I have been feeling under the weather, so it is time to reach for the BeNeLux

[scousevasey]

October

Four more games this month, and again we are consistent

Three wins and a loss, follows the pattern from the start of last season and the start of this where we won all the opening games of the month before dropping points in the final game.  I am not sure if this is something linked to the age of the squad and the demands, although a game a week isn't too demanding, and they seem to recover to start each month, or something tactical.  This month the fixtures progressively became harder starting with a bottom three side, and ending with a top three side, but that wasn't the case last month or last season.

 

November contains another four games, with two of the top sides and two weaker games.  One of these is against the unbeaten league leaders which will be an early tester for us as they are 100% and we have already fallen five points behind them.  If we drop to eight behind then even though we will only be through a third of the season it will be a tough challenge to catch them

[scousevasey]

November

This was a frustrating month having discussed the issues facing us in catching up to the top side going into the month, Diegem.

For the first two games of the month I made two changes to the starting line up, bringing in van Grinsven (18i) to see what he could provide, in place of Janssens (18c).  Having seen Heymans (18d) held off the scoresheet in October, and our final two goals in the month coming courtesy of our GK from the spot I decided to give Philip Bollen a run out too.

The results in the games against those near the bottom of the league were favourable, and Bollen repaid the faith I had shown with five goals in those two games.

During these two games Diegem has stumbled meaning that we were then tied on points, and second on GD going into the game against them

Having been worried about the gap increasing with a loss we now had the chance to overhaul them, and a positive result against them gave us top spot after 11 games.  The result against Herentals, yet another failure in the final game, came after I decided to rotate again to see if that would provide some impetus for the final game.

The frustration comes that that result leaves us third in the table albeit by a single point.  While if at the start of the month I would have known closing the five point gap to Diegem was going to happen I would have been happy, but the form of Mechelen who went unbeaten this month, coupled with our weakness in the final game of the month continuing it seems like a waste.

 

December holds four more games, finishing up our first match against each team, and ending with the return game with Nijlem.  As our two losses have come against Mechelen and Herentals, we should be able to perform well going into the winter break.

 

In some other news I managed to complete the first coaching course, and gained permission to try a second one.  With finances dropping as they did last year, based on the cost of the youth system, this will probably the last one this season, and possibly next year too.

 

[scousevasey]

December

Four more games, and more consistent inconsistency managing to drop points in one game in the month

Looking at the wider schedule there is something interesting to note about our consistent results

In both seasons so far we have near identical results, with us being one point better off at the break this season, but even in when we drop points in the schedule.  Last season we then went on a 9 game win streak after the break (10 with the result against Esperanza in December), then a draw, followed by three more wins and a final loss.  If we can be that consistent this year and keep the same level of performance we should be fighting for promotion to the end again.

At the break we are three points behind Mechelen who have not dropped points in nine, and are unbeaten since the third game.  At the start of the season they were predicted for a second successive promotion, and while we overtook them with their draws in October the gap reappeared when we lost in November.

 

The team have a week off to recover, before two friendlies where we have been approached by a Second Amateur team and our league equivalents in another of the Third Amateur regions.  This should be a nice chance for us to test ourselves against strong opposition, and then a team of our level as a teaser of any possible promotion playoff games.  January ends with two league games against mid table teams.

 

[scousevasey]

January

One of our friendlies was cancelled by the opposition, but we managed to get a good win against a team level with us in the league structure

Two wins in the league help us make a good start to 2019 which hopefully will allow us to keep the pressure on Mechelen who were also unbeaten in the month, while Herentals kept pace with us in third

This month also brought us within six months of contracts expiring and two of our better players both declined the offers of the DoF and have arranged to move elsewhere in July

Of our top six players when sorted by CA, Gijbels and Bax (2 and 3 in the list) both think we don't have the quality to support them, and have arranged to join top division sides.  Gijbels is joining Club Brugge and Bax are joining Mouscron although they are at risk of relegation.  The fact that we have players who are signing for teams in the top division while we are in the fifth division shows that we have some quality, and having five current players who the Assistant rates at that level means we should be disappointed if we don't get promoted this season.  As the majority of players are shown as having similar PAs there is also hope that if we can keep the core players together, dependent on the DoF, we can push for a promotion from the Second Amateur level too.  While considering this I looked at Houtvenne who beat us last season and they are performing well, so it is not too far fetched to consider the possibility of double promotion.

 

[scousevasey]

February

A good run of games, with the season to season similarities continuing.  A small part of me doesn't want to get promoted to see whether this continues again.

Four solid wins, with very little trouble caused to use in the process.  This led to a clean sheet story arriving after the Esperanza Pelt game, having set a club and league record of 6 games.

Stretched that to seven against Dikkelvenne, as the game in blue was our winter break warm up friendly.  We are still not the tightest defence in the league, that falls to Mechelen who we face next.

Eight games to go (five in March), and only a point at the top.  The next game against Mechelen will go a long way to deciding the title, as a four point gap with seven games and the form they have shown so far will be hard to close.  Mechelen did drop two points this month with a draw against Kampenhout, but have won two more since then, so it is not a season defining slump.

With only eight games left there are splits appearing in the table

A fight for the top two, and we would have to play very poorly to allow Herentals to overtake us.  Then it is tight for the playoff places with three points separating 5th through 8th.  9th and 10th are playing their own competition with gaps of 6 points from 8-9, 9-10 and 10-11, but 11th placed Hoeilaart are only 4 points from the relegation playoff.

