[FM10] The conquest of the two thrones

Well, hello everyone. First time I start a thread in this part of the forums. I'm a relative newbie in the FMS forum, and I've been thinking for a while about starting a new save to kill time while I catch up with the writing of my main career. I've got almost three full seasons of catching up to do, so this'd better be a long one .

Anyway, while waiting for the Club World Championship (and oh was it worth the wait!), a thought crossed my mind: had any real life manager managed to win both the Copa Libertadores and the European Cup/Champions League throughout his career? After some google-fu and a little help from my FMS fellas (thanks Terk), I found out that the answer was no. Relatively unsurprising, since successful European managers rarely travel to work in South America, but there are many South American managers coaching top teams in Europe that could have done this before.

And that's the goal of my new career: conquering both the European and South American thrones. For this, I've started a new game with the top 2 divisions of the 8 countries which accumulate the most continental titles: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia (Paraguay is not playable) for South America, and Spain, Italy, England and Germany for Europe. Large database, no other players retained, vanilla 10.2 database without any active mods.

Since I'm doing this for the fun of it more than looking for a hyper-realistic challenge, my alter ego will be an Argentinian/Spanish manager with automatic past experience, hopefully making the jump between continents a little bit easier. The idea is to start in South America with a medium-sized team (top half of bottom flight, bottom half of top flight), and either make them grow and bring them to the Libertadores title, or jump ship to a bigger club in the future. The game will start in June 30th 2009, and I'll use the "Pick a team for me" feature to cycle through a few possible initial clubs until I see one that fits the criteria. International management is not a main goal, but winning both the Copa América and the Euro would make a cute bonus side-challenge, so I'll take the chance if it comes.

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[i][font=Courier New]Season  Team                     League                 Final position(s)   Achievements               Other
[/font][/i][font=Courier New]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009(2) CA Bucaramanga CD        Colombian Primera B    1st-3rd             None                       None
[/font][i][font=Courier New]
[/font][/i]

Interesting that no real life manager has ever achieved that, good luck

Wow, a comment already, and it snuck in while I was formatting this? I must be doing something right . Thanks iacovone, hopefully you'll keep reading.

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Rolling the dice a few times to get a non-bankrupt South American team gave me Club Atlético Bucaramanga Corporación Deportiva as my first step on the road to the double crown. And yep, when I'm selecting a team to play having a funny name is certainly a bonus . Ugly badge, though.

Founded in 1949, CA Bucaramanga CD are a professional club currently playing in the Colombian Primera B or Copa Premier, the second tier in the Colombian system known as Second Division in the game. They play their games in the city of Bucaramanga, in a stadium called Estadio Alfonso López, with 28000 seats and a soft synthetic surface. Oh well, at least I won't have to worry about mowing the grass... After ten years in Primera, Bucaramanga relegated to the Primera B in 2008 after finishing last in the average table (more on the crazy Colombia promotion/relegation system later). Of course, they're favourites for promotion, and the board expects exactly that.

The staff looks short, but quite decent for the level. A half-capable assistant manager, two decent coaches, a great fitness coach, a nice physio, and a completely useless scout that was shown the way out in my first day. After signing a goalkeeping coach and three scouts to fill all the gaps allowed by the board, I was done.

Now, onto the playing squad. The first thing I noticed is that the first squad is very short, only eighteen players, three of them on loan. The reserves only had two available players (which hopefully will never ever make it to the starting eleven), and five players who had been loaned out, among them Sherman Cárdenas, playing for Millonarios probably the best player in the whole squad. I'll be counting the days until he comes back in December. Edwards Jiménez is quite nice, too, and he's also out on loan at Real Cartagena.

The second thing I noticed is the complete lack of any left-sided midfielder. We're also a bit lacking in center backs, with only two players who can play there. Those will be my main targets in the transfer market, then. Problem is, we're already a bit (€630/week) above the wage budget of €5.421/week. Some fiddling with our €97k transfer budget allows me to raise the bar a bit, but that leaves us with only €25k to spend on players. Not exactly ideal, but we'll have to do with that for now. The general balance looks good, €335k in the black, but the stingy board members will only make 10% of any transfer fees received available for spending. Not nice.

Before getting into the transfer market, though, a look at the fixtures. And it looks like our first competitive game is... tomorrow! The Colombian system, as depicted in the game, is a bit of a mess. The Primera B league itself has 18 teams, and, like most South American leagues, is divided in two phases, one for each half of the year. In each phase, the teams play each other once, and the top 8 at the end of the phase qualify for a "second round", in which they're divided in two groups of four which play each other twice. Then, the top teams of each of those groups play each other in a two-game playoff. *Then*, at the end of the second phase, the winners of both playoffs play each other twice. The winner promotes to the first tier, and the loser plays *yet another* playoff against the 17th-placed team in the top tier. Crazy. And from what I gather from Wikipedia, the real-life system is even more complicated, with regional groupings and such.

Then there's the Colombian Cup, which happens to be our next fixture. The Cup starts with 6 regional groups of 6 teams each, which play each other once. The top 2 of each group qualify for a two-game knockout second phase, with the 6 winners reaching the third phase. In this phase, another two-game knockout round, the three winners *and the loser who had the most points in the first phase* (they had to fit something crazy like this somehow) qualify for the semifinals, which is another two-game knockout round. The final is also played along two games.

With the background information out of the way, let's look at how Bucaramanga have done so far. The first phase of the league has just ended, and after finishing 6th in the main table, they managed to win their second round group on goal difference over Pasto and qualify for the final, which they lost against Real Santander, 4-3 on aggregate. The second phase starts in only five days, and the goal is to reach the final playoff again and try to win it this time. In the Cup, we're done already. Our upcoming game against Cúcuta means nothing, since we're fourth in the group and four points away from the second place with only this one game left to play. The board didn't really care about the competition, so it's all good.

In the next update (estimated date: tomorrow, with some luck), a transfer summary (hopefully), and a summary of our performance in the first games of the second phase.

Good luck Dalbeider, I'll be watching

*waves*

Good luck with the challenge, Dalbeider, it's going to take a pretty mammoth effort to win both competitions.

Cheers, guys. And Terk, I'm half-stealing the format of your career, if you don't mind too much .

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2009 Primera B Second Phase, Part 1

Transfers:

We needed central defenders and left wingers, and that's what we went to sign. On the back, Erlin Rubides was the first to arrive. A 22yo Colombian tall fellow who dominates the air with ease and is also quite quick, he's a likely starter or possible first backup if fit. Argentinian veteran Cristian Ayala was the other defender to sign for us, a very solid all-around performer in defensive duties, and also surprisingly good with the ball on his feet.

On the midfield, another Argentinian veteran quickstarted the round of signings: 32yo Marcelo Laciar, a quite capable left winger, and still quick despite his age. But the first choice on the left will be another veteran, 31yo Colombian Juan Quizena, technically less gifted but a slightly better all-around player than Laciar. He's also able to play in the middle of the pitch. We also picked up 22yo Colombian midfielder Sebastián Ledesma, who spent a few days with us on a trial before signing. He'll give us additional depth in both the left wing and the center of the midfield.

Given our goalscoring problems (see below) in our first few games, in part thanks to the long term injury of our best striker (Luis Cassiani), and after pouring all remaining transfer funds into yet another increase of our wage budget, I went on to find a good quick striker to compliment tall target man Jamerson Rentería up front. The chosen one was Sebastián Monesterolo, a 26yo Argentinian which had been playing in Europe until now. Of course, "Europe" in this case means leagues like Malta and Israel, with short forays into Malaysia and Kuwait. He's still more than good enough for us, in theory. The fans were really happy to see him wearing Los Leopardos' shirt, at least.

With so many free signings, the main problem of my first weeks at the helm was getting the new guys into shape without any resemblance of a preseason and with a very tight fixture list. Luckily, our increased squad depth meant that we could rotate people around until everyone had enough minutes on their legs. No one was sold, but we'll lose backup left back Edgar Ramos at the end of the year to Academia FC.

Games:

07-01-2009. Cúcuta 1 - 0 Bucaramanga (Roberto Polo 45+1) - Colombian Cup Group C, 10/10

Short squad plus a pair of injuries and suspensions meant that we could't even fill the 18 gaps in the squad sheet, and that's including two U19s. Since the game was little more than a glorified friendly for us, and given Cúcuta's supposed superiority, I told the lads to relax and take it easy (no Mika jokes, thank you). We held on for almost the whole first half, until Polo scored a lucky goal in a dubious position in injury time. We pushed a bit more in the second half, and despite dominating possession, never got a real chance to draw the game. Still, a quite decent display.

07-04-2009. Alianza Petrolera 0 - 1 Bucaramanga (Santiago Silvera 4) - Primera B Second Phase, 1/17

First game of the second phase. Alianza Petrolera (who are our feeder club, by the way) finished 16th in the first phase, so they were supposed to be an easy target. Still playing tricks with the formation and still without new signings, we got an early advantage when Silvera heads in a corner kick. We held on to the ball from then on, while Alianza Petrolera never looked capable of creating any danger. An easy win to restart the season for real.

07-08-2009. Bucaramanga 0 - 0 Boyacá Patriotas FC - Primera B Second Phase, 2/17

This was more serious, since Patriotas ended first in the table during the first phase with 12 wins in 17 games, although they lost out in the second stage. Most of the new signings debuted in the middle of a thunderstorm. A very even first half ends without goals, and while we look the better team in the second half, neither of our four or five chances is converted into a tangible advantage. In the end, a goalless draw in our home debut.

07-11-2009. Unión Magdalena 1 - 2 Bucaramanga (Orlando Fuentes 83 - Santiago Silvera 5 22, Diego Peralta sent off 71) - Primera B Second Phase, 3/17

Another easy rival, finished 15th in the first phase and hadn't scored a point in the second until then. Playing in a pool of mud is never funny, but Silvera once again gave us an early lead, and then took profit of a bad mistake by Magdalena's keeper to score an easy 0-2. Things got ugly when Peralta was sent off after picking up two yellows in the 71st minute, and even uglier when Fuentes got one back in a corner kick with eight minutes still to play, but we managed to defend our minimal advantage until to end.

07-18-2009. Bucaramanga 2 - 1 Barranquilla FC (Marcelo Laciar 20, Sebastián Monesterolo 26 - Yamil Chará 39, Sinibaldo Salas sent off 43) - Primera B Second Pahse, 4/17

Finally, a full week of rest. Barranquilla were 5th at the moment and looking dangerous. New guy Monesterolo looked good in the first minutes, and soon assisted Laciar for the 1-0, and only a few minutes later scored himself with a nice placed shot. Chará scored the 2-1 for Barranquilla before the break with a wonderful strike from outside the box, but Salas made things easier for us sending himself off with two yellows in five minutes. We dominated the second half at our leisure, although the score didn't change. The worst: three injuries, two of them to strikers, and one of them (Rentería) for 5-6 months with a broken leg. Ouch.

07-25-2009. CD Bogotá FC 1 - 1 Bucaramanga (Félix García 45+3, Jhon Bermudez sent off 56 - Sebastián Monesterolo 90+3) - Primera B Second Phase, 5/17

With only two strikers available, and both on the small side of things, our game against 5th placed Bogotá was looking tough from the start. After a boring first 45 minutes, García put Bogotá ahead in the last minute of injury time with a well-placed header. Once again our opponent was left with 10 players after one of his players (this time center-back Bermudez) picked two yellows. We pushed forward but couldn't find a way to break through. When everything seemed lost, a cross from the right wing is tapped in by Monesterolo to steal a point in the very last minute of the game.

07-29-2009. Bucaramanga 4 - 2 Real Santander (Emner González 4, Cristian González 23, Marcelo Laciar 26 32 - Edinson Chará 18, Manuel Silva 21) - Primera B Second Phase, 6/17

A repeat of the final playoff of the first phase, we have things to settle with Santander, healthy strikers or not. The players knew that and gave their best from the start, with veteran midfielder Emner González scoring the first with a piledriver only four minutes into the game. But Santander are no slouches, and Chará soon draws the game with a nice strike, and Silva puts them ahead in a lightning-quick counterattack. Luckily for us, Cristian González strikes back immediately for the 2-2. Laciar turned the game around again with a close finish only four minutes later, and the same Laciar made it 4-2 after gathering a rebound inside the box. After such a crazy first half, the second 45 minutes are a calm affair in comparison, with some good saves by Cerón to keep us ahead until the end.

League Table

Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Daniel Murillo (1)

Summary:

Looking good so far. We're at the top of the league, and unbeaten if we ignore that useless cup game against Cúcuta. We started looking solid at the back but weak in attack, and now we're the opposite. A few clean sheets would be nice, but I'll settle with wins. In any case, the target in the league is finishing 8th or better, so we'd better save some energies for the later stages.

The new signings are doing well so far, specially Marcelo Laciar (3 goals and 1 assist in 5 games, only one as a starter) and, above all, Sebastián Monesterolo (2 goals and 3 assists in 3 games). Once the new center-backs settle in, we should start improving defensively and conceding less goals. The bad news are the injuries. Silvera should be back in a game or two, but Jamerson Rentería, our only real target man, is out for the season, and we're going to miss him for sure.

I'll be reading with interest KUTGW

Thanks Alegeeter .

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2009 Primera B Second Phase, Part 2 (August)

Games:

08-01-2009. Valledupar 0 - 1 Bucaramanga (Julio Méndez sent off 85 - Emner González 11) - Primera B Second Phase, 7/17

Funny how two-part leagues work. Valledupar were dead last in the first phase, but now were fourth and unbeaten in the second. We were still the superior team, and we showed with an early goal by Emner González in a corner kick. But after a good first half, we turned off in the second, and only good goalkeeping prevented Valledupar from getting a deserved draw. In the final minutes Méndez was sent off with a straight red after grabbing Monesterolo when he was running straight at the keeper, and their fighting spirit finally faded away. An undeserved win, but a win nonetheless.

08-08-2009. Academia FC 0 - 2 Bucaramanga (Sebastián Monesterolo 27, Cristian González 64) - Primera B Second Phase, 8/17

Easier now, Academia were 17th and looking quite inoffensive. We finally recovered Silvera, and he started alongside Monesterolo. Of course, that means that the players decided to take a day off and let Academia dominate the first half. We stroke lucky, though, and Monesterolo scored in our first real chance of the game. Cerón kept us ahead until the break, when I told the lads that they should do much better than that against such weak opposition. We improved, and once the subs came in we finally started dominating like we should. Cristian González scored the second, and the rest of the game was easy.

08-15-2009. Bucaramanga 3 - 0 Rionegro (Marcelo Laciar 36, Cristian Ayala pen 40, Santiago Silvera 51) - Primera B Second Phase, 9/17

13th, and with four draws and a win in their last five games. Karma seemed to catch up with us, as we sent two easy chances into the wood in the first half hour. But in the 36th Laciar headed a free kick into the net for the opener to ease our fears. The winger then provoked a penalty with a well-timed dive, and Ayala scored from the spot. Silvera made it 3-0 in the first minutes of the second half. A great performance and an easy win.

08-19-2009. Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Juventud Soacha (Sebastián Monesterolo 19 56, Cristian Ayala sent off 51) - Primera B Second Phase, 10/17

Juventud were 3rd and looking good, with only one defeat until then. Once again we started really well, controlling the game and keeping possession, and Monesterolo soon put us ahead with a placed finish. After an easy first half, things get harder when Ayala picks his second yellow in the first minutes of the second. Still, Monesterolo managed to double our lead, and Juventud never really profit from their numerical advantage. Yet another easy win.

08-22-2009. Atlético La Sabana 1 - 3 Bucaramanga (Luis Tobón 7 - Jhon Ulloque 9, Santiago Silvera 25, Sebastián Monesterolo 73) - Primera B Second Phase, 11/17

Another draw-friendly team, with five in their last seven. First game of the season without rain, and first time in a long while that we conceded an early goal, scored by Tobón in a very dubious position. We reacted immediately, and Ulloque drew the game after a great assist by Córdoba. After a few messy minutes with some controversial refeering decisions and many protests by both sides, Siviela scored the 1-2 with a nice low strike. The second half was anything but calm, with a bunch of dangerous tackles, yellow cards being shown left and right, and Monesterolo scoring the 1-3 in the 73th in a probably illegal position. A pretty intense match.

08-29-2009. Bucaramanga 2 - 1 Expreso Rojo (Santiago Silvera 55, Sebastián Monesterolo 61 - Jáider Arboleda 45+1) - Primera B Second Phase, 12/17

Midtable team, still with a good shot at making the second round. We dominate the first half with ease, but miss our chances, and Expreso Rojo take their first one in injury time to score the 0-1 with Arboleda in a clear offside position. What's up with the linesmen in this country? Silvera gets the draw in the 55th with a piledriver from 25 yards away, and Monesterolo completes the comeback six minutes later after picking up a loose ball inside the box. A hard-fought win, with the added bad news of Emner González's broken leg, which may force him to retire at the age of 35.

Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Emner González (1), Johan Cerón (1), Sebastián Ledesma (1), Sebastián Monesterolo (1)

League Table

Summary:

A perfect August, with six wins in six games, sees us achieve the first objective in this half-season: we've already qualified for the group stage with five games still to play! Our performances in the league so far have been nothing short of fantastic, as we keep beating records in both unbeaten runs and games won in a row (12 and 7 currently). Right now, only Prado seem capable of stopping us, and we'll have a nice test of our real promotion hopes when we meet them in the league.

The black spot in this glittering month is Emder González's injury. Not only is he out for the season and then some with a broken leg, but being 35 already, he's considering retirement. He's been a solid contributor to our midfield with 2 goals and 1 assist so far, and losing him now it's a bit of a blow. Ledesma will step into a more pivotal role in the center of the pitch, leaving the left wing to Laciar and Quizena.

It's hard to find a player to praise above the rest of the squad, but right back Omar Rodriguez is having a wonderful season, solid at the back and running the wing with danger when needed. Nonetheless, the undoubtable star so far has been Sebastián Monesterolo. 7 goals, 4 assists and an average rating of 7.57 in 9 games are awesome numbers for someone who is probably still adapting to a new team, a new manager and a new bunch of teammates.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

- Thirteen games played, twelve games played under the rain. Nice tropical wet season indeed.

- Refereeing in general is horrible in this league, with linesmen being the worst offenders. Hopefully things will improve in the top tier, but I'm not too hopeful.

- My players are a bunch of diving cheaters! Rentería (before his injury) and Laciar are the worst culprits, although coupled with the previous point, they sometimes steal important favourable decisions. Three yellows collected for diving inside the box so far.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2009 Primera B Second Phase, Part 3 (September-October, end of the first stage)

Games:

09-12-09. CD Centauros Villavicencio 1 - 2 Bucaramanga (Maikon Palacios 41 - Jhon Ulloque 14, Diego Amaya 64) - Primera B Second Phase, 13/17

Lower half team, which could have lead to overconfidence with the team already qualified for the next stage. But we started as always, pushing forward until Ulloque opened the score only 14 minutes into the game. A clear penalty on Monesterolo a few minutes later was missed by Omar Rodríguez, and Palacios drew the game near the end of the half, making us miss that goal sorely. The second half was our worst showing in many weeks, although Amaya put us back ahead with a point-blank finish. Centauros dominated the game, but we held on to score an undeserved win, the eighth in a row.

09-19-09. Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Deportes Palmira (Santiago Silvera 11 - Mario Macea 84) - Primera B Second Phase, 14/17

Another lower half team. As it's already a tradition for us, Silvera gave us a quick lead in the first quarter. Then we got two goals rightly disallowed for offside in a quick succession. We dominated the game easily until the last 30 minutes, when Palmira started pushing forward a bit more looking for the draw. They got it six minutes before the end in a bizarre fashion, with Macea scoring an olympic goal from a corner kick. A somewhat shocking way to end our winning streak.

09-26-09. Depor Aguablanca FC 2 - 3 Bucaramanga (Walter Escobar 14 36 - Yeison Chacón 6, Sebastián Monesterolo 22, Jhon Ulloque 31) - Primera B Second Phase, 15/17

Only three games to go. Depor were 3rd and already qualified for the next stage, so they would be a good test to see our real promotion chances, with hyper-veteran Víctor Bonilla (38yo) as their star. Things start perfectly for us, with Chacón sending a curved long shot into the back of the net in the sixth minute. Escobar drew the game quickly with a nice strike, but Monesterolo put us ahead again with an easy header, and Ulloque made it 1-3 in a very dubious position. Escobar again got one back before the break. With Monesterolo out of the second half injured, Cerón was the MVP as we managed to withstand Depor's constant attack. A morale-boosting win against likely playoff contenders, that also secured the first place in the table.

