The Ultimate Football Manager Challenge

[SkiIIs]

My next preferred destination would be to move up north and conquer North America but I was also keeping an eye out for any juicy European opportunities that may arise. I waited until half way through March where both Guadalajara jobs became vacant, Club Deportivo and Atlas. I interviewed for both and were offered both on the same day but it was an easy choice going with Club Deportivo as they had a much bigger transfer and wages budget and better staff and squad.   Unfortunately I didnt read the fine print and the club has a self imposed policy where they cannot sign any non Mexican players.    Let's see how long i last....   i dont think very to be honest.... 

Edited November 17, 2023 by SkiIIs

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2072 France Euros Report

 

Group Stage

Spoiler

France        1-1    Romania

France        5-1    Poland

France        6-0    Norway

I was a bit freaked out by the draw against Romania. Nobody has even come close to avoiding defeat against us for almost 2 years.

 

 

Second Round

Spoiler

France        7-0    Sweden

Quarter Final

Spoiler

France        4-1    Croatia

Despite the score, we were lucky to win this. Croatia were the better team for about 60 minutes, but then we scraped a goal, they had a player issued a straight red, and we wiped the floor with them after that.

So the soap opera script was that we would be up against Belgium in the semifinal, but they lost on penalties to Denmark, about the first time Belgium have gone out of a major competition in 20 years without me being in charge.

Semi Final

Spoiler

France        5-2aet         Denmark

In the 4^th minute of injury extra time they went 2-1 up. Same old story. I had no option but to go gung ho. Our goalie went up, crossed the ball into the box and we equalised in the 5^th minute of injury time.

 

Final

Spoiler

France        1-0              Portugal

 

After The Tournament

Spoiler

You can imagine how it felt to finally win one of these 2 remaining trophies after so many disasters.

Before this I hold failed to win 9 World Cups and Euros in a row.

What I didn’t say at the start was that I’d never been so confident heading into a competition, but I did not expect it to be such a close run thing. If we hadn’t equalised in the 95^th minute of the SF, I’d have been sacked, (I’d actually have quit France of course) and I’d have lost my best chance of completing this challenge.

It wasn’t exactly glorious. We never faced anyone in the top 10, and we still barely won.

Nonetheless, all that’s left now is the World Cup.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-			France			Nations League, Euro


Challenge Progress 31/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 0/1 World Cup		

 

[King Axther]

FC Dnepr-Mogilev End of Season 1 (Season 0.5)

So half a season has passed and since I started in the middle of it we have the end of the season results:

 

Rough season, we picked up the team mid season when they were 12th, so I guess this could have been worse

Now on to the next season as I got a brand new 1 year contract

The team misses a lot of staff and we had no budget to get them when I joined the team, so this would be the 1st focus, as well as getting better players and looking for loans from Kazakhstan and Russia as league rules state no foreigners (So only players from Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan)

Some of the best players on the team got poached by first division teams as their contracts ended and they did not want to extend them, so feels like a full rebuild

Manager profile: 

I started a National C License training + some of the managerial stats got improved the last half season, here is an update:

 

Season	Team	Country	League	Position	Notes and Achievements
2023 (July)	FC Dnepr Mogilev	Belarus	Belarusian First League (2nd tier)	10th	Missing staff and bad players please send help
2024	FC Dnepr Mogilev	Belarus	Belarusian First League (2nd tier)	TBD

[corinthiano]

18 minutes ago, vikeologist said:

Vikeologist's 2072 France Euros Report

 

Group Stage

  Reveal hidden contents

France        1-1    Romania

France        5-1    Poland

France        6-0    Norway

I was a bit freaked out by the draw against Romania. Nobody has even come close to avoiding defeat against us for almost 2 years.

 

 

Second Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        7-0    Sweden

Quarter Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-1    Croatia

Despite the score, we were lucky to win this. Croatia were the better team for about 60 minutes, but then we scraped a goal, they had a player issued a straight red, and we wiped the floor with them after that.

So the soap opera script was that we would be up against Belgium in the semifinal, but they lost on penalties to Denmark, about the first time Belgium have gone out of a major competition in 20 years without me being in charge.

Semi Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        5-2aet         Denmark

In the 4^th minute of injury extra time they went 2-1 up. Same old story. I had no option but to go gung ho. Our goalie went up, crossed the ball into the box and we equalised in the 5^th minute of injury time.

 

Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        1-0              Portugal

 

After The Tournament

  Hide contents

You can imagine how it felt to finally win one of these 2 remaining trophies after so many disasters.

Before this I hold failed to win 9 World Cups and Euros in a row.

What I didn’t say at the start was that I’d never been so confident heading into a competition, but I did not expect it to be such a close run thing. If we hadn’t equalised in the 95^th minute of the SF, I’d have been sacked, (I’d actually have quit France of course) and I’d have lost my best chance of completing this challenge.

It wasn’t exactly glorious. We never faced anyone in the top 10, and we still barely won.

Nonetheless, all that’s left now is the World Cup.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-			France			Nations League, Euro


Challenge Progress 31/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 0/1 World Cup		

 

 

Very happy for you! Felt your pain following all the WCs and Euros you didn’t win, international management is so cruel.

[The Art of Drowning]

Yokohama Marinos

Yokohama Marinos J1 League 2026 Season

A mega rebuild of the side meant we went into this J League season with pretty much an entire new squad of players, as well as a total rebuild of the staff.  A much more youthful side than previous seasons but I was confident we had built a really good squad.  This turned out to be true as we won the league fairly easily and won the J League Cup.  We got complacent in the Emperors Cup and were knocked out by a side in the league below.

Like many others in this challenge it seems, I am also now manager of Ivory Coast.   Currently playing qualifiers for the AFCON with pretty mixed results so far, losing away to Cape Verde a low point.

A bit bored in Japan so finding out the Asian Champions League doesn't start until a long way into next season is really annoying, I'll suck it up and try and conquer it though.

Key Player

Nestory Irankunda

Unbelievable as an inside forward on the left, have recently read online that he is joining Bayern Munich in real life.  He now has some of the worlds biggest clubs looking at him on this save too.

League Table

Cup
 

Challenge Progress

Club

1/10 Domestic Leagues
1/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/1 World Tournament

Edited November 18, 2023 by The Art of Drowning

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2074 France World Cup Report

 

Group Stage

Spoiler

France        5-0    Morocco

France        2-1    Ecuador 

Second Round

Spoiler

France        7-0    China

Third Round

Spoiler

France        5-1    Serbia

 

Quarter Final

Spoiler

France        3-1    Portugal

Unfortunately one of my best players, for whom I don’t have a good replacement, is out of the tournament with an injury.

All the other top teams are now out of the World Cup, which just increases the stress to be honest.

Semi Final

Spoiler

France        2-1    Greece

Nearly every single one of my players is supposed to like big matches, and they have good personalities, but you could have fooled me.

So here it is. I might complete this challenge in 5 minutes or 5 years (real time, not in game) depending on the next result.

Italy are 5^th in the world, so not terrible, but they haven’t beaten anyone amazing on route to the final either.

Final

Spoiler

France        2-3    Italy

After The Tournament

Spoiler

I’m not going to be sacked, but the decision is whether to stay for 4 years and risk being sacked after the Euros, or just go on holiday for 2 years.

I don’t really see the point of going through 4 years of pointless matches.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-74			France			Nations League, Euro, World Cup R/U


Challenge Progress 31/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 0/1 World Cup	

 

Spoiler

Update

After 2 years the France job is available again, but there's a problem. The entire first team is now past it. 8 of my first XI are now 32 or over, most of them at least 34, and most of the subs equally old.. If i go back, I'll basically be rebuilding the whole team, and i don't really recall that many young players who were pushing for a place, although they may have developed in 2 years and may do so even more in the next 2. The thing is that one has to assume that the French manager only picked 1 players under 29 for his Euro squad because that bunch of grandads were better than the alternative. The other options are Argentina who have a really bad set of results recently and Italy. It could be interesting to build a completely new French team. 

I'm going to need to think about it.

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by vikeologist

[SkiIIs]

On 18/11/2023 at 23:59, The Art of Drowning said:

Yokohama Marinos

Yokohama Marinos J1 League 2026 Season

A mega rebuild of the side meant we went into this J League season with pretty much an entire new squad of players, as well as a total rebuild of the staff.  A much more youthful side than previous seasons but I was confident we had built a really good squad.  This turned out to be true as we won the league fairly easily and won the J League Cup.  We got complacent in the Emperors Cup and were knocked out by a side in the league below.

Like many others in this challenge it seems, I am also now manager of Ivory Coast.   Currently playing qualifiers for the AFCON with pretty mixed results so far, losing away to Cape Verde a low point.

