Dave Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Decided to start a thread to occasionally post updates & ramblings from my latest FM22 save. I had posted a couple of times in the main thread but rather than consistently posting in there I'll keep it separate in here. After actually getting into the database and seeing just how much was available to me, I was going to stick to touring around Asia, but with further updates to come to the database I will be making it a Pentagon Challenge and aiming to win the top five continental club tournament in each continent. Can't promise to have the patter of some of the other great threads in the section but hopefully the journey is just as interesting. I am into my third season in the save so will do a quick update to bring the story up to date. On 11/03/2022 at 13:13, Dave said: After my previous post I tried a couple different saves but nothing really took my fancy. But at the beginning of this week I stumbled upon the Around the World database from Dave_The_Editor and I've decided to set up a Pentagon challenge to see what I can do there. Started unemployed with the lowest reputation and loaded up every single Asian league in the database as a starting point. Probably not the best way to go about it but wanting to start off right at the bottom and work my way up to a good team and then challenge so will take quite a while. May start a thread, will see how it goes. After being offered 150 job interviews (almost 100 of which were in the Japanese regional cup tournaments, didn't even look like they were leagues, no time for that) I was passed over on my preferred choice of Mazaaray of Mongolia and have ended up at Sankata Boys Sports Club in the Nepalese Second Division. Game started in January, transfer window is only open in March, the only real players I have under contract expire in June and the league doesn't start until November. I've definitely fucked something up but so far all I've done is manage to bring on board an assistant manager, a coach and a hoard of 15 year old Nepalese regens so it could be a tough season when it eventually gets started . Season One: Season Two: It took me two seasons to get the Nepalase A Division and the Aaha Gold Cup (always said in an Alan Partridge voice, of course) double with a rag tag bunch of 16 year old regens on £5 per appearance contracts and a small contingent of international players who despite mentioning above that their contracts were due to run out, they stuck around at the club on weekly contracts as no-one came in for them. The A Division is the highest level of the pyramid, however there is a Nepalese Super League which was set up brand new in 2021 along with 7 brand new teams in it, and there is no promotion/relegation to the league. A bit of a dick move if you ask me. So given I'd won all I could already, I handed in my resignation and went back on the job hunt across Asia. I had interviews in Thailand, Vietnam and India, but eventually I was given the opportunity to take over in the heat of a relegation dogfight in the Middle East... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) Career Tracking Post Spoiler The Pentagon Challenge: African Champions League - Asian Champions League - Won with Suwon FC in November 2029 European Champions League - North American Champions League - South American Champions League - Full Career: 2021 - Sankata Boys (Nepal): A-Division - 3rd; Aaha Gold Cup - eliminated at QF 2022 - Sankata Boys (Nepal): A-Division - 1st; Aaha Gold Cup - Winner February 2022 - Resigned from Sankata Boys and accepted job at Busaiteen in Bahrain 2022/23 - Busaiteen (Bahrain): Premier Division - 7th; Bahrain King's Cup - n/a (already eliminated when joined); FA Cup - Final Stage Third Phase (17th place finish?) 2023/24 - Busaiteen (Bahrain): Premier Division - 1st; Bahrain King's Cup - Quarter Final elimination; FA Cup - Fifth Place Final winners 2024/25 - Busaiteen (Bahrain): Premier Division - 1st; Bahrain King's Cup - Winner; FA Cup - Fifth Place Final winners; Bahrain Super Cup - Winner; Asian Confederation Cup - Runner up 2025/26 - Busaiteen (Bahrain): Premier Division - 1st; Bahrain King's Cup - Winner; FA Cup - Winner; Bahrain Super Cup - Winner; Asian Confederation Cup - Knocked out in West Asian Zone Semi Final August 2026 - Resigned from Busaiteen & accepted job at Suwon FC in South Korea 2026 - Suwon FC (South Korea): K-League 1 - 9th (took over in 11th); FA Cup - Knocked out in Fourth Round (prior to my arrival) 2027 - Suwon FC (South Korea): K-League 1 - 1st; FA Cup - runner up 2028 - Suwon FC (South Korea): K-League 1 - 1st; FA Cup - Winner; Asian Champions League - Knocked out in Semi Final 2029 - Suwon FC (South Korea): K-League 1 - 1st; FA Cup - Winner; Asian Champions League - Winner November 2029 - Resigned from Suwon FC November 2029 - Accepted Scotland job January 2030 - Resigned from Scotland job May 2030 - Accepted job at Philadelphia Union in MLS 2030 - Philadelphia Union (USA): MLS - 7th in Eastern Conference (took over 12th in Eastern Conference), won MLS Cup via playoffs; MLS Supporters Shield - 10th; US Cup - Winner; Leagues Cup - Winner 2031 - Philadelphia Union (USA): Edited February 23, 2023 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) After around a month of searching for jobs and unsuccessful job interviews, I was offered the job at Busaiteen in the Bahrain Premier League. Busaiteen Club are from the town of the same name in Northern Bahrain. Founded 77 years ago, they have won the Premier League once in 2013 and the Bahrain FA Cup a decade prior to that. Their Wikipedia page talks more about the volleyball team from the same club than the football team, and even then the volleyball team only has three sentences about it. So if I am able to do as I hope and win the league with them I'll be up there with the greats of this team, whoever they are. I joined the team in a perilous position. 