[scousevasey]

Youth intake

Having just read @Jimbokav1971 talking about the differences between the messages for an intake I received this

Things that stand out of first view is that there seems to be some reasonable quality to begin with, and the potential for another four players to reach the level of those going to the top division at the end of the season.

Postions

A range of positions, giving us the possibility of depth going forward

We have been low on depth at fullback, so to get four players evenly split gives hope.

Three more DCs means we are going to face a bit of a logjam soon, and giving players game time to reach their potential might become a challenge

A DM, MC and two AMCs mean that we have some solidity in the middle of the pitch.  These will need looking at, especially with the loss of Bax at the end of the season

Two players for each side in midfield seems positive, although there is a move towards the AM level.  This may lead to the need to move to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the 2 being either in the DM or CM level depending on options available.

No strikers is a shame, but with Bollen and Heymans (18d) we should be able to survive, and even prosper

One GK means we now have a backup which is good (the 2nd shown is a grey player and will be ignored)

Current usefulness

Three players stand out as having the quality to be in the first team now, although two of these play DL which means it is not as good as first thought. The third is an AML, who may be able to replace Gijbels when he leaves at the end of the season

[Jimbokav1971]

2 minutes ago, scousevasey said:

Youth intake

Having just read @Jimbokav1971 talking about the differences between the messages for an intake I received this

That's interesting. 

We get exactly the same overall message, but also the individual comment about the player is also the same. 

In contrast though, you have 4x 5.0 PA players, 2x 4.5 PA players and 1x 4.0 PA player. 

Compare that to my intake which had 1x 5.0 PA player, 1x 4.0 PA player and 4x 3.5 PA players. 

Your intake would seem to be better than mine, (significantly so), but the wording is exactly the same. My Ass Man is pants though so that might explain things from my end. 

[scousevasey]

Intake breakdown

Best player by potential, although he will face challenges for game time with both Janssens and van Grinsven from the previous intake in the mix to partner one of our stars in Borin

Highlighted in the message as being very gifted, and is the strongest currently.  Will supplant Soumah as the starter once signed.

As a side note he is one of two Ceyssens this year after we had two Vos's last year but none of the four lists another as favoured personnel (Brother) in their information

Will battle against Martins for the starting slot once Gijbels leaves in the summer.  May be part of the reason to change formation

Will need some consideration about how best to deploy him.  Probably won't oust Ceyssens, and will be tight with Soumah for backup but has the possibility to play ML with a bit of work

Will struggle to replace Atangana who is chasing the league assist record this season.  May well fit in as back up replacing Matumona

[Jimbokav1971]

10 minutes ago, scousevasey said:

Youth intake

Postions

A range of positions, giving us the possibility of depth going forward

We have been low on depth at fullback, so to get four players evenly split gives hope.

Three more DCs means we are going to face a bit of a logjam soon, and giving players game time to reach their potential might become a challenge

A DM, MC and two AMCs mean that we have some solidity in the middle of the pitch.  These will need looking at, especially with the loss of Bax at the end of the season

Two players for each side in midfield seems positive, although there is a move towards the AM level.  This may lead to the need to move to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the 2 being either in the DM or CM level depending on options available.

No strikers is a shame, but with Bollen and Heymans (18d) we should be able to survive, and even prosper

One GK means we now have a backup which is good (the 2nd shown is a grey player and will be ignored)

The other thing you might want to look at more is player roles. What I mean is if you look at the 2 DR's for example, it's possible that they are actually a "lefty" and their best position is IWB while you might have absolutely no intention of playing him there. He might make a far better DL but the info you are looking at doesn't tell you. The same could be said of an AMR who is actually an IF. I was playing an Iceland save for a good few seasons last year before I realised that my WBL was actually a "righty". 

[scousevasey]

8 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

That's interesting. 

We get exactly the same overall message, but also the individual comment about the player is also the same. 

In contrast though, you have 4x 5.0 PA players, 2x 4.5 PA players and 1x 4.0 PA player. 

Compare that to my intake which had 1x 5.0 PA player, 1x 4.0 PA player and 4x 3.5 PA players. 

Your intake would seem to be better than mine, (significantly so), but the wording is exactly the same. My Ass Man is pants though so that might explain things from my end. 

This is my Assistant

 

Employed by the DoF, as a replacement for my first one who left.

[scousevasey]

2 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

The other thing you might want to look at more is player roles. What I mean is if you look at the 2 DR's for example, it's possible that they are actually a "lefty" and their best position is IWB while you might have absolutely no intention of playing him there. He might make a far better DL but the info you are looking at doesn't tell you. The same could be said of an AMR who is actually an IF. I was playing an Iceland save for a good few seasons last year before I realised that my WBL was actually a "righty". 

Their preferred role is on the main intake page, and having a bare bones squad I was looking at the range of positions shown, although player roles will be something to include as I look into whether to change formation to a 4-2-3-1

[scousevasey]

March (nearly)

I have cut March short, with one game to go, as the title race news appeared

While we avoided defeat against Mechelen, a second consecutive draw with Hoeilaart means we slipped back to three points off the lead

Both ourselves and Mechelen are guaranteed the playoffs, and it looks like Diegem and Herentals will make it, but the race for 5th is hotting up

With only two points separating 5th from 8th it looks like there could be an exciting race to face us in the playoffs.

At the other end of the table, it seems likely that the bottom three will go down with a five point gap to the playoff place, and there are three teams fighting to avoid that playoff match.

Four games to go, and we have the worst of the fixtures by position although with the tightness of the league this gives us something interesting.

Mechelen play 13, 16, 6,12, in the run in, with two of those fighting to avoid the playoffs and one fighting to reach them.

