Journeyman save round South America (Clan Juvenil - Boca Juniors De Cali - Goias - Flamengo - Velez Sarsfield) FM 22

[argento]

Decided to do a journeyman save round South America with the idea ending up at my ideal job Boca Juniors.

To make it a bit more interesting for myself I've downloaded Bolivian, Ecuadorian and Paraguayan leagues to hopefully encourage myself to move on.

Decided to start the game in May 2021, It was mid season in most of the leagues and it gave me a few options to open with a challenge.

 

 

Ecuadorian 2nd division it is and my first games a cup tie against the biggest side in the Country.

It appears that Club Deportivo Clan Juvenil, Imbabura and Loja all have been playing with no players the whole time. with Juvenil clearly coming off worse.

Good news is it means I have a full £4,000 a week wage budget to bring in players.

Bad News no one wants to join a team that's lost 25 league games and scored 3 goals all campaign.

If we recruit better than the other two sides we stay up and then I can try and patch them up properly next season

 

 

After a few weeks of chasing my tail I believe I've found the man to keep us up.  He eats up a lot of my wage budget but at this point I'll take anyone whose going to be willing to join us

 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by argento

[argento]

Main thing was build a side that could beat the drop.  I assumed the other clubs lacking players would recruit as well when the transfer window opened and so I acted quickly.  Thankfully they're all on 6-18 month deals so the ones that aren't good enough won't be around too long. 

 

 

Managed to raid a few top sides under 20's sides for loans to bolster the squad. Ronny Alvaro from Liga de Quito probably the stand out.

Speaking of Liga de Quito it was straight into the lions den for us, thankfully they put out a terrible side and missed a penalty so we came away with a credible 1-1 draw.  Maybe this will be easy and we aren't as bad as I think?  Time will tell.  The bonus of playing a big side in the return was a 6.000 gate and a welcome boost to the finances. In the return we were 4-0 down at half time and I realized we are indeed terrible and this is with a new and improved side.  Thankfully they let off the gas and we pulled off a credible 5-3 defeat.

Goals haven't been a problem for my new look attack but defensively we are disgraceful

We got battered by Indepediente with consolation goals making it seem little more respectable, a solid draw in Guayquil followed by back to back wins. Orense being top of the league has given me a bit more hope.

Loja and Imbabura have failed to pick up a point so far, so it looks like they haven't had as much luck as I have in the transfer window.

Operation finish 10th is well on track.  We have to play Loja once more and Imbabura twice.  Those are the big ones!

[argento]

 

I think I got a bit ahead of myself, things have got a bit tougher.  The 8-3 defeat was a hard one to swallow as we were winning at one point.  I think I was more annoyed so by the belligerence of Edwin Rodriguez, to put the fine into context was his 3rd red card in his 4 games since he joined.  Hardly an overreaction on my part I feel!

 

We had to work harder than I thought against Imbabura who faded poorly in the final thirty.  Liga de Loja also put up a good fight.  We then only managed 1 point in our next 3 games.  

 

 

So we are out of the relegation zone but Loha do have a game in hand and have actually picked up some points as well.  Could run to the wire, 7 games to go.  

 

 

 

 

 

[argento]

 

 

The wheels started to fall off a little when Liga de Quito started to recall their loan players after I failed to play them in the right position, normally you'd get a warning but they yanked 4 players from me straight away.  

Still we picked up 6 points so we are keeping ourselves out of water.  Loja are also fighting harder picking up 5 points themselves

We have Imbabura last day of the season so that on paper should be 3 points.

 

 

 

 

 

[argento]

 

Great end to the season as we secured our survival with back to back wins.

29 points was a better haul than I expected and until the last few days Loja did at least push us a bit

Juan Guayasamin was the hero with 21 league goals and i have extended his contract for another 12 months.

I genuinely believe if we sign the right players we can go up next season. Hopefully a promotion could lead to other job opportunities as there's not a lot to stay around for at the moment.  Recruiting staff is still a nightmare.  I have managed to get a coach and a scout now so that should help.  No one wants to be my assistant.

