(FM'17) The Minnows of Montenegro

[neilhoskins77]

A few days ago, I was alerted to the existence of a project from some years ago, known as 'The Minnows Challenge'. I became immediately intrigued by this challlenge. Anyone who has read any of my previous stories will know that they always begin at the bottom. This challenge is to take a team from a minnow nation, and advance them through to the Group Stages of a UEFA Continental Competition, which is right up my street! If you're unaware of this particular challenge, you can view the thread right <here>. You can also view our own @EvilDave's attempt at the challenge in Armenia by clicking right <here>.

I set about choosing a version of the game, and a starting nation for this challenge, and settled upon the former Yugoslav republic of Montenegro using Football Manager '17. The nation has been added into this save along with several others. Montenegro has two tiers enabled, along with Cup competitions. As per challenge rules, I'll be starting in the bottom available tier, so thoughts of European football are little way off just yet.

The next choice to be made was to select a club. I left this one to fate, constantly pressing the random selection button until the game selected a side from the Montenegrin Druga Liga, which it eventually did after a few minutes. The selected team were FK Celik Niksic, who are predicted to finish fourth in the twelve club Division in 2016/17. Known in the nation as the 'Metalurzi', they start the save with a total of 22 players on their squad list. I'm one of only five staff members at the club as well. Celik have around £68k in the bank, are professional, have a transfer budget of around £8,000, and have a wage budget per week of just under £1,800, which is almost entirely allocated already.

The challenge has no set transfer rules, and I now have to come up with a self imposed set of rules to follow. I've decided to mimic what Dave has done, and not allow any players to be signed until the club has qualified for a European competition, with two exceptions, loans are allowed from our parent affiliate side, neighbours FK Sutjeska Niksic. Yep, this is a two club city just to throw an extra bit of rivalry dynamic into the mix. Greys can also be signed in emergencies only. For staff, I will limit myself to only being able to appoint people who apply for a job via an advert, or players with us who retire and are kept on as backroom staff.

With the first League games scheduled for mid August, and the save starting in early July there is plenty of time to get things done, though a full pre season schedule is in place. The top side in the Division will be promoted to the Prva Liga, with the sides finishing in second and third competing in a Promotion Playoff.
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Welcome to 'The Minnows of Montenegro', which is my shot at 'The Minnows Challenge'. As well as Montenegro, I also have playable Leagues loaded from other nations that can be used in this challenge, and others that have recently achieved the challenge themselves. Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Ireland, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Northern Ireland, San Marino & Wales.

This save will be much more streamlined than my usual pieces, with match reports in particular kept much shorter to enable speedier playing of the game itself.

Self imposed rules will be regularly reviewed depending on what the game throws up, and what is deemed realistic.

Comments and questions are welcome as always. I hope you enjoy the story.

[EvilDave]

Great to see this up and running Neil, always a pleasure to read your work. I'm curious to see whether you can be the first of the minnow you've got loaded to make it to the CL - Montenegro seem a little similar to Armenia in that the international side clearly has some talent, but precious little of it hangs around in the domestic league. Good luck with Celik!

[neilhoskins77]

4 hours ago, EvilDave said:

Great to see this up and running Neil, always a pleasure to read your work. I'm curious to see whether you can be the first of the minnow you've got loaded to make it to the CL - Montenegro seem a little similar to Armenia in that the international side clearly has some talent, but precious little of it hangs around in the domestic league. Good luck with Celik!

Thanks for the comment Dave, and alerting me to the existence of this challenge. Montenegro was not my first choice actually. This one came about after an attempt to begin the challenge in the sixth tier of the Malta system using an older version of FM. That one bit the dust when it's League rules clashed with intention of the save and the self imposed transfer rules, as every player had to have played enough football to be considered 'Home Grown'.

I think that this level will be very similar to Armenia, and agree with you on the better domestic players leaving for pastures new. In fact, you will read quite early in my save about just that topic. I think there needs to be an acceptance with these saves that until the goal is within sight, the better players are going to leave in search of the almighty dollar.

[neilhoskins77]

As mentioned, the club I'm managing are called FK Celik Niksic. They were founded almost 60 years ago now, and had their best ever season as recently as 2011/12, where they won the Druga Liga Title and Montenegrin Cup, both for the first time in their history. They enjoyed a pair of top three finishes in the Prva Liga in the next couple of seasons, before the wheels fell off, and they suffered relegation back down to the second tier, which is currently the 128th ranked League in Europe.

The club starts the season on a solid enough financial footing, and that is projected to improve over the course of the coming season. Our club has poor training facilities, poor youth and basic junior coaching facilities, an average youth recruitment setup, and basic corporate facilities. Our home ground, Stadion Zeljezare, holds 2,000 fans, of which 1,360 are seated. We own the stadium, which is in good condition, and boasts a perfect grass playing surface. Our Reserve and Youth teams also use this stadium, while our rivals from FK Sutjeska Niksic play at the larger 5,214 capacity Gradski Stadion Kraj Bistrice. They have a very well established Youth Recruitment system, which makes our job of developing our own prospects even tougher, as we'll have to compete with the larger team in the city to get them in the door first of all.

The bookmakers in Montenegro clearly don't agree with the media, or each other on who will win the Druga Liga this season, as there are some very generous odds on offer for the 2016/17 campaign......

8/1 - FK Kom Podgorica
17/2 - FK Mornar Bar
9/1 - FK Celik Niksic
19/2 - FK Berane
10/1 - FK Ibar Rozaje
25/1 - FK Jezero Plav
30/1 - OFK Igalo
65/1 - FK Bratstvo Cijevna
70/1 - FK Cetinje
150/1 - FK-KF Otrant-Olympic Ulcinj
200/1 - FK Radnicki Berane
250/1 - FK Graficar Podgorica

I doubt our President has had a bet on the League, as he is probably too busy wondering what he has got himself into, as I immediately stop by the Board Room and ask if we can have our Youth facilities upgraded. He points out that it's a little early in my tenure to be making demands, and that he'd like to see some results on the park first of all. I settle for the relatively minor issue of handing back the Transfer Budget of around £8,000, and have it pumped into the Wage Budget instead. It means we have a budget of around £1,950 a week, of which we are already spending approximately £1,720. The purpose of this is to make my control of the finances look good, and give me some kudos with the President and numerous Directors.

My next job is to bring in some new staff. With a self imposed rule, I go ahead and place adverts for seven backroom positions that need to be filled. The first day is completed with the budget meeting, which also encompasses the Boards expectations. They agree to leave both budgets as already agreed, as long as the club achieves a Promotion Playoff position at worst, and make the Third Round of the Montenegrin Cup. I will be able to retain 30% of any transfer fees we receive as well.

I start the next day with a team meeting. It couldn't have gone any better, as I went down the humble path to open with, suggesting that the players will likely not be aware of me. That immediately gets the teams well respected star player, Darko Karadzic, right on side. He states emphatically that a successful spell here will greatly enhance my reputation. Enthused by the response, I tell the players that the minimum expectation is to reach the Playoffs, which is well received by the room.

Within hours of that team meeting, I need to place another job advert, this time for a Head Physio. 65 year old Rade Gutovic has been a physio in this city for sixteen years, the first ten of them with Sutjeska, before moving across to join Celik and spend six seasons as Head Physio. He has been poached from us by us by top tier club OFK Petrovac. He is a very good physio of course, but it's not all bad news. We have an opportunity to get a younger man into the job, and we receive £2,200 in compensation as well.

