The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
A Football Manager Career by Eric PortapottyLeague
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Nation
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Eric Portapotty
Meanwhile, this is where I'm at.
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Yes, a new save, a new region.
My only experience in the Caribbean (or the whole of North America for that matter) was taking charge of Martinique (where the likes of Johan Audel and Joris "Brother of Sylvian" Marveaux led me to the Caribbean Championship) in FM10.
I've also loaded - as view-only leagues - the following to give this a more global feel:
- Canada, USA and Mexico from North America;
- Brazil and Argentina from South America; and
- England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain from Europe.
These are the links for some of the databases in this save:
http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/377709-FM2014-The-Caribbean-Megapack-V.2
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=276645899
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=197141153
George14brfc
Cymro
Dan
Eric Portapotty
What else could an unemployed Singaporean be doing in the Caribbean other than getting high on cannabis?
Well...:
Holidayed a couple of days, and came back to this - my 1st and only offer.
Sticking with my Smouha philosophy of blooding youths, which will be easy considering there are next to nil quality footballers here.\
Expecting the title though, that's a worry.
1st club in (hopefully) a career of many.
Great news on the youth recruitment side of things, though it probably doesn't mean much if it's only in Haiti.
Well that's odd, I'm sure I selected to add fake players - oh well, at least it gives me an easier time when introducing the guys:
(Worrying, he's complete rubbish.)
I can't really say much about the rest of the guys, other than that Thelamour is our best player by some distance, his goalscoring will be vital.
Rather bizarrely, I've arrived when most of the season has been played out and we're about to play our final match of the Championship playoff:
Which has already been decided.
There's also a relagation playoff apparently, which resulted in a rather bizarre final overall table:
Mirebalais finished dead last in the relagation playoff despite doing rather solidly in the regular season.
America de Cayes ran away with both phases, clearly our main rival then.
Eric Portapotty
Cheers guys, fingers crossed this turns out to not be a dud.
Cymro
Eric Portapotty
Bergkamp14: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/383667-I-fixed-bergkamp14-transparent-v5-skin.-You-can-download-it-here
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We headed into our final match of the season without any time to fine-tune a system (well we didn't have enough players anyway) so we set out with a... well you know:
Didn't help that our GK is dog turd and our defence was greyed out, but anyway, a debut loss.
All 15 year-olds, we'll have to make do, considering we only have around $300 to play with in wages to form a reasonable squad.
This could change with cutting wages of the current players, but it's still not the best situation to be in.
Eric Portapotty
2 youth 'prospects' later, we find ourselves on the brink:
Fab.
Eric Portapotty
Protip: look at your greyed-out players for options if you can't find any.
He's not rated well by the staff, but look at his mental attributes, definitely something we can use there.
Of course the problem is we've gone over the wage budget with his signings, so something had to be done:
Rubbish player, hopefully he enjoys his new club.
Nearly 3 months of nothing at all, coming to an end though, so it's not all terrible.
Johno
Eric Portapotty
Thanks bruv
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The players are back from holiday, now for 2 months of finetuning.
I have no idea where we got all that money from.
Great, so long there's cash coming in I'm not complaining.
I can't challenge for the title, if I'm honest.
Immediately directed all the funds to the wage budget, because that's the only way I roll.
Last thing I needed was further meddling from other squads, reserves are there to give recovering players game time, and any youth graduates will be drafted straight there instead of the U18s.
Signings now:
The Cambodian stands out like a sore thumb yes, and the Jamaican will also be in relatively unfamiliar surroundings, but all in all they should be able to cope.
From this point onwards I'll be looking to sign only on loans, helps to keep the wage bill down and allows for flexibility.
1st preseason match against the reserves:
So very far from our best, extremely rusty, problems that one hopes will be ironed out in this month and a half.
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
Cheers bro, high time you got your Pentagon back up as well...
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Preseason over, it's now the ever of the league opener - transfers first:
The quality of signings gradually got more rubbish as I started looking for shceap (and I mean cheap) backups, only to rise slightly towards the end as I realised how rubbish my squad really was.
A few of the guys have been introduced in previous posts, here's the rest of them:
If you noticed you'll notice that I'll be paying a couple of them under 5 SGD p/w, while none of them will take up more than $100 on the wage bill - this is Sepp Blatter's vision of 'modern slavery' manifested.
Now, how will this motley crew of hilariously underpaid individuals from 8 different nations do in their 1st couple of months together?
Absolutely awful - a lack of understanding and individual incompetence resulted in a series of abject losses. while it didn't help that some of the senior locals have no real heart for the team (Thelamour has already asked for a transfer, for instance).
Surprisingly, they have us as 4th favourites, albeit with America de Cayes as runaway favourites.
Rightly so too, their squad even has a full team of reserves, they've transfer-listed centrebacks who are miles better than our current bunch (not that they want to join - or that we could afford them for that matter) and their fringe stopper starts for us.
How am I not odds-on favourite for the sack?
Johno
itchycoo
It is indeed... Two more weeks of vacation, then we'll head down to Nigeria again.
That's the downside with kids, I suppose - no spare time...