10-03-09. Bucaramanga 2 - 1 Itagüí Ditaires (Cristian González 1, Erlin Rubides 15 - Mauricio Gómez 36) - Primera B Second Phase, 16/17

Eighth in the table, Itagüí were certainly the more motivated team coming into the game. Despite that and their weird 3-3-2-1-1 formation, we got ahead in the first minute thanks to a great shot by Cristian González, who replaced Monesterolo in the lineup. Rubides quickly made it 2-0 after gathering a loose ball inside the box, but Mauricio Gómez closed the gap a bit before the end of the half after a quick counterattack. The second half was pretty uneventful, and we grinded on for another difficult but deserved victory.

10-17-09. Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Pasto (Santiago Silvera 53 - Carlos Hidalgo 90+1) - Primera B Second Phase, 17/17

The toughest possible ending of the regular season, Pasto were undefeated until their 15th match, but they had chained two defeats in a row since then, dropping down to the 3rd place behind Depor FC. We played a few reserves to prevent injuries and suspensions, and it showed in a boring first half with very few chances for either side. Silvera put us ahead in the first minutes of the second half running on the counter. Pasto drew the game in injury time thanks to Carlos Hidalgo, and once again from a very likely offside position. Both teams seemed more focused in the next stage than in the game at hand, and the final draw was a fair result.

Final league table

Second stage Group A

Second stage Group B

Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Erlin Rubides (2), Yeison Chacón (1)

Summary:

First, the bad news. Emner González has finally decided to retire at the end of the season after his serious injury. A shame. He'll hang his boots on the 19th of January, and will become a scout.

Besides that, another good month-and-a-half, much more relaxed fixture-wise with lots of two-week gaps to rest the players in. Despite our good form, I wasn't completely happy with our perfomances, specially in the defensive department, where we looked really soft and conceded way too many easy goals. In any case, we ended the regular season unbeaten and with the best defensive record of all teams. The second stage group looks pretty winnable, having beaten all the other teams in the league easily. Group B looks tighter, with Pasto, Depor and Real Santander in a very close fight for the top spot.

Player-wise, we've been rotating everyone around a bit, and as a result no one has been consistently awesome. I'm worried about sudden Marcelo Laciar's sudden drop of form, and Juan Quizena has been poor (or injured) since he arrived in August. That means that most of our danger in the last games has come from the right, with Jhon Ulloque looking good and scoring 2 goals in 5 games. At the back, despite conceding quite a few goals, Erlin Rubides has been our defensive stalwart, with nice ratings, one goal, and two appearances in the Team of the Week.

The real season starts now, with the group stage beginning in only seven days, and the pressure to finish on the top of the group will be much heavier than the need of finishing in the top 8 of an 18-team league. Hopefully we can keep our great form going for a bit more and secure a place in the playoffs as soon as possible.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2009 Primera B Second Phase, Part 4 (October-December, group stage and playoffs)

Games:

10-24-09. Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Juventud Soacha (Santiago Silvera 14, Diego Amaya pen 80) - Primera B 2nd Phase Group Stage, Group A, 1/6

We started the group stage at home, and wouldn't be coming back until the fifth week. Juventud had been very consistent thus far, always keeping in the playoff zone. Still, we beat them easily 2-0 in our previous meeting, and this time we started similarly well, with Monesterolo assisting Silvera for the 1-0. The game went back and forth for the whole first half, but we were in control after the break, until Amaya was tripped by Arango inside the box on a corner kick, prompting a penalty kick that Amaya himself turned into the 2-0, sealing our win. A solid start.

Other results: Valledupar 3 - 1 Itagüí Ditaires

10-31-09. Itagüí Ditaires 2 - 2 Bucaramanga (Oscar Londoño 6, Mauricio Restrepo 32 - Marcelo Laciar 28, Erlin Rubides 82) - Primera B 2nd Phase Group Stage, Group A, 2/6

Itagüí qualified in the last moment, and look like the weakest team in the group by far. But we were without Ulloque and Monesterolo for this game, and we noticed: Londoño put Itagüí ahead in the sixth minute after grabbing a rebounded ball inside the box. Laciar drew level with a good header after a cross from the right, but Restrepo answered immediately with the 2-1. We went forward in the second half looking for the draw, and found it eight minutes before the end in a corner kick headed in by Rubides. A decent result in a pretty weak display.

Other results: Juventud Soacha 0 - 1 Valledupar

11-07-09. Valledupar 1 - 1 Bucaramanga (Ricardo Vidal 85 - Santiago Silvera 9) - Primera B 2nd Phase Group Stage, Group A, 3/6

Maybe the key game of the group stage. A draw was the bare minimum we should have obtained if we wanted to have any realistic chance of grabbing the first place. Monesterolo was back, and the striker made his presence evident with an assist towards Silvera, who scored the 0-1 with a great strike from distance. We looked much better than against Itagüí, and enjoyed many chances to increase our lead. Valledupar improved in the second half, and after a great show by Cerón on goal, they finally grabbed a deserved draw five minutes before the end, thanks to Vidal. But Cristian González stole a penalty kick with what looked like a clear dive, only to have his shot stopped by the keeper. A decent result that left our chances in our own hands.

Other results: Itagüí Ditaires 1 - 1 Juventud Soacha

Group tables after three games

11-14-09. Juventud Soacha 2 - 1 Bucaramanga (Leonardo Castro 36, Harold Orrego 45 - Santiago Silvera 49) - Primera B 2nd Phase Group Stage, Group A, 4/6

Last away game against last-placed Juventud, who had only managed one draw (and one goal) so far. We dominated the first half on a muddy pitch, trying to play a more direct game and enjoying a few good chances, but Juventud stroke lucky and Castro scored the 1-0 in one of their very few attacks. Then Orrego doubled their lead in a corner kick just before the break, and suddenly we were in deep trouble. We got one back in the first minutes of the second half, with Silvera finishing a good counterattack by Monesterolo. We kept pushing forward, but the draw wouldn't come ant time was running out. Chacón hit the post in the final minutes, but that was it. Our first defeat in twenty-one games came in the worst possible moment.

Other results: Itagüí Ditaires 2 - 2 Valledupar

11-21-09. Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Itagüí Ditaires (Santiago Silvera 75 - Oscar Londoño 90+1) - Primera B 2nd Phase Group Stage, Group A, 5/6

Thankfully, Valledupar only drew their previous game, meaning we still depended on ourselves to qualify. A win against Itagüí was a must in any case. Once again we started dominating, and once again we failed to score early. At least Itagüí didn't look dangerous at all in the first half. The second half was more of the same, until a long ball by Murillo found Silvera on the run, and the striker finished low and placed to score the 1-0 with only fifteen minutes remaining. But in injury time, and only in Itagüí's second real chance, Londoño stole a ball from a defender, coming from an offside position, and scored a shocking 1-1 that stood until the end of the game.

Other results: Valledupar 2 - 3 Juventud Soacha

Group tables after five games - Depor FC already qualified in a surprisingly easy fashion. We need a win against Valledupar, and also that Juventud Soacha don't win against Itagüí Ditaires.

11-28-09. Bucaramanga 1 - 2 Valledupar (Santiago Silvera 88 - Alejandro Valdés 24 35) - Primera B 2nd Phase Group Stage, Group A, 6/6

After throwing away so many chances, we were forced to play the last game of the stage with an eye on Soacha, hoping that Itagüí would steal some points away from Juventud. But we still had to win our match, and that didn't look likely at first, with Valledupar controlling the game with ease and creating danger. Valdés put them deservedly ahead in the 24th, and only then we started looking forward. But Valdés struck again on the counterattack, and our promotion chances seemed to evaporate. Cassiani came in after half a year injured, but Chacón's injury with no substitutions remaining killed our very small chances for good. Silvera scored the 1-2 near the end, but that brought us nowhere. A fitting end to a disastrous group stage.

Other results: Juventud Soacha 5 - 2 Itagüí Ditaires

Final group tables - Valledupar and Depor FC will play the final.

Second Phase final, 1st leg: Valledupar 1 - 1 Depor FC

Second Phase final, 2nd leg: Depor FC 1 - 5 Valledupar

Primera B playoff, 1st leg: Real Santander 1 - 3 Valledupar

Primera B playoff, 2nd leg: Valledupar 3 - 1 Real Santander

Valledupar promote to the First Division, replacing Quindío, who relegate.

Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Omar Rodríguez (2), Johan Cerón (1), Daniel Murillo (1), Erlin Rubides (1), Santiago Silvera (1)

Primera B Goal of the Year: Cristian González (3rd of October, vs. Itagüí Ditaires), 1st place.

First Division U21 player of the year: Sherman Cárdenas (Millonarios, loaned by Bucaramanga), 2nd place.

Summary:

Horrible. There's no other way to put it. After an almost perfect regular season I was certainly not expecting this sudden drop in almost everyone's form. Only Santiago Silvera, who scored 5 in 6 and kept us alive throughout the stage, and Johan Cerón, who gave us hope until the end with great saves that gave us a few undeserved points, came out of the group stage with any credit remaining. Our defense was weak, our midfield couldn't hold the ball, our wings were nonexistant and our finishing was poor, Silvera aside. We deserved our results or worse, so I can't even blame bad luck. Monesterolo's lack of presence in our attack was particularly painful. After a blistering start, the striker seems to have lost it, and has only scored once in our last eleven games, only appearing to assist Silvera from time to time. The board and fans were disappointed, of course, but given that I took charge in the middle of the season, they are willing to give me the chance to prove my worth next year.

We're now on holiday until January, when we'll start with the preseason friendlies. The next season will start around the first week of February.

On the personal side, I've been linked with a vacant position by the press for the first time, when Olimpo (Argentine 2nd Division) sacked Omar de Felippe. I denied interest, since I wanted to achieve some success with Bucaramanga bringing them to the top flight before thinking about jumping ships. Of course, if I had known how things were going to end, I'd thought twice about that decision. I don't think I would doubt about moving if another offer came in the next one or two months.

In other news, Pasto managed to win the Colombian Cup with a 3-2 aggregate win over Junior (a First Division team) in the final, despite performing below expectations in the group stage.

Real shame to see the capitulation in the second phase, Dalbeider Hopefully you can do better next year and take Bucaramanga up

That's harsh and frustrating. Always prefer to be starting a good run of form towards the end of the season, it always seems to give an extra boost into the playoffs etc. Sounds like a few injuries got in the way as well.

Good luck for next season

Thanks guys. Yeah, it all went to hell in the worst possible moment. It's funny that the form drop came together with Emner González's career-ending injury. We still won a few games afterwards, but never dominated as easily as before, and when we were up against the real good teams in the high-pressure games, we just flundered.

Next season is going to be interesting, with a whole bunch of interesting players returning from loans on First Division teams, most of them probably unhappy about having to play in a lower level now, and with bigger teams following their footsteps and unsettling everyone around with their comments to the press. Sigh.

Pre-season writeup coming up in an hour or two!

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B First Phase, Part 1 (Post & Pre-season)

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Finances (at the 1st of February, 2010):

Balance: €749,571

Season transfer budget: €51,816

Remaining transfer budget: €66,816

Wage budget: €17,750/week

The team is in a great financial position, having doubled our balance since my arrival seven months ago. That improvement was reflected in both budgets, specially in the wage budget, which went up almost eight thousand euros per week, leaving us comfortably below the limit when all the transfer dust settled down. What hasn't changed is the surprisingly low 10% of transfer money received going into the transfer budget, but hey. We still have more than enough money available to see us comfortably gain promotion to the First Division once and for all.

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Transfers:

Players out:

- Omar Rodríguez (€375k + Friendly, Elfsborg)

- Erlin Rubides (€350k, Once Caldas)

- Santiago Silvera (€150k, Sporting Cristal)

- Edgar Ramos (free transfer, Academia FC)

- Aléxis Córdoba (loan finished, Quindío)

- Diego Amaya (loan finished, Once Caldas)

- Hugo Bolaño (loan finished, Junior)

Elfsborg chased Omar Rodríguez for a while, making a few offers that were rejected until the board stepped in, took the money and shipped the player away behind my back. Not cool, lads. He was our starting right back, and with the backup (Bolaño) not willing to extend his loan, we suddenly had a giant gap in the right side of the defense. Then they went and did the same with Once Caldas' offer for Rubides, maybe our best central defender. The money is welcome, but only seeing €100k of those €700k in my transfer budget was another blow. The likeliness of me ever extending my contract with Bucaramanga beyond this season is becoming quite small indeed.

The most painful transfer for me was Silvera's. The 30-year-old had been in fantastic form last season, but with Jamerson Rentería and Luis Cassiani returning from long-term injuries, and Edwards Jiménez coming back from his loan, he was suddenly the fourth or fifth choice. With his contract running out this season, and with most of his career behind him already, I felt it was the perfect moment to offer him out and gather some money in exchange, giving him a chance to get more minutes somewhere else in the process. In the end, he joined Sporting Cristal from Perú.

Ramos was a known loss (and not a big one either), Córdoba wasn't offered the chance to continue with us after a very disappointing season, and Amaya refused our offer to remain with Bucaramanga six additional months.

Players in:

- Emerson Chamorro (33yo, COL, DM/MC, loan finished at Real Cartagena)

- Edwards Jiménez (28yo, COL, FC, loan finished at Real Cartagena)

- Edinson Pinzón (28yo, COL, AMLC, loan finished at Cúcuta)

- Sherman Cárdenas (20yo, COL, AMRLC/FC, loan finished at Millonarios)

- José Castillo (23yo, COL, DM/MC, loan finished at Cúcuta)

- Jairo Murillo (22yo, COL, AM/FC, free transfer)

- Miller Mosquera (17yo, COL, D/WBL, free transfer from Atlético La Sabana)

- Kevin Cataño (22yo, COL, D/WBR, free transfer)

- Ronald Cubillos (30yo, COL, D/WBR, free transfer)

- Jimmy Estacio (23yo, COL, DC, €95k from Deportivo Cali)

All the returning loanees are serious candidates to slot straight into the first team. Cárdenas is a given, being selected as the second best U21 player of the Colombian First Division is a fantastic way to reintroduce himself into our team. He's most likely to play on the right wing, although he'll also appear from time to time in the central midfield. Chamorro and Castillo will fill the gap left by Córdoba and Emner González in the midfield and then some, Pinzón adds depth in the left wing by virtue of being way better than our current first two choices there, and Jiménez is a pretty good all-around striker who can play alongside or replacing Rentería.

Jairo Murillo is a backup striker, signed in the last days of the previous season but unable to be registered until now. Small and quick, may be retrained for a midfield role, since he's more likely to be needed there. Mosquera is our new starting left back, and a very promising player at his young age. He arrived on the 1st of February, and will start the season a bit short on fitness. Cataño comes as a cheap backup for our right back, while Ronald Cubillos will be the starter, although I envisage a lot of rotation between them. Finally, Estacio will replace Rubides as our tall, jumpy midfielder that dominates the air inside our box.

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Friendlies:

Cortuluá 1 - 3 Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga 0 - 3 Once Caldas

Real Cartagena 1 - 1 Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Atlético Nacional

Bucaramanga 2 - 5 Deportivo Cali

The Assistant Manager chose five friendlies against five top division teams, and we performed decently enough against supposedly superior opposition. We only lost against national powerhouses like Once Caldas and Deportivo Cali, and held our own against the lower-half First Division teams, playing some decent-looking football in the process. Overall, a quite promising preseason.

We also experimented a bit with the tactics, switching from the flat 4-4-2 we've been using so far to a 4-4-2 wide diamond against Deportivo Cali. The result wasn't exactly exciting, but we looked good on the pitch, specially in the attacking front. I'll give this formation a few additional test runs in competitive games against weaker teams, and probably also in the Cup.

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Miscellaneous:

Sebastián Monesterolo was chosen as the best signing of the season in the Primera B. He was also picked by our fans as their Player of the Year.

We'll start the season with two away games, against Unión Magdalena and CD Alianza Petrolera.

Bucaramanga signed a new main kit sponsorship deal, worth €90k per year during 3 years.

The board offered me a contract extension just before the start of the season, keeping the same pay (€475/week) but extending the expiration date until January 2013. I respectfully refused, still remembering their unwelcome intervention in the sales of Omar Rodríguez and Erlin Rubides. My plans are to see off my current deal, hopefully promoting Bucaramanga in the process, and then think about the future. Unless something *very* interesting comes along the way, of course.

More rumours from the Argentine Second Division. Apparently Unión de Santa Fe were interested in me to replace Fernando Alí. I went the "no comment" route, and never got an official offer.

The transfer window doesn't close until the 27th of February, so there's still room for further sales and signings. Cárdenas, Pinzón and Jiménez are the main candidates for a move, although I'll do all I can to keep them here.

Elfsborg chased Omar Rodríguez for a while, making a few offers that were rejected until the board stepped in, took the money and shipped the player away behind my back. Not cool, lads.

This being Colombia I did get an image there of the board members actually stuffing him in a packing crate and putting him on a ship bound for Sweden. Bit stereotypical but it made me laugh Good to see the club in good financial health though, if you can add a promotion to that this season then you can leave having made them much stronger than when you arrived.

Haha . I wouldn't be too surprised if I read something like that in a newspaper one of these days, tbh...

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B First Phase, Part 2 (February)

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Games:

02-06-2010. Unión Magdalena 0 - 0 Bucaramanga - Primera B First Phase, 1/17

It was supposed to be a gentle start of the season, but Magdalena weren't willing to collaborate, and put us in some difficulties in a first half that ended without goals, and with Rentería nursing an injury that kept him in the bench after the restart. We looked a bit better in the second half, but Magdalena defended well and kept us to a goalless draw. Not the best debut.

02-10-2010. Alianza Petrolera 2 - 3 Bucaramanga (Edinson Palomino 38, Mario Rodríguez 79 - Edwards Jiménez 9 44, Sherman Cárdenas 16) - Primera B First Phase, 2/17

Things started much better against Alianza, with Monesterolo assisting Jiménez for our first goal of the season in the ninth minute of the game, and Cárdenas gathering a loose ball seven minutes later to lob the ball into the net for the 0-2. Palomino got one back for Alianza in the 38th, but Jiménez made it 1-3 in the final minutes of the half. The second half was calmer, and nothing moved until Rodríguez scored the 2-3 ten minutes before the end with only their second shot at goal of the game. Luckily for us they missed their third, fourth and fifth shots, and we secured the win.

02-13-2010. Bucaramanga 0 - 0 Rionegro - Primera B First Phase, 3/17

First home match, against a Rionegro side that shocked Depor FC in their first game. Both teams traded blows throught out the first half, but the defenses stood firm and the result remained unchanged. The goalkeepers stole the spotlight in the second half, with a series of great saves on both goals that frustrated the strikers of both sides to no end. The game ended in another goalless draw.

02-17-2010. Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Itagüí Ditaires (Luis Cassiani pen 82 - Oscar Londoño 61) - Primera B First Phase, 4/17

Still no rest, and our next rival brought bitter memories from the end of last season. Yet another bad first half ended without goals, which prompted a triple substitution at half time. The result was not exactly the expected one: Londoño scored for the visitors in the 61st, while we looked unable to create any danger whatsoever, and when we did, their goalkeeper was always in the way. It took a dubious penalty over Rentería for Cassiani to draw the game, but that was it. Another miser's draw, the third in four games.

02-20-2010. Quindío 3 - 1 Bucaramanga (Adrían Aranda 29 41, Danny Santoya 43 - Edwards Jiménez 56) - Primera B First Phase, 5/17

Quindío had just relegated, and were leading the league with ease, making them one of our main rivals for promotion. Funnily enough, the first 30 minutes were our best in a long while, locking Quindío inside their own box. But Aranda took their first chance of the game on the counter to score the 1-0, and then made it 2-0 four minutes before the end of the half, and we were done. Santoya's goal (most likely offside) two minutes later just sealed the deal. Jiménez got one back eleven minutes into the second half, but nothing else went our way.