One of the Coaches we have at the club is 40 year old Zeljko Perovic, who has been a member of the backroom staff here since he retired from playing while with Celik as a 32 year old in 2008. Already a 'B Licence' holder with UEFA, I ask the Board to fund Perovic studying for his 'A Licence'. They agree that it's a good idea, and will stump up the £3,000 for his studies. All being well, in a years time, he'll have his new qualification.

[neilhoskins77]

With just a few days remaining till we start a one month spell that has five pre season friendly fixtures lined up for us, it was time to start seriously looking at our playing squad. I moved all available players into the First Team squad for the Friendlies, though I expect some to eventually be allocated back into the Reserve and Youth teams eventuallly, as both of those sides also have full League fixture lists of their own to fulfill, which is definitely a plus. Four of our pre season matches are away to non-League sides, while one is at home against some visitors from Albania's top tier.

Considering the self imposed restrictions of no incoming transfers until we have reached Europe, there are some fairly alarming gaps in our squad. For a start, we only have one goalkeeper in the entire club, though fortunately, he is a decent one, a 23 year old who won seven caps for Montenegro at the Under-21 level. More alarming still, is the right back position. We have no one, except for one defensive midfielder who can play wing back. I immediately ask for him to focus his training on the full back role, but the Coaches are sceptical as to how 30 year old Zijad Adrovic will take to that. As a contingency plan, I have the coaches start training the players on a formation based on a three man centre defence, in addition to the favoured 4-2-3-1 tactic I would like to deploy.

We are well covered at left back, and ok at centre back, though an injury or suspensions are likely to see us light there too at some stage. There isn't a huge amount of cover in centre midfield either. Where we are very well off, particularly on the left, is at the wing positions. There is a queue on both sides, but those on the left will need to get by the player perceived to be the quality talent at the club, 27 year old Darko Karadzic. We're short at the attacking centre midfield position, where again I have just two players, one is likely to be our starting right winger though. But we're ok for strikers, with three out and out forwards, and another two who can cover the position. We'll be relying heavily I feel on 26 year old Bozo Markovic, a 6'2 forward who should have a much better goal record than he currently possesses.

When I started checking through the players in my squad, some pretty cool facts and stats became apparent, which I thought would be worth sharing with you all. Of our squad of twenty two players, exactly half are players who have joined the club this summer. Of those eleven players, six have played for the club before, and are back for their second, and in some cases, third spells with Celik. There are another five players who are already in their second and third spells at this club. But more incredibly than that, is that seventeen members of our squad have played for city rivals Sutjeska during their careers! It's clearly not exactly Celtic/Rangers, Boca/River Plate or Arsenal/Spurs when it comes to crossing the divide in this city. Worryingly, the trend quite often is that players who are not making the grade at Sutjeska are being brought across to us. A staff member confirmed that was often the case. In my mind, I made a mental goal that we would reverse that trend somewhere down the line.

2016/17 FK Celik Niksic Squad

| Name                  | Position         | Nat     | Height  | Weight       | Age     | Value   | 

| Ivan Butorovic        | GK               | MNE     | 6'2"    | 12 st 12 lbs | 23      | £11.75K | 
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| Nemanja Kosovic       | D (LC)           | MNE     | 6'3"    | 13 st 0 lbs  | 23      | £18.5K  | 
| Aleksandar Janjusevic | D (LC), WB (L)   | MNE     | 6'0"    | 11 st 11 lbs | 33      | £750    | 
| Djordjije Djikanovic  | D (C)            | MNE     | 6'3"    | 12 st 10 lbs | 31      | £6K     | 
| Luka Milic            | D (C)            | MNE     | 6'1"    | 11 st 11 lbs | 16      | £2.6K   | 
| Predrag Videkanic     | D/WB (L)         | MNE     | 6'0"    | 12 st 8 lbs  | 29      | £11K    | 
| Zijad Adrovic         | WB (R), DM, M (C)| MNE     | 6'1"    | 12 st 1 lb   | 30      | £14K    | 
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| Petar Colakovic       | DM               | MNE     | 6'1"    | 12 st 12 lbs | 23      | £22.5K  | 
| Tomislav Cirakovic    | M (RLC)          | MNE     | 5'11"   | 11 st 4 lbs  | 31      | £4.6K   | 
| Ivan Mirkovic         | M (RC)           | MNE     | 6'0"    | 12 st 3 lbs  | 34      | £1.8K   | 
| Mladen Vucic          | M (RC)           | MNE     | 5'11"   | 11 st 0 lbs  | 19      | £14K    | 
| Andrija Bakrac        | M (C)            | MNE     | 6'0"    | 11 st 9 lbs  | 21      | £12.5K  | 
| Darko Karadzic        | M/AM (L)         | MNE     | 5'11"   | 11 st 9 lbs  | 27      | £33K    | 
| Marko Kasalica        | AM (RL)          | MNE     | 5'11"   | 11 st 13 lbs | 29      | £12K    | 
| Nikola Loncar         | AM (RL)          | MNE     | 5'10"   | 11 st 11 lbs | 24      | £10K    | 
| Nikola Colakovic      | AM (RL), ST (C)  | MNE     | 6'1"    | 12 st 6 lbs  | 21      | £14.75K | 
| Nemanja Ostojic       | AM (RC)          | MNE     | 6'1"    | 12 st 3 lbs  | 24      | £10.75K | 
| Vasilije Jovovic      | AM (L), ST (C)   | MNE     | 6'1"    | 11 st 11 lbs | 30      | £16.75K | 
| Andrija Pejovic       | AM (C)           | MNE     | 6'0"    | 12 st 1 lb   | 25      | £23.5K  | 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
| Bozo Markovic         | ST (C)           | MNE     | 6'2"    | 12 st 6 lbs  | 26      | £23.5K  | 
| Vido Sjekloca         | ST (C)           | MNE     | 5'9"    | 10 st 3 lbs  | 30      | £8.5K   | 
| Luka Sofranac         | ST (C)           | MNE     | 5'9"    | 10 st 12 lbs | 20      | £14.75K | 

We're getting some decent responses from the adverts we have placed for backroom staff members. Of course, the standard is not exactly earth shattering, but filling the gaps will be a big tick on the 'to do' list, and that is now starting to happen, with a new Scout the first in through the door. While the squad moves out to the capital city of Podgorica, the Scout will be tasked with keeping an eye on the Trialists match, for no reason other than to gain some information.

Sat 16/7/16 - 3:00pm
Pre-Season Friendly
Stadion Zabjela, Podgorica
FK Zabjelo Podgorica v FK Celik Niksic

Against a non-League side from the capital, we started very well, and right back Zijad Adrovic set up the first of two goals in as many minutes for impressive looking right winger, Nemanja Ostojic. But we ran into problems when Adrovic was injured on the half hour, and our hosts pulled a goal back shortly after. But we regrouped and settled down again after the break, with Andrija Bakrac playing a great through ball in for Bozo Markovic, who showed he isn't just a big target man. Just before the hour, Darko Karadzic slammed home the final go of the game after Ostojic rolled it across the goalmouth. Injury news apart, it had been a decent first outing.

FK Zabjelo Podgorica (1) 1 - Filip Sundic (33)
FK Celik Niksic (2) 4 - Nemanja Ostojic (20,22), Bozo Markovic (49), Darko Karadzic (59)
Ivan Butorovic; Zijad Adrovic (inj - Aleksandar Janjusevic 30), Djordjije Djikanovic, Nemanja Kosovic, Predrag Videkanic; Andrija Bakrac (Mladen Vucic 72), Ivan Mirkovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 72); Nemanja Ostojic (Nikola Colakovic 72), Andrija Pejovic, Darko Karadzic (capt - Marko Kasalica 72); Bozo Markovic (Luka Sofranac 72).
Unused Subs :- Luka Milic, Peter Colakovic, Nikola Loncar, Vasilije Jovovic, Vido Sjekloca. Booked :- Djordjije Djikanovic 87.
Attendance :- 73 (2 away). Man of the Match :- Nemanja Ostojic (FK Celik Niksic).

