[FM16] The Footballing Gap Year 2.0

[HeyyImRyan]

I started a career on this last year, but due to my own travelling (instead of my FM alter-ego's) and work from both uni and the real world, didn't get anywhere near as far as I had hoped. This year should be different - especially with an entire month off in June! For those who weren't readers a year ago, this is the basic premise:

Some FM careers lead sides from the doldrums of their national leagues to the peaks of European and International football - league titles, continental titles and Ballon D'or galore. This is not that sort of career. You have been warned. Fresh from years drinking and 'studying' at University, a young man sets off abroad to 'find himself' like many have gone before him. Brits across the continents is nothing new, but this man has a dream: fame and fortune. Will this trip be a one year booze-cruise around Asia's hotspots? Or the path to enlightenment? This is where it all begins. With a couple of friends in tow, Ryan sets off on the journey of a lifetime.

Leagues Loaded

Antigua & Barbuda: Premier Division & First Division

Australia: A-League

Bahrain: Premier Division & First Division

China: SuperLeague & First Division

Cuba: National League

England - Premier League & Championship (may add further down later on)

Fiji: National Football League

Gibraltar: First & Second Division

Hong Kong: Premier - Third Division

Hungary: Division I

Jamaica: Premier League & Regional Divisions

Malaysia: Super League & Premier League

Malta: Premier League - Third Division

Montenegro: First & Second Division

Northern Ireland: Premier - Second Division

New Zealand: ASB Premiership

Qatar: Stars League & Q-League

San Marino: Nation League

Serbia: SuperLeague & First Division

Singapore: S-League

Thailand: Premier League - Second Division

U.A.E.: Pro League & First Division

U.S.A.: MSL/NASL/USL (no promotion/relegation)

Vietnam: V-Leagues 1 & 2

Career Aims

- Try to avoid relegation as often as possible

- Try and win something

- Bring through youth talent and follow their progress

- See where I end up!

Stat Pack

Something I don't see very often on here but am personally very interested is a constant upkeep of stats: manager head-to-heads, goals scored inside/outside the box, players performance ratios and obviously tables for records like top goalscorers in leagues and in clubs. I can't promise that all of these will be 100% up to date (league top goalscorer charts can be a struggle if I move to new nations), but I hope this will be an added dimension to the game that keeps people interested.

It will also plot quarterly club finances/values and player values (mainly for youth products) at the pre-season, mid-season and post-season level.

If you have any interesting stats you'd like to see, chances are I've either been charting them or will be happy to do so from that point onwards, so please let me know!

Off we go...

[Motlhen]

Good looking start to this! I'll definitely be following.

It'll be interesting to see how long you can bare having to recycle your whole team once they mature.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Great pitch. Where is it?

[HeyyImRyan]

Good looking start to this! I'll definitely be following.

It'll be interesting to see how long you can bare having to recycle your whole team once they mature.

Thank you very much!

I think my answer will be not very long! I'm trying to play it realistically so if a job offer with actual money crops up then the chances are I will be jumping ship, especially if this side can't perform.

Great pitch. Where is it?

It's the Floating Pitch at Marina Bay in Singapore.

It's used as a football pitch, but has also hosted the 2010 youth olympic games and the road between the floating pitch and the grandstand makes up turns 17 and 18 of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

[Nobby_McDonald]

It's the Floating Pitch at Marina Bay in Singapore.

It's used as a football pitch, but has also hosted the 2010 youth olympic games and the road between the floating pitch and the grandstand makes up turns 17 and 18 of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Imagine hoofing it into row Z just as Lewis Hamilton is driving past.

[HeyyImRyan]

Imagine hoofing it into row Z just as Lewis Hamilton is driving past.

I'd do it for a cash-filled brown envelope off of Nico.

[HeyyImRyan]

After extensive testing yesterday I've found that the source of my May 2016 crashes is the Cuba league file. I'm restarting without the Cuba league loaded this evening. I will probably start again at the same side as I'd like to see if I can replicate my success!

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Fresh from a 13 hour flight out of Heathrow, Ryan pushed onwards through the stifling heat of Hong Kong International airport towards the MTR. "Just like the London Underground, but cleaner!" he thought, as he forced his one small suitcase through the ticket barrier and down the escalator to the platform. Barely 30 minutes had passed before he had reached his destination, as he hopped onto another crowded platform and up to the bustling streets of northern Kowloon. Despite the orange sky signalling the setting sun, the heat was still a test of endurance for the young Brit, as he fumbled his baggage across the pavement and navigated through the crowds. Wong Tai Sin was North of the main island and less crowded than southern areas of Kowloon city, but it was still awash with the sights, smells and energy of Hong Kong markets. Grateful for English signposts in a city so far from home, he eventually found his way to the apartment complex where he would be staying with two friends already in the city. "What the heck have I done?" he lambasted internally, dawning on the realisation that the 'apartment' he would be living in was no more than a studio with three mattresses, a stove and a TV straight from the 80s. Despite it all, he didn't mind. His journey had begun, and tomorrow he'd take up his role as a football manager...sort of. He'd managed to acquire a position managing the football team of a youth group organisation. It wasn't a paid position, but it was a start - a perfect opportunity to update Facebook with a million photos and quotes about how culturally enhanced he was becoming. A start to who-knows-what.

The Club

My career begins as an unpaid (and uncontracted) manager of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups football team, in the fourth tier of Hong Kong football. It's an amateur league and HKYFG are unable to play or sign players over the age of 20 - they show up as ineligible on match days. HKFYG play their games on a park pitch in Morse Park, overlooking the most bizarre city cemetery I have ever seen (let me know if you've seen any better!). The club is valued at £500 and currently has a balance of £89.



The Squad



At first glance this looks fairly decent, after looking more closely you can see why it is not. Several of our best players are over the age of 20 and ineligible to play, as are a fair few squad players too. This will be the first thing that needs to be rectified. It looks like a lot of work and incoming players will be needed this season which is not really what I had hoped to be doing.

The Staff

There were no other employees at the club, and I set about immediately to rectify this. Just as with the rest of us, an assistant manager, coach, physio and chief scout were all brought in on non-contacts. Staff and player wages totalled to absolutely nothing.

Assistant Manager: Ng Wai Yin

Coach: Yuen Kam Fai

Head Physio: Li Wai Fung

Chief Scout: Mak Ka Wai

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Pre-Season 2015/16

Transfers In



Six newcomers joined the HKFYG ranks after gaining approval from my chief scout. These signings were all of significant quality to bolster the squad, but were also necessary due to a lack of depth in those positions once the players over the age limit had departed. Key signings are So Lung, a 19 year-old forward that will hopefully wreak havoc for opposition defences this season, and Wong Ming Kui, who joins us as a 17 year-old fresh from South China's academy. In all honesty I didn't think six signings was enough, but I couldn't find any others that matched my standards for the club and who signed for us over higher leagues/more prestigious Division Three sides.

Transfers Out



Lots of players went out the door on free transfers: some because they were over 20 and others because they were useless. All left on free transfers as no one was interested in paying for them and I felt it pointless to keep them at the club even if they weren't being paid any cash. We shall have to see whether any come back to haunt us, but my thoughts are that they will all quickly fade into obscurity or retire.

HKFYG Squad 2015/16



With all the ins and outs it has been a testing time for the club (especially under some unknown foreign manager with no coaching badges or any idea about speaking Cantonese), but this was what we could put together. Ironically it actually looks like a decent outfit: the spine of the team looks really solid with two quality keepers, one decent centre-half, two superb central midfielders and a quality forward in So Lung. Maybe we could look towards a successful season despite the board's ambitions of trying to be competitive.

Pre-Season



I'd be lying if I said I thought this was good enough, but given the squad had just been pieced together and that these games came in quick succession, I'm not too disappointed. We were 2-0 against Kowloon Fruit before we staged a great comeback, and this was followed by a dull and uneventful 0-0 versus Macau University. Our last game also ended in a draw (leaving me unbeaten so far!) but again, lacked the quality I was expecting from this team.

All in all, I still think we have a good squad and should be capable of challenging this season given the player quality in opposition teams. Onwards and upwards...

