Outdoing Ancelotti

[mannojunior]

Outdoing Ancelotti 

Welcome to my first save on the main version of FM23. I have decided to try and document my save and bring you along on my journey. 
 

So, what does the title mean? I’m sure some will probably have guessed it, but for those that haven’t, Carlo Ancelotti is the manager who has won the European Champions League on the most occasions. Ancelotti has won the completion a total of four times in his career.

My aim, is to overtake Ancelotti and become the manager with the most wins in the competition. Now, it may well be that Ancelotti adds another trophy or two to his collection or another manager her surpasses him, but the aim remains the same. 
 

To make the save slightly more realistic, I will be approaching it as a European Journeyman. I will be starting unemployed with no coaching badges and will work my way up the ladder. To complete the challenge I will also become the most successful English manager in the game. 
 

So, what are we waiting for? A job! In the next update I will introduce you to myself as the manager and our first club. 

The Journey so far - July 2022 to present (Nov 2022)

Spoiler

 

Edited November 12, 2022 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

The Manager

 

So here is the man that is taking on the challenge. As promised, I am starting with no coaching badges and no previous experience. I have started the save early in the English pre-season but I am going to holiday forward slightly to avoid the same jobs popping up at the start. It's time to see where we end up on job one of our journey.

[mannojunior]

So it has taken until the middle of October but I finally have my first job of my career. We were previously lined up for the Dover Athletic job but they decided to go with another candidate and then I was approached by Chester. It's quite clear that it has been a poor start to the season and the board and fans expect a mid-table finish come the end of the season. We've signed a 9 month contract here at Chester and our job is to at least deliver that mid-table finish at the end of those 9 months.

[mannojunior]

Well, we couldn't have asked for a better first game in charge! We travelled to Kidderminster in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup and secured our place in the First Round proper. A fairly poor first half was followed by an exceptional second half that saw lone striker Kurt Willoughby score a two minute brace to turn the game on its head. We were then able to see the game out professionally to secure our place in the next round. 

It's fair the say that the squad has some quality players but definitely lacks that depth of quality and I have made some initial moves to try and improve that. I've agreed a loan deal for Tow Hewlett who is a young striker at Burton Albion but we face stiff competition to land him. I have also offered a contract to a 19 year old striker called Alex Bonnington who is currently unattached following his release from Sheffield Wednesday. Again, we face competition for his signature so we will see where that goes.

[mannojunior]

October 2022

So October is done and dusted and we walk away with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss from our first four games in charge. Absolutely ecstatic to secure a place in the first round of the FA Cup which will bring us some much needed revenue and potentially a fairytale story?! In terms of the league, we secured a good win at home to Kettering before slipping up at home to Gloucester City. A really poor result considering their position in the league but we really didn't look like winning that one. We finished the month with a decent draw at Boston United but again, given their position in the league we really should have been taking three points away with us. This leaves us in the relegation zone going into November but we do have a game in hand over those around us and it is also still very tight in the middle of the pack. Our aim for November has to be to string some wins together and get us clear of that relegation pack.

This is the tactic and formation we are currently using. It's fairly basic and I am looking to dominate possession and keep things simple. I am asking the boys to counter on winning the ball back to make use of our quicker attacking players and we've had some decent showings doing so. I am still a little light up top and I may look to bring in another striker to challenge Willoughby who has been fantastic so far for me. I have agreed to bring in a few new lads on non-contract terms to see how they do. 

 

And here is our reward for making it to the first round of the FA Cup! A home tie against League One Oxford United. The game is being televised and a sellout crowd is expected. Lets see if we can cause an upset!

 

[mannojunior]

Sadly it wasn't to be for us in the FA Cup first round. We managed to stay in the game during the first half but were outclassed in the second half and the sending off of Burke towards the end of the game just summed up our luck. An excellent effort by the lads but the lack of depth and the gap between the two sides definitely showed. On the plus side, we had a full house and took away £35,000 in TV money. We can now return our focus to our league campaign.

