[FM22] West Afri-Can we bring newfound glory to the club? Yes, we can! [Complete]

[corinthiano]

May 2037

We were not at our best this month, scraping by most games and dropping quite a few points, which meant we disappointingly lost 2nd place in the last day of the season. Still a bit of work to do to topple the top two.

[corinthiano]

2036/37 Season Review

Disappointing to lose out on 2nd but it is good achievement to be neck to neck with Génération Foot in the first season. Diambars FC are still in a league of their own though. Very weak in the cups though, getting knocked out early both times, we will need to do better here.

Squad by Appearances

We had a very settled core team so despite having a large squad not many players featured this season. Food for thought though as we did look fatigued towards the end of the season. Shout out to Mangoné Biaye who did not start a game but came on 18 times and was still pretty happy.

Top Performers

Typically my DLFs dont score as much but Delgado thrived in the role and was a huge contributor to our attacking play.

So important from midfield, but it as our Mezzala or AP.

Great up front two, made a deadly partnership with Delgado.

Finances

Now I know what is going on with the Finances. Our status for some reason still appears as Insecure and because of that the board keeps plowing money into the club. Its a bug giving me an advantage, but considering how hard it will be to beat Diambars FC I will take it.

Progress

Happy with the first season, now we need to strengthen the squad to close the gap on the big teams.

[corinthiano]

2036/37 West African Review

CAF Champions League

An outstanding 9 teams from West Africa making it to the Group Stages, over half the teams at this stage! Out of those however only the Ghanaian trio of Berekum Chelsea, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak made it to the Quarters. Shout out to Diambars FC who make it to this stage but could not keep up with Asante Kotoko and ES Tunis.

The Ghanaian teams continued the good performance and only knocked each other out, with Asante Kotoko beating Berekum Chelsea in the Quarters and bitter rivals Herts of Oak in the Semis. They then continued their recent dominance of Africa by beating EST Tunis in the final and lifting their 4th title in 5 years, 6th overall.

CAF Confederations Cup

With so many teams making it to the Champions League it got light on West Africa here, with only 4 teams making it. Out of those only the Nigerian duo of Enyimba Aba and Kano Pillars progressed to the Quarter Finals, with Ashanti Gold and CF Rahimo knocked out in the same group as the latter.

The Nigerians made light work of their opponents in the Quarters before facing each other in the Semi Final, where Kano Pillars progressed. They were unlucky to lose the final on penalties to Zamalek, who won their second title overall and first since 2019.

West African League Rankings

The Ghanaian league is now up to 2 and a half stars following Asante Kotoko's continued dominance. The only movement between West African teams was Senegal moving past Burkina Faso and now being 6th best league in the region.

League Champions

We have first time winner for the first time in years as Ultramarina beat Sporting da Praia on penalties to take their maiden title in Cabo Verde. We also have two ex-Kojo sides winning their first title since he left in AFC Nhacra and Ayéma FC. Other noteworthy news is Ashanti GB breaking Horoya AC dominance, other than that the big teams did well again.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Terrible again, finishing 9th and just 3 points away from relegation. Also crashed out in the first round of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Excellent performance as they win their second ever title, capitulating on Kallon having a terrible season and finishing 3 points ahead of Mighty Blackpool.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: A mixed season for them as they fail to win the Liga Brava for the first time in year, but then go on to win the Taça Brava and the Taça Nacional de Cabo Verde for the second time in their history.

AFC Nhacra: Slightly better this year finishing 6th, but did go out early in the cup.

Ayéma FC: Did amazing to win their second ever title and first since Kojo left, edging out Buffles FC on goal difference.

 

[corinthiano]

2037/38 Season Preview

Predicted third again at worse odds than last year. We tried signing Diambars FC and Génération Foot players again but they are just not interested so expect them to be better than us again.

Transfers

In

Out

Very busy transfer window again, we threw money where we could with mixed results, but should have plenty of players that will step in to the first team. On the outgoing front it was mostly fringe players leaving, with the exception of Abdoulaye Bèye who left us for Saudia Arabia at the end of last season. He was getting on at 33 though so I was happy to get almost $20k for him. Here are the players I think will be newly added to the first XI this season.

Good young defender, will fight with Oumar Ndao to replace Bèye.

Left Back was one of our weak spots so happy to get Meissa in.

Probably the best signing we made, only $5k and only 18, Mendy could be huge for us.