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Mid-Season Report 2015/16

Hong Kong Third Division



Halfway through, and things could be a lot worse. We started the season even worse than our pre-season fixtures suggested we would - failing to score in either of our opening two games whilst allowing Hoi King and Telecom HKG to walk all over us with 3-0 and 2-0 wins each. In our third game we finally put our foot on the pedal and got some points (and much-needed goals) on the board. I was delighted to see both our strikers get off the mark and tip the match in our favour late in the game. A short trip to KCDRSC followed, as did another three points - but we were very fortunate. We opened up the lead with a cheeky goal from a free-kick, before KCDRSC equalised ahead of half-time. The second half saw KCDRSC miss an open goal before So Lung's effort struck the post, rebounded out and was knocked in by the keeper diving towards the original strike.

Another comfortable win followed at Fukien before we somehow managed a point against Central & West Districts. They dominated the game but couldn't put the ball in the net, and we maintained our unbeaten run. What goes around, comes around, however, as So Lung's early super-strike against North District was cancelled out in the 84th minute by a clinical Medard Koya. Kui Tan was an easy trip - they rarely threatened and we set back to winning ways.

Our game against Islands was phenomenal, as they lived up to their title as comeback kings. Having already rescued a point from 3-0 down against title contenders Hoi King, the Island District side clawed back from our 2-0 lead to settle both sides at a point each. I would have been disappointed by this given I set the team up to hold down the fort once we hit our second goal, but a goal of pure brilliance from Islands' Peter Essuman (which later won goal of the month) was very much deserving of a point in itself.

A run of five comfortable wins followed, though - in fairness - Wing Go gave us a run for our money when they took an early lead. We fought back to 3-1 and saw the game out despite another late goal. Our final game of this half of the season was the rematch against Telecom HK, who had already beaten us 2-0 earlier in the season. We were shocking, but no matter what I tried I could not counter the skill and pace of Telecom's front lines. We lead for all of four minutes thanks to Yue Wing Chun's 3rd minute strike, but after that it was all Telecom HK. By half-time they'd reclaimed the lead, and instead of looking like scoring an equaliser in the second half, we ended up having to defend and prevent conceding more than the three Telecom eventually mustered. Somewhat of a bogey team may be emerging, but in truth I feel my defence just struggle too much with their pace and direct football.



Despite the disappointing defeats to Telecom, I was still incredibly pleased with our general performance and our league position. We sit two points behind Hoi King with a game in hand, and we are certainly in with a chance of nabbing the title if we can replicate the form from the first half of the season. Crucial to this will be the upcoming replay against the leaders, but putting to bed the easier teams will be just as crucial moving forwards. Given their performances against us, I'm really surprised that Telecom are only 5th, and I think Islands would be a real threat if they stopped conceding so many early goals.

My record against the top five clubs so far isn't particularly impressive: Played 5; Lost 3; Drawn 1; Won 1; So this definitely needs to improve with the return games against Hoi King, KCDRSC and C&W Districts if we are to have a shout at promotion. As expected, both strikers have been crucial with seven goals each, but I still think we have yet to see the best from So Lung. Down the other end, Wong Ming Kui has kept us in a couple of games with quality performances, but the real hero has been Yau Chun Him. Joining from First Division's Wan Chai, the 19 year-old will sadly have a short career at HKFYG due to his age, but he has dominated the midfield week in, week out, meriting the three U19 International appearances he has been given so far.



National C Badges

My coach, and assistant manager have both started work on National C coaching licenses, each at the club's expense. I asked if I could do the same but my attendance at training was considered more important at this time. Hopefully this will change once by colleagues have finished studying and get back on the training ground themselves.

Stat Pack

You're Undefeatable

Our twelve games unbeaten is a new club and division record. The twelve games spanned over three months - from victory against St Joseph's on the 19th of September, through to the win against Sai Kung Friends on the 2nd of January and the subsequent defeat on the 9th.

Six-in-a-row

Youngster Yue Wing Chun could be heading towards a record of his own, as he has currently found the net in six games back-to-back. Who knows how long this can last?

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

The Game That Should Have Been







One of the only things that had disgruntled me this season was our inability to score goals frequently enough to see off teams. It therefore came as quite a surprise to give a half-time team talk with the scoreline at 4-1. This was all my fault, I will completely admit to that. I was excited at the score and our performance, and told the players to keep going - keep attacking and pushing on. That was a mistake. I should have realised when Fukien came out and scored almost instantly. I should have realised when a fantastic finish made it 4-3. But I certainly realised it when a lofted free-kick landed at the foot of a Fukien player, who had beaten my keeper (who was only on the pitch after moaning about no playing time), and cooly slotted home the equaliser in the 86th minute.

In some ways, I'm frustrated we'd dropped points, in others I was ecstatic that we'd managed four goals in a game and a hat-trick, and in general I think the neutrals probably had a fantastic time watching if they'd bothered to walk their dog around the park that afternoon.



On The Move?



I was odds on to become the manager at struggling Kowloon City [for anyone who read the pre-crash save, this is a surprising reoccurence!]. Whilst initially delighted, I was deterred by them sitting bottom of the table, having only managed two wins all season. Had they been in better shape then my head would probably be turned, but I had my eye on an even bigger job and was hoping things would go pear-shaped for their current boss...

Out for So Lung



Still with over ten games to go in the league, this is a harrowing blow...

Money, Money, Money...



Just over halfway through the season, some local restaurant had decided to jump on the bandwagon and get their name on our shirts. A massive, massive boost for the club's finances which will do wonders for us if we can secure promotion...

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Youth Candidates 2015/16



Not the best haul of players given potential ability means very little at this level, but there are a couple of good youngsters that can probably make the step up to the first team.

(YP16a) Pang Kin Ming

Crucial to the way I like to play is a strong central midfielder that can tackle well, and Pang Kin Ming fits the bill. He's also hardworking and determined which means a lot to me too.

(YP16b) Lee Chun Pong

We already have a couple of decent keepers here at HKFYG but there is absolutely no harm in adding another to the ranks. He could develop into a great keeper either here or elsewhere in the future.

(YP16c) Wong Chi Wai

Not particularly great, but we are lacking a consistent right back and so he will probably be given enough game time to progress substantially in the future.

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Season Summary 2015/16

Hong Kong Third Division





What an end to the campaign! Starting the tail end of the season off with a tense 1-0 draw, we then went on a run of drawn games. We were incredibly lucky to earn a point against an in-form Hoi King, saved by a late penalty, and then really didn't get going against St Joseph's who we really should have seen off. I was stunned at Fukien's comeback to deny us 3 points given we lead them 4-1 at half time, but we finally got firing again with a big win against promotion contenders C&W Districts thanks to two late penalties again.

KCDRSC maintained their huge 15-game unbeaten run with a draw against us, before a comfortable win over North District thanks to two early goals. The odds were certainly in our favour, as penalties in the next three games in a row led us to wins by one goal margins (conspiracy?) in each - before a 2-2 draw against the Islands District who stayed true to character in fighting back from 2-0 down at half-time.

We were really on the home stretch at this point: Our ability to keep winning or drawing games was unmatched by the other title challengers who were starting to drop points all over the shop, and we sealed promotion with a 2-1 win at Wing Go, thanks to yet another late penalty goal. We were now points away from the title, and faced division whipping boys Sai Kung Friends knowing that a win would seal our Third Division crowd. The team duly delivered, Yau Chun Him getting us off the mark in the 3rd minute before Yue Wing Chun sealed the deal with his 13th of the season half hour later. We were Third Division champions!. Despite this, we still had appearances to keep up. A comfortable 2-0 win against KCC was followed up by a record crowd at Morse Park, as 133 people witnessed...us lose, 1-0, on the day we lifted the trophy. A bitter anticlimax, but a deserved win for King Mountain as our players appeared to already be celebrating and looked poor all over the field.



As mentioned above, other sides just couldn't see out matches with the same consistency anymore and we ran away with the title comfortably. Hoi King just managed to see off Central & West Districts on the final day of the season, where C&W failed to pick up the three points. In the end I think that was fair, as Hoi King had worked hard all season and really gave us a run for our money like no other side had been able to (except Telecom HK). With no relegation there was no late drama at the other end of the table, but Sai Kung Friends and Sun International need a complete overhaul as they are miles off the pace in this division.

Division Stats









Media Attention





Team Stats



Fans' Player of the Season & Young Player of the Season: Sham Tze Hang

Sham Tze Hang had a fantastic season and rightly managed to wrap up both awards. He was a permanent fixture in the midfield and really has turned up to be a fantastic player for the club who will do well next season too.