02-27-2010. Bucaramanga 3 - 1 Pasto (Jamerson Rentería 17, Sherman Cárdenas pen 66 74 - Carlos Castillo 57, Germán Centurión sent off 46) - Primera B First Phase, 6/17

Nice timing there, playing against two top promotion candidates in a row. At least we finally had a full week of rest. We finally got off to a good start with Rentería putting us ahead with a good header. Chacón's injury gave us some troubles, but we still dominated the first half without much trouble, and Centurión's sending off at the start of the second half seemed to seal the game. But 10-men Pasto fought back, and Carlos Castillo drew the game in the 57th. Thankfully, a very clear penalty on Jiménez gave us the chance to regain our advantage, and Cárdenas didn't miss. We went for the kill then, and the young attacking midfielder got a great assist from Cubillos to score the 3-1 and put the game beyond doubt. A good return to form.

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League table

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Summary:

An intense start of the season, with ups and downs. Mostly downs. Only two wins in six games is not the best way to start the league, but at least we've shown some signs of improvement in our last two games, and only Quindío's clinical finishing prevented us from taking something out of their stadium. Against Pasto we did well, and I certainly hope we can build on that performance and get back onto the winning path. We're 7th in the table now, and as long as we finish in the top 8 I'll be happy.

The transfer window just closed, and thankfully there weren't any unexpected movements, and everyone stays put until the next winter break at least. And that's good, because Sherman Cárdenas and Edwards Jiménez, two of our most sought-after players, have been a shining beacon of hope in the sea of mediocrity that our squad has become in these first weeks of the season. The forward has grabbed three goals and has generally performed well, both as a poacher and as a target man when Rentería has been out. The midfielder, on the other hand, has alternated good and bad games, but the end result has been fine, with three goals and one assist. He's just regained full fitness after a short but annoying injury at the end of the preseason, and his performances should become more consistent from now on. Miller Mosquera has been our most consistent player thus far, showing that we were right to give him the starting role on the left back despite him being only seventeen.

March will be another frantic month, with the first Cup games mixing up with the league to leave us with only one free Wednesday in the next five weeks. Decent fitness and stamina plus a deep bench should help us along the ride.

Hey look, an update!

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B First Phase, Part 3 (March)

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Games:

03-03-2010. Bucaramanga 4 - 3 Depor FC (Jamerson Rentería 18 63 pen 75, Edwards Jiménez pen 41 - Rubén Darío Ochoa 1, Johan Cerón og 25, Mauricio Mina 45+1) - Primera B First Phase 7/17

More promotion candidates? Sigh. At least it was at home, and their form was even worse than ours, with only six points until then. But even that couldn't preven Ochoa from scoring a great goal in the first minutes, putting Depor ahead almost from the start. We struck back soon, with Rentería grabbing the draw with a low finish. But yet another refereeing mistake gave Depor a second goal in a clear offside position, and we were again on the back foot. Then it was our turn to receive a present from the ref, in the form of an unlikely penalty on Rentería, scored by Jiménez. And in injury time, Mina made it 2-3, this time without any controversy, just bad defending. We once again got the draw back with a great header by Rentería already in the second half, and yet another penalty kick, this time after a clear foul on Ulloque, was scored by Rentería to complete his hattrick and our comeback. A crazy game.

03-06-2010. Atlético La Sabana 1 - 0 Bucaramanga (Emil Oliver 90+1) - Primera B First Phase 8/17

From pre-season promotion candidates to the real thing: La Sabana were third at the moment and looking really good. The first half was very even, with both teams fighting for control and neither grabbing any goal. The trend continued in the second half, although we looked like the better team and enjoyed the best chances. But in injury time, a header by Oliver gave La Sabana the victory, while we went home with nothing in our pockets and three new injuries, none of them too serious. Unfair.

03-10-2010. Patriotas FC 2 - 0 Bucaramanga (Anuar Guerrero 9, Andrés Morales 63 - Diego Peralta sent off 61) - Primera B First Phase 9/17

More of the same, Patriotas had only lost one game until then, and were the only team capable of chasing behind Quindío. They soon showed why in a quick counterattack finished by Guerrero that put them ahead. We improved and attacked for most of the first half, but we were unlucky with a free kick that hit the bar. Rentería also hit the wood in the first minutes of the second half. Then Peralta got a very harsh red card, Morales scored the 2-0 from the free kick with some luck, and it was all over. Unfair again.

03-13-2010. Bucaramanga 0 - 1 Deportes Palmira (Cristian Arévalo 59) - Primera B First Phase 10/17

Finally, an easy game: Palmira had only 2 points thus far. Of course, that meant that by half time we had zero shots on target, while Cerón already had a few saves to his name that kept the goalless draw until the break. Nothing changed after a few harsh words at the dressing room, and eventually Arévalo put Palmira ahead with a nice placed finish. The rest of the game was a complete disaster, with our own players getting in the way of our own passes and running around like headless chickens. In the end we got exactly what we deserved: absolutely nothing.

03-17-2010. Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Patriotas FC (Marcelo Laciar 90+1 - Cristian Racero 4) - Colombian Cup Group C, 1/10

Sigh, the Cup. Ten games that will probably lead us nowhere, and we started against in-form Patriotas. We gave the 4-4-2 diamond another go, with Cárdenas in the hole behind the strikers. Three minutes in, and we were already behind, after Racero profited from a total mess inside our box. We looked decent on the pitch, but our forwards looked completely out of the game. This continued on the second half: total domination, but our strikers turned Patriotas' goalkeeper Chávez into the man of the match. Finally, in injury time, Laciar headed it in on a corner kick after a bad jump by Chávez, and at least we got the draw. Noticeable improvement in play, marginal improvement in results.

03-20-2010. Bucaramanga 4 - 0 Carlos Sarmiento (Sebastián Monesterolo 16, Guillermo Rojas og 20, Edinson Pinzón 42, Jhon Ulloque 67 - Cristhian Pareja sent off 26) - Primera B First Phase 11/17

Not much margin for more defeats if we want a group stage position. The newly promoted Carlos Sarmiento were 10th at this point, two places ahead of us. Keeping the diamond formation, the first thing to happen was Cárdenas' injury, removing our best player from the equation. Then, a miracle: Monesterolo scored his first goal of the season after gathering a rebound inside the box. A comical own goal by Guillermo Rojas a bit later paved the way a bit more, as did Pareja's sending off only 26 minutes in. Pinzón also got his first goal of the season with a wonderful strike from outside the box, and the whole team could relax in the second half, with Ulloque scoring the fourth to complete the rout. An easy win for a change.

03-27-2010. Real Santander 2 - 1 Bucaramanga (Carlos Giraldo 35, Manuel Silva 45+1 - Sebastián Monesterolo 36) - Primera B First Phase 12/17

Last year's league finalists Santander were struggling even more than us, sitting 15th on the table and looking very likely to miss the second stage altogether. We dominated the first half, but our lack of punch up front showed again. Santander took their few chances, and Giraldo put them ahead with a powerful effort from the front of the area. But Monesterolo looked like a different player, and answered straight back with a great lob over the keeper, a delightful goal. Too bad that Silva put Santander ahead again in injury time of the first half in a corner kick. We looked for the draw for the whole second half, but never got it despite completely controlling the game. A very unfair defeat.

03-31-2010. Cúcuta 2 - 3 Bucaramanga (Roberto Peñaloza 32, Roberto Polo 58 - Sebastián Monesterolo 70, Jamerson Rentería 81, Sherman Cárdenas pen 90) - Colombian Cup Group C, 2/10

Cúcuta are one of the two First Division squads in our cup group, and as such should be able to destroy us at will. Still, our defensive approach worked well in the first half hour, keeping them at bay until Peñaloza headed a corner kick into the net in the 32nd. Things turned interesting in the final minutes of the half, when Cetré was sent off for Cúcuta after fouling Monesterolo on his way towards their goal. We tried to attack in the second half, but Cúcuta still dominated despite being one man down, and Polo scored the 2-0 to kill our hopes. Those hopes were reborn in the 70th, when Monesterolo scored on a counter well launched by Pinzón, and Rentería pumped our adrenaline eleven minutes later when he got the draw in another break through the middle. Crazyness ensued when Monesterolo was brought down inside the box by Caicedo in the last minute of regulation, with Cárdenas scoring from the spot to steal an unlikely win, ending a bad month in a very high note.

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League Table

Cup Table

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Miller Mosquera (1), Edinson Pinzón (1)

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Summary:

A horrible month for sure. With only two league wins in six games, we've dropped from the top eight places and are in serious danger of missing the group stage. Some of our key players underperformed terribly. Edwards Jiménez was particularly awful, with only one goal in the first game of the month and then nothing. Jamerson Rentería was more of the same, but his hattrick against Depor FC and his goal against Cúcuta in the cup allows him to remain our top scorer with five goals. Sebastián Monesterolo was MIA until the last three games, where he was his usual awesome self, and the rest of our attacking players looked as disconnected as him. I struggle to find a player worth praising in this abject month of football.

To make matters worse, and when we seemed to be recovering from our horrible form, Miller Mosquera caught a serious viral infection that will keep him out of the team for the remainder of the season. The youngster had been one of the few consistently good performers in the squad, and losing him is a great blow to our promotion ambitions, even more considering that our only backup left back, Daniel Murillo, is one of the weakest players of the team, and started last year by virtue of being the only real choice in his position. We'll surely need to reinforce the left side of our defense in the summer window.

Now we face a key month in which we'll close the first stage of the first phase with the final five games. We need to win most or all of them if we're to secure a place in the next stage. Not doing so would be valid grounds for the board to sack me if they know what they're doing, we're promotion candidates after all, falling at the first hurdle should not be acceptable. The cup is an annoyance in which we really don't expect to achieve anything, but with our unexpected away win to Cúcuta, we could have a chance to fight for one of the two top spots that give access to the next round.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B First Phase, Part 4 (April)

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Games:

04-03-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Juventud Soacha (Edinson Pinzón pen 43 - Juan Manuel Ortiz 90+3) - Primera B First Phase, 13/17

10th versus 11th, a game which would be much tighter than it should have been. The game starts really even, but we increase the pressure little by little until Juventud find hard even to leave their own half. A likely dive by Laciar turns into a penalty kick in our favour, and Pinzón calmly puts us ahead from the spot near the end of the first half. Both teams have many chances in the second half, but the keepers work hard and the result doesn't change until the last minute of injury time, when an unexpected break down the left flank ends in chaos inside our box, and Ortiz profits from it to grab the draw in the very last instant. A bitter blow.

04-07-2010: Real Santander 0 - 4 Bucaramanga (Edwards Jiménez 7, Jhon Ulloque 27, Sebastián Monesterolo 66, Edinson Pinzón 78) - Colombian Cup Group C, 3/10

With Rentería injured and out until mid-May, we faced Santander in the Cup soon after losing against them in the league. Once again we dominated the first minutes, but this time we managed to get something out of it when Jiménez scored his first goal in a full month. The striker looked in good form, assisting Ulloque twenty minutes later for the 0-2 despite struggling against an injury. In a quite placid second half, Monesterolo sealed the deal in a counterattack and Pinzón got the fourth hitting the top left corner from 25 yards away with a great strike, as we kept our awesome Cup form. The league was another matter...

04-10-2010: Bogotá FC 1 - 2 Bucaramanga (Diego Mosorongo 85 - Edwards Jiménez 23 49) - Primera B First Phase, 14/17

With Bogotà 10th and only one point ahead of us, this was a game we had to win no matter what. We struggled to control the ball in the first minutes, but soon we improved, and Jiménez kept building on his cup performance with another goal to put us in front. We resisted Bogotá's attacks for the rest of the first half, and just after restarting the game, Jiménez struck again with a wonderful effort that hit the underside of the bar before going in. Good defending and goalkeeping kept Bogotá at bay until Mosorongo finally got one back with five minutes remaining. We held on until the end, and secured three vital points that put us back into the top eight.

04-14-2010: Bucaramanga 5 - 0 Barranquilla FC (Sebastián Monesterolo 2, Edwards Jiménez 5 68, Sherman Cárdenas 7, Luis Cassiani pen 64) - Primera B First Phase, 15/17

This game looked really promising, with Barranquilla near the bottom and us on a good run for a change. And it certainly started well, with Jiménez assisting Monesterolo for an easy goal only two minutes into the game. Three minutes later, Jiménez made it 2-0 from a very dubious position, and the fans readied themselves for a good time. The players surely delivered, with Cárdenas scoring the third almost immediately, and with many chances for more throughout the first half. We rested some players in the second half and the rhythm resented, but we still got the fourth from the penalty spot thanks to Cassiani, and Jiménez made it 5-0 a bit later. Looking good.

04-17-2010: Academia FC 3 - 2 Bucaramanga (Francisco Serrano 51, Giribeth Cotes 80, Juan Camilo Yepes 87 - Edwards Jiménez 5, Sherman Cárdenas 37) - Primera B First Phase, 16/17

Key game for sure, with Academia just outside the bubble in the 9th place, but only one point behind us (5th). Academia knew they needed a win and went for it from the start, but a quick break on the left ended in a cross by Laciar into Jiménez's header for the opener. Good saves by Cerón kept us ahead until we managed to regain control of the ball, and soon Cárdenas broke into the box from the right wing to score the second. Academia struck back in the first minutes of the second half with a great goal by Serrano, and a powerful low strike by Cotes with ten minutes remaining meant the 2-2. An incredible defensive mistake in the 87th allowed Yepes to complete Academia's comeback with an easy header, leaving us with an undeserved defeat that forced us to win the last game if we wanted to keep our place in the top 8.

League Table (1 game remaining)

04-21-2010: Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Chicó FC (Luis Cassiani 47 pen 75) - Colombian Cup Group C, 4/10

Chicó are the other First Division team in our group, and were surprisingly 2nd in the league at the moment. We kept a few first teamers out of the squad, saving them for the vital league game on Saturday, but still managed a good first half, keeping them away from our goal and even enjoying some good chances ourselves. Two minutes into the second half we grab a deserved goal when Cassiani (who was most likely offside) puts it in with a subtle touch after a great pass by Cárdenas. A penalty commited by Chica over Peralta allowed Cassiani to score the second and give us another great win in the Cup.

04-24-2010: Bucaramanga 5 - 2 Expreso Rojo (Marcelo Laciar 14, Edwards Jiménez 18, Cristian Ayala 27, Sherman Cárdenas 48, Sebastián Monesterolo 59 - Jhonny Ríos 44 82) - Primera B First Phase, 17/17

Win, win, win. That was our only option if we didn't want to depend on others to keep our place in the next stage. Expreso were out of contention already, and our motivational edge showed in the first minutes, as we took the ball away and never let it go. Soon Laciar put us ahead after a great dribble and an even better finish, and Jiménez didn't need much time to double our lead after a great assist by Cárdenas. Later, Ayala dived to head an indirect free kick into the net, but a good finish by Ríos near the end of the first half brough us down to Earth. Thankfully Cárdenas completed a fantastic game scoring the 4-1 in the first minutes of the second half, and Monesterolo got the fifth in a quick break through the middle to seal the deal. Ríos got the second for Expreso, but our job was already done. Mission accomplished.

04-28-2010: Alianza Petrolera 1 - 2 Bucaramanga (Edinson Palomino 3 - Luis Cassiani 11 pen 72) - Colombian Cup Group C, 5/10

Theory says that Alianza should be the weakest team in the group, but in reality they were third. That made winning at their stadium even more important, and the start of the game wasn't exactly promising, with Palomino running past Peralta with worrying ease and blasting the ball home for the opener. But we soon profited from Alianza's defensive mistakes, and Cassiani continued his good Cup form with another goal to draw the game. After that, loads of chances on both goals throughout the first half, but both keepers worked hard to prevent them turning into goals. The second half was all ours, but the goal didn't come until Monesterolo was brought down inside the box by Arango, prompting a penalty kick scored by Cassiani, our specialist. Alianza couldn't react, and we grabbed three points that kept us top of the group.

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League Table (End of the First Phase)

Group Stage

Cup Table

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Edwards Jiménez (2), Sherman Cárdenas (1), Ronald Cubillos (1), Cristian Ayala (1)

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Summary:

Weird last minute comebacks aside, this has been a good month. We managed to fix our earlier mistakes in the league with some bludgeoning wins, although we stuttered a bit against Academia and came very near to throwing it all away. In the end we got what we wanted, a place in the top 8, and we will take part in the group stage. Now it's just a matter of keeping our current form (read: not what we did last season). The group is tough, with Quindío as the main threat given their status as a recently relegated squad and their league form, in which they only conceded one defeat and two draws. Unión Magdalena should be pretty winnable, while Atlético La Sabana have been the surprise package of the season, finishing 3rd just behind Quindío and Cup champions Pasto, and giving a good impression overall.

The Cup has been a pleasant surprise. With two First Division teams in the group, the least I expected with half of the group stage gone was to be undefeated leaders, five points ahead of the second place and, more importantly, eight ahead of the third. Winning the remaining home games should be more than enough to secure a place in the first knockout round, and who knows, if Pasto went all the way last season, why can't we do the same?

Maybe the best thing of this triumphant April has been the resurrection of many of the key names in the squad. Edinson Pinzón (2 goals and 2 assists), Sebastián Monesterolo (3 goals and 1 assist), Sherman Cárdenas (3 goals and 3 assists), Luis Cassiani (5 goals, 4 of them in the Cup, in only 4 games, two of them coming from the bench) and, above all, Edwards Jiménez (7 goals and 4 assists in 7 appearances) shone bright throughout the month. It's a shame that we lost Jamerson Rentería with a sprained ankle, but he will be back soon to help us through the group stage. We've even found a pleasant surprise in youngster Alfonso Serna, who has played cover on the left back with Mosquera out, and has even started three games so far, with good results. He's not a long term solution, but he can do a good job for us until the window reopens in June.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B First Phase, Part 5 (May, Group Stage)

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Games:

05-01-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 2 Atlético La Sabana (Sebastián Monesterolo 19, Cristian Ayala sent off 90+2 - José Betancourt 34, Luis Tobón 43) - Primera B First Phase Group Stage, Group A, 1/6

The group stage began at home, which was good, but against La Sabana, which was pretty darn dangerous. Surprisingly, they tried to park the bus with a 5-3-2 formation, but that didn't stop us from creating danger from the start. We moved the ball around patiently looking for the gap, until Monesterolo headed in a cross by Jiménez to tear down La Sabana's wall. It didn't last much, though, since Betancourt scored a magnificent direct free kick to draw the game. Near the end of the first half Tobón broke the offside trap to score an easy tap in, putting La Sabana ahead in only their third chance of the game. The visitors rebuilt their wall, we got two goals disallowed, Ayala got sent off in injury time for two yellows, and we couldn't get the draw, much less a win. Unlucky, unfair, and other things that start with "un-".

Other results: Unión Magdalena 0 - 1 Quindío

05-05-2010: Patriotas FC 0 - 1 Bucaramanga (José Castillo 4) - Colombian Cup Group C, 6/10

Back to the Cup, Patriotas were thus far the only team of the group we hadn't won against. We started aiming to fix that, with Castillo scoring an spectacular goal from outside the box only four minutes into the game. The game wasn't good by any means, but we did enough to keep ourselves ahead until the break. The second half was even worse, with the sorry state of the pitch not exactly helping, and with only a pair of key saves by Cerón we did enough to secure the three points.

05-08-2010: Unión Magdalena 2 - 1 Bucaramanga (Luis Narváez 2, Norwin Figueroa 90+2 - Edwards Jiménez 24) - Primera B First Phase Group Stage, Group A, 2/6

We couldn't afford to throw away more points, and beating Magdalena in both games was a must anyway. But we love making things difficult for ourselves it seems: two minutes in, Narváez heads a corner kick into the net to put Magdalena ahead. It took twenty minutes of sloppy play, but finally Jiménez got the draw, well assisted by Cárdenas. We pushed forward looking for the win in the second half, but we eventually run out of steam, Magdalena regained control of the ball, and in injury time, and outrageous effort from 30 yards away by Figueroa gave them the win. Unbelievable.

