ChaosClive

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou Champions League - Playoff Qualifying Round Geroskipou had drawn Olympiakos from their neighbours Greece for the final round of qualifying. On paper, a lot weaker than Benfica, but stronger than AIK. Just like in the previous rounds, Geroskipou had home advantage in the first leg. First Leg In the first Leg, Geroskipou started well early on, getting the better of the Greek side. It was midway through the first half that they finally got the breakthrough, Carvalho popping in a tight shot at the far post. 5 minutes later, it was Mariano's turn to get in on the goalscoring, this time from a counter attack from an Olympiakos corner. The match settled down for the next hour, when the Greeks took advantage of some poor defensive positioning, and poked home a crucial away goal. The final score was 2-1 to Geroskipou, and Clive was happy enough with a win. Second Leg The second leg started as well as any Geroskipou fan could have hoped for, with the Greek's picking up a yellow card in the first minute, a midfielder getting injured, but most importantly, no goals. The first half concluded with the score at 0-0, and Geroskipou on track to reach the group stages of the Champions League. The trend carried on into the second half, but just after the hour mark, things fell apart for Clive. A goal for Olympiakos threatened to derail the whole tie. Geroskipou pushed forward to try and get the goal that would see them through, but created nothing but 2 more goals for the Greeks. The match finished 3-0 on the night, 4-2 on aggregate. Geroskipou had fallen at the final hurdle. On the plus side, losing in the playoff round meant that Geroskipou qualified for the Europa League group stage. This also bought over £2.5m into the club's bank account, giving Clive some more money to wiggle with for the upcoming season.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou Champions League - 3rd Qualifying Round The draw had not been kind. Benfica were one of the teams that Clive was hoping to avoid, but his team had to go out and try and cause a massive upset. First Leg The first leg was a mixture of emotions for all involved on the Geroskipou sideline. First thing first, a massive 3-0 win over a much stronger side on paper, which Clive and his team could not believe. The second emotion was shock, due to the Benfica goalkeeper Paulo stopping the game becoming 7 or 8 nil. Just on xG, Geroskipou should have scored more than 4 goals, but Paulo made 16 saves in a Tim Howard in the World Cup esc perfomance and getting the Man of the Match award despite conceeding 3. Second Leg Going into the second leg, Clive was riding high on confidence, but his side barely tested out Paulo in the Benfica net to see if he could play like he did in the first leg. On the night Geroskipou were dominated, and it was a gritty performance to stop the tie from swinging. As Benfica scored their 2nd in the 89th minute, Geroskipou went full defensive, playing a back 4 and then their midfield almost on top of them in the lowest block anyone had ever witnessed. In the end, the score remained, and Geroskipou advanced 3-2 on aggregate. Surely with this scalp, nobody left in the qualifiers could beat them.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou Champions League - 2nd Qualifying Round Geroskipou's first ever Champions League qualifying game was to be AIK from Sweeden. Geroksipou were the home side, and would be playing at Pafos' ground, Stelios Kyriakidis. Just before the match, Clive was given a fluff piece in the local paper, with the first leg being his 600th game of his Geroskipou career. First Leg Geroskipou dominated the first leg, with the breakthrough only coming in the 75th minute through a goal from Eiriksson. He doubled both his own personal tally and Geroskipou's lead 9 minutes later, and Clive was left hoping that a 2 goal lead going into the second leg would be enough, knowing that his side left a goal or two out on the pitch in Cyprus. Just to add insult to injury, just like the previous season, Leiva was injured in training in between the two legs, meaning that Karlsen would have to set up into the creative role for the rest of the campaign. Second Leg Despite the result on the night going AIK's way, Clive knew that his side deserved at least a draw. The only goal came from a penalty in the 77th minute that, in his humble opinion, was awarded despite a clear dive from the AIK winger. Geroskipou managed to hold on to the result, meaning that they would go through on aggregate 2-1.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2035/36 Season Review Just to add insult to injury on an already dejected Clive, the news article below came flying onto his desk. A massive boost in the wage budget for 36/37 was available for the team, up to £59,000 p/w from £44,000 p/w. The good news kept on coming. The board announced in a press conference that the club was finally looking to build its own stadium after nearly selling out every home match in the previous season. It was now more important than ever that Clive try to lead his side to the First Division title if he wanted multiple Champions League seasons on his resume. Clive's Cuttings A lot of red across the revenue board, obviously not playing in Europe affected this a lot. Next season should be an improvement. Another standout year from Mariano, topping the goalscoring charts and almost getting most assists also. The 4 striker system that Clive had employed worked well, with all 4 getting double digits for goals, but the cruel truth of time was slowing van Looy up, this being the first time in a long time that he had not managed at least 20 goals in a season. Creatively, Leiva was still bossing the midfield, along with his partner in the middle of the park Bilbao, who got 9 assists. 