[mannojunior]

November 2022

A very positive November on the whole for us. We started off with a very assured performance away at Farsley with both strikers combining to get on the scoresheet. Then came our big day, the televised FA Cup game against Oxford and you already know from above how that went. A magnificent performance away at Banbury saw us stick 6 past them before a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Leamington. We bounced back with another big win over Bradford Park Avenue before another 1-1 draw, this time away at Scarborough Athletic. We finished the month by entering the FA Trophy in the Second Round and we were no sooner in the competition than we were dumped out of it. No doubt not helped by Adam Thomas getting himself sent off early in the first half but we really didn't look up for the game. I can see why, it's been a busy month and if you look closely, you'll see that it was an unbeaten month on the league. 

So we are up to 12th in the league and now sit 4 points off of the promotion places. You'd have to be fairly unambitious to discount the chance of a playoff push now this season but I am also well aware that the board and fans are just looking for a mid-table finish. Selfishly, the higher we can finish the better it will be for me in my career and that is exactly what this save is all about. No doubt I'd like to take Chester as far as I possibly can but I need to be progressing and constantly improving. 

You'll notice that during my time at the club we have been quite reliant on the goals of Kurt WIlloughby and I am conscious that I need to deal with this. Options haven't been aplenty and we have had deals close for various strikers but they have decided to go elsewhere. We have however managed to bring in one striker and I think he will turn out to be a great player for us at this level once he settles in. The young Canadian joins on a free transfer and has gone straight in to the first team squad. I'm not sure he's the finished article but I think at this level he will more than hold his own. Time will tell!

Further good news is that the club have agreed to fund my course to study for my National C Licence. Great news for me as I continue to grow as a manager and it's great that the board are able to get behind me and fund this. Hopefully the results I have brought so far is repayment enough.

[BoxToBoxFM]

Great start to your career, really turned round Chester’s season given they were struggling when you first arrived!

[mannojunior]

11 minutes ago, BoxToBoxFM said:

Great start to your career, really turned round Chester’s season given they were struggling when you first arrived!

Thanks mate! Long way to go yet but just kept things very simple to start with. Will see where this season takes us!

[mannojunior]

December 2022

I don't really need to say a lot but December was a really poor month. Since taking over we have looked like a fairly decent side but throughout December we have looked really vulnerable and we have lost all confidence. A narrow loss at Blyth was followed up by a horrendous performance away at Kidderminster. We were actually 4-0 down before pulling a couple of goals back but that doesn't hide what a poor performance it was. We then managed a really convincing win over Hereford which I thought would spark a turnaround in form. That wasn't the case at all. We then took on Alfreton who were in the bottom four and we really didn't deserve anything from the game. A second half penalty from Willoughby salvaged a point but we were really poor. The worst of the lot though came at Telford. I accept that they are in a decent position in the league but we just looked out of our depth and created virtually nothing all game. A hard month to take given the progress that we have made but we need to keep our heads up and look forward. 

Hopes of a playoff push are slowly fading away but when you take a step back, the board and fans are just looking for mid table safety this season. Our issue may come if our poor run of form continues as we are only 5 points off the drop zone and we have a difficult run of games in January. 

This is they system I am currently using. I've settled on a starting eleven, give or take a couple of positions. I am not the biggest fan of the 4-4-2 but given the footballing intelligence at this level I am not sure trying anything more expansive is worth the effort. We are definitely in need of defensive re-enforcement and that is what I will look to do in January. I have offloaded a couple of players from the wage bill to help with this and I am hoping the loan system will also help. I am also in need of a new right midfielder following Adam Thomas breaking his ribs and Garcia has really not impressed out there. Our attacking three of Stephenson, Willoughby and Hewlett have been quite impressive and I am still waiting to see what will come of WIll Baynham. 

[mannojunior]

 

Is Reiss the man to solve our central defensive issues? On paper he looks like he could be great at this level. I am a little reserved about some of his mental attributes but he will go straight into the side!

[mannojunior]

January 2023

Well...what a month that was for us! An unbeaten January sees our form turn on its head. We started with a home game against Telford and we were only denied the three points due to us conceding a 92nd minute equaliser. We then comfortably saw off Brackley before a barnstormer of a game against Curzon Ashton. We also managed to beat league leaders Peterborough Sports and finished the month with a very good victory over Fylde. I think it is clear to see that there is a real reason that we've done so well and the answer is Kurt Willoughby. What a man, what a player! He is now the league's top goal scorer with 22 goals in 25 games.

