Bottom's Up

[Talbot41]

Long time reader, very (I mean VERY) occasional poster.

Having been taken in mainly by @Makoto Nakamura's fantastic careers, I've always wanted to do something big, but unique, that I can really get stuck in to.

In the past 5 weeks I've spent a lot of time at home, for fairly obvious reasons, and some serious hours have gone into FM. After dominating the world many times with Ajax, taking Derby to the Champions League, and attempting to get the side I play in England Level 12 to be World beaters (I failed), I've decided to get involved here and attempt a seriously long journey, that I will endeavour to stick to.

I've downloaded the World Leagues Megapack, and after deliberating where to go for an age, I've decided to check out the FIFA Rankings, and simply work my way up. 

Goals:

Win the league in every recognised, playable nation, in reverse order of the current FIFA rankings (as of 30/04/2020).

Preferably win continental trophies along the way, however, due to the time involved in taking over so many different teams, it would be an impossible task to attempt to win the UCL with a San Marinese team, or a Concacaf trophy with a Sint Maarten team etc., you get my drift.

Rules:

None, specifically, however I will run three leagues at a time, and after completion of one, will replace with the next best ranked victim.

International management is undecided as of yet, depending how tempted I get, so I'm not ruling it out for a bit of fun along the way.

I will be delegating essentially EVERYTHING, barring the finalising of transfers in/out, and I will be using instant result.

I cannot 'retire' a manager, and will have to apply for a job in that league and wait until I get one. I will allow a 2 season period, and if unsuccessful, I will take over the lowest ranked side of that division (at the time).

Only the top league from each nation will be loaded, for again, obvious reasons.

Updates:

My plan is to ideally do a very structured update, in a similar way to Makoto , with probably less detail (as he seems to live 35 hour days), but most likely a seasonal update of who/when/where/how/spreadsheet progression, with my next mission attached.

 

Wish me luck, I'm hoping this goes on for a while, unlike current pub closures.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

The Setup:

After loading up the Database, I've noticed a number of leagues appear unplayable. Unfortunately, they will have to miss out. They will of course get an honourary mention on our way, but this can't be helped, by me anyway.

The first three victims on our list are Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and the ever-present FM dream nation, San Marino.

I have chosen a small database, for ease of speed, and have not loaded any players from any specific nation. 'Do Not Add Key Staff' has been unchecked.

As I am starting at the bottom, so is my virtual character, it will be the bare minimum stats to begin.

 

The Beginning:

 

Poor little Anguilla, who reside miserably at 210 and dead last of the FIFA World Rankings, are mission number one.

 

 

The Senior League of Anguilla has 9 teams, Doc's Utd are predicted to finish 9th. They will be my calling.

Abysmally, and to my utter dismay, they have poor training and youth facilities. Who'd have guessed...

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

The Expectation:

 

Confident I can at least manage that.

Squad:

 

I could probably do with a striker, but Kapil and Tarik certainly look capable of doing the business for me. We shall see..

 

[Talbot41]

Somehow I managed to sign the Anguilla boss, who is 42, and now one of my 'star' players:

 

I also had 7 of my players called up to the National side, although Kelsick was tipped for one, he unfortunately missed out.

Anguilla actually managed to win a game, beating Saint Barthemely (Yeah, me neither), 2-0.

Another bit of good news:

 

For those beady eyed amongst you, you'll notice my Asst. Man name has changed. This was because I started the game and forgot to add players to playable teams. Luckily, Doc's Utd were still predicted 9th, so it was pretty seamless.

 

The Half-Way Point:

Pre-season was a mixed bag with a variety of results, and the league started with defeat. However, the cups went quite well and as I kidnapped every single player that would look in my general vicinity, League results improved steadily as well. Top of the League at this stage was not expected, however it's quite easily possible when you have an abundance of amateur players to choose from.

 

 

The team has also vastly improved:

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

It's up for grabs now. However, I don't fancy having to wait 65 days for the potential title decider.

 

It was actually a completely dead rubber, as Diamond had won their last two games and, subsequently, the League, before I even played. I lost. 4-0.

 

Hey ho. We go again. At least the board and supporters like me.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

 

Pre Season:

 

They've certainly changed their tune sharply. Ah well, it was to be expected. Time to get rid of the dead wood. I've released basically anyone below 3 stars, and I'm left with the following:

Kelsick survived, I like the guy.

 

Reputation building ever so slightly, I could with getting off this island soon though. Things to do.

 

Friendlies could certainly have gone worse.

 

[Talbot41]

Off the field, things are going swimmingly for me.

 

On the field, not so much. Seemingly, I have wildly misunderstood the player pool of Anguilla, and have either signed or released anybody who is interested in playing for me. My brilliant idea of leaving myself 10 first team players, ended up in me promoting my incredibly awful reserve side, the whole lot of them. I haven't signed a single player, because it doesn't appear that there are any to be signed. Nobody from another club is interested either. It's..not going well.

