DodgeeD Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 29 minutes ago, Keano16 said: Lee-Ki Wong! Those stats looked really even, they just had that game changer. Yeah, it was a hard fought game and we could have had them on another day. We have a solid team as do they but they also have those 3 or 4 elite players that make a difference. In case anyone relatively new to this thread (it has been on and off for over two years) are wondering, Lee Ki-Wong is genuine. He was a player in my Perth Glory team and has been a coach for me at Seattle and now South Korea - profile. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 World Cup Report: South Korea v. Brazil During... Sweet Jacobson, this was not going well. A goal down at half-time and being outplayed by a team that had already won 4-0 twice and now, a minute into the second half and South Korea had conceded again. "Eyes and ears on the Nigeria game boys!" Dodgson barked to his coaching staff. "I want to know about any goals there as soon as they go in!" His goading of the Hungarians had done the the trick as they led 1-0 at half-time. As things stood, Korea would scrape through on goal difference with three points. The minutes passed slowly.... "Boss?" It was Lee Ki-Wong looking a notification flash-up on his holowatch. "Bad news - goal in the other game. Mbah for Nigeria." "Boss?" Cho Bit-Garam, this time, the long-serving assistant manager. "I thought you retired..." "Yes, boss but I heard you at the hotel the night after we qualified shouting about not just wanting any old ass man so I stuck around.... Anyway, boss, bad news fom the Nigeria game. Mbah has..." "Yeah, I know... made it 1-1." "Err... 2-1 boss actually." "Bollo..." "Boss?" Song Seung-Woo, coach and karaoke meister this time."Goal in the Nigeria game boss...." "I know, I know. 2-1..." "3-1 boss." "Bas..." "Make that 4-1 boss." "...tard!" Rumours emerged from the Hungarian dressing room after the game that despite the players feeling up for it at half-time, their manager crumbled like an over-baked apple strudel and gave a team talk so bad that #MoyesArises started trending on central European social media. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 ouch. Tough one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 World Cup Review: Japan 2046 Group Stage No huge surprises here (apart from South Korea's shock early exit!) From the Asian sides, Japan impressed and Saudi Arabia, despite needing best runner-up spots and play-offs to get through qualifying made it the second round. Colombia were perhaps embarrassed most. having got two credible draws against France and Italy, they knew a win over Jamaica would see them through.... and they lost! Knockout Rounds Pretty much business and usual as only European and South American sides made the last eight. In a repeat of the 2010.. er... classic final, Spain beat Holland. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wynter Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Thailand drawing with Spain... Pull up that match by any chance? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 World Cup Post-Mortem Aftermath(KFA HQ, Seoul) KFA: So, David, we've called you here today to get your thoughts on the World Cup... DD: Oh yes, a fine tournament. Not a great one but the final was a thriller - injury time winner! And emerging stars - did you see that guy Mbah? Great talent. I knew he was going to make his mark. KFA: Granted, it was a good torunament but we wanted to focus on South Korea's performance... DD: Yes, it is clear that we were there and we performed. KFA: Well, we are disappointed that we were only fairly competitive and never really looked like qualifying. DD: We were competitive and and we were fair. I have always said that. And I was clear that we always had a chance right until the final whistle of the game. KFA: But we do have concerns about your ability to lead the national team. DD: I support the national team whole heartedly. It is a disgrace to say that you don't. KFA: Of course we support the national team. But the World Cup results have us concerned about the upcoming Asian Cup... DD: Well, I haven't been wasting my time worrying about what everyone will agree was a tough draw at the World Cup. I've been preparing this nation for the Asian Cup, that's what I've been doing. KFA: But you must understand that many have questioned your strengths as a manager and... DD: I have strengths. I am a strong leader... KFA: So, your strength is being strong? DD: And stable, yes. Strong and stable, strong and stable - that is what this country needs as we head to the Asian Cup. That old classic always did the trick - 'strong and stable'. Just enough t convince people to stick with you even when there were serious and justifiable doubts. Hopefully, his bluff would work better in the long run than the other fools who had used that line in the past though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 17 minutes ago, wynter said: Thailand drawing with Spain... Pull up that match by any chance? Good spot! Here ya go: It was the final group game with Spain already through and Thailand already out. Looks like the took the lead and then sat back. Very close to a famous victory! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkAussie Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 England getting knocked out in the Round of 16 as a classic England would do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 8 hours ago, HawkAussie said: England getting knocked out in the Round of 16 as a classic England would do. KO'ed with authority by Brazil! Foreign manager (Cypriot regen) in charge, surprisingly not sacked afterwards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Finally catching up in here after being gone, and loved every moment. Rough luck with the World Cup, and in the Libertadores. Looking forward to seeing where you land next, if you plan to move on still! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Cheers @ManUtd1! There are a few twists in the story to come including a new landing and lamenting lost loves Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 24 minutes ago, DodgeeD said: Cheers @ManUtd1! There are a few twists in the story to come including a new landing and lamenting lost loves Excellent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 What a summer it had been. Struggles and doubts on the pitch with both club side and national side, followed by much intrigue and interest as opportunities came knocking... It had all taken him back to a time long ago when he was neither wily nor old but rather young and sprightly. Ah, that crazy summer of love as he had called it. That crazy summer of infidelity as Sally had called it... Sally.. he hadn't though of her in so long. They enjoyed a warm and loving relationship with plenty of good times but it had started to get a little... stuffy, samey, stale. A few weeks backpacking in East Asia were supposed to rekindle the flame but their travels were an unmitigated disaster and they had come home early. They barely spoke on the flight back and he wondered if this was the end of it all. Things got more complicated when he got a call from Maria, his ex from a few years before. They had enjoyed a brief but passionate affair but her Latina temperament meant it was all doomed from the start and she had sent him packing within a few short months. Now, she had heard about his growing dissatisfaction with Sally and called him again. She wanted to meet, to talk, to make an offer of getting back together. He went along as a courtesy more than anything else. She had not changed. After him, she had gone through 2 or 3 relationships each year, dumping each new lover at the first sign of weakness or indecision. Sally got wind of their meeting. She begged him to stay. She asked him what he wanted to change. He suggested more investment of time in building the stage for a solid relationship. She disagreed but offered more funds for their next holiday so he agreed to stay with her. He never had any intention of going back to crazy Maria anyway. He just wanted the satisfaction of turning her down. Then, there was that weekend in London. He was introduced to Sophia by a mutual friend. She was a working class girl from central London who had got rich thanks to some distant Russian relative and lived a heiress lifestyle. She was an attractive and strong woman, determined to succeed, but didn't seem to care whose toes she stood on to get what she wanted. She promised him the world and he was tempted... but something didn't seem right. Like Maria, she was high-maintainence and known to demand silverware constantly and cast off lovers if they ever failed to produce (or if her meddling little nephew JT took a dislike to her man). Again, Sally got wind of things. Once more, she begged him to stay. He talked about investing in the future, about bringing new youth to the world, but all she offered was a promise to not be so defensive. He again promised to stay but his heart was no longer in it. Yes, he thought of Sally, Maria, and Sophia, of promises made and what might have been as the job offers came in from former employers America in Mexico and from Chelsea back home in the UK... And yet, the offers were not quite right and despite Once Caldas not really being willing to offer him much of an incentive to stay, he had turned them down... And, then he met Roxanne... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro Oh, how Sally had screamed! After a summer of twists and tumbles in their relationship, long talks and reflections on where they had come from and where they were going, another had caught his eye as the long days started to recede. This time she was livid. No calm sit down, talk of what or how to change, or empty promises this time. She gave him a simple choice - cut off all communications and drop any ideas of dating someone else or just go. He went. A sense of deja vu here, not just from those loves long lost, but also from my past FM Careers exploits (which any of you who have been around for 6 years or more may remember ) In the game, San Lorenzo lost their manager as he took up the vacant Colombia job after the World Cup, I applied and took the job. These boys are recent Copa Libertaodres winners having won the famous trophy in 2045. Their squad needs some reshaping to repeat that feat as they have quite a few old players and waaaay too many left-backs. They do have a couple of star players with Andres Zanabria the pick of the current bunch. Current league position is good and we are expected to be in the conversation for the title over the remainder of the season: That is not the full table of course as Argentina has its famous 30 team division to contend with. Wish me luck with my new love! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Brilliant! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Not the best World Cup for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 On 05.06.2017 at 21:10, Keano16 said: Brilliant! More flashbacks to come On 06.06.2017 at 01:27, Nobby_McDonald said: Not the best World Cup for you. Sadly not... I haven't had much success on the international stage in this career so far despite time in charge of Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Portugal, and South Korea. Hopefully, the upcoming Asian Cup can change that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 Nice to see one of my old clubs doing well: A first Asian Champions League since I led them to the gold nearly 20 years ago, and managed by one of the star players of my team Ryan Bartlett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 September 2046 San Lorenzo Update Just catching up with updates here now that my eyes have stopped bleeding from the red text on blue background that comes with being San Lorenzo manager. Having played through about ten games since taking over, the table looks like this (the top ten at least - very difficult to get a screenie of the full 30 team table): A slight wobble in my first game as we lost to Velez but we are undefeated since. Highlight so far was a 3-1 win over Olimpo, a game that came with yet another strange sense of deja vu, as before kick-off, I stared at the Olimpo fans and they stared at me... When I sat down in my seat, it felt remarkably warm... Anyway, as you can see, it's a five way battle with 5 games to go. We are sitting pretty on top but with Boca to come in the next game, that could all change quickly. Game by game updates coming as the season reaches its climax! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, 7 October 2046 Why did I decide to do match-by-match updates? No sooner have we reached the title run-in, no sooner have I started to talk of first place and this: It didn't help that both our top strikers and top scorers Aguirre and Zanabria were out injured but we failed to hold onto the lead and failed to hold onto the point in the final ten minutes... Luckily for us, River lost and Rosario Central only drew so we are still in touch but with only 4 games left, we can't afford any slip ups. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, 23 October 2046 Time to get this title charge back on track with a visit to Banfield. Zanabria was back for us and he made the difference: It was a tense final few minutes as Banfield hit the post in injury time but we held out in the end. just as well: Rosario were the only team in the top five to drop points. Three games to go and two points cover the top four!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, 27 October 2046 Life has started well at San Lorenzo but I am not sure about my relationship with Dullio Vega, my ass man Take the other day as an example when I asked him who we had next in the league. "NOB!" he shouted. "Excuse me?" I said incredulous and I started to roll up my sleeves. "Say that again!" "NOB - Newell's Old Boys. You alright boss? Why are you taking your watch off?" "Nevermind." Two games to go and we are right back in it: Boca and Rosario dropped points and River lost. Only Velez matched our win - we have to keep the pressure up. NOB! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, 3 November 2046 Crisis as we enter the last two games of the league campaign. Aguire and Zanabria are injured again leaving me with a reserve striker who has played 1 match for the first team all season. Injuries and suspensions have also hit us in central defence and midfield. The players I do have available are knackered due to our midweek Copa Sudamericana fixtures... At least we have an easy home match against 23rd placed Belgrano... ****!! Went behind to an early goal, piled on the pressure but couldn't break through until deep into stoppage time. And to make matters worse, everyone dropped points! Velez and Boca both drew. If we had won, we would have gone top on goal difference but now we have to win next week and hope Velez don't. River and Rosario are now out of contention so it comes down to the top three on the final day... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 Just now, Raware said: We are going deeper than squeaky bum time - our final opponents are Colon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 3 minutes ago, DodgeeD said: We are going deeper than squeaky bum time - our final opponents are Colon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, 3 November 2046 Colon - we would need to pass Colon to exit the season successfully. Just one last push, one final gargantuan effort to survive squeaky bum time... Colon proved to be our blockage... Colon. Santa. Jackass. It was all for naught anyway as Velez won and captured the title. Time to concentrate on the latter stages of the Copa Sudamericana! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Sounded like some colonic irrigation was needed! You're going to have to start all over again next season...from the 'bottom'. Ok...I'll stop now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 13, 2017 Author Share Posted June 13, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, Copa Sudamericana 2046 (Part 1) Did I mention the title run in coincided with the Copa Sudamericana? What started out as a fun little distraction and a Prelim Round win over Boca when I was new int he job still trying to win the fans over turned into a double-edged sword as the later rounds interspersed our final five league games. Here is our run up to the semi-final first leg: From the second leg against Olimpia onwards, we were active on two fronts. With injuries to my strikers and midfielders, it was a tough run. The games against Palmerias were as tough and hard fought as the scorelines suggest and then, just days after getting stuck at Colon, we found ourselves flushed out by a River... Would there be any comeback from that in the second leg? Oh yes! And in the most dramatic, backs to the wall way possible! We played more than an hour with ten men but we were all over our local rivals. The breakthrough came with a slice of luck from an own goal before we sealed the deal late on with a recently returned Aguirre grabbing the winner. Internacional of Brazil await in the final and with the league now out of the way, we should have more than enough time to prepare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, December 2046 - Play-offs?!?!? We had crossed the River when we came to it and were all set for the Copa Sudamericana final. That is until ass man Vega showed up again. "One week to prepare for the final," I was saying as we started our meeting. "All focus on that match now." "What about Boca, boss?" asked Vega. "What about them? Granted, they got one over us in the league but we did them over in the Copa Sudamericana as well." "And River boss?" "We just played them Vega. Haven't you been paying attention? We knocked them out - we don't need to worry about them any more!" "Perhaps you haven't been paying attention boss. I'm talking about the play-offs boss, not the Copa." "Play-offs? For what? The title?" "No, Velez are not involved. To be honest boss, no-one knows what the play-offs are for. I think the AFA want it to be a surprise." It was a surprise alright - 3 more games against the top teams in the league squeezed in between a major continental final... Not what I had in mind. These matches were a tough call - rest players for the Copa Sudamericana? Or put out a team strong enough to win heated rivalries? I guess Boca were jst as unenthusiastic for the extra games as we were as we ran out easy winners. River were a tougher prospect but another late goal got us a point. The Rosario Central game came two days (!) before the Copa Sudamericana Final Second Leg so I played kids and reserves. They did a great job and earned us top spot. And what was the surprise? What had the extra three games at a crucial time of the season brought us? A play-off final against Velez to crown the true champions? No. Group stage qualification for the Copa Libertadores? No. Prize money? A trophy? A cuddly bear? No. Qualification for next season's Copa Sudamericana of course.... Great - so we had to play these games together with the Copa Sudamericana final, just to qualify for next season's competition and the extra matches it will bring. Just great... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 The Dodgee Diaries, Copa Sudamericana 2046 (Part 2) Final Leg 1 v. Internacional (a) Not a huge deal to say about this game. We went to Brazil and played a tight game, hitting the home side on the break. We had more chances and could perhaps even feel disappointed that we didn't come away with a goal. Once again, my two star strikers were out injured though and we lacked the firepower to get the breakthrough. Final Leg 2 v. Internacional (h) Another tense game as we had home advantage but had to be wary of conceding an away goal. We dominated but again lacked the clinical finishing of Aguirre and Zanabia, who were watching from the physio's table. And the away gaol would prove our undoing as we got hit on the break with little over 10 minutes left. That knoecked the wind out of our sails and there was no way back. Here's our run-in of league and Copa Sudamericana games. I will not lie - this is a full-on excuse and sympathy call for our ultimate failure to win anything! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Ouch, that was a tough one. But it looks like you have a great squad, except back ups for the strikers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 6 hours ago, kidthekid said: Ouch, that was a tough one. But it looks like you have a great squad, except back ups for the strikers Cheers - the squad is a good one. Several of them remain from the side that won the 2045 Copa Libertadores. I need to add back-ups in goal, at right back and up front. We are a few million in debt so I'll have to see what kind of budget I get to play with for next season. I will no doubt supplement whatever's available by clearing out deadwood in the reserve squad as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 San Lorenzo 2046 Season Review Quick Overview Primera Division: 3rd Primera Division Play-Offs: 1st Copa Sudamericana: Finalists Primera Division Results | Copa Sudamericana Results Review Was that a successful beginning or not? I'm not sure! Pointless play-off mini league aside, we didn't win anything but we came close on two fronts. Reinforcements will be needed for next season but I am confident that a couple of additions to the squad is all that is needed to step up from challenging to winning. Key PlayersLucas Suarez (DC) - classic hardman central defender. Red card against River aside, did a great job for us.Lodh Pérez Orué (MC) - a rock in the centre of midfield.Andrés Zanabria (AMRL/ST) - our top-rated first teamer. 