Take me on a journey, man

Manager is Sergio Camacho from Brazil, favorite club is Internacional in Brazil. No badges and Sunday league rep.

Unemployment challenge in FM17, leagues loaded from the start:-

Singapore
Malaysia
Qatar
UAE
China
Hong Kong

South Africa

Mexico
Chile
Uruguay

Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Italy, Spain & Germany all view only. I will add / remove leagues as I go.

Aims are:-
Manage in as many of these nations as possible
Win at least 5 top leagues
Integrate the pentagon challenge in this, I want to win the champions league from each continent
Manage Internacional
Manage Real Madrid
Manage Barcelona
Manage Brazil
Manage Portugal

Since starting this write up I ahve actually played a couple of seasons.

But after the usual waiting for a job to come up I signed for Hougang United in Singapore.

Screenshots will be up later

So we finsihed the league in third position and won both cup competitions. The clubs financials are insecure and the board offered me no transfer budget and a small wage budget so I felt it was time to leave. Season review and award winners:

This update will only be a short 1 . I left Houngang and got the Perlis job in Malaysia second division which is called the Premier League. We won the league comfortably really and I've got a good feeling about this club and what I can win here. Also won manager of the month a few times which I hope will improve my rep.

Malaysia season summary



Job history so far:-

Part way through the season and for a promoted team we're doing okay, not finding much consistency overall but we have won the Malaysian cup which means we'll be playing in the Confederations Cup next season, if we stay up!



Since leaving Hougang they have been nothing short of terrible and have sacked my replacement



I was half tempted to apply for it and go back, but I think seeing as Perlis are in the Confederations cup it would be seen as a step back despited Houngang having a slightly higher rep.

Then on the same day I got the inbox message saying I'm the favourite for the Johor job. Johor are the current Super league champs and highest rep team in Malaysia so if I were to get the job I would probably leave.



After having the interview I didn't get the job, I'm not really surprised at not getting the job. Onwards and upwards with Perlis for the time being. We're doing okay in the league cup as well after over turning a first leg loss to Terengganu





Final point on this update is I now have managed 100 games in this career



Next update will be the end of the season and will see what we managed to do in the cup and how we got in the final games of the league.

Perlis 2018 end of season review

So come the end of the season and we stayed up, quite comfortably really and went on a good run towards the end of the season and finished in 4th.



Season summary:



Key players for us, their stats aren't anything to write home about but in this league they've been my main guys:

Rosid


Abbas is a player I had at Houngang and signed on a free transfer at the start of last season. Again his stats are not that good but he's bossed this league at left nidfield


Yaha is my main striker although not sure how many seasons he's got left in him though


Our main hot prospect. Loads of pace and needs to work on other areas of his game but he's been used as an option from the bench


Finally my own profile going into my third season at Perlis.


Season preview says we're expected to finish third bottom which is an imporvement on finsihing bottom like last years preview.


Aims for this season are to try and be competitive in the Confederations cup as well as the domestic cups. I think we'll do alright in the league if we get a few more bodies in, a main issue I had last season was tiredness as I didn't have that big a squad to rotate. Next update will be pre season and signings

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So I have some bad news. Firstly for those people reading this I am grateful for that, but unfortunately I am going to have to go back to a previous save point as my save got corrupted The last save I have is from the end of the 2018 season so no Confederations Cup victory and the whole of the 2019 season to play through again!

Oh well it is what it is, I will delete all the posts from the 2019 season and start again....

Perlis 2019 pre season update

So here I go again, resuming this save from the 2019 season. Before reloading due to corrupt save (remember to always ALWAYS use rolling saves!!) I had signed the following players
Swirad will be a first choice CB


Veenod has back up written all over him


Razali another back up player


Season preview has us at 10th despite winning 2 cups last year


Young players for me that I think are going to impress:

Saidin, I know he will perform well as he did so before my save got corrupted, he kicked up a fuss about wanting to leave but I am expecting that:-


Mr versatile Abdullah. Stats don't scream a good player but as I play wing backs and when I change formation I have defensive wingers, he comes in very handy. A good solid backup / rotation option for this league


Another player that performed exceptionally for me before the corruption, Kamal banged in a fair few goals for me so I am expecting the same this time around


Finally my main key center midfielder Ibrahim was probably my most consistent performer last time so again, I'm expecting him to deliver this time around


I signed a good player from India previously so will be going for him again. Hopefully I can replicate what I did before having to reload and win the Confederations cup, if I do ace if not no worries. I'll try get another update up tonight, if not it will be next week as I am going on holiday for a week tomorrow. Thanks for reading!!

Final signings before the season start properly.

Dawson D'Souza fom India is definitley my first choice RM



Arcos on loan from Pachuca will be mainly used from the bench



First game of the season was a well deserved 2-0 victory over Terengganu which was followed by a big win over Pahang




Confederations cup groups were drawn and we've got East Bengal, April 25 and Yadnarbon


First game was a win over East Bengal, but a narrow loss to Yadnarbon

Interesting place to manage, Malaysia. Nice to see an Indian in your team as well! Will be following.

Career update

I'll be getting a proper write up done in the next couple of days or so, but for this update I'm going to be changing some of the aims for the career.

Initially the aims for the save were these

Win at least 5 top leagues
Integrate the pentagon challenge in this
Manage Internacional
Manage Real Madrid
Manage Barcelona
Manage Brazil
Manage Portugal

But after adding the Brazil leagues it put my game speed down quite a bit, whilst I didn't notice much of a change in the overall speed of the game I've noticed on old saves having Brazil as active does slow it down in the long term. With that in mind I'm going to remove a couple of leagues and add a couple. I'm going to remove Hong Kong, South Africa and Uruguay and adding Argentina and Spain. As well as this I will remove Singapore after this season if I don't get a job there and add Germany to third division and Portugal top division only in a couple of seasons time.

