[FM11]Deltablue Rising II: Delta's Darlings.

[deltablue]

Better, but didn't feel much like it.

Oct 2019

Sportist 1-0 Sliven 2000 (A)

We hadn’t got a single point in 4 games against Sliven, but we had a good go at changing that at home, and really should have taken our chances to take the lead in a first half where we had all the chances. A brief threat from them early in the second half didn’t turn into the punishment turning of the tide that I feared it would be, and it petered out into a dull game which should have been a 0-0, but Iliev got us a winner long after we stopped deserving one. With so much of the table still very tight (a draw would have meant most of the bottom half, going down to the top relegation place, would be level on points, with another pair just one ahead) that leapt us up into a temporary 5th, having been either in or just a bit above the bottom 3 until now! It was that sort of season so far.

Loko Sofia 3-0 Sportist (A)

We didn’t stand a chance at Loko Sofia. They were very heavy favourites, and played like it from the start, though it was a Katsimerski own goal in the 13th minute that actually opened the door for them, not that they needed it, going on to get 2 more goals before half-time. In the second half we couldn’t do much more than avoid it getting even worse, and back down the table to 10th we went.

Sportist 2-1 Pirin (A)

At home to Pirin (who I would say were relegation rivals if that wasn’t such a wide field), we missed a penalty after 20 minutes, but made amends when Lambev gave us the lead before the break. Valchev extended the lead a minute into the second half, but they got a goal back 10 minutes later, and a late bit of pressure was enough to cause a lot of nerves, though we held on to win and looked more comfortable.

League Table

Nov 2019

CSKA Sofia 5-1 Sportist (A)

We didn’t stand much more chance at CSKA than we did on our last Sofia trip. Without needing any own-goals, they had a brace in the teen minutes to take control, and were also 3-0 up at the break. There were more goals in the second half, first Borrouhou getting one back 5 minutes in, but they decided to get more, winning 5-1, the latest painful reminder how much smaller and weaker we were compared to some teams.

Sportist 3-3 Levski (A)

Okoduwa gave us a surprise lead against Levski after 5 minutes, it only lasted a few minutes but the Nigerian soon restored it from a penalty. They hit back hard enough to have a comfortable 3-2 lead at the break. Bamba had an equalizer disallowed just a few minutes into the second half, but a penalty around the hour mark meant he was able to level it anyway. We looked more confident but a draw was fair.

Sportist 2-3 Litex (Cup)

The cup brought a home game with Litex. We looked good in the first half, but went down just before the break. Bamba equalized in the second half, but they retook the lead. Okoduwa scored on the stroke of 90 minutes, but there as still time for them to get a stoppage time winner, as we went out of the cup at the first attempt for the second year in a row.

Septemviri 1-2 Sportist (A)

We hoped to make amends at struggling Septemviri, but a promising start was wasted by a defensive failure and they took the lead. They greatly helped us out with an own-goal early in the second half, and afterwards we wasted chance after chance to get a winner, though with 7 minutes left Okoduwa finally got one.

Sportist 4-1 Svetkavitsa (A)

Svetkavitsa at home was the last game of the first half of the season. Okoduwa kept up his recent form by giving us the lead after 20 minutes, the only real event of the first half. Early in the second, Borrouhou and Todorov set us on our way to a big win. Iliev had a 4th disallowed with 15 minutes left but Okoduwa converted a free-kick 5 minutes later, and they finished things off with a consolation.

League Table

[B.W.G]

Very solid start to the league

[deltablue]

Very solid start to the league

Thanks. I do get the feeling that our recent good position is off the back of some easier games, which is probably why it doesn't feel as good as it looks, but still at the stage when I'm happy to be surviving comfortably.

[JackJCFC]

Some good results in there. Good luck getting into europe.

[cragswfc]

good start there mate

[deltablue]

Feb 2020

Sportist 0-3 Cherno more (A)

We were at home to Cherno more after the winter break, and an early goal for them brought back memories of the opening day hammering. A quick double midway through the first half reinforced that, and given the lack of resistance, it was a wonder that there weren’t more goals in the second half.

Litex 2-2 Sportist (A)

At Litex, they were aiming for a repeat, scoring an early goal, and we were lucky that they had a second goal disallowed after 10 minutes. They seemed to change the game. Okoduwa equalized, then after we pushed hard in the second half, he gave us the lead. They caught us off guard with an equalizer 5 minutes later, but a draw was probably a fairer result.

Sportist 3-1 Minyor (A)

Minyor were flying high in 4th, but we now had a fantastic new player (one of two, with Johnson going out the door for a much needed spread out 100k), Boateng, giving us more steel and quality. Okoduwa gave us the lead in the first half, as we suddenly looked tougher. Boateng missed a penalty at the beginning of the second half, but we still got another in the 71st minute with Katsimerski heading in a corner. They got one back just after but Boateng got his debut penalty goal at the end, providing a stark contrast to a lot of our other games against the strong sides.

Sportist 1-0 Loko Plovdiv (A)

By a twist of fate, we next played Johnson’s new side, Loko Plovdiv, though he wasn’t in their squad. Again we were suddenly able to keep the opposition quiet, Katsimerski taking most of the plaudits for his defensive work, as well as a well-taken first half goal that turned out to be the only one of the game, though we deserved at least one more.

League Table

Boateng

Mar 2020

Chernomorets Burgas 1-2 Sportist (A)

A trip to Chernomorets Burgas, in 2nd, would be a far tougher test. They were by far the better side in the first half. They had a goal disallowed in the 5th minute, took a deserved lead soon after anyway, and while Boateng’s penalty gave us an equalizer in the 25th minute, we were lucky to be level at the break. The second half was rather different as we chased a win, with Katsimerski giving us the lead, and while they had a bit of a late push, it wasn’t enough to deny us a win that had been considered ‘impossible’ beforehand. While the impact on the rest of this season was probably limited, if we could get a result like this, who knows what we could do next year.

Sportist 0-1 Slavia Sofia (A)

Against Slavia Sofia, we pushed hard in the first half, but wasted all chances to take the lead, and were punished with Slavia getting a goal early in the second half. We failed to really rouse ourselves after that so went down to defeat.

Brestnik 2-1 Sportist (A)

Lambev gave us the lead after 18 minutes at Brestnik, but that was as good as it got. They weren’t much of a threat until the second half when they got an early equalizer, then a surprise late winner, and suddenly we didn’t look so strong any more.

Sportist 2-0 Botev (A)

Botev at home would be an embarrassing 3rd defeat in a row from a side that looked like having turned a strong corner, thankfully Okoduwa stepped up with a pair of a first half goals. He got sent off at the beginning of the second half but we were comfortable enough to not be in much trouble.

League Table

[deltablue]

Apr 2020

Sliven 2000 2-2 Sportist (A)

A trip to Sliven was our 3rd game against the side who were 13th beforehand. Unlucky for us against Brestnik, and for Botev against us, so this was the tiebreaker. The game took a while to get going. Bamba had a goal disallowed late in the first half, and they took the lead again. They had another disallowed in the first minute of the second half, and Iliev got a quick equalizer, but they regained control and the lead. Todorov’s last minute goal gave us a share of the points.

Sportist 0-2 Loko Sofia (A)

With a much weakened defence, we returned to big games, at home to Loko Sofia, and unsurprisingly that didn’t go that well, as they took an early lead. We had a few second half chances but with 12 minutes left they got another to finish us off.

Pirin 0-1 Sportist (A)

Pirin away would be my 100th match at the club. Katsimerski gave us the advantage in the 20th minute after an even start. Bamba had another disallowed just over 10 minutes later, and after they had a few chances late in the half, the game quietened down with the exception of a few brief chances for each side, and the win meant we would beat last season’s points tally.

Sportist 0-2 CSKA (A)

We went behind early again at home to a CSKA side who were romping to the title (indeed they clinched the title with this game), and they added another before the break. We weren’t likely to come back but did managed to stem the tide of their attacks in the second half.

May 2020

Levski 3-1 Sportist (A)

At a surprisingly struggling Levski (still with players a few times better than most of ours), Borrouhou (our best player of the past couple of years) gave us the lead in the 12th minute. They got back into the game very well, equalizing 5 minutes before the break. We took it in turns to try and get a second half advantage, but with 12 minutes left, having been poor up front, Borisov in goal went figuratively missing, and they took the lead, getting a 3rd in stoppage time.

