[FM17] Want to Beat These Youngsters? You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!

[oriole01]

From the Author of [FM16] Enemy Harriers Incoming!
Club Atlético Aldosivi

The Aim

So before I begin, I'd like to thank @smp20 for inspiring me to start this save with his amazing San Marino thread last year and also for giving me some advice on this adventure. I'd also like to thank @iacovone, @LPQR, and Golden FM on YouTube for their equally impressive youth-oriented content that served as inspiration as well. With that out of the way, it's time to introduce my new challenge in the lovely nation of Argentina.

So I'd imagine that most of you guys know the general structure of a youth challenge, but for those unfamiliar, here's the basics of how it works:

- Your squad must be built through your youth academy. No buying, no loaning, and no free agents.
- New players (regens) come through at youth intakes conducted annually by your HoYD, and this is the only way to acquire new players
-You can have international players, as long as they come through your academy

I chose Aldosivi (known as Los Tiburones or "The Sharks") mostly because of the logo and colours, and although they are a Primera Division club, they are minuscule in terms of reputation and history to the South American giants Boca Juniors and River Plate, therefore the challenge will still be quite difficult to pull off.

Game Setup

I only have the Argentine leagues loaded as playable, but I have the major European leagues, all South American leagues with the help of claassen's megapack, and USA and Mexico as view-only with a medium-sized database.

Goals

-Win all Argentine competitions (Primera Division, Copa Argentina, Supercopa) multiple times
-Win the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and Recopa
-Win the Club World Cup, preferably by defeating the European champions
-Become the most reputable club in Argentina, South America, and one of the most reputable in the world
(Bonus) Manage the Argentine NT and win the World Cup and Copa America with a core of Aldosivi players

Now usually these saves are done in Europe, so the Champions League is the goal for most players. However, continental glory won't be good enough here. This is South America, and although the Libertadores is a prestigious competition, it is nowhere near the reputation and richness of the Champions League. Therefore the only true way to prove yourself is in that Club World Cup against the European champs, so I think winning that will be the pinnacle for me and the club. Of course, this is almost certainly many seasons down the road. For now, we have to focus on discovering, developing, and perfecting the generation of players that will take us there. That starts right here, right now. My goals seem crazy to me, especially since my last thread saw me toiling with Kidderminster Harriers in the English fifth tier, but I've seen wilder and I'm sure you all have too. So if anyone wants to try and stop us, you'll have to talk to Chief Brody...

 

[ManUtd1]

Definitely an early entrant in the "best thread title" category for the annual FMCU awards! Should be an interesting one as well, given Argentina's youth rating. Looking forward to it!

[oriole01]

7 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

Definitely an early entrant in the "best thread title" category for the annual FMCU awards! Should be an interesting one as well, given Argentina's youth rating. Looking forward to it!

Thank you sir, I'll have to admit I put a little extra effort into the thread title with that award in mind . Great to see that you'll be following as well. Oh, and there is one element from your thread that I'd like to bring into this save... more on that later.

[BoxToBox]

Good luck, that certainly is an eye catching crest.

[ManUtd1]

5 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

 Oh, and there is one element from your thread that I'd like to bring into this save... more on that later.

Rabona Interruptus has been trying to break into the South American market for years...

I'll wait with baited breath!

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

The Club

From Wikipedia:
"Club Atlético Aldosivi (usually referred simply as Aldosivi) is an Argentine football club based in the city of Mar del Plata. The club plays at the Estadio José María Minella stadium. The institution was founded on March 29, 1913, and plays in the first division of the Argentine football league system, the Argentine Primera División. The club's name comes from the first two letters of the last name of their founders, Allard, Doulfus, Sillard, and Wiriott (the 'w' was changed to a 'v' because there was no W available to telegraph the official announcement).

In 1979, Aldosivi merged with two other clubs from Mar del Plata and was known by the name Defensores del Puerto until 1981 when it returned to the traditional name, which it still uses today."

The stadium actually hosted some World Cup matches back in '78. It looks quite pretty in this photo.

And those are indeed, the only honours Aldosivi has ever achieved. Just a handful of promotions and some regional titles in the past. This is indeed a trophy cabinet waiting to be filled.

Facilities and Finances

Sorry if you can't see it, but we have an appallingly low transfer budget to start... of course I won't be needing it though. On the facilities side, we're just adequate for everything, and basic on junior coaching. Once I build some trust with the board those will all have to be going up if we've got any shot at fulfilling our goals. Overall though, the club is healthy, and just needs some success on the pitch to go a step further. Like I said, Aldosivi's reputation isn't on the level of Boca, River, Racing, Independiente, or the other top sides in the country, but that doesn't mean they're not special. In fact, they wheel this baby out before every game when the players head onto the pitch:

Oh, the narrative possibilities with this thing are endless .

[ManUtd1]

I'm loving the shark. He'd better have Twitter, and speak his mind! (Attila really needs his mouth washed out with soap.)

[ManUtd1]

The shark HAS to have a name...I'm still on my phone, so can't really Google it yet 

[oriole01]

Just now, ManUtd1 said:

I'm loving the shark. He'd better have Twitter, and speak his mind! (Attila really needs his mouth washed out with soap.)

Well, you've spoiled your own surprise, Twitter is indeed going to be involved in this save, but I certainly wasn't thinking of having the shark as one of the characters. I'll have to be working that in now though...

Just now, ManUtd1 said:

The shark HAS to have a name...I'm still on my phone, so can't really Google it yet 

The only thing close to a name I've seen is "Tiburón del Puerto", which isn't good enough. It appears as if I'll have to come up with something more suitable myself .

 

 

[BoxToBox]

"Rey Tiburón gets my vote.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

The Squad, The Staff, The Tactic

What's surprising (and a bit concerning) is that at the start of this youth challenge, we have eight men who are 30 years or older in our starting XI. Despite their ages, these guys are still pretty good for this level, and can carry us for a few seasons while our younger guys develop. There's not a single poor personality in this squad, but only one exceptional one as well. Hopefully there's still time to develop as many personalities as we can into those of model professionals.

