Journeyman Save For The Struggling Manager (FM14)

After being inspired by all the World Journeyman Saves in FMCU HQ, I've decided to start my own. I've started with 39 Leagues all over Europe, North and South America. Going to start unemployed and see where it takes me.

After a few months of applications around the world, I ended up in....

After the interview, I quickly accepted my contract and went to work. The team was projected to challenge for promotion from the Ukrainian First League with a media prediction of 3rd place, but we were down the table in 9th (although only 6 points off the top of the table).

Founded in 1978, most of Nyva's successes have come in the last few years, winning the Ukrainian Second League in 2009 and back-to-back 2nd place finishes in Ukrainian Second League in 2012 and 2013. It does seem weird that the media (and the board) think a double promotion is possible, but that is the goal here and I hope to see it through. There is some talent on the team, but depth is the issue here and cleaning out some deadwood to bring it in is important. With only six games until the Christmas break, a quick turnaround would be great to morale and the board.

A tough start in Nyva, but I think 8 points in 6 games is probably what we deserved. The team is dreadful in front of goal. In our two wins, we scored an own goal from a cross and a goal from the right byline about halfway up the pitch. The goals by Malysh and Pavlenko were nice, but those clinical finishes haven't been there that often. Our comparison page when I started here said we were the worst finishing team and we've lived up to it, missing good chances and generally screwing up in the box.

On the other side of the ball, defending has been solid for the most part. Other than the game against Desna, we had no issues staying compact and defending strongly. I've used a 4-1-4-1 for about 3-4 games now and it's been solid for the most part at limiting chances for the opposition. I wanted to make sure we were solid defensively before trying to fix the offense, and it's been so far, so good.

With 9 games to go, we've got some work to do. I've never seen a table so tightly compacted! Every team can beat every other team in this division and it's shown in my eight weeks here. With our upcoming schedule we play 7 of 9 games against teams ahead of us. We'll need every win we can get.

In transfer news, I've picked up two new strikers, 30 year old Cameroonian Denis Mboudgui and 24 year old Ukrainian Olexandr Bondarenko who should help the issues in front of goal immensely. We've also got an attacking AMR who was signed before I arrived coming in January, 28 year old Slovenian Lucas Horvat who is better than other AMR we've got, providing us more depth.

I wish I could keep Pavlenko forever, as he is on loan from Tavria in the Ukrainian Premier League. He is a future star and generally the bright spot of the team, game-by-game. We also have two brothers, Boris and Grygoriy Baranets as two of our best players. If we can bring everyone together in our final 9 games, a promotion won't be out of the question. With the Christmas break, we have 120 days to do so......

Where to start with our hectic Christmas break?

First off, selling the Baranets Brothers and Ilkiv wasn't my goal, but the money offered for them was about 1.5/2 times their in game value. With our low bank balance, I had no choice to accept. I did negotiate clauses for their next sales in each transfer as well, hopefully that will bring us more money in the future. Yavorskyi, Tovkatskyi and Melnyk were part of the poor group of strikers we had, they had to go at any cost.

On the intake side, we have some quality in the ranks now. Chernov is a solid midfielder able to play defensively sound. Ionescu and Schedrakov will help solidify the back line going forward, as we lacked quality on the left and center. And Ella, Korobka, and Degtyaryov are young, promising players that will provide us depth in the attacking midfield side. I think we've done excellent work in the transfer window to go with our three transfers before the window started. The finishing went from dead last to 3rd in the league comparison table and we don't seem to have any other deficiencies going forward. As long as we avoid any major injuries, we should be able to put it together and make a good push for promotion.

A tale of two halves for our nine fixtures. For the first five games, the goals were flying, the team was clicking on all cylinders, and we made it to the top of the table with 44 points. Mbdougui and Horvat shined as our main attackers, scoring 11 goals between them. The goal differential was best in the league as well, a key if we needed to win the title on goal difference.

But a few key injuries to new signings Schedrakov and Korobka (who had 6 assists in 4 games!) and a few other first team players, and the struggles started. The game against Olexandriya started well, but a red card to our captain Andriy Donets after 30 minutes led to us shutting up shop and hoping for the best. One goal against was the best we could do under the circumstances. The games against Mykolaiv and UkrAgroKom were poor efforts all around and getting one point was actually better than we deserved. The three game slide led to us slipping into 2nd place, two points behind Gelios (who went on a run after we destroyed then in the first game after the break) and hoping for a break in our final match against Sumy.

We controlled from the start, but we couldn't find the breakthrough. Then a lifeline! Gelios were down against Poltava! A win would get us our first league title! But a twist, Mykolaiv took the lead against Bukovyna! This put them on 48 points, tied with Gelios for 1st! We would be out in 3rd, hearts broken.

But a huge goal from Mboudgui in the 41st minute gave us our lead! Sumy were left helpless on attack, we held on in a nervy second-half, and the other results went our way. Gelios lost 1-0, Mykolaiv didn't score the 2 goals needed to pass us, and we were champions and promoted!

The fact the table was so tight going into the Christmas break was a huge bonus. I was able to adjust the side, catch few teams off guard with our new talent and hang on in the end for a huge promotion to the Ukrainian Premier League! We will need to sign some depth around the squad, but there is some talent here than I think could help us get to the mid-table and avoid relegation.

The players who made this possible:

Goaltenders

Bazilevych played every minute this season. We will need to find him a competent back-up

Defense

Ionescu is 36, but still a talented player. We'll need a left-back to supplement him. And I'm hoping to keep Girskyi as well to partner with Schedrakov.

Midfielders

Pavlenko is an unbelievable talent, but out of our price range. Finding a cheaper replacement is a tall order. And Horvat was great for 9 games, hopefully he can keep it up in the Premier League. Chernov was solid, and Malysh had found his stride before hurting himself with three games to go.

Attackers

What else can I say about Denis? A hero to our season. Korokba and Bondarenko were excellent as well. And the less said about Kruglyak, the better.

We'll need some reinforcements, but we are going to the promised land of the Premier League. Now the goal is to thrive, not survive next to Shakhtar, Metalist, and Dynamo Kyiv!

Wow, that was tight!

Wow, that was tight!