Manager's Player of the Season: Sham Tze Hang

A third award for Sham Tze Hang, and really it would have been outrageous to give it to anyone else. No one figured so consistently in our season and he bridged the gap between defence and attack perfectly.

Manager's Young Player of the Season: Yue Wing Chun

At 17 years-old, it's absolutely fantastic to be scoring 14 goals and getting 6 assists, so a thoroughly deserved award for Yue Wing Chun. I hope that he can replicate the form next season as he has the potential to be a decent forward for the club.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Incoming Manager Summary





This was the big one I was waiting for. Happy Valley had been under-performing all season in Division Two [on both the pre-crash save and the holiday save I did to check for crashes, they won the league comfortably], and after avoiding the drop to Division Three only on head-to-head record, they finally sacked their manager and looked for a fresh face. I immediately replied and was offered an interview, and certainly was not going to turn down such a massive opportunity.

The Club





Happy Valley are no strangers to footballing success, as one of the most prolific clubs in the country. Before the creation of the Hong Kong Premier division, Happy Valley amassed 6 First Division titles, 2 FA Cups, 5 Challenge Shield titles and many more honours along the way. Unfortunately the club has seen better days, as relegation from the top flight beckoned in 2010 - followed by a second relegation in 2015 amid match-fixing allegations. Many had predicted Happy Valley to bounce straight back up, but they'd wallowed mid-table for most of the season and actually finished 10th from 12 - narrowly avoiding the drop thanks to their head-to-head record.

This is a huge step up from HKFYG. I really think Happy Valley have the funds, the fans and the fame to make a push for footballing glory again and hopefully I will be the manager at the helm for this.

The Squad



As you can, a side that really under-performed last season given the calibre of players available, and I'd be looking to turn it around and push for the title this season. A little light-handed on central defenders and certainly in need of a new left back, but I think I've inherited a really good side. One problem is the wage budget - currently slightly over the budget of £1,000 and I imagine it will be shrinking again next season. If this is the case, some players may have to go, but I'm confident that I can bring through some of the academy players to flesh out the squad as backups.

My Wage: £55 p/w until 30/06/2017

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Youth Candidates 2015/16



A pretty decent intake, these are the players that made the grade. Some of the better players actually look much better than my coach's assessment of them, as you can see below.

(YP16a) Ho Wai Ho

Equally competent on the right and the left makes Ho Wai Ho a great young addition to the squad. Given we lack significant depth in both positions, he will most likely get a fair amount of game time in the coming season. His natural fitness and speed are great and I think he has good potential for improvement if he stays committed enough.

(YP16b) Yuen Sai Kit

Though listed ideally as a ball-winning midfielder, he is a great passer of the ball and I think he'd make a much better creative-minded midfielder at Happy Valley. We have some competent midfielders at Happy Valley but I hope to give him opportunities to show his talents - or at least bring him on for shootouts given his ability to strike a penalty!

(YP16c) Ho Kam Fai

Good goalkeepers are hard to come by, but Ho Kam Fai looks okay (at least). He may struggle to find sufficient time between the sticks here this season but is certainly worth keeping an eye on, and could get his chance.

(YP16d) Lau Kam Chuen

Definitely a talented player who could go either way - turn into a star or suffer in mediocrity. He is an excellent striker of the ball, and a natural leader, but he really needs to work on his pace, passing and positioning if he is to get enough chances to put goals away. I will definitely look to include him this season as his finishing looks lethal.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Pre Season 2016/17

Transfers In



Only two players join the ranks - Chan Ho Chun joins from Division Three side Wing Go and will feature prominently this season, as will Yau Chun Him. Yau is obviously a familiar face, as I have shelled out £2,000 to bring the former HKFYG player along with me to my new side. The 20 year-old would actually be ineligible to play for HKFYG from April onwards, so I thought now was the perfect opportunity to take him off of their hands.

Transfers Out



An exodus as no less than 25 players leave the club, almost all on free release. Most of these were going stale in the reserves or struggling to compete for places in the youth team, something I really wanted to address to free up the wage budget and turn a profit as the season goes on. A couple left from the first team, but they will not really be missed.

Happy Valley First Team 2016-17



And so remained. Another thread-bare squad - just like last year - but with a really high standard, and with a couple of youth players to bolster the numbers. de Clarens can play comfortably as a centre-forward or centre-half, which is really useful for changing tactically during a game without even needing a substitution. If injuries hit then I will have to dip into the youth team for support, but we only have 22 fixtures spread over the course of a long season, so any injuries shouldn't prove to costly.

Pre-Season Predictions



The bookies favoured us for a mid-table finish, and recently promoted Hoi King for the title. Whether they were drunk at the time of thinking this up, or they were written by a child, remains to be seen. Certainly need to shed a tear for my former club HKFYG, who are 2000-1 for the title and apparently a shoe-in for the drop.

Board Expectations in the League: Mid-table | My Expectations: Title

I told the board I could manage mid-table, but I know in my heart I'll be settling for nothing less than the trophy and promotion. Last season the club massively underperformed, and I am pretty confident I can prevent them doing the same again. The star players are ageing but should have the ability to see off any title threats this season and nudge Happy Valley one step closer to where they belong.

Wage Budget: £1,793 per week (Spending £811 p/w)

Transfer Budget: £218,275 (Spent £2,000)

My Contract: £55 per week until 30th June 2017

Pre-Season Fixtures



An underwhelming pre-season, but at least we were undefeated. My first game at the helm got off to a fantastic start when the captained headed home 2 minutes into our game against North District from the Third Division, but any excitement was soon shot down thanks to a nicely worked equaliser in the 8th minute. A hard-fought draw against Division 1's Wing Yee followed, before we finally earned a win thanks to an injury time penalty goal against Lingnan University.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Mid-Season Report

Hong Kong Second Division 2016/17



Another opening day defeat! This time we came up against recently relegated Lucky Mile, who wasted no time in storming to a 2-0 lead. We finally got out the gates and managed to head in level at 2 each at halftime, but a winner came early in the second half for Lucky Mile and we struggled to peg back again. Fortunately we came up against a poor Kowloon City side following the defeat, and comfortably put them to the sword thanks to a goal from the captain and a good strike from Batteiger. Our following game against recently relegated Kwun Tong was a tense affair - we lead by 2-1 at the half, but a nervy second-half followed before we finally sealed the three points thanks to a late goal from youth prospect (YP16d) Lau Kam Cheun.

Our next big game came at home against league-leaders Tuen Mun FC, and we got off to a stunning start given we were up 2-0 in the opening five minutes. Unfortunately, sitting back and defending was the wrong approach to take, and the leaders were level by half-time. In the end both sides settled for a point after a goalless second half. At this stage we were comfortably third behind Tuen Mun FC and Lucky Mile, but a 4-1 win against Sai Kung saw us rise into 2nd and the promotion position. It was then time for my return to Morse Park - as we played out a 1-1 draw with HKFYG, a fair result for both sides (and my dignity).

Hoi King were living up to pre-season expectations, nestled comfortably in the top half of the table, they saw us off with ease. The scoreline really didn't reflect how close I feel the game was - Hoi King's first goal was a great team goal, and we were admittedly slow to get going, but their second goal was a superb 20/25-yarder late in the second half as we pushed for an equaliser, and their third from the penalty spot was the final nail in the coffin.



Not quite where I had hoped at this stage, but no one has managed to get the better of Tuen Mun FC - eager to join rivals Tuen Mun in Division One after their title win last season. A six point gap will be tough to claw back, but I'm hoping we can get the win against them in the return fixture, and that they can slip up elsewhere. Lucky Mile are close on our heels and the challenge from promotion will be tough, but I do think it's a three-horse race as Hoi King seem unable to perform consistently having suffered three defeats already.

Moving On Up



I have started work on my National C License as I look to meet my managerial potential.

Right-Hand Man





Unfortunately the Assistant Manager who I decided to leave in the job when I joined pre-season, decided to depart for a Division One side. This meant that my HKFYG assistant (who joined me at Happy Valley as a coach) regained his title as Assistant and would help me on the title run-in.

Stat Pack

Rivalry Forming?

Hoi King's 3-0 victory against my Happy Valley side marked the third time that I had failed to get the better of manager Lam Kin Fun. My games in charge of HKFYG and, now, Happy Valley, currently see our record at no wins, two defeats and a draw for my sides.

Star Man, on the Right-Hand Side

Right Midfielder Evan Tich is turning heads this season, already winning 4 man of the match awards this season from the opening eleven games.

