If this is slavery, give me a life sentence

[Cardiomolester]

"“Some people tell me that we professional players are slaves. Well, if this is slavery, give me a life sentence.”
- Sir Bobby Charlton

Good afternoon gents and ladies alike, this shall hopefully be a successful thread for a successful journeyman. I am Cardiomolester, formerly Cardiovascular until Neil Brock decided to amuse himself with my name. I am, of course, not a molester and I'm glad we have got that clear.

Leagues Loaded

So for a successful, continent-hopping career we need a fair few leagues involved. A newish laptop means I can now load more than before and not worry about the speed of the game.

China - First Division and above
U.S.A - MLS only
Belgium - Third Division and above
England - Blue Square Bet N/S and above
France - CFA and above
Germany - Third Division and above
Italy - Serie C2 and above
Holland - Jupiler League and above
Portugal - Second League and above
Scotland - Third Division and above
Spain - Second Division B and above
Switzerland - Challenge League and above
Australia - A-League only
Argentina - Second Division and above
Brazil - Third Division and above

Shall we begin?

[Cardiomolester]

Profile

Starting off as a Scottish manager with English second nationality and sunday league reputation. As you'd expect, there are alot of jobs around but they are much the same as every other journeyman career started on here, so I may holiday further on and try get a different job to the ones at the start.

But that won't stop me seeing what comes up now!

Job Offers



The first one is definitely an interesting one with New England approaching me. The MLS is definitely somewhere I wanted to go in this career to try and get my head around it, but is it too early? New England sit second in the Eastern Conference at the moment but the league is tight with 4 points seperating 2nd to 7th. They also have a very small squad which could use rebuilding.



Job offer 2 is also interesting as SR Delemont of the Challenge League in Switzerland also offer me the manager spot. Again, small squad which could use rebuilding and they are predicted to be a mid-table side in 9th place.



The third and final job offer that comes up is from Rio Branco. The Brazil league system is almost as confusing as the MLS but it's somewhere I want to go as well.. Rio Branco have just finished as champions of the Acre State Championship and are about to embark on their Third Division campaign so it's also an interesting one.

So, there are my three job offers. I'm actually swinging towards holiday a wee bit further on but what do you guys think?

[CrD]

New England mate, get it over and done with, you did say you want to go there to get your head around it. So I so go for it.

[Welsh Wizard]

Out of them Rio Branco is the one I would lean towards as MLS is a bit too early and Delemont just never seems interesting enough. Holiday a bit more is a good choice.

[Cardiomolester]

New England mate, get it over and done with, you did say you want to go there to get your head around it. So I so go for it.

I do want to go there, but I want to (try ) and learn about the system and how it works. Impossible it may seem but I'd like to try so I think I'm going to pass on New England.

Out of them Rio Branco is the one I would lean towards as MLS is a bit too early and Delemont just never seems interesting enough. Holiday a bit more is a good choice.

Agreed. Delemont seem to appear for everyone. I think I will reject all three and continue holidaying to mix it up abit. Thanks for the input guys!

[CrD]

Well you better let us know your next offers and hurry about it I want to see where you end up!

[Cardiomolester]

4 months after turning down those three offers, I was presented with an opportunity I felt I couldn't turn down...

SC Cambuur-Leeuwarden

An easy decision on my part, it's a different job to take compared to the same old starting jobs as well. The club is expected to finish 4th in the Jupiler League, but currently are slumped down in 9th. The squad (1, 2) is being torn apart by injuries at the moment, so I may need a few emergency loans if it's not too late.

Some really good players in the squad, but one position I'm concerned about is the goalkeeper spot and after a meeting with the staff, it's clearly an issue they agree on.

I guess I better start focusing how I get out of this league system as well.

[CrD]

Well then you have a club, good luck!

[Welsh Wizard]

Good first club and great to see something different. Injuries have really took a hold. Quite a few decent teams and most at similar levels in the Jupiler League. Sort the GK position and get the better players back and should climb up that table.

[JackJCFC]

Good luck with your new team!

[cerud]

Interesting choice of a club When you do decid to go to MLS, there's a few of us around that can help you out and try to get your head around it

[Cardiomolester]

Well then you have a club, good luck!

Thanks very much!

Good first club and great to see something different. Injuries have really took a hold. Quite a few decent teams and most at similar levels in the Jupiler League. Sort the GK position and get the better players back and should climb up that table.

Thanks! Should be quite a strong team once the injuries wear off, and once we get a decent goalkeeper in, we should really be up there.

Good luck with your new team!

Thank you!

