I used to be a football manager like you...

[Jason the Yank]

(you know the rest )

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's another thread. Even though I love being able to manage a Detroit side, the number of cups in the Mike Magnum file is doing my head in. Maybe I'll go back to it if this one dies on its arse.

Anyway, I've downloaded Unknown Hacker's big file from the Editor's Hideaway (mainly to get some more African leagues), and I'm looking forward to trying a different challenge.

FM Database: 12.2
Nationality: American
Reputation: Automatic
Total numbers: 30 leagues loaded, 69 leagues, 101,000 players
Nation loaded
(All divisions loaded as playable)
Africa: Egypt*, Morocco*, Nigeria*, South Africa
Asia: Australia, China, India, Qatar*, South Korea
Europe: Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan*, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey
North America: Mexico, USA
South America: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
(Nations with an * are from the Unknown Hacker edit. All others are the original FM files)

[Jason the Yank]

League

Season	Club			Nation	League		GP	W	D	L	PTS	FINISH				ATTENDANCE
2011-12	Olympique Marrakech	MAR	Botola 2	16	1	4	11	7	17th (resigned Nov. 26, 2011)	178
2011-12	San Marino Calcio	ITA	Serie C2/A	19	4	5	10	17	13th (hired Dec. 28, 2011; 8th) 407
2012	CD Magallanes		CHI	1st Division B	21	6	6	9	24	5th, 2nd Phase (hired June 26)	287 (last)

Cup

Season	Club			Nation	Cup		RESULT
2011-12	Olympique Marrakech	MAR	Coupe du Trone	Second round

[Jason the Yank]

So I started unemployed, applying for every job available. Even had some "big" clubs offer jobs to me (New England, Gold Coast, two clubs in the Mexican Promotion League). But I decided to start a little smaller. And that led me to Moroccan side Olympique Marrakech

Founded in 2001, Olympique de Marrakech are a professional Moroccan club currently playing in the Botola 2. The club also has average junior coaching and a basic youth recruitment network. The club is affectionately known as Le Chez Ali Club.

With no real competition history of note, Le Chez Ali Club are a club with a trophy cabinet waiting to be filled.

It's a 1-year deal worth $1300/week. There is no transfer budget, and the club are $170/week over the $1500/week player wage budget. The facilities are pretty crap. The staff are even more crap, so for the first time in my FM career I offered them all mutual termination. Fortunately I have about 5 months until the first league match, plenty of time to bring in some (hopefully!) better staff.

And here's our stadium, the Sidi Youssef Ben Ali Stadium:

[Jason the Yank]

April 19, 2011
Board announce plans to build Olympique Marrakech Stadium.

When completed in June 2013, it will hold a capacity of 2,625 (656 seats).

The stadium will be built for $220,000, funding for which will breakdown as:
Loan: $135,000
Stadium sponsorship: $112,000
Grant from local authorities: $89,630

(I'm hoping this means we're taking out the loan now to build, and will pay it off with the sponsorship deal when it opens)

EDIT: Loan payments of $2500/month start now. Apparently I get to help pay for the stadium, because the board offered a new contract that cuts my salary by $300/week. I took it though.

[cerud]

Ouch! I was just about to comment on your interesting stadium and now I find my comments obsolete. Sucks that the loan repayment starts now, but thats a bank for you.

[Jason the Yank]

Olympique Marrakech - Morocco Botola 2 - 2011-12 preview

So here we are, just days away from kicking a ball in anger.

Pre-season has been a bit rough. We got a win and a draw at home against fellow Botola 2 sides, then struggled to get a draw against lower league side EJS Casablanca.

The team looks slow, the defending is abysmal, and the board isn't letting me offer more than about $50/week for player contracts. Naturally this means that anyone who can actually, you know, play football has no interest in coming here. So there are no signings to report. And nobody has left either (presumably this means everyone else knows our players are crap).

Season expectations
Board: League: Learn from the experience. Cup: Reach the Second Round
Bookies: 150-1
Media: 17th (out of 18)

[Mike7077]

This looks like being really fun to follow. The fact that board want you to "learn from the experience" means you can play without pressure. Looks like it'll be tough, though. You're a braver man than me.

[Nathan Pike]

The team looks slow, the defending is abysmal, and the board isn't letting me offer more than about $50/week for player contracts. Naturally this means that anyone who can actually, you know, play football has no interest in coming here. So there are no signings to report. And nobody has left either (presumably this means everyone else knows our players are crap).

At least your club badge is outstanding.

Good luck in Morocco.

[Jason the Yank]

This looks like being really fun to follow. The fact that board want you to "learn from the experience" means you can play without pressure. Looks like it'll be tough, though. You're a braver man than me.

I hope so. We got curbstomped in our first game.

[Jason the Yank]

Aug. 13, 2011
KAC Marrakech 7-2 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
Never in this one against a team recently relegated from Botola 1. Down 2-0 after 12 minutes, pulled it back to 2-1 thanks to a thumping own goal from the KAC full back. Opposing forward had a hat-trick after 47 minutes and went on to add a fourth. We pulled it back to 4-2, but then gave up 3 goals (including a penalty) in a 10 minute span to be routed.

Aug. 20, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 2-3 Chabab Houara (Botola 2)
Went behind 0-1 on an own goal. Went up in the second half thanks to an indirect free kick and a good attacking move, only to give up a tap-in for an equalizer minutes after taking the lead. Gave up the winner in the 89th minute on a second own goal.

Attendance: 245

Aug. 27, 2011
RAC Casablanca 3-0 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
Had a good first 30 minutes, then let a forward slip into space. Lost our AML Akram Hajii (our best player so far) to injury early in the 2nd half. Match stayed 1-0, until the 86th minute when our defenders got caught ball-watching again. Gave up a 3rd in stoppage time.

Aug. 29, 2011
The board loosened the purse strings on contracts, so I signed central defender Abdelouahed Ouendi (age 31) on a 1-year, $120/week deal. Good stats for teamwork, decent for composure, bravery, positioning. Coaches consider him "twice the player" of our next best central defender. Considered poor in the air. Best role is central defender-covering (which I'm looking for)

14 US Temara 0 (-4 GD)
15 US Mohammedia 0 (-5 GD)
16 Wafa Wydad 0 (-6 GD)
17 O MARRAKECH 0 (-9 GD)
18 Sidi Kacem 0 (-12 GD)

In other news, Sven-Goran Eriksson is the new manager of New York Red Bulls.

[rancer890]

Yikes, tough start. Good luck in Morocco Jason.

[Jason the Yank]

September 3, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 4-3 Sidi Kacem (Botola 2)
An entertaining match in which both teams showed why they were the bottom 2. We scored first thanks to a bad first touch in the box from the opposing center back, but were pulled back to level terms on a shot from near the penalty arc. We then had to go Spanish when our lone forward went down with injury and I realized I didn't have one on the 5-man bench. So I stuck an AMC up there and made him a deep-lying forward. Akram Hajii gave us the lead, and then Abdelouahed Ouendi scored on his debut with a header inside the 6-yard box to put us up 3-1 with 20 minutes left. Sidi Kacem fought back to level the match with two goals in 10 minutes thanks to some more comedy defending. But our AMR Anas Ouchrif managed to snatch a winner in stoppage time.
Attendance: 228

September 7, 2011
AS Sale 3-0 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
A tough match against a side involved in the African Champions League despite their Division 2 status. I called out my defense in the pre-match press conference, which irritated a couple of my defenders. They proved me right though. Sale took the lead thanks to a ball richocheting off the crossbar, off my goalkeeper's back and into the net. Then we gifted them their second when Hajii made a woeful pass that was easily intercepted and turned into a through ball that caught my goalkeeper in no-man's land. The onrushing forward took advantage of his indecision and we went into halftime down 2-0. Sale continued to press their advantage though, and got a third from a free header off a corner.