15 games of the 18 game season had already been played, and we were at the foot of the table but still in with a shot of staying up. It would require winning all three remaining league games and having results elsewhere go our way. Here's how it looked when I joined the club... I also had a Bahrain Kings Cup game to play, which was stated as the Final Stage Third Phase which f**k knows what that is. All I know is I'm here to win games. Could it be done? Spoiler First league game, and it went right to the wire but a late, late winner makes it a winning start. Next game is against fellow strugglers Al-Ahli Manama, a win here would condemn them to automatic relegation and give me a shot at escaping the playoffs... Spoiler A close result but with a disallowed goal and a penalty missed, it should have been much more comfortable. So then it all comes down to the last game of the season. I'm on 17pts, and Budaiya are on 19pts. If I beat Manama, I need them to drop points to second place Muharraq... Spoiler I did my bit... And Muharraq did theirs. Staying up on the very last day of the season, a fantastic result. It's now time to properly go through this squad and work out what I need for next season. Edited March 30, 2022 by Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 As for the Bahrain Kings Cup, not really worth a spoiler tag, I played the Final Stage Third Phase game against Essa Town from the Bahrain First Division and won 2-1 after extra time. However, that was the end of the road for me in the tournament. Not really sure about the naming conventions they're using here... # But there we are, the 22/23 season in the bag. Definitely got some work to do on the squad depth though, as aside from my starting XI this is the state of my bench at this time... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 (edited) Pre-season & September 2023 I finished bottom of the FA Cup group on one point, however it appears to not mean much as I am into round two... and it's another group stage...against the exact same opponents. I really don't know what they're doing with the domestic cup tournaments in Bahrain. However that poor run in the cup was due to having between 3-7 first team players away on international duty (mostly with Bahrain youth groups but a couple with main national teams) and having to play way more of the U18s than I would have liked. I think it's obvious that everyone was back for the start of the league season! Lets meet the current team who have navigated the beginning of the season, prior to the eight new faces due to join Busaiteen when the transfer window opens on October 4th... You may have noticed Mouzinho's name at the bottom of the bench screenshot posted previously, despite having a million strikers already it was obvious that he needed to be brought in as he could improve the squad massively, more on him shortly. His East Timorese compatriot Paulo Gali was injured for the end of last season so yet to see what he can do. First choice strike force is Mouzinho on the left, Ahmed Maher of Yemen on the right and home-grown talent Salman Jameel upfront. You can see why the squad think there is a lack of depth in central midfield. Adnan Fawaz is the main man in midfield, and is also currently my best centre half which is where he has played to start the season. Miralem Ahmedov is a winger by trade but is able to do a job in middle for now, and has already got himself the nickname the Kyrgyzstani King for his 7 assists in 5 competitive games. Abdulmajeed is 35 years old and only here because he is absolutely needed. Jassim Ayyash filled in for the beginning of the league in centre mid and scored four goals in two games, so he'll be used there frequently for the rest of the season. Yikes. I had a left back and right back both retire at the end of last year, and because of this nonsense transfer window opening date I've been left unbelievably short at the back. No surprises that five (six if you include a backup keeper) of eight new signings are defenders, to go along with one of my youth players who looks like he could find his way into the first team in the next year or two. I am also open to replacing both of my current centre halves, particularly Al-Dhaheri as he is taking up ta valuable foreign player spot and he is not worth it. Up next: the new signings... Edited April 1, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 (edited) 23/24 new signings The first of three free signings, Mohammed Sahwan has been signed as emergency cover for midfield and defence, hopefully he doesn't have to actually play but depth was needed and he provides that. Spoiler Yusuf Al-Khateeb is the new back-up keeper, who was needed after the young newgen keeper I have showed himself to be completely unreliable by picking up two long term injuries in the six months I've been at the club. Unfortunately he appears to have got injured a week before joining me and is himself out for six weeks. Not a great start. Spoiler Musab Omar will be my regular LB but will be rotated in and out of the squad with a couple of youth prospects who have a chance to develop well. Again, not expecting him to set the world alight here, but he was the best of a bad bunch available to me at the position. Spoiler