3 separate injuries meant he missed a lot of games though...Diego Aguirre (ST) - our other injury prone striker. Great when fit! TransfersTransfer History Most of the dealings were done before I arrived and the restrictive transfer rules (only two new signings mid-season) meant I didn't bring many faces in. Diego Lefnir was my only capture - an experienced former international who agreed to come home for a swansong after over several years in England (Chelsea and Wolves). The Season Ahead... The usual pre-season nightmare of fighting off interest for my best players from Europe awaits. Finances don't look great so I will have to find freebies or sell to buy. I think just a little more depth is needed in the squad and we will be ready to challenge for trophies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 2046 South Korea Review Quick Overview: World Cup: Group Stage exit Results: World Ranking (Dec 2046): 26th Rankings Graph A busy year but it is all judged on those three games at the World Cup.... We were never going to beat Brazil and Nigeria (ranked 12th in the world) were too strong. I will have nightmares about Mbah for years to come... Our December fixtures came about as a result of the impending Asian Cup to be held January 2047 in Japan (full tournament coverage coming soon!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 2047 Asian Cup Preview Hosts: Japan Holders: Saudi Arabia Just six short months after the World Cup juggernaut left town, the Asian Cup circus rolls into Japan. In an attempt to emulate the massive brain fart of the UEFA bigwigs, the Asian Football Federation also now allows 24 nations to 'compete' - 6 groups of 4 from which 16 teams fail to completely flop emerge to contest the knockout rounds. This Asian footballing feast will feature the following tasty delights: One team noticeable their absence are hosts Japan - either it's a bug or having hosted the East Asian Cup, Confederations Cup, and World Cup in the space of 18 months, they've decided to take the tournament off.... We have one of the tougher groups - we faced Myanmar in World Cup Qualifying and they shouldn't be a threat. Australia and Kuwait will be sure to provide tough opposition, however. Still, we have to be one of the favourites and the KFA are expecting a run to the final. Time to show that the World Cup was just a blip - w are strong and stable! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 2047 Asian Cup Group Stage Review Group D Solid if not spectacular, we got through our group without much trouble. The only worries were an injury to Oh Soo-Hyung on the eve of the tournament, which meant he missed the first two matches, some handbags during the Australia match (we thought 'wombat' was a term of endearment, honest - no need for them to be such ratbags about it) which saw a player from each side sent off, and late drama against Kuwait. Despite a late penalty scare, we saw the Aussies off 2-1 on matchday one. There was another late scare against Kuwait as they won a penalty with the game 0-0. It came back off the bar and we would then press on to grab a winner with the last kick of the game, 1-0. That meant we were already qualified in top spot before facing Myanmar so I gave the back-ups a run-out. Oh Soo-Hyung came on late to stretch his legs and added another late goal in a 2-0 win. That meant we topped the group with ease. Full group tables as follows: No huge shocks from any of those groups. Kuwait would also reach the round of 16 as one of the 'best' 3rd placed-teams. Next up for us - Uzbekistan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 2047 Asian Cup Knockout Rounds Review Second Round We turned things up a notch in the knockout rounds and Uzbekistan were the first to suffer. With Oh Soo-Hyung back to fitness and suspensions from the Aussie game all served, we were at full strength and dominated the match, two up at half-time before adding two more after the beak and allowing our opponents a late consolation in a 4-1 victory. No huge shocks again but both of our fellow Group D graduates dropped out and went home. Thailand and Iran looked impressive and seem to be our most likely challengers. Quarter-finals China awaited in the last eight. We had beaten them in a friendly just before the tournament began as well as at the 2045 East Asian Cup so we were confident of winning. We were perhaps over-confident as we fell behind to an early penalty but we got an equaliser just before half-time before Oh Soo-Hyung made it 3 in 3 games. We then hit a late