Interesting choice of a club When you do decid to go to MLS, there's a few of us around that can help you out and try to get your head around it

Thanks very much, looks like I'll need help with the Dutch system first.

[Cardiomolester]

October




We had a stuttery start to life against Dordrecht but the positive side was coming from 3-0, then 4-1 one down to claw it back a little. The defence is obviously needing an improvement, and a keeper had to be found soon. The signing of Franck Grandel after the stalemate with Helmond Sport appeared to be the much needed turning point, and hopefully things can only go up from here! 6-1 and 5-1 victories in the league against higher placed teams show what potential the squad does have, and the narrow loss to Groningen I can live with.





The top picture shows what the 2nd period table looks like, and the team which top this table qualify for the end-of-season promotion playoffs (hence why Go Ahead have already qualified.) A playoff spot this period is mathematically impossible now.

[JackJCFC]

Not going badly so far, with a good bit of form you can push up the table a bit and take a playoff spot.

[SRL88]

Good luck with this fella. Nice first job as well.

[CrD]

Seems like you can push even further next year, some good results there mate

[deltablue]

Good luck with all those playoffs.

[Cardiomolester]

Thanks gents, I'll need all the luck I can get. Currently going through some photobucket issues as it seems to be under maintenance. Will wait until after work and see if it gives in.

[markyosullivan]

imgur's great for image hosting. I used to use Photobucket but I switched to Imgur which is better quality.

[cerud]

Another one of those split leagues. Always takes a season to understand how it works

[Cardiomolester]

November




Pretty solid month, excluding the final results. Really should've beaten Fortuna Sittard as they sit low down in the table. The defeat to Telstar left me baffled as we shouldn't have lost to them either.





Overall we're not that far off the playoffs whatsoever, a good run of wins could see us in the playoffs and possibly top of the third or fourth period. We shall see.

[Cardiomolester]

December & January



Terrible two months there, with the winter break doing us absolutely no favours. Prior to that, two good wins - especially against FC Den Bosch - were a good way to pick ourselves up after a narrow loss to the league leaders, FC Zwolle. But the break sees it all go Pete Tong and we lose games we should where should be gaining points and drop easy points, such as the draw against bottom side SC Veendam.We really have to pick ourselves up and give ourselves a good shake if we want to be promotion playoff candidates.



Remarkably, we're still in with a playoff shout if we can muster up the wins and stop dropping points. I'm not sure how it works though, if all 4 period winners are in the playoffs already, will we go in? Can anyone explain? Thanks.

Signings

Only made a couple of signings, due to the fact we're still over the budget and unable to ship any one of our high earners out yet. Frank van Kouwen arrives on 2 year deal, he will most certainly help to shore up the defensive side I hope. The fans were pleased that his experience was added to the squad as well, always a bonus. Andreas Wittwer also arrived on a free from Thun, didn't expect to get him as my £0 bid was a cheeky attempt when they want £30,000 for him! Nonetheless, he provides good competition at left back and has reasonable amounts of potential.

[Cardiomolester]

February & March



Things go from bad... to worse... and then to depths of terrible I've never realised before. The teams fingers seem to be wedged up their arses and there is no moving them whatsoever. With only two games left, I think I'm going to rule out promotion and focus on just keeping my job at the moment and hopefully build a winning team next year.



So playoffs still mathematically possible, but the form the team is showing at the moment will see it physically impossible. I don't think it's going to happen this year, but there's always next... I hope!

Youth Candidates



Nothing spetacular coming out of here, except maybe Bryan Hunt from Stoke-on-Trent turning up in our squad. That's a bit random. Robin Tol is the assistants recommendation of the best player to come out. He's alright, might be a decent player but I'm not sure he'll ever make the cut at Cambuur.

[SRL88]

Poor February and March. Hopefully you can turn it around and get back into the Play-Off's.

[Jason the Yank]

Remarkably, we're still in with a playoff shout if we can muster up the wins and stop dropping points. I'm not sure how it works though, if all 4 period winners are in the playoffs already, will we go in? Can anyone explain? Thanks.

At the end of each season, the champion of the Eerste Divisie is automatically promoted to the Eredivisie. Eight other clubs enter the Nacompetitie [ˈnaː.kɔm.pə.ˌti.(t)si], a promotion/relegation playoff that includes the 16th- and 17th-place clubs in the Eredivisie. The following teams qualify for the Nacompetitie:

• The club with the best record in the "first period" of the season (after 8 rounds).
• The club with the best record in the "second period" of the season (rounds 9–16).
• The club with the best record in the "third period" of the season (rounds 17–24).
• The club with the best record in the "fourth period" of the season (rounds 25–32).
• The four remaining spots are filled at the season's end by the highest-placed clubs that have not already earned automatic promotion or qualified for the Nacompetitie.