Other results: Quindío 2 - 1 Atlético La Sabana

05-15-2010: Bucaramanga 3 - 1 Quindío (Jhon Ulloque 44, Cristian Ayala 54, Jamerson Rentería 60 - James Quiñónez 62) - Primera B First Phase Group Stage, Group A, 3/6

A full week of rest for the first time in forever led to our last chance to get something out of the group stage. Winning against promotion favourites Quindío was a must if we wanted to stay on the race. We got off to a really good start, our best minutes of the group stage thus far for sure. Laciar's injury slowed us down a little, but his replacement, Ulloque, was the one to finally open the score with a great strike from the edge of the box. A free kick headed in by Ayala in the first minutes of the second half doubled our lead, and Rentería, who returned from his ankle injury, made it 3-0 not much later, sealing the game for good and resurrecting our promotion chances, despite Quiñónez getting one goal back for Quindío.

Other results: Atlético La Sabana 3 - 0 Unión Magdalena

Group Table (3 games left)

05-20-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Cúcuta (Diego Peralta 36 - Jorge López Caballero 74, Roberto Polo sent off 43) - Colombian Cup Group C, 7/10

A win against rivals Cúcuta meant us securing a place in the next round of the Cup, but with the game being played on Thursday for some reason, just 2 days before a critical league match against Unión Magdalena, made sure that lots of reserves started. Still, we managed to put ourselves ahead when Pinzón nodded a ball towards the small box, and Peralta gathered it, turned around and put it into the net. Things got even better when Polo was sent off near the end of the first half after elbowing Chacón in the face. But Cúcuta went on the attack nonetheless, and managed to get the draw in the 74th when López Caballero sent into the net a rebounded ball after a save by Cerón. Still, a good result for us given the circumstances.

05-22-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Unión Magdalena (Luis Cassiani 89 - Leandro Vargas 28, Julián Campos sent off 58) - Primera B First Phase Group Stage, Group A, 4/6

Winning the three remaining games was the prerequisite to winning the group. We started on the attack as almost always, and in ten minutes we already had a (correctly) disallowed goal and one header hitting the woodwork, while Magdalena focused on defending and fouling. Then they got lucky and got a goal in their first chance of the game, scored by Vargas, a lead that they somehow held onto until half time. With Campos picking a second yellow in the 58th, we intensified our attack, but we couldn't score until the 89th, when Cassiani saved a pretty useless point for us, given Quindío's win against La Sabana.

Other results: Atlético La Sabana 0 - 1 Quindío

05-26-2010: Quindío 3 - 3 Bucaramanga (Aléxis Córdoba 45+1, Danny Santoya 55 79, Hamlet Mina sent off 7 - Sherman Cárdenas 5, Edwards Jiménez 20 29) - Primera B First Phase Group Stage, Group A, 5/6

We were mostly out, but we had a very small chance: we had to win the two remaining games, and Quindío should draw or lose against Unión Magdalena in their last game. The first task was defeating group leaders Quindío at their stadium, and we started well with Cárdenas scoring the opener five minutes into the game, and with Mina grabbing the quickest pair of yellow cards I've ever seen, being sent off in the 7th minute. Jiménez got the second in the 20th and the third nine minutes later, and the game seemed as good as finished, until Córdoba got one back for Quindío in injury time of the first half. In the second half Santoya scored the 2-3 in what looked like a clear offside position, and Santoya himself drew the game with eleven minutes remaining in a counterattack. Way to throw a game and a promotion chance away, lads...

Other results: Unión Magdalena 0 - 2 Atlético La Sabana

05-29-2010: Atlético La Sabana 5 - 0 Bucaramanga (Johnny Ruiz 13 62, Alonso Acosta pen 20 84, Juan Cantillo 88) Primera B First Phase Group Stage, Group A, 6/6

We had nothing left to play for, while La Sabana could get through to the playoff if they won and Quindío didn't. We played a team of reserves, and soon Ruiz put La Sabana ahead. Our lack of motivation was self-evident, and a penalty commited by Serna on Ruiz was converted by Acosta into the 2-0. Ruiz scored the third in the second half and Acosta made it 4-0 in a corner kick and Cantillo finished the rout with the fifth near the end, sealing a game in which we never really looked willing to fight for victory. Horrible display.

Other results: Quindío 2 - 1 Unión Magdalena

Quindío will play Depor FC in the First Phase Playoff.

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Final Group Table

Cup Table (2/3 games left)

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Ronald Cubillos (3), Daniel Murillo (2), Johan Cerón (1), Sebastián Monesterolo (1), Cristian Ayala (1), Jamerson Rentería (1)

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Summary:

Yep, we choked again in the worst possible moment. Leaving that final aberration of a game against La Sabana aside, we can at least say that we played reasonably well, deserving to win at least in the two initial defeats against La Sabana and Magdalena. But we were let down by our bad luck and our horrid finishing, and more than once allowed teams with ten players on the pitch to come back into the game and steal points we thought we had already on the sack. We look very weak mentally, and there's little I can do to improve that at this point. Only hope that these issues won't appear for a third time in the Second Phase. Strangely, the board are said to be delighted with our performances, and are "satisfied that the team have tried their best". Really. I don't know what these guys have been smoking (or sniffing, this is Colombia after all), but if I was in their place I would be sharpening the axe after such a poor league display.

At least we have the Cup to look forward. After the latest results, we've already qualified for the first knockout round, and we look really likely to top our group, hopefully drawing an easier matchup in the upcoming draw. We still have to seal that first place, though, needing a win against Real Santander to do so once and for all. Although, seeing how the group is playing so far, we probably won't even need that.

I'm keeping an eye on the available jobs, since my deal runs out at the end of the year and I have no real intention of sticking around after that, unless we somehow manage to win the Cup and secure a spot in a continental competition for next year. So far I haven't been linked with any club since the start of this season, which is a bit of a shame. With most leagues ending around these dates, there may be a few openings between now and the end of June. Of course, there's also the World Cup coming up real soon, and that could give me the chance to apply to a national team and start raising my worldwide reputation, aiming for a jump to a top tier club in the future.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B First Phase, Part 6 (June/Mid-season)

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Games:

06-02-2010: Bucaramanga 0 - 0 Alianza Petrolera - Colombian Cup Group C, 8/10

After the extreme disappointment of our league performance, we focused exclusively in the Cup for a while. With qualification already on the bag, our next aim was to secure the first place as soon as possible, and a win against Alianza Petrolera would be a great first step in that direction. The first half was a good show, but the fans became exasperated with Jiménez, who failed to score in three clear cut chances. The second half was more of the same, with Alianza enjoying some chances on the counter. Neither side scored, though, and the fans left the stadium disappointed once again.

06-05-2010: Bucaramanga 3 - 0 Real Santander (Jhon Ulloque 40, Luis Cassiani 52 71) - Colombian Cup Group C, 9/10

Real Santander were the only team who had a chance of catching up with us at the top of the table. We only needed a draw against them to secure the first place, but Ulloque put us ahead in the 40th minute after a nice assist by Cárdenas, in what otherwise was a pretty poor first half. Cassiani got the second seven minutes into the second half, Santander gave up, and the rest of the game was easy. Cassiani increased his goal count in the Cup even further after a grave defensive mistake by the visitors, and that was all. An easy win.

06-09-2010: Chicó FC 2 - 0 Bucaramanga (Leonardo López 46, Edilio 48) - Colombian Cup Group C, 10/10

Another irrelevant game for us, but for much better reasons: we were first no matter what. Chicó had a very small chance of grabbing the second place, depending on a huge (3+ goals) win against us and Cúcuta and Real Santander drawing their match. They attacked from the get go, trying to make their part of the miracle true at least, while we waited our chance to counterattack. Both keepers had a lot of work in the first minutes, but things slowed down dramatically afterwards, and the first half ended without goals. Chicó finally got ahead in the first minute after the restart, with a bullet header by Leonardo López, and Edilio scored the second only two minutes later in a counterattack. Our half-hearted attempt at a comeback went nowhere, and Chicó kept the points, although Cúcuta's 1-2 win over Real Santander meant that they had little value.

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Final Cup Table

Colombian Cup 2nd Round draw

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First Phase Playoff:

Depor FC 1-0 Quindío

Quindío 1-0 Depor FC (5-4 on penalties)

Quindío win the First Phase of the Primera B.

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Around the world:

South America:

- Copa Libertadores: Still in the semifinals, with Cruzeiro playing Flamengo and Vélez Sársfield facing São Paulo.

- Copa Sudamericana: Finished back in December, with Flamengo (again) winning on penalties against Internacional after a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

- Recopa: The final is being played right now, with Flamengo (again!) facing Estudiantes de La Plata. The first leg has already been played, a 2-2 draw in Maracanã.

Europe:

- Champions League: In an all-Spanish final played in the Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid won 5-4 on penalties after drawing 3-3 against Sevilla.

- Europa League: Roma got the trophy, smashing Celtic 3-0 in the final.

- European Super Cup: Shaktar stunned Barcelona with a 2-1 win.

World Cup 2010 (1):

Out in the group stage: Slovakia, New Zealand, Paraguay, South Africa, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Serbia, Algeria, Ghana, North Korea, Argentina, U.S.A., Scotland, Gabon, Chile and South Korea. Not too many surprises, but seeing Australia qualify ahead of Serbia and Argentina missing out to Portugal and Ivory Coast was a bit of a shock. Well, the later not so much.

Second round:

Italy 4-1 Japan

Ecuador 1-1p Greece

N. Ireland 0-2 Brazil

Australia 0-0p Holland

France 2-1 Portugal

Germany 2-0 Ivory Coast

Croatia 2-0 Honduras

Spain 1-0 England

Quarterfinals:

Italy vs. Brazil

Greece vs. Holland

Germany vs. Croatia

France vs. Spain

(to be continued...)

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Summary:

Well, at least the Cup ended well. We're on the next round as the first placed team of our group, and our next opponent will be CD Los Millonarios, who play in the First Division but are playing below expectations, finishing 12th in the first stage of the first phase. It will be a tough tie, but it's winnable if we perform like we should. We won't play in the Cup again until September, though, so we can now focus on starting well in the league and securing a group stage spot as soon as possible.

With the summer transfer window approaching, rumours start flying around left and right. Funnily, the first target of an European team is Daniel Murillo, our backup-gone-starter left back, who was being chased by Karlsruhe. The full back soon started mumbling about wanting to leave, and getting ready for this and also as a solution after Miller Mosquera's season-long viral infection, we signed Argentinian left wing back Germán Voboril from San Lorenzo de Almagro, paying €65k for his signature. He'll be our starter at the left back for the rest of the season, and will compete with Mosquera for the starting place from then on. Being also able to play as a left winger was surely a plus, since Laciar's age is starting to catch up with him, Quizena and Ledesma are playing very poorly, and Pinzón plays better on the middle, just behind the strikers.

We were also on the lookout for a new central defender: Ayala is showing signs of age, and while Estacio is doing well and Peralta is a solid backup, we needed someone else in there, specially considering the strict suspension rules in this league (three yellows = one game out). In the end, we bought Juan Carlos Quiñónez from Atlético La Sabana for €55k, both improving our defensive line and weakening a likely rival for promotion.

We're going to have problems with some of our stars, though. Edinson Pinzón's and Edwards Jimenez's contracts expire in a little over six months, and neither seems willing to renew their deals at the moment. We could try to offload them for some cash now before they're allowed to negotiate free transfers, but to be honest, only a small part of that cash would return to me in the form of transfer funds, and most of it will end in the chairman's pockets. So, I'll hold onto them until the end of their current deals if I can, and I'll keep trying to convince them to stay. Who knows, maybe we'll promote and then they'll change their mind! I've already rejected a €190k offer from First Division First Phase champions Junior for Pinzón, many more are likely to come in the next weeks.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B Second Phase, Part 1 (July)

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Games:

07-03-2010: Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Unión Magdalena (Edwards Jiménez 60, Sebastián Monesterolo 88) - Primera B Second Phase, 1/17

Back in the league after a short month of holidays, we faced one of our rivals in the group stage, Unión Magdalena. Voboril and Quiñónez got their first start, but as happened in our last meetings, we spend the whole first half banging our head against their defensive wall without any luck in our finishing. In the second half goalkeeper Vera kept stopping everything we could throw at him, until a great run through the middle in the 60th minute allowed Jiménez to finally score the opener. Good defending and a pair of great saves by Cerón did the rest, and Monesterolo closed the game two minutes before the end in a quick counterattack. A nice start of the second phase.

07-14-2010: Bucaramanga 4 - 0 Alianza Petrolera (Edwards Jiménez 45+1, Sebastián Monesterolo 56 61 75) - Primera B Second Phase, 2/17

Another of our recent rivals, this time from the Cup. We were able to keep the same starting eleven thanks to the relaxed fixture list so far. The first half was almost a repeat of our last game, with like a million chances and zero goals. Thankfully, a wonderfull assist by Monesterolo led to Jiménez's goal in injury time, a lead we had been deserving since the kick off. Our strikers swapped roles in the second half, with Jiménez assisting and Monesterolo placing the ball into the net for the 2-0, and the Argentinian got the 3-0 a bit later, this time after a nice pass by Pinzón. Monesterolo still had time to complete his hattrick with a great individual effort. A great win in what became Cárdenas' last game for Bucaramanga.

07-17-2010: Rionegro 1 - 0 Bucaramanga (Sebastián Arias 90+1) - Primera B Second Phase, 3/17

Cárdenas' departure left a big gap in our right wing that we had to fill the sooner the better. Meanwhile, our first away game of the Second Phase against Rionegro was the most difficult thus far. Rionegro had the most possession in the first half, and our best chances came from counterattacks. We improved after a goalless first half, and possession in the second half was all ours, yet the goal wouldn't come, and a fantastic individual effort by Arias in injury time gave Rionegro the win. A harsh way to lose.

07-24-2010: Itagüí Ditaires 3 - 0 Bucaramanga (Camilo Andrés Campo 23, Oscar Londoño 29, Elkin Amador 45+3) - Primera B Second Phase, 4/17

New signings Ciciliano and Miranda started for the first time against Ditaires, a tough rival that played in the group stage of the First Phase. They showed why with a dominant display in the first 20 minutes that brought them the first goal of the game, scored by Campo. Londoño made it 2-0 with a great finish before we had a chance to react. A bad first half for us ended even worse, when Quiñónez had to leave the field injured, and with Amador grabbing the third with a nice free kick. The second half was unnecessary after that, and brought nothing new.

07-28-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 2 Quindío (Diego Peralta 80 - Jair Rambal 1 45) - Primera B Second Phase, 5/17

First Phase champions Quindío came to our stadium as leaders and still undefeated in the Second Phase, obviously aiming for a repeat and grabbing direct promotion to the First Division that way. They certainly couldn't have hoped for a better start: Cerón misheaded a ball he was trying to clear, and Rambal profited from his mistake and scored the easiest goal of his entire career. We played well in the following twenty minutes, but never scored, and Quindío eventually regained control and took their chances, with Rambal grabbing his and their second in the last minute of the first half. We looked defeated, but a goal by Peralta in a corner kick ten minutes before the end gave us hope, but nothing more. Third defeat in a row, and things start to look a bit hopeless.

07-31-2010: Pasto 1 - 1 Bucaramanga (Germán Centurión 65, Luis Ángel Valencia sent off 89 - Sebastián Monesterolo 4) - Primera B Second Phase, 6/17

The current Cup champions looked exactly as bad as us: 2 wins and 3 defeats, following a disastrous group stage in which they only gathered two points. We finally managed to start leading, thanks to a great goal by Monesterolo four minutes in. The rest of the first half was horrid, with both teams fighting against their form and against the muddy pitch. Pasto had the initiative, though, and after a few spectacular misses, Centurión got lucky after a pair of wild balls inside our box and sent it in for the draw. Valencia's controversial red card near the end didn't affect a result that was flattering for us. Both teams were completely exhausted at the end of the game, and we added three new injuries to an already extensive collection.

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League Table

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Ronald Cubillos (1), Edinson Pinzón (1), José Castillo (1), Sebastián Monesterolo (1), Johan Cerón (1), Diego Peralta (1)

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Around the World:

South America:

- Copa Libertadores: Two Brazilian teams met in the final, but Flamengo was not amongst them: Cruzeiro and São Paulo were the finalists, and after a 1-1 draw in Morumbi, Cruzeiro became Estudiantes' successor as South American champions with a 3-1 victory at their stadium in Belo Horizonte, winning 4-2 on aggregate.

- Recopa: Estudiantes grabbed the title after a 3-3 draw on aggregate against Flamengo, thanks to the away goals rule.

World Cup 2010 (2):

Quarterfinals:

Italy 0-1 Brazil

Greece 0-1 Holland

Germany 1-2 Croatia

France 2-1 Spain

Semifinals:

Brazil 1-0 France

Holland 1-2 Croatia

Third Place Playoff:

Holland 0-1 France

Final:

Brazil 1-2 Croatia

An incredible run by Croatia, who kicked out powerhouses like Germany and Holland on their way to the final, before smashing Brazil thanks to the goals scored by "Brazilian" Eduardo and Ivan Rakitic and grabbing the title for the first time in their short history as an independent country. Luka Modric was chosen as the best player of the tournament, ahead of Pato and Ivan Rakitic. Júlio César was the pick as the best goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic grabbed the Golden Boot, with 5 goals, ahead of Gourcuff and Pato, both with 4. A crazy tournament all around.

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Summary:

A rollercoaster of a month to be sure. First and foremost, the transfer market. It didn't take long for Daniel Murillo to find his way out of Bucaramanga. A host of €100k offers came in, I accepted them all, and the full back finally went to Italy to join Chievo Verona, whose fans weren't exactly happy with the purchase, claiming that he was likely to disrupt the squad harmony. With him out of the picture, Serna will retain his status has first (and only) backup, while Voboril will start whenever he's fit enough to play.

The bad news came once again from the board, and this time it was a big one: they accepted a €850k bid by Junior for Sherman Cárdenas, the only one of our stars that didn't end his contract in January. It wasn't even a huge, can't-refuse-ever bid, considering Sherman's transfer value at the moment was €425k. I was this close to resigning on the spot, but in the end I swallowed my pride and decided to carry on without Cárdenas. Of course, we only got around €100k of those €850k for our transfer budget. Grrr... Things got worse when Pinzón requested a transfer only one week later (this plus a hissy fit after being substituted against Rionegro made his morale drop like a rock, and his performances suffered greatly throughout the month), and Argentinos made a €190k offer for Jiménez that thankfully the board didn't see as good enough to auto-accept.

To replace Cárdenas, we didn't have much choice but to bring in an experienced player like Ricardo Ciciliano, taking him from our Cup rivals Millonarios on a €60k deal. An attacking midfielder that, despite being 33 years old, is still quick enough to run the right wing and has enough creativity to play behind the strikers, he'll fulfill more or less the same role that Cárdenas had until now. As a bonus, we got another veteran, this one much cheaper: a mere €1k brought 32-year-old attacking midfielder Víctor Miranda to Bucaramanga from Atlético El Vigía (Venezuela). A good passer and finisher, and above all a great free kick taker, he'll usually start behind the strikers, moving Pinzón to the left wing and Laciar to the bench.

All this movement, coupled with the bad league results and the feeling that my time in Bucaramanga would be better spent somewhere else, led me to apply to the vacant job at São Caetano, who were bottom of the Brazilian Second Division at the moment. It wasn't succesful, since they picked Paulo Campos instead, but it was a sign of my intentions from then on: whenever I see a job I could realistically have a chance of getting, I'm applying, and damned be the board if they think I'm showing a lack of loyalty by doing so. They weren't exactly loyal to their own club by accepting those bids.

In the international department, the World Cup didn't make too many heads roll. Only Maradona was kicked out by the Argentine FA, and that one was a given. Of course, it was also a given that I wasn't going to get that job, although I applied anyway, just in case. In the end they appointed Héctor Veira, a veteran manager with bags of experience that should get the better off the Argentinian stars.

Dalbeider, I have to come to the conclusion that, well, you suck

Dalbeider, I have to come to the conclusion that, well, you suck

But of course. Didn't you read the title of my story on the other side?

And by the way, so do you .

And by the way, so do you .

That's not the point

Just a little spoiler for you, Terk. Looks like I just need a little extra motivation to stop sucking so much .

But if you get good then I'll be left being **** on my own

But if you get good then I'll be left being **** on my own

You've always got MeLikeFM

You've always got MeLikeFM

Fair point, poor as I've been on dafuge's challenge, I haven't even come close to his levels yet

Don't worry Terk, as soon as I retake my challenge save I'll be back to sucking again. Getting sacked in my first season wouldn't be out of the question...

