[FM17] Journeyman's Journey I

2028 - January and February:
2028 begins with a whole host of fixtures, including the start of the FA Cup and AFC Champions League. Exciting times.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


Two 2–0 wins in friendlies began January, before three consecutive Premier League encounters. We lost to relegation-threatened Yau Tsim Mong, dire result but they deserved the points. We then went back-to-back goalless versus Pegasus and Southern District. Not good, as at this point Kitchee overtook us into first place. Then came the big match, the AFC Champions League first preliminary round match versus Geylang International of Singapore. Our form was pretty awful so I wasn't too confident. However, Afonsinho decided to take matters into his own hands and go on a four-goal rampage to send us into the next qualifying round. Hero! Our main man all season with 22 goals in 25 matches in all competitions.

Following that, a week later we meet Japanese giants Sanfreece Hiroshima. Despite that first round win, I honestly wasn't expecting anything in this very tough test but the boys turned up BIG. We beat Sanfrecce 1–2 in Japan! Outstanding result, and we completely merited it. We were now one match from the group stages, which would've been incredible really. It wasn't to be, though, as we were beaten by Pohang Steelers. 6–1 in the end, the South Koreans earned the win but the scoreline was a disgrace - unfair on us but it happens. Our first FA Cup tie was next, versus Hong Kong Rangers, and we won to advance to the semi-finals.

From there, we've turned to shit in all honesty. Three batterings in successive games versus the aforementioned Rangers, North Korean team Hwaebul in the AFC Cup (which we qualified for by losing to Pohang) and Tai Po. No idea what has happened since the turn of the year, but something has changed massively - as if someone, somewhere, has turned a switch. We must improve if we want to advance this season. We'll see.

Elsewhere, a few records have been broken and we signed two young promising left-wingers, one has signed now (Lai Tsz Long) while the other will join later in the year (Yip Kwok Ho). Squad statistics can also been seen below, as usual.








Hopefully form can improve. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2028 - March and April (w/ South China)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027– | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2028 - March and April:
Form, especially in the league, took a battering in January and February 2028, we play two of the three remaining months of the campaign in Hong Kong with South China in this post.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


It seems we are not allowed to win in the Premier League, it has been ridiculous. Four PL matches in these two months, lost three of them and drew the other. Meaning, we haven't won a league match since 11 December 2027 (eleven, 11, winless!!). We lost to the bottom two teams, conceding ten (10!) goals in the process. I have no idea what is happening, but there's no way to win in the PL - battered by them all. What makes it all the more frustrating and confusing, we're playing fantastically and winning matches in the cup competitions!

We're dominating our AFC Cup group, sealing qualification to the knockout stages with a game to spare; winning five/five. We became League Cup champions on 8 April, beating league champions Kitchee on penalties. In the FA Cup, we have reached the final by beating Sun Hei in the semi-finals. Superb form in the cups, shocking form in the league. So odd! Throughout this period, the board have got on my back; with my job status even reaching 'very insecure' at one point, as of now it's at 'insecure'.

Of all the competitions, the league is all but done - fourth, fifth or sixth will be our final position, awful considering we're the league's best team. Advancing in the AFC Cup, won the League Cup and still have the FA Cup final to come. Hopefully we can finish fourth, win the FA Cup and go as far as possible in the AFC Cup but with this form, who knows! A few records and awards can be seen below, as well as a few other things like Tedi Supriyatna leaving the club to return to Indonesia and the league champions, League Cup champions and a screenshot to see how bad our league form has been. Board relationship and my inclusion as the best manager in the Hong Kong hall of fame are also below. Squad stats too!















Who knows what's to come! Thanks for reading!

Next: 2028 - May and June (w/ South China)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027– | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 2 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2028 - May and June:
After an extremely confusing and difficult first four months of 2028 with South China, we go into the final two months of the season as we finish the extremely dire Premier League season, play the final AFC Cup group stage match before the knockout stage begins and meet my former team Eastern in the 2028 FA Cup final.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


As expected, after the last lot of months, this was another difficult run of matches. First up we ended our Premier League season with a wi...nope, another unwinnable match; lost to second place Metro Gallery. Fortunately, we managed to stay fifth and therefore qualified for the end of season play-offs for an AFC Cup spot for next season - that meant we played Metro Gallery again a few weeks later, lost again so no continental football for next season unless we do the impossible and win the AFC Cup. No league win since December 2027, a run of eleven matches - awful.

Speaking of which, we lost our final group encounter to Geylang International; that was expected though as I rested my entire line-up as we were already qualified and the Geylang match fell smack bang in the middle of the last PL game and the FA Cup final. We were subsequently drawn with Malaysian side Negeri Sembilan in the knockout stage, a good draw but it wasn't to be as we were eliminated despite going a goal up. Bitterly disappointing, but somewhat expected.

Thankfully, there was one high in the club and I winning the 2028 FA Cup! We beat my former employers Eastern 3–1 at the Hong Kong Stadium. A terrific performance, for once. That FA Cup triumph is my third trophy in one season with South China, my ninth Hong Kong trophy and sixteenth honour in the save. Happy with that, but not with the season overall - league form is the worst I have ever seen, managed teams near the bottom of leagues before and had better - South China are the best team in Hong Kong, not good enough.

My job status security has been quite funny to be honest. See the screenshots below, but before the FA Cup final my security level was 'insecure', afterwards it was 'stable' and the board subsequently offered me a new contract! I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay, but accepted it anyway for an insurance policy. However, after the play-off semi-final and AFC Cup defeats (just two games) I was back down to 'very insecure' and the board called a meeting to discuss the bad form (I persuaded them to not sack me). I found that hilarious, not sure if it's a trigger happy/lack of foresight board or Football Manager being Football Manager. Gave me a chuckle, anyway. Shortly after, I chose to resign as South China manager.

Resignation:


Bipolar Job Status:







As always, few other notables. Awards, records, FA Cup champion screenshot, season review and squad statistics can be viewed below.












So, I'm no longer South China manager. It was always going to be a short stop back in Hong Kong but, despite three trophies, I'm disappointed with how it went - the league is always the most important competition, for me. We go again though, the job search begins immediately. My aim? I'd love to find a club in Chinese football, whether top tier or second tier, and build them into something - not necessarily AFC Champions League winners or anything, but help improve them year-on-year and see what occurs. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Next: 2028 - The Job Search!

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2028 - The Job Search:
I've officially departed Hong Kong football for a second time, after winning three more trophies in a disappointing campaign with South China we return to the job search as I search for job number six! As I said in my past post, my preference is to get a solid job in China.

I applied for numerous managerial posts as usual, the first to offer me a job interview was I-League (India) outfit Bengaluru on 7 June 2028. A very interesting prospect, quite easily the best team in India and perhaps even within the realms of the AFC Cup as they've won the last six league titles and two of the last three AFC Cups. I was interested, probably would've took it but they gave the contract to somebody else. Next came Henan Jianye (National First Division, China) on 12 July. In line with my aforementioned preference, this job excited me a lot. They're arguably a mid-table top tier club in the second tier, it would've been the perfect job to build something and return them to the top league. However, like Bengaluru, they didn't offer me the job.

Two days later, Goa of the I-League in India gave me an interview. I wasn't feeling this, but took the interview anyway and realised I definitely didn't want it after further researching; poor finances and a bit of a glass ceiling with the top few teams in India dominating. They offered me a contract, but I rejected their advances. Chongqing Dangdai Lifan of the Chinese Super League gave me an interview next, I was very interested but talks broke down after they wanted me to work under a director of football (former Arsenal and England defender Tony Adams, in-fact!). I never agree to work under a DoF, so I didn't want the job anymore - Shijiazhuang Ever Bright also wanted a DoF role. At this point, while talks were still ongoing with Chongqing, their fans and media gave me positive reviews - if not for the DoF, that could've been a good job.

