Jason the Yank Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 So I held out until the Steam winter sale, only for FM to not go on sale. But I decided to get it anyway, figuring that otherwise I'd tell myself to wait until the final patch and once it got to that point I'd probably figure I might as well wait until FM17. So here we are again. This is me. The epitome of crap management: The following nations have been loaded: Asia: Australia, China Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore Europe: Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Northern Ireland, Norway, Serbia, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Wales South America: Colombia, Peru, Uruguay North America: USA 21 nations, 42 leagues Database Size: Large (leagues to be added and dropped as my reputation grows - hopefully) Start date: 15 Jan., 2015 (early pre-season in USA) Boxes ticked: Do not Add Key Staff Disable First Window Transfer Budgets Prevent teams which already have managers from being controlled Prevent use of the In-Game Editor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 Reserved for career summary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 The available openings didn't interest me. Either they were in leagues that had months to go before they start, or they were teams being managed elsewhere in FMCU. So I bided my time, and in early March Geylang International in the S-League sacked their manager after a bad start caused him to lose the confidence of the players. I played it cool, and I guess they must have seen that as quiet confidence, as they made me an offer to take over for the rest of the year on $325/week (in Singapore? You're having a laugh). I agreed to their requests to make the team competitive, and endeavour to maintain a good level of squad harmony. The bad? Well, they're over their wage budget. And they're sitting rock bottom in the league at 0-3-4 (Balestier matches that woeful record, but they have a better - well, less bad - goal difference). And they have 6 players out with injury. Sunday, 22 March, 2015 Geylang International 1-2 Young Lions (S-League) I'm dropped into the fire right away with a match the day after my arrival. I opted for a 4-1-2-2-1 (which FM described as a 4-1-4-1). We were sloppy at the back on the first goal in the 30th minute, when our two center backs couldn't deal with a long ball to Young Lions' lone forward. It was 0-2 in the 63rd minute when another missed interception of a cross allowed the Young Lions' AML to swoop in for an opportunity. We did grab a consolation goal in the 88th minute from some "scintillating" play, so hopefully that's a sign of what we could be capable of once the team begins to grasp the tactics I'm installing (they'd scored 5 goals in the 7 matches before my arrival. And conceded 13, so defending needs a lot of help) Friday, 27 March, 2015 Harimau Muda 1-5 Geylang International (S-League) Well that's more like it! I made a couple of minor tweaks in the moments before kickoff, attempting to exploit Harimau's narrow 4-3-3. We tore them apart, with 62% possession and more importantly 27 shots in total, 12 of them on target. And sure Harimau scored on their only shot on target (when literally our entire back four got caught ball watching), but by then we already had 2 goals. Our Brazilian (by way of Japan) forward Bruno Castanheira drove us to victory, registering a hat trick AND an assist. Friday, 3 April, 2015 Tampines Rovers 0-2 Geylang International (S-League) Why change things? I opt for the same starting XI as last week. Tampines matched our formation, so it wasn't as thrilling as last week. Castanheira gave us the lead in the 13th minute, but we weren't able to finish it off until our AMR Mustaqim Manzur made a late run to get on the end of a cross from the AML for an easy finish (although nothing was really easy as we got only 2 of our 9 shots on target, but they both went in). The more important thing is we held a clean sheet, and we're off the bottom (although teams behind us have games in hand) Sunday, 12 April, 2015 Geylang International 1-0 Home United (S-League) Time to show our home supporters what we've been working on, eh? We're also coming in off of 9 days rest, whilst Home United played 3 days earlier. It wasn't pretty, but it was efficient as we were able to make a 27th minute goal stand up as the winner. That's 3 wins on the trot now. Thursday, 23 April, 2015 Geylang International 0-1 Hougang United (S-League) Another long break, but our left back (and captain) is suspended (and gets hurt in training) and a central midfielder also hurts himself in training. We had our chances, but failed to take them. Sunday, 26 April, 2015 Balestier 1-1 Geylang International (S-League) A quick turnaround, but against the bottom side. Castanheira headed us in front in the 16th minute, but we couldn't add to the scoreline. That would prove to be our undoing as Balestier asserted control in the second half as we tired and finally grabbed the equalizer in stoppage time. Saturday, 2 May, 2015 Geylang International 1-3 Warriors FC (S-League) Warriors FC came out in a similar 4-3-3 as Harimau Muda, so I attempted the same tweaks. It didn't work, as we down 0-3 at halftime. Their first goal was a bit fortuitous, a corner pinging around in the 6-yard box before our defender blasted it off a teammate and into our own goal. The other two though were easy. I gave the team the hairdryer treatment