FM Pentagon Challenge Thread

[treva]

When you get a chance post up the relevant info needed for me to add to the first post.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

If this really is the challenge... (which it's not, I've cut my teeth in the swiss 2nd division, no way I'm going to poxy asia to manage until I'm washed up and they offer me 200k a week )

anyway, I'm at a crossroads. 2nd consecutive title with fulham, this time I obliterated the opposition and my team's got time on it's side, some of the younger players took starring roles this year, one or two of them look incredible and I really want to see them develop. buuuuut, we're still a club that has rubbish youth recruitment due to being in london where arsenal, chelsea and tottenham all have much more muscle, a 30,000 seat stadium and finances that are doing no more than levelling out. we usually have to sell a star player for 30m every couple of seasons to keep a float even with CL money. I'm in the last year of my contract and to be honest I doubt I'll get offered a wage that I think befits my services.

soooo, managers have began moving all over the place, the man u job has become available and I'm touted as the preferred candidate, if I don't go for that there's a chance the real madrid manager will be leaving for it, and after 2 PL titles with fulham and 3 manager of the year awards I fancy myself to get any job I want (the humble person that I am)

to take man u would be a bit of a slap in the face to the fans, and going to a team in the same division as my superior, younger, more promising fulham side might be hard to take. plus my best player was nicked off them so that would annoy me.

Real madrid is more of an outside punt, I'd have to turn man u to have a chance at it, but I could potentially bring a few of my favourites with me and wouldn't have to face my own guys in the league. I kinda hate real madrid though and the pressure to get them up and winning instantly might end up back firing.

however given the finances of both teams both are champions league winning teams whereas a fulham we struggle to maintain a squad big enough or bring in established world beaters in weak positions.

sooo I dunno what to do, my other option is hanging about and waiting for milan to sack the manager (which they will, they're terrible), be a big rebuilding job but they have potential to go further.

 

[treva]

It turned out to be our one and only season in the Premier League as we finished 18th, six points from safety. We were down and out halfway through the season having gone on an incredible streak of 14 games without a win (12 losses, 2 draws) before turning things around and almost pulling off the unthinkable. I brought in Steven Fletcher from Sunderland for a club record fee of ?9.5million during the January transfer window and he helped us turn things around, scoring seven league goals and one cup goal. We had impressive wins against Arsenal who did the double and a 4-0 thrashing of Hull, who also went down. Norwich's victory over Arsenal put the final nail in the coffin and despite a brilliant win over Liverpool on the final day of the season we still fell well short.

Overall it was a respectable effort. Just a couple of wins during that horrible winless period and we would have been safe.

I have decided to call it a day at the club and look elsewhere for my first major trophy. Swiss sides Aarau and Lugano, as well as Chinese side Dalian have already offered me contracts. Think I'll e turning those down looking for a bigger position. I've sent in a rather ambitious application to Man United who finished 6th in the Premier League this season.

 

[hedger_14]

lol, I can't see you getting the Man Utd position but always worth a shot

 

[treva]

I got laughed off by Fulham, let alone United, haha. Winning the Championship has to be worth something! Thought I had a shot for the Zenit and Lokomotiv Moscow job but they decided on someone else.

I do have a job though. I am the current Honduras manager after they offered me their vacant managerial post. My first game will be a friendly against Martinique, a good four months after my resignation at Leicester.

 

[treva]

Scratch that, Saudi Arabia came calling and with them fighting for World Cup qualification this year I've decided I'd rather be managing a team playing than sitting around doing nothing. So my reign as Honduras manager ended without managing a single game.

 

[hedger_14]

lolol, that sounds like something I would do xD

 

[hedger_14]

Okay, just a short overview of my career so far. The rules I've set for myself though.


> Must start from the bottom playable league in each country (club does not matter), however if I come back to that country later in my career, I can start from the league I have progressed to. E.g. just say I took a team from the Blue Square North to League 2, then moved to another country. If I came back to England, I can manage in League 2 or below.

> Cannot manage in the same country twice in a row

> Leagues can be added/removed at any time

> If the Liechtenstein job comes available, I must apply for it. The long-run goal is to qualify for a World Cup with Liechtenstein.