My scouts raved about him so signed him on a free from Africa Sports. Turns out he is not that great and will fight for a first team place with Lamine Sarr. Feels like a waist of a foreign slot right now.

Very good and young striker, will give Sega Sarr and Antonio Delgado a run for their places up front.

Best XI

Dont agree with my Assistant here, we can move Diouck back to AP and be better served up front. The BBM role still looks a bit weak, other than that I am happy with the squad considering the limitations on who we can sign.

Initial Fixtures

Playing Génération Foot this early in the season will give us a good indication on where we stand, hoping we can start well and set the pace here.

[corinthiano]

November/December 2037

A less than optimal start to the season as the team is just not gelling at the moment, especially up front where we have been lacklustre. Safe to say we will not win the title this season.

Transfers

In

Only one signing as we get a promising RB who will get games already for us.

Out

Only a few loans on some promising youngsters

Next Fixtures

Two winnable fixtures followed by what I hope will be a close game against Diambars FC.

[GIMN]

A cracking read.  I opened it for the pun.  I stayed around so I could thank you for using a map that includes Western Sahara.  Kept on reading for the content.  Do you think you can eventually take the next step with CNEPS, or are the top two too far away, and you might need to take a job with one of them if it ever gets offered?

[corinthiano]

January 2038

It was a weird month where we were sub-par against lesser opposition and then put on a cracking performance against Diambars FC, even leading at one point, before they eventually ran out winners.

Next Fixtures

Again another month with winnable fixtures until a tough game at the end.

[corinthiano]

53 minutes ago, GIMN said:

A cracking read.  I opened it for the pun.  I stayed around so I could thank you for using a map that includes Western Sahara.  Kept on reading for the content.  Do you think you can eventually take the next step with CNEPS, or are the top two too far away, and you might need to take a job with one of them if it ever gets offered?

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the journey! The premise is that I have to win the title with a team that has never won it, so joining the top two is out of the question. I think it will take a few seasons, but CNEPS has quite a bit of money and I have been signing some good young players, if those stick around long enough we can hopefully give the big boys a run for their money.

[corinthiano]

February 2038

We beat the lesser teams again, albeit not impressively, before putting in an abject performance against Génération Foot. We have zero points against the top two and SONACOS this season, which highlights we just have not been good enough. 3rd is looking difficult right now.

Next Fixtures

The cups begin this month and I hope we can redeem our season there. AS Pikine are breathing down our necks in 5th so we need to ensure they dont overtake us.

[corinthiano]

March 2038

Things get worse in the league as we let AS Pikine turn the game around us and overtake us. At least we are safely through in the cups. Séga Sarr scored 5 goals against Keur Madior in the Coupe de Sénégal, which is impressive, but it doubled his overall goal tally for the season which shows how poor he has been.

Next Fixtures

Busy month, with some tough games in the league - but we really need to pick up our form to get at least back up to 4th.

Edited October 9, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

April 2038

Our form continues to be very patchy in the league and we are now 4 points off AS Pikine in 4th, albeit with a game in hand. In the cups we are progressing nicely though and are now in the Semi Final of the League Cup and Quarter Final of the Coupe de Sénégal.

Transfers

Out

The transfer window opened again and we used the opportunity to send some youngsters out on loan, as well as sell some of the fringe players. $21.5k for N'Diaye was nice considering he is 31 and was low down the pecking order.

Next Fixtures

Last month os the season unless we get to the cup finals. I would like us to win all games other than Diambars FC, where I would be happy with a point. We also have good chances of progressing in both cups again, would be great to at least make the final in one of them.

[perfect79]

Just started to read this career, great spin on the old journey man save

[corinthiano]

On 12/10/2022 at 11:24, perfect79 said:

Just started to read this career, great spin on the old journey man save

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it! I used to be a one club save person but have found that journeyman saves with specific targets make sure I stay engaged longer in the save

[corinthiano]

May 2038

A very busy month ended what ultimately was a disappointing season. We still didnt really click in the league, but at least got the results to jump us into 4th place in the last game of the season. In the Coupe de Sénégal we were no match for Diambars FC and in the League Cup we got to the final and despite pulling back twice after being behind we still lost in extra time to Génération Foot.

 

[corinthiano]

2037/38 Season Review

7 points less than last season and dropping one place, without ever really showing great football, definitely feels like a step back this season. At least the performance in the cups was better and only the "Big Two" were able to stop us.

Squad by Appearances

We certainly used a lot more players this season as we had more of a squad and injuries also played a part, even in goal Lamine Ndiaye who came over from EJ Fatick was given a chance to impress.