 

 

[argento]

So with survival guaranteed I was able to keep most of the side I wanted to and was able to build a stronger side.  Ronny Alvaro returns on loan this time I managed to get them to agree to the position I wanted, also Ignacio Valdivieso who was on loan briefly as another goalie option becomes my number 1 after being released by his club.

 

 

So here is a few profiles of who I expect to be key men moving forwards

Young quick striker, quite tall at 6'2" and should be a handful in this league

Brazilian right back released by Inter Minas, looks far too good for this level

Veteran Chilean playmaker, at his age I don't expect him to play 90mins but should still be a handful

Easily my strongest midfielder, the fact he can deputise as a left winger also helps as depth there is not something I am blessed with

 

[argento]

 

After the first two games I was a bit worried, but thankfully we soon turned the corner and have won 7 out of our 11 games so far.  No surprises to see Guayasamin leading the line and in double figures already, he's already stated he is leaving in a bosman end of the season.  I could've got up to £10,000 for him but thought for that money I'd rather get his goals to seal promotion.  Matthias Solis proving to be a handful on loan from Liga de Quito and I would love to sign him permanently but I can't see that happening

 

We currently sit 2nd but the 3 teams below have a game in hand so it could be even tighter.  As long as we are in the hunt we will be fine, it is a long season with 44 games so just keep grinding them out.  Unibolivar nearly as bad as we were when I took over the promoted side managing just 2 draws so far.

 

After 

 

[argento]

 

April was a great month as we managed 6 wins out of 8, only losing tight away games to other promotion challengers.  

Massive win in 1st leg of the Cup and good to see us ending the month with a big win against whipping boys Unibolivar with Solis bagging another hatrick.  Disappointed that we conceded two though.

 

Still very tight between the top 3, great to be top its just whether we can maintain it with Portoviejo and Guayaquil having games in hand.  Still not even at the half way point so plenty of points to play for,

 

[argento]

We dropped a few points this update annoyingly. Atl Santo Domingo and Portoviejo are understandable as decent sides pushing for promotion but losing to the recently promoted Loja was a hard pill to swallow.

Looks like we’re crashing out of the cup again at the third round as we were paired with a bigger first division side. 
 

Head into the break now and Argentine midfielder Capellino is heading back to Argentina having accepted an offer to join a second tier side end of his contract, I then offered him now to them for £10,000 and they took it. He’s not been as good as i hoped and we are stacked in the middle of the park. 

Guayasamin who previously announced he would leave on a bosman and has accepted an offer to join  first division side 9 de Octobre FC. Hopefully his goals can fire us to promotion before he leaves.

Very tight at the top of the table with only 6 points separating the top 5. Plenty of football still be played and I’m confident we can still get some promoted this year.
I haven’t got to worry about Independiente Jnrs though as they are ineligible for promotion as they’re like the reserve side of first division outfit Independiente del Valle. 

 

 

 

 

[argento]

 

 

For some reason I forgot about July's fixtures we managed 7/12 points in the league and crashed out of the Cup as expected, this time losing the second leg 5-2.  

August was a great month picking up three wins although Libertad Loja pushed us far closer than they had any right to.

September saw us beat rivals Santo Domingo but we lost again to Portoviejo.

With 7 games to go its now become a four horse race with Independiente Jnrs dropping off the pace. With just 3 points separating the top four it will no doubt go to the wire.

 

It's only taken ten months but finally got an assistant 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by argento

[argento]

Here we go they are finally taking notice.  Independiente Jnrs senior side offered me an interview and I gladly accepted be a chance to go with one of the bigger sides in Ecuador and a professional outfit as well.  The only stumbling block I can potentially foresee is that I said I don't want to take the role till the end of the season.  With just 7 games left to go I'd like to see this campaign through and try and win my first of what I hope will be many titles.

40 year old Chilean playmaker Espinosa has also announced his impending retirement, I didn't think he'd hang around too long he's bagged a few goals and has 11 assists so replacing him will be a priority as well as a striker to replace Guayasamin who joins 9 de Octobre in a few months time

 

 

[argento]

 

Hell of a campaign and my first title.  We had a few wobbles early on but we were on top form at the end picking up 19/21 points and winning the title by 3 points.  Credit to Portoviejo they pushed us all the way, Guayaquil SC looked like they were gonnas do it at one point but they faded badly picking up only 8 points in their last 7.