Game Overview:

FM12 (Weegie Update)
Database: Large + All players in Liechtenstein

Starting Leagues Loaded (all to the lowest level playable). (42 leagues in total)

South Africa, Australia, South Korea, Austria, England, Ireland, Italy, N. Ireland, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia



6th July 2011 - Took over at FC Nizhniy Novgorod (Russian Second Division)

I tried to build a slightly stronger squad, bringing in a few new names while getting rid of a lot of deadwood in order to try and move up the table, sitting 9th while I took over. It was an up and down period, missing a lot of key players through injury, while I was at the club though, going down to Sibir in my first game. We won our match against Volgar. Finances declined quickly, as did our performances with two consecutive defeats. We looked alright at times but inconsistency was the main aspect of our play, and although our attack was relatively consistent, it was consistently ----. Our defence finally sorted itself when we kept 3 clean-sheets in a row, yet we only took 3 points from those games, failing to score ourselves. A couple of 1-0 wins gave us some chance of our revival to our season but we seemed to lose all hope of that with losses against Torpedo Moscow and Khimki. Our attack finally started to look like a force in this division afterwards though as we cruised to 3 consecutive victories (despite them all being low on the table). Our third win ensured a championship group place, but our chances of finishing 7th were shattered with a 4-2 loss at Sibir. In the end, I decided that it wasn't worth staying in Russia and left my job days later, not wanting to hang around a few months before our season resumed. So my career with Nizniy Novgorod started with a loss against Sibir and ended on the same note.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team               |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Alania             |       | 36    | 21    | 9     | 6     | 72    | 29    | +43   | 72    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | KamAZ              |       | 36    | 20    | 7     | 9     | 48    | 33    | +15   | 67    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Sibir              |       | 36    | 19    | 7     | 10    | 69    | 39    | +30   | 64    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Khimki             |       | 36    | 18    | 10    | 8     | 61    | 49    | +12   | 64    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Shinnik            |       | 36    | 17    | 12    | 7     | 51    | 35    | +16   | 63    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Dinamo Bryansk     |       | 36    | 16    | 9     | 11    | 43    | 36    | +7    | 57    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | SKA Khabarovsk     |       | 36    | 14    | 12    | 10    | 53    | 53    | 0     | 54    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Nizhniy Novgorod   |       | 36    | 14    | 9     | 13    | 40    | 43    | -3    | 51    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Ural               |       | 36    | 14    | 8     | 14    | 56    | 51    | +5    | 50    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Mordovia           |       | 36    | 11    | 15    | 10    | 42    | 36    | +6    | 48    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Luch               |       | 36    | 12    | 11    | 13    | 52    | 52    | 0     | 47    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Torpedo Moscow     |       | 36    | 12    | 9     | 15    | 45    | 44    | +1    | 45    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Gazovik Orenburg   |       | 36    | 10    | 15    | 11    | 39    | 50    | -11   | 45    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Yenisey            |       | 36    | 12    | 8     | 16    | 48    | 58    | -10   | 44    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Baltika            |       | 36    | 10    | 8     | 18    | 44    | 58    | -14   | 38    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Volgar             |       | 36    | 9     | 8     | 19    | 48    | 68    | -20   | 35    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Chernomorets (RUS) |       | 36    | 8     | 7     | 21    | 42    | 71    | -29   | 31    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Fakel              |       | 36    | 7     | 10    | 19    | 38    | 55    | -17   | 31    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Torpedo Vladimir   |       | 36    | 7     | 8     | 21    | 38    | 69    | -31   | 29    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

As of the 8th November 2011, I am officially unemployed

----------

Dundela (Northern Ireland Second Division)​

It was an agonising few months as I struggled to find a job. I nearly lost all hope when Blue Square Bet North sides were rejecting me, but in the end, I found a decent job prospect in Northern Ireland. It was a less than a lucrative salary but on the 5th March 2012, I landed myself a job with Dundela. The team is struggling a little financially but after getting rid of our reserves and our other crap players, our wage bill now looked respectable. The youth/training facilities are also nothing to write home about. The team is miles above the rest of the division in quality as far as I can see but somehow the previous manager couldn't live up to the expectations, in 6th place before his sacking. If I could get the finances in order, this could be the boost that my career needed.


Team Report:

Finances

Key Players

His ability to play anywhere in defence as well as his immense talent at this level means he'll be key to any success we will have in the upcoming season at least. Don't think there's a heap of potential left in him but he's good enough for the First Division at least so I'm not too worried about that.