Key Players
Pablo Campodonico (GK) Matias Vega (GK) Alan Alegre (DC) Federico Leon (DC) Roberto Brum (DM) Jonatan Galvan (DM) Cristian Llama (ML) Gaston Diaz (MR) Sebastian Penco (ST) Pablo Luguercio (ST)

Hot Prospects

These are some of the guys with good potential in my reserve team, and this is before the first intake. I do have to say that I'm quite impressed with what we already have here, and although time will have to tell whether these guys will have the ability to take the team another level, it makes me feel a bit more secure knowing that we have at the very least first-team starters waiting in the wings. The future does look bright in the striking department, and if just one of the Di Yorio, Merlo, Benedetti trio reaches full potential, that could get us winning more games. I'll show them in more detail at the end of the season.

Staff

What's most important is that we have plenty of coaches good with young players, including myself. Our crucial signing was our 20-rated HoYD, which is probably the most important staff member in a youth challenge apart from the manager himself. I am very excited for the work that Miguel Gomis will do at our first intake. I will probably have to improve our U20s coaches at the nearest opportunity, as their attributes aren't quite up to snuff.

Tactic

So here's the tactic I'll be going with to start. Of course, this could very well change, but it has found some decent success in the pre-season. The diamond in the middle should be difficult to break down, and with the presence of Brum and the injured Galvan at the DM position, we should be able to hold a good defensive line against evenly-matched teams. The veteran strike pair of Luguercio and Penco might not be the most consistent, but is probably our best long-term option. There will also be a battle for the job between the sticks, as our 38-year-old captain Campodonico will be jostling with a slightly better Matias Vega for playing time. I've also created a defensive tactic, and will probably create more situational tactics in the future. But please, give me some feedback on the one I've just showed you, it would really help.

I feel like these first few seasons will be a difficult time for us, as although we have a good squad, its aging core could decline rapidly without warning, and we have to be very efficient at developing our young players to be ready for that day and step up. This process is already underway, as our highest potential youth players are receiving tutoring and specialized training. We're predicted for 26th in the league out of 30, and what's more concerning is that it will become harder and harder to survive each year as the Primera Division gradually reduces its number of teams from 30 to 24 and potentially lower. Let's just hope we're ready to take that challenge on!

 

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

The Manager: Meet José Antonio Mendoza

You can see that "working with youngsters" and "youngster knowledge" are attributes I made sure were high. I also love the yellow shirt and green tie that I'm rocking. This is where it gets fun.
From the club blog:

Quote

 

Aldosivi.com

Please welcome José Antonio Mendoza to Club Atlético Aldosivi! José is a dashing man of 38 years who has had several years of experience in Argentine football, but has found his first managerial job here in Mar del Plata. José's career path was not typical. He did not become a professional footballer until age 24, when he joined Club Atlético Tucuman in 2003. Prior to that move, he played semi-professional football in his home city of Salta for several years, reaching as high as the third division. However, the money he received from playing football was not enough, and José worked all around Salta as a busboy, a mechanic, a factory worker, and even a crocodile wrangler to support himself and his family.

After making the leap to the professional game, José served as a determined and consistent wide midfielder at Tucuman, Douglas Haig, Lanus, and even Aldosivi before hanging up his boots in 2013. Over the course of his professional career, Mendoza appeared in over 300 matches and scored 41 goals, earning himself three Argentina caps over the years. After taking some time off and obtaining his coaching badges, José has returned to Aldosivi, where he played from 2007-2009, to become manager. José is a natural leader, and this was evident during his playing career. His ability to do this will be key in his endeavors in his new job. The board is pleased with José's ambition, and although some of the goals he set at their initial meeting may seem a bit outlandish, they will give him the time and resources to set his ambitions into motion. Our new man seems to be very interested in developing the young players at the club, and wishes that one day the squad will be entirely made up of top-class Aldosivi youth products. To help with this, he has signed Head of Youth Development Miguel Gomis, a well-respected man who previously served in the same role at Boca Juniors for several years. Since José spent much of his time as a youth helping to raise his younger brothers alongside his parents, working with young people is natural for him. Also, his experience as a crocodile wrangler means he can handle dangerous animals, much like the Los Tiburónes squad he has inherited at Estadio José Maria Minella. José will be making his competitive managerial debut on August 26 at home against Patronato. Get excited, Aldosivi fans, because big things are in store in Mar del Plata!

Of course, in today's digital world, social media is an instrumental part of home life and work life. Here's how things went down on Twitter on José's first day in charge...

So there are your four main characters for this series. You've got the official club page, who have a half-serious college kid in charge. Then of course there's the dashing, professional, yet well-humored José himself. You have Zezé, real name also José, who is José Antonio's best friend from the crocodile farm in Salta where they worked. Zezé is very fond of both reptiles and hard rock, as evidenced by his Twitter handle. Zezé's nickname is the "Rock Croc", Jose's is the "Socc Croc" since he played football. Zezé is still based in Salta, but has bought season tickets to Aldosivi games and will make the trek to see his friend's club play.
Yes, last but not least, we have the shark, who happens to fashion himself after a certain Argentine Marxist leader... I think we'll leave it there .

I'd imagine we'll get some more characters as the save goes along. Players, staff, and supporters should occasionally be appearing in this whole Twitter sideshow thing with their opinions and complaints. Seriously though, I just came up all of this **** on the fly.

Ok, I'm giving the fun part a rest for now, I'll be updating the business side of things tomorrow with the preseason recap and my first game in charge of Aldosivi. Thanks for reading!

[Benjoe]

Great start so far mate!

Although your club logo makes me think more of sardines or anchovy rather than sharks...

¡Ernesto es amor, Ernesto es la vida!

¡Vamos!

 

[smp20]

Superb! Ive been looking forward to this starting :).

Great choice of club, like the diamond formation and a few promising youngsters to follow.

Never managed in Argentina myself, best of luck!

[oriole01]

13 hours ago, Benjoe said:

Great start so far mate!

Although your club logo makes me think more of sardines or anchovy rather than sharks...

