[FM21]I Heard You’re A Player.Nice To Meet You,I’m The Manager.

[B.W.G]

Champions League Draw

Well that looks like a pretty tough draw.I am pretty confident we can beat my old side Melaka,Suwon will be the toughest team to face as they are still South Korea's biggest team.Changchun Yatai on the other hand are pretty unknown to me,they're China's fifth biggest side and one who I have never faced as they were in the second tier when I was managing Shandong Luneng.We should easily pick up six points but we will see what happens against Changchun as I don't fancy our chances against Suwon.

[B.W.G]

January 2051

Fixture

Just the one game in January which was in the final of the H.K Senior Challenge Shield. Obviously I am really happy that we won as it is more silverware for our trophy cabinet but I am not happy with the way we won the match,we took a 2-0 lead and blew it as Kitchee pulled it back which is unacceptable as we should of controlled the game better.I can't really say anything about the second half as it was forgettable.We hit another gear in extra time as Connor gave us the lead with a goal from a set piece while Joyce finished things off in injury time as we lifted our second bit of silverware this season.

Five games in February,two in the league,two in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup.I am pretty confident we can win both of our league games against Eastern District and Resources Capital and that will be enough to keep us at the top.We kick off our Champions League campaign with games against Melaka and Suwon Bluewings,I am confident we can beat Melaka but I am expecting us to lose against Suwon as they are by far a much stronger team than we are.In the FA Cup we are facing either South China AA or Icanfield Group,I know nothing about either team other than they are way down the pecking order in Hong Kong so we should be able to beat either team quite comfortably.

[B.W.G]

February 2051

Fixtures

Tables

What a month that was as we won every game during February!The two wins in the league came as expected and we kept our top spot just ahead of Kitchee,the surprise in the league was actually a news article which popped up as the top two now qualify for the Champions League!The Champions League was unbelievable as we won both games and that has left us with a four point gap at the top of the table,I knew we could beat Melaka but I wasn't expecting to beat them 12-0,Pang Chun Wai and Leng Makara both netted a hat-trick in this game,The match against Suwon look like we just edged it if we go off the score line but the truth is that we were better than them and we probably could of won by a bigger margin.We also played and won in the FA Cup against South China AA,they were annoying to deal with even with a strong team but we eventually got past them.

Three games in March,one in the league,one in the Champions League and one in the Sapling Cup.In the league we are facing off against Southern District,they are way behind the quality of ourselves and Kitchee so we should beat them with little difficulty.In the Champions League we are facing Changchun Yatai,I am actually pretty confident we can get something against them as they drew 3-3 with Melaka,if we can get a point against them then that will be a big boost to our qualification chances.

[B.W.G]

March 2051

Fixtures

Table

We recorded a very easy 6-0 against Southern District,nothing else really to say about our league game as we were never in trouble,annoyingly Kitchee also won 6-0 and that means there is still only one point between ourselves and them.The Champions League match makes me want to sulk as we picked up a point against Changchun but we dominated them and our finishing let us down as this was more of a case of two dropped points then one point gained.The match against Kitchee in the Sapling Cup was a case of who had the best squad depth as both teams were missing players due to internationals,we ran out 4-2 winners but this game could of finished at any score as it was a very even match but onward to the final we go.

We have five games in April,one in the league,two in the Champions League,one in the FA Cup and one in the Sapling Cup.The league game will help decide the fate of the title as we are facing off against Kitchee,we have faced them three times with all three games finishing 4-2,we do have home advantage this time around so I am pretty confident that we can win.In the Champions League we are facing Melaka and Changchun Yatai,I am pretty sure if we can pick up four points from these two games then we will qualify for the next round so that is my aim.In the FA Cup we are facing TSW Pegasus,I am confident that we can win that and go onto the final as we should be far too strong for them.In the Sapling Cup final we are facing Happy Valley,I am quite surprised they have got this far as they have been terrible this season but I will not treat them lightly as I want more silverware.April will also bring us our next batch of youth players so I am pretty interested to see who we get in that.

Edited May 19, 2021 by B.W.G

[B.W.G]

Youth Intake 2051

Tang Chi Him

Chan Chun Fai

It was a more squad based intake this time around.Tang Chi Him and Chan Chun Fai both have the potential to be in the first team but I am not in a rush for either player to develop as both the positions these players play are quite stacked so it will more than likely be in the future when they will appears regularly in the first team.They're are also six (too many to screenshot for my liking!) who could be excellent rotational options for the first team in the future if the meet anywhere near their potential so there will be at least eight players signed from this intake.

[B.W.G]

April 2051

Fixtures

Tables

What a match we had against Kitchee in the league,we were 1-0 and 2-1 down so to run out 7-3 winners is absolutely phenomenal,I never thought we would do that to our nearest title challengers and with this win it puts us on the verge of the title as we have a four point gap with two games left to play.The Champions League saw another two impressive displays as we won both games against Melaka and Changchun Yatai as we topped the group at the end of the month with one game left to play.The FA Cup saw us smash TSW Pegasus in the semi-final,it was a very one sided match that we won with no trouble occurring.To finish off my April summary,we also beat Happy Valley in the final of the Sapling Cup in what was our toughest game,they generally played well which makes me wonder at how they have struggled like they have in the league.

