One Manager, Five Cups (Pentagon Challenge)

[FMYank]

I started a “pentagon challenge” save back in December, which is something I have never done before. In fact, I rarely do long-term challenge saves. Maybe I should do more though, since this is the save I have most enjoyed since my last long-term save, a “grow the league’s reputation” challenge lasting 15 years at TNS in FM16. I have so thoroughly enjoyed doing this save over the last couple of months that I wanted to start chronicling the journey (again, something I have never done before). Unfortunately, I didn’t decide to do this until late in season 3 of the save, so going back and filling in the gaps of the first two seasons will be difficult, but hopefully the information still available on those years will provide enough backstory on the save. I think the globe-trotting element will make this a lot of fun to chronicle, and I plan on continually tracking the progress of former teams to see how they get on, as well. It will also be a good experience to play in a lot of different leagues, and just experiencing different competition formats is something I’m quite excited about. Whenever I leave a country, I’m also going to give a brief rundown of my impressions of the league structure, rules, etc. I think this might be helpful information to those interested in playing other leagues, as there is fairly little information on leagues outside of Europe, in my opinion. Also, I am far from brilliant at FM (I have won exactly 1 Champions League since I began playing in 2014), so I am expecting this project to take at least a couple decades of game time to even come close to completion of the goal.

A note on format: I have always preferred a more narrative experience when reading about other people’s FM saves (see: Dafuge’s Carmarthen save circa FM14-16 as an excellent example), rarely even looking at screenshots of players, tables, stats, etc. Consequently, I don’t really take screenshots myself. However, if anybody is genuinely interested/thinks it will be additive to this story, I will gladly add those details.

Background
Andrew McLeer is an unemployed 29 year-old aspiring manager looking to cut his teeth in the coaching game. An American who has only played amateur football and has no formal coaching education, McLeer has sought out employment in the lower reaches of the European game to begin his coaching journey….

The plan was basically to start in a lower European league, building reputation and earning coaching badges in the process. The projected path is to get a lower-tier job for a few years, move on to a moderately sized club in Africa or Asia, then move on to a continental contender. From there, I would then move to whichever continent I didn’t do to start, or I could move on to a club in North America. After completing all three of those, I would move on to South America, and close with Europe. Ideally, I will be able to jump from contender to contender, but I’m leaving open the possibility that there may need to be intermediate steps.

Order of Objectives (Projected Timeline)
Build Reputation and Experience (5 years)
Win CL in Africa/Asia (5 years)
Win CL in Africa/Asia/North America (4 years)
Win CL in Africa/Asia/North America (4 years)
Win CL in South America (6 years)
Win CL in Europe (6 years)

Total: 30 years

I am hoping to complete this in the approximated timeline of 30 years (not that this is a hard stop, just an objective).

Unemployed
I began submitting applications to lower league sides across Europe, just hoping to land an interview. After several outright rejections over the first several weeks, some clubs began to show an interest, with Albion Rovers (Scotland), Dergview (N. Ireland), and Athlone Town (Ireland) reaching out for interviews. Athlone dismissed me after the interview, but I got offers from Albion and Dergview. Needing to pay the bills, I eagerly took the opportunity to manage Albion Rovers of Scotland’s Ladbroke’s League 2, earning $30K annually.

 

[FMYank]

Season 1

2018-19: Albion Rovers (Ladbrokes League 2)
Finish: 4th​ Place (Promoted via Playoffs)

Season Summary
The job at hand with Albion Rovers seemed like it was going to be a challenge from the beginning. A semi-pro outfit, the team had no money, was fresh off a relegation from Ladbrokes League 1 and modest favorites to finish last in League 2. Fortunately, the ambitions of the board were in line with the state of the club, which was a big factor in taking the job. The expectation was simply that we would give it a go at avoiding relegation. Given that the only path to relegation in Scottish League 2 was to finish last (10th​) and then lose a playoff against the Highlands/Lowlands playoff winner, I was very optimistic that I could find a way to keep the Wee Rovers up. My long-term plan was to get Albion to the Championship in 5 seasons in the following framework: avoid relegation, mid-table, promotion, mid-table, promotion.