Then playable nations for now will look like:

Argentina
Chile
China
Malaysia
Singapore
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Mexico
Spain

So I'll have 9 nations loaded at the minute, I think I'll either go for a job in Singapore, UAE or Qatar after this season or another in Malaysia, will see what's about at the end of the season if I'm not sacked by then. This is a journeyman save after all. With the above in mind and the active leagues I will change my aims for this save as well. As I probably won't bother putting Brazil in at all (if I do it will be a long time in the future) I will add to the teams I want to manage at least once to:

San Lorenzo
Villarreal
Mallorca
Dortmund
Sporting Lisbon

Spain
Germany

So after these changes my aims are going to be:

Win at least 5 top divisions
Win at least 1 cup competition in each country I manage in
Win the Asian Confederations cup & champions league at least once
Win the Copa Lobertadores and Copa Sudamerica at least once
Become a club icon at a minimum 2 clubs
Manage each of the following in no particular order at least once:
San Lorenzo
Villarreal
Mallorca
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Dortmund
Sporting Lisbon
Manage the following nations at least once:
Brazil (managers nationality)
Spain
Portugal

Reasons for these club teams are simple really, I like all of them in real life. I've always followed Real Madrid since I properly got into football in the 90's, Lisbon I've had a soft spot for a while cos I love thier kit, same with Dortmund and Villarreal. I'm actually in Mallorca right now so that's why I've added them to the list. San Lorenzo was chosen as I think realistically out of the big Argentine clubs I will probably only get the San Lorenzo job. Plus thier kits are nice.

Next update will follow up on the third season with Perlis and fourth overall. I've not done any other posts other than how we've performed so the next update will show my tactics I use, significant signings and how other leagues are performing.

Thanks for reading.

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Career progress:
2016 | Houngang -- (Singapore) FA & League Cup.
2017 | Perlis FA -- (Malaysia) Premier League winners
2018 | Perlis FA -- (Malaysia) FA & League cup winners

Cheers mate. D'souza looks great doesn't he, he'll out grow Perlis before long. I'll keep an eye on your career too.

Sergio Camacho career update

So in this update I will post some of the signings I've made, plus my managers current profile and state of our current and previous team.

First up, whilst I was at Huangang I had to sell our best player Japanese midfielder Fumiya Kogure as we had too many foreigners already in the team. I just couldn't get him in the side as the foreign players I felt I had to play were mainly the defence. Since selling him for 42k he only played a small number of games for the Japanese team that signed him and had gone back to Singapore with Albirex but has now left and is available on a free. It turned out okay for us really as we won 2 cups without him.


Before I started properly posting updates I had been offered a promising Brazilian attacking midfielder which I signed on a free transfer. His name is Miro Fontenelle and I had high hopes for him. He came in on deadline day and straight away went out on loan to Kuantan where he only made a handful of league and cup appearances. He came back and went straight into my starting 11. He only played 9 league games for me but 5 cup games as well. Then Chapecoense declared their interest in him and of course he wanted to leave. I was quite gutted as he performed well for us and I didn't want him to leave. Since joining them for a club record sale of 34.5k he's only made a handful of appearances in their first team. I am keeping an eye on him in the hopes I can resign him later on as our coaching team gave him 4 star current ability and 5 star potential ability.




After getting promoted with Perlis our star central midfielder Oh Kyu Bin wanted to leave. I did everything I could to get him to stay but it wasn't meant to be. He was sold to Perak for 22k, went out on loan to Sarawak and is now back in the Perak first team. Another player that despite being 1 of our better ones it turned out okay for us as we won 2 cups the season after he was sold. Again I am keeping an eye on him as he's pretty solid for this league




Next up are our 2 hot prospects. I've already mentioned them in previous posts and here they are again, our back up striker from the bench Kamal who is 4 star potential and Yazid my back up keeper who despite having no star potential seems to play really well every time he gets played. Not world beaters but at this level in Malaysia they're performing well




Next up is my managers profile at this stage. Can speak 4 languages fluently and currently studying for the first licence which will help get other jobs if / when they become available.


My go to formation at both clubs titled Operation Icarus. A solid 352 with short passing and getting the defence involved. Has worked pretty well so far for me, only real changes are when trying to shut out games I change the wide midfielders to defensive wingers




This is how Perlis are doing in comparison to other clubs in Malaysia. We're okay financially and have grown in reputation due to the cup wins.






Finally my previous club Huanggang have finished bottom in back to back seasons since I left. I am also on the favoured personnel list of both Perlis and Huanggang. As part of my aims I want to be an icon with at least 2 teams so maybe I can get that at Perlis if I don't leave at the end of this season. For the next update I'll post the next set of fixtures I manage to get through and I'm thinking about adding some story elements to this career update thread to add an extra dynamic to it, I'm probably not the best story teller there is but I'll give it a go.

As always thanks for reading.

Perlis March 2019 season update

What happened last night?' Sergio asked himself, We dominated, absolutely dominated that game, how have we not won? It was very demoralising really, it's absolutely killed morale in the dressing, I'm not sure how to pick the guys up from this'.





Even the fans seemed to feel the same judging by the posts on Twitter:




I guess we've gotta get back to winning ways, after all it's only 1 loss, a hard loss to take but still it's only 1. The next game I see as a must win, Terengganu beat us the last time we played so we have to get revenge, surely that will improve morale, plus there was a war of words the last between myself and their manager Joseph Jacob whose relationship with me is fairly bad



Well that didn't go as planned, we didn't lose but we must build on this and not dwell on these last 2 games.



As always I look to improve the team where I can, let's check today's gossip column.



Hmmm wonder what he's like, 15k does seem a bit much tho and I'm not sure we need to bring in another right sided player, at least not for the first team, I suppose scouting him won't hurt



Next up is another Confederations Cup game, I've got to get the lads focused for this, another loss and our chances of qualifying from the group will hang from a thread. We'll go all out for this one



I play what I feel is our strongest 11, I feel confident with this line up



Damn it! We concede too many sloppy goals. The first we conceded was from a wide open header from their striker, we could and should have done so much better with defending set plays. We managed to go in at half time in the lead but there was no stopping thier equaliser, a long range effort not even 2 keepers would've kept out.



