Wow! Hello and welcome to season 17 in my challenge!
Thats seems a really long time but I have progressed fairly well as I have already claimed the Asian and South African champions league and after leaving Seoul I was really looking forward to starting on another Champions league .
Cue my boyfriend to mess things up!!
He had read my story and really liked the idea so I let him play on my game but he made another save so that was fine, however I told him to get my game up to the start of the African Cup of Nations so I could get that done when I got home.
However he said he got bored and decided to take over at St Gallen….
Then to make things worse he saved over my only save so I am stuck where I am. So St Gallen it is and if things couldnt get any worse they were actually relegated from the top division and were struggling in the first….
Career History :
— Cheonan (July 2010 – January 2013)
— South China (June 2013 – June 2016)
— F.C.A.K (December 2016 – November 2019)
— Moroko Swallows (November 2019 – January 2023)
— FC Seoul (February 2023 – February 2026)
— St Gallen (October 2026 — Present)
International Teams :
— Morocco (Febraury 2015 – December 2016)
— Senegal (November 2021 – February 2023)
— Egypt (October 2025 — Present)
Honours :
Hong Kong League Title : 2014, 2015, 2016 (South China)
Senior Shield : 2013, 2016 (South China)
League Cup : 2014, 2015, 2016 (South China)
Asian Confederation Cup : 2014, 2016 (South China)
South African First Division : 2018, 2019 (FCAK)
South African First Divison Cup : 2019 (FCAK)
South African FA Cup : 2020, 2021 (Moroko Swallows)
South African Premier League : 2021, 2022 (Moroko Swallows)
South African Charity Cup : 2020 (Moroko Swallows)
South African Knockout Cup : 2021 (Moroko Swallows)
South African Super Eight : 2021 (Moroko Swallows)
African Champions League : 2022 (Moroko Swallows)
The K-League : 2023, 2024, 2025 (FC Seoul)
The Korean League Cup : 2023. 2024 (FC Seoul)
The Pan-Pacific Championship : 2024, 2025 (FC Seoul)
The Korean FA Cup : 2024 (FC Seoul)
The Asian Champions League : 2025 (FC Seoul)
International Honours :
African Cup Of Nations : 2023 (Senegal)
————————————————
So here we go at a club I dont want to be at, why he accepted it I will never know but we are heavily in debt with a poor squad and with absolutly no chance of winning the champions league.
Even if I do my best here there is no team in Switzerland that I could win it with. So consider this a one year deal or a gap year if you will! Just to sample Switzerland for this season before moving on it would take forever to build a club to win the European champions league here.
Our Three Best Players
Jobim
Probably our best player infact, he is a Brazilian born player who has American as a nationality. He is an attacking midfielder but is unhappy and wants to be transfered so already off to a great start!
Todor Velikov
Gustavo Caro
So Velikov is a pretty bad winger with no pace and on big wages and Caro is unhappy wants transfer listed also and is on massive wages! Caro is our central defender but its pointless as he is almost certain to leave, what did the previous manager do to this team!!
The African Cup Of Nations
So we gave it a good go! Egypt are not the powerhouse of African football as you would have expected we began really well beating Angola 5-0 but a shock defeat against Burkina Faso meant we had to beat Mali. Mali are ranked 7th in the world and are also the current holders so it was a very hard game.
We met Algeria in the quarter final winning four two but an old friend came back to score twice to put my brave Egypt side out of the tournament. Thats right Olawale my brilliant ex Seoul frontman scored twice including the winner as we we out in the semi final.
So my aim was to win the African Cup of Nations and I had failed so I walked away, I probably walked before I was pushed but that said they were pretty happy with our performance. I guess it time to focus on my awsome St Gallen side…..
Transfers In And Out
So an overhaul was needed, so out went my overpaid, overhyped problem players and in came young talent with the want to do well!
I wont post them all instead I will post my best three in my opinion :
Javier Angel Da Silva
So despite his nationality he is also Spanish and is a promising central midfield player, he will be more of a back up player but is fairly decent for the level we are at.
Francisco Javier Luque
So another Spaniard in Luque and he is a centre back, I had scouted Spain so four of my five new players were based there. Am fairly happy with him probably as good as Caro but on a lot less wages!!
Rodrigo
So my final in the best players I had bought is Rodrigo a Brazilian who had played in Spain. He is an attacking midfield player who can also play upfront and is probably the best player we have at the moment.
Results Before I Took Over (Or My Boyfriend Did!)
Results After I Took Over
So when we began I was in 12th with no hope and we ended up only five points behind the leaders in second.
We havent got promotion yet as we must win a two legged playoff against the side that finished in the relegation playoff in the top division but was really happy with our turn around.
Our form was brilliant over the last seven games and had we had a few more am sure we would have caught the leaders Luzern, not bad for a team I really dont want to be at!
The Promotion Playoff Final
Promotion! Really easy two wins also as Yverdon were a pretty poor side, not that we are full of star players or anything but the first leg won it really as we ran out comfortable three zero winners.
So at least I did something in my brief spell here!!
Final Player Ratings Of The Season
So this will mean nothing to you! And seeing as I am leaving they mean nothing to me! But my stars were my new players Rodrigo scoring 14 times in as many games and my back two of Luque and Bindewald were really solid.
This club is already in so much more of a better state than I left, I managed to clear them of debt and have a bit of money in the bank, they have a really hard working team with bags of potential, I am well under the wage budget and they have a promotion to celebrate!
So they might forgive me for spending such a brief spell at St Gallen, thankfully my reputation hasnt dropped and I have already left for a club that I will unveil in my next post.
