HawkAussie - Comments

My manager for this challenge.

I might join this one

Could it be that our team will qualify to continental football or will we fall short in taking the spot.

Oh yeah, our team won the Second Phase which helps the team take out the title for I think the first time in this saves which is pretty good which means our team qualifies through to the Copa Libertadores for the second time in this save.


As you can see the final match actually ended in us having to go to penalties which we would end winning 7-6. That with the bad game against Nacional was the only blemish in the eight game section.


The groups from the Second Phase of the competition and in all honestly we had an easy time getting through to the finals.


Here are some of the stats from our top players and what is worrying is that the top three out of five players were loan players which could be a bit of a problem when next season rolls around.


Also during this year, I played as Australia U20s manager and I call it an mixed year for our youth squad with our team gettings wins against lower ranked squads.


Here were the top 20 rankings from 2023 and a surprise is that Italy is so far down in 18th place at the end of the year. Other than that it really is normal ranking system.

So time for another team update and this time it's about our squad and schedule.

So here is some of my squad that I have got for the Colombian journey and some of my players that are my top prospects.






Here is the schedule and as you can see we are in the Second Phase of the Torneo Finalización with the Group Stage featuring Nacional, Petrolera and La Equidad.

So with me without a job, it was time to look at the job market.

From America to Andorra, searching for the available jobs as I wanted to go to one of the other continents which mean an elimination of Australia and Japan. The Netherlands and Andorra is also out as I don't think I would get it or actually be reliable for me to go for it. So which left me with three continents to choose from.


In the end, I headed to Colombia with Millonarios being my club of choice and with me possibly eliminating South America from the list and I think with this club, I reckon I might give a good challenge to the Brazilians and Argentinians.


A team that actually have some impressive facilities which really help our developments of youngsters which is one of the ways I like to play because when I was at Waitakere, I would try and buy youth players to bolster my squad.


The recent history of the club.

What is this another update on the same hour instead of being on different days? Well, it couldn't be a hexagon challenge without a twist or two.


I was going to resign after the Asian Confederations Cup final but with the form being so inconsistent, I needed to leave, before the board suggest about sacking me.


Being honest here, we should have defeated Sriwijaya FC in the two legs but the team just didn't feel like taking them on and the motivation basically was our downfall in me resigning from the post.

So pre-season is in the firm and how did our team go over the pre-season.

Compared to previous seasons, this season was what I would call a shocker with the new tactic of a 4-4-1-1 not working at all with us even losing to Rockdale City which I call a complete embarrassment for the team.


In terms of transfers, we have stuck with the free agent route with four coming in while six went out and here were a couple of the signings that I did like.


A Senegal international player which I was happy to snatch as he could easily fit into our eleven with most of those stats in the goalkeeper range being above 10.


Bringing in another El Salvador player after the success of Luis and his speed and heading are critical for me to possibly record some wins on the board.


A terrible youth take with really only two players making the grade for me.

Well, I am probably thinking of leaving after the AFC Confederations Cup and trying to progress especially when this occurs.


This was after losing our first round match in the FFA Cup and just to put me under even more strive yay.


The fixtures for the next five matches.

So time for a season ending update and here was the award for best player of the year voted by fans.

I think that was fair


The team of the season from my club and the classic 4-5-1 tactic that I used for most of the season.


The overall best eleven and I see that Ryan Downer is now in the starting eleven of all-time with Vidosic also getting in as well.

So how did our season finish as we did get through to the final series or did we fell short.

The answer was we would fall so short as on the last matchday we would concede a late goal in the game against Melbourne City to miss out on finals for the team. But to be honest I don't think we did deserve it. On the flip side, we got through to the second round of the AFC Cup which is always a good thing.


Further proof of the miserable result that we had.


The Group G results and as you can see the top of the group which was a relief for me as it could have been shaky with the draw that was given out.


So this is the second round draw and we have another Myanmar team at home which is good news I think.


Now, this was funny, despite my team finishing in seventh overall, I still came out with the Manager of the Year which made me a bit on the confused side as I felt like the Wellington Phoenix manager should have got that instead of me.


Looking for my news, I see that my former New Zealand team is building a new stadium which would put them as the third biggest stadium in New Zealand. This was also the reason that they took out the title once again to make it a three peak.

Time for another update, this time we head into March where we start our campaign in the AFC Cup.

So this month was a mixed month which at least was better than the previous two months. In the A-League we took down two of the low ranked teams in Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC and taking the fight up to Brisbane Roar. But we outplayed in the game against Newcastle Jets. Over in the AFC Cup, we had two clean sheets for the first time in what seems to be forever but in the final game of the month for the AFC Cup we were outplayed against Yangon Utd which put us in 2nd.