Sayeed Ameen cost me £2.7k and looks like he'll do a job at RB, but he was signed here to be #2 at the position. Spoiler Hamza Al-Juban is the first of the new signings with the potential to go straight into the starting eleven. He is also the first of three signings that were raided from relegated Budaiya, taking advantage of relegation release clauses that they had on their better players, in this case it was £4.5k. If he can develop a little bit he'll be solid. Spoiler Omar Abdulbaset also joins from Budaiya for £6.5k, and is the #1 RB at this time. I like to play with a wingback getting up the wing, his crossing could do with improvement, but he's still young so hopefully regular playing time brings that up naturally. Spoiler Ouail el Merabet is the final new signing from Budaiya, and the first this window into five figures, costing me £10k. I overpaid a little bit here, but he is still an improvement over what I had before him so I'm not going to dwell on it too much. Should still be more than good enough to do a job for me. Spoiler The final signing (so far) is definitely the most exciting for the typical FM player. Ahmed Essa, a newgen 17 year old 6'5" centre back with 5* potential. Paid £15k for him and he looks like he's worth more than that already, I am willing to play him every week and take the rough with the smooth with him in order to see him realise his potential. Spoiler Edited April 1, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djchapsticks Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 Two suitably mental leagues to start with. I love it. A 13 game season in a 14 team league is just tremendous stuff. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 2, 2022 Author Share Posted April 2, 2022 17 hours ago, Dave said: Pre-season & September 2023 I finished bottom of the FA Cup group on one point, however it appears to not mean much as I am into round two... and it's another group stage...against the exact same opponents. I really don't know what they're doing with the domestic cup tournaments in Bahrain. So I finished 2nd in the group this time round, with a win, draw and defeat. Would that be enough to make it into Round Three? Spoiler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 October - December 2023 Absolutely skooshing the league, goal difference is nonsense as well. I actually looked up the Bahrain FA Cup as seeing me draw a group of the same teams four rounds in a row really annoyed me. It appears the group format is correct, however in real life it is different teams in each group each round, so think I'll have to put it down to an issue with the database and just enjoy the quirk. Hit January and unfortunately the bids have started coming in for my main strikers Mouzinho and Jameel. Should be able to hold on to Jameel no bother, but Mouiznho has a release clause which has already been met by a J-League team so looks like he'll be away shortly. Can't complain with the impact he's had but wish I could have held onto him a little longer. Just realised I missed Mouzinho out on my transfer post above will post him below. Will be a difficult player to replace, but I do have a youth candidate coming through who is apparently a good prospect up front, if I can keep the rest of my strikers I may just slot him in instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 5, 2022 Author Share Posted April 5, 2022 January - February 2024 An update to cover the latest round of games and the mid-season transfer window. Spoiler The league has been won at a canter, five games left to go and I am 11 points clear of Shabab Club in 2nd. I'll have intercontinental football next year with a playoff for access to the Asian Confederation Cup. A different story in the domestic cups though. A very disappointing extra-time defeat to Al-Khalidiya in the Kings Cup was unexpected. And while I cleaned up in the fifth (not second round as it's called again on the schedule) round of the same fucking group stage in the FA Cup, it was only enough to put me into the Fifth Place Final. It turns out you play five mini-groups, then all the results go into one big league table to decide who plays what "Final". I looked it up in real life and each round seems to have different groups, so I think it's just a mistake with the database unfortunately. The February transfer window saw the departure of star man Mouzinho to Tokyo Verdy in the J-League. Sadly his release clause was £14k, and as soon as he signed with them he was valued at £100k, classic FM move. However I did make two signings... Zackariah Mohammed joined for £22k from Al-Ittihad (UAE) and becomes my new best centre mid. Highest earner at the club by far but it's showing that I'm now able to attract a new level of player. Spoiler Yahya Ahmed is the latest utility player signed up, and can fill in at both positions where I need depth, especially with another two central midfielders getting their retirements announced nice and early. He joined for £10k from rivals Manama. Spoiler Wasn't able to sign a new AML to replace Mouzinho due to no foreign player slots remaining and all the domestic options being absolutely terrible, so I will try again in the summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor1874 Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 Good luck Dave. Only done the challenge for the first time during lockdown but loved it. Never really challenged myself too much mind you. Just used the standard database and done Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Europe in that order, so basically lowest rep of each tournament to highest. By the time I ticked the first 3 off, I blagged the River Plate and Man City jobs in a flash and got them wrapped up quickly. Asia was by far the hardest for me, mostly as it had the strictest rules for squad registration and the business part of the tournament coincided with major international tournaments poaching all my best foreigners. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 March - April 2024 There wasn't much left to play for after the last update. The only achievement left would be to see out the league season undefeated. Could it be done? Spoiler Just. Late drama in the very last game of the season prevented us signing off with a win, but I can now record my second undefeated league campaign of the save. Check the goal difference in the league table my full blooded attacking 4-3-3 tactics that have served me well in the few previous big league saves I've tried still working well in the weird and wonderful world of Asian football. Youth intake this year was disappointing, only one striker with 3.5* potential kept on. I will be staying with Busaiteen for at least another season, the current squad is clearly too good for the league so will bring in some more of the youth players while focusing all of the transfer & wage budget on players that will be able to help us have a little run in the Asian Confederation Cup. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 11, 2022 Author Share Posted April 11, 2022 (edited) May - September 2024 The Bahraini football season kicks off again at the beginning of September with the nonsensical FA Cup group stages, so I had plenty of time to reflect on the dominance of my Busaiteen side in the league and prepare for the 24/25 season, which would include the first attempt at intercontinental football in the Asian Confederation Cup. I looked up the tournament, and it doesn't seem like it is a particularly great standard, the finalists for the upcoming final are from Syria and Tajikistan, albeit both leagues are ranked higher than Bahrain but I think I've shown my team are better than the rankings suggest. Looks like I'll have a while to wait to start that journey though, as the final for last seasons competition is due to be played in October 2024. So as I've reached the opening of the transfer window, and already sorted all of my incoming signings, it's time for an update. Leaving the club so far are the ineffective Paulo Gali and Mahmood Al-Hayki who was fourth choice striker (behind Gali), happy to get rid of these two. Some of the incoming signings are very interesting though... Wang Jiahao (aka David Wang) is a player who had a whole lot of potential, but never lived up to the hype. How much potential, I hear you ask? Well, enough to have had his name on this 2017 list of next generational talents written by The Guardian! He was signed by Wolves as a youngster but work permit issues meant he was sent on loan to a few different clubs, including Porto. However, it seems he never made it work, and he eventually ended up back in China where he played in the Second Division, and that's where I have picked him up from. He's more than good enough for this division and is an upgrade over the departing Paulo Gali. Spoiler Faisal Ebrahim Al-Isa comes in as the new #2 striker. Going by the stats he is again more than good enough for the division here, and the thinking is that while main man Salman Jameel will play in the ACC and more important league games, Al-Isa will be the rotation option to give him a rest. Spoiler Ebrahim Al-Khatal is a player I tried to sign last season but he wasn't interested. I should have held the grudge and told him to bolt now that he was interested after we won the league, but my first choice AML Ahmedov is beginning to slow down so I needed a replacement. Add in the natural ability to play CM and being home-grown it was difficult to say no. Ticks a lot of boxes and already valued much higher than the £25k I paid for him. His stats at the bottom of the screen are for previous club East Riffa, but fair to say he's started the season in fine form, hopefully that continues. Spoiler Moses Atede Jona comes in as the #2 CDM option. Nothing more to say here really, a squad depth signing that should do a job when called upon. However, I may not be playing a CDM for much longer due to the fifth and final signing... Spoiler Ali Al-Gezieri has me very excited for the upcoming season. A name that popped up in the scouting recommendations via his agent, seeing a 19 year old newgen from Libya with 14 caps already to his name had me instantly interested. He was outside my scouting range so I offered him a two week trial, and then as soon as I got the first look at his partially attribute unmasked stats, I offered him a contract. I'm also going to change my tactics from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 to get him in his best position and see what he can do. Spoiler Should absolutely walk this league and I don't think I'll be able to hold onto him any longer than one season due to a release clause in his contract that his agent wouldn't budge on. Will be offering a new contract at the earliest convenience to try and get rid of that. With the first month of results also in the books, these new signings are only going to send Busaiteen onto bigger and better things. The aim this season is a domestic treble and to give it a right good go in the ACC. Edited April 11, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 (edited) September - December 2024 So following a busy transfer window, I've reached the halfway point