It was only right that with just six months left on his contract that we looked to extend that deal. We initially walked away from the contract discussions due to his high wage demands but we went back in and managed to agree a very good deal which sees our top scorer remain with the club for a further year and a half. 

Is our playoff push back on the cards? With 16 games to go you certainly can't write us out of contention, although it would still be one hell of an effort to get there. I think our aim has to be to break into the top 7 and try and get ourselves a playoff spot. We've just come through a very tough month of fixtures and we did that with flying colours. I don't want to get too excited but the team seems to finally be gelling and we are seeing the results in that. 

I've finally managed to fill a few problem areas. You saw in my recent post that we brought in central defender Reiss Greenidge and he has been a very good addition at the back, pairing up with young Harry Burke. We've also brought in a new left back in Sam Heal. Heal is a decent addition to the squad and fills a role I have had real problems with since joining the club. He is by no means the best left back in the league but I think he will fill a hole until we can look to rebuild over the summer. Another new signing is left midfielder, Lewis Johnson, who joins on loan until the end of the season from MK Dons. A solid left midfielder and he has slotted straight into the starting eleven. He hasn't lit up the league so far but he has certainly not looked out of place and I hope we can see him flourish throughout the rest of the season.

[mannojunior]

February 2023

I should have just kept quiet shouldn't I? From a near perfect January to a simply awful February. What a change. We started with a trip to Kings Lynn who were sat in 9th and a disappointing display was only saved by a last minute equaliser from the substitute, Tom Hewlett. We then hosted Spennymoor who were sat in 2nd place and despite our best effort after being 2-0 down, we couldn't salvage anything. Then came the real disappointment with a run of three games against teams towards the bottom of the table. We picked up one point. We were frankly embarrassed at home to Boston before some truly uninspiring performances away at Gloucester and Bradford. What has been clear this month is that defensively we are not okay. We cannot keep defending the way we are and that had meant a change in the way we are going to play for the rest of the season.

I've switched to the below tactic to try and add some stability at the back and I hope the addition of a DM will allow the defence to function better. I've sacrificed our attacking width to do this and I am hoping the addition of Tom Elliott who has joined from Buxton will allow us to get back on track. 

Look, I'll be honest, I have no idea how the final two months of the season are going to go. There is an outside chance that we can still sneak a playoff spot, but at the same time, we are only 5 points above the drop zone and we still have 11 games to play. I don't quite know where we are going with this team as it seems to be one step forward and two back but I will do my best to finish as high as possible with this team. The board and supporters are fairly happy with things at the moment which is reassuring but I need to start showing what I'm about if I want to be attractive to bigger clubs moving forward.

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Loving this story. Keep going. Will follow.

[mannojunior]

1 hour ago, Sahajpal Oberoi said:

Loving this story. Keep going. Will follow.

Cheers mate! Will keep the updates coming as we progress. 

[mannojunior]

March 2023 - Is the end in sight?

Okay so now I am starting to panic. We are in such a poor run of form and we simply cannot defend. We kept just one clean sheet in March which is simply not acceptable. I've got to admit, I've tinkered with the defence quite a bit but I think we have a very solid defence on paper but it is really not showing out on the pitch. We started with a home game against Banbury and given their position I was hopeful of 3 points but another poor performance came through and we went away with nothing. We then surprised everyone, myself included, with a great win at home to Kidderminster. Sadly this didn't spark a change and we then slipped to defeat at Leamington. We did have a difficult end to the month with games against 2nd and 4th but again, we came away with one point and more disappointment.

So here we go, six games left and I am in danger of falling into the drop zone and losing my job. We've got a nice run of fixtures in April but the league is so tight and anything can happen. Lets see if we can survive.

[mannojunior]

DON'T PANIC - IT'S GOING DOWN TO THE FINAL GAME...

