Episode 1 – Episode 2 As the second season kicks off, I have to be honest—my heart isn’t really with the Black Leopards anymore. To succeed in the Pentagon Challenge, you’ve got to be ruthless, always looking for the next step up the footballing ladder. So, while my head’s still at the Black Leopards, my eyes have been constantly scanning the job market for something better.

So far, no luck. The squad situation doesn’t help. We’re predicted to finish near the bottom of the league, our wage bill is the lowest in the division, and we’ve got no money to sign new players.

It’s not looking good. The first few matches confirmed my worst fears. In our opening game, we missed a penalty and lost comfortably despite boasting a better xG.

After three games, we were sitting on zero wins, zero draws, and three losses. The underlying numbers painted an even bleaker picture. Worrying doesn’t even begin to describe it.

It took us six matches just to scrape our first win. I don’t think I’ve experienced a harder start to a season in Football Manager . But here’s the thing—I love it.

As frustrating as it was, the grind made every point feel earned. There’s something oddly satisfying about battling through challenges. You can’t appreciate the highs without suffering through some lows.

Always winning and being at the top isn’t as fun as it sounds. Nevertheless, as the season progressed, we started to improve. We weren’t setting the world alight, but we managed .