Thanks deltablue, it was very tight. I've never seen a table stay that tight for most of the season. As soon as a team went into the first place, they stumbled.

When I took over we were in 9th place, but only six points out of 1st place after 15 games. 6 games later, we were still 9th and still 6 points back, which sounds crazy! You'd expect us to drop away, but the gap never really slipped on us. Our five game winning streak helped us pull ahead of the pack long enough to have a tiny stumble and pull it out at the last moment.

The season comes quick in Ukraine, I see! With only a few weeks from the end of the First League season until the Premier League starts, I had to be quick in the transfer window. I wanted to make sure we had everyone we needed in before the season started to try and make sure team cohesion and tactical knowledge were as high as they could be.

Arghus, Akubardiya, and Yedlin were to brought in to strengthen the backline. Poltavtsev and Dyminski are young, promising talents for the future. Risholt, Shevtsov, and Doronin are competent midfielders with both attacking and defensive skills. And Junior and Crncic are talented attackers who should be able score goals next to Horvat and Mboudgui. Also not on this page, we brought back right defender Girskyi, future star midfielder Pavlenko, and left attacking midfielder Degtyaryov back on loan for another season.

The friendlies went well for us, crammed in as they seemed. The draw against Zorya was promising as well, as they finished in the Europa League spots last season. I think we'll be in tough to do much in the league, however. The team is not entirely there and we don't have the money to compete with the top clubs. Lucky, our schedule doesn't have us playing champions Shakhtar or second place finishers Metalist until late October. We'll have lots of work to do going forward, but with a couple of good results early and we can hopefully stay afloat!

Good luck with the step up. Not getting the tough teams early on might help build morale as well. I don't know this version, but morale has been important in some other FMs to get something out of those periods where you should be outclassed.

If you can pick up some early points, who knows where to can lead to.

I did say it was going to be tough.

All in all, not terrible, just disappointing. I expected better performances from some of our players. We've had too many games with a lack of concentration in key moments. The games against Dnipro and Mykolaiv had us down 2-1 and giving up a crucial third goal late. We came back from 3-1 in the Metalurg D match only to give up the winner 2 minutes later. Donets, our captain, two-footed an attacker in the 85th minute against Vorskia down 2-1 (4 goals in nine minutes afterwards!) We come back twice against Sevastopol, down 1-0 and 2-1 after their 2nd goal was a terrible penalty call....only to give up a second penalty in the 90th minute to lose. I received a touchline ban for my comments after that ending, which must have helped as we beat our rival Karpaty without me. There have been moments were we could have stolen one or three points only to come away with nothing. Disappointing.

The best three players for me have been Lucas Horvat with his consistent efforts in front of goal, summer signing Arghus as our best defender, and keeper Bazilevych who has made a number of saves to keep us in games. Finding some cheaper talent who can come in and help save some of these games for us would be extremely helpful.

Still above the drop, slim as it might be. Our final fixture of the first half of the season against Mykolaiv was postponed, which will be a crucial six-pointer after the break.

Now, the bigger problem. Coming into the transfer window, we're broke. We've been hemorrhaging money this season, much more than I could have imagined. I'm at the top of our wage limits, so there will be cutbacks. But finding talent to save the season will be a challenge. I have three months to save our season, but this also means I have three months to see if the grass is greener on the other side.....

Doesn't matter how tight it is, just holding on is all that matters.

The transfer window came fast and changes had to be made. I convinced our chairman to cut some losses. Our (former) captain Donets, last season's contributors Ionescu and Schedrakov (not cut out for this level) and veteran Malysh. I hope our new signings and loanees can help survive the drop. Hopeful contributors of note include Suarez (unfortunately not Luis) and Veljovic up front and Schenkeveld at the back.

The friendlies went well enough, but the loss to Goveria doesn't bring me enough confidence that my tactics switch from a 4-5-1 with no AMC and a DM into one with both AMC and DM will work. I'm hoping we can jump out a win in our first game or two, although the biggest match-up of the season will be the six-pointer against Mykolaiv in three weeks.

Just putting my name out there, no harm in that right?

You'll be surprised.

They were "disappointed" with me, but they hadn't offered me a new contract and mine ended in three months. Got to look out for number one, sometimes. Shake the cage and see what happens...

After a long, cold season in Ukraine, I was ready to take a few weeks off......

The results speak for themselves. A tale of two halves for our final thirteen games. After the Zorya win, I think we all got a little too excited and lost focus. The Sevastopol and Arsenal Kyiv games were ones we should have taken at least a point from. But doing the double over our main rivals Karpaty was enough to secure safety.

Losing five of six to end the season wasn't ideal, but after getting to 30 points (last year's safe spot), I'll admit I played the youngsters and mailed in the Shakhtar and Metalist games.

They offered me an extension days after my admittance to another job opening, which after the Vorskia loss. I signed after we agreed to not judge me on playing direct football anymore, because we don't play it enough to get favorable board results.

Ultimately, a successful season in terms of the table. We scored enough goals (9th in the league) to stay up for the first time in our history. Horvat and Veljovic combined to score 21 goals, a strong partnership. I think we surprised people in some performances, just need to improve on our consistency. We've also got a TON of young 16-18 year old that will be our building blocks here very soon.

The real issue ahead: finding more capable defenders as I've utterly failed on most signings (other than Arghus). If it wasn't for our keeper, we'd given up probably twice as many this year (57, tied for 4th worst). Also, finding the money to do this would be nice, as we're in the hole about a million pounds. It's going to be a busy summer, especially because the players' holiday lasts two weeks! Back to the drawing board soon.....

Season Player Summary

There have been some bright spots this season, but there is some work to do. I definitely need to hit more of my summer signings, rather than scrambling in January.

Goalkeepers

Bazil is the man. He let in a few more than last year, but it could have been worse.

Defenders

Arghus was our most consistent defender. He probably would have played every game if not for his yellow and red cards. I whiffed on his counterpart though; I definitely need to fix this problem for next year.

Defensive Midfielders

Risholt was another signing bust. Shevtsov has promise, though I'm leery to give him the job full time.

Midfielders

I would have like to use Chernov more, but he's injury-prone. Same with Doronin. Pavlenko slipped a little bit, I'm hoping he'll improve on the role. Finding a compliment to their talents would be great.