and we looked a little more lively, but couldn't breach the Warriors' goal until the 85th minute for a consolation tally. Sunday, 10 May, 2015 DPMM 3-0 Geylang International (S-League) Just a trip to face the top side in the league, no big deal. We fall behind in the 3rd, and we're fortunate to get into halftime down "only" 0-2 as they're running riot against us. We make a couple feeble attempts to get back into the match, but they're swatted aside. And then DPMM decides to stick the dagger in in stoppage time. And after the new dawn I'd brought, we've taken 1 point from our last 12. Well then: League table Manager's thoughts So aside from the first match it was a decent start. But now we're back into the lousy form that got the previous manager sacked. I have a backup center back who complained the previous manager never picked him and who wanted assurances that I'd play him. I said I'd do no such thing, and he threw a strop. Promptly failed to turn up for training (his second such offense this year, the other one was under the previous manager). I fined him a week's wages and dropped him to the reserves. We're more than halfway into the league campaign and going nowhere (we were picked to finish 9th, so at least we're accomplishing that at the moment). Summer will quiet down a bit though, as our final match for the month of May is the Singapore Cup against Warriors FC (great), and then we have 1 league match scheduled for June, then don't play again until mid-July. Really, I hope to stay long enough to get a coaching badge, but we'll see how the board feels about that. On the bright side, I've already got upward movement in some areas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Ouch, tough start. You don't find managing in Asia annoying? I tried Malaysia once and hated it for the amazingly horrible standard of players and the lengthy breaks in the league. Hopefully you'll have a more enjoyable time in Singapore. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 We're not going to have another JTY win the lot thread are we?! Any particular reason for the Steinbeck title other than you're a yank? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 Ouch, tough start. You don't find managing in Asia annoying? I tried Malaysia once and hated it for the amazingly horrible standard of players and the lengthy breaks in the league. Hopefully you'll have a more enjoyable time in Singapore. Asia suits my purposes since I usually start unemployed with no badges and Sunday League rep. Lower-rep leagues means you (generally) don't find players "struggling to motivate themselves" for a manager of such low standing. So it's been a good place to develop a reputation. We're not going to have another JTY win the lot thread are we?! When have I ever won the lot? Usually the best I achieve is midtable obscurity. Any particular reason for the Steinbeck title other than you're a yank? Came to me the other day. Probably one of the reasons I decided to break down and get FM16. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulHartman71 Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Hoping you'll be more like George and less like Lennie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Good luck in Singapore Jason. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 We're not going to have another JTY win the lot thread are we?!When have I ever won the lot? Usually the best I achieve is midtable obscurity. I thought it was an obligatory JTY post so I thought I'd post it in yours...wouldn't want you feeling left out now I do like an Asian save though...surprised Niigata struggled. Usually they have a few Japanese players on loan from their parent club that are miles better than other players in the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I've just seen that FM16 is on sale - you should have held out a little longer. Good luck with the rest of the season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Wednesday, 20 May, 2015 Warriors FC 1-0aet Geylang International (Singapore Cup Preliminary Round) Left our shooting boots at home (just 2 of 11 shots on target) and we ended up wasting a valiant performance from our goalkeeper (6 saves) Friday, 19 June, 2015 Young Lions 1-1 Geylang International (S-League) A long break that brought many training ground injuries and a bustup with another player wanting more playing time. We took the lead in the 59th minute off some "scintillating" play, but then gave it right back off an admittedly very nice goal from the Young Lions player. Bottom line though, we're winless in our last 5. Saturday, 11 July, 2015 Geylang International 1-2 Harimau Muda (S-League) So another long break. We were carved open in the 12th minute, but got back on level terms in the 60th minute. But we ultimately on an 89th minute corner than deflected off a couple of players and into the net. Monday, 27 July, 2015 Geylang International 1-1 Harimau Muda (League Cup) We get right back at it in what the board views as an unimportant competition. So I decided to use it to look at some reserve players. We were the better side in the first half and took the lead in the 29th minute with a nicely worked goal (the left wing crossing to the right wing for a shot at an open goal), but we failed to build on our advantage. That cost us in the second half when we saved a penalty, but 10 minutes later an attempted clearance of a corner pinged off a Harimau player straight into