Next came another Chinese top-flight team - Liaoning Hongyun. I got good feels about this one instantly, thankfully they gave me an interview and a subsequent job offer. Meaning, my sixth job in management is Chinese Super League side Liaoning Hongyun!

Next Manager of Liaoning Hongyun:


Job Search Process:















Delighted to be Liaoning Hongyun's next manager. I join with just six Super League fixtures to play as I try to keep the club in China's top division. The club sits in the relegation play-off place, two points clear of two automatic spots. Safety is just one point ahead. I'm confident, but not getting carried away. I must keep them in the top league, relegation wouldn't be the worst thing but it would put me on the backfoot straight away. They are a newly-promoted team and were the start of season favourites to finish bottom, my contract is also until December 2029 so if relegation was to happen I should be OK.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


Now it's time to check out the squad. The next update will be at the end of the league season. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2028 - August to October (w/ Liaoning Hongyun)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028– | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2028 - August to October:
In this update, I begin my new role as Liaoning Hongyun's new manager in the Chinese Super League. Six matches are remaining as we aim to avoid relegation to the second tier.

Fixtures:


Table:


Thankfully, we've managed to avoid relegation. Only just though, after having to go through the relegation play-off. My first official match in charge of the team came on 10 September 2028 versus Shijiazhuang Ever Bright (a club I came close to joining months ago), it was a winning beginning as Brian Valdez's goal gave us the three points. Very important win. Next came a run of ridiculously tough fixtures, playing sixth, then fifth, then third and then first. We lost to sixth and fifth in Shandong Luneng Taishan and Changchun Yatai, but incredibly we managed to beat third place Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao; the real-life giants of the CSL. Left-winger Xia Baojun with the big goal. Six points from a possible twelve, I'll take that all day long.

We still sat in the relegation play-off spot after all of that, but we were four points clear of the automatic relegation places. Next, after an international break, came the toughest of them all - league leaders Jiangsu Suning. We got battered 5–0, that result made them officially champions but also meant we wouldn't be getting relegated automatically. Going into the final day, we had to hope Yunnan Lijiang dropped points versus second place Tianjin Quanjian and we bettered their result versus strugglers Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. Sadly, although Lijang lost, we got battered by Shenhua meaning it was the relegation play-off for us.

We were pitted against third place from the National First Division, Yinchuan Helanshan. We drew 1–1 in the away leg, before easing past them 3–0 in the second leg thanks to a brace from Argentine striker Valdez - a man who scored sixteen goals in thirty-seven games on loan from River Plate. We've managed to extend his loan for another season, majorly positive news! Likewise with influential winger Willian, from Vasco da Gama. So, despite a few worries, I have achieved what I wanted which was to avoid the drop. Bring on next season!

An unwanted broken record can be seen below, as well as the end of season review/awards and the season's squad statistics.






The next post will be after two competitive months in 2029. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2029 - January to April (w/ Liaoning Hongyun)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028– | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2029 - January to April:
We begin the 2029 campaign with Chinese Super League club Liaoning Hongyun in this post, hoping for my first full season with the team after joining and subsequently saving Liaoning midway through 2028.

Fixtures:


Table:


Difficult beginning to the season! Bottom of the table after ten matches, losing seven and drawing three - winless. It has been an action-packed April with eight of those matches falling in the year's fourth month, ridiculous scheduling in more ways than one. We've played every few days all month, plus we had to face basically all the top teams; namely Shandong Luneng Taishan, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao and Tianjin Quanjian consecutively as well as Jiangsu Suning and Guangzhou R&F. Extremely tough for anyone, nevermind a favourite for bottom of the table and relegation team in us.

The three draws came against Jiangsu (surprisingly as they're the reigning champions), Yanbian and Qingdao Huanghai. We've been battered a lot, esp. versus Shandong, Guangzhou, Quanjian and R&F. One loss that was unjust was the Shanghai Shenxin defeat. As mentioned, this leaves the club bottom of the Super League rankings; six points off the relegation play-off place and seven points off safety. Not all over yet, performances have slightly improved lately. Still twenty-four games remaining.

Below screenshots show our transfer business and the early season squad statistics screen.




Thanks for reading!

Next: 2029 - May and June (w/ Liaoning Hongyun)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028– | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2029 - May and June:
After a pretty abysmal start to the 2029 season, we go and play the next eight Super League fixtures and one CFA Cup match. We, Liaoning Hongyun, go in search of our first win of the season.

Fixtures:


Table:


The first two matches continued where the last two months ended, in defeat with back-to-back losses. Thankfully, after that we picked up a big three points against strugglers Shanghai Greenland Shenhua at home; goals from Xia Baojun and Hou Mèng. We lost the following match versus Hebei China Fortune, but managed to win again after that against Shanghai SIPG - another shock victory against a top side. A friendly win followed before normality resumed with four defeats in a row, well beaten in them all and even got battered by second tier Meizhou Hakka in the CFA Cup; a rotated eleven but absolutely awful to lose 5–1. However, more infuriating was the back-to-back defeats to Changchun Yatai and Beijing Renhe; two teams close above us in the table. Two wins in those games would've changed our situation completely.

Despite the two wins, it has been more frustration with Liaoning. We went off bottom a few times but by the end of the two months we're back in the basement. Five points from the rel. play-off and eight points off safety. Sixteen matches remaining, best we could hope for now is probably the play-off (which we got, and won, last season). We are favourites to finish bottom, and the board are still fairly OK with me with my job status set at 'stable'. Of course hoping we survive relegation, but also hoping they keep me in the job either way. Time will tell.

You can see the job status screen below, as well as the squad statistics.




Thanks for reading!

Next: 2029 - July and August (w/ Liaoning Hongyun)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028– | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2029 - July and August:
I take you through July and August's fixtures with Chinese Super League side Liaoning Hongyun!

Fixtures:


Table:


Nothing has changed since the last update, exactly the same things kept happening therefore the results basically stayed the same. Seven Super League matches, we lost all but one (draw versus third place Tianjin Quanjian out of nowhere). Losses to leaders Jiangsu Suning, Lijiang Feihu, Shijiazhuang Ever Bright, Shanghai Shenxin, Qingdao Huanghai and Yanbian. That was only going to equal one thing...



I've been sacked as Liaoning Hongyun's manager. Completely understandable, done well to last as long as I did to be honest; managed to stop them sacking me a few weeks prior, as you can see with the screenshots below showing two board meetings. The squad statistics are also there too.







That's a shame. Very disappointing, but very much expected; tried loads of different things, nothing worked which is obviously not good when you're playing teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid Beijing Renhe and Changchun Yatai every week.

My plan is to continue, for sure, and look for another job in China. If not, then maybe South Korea or perhaps even adding a few leagues in Europe. We'll see. It does continue! My last three jobs have not gone anyway near to plan, hopefully the next one will; it will be my seventh job in the save.

Thanks for reading!

Next: 2029 - The Job Search

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2029 - The Job Search:
After getting sacked by Chinese Super League side Liaoning Hongyun, I go in search of my seventh job in management in the year 2029.