A bit bored in Japan so finding out the Asian Champions League doesn't start until a long way into next season is really annoying, I'll suck it up and try and conquer it though.

Key Player

Nestory Irankunda

Unbelievable as an inside forward on the left, have recently read online that he is joining Bayern Munich in real life.  He now has some of the worlds biggest clubs looking at him on this save too.

League Table

Cup
 

Challenge Progress

Club

1/10 Domestic Leagues
1/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments 0/1 World Tournament

just a heads up that the League and Cup links are showing your FC Gifu years and not Yokohama 

[The Art of Drowning]

1 hour ago, SkiIIs said:

just a heads up that the League and Cup links are showing your FC Gifu years and not Yokohama 

Thanks, will fix that later

[SkiIIs]

Season 2029/30 - Deportivo Guadalajara - Mexican First Division

Started my reign in the closing stage with 12 games played sitting in 7th position and we couldnt have got off to a better start winning 4 - 1 at home. The last four league games we'd win the home game but lose the away games and so we managed to hold 7th position and enter the premilinary round which we'd play Cruz Azul away. We kept them to 1 shot not on target for the whole game as we won 1 - 0 in my first away win. In the QF we were given Monterrey who finished second playing away from home first. We started hot scoring twice in the first 11 minutes but then surrendered that lead with the last kick of the game in the 96th minute to draw 2 - 2.  By this time, it felt like the team was clicking despite the draw. We then beat them 2 - 0 at home to play Club America in the SF who finished first. A nil nil draw away was followed by a come from behind 4 - 2 win. Tigres in the final.  We were battered away from home down 3 - 0 with 20 minutes to go.  Changed a few things and managed to score a what could be crucial goal to take at home. Within 10 minutes of the home game we had the aggregate lead thanks and were on the lookout for more.  We then copped a goal in the 16th minute on the counter but the scored again in the 33rd minute to make it 4 - 1 on the night.  However we went into the break level on aggregate as they scored in the 4th minute of injury time.  10 minutes after the break they were given a red card but that didnt really help until we eventually wore them out in extra time where we scored twice.  They pipped one back with a handful of minutes left to make it nervy but we held on to be crown champions of the closing stage.  For good measure we also won the Champions Trophy 3 - 0 against Club Leon (the club i declined taking the role) but i dont think that it counts towards the challenge. 

A feat i was definitely not expecting especially as during the couple months of being here I had 4 interviews with other Mexican clubs but was rejected for 3 of them and by the time the 4th one offered me the role, i figured this team had something about them and declined it. 

I will stay on and challenge for the Champions League next year which starts in Jan or Feb which is a bit of a drainer whilst trying to recruit the best local talent.

Edited November 20, 2023 by SkiIIs

[SkiIIs]

Season 2030/31 - Deportivo Guadalajara - Liga MX

Having won the closing stage last season and not having any domestic Cup competitions to play for, the sole focus was the CONCACAF Champions League. However this competition doesnt start until the back end of the season and so we played out the opening stage where we finished top of the ladder. We were however disappointingly knocked out in the semi final losing both legs to Santos Laguna. In the closing stage, we didnt really fare any better despite finishing first again, losing out to Cruz Azul 2 - 1 on aggregate in the quarter final.

We started off the champions league campaign in the first round against CD Motagua of Honduras. We won both legs 2 - 1 but both times needed to come from behind to win so it definitely wasnt the easy fixture it was meant to be. In the second round, we again avoided Mexican opponents but were given MLS giants LA Galaxy. We won the home leg 7 - 2 to all but seal the tie. In the quarters there was only one non Mexican team left and we werent the lucky ones to have been paired with them.  Instead we were given Monterrey who we had beaten twice in the league. First leg away we won 3 - 0 in a dominant first half where we scored all three. We backed that up with a 2 - 0 win at home to give us Deportivo Toluca in the semis. We had smashed them in the league twice and they were no match for us again here, winning both games.  In the final we were given a mouthwatering tie against club rivals Club America. We started hot scoring our first two chances in the first 10 minutes. We then had a scare 6 minutes later however their goal was ruled offside.  There were no further goals to become champions!

Needless to say, I resigned a week later and will look to venture somewhere in Europe.

Edited November 21, 2023 by SkiIIs

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2078 France World Cup Report

 

Back with France. Holidayed for 2 years and when I came back my golden generation were all Golden Girls.

We are hosting the World Cup, so apart from the nations league, which we won, have only had the odd friendly to blood younger players. The team is still very old, but is quite different from 2 years ago when I came back.

Group Stage

Spoiler

France        2-0    Australia

France        1-0    Angola

Second Round

Spoiler

France        3-0    Austria

Third Round

Spoiler

France        3-0    Nigeria

 

Quarter Final

Spoiler

France        3-5    Spain

Semi Final

Spoiler

N/A

Final

Spoiler

N/A   

After The Tournament

Spoiler

The side are a shadow of the one from 4-6 years ago. A bit depressing, but it was worth giving it a go.

So, off on holiday for 2 years until the Copa America / Euros.

2 years later, my best options are Argentina, Italy and France.

France are still the number 1 team in the world. I mean, I know if I don’t go back to France, they’ll win in 2 years. It’s like they say, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a good idea.

 

[SkiIIs]

12 hours ago, vikeologist said:

Vikeologist's 2078 France World Cup Report

 

Back with France. Holidayed for 2 years and when I came back my golden generation were all Golden Girls.

We are hosting the World Cup, so apart from the nations league, which we won, have only had the odd friendly to blood younger players. The team is still very old, but is quite different from 2 years ago when I came back.

Group Stage

  Reveal hidden contents

France        2-0    Australia

France        1-0    Angola

Second Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        3-0    Austria

Third Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        3-0    Nigeria

 

Quarter Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        3-5    Spain

Semi Final

  Reveal hidden contents

N/A

Final

  Reveal hidden contents

N/A   

After The Tournament

  Reveal hidden contents

The side are a shadow of the one from 4-6 years ago. A bit depressing, but it was worth giving it a go.

So, off on holiday for 2 years until the Copa America / Euros.

2 years later, my best options are Argentina, Italy and France.

France are still the number 1 team in the world. I mean, I know if I don’t go back to France, they’ll win in 2 years. It’s like they say, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a good idea.

 

Im surprised that you're still being offered the roles.  In my FM23 saves, after holidaying and not managing in club land, my rep dropped to 2 and a half stars even though i was winning gold cups with USA.  But couldnt get any other national job, or club job for that matter 

[vikeologist]

2 hours ago, SkiIIs said:

Im surprised that you're still being offered the roles.  In my FM23 saves, after holidaying and not managing in club land, my rep dropped to 2 and a half stars even though i was winning gold cups with USA.  But couldnt get any other national job, or club job for that matter 

I'll check my reputation later, but there's been no drop off with job offers. The only nations that won't give me a job are the ones that sacked me, and I think that's just Spain. And England, presumably because I'm Scottish.

[lukefox44]

Luke Fox

Dandong Tengyue

2025

 

After a successful season with Lee Man I was happy to be patient and wait for an opportunity that looked promising, after a while DD Tengyue offered me the job. They had finished 5th the year before and the team looked decent and with no Foreign players contracted, with only being allowed 2 playing and one on the bench into the Chinese second level, I felt like I was a good opportunity to make some smart signings and hopefully finish in the top 2 and gain promotion. 

 

Coaching Badges

Another reason I took the job was they were doing OK financially and even if I failed to gain promotion I should be able to squeeze a badge or two in before I move on. They initially blocked a course because my rep was already half a star bigger than the club and they were scared of losing me. They would eventually allow me to attend the course and gain my National A license.

Spoiler

 

 

How The Season Went

Once I joined I had a deeper look at the squad, we had 15 players contracted and 3 set to leave in a month or so. When started looking into transfers there was a massive amount of Chinese players who were free agents what would massively improve our team, because of this we were very active in the market bringing in a total of 20 players. 

Spoiler

 

With the new squad I was confident of at least being able to challenge for promotion, that was until we went 1-0 down in the opening game in under 20 seconds. After spending about 6 hours on pre season this was a real worry that it could all be for nothing.

Spoiler

 

This turned out to be a false alarm as other than a blip towards the end of the season we were flying, eventually getting promoted by 5 points.

Spoiler

I would of liked to win the league and for a while it looked like we were going to, but realistically it doesn't make much difference and we are off to the top flight of Chinese football.