Nemanja Ostojic produced two goals and an assist to get us off to a great start on the park. But off the playing surface, we now have a problem, and that is no right backs whatsoever. Zijad Adrovic has suffered a hip injury that could keep him out for the remainder of 2016. We receive the news right about the time that newly appointed Chief Scout for the club, Mladen Perovic sends us his first scouting report, which of course includes a superb looking right back. Rules are rules though, and we have to look at another way to solve our big problem.

The completion of deals for an Assistant Manager, a Goalkeeper Coach, and a Head of Youth Development are all good steps forward, but of course, they don't solve our problem. To try and do just that, we turn to our cross city rivals from Sutjeska. They have an 18 year old right back in their Reserves that we would love to loan from them. But we're too late, as they have already agreed to loan him out to the other club they have an affiliate link with, our Division rivals, OFK Igalo. They didn't have another one we can ask about. It's a hammer blow, though I try to ensure we don't come away empty handed. With only one keeper at the club, we look to avoid a repeat of this situation, offering to loan either of their Reserve team keepers, even offering to cover the wages despite us being an affiliate. Nothing doing there either.

I go back to the Board once more, cap in hand again, and ask them to source us another parent affiliate that we can loan players from without having to pay the cost of wages. Negative says the President, he doesn't want his club to be dependent on loan players season after season. Next season, if we're not in the same Division, we need to make sure we are more on the ball when it comes to asking about loaning players from Sutjeska, as they have loaned out five players to a side we'll be trying to finish ahead of, and three of them are very good. That doesn't help us right now, and I have no option but to activate and contract grey right back, Velibor Vukcevic. An 18 year old defensive full back, he would need an awful lot of work to play at this level through my choice, but right now, he's our guy. He has a one year deal on £45 per week, and will earn another year on his contract if he plays 25 games this season. Looking for a positive side to the situation? Ok. We have a new Head Physio for injured defender Zijad Adrovic to speak to for the rest of the year.

[neilhoskins77]

So that last update very much finished on a downer. Lets see if we can lift the mood a little, starting with some news from our backroom. Dejan Miljanic, one of our Coaches, is going to study for a 'UEFA Pro Licence' during the next 12 months. Should he be successful, he would be the first staff member at the club to earn the top badge available. The club are covering the £6,000 fee for him to study. He'll be joined by my new Assistant Manager at the club, Dragan Kasumovic. He will be looking to upgrade from a 'National A Licence' to the UEFA entry level 'C Licence', which he is hoping to earn before the end of the year. The club will also cover the £960 fee for him to do that.

We complete our backroom staff overhaul, for now at least, with the recruitment of a second physio. In what is probably a much more important development, I have asked our groundsman to make our playing surface as wide as possible for the new season. I saw enough in our opening pre season match to believe we'll be able to pass the ball very well, and take advantage of our excellent wide players. On the flip side of the argument of course, it might not do much for a side with a wet behind the ears right back who has never played a Senior game of football before.

Wed 27/7/16 - 7:30pm
Pre-Season Friendly
Blue Star Stadion, Podgorica
FC Blue Star Masline v FK Celik Niksic

Our second trip to the capital this pre-season against another non-League side. After Andrija Pejovic and Darko Karadzic missed with efforts from range, Bozo Markovic volleyed home a Predrag Videkanic cross to open the scoring. That was quickly followed by another Nemanja Ostojic goal, after he ran onto a ball over the defence from deep by Djordjije Djikanovic. There was a goal back from Blue Star midfielder Adi Bozovic, who, deflection aside, showed our defensive fraility was very much there. The second half died a quick death when I made wholesale changes in the 64th minute, aware we have another match quickly following this one.

FC Blue Star Masline (1) 1 - Adi Bozovic (29)
FK Celik Niksic (2) 2 - Bozo Markovic (14), Nemanja Ostojic (18)
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic, Djordjije Djikanovic, Nemanja Kosovic (Luka Milic 64), Predrag Videkanic (Aleksandar Janjusevic 64); Andrija Bakrac (Petar Colakovic 64), Ivan Mirkovic (Mladen Vucic 64); Nemanja Ostojic (Nikola Colakovic 64), Andrija Pejovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 64), Darko Karadzic (capt - Nikola Loncar 64); Bozo Markovic (Vido Sjekloca 64).
Unused Subs :- Marko Kasalica, Vasilije Jovovic, Luka Sofranac. Booked :- Predrag Videkanic 61.
Attendance :- 79 (6 away). Man of the Match :- Adi Bozovic (FC Blue Star Masline).

It was nice to get through that one without any further injury problems, though the performance wasn't as good as our first outing, and I let the players know that there is plenty of work to be done before the season starts. Other than picking the squad numbers, and announcing them, there is nothing to report as we play again at the weekend. It's another away game, but there is much less travelling this time, as we stay in the city to face non-League club OFK. It's an ideal opportunity for our away fans to show their numbers for the first time.

Sat 30/7/16 - 3:00pm
Pre-Season Friendly
Stadion pod Trebesom, Niksic
OFK Niksic v FK Celik Niksic

With a home game against an Albanian side coming up in a few days, I made eight changes to my lineup, and would have made more if I had the squad depth. I don't know if that was the reason for our lacklustre first half outing, or if the players were just saving it all for attacking the packed terrace that housed our fans. Either way, we took our opponents apart in a five minute spell around the hour mark. Tomislav Cirakovic's free kick was blocked by the wall, but the ball rebounded to Mladen Vucic, who picked his spot from the edge of the box. That was quickly followed by rookie full back Velibor Vukcevic's deep cross looping over everyone and crashing back off the bar, Luka Sofranac slamming home the loose ball. His substitute replacement, Vido Sjekloca showed a nice finishing touch of his own moments after coming on to make it three. Unfortunately, we still don't have a clean sheer to our name, as Vucic skewed an attempted clearance of a corner into his own net to register at both ends. It didn't seem to upset our following too much though, and I think OFK were happy to have some paying fans at the gate.

OFK Niksic (0) 1 - Mladen Vucic (75 og)
FK Celik Niksic (0) 3 - Mladen Vucic (57), Luka Sofranac (59), Vido Sjekloca (62)
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic, Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic (Djordjije Djikanovic 45), Aleksandar Janjusevic; Petar Colakovic (capt), Mladen Vucic; Nikola Colakovic (Nikola Loncar 61), Tomislav Cirakovic, Marko Kasalica (Vasilije Jovovic 61); Luka Sofranac (Vido Sjekloca 61).
Unused Subs :- Predrag Vikekanic, Andrija Bakrac, Ivan Mirkovic, Andrija Pejovic, Nemanja Ostojic, Darko Karadzic, Bozo Markovic.
Attendance :- 298 (217 away). Man of the Match :- Vido Sjekloca (FK Celik Niksic).

That had been a great day out for our supporters, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves in the otherwise almost deserted stadium across the city. Three out of three so far in pre season, and all seems rosy. But of course, we're impressing no one with these performances. We'll be in for a much sterner test in midweek, with some overseas opposition.

[neilhoskins77]

OFK Grbalj Radanovici are predicted to be amongst the sides fighting the drop in the top tier Prva Liga. They would like to loan our utility midfielder/winger, Tomislav Cirakovic for the season, offering to cover 60% of his wages, and pay £2,000 to make the move permanent next summer if both sides are happy. I was unaware that the 31 year old had been made available for transfer by the previous manager, and rejected the offer before removing him from the transfer list.

