Hello and welcome back to my current Football Manager save where I’m attempting to complete the Hexagon challenge, the challenge where I have to win all the champions league in 6 different continents. We’ve started in Oceania with Auckland City and it’s time to see how we’ve got on this season…
Transfers Part I
Thanks to the lack of money in New Zealand football, I’ll be mainly relying on loans and free transfers this year. Even then, our wage budget is pretty crap so they’d have to be cheap wages or no wages. We’ve made three free transfers, the first being a Ghanian left back arriving in January.
The next permanent signing we’ve made is a youngster, but I couldnt really turn him down.
This guy will probably play in the reserves for a year or go out on loan, especially with Zubikarai still around the club and playing as well as he is. He has obviously ability, we just need to get it out of him.
Finally Campbell Strong (great name!) has come in from local club, Eastern Suberbs, and is another player with obvious potential. Similarily, he’ll play in the reserves for a year before moving up to the first team.
Now moving onto the loans. So far we have made nine loan signings.
Yes I did probably go a bit overboard with the loans and could have used the youngsters, but having decided to try and compete Oceania as quickly as possible, this was the better option. I’m particularly pleased with getting Galbraith and Mengi in on loan. Yes I did trawl through the Premier League U23s and find what decent quality I could.
Transfers Part II
In January we had a problem. Tottenham recalled Richards, Cirkin and Pochettino because “The player(s) hadn’t reached the required amount of football whilst on loan at your club.” Well Pochettino had played 24 games by January, Cirkin had played about the same and Richards had had two injuries that stopped him playing for a while. Also Ruggeri had gone back to Atalanta, as per the terms of his loan. Two left backs going out the club, with just one coming in. We would be needing a replacement.
Thankfully some the wages we saved where able to able to be spent on permanent players. Two things arose from this. Firstly, thank god we had loaded up the African leagues, as it meant we had a plethora of free transfers to choose from. Secondly it meant we were spending over our wage budget, so any prize money we can ascertain will be greatly appreciated. Hopefully these players will push us through the second half of the season. We’ve already seen Tetteh, so we’ll focus on the other five signings we made.
First in the door was defensive midfielder Lino Atonio. Signed from Western Suburbs, a lower league New Zealand team (more on them and him later!), Atonio will provide cover and eventually take over from Riera. He is being trained as a CM, but could also play as a centre back. Proper utility player.
I said I wanted a left-back and I’d got one. Matheus Pereira had come in on loan from Santos and would be a good addition for our squad. Of course, it would only delay our left back conundrum.
Next in is attacking midfielder Regis Samuel Mbarga. The Cameroonian was brought in for £2k from local side Dragon de Yaoundé. He will bring us a bit more depth in attack, something that was proved to be lacking in the first half of the season.
Our next African newgen to come in is Zoheir Jaziri. A left winger, he was signed on a free transfer from Sfax Railways in Tunisia. He’s a lot older player than I would usually sign, but he represented good quality for a cheap price. Left wing was a position we were lacking in real quality and depth.
To replace the outgoing Pochettino, we signed Komlan Fagla, signed for nothing, from a local Togalese side. With pace to burn, we’ll have to see if he can make a difference.
Our final January signing is another loan signing, replacing Rondel Richards. Rob Street came in on loan from Crystal Palace to provide cover for Tade and Balogun. Hopefully, he’ll be able to chip in with some goals when needed.
The Charity Cup
As we saw last time, we’re playing Napier City Rovers in a one-off game. We played 442 all of preseason, so there was no chance of us playing anything any different. We lined up with Zubi in goal, a back four of Jordan Vale, Mengi, Berlanga and Cirkin. A midfield four of Pochettino, Howieson, Riera and Tade. And up front we had Balogun and Richards.
We started great. So well that we were 3-0 after 12 minutes!! After that, I expected us to score many more, but all that happened was Napier City Rovers pulling one back through sheer complacency in the last minute. It didn’t matter in the end as we won the Charity Cup. CHAMPIONS!!
The Donald Gray Memorial Cup
This was an interesting competition. As we saw last time, we had a group stage with 8 teams in it. We eventually comfortably qualified from it with two games to spare, scoring 23 goals and conceding 4 goals. We did suffer our first loss of the season domestically in this competition, losing 2-1 to Napier City Rovers (sigh). In one of the games which we won 7-0, Tade scored 5 goals, including three penalties! Even Manickum scored they were that crap.
In the second group stage (yes there’s a second group stage!) we were drawn with Costal Spirit, Glenfield and local rivals Auckland United. We started off by beating Costal Spirit 2-0 with relative ease. In the second match we drew 1-1 with Auckland United. This was a disgrace of a game as we were 1-0 down right until the 94th minute when Richards finally scored after missing a hatfull. We had to beat Glenfield in the last game to make sure we progress.
