Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 27, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 27, 2017 Chapter Fifteen, Part Two Team: MC Alger League: Algerian League One Season: 2029/30 Background: This promises to be a gruelling half-season. I know from two seasons ago what a train wreck the league schedule becomes in this country when you have to deal with continental competition as well. At least we don’t have to worry about the Algerian Cup, but it looks like we’ll be playing in the Arab Championship as well as the Champions League. Probably shouldn’t have let some of my fringe players leave during the transfer window but a bigger blow is a broken angle to captain Hicham Rebih, one of my three defensive midfielders out for the best part of the season. The board’s expectations for the African Champions League are to ‘be competitive’, but our finances have just become insecure so we could do with a good run here. The requirements for the Arab Championship are to reach the Group Stage, as far as I can tell currently, we enter at that stage anyway. Arabian Knights (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 2-1 USM El Harrach [8th] Almost a disastrous return to action here as we concede a penalty and fall behind after 3 minutes. Djebbar levels the game before half time, but we’re on the ropes as Chergui is dismissed for a reckless two-footed challenge just after I’ve used my last substitute putting on an extra forward. Somehow, we survive and even grab a winner, Djebbar scoring twice in a game for the first time since last season. (Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 1) MC Alger 8-0 Centre Chiefs Botswana champions Centre Chiefs are the unfortunate victims as MC Alger return to the Champions League. Bouregaa steals the show with a first half hat-trick, Meziane scored twice, Lahouamad, Belkhiter and Djebbar completing the rout. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 2-1 ES Sétif [2nd] A huge match for both clubs ahead of their respective hectic schedules. USM Alger have fallen off the pace slightly at this stage, so this one could be massive in deciding this year’s title battle. We go into the game with no defensive midfielders available due to suspensions for Chergui and Belkhiter alongside Rebih’s injury. Instead of changing tactic, I opt for right back Amrani and attacking midfielder Amroune to do us a job in there and we get away with it. A horror mistake from the ES Sétif left back allows Meziane to set up Djebbar for the opener before a controversial penalty converted by Meziane puts us 2-0 up. We get absolutely battered for the rest of the match but hold out for a massive win that takes us 4 points clear at the top. MC Oran provide us with the cherry on top, their win at USM Alger leaving our 3rd-placed rivals 9 points adrift. It's a good job we’ve given ourselves this breathing space as the Group Stage of the Arab Championship has just been drawn giving us two days’ notice to get to Saudi Arabia to face Al-Ahli. For the next 10 weeks we will play midweek and at the weekend, fooking ace. (Arab Championship Group A) Al-Ahli (KSA) [1st] MC Alger [2nd] What an absolute piss-take this is. We go into the match as 10-1 outsiders but lead 2-0 within a quarter of an hour through Gherbi and Djebbar. However, we find ourselves 4-2 down at the break thanks to goals from the clearly Arabic Argentine Villasenin (2), Italian Conte and Spanish Carreno. Reminder: there’s an absolute ban in Algeria on signing or playing players who aren’t Algerian nationals. A goalless second half consigns us to defeat and with only the top team from each group going through, we can pretty much write off this tournament as, although we should be able to win our other two fixtures, nobody’s stopping Al-Ahli, gladly be proven wrong… (Algerian League One) MC Oran [4th] 2-0 MC Alger [1st] What a grim fixture to face after travelling to fucking Saudi Arabia three days ago. Things don’t go our way against in-form MC Oran and we go down 2-0. ES Sétif beat RC Arba at home and move back to within a point of us. Air Miles (African Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 2) Centre Chiefs 1-0 MC Alger [MC Alger win 8-1 on aggregate] This run of fixtures is really switching me off to managing in Algeria. Had I stayed in the Algerian Cup I’d be playing three matches a week until the end of the season, simply unmanageable unless you have 20 regens per season already good enough to play in the Algerian top flight like ES Sétif seem to. We travel the length of Africa (7,232km) for this second leg, before returning to Algeria for our remaining Arab Cup group matches. As we lead 8-0 on aggregate I field the weakest team possible out of my 30 man Champions League squad, and my comically young side featuring seven full debutantes concede early, but Centre Chiefs are the worst team I’ve seen since leaving Sao Tome and can’t find the net again. A much greater challenge in the next round against Moroccan MA Tétouan. (Arab Championship Group A) MC Alger [3rd] 4-1 Muharraq [2nd] Here come the champions of Bahrain. This is supposed to be a close match but Bouregaa opens the scoring within 2 minutes for us and Djebbar’s hat-trick makes it 4-0 after 20 minutes. I tell the boys to chill out on Contain for the second half and the visitors get one back. We can still qualify by winning the group if we smash our last group game but only if these somehow beat Al-Ahli. Back in Algeria, ES Sétif miss the chance to go top, losing at home to USM Alger. We now have a game in hand, on top with 43 points, ES Sétif second on 42 and USM Alger back in the mix on 40. What the actual fuck? We get £1.1m of gate money for this match which covers our total expenditure for about 4 months and changes our financial status from Insecure to Okay! (Algerian League One) USM Bel Abbés [12th] 1-6 MC Alger [2nd] ES Sétif defeat USM El Harrach the day before this one and go to the top of the table, while Al-Ahli confirm our exit from the Arab Championship by defeating Muharraq 3-0. No need to have half an eye on Tevragh Zeina midweek then, and Djebbar scores a hilarious six goals to send us back to top spot. (Arab Championship Group A) MC Alger [2nd] 5-0 Tevragh Zeina [4th] A pointless match that hopefully brings in another shitload of gate money. We field a mixed team here and it comes as no surprise that the champions of Mauritania are a sorry offering. Ghoul and Mahfoudi-Laggoun each bag a brace with Gherbi also on target. ES Sétif are in domestic action again, drawing 2-2 at ASO Chlef which brings them level on points with us having played two more games. The gate money doesn't materialise. (Champions League First Round Leg 1) MC Alger 5-2 MA Tétouan A really tricky draw this. MA Tétouan finished 3rd in Morocco last season, a league very much on a par with our own, and defeated my old rivals US Forces Armées in the Preliminary Round, denying me a trip back to Burkina Faso to face them. Meziane scores twice but misses a penalty in the first half, while the visitors score from about the only two attacks they manage leaving it all square at half time. Djebbar stirs and nets a hat-trick in the second half, though, putting us in a great position in the tie and putting him on 12 goals in his last 3 appearances. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 4-0 DRB Tadjenanet [15th] Despite having Boukria sent off early in the second half, we send these packing easily thanks to goals from Sahraoui, Mahfoudi-Laggoun, Djebbar and Bouregaa. ES Sétif win from behind at MO Bejaia to stay level on points. (Champions League First Round Leg 2) MA Tétouan 1-2 MC Alger [MC Alger win 7-3 on aggregate] Not too far to travel to Morocco and we do so with a three goal advantage. The only slight concern ahead of kick off are the two away goals we conceded a week earlier but goals from Djebbar and Belkhiter in the first half allay any genuine fears. In reaching the second round, we have matched my previous run in this competition with Etoile Filante. We will face a lengthy trip to Ghana to take on Hearts of Oak, who overturned a 1-4 first leg deficit to beat Congolese AC Léopards 5-4 on aggregate. Domestic Bliss (Algerian League One) ASO Chlef [3rd] 0-1 MC Alger [1st] HAHAHAHAHAHA YEEES FUCK OFF CHLEF YOU BASTARDS. Lahouamad comes off the bench to score just his third of the season and secure a late win for us here against ten men. USM Alger also lose and odds continue to shorten on MC Alger retaining the Algerian title. (Algerian League One) CA Batna [16th] 2-5 MC Alger [1st] A 10 day international break before this tie offers us a much-needed opportunity to rest. Meziane’s penalty gives us the lead against ten men on the stroke of half time, but we’re pegged by a spot kick in the second half. Bouregaa restored our lead but the ten man bottom club equalise again. Guerfi gives us the lead for a third time with a long range effort before Djebbar’s late brace seals the deal. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 1-1 JSM Bejaia [7th] JSM Bejaia are enjoying a solid season in the top half, and run into us in a complete and utter shite mood. We scrape a draw with a 90th minute equaliser from Lahouamad but I am not celebrating as we can't afford to be dropping points while ES Sétif are on a winning streak... (Champions League Second Round Leg 1) Hearts of Oak 2-2 MC Alger We were poor again here, no idea what’s happened to us all of a sudden. We lead twice through Meziane and Djebbar, but can’t hold on either time and are lucky to draw really after spending most of the game under siege. To be fair, with two away goals this is a decent result to take back to Algeria. (Algerian League One) CS Constantine [9th] 4-3 MC Alger [1st] Absolute, unadulterated shite from my players again who are absolutely determined to fuck the title on the home stretch. Djebbar puts us ahead but we instantly concede three goals in ten minutes, again after going 40 minutes without Constantine even getting into our half let alone creating a chance. One of their defenders scores two fucking own goals to draw us level at 3-3 but we still can’t hold on for a result. ES Sétif have won 6 consecutive games and have piss easy fixtures remaining, if we win all our remaining games though, it is still in our hands. (Algerian League One) USM Alger [5th] 5-1 MC Alger [2nd] For fuck’s sake. We race out of the blocks and batter these fuckers, Bouregaa gets the opening goal to give us the lead, then Belkhiter the absolute odious cunt gets booked twice in a minute to leave us with ten men for over an hour of the match. We get absolutely raped and now sit 5 points behind ES Sétif with a game in hand. They have three to play, we have four. Time for a few fines and a team meeting after this run. Piss take. Home Comforts (Algerian League One) MC Alger [2nd] 4-0 MC El Eulma [10th] Nice from the Algerian FA to support us in representing the league on the continental stage by making us play two games in the four days before the second leg against Hearts of Oak. I reluctantly field a second string side and hope for the best. Thankfully, MC El Eulma are as shit as ever and Lahouamad’s hat-trick along with a goal for Ghoul sees us take the points. If we win our last three games and ES Sétif drop points once, the title is still ours… (Champions League Second Round Leg 2) MC Alger 5-1 Hearts of Oak [MC Alger win 7-3 on aggregate] After drawing 2-2 in the first leg, an incredible start here sees Djebbar and Bouregaa give us a commanding two goal lead within two minutes, before Meziane adds a third from the penalty spot. Bouregaa and Meziane each complete a brace in the second half before the visitors score a consolation goal. We go into the last eight of the Champions League and are drawn in Group A with Zamalek, TP Mazembe and fucking USM Alger. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [2nd] 3-1 JS Kabylie [14th] Once again we make an absolute heart attack of winning against average opposition, but goals from Bouregaa, Djebbar and Lahouamad are enough to turn this match around and keep the pressure on ES Sétif. Too bad they win their match 5-1 later this day. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [2nd] 2-0 RC Arba [12th] GET THE ABSOLUTE FUCK IN!! ES Sétif draw 0-0 at home with CS Constantine during midweek, meaning that the title is back in our hands. We are three points behind the leaders with a game in hand. Draw level and we’ll finish ahead courtesy of having a win and a draw against them this season. Today is the end of the season for most sides, with one more fixture to come in midweek between ourselves and CR Belouizdad. ES Sétif finish today with a visit to MC El Eulma… 23’ GOOOOOAL! Djebbar breaks the deadlock for us! 41’ UNBELIEVABLE! MC El Eulma take a shock lead over ES Sétif, and it’s none other than former MC Alger midfielder Mohamed Ghoul, once labelled a “mongoloid cuntflap” by his former manager, he sends his former club top with this strike! 45+1’ WHAT IS HAPPENING! MC El Eulma 2-0 ES Sétif, Sétif are shitting the bed! 47’ RED CARD! Khiar has been sent off for ES Sétif, it’s all uphill from here for the pre-season title favourites. 52’ THAT’S THREE FOR EL EULMA! Wow! MC Alger are in a position to snatch the title from the jaws of defeat without even having to see off CR Belouizdad in their final fixture! 59’ DJEBBAAAAAARRR! MC Alger have their second goal with a great finish from their leading goalscorer! 