Fan reaction on social media seems to be divided







We're playing well just not able to see games out. Should I change my formation? No, no that's not going to happen, Operation Icarus has proved so well for me for so long, but maybe just maybe the opposition have figured it out and figured out how to combat it. Food for thought, I will think about switching it up before our first leg cup game against Kelantan in a few days.

I feel quietly confident. Training has been good, all players are fit and morale is slightly better this week. I tell the journalists in our usual pre match press conference I'm confident as long as we stick to my game plan, ESPN kindly linked it in the post earlier



The game starts slow, no real chances for either side until the 18th when we concede a close range thunderbolt. Again the defence were all over the place, what is going on?!? It gets worse still, as 2 more close range goals go in when the defence are seemingly nowhere to be found. By the end of it we got beat,badly. We do however have a feint hope of getting something in the return leg as we managed 2 late goals of our own, but it was too little too late really. I let my anger known to the team at full time.



That does it for March 2019. We've got the return leg against Kelantan, a league game against our main rivals Kedah and 3 Confederations cup games coming up in April. After this humiliating battering I think it's time I looked at the formation we play and if we can change it somehow to try and shore up the defence. I can't let this poor form continue, I had high hopes at the start of this season, hopefully this is just a blip.

From this update onward I will still try and put a bit of story telling into it, but will probably be doing monthly or maybe every 2 months worth of updates.

Thanks for reading!

Perlis April 2019 season update

Coming into April I'm hoping for an improvement in form. We have to step it up big time to have any chance of qualifying from our group in the Confederations Cup. I've also conceded defeat in our quest to retain the Malaysian Cup.

Before we got to the return leg against Kelantan, the team of the month for March was announced with Alias getting in it, good work son although we should be thankful any of our players got recognised considering our results.



Considering our woeful defence this month I decided to concentrate on nothing but defending this month, hopefully this increased focus will pay off. Also a quick update from the board, and they're still happy with me despite this run of form.





As part of my routine I like to check the gossip column and today sees us linked with unsurprisingly, a goalkeeper. The Malaysian Football post first broke the story just before the return leg in the cup:





The player in question will be scouted from now until the transfer window, if I don't see an improvement from my current goalkeepers and my scouts give me a good report I think we'll move for him



So the return leg in the cup, you get a feeling of what's the point.



We then move on to the first of our Confederation cup games for April against East Bengal, a win is desperately needed, a draw could be okay but we'll see how we get on. We actually start the match well and have a decent chance in the first few minutes. We kept possession really well and looked good, I genuinely thought we may win this until they got us on the break. Without a doubt against the run of play and they finished with their first chance of the game. Great, I thought that's it we're going to get hammered. Straight from the kick off we went at them and following a clearance we managed to bury a long range shot, 1 all!! Half time came and straight from the kick off again we took it to them. Another long range effort went in and we were leading. This is it I thought, this is the turning point! Then a minute of pure madness, pure insanity. A cross from the right wing evaded all of the defence and they got a free header to make it 2-2. Oh well I thought we've got 2 goals already we should be able to get a third. NOPE! As soon as we kick off they're onto us with a high press and put our defence under pressure. The ball was played back to our keeper who couldn't control it and BAM their striker makes it 3-2. Devastating. Disappointing. Demoralising. The final 15 minutes and we created absolutely nothing. Defeated again. It's going to take a miracle to get out of the group now. Not confident at all.





Ahh well at least we've got a big game against our main rivals Kedah to look forward to. I try to put some pressure on them by saying I think they're favourites to go down this year. I mainly say this to try and get the fans on our side, as well as get under the skin of their manager.







Big game. Pre match nerves. Trash talk in the build up. No matter what league, competition or venue there's nothing like a game against your rivals. In my pre game team talk I remind the lads this is all about the fans, they're the ones paying our wages, they're the ones that feel it as much as we do, we can do this!

We start well, taking it to Kedah with a couple of fierce long range efforts nothing too threatening but still we get a couple of shots off, just to let them know they're in for a game today! After that the game dies down, we keep possession well, we pass the ball around dare I say, confidently? Then it happens. Abbas, 1 of my main guys runs down the right wing and whips in a delicious looking cross, it hits a defender and bounces towards another defender who tries to clear it with no luck at all and Zambri is there to clear up the loose ball, 1 nil!! Get in, get in GET IN!!!!! Just what we needed, a goal mid way through the game, that should settle the fans as well as clearing our own nerves. After that it was much of the same, we held the ball well and created space with pur neat passing. Then it happened, Abbas broke free down the right again, whips over a cross that just falls nicely at the feet of Zambri to stroke home and make it 2-0! Scenes absolute scenes as every player from our bench jumps up and celebrates, this could be it, the win we've been crying out for! In the stands as the fans are going wild, they can sense it too! From here on out I feel we should control the game, not have as high a line and try and keep possession as we have done. I change the team instructions, dribble less, play out of defence, shorter passing and most important KEEP POSSESSION!