 

Good to see Espinosa signing off his career with a goal and likewise Guayasamin scored one on his last game before his move, no doubt about it his 55 goals in 57 games was the driving force behind our successes.

 

 

 

 

 

[argento]

Was starting to get too many feelings for Clan Juvenil and I wanted to move around before I ended up staying there all my career.  So I decided to apply for a few jobs and managed to bag an interview

It was my ambition to end up at Boca but for a shortcut Boca Juniors de Cali could be a good move for me.  Its still 2nd division so potentially a step down but I feel the Colombian league may be of better quality and this side is professional (albeit in a mountain of debt).

They finished 13th out of 16th and their ambition is top half.  Looking at the side I think I can make that happen

Quite a big step up in reputation but I'm confident it's a good move for me.

 

Certainly a lot bigger wage bill than I'm used to.  Lot of players contracts expiring including a 37 year old winger on £3k a week which will help me utilize this to try and upgrade the squad in the positions I need.

[argento]

 

18 players left pretty much as I arrived so I went straight to work on recruitment,  Due to all the releases I was way under my wage budget and managed to sign a couple of players for small transfer fees.

 

 

What I didn't realise was that you was only allowed 4 Non-Colombian players in the squad.  I filled them pretty quickly with the following

Now one name you may recognize is Ronny Alvaro who I had on loan twice at Juvenil, his contract expired and when I compared him to what I had at the club it was a no brainer to sign him.

 

Bruno I feel is an absolute steal, £2,900 transfer fee but a regular last season for Chapecoense in Serie B last season.  Should be plenty good enough at this level

 

Another Brazilian who although primarily is a striker with my lack of back up for wingers he could well feature there frequently.  Scouts rated him very highly so hopefully could be one we might be able to sell on later to help with the clubs debt problem

 

Next up I was lacking widemen and Tortoloero could play on either flank.  

[argento]

So having looked into it the league is set into a two stages where you play each side once.  At the end of each stage the top 8 go into a play off to determine the winner.

The  board are hoping we make the play offs and the media think we have a shot.  Last year they managed a highest finish of 11th and finished 13th overall

 

So we got our youth intake and I am kind of regretting spending £2,600 a week on Tortolero as we just got a hell of a winger come through. I managed to get him to sign a 1 year deal, option to extend by 1 year and also a 1 year extension if we get promoted. Just trying to tie him down long enough to develop into a talent I can sell on for a fair bit of cash

 

Update coming soon, but i'll show you this a goal on debut!  He now hold record for youngest player to debut and score.  Very happy.

 

 

 

[argento]

 

A strong start with 4 wins and we remain unbeaten.  No one has really stood out just blended well as a squad.  Jhon Pajero looks like the best prospect up front and at just 18 hoping he's got a bit of growth still in him.

We've got the same amount of points my predecessor had after 14 games so we're making progress.  

 

[argento]

 

We remain unbeaten so far although it did take a last gasp equalizer from Palomeque against Real Cartagena.  We also move into the 2nd round of the cup against Real Santander and our reward is a 2nd round tie against Valledupar.

Down to 2nd in the league but considering the expectations. 5 games left in the Apertura and we still have to play Bogota the current league leaders

 

[argento]

 

April was a massive month for us, beating Barranquilla and Bogota see us rise to the top of the table on goal scored as Quindio and ourselves are tied not only on points but goal difference as well.

We move into the 3rd round of the cup were we take on Leones from the 1st divison.

So with one game left to play the top spot can be coveted by any of the top 3 and we have the toughest challenge as we take on 4th place Union Magdalena

 

 

 

 

[argento]

A 4-0 win sees us qualify for the next stage as top of the table not that we have won anything yet

The top 8 is split into two groups, play each time in your group home and away and then the winners of each play a two legged final to determine the victor in the Apertura.  Seems a bit much but we move forward

 

In other news the debt has been wiped. We are now 800k in the black.  Boca Juniors Cali are on the rise

[argento]

 

We romped through the semi final stage only a 2-2 draw with Real Cartagena stopping us from picking up maximum points

Union Magdelena are the other team in the final, we beat 4-1 in the regular season provided the upset in the other group as Quindio who only lost out on goal difference to top spot lost two games.

