https://community.sports-interactive.com/discover/237/Sports Interactive Community - Moderator PostsenIf you would start on 70s Cyprus, would a setup similar to Switzerland/Liechtenstein work?Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:48:23 +0000I was waiting to see if Flood would show up. He didn’t. I wondered why, but Nola explained that he was working some nights and this was one of them. Given her frank admission of a few minutes before, I decided to take her at her word. I had to admit – Fran was pretty good at sticking the boot in, and when I told Nola what he had said as she served our food, she shook her head. “I know there were people who didn’t like you because you’re English,” she said. “Sometimes that does still happen here and I should think you would understand that.” “I don’t do well ‘understanding’ people that I haven’t injured who want to hurt me,” I replied. That pretty well killed that conversation, so I got the chance to hobnob with my players for a little while in a setting I had never had before. We’ve had team meals on the road, but as the manager I’ve kept my distance from a lot of these players as is traditional for many bosses in the English game. So on the whole, it wasn’t a bad evening. Nola would stop by from time to time but the presence of our contingent made the place pretty quiet. In retrospect, it was a ballsy thing to do. But the point of the matter was that it was a friendly and until I joined Harriers, there was no history of ill will between the clubs, primarily because one hadn’t heard of the other one. Now, though, while we bided our time and ate our dinners, the ill will was beginning to build. That really wasn’t what I had in mind when scheduling the friendly. Or, was it? The regular evening patrons began to arrive and soon the pub was divided into two camps of people, with a sort of de-militarized zone of a row of tables between them. We finished our meals, and I rose to leave, which softened some of the tension in the room. The seven of us looked across the room at the townspeople and others who had gathered for their evenings’ food and entertainment. They looked back at us, silently. I turned to Nora, and thanked her. She simply nodded in reply, not wishing either to be disrespectful to me or to acknowledge my presence to her patrons by speaking to me in public. I led the group out of the pub, and as we turned for the short walk to the hotel, we ran into Hastings, Liburd and Bishop on their way in. “Good luck tomorrow,” I offered, locking eyes with all three as they passed. Of the three, only Bishop dropped his gaze. He hadn’t even returned my call when I offered him a job at Kidderminster, so perhaps he was feeling a little less hospitable than the others. Passed over to manage when I was hired, he had been passed over again for Sixsmith. If anyone had the right to feel a little downtrodden, it was him. I was disappointed in Hastings. I had plucked him off the youth team and given him some self-confidence by not only putting him in the senior squad but relying on him. Liburd wasn’t getting any younger and owed his chance to me. But Hastings’ reaction hurt. They just walked on. We reached the hotel and the players dispersed to their rooms. “8:00 for breakfast, noon lunch, 4:30 pre-game meal,” I reminded them as they departed. I thanked Marsh for calling some of the boys to come along, and headed to my room. Tired from the evening’s exertions, I opened the door, flipped on the light and tossed my jacket over a chair. “I thought you’d never get here,” I heard a voice say. Shocked, I spun to find Alana speaking to me. From under the covers of my bed. “How in the hell did you get in here?” I asked. “I have connections,” she smiled, lowering the covers to reveal a connection she was more interested in making. “If you think for one minute that I’d …” She got up, and approached me. She put a finger to my lips to silence my protestations, and reached past me to turn out the light. ##Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:34:57 +0000The coach rolled on toward Bristol and Brian spent his time in conversation with his assistant. Martin Canning was three years’ Brian’s senior and had spent his entire playing and managing career north of the border before coming to Millwall. He was a central defender, plying his trade for Ross County and Hamilton Accies, a club he had also served as player-manager for the latter part of his nineteen seasons as professional. There wasn’t much Canning had seen except for the first division in his time in Scotland but the Glasgow native didn’t seem bothered by it in his talk with Brian on the team coach. “I just think that I was meant to see the top flight here,” he smiled, dismissing the thought of missing out on the big time for his entire career. Brian couldn’t argue with him – he hadn’t played in the top flight either in his eighteen years in the game – but the two used the trip of just over one hundred miles to be sure they were on the same page with the team’s outlook and the plan for the friendly match. Most of the first team would start against the League Two opposition, but some important players like Barry Bennett would be held out until the later stages of the game to anchor the team in its trip to Salford on the Saturday following. “For me, the main thing is to have