XuluBak Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 UEFA only? CONCACAF too? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 (edited) Nevermind. Reread, I'm good. Edited November 23, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watson156 Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 3 hours ago, vikeologist said: What do people think? It is a senior tournament. There doesn't need to be 33 landmarks, though. Personally, don't think so, because like you said earlier then you might as well add the African domestic comp. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 Yeah if we are going to add the nations league then we need to add each continents respective one. Would add to the length of the challenge which is long enough as it is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted November 23, 2019 Author Share Posted November 23, 2019 So, I think it's settled. Minus Confed Cup, nothing added. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Gord Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 (edited) Season 2019/2020 Not a great start for me, sacked as Alfreton manager at the end of 2019/2020 season, took over them sitting in 20th and it was a constant struggle to the end of the season, we finished 17th, ended up with a record of 5W 11D and 8L, the board were expecting a top half finish and we fell quite short, struggled to settle on a formation I was comfortable with, zero budget to bring in players and had to scrap around for loan players within the very limited budget Alfreton had (I still can't quite understand big clubs expecting 100% wages paid for players who are on a relative pittance but that's way it goes) Wasn't out the game for long as I applied for and got the Spennymoor job in the same league, finished 12th and they seem to have a better calibre of player so fingers crossed I can have a more successful season. Season Team Position Notes and Achievements 19/20 Alfreton 17th Sacked Edited November 23, 2019 by Super_Gord Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 (edited) University of Pretoria FC (AKA Tuks FC) "I've reached the point I get nervous every time I hit 'continue'" update (2020-21 edition): Just had a Cup QF and league match with one day in between. Had to pull from my reserves and youth squad to put together lineups for both, with heavy emphasis on the league match. Partly because league > cup, but also because the cup match was at home against a relegation side (that we were seconds from beating with reserves on the road in December). Just as I started to worry we'd end up having extra time (previous round vs Orlando Pirates went to ET and penalties, on late goals for them in each phase), but we capitalized on a late corner, then put it away on the counter. Followed that up with an unremarkable, but crucial, 1-0 road win against a mid-table side. For whatever reason, there is 2.5 weeks between our last match and next (cup semi final against TS Galaxy, still in NFD). Somehow we've managed to hang around, overcome injuries, and be in the midst of an incredibly close 3-team title race. Mamelodi Sundowns on 57; us and Orlando Pirates on 56. We currently have the edge on GD, but not much chance if it goes to GS. Mamelodi should be favored in the rest of their matches, except, maybe at Orlando, but they're still in the CAF Confederation Cup and have a tougher draw in the Nedbank Cup, so maybe they slip up due to match congestion. Obviously, we need Mamelodi to drop points to have any chance, but given our remaining schedule and track record on the road, we probably need a little extra help. Our defense gives us a chance against anyone, but scoring on the road has been our Achilles' heel all season. Gonna try to finish out the season tonight. Fingers crossed! Edited November 23, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 (edited) I've tentatively started my FM20 attempt at this. Hopefully I'll keep at it longer than FM19, though that might have been due to a hangover of my FM18 save. Spoiler Edited November 24, 2019 by blackdevil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 24, 2019 Share Posted November 24, 2019 (edited) University of Pretoria FC (AKA Tuks FC) 2020-2021 End-of-Season Review It's June 1st and everyone is still flying high after what could only be described as a "dream season." Our FA Cup semifinal, and first two league matches in May went largely as expected, although, AmaZulu FC once again made things interesting. Despite being a relegation contender they played us more competitively than most. They stole two points from us with a stoppage time equalizer in December, we took them back with one of our own in May. One thing I hadn't accounted for heading into the final month of the season, was our perceived toughest test for the league, SuperSport United, would play a fully rotated squad with 4th place secured in the second to last match of the season. After an early goal, we squandered a penalty, and let them back in the game right before the break. A beautiful headed flick on from Nilor (our French TM) set a recently injured Julies in for the match winner halfway through the second half. Setting us up to play two matches for two trophies. Mamelodi Sundowns were, in some ways, victims of their own success. Ultimately, they won the CAF Confederations cup, but like their FA Cup semifinal three days earlier, it took extra time. That extra workload almost certainly played a factor in their 1-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates that followed. The only time they'd dropped points on the road previously was to us, in December, amidst similar match congestion. Perhaps demoralized, perhaps looking ahead to the FA Cup final, they lost again two weeks later. Eliminating them from contention. They were almost certainly the best team, but sometimes, that isn't enough. The Pirates, on the other hand, took care of business, setting things up for the title to be decided on matchday 30. But first... FA Cup Final: Unfortunately, because of knocks and loan-in rules we were without our first-choice GK/LWB/RWB and Julies. We tried sitting back and catching them on the counter, without much success in the 1st half, but we kept them in striking distance, 1-0. Whatever chance we had didn't last long, as one of our CMs lost it, and picked up two quick yellows right after the break (second probably should have been straight red). They toyed with us a bit before making us pay with a second, at which point, we went into full 'roster management' mode. Ended 3-0. Easily could have been twice that. Matchday 30: We were at #6 Highlands Park, Orlando Pirates were at #5 Ajax CT (the other newly promoted side). We started incredibly flat, and only managed to escape the half 0-0 thanks to the crossbar (think we only had one shot, not on target). The other match was still 0-0. Fortunately, some halftime adjustments paid near immediate dividends as we countered a sloppy counter attempt of theirs, and Julies set Nilor through to calm our nerves. Nilor would tally another on a set piece, they'd pull one back, but when Ajax went up 1-0 at '72, it was all but over. In a match Orlando absolutely had to get something from to have a chance, they'd been completely stifled by Ajax CT's defense, only managing one shot on target. We were Champions! But it felt cheapened, with how SuperSport didn't really "go for it" in such a crucial match in the title race because they had nothing to gain, especially considering they beat us in our house earlier in the season. In the final table, it didn't matter, but them taking something from that match drastically changes the dynamics of matchday 30. It's fair to say luck was on our side, but at the end of the day, we managed the pressure and match congestion at key moments better than our opponents. That's the what, now the how... Defense: Soumahoro (from Mamelodi), Fielies, and Mlilo (our 3CBs from NFD) were joined by Bull (young CB picked up on a free from Ajax CT) and Kubheka (SK loaned in from Mamelodi). Best overall defensive record in the division, T-2 most clean sheets. Kept us in the league and Knockout Cup, without much goal scoring help early on. Soumahoro was once again a big threat on corners (4). Midfield: Largely interchangeable parts, without a clear cut hierarchy. Vital, but little room for glory. Almost certainly where we struggled against Mamelodi. Priority #1 for the offseason. Wingbacks: Williams (LWB) and Majadibodu (RWB, defacto captain) emerged as our first choice largely by being healthy. The former was acquired as an afterthought on deadline day largely because he could play on the left or right. The latter