If the club that wins a period has qualified for the Nacompetitie by winning a previous period, its place is filled by the next-best club in that period that has not already qualified. Usually, the clubs that qualify for the Nacompetitie turn out to be the 2nd- through 9th-placed clubs in the final table. Clubs in the Nacompetitie face each other in a knock-out system with the numbers 16 and 17 of the Eredivisie for two places in next season's Eredivisie.

Says Wiki.

[Cardiomolester]

Cheers for the help fellas laptop is currently getting repaired (hopefully not replaced) so this career will be temporarily on hold.

[Cardiomolester]

SC Cambuur - Season 2011/12 Review

Bit of a poor season for my debut, and Cambuur in general. Expected to finish 4th in the league, I took over with the team struggling down in 12th. Whilst we did well to begin with, climbing up into the playoffs at one point, it was not to be and we hit a massive rough patch and eventually fell out of the playoffs, although we weren't too far away.

Not alot else to say, the fixtures show how we started up relatively well after I joined and then faded away in a tremendous choking fashion, I can only hope this doesn't become our trademark sign! Knowing my luck, I'll be king of choking now. We only managed to progress one round in the Dutch Cup, knocking out FC Den Bosch before losing out to FC Groningen.

The transfers page shows the activity over the course of the year. No money in, and no money out means the finances should be reasonable enough. Sadly, I went over the wage budget meaning the finances are £145k in the red. Hopefully something I can resolve in the coming season, it should definitely be helped by the £425k for Bob Schepers as he joins FC Utrecht in an transfer already arranged prior to my arrival. A little disappointed to see him go, but in all honesty he didn't impress when he played and the money will do us nicely.

Squad

Apologies about the random whiteness! Strong squad, but as ever I feel there are possible improvements. Bob Schepers will most likely need replaced, and Mark de Vries is 37 now and surely set for a retirement home soon enough. So up front is definitely required for improvement, and most likely left wing will also be an area I focus on.

Next Season Targets

• Improve finances
• Sign players to improve the squad, including striker and ML
• Promotion?

[markyosullivan]

Not the best ending to the season, hopefully you'll at least get into the playoffs next season

[Cardiomolester]

Me too mark. I reckon it's hopefully a realistic target this season.

Pre-Season - SC Cambuur - 2012/13

Board Expectations

Jupiler League: Playoffs
Dutch Cup: Third Round

I think these are reasonable expectations from the board for this year and with the right signings, playoffs is definitely a target, if not a minimum expectation.

Budgets

Balance: £784,000
Transfer Budget: £156k
Wage Budget: £40.72k

These weren't actually my original budgets, but I asked the board for more wages when I went over and they upped it by quite abit, allowing me to plunge leftover wages into our transfer kitty. Our balance has increased massively, the sale of players has boosted this and we are due over £2m in TV rights apparently over the season. Seems alot for the Jupiler League?

Transfers

Generally, I am delighted with this transfer window. We've picked up some very good, and experienced players which I hope will be key to our promotion push this year. With not a penny spent and £525k coming in, I'd like to think the board are also pretty happy with our dealings. Here's an overview of the lads we've signed:

Arvydas Novikovas - The young Lithuanian left winger comes in from Hearts. He's not the greatest but he's got good potential, and he's good enough to play for us now. Pretty pleased with this signing.

Richard Garcia - Arriving on a free from Hull, he's a good addition to the squad and adds a wealth of experience. He will provide good competition on the fight wing, although he did get himself injured in preseason and will miss the start of the season.

Freddy Mombongo - For a starter, he has an amazing surname. And secondly, he's also a top striker and better than our current crop of shooters. Will probably be one of our main men in a 4-4-2.

Nabil Baha - A really great all round striker, he'll partner Mombongo up front more than likely. For some reason, he seemed to be valued at -£1 in scout reports which allowed me to snap him up for peanuts.

Saulius Mikoliunas - Delighted with this signing, as he brings international experience to the squad and competition with Garcia for the right wing. Probably my coup of the summer, although he pissed the fans off by saying he should be the centre of attention. Good start, son.

Patrick Bantamoi - Needed a keeper on the cheap and found Bantamoi kicking about with a club. He's a reasonable keeper as well, will definitely be used in Grandel is not up to scratch.

Dennis Westh - Young prospect arriving on a free. Westh has a lot of potential and will be a good player in the future, I'm certain.