Once the season started, nothing of note really occurred in the cup competitions, with the squad pretty much doing what was expected. We did get a win over Championship club Queen of the South in the League Cup, but still went out at the group stage. In the league, we got off to a decent start, picking up a lot of draws, a handful of wins and only a few losses. Meanwhile, Stirling got off to a horrendous start and were cut adrift early. They never recovered, finishing on 19 points, 16 back of second-bottom. Despite my concerns that I might have a dogfight to stay out of the relegation playoff, I never really thought about the possibility of relegation after the New Year, when I sat on 18 points from 18 games, 9 clear of bottom.

We played incredibly well in the second half of the season, taking 36 points from 18 games and somehow clinching the last playoff spot. In the playoffs we crushed League 1 Stenhousemuir away, 6-1, in the first leg. This allowed me to rest key players for the second leg, giving them a whole week before the playoff final. We lost the reverse 3-0, but the damage was well and truly done and we advanced to the final, where we drew 3rd​ placed Peterhead. We narrowly won the first leg at home 1-0, thanks to a 90th​ minute winner from LB Shaun Rutherford. In the away leg, Nathan Blockley scored early, and the away goal really made our situation comfortable. We ultimately drew 1-1 on the night, winning promotion 2-1 on aggregate.

Transfer Activity
I set about retooling the team on a tight budget and made extensive use of the league rule permitting trialists. In fact, I would hazard a guess that we had trialists in the matchday squad for most of our matches. This allowed us to get a look at several players before offering contracts, which is especially important in the limited scouting situation of lower league clubs. Some of the best pick-ups this season were Kyle Clark (ST), central midfielders Mark Stowe and Nathan Blockley, and winger Conor McLaughlin, all on frees. I also loaned Ross County’s CB Ben Johnstone in January, who totally shored things up at the back. In terms of outgoings, it was just moving along players who wouldn’t get a game, thereby shedding the contracts. I decided that any backups needed over the course of the season could be acquired through the free/trial markets.

Key Players
Bryan Wharton (DM, CB)- Played well in the deeper areas, particularly as DM breaking up play. Was also dangerous from free kicks and totaled 9 goals on the season.
Gary Fisher (CM, AML)- The best player at the club when I arrived, he was deployed almost exclusively on the left wing. He led the club in scoring and was really dangerous, despite being played out wide in his less-preferred position.

Post-season Review
Achieving promotion was a huge accomplishment, but I feared I may have done it too quickly. However, I didn’t fully appreciate the difficulty in generating funds in the Scottish lower leagues, with competition prize money basically the only way to get money. In my mind, I had wanted to try going pro before getting to the Championship, but it was apparent by this point that I needed to get to that stage before I would have the funds for a successful “turn professional” request with the board. As such, I figured there was no benefit to slow-playing promotion, and that I was probably no better off getting promoted one or two years later.

Going into the next season, I was the favorite for relegation. However, having played several cup matches against teams in League 1, I didn’t feel like it was a huge step up in competition, and a couple good transfer additions would see me safely away from relegation. I also thought that my high-pressing style would trouble the opposition, even at this level, since my recruitment policy centered around acquiring athletic players with high work rate to unsettle the technically deficient opposition.

 

[FMYank]

Season 2

2019-20: Albion Rovers (Ladbrokes League 1)
Finish: Champions

Season Summary
We entered this season as the favorites to finish last in the league. However, we had early reasons for optimism, with a friendly victory over Scottish Champions Celtic and a league cup group stage win over SPL side St. Mirren. I was disappointed that we couldn’t build on the league cup victory, unfortunately, with two losses to other clubs from equal or lower leagues knocking us out.

Fortunately, any concerns of relegation wiped away by January 1, when we found ourselves 16 and 15 points clear of the bottom 2, respectively.

We needed help on the last day to overtake Edinburgh City, going into the last round 3 points down, although our superior goal difference assured we would win a tiebreaker with Edinburgh. Fast forward 90 minutes and we ended up getting the win as Edinburgh City lost, allowing me to take the title on goal difference. I needed to rally from an early goal down to win 3-1, with two goals scored in the final 15 minutes. Meanwhile, a 70th​ minute goal saw Edinburgh City sunk, as they were defeated 1-0. McLeer comes out on top in his first genuine title race! I found out later that it was a fortuitous season for me to win League 1. Our 61 points is by far the lowest point total for a title winning side in the division in the first four years since becoming a manager, with the next lowest total being 75.