Awards

It was nice to finally have someone in the Team of the Season in Ligue 1.

Top Performers

By far the best player at the club and central to everything we do, I am glad we have him tied down for the next couple of years.

Started the season slowly but hit good form towards the latter part of it, we need him to hit the ground running from the off next season.

In the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, a couple of injuries hindered his season so hopefully he can avoid that next season.

Finances

Still very healthy, if only we could spend this money on quality players as the best in the league still continue to snub us...

Progress

Senegal is a tough nut to crack and I think it will be a dew seasons until we can win the league here. At least we have excellent finances and can slowly build a good team, so I am hopeful that we will close the gap to the top teams in the long run.

[corinthiano]

2037/38 West African Review

CAF Champions League

After the outstanding performance of West African teams last season there was a bit of a regression with 6 teams making it through this stage, with 3 making it to the Quarter Finals. One of them surprisingly was Diambars FC, which highlights the challenge we face in Senegal. Defending champion Asante Kotoko and Kano Pillars of Nigeria were the other two making it through, with Ashanti Gold, CI Kamsar and ASEC Mimosas knocked out in this round.

After years of Ghanaian dominance it was back to tradition as Al Ahly won their first title since 2024 and a record 12th overall. All West African teams were knocked out in the Quarter Finals.

CAF Confederation Cup

With the Champions League thinner on West African participation, we had an uptake with 7 teams reaching the Confederation Cup Group Stages. However 5 teams were knocked out at this stage, with only Enyimba Aba and Hearts of Oak progressing to the knockout stages.

Ghana may not have won the Champions League this season, but there was continental success with Hearts of Oak beating some strong opposition to win their 4th ever trophy, third one this decade.

West African League Rankings

Ghana's Premier League keeps rising and is now 5th in the continent, with the Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal leagues all also climbing up the rankings. There were no movements of positions between countries in the region.

League Champions

No new champions this year in a year were we have a few new record holders, with AS Douanes de Niamey in Niger, Mighty Barolle in Liberia and Buffles FC in Benin now all reaching the top. In the bigger leagues the traditional teams keep winning, with Asante Kotoko, Stade Malien, Horoya AC and ASEC Mimosas all succesful.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Finally had a better season again, finishing fourth. Still disappointing in the cup where they exited in the first round.

Kamboi Eagles: Were not able to retain their title, but still finished a strong 3rd in the SLPL.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Had a strong season, winning the Brava League and Cup double, as well as reaching the Semi-Final of the Cape Verdean Competition. Also won the Cape Verde Super Cup.

AFC Nhacra: Slightly better in the league this year as they finish 5th, but amazingly they win their 5th cup in the last 10 years.

Ayéma FC: Were not able to follow-up from their title win successfully, only finishing 6th in the league this year.

[corinthiano]

2038/39 Season Preview

We are predicted third again, but the odds have been slashed from the 33-1 we had last season, despite us not adding many players to our first team. Surprisingly Génération Foot are now favorites for the title.

Transfers

In

Out

Definitely not as much incoming movement this season as we primarily improved the depth of the squad. On the outgoing front it was mostly fringe players we let go, other than Hydara who is not in the screenshot as we sold him a few months ago. He went to Guinea for just over $10k as I wanted to use the foreign spot on a better player, which I have not found yet. Only a couple of signings are in contention for the first team on a regular basis.

Diambars FC released him despite him playing most games last season so I swooped in to make him our starting CB.

Another regular starter at a top club last season, this time Génération Foot. He doesnt really fit our tactics but I will try to make the most of him.

Best XI

Dont agree with this first XI but is shows we have good depth in the squad now. Still would like to improve GK, RB and CM positions but struggling to find real quality.

Initial Fixtures

Not exactly an easy start, but lets see what we can do here.

[corinthiano]

November 2038

We actually beat Diambars FC! Got lucky at the beginning and then saw out a very boring game. We almost ruined it against AS Pikine but rescued a late draw before beating ASAC Ndiambour. Wish we were scoring more but cant complain with unbeaten and 2nd at the moment.

Next Fixtures

Busy December kicks in, but with a lot of winnable games. The toughest ones will be SONACOS and AS Douanes away.

[corinthiano]

December 2038

A promising start is turning into another disappointing campaign as we go five without a win in December. We are just not firing up front and I need to make changes to our front three.

Transfers

In

Spent big money on a striker as I grew desperate with our performance in attack. Looks promising but feels like a waste of money right now.