 

I could be stuck here for a while:

 

[Talbot41]

Erm..I guess this was coming, and truth be told. I kinda dropped the ball on this lot. Sorry lads.

 

However, we learn from our mistakes and we get back up.

 

My job for tomorrow, will be to not completely destroy another Anguillan club.

[Talbot41]

Only 4 games left to steady the ship at Kicks Utd, winning one, drawing two, and losing the other one, however, things are potentially looking up for 41.

 

Back to planet Earth however, there is work to be done.

 

[Motlhen]

I love the ambition with this save, rough start though! I guess each league will have it's own nuances to learn from though.. 
Hopefully you can beat Doc's with Kicks next season to show them what they lost!

[Talbot41]

It was nearly the perfect start, but my gung ho approach has certainly come back to bite me. Signing Amateur players in the English lower leagues was incredibly easy and non stop churn and burn paid dividends. It didn't cross my mind that Anguilla's player pool would just dry up, very poor from me.

I do feel sorry for Doc's, as I've presumably completely ruined them.

I should have enough about me to get through Anguilla fairly quickly, but my next step is San Marino, and if I don't get the Tre Penne/Folgore job quickly I could be there for a while. After that it seems to be plain sailing again for a while, until I get to Liechtenstein. 

[Makoto Nakamura]

Best of luck with this Talbot, I'll for sure be following your progress! Hopefully you can topple Doc's next season.  

[cerud]

I would never play a career like this, but love to read them. Madness!! 

[DaneBramage]

Bottom of the league of the lowest ranked country in the world. Things can only get better!

[Talbot41]

The Half Way Stage:

Things are looking incredibly positive for the Kings, and I may have found a way off the island. It is far too early to be complacent, however it's the best times I've had since being in Anguilla.

 

 

Still fighting on all fronts, and good old Jonathan Guishard (from Doc's United fame), is leading the way.

Praying for a better end of season than I had with Doc's, so I can finally put a tick in the box.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

The Anguillan Double:

The start could not be considered a dream, however I have a foot on the ladder, and Anguilla has received a tick in the box. It took two seasons longer than originally planned, however we received a Cup win in the process, meaning I leave the island with 3 trophies in total. Only two defeats across the entire season, and only one coming in the league, ironically against Doc's United.

 

It's onwards and upwards for Talbot 41, and there is no time to celebrate a League title as we say goodbye to Anguilla, and hello to the US Virgin Islands. 

Anyway...I'm off to San Marino for my hardest challenge that I'm expecting for a long time. If I can get through this in 3/4 years, I've worked miracles.

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

The Next Stage, San Marino:

 

It didn't take very long before I was approached by a club from San Marino, after applying for anything that was possible, it was Virtus Acquaviva who took the plunge and offered me a role.

 

However, it was not the Tre Penne I was dreaming of, and after 6 games of the season, Virtus find themselves stranded at the bottom of the league.

 

It may take a while, however we have landed in San Marino, and if I can get out of here, I am sure to tick off a huge amount of leagues in rapid succession.

My squad is nothing to be excited about, and it is more right wing than the EDL, but I am hoping to make something of Virtus, and if not just use them to get some coaching badges under my belt.

 

As there is no relegation, this season will purely be a learning curve and hopefully realising what we need for success and how to push on. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

The Halfway Stage:

When taking charge at Virtus, I was expecting the worst, after their poor start to the season, this is how things looked prior to my arrival:

 

Yet after a shrewd few signings (God bless amateur Leagues), I'd managed to turn things around completely:

 

The board and supporters must be delighted with how things are progessing, well..apparently not:

 

I'm not really sure what else I could have done, apart from a single defeat, where my three best players were injured/suspended.

We press on, and here's how the League looks at the half way point, only four points off 2nd, however Domagnano are going to take some catching

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

An impossible task:

The attitude of the board seemed to stink a bit at Virtus. They rejected all of my requests for coaching qualifications for both myself and my staff, and after losing only one of my first eleven games in charge, taking them from rock bottom to 2nd in the Table, I could still only muster a miserly D in the board happiness rating. The writing was on the wall, and I knew 2/3 bad results would end my tenure. They inevitably came all at once in true FM style and off I went:

 

I really need to get control of one of the 'bigger' Sammarinese teams, to stand a chance of getting out of here soon.

 

A bit of good news less than two weeks later, as one of those 'bigger' clubs, came in for me. They're currently languishing in 7th after being predicted to come 3rd, but it's right at the end of the season and I've got plenty of time to build a good squad for next season. Here's hoping.