¡Ernesto es amor, Ernesto es la vida!

¡Vamos!

 

Thanks benjoe. Yes, the crest doesn't feature any sharp teeth or menace, but I think Ernesto does that job for us .

10 hours ago, smp20 said:

Superb! Ive been looking forward to this starting :).

Great choice of club, like the diamond formation and a few promising youngsters to follow.

Never managed in Argentina myself, best of luck!

Thanks smp, I wouldn't be doing this save if not for your work. I really do hope the diamond works well enough to keep us up in these first couple of seasons!

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

The Pre-Season

I've already mentioned that we're predicted for 26th, which actually isn't a relegation position. We should stand a good chance at beating anyone as far up as Defensa y Justicia, but further than that I'm not sure how we'll fare. As you can see there, our key players are striker Sebastian Penco and centre back Alan Alegre. 

We started off the preseason with some embarrassing draws against our reserves and fifth-tier Patagones, but I suppose our fitness wasn't there yet. We did better against third-tier Talleres and got the win, but I would have liked to have seen more goals. Danubio was always going to be a challenge, but losing to the Uruguayan club was still a disappointment. Their winner came from a magnificent free kick from 35 yards out... ouch. Against local club Atletico MDP, I was much more impressed with a 6-0 victory. Our last friendly was similar to the Talleres game, but once again we got a late winner against third-tier Rivadavia. Neri Bandiera really impressed during the preseason, but I can only see him as a backup striker for the foreseeable future.

OK folks, get ready for the main event...

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

The First Game

Bollocks. The terror started 17 seconds into the match, when somehow Patronato broke through my entire defense and fired one in off the post. They scored again two minutes later from an easy back-post header. Things were looking up when Gaston Diaz fired back spectacularly on 15, blasting home a shot from outside the box into the bottom-left corner. We would spend a lot of time trying to get an equalizer, but we were broken late on with a third and fourth Patronato goal either side of Raul Poclaba's sending off. Poclaba is my third-choice DM, meaning that for the next match we won't be playing one at all as literally all of our other options are injured or suspended. Needless to say, Ernesto wasn't very happy about this...

We will go again next week!

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

September 2016

This was quite a disappointing month as a whole, but ended on a positive note with my first ever competitive win with Aldosivi. Now, I knew there would be some struggle this season, but I was still expecting a little bit more.

The loss against Velez was difficult to take, as we doubled their shot total and kept a good defensive line. They got their only goal shortly after half-time through a devastating counter, with the Paraguayan Blas Caceres blasting home past Campodonico and sealing a 1-0 loss for us.
San Martin was a decent result considering their strength in attack. However, I was very disappointed not to win or even score after they had a man sent off shortly after half-time.  Once again we won in shots and possession but could not figure it out in the attacking third.
The defending champions Lanus were always going to be a challenge, so I was happy to score against them. They got their first early through an excellent Lautaro Acosta strike and another from Ciro Rius before we hit back with Luguercio's first of the season from in close. We fought valiantly for an equalizer in the second half, but they killed us off in the 89th minute with a third goal and whacked our confidence.
Temperley's win over us was really undeserved in my opinion. Their first goal hit the post and rested on the line... until our own defender tapped it in the net! In a totally inexplicable move, backup Damian Ledesma ran up to the ball and made contact with no one around. Ernesto would have a field day with this. Their second was easily savable, but new #1 Matias Vega could not prevent Alexis Zarate's shot from going in. We hit back with Antonio Medina on the counter, but they got their third with 13 minutes to play, and this was the only one they deserved. Yet with this loss, we plummeted to the bottom of the table.
So the only good news of the month came at home to 8th-placed Colon. I was overjoyed to go 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes, with Medina slotting another from the breakaway and our only first-team youngster Nahuel Pajaro scoring a deflected shot that was credited as an own-goal. They got one back right after half-time with their own counter-attack, but the shot was another one that Vega should have kept out. We held on for dear life as Colon ramped up the pressure, and walked back through Ernesto's gaping maw with our long-awaited maiden triumph of the season.

League Table

Well, we're rock bottom of the table on goal difference, but as you can see, we're level on points with every team as far up as 24th. Newell's Old Boys are the early leaders, with Boca, River, and Racing all struggling to burst out of the gates.

Here's some reactions after the first win:

As you can see, Ernesto isn't afraid to use violent revolution to get his way . And apparently the young man in charge of the Twitter profile kind of agrees.

Thanks for reading guys, I think I'll be combining the next two months into one update.

 

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

October/November 2016
 

There were a lot more encouraging results to speak of over these last two months, but the bigger teams are still putting us in our place.
The Boca game was a poor start to October, but I wasn't really expecting to beat them as they're clearly the best club in the nation. We actually held on pretty well in the first half, until we had a man sent off just before the interval and Boca scored from the resulting penalty kick. The floodgates opened quickly in the second half, and we didn't stand a chance as they poured in four more goals. Sebastian Penco got one back late on, which was a signal of things to come later...
Independiente was more of the same. In fact, the game followed a similar pattern to the previous match. We did decently in the first half, received a red card, and soon after that the goals started flowing. I do believe we could have held both teams to draws if we had just kept our discipline.

However, our visit to Estudiantes gave us a welcome win. This was a pretty even game that neither side probably deserved to lose, but mid-way through the second half they conceded a foul in the box which Penco tucked away from the spot and secured the points.
We would win a second consecutive game against one of José's former clubs, Tucuman. We went behind very early through an excellent Cristian Menendez strike, but Penco would equalize on the hour mark from a horrible backpass that he easily slotted in the net. With time running short, backup striker Neri Bandiera made a lovely turn and placed a shot into the bottom-left, delighting the Tiburónes fans and once again taking the points.
The Belgrano game gave us what was our best performance of the season. We would take our lead early, when Penco simply headed in Nicolas Castro's cross with the keeper in no man's land. They equalized with Claudio Bieler's mostly benign shot that our keeper Campodonico should have kept out, but Penco scored yet again on 32, tapping in at the near post from Cristian Llama's cross. Their keeper made a questionable positioning decision here too! It looked like Sebastian had bagged a hat trick on 57, but his long-range shot was credited as an own goal after it deflected off one of Belgrano's defenders. This would be enough to hold them off, as Bieler's 80th-minute spot kick was the last of the day.
We came back home pretty confident against Tigre, but faced a difficult squad that has held a bunch of clean sheets this season. That's exactly what they did to us, as we didn't get a single shot on target until late in the second half. They took the lead on 3 minutes, scoring from another savable shot. We held it at 1-0 for the rest of the game, but our inability to break them down eventually killed us. Tigre would score again on 90 minutes to seal the win and stop our winning streak cold.