The cup was nothing to talk about, We easily won in the first round against a lower league side, but then the real challenge, we were drawn agent Shanghai Shenhua who were 5th in the top flight. We played very well, even had the lead until the last 15 minutes when they equalised, we fought hard and the boys were tired, I decided to try and hang on the last 10 minutes and get it to the lottery of penalties. This seemed to be working until they scored a 95th minute winning, way after the additional 3+ minutes we were promised. Hurt a bit but we weren't really targeting the cup as a winnable comp, but it did give me confidence that if I stayed beyond this season that i could probably have a fair stab at keeping them up.

 

What's Next ?

After securing promotion and our very encouraging performance against Shanghai Shenhua, I decided to give DD Tengyue at least one season in the top division, so i signed a new contract and starting planning for next season.

Spoiler

DD Tengyue are a tiny club in terms of reputation, facilities and finances, our lowest home attendance in the league was 136 and a highest attendance of 830, this wouldn't really worry me normally =, but the Chinese top league requires a minimum of a 30,000 seater stadiums. As a result we have had to rent a new massive stadium for now reason and the finances are in the toilet. The board have starting selling off all the facilities and taking out loans to try and cover the sudden £16m hole in the pockets. This could prove to be a disaster of a season if I cant make any signings, our current squad would be absolute whipping boys as we are now. Hopefully I can find some cash in the budget somewhere, if not this could be the end of my time here. I'm willing to give a go to try and survive but it could be fighting the impossible, let's see.

Spoiler

Challenge Progress

Spoiler

 

[vikeologist]

8 hours ago, SkiIIs said:

Im surprised that you're still being offered the roles.  In my FM23 saves, after holidaying and not managing in club land, my rep dropped to 2 and a half stars even though i was winning gold cups with USA.  But couldnt get any other national job, or club job for that matter 

I've checked, and my reputation is at 5 stars, and presumably has been there for a while.

Obviously I'm curious what made your reputation drop, and i think it must have been taking club jobs. I've loaded saves from when i was Penang and TNS manager, (though also managing internationally at the same time) and my reputation was only 4 stars.

So I don't know why you couldn't get international jobs.

Did you get sacked from international jobs instead of quitting preemptively?

Of course, I am playing my save continued from FM23, but I doubt that makes a difference.

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2082 France World Cup Report

Group Stage

Spoiler

France        3-1    Guinea-Bissau

France        4-0    Colombia

Second Round

Spoiler

France        4-0    Denmark

Third Round

Spoiler

France        4-3aet         Argentina

Back and forth match. The lead changed 4 times.

 

Quarter Final

Spoiler

France        1-0    Italy

Semi Final

Spoiler

France        2-0    Ukraine

Oh well, here we go again. My 3^rd World Cup final.

Final

Spoiler

France        2-1    Brazil

So close. We went 2-1 ahead with about 15 minutes to go, and I did what I usually never do, go ultra defensive and try to hold on, and we had a few close calls.

 

After The Tournament

Spoiler

Every knockout match from Argentina was a nailbiter, but I did it!

Man, what can I say? World cup number 13. My 3^rd in a row with France. My 5^th with France overall, and if I hadn’t won this time, I would have  finished the challenge later than anybody else (if I ever had finished). Admittedly NormandyWept who completed in 2085 started 8 years earlier than me.

Still, anybody can finish the challenge if they resort to something as grubby as winning matches.

For myself 2,028 matches. 95 years old. Nearly made it to a new century in both senses of the word.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-74			France			Nations League, Euro, World Cup R/U
76-78			France			Nations League, WC Q/F
80-82			France			Nations League, World Cup


Challenge Progress 32/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 1/1 World Cup	

 

 

Spoiler

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by vikeologist

[The Art of Drowning]

Just won the AFCON with Ivory Coast but feel like I've cheapened the save by holidaying through games that weren't in the Asian Champions league so I think I'll start again another time when I'm back from holiday.  Annoyed I didn't save it separately before all the holidaying now.

[SkiIIs]

14 hours ago, vikeologist said:

I've checked, and my reputation is at 5 stars, and presumably has been there for a while.

Obviously I'm curious what made your reputation drop, and i think it must have been taking club jobs. I've loaded saves from when i was Penang and TNS manager, (though also managing internationally at the same time) and my reputation was only 4 stars.

So I don't know why you couldn't get international jobs.

Did you get sacked from international jobs instead of quitting preemptively?

Of course, I am playing my save continued from FM23, but I doubt that makes a difference.

yeah i did get sacked by a few of the nations so i think that answers that question.  

What stumbles me was that i couldnt even get VNL jobs lol  Anyways, all is forgotten thanks to FM24 

[SkiIIs]

6 hours ago, vikeologist said:

Vikeologist's 2082 France World Cup Report

Group Stage

  Reveal hidden contents

France        3-1    Guinea-Bissau

France        4-0    Colombia

Second Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-0    Denmark

Third Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-3aet         Argentina

Back and forth match. The lead changed 4 times.

 

Quarter Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        1-0    Italy

Semi Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        2-0    Ukraine

Oh well, here we go again. My 3^rd World Cup final.

Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        2-1    Brazil

So close. We went 2-1 ahead with about 15 minutes to go, and I did what I usually never do, go ultra defensive and try to hold on, and we had a few close calls.

 

After The Tournament

  Reveal hidden contents

Every knockout match from Argentina was a nailbiter, but I did it!

Man, what can I say? World cup number 13. My 3^rd in a row with France. My 5^th with France overall, and if I hadn’t won this time, I would have  finished the challenge later than anybody else (if I ever had finished). Admittedly NormandyWept who completed in 2085 started 8 years earlier than me.

Still, anybody can finish the challenge if they resort to something as grubby as winning matches.

For myself 2,028 matches. 95 years old. Nearly made it to a new century in both senses of the word.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-74			France			Nations League, Euro, World Cup R/U
76-78			France			Nations League, WC Q/F
80-82			France			Nations League, World Cup


Challenge Progress 32/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 1/1 World Cup	

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Congrats buddy, been a pleasure following your journey!

[TheLutterworthFox]

On 22/11/2023 at 15:07, vikeologist said:

Vikeologist's 2082 France World Cup Report

Group Stage

  Reveal hidden contents

France        3-1    Guinea-Bissau

France        4-0    Colombia

Second Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-0    Denmark

Third Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-3aet         Argentina

Back and forth match. The lead changed 4 times.

 

Quarter Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        1-0    Italy

Semi Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        2-0    Ukraine

Oh well, here we go again. My 3^rd World Cup final.

Final

  Hide contents

France        2-1    Brazil

So close. We went 2-1 ahead with about 15 minutes to go, and I did what I usually never do, go ultra defensive and try to hold on, and we had a few close calls.

 

After The Tournament

  Hide contents

Every knockout match from Argentina was a nailbiter, but I did it!

Man, what can I say? World cup number 13. My 3^rd in a row with France. My 5^th with France overall, and if I hadn’t won this time, I would have  finished the challenge later than anybody else (if I ever had finished). Admittedly NormandyWept who completed in 2085 started 8 years earlier than me.

Still, anybody can finish the challenge if they resort to something as grubby as winning matches.

For myself 2,028 matches. 95 years old. Nearly made it to a new century in both senses of the word.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-74			France			Nations League, Euro, World Cup R/U
76-78			France			Nations League, WC Q/F
80-82			France			Nations League, World Cup


Challenge Progress 32/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 1/1 World Cup	

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Great job!! Well done, you've inspired me to do this for my next save

[_JHTB_]

On 22/11/2023 at 15:07, vikeologist said:

Vikeologist's 2082 France World Cup Report

Group Stage

  Reveal hidden contents

France        3-1    Guinea-Bissau

France        4-0    Colombia

Second Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-0    Denmark

Third Round

  Reveal hidden contents

France        4-3aet         Argentina

Back and forth match. The lead changed 4 times.

 

Quarter Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        1-0    Italy

Semi Final

  Reveal hidden contents

France        2-0    Ukraine

Oh well, here we go again. My 3^rd World Cup final.

Final

  Hide contents

France        2-1    Brazil

So close. We went 2-1 ahead with about 15 minutes to go, and I did what I usually never do, go ultra defensive and try to hold on, and we had a few close calls.

 

After The Tournament

  Reveal hidden contents

Every knockout match from Argentina was a nailbiter, but I did it!

Man, what can I say? World cup number 13. My 3^rd in a row with France. My 5^th with France overall, and if I hadn’t won this time, I would have  finished the challenge later than anybody else (if I ever had finished). Admittedly NormandyWept who completed in 2085 started 8 years earlier than me.

Still, anybody can finish the challenge if they resort to something as grubby as winning matches.

