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Season 7 - Kaliakra (Kavarna), Bulgarian "B" Group

League Table - Positions

Bit of a shaky start, but we began to level out towards the end of the season. Hopefully some more squad blending will help us out.

Bulgarian Cup - Didn't expect to go any further after being drawn against an A Group side, and we really weren't far off in the end.

Transfers - Total rebuild of the squad, and I suspect we paid the price. Pleasingly, we also managed to make a small profit.

Squad - Needs a lot more work. Some of the appearances stats are a bit bugged, showing stats for the 2nd team where my young strikers couldn't stop scoring, but you can see how some relatively poor players have been putting in 15+ appearances, and they're not really making the grade.

Finances - We're not losing too much money, but it is definitely a significant sum each year. Hopefully we can turn it around with a good run next year.

Key Players

Boris Bakalov - One of the best signings I've made in a while. Not cheap at £60k, but it's nothing for a player of his quality, and especially given the requirement to field two U21 Bulgarians.

Kristiyan Terziev - Been really good at CB, a youngster who came up through the Kaliakra ranks. The other half of my U21 contingent.

Ivan Stoyanov - Now in his 5th season at Kaliakra, he's been extremely reliable so far.

Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski - Perhaps the finest name at the club, "Boz" has been terrific alongside Terziev in the centre of defence. I think we'd really miss him if anything happened.

Career Overview

Season   Team           League                         Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13  Persibo        Indonesian Premier              N/A        Indonesian Super Cup, Sacked
2013/14  Glebe North    Irish First Division           10th
2014/15  Glebe North    Irish First Division            5th        Resigned
2015/16  Persibo        Indonesian Premier              2nd        Promoted
2016/17  Persibo        Indonesian Super League         1st        Indonesian Super League
2017/18  Persibo        Indonesian Super League         1st        Indonesian Super League, Indonesian Super Cup
2018/19  Kaliakra       Bulgarian B Group               8th

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Season 8 - August Update

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Blistering start to the season with a pair of terrific results, but we came back down to earth with a bump. If we can keep this up, I genuinely think we could win the league, but it's incredibly early days. Shinlakov is only with us on loan, but it looks like he's already formed a top quality partnership up front with Balakov.

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Nice one. I'll be following your career.

Sad to see you didn't stay in Indonesia. The food is a lot better there than in Bulgaria.

Cheers :)

I'm really pleased I managed to finally get some success there, but there wasn't much going on long-term. Mind you, I'm not exactly tearing up the Bulgarian leagues!

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Season 8 - September Update

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Really irritating month, further suffering after that fantastic start. Clearly we're still a distance away from promotion. Bakalov going out injured for 8 weeks is the biggest problem we've got right now - Shinlakov has been impressive up front, but he's still nothing compared to Bakalov.

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Season 8 - November Update

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Great result in the cup against A Group opposition - they severely underestimated us in the first leg, but were still playing most of their first XI. Not the best scoring record in the league, but we're winning games which is what matters. Bakalov is almost ready to start playing again, so hopefully he'll give us the spark up front we need.

Vutov, a new free signing from A Group Litex has been very impressive, and served excellently up front in Balakov's absence.

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Season 8 - December-March Update

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Did well in the cup in December, and then fantastically since the Winter break, without a single loss. Admittedly, we need a few more wins, as the draws have prevented this run from really propelling us up the league. Shinlakov has been excellent in Balakov's absence, but we're struggling a bit with injuries at the moment.

Playing the extra cup games isn't helping the injury issues, but given that promotion this season seems so unlikely I really don't mind - making the semis is a huge achievement for a club like us. We still need to score a few more goals though, and hopefully Balakov's return will help us out, but so far he's just been injured over and over again.

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Season 8 - April Update

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Really pleased with this month - kept our form running, apart from the one loss in the league, and performed heroics to get us into the Bulgarian Cup Final. There were a heck of a lot of games compared to a typical month in Bulgaria, and the squad held out despite some very tired legs.

If we win our two games in hand, we'll have 52 points, putting us right in the running for promotion, although I think we'd be extremely lucky to actually achieve it.

Balakov is still misfiring, but the last game should have really boosted his confidence. Even if not though, Vutov and Shinlakov have been in excellent form.

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Season 8 - Kaliakra (Kavarna), Bulgarian "B" Group

League Table - Positions

I thought we'd do a bit better overall in the league, but it wound up being a very average finish. Mind you, what's that EC next to our position?

