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[FM13] My name is Steve Smith and i am a...... Football Manager??

rlipscombe

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2013/14

April - May 2014

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Only 4 games remained at the start of April and we needed a good start. At home long-time relegated FC Brussels were in town and if ever there was a time to win this was it. However, the poor run continued and a 1-1 draw was the rest. Thankfully the monkey was off our back away at Woluwe where we played well and grabbed the win that eased our slight relegation worries. A home defeat followed before a draw in the final game of the season away at Boussu brought down the curtain on the season and one that saw Wetteren stay up in their first Second League season..

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2013/14

End of Season Review

Table

League Graph

Squad 1 Squad 2

Finances

“So steve, how was that for your first season in Belgium, and first full season as a manager?”

“I’ve got to be honest and it’s been tough emotionally, especially since Christmas. At times I would find myself staring at the TV watching the Premier League highlights on TV at 2am on a Sunday night drowning my sorrows yearning for a return to England. It’s been lonely but finally I feel like I have settled and I am starting to believe in myself as a manager.”

“Are you happy with your final position?”

“Well I am proud to have stayed up but I am a little disappointed after the start we made. Still it was our first season at the level so we have to be happy to have a second crack at it.”

“Any players shine out for you?”

Our centre back pairing of Steven Old and Frederick Declercq were outstanding. Despite the defeats they were consistent at the back and both weighed in with goals. At the other end the young kid from Lierse Jason Adesanya scored 8 goals and was top scorer. The kid looks like he could be a decent player and a future international for Nigeria and was the pick of our attacking players.”

“And what about the summer? Have you got any plans?” I ask

“Well I am going to weigh up my options I think. Might go home for a couple of weeks and see how I feel about another season at Wetteren.”

“But didn’t you sign a two-year deal?”

“I did but ultimately I have got to decide whether another year is good for my career. Would I be better off moving on?”

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren had a rollercoaster first season in the Belgian Second League and rookie English manager Steve Smith looked to struggle at times but ultimately Wetteren managed to avoid relegation and will look to push on next season. Rumours havecirculated in recent weeks that Smith may be hankering after a return to England but in an exclusive interview he puts those doubters in their place.

SFM "Are you looking to move home this summer Steve?"

SS "No, not at all. I signed a two-year deal when i joined Wetteren and i fully intend to honour that."

SFM "But do you miss home?"

SS "Of course there are things i miss. My parents live there as do a lot of my friends, but i have met a Belgian woman and i am happy here. For starters the lager isn't bad so what more do you need?"

SFM "Of course! So, what are your plans for the summer?"

SS "Well i am fairly happy with the squad we had last season. i have spoken to the chariman and the wage budget is similar to last season so i hope to keep the key players. obviously there are a few that may have to leave in order to bring in new talent, but we are working hard on this. We have some deals completed already which i am excited about so hopefully we'll be a stronger team this season."

SFM "Some accused you of having too many loanees last season. Would you agree with this?"

SS "Well when money is tight you have to explore all your options. Did we have too many? Maybe. But without them we would have been a poorer team. i make no excuses for that."

SFM "So can we expect more of the same?"

SS "To a degree yes, although i'd like to rely on them less this season."

SFM "Any players we should look out for?"

SS "You'll have to wait until the official team presentation day."

Steve spoke at length of his enjoyment of Belgian life and his hopes for the season. He's ultimately a likeable character. Whether he'll ultimately be successful only time will tell.

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rlipscombe

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As the pre-season results above show, it was a successful pre-season the first result against Anderlecht aside. In that game we led and were still in the game until late on and the result flattered them a little. Four successive wins against lesser opposition away from home followed, and despite not always scoring many four clean sheets was pleasing. We then beat PSG reserves at home 2-0 - yes it was the reserves but they still had some decent players in the team so another pleasing result. our final friendly was at home against Dutch top division side De Graafschap. As the above shows it was a late show to win it but win it nonetheless we did and to see the fighting spirit was pleasing to see.

Whilst this is pre-season i am happy overall with how it went. i will do a team presentation for the 2014-15 season soon as well as an update for August and September as i am now in late October. Things going ok so far and no regrets about Smithy staying at the club...

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second League - Season 2014/15

Team Presentation Day

The sun was shining in Wetteren. It was the middle of August and the grass was shining on the pitch. The squad were in the middle of their annual open day for their loyal fans - a chance for them to see the new players up clos for the first time. Steve was stood on the middle of the pitch directing his players. Twelve months ago he had stood out as a man uncomfortable in the centre of the spotlight. Today he looked at ease.

Later that afternoon the world's football media (well 5 journalists, who were all Belgian) sat around Steve as he discussed the new season.

"So Steve, tell us about your new signings"

"Well i am delighted to be able to unveil our new players to you. First up we have a player returning to Wetteren. Renan Felipe

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"Renan was out of contract at Oudenaarde and i was delighted to bring him back to the club. He brings further strength to our defence and i am sure he will push hard for a starting place. Next up we have Cedric Guiro."

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"Cedric joins on a free from Roeselaare and will compete for our DM position. i have watched Cedric for a while and i feel he can contribute in the coming season. Up next we have Czech midfielder Milan Jirasek. I feel central midfield is a vulnerable position in our team and Milan has the ability to be a real star for us. He has played for the Czech U21s and has decent technique and creativity. Hopefully he can do well."

