TerminalPortugal Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Regional King: The Goal to Conquer the World This Campaign is partly a FM Career Update and part challenge. Last year I came up with what I thought would be one of the longest and hardest ideas to do in Football Manager. The challenge works in the following way:- · You must start as a Sunday League reputation manager with no coaching badges, you can either start unemployed in region one or use the random assignment button to select your first team. · You can be any nationality or dual nationality you want · The challenge is to gain enough tournament win points in each leg of the journey to pass onto the next region · Each region is divided into groups of five or less nations · Your goal is to achieve 500 points within each region · The points associated with that country and specific team you are managing drop every time you have already won that specific tournament, incentivising the player to play in a variety of nations to achieve their goals. · Continental competitions points are always the same (full points) · This challenge is designed to utilise custom activated leagues for non-playable countries so download those leagues for the challenge · You must complete each continent before you can move to the next challenge. · The order of completion of the continents should in the following order; Oceania, Asia, North America and Caribbean, Africa, South America and then Europe · During your time in a region you are only allowed to load the leagues relevant to the region, all other leagues must not be loaded · Once 500 points are reached in a region you should resign your position at your club unload the leagues loaded and load the next regions leagues. · If you want to up the challenge, then run you can run this with a Director’s Challenge. The Director’s Challenge is basically where you let the Director of Football makes all the signings for the club, you are allowed to add transfer targets, but the DoF is responsible for all signings and contract renewals. I do not like to let the DoF sell players as they tend to do a really lousy job, so you can either run the full DoF challenge or in part. Anyway this is not necessary for the challenge but adds a little added interest. Initial points are as follows:- · 100 points for winning the league with your team · 50 points for winning the main cup in that country · 30 points for winning a minor cup in that country i.e. League Cup or Super Cup · 500 points for winning the equivalent of the Champions League · 250 points for winning the equivalent of the Europa League · 50 points for winning any other miscellaneous continental competition i.e. Mekong Cup or something like that · Relegation loses you 50 points, resigning under pressure, i.e. the press are saying you will be sacked and your job status is insecure also attracts the 50 point penalty. There are incentives in the points system for trying new teams and leagues. When you win a second domestic trophy with the same club is worth 75% of the original value and then again subsequently 75% of the value as you win it more times. For example if you win the league in Year 1 you receive 100 points, the second time you win the league you would receive 75 points with the same team, the third time you would get 56 points (75 x 0.75). So three titles would mean the player would score 231 points towards the target of 500 points. Fractions are always rounded down. Continental competitions are not affected by multiple wins (they always count the full amount of points regardless of multiple wins with the same team). The overarching goal is to complete all the regions in the quickest possible time, or attain as many points as possible and complete as many regions as possible. The regions and the order of progress are as follows:- T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 OCEANIA OC1 Tahiti Cook Islands American Samoa Kiribati Samoa 943 OC2 Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Micronesia Tuvalu 904 OC3 Tonga Fiji New Caledonia New Zealand Wallis & Futuna 871 ASIA AS1 Bhutan Nepal Bangladesh Maldives Sri Lanka 893 AS2 Hong Kong Guam Brunei Philippines N Mariana Isl 843 AS3 Australia Indonesia Singapore Malaysia East Timor 737 AS4 Cambodia Vietnam Laos Thailand Myanmar 708 AS5 Turkmenistan Afghanistan Pakistan Iran India 604 AS6 North Korea Kyrgyzstan Mongolia Tajikistan Uzbekistan 581 AS7 Yemen Saudi Arabia Kuwait Iraq 553 AS8 Macau China Japan Taiwan South Korea 501 AS9 Oman UAE Bahrain Qatar 481 AS10 Jordan Lebanon Palestine Syria 465 NORTH AMERICA NA1 Saint Martin St Kitts & Nevis British Virgin Isl US Virgin Isl Anguilla 950 NA2 Martinique Antigua & Barbuda Montserrat Guadeloupe Dominica 917 NA3 Domincan Rep Puerto Rico Bermuda Turks & Caicos Haiti 845 NA4 Aruba Bonaire Curacao Sint Maarten 836 NA5 Trinidad & Tobago Guyana Suriname French Guiana 773 NA6 Grenada Barbados St Vincent and the Grenadines St Lucia 740 NA7 Cuba Bahamas Cayman Isl Jamaica Honduras 704 NA8 Canada USA Mexico Belize St Pierre & Miquelon 496 NA9 Panama Guatemala El Salvador Nicaragua Costa Rica 442 AFRICA AF1 Eritrea Ethiopia Djibouti Somalia 948 AF2 Seychelles Comoros Mayotte Mauritius Reunion 913 AF3 Zanzibar Malawi Mozambique Madagascar 684 AF4 Sao Tome & Principe Angola Botswana Zambia 681 AF5 DR Congo South Sudan Sudan Chad CAR 604 AF6 Burundi Tanzania Uganda Kenya Rwanda 591 AF7 Lesotho Namibia South Africa Swaziland Zimbabwe 573 AF8 Guinea Bissau Guinea Sierra Leone Liberia Cape Verde 486 AF9 Mauritania Mali Niger Senegal Gambia 484 AF10 Cameroon Eq Guinea Congo Gabon Nigeria 421 AF11 Burkina Faso Ghana Togo Benin Ivory Coast 385 AF12 Morocco Algeria Libya Tunisia Egypt 266 SOUTH AMERICA SA1 Venezuela Colombia Ecuador Peru 161 SA2 Bolivia Paraguay Chile Uruguay 144 SA3 Argentina Sp Round SA4 Brazil Sp Round EUROPE EU1 Finland Estonia Lithuania Latvia 205 EU2 Scotland Wales Ireland Northern Ireland 205 EU3 San Marino Malta Slovenia Croatia Bosnia 187 EU4 Albania Macedonia Greece Kosovo 176 EU5 Slovakia Hungary Romania Serbia Montenegro 157 EU6 Iceland Faroe Islands Norway Sweden Denmark 154 EU7 Moldova Ukraine Crimea Belarus 154 EU8 Portugal Andorra Gibraltar Switzerland Austria 135 EU9 Kazakhstan Russia Georgia Azerbaijan 128 EU10 Turkey Cyprus Armenia Bulgaria Israel 117 EU11 Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg Czech Rep Poland 105 EU12 France Sp Round EU13 Germany Sp Round EU14 Italy Sp Round EU15 England Sp Round EU16 Spain Sp Round To work out the order, the countries were grouped together into geographic regions and there world rankings were accumulated (for four country groups, their world ranking and average of all four) to give the order that the challenge must be completed. Special Rounds only allow the loading of the country mentioned and require all points to be attained in that country making the challenge even more difficult. I will posting season one, in the near future, wish me luck. I haven't decided yet whether I will also incorporating the DOF Challenge as part of this but will let you know when I post the first episode. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted May 28, 2018 Author Share Posted May 28, 2018 2017/18 Season I decided that it would be best to instate the DOF challenge also, so I will be working to the premise that I am not responsible for transfers. The only part I will have a say in is, the football matches, training and players leaving the club. So as mentioned I start off in the region of Tahiti, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Samoa, and American Samoa. A footballing backwater to say the least, and the randomiser was pretty kind to me as we drew AS Dragon, one of the better teams in Tahiti, defending champions and 2nd favourites for the league. In Tahiti there are three trophies to play for, Ligue 1, the Coupe des Champions (Charity Shield) and the Coupe the Tahiti Nui (FA Cup) for a grand 180 points worth of points to play for, although I am still unsure about the Oceania Champions League Early season we set up seven friendlies against Tahitian opposition and I was pretty pleased with the results, 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. The only coming against our own Under 20’s, which was a bit of a bizarre result. Transfers wise we had been busy getting in Under 17 striker pair Bernard Martin and Benjamin Sonigo from Tahiti U19. Robert Oliver came in from AS Punaruu and looked like a decent improvement. Stevens Hiriga came in goal from title rivals AS Tefana, before we snapped up Emmanuel Bayart from AS Vairao on the final day of the transfer window. Our first real test and our first attempt at some points here in Tahiti ended in disappointment as we lost the Coupe des Champions 3-2 to AS Tefana. Despite leading 2-1 with with less than 20 mins to go we could not hold out as two penalties in four minutes done for us. A little disappointing but we would have to look forward to the league season. The league season didn’t get off to the best start as we lost to Tahiti U19 away by 1-0, but we recovered to win our next two games before a big showdown against AS Tefana, who had gone top in Ligue 1. We dominated the game and came away 3-0 winners, with Tefana not even having a shot on