The current standings after three games and with that lost, we lie in 2nd place with six points because of H2H. Binh Duong is currently third and looking like they can strike if we have a fumble.


The league standings with three games and the goal is simple, we need to score more points than Melbourne City to make the finals. At the moment if we do pass Melbourne City, we could face Brisbane Roar in the opening final match.


Stats of the A-League so far.

Onwards toward February and hopefully some better form than last month.

Ok maybe not so with us taking home two draws and loses from this month as the opening two games we should have really taken the three points as I felt like we dominated the game but he lets our opponents right back in the game which have cost us dearly.


For once I feel kind of nervous as the possible threat of not making it to the finals is really real with only a goal separating us and Melbourne City for that final spot. Wellington, on the other hand, is certain of going through to the finals as they stay on top of the tree.


Here is our group for the AFC Cup and I feel like we should get easily qualify through to the next round with these type of opponents with really the main threat being the team from Myanmar.


League + club problems at the moment with these finances.

Thanks for that feedback, anyway onwards to the January update.

For what might be my first real down patch for this save, my team couldn't muster up a win this month with our team seem to be struggling to capture a win on the board. With this terrible form that we have started to be in, I only hope that we can improve on this.


The standings after 16 games and Wellington Phoenix seems to be that they will take out the title as they hold a decent ten point lead from second place Newcastle. For us, our bad form as seen our team in a possible spot of not making the finals which isn't a good sign as my current save so far has been top 4 in every season to date and that might be broken this season. But at least we have the AFC Cup coming up which hopefully can get us some good form.

So time for the next update round as we headed to see how my New Zealand team is currently going.


Looking at this, they are doing good with the team defending the title that I gave the season before last and with an upgraded stadium of 5250 (it was 3000 when I left), all things are looking good for this.


You can clearly see the team was starting to head south before I took charge in New Zealand and as the story goes, it went up until we tasted success.


The current manager is doing a good job with most of the wins being in the green and with the NZFC title already in the bag, he is setting up to possibly go better than me with his current form at the moment.


The current records and sure enough he has improved on the records that I had before leaving which is a good sign for me


The current all-star XI from all of the seasons in New Zealand and this is a squad that I wouldn't mind seeing a match against my current team as they probably would win at the rate I am going


The league history of New Zealand since the addition of the league and Waitakere United and Auckland City dominance might be here for years to come yet.

So as we go through the history of the teams that I was formerly at and first up will be the team from Papua New Guinea and that is Unitech Lae

As you can see they have become a Semi-Professional side much like all of the other teams that are in the PNG NSL with their form going down since I was there with the team not getting above third place overall since I have left.


This is just further proof about the form that they have gone on and before you ask I didn't have the league loaded between 2018-2020 so that could be because I didn't have the league results.


This is the current manager stats since I left and of course, it could be a little bit better than what we have here but hey you can't win them all.


The all-time XI for this squad and I see that the formation is a 4-3-3 which wasn't how I usually played as I went with a 4-4-2.


The current records for the club in question and really most of them were records that I wasn't happy with


Here are the league results from the PNG NSL and the main team in PRK Hekari looks like they could start to reclaim their stance on the top as they took three out of the last four titles but other than that it really hasn't changed at all.

Let's continue on our journey with the December update for the Wanderers.


This month I relly thought that we should have been at least three if not four from four this month as we seemed to not finish matches off using the tactic. In the game against Melbourne City, we actually went behind before getting one back so at least that was a relieve.


After that month, we actually move up to fourth place as we are six points ahead of seventh place at the moment with Wellington completely dominating the league as they hold a six-point lead after twelve matches. On the other end of the scale, we have Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory struggling on the bottom of the table.


Time for something different and you can see here that I think it's our first change that is completely major and with such an original name (not) it's actually going to be interesting. The next update will be remembering the past that got me all the way to here.

@Dan So true on that. That is if we can get even to North America at this rate. Anyway time for the November update.

Another mixed month for us as we got two good wins against Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC and the feeling of going 4 from 4 was up there. That was until we met Wellington at home and we got smashed 5-0 with five completely different goalscorers and I feel like we can not match up to the teams currently on top as we would lose 2-1 to Adelaide United.


So getting close to a third of the season complete and the biggest shock has to be Sydney FC down on the bottom of the table with only five points to their name with Wellington being the team that like season is going to be a real threat for us. But with Wellington not being able to compete in the AFC Champions League then maybe we might need a whole of luck to survive.


Here is the problem and Sotirio got injured for two months so I had to switch tactics as I like to play him and Quintanilla as my attackers in a 4-4-2 combination which I play. But with him out and Vldosvic covering the midfield aid it does mean we really only have one striker on our books.


The game against Adelaide United with the same style that I played with my 4-4-2.