We did it the easy way of course. Despite going 2-0 up, we were pegged back with 15 minutes to go. We had the extreme curiosity of having an Ethan Galbraith scoring aginst us as well as playing for us! It took an 89th winner from Balogun to ensure our progress into the knockout rounds.
Team Wellington were the opponents again. Well, calling them opponents was a stretch, thanks to the 6-0 aggregate victory over them, Rob Street and Raymundo Fulgencio both scoring in both legs.
In the quarter finals, Hamilton Wanders B side were the victims of the Auckland train. Nothing much to write home about here, 6-1 on aggregate was as comfortable as it sounds.
The semi finals against East Coast Bays was the real turning point for the January signings. Four different January signings scored over the two legs, Fagla, Jaziri, Pereira and Mbanga all netted as we brushed them aside 5-1 on aggregate.
So we have reached the final of the attractively named Donald Gray Memorial Cup. We will be facing Lower Hutt, a lower division side. A comfortable win is to be expected.
It wasn’t comfortable, but it was a relatively simple win. It came in a stage where we were winning games, but not converting as many chances as we should have been. A 2-0 win sounds comfortable, but it couldeasily have been four or five if Balogun could remember how to score goals. Thankfully, that man Tade with another piece of quality dragged us through until a Lino Atonio free kick made it safe. Donald Gray Memorial Cup Champions!!!
Chatham Cup
The less said about this the better. We beat Team Wellington quite comfortabley in the Second Round (where we entered the competition) with a 5-1 win. That man Tade with a hattrick, Richards and Riera all scored.
In the third round we drew Manukau United, a lower league New Zealand team. It must be something about this competition, as Tade scored yet another hattrick, Richards scored again and Dylan Manickum, our Jack of all Trades but master of none attacking midfielder, completed the scoring.
The fourth round brought the most frustrating match of the whole season. We played Western Suburbs, again a second division team. We played a very rotated team as we were in the middle of a tough run of games in December. So it took quite a while to make a breakthrough and it had to come from the penalty spot. Mohamed Awad calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner to give us the lead. In the second half our top youth prospect Ashish Das doubled the lead direct from a free kick. Home and dry.
Except we weren’t. We somehow contrived to concede two ridiculously sloppy goals to allow them back into the game and take us to extra time. In the 100th minute, we won another penalty and yet again, Mohamed Awad scored to restore our lead. However in the 120th minute, Lino Atonio (yes him!!!) tapped home to take us to penalties.
I won’t bore you completely, but we lost the shootout 4-2. Awad somehow managed to miss in the shootout despite scoring two in the match. Aside from scoring three goals, we were simply atrocious. It had got to the point that the squad was too thin to cope with the number of games and showed I couldn’t trust certain players. I think what made it worse was that this was a compeition I was expected to win by the board. Some water bottles might have been thrown after this match.
New Zealand Premiership
I’m not going to lie, the league season was quite easy. It turned out we played 28 league games and then would go into a playoff with three other teams. In terms of the 28 league games, we dominated, ending with almost double the amount of points 2nd place earned. We had just two defeats and one draw in the whole league. Even the draw was a source of annoyance. Against our biggest rivals Waitakere, we were 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 up before drawing 4-4. Eight goals in the first 55 minutes of the game, none after that. Disgusting defending. We got our revenge though, as Waitakere United (our biggest rivals remember) were relegated on the last day of the season, despite not having been in the relegation places until matchday 27! Sweet, sweet revenge…
At the end of the 28 games, there was a Champions Playoff where the top four teams are pitched against each other in a knockout competition. Madness isn’t it? We were drawn against Eastern Suburbs who finished 4th in the regular season. Both games would be over two legs and, thanks to the side of the draw we were on, we would be away in the first leg in the semi final and the final if we got there. I’m not sure what happened, but we didn’t turn up in the first leg. Suburbs defended well, but they didn’t have much to defend against. We tried a few different formations in the game, but nothing made a difference. Just to compound the misery, Suburbs scored to give them the advantage going into the second leg.
We needed a fast start in the secong leg to put Suburbs on the back foot. However, being 3-0 ahead and a man up after 20 minutes seemed a bit excessive. We had battered them for the opening exchanges and got what we deserved. A Komlan hattrick helped give us the victory we deserved and we marched into the final.