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B Second Phase, Part 2 (August)

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Games:

08-07-2010: Depor FC 0 - 2 Bucaramanga (Jossymar Quiñónez sent off 78 - Sebastián Monesterolo 22 82) - Primera B Second Phase, 7/17

Depor were a bit like Pasto at this point: after reaching the playoff in the First Phase, they were dropping like rocks in the Second, and were 15th in the table. With half of our midfielders out injured or recovering fitness, it was a pleasant surprise to see us controlling the game from the start and Monesterolo scoring the first goal of the game with a surprise shot at the near post from a tight angle. Depor pushed forward without showing much conviction, and we went to an extremely defensive formation out of necessity, with two wingbacks playing as wingers and two anchormen in the wide zone. The game virtually ended when Jossymar Quiñónez saw a second yellow for diving inside our box, and Monesterolo finished it for good sending a header in near the end. A healing victory.

08-14-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 0 Atlético La Sabana (Cristian Ayala 34) - Primera B Second Phase, 8/17

One of our nightmares in recent times, they seemed to have caught a bad streak, too, sitting 12th in the table, although showing signs of improvement. The game was a bit of a mess, with no clear winner in the midfield battle, but we still got the lead in an isolated chance, a corner kick headed in by Ayala. La Sabana took the ball from then on, but their lack of quality in the creative department showed. We managed to hold our fort quite well, and Cerón did the rest with a few assorted saves. Their last push went nowhere, and we secured the three points with a good defensive display.

08-18-2010: Deportes Palmira 1 - 7 Bucaramanga (Erlin López 90 - Ricardo Ciciliano 6, Edinson Pinzón 8 46, Sebastián Monesterolo 25, Edwards Jiménez 33 50, Emerson Chamorro 41) - Primera B Second Phase, 9/17

Funny how things turn around in a few months. Palmira ended 17th in the First Phase, but looked like group stage contenders in the Second. We got a great start, with Monesterolo looking in-form even after missing one game suspended and assisting Ciciliano for his first goal for Bucaramanga. Pinzón followed two minutes later with a great strike from 25 yards away that made him forget all his transfer-related woes for a while, and Monesterolo got the third after a nice pass from the left by Voboril. Even Jiménez joined the party, scoring his first goal in seven games, and Chamorro closed the first half with another long distance strike into the back of the net. The second half should have been a boring mess after such a display, but no: Pinzón and Jiménez increased the count in the first five minutes of the half before we finally relaxed and let the minutes pass by. López got a miser's goal for Palmira in the final minutes, but it didn't matter at all. More games like this one, please?

08-21-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 1 Patriotas FC (Edwards Jiménez 77 - Erwin Carrillo 6) - Primera B Second Phase, 10/17

Our latest results had seen us climbing up to the 5th place, but Patriotas were 3rd two points ahead and looking solid. They showed their good form by getting the first goal six minutes into the game, in a free kick headed in by Carrillo. The game went there on a route we knew too well: possession on our side, missing every single chance, Patriotas creating danger on the counter. Desperation after sixty minutes of futile attacks led us to try a few too many long shots, but it was a great through ball by Pinzón what allowed Jiménez to finally draw the game in the 77th. Neither team could get the winner, and the 1-1 draw was a fair result for both.

08-28-2010: Carlos Sarmiento 1 - 4 Bucaramanga (Hector Millán 42 - Sebastián Monesterolo 12 51 65, Edwards Jiménez 32) - Primera B Second Phase, 11/17

The relegation candidates were near their expected position, third from the bottom, so we went to their stadium expecting a win. Carlos Sarmiento started the game looking really good, but our higher quality showed when Monesterolo scored with a placed shot. We improved after the goal, with Pinzón ruling the midfield with ease. A bad backpass, a worse clearance and a good pass by Laciar allowed Jiménez to grab the 0-2 and give us some breating space, but Millán soon put the home team back into the game with the 1-2. Monesterolo, once again assisted by Pinzón, put everything back into place in the 51st with our third goal, and sealed a great hattrick fourteen minutes later, this time thanks to Miranda's steal and pass. A very solid win to close a good month.

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League Table

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Johan Cerón (2), Sebastián Monesterolo (2), Edinson Pinzón (2), Cristian Ayala (1), Kevin Cataño (1), Alfonso Serna (1), Emerson Chamorro (1), Edwards Jiménez (1)

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Summary:

A light month regarding fixtures, just before the 2nd round of the Cup, which will be played the 1st and 6th of September, thankfully making good use of a two-week pause in the league. We will get to these two key games in the best form of the season, following six straight games without a defeat and comfortably installed inside the top 8 in the league. The evident highlight of August was that 1-7 win against Deportes Palmira, with the whole team playing as well or better than they did last year during the regular season. Sebastián Monesterolo has also returned to his awesome 2009-levels, with seven goals and two assists in the last five games, and an average rating of 8.18 in those same matches.

The most interesting thing beside the games themselves was the start of the rumours regarding my future. With my deal ending soon-ish, the press started speculating with my potential replacement should I not be offered a new deal (or reject that offer, which is a likely scenario). Carlos Miguel Hoyos, former Itagüí Ditaires manager, was the favourite for the job. Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Johan Cerón told the press that the board should get hold of me and offer me a new contract as soon as possible. At least the players are happy with me, or so it seems...

In other news, Libertadores' champions Cruzeiro sacked Adílson Batista exactly one month after that achievement, due to a very poor 15th position in the Brazilian National First Division. I didn't apply, since I'm not deluded enough to think I would have a chance at all. They hired Vadão in the end. The worst news of the month once again came from the transfer market, since both Edwards Jiménez and Edinson Pinzón will leave Bucaramanga on a free transfer at the end of their current contracts. Jiménez has agreed a deal with Xanthi, from Greece, while Pinzón will end in an even more exotic league when he joins Olimpi Rustavi, from Georgia.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B Second Phase, Part 2 1/2 (Colombian Cup 2nd Round)

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Games:

09-01-2010: Bucaramanga 2 - 2 Millonarios (Sebastián Monesterolo 32, Edwards Jiménez 90+3 - Oscar Briceño 37, Aléxis Romero 90+5) - Colombian Cup 2nd Round 1st Leg

We had absolutely nothing to lose, with both the fans and the board delighted just for having lasted this far in the Cup. Millonarios were First Division quality, but arrived at the Alfonso López in a pretty bad form, after four games without a win. The ball was ours in the first 20 minutes, and we enjoyed quite a few chances to get a surprising lead. Our Cup specialist, Cassiani, switched away from his usual role with a fantastic pass towards in-form Monesterolo, who blasted it low into the net to score the 1-0 in the 32nd minute of the game. Millonarios came from the half time team talk with another outlook, and soon Briceno got the draw in the 47th, in one of their first chances of the whole game, and maybe in an offside position. We took the initiative again, but this time Millonarios looked better positioned, and creating chances was harder. A poisoned cross by Voboril and a short-range finish by Ulloque hit the woodwork, and finally Jiménez gave us a very well deserved win with a fantastic lob over the keeper in the last minute of injury time. Only problem was that the referee decided to extend injury time for two additional minutes without good reason, and that allowed Romero to steal the win from us with a last-minute header. Outrageous.

09-06-2010: Millonarios 2 - 2 Bucaramanga (Ervin González 35, Oscar Briceño 87, Pedro Franco sent off 69 - Edwards Jiménez 19 48) - Colombian Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg

With no extra time and no away goals rule in the Colombian Cup, a draw would send us straight into the penalty shootout. We faced the second leg with a mostly unchanged squad, trying to capitalize in our good performance during our first meeting with Millonarios. We put them in serious difficulties in the first quarter, and a great combination between Pinzón and Jiménez, two players that won't be with us next year, ended with the striker capitalizing on the midfielder's through ball to score the 0-1, shocking the home fans. Jiménez was probably offside, but the flag stayed down. The referee compesated by forgiving the second yellow card to Millonarios' Pedro Franco near the half hour mark, and then overcompensated by allowing González's goal to stand. If Jiménez was most likely offside, González certainly was, too. The linesman struck again in the third minute of the second half, and this time it was again in our favour: Jiménez received from Monesterolo in a very dubious position and run ahead to put us ahead again. With time playing in our favour now, we tried to run it out. The referee was finally forced to show the second yellow to Franco, sending him off and easing our path into the next round a bit more. Everything seemed under control until Briceño headed a corner into Estacio's legs, and the ball bounced past the goal line for the 2-2 draw. We had three minutes plus injury time to grab the winner against ten men, but there was no luck. Penalties, then.

Cassiani..... SAVED! (0-0)

Pabón........ GOAL! (1-0)

Ciciliano.... GOAL! (1-1)

Blanco....... GOAL! (2-1)

Jiménez...... GOAL! (2-2)

Briceño...... GOAL! (3-2)

Miranda...... GOAL! (3-3)

Salinas...... GOAL! (4-3)

Chamorro..... GOAL! (4-4)

González..... SAVED! (4-4)

Quiñónez..... GOAL! (4-5)

Monroy....... SAVED!!!!! (4-5)

Bucaramanga win 5-4 on penalties and advance to the 3rd Round of the Colombian Cup!

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Summary:

Phew, what an adrenaline boost! Never really expected us to outperform Millonarios like we did in both games. The penalties did us justice for once, since we deserved to win both games given our control on possession and our greater number of chances. If we can perform like we did in these two matches for the remainder of the season, we should have no problem at all winning the league. Problem is, I've never seen a squad as streaky as this one. Still, we can hope. The referees, horrible as almost always, but at least they went both ways.

The 3rd Round will see us playing against Cortuluá, currently placed 18th and last in the First Division. They still managed to beat 8th-placed Tolima in the previous round with a narrow 3-2 on aggregate, so they won't be easy at all. The games will be played the 15th and the 22nd of September, which looks like becoming a pretty frantic month. In the other ties, Atlético Nacional will play against América de Cali, and First Phase champions Junior will fend it off against La Equidad. The three winners and the loser with the best record in the group stage will advance to the (gasp!) semifinals.

CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B Second Phase, Part 3 (September/October + Colombian Cup 3rd Round)

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Games:

09-11-2010: Bucaramanga 2 - 2 Real Santander (Luis Cassiani pen 64, Sebastián Monesterolo 78 - Alejandro González 6, Anderson Cháves pen 41) - Primera B Second Phase, 12/17

Still enjoying our Cup win, a very serious matchup awaited us in the league. Santander had certainly improved in this Second Phase, reaching the 2nd place and threatening to take the top spot away from Itagüí Ditaires. We rested some first teamers with an eye on our next Cup fixture, and Santander soon put themselves ahead when González tapped in a ball deflected by Cerón. Two well disallowed goals by Rentería is the best we could muster, and then the target man injured himself and had to be replaced by Monesterolo. Near the end of the first half, Ayala fouled Chará inside the box for a penalty kick, scored by Cháves. Another penalty on the other goal, this one over Cassiani, allowed the same striker to get one goal back, and Monesterolo got the draw a bit later, wonderfully assisted by Ciciliano. One half for each team, and a fair draw in the end.

09-15-2010: Bucaramanga 5 - 0 Cortuluá (Sebastián Monesterolo 40, Jimmy Estacio 62, Edwards Jiménez 64 70, Ricardo Ciciliano 78) - Colombian Cup 3rd Round 1st Leg

Back to the Cup, we face our second last hurdle in Cortuluá, last placed in the First División. The first minutes of the game were dominated by us, with Cortuluá happy to defend their goal. We kept pushing until a long ball by Miranda found Monesterolo on the run, and the Argentinian placed a low shot next to the root of the far post to open the score. The second half was surprisingly easy, with Cortuluá unable to create danger, and soon Estacio outjumped everyone to head a free kick into the net for the 2-0, his first ever goal for Bucaramanga in the best possible moment. Two minutes later, after a counterattack led by Monesterolo, a loose ball reached Jiménez in the edge of the box, and the striker shot low and placed to get the third. Jiménez did it again in the 70th, after a fantastic dribble and another crossed low shot, and we were four goals ahead and still looking for more! And more we got: Ciciliano scored the third after a cross by Laciar with a good half-volley. A fantastic performance and a marvelous result.

Other results:

Atlético Nacional 3 - 0 América de Cali

Junior 0 - 3 La Equidad

09-18-2010: Juventud Soacha 4 - 1 Bucaramanga (Hernán Céspedes 14, Arley Arango 29, Harold Orrego 32, Jhonny Ospina pen 63 - Juan Quizena 89) - Primera B Second Phase, 13/17

From the last of First Division, to the last of Primera B: Juventud hadn't won in forever and looked like serious relegation candidates. But overconfidence struck, Juventud dominated the early minutes, and Céspedes put them ahead in the 14th with a good finish. Arango got the second before half an hour had passed, and we completed a horrid first half conceding the third, scored by Orrego with a good header in a corner kick. Things didn't improve in the second half, with Serna committing a penalty and Ospina scoring from the spot. Only in the last few minutes we played something resembling football, with Quizena scoring a goal we didn't deserve. How we could follow such a great performance in the Cup with this aberration, I still don't know.

09-22-2010: Cortuluá 3 - 2 Bucaramanga (David Yepes 16, Francisco Villalba 26, John Jairo Montaño 90 - Edwards Jiménez 67, Sebastián Monesterolo 79) - Colombian Cup 3rd Round 2nd Leg

At least the defeat against Juventud served one purpose: warning us that we could still manage to throw the Cup semis away. And our fears seemed to turn to reality when Cortuluá scored in their first chance, a corner kick scored by Yepes thanks to Cerón's passivity, and in their second, a good through ball by Figueroa that Villalba turns into the 2-0. Thankfully we managed to stop them there, and keep a healthy three-goal lead at halftime. We tried to kill the game in the second half by playing slowly and carefully, keeping hold of the ball. It worked a treat, and in the 67th Jiménez scored from the edge of the box to erase any possibility of a miracle comeback by Cortuluá. Despite losing Peralta to injury and having to finish the game with ten players, we never felt threatened, and Monesterolo drew the game after a horrible mistake by their keeper. Montaño at least gave Cortuluá the win in front of their fans, but we were the happier team after the final whistle.

Other results:

América de Cali 2 (2) - (4) 1 Atlético Nacional

La Equidad 3 (6) - (3) 3 Junior

Bucaramanga, Atlético Nacional, La Equidad and Junior (as the best placed eliminated team) qualify for the Semifinals.

09-25-2010: Bucaramanga 3 - 1 Bogotá FC (Luis Cassiani 74, Ricardo Ciciliano 86 90+4 - Juan Rivas 28, Félix García sent off 78) - Primera B Second Phase, 14/17

Back to our daily league reality, we faced Bogotá, who were just at the edge of the top 8, only three points behind us. We found it hard to get into the game due to Bogotá's constant pressure, and on the 28th Rivas put the visitors ahead with an outstanding effort from a free kick almost 30 yards away. The game was dull, with lots of late challenges in the midfield and some sloppy passing that led to very few chances. Things improved in the final half hour, when we laid siege to Bogotá's goal, until Cassiani got the draw assisted by Miranda. The veteran forward also provoked García's sending off, sneaking past the defense and forcing him to tackle from behind near the edge of the box. A good pass by Cassiani allowed Ciciliano to grab the winner four minutes before the end, with Bogotá already down to nine men after losing another player to injury, and the final 3-1 in injury time. A hard-fought victory.

09-29-2010: Barranquilla 1 - 2 Bucaramanga (Jossymar Gómez 27 - Luis Cassiani 62, Ricardo Ciciliano 74) - Primera B Second Phase, 15/17

Mid-table Barranquilla still had a shot at making the top 8, but for that they needed to win everything. After a very slow start, our defense showed signs of weakness and allowed Gómez to score a very easy goal to put Barranquilla ahead. Once again we looked better in the second half after a few substitutions, with Jiménez looking furious at being replaced despite having had an abysmal game. His replacement, Cassiani, got the draw in the 62nd after a nice cross by Monesterolo, and once again Ciciliano put us ahead, this time in a very clear offside position that the referee didn't see. A deserved and important win in any case.

10-02-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 0 Academia FC (Sebastián Monesterolo 63, Germán Voboril sent off 49) - Primera B Second Phase, 16/17

We only needed a draw to secure our place in the next stage, but our rival also needed the points to advance, since they were 6th at the moment. We were without any available right winger, forcing Cubillos to advance his position. Once again our first half performance was average at best, but at least we managed to keep our sheet clean. This time, though, the second half only brought trouble: Voboril was sent off after fouling Cotes being the last defender. Funnily, we improved with ten men, and even enjoyed chances to put ourselves ahead. A good pass by Quizena finally hit the jackpot, and Monesterolo put it in to give us the lead. Academia couldn't create danger, and we simply let the time run out to secure our win an our qualification for the group stage.

10-16-2010: Expreso Rojo 2 - 1 Bucaramanga (Jean López 20, Fabián Prieto 49 - Ricardo Ciciliano 4) - Primera B Second Phase, 17/17

Two weeks of rest were a blessing to recover injured and unfit players. Expreso was 9th and facing the last chance to get into the top 8, which meant that their motivation was sky high. But great low shot by Ciciliano from outside the box put us on top with only four minutes gone. López soon got the draw for Expreso in a corner kick in a bit of a lucky blow, and the game evened out, with few chances and lots of fighting for possession. Another header put Expreso ahead in the first minutes of the second half, this time after a free kick and scored by Prieto. Pla's sending off after two yellows in the 71st gave us a chance to get the draw, but we didn't take it, losing the last game of the regular season.

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Final League Table

Group Stage

Colombian Cup Semifinals

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Víctor Miranda (1)

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Summary:

A month-and-a-half with highs and lows once again. The highest of the highs was obviously our continued success in the Cup. Eliminating two First Division teams and reaching the semifinals is a great feat for a Primera B squad like us, and we have the chance to improve on that performance reaching the final and, who know, maybe even winning it and finding an unexpected gate into the South American continental competitions, since the Cup winner qualifies for the Copa Sudamericana. It will be tough, though. Atlético Nacional are our rivals, and their form is quite better than Cortuluá's, placing 8th in the First Division table at the moment of writing this. La Equidad haven't lost in 12 Cup games, and Junior won the First Phase of the top tier and are 7th in the Second, showing quality and consistency. It would be a miracle reaching the final, let alone winning it all, but dreaming is for free.

The league was a much harsher reality. Despite our final 3rd place, our form throughout these final fixtures was very shaky, with horrible performances in most games away from home and in most first halves. Motivation problems, hissy fits after substitutions (mostly by Pinzón and Jiménez) and a general feeling of lack of harmony have filled the dressing room lately, despite our good league position and some nice comebacks and important wins. To top it all, our defeat against Expreso in what seemed like an inconsequential game left us in the worst possible group for the next stage, with First Phase champions Quindío, old foes Atlético La Sabana and in-form Patriotas FC, almost a repeat of our First Phase group, and we all know how well that one went. We'll need to improve and show a so far unheard of consistency if we want to have a chance of reaching that elusive playoff.

Player-wise, a very disappointing month from Edwards Jiménez, despite a few important goals. His performances in our last 4-5 games have been abysmal, and his attitude not exactly worthy of praise. He's still our most talented forward, but looks likely to start on the bench for a while. Luckily, Sebastián Monesterolo still looks good, Luis Cassiani's appearances and goals from the bench have made an impact, and above all, Ricardo Ciciliano looks perfectly adapted to his new club, and this shows in his numbers: 5 goals and 1 assist in the last 8 matches, not bad at all for a winger. If these players can keep their good form, we may have a chance.

Mammoth update ahead, beware! I seriously need to tone down my verbosity, this is starting to become a bit too story-like, I'm afraid...

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B Second Phase, Part 4 (Group Stage + Colombian Cup final round(s?))

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Games:

10-23-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 0 Quindío (Edwards Jiménez 67) - Primera B Second Phase Group Stage, Group A, 1/6

What a better way to start the group stage than with a must-win fixture against First Phase champions Quindío. They started with a defensive 4-5-1 formation that reduced our chances to nothing and our high rate of possession became mostly useless, while they got good chances on the counter and on set pieces. Things picked up a bit in the second half, and in the 67th Jiménez broke his bad streak with his 50th goal for Bucaramanga, well assisted by Cassiani. Quindío tried to change their plan, but we held on well and grabbed three vital points in our quest for promotion.