Transfer Activity
Jamie Dishington (CM), Scott Gray (CB), and Jordan Elliot (AMR) were the pick of the acquisitions. All three did a job, but Elliot was oft-injured, yet awesome when on the pitch. In 15 matches, he had 12 goals and set up three more. Possibly the best player I ever had at Albion Rovers, in terms of on-field performance.

Key Players
Along with the aforementioned acquisitions, Kyle Clark (ST) and Conor McLaughlin (AMR) were standout performers. Clark did most of the scoring (albeit with a touch more inconsistency than I would have liked) and seemed to have a knack for scoring important goals. McLaughlin was directly involved in 21 goals on the season and was generally just our danger man. LB Gray had 10 assists, with the back post crosses to the AMR pair of McLaughlin and Elliot particularly fruitful.

Post-Season Review
Another promotion was great for my reputation, especially accompanied with silverware. I decided that I would be pursuing other options in South Africa, where a couple jobs came open. I had no expectation that I would get any decent job offers, but I was deeply concerned at the prospect of playing in the Championship with a semi-pro side. Honestly, I wanted to be out before that house of cards fell. I applied for the jobs at Chippa United, Baroka, and Cape Town City. I got rejected for Baroka immediately, and interviews for the other two. Rather surprisingly, I got an offer from Cape Town City FC at $120k per year, which I accepted. One of the stronger sides in South Africa, they had qualified for the African Confederation Cup, Africa’s second-tier continental competition. This was going to potentially give me a launching point for my goal of winning the CAF Champions League.

 

[FMYank]

Reflections on my time in Scotland

Managing Albion Rovers was obviously very fruitful for my coaching career, achieving consecutive promotions and winning my first trophy (Ladbrokes League 1). Generally, the lack of money in the lower reaches of Scotland was sort of a double-edged sword, not unlike managing Conference teams in England. On the positive side, the quality of the league is of such a standard that there are plenty of players available on frees that can dramatically change the fortunes of a club. Additionally, the trialist rules in Scotland allow you to get a real look at players before contractually committing to them, which mitigates the risk of relying on the poor scouting ability of club personnel at this level. On the negative side, it is incredibly difficult (impossible?) to go pro without reaching the Scottish Championship and consolidating for a season.

In terms of competitions, there are a couple cup competitions that have an interesting setup. Firstly, there is the Scottish League Cup, known as the Betfred Cup. This competition actually begins with a round robin group stage in August, with the competition whittled to 16 teams afterward. This allowed us to get a few competitive matches in early in the season to work on tactical setup, talent assessment, etc., which was incredibly important in the first season. Although we never progressed out of the group, I did find it a novel way to format a domestic cup. Secondly, there is the IRN-BRU Cup, which features 54 sides, including all Scottish League clubs, four highland/lowland league sides, and a pair each from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, the Welsh Premier League, and the Conference National in England. However, the SPL clubs enter a youth side into the competition, so it is probably the cup that is easiest to win with a lower league side, albeit being the least important competition.

 

[FMYank]

Season 3

2020-21: Cape Town City (South African Premiership)
Finish: 2nd​ place
Trophies: SA Knockout Cup, SA FA Cup, African Confederation Cup.
Awards: Head Coach of the Year

Notable League Rules: 5 foreign players can be registered; players under 20 don’t need to be registered.

Season Summary
This season was amazing, and just narrowly missed being exceptional. Going in to the final day of the season, Cape Town City sat second in a tight title race, with Orlando City in first by a point, and Wits a point back of CTCFC. Orlando City was down a couple goals within 30 minutes and went on to lose, but unfortunately Cape Town City could only muster a 0-0 draw away to bottom-half AmaZulu. Meanwhile, Wits managed to win the final game, jumping from 3rd​ to 1st​ on the last day, while CTCFC finished a point back of Wits, 2nd​ on goal difference.

