Dans Journey Around The World [FM15]

I'm not surprised to see you have been bagging more trophies since I last commented . . .

Me neither Shedender, its good to be ticking them off still.

Here we go, if all went well I could almost have Mexico ticked off in one season, bar a super cup of course but that wouldn't be too far behind, as I said, should all go well. Having moved to America (MEX) for the second half of the season and taking them through the Closing stage I was hoping to turn this clubs poor opening stage around and pleasing the board.


Well a busy run through the Closing Stage Cup but all in all it was very straight forward for us. The group stage was easy, seeing us win a maximum twenty one points, three for all six wins and then a bonus one for winning both legs of the cup. We then had an easy route through to the Final, beating Puebla in the Quarter Final two nil and then UdeG two nil in the Semi Finals...


We won the cup, but not in convincing fashion as we faced Tigres. It was a nil nil draw in the Final, seeing the game go to Extra Time but remaining goalless. Eventually it went to a penalty shootout where it was us that triumphed, winning five four.


Our league form was pretty good. I picked up the games the twenty eighth of January. We then went on to win five in a row and seven wins in eight games. Eventually near the end of the closing stage our form began to slip up with one win in our final four games to end the season. Would it be enough for the playoffs...


It sure was, we were top for a lot of the season but nearing the end of the year we started slipping down the table and ended finishing up in fourth place, finishing four points behind Touca who went on to win the CONCAF Champions League this year too. Pumas finished second, three points ahead of us whilst fourth place side Chivas finished two points ahead of us. Moterrey, Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna and Morelia finish in the playofs as well.


We completely bossed the Liga MX Clausure Playoffs. Monterrey were the first side we faced, beating them two one away from home before recording a one all draw at home sending us into the Semi Finals. There we faced Chivas, where we bossed it again. Two one win at home and then a big three nil win in the Second Leg sent us to the Final. We beat Pumas two nil at home in the First leg, leaving it all on the second leg...


Well, we lost the Second Leg of the Final to Pumas one nil, however this would still prove to be enough to second the title and trophy number three of four possible here in Mexico. I now require just the Super Cup here in Mexico and hopefully we should go on to win that all being well and then I can potentially head out of North America.

Next Post: America (MEX) - Mexican Super Cup - 2091

Cleaning up Mexico in no time at all!

Congrats Dan! You're flying through the countries at the moment!

This gets better and better every time I read it. To be 77 seasons in and still have motivation is amazing.

We are bmg033, however about to hit a small hole...

Thanks Pippadoc, we sure are!

Thanks for the kind words once again Fola, always appreciate them!

So this isn't the update you were expecting nor was it the one I was expecting to write. For some unknown reason the Mexican Super Cup didn't happen this year (could be because we won the closing stage league and cup) but rather than step down, I thought I'd spend a second season here at America (MEX) and I've battled through a very tough second season here. I lost the screenshot for the opening stage of the cup, but we lost in the Quarter Finals whilst we didn't feature in the closing stage of it.


Heres how the opening stage went and as you can see, it really wasn't that good for us. We went all the way to the Quarter Finals where is where we eventually fell out of the competition with Morelia beating us for the first time in three game in a row and that was enough to send us out without picking up the trophy.


Heres how the league table finished for the opening stage. As you can see we finished down in sixth and seventeen points off top team Tigres. However it was Cruz Azul who would go on to be crowned champions on this occassion.


And heres how things went in the Closing stage of the league. Again very poor and nothing of real consistence from us as we failed to make the playoffs and this turning the board very unhappy with me.


My second season in charge syndrome definitely hit us. The closing stage saw us finish down in a very poor tenth place, missing out on the playoffs by a single point but we had been poor all season and didn't deserve to make them. Despite winning it last year, we've had a horror season this time around.


Finally a bit of a happier note to end on, the CONCACAF Champions League, we've had a superb campaign here and didn't really get challenged in the competition until we reached the Semi Finals. We eased through the group, picking up ten points from a possible twelve. We then faced LA Galaxy, my former side, winning one nil at home and then advancing on away goals as we lost two one away. We then faced Chivas. They made us fight, losing two nil at home but advancing again on away goals with a three one win. We went on to face USA side San Jose in the Final, winning three one away from home the title was all but ours...