We're going into the final month of the season with a minimum of four games left to play,two are in the league,one in the Champions League and one in the FA Cup.In the league we wrap our campaign up with games against Eastern AA and TSW Pegasus,one win from these two games and that will be enough to secure us the title due to the points difference.In the FA Cup we are facing Kitchee in the final,no surprise to see our biggest rival against us in yet another final,if we can play to our best I am confident that we can win but we still need to be careful against them as they have put nine past us this season so they are always a danger going forward.The Champions League is the big one for us in May,we wrap our group stage campaign up with a home tie against Suwon,I am pretty confident we have qualified for the knockouts and the second round is also played in May so it will be interesting to see who we get in that.

[B.W.G]

May 2051

Fixtures

Table

We wrapped up the title in convincing fashion as we won our last two games in complete domination as we finished four points ahead of Kitchee.We played Kitchee in the final of the FA Cup,I believe this was our best overall performance against them to date and we full deserved our 4-1 win over them in the final to clinch the FA Cup.The Champions League saw us wrap our group stage campaign with a 2-2 draw against Suwon as we qualified for the second round.In the second round we faced Adelaide Utd,we lost the first leg 3-2 but it should of been much worse as they completely dominated us,the second leg saw us be the better side but we conceded too many times and that cost us in the end as despite winning 4-3 in the second leg,we crashed out on away goals.Nice to see an improvement from the team but it is going to be another couple of seasons before we get to the latter stages of the knockouts.

End of season update to follow then onto season five with Hong Kong Rangers I go!

[B.W.G]

Meanwhile in England....

That is rough for Liverpool,31 seasons in and they find themselves relegated.I am pretty confident in saying that this is the biggest team I have seen relegated as they are a bigger team than Spurs who have been relegated twice.

This means next season there will be only six teams who have remained ever-present since this save started and they are Arsenal,Chelsea,Leeds,Leicester,Man City and Man Utd!

[B.W.G]

Hong Kong Rangers - First Division League - End of Season - 2050/51

Season Review

Transfers - Released - Youth

There were no additional released players from the eleven released which for some reason appear under the 2049/50 season.We actually sold a player for money which means Lam Siu Kwan is now the biggest sale I've had at this club for the paltry fee of £1k,the other three who left went out on loan for developmental reasons.There were no additional incoming players which come under the 50/51 season after we signed three players for nothing which appeared under the 49/50 season.

Fixtures 1 - 2

Competitions

First Division League - Winners

This season saw two juggernaut teams in ourselves and Kitchee and we were the ones to win the league.The pivotal match being our 7-3 victory over Kitchee in April which helped decide where the title went.It was great to see the club going unbeaten throughout the season to earn the tag "The Invincibles".

Champions League - 2nd Round

We made a small improvement in the Champions League as we made it to the second round for the first time ever.The group stages saw us top a group containing Suwon Bluewings,Changchun Yatai and Malaka,we topped this group with a record of 4-2-0 which included a remarkable 12-0 victory over my old club Melaka.The second round saw us just fall short as we lost on away goals to Adelaide Utd,we should be able to move past the second round in the future when the players develop some more so I am optimistic for the future.

Hong Kong FA Cup - Winners

We had a solid showing in the FA Cup as we retained the trophy.South China AA actually turned out to be a tougher test than I expected and the scoreline was pretty harsh on them while TSW Pegasus got what they deserved as we beat them 7-0 as it was very one sided.We played Kitchee in the final and won 4-1,our performance in the final was probably our best overall performance against them this season as we were a lot more solid at the back in comparison to our other games agaisnt them.

H.K Senior Challenge Shield - Winners

We had no problem in getting to the final as we thrashed Happy Valley and Southern District in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.The final against Kitchee gave us a rather annoying performance as we blew a 2-0 lead.The game would then go into extra time where we kicked it up into another gear as we won some more silverware.

Sapling Cup - Winners

We topped our group stage with a 100% record while scoring thirteen goals and conceding zero.We had the toughest test in the semi-final as we faced Kitchee,we did run out 4-2 winners but it was a very nervy affair due to both teams missing numerous players due to internationals,it was great to see that we have better squad depth than they do.The Happy Valley match in the final was actually our toughest match against them as we easily beat them in the league,we did win 3-0 but it wasn't actually that comfortable but I am glad to get the silverware.

Community Cup - Winners

We easily beat Eastern AA 3-0 despite missing a lot of players due to the Asian games.We were that dominant that we restricted them to one shot in the entire game so it was a fully deserved victory against Eastern AA,

Players,Stats and Awards

Overall Best XI

Accolades 1 - 2 - Best XI

Lee Joyce

Wong Chun Hin

Lionel Mpondo

Chau Chun Pong

Leng Makara

Manager's Thoughts

It was a great season when it came to domestic football as we recorded another clean sweep which means we have done back to back clean sweeps,despite all this success we are still sitting in second place behind Kitchee when it comes to reputation in Hong Kong but we moved up to 2* so that increase in reputation could be beneficial for us in the future as we could get more money from sponsorships.In the Champions League we made an improvement on last season as we made it to the knockout stages,we got to the second round where we lost to Adelaide Utd on away goals,as we have young squad then we do have time to develop them and I think we could get to the latter stages in a couple of seasons,I believe that this team is stronger than my Melaka side when they won the Champions League so we just need a bit of luck to go along with everything.

For next season I want more of the same as if we can keep winning competitions on the domestic front then it will increase the chances of us overthrowing Kitchee to claim the number one spot in Hong Kong.I will be looking/tapping up two or three players who's contract at Kitchee is expiring at the end of the season,these three players will help strengthen both the DC and MC roles.Our foreign Asian player spot will be freed up this season and I want a ST for this spot as that is one of our weaker areas.I will be looking to carry on our improvements in the Champions League,I think we could potentially get past the second round next season as we were not too far off that achievement this season,if we get a bit of luck then we could get quite a bit further in the coming seasons.