our net. Thursday, 30 July, 2015 DPMM 1-0 Geylang International (League Cup) My assistant had some tactical thoughts at our biweekly meeting, so I decided to take his advice and change to a 4-4-****ing-2. We weren't convincing at all (DPMM took 19 shots to our 6, and had 57% of the possession), but it took a bit of a greasy goal from them in 2nd half stoppage time to win. Monday, 3 Aug., 2015 Eunos Crescent 0-0 Geyland International (League Cup Loser Stage Semi Final) Eunos Crescent win 4-3 on penalties So our "reward" for finishing bottom of our League Cup group is a match against a non-league side. In the "Loser Stage", which seems harsh, but OK. We looked good in the first half, but couldn't make the breakthrough. The part-timers started growing into the game and in the 2nd half we were in a slugfest. Things got more difficult in the 83rd minute when our left back/captain was sent off for a 2nd yellow. With our team running on fumes, I pulled back and decided to try to hang on for penalties, which succeeded. Except when we lost the shootout. Maybe if we'd got more than 2 of our 13 shots on target... Incredibly my job status is still "Stable" despite being 0-4-5 in my last 9 matches across all competitions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Saturday, 22 Aug., 2015 Geylang International 1-1 Niigata Unicorn (S-League) A bit unlucky to win this one. I made some tactical changes at the suggestion of my assistant, and although we looked a bit disjointed at times we also occassionally played some nice football. Went ahead in the 21st minute off a cross from our right back to our left wing, but gave it back in the 24th minute when we couldn't clear a corner. We had the better of the play in the second half, but couldn't find a winner. We had less of the ball (44% possession), but did more with it (12 shots total, 6 on target, compared to 8/1 for Niigata). Bottom line though, we're now winless in our last 7 in the league. Friday, 28 Aug., 2015 Geylang International 2-2 Tampines Rovers (S-League) I stuck with the previous match's tactics, and again we were a bit unfortunate. We spurned a glorious counterattacking opportunity where we had 3 players running in space. Tampines proceeded to score in the 20th minute (a good goal, tbf) and I had the thought "Here we go again." Bruno Castanheira put us back on level terms 6 minutes later with a well-headed goal in tight space. He then gave us the lead in the 38th minute when he stole a throw-in off a Tampines player and beat the goalkeeper one-on-one. But alas we coughed up the equalizer in the 57th minute from a volley in front of goal. And we're now winless in our last 8 league matches, and 12 in all competitions. Monday, 14 Sept., 2015 Geylang International 0-2 Balestier (S-League) Facing the bottom side and we get torn apart. Friday, 18 Sept. 2015 Home United 0-0 Geylang International (S-League) Had some chances but couldn't do anything with them. At least we got a clean sheet? 25 Sept. 2015 Youth intake day! Pretty meh. This club is shot through with 2-star players and the youth system doesn't look like it's about to change that. This is our best prospect: Sunday, 27 Sept., 2015 Warriors FC 1-0 Geylang International (S-League) Great, Bruno Castaheira strains a stomach muscle in training and is out 5 to 6 weeks. That's 11 goals out of the side. We're toothless up front and wobbly at the back, but we manage to restrict Warriors to long-range efforts (19 shots total, 4 on target) before they're able to get in for a close-range effort with nearly the last kick of the match. Manager's thoughts So. We're a bad team. That initial run of success I had is way in the past now, as we haven't won a game since 12 April. We're 0-7-8 in our last 15 matches across all competitions. My job status is still "stable", probably because the board asked only that we "be competitive" in the league and S-Cup. So maybe I'll get a contract extension, but do I really want to stay after this horror show of a season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 That's not gone well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 OOF.. Erm, I'd get out.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Sunday, 4 Oct., 2015 Hougang United 2-0 Geylang International (S-League) A perfectly weighted pass sent us behind shortly before halftime, then a goalmouth scramble in the second half drove the nail in. We were outshot 21-4 (10-1) despite having a majority of the possession. So that didn't work. I'm 3-6-11 at the moment. And about the "good" record in the league: Monday, 19 Oct., 2015 Harimau Muda 3-0 Geylang International (S-League) So with our season well and truly up in smoke (and with no relegation from the S-League), I decided to go ahead and start taking a look at some of the younger players. Because it's not like our veterans have done anything. I've also transfer listed a bigtime Charlie, our Slovakian right back/forward who always "finds it difficult to motivate himself for a manager of your standing." He's also trousering $1400/week, making him the highest paid player in the squad. Additionally, I tried some tactical tinkering. And then we got the crap kicked out of us. We were better in the second half, but by then the damage had been done. Oh, and we lost our only right-sided midfielder to a sprained ankle. The board demanded a meeting afterward, but then agreed with my contention that they were just too strong for us. 23, Oct., 2015 