September 17, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 2-2 TAS Casablanca (Botola 2)
Went down 2-0 at halftime after my goalkeeper punched the ball into his own net (his second own goal in two games), and after a TAS free kick ricocheted off the crossbar into the path on an onrushing attack. I told the team I wasn't happy, and they responded with one coming from a through ball, and the second when a substitute winger took the ball to the penalty arc and cooly finished from there.
Attendance: 213

September 21, 2011
One of my scouts trawling North Africa comes across a Zambian striker, Owen Mwandabai. Age 28, he has one cap to his credit. He's not the fastest player, but otherwise he blows away the rest of my forwards for skill. His 2-year, $600/week contract blows my wage budget out of whack to the point where I'm back to only being able to offer $40/week to new players, and the fact that he's a striker probably makes him the definition of a luxury player on my defensively frail side, but he's so much better than our current players that I feel I can't pass on him.

September 24, 2011
IR Tanger 1-0 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
I throw Mwandabai straight into the starting XI but he has a quiet debut (very much not match fit). We never look like winning this one, but we're undone by only one through ball that splits our central defense. 1-0 probably flatters us.

September 28, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 0-0 US Mohammedia (Botola 2)
A bore draw in which both sides seemed more interested in disrupting the flow of the game.
Attendance: 166


14 US Temara 7
15 Wafa Wydad 6
16 US Mohammedia 5 (-9)
17 O MARRAKECH 5 (-12)
18 Sidi Kacem 0

[Nobby_McDonald]

Good luck Jason.

[Jason the Yank]

Real life and Skyrim been getting in the way of this save.


October 1, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 0-2 RS Settat (Coupe du Trone Second Round)
On the back foot pretty much all game. Barely even had a sniff of the ball with only 36% possession.
Attendance: 147

October 8, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 0-2 JS Tadla (Botola 2)
Some long-term injuries forced me to ditch my 4-2-3-1 and go to a 4-4-2 diamond. A switch to a new goalkeeper proved costly as he spilled the ball midway through the second half, and was duly punished for it. We were heavily outplayed, with Tadla racking up 20 shots to our 1.
Attendance: 242

October 15, 2011
Rachad Bernoussi 1-0 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
Right back got caught ball watching midway through the first half, and our completely inability to play even simple passes to each other cost us dearly.

October 22, 2011
US Temara 1-1 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
Switched keepers again following the poor performance of the backup in his two starts. We actually played some decent football in this match. Won a penalty in the 8th minute, only for my player to sky it over the bar. Hamza Chihab edged us in front through off a great cross from Mohammad Rafik playing on the "wrong" wing due to my tactics of telling the left and right wings to swap positions. But just as I thought I might get a smash-and-grab win, Temara split my center backs and equalized late in the second half. Probably a fortunate draw, as Temara rattled the post twice in the first half.

October 29, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 0-2 Youssoufia Berrechid (Botola 2)
Lousy match. Conceded 12 minutes into the match, and 12 minutes from time. We were nearly gifted an equalizer in the 32nd minute, but their goalkeeper managed to pounce on what would have been an own goal from one of their defenders. I really can't fault our defending, as Youssoufia Berrechid's 3-4-1-2 expertly moved the ball looking for opportunities. Possession was pretty even, but they took 14 shots to our 4, which tells you they found the weaknesses in our squad.
Attendance: 134

(Through 12 of 34 matches)
14. Wafa Wydad 12
15. US Temara 9
16. US Mohammedia 8
17. O MARRAKECH 6
18. Sidi Kacem 2

Really not sure where to go from here. I have a habit of bailing on teams when things start to go wrong, and I've wanted to try to not do that this time. But at the same time, I'm beginning to think this was just a bad fit. I really have nobody to blame but myself, as I've blown a hole in the wage budget, and the player I did that for (Owen Mwandabai) is looking like a bust (he has double-digit attributes almost across the board, is clearly better than my other players, but has 0 goals and a 6.38 rating in 6 games), and I had other positions (namely on the backline) that were crying out to be addressed before signing a forward.

That said, morale is such a huge part of FM, and I think our 7-2 humiliation in our first match put everyone in a bad frame of mind to start the season.

Some other managerial moves in the month of October:
Steve Nicol to Hearts
Gordon Strachan to Derby
Ricardo La Volpe to Banfield
Terry Butcher to Ipswich
Roy Keane to Inverness (replacing Terry Butcher)
Lothar Matthaus to St. Gallen
Markus Babbel sacked by Hoffenheim
Alan Pardew sacked by Newcastle (on Halloween )

[cerud]

Welcome back, Jason the Yank Tough matches there. Do other clubs have access to better players or is it just a bad run of games?

[Jason the Yank]

It looks like they just have better players. My players sometimes struggle just to complete a pass to someone standing 10 yards from them. There's a lot of long balls that end up going straight to the opposition instead of a wide open teammate.

The problem mostly (IMO) is my defenders are crap. They seem to have no idea how to deal with off-the-ball movement from the opposition.

The board seem okay with things. Even though we're mired in an 8-match winless run and sitting next to last, they're "satisfied" with my performance. Their only complaint is about my wage mismanagement.

[Jason the Yank]

November 5, 2011
RS Settat 2-0 Olympique Marrakech (Botola 2)
Under pressure all match but we're hanging in until the 65th minute when my right back tries the pylon defense as the ball is passed around him, leading to a goal. We have an equalizer presented on a gold platter a few minutes later, but spurn two bites at the cherry. Settat make it academic with an 80th minute headed corner.

November 12, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 1-2 Stade Marocain (Botola 2)
Concede 5 minutes when they hit the post, only for it to fall to an onrushing forward who is totally unmarked. Concede a second in the 19th when my goalkeeper and two defenders can't decide who's going to take the 50-50 ball, with the result that Marocain's goal scorer nips in and makes it a first-half brace. We do get a consolation goal in second half stoppage time when substitute AMC Mohammad Amrani unleashes a 30-yard laser. But in the end it's now 10 straight matches without a win.
Attendance: 139

November 19, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 0-0 MC Oujda (Botola 2)
Concede a penalty in the 13th minute, but they blaze it wide of the bar. We're under pressure the entire first half, with my goalkeeper having to make 8 saves. We push back in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but are wasteful with our opportunties. Then we lose right midfielder Morad Abdellaoui to a second yellow when I had a substitute ready to come on for him. But we manage to hang on the final 20 minutes with 10 men for the draw.
Attendance: 127

November 23, 2011
Olympique Marrakech 1-2 Wafa Wydad (Botola 2)
Match moved up 3 days because of Wafa Wydad's cup involvement. Fall behind 3 minutes when we completely fail to pick up a trailing run in the penalty area. Mowanabai finally repays my faith in him with a goal from inside the penalty arc. Then we lose a penalty in the 44th minute, only for our goalkeeper to save what honestly is a pretty poorly taken penalty. We fall behind again in the 74th minute when a cross deflects off one of our center backs. We go close from a corner at the end of normal time, but it's not to be. And that makes it 12 straight without a win. We haven't won since September 7.
Attendance: 140

I know I said I wanted to stick it out, but I just don't see how we're going to turn this around. Even though my job security is still listed as "stable," I decide to hand in resignation and let somebody else give it a crack.

Through 16 of 34 matches
14. Tadla 16
15. US Mohammedia 12 (-12 GD)
16. US Temara 12 (-17 GD)
17. O MARRAKECH 7
18. Sidi Kacem 2

High-profile managerial changes in November:
Neil Warnock sacked by Leeds
Ruud Gullit to Besiktas
Gareth Southgate to Sheffield Wednesday
Marcello Lippi to Roma
Alan Shearer to Newcastle
Steve McLaren sacked by Twente
Rafa Benitez to Valencia
Peter Reid to Bristol Rovers
Jomo Sono resigns from Jomo Cosmos to go to Santos (RSA)
Martin Jol sacked by Fulham

[cerud]

Another tough month. I can understand the move to resign. All the best wherever you end up.

