Career Amateur Challenge Season 7 - Champions of Portugal

[BigAl]

Hello All 😁

I’ve been wanting to play the Amateur Challenge for some time now. 

I wanted to mix things up, by attempting this with Macao. A team I have never heard of and neither has google. 

I haven’t yet seen anyone manage them, but looking at their profile, they really intrigued me. 

I’ve never managed in Portugal, and despite having a decent football knowledge, I know nothing about their lower divisions. 

You are reading this right... Macao have a stadium capacity of 600!!! 😂

They have an Amateur status, hense the challenge, as well as half a star reputation. 

Basically the top 2 teams in Group A, B, C and D go into the playoffs. 3 teams are promoted. 

I am sort of winging this as I can’t find much online about this league. However, my understanding is that the playoffs are split into two sections, North(A&B) and South(C&D). The winners of both sections are promoted. The runners up in the sections face off, for the 3rd promotion spot. 

CONFUSED? Me too, but we’ll find out how this works as we go along. 

I’m buzzing for this and I hope you enjoy following my Journey 🇵🇹 

#ScotInPortugal

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by BigAl

[FuddledFox]

600 capacity 😮 I think my local amateur team could get nearly as many round the perimeter of their pitch and they have no stands 😂

Good luck with this mate.

[Woody]

Good luck fella...looks exciting this one.

[BigAl]

1 hour ago, Foxy said:

600 capacity 😮 I think my local amateur team could get nearly as many round the perimeter of their pitch and they have no stands 😂

Good luck with this mate.

It’s the lowest I’ve seen on the game 😂

Cheers mate. 

37 minutes ago, Woody said:

Good luck fella...looks exciting this one.

Thanks man, hope you enjoy. 

[BigAl]

Season One - Portuguese Introduction 

League - 9th place finish 

My aim for the first season was to consolidate, whilst I figured out the league, and quality of my opposition. 

I’m happy with a 9th place finish, but less happy about my first ever minus goal difference 😭😂

Cup Run - Taça de Portugal 🇵🇹 

A run in the cup was my saving grace, with the board delighted with the job I’m doing. I was surprised by this as at the start of the season, they wanted me to challenge for promotion. 

My signing Mickael Almeida also picked up the top goalscorer award, in the Taça de Portugal. 

Transfers - Quality not Quantity 

A Pele, A Rui Costa... how didn’t I win the league!? 👀😂 

Generated 12K which was added straight to my wage budget, to keep us in the green. 

Star Performers ⭐️ 

Almeida was my top goal scorer, also generating 9 assists. 20 goals in 30 appearances is great for any striker. 

Pele added some experience, scoring 9 and assisting 8. He did get 3 reds and 16 yellows, but I like a bit of passion in my side. 

Next update will see season two and our push for promotion 🇵🇹 

Below is my manage profile at the start of the save, to show that I started as unknown and without a coaching badge. 

[Gunners Rishi]

Really good work there mate

[RPA123456]

Keep it up mate! I love a good RTG. 

[Woody]

Sound start that....with a few new signings and.now you think you have sussed out the division i can see a successful 2nd season.

Well done bud.

[BigAl]

2 hours ago, Gunners Rishi said:

Really good work there mate

 

56 minutes ago, RPA123456 said:

Keep it up mate! I love a good RTG. 

 

26 minutes ago, Woody said:

Sound start that....with a few new signings and.now you think you have sussed out the division i can see a successful 2nd season.

Well done bud.

Cheers for the support lads, hopefully promotion this season 😁

[Ian]

Good start, looks like a really tight league that. Well done on keeping your finances under control which is something I failed to do.😀

[BigAl]

Season Two - 2nd place! 🇵🇹 

A massive improvement as we jump 7 league places. What really impressed me was the +37 goal difference, a far cry from last season. 

This meant we were in the playoffs. 

I thought it was all over, when we lost in the final... turns out by reaching the final we achieved promotion 😁

I do think this makes the final game pointless, as I don’t think you get any sort of trophy 😂 maybe just bragging rights. 

Transfers - A Shock Exit 

I had previously only signed Portuguese. There was a massive language barrier in training, so I opted to bring in two Scots (Shields and Smith) and one Englishman(Hume). 

Another familiar namesake, as Villas-Boas, a DLP joins our ranks. 

Our star striker Almeida was too good for this level, he moved on for a healthy 250K. 

The game says 3 other clubs paid 65K, this appears to be a bug as he went to Sporting Ideal. 

Star Men 

Shields hit the 20 goal mark, that I expect from my main striker. 

He replaced Almeida and done a job, without being all that special. 

Tavares joined us on loan, we paid £0 of his wages. 

14 goals and 10 assists for a winger, is good going, I may look to sign him permanently. 

