Hyun-Woo in attack. In a tight affair ST Tetteh scored in the 90th minute to give us a 2-1 Win! Knockout Rounds Up against Mali in the second round we fancied our chances. The game was a lot tougher than expected but in the end we took a penalty win! Denmark awaited in the 3rd round. We had fulfilled our FA's expectations and could play freely. It showed. In what we thought would be an uphill battle we crushed Denmark 4-1! What giant awaited in the Quarters? Italy, France, England? Nope... Ukraine... We would never have a better chance at a World Cup semifinal. Ukraine were playing well and dominated much of the game. GK Nurudeen had a great game. In extra time AMR Atanga, who started on the bench, decided the game with his 2-1 goal! In the semifinal Italy awaited. This would take a great effort and a bit of luck. And we got it. Yet another gret performance by GK Nurudeen and substitute ST Tetteh with a great goal in overtime to give us a 1-0 ET Win! So.... Ghana was in a World Cup final... Not what the bookies expected before the tournament. England was the opponent. A force of brilliant players most of them in their prime. We were unable to contain Delle Alli all game and he assisted Harry Kane sole goal. The fairytale has ended. Review: After we beat Italy I honestly believed we had a chance to win the World Cup. But alas... Another final lost for Ghana and Bandini. The boys were magnificent and I must say it's one of the achievements I'm most proud of in the recent FM's. We have moved into the 7th position on the World Ranking. A great achievement. Back on the horse. Next year there's a ACON and we need that title. My reputation around the world should take a leap afetr this performance. Edited May 21, 2019 by Muggert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 (edited) Decision time! .... How could I say no to managing Brazil?! Edited May 21, 2019 by Muggert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 (edited) 2020/21 Update - Woking So it turns out applying for every job in Leagues above is a bad thing to do and after applying for, and getting rejected due to the amount of compensation required the board called me in for a meeting. I attended and safe to say it didn't go well, I basically told them I was the best man for the job, then...... Amazing! We sat 5th in the League, a bit silly on my part but before my demise I was being linked with mid-low League One teams. Now it's a waiting game for a decent proposition UPDATE: It hasn't taken long to get a new job.... A nice jump up, Accrington sit 21st in League One at the half-way point of the season. Edited May 22, 2019 by stevelcfc2011 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 I reject Sevilla because I'm the leading candidate for both Real Madrid and Manchester City... Might have overestimated my standing in the game a bit. It's been a year and I'm still without a job, I'll wait for the best opening. I hoped to get the Cruz Azul job, but apparently my visit in Mexico is still in peoples memories. Brazil is yet to play an important game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 2019/20 Season - Accrington It's been a tough 2nd half of the season, player revolts due to sales beyond my control but the sales have stabilised the finances and we now have a good platform to build on. But did we survive? League One - It was a shocker of a start mainly down to the dreadful morale but 4 wins in a row towards the end of the season secured us safety, we had some great performances but this is a lot of hard work ahead. FA Cup - We had already qualified for the 3rd Rd before I arrived where we played Reading away and were hammered 6-0 Star Players - Billy Kee, Greg Craggs Badges/Rep Update - National B and A gained, Rep now upto 1.5* What Next? - Safety secured and now we have a big rebuild for next season, obviously I need to keep progressing so the main aim is to get more badges and attempt a push for the playoffs, it's a big ask but I have to keep doing well to keep improving my reputation, you never know an even bigger job may come around! 0/10 top domestic leagues () 0/10 domestic cups () 0/5 club continental championships () 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Got the job at Cruz Azul later that season. We finished 14th in the Clausura and got knocked out in the 2nd Rnd of the ChL. Horrible. We found a playing style that fitted towards the finish of the campaign. If I manage to keep the job we will return strong! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Brazil - Copa America Review - 2028 Group stage My luck from Cruz Azul seem to be haunting us. We have dominated teams in all three games, in terms of possession and good chances. Yet we have no win to show for it. Luckily we are going throgh to the Quarterfinal after a better goal difference than Bolivia in group A. Standings shows we got lucky! Knockout stages We meet Peru in the quarterfinal and get a much needed win 3-2! .. We concede quite a few good chances but this time we're finishing our own chances as well. In a goalless and somewhat boring semifinal against Colombia we prevail on penalties. So... We I'm close to bringing home my first big international trophy. Mexico B in the final. Piece of cake right?! Three minute in we get caught on a well struck counter and find ourselves 1-0 behind. We take control of the game and normal backup Raphinha equalises before the half. In the second half we dominate possesion and chances without any of them really threatening. We do however get a penalty that MC Antunes Ribeiro converts. Brazil is COPA AMERICA CHAMPIONS! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren1983 Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Taken me a couple weeks but finally finished my first season at Lyon Season 2029/30 - Lyon My first season at Lyon and upon looking at the squad we didn't need much so only transfers were a couple players I knew from my France team while selling near £50m of talent. Lyon being Lyon they have some great young talent so I was more than happy to give them game time instead of spending. We started brilliantly winning 17 of our first 19 games (drawing the other two) which kept us neck and neck with PSG, a 2-0 win over tham at the turn of the year took us ahead and we were near perfect for 4 months and opened a 7 point lead with 3 games to play. We fell apart here losing our next game before drawing the one after meaning our lead was 2 points going into the final day. PSG had a better GD so if they won (they did) we would need to beat local rivals Saint-Etienne. 0-0 at HT had me worried, a couple early injuries meant I went for broke and we won 6-0 to win the league for the first time since 2008!! In the Domestic cups we had a fairly easy run to the final of the League Cup where we played PSG 3 goals in 11 first half minutes gave us a comfortable lead before a 4th late on secured us the cup. The French cup was a tough run where again we would play PSG in the final. This game was a lot tighter and ended 0-0. In extra time we grabbed late lead but PSG scored right away to take it to pens. 1 miss from us but 2 from them meant we won the cup and completed a domestic treble. In the champions league we were fantastic winning our group easily. In the knockout rounds we had a scare away to Juventus where we only made it threw on away goals after nearly throwing away our first leg advantage. In the Semis me smashed United 3-0 at before an even worse game than we had away at Juve saw us throw away the tie losing 4-0 on the night. I don't really want to leave Lyon, there's 4 or 5 really good young players in the U19s who could go on to be really special. However there are some jobs close to coming up and there is also a world cup (I'll do a report on that once I've played it) which should start some kind of merry go round with managers this summer. Career Progress Season Team Country League Position Notes 2018/19 Tshakhuma South Africa 1st Division 3rd Lost in playoffs 2019/20 Tshakhuma South Africa 1st Division 1st Promoted as champions 2020/21 Tshakhuma South Africa Premier League 4th Cup runners up 2021/22 Tshakhuma South Africa Premier League 4th Cup winners, left on 11/3/22 2021/22 Orlando Pirates South Africa Premier League 2nd took over in 5th on 11/3/22 2022/23 Orlando Pirates South Africa Premier League 1st League & Champions League winners 2023 Guangzhou Evergrande China CSL 1st Took over with 13 games to go. Won league 2024 Guangzhou Evergrande China CSL 1st Won league, cup and champions league 2025 LAFC USA MLS 1st Won supporters shield and MLS Cup 2026 LAFC USA MLS 8th won champions league and cup 2026/27 Borussia Dortmund GER Bundesliga 5th Took over in 5th with 8 games to go 2027/28 Borussia Dortmund GER Bundesliga 2nd 2028/29 Borussia Dortmund GER Bundesliga 1st League and cup double 2029/30 Lyon FRA Ligue One 1st League Cup and French Cup winners International 2021/22 Ivory Coast World Cup qualifying, Nations Championship 3rd place 2022/23 Ivory Coast AFCON winners 2024 Wales Qualified for Euro’s 2028/29 France Won Nations league group Challenge Progress Club 5/10 top domestic leagues (2023 South Africa – Orlando Pirates, 2023 China – Guangzhou Evergrande, 2025 USA – LAFC, 2028 Germany – Borussia Dortmund, 2030 France - Lyon) 5/10 domestic cups (2021 Telkom Cup – Tshakuma, 2024 Chinese Cup – Guangzhou Evergrande, 2026 US Open Cup – LAFC, 2028 Germany – Borussia Dortmund, 2030 French Cup - Lyon) 3/5 club continental championships (2023 African Champions League – Orlando Pirates, 2024 Asian Champions League – Guangzhou Evergrande, 2026 North American Champions League - LAFC) 0/1 club world championship International 1/5 continental tournaments (2023 AFCON – Ivory Coast) 0/2 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 (edited) 2020/21 Season - Accrington Another season down and what a season it's been! League One - Predicted to end dead last