was a Mamelodi castaway, acquired on the cheap to fill a massive void. They run, a lot. Majadibodu provided the most goals/assists outside the front three with 4/5. Attack: A three-man striketeam, without much backup. Julies (originally a Mamelodi product), our #10 and MVP; Nilor, our fan-favorite TM, acquired on a free from Bordeaux; and Lepasa, our (insanely efficient) golden-boot winning poacher, acquired from Pirates. Those three combined for 40 goals, 21 assists. Their backups collectively accounted for...5 goals. Thankfully, they didn't miss much time and developed a strong chemistry incredibly quick. Club career Season Team League Cup(1) Cup(2) Notes 2019-20 RSA(2) Tuks FC 2nd N/A N/A Promotion via playoff 2020-21 RSA(1) Tuks FC 1st Final Champs Won league and league cup Edited November 24, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 HIFK Fotboll - 2019 Report Another year and another attempt at the Ultimate Challenge. As you may recall, I've made two previous attempts at this challenge. The first I was forced to end in no small part due to a corrupt save, and the second I called to a close because I started going years without getting a job offer. This year I decided to use what I've learn from my two previous attempts in order to finally win the challenge. Something I have noticed this year is that it is especially easy to get a starting job at a relatively good level. As you've undoubtely noticed, I have began this year at HIFK Fotboll in the Finish first division. HIFK has a 2.5 stars in reputation, making them perhaps one of the most reputable clubs you can start at this year. In years past, it was hard enough to pick up a job at a one star level, thus, I believe this to probably be a bug, but a bug I will exploit nonetheless. In my first year with HIFK, I guided the relegation-touted club to safety while also ensuring that they'd pay for the first of my many coaching badges. As with most clubs that players tend to begin with, HIFK is rapidly going into debt. At the beginning of my spell with them we had a bank account of roughly 500k, but at the end of the season we are scraping by with just over 20. I'm definitely worried about financial issues going into the new season, but as I learned in my second go around last year, if you leave clubs too rapidly, you stop getting job offers. I'm planning to stick around at HIFK until a club higher up in the league sacks their manager, but we'll just have to see how that plan comes along. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HIFK Fotboll Finland Veikkausliiga 9th - 2nd Round - National C Badge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 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...
SkiIIs Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Season 2023 / 24 Arbroath FC After winning the AFCON in the summer I quickly resigned as their manager to focus of club football (but really there hasn't been any good international jobs appear apart from Mexico however they just finished the Gold Cup). First season of Premiership football for Abroath with the task of staying in the division, I had loftier expectations given I was winning against top league teams last season. I loaned again 3 players which I brought in on loan last year along with a few more. Also bought my first permanent transfer for 50k smashing the previous record in the process. Betford Cup League - Stage 2 League - Phase 1 Fantastic season in the end, pushing Celtic really hard until the second phase of the league. We had a handy lead in first with 3 games of normal season left but decided to have our form slump in the most crucial part of the season, 3 draws against mid to lower end teams. That slump continued in the playoff stage and Celtic won their 13th league title in a row. We did add a trophy to the challenge winning the Betford Cup in style, we lost to Rangers in the semi of the Scottish cup. As soon as we won the Betford cup, I was asked to be interviewed to two English premier league teams however both were in the relegation spots. In preseason Leicester want to interview me so I have options. Next year's funding is not as much as id like with Arbroath even though we're in the Champions League qualifying stage, we've been given 47k a week payroll which is he same as what Forrest is earning at Celtic for a week. Leagues 0 / 10 Cups 1 / 10 - Betford Cup (Abroath) Continental 0 / 6 International 1 / 7 - AFCON (Senegal) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Dalian Yifang FC 2021 Unfortunately, my concerns regarding Tuks FC's board proved correct. I brought trophies and prize money, hoping that would translate to an infusion of transfer funds and/or a wage budget increase. Neither came. I asked to keep more of the incoming transfer funds (15% since I'd arrived). They refused. I asked them to reinvest in the club. They refused. I asked to boost staff salaries. They refused. We overachieved in 2020-21, so without a talent infusion, especially in the midfield, a regression was to be expected. The final straw was being unable to sign two surefire, first-choice midfielders, both available on free transfers, with reasonable wages. I selectively applied for positions all over the world. Orlando Pirates certainly would have been interesting, especially if I brought a couple key players with me, but alas, that was not in the cards. Instead, I'll have to figure out how to spend 100M+ after finishing out the 2021 season with Dalian Yifang FC. Already eliminated from the AFC CL. Won the first leg of the FA Cup Semi, but baring the unexpected, we'd be up against Guangzhou in the final if we hold on. Not liking our chances there. Top two is a virtual lock, and third isn't far from being one either, meaning we're liking competing with 6-7 clubs for the final AFC CL spot with 8 league matches to go. A couple key players were just coming off injury as I took over, and we've started 2-1-0 (including the cup semi), so looking good so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted November 25, 2019 Author Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) @CaesarXI Most of us have seemed to find it harder to get a first job. Could you check that your manager is 20 (or 19) and no quals/experience? Just in case. Mind you, it does seem that 1 star teams are pretty much wat one can get for a first job, so you're probably fine. @XuluBak Does Dalian Yifang have lots of money backing from Wanda in the game? Edited November 25, 2019 by vikeologist Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) @vikeologist My current balance is 108M €. My income is almost entirely "sponsorship" and "other." This all seems ludicrous to me. I went from ~33k to 1.2M wage budget. In two weeks, I've "earned" almost as much as I did in 1.5 years at Tuks FC. I genuinely didn't want to make that jump, but I couldn't get an interview in Europe, Argentina, Mexico, or South Africa, even at clubs that were a clear step down, but I could get them in China. I looked at jumping to International for a brief stint, but the only openings were clubs already eliminated from WC qualifying and Mexico, which of course I'm not getting an interview for at this point. To @CaesarXI point, I think there's a bit of a manager supply-demand issue, that makes it disproportionately easy/difficult to get jobs in certain countries. However, I think there's something going on with the 'logic' determining when you're brought in for an interview. I saw this when I was running my tests in beta and saw it again this time around. I keep seeing 'the board is concerned with your track record for winning promotion' or 'surviving relegation' when they shouldn't apply to the club and/or my manager. Also the lack of unsolicited offers seems weird, but maybe that's just a product of low adaptability. Never played with it this low before. Edited November 25, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Scott Williams 2022/23 End of Season Review Club Atletico Union Superliga League Table | Graph | Results | Squad Oh Scott, what have you done? You had a good job, the fans loved you, the players respected you, continental football eveything was going great but it wasn't enough for you. Scott took over with the club in 20th place, 9 pts from safety having played 5 games of the second phase. On paper the squad was poor, on the pitch they were awful. The squad had an abundance of STs and RBs but was seriously lacking in central midfield. Scott took over after the main window ended meaning he could only sign players on free transfers, and couldnt sell any players on high wages. Nonetheless he brought in a couple of players to fill out the squad, crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. It took Scott 5 games to get a point, 6 games for a Union player to score a goal (there was an OG in the first mathc) and 7 games before he saw his side win. Thankfully after those 7 games Union were no furhter adrift than when he took over and with the players starting to get used to his style and tactics, the team were ready to push on and try to stay in the division. 