a solid start, friendly or not,” Brian said. “Aye,” Canning replied. “A solid performance wouldn’t go amiss here.” The team had yet to taste defeat in the preseason, winning two and drawing one before Brian’s hiring. Canning guided the squad through those matches and done well for himself. Millwall had won 2-1 at League One Burton to open things and followed that with a 2-0 triumph over Jupiler League Cercle Brugge at The Den. Just two days before Brian’s hiring, Millwall had drawn Sunderland 1-1 at The Den and that was another decent result against the freshly promoted Black Cats. But a new start under a new boss meant a different set of expectations even though the match was a friendly. The three remaining friendlies were all ones the Lions would be expected to win and win well. Bristol and Salford were two leagues below Millwall and the final friendly at Orleans would be against third-tier French opposition. The matches were intended to be tune-ups and that posed its own issues, especially since all three matches were away. Brian wouldn’t get a chance to manage his boyhood club at The Den until the first round of the Carabao Cup against League One Luton a month into the future. There was a time when a Millwall-Luton cup tie brought dread. The matchup between the clubs in the Sixth Round of the 1985 FA Cup at Kenilworth Road was incredibly ugly, with 47 injuries, 31 arrests and a tremendous amount of damage being done inside and outside the ground in a game the Hatters won by a goal to nil. But that was all still in the future. For the present, Brian and his deputy were trying to get a squad rotation right so as many players as possible could find their match legs while still contributing to a team performance expected of all of them. There was time to get it right, though, and nobody seriously thought Rovers would threaten Millwall in any event. So that gave the two some time to talk. “This is a wonderful opportunity for me,” Canning said. “It’s a good club, the owners have helped put it on the straight and narrow, and the fans deserve that.” “As a lifelong supporter, I can agree with that,” Brian replied, stretching in his seat to relieve a kink in his back. “How’d it go with Kelly?” Canning asked. “I saw you talking with her while the lads were boarding the coach. “If she can make sense out of what I told her, she’s a miracle worker,” Brian said with a smile. “I wasn’t quite fully awake and she was patient with me.” “Knows how to make a very good cuppa,” Canning replied. “A bonus,” Brian agreed. “Nice lady.” “Very,” Canning said. “Was Bill with her?” “Who’s Bill?” “Her boyfriend,” Canning answered. “He’s around a fair bit on match days. Seems he doesn’t want to give up a weekend day with her.” “Understandable,” Brian said, making a mental note to mind his p’s and q’s with Kelly in future. # #Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:33:09 +0000Saturday 9th September 2023 We've hit Saturday of the September International Window. It's another busy day of football across Planet Earth.....do you ever wonder if there is football on other planets? Makes you think doesn't it! Anyway, it's Asia that is the first stop today, and we're going to start completing the Groups and see nations secure their place in the Knockout Stages.... Under-23 International Asia 2022 Asian Games Football Tournament Hosts :- China | Holders :- South Korea Group A - Binhe Sports Centre, Taiyuan, China Hong Kong Under-23's (0) 0 United Arab Emirates (1) 2 - Ali Saleh (32), Sultan Adil (69) Group A - Puer City Sports Centre, Puer, China Lebanon Under-23's (0) 0 Indonesia Under 23's (1) 2 - Ramadhan Sananta (45 pen), Ezra Walian (75)The United Arab Emirates had already confirmed their spot in the Knockout Round, and it would require an upset of one kind or another over the two games played simultaneously today for them to be prevented from progressing as Group Winners. So really this was all about who would Qualify alongside them. Hong Kong were involved in that conversation, but they had the toughest test to navigate, unsuccessfully it would turn out. They were already a goal behind when their 23 year old utility player Lam Hin Ting received his second booking before the break, making it a routine exercise for the UAE. They did however have 22 year old Brazilian born left wing back Erik red carded before the end and he will now be suspended for their Second Round match. While they didn't know it, but probably suspected it, that left a straight shootout between Lebanon and Indonesia for second place and a spot in the last sixteen. The first half was tight as neither side committed men forward too much, but with the onus largely on Indonesia to make their move. That move would come from Lebanese defender Maxime Aoun right on half time, and it was a bad move, a rash tackle that he didn't need to make giving Indonesia a penalty that 20 year old striker Ramadhan Sananta converted. Now the Middle Eastern nation had to go for it in the second half, and they predictably left gaps at the back, allowing the other Indonesian striker Ezra Walian to end the debate. Lebanon did well at the WAFF that they hosted and fell at the last hurdle in the Groups, and now they have done the same at these Asian Games. | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | | 1st | Q |United Arab Emirates