Rising Through The Rankings (FM20)

The Rules:

• As per usual with these type of challenges, I have to start unemployed with no coaching badges.
• I have to start in a country, that has it's PL reputation as low as in the World League Rankings.
• I have to win at least one official trophy in one country to be able to move up th rankings.
• If the previous requirement is fulfilled, I can only move to a league one place above my current one. For example, if I win something in Portugal, I can't jump straight to Spain, I have to first manage in France.
• Rankings change at the end of every season, so if my current league rose in the rankings, I go to the league one place above, which allows me to skip a few other countries. Same applies to the opposite situation.

I am using a lot of custom DBs from Sangue Blu's collection.

The lowest rated playable league for me is Kiribati National Championship -- and that is where I will start my journey.


This is Tobias Lorenz, my manager for the series

And here are his attributes.

Well, that's it for the introduction, I hope this save doesn't encounter any technical difficulties.

Now this is what you call a proper challenge. Good luck bro

Good luck.

One done, 230 more to go

I wanted to write this series as series of monthly updates, but since the season was super-short (and honestly, who would read month-by-month posts from Kiribatian League) I did a season report, and I will do the same for 200 more countries.

League

To be honest, this is more of a cup competition. There are four groups, each containing 6 teams, and winning the group qualifies you for the Champions Play-off, which, interestingly, has a two-legged final.

Team

Nothing too special -- just an amateur team from Oceania.



And this is my grade by the end of the season -- C+! My highest point was B-, and that was before me winning the league. FM does not feel well in those small countries...



And here's a look at my results all season -- just two losses, both in group stage, extraordinary performance from the team.

Transfers

William Dawid



The only meaningful signing, but just a few goals/assists. Also had 3 players signed for U20s, moved to senior team, never played a game.

Manager achievements

Hooray, first trophy won!



Also -- what in the world...

A very good start to your managerial career!

One down, just a few left! Good job.

Stuck in Kiribati

The 2019 season ended with us winning the KPL. Everything was going great, but then I noticed one very interesting detail...

It turned out that Kiribati football league is only held once every three years, so, as I didn't get a job interview from another club, I had to resign and wait.

And so I did. I was waiting, and waiting, and waiting... Finally, one offer came in.

New club

This is A.J.O.E. Lorient CF, a club from an island of St. Barthelemy. I came in right before the end of the season, playing two matches (1W 1L), allowing AJOE to finish 5th.

My true start is next season, and I made some preparations for it.



At least the board's future vision is clear.



And this is a tactical system I came up with, nothing too special, will probably switch to attacking mentality though.

First good newgen

This guy at the pick will probably be a decent EFL Championship player -- and even now he's the best player in the entire division.

Stranger Things Ep.1

The league has one... let's say, interesting rule. Win counts not 3, but 4 points, draw -- not 1, but 2 and loss counts as 1 point. Very weird.

Another very, very obscure move but this will be the norm for a little while I presume. Simplicity is the best tactic when it comes to the system. I agree with you wholeheartedly there.

A change in workplace - a change in philosophy to follow? An obscure region for sure but Marquez could help the club to shine in the limelight.

A new club and some new experiences in the game!

T is for transformation

An incredible season

I was speechless for the most part, just doing some tactical substitutions when needed and watching my players roll over the opposition and exceed my highest expectations. There were some matches where we stumbled, but usually that was onlu due to inability to push through a bus.

Player of the season award goes to...

Well, it was a hard choice and I decided to give it to not one, but two players.

Leandro Marques



One thing I want to repeat again and again: this guy is 17, but he scores nearly 1 goal per game. He won PoTS award with 64% (!) fans voting for him. Majestic player, he will travel with me now.

Estebanez Francois



Signed him in January for (obviously) free, and he was crucial for us, creating a ton of chances from the left wing.

What awaits next?

I resigned immediately at the end of the season, in a hope of getting a new job faster.
My next country will be Northern Mariana (Oceania yet again), and then -- Djibouti, my first ever trip to Africa.

The footballing powerhouse nations of Northern Mariana and Djibouti. This is a certainly unique ride we're on.

A very unique looking job resume so far!

Well that is just a touch dominant... wow

Still overachieving

A semi-korean club

The 2022/2023 season was not as successful as the previous ones, but I still managed to win the cup, so requirements for a move fulfilled!

The worst result so far

Our season was going pretty well. Yes, we had a couple of draws, and the legacy of the previous manager (who was replaced by me because of the poor performance), but overall it was another fantastic season, we were mounting the title challenge, while the team was only 6th before I came in.

But then this match happened.



Yes, it was a victory, but look at the statistics; we should have been obliterated, and Pacific Eco were just way too unlucky, missing most chances.

But it was only the sign of what was to come.



This performance was, to say the least, embarrasing. Our loss was definitely deserved, and I really hope to never see matches like that from any of my future teams.



To be fair, this was our only poor patch of performance, and in the next game normal service has been resumed.

Players of The Season

This time I had to pick not two, but three players for this award. Each one was, in his own way, crucial to our success.

Estebanez Francois



Brought him with me from AJOE Lorient. Once again he was amazing, playing mostly on the left wing.
He earned a move to the K3 league (korean 3rd division) at the summer TF, so I won't be able to sign him for my next club.

Park Jung-Ki



Our main striker for the season and a PoTS in the opinion of about 206 fans.

Ryoo Kyung-Hoon



The heart and engine of KFAS. He missed both matches mentioned earlier because of a red card, without him we failed miserably.

What's next?

This is my profile after three full seasons and for trophies won.
Next country on the list is Djibouti, and my first ever managerial position in an african league/club. I really hope to continue this series!