ChaosClive

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.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou Conference League - 4th Qualifying Round The 4th Qualifying Round draw was in theory the kindest round so far, with Greek outfit Panetolikos. The 1st leg would be the first time this campaign that Geroskipou would have home field advantage first. First Leg Geroskipou were definately the better side on the night, but succumbed to a 2-1 loss to the Greeks. Mariano grabbing the equaliser just a minute after Arilson had put Panetolikos ahead in the 48th minute. Despite the constant pressure from Geroskipou, a lapse in concentration just before the final whistle allowed Cayli to tuck in a shot and send his side back to Greece with a slight advantage. Second Leg In what was a boring match for spectators, Clive's heart rate was at an all time high. There was roughly around £3 million on this game and his side being able to turn the tie around. When Mariano scored in the 7th minute, Clive thought that it would be a walkover win and they would be back in the Conference League. All of that thinking meant that he missed the offside flag go up in the far corner of the pitch and the match remained deadlocked. Despite creating over 1.3 xG nobody seemed to be able to put away a chance, and when the final whistle went, Clive was beside himself with a mixture of disapointment and anger.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou Conference League - 3rd Qualifying Round Again, the draw had not been kind to Geroskipou, this round matching them up against Danish powerhouse Brondby. Clive was quietly confident though, as he reckoned that they were a slightly weaker opposition to Vit. Guimaraes. He didn't take into consideration that he would still be without Leiva though. First Leg The away tie was first up as in the previous round. The lack of away support seemed to have an effect on his team, as Bredahl struck in the opening 12 minutes in a tie that was going all Brondby's way. After some gentle encouragement to his side, Carvalho popped in a chance to give Geroskipou an away goal and level up the match. The pendulum was now swinging, and van Looy got on the end of a long ball to slide past the Brondby goalkeeper and put Geroskipou up 2-1 on the night. Despite some more good oppertunities from both sides, no further goals were scored and Geroskipou had won yet again in Europe. Second Leg Everyone was nervous inside the stadium for the return leg. Just like in the first leg, there was not much away support, and this seemed to really hamper Brondby, who were immediately put under the cosh. van Looy scored in the opening 4 minutes, and Geroskipou looked on top of the match. Bredahl struck once again for the Danes to make the tie 3-2 on aggregate, but a tap in from Carvalho at the far post after a well delivered cross from Petrovic sealed the tie and another victory for Geroskipou.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou Conference League - 2nd Qualifying Round The draw had not been kind to Geroskipou, pitting them against Portugese side Vit. Guimaraes. Clive did have last year in the back of his mind, but surely teams would have cottoned on the fact they can go with basic tactics and weak sides against the new boys from Cyprus. Just before all the first leg of the tie, star midfielder Leiva went down in training, and the doc looked worried when he told Clive that he would miss the first 3 months of the season. Quite right too, as without Leiva, Geroskipou were without one of their best creators. With nobody near his quality to back him up either, Clive knew that they may be in for a tough ride. First Leg The first leg went as well as Clive could have hoped for. A 1-0 win away from home, with an early Mariano penatly proving to be the difference. Clive also could not think of a time where 100% of his teams shots had been on target. He just hoped that the slim advantage would hold back in Cyprus. Second Leg Despite the stats not being in Geroskipou's favour, they did have 2 goals from van Looy ruled out narrowly for offside in the second half, so the match remained tense. It was only in the 93rd minute of the game that everyone wearing a red shirt could breath a sigh of relief, when finally the deadlock was broken by the Portugese loanee Mariano and their was no way back for the club from his land.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou 2034/35 Season Review After a successful 2nd place finish, Clive received his playing budget for the next season. £44,000 p/w would do him! Just after the budgets came through, some extra, and unexpected money came in from the conference league. As there was more than 1 club getting into a group stage, Cypriot football was finally on the up. From next season, if Clive could lead his side to at least a 2nd place finish, Geroskipou would be in with a shot of Champions League football! Also with with the growth of the club, the board had now allowed scouting worldwide. Clive had heard of these 'South American wonderkids' but had not seen one, but he now had a chance to. Team of the Season Another massive season for Mariano and van Looy, who bagged 44 and 29 goals in all comps respectively. Carvalho getting 17 assists and Leiva getting 16. Keeping these 4 players at the club would be a massive boost for next season's goals. Clive's Cuttings Facility boosts all round, with Geroskipou also almost selling out their games on a consistent basis. No changes in the all time leaders, but everyone increasing their leads at the top.