U-23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 9 | | 2nd | Q | Indonesia Under-23's | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Lebanon Under-23's | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 | | 4th | | Hong Kong Under-23's | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 | Group B - Yangzhong Olympic Sports Centre, Zhenjiang, China Nepal Under-23's (0) 0 Philippines Under-23's (1) 1 - Christian Rontini (14) Group B - Kuitun City Sports Centre, Kuitun, China Uzbekistan Under-23's (0) 2 - Hojimat Erkinov (65), Asilbek Orifjonov (90) Kazakhstan Under-23's (1) 1 - Abat Aiymbetov (44)Group B was already locked up by the Central Asian nations who had both won their two games so far and would meet tonight to work out who would progress as Group winners. Seemingly no one was concerned that Kazakhstan who are a UEFA nation had their age group side playing in the Asian Games, my only guess being that it's something to do with Olympic regional status. The Nepal v Philippines match was as low on quality as the nations chances of progression were. A fourteenth minute finish from Indonesian based central midfielder Christian Rontini of the Persita Tangerang club gave the South East Asian country something of a highlight to celebrate, while for Nepal it would be the bottom spot in Group B and the trip home with three defeats from three and no goals to show for their efforts. Rightly all eyes were on the all-Central Asian matchup in Kuitun where the fans were treated to a game of two halves. Kazakhstan had the best of the first half and led at the break thanks to a late first half goal from 28 year old prolific Astana forward Abat Aiymbetov. But things turned around after the break, firstly with Hojimat Erkinov's direct free kick equaliser almost midway through the second half, and then with the last kick of the ball before the clock hit ninety minutes, the winner from 22 year old Asilbek Orifjonov just moments after his introduction from the bench, his third goal of the Tournament and this one giving Uzbekistan top spot in Group B! | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | | 1st | Q | Uzbekistan Under-23's | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 9 | | 2nd | Q | Kazakhstan Under-23's | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Philippines Under-23's | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 | | 4th | | Nepal Under-23's | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | -7 | 0 |Group C - Yangquan City Stadium, Yangquan, China Bahrain Under-23's (1) 2 - Saad Abdulla (8), Salman Al-Qadhaib (51) Turkmenistan Under-23's (1) 1 - Yhlas Säpärmammedow (40) Group C - Haigang Sports Centre, Tangshan, China China Under-23's (0) 3 - Jin Shunkai (47), Li Yongjia (49), Xiang Yuwang (78) Cambodia Under-23's (0) 0While Group B had already been decided before todays action, Group C was on a knife edge with the only certainty being that Cambodia would take no further part after today. China have the easiest fixture in this final round of games, but they will be keeping a close eye on the other game I'm sure with goal difference being the primary tie breaker. In a bizarre first half, China seemed to either completely misunderstand the situation they were in, or just didn't care as they appeared to make no attempt of note to put Cambodia under any pressure at all. Meanwhile Bahrain had taken an early lead in Yangquan, only to see Turkmenistan level the game up five minutes before the break to leave things as they were going into half time. The landscape would change significantly once the second half of the games got underway. Bahrain got themselves back in front six minutes into the second half, by which time China had scored twice themselves thanks to a huge uptick in their attacking intent against a Cambodia team who must have been wondering what was going on in the first half. With just under twenty minutes to go, despite trailing Turkmenistan were still in the box seat in the Group, but they were now down to ten men as nineteen year old right back Nedirmämmet Nedirmämmedow was shown a straight red card. If Bahrain and China could add to their totals, between them they could sent Turkmenistan home. China kept up their end of the bargain by scoring a third goal, but Bahrain were unable to take advantage of their numerical advantage in Yangquan, and while they won the game, Bahrain had been ousted as the odd ones out as they lost out on goal difference to the Central Asians and the Tournament hosts, and following their poor outing in the West Asian Football Federation Championships, they've now crashed out of another Championships earlier than they'd have deemed acceptable. | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | | 1st | Q | Turkmenistan Under-23's | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | | 2nd | Q | China Under-23's | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Bahrain Under-23's | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 6 | | 4th | | Cambodia Under-23's | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 | So Groups A through to C are now complete in these Asian Games, and three more will come to a conclusion tomorrow as we get close to completing the Group Stages of this Tournament in China and heading into Knockout Football. We'll be back in