Attacking Midfielders

Suarez/Junior at AMC, Horvat at AMR, and Crncic at AML. That's a solid group of attacking AMs. Definitely were able to play at the top level this year. Hoping they'll continue their solid play into next season.

Strikers

Mboudgui and Bondarenko were poor at the top. Veljovic was a strong link to our AMs, he'll be the starter for sure this season. And for only 95 pounds a week! Now need to find his backup.

So there was the team. Some strong contributors, but work to be done strengthening our D and our depth. Up next, I think I'll do a "what's going on elsewhere in the world" post, just for some flavor.

In the Soccer World.....

World Cup 2014: Serbia upset Spain 2-0 in the final with goals by Djordjevic and Subotic, claiming their first ever World Cup. England finished 3rd, beating the American 3-2 in the bronze medal game. Russia, Portugal (dead last), Mexico, and Holland all failed to qualify out of their groups.

Ukrainian Premier League: Shakhtar have won 6 straight titles now, making it 10 overall. They need three more to tie Dynamo Kyiv. Dynamo and Shakhtar have each won one Ukrainan Cup title as well, giving them both 10 in the competition.

Other Top Leagues:

England: In 2013-14, Manchester City won their 2nd title in 3 years, beating Chelsea by 6 points. Tottenham were 3rd, Manchester United 4th, and Arsenal 5th. Liverpool fell all the way to 12th, causing Brendan Rodgers to lose his job halfway through the season, despite Suarez leading the league in goals. Martin Jol of Fulham took over afterwards. In 2014-15, Man United claimed another title, winning by 5 points over Tottenham. Man City and Arsenal rounded out the top four. Chelsea slipped to 5th and Liverpool on the back on 26 goals by Luis Suarez moved back up to 6th.

In the cup competitions, Chelsea won back to back Capital One Cups, beating Everton and Swansea in the finals. Liverpool won back to back FA Cups, beating Swansea and Norwich in the finals. Man Utd lost in the fifth round both season of the FA Cup, losing to Cardiff and West Ham.

In terms of managers, David Moyes has survived the first lackluster season at Man United to win the title in his second. Tottenham's success was not due to Andre Villas-Boas, as he left for.......Barcelona!!!! Luciano Spalletti picked up the pieces at White Hart Lane in 2013-14 and helped Tottenham stay afloat. Other managers of note include Harry Redknapp replacing Michael Laudrup at Swansea after his defection to Sevilla in 2013-14, and Brendan Rodgers earning another Premier League shot at West Brom in 2014-15. My team, Southampton, sacked Mauricio Pochettino on the brink of relegation in 2014-15, but Marco Van Basten saved the season for the Saints (I really wanted to apply, but I'm not there yet).

Player movements of note in 2013-14 include Lucas Leiva leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid for 40 million pounds and Raphael Varane jumping from Madrid to Man City for 35.5 million pounds. In 2014-15, Aaron Ramsey was another Arsenal defector, this time to Chelsea for 38 million pounds. Rafael was the biggest surprise, leaving Man United for Real Madrid in a 34.5 million pound deal. The Madrid/England relationship continued with Sami Khedira going to Man City from the Spanish Champions for 34.5 million pounds as well. Other signings over 20 million pounds included Javier Pastore (PSG To Man U), Matija Nastasic (Man City to Real Madrid), Leighton Baines (Everton to Arsenal), and Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona to Man City).

Spain: In both seasons, the top 4 has been the same. Real Madrid wins the title, Atletico Madrid comes in 2nd, Barcelona slips to 3rd, and Real Sociedad rounds out the top four. The first struggles of Barcelona in 2013-14 caused Gerardo Martino to get the boot, bringing AVB. But he has done no better in the league, only keeping his job due to his Champions League successes

In the Spanish Cup, the 2013-14 season provided two unlikely finalists, Villarreal and Real Sociedad. Villarreal prevailed in a penalty shootout 4-3. Barcelona was booted in the quarter-final by Atletico and Real Madrid was booted in the 5th (!!!) round by Athletic Bilbao. In 2014-15, Real prevailed over their cross-town rivals Atletico 3-1. They also got the pleasure of beating their other rivals, Barca, in the semi-finals 4-0 over two legs.

Major news manager-wise besides AVB included team-jumped Michael Laudrup deciding to leave Sevilla extremely quickly, this time going to Napoli. Other than that, Spain hasn't seen that many manager sackings.

Player movements of note include Davide Santon (Newcastle to Barcelona) and Koke (Atletico Madrid to PSG) in 2013-14 and Angel di Maria and Ander Herrera (Real Madrid/Athletic to PSG) and Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim to Barcelona)

Germany: Bayern has fallen into a slump in the Bundesliga. Back to back 2nd place finishes, giving them only one title in the past 5 years. Dortmund cruised to their 3rd title win in 4 years in 2013-14, while Hannover won their first Bundesliga in 51 years in 2014-15 by just two points.

In the cup competition, Frankfurt in 2014 and Hoffenheim in 2015 were surprising winners. Even more surprising was their competition, Hannover in 2014 and Freiburg in 2014. Bayern were bounced in the 3rd round both years, while Dortmund were eliminated in the 3rd round in 2014 and the semi final in 2015.

Manager-wise, the big news was Jurgen Klopp taking over the German post after Joachim Low was fired for his poor performance in the World Cup. Marcelo Bielsa took over in 2015 to average results. Felix Magath in the Hannover manager, but he was hired in June 2015 after Mirko Slomka, the manager who actually won the title, left for Bayer Leverkusen.

There hasn't been much player movement of note. Bayern didn't buy anyone of note until the summer of 2014/winter of 2015, buying Viktor Fischer of Ajax, Juan Jesus of Inter, and Moussa Sissoko of Newcastle. To make room, they sold Xherdan Shaquiri to Man City for 21 million pounds. The biggest non-Bayern transfer movement was Freiburg selling Jonathan Schmid to Real Madrid for 14.25 million pounds.

France: Ligue 1 continues to be boring, PSG winning back-to-back titles. AS Monaco finished 3rd and 2nd, respectively. The biggest surprise was Evian TG FC finishing 2nd in 2013-14, then their quick drop to 17th the next season, barely surviving the drop.