League Table

I'll have to admit we're doing better than I expected last month, we're currently five points clear of the bottom. Of course, relegation in Argentina is determined by average points rather than position alone, so we'll get to that later. San Martin are even more surprising leaders than Newell's, but they recently won the Copa Argentina, so maybe they're the real deal (in real life they're 23rd though).  At least we're the only ones to hold them scoreless so far. Of course, Boca, River, and San Lorenzo are all right behind them, so I'm sure things will pan out eventually.

José's really settling in here, guys.

Thanks for reading, unfortunately we'll have some very tough games in December against River, Racing, and Rosario Central. Wish us luck!

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

December 2016

This was pretty frustrating, I wanted to grab at least a point or two from the month.
There was no way we were going to beat River Plate, but we really had an awful game here. We faced the wrath of Lucas Alario and Sebastian Driussi, with the former scoring a brace and the latter bagging a hat trick. Penco would have our only goal again, albeit a firecracker from 20 yards out.
Racing Club did not deserve to beat us, but our finishing meant that we didn't really deserve a win either. Penco struggled to find the net in this game, and he had more chances to score than he normally does. Lisandro Lopes would score Racing's winner on 63 minutes, which was well hit but their only real chance up until that point. I brought up a youngster to replace a struggling Federico Leon, and he would soil his debut with a red card shortly after their goal, ensuring that we wouldn't hit back.
We were simply uninspired against Rosario Central, and our defense was left in shambles too many times for us to hold a draw. We somehow couldn't get even one past their back line, which only had one player who had appeared in more than 5 games for them. Marco Ruben and Agustin Coscia had Rosario's two goals, and they certainly could have had more.

League Table

As you'd expect, we've dropped some places at the halfway mark of the season. I suppose we've had a run of tough games lately, but we need to make sure poor morale doesn't extend to games we should be winning. San Martin have fallen off hard, opening up what should be a four-horse race between River, Boca, Huracan, and San Lorenzo for the title. Defending champs Lanus, on the other hand, are third from bottom! 

If there's one really good sign so far, it's that our reserve team is storming the reserves league. They're currently 5th out of 30 and plenty of guys are getting on the scoresheet. This certainly bodes well for the future, and I can't wait to add onto our young talent at the inaugural intake! 

Thanks for reading. We're now going on a mid-season break that lasts until early February, and our only opportunity to make transfers during this entire save will have passed by the next update. See you on the other side, gents.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

Winter Break Round-Up

Friendlies

We had a very successful friendly campaign during the break, first beating the newly-crowned Brazilian champions Santos and then going on a tour through Uruguay before coming back home to take care of some local sides. I was surprised to lose to El Tanque Sisley, as they're a division below both Racing and Montevideo Wanderers, but they got lucky with some long-range strikes. Pablo Luguercio went on a tear during the break, racking up a ridiculous 9 goals and earning himself a place in the first XI.

Transfers
Before I started this save I made an agreement with myself that the only time I could make transfers would be in the two windows before the first youth intake, so I took advantage of that here. I suppose I forgot to mention this in the OP, but I promise this will be the only time I break the rules!

I signed the Brazilian Luizão simply for depth, as he's certainly not the type of player that's going to carry the squad to another level. We have some depth at centre-back now, so Luizão will now rotate with current starters Alan Alegre and Federico Leon. Of course, he's just been injured after his first competitive match...

Youth Intake

I was hoping for a lot more from our first intake. Luckily, we do have plenty of real young players with potential in our reserves already. I've signed the first five players you see on that list, and here's a closer look at two of them:
César Baratteri     Nicolás González

Baratteri has got great physicals for a centre back but needs to work on his mentals and technicals. He's probably the only guy worth a shout, but even if he gets to full potential he'll only be as good as Alegre. Gonzalez needs work everywhere if he's got a chance at becoming a first-team striker. So yeah, I'm a bit underwhelmed, but we'll see how our HOYD Miguel Gomis gets on next year.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

February 2017

We had some mixed results this month, none of which were too special but kept us earning points.

We battered Gimnasia on both possession and shots, so I think victory was the only realistic proposition for us. There weren't a lot of good chances in the game though, but we took our best one when Pablo Luguercio played one-two with Sebastian Navarro and rolled the ball past the keeper for 1-0. No one else would have an opportunity after that, and we took home three points in La Plata.
Godoy Cruz was a tricky matchup that we probably deserved to lose by more than one goal. They struck first from a corner, but Luguercio would continue his excellent form with a close-range equalizer. But just six minutes later, Gaston Gimenez would get another for Godoy from a brilliant long-range bullet that Matias Vega could only watch. They had a third goal disallowed shortly after that, and for the rest of the night we weren't creative enough to find an equalizer. Our fate was pretty much sealed when Jonatan Galvan was sent off in the second half, but we did well to survive Godoy's quest to get a third (legal) goal.
I was disappointed not to beat Banfield, but I suppose we had a pretty even game. Our goal came in the 25th, when Federico Leon blasted a ball all the way up the pitch to find Antonio Medina, who applied a sweet finish. However, Banfield would get lucky just a few minutes later. Long shot specialist Juan Manuel Cobo teed off on a free kick that deflected off a defender and the keeper before hitting the back of the net. Cobo would smack the post from 30 yards later on too, but there were no more goals at the Minella that night.
We did pretty well against 4th-placed Huracán, but I was once again miffed not to get 3 points after they had a man sent off. The red card was shown early in the second half, so I pushed the boys up to attack, but our opponents would actually get the first goal on 82 from German Lesman. It looked like we were going to lose a massive opportunity to get points, but with time winding down our attacking midfielder Nicolas Castro got lucky from a long-range strike. In similar fashion to Cobo's free kick from the last game, the ball deflected off a Huracán defender and off the keeper before going in. There was quite a big sigh of relief after that, and we ended the month only losing once in four matches, which was certainly better than December.

