[FM10] This is a Tribute - DodgeeD's World Tour

[DodgeeD]

Nothing wrong with childish jokes...with a name like that, he deserves it! I wonder if he got picked on at school! It'll be interesting to see how you do with the Solomon Islands considering how poor they are. What are their expectations?

The FA expects the team to 'learn from the experience' of World Cup qualifying. However, they also expected the team to reach the final of the OCE Nations Cup (featuring all the seame teams as WCQ), which led to the previous manager being sacked. I have a friendly with Samoa in June (winnable) followed by a trip to Wellington to play New Zealand in my first competitive game (aim to avoid a complete thrashing ).

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po June 2012 Update

The last competitive game has been played and here’s how the season came to an end:

Hong Kong 1st Division

v. Citizen (h), 4-1 win

I decided to take the game to Citizen and it seemed to work early on as we dominated the opening period. We suffered a set-back when my keeper stuffed up a clearance allowing Citizen to take the lead. That only spurred my boys on though and Annan levelled the scores straight from thr re-start. Gerard then gave us the lead 3 minutes later and Gilsinho finally remembered where the goal was just moments after that. Citizen tried to get back into the game in the 2nd half but we were able to hit the on the break with Gilsinho getting his 2nd and our 4th to secure a huge win.

v. Rangers (HKG) (a), 2-1 loss

We had to win here but we managed to screw it up and hand the title to Citizen instead. All was going well through a Li Wei goal but, as has so often been the case this season, we failed to extend our lead and got hit by an equaliser. As we pushed forward for the winner, Rangers launched a counter-attack and scored a fluke goal from a deep cross that eluded the keeper. There was no time to reply and our title dreams were over...

v. South China (a), 1-1

At the start of the season, I had this game down as a potential title-decider. As it turned out, it was a meaningless match between two teams who had missed out on their chances to win silverware this season. A lacklusture first half saw South China take the lead from a free kick, the only real chance for either side. The game finally sparked to life with 15 minutes to go as South China had a man sent off. That allowed us to push for an equaliser, provided by Li Wei.

Final Table – 2nd place again but a definite case of missed oppurtunity as South China flopped this season and the title was up for grabs. I need to strengthen this squad if I’m ever to win anything here as a couple of injuries or suspensions and we suffer.

Hong Kong F.A. Cup

1st Round

v. HKFC, 1-0 win

A single goal from Annan helped us set the record straight after last year’s embarassment. We should have scored more though.

Quarter final

v. Happy Valley, 2-0 win

A confident performance and an easy win courtesy of Gilsinho and Adonis’ well-taken goals.

Semi final

v. TSW Pegasus, 2-0 loss

We started brightly but went to pieces in the second half, conceding two goals in quick succession and never threatening after that.

Asian Confederation Cup

Group Stage

v. N. Sembilan (a), 1-1

As in our previous game, the Malaysian side sat back and let us keep the ball. A mistake by Gerard gave them the lead through a penalty though and just when it seemed we were heading for defeat, Sze Kin Wai popped up to head in a corner and earn us a point.

v. Tampines (a), 0-0

Really crunch time here as we were tied on 8 points with Tampines and Ha Poi at the top of the group and we would have to match Ha Poi’s result to go through. Tampines dominated but we somehow held on for a point, meaning we had 9 points in total with Tampines ahead of us due to their win in the first game. All depended on the result of the Ha Poi match...

Final Group Table – ...but it was not to be as Ha Noi scored a late winner and topped the group. Despite collecting 9 points, we were consigned to 3rd.

[DodgeeD]

2011/12 Season Review: Tai Po

Competitions

Domestic

Hong Kong 1st Division: 2nd

FA Cup: Semi-finalists

League Cup: Group Stage

Senior Shield: Semi-finalists

Continental

Confederation Cup: 3rd in Group Stage

A good season on paper but an opportunity missed as we failed to capitalise on a poor season by South China, who came 4th in the league and didn’t win any of the cups. A few too many dropped points cost us the league title and the lack of quality cover in our squad was exposed. That also cost us in the cups and in the Confederation Cup, we were just plain unlucky.

Key Players

Li Wei (MC) – started slowly but had a great second half of the season. Linked with Chinese clubs a lot these days but has expressed his desire to stay.

Adonis (MR) – Another consistent season with goals, assists and MoM performances aplenty making him the only logical choice for Fans’ Player of the Year..Sidrailson (DC) – slotted straight into the team and formed a strong partnership with Renato. Saved us many times with some great last ditch tackles.

Renato (DC) –commanding in defence once again.

Gilsinho (ST) – Showed his age a bit more this year but still our best attacking player. A dip in form in the middle of the season pulled his ratings down.

Awards

The following awards featured Tai Po players:

Hong Kong 1st Division Team of the Year – Adonis, Li Wei & Gilsinho (sub)

Hong Kong Footballer of the Year - Adonis

The Season Ahead...