Next Fixtures

Just two games in January before the mid-season break, we need to get back to consistently scoring and winning.

[corinthiano]

January 2039

Two solid wins and we are back up in 4th. Diambars FC and Génération Foot played a few games ahead as they both have continental football in February and it is shaping up to be a tight battle.

Transfers

Out

Transfer window closed and little business done ahead of it.

Next Fixtures

Start of the month couldnt get tougher, so we will lose momentum in our battle to get back up to 3rd.

[corinthiano]

February

What an excellent month, I was expecting two defeats against the top two clubs, but we did well against Génération Foot and could even have won it, before comfortably beating Diambars FC to get a double over them! We could have been in for a great season if it wasnt for the blip in December.

Next Fixtures

We start our cup campaigns against a struggling Ligue 2 side. The league fixtures are winnable so would like to keep putting pressure on AS Douanes.

[corinthiano]

March 2039

Great month, through in the cups and two wins in the league despite having 9 players out on U23 international duty.

Transfers

In

Out

Brought in the back-up goalie at Génération Foot as competition for the first spot here and sold a 33-year old back-up for a bit of money.

Next Fixtures

Winnable ties in the cups again so I would like to progress and in the league we have a chance to leapfrog AS Douanes if we can maintain our winning streak.

[corinthiano]

April 2039

Disappointingly inconsistent in the league, but we have given ourselves a chance at 3rd by beating AS Douanes right at the end of the game. We keep cruising in the cups and are now in quarters of the Coupe de Sénégal and Semis of the League Cup.

Transfers

Out

Only a couple of youngsters sold/released as we didnt bring anyone else in before the transfer window shut.

Next Fixtures

Busy end of the season as usual, would love a 3rd place and a cup win.

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

May 2039

A great month in the league where we battled through a marathon of games to clinch 3rd place on the last day. What made it even sweeter was that it was achieved through beating Génération Foot in the last game, which also meant they lost out on the title to Diambars FC after being ahead most of the season. We also only finished 7 points off top spot which is very encouraging.

Downside of the month were the cups where we somewhat choked. We did well to take Diambars FC to penalties, but then missed 4 in the shootout...whilst against AS Douanes we just did not have a good day in front of goal and lost despite dominating.

[corinthiano]

Now I am even happier about finishing 3rd! Seems like Senegal has risen in the Coefficients and now there are 2 Champions League places and a 1 Confederations Cup place up for grabs.

[corinthiano]

2038/39 Season Review

A season which started well, had a disappointing slump and then picked back up again. Being 7 points of the top has to count as a success, as well as being unbeaten against the top two - if we can be more consistent we could challenge for the title next season.

Squad by Appearances

We used a lot of players this season, depth was a lot better but the squad is a bit bloated, which I will look to address in the offseason.

Awards

No players in the Team of the Year this season, but having the 2nd and 3rd Young Player of the Season shows the promise this squad has.

Top Performers

We are spoilt at left back as both Diouf and Tendeng performed so well for us this season. I can see the latter getting more games going forward as he is developing nicely, but it would be great to keep Diouf as a happy back-up.

Our top scorer again, but does want to leave for a bigger club and with Horoya AC from Guinea sniffing around it is a strong possibility that he will not be with us next season. I am confident that Sidy Thiaw can step up in his place though and that we can either have Kassim start or bring in a decent replacement should Sega leave.

Finances

Made money despite blowing $150k in transfers, it is really nice having a comfortable financial situation.

Progress

7 seasons in Senegal now and still not challenged for the league title, but with the team developing well and continental football next season I am hopeful for further progress.

[corinthiano]

2038/39 West African Review

CAF Champions League

6 teams made the Group Stages again, with mixed performances. Diambars FC are the success story as the unfancied side got out of a tough group containing Al-Ahly, TP Mazembe and fellow West Africans Hearts of Oak. Kano Pillars and Asante Kotoko joined them in Quarters, whilst ASEC Mimosas and USFAS of Mali were knocked out at this stage.

And for a second season in a row no team from West Africa progressed to the Semi Final and eventually Zamalek beat Sundowns in the final to win their 7th Champions League.

CAF Confederation Cup

Here we also had 6 teams from West Africa reaching this Stage, but only teams in one of the groups did well and progressed, with Horoya AC and Génération Foot making it into the Quarters. Rivers Utd, CF Rahimo, Stade Malien and CI Kamsar left at this stage.