Career Stats (Link)

[B.W.G]

Hong Kong Rangers - Hong Kong First Divison League - Pre-Season - 2051/52

Season Preview - Expectations

Transfers - Released

This pre-season saw us perform a mass exodus as I let twenty players leave the club on a free,this was down to a combination of these players not being good enough,potential not being above 1.5* and also wanting to free up wages so I can get better quality players in without blowing the wage budget.Three players left to join other clubs on a free,these players were going to be released anyway so I had no problems in letting them sign for someone else at the end of their contracts.We sold a player for quite big money for a Hong Kong side,Chan Chi Ho left us to join Resources capital for £20k,I had no problem with this deal as he was in his last year of his contract.We bought five players,three are from Kitchee who joined us on free transfers,two of these are fully capped by Hong Kong.Kurnia comes in as our foreign Asian player and he is fully capped by Indonesia so that is quite the coup for us.Nasser Al-Khalfan comes in on a free,I spotted him in Qatar's u19 without a team so I decided to see if he'll join and he did.

Pre-Season Fixtures

Easy,easy,easy.Two of these friendlies which were the matches against Hoi King and Wing Yee were for fitness purposes going into the new season while the HKFC match was arranged to raise some funds for the club due to our financial situation.Unfortunately for HKFC,they are probably hoping this isn't a sign of things to come as they find themselves back in the top tier this season.

The Team

Lee Joyce

Wong Chun Hin

John Connor

Ko Chi Yin

Lionel Mpondo

Manager's Thoughts

Well I am going into my fifth season with Hong Kong Rangers and going into a fifth season has only happened at one other club which was Dempo but unlike Dempo we will be going into a sixth season due to the Asian Champions League starting at the start of the year and ending in November.As for this pre-season,I have bought in more versatile personnel to help boost the team to give it better squad depth overall.We have bought in three full internationals in Yoesoef Kurnia,Darren Langford and Pang Chi Chung while Lau Chi Chung and Al-Khalfan have been capped at youth level by their countries.After all the released,players sold and players bought in we now have a £7.5k p.w difference in the wages which is very good although we have had our first player in Chau Chun Pong break the £1k p.w barrier.

My aims for this season is to carry on with our domestic dominance in Hong Kong as I want to keep winning competitions as my ultimate aim while I am in Hong Kong is to overthrow Kitchee and take the coveted first place spot in the country as I want to leave Hong Kong Rangers as the biggest team in the country,For the Champions League I am happy with how we played and where we got to last season but my aim is to match our second round performance but play better on the field as conceding six goals across two games cost us in the end as we went out to Adelaide.I know we can beat Australian sides but we need to play better defensively against them,hopefully our new signings will help us do so in that regard.Time to hopefully carry on the way we left off in the previous season!

[Sonic Youth]

Wheeling and dealing preseason, with upgrades and savings everywhere. Maybe an upgrade to facilities is in the future...?

Going to be an interesting season ahead.

Edited May 22, 2021 by Sonic Youth

[B.W.G]

1 minute ago, Sonic Youth said:

Wheeling and dealing preseason, with upgrades and savings everywhere. Maybe an upgrade to facilities is in the future...?

Going to be an interesting season ahead.

It's a possibility in the future,more than likely it will be at the end of the 52/53 season if we can hit at least the second round of the Champions League in the next two season.

It's only going to be interesting in the Champions League,I am already declaring myself the league champions after two games as Kitchee have drawn against HKFC and TSW Pegasus

[B.W.G]

September 2051

Fixtures

Table

Not a lot to say about the league really,we played three games,we won three games and we did so without conceding which means we had the perfect month.This was made even better by the fact that normal challengers Kitchee drew games against TSW Pegasus and HKFC which leaves us with a four point gap over our normal title challengers.We also won silverware in September as we beat Eastern AA in the Community Cup,I played a fully rotated side due to players not being fully fit due to internationals so even my "b" team was more than enough to beat a top tier side convincingly.

We play three times in October,two in the league and one in the H.K Senior Challenge Shield.In the league we are facing Kitchee and TSW Pegasus,that is a tough fixture list for the month,if we lose to Kitchee then the title race is well and truly on but if we beat Kitchee then the league season will pretty much be over after four games as I don't see them clawing back a seven point lead with how strong my team is.In the H.K CHallenge Senior Challenge Shield we are facing Reseources Capital,I am fully expecting to go through in that match as I don't think they will be able to stand up to our attack again.

[B.W.G]

October 2051

Fixtures

Table

Well that's a wrap for the league as there is now way Kitchee will be recovering that deficit,we completely controlled that match and it was a deserved victory and we have a three point lead over HKFC and we have a game in hand.Talking of HKF,they were absolutely smashed in the first game of the Sapling Cup and we followed that up with a 5-0 win over Resources Capital and that match has seen us progress to the semi-final of the H.K Senior Challenge Shield.So far so good!

Three games in November and all of them are in the league,we will be facing HKFC,TSW Pegasus and Southern District.My only aim is to keep our run going and to still be at the top of the table but that should be the case as we are much stronger than the other teams,we probably won't receive a challenge till we are in the Champions League.

[B.W.G]

November 2051

Fixtures

Table

Another perfect month from the boys as we won all three games in the league and that has left us ten points clear ahead of Kitchee although we have played a game more but at this point in time the title is looking like a foregone conclusion as I don't see anyone stopping us.I have been really impressed with our run so far as we have now got to the point where we only have one player who has not made an appearance for first team this season,even the second and third choice keepers have made an appearance so far this season.