The first thing I decided to do was to go on holiday, for the first time in the save, until November 2029. That way I'd avoid getting a job midway through the season; seeing as I wanted to stay in Chinese football. However, no jobs came calling when I returned from holiday. So, at the end of March 2030 I decided to add/remove some leagues from the save to perhaps leave Asian football for the first time. Countries Added: Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. Countries Removed: Australia, India and Malaysia. I basically added a few south/eastern European nations and removed the Asian nations I hadn't managed in. I then went on holiday again until June so almost all those league changes took place.

The first interview I got was from Russian second tier side Dynamo Bryansk, a favourite for relegation. Despite that, I was interested and took the interview. Then came an interview from recently relegated Yanbian, one that I didn't actually apply for; they wanted me but then chose to ignore me after the interview. I wasn't interested anyway, but it was a little odd. Dynamo offered me a contract soon after, I was close to accepting but chose to delay after the Shanghai Shenxin job came up; I got an interview from them but they overlooked me. A few Romanian second tier teams showed interest in me but there was only one destination I wanted...



Below you can see the job searching process which I described above, as well as the screenshots confirming the save's league changes and my holidays.













I join Dynamo Bryansk with just one fixture played of the new season. As I said, we're favourites for relegation. We only have seventeen players which is a little short, hopefully I can dip into the transfer market.





I'm looking forward to this new challenge in Russia! My first step out of Asia and into Europe. The first update will be in two months time!

Thanks for reading!

Next: 2030 - July and August (w/ Dynamo Bryansk)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030– | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2030 - July and August:
In this post, I get the season properly underway in 2030 with my new club, Russian second tier side Dynamo Bryansk; my first club outside of Asia after thirteen years spent in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong (x2), South Korea and China.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


It has been a difficult start to the campaign, but that was totally expected given the state of this club when I arrived. Despite them getting a point on the opening day of the season without me, they only had seventeen first-team players with no reserves/youth to call on. They also had no staff, so not only did I have to build up the cast off the pitch I had to do it on the pitch too. Results have been very iffy, but in all honesty it has bettered my expectations after my first few games; I even considered resigning early on due to how under-prepared this club was after promotion the previous season. I feel I've managed to steady the ship though, making some key if somewhat plucky incoming transfers that has changed the performances for the better.

I'm yet to taste victory with Dynamo after nine matches, one of which was in the Russian Cup; fourth round defeat to KAMAZ. You can see how bad it was at the beginning, losing heavily to the aforementioned KAMAZ, Tom and Khimki. However, performances began to improve from the Orenburg match. We deserved to lose to Orenburg, but the performance was so much better to previous weeks. A narrow loss to Tosno followed before my first point in charge, a one-one with Tyumen at home. We may have got annihilated by Anzhi Makhachkala, but that was understandable as they're the league leaders and had won eight out of eight to start the season. Our most recent league meeting came after that and we picked up another point versus Dynamo Saint Petersburg. Small steps but positive steps. Considering all that I have mentioned above, I'm happy with how it's going.

Our summer activity, both on and off the field, can be seen below. As well as the squad statistics, over THIRTY players have been used so far after only ten matches - that basically says it all.





It's a tough first job in Europe but one I am up for. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2030 - September and October (w/ Dynamo Bryansk)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030– | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2030 - September and October:
We continue to fight with Dynamo Bryansk in this post, trying to turn the club's fortunes around.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


Extremely difficult September with the club. That glimmer of hope I had in the previous post has disappeared, the (kinda) decent performances have stopped despite the fixtures actually getting more favourable. Began with defeat to Neftekhimik before inexplicably falling to win against our two nearest rivals in Torpedo Moscow and Chernomorets. We then lost to mid-table Luch-Energiya. Really tough stuff, of course it's down to me the manager as always but I have to say this team is a mess. As seen in past posts, they were no where near ready for second tier football following promotion last campaign. I had to bring in all new staff as well as boost the squad with very few numbers in. The squad is simply not good enough, and despite my best efforts I've decided to walk away from Bryansk and Dynamo.



Very disappointed with how it went, only lasted 73 days! Even Frank de Boer lasted longer at Crystal Palace IRL! I was going to fight on for a few more months, but after those dire performances versus our nearest challengers I realised it wasn't going to get any better in the months to come; the loss to Luch actually turned my job status from 'stable' to 'insecure'. With my morale down, the squad's morale at rock bottom as well as the board and fans beginning to turn I felt it was best to resign and hope they can save themselves. Hopefully I will return to Russia in the future. Below: Job status screen, winless record, 500 games reached in management and the squad stats.






First time in the save I have felt hopeless in a job to be honest, but it happens! Right team, wrong time I'd say. The job search for job #8 will follow, hoping for better success than in 2028 to 2030; two jobs, two premature exits. Onto the next one!

Next: 2030 - The Job Search (again)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2030 - The Job Search:
It's another job search, way sooner than I would've liked by that's football. After departing Russian football in Dynamo Bryansk, I go searching for job number eight. I wanted a new job asap and didn't really have any pre-plans, just see what would occur.

Immediately after resigning from Dynamo, I noticed the Spartak Nalchik job was open; a team in the same league as Dynamo and also fighting relegation, but with a much, much better set-up than my previous club had. I was interested. Another interest came up when Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea, tier one) made their job available. I applied, but they chose to overlook me. The next one that took my fancy was the Belgium U21s national team post. I've never been a huge fan of international management in Football Manager as it always seemed woefully basic, however I'd thought I'd apply and see if it's any different to previous editions of the game.

At these early days of searching, Spartak and Belgium U21s were my preferred jobs. A few Indonesian second tier teams were open, I would've got any job I'd like in that league to be honest (not to toot my own horn or anything! and I wouldn't be opposed to it, maybe to take a team and build them over the years into a good, solid Indonesian top-flight team. However, I wasn't excited by any of the adverts open so decided against it. Plus, I've previously managed the best team in Indonesia, Persib, so it wouldn't make too much sense to drop down that far. It's something I won't rule out for the future, though.

The Belgian FA got back to me rather quickly, offering me the job two days after applying. I would've liked to have delayed it to see if Spartak wanted me but that's weirdly impossible as the game doesn't allow you to delay... Odd. I took a few moments to think about it, given my previous preconceptions about intl. mgmnt. on the game and the general landscape of it given it's one or two games every month or so.



As you can see I've decided to take the job. I'm the new manager of the Belgium Under-21s! I feel it's a good next step in the career, hopefully I can stay here for quite a while and improve my reputation in many ways including the rep itself and to stop changing jobs every year like the last four years have seen happen. The first thing on my agenda is two friendlies in November with Germany U21s and Belarus U21s. As for competitive action, the U21 Championship is due next year in 2031 but Belgium didn't actually qualify after finishing behind France in Group 7 and therefore missing out. That's despite Belgium winning the previous competition in 2029, beating hosts Scotland in the final. Qualifying, I believe, starts in the latter part of 2031.

The qualifying is tough with only top going through in a six-team group; but the best four second place go to a play-off that sees two progress. The fact Belgium U21s won it in 2029 gives me confidence. I'm intrigued by this prospect, hope I can stay in the job for years. I will not be applying for a club job during my stint with Belgium, I don't like managing both at once; both literally and realistically it wouldn't happen. E.g. I've seen others online be managing a club at 15:00 in Europe, then all of a sudden managing a South American nation two hours later. I like as much realism as possible myself, but respect others' absolutely.

Below you can see the (very short) job search, as well as the Belgium U21s current situation.