Other results: Patriotas FC 3 - 0 Atlético La Sabana

10-27-2010: Atlético Nacional 3 - 0 Bucaramanga (Marco Echavarría 40, José Nájera 45+1, Sérgio Galván Rey 51) - Colombian Cup Semifinal, 1st Leg.

Our previous meeting with Nacional was in the preseason, at our stadium, and we won 2-0. Not that it meant much in such an important match, but it gave us hope. We tried to counterattack from the start, and that gave us some early chances. Nacional had the ball most of the time, but had to wait until the 40th, and the goal, scored by Echavarria, had to come in a corner kick. In injury time, though, Nájera unleashed a screamer from 30 yards away that turned into the 2-0. Galván Rey made it 3-0 only six minutes into the second half, and our Cup dream started to crumble. We had chances to get at least one goal back, but it was not to happen. Only a full-fledged miracle would bring us to the final.

Other results: La Equidad 2 - 0 Junior

10-30-2010: Atlético La Sabana 2 - 2 Bucaramanga (Johnny Ruiz 63, Luis Jaramillo 76 - Jamerson Rentería 24, Sebastián Monesterolo 28) - Primera B Second Phase Group Stage, Group A, 2/6

I've always hated playing against La Sabana. All our meetings have been either horrible performances on our side, or grinding, ugly and narrow wins in the best cases. This one looked like more of the same, until a great cross by Voboril was headed in by Rentería, in his first positive action in months. Things became easier after that, and soon Monesterolo got the second after a fantastic through ball by Miranda. We held on to our advantage with good defending and fantastic goalkeeping, until Ruiz dribble past Peralta to score the 1-2, bringing bad memories of lost leads to our minds. Said and done: Jaramillo got the draw with 13 minutes remaining in a counterattack. Two minutes before the end, a dubious penalty on Rentería gave us the chance to regain our lead, but Cassiani's kick was parried by the keeper. We got a point, but in reality we wasted two.

Other results: Quindío 1 - 1 Patriotas FC

11-03-2010: Bucaramanga 5 - 0 Atlético Nacional (Sebastián Monesterolo 1 35 49, Ricardo Ciciliano 12 42) - Colombian Cup Semifinal, 2nd Leg.

After our defeat in the first leg, the Cup wasn't a priority for me, but I still wanted to give the fans the present of a good performance and at least attempt a comeback. And with only 48 seconds gone, Monesterolo had already taken the first step towards that goal with a lightning quick counter. Even better: Ciciliano got the second in the 12th minute, and the thousands of fans that almost filled our stadium really started believing in our chances. Monesterolo completed the comeback still in the first half, maybe offside, and the crowd went crazy. Nacional couldn't believe theire eyes. But there was more to come before halftime: Ciciliano blasted the ball into the net to score the 4-0 in the 42nd minute. Insanity ensued. Nacional tried to come back into the game in the second half, but a death pass by Ciciliano finished by Monesterolo made things even more difficult for them. Our sixth always looked closer than their first, and while the fans partied, we had fun on the pitch. The final whistle brought a pitch invasion and the biggest party held in Bucaramanga in recent times. We were in the final!

Other results: Junior 3 - 1 La Equidad (Junior win 5-4 on penalties)

11-06-2010: Bucaramanga 1 - 0 Patriotas FC (Víctor Miranda 49) - Primera B Second Phase Group Stage, Group A, 3/6

Both teams were in 4 points so far, so the winner of this fixture had a good chance of grabbing the first place and never letting it go. With the morale still sky-high after our Cup win, we struggled to create danger in the first half, although the control of the game was in our hands. Finally, in the 49th, a good combination on the left flank allowed Miranda to shoot low and placed to open the score. Solid defending did the rest, and we scored a very important win in our way towards the playoff.

Other results: Quindío 0 - 1 Atlético La Sabana

11-10-2010: Junior 2 - 1 Bucaramanga (Fredys Arrieta 45, Camilo Ramírez 90 - Jamerson Rentería 45+2) - Colombian Cup Final, 1st Leg

The first 90 minutes of the most important match in my career so far. Junior were the current First Division First Stage champions, were runners-up in the Cup last year, and arrived to this match in a great form. With our ex-star Sherman Cárdenas starting on the right wing, Junior begin the game looking for a quick goal, while we wait to run on the counter. We held them at bay for the whole first half, but in the final minute Arrieta broke our defense with a great feint and shooted from close to score the 1-0. But just about ten seconds after kicking off again, Rentería broke through the middle and shooted next to the left post to draw the game again. We had the best chances in the first minutes of the second half, but soon Junior reacted and started attacking more and better. When the draw seemed final, Junior hit again in the last minute before injury time, with Ramírez grabbing the 2-1. Still, a quite decent result that allows us to dream with the title.

11-13-2010: Quindío 4 - 3 Bucaramanga (Aléxis Córdoba 5, Jair Rambal 50 63, Sebastián Hernández 70 - Sebastián Monesterolo 1 7, Luis Cassiani 20) - Primera B Second Phase Group Stage, Group A, 4/6

The huge games kept piling on, and almost without rest, we faced what could become a playoff decider. Quindío were almost out of contention, but their quality was unquestionable. But still, a good lobbed pass by Miranda found Monesterolo inside the box, and the striker scored the 0-1 in the first minute of the game. Quindío answered quickly, with Córdoba heading the ball into Cerón's net in the 5th. But Monesterolo was on a roll, and only two minutes later put us ahead again. Cassiani got the third in the 20th minute after a great individual movement in the front of the box. Rambal put Quindío back into the game early in the second half with a great finish, and drew the game with 27 minutes remaining in a quick counterattack. Hernández completed a shocking comeback with a direct free kick in the 70th. We had chances to recover at least a point, but none went in. Suddenly, the group had become very, very tight.

Other results: Atlético La Sabana 0 - 0 Patriotas FC

11-17-2010: Bucaramanga 3 - 1 Junior (Edwards Jiménez 46, Jimmy Estacio 86, Jhon Ulloque 90+1 - Teófilo Gutiérrez 35, Nicolás Torres sent off 90+3) - Colombian Cup Final, 2nd Leg

Junior jumped onto the pitch looking to score soon and close the final once and for all, but we soon responded with good attacks of our own. Both teams traded blows for a while, until Gutierrez caught us with the pants down and scored in a clear counterattack. Now we needed two goals to draw the final, and we got the first in the very first minute of the second half, thankts to Miranda's pinpoint pass and Jiménez's quality finish. We kept pushing forward and piling on the pressure, but Junior's defense wouldn't capitulate. Jiménez demanded a penalty after a push inside the box, but the referee ignored him. A national powerhouse like Junior had to resort to petty timewasting to keep us from scoring, but in the end it didn't work: Estacio headed in a corner kick in the 86th to score the 2-1 and draw the final. And in the first minute of injury time Monesterolo held the ball in the front of the box and, without looking, sent a fantastic pass towards Ulloque, who shot the ball into the back of the net to score the 3-1. Nicolás Torres was sent off one minute later after picking his second yellow card, but it didn't matter to almost anyone. Ulloque's goal was worth a Cup that captain Sebastián Monesterolo held up in front of more than 27500 jubilant fans. Pure and simple awesomesauce.

11-20-2010: Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Atlético La Sabana (Jamerson Rentería 42, Sebastián Monesterolo 50) - Primera B Second Phase Group Stage, Group A, 5/6

So soon after the Cup victory, we were brought back into the fight for promotion in the league, with a key home game against La Sabana. With Ciciliano and Miranda out suspended and the rest of the squad pretty tired after so many back-to-back games, we faced the game with a barebones squad, and La Sabana profited from that to control the early game. We improved quickly, and Rentería put us ahead with only three minutes remaining in the first half. Quizena's injury a few minutes later was a blow, but a fantastic banana shot from 30 yards away by Monesterolo doubled our lead in the fifth minute of the second half, his 30th goal of the season. A good defensive display throughout the second half ensured our victory.

Other results: Patriotas FC 0 - 4 Quindío

Group stage table (1 game remaining)

11-27-2010: Patriotas FC 1 - 4 Bucaramanga (Pablo Quandt 18 - Sebastián Monesterolo 1, Edwards Jiménez 11 26, Emerson Chamorro pen 89) - Primera B Second Phase Group Stage, Group A, 6/6

An all or nothing match served to close the group stage. A draw put us in the playoff, but a defeat combined with Quindío's triumph over La Sabana ended our campaign. We didn't want surprises, and Monesterolo gave us an extremely quick lead, scoring only sixteen seconds after kick off, one of the fastest goals I've ever seen. Jiménez doubled our lead with a perfectly placed finish ten minutes later, capitalizing on Patriotas' lack of motivation for this match, being already out of contention for the playoff spot. Still, they found a way to get back into the game when Quandt headed in a corner kick in the 18th. But Jiménez scored again not much later after a fantastic pass by Miranda, stopping their reaction dead on its tracks. Jiménez missed a penalty in injury time, but we controlled the game with ease in the second half, and a last-minute penalty over Rentería was scored by Chamorro to seal the game and our place in the playoff.

Other results: Atlético La Sabana 0 - 2 Quindío

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Final group stage table

Bucaramanga and Pasto will play in the Second Phase Playoff.

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Víctor Miranda (3), Sebastián Monesterolo (3), Jimmy Estacio (2), Germán Voboril (2), Johan Cerón (1), Diego Peralta (1), Kevin Cataño (1), Miller Mosquera (1), Emerson Chamorro (1), Edwards Jiménez (1)

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Summary:

A difficult decision was put in front of me just after the first game of the group stage: Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, 16th in the Argentine Second Division at the moment, approached me to become their new manager immediately. Bad timing, if they had come two or three months earlier I wouldn't have doubted one second to accept their offer, which included a €600 per week wage (over my current €475), a transfer budget above €1M, and a quite restrictive wage budget set at €7.5k/week. But with the team still with a chance of promotion and doing well in the Cup, I felt that I owed Bucaramanga seeing my full contract off, or at least staying until we had nothing to play for. So I decided to negotiate their offer, asking them to allow me to join them on the 1st of February of 2011. And surprisingly, they accepted. This means that, as soon as this season is over, I'm moving to Argentina!

Of course, I may have reasons to regret that decision now. Our unexpected and fantastic victory over Junior in the Cup Final means that Bucaramanga will be playing the Copa Sudamericana next season, and I won't be there to enjoy it. Still, it feels great having brought a small club like this to a continental competition, and also to their first Cup title in all of their history. It has been a great closing to a difficult year and a half, that's for sure. In the purely economical aspect, the Cup win meant a prize of €287k, €70k of which went out as a bonus payment for the players' great performance in the competition.

Regarding the league, things started well with a win over our most dangerous rivals, Quindío, and everything went rolling from there. The only black spot was allowing Quindío to come back from a 1-3 into a 4-3 in the return game, but otherwise we were really solid. We still had to go through a nerve-wracking final game in which we needed at least a point, but in the end we won easily and, after two failed attempts, managed at least to earn a place in the playoff. Now we "only" need to win this playoff against Pasto to be declared Second Phase champions, and then win another playoff against Quindío, the First Phase champions, for the right to promote to the First Division. Judging by our Cup performance, we're good in double-legged playoffs, so we should be good.

I don't want to put the spotlight on any single player for his performances in this clutch period of the season, since each and everyone of them have played on a very high level. But instead, I'll mention one of the best news of these weeks: Miller Mosquera is back in the active squad after recovering from his long illness. He's been rotating with Voboril in the left back since then, and has managed to recapture most of what made him a fantastic prospect in the first weeks of the season. Glad to have him back.

Good work dalbeider, look forward to your chapter in Argentina

You've always got MeLikeFM

Fair point, poor as I've been on dafuge's challenge, I haven't even come close to his levels yet

Thanks lads

Thanks lads

No problemo

Get back to your save NOW!!

Thanks iacovone. And MeLikeFM, don't worry, Terk will soon suck as much as you, he's getting better .

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CA Bucaramanga CD - 2010 Primera B Second Phase, Part 5 (Playoffs)

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Games:

12-01-2010: Bucaramanga 2 - 0 Pasto (Víctor Miranda 46, Edwards Jiménez 84) - Primera B Second Phase Final, 1st Leg

The endgame in the Primera B is frantic: both playoffs are played along two weeks, starting only four days after the end of the group stage. Pasto came to the playoff unbeaten since September, and with 5 wins and 1 draw in the group stage. We still dominated the first half, but after a few good chances in the first quarter, we were unable to break through. After half time, things changed: Miranda scored with a great long shot in the first minute of the second half, giving us the lead and proving once again that his signing in the summer window was a huge success. Pasto tried to regain control after the goal, but the best chances still fell on our side, as we tried to extend our lead. Six minutes before the end, a great pass by Monesterolo allowed Jiménez to score the 2-0, giving us a comfortable lead into the second leg.

12-04-2010: Pasto 3 - 1 Bucaramanga (Carlos Hidalgo 27, Carlos Castillo 42, Davinson Monsalve 69 - Edwards Jiménez 80) - Primera B Second Phase Final, 2nd Leg

We set out to defend our lead by trying to make it even bigger, while Pasto tried to get an early goal to get their comeback rolling. Their constant pressure soon forced us to go on the defensive, and a ball lost by Rentería near our box ended in Hidalgo's feet, and the forward shot to score the 1-0. Just before the end of the first half, Castillo got the 2-0 assisted by Hidalgo, and all our work on the first leg had already been undone. The second half started slow, both teams aware that a single mistake could end their hopes right there. A corner kick in the 69th gave Pasto the lead in the playoff after Monsalve outjumped Cerón and headed the cross into the net. But on the 80th, a fantastic first-time pass by Pinzón allowed Jiménez to score the 3-1, drawing the tie again. Two great saves by Cerón kept us alive in injury time, and Ulloque and Pinzón had the winner in the very last minute, but missed. In the end, nothing changed, and we went into another thrilling round of penalties.

Jiménez......SAVED! (0-0)

Rodríguez....GOAL! (1-0)

Chamorro.....GOAL! (1-1)

Centurión....GOAL! (2-1)

Pinzón.......GOAL! (2-2)

Hidalgo......GOAL! (3-2)

Laciar.......GOAL! (3-3)

Vargas.......GOAL! (4-3)

Ulloque......GOAL! (4-4)

Paruolo......GOAL! (5-4)

Pasto win the Second Phase playoff on penalties (5-4) after a 3-3 aggregate draw.

Primera B Promotion Playoff:

Quindío 1 - 2 Pasto

Pasto 3 - 1 Quindío

Pasto promote to the Colombian First Division, with Valledupar relegating back to the Primera B.

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Awards:

Sebastián Monesterolo ends 2nd in the Player of the Year award, just behind Vladimir Acelas (Atlético La Sabana) and ahead of Anuar Guerrero (Patriotas FC)

Edwards Jiménez was 2nd and Sebastián Monesterolo 3rd in the Primera B Top Goalscorer Award, with 24 and 23 goals respectively. The winner was Anuar Guerrero, with 26.

Sebastián Monesterolo's goal against Atlético La Sabana in the 20th of November ended 3rd in the Goal of the Year award.

I finished in 2nd place in the Manager of the Year award, just behind Pasto's manager Jesús Alberto Barrios.

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Summary:

A real shame. I was really looking forward towards ending my reign at Bucaramanga with a triple blow of Cup, Second Phase champions and promotion to the First Division, but in the end only got the first of the three objectives. In any case, we did our best, and only the penalty lottery separated us from Pasto, probably the most in-form team in the final months of the season. They kept their good form to easily beat Quindío in the promotion playoff. After the season ended, I resigned from my position as Bucaramanga manager and went on holiday until the 1st of February, when I joined Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy as their new manager.

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2010/11 Primera B Nacional, Clausura (Intro)

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Background:

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy were founded in 1931, and their home city is San Salvador de Jujuy, a medium-sized city on the northwest of Argentina, its population estimated around 230.000. Never one of the great clubs in the country, El Lobo Jujeño (nice nickname) has nonetheless spent many seasons in the top flight of the Argentinian system. Their best positions of all time are three 4th places, the most recent of these achieved in the Clausura (closing stage) of the 2006 season.

In 2008, a horrible season brought their first relegation to the second tier since 1993. Their 2009 season was almost good enough, finishing 3rd in the Apertura and winning the Clausura, but three straight defeats in three playoffs against Ferro, Belgrano and Godoy Cruz left them without the prize of promotion. Their previous manager, Héctor Arzubialde, was sacked in October after a horrible start of the season, but they have since recoverd, and have managed a promising 5th place in the Apertura. At the moment of my arrival, the team has already played the first 3 games of the Clausura, and sit last on the table with only 1 point. Improving on these performances and hopefully winning the closing stage and qualifying again for the promotion playoffs will be our main objectives. We will start with a home fixture against San Martín de Tucumán, currently 3rd in the Clausura and 5th in the overall table, to be played only one day after my arrival.

The money looks good: we're €900k on the black, and the expenses seem to be completely under control. We have no outstanding loans, we're below the wage budget (tight as it is at €7.5k/week), and we have close to a million euros to spend on new players. Only problem is that the transfer window closed two weeks ago. Oh well, we'll have to do with what we have.

The nonplaying staff is quite short. We have no assistant manager, three coaches, one physio and a single scout. Our first task will be to improve this area. The physio and the scout were released since they weren't up to scratch, and replacements were brought in. At the same time, we signed Mauricio Rojas as our new assistant manager. We also signed three new coaches, bringing the total to the maximum of six allowed by the board.

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Players:

- Goalkeepers: Three choices here, but only one correct answer: 33yo veteran Martín Bernacchia is the first choice at goal by far. Maximiliano Cavallotti and Carlos De Giorgi will be his backups, but I'm hoping we won't need their help at all, since they are, how to say it, quite bad.

- Full backs: We have two average players for the right back spot. 31yo DRC Gabriel Ruiz gets the nod for being the quickest of the two, although 33yo D/WB/MR Alejandro Gómez would be a better option for an attacking wing back, and is also our best option if Ruiz moves to the centre of the defense, where he's perfectly capable of playing. Both will have their chances. On the left, 29yo Paraguayan D/WB/ML Derlis Cardozo is our first choice, closely followed by the versatile Colombian D/WBL, DM/MC Iván Bahamón.

- Central defenders: Our problem in this area will be our pace, or more exactly our total lack of it. The first choices are Jorge San Esteban (38yo) and Alcides Piccoli (31yo), both already showing signs of age and looking worryingly slow. The problem is that their two main backups, Marcelo Barreña and Germán Rivera, while being a wee bit quicker, offer little in terms of defensive guarantees. Gabriel Ruiz may have to start at the centre more than once, I'm afraid.

- Central midfielders: Many options here, and most quite good. Veterans Silvio Iuvalé (31yo, DM/MRC) and Daniel Ramasco (32yo, DM/MC) look like the first choices as our holding midfielders and deep-lying playmakers. With a more attacking outlook, 24yo Colombian AMC Álvaro Gallo looks like a decent player, and 24yo AM/FC Jorge Luis Luna could be our best option to play behind the strikers if we keep our 4-4-2 diamond from Bucaramanga, although he prefers to play upfront. But the most promising player in this position is 17yo DM/AMRC Andrés Rinaldi, the best-rated player of the whole squad, who has the potential to become the leader of our midfield for years to come. As a plus, most of our wingers are perfectly able to play in the middle of the pitch, giving us lots of options.

- Wingers: The right wing will most likely be monopolized by 26yo Uruguayan AMRC/FC Fernando Ramírez, whose quality will give him the starting spot. His main backup will be Andrés Rinaldi, although I'd rather play him in the center of the pitch. On the left, 33yo veteran AMLC Germán Castillo is the sure starter, with Colombian 26yo AMLC Jhon Ramírez Pombo as his main backup. Sebastián Malandra is a fringe player that won't enjoy many minutes (if any at all), and may end up in the reserves for the remainder of the season.

- Strikers: Jorge Luis Luna has already been mentioned, but our best striker will probably be 27yo Jeremías Caggiano, a good all-around forward who knows how to kick and head the ball into the net. 25yo Paraguayan Diego Miranda is a pure target man, much like Jamerson Rentería back in Bucaramanga, while 29yo Uruguayan Adrián Apellaniz will play as a decent backup.