League Table

We've retained 25th from December. Not much else to say about us. River Plate have gone adrift since they sold their best player Driussi to Saudi Arabia, and rivals Boca take their place at the top. Lower down, San Martin have recovered and are still in the running for Libertadores places.

Thanks for reading! I think I'll have a brief tactical update up next.

[noikeee]

On 2017-5-2 at 00:12, oriole01 said:

I chose Aldosivi (known as Los Tiburones or "The Sharks")

This is now this thread's theme song:

 

Shame that so far this season things aren't going swimmingly well.

I'm into any South American save.  Will be following this.

[Benjoe]

27 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Shame that so far this season things aren't going swimmingly well.

Some might even say.. they've been swimming... against the tide..

[oriole01]

1 hour ago, noikeee said:

This is now this thread's theme song:

 

Shame that so far this season things aren't going swimmingly well.

I'm into any South American save.  Will be following this.

Oh man, that's precious noikeeee . Thank you very much! I suppose I'll be blasting that through the house after we score goals now. Thanks for following too.

 

1 hour ago, Benjoe said:

Some might even say.. they've been swimming... against the tide..

Good one mate . That is a pretty accurate statement though...

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

March 2017

There's some much better results this month, not acknowledging that first ugly sight in the Copa.

Our Copa Argentina tie against last year's surprise finalists Nueva Chicago proved once again that we're absolutely worthless when we go a man down. A boring first half was followed by a sending-off for Roberto Brum at the hour mark. Nueva Chicago then followed with three goals over the next half-hour, destroying our defense and hurling us out of the Copa at the first hurdle. Blech.
We deserved victory at Quilmes, and that's exactly what we got after the 90 minutes. Penco would fire in the first from mid-range, and winger Cristian Llama would get his first of the season later on to seal victory, Quilmes pulled one back in stoppage time, but we had already claimed a satisfying win.
However, I'm not sure how much we deserved three points against Union. It looked very much like a cookie-cutter 0-0 bore draw for the entire game, but they got the lead when two of our defenders combined for an embarrassing own goal.  However, we'd come storming back in the late goings, with substitute Luguercio blasting home a beauty from outside the box on 79 and Antonio Medina adding a wide-open header two minutes later. We proved clinical when it counted, but we had lost the possession battle heavily to Union and a draw felt like the more appropriate result to me. But, I won't be passing up on three points!
After winning those last two matches, I was confident that we would roll over last-placed Defensa y Justicia. But with this season's unpredictability, we ended up clinging to a draw instead. The underdogs battered us, so we were lucky to escape our own building with that point in hand. We would actually take the first lead when Nicolas Castro drilled home a volley with the side of his foot, but Defensa got back at us two minutes later with a looping header. I simply couldn't reverse our fortunes in possession and chance creation, so we had to settle for the point against a club with just one win in 22 games this season.

League Table

We've climbed a couple of places in the table, which is certainly a plus. I do feel that this is probably where we should be for now and the next few seasons: away from the relegation struggle but not yet ready for continental football. Boca, River, San Lorenzo, and Newell's all remain in the title hunt, whilst Godoy Cruz and Patronato have shot up the league and are searching for Sudamericana qualification.
 

Thanks for reading, we're near the end of our first season now.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

Selection Crisis
So behind the scenes we've been having a bit of trouble in the squad, with several issues around the board causing us to suffer. Here's an idea of what's going down:

Ok, we'll start with the injuries. We've been walloped by them lately, and it appears as if Luguercio and Galvan are done for the season. Losing our second-best striker in Pablo and a solid defensive presence in Jonatan is really going to hurt down the stretch.

Also, it's been very hard to keep everyone happy lately, and that's resulted in two Tiburónes players jumping ship... or rather jumping the shark. Our fourth-choice striker Bandiera was complaining about playing time, and I suppose rightfully so, since he had only one start and nine sub appearances this season. However, instead of being patient for games or at the very least letting me sell him, Santa Cruz snapped him up for nothing at all! I was quite annoyed by this, but not sad to see him go. Unfortunately, with Luguercio's injury our selection at the front is now rather limited.
I'm more upset with Yeri, who was getting plenty of games but for some reason started to complain, and has now agreed to go to Brazil at the end of the season. The rules of the save mean that I now have to try and develop a young right back quickly to be a suitable backup to Ismael Quilez next season, which is something I'm not sure we can do. Gustavo Bernal, our best prospect at the position, only has 1.5 star CA at the moment, but I guess he'll be in the first team whether he's ready or not.

I don't have a photo for this last bit of news, but I suppose it is at least partly good. Our 19-year-old midfielder Nahuel Pajaro has signed a four-year professional contract, which should keep him at the club for a while. Nahuel has done unbelievably well this season, and by most accounts he's been our best player. Of course, I forgot that he would need to be registered after signing the pro deal, as youth contract players don't need to be registered in Argentina, and the registration window closed back in February. So Pajaro can't play anymore first team games this season and will have to settle for U20 football until next year. It's a damn shame that it went this way, and Ernesto isn't particularly happy about recent events either...

Let's just say there have been quite a few calls made to the offices from the Mar del Plata authorities this season .

[oriole01]

FFS...

[ManUtd1]

40 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

FFS...

[Benjoe]

Three suspensions and six injuries for the same game? 

Ay caramamba 

[noikeee]

Better results now. Looks like you might manage to stay afloat.

[oriole01]

8 hours ago, noikeee said:

Better results now. Looks like you might manage to stay afloat.