That appeared to start what looked like open season on our players, with Nikola Colakovic the next player to be targeted. The tricky 21 year old winger who can play on either flank as well as covering the striker position, would be the subject of no less than three loan offers in the space of five hours. Grbalj were one of those clubs again, making a very similar offer to the one they had rejected for Cirakovic. The other offers came from overseas, UMF Víkingur Ólafsvík of Iceland's top tier Pepsi Úrvalsdeild karla, and then Lithuanian side FK Utenis Utena, a top tier side in the 'A Lyga'. All three offers were rejected, our squad was just too small to be able to let the player go, and frankly, we don't need to clear any wage space at this point.

There would be one more offer to deal with yet as well. This would be from another side likely to be fighting relegation from the FK Bokelj Kotor. The Prva Liga side had been impressed enough by Vido Sjekloca's cameo goalscoring performance from the bench at OFK on the weekend to attempt to secure him on loan. This was the closest I had got so far to allowing a player to leave, but in the end, I went with the side of caution, and rejected that one too.

While we were beating OFK on Saturday afternoon, KS Luftëtari Gjirokastër, who are Albania's newest Kategoria Superiore side, were playing the first of two Pre-Season matches on a short visit to Montenegro. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Prva Liga side FK Iskra Danilovgrad. Now they would head to Niksic to play us before heading back to the town of Peqin to continue their preparations for the new season.

Tues 2/8/16 - 7:30pm
Pre-Season Friendly
Stadion Zeljezare, Niksic
FK Celik Niksic v KS Luftëtari Gjirokastër

We went back to what is currently primarily considered our first choice side for this match, which is not just our only home friendly, but also quite a prestigious one for us in relative terms. Unfortunately, the gloss was taken off the ocassion for us when right winger Nemanja Ostojic went down with injury before the mid point of the first half, and it didn't look good for him. We would fall behind just over ten minutes later, when Ervin Caco's through ball was dispatched into the top corner by Mikel Canka. Ten minutes after the break, it was almost 2-0, Orjand Beqiri's near post header from a corner was headed off the line by Andrija Bakrac. At no point were we outplayed, and we did have our chances, primarily through Darko Karadzic, who curled a free kick over the wall, but into the hands of Klodian Xhelilaj. He didn't trouble the keeper shortly after, when he dragged a shot from the edge of the box well wide of the target. We played the last ten minutes in our alternative system of three centre backs, primarily as young full back Velibor Vukcevic was out of gas, though he hadn't disgraced himself by any means, and neither had we.

FK Celik Niksic (0) 0
KS Luftëtari Gjirokastër (1) 1 - Mikel Canka (33)
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic (Luka Milic 80), Djordjije Djikanovic, Nemanja Kosovic, Aleksandar Janjusevic (Predrag Videkanic 70); Ivan Mirkovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 70), Andrija Bakrac; Nemanja Ostojic (inj - Nikola Colakovic 21), Andrija Pejovic, Darko Karadzic (capt - Petar Colakovic 80); Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Mladen Vucic, Marko Kasalica, Nikola Loncar, Vasilije Jovocic, Luka Sofranac, Vido Sjekloca. Booked :- Aleksandar Janjusevic 34.
Attendance :- 393 (0 away). Man of the Match :- Mikel Canka (KS Luftëtari Gjirokastër).

As feared, it's bad news for our right winger who has probably been our best performer so far in pre season. Nemanja Ostojic is out for around 4-5 months, he has torn a calf muscle. It's a bitter blow to the strength of our squad, however, I'm consoling myself with the knowledge that it could have been worse. At least we have cover for that position. It's a very good thing that we didn't allow Tomislav Cirakovic or Nikola Colakovic to leave on loan.

The attendance was healthy for that match against the top tier Albanian club, and if I'm honest, I wasn't too unhappy with the way things went. We had plenty of the ball, and created plenty of chances too, and the reality is that we probably won't face too many sides of that quality level in our domestic fixture list. Certainly not in the First Round of the Montenegrin Cup, where we are out of the hat very early, and are drawn to face non-League and amateur side, FK Orjen Zelenika in a fortnight's time. The Board are looking for us to reach the Third Round of this competition, and facing a side who are around the level of OFK Niksic should, in theory, be an easy starter. That match comes after our opening League match, and our final pre season friendly against similar stature club, FK Gorstak Kolasin, should be ample preparation for it.

As we are now into early August, this is probably as good a time as any to talk about the Montenegrin clubs foray's into Europe. After all, that is the whole point of the challenge, right? For this season, the nation has one club in the UEFA Champions League, and they enter in the Second Qualifying Round. That club would be the National Champions from 2015/16, capital city side FK Mladost Podgorica. Compare their pre season schedule to ours. Before embarking on their European adventure, they played home matches against AS Trencin of Slovakia, then the Russian heavyweights of Zenit St Petersburg, followed by a visit from Romanian Liga 1 Orange side AFC Astra Giurgiu, and then matches against Bulgarian visitors Levski Sofia and CSKA-Sofia. Those final two fixtures would be particularly important, as the Champions League draw pitted them against Ludogorets 1945 Razgrad. Their trip to Bulgaria saw them beaten 3-0 and effectively put them out. They did save some pride in the second leg however, earning a credible 1-1 draw.

The UEFA Europa League would be a different story entirely however. Montenegro would boast three participants in Europe's second tier continental club competition, and all would enter at the First Qualifying Round stage. In superb news for football in the nation, and it's future coefficient, all three would progress as well. FK Rudar Pljevlja were given the hardest task of the three, as they drew Slovakian side, FC Spartak Trnava. They earned a very good 1-1 draw away from home, and then completed the job the following week with 3-1 victory. Not to be outdone, FK Buducnost Podgorica also faced a tough tie, as they were drawn against Kazakh side, FK Aktobe. They lost 2-1 on their trip east, but turned the tie around on their return home, winning the second leg 2-0 to advance. Joining the pair would be FK Bokelj Kotor, who would be paired with Irish club, St Patrick's Athletic. They were too strong for their opponents, winning the away leg 2-1, before finishing the job with a 2-0 win at home to make it a trio who progressed. Each side would pick up around £86k for competing in that first round, giving them a good headstart in their financial seasons.

So how would those clubs fair in the Second Qualifying Round? Well, lets start with FK Rudar Pljevlja again. They seemed to have a tough tie to negotiate once more, as they drew Polish LOTTO Ekstraklasa club, Cracovia. They would make a mockery of their underdog status however, winning 2-1 in Poland first of all, and then holding on for dear life back home to grind out a 0-0 draw and progress once more. It would be a case of getting the job done away from home also for FK Buducnost Podgorica. They faced another long journey, this time to Azerbaijan, where they lock horns with FK Qäbälä. They would board the flight back victorious, after getting a smash and grab 2-0 win, and then drawing 1-1 back at home to join Rudar in the Third Round. Alas, they would not be joined by FK Bokelj Kotor this time. Their draw against Norwegian side Strømsgodset was a step too far, and they lost both legs by the same 2-0 scoreline. They would at least pocket another good payday, with £193k put into their account as losing prize money, meaning they had made in excess of a quarter of a million pounds in prize money alone, plus matchday revenue of course. The two clubs who had progressed had earned another £86k, a place in the Third Qualifying Round, and plenty of gratitude from the Montenegrin FA for improving the nations coefficient significantly.