In the cup competitions, Marseille won the the French Cup in 2013-14 and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2014-15. PSG won the French Cup in 2014-15, making up for their ninth round exit the previous year. OM eliminated them in the Coupe this season on the way to their title. The other Coupe winner was Montpellier HSC in 2013-14.

OM sacked Elie Baup and Monaco sacked Claudio Ranieri in 2013 due to poor league performances, giving way to Ruud Gullit and Roberto Donadoni respectively. Monaco has had the league results, OM the European and Cup results. <br><br>PSG and Monaco have done most of the transfer business in France. We've went over most PSG signings, but Monaco has done their part. They've signed Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa), Eugene Khacheridi (Dynamo Kyiv), Jose Sosa (Metalist), and Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton) to strengthen their side.

Italy: Juventus finished with 70 points in back-to-back seasons. Unfortunately, only one season resulted in a title, 2013-14. The following season, Inter Milan won their first title since 2010, riding a wave on momentum from new manager Lothar Matthaus, signed to replace their third manager in 18 months, Alberto Malesani. Napoli finished 3rd in both seasons. Roma went from 4th to 8th, resulting in a manager change from Rudi Garcia to former Roma star Vincenzo Montinella.

In the Italian Cup, Juventus made the final in both seasons, but only one once again, beating Udinese 3-2 in 2014-15 after losing 2-1 to Fiorentina the year before. Udinese's loss wasn't as bad as being relegated this season. Napoli bombed in the 1st round in both seasons, losing to Inter and Udinese both years in penalty losses.

Italy is a manager's graveyard. We already talked about Roma and Inter, so we switch to A.C. Milan. They've also went through 4 managers in 2 years, sacking Massimilliano Allegri just 4 months into the start of the game. His replacement, Leonardo Menichini, last till the end of the season, guiding the team to 7th place. His replacement was former German manager Joachim Low, but he only lasted until January as he was in a relegation battle for most of his time in Milan. Claudio Ranieri brought them up to 12th, the highest position of the season. Elsewhere, Bielsa's former team, Fiorentina, hired Allegri, which he led the team to 14th place. All in all, 11 teams changed managers this past season, bringing the total to 20 changes in two seasons.

Most Italian teams' biggest moves have been out of Serie A; the likes of Lorenzo Insigne, Gino Peruzzi, and Andrea Poli leaving for PSG, Tottenham, and Man United. The biggest signing into Italy was Roma's coup of Mario Suarez for 12.5 million pounds away from Atletico Madrid, although Fabio Borini to Juventus wasn't far behind at 12 million pounds.

Continental Cups: In the 2013-14 Champions League, Real Madrid did the decima just like real life, beating Barcelona 2-1 in the final with two goals from Ronaldo to overcome Messi's tally. They beat Man Utd and PSG in the semi finals convincingly, 4-1 for Barcelona and 7-2 for Madrid. Other news included Chelsea not getting out their group with Dortmund and A.C Milan and Napoli not getting out of their group with Man City and Atletico.

In the 2014-15 Champions League, Bayern made up for their lack of Bundesliga titles with their second Champions League win in three years, beating Juventus 1-0. Bayern defeated Madrid 3-2 and Juventus defeated Man City 2-1. Bayern only got in by the hair to the knockout stages, as they, Tottenham, and Monaco all finished with 10 points in the group. They got through in 2nd place due to total points within the matches of the three teams tied (Tottenham 7, Bayern 6, Monaco 4).

In the 2013-14 Europa League, Tottenham won it in all-Premier League final, beating Swansea 2-0. Tottenham survived Real Betis 1-0 and Swansea got through beating Bayer Leverkusen 5-2. Swansea also beat out Chelsea in the round of 16 in a shock result. Even Wigan made the last 16, but they lost to Real Betis.

In the 2014-15 Europa League, OM beat Galatasaray 2-1 by scoring in the 6 minute of stoppage time in a crazy finish. Valbuena made a last-dash cross, the keeper just dropped it, and 16 year old Francois Trojani tapped in the loose ball! It was his first ever goal for the club in the most dramatic of fashions! OM beat Liverpool 3-2 and Galatasaray beat Anderlecht 3-2 as well on their way to the final.

That's all the news I can think of. If there is a player or team you want to ask about, let me know.

I had applied on a whim. There will be chances elsewhere, that's for sure. More coming on my next update.

Transfer Window - September 2015 Update

With a need to cut the wage bill, I had to be thrifty in signing new players. I relied on the loan market mostly this off-season, bringing in some solid young players. Some of them are not up to their full potential, which means there will be growing pains. I'm hoping the loans of Gjokaj and Ferdinand can solidify the back to keep us up. I would say Henrique has the most potential to be a star, so I'm hoping to get him in-form early.

As you can see by the table and the fixtures, it hasn't been the best of starts. I've been great as season-openers, but we've quickly fallen off. I think we've been better defensively, but our top players haven't been "top", save Veljovic. The Zorya and Metalurg Zp losses were our best efforts in defeat and the Sevastopol draw could have been a win, but the next four games were poor. There's time to change it around for sure. I've been making tactical tweaks, hoping to find the magic touch. It needs to come sooner rather than later.

I know I've been looking elsewhere in my career, trying to find a more stable and promising job. There's not much in Nyva for me, I'm afraid. With a lack of money coming into the team, staying up will always be our only goal. I'm hoping I will be able to leave the team in the right state when I do move on, so I must improve our performances quickly.

A strong response from our squad after a slow start. 16 points in 11 games is much better than 4 points in 8 games, I'd say. Veljovic is our main point of attack with 11 goals in all competitions this year, with Horvat and Suarez distributing the ball around with 10 combined assists. We've had some good games across the board in victory or defeat; the only stutters being against Dynamo Kyiv. I think we've turned the corner and can push for a mid-table finish going forward.

We haven't done much work in the transfer window with our current lack of resources hampering us. We've made one signing for this season and two for next season. Stef Peeters is a solid signing for our midfield this season, while Simone Ganz and Rodrigo Odriozola will be coming in the summer.

