SkiIIs

Season 2049 - Velez In search of the elusive last domestic cup competition the Velez job popped in September which was towards the end of their season with them somewhat struggling in mid table but still in the Copa Argentina om the Quarters and scheduled against a non professional team. This gave a good opportunity for a quick snatch and grab and end my club coaching career. First couple of league games we lost 3 - 2 at home and then 4 - 1 away and with the transfer window closed shut, i quickly found out that this was not going to be a cake walk. Quarter Final Semi Final (if applicable) Final (if applicable)

Season 2048/49 - Manchester City I joined Man City with the aim of winning the World Club Cup at the end of this season so i only played through the transfer windows to ensure we were built and prepared as best as possible. The months in between were holidayed and so we ended up finishing 3rd in the league, lost to Man Utd in the semis of the FA Cup, knocked out in the fourth round to Bournamouth in the Carling Cup and lost to Man Utd again in the Europa Cup final. All that didnt matter of course but still not a great season truth be told. There were quite of few big clubs from Europe missing from this competition, no Real Madrid, no PSG, no AC Milan, only Tottenham from England and no Bayern Munich either. Surely there wouldnt be a better opportunity to win this tournament than now! In the World Club Cup group stager, we were given a favourable group with Zamalek, Colo Colo and Club America not posing a challenge as we breezed through with three heavy wins. In the second round, we were given a tough task against my former employees in Lyon. Second Round Quarter Final (if applicable) Semi Final (if applicable) Final (if applicable)

haha im also awaiting the wwe 2k24 release! Was fortunate enough to go to the Elimination Chamber in Perth on the weekend!

Season 2047/48 - Rangers It was all about nabbing one of the cups and completing that part of the challenge. Much to my surprise, Hibernian has recently become the powerhouse of Scottish football winning the past 4 league titles and were favourites for its again. In fact, neither Rangers nor Celtic had won the title in the past 6 years which is unheard of. The team wasnt great and we had no money so had to be creative with some loans from the big boys of the Premier League. The team that assembled was fine and good enough to challenge however we fell at the final hurdle to said Hibernian of the League Cup 4 - 0 in what was an embarrassing performance. The Scottish Cup didnt go any better as we failed to beat Hearts at home 2 - 1 in the quarter final who then went on to win it in what was a favourable draw after us. With the 2049 World Club Cup on after next season, I was more leaning towards getting a team for next season and having it prepared for that and so when the Man City job become available I jumped at it. I might holiday part of the year as I have nothing to play for and just hope we dont get sacked.

Next stop for the last domestic trophy is....

Season 2046/47 - Olympiakos In search for two domestic trophies, my first stop was Olympiakos who had won 15 out of the last 16 domestic league competitions and had also won the domestic cup competition last year. The team is a level or two above the rest in Greece so it was an easy decision. The fact that the Kypello Elladas has two legs up until the final sits really favourable with me as well. We walked the league and pretty much walked the domestic cup as well. Im still without an international job and will be clutching at straws in the hope one of the major European nations becomes available before the Euros next year.

2046 World Cup - Brazil Minimum expectation for this team was to make the final so nothing but a win here would be good enough for me. Heading into the tournament, we were undefeated since winning the Copa America, winning all games bar two draws against Argentina. Our warm up games were against Slovenie which we won 8 - 5 in a ridiculous match but then lost 2 - 1 to Turkey after that so signs were a little patchy for some reason. With a group consisting og Cameroon, Bosnia and South Korea there shouldnt be any issues finishing top and there wasnt as we wont all three games convincingly. Second round game was against Ghana. Second Round Round of 16 (if applicable) Quarter Final (if applicable) Semi Final (if applicable) Final (if applicable)

Season 2045/46 - Lyon The season started out with the bestest news possible. PSG had announced they were in financial troubles and that they would need to sell some players in order to keep afloat. Of course i took advantage of this and managed to get one of their central midfielders on loan and almost secured their best striker on loan. However, not to worry, as Barcelona ended up buying him outright. They ended up selling 234m pounds worth of players and only spent 21m of that on players coming in. This gave me great confidence coming into the season but that was quickly brought back to earth once we lost the first game against Lens, then again 3 games later to Marseille. We then built into the season winning and out of the next 19 games we won 18 and drew 1 which put us clear first by a fair margin. We ended up winning the league with 5 games to go. The fact we were doing so well in the league allowed me to play my better players in other comps and so we made the finals of both the Coupe de France and the Champions League. We ended up winning the Coupe de France but lost the Champions League in an all French final against Nice. Not that it matters as I've already won it for this challenge but i cant count the amount of times I've lost the European Champions League finals. Alas all league comps for the challenge are complete, I still have two domestic cups to win and the World Club Cup which the next one is in 3 years time so i will look to find a suitable club to win a domestic cup before carefully picking one of the giants to try win the that. The World Cup is on next with Brazil, let's hope i cant tick that one off as we are expected to make the final.