At least somebody's in my corner He's a 16-year-old trialist. But already a "fan favorite". That's how **** we are. But the vultures are circling. And incredibly: It's the same terms as my current deal. Be competitive. No pay rise (as if there would be one. I'm lucky they didn't cut it in half). I might as well give it another shot. Apparently our goalkeeper thinks I've got something that hasn't been showing up in our results: Saturday, 24 Oct., 2015 Geylang International 0-4 DPMM (S-League) With our only AMR in the squad out with injury, I'm forced to throw a 16-year-old youth trialist in at the deep end. And it's another bad result, with the DPMM forward getting a hat trick (albeit one of his goals is a penalty) taking him up to 18 goals in 23 league matches. I think I've found our problem: But then: And **** you too. Saturday, 31 Oct., 2015 Geylang International 1-1 Young Lions (S-League) Well at least we scored finally. Even had the lead for a short while. Friday, 6 Nov. 2015 Niigata Unicorn 0-0 Geylang International (S-League) Finally, the end of a thoroughly frustrating season. At least we kept a clean sheet. But we end the season on a 16-match winless run in the league. So that was bad: But, as bad as it was, I'm here for another year. Our finances are not very good, but I'm hopeful I'll still manage to convince the board to let me go on a coaching course. I mean, if you're stuck with me you might as help me try to improve. Aside from that, I'll look to use the winter to make some backroom changes and try to beef up our scouting department (I hired our chief scout. We had no scouts at all before then). I want to move some of the Billy BigTimes who lack motivation to play for me (or even their paycheck), but there's no interest in them at the moment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 I did get some benefit to my on-the-job training: (value to the left is my rating at the start of the game. Value to the right is my rating as of 30 Nov., 2015) Attacking 1 4 (+3) Defending 1 5 (+4) Fitness 5 5 (--) Goalkeepers 4 5 (+1) Tactical 1 2 (+1) Technique 1 3 (+2) Mental 1 6 (+5) Working w/Youth 1 1 (--) Adaptability 7 7 (--) Determination 3 4 (+1) Player Know. 1 2 (+1) Youngest Know. 1 3 (+2) Level of Dis. 3 3 (--) Man Management 3 5 (+2) Motivating 3 5 (+2) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Tough season there hopefully you can bounce straight back up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Bet you're glad nobody gets relegated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 At least he's not automatically sacked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Geylang International FCS-League 2015-16 Close season So yeah. Not helped by us being over the wage budget all season: But that got fixed in short order: So we have money in our checking account now. Coming off a last-placed finish, you'd think the board would want to help their manager get better so that doesn't happen again, right? Wrong. I've never seen that before. Regardless, I'll stick it out for another year and try again in the fall. If they give me that response again, I'll walk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Geylang International FCS-League 2016 Season PreviewS-League: Be competitiveSingapore Cup: Be competitiveLeague Cup: Not importantMedia prediction: 8th A no-pressure kind of season then. So that allows me to continue the rebuild. Pre-season I brought the team back for an early pre-season because, let's face it, we need all the practice time we can get (WE TALKIN' BOUT PRACTICE!). We went 2-0-2 against non-league sides from Singapore as I was focused on trying to get us up to speed on my preferred tactics since, even after 20+ games last season we were still only on "accomplished". Plus there were some trialists to take a look at. Mostly though I was building up the backroom staff, replacing my useless ass man (who would never recommend any opposition instructions because he didn't feel confident in his tactical knowledge. Which, tbf, wasn't very good) and getting this guy: We've also added a couple of scouts to augment our Chief Scout so he's not scrambling from game to game watching 30 players on my "We suck. Please look at this guy and tell us if he's any better" list. And maybe most importantly for the club's future, a Director of Youth Development. I also have an ad out for a U18 coach heading into the season. The board won't let me go study for coaching badges, but they've provided a number of available positions for us to fill so I may as well do that. And our first match of the new S-League season is ... away to DPMM. ****. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Wait, what? Thursday, 4 Feb., 2016 DPMM 1-1 Geylang International (S-League) Looked like we were going to get caned when DPMM took the lead in the 3rd minute when our left back got caught ballwatching. But he made up for it in the 16th minute with a beautiful cross to MC Shukor Zailan in the penalty area for a shot that snuck in at the near post. It was almost a dead even game: Both teams took 7 shots, both teams got 3 of them on target, and both teams committed 15 fouls. But we dominated the time of possession (62-38) to keep DPMM at bay. We still haven't won a league match in forever, but I'll gladly take this. 6 Feb., 2016 The only way is up Sunday, 7 Feb. 2016 Geylang International 0-2 Tampines Rovers (S-League) Playing 3 days later against a team that hadn't opened