I won't be here to see it, however. My contract ends this season, and I have applied to a few places already. I won't be resigning here, so I'm going to focus on finishing strong and setting the club up for the future.

Safe with two games to go, just like last year. We weren't as strong as the middle of the season, but we were much tighter than last year, giving up 16 less goals overall. I think finishing at least 13th is a step up for the club. Both years we've been tipped for relegation and to survive both is an accomplishment. I'm not sure how things will go next year with club finances in increasing trouble.

Year in Review

Goalkeepers

I should have used Poltavtsev more, but Bazil does his job well enough to keep the #1 role.

Defenders

Arghus leads the way. Ferdinand and Fedyshyn were disappointments in the other center back role (as I usually seem to find). Yarmash is a young gem that can become a star in the Premier League

Midfielders/Attacking Midfielders

A mixed bag. Horvat dipped in goals, but Karasyuk, Doronin, and Suarez chipped in enough to stay afloat. Crncic wasn't good this season, but that's my fault for (partly) misusing him. Once his form slipped, he couldn't get it back as much as I accommodated him. And Peeters was good, but he could have been better.

Strikers

Rade's form dropped considerably after the Christmas Break. He was 2nd in league scoring at one point. Kulishenko is a good prospect for the future. And Dyminiski was okay in limited action.

You may have noticed that I only have 29 games on the table. That's because I have accepted a new job elsewhere, effective after the Dynamo Kyiv game. Here's my career stats in charge of the Nyva Ternopli first, however.

Welcome to Belenenses! Part of the Belen district in Lisbon, Belenenses is a former Portuguese football powerhouse. It is one of two clubs (the other is Boavista) to win the Primeira Liga, winning in 1946, other than the Big Three of Benfica, Porto, and Sporting Lisbon. But they have fallen into hard times, being relegated five times since the 1980s and haven't finished higher than 3rd since 1988.

There is some work to do, as we have a number of high-priced, low achieving players here. A tough road back to the Primeira, but I think I can do it.

Good luck in Portugal.

Thanks deltablue, I'm hoping I can get off to a strong start in my new digs

Around the Football World

Portugal

Benfica won their 34th Portuguese league title by 9 points over Porto. They also won the Taca de Portugal for the 28th time with a 2-1 win over Vitoria Guimaraes. Sporting Lisbon won the Portugal League Cup for the 1st time ever, beating Nacional da Madeira 2-0.

England

Man City won their 3rd title in 5 years, keeping the title in Manchester for the 5th season. But their biggest challengers for the title were the real story of the season. Reading(!), promoted the year before from the SkyBet Championship, was in the lead with just 6 games to go! But a few stumbles had them finish 4 pts behind the Champions. Tottenham and Arsenal rounded out the top 4. Man United, Liverpool, Everton, and Chelsea, you may ask? 6th, 10th, 7th, and Chelsea's surprising finish in 12th! Jose Mourinho's job was hanging by a thread all season and he'll have to bring the club back to form ASAP.

Man U did win their 12th FA Cup title, their 1st in 12 years, scoring three goals in the final 15 mins to steal the win from Tottenham 3-2. In the Capital One Cup, Man City won their 3rd title ever, beating Arsenal 3-1.

In transfer news, Wayne Rooney has requested a transfer from Old Trafford at the end of the season, leaving his future in doubt. Major signings included Luis Suarez going to Man City for 28 million, Alex Sandro and Hatem Ben Afra going to Man Utd for a combined 63 million, and Arsenal getting double their money out of Andriy Yarmolenko, selling him for 18.75 million to AS Monaco after paying half that the two years before.

Spain

Real Madrid won their 3rd title in row, crushing 2nd place Barcelona by 9 pts. Atletico and Real Sociedad rounded out the top 4. They also won the Copa del Ray for the 20th time, beating Celta 1-0.

Transfer-wise, Barca and Real wheeled and dealed all year. Barca sold Davide Santon to PSG for 29 million and Pedro to Monaco for 20 million, then purchased Alex Telles from Benfica and Doria from Corinthians for 14.5 million each. Real sold Jese to PSG for 24 million and Dani Carvajal to Chelsea for 20 million, then purchased Victor Wanyama from Southampton and Cristian Tello from Monaco for 19 million each.

Italy

Juventus avenged last season title loss to Inter Milan by winning their 4th title in 5 years, beating Inter by 3 points. Napoli and Fiorentia rounded out the top 4, edging out A.C. Milan. Napoli did win their 5th Italian Cup, however, beating Palermo 2-0 in the final.

A.C. Milan spent top-4 money, which makes their season much more disappointing. Giovanni Dos Santos was purchased for 12 million and Gabriel Torje for 10 million, but could not help A.C. match Inter. Inter used their successes to purchase Oliver Giroud from Arsenal and Saphir Taider from Bologna to bolster the squad for much cheaper than A.C., spending only 14 million total. Roma slipping down the table allowed Arsenal to purchase Kevin Strootman for 19 million, weakening the squad further.

France

Monaco crushed the field to win their first league title in 16 years and 8th ever, winning by 16 points over 2nd place PSG. The race for 2nd was much more interesting, as PSG held off Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Rennais FC, and FC Lorient in the battle. PSG did win both the French Cup and the Coupe de la Ligue, beating LOSC 1-0 in the Cup and Lyon 3-2 in extra time.

We've mentioned much of PSG and Monaco's transfer spending in Italy, Spain, and England, but there's more. PSG bought Jeremy Menez from Everton for 19 million, one of their 5 10 million+ transfer this past season, beating Monaco's 4 such purchases. The biggest deal by a non-PSG/Monaco team was OM buying Matej Vydra from Frankfurt for 8 million.

Germany

Bayern was able to get back to the top of the Bundesliga, beating Leverkusen by just 2 points. A final day 2-1 victory over Dresdenwith a Leverkusen loss to Schalke was the tightest finish of the year. Schalke and Dortmund finished in the top 4, with champions Hannover slipping to 8th. In the German Cup, Nurnberg beat Freiburg in the final 2-1 for the 5th Cup ever and first in 9 years.