but I had a feeling for a good campaign after our good run at the end of the previous season. I never expected to do as well as we did. We started slowly but between October and December we won 10 games in a row putting us 2nd at Christmas. The came the mini-collapse, in the last 12 games we won only 5, this slid us down the table but results went our way and we managed to scrape 4th place. A fantastic season and we went into the playoffs. In the Semi Finals we faced MK Dons and 2 amazing performances put us through to the final 6-3 on aggregate. We faced Portsmouth in the final which I knew would be tough, and it was to end here as we lost the game 2-0 Gutted is an understatement, we came so far and fell one short. FA Cup - We managed to get to the 3rd Round where we lose to Wimbledon. League Cup - What a run, we beat Norwich and Sunderland before losing to Spurs in the 3rd Round Star Men - Seamus Conneely, Niall Watson, Sean McConville Badges/Rep - Continental C gained and the board have just agreed to me doing my Continental B badge. Reputation is now up to 2.5* (Okay). What next? - An amazing season, was it one-off? Maybe! We now rebuild for next season, but I am being linked with lots of higher jobs, clearly I have to keep moving on upwards to keep my reputation moving upwards. What a season! In other news - I have an International job! Iran have given me the role, I only had 4 games in charge which were all playoffs for the 2022 World Cup, we beat Thailand in the Asian Playoffs before beating Paraguay in the final playoffs meaning we qualified for the World Cup 0/10 top domestic leagues () 0/10 domestic cups () 0/5 club continental championships () 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Edited May 29, 2019 by stevelcfc2011 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 A little Update: It hasn't taken long before I have been headhunted, and a nice jump up in a division means I am moving on from Accrington, to...... I'm off to the North-East! Middlesbrough have just ended 15th in the Championship but imo have a squad capable for the playoffs and with a £4.3m transfer budget I have high hopes for this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren1983 Posted May 29, 2019 Share Posted May 29, 2019 World Cup 2030 Group Stage France 3-0 Chile (Guebbels, Cuisance, Bertrand) - a comfortable win but came with the cost of losing Guebbles (our first choice striker) for the rest of the tournament. France 4-2 New Zealand (Banza, Bertrand, Mbappe x2) - this was a lot closer than it looked as I rotated the side expecting a comfortable win, we fell behind but grabbed the equaliser just before the break. We fell behind again on 60 minutes, we equalised again but was still 2-2 at 90 mins before 2 very late Mbappe goals won us the game. This was uncomfotable 2nd Round France 4-0 Curacao (Mbappe x3, Bertrand) - a very comfortable win thanks to a hat trick from the main man Mbappe. 3rd Round France 2-0 Uruguay (Dembele, Mbappe) - a good win over a solid side thanks to a goal in each half from the old boys (feels odd saying that about these two) Qtr Final France 1-0 Germany (Mbappe) - that man again, stepping up to grab a goal from the penalty spot in the first half. Semi Final France 1-2 Spain (Cuisance) - injuries, suspension and just tiredness (I really need to remember to rest people after matches in tournaments as my sides always tire towards the end when games come thick and fast) caught up with us in this game. We never really got going and Spain fully deserved their win. The scoreline makes it look closer than it was. 3rd place playoff France 2-1 England (Mbappe, Bertrand) - the game no one wants to be in. Well went behind right on HT, grabbed a late equaliser from Mbappe taking it to extra time, just what everyone wanted, a goal early in ET from Bertrand (our back up forward that ended with 4 goals) won us the bronze medal Aftermath I resgined from France to explore other options with South Korea (Asian cup is only 6 months away so would be good to win that) and Argentina jobs the ones I've gone looking for. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muggert Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 Cruz Azul - 2028 Review The Clausura wasn't a great success. After finishing 14th and getting knocked out in the Quarterfinal in the ChL, I somehow managed to hold onto the job. We had a great team going into the Aoertura. We finished 2nd but lost in the Liga Apertura QFinal. So... At least we won the cup right? Nope... Another final loss for Bandini. So I got binned... And left a great team with tons of potential... I have no idea how I manage to bottle this... Well onto new pastures! It's not like Mexico has been good to me on my two trips. Spoiler Brazil update We're sitting at the top of the CONMEBOL qualification after 12 games. The confederations cup is due next month. Let's get that one as well! Spoiler Challenge progress Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 SZEOL SC / Mjallby AIF / Belgium U23 - 2020/21 Report Wait a minute... 