Another versatile player. He'll play wherever is needed. At the moment, he'll be playing on the left wing though. Our strike force is not the best unfortunately, one of the only areas of the side that is lacking so hopefully this guy can add a couple of goals as it could prove vital if we are to promote this season.

 

[hedger_14]

End of March Update​

10th March: Lurgan Celtic 0 - 1 Dundela

Well we dominated possession in this match with 61%. Unfortunately we couldn't make the most of it as they outnumbed us in shots. Surprisingly, they had 4 clear cut chances and couldn't convert them but in the end, it was Bingham's goal that proved the difference, as Devine played an aerial through ball in behind the defence and Bingham beat Ochieng on the near post and the 22nd minute goal proved to be the difference.

24th March: Dundela 2 - 0 Coagh Utd

We were below our opponents on the ladder but we outclassed them as new signing Conaghan made his presence felt, with Devine playing the crucial ball again and Conaghan made no mistake in slotting it past the keeper. Conaghan moved to the centre of midfield for the second half and played a huge role in our second game, putting a long ball for substitute Faulkner to run onto and he was brought down inside the box, who was probably lucky to only get yellow. Melly made no mistake in putting the ball in the bottom corner.

31st March: Portstewart 2 - 3 Dundela

Well it was a very disappointing performance against a lowly side but we somehow got out of it with 3 points. Our 16 year old central defender, Andrew Dornan capitalised on some sloppy play from an attacking corner with the ball dribbling out to him after a challenge from other players around him, and Dornan took his chance to score his first goal of his career. It seemed like it was going to be a game for our defenders when skipper, Scott Collins tried a 25 yard shot off the pass from Devine and a poor effort from Madison gave the defender his 6th goal of the season (pretty prolific for a right back, he's our top scorer...) With a two goal lead after 17 minutes, it seemed like we would be on track for an easy win but our team did the best to lose the game, Ryan McAllister pulling one back just after half-time before Curran's 80th minute 30 yard strike went in off the crossbar to steal a point, it would seem. Conaghan was proving to be a vital signing for us though when he was given a bit of space a few minutes later and he made the most of it, unleashing a strike from outside the box and Madison wasn't able to prevent us from taking a 3-2 win. Less than convincing though.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team              |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Sport & Leisure   |       | 25    | 13    | 7     | 5     | 38    | 20    | +18   | 46    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Killymoon         |       | 25    | 13    | 5     | 7     | 35    | 32    | +3    | 44    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Queens University |       | 25    | 13    | 4     | 8     | 38    | 27    | +11   | 43    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Dundela           |       | 25    | 12    | 6     | 7     | 31    | 27    | +4    | 42    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Coagh Utd         |       | 25    | 12    | 5     | 8     | 27    | 23    | +4    | 41    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Lurgan Celtic     |       | 25    | 10    | 7     | 8     | 29    | 24    | +5    | 37    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Ballymoney Utd    |       | 25    | 10    | 5     | 10    | 26    | 28    | -2    | 35    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Ballyclare        |       | 25    | 10    | 5     | 10    | 23    | 26    | -3    | 35    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Wakehurst         |       | 25    | 8     | 9     | 8     | 30    | 28    | +2    | 33    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Annagh Utd        |       | 25    | 9     | 6     | 10    | 34    | 34    | 0     | 33    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | P.S.N.I.          |       | 25    | 8     | 8     | 9     | 27    | 26    | +1    | 32    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Knockbreda        |       | 25    | 7     | 9     | 9     | 27    | 32    | -5    | 30    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Armagh            |       | 25    | 8     | 4     | 13    | 23    | 36    | -13   | 28    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Portstewart       |       | 25    | 6     | 9     | 10    | 32    | 35    | -3    | 27    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Chimney Corner    |       | 25    | 4     | 9     | 12    | 25    | 36    | -11   | 21    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Moyola Park       |       | 25    | 5     | 6     | 14    | 23    | 34    | -11   | 21    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

So it's been a busy month. We got rid of 11 players to clear up wages, then signed 3 new players. Colm Smith, as a striking option, the 20 year old Irish striker with a lot of potential, and pretty much our best current striker, but our options aren't great up front anyway. Martin Kehoe was our second signing and I was hoping to have him play instead of the 16 year old Dornan, but he's ineligible for the season as he can't play for two clubs in the same season. But still, he'll be a key part of our team next season. Christy Conaghan was our last signing and he's already shown what he is capable of. Either way, he's our best midfielder and can play either in the centre of midfield or the right wing which makes him a valuable addition to our side. Our results have been pleasing but our performances still don't show the ability of our side, with a few lucky scrapes. If we can get our goal-scoring issues up-front addressed, we'll be well on our way to taking promotion this season or even the division title, with 5 games to go and only 4 points separating 1st and us. Lurgan Celtic has fallen off the pace, with 3 consecutive losses meaning they've dropped from 2nd and seemed to have been the first team out of the title race, so it looks like a 5 way title race. Will be an interesting end to the season.