Sportist 3-1 Septemviri (A)

We finished off against the bottom 2 sides, already relegated. First was Septemviri at home. They went down to 10 men early on, but we were slow to take advantage. Boateng gave us the lead 10 minutes before half-time with his first goal from open play for the club. They equalized a few minutes later but Iliev restored the lead before the half was over. Manolov gave us a third early in the second half to give us the win.

Svetkavitsa 1-1 Sportist (A)

At Svetkavitsa in the last game, we wasted chances and were punished by going in behind at the break. Okoduwa equalized 12 minutes into the second half, and we really should have got a winner, but it didn’t make much difference.

Final League Table

After a poor start, there didn’t seem to be much more to write home about than last year as we zigzagged, still cannon-fodder for the big sides but doing enough to not have to worry about being much worse than mid-table. The Boateng effect didn’t last long in terms of results, and didn’t really change our position, but it did give us a comfortable points margin into the top half (which looked like another brief visit), and allowed us to get much closer to a lot of the sides above us, even with our chances of passing them being unlikely.

There was some promise for the future. Unlike last year, there were a couple of players available in January for the end of their contracts, though only one agreed to come, so gradually as our stock gradually caught up with our positions, we’d have players who would be good enough to improve the squad, though I still decided to keep on a few players I’d otherwise have let go at the end of their contracts just in case either money or good available players (probably both) were in short supply. I wasn’t expecting to be able to improve too much for now, needing more rep and money (a cup run being ideal), but we were taking good steps, especially if we could avoid being an easy win for at least some of the clubs that we were before. Aside from Okoduwa, we had a few players as young player of the month, so possessed individuals who could perform reasonably well, and the previously impossible was now at least slightly possible.

I felt that would gain little by leaving anytime soon, my stock would only have risen by so much since I was last job-hunting so would be unlikely to really step up (or even sideways) in terms of club standing (though admittedly size and wealth would be another matter). In the autumn I made a speculative application to Ipswich, struggling in League 1, and didn’t get anywhere, which even given potential compensation would have hindered my chances, wasn’t promising. If a cup run would really help the club, a win was worth working towards (and general improvement worth waiting for) as a more solid stepping stone for the future.

Squad Stats

Star player: Okoduwa

Yes, I know he has poor finishing, which was why I left it until late a couple of summers ago before deciding to go for him (and in fact it wasn't much worse than a couple of forwards I had after promotion, with the bonus that he as pretty good at a lot of other things) but strong scoring season is a strong scoring season.

[abulezz]

Thats a loooong way off of CSKA! Still, I do believe you should stick it out and try to improve the team before moving on.

[HotChocolate]

That Daniel Okoduwa seems decent for a 21 year old.

[B.W.G]

Got yourself a top half finish which is good going and Okoduwa had a good season as well.May be worth doing another season with them as you were only 16 points behind 2nd.

[deltablue]

Thats a loooong way off of CSKA! Still, I do believe you should stick it out and try to improve the team before moving on.

Got yourself a top half finish which is good going and Okoduwa had a good season as well.May be worth doing another season with them as you were only 16 points behind 2nd.

Definitely, the Ipswich application was just a curiosity, and I added the last bit about the future simply to confirm that staying was on my mind, however it is frustrating not being able to do much reinforcement each year, even with a bit of money the available quality just isn't there, and as much as CSKA and other clubs are so far ahead, they probably have budgets 10-20 times ours (and if this was FM12 I'd be interested being able to see a wage bill ranking). The fact that simply surviving was uncharted territory for the club (and every improvement in league positions keeps setting a new record) keeps expectations and impatience down. Next season and summer will be important as if I still can't make much improvements I might think of risking a downward or sideways move in the next year or 2 in exchange for being able to make more progress.

That Daniel Okoduwa seems decent for a 21 year old.

Therein lies a problem, as I've seen very little improvement attribute-wise from anyone so far in the career, probably because of the low level and facilities, so 'for an x year old' seems to be it for now.

[deltablue]

Summer 2020

The summer started with good news, as for the first time we had a 6-figure balance, having rarely gone beyond 20-30k in the past. Plus even using up a large (relatively speaking) wage budget surplus to add to the transfer kitty, transfers would only eat up 2/3rds of it at most, even though other things may mean there would be less left. However beyond that, another minor rep increase meant the ability to attract players just wasn’t there, plus with 6 non-eu players (and only 5 allowed in a match squad at a time, one of the reasons I sold Johnson, so that Boateng wouldn’t make it 7 having just signed a player who was sidelined for most of the time so far) I couldn’t rely on them as much. Generally the signings were ‘make do’ and to ensure we had the numbers to be able to release people in future. I later gambled on a 7th non EU player just to get some improvement. On the plus side, a lot more interest for quite a few players indicated a continuation of last season’s signs that a lot of the side was coming of age.

James

Stefanov

Zhivkov

Transfers

[AK22]

Two words spring to mind... consistently inconsistent. Great win over CSKA though

[deltablue]

Two words spring to mind... consistently inconsistent. Great win over CSKA though

Whoops, reversed the score on that one, a couple of good wins but that wasn't one of them. Just fixed. And yes, it's been consistently inconsistent quite consistently (!!!) both here and at Frigg, and this season's been much the same so far.

[AK22]

I will retract my then

[deltablue]

Aug 2020

Sportist 2-1 Chavdar Etropole (A)

Chavdar Etropole was a relatively easy first game, even with a few players missing. Having finally got the chance to play, January signing Victoriano scored after 5 minutes, the first goal of the entire league season. Pity we couldn’t finish now and be crowned champions. Stoyanov’s penalty in the 13th minute gave the season it’s 2nd goal. It took half an hour before someone else scored. A game we dominated had a bit of shine taken off by an injury time consolation.

Loko Sofia 1-0 Sportist (A)

Loko Sofia was a far tougher trip. Even avoiding a big defeat would be an improvement on the norm, but we were aiming higher, and matched them attack for attack in the first half, without there being a breakthrough. They grabbed a goal after an hour, and while we were close to equalizing on a few occasions, it was no cigar, or even a coconut.

Sportist 1-0 Spartak Plovdiv (A)

We made it awkward going at home to Spartak Plovdiv. Boateng scored a penalty at the end of the first half but otherwise we did little to earn the win, and could have slipped an equalizer, plus we already had used up 2 home games against promoted sides.

Sportist 0-1 Litex (A)

We had a 3rd consecutive 1-0 at home to Litex, as they struck before we had the chance to get going, and our chances to level it were outnumbered by their attempts to get another.

Sliven 2000 0-3 Sportist (A)

After a slow start (well we had mudded to wins in easier games and proved lacking in tougher ones), Iliev set us on our way at Sliven after half an hour. They were so stunned that Okoduwa followed up with another a few minutes later. They threatened occasionally in the second half but another Iliev goal sealed it.

League Table

Sept 2020

Sportist 1-2 Cherno more (A)

Cherno more were early pace setters, so would be tough visitors. We kept things even to start with and Katsimerski headed us into the lead midway through the first half, but they soon equaliser. With a bit more luck we could have had the lead before half-time, and we kept trying in the second half but they had by far more pressure, and after holding out for ages, we finally broke when they got a winner with 10 minutes left, so close to a good result.

Brestnik 0-0 Sportist (A)

We tried to bounce back at Brestnik, but as much as we were able to push throughout the game, we couldn’t do anything with it and had to settle for 0-0.

Sportist 2-2 Minyor (A)

While they hadn’t started that strongly, Minyor were the sort of top half side we wanted to be beating regularly, but not for the first time, inefficiencies up front caused problems, and they took the lead after 17 minutes. Okoduwa equalized but the scores were only level for a short time before they retook the lead, and we relied on a Boateng penalty to level it again, just before the break. The second half continued in much the same way, we had the quantity, they had the quality but there were no more goals, meaning an admittedly short month was winless.

League Table

Oct 2020

Chernomorets Burgas 3-2 Sportist (A)

Chernomorets Burgas were top, having dropped points only once so far, and I didn’t hold out much hope that we’d give them a second when we went to theirs, especially as they had a defeat to avenge from early March. They were surprisingly quiet for a lot of the first half, and Okoduwa managed to give us the lead after we’d been pushing them for a while. It didn’t last unsurprisingly, but going behind on the stroke of half time was rather harsh. Okoduwa levelled it again in the 52nd minute, but they soon retook the lead and were clearly (though far from completely as we always had an occasional chance) on top for the rest of the match, putting a point beyond us.