their league campaign yet was always going to be tough. More so when I bring out the 4-2-3-1 we've been working on, but aren't totally up to speed with yet. Even more so when we go a man down in the 49th minute due to a second yellow. By then we were already down 0-2, and we were just too gassed to make much of an effort in the last 20 minutes. Well I wouldn't say it's a new low. Just a continuation of the existing low. Saturday, 20 Feb. 2016 Geylang International 1-1 Warriors FC (S-League) A wonderstrike in 2nd half stoppage time salvages a point for us. Thursday, 25 Feb. 2016 Young Lions 0-2 Geylang International (S-League) Spurned a couple of good opportunities and it came back to bite us. Fell behind in the 57th minute on a free kick-cum-cross where the Young Lions forward was quicker to the ball than our defense. They got an insurance goal in the 85th minute from a soft penalty. **** me. But even though the media continues to speculate about how soon the sack is coming, my job status is back up to "Stable" Worst manager in S-League history? Maybe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 This is looking tough... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Well, this is better, you're not last. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 3 March, 2016 We're drawn against fellow S-League side Warriors FC in the preliminary round for the Singapore Cup. If we get through that, we'll play the winner of Balestier-Tampines Rovers in the quarter final, followed by one of DPMM, Yadanarbon (from Myanmar), Bank of Laos or Global FC (from the Phillipines) in the semifinal, as apparently Singapore allows foreign sides into its FA Cup (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Cup); Global have actually made it to the semifinal 2 of the last 3 years, and Bangkok Glass won it in 2010. Sunday, 6 March, 2016 Geylang International 1-2 Harimau Muda (S-League) Awful. We traded set pieces, with Harimau going ahead in the first half when we were late reacting to a free kick being crossed into the box. Got back onto level terms in the second half from a corner. But we lost it late when one of our center backs decided to charge forward to intercept a goalkeeper punt. He missed it, of course, and left the Harimau forward with a one-on-one with our goalkeeper for a simple finish. Sunday, 13 March, 2016 Geylang International 1-3 Balestier (S-League) Tough to win games when you put the ball into your own net. Twice. Thursday, 17 March, 2016 Hougang United 4-0 Geylang International (S-League) This is unbelievable. Down inside the first number off a counterattack. Then it's 2-0 in the 12th minute when my goalkeeper makes a diving attempt; he doesn't get it, but it hits the post ... and deflects off his back and into the net. Then we're whistled for a soft penalty in the 59th minute, but it's saved. No matter, in the 68th minute we clear a cross to the top of the penalty arc; it's passed back in to a Hougang midfielder standing all alone (seriously, there's nobody within 6 yards of him) in the penalty area to our goalkeeper's left and he fires past the keeper inside the far post. Hougang pile on the misery in the 77th minute with another uncontested shot. The board demand a meeting after the match, but I've already had enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 (btw, the club is now winless in its last 23 league matches, and 27 in all competitions) [video=youtube_share;nkqns3FWLl4] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Two months out of a job (and an unsuccessful interview with Peterhead in Scotland), and I manage to convince someone else to take a chance on me. They just finished the Hong Kong season in 6th place (out of 9) and they're deep in the red. And the best players (who actually do have some really good ratings) don't want to re-up their contracts. Oh, and there is relegation in Hong Kong so no 27-match winless runs here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Welcome to Hong Kong! Make sure your friendly bookie isn't a Triad.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Hopefully this will go better for you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius1998 Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Never expected Geylang to go that badly as I'm sure they are one of the most well known clubs from Singapore. Good luck in Hong Kong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 And it wasn't just me. They still haven't won in the 2 months since I left. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Your last Chairman was called Kok Fann. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hong Kong Pegasus - A Close Season in Pictures Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Saturday, 10 Sept., 2016 Pegasus 1-1 Kitchee (Premier League) The season got off to a bad start before we even kicked a ball in anger when Lau Cheuk Hin (who I'd penciled into the AMC role) tore a groin muscle in training. We were second best through most of the first half, but managed to take the lead in the 40th minute. We were pulled back almost immediately though, and while the second half was more even we still needed a couple of good saves by our goalkeeper to come away with the draw. This was a "THE GAME IS RIGGED! SORT IT OUT SI!" match, only in our favor: Kitchee took 21 shots, 7 of them on target; we took 3 shots and got only the 1 on target. Saturday 17 Sept., 2016 Rangers 1-1 Pegasus (Premier League) Should have come away with all the points today. Was all set to criticize our 17-year-old DMC Lee Tsz Ting for not getting the ball forward quick enough, only for him to fire into the back of the net from 35 yards on 20 minutes. But just as I thought I'd see my first win as a manager in quite a long time, Rangers equalized in the 90th minute. 