6 months earlier Scott's Unido needed to win the final game of the season against 4th to lift the title. Fast forward and his new side Union had to win against 12th in order to survive. Final Game of the Season Union came into the match on the back of a 2-1 deafeat to Boca Juniors, another game where Scott saw his side concede 4 penalties, 3 of which were missed. Union went 1-0 up after the GK rolled the ball straight to the Union ST and from then it was just a matter of when Boca Juniors were going to score their goals. Before that they went on a 5 game unbeaten run, the longest in 3 years, meaning confidence was somewhat high. Scott saw his side put the ball in the net on two occasions, both of which were offside and the teams went in all square at HT. On the hour mark Cataldi (CM) scored on his return from injury and then Martinez (CAM) made sure of the result making it 2-0. Unsurprisingly the team in 18th didn't beat Boca Juniors which meant Union were safe and Scott could concentrate on next season. Next Season Manager Profile | Finances In the space of 6 months in charge the club made a loss of £1.5million. Players are earning too much and there doesn't seem to be any real source of income. All of this means a lot of players will have to be moved on. Star ST Dario Sandoval requested to leave, he was easily Scott's best player scoring 8 goals in the 15 games in charge. There are plenty of teams sniffing around and Scott will be hoping to balance the books with a fee in the region of £4million. With a budget of £260K only a 5% revenue percentage, Scott will have to be searching the free transfer and loan markets to improve his squad. Personnel Career Clubs Managed: 3 Trophies Won: 2 Manager of the Year: 1 2022 (Winner), 2020 (Runner up) Career Earnings: £230K --------------------------------------------------- Club Career Season NAT Club Division Pos Cup 1 Cup 2 Cont CWC Things to Note 2019 Unemployed 2020 CHI Nublense Primera Div B 6th R2 - - - Playoff Winners, U19s Runners up in Div 1 2021 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 7th R2 - R1 - 2022 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 1st Won - R1 - Domestic Double 2022/23 ARG CA Union Superliga 17th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation ---------------------------------------------------- Challenge Progress 1/10 Leagues (Chile 2022) 1/10 Cups (Chile 2022) 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds Total 2/33 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) Scott Williams International Appointment Honduras The 2023 Gold Cup is has come to a close and with many nations underperforming Scott got straight on the phone to apply. Panama and Honduras were the two nations interested in talking to Scott. Panama are ranked higher but their minimum expectation is to qualify for the semi final of the nations league. With mexico in their group that doesn't look likely. Honduras have the two gold cup finalists in USA and Curacao to compete against and are ranked 59th in the world. Edited November 25, 2019 by bjwphneb Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 @vikeologist Yeah, you can see my manager stats in the screenshots. On a second purview, I think Finland might just be broken in the start of FM20. One of my more favorite youtubers, Loki Doki, also found it relatively easy to get a 2.5 star job in Finland with no coaching qualifications or experience. But on the offhand, I did get plenty of clubs declining me that were relatively reputable but stated that "my stature in the game would have been sufficient for future goals" or something like that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) HIFK Fotboll - 2020 Report I am, surprisingly, really enjoying my time here at HIFK Fotboll. If I didn't know any better, I would say this is the start to the building of a nation challenge haha. As expected, finances plummeted, but unlike my finances, my performance the league skyrocketed. There were numerous times throughout the season where my team flirted with the idea of European football, but that idea was thoroughly squashed by the end of the year when fifteen point gap opened up between us and HJK at the top of the league. The team was a disappointment in the cup, but I wasn't much fussed about that in the first place. The only goal I have going into my third year in Finland is to win the league, and I believe with the quality of players I have brought in to replace those leaving, it will be easily achievable. Here's hoping. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HIFK Fotboll Finland Veikkausliiga 9th - 2nd Round - National C Badge 2020 HIFK Fotboll Finland Veikkausliiga 4th - Group Stage - MOTS + Nat BA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 0/10 Top Domestic Leagues 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments Screenshots below. Spoiler Edited November 26, 2019 by CaesarXI Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiIIs Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Mini update: after loading up some new leagues, there were a number of vacant positions and many interview offers came my way. Had interviews at Tottenham but they decided to go for a guy by the name of Pochettino who was at Bayern. Applied and had an interview at the vacant Bayern job but was unsuccessful. Decided it was time to leave Arbroath who I had become fond of and potentially missed the only chance of winning the Scottish Premiership as I doubt I will return. Anyhow, my last game in charge was at home to Monaco in preseason and won 2 - 0, great way to leave. New Appointment Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Season 5 2023 Our 3rd club job of the challenge saw us take over a side sitting in 14th and without a win in 9 league games. Competitions CSL - League Table Results 1 Results 2 We managed to stay up is as positive as I can be here. My first league game in charge was the 3-2 loss to Beijing Renhe and it took us another 2 games before we got the first league win of our reign. We played some good stuff at times, and were dreadful at others, in the end a 10th place finish was all we could expect from what is a pretty poor squad. CFA Cup - Results Our first game in charge was a quarter final tie against Jiangsu Suning and a 2-1 first leg win had me thinking we might get through, only to lose the return 2-0 and bow out the cup. Playing Squad Squad Transfers End Of Season Awards The squad was bloated with high earning foreign players when I arrived, I think we had 9 in total, in a league that has a 3 foreign players in starting 11 rule. So the first thing was to ship out as many as i could, this was alot easier than I thought it would be. In the end I was even able to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic to bolster my attack. The squad still needs some major improvements if we are going to have any chance at challenging for honours. Most of the transfers were done by myself, and alot were young Chinese players who could potentially be key for us in a season or 2. 3 key men this season: Tao Qianglong - The versatile midfielder was signed in the mid season window and was a key part in our survival. Mainly played in CM, he scored 4 and got 5 assists. Xu Linpeng - The young LW was signed mid season and is developing into a really good little player. 3 goals and 5 assists. Aleksandar Mitrovic - My marquee signing adapted quickly and ended up with 12 goals and 1 assist. I am hoping he can be the man to fire us up the table next season. Next Season Manager Profile I have zero plans to move on from here just yet, the club has great finances and the board have agreed to upgrade everything you possibly can. With a hefty transfer budget, I am hoping we can turn this club into winners over the next couple of seasons. I have also just starter my Continental B coaching license. Club Career Leagues Cups Season Nation Division Club 1st 2nd 1st 2nd Cont. CWC Other Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 S Africa NFD TS Galaxy 3rd n/a 2nd Rnd n/a n/a n/a Lost in Play Offs. 2020/21 S Africa NFD TS Galaxy 1st n/a Win n/a n/a n/a League Winners, NedBank Cup Winners. 