Why? Why? Why? Why me, why us? Why can't we defend? These players know how to defend, we've won cups together, most of this team won promotion 2 seasons ago, we stayed up last year finishing fourth with mostly the same team, so why can't we defend now? Darren Lok. Darren bloody Lok!! I've had this guy on my shortlist for a while now, constantly scouting him as I want to sign him, and he's just proved to me exactly why. They went long, Tony Pulis style. A route one ball into the box that fell to Lok and his first time shot hit Nick Swirad on the way in. In a way I was hoping it would go down as an own goal, that way we could feel unlucky with it but it wasn't to be and the went to Lok. Okay guys, keep it simple, we can go in at half time in the lead and build on that in the second half, NOPE! They took it to us, we couldn't keep the ball, weren't making any meaningful tackles and then it happened, Darren Lok again. In real time it looked a good goal, a nice finish from just inside the area but I replayed it and again our defence were nowhere to be seen. He's wide open with our centre half's just standing ball watching. I'm furious, absolutely fuming! Half time comes and I let the team know exactly how I feel with an aggressive tone. Instructions go back to attacking and to dribble more and run at the defence. We scored 2, we can score more. The second half was a sloppy affair from us. We gifted them shot after shot after shot, eventually they had nearly double the amount of shots that we had but we get to the 89th minute and I think we can hold on for a draw, a draw from being 2 up but a draw nonetheless. Tactics change to drop deeper, keep possession and more disciplined. Then Kedah went all Tony Pulis again just as they did in the first half. Another route one ball into the box which just happened to land at their unmarked striker with all the time in the world, really he could've taken 4 touches, done a Cruyff turn and still been in enough space to bury the ball home. 3-2 to them. It's games like these that test your mental strength. the fans will be upset, the board won't be happy, the player they better be p*ssed off! all I can do is try and pick them up.





We've got 1 game left in April and it's a must win, anything less than a win and we're out of the Confederations Cup. Pre match team talk I tell the boys to go out with no pressure, to play their natural game and the result will come. I can't put any more pressure on them, they all know what we need to do. It doesn't matter that we need other results to go our way, we just need to concentrate on what we do.



The game starts sloppy, neither team able to keep the ball and I can sense the tension in my players, if they feel what I do then it's only a matter of time before we concede. That's a bad way to think but at the minute that's how it feels. My fears were confirmed around 26 minutes in when another sloppy piece of play from our defence let them score a tidy finish inside the area. Right then, we've got nothing left to lose, we're losing this game, we're on our way out of the Confederations cup so we go all out attack. Instructions are to overload them, route one into the box, if it worked for Kedah in our last game surely it can work for us? The boys get in at half time and I don't want them to know I feel defeated already so tell them to go out there and carry on with no pressure. It seems to work as we now look the more threatening side. We don't see much possession but when we do have the ball the long balls into the area seem to cause them issues. A couple of half chances and we finally get a breakthrough, it may be in the 83rd minute we do manage to equalise thought an absolute rocket from Hashim. Whilst I know we won't win this match at least we're going out of this competition with a draw and a not another loss.





So that does it for April. A bad month, a bad couple of months actually. I think it's time we changed it up. We need to be hard to beat, scoring goals doesn't seem to be the problem, keeping them out is! We are going to try something different, we're going to go 5 at the back. Try and catch teams on the break. They won't be expecting it. We've got a busy month in May coming up with games against Selangor, Kelantan, Perak and Penang as well as a meaningless game against April 25 in the Confederations cup. We've got to pick this up now no excuses and no fear!

Perlis May 2019 season update

It can't get much worse, can it? I need to get back to winning ways, we have a capable squad, these lads know what we've got to do. So change is coming, a change in formation, set up and rotation of the squad.

First up is our new formation, 5-3-2 counter attacking. I figured we'd go counter attacking to try and catch teams out on the break, it can't be any worse than we've played so far





Training this month is all about tactics with a bit of defence training chucked in there



Before any games commenced I had a private chat with Kamal who wants more game time. Not a problem kid you're in for the next couple of games, we can't possibly be any worse off





As always i checked the gossip column and once again we're linked with another goalkeeper, this time Amir Khata of Negeri. Definitely an improvement on our current keepers, I will make a move for him in the upcoming transfer window.







First game in May was a meaningless game in the Confederations cup. I'm not even bothered about the result, it's jsut a chance to test out the new formation. We played well in the opening stages and even took the lead before our usual defensive collapse.



Next up was the game against Selangor. These are a top team in Malaysia and always challenge at the top.To say I'm not confident is an understatement despite them not winning in their last 4 either.



The game arrived and long story short we were terrible. The worse I've seen us play in a long time! 5-1 flattered us really and the 90th minute goal wasn't even worth celebrating



Next up were Perak, another chance to test out our new formation. Hopefully a better result.



We set up with the new 532 hoping to catch them on the break. During the game it's clear they are also setup to defend. A boring match with nothing of note happening. 0-0 was probably the best result.



Penang are our next opposition. And another poor performance and we ended up losing 2-1. I can't really say much about this game, we didn't deserve to win and we didn't. Not only that but we've created history, not a positive piece of history though..





In our final game of the month we find ourselves up against Kelantan who destroyed us over 2 legs in the cup. I am not confident about this one and just hope we keep it respectable. I tell the lads to play their natural game and hope for the best.

Considering the 8 goals over 2 games they put passed us last time, the fact we're playing badly a 0-0 draw I feel is a good result. We just need to build on this now.



In between all this, Darren bloody Lok went and got the goal of the month for his strike against us in April, jammy bugger!



Also my main man Abbas has decided he's homesick. Not much I can do but let him go away for a while and hopefully come back refreshed and ready to help us get out of this slump





My job despite this poor form is still very secure. The results and performances have been bad. I have to pick it up. We MUST pick it up. We'll see what June brings....

Perlis June 2019 season update

This month sees us play games against Melaka, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur & Johor DT all in the league. The transfer window opens this month as well so we'll be looking to strengthen where we can.

First though the groups are drawn for the league cup, which we won last year. We're drawn in group C alongside Pahang, Penang and Perak. On current form I can't see us getting out this group but you never know, by then we might have remembered how to win



First game this month sees us away to Melaka. A team that came back up last season and is currently in 2nd place in the league. It's a fairly even game right up until the last couple of minutes where we concede 2 in 2 minutes. Same old story really, play well but implode defensively near the end. Bad performance, bad result.



The press like to point out the obvious sometimes, tell me something I don't know....



Following this the Selangor manager got sacked. Now they've not been in nearly as bad form as we have so in some regards I think I'm lucky to still be here, but that's not why I'm bringing this up, this is why:



So I cheekily declared my interest in the role, why not, if I get it then I'll have a much bigger transfer and wage budget and will possibly be challenging for the league title next season.