19 Sept., 2016 We're drawn against either South China or Southern District in the Senior Challenge Shield Quarter Final. (Southern Shield win 0-3, so we get them) Friday, 23 Sept. 2016 Pegasus 0-0 Yuen Long (Premier League) Made a few changes in the starting XI; two players who'd looked "complacent" in the Rangers match found themselves riding the pine, as did a forward who just wasn't doing very well. A dire first half was the result, with no highlights until the 38th minute. The second half was better, and we were denied by the post in the 75th minute, but we couldn't get the win. 28, Sept. 2016 We end up with 15 players called into international duty: 2 for the full Hong Kong team, 2 for the India U20s, and the remainder with the Hong Kong U20s or Hong Kong U19s So not the most exciting start, but at least we haven't lost. As near as I can tell, our biggest need is up front. We've scored only 2 goals, and both have come from midfielders. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 The transfer window has slammed shut. The window reopens in January, but I opted to try to solve our striker problem right now. Sun Jiawei is a product of the Shenhua youth system and has a handful of appearances with the senior team. They haven't been great though: He has a 6.03 rating in 3 appearences this season, and a 6.3 rating in his only senior team match in 2015. All of them have been off the bench though. It's a short-term loan, as his Shenhua contract expires at the end of the calendar year. Consider it an extended trial then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Saturday, 1 Oct., 2016 Southern District 2-2 Pegasus (Senior Challenge Shield Quarterfinal) Southern win 4-3 on penalties Looked like it was going to be our day when AML Lo Kong Wai put us in front in the 2nd minute. But Southern were able to run past our back line and hit us for goals in the 35th and 38th minutes. A couple tactical tweaks at halftime and through the second half managed to get us back onto level terms in the 72nd minute through Wong Wai's effort from the subs bench (it's also our first goal of the year from a striker). We tired in the extra time but were still able to keep Southern off the board and forced it to penalties. Unfortunately our first effort was saved, and our fifth rattled off the crossbar. Of particular note, our 21-year-old center back Leung Nok Hang made an incredible 17 interceptions. 18 Oct. 2016 Lost maybe my best coach. But the board thinks I have too many, so there's that. Thursday, 20 Oct., 2016 Pegasus 1-3 Eastern (Premier League) Managed to get back onto level terms, but Eastern were just too good for us. Their third goal came late when we were pushing forward to find another equalizer. Wednesday, 26 Oct. 2016 Pegasus 0-0 Metro Gallery (Sapling Cup, Group B) The board doesn't care about this competition, so I used the match as an opportunity to give some backup players a runout. Saturday, 29 Oct., 2016 Metro Gallery 0-0 Pegasus (Premier League) Had chances but couldn't finish them. We had a goalmouth scramble late on but couldn't do anything with it. Still searching for a win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 At least the games are pretty close, just need to figure out a way of getting more goals to change a few of these drawn games in to wins Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 3 November, 2016 14 of our players are called up for international duty. Fong Pak Lun, Wong Wai and Leung Nok Hang are called into the senior side, 4 (including one player currently out on loan) are called into the U20s, and the remaining 7 get callups to the U19s. And another 2 get late invites into the India U20s. Saturday, 5 Nov., 2016 Pegasus 0-1 Citizen (Premier League) This save is getting beyond ridiculous now. Spurned an excellent chance in the first half and went into halftime scoreless. Then I arsed up my teamtalk and in the 53rd minute Citizen got forward, sent in a low cross in front of our keeper that found a Citizen attacker who beat our left back and that was it. And we're dumped into the relegation zone. Sunday, 20 Nov., 2016 Pegasus 1-2 Kitchee (League Cup) So maybe it's me. Maybe I've been asking too much of players at this level. And since the board doesn't care about this competition, I have room to experiment. So I decide to change things around and go with 2 up front in a 5-3-2. We fell behind, but got back on level terms when Sun Jiawei finally opened his scoring account for us, off a cross from our WBL. We look a bit disjointed at times, but other times we play some pretty football. And hell, it's not like the 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-2-2-1 have worked, so I'll stick with this for a while. Saturday, 3 Dec., 2016 Hong Kong FC 0-2 Pegasus (League Cup) THE STREAK IS OVER! Our loaned-in WBL Yin Guangjun sets up goals in both halves, finding Wong Wai in the 29th minute for an uncontested half-volley from the top of the 6-yard box. And in the 77th minute, he sets up subbed-on forward Lau Cheuk Hin in similar fashion (though Lau's shot was more from the penalty spot). Interestingly, both