Unfortunately for the two clubs, that would be the end of their adventure. For FK Rudar Pljevlja, they wouldn't get close to making the Playoff Round, as they were beaten pretty comfortably by their Israeli opponents, Maccabi Haifa. They were not disgraced against the big spending side who have players worth millions at their disposal. They lost 2-0 away, and then 1-0 at home. It was a different story for FK Buducnost Podgorica, as they were paired to face Mlada Boleslav from the Czech Republic's top tier ePojisteni.cz Liga. After a 1-0 defeat at the Mestsky Stadion, Buducnost would attempt to overturn their deficit on their return home. That didn't look likely when they went a goal down within a few minutes. But a straight red card in the 11th minute for Brazilian veteran Douglas Silva would change the tie. They got a goal back midway through the first half, but it took till the 90th minute to find a second despite almost constant pressure on the Czech's. They would bow out on away goals, but both clubs would pick up £202k in prize money. No amount of money would change the facts though, a Montenegrin side had still not made it into the Group Stage of a European Club Competition.

[neilhoskins77]

We're on the final run in before the new season begins now, and it's time to confirm who will be our on the park leaders this season. It's very clear that there is an enormous amount of respect for Darko Kardzic in our dressing room, so it would be madness to not make him Captain. With little in the way of depth at centre back, I don't envisage veteran Djordjije Djikanovic missing too many games, making him a very good choice to be our Vice Captain. The bonuses also need to be decided for the coming season. I elect to leave both the League and Cup bonuses at the normal level. The squad will share £8k if they win the Cup, and £1.5k if they win the League.

Fri 5/8/16 - 7:30pm
Pre-Season Friendly
Stadion u Lugu, Kolasin
FK Gorstak Kolasin v FK Celik Niksic

After defeat last time out, I was hoping for a decent run out today to take us into the new season. It took us 18 minutes to get going, with a superb show of counter attacking. After the ball was won in midfield, Bozo Markovic spread the ball left, Darko Karadzic crossed it low, and Ivan Mirkovic tapped it home at the far post. We were up and running, and Mirkovic added a second ten minutes before the break. As the rain started to fall, so did our hosts resistance, and we added a quick third. In a role reversal, Kardzic headed the ball into the path of Markovic who steered it into the bottom corner. Our newly appointed skipper had been involved in all three first half goals. It took us a little while to get going again in the second half, but in the 58th minute, Nikola Colakovic curled a deep and low cross into the box, and Markovic just wanted it more, angling his shot home to join Mirkovic on a brace. Another soon followed, sub Mladen Vucic played it into the box for Karadzic, who very unselfishly squared to an unmarked Nikola Colakovic, and the young winger slotted home to make it 5-0. We reached the midway point of the second half, and while I didn't have any desire to put the brakes on, I did want to give some other players a run out, and I also really wanted us to get a clean sheet, as we hadn't achieved that yet in Pre Season. Ten minutes after the changes, we were back in the groove, Petar Colakovic working hard in midfield to win the ball, and then send it into the right wing. Tomislav Cirakovic made up a huge amount of ground to get to the ball first, and then produced a superb cross, Luka Sofranac didn't even have to break stride to turn it home. Number seven was only a minute or so away, from an unlikely source. Teenage centre half Luka Milic grabbed the ball when we won a free kick, and insisted he was having a crack, supposing if ever there was a time to throw caution to the wind, it was now. He might get more goes too, as from 25 yards out, he curled the shot over the wall and into the top corner, a superb strike from a centre back, much less a 16 year old. We were still not quite done either, as with a few moments left to play, Vucic angled a ball into the left channel. A defender beat Nikola Loncar to the ball, but then ruined his good work with an horific back pass, and Sofranac pounced on it to fire home and become the third player of the evening to net his brace of goals.

FK Gorstak Kolasin (0) 0
FK Celik Niksic (3) 8 - Ivan Mirkovic (18,35), Bozo Markovic (45+1,58), Nikola Colakovic (61), Luka Sofranac (77,88), Luka Milic (78)
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic (Aleksandar Janjusevic 66), Djordjije Djikanovic, Nemanja Kosovic (Luka Milic 66), Predrag Videkanic; Ivan Mirkovic (Petar Colakovic 66), Andrija Bakrac (Mladen Vucic 45); Nikola Colakovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 66), Andrija Pejovic (Marko Kaslica 66), Darko Karadzic (capt - Nikola Loncar 66); Bozo Markovic (Luka Sofranac 66).
Unused Subs :- Vasilije Jovovic, Vido Sjekloca.
Attendance :- 68 (5 away). Man of the Match :- Ivan Mirkovic (FK Celik Niksic).

That was a very good way to round off pre season, and we looked lethal at times in that match. Next time we play, we'll be doing it for real in the Druga Liga against OFK Igalo, and their bevvy of players that they have loaned in from Sutjeska. Hopefully we'll be able to overcome our squad depth issues to get off to a flying start.

Young right winger Nikola Colakovic had a good outing at Gorstak, which included getting his name on the scoresheet. It was very interesting to read that Lithuanian club FK Utenis Utena, who have already had a loan offer for the youngster rejected, had a poll running on Twitter, asking fans which player they would most like to see their club sign. Colakovic topped that poll with a staggering 71% of the votes. So what we have learnt from that poll, is that 71% of Utenis fans who took part, are going to be disappointed!

While we can't bring in any players ourselves at the moment, the only side in the Division to not bring in at least one new player, it doesn't stop us from looking. It's interesting to see the calibre of players we're being linked with, and there are plenty of options to keep an eye on. We'll be keeping our Scouts busy, and when we are ready to bring in new faces, we'll be prepared and make sure they are players that will propel the club forward.

[neilhoskins77]

Final preparations are underway for Saturday's season opener. Dejan Miljanic, our Coach, has prepared a tactical assessment. There is a lot of use of the phrase 'there are better options in our squad'. Unfortunately, he doesn't make any mention as to who those better options might be. Our home advantage gives us the slight edge according to the bookies. In the press conference, I tell the press that we've been working hard in pre season, and I think we can get off to a winning start this weekend.

OFK Igalo manager, Brajan Nenezic, has a very different opinion however. In his press conference, he has suggested that we probably don't have what it takes to stay up this season, and that we'll get relegated. Given the right to reply, I suggest that if Nenezic is looking for relegation candidates, he should look a little closer to home. He is given the last word, and he says Igalo are the stronger side, and they'll prove it on Saturday.

Sat 13/8/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Stadion Zeljezare, Niksic
FK Celik Niksic v OFK Igalo

In front of a half full home stadium (which is actually more encouraging than it sounds), our season did not get off to an encouraging start. A corner wasn't defended well enough by our defence, and Marko Djukanovic fired the ball back through a crowd of players and into the net to give Igalo an 8th minute lead. They would almost double that lead when Bojan Vukicevic curled a free kick against out cross bar. We weren't behind for too long though, Velibor Vukcevic lifted the ball over the defence, Nikola Colakovic chased it down, and crossed into the centre from the byline, where Bozo Markovic produced a powerful volley to send the ball into the roof of the net. It looked like the ref has forgotten his cards in the first half, as he booked three players in the opening quarter of an hour after the restart, after booking no one in the entire first half. Just after the hour, Adnrija Bakrac made a tackle in midfield, and Ivan Mirkovic swept the ball into the left channel for Darko Karadzic. The skipper powered into the box, and then cut the ball back, where the arriving Andrija Pejovic was on hand to sidefoot it home from ten yards out. I thought we were well set for the points from there, but just ten minutes later, Nikola Vucinic recovered a loose ball on the byline. He sent a cross to the far post, where Rajko Lekovic's superb volley was kept out by a stunning save from Ivan Butorovic. Unfortunately, the ball squirmed loose, and in the melee to reach it, Djordjije Djikanovic shoved Lekovic over, and the ref awarded Igalo a penalty. Butorovic attempted to anticipate where the ball would go, and Jovan Simovic waited it out, before rolling the ball down the middle to level the match. Neither side were able to create a chance to grab the win here.