For myself 2,028 matches. 95 years old. Nearly made it to a new century in both senses of the word.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-74			France			Nations League, Euro, World Cup R/U
76-78			France			Nations League, WC Q/F
80-82			France			Nations League, World Cup


Challenge Progress 32/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 1/1 World Cup	

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Congrats! Been a long time coming

[_JHTB_]

 

2026 Ivory Coast

I've started in my first National team job as I have taken over the existing AFCON champions Ivory Coast. We are the second highest African team by World Reputation so I'm hopeful that next year when the next AFCON takes place we have a good shot at winning it

 

[SkiIIs]

AFCON 2031 - Ivory Coast

My third attempt to win the AFCON with Ivory Coast after losing the last two in the final against Senegal and then Egypt.  Couldnt have asked for an easier group in Guinea-Bissau, Kenya and Burkino Faso.  Not sure it's favourable when you dont get one of the big dogs in the group as it could mean that you get a more difficult run in the knock outs.  Anyways, we won all three group games without conceding a goal.  Our opponents in the second round is Guinea.

Second Round

Spoiler

3 - 1 win.  Not as easy as it looks as we had to come back from behind after conceding in the 21st minute. We didnt equalise until the 68th minute so there were definitely some nervy moments.  I was right about not getting the good route to the final as most of the good countries are on our side of the draw.  Cameroon next

QF (if applicable)

Spoiler

Ivory Coast P2 - 2 Cameroon.  A game we should have won outright especially after going ahead 2 - 0 in the first 15 minutes of the game. As the game wore on, Cameroon got more into the game but still managed 2 goals in 0.71 xG.  No real opporunities in extra time so it went to pens. They missed their fourth and we scored all 5 for us to squeeze through to the semis where we would play Egypt.  Chance for revenge 2 years ago?

SF (if applicable)

Spoiler

Ivory Coast P1 - 1 Egypt.  We were a little fatigued after last game so didnt have my best X1in for the full game which showed in the performance.  It was a bit of a dull game where we maintained most of the possession. Our penalty taking has been superb, only missed 1 out of 12 pens taken over the past two knockout games.  In the final of course it would be Senegal.

Final (if applicable)

Spoiler

A repeat of the final from 2 years ago where we lost. However we would not let that happen this time with a blistering performance in the first half going into the break 4 – 0.  Not sure where these players found the energy after back to back extra time games.  The final scoreline was 5 – 0 and my first international title has been won!

 

[JamLUFC]

Season Two - FC Gifu

Season two in Japan in the bags and it's back to back promotions as Champions to go from J-League 3 to J-League 1. This season was an absolute canter and we won the league with six games to go, after which I just played the kids including a 2 1/2 star current ability 15 year old right winger who came through this years youth intake, scoring two goals in two games. I also signed Shinji Kagawa on a free transfer for the last few games to give me an extra option in the top division. The cups we did terrible in, and only reached the second round of both cups but they were never a realistic goal, and both times we lost to top division sides.

The star of the season was Alan Picazzo with 33 goals in 33 league starts, he was previously at River Plate and certainly looks a cut above this level. Miguel Figueira was another star in centre midfield - randomly I got linked to him in a transfer window and when I looked Sunderland and Birmingham were also in for him so I thought he must be good enough.

As for next steps, I'm not resigning from Gifu but I am open to moving on if the right job comes up but it would need to be a job where I can compete for a top division title now. I did get an interview with Sanfreece Hiroshima who actually lost in the Champions League final earlier in the year and now sat 12th in the league but was unsuccessful. 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by JamLUFC

[SkiIIs]

Season 2031/32 - Aston Villa

My boyhood club was in trouble in January sitting in relegation spot and so I decided to join and help them out.  In truth, every other decent club had not given me an interview and so was struggling to get jobs even with the likes of Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor let alone the Man Utd's and Chelsea's that i applied for. 

We survived in the league but we also won the Europa Cup which was exciting for the club, winning it for the first time in their history.  

I'm hoping its a short stay here and will keep my eye open, have already been unsuccessful with my Porto interview.  I dont see a long future here as the club doesnt have the pulling power to challenge for the league any time soon.

 

[goonergez]

Ultimate Challenge FM23: Introduction

I would be unemployed on my new attempt until the 7th of December when I was finally offered the chance to begin my managerial career. My first club would be Pretoria Callies who had endured a difficult beginning to the campaign.

I was handed a contract with the club until the end of the season with the board expecting us to finish in the top half of the league. With a 4-3-6 record I definitely had something to work with and I was aiming for us to close the ten point gap between us and the promotion play off places. Defensively the team looked good enough but up top there was a clear struggle to score goals. My task would be to rectify that and if I could get us scoring then I have no doubt we can climb the table with relative ease.

Disappointingly the financial situation at the club is dire. I wasn’t handed any money to spend on transfers and the wage bill was already exceeded by around £4,000 per week. I would have to trim that slightly whilst trying not to deplete the squad too much. In simple I would have to work with what I had in order to improve fortunes.

Season	Team		Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[SkiIIs]

After the season was out, there were a few good options that became available, however I was still finding it difficult to get myself an interview.  Inter Milan however decided to give me a chance after a season of qualifying for the Champions League.  That is the boards aim again with a squad this is ageing and a club that is in dire financial trouble.  I doubt very much that it will be a walk in the park with minimal flexibility in the transfer market.

 

 

I am also the new manager of Mexico after they were dumped out of the Copa America.  I had the option between USA, Netherlands and Portugal but decided Mexico is a good shout for the Gold Cup. 

[ANGL]

En 22/11/2023 a las 16:07, vikeologist dijo:

Vikeologist's 2082 France World Cup Report

Group Stage

  Revelar contenido oculto

France        3-1    Guinea-Bissau

France        4-0    Colombia

Second Round

  Revelar contenido oculto

France        4-0    Denmark

Third Round

  Revelar contenido oculto

France        4-3aet         Argentina

Back and forth match. The lead changed 4 times.

 

Quarter Final

  Revelar contenido oculto

France        1-0    Italy

Semi Final

  Revelar contenido oculto

France        2-0    Ukraine

Oh well, here we go again. My 3^rd World Cup final.

Final

  Revelar contenido oculto

France        2-1    Brazil

So close. We went 2-1 ahead with about 15 minutes to go, and I did what I usually never do, go ultra defensive and try to hold on, and we had a few close calls.

 

After The Tournament

  Revelar contenido oculto

Every knockout match from Argentina was a nailbiter, but I did it!

Man, what can I say? World cup number 13. My 3^rd in a row with France. My 5^th with France overall, and if I hadn’t won this time, I would have  finished the challenge later than anybody else (if I ever had finished). Admittedly NormandyWept who completed in 2085 started 8 years earlier than me.

Still, anybody can finish the challenge if they resort to something as grubby as winning matches.

For myself 2,028 matches. 95 years old. Nearly made it to a new century in both senses of the word.

Domestic
Season	Team		Division	Position	MVP			Notes										
22/23	Black Leopards	S African L1	5th					Took over with 8 matches to go.Edge of relegation to edge of promotion.
23/24	Black Leopards	S African L1	1st		Kiyaam Bull 		SA Cup Q/F
24/25	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	10th					Took over with 6 matches to go. Won SA Cup.
25/26	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	2nd		Sphesihle Maduna	Won Confederations Cup.
26/27	Kaizer Chiefs	S African Prem	1st		Mduduzi Shabalala	League, ACL, SA Cup, S8 Cup.
2027	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	12th					Took over after 8 matches. Lost in Playoffs Prelim
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Connor Buck		Lost in final.
2028	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	2nd					Lost in S/F
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd		Kevin Castañeda	Lost in final.
2029	Atlas		Mex 1st Ap	3rd					Left before playoffs
2029	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	n/a					Lost immediately in playoff plelim.
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	2nd					Won league. Lost Champions League on penalties
2030	Pumas		Mex 1st Ap	1st					League champs
2031	Pumas		Mex 1st Cl	1st		Hugo Moreno		League / NACL double.
2032	Suwon		Kor L1		2nd		Johnny			Took over in 8th with 21 matches to go.
2033	Suwon		Kor L1		1st		Johnny			League, Cup, ACL
2035	Gremio		Bra L1		11th					Took over midseason. Won Copa Sudamerica to qualify for Copa Lib.
2036	Gremio		Bra L1		1st		Kluvert Ako Oru	League, Copa Lib S/F
2037	Flamengo	Bra L1		2nd		Endrick			Club World Cup, Brazilian Cup, Libertadores. Missed out on league by 1 point.
39/40	Man Utd		Eng Prem	1st		Diego Esedin		League, Carabao Cup, Champions League
40/41	Inter		It Ser A	1st		Dániel Kis		League and Cup double, plus Champions League.
41/42	Real Madrid 	Sp La Liga	1st		José Antonio Palacios	League / Cup double.
42/43	PSG		Fr Ligue 1	1st		Luis Ferro		League
44/45	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	9th					Took over after 20 matches in 11th. Losing cup finalists.
45/46	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup Q/F.
46/47	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		César Tedeschi		CL Q/F. Never close in the league.
47/48	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	2nd		Maximiliano Páez	Cup S/F. Finished well behind Bayern.
48/49	Leverkusen	Ger Bund	3rd		Bart Hanssen 		Came up just short in the league, but because other teams were poor.
49/50	Celtic		Sc Prem		1st		Moussa Ndayishimiye	League and 2 domestic cup treble & Champions League S/F.
50/51	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		Plug, play, pathetic.
51/52	Dortmund	Ger Bund	2nd		Tuğrul Özcan		
52/53	Dortmund	Ger Bund	1st		Noah Groot		Finally won the league. Losing cup finalists.
53/54	Porto		Port Prem	1st		Walter Frees 		League / League Cup double.
2055	Penang		Malaysia SL	6th					Took over after 14 matches. Lost in FA Cup Final. Won Malaysian Cup
56/57	TNS		Welsh Prem						Won league cup to complete domestic part of challenge.