goal and despite us dropping to 10 men early in the second half. As we passed Christmas our form had been very good in the league, but just like all things it had been spoiled in the last fixture before New Years as we lost 2-0 AS Tefana, to drop behind them in the league. Our league form before that had seen is win 8-0, 5-0 twice, 6-2 and 4-1, as well as some less goal heavy victories as well. Our only loss had come to AS Tefana, but draws against AS Pirae in third and Tahiti U19, cost a bit, we would be doing catch up in the second half of the season. In the Coupe de Tahiti we were safely through against second division outfit Jeunnes Tahitiens 4-1 and would face fellow Ligue 1 outfit AS Aorai in the Quarter Finals. After the new year, the Fiji Airways OFC Champions League draw took place and we were drawn against Marist (Tonga), Team Wellington (New Zealand), Toti City Dwellers (PNG). It looked like a tough group. Our league form was suffering and I was wondering whether we were going to be able to stay in the top four in the league to be able to make the Ligue 1 title play-off. A win against AS Aorai in the Cup Quarter Finals by 1-0 stops a bad run of results. We manage to recover to look like Ligue 1 certainties before the O-League group games come along. A 6-0 against Marist sets us up nicely and a draw against Team Wellington was looking like more than enough to get us through. We beat Toti City to reach the one legged quarter finals. Interspersed in this we had decent league form apart from losing away to Central Sport who were looking good to qualify for the playoffs with us. In the semi finals of the Tahiti Cup we played second division side Olympic Mahina and beat them 5-1 to reach the final. A few days later we played the quarter final of the O-League against Cook Island opposition Tupapa Maraerenga and beat them 5-2 as we advanced in the competition. At the end of April we had a crunch set of matches, with two legs against Team Wellington in the O-League and the Cup Final against AS Tefana. We lost the home leg of the O-League match 4-1 due to two red cards in the second half as Wellington took advantage. We then lost a week later to Tefana the cup final on penalties after a 3-3 draw, before losing again to Team Wellington 2-1 to lose on aggregate 6-2. The final game of the season was a win against AS Pirae, to confirm the second seeding in the league title playoffs and a game against bogey team Tahiti U19, but this time we got the better of them winning the semi final 2-1. In the other semi final, AS Tefana were shocked as Central Sport beat them to make the final against us. We has a pretty average record against them, but we put that to bed pretty quickly as we dominated them 5-1 in the final and the league title was ours. The league win gets us the first 100 points of the challenge, but I am a bit disappointed at getting so far in so many competitions and only just coming away with the league. AS Tefana are a major thorn in our side and we will need to work them out sooner or later. We signed a new contract, and we were allowed to begin coaching course for the National C License. Career AS Dragon – 2017 – Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Challenge Round Points Earned 100 Pts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toads Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 This looks interesting, will be following. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted May 29, 2018 Author Share Posted May 29, 2018 2018/19 Season For the new season I decided to look at my tactics a bit and I was feeling that my employment of 3 strikers was not really working and instead I devised a 4-1-1-2-2, with two wide players. Anyway we would see how this would go. Early season friendly results were pretty good and I decided to extend the trial into the season. Our first real test would be against the old rival AS Tefana in the Coupe des Champions and 30 points were up for grabs. The game was pretty drab but I was happy at how we shut down our most difficult domestic opponents. After a 0-0 draw, we managed to overcome them on penalties to lift the trophy and secure the first 30 points of the season. We made two signings in the off season, Phillippe Giroud came in from second division AS Vaiete, and he looked a good young defender. Temarii Tinorua was the other player, a wide player we got from AS Tefana. They would help but I didn’t think they would make a huge difference for us. For the league, things did not get easier as we started with our main rivals AS Tefana and again both sides were even as the game finished 2-2. After this we went on a big winning streak that went between 30 September and the 1st December until we drew again with AS Tefana. In this streak we managed to get through the Cup 2nd Round beating AS Manu Ura 5-0. The undefeated streak stretched eventually to 17 games until we lost to Manu Ura in the league rather surprisingly by 3-2. Benjamin Sonigo was turning out to be the main man upfront and the adjustment had in tactics had helped get him in red hot goalscoring form. The league was looking like a lost cause for everyone else, especially as Tefana had started poorly in the league, however we knew it mattered little with the league title playoff anyhow. The quarter finals of the cup came and we beat Jeunes Tahitiens by 2-1, they newly promoted top division club had given us a game but we managed to get through to the semi finals all the same. The O-League was right round the corner and our draw saw us against perennial champions for about the last 10 years Auckland City (New Zealand), Veitongo (Tonga) and Toti City Dwellers (PNG). We started as expected with a 2-0 loss to Auckland, but recovered to beat Veitongo 5-1 to set up a shoot out against Toti City, and much like last year we had the hex over them and won out 2-0. Before we could play the Quarter Final of the O-League we had AS Tefana in the semi finals of the Cup, and we finally we beating them when it mattered as we ran out 3-2 winner in extra time, three days later we were in Fiji to play Suva in the O-League and a late solitary goal gave us the victory there. The draw was not kind in the semi finals as we drew Auckland City, who had failed to win the O League since 2010/11. After a three more league games which were now academic to where were going to finish in the league, we faced Auckland away and managed to stay in the tie, only losing 2-1. The return leg was split by a 1-0 league win for us, before we welcomed the giants to Tahiti. We took an early lead to put the cat amongst the pigeons for them, and then we extended it via a penalty. They attacked us for the remainder of the game but we were resolute and held out, to record probably the most famous victory in Tahiti club football. We were going to the final and our opponents were New Zealand opposition Hawkes Bay. Before that we had the small matter of disputing the final of the Cup against unfancied second division AS Vairao, and it was clear at the end of the game why they were unfancied as we destroyed them 5-1 to get us another trophy and another 50 points. The O-League final was before the end of the season as we had drawn Manu Ura in the semi finals. The Pacific Games had also congested the fixture list somehow strangely clahsing with the Champions League final. Hawkes Bay taught us a lesson as an early red card ended the tie as they ran out 7-1 winners in New Zealand. We at least got some pride back with a 2-2 draw in the second leg but we were well beaten 9-3 on aggregate. We drowned our sorrows with a 5-4 extra time win against Manu Ura, that somehow we managed to snatch back our way before we set up the inevitable match against AS Tefana. I hate these kind of occasions because we have been better them all season and then suddenly its us vs them for a league title which they don’t deserve, just like us last season. We lost 1-0 to a goal in the second half and it would not be a second league title in a row. It is an interesting situation with that result. We could stay another season and see what we can win. The O-League final is the biggest tempter of them all to stay another season and see what might happen with the club. Obviously domestic titles are now going to be worth 25% less each time they are won, so to stay one more season at AS Dragon would probably make sense but after that we need to look at things again. Probably the best news of the whole season is that we are now up to National A License and studying for Continental C, I think that will help a lot going forward. Career AS Dragon – 2017 – Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 1 (AS Dragon (2018/19) Coupe de Tahiti Nui x 1 (AS Dragon (2018/19) Challenge Round Points 180 Pts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted May 29, 2018 Author Share Posted May 29, 2018 13 hours ago, Toads said: This looks interesting, will be following. Thanks very much! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 2019/20 Season So I was looking at potentially my final season at AS Dragon, and I was hoping; a rather faint hope that I could go one better in the O-League, but more realistically hoping to really get the most points out of the available domestic points on offer. I felt the tactical change had worked last season despite the loss in the final of the league and would unless things took a downturn be continuing with that formation. I was hoping the Director of Football would make some smart signings especially in the full back positions where we had lost Reynald Lemaitre, a French footballer whom despite his advancing years was still a great player and a leader in the locker room, and he had after refusing to sign a new contract at the club signed with French side Tours. In terms of signings the DOF got in only two signings and not in the fullback positions but Tunoa Tevaerai coming from AS Tefana would add much needed cover in central midfield and Tom Cretin who was out of contract was a great improvement on the left wing. Apart from that there was very little change in the playing staff. We played again a good amount of friendlies to get the new guys acquainted to how we did things and again did extremely well only drawing one game and winning the rest. The first real test would come from in the Coupe des Champions and we managed to get a late goal to win 1-0, as we collect another 22 points for the win (this is first time we have not got the full amount for winning, the total is reduced to 75% for the second time we are winning the same trophy with AS Dragon, part of the reason why moving next year was being even considered). The first game of the season was a nice 2-0 win before we lost at home to Olympic Mahina, a strange result and one that I was not very happy about. The rest of the run to early December yielded a run of wins that I had not seen from the club before as we won 8 league games in a row and all pretty convincing. The Cup first round was probably our toughest run out of the whole period, as we squeaked past AS Excelsior by 2-1. The regular league season continued to be a complete breeze as we lost 4 games all season and finished in the first spot by an absolute mile. AS Tefana has a poor season by their standards and would only finish 4th, we would be playing them in the semi finals. The cup continued in the mid season and we dispatched AS Manu Ura by 2-0 in the Quarter Finals. A short time after this we were drawn in O-League Group B against Auckland City (New Zealand), Western United (Solomon Islands) and Hienghene Sport (New Caledonia). We predictably lost to Auckland City 3-1, but bounced back against Western United winning 5-0 and put Hienghene Sport to slaughter also 5-1 as we qualified for the quarter finals, three seasons in a row. The cup semi final eventually came and we would be facing the ever present AS Tefana, we would get the better of them again as we won 2-1 and pushed into the cup final against Tahiti U19. The quarter final of the O-League was up next against Fijian outfit Nadi away. We were much the better team and came out 3-0 winners as we pushed into the semi finals again to set up another meeting with our most difficult foe, Auckland City. The semi final followed a few weeks later and a gutsy display in which we managed to grab a 1-1 draw in New Zealand. We were smelling blood for the second leg. The second leg came along and we were looking to reach our second O-League final in a row. Sonigo put us 1-0 up before Liam Cravan got them level. When things were heading towards penalties Oliver got another for us as we went 2-1. We hung on despite two sending offs, which ultimately were going to cost us for the final. The Cup Final came against Tahiti U19’s and we were too good for them as we came through 3-1 on the night. Another 37 points for us, and this season was looking potentially brilliant for our prospects of getting out of region OC1. The O-League final was next and the first leg away was against Team Wellington. Unfortunately the game ended 6-3, which put us needing miracles in the second leg, we did not get it a few days later as we drew 1-1, to lose 7-4 on aggregate. Again we had been stopped in the finals after beating the invincible Auckland City. Dissappointing, but we had done amazing. The league playoff was next and we faced an underperforming AS Tefana. We put their bad form to the sword as we came out 5-1 winners and started our procession the final and surely another league title, then it hit again; 8 players away playing the OFC Nations Cup with Tahiti, this was a great equaliser as we played AS Manu Ura and after a goalless 90 minutes they scored to win 1-0. Thwarted again. After the crushing blow at the end of the season my time at AS Dragon was over, the points were getting scarcer and I needed a way to get more points, either with a new club in Tahiti or a new club all together. I bowed out of my role, with fond memories, but ultimately despite playing better every season, we got less points each season, which was so disappointing. We would see what would come in the next coming months, but I handed in my resignation and walked away from The Dragons. As I left AS Tefana boss Sebastien Lebayen became the favourite for my job. Fitting really, but also potentially an opportunity, I would sit patiently and see what would happen. As a manager I was now improving strarkly, now studying for my Continental A Licence having obtained my B Licence. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 2 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Coupe de Tahiti Nui x 2 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Challenge Round Points 239 Pts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 2020/21 Season Well things worked out rather interestingly. I left AS Dragon and suddenly there was a lot of movement in the job market. Before you knew it, the new champions AS Manu Ura had lost their manager and this left the door open for me to apply. I applied, and naturally after everything I had achieved at AS Dragon they offered me the job. This importantly would allow me to earn full points on all the domestic trophies in Tahiti again, although I was not fooling myself, Manu Ura may be champions but they were a shadow of the side I had at AS Dragon, well that would have to be resolved. The Director of Football over the season was flooding the team with new signings, none that were too brilliant to be honest, but there a few guys we got from AS Dragon that were good acquisitions (Corentin Gay, 2nd goalkeeper for Dragon and a cut above ours and Tunoa Tevarai a good midfielder who had played his fair share under me), and Valentin Flips from Tahiti U19, would end up being an important player up front. Overall he had not done that bad a job. Coupe des Champions We opened up the season after playing a long list of friendlies, against former club AS Dragon. This would be the first test for the club and especially for me and could bode for what was to come and whether I had made a very big mistake in leaving AS Dragon in the first place. We went into the game as underdogs, but by god did we give them a surprise, turning up 6-0 winners! The first trophy with Manu Ura and 30 points added to the account. Ligue 1 The league was quickly beginning to annoy me substantially, why play so many games and then make us play a playoff for the title. What happened to the league table never lies. Regardless and predictably we were very good in the league as we quickly jumped to the top of the table and barely left, only for when we had two or so games in hand. We were being chased by the normal bunch of AS Tefana, AS Dragon and Tahiti U19s. When Tahiti U19 beat us 5-2, it made me question a few things but we quickly recovered a strung together huge unbeaten streaks as we walked the regular season, obtaining 91 points in the process only 5 less points than we had obtained with AS Dragon the season before in a very close to flawless season. AS Dragon finished second and then a bit of gap to AS Tefana and Tahiti U19’s to complete the quartet. In the playoff we faced Tahiti U19’s and somehow succumbed to a 1-0 loss, the league season was over and we had once again paid the price for what I considered an extremely stupid way of deciding things. Tahiti Cup Talking of disasters, we came up against AS Taravao of the second division in the 1st Round, after somehow drawing 0-0 somehow despite chance after chance, we lost on penalties, a truly dreadful performance in the Tahiti Cup O-League Having won the league the season before, the team was back in the O-League. The draw gave us Hawkes Bay of New Zealand, Vaimoso of Samoa and Hauwai PS Utd of PNG. We faced Hawkes Bay first and amazingly we managed to overcome them by 1-0. This made 1st spot in the group eminently possible. We struggled against what I considered the weakest opponents Vaimoso, winning 2-1 before battering Hauwei 6-0. We were through in first place, and drew Ifira BB of Vanuatu at home. We again made the game very difficult for ourselves as we drew the game 3-3 after extra time, seemingly we could not shake them off as they equalised three times, but we were perfect on the penalties and they missed their final one. Hawkes Bay had knocked out Auckland City in the last round, in the first all New Zealand quarter final stage I had ever seen. We faced them next and I had some reason to be confident on hearing this, however fate again smashed us across the face as both our main strikers with 20 goals a piece