Sportist 0-3 CSKA Sofia (A)

From that we had to face CSKA. Armed with their latest ‘on-loan Brazilian who was far better than just about anyone else in the league’ they took the lead in the first half. We kept it down to that until we gave up and a late double finished off an easy win for them.

Pirin 0-2 Sportist (A)

After a long run without a win, we got reacquainted with one at Pirin, though the entire midfield switching off for most of the match didn’t make it easy. Iliev once again was the star man, defying his critic, scoring just under half an hour in, then again around the hour mark as we were free to cruise to the win, our first in 6.

Sportist 3-1 Loko Plovdiv (A)

We added to it against Loko Plovdiv. Okoduwa gave us the lead in the 3rd minute, followed by more good form from Aleksander Iliev (celebrating his new website, comparethemarker.com), getting a second. Boateng was injured so it was Bamba who scored the penalty to make it 3-0 10 minutes into the second half. They got a goal back, and came very close to another in the final few minutes, but another win put us back roughly where we were early on, so you'd hardly know we had such a slump.

League Table

[deltablue]

I don't think my players can even spell consistency.

Nov/Dec 2020

Levski 1-2 Sportist (A)

We were expecting to be schooled at Levski, but made a good start, with Okoduwa giving us the lead after 18 minutes. They equalized 5 minutes later, and we were much quieter as they pushed strongly, and had another disallowed. Okoduwa restored the lead in the 52nd minute, but they gave us a lot of pressure that we held out against to claim a great (if a little lucky) win.

Akademik Svishtov 1-6 Sportist (Cup)

With the cup being something I wanted to make progress in, I was happy with a comfortable draw at non-league Akademik Svishtov. It was an easy romp. Okoduwa scored after 15 minutes, got another, and Bamba made it 3, five minutes before the break. They got a goal back early in the second half, but Iliev joined in the fun in the 69th minute. Okoduwa finished off his hat-trick with 6 minutes to goal, and got his 10th goal of the season with a stoppage time penalty.

Sportist 7-2 Slavia Sofia (A)

We looked to build on that against struggling Slavia Sofia. Things started slowly, but a Bamba penalty set things going after 15 minutes. Katsimerski headed in a corner 10 minutes later, followed by a second Bamba goal. They got one back but just after that got an own goal to restore our 3 goal advantage. Valchev got sent off for a second yellow before half-time but by then we were completely in control. Bamba got another pair of goals in the 53rd and 65th minutes, and with 6 minutes left, Okoduwa knocked the ball down to Iliev who made it 7-1. In added time, Borisov spilled a shot and they took advantage to get a second but we had long been romping to a big win.

Ludogorets 1-3 Sportist (A)

We were next at Ludogorets, who were having a rather better time than last time (when they went up with us), when they were useless no-hopers. Okoduwa scored after just 27 seconds, soon followed by up Iliev. They converted a penalty, which I knew would be the start of a hard push for an equalizer, but Bamba made it safer before half-time. They kept trying hard in the second half, having a goal disallowed (and a player sent off for dissent) with 10 minutes left, but what mattered was that after an awful early autumn, we now had 5 league wins in a row (which adding the cup, made for a new club record of 6). Like with our good run early in the year, no change in league position, but far better relative to the teams around us pointswise.

Sportist 2-2p Minyor (Cup)

It was a couple of weeks before we played Minyor in the cup. Bamba was returning from injury, and had to go odd again after 15 minutes, but Iliev (who soon would be our only first-choice forward when Okoduwa went off as well) gave us the lead a few minutes later. They mainly had the pressure from that point, getting a goal disallowed before getting an equalizer in the last minute. Iliev restored the lead a few minutes into extra-time, but they equalized again with 10 minutes left, and in the shootout, Katsimerski was the only player to miss, with the last penalty, to send us out.

Feb 2021

The future did not look too great when February rolled around. Victoriano had gone as with a lack of injuries, 7 non-eu players into 5 in a match squad wasn’t workable. Katsimerski was a little impatient about contract renewals (throwing a hissy fit while considering a new one made it seem a bit silly), and Boateng was about to leave to Sliven on a deal the chairman accepted. At least the Boateng transfer allowed us (both with money, though we only could use a small amount of transfer revenue, and with non-eu places as one surplus was alright) to finally get a strong player for our very weak right-back spot (and as a replacement in the centre for Katsimerski), even though he’d be injured for a bit

Chavdar Etropole 3-3 Sportist (A)

A trip to Chavdar Etropole went better, at first. Bamba and Iliev each scored between the 15th and 20th minutes. They got a goal back, but Zhivkov gave us a third. Another goal back before half-time gave them the encouragement to push in the second half, and they grabbed an equalizer, followed by both sides looking trying to win.

Sportist 0-1 Loko Sofia (A)

As expected, we conceded early against Loko Sofia, but they didn’t seem too bothered about trying to get more. We were able to have a bit of a go in the second half but rarely threatened with our chances, which is probably why Loko felt like they didn’t need to do any more.

Spartak Plovdiv 2-1 Sportist (A)

Todorov gave us the lead in the 7th minute at Spartak Plovdiv but again we failed to capitalize, a clueless defence (Katsimerski didn’t seem to care anymore) shipping a pair of goals to leave us behind at the break. We hurled ourselves at them for most of the second half but couldn’t get anything.

Litex 3-2 Sportist (A)

As we couldn’t manage that, we certainly couldn’t manage at a Litex side that got 3 goals in the first 15 minutes. Iliev suddenly seemed to be on a one-man mission to get us back into the game, getting a goal and coming close a few times to another before the break. Zhivkov eventually gave us a second with 15 minutes left but we couldn’t quite get a third.

League Table

Mar 2021

Sportist 0-0 Sliven 2000 (A)

Very little happened in the first half against Sliven. We had a bit of unsuccessful attacking life in the second half but otherwise it was the dullest of 0-0’s. Even I wanted my money back and I didn't even have to pay for a ticket.

Cherno more 3-2 Sportist (A)

We had easily beaten Cherno more at home in a winter break friendly, but were unlikely to repeat than at theirs in the league. Sure enough, they took the lead in the 6th minute, but we were able to stop them taking control in the first half. They got another early in the second half, but we fought back. Stefanov headed in a goal for us, and after they scored a penalty, Bamba made it 3-2 with 8 minutes to go, but once again we couldn’t quite do enough.

Sportist 0-1 Brestnik (A)

The first half against Brestnik was much like Sliven, we attacked a bit more, but they had a penalty turned down. Things were slightly more interesting after the break, we started getting closer, but they got the only goal with 12 minutes left.

Minyor 1-2 Sportist (A)

When we went behind early at Minyor, we were looking like heading for another poor day. However we kept firm enough for Iliev to grab an equalizer in the 28th minute, and midway through the second half we started really pushing, with Iliev getting another, giving us our first win in a quarter of a season, and avenging the cup exit.

League Table

[deltablue]

Apr 2021

Sportist 1-2 Chermomorets Burgas (A)

We seemed to be turning a corner, as while we had table-topping Chernomorets Burgas next, Bamba scored after 14 minutes, however it was a false dawn as they equalized right before halftime, and comfortably got a winner midway through the second half.

CSKA 3-1 Sportist (A)

Not expecting anything at CSKA, we conceded twice in the first 10 minutes, then they sat back. We put up enough of a fight for Zhivkov to pull one back in the second half but their stars conjured up a third soon after to make it safe.

Sportist 0-1 Pirin (A)

We went behind again against Pirin, but rallied to really push in the second half, but our play in some matches this season have been somewhat ‘busy fool’ like and this was one of the worst offenders as we should have turned it around to win but didn’t even get a point.

May 2021

Loko Plovdiv 1-2 Sportist (A)

We had to weather a severe first half storm at Loko Plovdiv. We got a break in the 66th minute when Katsimerski remembered he was still a Sportist player and headed us into the lead. They equalized 5 minutes later but we weren’t to be denied and Zhivkov gave us a winner with a few minutes left.

Sportist 2-1 Levski (A)

We continued against Levski, a team who despite being very strong, we appeared to enjoy playing this season. Okoduwa (his first goal since returning a long injury) scoring in the 7th minute. They equalized, but we retook the lead in the second half from the most unlikely outfielder, the sub right-back Doychev, who was bought only because I was that desperate for one that wasn’t completely awful. They pushed pretty hard but unusually, we held firm, and Iliev even had a goal disallowed that could have been another.