[HeyyImRyan]

Could this mark the end of our title chances?

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Youth Candidates 2016/17



A pretty decent intake, I think a number of these players could make their way into the first team.

(YP17a) Chow Tak Kin ML

(YP17b) Law Ka Keung DR

(YP17c) Liu Ho Yin DC

(YP17d) Ho Yiu Wai MR

(YP17e) Lo Ka Chun STC

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Season Summary

Hong Kong Second Division 2016/17



A pretty shocking end to the season. Things got off to a fantastic start with a massive win against Lucky Mile thanks to a late winner from (YP16d) Lau Kam Cheun, and an easy win against relegation fodder Kowloon City followed. Things turned sour with a gutting defeat at the hands of Kwun Tong, who absolutely destroyed us to take a 4-0 lead before we rescued an ounce of dignity with two late consolations. In truth it was the worst game I've managed so far and I really didn't know how to handle it.

We tried to make amends with three points against Kwong Wah but a late equaliser meant we had to settle for a point, but a point would have seemed like a win in the following game as we were thrashed for the second time by a mid-table Kwok Keung. Our biggest game of the season followed, and we looked on track for a massive win thanks to first-half goals from the captain and Chau Cheuk Him. Unfortunately for us, a penalty goal early in the second half left Tuen Mun FC baying for blood, and they finally cracked through with a 93rd minute equaliser. Not only had Tuen Mun FC maintained their huge lead at the top, but we had slumped to 3rd behind Hoi King.

The downward slope almost continued - Chan Ho Man staged a single-handed comeback to earn a point in our following fixture, before we finally tasted victory against a lax Sai Kung in a clash of 3rd vs 4th. At this point, Tuen Mun FC had won the league with three games to spare, and we were all left fighting for the 2nd place spot. We entered the game against Hoi King level on points and behind massively on goal difference, and I knew a win would almost certainly see us through to promotion. This was the closest I've come to beating Hoi King - we lay siege to their final third for the first half and then some, but Hoi King broke the deadlock and sunk Happy Valley hearts with 20 minutes to go. Fortunately for us, their lead was short lived as teenager (YP16d) Lau Kam Cheun earned us a point.

With two games to go, we still sat 3rd on goal difference behind Hoi King. Fortunately for us, our final game was against the already relegated Eastern District whilst they faced the champions. Before that, I had an affair with HKFYG to settle. It looked like a draw was on the cards, but a ferocious volley from (YP16d) Lau Kam Cheun - subsequently voted Div 2 Goal of the Month and our Goal of the Season - pushed us onto the win and a massive three points in the promotion race. A check of the scores called for smiles all round - Hoi King had sunk to defeat against Sai Kung and we had opened a three point gap in 2nd place. All we needed to do was ensure a point on the final day against Eastern, whereas Hoi King needed a win against the champions and us to lose.

Eastern put up little fight, and we coasted to a 2-0 win whilst Hoi King suffered a 1-0 defeat to Tuen Mun FC. We had won promotion to Division One. Not quite what I had hoped for, but it definitely felt like a victory after the fight for second place was almost lost.



As mentioned, not quite what I would have had hoped for at the beginning of the season, but definitely an achievement after it looked like we would miss out. In the end we comfortably saw off the challenge of Hoi King after they lost their final two games, but I was wrong that they would fall away through inconsistency. I was also wrong that it would be a three horse race for the title between Tuen Mun FC, Happy Valley and Lucky Mile: it was a one-sided title race and Tuen Mun FC showed little sign of slowing down. I can't help but wonder whether this would have been the case had they not found a late equaliser against us back in March.

At the other end, I'm pleased to see HKFYG avoid the drop rather comfortably, and Eastern & Kowloon City are deservedly down. Kowloon City managed two wins all season, but both of these came after their fate had been decided and a new manager had taken charge.

Division Stats









Media Attention





Team Stats



Fans' Player & Young Player of the Season: Evan Tich

The 21 year-old American capped off an excellent season with the fans' appreciation and a position in the Division Two Team of the Year to boot. He didn't contribute the most goals or assists, but put in consistent quality performances to help our push for promotion.

Manager's Player of the Season: Chan Ho Man

The veteran saw off his career in emphatic style, contributing 10 goals and 10 assists in 22 appearances. Despite his age, he showed fantastic ability and retires as a club icon with a fantastic 20-year career in Hong Kong football.

Manager's Young Player of the Season: (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho

The 16 year-old had a fantastic breakthrough season, and rarely put a foot wrong. He was ever-present with 20 appearances, missing two games through suspension (one for a red card, one for 5 bookings) but contributing consistently to the defence and evening managing a massive 7 assists down the right hand side. He certainly took his chance given when I decided to not buy a new right back, and thoroughly deserves the award and his position in the Division Two Team of the Year.

Breaking Ground



Sick of playing on park pitches (Or prone to this absolute joke of a bug SI have failed to fix), Happy Valley Stadium will be a 183-capacity stadium all to ourselves. We will move in after one more season in the park.

Your Happy Valley







Nothing seems to be changing, I get to keep my job, no new facilities or money injected into the club.

National C License: Unlocked



Next Season's Sponsors Announced

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Pre Season 2017/18

Transfers In



No, this is not an error. I wanted to bring in a couple of players, but didn't want to sacrifice team harmony for squad players that would barely be used. We launched an aggressive campaign to bring in a new forward to replace the retired Chan Ho Man (most notably attempting to sign Jonathan Bliss from Lucky Mile, who instead joined Premier side Wong Tai Sin). We also looked to improve in other areas, but the only players I found good enough were in areas where we were already pretty strong. As such, we're keeping our money and our wage budget down and hoping to get by. This also meant that...

Transfers Out



Nobody was allowed to leave. At all. I had several offers for (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho and a couple for Yau Chun Him, but all were for free transfers and I am not feeling particularly generous.

Staff Improvements



Despite no new players, we did bring in former Happy Valley player Lawrence to join the scouting team. He has a history with the club - winning the FA Cup, Challenge Shield and First Division (at the time the top division) with the club in the early 00s - but he is also a better scout than my current Chief Scout, so definitely has a future here too.

Happy Valley First Team 2017/18



This was the group of players huddled for our annual team photo. Obviously little has changed. With the unfortunate loss of Chan Ho Man, Chan Ching Man and (YP16d) Lau Kam Chuen will both have a chance to impress more frequently, and three of the YP17 youngsters have been called up to bolster the side. (YP17a) Chow Tak Kim is actually already our best left midfielder, but he will be eased into first team duties over the season.

Media Predictions



If I've learned anything from my two and a half years in Hong Kong, it is that the pundits are miles off with their predictions. They probably have the top two spot on though: Metro Gallery have a strong squad having recently been relegated, and Citizen are the same. I do expect Mutual (promoted the season before us) and Tuen Mun FC (Div 2 Champs) to chase them to the very end though: Mutual almost clinched promotion last season and have a strong squad, and Tuen Mun FC still have one of the best attacking forces in this league despite the promotion.

We've been predicted to avoid relegation and that's exactly what the board are after, so I'm happy to oblige.

Board Expectations in the League: Avoid Relegation | My Expectations: Mid-Table

Last year I was over-ambitious and fell short of my targets, so this year I'm going with mid-table but secretly hoping for a top half finish. We still have a very capable squad for this level and I think that we'd be a promotion contender if we'd managed to bring in a couple of signings. Unfortunately their heads were turned elsewhere and I think this season is a great chance to adjust before a big push next season.

Transfer Budget: £250,000 (Spent: £0)

Wage Budget: £2,534 per week (Spending: £868)

My Contract: £65 per week until June 30th 2018

Pre-Season Fixtures



What a surprise! This is the first season I've managed any sort of decent form in pre-season and I'm hoping it's a good sign. We started by turning around a deficit to beat Third Division KCC, before battering are divisional colleagues Citizen who looked absolutely awful. We probably didn't deserve a win against Souther District, but the combination of a ridiculously early goal and a late winner was too much for them to handle.

