Pontus Fem

After two and a bit seasons undertaking my normal game style, I decided to try something different and add a truly amateur manager to my game and see what would happen. I loaded up a who host of new leagues to me, and waited to see what would come his way.

I decided to go with a Swedish manager called Pontus Fem. Pontus means “sea bridge”, which feels fitting for a man who will make a career of travelling the world, and “Fem” is Swedish for “five”. After a huge wait, I finally managed to get an interview and a job offer from…

South China Athletic Association of Hong Kong. Turns out they might just be of the most successful teams in Hong Kong having won the First Division 40 times in their history. It's been 12 years since the FA rearranged the top flight in Hong Kong, and South China haven't won the new iteration of the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League. We've won the Challenge Shield a record 30 times, and the FA Cup 10 times. But our aim is to do something that has never been done…win the AFC Champions League.

My first request is for the board to agree to fund a coaching badge for me. It's a hard no, and I'm too scared to argue in case it costs me a job I've waited months for. I have a one year contract, and I don't want to give the board any excuse to turn it into a ten minute deal. The club is a blank slate, as there are just two members of staff on the books…me, and the chairman. It's a squeeze in our joint office, but I'm hoping we'll get on well. I have just six days from starting at the club before our first league game, and a huge amount of work to do.

The first team squad is…a squad. I make my first addition in the form of Luke Mitchel on trial. Beyond that, I might need some investment.

Luckily for me, the chairman has given me a little bit of money to spend. £460k feels like a good budget for the league, and an extra £2.5k a week in wages to play with. 

Ideally, I need to hire a whole backroom staff, and sign a couple of decent players to ensure we mount a challenge for the league. Anything other than the title means no AFC Champions League football. That being said, a second or third placed finish would mean a go at the AFC Cup…and the challenge of adding both of the continental competitions on my way around the world is a little appealing. I plan on trying to ensure I use as many local players as possible, so let's see what happens. I immediately throw out job adverts for coaches, an assistant manager, scouts, physios, tea ladies, a dog…anyone I can get my hands on really. 

Thankfully, my first game in charge ends up being a 4-1 victory over North District FC (who are predicted to finish 11th out of 12 teams) gets us off to a good start. I'm not Guardiola, so I play safe with a formation I've used for over a decade in game (obviously the 4-2-3-1) and it works well enough.

I think I might make Au Man Lok the captain and sign him wherever I go, because it might just be the best name I've seen in game since Yaya Banana.

I complete Luke Mitchel on a free transfer, and he instantly becomes the best player at the club. A dual nationality player, holding both New Zealand and Hong Kong passports, so I'm happy enough to consider him one of our own already. 

He did demand a £34,500 release clause in his contract…so I am a little concerned about what might happen. But, future Fem can worry about that. Back to the drawing board, and back to focusing on building the club from nothing.

Fem, out (for now).

Challenge One - Staffing

As mentioned, I am currently the sole member of staff at the club. I'm running around sorting training, washing the kits, giving the players a rub down, and sorting the coach travel for the next game. It's a ghost town here.

The biggest issue I have is that trying to trawl through the transfer market is difficult because I can't filter my search by those who are unrealistic targets. I know not to approach a certain caliber of player, but I'm being rejected by almost everyone I look at. Even Hong Kong physios who are unemployed aren't interested. I'm beginning to wonder whether I need to change my toothpaste…

Throw in the other big issue around training and player development. Really I need to build the squad up, and without enough staff training is ineffective, and without a medical team injuries will be an issue.

Challenge Two - Youth Squad

I have no issue with the youth team here. That is to say, I have no issues as I have no players. I need to find time between now (late August 2026) and October 5th 2026 to add some quality to my first team AND try to find a few decent young prospects I can sign up to build a youth team up. All of a sudden that transfer budget feels like it might be a little tight. I'd originally planned on trying to put most of the budget into the wages, and sign up some free transfers. Instead, I'm going to have to free up wages from the squad by getting rid of deadwood (which always feels harder when you need to do it) and hope I can pull some bunnies our of the proverbial hat.