archived posts
Ana, FM 2012 : Season 7 Black Aces 2017-18
Hi everyone!
So first of an apology of sorts, this post is a little sooner than what I usually post as I like to always be a season ahead then I can just write up each season.
The problem is I have played a little too much! Or got through quicker than I normally do and as such am a few seasons ahead of where I am now. (This post)
Hope that makes sense! LoL is essence I am writing another season now as I have a few seasons to catch up to the season currently on my game.
Finding the time to write is quite difficult with work and my boyfriend so thats why I have another post for you today. :)
Anyways onwards to the season ahead and if you remember from my previous post I came runner up to the Orlando Pirates in the league but we remain in the champions league with the group stages ahead.
Managerial C.V
— Black Aces (June 2011 – Present)
African Premier League : 2016
Super 8′s Winner : 2015, 2016
First Division : 2012
South African Knockout Cup : 2016
Anything in red was won last season.
—————————————
So this was weird as we had two upgrades to our training facilities! The total cost was £95k but either way it was much needed as we are still at basic with only one star to our name.
This pushed it to two! :)
Job Offer!!
Writing stories has been a hobby of mine for a while now and I did write a story ages ago as Las Palmas, I must admit I was tempted seeing as they had just been promoted to la liga as champions but I did decline.
I cant leave the African champions league just yet! :)
A New Job — Life In LA
Seeing as LA is a place I hope to visit next year with my partner I accepted the chance to manage the USA.
I also added the MLS to help boost my player selection a bit and help my chance of maybe managing a team from there to the North American Champions League!
We have a world cup upcoming so we must qualify, we are currently third behind Mexico and Canada.
Transfers In and Out — Disaster Strikes!
So disaster struck as my chairman decided that everyone must go!
She went mad and just started accepting bids for all my star players, Mahashe was the first to go he had improved so much and was my first choice center back then I lost Mofokeng my record signing last season!
Buthelezi went next my excellent fullback she also accepted bids for Raymond Moanma my defending midfielder and Sibande my rotation centre midfielder!
Our all girl team was doing so well and now she is cashing in! This was a regular sight for me in red I am devastated a team I have worked so hard to build being sold of and I cant do anything.
Our finances were excellent as well I can understand the bigger money ones so I had a tough task to replace our lost players.
I also managed to keep some of our better players from last season as well but most are unhappy after I turned down transfer bids my best signing was probably this one :
Bheka Gumeda
Club Info and Finances
So we are now one of the richest club in South Africa, but we lost three star players and a few very good squad players.
We are predicted third which is about right after all our sales, losing Mofokeng was heartbreaking I was building my team around him.
But thats the past and we must look to the future my players in are good not brilliant but good and we still have so much to play for this season.
Results and League Table Halfway Point
So not too bad I guess, we are still in the title race but find ourselves nine back on the Kaizer Cheifs.
Orlando Pirates score loads and Kaizer Chiefs defend well, it may be tough to overtake either of them!
Losing a four goal lead against the Black Leopards was the most annoying thing that has happened to me on this game so far. :)
Results and Table Final End of Season
Damn them!!
How is that possible, we finished with our highest ever points total and still not enough!
Seven points in the end but I cant say we had a bad season, infact I was delighted with how it went.
We were good they were better it was as simple as that, they scored goals and lots of them I will struggle to catch them again next season.
The African Champions League
So like I said before we play the same as the European champions league group and I was worried having lost my first game to Tunis however we went on to win some big games including away at Tunis and beating Ismaily at home, with ease I may add.
Despite that we finished second and drew Zamalek in the semi finals, I was worried having conceded two away goals but an early strike from Khwela gave us the lead they equalised then took the lead just past the hour mark.
Gumede rose from a freekick to make the score two each and then late on Freddy Ngobese struck a superb winner to give us a slender lead.
Away and we rode our luck, I wont lie but when our captain Kwenene rose from a corner to head in I knew the final beckoned strangely our opponents were Tunis from our group.
African Champions League Final vs Tunis — First Leg
I know, what just happened?!
I couldn’t believe what I was watching as we dominated from the first whistle creating chances at will and cruising to a three zero win.
Gumede again from a freekick heading in and we took a deserved lead, we went on to spurn chance after chance and I was worried that they may sneak a goal.
I brought Ntuli on and almost immediately he showed our wasteful forwards what to to! Scoring from a sweeping move to double our lead.
He then struck again with eight minutes left to play, another fine move as we dominated the game. Three zero and surely game over I mean Tunis cant recover from this….
…..can they?
African Champions League Final vs Tunis — Second Leg
Yay!!
Probably the most nerve wrenching match I have watched on this game!
After Sassi gave them the lead after 11 minutes I was thinking, Oh no! Here we go!
But we leveled thanks to out new signing Gumede not the defender our new attacking midfielder and I felt that may be it. Four up with an away goal but I was almost wrong Sassi stuck twice more before half time I couldnt believe it!
Second half was impossible to watch! I stopped the game so many times to make slight changes, to try and defend but they just kept coming!
But at full time we had done it, we held on against the odds and lifted the champions league!
More luck than skill I can admit it but I felt over the two legs we probably just about edged it, one down four to go! :)
Club World Championship
The competition Barca have just won!
We finished fourth beating America Mexico on penalties and playing really well against AC Milan! Al-Ahli beat us comfortably so fourth place it was.
African Super Cup
This is the equivalent of the European one where the winner of the champions league meets the winner of the Europa league, poor game bad result all I can say on it really !
One to forget.
Final Player Ratings of The Season
Nearly there stay with me!
So lots of star player this season, mostly from the freebies at the start Thando Johnson turned out to be a lot better than Raymond Monama who was sold with De Villiers and Mkhize forging an excellent partnership.
Mkhize was a real find and turned out to be a very good goalscorer, Kwenene was outstanding again as my captain Jacobs was brilliant infact my whole squad was!
Star Man of The Season — Philiani Khwela
End of Season Finances and Save Game Status
So the balance looks fantastic, most of it is through player sales as we practically earned nothing for winning the champions league.
South Africa isnt a league where money is easy to come by, no TV money, no real prize money no real money from the champions league so to have almost £13 million is something I am fairly happy with. :)
All Good Things……
Its been a pleasure! South Africa remains my favourite place to manage despite what other people say about it my stats are not too bad with a 60+ win percentage plus we score lots of goals!
I was tempted to stay and get to 300 games! But with the upcoming world cup I decided now was a good time to part.
I have no job lined up yet and I probably wont accept one until after the world cup, but seeing as I am ahead of myself I can tell you I have a new job so I will unveil that next time alongside the world cup results!
Speaking of which!!
USA — Qualification Results
We are of to Russia!
I posted only the games I managed and with four wins from five we cruised through alongside Mexico and Canada (Hi Kevin! :))
Charlie Davies was my star player scoring most of my goals alongside Altidore, and Michael Bradley is my captain and my best player.
Here comes the draw for the upcoming tournament……….
Wow, am not too happy.
We face Italy and the Ivory Coast aswell as Croatia as am not sure if we can qualify. We would need to beat at least one with Croatia being our best bet I think but its a tough ask I feel.
Season Round-Up
I’ll keep it brief! Seems like I have been writing this forever!
So its the end of South Africa, I won the champions league with a large slice of luck but a win is a win!
Next up will be a new destination and one I am excited to manage in, although terrified at the same time and next time you will see why!
Thanks ever so much for reading this massive post, and apologies on it being so long just had so much to cram in!
As always I look forward to hearing from you and if I dont post again I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year, I hope 2012 will be the year all your dreams come true!!
Ana. xxx