In other competitions I was very successful, winning both the FA Cup and Knockout Cup domestically. I had two penalty victories in the Knockout Cup, including one over Sundowns in the final. A series of narrow victories got the job done in the SA Cup, with matching 2-1 victories over Sundowns and Wits in SF and Final. Meanwhile, I had a great run to the Confederation Cup title, going through the group stage with a perfect record. In the knockout rounds, I won the first legs of the QF, SF and Final 8-0, 4-1, and 4-1 respectively. As a result, there was very little drama in the second legs, and I managed to draw all three of them.

Transfer Summary (Net Spend -$25K)
In: Anele ($56K), Thami Duma (Free), Idrissa Sogodogo ($23K), Ayoub Jacobs (Free), Athenkosi Ntshangase ($400K).
Notable Out: Zukile Kewuti ($21k), Matthew Rusike ($66K), Allan Katerrega ($56K), Shane Roberts (Loan), Sage Stephens ($25K), Edmilson Dove ($350K, 20% profit clause).

The club was not in the healthiest financial situation upon my arrival, so my first year at the club was largely focused on trimming the fat and getting the squad younger in key areas. Kewuti and Rusike were two that I just couldn’t see getting on the pitch, with the latter getting on in years. I moved Uganda international Katerrega along because of foreign player rules, not really wanting to spend a slot and wages on a backup winger. Shane Roberts was loaned out for the year and got lots of game time with Chippa United. By the time he got back, it was clear he was going to play a significant role in my midfield for the following season. Stephens was closing in on 30 and making significant wages. Since I never play my backup keeper (I rarely even carry a sub keeper on match day), I decided to pursue other options and gamble on my #1 staying healthy. The transfer of left back Dove was the most annoying aspect of the window, but fortunately I already had Sogodogo targeted. Dove had his head turned by Ligue 2 side Nimes Olympique and I decided I would try to avoid discontent by moving him along, as Nimes met my valuation, with a sell-on clause.

The signing of 32 year-old Anele flew in the face of my attempts to get younger, but I desperately needed a second choice RB, and he did a job. Thami Duma was signed as a backup keeper on a free, serving as a cheaper, younger alternative to the departed Stephens. Sogodogo came in as my replacement LB on very cheap deal, and he was very effective in a 50-50 game split, serving as a more attacking alternative to fellow LB Seedat. Jacobs was just a cheap, young player that I thought might develop. He has yet to really develop thus far (a little over a year later), but he is only 18 and is consistently being selected for the Dutch u-19s. The biggest deal, by far, was for the 18 year-old South African international Ntshangase from Sundowns in January. He killed it in the middle of the park for the second half of the year, attracting serious interest from fairly big European clubs going into the summer. The board was unhappy with the deal, but it was obvious early on that I was going to turn a profit.

Key Players
Peter Leeuwenburgh (GK)- Great shot stopper. Did very well when called upon, which was often with my attack minded style.

Roland Putsche/Thabo Nodada (CM)- These guys formed a great midfield partnership. Putsche sat a little deeper as a ball-winning mid, while Nodada was deployed as a DLP. They totaled 17 goals combined, doing a lot of damage from distance.

Riyaad Norodien (W)- Played primarily on the right, Norodien tallied 18 goals on the season, with many goals scored from dead-ball situations.

Nana Akosah-Bempah/Tokelo Rantie (ST)- Scored a combined 48 goals up top. Great return, with them collectively scoring roughly 1 per match.

Youth Watch
Thabiso Makhanya (16 year-old AMC)- 5-star potential. I’m attempting to retrain him as a central midfielder. His passing attributes lead me to think he can do a job as a DLP.

Gregory Jaftha (17 year-old ST)- 5-star potential. His physical traits make him perfectly suited to the pressing forward role. Got 6 appearances and had a couple of assists in a critical African fixture. I think he could be legit.

Postseason Review
I was obviously ecstatic to win the Confederation Cup, and it definitely helped offset the disappointment of losing the league on the final day. At first I was skeptical of CTCFC’s ability to win the Champions League, due to the club being more limited financially than clubs like Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs. However, winning a secondary continental cup without even being challenged was encouraging. In the transfer market, I started to target young African talent from other countries, particularly the Ivory Coast. My transfer objectives were to gather as much young talent as possible that could be developed, with an eye toward Champions League triumph in the future, or could be sold to European clubs in the future for a healthy profit.