2021/22 S Africa APL M Sundowns 1st n/a Win QF SF n/a League and Cup Winners. Lost in CL SF. 2022/23 S Africa APL M Sundowns 4th n/a 2nd Rnd QF Win n/a Champions League Winners 2023 China CSL Wuhan Zull 10th n/a QF n/a n/a n/a Appointed 08/06/2023 International Career Rank Competitions Year Nation Fifa NL World Cont. Conf. Other Achivements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022 Nigeria 24th Appointed on 25/15/2022 2023 Nigeria 11th n/a n/a win AFCON Winners Challenge Progress Club 1/10 Top Domestic Leagues (S.Africa-ASBA Prem 21/22) 1/10 Top Domestic Cups (S.Africa-NedBank Cup 20/21) 1/5 Continental Championshsips (Africa 2023) 0/1 Club World Cups International 1/5 Continental Championships (AFCON 2023- NIgeria) 0/1 World Tournaments 4/32 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) Dalian Yifang FC 2021 End-of-Season Review First (partial) season with Dalian Yifang is in the books. Pretty drastic change coming from the South African Premiership. Since I joined in August, I couldn't reshape my squad with transfers or rectify some highly questionable registration decisions, so we played most of our league matches down the stretch without a legitimate striker. I took over with us in 10th place with 10 matchdays remaining. I'd penciled Tianjin Yili FC in for 3rd place, as they had a 10 point cushion, leaving 4th place as our only realistic shot at a Champions League spot. We were only four points out, and with nearly half the league competing for that final CL spot, there were pivotal matches between contenders every week. Fortunately, Carrasco returned from injury shortly after my arrival and Hamsik played like a younger version of himself, and Gueye could control the midfield against most teams, so we finished strong, putting us where I figured we'd need to be for fourth. An epic collapse from Tianjin Yili FC, gifted us third. No trophies, and considering the gap between Guangzhou and everyone else, I'm not sure how much hope there is to dethrone them, without some help, but at least we know what we're up against, and we secured our spot in the Champions League, without the burden of playoff rounds. A strong first leg against Beijing Guoan was enough to see us through to the FA cup final, where we inevitably met our fate against Guangzhou. We never looked like scoring against them. Talisca gave us problems, but the real difference was a gulf in class between our domestic talent. We have one Chinese national that might make their XI and another that might make the end of their bench. We have some quality youngsters, but they're not ready to be playing at that level yet. With 2021 in the books, we're looking forward. We've agreed to send Rondon to Brazil, Carrasco wants out, and may have to limit Hamsik to cup/CL competitions given his age. I've secured deals for Kevin Volland and Ante Rebic to fill the void going forward, and love their flexibility. I'm still looking to bring in a central playmaker. I've also made a concerted effort to significantly bolster our domestic talent, throughout the squad, and will continue to do so through the end of the window. Club Career Season Nation(tier) Team League Cup(1) Cup(2) Cont. Notes 2019-20 RSA(2) Tuks FC 2nd N/A N/A N/A Promotion via playoff 2020-21 RSA(1) Tuks FC 1st Final Champs N/A Won league and league cup 2021 China(1) Dalian Yifang 3rd Final N/A N/A Qualified AFC CL International Career Challenge Club 1/10 Top Domestic Leagues ('20 Telkom Knockout - Tuks FC) 1/10 Top Domestic Cups ('20-21 ABSA Premiership - Tuks FC) 0/5 Continental Championshsips 0/1 Club World Cups International 0/5 Continental Championships 0/1 World Tournaments Edited November 26, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Gord Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Anyone else using FM20 and having a scandalous amount of disallowed goals in games? I've just had three disallowed in a game and lost 2-1, had to laugh or I was going to cry, just an oddity? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 5 minutes ago, Super_Gord said: Anyone else using FM20 and having a scandalous amount of disallowed goals in games? I've just had three disallowed in a game and lost 2-1, had to laugh or I was going to cry, just an oddity? For offside? I've had games where I saw 2-3, but that's not a regular occurrence. I've seen some waived off that really shouldn't, which is frustrating, but happens, so consider it bad luck, and hope that if I'm creating the chances, the goals will come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Gord Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 9 minutes ago, XuluBak said: For offside? I've had games where I saw 2-3, but that's not a regular occurrence. I've seen some waived off that really shouldn't, which is frustrating, but happens, so consider it bad luck, and hope that if I'm creating the chances, the goals will come. Checking the match report all three were given as off sides, hard to gauge myself from the match engine, just gonna chalk it up as an unfortunate circumstance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Super_Gord said: Anyone else using FM20 and having a scandalous amount of disallowed goals in games? I've just had three disallowed in a game and lost 2-1, had to laugh or I was going to cry, just an oddity? I don't know if its the match engine of just football in argentina but the number of penalties, red cards and dissalowed goals seems ridiculous Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, bjwphneb said: I don't know if its the match engine of just football in argentina but the number of penalties, red cards and dissalowed goals seems ridiculous Given the antics shown in the Copa Libertadores final at the weekend I dread to think how bad it'd have to be to be ridiculous On to a minor update, I've now got a job...can't remember where or who with...one sec while I load up the game to check... Ah yes, Athletic Club Barnechea in Chile. Don't think I've ever managed there before....I recall managing in Peru previously but not Chile. I'm tempted to do a tour around the South American countries.... Spoiler At least these have a nice enough kit: Spoiler Edited November 26, 2019 by blackdevil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 (edited) 16 minutes ago, bjwphneb said: I don't know if its the match engine of just football in argentina but the number of penalties, red cards and dissalowed goals seems ridiculous There are definitely times where I'm left wondering, "how in the world is that a foul/penalty/red/etc.?" I think some of that can be attributed to graphical limitations. I mean, a tackle might look perfect, but maybe it was studs up and he caught the guy, and that's just not apparent from the ME. The situational element is what I struggled with a lot in FM19 (e.g., penalties on throw-ins to the edge of the box). I think that has gotten a little better. Still not perfect, but better. Are there too many? I don't know. Sometimes it feels that way, but I'm sure there are fan bases that experience that IRL. Quantitatively, are there objectively too many? I suspect the answer is probably no, over a large enough sampling, but there are periods where it seems excessive. Edited November 26, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, XuluBak said: I'm left wondering, "how in the world is that a foul/penalty/red/etc.?" That is a limitation in the match presentation which can be frustrating. The only thing really is to keep an eye on the text commentary as well to hopefully gain some context for what you're seeing graphically. Viewing it positively, it has been improving over time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, XuluBak said: There are definitely times where I'm left wondering, "how in the world is that a foul/penalty/red/etc.?" I think some of that can be attributed to graphical limitations. I mean, a tackle might look perfect, but maybe it was studs up and he caught the guy, and that's just not apparent from the ME. The situational element is what I struggled with a lot in FM19 (e.g., penalties on throw-ins to the edge of the box). I think that has gotten a little better. Still not perfect, but better. Are there too many? I don't know. Sometimes it feels that way, but I'm sure there are fan bases that experience that IRL. Quantitatively, are there objectively too many? I suspect the answer is probably no, over a large enough sampling, but there periods where it seems excessive. I think its just the nature in which they occur. I could play 7 matches without there being a penalty but then to make up for that there will be 7 in the next two matches Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 Admittedly my only sample is two half seasons with Man Utd but it's just like watching Man Utd in real life....aside from me signing some good players... The penalty awards do seem to behave like buses but then I've also been surprised by Man Utd's real life penalty awards this season....if only they'd have put them all away.