Some good news for the season ahead: due to two ‘rancer’ friendlytournaments, the club finished the season with ₤650k in the bank, prompting the board to finally cough up the ₤180k necessary to upgrade training and youth facilities. On top of that, I was given a transfer budget of ₤400k! I’ll be scouring China for some future Hong Kong nationals I think.

One pre-contract deal arranged so far:

Au Yueng Yiu Chung (AMRC, ST) – another freebie from South China and regarded as one of the best young players in Hong Kong (which isn’t saying much ). He’ll offer back-up for Adonis ont he right as well as the strikers.

The latest news on my Youth Project players can be found here.

[DodgeeD]

June 2012 Solomon Islands Update

I've had my first two games in the international arena. Results as follows:

Friendly

v. Samoa (a), 1-1

We were dubbed favourites for the game but with a lot of inexperienced players in the team, we took a while to settle. Veteran striker Menapi marked his last game before retirement with a goal but Samoa equalised immediately afterwards. Both sides had chances to win and we saw a goal ruled out for a dubious foul late in the game but I was happy enough with the result.

World Cup Qualifier

v. New Zealand (a), 6-3 loss

A much tougher game a few days later as we travelled to Auckland. I picked a defensive set up and told the lads there was no pressure. We stunned the home support with an early goal but that only served to rile the Kiwis. They levelled the match straight from the kick-off and took the lead a few minutes after that. After a few more minutes we were 3-1 down. We then held the home sidee at bay... for just under ten minutes and then it was 4-1. No wait, 5-1! :o At half time I sympathised with the team and that seemed to do the trick as we took the game to the hosts and pulled two goals back! We even had a goal ruled out that would have made it 5-4 and set up a very interesting final 10 minutes. Alas, the offside call was (correctly made) and New Zealand responded by adding a final goal to make sure and securing their progression to the Oceania-Asia play-off with two games to spare.

We return to the international scene in September when we wrap up the qualifying campaign with games against New Caledonia and Fiji.

[rancer890]

Nice season Big D. Nice to see people using my 'friendly' tournament methods

Hope you can make a breakthrough and win the league next season.

[hamilton162]

Some decent results there on the international scene DodgeeD

[LCFC]

Good season there

[Raware]

Ah, unlucky DodgeeD. You did the hard work in beating Citizen...and 4-1 too I would've slammed every single player for mucking it up against HK Rangers, they obviously bottled it. And as for the ACC, I don't think you could've been any unluckier. Good to see you've got Au Yeung Yiu Chung . I've been chasing him for 3 or 4 seasons now but he won't come to me He a great little player. I reckon a couple more players and a league title is surely yours, providing South China don't strengthen.

Onto the Solomon Islands, well it's always going to be tough. A spirited fight though against the Kiwi's.

Good luck for next season. No plans to move on yet then?

[DodgeeD]

No plans to move yet - I don't think any clubs would want me yet, apart from the strugglers in India and the teams at the bottom of the Uruguyuan 2nd Division... I've made a lot of new signings for the season ahead - plenty of Chinese future stars to fill my reserves while they wait for Hong Kong passports and a couple of players from further afield to take the foreigner spots freed up by the three players who have taken Hong Kong citizenship over the summer. Not had the best of starts though.... Report to come later.

[Raware]

My tactic too . Get the Chinese while they're young so they can claim HK status and try and get foreigners who are near to gaining HK citizenship. Then only the best foreigners can use the foreigner allowances. Sounds like you're making big strides now and I have no doubt you'll be dominating HK/Asian football soon. .

[DodgeeD]

You might not say that when you see my next report (to be posted this evening as I type this on the sly from work )

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po September 2012 Update

A round-up of a busy transfer window and our first league games:

Transfers

The following players have now joined the Tai Po first team squad:

Mathias Fernandez (GK) – noticed this guy on the ‘clubs in Uruguay release youth players’ news item. He came for trial and my coaches said he was way better than my current goalie so I snapped him up. I am questioning their judgement a little after the first few league games though...

Devran Ayhan (DM, MRC) – my scouting knowledge of Turkey (2nd nationality) helped m swoop for this guy wen his contract was up. At 34, only a short term measure but he will bring vital experience from the top flight of Turkish football to the Hong Kong 1st Division. He will be put t0 work mentoring my youngsters too.

Zhang Chao (AMC/FC) – a target of mine for a couple of years now. The difference this year was that I had the money to meet the asking price! It came down to this guy and another Chinese striker aged 17. Chao got the nod due to his flair and the fact that he could come straight away (the other player would have had to wait until his 18th birthday). Nice to have some young blood in the team for a change.

Hong Kong 1st Division

v. Citizen (h), 3-0 loss

A shocking start to the season. We played well in the first half but conceded jst before the break. I obviously chose the wrong team talk as we collapsed in the second half a deservedly lost.

v. South China (a), 3-0 loss

To make it worse, this time we actually played well, matching South China for shots and clear cut chances but failing to take them. Not a great start to a season in which the board wants us to mount a title challenge...

v. TSW Pegasus (h), 2-2

Ridiculous! We dominated and took the lead twice through Li Wei and Wenzhao but both times Pegasus equalised with screaming long shots (first from 30 yards then 35) – their only two shots on goal!

v. Sun Hei (a), 2-2

My 100th game in charge! A fine strike by Chan Hin Kwong gave us the lead in the 2nd half but we were immediately pegged back by another long-range effort (40 yards this time) and then found ourselves behind moments after that. Annan saved us a point but it was another game we should have won.

