David Smith, The man - The Myth?

[Maxporto]

Prologue

Profile​

Name: David Smith
D.O.B 29/01/2021
Hometown: Bristol, England
Favourite Team: Fulham FC

I know what you're thinking... I look incredible for 20 years old.


Backstory

I was born in Bristol, England. An ever growing city in the South West, but one without much football history, nothing spectacular anyway. Bristol City are the biggest team, and they are currently in the Championship, their rivals are Bristol Rovers, who currently play in League Two. There's never been a Bristol team in the Premier League, certainly not since I been born. And although that would be something I would like to see one day, I have no preference on which of those two make it for the first time. You see I am a Fulham fan, weird I know, but we do exist outside of the capital. My Grandad was a huge fan and that got passed on to me.

We were a Premier League team until my 14th birthday. When I was 9, I watched every game of their incredible UEFA Europa League campaign under Roy Hodgson, only losing in the Final against a very strong Atl. Madrid side, who had the likes of Aguero and Diego Forlan upfront.

It's been very much up and down since those days, when we get promoted to the Premier League, we don't stay long. And it's always through the nail biting play-offs. We managed to get to the FA Cup final once in our history, which we lost. And quarter finals is as far as we ever got in the English League Cup.

Present Day
​

Location: Bristol, England
Date: 02/07/2021

​

It’s Sunday, I'm with my mate Jon at a local football clash between Brislington Football Club and Keynsham Town. It's a cagey affair.

The home team scored early in the first half, only to have their lead taken away early in the second.

The away team manager looks a mess! It’s clear that rather than studying the opposition, he was out drinking the night before.

His hangover just got worse, as the clock hits the 74th minute mark, one of his central midfielders gets sent off. It was the dictionary meaning of Sunday League in a tackle, and the main reason the match attendance reached double figures. "That's what we want to see!" laughed Jon.

In an attempt to hold on to the draw, he takes one of his strikers off and brings in an extra defender. 5-3-1 is the choice of formation.

The home team have a glorious chance to take the lead on the 83rd minute as the ball crashed the outside of the post following a well taken corner and a great leaping header!

They keep pressing for the winner, and just as the game is looking to end in a draw, they get another corner! Everyone and their families are in the box hoping to get the winner, the noise levels are what you expect from a Sunday league match... a bit like a construction site, without the machines, loud banging and radios, just shouting, lots of it, and plenty of foul-mouthed remarks from the leaders in the team to get the blood flowing in their respective teammates.

The only left pegger on the pitch takes the corner. It’s a good one. Out of nowhere comes the tall skinny central defender from the home team to meet the ball. The PERFECT connection... It hits the post again! But this time, it bounces all the way back to the edge of the area, The first to meet the ball? It's Moh, who is without any doubt the best player for the away team this match. He lumps it forward. There are only 2 people in the center of the pitch, the lone striker, and the shortest man for the home side. As the ball flies above them they race to meet it. The striker is clearly the fittest of the two, he wins that race easily, controls the ball perfectly, one touch to set it up for his right foot, he's just outside the area, he hits it.... and it goes in!

It's pandemonium in the away “bench”, their players can’t quite believe it. Me and Jon can’t believe it either. 'What a terrible celebration' Jon says, I agree.

"If that drunk guy can manage his team to win this game, then I can manage Fulham to win a trophy!" – I said.​

I said it, but I didn’t quite believe it just yet. Nevertheless, that football game kept playing on my mind, and I woke up the next morning determined to give managerial football a serious go. I put the best possible CV together and started job searching.

Nations Loaded

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, England, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain and Uruguay.
All of which with every division available on the standard database. ​

 

[Maxporto]

Location: Bristol, England

Current Situation​

I work at a local supermarket on a full-time basis, getting paid £280 p/w, with pay-day being every Friday. I'm still living with my parents who thankfully only charge me £150 a month rent.

If I am sensible, I should be able to save around £100 a week. Every penny I save will go towards my travel expenses as I embark on a potential world-wide search for my first ‘footballing’ job.

International football management is a definite no for now as I need to get coaching badges.