I'm looking forward to this. As for updates, probably every other international break for friendlies and/or qualifiers perhaps. So, the next one will be after the March window if the game allows me a March friendly (right now it doesn't), if not then in June 2031 after probably four friendlies (e.g. two in Nov 2030, two in Jun 2031) overall. For major tournaments, I'll probably do a post for each tournament that we may reach. Thanks for reading!

Next: November 2030 to March or June 2031 (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2030 to 2031 - November to June:
I have begun my new job as Belgium U21 manager. In this post, I show the results from my first four friendlies in charge of the team; the last exhibition matches before U21 qualifying begins in September 2031.

Game 1: Friendly - Germany vs. Belgium:


Tricky first match in charge, versus a very good Germany U21 team. We made a good account of ourselves but still were deservedly beaten by the hosts. Positive signs though.

Game 2: Friendly - Belarus vs. Belgium:


Next came the Belarusian under-21 side, a team we beat convincingly 1–3. Goals coming from Niels Naert, in his final app due to him now being overage, Jef Buelens and Rayan Amrani. They only scored via a penalty. Dominant enough victory.

Game 3: Friendly - Belgium vs. England:


This was the first of two friendlies I scheduled myself, the other two were already set when I arrived. England U21s were my third opponents, at the time the number one European U21 side; we were somewhere like no. 13 I think. It turned out to be a very entertaining encounter as we drew 3–3 before unfortunately losing on penalties. Very pleased with this performance though, we matched a strong England team all the way and even led by two goals at one point. Buelens grabbing two goals, very promising young player who has done well for me so far as well as performing well for his club in the past campaign.

Game 4: Friendly - Belgium vs. Gibraltar:


Easy final fixture before qualifying starts. We hosted the lowest-ranked European U21 team in Gibraltar, could've scored more than three but I was more than happy with it. Buelens again scoring.

Talking of U21 qualifying, that starts soon. Our group can be seen below, we've got Czechia, Faroe Islands, Germany, Kosovo and Lithuania. Very good Group 7 in my opinion, Germany the toughest test obviously but we should (should!) make second spot, at least, comfortably. Kosovo is our first qualifier.



Enjoyed the first months in charge of Belgium U21s. Can't wait to get qualifying underway! Thanks for reading!

Next: 2031 - September and October (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2031 - September and October:
In this post, I cover what went on in my first competitive fixtures as Belgium U21 boss. We kickstart 2021 U21 Qualifying by facing four qualifiers against Kosovo, Germany, Lithuania and Czechia.

Game 1: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Kosovo:


A kind start to qualifying. We hosted Kosovo on Matchday 1. We beat them 4–1 but would end the day in third after Germany and Czechia achieved bigger wins versus the Faroe Islands and Lithuania. As you'd expect us, Germany and Czechia are already the group's frontrunners.

Sadly, after this fixture my game crashed. I went to give the players a day's rest via the calendar menu, but that crashes the game for me everytime; I tried a few times after and it did the same thing. Frustrating. So what I did was replayed the match to achieve the same set of results. That was hella annoying to do, I think it took at least seven or eight attempts to get similar results; everytime I won my match and Germany won theirs but Czechia kept losing or winning narrowly over Lithuania. Finally, I got it to a fair outcome. I remained in third with the 4–1 (originally 3–0), Czechia second with 4–0 (originally 6–1) and Germany in first after winning 0–9 in the Faroe Islands (which was their original result). So, not exactly the same but a fair outcome - I didn't wanna replay it once, win and the others lose which may have lead to me winning the group by a few points, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy that.

Game 2: U21 Qualifier - Germany vs. Belgium:


HUGE win! We visited Germany for the second time in my short tenure as Belgium U21 boss (I faced them in my debut match, lost convincingly). We started the match superbly, but that soon faded and it was basically a repeat of the friendly match. However, after they missed numerous chances, we managed to snatch the three points on 82 minutes via Titouan Quintard. Pretty much undeserved but that didn't stop me celebrating! It's already a massive victory, away on German soil, but also for the group; could turn out big!

Game 3: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Lithuania:


Lithuania up next, arguably the fourth best team in the six-team group. As expected we thoroughly beat the Baltic nation 4–0 in Bruges. It's worth noting we lost super forward Jef Buelens for the October qualifiers as he received a call-up to the senior squad. Annoying, but that's what this job is about, projecting youngsters into the senior set-up. We didn't miss him though, as his replacement Kristof De Vos grabbed a brace along with strike partner Mathias Kil getting a goal. Strong win to build on that Germany away win.

Game 4: U21 Qualifier - Czechia vs. Belgium:


At this point we were level on nine points with fellow 100%ers Czechia. We played them for game four. They have been equally fast out the blocks but had the easier set of fixtures in Lithuania, Kosovo and the Faroe Islands. I was confident going into this, I didn't feel that threatened by them given their fixture list. We eased to a 1–3 at the Na Stínadlech. Quintard getting another important goal. Kil actually got injured in the previous weeks, his replacement was Ronny Verlinden who scored in this one to given us four wins out of four. A superb start. Faroe Islands are our fifth opponents before we face the fixture reverse.

Table:


Other Screenshots (Crash/Buelens):



We are looking good! The next update will be in March or June 2032, depending if the game allows me June friendlies; it didn't allow a March friendly in 2031 yet allows one in 2032 but no June ones unlike in 2031. Very strange. Either way, it'll be regarding two qualifiers and one or three friendlies. Thanks for reading!

Next: November 2031 to March or June 2032 (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

November 2031 to March 2032:
Just three matches to recap in this one. Two U21 qualifiers and one friendly, would've been three friendlies if the game allowed me June matches but it hasn't; maybe there's a legit reason, who knows.

Game 1: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Faroe Islands:


The final match of the first round of games in Group 7, we play the reverse fixtures from the next one. It was an ideal opponent to face following big wins over Germany and Czechia, the basement boys in the Faroe Islands; last place and had lost four out of four. We made it five out of five loses for them and five out of five wins for us as we strolled past them by fives goals to nil. Centre-back Jan Verstraete getting on the scoresheet along with Mathias Kil (x2), Jonas Eeckhout and my main man Jef Buelens (returning from senior duty, for which he missed the future friendly). Expected clear victory. On this matchday, Germany came from behind late on to beat Czechia at home 3–2. It's basically between us and Germany now for top.

Game 2: U21 Qualifier - Kosovo vs. Belgium:


Second meeting with Kosovo followed, we beat them 4–1 in Bruges on Matchday 1. It was an exact repeat in Gjilan after goals from Buelens, Kil, Op de Beeck and Kil again. Six wins in a row in Group 7, fantastic qualifying campaign so far but it's nowhere near over. Next up? Germany at home. Massive match, a win should see us (unofficially) seal a place at Spain 2033 as we'd be six points clear with nine to play for. I'm a little nervous about it, yes we beat them away superbly but Germany are still better than us. We will see.

Table:


Game 3: Friendly - Northern Ireland vs. Belgium:


A friendly with Northern Ireland began the new year, we dominated them (who are third in their qualifying group) to win 0–3 at Glenavon's Mourneview Park.

The next update will be a big'un. The final four qualifiers, hopefully by the end of it we will be qualified for the 2033 U21 Championship; or, at worst, the qualifying play-off phase. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2032 - September and October (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2032 - September and October:
U21 Qualifying for 2033 reaches its climax here, I play the final four qualifiers as Belgium U21s manager hoping to qualify for next year's final tournament.

Game 1: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Germany:


Defeat to Germany on home soil. They repeat what we did to them a year previous. Disappointing result but one that was merited, we didn't play well. Bayer Leverkusen's Christian Klug got a brace, probably should've got a hat-trick. Kristof De Vos got a, in the end, meaningless goal back. This put Germany top on goal difference.