Our final two games were new to my pre-season plans, as we took a short trip to Macau. The reason for this was two-fold: A trip to Macau is a nice way for the players to bond a bit , and thrashing minnows Flora is a nice way to build confidence up. In all seriousness, I've lost on the opening day twice and I think this will help, that was the main reason for the trip. I'm actually incredibly disappointed we didn't make the most of our chances against Sao Paulo as I was expecting a cricket scoreline there too.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Mid-Season Report

Hong Kong First Division 2017/18



Very pleased with this! My pre-season methods worked out, opening the campaign with a stunning 4-0 victory over Citizen, but we faced a harsh test against title favourites Metro Gallery in the next game. I think we played well but lost our legs in the second half, and in truth it could have been two or three. After a bore draw, we gave our best performance under my management - smashing Sun Source 6-0 on our home turf. My main concern this season was goals: de Clarens rarely scored last season and I couldn't rely on two youngsters, but he put all my fears to bed by putting five past the Sun Source keeper in less than an hour.

Winning ways continued with a 3-1 victory over Tai Chung: de Clarens scored again, but it was (YP16d) Lau Kam Chuen who scored his 3rd and 4th of the campaign to snatch a deserved three points. This form was not to last, as back-to-back away games turned into back-to-back defeats: first a disappointing 1-0 against Kwai Tsing where we just didn't show up, and second a 4-2 loss to Tuen Mun FC after equalising twice before they took the upper hand.

My first derby game followed, as we took on Sun Hei at home. Fortunately for us, the youngsters revelled in the occasion with a brilliant (YP16d) Lau Kam Chuen volley followed up by (YP17a) Chow Tak Kin's first ever goal for the club. Tai Po was a really easy one: bottom of the league and already looking like they were set for relegation, but it was important to get our first away win of the season as until that point we'd been clinical at home and disastrous away.

I was very disappointed with the Mutual game, and it reminded me of our defeat to Kwun Tong last year where we just could not get a foothold in the game, but we finished the first half of the season strongly with a point against Wing Yee and two wins over Sha Tin - courtesy of two late goals from super-sub (YP16b) Yuen Sai Kit - and Tuen Mun.



I could not be more delighted with our league position, but it looks a lot closer than it is. Tuen Mun FC were astonishingly good, opening the season 11 games unbeaten, but a tricky defeat to Sun Hei rocked them at the wrong time, and they followed it with a 1-0 loss to new league leaders Metro Gallery. I still wholeheartedly think this is a two-horse race and that we will fall away, but if Tuen Mun FC struggle to regain their form then we have a chance.

Fortunately I think we will easily meet the board's expectations, our thrashing of Sun Source and convincing win over Tai Po did little to give me something to fear, and we've already established a 12-point lead over the pair.

Class of 20??



Pay Rise



Record Breakers





Awards

[HeyyImRyan]

Just to say this is by no means the end for Casus and Happy Valley - just separated from my FM computer whilst revising for my final year exams. After May 26th I have an entire month to drink, play FM and be merry!

[HeyyImRyan]

5 more days!

Will it be back-to-back promotions for Tuen Mun FC or Happy Valley?

Can Metro Gallery batten down the hatches?

How tight will the relegation battle remain?

Coming to a PC near you, May 26th (or 27th).

[HeyyImRyan]

Back with a bang. Finally got a win against promotion rivals Tuen Mun FC, but will it stop their charge to the Premier League?

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Youth Candidates 2017/18



Actually quite disappointed with the intake this year, a lot of the players that 'have potential' really don't and I found it hard to find anyone that actually did have the talent to progress at HV. I've tagged 5 players but I think YP18a is the only one that will getting any game-time...ever.

(YP18a) Yu Ka Wing: GK

I actually think this guy is fairly good. Needs some developing but should easily displace (YP16c) Ho Kam Fai as our number two next season.

(YP18b) Chung Chun Sing: DC / R

Okay, he's not bad neither. Definitely not a centre back though - so will be using him on the right. Unfortunately we've already got two young and talented right backs so he may struggle to fit into my plans. His aggression and physicals bother me though.

(YP18c) Yu Wing Hong: DL

Short with poor work rate and positioning... and little pace to make up for it. We will see.

(YP18d) Leung Kwok Wai: ST C

A striker with fantastic finishing for this level but no composure and awful first touch. Also apparently likes to seek out passes instead of shooting, which would be fair enough if he could actually pick out a pass. I will try and get him to develop but I won't be holding my breath.

(YP18e) Lee Wai Lun: D/M C

Happy Valley's own Joey Barton. Not quite sure how he can be 'fairly sporting' and a walking anger management case study, but we will see. I don't use a defensive midfielder and he isn't creative enough to fit into my midfield, so I will try and make him comfortable at the back and keep my fingers crossed for no two-footed challenges.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Season Summary

Hong Kong First Division 2017/18



We actually had a really good second half of the season and came agonisingly close to promotion - throwing it away in our final game with a gutting defeat. We opened this half of the campaign on the wrong end of Citizen's revenge, falling from a winning position to defeat. Our next game however was a great point: drawing with Metro Gallery who outclassed us in the previous fixture. We were certainly helped by an early goal, but we managed to hold Metro Gallery off the entire second half despite tired legs. Finally we got back to winning ways, a quick-fire double from Chan Ching Man helping us to three points over Yau Tsim ****, and a comfortable game against Sun Source got us the same result (not quite the 6-0 thumping from last time).

Draws against Kwai Tsing and Tai Chung were disappointing as we let both sides back into the game after taking the lead, and we almost did the same against league-leaders Tuen Mun FC in the following game. We stormed to a 3-1 lead, but a Tuen Mun FC goal before half time set up a nervy second half. It looked like they might get a late equaliser as they had done in the same fixture last year, but we held off to take a massive scalp.

Relegation fodder Tai Po were a chance to rotate the squad a bit, and some players impressed whilst others did not. (YP16c) Ho Kam Fai was shocking to let in three, but Chau Cheuk Him and (YP17c) Liu Ho Yin gave me something to think about with a first goal of the season and a first ever goal respectively. A disappointing draw with our rivals followed - needing a goal from Evan Tich to cancel out their penalty strike, and the same happened against Mutual - Jerome de Clarens cancelling out Mutual's second goal from the spot. At this stage, Tuen Mun FC had won the title and we had been sat unmoved in 3rd since early November, so I had little hope of a late promotion push.

That certainly changed: big wins against a tough Wing Yee and a rather sub-par Sha Tin was unmatched by promotion contenders Metro Gallery, who had dropped off in form. We headed into the final game of the season facing mid-table Tuen Mun, whilst Metro Gallery were away to the back-to-back champions Tuen Mun FC. A win for us, and defeat for them, would see us promoted alongside Tuen Mun FC once again. Unfortunately for us, we didn't play to the occasion. A shocking 2-0 defeat where we rarely got out of first gear meant we gave up our chance - even as Metro Gallery managed to lose 2-1. Metro Gallery were promoted by 2 points, and we would remain in Division One for another year.



Not our finest hour. An away defeat on the final day meant we only had ourselves to blame for missing out on promotion glory. The win for Tuen Mun pushed them from an 11th placed finish up to 7th, which shows just how pathetic that defeat was - we completely choked. Tuen Mun FC - who beat us to the Division Two title just last season - have been phenomenal to make it back-to-back titles and I actually think they will manage okay in the Premier League. Metro Gallery may struggle though. At the other end, Tai Po and Sun Source are both deservedly down after winning just three games each all season.

Despite missing out on promotion, I'm delighted with the position we managed to achieve and with just how good we looked this season. I never expected promotion this year and said that with a couple of transfers the coming Summer we should be challenging. It looks like we are right on track for that.

Division Stats









Media Attention



Team Stats



Fans' Player & Young Player of the Season: Evan Tich

Another sweep of the fan awards for Evan Tich, deservedly so. A fantastic season with 12 assists and some fantastic performances makes him a clear fan favourite, and I hope we can keep hold of him given the interest from other senior clubs.

Manager's Player of the Season: Jerome de Clarens

Yes, Tich has been fantastic. But Jerome de Clarens has been outstanding. My biggest concern this season was not having a goalscorer: de Clarens really struggled last season and I didn't think my youngsters were up to the task. Jerome proved me wrong with 20 goals and 6 assists: smashing into the Division One Best XI and winning top goalscorer in the process, as well as a massive 5 goals in one game. He really made the difference this season and I had to give him this award.

Manager's Young Player of the Season: (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho

Again, this could have gone to Tich, but 22 is not really that young in my eyes. Ho Wai Ho has contributed massively yet again this season - capping it off with 8 assists and some great defensive performances to boot. He may be 17, but he has made the Division Best XI two years on the bounce and is a vital part of our squad. I think we'd miss him much more than we'd miss Evan if I'm honest.