Season 2044/45 - Lyon After a successful season at Porto, I was really keen to complete the Big 5 in France and when the opportunity at Lyon arose, I took it with both hands. The team i took over just finished 4th, only 7 points away from champions PSG so I knew there would be enough talent to at least challenge. When I took over the squad, it was apparent that there were a couple of holes in the first XI, but they were also short of depth. So the first challenge was to bolster the squad numbers whilst also finding players good enough for the starting lineup. Funds were tight so I had to get imaginative and hence utilised loans where possible. The season started a little rocky losing the opener to Nice, then also losing back to back games 3 weeks later to Strasbourg and Bordeaux. Looking aback, this would be extremely costly as from there we were title challengers and with 6 games to go we hit first place with destiny in our own hands for once. We then immediately lost to Havre to throw it away. With 2 games to go we were 4 points away from PSG but had a game in hand knowing that PSG had to play Nice away in a game they were quite likely to lose points, in the end they lost that match. However we couldnt take advantage again as we lost the last two games. It felt like we were exhausted by seasons end as we also made the semis of the Champions League eventually losing out to Inter Milan. This was a fantastic effort to make it that far and one that helps us qualify for the World Club Cup after the seasons end which i still need to win. The season wasnt lost afterall, as we ended up winning the Coupe de France which means we can solely focus on the league next season. It was an up and down cup for us as we needed penalties against Nice away in our first outing (really tough draw to be in at that stage) but then faced Ligue 2 opposition in the next two rounds before knocking out giants PSG in the quarter final thanks to a red card just before half time (although we were leading at this point). Then rivals St Etienne in the semi leaving us with Legue 2 opposition in the final.

2044 Copa America - Brazil My first international tournament with Brazil, going into it as favourites and ranked number 1 team in the World. That didnt bode well for me for the last World Cup with Spain so fingers crossed we dont wear the heavy tag again. We were given a friendly group, as did the other giants of South American football. Venezuala, Paraguay and Jamaica were no match for us as we scored 18 and conceded 4 in three wins. Beating Paraguay 4 - 3 after copping a red card in the 6th minute. In the quarters we get USA who are ranked 12th in the world. Quarter Final Semi Final (if applicable) Final (if applicable)

Season 2043/44 - FC Porto This is going to sound really sour on my behalf but im sure others have felt this way after a reasonably successful season with a team that was expected success. The season started off losing the second game at home to Sporting then drawing a few games later at home to Braga whilst Sporting won their first 8 games so was already 5 points behind. We had also lost our first two champions league league games as well. From that point, it always felt like we were playing catch up for the entire season, never really being in control of our destiny. Mind you just before the January transfer period opened up, the board decided to strip me of the 50m pounds in transfer budget and 250k in wages available from me because of financial viability. I had raised those funds myself by selling decent depth players in the hunt of bringing in quality to bolster the squad, particularly in defence. In the return leg against Sporting, we had closed the gap to 2 points however we lost again to them making it a 5 point gap with 16 games to go. The sorting rules are head to head first so really it was a 6 point gap that we needed to close. To cut a long story short, we won the remaining 16 games to win the league but in all honesty it wasnt that easy. We brought in Joao Carlos on loan from Barca who I also loaned in at RB who is a 5 star AMC who helped us boss the midfield. Really not sure why Barca dont like him as he's also my star for the Brazil National team. In the Allianz Cup we lost to Benfica in penalties after leading 2 - 1 with only 1 minute of normal time left. That was really disheartening as Braga was awaiting the winner in the final as Benfica swept them away to be victors. In the Taca de Portugal however, we were not to be denied in the semis against Sporting over two legs as we drew 2 - 2 away then creamed them 4 - 1 at home with a L2 opposition awaiting us in the final. We did not let that opportunity go to waste as we won 8 - 0 do complete the double. The Champions League is something that we didnt focus on and much to my surprise we made it all the way to the final, knocking off the likes of Man Utd and Newcastle but only to lose to Lazio 3 - 1 after taking the lead early. All in all, the job i came for is done and we will move on after what can be said of a season I particularly didnt enjoy. No jobs in France have opened up again as every single manage is either secure or stable which is really weird. I still have a couple cups i need to catch up on so will see if there's an opportunity out there for a quick one in the mean time.

Enjoying your updates! Just curious on the playing naming symbols you're using and what do they reflect??