Slavia Sofia 1-1 Sportist

However we weren’t going to make it 3 wins in a row at Slavia Sofia, Sofia in general being a problem place in my reign as our trips to Slavia had yielded 2 0-0 draws, CSKA 3 defeats, and Lokomotiv a 0-0 and 3 defeats (counting the cup in my first season), the win at Levski earlier this season was the only exception, and they had beaten us the other 2 times. Indeed this time they scored in the 4th minute, but we put up a good fight, and in the 70th minute, Iliev levelled it, and we could even have got a winner.

Sportist 2-0 Ludogorets (A)

Ludogorets at home wasn’t a tough finish. While they’d beaten us both times in the promotion season, we’d won 3 out of 3 in the top flight. We kept up the tradition with Iliev giving us the lead (and getting a record-breaking 16th goal of the season) after 20 minutes, and a Stoyanov penalty extending it 7 minutes later. They played well enough that they could have had a goal back, but going a man down after 70 minutes ended their chances, and from that point we pushed hard enough that we really should have got a 3rd out of that.

Final League Table

The season had been patchy to say the least, with quite a nosedive for a lot of the second half of the season. There were a few potential reasons, the loss of Boateng, Katsimerski being demob unhappy, Okoduwa being injured for the first few months of 2021 and having a slow return (which would be my pick)... who knows? Still, we just about picked up enough to set a new ‘highest league position’ for the 3rd year running, even if the improvement had just been by one place in the past 2 years, still makes for doing a good job by my reckoning. Not so impressed with just one cup tie won in the past 3 years though.

At the beginning of the season I’d decided that I’d give it a couple of years and see what happens, which soon turned into ‘almost certainly’ leave after that, and the way things were at times didn’t make it too easy to decide to give it that long, but after a lot of thought going all over the place, I’d stick with the original plan, with next year likely being the last at the club.

Squad stats

Star player:Okoduwa

Despite a bad injury in the middle of the season (in fact I think there's definitely a link between our poor Feb-April form and his injury and struggling return), proved to be by far and away our main man, and far more than he was last season.

[B.W.G]

Good top half finish,also closer gap to first place

[AK22]

Wow, your side certainly likes mid-table obscurity! Let's hope your commitment is rewarded next season!

[deltablue]

Good top half finish,also closer gap to first place

Wow, your side certainly likes mid-table obscurity! Let's hope your commitment is rewarded next season!

It's better so far, but we have not so much an uphill struggle to get among the top sides as up a massive cliff, very unlikely and slow at best, which is why I'm thinking of leaving, I've done a good job as it is, but there's only so far we can likely go.

Summer 2021

We weren’t in a bad position in preseason. Our right-back weakspot had been solved in January, the lack of depth at full back in general was helped by a good young free agent for the left. Financially we had 330k in the bank (three times last year, which was something I was very pleased about then), and with using only 4kpw of an initial 7kpw budget, I was able to use that to get a 6 figure transfer budget, though again that was if we could attract anyone I could pay for, though at least the minimum expectations were now ‘avoid relegation’ instead of ‘fight bravely’. In the end the ‘lack of anyone to improve the side’ problem wasn’t quite as bad as in the past couple of years so there was a little improvement, marred by Hachilensa being snatched by a Turkish club, the latest in the Eastern European cycle of being able to snatch up a bunch of excellent young Africans, then losing them for much larger sums a little bit down the line, which was mildly annoying but due to the massive financial boost and the availability of others, perfectly acceptable, even for me, who normally has complete resistance to selling first-teamers. There was still easily enough time to get a replacement, which helped.

Ansah

Ekwueme

Ilkov

Mihaylov

Transfers

[deltablue]

Aug 2021

CSKA 2-1 Sportist (A)

We couldn’t have had a tougher start than with a trip to CSKA, who were back to back champions as well as having done the double last season. They didn’t have an excellent Brazilian loanee this time, but that didn’t explain why they were quiet in the first half, allowing us to come at them and take the lead through new signing Mihaylov. They woke up a bit in the second half, especially later on. A equalizer with 15 minutes left was fair dos, but an injury time winner was a bit harsh on us.

Sportist 5-0 Botev (A)

Promoted Botev at home was right at the opposite end of the scale. Hachilensa looked like he was about to leave, but he still brilliantly set Okoduwa up after 10 minutes. Valchev extended it 25 minutes later, and Iliev made it 3 just after that. 10 minutes after half-time, Mihaylov made it 2 in 2 for us (and he’s a defender), with James (whose parents get the prize for least original naming as that’s his first name as well) soon wrapping things up with a 5th.

Brestnik 1-1 Sportist (A)

Brestnik away was roughly in the middle of the scale. Iliev gave us the lead in the 8th minute, but they started putting up a bit of a fight, equalizing shortly before half-time. The second half started off as if it could go each way, but the game was too even, and it quietened down later on as the futility of pushing against an equal force from the other side became apparent.

Sportist 4-1 Beroe (A)

Okoduwa gave us the lead after 8 minutes against Beroe, another promoted side. They equalized 6 minutes later, but we were determined to retake control, Iliev and James managing to give us a comfortable half-time lead. We had no trouble from them in the second half, Ekwueme getting his first goal to finish the game off. Unfortunately we’d be without his compatriot, Okoduwa, for 6-7 months following a broken leg, which if last season was anything to go by, was not a good sign. Iliev in particular seemed to play pretty poorly a lot of the time without him.

Loko Sofia 2-0 Sportist (A)

We already faced our second Sofia trip to play Lokomotiv. We were reasonably spirited in the first half, but as I expected, Iliev was having a hard time. They easily took control with a pair of goals early in the second half to give them a comfortable win.

League Table

Sept 2021

Sportist 1-0 Loko Plovdiv

We seemed to like the number ‘8’, as it was in the 8th minute that Bamba (who brilliantly was now a Bulgarian, and EU, citizen) gave us the lead. It was comfortable but unimpressive, Iliev having a 56th minute effort ruled out, which he definitely could have done with to help his post-Okoduwa depression.

Ludogorets 0-2 Sportist (A)

At Ludogorets, the 13th minute was unlucky for them as that was when Iliev gave us the lead. They put up a stiff threat for a lot of the game, and had our former forward Lambev (a promotion hero, let go in the summer) but after 72 minutes Iliev got another for us to seal it. That Grant Holt was sacked by Cambridge afterwards made it an even better day.

Chernomorets Burgas 0-1 Sportist (A)

I was dreading a trip to Chernomorets Burgas, but we were surprisingly on top for a lot of the game, though it looked like they could have punished us with a goal. For once that didn’t happen, and in the 80th minute, Iliev gave us a surprise win, making it 3 from 3 this month.

League Table

Oct 2021

Sportist 5-0 Svetkavitsa (A)

Svetkavitsa held us to a draw just before they went down a couple of seasons ago, and being my 300th career match, I hope to fix that. On the magical 8th minute Bamba gave us the lead, but things were pretty quiet until the second half. Around the hour mark, Ekwueme (who had just 1 goal in 7 so far) made it 2, followed by a Stoyanov penalty, and a double from Ekwueme in the last few minutes wrapped up a 5-0 win.

Cherno more 3-0 Sportist (A)

After 4 wins in a row, Cherno more were far too strong. For once we conceded instead of scored after 8 minutes, and again in the 12th. They went down to 10 men just after half-time, but the period of pressure that gave us didn’t last. That they got a late 3rd was bad enough, but it was Katsimerski, now on their side, who gave it to them!

Sportist 3-2 Slavia Sofia (A)

We bounced back against Slavia Sofia. They took an early lead, but we pushed back hard for a lot of the first half, and Bamba finally levelled the scores 5 minutes before half-time. He gave us the lead a couple of minutes into the second half, and Stefanov got another just afterwards. They were still a lot of trouble, getting a goal back in the 72nd minute, and we had to work very hard to avoid an equalizer.

Litex 3-2 Sportist (A)

Litex were challenging at the top, and were far too good. They took an early lead, and we pushed well to try and come back, but in the second half they easily took a 3-0 lead. Stoyanov quickly got a goal back, and at the end, Ekwueme got a second but it wasn’t enough.