Money, money, money!

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Roundup 2017/18

Premier League

Kitchee stormed to the Premier League title this season, with an 8-point gap over previous holders Eastern. At the other end of the table, Hong Kong Football Club continued their yoyo-ing between the two leagues with relegation, followed by Southern District who also struggled.

First Division

Not much to say here. Tuen Mun FC made it back-to-back titles and promotions, whilst Metro Gallery returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking. At the other end, Tai Po and Sun Source were deservedly sent down.

Second Division

Central & West claimed the Second Division title and back-to-back promotions, after a 2nd place finish in the Third Division in 2016/17. They were joined by Sai Kung who really got their act together to improve on mid-table the previous year. At the other end, a little bit of heartbreak as my former club HKFYG were relegated on goal difference on the final day. Hoi King just about avoided the drop with a win. Kwong Wah are also deservedly down with a poor season.

Third Division

KCDRSC managed to claim the Third Division title, closely followed by Eastern District who make an immediate return to the Second Division following relegation. As usual, North District ran them close but just missed out. Sai Kung Friends continued their record of being the worst team in Hong Kong football with another finish at the bottom of the pyramid.

Hong Kong FA Cup

Kitchee made it a double with a penalties victory in the Hong Kong FA Cup final over Pegasus HK. Despite Pegasus knocking out some of the toughest teams in Hong Kong enroute, Kitchee proved too much for them in the final - picking up their 5th FA Cup win in the past seven years. Defeat also meant Pegasus had lost in each of the last three FA Cup finals in a row. Ouch.

Hong Kong League Cup

Though they certainly tried, Kitchee couldn't make it a treble. The semis and final follow two stages of groups, but Pegasus knocked out Kitchee to reach another final - winning the trophy with a 3-2 win. This meant they'd retained the trophy after victory in 2017 against Southern District the previous year.

Continental Champions!

Not satisfied with their League Cup title, Pegasus HK became the first ever Hong Kong side to win a continental competition: winning the Asian Confederations Cup (Asian version of the Europa League) on penalties over Muharraq from Bahrain. This is a massive success for the country, with Pegasus beating sides from India, Bahrain, Malaysia, Iraq and Singapore enroute to their success.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Pre Season 2018/19



In we go. A new dawn.

Transfers In



A very busy transfer window after last season's void. Fortunately there was a bunch of talent available this window and I did my best to bring it all to Happy Valley. We missed out on one player who joined recently promoted Tuen Mun FC instead, but other than that it was a huge success. Sham Tze Hang joins from my former club - he is 21 now and can no longer play for them so I duly took him off their hands. He should be great as a squad player at the very least. Ng Siu Fai is a very competent and experienced striker who will most likely join de Clarens in the starting eleven. Chan Ching Man and (YP16d) Lau Kam Chuen will get their chance, but it may not be this season when we need the consistency to hunt down promotion.

I am incredibly excited about my final two signings. Wong Wing Sum is a 15 year-old superstar who should fit right into my plans immediately and will hopefully improve considerably with the experience. Admittedly this may leave Sham Tze Hang struggling for game time, but this guy is leagues above him. I coughed out £5,000 to bring Tsang Chun Kit over from Pegasus, and something tells me they will be kicking themselves about this one. He's only 16 but easily our best centre-back and I can't wait to see how he gets on.

Transfers Out



Last year's no-departures policy was not in play this year, but it is really only one player being let go. Batteiger didn't get that much playing time last season and was rather disgruntled about it, so with the new midfielders coming in it was right for him to depart. He quickly signed up with Division Two outfit Double Flower so it is probably the right decision for all concerned. Yip Chi Wai is a youth product from before my time at the club who is really nothing special. 3rd Division Kui Tan offered him a contract and I had absolutely no intention of standing in their way.

Staff Improvements



This year's only staff improvement isssssss, Me! Off the touchline I've worked hard to get my National B License.

Happy Valley First Team 2018/19



After a couple of deals in the transfer market, this is what we have on the front of the club Christmas card. Delighted to have maintained the squad after (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho and Evan Tich were nearly taken away, and really excited to see what the newcomers will add to the squad. As well as the incoming players, several academy graduates have been given a superficial spot in the squad to bolster our numbers and give them opportunities when they arise.

Media Predictions



This is pretty fair. Predicting recently relegated HKFC and Southern District to bounce straight back up is understandable, and Sun Hei have gone 17 games unbeaten through the latter half of last season. Even so, I'm hoping we can do better than 6th after our 3rd place finish last season.

Board Expectations in the League: Top Half Finish | My Expectations: Top Four

After a great season last year, the board are rightfully being much more ambitious. They want a finish in the top seven and I'm sure that I can deliver. Personally, I'm hoping we can finish in the top four - which isn't selling ourselves short. It is always tough to challenge the relegated Premier League teams as their league is far above Division One standard, but I think we are one of the best teams in this league if you take them out of consideration. For me, that should be priority - beating everyone else in this league from last season - and if we can sneak past one of the former Prem teams then that'd be the icing on the cake.

Transfer Budget: £565,000 (Spent: £5,000)

Wage Budget: £4,725 per week (Spending: £1,762)

My Contract: £80 per week until June 30th 2019

Pre-Season Fixtures



Actually not a bad set of results. We started slowly with a 1-0 win over minor league Western Spartans, but our Assistant decided to chuck us in at the deep end with three matches against Premier League opposition to open our new ground. Clearly not understanding we needed to give off the impression that Happy Valley Stadium was a fortress, he had somehow been given the go-ahead to open our brand new stadium with a match against the current Premier League and FA Cup Champions, Kitchee.

We struggled - and quickly fell 2-0. Fortunately a goal just before half time rallied the troops, and new super-signing Ng Fiu Sai got the equaliser in the 69th minute, before grabbing a second equaliser for 3-3 in the 82nd. How's that for a fortress?!

We followed with a massive win over Metro Gallery: Yuen Sai Kit with a stunner before Chau Cheuk Him settled the game late from a corner. Unfortunately our fortress was successfully sieged by Wong Tai Sin, who ended our stint with a 2-1 win. After a win, a loss and a draw at Happy Valley Stadium, we embarked on our now-annual trip to Macau for a confidence boost. A 3-0 victory against Flora was not quite the margin we were hoping for, but it was nice to see youngsters taking their chances. I was actually then disappointed with the Flamingo game, as a full first eleven (minus the injured Jerome de Clarens) only managed a 2-0 win over lacklustre opposition.

All in all it was a decent pre-season, and I'm looking forward to the season ahead.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Mid-Season Report

Hong Kong First Division 2018/19



Everything was going very well until those last two games. We lost four of our open half last season so this isn't much of an improvement, but I think we can do better. We had the poorest start to the season imaginable: our opening goal coming after two full matches and 88 minutes of a third, scored by a 15 year-old kid to give us an undeserved point. We'd also managed to lose our first competitive game in the new stadium without even putting up a fight.

Fortunately, Wong Wing Sum's goal spurred us on to a run of form. We demolished Southern District thanks to a goal from new face Ng Siu Fai and from old guard Tich and Chau Cheuk Him. We knew the Tuen Mun game would be tough as they'd started the season strong, but Ng Siu Fai earned us a point after they went ahead early on. Three massive wins followed - Ng Siu Fai the common denominator - as we trashed Citizen (again), Wing Yee and the newly promoted Central and West Districts.

I don't really consider the loss to HKFC as a drop in form. They were a strong side and we knew it would be tough. We were lucky to escape with 0-1, but also had a couple of chances of our own. My biggest fear was that a defeat would send us spiralling again, but any such fear was quelled by annihilating our rivals Sun Hei in a 5-1 thriller. If any supporters hadn't warmed to Ng Siu Fai yet - they certainly did after this hat-trick. In the following game, we earned a hard-fought point. Mutual were stubborn - as they always have been - but they managed to take a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute. I feared the worst, but the team responded magnificently and de Clarens netted the equaliser with time running out.

Then came the problems. We went 2-0 down to Kwai Tsing early, and I was appalled. Fortunately (YP16d) Lau Kam Chuen had turned up, and we went it level at 2-2 thanks solely to his hard work. This was a massive opportunity - we'd shown we could handle them - and yet we let it all go from a poor defensive error in the second half. Absolutely abysmal. Our final game this half of the season was just as bad - Cheung Chun Hei equalising from a corner before Yau Tsim **** finished us off.