In notable news for South African football, Mamelodi Sundowns clinched the African Champions League, which meant a date in the African Super Cup against me, as well as a trip to the Club World Cup.

Meanwhile, Albion Rovers were adrift in the Scottish Championship pretty early on, finishing on 14 points, so I felt vindicated to have left when I did. I was hoping they would give it more of a go, but they just didn’t have the players to get it done and were clearly hampered by being semi-pro in that division.

 

[FMYank]

Season 4

2021-22: Cape Town City (South African Premiership)
Finish: Champions
Trophies: African Super Cup, SA Cup, South African Premier League, AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

Season Summary
This season had a wonderful start, with us beating Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 in the African Super Cup. I didn’t think winning the “cup” itself was all that important, but rather that it set a marker against a team I assumed would be a major contender in both domestic and continental competition. Unfortunately, we couldn’t carry the momentum into the season proper, losing in the QF of the Super 8 in August, then losing back to back games against title contenders Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in September, followed by dropping points to AmaZulu and Chippa United shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Sundowns didn’t drop points until a draw with AmaZulu in late November and went into March having dropped a total of 4 points in the league. I thought that the title race was over in October/November, due to the combination of my team's struggles and Sundowns’ torrid form.

The key match was March 2: Cape Town City hosting Sundowns. I figured I needed all three points to really have a shot at the title. So naturally, I go out and promptly get smashed in the first half, 3-1. Go into the locker, give the team a dressing down in my pep talk, and come out much better in the second half. Claw back to 3-2 in the 61st​ minute, then get an 89th​ minute equalizer from Duncan Adonis to salvage a draw. At the time, I thought it wasn’t good enough to get me to the title in the end, but at least it kept me alive. Fast forward to May, and Sundowns went 2-2-2. Meanwhile, my squad kept its winning ways up, going almost seven months between league defeats. We finally closed out the title with a 3-1 victory against relegated Golden Arrows, clinching it by 2 points. As it turns out, the two goal fight back against Sundowns in March proved decisive in the title chase.

One of the more satisfying moments in this season was getting a couple wins over Kaizer Chiefs. Undoubtedly my bogey team since coming to South Africa, I had only 1 win against them in my first 16 months in charge of CTCFC. They had knocked me out of the Super 8 Cup in the QF in both seasons and stopped my title defense in the SA Knockout Cup. However, I managed to win both league fixtures and, most enjoyably, got one over on them in the SA Cup SF.

In Champions League, I went undefeated through the prelim rounds. Drawn in a group with Al-Ahly, we were projected to cruise through the group with the Egyptians, and we did just that, finishing level on 14 points, edging the group on goal difference. I knocked out Tunisian side ES Setif 7-2 on aggregate, setting up a showdown with newfound rivals Sundowns in the semifinal. Drawn away for the first leg, I edged the match in the 83rd​ minute, courtesy of Gregory Jaftha, despite finding myself a goal down on two occasions. In the return leg, I managed to get a 2-2, with Akosah-Bempah equalizing in the last 15 minutes, seeing me through to the final.

The two-legged final of the CAF Champions League saw me take on a familiar foe: Al-Ahly. In the group stage we battled to a pair of draws, 0-0 and 3-3. I was concerned because, frankly, they played me off the park in both matches and I was lucky to pick up points in either of them, with the 3-3 match requiring two second half goals, including a 93rd​ minute equalizer from Jaftha (you can see why I like him so much) to achieve parity. The first leg of the final saw us make the long trek to Egypt. The first half ended 0-0, although the Egyptians were getting the better of the action. The early stages of the second half saw much of the same, until Gift Links broke on the counter, hitting a cross that Akosah-Bempah finished expertly. 1-0 out of nowhere! The plan to play on the counter away (which I almost never do) worked! However, we continued to absorb pressure, and with the game reaching the latter stages, Al-Ahly found an 85th​ minute equalizer. I was disappointed, but truthfully would have taken the draw on the road before the match. With the game dying down, I sought to just manage the game and try to edge the tie at home. However, Tokelo Rantie had different ideas, and in the 94th​ minute he got the ball just to the right of the penalty spot, took a touch and rifled past the keeper. Somehow, we found a way to go home 2-1 up, despite really being outplayed for a third time by Al-Ahly.