Current Standings – only 4 games gone but we’ve got a lt of work to do if we are to win the title this season. Maybe I should concentrate on the cups...

[DodgeeD]

Ocotber 2012 Solomon Islands Update

World Cup Qualifying

v. New Caledonia (h), 0-0

Followed much the same pattern as my current games with Tai Po: we had te chances to win easily but didn't take them. I'm impressed by the fans so far though - 25,000 turned up for the game!

v. Fiji (a), 2-2

Quite a dramatic game! We had more of the bll but they had the better chances and took the lead twice, only for us to hit back within a couple of minutes each time. That included a 90th minute goal to put the home side 2-1 up immediately followed by a great solo effort from Totori to recue a point for us and leave the fans happy.

Final Table - I matched my predecessors feat of a loss to New Zealand and draws against the other teams. The Kiwis were far too good and ttook the sole play-off with ease. Fiji came 2nd by virtue of being the only other team to actually win a game! Nevermind though as we had no chance before I took over and I can now get ready for next year's OCE Nations Cup.

Friendly

v. Wallis and Futuna (h), 2-0 win

What do you do when still looking for your first international win? Play a non-FIFA member of course! Even though I handed out a few first caps to 16 and 17 year-olds, we dominated from start to finish and our opponents were only saved embarassment by some awful finishing!

Current World Ranking - 109th (up 2 places)

[DodgeeD]

Bit of a spoiler here for my next update but I've encoutnered an annoying problem in my game: Tai Po have won through to the Senior Shield final but I get to matchday only to find SIX first team regulars unavailable as they have been picked for the Hong Kong Select XI's annual game with Guangdong Province.

To make it even worse, two of them only appeared as subs and four didn't play at all....

And so, I'll go into the final without my first choice full backs (Zhang Chi and Zhiyi), centre back (Renato), left winger (Wenzhao), midifield playmaker (Li Wei) and utility player (Gerard). At least Adonis and Sidrailson were overlooked... And how many players do my opponents (Sun Hei) have missing? Two

[Raware]

It's really frustrating having your players called up for the HK v Guangdong game when you've got the SS final coming up, i've had it myself so I can sympathise with you . Good luck though...with your reserves!

Onto the start of the season...well, one word really...shocking! I think a good start is a necessity or you'll end up suffering for half of the season in trying to gain your form back. I know it's too early to say yet but I just hope you manage to catch up with South China! Some nice signings too.

[DodgeeD]

Is that normal Raware or is it a bug noticed too late for the new patch?

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po January 2013 Update

The winter break is upon us so time to check in on Tai Po’s progress:

Hong Kong 1st Division

v. Rangers (HKG) (a), 2-1 win

A win at last! We reversed things a little by playing poorly but getting the result, which is fine with me. Adonis gave us the lead with a well-timed finish from a tight angle but we slipped up by letting Rangers hit us on the break (my instructions were clear – three players stay back for corners - but somehow our opponents broke with just one man waiting in defence). We had a few scares in the 2nd half but, just when it seemed another disappointment was on the cards, Zhang Chao picked a great time to score his first goal for the club.

v. HKFC (h), 1-0 win

An early goal from Chan Hin Kwong put us in the lead. We should have scored many more but we spurned many chances. Luckily, the amateurs made no threats to our goal and we got the 3 points.

v. Kitchee (a), 1-1

We played tight and restriced Kitchee well and got the break we wanted with a peanlty from Li Wei on the hour mark. It was not to be though as we conceded an equaliser in injury time...

v. TM Progoal (h), 1-0 win

A game we dominated but struggled to score in. It wasn’t until the 84th minute that Devrim Ayhan broke from midifield to score his first goal for the club.

v. Sha Tin (a), 3-0 win

Finally, the kind of result we’ve been failing to get all season!

v. Citizen (a), 4-0 win!

After a break in which the Senior Shield was played (see below), one league game was played in January as we tore Citizen to pieces. Li Wei got us off to a great start with a screamer from 25 yards before Indio added a second with a placed shot from the edge of the box. Li Wei repeated his trick early in the second half and Gilsinho, on as a sub, completed the rout in injury time. Btw, this was my first game on the new patch – lovin’ it so far!

Current Standings – despite going unbeaten since those opening two defeats, we still find ourselves 5 points off the pace. The top half of the table is quite tight though with all the teams beating each other. Surprise package so far has to be TSW Pegasus, who have suddenly transformed from relegation strugglers to title contenders!