moves started off of throw-ins. Hang your heads in shame, HKFC. You just lost to the worst manager on the planet. Tuesday, 6 Dec., 2016 South China 1-1 Pegasus (Premier League) Oh. Yeah. Them. We're 10-1 underdogs to start the match (even the draw is 5-1). But instead I'm having thoughts of a winning streak when Wong Wai plays Sun Jiawei through in the 4th minute for a placed shot. South China get back on level terms in the 11th minute from a corner. And then it was all hands on deck, as South China fire 26 shots, 8 of them on target, to our 8-4. But we managed to hang on and come away with a credible draw. Tuesday, 13 Dec., 2016 Hong Kong FC 2-1 Pegasus (Premier League) Unfriggingbelievable. We go up in the 5th minute When Wong Wai splits the HKFC defense and gets on the end of a cross from our WBR. But HKFC equalize in the 13th minute from a rocket from 30 yards out that hits the underside of the bar, bounces out, hits the plastic pitch at our goalkeeper's back and bounces in. They take the lead in the 74th minute off a cross their forward heads in at the near post despite having two of our defenders jump with him. We should have come away with a draw in the 85th minute when Chan Chun Lok (on for an injured Wong Wai) hits the post, goes in for the follow-up at the goalkeeper's feet, and ... RUNS RIGHT OVER THE BALL. What. The. ****. Turns out Wong Wai has torn his hamstring. Out 3 to 4 months. Saturday, 18 Dec., 2016 South China 1-3 Pegasus (Sapling Cup) Yeah, it's a tinpot cup but we need wins from anywhere to help build up our confidence and morale. So to come from behind after going down in the 7th minute (with backup forward Lau Cheuk Hin scoring a brace) against a club like South China is a huge, huge boost to us (and to me) Well we're in the mire now, but for the first time in a long time in this save I actually have a bit of hope now. The switch to the 5-3-2 seems to have paid major dividends for us with Yin Guangjun especially seeming to really take to this new wingback role, bombing forward and launching crosses into the penalty area. We don't have all the personnel to play this, so I'll definitely have to keep my eyes open with the transfer window opening now. We just need to transfer some of these good performances to league action. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 More draws than Ikea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 So just as I've figured out a system, Sun Jiawei's loan ends and he returns to Shenhua. Contract expires the next day and Shenhua release him. I try to sign him to a contract and he says "Naw, this club is too wee." (or whatever the Chinese equivalent is). How much you want to bet he doesn't sign with anyone, and retires in a few months at age 20? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Saturday, 14 Jan., 2017 Pegasus 1-1 Rangers (Premier League) Some injury issues meant I had to scratch together a squad. Our goal was an own goal, due to some calamity defending from Rangers: Our right wingback sent in a cross that two Rangers defenders went after; one of them made a sliding attempt that ended up with the ball trickling over their line. Thought we were going to get a win, only for a thumping header 6 minutes from time to pull us back to level terms. 15 January, 2017 Yay! We get 0.5% of a $53,000 transfer fee for a random Brazilian moving clubs. Wednesday, 18 Jan. 2017 Southern District p0-0 Pegasus (League Cup 2nd Stage) Southern District win 5-4 on penalties With another match coming 3 days later, I called in a bunch of reserve players. We were on the back foot most of the night but the match went extra time and penalties. We briefly seized the advantage when Southern District's fourth kick was saved, but so was ours. And the fifth round went against us. Saturday, 21 Jan. 2017 Pegasus 1-2 Eastern (Sapling Cup) I decided to bring up most of our few U18 players for this one. They actually performed pretty well, given that it looked like Eastern was playing quite a few first-teamers. Saturday, 28 January, 2017 The transfer window is shut. I took a gamble on Shen Tianfeng, a 22-year-old AMC/ST from Renhe in the Chinese Super League. I don't think his attributes are particularly good, but our coaches rate him as 4 stars. Then we tried shoring up the back a bit with Sun Zheng'ao, also 22, a DC/DR from Super League side Hangzhou. He hasn't played a senior match for them, but does have 37 matches of Jia League experience from two loan stints. Both players are with us on loan through the end of the season. I wanted to bring back Sun Jiawei, but as I said he decided that we were too wee for him. He did end up signing a deal with Super League side Huaxia Xingfu. And is valued at $400K. So maybe it was too much to hope he'd make a permanent move to us. Sunday, 29 Jan. 2017 Yuen Long 1-0 Pegasus (Premier League) First of back-to-back matches at Yuen Long, as we've been drawn against them in the FA Cup First Round. It's a mammoth game for us, as they beat Citizen a couple weeks ago to leave us 4 points adrift of safety (but with 2 games in hand over Citizen). So I go for attack, and a 4-2-3-1 since Yuen Long are going 4-5-1. They edge the first half, and we need to clear a shot off the line, but we get into halftime still 0-0. But then they score an uncontested header off a corner, and we're done. After the match, the board demand a meeting. I refuse to attend, so they sack