bestbrother Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Gremio - Imortal Tricolor 2014: O Famoso Triplo Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final A straight forward campaign saw us dominate the league stage, dropping points only in the Gre-Nal Derby. We then waltzed to the Final only to lose the opening leg to Internacional. We managed to overturn that in the 2nd to claim the Gaucho State Title for the first time since 2010. Brasileirao - Champions A miracle turnaround saw us claim the clubs first National title since 1996. Our opening 10 games saw us lose 4 times, however we would go on to lose just once more, as we went on a 22 game unbeaten run to all but sew up the crown. Copa do Brasil - Winners A long cup run for us starting in the 1st round as we comfortably progressed through the rounds, losing just once 0-2 in Paranaense. The Final saw us romp to a 4 goal aggregate win over Atletico Mineiro as we claim the clubs 5th Copa Brasil. Best Eleven Transfers Not many transfers but the main deal saw us acquire Argentinian Gigliotti for $5m. He was signed to replace and using the money we received from Bordeaux as they paid best part of $15m for Marcelo Moreno. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 2015: Campeao Gaucho 2015 Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final Back to back State titles keep the fans on side as we win 18 of 19 matches. Our only loss was the first leg of the Final, again to Internacional, which we would overturn in the return to clinch the title on away goals. A massive 96 goals were scored as we would rack up 12 in a blitz again Lajeadense. Brasileirao - 7th A struggle in part due to the drastic changes in personnel mid-season (thanks European transfer window!). The biggest disappointment is not qualifying for the Libertadores as we never held any real aspiration of defending the title. Copa do Brasil - Quarter Final In and out quickly, as we get a bye to the Last 16, only to tumble out on away goals to Palmeiras and see another of our titles slip away. Copa Libertadores - Quarter Final I expected more and it seemed too easy through the Group Stage and Last 16 as we cruised through to the Quarter Finals. Unfortunately we were upstaged by the Mexicans of Monterray, a 2-0 loss in Mexico cost us, as we only scored once at home and fell out on aggregate. Best Eleven Transfers The transfers defined our season as all the major moves happened mid-season. The best part of $90m was bought into the club as key players; Gigliotti, Guiliano, Rhodolfo, Geromel, Paulinho & Marcelo Oliveira all sought moves to Europe. In return we invested in 3 midfielders as notably Lucas Leiva returned to the club, whilst Paulinho joined him in leaving the Premier League in a cut price deal. Our biggest deal however proved to be getting teenage sensation Gabriel Barbosa off Santos. The $22m deal looks expensive, but should get us a good return once he is ready to test himself on the European stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 2016: Tri-Campeao! Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final 3 in a row and we are pretty dominant, infact conceding just once in the 15 games of the league stage, that coming in the last game as we won 7-1 against Avenida. Again we made it to the Final to face Internacional in 2 more Gre-Nal's, this time we beat each other 2-0 and saw the title come down to a Penalty shoot-out, which went our way. Brasileirao -7th A slow start followed by an indifferent middle left us facing the prospect of a mid-table finish at best. However we managed to turn things around in the final third of the season, winning 8 of our last 10 (including a 3-2 at Internacional), to soar upto 7th place, finishing just 3pts shy of 4th and a slot in the Copa Libertadores. Excitingly however we were involved in the final day title race as our trip to Botafogo meant that if we were to beat them and Flamengo win their game, the Mengao would clinch the title. With Flamengo doing their part by waltzing to a 4-1 win at Vasco, we would indeed do them the favour needed by scoring 2 late goals to beat Botafogo and deny the Estrela Solitaria a chance to claim their first title in over 2 decades. Copa do Brasil -Quarter Finals We managed to amble our way through to the Quarter Finals where we would face our first real test of the Copa. A 3-1 win at home in the first leg against Corinthians had me believing we were on the verge of another triumph, however the return leg was a nightmare and we fell to 4 of the best, crashing out 5-3 on aggregate. Best Eleven Transfers This year was about us signing players as we would spend a net of $29m in the market. First up was the return of Marcelo Oliveira who failed to settle in Valencia, whilst Casemiro joined in a cheap deal from Real Madrid. We then added another young Brazilian in Wallace, who leaves Chelsea after failing to break through into their first team squad... before.... the shock signing of Leandro Damiao, the ex-Internacional striker who after 2 years on loan with Cruzeiro was deemed surplus to requirements at Santos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 2017: Gremio - Campeao! Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final More of the same in our State Championship as unless a team comes from no-where it will always be a Gre-Nal Final. Once again we go undefeated through the league stage, racking up the goals and wins. Then in the Final, a 1-1 draw at Internacional set us up for a big night at Arena Gremio, which we obliged with, winning 3-1 and collecting our 4th straight Gaucho Title. We are now halfway to equaling the 8 straight titles won by Internacional in the 1970s and beating that has to be our motivation from now on. Brasileirao -Champions How we did it, ill never know, but a good start was almost ruined as Europe's paymasters came knocking and tore up our squad, as 4 first team players would leave, joining 2 that had left earlier in the season. However we managed to spend frugally and promote from within to ensure we could tick things over to bed in a new lineup. We would lose our first 3 home games of the year as mid-table mediocrity beckoned, but then a change in fortunes as a 10 game unbeaten run put us in the mix for a Top-4 finish. We would lose a couple more but then with the teams above us failing to really take advantage, it was our turn to put a shift in and with that, we won 10 of our final 13 games, including all of our final 5 to sneak past the post in one of the tightest finishes yet. As you can see going into the final day we held a slim advantage, fortunately we beat Corinthians to clinch the title, however Botafogo once again blew their chance in the final week, whilst wins for Palmeiras and Paranaense were not enough to spoil our party. Copa do Brasil -Semi Finals This one hurts as not only did we come through all the rounds, but we would lose on away goals to our great rival, thanks to a late goal in the 2nd leg. To rub salt into our wounds, Internacional would win the Copa do Brasil, its scant consolation for them, but we were that close to another 'Famoso' in just 4 years. Best Eleven Transfers A muddled year for us here, we started off by losing Lucas Leiva who went to Marseille for a healthy profit. Then with one of our starlets 'Erik attracting alot of attention, I pre-empted his sale by bringing in Colombian bigman Victor Ibarbo who had seen enough of the Italian lifestyle. We would also add veteran Center Back Danilo for a nominal fee from Lazio. Then as expected Erik left, however it wasnt too Europe but to Sao Paulo who paid $18m (and rising) for his services. That would be that until the European window opened again and for us the floodgates of those leaving started to hit home; Wallace who had not long signed from Chelsea, went to Napoli in a deal that eventually see's us make a return, then young Yuri Mamute who had just scored his 100th goal for the club, jumped ship to Russia and CSKA. The biggest deal was yet to come as Gabriel Barbosa as expected become sought after, but with just one club prepared to risk the money he joined Atletico Madrid for $35m with another $20m due in add-ons that should easily be met. Finally Everton who again progressed immensely in our 4 years together would join Porto in another deal that will bust the intial $18m paid for him. In return we had to invest and although the deals came in cheaper, the 9m spent on Bruno Peres and $7.5m on Gabriel Paulista would bolster our defense immediately. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 9, 2015 Author Share Posted May 9, 2015 2018: O Quinto Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final Standard fare for us in the league stage as we dish out hammerings on a regular basis, infact poor Lajeadense took the worst of it as we put up 15 without response. We scored 9 3 times and ended the stage with over 90 goals from 15 matches. Into the playoff stage and a straight forward run to the Final to once again meet Internacional. The first leg on their patch saw us lose 1-0 and our chances of winning a 5th straight Gaucho hang in the balance, then back at the Arena Gremio, infront of a full house of Gremista's we turned the screws with Everton Ribeiro scoring 3 in a 4-0 win to clinch 'O Quinto' and cement our place in team history. Brasileirao - 7th If we dont win the league we come 7th and thats what happened for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. Once again at no point did we really look any better than what we had and spurts of wins and losses would ensconce us firmly in the midst of the league. A late push did have us looking closely at a Top 4 finish and a shot in the Libertadores once again, however 2 draws in our final 3 games ended that hope and we would have to settle for a finish on the outside. Copa do Brasil - Quarter Final A brief in and out effort from us, but the highlight was turning around a 2-0 loss at Internacional in the 4th round by smacking them for 4 for the 2nd time this season. Unfortunately we played Vasco in the Quarters during a slump in form and tumbled out losing both legs by the odd goal. Copa