Hong Kong Senior Shield

Quarter final

v. TSW Pegasus, 4-1 win

Of course, we had to get the in-form side first, didn’t we? Not that it was a problem as Indio got us off to a great start after just 3 minutes with his first goal since recovering from a 5 month injury lay-off. Pegasus came at us after that but Indio added a second from a quick counter-attack midway through the 2nd half to effectively kill off their comeback hopes. Li Wei scored our third with 10 minutes to go and Zhang Chao headed in a 4th shortly afterwards. The league leaders managed an injury time consolation but we advanced (and hopefully crushed their confidence a bit in the process ).

Semi final

v. Kitchee, 2-1 win (aet)

We really took the game to Kitchee but couldn’t find a way past their in form keeper until the 2nd period of extra time when Lui Chi Hing scored a great half volley from 25 yards out. Gilsinho then added a second to make sure of our place in the final before Kitchee grabbed a late consolation.

Final

v. Sun Hei, 1-0 win: TAI PO WIN THE SENIOR SHIELD!

For once, we didn’t face South China in a final but we were hit by call-ups to the Hong Kong Select XI (see earlier post), which meant we struggled to cobble togather a team within the foreigner limits. We were forced to play tight, hit on the break and hope none of my weak cover players were exposed. That did the trick as Indio produced a lovely moment when he twisted an turned past three players to score and the lads were then able to hold on to claim my first trophy of this career!

[hamilton162]

Congrats on the first trophy of your career DodgeeD You're not too far off of top spot, hand on in there mate

[Raware]

Well done on claiming your first trophy DodgeeD . And the league is looking a lot promising now. As long as you keep up with South China, you'll be battling for the title...TSW will fall away sooner or later.

As for the HK v Guangdong game clashing with the Senior Shield, i'm not sure if it's a bug or not. I've had it on this version and on 09/08 versions of the game. It's frustrating though

[Jason the Yank]

Well done on the first trophy of many.

[DodgeeD]

Thanks guys. According to the patch notes, winning the Senior Sheild means I'll be in the Confederation Cup the season after this again regardless of what happens in the league.

First game when the league resumes play in March is at home to South China - a must win if we want to win the title this year.

[Raware]

A title decider in March then! I saw in the patch notes that the winner of the Senior Shield qualifies for the ACC now. I've not patched up yet as I want to wait and see what the feedback is on it first. How are you finding it? Any other changes to the HK league/cups? I've read that it's gone from one extreme to another - Long shots aplenty to super keepers now and a problem with injuries and fatigue. The 'injury bug' is what ultimately stopped me from playing 09 so if 10 is now similar, I won't be patching.

[DodgeeD]

No changes to the competition formats but I have yet to start a new season since patching so we'll have to wait and see.

I've had more injuries this season but that includes pre-patch ones as well....

As for long shots, it was never a huge issue for me. My first game post-patch included three long range screamers though - luckily all for Tai Po. As for super keepers, I don't think there's anything resembling a half-decent keeper in the Hong Kong league anyway so it's impossible to tell.

The main pluses for me are that my tactics still work (if anything my 'away' tactic is working better than before), there is no longer a huge list of U21 and U19 jobs clogging the job centre page and I can find takers for the useless half-star rated reserves who were eating into my wage budget.

[Raware]

Good to hear it then. I'll probably stick with 10.1 for now as after initial frustrations with it, i've learnt to cope with them now. Not sure I can take any more with a new patch (judging from responses anyway).

Anyway, getting back on to your thread without derailing it again , how did you finish the season then? A league title?

[MeLikeFM]

Good to hear it then. I'll probably stick with 10.1 for now as after initial frustrations with it, i've learnt to cope with them now. Not sure I can take any more with a new patch (judging from responses anyway).

Anyway, getting back on to your thread without derailing it again , how did you finish the season then? A league title?

You know what GD is like Raware cmon, I thought you were more intelligent to listen to that drivel.

[Raware]

You know what GD is like Raware cmon, I thought you were more intelligent to listen to that drivel.

I know, I try not to frequent GD that often . But after putting so much time into my current save, I don't want to mess it up by installing a new patch that I have problems with (even if the hearsay is wrong). It took me long enough to get used to 10.1 !

(Sorry for de-railing your thread again DodgeeD).

[crouchaldinho]

Just got around to reading this. Will be following properly from now on!

Glad you liked the Britain and India challenge.

C.

[Saxonaitor]

I finally get around to reading this DodgeeD.

Great little adventure you have got going here. I myself managed American Samoa for a couple of games and it is do or die in the Oceanic division, no doubt.

[DodgeeD]

Cheers Crouchy and Sax. Good to have you on board - hopefully I can add another trophy or two before this season is over. Nothing but friendlies with Solomon Isles for the next 18 months though...

