HD

It hardly seems like 30 months and more since I devised this challenge, still often it seems longer. Back then I was a student living in Glasgow, with all the time in the world to do whatever the hell I liked. How times change.

Anyhow, I read over the challenge last month for some reason, and with the failure of my official challenge attempt for the 18th challenge in a row, I felt it was time to go back and revisit the scene of one of my failures.

This particular challenge is obviously one that is dear to me given the amount of time and thought I put into it, and the reception it got. My own attempt, however, floundered.

The weblog that I created can be found[URL=http://%5Dhere%5B/url] and the original challenge thread is here. Bearing in mind that there is thought of a "challenge of challenges" vote somewhere down the line I'll try not to pimp this one for votes, but if anyone feels like joining me in having another go, that's your own prerogative.

Please don't be distracted from the official challenges, which all deserve attention.

HD

Erm, log here and thread here

HD

The Lord of the Rings CMS Challenge, by HD

Phase 1 – The Shire

This is the initial stage of the Challenge. Choose any team from the top division in England or Scotland and stay there for two seasons enjoying good times.

Phase 2 – The Road to Rivendell

The decision to leave the Shire is a surprising one, and must be made during your third or fourth season (any time after the season update at the end of season 2) at the club from Phase 1. The road to Rivendell is fraught with danger, and is not a journey you ever planned to take. In game terms this involves dropping down at least two divisions to a poor team (flexible on this, basically not a “big” side that’s been relegated since the game started, a rich side, or a team looking in a good position to be promoted.)

Complete Phase 2 by reaching “Rivendell” – the top division - with this team.

Phase 3 – Rivendell

Rivendell is a peaceful place. This phase is similar to Phase 1 and requires only two complete relegation-free seasons in the top flight. The timeframe for moving at the end is the same as for Phase 1.

Phase 4 – The Fellowship of the Ring

Eventually you must leave Rivendell and proceed towards Mordor. Find a job at a club in a European league (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Portugal or Sweden) at no higher than the Third Tier of football. (e.g. Second Division in Sweden, Serie C1 in Italy, National in France) (and for bonus lambas points preferably lower!) Lead this club to the top flight, the Fellowship must then split.

At this stage you, the challenger have a choice to make – will you follow the path of Frodo and Sam and make your way to Mordor, or go with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli to face the challenges of Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith?

Phase 5a – Frodo & Sam

This part of the challenge relates to our noble hobbits’ journey from the time they leave the Fellowship behind to the time they reach the long stair to Shelob’s lair. Without their guides Frodo and Sam become disoriented – you too will feel this as you move to a league you have never managed in before (or if you’re sad enough to have tried them all, one you’ve not used much). This can be any league, you can set it up at the start, though my instinct is to suggest an Eastern European league. Do ensure you go in no higher than the second tier. Your first task is to create your “Gollum” – do this by repeatedly fining a player until he hates you. This player must be selected in every match, barring injury and suspension. Phase 5a is complete when you again reach the top flight in your new country.

Phase 5b – Legolas, Aragorn & Gimli

The equivalent journey for our three friends takes them from the shores of the river to their arrival at Helm’s Deep. The key elements involve tracking an enemy, reviving a friend, beating a retreat. Take a club in England or Scotland (whichever you DIDN’T use in Phase 1) who have a rival in a higher division. Firstly achieve promotion to their division and secondly reach the top flight before them (or if they are a top flight club, finish above them in the top flight). This completes Phase 5b

Phase 6a – Shelob

Having reached the top flight you encounter a nasty challenge – survival. Stay up and you complete Phase 6a, go down and Shelob has killed you. You should sell or release your “Gollum” at the start of this Phase.

Phase 6b – Helm’s Deep

This is not the toughest challenge you will face, but still the odds are against you. Given the nature of the division, and the story of Helm’s Deep any players signed after the end of Phase 5b cannot be used until the final ten games of the next season. Complete the Phase by surviving, if this is your first season up, or finishing with more points than in your best season in the top flight to date if not.