Just the two games in December and both of them are against Resources Capital.The first of these match ups is in the league,we will have pretty much a full strength team available for that game with exception to the goalkeeping role so my second choice will be playing as the first choice isn't fit for it.The other match against them is the Sapling Cup and I will be fielding the strongest team possible with my reasons being to keep match fitness up as we barely have any games at the minute.

[B.W.G]

December 2051

Fixtures

Table

Well at least we won the important match against Resource Capital as our domestic winning run came to a surprising stop.We beat Resources Capital 2-0 in the league game,it was a pretty tough match but we overcame them in the end,surprisingly I consider this match our toughest of the season as they actually played pretty well.We then drew 0-0 with the same team in the Sapling Cup,I was missing eleven players for this game but usually my B team does better than it actually did this time around,this draw was disappointing but we are still in a strong position to qualify from the group.

Three games in January with the biggest match coming in the very first match of the year as we play competitive rivals Kitchee in the semi-finals of the H.K Senior Challenge Shield,I want to win this match as I want as much silverware as possible so we can close the gap on Kitchee in the reputation rankings as I want that top spot before I leave!We also have a double header against Eastern AA during January,the first of these is in the Sapling Cup and I want to win to ensure we get through to the next stage while the next match is in the league,we still have a ten point lead over Kitchee in the league so I'm not actually too bothered by what happens in this league game.

[B.W.G]

Youth Intake Preview

We are expecting a golden generation against but only this time the intake preview for the golden generation contains more yellow writing then it does green so I in realty I am expecting a poorer than normal intake as it looks like we are only getting two good wingers!

[B.W.G]

January 2052

Fixtures

Table

One league game and one league win meant we kept our first place position,the lead has dropped to seven points but that is because Kitchee won their game in hand but the points difference is down to their slow start.I have to give some credit to Eastern AA as they became the first side in the league to score against us this season even if they did end up losing 5-1!A few minor issues against Kitchee occurred in the H.K Senior Challenge Shield semi-final but we overcame them and beat them 4-1 to move onto the final.We also progressed in the Sapling Cup after we beat Eastern AA 6-0 so I am pleased with that result as it means I am one step closer to more silverware.

We have three games in February at the moment but I am pretty sure it will be more than that by the end of the month.At this moment in time we will be facing Happy Valley in the league while we play Eastern AA for a third successive match as we play the final of the H.K Senior Challenge Shield at the start of February.We also begin our campaign in the FA Cup where we will face either Yuen Long or TSW Pegasus,I am expecting to face TSW Pegasus as they should be too strong for Yeun Long.February should also see us begin our Champions League campaign,I've not had the draw yet but I am confident of a good showing once again although seeing this competition with Perth Glory being the reigning champions is a bit weird!

[B.W.G]

Champions League Draw

Well we all know the highlight fixtures of this group is against Adelaide Utd,it's an early shot for us at a chance of revenge for our away goal loss to them in the second round.I know we can beat Changchun Yatai like we did last season.Yokohama F.Marino's are pretty unknown for me,they are one of very few Japanese teams who actually have non-greyed out players playing for them so it should be an interesting match up.

[B.W.G]

February 2052

Fixtures

Tables

Things went great in the league for us as we beat Happy Valley 4-0,this result combined with Kitchee drawing 1-1 with Southern District means that we now have a nine point lead at the top of the table with four games left to play,this means we now have one hand on the title.We kicked off our Champions League campaign with a fantastic 2-1 victory over Yokohama F.Marinos,it was a close fought game but we just edged the stats so it was a well deserved victory.No problems in the FA Cup as we easily destroyed TSW Pegasus to move onto the semi-final.The biggest match for me in February was the final of the H.K Senior Challenge Shield,we faced and completely humiliated Eastern AA in the final as we beat them 6-0,lucky for them we that they don't have to face us again this season!

Just the three games in March,one in the league and two in the Champions League.In the league it is a potential title decider as we face off against Kitchee,if we win this match we will be the league champions and it is that simple.In the Champions League we are facing Adelaide Utd and Changchun Yatai,I am confident we can beat the Chinese side again like we did last season but I get the feeling Adelaide Utd are going to be a pain again,they beat Changchun 6-0 in their first game so I am expecting more fireworks against them as we had two epic battles against them so a third is bound to happen!

[B.W.G]

March 2052

Fixtures

Tables

This has been our first month without a clean sheet what so ever but despite that we still managed to win every single game.The league game against Kitchee actually saw us come from behind to beat our nearest challengers,we were 1-0 down at half time and we turned it round brilliantly as we ran out 4-1 winners to clinch the title.The Champions League saw two fantastic performances from my team,we could not have had a more even game than we did against Adelaide Utd as we matched each other all over the park but we edged the game 2-1 and that match gave us top spot,we had no problems against Changchun and the Chinese side can consider themselves lucky it only finished 3-1 as we should have scored more that we did.

April is a pretty busy month with five games to play,one in the league,two in the Champions League,one in the FA Cup and one in the Sapling Cup.We play HKFC in the league and that match doesn't really matter as we now have the league title wrapped up.In the Champions League we are facing Adelaide Utd and Yokohama F.Marino's,I am pretty confident we can beat the Japanese side but I don't think we'll beat Adelaide as we don't tend to play as well away from home as we do at home.The FA Cup sees us play Happy Valley in the semi-final,I am expecting a win in that match to move onto the final,anything less than that will be disappointing.The least important match comes against Kitchee in the Sapling Cup,my board don't care about this competition so no matter the result,the board won't judge me but because it is Kitchee then I want to it and progress.April also sees our next intake and I am not expecting much from it despite it being a "golden generation".