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po April 2013 Update

Not long left in the season now so here’s an update on our domestic and continental performances:

Hong Kong 1st Division

v. South China (h), 2-1 win

Massive, massive win against a resurgent South China team strengthened by several new transfers. It was one of those new signings, Natan, who gave them the lead after 5 minutes but we kept calm and took control with Indio equalising before half-time. Both sides had chances in the 2nd half but luck was on our side as a dubious penalty call went in our favour and Li Wei did the honours to get us three points.

v. TSW Pegasus (a), 0-0

We didn’t even come close to the win that would have cut the gap to two points.

v. Sun Hei (h), 3-1 win

We fell behind to an early goal but Wenzhao brought us level after reacting first to a rebound from a thunderous Ayhan drive. We dominated the 2nd half but struggled to score until a Li Wei piledriver ten minutes from time. Wong Kwok Keung then added a third as Sun Hei pushed forward for an equaliser. With TSW only managing a draw, this win closed the gap to 3 points.

v. Rangers (HKG) (h), 2-1 win

We battered the Rangers defence for the first half hour before Adonis finally put us in the lead. It didn’t last long though as my defenders seemed to still be celebrating the goal when our opponnents hit an instant reply. Early in the 2nd half, we regained the advantage thanks to a penalty from Li Wei. We had chances to score more but had to settle for 2-1 in the end.

v. HKFC (a), 2-0 win

A great start as Au Yueng Yiu Chung scored after 41 seconds, finally getting his first goal for the club on his 19th appearance. HKFC rarely got out of their own half and Li Wei sealed the points with yet another penalty in the 2nd half.

Current Standings – a super tight three way battle for the title now as TSW Pegasus dropped points again in the latest round of matches and South China have moved into first place having won their last 4 games. None of the top 3 play each other so it will all be about who slips up.

Hong Kong League Cup

Group Stage

v. TSW Pegasus, 3-1 loss

A poor performance but it could have been so different as we took the lead just before half time through Chan Hin Kwong but Pegasus equalised straight from the re-start. Minutes into the 2nd half, Li Wei needlessly gave away a penalty and we went 2-1 down. As we pushed forward, TSW Pegasus managed to add a 3rd somewhat unsportingly as we had player down injured in our own half at the time.

v. Sha Tin, 2-2

With Pegasus already guaranteed top spot, this was a meaningless game. I fielded a team of squad and youth players but we still dominated. Left-back Zhiyi opened the scoring with a header, his first goal for Tai Po, but we failed to capitalise on numerous chances and Sha Tin levelled the match after the hour mark. Youth Project Wong Kwok Keung restored our lead late on but our opponents struck again with a deflected effort meaning the points were shared.

Asian Confederation Cup

Group Stage

v. New Radiant (a), 2-0 win

A nice trip to the Maldives came first (although we seemed to be caught in the middle of a tropical downpour). An assured performance with Indio giving us the lead in the first half and Wong Kwok Keung making the game safe in the second half.

v. Bangkok Glass (h), 2-1 loss

A late goal conceded in each half cost us this game, with the winner coming on 90 +3 and making Wenzhao’s fine goal irrelevant.

v. Gia Lai (a), 2-1 loss

We started well with a goal after 2 minutes from Indio. The Vietnamese side soon equalised though. We matched them well throughout the game but they got the lucky break with a goal 15 minutes from time and we couldn’t score again despite a number of decet chances.

v. New Radiant (h), 1-1

The kind of game that would make some people head over to GQ and open a thread ranting about how much they hate this game (luckily for you, I’m not one of them ). More than 20 shots on goal, more than half of them on target, 7 clear cut chances, 5 blocked shots, off the woodwork three times and two goals disallowed for offside. Our opponents scored with their only chance of the game to cancel out Indio’s earlier strike.

Current Standings – we have to play in-form Gia Lai at home and Bangkok Glass away so I don’t hold much hope for progressing to the next round.

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po June 2013 Update

Another season done with mixed results:

Hong Kong 1st Division

v. Kitchee (h), 3-2 win

We dominated and took and early lead but somehow found ourselves 2-1 down at half-time as Kitchee scored with their only two chances. Au Yeung Yiu Chung put us back in it and earned us the win late in the game with a well-taken shot, thus keeping us in the title race. This was a fan day too so from that point of view, the game was a success!

v. TM Progoal (a), 1-1

Just like last season at Rangers, we bottled it in a crucial game. Same old story – early lead through Indio and then we failed to take our numerous chances to extend the lead and got hit on the break... To make it worse, TSW Pegasus also dropped points and South China weren’t playing so we missed a chance to go top at a crucial stage in the season.

v. Sha Tin (h), 1-0 win

A win was a must to have any chance for the title and it came through a sweet Wenzhao volley. Now, we had to wait and hope for TSW Pegasus not to win their last game and for South China to lose...

Final Table – ...neither of which happened as two dodgy own goals gave Pegasus a win over Citizen (brown bags anyone?) and South China drew 0-0 with Sun Hei. In the end, we came closer than we have the last two seasons but finished 3rd with a single pont covering the top three. That poor start to the season and the shocker at TM Progoal cost us dear.

Hong Kong F.A. Cup

1st Round

v. TM Progoal, 3-3 (a.e.t.) – lost 4-3 on penalties

An unbelieveable game – we had more of the ball and much better chances but Progoal looked dangerous on the rare ocassions when they came forward, so much so that they took the lead twice. Ayhan brought us level the first time with a 40 yarder and Indio provided drama with a second equaliser deep into injury time. Wenzhao gave us the lead in extra time before the dfence got sliced open by a Progoal counter-attack again. The drama continued with the penalties as we had two chances to win but missed our last 3 kicks to crash out. A great game for the neutral but a terrible one for us.