Eric Portapotty
Aye take care of the kids first, going to be very hard to do so with FM running
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The 1st month has gone, have I been sacked yet?
OPENING DAY WIN \o/ \o/
Got the 1st goal from a setpiece, Louis dispatched the penalty for a 2-goal lead, and it was relatively manageable after that.
THE DREAM IS STILL ALIVE
We established a good advantage going into the interval, and it stayed as such, with us taking the foot off the pedal and them unable to show a clinical edge.
This was somewhere between inevitable and slightly disappointing - I never expected us to overcome the runaway defending champs, but when there's only 1 goal in it you can't help but feel that there's been a missed opportunity.
3 disallowed goals in total too, goes to show what could have been either way.
We took the lead, then proceeded to be subject to a bombardment, letting in countless chances and a disallowed goal before finally breaking.
The rest of the match was spent trying unsuccessfully to breach either defence for a winner, Louis proving particularly hapless with his finishing.
After our struggles (and Louis' display) I decided to shake things up, bringing Thelamour back from the wilderness of the reserves and for his 1st start of the season.
It paid dividends, as he put in a MoTM display with a goal and an assist.
We're on top on goal difference, though it's almost certainly not going to last looking at the teams with games in hand.
Still, at least I'm not sacked yet.
Apparently we were runners-up in last year's edition, it's anyone's guess whether we can repeat that feat.
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
He's got good pace and height so he gets many chances, but his finishing is atrocious. Atrocious.
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2nd month of the season, will I get sacked?
Awful result, went behind early, got back to an advantage only for our defence to let us down.
Cup match up next, part of a double-header with Cavaly:
A rotated eleven, I'd prepared to rest my important men only to let in a late equaliser.
we eventually won, but it took a lot of effort from the team.
Nice bit of cash too:
Brutal on the counter, we didn't have too much control of the match but the scoreline is all that matters.
Taste of our own medicine, and oh how brutal it was.
Defenders missing simple balls over the top cost us dearly.
The malaise continues, and we find ourselves in a crisis - an inevitable one considering the make of our team, but still a sudden one.
Also, the trouble with so many loanees is that there aren't that many players to fine, which doesn't go down too well with me.
So I fine given the opportunity, and receive the expected response:
However these guys aren't as amicable as the Smouha boys, and we subsequently fell out - 2 key players, brilliant.
Not only that, I was also summoned to a meeting with the board:
What a time then, to meet current league leaders Violette.
We didn't quite defend well at all, but going into the interval it was still goalless, so we weren't completely out of it.
Confidence was visibly shot though, and when we finally broke the end was nigh.
I leave in classic AVB style - having to juggle an influx of new signings, a decent start, only to falter badly and pay the price for some spectacularly bad results.
Not an absolutely terrible 5th either - 1 off 4th and our predicted finish.
There was also a rumoured takeove which fell flat before it even started, but that doesn't matter now - now, time for another gig.
George14brfc
Dan
Eric Portapotty
Cheers mate
Exactly! The club should be glad that I'm saving them money ffs
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(shoutout to the guy who made this pack, incredible depth considering it's only the Caribbean)
Typing out a couple of resumes with reggae in the background...
Job offers!
And two of them actually bothered to offer me the job!
Now decision time: Both teams are amateur, both have an apparent dislike of youth development, and neither are playing in their country's top flight, but that's where the similarities end.
Cygne are actually doing quite well in the Guadelopian(!) third tier(!!);
While Estudiantes just finished rock bottom of Aruba's second divison - basically the worst league club in the land.
Vitally, it's not hard to see why - Cygne actually have more than 1 player:
While Estudiantes have less than that:
It might well be easier to sign players on amateur deals (it's either yes or no) but I might just go for the settled squad.
Let me know what you think I should go for!
Dan
Johno
IVIarrow
Eric Portapotty
So,
You can't really complain too much when it's a amateur side, I'm just glad we have a 10,000 seater stadium to not fill.
Worst part is a lack of Assman, my HoYD refuses to negotiate any role change, which means I can't be given a half-realistic list of player and staff to sign.
So I've to put out an advert to get one, and knowing that it'll take months before anything at all happens.
Dan
Eric Portapotty
Tell me about it:
I'll be very surprised if this situation changes at all.
However there is respite:
Without an assistant I have no idea how good they are/will be, but looking at our squad it's safe to say that this is our best team yet:
Let's take a look at the HoYD's recommendation:
His ability is nowhere near as noteworthy as his ethnicity:
He's probably the world's only Krygyz-Aruban, I guarantee you that.
Anyway, they'll all be signed (not like I have any other choice) and I'll continue to wait for applicants.
Eric Portapotty
Basically, this team can't even defeat a greyed-out team of Under-18s - how will they ever cope with senior league football?
I've signed all of them anyway, as well and the MOTM of the U18s, all on amateur deals.
Still lacking centrebacks though.
They're now on holiday, all I will do meanwhile is wait for an assistant manager and coach to fall from the sky.
Tony Hawker
Staff Role > Assistant Manager
Nationality > Aruban
And then try signing anyone who shows up (if anyone shows up!)
At least Orozbek is brave and determined, eh!