To summarize, I'm quite happy with the squad depth we have, except in the key position of the centre of the defense. Looking at what we have available, I'm thinking about a 4-2-3-1 formation, either wide or narrow depending on the circumstances, that can morph easily into a 4-4-2 flat or diamond pushing Luna into the forward line when needed.

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2010 Primera B Nacional, Clausura (February)

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Games:

02-02-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 1 San Martín (T) (Jeremías Caggiano 51 - Nicolás Herrera 64) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 4/19

I faced my first match with Gimnasia with the squad looking exhausted and demoralized, and against a strong opponent like San Martín. After a very tight first half in which both teams wasted many chances to take the lead, Caggiano put us ahead after a great pass into the space behind the defense by Luna. But a loose ball inside our box allowed Herrera to draw the game again in the 64th. Both teams hit the post, but neither was able to grab the winner. A fair split of the points.

02-05-2011: Platense 1 - 0 Gimnasia (J) (Martín Bernacchia og 15) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 5/19

No time for rest, and we were against relegation candidates Platense, and things couldn't start worse: Bernacchia put the ball on his own goal when trying to clear a dangerous cross by Pilipauskas. We improved and controlled the rest of the first half, but we couldn't get the draw before the break. Ramírez Pombo's injury hurt our chances even more. We changed to a 4-4-2 in the second half and deserved to find the draw, but didn't get it. This made seven games without winning for Gimnasia.

02-12-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 1 Instituto (Silvio Iuvalé 81 - Julio César Moreyra 54) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 6/19

At least a full week of rest, but only to face second-placed Instituto. We widened our formation a bit, moving our attacking midfielders to the wings, and the players responded by dominating the first half. We still couldn't score, though, and Instituto punished us in their first chance of the second half, finished by Moreyra after yet another mess inside our box. With only nine minutes remaining, Iuvalé got the goal we deserved with a low shot from outside the box, with the full Instituto squad protesting a more than likely offside by Apellaniz in the build-up. Another home draw.

02-18-2011: Olimpo 2 - 2 Gimnasia (J) (Mario Pacheco 37, Diego Flamenco 50 - Jeremías Caggiano 64, Jorge Luis Luna 90) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 7/19

We switched to a flat 4-4-2 from the start, trying to shake things up and get a win somehow. Once again we control the first minutes but create little danger. Of course, Olimpo get the lead in their first shot at goal of the game thanks to Pacheco, and Flamenco doubles their lead in a corner kick just after starting the second half. Luna gets a goal rightfully disallowed, but Caggiano finally gets us a deserved goal in the 64th after a great pass by Gallo. And in the last minute of the game, a great strike by Luna made us pull level. A thoroughly deserved away point, our first in the Clausura.

02-23-2011: Gimnasia (J) 0 - 0 Atlético Rafaela - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 8/19

After a good performance against Olimpo, we only needed a win to start climbing up the table. After a tough and even first half, with few chances and one game-ending injury for each side, the second half was more interesting, although still showing two teams playing at almost the same level. Both squads hit the woodwork once, but neither could hit the back of the net, and the match ended in a goalless draw. Ten games without winning.

02-26-2011: Gimnasia (J) 3 - 0 C.A.I. de Chubut (Gabriel Ruiz 17, Jorge Luis Luna 48, Germán Castillo 60) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 9/19

A game we were almost forced to win, since C.A.I. were 19th in the Clausura and 20th overall. We dominated the early game with ease, and soon right back Ruiz surprised everyone with a fantastic strike from outside the box to score the 1-0, our first lead since the start of the month. We kept that lead until half time, and Luna extended it three minutes into the second half with another missile from afar. Castillo got the third in a corner kick, as we cruised to our first victory in eleven games.

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Clausura League Table

Overall League Table

Average Points Table (used to decide relegations)

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Gabriel Ruiz (1), Germán Castillo (1)

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Summary:

A very rough first month in San Salvador de Jujuy. The squad's morale was on the gutter after a hardly encouraging performance in the Apertura and a horrible start in the Clausura, and bringing the players back to their feet was a daunting task. Eventually, after a few failed attempts in our first games, we settled into the flat 4-4-2 formation I used in my first days in Bucaramanga and started looking better. A run of four games unbeaten (granted, three draws and just one win, but still) is good enough for me at this stage, and it's a good foundation to start building on. My dreams of challenging for the Clausura title are already gone, and I'll concentrate on bringing Gimnasia as high as I can in the table and start preparing for next season's assault on promotion.

So soon after joining Gimnasia, I've already been linked with a move away from them by the press. Unión de Santa Fe were the supposedly interested team, after they sacked Jorge Teodoro Vendakis after a very disappointing season so far in the Primera B Nacional, finishing 17th in the Apertura and standing 12th in the Clausura. I denied interest, since I wouldn't want to move from Gimnasia to a team that's doing even worse than us! In the end they never approached me, and Sergio Lerman got the place one day later.

With many contracts running out in June, it was inevitable that some players would leave on a free. The first (and probably last) to do so was target man Diego Miranda, who agreed a move to a Brazilian squad, América (RN), who are also said to be chasing Álvaro Gallo. He is one of our best strikers in theory, but his performances on the pitch during this last month have been average to bad, so I'm not too worried about losing him. I'll have to start planning our next season soon, and raiding the market for free transfers will probably be the first step.

Hmm, those metallic logos look wonderful. May have to post more screenshots now that I've installed them .

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Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2010 Primera B Nacional, Clausura (March)

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Games:

03-05-2011: Quilmes 1 - 2 Gimnasia (J) (Andrés Molina 12 - Fernando Ramírez 38 62) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 10/19

Quilmes were really close to us in the table, and our recent form gave us hopes of overtaking them with a win at their stadium. But Molina put a dent on our improved form with a quick goal to put Quilmes ahead, and it took us until the 38th for Ramírez to get his first goal for El Lobo Jujeño with a good header and give us the draw. A good attack on the left flank gave Ramírez the chance to get his second goal, and the winger didn't miss and gave us the lead deep into the second half. Good defending and goalkeeping kept us ahead until the final whistle.

03-13-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 1 Defensa y Justicia (Adrián Apellaniz 90+2 - Ariel Ercoli 67) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 11/19

A very important game, since Defensa were 3rd on the table, but only six points ahead of us. We kept the same starting eleven, and after a difficult start with a disallowed goal by Caggiano, we started holding possession for longer and creating more danger. Still, there were no goals at halftime. The pace slowed somewhat in the second half, and eventually Defensa got an undeserved lead in a free kick headed in by Ercoli. Luna had our best chances from then on, but Perafán saved them all, until in the final minute of the game the forward assisted Apellaniz to draw in extremis a game we should have won easily.

03-19-2011: All Boys 2 - 3 Gimnasia (J) (Martín Bernacchia og 27, Pablo Solchaga 73 - Derlis Cardozo 69, Diego Miranda 75 80) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 12/19

With Caggiano out for a week, Apellaniz started after his goal against Defensa, as we tried to extend our unbeaten run against mid-table bound All Boys. We struggled to overcome their attacking 4-3-1-2 formation, and in the 27th a missed header by Cardozo confounded Bernacchia, who put the ball on his own net (again!) when trying to catch the cross. A very doubtful penalty committed by Rinaldi was sent wide by legend Ariel Zárate, giving us a chance. And we took it, thanks to a fantastic lob by Cardozo in the 69th, his first ever goal for Gimnasia. Only four minutes later Solchaga put All Boys ahead again after a great pass by Zárate, but we answered straight back thanks to Miranda, who put the 2-2 on the scoreboard on the 75th. The target man also gave us the lead in the 81st, after gathering a loose ball inside the box, and All Boys had no answer. A very entertaining win.

03-26-2011: Gimnasia (J) 3 - 1 Italiano (Jorge Luis Luna 31, Silvio Iuvalé 62, Andrés Rinaldi 65 - Luciano Varaldo 83) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 13/19

Sportivo Italiano came to the 23 de Agosto after grabbing only one point in their last five games. We dominated with ease, but it took us nearly 31 minutes to grab the opener, scored by Luna after a great through ball by Gallo. Things slowed down dramatically in the second half, but we still had the game under control, and Iuvalé sealed the deal with a banana shot that went straight into the top left corner of De la Fuente's goal. Rinaldi imitated Iuvalé with another great strike that became the 3-0, and Varaldo scored Italiano's goal with a good header in the final ten minutes, with the whole squad already relaxed and enjoying our easiest win of the season so far.

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Clausura League Table

Overall League Table

Average Points Table

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Fernando Ramírez (1), Derlis Cardozo (1), Silvio Iuvalé (1)

3rd place in the Goal of the Month award for Silvio Iuvalé, for his effort against Italiano.

I've been awarded the Manager of the Month award!

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Summary:

A great month after our shaky start. The improvement in our play and our results has been steady and constant since we found the "correct" formation in the flat 4-4-2, and we look as a completely different team now. Morale is rising, the goals are flowing in, and our position in the league has improved dramatically, thanks to the extreme tightness of anything but the first and the last positions. We're in the very middle of the Clausura table, but only five points away from the second place, and even runaway leaders Chacarita have dropped a few points lately, with their first two defeats having arrived in March. With only six games remaining, catching the leaders is a pipedream, but I can certainly hope for a top half finish.

All the players have doubled their effort on the pitch in the last fixtures, but the most consistent performers have been forward Jorge Luís Luna (4 assists and 1 goal in March), left back Derlis Cardozo (good both as full back and covering as a winger, 1 goal and 1 assist this month) and central defender Alcides Piccoli (a rock in the air). On the transfer front, we've poured €300k out of our transfer budget into our wage budget to be able to offer competitive wages to any interested free agents. Currently our first priority is reinforcing our defense, and we've already made a bid for 23yo DC Ivan Macalick, who plays in Lanús Reserves. Other likely signings for next year are Tiro Federal's Darío Salomón, a versatile wingback that can play in both sides of the pitch, and right winger Lucas Sparapani, who plays for San Martín de San Juán.

A shame that your stint with Bucaramanga didn't have quite the happy ending we were hoping for but good luck in Argentina. The league structure there hurts my head

And mine >_<. Just read the two first paragraphs of the following summary and try to stop your head from spinning...

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Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2010 Primera B Nacional, Clausura (April/May)

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Games:

04-03-2011: Atl. Tucumán 1 - 4 Gimnasia (J) (Luis Perea 17 - Jeremías Caggiano 7 11, Germán Castillo 39, Fernando Ramírez 70) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 14/19

An away toughie, with Tucumán comfortable in the top half of the table. Caggiano's return to the starting eleven brought an early goal, scored by the striker after heading a free kick taken by Castillo. Soon, a great pass by Luna allowed Caggiano to score his second and double our lead. Perea quickly got one back for Tucumán in a counterattack, and Castillo completed a crazy first half scoring the 1-3, once again assisted by Luna. The second half was less interesting, until a cross by Luna (3rd assist) was headed in by Ramírez for the 1-4. We killed the game after that to secure a huge away win.

04-09-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 0 Tiro Federal (Germán Castillo 52) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 15/19

Tiro Federal were only one point behind us, but had lost their last two games and looked somewhat out of form. We were without Luna and Ramírez, both out for 3 weeks, and that reduced our creativity upfront somewhat. Excluding a goal scored by Caggiano and disallowed by the referee for... some reason, I guess, the first half was quite boring. Castillo finally opened the score in the second half after a nice pass by Iuvalé. With the game under control, we let the clock run out until the final whistle to score three more points.

04-17-2011: San Martín (SJ) 0 - 3 Gimnasia (J) (Alcides Piccoli pen 44, Adrián Apellaniz 62 67) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 16/19

San Esteban and Iuvalé join the ranks of the injured as we travel to San José. There were few chances but lots of corner kicks in the first half, as the defenders won the battle against the attackers of both sides. Just before half time, Rinaldi is clearly brought down inside the box by Alonso, and Piccoli calmly blasts it in to collect his first goal for Bucaramanga. We contained San Martín's attacks in the start of the second half, and then Apellaniz sealed the game with a short-range header after a pinpoint cross by Rinaldi. Another cross from the right and another header by Apellaniz brought the third, and the rest was a breeze. Easy win.

04-23-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 0 Independiente Rivadavia (Andrés Rinaldi 84) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 17/19

Independiente were struggling mightily in the Clausura, and were very close to the bottom of the table. The first half was slow, boring and goalless. The start of the second half was even worse, and we struggled to get near Independiente's goal. But in the 84th minute, when the draw looked like a certainty, a break through the right allowed Rinaldi to place a left-footed shot into the top right corner to score the 1-0 and give us a short but very important win.

Clausura League Table - Overall League Table (2 games left)

04-30-2011: Gimnasia (J) 4 - 1 Aldosivi (Guilherme 13, Jorge Luis Luna 34 51 59 - César Rivas 6) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 18/19

Still with a shot at finishing second in the Clausura and in the top 4 in the full season table, we hosted Aldosivi, 13th at the moment. Aldosivi got the lead in a counterattack only six minutes into the game, thanks to Rivas' finish. New signing Guilherme, on his first game with us, scored the 1-1 after a nice cross by Rinaldi, who was shining on the right wing. Luna, on his return after his injury, completed the comeback with a good finish, made the third with a sensational strike in the second half, and scored the 4-1 with a header in a corner kick. A fantastic performance to give us our seventh win in a row.

Clausura League Table - Overall League Table (1 game left)

05-07-2011: Talleres 3 - 2 Gimnasia (J) (Julio Buffarini 38, Roberto Moreira 52, Ezequiel Barrionuevo 87 - Guilherme 7, Fernando Ramírez 23) - Primera B Nacional, Clausura, 19/19

The last week of the Clausura brought us to another struggling club, Talleres de Córdoba. Guilherme put us ahead in the 7th minute, with his second goal in two appearances. Ramírez doubled our lead after a great pass by Gallo, but Buffarini got one goal back for Talleres with an outrageous free kick from 35 yards away. Moreira got the draw with a great finish at the start of the second half, and Barrionuevo completed their comeback three minutes before the end as we suffered our first defeat in 14 games

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Clausura League Table (Final)

Overall League Table (Final)

Average Points Table (Final) <-- Unión de Santa Fe and C.A.I. de Chubut relegate. Italiano and Independiente Rivadavia will face a playoff.

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: Germán Castillo (1), Jeremías Caggiano (1), Alejandro Gómez (1), Adrían Apellaniz (1), Daniel Ramasco (1), Andrés Rinaldi (1), Jorge Luis Luna (1)

Jorge Luis Luna ended 2nd in the Player of the Month award for April.

Once again, I've been chosen as Manager of the Month of April \o/.

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Summary:

A great end of the season for sure. I wasn't really sure how promotion worked, since I couldn't find it in the league's "Rules" page, nor did it seem to match with what Wikipedia (link in Spanish, can't find one in English) says about it. So I just kept pushing up until the end, trying the get as high as I could in both relevant tables and hoping for the best. The last defeat against Talleres put us in the final 5th place in the Clausura, and more importantly, in the 4th place in the overall table. That meant that we qualified for a two-legged "semifinal" round against 7th-placed Quilmes, while Olimpo (5th) faced Defensa y Justicia (6th) in the other semifinal. Both winners will face each other in a two-legged "final", and the winner will then face a two-legged promotion playoff against the 17th placed team in the Primera División's average points table, which sorts the teams according to their average points per match in their last three seasons on that division. With one game left to play there, the likely opponents are Belgrano, Newell's and Arsenal de Sarandí.

Complicated? You bet. But wait, it gets better. Both Apertura and Clausura champions (Instituto and Chacarita, respectively) will play in what's called the "First Promotion". The winner promotes directly to the Primera División, while the loser will face another playoff, the "Second Promotion", against 3rd placed San Martín de Tucumán. The winner, once again, will promote to the Primera División. The loser still faces a last chance to secure its place on the top tier, with another playoff, this time against the 18th-placed team in the Primera División average points table.

tl;dr version: we're on the promotion playoffs, we'll play Quilmes on two games. If we win, there are two additional rounds for us to get through before we get into the Primera División.

Now, back to transfer news. Of our three initial free transfer targets, we got two, since wingback Darío Salomón decided to try his luck in the lower Italian divisions and join Portosummaga. But as Meat Loaf used to say, two out of three ain't bad, and Iván Macalick and Lucas Sparapani will wear the Albiceleste shirt next season. We also added two players to the squad with immediate effect: Colombian 27yo goalkeeper Leandro Castellanos, who was without a team since ending his deal with Cúcuta. He's seen by my staff as twice the player than our current starter, Martín Bernacchia, and is likely to become our starter from now on.

The other free signing who joined us during this period was 19yo Brazilian striker Guilherme, an ex-Internacional player that had been without a team since the 1st of January. A promising complete forward, good in the air and with his feet, he'll replace Diego Miranda once the Paraguayan leaves for América (RN). These two signings put us with seven foreigners in the squad already, and since we can only play four, it's likely we'll have to offload some of them, and replace them with Argentinian players. Backup players Bahamón and Ramírez Pombo are the ones most likely to be transfered. We're still looking for an additional centre-back or right back, and we have just made a €22k bid for Guaraní's Paulo Centurión, a 28yo DRC that could cover both positions.

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2010 Primera B Nacional, Clausura (Playoffs + End of season - May/June)

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Games:

05-10-2011: Quilmes 3 - 3 Gimnasia (J) (Andrés Molina 4 76, Nelson González 36 - Jeremías Caggiano 10, Jorge Luis Luna 30 79) - Primera B Nacional, Semifinal 1st Leg

After only three days of rest, the playoffs quick off in Quilmes. And like in our league match only two months ago, we start behind: Molina scores in the 4th minute with a close finish. But we answer quickly, and only six minutes later we're level again, thanks to Caggiano's 10th goal of the season. A quick counterattack on the half-hour mark allows Luna to score the 1-2, turning the score around. But a bad decision by Castellanos allows González to dribble with the ball into our net, drawing the game again. The keeper made for it with some great saves in the second half, dominated by Quilmes, but could do nothing to prevent Molina's second goal of the game on the 76th. But once again we had an answer, and Luna scored the 3-3 with a great direct free kick. A crazy game, and a good result for us.

Other results:

Semifinal 1st Leg: Defensa y Justicia 5 - 1 Olimpo

First Promotion 1st Leg: Instituto 1 - 1 Chacarita

05-14-2011: Gimnasia (J) 0 - 1 Quilmes (Enrique Narvay 90+3) - Primera B Nacional, Semifinal 2nd Leg

A good crowd gathered in the 23 de Agosto to watch the second leg of the semifinal. We weren't in a hurry to score, but still looked for the lead from the start. Quilmes looked dangerous on the counterattack, yet the first half ended without goals. Things didn't improve much in the second half, although we intensified our pressure and increased our ball possession. Guilherme sent a header into the crossbar in our best chance. In the last minute of injury time, Narvay received in a clear offside position, but surprisingly the flag stayed down and the forward rounded Castellanos to score the goal that kicked us out the promotion race. Unbelievable.

Other results:

Semifinal 2nd Leg: Olimpo 3 - 0 Defensa y Justicia (4-5 agg.)

First Promotion 2nd Leg: Chacarita 3 - 1 Instituto (4-2 agg.)

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Final 1st Leg: Quilmes 1 - 1 Defensa y Justicia

Second Promotion 1st Leg: Instituto 1 - 0 San Martín (T)

Final 2nd Leg: Defensa y Justicia 0 - 1 Quilmes (1-2 agg.)

Second Promotion 2nd Leg: San Martín (T) 1 - 0 Instituto (1-1 agg., San Martín de Tucumán win 4-2 on penalties)

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Third Promotion 1st Leg: Instituto 2 - 2 Belgrano

Fourth Promotion 1st Leg: Quilmes 1 - 3 Newell's

Third Promotion 2nd Leg: Belgrano 2 - 1 Instituto (4-3 agg.)

Fourth Promotion 2nd Leg: Newell's 2 - 2 Quilmes (5-3 agg.)

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Promotions: Chacarita, San Martín de Tucumán

Relegated to Primera B Nacional: Ferro, Godoy Cruz

Relegations: Unión de Santa Fe, C.A.I. de Chubut, Italiano

Promoted to Primera B Nacional: Nueva Chicago, Rácing de Córdoba, Juventud Antoniana

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Around the world:

South America:

- Copa Libertadores: Another all-Brazilian final, and Cruzeiro managed to repeat last year's triumph after a 3-1 aggregate win over Flamengo.