Asian Confederation Cup

Group Stage

v. Bangkok Glass (a), 4-3 loss

Just days after our FA Cup loss to TM Progoal came another crazy match! We went down early on but Au Yueng Yiu Chung scored a brace to put us ahead. Disaster struck before half-time though as we conceded twice in 3 minutes to go in 3-2 down. We took the game to them in the 2nd half and equalised through Li Wei but, as we pushed for the winner we needed to keep our qualification hopes alive, we conceded again and lost.

v. Gia Lai (h), 2-0 win

I didn’t have much hope before this game as we needed to beat a team with a 100% record and hope Bangkok lost to bottom side New Radiant. News that the game would be sold-out and tickets were in high demand (following our fan day against Kitchee) spurred us on though as I told the boys to do it for the fans and they did. Au Yueng Yiu Chung continued his purple patch with a fine goal from out wide and Lui Chi Hing added a second. Now it all depended on Bangkok Glass’ result...

Final Table - ...and to my amazement they lost! With just 7 points we had scraped into 2nd place. I guess that makes up for last season when 9 points was only good enough for 3rd.

2nd Round

v. Kadeh (a), 1-0 win

We had to do it the hard way, playing away in front of 27,000 home fans and without Indio, who was injured in the last league game. I played a counter-attacking 4-5-1 formation and it worked as we hit on the break and won a penalty midway through the 2nd half. Mr Dependable Li Wei was on hand to convert it and send us into the quarter finals!

[DodgeeD]

In other news, I quit as manager of Solomon Islands as it wasn't going anywhere. It seems every summer a bunch of players retire (some old and some without a club) and there aren't that many regens coming to replace them. That led to some rather poor performances in June friendlies so I decided to shelve my international ambitions for the time being and wait for a different option to present itself.

[DodgeeD]

2012/13 Season Review: Tai Po

Competitions

Domestic

Hong Kong 1st Division: 3rd

FA Cup: 1st Round

League Cup: Group Stage

Senior Shield: WINNERS!

Continental

Confederation Cup: Qualified for Quarter-final

Not sure what to make of this season: a win in the Senior Shield but the FA Cup and League Cup were awful, we scored our highest points total to date in the league but came 3rd, and we struggled in the group stage of the Confederation Cup only to get a lucky break to qualify and the unexpectedly reach the quarter-finals.... Had we been knocked out, I probably would have quit and looked for a new job but now I’ll stay and see what happens in the next round, to be played after the new season starts.

Key Players

Li Wei (MC) – the creative force in midfield and unflappable from the penalty spot. A no-brainer for Supporters' Player of the Year.

Adonis (MR) – Yet again did the business on the right.

Indio (ST) – came back from a lenghty injury lay off to score some vital goals, especially towards the end of the season.

Zhang Wenzhao (ML) – his best season at the club yet.

Au Yeung Yui Chung (AMR/ST) –after a very slow start, things picked up and he started to score and harrass defenders. Played a major role in our Confederation Cup progression.

Devran Ayhan (DM) – 35 he may be but he stood out in this league with some commanding performanes from deep and a couple of cracking long range goals as well.

Awards

The following awards featured Tai Po and the players:

Hong Kong 1st Division Team of the Year – Li Wei, Adonis (sub) & Zhang Wenzhao (sub)

Hong Kong Fans’ Player of the Year – Li Wei

1st Division Fair Play Award – Tai Po

The Season Ahead...

Let’s see how far we go in the Confederation Cup! I’m not expecting much but with a bit of luck, who knows? Beyond that, after 4 full seasons, I think it’s time to scour the job pages in more detail....

Three pre-contract deals arranged so far:

David (GK) – poached from South China.

Ma Shuai (ST) – comes in from Sun Hei to provide a much needed local striker (he has a Hong kong passport).

Yang Weiwei (ST) – will come in January on a 12 month loan with an option to buy. Let’s see if he’s got as much potential as my scouts think.

Are you enjoying my career so far? Please give it a rating

[hamilton162]

A great job in the ACL DodgeeD Must be gutted to lose out on the league title though

[Raware]

Unlucky in the league DodgeeD but congrats on the Senior Shield win. Looking good in the ACC too . Ma Shuai will be a great signing for you, he seems to do well in the HK leagues and it's always nice to poach a good player from South China .

[Saxonaitor]

Where may you be heading next DodgeeD? Any idea or preference?

[DodgeeD]

A great job in the ACL DodgeeD. Must be gutted to lose out on the league title though

Gutted indeed, especially as we dropped points against the weaker teams. It's getting close though...

Unlucky in the league DodgeeD but congrats on the Senior Shield win. Looking good in the ACC too. Ma Shuai will be a great signing for you, he seems to do well in the HK leagues and it's always nice to poach a good player from South China.

Ma Shauai came in from Sun Hei on my save. This summer, my SOuth China freebie was David, their first choice GK.