"Lastly we have two youngsters - Jakub Spiriak and Daniel Gomez."

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"Both players are young raw but have good potential"

"Tell me about Daniel. Where did you discover him?" asked one of the assembled journalists

"i was given a call by an agent offering around Daniel. i looked him up on Youtube and thought he had potential, so i took a gamble and paid £500 for him. He has looked ecent in pre-season and he might well be in contention for the first team this season."

"So what are your hopes for the coming season?"

"Well we have to be realistic and rule out a title challenge. We are a team that narrowly avoided relegation last time so realistically any improvement will be a sign of success. With a bit of luck we might make a push for mid-table or even the top half. Either way it's going to be an intersting season."

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2014/15

August - September 2014

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As the results above show, it has been a pretty decent start to the season! Despite our usual early season exit from the cup we are 5-0-1 after the first six league games. Our pre-season form seems to have been maintained for now and we seem to be scoring - a problem we had at times last season. The defeat by Vise aside, i am delighted with the start and although we haven't played any of the top teams yet i have to be happy with the table at the end of September...

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2014/15

October - November 2014

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October was another good month with a further 3 wins from 4. Losing 1-0 away at Zulte Warengem who are a big club in this division was nothing to be unhappy with. Come November we lost only once again but a few draws are starting to creep in. the goals are beginning to dry up a little and we can't seem to finish teams off at this moment. this sis slightly worrying but we are still going well. i forgot to do a screenshot of the table but we are still top of the tble at the end of November by a couple of points.

We also got the following message in October:

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Not entirely sure what it meant at this stage as no one else seems to have qualified on the league table but i guess all will become clear in time....

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2014/15

December - January 2015

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December started with a poor defeat at home to Tubize. Thankfully we regrouped with back to back wins at home to Mechelen and then a comprehensive away win at Dessel. That sent us into he Christmas break in good form. Unfortunately we started 2015 slowly with two league draws which sandwiched a friendly against Genk. Thankfully we bounced back at the end of the month with a 2-1 win at home to Vise. The game was one of a few where Daniel Gomez shone and he scored two great goals confirming his huge potential.

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As the table shows we end January in second place, with STVV eeking out a small gap on us now. we need to find our winning ways again soon if we are to keep in touch with them at the top.

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2014/15

February - March 2015

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February started with back to back wins against Union SG and oostende with Diouck on top form. A disappointing defeat to Aalst followed before we got a decent draw at home to Zulte Warengem, with Daniel Gomez popping up with the goal. February ended with a narrow win at Antwerp before a solid home win against WS Woluwe kicked off March.

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As the table shows we are still very much in the title hunt, sitting three points behind STVV. With five games to go it is all getting tight at the top.

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rlipscombe

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2014/15

April - May 2015

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April started with a credible 0-0 away draw at STVV although it didn't help us close the gap on the league leaders. A solid home win followed before a blow was dealt with a defeat away at Cercle Brugge. This was followed by another missed opportunity as we drew 0-0 against Dender. The final league game of the season saw us thrash Tubize 6-2 away with Diouck the star of the show with 4 goals. As a result the season ended with the league table as follows:

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As a result we miss out on the league title but we still have a chance of making the Pro League by entering into the Relegation Playoff.

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second Division - 2014/15

Pro League Relegation Playoffs

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The playoffs saw three teams from the Second League compete with Waasland-Beveren for a spot in the Pro League. A slightly fourtunate away draw against bogey team Zulte Waregem was followed by what seemed to be a good point at home against Beveren. A solid home win against Antwerp followed before a potentially fatal blow was next when we lost at home to Zulte Waregem. This meant that Zulte were 5 points ahead of us in the table and our promotion hopes were in tatters. A win away at Beveren gave us hope as Waregem lost which gave us the slightest chance of promotion as they were 2 points ahead going into the final game. We went to Antwerp and won and as the the final whistle went news came through that Zulte Waregem had drawn, tieing us at the top of the table.

The draw meant that we went into a playoff against Zulte Waregem. We hadn't won against them for 5 matches and after battling away we fell to a narrow defeat which consigned us to another season in the Second League.

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Standaard Wetteren

Belgian Second League 2014/15

Season Review

Table

Squad 1

Squad 2

Transfers

So after last years’10th place finish we went much better this time finishing in 2nd place, missing out on promotion in the play-off against Zulte Waregam after we tied at the top of the Pro League Relegation Play-offs. Overall the season has to be seen as a success but it is disappointing to miss out on promotion the way we did. Smith was also named Manager of the Year for his exploits in guiding the club to second in the league.

Top 5 Players

  1. Oumar Diouck - Oumar was a star this season and finished as the Second League Top Goalscorer. Had a great season, he could be vital if Wetteren are to achieve promotion next season.
  2. Frederick Declercq - Frederick had another great season at the heart of the defence and formed a formidable partnership with…
  3. Renan Felipe - The newcomer was a start at the back and was a key element in our fine form.
  4. Daniel Gomez - I had highhopes for Gomez but I never expected him to be a key player for us. Was first choice on the left flank.
  5. Anice Badri - Anice struggled last season but he found his form this season and starred for us on the right flank.

In terms of finances things are not good. We are losing £100k plus a month and only our chairman is keeping the club in some form of state. Heaven help us if he decides to stop investing in the club.

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