 

Champions, a 3-1 win in the home leg and then a tough 1-1 draw in the 2nd leg to secure my 2nd title.

 

I had a little look at my old club Clan Juvenil, they're rock bottom of the Ecuadorian league with just one win.  Back to obscurity they go. 

 

 

[argento]

In the mid season break I signed a few players

Delgado will provide good competition with Cortes for the left back spot, 

I'm very excited about Higuita, versatile and with that high determination he should hopefully have a good chance of reaching his potential, added contract extension if promoted and a year optional contract extension

 

Vasquez signs from lower league club Sole de Oriente for up to £25,000 with the clauses, he scored 11 in 16 for his old side bit of a step up but could be a threat off the bench, plenty of time for him to progress.

 

 

Now onto the league

Lost a few league games now but now I know I only need a top 8 finish I am rotating more and trying to develop some of the younger lads, we got past Leones in the cup (who are actually in my league not 1st division as I first said) we got Bogota big boys Millionarios in the 4th round, we lost 3-0 at their place in the first leg so it looks like our cup run is over

 

[argento]

 

 

So we end up finishing 2nd this time round despite 4 defeats, not that it matters as we just go into the next stage

We managed to hold Millonarios to a 1-1 draw at home so makes me hopeful we will be ok with the step up next season

Missed a few players towards the end as 4 of our players called up for the Pan American games.  Thankfully they will be back for the next stage

Biggest shock in the league I guess was Quindio who finished 10th after finishing on same amount of points as us in the Apertura

 

 

I feel like we got the tougher group here but I reckon we can still do the double!

 

 

 

[argento]

We cruised into the final winning 5 out of our 6 games, setting up an unlikely final with Orsomarso who finished the regular season 5th

Real Cartagena who topped the final stage could only muster 3rd spot in the other group

 

 

 

[argento]

First leg didn't go to plan, Tortolero consolation goal late on keeps things interesting in the second leg.  The mountain to climb has just been halved

 

A 1st minute goal helped us on our way and Montano picked up a brace on our way to romp to victory.  Second half goals from Daniel and Pajaro gave us a two goal cushion as we confirm our promotion to 

 

2 seasons, 2 clubs. 2 promotions

 

Now I did think about quitting and looking for a new job but there wasn't much about that interested me.  I'll keep an eye on the job board but for now I want to see how we fare in the top division

[argento]

 

To be honest it couldn't of been anyone else could it.

 

Couple of good prospects from this years intake

 

 

Couple of new signings

With Escobar leaving on a free and Mosquera going back to his parent club it left me with just one right back at the club, Moreno comes in to provide competition

 

Now we already have 4 foreign players but because Ronny Avalos is under 21 I do not have to register him yet so to circumvent that I signed Rodriguez here on a free from Bolivar. I can only start 3 foreign players at a time but he's only going to start if Cossenday or Avalos aren't fit so it wouldn't be a problem.

 

Finally for pre-season here is the current odds

15th I think we can do better than that, I'll be pushing for the top 8 and a play off berth

 

[argento]

 

I don't fully understand the league system. We played 20 games in the Apertura with us playing America de Cali twice.  It turned out a good move for us as we reuglalr yonly get 3-4,000 fans at a game but for the Cali derby we had 34,000 (all away fans) and earned £140k on the gate.  A few more of them and that will sort out our finances

 

We coped with the step up finishing 2nd comfortably from Millonairos, Santa Fe worthy winners as they romped to top spot.

Real Cartagena who also got promoted with us had a good showing finishing just 5 points out of the play offs.

 

So into the play offs we go, think we got the toughest group. Think I'm more excited about another home game against America de Cali to help with out finances.

 

 

[argento]

Forgot to post this as well

Two second division sides in the cup and we got past them both, Aguilas Pereira in the third round who I'm confident we can get past as well.

 

Now with the finances looking a bit grim and a few players not wanting to sign new contracts the following have now left

Bruno Cosendey goes to Barcelona SC in Ecuador for £140,000.  Not bad profit on someone signed for £3,000. 