Yes, it appears so! We've been doing fine in both this season's table and the average points table, but all of these injuries and suspensions have really been hurting us.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

April 2017
"Injuries, Red Cards, and Dastardly Armenians"

Well, as you'd probably expect, all of that injury dross wasn't very beneficial to our performance this month, but if that isn't one hell of a postscript to April, then I don't know what is.

Arsenal de Sarandi was another game where our chances of victory were dashed by a sending-off. They took the lead in the 5th minute from the Armenian Joaquin Boghossian's close-range header, but we were on the back foot even before that. Indeed, Matias Vega had pulled off a heroic one-on-one save in the opening seconds, so that could have been their second. That same back foot was then twisted on 37 when Leandro Sosa got his red card, but we did get a draw thanks to Antonio Medina, who took advantage of some excellent heading work from our midfield and beat the keeper with defenders arriving behind him. Sebastian Penco had a golden chance to win after that, but he was too cocky and instead of setting up an easy goal on a breakaway, he dragged a weak-footed shot wide and Arsenal avoided an undeserved loss.
Temperley saw another red card ruin us. I was looking very optimistic when Gastón Diaz nailed a free-kick in just the second minute. But on 13, Ismael Quilez went in two-footed on an attacker and was (a bit harshly) sent off. Case in point, they scored on 18 with Rodrigo Viega and then a minute later from the Armenian Mauro Guevgeozian. We wouldn't come close to an equalizer, and Temperley would finish us off on 75 with a free-kick goal of their own.
Olimpo was a boring match that probably didn't deserve a goal, but they got the only tally of the day in the 51st minute, with Erik Correa teeing off on a snapshot and taking the three points.
For some reason I was feeling optimistic against 3rd-placed San Lorenzo, but I learned that's probably not a good policy for now. In a way I was right, as we actually beat them for possession and had the same amount of chances, but our finishing was poor and Gonzalo Bergessio's was clinical. The veteran blasted home a half-volley on 14 and slipped a ball past Vega in the 30th, which was all Viggo Mortensen's favourite club needed for victory.
So after a really dreary month, I wasn't sure what to expect against a struggling Rafaela, but we ended up putting up what's surely our most impressive and dominant performance of the season. Penco would open the scoring on 19, then Joel Acosta popped home a lovely goal in first half stoppage-time for his first of the season. Antonio Medina would claim two goals in the second half, his first from an embarrassing Rafaela giveaway in the box, and the second a powerful header from nine yards. He then had a chance for a hat trick from the spot, but their goalie made a really good save to deny him the match ball. Substitute Cristian Llama would round it off on 85 with another impressive header, and Los Tiburónes fans were dancing in the streets of Mar del Plata after a magnificent result.

League Table

Here's how things stand with three games left. Eternal rivals Boca and River are the last two standing in a fierce battle for the title, and Godoy Cruz continue to rise, as they're now in a continental place for the first time. Tigre and Racing have lost the pace, whilst Patronato have been put back in their place after last month's surge. We're sitting in 21st, which somehow is better than last month despite all of the losses, and we no longer have the worst goal difference in the league! Lanus have done a bit better since sacking their manager, but this has to be their most shocking season in decades. And after 27 games, Banfield still have just two wins and Defensa y Justicia have just one! Mon Dieu!

Some select Twitter activity from the month:

Oh my, don't ask me how I remember "claspers" from middle school science class .

Thanks for reading! Our injury situation has gotten better lately, but we'll have to see about any more sending-offs.

[noikeee]

I'm still kinda pissed that the Argentinian FA have ruined the league. I mean just look at the sheer size of league table, it's beyond absurd. It used to be perfect in the Apertura/Clausura days, the best league to play in FM. 

[ManUtd1]

3 minutes ago, noikeee said:

I'm still kinda pissed that the Argentinian FA have ruined the league. I mean just look at the sheer size of league table, it's beyond absurd. It used to be perfect in the Apertura/Clausura days, the best league to play in FM. 

Every time I look at the table, it makes my head spin...

[oriole01]

8 hours ago, noikeee said:

I'm still kinda pissed that the Argentinian FA have ruined the league. I mean just look at the sheer size of league table, it's beyond absurd. It used to be perfect in the Apertura/Clausura days, the best league to play in FM. 

8 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Every time I look at the table, it makes my head spin...

I actually kind of like it, keeps things fresh every week. They do make the league smaller each year though, eventually it gets back down to about 20 or 24.

 

[ManUtd1]

Ahh, that's good to know.  I definitely understand it keeping things fresh.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

May 2017

The goals started flowing in the final three games, as the scoreline finished at 3-2 each time, twice in our favor.

The proceedings at Sarmiento were looking rather sour after just seven minutes. By that point, the hosts had already scored twice through Nicolas Rinaldi and Marcos Astina. But, our grit showed as we ground our way to a 3-2 victory. Sebastian Penco would score first through an excellent one-timer, and Antonio Medina would get the second and third from close range. Sarmiento were lost without a trace in the second half, and we held on to our second consecutive victory.
Talleres proved to be one of the most nerve-wracking games of the season. We went 2-0 up inside of twenty minutes, first from Penco and then from Sebastian Navarro for his first of the season. Leonardo Gil would strike back from an excellent free-kick goal for Talleres, but we went 3-2 up from yet another Penco goal on 42 minutes. However, Talleres would got a second goal in the 82nd, and didn't want to stop there. They poured it on in the last eight minutes and stoppage time, requiring some truly brave work from our defense and Matias Vega in net. But we would indeed hold on again, securing three points for the third straight time!
We did ourselves proud against Newell's, but it was still a bit disappointing after going up 2-0 early again. Nicolas Castro bagged the first into the bottom-left, and magic man Penco got the second from close in. However, the "Old Boys" (wtf?) would storm back just like I did against Sarmiento. They got a classy strike by Mauro Formica, then equalized through Victor Figueroa at the start of the second half thanks to some poor keeping from Vega. I decided to release the hounds with twenty minutes left in the season, and that's probably why we lost this game, but I was determined to go for it while we could afford the consequences.  Lethal striker Ignacio Scocco beat Vega one-on-one to secure victory for Newell's, but they would still fall just short of Copa Libertadores qualification.