in the season got injured in the previous league game and were well and truly out of the tie. We would lose at home 1-0 to a late penalty, and my heart sank about a potential final against someone who was not a New Zealand powerhouse. In the second leg facing the same injury crisis, we took the lead in the game and held it for so long, but in the 93rd minute they made the breakthrough and we were out, 1-1 on the night, 2-1 on aggregate. The story was not yet over there as AS Dragon had hauled themselves to the final under new management and when they won the first leg in New Zealand 3-2, I was shocked and cursing myself, however Hawkes Bay recovered in Tahiti to win 3-0 and take the O-League again back to New Zealand. Seriously someone needs to petition New Zealand to **** off to Asia or something. Conclusion An absolute disaster really, 30 points for the season, and so much promise was ended in the final stages of Tahiti season again. I was jaded of the league and what I felt was an unfair system. I had purposely delayed signing a new contract, despite the club all over me to sign on the dotted line. I was gone and this time I was gone from Tahiti, I would seek the rest of the points elsewhere, I went into the boardroom and handed in my resignation. We had now got our Continental A Licence and the club had funded the Pro Licence, this would mean on the studying front I was about done with things when this would end sometime next season. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 - 2021 Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 3 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui x 2 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Challenge Round Points 269 Pts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttley84 Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Seems like a massive challenge. Good luck with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 Season 2021 I was out of work for approximately a month, when after browsing insecure jobs, I noticed what looked like a decent Samoan team Vailima Kiwi’s manager had an insecure position. I was not too shy to add a little added pressure and said a few good words about the club and how I would not mind managing them. They immediately sacked their manager and after interviews I got the job. I guess that the O-League cup final losses had be useful for something, and at least I was relatively known in the region. Samoa had two main domestic trophies; the Samoan National League, and this was a normal league, not one of those funny playoff leagues and the Samoa Cup the main domestic trophy, that operated a little bit like a mini Champions League with groups etc. The club were one of the bigger sides in Samoa, but they had fallen from grace, and were now underperforming, the task was clear from the chairman, get us back to winning the league and I needed to do that anyway so I wanted to oblige. The main reason I could see that the team was suffering was the abject lack of any goalscoring talent upfront at all. Hopefully the chairman (we didn’t have a DOF) would resolve that as I informed him that I wanted him to handle the transfer committee for me. When it came to transfers he wasn’t shy in coming forward as he improved the team in about 5 to 6 positions, including much needed two or three strikers that were required at the club. The friendlies went perfectly as we maintained an unbeaten record throughout, and it would seem that this amateur team was quickly adapting to the ways that had made AS Dragon formidable under my guidance, hopefully we would have the courage to translate that into points and cups. Samoan National League Our first three games we won against Adidas, Central United and Vaimoso 4-1, 4-1 and 4-0 respectively as we set out our stall for the title only to then drop the first points of the season at home to Vaiusu in a 1-1 draw. However that was not to stop or momentum we won the next four in a row to put us top of the table but not clear, as One Way Wind kept up pace with us in this very short 11 game season. A draw at Mouala United who were also having a good season meant that a win against One Way Wind would seal the title and we managed to do that in a nice 3-1 win, the next thought was of the remaining game and potentially an unbeaten league season, we managed in style against Vaitele Uta by 2-1, as we completed an incredible title victory and also an unbeaten season, albeit in rather a short league season. A renewed 100 points had been added to the board and I was delighted with how the team were playing. Samoa Cup We were drawn in Group B with Vaitele Uta, Togafufua, Vaitoloa SC, Vaiusu and Adidas, whereby the two top teams would advance to the semi final stages to play the Group A teams. We started with a thumping 7-2 victory against Vaitele Uta, before scraping past Togafuafua by 1-0. Vaitoloa SC were up next and we swept them aside by 3-0, which would be enough at this stage to already confirm our passage into the semi finals owing to how other results had gone in the group. Vaiusu who were up next did not put up much of challenge as we smashed them 4-0 before we faced also qualified Adidas in the final group game, which threatened to be our first loss as we trailled 3-2 in the second half but two quick goals gave us a 4-3 win and top spot in the group. In the semi finals we faced One Way Wind and in a tight game we managed to overcome them 3-2, to set up a final against Group B adversaries Adidas. This was the final game of the season and a win would not only seal the Samoa Cup, but it would mean that we complete a truly unbeaten season in all competitions, this game was not as close as the first as pushed them aside by 3-1. Another 50 points on the board and a true unbeaten season Conclusion Well lets be completely fair, that could not have gone much better; a domestic double, an unbeaten season, as a manager I have yet to taste defeat at all in Samoa, not even in a friendly game. Most importantly 150 points this season was a real boon to our aspirations of graduating from this region to OC2. There is no doubt I will continue with the club next season and hope that I can again perform to same standards that we have set this season. It will require a double again to book passage to OC2, but after that season who is saying we can’t do it again. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 3 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui x 2 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Challenge Round Points 419 Pts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 21 hours ago, Muttley84 said: Seems like a massive challenge. Good luck with it. Yeah it is a huge challenge, although getting past some regions only requires the equivalent of the Champions League so some regions will be quicker. This region is probably one the hardest with the New Zealand teams beating up the Island teams. Thanks for the luck, probably going to need it I reckon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 2022 Season Following on the epic season that we had last year I was confident that this would be our final season in this region, and another double would be enough. Interestingly before that we had the O-League to play for, a tournament which clearly I did not hold up much hope for, as we were major minnows compared to some of the other teams that would be entering. O-League Samoa’s ranking was so low in Oceanic football that we would need to start in a Preliminary Group Stage. The draw put us against Cook Island outfit Nikao, American Samoan Pago Youth and Marist of Tonga. Our first game was against Nikao and we promptly lost 3-2, putting us in real danger of not making the tournament proper, but a 4-1 win against Pago Youth and a 4-0 destruction of Marist put us into the Group Stages. The group stages was about where I expected us to get to but no further, we would be in Group D up against Solomon Warriors of the Solomon Islands, Erakor GS of Vanuatu and Eastern Suburbs of New Zealand. We first played Solomon Warriors and caused a huge upset as we beat them by 4-1, next up was Erakor, with a victory now putting us through to the next round, we promptly squaked by with a 1-0 win. The tie was set for a leadership of the group with a game against Eastern Suburbs and an easier tie next round. I was more hoping that they didn’t thump us too badly meaning the morale would be shot, but in probably one of the biggest upsets in Oceania football we turned them over 2-1. A famous day in Samoan football history. In the quarter finals we played much fancied AS Magenta of New Caledonia, but again we defied the odds and won 3-1 to set up a semi final against historic nemesis Auckland City. The odds were hugely against us, and it would appear that we would finally fall to the bigger more illustrious foe. In the first leg away in New Zealand we were brilliant in defence, and even scored in the first half on a counter attack. We would hold out to record an even more famous victory than the one against Eastern Suburbs. There was still the second leg to play and I thought we would be put the sword, but we produced a fantastic display as we kept catching Auckland out as we sailed through 4-0 on the night 5-0 on aggregate, and