A new league, A new challenge, I aim to consolidate next season 🇵🇹 

[BigAl]

11 minutes ago, 1759 said:

Good start, looks like a really tight league that. Well done on keeping your finances under control which is something I failed to do.😀

It’s tough mate 😂 refusing to let my finances go below the green. Missed out on a few stars because of it. 

The league is really tight, everyone evenly matched. I feel I can’t plug and play any tactic, always got to make changes throughout the game and I’m loving it. 

[BigAl]

Season Three - 15th place! 🇵🇹 

We were two points away from relegation, but I’m just happy to stay up. 

Promotion last season was ahead of schedule, based on our squad and finances, so this was always going to be a tough year. 

we are a Professional club now with an 8500 stadium. We are also 1.5 star reputation ⭐️ 

Facilities need improving but the board aren’t budging 😭 

We were crying out for a goalscorer, we didn’t have a 20 goal man this season.

Reached the 4th round of Taça de Portugal, but went out in the first round of the league cup. 

Transfers 

We spent money for the first time. Duarte was our biggest outlay at 40K, he’s a defensive midfielder, bought in January to stop us leaking as many goals. 

Again there appears to be a glitch with my Transfers out, but Hume left for 250K to Moura. 

My attributes are improving, happy with 19 for transfer acumen. 

What Next? 

A total squad revamp is needed next season. I kept most of the same squad together after promotion, but we really need to push on. 

I reckon we’ll spend at least one more season in this league, we are the weakest side in the division, but ‘slow and steady wins the race’ 😏💪🏻

[Gunners Rishi]

Great, one of the funnest parts of FMM is a good relegation battle, every point is so satisfying 

[BigAl]

33 minutes ago, Gunners Rishi said:

Great, one of the funnest parts of FMM is a good relegation battle, every point is so satisfying 

Yeah it makes it much more satisfying when you eventually reach the top! 

Not taking success for granted 😂

[BigAl]

Season Four - 4th place 🇵🇹 

Massive improvement from us, we are starting to look like a proper football team. 

Because of Portuguese football rules, Porto’s B team can’t win promotion, to the top division. This meant we were only 7 points away from promotion! 

I haven’t been focusing too much on the cups, as I don’t feel I have a chance of winning them. Been using these matches to rest key players, promotion is the primary goal. 

We are still crying out for a 20+ striker, I think I need to adjust my tactics slightly, as goals win games. 

Transfers In 

As a Rangers fan, I know Wright and Kelly can develop into top players. 

We also added experience in Tarkowski and Dunne. 

I’ve been signing Portuguese players where possible. Big believer in home grown talent. Once we are established and have better facilities, I hope to blood youngsters from my academy. 

Transfers Out

Starting to generate some income, 475K went straight into the wages. I don’t want to spend big whilst I’m not in the top division. 

Porto are still the dominant force in Portugal. Benfica helped themselves to a treble of domestic cups. 

Predictions? 

I fully believe we will win the league next season. I need my first trophy 🏆 

The squad is coming together, got a good mix of youth and experience.

If we can sign a top striker, or bring out the best in one of our own, we can succeed this season! 

😁🇵🇹

[Ian]

You’re making good steady progress here and doing it keeping in budget. Looks like a really enjoyable journey you’re on!😀

[BigAl]

55 minutes ago, 1759 said:

You’re making good steady progress here and doing it keeping in budget. Looks like a really enjoyable journey you’re on!😀

Yeah staying in budget has been tough at times 😭😂 

Really enjoying Portugal, totally different to any other league I’ve managed in. 

Teams usually play a 4-3-3 formation, which is so hard to play against. I conceded a lot of goals early on, due to playing against 3 strikers, and my rubbish defence.  

[BigAl]

Season Five - Champions 🇵🇹🏆 

Macao have done it! We are going to be mixing it with the big boys, next season. 

To do it so comfortably, with a ten point gap, was really pleasing to see 😁

Again no cup success, winning the league was our goal and we succeeded. 

You’ll notice that our top scorer last season, finished on a measly 11 goals. Diarra helped himself to 31 goals this season, and was a huge influence. 

Signed for just 2K, his first few seasons were disappointing. I kept faith in him and he’s turned into a top class striker. 

Sparkes also deserves a special mention, scoring 13 and assisting 13. 

He arrived on a free transfer from West Brom. 

Full Transfers 

We are starting to get a decent bit of money for players we sell. It’s really easy to move players on, due to the numbers of teams in the Portuguese divisions. 

What Next?

I’ve worked too hard to get into this league, so the aim will be to avoid instant relegation. 

Just like in previous leagues, it may take a few seasons, but we will eventually look to overturn the likes of Porto, Benfica and Sporting. 

Its a hugely competitive league, with a lot of money involved. Looking forward to the challenge ahead 😁

[RPA123456]

Ohhh those are some nice looking players you have there. Diarra looks like a beast. 