What is crystal clear is that we are struggling away from home. If you look at our fixtures, we've managed just one win from six games away. That is not top four form. That's barely top half form.



For all our faults, this tells a different story. 5th place given our performance is not too bad, but we are already some way off the top two and I seriously do not see us catching them. My aim at the beginning of the season was a top four finish because you always have to predict the recently relegated Premier League teams going straight back up...but Southern District are 13th. This is a real opportunity. Why are we letting Tuen Mun take it instead of taking it for ourselves?

Media Attention (we lost)



Record Breakers

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Youth Candidates 2018/19



I really like this intake! I don't think there are any superstars but there are a few players that should hopefully develop into useful squad players at Happy Valley. I've tagged a fair few, but d and f may struggle to fit in and have been tagged as potential cash chows.

(YP19a) Yip Kin Sang: GK

We had a decent GK come through the ranks last year, but the more the better I suppose. Doesn't look quite as good as (YP18a) Yu Ka Wing, but will be an interesting fight for the #2 spot. Would be useful to have the option of joining the Reserve/U18 leagues so we could put them both to good use.

(YP19b) Lam Ho Yin: DC / L

I like this guy. Not quite tall enough to be a centre back in my opinion, but I would like to turn him into a competent left back - especially seeing as we lack depth there.

(YP19c) Ngan Hau Fung: CM

Certainly a work in progress but looks pretty exciting on the ball. He doesn't hesitate to run with the ball (in trial games), and that's something I really like in an attacking central midfielder. Fantastic physicals too. I have really high hopes for this guy, but he will struggle for opportunities with so many talented CMs ahead of him.

(YP19d) Chan Wai Shing: DM/CM

Another youngster destined for a role in the middle of the park. I don't like to use a DM but do use a ball winning midfielder, so this guy could fit nicely into that. He isn't fantastic but we will see.

(YP19e) Chan Ho Yin: M C/R

His versatility is an asset, but if he stays he will develop into a right midfielder. We lack any form of depth at MR behind Evan Tich, so this guy will probably have the best chance of proving his worth when Evan needs a rest. I like his pace and dribbling, but he needs a bit of work if he is to get anywhere near Tich's level.

(YP19f) Wong Chi Wai: D R

Last but not (yes he is) least. Has some decent ability but will struggle to displace (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho and (YP17b) Law Ka Keung for game time. Still miles better than the rest of the slosh coming through our academy.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Season Summary

Hong Kong First Division 2018/19



Another decent set of results. We started the second half of our 2018/19 campaign with some great victories - the entire squad playing brilliantly to secure a big win against Tai Chung. Sai Kung duly followed, before a second hat-trick of the season from Ng Siu Fai earned us a 3-1 win versus Sha Tin. All good things, however, come to an end. Despite holding a lead for a large portion of the game vs. Southern District, a 73rd minute equaliser meant we shared the spoils against a team battling relegation. Had Southern District lived up to expectations this season then this would have been a fantastic result, but they have been poor and we should be doing much better here.

Unfortunately our toughest game of the year followed, a tough, gritty battle against Tuen Mun which ended with a 1-0 defeat. I think we deserved a point, but Tuen Mun were very, very good and reminded me of Tuen Mun FC last year where we struggled to get a foothold in the game. Citizen took a beating from us (again, trend emerging) and I hoped that would have us firing again, but a bitter defeat to Wing Yee followed. This was shocking - just one of those days where we never got going and everything seemed a struggle. Instead of rectifying things with a win against C&W, we played the same boring and laboured football to grind out a point, and our chance of promotion was slipping further and further away.

I was absolutely dreading the game against HKFC - but we had hope as they'd just lost their second game of the season in the previous fixture. We were outstanding, dominated, and looked like the team top of the league. Evan Tich run the show and everyone put in a shift to record a massive 3-1 victory. We carried this into the 2-1 win against Sun Hei, but Mutual were too much for us in the following game. This was frustrating but not too bad: Mutual play very stubborn, resilient football and it is such a slog to break them down. That I understand. I just don't quite like that we managed to concede in the process.

By this stage, Hong Kong Football Club had won the title, and Tuen Mun were dead-set on joining them. Instead of pushing for 3rd, we sulked to a 1-1 draw with Kwai Tsing, and managed a 2-1 win over Yau Tsim **** to round out the season. All in all a decent showing, but little improvement on the previous year despite a host of signings.



In the end, I exceeded the board's expectations and just about matched my own. We were far from any danger of a 5th place finish, but should really have done enough to manage 3rd. HKFC dominated all season and fully deserve the title, and if I am honest Tuen Mun deserve promotion too. We quite simply weren't good enough to finish any higher - losing 7 of 26 is not promotion standard - but it's another decent season and there is a good base to build on next year once the squad has gelled.

At the other end, heartbreak for Sha Tin and Yau Tsim ****, who both went down on the final day. Yau Tsim **** looked to have done enough, but losing to us whilst Southern District and Citizen both grabbed victories meant they were down. Had they managed a point then they'd have been clear, sorry lads!

Division Stats









Media Attention



Team Stats



Fans' Player & Young Player of the Season: Evan Tich

Tich (78%) | Wong Wing Sum (13%) | (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho (7%)

Tich makes it three in a row here with some fantastic displays this season. I certainly can't argue with this - he is always a threat down the right hand side, but I actually think this has been his worst season yet. He only managed 7 assists and 3 goals this year in comparison to 12 & 4 last. Still a constant figure in the team that is crucial to our success...and the fans love him.

Manager's Player of the Season: Ng Siu Fai

I know I know, I always seem to be giving this to a forward, but he has been fantastic. I really hoped de Clarens would continue his form this season, because if so we'd have been unstoppable. Ng Siu Fai has joined the squad and revolutionised our attacking game. 17 goals, league top goalscorer and Team of the Year speaks for itself. Fantastic debut season for the club for the 30 year-old.

Manager's Young Player of the Season: Wong Wing Sum

Wong Wing Sum snatches the award from (YP16a) Ho Wai Ho! He was the fans' signing of the season, but he is my young player of the season too. I have no idea why Pegasus let him go, but I am very grateful. Despite being 16 and part of a long list of central midfielders, he managed 24 appearances and ran the midfield for the majority of them - earning 5 PotM awards and a spot in the Division One Team of the Year in his breakthrough season. Well done pal.

Money, money, money!



100 Club



Two of my players - captain Jerome de Clarens and keeper Yu Ka Wai - have both entered the Happy Valley 100 club with their appearances this season. This is how they stack up in terms of most appearances ever for Happy Valley.

Times a'Changing

[HeyyImRyan]

Hong Kong Roundup 2018/19

Premier League

Pegasus snatched the title after their continental successes last season, followed closely by Yuen Long. Last year's champions Kitchee could only manage 4th, but only 5 points separated them from the title. At the other end, Rangers HKG set up clashes with their rival Happy Valley thanks to relegation, and Tuen Mun FC's Premier Division dream is short-lived as they propped up the table without a single win all season. This demonstrates the gulf in ability between the Premier Division and the First Division, I think.

First Division

Not much to say here. HKFC dominated, Tuen Mun were too good, Southern District and Citizen get off the hook with a lucky escape.

Second Division

Ex-Happy Valley midfielder Alan Batteiger helped Double Flower to the Second Division title, securing his return to First Division football next season. They will be joined by Wan Chai, who held their nerve to edge out Lucky Mile by a point. What is crazy is that 3 points separated 2nd from 8th - with four teams finishing on 31 points apiece. Hoi King's days challenging for the title are now long gone, as too many defeats see them drop back down to the 3rd division alongside Sun Source.

Third Division

Tung Sing came out of nowhere to dominate the Third Division. Kowloon City will join them in the 2nd Division next season after securing their return on the final day despite defeat - one extra goal for Islands would have seen them steal promotion, as Kowloon City lost 2-1 to Ornaments. Sai Kung Friends provided no surprises - another disappointing season sees them finish bottom of the Hong Kong pyramid with 0 wins from 30 games.

Hong Kong FA Cup

Eastern claim the FA Cup after a give year absence, beating HKFC in the latter's first ever final. Both sides had tough trails to the final, but it was Eastern who stole the show against their Division One opponents.