207 goals in 250 games for van Looy made him the first player in club history to hit 200 goals and 250 appearances. A massive uptick in season ticket sales was healthy for the clubs finances. Clive was hoping that an easy draw in the qualifiers could see Geroskipou get some life changing money.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou May 2036 In Geroskipou's do or die match against APOEL, they were slow out of the blocks. They went behind 1-0 before a goal from Eiriksson just before half time revitalised the spirits. On 47 minutes, APOEL pulled back in front to make it 2-1 before Geroskipou had pegged them back for the second time, this time it was Leiva pulling a free kick into the top corner. Emotions were high, and both teams were pushing for another goal. Then, in the 76th minute, APOEL scored to make it 3-2 with what would be the winning goal. The win saw APOEL crowned champions yet again, and Clive was in tatters. There was still 2nd place to play for though. Omonoia beat APOEL in the early kick offs on matchday 31, meaning they were just 2 points from Geroskipou. Clive prepped his boys, and they emphatically beat Alki 2-0, not allowing the opposition a shot on target all game and the Alki goalkeeper pulling a world class performance from nowhere. The result secured 2nd place with 1 game remaining, and gave Geroskipou their first ever attempt at reaching the Champions League group stages though. The last game therefore was a dead rubber. Clive still sent his strongest side out to bring home the bacon, and Anorthosi were battered 5-2 at their own ground, with a brace from centre half Iosifidis and a hattrick from Mariano. Final Table Clive blamed nobody else but himself for another 2nd place finish. As great of an accomplishment as it was, if the APOEL game had remained 2-2, then it would have been Geroskipou crowned champions, and not APOEL.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou April 2036 Two massive performances helped Geroskipou win 2 games from 2 in the league, with Carvalho grabbing 3 in the span, Eiriksson grabbing 2 and Mariano getting involved in the goalscoring. Table The gap at the top was now 4 points, and with 3 games to go, Geroskipou had qualified for at least the Conference League for next season. Fixtures The final run in started with a must win game against APOEL. A win and the gap would be 1 point with only 5th and 6th placed Alki and Anorthosi left to play. Mathematically, Geroskipou would also only need 6 points to clinch their first ever Champions League spot.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou March 2036 The opening 2 games of the month were extremely promising, beating Omonoia 4-0, before a massive 1-0 win against APOEL in the league saw the sides equal on points. Then it all fell apart. A slightly rotated side fell to a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the semi, before Geroskipou were outplayed against Alki and lost 2-1. A 1-1 draw in the second leg of the cup was not enough to see Geroskipou through to their first final. Despite a 6 day break before the Nea Salamina game, Geroskipou were still outplayed again, this time losing 3-0 to their opponents. Despite the wobbly form, Geroskipou were still in the title race, despite APOEL having 2 games in hand and Omonoia, who topped the table, having a game over Clive's side. Finally, a decent youth prospect came through the youth academy, although with Clive's ambitions, Kyriakou Y36 probably would not feature much in the future. Table Fixtures A final chance to steal 3 points off Omonoia in the title race loomed. Clive was also hopeful of a win against 5th placed Anorthosi.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou February 2036 - Post Split Just the one match post split, and Geroskipou exacted revenge on Nea Salamina for their win earlier in the month with an emphatic 3-1 win, with Mariano grabbing a brace and Carvalho adding insult to injury in the second half. Table The gap was now back down to 5 points at the top. Fixtures No easy matches lay ahead for Geroskipou, first playing Omonoia, then APOEL twice in quick succession before a trip to Alki. Then it was APOEL again in the second leg of the cup, before finishing the month off with the final meeting against Nea Salamina for the season.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou February 2036 - Pre-Split Another collapse against a top half team opened up the month, a game where his side were 2-0 should not have finished 3-2 to Nea Salamina. There was some revenge in the next match, where AEK were beaten 3-0 in the last match before the split. Table Nea Salamina were creeping up on Geroskipou, and APOEL were getting further away. Fixtures The remaining fixture in February was Nea Salamina, who Geroskipou had played 2 games previously, and who Clive desperately wanted to win against.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou January 2036 Another almost perfect month for Geroskipou, only drawing twice, once against Doxa with a fully rotated squad and against APOEL in the league. The only thing that worried Clive was it took a 91st minute winner from van Looy to get into the cup semi final. 600 up in management for Clive Table The gap was now only 5, with the gap between 2nd and 3rd now only a point. Fixtures Just 2 fixtures before the league split, Nea Salamina and AEK.