I won't apply for the job, I will wait for Selangor to come to me. In the mean time we've got 3 more games to go this month. the first is against Pahang at their place. In my team talk I let the guys know the pressure is all on Pahang as we're not expected to get anything out of the game, and this definitely worked. Straight from kick off they came at us and we got the ball back in our own half, bombed forward and within the first couple of minutes were 1 nil up! Then straight from the kick off again we regained possession, went straight up the other end and buried in another goal, 2 nil after 3 minutes!! the game died down and then the usual defensive collapse happened and we let in a sloppy goal. Great I thought, this is where we get caught again from being 2 up but managed to hold on until half time. I told the players I was extremely pleased so far, a couple of their reactions said they felt relaxed, a little too relaxed maybe as 10 minutes into the second half we went and conceded a pretty good long range goal to make it 2 all. I thought yep this is it, we're on to a hiding now. After passionately encouraging the team during the game Fazail sent a cross over from the right wing that was 1 of those cross sum shot types that give keepers nightmares. Their keeper managed to get a hand on it but it creeped over the line, 3 2 to us! A very nervy final 10 minutes actually saw us get a corner near the end. I thought brilliant hold the ball in the corner and see out the clock but Fazail decided to whip it in, and we managed to get a penalty which I was quite surprised about. Saidin converted the pen to give us a very much needed 4-2 away victory!! Absolutely thrilled with this win, our first in 14 games now hopefully we can build on this.



It's great what a bit of confidence can do. We go into our penultimate game of June against Kuala Lumpur. The media seem to think after the win against Pahang we are comfortable favourites, but I'm not sure.


I tell the team to go into the game and continue where they left off against Pahang. It works as we dominate possession right from the off. After getting near to half time I felt we would end up getting caught on the break ourselves, but luckily we get a penalty right on 45 minutes that we convert, 1 nil going into half time. Second comes and again we dominate, waiting for an opening whihc we finally get on 54 minutes, our young striker Kamal getting the goal. This trend of keeping possession and looking strong continues right up until the 82nd minute when we get our deserved third goal to take home 3-0 victory. Dare I say we might just have turned a corner here with 2 wins on the bounce? Probably not, We've got the big boys Johor DT next....



So here we are with the final game in June against the Man United of Malaysia Johor DT. It's worth noting we thumped these guys 4 nil at the start of the season and not actually lost to them since I've been in charge, but despite winning our last 2 games I know we've been poor most of the season so I'm expecting a tough game, and I think a draw could be classed as a good result for us.What am i saying, the game itself was a defensive master class. Johor had the most possession and although we had the same number of shots they didn't look like converting any of them. A very well deserved victory and this could be the turning point now, 3 wins on the bounce and we've looked good in all 3.





The board are still happy with me and these 3 wins will be a reason why. Not only that but Selangor have offered me an interview.











In the next update we'll see if I have the interview, if I get the job or stay at Perlis. Thanks for reading!!

Perlis July 2019 season update

So going into July 2019 I had been to the interview with Selangor and waited to hear back. After this there was a big game against our biggest rivals Kedah again, and the last time we played this lot they scored a 90th minute winner, so revenge is definitely on the cards this time around!





The game came and I told the lads we have to get revenge, all responded positivley and the match kicked off. We started the brighter team and took a deserved lead on 24 minutes. I expected a response from Kedah but that didn't come. Right on half time we doubled our lead to go in at 2 nil. I told the team to press on from here, I was half expecting either Kedah to go all out attack or our defence to gift them a goal. Of course both of these things happened. They didn't seem to have much possession but when they did they looked threatening. It wasn't until 74 minutes their breakthrough came though, a sense of de ja vu tho as close range finish where our defence were just ball watching made the score 2 - 1. Then it happened 3 minutes later as they scored the equalising goal. Again a close range finish as our defence can't seem to cope with anything that gets put into the box. the final 10 minutes were pretty even and uneventful as we were happy to draw. Another disappointing result and dropping points from winning positions, at least we didn't lose to a last minute goal again.



This is the end of an eventful 2 and a half years........



The news filtered through from various news outlets in Malaysia that I have been hired as the new manager of 1 of the biggest clubs in the country, Selangor FA.













Am I excited at the prospect of managing arguably the second biggest club in Malaysia? Yes. Am I nervous? Very much. Am I ready to get started, you;re damn right! This is a huge opportunity for me. Success is ingrained in this club, they've won more trophies than any other but nothing since 2010. The club are hovering above the relegation zone but their form hasn't been too bad really. I guess the board are very demanding. Aim for this season is simply avoid relegation. After that we're going to press on and I want to challenge for the title, something that I don't think would've possible with Perlis, well not in the short term. I feel sad at leaving Perlis but couldn't say no to Selangor.









A little insurance policy for me with a 10% release fee in my contract, and I wanted an affiliate club as part of my joining, so we'll see who the board come back with. All being well someone we can get young players on loan from. The first team look good, this squad were supposed to finish around 4th so there must be some underlying issue as to why they're 2 places and 2 points above the relegation zone, with relegation a very real possibility. Finances are healthy as well as a decent budget for this league as well.









To attempt to get the club away from the relegation zone, I'm going with my tired, tested and trusted 352 Operation Icarus. The current first team look decent enough, I think maybe a change in formation may be the catalyst for them to move away from the drop zone. There are enough players that can fit into this system, with the stand outs Martin Anier on loan from Tallinna in Estonia, Kenny Parallj at CM looks decent enough, Rodrigo Eduardo has already agreed a move away but we'll use him until then, Robbat Gary Steven will be our B2B midfielder, Muhd Ahmad I will look to for goals and Mohd Iqbal Muhamad is a strange one. An Oman international with 1 cap yet not played in the league for Selangor at all, he's played in the cup though, he must be okay to get called up, anyway he'll be used sparingly.