Bulgarian Cup - Well, this really was unbelievable. We had some great results against A Group teams, including Ludogorets, Neftohimik (who knocked us out last year), and then Beroe in the final. We might've needed until extra time, but we did enough and right-back Pranjic struck in the 105th minute to give us a very unlikely victory,

Transfers - Shinlakov on loan was fantastic, and Vutov and Pranjic could have long careers at the club. Petko Donev and Zdravchev also came on leaps and bounds, and went from backups to first team choices by the end of the season. To make a profit as well was really pleasing.

Squad - We're getting there now, although we do need a bit more depth, especially in defence. Most of the big wage players have gone now, apart from Stoyanov who has been at the club for such a long time I won't let him go unless I have to.

Finances - Still slowly losing money, although the cup run has plugged the gap a bit so far. Hopefully the EURO Cup will pull in a bit more cash next year, but it all depends how far we can go - I suspect not very!

Key Players

Simeon Vutov - Came in on a free, and played some brilliant stuff up top with Shinlakov, and more than made up for Balakov's absences.

Dimcho Lazarov - Really handy mifielder, with a lot of ability going forward and bags of determination - had he not been ravaged by injury, could have been a really top season.

Vasil Zdravchev - Over the course of the season, made himself first choice in midfield, and really impressed. With a bit of luck, he'll be here for a long time.

Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski - Another great year, but a long spell out with injury really cost us at times.

Vasil Shinlakov - Came in on loan, and set the league on fire with 18 goals in 29 appearances. I really hope we can get him back again, but I doubt it somehow!

Career Overview

Season   Team           League                         Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13  Persibo        Indonesian Premier              N/A        Indonesian Super Cup, Sacked
2013/14  Glebe North    Irish First Division           10th
2014/15  Glebe North    Irish First Division            5th        Resigned
2015/16  Persibo        Indonesian Premier              2nd        Promoted
2016/17  Persibo        Indonesian Super League         1st        Indonesian Super League
2017/18  Persibo        Indonesian Super League         1st        Indonesian Super League, Indonesian Super Cup
2018/19  Kaliakra       Bulgarian B Group               8th
2019/20  Kaliakra       Bulgarian B Group               8th        Bulgarian Cup

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Season 9 - July Update

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So, we started off with a loss in the Super Cup, but no complaints there - I never expected a result, and frankly losing 2-1 was a hell of a result. With nothing on offer apart from perhaps a touch of reputation, it was definitely the taking part that counted here.

In Europe, we started off against a Georgian side, Zestaponi. They've had some good runs in the past, even making the group stage, but we totally destroyed them away from home. Dynamo Kyiv presented a much bigger threat, but their presence in the Europa League tells you something important - they're not the force they once were. Over £30m of debt, and two 6th place finishes in the last 3 years. Mind you, they're still a million miles away from Kaliakra, with their best players on several times our entire wage budget.

We played some fantastic football in the home leg, the question now is: can we hold it together in Kiev?

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Season 9 - August Update

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What can I say? The away game at Kyiv was surprisingly simple, and they didn't even threaten. Against Rapid however, a totally different story. It was all over the place in the home match, and we were lucky to come out on top with goals flying in every minute.

I expected us to get stuffed in the away match, and we were clearly on the back foot, although an unlikely opener from young striker Dzhuganski gave us a great chance. Rapid overcame us though, as expected, and 2-1 up were about to go through on away goals, when Balakov popped up in the 91st to give us a last-minute reprieve, and put us through to the Group Stages.

We're up against Napoli, Gladbach and Luzern, so I think at least the first 2 places should be pretty sewn up. Mind you, we got £1.3m just for qualifying, so it's all good news!

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Season 9 - September Update

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Spartak are playing well, but the defeat was more than unexpected. Surprisingly, we managed to almost match Napoli at home, and despite chances for both sides, it ended in a draw. Back to business against Lokomotiv in the league, with Bakalov continuing his top quality start to the season, but then we struggled to put away our chances against Montana.

It's hard to know right now, very unpredictable form. I'm half-tempted to play weakened line-ups in the Europa League games to keep the players fit for the league, since it seems so unlikely that we can make the top 2 spots. At the very least, I won't be risking any unfit players.

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A bit hit and miss in the league, but amazing to see you in the group stages of the Europa League! Madness! Well done! :D

Yeah, I was really hoping to make promotion this year but we still look pretty much the same as we have done every year, despite an even better squad.

Europa League is more than making up for it though!

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Season 9 - October Update

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A couple of really disappointing performances in the league, and the inevitable hiding away to Gladbach, but what a month! Through in the Bulgarian Cup, and beating Luzern away from home... amazing. I still don't think we've got much of a chance, but there's a vague possibility of us getting through to the next stage of the Europa League as things stand.