Final League Table

Boca Juniors are the champions of the Primera Division, securing the title with a game to spare. San Martin are the surprises of the season, securing continental qualification and winning the Copa Argentina. Godoy Cruz, Olimpo, Patronato and Temperley also finish above expectations, while Racing, Gimnasia, and Lanus do the opposite. Sarmiento, Talleres, Rafaela, and a horrid Defensa y Justicia are relegated due to average points, whilst Banfield narrowly stay up after a really, really bad season. We finish in 20th, about where we were expected to, but I can certainly see us doing better than expectations next season!

Here's some very good news from the month:

Pajaro's been called up! His work at Aldosivi didn't go unnoticed, and now he'll be playing alongside Argentina's brightest young stars. There's no way we're keeping him for more than a few seasons .

More good news:

I've kept my job! Not much of a pay rise though.

On a related note, Aldosivi were just voted "Craziest Club in Argentina" by the Buenos Aires press, in no small part due to Ernesto...
#LaRevolución

Thanks for reading! Season review up next.

[oriole01]

NOOOO!!!! Our 72-year-old HOYD Gomis was supposed to be essential to this save, but he's decided to retire. He gave us one decent intake, but now we have to replace him. Bollocks.

[ManUtd1]

Brutal, man.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

2016-17 Season Review
All told, it was a decent first season in Mar del Plata. Like any football club, there were some fun moments to watch and some rather frustrating moments to watch as well. I had no idea that there was already so much talented youth in the Aldosivi system before I selected it, so I'm very happy to see such a prolific class rising through the ranks. In a way, this makes my job easier and in a way it makes it harder, as I've got so much fledgling talent that I need to figure out how to develop it properly so that the players can reach their potential. Our intake was decent, but not great, as time will have to tell if any of the players have the potential to take Aldosivi to the next level. Among the first team, there were some real standouts. Sebastian Penco, Antonio Medina, Gaston Diaz, and Nahuel Pajaro were my favorite players to watch, and all it took was a little encouragement to get Penco scoring in bunches. Therefore, I'm confident in the current (albeit aging) generation to be able to usher us into the next phase in style over the next couple of years. In fact, I can see us doing even better next year, despite losing some players along the way. We gained points in half of our matches this season, so next year should see us make a larger impression on the Argentine landscape!
Awards

Gaston Diaz wins player of the season, mostly due to his veteran experience and affinity with the fans. For me, it's Medina. Although Diaz was solid in his position, Medina went beyond his role to both score and set up for others, and won quite a few games for us by himself. That's value.

Goal of the Season:

Our best goal of the season ended up being our very first one against Patronato. Diaz absolutely blasted this one, but we would lose 1-4.

Squad|League Overview|Fixtures|Finances 1|Finances 2|Manager Profile

Youth Development
There were plenty of young guys who made significant progress this season, whether they were expected to or not. We'll have to see who's ready for the first team come next season.

    Nahuel Pajaro (MC)                                                                                                                    Luis Ingolotti (GK)                                                                                                          Lucas Di Yorio (ST)

 

   Francisco Leonardo (AML)                                                                                                     Juan Cisterna (ST)                                                                                                        Nahuel Gomez (ST)

             

          Lucas Acosta (ST)                                                                                                         Cesar Baratteri 17A (DC)                                                                                                        Jonathan Benedetti (ST)

  

A lot of young strikers scoring goals! Nahuel Pajaro is easily the most impressive of the bunch, so it's a shame that he couldn't play the whole season. He now has 4 Argentina U20 caps, and has the potential for more. He'll be integral in my plans for next season, and hopefully the future of this save. But I can't necessarily count on it, of course. Baratteri is the only regen who's done well so far, and I'm starting to think it was a mistake to sign the last two, Linares and Hamud. But now they're under contract until 2022! I suppose that's a reminder to be careful in these youth challenges. ¡Vamos!

Contracts
Each season comes with contract decisions to make, and I've decided to re-sign most of our thinning squad. The exceptions are the 35-year old defensive midfielder Damian Ledesma (the guy whom Ernesto wanted to terminate with extreme prejudice), attacking midfielder Nicolas Miracco, who made only 6 sub appearances, Nahuel Yeri, whose transfer to Brazil was already arranged, and one young guy on the reserve team. Only one staff member, our goalkeeping coach, needed to be renewed this year. Sebastian Penco, Federico Leon, Pablo Luguercio, Jonatan Galvan, Franco Canever, Joel Acosta, Ismael Quilez, Matias Vega, and Cristian Llama have signed new contracts, however there are now two players retiring...

Club favorites Gaston Diaz and Pablo Campodonico have decided to hang it up! Diaz was a real shame, as he got a 7.09 average rating this year and could still have contributed for at least another season, but at 36 he decided it was his time. 39-year-old Campodonico's retirement makes more sense to me, but I still wanted him on board for another season. I could see his abilities in net declining as the season went by, and now one of our many young goalkeepers will have to step up to the backup slot. Gaston had been at the club since 2014 and saw the club get promoted to the Primera Division in his first season. Pablo is a club icon, having been in Mar del Plata since 2007 and serving as the team's starting keeper several years in both the Primera and Primera B. There's the possibility that both of these guys will return to Aldosivi as staff members, so stay tuned!

Expectations for 2017-18:
Primera Divison: Top half
Copa Argentina: Seventh Round
Other: Win Manager of the Month award, have player win major award, find a new HOYD, more goals, fewer conceded.

Thanks for reading lads!
#LaRevolución!

[noikeee]

On 2017-6-12 at 04:39, oriole01 said:

NOOOO!!!! Our 72-year-old HOYD Gomis was supposed to be essential to this save, but he's decided to retire. He gave us one decent intake, but now we have to replace him. Bollocks.

How dare he want to go enjoy his later years with his family and watch his grandsons grow, instead of helping you produce footballers like a machine. You monster.