Transfer wise, the biggest German signing was Timo Werner to Schalke for 24.5 million from Stuttgart. Dortmund purchased Lazar Markovic from Benfica for 12 million. The champions didn't spend too much, only buying Nacer Chadli from Tottenham for 10 million, but into this new season, they just dropped 30 million to buy Marco Reus from Dortmund, strengthening the team for their title defense.

Continental Results

PSG won both French cups and the Champions League for the 1st time ever, 2-1 over Real Madrid. A goal by Kyriakos Papadopoulos in the 82nd minute clinched the victory for the French side. PSG was able to defeat Monaco in the Semis, 5-1 on aggregate. Real beat Tottenham in the other semi, 5-3 on aggregate. Hannover provided the biggest shock of the tournament, bumping Man Utd out of the group stage.

Man Utd was able to overcome their Champions League disappointment, winning the Europa League 2-0 over Standard. Standard upset Chelsea in semis, 3-2 on aggregate with an 83rd minute goal by Leke James. Man Utd beat Hoffenheim on the other semi 5-2.

Fall Transfer Window - Sept 2016

Transfers In

We were very busy before the season, as I feel bringing talent during the pre-season helps build squad harmony better than during the transfer window. You can see our partnership with Bologna as very helpful, giving us free young depth that would cost us a bunch. Hernandez and Sarr have provided center-back depth, Nemeth and Rogerio up front, and Gagliardini as a stabling force in the midfield

Transfer Out

A number of players wanted out after relegation. I didn't try and keep many of them, as they were way too overpriced for their actual ability. Helped our balance sheet in the end.

Fixtures/Standings

But what a start! The Liverpool friendly seemed to be a sign of things to come. We've been excellent at points and merely good enough to win at others. Some of our collective individual skill has saved us, as noted in the Chaves and Ac. Viseu wins and Santa Clara draw. But mostly, we've lived up to our pre-season Promotion prediction. Still 37 games to go, but with the right tactical tweaks and injury luck, we can stay the pole leader and get back to the Premier League.

First time in four years for one of these too,

A month between updates, sorry for the delay! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Everything was rolling until November, when luck disappeared, performances turned from good to average, and goals came hard to come by. Our first stumble was the League Cup tie against Estoril, when our defense crumbled under their pressure, giving away three penalties and blowing our advantage from the first leg. Injuries and international call-ups hurt us again as losses to Moreirense, Chaves, and Oliveirense were not our best games. But we've won the big games this season. Contenders Beira-Mar, Trofense, and Olhanense haven't be able to fight us off, giving us a great advantage going into the new year. With 14 games to go, there is still time for trouble however, and loan signings will have to be made correctly.

A seven point lead isn't much, but we've got the goal difference hopefully wrapped up and we've played the matches against our contenders. Our biggest match-up left on the schedule is another match-up with Beira-Mar in 2 and a half months, but we could have already clinched by then. Hopefully smooth sailing ahead back to the Premier League.

Doesn't look too bad to me.

Not too bad, deltablue, but not compared to the performances earlier in the season. Hoping to bring everyone back to their best for the final weeks ahead. However, this might help me get some reinforcements.....

This takeover was rumored, but it took three days to complete during the transfer window, saving me a lot of headaches. We're now in the black on our balance sheet, but getting back to the Premier League will be the key in staying there. Now off to ask for a few dollars in the transfer window......

End of January Update

Transfer-wise, our new chairman didn't really want to help with the funds towards new players, so we picked up three players on loan. Thiago Mata was picked up from Santos for midfield depth, Yuri Galli was picked up from Wanderers for AMC depth, and youngster Ville Auvinen was picked up from Southampton for striker help. All three will get time and I hope they can complement us going forward.

Our only sale out of any value was Nicolas Petit to Standard for $275,000 with some future clauses thrown in. I didn't want to give up a talented youngster, but to help the balance going forward is a main concern.

Fixtures

Not bad, not great. 7 points on the road is solid, a bad loss at home isn't. And the Beira-Mar loss stings because....

Table

...I didn't want to give them any extra confidence going into the final three months. Work to be done with form and morale. But I'm hoping we stay at the top. It doesn't look like a cakewalk anymore.

I think you can tell when we clinched the title eh? The Beira-Mar victory was sweet and we coasted to the title. I think we partied too hard for the final five fixtures, but that's life. Now comes the Premier League!

We also set the record for most goals in a season with 94, which is not too shabby. Our historic rivals, Boavista, won't be seeing us anytime soon I hope!

Player Statistics

Goalkeepers

Berezovskyi was excellent. We'll need him to be that way next year as well

Defenders

Not pictured is our best defender, Edy Hernandez, as I sold him a few days after I made these screenshots. We will need to find his replacement and some wing back depth for the coming season.

Defensive Mids/Midfielders/Attacking Mids

Most of my loan signings came in the middle. Nemeth (2nd best player in the league!) and Ferreira were excellent, Alves and Gagliardini were strong in the midfield, and everyone else chipped in admirably. We have some free transfers coming in to try and replace some of the leaving loanees, hopefully they can.

Attackers

Rogerio was our anchor up top, scoring a variety of key goals. We now need replacements and depth behind him as everyone else is leaving.

All in all, a great year. My second title and promotion. I now have to become a top-flight manager, rather than the guy who get to the top flight and can't get the job done.

Our transfer window was eventful to say the least. A flurry of action going back and forth. Going out, selling Roberto Gagliardini and Edy Hernandez (done before July 1st) were my toughest decisions. But I hope bringing in Jose Fonte and Mario Risso at CB and Sem Addamo, Tornike Okriashvili, and Muhammed Demirci in the midfield can do the job. I also feel good about Johann Laxdal (until he got hurt for 2-3 months) and Rade Veljovic from my former team, Nyva Ternopli

Addamo, Fonte, and Demirci have already made a strong start through our first two games. Fonte played well in our home opener and Addamo and Demirci stole a point against Braga. A promising start, considering we have Benfica and Porto away in the next month.

Our next match is against Nacional de Madeira, I wonder if we can add to their negative goal totals? But seriously, the board wants a mid-table finish and we have the tools to do so.