Asia next for Sundays action, but we move onto Europe now as we continue Saturdays football, and we have another half a dozen games over three Groups as the Qualifying for the UEFA 2024 European Championships continue..... Senior International Europe 2024 UEFA European Championships Qualifying Hosts :- Germany | Holders :- Italy Group A - GSP, Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus (0) 0 Georgia (2) 2 - George Mikautadze (22), Giorgi Chakvetadze (35) Group A - Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain Spain (2) 3 - Miguel Gutiérrez (7), Nico Williams (12), Mikel Oyarzábal (89) Scotland (0) 0In the sunshine of Cyprus there is a first and long overdue win of the campaign for Georgia. The talented squad from Eastern Europe got the job done in the first half with goals from two players who ply their trade in the lowlands of Europe, firstly Mikautadze of Ajax and then a second goal from Chakvetadze who plays for Gent in Belgium but is currently on loan in England with Watford of the Sky Bet Championship. Cyprus are rooted to the bottom of this section, without a goal to their name so far. With half their games played we now see Georgia join Norway on four points as the pair prepare to try and hunt down Scotland for that second qualification spot. And it is only the second spot that is really in any doubt after Spain did a mini demolition job on their nearest rivals Scotland in front of a packed house in Sevilla tonight. They were two goals up quickly through a pair of their talented youngsters, left back Miguel Gutiérrez on a dream International Debut for the Griona man and then a quick second from Athletic Bilbao's 21 year old winger Nico Williams. The game quietened down significantly for an hour until the Tartan Army's task got even harder as Everton defender Nathan Patterson earned a straight red card for his reckless attempt to slow down Williams. And Spain would round off the net late on with a superb finish from Real Sociedad playmaker Mikel Oyarzábal. Before tonight the Scots hadn't conceded a goal, and the Spanish still haven't! | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | | 1st | | Spain | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 12 | | 2nd | | Scotland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Georgia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | | 4th | | Norway | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 4 | | 5th | | Cyprus | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | -10| 0 |Group D - Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia Croatia (0) 2 - Josip Brekalo (51), Luka Modrić (55) Armenia (0) 1 - Norberto Briasco (61) Group D - Beşiktaş Park, Istanbul, Türkiye Türkiye (3) 3 - Kerem Aktürkoǧlu (5), Semih Kiliçsoy (11), Arda Güler (35) Wales (0) 0 Group D favourites Croatia were feeling the heat from their rivals after losing to Wales in Cardiff in March. They rallied later that month with a win over Latvia while both Wales and Türkiye dropped points elsewhere during that International Window. Tonight Croatia return to the top of the Group in front of their passionate home fans at the Maksimir, but they didn't make easy work of it. They scored twice in a four minute spell in the second half which included a 25th International goal for Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modrić, a spell that also saw Armenian defender Artur Kartashyan red carded on his debut for his nation. It didn't stop them pulling a goal back though, a first at this level through their Argentinian born forward Norberto Briasco who plays for Boca Juniors. While that was going on, Wales manager Rob Page was watching on as his side were torn apart in Istanbul as Türkiye put on a first half clinic. They lit up Sheffield United keeper Adam Davies like a Christmas Tree on the occasion of his fifth cap, scoring three goals in a half hour spell, which included an absolutely sensational volley from 18 year old Real Madrid attacking midfielder Arda Turan who was also celebrating his fifth cap. A red card with twenty minutes to play for Hoffenheim centre back Ozan Kabak made no difference this evening, but there is a lot of mileage to go in the second half of this group, and at least one of the three fancied nations are going to miss out here. | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | | 1st | | Croatia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | | 2nd | | Türkiye | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Wales | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | | 4th | | Latvia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 | | 5th | | Armenia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 1 |Group G - Hristo Botev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria Bulgaria (1) 1 - Ivaylo Chochev (32) Hungary (1) 1 - Dominik Szoboszlai (24) Group G - Stadion Pod Goricom, Podgorica, Montenegro Montenegro (2) 2 - Uroš Đurđević (19), Nikola Krstović (24) Serbia (1) 1 - Aleksandar Mitrović (3)Welcome to the Group sponsored by Eastern Europe it would seem. It hasn't matched Group D for its lack of goals through the course of the Group so far, but it has certainly seen its share of exciting matches. Bulgaria are in a position where their fans are excited about the nations footballing prospects, probably for the first time since the