[mannojunior]

Season 2022/2023 - The End

And there we have it. A really disappointing second half of the season has sent us down and cost me my job. I have to take some of the blame as the last few months were painful viewing for anyone. I failed to sort out the defence and it really cost us. I was dealt a very average squad when I took over and we made some promising progress but I could never get a handle on our leaky defence and ultimately that has cost us. It's a shame because if we had stayed up then I was confident of a summer overhaul allowing us to push towards a promotion push next season. 

Let's see where this takes us! This is going to be one hell of a journey and I need to brush off this setback and look up.

[mannojunior]

So we've come through to early June and this is the most appealing of the offers I've had. Dorking narrowly missed out on safety in the National League last season and have now dropped down to the National League South. A lot of players have left so I would need to do a complete rebuild but they are a very interesting challenge. 

On the other hand, I was sort of hoping for an offer from a foreign club but nothing has been forthcoming and I have applied for a lot of jobs! I think I need to give this some more thought before making a final decision,

[mannojunior]

Season 2: Dorking Wanderers - 2023/2024 Season

So it has taken until June 2023 to find the right job and I've finally got my new club in Dorking Wanderers. The club finished 21st in the Vanarama National League last season and dropped down to the National League South. The aim has to be to get us back up at the first opportunity and the club is a really exciting project. The board are backing us with money and I have pretty much a blank canvas to go with. I am going to have to make sure that I get the recruitment right as I think that is what ultimately let me down at Chester. 

And here is what we have to work with...

[mannojunior]

Season 2023/2023 - Dorking Wanders - The Start

Well, things started with a takeover and Marc White left the club. Unfortunately the new owner hasn't decided to put any additional capital into the club which makes it far less exciting. Let's see what the new owner is like in time...

Transfers

As you will have seen, I did have quite a big task on my hand over the summer to rebuild the team. A lot of players left the club following the relegation from the National League and I was only able to hang on to Rutherford, McShane, Taylor, Fuller and Briggs, who would be described as some of the core players. You'll see that I did make a tidy £25,000 from the sale of Josh Shonibare and this allowed me to really bring in those quality players to bulk out the squad. So there are a lot of new players but I am very confident that I have assembled a squad capable of going straight back up. I also have quite a lot of loan slots available which means that I have that up my sleeve should we need it throughout the season. In terms of players in, I am very excited to welcome Sam Bellis from Southampton, Ben Wells from Crawley and Chay Cooper from Colchester on loan. These three will have a big role to play this season and you will see below why.

Start of the Season

We are just two games in to the new league season but things seem very positive so far. Weymouth is not an easy game to have on the opening day but we blew them away courtesy of a brace from both Alfie Rutherford and Sam Bellis who I am hoping will link up to be a formidable force this season. We then followed this up with a very professional victory away at Folkestone thanks to a goal on debut from Micah Obiero who will now have a big role to play up top in supporting Rutherford and Bellis. After two games we sit top of the table and long may that continue!

Edited November 26, 2022 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

Dorking Wanderers - Season 2022/2023  - August Update

August was almost the perfect month. Following our wins on the opening two days of the season, we then hosted Wealdstone and a solid performance saw us come away with all three points. We followed that up with a difficult trip to fellow promotion hopefuls Ebbsfleet and came away with a deserved point. We controlled the game but didn't create too many openings and I think a point was a fair result. We then finished the month with a routine 3-1 victory at home to Chelmsford. The only disappointment was with conceding our first goal of the season in this match!

The excellent start to the season sees us sitting top of the table. It's been a really great start but we do have a lot of teams hunting us down so it is imperative that we have a strong September to backup our good start to the season. For those wondering, I have changed my system this season and I am focussing less on possession and more on utilising the attacking talent we have. You'll see below the system I am using and our loanee, Chay Cooper, has made a blistering start to his career here in his new role. I am excited to see how we progress moving forward.

[mannojunior]

New signing through the door. Felt I needed an extra body in the midfield to rotate in and out of the ball winning midfielder role. An exciting prospect who was released by Forest.

[mannojunior]

Season 2023/2024 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Mid-season update

A very positive start to the season and we are firmly in the race for promotion. Our biggest downfall has been when we have faced off against those at the top of the table and I think our defence is partly to blame. Our attack is immense with Rutherford and Bellis forming a lethal duo but I have yet to settle on a defensive unit and I am looking to address this with some new signings.