Edson Tortolero moves to Bolivia with Jorge Wistermann for £40,000.  With the emergence of William Castellanos who is now my first choice right winger and another prospect Pedro Sanchez coming through I decided to cash in.

Fabio Delgado also refused to resign so left at the end of his contract.  These three departing trim £5,500 a week off the wage bill.

I am back to just 3 foreign players now,  Am only going to sign a fourth if I feel they're unmissable

 

Despite two defeats to America de Cali we managed to steal top spot on goal difference. 

 

 

[argento]

 

Lost both games, the best team won.  No denying that.  Lets hope we can go one better in the next part

 

A welcome boost to the finances!

 

 

 

Interesting option, the rich neighbours have come knocking!

 

[argento]

I didn't get the America Cali job so I wanted to make sure they regretted it,

I've made my first cup final where we meet Deportes Tolima.

 

We smashed the league winning 16/20 of our league games.  Confidence at an all time high going into the next stage

 

Independiente Santa Fe won the first stage were looking like they  but managed to win 4/5 of their last games to end up 5th in the regular season.  Looks like we got drawn a hell of a group again.  Missing out on bumper gate with America de Cali was gutting.  The club is hemorrhaging money and we're deep in the red again.  We need that £500k we got for getting to the final in the Apertura more than ever

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by argento

[argento]

 

Well that didn’t go according to plan. We had 2 men sent off in first game a 4-0 loss to Junior and we were playing catch up ever since. We had to beat Santa Fe in the last game to qualify but could only muster a 1-1 draw.

Once Caldas took the spoils in the final. So the team that finished 8th ended up winning the league. Fumed me.

 

Now this is a record I didn’t want to own 

Least we managed to win the Cup! Just a shame there’s no prize money as we’re over half a million in debt and rising 

 

 

[argento]

So by having a top 4 finish overall we have a spot in the Copa Libertadores, well we get a chance at qualifying in the 2nd qualifying round we get some Venezuelan side I haven't heard of

If we get past them the winner meets Argentine side Racing Club who are a lot bigger club than us

Have no fear though as we have done the unthinkable as we destroyed Racing 8-0 in the second leg to qualify with ease.

Not only that but we have done a good job at repairing our finances as we managed to get just over £700k for getting past these two qualifying rounds

 

Here is the group stage , I can't see us qualifying but we got a chance of picking up some points.

Transfer wise a few players left when their contract expired but I did get £225,000 for Cabrera my right back after I signed this guy on a free

 

With Hernandez leaving on a free I was down to just 2 foreign players so it seemed a no-brainer to bring in Pizarro in on a free

 

I also needed another centre half so again with no money I signed this guy on a free

 

[argento]

 

 

We started a bit sluggish in the league, I am putting it down to the extra games being involved in the Libertadores as well and having a very small and young side.  At least 5 of my starting 11 are under 25.

Pajero and Daniel formed a hell of a partnership plundering 32 goals between them. Castellanos has had a hell of a season too, he managed 23 assists last season and he's on 16 already.

La Equidad was the surprise package and Real Cartagena caused a stir sneaking into the semi final stage on the last game of the season.

 

Once again I felt we got the toughest group.  Both Independiente Santa Fe and Once Caldas won a stage last season and both in my group.

 

Now onto the Copa Libertadores

We lost a narrow game to Gremio and held Lanus to a draw so I thought here we go, if we do well in our other games we might sneak 2nd.  Both games against Barcelona SC were tough but 6 points put us into 2nd.  Lanus away we needed a draw but somehow blitzed them 7-1.  Palomeque my centre half grabbing a hatrick!  With qualification already sealed we got revenge on Gremio to top the group!

3/4 of the Colombian sides progressed only Once Caldas dropping out.  Independiente Santa Fe won all 6 of their games and America de Cali going through as runner ups to current champs River Plate

 

So we go into the 2nd round seeded and we got a massive draw, considering I said I wanted to end up at Boca Juniors and now I am playing them,  Hopefully they like what they see!

We would've had an easier draw as runner ups as Gremio ended up getting Paraguayan side Olimpia.

 

[argento]

We done it!  Beat La Equidad in the final 9-4 on aggregate.  William Castellanos the youth team graduate from my first intake here getting a brace in the second leg.