 

[hedger_14]

End of Season Update​

7th April: Sport & Leisure 2 - 3 Dundela

This was our biggest clash of the season and tbh, I didn't really fancy our chances away from home despite the form we were in. We got off to a great start though when Conaghan fired in the first goal 7 minutes into the game, as Smith broke free, before holding the ball up and Conaghan was there to score a free goal. Dornan then fired in a volley off a Melly free kick to extend our lead in the 15th minute. Finan's flying header put the home side back into it though 10 minutes before half-time. Devine's strike just after half-time really put us in the box seat though. Dornan was sent off after a second yellow card though to put us in a dangerous position. McCusker's lazy challenge while already on a yellow meant it would be 10 on 10 for the final 19 minutes. Lyons' 85th minute penalty gave Sport & Leisure a small hope of taking something from the match but we held on to take a vital win, and could be the difference in coming 1st and 2nd.


14th April: Dundela 2 - 0 Queens University

To be honest, it wasn't the most exciting of matches but we never really looked like losing it. Keane opened the scoring late in the first half when he had a free strike at goal just inside the box. A McAliskey long ball then put Conaghan in behind who crossed it for Breen to score his first goal for the club and ensure a vital 2-0 win over fellow promotion contenders. Meanwhile Sport & Leisure continued to throw away their title lead with their third consecutive defeat and this had really blown the battle for the division wide open.


21st April: Annagh Utd 0 - 2 Dundela

Another dominant win in the rain. Johnny Breen scored another goal as he fired the ball in from 5 yards off Melly's pass. After a pretty boring game that we had full control of, we sealed it in stoppage time when Melly's free kick found Walker who fired home his second goal of the season. Another loss for Sport & Leisure meanwhile had put them out of the title race, it had seemed and it would be a 3 way race to the title.


28th April: Dundela 2 - 1 Killymoon

Well this game would determine who would win the division. We were level on points, with us just scraping ahead on goal difference. A win here would all but secure the title, with a draw meaning it would all go down to the last fixture of the season, although Killymoon played the third placed team in their final match so even if we lost, there would still be a small chance of taking the title. Coagh Utd sat 3 points behind us so they still had an outside chance although their chances of winning the title were low. We hit Killymoon on the counter early as Sergeant fisted the Killymoon free kick out to Smith and with 3 options open and only one defender ahead of him, he fired the pass through to Conaghan on the right who seemed to have ruined the chance when he tried to go the long way around the keeper who had raced out, but he was able to get the cross on target and Breen fired it into the empty net. We were looking well on top and made it a incisive 2-0 lead when Devine had the chance to run forward before making the shot from the edge of the box and Carpenter wasn't able to keep it from rolling into the back of the net. Killymoon were given a lifeline when Broaders capitalised on his one-on-one chance with Sergeant and with 10 minutes to go, things didn't look quite so comfortable. Despite some late chances for both sides, we were able to hold on for our biggest win of the season and extend our winning streak to 7 games. Elsewhere, Coagh Utd won to keep their title and promotion hopes alive and their final match against Killymoon would determine who would promote, while this win ensured promotion.