And this summed up the worst West African performance in a few years as again no clubs made it past the Quarter Final. Whilst Génération Foot will have just been happy to have made it this far, previous champions Horoya AC would have expected more. To serve as consolation they lost to eventual winner ES Sétif, who won their maiden Confederations Cup to add to the 2 Champions League they already had.

West African League Rankings

Only one move between West African leagues as Nigeria edges Mali to be the second best league in the region. In general West African leagues performed well with Senegal, Niger, Benin, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde all improving their rankings.

League Champions

We have a new champion this year, and in one of the bigger leagues, as Yeelen Olympique upset Stade Malien to claim their first national title. There were some closes calls in other countries, but highlights were AS Douanes de Niamey and Buffles FC taking the crown as biggest champions in their respective countries.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: The team seem to be in an upward trend as they finished 3rd this year and made it to the final of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Another strong year as they finish runners-up in the SLPL.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Retained the Liga Brava and did well to make it to the Semi Final of the Cape Verdean Competition for the second year in a row. Were disappointing in the Brava cup though where they were knocked out in the Semi-Final.

AFC Nhacra: 5th in the league again, although they were in the title fight until 2 games to go. In the cup they suffered an early exit this year.

Ayéma FC: A slight improvement from last year as they finish 4th in the Championship Group.

[corinthiano]

September/October 2039

The qualification rounds of the Confederation Cup are at an awkward time, before the transfer window opens and over two months before the season starts. so I will update the first games separately before doing the season preview.

We were drawn against strong opposition in the Preliminary Round against Enugu Rangers from Nigeria. I already didnt have a good feeling about it and when they went 3-0 up within 20 mins I thought that was it for our continental adventure. But in the second half we produced one of the best comebacks I have been part of in my FM time as we scored 4 goals in the last 30 mins of the game to bring back a 1 goal lead to Senegal, where we finished off the tie.

In the First Round we got a more favorable draw against Fortune from The Gambia and saw them off relatively easily. In the Second Round, the last one before the group stages, we will play Académica Lobito from Angola. This will be another tricky tie but hopefully we can progress further. Those games will happen after our season starts so I will report on them with the rest of our schedule.

First time Kojo manages 100 games for one side, this is officially his longest spell at a club now.

[corinthiano]

Will be interesting to see if this guy also keeps pumping money into the club even though we have so, I certainly hope he does

 

[corinthiano]

2039/40 Season Preview

We are now favorites for the title and expectations have been raised, with even the board wanting us to challenge for it. Despite being favorites we still have less players in the Media XI than Génération Foot and Diambars FC.

Transfers

In

Out

A lot of fringe players and youth players that didnt make it left the club in the off-season, with only a couple players coming in to challenge for a starting spot, mostly we got in younger and better squad players - including loaning them from our rivals and giving them less depth . The money we splashed on was more on future talent as we brought in an Ivorian AP. The two players that will be more prominent in the first team are both centre mids.

Really a winger, but with those physicals I am just going to have to make him work as a Mezzala, young as well so plenty of room for improvement on the technicals.

The statement signing, was a key player for Génération Foot last season and was willing to move over to CNEPS - shows our rep has grown in Senegal.

Best XI

This is a really solid team now with plenty of options from the bench, we really need to be fighting at the top.

Initial Fixtures

Certainly not an easy start playing against 2nd and 4th last year before we continue our African adventure.

 

 

[corinthiano]

November 2039

Great start to the season, in the league beating some tough opposition and pretty much qualifying for the Confederation Cup Group Ds.

Transfers

Out

Just dispositioning on some youngsters, but main squad should be settled for  noww.

Initial Fixtures

Busy month, but with lots of winnable games that will hopefully propel us at the top of the league.

[corinthiano]

CNEPS Excellence are through to their first ever Confederations Cup Group Stage appearance! We have beaten Nigerian opposition before so I think we can be competitive in this group.

[corinthiano]

December 2039

A great month as we easily dispatch most teams in the league before drawing away to Génération Foot in a match we should have really won. 3 points ahead of second with a game in hand is exactly where we want to be at this point.

Transfers

Out

Just a couple of youngsters going out on loan. The biggest story is the transfer that didnt happen. Moussa Mendy, our star DLP was subject to a $110k transfer from Diambars FC, who are struggling right now. The board went over my head and despite protests accepted the bid. Surprisingly though he rejected our rivals in what is a huge boost to our campaign this year.