Was deserved final as we both finished top of the semi final stage with 16 points a piece and was 1st and 2nd in the regular season

Big money!  This will definitely help us.

Castellanos on the NxGn list at 38! He's started gaining attention from European clubs, he has a £4.2M minimum release in his contract.  I don't want to lose him but that money would set us for a few years

 

Daniel has gone back to Brazil.  His contract expired next year and his head was turned by the interest so had no interest in renewing. It;s a shame as he netted 29 in 31 league games this season.  The money was good everyone else wasn't prepared to pay more than £1.2M.  Hopefully the 30% sell on clause bears fruit

Previously at Deportivo Cali, signed on a free as replacement for Daniel.

 

We are down to just 2 foreign players currently regustered, we go have a 3rd at the club we have a young Peruvian striker out on loan but I will look to add another iif we can keep our bank balance in the black.

 

[argento]

So we crashed out of the cup the first round we entered against a struggling Nacional side. Also a 7-3 thrashing in Buenos Aires meant we were in for a struggle to qualify for the quarter finals, we did have an entertaining 5-5 draw at home but the fact we can't defend meant we were done.

 

The top 4 in this stage all had more points than La Equidad when they topped the Apertura earlier in the year. 

Good to see Barranquilla and Real Cartagena doing well which shows how there's not a huge difference between the 2 leagues.

 

So the groups are in, going to be a straight shoot out between us and Santa Fe I feel.  Would've rather had the pay day against America de Cali though

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by argento

[argento]

As you can see in the previous post, we beat Once Caldas to the Superliga so another trophy to add to the cabinet.

 

Wow just wow, done the double over Santa Fe.  Meant I could rest players against Barranquilla and Bucaramanga as I knew we had qualified.

Wasn't expecting Millonarios but they clearly hit form at the right time. I'm just gutted as ever to miss out on the America de Cali pay day!

 

In other news the Copa Libertadores came to a close and it was a hell of a run by Santa Fe, all the way to the final!

 

Good to see Pajero win golden boot (I assume this includes the qualifying though)

 

 

[argento]

 

A late penalty after Cortes got sent off gave Millonarios the advantage.

The league is ours!

Another personal award

Now the big dilemma is do I stay or go? I feel like I've taken this club as far as I can unless I commit long term to eventually win the Libertadores but I wanted to try some different leagues.

There's a few jobs available so we shall see what happens next

 

[argento]

So we move to Brazil.  I could've gone for a top division side in Paraguay or Ecuador but the jobs didn't interest me.  So they may be in Serie B but they are tipped for promotion and my wage bill from Cali has tripled. I definitely think I can win promotion as there's no play offs just need a top 4 finish as far as I can see

 

Before we get there though its the state championship, we are the reigning champs so there is a bit of pressure.  Atletico Goianiense play in Serie A so I would make them favourites. I have been tasked with getting to the final/

 

Athletico Paranaense clear favourites having just been relegated from Serie A.  

 

[argento]

Very busy transfer window, I had to sell to generate funds and managed to get some of the more expensive players off the wage bill.  

I'm allowed 5 foreign players in the match squad so I cleared out most of them to make room for the players I wanted to bring in

William Castellanos is signed from my old club if only to sell on for profit later.  

Here is some of the new recruits

Cost his £300k release fee, I'll play hos as an advanced playmaker at centre midfield. Already capped 3 times by Bolivia.  Was on my radar at Boca de Cali

Great young player who cost his release at £625,000.  He scored 14 goals in the Paraguayan league last season so I am hoping he can replicate the form here.  Scouts think he could become a leading Serie A player

Can play on the wing or up front, Think he played against a few of my youngsters at U'23 level or something but I was tracking him and a right back from Ghana. both from Heart of Oak.  If I signed on contract I was ordered to pay 625k so I negotiated £80.000.  Was going to sign him for Boca de Cali.  

Signed on a free from Vasco only clause was a 30% sell on for them.  Looks more than capable and someone I should be able to make decent profit on even with the clause mentioned earlier.

 

[argento]

Started life with a 2-1 defeat but as you can see there’s a few minnows in the state championship as I managed not 1 but 2 14-0 wins. 