me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherwinriga Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 A very bad sacking! Don't lose your hope when you got unemployed. Will you have a team to manage later then have a friendly match against yout former team in the next season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 That depends if you think anybody going to hire a dude who's won 5 of 48 matches in charge, across two clubs. So this is me now: I still don't have any coaching badges, but here's what my on-the-job training has accomplished: Attacking 1 7 (+6) Defending 1 6 (+5) Fitness 5 5 (--) Goalkeepers 4 5 (+1) Tactical 1 4 (+3) Technique 1 6 (+4) Mental 1 7 (+6) Working w/Youth 1 1 (--) Adaptability 7 7 (--) Determination 3 5 (+2) Player Know. 1 3 (+2) Youngest Know. 1 4 (+3) Level of Dis. 3 3 (--) Man Management 3 6 (+3) Motivating 3 6 (+3) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Come on now, third time's the charm! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Probably time for a change of scenario, no? Across to Europe? Or have you thought of trying different tactics? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Probably time for a change of scenario, no? Across to Europe? Or have you thought of trying different tactics? Probably. I thought about applying for some of the vacant jobs at various Scottish semi-pro clubs but didn't. Figured I'd wait until the seasons start winding down in Europe. Even though clubs in Singapore and Hong Kong have low reputations, they are fully professional. So I dunno if my combination of No Badges + Sunday League Player means they're not listening to me (I had a couple of players in Singapore where my assistant said they were having trouble motivating themselves for a manager of my stature, but I didn't have such messages in Hong Kong). So I'm strongly considering dropping down to a semi-pro club. If I do go, I'll probably adopt a bog standard 4-4-2 instead of my favored formations which tend to have only 1 up front, or as I did late in my Pegasus run using wingbacks to get forward to provide width. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 So maybe I've just been taking bad jobs. My successor at Pegasus has been sacked after just 66 days in charge (0-1-5) and confirming relegation. My successor at Geylang got sacked after just 68 days in charge (0-2-6) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Third time lucky? So I did have clubs will to take a chance on me. I first chanced my arm with Queens University Belfast, just relegated to the bottom tier in Northern Ireland. They offered me the job, but I opted against it. About a month later, I had successful interviews with Stenhousemuir and Cove Rangers in Scotland. But when I saw the Bangor City job pop up, that was the one I wanted. Plus Stenhousemuir wanted me to win the division, and Cove Rangers wanted to avoid a relegation struggle their first season in the SPFL. Both offered more money, but I decided Bangor was the place to go. Now, to see if I can actually get this group of no-hopers to do anything. They finished 3rd last season after 9th and 10th placed finishes, and they're expecting a top-half finish. They're in a little bit of a barren spell at the moment, with their last trophy being the 2010-11 WPL title. Welsh football overall is in a pretty sorry state at the moment. All 3 Europa League sides (Bala, Connahs Quay, Port Talbot) crashed out at the first hurdle in embarrassing fashion. Connahs Quay lost 4-1 on aggregate to FK Jerv from Norway, Bala lost 5-0 to Vardar from Macedonia, and Port Talbot was humiliated 7-0 by Zrinjsi Mostar from Bosnia. TNS at least got through the first qualifying round for the Champions League, by beating a side from Gibraltar, but they're down 2-0 to Maribor in the second qualifying round heading into the away leg. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Thursday, 10 Aug. 2017 Bangor City 0-1 Barry (theWord Cup, First Round) So our first "competitive" match is a tinpot cup the board says is not important. Against a team that smacked us in a friendly a week earlier. And sure enough we fall behind in the first minute and despite a bunch of huffing and puffing we're unable to get back onto level terms. So here we go again. Saturday, 19 Aug. 2017 Bangor City 0-0 Connah's Quay (Premier League) So a new season and me still trying to achieve some kind of managerial competence. And neither one of us could hit the broadside of a barn with a howitzer: We took 8 shots and got 1 on target; Connah's Quay took 15 and got 3 on target. 20 August, 2017 Catch the excitement! 23 August, 2017 Young DM/MC Gavin Whitmore gets called up to the Wales U19s. Saturday, 26 Aug. 2017 Cefn Druids 2-4 Bangor City (Premier League) Twice we took the lead. Twice we were pulled back. But new signing Alex Darlington came off the bench to grab the full 3 points for us through his brace. Still early days, but at least I've got a win already. Seeing the few first matches had me thinking I should give up and go back to FM 15. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheelf Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Your luck has to change at some point, right? I think Bangor City could be the place. Your main challenger in Wales will be professional TNS but once you overcome them you will be the dominant force in Wales. Good luck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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