Hong Kong League Cup

Pegasus HKG made it three in a row with a solid defensive display against Eastern. Sandro gave them the 1-0 lead in the 9th minute, and they fought on to the end to take the win. After three back-to-back-to-back defeats in the final between 2009 and 2012, they've set the record straight with 3 wins in 3 years under current manager Chan Ho Yin.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Pre Season 2019/20

Transfers In



Only one newcomer this window - young forward Chan Chun Fai from 3rd Division Tsuen Wan. He joins for £500 and will hopefully have a bright future at the club.

Transfers Out



A fair few departures as I look to clear out the youth ranks that haven't quite made it. Yip Kin Sang was not happy about a lack of first team football but was not anywhere near good enough to get into our starting eleven, so he was first out the door. Unfortunately this also meant saying goodbye to some of our young hopefuls: (YP16c) Ho Kam Fai was now considerably down the pecking order and there was no interest from anyone to take him off our hands, and (YP16b) Yuen Sai Kit managed no starts last season in a very competitive midfield so setting him free was in the interest of his career. The rest have hit the 18 year-old mark where they can no longer play for the youth team and have no future at the club, so no tears will be shed.

Staff Improvements



By far the biggest changes this pre-season has been to our staff. Our former Head of Youth Development, Chief Scout and Head Physio have all departed after their contracts were not renewed. We poached So Cho Wai as our new HoYD from Kwong Wah, who is miles better than the previous one. Lawrence - ex-Happy Valley forward - was promoted from his scouting role to become Chief Scout, and we poached Law Chun Kit from Ornaments to become our new Head Physio.

Changes didn't stop there. We filled our vacant scouting position by hiring Yeung Kai Yin for his first staff role after hanging up his boots at Sha Tin - an absolutely superb scout who really could have joined any Premier Division side. Ng Ka Ming - after an abysmal 4 months as manager of North District - left the position to join us as a new coach, and our final hire was to bring in Wun Tsz Hong as a goalkeeping coach, poaching him from rivals Sun Hei where he was the GK coach for their u18s.

The final improvement was to send Ng Ka Ming on a course to obtain his Continental Pro license. All in all, some huge changes to give Happy Valley a backroom team to rival any in the top flight, and I'm hoping that this investment in the staff will be reflected on the pitch as well as off it. Realistically, such a backroom is only financially viable in the top flight - even with our superb finances - and we need to get up to it sooner rather than later so they aren't poached by our rivals.

Happy Valley First Team 2019/20



We now possess a very strong squad that I'm excited to see in action. Our key players are fantastic and unchanged from last season, but the real strength in this squad now is with its depth - whereas before we had to rely on a starting eleven, we now have the ability to change up seamlessly during games and on the teamsheet, and I think that can only bode well. Our only signing starts life off in the reserves but will probably be added to the first team soon, and we've got a few youngsters that will hopefully get some game time too.

Media Predictions



Our previous good performances see us rise in the eyes of pundits, as we look an outsider chance for promotion. Rangers HKG are a good team and you'd expect them to do well, and if Tuen Mun FC are anything like they were two years ago then they are a strong attacking side that most teams will struggle to deal with. Southern will surely be better than last season and a real threat, but I don't see Sun Hei, Citizen or Wing Yee being as threatening as this suggests.

Board Expectations in the League: Top 4 | My Expectations: Top Three

The board are becoming more demanding after two top-four finishes in subsequent years, but I'm playing it safe with my expectations. As I've said before, the recently relegated sides are obvious favourites to go back up, but I will not accept being beaten by any other side that was in this league last season. We can't let Tai Chung or Southern get the best of us. That's the key.

Transfer Budget: £866,000 (Spent: £500)

Wage Budget: £6,341 per week (Spending: £1,752)

My Contract: £100 per week until June 30th 2020

Pre-Season Fixtures



A nice clean sweep is just what the doctor ordered. After last pre-season's baptism of fire, the assistant had obviously decided to take a different approach as we faced a couple of amateur sides to start - earning 4-0 and 3-1 victories. Arguably our toughest pre-season challenge was a visit to 3rd Division North District, who I'd faced a couple of times back as manager of HKFYG. In truth we were rather poor here, but the captain Jerome de Clarens clinched the victory with a stunning 25-yarder in injury time.

Then came our third annual trip to Macau. After a couple of days of sunshine (like you don't get enough in Hong Kong), we earned a comfortable 2-0 win against Sao Paulo thanks to two good goals from Chau Cheuk Him early on. I thought we'd hammer them after such a fantastic start, but we struggled to find the net and had to settle. Finally it was time for our big game against Flora (MAC) - who we'd beaten 3-0 and 6-1 in previous years. This time out we looked just as good, and four different players got on the scoresheet for a big win.

Just my second ever clean sweep in pre-season, hopefully a good omen for the season to come. In truth we looked very good except in the North District game, and we head into our opening game against Southern District on a fantastic run.

[HeyyImRyan]

Happy Valley Athletic Association

Mid-Season Report

Hong Kong First Division 2019/20



Absolutely phenomenal. There is no other way to describe it. We started our campaign four days late after Tai Chung suffered a waterlogged pitch, so our first game became the clash with Southern. It was a fairly shuttered game, marked by two fantastic moments of brilliance by captain de Clarens to earn us the three points. Sai Kung followed, and I think we were actually quite poor, but a good finish from Ng Siu Fai after a fantastic ball from Evan Tich meant we maintained winning ways. I was really worried about the Tai Chung game - they were meant to be our first game of the season and I was actually expecting us to lose it, but the extra time to get fit and two wins under our belt inspired us to an absolute demolition job. Four sublime goals from Ng Siu Fai and a converted corner from Cheung Chun Hei kept our 100% recorded and had us singing all the way back to Happy Valley.

The game against Rangers was a fantastic one - at the time Rangers were actually languishing in the relegation zone after a shocking start, but they gave us a good fight. The score was 2-2 at half-time after a ding-dong battle, but the second half was a much tighter affair: Ng Siu Fai stepping up to snatch the winner late on. Rivals Sun Hei were comfortably dispatched despite the scoreline, the 6 wins in a row breaking a club record, which we dropped in true Happy Valley fashion with a pitiful 0-0 draw at home to Wan Chai. Fortunately we got straight back to winning ways against Double Flower - but we were actually very lucky: Yu Ka Wai winning the Player of the Match award for a stunning clean sheet.

Wing Yee robbed us with an 89th minute equaliser, before we dominated Citizen (again) thanks to a masterclass from Jerome de Clarens. Finally, finally, we saw defeat versus Tuen Mun FC. They were league leaders, we were second, and they duly deserved the win. We came very close and performed well for most of the game, but a 15 minute spell from 45-60mins they were all over us and snatched a win. I was genuinely worried we'd lose again to Kwai Tsing - who overtook us to go 2nd and were undefeated at the time, but a stunning performance from key players and rare goals from Wong Wing Sum and Chan Ching Man (brought in as Ng Siu Fai was suffering from food poisoning) helped us back to 2nd and served Kwai Tsing their first defeat.

C&W were no real threat: we were always ahead by at least one goal and we just gave sloppy goals away, but Mutual was a massive victory. I'd never managed to get a win against Mutual despite years of trying - they play such stubborn football and always get at least a draw - but Tsang Chun Kit scored a fantastic goal from the fallout of a free kick, before Yau Chun Him consolidated the lead a few minutes later to cap off an amazing start to this season.



What can I say? A long way gone but a long way to go. We finally went top on the 13th game, after Tuen Mun FC drew with C&W Districts, but it's been extremely competitive. I have no doubt Tuen Mun FC will continue to fight, and I think Kwai Tsing will get back in the running after their two very recent defeats. Southern District are probably out of the picture though, which means I may have already gone some way to achieving my expectations of a 3rd place finish. Rangers HKG have done really well to recover after losing 5 of their opening six - I'd expect them to continue improving now they've found their footing in this league. Finally, at the bottom, I think Double Flower are probably heading down but I'd actually expect Wing Yee to head down with them - they've been extremely poor and were very lucky to get a point off of us.

Record Breakers

[HeyyImRyan]

This was the first game after my mid-season report. What on earth happened? Maybe this won't be plain sailing...

[HeyyImRyan]

Transfer Window Update



This is gutting. One of our rising talents, has made almost 50 appearances for the club and fought for his place despite competition, and now on a free to a Premier League side. He refused to enter contract negotiations with me - despite being perfectly happy with where the club were at and his playing time - and has instead signed a one year deal with Kitchee from this Summer.

Obviously bitterly disappointed to see him leave, but what could I do when he wouldn't sign a new deal with me? Gah.