We play 4, 9, 5, 7, with one of those without anything to play for currently, and the rest fighting for the playoffs.

[scousevasey]

April/May

Due to heavy rain our final game of March was pushed back 4 days, then 3 more, meaning we push another game back to midweek.  Another waterlogged pitch pushed the penultimate game of the season back, but despite the fixture chaos we still managed to uphold our end of the bargain

Unfortunately Mechelen managed to win their games too meaning it is playoffs again

Having found out last year as we reached it that it is a one legged game at a neutral venue, we need to prepare for a tough game against Dikkelvenne

[scousevasey]

End of season

Playoffs

Managed to do better than last season, mainly due to the work of Tim Bernard in goal

This means that we will be moving up to the Second Amateur Division for 2019-2020

 

Team Awards

Atangana takes a clean sweep again, which means he is the first player to reach Icon status for the club.  He is the only person listed as a legend, icon or even favoured due to the club only coming into existence in 2013

This is why he is a Heur-Tongeren icon.  Highest rating, most assists, and most MoM, again mirroring the first season.

Team of the season shows the team that played the majority of games, with the only real changes being Bollen replacing Heymans due to a lack of goals, and Janssens switching in with van Grinsven at different points in the season.

[scousevasey]

End of Season Review

Matches

 

Total of two defeats and four draws reverses the results from last year, and means we pick up two more points in the league.  This year we managed to keep the intensity to the end of the season and win the playoffs, whereas a final game for the title last year seem to have a negative effect.

Our worst results came against Mechelen, and as they were the only team to be ahead in the league this seems to measure up

 

Player Stats

A couple of notable performances this year

League leader in goals and assists, while we have the leader in clean sheets and goals against (only because the Mechelen GK didn't play enough games for the cut off.  Vranken and Atangana leading in key passes shows that we have been creating chances throughout the season too

[scousevasey]

Match Result Review

A second attempt at looking to see if shots and results have a correlation

Firstly there seem to be more instances where there is not a correlation between shots and the results this season compared to last.

I added two columns to my spreadsheet this year, where if there was a lack of correlation then I added in the points gained or lost from what would be expected

For example in the first game against Blizen-Waltwilder the end result was a draw but we outshot them 15 (5) to 10 (4).  Based on these totals I would expect to win, possibly draw from SoT.  This would be a score of -2 points as we should have gained 3 and instead gained 1

When totalled up over the season we gained an extra 15 points from what we would expect from shots, but only one from SoT.  It is interesting to see that we have allowed more shots this season, but we are still showing a correlation on shots on target.  This could mean that we are forcing long shots that are not dangerous, or could be down to our tactic having the work into box instruction.

[scousevasey]

Squad Stats

Only two players were ever present this season (2 cup rounds, 30 league games, 2 playoff games), in Borin and Gijbels.

Slight imbalance in goals this season with Bollen scoring as many as the next four players on the list.  Heymans started well but went through a dry spell, and struggled to remove a prolific Bollen.  Vranken managed to still score 6 from MC having moved back from AMC

Assists are mainly focused down the wings with Atangana and Gijbels

 

Replacing the play of Bax who is consistent in the middle without showing up on the scoresheet, and Gijbels with 6 goals and 9 assists will be a challenge next season, especially against the higher quality of opposition

[scousevasey]

Off Season Update

I knew we were losing a couple of key players, but it got worse as we moved towards the end of June...

I received news that we had an international player, and there were no prizes who it was

Dual National Atangana made it to the U20s at the ripe old age of 17.  This led me to worry about losing him as well as Gijbels and Bax, so I decided to see if my DoF could manage to arrange a contract, and lo and behold it happened

Unfortunately it is only one year contract, but a I can't extend my contract more than a one year deal this is not a surprise.  It does mean we now need to try and sign him again which may not happen.

While I set the DoF this contract, I went through the squad and decided to get him to negotiate with everyone who is 3* CA and above, with the hope of avoiding further losses.  But as I did this I found that Borin, our star CB had signed a contract elsewhere for when his youth deal ran out.  That meant that as July rolled around we lost three of our best players who had been key to our promotion

Vranken is under offer too, although he is on a youth contract so we will get some compensation for him.

Tactical Changes

The loss of some key players means we need to look at the squad a little deeper and consider the change from 4-4-1-1 to 4-2-3-1 or even something else

Goalkeepers

Due to the mass exodus last season we only have two at the club.  Bernard has the higher combined rating so will continue as the starter

Defenders

Hendrickx has a total of 7 stars with Mazingu (19f) at 6.5* will be the backup and may well get a chance to prove himself in the cup to start the season

This is where we have depth.  Soumah, and Nijs (19d) both have a combined 7.5* while Ceyssens (19b) has 8 in total.  Seeing that Nijs (19d) has the preferred role of Wingback I am going to look to retrain him as a ML, although we may not use this going forward it will provide some useful flexibilty, especially as we still only have four spaces on the bench

Lots of potential but lacking quality now having lost Borin.  Facing higher quality teams this year may cause us issues

van Grinsven (18f) and Janssens (18c) both have a total of 6.5*, ahead of Houben, Verschueren (18a) and Nijs (19a) rates at 6 stars.  Preseason will be the chance to work out who fits best with our chosen roles and to try out different combinations

Midfield

Atangana is the star here, and while he has flexibility to play at AMR he prefers the MR position.  I will need to look at stats suitability, or consider a lopsided formation as a possibility.  While Martens has the next best rating he is stronger on the left, then Guidicelli (18f) fits better in the centre giving us Matumona and Boz (19l) at 4.5* to fight for backup roles

Martins is the strongest player now we have lost Gijbels with a total of 8 stars, closely folloew by Smets (19c) with 7 and Vos (18k) with 6.5

The loss of Bax leaves a hole here, but Vranken is still around with a full 10 stars.  Benali looks the best partner for him with 7.5*, with Guidicelli (18f) as the backup.  Ceyssens (19i) is the backup here but as he is a DM he needs to spend some more time at MC to develop his skills there.  Beckers (19m) will be the fourth choice here with a 4.5* combination

Attacking Midfielders

 

 

Looking at the AM options ones that stand out that were not available further back are Smeets (19e) [6.5*], but no stand outs at AML.  As Smeets will be competing with Atangana for the AMR position the change in formation does seem to be a waste of time, instead I need to look at retraining Smeets (19e) and Nijs (19d) to provide stronger backup.