[Jason the Yank]

The most serene job in football
Kind of surprised I got this one. I was unemployed for about 5 weeks when San Marino Calcio responded to my application by offering a deal through the end of the season.

It's worth $1900/week. The club are currently spending $30,240 out of their weekly $31,500 player wage budget. Predicted to finish 4th in Serie C2/A, they were sitting 11th when they sacked their manager. I delayed the offer a couple of weeks (mainly because I don't see much room for growth there), and was considered for an Israeli job. But they chose to go with someone else, so I'm packing my bags and heading for one of the smallest nations in the world.

High-profile managerial changes for December:
Paul Lambert to Fulham from Norwich
Alan Curbishley to Bristol City
Nigel Clough to Nottingham Forest
Trond Sollied to Beitar Jerusalem
Martin Jol to Norwich
Matthias Sammer to Leverkusen
George Burley to Aberdeen
Brendan Rogers sacked by Swansea
Frank Rijkaard to PSV
Alan Pardew to Swansea
Paolo DiCanio sacked by Swindon
Alex McLeish sacked by Aston Villa
Gus Poyet sacked by Brighton
Tony Pulis from Stoke to Aston Villa
Quique Flores to Sevilla
Alex McLeish to Stoke

[Jason the Yank]

And so continues the journey of a crap manager.

January 8, 2012
Savona 4-3 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
Fought back twice to finally take the lead at 3-2, only for slack passing at the back to be duly punished.

January 15, 2012
San Marino 0-2 Borgo a Buggiano (Serie C2/A)
A poor result against a team down near the relegation spots. Their second came when we were chasing the game late.
Attendance: 252

January 22, 2012
Rimini 0-0 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
Bossed this match (70% possession) against a team in the relegation spots, but our wastefulness in front of net (only 5 of 21 shots on target) meant we had to settle for a draw.

January 29, 2012
San Marino 0-1 Casarle (Serie C2/A)
A fairly even match against the team sitting 2nd, undone by one mixup in central defense.
Attendance: 202

9. Valenzana 32
10. Treviso 32
11. SAN MARINO 30
12. Savona 28
13. Giacomense 27

High-profile managerial moves
Paul Lambert to Fulham from Norwich
Alan Curbishley to Bristol City
Nigel Clough to Nottingham Forest
Trond Sollied to Beitar Jerusalem
Martin Jol to Norwich
Matthias Sammer to Leverkusen
George Burley to Aberdeen
Brendan Rogers sacked by Swansea
Frank Rijkaard to PSV
Alan Pardew to Swansea
Paolo DiCanio sacked by Swindon
Alex McLeish sacked by Aston Villa
Gus Poyet sacked by Brighton
Tony Pulis from Stoke to Aston Villa
Quique Flores to Sevilla
Alex McLeish to Stoke

[Jason the Yank]

By my count, I'm now 1-5-15 in this save.

[deltablue]

Ah well, things have to turn eventually, even at the start when it was one obscure failure after another for me, I had the occasional club that went reasonably.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Going well then Jason.

[Jason the Yank]

Yeah, work has been a nightmare lately...

February 5, 2012
Montichiari 2-1 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
A terrible performance against the bottom side notable mainly for goalkeeping blunders on both sides. A switch to a 4-4-2 diamond was foiled in the 8th minute when my AMC went off with what was later determined to be a broken foot that would sideline him the rest of the season. Montichiari went up in the 28th minute when my goalkeeper fumbled the ball and a Montichiari striker nipped in to capitalize. We equalized in the 41st minute when a cross-cum-shot from my left back bounced in front of and past the opposing keeper. A defensive breakdown in the second half led to an easy chance for Montichiari and we were duly punished.

February 12, 2012
San Marino 1-1 Santarcangelo (Serie C2/A)
Went behind 2 minutes into the game. Manage to equalize shorly before halftime, but were unable to find the winner despite having the better of the second half. My keeper was "looking uninterested" at halftime, so he's going to take a seat on the bench.
Attendance: 204

February 19, 2012
Poggibonsi 0-0 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
A gritty performance in which I went to a defensive setup. Game could have gone either way as my captain missed on a couple of good chances, and a goal mouth scramble denied a Poggibonsi attacker who had an open net.

February 26, 2012
Board kick in $160,000 to deal with running costs.

San Marino 2-1 Alessandria (Serie C2/A)
A win! We didn't make it easy on ourselves though, going behind in the 8th minute thanks to some more slack defending on a corner. But my anchorman Ikpe Prince Ekong sent target man Michele Tarallo free on a long pass out from the back, and he cooly finished the one-on-one chance. We went into halftime on level terms and I decided to keep the team in their attacking mentality. We finally, FINALLY, nosed in front in the 58th minute when my captain Davide Poletti took a free kick on a sharp angle from goal. He managed to send it across the mouth of goal, when it hit my onrushing center back Vittorio Ferrero square in the belly. The ball bounced in front of him just outside the 6-yard box and Ferrero opted to slide and kick it past the goalkeeper. A couple of nervy moments later, and Alessandria got a breakaway in stoppage time, but their forward ballooned the one-on-one opportunity high and wide of the goal.
Attendance: 283

9. Treviso 36 (+8 26 GP)
10. Alessandria 36 (+4)
11. SAN MARINO 35
12. Giacomense 33
13. Mantova 31

Notable managerial changes:
Feyenoord sack Ronald Koeman
Athletic Bilbao sack Marcelo Bielsa
PSG sack Carlo Ancelotti
Lille hire Claude Puel (after Rudi Garcia takes the PSG job)

[cerud]

Well, the Law of Large Numbers says you gotta win something sometime. I guess make it a big one

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, March 4, 2012
Virtus Entella 3-1 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
Terrible game. Failed to account for VE's left wing, who laid in two beautiful crosses that resulted in us being down 2-0 at halftime. Nearly pulled one back before the break, only for Davide Polleti to display the first touch of a rhinocerous, so a one-on-one break rolls harmlessly to the opposing keeper. Concede a 3rd on a blast from the penalty arc shortly after switching tactics with a substituion. Michele Tarallo gets a consolation goal late, and soon after has to go off with a gashed leg.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
San Marino 2-0 Ballaria (Serie C2/A)
A win against our rivals that was more a case of being efficient than dominating a team sitting bottom of C2/A. Went ahead thanks to a goal from my center back Fogacci after a corner was recycled. He managed to get back to the left corner of the penalty area, leaned back and took an uncontested shot that rifled past the goalkeeper. We sealed the win shortly before halftime thanks to a soft penalty that went in our favor.
Attendance: 233

Sunday, March 11, 2012
Giacomense 1-0 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
Went behind in the 3rd minute thanks to slack defending on a corner, on what proved to be Giacomense's only shot on target in the match. We got a present in the 26th minute when a Giacomense player picked up a red card for a 2-footed tackle, but even playing a man up for an hour we never truly threatened the opposing goalkeeper, only getting 1 shot on target out of 6.

Sunday, March 18, 2012
Board inject $80,000 to deal with running costs.

San Marino 5-0 Treviso (Serie C2/A)
It was all about our captain Davide Polleti. A goal and 3 assists in a dominant performance from our left wing. I made a couple of small tactical tweaks (namely telling the fullbacks to just be defensive instead of adjusting between attack/support/defend) but it was mostly about set pieces with our first four goals (all before halftime) all coming indirectly from free kicks. By far the best game I've seen from this lot. We ended up with 7 players in the Serie C2/A Team of the Week on the back of this.
Attendance: 712

9. Treviso 45
10. Valenzana 43
11. SAN MARINO 41
12. Giacomense 39
13. Savona 36

Only notable managerial change for March is Oldham sacking Paul Dickov and replacing him with Joe Royle.