[mannojunior]

Season 2023/2024 :: Dorking Wanderers :: End of Season update

 

Apologies for neglecting this thread for a while! I've not had much time to devote to this save but we completed the season and we comfortably won the league after a really impressive season. Big relief for me after the misery of relegation with Chester last season. This will have done my reputation some good and it moves one step closer to moving up the pyramid as a manager. Lets not forget, the aim of this save is to be the most successful manager in the history of the Champions League. I have to think selfishly and this title will have boosted my reputation. 

 

Attention now turns to next season and the dreaded Vanarama National League. It's going to be a difficult league to get out of, if that is our aim. I have no doubt that the finances we have available will make summer recruitment comfortable but I will need to choose wisely and build a team solid enough to compete. From a personal point of view, if I was to be approached by another club then I would have to seriously consider it to help myself progress. At the moment there doesn't seem to be any interest and my focus will be on next season with Dorking.

[mannojunior]

Season 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Pre-season update

A big summer rebuild has taken place with over half of last years squad departing on a free transfer. We've managed to pick up a lot of decent youngsters upon their release from big clubs and I am very excited about the likes of Maldini Kacurri and Henry Jeffcott. I've built a squad where I now have two solid players in each position going forward. I know that we only have 5 spots on the bench and players are going to be frustrated at the lack of game time but the nature of non-league is that they can be replaced. I think we've got a solid squad that should be able to compete this season. I've not really dipped in to the loan market as I'd like to hold on to those slots in case we need mid-season reinforcements. 

 

This is the current eleven that I have settled on. No doubt there will be plenty of chopping and changing as the season goes on but that is the nature of non-league. I think we have a really strong strike force with Rutherford and McNeilly up top. I've also got Sam Bellis and He Zhenyu on the bench should I need them. Defensively we've dealt quite well in the market and I don't have many concerns there. I still think our wingers could be improved upon but there really isn't a lot out there at the moment. Lets see what we can do in the first few months before we reassess. 

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: August and September update

 

Two months in and I think it is fair to say that we have adapted to life in the Vanarama National League. Make no mistake, there is no guarantee that our success will continue but there are good signs for sure! I was a little unsure after the first three games as we picked up three draws. We were down to ten men in two of those games and we were conceding late goals. The 2-1 win over Halifax has kick started our season and I am delighted that in our opening 9 games we have only lost one game, to a high performing Woking side. Slightly concerned that we haven't scored in the last three games but we are still picking up points.

We sit just inside the play-off positions and I can't say I'm disappointed. Our aim has to be survival, but it is nice to see that we can hold our own so far. We haven't really been tested yet though, except for the game against Woking where we conceded midway through the second half. 

I've been mightily impressed by Maldini at centre back and I think he will be a mainstay this season. You'll also see that we have signed a new contract with the club. I couldn't really say no and it will only help my personal development. Next step is to secure my National A Licence - if the board finally agree to it.

 

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Mid-season update

So we reach the halfway point, so to speak, and our incredible form has continued which sees us sitting 4th in the table, 6 points behind leaders Stevenage. We've had some really strong performances throughout this run and I can only think of the defeat to Southend where I felt we never had a chance. The side has gelled incredibly well given that there was a big summer rebuild and we've managed to have a pretty steady squad throughout. You'll see that we managed to make it to the First Round of the FA Cup where we narrowly lost to League One Ipswich. We are also still going in the FA Trophy which is nice and allows me to play some of the lads who aren't getting as many minutes as they deserve.

In terms of the squad, I've tweaked the formation slightly which you will see below as I wasn't get any luck with a wide player on the left. I've tucked the left winger in as a left sided shadow striker and McNeilly has played incredibly well there. What this does is allow me to rotate my four strikers and keep things fresh. You'll see that there has been no shortage of goals with Sam Bellis, Alfie Rutherford and Donell McNeilly all on respectable figures. The only disappointment is that Dudziak has been out injured for some time but he is now close to a return. I did bring in some cover for him in the form of Henry Lansbury who has done a decent job.

Going forward the aim now has to be to finish within the play-off places given the run we've had so far. I can only see injuries hampering us now.