in the season. I said I wanted to be competing for all three competitions as well as the ACC. I completely forgot that I would be competing in a fourth competition, the Bahrain Super Cup against FA Cup winners Hidd from last season. Have I managed to stick to my pre-season target? Spoiler In the Premier League, yes, albeit very few league games actually get played in the first three months of the season as the cup competitions dominate the schedule. It seems like no matter what I do I can't lose in the league. The FA Cup haunts me though. Our repeating group of four in this cup include 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Premier League, so I've got one of the toughest draws I could get. Muharraq absolutely have me in the cup and it's been very frustrating, and it means that no matter what happens in the fifth and final round I am not in contention for a place in the actual final. Another Fifth Place Final looking likely. A nice win in the Super Cup final, played at the 35,000 seater National Stadium to deal with the crowds of glory hunters from both teams... All of the new signings have had plenty of playing time despite my initial concerns for a few of them. El-Khatal has been my best player this season, Al-Isa has played more than expected due to a long term injury to last seasons top goalscorer Jameel, and Moses Atede Jona scored a double on his debut from CDM so he earned a run in the team from day one. A little bit hamstrung when it comes to playing them all though, despite being able to have six at the club only four can be in a match day squad, so I may look at getting rid of at least one in favour for a domestic talent. While I'm trying not to buy the league I've still got a £200k transfer budget so I could buy any player I want in the league with ease. Edited April 16, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 16, 2022 Author Share Posted April 16, 2022 January 2025 January sees my long-awaited first trip into intercontinental competition with the Asian Confederation Cup. I've been drawn against Salam Zgharta, who after an 11 game season in the Lebanon Premier League finished 7th and went into their split in the bottom half of the table. The Bahrain Premier League is ranked 20 places higher in terms of competition reputation than the Lebanese league, so given their finishing position I have to be confident of getting through this first leg. However I have a few league games to deal with first... Spoiler And despite bouncing back from it in style, I suffered my first league defeat with Busaiteen since joining the club nearly a year ago. Disappointing way to lose that streak but as I said in the press conference afterwards, it just means its a chance to start a new one. Up next is the double header against Salam Zgharta, with a league game in between. After these games are out the way, the transfer window opens again for a month. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 January 2025 pt. 2 A slightly delayed update as shortly after my last post I became too drunk to continue playing and work has been in the way all week Salam Zgharta dispatched with relative ease, they did get the draw in the second leg but I rotated the squad and rested most of my usual first XI. So, into the group stages of the Asian Confederation Cup I go. Having no experience of playing against teams from other countries, I continue to base the opponents based on their current league position (1st for me) and the league ranking (26th). Al-Suwaiq sit 2nd in the 46th toughest league in Asia; Al-Wathba are struggling in 12th, and only out of their relegation playoff spot on goal difference, in the 16th ranked Syrian Premier League, and Naft Al-Wasat sit 2nd in the 17th ranked Iraqi Premier League. So two teams that look to be a good level above me, although one of them is having a poor season, and one team seemingly well below me. Hopefully we can put up a fight for 2nd place in the group. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 (edited) February 2025 Seven games and a transfer window crammed into the shortest month of the year, it was a busy one in North Bahrain. How did we get on? Spoiler Very well is the answer. The FA Cup groups nonsense is finally over, and once again we're in the 5th Place Final in that tournament. We then had to play the second best team in the country twice in three days wasn't easy, but two draws stops the rot against my previously mentioned bogey team, and the penalty win sets up a Kings Cup final against Al-Shabab. The draw against Malikiya briefly gave Muharraq hope of closing the gap at the top of the table... only for Muharraq to go and lose to them in their next game. We went behind to Naft Al-Wasat early on but rallied to get a very valuable victory. I assumed that they would have the better of me leading up to this game but we more than matched them, and continued that fine form into the 6-1 pumping of Budaiya. So here is how we are sitting as we approach the final month of the domestic season: Five games and six points (seven if you include the +22 goal difference advantage currently held) and I expect to hold onto the league title. A long way to go in the ACC but a great start. And I was also busy in the transfer window, splashing the cash despite my hesitation to do so previously. Going out was a youth regen jobber, Ouail el Merabet (£2.5k to Manama)and Yahya Ahmed (£7.5k to Yarmouk in Kuwait). El Merabet had disappointed since joining and was taking up an international spot, and Ahmed went in a huff when Yarmouk originally offered only £1k for him. After