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 29 minutes ago, bjwphneb said: I think its just the nature in which they occur. I could play 7 matches without there being a penalty but then to make up for that there will be 7 in the next two matches Yeah, that's a huge spike. I don't think I've seen anything that drastic in this save or throughout beta. So maybe it is a league/region specific thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaesarXI Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 HIFK Fotboll - 2021 Report We've done it! We've won the league! After three long years in the frigid Finnish wilderness, I have returned victorious with a title in hand. I managed to garner a convincing lead over the likes of HJK and KuPS which were constantly breathing down my neck. I couldn't do it alone, however. Players like Sebastian Dahlstrom and Roland Nzculy helped carry the team to glory. I didn't have much interest remaining in Finland after winning the league, so I packed my bags and prepared my Continental B licence for a not so long long journey to... Norway! I've taken my new job with the Eliteserium side Valerenga. Valerenga sacked their manager for finishing outside the top four and expect me rectify that by the end of the season. I don't expect it to be easy though. The Norwegian league can be quite competitive, and at the same time Valerenga is competing the Euro II Cup where the board expect me to at least qualify for the groupstage. We'll just have to see how it all pans out on the newest season of Damir's Adventure! also I couldn't help myself and brought Dahlstrom with me to Norway. The guy is filthy, seriously. If you are ever in need of a good playmaker, look him up. CLUB CAREER ----------- Season Team Country League Position FA Cup League Cup Champs League Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HIFK Fotboll Finland Veikkausliiga 9th - 2nd Round - National C Badge 2020 HIFK Fotboll Finland Veikkausliiga 4th - Group Stage - MOTS + Nat BA 2021 HIFK Fotboll Finland Veikkausliiga 1st - Group Stage - Con CB 2022 Valerenga Norway Eliteserium ?? - ?? - Play in Euro II ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL CAREER -------------------- Season Country Tournament Finished Others & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHALLENGE PROGRESS ------------------ Club 1/10 Top Domestic Leagues (Finland 2021) 0/10 Top Domestic Cups 0/5 Continentals Cups 0/1 Club World Cup International 0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/2 World Tournaments Screenshots below. Spoiler 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 Season 6 2024 Competitions Season Preview CSL - League Table Results 1 Results 2 After last seasons inconsistencies, I spent the summer reinforcing the squad, we needed to improve our domestic based players, and this was a long winded task. We managed to bring in nearly a whole new squad over the summer and I felt we was in with a chance of at least a top half finish. I overestimated our opponents massively. We started with a loss, but then picked up 8 wins and 1 draw to leave us top after 10 games. From then we just got better and better, eventually sealing the title with 3 games to spare. I knew we had a squad with good potential, but I didnt expect this to flourish so soon. With so much room to improve still, I think this team can go on and dominate domestically for a while to come. CFA Cup - Results We had a nice bit of luck in this years cup, being given a pretty easy route to the final. There we met Guangzhou Evergrande, a 2-2 away draw in the first leg and a 0-0 home result meant we had won a domestic double. Playing Squad Squad Transfers End Of Season Awards A busy summer as mentioned above meant we went into this season with a young but very high potential team, I never expected them to do so well in all honesty. I will be looking to see where I can improve the team further for the challenge of Continental football next season. 4 key men this season were: Xu Linpeng - One of our first signings 18 months ago is easily one of our key men. 12 goals and 14 assist prove his worth to our side. Recently played his first games for China and should improve further. Aleksandar Mitrovic - The big man up top is doing exactly what he was signed to do...Score goals. 25 goals and 6 assists this season. Peter Etebo - Part of my Nigeria team that won the AFCON, he was here when I arrived and is proving a vital cog in our machine. Can be played on the wing or through the middle with equal effect, 17 goals and 4 assists says it all. Yao Weisheng - I usually only mention 3 players but I couldnt leave this lad out. Was bought in mid season to add some depth to our midfield, but quickly made the number 10 position his own. 5 goals and 7 assists, he can be a key player for us next season. Next Season Manager Profile The plan is to of course stay here and give the Champions League a good go. Beijing Gouan won the competition this season, and became the first Chinese side to do so since 2015. I am currently at 60% rep and studying for the continental A coaching badge and on the look out for a international job. After this summers EURO'S and Copa Americas, I applied for some top international jobs, but everyone but Bolivia rejected me. I turned that job down as they have won just 2 games since the start of the save and I dont want to damage what is a growing reputation. Club Career Leagues Cups Season Nation Division Club 1st 2nd 1st 2nd Cont. CWC Other Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 S Africa NFD TS Galaxy 3rd n/a 2nd Rnd n/a n/a n/a Lost in Play Offs. 2020/21 S Africa NFD TS Galaxy 1st n/a Win n/a n/a n/a League Winners, NedBank Cup Winners. 2021/22 S Africa APL M Sundowns 1st n/a Win QF SF n/a League and Cup Winners. Lost in CL SF. 2022/23 S Africa APL M Sundowns 4th n/a 2nd Rnd QF Win n/a Champions League Winners 2023 China CSL Wuhan Zull 10th n/a QF n/a n/a n/a Appointed 08/06/2023 2024 China CSL Wuhan Zull 1st n/a Win n/a n/a n/a League and Cup Double. International Career Rank Competitions Year Nation Fifa NL World Cont. Conf. Other Achivements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022 Nigeria 24th Appointed on 25/15/2022 2023 Nigeria 11th n/a n/a win AFCON Winners, resigned on 31/07/2023 Challenge Progress Club 2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (S.Africa-ASBA Prem 21/22, China - CSL 2024) 2/10 Top Domestic Cups (S.Africa-NedBank Cup 20/21, China - CFA Cup 2024) 1/5 Continental Championshsips (Africa 2023) 0/1 Club World Cups International 1/5 Continental Championships (AFCON 2023- NIgeria) 0/1 World Tournaments 6/32 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 Scott Williams 2023/24 End of Season Review Club Atletico Union Competitions Season Preview | Table | Graph | Results 1 2 If last season was bad the first half of this season was even worse for Scott. With one team less this year there were even less opportunities to earn survival. Bottom after phase 1, brilliant. After rejecting a contract from Porto in the summer, Sandoval finally left to mexico for £4.5mil. The board generously gave Scott £600K of that to spend meaning once again Scott had to wheel and deal in the mid season transfer window. Anyway somehow Union managed to survive again. And there really isn't much more to be said. Although I'm sure Scott did enjoy not needing to win on the final day of the season for once. Union crashed out of the cup in R5 (the first playable round) after drawing Boca Juniors away. Union Squad | Transfers The main issue Scott has is that the players available to sign on the cheap are not Superliga quality, so whilst the squad has a lot of potential the next couple of seasons for Union will be a struggle. Next Season Manager Profile | Finances The squad needs another overhaul, there are players joining in the summer but the issues with finances aren't something that can be fixed in a short space of time with player sales and without the wage budget to manoeuver the best Scott can hope for is not getting relegated. With a year left on his contract Scott will be hoping to be able to find a new club this summer. Personnel Career Clubs Managed: 3 Nations Managed: 1 Trophies Won: 2 Manager of the Year: 1 2022 (Winner), 2020 (Runner up) Career Earnings: £550K --------------------------------------------------- Club Career Season NAT Club Division Pos Cup 1 Cup 2 Cont CWC Things