Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 After losing all three of my saved games due to a massive PC crash on my home computer and not having backed up any of my saves, I’m unable to continue my current threads - From Hong Kong With Love, Pearl of the Orient and I, Raware…Needless to say I was gutted when I found out there was no way of retrieving them, especially after the time and effort I put in to the saves and the threads. But, I guess you live and learn and you can be sure I shall be backing up my save games in future So, on the back of no longer having a current FM game going or a thread in this forum I have decided to start a new game with a new challenge. After reading corinthiano’s and DodgeeD’s threads in which their games are based in South America, I ventured into the CSE forum and browsed Razer’s South American challenge. The challenge looks a difficult, but interesting one and after reading through all three threads (corinthiano’s, DodgeeD’s and Razer’s) I’ve decided to start a game in South America with them being my inspiration. Considering it’s somewhere I’ve never managed in, in all the years I’ve been playing CM/FM, it’s definitely going to be a challenge as 1) I barely know anything about the South American leagues and how they work and 2) I’m unfamiliar with the majority of players that play there. Add to that, the fact that I’ll be playing alongside Razer’s challenge rules and it should make for an interesting game and thread. For those that are unaware of the challenge, the rules are simply – take a previously unplayable team from the lower leagues of a South American nation to their domestic title and the Copa Libertadores. While I’m not sure if I’ll be able to complete the challenge, I’m sure I’ll have a good game and learn something new about the South American league systems in the process. I hope you enjoy my journey. Comments are welcome and encouraged, good or bad Game – Football Manager 2008 (PC). Version – Official SI 8.0.1 patch. Database size – Large. Leagues loaded – Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Mexico Peru USA Uruguay Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - 10-11 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 1st 2nd Div champions 11-12 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 12th - 12-13 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 6th - 13-14 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 11th - 14-15 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 3rd - 15-16 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 2nd Prem Div runners up, Copa Lib winners 16-17 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 2nd Prem Div runners up, Copa Sud winners Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 So it begins… I started off unemployed and holidayed for a year. Once the first season was over and the newly, previously unplayable teams entered the leagues, I had a look at all of them and decided that the Argentinian league appealed to me the most. I had a look at the two new promoted teams in the Argentine Second Division, Los Andes and Sarmiento de Junin and decided to take over Sarmiento de Junin where I’ve been given a two year contract on £325 p/w. Initial Manager Profile So, my journey starts here... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Sarmiento de Junin are a professional football club based in Junin in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. They were founded in 1911 and have no notable honours in their history. They play their home games at the Eva Peron Stadium which holds 16,000 and are affectionately known as El Verde de Junin. The chairman, Fernando Chiofalo, welcomed me to the club and briefed me on the season’s objective of trying to avoid relegation. To do this he gave me a transfer budget of a massive £0 and a wage budget of £11.75k p/w of which the club already spend £5,202 on current players. This is the squad of players I have inherited - Sarmiento de Junin squad Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Mid-season update - 2008/09 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Second Division League Table With the media predicting us as heavy favourites to go straight back down, I knew we were in for a tough season. But to my delight, with half of the season gone, we have confounded their pre-season predictions as we sit at the dizzy heights of 3rd thanks to some great performances and some good results. One in particular player worth a mention at this stage is Daniel Cigogna who has hit 15 goals in 19 games. Cicgogna was already at the club when I arrived and has just agreed to renew his contract for a further 3 years. Without his goals we would undoubtedly be struggling at the foot of the table. While I’m obviously delighted with our league position so far, I’m not getting carried away just yet. There’s still half of the season to go but considering the 2 teams who went down last year finished on 11 and 18 points respectively, I think it’s safe to say we are safe at this point and that is my only objective this year. While I’m ambitious to finish as high as possible in the league, anything else from this point on will be a bonus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 End of season update - 2008/09 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Second Division League Table League Positions Graph After an excellent first half of the season which left us sat in third place by January, the second half of the season can only be described as just as excellent. With many people expecting us to falter and make a rapid descent down the league, we actually continued to confound critics to eventually finish in a very respectable position of 5th. With my only aim this year being to avoid relegation, I’m delighted to have finished where we did. There’s no doubt about it that we massively overachieved and every player played to their maximum, namely the front two Daniel Cigogna and Alfredo Guevara who scored 37 goals between them. Transfers - With 7 players coming in and 15 players leaving throughout the course of the season, the squad obviously has a different look to how it started out at the beginning of the season. The dead wood was sold and the squad was strengthened in the areas I felt it was needed. One particular player I was pleased at getting was 21 year old Brazilian midfielder Cristiano Teixeira who signed on a free. He has some impressive stats and managed to bag 5 goals in 16 games. Squad - A good squad of players who surprisingly punched above their weight in their first season in the Argentine Second Division. As you can see though, the squad is looking very thin and I’ll be looking to get some players in to both, add some competition for places and add cover for times when we’re hit with injuries. One other development which occurred during the season was a board takeover. We were taken over by a consortium who actually wanted to bring in their own manager. However, due to our great performances in the league, the board decided to stick with me much to my relief! Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Welcome to South America raware. A great first season! how does the relegation system work in Argentina? Is it average points? If so, you've probably guaranteed your safety for next season already. Was there a cash injection as a result of the takeover? I've had two takeovers at Estudiantes Santander and both times, the new chairman revealed 'no plans for investment' How far do you intend to go with Sarmiento? Have you got any plans to move on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Thanks for the warm welcome DodgeeD It was you, corinthiano and Razer who inspired me to play in South America for the very first time. It was an amazing first season and one I wasn't really expecting. If anything I was expecting a relegation battle so to finish where we did was a great achievement. The bottom two go down automatically and then from what I can gather so far is that the other two places are decided on average points, so you maybe right in that I should be ok for next season...as long as I don't finish in the bottom two that is! When the new board took over they only put in £100k and didn't indicate if there would be any more cash injections to follow It's a shame really because i'm really struggling financially and without another cash injection i'll be in the red They have however upgraded the training facilities. I'm hoping to go as far as I can with Sarmiento and maybe get close to achieving Razer's challenge, but it's going to take a while. I'm not sure if i'll be able to do it but i'm going to have a good go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purefun Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Nice to see you back with a new game. Looks already very interesting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WH Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Hi Raware, I'm sorry to see the end of your other careers and glad you're back. Great first season, looks like an impressive partnership upfront. I would be lost with no knowledge of the clubs or players from that region. Are there any unusual rules regarding the squad in general or the make up of the match day squad? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Cheers Purefun and WH Glad to have a game going again It was a really good season last year for me in which we overachieved massively, unfortunately it's not going so well this year as you'll see in my next mid-season update. I am a bit lost as I too have no idea about how the league's work or what players there are about so i'm learning as I go along and relying heavily on my scouts and assistant. But that's part of what's enjoyable about this save for me. There are a few rules - There are only certain dates you can sign players, offer contracts, etc and you can only have 4 foreigners in your match squad. It's actually a pretty tough league too with unusual promotion/relegation rules. The top two go up with a possibilty of four depending on playoffs and the bottom two go down with the possibility of four depending on average points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Mid-season update - 2009/10 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Second Division League Table After last seasons great performances in the league, the media weren’t associating relegation with us this year and tipped us to finish 13th. I was also predicting us to finish in the top half of the table/mid table and felt confident in telling the board this as the season’s objective. However, with us now in January and half of the season gone, it’s been a very different story to last year as we sit amongst a relegation battle, scrapping for our lives. It seems that we are indeed suffering from the ‘second season scenario’. We started the season off very poorly as we failed to win in our first 9 games. Things have picked up slowly since then but not enough to drag us away from trouble and I find my job status sat at precarious. During the summer I added a few new faces to the squad who are more than capable of performing at this level but they’re just not playing well and it seems as if they’re having trouble gelling together. Add to that our financial troubles in which we’re £300k in the red and things aren’t looking too good at Eva Peron. My only concerns now for the remainder of the season are to 1) make sure we don’t go down and 2) make sure I’m still in a job by June. Then after that we can look at where it went wrong and why and start to correct that for next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 20, 2009 Author Share Posted September 20, 2009 End of season update - 2009/10 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Second Division League Table League Positions Graph After a very disappointing first half of the season which left us hanging perilously close to the relegation zone, things had to improve in the second half if we were to have any chance of achieving our pre-season goal of a top half/mid table finish. With the squad of players we had I was quietly confident that it would only be a matter of time before they started to gel and drag us out of the trouble we were in. Thankfully, as the season progressed, the players did click and we managed to grind out some important results which eventually saw us finish 9th by the end of the season. It took a while for them to start performing but once again, those two men up front, Daniel Cigogna and Alfredo Guevara were the star performers as they bagged 39 goals between them. On the face of it, it looks as if we’ve taken a step back from last year as we’ve finished lower in the league but, if I’m honest, we probably finished too high last year and that gave a false portrayal of where we stand. While we had a very poor start to this season, I’m pleased with the spirit and fight we put up in the second half to claim a more suitable and respectable 9th place. With the players now settled, I feel happy with the squad I have and think that we should be able to kick on for next season now to finish in the top six and maybe even sneak a challenge for promotion. Transfers - As I said last year, the squad was looking very thin and needed some additions if we were to improve on last year’s performances. As you can see, 15 players came in and 7 players left over the course of the season and I’m very happy with the new additions we’ve made, especially Javier Robles and Matias Abelairas who both look like very promising players. Squad - While it took them some time to settle and gel, I’m confident that the players are finally adjusted now and hopefully that’ll show next season. I’m very happy with the squad of players I have and think that we have more than enough quality to be finishing in the top six. One more point is my job status. During the mid-season update in January my job status was sat at precarious with me looking as if I was going to be getting the boot soon. As we picked up our form though it slowly dropped to very insecure, to insecure and now finally back to secure, much to my relief and I can now look forward to getting this season out of the way and still being in a job next season. Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WH Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 Good fight back Raware. Sounds like you were on the brink of getting the chop. You have set top six as a realistic target for next season.(if things gel) What do the Media predict? and also what are the board expectations? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 20, 2009 Author Share Posted September 20, 2009 I think I was 4 or 5 games away from the chop WH if i'm honest, as I was sat at precarious for some time, but thankfully, the players turned it around to save my bacon! I've set my own expectations as top six but the media are actually predicting us to finish 10th. I've told the board I think I can achieve a safe mid-table finish after last season when I told them I thought we could finish in the top half which I think put a bit of pressure on us and added to our poor start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Mid-season update - 2010/11 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Second Division League Table With last seasons dire start still fresh in our minds we knew that we couldn’t afford to make the same mistake this season if we’re to stand any chance of making an impact within this league. The media had us down to finish 10th but I felt, providing we had a good start, we could finish better than that. However, after putting a bit too much pressure on the players last year, which was one of the causes to our poor start, I opted to tell the board that I concurred with the media’s prediction and agreed that a mid-table position was more probable. So, with us now in January and sat top of the league by 4 points, it goes without saying that I’m delighted with our season so far. We’ve produced some good displays and got the rewards we deserved. All of the players seem to have finally adapted to each other and that’s showing on the pitch as we’re playing some good football. Once again, the stand out player at this stage of the season is Daniel Cigogna who has hit an impressive 13 goals in 17 games to take him to 66 league goals for Sarmiento and with that a place in the clubs history books as the all time scorer. While I’m obviously delighted with our performances on the pitch, off it has been a different story and we find ourselves gradually slipping more and more into debt as we now stand at -£572, 493 in the red. With us obviously struggling financially and the with the chairman already stepping in and accepting a bid of £250k for our striker Leandro Martinez who hit 11 in 11 before moving on, it’s of paramount importance that we continue our good form and win promotion by the end of the season to at least stabilize the clubs finances and prevent the need to sell any more players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 End of season update - 2010/11 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Second Division League Table League Positions Graph With half of the season gone things were looking very promising as we sat top of the league by 4 points. However, the job was still only half done and if we wanted to claim promotion we needed to continue in the same vain as how we started. The players showed great effort and determination as well as quality throughout the second half of the season and by the end of it we managed to win promotion to the Argentine Premier Division, finishing as champions, 15 points ahead of runners up Defensores. Once again, the star man was Daniel Cigogna who is now becoming synonymous with the club, as he bagged 18 goals for the season. One other star performer was Matias Jara who, after a slow start last year, sprung into life this year as he netted 17 goals to form a lethal strike force with Cigogna. An excellent season overall and a surprising one at that if I’m honest. I was quietly confident of pushing for a top six place this year but to finish as champions really shows the quality we have in the squad. Needless to say I’m obviously ecstatic at claiming promotion especially in the fashion in which we did so but make no mistake, I’m totally aware of the mammoth task ahead of us next season. It’s going to be very tough and I’d be delighted if we scraped survival but in order to do that, as strong as our squad is at the minute, it’ll need some quality added to it if we’re to stay up next year. Transfers - It was fairly quiet this year on the transfer front compared to last year as we only brought in 4 players. One player I was particularly pleased at getting was Pablo Fontanello who we managed to get in for a record £5k. He has some good stats, is still fairly young and he turned out to be one of the top performers of the season for us. Out of the door saw 3 players leave, 2 released and the other was Leandro Martinez who went to Belgrano for a record £250k after the chairman stepped in and accepted the offer on my behalf, claiming it was too good to turn down…how nice of him! Squad - With the players struggling to adapt to each other last year, this year has been a different story as from the off they seemed to click straight away and put in some great displays over the course of the season which included a 7 game winning streak and a 12 game unbeaten run. However, with the huge task facing us next season in the Premier Division, I think a few players may not be up to that standard and if we’re to stand any chance of survival, I’ll need to get some quality additions in sooner rather than later. Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - 10-11 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 1st 2nd Div champions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rancer890 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Nice work Raware. Good luck in the top flight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Football Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Nice layout of the updates easy to read and well done. I'm just starting a new game now with two European nations and two South American ones. You've just inspired me to start in the Argentinian second division. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 Nice work Raware. Good luck in the top flight. Cheers rancer. I think I'm going to need it! Nice layout of the updates easy to read and well done.I'm just starting a new game now with two European nations and two South American ones. You've just inspired me to start in the Argentinian second division. Thank you. Thanks Lord football and welcome to the forums I chose to style the layouts this way to hopefully make it easier to read and I'm glad you found that. There's nothing worse than a tough thread to read. After reading dafuge's thread, I found it easy to read and follow and this is what my thread style is based on. So, cheers dafuge, I'm sure you don't mind me using your update style Good luck in your new save and let us know how you do Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Football Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I prefer reading other peoples success. I have had success as I am top of the hall of fame on my own game but I can never be bothered updating my career so the thread would be rubbish. (If anyone wants the screen shot just say, for any of you non-believers.) Keep up the good work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Mid-season update - 2011/12 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Premier Division League Table With us still on a high from last season’s heroics, we knew that this season we were in for a tough time. The media agreed and promptly placed us at odds on favourites to go straight back down where they’ve predicted us to finish bottom of the league. I had to agree to some extent and I chose to tell the board my expectation for this season would be to consolidate and to try and avoid relegation. However, with half of the season gone and the opening stage of the league complete, we’re sat at a very surprising position of 9th. While the majority of the players have played well, our top performer has undoubtedly been Matias Jara who’s hit 13 goals in 19 games. Obviously I’m delighted with our performances so far this season but we’re only halfway there and there’s still time for things to change. While I don’t want to look on things too pessimistically, we have to be aware of the quality of the teams in the division and how they could pick up their form or we could still be dragged into a relegation battle. All I want for the rest of the season is to keep playing the way we have done so far and hopefully that’ll guarantee a spot in the league which keeps us safe from the drop. Anything other than avoiding relegation will be regarded as a successful season for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WH Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Well done on the promotion. A Very solid start to the new league. Should at least give you a good chance of avoiding a relegation fight. Looks like you have been letting a few goals in. I assume when you get beaten its a good beating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Cheers WH. Glad you're still following Yeah, I was surprised at how quickly we managed to get promoted as I was expecting at least 5 years in the Second Division. As for the Premier Division, it's tough. As you said, I just can't keep a clean sheet and when I get beat, I get hammered. Most notably a 4-0 drubbing against Boca and a 5-2 loss at Velez. Even when we're winning we just can't shut up shop and they always seem to equalise. But, as long as we survive this season i'll be happy and then we can look to establish ourselves in the league in the next few years. I think it's going to take some time before we catch up, in terms of quality, with the likes of Boca, River and San Lorenzo but I expected that anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 End of season update - 2011/12 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Premier Division League Table League Positions Graph After an excellent first half of the season which saw us finish the opening stage of the league in 9th place, we knew we had to continue in a similar form for the second half of it if we were to avoid being dragged into a relegation fight. Unfortunately we didn’t and we seemed to struggle which eventually left us with only 4 wins out of the remaining 19 games. Luckily though, the teams below us all struggled too which meant we managed to escape relegation by 0.19 points. The relegation system in Argentina is a strange system and one I’m not familiar with. The 2 teams with the worst average points are automatically relegated and then the next 2 teams with the worst average points go into a play-off with the 2 teams from the Second Division who have the best average points to determine who goes up and who goes down. As you can see, we finished on an average points score of 1.24 in the Average points table which was enough to leave us in 15th place and safe from the threat of relegation. That was my only aim this year and I’m delighted to have achieved that. While the majority of the players played well, our star performer was undoubtedly Matias Jara who, without his goals, I’m sure we would’ve been close to being relegated. So overall, an excellent season and one I’m very happy with. As I said before, my only objective this year was to avoid going back down and I’m pleased we achieved that. With us now guaranteed to be in the top flight for another season, I think I may have to strengthen the squad a little more as during the second half of the season we faltered and we didn’t have a squad big enough or with enough quality in it to sustain our good early form and we came close to being relegated. Transfers - The transfer windows were extremely busy yet difficult at the same time for us. With no money and a real lack of quality in the squad, we needed our scouts to find some gems for us if we were to stand any chance of survival. I sent them out and they came back with some great finds as we brought in no less than 13 players for a mere £1k. 2 players I was really pleased at getting were Junior Romero and Paolo De la Haza. Both have great stats and I have high hopes for both of them. Squad - I’m pleased with the squad of players I have and feel that they have more than enough quality to keep us in the Premier Division next season. However, we need to kick on and while my main aim next year will be again to avoid relegation, we have to make some kind of progress and I may need a couple more players who have just that bit extra that we need to push on. It all depends on the financial side of the club though and if the chairman keeps any income that comes our way to himself again, like he has done this year, then it’ll look unlikely that we’ll get anyone else in. Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - 10-11 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 1st 2nd Div champions 11-12 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 12th - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton162 Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 A very good first season in the top flight of Argentina Raware Are there any clubs without a manager that you are interested in joining? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 26, 2009 Author Share Posted September 26, 2009 Yeah, I was pleased with our progress and subsequent survival in our first season in the top flight. I just hope I don't suffer the 'second season scenario' again like I did in the 09-10 season. There are a couple of clubs without a manager but at the minute i'm trying to play this save along side Razer's rules so I may be at Sarmiento for a little while longer! If I ever complete the challenge then I might look at moving to another club. It just depends on how I get on with Sarmiento. Nice to have you following too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rancer890 Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Nice work in your first season in the top flight. Hope for better things to come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Nice work in your first season in the top flight. Hope for better things to come. Cheers rancer . Hopefully, I can build on that good first season now and start working towards challenging at the top end of the table in years to come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Mid-season update - 2012/13 Sarmiento de Junin – Argentine Premier Division League Table My main aim again this year is to avoid relegation. Although we finished in an excellent 12th place last season, I didn’t want us to get ahead of ourselves so I opted for the expectation of fighting to avoid the drop. The media seemed to agree despite our 12th place finish and had us down for 18th. After seeing how our season in 09-10 turned out, I just didn’t want us to suffer the ‘second season scenario’ again, so I thought this expectation would lift the pressure on us a little. As we’ve now hit the halfway mark of the season and the opening stage of the league is complete, it seems as if I’ve got what I wanted as we’ve shown no sign of suffering from the dreaded ‘second season scenario’ and we sit proudly in 6th place. Some gritty performances and some hard work, coupled with this man, Henry Gimenez hitting 13 goals in 19 games, has been the foundation on which we’ve built our great season on so far. Again, obviously I’m delighted with our performances so far this season but this time last year saw us in a similar position and the second half of the season saw us struggle where we only won 4 of the remaining 19 games. We know we’re only half way there but if we can continue our great form into the closing stage of the league then I’m more than confident of staying up. I’ll be looking for us to hit the 50 point mark this season to 1) guarantee our safety and 2) keep our average points pretty high to hopefully give us a stepping stone for next year. Anything above 50 points and what ever league position that brings will be a success in my eyes. I’ll then be confident that we’ve established ourselves in the league and we can then look at making progress in the league next year. It’s all about little steps… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Good steady progress Raware. Are you finding it easier to attract better players to the club now? How are your finances? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 Yeah, i'm pleased with the steady progress we're making. It's a lot easier to sign better players now i'm in the Premier Division which is obviously what I need if we're to stay in the division. However, two particluar players I was pleased at getting last season have now left for £1M and £1.5M. While I didn't want them to go, the offers were just too good to refuse and considering I was -£800k, I had no option really but to sell them. But as I said, it's easier to get better players in now so hopefully I can get some decent replacements in. The finances are now at £2.5M which is pleasing the board a little more We're only spending £31K on wages per week but we're still losing money. The ground is starting to fill out every week now (16000 capacity) so hopefully in a couple of years we can be prime candidates for an expansion or better, a new stadium which will help a lot towards making a profit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 End of season update - 2012/13 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Premier Division League Table League Positions Graph With a solid first half of the season behind us, we had a good foundation to make some real progress in the second half of the season. As I said, avoiding relegation was the main aim again this year so with the season now over and with us finishing 6th, I’m absolutely delighted with how our season turned out. While everybody played well throughout the season, our star player was definitely Henry Gimenez who bagged 28 goals, which gave him both a place as the club’s and league’s top scorer in a season. Another player worth a mention is his strike partner Matias Jara who, despite not hitting the dizzy heights he hit last year, still chipped in with an impressive 16 goals. So, another superb season and one I was again not really expecting. We’ve made huge strides in the past few years and with our highest ever league placement of 6th comes a place for the first time in the clubs history in next years Copa Sudamericana. An outstanding achievement and although I’m not expecting anything in this competition, the experience will greatly benefit the players. With us now having acquired a good average points total over the past couple of years, I think safety is more or less guaranteed next year so I’ll be looking for us to kick on and try and finish as high as possible. If we can finish in the top 6 again, that would be a massive achievement and it would show we’re not just one hit wonders. Transfers - Once again the transfer windows were busy times for us as we brought in no less than 15 players for a total cost of £230k and let 16 leave, recouping £5.5 million which boosted our finances considerably. Two players I’m delighted to have captured are Miguel Angel Cortez who’s been capped 7 times by Ecuador and looks very promising and Marcos Duarte for a record £110k, who my scouts tell me is one of the brightest prospects in Argentine football. Hopefully both of them can live up to their potential and fire us to the top along the way. Squad - I’m very happy with the squad of players at my disposal and I think we can finish at least in a mid table position by the end of next season. There are still a few weak links in the squad though and I’ll be looking to get some players in over the summer with the new found wealth we have! Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - 10-11 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 1st 2nd Div champions 11-12 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 12th - 12-13 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 6th - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton162 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 A fantastic season there Raware, establishing yourself well in the top half of the table Hopefully you can break into the top 4 sometime soon Cortez looks fantastic for your level and Duarte could be a pretty handy player in years to come How did you get Cortez on a free though? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted September 30, 2009 Author Share Posted September 30, 2009 Cheers hamilton. It's going to be tough to break the top 4 though as they're just too good at the minute. I'm delighted to have captured Cortez, I sent my scouts out to Ecuador looking for players who's contracts were expiring and he's came top of their list. After one look at him I offered him the most I could offer which included a £100k signing on fee which I never do. I was surprised that no one else was tracking him, if they were then I think he would've joined a bigger club. I'm pleased with Duarte too as he looks like he could be pretty decent...according to my scouts though he's one of the hottest properties in Argentina...I hope they're right! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 2, 2009 Author Share Posted October 2, 2009 Mid-season update - 2013/14 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Premier Division League Table In my opinion, I feel that we have massively over achieved in the past couple of years and although I’m obviously delighted with our past two final league positions in the Premier Division, I think they give a false portrayal of where we actually stand. With this in mind and considering the media’s prediction of a 17th place finish by the end of the season, I once again opted for the expectation of consolidation and trying to avoid relegation. Also, with some new faces in the squad who I think will take time to adjust and blend in with the rest of the team, this only served to back up my belief of a season of consolidation. However, with half of the season complete, we have once again confounded the critics as we sit 7th. Once again, this man Henry Gimenez has been one of the main reasons for our great position in the league as he’s hit 12 goals in 18 games. One other player who has come on leaps and bounds in the past year is Marcos Duarte who has put in some impressive displays so far which has earnt him the Argentinian Young Player of the Year award. He looks a very exciting prospect indeed and both Boca and River have shown interest in him lately. Hopefully I can keep hold of him for a while longer though. After another excellent first half of the season I’m getting more and more confident in our ability to compete at this level. The players have put in some great displays so far and we need to continue that into the second half of the season. I think our average points total is more than enough now to guarantee our safety even at this stage of the season and the closing stage of the league will now be about finishing as high as possible in the league to hopefully, once again qualify for next years Copa Sudamericana. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 End of season update - 2013/14 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Premier Division League Table League Positions Graph How different can two halves of a season be? Following our great start to the league campaign which left us sat 7th at the halfway stage, I was expecting us to continue our fine form into the remainder of the season to hopefully match last seasons 6th place. This wasn’t the case though as we really struggled and at times put in some really poor performances which highlighted our weaknesses and where we actually stand in terms of quality within the league. We actually only picked up 18 points which was the fourth worst record in the division for the closing stage of the league and if it wasn’t for our good performances in the first half of the season, we could’ve slipped dangerously close to being relegated. Every player failed to perform to their best, including Henry Gimenez who, despite finishing with 19 goals to his name, I expected a lot more from. I have kind of mixed feelings about the season as after our great start I thought it was a good stepping stone for another good season in which we could qualify for the Copa Sudamericana but the second half of the season saw us really struggle and showed me where we actually stand in the league compared to the other teams. But considering my pre-season expectation of consolidation and trying to avoid relegation, I guess I have to be delighted that we’ve once again managed to stay in the division. I don’t know, maybe with our over achievements in the past couple of years, I’m expecting too much? Despite our poor second half of the season though there are still positives to be taken out of it in which the new players seemed to have settled in well and our young exciting prospect in Marcos Duarte seems to be striving to fulfil his potential with another good season and the Argentinian Young Player of the Year award under his belt. Copa Sudamericana - With our 6th place finish last season came with it a place in the Copa Sudamericana. I wasn’t expecting anything in this competition other than gaining some invaluable experience so for us to make it to the First round was a bonus for us. It generated some much needed cash and although we went out to a side who on paper were no better than us, I’m still pleased with our performances in the competition. Transfers - Another busy transfer window saw us bring in 10 players for a total