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Cornish Crusade | Part 7 | Loanees Flourish In Tight League One Battle
The pride of Cornwall was stronger than ever as the county folk took to the streets to celebrate Truro City’s promotion to England’s tier three. But Perran Trevelyan faced a tough task to revamp a squad for the big step up to League One.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 31, Club 15 | Free-Scoring Valencia
Valencia CF came so close to an unexpected Spanish title in Trebor Mahtal’s first full season, only losing out to Real Madrid on the final day of the 2049/50 campaign. A summer of change was around the corner, but Trebor Mahtal was positive about his young side’s future.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 30, Club 15 | Pushing Real Madrid All The Way
Half a season in Spain had seen Valencia CF finish in a fairly distant 4th position in LaLiga and just fall short in the Conference League Final. And manager Trebor Mahtal now had his eye on improvements to close the gap on Spain’s big three.
Cornish Crusade | Part 6 | McAtee And Heskey Inspire Promotion Push
Cornwall’s love of football was exploding as Truro City, the county’s first-ever Football League club, survived with relative ease in their first season in League Two. Manager Perran Trevelyan now had to try and take his team to the next level to push towards the top half of the division.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 29, Club 15 | First Taste Of Spanish Football
Trebor Mahtal wrapped up consecutive Mexican titles as he led a strong Tigres side to Liga MX Apertura in December 2048. That saw him win a major trophy with the 12th letter of the alphabet, moving him close to halfway to completing his Alphabet Challenge.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 28, Club 14 | A Major Mexican Opportunity
After two fairly tricky years at Necaxa, including 15 months without winning an away game, Trebor Mahtal led an exciting young team to an unexpected Liga MX Clausura success. That ticked N off his Alphabet Challenge, alongside A, B, E, J, L, M, P, S, U and W, meaning he’d completed 11 of the 26 legs of the challenge.
Cornish Crusade | Part 5 | Cornwall’s First Football League Club
The rapid rise of Truro City showed no signs of slowing down as Perran Trevelyan led his hometown club to Vanarama National League glory, establishing The Tinners as Cornwall’s first-ever Football League side. The Cornish folk were out in full force as Trevelyan and his young team celebrated their third trophy with an open-top bus tour around the county.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 27, Club 13 | Away Despair And Draw Happy Before Mahtal Celebrates 1,000 Matches
Five months in Mexico had seen Trebor Mahtal consolidate Club Necaxa’s position as an upper-mid-table Liga MX side while bringing £8m into the club. However, a weak squad was in dire need of improvements to be competitive.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 26, Club 13 | Exploring A New Continent
Trebor Mahtal completed the 10th leg of his Alphabet Challenge in May 2046, leaving him with the task of winning a major trophy with clubs whose names begin with 16 more letters of the alphabet. Big success at Borussia Dortmund meant he’d now ticked off A, B, E, J, L, M, P, S, U and W.
Cornish Crusade | Part 4 | Big Cup Upset And Promotion Push
Football fans in Cornwall weren’t accustomed to celebrating success for their local sides, but Perran Trevelyan and his exciting young Truro City squad were slowly putting a dent in that mindset.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 25, Club 12 | Back In Germany And Chasing A Treble
Trebor Mahtal ticked off the ninth leg of his Alphabet Challenge as he led Juventus to its first Serie A title for 25 years in 2045. The Zambian now went in search of his 12th club and immediately eyed up a few interesting roles.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 24, Club 11 | Big-Spending Juventus Chase First Scudetto In 25 Years
Juventus enjoyed an improved campaign after Trebor Mathal cleared out the old boys and brought some young talent into the Old Lady. But the Zambian was keen to keep improving a squad that lacked in certain areas to close the gap to Italy’s elite.