@Dan Thanks for those nice words and I think some people feel like the hexagon challenge is gone and replacing that is the youth challenge which I have seen pop up recently.

Another month and with the transfer window shut let's see how it went down.


Talk about having a mixed month with our team not having any going really right as we seem to be struggling for goals this season compared to the previous season.


Here we go again with us needing to chase the pack down to get into the top two this season from where we are currently. Plus with our team being six full points behind the leaders we need everything to go right.


We brought this guy as he had five-star potential and with a little bit of training he can easily fill our right midfield shoes if I stay here of course.



More offers have come for me in which I have to decline as I want to run my contract out with Western Sydney before moving on.


As I end it here, I might as well give you the 2022 World Cup knockout stage results and Argentina took out the title after they defeated France 2-1 in the final.

EDIT: The results were 2-0 vs. Central Coast, 0-1 vs. Brisbane, 1-3 vs. Newcastle, 4-1 vs. Perth and 0-1 vs. Newcastle.

So as we start to prepare for the tenth season of my career. Here is how pre-season went for my team.


Other than the lost to Wellington Phoenix, I can say that it was a good pre-season for our team with wins in all matches bar two. But I do feel like the worry is that with us leaking a goal here and there against the lower teams it might be problems when we do start.


Looking at the transfer window and I feel like I might have let too many players go on loan which might be an issue for me in future matches. But onward to the transfers.


The first transfer was a brilliant take for me as Dario Vldsovic was on a free and will go straight into my lineup but where will be the next question or that front.


Four and a half thousand dollars for this kid in South Melbourne and with good stats for me, I think there is a chance we might be seeing a lot from him this season.


A one for the future and we need to work on him to try and get him good.


This player I think will definitely aid in our leadership and can be our speedster in the team.


The odds for the season and we are predicted to finish in third place which could be a reasonable place for us.

So as we start on pre-season what happened throughout the season review

So the player of the year votes have been completed and Blake Ricciuto wins the Player of the Year award for Western Sydney with Ryan Downer and Luis Miguel Quintanilla coming 2nd and 3rd.


Best Eleven for this season and I think it was a good team that I reckon would defeat any opponent on a given day.


Three more players have been added to the Overall Best Eleven with Ryan Downer making it into the first 11 while Luis Miguel Quintanilla and Carl Munn got in as substitutes for our squad.


World Cup review and the first three groups didn't really see any shocks with probably the biggest elimination being Mexico as they got knocked out in the Group Stage. Other than that, all is good on that front.


The big news from this section is that Ukraine who is currently ranked 7th in the World has been knocked out in the Group Stage with only a point being scored for them against Ukraine.


You are seeing that correctly, Australia finished on top of Group H with three straight wins and all I can say is you beauty and especially when we defeated Brazil by a single goal in the opening game. Of course watch we crash out in the next round.

Can our take the A-League title or will we fail at the last hurdle.


The answer was we fell at the first hurdle with use losing to Wellington Phoenix in the Semi Finals of the knockout stage. In the end it was Melbourne Victory who would take out the trophy.


Just some stats from the whole season as a whole.

So as we hit the final two months of the regular season, does our team qualify through to the finals.


After a less than impressive start against Newcastle where we just lost 1-0, we won five out of the last six games of the regular season to end up on a high with 24 goals scored during that little period including a 5-1 win over Perth and a 9-0 win over Sydney.


The game against Sydney also saw a few match records fall in the A-League which I was happy about. Also a few player records as well that was taken for the season to add to the list.




So with that good form in the end part of the season, we finished in second which meant we get a week off after Newcastle lost their final game against Melbourne City to lose the week off.


This now means we are qualified for a semi-final where we will take on Wellington which we have defeated earlier in the season. So hopefully we can claim a spot in the Grand Final before taking out the title.

As I breeze through the month of February, the team starting to go south instead of north.


This month wasn't a good month for me at all with only the one league victory against Adelaide United at the end of the month. But there was some what ifs as we struggled against Perth Glory away from home and we couldn't finish Melbourne Victory off despite having a two-goal lead.


The league table is starting to shape up with only seven matches left of the regular season and despite us having a four point advantage over 7th place Central Coast, I do not feel like we are out of the woods quite yet especially if we have a bad run.


My current lineup at the moment with the Direct Passing, Work into Box and Work to the Flanks.


Our finances are in need of help with us being in the red and starting to look like it could be heading that way.

So two months has gone through and could we stay in for a spot at the finals, let's see


So this patch of form hasn't really been what I would like with a 4-3-1 record over the past two months. In the games against Adelaide and Newcastle, we conceded the goals straight after we score. But the best victory of the four has to be the Sydney derby with us winning 2-1 in what I would call a fluke game.