And at home we finished the job. On the day we didn't take the lead until a minute before the break which eased nerves as it put us four one up on aggregate. San Jose tried to fight back, netting six minutes into the second half. However Javier Lopez goal fifteen minutes from time put the tie beyond doubt and crowned us CONCACAF Champions league winners!


My contract was running out this year and so I decided to call time on this stint in Mexico especially seeming we weren't going to feature in the Super Cup next season, if it even runs. One of the teams who 'should' feature in it this year have also departed with their manager so I may look for a very short reign there to try tick Mexico off. I spent four hundred and seventy nine days here. It was a successful stint!

Next Post: The Next Stop - 2092

Monterrey claimed the Opening stage cup last season and this was enough to see them qualify for the Super Cup at the start of this season. Them and the manager then parted ways, the same day I resigned from my post at America (MEX) and this opened the door up for me to potentially tick off the last Mexican trophy. Hopefully this will be successful. I lied to the board, told them I was here for the long run...


The first leg of the Super Cup saw us travel to Toluca where we held on to a draw. We took the lead in the eighteenth minute before the host equalised five minutes after the break and it would all end all square in the first leg. It would all come down to the second leg where we were the host.


A superb second leg for us at home saw us go on and win the Super Cup! A we welcomed Toluca in the Second leg all was square at one a piece, however heres where we triumphed. Six minutes in we had the lead, but soon blew it, with it level at one a piece on the night just two minutes later. Twenty six minutes in and Toluca led us two one however we struck back before the break, making it two a piece on the day but three all on aggregate. Second half Medina stole it for us with a goal eight minutes from time.


So yeah, I lied to the board, told them I was in for the long haul, but in truth, forty two days in I've stepped down and ran away from Monterrey and from Mexico as I complete another country. It took just two games, one win, one draw.

Back to you guys, what leagues would you like to see now...

Next Post: The Next Stop - 2092/2093

Wow, that was a nice short stint. Heading back to Europe to try and complete Iceland and Italy?

Nice little steal there with Monterrey!

Iceland and Italy sounds good, as Shedender said. And maybe Russia? (I won't mention Sweden again, I promise...)

Thanks for the suggestions Shedender, I suppose I had better try and complete or at least start Iceland and Italy since I've already visited them a couple times!

Thanks itchycoo, funny you should say that...

So with Africa, Asia and now North America all domestically complete I felt it was time to return to Europe, there are still plenty of countries and trophies to tick off here and I've still got to visit South America at some point. I'd also like to return to South Africa and North America to get the continental trphies I've missed out on to try and complete the Pentagon. Italy and Iceland have both been reloaded for a second visit whilst I've followed itchycoo' suggestion and added in Russia as well as Sweden to keep him quite...


And my first return to Europe for a while will please Itchycoo, as I finally take a step into Sweden! Motala AIF have had a poor season and have just been relegated from the third tier of Swedish football as seen here only on goal difference so it seemed a strong job to take on for the next season. Promotion will be our main aim! The clubs history shows how they've jumped between the two divisions over the years.


Here is the squad I've taken on and I don't know how many of these players will be here next season. Hopefully we can tie most of them down in the summer as well as strengthen a couple positions and really push to regain their spot in the third tier of Swedish football.

Next Post: Motala AIF - Mid Season Update 2094

Surprised you haven't headed for South America, Dan. Good luck in Sweden though, if you land the Malmo job it should be smooth sailing to all the cups & top division.

I'm sure itchy's glad you have finally headed to Sweden...Northern Ireland's next!

Good luck fella.

Now we're talking!

Im hoping I'll jump to South America once I've ticked off these four Countries loaded in now GG.Com however we shall see how it unfolds! Malmo is a job I'll be applying for should it come available!

I'm sure he is Shedender, no, no I am not heading to Northern Ireland!

Thanks Itchycoo

My first thirteen games are done here in Sweden and that marks the halfway point of the league season here. Remember this side were relegated from the Swedish third tier last season and are now second favorite to go up this year, meaning the pressure was on me to try and get them to that top spot and only promotion spot..


This wasn't really the form I had in mind when I touched down in Sweden a few months ago. In fact, we've really struggled to get going this year and have failed to win two games on the bounce after our opening thirteen league games of the year. In fact, we've failed to do a lot. We've won just four of our games to date, drawing six but only losing three times.