67’ COMEBACK? ES Sétif have one back! Can they complete an unthinkable comeback? FT: No they can’t! MC Alger climb back to the top of the table and have retained the League One title! Genuinely believed the title was gone after getting hammered by USM Alger, can’t believe ES Sétif have monged it up in the last three games! Delighted to retain the title, now just to finish the season. Curtain Comes Down (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 2-0 CR Belouizdad [6th] A nice relaxing win to finish the season, courtesy of an own goal and Djebbar’s 30th of the season. We end the campaign on 68 points, with 21 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats. Not bad at all. Season Summary Algerian League One: Winners (Exceeded Expectations) Algerian Cup: Fifth Round (Under-performed) Algerian Super Cup: Winners (Exceeded Expectations) Arab Club Championship: Group Stage (Met Expectations) African Champions League: Group Stage (Exceeding Expectations) Summary: Although I spent a lot of this chapter stressed and angry due to the late-season charge by ES Sétif, we have ended up having an absolutely great season, retaining the league title in a straight fight with Algeria's biggest club ES Sétif, and reached the last eight of the African Champions League, where we will face some of the continent's absolute elite during the next pre-season and early stages of the next campaign. The Super Cup was a bonus, the Algerian Cup was a disaster again and the Arab Championship was little more than a few annoying extra fixtures. What is most satisfying is winning the league with a higher points total and under more intense pressure, despite having heaps more fixtures to squeeze in during the second half of the season. In terms of next steps, I've achieved all there is to achieve in Algeria really, or will have once I conclude our Champions League run next season. As soon as a job at one of the 3+ star clubs in Africa comes up I will be going all out for it, but if one doesn't come up, I will complete one more season with MC Alger before looking to move into the Tunisian, Egyptian or South African leagues lowering my standard to clubs with 2.5+ star reputation to give myself more options. Hope y'all enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cure Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 8 minutes ago, RandoEFC said: Chapter Fifteen, Part Two Team: MC Alger League: Algerian League One Season: 2029/30 Background: This promises to be a gruelling half-season. I know from two seasons ago what a train wreck the league schedule becomes in this country when you have to deal with continental competition as well. At least we don’t have to worry about the Algerian Cup, but it looks like we’ll be playing in the Arab Championship as well as the Champions League. Probably shouldn’t have let some of my fringe players leave during the transfer window but a bigger blow is a broken angle to captain Hicham Rebih, one of my three defensive midfielders out for the best part of the season. The board’s expectations for the African Champions League are to ‘be competitive’, but our finances have just become insecure so we could do with a good run here. The requirements for the Arab Championship are to reach the Group Stage, as far as I can tell currently, we enter at that stage anyway. Arabian Knights (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 2-1 USM El Harrach [8th] Almost a disastrous return to action here as we concede a penalty and fall behind after 3 minutes. Djebbar levels the game before half time, but we’re on the ropes as Chergui is dismissed for a reckless two-footed challenge just after I’ve used my last substitute putting on an extra forward. Somehow, we survive and even grab a winner, Djebbar scoring twice in a game for the first time since last season. (Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 1) MC Alger 8-0 Centre Chiefs Botswana champions Centre Chiefs are the unfortunate victims as MC Alger return to the Champions League. Bouregaa steals the show with a first half hat-trick, Meziane scored twice, Lahouamad, Belkhiter and Djebbar completing the rout. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 2-1 ES Sétif [2nd] A huge match for both clubs ahead of their respective hectic schedules. USM Alger have fallen off the pace slightly at this stage, so this one could be massive in deciding this year’s title battle. We go into the game with no defensive midfielders available due to suspensions for Chergui and Belkhiter alongside Rebih’s injury. Instead of changing tactic, I opt for right back Amrani and attacking midfielder Amroune to do us a job in there and we get away with it. A horror mistake from the ES Sétif left back allows Meziane to set up Djebbar for the opener before a controversial penalty converted by Meziane puts us 2-0 up. We get absolutely battered for the rest of the match but hold out for a massive win that takes us 4 points clear at the top. MC Oran provide us with the cherry on top, their win at USM Alger leaving our 3rd-placed rivals 9 points adrift. It's a good job we’ve given ourselves this breathing space as the Group Stage of the Arab Championship has just been drawn giving us two days’ notice to get to Saudi Arabia to face Al-Ahli. For the next 10 weeks we will play midweek and at the weekend, fooking ace. (Arab Championship Group A) Al-Ahli (KSA) [1st] MC Alger [2nd] What an absolute piss-take this is. We go into the match as 10-1 outsiders but lead 2-0 within a quarter of an hour through Gherbi and Djebbar. However, we find ourselves 4-2 down at the break thanks to goals from the clearly Arabic Argentine Villasenin (2), Italian Conte and Spanish Carreno. Reminder: there’s an absolute ban in Algeria on signing or playing players who aren’t Algerian nationals. A goalless second half consigns us to defeat and with only the top team from each group going through, we can pretty much write off this tournament as, although we should be able to win our other two fixtures, nobody’s stopping Al-Ahli, gladly be proven wrong… (Algerian League One) MC Oran [4th] 2-0 MC Alger [1st] What a grim fixture to face after travelling to fucking Saudi Arabia three days ago. Things don’t go our way against in-form MC Oran and we go down 2-0. ES Sétif beat RC Arba at home and move back to within a point of us. Air Miles (African Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 2) Centre Chiefs 1-0 MC Alger [MC Alger win 8-1 on aggregate] This run of fixtures is really switching me off to managing in Algeria. Had I stayed in the Algerian Cup I’d be playing three matches a week until the end of the season, simply unmanageable unless you have 20 regens per season already good enough to play in the Algerian top flight like ES Sétif seem to. We travel the length of Africa (7,232km) for this second leg, before returning to Algeria for our remaining Arab Cup group matches. As we lead 8-0 on aggregate I field the weakest team possible out of my 30 man Champions League squad, and my comically young side featuring seven full debutantes concede early, but Centre Chiefs are the worst team I’ve seen since leaving Sao Tome and can’t find the net again. A much greater challenge in the next round against Moroccan MA Tétouan. (Arab Championship Group A) MC Alger [3rd] 4-1 Muharraq [2nd] Here come the champions of Bahrain. This is supposed to be a close match but Bouregaa opens the scoring within 2 minutes for us and Djebbar’s hat-trick makes it 4-0 after 20 minutes. I tell the boys to chill out on Contain for the second half and the visitors get one back. We can still qualify by winning the group if we smash our last group game but only if these somehow beat Al-Ahli. Back in Algeria, ES Sétif miss the chance to go top, losing at home to USM Alger. We now have a game in hand, on top with 43 points, ES Sétif second on 42 and USM Alger back in the mix on 40. What the actual fuck? We get £1.1m of gate money for this match which covers our total expenditure for about 4 months and changes our financial status from Insecure to Okay! (Algerian League One) USM Bel Abbés [12th] 1-6 MC Alger [2nd] ES Sétif defeat USM El Harrach the day before this one and go to the top of the table, while Al-Ahli confirm our exit from the Arab Championship by defeating Muharraq 3-0. No need to have half an eye on Tevragh Zeina midweek then, and Djebbar scores a hilarious six goals to send us back to top spot. (Arab Championship Group A) MC Alger [2nd] 5-0 Tevragh Zeina [4th] A pointless match that hopefully brings in another shitload of gate money. We field a mixed team here and it comes as no surprise that the champions of Mauritania are a sorry offering. Ghoul and Mahfoudi-Laggoun each bag a brace with Gherbi also on target. ES Sétif are in domestic action again, drawing 2-2 at ASO Chlef which brings them level on points with us having played two more games. The gate money doesn't materialise. (Champions League First Round Leg 1) MC Alger 5-2 MA Tétouan A really tricky draw this. MA Tétouan finished 3rd in Morocco last season, a league very much on a par with our own, and defeated my old rivals US Forces Armées in the Preliminary Round, denying me a trip back to Burkina Faso to face them. Meziane scores twice but misses a penalty in the first half, while the visitors score from about the only two attacks they manage leaving it all square at half time. Djebbar stirs and nets a hat-trick in the second half, though, putting us in a great position in the tie and putting him on 12 goals in his last 3 appearances. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 4-0 DRB Tadjenanet [15th] Despite having Boukria sent off early in the second half, we send these packing easily thanks to goals from Sahraoui, Mahfoudi-Laggoun, Djebbar and Bouregaa. ES Sétif win from behind at MO Bejaia to stay level on points. (Champions League First Round Leg 2) MA Tétouan 1-2 MC Alger [MC Alger win 7-3 on aggregate] Not too far to travel to Morocco and we do so with a three goal advantage. The only slight concern ahead of kick off are the two away goals we conceded a week earlier but goals from Djebbar and Belkhiter in the first half allay any genuine fears. In reaching the second round, we have matched my previous run in this competition with Etoile Filante. We will face a lengthy trip to Ghana to take on Hearts of Oak, who overturned a 1-4 first leg deficit to beat Congolese AC Léopards 5-4 on aggregate. Domestic Bliss (Algerian League One) ASO Chlef [3rd] 0-1 MC Alger [1st] HAHAHAHAHAHA YEEES FUCK OFF CHLEF YOU BASTARDS. Lahouamad comes off the bench to score just his third of the season and secure a late win for us here against ten men. USM Alger also lose and odds continue to shorten on MC Alger retaining the Algerian title. (Algerian League One) CA Batna [16th] 2-5 MC Alger [1st] A 10 day international break before this tie offers us a much-needed opportunity to rest. Meziane’s penalty gives us the lead against ten men on the stroke of half time, but we’re pegged by a spot kick in the second half. Bouregaa restored our lead but the ten man bottom club equalise again. Guerfi gives us the lead for a third time with a long range effort before Djebbar’s late brace seals the deal. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 1-1 JSM Bejaia [7th] JSM Bejaia are enjoying a solid season in the top half, and run into us in a complete and utter shite mood. We scrape a draw with a 90th minute equaliser from Lahouamad but I am not celebrating as we can't afford to be dropping points while ES Sétif are on a winning streak... (Champions League Second Round Leg 1) Hearts of Oak 2-2 MC Alger We were poor again here, no idea what’s happened to us all of a sudden. We lead twice through Meziane and Djebbar, but can’t hold on either time and are lucky to draw really after spending most of the game under siege. To be fair, with two away goals this is a decent result to take back to Algeria. (Algerian League One) CS Constantine [9th] 4-3 MC Alger [1st] Absolute, unadulterated shite from my players again who are absolutely determined to fuck the title on the home stretch. Djebbar puts us ahead but we instantly concede three goals in ten minutes, again after going 40 minutes without Constantine even getting into our half let alone creating a chance. One of their defenders scores two fucking own goals to draw us level at 3-3 but we still can’t hold on for a result. ES Sétif have won 6 consecutive games and have piss easy fixtures remaining, if we win all our remaining games though, it is still in our hands. (Algerian League One) USM Alger [5th] 5-1 MC Alger [2nd] For fuck’s sake. We race out of the blocks and batter these fuckers, Bouregaa gets the opening goal to give us the lead, then Belkhiter the absolute odious cunt gets booked twice in a minute to leave us with ten men for over an hour of the match. We get absolutely raped and now sit 5 points behind ES Sétif with a game in hand. They have three to play, we have four. Time for a few fines and a team meeting after this run. Piss take. Home Comforts (Algerian League One) MC Alger [2nd] 4-0 MC El Eulma [10th] Nice from the Algerian FA to support us in representing the league on the continental stage by making us play two games in the four days before the second leg against Hearts of Oak. I reluctantly field a second string side and hope for the best. Thankfully, MC El Eulma are as shit as ever and Lahouamad’s hat-trick along with a goal for Ghoul sees us take the points. If we win our last three games and ES Sétif drop points once, the title is still ours… (Champions League Second Round Leg 2) MC Alger 5-1 Hearts of Oak [MC Alger win 7-3 on aggregate] After drawing 2-2 in the first leg, an incredible start here sees Djebbar and Bouregaa give us a commanding two goal lead within two minutes, before Meziane adds a third from the penalty spot. Bouregaa and Meziane each complete a brace in the second half before the visitors score a consolation goal. We go into the last eight of the Champions League and are drawn in Group A with Zamalek, TP Mazembe and fucking USM Alger. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [2nd] 3-1 JS Kabylie [14th] Once again we make an absolute heart attack of winning against average opposition, but goals from Bouregaa, Djebbar and Lahouamad are enough to turn this match around and keep the pressure on ES Sétif. Too bad they win their match 5-1 later this day. (Algerian League One) MC Alger [2nd] 2-0 RC Arba [12th] GET THE ABSOLUTE FUCK IN!! ES Sétif draw 0-0 at home with CS Constantine during midweek, meaning that the title is back in our hands. We are three points behind the leaders with a game in hand. Draw level and we’ll finish ahead courtesy of having a win and a draw against them this season. Today is the end of the season for most sides, with one more fixture to come in midweek between ourselves and CR Belouizdad. ES Sétif finish today with a visit to MC El Eulma… 23’ GOOOOOAL! Djebbar breaks the deadlock for us! 41’ UNBELIEVABLE! MC El Eulma take a shock lead over ES Sétif, and it’s none other than former MC Alger midfielder Mohamed Ghoul, once labelled a “mongoloid cuntflap” by his former manager, he sends his former club top with this strike! 