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou May 2035 APOEL fielded a slightly rotated squad, which Geroskipou took advantage of, drawing with them 1-1, although they were still only slightly outplayed. After a friendly during the week off, Alki were once again put to the sword in a 5-0 demolition, as Nea Salamina could only pick up a draw however, a 2nd place finish was assured. With nothing to play for in the final game of the season, a rotated side battled against Anorthosi, and it took a last gasp Eiriksson goal for Geroskipou to win 3-2 and finish out the season in style. Final Table A second 2nd place finish in as many years was a positive, but as in years gone by, Clive was still extremely worried about his teams lack of defensive awareness, as they shipped 53 goals, which was more than relegated Ypsonas.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou April 2035 Another thrashing of Omonoia opened the 2 game month up with a win. Next up Anorthosi came into town, and despite Geroskipou finishing the 1st half with a 2-0 lead after 2 goals within a minute of each other, they could not hold out the game and ended up drawing in a desmond. The final point in the month was a crucial one though. Another European adventure was confirmed with 3 games left to play. Table 3 games to go, 4 points ahead of Nea Salamina who were in 3rd place. Fixtures A visit to APOEL would open up the month, Clive was hoping that they would be playing a second team in order to scrape a result to help with his aim of a 2nd place finish. The season would be concluded with games against 5th and 6th, who were only battling to for 5th place.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou March 2035 Looking over the form, it is a tale of two halves. The Omonoia game was a big shock win, a massive 5-2 win after being up 3-0 with 8 minutes played. Next up, Alki were put to the sword in a 4-2 win after another early bright start for the side. The APOEL game were when the tides turned, despite outplaying the league leaders with an impressive xG of 2.06 to 0.50, Clive's men were not able to get the job done, they lost 2-1. The half chances that APOEL converted really showed Clive that there was that clinical edge missing in the team. The next game, things went to pot and it was a Nea Salamina's turn to start well early on. The final score was 4-1, bringing the gap back down to 1 point. Table It would now be a straight shootout for 2nd place, with only 1 point seperating Geroskipou and Nea Salamina with 5 games to go. Luckily for Clive, he knew that he would not have to go through another 90 minutes of Nea Salamina, who definately had the edge this season over them. Fixtures Geroskipou were pegged to face the 2 out of form sides in Omonoia, who had lost their last 6 games and Anorthosi who had only picked up 3 points since the league split.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou February 2035 - Post Split After a 6-0 win in a friendly, Nea Salamina travelled to Geroskipou looking to close the gap between the two sides. It was a tight encounter, and despite not deserving to win, a van Looy goal and some good goalkeeping resulted in another win for Geroskipou. Table The win meant that the gap between 2nd and 3rd was now 7 points with 9 games to go. Fixtures The next month would be a huge run of tough games, starting out against Omonoia, who were out of form but were a threat. It was then champions elect APOEL, followed by Alki and the final game against Nea Salamina.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou February 2035 - Pre-Split Clive's fears of the mid-season slump continuing were put to rest early into the first 20 minutes against Ypsonas, where 2 goals from Mariano helped Geroskipou race out to an early lead, which they never looked like giving up. A 3rd from van Looy helped Geroskipou register only their 4th win of the calendar year. In the final game before the league split, a late-ish Mariano penalty was enough to seperate Geroskipou from Anorthosi to help boost spirits. Table Due to Omonoia losing both games and Nea Salamina also only winning one, Geroskipou climbed back into 2nd place, kicking and screaming. At the 22 game mark, there was a bigger gap between 1st and 2nd than 2nd and 6th, so Clive had already discounted a league win, but thought he would be damned if Geroskipou would give up another European berth. Fixtures There was only one league fixture left in the shortened month, Nea Salamina were coming to try and cut down the newly formed gap between the two sides. It would be the next few games that would tell Clive if the recent uptick in form was just a coincedence or not.