Hamilton Wanderers finished 2nd in the league season so probably deserved to be in the final. They only acquired 49 points compared to our 76, so you’d think it would be a walkover. The first leg certainly was, although some raised voices were heard in our dressing room at half time when we went in at 0-0. We took the lead in the 58th minutes thanks to Balogun. He doubled the lead in the 75th minute, before an insane run of 4 goals in 4 minutes, three for us and one for Hamilton. It’s the first time I’d ever seen goals being scored in 4 consectutive minutes!
The secong leg was a tight win but was effectively a forgone conclusion. Balogun scored once again, Hamilton equalised before Tade scored yet again to give us victory. New Zealand Premiership Champions!!!!!
Oceania Champions League
Last time we saw the group we had been drawn in and were fairly comfortable with it. Teams from Papua New Guinea, American Samoa and Wallis & Futana Islands we hoped wouldn’t be too strenuous. Well yes and no…
Our first three games were as expected. Pago Youth were dispatched 11-0. Wallis were beaten 4-0 and Hekari at least managed to score. Unfortunately we scored 5. Then came the moment that Kibworth Bull will never let me forget. Despite playing a fairly strong side, we lost 2-1 to Wallis, the team from the Wallis & Futana Islands. Oh the indignity….
Things got back on track with a 6-0 win over Pago and another 5 against Hekari.
We were drawn against Eastern Suburbs in the next round, a team from New Zealand. Sigh. Familiar foe apparently means easier progression. A comfortable 4-0 win in the away leg gave us a great start to the knockouts. Fulgencio, Kaltak (our Vanuatuan centre back 🙄), Mitchell and Fagla all scored to make the win very easy.
In the home leg, complacency set in. There wasn’t really any other reason for it. A goaless first half was met with a rocket at half time. At least someone listened as Fulgencio scored yet to give us the lead. A comical own goal gave us a second and a smooth route to the quarter finals.
Where we were drawn against AS Venus from New Caledonia. A mammoth 1,481 mile journey awaited us. To put this into context, it’s a similar distance as London to Morocco. More like a preseason tour than a competitive fixture. Whilst it’s a long way, it was no excuse for the shitshow of a performance we put in. We went 1-0 down after 37 minutes and never really recovered. Whilst we came back into it in the second half, we couldn’t make the breakthrough. Big job in the second leg.
Often this season, Emiliano Tade has been our saviour in individual matches. The second leg against AS Venus was one of those occasions. Scoring twice, a pressure penalty and a sweet side foot volley off the inside of the post and give us a vital 2-0 win and a path into the next round.
The semi-finals tend to be the place where old foes reignite acquaintances. Think Barca and Chelsea or Bayern and Real. Our turn was to be reunited with Île de Wallis, our enemies from Wallis & Futuna. Spiffing.
The first leg led us to travel another 1,614 miles, this time the equivalent of travelling to the depths of Russia from London. And once again, I’m sure the distance took its toll, as we slipped to a crap 2-0 defeat. We couldn’t even score this time.
For the first time since January, we had a full week off in the lead up to the second leg. So the players were able to have a few days rest before possibly the biggest game of our season. Hopefully it would make the difference.
Oh Emiliano Tade, you beautiful bastard. You absolute hero. But as with any good story, we start at the beginning.
Before going into this game, I checked what formation we used when we beat Wallis in the group stages. We had used a 442 with Tade getting a hattrick. WIth my scouting team unable to give me a full scout report on Wallis (the board deemed it too far to travel), this was all I had to go on. Wallis had started all three previous games with a 4312 formation. So the decision was taken to attack them from the very start. So of course we suffered a dreadful and goaless first half. Absolutely dire. Although Balogun did miss two sitters that my 4 year old could have scored. Things did not look good.
No changes were made at half time, we either had to go out all guns blazing or surrender. When we restarted, we were just as shit as the first half. Then finally, Tom Doyle (our number 11 wearing centre/left back – really grinds my grinds my gears), rose highest from a wide free kick to head over the Wallis goalkeeper and give us a way back into the match. Two minutes later, confusion reigned from a long throw (yeah baby!) and Fairer hooked it into the goal to level the tie. The momentum was with us!
We kept battering away at Wallis, but the door held firm. Until suddenly Fagla made a break away down the right hand side and was fouled! Penalty to Auckland! Emiliano Tade stepped up and buried the damn thing in the top left corner for his 47th goal of the season! Our demons against Wallis were nearly over! We just had to hang on…
Was there ever any doubt? Of course there bloody well was!!! Well no there wasn’t in the end. Wallis pressed but we were relatively comfortable. They left enough gaps for Balogun to run down the right, cross for Tade to poke in at the near post. The turnaround was complete, a 4-2 aggregate win, and we were in the Champions League Final!