Anier



Pallraj



Eduardo



Steven



Ahmad



Muhamad



My time at Perlis came to an end with a 2 all draw against Kedah, my time in Selangor kicks off with possibly the toughest start possible, an away trip to the big boys Johor DT, who I managed a 1 nil victory over a couple of weeks ago. The next update will be about how we got on in our first games at Selangor, as well as the first few matches in the league cup where we are drawn in group A alongside Melaka, PKNS & Terengganu as well as any signings we make as the window will be closing in couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading!

So my first month in charge of Selangor, and things have gone well. First up we had my debut match against Johor DT.









We set up with 352 and I told the lads the pressure is all on Johor, we are the underdogs so we can play without any fear. In my own mind this is a new regime so these players are either going to want to impress and will need to get used to a new system. The game kicks off and we're start brightly, keeping the ball moving and looking like we want to get something from the game. Fast forwad to the 20th minute and a corner comes in and the ref blows for a foul. At first I thought it was a free kick to us and then realised oh bugger, we've conceded a penalty. Not how I envisaged my first game going but their player stepped up to take it and our keeper was rooted to the spot. Not that it mattered as the ball went straight down the middle and the keeper saved it!! That's bound to boost confidence! We carried on the same way and managed to take the lead in the 33rd minutes thanks to a through ball to Ahmad who buried it confidently. Going into the seoncd half winning I was confident we would add to it. We kept plugging away and had a few decent chances but didn't convert any of them. Johor equalised with a pretty well takne long range shot. Nothing much happened after that and I am happy with a draw away to Johor for my first game in charge.



Before our next game which was in the league cup,I had made 2 signings. First up is Muhd Azman, a right footed left midfielder from Felda United. I've actually scouted this guy when I was at Perlis and we definitely need a left sided player, his stats don't scream quality but this league isn't the best and I believe he'll be a success.





Next up is a signing I'm very happy about. I had signed and sold him whilst at Perlis, Miro Fontenelle. His stats aren't amazing but in the few games he played for me at Perlis he was awesome. Not played in many games in Brazil he found himself on the transfer list. 10k for a player in this league is big business, I know he'll do well and his stats are actually better then they were in Perlis, so he's improved. Currently injured but will be straight in the team when he's fit.









Next up is our first game in the cup against PKNS. We're the favourites and go out with a plan to win and do so coming away with a 3-1 vctory.



Transfer deadline day came and I didn't bother taking part as I am happy with the team and the 2 neew singings we've got. Transfer round looks like this and as I said earleri 10k on 1 player is big business in Malaysia



Just as the window closed I decided I'll scout Saidin from my old team Perlis. I know he's good and I am scouting him to make sure he'll join, can't see why he wouldn't. So I declared my interest and if we manage to stay in this league which I'm confident we will I'll make a move for him.







After this is was back to cup football and an away game against Terengganu. Another solid performance and a resounding 3 - 1 away win. Equal amount of possession but we had double the number of shots as them. Another good performance making me think the players are well suited to my 352 formation.



Final game of the month saw us taking on 2nd place Melaka this time in the league. We do actually play Melaka in the cup after this. Melaka favourites for this one and rightly so, Selangor have been poor in the league prior to me joining.





I tell the team to go out and give the fans their money's worth. We've got nothing to lose really, we've got a couple of points over the 3 teams below us and we've played well up to this point. If you Googled the term 'even game' then this match would come up. 50/50 possession and 11 shots each, except 1 of ours was the winning shot that went in. An absolute belter (more on this shortly) from outgoing midfielder Eduardo gave us the win. This type of victory can really help push us on. We're looking good and I am very confident relegation was only a word mentioned before I got here.



That does it for games for this month. I've come in when the club were looking over their shoulder at relegation which was a real possibility. After 3 league games we now sit 9th and 5 points clear of the drop zone. Morale is high, the team have responded to new tactics and I am confident we will continue this form and steer clear of going down.





Finally to top this excellent first 4 weeks in charge, Eduardo got goal of the month for his winner against Melaka. A good goal from a player that had already agreed a transfer away before I joined.

https://youtu.be/UbNod7oKfPk

Thanks for reading!

So here we go with Augusts update and a tough looking month ahead. We start off with an update on 1 of our youth player Rosli Salim looking good in training according to my backroom team. A quick look at his stats and he seems okay for now, plenty of pace an possibly may be able to improve. He's played a few times, none for me though.





First match in August for the third time during my time here is against Melaka.





Long story short, they were the better team. They went 2 up and we didn't look like creating anything until we got a decent goal against the run of play. We move on to the next game in the cup against PKNS which if we win we'll progress out the group.



A confident win against a lower division side and we played well.



We're back to league action next against Penang. I'm looking for a good performance here to really boost our hopes of survival.



The game comes and goes in a flash. We were terrible. I can see now why this team are hovering above relegation. We got absolutely destroyed. I told the team in an aggressive tone just how mad I am. This is unacceptable and we cannot have any more performances like this or we will be going down!







Back to the cup and against our favourite opponents Melaka. A solid performance and a debut goal from Fontenelle. We qualify for the next round and have been drawn against Sarawak.











1 game left in August sees us up against Pahang who are playing near the top of the league and have a slight chance of winning it, but need to win all their remaining games and have other results go their way. We went into the game set up how we have every game I've been here and come away with a deserved 1 nil win that stops any hope of Pahang winning the league. This last performance sees us to the end of a decent month, with only 3 games left to go we're 8 points above relegation so 1 more win would be enough to secure survival.







Since me leaving Perlis they've done alright under they're new manager, only losing 2 but drawing quite a few. We do actually play in the league soon and that may be the game that secures Selangor's survival.



As awlways thanks to you guys for reading!

We've got to be confident. We've got enough quality in the team to get clear of relegation. We've got ourselves a decent cushion to fall back on in terms of points over the teams below us. If nothing else we're bloody Selangor FA for God's sake! We're too good, too big to go down! Not only that, I'm Sergio Camacho, and I'M too good to get relegated!