1st May: Wakehurst 1 - 1 Dundela

Well our winning streak finally came to an end, although it seemed like our squad were already on vacation after having won promotion. The first 5 minutes were really the only interesting minutes of the match. Colm Smith finally scored his first goal for us in the 2nd minute before Warren equalised for the home side 3 minutes later. From then on, our side relaxed and although we didn't look in much danger of losing the game, there was no urgency in attack and in the end, a 1-1 draw probably reflected our attitude towards that game. Either way, a point was all we needed to clinch the division title, although in the end, it wouldn't have mattered as Killymoon and Coagh Utd drew, Coagh Utd taking the second promotion place edging out their opponents on goal difference.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team              |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | C     | Dundela           |       | 30    | 16    | 7     | 7     | 41    | 31    | +10   | 55    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | P     | Coagh Utd         |       | 30    | 15    | 7     | 8     | 36    | 27    | +9    | 52    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Killymoon         |       | 30    | 15    | 7     | 8     | 41    | 37    | +4    | 52    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Sport & Leisure   |       | 30    | 14    | 7     | 9     | 42    | 30    | +12   | 49    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Ballymoney Utd    |       | 30    | 14    | 6     | 10    | 43    | 35    | +8    | 48    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Queens University |       | 30    | 14    | 5     | 11    | 45    | 36    | +9    | 47    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Lurgan Celtic     |       | 30    | 13    | 8     | 9     | 39    | 30    | +9    | 47    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Ballyclare        |       | 30    | 13    | 6     | 11    | 30    | 28    | +2    | 45    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | P.S.N.I.          |       | 30    | 10    | 9     | 11    | 31    | 35    | -4    | 39    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Wakehurst         |       | 30    | 8     | 13    | 9     | 35    | 34    | +1    | 37    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Portstewart       |       | 30    | 9     | 10    | 11    | 40    | 41    | -1    | 37    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Annagh Utd        |       | 30    | 9     | 7     | 14    | 39    | 46    | -7    | 34    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Armagh            |       | 30    | 9     | 7     | 14    | 26    | 39    | -13   | 34    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Knockbreda        |       | 30    | 7     | 11    | 12    | 32    | 42    | -10   | 32    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  | R     | Chimney Corner    |       | 30    | 5     | 9     | 16    | 29    | 43    | -14   | 24    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  | R     | Moyola Park       |       | 30    | 5     | 9     | 16    | 27    | 42    | -15   | 24    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Our quality transfer:

Star Players:

Christy Conaghan - This guy has shown what he is capable of during the late parts of this season. Unfortunately, his attributes are dropping probably due to the disappointing training facilities at the club. Hopefully he can push on though be a key part of our team next season on the right wing.


Fergal McAliskey - His performances over the back end of the season have been nothing short of exceptional. Since my takeover of the managerial post, he has only rated below 7 once which was a 6.9. Averaging 5 tackles a game, the most in the league, and with the ability to create attacking opportunities, he is undoubtedly the best fullback in the division.


Season Comments:

It was a strong end to the season that gave us the division title in the end. Given the strength of our squad and the signing of Johnny Breen upfront, we really shouldn't have had any trouble clinching promotion. Next season will be a lot different though, I feel but most of our players should be able to cope well with the jump in quality, with pretty much all of our starting XI good signings for the First Division. I need to get our finances sorted though in order to look to improve our youth and training facilities cause that's something we need to sort out if we ever want a shot at challenging for top division honours. Although all we really need is a decent source of income and we'd be set, considering we're paying next to nothing in expenses, with our season finances being ?105k in turnover and ?127k in expenses so not a huge amount. We're now about ?32k in the red though, although the board don't seem worried about it at all and tbh, it's not that bad.

 

[hedger_14]

World Update​

Competitions:

Champions League:

Final: Man Utd 0 - 2 Real Madrid
Semi Finalists: FC Bayern & Juventus


Europa League

Final: Napoli 0 - 3 Olympique Lyonnais
Semi Finalists: SLB & Valencia


England:

1st: Man Utd
2nd: Man City
3rd: Liverpool
Relegated: Wigan, Reading & Norwich
Promoted from Championship: Watford, Wolves & Bolton
FA Cup: Nottm Forrest (def. Derby 3-2) (find that pretty funny. Tottenham and Sunderland were knocked out in the semis)
Capital One Cup: Southampton (def. Chelsea 3-1)
Community Shield: Chelsea (def. Man City 1-1 on penalties)


Spain:

1st: Valencia
2nd: R. Madrid
3rd: Sevilla
Spanish Cup: R. Madrid (def. Malage 2-1 aet)
Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona (def. R. Madrid 2-1 on aggregate)


Italy:

1st: Juventus
2nd: Lazio
3rd: AC Milan
Italian Cup: Napoli (def. AC Milan 2-2 on penalties)
Italian Super Cup: Juventus (def. Napoli 2-0)


Australia:

Minor Premiers: Sydney FC
Champions: Sydney FC
Runners Up: Central Coast Mariners


Austria:

Winners: FK Austria Wien
Runners Up: SK Sturm Graz
FA Cup: SK Rapid Wien (def. Grazer AK 1-0)


Ireland: (2011 season)