League Table

Nov/Dec 2021

Sportist 3-1 Levski (A)

We were a little unlucky to go behind in an even first-half against Levski. In the 40th minute, Stefanov equalized, and Bamba had a goal disallowed. We managed to take the lead in the second half from Ekwueme, Zhivkov following on behind almost instantly, giving us enough of a safely margin.

Preslav 0-6 Sportist (Cup)

B group Preslav, away, were a fairly easy first tie in the cup. It took a while to get going but in the 27th minute, Ekwueme gave us the lead, Bamba following on a few minutes later, and getting another on the stroke of half-time. Ekwueme made it 4, just after the break, and on the dot of the hour (sort of), Bamba finished off his hat-trick, the Ivorian rounding off a great game by setting Ekwueme up for his own hat-trick, the latest bit of proof that we could manage alright without Okoduwa this time.

Pirin 0-2 Sportist (A)

By contrast, the first half at Pirin brought out calls of ‘there used to be a gladiator arena here’. However at the start of the second half, Bamba scored to give us control, Iliev following on after an hour.

Sportist 0-1 Minyor (A)

We went behind against Minyor, and struggled to get back in. We were a bit improved in the second half, but it was never going to be anywhere near enough, but it was to remain in the top 5 going into the winter break.

Sportist 2-1 Loko Sofia (aet) (Cup)

Not for the first time, Loko Sofia were in our way in the cup. This time we just about had the upper hand, with a penalty claim turned down in the 22nd minute. In the 72nd, we got one which Stoyanov, the captain, converted. They equalized just afterwards, and there was more controversy at the beginning of extra time when Bamba had a goal ruled out in the second minute, but just before the halfway point, Iliev’s goal sent us through to the quarter-finals for the first time.

League Table

[Jpr]

Just read through all your Sportist posts, figured you got promoted 1st season but couldn't think how it could happen, crazy!

Going well in your current season, hopefully you can start beating some of the top teams to reduce that points gap even further.

[deltablue]

Feb 2022

Sportist 1-3 CSKA (A)

Before facing CSKA again, we had the great news that Okoduwa was fully fit a couple of months earlier than I expected, as were a few other players, like James, who had been out for a lot of the Autumn. Unfortunately he couldn’t make much difference against the champions, who were easily the better side from the start, taking a 17th minute lead and getting another before the break. We struggled to get back into it in the second half, and a long-awaited third came in stoppage time, though Okoduwa at least managed to mark his return with a consolation right at the end.

Botev 1-3 Sportist (A)

We struggled to bounce back at Botev. They took the lead after a minute, and it took a while for us to really start coming into the game. We had the momentum in our favour in the second half, Iliev equalizing in the 59th minute, and after a lot of pushing, we got the deserved win from a double in the last 10 minutes, from Zhivkov, and Iliev again.

Sportist 3-0 Brestnik (A)

Brestnik were far more comfortable opponents. Stefanov headed us into the lead in the 5th minute. Iliev extended the lead 5 minutes after the break. Okoduwa had a goal disallowed shortly after, but Mihaylov gave us a third goal later on.

Beroe 1-2 Sportist (A)

Going to bottom club Beroe was like taking a step back in time to when we were more wasteful, and we were punished by being behind at the break. We kept pushing unsuccessfully in the second half, but we got away with it this time. A penalty from Morais in the 73rd minute, and an Okoduwa goal with a few minutes left gave us the win.

Mar 2022

Sportist 2-0 Loko Sofia (A)

Loko Sofia were surprisingly quiet in the next game. Iliev had a goal disallowed in each half, but after being on top we got the deserved comfortable win from a second half own goal, and Okoduwa giving us a late second.

Loko Plovdiv 1-0 Sportist (A)

At Loko Plovdiv, they were no more ambitious than their namesakes in the capital, but they were tougher to break down. We were worn out in the second half, and in the 72nd minute they roused themselves to grab a winner.

Sportist 0-0 Ludogorets (A)

Our 100% A group record against Ludogorets was seriously under threat from the start in the next game, as we both threatened hard in the first half. Things were quieter in the second half, though on balance we did more to try and get a win, especially later on, but not by enough to make much difference.

Sportist 0-2 Chernomorets Burgas (A)

We faced Chernomorets Burgas without Borisov, who was ill, and his young backup, Ozkaya, made an awkward start, not helped by inadequate defensive protection that gave them an easy early lead. Things improved a bit, but our efforts to level it were patchy, and their upper hand saw them get a deserved second with a couple of minutes left.

League Table

[deltablue]

Apr 2022

Svetkavitsa 0-2 Sportist (A)

After a few games without a win, we were back on form at Svetkavitsa, who admittedly were bottom. Bamba gave us the lead after a few minutes, followed by Okoduwa in the 20th minute, and we definitely did enough to earn more, though we didn’t get.

Sportist 4-0 Cherno more (Cup QF)

It was good preparation for the cup game with Cherno more, the first of 2 back to back home games with them. They were normally one of our problem sides, along with the Sofia clubs, but this time we took the game to them from the start. It took until the stroke of half-time for Bamba to give us a breakthrough. The floodgates opened and he gave us a second shortly after the break. Iliev came on at half-time (he was injured for Svetkavitsa) and made it 3, and Stefanov wrapped up a great 4-0 win to send us confidently through to the semis.

Sportist 4-0 Cherno more (A)

They were just as easy in the league game. A pair of goals from Okoduwa midway through the first half set us on our way. Bamba getting another in the second half before a penalty wrapped up Okoduwa’s hat-trick and our win in the 69th minute.

Slavia Sofia 0-2 Sportist (A)

The first half at Slavia Sofia was end to end stuff, but we made a breakthrough from Stefanov after almost half an hour. From that point things almost entirely went our way, and Iliev got a second goal in the 74th minute, an oddly comfortably result for what was only my second win in Sofia. The game with Litex was a pretty dull an even affair, but that changed in the second half when Todorov got sent off, with a straight red. They pushed hard to take advantage after that, but we managed to hold out.

May 2022

Levski 4-1 Sportist (A)

Levski were just ahead of us in 4th, making it a bigger game than usual, as tough as our Sofia trips were. However this was a prime example of why I felt we were too far away from the big sides to ever really be able to compete. They scored in the first few minutes, then got another pair of goals before half-time. Iliev got a goal back after 70 minutes but they finished things off with a 4th just afterwards. That put them 4 points ahead with 2 games left and made European qualification (at least in the league), which would get me to stay, highly improbable.

Sportist 1-2 Slavia Sofia (Cup SF)

That left the cup, where we were at home to Slavia Sofia in the semis. Like against Cherno more, we sensed an opportunity, and attacked from the off. Bamba gave us the lead exactly halfway through the first half, though they woke up and equalized 5 minutes later. An even and open game was decided after an hour when they converted a free-kick, though we could easily have levelled it at least.

Sportist 4-2 Pirin (A)

We hit back at home to Pirin. A brace from Okoduwa around the half-hour mark gave us a 2-0 lead. They hit back a few minutes after the break, then equalized with a controversial penalty in the 67th minute. Justice was done as with 10 minutes left, Okoduwa’s shot was deflected by a defender into the Pirin net to restore our lead, and James converted a free-kick in injury time to give us a 4-2 win.

Minyor 1-2 Sportist (A)

The last game was at Minyor. I’d often found them tricky, indeed they’d beaten us at home in November, but this time Okoduwa gave us the lead just over 10 minutes in. They were up to their old tricks in the second half, quickly equalizing, and putting a lot of pressure on our goal that required a Herculean effort from Borisov to keep out, but we were rewarded with Bamba giving us a winner. I finished off as ‘players manager of the season’ as well.

Final League Table

It was so nearly goodbye, but it wouldn’t be yet. I felt we couldn’t beat this season, given we were so consistently beaten by, and were far behind, the big sides, but especially as better rep and finances greatly increased my reinforcement opportunities now, I felt we could have good go at it, and my heart screamed ‘stay’ far too loudly for me to ignore. I already know full well that you can never say never in this game. It would help that Bamba, Okoduwa, and Borrouhou were now EU citizens, giving me scope to get another strong African or 2 in. It was great to have a really strong cup run at last, and relative consistency, with few surprise results, either positive or negative. Plus easily managed a 4th ‘record high’ in a row.

Squad stats

Star player: Okoduwa

He may have been out injured for all of the Autumn, during which we managed fine without, but had a yet another strong season when he did play.