to Note 2019 Unemployed 2020 CHI Nublense Primera Div B 6th R2 - - - Playoff Winners, U19s Runners up in Div 1 2021 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 7th R2 - R1 - 2022 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 1st Won - R1 - Domestic Double 2022/23 ARG CA Union Superliga 17th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation 2023/24 ARG CA Union Superliga 15th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation ---------------------------------------------------- Challenge Progress 1/10 Leagues (Chile 2022) 1/10 Cups (Chile 2022) 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds Total 2/32 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 Scott Williams 2023-2024 International Review Results 2023 | Ranking Scott took over after the dissapointment of the Gold Cup looking to start his international journey in the Nations League. Unfortunately diving in at the deep end didn't go to plan as Honduras lost every game and got relegated down to Division B. Next up was Cuba in the 2025 Gold Cup qualifier. Leg 1 | Leg 2 Ranked 146th in the world, Cuba shouldn't have been able to offer much to worry Scott's Honduras side. But of course that is not how football works. A first leg 1-0 away defeat in a game dominated by Honduras left many scracthing their heads. It took extra time but after a Noe Zaldivar header, Honduras booked their place in next years Gold Cup. Personnel Career Clubs Managed: 3 Nations Managed: 1 Trophies Won: 2 Manager of the Year: 1 2022 (Winner), 2020 (Runner up) Career Earnings: £600K --------------------------------------------------- Club Career Season NAT Club Division Pos Cup 1 Cup 2 Cont CWC Things to Note 2019 Unemployed 2020 CHI Nublense Primera Div B 6th R2 - - - Playoff Winners, U19s Runners up in Div 1 2021 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 7th R2 - R1 - 2022 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 1st Won - R1 - Domestic Double 2022/23 ARG CA Union Superliga 17th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation 2023/24 ARG CA Union Superliga 15th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation ---------------------------------------------------- International Career Season Nation Rank Continental World Cup Things to Note 2023 Honduras 67th - - Relegated from Nations League 2024 Honduras 72nd - - Qualfied for Gold Cup 2025 ------------------------------ Challenge Progress 1/10 Leagues (Chile 2022) 1/10 Cups (Chile 2022) 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds Total 2/32 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEarl Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 On 23/11/2019 at 20:28, vikeologist said: So, I think it's settled. Minus Confed Cup, nothing added. Just reading here a few times. What happened to the Confed Cup? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 24 minutes ago, TheEarl said: Just reading here a few times. What happened to the Confed Cup? Wikipedia says its been scrapped due to the expansion of the club world cup. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikeologist Posted November 28, 2019 Author Share Posted November 28, 2019 22 minutes ago, Lewis89 said: Wikipedia says its been scrapped due to the expansion of the club world cup. To be fair, the expanded Club World Cup might be a lot more difficult now. On the other hand, I suppose you get a lot more goes at it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Gord Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) Spennymoor Town Season 2020/2021 League Table Much better season this time out at new club Spennymoor Town, better quality of players and more scope to bring players in, we were running the top side all the way but ended up finishing 4th after a calamitous end to the season, star striker Glen Taylor unexpectedly threw a wobbly and wanted to leave the club for a bigger team with about 8 games of the season left, morale in the playing squad plummeted and we didn't win any of our last 6 games, stumbled into what is a pretty rough playoff system in the National League North and lost in the semi final to Chorley 3-2 in extra time, despite being 2-1 with 4 minutes left to play. Pretty gutting to be honest, tried a few times and tested the waters with available jobs in the league above me but got absolutely nowhere, really going to have to push on and get promoted next season or I might be languishing in the regional division for a while longer! Edited November 28, 2019 by Super_Gord Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 3 hours ago, vikeologist said: To be fair, the expanded Club World Cup might be a lot more difficult now. On the other hand, I suppose you get a lot more goes at it. Yeah i was thinking about this earlier. Looking at it in game, 24 teams qualify including 8 European sides so its 100% gonna be more difficult than the previous format Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdevil Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 (edited) Athletic Club Barnechea Chilean First Division B My first job has seen me make a departure from recent attempts at this challenge and I've started in the Chilean 2nd tier instead of in China. I joined Barnechea with them in 12th place out of 16 and with 3 league games left to play. The division was so tight that everyone from 10th down was still mathematically in danger of being relegated. My first three matches were against other relegation candidates and started with a home game and a surprising 6-0 win against Club de Deportes Melipilla. We followed that up with an away trip to Club de Deportes Santa Cruz and came away with a 5-0 win. Despite the overwhelmingly positive start there were signs that our defence wasn't up to scratch and that was shown away against the bottom team Club Deportivo Ñublense S.A.D.P. in the final match where we scraped a 3-2 win in an "entertaining for the neutral" kind of game. I've not started any coaching badges yet, hopefully they'll allow that at some point going forward. Challenge Progress: Club 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 Seasons: CLUB CAREER Leagues Cups Season NAT Club Division 1st 2nd 1st 2nd Cont. CWC Other & Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 CHI Barnechea 1st Div B 9th Joined in 12th with 3 games left INTERNATIONAL CAREER Rank Cups Year Nation FIFA NL World Cont. Conf. Other & Notes Edited November 30, 2019 by blackdevil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 (edited) Dalian Yifang FC 2022 End-of-Season Review Money may not buy happiness, but it can definitely buy you trophies in China. The board afforded me a very, very generous war chest, and I wasn't about to not use it. One way or another, my stay in Dalian was likely to be a short one. In the winter window, I brought in Rebic, Volland, and Kang-In from Europe (~135M €), and a plethora of Chinese talent (~65M €) to significantly upgrade our XI and depth. My plan was to operate primarily "control" matches from a 4312, then pull Volland/Rebic wide and shift to a 4231 when we needed to create more chances. I committed to having "extra" foreign players, realizing I was risking angering some players, but hoped that if I could avoid mutiny early, then I'd win everyone over with success. Chinese Super League: For whatever reason, the board "didn't care" about the league this year. I set my priorities accordingly, and tried getting my tactics right. Suffice to say, it didn't work. We dropped points in four of our first six matches. I couldn't seem to find a good balance between going forward and defending. Fortunately, success in other competitions seemed to keep moral up and the board on my side. However, it was quite clear changes were necessary. Not only tactically, but one of Volland/Rebic had to be moved out in the summer. I switched to playing 433 (4141DM Wide) and 4231, depending on competition and matchup. It worked. We didn't drop points again before the break, including a crucial home win against Guangzhou that kept them from pulling away. We lent Volland back the Bundesliga, and replaced Coates with a younger, left-footed Brazilian CB during the break. If it wasn't already, it didn't take after the race it became a two-horse race. Guangzhou won, we won. We won, Guangzhou won. Neither side looked like faltering, until Beijing stole a point from them in late August. We now had a slight edge, but they still got a shot at us on their ground in a few weeks time. Surprisingly we were slight favorites when we met on matchday 26. We didn't have to win, but we couldn't afford to lose. We got off to a great start, and scored early, but couldn't put them away, and it