it was looking like it would be a miracle O-League win. Another notable foe of the past stood in our way, as AS Tefana, had dispatched island opponents to get to the final. The first leg was at home and with the game going to the death with minutes to go it stood at 1-1, but to late strikes gave us a much deserved 3-1 win, and I was beginning to believe, in fact I was now expecting the first Continental trophy of my career. The away leg against Tefana, was cagey, they were going for it as they must, but we were holding them off, our defence again being the key. They got a penalty in the first half, but our keeper saved, it was looking like the Oceania version of the Miracle in Istanbul. On 83 minutes Tefana found the break through and their Tahiti fans now raised the game to fever pitch as they went in search of the goal that would give them the title……………..and they got it on the 89 minute!!!! We could not recover, the final whistle went and we had lost on away goals. Probably the most heartbreaking moment of my career to date, and it was Tefana as well just to rub some salt into the wounds. Samoan National League We got over the O-League defeat and concentrated on the league. There were four months between the O-League and the league season and we filled it with friendlies which we duly won all of. The first game of the season was againsr Togafuafua and we could only manage a draw, but recovered with four straight wins. Another draw against Vaipuna was followed by our first defeat ever under my leadership in domestic football as we fell late on 1-0 to Vaimoso, who were our nearest challengers for the title this season. Well it was never going to last forever. We recovered to win the next two games which meant that a win against Adidas would secure us the title and we duly delivered a 3-0 win to capture our second Samoan National League title in a row, we capped things off with a win against Mouala United by the same scoreline, to take the league by 4 points all told. The second time of winning the trophy with Vailima gave us 75 points towards the 500. Samoan Cup The group draw saw us up against Adidas, One Way Wind, Vaitele Uta, Vaimoso and Mouala United. We started by beating Adidas 4-2, before beating One Way Wind and Vaitele Uta as well, when we succumbed to Vaimoso 3-1, giving them control of the group, and now requiring us to beat Mouala Utd to be sure of passage to the semi finals, we duly obliged 2-1. In the semi finals we needed extra time to see off Vaivase-Tai 3-2 in the end to set up a final against Lupe. This was looking like it could be the last fixture of my time in this region, the problem was we lost the game 2-1 late on. We had blown the cup. Conclusion Well our goal was to get the points and be out of here, and on that front we had failed in the end, but it is difficult to be to harsh on the team. This is an amateur side, and we were a minute away from being the Champions of Oceania, and at the end of the day we still captured 75 points that should mean next year we should be done with OC1. We shall forge ahead next season and hopefully give me a good send off with the club. Unbelievably we need 4 points now to finish in OC1, so little, yet still so far. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 3 (Tahiti) AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui (Tahiti) x 2 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 2 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Challenge Round Points 494 Pts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodesire Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Really enjoying this format, your write-up is excellent and makes it a lot more clear as to what's happening Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 4, 2018 Author Share Posted June 4, 2018 2023 Season I was hoping this was the final season at Vailima Kiwi and the final season in the region. The target was clear, and it was the league, as the most consistent tournament that we had been winning in the past two season pretty easily. But first we had the O-League again and could we proceed on another famous run. O-League Again we had to go through the Preliminary Rounds, but this time we had good experience of the competition and I was hoping this would not pose much of an issue. The other teams in the Prelim Group were Lion Heart of American Samoa, Lotoha’apai of Tonga and Tupapa of the Cook Islands. We ended up walking the group without conceding a goal beating Lion Heart 2-0, Lotoha’apai 6-0 and Tupapa 3-0. We were back in the Group Stages. The group draw saw us avoid New Zealander opposition, instead we had Hekari Utd of PNG, Erakor GS of Vanuatu and Ba of Fiji. The first game was against Hekari Utd, and we were underdogs, but we showed the bookies they new nothing as pulverised Hekari by 10-0, the rest of the group would be straight forward too with a 4-1 over Erakor and 3-0 of Ba. We won the group quite easily and again we were pulling up trees in the O-League when no one gave us a chance. Next came a one legged home quarter final against Waitakere United, our first taste of New Zealand opposition, but we again outdid ourselves to beat them 2-0 and well deserved too. The semi final drew us against familiar foes, if not for the team; for myself. AS Manu Ura were the team we faced and I was keen to get past them and get to the final again. Away we managed to only lose by 1-0 and were a bit unlucky that we lost at all and I was hopeful. However the home leg we were not as good, and when we took the lead we could not capitilise further like we had throughout the tournament and they got an equaliser and that was how it ended, 1-1 on the night, 2-1 to them on aggregate. Canterbury of New Zealand would be Manu Ura in the final anyway to keep the trophy in New Zealand. Samoan National League A slew of friendlies again before the league season and this was the trophy I was targeting to end the whole region. We started well with a 3-1 win against Adidas but, drew the next game. With this we were second for a while in the league as Central United started impressively with a lot of early victories, but we were winning also and by the time we got to the Togafuafua game 9 of 11, we could win the title there and then, but another draw 1-1. We now had two games to makes things right and the next game was against last years party poopers Lupe, but again we choked and were defeated 2-1 to hand us our first league loss of the season. However Central needed to keep winning and when they lost, we won the title despite the victory. 56 points for the third victory of this trophy with Vailima Kiwi. I resigned immediately after we had confirmed the title, I had lost enough time in the region. We had one game still to play but it mattered little Samoa Cup It became a trophy that was meaningless once we secured the league. The team had won every game in the Group Stage and were to face Adidas in the semi finals but I resigned before that game could happen. Conclusion Well we were done here in Samoa and more importantly in the region. I had managed 231 games in two countries (Tahiti and Samoa), winning 168, drawing 27 and losing 36’ a 72% win percentage. Not bad! In that time we had taken AS Dragon to the dominant force in Tahiti and almost made them O-League champions on several occasions, Manu Ura ended up being a bit of detour although we played well my time was largely wasted and then finally we got the majority of the points required in Samoa with Vailima Kiwi and again almost smashed our way to an O-League title on two occasions. In fact the first time round 1 minute away from the title, rather unbelievably. I had got my Continental Pro Licence a while back and was now no longer a student of management, but well experienced at least at this lower level. At the age of 37 years old completing this region had taken the best part of 7 years. Upwards and onwards to OC2, which would now feature Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Micronesia and Tuvalu. At this point I unloaded Tahiti, Samoa and the other leagues loaded from OC1 and began loading the aforementioned leagues. I was now unemployed and looking for the next club. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - 2023 Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 3 (Tahiti) AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui (Tahiti) x 2 (AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 3 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022, 2023) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Challenge Round Points 550 Pts – OC1 Complete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 4, 2018 Author Share Posted June 4, 2018 On 02/06/2018 at 13:15, rodesire said: Really enjoying this format, your write-up is excellent and makes it a lot more clear as to what's happening Thanks very much, was still working out how to present things early. I'm hoping this is clearer for everyone and that everyone understands how all the points systems work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 6, 2018 Author Share Posted June 6, 2018 2024 Season So I loaded in all the leagues and I was expecting to quickly get a job, however despite clubs saying I was the favourite and they would be stupid to overlook me, no offers were coming in. I had been selected in my picking of each club I applied to but at this point in about late February I just applied whole hog. Anyway this must be some sort of bug or something as I got absolutely no offers and in general none of teams seemed to be hiring managers apart from the odd one. Then things got even weirder all the seasons were going full steam ahead, when one day before the Papua New Guinea team Huawei PS United offered me an interview. I obviously thought they were about to be relegated and I would have to avoid the interview to make sure I did not lose points straight away. However as I looked at the table they were sitting top, with one game to play, assured of the Title Playoff (Yes it’s one of those leagues again). I took the interview, got the job and here I sit, one game before the end of the regular season top of the league. It looks like in PNG the only trophy there is the league, so probably not a great choice, but it will have to do considering the weird circumstances we were dealing with. Also at the club were absolutely no staff but the chairman, I presume he was one of those real hands on chairmans, that’s manager, coach, physio, scout etc. Well I handed him over the reigns of transfers and we got to it. City Pharmacy National Soccer League As I took over we were top having amassed 22 points from 11 games. Our last game was against 3rd placed Toti City Dwellers and I wanted to keep the club on the up. Well with absolutely no idea about the players, no familiarity with the tactic the first game went absolutely horribly a 3-0 defeat at home to Toti. This put us down to third place in the league just before the semi finals. We were in real trouble too because we were going to play Toti away for the semi final and I was not confident. Furthermore beyond a Chief Scout, the chairman had brought no other staff in. I was playing FM blind, no idea about anything, no information about suited roles, it was a baptism of fire. Well we were much better this time round but it was still not enough a 3-3 draw and the dreaded penalties did us in. We were done, two games played, two losses (one on penalties). Ouch! Conclusion Something fishy was going on with the change of leagues and I do not like it. We were out and I hated this club that I had just joined. Only one thing to do! Quit! I was done here. 0 points this season, a new low for us. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - 2023 Huawei PS United (PNG) 2024-2024 (days) Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions x 3 (Tahiti) AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui x 2 (Tahiti) AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 3 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022, 2023) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Challenge Round Points 550 Pts – OC1 Complete 0 Pts – OC2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 7, 2018 Author Share Posted June 7, 2018 2024 Season (STILL!!) So something seemed to jolt the Soloman Island clubs into doing something around September as suddenly they all flooded my inbox wanting me to be there manager. The season was four games in and I had look at the options. Soloman Warriors were top and the biggest club in the Solomon Islands so I opted for them. I did make sure that they had an Assistant Manager in post so at least I can see some information about my players. Anyway 2024 rebooted. The Soloman Islands seems to have only one trophy, the league, so that’s not great but it does have the Melanesian Super Cup for the league winners, so that could be another route for points, it seems to be an Island competition between the champions of different Pacific Islands, anyway we were in that but had already been knocked out by Amicale of Vanuatu last season, I was unsure whether we would be in this tournament this season. The club had also been knocked out of the O-League in the semi final against Hawkes Bay of New Zealand so again no need to worry about that this season. So it would be the league to focus on. Telekom S-League So again I was coming into the club cold, didn’t know the players and they didn’t know my tactics, and we were already 4 games into the season but we were doing well picking up 3 wins and a draw. My goal was to this time, keep them there and at least this league doesn’t have that stupid playoff system. Our first game was against Marist Fire at home and we won 3-2, although it didn’t convince me, I was proved right when the next game we lost to Western United by 1-0 and then drew against league strugglers Koloale 5-5. We really were finding it tough to implement our ways. The Melanesian Cup came along and it gave a little more familiarity with the tactics and what we were trying to do, but the next game we played Henderson Eels FC and lost 1-0 at home (not to be confused with Henderson Eels, WEIRD!), things were going downhill fast. We recovered against Henderson Eels who were up near the top of the table by 2-0, but at this point we had blown our lead and were trailing Marist Fire. Next came Guadalcanal, routed to the bottom of the table on 2 points, and we smashed them 6-1, and this seamed to release the stress that was in our game as we beat Real Kakamora 5-1 as well to recover to the top of the table, but it was still tight. Two strategically placed friendlies were played in a mini break to again trying and keep legs fresh and familiarity high. At this time our chairman stepped aside and new owner came in, thankfully he did not sack me. Next was Koloale at home and we won 4-2 to help out. It was not looking like three horse race between us, Marist Fire and KOSSA for the title, and next up was KOSSA, and we could not afford to lose, a 3-3 draw came along and that was alright, as it set up another must not lose game against Marist Fire, a 2-0 win put us on the precipice of the title and when Marist Fire lost to KOSSA I thought that I had won the title, but not yet, our next opponents Western United had two games left and were 5 points behind us, if they beat us it would set up a final game finale for the title, but it was not to be as we came through 2-0 to claim the S-League and me 100 points. In the final game we won 3-0 against Henderson Eels to wrap things up nicely. Melanesian Super Cup This trophy is a funny one, played between the teams of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, I have to count it as a miscellaneous Continental competition, but we were coming into in real bad form and struggling. First up we had Ifira BB of Vanuatu and we lost 3-2, as we struggled for momentum, but were unlucky to lose. Domestic rivals Western United were next and we overcame them via 27th minute penalty, but it was clear that things were not clicking. Remarkably a 2-0 win against Erakor GS of Vanuatu and assuming that Ifira did not win by 3 or more goals would hand us the trophy but we never looked threatening as the game petered out to a 0-0 draw and Erakor GS became Melanesia Super Cup champions Conclusion Well 2024, was looking a lot worse before we recovered with Solomon Warriors to take the S-League title and 100 points with it. I will be sticking with Solomon Warriors for a while, at least the S-League appears to be functioning as intended and there could be quite a few points to be had here. Next year we will be in the O-League so we will see what that will bring; so far it has only brought heartbreak and despair. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - 2023 Huawei PS United (PNG) 2024-2024 (days) Solomon Warriors (Solomon Isl) 2024 - Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions (Tahiti) x 3 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui (Tahiti) x 2 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 3 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022, 2023) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Telekom S-League (Solomon Isl) x 1 Solomon Warriors (2024) Challenge Round Points 550 Pts – OC1 Complete 100 Pts – OC2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 7, 2018 Author Share Posted June 7, 2018 2025 Season So we started the 2025 season with Solomon Warriors and I was hopeful we could win the league again. In the off season, the chairman made 5 signings and we let 3 go, there was plenty of improvement in these players especially Johan Mango who was a good improvement in midfield. The team were getting used to the way I was doing things and I was hoping that things would be more straightforward this year. O-League Early in the season was the O-League, and the board wanted us to get to the Quarter Finals, an assessment that I agreed we could get to with a little bit of luck. We went straight into the main group stage and got drawn against Ba of Fiji, AS Magenta of New Caledonia, and old friends of mine AS Dragon. We started nicely with a good 3-0 win against Ba and secured our qualification from the group by beating AS Magenta 2-1 with an 89th minute penalty. We would lose against AS Dragon 2-1, having only got a consolation in the 88th minute. Despite the loss, the results in the group had gone our way and we won the group, hopefully assuring a better second round tie. A familiar foe from Vanuatu was next in Erakor GS, they had been stiff opposition in last years Melanesian Cup but this time round we had their number and ran out 5-1 winners, dominating the game. The two legged semi final saw us face Fijian opposition again in Suva, it was at this time I noticed that one of the New Zealand teams Southern hadn’t made out of the groups, but Auckland City were very much in the semi finals against New Caledonian opposition. In the away leg against Suva, we put one foot in the final with a 3-1 win, the return leg was no more taxing as we ran out 4-2 winners for an aggregate 7-3 victory. In the other semi final Auckland had won 14-1 on aggregate, well this showed that the final was not going to be any easier than all the other times we had played them. The two legged final gave us good hope as we came back from 2-0 down back level before they scored late to secure a 3-2 victory against us. We would need a 1-0 win for the O-League, but they improved in the second leg and hit us on the break to go 1-0 up and killed us off late 2-0. 