Next Fixtures

This January is a lot busier than usual as a lot of games have been pulled in due to our Confederations Cup campaign. Some tough ones this month, lets hope we can keep top spot.

[corinthiano]

January 2040

We drop a few points this month but still hold a decent 4 point lead over Génération Foot. We were starting to get tired and struggling through matches, so the mid-season break is very welcome at this stage. Easily beating Diambars FC, who look to be off the pace right now, was definitely a highlight.

Next Fixtures

We start our Confederations Cup campaign this month, but still want to get maximum points out of our league games to keep our lead at the top.

 

[corinthiano]

February 2040

A perfect month sees us 6 points clear with 10 games to go in the league and qualification pretty much secured in a Confederations Cup Group that I expected to be harder to navigate.

Next Fixtures

We play across 4 competitions, with only one league game. That is the one that matters most though as we need to keep the gap at the top.

[corinthiano]

March 2040

Another 100% month as we cruise by in both domestic and continental cups. but most importantly win our game in the league to keep us 6 points ahead with 9 games to go.

Transfers

Out

Only outgoings as I dont plan to sign anyone this window. Lamine Ndiaye was signed with high hopes as he was a great GK for me at EJ Fatick but leaves without making much of an impression.

Next Fixtures

A mammoth month as we are playing across 4 competitions again. At least Génération Foot are on the same boat as they made it out of their Champions League Group.

[corinthiano]

April 2040

A long month that took a toll on the team as we are needing to rotate due to the sheer amount of matches and injuries too. On the domestic cup front we kept marching on, fielding weakened sides mostly, and are now in the Quarter Final of the Coupe de Sénégal and Semi Final of the League Cup. In Africa the traditional Enyimba Aba were too much for us - even though we played better over both legs their experience saw them through. In the league we dropped two points against Yeggo Foot but luckily so did Génération Foot so we still have an edge over them.

Next Fixtures

The last month of the season and potentially the last one in Senegal, but we will have to get through a marathon of games to get to our goal as we are playing 2-3 times a week. We finish off the league campaign at Diambars FC so I would like us to have the league wrapped up before then, if possible.

[corinthiano]

May 2040

We did it! Certainly not the easy way as fatigue caught up with us and we dropped points in two away games. Luckily so did Génération Foot and so it was between us and Diambars FC in the last day. We only needed to avoid defeat to clinch the title but beat them convincingly to clinch the league for the first time. Diambars FC did get their revenge a week later though as they outplayed us in the League Cup Final.

[corinthiano]

2039/40 Season Review

A busy and ultimately successful season, somewhat disappointed we only won one trophy but it was the one that mattered.

Squad by Appearances

With the additional games and us playing 3 times a week at times we utilized pretty much everyone in the squad and the depth we had really saw us through.

Awards

We almost had a clean swoop as we won every award other than Young Player of the Year and had 8 players in the Team of the Season. Séga Sarr the best of them as he scored a record number of goals in a season in Ligue 1.

Top Performers

Have to start with this guy, 46 goals in 40 appearances is an insane return, scored for fun this season! So glad he changed his mind and decided to stay with us this season.

Sidy also had an amazing return, dont think I have had the DLF role score as much for me before.

LBs tend to stand out in my formation but Tendeng was great yet again.

Finances

I am going to miss having a bank balance like this.

Progress

We are finally done with Senegal! Only took 8 season and 3 teams to get there . It was very fun though, especially the time with CNEPS Excellence where we built a fantastic team full of young talent. It will certainly be weird going from the 16th best league in the continent to The Gambia, who have tumbled down the rankings and have a bunch of Semi-Professional teams in the top tier.

[corinthiano]

Chapter 7 - The Gambia

The Gambia is a country in West Africa surrounded by Senegal, other than to its west, where it has the Atlantic Ocean. It is the smallest country in the African mainland. The country essentially is established around both sides of the Gambia River, which gives the name to the country. English is the official language of the country, but as usual there are numerous local dialect, with Mandinka, Pulaar and Wolof being each spoken by more than 10% of the population. The population of The Gambia is around 2.4 million and very evenly distributed, with the biggest city being Serrekunda with over 300 thousand inhabitants and only city larger than 100 thousand inhabitants. The capital Banjul itself only has around 30 thousand inhabitants.