 

Jagodic still leads the way at AMC if Vranken is at MC, with Hermans (19o) with 4.5* being a reasonable backup alongside Beckers (19m), who may be the better bench option due to versatility

Attackers

Still a battle between Bollen and Heymans (18d) for the starting role, and based on the previous season Bollen will get the start until he misfires and we need a change.

[scousevasey]

As this is the first time I have written a career up, going through the squad (and that was every player from Main, U21s and U19s) was interesting to consider changes to formation and our strengths overall

[scousevasey]

Vranken has now left, although his parting gift is the possibility of future money

I am not confident of gaining the £3.5K for the international game, 

Hopefully the £20K for appearances is possible, although I am unable to scout AFC so I can't find out how the squad matches up.

If Vranken does play regularly, then the hope is that his value increases to attract the attention of an Eredivise team, or that AFC get promoted and Vranken gets a big money move abroad.  As we sold him for so little the 15% profit will be the equivalent of 15% of sale on anything near to half a million (hopeful thinking here)

[scousevasey]

The Cursed Chalice

When the save started one of the key players was wanted, and wouldn't sign a new contract.  To try and appease Rahmani I gave him the captaincy, but this failed.

His replacement was our GK Kerkhofs, who left after the season, just as we prepared to start the season as part of the exodus of keepers

His replacement was Gijbels with the VC going to Bax, both of whom have left.

 

Unfortunately I cannot play without a Captain, so I now introduce you to the holders of the cursed armband for 2019-2020

Benali is one of our few MCs left after Bax and Vranken left, and has been with us as a rotational option since the beginning.  He is going to be a key player in the centre of the park.  Bollen took over the starting SC role last year after Heymans misfired.

 

[scousevasey]

Pre-Season 2019-2020

We loaded up fixtures again hoping to get back to solvent, but it lead to lots of defeats as I rotated every player aiming to not burn anyone out.  Having lost three of our better rated players I need those who are first team quality to stay as fit as possible.

Cup games

Having been promoted we now enter the cup in round 2, needing to win only one game to match expectations

A win against an unplayable team got us to the third round, and gave us a confidence boost, and then being drawn against a fellow Second Amateur team gave us a chance to test our quality.  While we won't play against them as they are Division A and we are B, it seemed a good test

A 2-2 draw, sealed when we conceded in injury time led to the agony of a penalty defeat, which seems to be a theme in the third round against Second Amateur teams.  While we have shorter odds in our league (450-1 [15th] against 800-1 [16th] for Mandel) it shows that we are able to perform against the higher division teams.

Transfers

Gijbels, Bax, Borin, Vranken and Jagodic (18b) were all in our first choice 11 last season.  As this represents DC, ML, MC, MC, AMC from the 4-4-1-1 it is a huge loss overall.

Stockay approached us for the Achten (19n) loan deal, and as he was residing in the U19s, the chance to play should allow some development.

 

It was not all bad news as another four players were approached with contracts who decided to stay.  While they were not all starters, it would have represented losses at all the central positions in the off season.

League Prediction

Even though we were only 3 points behind Mechelen last season, our losses in the transfer window, along with their active recruitment (11 new faces) means there is a huge gap in expectations.

The bottom two go down, so we only have to overtake one team on odds to be safe, but it could be tight.

[scousevasey]

September

Games against the teams predicted to come 1st, 3rd, 2nd and 11th leaves us with two points from four games. Before looking at the predictions I wasn't feeling overly positive about the season, but we have had a tough run of games.  Hopefully morale won't drop too far and we can pick up some more points soon.

The lack of points did make me look at the requirements for safety in the league while I had been fighting for promotion

In both seasons the bottom team has not made it past 20 points (left is 2017-2018, right is 2018-2019), with the team avoiding relegation reaching 25 points.  While I know I just need to get one more than the lower team, aiming for 25-30 points which will keep us from too big a threat.

1 point at home against the supposed top three, with none away gives us hope that we can cope with picking up points as we go.  As the relegated teams have managed to lose roughly 2/3 of the matches, the key is keeping the defence tight and eking out draws

October brings four more matches, that are against teams predicted to be more midtable (4, 7, 10, 12 not in order).  If we aim to draw against 4 (after a draw against 3), and pick up two wins elsewhere to aim for 7-8 points from the month we will be on the way to safety.  That will give us 9-10 points from 8 games, and a point per game ratio is going to be the aim

[scousevasey]

Injuries

Our challenge to collect points will not be helped by the injury list growing longer

Not all of these players would be starting but after having lost some key players in the off season the injury to Atangana is a big loss.

Ceyssens and Vos would be rotational options too.

This results In is having to play a completely new midfield 5 from last season for at least a month.