[deltablue]

Summer 2022

The chairman decided to interfere as early as June, accepting a 300k bid from Auxerre for Ekwueme, which was a good markup from 45k after just 1 year where he only played for parts of the season, but I was less pleased about Stoyanov going to Sportul for 220k. Still I couldn’t argue with the boost to an already excellent financial situation (800k, plus yet more monthly fees coming in). I must admit there was a bit of ‘wish I’d gone now’ but knew that I was probably going to do so at the end of the season, though obviously that was far from certain given I only changed my mind after last season had finished. The upshot was that I had up to 11kpw wage budget (massive by our standards, which in itself tells its own story, especially about why I want to move on soon),or almost 400k transfer kitty (ditto, though not that small as wage budget seems). I already had 3 players who I liked in January coming in, though those players rarely became that important. There weren’t really the players out there I’d stayed hoping to see (though the free agents sprung surprises), but that was more than made up by my big signing of the summer, I mean, just look at him, at least technically, the sort of player I’d been envious of the big sides having for years.

Alexandre

After that, the chairman decided to have a laugh and accept a bid for full-back Morais for good measure. Normally they’re supposed to wait for me to leave before flogging off most of my squad. Normally this doesn’t bug me, especially with the important financial gains, but this summer it is, maybe because of the ‘small club’ factor it’s demonstrating after I’ve felt like leaving for those reasons. Still I didn’t decide to stay on just to leave earlier because of this.

In terms of expectations, the board (and by extention, our rep) were still stuck in ‘avoid relegation' mode, I wasn’t expecting to improve on last season (if I was I wouldn’t have almost left), so just being close would do. One small perk of staying was that near the end of the season I’d make it to 200 games at the club, which given I’d wanted a bit more longevity at clubs, and after the 4 years at Frigg, would make a good run of just 2 clubs in 10 years.

Aleksandrov

Marinov

Sokolov

Transfers

[AK22]

Definitely worth hanging around for another season, considering the improvement made.

Alexandre should turn out to be amazing if you can get his physical stats up a bit.

[deltablue]

Definitely worth hanging around for another season, considering the improvement made.

Alexandre should turn out to be amazing if you can get his physical stats up a bit.

Definitely, even if in this case events are so far confirming what I knew, that it was as good as things would get, but I just couldn't be sure, and it was that uncertainty that caused my change of heart regarding leaving, but that was always going to be coming, almost certainly this season, as certain as I was last time.

Aug 2022

Botev 0-1 Sportist (A)

Botev away were first, and for a side that had only been promoted a year ago, they were rather troublesome at first, we could only break them with a penalty right before halftime, from Petkov (a freebee last year who rarely played). In the second half, despite the fact that they were dirty enough to have 7 players booked, we were far more in control of the game, but didn’t get another goal.

Sportist 2-1 Chavdar Etropole (A)

From a team promoted last year, to a team re-promoted this, Chavdar Etropole. Unsurprisingly, this was simpler. Bulgaria’s favourite Nigerian set Iliev up in the 28th minute. This was followed in the 58th minute with another Petkov penalty. They headed in a corner to get a goal back with 7 minutes left but never threatened to equalize.

Chernomorets Burgas 3-0 Sportist (A)

Chernomorets Burgas was our first big trip, and it went exactly as expected. Borisov, clear man of the match from the start, was called into action from the start, and couldn’t stop them scoring in the 6th and 18th minutes as they attacked relentlessly. The second half wasn’t much better, and they got a third in the 69th minute. We did have a little flurry of activity near the end. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the big boys are just too far ahead.

Sportist 3-2 Minyor (A)

Having lost at home to Minyor last season, we were determined not to have a repeat. For the most part the game was comfortably ours. Okoduwa opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, then in first half-stoppage time, he delivered a corner which a Minyor player knocked into his own net. In the second half, Iliev made it 3-0 in the 66th minute, but then they mounted a comeback, getting 2 goals (and giving James, Zhivkov and Okoduwa knocks that would rule them out for about a month each) in the last 15 minutes, but thankfully we managed to keep out any potential equalizer.

League Table

Sept 2022

Sportist 2-0 Dunav (A)

We had a gap of a few weeks before playing promoted Dunav at home. It wasn’t impressive but it was comfortable, given the players injured against Minyor were alright but still unfit. Midway through the first half, an Okoduwa shot led to an own goal, and the other goal came from Stefanov heading in a corner just before half-time.

Pirin 0-2 Sportist (A)

Going to Pirin would be a little trickier, and interestingly we’d be up against our former keeper Seliminski (who was first choice for the season after promotion). It was the first game where Alexandre made an individual impact, scoring a penalty after 10 minutes, and setting up Okoduwa for a disallowed second after half an hour. We looked shaky while we were just 1 goal ahead, and they had many chances to equalize, but deep in the second half, Bamba gave us a very welcome goal, Iliev having another disallowed a few minutes before the end.

CSKA 2-0 Sportist (A)

We were flying high in second, but I always knew that going to CSKA (with a 100% record, plus with 3 titles on the trot now) would be a massive reality check. It didn’t take long for them to take the lead. Surprisingly enough, though they soon got a second goal, we managed to keep it at that, with some bright spells in the second half, however it was the latest of many Sofia defeats.

Sportist 0-0 Loko Plovdiv (A)

After that it took time to get going in a more manageable game with Loko Plovdiv, and when we did, they were able to take whatever we threw at them. We lost a lot of momentum in the second half, and they were able to threaten but on balance we still should have got a winning goal.

League Table

[B.W.G]

Good start to the season so far

[emgergo]

Nice progress this season, and Alexandre looks like a destroyer - though there's a chance that by the time he gets settled in the side he'll be snatched!

[deltablue]

Good start to the season so far

Having played a lot in the past few days, and posted more in one go (which has probably made things a little harder to follow), I broke the updates up better today, so I already knew that CSKA was the start of a bit of a slump, so probably won't have even the slightest dilemma about leaving this time.

Nice progress this season, and Alexandre looks like a destroyer - though there's a chance that by the time he gets settled in the side he'll be snatched!

Maybe not, a few of my first African (who it happens to) signings after promotion are still around compared to later players getting snatched after a year or so, plus as he cost a fair bit in the first place it would take a far larger bid to be accepted, I'll be gone by then anyway.

Oct 2022

Loko Sofia 2-1 Sportist (A)

Loko was expected to be another hard Sofia trip, however Okoduwa gave us an 11th minute lead. It didn’t last but after they equalized they never really took control of the game. What they did get, however, was a winner at the beginning of the second half.

Sportist 0-1 Cherno more (A)

Cherno more were usually trouble, the pair of 4-0 wins in April aside, and this time at home was no different. They scored after a few minutes, and while we soon got our act together, especially in the second half, and equalizer just didn’t come.

Litex 4-1 Sportist (A)

Litex was expected to be yet another tough trip, and so it was, though not before Stefanov gave us the lead after a few minutes. Things remained steady after their 21st minute equalizer, but they ran rampant with 3 goals in 10 minutes midway through the second half.

Sportist 3-0 Beroe (A)

In the first half at home to struggling Beroe, we pushed hard but didn’t get anywhere. Okoduwa finally gave us a breakthrough in the 53rd minute, followed by an own-goal 15 minutes later, and an 84th minute Okoduwa goal wrapped up our first win in a while.

Nov/Dec 2022

Slavia Sofia 1-1 Sportost (A)

Going to Sofia rarely meant winning, and mostly losing (in case you hadn’t figured that out by now, or that I was fed up with it), even against next opponents Slavia, not as big as the others. They took the first half lead, but inspired by Alexandre, we came back hard, and Okoduwa’s goal meant that we’d at least snatch a point.

Balkan 1-6 Sportist (Cup)

We went to non-league Balkan in the cup. Sokolov scored in the second minute, Alexandre giving us a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes. They got one back but Okoduwa’s inevitable goal came 5 minutes before the break, followed by Bamba a few minutes later. After 80 minutes, Bamba finally got a 5th, Stefanov wrapping things up 5 minutes later.

Sportist 0-3 Spartak Plovdiv (A)

Spartak Plovdiv were expected to be easy, but they hit us with a pair of goals midway through the first half. An attempt at coming back was stalled when they got a third in the 59th minute. When we returned to strongly attack we couldn’t get a consolation anyway.