End of January Update

Transfer Window 2018

Out

A quiet transfer window for us. Feltri was a good soldier, but he wasn't happy about playing time and I wasn't happy about form. Laxdal didn't play well for us before being purchased by our new parents Rubin. Andre was a five-star prospect from last year's youth system and SLB wanted him before the end of the summer before I let him go for a higher current and future price (30% of next sale) than they offered. With the sales we able to

In

Incoming is Julian Green, formally of Bayern Munich and Daniel Bregu, 18 yr old future star from Albania. With our midfield and attacking midfield lacking something (other than Nemeth), I think the depth of these two should help solidify things.

Fixtures

It has been a strong first half of the season, much better than most expected. Even my best hopes were a mid-table finish, but this form, combined with others lack thereof, has pushed us up the table. Excellent offensive wins at Estoril and Gil Vicente and defensive wins against Sporting and Maritimo. I gave the team a positive team meeting at the beginning of December and our Strikers took that as a sign to stop scoring. No goals in eight games from strikers, but defensive solid through out most of it has left us in....

An excellent 4th place. Last season 3rd place finishers Sporting, League Cup winners Braga, and 5th place finishers Maritimo should be my biggest tests where we stand. If we can work out the goal scoring without harming the defensive side of the ball, a decent run of form could see us in Europe next season! Who would have thunk it?

Fantastic first season up so far! Where do you think you'll realistically be?

The board during the transfer window asked if I wanted to change my goals for the season and I politely declined. I didn't want to add any undue stress to the team and my job tenure. Before the season, I originally believed it would be a 3-4 year plan (if I stayed that long). We'd finish 10th-12th this season, 6th-9th next year, and hopefully hit the European places in year 3 or 4. It has been a great ride and with three games to go, we still have a hope of continental qualification! Pretty great stuff this year.

End of Season Summary

We had a strong first half of the season, but expectations and squad depth slowed us down in the second half of the year. We lost Nemeth, Okriashvili, and Bregu for different points of the season, leaving us with only Sem Addamo and Ricardo Alves as our top midfielders. Increasing midfield depth will have to be a point of improvement this summer. The three-game losing streak to Vit. Guimaraes, Gil Vicente, and Aves cost us our spot in Europe, but it was a stretch to begin with.

We had the lead against Porto before three second half goals killed us. I would have liked to end their.....

...Undefeated season. It's Porto's third undefeated season in the 2010s! But 7th for us. A very nice season overall, especially $800,000 in prize money. Now I think we can achieve Europe next year, but another midtable finish for me would be acceptable. I said a three-four year plan would do it, and I hope it rings true.

Player Stats

Strikers

I'm very disappointed with this position. Rogerio was okay, but an torn calf injury with two games to go means he will not be coming back. Veljovic was not as good as he was with Nyva for me. Fischnaller and Grazioso missed chance after chance and I had no confidence they would hit the stands, let alone the net. This will need to improve for next year or we won't improve overall.

Midfielders

The two transfer signings could not be more different. Bregu was a stud, Green a dud. Addamo and Okriashvili were as advertised and Alves and Dzurik were solid DMs. But Nemeth struggled through injuries and the loanees were just average at best. A solid area, probably the best area of the team.

Defenders

Torres could be the young star of the future. I gave him the minutes after selling Feltri. Castagna was solid enough as well, allowing us to sell Yago for $90K to a Brazilian side. The CB were average, Fonte dipping down in form as the season went along. Sarr is the best of the bunch. I think the quality is there, depth is the next step.

Goaltenders

No complaints from Berezovskyi and Orlinov. Orlinov complained about playing time, so I think I might rotate more next year. But probably the safest position on the team.

A great season. We had visions of travels across Europe, but a top half finish in our first season back is excellent stuff. I know we can improve going forwards, but reinforcements are needed to properly mount a challenge.

Excellent work so far. And a fellow Saints fan I see.

Solid work there in your first season back in big time. KUTGW mate

Thanks for the comments, kevhamster and DavidBeckham. Mr. Beckham, I've enjoyed reading your FM diaries as well, and for this season, I've decided to adapt your Man Utd 4-4-2 tactic to our squad for some flexibility. Hopefully I can do it justice And yes, kevhamster, go Saints go #saintsgomarchingin

End of Summer Transfer Window 2018

A busy transfer window. With no strikers on the team, we had to act. Muric, Ochoa, Wright and Wagner are all strikers/attacking midfielders who will fight it out for the playing time. Muric is more suited for AMR, but he has the most quality for both position, with Wagner coming in behind him.

Nyom, Viterallo, and Camorani were brought wide midfield positions, with Nyom looking like a future gem. Castagna earned a spot from last season with Rodriguez able to fill in behind him and Luiz Torres at WB. Marien and Fonte (brought in for cheaper than last year) are here for the CB positions.

In the OUT category, I didn't want to do it. I rejected a number of offers from Benfica for Mario Dias, a 5-star 16 yr from last year's youth intake. But then Porto came in for $650K. I pushed for $800K and 30% of the next sale and got it. The sale is the most in team history (through the past 5 years) and was a boost to the balance sheet. It hurt to sell a future star, but money is money sometimes. Julian Green and Raul were unceremoniously shipped on loan (at full wages contributions) and Dzurik and Veljovic were bumped for as much as possible. It hurt to lose Rogerio and Filipe Ferreira, but they wanted too much for what I plan to use them.

Fixture

I only include the friendlies this year for the three away games to Spain and the 300K in appearance fees we received. Money Money.

A split to start the year in the League with an excellent game against Portimonense and a weak display against Arouca. The Arouca game hurt for the simple fact that we gave up three set-piece goals, came back from 2-0 down in the first ten minutes to tie it, and blew it before the end of the half. But it's early.

A good start to the year. I want to beat last year's point totals and I think we can do it. And let's hope that we can stay ahead of Benfica all year!

That was still good last year even though you missed out on Europe. Maybe this time?

deltablue, it's been a wild ride this season. Twists and turns ahead.

End of January 2019

Transfer In

Transfer Out

Willian is a young striker who should help our depth for the rest of the season, while Camorani didn't like that he wasn't used very much. There wasn't a lot of budget available to improve the squad and there weren't many loan signings that were both cheap and useful.