Obviously, I was concerned about the second leg. Somehow we had managed a win and two draws against a team that had been better than us in all three matches. I figured it was just a matter of time before they got their reward for the dominance. How wrong I was. Back in Cape Town, we carved out chance after chance in the early stages, going 2-0 up inside of 25 minutes. At an aggregate score line of 4-1, I figured it was done and dusted. We added 1 more in the second half, while Al-Ahly got a cosmetic goal in the 89th​ minute. We were well and truly the better team over the 90 minutes in Cape Town, with 3-1 being a fair reflection of the quality of our chances. On balance, the 5-2 aggregate scoreline flattered us a bit, but we limited clear cut chances, carved out a few of our own and were clinical over the two legs, and probably just deserved to get the trophy.

At this point, I have won everything I can in South Africa except the Super 8 Cup (**** you, Kaizer Chiefs!).

Transfer Summary (Net Spend: $825K)
Notable In: Claude Bony ($140K), Khanyisa Mayo (Free), Abdoul Zakaria Dansoko ($375K), Phakamani Mahlambi ($210K).
Notable Out: Thabo Nodada ($475K), Athenkosi Ntshangase ($450K+, 40% of profit), Riyaad Norodien ($500K)

I have continued the time-honored Football Manager tradition of raiding ASEC Mimosas for talent. The two 18 year-old Ivorian players, Bony and Dansoko, are incredibly good. I had Bony all year and he has developed nicely, already rated as an elite SA Premiership CB. Dansoko joined in January and is already my first choice ST, banging in 10 goals in 9 appearances. I got Mayo on a free and he did a job in the first half of the year. However, the arrival of Dansoko and continued development of Jaftha has moved him down the pecking order, and the $160K-rated ST will probably be moved on over the summer.

Thabo Nodada wanted to move on to Sundowns, and I reluctantly allowed him to leave because of my midfield strength and the size of the fee on offer. I started to regret that decision when European teams started putting in bids for Ntshangase, which would leave me light in midfield. He had a release clause of $700K, so I felt fortunate to negotiate a deal with Portuguese side SLB for an initial $450K, add-ons for a further $200K, 40% of the profit on a future sale, and a friendly.

Phakamani Mahlambi was a terrific January signing that was part of one of the biggest steals of this save thus far. He was transfer listed at half his value by Sundowns, who were simultaneously interested in my unsettled winger Riyaad Norodien, whose performances through the first half of the season were nowhere near last season’s. The deals were negotiated separately and concluded on the same day, and I basically got an equivalent player who is two and a half years younger (24 vs. 26), has significantly lower wages, and made a net profit of $300K on the transfer fees in the process. Norodien has done alright at Sundowns, but Mahlambi has been incredible for me, scoring 14 in 17 matches and finishing the season with an otherworldly rating of 7.95.

Due to the success in the various competitions on offer and shrewd dealings in the transfer market, the finances of CTCFC are looking very healthy, with net transfer spend being near $1M to the good for 2021-22.

The club should turn a healthy profit on both Bony and Dansoko, as well, while the sell-on clauses for both 19 year-old Ntshangase (40% of profit, sold for $450K, valued at $950K) and Dove (20% of profit, sold for $350K, Valued at $3.6M) may help the club to benefit in the future. Overall, the balance has gone from $1.52M, when I was hired in July 2020, to $7.34M at the end of June 2022, so the club should be setup to compete for several years.