And this is how those results look on the league table. The board and obviously beginning to get fed up with me, I'm not under pressure just yet, but when they are expecting a top two finish and we're struggling down in seventh, just six points outside the relegation zone, we sure do need to pick our form up second half of the season.

Next Post: Motala AIF - End Of Season Update 2094

Poor first half of the campaign chum but at least you're only eleven points behind top spot. Good luck.

Yeah but we're even closer to the relegation zone Shedender!!

A short update here on Motala AIF in August. We're midway into the second half of the season now but I had something I needed to post so made a special update for it. With our form poor early on, we really needed to turn things around before the board got unhappy with me.


Three games into the second half of the season and we picked up a defeat followed by two draws, failing to win in the last five games this made the board unhappy and so they issued a meeting where if I refused to attend I'd be sacked. I went in all guns blazing and told them they wouldn't find a manager better than me, however this didn't work, the board wanted 10 points from the next five games, and despite me asking for a lower points tally, they wouldn't agree...onto the next five league games we go...


Well it wasn't to be! For a minute I thought I was about to save my job, with a win on the first game the board had set the points tally for we had got off to a great start and then picking up six points from three league games it all seemed plain sailing! However with us crashing out the cup and then picking up a draw, it came to the final game against second place Linkoping and we lost that, seeing the board kick me off my perch"

Itchycoo...I dislike Sweden!!!

Next Post: Back On The Move 2094

Ha ha! The lower leagues can really be a nightmare. Love it. Better luck next time.

Can't believe you ended up getting the chop, really struggled this season which was surprising.

It sure was a nightmare itchycoo and not one I want to relive any time soon!

I thought I was onto a winner with that club Shedender after they were relegated last season, it appears not!

So after a horrible stint in Sweden I quickly got back on the job search, it took a couple of months but eventually a job worthwhile taking came about and it proved one I couldn't turn down. As the flag and title both suggest, I'm heading to Russia, my first stint here and it'll mean all four current European countries I have loaded have been visited now, with just one trophy ticked off and that was in Italy...


Volga NN is the side, not a big side in Russia but one that should be competing to playing in the Russian Premier League. Currently playing their trade in the second of two playable tiers here and without a huge history. As you can see, the board have backed me with some money as we head into the winter break, there is twenty two league games left to play and the board expect me to win promotion. We currently sit fifth, a point outside the playoffs and seven off the automatic promotion spot, eight points off the top, hopefully I can turn this around.


A small club in the dressing room but I'll definitely be looking to add a couple faces to this squad over the winter to help us compete for that title over the last twelve games of the season once I've evaluated what I have here.

Next Post: Volga NN - End Of Season Round Up 2094/2095

A few players earning far too much for being mediocre in that Volga squad (Khramov, Novikov, Salenko, Khalilov & Ricaud), hope you pack their arses off to Siberia and get some quality in. That Cypriot defender looks good though judging from the star ratings.

I don't want to upset the squad too much as I'm not planning on staying if all goes to plan! I'll try add players in the winter if I can. The defender is good for us!

It looked like I had another job which I truly landed on my feet here in Russia at Volga NN. However there was still plenty of work to do as we had to gain promotion to meet the boards expectations. I didn't have much league football to play and not a single cup game to play. With twelve games to go, how would the season pan out...


We hit some superb form thats for sure! Almost unbeatable!! My twelve games saw us win ten of them, draw once and that was to the league leaders at the time whilst we lost once, annoyingly it was to relegation candidates Chernomorets!! However we did only keep four clean sheets, with three of them coming on the bounce.


And that form still wasn't enough for the league title, however it was more than enough for second place and thats what I took come the end. We came runners up in the league, losing out on the top spot by just a point. Baltika and SKA went into the playoffs from this division.

14th June 2095


I've resigned from my post only because I don't feel I have the time to stick around and build up this Volga NN side. With too many strong candidates in the Russian Premier League it could take an age. I had applied for the vacant Spartak Moscow job however they hired elsewhere, maybe if I had resigned from this post before applying it would of gone different.

Next Post: Moving Around Again - 2095

Wham-bam-thank-you-mam and the Russian second division sorted out, good work at Volga with that terrible squad. Staying in Russia or heading back for unfinished business in Italy?