International
Year			Team			Achievements
23-24			Fiji			Oceania Cup S/F
24			Morocco U23		Olympics Losing Finalists
26-27			Iran			Asian Nations Cup losing finalists
27-31			Morocco			ACON S/F
						WC R2
						ACON winners.
31-32			Belgium			Euro S/F
32-34			Mexico			Gold Cup, sacked after World Cup
35-36			Australia
36-40			Brazil			WC S/F, Copa America
40-42			Spain			WC S/F. Sacked.
42-48			France			2 Euros SF, 2 Nations League R/U
48-50			Italy			WC Q/F
50-51			Australia		Asian Cup
52-54			Netherlands		WC R3
54-58			Belgium			Euro R/U, Nations League R/U, World Cup R/U
58-62			France			Euro S/F WC R3.
62-64			Belgium			Nations League, Euro R2
64-66			Brazil			WC R2
66-70			Belgium			Euro R/U, WC R3
70-74			France			Nations League, Euro, World Cup R/U
76-78			France			Nations League, WC Q/F
80-82			France			Nations League, World Cup


Challenge Progress 32/32

Club
 10/10 top domestic leagues 		(S Africa, Mexico, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland, Germany)			
 10/10 domestic cups 			(S Africa, S Korea, Brazil, England, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Portugal, Malaysia, Wales)							
 5/5 club continental championships	(Africa, N America, Asia, S America, Europe)		
 1/1 club world championship

International
 5/5 continental tournaments 		(Africa, N America, S America, Asia, Europe)	
 1/1 World Cup	

 

 

  Revelar contenido oculto

 

Catching up with the thread, congrats man!

[goonergez]

Pretoria Callies: 2023/24 Review

My first few months as a manager went better than expected and despite being unable to bring in any new faces we did a great job of playing to my style. In fact we would suffer only a cup defeat in my first ten matches at the helm. This league unbeaten run saw us climb to 4th spot and just two points adrift of the promotion play off spots. After that our form dipped a bit but we would still finish off solidly to clinch a 5th placed finish.

At one stage I thought we were well on for a promotion play off spot but a dip in form put paid to that. We improved by five places since I took over though and that has to be a positive. Especially as the clubs perilous financial situation meant I was unable to bring in any new faces. I did shift a few players to bring the wage bill down a bit but we were still spending over budget.

The majority of our players are out of contract this summer and that will give me a blank canvas to try and improve the squad. There are a few players I plan to try and keep but the majority will be told they’re free to leave.im hoping to strengthen the squad and the depth so that we can come back next season and push towards the promotion spots. I’m confident we can although I’ll still be working with a shoestring budget. The board have trimmed my £12,000 per week wage budget down to £11,000 meaning the purse strings are even tighter now than when I arrived. They extended my contract until the end of next season though so I’m confident we can put together a decent first full season.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[lukefox44]

 

Luke Fox

Dandong Tengyue

2026

Going into the first season in the Chinese Super League we were initially predicted to finish rock bottom by a comfortable margin, but with another 3 foreign player slots now available to us I was pretty confident i could at least keep us up this year, get a coaching badge and move on.

Coaching Badges

I wasn't sure they'd let me do any more courses as at the end of last season they turned me down saying I'd only use my rep increase to leave, I mean they were correct, but still annoying. After a decent start in the league they eventually let me do the National A licence and then even my Continental C licence towards the end of the season.

Spoiler

 

How The Season Went

Last season I was worried the finances of the club were beyond repair, but I managed to shift on a lot of dead wood, replace similar level players on lower wages, sold some of my players that were actually worth something and even took some punts on players from the division below to maybe help the finances. This did help a little bit, but the board were pretty good with investing cash when needed and still allowing me some room in the market to make some moves.

 

We started the season incredibly well, way beyond what I was expecting for this team. I was happy I had improved the squad enough to survive but we were still 150-1 to win the league and predicted to finish 12th, comfortable but nothing to get excited about pre season. This changed massively after we won 2 of the first 3 games and looked good doing so, I was now hopeful of pushing a top half finish, but after 13 games it looked like we could achieve a lot more.

Spoiler

 

We would stay top of the table until game week 23, only 7 games to go, we were a point behind top, but being chased closely behind us.

Spoiler

 

Unfortunately we went on some awful form, really faded away, won a few towards to the end to still scrape a Top 4 finish. At the start of the season I would of bitten your hand off for a top 4 finish, but after the way the season went I couldn't help but feel like this was a missed opportunity. Just look at the post positions, we were top for a third of the league season, the team that won it were top for only one day.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Cup was nothing to shout about, we went out in the QF, rested a lot of players because at the time we looked like we were in a title battle.

 

What's Next?

This was a very good season, but it does feel like a bit of a one off. players are attracting interest from the bigger boys in china and we cant even slightly compete with wages. With such strict limits on foreigners its really hard to find Chinese players up to standard at all and the ones that are don't want to join, combine this with the fact I felt like we got figured out towards the end of the season and the squad I had built I couldn't easily transition away from the 4312 shape, Not a single wide player at the club. My rep is up to 2.5 stars / 45%, so I think I'll resign, holiday through to the winter league sacking start and see what is available. Also wouldn't mind a J League job, as from what I've seen it'll be the best chance at the ACL.

 

Challenge Progress

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by lukefox44

[RoamingPlaymaker]

Time to give this a proper go

[RoamingPlaymaker]

9 minutes ago, RoamingPlaymaker said:

Time to give this a proper go

And I have my first job, in the 3rd tier of Japan with FC Gifu

Currently 10th but predicted 4th so some improvement needed. I also have a war chest of £900k to spend (but we're over wage budget)

[goonergez]

Pretoria Callies: 2024/25 Review

My first few months in charge of the club went well as we managed to climb from 10th place to finish up in 5th. The squad responded well to my methods and I felt that if I could’ve added a couple of new faces during the winter break we could’ve done even more. Unfortunately finances didn’t allow and I was forced to work with the squad I inherited.

The summer ahead of this campaign was busy though as now I had the opportunity to free up room on the wage bill and bring in players I wanted to build my system around. I kept hold of just six of the inherited squad as a total of sixteen more departed the club. We brought in thirteen players in total but entered the season with a squad that looked better than it was last season. It was short on numbers but it did have quality all throughout the pitch.

Pre-season predictions of a mid table finish were banished early doors as we marched our way to the league title and the first one of my managerial career. Our success was built mainly through our superb defensive record. Ironically the goalkeeper and three of the back four were a selection of the players I had kept hold of from last season. 

We started the season well and in truth we just got better and better. An 18 match unbeaten run saw us fly up the table and we led from the midway point all the way until the final standings. A very successful and enjoyable campaign. We couldn’t carry the form through the SA Cup although I didn’t mind as it enabled us to focus on our league form.

With that my first full season in management draws to a close and I’m left with a dilemma to address. My contract with the Callies is due to expire and I’m torn about what to do. I think I’m going to keep my options open for now hoping for a top job in the top flight. That being said if I do end up staying I certainly wouldn’t be too disappointed. Promotion should bring with it some much needed money and hopefully I’d have the option to go out and improve the squad hoping for safety next season. For now I wait and see though, and I’ll update in due course.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	1st(C)	

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[SkiIIs]

Season 2032/33 - Inter Milan

My first season with Inter came with excitement as being with one of the top teams in the world.  It feels like I've finally made it and following success here, will be able to pick and choose the teams I want to manage going forward (hopefully).  The club is in dire financial status so I wasnt able to make an impact in the transfer market so I relied on a couple loans to add extra depth and any freebies that I could muster up. I've also been handed an ageing squad so couldnt even generate funds that way either.