This man, Donnell McNeilly, has been an absolute monster so far this season and you can see why! His contract is up at the end of the year and he is currently not willing to open negotiations whilst other clubs are sniffing around him which is a real shame. I am hoping that those interested clubs will go away and I can get in there with an extension. He is also not far off the top scorer!

[mannojunior]

We have accepted a fee of £20,000 from FC Brasov for Seb Drodz. This one came a bit out of the blue as he made 9 appearances at the start of the season and hasn't featured since. He arrived in the summer and I had high hopes for the young Romanian who joined from Milwall. Unfortunately he just didn't perform and I was looking to send him out on loan to progress. I couldn't turn down £20,000 for someone I just don't think would ever cut it with us. I hope he goes on to achieve his potential as he is a great talent.

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: January update

4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in January keeps our excellent form going. The only disappointment is that we exit the FA Trophy in the Fourth Round with a poor defeat away at Dover. I will take the blame for that one as I played a largely rotated side and it backfired on us. The league form is still going strong, with our only blip being a 0-0 draw at home to Halifax where we really should have one. It's nice to see an even spread of goal scorers, even if it is only spread across our strikers. This form sees us sitting third in the table and we maintain a strong position as we look to cement a play-off spot.

With Seb Drodz leaving for a decent fee, I did have a look at the transfer market and noticed that a player I have been tracking for a year and a half was available. That player is Alex Fletcher, who signs from Vanarama South side, Bath City. Fletcher has a very good set of attributes and he wanted to make that step up to the Vanarama National. You'll see that he has made a very positive start to his time here at Dorking and I am delighted to have him onboard.

Edited February 28, 2023 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: February to April update

Consistency. Our incredible return to the Vanarama National continues. February was an unbeaten month with two wins and three draws. Disappointed to have dropped points against Solihull Moors and Yeovil but we really can't complain. We moved into March in good form and picked up four wins from the first four games of the month, with a spectacular victory away at Notts County where we were 5-1 up at half time. It then finished in disappointing fashion with a rare defeat at home to Boreham Wood. Not the team I expected us to fall to defeat to. You'll see if was another month where our incredible front line stole the show with regular goals from Rutherford, McNeilly and Bellis. We then started a crucial April with a defeat await at Carlisle and I thought this might be the start of the 'slip'. That was not the case. Four victories and a draw in the remaining five games, including a win over league leaders Colchester put us in a very strong position. But how strong?

Incredibly strong is the answer. Two defeats on the bounce at the end of March and start of April arguably killed off our hopes of winning the league outright but going into the final game of the season we have an outside change of clinching the title. We have to hope Colchester slip up against Solihull Moors and that we beat Southend comfortably. I'm not expecting anything to happen and I would have bitten off a play-off place at the start of the season but let's just see what happens.

In other news, I now have my National A Licence and I also rejected an interview for the vacant position at Oldham. I am not quite sure why they thought I'd want to take a backwards step but each to their own!

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Outdoing Ancellotti

There was a chance.

And we blew it. Gutting. Southend appear to be our nemesis. To the playoffs we go!

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Outdoing Ancellotti

                                     

What a result. We make it through to the playoff final. A really convincing performance from the lads with well taken goals from Bellis and Rutherford. Although we didn't control possesion (theme of the season) we defended well and hit them on the counter.

                                        

This sets us up nicely for a final against Eastleigh who came up from the Vanarama South with us last season. For one of us, it is going to be two promotions in two seasons. For the other, it will be heartbreak.

Edited March 2, 2023 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

Season 3 - 2024/2025 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Outdoing Ancellotti

Playoff Final

We've done it. What an incredible performance from the lads. Another assured performance and we have achieved back to back promotions. Struggling to take it in. 

                                 

And there it is, League Two here we come. I still can't quite believe that we have pulled that off. It's been a phenomenal season and I was purely hoping to survive but the lads have been outstanding.

                                     

I had expected this to come given that we are now in League Two but it is great to see the club is now professional. We are going to need to work wisely in the market to be able to compete in League Two but I have a real confidence that the boys will give it a real battle next season. As with last season, a number of players will have to depart who are not good enough but we certainly have a very talented core of players who I can call upon.