Phase 7a – Crossing Mordor

Despite gaining some familiarity with your new surroundings, there are still dangers and challenges to face. Complete Phase 7a by qualifying for Europe with your team. If you do this easily it is clear you prefer the movie version of LOTR to the books.

Phase 7b – The Paths of the Dead

You now face a tough path, you must leave your current team, but remain in the country, dropping to the lowest league division (Third Division in either country) and persuade the “dead” to play. In other words you can only use current squad members or players acquired on free transfers. To qualify as “dead” the player must not have played a competitive game in the preceding season. These restrictions apply until you rejoin the Riders of Rohan and meet up with the people of Gondor at Minas Tirith – the top division!

Phase 8a – Mount Doom

This is the hardest part of your challenge, you must win the UEFA Champions League (or UEFA Cup if you’re a pussy), but first you must resign your “Gollum”, whatever the cost. This need not be immediate, but your European triumph will only count if he has played every competitive game in that season, barring injury and suspension. If he is injured or suspended for the final it doesn’t count.

Phase 8b – Minas Tirith

Signing restrictions are off and your simple challenge is to win a European trophy with the club you are at, preferably the Champions League.

Phase 9 – The Scourging of the Shire

Whether you followed path a or b you must now return to the Shire. If your team from Phase 1 has fallen out of the top flight you can return there, else take control of another “big” team which is no longer in the top division and complete the challenge by winning a domestic title. For a definition of “big” use common sense.

Rarebit Nutter

Considering this was the basis for my first story I will try this challenge again.

Faramir

This was a fun challenge to complete- though I have to admit it took awhile. The story turned into one of the best I have done on CMS/FMS.

Terk

Alongside BobBev's Lisbon Lions as one of the most enjoyable challenges. Good luck, HD

HD

Phase 1 team: Newcastle United

July/August 2006

Life in Newcastle goes on much as it has this past while. Managers come, and managers go, trophies are not won and form is erratic. The fans are fleeced by the board and derided by others for their portrayal in the media. All-in-all a pretty mediocre state of affairs

Frodo Baggins had been at a loose end. Ever since his uncle Bilbo buggered off to Rivendell and left Frodo the house and it's contents - including his unusual ring - he'd had nothing to do. Ultimately this led to his applying for the Newcastle manager's job on Glenn Roeder's dismissal.

With Freddy Shepherd ever keen to appoint a manager perceived to be of lesser stature than himself the choice of a four foot Hobbit was a no-brainer. Baggins was obviously well known, but that was even better - Shepherd could simply sit back and blame him when everything ievitably went pear-shaped.

Early results were promising. Bringing in £10m from Tottenham for Charles N'Zogbia and punting Belezoglu Emre to Lazio for a million meant there was cash and room under the wage budget to add Ian Harte and Leighton Baines. Adding experienced free transfers like Constantin Galca and Danny Cadamarteri and loaning Maciej Zurawski from Celtic completed the squad. Giving Shola Ameobi to Villa felt like ripping them off, whilst pay-offs were agreed with Steve Harper and Antoine Sibierski. The line-up was set.

Europe was the stage for the initial fixtures, Kalmar FF of Sweden dismissed 4-3 on aggregate, principally on the back of a 3-1 away win in the first leg, in the Intertoto Cup, bringing about a UEFA Cup Qualifying tie with FC Haka. There was a boost when UEFA confirmed that all the new signings would be eligible, and Baggins' side took full advantage with a 1-0 home win in leg 1 and, after opening the Premiership season with a 4-0 victory at Man City, thanks in the main to a seven-minute, three goal salvo midway through the first half, travelling to Finland to complete the job with a 2-0 win courtesy of second half goals from Milner and Galca.