Cornish Crusade | Part 3 | A Big Day Out At Wembley
Exciting times were afoot in Cornwall as the county’s first-ever National League side Truro City ensured survival a few months after attracting a tycoon takeover from Indian investor Richard Mukherjee. Manager Perran Trevelyan now faced a huge task to rebuild and strengthen a pretty weak squad.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 23, Club 11 | Moving The Old Boys Out Of The Old Lady
Mahtal applied for vacancies at big clubs across Europe and teams that would tick off challenging letters. The biggest offer ticked off both, which took Mahtal to his third Italian club.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 22, Club 10 | Two Dreadful Cup Finals
A few months back in England with West Ham United had seen Trebor Mahtal lift the club’s first silverware in 19 years and take them back into European football. But the Zambian manager had significant challenges ahead if he was to help the Hammers compete with England’s best.
Cornish Crusade | Part 2 | Truro City Tycoon Takeover!
The streets of Truro were filled with Cornish folk celebrating the unlikely achievement of Perran Trevelyan reaching the English fifth tier for the first time in club history. However, given the club’s inability to sign non-Cornish players, surviving in the National League was going to be a massive challenge.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 21, Club 10 | Return To England Yields Immediate Rewards
Interest came from Europe as Braga and West Ham United offered Trebor Mahtal interviews, and the wages on offer left him with an easy decision to move back to England.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 20, Club 9 | Swapping Riches For Racing
Mahtal resigned from his Old Trafford role one day after becoming Champion of Europe and went in search of his next challenge. Two clubs quickly came in with interview offers, and one was clearly more keen – which meant Mahtal was off to Argentina to take a £116,500 wage cut!
Cornish Crusade | Part 1 | Homegrown Challenge At Truro City
With oodles of time to fill before Football Manager 2026 sees the light of day, I was eager to take on another long-term FM24 save that wasn’t quite as intense as our ongoing Alphabet Challenge. I realised we’ve never started a series in the English non-league and fancied taking on a new long-term save.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 19, Club 8 | Inheriting The Best Footballer In The World
Mahtal was now just over one-quarter of the way through his Alphabet Challenge, having added A to the previous success at clubs beginning with E, L, P, S and U. He was also approached by Inter Milan and, intriguingly, Neuchatel Xamax but chose to head to England.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 18, Club 7 | Inheriting A Superstar Striker
Atalanta BC shook up Serie A as they beat Italy’s big three en route to wrapping up qualification for the Europa League in the first season back in the top tier. Manager Trebor Mahtal would face a significant challenge to hold onto his exciting youngsters with Europe’s elite circling in the summer of 2039 but, before he got a chance, one came calling for him.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 17, Club 6 | Upsetting Italy’s Big Boys
Atalanta BC earned a nail-biting return to Serie A at the first time of asking with a 2-1 aggregate victory in the 2038 Serie B playoff final. Trebor Mahtal now had a big task to strengthen a side now that a worrying financial situation was potentially behind them.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 16, Club 6 | Putting Faith In Italian Youth
Unexpected success in Germany saw Trebor Mahtal lead Eintracht Frankfurt to the club’s second Bundesliga title in 2037. A stellar season saw Frankfurt edge out Bayern and Leipzig, which led to Mahtal resigning from his fifth club and again searching for another.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 15, Club 5 | An Unlikely Bundesliga Title Race
Half a season in Germany had seen Trebor Mahtal lead Eintracht Frankfurt away from outside relegation worries to the edges of European qualification. He’d also swiftly removed any financial concerns and snapped up winger Iván Alonso, one of the most exciting wonderkids in Europe. Indeed, Frankfurt began the summer of 2036 with £74m in the […]
Alphabet Challenge | Part 14, Club 5 | A Big European Opportunity