We start September with the first leg of the cup quarter final against Sarawak. They dominated this game, they wanted it more, the deserved it more. We can't complain, if anything else we need to concentrate on the league over the cup. This loss gave me no feeling either way, we lost so what, we can concentrate on the league games.



This next game against Kuala Lumpur is a must win. They're propping the league, in bad form and a team lost of confidence. This will be a walk in the park and i expect nothing but a win from this game, i tell the lads as much in the pre game team talk.







We start off well. We look like the team that will get something out of the game. We edge the first half and go in at 0-0. I tell the team to press on and get the victory. We didn't create any clear cut chances though as all the efforts were well held by their keeper. then it happened. We gave away a silly free kick on the edge of the box.

I knew what was coming.

I knew exactly what was going to happen. Against the run of play and really all our own doing giving away a stupid free kick in a dangerous place. Ahmad stepped up with confidence and it flew straight in in the top corner. No keeper would've saved it. 1 nil to them



Our heads drop. We already look defeated. We go all out attack but it doesn't matter. They're sitting with 11 men behind the ball. We just don't have the confidence to try anything else or take any risks. A 1 nil loss to the team at the bottom of the league. Things aren't looking too good right now.







After this defeat it was the return leg in the cup against Sarawak. I had 2 choices, go all out for this game in the hopes a) playing well & building confidence which should help us with our last few league games, or b) play a weaker team and take the loss and keep the stronger players fit for the run in. I go with choice A. I never want to lose a game on purpose, I want to win every game I manage. I don't like playing young players as defeats for them may dent their confidence which in turn may affect the team when they play again. We go into the game looking to win it. We need 2 unanswered goals. We go with an attacking mindset.

An even game, nothing exciting but we looked good even after going a goal down. We responded well and deserved the equaliser. Not to disheartened at this as we were never concentrating on the cup.





Right then, no cup distractions now it's on the final 2 games, 1 against my former club Perlis. This is the biggest must win of my tenure so far. This Selangor team put 5 past my Perlis team not that long ago, oh how I would love and need a repeat of that scoreline!









We've gotta win this game. My decision to leave Perlis will come under heavy scrutiny if we lose. Not only that if we lose and other results go against us we could be 1 point above relegation heading into the last game. We NEED 3 points here, and nothing else will matter if we don't get that. I tell the boys I expect nothing but a win here and we go out to start the match and lose possession straight away. It doesn't matter as we regain it quickly. We keep the ball well until the 13th minute where we get a goal. A cross into the box is swept in. We hold the lead for a bit before they take the lead through my old go to guy for goals Yaha, the twat! A good goal really as they went from their own half to getting a goal in double quick time. We do hold on for a bit before losing possession deep in our own half. they send a cross over from the right which is hilariously turned in by Jalil. 2 - 1 to them going into half time. This will not do. I tell the team to get back out there and show a bit of desire. We get desire alright, we get commitment so much so we get a red card for our troubles. Eldstal was booked in the first half and decides its time to go lunging into people within 3 minutes of the second half and gets another yellow. Great stuff, we're losing to my old team, away from home and now we're down to 10 men. Can't get any worse can it? Oh wait it can, we concede 2 more just to top it all off. People are going to be asking questions, why did I leave that team to come to this one? Why didn't i exploit their weaknesses? How come Perlis didn't have any defensive breakdowns today but had 1 every game for me? Maybe it's me that's the reason for failure? Tough questions, and even tougher decisions to come.......









That was humiliating. That was a pathetic showing. Against Perlis of all teams. I just hope Kuala Lumpur lose their next game against top of the league Kelantan. We've got to cross everything and pray that Kelantan do us a favour





How did they get on......



Obviously. Obviously they won. Obviously they put 4 passed the team looking to win the league. Obviously that's going to help their goal difference. Right well we've got to go to the last game of the season and get a win. Nothing else. Nothing else will matter. It all comes down to this, it's just 1 game. Beat Kedah and we stay up. Simple as that.





Next update will be how we got in the final game of the season and if we managed to stay up or not. Thanks for reading.

Could the unthinkable happen? Is this the end? It will be massive in Malaysia if Selangor go down. I can't let that happen, we've got the quality to beat Kedah, they are a poor team in Perlis's shadow, I haven't beat them in 3 games, that's got to change today! This club looked good in parts since I took over. Many times I thought we were too good to go down. The players here are too good to go down.



We go into the game against Kedah with the intention to attack and win the game. We need to win to be sure of survival and to not rely on Kuala Lumpur winning. We take it to them form kick off but it's back to the same old story, play well and look good just to concede first. 1 nil after 6 minutes. So we go all out attack to try and get the equaliser. Obviously we're leaving massive gaps behind and they catch us on the break to make it 2 nil. Heartbreaking stuff this. It's not like we're even playing badly we've done well so far just been unlucky. I've got to keep the faith and confidence we can do this. We start the second half on top just like we started the first, we do get a goal on 57 minutes which I think, well hope will spur us on to get an equaliser. Another goal does come, but not for us. they catch us again on the break and bury a low cross into the box. 65 minutes in and I already know what's happening. this game is over. This season is over. We're going out of the Super League for the first time since 2005. I can't believe it. I left a solid team in Perlis to come here with the hope of building for something and competing for titles. I've got to look at everything, myself, this team, the players.





I'm genuinely distraught. The club is too big for this, the players are too good for this. Is it me, was I the right man at the wrong time? Was I the wrong man at the right time? I need to think do I want to spend a season in the second division and hope we get promoted first time and then hope I can build on that in a years time? I've already got 6 players saying they want to leave because of this relegation. They're the ones that got the club into this mess and now they want to leave?!?