The FFA Cup game though has to be 2nd with a crazy penalty shoot-out which lasted for 32 penalties and the nerves of a penalty shoot-out would favour us today as we took out our first title in Australia and for the Wanderers, their first trophy in FFA Cup history.


The standings after 16 matches and no real changes from last check except for the Central Coast Mariners who only two draws from seven matches to see them fall down the list to 8th position with Wellington replacing them in the top 6. In terms of our security in the top 6, we have a six-point advantage over 7th place Adelaide but I'm not going to be comfortable as we still have 10 rounds to go.


Now going through my news feed, I saw this article pop up and my thought was "Oh no, what has Australian football done" as we had a Confederations Cup spot which is ok to say the least. Especially when you go to the next image


We are currently 18th in Asia and we are the last ranked team in terms of qualifying through to Asian Champions League and I thought well this is the fall of Australia football. I thought well let's check the Asian Champions League see who Newcastle have in the first round


They weren't there and in fact, I saw Sydney FC in the third round of East qualifying instead of where they should be and that is the first round. So a little bit confused on that front.

EDIT: I think it goes last seasons ranking so that explain why we had Sydney FC competing in the third round of qualifying.

Hopefully it can be done this time round.

So as we hit 1/3 of the season, how is my team going for the moment.


Another mix month for our team with us being 3-2-1 with the matches this month. We were lucky with two of our games against the Melbourne teams as we got a late winner in both of them to record victories. The draws against Brisbane and Perth we really should of won as we dominated against Perth but couldn't finish and Brisbane Roar, our defense was leaky but not our attack.


So this keep us in 3rd place on the table with the big surprise being Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC who both teams only scoring three points from four games. The Newcastle Jets yet again jump to the top of the table after the first third and I think will be tough competition to take them down.


Just stats from the first nine games

So a long time since I have updated this challenge and it was an alright month for me

So a good month for me with wins over teams that should we easily defeat. Despite struggling against Sydney FC I was surprised that we did get the draw in the Sydney derby but a lost to the defending champions before that.


Of course, we are too early in the season but with us only two points behind the leaders in Melbourne Victory. With it being so early in the season, anything can and probably will happen.


This was just the FFA Cup draw that we got with us needing to take on Wellington Phoenix in the Semi Finals. In the other one, Brisbane Strikers take on Melbourne Victory.

So our first couple of months as manager of the Wanderers, I wonder how it went.


The youth of 2021-22 has come with really only really three players probably going to make the cut there. The only problem was none of those was left defenders which is what I needed not this.


I know it was a long pre-season but it did involve two rounds of the FFA Cup which we won against fellow A-League squads. Before that we headed to New Zealand for a pre-season tour and it wasn't a good tour for us with the only draw against Canterbury. But the positive is that we are taking on non-NPL side West Wallsend which we should win.


Just the progression from my side of the draw and I think we had a much tougher time getting to this stage compared to our opponents.


Quiet window for me this season with four going in and out of the squad.


This player I think will defintly aid in our attack as part of the international quota as he is a current international. Also with potential to go up to five stars and a two year deal hopefully we can keep this guy for the long run


Don't ask what I was doing when I tried to go with this guy, my weakness was D (L) so instead of buying one player which was the plan, I instead bought two.


Here is the other player from Italy.


Then looking for a backup to M (L) spot I then spot this free agent who was part of the Wellington Phoenix but once again using 1 of our international quotas, he snapped up him as well.

That is right we have gone across the Tasman to Australia with the Western Sydney Wanderers offering me a job as the manager. This job opportunity could be good stepping stone into Asia. That is until I check the results from the team


I don't like that form with only twice being in the finals over this whole career so I see why their might of been three managers before me.


This season for the team wasn't the best either with them finishing 9th out of the 10 with only Melbourne City (my favorite team) doing worse. But looking at full table a possible chance to get into the finals is easily there.


The FFA Cup isn't much better with really the only good performances being in the last two years where they have made the final eight and four.


The squad is good but the real problem is the fact that I have two keepers who are in their 30s with my top player not being far behind.






The final news from this is my former team is upgrading their stadium by a further 2250 seats and why did they have to do after I leave.

So with one title complete, do we get the trifecta of trophies.


For the NZFC, we have finished in first place with the sealer being the match against Auckland City where we won the match 3-1 to almost be a certain trophy.


We also are Chatham Cup champions after we defeated Team Wellington 5-3 in a what some would say a crazy match but another trophy to put in the bag as we will leave New Zealand.


The stats from the 2020/21 season with Tony Foy I assume will be the POTY.


Like I said earlier, I will be leaving New Zealand to head back to my home country in Australia with Western Sydney offering me an interview which I gladly accepted and will be heading there . It was either that job or a job over in Mexico which offered me the job. After the Mexican job went to another manager, the choice for me was made with me heading to Western Sydney.