So thats it! Again am really sorry for this but I couldnt really do anything about it but next time I will make another save, and play everything myself! I guess I could have just resigned straight away but I really didnt want to do that so like I said earlier consider this a gap year to experience somewhere else before returning to my challenge.
So thanks for reading I hope it is not to dissapointing but if it helps it wasnt my fault! I look forward to reading your comments to find out!
David Wiggins
20 апреля, 2011 at 20:25
That’s quite funny really! But you have done an excellent job of a bad situation! Would be interesting to see how you get on in the top flight but I guess that won’t help with the goals you have set out to achieve!
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:43
Thanks David,
Was really surprised when I loaded my game and saw what he had done! But you are right my aim isnt to build a team like this maybe once I have completed my challenge!
Darren Smith
20 апреля, 2011 at 20:42
lol, you must have been a little annoyed!! ;) Tbh it was an interesting year and we all love new experiences. I wouldn’t call it a gap year, just work experience in Swizerland :) Well done on a great season though…you seem to change dust to gold on this game.
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:44
Thanks Darren,
Annoyed was the word! I just a hit a good patch of form the team wasnt that good but was pretty pleased in the end!
Johnny Karp
20 апреля, 2011 at 21:24
Haha, I guess your boyfriend just wanted to test your skills :) You did a great job for St. Gallen and their fans will surely remember you. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the next club, you should receive a big offer to suit your talent.
P.S.: Please don’t be too harsh on your boyfriend, this post turned out to be quite entertaining so I thank him for that :)
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:46
Thanks Johnny!
I guess he did! My next team is a little more personal I guess but I wont reveal too much!
LoL! I wont! At first I was going to kill him but I guess it turned out all right in the end!
:)
Kevin
20 апреля, 2011 at 22:15
Hi Ana
I played a Swiss league game on FM 2008 as FC Vaduz. It was quite fun. I think you should have stayed as you have the ability to create a new European powerhouse. Well done though :)
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:48
Thanks Kevin,
I could have stayed but I really want to complete my challenge first after that I may return, who knows!
Sears
20 апреля, 2011 at 22:42
Ahahahahaha you’re boyfriend is such a legend!!!
However he said he got bored and decided to take over at St Gallen…. Ha, that made me laugh :-D
At least you made you’re break in Europe, and Switzerland isn’t a bad country to begin with!
Well done on promotion and good luck next season!
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:50
Thanks Sears!
LoL! Legend, I think he will like that! Not that his ego needs to get any bigger! :)
I guess a break was alright though and I did get a promotion which is something!
Lye
21 апреля, 2011 at 02:17
Hi Ana,
I bet your boyfriend wants a new challenge for you. Is he a FM fan? Would love him to write a story for us :) Even though it is a brief spell but you did very well in getting them promoted. I will be eager to see your new club.
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:52
Thanks Lye!
He is but he hates starting games! Thats why he steals mine after I have played a few seasons!
I really dont think he would have the patience too write! My next team is more of a personal choice so I will unveil it soon.
Alex
21 апреля, 2011 at 03:49
Hey Ana,
Hahahaha, your boyfriend got bored so he took over a small club! That’s something new, but you did very well to make the season the best it could. At least you’ve learnt something: NEVER trust your partner with your game!
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:54
Thanks Alex!
I already learned that lesson!
I guess the real lesson is never give a man a simple task they will always find a way to mess it up!! :)
CsAtlantis
21 апреля, 2011 at 05:06
Ana, your boyfriend didn’t do that bad it seems, considering the squad he had before you made your signings :P, St.Gallen might have just been a stopgap but it’s your first European club you’ve managed thus far, so at least you’re in the right continent :D
You did very well in achieving promotion, looking forward to your next club
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:58
Thanks!
I agree he did very well to be fair as he joined when the window was shut so couldnt really buy anyone. Also he had alot of unhappy players after the previous manager was sacked so he did ok.
Not exactly how I wanted to start in Europe! But it was a nice enough time!
hils
21 апреля, 2011 at 06:58
Hi Ana,your boyfriend got bored and decided to take over St Gallen!!!!!!!!!! But you did great!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!!
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 11:58
Lol! Thanks hils!
:)
Yasser Rahman
21 апреля, 2011 at 10:57
Oh well, I hope you’ve at least learnt a new language , French , I suppose it is ? That should help in getting you more European job offers. If I am correct, you now speak English, Spanish and French out of all the european languages?
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 12:04
Thanks Yasser,
I think its German as I picked up French when I was manager at Senegal I think! I could be wrong though.
Out of the European languages I speak English, Spanish, French and German!
Also I can speak Arabic, Korean and Catonese in total!
Maybe I should get a job as a translator!! :)
Excessive
21 апреля, 2011 at 13:24
Haha, smooth! Guessing your BF isn’t as into Footy Manager as you are?
Nice ‘work experience’ there though I guess, and to pick up form like you did was brilliant. Just hope that you have left them in the hands of a good manager that can keep them in the top division!
Good luck to wherever you end up next :)
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 12:08
Thanks!
He likes it but he isnt as good as me! ;)
Joking of course! Yeah it was a good experience and I never really lost anything for doing it so it wasnt too bad.
vaibhavc
21 апреля, 2011 at 13:38
Hey Ana
You did great from a bad situation! It was pretty funny, to be honest. Congratulations on promotion and hopefully next year, you get a better club to manage.
Ana Garcia
22 апреля, 2011 at 12:09
Thanks!
It was pretty bleak when I took over but it ended ok I guess!
Promotion was nice and my next team is also a little better!
:)