early 90's. The golden generation of Hungarian football was another generation or two before that, but they came into this September International Window at the top of the Group and they remain there after tonight's action too. Liverpool's new signing Dominik Szoboszlai had them in front with a beautiful free kick midway through the first half, but it was a short lived lead thanks to an equaliser from CSKA Sofia's veteran defensive midfielder Ivaylo Chochev. Podgorica would host a battle between two ex-Yugoslav states, one which ended in a shock. Or was it actually a shock? Serbia have managed just one win from their opening four games in this campaign after tonight's defeat, and the odds-on favourites for this section after the draw was made have big problems. They had the lead very early on thanks to their prolific and well travelled striker Aleksandar Mitrović. He has a strike rate of almost a goal every other game at club level, and scored recently on his debut in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal, and his strike rate in International Football is even better than that after this, his 80th cap. But when they conceded an equaliser they simply fell to pieces here, and Uroš Đurđević of Sporting Gijon in Spain netted his first International goal to level it, before Nikola Krstović of Serie A side Lecce got his second goal for his country and Serbia never really threatened to get back on terms, leaving Dragan Stojković under huge pressure, while Montenegro are sitting in a Qualification spot. | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | GD | Pts | | 1st | | Hungary | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 10 | | 2nd | | Montenegro | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | 3rd | | Bulgaria | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | | 4th | | Serbia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 | | 5th | | Lithuania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 3 |And with that, Saturday's action is drawn to a close, a much calmer day than yesterday, but a thoroughly enjoyable day of football once more. Let's hope the Sunday of this International Window can match it!Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:07:51 +0000Beautifully written.Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:20:28 +0000It is extremely hard to imagine any circumstances when failure to use/take advantage of set pieces would ever be the main /only reason for not getting a manager's job. The game's obsession with set pieces is unhealthy and unnatural. To resolve this issue in-game, maybe you need to recruit a good set piece specialist for the coaching staff.Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:47:51 +0000I felt like I had a little reinforcement as Marsh and I entered Coffy’s. I did – our numbers had doubled. And, as the minutes wore on, they got even better. Henry, McDermott, Dolman, Riley and Henry soon arrived. Marsh had thought to tip them off. Soon, seven Harriers were at a table along the opposite wall from the one I usually frequented. I felt a lot better. “Lads, this is on me,” I said, as an understandably surprised Nola passed by the table. Marsh, who had offered to buy, looked at me with surprise. “Matt, you brought friends,” she said, a hint of a smile on her face. I nodded. It was a bit warm in the pub, and a few little beads of sweat dotted Nola’s forehead. A few stray strands of her red hair were stuck to it and even a gentle passing breeze from the doorway couldn’t unstick them. “Yes, I did,” I said. “One check, to me, if you please. Your boyfriend was talking smack to us on the training ground today so we thought we’d come see what the fuss was about.” “I think you know what it’s about,” she said. “This community has pride in its club again.” “Good,” I said. “These gentlemen are here to see how far you’ve come since I left.” Nola’s brow furrowed. “Please, Matt, don’t make a scene. You don’t want trouble, these people were your friends.” “According to your boyfriend, that might not have been the case,” I said matter-of-factly. “That’s preposterous,” she answered. “And I don’t want to argue about it. Really, I shouldn’t serve you.” “That’d go over well,” I said dryly. “Visiting club refused service in local pub.” “There are places that do it.” “Up to you to decide if this is one,” I said. My players, taken aback at first by Nola’s beauty, were now taken aback by the adversarial tone she was taking. She thought for a moment. “No,” she said. “I won’t be party to that because I was your friend and still am.” She had found the chink in my armor and I looked at her with a stunned expression. “Now then, Matt … what will you and your friends have?” she asked. ##Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:19:03 +0000He arrived early to finish the team sheet for Rovers before the coach left for the ground and asked himself the same question once again. Perhaps, a little bit too loud. “I think you’ll be just fine,” a voice replied. Brian looked up with a start to see his press officer standing in the doorway. “Good morning, Kelly, is it?” Major asked. “I’m sorry, I’m still learning names.” “It is,” she smiled. “And don’t worry about names, you’ll learn them soon enough.” She looked at him and gave a second smile. “Care for a cuppa?” she asked, and Major nodded in