The Gambia was first colonized by the Portuguese in 1455, but a century later sold to Britain. The British and French Empire disputed the lands around Gambia and Senegal river until The Gambia was officially conceded to the British in 1783 under the First Treaty of Versailles. The Gambia was used to hold and transport slaves, with as many as 3 million making its way from Europe, the West Indies and North America. In 1962, after the general elections, the United Kingdom granted full independence to The Gambia. The Gambia has only had three rulers since independence, with Dawda Jawara in power until a bloodless coup in 1994 led to Yahya Jammeh taking over. He initially banned all opposition political party until 2002 when the first elections were held. He remained in power until 2016 when Adama Barrow won the election. Jammeh declared the results void, but was forced to accept the result when the ECOWAS coalition invaded the country.

The Gambia relies primarily on agriculture for its economy, with peanuts and other crops accounting for almost 20% of its GDP, with Senegal and the US its main export partners. Tourism has grown in the last few years in the country, but the infrastructure is still very basic. Banjul is the most popular destination as well as Jufureh, which is said to be where the roots of the Alex Haley's novels are.

Football in The Gambia

Football is the most popular sport in the country, although the national team has never achieved any real success, with a Last 16 in the 2021 Africa Cup Of Nations being the best campaign they have achieved, which was equaled in 2027 and 2039 in-game. The Gambian First Division was first played in 1965 and clubs from Banjul tend to dominate the league. Wallidan was the most succesful club, but have been taken over in-game by Real de Banjul with 21 titles. In the last few years it has been all about the Ports Authority team though, which have won the last 7 titles in a row.

In terms of reputation only three teams have one star, as Fortune join the recent dominant team and Real de Banjul. There are a lot of Semi-Professional clubs in the top division and not a lot of professional team that have not won the title before, so we may have to step down to the second tier here again to get a better eligible club in the long term.

 

 

[corinthiano]

Banjul United FC

Banjul United FC are a team from Gambia's capital Banjul. The club was founded recently in 2010 and there is not much information about them, but one would guess they got their name and colors from a certain Manchester club. They have been a mid-table club in the Gambian top flight for most of the save but have declined recently and were relegated to the second tier two seasons ago. They narrowly missed promotion two seasons in a row and that got their manager sacked. Crucially, they are a Professional side, which a lot of teams in the top two tiers aren't.

They play their games at the Banjul Mini-Stadium, which is a very bare ground with only one stand, but that is shared with a few other Banjul clubs, including two big names in Wallidan and Real de Banjul.

Assistant XI

Looks to be a very unbalanced squad, with the midfield needing some reinforcement.

Top Rated Players

Always happy to have a decent left back, at 30 doesnt have a lot of good years ahead of him but will do for now.

Looks decent for this level, hoping he can get the goals for us.

Having him as the best central defender at the club does not inspire me with confidence, but I guess I have to get used to the new standard here.

Finances

The club seems to be able to run itself financially. The board have given me a huge wage budget for this level but I am not sure yet if it is wise to spend it.

Initial Fixtures

We have a few months before the league begins so plenty of time to re-shape the squad.

Edited November 6, 2022 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2039/40 West African Review

CAF Champions League

5 teams made the Group Stage this season and most did well, with only Nigerians Kano Pillars missing out in qualification to the Quarter Finals to fellow West Africans Hearts of Oak.

Half of the West Africans made it past the Quarter Finals, with surprise package Génération Foot beating ASEC Mimosas in all West-African affair whilst Hearts of Oak beat Angolans Primeiro de Agosto. It was an all West-African semi-final which Hearts of Oak won comfortably before losing to Kaizer Chiefs in the final, who lifted their first ever Champions League title.

CAF Confederation Cup

7 teams at the Group Stage here, with overall good performances and 4 teams making it to the Quarter Finals. Special mention for Kojo's CNEPS Excellence who absolutely dominated their group.

Only the Nigerians made it past the Quarter Finals as CNEPS Excellence was beaten by Enyimba Aba and Yeelen Olympique was not able to get past a strong FAR Rabat side. Both Nigerians unfortunately exited at the Semi Final stage as Sundowns beat FAR Rabat to win their first ever Confederations Cup and make it a South African double.

West African League Rankings

Ghana still the best league in the region, whilst Nigeria moves up a place in the Top 10 in 9th. There was no movement between West African regions in a year that so minimal gains and losses with only the Superligue in Niger moving more than one place, dropping from 28th to 30th in all of Africa.

League Champions

The only new champion this season is Kojo's CNEPS Excellence, with CI Kamsar and Onze Createurs running things close in Mali and Guinea where the traditional powerhouses won. In Liberia and Cape Verde we now have joint new most successful winners as LPRC Oilers and Sporting da Praia equal the records in their respective countries.