nearly cost us the points, and likely the title race. We did just enough. Four league matchdays to go and we controlled our destiny, but the pressure would be on...or not. They managed to throw away a 2-1 lead, losing their next match, before ours even began. We might have lost once, we weren't likely to lose twice. We clinched with a game to spare, which we used to rest everyone. AFC Champions League: We won our group easily, We left it until the second leg, but got by Ulsan (Korea) pretty comfortably to kick off the knockout rounds. Only to draw Guangzhou in the quarterfinals. Tried to minimize damage and hopefully catch them on the counter in the first. Achieved the former, not the latter: 0-0. The second leg couldn't have been better timed: we'd just demolished a mid-table CSL side 7-0 a few days before. Despite them taking an early lead, and us not matching until mid 2nd half, we were so dominant, it never felt like we weren't going to win. Their early goal would prove to be their only shot on target: 2-1. I'd expected them to be our biggest hurdle, but not to meet them quite so early. The rest of the tourney proved somewhat anticlimactic and followed the same result pattern: road draw, comfortable home win. Chinese FA Cup: Through luck of the draw this was almost too easy. Beijing did our dirty work, knocking out Guangzhou a week after we dispatched them from the Champions League. Then we knocked Beijing out in the semis (once again: road draw, comfortable home victory). Our final hurdle of the season: SH Shenhua. Last place in CSL, relegated (so all their players were horribly demoralized), ended up winning more cup matches than league matches. This should be easy. Home leg was, again, comfortable: 3-0. Second leg, they score an early corner header. No biggie. We got this. Fairly dominant. Controlling possession, creating chances, but unfortunately, not goals. No biggie. We got this. They're not really threatening. 81st minute, another corner, another goal. Oh boy. I fully expected the equalizer, and them to finish off the unthinkable comeback in ET, until they had someone sent off for a second yellow on '91. We held on. I didn't really care. Final thoughts We won the treble! And it was almost entirely unenjoyable. (Probably the least fun I've had in any season of FM to date). I knew pretty early on that I wanted to resign at the end of the season, and was just hoping, that if nothing else, I could collect the Champions League trophy. I'm relieved to have it out of the way, but would have gladly given up the other two trophies to be out of China and into a 2nd/3rd tier side in Europe quicker. I applied for a few international jobs in 2022, hoping to make things more interesting, but no luck. Should be some openings after the WC. Really hoping to land something, interesting, in Europe. Despite success, this challenge hasn't gone at all how I'd hoped or expected. Going from Tuks to Dalian, without even being able to land a single interview in Europe, Argentina, or Mexico is ridiculous. To the point I considered restarting, but ultimately, I'd still need to complete Asia, and that'd likely lead down a similar path regardless. Would rather just be done with it. Ugh. Club Career Season Nation Team League Cup(1) Cup(2) Cont. Notes 2019-20 RSA(2) Tuks FC 2nd N/A N/A N/A Promotion via playoff 2020-21 RSA(1) Tuks FC 1st Final Champs N/A Won league and league cup 2021 China(1) Dalian Yifang 3rd Final N/A N/A Qualified AFC CL 2022 China(1) Dalian Yifang 1st Champ N/A Champ League, cup, continental treble International Career N/A Challenge Club 2/10 Top Domestic Leagues ('20 Telkom Knockout - Tuks FC; '22 China FA Cup - Dalian Yifang) 2/10 Top Domestic Cups ('20-21 ABSA Premiership - Tuks FC; '22 CSL - Dalian Yifang) 1/5 Continental Championshsips ('22 AFC Champions League - Dalian Yifang) 0/1 Club World Cups International 0/5 Continental Championships 0/1 World Tournaments Edited December 1, 2019 by XuluBak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Gord Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Spennymoor Town Season 2021/22 League Table Well that was loads better, absolutely romped the league, hit 103 points and finished 13 points ahead of second, swept most teams aside by three and four goal margins, signing of the season had to be Manasse Mampala ST, released by Everton and snapped up on a free, hit 28 goals in 41 games and was just too good for the National League North. Really enjoyed managing Spennymoor Town but I need to kick on now and try and get a more established side in the league above, not sure resigning would be the move but I'm definitely on the hunt for something bigger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 (edited) Season 7 2025 Competitions Overview CSL - League Table Results 1 Results 2 I said after last seasons title win that we had over achieved, this season we had the type of season I expected last year. Taking into account my sole aim was to win the Champions league, we rested players for those games and this ultimately cost us. Luckily the boards gave us the aim of qualifying for the Champions league and we achieved this with a 4th placed finish. The bookmakers had us predicted in 5th so least they was almost right for once. CFA Cup - Results A good run to the final, but again rested players due to the Champions League games being 3 days after the final, this ended with us being spanked 6-1 over the two legs. Asian Champions League - Results The main aim of this season, and we managed to win the title at the first time of asking...just. Strong performances all the way until the semis, a 3-3 away result against Guangzhou Evergrande meant a 0-0 draw at home saw us into the final against Al- Hilal (ksa). Another draw away, this time 1-1 was followed by a 0-0 home result to see us crowned champions. Playing Squad Squad End Of Season Awards Transfers I didnt bother making too many transfers this season as I thought the squad we had was strong enough. We are at the limit for foreign players, and the domestic talent to improve on what we already have is hard to come by. Most of the players have progressed well and the team has a good future ahead of it. Three key men this season were: Aleksandar Mitrovic - The big Serbian was not as prolific as last season and picked up a fair few injuries this year, but came up with the big goals in the big games. 12 goals in 24 games. Yao Weisheng - Has improved massively in the 18 months since we signed him. 7 goals and 7 assists this season. Lee Seok - The South Korean was signed this summer to add some extra class to the midfield and he didn't disappoint. Next Season Manager Profile Having won all that I need to win in Asia on the club front, I am more than likely going to resign from this job. I have the Mexico, Brazil and Argentina leagues loaded, and although no jobs are open at the moment, im sure some will pop up soon enough. My manager is at 65% reputation now and I am currently studying for the Continental Pro license. I am still on the lookout for another international job, and was really hoping the China or S Korea jobs popped up. I am finding it a lot harder to get a decent international job on this years edition of the game. Club Career Leagues Cups Season Nation Division Club 1st 2nd 1st 2nd Cont. CWC Other Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019/20 S Africa NFD TS Galaxy 3rd n/a R2 n/a n/a n/a Lost in Play Offs. 2020/21 S Africa NFD TS Galaxy 1st n/a Win n/a n/a n/a League Winners, NedBank Cup Winners. 2021/22 S Africa APL M Sundowns 1st n/a Win QF SF n/a League and Cup Winners. Lost in CL SF. 2022/23 S Africa APL M Sundowns 4th n/a R2 QF Win n/a Champions League Winners 2023 China CSL Wuhan Zull 10th n/a QF n/a n/a n/a Appointed 08/06/2023 2024 China CSL Wuhan Zull 1st n/a Win n/a n/a n/a League and Cup Double. 