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou January 2035 The month kicked off in perfect fashion, Clive was amazed when his side blew through Ermis Aradippou 7-3 in the first game of the new year. He though that this could be the turning point of the recent run of bad form. It became obvious soon into the AEK game that this was just a flash in the pan however, as they lost 3-1. This trend continued into the final 2 games of the month, losing 3-2 to Omonoia, who were now catching up in the table. The final game against Limassol did not go well either, drawing 2-2 with some good chances going begging. Table Clive nearly lost it, as the 7 point gap that stood between 2nd and 3rd just 9 games previously was obliterated and now there was only a 1 point gap between 3rd and 4th. Fixtures There were 2 matches before the league split. Clive knew that teams need form in the final stage, or the first half of a season could be ruined.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou December 2034 A woeful month for Geroskipou, after narrowly losing to APOEL 1-0, the team was showing a lack of confidence, and it showed in their next match against relegation threatened Othellos, only beating them 1-0. Then Wolves came in to town, helping to tank the changing room confidence, which Clive could not do anything about going into play AEL, and shockingly losing 3-0. Geroskipou had scored once in 5 games. Clive was understandably both shocked and worried this. Luckily enough, the goals starting flowing in the next game, beating Nea Salamina 2-1. They continued flowing in the next game too, but from both ends of the pitch, and Alki battered the boys in red 5-2. After the run of form, Clive was shocked that West Brom were sniffing around looking for an interview. Tables With the last game in the conference league against Wolves ending in defeat, it solidified a bottom place finish, with only 1 point picked up. Apart from the obvious disappointment of this, the money from the group stage had helped massively in boosting the infrastructure of the club. In the league, the cushion that Geroskipou had built up was holding strong, although the slim hopes of the league title were fading away with every APOEL win. Fixtures Going into 2035, Clive was hoping for at least 3 wins (Ermis/AEK/Apol. Limassol). If Geroskipou could pinch a result from Omonoia, it would certainly ease some pressure.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou November 2034 Due to the fixture congestion, Clive was forced to play a fully rotated side in the first leg of the cup, and his players did not look match sharp, falling to a shock 4-2 loss, which despite a 3-2 win in the second leg saw Geroskipou crash out of the cup in the 2nd round. The league however went as good as it could do, winning all 3 games in convincing fashion, beating Anorthosi 3-1 in the first game, Monchu grabbing 3 goals including 2 penalties in a 4-1 win over Apol. Limassol, and 4 seperate goalscorers in a 4-0 romping of Ypsonas. In the conference leauge, it was more disapointment, losing to AGF 2-1 away from home and 2-0 against AEK, securing Geroskipou's elimination and last placed finish in the group. Table With APOEL drawing one of their games, Geroskipou were now level on points and had a massive 14 point gap between them and 5th place. Fixtures A massive game was coming up just a few days after the AEK game, where Geroskipou could potentially leapfrog APEOL at the 12 game mark. There was also a revenge match against Othellos a week later. Wolves would come to Cyprus to finish out the group stage of the conference league, and then December was scheduled to be closed out by 3 important but difficult games against AEL, Nea Salamina and Alki.

Clive English - Back to the motherland - APOP Geroskipou October 2034 The month started positively despite losing to Wolves 1-0, as Geroskipou's defence really came into its own, and for the first time in a while, their attack could not muster up much. Clive didn't see this as worrying however, as in the grand scheme of things, Wolves were such a level above any Cypriot side. In the league, Alki were beaten 2-1, and a heavily rotated side beat Ermis Aradippou. The AGF game was one of the most frustrating games Clive had been a part of. Not only did Geroskipou put them to the sword and still lost, but had 2 goals disallowed and effectively threw the game away in a 10 minute period. This frustration was compunded 3 days later when Omonoia humped them 5-1. Table Geroskipou were 2 points off top spot, but 8 away from 5th place in the early stage of the season. Fixtures Some easy cup games loomed, but fixture congestion in the early half of the month was looking crippling.