Hayri Pinarci - I felt the squad needed another midfielder for cover, so searching through scout reports came across this young lad. He's a reasonable player as it as, and will provide good backup.

Matthias Olsen - Another reasonable prospect. Probably won't get much gametime this year though.

Israel Damonte - A very good central midfielder and the final signing of the window. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to sign him when he was offered to me as he is superb and will probably start most matches.

Friendlies

I'd say this pre-season has been a success. I'm very certain that some solid players have been signed and a promotion push is definitely possible. Pre-season showed the strength of our squad as we went unbeaten against a group of good Spanish sides. Onto the new season then, where I hope we transfer our good form!

[Cardiomolester]

2 good snippets of news here; first, the board agreed to my requests.

And secondly, we signed one more player, and a rather promising gem too if I do say so myself:

This season is definitely looking up.. I hope.

[markyosullivan]

He's going to be a top player, good signing!

[Cardiomolester]

August & September

A reasonable enough start in my opinion. Some disappointing results in there - such as the 4-0 defeat to FC Den Bosch which came out of nowhere - but we followed that up by trouncing MVV 5-0 in the following match. We had a small run of the 3 games where we picked up one point, that was another disappointment during the first coujple of months of the season. Ending on a 3-0 win did manage to make things look positive and cap off an okay start to the season. Nabil Baha has had a fine start to life with Cambuur but Mombongo seems to be struggling to find his feet a little, but I have faith he'll come round.

Successful start in the Dutch Cup as well as we trounced non-league team VVSB 5-0 with debutant Matthias Olsen scoring, Baha grabbing a hattrick and an own goal rounding off a bad day at the office for VVSB.

Doesn't look like we're doing great in 9th, but with it being so tight at the top I think 9th is a good spot to be in just now. A good run could propel us to the top but similarly, a bad run could send us spiralling downwards. But I guess that's the same in any league, so that statement makes very little sense.

[Cardiomolester]

Have to agree there mark... not blowing my own trumpet or anything ;-)

October, November & December

Fixtures

We've reached the winter break in the league, something which I quite appreciate as it means we're not playing massive amounts of games through winter like in the Premier League! The players get a well earned rest over the festives. Our fixtures show we have been on fire lately, but of course with a few blips along the way. I'm extremely disappointed that we choked in the Dutch Cup against non-league opposition, but I was the maker of my own downfall there with a weakened team sent out. A brace for Dennis Westh shows his promise though! Everyone has performed exceptionally well when called upon, and Mombongo seems to have come out of his shell which is absolutely vital at this moment.

League Table

Well, I could sit and stare at the league all day. Top by a point, and even now if we hit bad form, we will make the playoffs and this means we've met the board expectations. I'm sure this will please them.

Key Player

Baha has been absolutely sensational throughout the fixtures, I'm yet to see him underperform I think. Both him and Mombongo have been superb so far, and I can only hope it continues into the season.

The Bad News

When life is going great, there's always something round the corner to bring you back down to earth. This problem we're facing is the African Cup of Nations which will claim our top scorer Baha and our in-form keeper Patrick Bantamoi until early February. I would normally rely on Franck Grandel between the sticks, but he's been sidelined by injury at the moment. This means we rely on 20 year old Kevin van der Meulen between the sticks, which doesn't fill me with confidence at the moment.

[Cardiomolester]

They say bad things come in threes, don't they?

Board accepted that one over my head. Bye bye Saulius

[Cardiomolester]

January, February and March

Fixtures

Well, van der Meulen proved me wrong and made me take a seat. We won all three games he played in, and whilst he didn't keep a clean sheet, he performed well between the sticks. This included an early penalty save in his first match versus FC Dordrecht, which may have helped his confidence soar. We continued well throughout the month with a minor blimp against Fortuna Sittard until the end of March when we seem to have struck some awful form. Is this the beginning of the choking? Only time will tell. Only three games to go though!

League Table

It makes for good reading, doesn't it? Thankfully, whenever we slipped up others around us seemed to slip up. This means from our remaining three games, we only need 4 points to secure the title. It's a target that is achievable. Our remaining games are Sparta (A), RKC (H) and FC Emmen (H). These are all definitely winnable, and the title is ours to lose.

Key Player

Mombongo has been on fire! He's scored in almost every game in this period, proving we don't need to rely on Baha for goals. He's capped off a sensational run of form by gaining his first international cap for DR Congo. Superb stuff from Freddy Mombongo.

[deltablue]

Looks like you'll avoid the playoffs.

[markyosullivan]

Hopefully the board wont sell any more of your players. Hate it when the board accept offers without your approval.