Game 2: U21 Qualifier - Lithuania vs. Belgium:


Morale boosting victory over Lithuania, goals from Gaëtan Peeters and Jef Buelens. Needed that, but remained behind Germany on GD and only in front of Czechia by three points with us hosting them next time out on the penultimate matchday.

Game 3: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Czechia:


Final international window of qualifying, we have two key fixtures left to play with us still fighting for first or second. So, what do you think the Under-23s done? They went and raided my first eleven and took at least four key players for a bloody friendly against France. Not like we had more important fixtures or anything. Ridiculous, in real life that would never happen. Anyway, we lost to Czechia by a single goal bringing them level with us in second. This meant first was out the question unless the Czechs battered Germany on the final day. On the plus side, we faced the Faroe Islands last and had a good points tally meaning we were favourites to get a play-off spot.

Game 4: U21 Qualifier - Faroe Islands vs. Belgium:


A final day decider against the Faroe Islands. As expected, we made light work of the archipelago team by winning 0–2. I would've liked more goals, but all I truly wanted was victory which we got which led to us securing a play-off spot. That ends our first qualifying fixtures, we finish second in Group 7 after winning eight and losing two. I'm happy with that, it's what I predicted/expected before matchday one. The final standings as well as our play-off round opponents can be seen below.

Table:


Play-off Opponents:


Tough draw! We avoided easier (on paper) ties against Bulgaria or Denmark to draw Italy. That's going to be tricky to get past, but we had just as good a qualifying campaign (both W8 D0 L2) so I'm confident we can do ourselves justice. Two-legged. At the conclusion of those two ties, I'll return with another update. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2032 - November (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2032 - November:
After missing out on automatic qualification for the 2033 U21 Championship, I face Italy U21s as Belgium U21s manager. A tough two-legged tie awaited.

Game 1: U21 Qualifier (play-off, first leg) - Italy vs. Belgium:


The Italians hosted the first leg at the Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca, home of Ascoli Picchio. They basically dominated from start to finish and won but we managed to keep them to a 1–0 scoreline, a positive considering they deserved one or two more.

Game 2: U21 Qualifier (play-off, second leg) - Belgium vs. Italy:


A 2–2 second leg draw means we are eliminated. Italy took an early lead, with literally an exact carbon copy of their first leg free-kick; the first one took a deflection into the net, weirdly went down as an own-goal despite it going on target and yet the second was identical yet went down as a Paolo Farina goal. Odd. They obviously practice deflected free-kicks! They went two up, prior to us at least making a fight of it by drawing it back to two-two just before the break. Nothing really happened in the second half, meaning Italy join Denmark (who beat Bulgaria) as the play-off winners.

Disappointing not to qualify, but with Germany expectedly taking Group 7's automatic spot and then getting Italy rather than Denmark or Bulgaria in the play-offs meant it was unlikely we were gonna advance. Hey-ho. As for future plans, my intentions are to stay on for another qualifying campaign at least but we will see. No board expectations/job status screen on Football Manager for (youth?) international management so who knows.

Thanks for reading!

Next: Persib – Where Are They Now? (ten years on)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

Persib – Where Are They Now? – Ten Years Later:
This is the second revisit of one of my old clubs. After seeing Albirex Niigata (S) struggle since my departure, I check out how my second club in management, Persib of Indonesia, have got on between 2 January 2023 (departure date) to 2 January 2033 (current date).

My Record:
2018 - 2/18 | PLD34 | W19 | D6 | L9 | GF57 | GA37 | GD+20 | PTS63
2019 - 6/18 | PLD34 | W15 | D8 | L11 | GF71 | GA58 | GD+13 | PTS53
2020 - 2/18 | PLD34 | W17 | D9 | L8 | GF63 | GA43 | GD+20 | PTS60
2021 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W19 | D12 | L3 | GF62 | GA22 | GD+40 | PTS69
2022 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W19 | D6 | L9 | GF57 | GA36 | GD+21 | PTS63
Joined: January 2018 | Resigned: January 2023
Trophies: 3 (Super League X2, Super Cup X1)

I spent five seasons in total with Persib in Bandung. From what I can remember, I enjoyed my time there very much and would consider returning one day. Persib, were and are one of Indonesia's best so the expectations during my tenure were to challenge for the title. Season one went well, I missed the title by four points to Persipura but finished in second. Decent first chapter. The second season went awfully though, very much second season syndrome as I somehow managed to drop the team to sixth. Admittedly, we were only four points off second but still, that wasn't good enough. Thankfully, I managed to keep my job and led Persib into the 2020 campaign.

In said campaign, we regained second spot but disappointingly lost the title by just two points to Sriwijaya. We scored twelve more goals than them but they conceded twelve fewer. Not an ideal season, but at least we finished where we were expected to. Next came the 2021 season, arguably the best season of my Persib career. I got the title back to the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium for the first time since 2014. We only won it by two points ahead of Persipura, but we thoroughly merited it after a very fine campaign. We won nineteen matches out of thirty-four, losing just three with a goal difference of +40 after scoring sixty-two goals and only letting in twenty-two. That goal difference is the best since the save began in the Indonesian Super League (before, during and after my spell).

In the following season, we went one better as we managed to retain the Super League title. However, it was an incredibly dramatic season. We finished the campaign LEVEL on points with Arema and Persik, but secured the title on goal difference. A +21 to a +17 and +11. Very lucky. On the penultimate day, we were losing 3–0 to Arema before crazily clawing it back to win 3–4. More drama followed on the last day though despite being three points clear going into it. We faced Barito Putera and lost 0–2. Arema and Persik both won but thankfully goal difference saved me and Persib from embarrassment. The title is the title, I don't mind how they come! Mental way to win it though, three sides locked on points with fourth place Bhayangkara only two points further back. Months after the final whistle, I decided to resign as Persib manager in search of a new challenge.

Their Record Since:
2023 - 4/18 | PLD34 | W16 | D9 | L9 | GF40 | GA34 | GD+57 | PTS57
2024 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W22 | D7 | L5 | GF55 | GA23 | GD+73 | PTS73
2025 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W22 | D6 | L6 | GF59 | GA30 | GD+72 | PTS72
2026 - 2/18 | PLD34 | W17 | D10 | L7 | GF48 | GA30 | GD+61 | PTS61
2027 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W21 | D9 | L4 | GF62 | GA24 | GD+72 | PTS72
2028 - 2/18 | PLD34 | W17 | D11 | L6 | GF50 | GA29 | GD+62 | PTS62
2029 - 2/18 | PLD34 | W19 | D8 | L7 | GF52 | GA26 | GD+65 | PTS65
2030 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W19 | D12 | L3 | GF51 | GA30 | GD+69 | PTS69
2031 - 1/18 | PLD34 | W21 | D8 | L5 | GF53 | GA31 | GD+71 | PTS71
2032 - 2/18 | PLD34 | W18 | D12 | L4 | GF55 | GA33 | GD+22 | PTS66
Period: January 2023 to January 2033
Trophies: 11 (Super League X5, FA Cup X3, Super Cup X3)

Overall, they've done fine without me. Winning five Super Leagues, two FA Cups and three Super Cups. Always happy to see my former clubs do well. However, their first season after me in 2023 was pretty awful. They dropped from back-to-back firsts to fourth place, finishing ten points off the eventual champions. That was under my replacement, Abdus Sobur. He only lasted six months before resigning and being replaced by ex-PSM Makassar manager Welly Podungge who restored the goodness to Persib and remains there today. He won back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025 before finishing second in three of the next four campaigns between 2026 and 2029; winning the 2027 edition. In fact, since replacing Sobur he hasn't finished outside the top two in any of his nine seasons with the club, winning them their five titles. Impressive. Also: They've finished as runners-up in the AFC Cup (UEFA Europa League equivalent) twice in 2025 and 2027, losing both times to Indian club Bengaluru.