2020/21? Did I just skip an entire season? The answer: yes. I did in fact skip an entire season, but not by my own volition. After leaving Aberstwyth Town, with a reputation that I thought would be sufficient to get me a decent job, I got zero job offers. Much like my first job hunt, where I was left searching for months, this hunt was no different. Despite being offered numerous job interviews, I failed to get a single offer, that was until I interviewed SZEOL SC. Located in the city of Szged, Hungary, SZEOL have quite a strange history from my research. They were formed in the early 1900's, but folded in the late 20th century, but were reformed shortly thereafter. To be completely honest, I didn't look the job over very long before accepting it: I was desperate for a job, any job would do. I managed to find success with the relegation touted side. SZEOL were predicted to finish near the bottom of the league, but because the established scouts in the team were all from Romania, I was able to sign some capable Romanian players both permanently and on loan, and they helped me lead the team to a strong second place finish. I might have considered sticking with the team, but I got a job offer from one of the top teams in Hungary, and that's when I knew that I had vastly outgrown the job. I resigned and looked to foreign lands. At first I was announced as the leading candidate for a top 3 Austria side, but after getting shafted by both them and Molde, I decided to take the job at Mjallby AIF, a recently promoted side in Sweden's top flight. Looking forward to evenings of surstromming and ice fishing as I explore the Swedish league system. Until next time. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2018 Aberystwyth Town Wales Premier League 2nd Winner! 1st Round - National CBA Badge 20/21 SZEOL SC Hungary NB II 2nd Runer-up N/A - Cont. CBA. Promot 2021 Mjallby Aif Sweden Allsvenskan ? ? ? - ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 NA 2020 Belgium U23 Olympic Games 3rd Place ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 1/10 Top Domestic Cups (Wales) 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments Screenshots below. Spoiler Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 2023 Asian Nations Cup - Iran Group Stage - 2 wins, 1 draw, no goals conceded, a great start! 2nd Round - A cracker of a game, goals galore but we made it through. Quarters - A tough match, once again loads of goals, into the semis! Semis - An absolute battering, we've made it to the final! Final - A gutting way to lose it, we took the lead then fell apart. Runners-up, so so close! 0/10 top domestic leagues () 0/10 domestic cups () 0/5 club continental championships () 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny_H22 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 (edited) This was my main game last year and I got quite far into it. I have hardly played this years game as I just can't find the motivation, so I am going to give it another go and see what happens. Got a bit of free time over the time couple weeks Edited June 5, 2019 by Danny_H22 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny_H22 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 2019 Season Review I decided to restart this challenge after having a lot of success trying it over the past two years and struggling to get into a game this year. I decided to pick a mixture of some random nations I have never managed in as well as some of the leagues I have had early success in in the past. After six months of unemployment and several unsuccessful interviews, I was offered my first role that excited me. Off to South America I went Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank: Fresh off a 9th placed finish and with the media expecting us to finish 14th (out of 16), I took over a Cobresal squad that needed a lot of rebuilding. 9 carefully signed players later and we embarked on what should have been a really difficult season. 4 wins and 3 draws in my first 7 league games gave us an early season lift before a shot in the arm at the hands of Universidad Catolica who gave us our first loss. What followed was an amazing and unpredictable 19 game unbeaten run that saw us win the title with 3 games, blowing all pre-season predictions out of the water. 