The players go on leave now for a few weeks. I need to think about this long and hard. We're bound to be favourites to go back up. Even if the majority of these players demand moves away and we will have to cut the wage bill quite a bit. There will be a lot of movement within the squad if I stay. If I leave will that look bad on my part? I have a big decision to make. I leave to think it over. I'll give myself a week or so to decide, once I make my mind up there's no turning back.....

As always to those reading this thank you and stay tuned for my decision!

End of 2019 season update

As I sit there contemplating, there's a knock at the door. 'come in' I say loudly. It's Miro Fontenelle, a young player I just signed. Ambitious, driven and outspoken, he's got all the attributes to be a top player. in many ways he already is

'Miro, how are you son?'

'Terrible boss'

'What's on your mind?'

'I'll cut to the chase, out of respect for you I'm here to say I want to leave, I can't play in the second division I'm too good for that league. I came here after the damage was done, the other players that were here before me relegated this club, not me'

'Okay Miro, thanks for your honesty and I sympathise with you, but look how about sticking it out for at least this season, we're going to go straight back up I know we are. Plus as a promise I'll build the team around you, you'll be my main guy, the first name on the team sheet, next season we'll be challenging for trophies trust me!'

'I can't wait that long boss, I need to be competing now so I'll say it again, I want a transfer away'

'Okay I can see I'm not going to change your mind, would a payrise tempt you to stay?'

'I can't believe you think throwing money at me will change my desire'

'Okay I'm sorry I insulted you. Anyway as far as I know there are no teams even interested in you yet? You're under contract here so get used to it, I'm sorry I can't put the desires of 1 individual over the team'

'You've not heard the last of this' he says as he storms out. Great, just what I need. My job is already insecure and now someone who I thought I could rely on he turned against me. Literally minutes earlier I was about to head downstairs and start figuring out what players I would actively shop and try to move on, as well as seeing what players I can find that will join Selangor even though they are in the second division they're still a big name club, but after this chat with Miro, as well as the other 5 players that have pretty much said the same thing, I think I know what I'm going to do.







After doing the usual interviews with the press after leaving I think I'll wait for the right opportunity to come up. I don't think any teams battling relegation will want me, I couldn't keep a big club from going down so what chance will I have of keeping any other up? I think I may have to think low, not lower leagues low but maybe a lower to mid table team somewhere depending on what's about job wise. I think to myself I'm in no rush really, this relegation has totally taken the wind out of me. If and when I get another job I think I might drop Operation Icarus, maybe that was the reason we went down? Am I just looking for excuses? We'll see. I think I'll wait for a team to come to me, I'll only put myself out there and apply for somewhere if I truly beleive in the project., time heals all wounds, let's wait and see what comes up.....

Thanks for readin. Next update will be about what jobs are out there and how long I wait to get another!

If you can't beat them, well, join them!

A hectic couple of weeks that. First I decided i was going to take it easy and take some time away from managing, you know recharge the ol' batteries and wait for the right opportunity to present itself, but within 3 weeks of me leaving Selangor I got a phone call.

'Hello?'

'Hi, is this Sergio Camacho?'

'Depends who's calling'

'Well it's Jeffrey Low, I am the President for Kedah football club, now just wait before you say anything hear me out'

I'm intrigued, why oh why would the president of Kedah, 1 of my previous clubs biggest rivals be calling me?

'I'm all ears'

'Well, not sure if you know but our first team manager has left recently, and you're out of work, you know what I'm saying?'

'Apart from stating the obvious, no I don't'

'Okay look, I know you've done well at that team who play in yellow, not that they beat us the last 3 times we played, anyway look I need a manager, I need someone to come in and sort my team out, we've not done too bad really, finishing fourth last year but we've not won anything since 2008, that treble winning season we had'

'Okay so what does all this have to do with me'

'Sergio, look don't make me spell it out for you. You're an out of work manager, I don't have a manager I think we could achieve great things together'

'I'm not sure, I am still very well liked in Perlis, I pissed off the KEdah fans every time we played you lot, oh and don't forget I just took a team down for Gods sake, why me, why do you think I'd do any good?'

'Look, you're record speaks for itself. You're a winner, you win cups, you take teams from nothingness to relevance, we need someone like you Sergio, and look don't worry about the fans, once you get your feet under the table and win a few games they'll be onside'

'I left Perlis for a much bigger job and failed, I couldn't keep a team full of great players in the division, why do you think I'd do any better at your club?'

'To hell with Selangor, with them out the league it gives us a better chance of progression. Sergio, I won't wait around forever, I want you at my club, I give you my full backing, and just think players will think you've gone to your previous clubs biggest rivals and that takes some balls. I'll say it once and once only, Sergio please be our new manager....

That was that, I hung up the phone and packed my bag.I was heading back North, back to a part of Malaysia I know well, not quite as far North as Perlis but still it was nearby. What were the Kedah fans going to think of me, Perlis most successful manager in recent memory, a manager that actually hasn't beat Kedah in my last 4 games, a manager that had the opportunity to build something at Selangor and absolutely stuffed it? Well there was only 1 way to find out......



















So here we are, a place I didn't ever think I'd be. Firstly due to my history, affiliation and success with Perlis I thought this day would never come, and secondly after getting the chance at a big club with Selangor I blew it, I am genuinely surprised to get another opportunity so quickly. Learning from my mistakes I am going to concentrate on sorting the defence out. An old trusted player has been signed, an unproved up and comer and an experience head are all coming in to hopefully shore up the back line.









I've signed Nick Swirad not to annoy the Perlis fans, not to get 1 over them or try to get our fans onside, I've signed him as I think he's going to do well for me. Norsam is going be be my back up option from the bench or to fit in around injuries and suspensions. Costa is also going to play back up, I've mainly signed him for his height, maybe he can improve who knows? I don't yet see myself committing to Kedah in the long term, I want to win and I want to win NOW! I have a reputation to keep, well rebuild really, the first thing they Kedah chairman asked me about was the relegation, hopefully people will remember the cups I've won not to mention taking Perlis up as champions.