If only we could start winning the easy games, we'd be a hell of a side :D

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Famous draw against Napoli, nice one!

I know, still can't believe this run!

Great European run continues! Bity about Monchengladbach, but it wsa hardly unexpected.

Cheers - yeah it was coming sooner or later, so no big surprise.

Amazing results in Europe! If only you would have some success in the domestic league.

Thanks. As for the domestic matches, yeah, I can't figure it out for the life of me. I'm confident that we've got the best squad in the league, but we aren't even close to showing it. I've adopted a new 4-1-2-1-2 tactic, as I was wondering whether my 4-1-3-2 was too conservative and preventing us from taking the game to opponents. Not sure it's done the trick, but the team still need a bit more time to settle with it. Beyond that, I really don't have a clue.

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Season 9 - November-February Update

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Quite a big update this time, primarily because I forgot to stop :)

It was no surprise when we went out of the Europa League, although I can't deny that it was very tough losing all 3 matches by a single goal - in all of them we were good value for the draw. Even so, we probably wouldn't have made it into the next stage in any circumstances, and it would've been an absolute travesty. I'm very pleased that we did so well though, we really showed that we deserved to be there and that the qualifiers hadn't been a total fluke.

In the Bulgarian Cup, we made tough work of knocking out Botev, but just about got there, before being drawn against Lokomotiv (Plovdiv), who are absolutely flying in the league, winning all but 2 matches so far. We pretty much threw it away with an awful first leg, but came out swinging in the second away from home, winning the match 2-1 - and we were only a couple of minutes away from sealing it in normal time. With penalties however, it's always a lottery, and we've probably had the rub of the green so far, so I don't begrudge the defeat. Disappointing to go out so early given last year's heroics though.

That just leaves the league, which has been a mixed bag. I introduced a new 4-1-2-1-2 tactic late last year, and the results seem promising so far, propelling us to 7th, but we'll have to see. You'll note the 6-0 win, which I was delighted with, but when you look at the league table it becomes a bit clearer. The teams that get promoted into this league just don't have a chance - Suvorovo even have amateurs in the 1st XI. So our form is looking good, and I hope we can keep it up - only 9 points between us and that play-off spot. Mind you, there are also only 9 points separating 3rd and 13th, which shows what an open league this can be at times.

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Season 9 - March Update

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What can I say? What a bloody brilliant month! The new tactic really does seem to have turned the tables - apparently what worked at Persibo did not work at Kaliakra, and we were being far too cautious. 7 games played, 7 wins, 0 conceded, and 18 goals scored - or 2.5 per game. And of course, the big game at the end of the month against the leaders, Spartak (Varna). Lokomotiv have totally fallen to pieces, so hopefully we should be able to pick up 2nd place fairly easily and then press Spartak all the way to the finish. If we've just sparked a mini-collapse for them, all the better!

Boyadzhiev has been amongst the goals this month - he's a new signing, having joined in November after being released from an A Group side. Whenever Balakov is unavailable, I've been playing him up front, and he's been an absolute beast.

This might just be our year...

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Good luck for the run in to the end of season. Looks like it's going to be a photo finish.
Awesome progress there mate, and with the Europa games out of the way you should be able to focus solely on the league. Keep it up :)
Already a great season, now to try and go up!
Great effort in the Europa League.

Thanks chaps, really hoping we can do this season justice in the final few games but it's looking promising!

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Season 9 - April Update

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I was actually a bit frustrated about dropping points at home to Svetkavitsa, but looking at the month as a whole I really can't complain. I think the main problem is that Spartak (Varna) have been pushing us so hard that even a single point dropped would seem a travesty. On the plus side, they've just been severely weakened - halfway through the month, their standout player, a striker who had 26 goals in 22 league appearances, was signed for £625,000 by a Qatari side. They don't really have anyone of his calibre, and are looking a lot less potent in attack.

We're still not done and dusted though, with another 6 games to go, that means 18 points up for grabs - both Lokomotiv and Shumen could conceivably knock us out of the promotion spots, but one of the main highlights of the month was beating both sides, severely denting their hopes. I'm really praying we can hang onto first place, as I'm dreading a playoff with an A Group side - that could easily end in disaster. Question is, will Spartak's good form consider without their star man?

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Season 9 - Kaliakra (Kavarna), Bulgarian "B" Group

League Table - Positions

Hell yeah! After two years of total average-ness, and a few months of more average-ness, I introduced a more adventurous 4-1-2-1-2 tactic and we tore up the league, hardly letting up for a second.