Winners: Sligo Rovers
Runners Up: Derry City
Senior Challenge Cup: Shelbourne (def. Bray Wanderers 2-0)
League Cup: Waterford Utd (def. Drogheda Utd 2-1)


Northern Ireland:

Winners: Linfield
Runners Up: Glentoran
Northern Irish Cup: Cliftonville (def. Glentoran 2-2 on penalties)
League Cup: Ballymena Utd (def. Dergview 2-1)
County Antrim Shield: Glentoran (def. Linfield 1-0)


Norway: (2011 season)

Winners: Rosenburg
Runners Up: Viking
Norwegian Cup: Rosenburg (def. Stromsgodset 1-0)


Russia:

Winners: CSKA Moscow
Runners Up: Rubin
3rd: Dinamo Moscow
Russian Cup: Zenit (def. Salyut Belgorod 2-1)


South Africa:

Winners: Sundowns
Runners Up: Golden Arrows
Knockout Cup: Swallows (def. Jomo Cosmos 3-0)
Super Eight Cup: Sundowns (def. SuperSport Utd 2-0)


South Korea: (2011 season)

Minor Premiers: Suwon
Champions: Ulsan
Runners Up: Suwon
FA Cup: Yongin City (def. Gwangju FC 3-2)
League Cup: Seoul (def. Busan 3-1)


Sweden: (2011 season)

Winners: GAIS
Runners Up: IF Elfsborg
Swedish Cup: AIK (def. Orebro SK 3-0)
Super Cup: AIK (def. Helsingsborgs IF 1-0)


Switzerland:

Champions: Basel
Runners Up: Young Boys
Swiss Cup: Grasshoppers (def. Locarno 3-0)



World Rankings:

1st: Holland
2nd: Russia
3rd: Germany
4th: Spain
5th: Croatia
6th: Uruguay
7th: Norway
8th: Slovakia
9th: Chile
10th: Nigeria



Liechtenstein:

World Ranking: 87th

Notable Results: 2-1 win over Scotland (H) in the Euro Championship Qualifiers, 1-1 draw with Lithuania (A) in the Euro Championship Qualifiers


Competitions:

Euro Championship Qualifiers - Finished 4th (out of 5 teams) on 7 points, ahead of Lithuania.

World Cup 2014 Qualifiers - No matches played yet

Group: Liechtenstein, Greece, Lithuania, Slovakia, Latvia, Bosnia & Herz.


Highest Valued Player: Sandro Wieser (19 year old ?1.7m Hoffenheim midfielder)

Most Capped Player: Mario Frick (104 caps)

All-Time Top Goalscorer: Mario Frick (18 goals)


FC Vaduz Performance:

2nd in Swiss Challenge League, lost in promotion playoff.



World Transfers (above ?20m):

30.1.12 - Edinson Cavani (?23.5m from Napoli to Arsenal)


Awards:

World Golden Ball: Wayne Rooney
World Player of the Year: Wayne Rooney



Most Reputable Clubs:

1st: Barcelona
2nd: R. Madrid
3rd: Man Utd
4th: Chelsea
5th: FC Bayern
6th: A.C Milan
7th: Inter
8th: Man City
9th: Juventus
10th: FCP


Richest Clubs:

1st: R. Madrid (?952m)
2nd: Barcelona (?865m)
3rd: Arsenal (?537m)
4th: Man Utd (?398m)
5th: Chelsea (?359m)
6th: FC Bayern (?337m)
7th: Man City (?337m)
8th: Tottenham (?256m)
9th: SLB (?250m)
10th: Paris Saint-Germain (?182m)

 

[hedger_14]

Wooo, we now have 1 star reputation

Apparently we are the 16th most reputable side in Northern Ireland, miles ahead of the other Second Division sides and now we'd be the 6th most reputable club in the First Division, lol.

 

[hedger_14]

Pre-Season Update​

Well it was a busy pre-season, making a lot of transfers trying to build a squad that can challenge for promotion this season. We brought in no fewer than 11 players, with veteran Northern Irish midfielder, Keith Gillespie to join in January for the latter half of the season before it's probably time to end his career. In the end, we've managed to build a squad that looks strong. We were expected to finish 4th, and had the second best odds of winning the division (not sure why they were different). Now after rebuilding our squad, I'm sure we'd have to be considered favourites. Still I decided to be conservative and set expectations at just a top half finish. Still, I want to finish in the top 2.