Nevertheless, I felt the quality of the squad was could enough to challenge for the league and the cup, but would find the Champions League. Overall the season was ok, we managed to share results against the top teams but would draw or drop a few points where we shouldnt have against the lower teams. In the end, a loss against Bologna in the second last game of the season cost us dearly!   I never really felt close to challenging for the top as we always had 3 to 4 games in hand due to matches postponed and Milan were so far ahead and only lost the last two games to let Napoli back in. 

In the Champions League, we did better than I thought we would. We made it to the quarter finals where we were only knocked out by Newcastle in penalties. We did get the pleasure of knocking rivals AC Milan out in the round of 16. 

In the Coppa Italia we were also knocked out in the quarter finals against Atalanta 1 - 0  which was probably the low light of the season as we had 3.93 xG and missed a pen to equalise.

For some reason, we also qualified for the Club World Cup but we werent able to get past the second round as we lost to Brazilian opposition in extra time 

Edited November 30, 2023 by SkiIIs

[Danny_H22]

FC Spartak Moscow

 

2026/27

A short 4 month break was my reward for my successful Shelbourne run before Spartak Moscow asked if I fancied a stint in Russia. At the time of the offer, Spartak, who were expected to finish 3rd, were sat in 11th - 3 points from relegation zone and 25 points from top. With 8 games remaining, I was expected to come in and make sure we didn't slip any further down the table whilst trying to bring some confidence back to the boys.

 This task was made a touch more difficult when we lost our first game 3-1. Luckily, we didn't make a habit of that and won 5 of our next 6 (drawing to rivals Dynamo Moscow) before losing a closely fought match against league winners CSKA. Enough to climb to 8th in the table and start the momentum rolling.

 

2027/28

New season, new beginnings and time to right some wrongs. Despite a disappointing year, we were still expected to compete for a top 4 spot. I shipped out a lot of deadwood and bought in some true talent in the form of Brahimi, Samu, Cameron Archer, Muric and (eventually) Joao Cancelo.

Turns out, all it takes to be successful is to win the backing of the team and spend over 100m. 

The league was a breeze and we recorded an unbeaten season (my second of this challenge). 30 games played, 25 won and 5 draws. We outscored every team whilst also conceding the least. Our closest rival, Ruban Kazan, finished 14 points behind in 2nd. 

The cup wasn't as succesful and although we made the final, Zenit had the beating of us thanks to an 87th minute winner.

 

I've debated sticking around in Moscow to pick up the cup - I don't like leaving without collecting everything - but I'm not going to. There's some interesting jobs out there so I'm going to pack up my bags and seek more glory elsewhere.

 

Ivory Coast

 

2027 African Cup of Nations

My first chance at international acclaim and it's with one of the competitions favourites.

The group stage went as expected, putting a combined 8 goals past DR Congo and Cape Verde before a disappointing draw against bottom of the league Liberia.

Second round saw us face off against Zambia, who offered nothing to stop us as we romped home 3-0 and booked a quarter final against Ghana.

Keen to show they're no pushovers, Ghana came out and took a 1-0 lead after 27 minutes which lit a fire under us which resulted in an equaliser 3 minutes later. Then we took the lead before halftime. Second half starting as the first ended and we found ourselves 3-1 up after 53 minutes. Ghana looked like they were trying to mount a comeback in the 73rd but it just temporarily slowed us and we eventually ran out 5-2 winners.

Semifinal and the boys are starting to dream, but the job isn't over yet and we have a tie with Cameroon to handle first. Well my guys cope as well as anyone and the 3-1 win, and place in the AFCON final, was justified.

Nigeria were all that stands between us and that podium, a podium that felt even further way at the 9 minute mark when Osimhen gave his team the lead. Not willing to sit around and see what develops, I instructed the team to attack and ten minutes later we were level again. From this point on, we were in total control and a Sebastien Haller hat trick was the icing on the cake as we run out 4-1 winners and lift the AFCON trophy.

 

 

Spoiler

 

[goonergez]

Pretoria Callies: 2025/26 Review

After a highly impressive season and a half in charge I took the opportunity to manage in the top flight after our league winning campaign last time around. I had hoped a top job with one of the big sides would become available during the off season, but it didn’t and so I signed a new deal to stay with the Callies for a maiden campaign in the Premier Division.

We entered pre season with minimal space on our wage budget although we did manage to keep the majority of our players. In fact everybody I wanted to keep did indeed sign on to stay with the club. We entered the season with a tiny squad though and far less quality than the rest of the teams in the league. It’s fair to say things didn’t go to plan for us.

I wasn’t surprised to be dismissed although I have to say I felt it was a bit of a premature decision. We had managed just a win and a draw across 11 matches but we’d actually played some pretty good football. We struggled to score goals though and that meant we suffered a lot of defeats. We were rock bottom but I felt with time we stood a slim chance of at least being competitive.

A bump in the road but in truth not a costly one. This season was all about waiting for a bigger job and I knew when we were promoted we would be up against it. I would’ve hopefully left for a bigger club at the end of the campaign anyways so in truth it just pushed the process a little quicker. Saying that getting sacked is not a pleasing feeling and it’s only numbed by the pride I feel for the time I had with the club and the success we managed to achieve.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	1st(C)	

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[goonergez]

Cape Town City FC: 2025/26 Takeover

After around four months of unemployment I was handed a new opportunity and it’s a good one for my career. I knew I had standing in South Africa despite of the fact I left the Callies sat rock bottom of the league and with just one victory in the first eleven league matches.

Thankfully I managed to pick up a role with one of the biggest sides in the country after Cape Town City parted ways with their manager. Sat 11th in the league it wasn’t a surprise when the job became available and it also wasn’t a surprise when they handed me an interview and then the role.

I have some work to do although I’m under minimal pressure for the rest of this campaign. I’ll be aiming to move us up the league table although I certainly am not expecting any miracles. I’ve been handed a transfer budget of just over £150,000 and will be looking into how I can strengthen our squad for a better campaign next time around.

Hopefully this will be the role in which I can pick up some trophies although I am not expecting that to be instant. There are some good players within the squad though so I’ll be using the rest of this campaign in order to start building a system around them and working out where the holes are within the squad. I’m keen to get stuck in though and we’ve actually got quite a nice run of fixtures for me to sink my teeth into.

Cape Town City FC: 2025/26 Review

I’ll keep this short and sweet but it’s fair to say that the beginning of my time with Cape Town City has been a struggle. I inherited a team at in 11th and despite a few promising results we ended up finishing the campaign one place worse off in 12th.

I’m not too unhappy as I joined after the transfer window had shut and so couldn’t add any new faces. We played some encouraging stuff despite results not being great and that sets us up well. I’m hoping to add some quality through the summer and look to push the side upwards next season. I’m only being given £200,000 to spend on new faces though and so that will definitely make it a busy and long summer as I hunt out some bargains. In good news it was nice to see my former side the Pretoria Callies go on and clinch survival in the league too. I’m looking forward to returning there next season with my new club.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	1st(C)
2025/26 Cape Town City		12th		(hired in 11th place)	

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

 

[RoamingPlaymaker]

2023 - FC Gifu

It's been pretty hit and miss since I joined.

We had a good run in October but bar that it's not been good enough for a team expected to end near the top

Next season we need to be challenging the top 2

The good news for my development is the board have agreed for me to do my first coaching badge.

Player of the Season/Top Goal Scorer - Yuta Okumura

Young Player of the Season - Yuki Wada

Top Assists - Yosuke Kashiwagi

 

Season	Team	      Division		Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023    FC Gifu       Japan J3 League	9th             Took over 10/8/23

Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 Domestic Leagues
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

[_JHTB_]

 

FCSB

Romanian SuperLeague 2026/27

We are unbeatable

The team as a whole did have some shortfalls that I needed to cover as we were very much lacking in some areas, especially in central defence. I did try to pick up young Romanian players with both good potential and already first team quality which we did fairly successfully, but release clauses in contracts meant that some players I would have otherwise wanted to keep left for pastures new.

The season as a whole we were always up towards the top of the league, though generally we were drawing more games that I would have liked, but drawing also meant we were not losing any games. In fact domestically we did not lose any games all season though despite this we only entered the championship phase 5 points clear (50% points carryover). Ultimately, we managed to continue our unbeaten run and extended on the 5 points to win the league with 3 games to spare.