Levski 3-2 Sportist (A)

We got all the Sofia games (and the just as tricky Litex and Chernomorets Burgas visits as well come to think of it) out the way when we went to Levski in the last league game before the break, so while those sides wouldn’t be easy, it would be uphill from that point. 2 quick goals conceded in the first 10 minutes was business as usual as far as these games went. An own-goal midway through the half put us back in the game, and we had a good go at equalizing until they retook control in the second half, getting a 3rd goal with a few minutes left, with time remaining for Iliev to give us a second goal.

CSKA 4-0 Sportist (Cup)

I slightly spoke too soon about ‘last trip to Sofia’ as in the cup we went to CSKA. They took the lead before we really got going, getting a second goal in the 9th minute, and a 3rd 10 minutes before half-time. They didn’t get a 4th until the end, but yet again we’d been well and truely taken apart.

League Table

[cerud]

Just catching up here, deltablue! Decent career so far and looking forward to following here on out.

[deltablue]

Cheers Cerud. Anyway, farewell Bulgaria, you've been great.

Feb 2023

Sportist 2-0 Botev (A)

January was a busy month for transfers, mainly expiring contract players for my successor in the summer, but also a Brazilian free agent, and a couple more Africans. Returning at home to Botev, we struggled to make much progress despite a lot of attacking effort, but we really managed to turn the heat up in the second half, Bamba (a half-time sub) giving us the lead in the 59th minute, and Iliev making it safe just afterwards.

Chavdar Etropole 2-1 Sportist (A)

We also pushed at Chavdar Etropole, but it didn’t come to anything, and we were behind at the break. We were finally rewarded with Iliev equalizing in the 60th minute. After Bamba joined Alexandre in going off injured, they retook the lead, and a second Iliev equalizer was disallowed.

Sportist 2-1 Chernomorets Burgas (A)

As usual, we didn’t really turn up against Chernomorets Burgas, being sitting ducks when going 2-0 behind. Mihaylov was sent off early in the second half, but instead of shipping more, we at least managed an Okoduwa consolation.

Sportist 3-2 Minyor (A)

In contrast to Chavdar, we faced a lot of pressure early on, but Dimitrov gave us the lead. They soon equalized but an admittedly dodgy 67th minute penalty from Alexandre gave us a lead that lasted just 2 minutes. By this point we were definitely going for it, and Stefanov’s header gave us a late win.

League Table

Mar 2023

Sportist 2-1 CSKA (A)

We conceded early on at home to CSKA, and I thought ‘here we go again’. However Okoduwa equalized and we took control. After dominating the first half, Okoduwa had a goal disallowed in the last minute before the break, and while I knew we’d be more subdued in the second half, they didn’t really do anything and with a couple of minutes left, Iliev gave us a winner.

Dunav 0-0 Sportist (A)

We had a good go to get another win at Dunav, and while we were consistently on top, we weren’t efficient so had to settle a 0-0.

Sportist 4-0 Pirin (A)

We made amends at home to Pirin. We were as dominant as we had done for a while, and Alexandre gave us the lead in the 20th minute. We didn’t get more until well in the second half, from Okodowa in the 62nd minute. Dimitrov followed that up 8 minutes later, and Bamba joined in the fun to finish things off in the last minute.

League Table

Apr 2023

Loko Plovdiv 4-1 Sportist (A)

We were back to being on the back foot at Loko Plovdiv. They took the lead in the second minute and while Dimitrov equalized midway through the half, they quickly retook the lead, and took us apart with another pair of goals in the second half.

Sportist 2-1 Loko Sofia (A)

After all those Sofia defeats, we were getting partial revenge at home in Svoge. Okoduwa got his 10th goal of the season to get us on our way, followed 10 minutes into the second half by the new Brazilian, Andre Luiz, though they got a consolation just afterwards.

Cherno more 1-1 Sportist (A)

Bamba gave us the lead at Cherno more, and though they equalized, we were strongly on top for most of the second half, but not for the first time (hopefully one of the last) that didn’t give us the goals we’d been striving for and had to settle for a draw, keeping our opponents above us.

Sportist 1-2 Litex (A)

For the first half an hour at home to Litex, it looked like they’d be the latest home scalp, however they hit us with a couple of goals to change that. We pushed forward in the second half, Okoduwa getting a goal back, followed by plenty of chances, and a rejected penalty claim, that could have given us a point.

Beroe 1-1 Sportist (A)

The first half at Beroe consisted of each side having good chances to take the advantage. In the second, we started to dominate, but couldn’t really get anywhere. They had a late push, but in the end we came closest with a late Dimitrov goal disallowed.

May 2023

Sportist 0-0 Slavia Sofia (A)

A home game with Slavia Sofia was my 200th match at Sportist, and the third-last. We threw all we got at them, but had to settle for just a point.

Spartak Plovdiv 0-4 Sportist (A)

We had a lot of refreshing accuracy at Spartak Plovdiv. Bamba gave us a pair in the first 25 minutes, completed a hat-trick in the 67th minute, and even managed a late 4th, while they had almost as many chances that were never a threat.

Sportist 0-1 Levski (A)

The last game was at home to Levski. They had a goal very early on, but we were able to push for a most of the rest, and should have earned something. Defeated but not outclassed.

Final League Table

The moment that had been coming for 3 years finally arrived, as thought, last season’s 5th was the peak of our ambitions, and after a great start things dipped (with mild improvements in the spring), and having changed my mind last year, this time it was never in doubt. I could be very happy with what I had done. That amazing first season promotion (in fact there was even a strong win in my first game, at the end of the previous year), plus setting a new highest position record for each of the first 4 years in the top flight, despite being so small and strong relegation candidates on paper for quite a while. Plus financially, from struggling to get into the black (there was even a loan in the first season, and the sales of a couple of our best players) to the best part of a million now.

At the end of the day we were far too small, and that was changing far too slowly, and we were already doing very well as things were, more would always be very improbable, I wasn't sure what sort of things I'd get, but even a short-term step down should give me somewhere with more potential for advancement. However options are wide ranging, top div jobs will be in small nations if that, any of the bigger nations will be pretty low down, and the middle option (second level in the middling nations) has neither the attraction or the problems of the ends of the scale, it's that sort of steep 'trade off between one or the other' situation, so I'd appreciate input. Currently erring on the side of aiming high a biding my time, and the game will be processing weeks at a time so there won't be an immediate decision.

Squad Stats

[AK22]

Shame you couldn't improve on the previous season and go out on a high.

You may need to wait until Oct/Nov when the 'sacking season' starts, but I could certainly see you getting a job with a mid-to-lower-table club in the top tier of a lesser nation. As a guideline, you may have to declare your interest and see if it gets laughed off or not.

[deltablue]

There have been a number of vacancies early on, went for top division clubs at good-to middling nations as a sort of optimistic rangefinder, though aside from the 'summer season' nations things are quieter for the summer. Having decided to avoid the middle ground I might gravitate towards it.

[HotChocolate]

I much prefer taking over a team just at the end of the season.

[B.W.G]

Shame you couldn't finish on a high,good luck wherever you land next.

[deltablue]

I much prefer taking over a team just at the end of the season.

I agree, or at the beginning. In fact when I was offered the Sportist job I set it so I'd arrive at the end of the season (though it was right before the last match) instead of a couple of months before.

Shame you couldn't finish on a high,good luck wherever you land next.

Cheers while nowhere near getting anywhere yet (thanks to the game doing large chunks at a time, took just a few continues to go from late May to Oct 1, as well as erring on the sie of aiming high), I have at least decided to settle for lower leagues in most nations if it comes to that, but just as I left Norway and chose Bulgaria for promotion potential, this time I'll look for club potential, as that was the issue with Sportist, not that I expected to do well enough there for that to come up.

Update: I think my wish has just come true.

[deltablue]

BATE Borisov

After pondering my first offer, from Swindon, I saw that the BATE job was now available, such relatively big club in their nation was for me a dream at this stage, and while I didn’t expect to be offered it, I was and snapped it up. Founded in the mid-90’s they had become the dominant force in the country in the past few years in real life, with some European progress, however they hadn’t challenged for a while, without a title in 6 years (their only one in the past decade) or a top 3 finish in 4, and were actually sitting just above the bottom 2, so there was plenty to do. And before I could do it, I had to secure survival in the last 5 games. Poor Sportist were at the bottom of the league with just 4 points. I had prior experience in Belarus last year, with Slavia Mozyr going roughly as Sportist just has, except with being able to built a stronger squad from the start, slightly consistently better positions in the Highest League (interestingly enough, with BATE stuck in the First League throughout), and a cup (which runs on a different schedule from the league, going autumn-spring) win which aided a departure. Here at BATE I was hoping for another ‘MTK’, eventually (I expected it to take a couple of years) being able to grab a few domestic trophies as a good springboard to something far better.