- Copa Sudamericana: Santos are the new champions, thanks to their 7-6 penalty win over River Plate after a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

- Recopa: With the second leg still left to play, Cruzeiro and Santos are tied 1-1 after the first game.

Europe:

- Champions League: Chelsea are the new champions, after defeating Barcelona in Wembley thanks to a single goal scored by Didi Drogba, finally avenging their defeat in the semifinals two years ago.

- Europa League: In a somewhat surprising final, CSKA Moskow beat Genoa 1-0, the only goal scored by ex-Internacional striker Taison.

- European Super Cup: A goal by Kaká in extra time gave Real Madrid the title, after a 2-3 120-minute thriller against Roma. Vucinic and Bodipo scored for the Romans, while Benzema and Higuaín got Real's other two goals.

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Summary:

It always hurts to lose a playoff. It hurts more if it's lost at home. Even more if it's in the very last minute of the game. And you can't even begin to imagine how much it stings when it's due to an outrageous refereeing mistake like the one that made us lose against Quilmes. Granted, we should have sealed the semifinal before that in a game we had completely under control. But still, damn. That linesman should have his sight examined. And maybe his bank account, too. I didn't even have the chance to scream against him in the press conference, ffs. Oh well, next year I suppose. And hopefully in the short playoff that the Apertura and Clausura champions get.

A few days after our elimination, the board announced a new main kit sponsorship deal. We'll be paid a yearly fee of €170k for each of the following three seasons, an improvement over the €159k/year deal that just expired. They also reported a yearly profit of around €725k, a nice bunch of cash for a club of this size, mostly thanks to a very generous TV rights deal. Transfer-wise, our only pending transfer from the last update, Paulo Centurión, agreed to join us from Paraguayan squad Guaraní for €22k. He'll reinforce our central and right defense, giving us lots of options in those positions. He arrived in the 31st of May, when the transfer window opened.

The transfer rumours also started firing around then, with Jeremías Caggiano reportedly being chased by Cádiz, who were willing to offer €1.6M for him, and Chacarita being willing to offer €1.2M for Derlis Cardozo. Both rumours were quickly dismissed: I've got no intention of selling any key players. Then Chacarita came with an actual bid for Cardozo, a ridiculous €575k offer that was quickly rejected, but that was enough to unsettle the left back. I managed to convince him to stay this time, but I don't think I can hold onto him for too long if more teams come knocking. It's gonna be a long summer...

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2011/12 Primera B Nacional (Start of Season)

After two seasons of almost getting there and then failing in the last moment, the board certainly would like to get out of the second tier and soon. Their expectations are a bit more realistic, but I certainly think that we can go all the way and get at least one of the two partial titles. Neither Ferro nor Godoy Cruz are expected to raise the level of the division that much, so losing tough rivals like Chacarita, San Martín de Tucumán and Unión de Santa Fe (that was a shocking relegation if I've ever seen one) will be very welcome. I won't be happy if we don't finish at least in the top 3 in both Apertura and Clausura, and in the top 2 in the overall table. Money won't be a problem, since our wealth almost doubled since my arrival, and I don't think I'll be able to spend even a significant fraction of both budgets.

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Transfers:

OUT:

- Carlos De Giorgi (GK, released)

- Marcelo Barreña (DLC, released)

- Jorge San Esteban (SW/DC, released)

- Maximiliano Cavallotti (GK, released)

- Diego Miranda (ST, América (RN) - FT)

IN:

- Iván Macalick (DC, Lanús - FT)

- Lucas Sparapani (AMRC, San Martín (SJ) - FT)

- Paulo Centurión (DRC, Guaraní (PAR) - €22k)

- Guilherme (ST, unattached) - Signed in May

- Leandro Castellanos (GK, unattached) - Signed in May

Man for man, mostly. We released two backup central defenders (Barreña didn't get a game since I arrived at the club, ans San Esteban was 39 years old...) and signed two rotation players that won't look too bad in our starting eleven when needed, Macalick and Centurión. Guilherme and Castellanos, on the other hand, are called to be starters, or at least to play quite frequently, and both proved that they can shine in the last games of the previous season. Sparapani will be the main backup to Ramírez on the right wing, although he's perfectly able to play in the middle if needed.

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Squad Report: (includes stats and ratings from last season)

GOALKEEPERS

- Martín Bernacchia (GK, 34yo - 32 apps. - 40 conc. - 9 cln. - 6.81 avr.): Our starter for most of the season, Bernacchia was decent but not spectacular, as his numbers show. He'll start on the bench this season, but may recover his place if Castellanos falters.

- Leandro Castellanos (GK, 27yo - 3 apps. - 7 conc. - 0 cln. - 6.83 avr.): Castellanos should be our starter, although he didn't exactly impress in his first three games with us. His rushes looked somewhat suspect, but his shop stopping was superb.

DEFENDERS

- Gabriel Ruiz (DRC, 31yo - 35 apps. - 2 goals - 1 MoM - 6.78 avr.): Passable in both the center and the right side of the defense, Ruiz had a decent season, but should do better. He'll be under pressure by the new signings if he wants to keep his place as a starter.

- Germán Rivera (DLC, 24yo - 6(11) apps. - 6.69 avr.): Never started with me on command, but did acceptably when called on as a substitute. He's the fifth central defender and the third left back on the depth charts, so he probably will play even less this season.

- Alcides Piccoli (DC, 32yo - 29(1) apps. - 1 goal - 1 assist - 6.77 avr.): Ruiz's most frequent partner on the center of the defense, his lack of pace was a problem sometimes. May find himself in the bench this season.

- Alejandro Gómez (D/WB/MR, 33yo - 29(2) apps. - 4 assists - 1 MoM - 7.00 avr.): Frequent starter on the right back, Gómez did well, but his age is definitely catching up with him. Will play less, with Ruiz and Centurión stealing minutes from him.

- Derlis Cardozo (D/WB/ML, 30yo - 32(2) apps. - 1 goal - 9 assists - 3 MoM - 7.21 avr.): Our best defender by far, Cardozo owned the left back, and even moved to the left midfield from time to time. His crosses were lethal, and he did well at the back. Provided we can keep him, he's a sure starter.

- Iván Bahamón (D/WBL/DM/MC, 31yo - 19(7) apps. - 2 assists - 6.68 avr.): Cardozo's backup, in the end played more frequently in the central midfield than on the left back. His average-poor performance, plus the fact that he's a foreigner, make him very likely to be transfered.

- Iván Macalick (DC, 23yo - New signing): A young defender, Macalick is very likely to steal the starting spot from Piccoli. He's quick, good in the air and a nice marker, but his positioning needs improving. Tentative starter.

- Paulo Centurión (DRC, 28yo - New signing): Our second defensive signing, Centurión is a brave man who will give it all for the squad. Could start in Ruiz's or Gómez's place if his performances in the preseason are as good as expected.

MIDFIELDERS

- Silvio Iuvalé (DM/MRC, 32yo - 21(4) apps - 3 goals - 2 assists - 1 MoM - 7.00 avr.): A solid performer in our midfield, Iuvalé should have played more, but a late season injury stopped him in his best moment. The main danger for his starting role is Rinaldi's steady improvement.

- Daniel Ramasco (DM/MC, 33yo - 11(4) apps - 2 goals - 2 assists - 6.79 avr.): A bit of a disappointment. Should have been our first choice anchor man, but instead languished in the bench after too many subpar performances. Played well in the end of the season, though. Third choice behind Iuvalé and Rinaldi, but will have his chance.

- Andrés Rinaldi (DM/AMRC, 17yo - 17(6) apps - 4 goals - 4 assists - 1 MoM - 7.00 avr.): I retract my first evaluation: he looked better on the right wing. Still, he was solid on the midfield, too, and if he improves his mental stats, he'll be a beast in both positions. Too young to be a sure starter, but will play lots.

- Fernando Ramírez (AMRC/FC, 26yo - 15(2) apps - 4 goals - 1 MoM - 7.02 avr.): Ostracized by the previous regime, he started slow but soon picked up with a few key goals and good performances on the right wing. Sure starter, but needs to improve his passing and crossing (0 assists).

- Germán Castillo (AMLC, 33yo - 21(7) apps - 4 goals - 5 assists - 3 MoM - 6.92 avr.): Went from good to average, but still a decent season for the veteran winger. He needs a replacement urgently, though. If we find him before the season starts, he'll be on the bench, but playing frequently.

- Jhon Ramírez Pombo (AMLC, 26yo - 7(9) apps - 1 assist - 6.59 avr.): A backup, and a pretty poor one at that. Never threatened Castillo's place, and in the end Cardozo played more on the left than him. A foreigner, he's in the same situation as Bahamón: likely to be transferred.

- Álvaro Gallo (AMC, 24yo - 33(3) apps - 1 goal - 5 assists - 1 MoM - 6.80 avr.): A solid performer, but also our only pure attacking midfielder. Rinaldi may steal his place, and that's if we don't try to sign a direct replacement. Also a foreigner, but for now he's not for sale.

- Lucas Sparapini (AMRC, 31yo - New signing): Sparapini joins us as a squad player. He won't be a starter, but will put pressure on Ramírez and Gallo. He's best as a winger given his lack of creativity, but may work in the middle in a pinch.

FORWARDS

- Jorge Luis Luna (AM/FC, 24yo - 18(1) apps - 8 goals - 10 assists - 1 MoM - 7.28 avr.): Our star, plain and simple, and it's shocking that he didn't play at all under the previous manager. A defense-splitter, his passes gave us many points in the league, and he gained an eye for goal as the season progressed. Sure starter.

- Jeremías Caggiano (ST, 28yo - 21(1) apps - 10 goals - 2 assists - 2 MoM - 7.10 avr.): Another player that improved dramatically with my arrival. When fit, he was our most consistent striker, scoring with ease with both head and feet. Will rotate with Guilherme as our target man.

- Adrián Apellaniz (ST, 30yo - 19(6) apps - 12 goals - 2 assists - 2 MoM - 7.01 avr.): The opposite of Luna and Caggiani, Apellaniz went from top scorer and starter to rotation player to fringe performer in only three months. Foreigner and fourth choice up front, may be transferred.

- Guilherme (ST, 19yo - 2(1) apps - 2 goals - 7.27 avr.): If we have to judge him for his first appearances, he's quite the player. Too bad he couldn't appear more in the playoffs due to lack of fitness. If he can stay focused and doesn't suffer from saudade, he could set the Primera B alight.

The squad is mostly complete, but we lack depth in some key areas, and the likely departures of Bahamón, Ramírez Pombo and Apellaniz will open more gaps that we'll have to fill. A left back, a left midfielder and a quick striker are my priorities. I wouldn't mind a third keeper, too. And all of them must be Argentinians, to prevent more problems with the foreigners cap.

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2011/12 Primera B Nacional (Preseason)

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Transfers:

OUT:

- Sebastián Malandra (ML, Veranópolis - €10k) - To be completed on Sep-11

- Adrián Apellaniz (ST, Alianza Lima - €775k) - To be completed on Sep-11

- Iván Bahamón (D/WBL/DM/MC, Alianza Lima - €10k) - To be completed on Sep-11

- Jhon Ramírez Pombo (AMLC, Zamora - €30k)

IN:

- Marcelo Real (AM/FC, unattached - FT)

- Nicolás Delmonte (D/WBL, Independiente - €100k)

- Gastón Ramírez (AML/FC, Peñarol - Free Loan)

- Sebastián Monesterolo (ST, Bucaramanga - €140k)

We faced a problem when trying to reinforce our squad: reputation. Most interesting players didn't want to play in the Primera B Nacional, and attracting good talent became a tough quest. We started by getting rid of some dead wood (Malandra) and backup foreigners (the rest). But their replacements took a while to come in, and some could only play in the last friendly. In the end, though, I'm happy with our four purchases.

Marcelo Real is a Luna look-alike, quick, technical, and good finisher, although his vision and passing are somewhat inferior. Nicolás Delmonte is a backup left back, decent on defense but not exactly a great attacker, so no threat for Carlozo's starting place. Gastón Ramírez came on a season-long loan from Peñarol, and will be responsible for giving Castillo a bit of rest and a bit of pressure. And lastly, a known face: Sebastián Monesterolo comes from Bucaramanga, and said to be delighted to be able to work with me again. He was transfer listed after playing only four games in more than half season (scoring 4 goals, 2 assists and a 7.78 average rating, by the way). It was an impulse buy in the last day of the transfer window, and finding minutes for my five strikers will be problematic, but he's still a cracking striker that will score many goals for Gimnasia.

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Friendlies:

Gimnasia y Tiro 0 - 13 Gimnasia (J) (Luna 5 6 15 24, Guilherme 10 19, Ramírez 29, Castillo 36, Real 54 57 81, Caggiano 69 75)

Gimnasia (J) 2 - 0 Colón (Real 61, Gómez pen 71)

Gimnasia (J) 1 - 2 Tigre (Caggiano 60 - Leyes 50, Otálvaro 58)

Talleres de Perico 0 - 3 Gimnasia (J) (Guilherme 9, Iuvalé pen 37, Rinaldi 75)

Gimnasia (J) 2 - 3 Rácing de Santander (Guilherme 33, Caggiano 67 - Geijo 52, Torrejón 57, Riki 90+2)

A good run in the friendlies, although we had to endure a few injuries on the way. The only serious ones were Ramasco and Rinaldi, both suffered on the snowy pitch of Talleres de Perico's stadium, and both for three weeks, and Alejandro Gómez, also out for three weeks after our thrilling defeat against Racing. We faced two Primera División squads, scoring a surprisingly comfortable win against Colón and falling undeservedly against Tigre. The final friendly was against the Liga BBVA side Rácing de Santander, and they needed an injury time goal to beat us. Overall, I'm quite happy with the look of the squad so far.

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Around the world:

Copa América 2011 (hosted by Argentina):

Out on the group stage: Costa Rica, Venezuela, Perú, Bolivia

Quarter finals:

Uruguay 3 - 3 Chile (3-5 pen)

Brazil 1 - 2 México (aet)

Colombia 0 - 0 Argentina (8-7 pen)

Ecuador 1 - 2 Paraguay

Semifinals:

Chile 1 - 2 Paraguay

México 0 - 0 Colombia (4-5 pen)

Third place playoff:

Chile 3 - 1 Mexico

Final:

Paraguay 2 - 0 Colombia

A somewhat shocking Copa América, with Brazil and the hosts falling in the quarter finals and leaving the tournament wide open for anyone to take. In the end, Paraguay overcame a very luck Colombia (2 wins on penalties) to lift the trophy. Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia changed managers after the tournament, but I wasn't able to get any of those jobs. No, not even Bolivia. Sigh.

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Previous clubs watch:

With the First Phase of the Colombian Primera B already finished, Bucaramanga kept following the tradition and once again failed in the last hurdle, qualifying for the final playoff but losing on penalties against Quindío.

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy - 2011/12 Primera B Nacional, Apertura (August)

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Games:

08-05-2011: Ferro 5 - 2 Gimnasia (J) (César Carignano 7 23 51, Eduardo Salles 14, Lucas Nanía 64, Sebastián Spraggón sent off 76 - Silvio Iuvalé 79, Álvaro Gallo 84) - Primera B Nacional, Apertura, 1/19

A tough start of the season with a tough start of the game: Carignano put Ferro ahead only 7 minutes into the game. We didn't react, and a hattrick by Carignano nailed our coffin very quickly. Nanía and Eduardo Salles rounded a complete thrashing, and not even Spraggón's sending off could stop it, although it allowed Iuvalé and Gallo to get our goals near the end of the game. Not the best way to start the season.

08-13-2011: Instituto 2 - 3 Gimnasia (J) (Víctor Cavallo 6, Pablo Pereira 60 - Gustavo Muñoz og 16, Sebastián Monesterolo 29, Marcelo Real 69) - Primera B Nacional, Apertura, 2/19

Our nightmarish initial fixtures continued with a visit to heavy promotion candidates Instituto. We tried a diamond formation with Luna behind the strikers, but once again an early goal set us back, this time scored by Cavallo. We reacted quickly, and an unlucky own goal by Muñoz and a debut goal by Monesterolo gave us the lead before the half hour. Pereira got the draw for Instituto in the second half and very clearly offside, but Real also got a debut goal with a fantastic banana shot from afar, and we kept that lead until the end.

08-17-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 2 Talleres (Andrés Rinaldi 28 - Pablo Rolón 50, Simón Pagua 58) - Primera B Nacional, Apertura, 3/19

Finally home, mid-table bound Talleres were our next foe. The visitors dominated fruitlessly until Rinaldi shot with power from outside the box to put us ahead. Talleres struck back in the first minutes of the second half with a placed finish by Rolón, and Pagua put them ahead eight minutes later with a perfectly executed free kick. Guilherme hit the post, and we slumped into an unexpected home defeat.

08-20-2011: Gimnasia (J) 1 - 1 Independiente Rivadavia (Jeremías Caggiano 72 - Mauricio Ferradas 15) - Primera B Nacional, Apertura, 4/19

We couldn't afford to lose more points at home, but still Rivadavia got the lead in the 15th thanks to Ferradas' finish. We played a horrible first half, and although we improved after half time, our finishing was woeful and we wasted many chances. Thankfully, Caggiano got the draw in the 72nd after a great pass by Luna, and we could at least salvage a point from this wreckage of a game.

08-27-2011: Racing de Córdoba 0 - 7 Gimnasia (J) (Jeremías Caggiano 1 79, Jorge Luis Luna 11 39 43, Alcides Piccoli pen 45+1, Sebastián Monesterolo 63) - Primera B Nacional, Apertura, 5/19

Winless, pointless and just promoted, Racing looked like the perfect target for an easy win. And it was. Caggiano set us up for a quick start with a first minute goal, and Luna got the second only ten minutes later. Luna also got the third and the fourth, completing his hattrick before half time, and Piccoli made it 0-5 in injury time. We relaxed in the second half, yet Monesterolo and Caggiano added two more to the tally. Too easy.

08-31-2011: Gimnasia (J) 0 - 0 San Martín (SJ) - Primera B Nacional, Apertura, 6/19

With both teams near the middle of the table, it was supposed to be an even match. We dominated the first half with ease, but fantastic goalkeeping by Marcelo Mas kept the draw until the break. Things didn't change much in the second half, and despite having 10 shots on target and 4 clear-cut chances, we couldn't break the goalless draw. Still winless at home.

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League Table

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Awards:

Team of the Week appearances: German Ruiz (1), Alcides Piccoli (1), Jorge Luis Luna (1), Jeremías Caggiano (1), Sebastián Monesterolo (1)

Sebastián Monesterolo, 3rd in the Player of the Month award.

Marcelo Real grabs the Goal of the Month award for his effort against Instituto.

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Summary:

A disappointing start of the season. The blowout against Ferro showed some of our problems, mainly our defensive weakness. We managed to cut down on that, though, and even got two clean sheets at the end of the month. But our main problem is another, and it's a bit more troubling: the pitch of our stadium is a complete disaster. The board have agreed to relay it, but won't do it until the end of the season, which means that we'll have to endure it for now. The team isn't really suited to a long ball approach, lacking a pure target man that could nod them into one of our many small strikers, and short passing on such an uneven surface generally doesn't work that well. The result is that we only have won 2 out of 9 possible points at home so far. Not good.

That reputation problem I talked about when trying to sign players is also being a problem with our current players. Álvaro Gallo is being followed by quite a few big teams, and the player is unsettled and wants to leave. Andrés Rinaldi was also a target, with Flamengo offering €240k for a one-year loan with a set purchase fee of €1.3M, an offer which I quickly rejected. But the biggest news was Guilherme's problems settling in Argentina, which forced me to give him a leave of absence. We have many alternatives upfront, but losing him would still be a big blow. Performance-wise, Jorge Luis Luna, again playing behind the strikers in our new diamond formation, and Sebastián Monesterolo were the best on the attack, while Gabriel Ruiz and Ivan Macalick were rock solid on the back line.

Sorry to see that you still suck Though at least only by the intervention of a linesman now. That defeat against Quilmes must have hurt. An inauspicious start to this season but maybe you'll join the ranks of those of us who don't suck soon enough

That's a nice 7-0 though! Reading with interest!

Wow, two year old thread resurrection!

Wow, two year old thread resurrection!

I never noticed that. Someone bumped this, then deleted their comment! D'ooooh! *shakes fist*