[Sonic Youth]

I’m enjoying your season 

[deltablue]

Nicely done in the Champions League so far.

[B.W.G]

11 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I’m enjoying your season 

I'm enjoying it as well although I think my defence has gone on holiday in April  

5 hours ago, deltablue said:

Nicely done in the Champions League so far.

Thanks!

Revenge is complete against Adelaide Utd and we have qualified for the second round.

[B.W.G]

Youth Intake 2052

Yeung Chun Hung

Wan Chi Ho

Lam Man Wing

I had a feeling this was going to happen when I saw the preview as there are not any real stand out stars in this intake but it is a intake based on squad depth as there will be a minimum of six players who will be signed from this intake.Chun Hung is one of the best two players from this intake and I am pretty confident that he will eventually get some game time in it as three stars is easily first team and could be a very useful squad rotation option.Wan Chi Ho is another player with great potential to be a useful squad rotation option but he has a easier path to the first team as I don't have that many DLs at the club.Lam Man Wing is a player I will have to put a bit of work in with as I don't use the AMC role so he will be retrained as a MC,doesn't have as high potential as the other two players but he will make for a good back up option if he can get near his potential.

[B.W.G]

April 2052

Fixtures

Tables

Another month where we won every game although my defence have decided to start their pre-season holiday early as we conceded nine goals in April which is more than the rest of the season combined!The 9-3 win over HKFC meant we kept our 100% win record in tact in the league and we are now on the verge of the perfect season.The Champions League saw us win two thrilling games against Adelaide Utd and Yokohama F.Marinos,both of them were great games for the neutrals not so much for me as they were quite stressful games.We progressed to the final of the FA Cup after beating Happy valley which is great and we ended up winning the Sapling Cup after beating Kitchee in the semi-finals via two late goals and then destroyed Resources Capital in the final,we were 8-0 up at half time which means we actually lost the second half to them!

At this moment in time we will be playing four times in May but it will be more due to the Champions League.We finish off our league campaign with games against Southern District and TSW Pegasus,I would like to win both games as that will give us the perfect league season.We play Kitchee in the FA Cup final and obviously I want to beat them as I don't want to see them lift any silverware as by winning we are slowly closing the gap on them to become the most reputable club in Hong Kong.We finish off our Champions League group stage campaign with a game against Changchun Yatai,this is a dead rubber to us as we have already qualified in first place,we will also be playing in the second round in May but I have no idea on who we will be facing.

[Sonic Youth]

I thought you were getting wingers in your Youth Intake. I guess a winger is the same as a fullback 

More winning! Looking forward to another winning update 

[B.W.G]

13 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I thought you were getting wingers in your Youth Intake. I guess a winger is the same as a fullback 

More winning! Looking forward to another winning update 

I was that hyper-focused on finishing the season that I didn't even realise that was the case  

May's update will feature more winning.....and a draw!

[B.W.G]

May 2052

Fixtures

Table

We finished off our league campaign with two wins rom two which gave us the perfect season as we won every game and we finished twelve points ahead of Kitchee which makes things even better!We added some more silverware to the cabinet in May as we lifted the FA Cup after thumping Kitchee in the final,this has been my favourite victory over them this season!The big news actually came in the Champions League,we beat Changchun Yatai in the last group stage match which was a dead rubber for us anyway,in the second round we had more Chinese opposition and we got past them as well,we only went and beat Beijing Guoan 6-2 on aggregate to progress to the quarter finals,the first leg was a pretty even game but we were more clinical as we ran out 4-0 winners while the second leg left me wondering how we escaped that with a draw as we scored twice from four shots as the Chinese side dominated the match.

End of Season update to follow then onto the 52/53 season and the latter stages of the Champions League we go!

[B.W.G]

Hong Kong Rangers - First Division League - End of Season - 2051/52

Season Review

Transfers - Released - Youth

In total twenty players were released as they were not good enough and/or were taking up too much money compared to their actual ability,of these twenty players three would actually retire after failing to find a club.Three players left on free transfers after they arranged to join other clubs when their contract was up,we sold a midfielder for £20k (which is now a club record!) to Resources Capital,he was in his final year of his contract so I decided to cash in on him,two other players left on loan for developmental reasons.We bought in six players for a combined fee of £0,three of these were free transfers from Kitchee and would help improve the depth of the first team while we signed three foreigners who would fill up the rest of the spots.Of these three foreigners,I would say Mbayo and Kurnia would be instant starters.Unfortunately for the readers,they won't get to see all of the transfer dealings due to the cut off date not matching the league reset date!

Fixtures 1 - 2

Competitions

First Division League - Winners

I don't need to say much here,we were comfortable winners as we finished twelve points ahead of Kitchee and we won every league game which made it the perfect season!

Champions League - Quarter-Finals 

We entered at the group stage and topped a group containing Adelaide Utd,Changchun Yatai and Yokohama F.Marinos with a 100% record.In the second round we beat Beijing Guoan 6-2 on aggregate,we won the first leg 4-0 in what was an even game but we were more clinical in front of goal while we drew 2-2 in the second leg which was a relief as the Chinese side should of hammered us but they squandered too many chances.The draw for the quarter final hasn't been made yet but of the teams who have gone through,I am hoping to face on of Persepolis,Al-Arabi,Sydney FC or Shanghai Port,I don't want to face any of my old teams just yet!