Liverpool at Anfield is an entirely different story to what had come before, and losing Damien Duff to injury early in the game was of no assistance, Maciej Zurawski coming on in his stead. Moments later Peter Crouch had the hosts ahead and the game was effectively over. Losing Zurawski to injury with fifteen minutes of the first half left was enough to put the seal on things and the home side ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

A torn hamstring for Duff, a strained one for Martins and a rib injury for Zurawski meant those three joined long-term absentees Michael Owen and Kieron Dyer on the treatment table. With the media pimping Cadamarteri for Martins' spot, it was clearly a far from ideal situation for the visit of Bolton, traditionally a hard nut to crack.

An early Nobby Solano goal inspired some confidence in the side, and the remainder of the game was played out in relevant comfort, despite the depleted arsenal and a lack of any significant contribution from sole striker Giuseppe Rossi - Cadamarteri's global ban enduring beyond this fixture, up until November. Naughty boy.

HD

July/August Stats

Newcastle 0-0 Nurnberg (Friendly)
Kalmar FF 1-3 Newcastle Martins (2), Duff
Newcastle 1-2 Kalmar FF Parker
Newcastle 1-0 FC Haka Galca
Man City 0-4 Newcastle Martins (3), Milner
FC Haka 0-2 [/b]Newcastle[/b] Milner, Galca
Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle
Newcastle 1-0 Bolton Solano

Transfers In
Danny Cadamarteri, Free
Constantin Galca, Free
Ian Harte, Levante, £2.8m
Leighton Baines, Wigan, £7.5m
Maciej Zurawski, Celtic, Season-long loan, £1m

Transfers Out
Steve Harper, released
Antoine Sibierski, released
Shola Ameobi, Aston Villa, Free
Charles N'Zogbia, Tottenham, £10m
Belezoglu Emre, Lazio, £1m
Alan O'Brien, Leicester, Loan
Carl Finnigan, Wrexham, Loan
Celestine Babyaro, Birmingham, Loan
Liam Atkin, St Johnstone, Loan
Matty Pattison, St Johnstone, Loan
David Edgar, St Johnstone, Loan
Tim Krul, St Johnstone, Loan
Kazenga LuaLua, St Johnstone, Loan
Paul Huntington, St Johnstone, Loan

HD

September 2006

Three home games and three away were pencilled in for September as Baggins looked to solidify the start his side had made to the season. Newly-promoted sides Reading and Watford would be opponents expected to fall, whilst more experienced Premiership campaigners West Ham and Blackburn would surely provide stigger tests. Two legs against Norwegian side Lyn as Newcastle continued their tour of Scandinavia completed the calendar and held the key to a spot in the UEFA Cup group stage.

First half goals from Constantin Galca and Reading's unfortunate Péter Máté, past his own keeper, meant that a late Nicky Shorey goal was insufficient to prevent Baggins keeping the precious points at St James' Park in the month's opening fixture. Four days later, and in similar circumstances, Lyn were sent home to think again, Rossi opening the scoring and Lars Kristian Eriksen putting through his own goal on this occasion.

Two for two then, and a seemingly straightforward trip to Watford. Not so. A lacklustre performance - perhaps to be expected as the players faced a third game in eight days - and a 1-0 defeat, so disappointing. There was a boost ahead of the game at home to West Ham with Obafemi Martins returning after four games on the sidelines. The pacey Nigerian struck twice in the first half and that was all she wrote.

Once again it was a case of three games in eight days though, so after a 2-0 win in Norway, courtesy of Parker and Martins, guaranteed Newcastle's position in the group stage, not much was expected from the trip to Blackburn. Apparently the players were keen to avoid another 'Watford' though, and an hour of graft was rewarded when Constantin Galca slammed home a penalty kick. Two minutes later it was all undone as Benni McCarthy netted, but substitute Giuseppe Rossi made it two, and for the fifth time in six games this month that was sufficient.

HD

September Stats

Newcastle 2-1 Reading
Newcastle 2-0 Lyn
Watford 1-0 Newcastle
Newcastle 2-0 West Ham
Lyn 0-2 Newcastle
Blackburn 1-2 Newcastle

No transfer activity.

UEFA Cup Group Stage Draw:

Dinamo (Croatia)
Newcastle (England)
Lille (France)
Livorno (Italy)
Espanyol (Spain)