                                       

So the objective of this save is to become the most successful manager in Champions League history and that means that I need to work my way up to bigger clubs. Following the promotion, I have increased my rating to two and a half stars and it seems a couple of clubs are sniffing around me. I'll be honest, if a big club come in for me then I will have to take it to progress myself. However, I'm not going to make a move just for the sake of it. We have started a project here and if there are no suitable clubs out there who come in for me then I certainly won't be forcing a move. Let's see what happens over the summer. For now, I am planning my squad for next season.

[mannojunior]

Season 4 - 2025/2026 :: Outdoing Ancellotti

                           

So we have officially rolled over to pre-season and we look ahead to our fourth season in management and our third season at Dorking Wanderers. I've signed a two-year contract extension following our promotion to League Two which keeps me at the club until the end of the 2026/2027 season. Since our playoff success, I was rumoured to be in line for the Birmingham and Cambridge jobs but no approaches were made. I was then formally approached by Huddersfield for their vacant manager position following their relegation to League One but following the interview I was unsuccessful. Truthfully, had the Huddersfield offer come through I think I would have taken it to progress myself. 

Alas, no such offer came through. I am now very much preparing the squad for our first season in League Two and I am trying to make the squad as competitive as possible. Money isn't great so I am trying to be as wise as possible in the transfer market. There is still a chance I leave this summer should the right offer be forthcoming but for now my focus is on Dorking.

[mannojunior]

Season 4 - 2025/2026 :: Dorking Wanderers :: Pre-Season Update

                                       

Transfers Out

There has been a summer clear out of sorts. I did expect more to leave this summer but I handed out a lot of two year contracts last season which means that some of those players that are probably not good enough for League Two are still with us as they run down their contracts. Headline news is that Archie Chaplin, our start young central defender has departed the club for Luton. It is disappointing as this is a transfer that was sanctioned by the board but £250k isn't a bad return given he signed on a free last summer. You'll also notice a few familiar faces leaving in the form of Josh Kelly and Edon Pruti. Pruti was immense in Vanarama South and then had a decent season in the Vanarama National but I don't think he was ever going to make it at League Two level and the same applies for Josh Kelly. It's sad as Pruti was our club captain but we need to move players on who are not good enough. 

                                     

Transfers In

12 new faces arrive at Dorking over the summer. You'll instantly notice that Archie Chaplin returns on loan for the season and I think this is really positive for the club. We've also signed some highly rated youngsters in the form of Henry Timi Davies from Arsenal, Layton Stewart from Liverpool and Charlie Olsen from Boston United. I'll put it out there now, recruitment this summer was painful and I am not even sure we have enough to stay up this season. I would have loved to have strengthened our defence a lot more but there were just no suitable candidates that wanted to join. I have no doubt that our strike force is good enough for this league but I think I am going to have to look to play attacking football to try and paper over our defensive issues. 

                         

                            

                            

                                 

Pre-Season Results

A fairly positive pre-season, although nothing spectacular. I was constantly chopping and changing to try and figure out my starting eleven for the start of the season but I don't think I actually managed to work out the best way forward. You'll see new signing Timi Davies has made an impressive start and he will be in my plans. Now it's time to get down to business. I think this is going to be a tough slog but I'd like to think we can battle relegation rather than being rock bottom. 

On a personal note, no further approaches were made by other clubs over the summer and I am now fully focussed on Dorking. Of course, should jobs become available during the season then I would certainly look at moving away to try and further my career. At the end of the day, this save is about me becoming the most successful manager in Champions League history and I'm going to need to make some moves for that to happen.

 

[mannojunior]

Season 4 - 2025/2026 :: Dorking Wanderers :: August and September 2025

                                 

August Results

Humbling. It has been quite the welcome to League Two and August saw 6 fixtures resulting in 1 win, 1 draw and 4 defeats. Disappointing to lose at Rochdale on the opening day having taken the lead but that set us on the road to three consecutive 2-1 defeats as we faced MK Dons in the Carabao Cup and then Crewe at home in the league. Relief at home to Rochdale as we picked up our first win thanks to a brace from Timi Davies. A real crash back to reality with a 4-0 defeat away at Walsall and then finished off with a decent point at home to Hartlepool.