19 wins and 7 draws in those 27 games was enough to lead 2nd place by a massive 14 points with three games to spare. It really was an amazing season that was actually pretty close until my two nearest competitors decided to throw away a lot of points in the final third of the season. We actually lost some really important players half way through the season and many more wanted to leave for a chance at playing continental football (even though we were top). Luckily my club pulled themselves together and stepped up in their absence Copa Chile MTS: Luckily for us, our impressive league formed carried over into the cup and it was routine all the way to the final, where we faced off against lower league Santiago Wanderers. It was much the same in the final as we scored three first leg goals on our way to a 3-1 aggregate win and a domestic double. Top Goalscorer: With 19 goals each, winger Israel Poblete and on loan playmaker Oscar Hernandez share the honours. Hernandez really stood out, playing a deeper role and scoring free kicks from angles that he had no right to challenge from. Most Assists: Oscar Hernandez takes this, too, with 11 assists to go with his 19 goals. Highest Ave. Rating: Not much surprise that this went to Hernandez with a 7.76 rating over 39 games Most POTM: you guessed it, Hernandez again with 14 International: An eventful year on the international front when I snapped up a chance to take over the China under 23s in February. Three wins out of three saw us qualify for the under 23s Asian Cup and I had silverware on my mind. That was until three optimistic applications for the vacant Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica posts paid off and three job offers arrived on my doorstep. I decided 13th ranked Colombia was the best match for me and in July I headed off to take up position as head coach. As things stand, we are four games into our World Cup qualifying campaign and have managed to pick up 10 points against the likes of Brazil and Argentina. With a potentially successful campaign on our hands, and a Copa America to look forward to next year, it could be an eventful few years for us. Next Season Plan: Well what can I say? What a season! We really defied expectations and ran away with the double. We have qualified for the Copa Libertadores, but realistically stand no chance at winning the tournament historically dominated by Brazilian and Argentinean teams. I won’t gain much by sticking around and maybe retaining the league, so I guess I will try and venture elsewhere and head back to South America when a big role in Brazil opens up. Season Team Position Continental Notes and Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 Cobresal 1st n/a Won Copa Chile MTS and Manager of the Year Challenge Progress Club 1/10 top domestic leagues - Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank (Cobresal 2019) 1/10 domestic cups - Copa Chile MTS (Cobresal 2019) 0/5 club continental championships - 0/1 club world championship - International 0/5 continental tournaments - 0/2 world tournaments International: Season Team Notes and Achievements ---------------------------------------------------------- 2019 China Under 23s Qualified for Under 23s Asian Cup 2019 Colombia --- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcfc2011 Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 2022/23 Season - Middlesbrough - English Championship Championship - An amazing season, we lead from the front, promotion was wrapped up with 5 games to spare and the league title with 3 left. We absolutely dominated, record points and record goals scored! FA Cup - What can I say! We got to the 5th Round where we faced local rivals Newcastle in one of the craziest games ever...final result? 10-2 to Newcastle! League Cup - Absolutely incredible, we faced numerous big boys and came out winners. Chelsea, Spurs and Man City dispatched meaning we got to the final. Where we faced Liverpool, and somehow we won!!! What a run and this means European football next season. It also means the first trophy ticked off in the challenge. Star Men Hallovic Wing Ainsley Badges/Rep - Continental B Licence gained, A ongoing/ Rep up to 3.5* (Good), an incredible rise. What Next? - Well Premier League and European Football mean I have to stick around here for at least one more season. Hopefully I can complete my badges and keep my rep increasing. 0/10 top domestic leagues () 1/10 domestic cups (English League Cup - Middlesbrough - 2023) 0/5 club continental championships () 0/1 club world championship International 0/5 continental tournaments () 0/2 world tournaments () 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny_H22 Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 (edited) 2019-2020 Season Review After a brilliant year in Chile, I decided to pack my bags and head to colder climates in the form of Scotland! I had several offers, but liked the look of Hibs the most. They were still in with a shout of a cup and were sat in 4th spot in the league – although Celtic were 9 points and a game in hand ahead Scottish Premiership: I started off my Scottish adventure with a 6-1 away win to St Johnstone and followed this up with five straight league wins before being put back in our place by 2nd placed Rangers. This lose, however, seemed to be the kick up the backside that my Hibs squad needed and what followed was quite frankly a miracle. A 18 league game win streak, including 2 wins against Premiership powerhouse Celtic was another to see us lift the title