cost of £2.9 million but offset that with the players that left the club and we still managed to make a profit of £300k which helped our ever decreasing bank balance somewhat. Two players I was delighted to have got were Reimond Manco who I smashed the previous transfer record to bring him to Eva Peron for £2 million and Franco Zuculini who arrived on a free after his contract expired with his previous club. Both players look excellent and hopefully they’ll add that bit of extra flair and creativity that we seemed to have missed in recent years. Squad - The squad is looking very good and I’m more than confident that it has enough quality in it to at least keep our status as a Premier Division club. Even though we had a poor second half of the season, (I think that was partly due to the fact the players needed time to adapt to each other), I’m confident that this group of players can start to make a real impact within the league in the next few years. Like I said last season though and this year backed up that point, there are still weak areas of the squad and I’ll still be looking for players to strengthen those weaknesses. Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - 10-11 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 1st 2nd Div champions 11-12 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 12th - 12-13 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 6th - 13-14 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 11th - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DodgeeD Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 So your expected drop in form finally came... Nevertheless, a good season and it looks as though you've made a pair of good signings for the season ahead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 Yeah, unfortunately it finally came, although as you say I was expecting it sooner or later. There was only so long I could continue over achieving . I was pleased with the 2 signings I made and both had a good debut season. Although Zuculini has now gone after the chairman kindly stepped in and accepted a £2 million offer from Standard Liege! Manco is a player i've been tracking for some time and I was surprised when he agreed to join us. Hopefully, now our finances are sorted (we've got £4 million now) the chairman can stop accepting offers on my behalf! One other player that has left, once again thanks to our chairman, is Cortez who went to Independiente for £2.5 million. I've signed a couple of replacements who look half decent so i'm hoping they can fill the boots that have been left. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iacovone Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Don't you just love it when chairmen step in and destroy your team? Any chance of some screenshots of the new boys? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeLikeFM Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 doesnt look like you pay much attention to the Natural Fitness stat from the two players i have looked at. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 Don't you just love it when chairmen step in and destroy your team? Any chance of some screenshots of the new boys? I know, it really ****** me off sometimes! I had high hopes for them too These are the new boys i've brought in to hopefully replace the one's that have left. Sepulveda and Moreno are the stand out players and according to my scouts have the potential to be better than both Zuculini and Cortez. The other 2 are really players for the future and i'm hoping they can fulfil their supposed potential in the next few years. Maximiliano Sepulveda - Signed on a free from Boca after his contract expired. Surprisingly only played 3 games for them in 7 years and I was more than happy to take him off their hands. Jordi Martinez Moreno - Signed for £1.2 million and money well spent in my opinion looking at his stats. Hopefully he can live up to the hype my scouts gave him. Arnau Abad - Signed for £1 million despite only being 18. Touted as the next Hugo Rodallega which says it all really. Juan Martin Gimenez - Signed for £10k. Nothing brilliant but still has some time to develop and hopefully he can turn out to be a bargain buy. doesnt look like you pay much attention to the Natural Fitness stat from the two players i have looked at. In the position i'm in, I can't really afford to be picky and have every stat perfect so there has to be some compromise. I actually rotate my squad quite a lot and use all of my 3 subs in nearly every game so the natural fitness stat is one i'm willing to sacrifice. Some players i've signed though have good natural fitness like this guy who I signed last year - Ariel Solis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 Pre-season 2014/15 Sarmiento de Junin - Squad Now my squad is pretty much settled and i've got the kind of players I want, I thought i'd post their profiles for you guys to see. As you can see i've settled on a squad size of around 23 with some back up players and hot prospects in the reserves in case of any injury crisis'. Nereo ChampagneLuis Alberto Ojeda Pablo Fontanello Marcelo Cardozo Juan Manuel Enrique Nestor Duarte Facundo Roncaglia Ariel Solis Oscar Alonso Walter Serrano Lucas Penna Maximiliano Sepulveda Alejandro Velazquez Marcos Duarte Jordi Martinez Moreno Andres Vargas Reimond Manco Jonathan Chaves Henry Gimenez Arnau Abad Angel Cuevas Diego Galeano Matias Jara Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Mid-season update - 2014/15 Sarmiento de Junin – Argentine Premier Division League Table Again, I opted for the objective of consolidation and attempting to avoid relegation for this season. Our poor turn in form in the second half of last season was one of the reasons that reinforced this view along with the media’s prediction of 17th place for us. However, with half of the season now complete, we find ourselves at the dizzy heights of 4th and needless to say, I’m delighted with our season so far. The main performer so far for us this season is Jordi Martinez Moreno who’s stepped into Cortez’s shoes with minimal effort as he’s bagged 9 goals in 19 games and claimed the Argentinian Young Player of the Year award. This makes it two years in a row that one of our players has claimed this award after Marcos Duarte claimed it last year and I have to say, it’s encouraging and makes the future look bright for our club…if the chairman doesn’t step in sell any more players that is. He’s already accepted offers for Cortez and Zuculini on my behalf in the past and he’s just accepted an offer of £3.6 million from Colorado Rapids for Oscar Alonso. It looks like