[deltablue]

Not a great month but good way to end it.

[cerud]

I enjoy the chronological way you present your career, mixing matches with notable news. Nice wins at the end of the month too!

[Jason the Yank]

I enjoy the chronological way you present your career, mixing matches with notable news.

Trying something different. Usually did the pre-season/mid-season/end of season, but my play is so slow that it can be a week between updates.

(or longer if work has gone to ****, as it has recently. )

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, April 1, 2012
Cuneo 2-1 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
Opted for anti-football on an away trip to a side in the title chase. It worked until we again conceded from a corner in the 27th minute. Cuneo managed to bag a second in the 60th minute just as I was switching out to a 2-upfront formation. We got one back shortly afterward, but Cuneo played methodically in the final 20 minutes, with the only threat from us being a corner that was headed into the side netting.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012
San Marino 1-0 Pro Patria (Serie C2/A)
An efficient match against a side in relegation trouble. Missing my captain due to yellow card accumulation, but a 27th minute header from my center back off a corner proved the winner in what was a fairly choppy affair (the teams combined for 31 fouls).
Attendance: 275

Saturday, April 7, 2012
Sambonifacese 2-0 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
An away trip to another relegation-threatened side ended up with us getting suckerpunched. We fell behind in the 32nd minute on a textbook counterattack: a long pass out of the back to the right wing followed a pinpoint, low cross into the box. Things got worse when my centerback was whistled for a dubious penalty (even the commentary said that we "may feel the penalty decision was harsh there." I criticized the decision in the press conference, and the FA remained silent about it) in the 38th minute. But really we have our own profligacy to blame, as we outshot Sambonifacese 12-6, but could get only 2 of those shots on target.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
San Marino 1-1 Valenzana (Serie C2/A)
Late heroics in both halves, unfortunately the last one wasn't good for us. We took the lead in 1st half stoppage time when my right back who was on the left side of the pitch after a throw-in threaded a perfect through ball to my ball-winning central midfielder. But we dropped 2 points just as we reached 2nd half stoppage time when my defenders and goalkeeper played a bit of hot potato with the ball, leading to a bad giveaway about 20 yards from goal that was duly punished. We nearly found a winner off a corner in the 93rd minute, only for my center back's header to clip the bar and go over. But again our profligacy let us down, as we held 60% of the possession, and took 18 shots with 7 on target.
Attendance: 268

Sunday, April 22, 2012
Mantova 3-0 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
A gutless, insipid "performance" in front of the national team manager for San Marino. Fell behind in the 31st minute after a mixup in the penalty area. Then were humiliated with two own goals in the second goal (although the first once appeared to only take a glancing deflection off my DMC; the second was more clear cut, with my center back trying to get back to cut out a cross but whose slide caused the ball to go past my keeper). An awful performance in which we took only 2 shots all game, and I gave the team the hairdryer treatment after the match.

Sunday, April 29, 2012
San Marino 0-0 Lecco (Serie C2/A)
A couple of players came to me before this match to say they were losing confidence in my managerial ability. But instead of picking up their game, instead we got a missed opportunity against a team ahead of us in the table. A choppy game with a combined 29 fouls, but when we were able to play we looked well. Especially disappointing given that we had a couple of golden opportunities in the last 10 minutes, if only a midfielder had picked up his head and spotted my forward standing right in front of the goalkeeper.
Attendance: 444

11. Valenzana 48
12. Mantova 47
13. SAN MARINO 46
14. Giacomense 45
15. Montichiari 44

Just one more match left in the season, away to a Renate side that needs at least a draw to clinch automatic promotion. Whatever way it goes, I think I'll leave San Marino when my contract expires at the end of the season. Our average attendance is in the lower half of Serie C2/A, and the finances have turned to Insecure. Don't feel like there's any scope for improvement here, and when the players are starting to snipe at you, it's probably time to go. But at least I've improved my win ratio (at least a little; my record now is 5-9-21 overall, 4-5-9 at San Marino), so hopefully I can land another gig.

Notable managerial changes
End of the A-League season in Australia was cause for house cleaning among the bottom sides, with three clubs handing out P45s the day after the regular season concluded.

Wellington Phoenix (10th) sacked Ricki Herbert
Melbourne Heart (8th) sacked John van 't Schip
Newcastle United Jets (9th) sacked Gary Van Egmond
Cruz Azul hired Carlos Bianchi
Exeter City hired Paul Ince

[SRL88]

Are you confident of finding a job at a similar level though if you do leave or do you think you will have to take a step backwards?

[Jason the Yank]

Tuesday, May 1, 2012
San Marino board offered a one-year deal on $2300/week, a raise of $400/week. But with the club finances as "insecure" and attendances low, I reject the offer.

Sunday, May 6, 2012
Renate 1-0 San Marino (Serie C2/A)
A meek performance in front of the national team managerto end the season. Went down in the 17th minute when one of my center backs just watched a through ball go by him, into the path of a Renate forward who lashed home a vicious shot just outside the 6-yard box. We couldn't generate any kind of an attack, not even when a Renate player went off in the 70th minute with a second yellow. We didn't get off a shot after that.

[Jason the Yank]

Are you confident of finding a job at a similar level though if you do leave or do you think you will have to take a step backwards?

I'm expecting to have to take a step backward.

[Jason the Yank]

Well it took a little bit longer than I wanted, but after almost two months out of the game I have a new gig (and boy am I racking up the air miles on this one).

I've been offered a short-term gig (only through the end of 2012) on $1000/week with CD Magallenes, currently playing in the Chilean First Division B (the second division). They've played 17 of their 24 First Phase matches so far, and are just inside the top 4 that will send them to the Second Phase.

Deportes Magallanes are a Chilean Football club based in Maipu, Santiago. They currently play at the second level of Chilean football, the Primera B.

The club were founded on October 27, 1897 with the name Atlético Escuela Normal F.C.. In 1933 they became the first ever national champions of Chile. They won a hat trick of titles in the formative years of Chilean football (1933, 1934 and 1935) but their last major title came in 1938.

Despite their lack of titles in the last 70 years the club are still ranked as the seventh most successful team in the history of Chilean football.

Founded in 1897, CCD Magallanes S.A.D.P. are a professional Chilean club currently playing in the Chilean First Division B. The club play their home games at Santiago Bueras and possess fairly basic training facilities and very basic youth facilities. The club also has fairly basic junior coaching and a basic youth recruitment network. The club is affectionately known as La Academica.

As a club which enjoyed its best spell of success during the 1930s and their last competition win coming as recently as 2010, La Academica are a club with a growing history. Magallanes won the Chilean top division in 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1938 and finished runners-up on four occasions, finished runners-up in the Chilean 2nd tier for the only time in 1979, and won the Chilean 3rd tier in 1995 and 2010.

The Chilean setup is more complex than the European model, but still fairly easy to explain:

The First Division B is made up of 14 teams, split equally into a North section and a South section. In the First Phase, you play all the teams in your section 4 times each for a total of 24 matches. The bottom side in each section contest a relegation playoff, whilst the top 4 in each section advance to an 8-team Second Phase.

The Second Phase is more familiar for Europeans: The 8 teams are placed in a single table, and play each other home and away, for another 14 games. Then in another bit of trickiness, the top 2 go up automatically whilst the 3rd and 4th place teams go to a playoff against the 15th and 16th placed teams in the First Division (the top flight). The 2 winners in the 2-legged playoffs play in the First Division next season, the 2 losers are in the First Division B.

[Jason the Yank]

Some managerial changes during my unemployed spell:

Middlesborough sack Tony Mowbray
Liverpool sack Kenny Dalglish, hire Carlo Ancelotti
Hertha Berlin sack Otto Rehhagel
Nottingham Forest sacks Nigel Clough following takeover, Tony Mowbray hired
Tianjin TEDA hire Philippe Troussier
Birmingham sack Chris Hughton following takeover

Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Harry Redknapp all decide to retire. Replacements not named yet.