Transfers:


Star Players:

Alan Martin - This guy is an exceptional keeper for this level and his ability with the gloves will really help in moving this team forward.


La'Vere Corbin-Ong - This Canadian defender is top class (as well as having an awesome name). He's miles ahead of everybody in this division and probably the top division as well. He is going to be what this team is built around in the upcoming seasons.


Johnny Breen - Well this guy needs to score goals if we're going to promote this season. He's not the best that I've ever had but he's good enough at this level to do a decent job. He has a bit of support with Smith and new signing Doyle but their quality isn't great, so it will be up to Breen to score goals.



Other World Transfers:

14.6.12 - Marek Hamsik (?20.5m from Napoli to Man City)
14.6.12 - Rafael van der Vaart (?20m from HSV to Man City)
16.6.12 - Bryan Ruiz (?19.75m from Fulham to Man Utd)
25.7.12 - Gokhan Inler (?17.5m from Napoli to Liverpool)
28.6.12 - Dede (?17m from Vasco to Anji)
7.7.12 - Michael Essien (?16.25m from Chelsea to R. Madrid)
11.7.12 - Andre Ayew (?15.75m from OM to A.C. Milan)

----------

I'm over every freaking image hosting site on the web. None of them like to upload my images. Imageshack finally does but now they're not even showing the images and the direct links go to a broken web page...

 

[hedger_14]

End of August Update​

11th August: Glebe 0 - 3 Dundela

We opened our season with a dominant win over a sorry Glebe. We scored 3 goals in the opening half, Breen leading the way with a double while Richard scored on his debut as we cruised to a 3-0 lead after 24 minutes. Glebe were lucky only to lose by 3 goals, as we dominated the match. They had ten shots, but considering 7 were long shots and there were no clear cut or half chances, they never really looked like threatening us.


21st August: Distillery 2 - 1 Dundela (Co. Antrim Shield 1st Rnd)

Premiership side, Distillery ended our short run in the County Antrim Shield although we probably should have drawn at least. They opened the scoring through a penalty and we had enough chances to draw level, but we weren't able to take advantage of the clear chances. They got slightly lucky as well when they scored off a corner against the run of play. Breen put a beautiful ball in behind for Colm Smith to pull a goal back but we weren't able to push the game into extra-time.


25th August: Warrenpoint 0 - 3 Dundela (League Cup 1st Rnd)

Well it was going to be a run of cup games, it seemed. The result against fellow First division side was never in doubt as we cruised to a 3 goal victory in the Irish League Cup. Breen scored yet again, while Doyle got a little lucky when Sanchez's shot deflected off the striker for his first goal for the club.


29th August: Dundela 1 - 0 Sport & Leisure (Steel & Sons Cup 2nd Rnd)

Yet another cup game and a different competition, playing against old rivals Sport & Leisure. We strolled to a pretty easy victory in the end as Corbin-Ong's header set Breen on goal and he made no mistake in scoring his 4th goal of the season.


The team's looking good so far and our performance against Distillery showed that we're going to have a good chance of being able to compete in the Premier Division should we promote. Breen's found the form that he's capable of and he's going to need to keep up this goalscoring form if we're going to gain promotion. Also made a couple of new signings on amateur/non-contracts so I don't really have to pay anything, just as backups, Australian youngster, Jack Boxell is one of those, with Mulcahy out injured, and Ian McGrane as backup for Conaghan on the wing. Also trying to sign two youngsters who seem to have massive potential and currently in contract talks on amateur contracts.

 

[hedger_14]

End of September Update​

5th September: Dundela 4 - 0 Institute

We made it two from two in the league with a commanding victory over Institute. It didn't take very long for Colm Smith to open the scoring, Breen setting his partner in crime up for a beautiful finish. Smith might have got a bit lucky with his second goal as he hit McNamara's cross right into the goalkeeper from 6 yards but luckily the rebound fell to him and he beat the keeper on the near post. McKinney wasn't having the best game in goals for the opposition, it had to be said as he made a poor effort in saving Johnny Breen's shot and Breen pounced on the rebound to make it 3-0. Colombian striker, Zapata-Caicedo was brought on to make his debut and made the best possible start to his career, scoring with his first touch, as McNamara set the young striker through on goal and he remained calm and composed as he slotted the goal past McKinney off the inside of the post to make it a 4-0 win.