Libertadores - Semi Final Back into South America's premier competition and we hit the ground running, winning 4 of our group games including a pair of 6-0 romps over Uruguayan side Rentistas, to top the group. Into the knockout stages and we cruise past Liga de Quito before squeezing by Velez Sarsfield in the Quarter Finals, as after winning 2-0 at home, we progressed on the back of a 4-2 loss in Argentina. The Semi Finals pitted us against holders Palmeiras and although we looked to have sealed ourselves a place in the Final with a 3-1 win at home in the 1st leg, our trip to the Verdao would curtail those dreams as a 4-0 loss saw us leave the tournament on a low. Best Eleven Transfers We would spend more than we bought in this year as our rebuild ready for the Libertadores took place on the back of losing 3 key components of our title winning team in Paulinho (who went back to Corinthians), Ramiro who himself remained in Brazil with Flamengo and finally Marcelo Grohe who after having his testimonial with the club, would join Palmeiras. In through the door came a mixture of the tried and tested, as well as up and coming prospects for the future. Notably the big deal saw us spend $19m on Cruziero's Everton Ribeiro to lead our attack. Another $15m went on Argentine defender Fabian Noguera, who had failed to really settle in Germany, whilst the under the radar deal to bring 'Ganso to the club looked to be the bargain of the season. With the January deals looking positive we just had to hold out through the mid-season break, but it wasnt long before Victor Ibarbo (who remained on the promise of a Libertadores run) attracted attention and he would earn a $20m move to Zenit in Russia. Replacing him proved tircy, but a known face would return to the club not long after leaving as Everton had struggled since joining Porto and returned in a cut price deal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 9, 2015 Author Share Posted May 9, 2015 2019: Retorno Para Libertadores Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final For the first time in 6 years we would lose a league stage game as Internacional managed to put one over us, fortunately they themselves had a few slip ups which ensured we would again top the stage and earn the #1 seed for the playoffs. Again a straight forward run to the Final ensued as this year it was Internacional who almost failed to make it as they squeezed past fellow Serie A side Juventude, a potential new threat in the State in years to come. But as it is, we went into another Gre-Nal Final and again let ourselves down in the opening leg, losing by 2 and staring down a barrel. Then back home we would concede first to trail by 3 goals, before a miracle comeback saw us score 4 and snatch the title out of the hands of our rivals, for a 6th straight Gaucho crown. Brasileirao - Runners Up Its funny to say that we came Runners Up this year but were not really in the title race, yet that is what happened. For the most part we were hovering around 5th-8th but with the league closely situated with points. Then as the season drew to a close we put a spurt in and closed the gap to Santos, but never enough to worry them as they would clinch the title with 2 spare. 2nd gives us a ticket into the Libertadores which is our main focus next year after missing out in our 2 previous attempts. Copa do Brasil - Quarter Final Once again we fall at the last 8 as a simple cup run saw us draw the cup holders Vitoria. A 1-1 draw at home left us with work to do and in the end it would be too much as we looked out of sorts in the return, losing 4-1 and watching on as Vitoria would clinch a 2nd straight Copa do Brasil. Best Eleven Transfers This years transfer dealings was all about the in-comings, especially in June as although we lost Everton Ribeiro to Inter for $30m in the January, we would spend near on $90m bringing in 7 faces to push us on to claim a spot in Continental competition next year. The impact deals for us included bringing back Guiliano from Lazio, Willian the former Chelsea man from Palmeiras, Edison Flores a Chilean also from Palmeiras, Wendell a wingback from Leverkusen and a new center back in Doria from Marseille. These players instantly upgraded our squad and all for the loss of Ganso (Napoli) and Noguera (Marseille). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 2020: o segundo melhor Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final More of the same, its 7 on the spin now and again we beat Internacional with ease in the Final as they are unable to stop our run as the dominant force in the State. We did manage to score 17 in one game, breaking our record of 15, as Avenida took the lashing. Brasileirao - Runners Up Flamengo is all I have to say here, we were beaten to the major honour by the same team that had ended our Libertadores dream. In all honesty we struggled to get within touching distance of them, especially in the run-in and our main focus was ensuring a spot in the Top-4 to get back into the Libertadores next year. However with 4 games to go, we blew