We progressed in the cup. Playing a weakened starting 11 nearly caught me out but the Serie D side faded quickly in the 2nd half. We then took on Serie A side America Mineiro and scraped through on penalties. 
 

As you can see we cruised to the state final where we meet our friends Atletico Goianiense, so I don’t expect to win but just hope to keep it respectable over two legs

We drew 1-1 in the first leg so we still had some hope but it wasn’t meant to be.

 

Now it’s time to have a crack at Serie B and promotion!

[argento]

 

A strong start to Serie B sees us joint top, Got to admit I’m loving Thonny Anderson the guy can play anywhere from Left back, all across the midfield and up top. Glad I kept hold of him 

Bahia are only defeat and they’re unbeaten so far they just need to kill games off more, Athletico Paranense who were the favourites are struggling so far.

Operation promotion well on track 

 

 

[argento]

 

We progressed in the Cup as beat Serie C side ABC over two legs, our reward is to take on Gremio.  They're currently 2nd in Serie A so I doubt we go much further

Sherif Adowa and Matias Diaz are forming quite the partnership, Thonny Anderson continues to be the hero though regularly plugging a gap with his versatility.

We have created a decent gap at the top already thanks to Bahia not being able to see games off.  

 

 

We do have a problem though, William Castellanos was one of best players at Boca Juniors de Cali and so it was a no brainer to bring him with me.  However he hasn't adapted well to Brazil, The amount of times I've fined him I think he is practically playing for free (when he does turn up). Sadly I can't sell him yet but if a club offers me any type of profit on him I will take the offer.  Such a shame as he caused me no aggro whatsoever in the 3 years i managed him in Colombia

I

 

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The cup run sadly came to an end, we actually got to the last eight which I’m really proud of. Forgot we topped Atletico Mineiro in both legs in the fourth round.

Bahia had been closing the gap but they finally lost a game to give us an 8 point cushion. We are well clear of 5th so promotion although not a foregone conclusion is going to be hard to mess up from here.

William Castellanos behaviour has improved and he’s scored 3 goals in last few months would be a lot more if he stopped partying and messing about. Think we’re up to 8 times now he’s fallen foul of the rules. He’s his own worst enemy the only thing preventing him from moving is his attitude.

I would say at this point anyone from 8th upwards are in with a shout for promotion. With 12 games left to go still a fair amount of football but now we are out of all other competitions we can focus on the league.

 

 

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Managed to bag a cup after all towards the end of the season we were placed in the Copa Verde and it ended in a repeat of the state championship final but this time the new and improved Goais was too much for the Serie A side 

Despite a few defeats late on against rivals we had built up such a lead that we still ended up winning the title quite comfortably  with a few games still to go 

the final promotion place went right down to the wire and Coritiba threw it away losing 1-0 at home on the final day of the season 

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Another personal accolade

6 players in team of the year shows our dominance.

Hell of a season from Adowa, surprised no other club has shown any interest.  Just the 1 cap from Ghana probably limiting his international exposure

Diaz proved to be quite consistent but its clear had Adowa been available all season he would've eclipsed him, stunned he's night been called up to the Paraguay squad yet

Riquelme has proved to be my best signing, he's attracted a fair bit of interest and financially i got to admit I wish I just paid the £110,000 up front rather than a 30% sell on clause but either way the club will be solvent if we do eventually part ways.

 

Good to get some decent money, will put us temporarily in the black I guess but since we lost this figure last year I imagine with the higher wage budget we're going to lose even more money this season.

Happy with this predicted finish anything from 13th upwards means we qualify for continental competition.  Personally I am aiming for a top 10 finish

 

 

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Transfer time

I wanted to raise some money and so accepted a £4.5m for Pedrinho when no one came in for Castellanos who I had expected to leave.

Also out is Ezequiel Navarro for £250,000 and Raul Loaiza to Orlando City for £1m. Both decent players but taking up much needed foreign berths and with Loiaza I got great deal for a much younger and improved player in the same position for the same money!

I accepted a £15m bid from Flamengo for Diaz but he turned down the contract.