 

 

one of the reasons I accepted the Heur-Tongeren job was their ability to sign part time contracts due to being semi professional. But the Dozf restriction I added seems to be having a negative effect with us losing our top players for free.  This gives two challenges, in that we have to play poorer players, meaning others are less likely to sign contracts, and we don’t raise money in transfer fees to allow us to turn professional

Edited November 16, 2018 by scousevasey

[scousevasey]

October

So after setting so lofty goals for the month of gaining 7-8 points it didn't quite go to plan

Not a good month, although it did end with Atangana appearing on the bench for the Oosterzonen game so hopefully his return will be a boost

While I don't usually look at the table too early, our poor form means that it is worth considering the challenge that is facing us

Postives - we are only three points and three goals from safety, we have already played the teams currently in 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th, picking up a point against 8th placed Chatelet.  We have already played away to Hasselt and Mechelen who top the league and would be the most difficult fixtures

Negatives - We have the 2nd worst goal difference (although we are not the worst in GF or GA individually), we only picked up two points against the teams in 13th and 14th

 

As the month ended I looked at tweaking the formation, to move the two CMs to DM, although an injury to D. Ceyssens means we only have one fit DM across the three squads.  This led me to instead tweak the CM roles to try and provide more cover, moving from CMa and CMd to a DLPs and BWMd pairing.  The hope being that while my players are less comfortable in these roles, there will be more protection for the defence, and a better chance of getting the ball to Atangana and Martens out wide

 

November brings four more games, starting with a real '6-pointer'  as we welcome City Pirates to visit.  This is followed by games against the teams in 9th, 12th and 11th as November starts.  This really needs to be a positive month, and having already played 13th and 14th, this results in us playing the rest of the bottom 6.  If we can't pick up any wins here, we will struggle to find opportunities to close the gaps, and any losses could leave us facing an early relegation with the accompanied trip to the job centre

[scousevasey]

Job Secuity

Since I managed to gain the National C and then B coaching certificates I have received a number of messages saying I am in the running for a new job.  With the poor run of results, two new messages appeared, on a sideways move to another Second Amateur Belgian team, and one in Luxembourg.  I said it was a privilege to be linked to the jobs which upset the board

They gave me an ultimatium - meet with them or leave, so I went to the meeting, and despite saying I wanted to stay they set me a challenge

Five games, six points

We are midway through November currently so have games against  the following teams (current position in brackets) to save my job

Olympia Wijgmaal (12th)

RC Hades (13th) - one of the jobs that has opened up

Zwarte Leeuw (5th)

VW Hamme (4th)

Turnhout (9th)

These are the final games in the first round of fixtures, so we have no previous competitive games to work off, and unless we pick up a win in the first two games, I cannot see us getting the required number of points.

 

To this end I have decided that playing defensive is not worth it.  We are not scoring - I brought Heymans back to start, but in trying to boost confidence with a friendly against a weak local team he managed to injure himself.

This means I have moved to a 4-2-3-1, with an attacking mentality

This is our strongest team currently, although Atangana will miss the first of the five crucial fixtures due to an international game, and when Heymans is back fit he will replace Bollen with Vos slipping off the bench.  Bollen is not scoring and we need fresh impetus up front.

 

Will the gamble pay off, or will be be wandering the streets over Christmas looking for jobs appearing?

[scousevasey]

This smacks of desperation

While in the midst of the worst run in team history (albeit a short history), and facing the sack as we strive to meet the challenge laid down by the board, I was invited to head up the national team.

 

I have rejected this, as being a failing manager in the fourth league of Belgium seems a little far fetched as an international manager even for Luxembourg

[scousevasey]

November

The month started badly

The friendly was arranged to try to give us a boost after the loss against our closest rivals

 

It was after the Kapellen game that the board intervened setting the target for the next five games

6 points from five games has become 6 from three, and the change in formation made for the Olympia Wijgmaal game doesn't seem to be making a difference

 

December includes the above three games before our second game league leaders Hasselt.  But the way things are going I can't see this game being under my management

[DeJarnoxD]

Not having a good season atm, but seems like all the 'stronger' second amateur teams are in your group.

[scousevasey]

1 hour ago, DeJarnoxD said:

Not having a good season atm, but seems like all the 'stronger' second amateur teams are in your group.

I have no idea about the strengths relative to each other but these are the current season preview odds (game is at the 1st December).  I have never played in Belgium before, and was just intrigued by doing something slightly different.  After playing the British Steel challenge previously, creating the same thing with the geographic proximity of the three countries seemed like it could be fun

The leagues are shown in alphabetical order.  While we don't have the worst odds in our league we are the 5th lowest out of all the teams

They are currently 12th in the First Amateur Division, only outside of the relegation playoff slots on goal difference.  I have not applied for this position, instead I was approached.

 

I will add that between the last game of November and the first of December the following happened

[scousevasey]

Decisions (x3)

Quick update on the board ultimatum

So I am basically sacked.

 

In the meantime, other teams don't seem to care about this and are offering me interviews without me showing any interest in their jobs

After going for the interview with Aalst, two more popped up

At the same time Aalst offered me the job

The offer of the job came on a Tuesday, the same day as the Seraing interview, which is why I asked for the delay.  Victoria Rosport came in on the following Sunday, so I only have two days before the Aalst decision needs to be made.