2-0 on the night, 5-2 on aggregate was our defeat. I have now been to four finals, representing AS Dragon twice, Vailima Kiwi once and now Solomon Warriors once and we had lost them all. I was beginning to think that I was cursed, and if I ever touched this trophy I may turn to dust. Telekom S-League A long break between the O-League and the league season was filled with friendlies which to be honest was no test. We started the league season away to Marist Fire who had been title hopefuls and 1-1 draw was a fair result. We then hosted Real Kakamora winning 3-1 before beating another hopeful KOSSA 2-1 away. Koloale were beaten at home next by 2-0, as we started to turn the screw on the rest of the league. Next up was Henderson Eels FC and a 4-0 win was the result. Western United, who had been the last hope for us to not win the league last season fell at home to us 4-1. At this point the title was looking like a formality. Marist Fire were next and a 1-1 draw followed again before we beat Henderson Eels 5-0, followed by Real Kakamora 2-1, KOSSA 3-1, Koloale 4-1, Western United 2-1 and FC Guadalcanal 3-0. We were champions elect at this point, but Real Kakamora had three games in hand on us and they would need to win them all to deny us for another week, they won the first one, but lost the second one and the title was ours without kicking a ball. Another 75 points were collected and not only that, we proceeded to win the final three games of the season, completing yet another undefeated season. Melanesian Super Cup After the Western United 4-1 win we went to the Melanesian Super Cup, we started off against Vanuatu opposition Black Diamond and managed a draw of 2-2. Marist Fire were next and we dispatched easily 5-0. The dynamic was interesting as we faced Erakor, all four teams could still win the tournament, we ended up drawing 1-1 but that ended up being enough to take the Cup on goal difference on 5 pts. 50 points were won toward the OC2 target for being a miscellaneous Continental trophy. Conclusion A really good season for us as we not only won the league and the Melanesian Super Cup, but went undefeated, at least if you don’t count the O-League. I have to be mindful that points are going to be diminishing for each win with the Solomon Warriors now, but we came so close to winning the O-League that feel we at least have to give it another stab. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - 2023 Huawei PS United (PNG) 2024-2024 (days) Solomon Warriors (Solomon Isl) 2024 - Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions (Tahiti) x 3 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui (Tahiti) x 2 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 3 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022, 2023) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Telekom S-League (Solomon Isl) x 2 Solomon Warriors (2024, 2025) Melanesian Super Cup x 1 Solomon Warriors (2025) Challenge Round Points 550 Pts – OC1 Complete 225 Pts – OC2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 9, 2018 Author Share Posted June 9, 2018 2026 Season We were back for the 2026 season with Solomon Warriors, and I was thinking that this would either be my final season or penultimate season at the club, I still had not decided, it would largely depend on if we won both the league and the Melanesian Cup or not, but I was confident that we could repeat the feat. First up though would be the O-League and I was confident we could get far but eventually like normal fall to one of the big boys from Kiwiland. The transfer market was okay this time around, 3 in and 2 out. The new guys in would certainly add depth but probably didn’t improve the first eleven. Still the chairman was doing a decent job as DOF. O-League The draw gave us Hienghene Sport of New Caledonia, Black Diamond of Vanuatu and Hawkes Bay of New Zealand. The task was clear get the points against the island teams and see what would happen against Hawkes Bay. First up was Hienghene and we played out a very nice 3-1 win as took a two goal lead in the first half and then added another late after they had pulled one back. Black Diamond was a team we had played before and against we repeated the 3-1 winning scoreline from the previous game, but this time we had to come from behind to win, all in the second half. Hawkes Bay was up next and I was as usual not too confident, the group had panned out in a weird way, normally after two games we were through before normally we had to play the big boy in the group, but Black Diamond had beaten Hawkes Bay in the first fixture, which meant that 2 of 3 out of us, Hawkes Bay and Black Diamond could still go through. We played the day before Black Diamond so they would know what they needed to do to get through. We ended up losing the game to Hawkes Bay 3-1, giving us a plus two goal difference, this meant 4-0 or better for Black Diamond, would be enough the next day and they came very close as they ran out 4-1 winners against Hienghene Sport, but we went through in second place on goals scored behind Hawkes Bay. In the second round we faced the well known faces of Erakor, who had surprised Auckland City, by topping their respective group, by getting a draw against the New Zealand powerhouses and scoring more against the minnows. This forced Auckland to play Hawkes Bay and one of the big boys was going out. The game against Erakor was a very tense one, they led until 10 minutes from the end when we managed to equalise, the game would end that way and extra followed. Erakor scored again 7 minutes into the extra period, but 8 minutes from the final whistle we equalised again, and the game ended 2-2. Penalties would ensue and while they fluffed their kicks we were solid and would go through to the semi finals. The draw came in and we had got the nightmare draw of Auckland City who had got rid of their divisional rivals Hawkes Bay away from home. Auckland had shown some chinks in their armour finishing second in their group, but this would be as usual the ultimate test and one in my managerial career that I would normally fail. Still I was happy with another semi final berth at least, and it boded once again well for the season. We would have the pleasure of hosting them at home first, and it is probably the best 90 minutes that any team I have managed have played as we were incisive, despite us falling behind early, the heads did not drop and we equalised quickly and then scored in injury time of the first half to take a 2-1 lead. At halftime it was a dilemma what to say, but it seemed to work, we went 3-1 up on 68 mins and then the real dagger a penalty in the 95th minute, to put us in the driving seat. If I was playing anyone other than Auckland, this game was over, but we knew it wasn’t the second leg was going to be gauntlet. The second leg, was all about getting on the scoresheet for us and to defend like lions. When they took the lead on ten minutes my heart sank and even worse when on 32 minutes they went 2-0 up. We were up against it, but we got what I wanted when in the 36th minute despite being under the cosh we scored to make it 2-1, I started to believe. At halftime, again very difficult to play this one; Auckland came out fired up and scored on the 60th minute, 3-1 Auckland, but then Moses Rande some got through their lines and slotted home, 3-2 Auckland, they needed another three goals in twenty minutes now. They scored again on 85 minutes and my heart was still in my mouth but they did not find the net again and we were through, losing 4-2 on the night, but winning 6-5 on aggregate. A famous night for Solomon Warriors and a famous night for Solomon Island football. Surely now was the time to do this, surely now was the time to win this O-League trophy. AS Manu Ura of Tahiti, a team I had previously managed stood in the way and I was confident, although they had the players to cause us trouble. The two legged affair had us playing at home first. What followed in that first leg was a joy to behold, as we took the lead in the 35th minute and then controlled possession and the game. On the 55th minute we made it two and then add two further goals late on as they chased the game. 4-0 was the final score, and surely now I could relax, surely now I would have my hands on the trophy that I had coveted for so long. I had nerves before the final, flashbacks of all the near misses were in my eyes. But we took the lead in Tahiti and that point I could relax, there was no way they were coming back from this. Went in at half time 1-0 up and I was sure this done. We came out again and Manu Ura scored almost immediately but there was no reason to panic, with 10 minutes left we had managed the game beautifully, we were going to win it, and we made sure with another goal. 2 minutes from they got a consolation goal to equalise the game on the night. We went up the other end and scored on 91 minutes to again take the lead, we wanted to win it in style. They got a penalty in 94th minute to deny us the glory of winning both legs, but it ended 3-3 on the night and 7-3 on aggregate. WE WERE OCEANIA CHAMPIONS!!! 