FK Celik Niksic (1) 2 - Bozo Markovic (20), Andrija Pejovic (62)
OFK Igalo (1) 2 - Marko Djukanovic (8), Jovan Simovic (73 pen)
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic, Djordjije Djikanovic, Nemanja Kosovic, Predrag Videkanic; Ivan Mirkovic, Andrija Bakrac; Nikola Colakovic, Andrija Pejovic, Darko Karadzic (capt); Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Aleksandar Janjusevic, Luka Milic, Mladen Vucic, Tomislav Cirakovic, Marko Kasalica, Nikola Loncar, Luka Sofranac. Booked :- Predrag Videkanic 46.
Attendance :- 918 (7 away). Man of the Match :- Marko Djukanovic (OFK Igalo).

It was disappointing to concede that penalty, and throw away a couple of precious very early season points. The common consensus in the media was that we had done well to get a draw, though I didn't necessarily agree with that point of view. I thought we had more than held our own, particularly in the second half.

Maybe the cohesion will take longer than anticipated, as seven players made their debuts for the club in that match. In the post match press conference, the questions are primarily regarding Djordjije Djikanovic and the penalty. I tell the media in attendance that he is strong and experienced character, and I don't expect him to take very long to get over that one.

Our Reserves play on Sunday, and we get another piece of poor luck when it comes to injuries. Vasilije Jovovic has sustained a groin strain in that match, and will miss between 3 weeks and a month. It's still very early in the season, and these injuries are starting to mount up at a worrying rate for our small squad.

We are right back into action in midweek, with our Cup match against FK Orjen Zelenika. But we suffer yet another injury blow on the eve of the match. This time it's centre back Djordjije Djikanovic, and he has twisted a knee after turning sharply in a training session, which will keep him out for anything up to a fortnight. Even without him, we are expected to win pretty easily against our non-League opponents tomorrow.

Wed 17/8/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Cup, First Round
Solila, Igalo
FK Orjen Zelenika v FK Celik Niksic

A mid afternoon kick off in midweek is apparently quite normal in this part of the world. 16 year old Luka Milic makes his Senior debut at centre back in the only change for us today. A poor first half saw us come the closest to opening the scoring, with Darko Karadzic seeing his 20 yard free kick effort smack back off the face off the cross bar., and Nikola Colakovic hitting a close range shot off the upright. We would continue to press in the second half, and hit the frame of the goal once more when Karadzic clipped an effort off the outside of the post. With Ivan Mirkovic and Luka Milic both coming close, it looked a matter of time for us. I would eventually make changes, moving us to a 4-2-2-2 formation, Pejovic withdrawn and Luka Sofranac coming on to make it two up top. And finally, our persistance would pay off in the 76th minute, Bozo Markovic holding the ball up, and then squaring it to Kardzic on the edge of the box, the skipper sending a thunderbolt of a shot into the top corner to finally break the deadlock. After Nikola Colakovic came close to adding to our lead, the combination of Markovic and Kardzic put the outcome beyond doubt in the 86th minute, this time the striker angling a diagonal through ball into the wingers run, and he guided a shot under the keeper and inside the post to put us into the Second Round.

FK Orjen Zelenika (0) 0
FK Celik Niksic (0) 2 - Darko Karadzic (76,86)
Ivan Buturovic; Velibor Vukcevic, Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic, Predrag Videkanic (Aleksandar Janjusevic 71); Ivan Mirkovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 71), Andrija Bakrac; Nikola Colakovic, Andrija Pejovic (Luka Sofranac 71), Darko Karadzic (capt), Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Petar Colakovic, Mladen Vucic, Marko Kaslica, Nikola Loncar. Booked :- Predrag Videkanic 59.
Attendance :- 163 (10 away). Man of the Match :- Bozo Markovic (FK Celik Niksic).

The press are much more cheery about our performance today, telling their viewers and readers that we 'hammered' our opponents. While the scoreboard may not suggest that, the stats certainly back it up. Two thirds of the ball possession, three times as many chances created, and three efforts off the goal frame.

In fact, it was a good news day almost all around. Darko Karadzic scored two good goals, Bozo Markovic played his role well to set them both up, and Luka Milic was superb at centre back, the sixteen year old making his Senior debut and not looking out of place in the slightest. We have also been awarded £86,130 for progressing into the Second Round. That is considerably more money that I was expecting for this early stage, and swells the clubs coffers significantly. The only blip was a second consecutive game with a yellow card for left back Predrag Videkanic, meaning he quickly gets to two cautions, and will be suspended for Saturday's League match against FK Graficar Podgorica.

[tenthreeleader]

Sorry I haven't commented on this yet, Neil ... looks like a fun save and a chance to read about a part of the world I've never played. Good luck!

[neilhoskins77]

17 hours ago, tenthreeleader said:

Sorry I haven't commented on this yet, Neil ... looks like a fun save and a chance to read about a part of the world I've never played. Good luck!

Cheers Ten Three. Always good to try a save in a new League.

[neilhoskins77]

The day after our Cup win, the draw is made for the Second Round of the competition. The draw is kind to us too, as we are given a home tie with another non-League side, this time the amateurs of OFK Mladost Ljeskopolje. We will be firm favourites for that tie, and a win would get us to the Boards target of Round Three. The match is scheduled for early October.

So with that match a good six weeks or so away, our concentration is on League matches right now, specifically our away trip to face FK Graficar Podgorica. The capital city club are the bookies favourites for the drop, despite bringing in thirteen new players over the summer. They got off to a poor start in the League last weekend, thumped 3-0 away from home. They did turn that around in the Cup however, winning 3-0 in midweek. As he isn't available for the First Team this weekend, Predrag Videkanic has been assigned to the Reserve squad.

Sat 20/8/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Trening Kamp na Starom Aerodromu, Podgorica
FK Graficar Podgorica v FK Celik Niksic

We try something new with our formation, keeping the back four, but going with a holding midfielder in front of them, two centre midfielders, and three forwards, with one out and out striker, and two inside forwards. That change, alongside a few personnel changes, was about as much excitement as our Saturday afternoon offered. A match we controlled without dominating for long spells didn't quite reap the rewards we were hoping for as we failed to take our chances when they came, and failed to really create enough of them to make that wastefulness redundant. The closest we came was in the 72nd minute, Darko Karadzic stripping the ball from a defender and moving down the left, before swinging a cross into the near post. Bozo Markovic connected with a header that struck the top of the bar, bounced right up into the air, and then hit the bar again on it's way back down.

FK Graficar Podgorica (0) 0
FK Celik Niksic (0) 0
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic, Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic, Aleksandar Janjusevic; Petar Colakovic; Andrija Bakrac (Tomislav Cirakovic 61), Mladen Vucic (Ivan Mirkovic 81); Marko Kasalica, Darko Karadzic (capt); Bozo Markovic (Vido Sjekloca 81).
Unused Subs :- Nikola Colakovic, Andrija Pejovic, Nikola Loncar, Luka Sofranac. Booked :- Mladen Vucic 14.
Attendance :- 687 (17 away). Man of the Match :- Aleksandar Janjusevic (FK Celik Niksic).

Where we stand now really depends on your expectations and perspective for our club. If you're being positive, then we're unbeaten in the League and in three competitive games overall, and have kept two consecutive clean sheets, while dealing with a number of injuries that would absolutely have an impact on a club with the small playing staff we're carrying.