If you don't mind, maybe you could make a 'team introduction' post that showcases your first 11.

Also, Diarra is a regen right?(the high technique and teamwork give it away) Any idea whose? 

Edited March 29, 2019 by RPA123456

[BigAl]

3 hours ago, RPA123456 said:

Ohhh those are some nice looking players you have there. Diarra looks like a beast. 

If you don't mind, maybe you could make a 'team introduction' post that showcases your first 11.

Also, Diarra is a regen right?(the high technique and teamwork give it away) Any idea whose? 

Course I can mate, I’ll show my first 11 for our first season in the Premier League 😁 

Yeah Diarra is a regen, although I’m not too sure who he has replaced on the game. 

 

[BigAl]

Season 6 - 7th place 🇵🇹 

Our first season in the Premier League, sees us just miss out on European football. 

All the years of building a good young squad has paid off. We have shown we are more than capable, of being competitive at this level. 

I got so carried away that I forgot to take any more screenshots 😭 so without further ado... here’s season 7! 

Title Race.... Yes.... Tital Race! 

With one game left to play, we sat one point ahead of Benfica. 

We had been in the form of our lives since I changed my formation in early March, as you can see above. 

Benfica are Champions League finalists, so to be in this position, we’ve had to be on top of our game. 

My players showed nerves of steel, to hammer Penafiel 5-0 🏆 

We almost added the Taça de Portugal too, only for Porto to beat us on extra time. It was always going to be tough after Kent’s first half red card. 

Next update will be a full analysis of the squad which won us the title! 

 

 

[BigAl]

Heroes of Macao 

GK’s 

Phillips is our first choice keeper, with Mota his understudy. 

Mota has the potential to develop into a top keeper! 

Fullbacks

Reisinho is going to become an excellent wing back. He could end up playing for the likes of Barca or Real. 

Sualehe is very solid, whilst Kuboyama became our youngest ever player at 15. 

Centre Backs 

Convinced Serrano is a Pepe regen. Absolute monster at the back. 

Kent/Willis/Almiron suit the no-nonsense centre back role I use. 

Central Playmakers

 I play a 4-2-3-1 with two AP’s and a DLP.

All of these players fit into all 3 slots, making them ideal for rotation. 

Inside Forwards 

Sparkes has been very consistent for us, a player who starts the game at Exeter! 

Picarra is probably my favourite player, because he’s got so much potential, and is Portuguese. 

Poachers 

Diarra is an animal 💪🏻 

McGinley and Gill are also great finishers, if I need a goal in a game, I know I can count on these two to come off the bench and score. 

The combined value of the squad is 8.91 million. Brilliant in comparison to the likes of Porto and Benfica. 

 

 

 

 

 

[RPA123456]

And there you have it! Looks like you've got lower league management all figured out

Just buy young players who you are confident will turn into world beaters

[BigAl]

2 minutes ago, RPA123456 said:

And there you have it! Looks like you've got lower league management all figured out

Just buy young players who you are confident will turn into world beaters

 

That’s it mate 😎

Can’t afford to buy ready made players, so best to mould them yourself. 

Sooner you improve your facilities the better! 

[RPA123456]

1 hour ago, BigAl said:

That’s it mate 😎

Can’t afford to buy ready made players, so best to mould them yourself. 

Sooner you improve your facilities the better! 

Speaking of moulding players, mind if I give a small piece of advice? 

I noticed that you haven't set your IFs to be trained as IFs and IMO this is a massive waste. You can unlock a while new level by customising training! 

Anyway, good luck on your future seasons and I hope I see a CL or a clean sweep soon

 

[BigAl]

8 hours ago, RPA123456 said:

Speaking of moulding players, mind if I give a small piece of advice? 

I noticed that you haven't set your IFs to be trained as IFs and IMO this is a massive waste. You can unlock a while new level by customising training! 

Anyway, good luck on your future seasons and I hope I see a CL or a clean sweep soon

 

I have them trained as IF’s mate. The roles showing above are what my coaches feel are their preferred role. 

Hopefully I can win a domestic treble this season 😁

First season in Europe too!

[Ian]

Just caught up with this again. You’ve came a long way on such a shoe string budget. Well done 👍 and good luck in Europe next season.

[RPA123456]

3 hours ago, BigAl said:

I have them trained as IF’s mate. The roles showing above are what my coaches feel are their preferred role. 

Hopefully I can win a domestic treble this season 😁

First season in Europe too!

Ahhh I see, so you haven't changed to option to show trained role and it shows preferred role. 

All good

 

[BigAl]

12 hours ago, 1759 said:

Just caught up with this again. You’ve came a long way on such a shoe string budget. Well done 👍 and good luck in Europe next season.

Thanks man 😁

I’m going to try and keep the squad together, maybe sell 2/3, buy 2/3. 

Reckon we can have a real go at a treble and possible European success.