he’ll agree terms so we’ll have to start searching for a new right back. So, overall another excellent first half of the season but we’ve become synonymous with being poor performers in the second half of the season and this is something we must address and stop if we’re to make any progress within this league. With our safety now more or less guaranteed thanks to our good average points tally, all I’ll be looking for now is for us to continue our good form and to finish as high as possible with maybe even us qualifying for next years Copa Sudamericana for the second time in 3 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Just a quick update - Oscar Alonso surprisingly turned down the offer from Colorado Rapids after he said he wanted more money than they were offering him and a key role in their team. Hopefully I can keep hold of him for a while longer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeLikeFM Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Just a quick update - Oscar Alonso surprisingly turned down the offer from Colorado Rapids after he said he wanted more money than they were offering him and a key role in their team. Hopefully I can keep hold of him for a while longer Offer him a nice juicy 5yr contract now mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WH Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Good stuff Raware. You seem to have established your team as a premier division club now. Lets hope your chairman butts out long enough for you to build a team to break the Big 4. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Offer him a nice juicy 5yr contract now mate. Done Good stuff Raware.You seem to have established your team as a premier division club now. Lets hope your chairman butts out long enough for you to build a team to break the Big 4. Yeah, I'm happy with us establishing ourselves in this league over the past few years, now we can concentrate on making a move up the league to hopefully, one day, complete Razer's challenge Although, as you say, only if my interferring chairman butts out. He's just accepted 2 more offers on players and they have left I've got no chance of breaking the top teams if he persists in selling all of our star players! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 End of season update - 2014/15 Sarmiento de Junin - Argentine Premier Division League Table League Positions Graph With a superb first half of the season under our belt and with us already meeting the season’s objective of avoiding relegation, the second half of it was all about continuing our good form to finish as high as possible in the league. Traditionally, we’ve been poor performers in the second half of the season in recent years so you can imagine how pleased I am that by the end of it we’ve finished 3rd; an amazing achievement in itself and one that must go down as a surprise for everybody. One of the main reasons for our great season was Jordi Martinez Moreno who in his first season with us after a £1.2 million move from Envigado has wasted no time in making himself a favourite with the fans as he hit 21 goals in 36 games…not bad for a midfielder! He also claimed the Argentinian Young Player of the Year and is already attracting the interest of Inter Milan and Benfica. But if our chairman’s track record in past years is anything to go by then he won’t be a Sarmiento de Junin player for much longer . Overall a season in which we massively over achieved and one I must be delighted with despite a few lows; while I’m obviously pleased with our highest league position ever, I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed about the players we’ve lost due to our ever interfering chairman. We made massive progress this year and if we want to continue in doing so then we must keep hold of our better players. We can’t challenge the likes of River and Boca if our squad is continuously being depleted…if the chairman refuses to stop his ways then I may have no alternative other than to look for another club…I just hope it doesn’t come to that! Transfers - If I had my way then the transfer windows wouldn’t have been as busy as they were but thanks to our chairman they were. He stepped in and accepted no less than 5 offers on my behalf in which 4 of the players in question left. Those players were Miguel Angel Cortez who left for Independiente for £2.5 million, Franco Zuculini who left for Standard Liege for £2 million, Carlos Drummond who left for Colorado Rapids for £2.4 million and Angel Cuevas who went to OGC Nice for £2.3 million. The other offer that was accepted was from Colorado Rapids for Oscar Alonso for £3.6 million but he rejected the move after the wage and role within the team he was offered wasn’t enough for what he wanted. Obviously I’m disappointed to see those players leave but on the plus side, our finances are looking a lot healthier now and we have £4 million in the bank. With this transfer income I chose to bring in a few replacements in the form of Jordi Martinez Moreno, Arnau Abad, Maximilliano Sepulveda and Gustavo Gaitan for a record £2.4 million. All look capable replacements and I’m pleased with their first season amongst the team. Squad - After losing the players we did and bringing the new faces in, I was afraid that the squad was weaker than last year. But I’m delighted with look of the squad now and they showed this year that they’re able to compete with every team in this league. IF I can keep hold of the players I have then I see no reason why we can’t start to make a real impact within the league. I think avoiding relegation is now a distant objective for us and if anything we should be pushing for at least a top half finish next year. Career Summary Season Team League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08-09 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 5th - 09-10 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 9th - 10-11 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine 2nd Division 1st 2nd Div champions 11-12 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 12th - 12-13 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 6th - 13-14 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 11th - 14-15 Sarmiento de Junin Argentine Premier Division 3rd - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thistles * player Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Congrats on the success raware. I was wondering, lots of your players seem to have very high free kick attributes, do you score alot of free kicks? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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