[cerud]

Interesting move. Never seen a Chilean career before.

[SRL88]

Good luck in Chile.

[deltablue]

You're quite the wanderer, hope Chile's a good experience.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Good luck in Chile Jason.

[Jason the Yank]

2011-12 Roll of Honor
African Nations Cup: Nigeria
East Asian Championship: Japan
Euro 2012: England (4-0 over Germany. Sort it out, SI. )
OCE Nations Cup: New Zealand

Club World Championship: Santos (BRA)
African Champions League: Al-Ahly (EGY); African Confederation Cup: Al-Ittihad (LBY)
Asian Champions League: Al-Ain (UAE); Asian Confederation Cup: Faisaly (JOR)
UEFA Champions League: Arsenal (ENG); Europa League: Spurs (ENG)
CONCACAF Champions League: Monarcas Morelia (MEX)
O-League: Auckland City (NZL)
Copa Libertadores: Corinthians (BRA); Copa Sudamericana: Palmeiras (BRA)


Argentina
Apertura: Racing
Clausura: Boca Juniors
Copa Argentina: Arsenal de Sarandi

Australia
A-League: Perth Glory
Grand Final: Perth Glory

Belgium
Pro League: Standard Liege
Belgian Cup: STVV

Chile
Apertura: Cobreloa
Clausura: Universidad de Chile
Copa Chile: Antofagasta

China
Super League: Guangzhou
FA Cup: Shandong

Denmark
Superliga: FC Kobenhavn
Danish Cup: FC Midtjylland

Egypt
Premier League: Al-Ahly
Egyptian Cup: El Gouna

England
Premier League: Manchester United
FA Cup: West Bromwich Albion
League Cup: Liverpool

France
Ligue 1: Olympique Lyon
French Cup: Guingamp (from Ligue 2)

Germany
1. Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
German Cup: Kaiserslautern

Greece
Superleague: Olympiakos
Greek Cup: Olympiakos

Holland
Eredivisie: AZ
Dutch Cup: VVV

India
National Football League: Mohun Bagan
Durand Cup: Pune FC
Federation Cup: Pune FC

Israel
Premier League: Maccabi Haifa
State Cup: Hapoel Ako
Premier League Toto Cup: Hapoel Ako

Italy
Serie A: AC Milan
Italian Cup: AC Milan

Kazahkstan
Super League: Jetysu
Kazakh Cup: Vostok-2

Mexico
Apertura: Monterrey
Clausura: Monarcas Morelia

Morocco
Botola 1: Wydad Casablanca
Coupe de Trone: Raja Casablanca

Nigeria
Premier League: Enyimba
Challenge Cup: Ocean Boys

Qatar
Stars League: Lekhwiya
Sheikh Jassem Cup: Al-Arabi
Emir Cup: Lekhwiya
Crown Prince Cup: Al-Arabi
Stars Cup: Al-Ahli

Romania
Liga I: Steaua Bucharest
Romanian Cup: Dinamo Bucharest

Russia
Premier League: Lokomotiv Moscow
Russian Cup: Rubin Kazan

Scotland
Premier League: Celtic
Scottish Cup: Celtic
League Cup: Hibernian

South Africa
Premier Soccer League: Mamelodi Sundowns
Knockout Cup: Kaizer Chiefs
Super Eight Cup: Kaizer Chiefs
South Africa Cup: Jomo Cosmos

South Korea
K-League: Ulsan
FA Cup: Incheon
League Cup: Ulsan

Spain
La Liga: Barcelona
Spanish Cup: Osasuna

Switzerland
Super League: Basel
Swiss Cup: Young Boys

Turkey
Premier League: Galatasaray
Turkish Cup: Galatasaray

USA
MLS: Seattle Sounders
US Open Cup: FC Dallas

Uruguay
Apertura: El Tanque Sisley
Clausura: Bella Vista

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, July 1, 2012
Magallanes 0-2 San Luis (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
On the wrong end of a smash-and-grab result. We dominated play with our 4-4-2 diamond, forcing the San Luis goalkeeper into 8 saves and holding 59% of the possession. But we fell behind in the 27th minute thanks to a 30-yard strike that was San Luis' first shot on target. Their second came from a free header off a corner in second half stoppage time. A disappointing scoreline, but some encouraging play.
Attendance: 241

Sunday, July 8, 2012
Magallanes 1-0 Curico Unido (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
A more even match than my debut, but a much more satisfying result. Took the lead in the 37th minute on a great bit of unselfishness from my poacher Javier Parraguez. He received the ball in the box with a man on, spotted that his striker partner Rodrigo Soto was unmarked and looking straight down the middle of the goal. A nice one-touch layoff was duly finished. Could have done with a bit more incisiveness in front of the goal, as we put only 2 of our 11 shots on target. But a win is a win, and this one allows us to leapfrog Curico.
Attendance: 297

Sunday, July 15, 2012
O'Higgins 0-0 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
A difficult away trip to a team that's second in the group and on a 9-match unbeaten run meant caution was the order of the day. And aside from a scare in the 5th minute when a ball caromed to an O'Higgins forward who couldn't get a shot away despite an open net, we were cool and composed. A bore draw, but I'll take it.

Sunday, July 22, 2012
Magallanes 0-0 Coquimbo Unido (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
A tricky game in which we were unfortunate not to win. My AMC went off with an injury in the 38th minute which forced me to switch out of the 4-4-2 diamond to a 4-5-1. We still played fairly well, but needed our goalkeeper to get us out jail a few times, especially in the last 10 minutes as fatigue began to set in. Dominated possession with 61%, but couldn't find the back of the net. However, we're 5 points clear for the Second Phase, with 3 matches left. And we get the bye this week, so it's a little extra time for other injured players to (hopefully) get over their ailments before heading on a trip to table-toppers Rangers.
Attendance: 273

1. Rangers 41 (22 GP)
2. O'Higgins 37 (22 GP)
3. San Marcos de Arica 32 (21 GP)
4. MAGALLANES 31 (21 GP)
-------------------------
5. Curico Unido 26 (22 GP)
6. Coquimbo Unido 20 (21 GP)
7. San Luis 18 (21 GP)
Rangers and O'Higgins are qualified to the Second Phase

Transfer news
Midfielder Luis Jara came to me wanting first-team football. I wasn't prepared to give him that, and he wanted a permanent move instead of a loan. So I offered him out and got two responses:

Palestino (First Division): $6K upfront, $26K over 30 months
Kalamata (Greek National C Division): $3,500 upfront, $16K over months

He took the offer from Kalamata, which is just as well. He's not a world class player by any stretch, but I'm happier that I won't have to face him (because knowing my luck he'd dominate against us)

Significant managerial changes
Arsenal hire Vincenzo Montella
Spain see Vicente del Bosque step down after a disappointing Euro 2012 (they crashed out in the group stage, finishing behind England and Portugal)
Manchester United hire Manuel Pellegrini
Spurs hire David Moyes
Heerenveen see Co Adriaanse depart for retirement
Malaga hire Marcelo Bielsa
Spain hire Pep Guardiola
Everton hire Sam Allardyce
New England hire Bob Bradley

[deltablue]

Mixed start, looks like 4th is important so hope you can hang on to that.

[Purefun]

STVV won the belgian cup.

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, August 5, 2012
Rangers 1-1 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
A cautious game against the table-toppers played out mostly as we wanted it. We took the lead in the 16th minute when Rodrigo Soto (normally a striker, but playing on the wing as I opted for a 4-5-1) scored with a lob over the goalkeeper. Rangers were back on level terms in the 31st after a powerful header from almost right at the penalty spot. We nearly regain the advantage a few minutes later, but saw Fica's header crack off the bar. The second half was mostly Rangers, but the goalkeeper's best friend came through as they had 2 shots hit the woodwork. We had a couple of chances in stoppage time, but Parraguez couldn't get his shot on target. The point though did put us 6 points clear of 5th with two matches remaining.