Around the league, the title has been won by Persipura (x1), Persib (x5), Bhayangkara (x1), Persiram (x1) and Borneo (x2). Persiram is the big, big surprise there. They won it in 2028 under Yance Martha. They have been ever presents in the league since I joined Persib in 2018, but only finished inside the top three once (2025) in the eleven seasons before winning it. It was a fairy tale season, fair play to them but they've faded in the two seasons after by ending in sixth and eleventh; a third place came in 2031 but last season, in 2032, they finished seventh. Of the seasons since Persiram's success, it has been won by either Persib or Borneo. Not surprised by Borneo, it took them until 2029 to win the title but you could tell they were a good team during my tenure in Indonesia.

Screenshots:




That's the story in Indonesia since my departure from the country. The next WATN? will be 2036 to see how Eastern, my third club, have got on. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2033 - June to September (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2033 - June to September:
Two friendlies in June 2033 prior to kicking off my second qualifying campaign as Belgium U21s manager in August. The first port of call this year came in January when our qualifying opponents were revealed. We go into Group 7 (again) to face Andorra, Kosovo (again), Moldova, Montenegro and Sweden. Another kind-looking group with Sweden probably the trickiest team.

Qualifying Group Drawn:


Game 1: Friendly - Greece vs. Belgium:


In June 2033, we visited Southern Europe for friendlies against Greece and Cyprus. Greece came first and we suffered a defeat by losing 4–2, Loukas Kalabokas notched a rather good hat-trick for the Greeks. Mathias Kil scored both our goals.

Game 2: Friendly - Cyprus vs. Belgium:


We tasted victory in match two against Cyprus, it was a little struggle but we got the win thanks to Karel Goossens. Around this point we lost quite a few first-team players due to them no longer being the correct age for the Under-21s so I'm having to rebuild a little bit.

Game 3: U21 Qualifier - Sweden vs. Belgium:


A third away game in a row kicked off our qualifying campaign with a visit to Sweden, probably the toughest match (on paper) in qualifying for us. In short, we were well beaten after a Orçun Çelik strike. Not the best start, but hopefully that was indeed the toughest fixture.

Game 4: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Andorra:


Easy first home match of qualifying against Andorra on Matchday 2. We steamrolled them and secured a four-goal win, Godwin Etafia and Tim De Ridder marking their debuts under me with goals alongside Kil who grabbed a second brace in four matches. We needed that, even if it was to be expected. After two competitive games, we sit third in Group 7 behind early leaders Sweden and Montenegro.

Table:


Next update will be in four qualifiers time. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2033 - October and November (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2033 - October and November:
Qualifying, take two as Belgium U21s manager, continues. Probably my last in charge of the team, hopefully my tenure will end with the 2035 tournament. After a disappointing start to it after losing to Sweden, we had to make amends in the following four fixtures.

Game 1: U21 Qualifier - Montenegro vs. Belgium:


Awful result. Montenegro have actually done well this campaign as you'll see below, but that's a terrible result for us - the best team in the group. Mathias Kil got our goal but they went and scored an undeserved late leveller.

Game 2: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Kosovo:


We hit back well though, with a seven-nil thumping win over Kosovo with Kil grabbing a superb quadruple, Arne Vandendriessche and Pepijn Hendrickx also scored. Very good performance and win, needed it.

Game 3: U21 Qualifier - Moldova vs. Belgium:


Qualifier number five was against Moldova in Chișinău. A return to the dreadful performances as we just scraped a one-goal win. Moldova merited at least a point, perhaps even the win with 64% (!) possession. If it wasn't for their obvious lack of quality, we would've lost that for sure. Lucky. Crucial match versus runaway leaders Sweden was to come next.

Game 4: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Sweden:


A predictable result followed against Sweden. After that Moldova match, I knew there was no way we were gonna win this. Karel Goossens, one of the worst players I've managed in this save, missed a spot-kick before the interval. After that, he pretty much disobeyed all my instructions; shot from distance, barely passed short, didn't roam from his position much. Proper dick, subbed off soon after. Shame really, he actually looks a good player but I haven't been able to get him up and running. I remember early on from calling him up, his performances were simply awful at first but now he's not doing anything. Anyway, Goossens moan over. Very bad result at home to Sweden.

Table:


Simply put, we ain't qualifying for the final tournament. Five points off Sweden who won't drop any more points, I assure you that. It'll be a struggle to even get second place, nevermind getting a good enough points tally to get within the top four best placed second place teams. Still 'possible' with four games left, but it isn't really.

Thanks for reading!

Next: 2034 - September and October (w/ Belgium U21s)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030– | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2034 - October and November:
I play the final four qualifiers in my reign of Belgium U21s manager. Qualification for the final tournament was a slight possibility but, as I said last time out, there was no way we were qualifying. Was I correct?

Game 1: U21 Qualifier - Andorra vs. Belgium:


Andorra were first up, we dismissed them with total ease by scoring seven at the Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella. Ilias Hlal put in a sensational performance, not only did he manage four goals but his all round play was simply superb. Only Andorra of course, but I would bet my house that Hlal's former strike colleague Karel Goossens wouldn't of even completed a pass let alone scoring four. I was happy with this one, but knew it meant very little given the opponent.

Game 2: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Montenegro:


Montenegro were our second fixture in September 2034. We surpassed them easily too by winning 4–1 at home. That man Hlal grabbing two goals along with the returning Jef Buelens, who we have chronically missed in this qualifying campaign due to him being called up to the senior squad (fair) a few times but also the U23s (unfair) for bloody singular friendlies in non-Olympic years, frustrating to say the least.

On that note, in these two qualifiers the U23s didn't have a fixture (they only have one a year...pointlessly) so I could recall numerous players that had previously been unavailable due to U23 duty, injury or plain being unable to add them for none knowing reasons. So it was little surprise we played much better versus Andorra and Montenegro with, you know, our key men open to play for us. Sadly, November was the exact opposite.

Game 3: U21 Qualifier - Belgium vs. Moldova:


The U23s had a huge, huge friendly against Italy U23s in October so guess what, they raided us of our players despite us having crucial U21 qualifiers. Needless to say, performances were affected. The Moldova match being the prime example. A very poor football team got a point off of us, nil-nil on our patch. Shocking result, similar to the away match against Moldova in similar squad selection issues. We narrowly beat them then, this time we didn't manage much.

Game 4: U21 Qualifier - Kosovo vs. Belgium:


First place was now out of reach, shock horror I know. We were favourites to get second spot, but due to our below par points tally it was extremely unlikely to be enough for a best placed second place play-off spot. We had to win, but we didn't. A 2–2 draw versus Kosovo in our final qualifier meant we missed out on advancement place. We finished second in Group 7. Sweden didn't drop any more points, just like I predicted.

Table:


Two qualifying campaigns with Belgium U21s, two failures to qualify. We were unlucky for the 2033 tournament, losing to Italy in the play-offs but this time we were a shambles. The squad selection stuff stuffed me, as well as a few other things. Hopefully future FMs fix these issues, like I'm fine with the seniors calling players up but even then in real life you'd have interactions with the board/other managers to secure players. No doubting, the U21 manager would have the final say over the U23 manager if the former has crucial qualifiers and the other has one friendly per year; esp. in a non-Olympics year. A few other things like board expectations and training need adding too.