 

Aalst - Belgium First Amateur (3rd League), 14th position (relegation zone), Semi-Pro, Adequate Youth Facilities, Average Junior Coaching, Fairly Basic Youth Recruitment

Seraing - Belgium First Amateur, 8th position, Semi-Pro, Basic Youth Facilities, Average Junior Coaching, Average Youth Recruitment

Rosport - Luxembourg National Division (top league), 11th position (just above relegation zone), Semi-Pro, Poor Youth Facilities, Minimal Junior Coaching, Basic Youth Recruitment

 

Both Seraing and Rosport didn't seem positive about me suggesting that we should focus on youth, so it is no sure thing I will get a job offer from them

Seraing seem like the team in the best position both by league and set up.  While Rosport have the worst set up, the opportunity to be in Luxembourg where I intended to start before the Heur-Tongeren offer could be interesting.

 

[scousevasey]

The end of the beginning, but hopefully the not the beginning of the end

A 5-3 loss against Hamme meant that our target of 6 points from five was in the situation of being 6 points from 1.  Not even a metaphorical 6-pointer awaited so the board followed through on their threat

A quick overview of what occurred in my time at Heur-Tongeren

Personal Development

Two coaching badges, coupled with a reputation that has grown to 20%.  Attributes are developing although no growth in Working with Youngsters having played a team of U21s consistently is a bit unnerving.  Not the most adaptable, but the squad available didn't offer much in tactical flexibility, and this is shown in the high tactical consistency rating

With the aim to win everything in the three countries we have not made any progress in the two and a half seasons so far unless you count the Belgian Third Amateur Division Playoffs...

A 64% win rate has been lowered due to the failings this season, but our goal difference over the 84 games is good, averaging out at 2.07:1 ratio.  If only every game had been a 2-1 win we would be cruising, and have some silverware

[scousevasey]

How I left Heur=Tongeren

I will see how they do at the end of the season.  Hopefully a new manager can use the winter break to make a difference.

I have also created a shortlist named Ex-players, of those who left H-T or are still there that I think will be interesting to track

 

[scousevasey]

1 hour ago, scousevasey said:

Aalst - Belgium First Amateur (3rd League), 14th position (relegation zone), Semi-Pro, Adequate Youth Facilities, Average Junior Coaching, Fairly Basic Youth Recruitment

Seraing - Belgium First Amateur, 8th position, Semi-Pro, Basic Youth Facilities, Average Junior Coaching, Average Youth Recruitment

Rosport - Luxembourg National Division (top league), 11th position (just above relegation zone), Semi-Pro, Poor Youth Facilities, Minimal Junior Coaching, Basic Youth Recruitment

 

Seraing decided that I wasn't for them.  Aalst offered me the job, but with them in relegation trouble I refused the offer to see what else was around.  Their return came two days after my exit from H-T, and I was still trying to see what was available.

Rosport did offer the job, and while they are in the National and not Promotion division the following happened

Aalst did offer a two year deal, which would have probably meant the chance to be relegated to Second Amateur and try to fight back up, but the chance for a change of scenery, even with a short 7 month contract was more tempting

As a club there is not an awful lot of positives, but hopefully we can secure our position in the league and begin to build

 

Squad analysis to follow

[DeJarnoxD]

Goodluck in Luxembourg!

[scousevasey]

9 hours ago, DeJarnoxD said:

Goodluck in Luxembourg!

Cheers

[scousevasey]

Squad Overview

I have used the filters to show both teams (we only have Main and U19 squads), and sorted by positions

Goalkeepers

Schaab is tutoring Martins, and they are the best two at the club.  I am not sure if I can move Devas down to the U19s or not, but if he left it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Schaab - 7*

Martins - 6+1*

I will start the games with Schaab, but with the aim of Martins developing soon.  I may place Martins in the U19s, and leave Devas in the main squad to avoid him stealing game time from the younger player

Defence

Two DRs

Two DLs

Five DCs

with a little bit of flexibility with a handful of players.

A real mixed bag of quality with all the youngsters topping out at 1+1 gold stars for PA max.

Looks like a back four of Clayton (DR) (6*), Feltes (DC) (8*), Ramdedovic (DC) (5*), and Rodrigues (DL) (6*), but with three of those players in their 30s and Afoun as the main cover also in his 30s we need to get a decent defender in the intakes

Midfield

I took individual screen shots of those who can play DM, M, or AM, so there will be  some repetition, but it useful to see what positional options open up

Of the DMs only Binsfeld (7*) and Klapp (silver stars) prefer the holding role.  After the experience in Belgium I was considering a DM, but not having a is a challenge, and Binsfeld is out for 2-4 months so it would leave me with Klapp or dropping another midfielder back

Marques (8+1*) and Gaspar (8*) stand out as the central pairing of a two.  There is not much back up in the centre with Stojadinovic (4*) being the next best but getting old.  When Binsfeld is fit there will be three in the rotation in the centre but the age of the backups in a concern.

Only one player comfortable at MR who is rated silver currently means we will probably be looking at utilising the AM strata for the width in the formation to start

Gomes (5*) is the best option on the right, with dos Santos being better on the left than Alves, but preferring a deeper role.

This may lead to some creative formation layouts, as  Gaspar prefers the Carrilero role (which I have never used but seems to need no MR/ML to work).  I may see if I can place him at MCR with this role, and have a ML/AMR pairing.

As Alves is the only player who plays in the middle we could run with a 4-2-3-1 formation (with the AML dropped to ML), and use Alves in the centre, or play a 4-4-2 that is asymmetric with the AMR

Attack

Not a lot of choice, but some strength with two players at 7*s.  A two up front would mean not playing Alves in the centre, but they seem to be a stronger pairing than one of them with Alves, so the assymmetric 4-4-2 looks like the best option.

 

Unfortunately there is only one day in game to implement this before our first game, which then leads to a break for the winter where we can focus on tactics and training.