FA Cup - Winners

This ended up being a walk in the park as we easily won the FA Cup,when Happy Valley who were a mid-table side give you the toughest match of your campaign and that included Kitchee in the final,it really shows you  that this competition was a walk in the park for us.

H.K Senior Challenge Shield - Winners

This was a case of another Senior Challenge Shield in the bag as we won the competition with very little trouble,most of the trouble came in the semi-final where Kitchee were annoying to deal with but our finishing won us the match and we then easily dispatched of Eastern AA in the final.

Sapling Cup - Winners

Topped our group with a record of 2-1-0 with the game we drew being against Resources Capital,the semi-final saw us get past Kitchee eventually after a late show by the team.The game against Resources Capital in the final was a game of two halves,the first half saw us go in to the break 8-0 up which means we lost the second half 2-0 which was annoying as I just couldn't get the team motivated in the second half,glad we won the trophy but our performance in the second half left a lot to be desired.

Community Cup - Winners

Even with play a heavily rotated side we still won easily and we restricted Eastern AA to one shot.Also funny thing to note in the Competition Top Scorer,Chu Ka Ho is my third choice keeper so that is a rather bizarre thing to see!

Players,Stats and Awards

Overall Best XI

Accolades 1 - 2 - Best XI

Yoesoef Kurnia

John Connor

Patrick Mbayo

Wong Chun Hin

Leng Makara

Manager's Thoughts

My most successful season at the club to date as we won performed a clean sweep to make it back to back clean sweeps,despite this happening we are still sat in second place in the reputation rankings behind Kitchee but surely there can't be that much difference between the two sides now.The big news was in the Champions League as we made it to the quarter finals of the competition which will be played in August,this is big news as it will help increase the club rep further and possibly help the league reputation as well and the First Division League could possibly get to number 17 by overtaking Thailand and Indonesia.The finances at the club are completely terrible and we currently sit at £987k in debt and there is no light at the end of this tunnel and unless the chairman sells up then this could be the case for the foreseeable future,thankfully I have a team which is as strong as Persita Tangerang when I won the Champions League with them so it should be a possibility in the future.

As for next season,I am really happy with the team so there will be no incoming transfers unless something major happens like the board sell a player over my head.I want to continue my domination on the domestic front as I really want to overtake Kitchee and I believe we could do so next season due to us still being in the Champions League.As for the Champions League,I generally believe we stand a good chance of winning the competition,this team is as strong as my Persita Tangerang team when they won the CL in 2038 and I believe it is stronger than my Dempo SC side which won the competition in 2043.Unless a miracle happens then the finances will not be improving much so I need to get it won sooner rather than later which means the pressure is on now so I need to deliver,onto the new season we go!

Career Stats

Link (For entire career)

[B.W.G]

Champions League Draw

I'm happy with this match up and I believe we stand a chance of beating them as they aren't the strongest team in the competition by a long shot but I can't say I am too happy with the semi-final draw as whoever wins this match will face either Seoul or Western Sydney Wanderers in the semi-final!

[B.W.G]

Hong Kong Rangers - Hong Kong First Division league - Pre-Season - 2052/53

Season Preview - Expectations

Transfers - Released - Youth

It was a really quiet transfer window for us as I didn't want to change anything as I am really happy with the team.Seven players were released as they were no longer good enough for the team and I felt that they weren't needed so there wasn't much point in keeping them here,two other players did leave to join other clubs on a free but due to the cut off date they appeared under 51/52 season.No one joined us as there wasn't any way to strengthen the team further and I didn't want to make pointless signings although we do have the money to do so now!

Pre-Season Fixtures

We only played one match due to a massive cock up by myself,I set a training camp up in Japan and the only friendlies I could set up would involve the opposition wanting a fee and the returns from the friendlies were not enough to cover the initial fees.The one game we did play was against a divisional rival for fitness purposes and we won it quite easily so I am confident in saying we are ready for the competitive games immediately.

The Team

Patrick Mbayo

A.Al-Khalfan

Leng Makara

Lee Joyce

Wong Chun Hei

Manager's Thoughts

Well it was certainly a quiet pre-season when it came down to transfers as I didn't need to do anything major to the team as I am really happy with the team I have at my disposal and we are ready for the new season.The biggest talking point of the pre-season was also an off the field activity,we have new owners at the club after a consortium bought the club at the end of July,the new chairman pumped in £2million into the clubs coffers without taking a loan out so that is massive for us.I was worried that I would need to get the Champions League done as quick as possible due to the club's then worsening financial situation but with this takeover we could easily go another three seasons without much financial trouble so that is a relief but I still think we are in a solid position for a Champions League challenge this season and if we don't do it this season then next season is definitely viable.

For this season I want us to carry on out domestic domination in Hong Kong,I am hoping this combined with our Champions League progress will help us overthrow Kitchee and become Hong Kong's most reputable club,there can't be much between the two sides as we are both rated at 2* so any success between now and the end of the season will close the gap even further which is what I want.We do have a tough start to the season as our first game comes in the Champions League against Shanghai Port and immediately after that we have Kitchee in the league so I know we have to start the season like a house on fire,a brilliant start to the season could help us keep morale at a very high level which is important going into these big games.Time to get this show on the road and see if I can get Hong Kong Rangers to number one and see if I can move up from my Icon status at the club into the legends category!

[B.W.G]

August 2052

Fixtures

Table

The League match against Kitchee I would actually say was a below par performance from us as we left it late to clinch the win,saying that Kitchee are the hardest team to face so to come out with a win at this early stage in the season is great but I would of preferred having won the game a lot sooner.For the Champions League match against Shanghai Port,I can say that we were lucky to escape with a draw as the Chinese side were the better team but scoring two away goals is massive for us and gives us a slight advantage going into the second leg so I am very happy with that result.