After 11 years as a Football Manager, Trebor Mahtal celebrated his first national title as he led Universitario to their first Peruvian league win for 22 years in 2035. With a heavy heart, the Zambian left the club at the end of his contract and went in search of his fifth club – having ticked […]
Alphabet Challenge | Part 13, Club 4 | Exciting Strikers Deliver For Universitario
Peruvian giants Universitario had been suffering a lean spell of late. But, under the guidance of 50-year-old Zambian manager Trebor Mahtal, fans of the nation’s best-supported club were suddenly feeling optimistic again.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 12, Club 4 | Edging Closer To Former Glory
An exciting first taste of South American football saw Trebor Mahtal win five of his six matches to lead Peruvian fallen giants Universitario into midtable obscurity in 2033. The Zambian now had a big summer ahead as he looked to reshape the club and restore it to former glory.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 11, Club 4 | Joining A Fallen Giant
Perak FC finally put an end to Johor’s Malaysian domination, preventing them from completing three consecutive domestic trebles by winning the Malaysian FA Cup. That allowed Trebor Mahtal to tick P off his Alphabet Challenge, along with S and L, and start looking for his fourth job.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 10, Club 3 | Challenging Dominant Johor
Perak FC earned a solid 5th place upon their return to Malaysia’s top flight. But manager Trebor Mahtal was at a loss for how they could compete with Johor, who won a treble alongside 17 consecutive titles.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 9, Club 3 | Stepping Up To Malaysia Super League
There were goals aplenty in Trebor Mahtal’s first season in Malaysia as he led Perak to an immediate promotion and a cup final, scoring 148 goals and conceding 66 in 37 matches.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 8, Club 3 | Scoring Goals For Fun
Mahtal allowed his Longford contract to expire then, on 1 December 2028, he resigned. To begin the quest for letter number three, he had to spin the Magic Alphabet Wheel before going back on the job hunt.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 7, Club 2 | Inspired Signings At Longford
Rank outsiders Longford Town managed to secure survival as the only semi-professional club in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division in 2027. However, the positives of survival were countered by the club’s board refusing to go professional or allow manager Trebor Mahtal to start his next coaching course.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 6, Club 2 | Fighting Bravely Against Relegation
Seven months of unemployment were well worth the wait as Trebor Mahtal landed on his feet with Irish side Longford Town and led them to an immediate promotion. His success was rewarded by the club agreeing to allow the Zambian to take his first coaching course in three years of management.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 5, Club 2 | A Long But Worthwhile Wait
Zambian manager Trebor Mahtal ticked the first letter off his Alphabet Challenge – in which he was attempting to win a major trophy with a club starting with every letter of the alphabet – as he lifted the Latvija Kauss with SK Super Nova. He left the club at the end of his contract in early November 2025 to begin the search for his second club.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 4, Club 1 | Unxpected Opportunity
After six months of life as a Football Manager, Trebor Mahtal had led beleaguered SK Super Nova to comfortable safety in Latvia’s top-tier Virslīga. The Zambian now faced a major early challenge in his young career as he aimed to strengthen his first club for a stronger showing.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 3, Club 1 | Survive Or Sacked
New to the Alphabet Challenge? Catch up on this epic new save by reading the intro post and read up on our job hunt in Part 2. Trebor Mahtal enjoyed a surprisingly strong start to his Football Manager career as he led struggling SK Super Nova Salaspils to four wins and a draw in his […]
Alphabet Challenge | Part 2 | Finding Trebor Mahtal’s First Club
Our Alphabet Challenge series gets up and running as fledgling Zambian manager goes in search of a new club, and finds himself in Latvia.