Bulgarian Cup - We were unlucky to go out on penalties, but it gave us a valuable opportunity to concentrate on the league.

Europa League - Still can't believe we were even competing. Got through to the Group Stages against all the odds, and despite a humiliation against Gladbach, we generally held our own and did surprisingly well - ending up bottom was fairly inevitable though.

Transfers - Not such an impressive transfer window. Ilian Mitov came in on a free, and was good, although usually not first choice - but we paid through the nose in wages. Hristov was a total waste of £18k, which we thankfully recouped. Viktor Iliev was probably the highlight of the summer, but it took him a while to get started. We had to wait until later for the big signings - Marko Boyadzhiev, who although not first choice, could easily be, having a brilliant season up front. Francisco looks a decent prospect as well, a young Angolan AM.

Squad - Really happy with this squad, don't think we've got any particular weaknesses other than RB, where we've got a lot of potential. We'll have a lot of opportunity to improve next year though, I suspect, with a lot of cash, and an extra 2 foreigners permitted.

Finances - We're still making monthly losses, but the European money makes everything else frankly irrelevant. Projections look good too.

Key Players

Simeon Vutov - Great first full season for Vutov - like Bakalov, he scored 21 goals, albeit in 47 starts. As a partnership, their 42 goals were vital.

Viktor Iliev - Can't say he really stood out in any way, but having a defender with such versatility is fantastic. When they're putting in performances like Viktor did, it's nothing short of a delight. Great player to have.

Evgeny Vinokurov - The Ukrainian looked much stronger this year, although he's under intense pressure from Terziev. Formed a great partnership with Boz, and will gain Bulgarian nationality soon. Although he still can't speak the language.

Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski - Mr Reliable was back again - wouldn't want to go a game without him.

Boris Bakalov - Back amongst the goals this season, with 21 in 35 starts. Great partnership with Vutov.

Career Overview

Season   Team           League                         Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13  Persibo        Indonesian Premier              N/A        Indonesian Super Cup, Sacked
2013/14  Glebe North    Irish First Division           10th
2014/15  Glebe North    Irish First Division            5th        Resigned
2015/16  Persibo        Indonesian Premier              2nd        Promoted
2016/17  Persibo        Indonesian Super League         1st        Indonesian Super League
2017/18  Persibo        Indonesian Super League         1st        Indonesian Super League, Indonesian Super Cup
2018/19  Kaliakra       Bulgarian B Group               8th
2019/20  Kaliakra       Bulgarian B Group               8th        Bulgarian Cup
2020/21  Kaliakra       Bulgarian B Group               1st        Promoted

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Now to bring back European football to Kaliakra. What positions get into Europe in the top division?

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Not at all bad really, although if you don't actually qualify for the Europa League you don't get much cash. A lot may depend on who wins the cup.

Glad you found a bit of league form in the end :D Well done on promotion!
Great come back in the league and also very well done in Europe.
Congrats snooty :) - nice prediction about Varna too!
Great season there.
Great work to finally get promoted in Bulgaria, not an easy league to get out of at all! I didn't enjoy my 2 seasons in the B group.

Thanks all, really pleased to finally make it - began to wonder if it would never happen!

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Season 10 - Transfer Update

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Busy transfer window, but also an expensive one. I can't say any of the free transfers look to be inspired signings, mainly prospects for the future. I spent a huge amount on transfers, starting to flex some of that Europa League muscle.

Problem is, the players aren't actually *that* great. I really needed to reinforce in defence, so that's where I spent the cash, but my attacking players are far better, and they were typically free. I figured I could either wait for 12 months, and hope to pick up some decent players on a free, or alternatively fork out for some good defenders now, and hopefully reap the benefits. Naturally, as well, these guys are exceptionally talented, and will hopefully keep improving and if nothing else I should be able to make a profit.

Waltinho is one who i have big hopes for - he's a bit older than the other guys, but fantastic abilities for a defender, particularly heading, jumping and strength.

Paulinho is perhaps a bit more of a one for the future, and I nearly didn't bother, given the huge fee, but I needed more depth, and he's definitely got a lot of potential. Born in Brazil, but has Polish 2nd nationality somehow.

Seura is hopefully going to fill a void at RB we've had for a long time now, but it's early days yet.

Popov was more of a typical transfer - no longer needed at Cherno more, he represents a great value for money backup.

All of them are very expensive in terms of salaries as well - admittedly, I have a huge wage budget now, around £1m compared to £200k last season, but I'm very cautious of spending it.

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