Where may you be heading next DodgeeD? Any idea or preference?

I'll see how the rest of the ACC campaign pans out first (got Ha Noi in the quarters, a side I got a win and a draw against in the group stage the season before last - I'll be happy with a repeat of that ). I guess the board want me to stay as they offered me a 4-year deal over the summer instead of the usual 2... (I saved before deciding what to do though).

As for where to go next, without a league title or and ACC win, I think my rep would only be good enough for a job in India or the Chinese 1st Division (I notice that Rizihquan have put their manager's job under review ). I'd quite like a change of scenery in South America though (I have Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay loaded) before trying to land a job in Europe.

[DodgeeD]

Currently a few games into the new season but I'm getting itchy feet and regularly checking the job pages. While doing so, I noticed a couple of interesting managerial changes in England - recently retired Keiron DYer is now in charge at Barnsley and Premier League strugglers Wigan have appointed a new boss by poaching Hull's assistant - none other than Emile Heskey!

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po October 2013 Update

Got into the new season now, which means it’s update time. First of all, a couple of last minute transfers:

Zhang Jie (DL) – young and with the ptoential to be a star at this level.

Kemal Yildirim (AMLC) – taken from being a decent player in the Turkish 2nd Division to a star in the Hong Kong 1st! Foriegn player limits mean he’ll be on rotation but I’m looking for him to have a big impact when he plays.

Hong Kong 1st Division

v. Citizen (h), 5-1 win

A great way to start the season! Adonis was the hero with a superb hat-trick and Ma Shaui introduced himself to the fans with a debut goal. Citzen’s only goal came from a bizarre incident when the ball came back off the post, hit new keeper David on the back of the head and went in. To make it even more bizarre, we had a similar rebound go in our favour just 2 minutes later!

v. Kitchee (a), 2-0 win

Li Wei was the main man this time, first heading in a cross from Adonis and then setting up Indio to put the game beyond doubt.

v. Tai Chung (h), 2-0 win

A game we dominated from start to finish. Yildirim gave us the lead with his first goal for the club just before half time and Ma Shaui continued his fine start to his Tai Po career with another goal midway through the 2nd half.

v. TSW Pegasus (a), 1-0 loss

An even game but we were let down by a slip up from left-back Zhiyi, whose wayward backpass let Pegasus in for the only goal of the game.

v. Rangers (HKG) (a), 3-0 win

Li Wei ran the show again as he set up all three goals, crossing to Indio for the first, playing him through for the second and passing to Adonis for the icing on the cake.

Current Standings – So far, TSW Pegasus have carried over their form from last season and Sun Hei have also started well meaning we are 3rd at present. South China have played poorly so far so we have to take advantage while we can.

Our good form in the opening games meant 4 players (Zhang Chi, Sidrailson, Adonis and Li wei) were picked in the September Team of the Month.

Asian Confederation Cup

Quarter final

1st Leg v. Ha Noi (a), 1-1

A very good performance considering how hard we were hit by the stricter foreigner rules (only 3 allowed in the matchday squad) and injuries to our key Hong Kong players. We had much the better of game in the first half but Au Yueng Yui Chung was guilty of missing two easy chances as was Adonis. Of course, that meant we went behind early in the 2nd half but Ma Shaui hit back immediately to give us an away goal to take into the next game.

2nd Leg v. Ha noi (h), 2-0 win

Settled by goals either side of half time with Li Wei rounding off a great team move just before the break and an own goal providing the second early in the 2nd half. We advance 3-1 on aggregate to face Lebanese side Ansar in the semis.

[hamilton162]

A good start to the season there DodgeeD Jie and Yildrim could be fantastic signings for you at this level.

[DodgeeD]

Thanks hamilton.

Jie has a little way to go before he's ready to challenge Zhiyi for the left back slot but he'll be well on the way to HK citizenship by then so that's good. Yildirim has started well and I hope it continues.

Ansar were our opponents in the ACC 2nd Round in my first season and beat us pretty convicingly so the tie will be a good yardstick of how far we've come.

[Raware]

Good start DodgeeD . It looks as if Ma Shuai is continuing his tradition in HK by scoring goals for you. He's a great little player; and Yildirim looks like a great buy!

Good luck in the semi's of the ACC, hopefully you can bring back the cup.

[DodgeeD]

Tai Po November 2014 Update

We wrapped up the Confederation Cup campaign and then there is some news regarding my career...

Asian Confederation Cup

Semi final

1st Leg v. Ansar (a), 1-0 win

We got soundly thrashed here 4 years ago but showed how we had grown as a club as we shut out our opponents and threatened on the break, Yildirim netting the only goal after picking up a blocked Li Wei through ball and giving us a great chnce of making the final.

2nd Leg v. Ansar (h), 0-0

Ansar came at us from the very start but luckily their finishing was woeful. We had our chances too but it remained goaless. A very tense game but we held our nerve to make the final – unbelievable after the way we scraped through the group stage!

Final

v. Muharraq (a), 4-3 loss (a.e.t.)