Former Champions

 

MC Breweries: Another great 3rd place finish and a run into the Semi Final of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Terrible year for them as they go from runners-up to 10th in the SLPL.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Retained the Liga Brava and did well to make it to the Semi Final of the Cape Verdean Competition for the third year in a row. Were disappointing again in the Brava cup though where they were knocked out in the Semi-Final.

AFC Nhacra: Did well to finish second, although they were 12 points off top place. In the cup they suffered an early exit again this year.

Ayéma FC: Not as good as last season as they finish 6th in the Championship Group.

[corinthiano]

2040/41 Season Preview

We were third favorites when I took over, but with the signings made we are now second favorites behind Brikama Utd. We have two players in the Media XI and Sonco wont even be our first choice left back. The rules here are straight forward, 18 teams play each other twice, top two go up, bottom two go down. No cups in Gambia so focus is 100% on the league.

Transfers

In

I said I wasnt going to use the wage budget but snapped up quite a few players. We are still only using 12k p/m of the 24k p/m given so I didnt go crazy. The transfer windows are weird here, you can only sign players from other teams in mid-February so I had to focus on free signings only. Luckily there was enough in the market to improve the team, we have signed essentially a new first team, only Jarju upfront remains from those in the club already.

Our most expensive signing wage wise and I am not sure it was worth the money or foreign slot use - we only get three and he is not much better than what we already had in goal.

Right back is where we struggled to find anyone decent, Musa is going to fill the back until we can sign players from other teams.

Decent defender with room to grow.

Will be the defensive partnership for Foday.

Our star signing from Senegal, will be a menace in this league.

Decent DLP option for us.

Great young signing, excited to see what he does.

Another good midfield option.

Our AP for now, although the 3 midfielders can interchange positions.

Comes to form a striking partnership with star man Jarju.

Best XI

Not sure me and assistant agree here, but main message is the squad is more balanced and has depth now.

Initial Fixtures

Up against the favorites in the first match before a busy December.

 

[corinthiano]

November/December 2040

What an amazing start to the campaign, we are absolutely flying in the league with a mix of breathtaking big wins and gritty narrow wins when players are more tired. We already have a 6 point buffer with a game in hand with only 9 games played.

Next Fixtures

The schedule eases up in January and I will be hoping we continue the excellent form.

[corinthiano]

January 2041

Unspectacular but solid month, getting the results we wanted other than against PSV Wellingara where we had an off day. 10 points gap to second will do nicely at this stage of the season.

Next Fixtures

Tough games against Dibba Oil and Brikama Utd this month. At least the schedule has eased up with one game a week so we shouldnt have fatigue issues.

[corinthiano]

February 2041

We navigated through a tough month with a 100% record and over halfway through the campaign have a 15 point cushion for the promotion places and I have to say at this stage it is a matter of when and not if, unless we have a huge collapse.

Transfers

In

The transfer window opened at the end of February and we addressed right back as our first priority. bringing in Camara from the top flight and Drammeh as a back-up for central defence and right back. I expect us to make a few more moves and some disgruntled players to leave in the next month.

Next Fixtures

A more straightforward month, another 100% record would be nice.

[corinthiano]

March 2041

Another good month other than the defeat at Marimoo Fc where we deservedly lost. Gap to promotion is now 16 points with 11 games to go, we are getting close.

Milestones

Transfers

In

Out

Some good reinforcements in goal and in midfield for us and we got rid of some of the unhappy players. We didnt really need Malick Ndure back on loan as he is 5th choice up front, but with no wage contribution seemed like a good deal for us. Kabba Nyan and Alagie Sillah are now starters for us.

Next Fixtures

Some trickier games this month, but hopefully we'll keep on track and can get closer to promotion.

 

[corinthiano]

April 2041

A perfect month and we are now 1 point away from securing promotion and the title.

Next Fixtures

Should be confirming the title in the next game, would like to keep the winning run going after that.

[corinthiano]

May 2041

Title comfortably sealed and we carried on our unbeaten run through the rest of the month - and are now close to setting a points record for the league. Not sure why the media had to remind everyone about a cup loss in Senegal though 

Transfers

In

Brought in a back-up left back to anticipate the current back-up leaving in the off-season.

Next Fixtures

Just hoping to stay unbeaten until the end of the season now.

[corinthiano]

June 2041

Solid last month to end a very successful season.

Edited November 13, 2022 by corinthiano