The Ultimate World Football Manager Game

My tenure at EDC had come to an abrupt end and in one of the worse ways possible. My interfering new chairman, Sann Veasna sold, or gave away one of best players, Men Samnang to our bitter rivals, Khemera without telling anybody else and it only came to light on the morning of a televised match against Phnom Penh Crown. This was a clear breach of trust between manager and chairman, one that is essential for the successful running of a football club on and off the field. I had not known Sann Veasna long, but it was clear to me by his actions how this was going to play out and it was something I did not want to be part of any more.. His interfering ways in recruitment, training and with some of the players themselves had affected everybody from the cleaning ladies to me the manager. There was an underlying reason also and that was an acceptance that while we remained semi-professional, we would always be the bridesmaids in the C-League, finishing around 5th each season. Thirdly this is T

    Life at EDC was not the same. My autocratic chairman, Sann Veasna had imposed himself on the club and his meddling nature was beginning to have a huge effect on all concerned. It wasn't just the two 'surprise' signings of Bisai and Doloh, who had turned out to be decent footballers, as well as decent human beings, but he was everywhere. I couldn't go five minutes without seeing those bloody sunglasses and that annoying grin. He was there at training, in the dressing room before and after matches, telling me and my staff what they should or shouldn't be doing. He even attended scouting meetings. His predecessor, Hem Vutha always kept out of the football side of things and trusted me and my team to get on with our jobs. While he was present at matches and only appeared in the dressing room when invited, such as during both the Hun Sen Cup finals we had been involved with, he showed no interest in team affairs. Sann Veasna was the exact opposite. The tension was ri

  This was the Carry On film that never made it to the big or small screen, only the cutting room floor.. An Englishman trying to win the Cambodian Premier League title with a part time team representing an Electricity Company....Seven seasons in and we have only one Hun Sen Cup and the Kings Cup (The Cambodian version of the Community Shield) to show for my efforts. Maybe I have overachieved, with a club that can only offer players appearance money and a little bit less if summoned from the subs bench, or maybe I have underachieved with the talent I have had over the years. Have I taken this team as far as I can? With the help of my new chairman, can I build a team that can challenge the four professional clubs again? The future begins here, starting with my first ever opponents, Bati Youth in the cup. Match 7 – EDC v Bati Youth – Hun Sen Cup 2nd Qualifying Round 05/05/26 It’s showdown time! I’ve been counting the days until we get the opportunity to inflict sweet revenge on the acne

  It was the sunglasses, which glinted brightly in the hot Cambodian sunlight that caught my eye when I saw EDC's new chairman, Sann Veasna for the first time. He gave a little wave as he stepped out of his black, chaffeur driven Mercedes at the Electricity Stadium car park, in his pristine pin striped suit, slick black hair and of course those gleaming shades. His arrival was like that of a rock star. Me, Nen Borey and a crowd of sports journalists, including a cameraman from Cambodian Match of The Day were there to greet him and the takeover had caused ripples around the C-League. This was a big story and Sann Veasna was big news.. On first impressions this was a man loved life in the fast lane, with fast cars and probably even faster women, the complete opposite to his predecessor, Hem Vutha who was by default a mild mannered quietly spoken sort, but could have a nasty streak if you got the wrong side of him, as I did on a few occassions.  On the flip side if Veasna was of this

  Despite the upheaval of the takeover which which rumbling on in the backgound, it was important that me and my backroom staff took a "business as usual" approach to the start of the brand new Cambodian season. It is fair to say that the fixture computer had been less than kind to us during this period too. Some nice easy fixtures and a few early wins would help my cause of staying in the job, should any new owner be thinking about making a change. The first game, a visit to the vastly improved National Police (at least in a footballing sense) was followed by Boeung Ket at home and then a trip to the casino in our third match, which could potentially be my first match under the new regime. This was a tough start to the season. While Nen Borey and I were making tactical plans for the following day's training session there was a knock at my door. It was my effervescent, but sometimes highly strung head of youth development, Chan Vannak.  "Boss, How could you?" &q