Alphabet Challenge | Part 1 | Introducing An Epic New FM24 Challenge
With the news that Football Manager 2025 was being cancelled, I got my thinking cap on for a new challenge that would see us through the remainder of the seemingly neverending FM24 save cycle. One that immediately stood out was a recommendation in our top 10 challenges guide – the A To Z Journeyman aka the Alphabet Challenge.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 17 | Bundesliga Battle Built On Defence
The homegrown stars of 1. FSV Mainz racked up consecutive Bundesliga titles and showed their ability to compete with Europe’s best in an exciting 2038/39 campaign. Now, Roberto Lazaró was looking to make it three in a row as he mulled over this being his final season in football management.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 16 | The Jürgen Klopp Park Era Begins
The small city of Mainz, on the outskirts of Frankfurt in western Germany, wasn’t accustomed to throwing huge parties. But you wouldn’t have known it as seemingly the entirety of its 220,000 population took to the streets to celebrate their heroes lifting 1. FSV Mainz’s maiden Bundesliga title in 2038. The city’s streets flowed with Pilsner and the parties went on for what felt like weeks.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 15 | Mainz’s First Bundesliga Title Race
The exciting youngsters of 1. FSV Mainz came minutes away from consecutive European titles and edged close to the Bundesliga title race in Roberto Lazaró’s fifth season at the club. The next step, in their manager’s mind, was to become more competitive against Germany’s big boys as they headed into their final season at the council-owned MEWA Arena.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 14 | Consecutive European Finals
The streets of Mainz were painted red and white in the summer of 2036 as fans of 1. FSV Mainz 05 launched the biggest party in the city’s history, celebrating their heroes winning their first major trophy. Roberto Lazaró, club legend Brajan Gruda and captain José Bertazzi led an open-top bus tour and spilled in […]
Wonderkid Factory | Part 13 | Mainz Legend, Brajan Gruda
Huge relegation favourites 1. FSV Mainz 05 surprised Bundesliga to finish 7th and secure European qualification. However, the lack of an out-and-out goalscorer was worrying Roberto Lazaró heading into the summer of 2035.
Salvando Santos | Part 15 | Lazaró Leaves Santos On A High
An epic bottle job saw Santos Futebol Clube hand the Série A title to Flamengo, only to impressively recover their nerve and win their second Copa Libertadores of the Robinho Lazaró reign. Heading into 2036, Lazaró was fully focused on regaining the Brazilian league crown in what he planned to be his final season at Santos.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 12 | Great At Home, Terrible Away!
Mainz survived with relative ease in their first season back in Bundesliga. But the big challenge now facing Roberto Lazaró, moving into his third season in Germany, was to continue developing his young squad – some of whom were one year away from obtaining homegrown status.
Salvando Santos | Part 14 | A Seven-Star Santos Bottle Job
Santos FC enjoyed one of their best-ever seasons in 2034, winning both their state championship and Série A before only dodgy goalkeeper injuries and a dodgy penalty prevented them from winning Copa Libertadores. Legendary manager Robinho Lazaró took a little time out to celebrate those successes and recover from a wild year that also included […]
FM Guide | 25 More Teams To Manage On FM24 (While Still Pretending It’s FM25)
Oh Football Manager 2024, will your time never end? In light of yesterday’s unsurprising cancellation of Football Manager 2025, we’ll have had two years (if not more) of the FM24 cycle if/when Football Manager 2026 is upon us. However, rather than crying into our cereal that some blokes didn’t release a computer game, let’s look at some positives and explore some options to pretend we’re playing FM25 on FM24.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 11 | Stepping Up To Bundesliga
Roberto Lazaró led a young but exciting Mainz side to an expected automatic promotion despite a firesale of 26 players for £119m in his first season in Germany. Now the pressure was on Lazaró, who was already listed in Mainz fans’ favoured personnel, and his inexperienced side to survive back in Bundesliga. But the longer-term […]
Salvando Santos | Part 13 | Lazaró Leads Brazil To World Cup 2034
Robinho Lazaró’s time in charge of Brazil started with a little disappointment as a tame performance saw them lose 1-0 to arch rivals Argentina in the Final of Copa América. The nation still believed in him so his next task was to lead them to World Cup 2034 in South Korea.
Salvando Santos | Part 12 | The World’s Best Youth Academy Delivers
Lazaró’s good financial management saw Santos come into his 11th season as manager with £300m nin the bank for the first time. There was more exciting news off the pitch as the club returned to the newly renovated Santos Stadium, which had seen a 16,000-seat expansion to take the stadium to a 49,127 capacity for the 2034 campaign.