he skipped two training sessions he was punted into the U19s and he's lucky they came back for him or I'd have left him to rot. Replacing those three are two midfielders, that allow me to shift current defensive midfielders into defence permanently and provide depth there. It was much easier to find decent midfielders available elsewhere. Khalifa Issa joins for £35k from rivals Manama. A good young, domestic option in midfield with the potential to improve from regular playing time, yet he's currently solid enough in all the right places to do a job. Spoiler Albert Mandowen cost me £38k from Indonesian side Persipura Jayapura. He's similar in background to Al Al-Gezieri from the previous transfer window, in that he's very young with plenty of international experience already and hopefully can fulfil the potential shown and grow exponentially. In this case I mean that in terms of both technical ability and physical stature, as despite being my new midfield enforcer he is only 5'9. Spoiler Edited April 20, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 3, 2022 Author Share Posted May 3, 2022 (edited) March 2025 pt. 1 After a long layoff due to a stag do and taking a ridiculous amount of time to recover (physically, mentally and financially) from my hangover, I'm back at it this week and aiming to get the season finished in the next couple days. March is a massive month for Busaiteen. We have three of the five remaining Premier League games (reminder that we are currently six points clear of 2nd place Muharraq having played a game more), two more group games in the Asian Confederation Cup, and the King's Cup Final against Shabab. And as if six games in 20 days wasn't enough, we can throw in a dead rubber FA Cup Fifth Place Final against East Riffa to end the month. The month is split in half around the Kings Cup Final, so let's look at the first three games of the month. First up, a top of the table clash away to Muharraq. A loss would bring them right back into it, and my recent form against them hasn't been great, with two losses and three draws in the last five meetings (albeit we won one of those on penalties in the cup). Could we stop the rot and all but secure the league early on? We then host Al-Suwaiq of Oman in the Confederation Cup group stage, they are the lowest ranked team in the group and lost their opening game so I am expecting us to get a relatively easy three points. Then it's East Riffa back in the league, sitting 4th and every chance of tripping us up on our quest for a second league title in a row. So how did we do... Spoiler On paper it looks good but the performances are showing a cause for concern. Muharraq played 70 minutes with 10 men and matched us in terms of shots on goal and xG; Al-Suwaiq was a good win but nothing less than expected; and trying to rest some players before the cup final nearly came back to bite me until I brought on Maher who then got the winner about 60 seconds later. It leaves the league looking like this I've got to play 9th and 10th in my last three games, so two wins there as expected and that will seal the deal. Next up is the King's Cup Final. Edited May 3, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 3, 2022 Author Share Posted May 3, 2022 March 2025 pt. 2 King's Cup Final My first trip to the King's Cup Final, and the opportunity to win this particular cup for the first time in the history of Busaiteen. Still looking to lift this trophy despite ending up as runner up no less than five times between 03/04 and 14/15. The opponents are Shabab Club who I have beaten six times in a row in all competitions, and despite sitting mid-table in the Premier League I fully expect to make it seven. However, it appears that they will have added incentive to win the cup this year going by their recent silverware drought... So was I able to overcome the 65,000 years of hurt for Shabab Club? Spoiler Well, this is how it stands after 120 minutes. We took an early lead but I lost yet another goal to a long punt from a goalkeeper and my powderpuff centre half missing his header and letting the striker clean through. Actually lost count how many times that has happened, have to look at recruiting some new defenders that won't let that happen. So it goes to penalties... Spoiler And it's that man again Ahmed Maher keeping his cool and bringing the King's Cup home to Northern Bahrain for the first time in it's history. Starting to get itchy feet in Bahrain now though, I think my time to move on could soon be here... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) March 2025 pt. 3 A small reprieve as due to international call-ups I was offered the chance to request a postponement of the FA Cup game against East Riffa at the end of the month. So only two games left to go, a league game against 9th place Al-Alhi and the third ACC group game against Al-Wathba of Syria. Al-Wathba are stuggling domestically, sitting in 13th place out of 14 teams in the league and sacking their manager in the run up to our fixture. I'll be looking for us to pile on the pressure... Spoiler And we did precisely that. Add in the routine win against Al-Ahli and it's a successful month with performances picking up in these last two games. So here is how things stand heading into the last month of the domestic season: One more point in the ACC will guarantee progression to the next round of the tournament, and the league goes down to the wire but I control my own destiny. Edited May 4, 2022 by Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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