Friday, August 10, 2012
Magallanes 2-1 San Marcos de Arica (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
A match against the team directly ahead of us in the table, live and in your home having been moved for television coverage. I had to make a change in the back due to one of the center backs being suspended for yellow card accumulation. Mohozzo's return from injury allowed me to switch back to the 4-4-2 diamond. And I changed out my poacher. Soto put us on top inside of 5 minutes when he was able to make space for himself in the box. We had a number of other chances as well but couldn't extend the lead. At halftime I told the team to not get complacent, and our veteran DMC Patricio Salas managed to get us a vital second goal in the 53rd minute. Vital because Arica pulled one back just 4 minutes later. But an Arica player went off with a second yellow only 2 minutes after that, and we were able to see out the match. More importantly, the win qualified us for the second phase with a match to spare.
Attendance: 384

August 11, 2012
Reserve center back Isalas Meneses comes to me demanding first team football, and refuses the offer of a loan. So I offer him to other clubs. Two clubs came back with offers:

• CD Temuco (Chilean First Division B South): $3,000 upfront, $9,000 over 24 months, 10% of next sale
• Douglas Haig (Argentine Second Division): $12,000 upfront.

I accepted both offers (no sense keeping a disgruntled player around). He signed with Douglas Haig, but in fantastic timing, the Argentine transfer window doesn't open until December 11.

Sunday, August 17, 2012
San Luis - Magallanes (Chilean First Division B First Phase North)
A couple of changes made to the starting XI were forced upon me due to yellow card suspensions. San Luis' manager came out in the press saying that he didn't like me, so I fired back as part of a "growing feud" according to the press. Unfortunately shambolic defending and wasteful shooting against a side in danger of relegation came together for a poor performance. And it could have been worse, as San Luis put only 4 of their 13 shots on target. Likewise, we couldn't hit the side of a barn, as we put only 1 of 8 shots on target. Especially ticked, as I wanted to kick San Luis in the teeth because of their manager. All that said though, we're going to the Second Phase and they're not.

Final First Phase North table:
1. Rangers 45
2. O'Higgins 39
3. MAGALLANES 35
4. San Marcos de Arica 33
-------------------------
5. Curico Unido 28
6. San Luis 23 (5 wins)
-------------------------
7. Coquimbo Unido 23 (4 wins)

Three of our Second Phase matches have been picked for television:
Friday, Sept. 7, 2012: at Naval
Friday, Sept. 28, 2012: v O'Higgins
Friday, Oct. 12, 2012: at San Marcos de Arica

There's no rest for the weary though, as we start the Second Phase with four matches in 13 days beginning in a week.

[Jason the Yank]

Another bit of trickiness to the First Division B: When you go to the Second Phase, you start off with extra points depending on where you finished in your First Phase group.

So Rangers are starting with 3 points, O'Higgins 2, us 1, and Arica with 0.

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, August 26, 2012
Magallanes 0-0 Union Temuco (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
A stern test for our first match, against a side that was on a 20-match unbeaten run and had scored in all of those matches. Had. Some stout defending meant Temuco barely even had a look at goal (only 3 shots total), and by the end they were content to waste time. Unfortunately we couldn't do much with the opportunities we had, putting only 2 of our 9 shots on target.
Attendance: 207

Wednesday, August 29, 2012
O'Higgins 1-0 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
For our first away match and missing a midfielder with yellow card suspension, I opted to field an experimental 5-2-1-2 formation that we'd been working on in training along with our two other formations. O'Higgins came out in a 3-4-1-2 in a battle of contrasting styles. But a poor clearance in the 12th minute was punished and our goalkeeper had to make four saves to keep it 1-0 at halftime. We weren't looking good, and I decided a minor knock to my center back was good reason to switch out to a 4-5-1. We were a little more dangerous in the second half, but still didn't threaten the goalkeeper. 3 corners resulted in nothing, and we forced only one save out of the O'Higgins goalkeeper.

August 31, 2012
Real Potosi of the Bolivian top flight make a loan-to-buy offer for center Felipe Miranda. $10,000 up front, with an additional $24,000 to purchase. It's a tough decision, but with him being 31 years old, my coaches saying he's unlikely to improve (and that he's a selfish player, just what I want in a center back), and the club finances sliding south, I agree to it. Wonder if FM accounts for altitude: Potosi is at 13,420 feet.

September 2, 2012
Another Bolivian top flight side, Blooming, come in for Miranda on the same terms as the Real Potosi offer.

Sunday, September 2, 2012
Magallanes 2-1 San Marcos de Arica (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
An even first half although we have to take a 1-1 scoreline into halftime when my center backs fail to properly deal with the man with ball in stoppage time. I opt for encouragement at halftime, and Rodrigo Soto rewards my gentle words by restoring out advantage in the 47th minute. A couple of nervy moments late, one being when Gonzalo Lauler (in for the transfer target Felipe Miranda) has a woeful header that results in a one-on-one opportunity for Arica. Fortunately the Arica forward doesn't get his shot on target. We end up with 60% possession, and 7 of our 18 shots on target.
Attendance: 159

September 6, 2012
Miranda decides to go on loan to Blooming.

Friday, September 7, 2012
Naval 2-1 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
A fairly back-and-forth match marred by some ball watching in the 77th minute. 3 of our players standing around their forward, and he still gets the pass and lashes the back of the net.

Sunday, September 16, 2012
Magallanes 0-1 Rangers (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
With my goalkeeper Hector Barra having "abysmal" confidence after the Naval loss, I decided to take him out of the line of fire. A dangerous game against the top scoring side in the division. A different voice at the back did seem to help, but our attacking woes surfaces again. Even playing a man up for almost all of the second half didn't help, as none of our 8 shots tested the Rangers keeper.
Attendance: 195

September 17, 2012
I call a team meeting to try to pick the players' heads up. It goes terribly, as some divisions crop up in the side, causing morale to plummet even further. Can I get Al Pacino to address the team?

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Nublense 2-0 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
We look like a team that has no confidence. We're comprehensively outplayed, and only Nublense's misfiring (4 of 16 shots on target from 60% possession) prevents this from becoming an abject humiliation.

Sunday, September 23, 2012
Deportes Temuco 1-0 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
We're definitely in hell now. I try parking the bus with 5 at the box, and it gets carved open in the 9th minute. We never remotely look like scoring against the side who have the worst defense in this Second Phase (averaging 3 goals against per game coming into this one), and it means we've now gone 3 consecutive matches without a goal, and have lost 4 on the spin. We've scored only 3 goals in our 7 Second Phase matches, by far the worst in the division (the next worst is bottom side Arica, and they have 8). We can just about forget about the promotion playoff, as we're 8 points adrift of O'Higgins who have a game in hand at the halfway point.