45+1’ WHAT IS HAPPENING! MC El Eulma 2-0 ES Sétif, Sétif are shitting the bed! 47’ RED CARD! Khiar has been sent off for ES Sétif, it’s all uphill from here for the pre-season title favourites. 52’ THAT’S THREE FOR EL EULMA! Wow! MC Alger are in a position to snatch the title from the jaws of defeat without even having to see off CR Belouizdad in their final fixture! 59’ DJEBBAAAAAARRR! MC Alger have their second goal with a great finish from their leading goalscorer! 67’ COMEBACK? ES Sétif have one back! Can they complete an unthinkable comeback? FT: No they can’t! MC Alger climb back to the top of the table and have retained the League One title! Genuinely believed the title was gone after getting hammered by USM Alger, can’t believe ES Sétif have monged it up in the last three games! Delighted to retain the title, now just to finish the season. Curtain Comes Down (Algerian League One) MC Alger [1st] 2-0 CR Belouizdad [6th] A nice relaxing win to finish the season, courtesy of an own goal and Djebbar’s 30th of the season. We end the campaign on 68 points, with 21 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats. Not bad at all. Season Summary Algerian League One: Winners (Exceeded Expectations) Algerian Cup: Fifth Round (Under-performed) Algerian Super Cup: Winners (Exceeded Expectations) Arab Club Championship: Group Stage (Met Expectations) African Champions League: Group Stage (Exceeding Expectations) Summary: Although I spent a lot of this chapter stressed and angry due to the late-season charge by ES Sétif, we have ended up having an absolutely great season, retaining the league title in a straight fight with Algeria's biggest club ES Sétif, and reached the last eight of the African Champions League, where we will face some of the continent's absolute elite during the next pre-season and early stages of the next campaign. The Super Cup was a bonus, the Algerian Cup was a disaster again and the Arab Championship was little more than a few annoying extra fixtures. What is most satisfying is winning the league with a higher points total and under more intense pressure, despite having heaps more fixtures to squeeze in during the second half of the season. In terms of next steps, I've achieved all there is to achieve in Algeria really, or will have once I conclude our Champions League run next season. As soon as a job at one of the 3+ star clubs in Africa comes up I will be going all out for it, but if one doesn't come up, I will complete one more season with MC Alger before looking to move into the Tunisian, Egyptian or South African leagues lowering my standard to clubs with 2.5+ star reputation to give myself more options. Hope y'all enjoy! I didn't recall that rule against signing non-Algerian nationals. On the whole would you say it's been more difficult to find quality signings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 27, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 27, 2017 Just now, Cure said: I didn't recall that rule against signing non-Algerian nationals. Would you say it's been more difficult to find quality signings? Yes, I was genuinely unable to find anyone worth signing at the start of this season apart from Bouregaa. None of the overseas Algerian international players are willing to come to play in Algeria (generally) which leaves me with signings from our domestic rivals who don't have many players that can significantly improve my squad. I did manage to get Bilal Daoud, who was an international player but he was 34 when he signed after his Zaragoza contract ended, still got a good season out of him. Also went in for a midfielder called Sergi at the start of this season but ES Sétif went after him too and he chose them. Oh well, leaving Algeria soon enough anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cure Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 21 minutes ago, RandoEFC said: Yes, I was genuinely unable to find anyone worth signing at the start of this season apart from Bouregaa. None of the overseas Algerian international players are willing to come to play in Algeria (generally) which leaves me with signings from our domestic rivals who don't have many players that can significantly improve my squad. I did manage to get Bilal Daoud, who was an international player but he was 34 when he signed after his Zaragoza contract ended, still got a good season out of him. Also went in for a midfielder called Sergi at the start of this season but ES Sétif went after him too and he chose them. Oh well, leaving Algeria soon enough anyway. Just did a little research and there are a few non-Algeria nationals currently in the league in real life, the Malagasy Ibrahim Amada with ES Setif and Carolus Andriamatsinoro with USM Alger. Extremely uncommon though. Found that aside from them the only other foreigners in their top division are in on-loan from other African clubs or hold dual-nationality. Regardless you've done really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 27, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 27, 2017 Right on cue, ES Sahel, the highest reputation club in Africa have sacked their manager after failing to win the league and getting knocked out in the semi-final of the Arab Championship, guess who's favourite to take over . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cure Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 3 minutes ago, RandoEFC said: Right on cue, ES Sahel, the highest reputation club in Africa have sacked their manager after failing to win the league and getting knocked out in the semi-final of the Arab Championship, guess who's favourite to take over . I hope you get it. Would it be your final club in this save? I hope not. Enjoying it too much. Fingers crossed for you though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 27, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 27, 2017 No chance, got a world to conquer yet . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 27, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 27, 2017 Chapter Sixteen, Part One Aww, yeah, the timing couldn't have been any better, the second highest club job in Africa comes up just as I end my 3 and a half year success story with MC Alger which saw us win two league titles, the Algerian Cup and two Super Cups. It's a shame to leave Algeria without completing the successful campaign in the African Champions League, but you just can't pass up an opportunity to move to a club like... Etoile Sportive du Sahel - ES Sahel for short. Winners of 15 Tunisian titles, 4 African Champions Leagues and even placing 3rd in a Club World Championship in 2018. I will update with expectations, pre-season and early results in the main sections of Chapter Sixteen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cure Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 10 minutes ago, RandoEFC said: Chapter Sixteen, Part One Aww, yeah, the timing couldn't have been any better, the second highest club job in Africa comes up just as I end my 3 and a half year success story with MC Alger which saw us win two league titles, the Algerian Cup and two Super Cups. It's a shame to leave Algeria without completing the successful campaign in the African Champions League, but you just can't pass up an opportunity to move to a club like... Etoile Sportive du Sahel - ES Sahel for short. Winners of 15 Tunisian titles, 4 African Champions Leagues and even placing 3rd in a Club World Championship in 2018. I will update with expectations, pre-season and early results in the main sections of Chapter Sixteen. Knew you'd manage to get it. Looking forward to seeing how you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 30, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 30, 2017 Beware, some of the language used in these pages will be classed as NSFW . Chapter Sixteen, Part One Team: ES Sahel League: Tunisian League 1 Season: 2030/31 Background: A new season with a new club. In classic AI fashion, the previous manager has left a completely unbalanced squad and I play my first few matches with several players away with Tunisia on international duty. I’m also literally 40 members of backroom staff short of what the club recommends, awesome. During pre-season, I sign a number of players so that I actually have a squad to speak of, but I’m not convinced the players I can afford are enough to meet the board’s requirements this season. The most notable of these are: CD – Ahmed Bejaoui - £95k MR – Ali Touré - £55k MC – Paul Eboa Eboa - £8k AMC – Adel Amrouche - £70k AMC – Paul Okoro - £39k We start the season with the Confederation Cup Group Stage, a tournament where the board expect us to reach the final. They’re also looking for us to win the title but aren’t bothered about the Tunisian Cup. Flying the Confederate Flag (African Confederation Cup Group A) ES Sahel [1st] 4-1 OC Khouribga [3rd] I take charge of my first match two days after being appointed, and I’ve alluded to this above but the squad I’ve been left is a joke and made even worse by the fact that half a dozen players are on international duty. Even when the transfer window comes, I can’t field any new players as they’re unregistered, meaning that for most of the group stage, I have 12 players available for selection from all my squads. The closest I can get to a sensible formation is a full back line of left backs, an attacking midfielder playing in defensive midfield, two wingers playing in central midfield, an all-round piss take basically. But clearly not as much of a piss take as our opposition here who we still hammer 4-1 with Ferchichi scoring twice for us, joined on the scoresheet by Ben Saada and an own goal. (African Confederation Cup Group A) Stade Tunisien [2nd] 3-2 ES Sahel [1st] Our domestic rivals take advantage of the awful situation we find ourselves in. With a bench full of those made up “grey” players, we still take the lead late in the first half through Helmi Jemal, but my players tire and the hosts score three in 15 minutes late in the second half before offering us a lifeline in the form of an own goal. We can’t scrape a draw though. (African Confederation Cup Group A) Sundowns [4th] 1-3 ES Sahel [2nd] My international players are now back at the club, and two of them are on target in this comfortable win over the South African runners-up. Want-away full back Zidane scores the opener before setting up winger Aya Camara for the second, Ferchichi wrapping up the win with a third before a late penalty denies us a clean sheet. (African Confederation Cup Group A) ES Sahel [2nd] 5-2 Stade Tunisien [1st] We avenge our loss to these a few weeks ago with Ben Saada, Ferchichi and Arfaoui scoring in the first half. A late flurry of goals includes a brace from Brazilian-born striker Tatá and we return to the top of the group. (African Confederation Cup Group A) OC Khouribga [3rd] 3-2 ES Sahel [1st] Pretty bad result here, don’t really know what went wrong but Sundowns’ win over Stade Tunisien in the other match means we’re still through from the group anyway. (Tunisian Cup Quarter Final) Stade Tunisien 3-3 ES Sahel [Stade Tunisien win 4-3 on penalties] Are we going to play these fuckers every week? Shite from my players and if I had the time and money I’d be buying half a new squad including an entirely new defence because this lot really are fucking wank and I’m certain I won’t win the league with them. This has all the hallmarks of being Zanaco mk II for me, but I hope I’m wrong. Paul Okoro’s debut goal puts us ahead, before Stade Tunisien turn the game around and lead on 65 minutes. Camara equalises for us before Tatá’s certain winner on 88 minutes, but no, the hosts equalise straight from kick off and we lose on penalties. Shite lads, complete shite. (African Confederation Cup Group A) ES Sahel [1st] 1-2 Sundowns [4th] Fucking hell we’re fucking shite. Wish I could have holidayed this set of matches but thank fuck they’re over. Now we can get on with the league season and field actual teams of players playing in position. Green Light (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [8th] 1-4 ES Tunis [9th] We kick off against defending champions and league favourites ES Tunis. My fears about this squad are exacerbated despite Okoro’s opener. ES Tunis come back to win 4-1 and in truth, that score-line flattered our woeful performance. (African Confederation Cup Semi Final Leg 1) ES Sahel 4-0 Orlando Pirates That’s more like it. Following a team meeting, forward Arfaoui scores a first half hat-trick to put us firmly in control here, a second half own goal the icing on the cake for us. My ninth match in charge and finally we keep a clean sheet. (Tunisian League 1) Stade Tunisien [12th] 0-2 ES Sahel [14th] Seriously? 40% of my matches have been against these cunts. Oh well, goals from Ben Saada and Arfaoui are enough to give us a solid win against a side reduced to ten men early in the second half. (African Confederation Cup Semi Final Leg 2) Orlando Pirates 4-0 ES Sahel [Aggregate 4-4 – Orlando Pirates win 4-3 on penalties] That is fucking it. I’m already sick of this shithouse squad. What the actual fuck? What the actual fucking fuck? What else can you do? Take a 4-0 lead from the first leg, tell the players not to get fucking complacent only for them to concede after 5 minutes. Stay on Counter, don’t commit men forward, get to half time and it’s 1-0. We have a three-goal lead with 45 minutes to go. Okay, make that a two-goal lead with 40 minutes to go early in the second half. We’ve still got this. Nope, one of my strikers pointlessly two foots an opponent on the half way line, down to ten men now. Better go onto Contain then. What the fuck else can I do? 89th minute now, surely we’ve seen this through? Shit, they’ve gone and got a third goal. Good job there’s only two minutes added on. Shit, you’re fucking kidding me, they’ve only gone and scored again. Fuck off lads. I’m actually glad we lose the shootout, now I don’t have to play any more cunting Confederation Cup matches where half of my squad including every central midfielder at the club including youth teams is ineligible. What a fucking calamity this club has been to take over. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [8th] 2-0 US Monastir [10th] Right, we’re out of the Confederation Cup and the Tunisian Cup, now we can focus on the league campaign and hope to make the rest of this chapter of the diary slightly less ridden with expletives. Goals here from Arfaoui and Ben Saada are a step in the right direction. (Tunisian League 1) ES Zarzis [13th] 1-2 ES Sahel [5th] At the end of a busy week, goals from Arfaoui and Okoro in the second half are enough to secure us victory at Zarzis, despite conceding a sloppy goal late on. ES Tunis have lost back to back fixtures, offering us some early hope in the title race. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [5th] 1-2 CS Sfax [3rd] An extremely disappointing loss at home. Ben Saada on target for us but Chodri Zidane fails to rescue a point when his late penalty is saved. A Grim Realisation (Tunisian League 1) JS Kairouan [12th] 0-3 ES Sahel [5th] A much better performance on the road here, with Arfaoui scoring a pair of goals either side of Okoro’s third direct free kick goal of the season, moving us up to second in the table. (Tunisian League 1) Club Africain [5th] 1-1 ES Sahel [3th] Dropped points again in another tough away game. Arfaoui is once again on target for us but will miss the next game with a slight injury. Thankfully, the clubs ahead of us in the table aren’t fancied to keep up a title challenge while ES Tunis and Club Africain are enjoying mixed results. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [5th] 1-3 US Ben Guerdane [1st] This match has pretty much confirmed all my fears about this being Zanaco all over again. Despite Tatá finding the net after starting in place of Arfaoui, we are soundly beaten at home by the league’s surprise leaders. I hate making excuses but it was one thing inheriting a squad with no central midfielders or right backs and just one senior centre back, it’s another thing coming to the realisation that none of the players that are here are remotely equipped for challenging for this title. I got a budget of £600k to improve the squad but can’t sign a single player recommended as 3 or more stars for less than £1m, so ended up spending all my budget on making sure I actually have at least one player to play in the positions that were missing. I’m at a loss as to what to do here and I’ll be amazed if I make it through this season without getting sacked. At least the remaining fixtures until the midpoint of the season are a lot more generous (on paper) and should give us an opportunity to establish ourselves in the ball park of the top few teams. Taking Stock (Tunisian League 1) EGS Gafsa [10th] 1-1 ES Sahel [7th] The disaster continues. I change to a 4-5-1 on my assistant’s recommendation and we somehow manage to find a new low in shit performances. Arfaoui scores from our only attack in the match, the only time we manage to string more than one pass together, but we are denied an undeserved victory by a 90th minute penalty. So hard not to give in to temptation and hit the resign button. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [8th] 3-0 Grombalia Sport [14th] The current bottom club at home next. We win our first in a while with goals from Marzouki, Jemal and Zidane. (Tunisian League 1) CS Hammam-Lif [5th] 1-3 ES Sahel [7th] These are one of a few unfancied teams that are mixing it up in a very close top half. We play very well here and dominate the match, often only letting ourselves down in the final third. Arfaoui puts us ahead but our opponents equalise with a superb free kick, spawned by FM after they haven’t crossed their halfway line all day, hate it when it does that. However, Helmi Jemal saves the day, coming off the bench to score twice and secure victory. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [5th] 1-0 AS Marsa [7th] We’re only a few points off the top now, as nobody can put together a run of form to distance themselves from the chasing pack. We initially won this match 4-2 before the game crashed and the replay saw us needing an 80th minute decider from Arfaoui to continue our slow climb back up the table. (Tunisian League 1) CA Bizerte [1st] 0-2 ES Sahel [4th] Cautious optimism is growing around the club, but as we travel to face the latest league leaders CA Bizerte, we’re all too aware that a defeat here could smash our momentum yet again. It’s a tight match and we start to get on top after about half an hour, chances come and go and all I can do after giving my half time team talk is pray for a goal that might just transform our season. It comes just after the hour mark when Helmi Jemal turns and curls a stunner into the top corner, vindicating my risk to pull off struggling top scorer Arfaoui for the 20 year old. A second from Jemal in injury time confirms our victory and leads to another shake up at the top of the league, but at the halfway point of the season, ES Tunis and ES Sahel have restored their positions as the leading title contenders and sit first and second, joint on 26 points. CA Bizerte are still third on 26 too, with Club Africain 4th on 25 points. Absolute madness the first half of this season has been at the top, but we’re back in it having taken our biggest win of the season here. Mid-Season Review Tunisian League 1: 2nd (Meeting Expectations) Tunisian Cup: Quarter Final (Not Important) African Confederation Cup (Under-Performed) Summary: With the way the season started, we could conceivably have bagged the Confederation Cup and Tunisian Cup by now, but we’ve had a lot of struggles, especially in defence, and made life hard for ourselves on all fronts. I’ve just managed to get my job security back over 50% with a run of victories and a long, hard grind back into the top few positions in the league. How did we do it? I’ve never really done things like this but we’ve been swapping between the 4-2-3-1 with DMs that I used in Algeria, a flat 4-5-1 formation, and an all-out attack 3-4-3 formation in recent weeks, and it has actually seemed to work. It has done no harm signing centre back Karim Msakni from CS Sfax when the transfer window opened a few weeks ago. It comes at a cost though as we’re now absolutely out of transfer funds and the club’s finances are Insecure despite an injection of nearly £1,000,000 from the board to help. While things are going better on the pitch, I’m not sure what will happen on the financial front, hopefully when the Champions League is underway in the second half of the season the extra gate money and (hopefully) extra prize money will be enough to support us through it. The second half of the season begins with our entry into the 2031 Tunisian Cup, followed by our home fixture against ES Tunis, which gives us a golden opportunity to go top of the league outright if we can win. In other news, as the Competition Rankings were updated, the Algerian leagues got another boost and are now ranked at 2.5 stars alongside Egypt and Tunisia, while South Africa’s top flight is reduced to 2 stars. In a sneaky way, then, I’ve won of the three top leagues in Africa now so could consider buggering off to South America if things go tits up anyway here, and I have loaded the 3 star leagues from South America – Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Paraguay. So fuck knows where we’ll be when I post the next update. Could be smashing it in Tunisia, could be unemployed and looking for a job in South America, could even run back to Algeria with my tail between my legs, quite exciting really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted May 31, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted May 31, 2017 Chapter Sixteen, Part Two Team: ES Sahel League: Tunisian League 1 Season: 2030/31 Background: Nothing in the way of transfer dealings during the rest of the transfer window, so we’ll concentrate on on-pitch developments for the second half of the season. We sit second in the table, level on points with ES Tunis and CA Bizerte, and one point ahead of 4th-placed Club Africain with half of the matches done. The 2031 iterations of the Tunisian Cup and African Champions League (which we qualified for due to finishing 2nd the previous season) will get underway though so I’m battling on three fronts to make my job at ES Sahel, still ranked as the top reputation club in Tunisia and the second in all of Africa, a bit more secure. The board still expect to win the title and aren’t bothered about the Tunisian Cup, but the real kicker is that they’ve now made it clear they expect to reach the final of the Champions League, meaning that we’ll have to get our shit together big time as a poor run in this competition could have serious implications on my job security. Point to Prove (Tunisian Cup 3rd Round) ES Sahel 4-2 SC Ben Arous With a number of players on international duty, we return to action by beating lower league SC Ben Arous in the Tunisian Cup. A disappointing defensive display but goals from Ferchichi (2), Jemal and youngster Hajri get us in the hat for the next round. (Tunisian Cup 4th Round) CO Médenine 1-4 ES Sahel Luck is in our side here as we draw the only League 3 side left in the competition. Camara, Jemal, Amrouche and Ben Saada ensure a smooth route into the quarter finals where we’ll face JS Kairouan… in six months. (Tunisian League 1) ES Tunis [1st] 2-1 ES Sahel [2nd] Here we go then, back to league action with my players having returned from the African Cup of Nations. Elsewhere, CA Bizerte (3rd) take on Club Africain (4th). A story of poor defending and spasticated finishing results in a damaging defeat for us, dropping us to 4th as CA Bizerte and Club Africain draw, but this is far from over. (Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 1) ES Sahel 5-0 MangaSport Gabon provide our first test in the Champions League, and we host champions MangaSport in the first leg. Stand in striker Amrouche is the surprise star with a masterful display of poaching seeing him bag the first four goals, Arfaoui completing the rout before half time to put us in a commanding position on aggregate. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [4th] 2-0 Stade Tunisien [11th] Almost an embarrassing loss here, 1-0 up through Arfaoui, it took us another 33 (thirty-three!) shots before Msakni’s header secured the points for us despite Amrouche being sent off for a reckless challenge. Under Pressure (Tunisian League 1) US Monastir [10th] 3-0 ES Sahel [2nd] Unbelievable. 28 shots this time, hit the woodwork three times but can’t find the fucking net, even with three strikers on throughout the whole second half. By contrast, lowly Monastir find the net three times from their four shots including a 35 yard free kick struck straight at my goalkeeper. Would have gone top with a win here too. After the match my job status becomes insecure but the board only want 8 points from the next 5 to save me. I’ll be absolutely fuming if we only get 8 points from 5 considering we’re meant to be the best team in the country. (Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 2) MangaSport 0-2 ES Sahel [ES Sahel win 7-0 on aggregate] A pretty standard match, Ben Saada opening the scoring for us and a pathetic own goal from MangaSport which about four of their defenders could have blocked. We go through to place Ashanti Gold of Ghana in the First Round. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [3rd] 4-0 ES Zarzis [11th] One of our best performances of the season sends us to the top of the league as ES Tunis, Club Africain and CA Bizerte all drop points, however ES Tunis have two games in hand. We survive an early scare as Ali Derbali saves a penalty before Arfaoui and Tatá bag a brace each to cheer the home support. In two matches my job security has gone from Insecure to Very Secure just because we beat some Gabon minnows and ES Tunis have had games re-arranged allowing us to go top, good old Football Manager logic though probably not that inaccurate as far as real life fans and chairmen go! (Tunisian League 1) CS Sfax [4th] 3-4 ES Sahel [1st] A huge match this one in determining whether we’ve got the backbone to try and hang it out at the top of the table. CS Sfax knocked my MC Alger side out of Confederation Cup in the past and beat us on our turf earlier this season. We concede an early goal from a set piece before Touré and Eboa Eboa score their first Sahel goals and put us 2-1 up, only for Sfax to equalise straight from kick off. Touré’s second goal comes through a deflected strike early in the second half, we push for another goal but end up conceding an equaliser again in the 82nd minute. Finally, Ben Saada puts us 4-3 up in the 89th minute and we hang on for a massive three points. (Champions League First Round Leg 1) ES Sahel 4-0 Ashanti Gold Another cracking win on the continent in the surprisingly effective 3-4-3 formation. Arfaoui, middle of three forwards, bags a brace, with Jemal and Ferchichi also on target. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-1 JS Kairouan [14th] Loving this 3-4-3 and another chance to use it against the bottom side here. We could have won this by five or six but three was enough and it was Jemal, Tatá and Ben Saada who delivered them. CA Bizerte are in second place, 5 points behind us. Our biggest threat comes from ES Tunis, who are 7 points behind us but with three games in hand. In Contention (Champions League First Round Leg 2) Ashanti Gold 0-1 ES Sahel [ES Sahel win 5-0 on aggregate] A little trip to Ghana now, and Jemal’s early goal is enough to eliminate any doubt about which side will progress to the next stage. Ashanti Gold dominate the game but can’t find a response and we now look forward to a Second Round tie against Coton Sport of Cameroon, who defeated my Etoile Filante side at the same stage of the tournament seven years ago, but will be looking for some revenge of their own having been beaten by ES Sahel in the Champions League in three of the last five years. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 0-1 Club Africain [6th] We’re starting to hit the home straight now, only 26 league games in Tunisia, and aside from CA Bizerte on the last day this is possibly our toughest fixture on paper, and ES Tunis have amped up the pressure by winning the first of their 3 games in hand. I can’t remember how many times this game has absolutely fucked me over this season but this one just took the absolute piss, I really am convinced there’s some stupid algorithm in this game where it just decides you’re going to lose. Anyway, this time we had 22 shots, 9 on target and hit the woodwork twice while our opponents had 2 shots on target which didn’t even result in goals, a cross that deflected perfectly into the bottom corner off one of my defenders decides the match. ES Tunis are firmly in control now and are 1 point behind us with two games in hand. (Champions League Second Round Leg 1) Coton Sport 0-2 ES Sahel Domestically, ES Tunis are denied at home to US Ben Guerdane but the draw is enough to put them ahead of us having beaten us in both fixtures this season, with a game in hand left too. An own goal gets us off the mark against Coton Sport in our last foreign away game of the season, before Tatá’s strike ensures it’s a profitable trip to Cameroon. (Tunisian League 1) US Ben Guerdane [5th] 0-3 ES Sahel [2nd] I absolutely threw my toys out of the pram when these beat us at home this season. We’ve not caught them at the right time either as they’re recovering from a massive mid-season dip in form that saw them plummet away from the title race. A tense match saw Jemal give us the lead at half time, but the result was still in doubt until goals from Arfaoui (69) and Jemal (71) relieved the tension. ES Tunis drew at CS Hammam-Lif, moving us back to the top of the pile. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 1-0 CS Gafsa [8th] Another tense tie here and I expect they all will be. Aya Camara scores a cracking volley in the first half and an otherwise poor match ends without further incident. ES Tunis win at JS Kairouan to stay within 2 points, yet to catch up their remaining game in hand. Tunisian Duel (Champions League Second Round Leg 2) ES Sahel 6-2 Coton Sport [ES Sahel win 8-2 on aggregate] Our comfortable stroll to the last eight Group Stage of the Champions League is complete with goals from Amrouche (2), Mehdi Jemal, Bejaoui, Okoro and Ferchichi giving the fans a night to remember. The Group Stage will be more than a bit spicy during the next pre-season as we’ll face domestic rivals ES Tunis, former Algerian rivals ES Sétif and Kaizer Chiefs who decided not to offer me a job a while ago after interviewing me. (Tunisian League 1) Gromalia Sport [13th] 0-0 ES Sahel [1st] Oh my fucking god I could put my fist through this laptop screen after that. Hit the woodwork twice and had an 85th minute penalty saved. Fuck off FM. ES Tunis draw with Stade Tunisien which on one hand is a massive let off for us but on the other hand makes it even worse because had we won this we’d have put the title in our hands. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-0 CS Hammam-Lif [7th] CA Bizerte defeat ES Tunis 2-1 in their remaining game in hand. For the first time this season we are the unconditional leaders of the league with everyone having three games left. We’re sat on 45 points, with ES Tunis and CA Bizerte now joint on 43 points and Club Africain on 42 points in 4th. Not such a duel after all, perhaps… Camara’s early goal settles our nerves here before Arfaoui’s two goals in the second half take us one step closer to the title. CA Bizerte suffer a shock loss at ES Zarzis while ES Tunis eventually overcome US Monastir to stay just 2 behind us. Club Africain are defeated at home the following day, making it a probable two horse race again. (Tunisian League 1) AS Marsa [10th] 1-3 ES Sahel [2nd] ES Tunis, CA Bizerte and Club Africain all win the day before we play here, putting the pressure back on our shoulders, but we eliminated the latter two from title contention with an impressive win. An own goal got us started before late strikes from Ben Saada and Msakni put us back in pole position for the league. A late injury reduces us to ten men and allows the hosts to pick up a consolation goal but it’s the result that matters here. Showdown It’s the final day of the season and the title comes down to two sides, ES Sahel and ES Tunis, as it has been many times in the past. ES Sahel hold a two-point advantage before kick off on the last day and will play host to third-placed CA Bizerte, while ES Tunis face a tricky visit to sixth-placed CS Sfax. Anything could happen in each of these matches, but the permutations are fairly straightforward. Anything but a win for ES Tunis will see them lose the title, but if they do triumph at CS Sfax, ES Sahel must beat CA Bizerte to be champions, a point not enough for them as they’d lose out to ES Tunis on results, having lost both matches to their major rivals this season. Before kick-off, I’m acutely aware that ES Sahel’s last manager was sacked at the end of last season, having finished 2nd in the league behind ES Tunis. Okay, they’d also been knocked out of the Champions League far too early and it was a distant second place, so even if we aren’t successful today, I’ve done a slightly better job, but the bottom line is that if we don’t win the league, I can’t guarantee my job is safe. 14:30, Saturday 24 May, 2031 – the finale of the League 1 season is underway! 2’ GOOOAL! It’s come from CA Bizerte as Trabelsi puts the visitors ahead at a nervy ES Sahel. 10’ GOOOOAL! What a start at Sahel! The leaders have found a leveller already through Helmi Jemal, 1-1! 12’ GOOOAL! ES Tunis take the lead at CS Sfax and move to the top of the live table! 14’ DISASTER FOR ES SAHEL! Trabelsi restores CA Bizerte’s lead, the goalkeeper HAS to do better there! 25’ GOOOOAL! WHAT A MATCH! Jemal is on target again and ES Sahel are back on level terms! 29’ GOAL! ES Tunis have doubled their advantage at CS Sfax and it looks like they’ll be holding up their end of the bargain this afternoon! 31’ OWN GOAL! Helmi Jemal is claiming a hat-trick here but that one will go down as an own goal for Derbali. Either way, ES Sahel are in front for the first time this afternoon! Don’t worry folks, only another 60 minutes more of this! 41’ GOAL! ES Tunis take a 3-0 lead and have surely secured the victory they need this afternoon. 44’ RED CARD! This could throw a spanner in the works for ES Sahel as Ahmed Ben Saada, having set up two goals today, is sent for a second yellow card – harsh decision there as that second foul looked accidental! HALF TIME: ES Sahel 3-2 CA Bizerte, CS Sfax 0-3 ES Tunis. As it stands, ES Sahel are champions. 46’ GOAL! CS Sfax have one back against ES Tunis, could they still have a say here? 49’ GOAL! Doesn’t look like it! ES Tunis restore their three-goal advantage and keep their opponents at arm’s length. 63’ TENSE! Not much going on this half in Sahel. Ali Touré has replaced Arfaoui to help the hosts shore up their depleted midfield while Oueslati and Eboa Eboa have dropped into deeper roles. 68’ GOAL! CS Sfax 2-4 ES Tunis! Surely there won’t be an unthinkable comeback here? 73’ GOAL! CS SFAX! Guessom scores his second in five minutes and the defending champions are sweating now! 80’ THE MANAGERS CAN’T LOOK! Ten minutes remaining now, both title contenders still lead dramatic matches by a single goal. 82’ CHANCE! Ali Touré saw his name up in lights there as sloppy defending from CA Bizerte leaves him one on one with the goalkeeper but ES Sahel are denied a vital fourth goal. 83’ OFF THE LINE! Msakni is denied from the resulting corner! Can ES Sahel kill this match and this season with another goal? 90’ TWO MINUTES ADDED! ES Sahel are 120 seconds from the title! FT: ES SAHEL ARE TUNISIAN LEAGUE 1 CHAMPIONS! GET IN! (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-2 CA Bizerte [3rd] Season Summary Tunisian League 1: Winners (Met Expectations) Tunisian Cup: In Quarter Finals (Not Judged On This) African Confederation Cup: Semi Finals (Below Expectations) African Champions League: In Group Stage (On Track to Meet Expectations) Summary: Jesus Christ this game is just a heart attack in a box. That’s six domestic titles I’ve won across Africa and at least the third one that’s gone to the last day. 2-1 down while ES Tunis were romping past CS Sfax as well, I’d given up for the umpteenth time this season. We got there though! And after crisis talks mid-season and having been in the bottom half for much of the first part of the season, we are the champions! Unsurprisingly, I’ve entered the African Hall of Fame with this success. About time considering I’ve got 1 Sao Tome Premier League, 1 Sao Tome Cup, 2 Burkina Faso Premier Leagues, a Burkina Faso Super Cup, a Zambian Bank Cup, 2 Algerian League One titles, an Algerian Cup, two Algerian Super Cups and a Tunisian League One title. I’m still only 13th though and I’d have to win some Continental titles to get to the top end. I’m not sure what the future holds but I should stick it out here for a while longer, as stressful as it has been. The 3 star South American leagues have been loaded and are ticking away alongside Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria in Africa, and having saved my job there’s no rush to leave. It would be rude not to win a Continental trophy after all this time in Africa before leaving anyway and the Champions League Group Stage kicks off just four weeks after our domestic season concludes so that’s the next thing on the agenda and will comprise the start of Chapter Seventeen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 3, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 3, 2017 Chapter Seventeen, Part One Team: ES Sahel League: Tunisian League 1 Season: 2031/32 Background: This isn’t much of a new season, as competitive action resumes just weeks after the end of our successful domestic campaign. We begin this season with Champions League and Tunisian Cup action, both tournaments in which the board expect at least a final appearance, as well as the successful retention of the domestic title. Unfortunately, there isn’t much room to do deals in the transfer market, as the club’s declining financial situation forces the board to slash the wage budget. The most notable departure is Helmi Jemal, who moves to Once Caldas in Colombia. Group of Death (Champions League Group A) ES Tunis [3rd] 2-0 ES Sahel [1st] For some reason, while we have 13 players on international duty, mostly with Tunisia, ES Tunis manage to feel a near full strength side here. My young side make a good effort, but are ultimately outclassed in this first match in the group stage. (Champions League Group A) ES Sahel [4th] 1-1 ES Sétif [2nd] An impressive performance from us sees Arfaoui head us into the lead after 5 minutes against my former Algerian rivals. Ali Derbali should do better when a long range free-kick flies past him for the visitors to equalise and it proves to be costly as we fail to turn our dominance into a winning goal. (Champions League Group A) ES Sahel [4th] 3-1 Kaizer Chiefs [3rd] An excellent performance here as we chalk up our first win of the group stage. Youngster Slimene, Arfaoui and Ali Touré are on target as we run riot in the first half, before Mehdi Jaballah’s mistake allows the South Africans to get a goal back. We tighten things up and see it out though. (Champions League Group A) ES Sahel [2nd] 2-0 ES Tunis [1st] A masterful performance here as Kaizer Chiefs beat ES Sétif, putting us in a commanding position in the group, just behind our beaten rivals Tunis. Arfaoui bags both goals in this match, with the first an especially classy team move. (Champions League Group A) ES Sétif [4th] 1-5 ES Sahel [2nd] A happy return to Algeria for me as we turn over a dismal ES Sétif side. Arfaoui seizes on a poor back-pass to open the scoring before doubling his money soon after, an own goal sending us in 3-0 up at the break. A 30 yard belter gets the hosts back in the game but Touré and substitute Camara complete the rout with goals either side of a late red card for Sétif. Kaizer Chiefs’ heavy loss to ES Tunis sees us qualify for the semi finals. (Tunisian Cup Quarter Final) JS Kairouan 0-1 ES Sahel Relegated from the top flight last season, JS Kairouan provide our opposition in the last eight of the Tunisian Cup, which ES Sahel haven’t won in 7 years. Tatá’s goal is enough to put us through as our opponents are unable to fashion a shot on target. Trophy Eyes (Tunisian Cup Semi Final) ES Sahel 1-0 Club Africain Our rivals stand between us and a spot in the Tunisian Cup Final. A close match is decided by Okoro’s first half free kick, putting us through to face ES Zarzis in the final. (Champions League Group A) Kaizer Chiefs [4th] 4-1 ES Sahel [2nd] ES Tunis are thumped by ES Sétif the day before this, giving us an opportunity to win the group with victory here and potentially earn a nicer tie in the semi-finals. However, with the Tunisian Cup final in three days, a trip the length of Africa is not ideal right now. I choose to prioritise the Cup final, and we are soundly beaten in our last group game with Tatá’s goal the only consolation. (Tunisian Cup Final) ES Sahel 2-0 ES Zarzis This could have been a tough one having played in South Africa three days before, but ES Zarzis have a man sent off after 30 minutes, making our lives slightly easier. Okoro breaks the deadlock not long after before Msakni headed home the all-important second goal late in the second half. That trophy puts me into the top 10 in the African Hall of Fame and if we can go on and win the Champions League, that will pretty much complete the rags to riches story as far as Africa is concerned. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [8th] 5-1 AS Marsa [1st] We begin our title defence in style, Arfaoui getting us off the mark after just six and a half minutes, his first of three this afternoon. Okoro’s stunning free-kick delighted the home crowd, and Amrouche completed the rout, restoring our four-goal advantage after a lapse in concentration cost us a clean sheet. (Champions League Semi Final Leg 1) ES Sahel 3-2 Al-Ahly The top two teams in Africa by reputation go head to head in this semi-final. We get off to a nightmare start and go 1-0 down after 3 minutes, but it takes just over ten minutes for us to draw level with Bilel Oueslati picking his moment for his first ES Sahel goal. A penalty from Zidane and Okoro’s deflected free-kick put us in control of the tie before we concede a potentially costly second away goal in the second half. (Tunisian League 1) ES Zarzis 2-2 ES Sahel A poor performance here from us against the beaten cup finalists. We trail twice through some poor defending but scrape a point, Zidane’s penalty and Amrouche’s late equaliser earning us a draw. (Champions League Semi Final Leg 2) Al-Ahly 2-1 ES Sahel [Aggregate 4-4 – Al-Ahly win on away goals] A disappointing end to the Champions League campaign. Conceding sloppy away goals in the first leg comes back to bite us here, as well as a poor spell that sees us concede twice in seven minutes during the first half. With Arfaoui coming off injured early on, Tatá leads the line for the rest of the match and draws us level on aggregate, but we can’t find the second goal we need to progress to the final. Iron Curtain (Tunisian League 1) ES Sétlaoui [7th] 0-3 ES Sahel [8th] A run of league games at last now, with the Tunisian Cup won and the Champions League dream on ice for another year. Arfaoui continues his excellent start to the season, scoring a hat-trick to down our newly-promoted opponents. (Tunisian League 1) ES Tunis [1st] 0-1 ES Sahel [2nd] A massive game early in the season, last season’s title race went to the last day partly due to ES Tunis’ league double over us. We are comfortably second best here, though we are denied a stonewall penalty after growing into the second half. The hosts have a penalty of their own saved by man of the match Ali Derbali, before Tatá scores the game’s only goal after 79 minutes to hand us an early initiative in what’s likely to be a long and arduous title battle between these two sides. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-0 CS Sfax [13th] Another tricky one following an international break, against a side that traditionally challenges in the top six. We make an indifferent start here until a pair of quickfire goals from Tatá put us on the front foot with a half-time lead. A comfortable second half sees 16-year-old Mondher Benzarti score his first ES Sahel goal to put the icing on the cake. Got to love it when your youth products come into the first team and deliver. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-0 CS Hammam-Lif [6th] Another comfortable win here as Arfaoui’s injury time header sees him complete a perfect hat-trick. (Tunisian League 1) EGS Gafsa [4th] 0-2 ES Sahel [1st] A tricky trip to in-form Gafsa starts well, Okoro striking after 60 seconds to open the scoring. We controlled the game well and another clean sheet along with a Zidane penalty brings us another three points. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-0 US Ben Guerdane [6th] A sixth consecutive win to nil sees us stretch our lead at the top of the league to 3 points as ES Tunis drop points at ES Métlaoui. Okoro, Tatá and Touré are on target here against ten men. Pressure (Tunisian League 1) O. Kef [8th] 1-3 ES Sahel [1st] We finally concede here but not before we've already built a three-goal advantage. Tatá scoring twice either side of Arfaoui’s strike. O. Kef help us out by getting a man sent off mid-second half. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 2-2 Stade Tunisien [6th] A poor start here sees us concede in the opening minute and again in the thirteenth minute. Arfaoui scores either side of half time to level affairs but we can’t find a decisive third goal and are left bemoaning our slow start as we drop points for the second time all season. (Tunisian League 1) CA Bizerte [7th] 1-2 ES Sahel [2nd] Although we have 8 wins and 2 draws, including a win over ES Tunis, the scum are still close enough to temporarily go top by winning in their early kick off. We restore our position at the top though, thanks to a 92nd minute winning goal from 16-year-old striker Amine Bejaoui at CA Bizerte. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 2-0 Club Africain [3rd] Club Africain have been impressive as well this season and are actually sat just three points behind us in third. We go into the winter break with another three points and it’s Amine Bejaoui who is on cloud nine once again, coming off the bench to score both goals in the closing stages. Mid-Season Review Tunisian League 1: 1st (Meeting Expectations) Tunisian Cup: Winners (Exceeded Expectations) African Champions League: Semi-Finals (Under-performed) Summary: A lot has happened in the first part of the season. Before the league campaign was really underway, we concluded a Tunisian Cup campaign with another piece of silverware but couldn’t do the same in the Champions League where we went out to eventual champions Al-Ahly on away goals. The league campaign is looking strong, we have top spot after 12 of 26 matches, but ES Tunis have been just as impressive as us, dropping points in just one other game aside from their defeat to us. Moving into the second half of the campaign, the Tunisian Cup, Champions League and Arab Championship will come back onto the agenda. Squad management will become a nightmare again but the Arab Championship, in particular, offers a good chance of another cup run before the end of the season. In terms of the long-term plan, I still have the South American leagues (Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Ecuador) loaded ready to hop over there when I either win the Champions League in Africa or give up on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 9, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 9, 2017 'Kinell, this one ended up a bloody long chapter. Quite an easy read though, hopefully, enjoy! Chapter Seventeen, Part Two Team: ES Sahel League: Tunisian League 1 Season: 2031/32 Background: An intense schedule coming up for us here as we battle on four fronts. We’ll begin our defence of the Tunisian Cup, we’ll try to hold on to top spot in the league table, we’ll compete in the Arab Championship and the 2032 Champions League will get underway. The club’s expectations are to win the league and reach the finals of the Tunisian Cup and Champions League, while they aren’t too fussed about the Arab Championship. Not asking much, then. Due to the club’s finances still teetering on the brink of Insecure, we do no business of note during the mid-season transfer window, good job we have teenagers doing the business when they’re needed… Well-Travelled (Tunisian Cup Third Round) LPS Tozeur [L3] 0-3 ES Sahel [L1] A comfortable start to our cup defence sees young Bejaoui score his fourth goal in three matches against our League 3 opposition. Arfaoui adds another pair of goals to his season’s growing tally and we progress to the last 16. (Tunisian Cup Fourth Round) ES Zarzis [L1] 0-1 ES Sahel [L1] A rematch of the last Tunisian Cup Final. Like last time, we are triumphant, Okoro’s strike in first half injury time the only goal of the game in a match where our goalkeeper is barely troubled. We move into the quarter final where we are drawn against ES Tunis, but, due to the slightly barmy Tunisian Cup schedule, that tie will wait until the next pre-season. (Tunisian League 1) US Monastir [14th] 2-5 ES Sahel [1st] We reach the halfway point of the league campaign with a visit to the bottom club and our local rivals US Monastir. Our front three overwhelms their leaky defence, Arfaoui bagging another brace while Tatá helps himself to a hat-trick, meaning that Monastir’s second half rally is for naught. ES Tunis finally drop some points in a draw at Stade Tunisien, meaning that we extend our gap at the top to three points. (Arab Championship Group A) Al-Ain [1st] 2-5 ES Sahel [2nd] The board aren’t bothered about this tournament but we’re one of the biggest sides in the hat and I fancy my chances of a first non-domestic title. We visit the UAE to face Al-Ain, our biggest threat in a group where only the winner will progress, and a poor start sees us 2-0 down after 30 minutes. A bollocking from the sidelines seems to do the trick, and goals from Touré and Ben Saada level the game by half-time. After a poor first half, Arfaoui comes alive after the break with yet another brace, man of the match Touré adding a fifth for us to put the game beyond doubt and put us in pole position to win the group. (Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 1) ES Sahel [TUN] 5-0 Djibouti Télécom [DJI] What appears to be Djibouti’s answer to British Telecom provide our first obstacle in the Champions League. They’re not actually as bad as some of the opponents I’ve faced before at this stage with Sahel and with MC Alger, but our second string and a bit of 3-4-3 is enough to see them off comfortably, the goals coming from Amrouche (2), Tatá and Bejaoui (2). (Tunisian League 1) AS Marsa [12th] 1-2 ES Sahel [1st] A trip to AS Marsa sees us put on probably our worst performance of the season, but we still lead at half-time thanks to Msakni’s fortuitous header, and manage to eventually clinch victory through Slimene in the 88th minute. ES Tunis draw 3-3 at CA Bizerte in a dramatic match that sees them fall 5 points behind us now. Record Breakers (Arab Championship Group A) ES Sahel [2nd] 6-0 Muharraq [3rd] Al-Ain’s 7-1 win against Sohar puts them temporarily at the top of the group, before we face Muharraq, the Bahraini side I once defeated in this competition as MC Alger manager. Arfaoui’s early brace sets us on course for the win we need, and after he completes his hat-trick in the second half, a series of scintillating attacking moves sees Touré add the fourth before Tatá nets a pair of his own. We now only need a draw against Sohar to guarantee progression to the semis. Down the road, ES Tunis are in domestic action and drop points once again in a draw with third-placed Club Africain, and I’m delighted to notice that we’re currently on a run of 16 wins and 1 draw in our last 17 games. (Champions League Preliminary Round Leg 2) Djibouti Télécom [DJI] 0-5 ES Sahel [TUN] [ES Sahel win 10-0 on aggregate] February concludes with the second half of our swatting of our Preliminary Round opponents. The trip to Djibouti isn’t short, but it’s not the worst either. This second leg really highlights the desperate lack of quality of opponents like this and the utter pointlessness of clubs like ourselves and Al-Ahly having to enter the draw at the preliminary stage as I field a weakened side and lose Okoro to a pointless red card after ten minutes, but still see our aggregate score grow to double figures with goals from Bejaoui, Ben Saada, Slimene, Amrouche and Camara. Oh well, that’s a tenth win on the trot and a new club record anyway. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 4-0 ES Zarzis [4th] We are looking unstoppable right now. Zidane opens the scoring here with a penalty before Okoro’s free-kick and a superb team move finished by Arfaoui has the visitors dead and buried by half-time. Okoro adds a second late on and we stay four points clear with a game in hand. (Arab Championship Group A) ES Sahel [1st] 6-1 Sohar [4th] A draw against the Omani champions is enough to put us into the last four, but we won’t settle for that and are rampant again. Ben Saada opens the scoring after 15 minutes before Tatá bags four goals and Eboa Eboa strikes from range in the second half. This one is our twentieth game unbeaten, another new club record. (Champions League First Round Leg 1) ES Sahel [TUN] 5-2 Africa Sports [CIV] Our next hurdle in the big one comes in the form of the Ivorian champions, which isn’t too far away geographically. Arfaoui’s 30th and 31st goals of the season mark another new club record for goals in a season, while Bejaoui bags a brace of his own and Tatá is also on target. A disappointing end to the match sees the visitors get two away goals but still a good win here. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-0 ES Métlaoui [12th] A slightly more modest 3-0 win here against struggling Métlaoui. Bejaoui opens the scoring with a cracking strike, before Jaballah bags a rare goal from a corner and Tatá completes the victory in stoppage time. Home Comforts (African Champions League First Round Leg 2) Africa Sports [CIV] 4-0 ES Sahel [TUN] [Africa Sports win 6-5 on aggregate] I literally have no idea what the fuck happened here. My players forgot how to pass and shoot and these cunts scored every time they had a shot. Absolute full-blown bullshit from FM, we led 5-0 in the first leg at one stage and given our form in the league there’s just absolutely no way this would happen in a million years to a side on a thirteen-game winning streak. Four fucking nil, seriously? Go and play in traffic you bastard game. Getting knocked out of the Champions League at this stage is an absolutely devastating blow on a competitive and financial level. I now can’t win this competition until the season after next and the prize money from reaching the semi-finals last year was about the only reason our finances have stayed at “Insecure” instead of “In deep shit”. Got to make sure we smash the rest of the league season now and do the business in the Arab Championship, but I’m not staying in the same country where I’ve already won the league for another two years just to have another go at the Champions League. South America beckons sooner rather than later now. (Tunisian League 1) CS Sfax [11th] 1-1 ES Sahel [1st] A few days after our return from the Ivory Coast, we face a difficult trip to CS Sfax. The players tire late in the game and concede a late equaliser, having led for most of the game through Ben Saada. This was our game in hand on ES Tunis so it’s disappointing not to take advantage with a win but the point still extends our lead to 5 points with 9 games remaining. (Tunisian League 1) CS Hammam-Lif [9th] 1-2 ES Sahel [1st] After a short international break, we face another fiddly away day, and are second best for much of the tie, despite Arfaoui’s goal giving us the lead. Just as it looks like we’re dropping points for a second game running and offering ES Tunis an olive branch, full back Zidane cracks in a 30-yard winner off the bar in injury time to secure a slightly fortuitous win. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-2 ES Tunis [2nd] We come into this five points clear and clearly have the opportunity to get one hand on the trophy with a win here. ES Tunis have other ideas and score the first goal of the game after 2 minutes, but it doesn’t take long for us to level things, Touré’s shot luckily deflecting off Arfaoui into the bottom corner. Camara soon puts us 2-1 up and we are all over the visitors for the next 30 minutes. The third goal looks to be coming in a matter of time, but it doesn’t, and we pay the price when Tunis equalise twelve minutes from the end. Five points clear with seven games left still looks fine but Chokri Zidane isn't having it, and for the second game running cuts in from right-back to fire a long range effort into the top corner, a goal that proves decisive. We carry an eight-point lead into the last seven fixtures now, which is effectively nine due to us having done the double over Tunis, as a points tie will see us finish ahead on results. With our P19, W16, D3, L0 record, though, this looks unlikely to come into play. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-1 EGS Gafsa [7th] It’s a countdown to mathematical confirmation of the title now, and I’ve turned my attention to a potential unbeaten season. This comfortable win with goals from Tatá, Arfaoui and Zidane (pen) completes phase 20/26 of Project Unbeatable. The countdown to the title shortens as ES Tunis are battered at CS Sfax, putting our gap out to 11 points with six to play. (Tunisian League 1) US Ben Guerdane [11th] 0-3 ES Sahel [1st] That’s another one on the board. Arfaoui scores twice early on to put us in a commanding position before Tatá’s early second half goal puts the three points here beyond doubt against a disappointing US Ben Guerdane side. Unbeatables? (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 2-1 O. Kef [7th] We could secure the league here if we win and ES Tunis drop points. It appears to be business as usual with Arfaoui’s penalty putting us ahead after 28 minutes, but the visitors managed to draw level before the break. A poor start to the second half saw me change quite drastically from a 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 but it proves to be effective as Okoro’s header from Zidane’s cross proves to be the decisive goal. ES Tunis defeat CS Hammam-Lif 2-0 and keep us waiting on the title, but we only need a point from our remaining four games to get over the line. (Tunisian League 1) Stade Tunisien [5th] 0-2 ES Sahel [1st] We begin May with some fixture congestion, this the first of three matches in five days. We’re on the back foot for most of the match but Arfaoui still finds the net in the first ten minutes to put us ahead, before bagging his 38th of the season with a stunning long-range effort to put the game beyond doubt late on. We are the Tunisian champions for the second year running! Now three games away from the unbeatable campaign. The remaining fixtures will be far from easy though. (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 2-0 CA Bizerte [9th] With just one day’s rest between our title-winning performance at Stade Tunisien and this one, I’m forced to rotate the side, putting our unbeaten run in jeopardy, but my squad are up to the task. Okoro bags the opener after 15 minutes with a long-range free-kick that the Bizerte goalkeeper probably should have saved, before Tatá doubles our advantage with a penalty in first-half stoppage time. Amrouche misses a second penalty in a goalless second half and we’re just two matches from getting it done. (Arab Championship Semi Final Leg 1) ES Sahel [TUN] 4-0 Zamalek [EGY] The defending Egyptian champions have had a poor domestic season and sit sixth in their league, so I fancy us to get to the final of this tournament. My confidence is not misplaced, and Zamalek don’t know what hits them when Arfaoui, Camara and Ben Saada put us 3-0 up within 25 minutes. We switch to a counter-attacking approach and this yields a fourth goal, Camara’s second, before half-time. A solid second half sees us secure the all-important clean sheet at home, but I’m not counting my chickens here due to past experience with this ES Sahel side and dominant first leg leads. (Arab Championship Semi Final Leg 2) Zamalek [EGY] 1-0 ES Sahel [TUN] [ES Sahel win 4-1 on aggregate] A full week’s rest between these two legs is welcome while Zamalek are in league action in that window. Everything is in our favour, not least the four-goal head-start from the first leg, but I begin to fear the worst again when Zamalek get off the mark within 12 minutes. The game is pretty poor though, and while we grow into it in the second half, there are no further goals and we are safely through to the Arab Championship Final. (Tunisian League 1) Club Africain [3rd] 1-0 ES Sahel [1st] Of the two remaining fixtures, this is probably the one that could cost us the unbeatables tag. A tired and disappointing performance three days after the trip to Egypt sees our dream of completing an unbeaten campaign shattered practically at the last hurdle. Curtain Call (Tunisian League 1) ES Sahel [1st] 3-0 US Monastir [12th] The final game of the league season sees us face local rivals Monastir, who are sat in the relegation play-off spot and at risk of falling into the automatic demotion spots. A spirited performance from the visitors isn’t enough, as Amrouche, Arfaoui, with his 40th of the season, and Tatá secure a 22nd win from 26 games and consign our rivals to automatic relegation on the last day. Following this match, the Under 23 Manager posts for the Olympic Games are opened up, and I successfully apply for the jobs for Algeria and Tunisia. A day later, the board offer me the opportunity to renew my contract, which runs out at the end of the season. I decide to decline – the plan here is to take the Tunisian side to the Olympics in August which may or may not boost my worldwide reputation as a manager, and then look for a South American job after the tournament. (Arab Championship Final Leg 1) Al-Ahli (KSA) [KSA] 2-1 ES Sahel [TUN] My first taste of this tournament came when I faced these as MC Alger manager. Al-Ahli have won the Arab Championship six times out of the last eight years and are current holders. They’re clear favourites for the final, but we give ourselves a fighting chance here, Msakni heading home an away goal having given away an early penalty. (Arab Championship Final Leg 2) ES Sahel [TUN] 2-1 Al-Ahli (KSA) [KSA] [Aggregate 3-3 – ES Sahel win 4-1 on penalties] What. A. Match! We start this one on the front foot and miss a host of chances before Ben Saada’s cross trickles into the back of their net via a couple of deflections, putting us ahead on away goals midway through the first half. The bastards equalise in dishonourable fashion, though, after Camara sprained his ankle on the run and gifted possession to Al-Ahli who didn’t put the ball out of play, instead attacking and scoring with their first real shot on goal. Arfaoui follows Camara off the pitch with an injury and things are starting to look bleak, but Tatá comes to the rescue 12 minutes from time to level things at 3-3 on aggregate, turning home Ben Saada’s cross. We have the better of extra-time, but two tired teams fail to fashion any clear-cut chances and the final goes to penalties. I’m shitting myself for the shoot-out but Zidane and Ben Saada settle my nerves by converting our first two penalties. Ali Derbali shines, saving Al-Ahli’s second and third penalties, while Tatá converts our third. Ali Touré steps up with the chance to win the trophy with our fourth spot-kick and duly converts, winning the Arab Championship for ES Sahel! A great way to go out at this club. Season Summary Tunisian League 1: Winners (Met Expectations) Tunisian Cup: Into Quarter Finals (On Track) African Champions League: Lost in First Round (Below Expectations) Arab Club Championship: Winners (Not Important) Summary: A pretty sexy season there, as we lift the Tunisian Cup early in the season, followed by the Tunisian League 1 title and the Arab Championship in June. The abysmal early exit in the Champions League is the major blot on our copy book this season, still can’t believe we pissed away that lead, and it was a shame to miss out on the unbeaten campaign in the league as we lost our last away game, but overall I can have no complaints with how it’s gone, we won a fucking treble. As I’ve mentioned, I’m not signing a new contract with ES Sahel. I could stay on and try and win the Champions League but that would mean sticking around for at least a season and a half and I just can’t be arsed. It’s a shame to leave Africa without it but I have moved up to seventh in the all time African Hall of Fame which is not bad going at all. The next stage is to guide Tunisia Under 23s through the Olympic Games, which should be interesting and shouldn’t take long either, so I’ll post a special, shorter chapter covering that side-quest. After that, I’ll be looking to get a foothold in one of the South American leagues. I have no idea what type of jobs I’ll be considered for but having won a (sort of) continental trophy just now and having managed a team at the Olympics, maybe that will help me get some interest from big clubs in Colombia and the like. If I have to take a slightly lower reputation job at first because I’m unknown in South America, so be it. Looking forward to seeing where I land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 10, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 10, 2017 A short bonus chapter this, two in one night... Chapter Eighteen Team: Tunisia U23s League: Olympic Games Season: 2032 Background: A bit of fun this and a potential bit of extra worldwide exposure to boost my reputation in South America where I’m looking for my next job. I’ll be amazed if I get a medal with Tunisia and we face a tough task getting out of Group D, but it’s not exactly a group of death either as USA, Japan and Belgium provide our opposition. We’re off to Canada, the hosts of the 2032 Olympic Games. Preparation (Friendly) Zambia Under 23s 0-4 Tunisia Under 23s Zambia was the setting for the nadir of my career to date, so perhaps there’s some petty revenge in this result, but not really. Ben Amor (2) and Derbali fire us into a 3-0 win in the first half, before my former ES Sahel charge, Helmi Jemal, caps the performance with a fourth in the second half. (Friendly) Tunisia Under 23s 3-1 Gabon Under 23s Gabon provide a greater challenge than I expected here, but we still comfortably win this as I get a look at the options available to me. Marouene Chaalali opens the scoring for us here, Ben Amor is on target again and defensive midfielder Msakni scores the third in the second half (Friendly) South Korea Under 23s 0-3 Tunisia Under 23s I’ve picked my 18-man squad, including a surprisingly decent number of senior internationals, to go to Canada, and we stop off in Busan to thump South Korea in our final preparation match for the Olympics. Helmi Jemal bags a couple before Jaziri adds a third late in the game. Olympic Dreams (Olympics Group D) U.S.A. Under 23s [4th] 0-0 Tunisia Under 23s [3rd] A bore draw gets our campaign underway, but we’ll look back at this as a match we should have won having dominated the second half. Trabelsi’s second yellow card with ten minutes remaining left us in the lurch late on but U.S.A. weren’t able to take advantage either. Japan beat Belgium 2-1 in the other match. (Olympics Group D) Tunisia Under 23s [2nd] 2-2 Japan Under 23s [1st] Absolutely robbed here. We give ourselves work to do by allowing Japan to score in the second minute in a 2 vs 6 situation going forward. Laabidi draws us level at the end of a frustrating first half and doubles his money to give us the lead after the break, but we can’t find a third goal and end up sharing the points after a wildly off target Japan effort deflects into our own goal. However, U.S.A’s draw with Belgium means we still sit second in a qualification spot going into the final set of fixtures. (Olympics Group D) Tunisia Under 23s [2nd] 0-1 Belgium Under 23s [4th] Although they are bottom of the group, Belgium are odds on favourites to beat us here, but we know that a win of our own will send us through to the quarter-finals. We get battered here, to be frank, and are lucky to only lose by just one. A disappointing result finishing bottom of the group here but I doubt people were expecting much more from Tunisia at these Olympics and now I can move on to South America, at long last! Summary A fun idea this but not the most enjoyable experience. International management really is crap. I’ll be posting the next update when I have settled into a job in South America. A reminder of the loaded leagues: Peru, Paraguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 10, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 10, 2017 So Chapter Nineteen will be set in Peru... Football Club Melgar Only expected to win the league in the first season with a side that's won it three times in history just once in the last 17 years . Oh well, got just over a month to prepare for the season, full details later. EDIT: Scrap that, just got to new fixtures and stuff, last season's expectation was to win the league but they finished 8th, now that they've given the expectations for the coming campaign they're looking for a top half finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 11, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 11, 2017 I’m sacking off the huge updates now and going to switch to a month-by-month report as I can’t be arsed re-formatting 4 page Word documents each time. Chapter Nineteen Team: FC Melgar League: Peruvian First Division Season: 2033 Background: Melgar are a decent team in Peru, among the top 6 in terms of reputation, finishing eighth in the top flight last season. The board are expecting a top-half finish this season, though I don’t know how that will be measured due to there being the Opening Stage and the Closing Stage with separate leagues for each. The media have us down for 5th place. The squad needed some work after last season, with most of the defenders on loan at the club replaced by permanent signings. I am limited to five foreign players, but the highlights of the transfer window are free agents Argentine Luciano Acosta (AMC) and Colombian Anthony Blanco (CM). February (First Division Opening Stage) Unión Huaral [13th] 1-0 Melgar [9th] A difficult start to life in South America. We have suffered a few injuries during pre-season and are slightly short-handed here, but against an opponent we should be beating, we should have played much better. In our defence, their goal should have been disallowed for a clear foul and we hit the woodwork twice but this underlines how much work we have to do. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [13th] 2-1 UTC [16th] A first win of the season comes against unfancied UTC, but we have to come from behind to do it. We concede a scruffy goal from a corner but want-away forward Juan Ortiz levels things before half-time. Sub Raúl Bernales eventually scores the winning goal to get our home campaign off to a happy start. (First Division Opening Stage) Bolognesi [14th] 3-5 Melgar [9th] A crazy match here, one we are expected to win before kick-off, and everything seems to be going to plan when Ortiz put us ahead in the first half and striker Chirinos scoring after 58 and 68 minutes to give us a 3-0 lead. However, a minute after our third goal, Bolognesi get one back, and within 5 minutes have actually levelled the tie at 3-3 after a horrible capitulation from us. The game goes mental with both teams playing with three strikers, but we get the next breakthrough thanks to Bernales and Ortiz’ goal in injury time secures a second consecutive win. Following this match, Ortiz and winger Romero are sold for a combined £800,000, which is reinvested quickly into the squad to bolster our midfield and attack. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [5th] 1-0 Municipal [11th] We choose a good time to rack up the first clean sheet of the season, and our defenders also combine to score the game’s only goal, Pedro Solís turning home his central defensive partner Freeman’s knock down late in the first half. We haven’t been that convincing in general, but we still have three wins from four. Following this match, we make another pretty big signing, bringing in Spanish midfielder José Carlos Figaredo. (First Division Opening Stage) Manucci [8th] 1-4 Melgar [4th] This is our best performance to date as we come from behind to smash Manucci 4-1. Their opener looks offside to me but Danny Freeman shows his aerial threat for the second game running, scrambling home a rebound after seeing his header at goal saved. Captain Carlos Novella puts us ahead midway through the second half, before Chirinos converts a penalty and a close-range finish to ram home our advantage. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [3rd] 1-1 León de Huánuco [13th] We miss the chance to end the opening month of the season in second place here, a disappointing home draw as Chirinos’ early second-half strike is cancelled out by an unlucky own goal by goalkeeper Valencia. Still, no complaints at this stage. End of February Board Confidence: Very Secure Peruvian First Division (Opening Stage): 3rd (Exceeding Expectations) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 11, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 11, 2017 March (First Division Opening Stage) Alianza [1st] 2-0 Melgar [4th] This is our first real toughie of the season after our opening six games came against teams who currently sit below us in the table. Alianza have only dropped points once so far and we can only keep them at bay until the 75th minute. A second goal for the hosts soon follows and we suffer our second loss of the campaign. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [6th] 1-0 Sport Huancayo [16th] An underwhelming performance against the current bottom club at home almost results in a frustrating stale-mate but defensive midfielder Gustavo Salas scores from the penalty spot 18 minutes from time to get us back to winning ways. (First Division Opening Stage) Ayachucho FC [12th] 2-0 Melgar [4th] Our red-hot start to the season has clearly cooled off as a slow start sees us fall behind within 5 minutes and an insipid response sees us fail miserably to get back into the game before conceding a second goal in stoppage time. We fall to sixth after this as we’re well over half-way into the Opening Stage. End of March Board Confidence: Secure Peruvian First Division (Opening Stage): 6th (Meeting Expectations) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 14, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 14, 2017 April An international break meant there were only three matches in March but now we’re back in action. The end of the Opening Stage is already in sight so we need to correct the slight dip in form we’ve had in order not to slip further down the table. To be fair, we’re currently 6th but only goal difference between us and 4th place. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [6th] 1-0 Cristal [7th] A frustrating return to action here in a mid-table six pointer, as we fail to create shots on goal from attack after attack. However, we change from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 during the second half and the gamble on extra width pays off late on, Renquifo putting Chirinos in behind the Cristal defence for the striker to score the game’s only goal in the 86th minute. (First Division Opening Stage) Juan Aurich [5th] 2-2 Melgar [6th] Quite the match here and another important one to see how things will shake out with just four more games in the Opening Stage. We are unlucky to fall behind to a deflected free-kick early on, and press for an equaliser unsuccessfully before conceding a second goal after 75 minutes. Left-back Martin Aranguri scrambles home one for us three minutes later having stayed forward following a corner, then promptly gets sent off for a second bookable offence straight from the restart. Still, we have no choice but to stay on Overload with three at the back given the score, and we’re rewarded with an 89th minute equaliser from Bernales. Despite dropping points here, results elsewhere go our way and we end up 4th at the end of the weekend. Some of the last four fixtures are really tricky for us and there’s currently only 2 points between 2nd and 6th so really it’s all up for grabs. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [6th] 1-2 Universidad San Martin [10th] Universidad San Martin are massively underachieving, the defending champions sat in 10th with just one win all season. However bad they’ve been all season though, we are worse here. An absolutely awful performance sees us dominated despite Bernales giving us an early lead finishing a good team move. We trail 2-1 by half-time and despite the visitors getting reduced to ten men early in the second half, we show no sign of getting back into the game and suffer a pitiful loss. (First Division Opening Stage) César Vallejo [3rd] 5-1 Melgar [8th] Win here and we go up to third. What an absolute disaster. Our consolation goal is an own goal. Terrible. The first half of this season has gone absolutely down the pan. (First Division Opening Stage) Melgar [8th] 0-0 Universitario [4th] The fixture list isn’t our friend at the moment but we perform much better here. I’m still about to lose my shit with these players though as despite having “Work Ball Into Box” set as an instruction every match we continue to waste every attack by firing pot shots at the corner flag from outside the box. The highlight of this one was my captain Novella missing the most open of open goals midway through the second half but at least we didn’t lose again. End of April Board Confidence: Secure First Division: 8th in Opening Stage (Meeting Expectations) Summary: There’s only one game left in the Opening Stage and we’re consigned to mid-table mediocrity. I still haven’t settled on my best formation and we’re currently ravaged by injuries while our highly-rated playmakers Acosta and Figaredo are having absolutely no impact on matches and our strikers’ form is patchy at best. I’m struggling a bit with this one, which is sort of nice in a way because I’ve won titles in my last four seasons with MC Alger and ES Sahel, but will get old quickly if this recent capitulation continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 17, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 17, 2017 May (First Division Opening Stage) Real Garcilaso [11th] 0-7 Melgar [7th] Okay, absolutely no idea where this came from but I’m not complaining. Captain Novella who has scored once all season suddenly decides to tear shit up and scores five here before turning provider and laying on goals for Chirinos and Fuentes. This performance earns him the first 10.0 match rating I can remember seeing. The incredible swing in goal difference from -1 to +6 even earns us an extra position in the final Opening Stage table, meaning that we finish 6th. A good time to rediscover some form, hopefully this means we can carry some momentum into the Closing Stage and push for continental qualification. End of Opening Stage Following the Opening Stage, teams carry their points into the Closing Stage. We sit 6th, which fulfils the board’s expectations of a top-half finish but leaves us two positions short of the media’s pre-season prediction of 4th. Fifteen more fixtures follow and there is no gap between the stages, so we continue immediately. (First Division Closing Stage) Melgar [6th] 4-2 Unión Huaral [11th] A very poor start here as we concede from a corner after three minutes. Things get worse when we concede again around a half hour into the match, but an aggressive team talk from the dugout has some impact with Novella heading home a cross in first half injury time. Substitute Fuentes bags a pair of goals to put us ahead early in the second half before on-loan full back Jordy Celis scores his first Melgar goal from the penalty spot late on. (First Division Closing Stage) UTC [16th] 1-5 Melgar [6th] Next up in a busy week is a visit to the bottom side, offering us a chance to build some early momentum in this Closing Stage. It takes a while for us to get going, Chirinos giving us a 1-0 half time lead, before Acosta’s first Melgar goal and a penalty from Chirinos boost us to 3-0 early in the second half. UTC’s consolation goal five minutes from time only serves to wake us back up, Chirinos bagging his third and fourth of the game in response to complete the rout. (First Division Closing Stage) Melgar [4th] 2-2 Bolognesi [15th] We’ve got a very generous run of fixtures here but we completely embarrass ourselves in this one, conceding against Bolognesi about the only two times they could get out of their half. We lead 2-1 having trailed through goals from Bernales and Novella, but pretty much bend over and let them score a 90th minute equaliser, which we fully deserve after having 25 other shots which didn’t find the net. Waste of an easy three points here. (First Division Closing Stage) Municipal [8th] 2-1 Melgar [5th] Fuck me we are absolutely shite. The last two matches, every time a team comes into our half we concede. Absolutely terrible result and an embarrassing performance to go with it. (First Division Closing Stage) Melgar [6th] 0-1 Manucci [9th] 19 shots, 7 on target, no goals. Didn’t realise David de Gea played for Manucci but whatever. This season is becoming a total waste of time and I’m saving and quitting for now before I put my fist through my laptop screen. End of May Board Confidence: Secure Peruvian First Division: 6th (Meeting Expectations) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 30, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 30, 2017 Sadly I've got bored of this career and have zero motivation to carry it on. I did get to this stage when I was managing in Algeria a few seasons back and persisted and enjoyed it again, but I simply can't be arsed spending 3-4 seasons grinding my way to winning in Peru only to go to Brazil/Argentina and grind through another few seasons there, then Portugal then a top European league or whatever. I think it's because I have no actual aim other than to climb up the leagues and I have done that for about 30 seasons so I'm starting a new career with a more specific aim - following in the footsteps of @LaSambadeStGermain and taking on the "Hexagon Challenge" which I'll cover in a new thread. Mods - feel free to hide this one or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 So you'll be loading New Zealand? I'm looking forward to reading that, as any pentagon/hexagon challenges are extremely entertaining to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 30, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 30, 2017 1 minute ago, LaSambadeStGermain said: So you'll be loading New Zealand? I'm looking forward to reading that, as any pentagon/hexagon challenges are extremely entertaining to read. I'm a glutton for punishment so I'll be using the random number picker on my phone to choose a starting point. Could start in Spain, could start in New Zealand, could start in Sao Tome & Principe again, we'll find out when I've loaded the game . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Just now, RandoEFC said: I'm a glutton for punishment so I'll be using the random number picker on my phone to choose a starting point. Could start in Spain, could start in New Zealand, could start in Sao Tome & Principe again, we'll find out when I've loaded the game . Haha my question was if you'll download it to do a hexagon or a pentagon, but I guess that answers it. Cool. I look forward to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted June 30, 2017 Author Subscriber Share Posted June 30, 2017 8 minutes ago, LaSambadeStGermain said: Haha my question was if you'll download it to do a hexagon or a pentagon, but I guess that answers it. Cool. I look forward to it Yeah I downloaded the Megapack from FM Scout which adds over 200 countries as playable so that's pretty comprehensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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