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou December 2035 December was a poor month for Geroskipou despite the 60% win record. There felt like there was something missing from the team, a fact that Clive was sure that other managers could attest to. Some narrow wins against AEK and Anorthosi were overshadowed by a poor showing against AEL in the 1-1 draw before getting spanked 5-2 by Omonoia, with both of van Looy's goals being against the run of play. The month did end in a positive note however, as Othellos were smashed 5-1. Everton were knocking on the door for Clive's signature. Table The gap between Geroskipou and 1st place was still 7 points. The chances of a first league title felt like it was becoming more and more out of sight. Fixtures In the cup, a nice draw against Doxa Katokopias from the Second Division awaited, and in Clive's hopes, at least 9 more league points.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou November 2035 A massive loss to APOEL on the first game of the month clearly hurt the team. After just scraping by ASIL in the cup, they came back with a vengance and beat Nea Salamina 2-0 at home to exact their revenge. In the reverse leg against ASIL, Geroskipou fell apart, losing 4-3 on the night but winning in the ensuing shootout. As if things were not bad enough, a flurry of injuries hit the camp, and Geroskipou were down 7 players in and around the first team squad that missed out the Alki fixture in the league. The match started well with a brace from Mariano putting Geroskipou up 2-0, but then yet another short collapse saw them conceed 3 goals and Alki would not give up the lead. Table The slump in form sees the gap between Geroskipou and APOEL at 7 points. Fixtures Omonoia were going to be the toughest match in December.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou October 2035 Geroskipou were on fire in October, keeping up the form of last month and some. A welcome return to form for van Looy, who scored a brace against Aris Limassol in a 6-1 win and then 4 against ASIL in a 5-1 victory to register his first goal in 8 games. The final game of the month saw Apol. Limassol get cut apart in a 3-0 win for Geroskipou. Table After adding 9 points to their total, Geroskipou were now only 2 points away from Omonoia in 3rd place. Fixtures A tough league month coming up for Geroskipou, who first had to travel to APOEL. Then a cup draw against ASIL were sandwiched inbetween a visit from Nea Salamina before the month was rounded out by a game against Alki.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou September 2035 With a slightly less congested month, Clive was happy with his sides performances, minus the two losses, neither of which were deserved. Geroskipou dominated all 6 matches, and came away with progression in the cup and 9 points to show for it. After years of studying, it was finally time for Clive to put his pens and pencils down, and focus on managing. Luckily enough as he was not an accountant, there was no CPD in management. Table Geroskipou sat 4 points off leaders Omonoia, who were fuelled by their lucky win against the men in red. Fixtures An easy month laid in store for Geroskipou, playing against 3 teams all out of form, so Clive naturally expected 9 points from the next month of games.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2035/36 Pre-Season On one hand of the coin, it was bitterly disapointing that Geroskipou did not make it into the group stages of the Conference League for the second straight year. On the other hand was there was still some money floating around the club, so Clive decided to go and ask for some more upgrades to the infastructure of the club. The board took some convincing, but after some strongly worded emails, there was finally some confirmations that came through. Transfers In came the usual loan army, but 4 players came in permanently, namely a 42 year old Harry Maguire. At this point, his knees were shot to bits, but his technical and mental abilities were still very much top of the class, and it wouldn't hurt if the club gained a cult following in England thanks to his arrival. Some other players to come in were Pikkuhookana, a young 17 year old from Finland, who was bought in from the lower leagues of Italy. Ambler, who would slot into DC, and Karlsen, a Dane who was highly touted as a prospect. Results In a pre-season mainly dominated by European games, Clive still found some time to batter some lower league teams for morale. As Geroskipou had finished 2nd the previous season and APOEL had done the domestic treble, they qualified to play in the Super Cup, which offered no prize money but as it was sandwiched inbetween European games, both teams were forced into playing backups and rotational players which it was not the focus of attention. The game was akin to a reserves game, with not many big chances coming. It was not good for either manager when the game went into extra time then, but APOEL decided it was then to start playing, as they scored early in the half. On 107 minutes, Ivanovic slotted home to make it 1-1. Onto penalties. Schatzle was the hero in the shootout, saving 2 penalties, including the match winning one after Eiriksson had missed the 4th spot kick for Geroskipou. Odds Despite another 2nd place finish, the bookmakers still only had Geroskipou placing 8th. Clive told his family to stick a tenner on his side though at 100/1, just in case. Fixtures A trip to Alki opened up the league season, before Pafos came to try and overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit. AEL, Omonoia, Anorthosi and Othellos were the other fixtures in September.