goal on the break to seal a 3-1 win. Great for us that we played first and the other three games went to extra time and/or penalties, which would help us be fresher for the semis. Iran are out but Thailand and Saudi Arabia, both impressive at the last World Cup, look strong. Semi-finals We were in the better side of the draw as we faced Jordan in the last four. Another early penalty led to the first goal but, fortunately, it was for us this time. The lads from the Levant never looked a threat an we made certain of a 2-0 triumph with another late goal. The only down side of the day was an injury to our AMC playmaker Pi Ji-Hoon. Thailand it is then in the final. Again, they went the distance needing penalties to win against Saudi Arabia. That means we should be the fresher team. Could a first major international title of this career be on the way? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 2047 Asian Cup Final We were heavy favourites coming into the game and showed just why with a goal after 29 seconds - watch the highlights to see the only Thai touch being an attempted headed clearance from the initial cross. Oh-Soo Hyung was the man. Thailand got back level late in the first half with a goal from tournament top scorer Wutthipong Sansuk (great name!) but their joy was short-lived as we got a penalty in first half stoppage time. We kept it tight in the second half to hold onto a 2-1 victory and South Korea's first Asian Cup in 20 years! Needless to say, the KFA and the supporters were delighted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 Speculation started concerning my future almost as soon as the team of heroes had been welcomed home: Fair enough as I had completed a four-year cycle, won two tournaments and, well, we just won't mention the World Cup (the nightmares about Mbah had finally stopped...) I had my eye on other openings as I look to supplement my hexagonal Champions League attempt with some international glory and decided it was time to head back to Africa: After a disappointing quarter-final exit at the African Cup of Nations, Nigeria decided to get a new manager in. I jumped at the chance as it means I can have a crack at more continental glory within two years. It was only when waking with a start, drenched in cold sweat the following night that I realised what I had done. Mbah... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 San Lorenzo 2047 Season Preview Expectations Primera Division: Challenge for the title (Media Prediction: 3rd) Copa Argentina: Reach the final Copa Libertadores: Reach the quarter-finals Copa Sudamericana: TBC My first full season at San Lorenzo beckons with a surprise - the board have expectations for the domestic cup! First time in a while it has been anything other than 'not important...' The main issue was money i.e. there wasn't any. I then had to make a difficult choice and sell one of my star but injury prone strikers. One day I summoned them both to my office (having baby-proofed the place first to stop the gashing their legs on coffee table corners or getting their fingers stuck in the doors). In the end, I kept Aguirre and let Zanabria go - he had suffered more injuries in training and there was more money being offered. As Aguirre left the room, I asked Zanabria to stay back then shoved him into a conveniently placed box stuffed with cotton wool and shipped him off to Portugal. Porto paid me €5 million up front with another €5 million in clauses plus a 50% sell-on, no refunds. He got injured (twisted knee) within a week of arriving. Apart from that, departures were mainly reserve players who were moaning about no game time but were no good enough. I also cut the number of left-backs in the first team squad from 6 to a mere 3. That all gave me a decent amount to spend and the following new faces came in: Ivan Rodriguez (DR) & Roberto Nieto (MC) - of course, I had to go back and raid Once Caldas for a couple of their hot prospects (just as our manager had returned to Sally's house after moving out to take the new 4K TV and PS4 Pro after the end of their relationship....) These two will play back-up to the first team for now but should be regular starters within a season or two. Luis Valle (MC) - after a strange dream in which he was the manager of Olimpo, our wily old manager decided a bald-too-soon midfield maestro was needed and immediately went for this guy, a key player in Rosario Central's title push last season. Transfer History So, a new season awaits... All eyes on the Copa Libertadores - special reports coming up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Well done winning the Asian Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 On 16.06.2017 at 01:30, Nobby_McDonald said: Well done winning the Asian Cup. Cheers! Nice to finally win a major title after falling short with Ivory Coast, DR Congo, and Portugal in the past. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 After a bore draw with champions Velez in our opening league game, we put the rest of the league on notice with our next result Looks like selling Zanabria and keeping Aguirre is working out for us so far But the main focus for this season will be the Copa Libertadores. The group stage draw has been made and we are in Group E: It should (should) be us and Cruzerio for the top two spots but I know Colo Colo are a threat from my time with Once Caldas. Pachuca are a bit of an unknown quantity as they haven't qualified for continental competition very often in the last 30 years. My expectations are high - let's see if I can justify dumping Sally leaving Colombia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjoe Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Great thread, @DodgeeD. Finally caught up with it, and Lee-Ki Wong was amazing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 56 minutes ago, Benjoe said: Great thread, @DodgeeD. Finally caught up with it, and Lee-Ki Wong was amazing. He quit South Korea when I did stating he hoped to work with me again. I promptly offered him the Nigeria job. He refused.... Turned down the chance to coach at San Lorenzo as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golan Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Let's hope for a good Copa Libertadores campaign! Congrats on the South Korea win Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 Far from your Average Group E: The Trials and Tribulations of San Lorenzo's 2047 Copa Libertadores Group Stage Campaign Retold by DodgeeD Illustrated by the gifs of Cristiano Ronaldo He awoke with a start. It took a few seconds to separate what had been real and what was a dream. Pachuca, Mexico. David Moyes. Colo Colo. 7 points. Cristiano Ronaldo. Sally. San Lorenzo. Roxanne. Turning up to training with no trousers on. At least there was no Lee Ki-Wong. With all those visions of Ronaldo and... Moyes... that would have been awkward to say the least. 7 points. That had been real. 7 points in 6 matches... It wasn't supposed to be like this. It had started well enough. 5-2 at home to Pachuca. A 2-1 defeat to Cruzerio in Brazil followed but that was the toughest game of the group so it was nothing to worry about. A trip to Chile and a 2-0 win over Colo Colo and all was back on track. Then came the game that should have sealed it. Home to Colo Colo. Another win, 9 points and qualification all but assured. The Chileans, however, had other plans. They rose to the occasion in a manner that no-one had expected. Dodgson's team were a goal down at half-time and were being over-run. The boss was furious when he entered the dressing room but upon seeing his disillusioned players, he didn't know what to do. Get aggressive and smack them about a bit? Or try to calmly console them? ın the end, he went for something between the two but it failed to do the trick. In fact, it had quite a negative impact. Demoralised the players went on to lose 2-0. Cruzerio came to Buenos Aires next with the pressure on to get a result. A tight nervy game ensued. Both sides had their chances but a late penalty would eventually settle it all.... A penalty for Cruzerio... This was fast turning into a nightmare. But there was a glimmer of hope - Colo Colo had also bottled it and lost to Pachuca meaning San Lorenzo were still in with a shout. Colo Colo still had to go to Brazil while Dodgson and his boys would travel to Mexico. There would be no slip ups now, surely? San Lorenzo were two goals down at half-time. Colo Colo were one up at Cruzerio. What on earth was going on? This time, no punches were pulled. He let the players have it at half-time, calling them every name under the sun. He blurted out something about never wanting to leave Sally at one point, which drew puzzled look from the players but he recovered his composure and gave the players a treatment Sir Alex would have been proud of. It did the trick for a while at least as his boys were level in 15 minutes. Cruzerio had restored order in their game and all was well. But there were yet more twists and turns. The boys relaxed too soon and Pachuca were able to retake the lead. 15 minutes to go and San Lorenzo were in the strange position of being set to qualify with only 6 points! A sembelance of order was restored at the last though as reserve striker Malano (in for the yet again injured Aguirre) levelled the scoreline. That was how it would finish. 7 points. Just barely enough for second in the group and barely, barely enough to get through to the next round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 31 minutes ago, Golan said: Let's hope for a good Copa Libertadores campaign! Congrats on the South Korea win Cheers @Golan As you can see above, it's been quite the topsy-turvy Copa Libertadores campaign so far. We qualified as the lowest-ranked second placed team which means we have to play the highest-ranked first placed team in the next round - Palmerias of Brazil. If we get through that tie, anything is possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golan Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 11 hours ago, DodgeeD said: Cheers @Golan As you can see above, it's been quite the topsy-turvy Copa Libertadores campaign so far. We qualified as the lowest-ranked second placed team which means we have to play the highest-ranked first placed team in the next round - Palmerias of Brazil. If we get through that tie, anything is possible. Wow what a great last game! And great post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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