Oct/Nov 2023

Vitebsk 1-0 BATE (HL)

We started at 4th placed Vitebsk, and showed ambition from the start. We shipped the first goal, but kept on and had a goal disallowed in the 40th minute. We continued in similar fashion in the second half, except that they threatened more, and were unlucky not to get something from what turned out to be the side’s 4th defeat in a row.

BATE 3-1 Belshina (HL)

We did better at home to Belshina, it helped that we took control early on with Libyan defender Dalla heading us into the lead in the 10th minute. After some solid pushing, we extended the lead in the 39th minute. They mounted a bit of a comeback, getting a goal back just after an hour, but we quickly got a 3rd to make it safe.

Partizan Minsk 1-0 BATE (HL)

We were on the back-foot at Partizan Minsk, but we managed to hold out enough to start getting chances in the second half. But just as it looked like we would both have to settle for a point, they got a late winner.

BATE 1-2 Dnepr Mogilev (HL)

A home game against 2nd placed Dnepr Mogilev was similarly a struggle, this time we did conceded early. Veteran Ukrainian Shakhov equalized but not only did they regain the lead, but a straight red gave us a defensive hole, which thankfully didn’t lead to shipping more goals, and despite the defeat, we were now mathematically safe.

Veras 1-2 BATE (HL)

By comparision, our last opponents, Veras, were well adrift at the bottom even when we arrived, and we hoped to finish off with an away win. That we did with a pair of goals in the first 11 minutes, though we didn’t really dominate that much afterwards, even conceding in the second half, but it was pretty comfortable.

Final League Table

There wasn’t much to say so far, was just getting the rest of this season out of the way, ensuring survival, and waiting to be able to start properly next season, see how far up the league we can get as an initial step.

[B.W.G]

Good luck at BATE

[SnakeXe]

Good move to Borisov, looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

[Jolanthustrel]

Only 10 points from 4th. You get a couple of good signings and start well next season could see you challenge for Europa spot. Good luck!

[deltablue]

Good luck at BATE

Good move to Borisov, looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

So am I, unusually, BATE were a very specific example of where I wanted to go anyway.

Only 10 points from 4th. You get a couple of good signings and start well next season could see you challenge for Europa spot. Good luck!

Funny you should say that...

Winter 2024

I was slightly surprised when seeing that the board expected European qualification, as that was higher than they were predicted last year. The fact that the latter stages of the cup was in the following Spring added extra uncertainty over whether I could settle for 4th, so that meant top 3, though I felt I could survive falling a bit short this time, the first time in ages that job security has been in doubt. However I had the resources, with 3.8M transfer budget (though we had a bit less in the bank), and 20kpw for wages (admittedly much lower than could have got elsewhere, even Swindon were offering 3 times more), with just over 8kpw being used. The squad wasn’t too bad either, so there was no need to spread the money around on a number of players. However only being able to register 5 foreigners at a time definitely restricted improvements, especially with very limited local talent, clustered around a few forwards and central defenders, but managed to ‘swap’ a couple of foreigners to help improve things.

Hulk

Paulo Roberto

Radzkov

Siby

Transfers

[AK22]

Some excellent young signings there.

I'm really surprised by your transfer budget, though, as I can't imagine Belarus is awash with that much cash.

[cragswfc]

Hulk looks like a beast

[JackJCFC]

Looks like you've picked up some great players there, good luck next season.

[deltablue]

Some excellent young signings there.

I'm really surprised by your transfer budget, though, as I can't imagine Belarus is awash with that much cash.

I imagine it isn't any more than every top club have hundreds of millions to spend. However the other time I was there, much further in the game admitely, I had just under 2M in the First League!

Hulk looks like a beast

Pity he was injured early on.

Looks like you've picked up some great players there, good luck next season.

Thanks, sadly it's not gone well.

Apr 2024

BATE 0-5 Dinamo Brest (HL)

We got off to a poor start at home to Dinamo Brest, conceding in the 3rd minute, then again from a controversial penalty just under half an hour in. Another one in the 50th minute made it 3-0. We were completely useless, in the 65th minute conceding yet another, and a 5th in the penultimate minute.

Gomel 2-1 BATE (HL)

Things weren’t likely to get better at champions Gomel, however we managed to keep things dull in the first half. We conceded as soon as the second half started, but were able to put up a fight, target man Tret’yak equalizing midway through the half. Both sides really pushed for a winner, and with 12 minutes left, they got it.

BATE 3-2 Torpedo Zhodino (HL)

Thankfully Torpedo Zhodino had started even worse, and we were at home to them next. Conceding in the 7th minute suggested that this season would not be comfortable, thankfully after a bit of a scramble, Hulk equalized in the 12th minute. We kept pushing and later in the half, Dalla headed us into the lead. However they were a continuous threat, and equalized early in the second half, but we had too much for them and Tret’yak gave us one of the most relieving wins I’d had in a long time.

May 2024

Dinamo Minsk 3-0 BATE (HL)

A trip to Dinamo Minsk was going to be much tougher, but we started well enough, and should have taken the lead before they hit us with a goal after half an hour. They pushed on and took us to the cleaners with 2 goals before half-time. We managed to limit the damage in the second half, and had a strong late push, but we had no more luck than early on.

BATE 1-2 Partizan Minsk (HL)

We conceded again at home to Partizan Minsk in just the 3rd minute, and again before we were 20 minutes in. We were able to get one back from left-back Ruslan Molchanov (playing alongside another full back of the same surname, and they’re both dual-sided as well which either makes things more confusing or avoid problems), and had periods of second half threatening but couldn’t get anything, and I was starting to get the feeling that I wouldn’t be here for long.

Naftan 1-2 BATE (HL)

After 4 defeats in the first 5 games, we hoped to avoid a 5th at Naftan, who only survived in the playoff last year. When they took the lead after half an hour, with the game being finely balanced, I had a sinking feeling. However having made a few changes, defender Polyakov (one of the changes) headed an equalizer, and just before half-time, a free-kick led to an own-goal which gave us the lead. As the second half wore on, they started pushing hard, but we managed to get another win.

BATE 0-1 Belshina (HL)

A home game with Belshina, who were below us, was a great opportunity to grab another. We were by far the stronger, after a slow start, but the game was decided in their favour by a 40th minute penalty, while their keeper was doing a great job. In contrast we lost ours, Paulo Roberto, for a month following a late collision.

Neman Grodno 4-2 BATE (HL)

Internationals added to injuries for a trip to Neman Grodno, though at least Siby was able to play having been injured just before the start of the season. His fellow playmaker Lukashevich gave us the lead in the 12th minute, even though it was a return to tougher games. Penalties struck again midway through the half when they equalized, but Dubovik restored the lead 5 minutes later. The match turned in the first minute after half-time, when veteran keeper Scherbakov scored an own-goal to level the scores, followed by another (though not from him) to give That pretty much ended our challenge, and they simply came forward, and yet another penalty at the end wrapped it up for them.

Minsk 2-1 BATE (HL)

We peaked too early in another tricky trip to Minsk, with Radzkov (easily the best local I found in pre-season) heading us into the lead, only for them to easily take control, having a 2-1 lead by half-time, and not letting go after the break, even though there were no more goals.

BATE 0-2 Vitebsk (HL)

The last game before a long break was at home to Vitebsk, however by this point we were conceding the lead as if it was the most routine thing in the world, and did so again this time. We woke up in the second half, and had a good go, but it was for nothing as they finished us off with another in the 77th minute.

League Table

[Tactic Master]

Unlucky on those results, lets hope you can pick things up! I have faith

[deltablue]

Unlucky on those results, lets hope you can pick things up! I have faith

Some of them definitely, but in the rest we've been so hopeless so definitely falling well short even my expectations (top-half), let along the boards rather demanding ones. Keeping going as we can definitely do a lot better, providing hope beyond the short term, so no premature resignations this time (but probably will be sacked soon anyway), but things not improving one bit. Probably the only manager singing 'you're getting fired in the morning' at himself Thankfully this sort of failure doesn't come too often these days so will probably do better in the future.

[B.W.G]

Hopefully you can turn it around.