8th September: Kilbride 1 - 4 Dundela (Steel & Suns Cup 3rd Rnd)

Nothing less was expected in a game we were huge favourites. Stupidly played a full strength side, but oh well. Colm Smith continued his emphatic goal-scoring run with a hattrick while Shane Harte rounded off the performance in the 87th minute with a long-range strike, his first goal for the club.


19th September: Dundela 3 - 4 Dergview

Well we were expected to win. And win big... Somehow, we managed to lose this game. We dominated them but whenever they got a small chance, they scored. Sproute opened the scoring for them after 17 minutes, before Breen equalised 10 minutes later with a solid strike from the edge of the box. We took the lead just on half-time with Smith tapping in McNamara's shot. Corbin-Ong let the visitors draw back level when he gave away a penalty, and Haveron made no mistake. We tried to get back ahead but things weren't going our way and we somehow managed to give away two goals and it seemed like we had given away what should have been an easy win. Zapata-Caicedo was looking to be a huge talent though as he came off the bench to score his second goal in his second league game, as he calmly finished from Breen's cross. We probably should have equalised but in the end, we weren't able to and our undefeated league run finally came to an end.


22nd September: Newry 1 - 0 Dundela (League Cup 2nd Rnd)

A decision to rest the whole first team cost us as we failed to make chances pay and were knocked out by Second Division side, Newry. I didn't really care much about this competition though so I'm not that disappointed that I let my second team play this game.


26th September: Larne 1 - 2 Dundela

It was a comfortable victory despite the one goal scoreline. Corbin-Ong finally showed his talents as he set Colm Smith through on goal in the third minute for his 8th goal of the season in all competitions. They drew back level later in the first half but Corbin-Ong's first goal for the club off the Colm Smith corner early in the second half meant a 2-1 win.


29th September: Dundela 4 - 0 Strabane (Steel & Suns Cup 4th Rnd)

Our second team dominated Strabane. Victor Zapata-Caicedo starred with 2 goals, and should have had a hattrick when his long range strike came crashing off the crossbar, and then missed the penalty that would have sealed his hattrick. Colm Smith meanwhile added to his tally and Martin Kehoe, the only survivor other than Smith that played in the Larne game scored to cap off a comfortable victory against non-league side, Strabane. We'll do well to lose this competition with the only 2 Second Division sides left in the competition and playing one of them in the quarter final.


League Table:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team               |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Glebe              |       | 5     | 3     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 5     | 0     | 10    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Dundela            |       | 4     | 3     | 0     | 1     | 12    | 5     | +7    | 9     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Coagh Utd          |       | 5     | 3     | 0     | 2     | 10    | 5     | +5    | 9     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Institute          |       | 5     | 3     | 0     | 2     | 9     | 9     | 0     | 9     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Carrick            |       | 5     | 2     | 2     | 1     | 12    | 7     | +5    | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Ballinamallard Utd |       | 5     | 2     | 2     | 1     | 8     | 5     | +3    | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Bangor             |       | 5     | 2     | 2     | 1     | 7     | 7     | 0     | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Tobermore Utd      |       | 5     | 2     | 1     | 2     | 5     | 3     | +2    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Limavady Utd       |       | 5     | 2     | 1     | 2     | 7     | 7     | 0     | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Dergview           |       | 5     | 2     | 1     | 2     | 12    | 13    | -1    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Loughgall          |       | 4     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 6     | 6     | 0     | 5     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Larne              |       | 4     | 1     | 0     | 3     | 5     | 11    | -6    | 3     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | H & W Welders      |       | 4     | 0     | 1     | 3     | 2     | 7     | -5    | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Warrenpoint        |       | 5     | 0     | 1     | 4     | 2     | 12    | -10   | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

We were condemned to defeat against Dergview but apart from that, another dominant month. Our loss against Newry isn't that disappointing with it just being another stupid cup competition to worry about. The Irish Cup is the only cup that I'm caring about with the chance of a European spot next season up for grabs if we can defy the odds and the revenue from that could pull us out of the red. Colm Smith and Johnny Breen have really led the way with 15 goals and 7 assists between them in all competitions already this season. Apart from that, there haven't been really any stand out performers but nobody is letting the team down, all averaging at a rating of about 7. Conaghan has probably been the biggest disappointment, only 2 assists this season in 8 starts and he really has to up his performance if he wants to be at the club next season. Still, I rather him than McGrane so his spot isn't under that much pressure atm.