September brings us four more games,two in the league,one in the Champions League and one in the Community Cup.In the league we are facing Southern District and Eastern AA,I am confident we can play better than we did against Kitchee in the league but we will still need to play to a higher level to avoid defeat against these two teams.The CHampions League match will see us play our second leg against Shanghai Port,I am pretty confident we can do well this time as we have the home advantage and we also have two away goals which is massive,we will need to be at our absolute best if we are to go through but as I said,I am confident of doing well in this leg.The Community Cup is against Eastern AA is something I am writing off this season,if we win it then we win it and if we don't win then we don't win,I will be missing 41 players due to international call ups and this match hasn't even been rearranged which is really annoying.

[B.W.G]

September 2052

Fixtures

Table

It was a fantastic month overall for the team,we won both league games in convincing fashion after we beat Southern District and Eastern AA.We also lifted the Community Cup after beating Eastern AA 6-2,I was generally surprised we won this as we were missing a lot of players due to international callups,we literally had thirteen players available for this match so to get the silverware was brilliant considering our circumstances.The biggest results of the month came in the Champions League as we beat Shanghai Port 3-0 in the second leg which means we won the tie 5-2 on aggregate as we moved onto the semi-finals.We even had some off the field success during September as we finally usurped Kitchee as the biggest team in Hong Kong.What a fantastic month for us!

October brings us six games to play,two in the league,two in the Champions League,one in the H.K Senior Challenge Shield and one in the Sapling Cup.Without a doubt the biggest fixtures of the month come in the Champions League where we will be facing Western Sydney Wanderers,this will be an extremely tough test for us as we are missing a few players for the first leg,I think both legs will be pretty even so it will come down to who is the more clinical of the sides.In the league we are facing TSW Pegasus and Happy Valley,we are much stronger than either side so we should win both games quite comfortably.We're facing off against Lee Man in the Senior Challenge Shield and again we should win that as we are a lot stronger than the opposition,I have no idea who we are facing in the Sapling Cup as the draw hasn't been made yet but I will want to win as I wamnt to progress in the tournament.

Edited May 28, 2021 by B.W.G

[abulezz]

I love that you are now in the 2050s - awesome save. 

[B.W.G]

4 minutes ago, abulezz said:

I love that you are now in the 2050s - awesome save. 

I think this maybe my second longest save after my FM 19 save which I think went to late 2050's or early 2060's.

The only way this save is ending is either by me winning it all or something happens to the save.

[B.W.G]

October 2052

Fixtures

Table

The biggest matches saw us do the double over Western Sydney Wanderers in the Champions League,I generally thought the first leg was going to end 0-0 after we had two goals disallowed late on but Chun Wai scored a very late winner in a even match,the second leg came and we beat them 3-1 and it was a well deserved victory as we were the better side,Champions League final here we come!!!!We also won both games in the league and set a new record for the biggest victory,the TSW was a solid if unspectacular match while we just destroyed Happy Valley to clinch maximum points.We also had two victories over Lee Man in two different competitions,we progressed the semi-final after beating them in the Senior Challenge Shield while our victory over then in the Sapling Cup was just the first game in the group stage.

November will bring us just three games but all eyes will be on the games on the 23/11 and the 30/11,these are the dates of our two legs in the Champions League where we will be facing another old side of mine in the shape of Shandong Luneng,there is no tougher match up in the Champions League then them,the Chinese side will be going for their 13th Champions League title so I know we are massive underdogs in this but we will try our absolute best.We also have a league game against Lee Man and they are probably sick of us now after we beat them 7-0 twice in the last month,I'm not going to hold back on them either as I want to see if we can make 7-0 against for a third time!

[abulezz]

Can we have a look at Pang Chun Wai?

[B.W.G]

2 minutes ago, abulezz said:

Can we have a look at Pang Chun Wai?

Not a bad goal scorer for someone with 6 finishing  

[abulezz]

That first touch and speed. 

[B.W.G]

Just now, abulezz said:

That first touch and speed. 

His three best roles are False 9,Advanced Forward and Deep Lying Forward,I usually use him as an advanced forward but I have used him as a False 9 in the past.

[B.W.G]

Champions League Final

First Leg

I wasn't expecting to win this but I can't help feel disappointed that we didn't win this considering Shandong Luneng played with ten men since the 7th minute and even the stats show that we were the better side and the most favoured (by the referee) as we only received three yellow cards from twenty five fouls,unfortunately Lee Joyce's yellow card in this match meant he missed the second leg but all I can say is that we are masters of the dark arts!

Second Leg

This was a very hard fought match which we edged thanks to that ten minute spell between the 60th and 70th minutes in which we netted all three of our games.They had slightly more possession and it was a very nervy finish to the match after they pulled one back in injury time.We also received one yellow card from thirty one fouls which shows we got away with a lot....masters of the dark arts indeed.

Singapore here I come!!!

[B.W.G]

In game Changes

With Hong Kong now finished their was only one thing left to do and it even took a board meeting for me to do this!

League Setup

Hong Kong will now be leaving the save and Uruguay will be replacing them,just one more Asian nation to go before we enter the hell that is South America and that is Singapore!