Friday, September 28, 2012
Magallanes 3-2 O'Higgins (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
We catch a little bit of a break as O'Higgins come in having had to play a Wednesday match (as they were still in the Copa Chile). Which they won to put the playoffs even further out of reach from us. And worse, apparently they did some squad rotation. But I opt for YOLO anyways, and it pays off! We actually score! AMC Alexis Delgado manages to get on the end of a cross to give us a 17th minute lead. But we're back on level terms 6 minutes later when my center backs stand around with the ball at their feet, looking for a handball call on the O'Higgins forward that doesn't come. And then somehow we get a SECOND goal in the 44th minute, as I'm ready to loudly complain about Mathias Mohozzo shooting instead of squaring it to a teammate...only for it to sneak past the goalkeeper at the near post. Even he seemed stunned that it was actually on target. Rodrigo Soto catches up to a long ball out of the back and shrugs off the defender to extend the lead in the 54th minute. O'Higgins get one back in the 65th minute off a corner though, and now it's 3-2. There's a couple of heart-in-mouth moments, but we're able to hang on and get all 3 points.
Attendance: 256

Second Phase table (through 8 of 14 rounds)
1. Union Temuco 20
2. Rangers 17
------------------
3. Nublense 16 (+7)
4. O'Higgins 16 (+6)
--------------------
5. Deportes Temuco 13
6. Naval 9
7. MAGALLANES 8
8. San Marcos de Arica 4


Notable managerial changes.
Shenhua sack Jean Tigana, who gets the Monaco job a couple weeks later.
Vancouver sack Martin Rennie

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, October 7, 2012
Union Temuco 1-1 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
Fell behind in the 21st minute when we let a corner bounce in the 6-yard box where the waiting attacker was left with a simple finish. Came out of halftime in an attacking mindset and were quickly rewarded when centerback Juan Cornejo at the far post headed in a free kick delivered from the right side of the penalty area. Didn't have a sniff of goal after and were carved open a couple of times for what should have been clinical finishes, but were able to get out with a draw despite being outshot 13-3.

Friday, October 12, 2012
San Marcos de Arica 2-2 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
A matchup of the two bottom sides, well worth the price of your cable television bill. Had to fight back from a goal down twice. Fell behind in the 25th minute on a perfectly timed run that had my defenders screaming for offside in that old chestnut of "I just got beat, so he must be offside." Equalized in the 51st minutes when the goalkeeper beat Javier Parraguez's shot away, but right to a waiting Rodrigo Soto who had a wide open goal for the finish. We only held the lead for 3 minutes though, as my defenders didn't close down an Arica forward at the top of the penalty area. We equalized again in the 88th minute when Soto returned the favor with a terrific through ball to Parraguez who was left with a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

October 14, 2012
Board inject $95,000 to deal with running costs. We're $844,00 in the red, and have lost $296,000 this season alone. And that's an improvement from last season's $559,000 loss.

Sunday, October 19, 2012
Magallanes 2-0 Naval (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
A bit of a strange game. We absolutely dominated on a hot (34 C), breezy day, but our first goal came from an own goal as a Naval player tried to head the ball backward, only for it to go past the keeper. It came after a bit of head tennis stemming from a corner. And that looked like it was going to be it, as our dominance in possession (68% for the match) was mostly a lot of passes strung together but no real incisiveness. But we finally got the insurance goal in the 51st minutewhen on-loan striker Patricio Salas went on a mazy run, then sent Javier Parraguez through for a shot that, to be honest, it looked like the goalkeeper whiffed on. But they all count the same and Naval never really threatened us with only 3 shots in the game. We're definitely not getting promoted though, as we're 8 points adrift with 3 matches left.
Attendance: 196

Sunday, October 28, 2012
Rangers 2-0 Magallanes (Chilean First Division B Second Phase)
An open game in which our problems in front of goal resurfaced. We fell behind in the 11th minute on one of those off-the-post-off-the-goalkeeper own goals (although at least this wasn't one of those FM goals where it ricocheted off a goalkeeper who was standing still; he was actually trying to make the save). Conceded another in the 63rd minute with a defensive breakdown inside the 6-yard box. We didn't give our goalkeeper much help, as Rangers took 19 shots with 8 of them on target. By contrast, we could get only 3 of 13 on target. And with Nublense winning their match on Friday, the maths now say we won't be going up.

Second Phase table (through 12 of 14 rounds)
1. PL Rangers 27
2. PL Union Temuco 25
-----------------------
3. PL Nublense 24 (+11)
4. PL O'Higgins 24 (+10)
-----------------------
5. Deportes Temuco 15
6. MAGALLANES 13
7. Naval 9
8. San Marcos de Arica 7

Notable managerial moves
Wrexham hire Micky Adams
Vancouver hire Teitur Thordarson
Chicago sack Frank Klopas
Notts County hire Steve Cotterill
DC United sack Ben Olsen
Philadelphia see Piotr Nowak resign to go to Chicago
Feyenood hire Sinisa Mihajlovic
DC United hire Frank Klopas
Philadelphia hire Ben Olsen
Leicester sack Aron Winter
Nottingham Forest sack Tony Mowbray
Houston sack Dominic Kinnear
Kansas City sack Adrie Koster


So only 2 matches left in the season. No word yet on a new contract. The finances are grim, the attendances are small, but I think I'll sign up for another season if they offer. Although I'd really like to know why after 19 games my players are still only at about 90% familiarity with our primary formation.

[Jason the Yank]

Friday, November 2, 2012
Board offers a 1-year deal on $1500/week (no change in wages). The offer is accepted. Forward Rodrigo Soto expresses that he's pleased to see the Magallanes board want to keep me.

Sunday, November 4, 2012
Magallanes 0-1 Nublense (Chilean First Division B, Second Phase)
Absolute rubbish. A perfect through ball puts us behind after 3 minutes. We then get an absolute gift when a Nublense player sees straight red in the 7th minute for a deliberate handball in the middle of the pitch. And we do absolutely nothing with an 83-minute man advantage. We force the Nublense goalkeeper to make only 1 save in the entire match, as we again can't get our shots on target (11 shots total, 1 on target). What a shower of *****. The only thing I can think of is I'm spending too much time on match preparation (it's been set to very high for my entire time here, and they *still* don't have full command of simple 4-4-2 diamond formation)
Attendance: 392

Sunday, November 11, 2012
Magallanes 4-2 Deportes Temuco (Chilean First Division B, Second Phase)
An injury in training forced me to bring in my backup keeper, and, with next to nothing to play for, I decided to experiment with a 4-2-3-1. And holy hell, for having no experience with it we were absolutely ruthless. We went ahead twice in the first half, only to be pegged back within 5 minutes each time from long shots. Then my young AMC Alexis Delgado took over, putting us ahead for good in the 33rd minute, and sealing the win in the 87th minute when he took the ball from the left laterally into the penalty arc, where he ripped a curling shot that whistled into the back of the net. I want to play 4-2-3-1, but figured my team (at this level) wouldn't have the brains for it. It looks like they do. Or maybe we get some additional people forward and provide more options in the final third. Or maybe because I told the team to work the ball into the box, we got better looks at goal (we took 11 shots, and 8 of them were on target). Whatever the reason, there's cause for optimism heading into the close season.
Attendance: 285

Final Second Phase table
1. Rangers 33
2. Nublense 30
-------------------------
3. O'Higgins 27
4. Union Temuco 25
-------------------------
5. MAGALLANES 16
6. Deportes Temuco 15
7. Naval 12
8. San Marcos de Arica 10
O'Higgins, Union Temuco both promoted via playoffs.

Fans Player of the Year
Cristian Olguin - The 26-year-old central defender was signed from San Marcos de Arica on a $35,000 transfer before my arrival. He made 36 appearances with a goal and four assists, and notching up a 6.99 average rating along with five Man of Match awards. He's a big fella at 6'4" 200 lbs, but plays best as a covering defender, which is where I use him.

Looking ahead to next season
Some changes will be made. A handful of players will have their contracts expire, and none of them except Rodrigo Soto is worth bringing back, IMO. A couple of others are retiring. Next season may be a bit more of a struggle with three teams coming down from the First Division into our group, and with us having by far the smallest crowds in this division (Naval has the next smallest crowds, and they're more than double ours).
The 2013 First Division B North is made up of: Cobresal (relegated), Magallanes (holdover), Melipilla (promoted), Palestino (relegated), San Luis (holdover), San Marcos de Arica (holdover), and Santiago Morning (relegated).

Sunday, December 9, 2012
Board put in another $95,000 to deal with running costs, but our bank balance is still $834,000 in the red.