A few days after our elimination was made official, I decided to resign as manager of the Belgium U21s. Despite the game issues, this was the most I've enjoyed international management ever before on Football Manager. I'll definitely be interested in returning to international management later in the career, but for now I'm craving a return to club management.

Resignation:


I'll go in search of my new job in my next post. My aim is to return to either China (prev. with Liaoning Hongyun in 2028–2029) or Russia (prev. with Dynamo Bryansk in 2030). Thanks for reading!

Next: 2034 - The Job Search

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030–2034 | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2034 - The Job Search:
Another job search today. Just like last time, it's a pretty short one. As I said previously, my aim was to get a second job in either China or Russia. That's just what I got.

The Job Search in Screenshots:



A few jobs were open that I was interested in, I applied for them and awaited a reply. The first to get back to me was Russian Football National League (tier two) side Khimki. A club that is expected to finish in the top half, but is currently just above the relegation zone. I applied, a few days after the Khimki fans considered me their favourites which was a good sign. It took a little while longer for the club themselves to offer me an interview, but when it came I took it. During the interview it was all going well, until they asked the usually killer question: "Am I OK working under a director of football?"

I hate DOFs. Nothing personal, but as the option in the interview says: "I must be in charge, the players have to know who is in charge!". Not once in this save, in now eighteen years, have I worked under a DOF and never plan to. The issue there is that understandably most clubs who hire a DOF don't sack them for me, so once I saw this question during the Khimki interview I thought that was the end of that. However, to my complete surprise they offered me the job. I was delighted, not only did the fans want me but the board obviously wanted me enough to let go their DOF; who, by the way, had been at Khimki since 2015 up until now, 2034. I like that, this feels like the right job.

So, I took it. I am the new manager of Khimki in Russia's second division. Excited to get started. The board want me to led the club away from the drop zone, we should have enough for that. What I am hoping for long-term is to stay with Khimki for a vast amount of years, hopefully building them up gradually. That's what I want, but reality is a different thing. 2034 marks my return to Russian football, after Dynamo Bryansk were my last club job back in 2030 - let's hope this goes better than that did!

New Manager of Khimki:


Below you can see Khimki's current situation. I join with them in 13th place, six points ahead of the drop zone. Fifteen matches are left to play, Torpedo Moscow (9th) are my first opponents which is the final fixture before the long winter break which goes from December to March. I assume a transfer window takes place before then which could be handy. More is expected of this Khimki team, which has finished inside the division's top four in the last four seasons. Despite that, since the save began they haven't been able to get promotion. That's the end goal for this club, but we'll see.





I'm looking forward to returning to the day-to-day management of club football. Bring it on. Thanks for reading!

Next: 2034 to 2035 - December to March (w/ Khimki)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030–2034 | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2034– | Khimki | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2034 to 2035 - December to March:
My new role with Russian second tier club Khimki has begun. In this post, I play my first four matches in charge of красно-чёрные (The Red-Blacks), as well as a few friendlies due to the winter break.

Fixtures:


Table:


It has been a good start to life in Moscow Oblast, I am undefeated in my first four competitive fixtures in charge of Khimki. I got the dream start by beating Torpedo Moscow in game one, before draws against positional rivals Shinnik and Luch-Energiya came either side of a victory over relegation threatened Lada. We faced three exhibition matches in February/March, including a match with Orenburg during our training camp of Cyprus. I only won one friendly, against non-league Spartak Moscow 2; we played well versus top-flight Dynamo Moscow, scoring first, prior to losing by one goal to fellow FNL team Orenburg.

Since joining, I've kept the club in thirteenth place but have moved them from six points to ten points clear of the relegation zone. With eleven fixtures remaining, we should be safe from the drop. Realistically, we can probably at most expected a eighth to tenth place finish, that's what I'll be aiming for in these last two months of the season; we are currently level with tenth and three points off eighth.

I am really enjoying this job thus far. Results have gone well, the transfer window went decent and the board have backed me. Firstly, I asked for a coaching course for my Continental Pro Licence to which they agreed. Secondly, I asked for a senior affiliate and they delivered by agreeing with my recommendation of Krasnodar. Thirdly, I asked for a slight increase in the wage budget and they fulfilled my request. Lastly, my current job status is 'secure' which is nice considering I've only been here for four competitive matches. All that, to go with they sacked their director of football of nineteen years to hire me shows they are right behind which is excellent. It's going well.

Below, you can see confirmation of what I said above and as well as the squad statistics.







One last thing, I've appointed In Joon-Yeon as my scout for the fifth time in the save. The South Korean man who I signed as a player for Persib back 2018 has since become a close friend of mine by joining me on my staff at Bucheon, South China, Liaoning Hongyun, Dynamo Bryansk and now Khimki. What a guy.



Thanks for reading!

Next: 2035 - April and May (w/ Khimki)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030–2034 | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2034– | Khimki | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

-----------
Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

-----------
Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2035 - April and May:
In this update, I end my first (half a) season as Khimki manager and I can tell you now, it has be quite the two months!

Fixtures:


Table:


We have ended the season in 13th place, exactly the same position in which I joined the club just prior to the winter break. So, no improvement in position terms but no drop either. As I said, it has been an eventful two months on and off the pitch. We started this period with four defeats in five matches, with a win over Armavir being the only positive due to losses versus Spartak Nalchik, runaway leaders Tom, Saturn and Sibir. After a good start with Khimki, this period was rotten. The annoying thing was, after the Spartak and Tom games I changed tactics for the Armavir and we were looking superb in the first period of that match, scoring twice in twenty minutes, but then on-loan left midfielder Anton Barkov decided to get sent off which put us under-pressure for the rest of that game and we lost the mojo instantly.

However, form has somewhat improved since as we went unbeaten in our final six fixtures. Only one of those was won, but our in-game performances were certainly better. We drew our final five, all but one was goalless. I was actually pleased, as said due to the performances but also that Orenburg and Mordovia were high placed teams and the other three were positional rivals. So, we weren't winning but weren't losing. On 8 May 2035, a takeover was completed at Khimki. The former chairman who backed me a lot in my short tenure left, he was replaced by Anton Orekhov who leading up to his appointment he was telling the media he wanted to replace me when he took over. Once he took over, he even said it directly to me. I was very disappointed.

Then I went and secured the draws versus Orenburg and Mordovia, and the new chairman stated he had changed his mind and decided to let me stay and explicitly said he'd only judge me from when they took over. That's fair. But. Up until the final match of the campaign, my job status was 'stable' but as soon as the final whistle went it went down to 'very insecure' despite basically nothing changing at all. Very, very strange. I'm assuming it's Football Manager just being Football Manager. Similar has happened to me before in other saves: I've been 'stable' before the last game, got a decent result then been told I'm 'very insecure' but in a few weeks into the off-season it goes back to 'stable'. Who knows! The new season actually starts very soon, with pre-season starting just a week-or-two after the last season ended. I have no idea if I am going to be sacked, but hopefully I won't.

Below you can see all this drama regarding the takeover and my job security, as well as the end of season squad statistics and awards. A signing has already been secured, we've extended the loan deal for CSKA Moscow striker Rustem Borisov. He has carried us since my arrival in truth, and at only seventeen he scored nine times in twenty-seven matches; eight of those goals have come since I joined. Promising young player.