for the first time since 1952! We needed help from Celtic who somehow lost 4 of their final six games to hand us the title with a game to spare William Hill Scottish Cup: four games played, twelve goals scored and zero conceded set us up for a final against the only team to beat me as Hibs manager – Rangers. An early second half goal saw us take the lead, a lead we held until the 75th minute when we were pegged back. We pushed for a winner but a late Rangers free kick saw us throw away a chance at the double. Scottish Communities League Cup: Lost to Celtic in the Quarter Final before I joined UEFA Europa League: Lost to Levski Sofia in the Best Placed Second Qualifying Round before I joined Top Goalscorer: Chief striker, Florian Kamberi finished the season with 16 goals in 40 starts, but its playmaker Steve Mallan who really impressed, scoring 12 goals in 24 games after forcing his way into my team late in the season. Most Assists: 16 year old scarlet Kevin Ross chipped in with 11 assists from centre midfield to add to his 5 goals. He had a brilliant season and had Spurs sniffing around him before signing a new contract with us Highest Ave. Rating: as well as scoring 12 goals and six assists, Mallan also finished with a rating of 7,28 Most POTM: Mallan added seven POTM awards to his growing list of accolades that also included Premiership goal of the season, Football Writers Player of the year and Players' Player of the year International: It has been a bit up and down on the international front after losing back to back World Cup qualifying games, leaving us 5th after six games. On a positive note, I took charge of the under 23s during their Olympic game qualifies and thanks to some good results, will be leading them in Japan shortly. We also have a chance at some silverware in a month’s time when we head to USA for the Copa America Next Season Plan: I am now in a similar situation as last season with my team qualified for Europe but very unlikely to get past the first couple games successfully. I could stick around and try and claim a cup to add to my cabinet, but that seems like a wasted year. I think I will see how my two upcoming international tournaments go and then see where my reputation stands before starting to look for new opportunities Season Team Position Continental Notes and Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 Cobresal 1st n/a Won Copa Chile MTS and Manager of the Year 2019/20 Hibernian 1st n/a Lost in Scottish Cup final Challenge Progress Club 2/10 top domestic leagues - Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank (Cobresal 2019), Scottish Premiership (Hibernian 2019/20) 1/10 domestic cups - Copa Chile MTS (Cobresal 2019) 0/5 club continental championships - 0/1 club world championship - International 0/5 continental tournaments - 0/2 world tournaments International: Season Team Notes and Achievements ---------------------------------------------------------- 2019 China Under 23s Qualified for Under 23s Asian Cup 2019 Colombia --- 2019/20 Colombia Qualified for Olympic Games Edited June 10, 2019 by Danny_H22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny_H22 Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 (edited) 2020 Summer Review After a brilliant year in charge of Hibs, I had a busy summer ahead of me with my first international tournament with Colombia – the Copa America. We had a tough group with the likes of regular finalist Argentina, Paraguay and Mexico B. Our pre tournament expectations were that we reached the semi final, a task that would require the likes of Falcao and Rodriguez to be on form. Group Stage Spoiler Group Stage: We opened our tournament against the toughest team in our group, Argentina. I wanted us to get off to a winning start but knew it would be a big ask. The job at hand was made even more difficult when in the 48th minute, one our stars and creative outlets Juan Cuadrado was sent off for a reckless tackle. Despite the red card, and a further four yellows, we managed to hold off the rampaging Messi and co for a vital point. What followed should have been the easiest game of the group stage and one that would have put us in a great position to qualify if we could collect the three points. We dominated the game, having 15 shots to their 4, but that didn’t stop us from going down 1-0 before half time. In fact, despite continuing to press all second half, it wasn’t until a Jefferson Lerma wondergoal in the 91st that we managed to draw level and collect one more point. Our final game was against league leaders Paraguay. After out opening two performances, I was worried about our chances and so decided to change formations slightly. James Rodriguez, who so far had been pretty uninspiring playing as an advanced attacking midfielder, was moved further back and asked to act as a deep playing playmaker. This change immediately backfired and Paraguay took the early lead in the sixth minute mark. Much like the last game, we