Edited November 18, 2018 by scousevasey

[scousevasey]

Season update (at the point of taking over)

Results and remaining fixtures.  We face a Promotion Division team in the cup in what is my first game in charge.  The next game in the league is not until the end of February, so we will look to go on holiday until mid-January before a handful of friendlies to check squad quality, build fitness, and tactical familiarity

The board expect us to pick up a few places, but the odds are not in our favour.  We also need to pick up a win in the cup game to meet our expectations.

[scousevasey]

Rosport Reviewed

I arrived at the club without a DoF, and asked the chairman to appoint one who looks like this

The existing Assistant Manager

He did take on the role of Caretaker before I was employed and is a holdover from the old regime.

 

The DoF is not the greatest, and after the issues at Heur-Tongeren where the DoF was incapable of signing any players to contracts, I am going to make a tweak before we lose all our players again

If a player has a combined star rating over a certain number, I will take over an try to sign a contract, otherwise it is the DoF.  I am not sure of the threshold numbers yet, but am considering something like

Youth Players signing first professional contract - Total stars - 6.5 minumum.  This allows those with high potential to be tied down, but they need some quality somewhere

Players coming to the end of another contract - Total stars - 8 minimum.  This means I am only trying to keep the cream of the crop at the club and allowing the DoF to play a role too.  Hopefully this is a high enough threshold that I am only able to keep the best around as we improve

[scousevasey]

Staffing update

The DoF found me a HoYD to begin to fill out the skeleton staff we had

Reasonable stats for this level I assume, with the 4-4-1-1 formation matching our style in key areas meaning there should be good depth appearing

The rest of our staffing situation looks reasonable

The Assistant Manager and GK coach are holdovers from the previous regime, and the DoF is in charge of all staffing appointment apart from his own, but we have a good team that should allow us to develop

A skeleton staff that may well grow as the DoF settles in.  Average at best, but as we are not bringing players in this is not a major concern

A poor medical staff, with a negative rating for Sports Science which is something I haven't seen before.  Hopefully the DoF will hire someone new, and I may ask the board for an extra body at that point

[scousevasey]

December 2019/January 2020/February 2020

Having taken over just before the break the hope was to ease into the winter before ramping up the games leading to the reopening of the league season at the end of February

A win in the cup, although only just means we have met the board expectations in that competition

We have been drawn against Una Strassen in the next round who are one place and one point below us through the winter break

I then mixed up the friendlies starting with the U19 and the bottom of the table side, before a mini-league against some of the top sides in the league and a final easy game.  I tried to play strong teams to start with, and then used the full rotation in squad picking for the min league, aiming to build fitness and avoid any key injuries.  As Dudelange are top going through the winter a win is a real positive for the coming months

Transfers

I didn't go through the squad contract situation on arrival, and lost Gomes on a free during the month due to being non-contract.  As he was due to be the starting AMR in the asymmetric formation, we are now missing a good player, and may suffer, although the best replacement option is still to keep the AMR

dos Santos will be starting on the left, and Ribeiro Alves is better suited to AMR than MR, while Anjos is not ready for top division football currently.  Injuries may be a problem here.

 

We also lost Devas, which is not an issue as he was going to be my third choice GK, and struggle to get any game time

 

Coming up we have five games starting in late February and going through March

 

[scousevasey]

Youth Intake 2020

Not a whole lot going on here in relation to what we have, but most of our good players are getting on.

All will be invited to sign as we need to build up depth, but I cant see them making much of a dent in the main squad

 

 

Best three players from the intake by PA, with (20a) David Lombardelli also being the highest rated by CA

 

Not a huge surprise with our facilties as they are, but it shows we need to earn cash somehow to plough into upgrades

The aim has to be to secure survival this year, aim to sneak into a European game in the next couple of seasons, either by winning the cup or top three in the league.

Even a one round journey should give enough of a boost to provide some upgrades

[scousevasey]

March 2020

This includes one game from February as there was only one league game at the end of the month.

The month improved as we went on.  I think this was the players settling in to the formations and structures, as there was a lot of rotation during the friendlies aimed at improving fitness and gaining some tactical familiarity, but the league games have led to a more settled starting 11.

These results move us from a point away from the relegation playoff to seven points clear.  We are only goal difference away from the top 8, and three points adrift from the top half which is positive.  As a first month in charge it is a good platform to build from, as we have played teams from throughout the table, and picked up wins from two teams in the top six.

When the table is sorted by form, with me having led the team in all five games we are fourth in the league.  This gives real hope that with time to bed in over the season, and looking to bring on some of the younger players that we can be challenging for European places in the next couple of seasons.

 

After the first game I was asked about the dressing room atmosphere, with the media clearly forgetting over the winter break that I was new in the role, but there have been some improvements over the month

There is still the challenge of improving the managerial support, but we are moving in the right direction.

 

I did also receive word this month that two players are being monitored closely, and as this is the heart of the midfield and GK of the future, it shows there is some quality hidden in the team if we can keep hold of them

 

 

April brings us four league games, and the cup quarter final

I am currently considering rotating for the Dudelange game, as we will be underdogs by a long way, and the cup is our best chance of getting into Europe this year, with the financial boost being a key aim.  With Una Strassen being in the relegation playoff, and us securing a 3-3 draw away in the league at the start of the month we should be able to pick up a win, but the midweek game may lead to tired legs.  Una Strassen will also be playing midweek, so any rest we can pick up will be key here.

My decision will rest on the results against Titus Petange (5th) and Hamm Benfica (14th - bottom) in the first two games of the month.  After March we only have three league games to go, so if we pick up 4 or more points and keep a reasonable gap from the relegation places (which may happen if we don't pick up the points), then I will rotate and prioritise the cup.  If we drop closer to relegation, even though the game is against the best team in the league they did lose to Una Strassen in March, so we will have to put out our best team and try to pick up the points.