our chance by drawing 2 on the spin and winding up 8pts behind, even though we scored over 100 goals in the campaign. Copa do Brasil - Winners Probably our most difficult run in the Copa do Brasil and we end up claiming the trophy as 2-legged wins over Santos, Fluminense and then a 7-4 aggregate win over Corinthians in the Final gave us a major trophy once more. Copa Libertadores - Runners Up An exciting run for us as we breezed through the group stage, winning 5 from 6. We then drew Juan Aurich in the last 16, a team we faced in our group (and the only side to have beaten us). Unfortunately for them, we got back into the swing of things and cruised into the Quarter Finals 5-1. Then we met Brazilians Vitoria in the Quarters, beating them 4-1 before racking up the same scoreline against holders Newell's Old Boys to get through to our first final in over 10 years. In the Final we faced another Brazilian outfit as we paired off with Flamengo. A 2-0 loss in Rio put us on the backfoot and a scoreline we were unable to reverse as we fell short by winning just 2-1 at home and missing out on the continents top prize. Best Eleven Transfers January sales of Erik and more importantly Luis Carlos hampered our attack before the season even began, however with depth available in those positions we felt we could compete in the Gaucho and Libertadores. Then came the major European window and deals began to put their mark on the team as we had to rebuild our defense with Doria going to Atletico for $30m and more importantly Tininho, a kid from our own system who join Real Madrid for $51m upfront and another $15m due to the club in clauses. In came a clutch of Brazilians as we spent a portion of our profit adding depth to the squad; Felipe Anderson from Corinthians in a $20m deal, whilst young Robson Luis was bought in from Paranaense to be the next major piece in our back 4. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ropo Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 This is a great thread! What was the club's bank balance when you started and what is it now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 This is a great thread! What was the club's bank balance when you started and what is it now? Thanks for reading, appreciate the feedback With regards to finances this is the current situation at the club: Note that we lost $13m last year and were actually in a balance debt until this month (which can be seen) due to Club Membership income, another $15m incoming from the Tininho deal due to appearance clauses and the board actually injecting $12.75m... this is possibly due to the Presidential elections coming up and the current President hoping to remain in charge. We still have the State loan from the beginning of the game to pay off, as well as over $60m of transfer fees as I try to load as much as I can over 48 months to allow the club to run with cash in the bank. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 2021: Campeão Mundial! Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final We did it, not the conventional way, but we have now matched Internacional for 8 straight Gaucho titles as we once again battered everyone and everything in our path. 120 goals scored in 19 games, we concede just 2 and its a nice way to pad your stats whilst competing in the Libertadores! However the exciting part this year was our Final opponent, not the usual Gre-Nal affair as Caixas from Serie D managed to topple Internacional on penalties and make their way to the 2-legged Final. There was little doubt then that we would romp away with the title once more and 7 goals without response probably flattered them a little as we had bigger fish to fry. Next year is the big one, 9 in a row and we are the history makers.... Brasileirao - Runners Up The frustrating thing here is, not that we dropped 8pts from our remaining 5 games, but the fact that our poor form allowed Flamengo to overtake us and get the domestic bragging rights again. A rivalry is brewing nicely between our clubs and for 2 years on the spin we have fallen just shy in the title race. For most of the season we had actually led the table, but somehow we managed to lose to relegated Bahia and Ponte Preta in a collapse that will rankle with me for the (albeit brief) off-season break. Copa do Brasil - Semi Final I dont like Flamengo and im sure they dont like me as it seems every major honour that we contend, we have to face them to try and win it. Our failure to defend the Copa pails in comparison to what we did achieve, however losing to the Mengao is never something I want to happen again.... And yes, they did go on to complete a domestic double! Copa Libertadores - Winners Another crack at the big one and this time we blazed our way through to the Semi Finals, scoring goals in a glut, hitting 4 seven times and 5 another time as no one was able to stop our attacking machine. 6 wins from 6 in our group looked impressive, then a 9-2 romp over Independiente made people start to take more notice. River Plate were then dispatched 6-4 on aggregate as we looked insatiable.... but then the Semi Finals. 