A tough month and one where I spent a lot of time trying to find the right formation, the right starting eleven and crucially, the right back four. On a positive note, Henry Timi Davies has been in red hot form and is justifying his place in the starting eleven.

                                  

September Results

Another poor month. There is really no getting away from the fact that we are poor and the summer recruitment doesn't seem to have made us a League Two team. It's been a hard slog and there have been some narrow defeats but we simply cannot defend in the last 10 minutes. The amount of goals we've conceded at such crucial times is appalling. I have now settled on a 4-3-3 formation with Mackenzie Lamb dropping in to the number 6 position and this seems to have helped with possession but our defence is poor and I've got to make it through to January with this lot.

                                     

League Table

Bleak. It doesn't look awful but we have played 11 games in comparison to most who have played 8 or 9 around us. Time to dig deep.

[mannojunior]

Season 4 - 2025/2026 :: Dorking Wanderers :: November 2025

                             

Results

                                 

League Table

Disappointing. Disheartening. That's all I can say about the start we've made to life in League Two. I have to take full responsibility as my recruitment was poor and I though the lads we had from last season could make the step up. How wrong was I. There has been no consistency and our defensive record was shocking.

                                   

A sad day. I've loved my two years at Dorking but a change is needed. I would love to have stayed to battle relegation but the squad is poor and I can't have another relegation on my CV after the two outstanding seasons. It may look like the easy way out but I need to put myself first so that I can keep climbing the ladder.

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Interesting time to quit the Dorking job, hopefully you can make the step up.

[mannojunior]

15 hours ago, Sahajpal Oberoi said:

Interesting time to quit the Dorking job, hopefully you can make the step up.

Cheers mate! Not ideal timing but I really wasn't enjoying it and I had already turned down approaches from teams higher up. Ultimately I failed in my recruitment over the summer.

[mannojunior]

Season Four - 2025/2026 :: Sampdoria :: January 2026

                            

                               

After a break of nearly two months, I have found my new club. I'll be honest, I was not expecting to make the jump to Serie A but Sampdoria are in a time of need and they have decided to take a punt on me. Just to set the scene, I was very close to taking the Cardiff City job before Christmas but I delayed it a few times to see what was out there. I ultimately decided that Cardiff wasn't for me and I rejected them. I had actually set my sights on taking over FC Eindhoven in the Netherlands but the interview was unsuccessful and things went quite for a bit. Just after Christmas the Sampdoria job popped up and it was a very quick process which ended in me signing a two year deal at the club.

                             

Make no mistake, we have got quite the task on our hands to navigate Sampdoria out of the relegation zone. However, I think there is a team amongst the large amount of players at the club that is capable or surviving. I'm just going to have to find the right way to use them. It's a tough ask but our first objective is to avoid relegation. Who's up first? AC Milan...

[Sahaj Oberoi]

Sampdoria, that's cool. Looks like they found you in the database of best young coaches and decided to take a punt. Only time will tell whether you're the next Will Still or the next Nathan Jones.

[mannojunior]

Season Four - 2025/2026 :: Sampdoria :: February 2026

                               

Results

Humbling. In fairness, we couldn't have really had a harder start but a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Milan wasn't ideal. No fight, no passion and no real quality on show at all on the night.

An improvement. A dire game in honest. However, we dominated possession which is encouraging, even if we didn't really threaten in attack. A point a fair result. 

Brilliant. What a performance this was. With a few players returning from injury, this allowed me to deploy Sabiri on the left hand side in his preferred position. A poor start to the game as we went behind following some poor defending. We took no time at all to get back into the game and from there we blew them away.

                                

It's looking more positive than when we took over. We have a couple of games in hand following a spree of postponements and if we win them then we lift ourselves out of that relegation zone.

                               

The Squad

I'll be honest, the squad is weak. Don't get me wrong, the starting eleven has some quality in it, but beyond that we are really struggling. I have inherited a large squad but it is full with poor players stealing a living here. I had a couple of days in the January transfer window but finances meant that I couldn't do anything of note. I did try really hard to loan in a new central defender as bar Colley and Murillo, there is nothing there. We have to hope that we stay clear of injuries.