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

As I was only at Tre Fiori for 4 games (3 defeats and a solitary league win), I won't do a 'End of Season update', but this how the career is shaping up thus far:

 

[Talbot41]

Mid Season Update:

Life at Tre Fiori has been a mixed bag thus far, I started the season extremely well, winning my first five league games, however a polar opposite followed in the next 5 as I went winless. Since then it's been up and down, however we are standing fairly strong in the league, in 4th place. We have a game in hand on those above us, and only 5 pts off top. Next few months will be massive. I have qualified for the Semi Final of the Sammarinese Cup also, another positive, but I really need to win this league ASAP.

 

I was going to slate the board for only having me on a C rating, however:

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

I'll start with the positive:

 

An unspectacular, yet effective end to the season saw me lift the trophy and escape the clutches of Europe's whipping nation. A superb win against Libertas gave us the momentum to kick on, and they slipped up elsewhere allowing us to pip them by a single point:

 

No cup win for me this time, but I really don't mind, as I book the first flight out of San Marino, and head off to the sunny climate of the British Virgin Islands, the first part of my double header with the Virgin Isles. We also welcome aboard Sri Lanka. I now hope to have a quick progression through the Nations, with Gibraltar and Malta being the next real challenges.

[Talbot41]

 

A bit of sunshine:

Welcome to the BVI

 

Having resigned from Tre Fiori immediately after winning the title, there was one available job in the BVI, and after applying I was offered the job at Panthers (VGB). Interestingly, they were tipped to win the previous season's title, however finished a disappointing 5th. Hopefully I inherit a reasonably good side, and can have some instant success.

 

 

Expectations were probably to be expected, but as long as the squad is good enough hopefully this will be a short trip. The league only consists of 16 games.

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

Half-Way Stage:

Things are going alright for the Panthers, however a first stage defeat in the Wendol Williams Cup has certainly knocked the board's confidence. The league is looking much better though, and realistically all I care about, a solid second half of the season should hopefully see me home and dry. No spectacular happenings of note so far, although I am incredibly reliant on the goals on Jhon Norford.

 

 

A bit of news on the personal front, also:

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

A cut throat industry:

After a good start, we didn't win any of the next 5. How things go in these leagues is that you get sacked, incredibly quickly.

 

I now have to wait until another job comes up in TBVI, before I can get out of here. We go again.

[Talbot41]

A new challenge:

 

Haitian Stars are the unlucky ones who have to take a chance on me next. It will go one way or the other.

The first thing that stands out is that it's pretty quiet here, it's literally just me and the Chairman. First step is to bring in an assistant, luckily we're at the end of the season, so there's plenty of time to sort a side out.

[Talbot41]

Mid-Season Update:

Firstly, a bit of good news on the personal front

 

One more to go, and then that's the coaching badges out the way with.

Onto the football side of things, I was to exit the Wendol Williams Cup at the Quarter Final stage for a second year running, defeated on penalties by Sugar Boys, presumably a cheap rip off of the Liverpool side of 1995/96.

The league has been ok, based on our predicted finishing position of 7th. I am hoping for a solid second half, potentially finishing in the top three, however Wolues are absolutely romping it at the top, and a title challenge this season is already a write off.

 

 

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

The second half of the season started brilliantly, but as expected there was no catching Wolues, I just have to hope they're weaker next time around. 

 

4th was far better than what was expected, however it's not going to get me out of here anytime soon. Need to kick on sharpish.

 

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

Half-way Stage:

It's not looking good for the Stars, as after yet another good start, two wins out of six in the league has crippled me a little:

 

There is still a chance in the league, however it is a very, very slim one:

 

I am still in the Cup however, and I have a quarter final coming up against Rebels shortly. It won't help towards getting me to the US part of these Virgin Islands however.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

Firstly, a bit of good news:

https://gyazo.com/35b245c4d8e833656abab8d93def03c0

That's the coaching badges sorted and out of the way with, which should allow me free reign once I get my reputation up further down the line.

Now the bad news:

 

Another awful end of season saw me further off the pace than the previous season. There's little point changing team from Haitian Stars, so I may as well stay here as long as they want me to, however I really need to sort a side out capable of winning the league.

 

[Talbot41]

So Far, So Good:

It looks as if we may be finally getting somewhere in TBVI, however I am not counting my chickens just yet:

 

Apart from a solitary slip up against Islanders FC, things have been going well. Need to pray they continue in the second half of the season.

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

My work here is done:

At long last, I've made it away from the British Virgin Islands, and a step in the right direction towards World Domination. Much easier than anticipated in the end, however this season was a long time coming and I'm now at least a couple of years behind the intended schedule. It certainly made up for getting out of San Marino so fast.

 

We wave a sorry goodbye to our friends in TBVI, as we depart to make the short distance over to the US Virgin Islands. A much bigger league, but one I'm hoping I can dominate a little bit sooner than I did here. Whilst on the note of welcomes, Eritrea are the next victim aboard, and I hope to see them sooner rather than later.