3 Brazilian teams had made it, us, Palmeiras, Flamengo (of course) and the sole Argentinian side and general surprise, Belgrano. We would draw the Argies' and although I instantly made us favourites, we got lucky in the 2nd leg at home, scraping through 3-2 over the tie and setting up a repeat of last years Final vs Flamengo. This time there would be no mistake on our part, a drab yet creditable draw at the Maracana set us up for the home game infront of a feverous Arena Gremio. This time we just had to win the tie and once Carabina scored early in the 2nd half, there would be no doubt that the Libertadores would return to Gremio for the first time since 1995. A late 2nd goal sealed the deal and our revenge on Flamengo was complete and we would top the tree on the Continent at least. FIFA World Club Cup - Winners In 1983 Gremio were top of the world in footballing terms, edging Hamburg in Tokyo to win the Intercontinental Cup. Since then the competition has been revamped and we head out to Algeria in our attempt to claim the prize. As per normal in this competition there are only 2 real contenders, us and Europeans 'Juventus. We both did our dues and made light work of the Semi Final stage to setup the expected Final. Once there it was Paul Pogba's charges that were labelled as favourites going into the tie, however we had other ideas and were soon 1-0 ahead as Anderson snuck in at the far post. We then kept it tight before adding a 2nd through goal-machine Carabina and instantly prepared ourselves for an onslaught. The final 30 minutes were fraught and frantic, but although we did let a goal slip, there was little chance of them scoring a 2nd and we would hang on to once again pitch Gremio's flag into the top of the footballing world, as Champions. Best Eleven Transfers Relatively quiet all year for a change as we add a pair in January as Argentinian defender Pirez signs from River Plate, whilst the big money went to Flamengo to prize away their main man in the middle Tabata, a deal that left a sour taste in the mouth of their club and something that would add spice to the season.... Those that left bought in enough money to cover our purchases as Willian had a change to go back to Europe and did so in a cut price deal to Lazio, whilst he was joined by Wendell who after 2 years with the club, doubled in value and allowed us to cash in on the deal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 Carabina aka Ciro Wolf... Wonderkid 82 goals in the season just gone, 66 the one before that.... unfortunately like all my stars, their heads are turned and this lad is off to England in a deal agreed with Chelsea for $65m Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbrother Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 2022: os três famoso! Campeonato Gaucho - Champions Final Records are made to be broken and thats what we did with a comfortable run to our 9th straight State Championship, as we meet up with Internacional in the Final, this time comfortably taking the trophy home 4-0 on aggregate. 10 would be a nice round figure to achieve and on the form we are in, it would take a brave man to bet against us doing so. Brasileirao -Champions For 3 years now we have come 2nd best in the league, the past 2 behind Flamengo and that helped generate a heated rivalry between us. This year it was our turn to come from the pack and race towards the title as Flamengo spluttered (finishing 3rd), Corinthians stuttered (coming a distant 2nd) and we galloped on with the sole focus of becoming National Champion once more. Our 5 losses all came early in the season as we were coming to terms with our Libertadores campaign, as well as another revamp of the squad. However we would seal the trophy with just 1 week remaining and after coming so close, we are back in the drivers seat once more. Copa do Brasil -Winners Our Copa heroics ensured we collected the domestic double and wrapped up our '2nd Triplo' in 9 years, as after squeezing past Corinthians in the Semi Final, we would batter Paranaense in the Final thanks to a first leg 5 goal saucing. Copa Libertadores - Quarter Final Frustration and disappointment boil into one emotion here as we take our eye of the prize by allowing Godoy Cruz to overturn a first leg deficit, by winning 3-1 on our patch. Up until that defeat we looked well on course to return to the Final. Godoy Cruz would go on to win it. Recopa Sudamericana - Runners Up Conquered by the Argies again, it does matter this Cup and we failed to make an impression on our first effort. Best Eleven Transfers The picture says more than I can put into words, a massive wholesale bunch of changes, we bought in a huge chunk of money that allowed the club to complete the training and youth facility upgrades to their maximum, and still had enough to put out a competitive team. The return of little Bernard to Brazil is a particular signing that I enjoyed completing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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