The cup throws up the following fixtures based on league position as we move into April

2nd vs 1st

5th vs 3rd

12th vs 9th

4th vs 7th

As we are facing the lowest ranked team, we should be looking forward to it, and it seems the best draw we could have earned, although a home tie might have been slightly better.  But as the top teams will be knocking each other out, it does make the path to the final easier

[scousevasey]

April 2020

A month of mixed fortunes, with good wins coming early to secure our place in the league.  The win against Dudelange meant we couldn't be relegated with four games left in the season.

The team was rotated for Dudelange, with me changing formation to accomodate some changes

The 5 man circular midfield meant that Binsfield could get a game, although he does want to leave due to a lack of opportunities.  The screenshot was taken after the game, and those with a shape mark of 90% or above were regulars who I didn't have anyone to rotate in for them.

 

Even after rotating the team for the cup game we weren't able to get the win, and for the third straight game we went to penalties

We did manage to score three, and force sudden death, but failed with the sixth chance.  This did lead to two consecutive news stories that provide an odd statistical quirk

Due to drawing the cup game, and the previous two (last season was a win on penalties and a loss, with the season before being an extra time win, a win, and a loss on penalties), we racked up six games without winning even though three of those led to wins on penalties.

But our new found consistency meant we set a team record for games unbeaten, which we promptly lost in the final game of the month,

 

Three games in May to end the season.

Differdange have already won the league, with Jeunesse Esch and Mondorf filling the two places below us in the league, and being on the verge of being safe from relegation

[scousevasey]

Due to the shortage of players with any quality at Rosport, I am considering making a tweak to the Youth Only policy I put in place, to allow me to go back and sign any player who came through a Youth Intake under my managerial reign.  This would allow me to go after anyone from the 18 or 19 intake at Heur-Tongeren.

 

Not sure about it yet, or if any of them will want to jump ship (although H-T didn't avoid the drop this season) and move abroad.  I think it will depend on the contract situations at Rosport and any early transfer activity that happens

[Mbasnett6]

Whatever keeps the save enjoyable. Like the detail in the updates, for what it is worth. KUTGW.

[scousevasey]

12 hours ago, Mbasnett6 said:

Whatever keeps the save enjoyable. Like the detail in the updates, for what it is worth. KUTGW.

Aim is to keep the save playable.  If I lose players, then play the dross from the intake, I will be removed from my position again.  I have asked the DoF to try and negotiate some deals with a couple of the H-T youngsters, who will provide a boost but are not world beaters.  Unfortunately Atangana was at H-T already so I can't try to poach him, as he won player of the year again even with them being relegated

[scousevasey]

May 2020 - End of season

Decent results to end the season.  Sonko seems to have become the standout up front

 

This led to a reasonable finishing position

I took over with us in 11th, one point off relegation, and ended 18 from the top, 17 from the relegation playoff (which Una Strassen lost).  Looking back at the previous seasons, Rosport had been 8th in both campaigns, so we made an improvement.  In the end of season chat I asked the players to aim for the top half next year (instead of mid table), which should be repeatable.

 

Kaerjeng went on to win the cup final, so take the Europa place on offer.  The drop off of Dudelange is interesting, after mentioning them in the opening posts.  Looking back at the league history you can see their domination

In 2014/2015 they came third, and apart from that have been top two since the turn of the century.  1997/1998 doesn't show them as top two (top three only shown from 2013/2014) so it is quite the period of dominance.  But Differedange seem to be starting a new dynasty to be toppled and between the two form a clear strength, supported by the historic European money

 

[scousevasey]

Previous Clubs

After leaving Heur-Tongeren due to poor results, there was too much for them to do and they slipped back to the Third Amateur Division

A slight recovery without me, boosted by bringing in a couple of faces.

 

To try to improve my chances, I have decided I can raid any previous Youth players of mine even when I move.  Ideally I won't do this, but it gives a short term boost at a new club to allow development of the youth we get in.  At Rosport this may be key because we have an old squad, and little potential in the intake.  As such I burnt my £2.5K scouting budget on H-T youth players, and have asked the DoF to try to snag a couple

van Grinsven is probably not going to happen as it looks like he needs a transfer fee and we have no budget.  Unfortunately the problem position for Rosport of MC is lacking in quality at Heur-Tongeren so there isn't much of a boost available, but if we can shore up our defence we should be in a better position next season, and if we can add Heymans as another option up top we are not fearing injuries so much

[scousevasey]

Season 2020/2021 Preview

I seem to have missed the news item summing up the season, with best players etc.

 

So instead of looking back we will look forward

Fixtures have been released with us facing the champions first and last. 

Looking at the predictions for the league, we shouldn't have any problems with avoiding relegation, and will reach the board target of midtable, which seems to cover 8th-11th as the next option was top half.

It may be a challenge to topple the teams in 5th through 8th, but we did leap over some of these last season.  While the board want mid table, I suggested to the team that we should go for top half.  Personally I want to be fighting for the top 4, and reaching the semi finals of the cup (not important to the board).  If we get to February/March with that still an option, we should be in the fight to reach Europe.

The media team is mainly Differdange players with our players nowhere to be seen.  The two listed as being our Keys are probably our strongest, but Marques is upset as he wants to join a stronger team.  Being valued at £19k I offered to let him leave for £40k, lowering it to £30k in negotiation, but he wouldn't budge above £24k.  So he is upset, and this is starting to spread to the rest of the team which is a slight worry