Fixture List

Hmm. A mixed bag of results this season. We've been too inconsistent to make any sort of push at the table, but we've been dynamite in the cup, reaching the Quarterfinals of the Taca de Portugal (against SLB in 2 days) and the Semifinal of the League Cup (against Rio Ave in two weeks). I've had to tweak a number of things tactically to bring things together for the most part, like keeping a DM on the field and letting Muric run rampant on the right side of the AMR position. But this happened 11 days ago......

So that's an issue. The midfield has been consistent all year, with Addamo, Bregu, Okriashvili, Nyom, and Alves holding down the fort. Attacking has been okay, with Muric and Wagner (injured as well) scoring 16 goals in all competitions, but Ochoa and Wright have been average at best. But our worst position has been defense. Youngster Torres has slumped in his sophomore season, Fonte and Sarr have been average, and Castagna hasn't improved on his abilities. The only bright spot has been Imam Marien from the summer signings, but he's been away on international duty with Indonesia for about two months. Work to do, but time is running out.

Standings

Not too far away from Europe, but not too far away from relegation. We need to pick up points soon, as we have a run of games in March/April of FCP, SLB (A), Maritimo (A), and Sporting (A) that will be very tough to stay positive through. But all in all, a pretty up and down season.

Form was looking like it was starting to pick up anyway.

I was hoping that was the case, deltablue. Signs were good, but I don't know if I was expecting this....

First win against Benfica since 2014!

Here's how ended our Taca de Portugal Semi-Final match against Nacional da Madeira. And we scored off this tactic!

End of Season 2019 Summary

We're Going to Europe!!!!

Ahem....just maybe not the way intended.

A season of stops and starts. The Christmas/January run was the best of the year, but outside of our two nice wins over Benfica, we weren't great in the league. The Cup runs were nice and with a little bit of luck we could have beat Porto, but they are a class above us for now. Mario Nemeth saved his job and our season in the second half with a number of key goals, Ochoa scored all four of his goals in the 88 minute or later, and Muric and Marien were solid all season. Muric's injury really affected his play at the end of the season. But as always, I hope to improve things. I'm going to try a number of tactical changes over the summer to try and get the best out of everyone going forward.

Table

The losing streak at the end of the season sent us from 7th to 9th, but we deserved our spot. Nothing too hot or cold, just inconsistent. Rio Ave was a surprise all season. Braga ended Porto's streak at about the 12th game or so. I did enjoy ruining Benfica's chances at the title

Squad Summary

Goalkeepers

Well, Orlinov complained all year. But I used him in the win against Benfica and the loss against Porto in the League, inflating his number a tad. Berezovskyi scored a hilarious goal against Rio Ave, which was great. I like the tandem but Orlinov will probably go for someone cheaper.

Defenders

Marien and Sarr were a pretty good team, it's just that Sarr was either hurt or Marien was playing internationally (21 games!). Castagna was solid, but his discipline isn't the best. Nyom is a better midfielder than defenders and Kaka/Torres weren't great. Fonte will be a reserve next season.

DM/Midfielders/Attacking Midfielders/Strikers

I put everyone together as we only have one DM and one Striker who don't play other positions. Addamo is a stud, I'm happy we didn't allow him to leave last summer. I was happy with pretty everyone on this list, besides Ochoa (Who didn't show up for the first 87 minutes of most games) and Demirci. I hope to bring Wagner back for another season.

Money is tight, so we'll have to make some changes that come on the cheap. But I'm hoping we can attract some new talent because.....

I know it wasn't the way I had planned, but we're going into Europe! Belgium, Croatia, Belarus, who knows where we'll end up?

End of Summer 2019

Fixtures

Simply stunning. I wasn't sure if we could go all the way to the Group Stages, but we put together a great run and pulled it out. A dominant performance against Buducnost, a squeaky-bum moment against Panionios, and a defensive wall against Udinese. Our first trip to Europe since 1990 has being a success in many ways.

Also, two good Premier League games and a tough loss to Porto in our third straight cup competition. What a great start to the season!

Transfers In

Some great signings and loanees helped us into the Group Stages, and the money used there got us a few future stars. All four of our loanees got off to a great start, Khumalo and Shimabukuro are international stars with their countries (South Africa and Japan) who have stepped in nicely, and Ribeiro and Smits are 17 year old future team stars. I think one of my best transfer windows in my career. Please don't rub this in my face in ten months

Transfers Out

Nothing too crazy going out, Green, Demirci, and Orlinov were not in the cards going forward. New signings Riberio and Smits were loaned out for first team action.

Europa League Draw

So....all the excitement of the draw kinda of was diminished once we saw this group come up. I think the Man Utd games will be tough, so we will have to get results against Granada and Tel-Aviv if we have any hope of getting through the Group Stage. Our first game against Man Utd is in three weeks, so hopefully we can start off on the right foot.

Premier League Standings

A good start to the campaign with two nice wins against P. Ferreira and Maritimo. The key will be balancing Europe and Portugal. If we can stay in a good position by the end of the November, we should have a good shot of getting back into Europe next year. All in all, a very exciting fourth year in Portugal!

A decent start to our Europe run, a good draw against Manchester United and a unlucky loss to Tel-Aviv. Three group appearances against Porto, Arouca, and Estoril were nice as well, but two lackluster efforts against Chaves and Vit. Guimaraes were disappointing to watch.

Portuguese Premier League Standings (Up to October 6th, 2019)

Europa League Group Standings (Through two rounds)

This is an early update for me. But a contract offer from another team came up and I thought about it and decided to accept. Time will tell if I chose right, but I think I left Belenenses in a good spot and I hope I can lead my next team towards the same spot........

My History Up To October 16th, 2019

(Forgot to take a pic of the Belenenses History, just subtract my Nyva totals if you want)

My new team is......

Blackburn Rovers. A surprise choice for me and probably anyone else reading this. I didn't expect to get an interview, let alone a contract. But I took the job on a whim. They are a storied team with a ton of history.

But they've slipped from the Championship and are sitting in the relegation zone of League 1. There's some work to be done. I hope to have a grasp on the issues within the next few days and can start rebuilding Blackburn's legacy in England. I'm excited to be here and hope to raise another team up the Promotion Ladder! (It's only what they want me to do, after all)

Great opportunity to rescue Blackburn.