On the other hand, it could be said that we have now dropped League points against at least one club that we would be expected to win against, and we are very reliant on two attacking players. We also haven't yet nailed down a formation and tactic that we are totally happy and comfortable with.

Whichever side you happen to sit on, the facts are that almost everyone in the squad has played a game now, and we're sat in 7th spot with two points from as many games. After the match, the performance is very much secondary in the press conference to the news that Prva Liga side OFK Grbalj Radanovici are preparing another bid to take Tomislav Cirakovic on loan from us. I tell the media that while I have plenty of respect for Miljan Radovic, I can't afford to let a useful First Team squad member leave right now.

Speaking of First Teamers, suspended defender Predrag Videkanic got his name on the scoresheet from the penalty spot when playing for the Reserve side on Sunday. They lost their second consecutive match, this time against OFK Igalo, but my man in attendance was happy to report that Predrag had a decent outing. It won't have escaped his attention I'm sure that his replacement in the First Team side was named Man of the Match on Saturday.

There is none of this waiting till the end of the month rubbish here in Montenegro, as the Transfer Deadline is on Thursday 25th August. With no players arriving for us, it was going to be very much a day of rejecting offers for our own players, and we would have to start early as Prva Liga side FK Iskra Danilovgrad made a loan offer from Nikola Colakovic. Within an hour, the same club had made a similar offer for Tomislav Cirakovic. Thankfully, our refusal to even discuss a deal with Iskra seemed to put everyone else off, and it was a relatively quiet day for us as the Window slammed shut.

With midweek League games a bit of a rare occurance in this country, there is a bit of time for the squad to recover, and we'll have two players back in the squad for our next game on Saturday, which is a home match against FK Berane. Like us, they have started their season with two draws in the League. They have one of the larger stadiums and followings, their 11,000 capacity home regularly sees crowds of over 4,000. Predrag Videkanic is back after his suspension, and Djordjije Djikanovic has passed a fitness test, though it is recommended that he doesn't play anymore than an hour. Both will start on the bench today.

Sat 27/8/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Stadion Zeljezare, Niksic
FK Celik Niksic v FK Berane

Keeping the same formation, the side has two changes, with Ivan Mirkovic and Nikola Colakovic both brought back in. The first half was of a pretty poor standard, and only saw one chance of note. But what a chance it was. Vladimir Vratnica lifted a ball from halfway towards the edge of our box, and both centre backs went for the same ball. While they tripped over themselves, the ball rolled perfectly for Nikola Tomovic, and the opener looked inevitable. But the striker fluffed his lines, and sent his shot wide of the post. They would pay heavily for that miss just over five minutes after the break, from a duo that looked to be very much on the same wavelength. Bozo Markovic made the most of a defenders poor first touch, and got the ball to Darko Karadzic. Our winger set off at pace, hurdling one challenge, swerving by another, and then crossing into the near post, where Markovic was arriving to steer the ball insided the near post with a side footed shot. Our visitors were struggling to put anything of note together, but we were not going to take our lead for granted. When they started to throw players forward in the final moments, we reacted and brought on another defender to make it a back five, and sat two anchor men in front of them as well. Thou shall not pass. Not today anyway.

FK Celik Niksic (0) 1 - Bozo Markovic (51)
FK Berane (0) 0
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic, Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic (Djordjije Djikanovic (76), Aleksandar Janjusevic; Petar Colakovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 63); Andrija Bakrac (Predrag Videkanic 86), Ivan Mirkovic; Nikola Colakovic, Darko Karadzic (capt); Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Mladen Vucic, Andrija Pejovic, Marko Kasalica, Luka Sofronac.
Attendance :- 994 (77 away). Man of the Match :- Ivan Mirkovic (FK Celik Niksic).

We're up to fourth place in the League, and there wasn't much not to like about that performance. Granted, we had rode our luck with Tomovic's miss. But the fact is that Berane didn't manage a shot on target throughout that match, despite finishing the match with three strikers on the park. That's one striker for every consecutive clean sheet we have now achieved.

While we may be struggling to get some cohesion as a team, there is no lack of understanding between our Captain and influential left winger Darko Karadzic, and our star striker Bozo Markovic. They have two goals and two assists apiece in our competitive matches now, and it is pretty clear that their form will be vital to any success we may have this season.

[EvilDave]

Looks like a good start Neil, hopefully bodes well for the rest of the year. Interestingly enough, my first thought for this challenge was Montenegro, and I got as far as pre-season with Berane before changing my mind. Good to see you giving it more of a go than I managed!

[neilhoskins77]

Cheers ED. I think we need to find our killer instinct though, or this could be quite a slog.

We move into September, and will start the month with a trip to face current League leaders, FK Kom Podgorica, on the weekend. I'm given an update on our injuries, which are now down to two, the long term injuries to Zijad Adrovic and Nemanja Ostojic. It's still going to be two or three months before we get them back in action. Vasilije Jovovic is back in training after his groin strain.

We'll play on each Saturday of September, so there are four games ahead of us this month. For now, the Board are satisfied with the way things are going, particularly the 1-0 win over Berane. They are less happy with the 0-0 draw with Graficar. The squad harmony has been described as 'pleasing'. A profit of nearly £70k is more than pleasing, however, that was generated thanks to our prize money for victory in the Cup match.

Sat 3/9/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Zlatica, Podgorica
FK Kom Podgorica v FK Celik Niksic

Despite lying in 4th place, nobody is giving us much chance today. They got a little helping hand with a somewhat dubious looking penalty awarded in the 6th minute, skipper Bojan Golubovic curled in a free kick, and our skipper Darko Kardzic was judged to have had hold of the jersey of Rados Dedic. There was no stopping Ermin Seratlic's penalty, as he put it high into the top corner, and we were behind early. We did come close to an equaliser however ten minutes before half time, Andrija Bakrac's corner finding the head of centre back Nemanja Kosovic, but his header found only the cross bar. In the 65th minute, Kom got the second goal they were looking for to nudge out of our reach. A poor clearance by Ivan Butorovic was picked up by Marko Kazic, and he sent a short square pass to Nikola Vujovic, who found the top corner from 25 yards out. Even when we changed up our formation with ten minutes left, aiming to really have a go at them, we never really got close. We weren't embarrassed, but we certainly weren't good enough.

FK Kom Podgorica (1) 2 - Ermin Seratlic (7 pen), Nikola Vujovic (65)
FK Celik Niksic (0) 0
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic (Luka Sofranac 80), Djordjije Djikanovic, Nemanja Kosovic, Aleksandar Janjusevic (Andrija Pejovic 80); Petar Colakovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 80); Andrija Bakrac, Ivan Mirkovic; Nikola Colakovic, Darko Karadzic (capt); Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Luka Milic, Predrag Videkanic, Mladen Vucic, Marko Kasalica.
Attendance :- 1,165 (29 away). Man of the Match :- Nikola Vujovic (FK Kom Podgorica).

That's our first League defeat of the season. It certainly won't be our last, as that match taught me that in key areas of the park, we are not strong enough right now. One of those key areas is defence, and Djordjije Djikanovic getting a minor injury in training isn't going to help. He suffered some bruising in a clash of heads in Monday's training session, and will likely be out for the rest of the week, making him doubtful for our next fixture.

That next match would be a home fixture with FK Cetinje. Despite the defeat, we remained in fourth place going into the match, and our visitors sit in 7th. At Even money, the bookies have us as favourites for the win, but the odds convey that they don't necessarily have too much faith in us. I think I know how they feel. My physio tells me that Djordjije Djikanovic doesn't need a fitness test for a bruised head, but he doesn't reccomend selecting him for this one.