With only the French league required as part of the Big 5, i resigned from Real Madrid hoping that the PSG job would become available as part of the merry go round that usually happens. Unfortunately it didnt work and the only role that popped up in France was Nice, but for some reason I wasnt able to apply for it as they had already found their man really quickly. I still need 1 more league outside of the Big 5 and a few more cups so have taken the FC Porto job for now but will also keep an eye out if anything juicy in France pops up/

Season 2042/43 - Real Madrid I was given a warchest with Real and I knew if I could spend it wisely, it would be a short stay here as they had 5 - 6 world class players but also had some gaps that needed filling. The fun was buying players and none were better than Sergio my Spanish AM that I had in last year's World Cup who scored 26 goals and 17 assist from 35 league starts. That sort of performance, along with others helped me cruise towards the title wrapping it up with about 5 or 6 games to spare. Most of the dropped points came when it was fait a complis and I was instant resulting games. This title, breaking a run of 4 straight championships for Barca. The other competition of note is the Copa del Rey which we had an almighty battle getting through the easiest fixture on paper being that of Granada from LaLiga 2 in the third round. For all our dominance we could not get the win despite 35 shots and 4.69 xG vs 0.43. We even missed our first 3 pens but held our nerve in the end to win 4 - 3 in pens. We then romped through Levante and Espanyol to make the semis. We smashed Real Sociedad 6 - 2 at home in the first leg and rested our started in the away leg and almost cost us the chance to meet Barca in the final. In the final, at half time it was 2 - 2 with both times going ahead but being pegged back. We then were awared a penalty in dying minutes of the game which was scored by Sanchez to do the double. With this i have resigned hoping for a team a decent team in France to pop up, but there's nothing yet. I may go and win another league which is needed for the 10 for the challenge and wait for the right opening to come up.

Just a quick update that I have taken the job at Real Madrid (luckily they approached me as I was too busy playing the World Cup with Spain) and post a disappointing World Cup campaign with Spain, will try my luck with Brazil.

2042 World Cup - Spain My first meaningful tournament with Spain and we head into it ranked as the best nation in the world with the expectation we make it to Wembley Stadium on the last day. With a group consisting of Turkey, China and Ghana, we really shouldnt have any issued getting out of that group and we didnt, winning all three games. In the second round we face Qatar Second Round Round of 16 (if applicable) Quarter Final (if applicable) Semi Final (if applicable) Final (if applicable)

Season 2041/42 - RB Leipzip My third season with RB started off with the World Club Cup in which didnt really coincide with any major international tournament meaning we had a pretty close to full squad to play with. However, I wasnt really confident given we havent really come close to winning the league, nor have we managed to boss the big boys in the champions league either. My confidence levels were on point this time round as even though we won all our group games (we had Utrecht as the only team from Europe in our league) we were frustratingly knocked out of the second round by Palmeiras 2 - 0. I did rotate the squad a little with one eye on the next round but no excuses, the team I put out there should have won. Going into the season proper, I was a little nervous for another season of donuts given our poor showing in the World Club Cup but the season started off really strange with both Dortmund and Munich dropping a heap of points. Dortmund lost 2 of the first 3 (one to us) and Munich had 2 points after 4 games. So it didnt take us long to hit top spot and once we did, we did not relinquish it. Leverkusen kept up with us for a chunk of the season, but they dropped a couple of games and we didnt and thats all she wrote. It had been 10 long years since RB last won the league so it was nice to break that streak. We also won the DFB Pokal again and lost in pens against Tottenham in the Champions League final. So with that I have finally conquered Germany which in my opinion took longer than it should have with this team, but what is done is done. I've set this team up nicely now and they should go on and be competitive for a long while going forward. I will resign and hopefully start a merry go round and hopefully something big opens up in Spain or France. We also have the World Cup up next with Spain.

Season 2040/41 - RB Leipzig Second season in with RB with only the Bundesliga on my radar, i was pretty confident going into the season which was highlighted by the fact I didnt apply for the Bayern Munich job which became available right before the season. In hindsight I kind of regret that because the team just did not gel together at all. We started off really bad which I attempted to rectify with multiple tactical changes but just couldnt get this team of superstars to perform and control games. We finally made a late charge towards the end of the season but Dortmund were well and truly uncatchable and hence we finished second to them by 12 points. In a repeat of last season, we again won the DFB Pokal which is nothing more than a consolation prize. Really disappointing on how the season went. Mid way through i was exploring other opportunities and even contemplated resigning to start a chain reaction. I even had an interview with Marseille which i was offered the role but the reneged after two delays. Luckily I did as we have the Club World Cup after the season so will play that and stick out for one more season.