[B.W.G]

Tampines Rovers - Great Eastern Yeo's S-League - New Club - 2053

The Team

The Top Prospects

Manager's Thoughts

I can honestly say that I wouldn't of left Hong Kong Rangers as quick as I did if I didn't have a job lined up,this job actually became available on the day I played the second leg of the final after the previous manager left.The board wants a mid-table finish which is certainly doable but I will need to strengthen either flank,the goalkeeper position and striker position to ensure we meet the boards expectations.We actually have a youth team with decent potential which is great for us in the long run as we could bring in Tan Thean Shiang and Lim Tah Jiun into the first team to help fill some positions.Interesting thing about the S-League is that only eight of the nine clubs can qualify for continental competitions,the exception being Albirex (S) due to them being a foreign team so if they did win the league then all we would need to do is come second to qualify for the Champions League.

Into the final leg of Asia we go!

[B.W.G]

I forgot to post the final table for the S-League that has just finished,think we have quite a bit of work to do to catch LC Sailors!

 

[Sonic Youth]

Hong Kong v China! That result wouldn’t have gone down well on the main land 

Congrats, impressively done. You could say you ended your time in Hong Kong as an Invincible  

Your new team? I read it first as Tranmere 

Going to be interesting to see if Singapore is longer or shorter than Hong Kong.

 

[B.W.G]

11 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Hong Kong v China! That result wouldn’t have gone down well on the main land 

Congrats, impressively done. You could say you ended your time in Hong Kong as an Invincible  

Your new team? I read it first as Tranmere 

Going to be interesting to see if Singapore is longer or shorter than Hong Kong.

 

Hence why I escaped from Hong Kong quickly,I wouldn't want to get in the crossfire of that  

Becoming invincible was inevitable and I even left Hong Kong Rangers as the biggest club in the country...take that Kitchee  

Singapore is going to be an interesting one,I needed to get a foot in the country and I've done that,Albirex (S) are a non-factor despite two recent title wins as they can't qualify for continental competitions.Looking at teams who could be annoying to deal with they are,LC Sailors (won seven of the last nine titles) and Geyland Int with the latter being usually in around the top three with LC Sailors and Albirex.If the LC Sailors job ever came uo then I'd certainly go for it as they have by far the best setup in Singapore.

If I end up at LC Sailors then I could get Sinapore done in a similar amount of time,if I don't then it will probably take longer than Hong Kong.

Edited May 29, 2021 by B.W.G

[B.W.G]

Tampines Rovers - Great Eastern Yeo's S-League - Pre-Season - 2053

Season Preview - Expectations

Transfers - Released - Youth

I'm at another club where the transfer cut off date is nowhere near the league reset date which is quite annoying,the club lost the service of sixteen players which is annoying as there three or four players in that list I would of like to have kept and they had no interest in re-signing.One player left the club to join another on a free and he was also someone I have like to have kept as he had a very good P.A rating but the previous manager didn't renew his contract and I lost out!We actually bought in seven players in for the new season for a combined fee of £45k,both the signings who came with a price are former Albirex (S) players who had Singapore as a second nationality which is great as they don't take up foreign spots in the team!

Pre-Season FIxtures

Nothing too major as I wanted to face lower reputation teams in Singapore so we could get fitness levels up and keep morale at a higher level going into the new season.For pre-season I went with the same 4-2-4 system I used at Hong Kong Rangers,it worked well considering the players are not familiar with it  and it looks like we could have a decent strike partnership of Kumar and Singh so that is encouraging.

The Team

Yosuke Matsumoto

Arumugam Kumar

John Marín

Hebert Serrano

Meli Singh

Manager's Thoughts

Well that was certainly a pre-season and a half,I found good players I wanted to sign and it turned out they left us on frees after not being given new contracts,luckily for me I take scouting very seriously so they were put to work and we got in some very good players and I can say that this team is stronger now than when I took over in December.I also have to admit that Albirex (S) are fast becoming one of my favourite clubs in Singapore,they have produced some decent players who are Japanese and come with Singapore as a second nationality which means they don't take up a foreign spot,if former or current players of Albirex (S) become available and they are good for the team then expect me to be interested in them.I think the best long term signing was Kumar who left LC Sailors as he wasn't getting too many games but he will be starting pretty much every game here as he looks to be brilliant.

For the upcoming season the board want a top half finish in the league,I certainly think that is more than achievable and I definitely think we can do that.The media expects us to come in third with ourselves only being behind LC Sailors and Albirex (S),if that was to happen then I would be over the moon as we would get continental football due to Albirex (S) not being allowed to represent SIngapore in continental competitions.LC Sailors have far too much quality for us so this season will be a case of trying to close the gap on them,the club finished 34 points behind LC Sailors and I want to reduce that significantly,if we can more than half that gap then I will consider that a big step for us.Time to get this show on the road!

[B.W.G]

March 2053

Fixtures

Tables

What a start to the season this has been as we won all four matches and that actually saw us finish the month at the top of the table with a two point lead.During the month we also beat two of the more difficult teams in Albirex (S) and Geylanf Int,those two teams are among the top four favourites this season along with ourselves and LC Sailors so I am really happy with how things have gone so far.I don't really have much else to say as we were brilliant,it's great to see Singh net five times in four games and I hope he can carry on that sort of form into the rest of the season.

Three league games in April and all of them are in the league,we will be facing Hougang Utd,DPMM and LC Sailors.I think we can get some good results against Hougang Utd and DPMM as neither of these two teams have started as good as we had so I hoping we can keep our form up through those two games.As for the LC Sailors game,I am going into it expecting defeat so if we do any better than a loss then it will be brilliant,LC Sailors are that far above the other teams in quality that it is a surprise if they drop points to anyone.

[Sonic Youth]

Nice start