Well I wanted to stay in Russia originally GG.Com however that hasn't happened

After a pretty horrid time in Sweden previously a couple years ago, I've now returned with hope I can turn it around a little bit and really crack on with ticking some of the six trophies required off here. My return comes midway through the season and with just over half the games left to play.


Norrby is the team who have taken me on. They are expected to be challenging for that league title however find themselves just off the pace as it stands which I'll show you very shortly. A tiny bit of money to spend, but I didn't expect anything else from a third tier Swedish side, this would mean I'd still need to drop down to the fourth tier too.


Currently occupying sixth place yet predicted to finish second it'll be an easy turn around on paper, however as they've found themselves struggling as of late I'm hoping its not a downwards spiral that I'm now on. Just two points off that second place and ten points off the top spot as Falkenberg are running away with it. Twelve league games to go...


Well we've got some talent in the squad, however we are also lacking a lot thats for sure! Neither goalkeeper really seem up to the test and a new one could be purchased very soon! We also seem to lack the quality at the back, I'll have to try and sort something out and quickly.

Next Post: Norrby - End Of Season Update 2095

Falkenberg has really fallen. They are a premier league side and was managed by Henrik Larsson last season. Norrby (in div 1 in real life as well) had a great cup run this year, beating Djurgården in the progress.
Good luck Dan!

Thanks again Itchycoo, hopefully its second time lucky in Sweden and I can begin to knock some trophies off here. Interesting facts that!

As the title suggests, I've really not done that well at Norrby despite being predicted to finish in the top two and claim the promotion that the board were expecting. How can it be, a manager who has been as succesful as I have, find life in Sweden so damn annoying! I really am not getting on with it that well.


I ended up resigning a day after the season finished, the board wanted me to attend a meeting regarding performances and I couldn't be dealing with another meeting or a sacking so decided to step down after just eighty one days in charge. As you can see, form wasn't great, fifteen percent were wins. Thirteen games, two wins, seven draws and four defeats.


This is how it looked in the end, horrible! We finished seventh and well off the pace. I don't like Sweden at all and really am beginning to struggle here! Not sure what the answer is but I'll go back to the drawing board!

Next Post: Another Club Search - 2095/2096

Are you close to giving up managing in Sweden, mate?

Stick in Sweden, look for one of the big boys to finish it.

Nope, I will keep my focus Shedender!

I'll try Cymro! I'll try!

So here we go, my third stint in Sweden has just started as I've found another club who seem stupid enough to take on a one hundred + year old who has failed miserbly twice in Sweden now with clubs who should be winning the leagues. Hopefully this time we can be a bit luckier and tick my first trophy off here.


Oddevoid were just relegated in the final spot from the third tier so should stand a good chance of bouncing straight back up, but so should the two teams I previously managed and look how that ended. Even more worrying, the board want me to avoid relegation? However if you look at the following screenshot...


...we are odds on favorite to win the league? Not sure what the board are playing at with such low ambitions but hopefully this it the job I need to tick off trophy number one from Sweden!

Next Post: Oddevoid - Mid Season Review 2096

I left this website 2 years ago doing some Alfabet challenge stories with Dan and Shedender to see they are still going crazy Great job Dan and Shedender. I only can say two words when I saw your career wow and wow

I thought I recognised the name Benniewijs, its good to see you back around the site. Enjoyed the alfabet challenge however I must say I'm right into this save as you can probably guess by the year!!

Well we've reached the halfway stage of the season just about! I've already avoided one board meeting after the players harmony seemed a big issue to the board. I told board it wasn't a big issue as at that stage we were sitting up in third and competing for the top spot. Lets see whats happened over the last couple of months.


Yerp..thats right, for the second time in two years I've been sacked here in Sweden! My third Swedish job has come to a hault, the board blaming it on a poor league position, however it was them who wanted me to steer the club away from relegation only this season so not quite sure how thats even viable..my reaction to this...


I think this sums up my three stints in Sweden nicely....


And so this is whats happened over the last couple of months. Four wins and six defeats saw us sitting two points above the relegation zone when the board sacked me. Horrible stint!

I hate Sweden and won't be coming back for a long while if I can help it...

Next Post: Moving To Anywhere But Sweden - 2096