 

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

A new beginning:

 

So I'm off to the USVI, and a very apt club to take over. There were plenty of jobs going, but I liked the sound of this lot, so I gave them a chance:

 

 

I take control of 'New Vibes FC', who current reside in 7th, midway through the USVI season, although lying only 8 points off top, I could well be in with a quick chance of island hopping should I get a good run under my belt:

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

Well, I certainly had a good run. 5 months here and my work is already done. I barely unpacked my suitcase, winning the league with a game to spare.

 

 

I don't think the USVI's Hall of Fame is very impressive, in that I've conquered it within months of arriving:

 

 

I'm now off for my first crack in Asia, Sri Lanka to be precise, and once that's done I'll be on my way to Africa for a crack there.

We will be skipping our first nation, as unfortunately the Tongan league is not included, so it will be the Turks and Caicos Islands after that.

Edited May 6, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

Sri Lanka:

 

I take the first, and only, job opportunity available. A landmark for me, as I finally enter a job which pays actual money. £325 per week.

 

Partly through the season, mid-table, didn't stop me achieving glory last time, however there's a slightly bigger gap than before, so I think this season will be one of consolidation.

 

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

It was a very 'meh' campaign, dropping down a place to finish 12th. Too many draws in games we completely dominated and we will need to be much better next time around.

 

 

[Talbot41]

Mid-Season Update:

It's tight at the top. Really tight. I'm confident though, and although I'm out of the Cup my League form has generally been pretty good. A strong second half of the season should get me out of Sri Lanka at, basically, the first attempt.

 

 

One thing I really like about playing in Sri Lanka are the player names. I think this guy has the longest name in the League, and probably the world:

 

Also, a big shout out to my Goalkeeping Coach, who is my only other member of staff and is doing a fine job at scouting, despite having both Scouting attributes rated at 1:

On a personal note also:

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Talbot41

[Makoto Nakamura]

1 hour ago, Talbot41 said:

 

One thing I really like about playing in Sri Lanka are the player names. I think this guy has the longest name in the League, and probably the world:

You should also check out players from Madagascar and East Timor. 

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

Sri Lanka is done. After 2 long, testing seasons (34 games in SL), I've managed to get out.

A few blips along the way, but the strong run at the end of season saw me over the line.

 

 

 

I'm off to Africa, to the mighty footballing powerhouse of Eritrea. We also wave goodbye to Sri Lanka, and welcome aboard Aruba. Unfortunately, the Seychelles league appears to be unplayable, so we skip another nation. 

There are currently three available jobs in Eritrea, given it's the end of the season there as well, and realistically I should walk into all of them.

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

A new chapter:

 

No pressure:

 

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

The Halfway Stage:

Playing the game with no staff whatsoever is pretty difficult. I have absolutely no idea which of my players are any good, so I have to go the old school route of attributing and player form etc.

 

Fortunately, it's been working pretty well. A solid start in the league, which has begun to dip slightly, and a good run in the Cup. It will be a tough ask, but I could still get out of here at the first attempt:

 

[Talbot41]

End of Season Update:

A final day win at Red Sea saw me pip Al-Tahrir on the final day and secure success in Eritrea at the first attempt. Another fairly long league season out of the way.

 

 

Disappointed to not win the double here, but in my career cup success counts for nothing.

Onwards on upwards now to the Turks and Caicos islands, where they only play 12 league games, so hopefully I can get a good run going early on. We also say farewell to Eritrea, and welcome along Pakistan

 

 

[Talbot41]

New Beginnings:

So after TWO full seasons, of not a single sacking in T&C, I was about to give up and resort to retiring the worst team in the league. Thankfully though, 2nd placed Beaches came to my aid and finally got rid of their manager who'd been living on 'Insecure' for the last 15 months.

Easily the best squad I've inherited by a mile:

 

Considering their strong finish, and presumably strong standing in T&C, I'm quietly confident I can get out quite quickly. The issue with this league, and many others, is that with only 12 games stretched out over 9 months, it becomes pretty dire between games.

We will see what we can do!

Edited May 13, 2020 by Talbot41

[Talbot41]

Half-way Stage:

We remain unbeaten in the league, however it's going quite to plan. The return fixture against Full Physio will be massive, and hopefully they'll slip up elsewhere along the way. I have dominated every game, but too many draws is costing me:

 

Here is the T&C season, in it's entirety:

 

[Talbot41]

Sacked:

 

Taking charge of a side expecting Silverware in a division so small is always a ridiculously tough task. 2nd place wasn't enough, and after exiting the Cup in the Semi Final's, my time was up. Here's hoping I don't have to wait another two years before another crack here!