It means I have 8 foreign players on the books now which wasn’t my intention just means plenty of rotation 

Made £3.9m profit in the transfer window but £2m I’m gonna get over instalments. Means the club is still in debt. We need a big sale this summer to keep us solvent 

Higuita was signed from my former club Boca de Cali, he wasn’t interested a year ago but was transfer listed by request. He’s easily my best player and for £1m it’s a great buy

 

Free transfer. I don’t expect him to play every week as I now have 8 foreign players on the books and only 5 can be in the match day squad. Can definitely do a job when called upon 

Back up right back, former team mate of Adowa. He’s mainly gonna be back up as a foreign player.

Free transfer listed out on loan and one for the future. Doubt he’ll play much this season 

Another freebie although primarily an AMC I’ve signed him to be back up on left wing 

Good squad player

 

Good cover for centre back 

 

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Won every game this time, some big scores against the minnows, I'm sure in other states it is a lot more competitive but we only have Atletico Goianiense for competition.  Our goal difference is insane, +8 average a game.

We got through the later stages fine and rematch from last years final against Goianiense this time we came out on top with a 5-3 aggregate win.

 

 

Diaz the goal machine running things with an incredible return

 

Our form hasn't gone unnoticed as both Diaz and Riquelme get their international debuts. I can't see either of these players staying around too long.

 

 

 

 

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We’ve coped ok so far with the step up was very pleased with the win over São Paulo and then a very credible draw at Corinthians. The 7-3 loss to Chapecoense was a hard pill to swallow. Gremio won the league last year and Bragatino are one of the bigger sides 

9th would be a great finish and give us continental football if we can maintain this form 

 

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We managed to get past America Mineiro in the cup and got drawn with Internacional next which is a trickier draw then I’d like. We managed to hold them at home but it’s a big ask to go there and get the win.

League wise we’ve managed to climb up the table with 7 wins out of 10 we’re up to 5th. It’s all very tight though with only 3 points between 5th and 10th. I don’t think we’re gonna be able to make a legit title bid as we’re already 9 points behind Santos but we will give it a good go.

Diaz, Adowa, Velasco and Riquelme all having a fair bit of interest in them so we could well see some big exits this summer 

 

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As I anticipated we crashed out of the cup with a heavy loss at Internacional to end any hopes of a cup run

August was a disappointing month in the league as well. As we suffered 3 league defeats as well, I mean I expect to struggle against the bigger sides but losing to strugglers Vasco and then Fluminese who had only won 2 games all season before we played them 

Three wins out of four in September though means we have reached the dizzy heights of 4th. Only blemish was a very credible draw at Corinthians who are 2nd in the table. If we finish in our current position would also mean I’d qualify for copa libertadores group stage so would avoid qualifiers.

 

 

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And the exodus has begun. 
 

The bid fell just short of his release but i rejected three other bids and he was very unhappy, also it happened after the transfer window so I have him till the end of the season!

Regretting not paying that £110,000 up front rather than just a sell on clause as Vasco bagged £4m. Annoyingly we only got £1m to the transfer budget, I need another left back and managed to bag this guy for a bargain at around £250,000.

 

it was bound to happen at somepoint and towards the end the wheels did come off in October with us picking up just 4 points out of 15. We managed a big win though against champions Santos but by that point they were already crowned champions so they had a weakened side

Came down to the last day of the season we just needed to beat America Mineiro at home who were already relegated to keep 4th spot. We lost 2-1 and ended up 7th.

if you’d of asked me at start of season if you’d of been happy with that the answer would’ve been 100%. Hopefully the board lets me re-invest the Riquelme money and I can build a more well rounded squad!

Hell of a season for Barcelona bound Riquelme as he gets Brazilian player of the year award.

17 goals in his first season in the Brazilian top flight sees Adowa 2nd in golden boot. I turned down a few bids for him in winter from some Asian clubs thankfully it wasn’t anything that turned his head. I do feel though if Europe comes calling it’ll be hard to keep him 
 

A great achievement here for Diaz! Certainly should increase his reputation. If I’m being honest though 33 goals was plundered in the state league so it’s not like he scored them all against top tier opposition
 

3 players in South America team of the year, both full backs and Diaz leading the way up top!