500 points for the win and the region was officially done! I had finally got my hands on the trophy that so often I had fallen at the final hurdle, it was a proud moment. Telekom S-League Resigned before any games were played Melanesian Super Cup Resigned before any games were played Conclusion We had finally done it, and we had cleared OC2 in record time. When we went into the O-League I had no real aspirations that we would actually win it. I was so proud of this little club in the Solomon Islands taking home the O-League trophy back to the islands, the first for a club from the Solomon Islands, and only the second Pacific Island nation to do so after Tefana had done when they beat my Vailima Kiwi side. It was a little regret that I handed my resignation letter in, but next up was OC3, and finally New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga and Wallis & Futuna were up in the final leg of Oceania. We had spent about two years in this region and had been at two clubs and two countries, although the whole of the points were won on the Solomon Islands. We had played 52 games in this region, won 34 of them, drawn 8 and lost 10. At Solomon Warriors we had scored 133 goals and a goal difference of 74 and 68% win percentage. Overall we had now played 283 games, won 202, drawn 35 and lost 46, scoring 760 goals and with a goal difference of 446 and an overall win percentage of 71%. Anyway it was time to leave and head to the next region. Incidentally we were now the 2nd best ranked manager in Oceania history with that O-League title behind Ramon Tribulietx of Auckland City. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - 2023 Huawei PS United (PNG) 2024-2024 (days) Solomon Warriors (Solomon Isl) 2024 - 2026 Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions (Tahiti) x 3 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui (Tahiti) x 2 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 3 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022, 2023) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Telekom S-League (Solomon Isl) x 2 Solomon Warriors (2024, 2025) Melanesian Super Cup x 1 Solomon Warriors (2025) Fiji Airways OFC Champions League x 1 Solomon Warriors (2026) Challenge Round Points 550 Pts – OC1 Complete 725 Pts – OC2 Complete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerminalPortugal Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 2027 Season We started the new region and season by looking out for New Zealand jobs. Quite a few were available, and we got an interview at Canterbury United, but surprisingly despite the interview going well, we did not get the job and they opted elsewhere. In that time most of the other New Zealand top division jobs had gone. We then saw that Hawkes Bay’s manager was under pressure, but instead of them moving to get the current O-League champions manager, they laughed off the interest, a week later Auckland City did the same. Well they were clearly not impressed by achievements. I was hoping to make them pay. Eventually we looked around and found a vacant position at AS Magenta, and they were only too happy to give us the job. Magenta play in the New Caledonia are one of the best teams in the division, so I was hoping domestic points would not be too hard to come by, and since we were in the O-League, I thought there was an outside chance we could perform miracles again like we had at Solomon Warriors The domestic trophies in New Caledonia consisted of the New Caledonia Super Ligue and the Coupe de Nouvelle-Caledonie de Football, effectively the league and FA Cup respectively. The squad was looking pretty decent for the level of the league, and I set about putting the chairman in charge of transfer related affairs. Over the season he brought in 15 reinforcements, the majority youngsters for the under 20 side, but there were a few faces in there that improved the first eleven, so I was reasonably please. Three players left during the season but they were not really going to be missed much. O-League The O-League campaign kicked off after a few friendlies, this time round the O-League later stages would begin once the league had begun so we did not have the truncated season that we had had in other locales. The group draw saw us in Group B with AS Manu Ura from Tahiti and familiar faces, Nadi of Fiji and Toti City Dwellers of PNG. We had played really well in the friendlies and I was positive about being able to make sort of a splash in our first test. AS Manu Ura were first and we were able to stroll to a 3-1, despite a few nerves at the end when we put the game to bed with the 3rd goal on 86 minutes. Nadi did not provide any stiffer opposition as we comfortably beat them 4-1. Then we must have woke up on the right side of the bed as we put Toti City to the sword running out 11-0 winners in the end and breaking the goal scoring record of the tournament. Having qualified easily for the quarter finals we would play another familiar face in AS Dragon. The one legged home affair was never really a contest as we smashed my old club by 5-1 A very nice victory to set us up for the semi-finals, but now we had the stiff test if Hawkes’ Bay. The home leg was looking we would lose, but two late goals handed us a 4-3 victory at home, but to my liking Hawkes Bay were too in the tie to feel at all comfortable and I was proved right as they rampaged to a 4-1 win back in New Zealand, and 7-5 aggregate win overall. The Oceania dream was over, but we had performed well enough that it gave me some positive feelings about the club going forward. New Caledonia Super Ligue The Super Ligue had started right after the O-League group stages and we put that good form to use as we went on a rampant winning streak that just screamed league champions. No one could live with us as we picked up 7-2 wins against AS Wetr, 6-0 against Nu Drehu, 5-0 against Gaitcha, to name but a few of the destructions we meted out to opponents. It would be 17 fixtures before we finally dropped points in a 1-1 draw against Nu Drehu but the league was already over and a week later without kicking a ball it was confirmed. We ended up drawing another game before the end, but won the rest to record another unbeaten season under the stewardship and 100 points in the race to 500 in OC3. Coupe de Nouvelle Caledonie We played non-league opposition in the first round and annihilated the poor wretches 8-0 on the night, but in the next round the quarter finals we were stunned by an incisive yet lucky AS Wetr side as we lost 3-1 to put a premature end to our cup campaign, in our most disappointing performance of the season Conclusion An unbeaten league season, a good first shake at the O-League and only the disappointment of the cup to sour things a little I was very much happy with how things had gone, and I could feel the team were adapting well to my management style. Next season I will be remaining with the club having signed a new contract and I am optimistic of more points coming along soon. 100 points gained this season and it is at least a start on our requirements for the region. We did get an interview offer from Ba of Fiji who is one of the better teams in Fiji, but it just doesn’t seem a step up. I think the only tempting offer at this stage would be a New Zealand team that could give us a very good chance at an O-League title. Anyway here’s looking forward to next season. Career AS Dragon (Tahiti) – 2017 – 2020 AS Manu Ura (Tahiti) – 2020 – 2021 Vailima Kiwi (Samoa) – 2021 - 2023 Huawei PS United (PNG) 2024-2024 (days) Solomon Warriors (Solomon Isl) 2024 – 2026 AS Magenta (New Caledonia) – 2027 - Present Accolades Ligue 1 Vini (Tahiti) x 1 (AS Dragon) (2017/18) Coupe des Champions (Tahiti) x 3 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20), AS Manu Ura (2020/21) Coupe de Tahiti Nui (Tahiti) x 2 AS Dragon (2018/19, 2019/20) Samoan National League (Samoa) x 3 Vailima Kiwi (2021, 2022, 2023) Samoan Cup (Samoa) x 1 Vailima Kiwi (2021) Telekom S-League (Solomon Isl) x 2 Solomon Warriors (2024, 2025) Melanesian Super Cup x 1 Solomon Warriors (2025) Fiji Airways OFC Champions League x 1 Solomon Warriors (2026) New Caledonia Super Ligue x 1 AS Magenta (2027) Challenge Round Points 550 Pts – OC1 Complete 725 Pts – OC2 Complete 100 Pts – OC3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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