I told my players the pressure was off before the game but they were still full of nerves as Zhiyi messed up a clearance to allow the Bahrani side to take the lead on just 4 minutes. Chan Wai Ho then gave away a penalty before 15 minutes had passed and a third was added on the half hour. Sidrailson then picked a good time to score his first goal for the club to give us a glimmer of hope before half-time. In the second half, I took the disappointing Ma Shaui off and put Au Yueng Yiu Chung on and that proved a turning point as he scored a long-range effort and then, with 4 minutes to go, he completed the comeback and headed in a cross to make it 3-3 and force extra time. We had the better of extra time and thought we had won it when Adonis put the ball in the net only for the linesman to flag for offside. Then heartbreak as first Wenzhao missed a sitter from 3 yards out and Muharraq went straight up the other end and scored with the last kick of the game. It was great that we came so far but gutting to lose like we did.

Following the game I handed in my resignation as Tai Po manager. I think I had done a lot with the club and, although I only had one Senior Shield win to my name, it was the right time to move on a see what other jobs come up.

So, it’s goodbye from Hong Kong and thanks once more to Raware for giving me the incentive to load this league in the first place.

[MeLikeFM]

Your one year behind me and still only one club under your belt.

Good thing imo.

[DodgeeD]

Yeah, I was keen to move on as I wanted to do the 'journeyman' thing with this save but the question is, will one cup win (for which I had to win 3 games) in Hong Kong get me enough recognition elsewhere?

[DodgeeD]

Youth of a Nation: South Korea U19s

An intriguing job offer this one: on the eve of the qualification campaign for the 2014 Asian U19 Championships, I was approached by the South Korean FA to take charge of their under-19 team. I accepted, tinking this could be a better way to get into international management than my brief time at the helm of the Solomon Islands.

It all started with 5 games in the space of little over a week with the expectation that we would qualify for next year's tournament in China. I expected little resistance from the youth teams of Idonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar and East Timor and I was right to do so as we won all our games without conceding a goal to top the group with plenty to spare.

The finals don't take place until October 2014 (11 months away) so I hope I still have a decent crop of available players by then.

On the club front, jobs are cropping up constantly in South America as the apertura campaigns come to a close. I'm eying a couple of jobs in the 2nd Divisions of Argentina and Uruguay so we'll see what comes up!

[Raware]

So, it’s goodbye from Hong Kong and thanks once more to Raware for giving me the incentive to load this league in the first place.

A good few years in HK DodgeeD in which I don't think you give yourself enough credit for. Runners up in the league twice, runners up in the FA Cup once, runners up in the League Cup once, 4 semi finals in the domestic cups, a Senior Shield win and ACC runners up! I think your stay in HK has been a case of the nearly man . Still, not bad going for a club like Tai Po! Good job!

So, onto patures new...welcome to South Korea! An interesting job, how would success in the Asian U19 Championships affect your reputation? And what kind of club job are you looking for? One in South Korea or elsewhere? I saw you've got an eye on a few jobs in South America but surely that's too far too travel bewteen club and country games?

[DodgeeD]

In a way, I'm kind of following you again with that South Korea job. Travel time won' be a concern as I'm only interested in the competitive games and the Asian U19 tournament is nearly a year away - I may be cheeky and skip any friendlies that come up.

I guess the qualifying campaign boosted my rep a bit as beforehand I declared interest in a couple of lower division jobs in various countires and I was 'laughed off' each time. However, after the U19s topped thier group, a couple of clubs said they would consider me. Perhaps it's more to do with the rep (or desperation ) of the clubs in question...

Anyway, I have a job offer on the table but I saved and quit last night before making my mind up. I shall reveal my decision later (because I really should be working on an MA assignment right now!)

[DodgeeD]

Part 2 - Long Way Down : Olimpo de Bahia Blanca

And so, I've relocated myself halfway around the world to join a club struggling to fufill expectations in the Argentinian 2nd Division.

Manager Profile

Olimpo were founded in 1910 but have enjoyed little success until two 2nd Division titles. Those have both come recently with Olimpo's last spell in the top flight as recent as 2008. The last few seasons have seen the club struggle to compete in the 2nd Division though and a 13th placed finish in the apertura led to the sacking of the previous manager and their acceptance of my job application.

The set-up looks decent with adequate training facilities and average youth facilities (no youth academy though) and a 16,000 capacity stadium (3,500 seated). We have Boca as a parent club, which I hope will come in handy.

My best player, according to the backroom staff, is Claudio Velazquez, who is also the topscorer. Alexis Wade has the best ratings from the first half of the season. Apart from that, I think new faces will be needed to meet the board's expectations of a mid-table finish, a view my ass man concurs with.

Time to scour the transfer market and get ready for the first game!

[LCFC]

Good luck in your new job (and in the Asian U19 tournament, even if it a long way off ). I don't know any of the restrictions or difficulties you face managing in Argentina, or even the structure for that matter, but I am looking forward to seeing how you get on. Lets hope you can put that Solomon Islands knowledge to good use in your attempt to get the squad capable of a mid-table finish!