The other semi final consisted of two New Zealand teams, Hamilton Wanderers and Cantebury United. Hamilton are currently sittting in third place in the league and Cantebury have occupied one of the two relegation places for majority of the season. To make things easier for us, Cantebury prevailed over the two legs, winning 2-1 on aggregate. One again in a two-legged tie, we were away in the first leg. 20 minutes in and we were in firm control, Mitchell and Balogun had given us a 2-0 lead. Tade added a third in the second half from the penalty spot. Annoyingly, Canterbury scored with the last kick of the game to give us a semi convincing 3-1 lead.
You know when the opposition scores a last minute goal in a two-legged tie that the FM gods have ways of playing with your mind and shitting all over you. Well after a nervy opening exchange, it was looking iffy. Canterbury hadn’t scored, but we hadn’t made it safe. Thankfully, Balogun, Galbraith and Tade scored before and after half time to give us a 3-0 victory and wih it our first Champions League victory. CHAMPIONS!!!!!
Club World Championship
A quick word on the Club World Championship. As holders of the O-League title, we were drawn in the playoff against Al-Duhail from Qatar. In the scout report, I noticed they struggled against a 4231, so that’s how we lined up. 1 minute and 23 seconds into the game, Balogun put us ahead with a great one on one finish. By half time it was two, our Mexican winger Raymundo Fulgencio, with a shot from the edge of the box.
I’m not sure what happened in the second half, but we found ourselves going to extra time. At least one of the goals, I felt, was an error from Zubi in goal. It does are me wonder if he’ll be our no.1 goalkeeper next season. I digress, as we entered extra time, long throws became our friend. First a cleared long throw fell to Fulgencio who crossed for Balogun to tap home. Two minutes later, a long throw from the left found Balogun again, but he could only hit the post. Fortunately the ball fell to our friend Fulgencio to tap in and complete a 4-2 victory.
In the next round we faced Asia Warriors from Nigeria. Coming just two days after the previous game, everyone was shattered. It lead to a lot of changes and a disjointed performance. Having said that, we battered them, ending with an Xg of 2.73. However, there was just the one goal, Mohamed Awad smashing home a penalty after Berlanga was fouled. We marched on.
The run had come at a price though. Tetteh, Fagla and Jaziri had all picked up injuries in the two games that would keep them out for a few weeks. Bodies were tiring.
Well that’s gone well….
Bayern in the next round were far too strong for us. The 5-0 defeat was as bad it sounded. Gnabry scored a hattrick as they controlled the game and exerted their dominance. We drew Santos in the Third Place Playoff.
All things considered, a 1-0 loss to Santos and £1.55m in prize money, wasn’t too bad. The players put in a huge effort, but it wasn’t quite to be. Success here wasn’t expected, so to get as far as we did was unbelievable. That was a quick word wasn’t it?
Star Men
I’ve tried to pick three players who have definded our season. And there’s really only one man to start with and its Emiliano Tade. The man has been a monster, having netted 54 goals from 48 starts (8 off the bench), it has been his best ever scoring season. 19 of those goals may have been penalties (missing 4), but to add to his overall quality, he’s chipped in with 27 assists too. Whether he played as an Advanced Forward, Shadow Striker, Inside Forward or Inverted Winger, the man socred goals. I have run out of words I can use to desribe Tade, he has been that good.
By comparison, my next star man has only played a total of 39 games this year. But Adam Mitchell has brought so much more to the team when he plays. He’s not considered a leader, nor are his leadership skills brilliant, he brought an organisation midset to our defence. And, surprisingly, made a half decent Libero when we used a strikerless tactic for a little while.
For my third star man, I could have picked three different people, all of them on loan. So I’ve referred this star man section as loanee of the year, the award going to Folarin Balogun. 40 goals in 48 appearances means he almost certainly qualifies for loanee of the year. I’d love to get him somewhere else in this journey and see how he progresses.
Parkin Challenge
We are of coursing doing the Hexagon challenge parallel with the Parkin challenge this year, the challenge that means you need to sign a player from every nation in the world and get a player from every nation in the world to score for you. Players already at the club are eligible to score for you, but can’t be used as signings unless they’re purchased at another club. So far 18 nations have been signed and 14 nations have scored.
Signed: Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tunisia, Australia, England, Italy, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Mexico, USA, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, Argentina and Brazil.
Scored: Cameroon, Somalia, Togo, Tunisia, England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Spain, Mexico, USA, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Argentina and Brazil.
Next Season
Next season is currently still a bit of unknown as I would like to move on, but I would like to complete Oceania as a continent in the Parkin challenge before I do. But I am pleased that the first Champions League has been won and hope that the next one will follow soon. Until then, thank you for reading and happy FM-ing.
thefmnewby 