return. “Only if it’s made,” he replied. “I absolutely will not be the manager who says, ‘get me a cuppa’ to anyone.” “That’s good, because I’m not the type of person who generally goes and fetches them, unless I’m asked nicely,” she replied. “What do you take with yours?” “Just milk,” he answered. “And thank you.” Soon, Kelly returned from the staff break room with a cup of Earl Grey that was just blond enough to be perfect for Brian’s taste. “I’m working on your biography for the website,” she said, as Brian took the cup and then his first sip. “Do you have some time to speak with me before the coach leaves, or can we talk while you’re traveling?” The match had a 3:00 kickoff so Brian had some spare time. “Let me get the team sheet ready so it can go to the portal and then I’m all yours,” he said. “And thank you again.” She gave Brian a smile and returned to work. She wore her bright red hair in curls to just past her shoulders, in an ever-so-slightly wild look, and wore a suit in the club’s blue shade, which clashed slightly with her green eyes. Brian noticed and tried not to look like he was staring. He was single, not dead. Soon he was back in his office, and a few minutes after that, the sheet was ready. Kelly tapped on the doorframe. “Come in,” he said with a smile, pointing to the couch set across the room from the manager’s desk. “Let me get out from behind this desk.” They sat at opposite ends of the couch and Kelly began her questioning. # # #Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:17:18 +0000Current status is that the distance is too large for taking part in competition. A local competition could be an option, but a promotion/relegation setup would be unlikely.Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:42:28 +0000Rapa Nui is on a list, but until I can reasonably say I can add it (depending on what happens with reusing nations to build with in the Americas) it stays there for now. Galapagos is an island group that did not have inhabitants and was claimed by Golombia in the 1820s. Everyone on the island is Colombian, so there is no need/willingless/interest to declare independence. With regard to the inclusion of Hawaii, Hawaii was part of the Polynesian expansion just like Rapa Nui. However, it is much less of an outlier in terms of geography than Rapa Nui.Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:08:20 +0000This will not be released for FM24 for sure. I will only release for future FMs. Fiji will be rugby union level good. If you follow that, you will know some of their top players who will end up in FM 😉Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:04:07 +0000As a testing file I have set the weather to ice age levels in The Netherlands. Temperatures seen between -30 (!) and -1. Oddly there was no problem playing. .11700BC.fmfSun, 05 Apr 2026 23:49:23 +0000In terms of OFC decisions, I am 98% certain that OFC will remain as it is now, with Australia and New Zealand as the big countries, but probably slightly boosted based on all football code money flowing into association football only. Reputation and playerwise it will also be boosted with some of the Pacific Islands getting a boost from their level in other football codes. The one thing I am still looking at is to keep that sustainable for the smaller island nations. Foreign player rules for Australia and New Zealand could be the solution there, which also adds to the decision to keep them in OFC. Having say Samoan, Tongan and Fijian players in Australia can only work if the international rules are in a similar vein to the national rules. Unless I manage to create a dual nation stream of pacific islanders of course. So that would give an OFC with the following countries (any country with * is an existing one in FM) Australia * New Zealand * Fiji * Solomon Islands * (there are some plans for this one, also depending on Bougainville changes) Papua New Guinea * Vanuatu * (there are some plans for this one) Tahiti * (there are some plans for this one which would expand the list) Cook Islands * Samoa * (there are some plans for this one, this one is probably very obvious considering which nation is missing from the list) Tonga * Kiribati * Tuvalu * Micronesia * Nothern Mariana Islands * (there are some plans for this one) Marshall Islands Nauru Tokelau Palau Niue Hawaii Missing FM nations from this list (and possibly used in another role) American Samoa (you know why already) Wallis and Futuna Islands New Caledonia Guam Edit: Realised I missed one and added that one.Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:40:25 +0000I have a lot more to reply to, but I want to start with this one first. I have been reading through a lot of Indonesian and Malaysian history to the point that instagram thinks I am living in Singapore. In reality the US felt that if they would entertain Indonesia of taking over Dutch New Guinea, it would help to keep Indonesia away from the USSR (wrong assumption turns out). In our alternative timeline the island of New Guinea will be one Papua New Guinea. I won't share the details (yet). At this moment, the question remaining is whether the Bougainville independence question will reach FM soon, as that might cause change, but Papua New Guinea is the whole island for now.Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:16:01 +0000https://community.sports-interactive.com/forums/topic/600817-international-management-update/Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:14:46 +0000https://support.sega.com/hc/en-gb/articles/30464049705489-What-should-I-do-if-Football-Manager-freezes-or-goes-into-black-screen-on-launchSat, 04 Apr 2026 22:14:08 +0000Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:03:42 +0000If nothing else, the behavior of my former players and my former boss galvanized my current players. It helped focus them for the job they had to do, even if it was only a friendly. They were so intense that I had to quiet them down – just a bit – after training. “Look, these fellows are angry,” I said. “I brought them all in or signed them to contracts, and then left. I couldn’t make it work here and they have focused on me as a way to win the match. That’s football.” The players were at least looking at me, which was something I couldn’t always have said at Kildare. “I’ve learned some things today, and some of those lessons have hurt a bit – but they are for me to learn, not you,” I added. “We are going to go out there tomorrow night and we’re going to have a strong match. I want us to get the taste of the Mansfield match out of our mouths before we break for the summer.” Not wanting to lose the intensity entirely, I then brought them back up. “That said, those lads over there seem to think they can hump you without too much trouble even though they’re bottom of a league this club could win playing with our kit on backwards,” I added. “They aren’t showing you anything like respect.” “We know.” That was Henry. “Good.” I gave them a thin smile. “Because we’re going to kick their f***ing teeth in.” That drew a laugh, which seemed right to me, and I headed back into the visiting manager’s office. It was just as small as the home manager’s office, so I shoehorned myself in behind the room’s small desk and opened a bottle of water. Marsh entered and stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “Nice speech, Matt,” he said, with a smile. “Sometimes the best ones are short.” “I had a girlfriend say that to me once,” I replied, and Marsh grinned. “I know you want to win tomorrow,” he said. “The players know it. Don’t worry.” “I want to win every day, Mike,” I answered, taking a pull from the bottle. The coldness of the water felt good against my dry mouth. I swirled a bit of the water around before swallowing it, and leaned back in the chair. “It’s been a fun ride, the end of this season,” I said. “It has,” Marsh replied. “Looking forward to the start of it all again in a few months,” I mused, watching players finish their post-training routines and heading to the coach. “You sound like you have something to prove.” “The day I don’t is the day I should quit,” I said. “Hell, Mike, I haven’t even started yet in this business. I’ve got work to do.” “Well, let’s get some dinner first,” he said. “Find a pub. I’ll buy.” I smiled. “I have just the one in mind, Mike.” ##Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:02:19 +0000In short, yes, in the US nations there will be promotion/relegation. However, not everywhere. Australia is still in design, although a base version is close to being discussed.Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:55:50 +0000There are no details there about the laptop's graphics card, but I would start by ensuring that it is using the latest driver. You can also try reducing the in-game graphics quality in Preferences and see if that helps. If the laptop is not new, it may need the fans cleaned of dust.Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:13:12 +0000https://community.sports-interactive.com/bugtracker/1644_football-manager-26-bugs-tracker/1877_database-research/1912_mens-football/england-efl-championship-league-1-and-league-2-data-issues/jacob-chapman-native-australian-ethnicity-r45766/Jacob Chapman (ID of Huddersfield is shown in the editor as ethnicity Native Australian, while his photo on both the Huddersfield Town and Crwley Town website show a bald light-skinned with Northern European features See links below https://www.htafc.com/teams https://www.crawleytownfc.com/teams At the Huddersfield website he can be found at the loaned out players on the bottom of the page.Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:25:06 +0000That naming convention is one I am noting down. This is the kind of detail I would never have found. I am considering various competition setups, but the current big city franchise seems the way to go, considering the distances involved and population density. I was looking through the AFL Northern Territory wiki pages and found the Arnhem team. That's probably my favorite now, considering I work in Arnhem (The Netherlands that is of course )Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:53:47 +0000Hi, Thanks for the spot. It's corrected now.Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:58:49 +0000Merci d'avoir partagé l'info, au cas où si ça arrive à quelqu'un d'autre.Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:52:50 +0000Can you clarify please? Do you mean players that you can see in the editor but don't turn up in game? Or do you mean players that you can find in real life, but are not in the editor?Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:59:45 +0000