Notable managerial moves
Columbus sack Robert Warzycha
Nottingham Forest hire Bryan Robson
Houston hire Aron Winter
Kansas City hire Dominic Kinnear
Hull sack Nick Barmby
Columbus hire Adrie Koster
Hamburg sack Ralf Rangnick
Hull hire Tony Mowbray
Besiktas sack Ruud Gullit
Inter sack Claudio Ranieri
Twente hire Ronald Koeman
Atletico Madrid see Diego Simeone leave for the Inter job
Derby sack Gordon Strachan
Lille sack Claude Puel
Atletico Madrid hire Claudio Ranieri
Blackpool sack Ian Holloway
Parma sack Roberto Donadoni
Derby hire Nick Barmby
Motherwell hire Martin Rennie
Fulham sack Paul Lambert
Peterborough sack Darren Ferguson
Beitar Jerusalem sack Trond Sollied
Wolfsburg sack Felix McMath
Saint Etienne hire Claude Puel
Blackpool hire Gordon Strachan
Peterborough hire Ian Holloway
Fulham hireSteve McClaren
Eintracht Frankfurt hire Felix McMath
Wolves sack Terry Connor
Rochdale hire Peter Reid
Bolton sack Owen Coyle
Wolves hire Paul Lambert
Millwall hire Terry Connor
New York Red Bulls send Sven Goran Eriksson into retirement
Osasuna hire Roberto Martinez
New York hire Sigi Schmid
QPR see Mark Hughes leave to take the West Ham job
Birmingham sack Erwin Koeman (sitting 7th in Championship)
Sydney FC sack John van 't Schip

There's really no off-season in Chile. We have friendlies beginning just after the new year with Colo Colo Reserves, Palestino (relegated to First Division B), and parent side Audax Italiano.

2012 Roll of Honor (calendar-year leagues)
Chile
Apertura: Universidadde Chile Clausura: Universidad Catolica
Copa Chile: Universidad de Concepcion

China
Super League: Guangzhou
FA Cup: Henan

Kazakhstan
Super League: Shakhter Karagandy
Kazahk Cup: Kaysar

South Korea
K-League: Ulsan
FA Cup: Gyeongnam (N-League)
League Cup: Incheon

USA
MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy
US Open Cup: FC Dallas

[cerud]

No off-season in Chile, eh? Think that happens everywhere in South America

[SRL88]

There were a couple of sackings there I see .

[iHeadHunta x]

Unlucky start mate!

[Jason the Yank]

There were a couple of sackings there I see .

was 2 months worth instead of the usual 1.

[Jason the Yank]

January 1, 2013
Received $12,240 payment from Audax Italiano as part of affiliation agreement.

January 4, 2013
Announced losses of $300,000, 72% of turnover. Includes cost of sacking previous manager.

Friday, January 4, 2013
Magallanes 0-0 Colo Colo Reserves (Friendly)
Because of outgoing players and a tightened wage budget, I can field only four substitutes. We dominated play, and sure it's against a reserve side, but it's the reserve side from the biggest club in Chile. We did everything except hit the back of the net: 59% possesion, 3 of 10 shots on target, and held them without a shot. Unfortunately the punters weren't interested in seeing us face a reserve side, even Colo Colo's.
Attendace: 45

Sunday, January 6, 2013
Agreed a loan-to-buy deal with First Division side Santiago Wanderers for youth player Mario Maira. He's the only one of my youth contract players rated higher than 1 star, and projects as a key member of our squad. But being deep in the red means I have little choice but to accept the deal: $40,000 up front, with a future fee of $160,000. And Wanderers will pay 100% of his wages.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Palestino 0-0 Magallanes (Friendly)
Maybe not the wisest idea playing a club in our division in a friendly. But Palestino are paying us the princely sum of $500 to turn up, which is more than we made in gate receipts from our first friendly. I used the match to test out a new, flat 4-4-2 formation. I'm slowly coming around to the idea that forwards at this level aren't good enough to play up front on their own and need a strike partner. That said, both teams definitely looked in pre-season form: We put only 4 of our 11 shots on target. Palestino were even worse, getting just 1 of 11 shots on target.

Sunday, January 13, 2013
Union La Calera 1-2 Magallanes (Friendly)
A good win over a top-flight side in which I took a look at some trialists. Only bad parts were us skying a penalty, and one of my players inexplicably dropping off his man in the 6-yard box on a corner, giving him a free header.

Monday, January 21, 2013
Magallanes 1-1 Audax Italiano (Friendly)
Match against our parent club. We were under pressure most of the game, and we were pretty fortunate to get out with a draw (Audax hit the post once and the bar twice). Still, we finish a tough pre-season (2 top-flight sides, a team that just got relegated from the top flight, and the reserve side of Chile's biggest club, while experimenting with a new tactic) with a very credible 1-3-0 mark.
Attendance: 969

Managerial changes of interest
Rubin Kazan's Dan Petrescu leaves to take the QPR job
Colorado's Preki leaves to take the Seattle job
Sheffield Wednesday's Gareth Southgate leaves to take the Birmingham job
Sheffield Wednesday sack Erwin Koeman
Gold Coast United sack Henning Berg. They hire Ken Cresswell, a Wellington Phoenix youth coach
Colorado hire Dave Dir
Al-Sadd (QAT) hire Trond Sollied

Magallanes expectations
Board
League: Reach the promotion playoffs (I think. It says "semifinal")
Cup: Reach the Third Round
Media: 2nd
Bookies: 5-1

Yeah, don't be betting on us.

The wage budget has been cut, and I'm having to name youth players to the bench because we can't meet the demands of 19-year-old unattached Brazilians. Those trialists I mentioned in the friendlies. I really wanted to sign Titinho, an MC/MR from the Palmieras system, on the back of an all-action 45 minutes against Audax. But we're far apart on the wages, so it won't happen. And we're $750,000 in the red (though we did make a $15,000 profit in January, thanks to the Maira deal).

The fans don't seem to expect much either. We sold 110 season tickets, down 1 from last season.

[Jason the Yank]

Sunday, February 10, 2013
San Luis 3-2 Magallanes (First Division B, First Phase North)
The season started off well, as we took the lead in the 5th minute only to go into halftime on level terms. We gave up way too many opportunities as San Luis had 7 shots on target. But in the end it was an own goal that cost us points.

Friday, February 15, 2013
Magallanes 4-1 Melipilla (First Division B, First Phase North)
Our home opener moved for live television, facing the new boys who had to play on Wednesday. We'd better win this. And we dominated the match (67% possession), taking the lead after 25 seconds and going into halftime with 3-0 lead that probably should have been 4- or 5-0 but for some selfishness. Some of that was David Cordova, who wants out of the club. He even came to me a couple days before the match offering to terminate his contract for $3,000. I said no, and instead stuck him up top in the starting XI. Made me look like a genius by bagging a brace. Melipilla managed to pull it back to 3-1 with a 30-yard screamer that my keeper had a good look at but couldn't get to. No matter, as we restored our 3-goal advantage late as Melipilla tired and sliced a clearance into their own net.
Attendance: 444

Sunday, February 24, 2013
Santiago Morning 2-0 Magallanes (First Division B, First Phase North)
A tough game against a side coming down from the top flight. We stayed in it until our defense was breached in the 61st minute. Conceded a second one in the 75th on a bit of a cheeky play: Santiago Morning had a player in an offside position. Their central midfielder sent a through ball past my defender into the penalty area, then chased after it and beat my keeper at the near post. ********.

1. Santiago Morning 9 (4 GP)
2. San Luis 9 (4 GP)
3. Cobresal 6 (3 GP)
4. Palestino 6 (4 GP)
----------------------------
5. MAGALLANES 3 (3 GP)
6. San Marcos de Arica 3 (3 GP)
-------------------------------
7. Melipilla 0 (3 GP)