2025 China CSL Wuhan Zull 4th n/a R.U n/a Win n/a Champions League Winners. International Career Rank Competitions Year Nation Fifa NL World Cont. Conf. Other Achivements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2022 Nigeria 24th Appointed on 25/15/2022 2023 Nigeria 11th n/a n/a win AFCON Winners Challenge Progress Club 2/10 Top Domestic Leagues (S.Africa-ASBA Prem 21/22, China - CSL 2024) 2/10 Top Domestic Cups (S.Africa-NedBank Cup 20/21, China - CFA Cup 2024) 2/5 Continental Championshsips (Africa 2023, Asia 2025) 0/1 Club World Cups International 1/5 Continental Championships (AFCON 2023- NIgeria) 0/1 World Tournaments 7/32 Edited December 1, 2019 by Lewis89 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwphneb Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Scott Williams July 2025 Update Club Football After another tough start to the season in Argentina with Union, and relegation looking like a certainty this time around Scott deicded that January was a good time to resign. After many months of searching for a new role in South America there was nothing right for him and so Scott decided to head back home to South Africa for a few years. Instead of going back to Cape Town, Scott has flown into Soweto to take the reigns at Kaizer Chiefs. Last year they finished outside continental qualification places and so with no other distractions Scott will be hoping to add another medal to his collection. International Football Scott left his position at Honduras despite qualifying for the Gold Cup as after the Euros a lot of nations said goodbye to their managers. One of those nations was Russia, once again Scott's first port of call was the Nations League unfortunately thjey finished second to Denmark in Div B. Now he is halfway through World Cup qualifiers in a group with England and Denmark once again. It's a tough group and the FA expect qualification. After being unable to beat Denmark Scott will need to get a result against England to stand any chance of reaching next years finals. Personnel Career Clubs Managed: 4 Nations Managed: 2 Trophies Won: 2 Manager of the Year: 1 2022 (Winner), 2020 (Runner up) Career Earnings: £850K --------------------------------------------------- Club Career Season NAT Club Division Pos Cup 1 Cup 2 Cont CWC Things to Note 2019 Unemployed 2020 CHI Nublense Primera Div B 6th R2 - - - Playoff Winners, U19s Runners up in Div 1 2021 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 7th R2 - R1 - 2022 CHI Curico Unido Primera Div 1st Won - R1 - Domestic Double 2022/23 ARG CA Union Superliga 17th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation 2023/24 ARG CA Union Superliga 15th R5 - - - Avoided Relegation 2024/25 ARG CA Union Superliga Resigned End of Phase 1 2025/26 RSA Kaizer Chiefs Asba Prem ---------------------------------------------------- International Career Season Nation Rank Continental World Cup Things to Note 2023 Honduras 67th - - Relegated from Nations League 2024 Honduras 72rd - - Qualfied for Gold Cup 2025 2024 Russia 42nd - - 2nd in NL Div B 2025 Russia 39th ------------------------------ Challenge Progress 1/10 Leagues (Chile 2022) 1/10 Cups (Chile 2022) 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds 0/5 Continental 0/1 Worlds Total 2/32 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis89 Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 (edited) New Job Appointment Squad Season preview Expectations History I expected to be without a job for longer than this. Just over a month after we resigned from Wuhan Zall, we have landed a new job in charge of Fluminense in Brazil. This is going to be our toughest role yet I think. Predicted to finish 8th this season, we take over what looks a very talented squad, although short of quality options in central midfield means a slight tactical shift to 2 dms from our usual formation. The club have not won a Serie A title for 14 years, and have never won the Copa Libertadores. With the board expecting us to qualify for the Copa Total Sudamerica this season, we only need to finish 13th or higher so we should get a reasonable amount of time to get things tight here without having to worry about instant success. I still have not just been offered an international job, something which I found to happen often on most previous FM's. Edited December 3, 2019 by Lewis89 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 USMNT - 2023 Gold Cup As expected, a few international positions opened up after the World Cup (Spain > Germany). Applied for US, Mexico (scandalous!), and Nigeria. Was offered US and Nigeria. Took the former, figuring it's a pretty minimal and straight forward commitment. Don't choke, beat Mexico. Got drawn in a group with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Jamaica. Rolled the first two 4-0. Having already sealed advancement, and just assuming I'd have to play Mexico at some point, we used a near fully rotated and short-benched squad against Jamaica. Lost 1-2. That, unexpectedly, was more brilliant than I could have imagined. We faced Guadeloupe and Haiti, beating both 3-0 en route to the final. Jamaica was so kind as to knock off Canada (defending Champ) and Mexico (obvious favorite), wearing out Leon Bailey and Demarai Grey in the process. The final was not particularly competitive, although, they kept us out until '40 when Pulisic broke the deadlock. Shortly thereafter, Ravel Morrison got sent off. With them down a man, we just dominated the ball until Olosunde ('61) and Adams ('64) put it away. Easiest trophy I've ever won. Resigned the next day. Will keep an eye out for intriguing international opportunities, but back to focusing on the club side of things. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XuluBak Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 RC Celta De Vigo It took a lot longer than I expected, nearly a year, but I'm finally back into club management. There were a few tempting offers along the way. I almost returned to South Africa, with Kaizer Chiefs having a legit shot the CAF Champions League in their sights, but the board had near mathematically impossible league expectations, and I was concerned about long-term ramifications of failing and getting canned even if I won the CL. I received a couple very tempting offers in Holland, but in each instance, I was waiting on a more appealing option elsewhere, so passed them up. I almost took FC Kaiserslautern, only to realize, they're "The Red Devils." Not happening. The hardest offer to pass up was with Racing Club. The iconic kit; great resources for rebuilding and developing any squad I wanted; and despite tremendous domestic success, they've only taken Copa Liberatadores once. No good reason to turn it down, other than I wanted a project in Europe. After repeatedly being passed up for such opportunities, often for nonsensical reasons, I finally got an offer from Celta, on the second time asking. Not exactly a club on my shortlist coming into this, nor one that met the profile I was expecting, but an interesting challenge all the same. The board have Europa League aspirations, despite barely being above the relegation zone, and while the squad has some pieces to get there, I have no war chest at my disposal. With some 'big clubs' circling, I think I'd be better off 'cashing in' and giving some youngsters a go, but doubt I'd keep my job with that approach. Then, of course, there's the continued dominance of Barca, Real, and Atleti. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiIIs Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Season 6 VFL Wolfsburg League Table - board expectation was to qualify for the champions league however the team I took on was an ageing one. Really had to start from scratch as I had only recently loaded up the league (something I will try not to do again, start with a new loaded up league). With no coaches or backroom staff it was all about bringing in quality people. The next step was to lower the age of the squad with an almost overhaul of the squad required. This in turn affected the start of the season and after round 7 we found ourselves in 14th position with 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. From here we improved and went on some good runs but in the end we drew too many games we should have easily won and finished 6th meaning we'll be playing in Europa again. Board are absolutely flithy with me and have me at an E rating so we'll see if I hold on to my job for next season. I think the nucleus of the squad is there and with a few signings we could definitely challenge for top 4 especially if Bayern and Dortmund have poor seasons again. Was knocked out of the second round of the DFB Pokal and also bowed out of the Europa in the second knockout phase to eventual finalists Torino. International After losing in penalties in the Euro Champs against England, the French job became available amongst others. Ended up applying for many international gigs and was offered the Argentina head coach role before accepting the French opportunity. The rank number 1 country have a strong team and should give me a great opportunity to win trophies. Playing in European league and World Cup qualifiers right now with the world Cup next year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkiIIs Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) . Edited December 9, 2019 by SkiIIs Duplication Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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