Thanks for reading!

Next: 2035 - July and August (w/ Khimki)

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Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030–2034 | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2034– | Khimki | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2035 - July and August:
After a rather interesting first six/seven months at the helm of Russian side Khimki in 2034–35, I begin my first full campaign with the club in this post. The off-season action is joined by the first ten competitive fixtures of 2035–36. I have to say, it has been another eventful few months.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


I'll begin with the on field stuff, despite it only being half the story. Three friendlies to kickstart the season, two against Premier League giants Spartak Moscow and our new senior affiliate Lokomotiv Moscow. We lost all three friendlies, but actually held our own in the matches versus the Moscow duo; despite the scorelines. The competitive season got underway against recently promoted Tosno, we played poorly and lost by a single goal. At this point, I still had the job status of 'very insecure' and after this defeat the board called a meeting to discuss my future. Thankfully, I managed to earn a reprieve for a month. I promised an improvement in a month's time.

Next came a shock fixture. CSKA Moscow away! The Moscow gargantuan incredibly got relegated from the top division last season, in the automatic relegation spots; not even via the play-offs. Crazy! Even more on the crazy side - we secured a fantastic nil-one victory at the VEB Arena! Rustem Borisov, the star youngster on loan from CSKA put a dagger in the hearts of his parent club to consign them to back-to-back defeats in the second tier of Russian football. This result, against all odds, gave us a huge lift in belief and put my job security up to 'stable'. We then won our next two fixtures by an aggregate of 7–3 versus Volgar and Baltika (thanks to a stunning Borisov hat-trick) respectively. Unfortunately, as if like a tap, the form disappeared completely in the next four matches.

We suffered two draws and two defeats in August 2035 versus Orenburg (loss), promoted Vityaz (draw), my former club Dynamo Bryansk (loss) and KAMAZ (draw). It wasn't even just the results, the performances were completely different and Borisov's goals, of which he scored five in three previously, dried up which led to even him performing badly. Despite all that, there was some good news as the board returned to me after the Vityaz tie to tell me I had done enough for their concerns to disappear. I was very happy, but also very relieved as I really want to build something with Khimki. It's a good club.

Two more fixtures were left to play in August, one in the league and one in the cup. The league match was vs. promoted Chernomorets and we destroyed them by five goals to zero at home. Stunning performance, a brace via loanee Dmitry Anikin - a man who I actually had on loan in 2030 with Dynamo! His two goals were sensational. In the fourth round of the Russian Cup, we sneaked past lower league opposition in Sakhalin but only via penalties. I rested my entire first team and the replacements actually done well to put us through to the fifth round - the round which the board wanted. Since the board told me I was safe, my job status has gone from secure to very secure and back to secure. Always on my toes!

Below you can see all the hoo-ha regarding the board.










Aside from the on field and board stuff, a few other things have occured. Firstly, the transfer window went well for us. Eleven signings came in (not including loan extensions for Borisov and Anton Barkov). The most notable were: Sergey Signevich, young Belarusian left midfielder from Dynamo Brest. Liridon Selmani, 55k Albanian signing from Știința Miroslava of Romania. Valery Glushakov, originally a LB signed as back-up but has since become first choice. Georgy Maltsev, from Yenisey who has scored two banging free-kicks. Maxim Malyshev, GK who has done well in replacing Iraqi Ahmad Abbas who joined Jagiellonia. While Dmitry Anikin, Nikolay Lebedev and Aleksandar Filipovic all joined on loan from our affiliate Lokomotiv. Loads of players left, mainly just average youth players who had their contracts come to an end.



Lastly, a few awards have been given to our players after are good start to the campaign. They, along with the confirmation of CSKA Moscow's relegation and the squad stats, can be seen below.









Pretty big post this time, due to the vast amount of stuff that has happened. This Khimki job has been and is quite unique, the board takeover has made it very interesting. One minute I'm on the gallows, the next I'm very secure. This new chairman is a, let's say, heart on the sleeve type of guy. As of right now, it has gone well - I'm currently secure in my job, doubt it remain that way until the next update after September and October though!

Thanks for reading!

Next: 2035 - September and October (w/ Khimki)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030–2034 | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2034– | Khimki | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.

2035 - September and October:
After a fine start to the new season in tier two with Khimki, we aimed to continue our form in September and October 2035.

Fixtures:


Table:


Competitions:


Newly promoted Zenit-Izhevsk gave us our first test of September, we passed it with flying colours after winning 1–4. Romanian forward Viorel Olaru scored a hat-trick, a terrific performance from a man I signed. He has really come to the forefront in these two months. We won our next match at home to Torpedo Moscow, but then went five winless over two competitions. However, it wasn't as bad as it sounded as one of those came in the cup and only two were lost. The losses were to Spartak Nalchik, comfortably our worst performance of my tenure as our opponents flew into a 3–0 lead after thirteen minutes. Awful showing. The other loss in this period came against top-flight Arsenal Tula in the fifth round of the Russian Cup, due to the scheduling I was able to play my full strength line-up and we went close to causing a shock but the visitors stole the win late on.

Other than that, we also got draws against high flying Shinnik, Mordovia and recently relegated Kuban. Not great to go winless, but at least it was against strong opponents. We returned to winning ways on 13 October by getting the better of Tyumen thanks to an own-goal, this result was Tyumen manager Vladimir Osipov's final game in charge as he was sacked straight after. We secured another single goal winning margin next time out versus struggling Luch-Energiya; the club that is actually based closer to Beijing, China than it is to Moscow, Russia - we play them away to end the season, that will be quite the away trip with an 8hr flight! We finished these two months with defeat to a very, very good Saturn side.

As of 1 November 2035, one game from the midway point, we sit in sixth position in the table which is a perfect position for us. I expect/want a top eight finish, which is basically what the board want too. Only the November matches and one in December to go prior to the winter break. Below this, you can see the squad statistics and the two month's awards. Two last things: For the last three-to-four weeks, we've had star man Rustem Borisov out injured; thankfully he has returned now. Also, squad player Dmitry Kartashov has departed to join lower league Fakel Voronezh.









Thanks for reading!

Next: 2035 to 2036 - November to March (w/ Khimki)

-----------
Career so far:
2016–2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) | (Singapore/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2018–2023 | Persib | (Indonesia/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 9 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2023–2026 | Eastern | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 6 / Awards: n/a / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: 0. resigned
2026–2027 | Bucheon | (South Korea/1+2) | Trophies: 1 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 1 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2027–2028 | South China | (Hong Kong/1) | Trophies: 3 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2028–2029 | Liaoning Hongyun | (China/1) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. sacked
2030 | Dynamo Bryansk | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0. resigned
2030–2034 | Belgium U21s | (National/3) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: n/a / Relegations: n/a. resigned
2034– | Khimki | (Russia/2) | Trophies: 0 / Awards: 0 / Promotions: 0 / Relegations: 0.

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Trophies won:
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2016 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) S. League.
2017 | Albirex Niigata (S) -- (Singapore) League Cup.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super Cup.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Super League.
2024 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2025 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Senior Challenge Shield.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2026 | Eastern -- (Hong Kong) Premier League.
2026 | Bucheon -- (South Korea) K League Challenge.
2027 | South China -- (Hong Kong) Community Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) League Cup.
2028 | South China -- (Hong Kong) FA Cup.

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Awards won:
2018 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, June.
2019 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2020 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, October.
2021 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, May.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, July.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Month, August.
2022 | Persib -- (Indonesia) Manager of the Year.