Key Players
Claude Bony (CB)- The 18 year-old Ivorian was awesome at the back and has developed into an elite talent at this level.
Abdoul Zakaria Dansoko (ST)- Another Ivorian teenager, Dansoko was awesome for the second half of the season, with a return of more than 1 goal per game.
Phakamani Mahlambi (AMR)- The 24 year-old South African may have been my player of the season, despite only joining in January. With an average rating of 7.94, 14 goals and 7 assists in just 19 appearances, he was a huge upgrade performance-wise over Norodien. He was ineligible for Champions League, but had a huge impact on my two domestic successes.
Akosah-Bempah (ST)- Dominant in front of goal, leading the league in scoring and topping 50 career goals. He also tied for the team lead in assists with Idrissa Sogodogo on 15.

Youth Watch
Thabiso Makhanya (17 year-old AMC)- 5-star potential. Still retraining him as a DLP. Played 5 matches with 7 average rating. Still progressing well and will probably get at least a dozen first-team games next season.
Gregory Jaftha (18 year-old ST)- 5-star potential. He got another 13 games this season, returning 7 goals. Making good progress and will probably be the third choice ST behind Akosah-Bempah and Dansoko next season.
Themba Maponya (15 year-old GK)- 4-star potential. Didn’t get a game this year, but I could see him being a first choice keeper in the SA Premiership in the next few years.

Postseason Notes
That is job done in Africa, with my first Champions League trophy clinched in year 4, way ahead of schedule. I thought it may have taken me the better part of a decade to get the first continental championship. Though it is tempting to give things a go in the Club World Cup, I’m going to let my contract run down in June and will be off, presumably to the AFC or CONCACAF. As of late June, the only job I have applied for is with Jiangsu of the Chinese Super League. With both Bony and Dansoko on deals with a sub-$1M release clause, I am hoping to be able to bring them into my next club.

Club Awards
Coach of the Year- Andrew McLeer
Young Player of the Year- 1st​ Gift Links, 2nd​ Duncan Adonis, 3rd​ Claude Bony
SA Premiership TOTS- Claude Bony, Duncan Adonis

In other South African footballing news, Mamelodi Sundowns actually managed to defeat Barcelona 2-0 after extra time at the Club World Cup, advancing to the final. They promptly got smashed 4-0 by Boca Juniors, but finishing as runner-up is still a massive achievement for an African club. Additionally, the African Confederation Cup final was contested by Orlando Pirates and Supersport United, giving South African football 3 of the 4 continental finalists.

Former Club Update: Albion Rovers narrowly missed the promotion playoff in Ladbrokes League 1, finishing fifth. Disappointed for them, as they were 2nd​ in March. Clyde won the division by a huge margin.

 

[FMYank]

Reflections on my time in South Africa

I found managing Cape Town City to be incredible fun and decided I would give some thoughts on it, since other FM players seem to rarely take the opportunity to manage in Africa. The structure of the league is interesting. The 30 game season is divided into 4 periods (8-7-8-7), and the winner of each section gets about $200K, a pretty significant influx of cash for most SA teams. This at least gives mid-table teams something to play for in the latter stages of the season.

Fixture congestion is a major problem in South Africa. There was one period where I played 8 games over about 20 days, while Sundowns had 9 league fixtures and a cup final in the final 23 days of my title-winning season. In retrospect, my ability to manage fixture congestion and the depth of my team probably made the difference in the title race, as opposition players were often coming into matches fatigued. It’s not uncommon to play matches every other day for a week. This is due to the midseason international breaks, the format of African Champions League requiring 16 games total for finalists, and the fact that there are 3 domestic cup competitions.

The demands of international football are intense in Africa, as well. In particular, the African Championship of Nations causes a nearly two month break from late December into February. It’s a cool competition, where countries can only utilize players from their own domestic leagues. It was interesting because a lot of players that would otherwise not play for their country get the opportunity. In my case, three previously uncapped players made debuts in the tournament. I took this time in January to refocus my transfer and scouting plans for summer, as well as playing a few friendlies, including the SLB friendly from the Ntshangase transfer. However, this massive break also contributes significantly to the aforementioned fixture congestion issues.

I also found a lot of good players for cheap transfer deals through continental competition. Obviously the two young Ivorians were picked up for a steal and will almost certainly be plying their trade in Europe sooner, rather than later. I also picked up Idrissa Sogodogo from Stade Malien, a Malian club I met in the early stages of the African Confederation Cup, for a ridiculously low fee as a replacement for Edmilson Dove.