[Benjoe]

On 13/6/2017 at 00:52, oriole01 said:

(...) more goals, fewer conceded.

I think your aims are perfect here. GNev2 and Carra23 would be proud reading those. 

Where were you expected to finish this season? 

 

[oriole01]

On 6/16/2017 at 05:21, noikeee said:

How dare he want to go enjoy his later years with his family and watch his grandsons grow, instead of helping you produce footballers like a machine. You monster.

I know, I was seriously considering getting Ernesto to enslave him. The good news is, I've gone out and found someone just as good as him who's not a senior citizen! 

On 6/16/2017 at 05:38, Benjoe said:

I think your aims are perfect here. GNev2 and Carra23 would be proud reading those. 

Where were you expected to finish this season? 

Yeah, hopefully those goals would make anyone happy. We were expected to finish 26th this year out of 30, next year we're predicted for 24th out of 28.

[BoxToBox]

34 minutes ago, oriole01 said:

We were expected to finish 21st this year out of 30, next year we're predicted for 24th out of 28.

Has he been eating entire clubs?

[ManUtd1]

32 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Has he been eating entire clubs?

Don't make him angry.  You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

1st Annual South American Tour
"Invitation-Only"

Argentina

The Primera B saw Instituto and Gimnasia (Jujuy) get promoted to the Primera, with Los Andes and surprise packages Villa Dalmine just missing out. Despite making the Copa Argentina final, Nueva Chicago finish in 6th, and one of José's old clubs Douglas Haig finished marooned in 13th.
Promoted from Level 3:
Atlanta, Almirante Brown, Gimnasia (Mendoza), Guarani Antonio Franco
2016-17 Copa Argentina Winners:
San Martin de San Juan

Brazil

Santos are champions of Brazil for the first time since 2004! They finish top of the pile in a tight race with four other clubs. Neri Bandiera's new team Santa Cruz have been relegated, and unfortunately Chapecoense have gone done as well.
Promoted from Serie B:
Vasco da Gama, Goias, Nautico (Nahuel Yeri's new team), Bahia
2016-17 Copa do Brasil winners:
Grêmio

Chile

Deportes Antofagasta were the most successful team, but only won the Apertura. Universidad de Chile won the Clausura, meaning there were two champions this season in Chile.
Promoted from Primera B:
Rangers de Talca
2016-17 Copa Chile Winners:
Union Espanola

Colombia:

Atletico Nacional got the most points in the 2016 season, but only won the Apertura title, as Independiente Medellin won the Clausura playoffs over Santa Fe.
Promoted from Torneo Postobon:
America de Cali, Cucuta Deportivo
2016 Copa Postobon Winners:
Millonarios

Paraguay:

Cerro Porteno won the double this season, taking home both the Apertura and Clausura.
Promoted from Division Intermedia:
Fernando de la Mora, Resistencia

Ecuador:

Barcelona would also win a double, winning both the Apertura and Clausura in a very competitive league.
Promoted from Serie B:
Mushuc Runa, Aucas

Uruguay:

Boston River were the surprise winners of Uruguay, holding off the likes of Penarol to claim their first ever national title. Nacional and Danubio had disappointing seasons, finishing in 9th and 11th respectively.
Promoted from Segunda Division:
Cerro Largo

Peru:

Union Comercio won the title game after finishing fourth in the overall table, which was topped by Melgar.
Promoted from Segunda Division:
Los Caimanes, Manucci

Venezuela:

Deportivo Anzoategui would gain the most points in the year, but didn't win either the Apertura or Clausura. Carabobo won the former through playoffs, and Deportivo Lara won the latter in the playoffs too, and then beat Carabobo to be declared the "Grand Champion". Confusing much?
Promoted from Segunda Division:
UA Falcon, Angostura
2016 Copa Venezuela Winners:
Zamora

Bolivia:

Jorge Wilstermann got the most points, but Oriente Petrolero won the Opening Stage before tanking in the second half and giving Wilstermann the Closing Stage title.
Promoted from Liga Nacional B:
Aurora
2016 Copa Aerosur winners:
The Strongest

2016-17 UEFA Champions League Final:
Juventus def. Real Madrid 5-3 (AET)
2016-17 UEFA Europa League Final:
Manchester United def. Monaco 3-1
2016-17 Premier League:

A ridiculously close PL season, which saw four clubs in contention on the final day and five clubs reach 80 points. Stoke and Bournemouth made Europe. Everton and Southampton did poorly, and Sunderland finished in 12th! Weird. 
Promoted from Championship:
Newcastle, Derby, Wolves (Favorite club!)
Elsewhere in Europe, Juventus won Serie A, Real Madrid won La Liga, Bayern won the Bundesliga narrowly, PSG won Ligue 1, and Benfica won the Primeira Liga. Literally could not go any more according to plan...

Thanks for reading!

[oriole01]

2 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

Has he been eating entire clubs?

Hahaha, I'm afraid it's the league doing that, the restructure will keep eating two clubs each season until there's 24.

1 hour ago, ManUtd1 said:

Don't make him angry.  You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Certainly not!

[oriole01]

Club Atlético Aldosivi

2017-18 Pre-Season

Boca Juniors are predicted to repeat, whilst Instituto and Gimnasia are (of course) projected to go down. I really wouldn't go high on Lanus or Estudiantes after last season, or go low on San Martin, but that's what the media does, right?

All of our preseason matches were against clubs at or below Level 3 on the Argentine pyramid, so I was very disappointed to lose two of those matches. However, I couldn't complain about ripping up Fenix, as Antonio Medina scored a double hat trick, and altogether put up an impressive preseason run individually. You can see some younger names in there such as Di Yorio, Garay, Gomez, and Cisterna. These guys are all on the cusp of the first team, but only a backup goalkeeper is getting promoted from reserves at the start of the season. The new generation is almost here though!

[noikeee]

On 2017-6-18 at 05:25, oriole01 said:

I'm afraid it's the league doing that, the restructure will keep eating two clubs each season until there's 24.

I was unaware this was the idea, but 24 clubs is still far too much for a top tier. I don't really see the point.