As mentioned, we were unbeaten domestically which included the cup to add another cup to our tally. The final did actually start poorly for us as we found ourselves 2-0 down within 25 minutes. Thankfully we fought back to 2-2 by the time the original 90 minutes were up before we scored 3 in extra time to complete the double.

We got to the quarter finals of the Conference League before narrowly losing out to Genk of Belgium, but success in that competition wasn’t really anything that I was aiming for in any case. Technically we do have one league game left so we may not even end the season fully unbeaten, but I’m already applying for new jobs as I achieved my objectives in Romania.

Key Player:

One of my summer additions was my key player this season as Jonathan Clauss a French right back had a sensational season for us as his last as a professional footballer. He amassed 37 assists in all competitions for us which, quite frankly is ridiculous.

Progress

I have already applied for a couple jobs in Colombia, but in honesty I’m not completely convinced by the opportunity although it is one of the leagues where there are two titles per year, so could be a decent quick stop.  Regardless, I am changing teams this summer whether Colombia is my next destination or not. 

[_JHTB_]

Junior FC

Liga Dimayor - 2027

That was quick

I managed to secure myself the Junior FC job, but not really much to write about here as I joined the club 2 days before the second leg of the Apertura League Final with the team already 1-0 up on aggregate. We managed to avoid defeat and such we have claimed the league title with me being here less than a week. I will be resigning and on the lookout for another new job. I guess this could impact on the next job at least, but it doesn’t really serve me to stay.

Certainly my shortest ever stay at a club.

Progress

[SkiIIs]

On 03/12/2023 at 09:30, _JHTB_ said:

Junior FC

Liga Dimayor - 2027

That was quick

I managed to secure myself the Junior FC job, but not really much to write about here as I joined the club 2 days before the second leg of the Apertura League Final with the team already 1-0 up on aggregate. We managed to avoid defeat and such we have claimed the league title with me being here less than a week. I will be resigning and on the lookout for another new job. I guess this could impact on the next job at least, but it doesn’t really serve me to stay.

Certainly my shortest ever stay at a club.

Progress

haha nice one mate!

[JamLUFC]

Season Three - FC Gifu / Vissel Kobe

Started season three with FC Gifu after I was unable to get moves in the pre-season break I started the season with Gifu but with an eye on other moves available. I started the season well, but when Vissel Kobe came knocking - with the offer of Champions League football - it was too good to turn down. With Gifu I was second in the league 3 points off top and whilst Kobe were 15th after 14 games I thought there was more chance there of winning a Champions League.

With Vissel Kobe I went on an incredible run and soon went from 15th to 4th by the end of the season, but despite this we turned into a team of bottlers at the end of the season -

• We lost our penultimate game of the season to drop from 3rd to 4th in the final table. Due to results in the Emperors Cup I think this means that I won't qualify for next seasons Champions League
• We lost the J-League YBC Levain Cup final
• We conceded an 89th minute goal to lose in the Emperor's Cup quarter finals
• We threw away a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 to Ulsan Hyundai in our final game of the Champions League to come second

My plan at the minute is to stay for next season and try for the Champions League which I'm in still in. If I was to lose in the first knockout round I may look outside of Japan to try and get some trophies in the cabinet, possibly at a move to Mexico or South Africa if the right team was to come up.

 

[ANGL]

KAIZER CHIEFS 2024/25

 

Season 23/24 ended, and some jobs became available, but one being specially interesting: Kaizer Chiefs. A few lies in the job interview (of course, I want to be here on the long term, there is no way that I am moving clubs early) and a new job for me! Season as been almost perfect, so I will let my competitions screen talk for me:

 

An amazing season, counting the first two for the challenge, and losing the only league game in the last match, where I was already champion. Now for the summer, will try to improve the squad for Africa Champions League - the only goal for next season. Lets go!

 

 

 

[goonergez]

Cape Town City FC: 2026/27 Review

The early days of my reign in the South African capital didn’t go particularly well as I oversaw us dropping a place to cap off a disappointing season with a 12th placed finish. I had high hopes for my first full campaign in charge though and was confident that with some clever signings we could enjoy a much better season.

I wasn’t handed much money to spend as the financial situation at the club wasn’t great, but we did manage to bring in some decent players. After grabbing a few squad players we parted with a club record £200,000 to Stellenbosch to sign striker Iqraam Rayners. The signing would pay off as he bagged an impressive 17 league goals across his 30 appearances. The £20,000 arrival of goalkeeper Lincoln Vyver from rivals Cape Town Spurs was our most important arrival though. He kept 8 clean sheets in 23 matches as we shored up our defence to enjoy a successful campaign.

I was as surprised as anyone as we shocked South Africa to deny Sundowns a tenth straight title and pip Orlando Pirstes to the crown with a game to spare. In truth we were fantastic and it was a deserved title win to get my first trophy towards the challenge. We were creatively brilliant and tight defensively as we lost just 4 matches all season. At 20-1 with the bookmakers at the start of the season we surprised everyone and I’m delighted with that.

Outside of the league we weren’t as impressive though. We made the semi finals of the Knockout Cup before a shock loss to Swallows but the SA Cup saw us crash out early to second tier opposition.

I’m still somewhat shocked that we managed to lift the league title but I am certainly not complaining. I expected improvements from last season but I didn’t expect us to have enough to win that league title. We performed brilliantly though and it was definitely a fair league win and not a steal. I’m delighted because we will now get the opportunity to compete in the Champions League as well. Next year will be about trying to add a domestic cup to our cabinet as well as competing successfully across the Champions League. I’ve not got much money to spend though so we will have to be shrewd in the transfer window.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	1st(C)
2025/26 Cape Town City		12th		(hired in 11th place)
2026/27 Cape Town City		1st (C)		SA Premiership winners	

Challenge Progress

Club

1/10 Domestic Leagues (26/27 SA Premiership)
0/10 Domestic Cups
0/5 Continental Championships
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

TOTAL: 1/32

 

[CertFM]

Season 1 Review: Venda FC

 Decided to give this challenge a go for the first time as I've struggled getting into a save so far this year and so far I have fell in love with this idea. I have already completed a few seasons and I'll backtrack over my progress aiming to do one post per season (forgive me, as the first few posts may seem like a bit of overkill).

Embarking on a job search journey can be both exciting and challenging, filled with a mix of anticipation and uncertainty. After several rounds of interviews, countless hours of preparation, and a sprinkle of patience, my persistence finally paid off. I received the news that would mark the beginning of a new chapter in my career—I had been hired by Venda FC in the South African National First Division, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect as it happened just before the season was set to kick off.

 

Embracing a tactical approach and philosophy from my real world professional coaching, my aim here is to use a gegenpressing system with a positive mindset with aims to suffocate the opposition, relentlessly pressing and harrying them to regain possession immediately after losing the ball.

As the inaugural season with Venda FC ends, the implementation of the system has yielded promising results, culminating in a commendable second-place finish. However, the rollercoaster journey of the season saw a slight dip in form towards the end, emphasizing the competitiveness of the league.

Despite the late-season challenges, our hard work and commitment have earned us a shot at promotion through a playoff against the team that finished third in our division and the fifteenth-placed team from the division above. This playoff presents a golden opportunity to showcase the resilience of the gegenpressing system and to prove our mettle against tougher competition. The stakes are high, and the prospect of earning promotion to the higher division adds an extra layer of excitement and anticipation to our footballing journey.
 

AND WE'VE DONE IT. 

In a triumphant culmination of our season, Venda FC emerged victorious in the promotion/relegation playoff mini-league. 

As the final whistle blew on the playoff campaign, Venda FC found itself at the top of the mini-league table, securing not only victory but also a well-deserved promotion to the prestigious South African Premiership. 

The journey from the National First Division to the Premiership marks a significant milestone for Venda FC and solidifies our place among the elite teams in South African football. The upcoming season in the top tier promises new challenges and opportunities, and we are eager to continue showcasing the effectiveness of our tactical approach while competing at the highest level.

 

 

See you all next season for the review of our first year in the South African Premiership.

Season     Team       Position  Notes and Achievements
2023/24  Venda FC     2nd       Promotion to South African Premiership
Challenge Progress

Club

0/10 top domestic leagues (Insert nations)

0/10 domestic cups ()

0/5 club continental championships ()

0/1 club world championship

International

0/5 continental tournaments ()

0/1 world tournaments ()

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by CertFM

[SkiIIs]

2033 Gold Cup - Mexico

My first Gold Cup with Mexico came pretty quick and the question is whether we will be able to beat the Americans when and if we meet.  We had played 4 months earlier in the NA Nations League and lost to them 1 - 0 in the semis.

Group phase was a breeze, beat Cuba 10 - 0 in the quarters, beat Trinidad 1 - 0 in the semis to play the USA in the final.