pressed and pressed and struggled to hit the back of the net, despite managing 18 shots. Our task was made even more difficult when a returning Cuadrado was once again sent off in the 70th minute. Luckily for us, the rock of a centre half Davinson Sanchez came to our rescue in the 85th to once again tie the game and rescue a point for Colombia. We finished third in our group and needed results elsewhere to go our way for us to qualify as best third placed team. I guess luck was on our side, as my former nation of residence Chile lost 3-1 to Brazil in their final game, gifting me an undeserved pass to the next round Quarter-final Spoiler Quarter-final: Surely our luck would continue as we were matched against a team who had a good amount of recent success against us in the shape of Peru.92,000 people would turn up to find out if a Colombia team playing their third formation of the tournament could finally put in a performance to be proud of. Luckily, Colombia decided to show up that day and Barrios and Sanchez would both score on the way to an easy 2-0 win. Colombia were heading to the semi-final alongside Ecuador, Uruguay and Argentina. Semi-final Spoiler Semi-final: Hoping to avoid Argentina, the cards aligned for us as we were paired up with Ecuador – arguably the easiest opponent out of those available. Sticking with what worked in the last game, we made zero changes on our way to a very convincing 3-0 win. Quintero putting us one up in the sixth minute with a worldie of a goal. This was followed up ten minutes later by Juan Hernandez before Roger Martinez finally put the game to rest in the 85th. In the other game, an own goal gifted Argentina another final appearance. Third Placed Playoff Spoiler Third Place Playoff: It took penalties but Uruguay managed to beat Ecuador and claim the least coveted medal. Final Spoiler Final: The big game against Argentina arrived and Colombia were hoping to win the Copa America for a second time in their history. You could argue that we didn’t deserve to reach the final, but having already managed a draw against our opponents, we knew that if we played as well as we could, then maybe we could snatch it. I made one big change before kickoff, dropping Falcao who had disappointed me all tournament. It was an edgy affair and it took until extra time of the first half for the deadlock to be broken when Lerma once again put us ahead. We knew that we would be pushed in the second half, but scoring a second goal should help put the players minds at rest. And that’s exactly what happened when Falcao decided to punish my insubordination by scoring 10 minutes after coming on. It wasn’t over yet, though, as Icardi gave Argentina a slither of hope in the 87th minute when he put one past Ospina – making up for the penalty he missed in the 71st. However, it was too little too late for our opponents and we managed to hold off and secure the 2-1 win and a shiny new trophy. What Next Spoiler What next: So, that was an eventful tournament and one were we had luck on our side. After drawing all three group games, I was certain we would go out in the next round. Luckily a change of formation worked and we managed to defy expectations and win the whole thing! Before the tournament I assumed that if were to stand a chance of winning it, we would need Falcao and Rodriguez to show up, but it was the bit part players that really won it for us. In fact, both of our star players really disappointed and I don’t think either played a full game. Colombia are a weird team to manage as on paper they have some really good players but it was really difficult to get the most out of those guys. Chances are they will never be competitive in a World Cup, unless some unlikely prospect steps up over the next two years. The Copa America final finishes about three weeks before the start of the Olympic Games and I am heading to Japan in the hopes of adding another trophy to my resume. It’s just a shame that I won’t be managing Colombia there… Season Team Position Continental Notes and Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 Cobresal 1st n/a Won Copa Chile MTS and Manager of the Year 2019/20 Hibernian 1st n/a Lost in Scottish Cup final Challenge Progress Club 2/10 top domestic leagues - Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank (Cobresal 2019), Scottish Premiership (Hibernian 2019/20) 1/10 domestic cups - Copa Chile MTS (Cobresal 2019) 0/5 club continental championships - 0/1 club world championship - International 1/5 continental tournaments - Copa America (Colombia 2020) 0/2 world tournaments International: Season Team Notes and Achievements ---------------------------------------------------------- 2019 China Under 23s Qualified for Under 23s Asian Cup 2019 Colombia --- 2019/20 Colombia Qualified for Olympic Games. Won Copa America Edited June 11, 2019 by Danny_H22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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