Sat 10/9/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Stadion Zeljezare, Niksic
FK Celik Niksic v FK Cetinje

There was nothing to say about the first half, which in itself was as frustrating as our performance. A huge downpour during the half time break and into the early stages of the second half would make the playing surface that much more tricky for the defences of both sides. Maybe even a game changer. Exactly four minutes after getting a yellow card, visiting midfielder Andrija Mirkovic earned a second after rattling into a tackle on Andrija Bakrac. Now with only ten men facing us, it was time to take a risk. I took off both full backs, and went to three at the back, two up front, and a shadow striker in between the two wingers. And we still couldn't find a way through. So frustrating.

FK Celik Niksic (0) 0
FK Cetinje (0) 0
Ivan Butorovic; Velibor Vukcevic (Luka Sofranac 80), Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic, Predrag Videkanic (Aleksander Janjusevic 80); Petar Colakovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 62); Andrija Bakrac, Ivan Mirkovic; Nikola Colakovic, Darko Karadzic (capt); Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Mladen Vucic, Andrija Pejovic, Marko Kasalica, Vido Sjekloca. Booked :- Predrag Videkanic 77.
Attendance :- 922 (22 away). Man of the Match :- Jozo Lukolic (FK Cetinje).

Another draw! So from five League matches, three of them have ended in draws now. We need to find another way of going about things clearly. Things need to change I feel.

[neilhoskins77]

Our next opponents will be FK Ibar Rozaje, who we will travel to face on Saturday. If they are spending some time preparing for us based on previous matches, they might as well go to the beach instead. After sitting in a backroom staff meeting for two mind numbingly boring hours, I tell them to stop talking and start listening and using their heads.

It's very clear to me that almost without exception, our best players are forwards. So lets take a risk, and put more of them on the park. There might be a school of thought across the Atlantic that says Defence Wins Championships, but in England, they managed to immortalise We're Going To Score One More Than You in a song. And in a week where Andrija Pejovic has openly stated that he needs more First Team football, it's a good time to take the leap and try and find a formation that allows us to select one of our more creative players.

Meanwhile, the vultures were circling around our talented 16 year old centre back, Luka Milic. I spoke to the teenager, and told him that I'd very much like to get him tied to the club with a new contract. He showed he has a bit of smarts about him too, stating that he was aware that there were other options for him, and that he was looking for some guarentee's. It was a fairly lengthy list, and a lot of it was unachievable right now, but I did agree that I would try and make sure he got a decent pay rise. I stuck to my word too, as the lad who had interest from Prva Liga side FK Lovcen Cetinje, has signed a deal that will kick in on his 17th birthday, which is at the end of next month. It'll be a deal that will take him through to the end of the 2018/19 season, and he will earn £60 a week, rising to £70 once he has reached 30 appearances. He also has some nice incentives for appearances and clean sheets.

When we reach Saturday's match, we have settled on a three man defence with an anchor midfielder sat in front of them. We'll then have a four man midfield, which includes two wide midfielders, hopefully allowing us to get the best of both Darko Karadzic and Nikola Colakovic. We then have two players a bit further up the park, Andrija Pejovic supporting our star striker Bozo Markovic.

Sat 17/9/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Bandzovo Brdo, Rozaje
FK Ibar Rozaje v FK Celik Niksic

On it's first outing, and after a couple of teething problems with our offside trap being sprung, the new formation got off to a good start. Good play down the left in the 25th minute led to Bozo Markovic holding up the ball before playing in Andrija Bakrac, who lifted the ball high into the net. Within two minutes, we had that lead doubled, Andrija Pejovic putting the ball in front of Markovic, who slotted it into the bottom corner. All was going very well, until ten minutes before the break, when Darko Karadzic tried to help out his defence, made a mess of it, and Demir Kajevic crossed to the far post, where Ervin Pericic fired it home. Things were starting to go south, and we lost Markovic at half time. I resisted the urge to try and defend our lead, and left us stuck to our guns. That turned out to be a bad move midway through the half, as sub Amer Tahirovic sent the ball left for Nemanja Perovic, who beat two defenders inside our box, and then beat Ivan Butorovic at his near post. Luka Milic nearly got us back in front in the last ten minutes, as he hit the cross bar with a free kick.

FK Ibar Rozaje (1) 2 - Ervin Pericic (35), Nemanja Perovic (68)
FK Celik Niksic (2) 2  - Andrija Bakrac (25), Bozo Markovic (27)
Ivan Butorovic; Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic, Djordjije Djikanovic; Petar Colakovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 79); Nikola Colakovic, Andrija Bakrac, Ivan Mirkovic (Mladen Vucic 79), Darko Karadzic (capt); Andrija Pejovic; Bozo Markovic (inj - Luka Sofranac 45).
Unused Subs :- Aleksandar Janjusevic, Predrag Videkanic, Marko Kasalica, Vido Sjekloca
Attendance :- 1,127 (19 away). Man of the Match :- Bozo Markovic (FK Celik Niksic).

That started off as a very promising away day. But we still quite clearly have work to do if we're going to get this to work. Fortunately, we would lose Bozo Markovic for nothing more than just a few days. I still have confidence in my attacking players to get the job done, but they need some help from the players at the back. They could also do with giving them some help too, and not causing problems for them as Darko Karadzic did today.

Getting that deal done for Luka Milic's new contract doesn't appear to have put off his suitors. Prva Liga side FK Lovcen Cetinje had their manager running the rule over Milic in that game. We don't need to sell right now, and with Milic only valued at around £2,500 at the moment, the teenage centre back is considerably more valuable in our squad than he would be transferred out of the club.

We're the odds on favourites for Saturdays home League match with the side sat one place above us in the Druga Liga table, FK-KF Otrant-Olympic Ulcinj. I believe we should win this game too, so much so, that I change the team mentality from 'control' to 'attacking' to supplement our new formation and tactics, as we look to make this one count.

Sat 24/9/16 - 3:00pm
Montenegrin Druga Liga
Stadion Zeljezare, Niksic
FK Celik Niksic v FK-KF Otrant-Olympic Ulcinj

We played the ball around well, and Bozo Markovic caused problems for the visitors by dropping deep to receive short passes, or lay the ball off to midfielder or wingers and let us set up attacks further up the park. It all sounds great, but we didn't manage a single shot on target in the first half, and our opponents managed just one themselves, a weak header from Filip Vujovic that Ivan Butorovic easily caught. The second half wasn't any better either, despite me ammending the formation slightly, removing the anchor man, and putting on an extra striker. As the rain teemed down in the second half, the discontent could be heard around the Zeljezare. Our fans were promised attacking football. All they got was drenched.

FK Celik Niksic (0) 0
FK-KF Otrant-Olympic Ulcinj (0) 0
Ivan Butorovic; Luka Milic, Nemanja Kosovic, Djordjije Djikanovic; Petar Colakovic (Tomislav Cirakovic 74); Nikola Colakovic (Mladen Vucic 74), Andrija Bakrac (Luka Sofranac 74), Ivan Mirkovic, Darko Karadzic (capt); Andrija Pejovic; Bozo Markovic.
Unused Subs :- Aleksandar Janjusevic, Predrag Videkanic, Marko Kasalica, Vido Sjekloca.
Attendance :- 902 (6 away). Man of the Match :- Benjamin Redzovic (FK-KF Otrant-Olympic Ulcinj).

Social media was a mix of fans who were pleased that we were at least defensively stout and picking up points, and some who were keen to let everyone know how desperatley poor we had been when attempting to attack. Maybe the bookies did get this very wrong, and that opposition manager in early season got it right? Are we being too ambitious? Should we be aiming at staying in this League and maintaining our status this season?