been quite lucky to date with the clubs ive joined... although i feel like its a bit of a struggle in Europe tho. Bit of a heads up im not going too well with RB in my second season

Season 2039/40 - RB Leipzig Took a bit of a break from the game over the Christmas break but finished my first season with RB before doing so, so the memory is a little sketchy for this update. We started the league off slower than I would have liked, having lost 3 out of the first 8 league games against opposition that we should have won. We also drew with Munich at home in those first 8 games which meant we were always playing catch up to the leaders. We then went 15 games unbeaten and only drawing two of those games to somewhat put us in a title contention with Munich. However the following game was a loss to them which was then followed by 2 losses out of the next 4 games to all but rule us out. We did finish off the campaign well but it was too late by then. I didnt really take the Champions League seriously and hence lost twice to Barca in the round of 16 however we did get an achievement for this challenge this season in the ilk of the DFB Pokal. We were given a dream run having to avoid any of the big teams (im not considering Wolfsburg one of them despite them winning the Bundesliga last season) through the Cup with our biggest challenge being against Paderborn from the second division against my back up team. On the international front, i cant remember if I have updated you all yet but I am now the manager of Spain after their poor showing in the Euros getting knocked out of the second round to Slovakia.

i try avoid MLS and head to Mexico instead. I tried once with LA Galaxy but just didnt understand it and found transfer complicated

Went the full year unemployed in club land as nothing really popped up at all which was strange. After the season, this popped up and I took it with both hands!

Season 2039 - Asian Cup My second attempt at the Asian Cup after losing in the final four years ago with South Korea. I showed my loyalty after rejecting several offers from larger countries post the World Cup including Italy, Brazil and Argentina. We were given a friendly group consisting of Saudi Arabia, Kyrgystan and Lebanon which led to three wins and topping the group. Second round we face Oman which shouldnt be a challenge on paper. Second Round QF (if applicable) SF (if applicable) Final (if applicable)

Season 2037/38 - Manchester United We certainly continued the end of last seasons form into the new season winning our first nine games and 12 of the first 13 games with a draw to Leicester the only blemish. That helped build a little buffer which soon went away after only getting 1 point out of the next 9 available. We then went the next 15 games undefeated to build up that buffer again which helped us win the title. We dropped a few points towards the end making it look closer than it was as we were still competing in the Champions League. A first league title since 2012/13. For good measure, we made the Champions League final but fell to RB Leipzig in penalties which would have been the cherry on top for my stay here in Manchester. I will move on after the world cup but right now there are no good options available. 2038 World Cup The goal was to make the third round but we were given a really difficult group. Our friendly before the comp started was against Polan and we lost 3 - 1 which was our first lost in over 30 competitive games. We lost to Italy in our first group game 2 - 0, then lost to Denmark 1 - 0. A 5 - 0 demolition against Suriname got us one of the best 3rd positions to qualify for the second round. In the second round we got Poland but this time we beat them 2 - 0 to make the 3rd round. We then beat Ivory Coast 4 - 0 to make the quarter where we were knocked out 2 - 1 against South Korea (my former employers).

Season 2036/37 - Manchester Utd My second stint in England, but my first with Manchester Utd. They finished 8th the year before and expectations were only to finish in mid table. Cant understand how bad this giant has fallen if that is all they expect. Truth be told, the team was very solid and probably just as good if not better than the Inter team that just conquered Europe. We couldnt have started the league any worse and by round 6 we found ourselves in the relegation zone with no wins and only 2 points. The only positive i could think of at this point was that out of the 6 games, we did play Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham so it was always going to be a tough start. Our next 7 games we won 3 and drew 2, so again not lighting the league on fire but definitely on the improve. From that point tho, we never looked back! We won the next 12 games and then only drop points in 3 more matches past that to make a magnificent comeback and finish in 2nd spot. This sort of form gives me confident that we can contend for the title next year if we can get off to a good start! In the EFL Cup we lost in the first game against Liverpool away so wasnt too concerned about that. In the FA Cup tho, we had better luck on the draw having played Kidderminster, Blackpool and Bristol Rovers in the Third to Fifth rounds. In the Quarter Final we came up against our formidable neighbours in Man City at their ground. In a game where they dominated possession, they couldnt really create anything and we hit them on a counter and deservedly took the lead in the 54th minute thanks to an own goal. The managed to equalise with their only shot on target 15 minutes later but we would progress through thanks to super sub Hojlund's goal with 2 minutes left in normal time. We then got West Ham in the semis who we comfortable brushed aside then beat Everton in the final 3 - 1. We also won the Conference League for good measure as well which lifted me into the world HOF.