Edited December 8, 2023 by SkiIIs

[SkiIIs]

Season 2033/34 - Inter Milan

Second season with Inter and the expectation is to qualify for the champions league via the league however after only just missing out last year, hopefully we could go one better this year.  I had focused on building depth around the squad as I thought this is we we lacked last year.  I did notice a definite improvement and this is shown by the fact moved up 1 place and gained 3 more points, however AC Milan in the process also improved by 3 points meaning we fell short again.

We improved in the Coppa Italia but were knocked out in the semis over two legs by Juventus.  Knocked out in the round of 16 by Liverpool in the Champions League.   So overall, another season with not achievements towards this challenge, but the role is still enjoyable and i feel like we're getting closer.

 

After the World Cup, the South Korean job became available along with a host of South American and European giants.  I was offered the Brazil, Argentina and Span jobs but decided to go with South Korea as they have the Asian Cup later this year. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by SkiIIs

[goonergez]

Cape Town City FC: 2027/28 Review

After clinching a shock league title last time around this season gave us a crack at the African Champions League as well as a host of domestic competitions. My task was to try and win both the continental crown and one of the domestic cups. If I could do that then I could move on having achieved all I could within Africa.

The summer proved difficult as a host of players had their heads turned by bigger clubs. We were pushed into selling two of last seasons top performers, the biggest loss being in Iqraam Rayners who left for Saudi Arabia. I didn’t want to sell either of those players but risked severely upsetting the squad if I didn’t allow them to depart. With limited funds we struggled to bring in anything real quality but did find a few new faces to add some depth to our squad. Striker Ryan Moon proved a great signing in filling the void left by the sale of Rayners.

We put together a decent season although in truth were never really in with a shout of winning the league. A good end to the season saw us climb significantly though and to finish in 3rd was a pretty good showing in the end. It was disappointing to put in such a mediocre title defence but at one stage it looked like it could’ve been a whole lot worse so I was left relatively pleased.

With three domestic cup competitions to compete in I was confident we could grab one and complete that leg of this challenge. We ended up doing it by winning an absolute thriller in the Knockout Cup.

That left the Champions Leahue and again I was quietly confident. We breezed through our group as winners, even defeating record 12 time winners Al-Ahly at home. We drew Benda Insurande in the quarter finals and scraped our way through by the odd goal over two legs. The semi final was even more tense. We drew Orlando Pirares and defeated them 1-0 away from home to seize the initiative. The second leg was tough but we managed to hold on to a 1-2 defeat for over an hour to scramble through to the final on away goals. In the final we would meet Al-Ahly again in what would be yet another tense affair.

We did it but by god was it uncomfortable. We were brilliant at home and should’ve won much more comfortably than the 2-1 we got. We missed a host of chances before conceding a late goal to make the second leg much tighter. We weren’t great but thankfully managed what was required and that was that. African continental competition completed at the first time of asking.

With that I complete everything needed here in South Africa. For now I’m going to stay here but have got the itch to move on. When the right opportunity pops up I’ll be off and onto pastures new. I’m delighted with what I’ve achieved here and now it feels like time to go and attempt a new challenge elsewhere. I managed to win the required competitions here much quicker than I anticipated though and that gives me high hopes for my managerial future. For now I’ll be patient though and wait for an exciting new opportunity to pop up somewhere else.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	1st(C)
2025/26 Cape Town City		12th		(hired in 11th place)
2026/27 Cape Town City		1st (C)		SA Premiership winners
2027/28 Cape Town City		3rd		SA Knockout Cup & African Champions League winners	

Challenge Progress

Club

1/10 Domestic Leagues (26/27 SA Premiership)
1/10 Domestic Cups (27/28 SA Knockout Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (27/28 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

TOTAL: 3/32

 

[_JHTB_]

Ivory Coast 2027 African Cup Of Nations

Group Stages
 

Spoiler

The group stages were pretty straight forward for us starting with a 5-1 victory in our opener over The Gambia. The following two games still brought us comfortable victories, not as convincing, but still comfortable to see us top the group and get through to the knockouts

Ivory Coast 5 - 1 The Gambia
Ivory Coast 3 - 0 Guniea
Ivory Coast 2 - 1 Burkina Faso

 

Second Round
 

Spoiler

This was actually quite a frustrating round as we were super dominant and yet still contrived to to draw the game 3-3. We did manage to eventually win the tie on penalties but it was significantly more stressful than it aught to have been.

Ivory Coast p3 - 3 DR Congo

Quarter Final

Spoiler

We did not get a good draw in the Quarter Final as we were up against the team with the highest ranking in Morocco who were Ranked 14th in the world compared to our 23rd. It seemed my players weren't overawed by this though as we managed to take a 3 goal lead into half time. Second half we were largely as dominant as we cruised our way to the Semi-Final

Ivory Coast 6 - 1 Morocco

Semi Final

Spoiler

Our Semi Final was against a team we had hit for 5 in the last game prior to the competition in the World Cup Qualifying in Angola. This game we showed that it wasn't a fluke previously as we again easily won the match though this time we did concede in a 4-1 victory,

Ivory Coast 4 - 1 Angola

Final

Spoiler

Because the World Rankings updated mid tournament, this was the second match we had against the top ranked African nation as Senegal had taken over Morocco's 14th place in the rankings. This game went in a similar way to the Morocco one this time finding ourselves 3 up in the opening 15 minutes. At that stage I was already confident of our first international trophy and my confidence was backed up by a couple more goals in the second half. We did concede a late consolation goal but it was too late and we had won the final 5-1 this actually the 3rd back to back win in the AFCON for Ivory Coast and my first International Trophy.

Ivory Coast 5 - 1 Senegal

After the competition

Spoiler

I am going to resign, there is not much point in me staying on with Ivory Coast as not only do I think they would not have much of a chance at the World Cup, it is also in another 2 and a half years. So I will be resigning and will be on the lookout for a National job in another continent.

 

[goonergez]

Cape Town City FC: October 2028 Update

I went into the new season knowing that it would at best be my last with the club. In the end it wouldn’t even be my last half a season in South Africa. We had a really poor start to the campaign and I handed in my resignation at the end of October with the club sat way down in 13th spot in the league table.

We had been completely unable to string together any form and pick up consistent results. I was surprised as we had a really strong summer in the transfer market and I truly felt we would be competing near the top end of the table. My misery was added to by early eliminations in both the Super-8 Cup and the Knockout Cup. 

With nothing keeping me at the club long term I decided to hand in my resignation and walk away. I had a target of where I wanted to go next, now it was just a case of waiting for the right opportunity to present itself to me.

Ulsan Hyundai FC: January 2030 Update

Having departed Cape Town City I had two targets in mind for my next managerial destination. In total I would wait a little over fifteen months from my exit to land a new position as my patience most definitely paid off.

I made the very bold move to reject an offer from Seattle Sounders of the MLS in the hope of being offered the job with Ulsan. Waiting two weeks after that before being offered an interview. Thankfully my gamble paid off and a week later I was unveiled to the press as the new manager of last seasons K-League runners up.

In truth this was an absolutely obvious decision to make. Ulsan missed out on the title by just a solitary point, and the squad I inherit is more than capable of winning honours quickly. My first matches at the helm would be the two legs of an Asian Champions League second round tie and were expected to do very well both domestically and Continentally. In fact the bookmakers have named us as their favourites to lift the league title this time around.

My aim is to win as much silverware as possible in as short of a time as I can. Ideally we can go far in the Champions League and try to nab the league title as well. If we could complete a treble then I would be absolutely overjoyed. The Champions League campaign here runs from mid season to mid season though, so if we don’t go all the way this time around then it’ll be at least an eighteen month process for me here in South Korea. I’m confident though, and with £18,000,000 to spend as well I have a great opportunity to put together a squad capable of immediate successes.

Season	Team			Position	Notes & Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023/24 Pretoria Callies	5th		(hired in 10th place)
2024/25 Pretoria Callies	1st(C)
2025/26 Cape Town City		12th		(hired in 11th place)
2026/27 Cape Town City		1st (C)		SA Premiership winners
2027/28 Cape Town City		3rd		SA Knockout Cup & African Champions League winners	
2028/29 Cape Town City		12th		(resigned in october)
2030	Ulsan Hyundai		tbc

Challenge Progress

Club

1/10 Domestic Leagues (26/27 SA Premiership)
1/10 Domestic Cups (27/28 SA Knockout Cup)
1/5 Continental Championships (27/28 African Champions League)
0/1 Club World Championship

International

0/5 Continental Tournaments
0/1 World Tournament

TOTAL: 3/32

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by goonergez