First Steps​

I have £100 in my savings, it’s not a lot, but it should be enough to cover train journeys in the UK or flights to some European nation. I send my CV to 25 different clubs which are currently managerless. Not sure how I can get to Indonesia, South Africa or even South Korea with £100, but chances are, I won’t be offered a job in any of those nations any time soon anyway.

​

15 out of the original 25 applications have come back unsuccessful, took them one day to figure out that there’s better options out there, I can’t argue with that, there were some huge clubs, including Newcastle Utd and Levante.

What is really surprising is how many job interview offers I received on the same day! 10 in total. That almost matches the rejections, which in itself is an incredible achievement.

I thought it was going to take weeks before I got even a hint of interest from a club, never mind actual interviews from 10 of them. Plus, I got my first interview with a media outlet as a Sporting Life journalist reaches out to ask me some questions.

Just for the record, everything I wrote on my CV is true, back in school I did act as the ‘assistant manager’ to my PE teacher during inter-school football matches, largely because I was too unfit to play the game. Now that might have been translated incorrectly in the countries I sent my CV, but that isn’t my fault. I will remain truthful as I undergo these interviews.

Wearing one of my Dad’s shirts, I attend all 11 interviews via Zoom.

Job interview 1: Club de Deportes Union San Felipe, Chile

League: Campeonato Primera B (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation



Job interview 2: Persatuan Sepakbola Medan Dan Sekitarnya, Indonesia

League: Divisi Utama (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation



Job interview 3: S3men Padang FC, Indonesia (excuse the "3" but the name gets filtered)

League: Divisi Utama (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Top Half



Job interview 4: Grindavik UMFG, Iceland

League: Inkasso-deild karla (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Finish in the top 3



Job interview 5: Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Kediri, Indonesia

League: Indonesia Super League (Top Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation



Job interview 6: PSCS Cilacap, Indonesia

League: Divisi Utama (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation





Job interview 7: Ahha Psg Pati FC, Indonesia

League: Divisi Utama (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation



Job interview 8: Ansan Greeners FC, South Korea

League: K League Challenge (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid finishing bottom

Note: I chose to take charge at the end of the current season if given the job. (might actually be able to save enough money for the plane ticket that way!)



Job interview 9: Musi Banyuasin Bangka Belitung United FC, Indonesia

League: Divisi Utama (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation



Job interview 10: Dewa United FC, Indonesia

League: Divisi Utama (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Reach 2nd Phase​

With those out of the way, I end the day with a less stressful but still pretty nerve wrecking interview with Sporting Life. Mick Spencer has asked me if I am open to working abroad. I think the fact that I just attended 10 interviews and neither of them were with an English team answers that question pretty clearly, but I’ll save my sarcasm to when I actually have a job and just say “Yes, I would love to work abroad.” – A short answer I know but I thought the questions were gonna keep flowing, but apparently the editor had enough content for his article with just the one… Well okay then, it’s been a pretty long day anyway.

I spend most of the night trying to master a plan on how I could get to Indonesia or South Korea if I was to get offered a job, 100 scratch cards worth £1 each was just about the best I could come up with before falling asleep.

 

[Maxporto]

Location: Bristol, England

I spend the next few days glued to my phone, refreshing my emails every 5 minutes waiting to hear back from any of the 10 teams. I still keep an eye on the job centre, since my first batch of CVs went out, I have applied for another 4 teams, the latest two being Phang Steelers from South Korea and Honka Espoo from Finland.

Then… on a Friday morning, I hear some news, some HUGE news! Not just one, nor two, but 4 Indonesian football clubs have comeback with a job offer.

​

One team, S3men Padang have emailed me to ask if I want to make any changes to the staff at the club, giving me complete freedom to make any alterations to their contracts and even fire anyone I don’t like the look of… That’s just crazy to me. I can’t remember making this a requirement during the interview, but I was pretty nervous, so I might have agreed to things I wasn’t sure about. Nevertheless, I decline to make any changes to their staff setup.

Job Offers
​

Persik Kediri offered me a one-year contract on £1.2k p/w.



PSCS Clicap offered me a one-year contract on £375 p/w.



Muba Babel Utd offered me a one-year contract on £425 p/w.



Dewa Utd offered me a one-year contract on £900 p/w.


I’m not really sure why these teams would take such a risk in hiring someone with absolutely no experience, who doesn’t speak the language, or can even pronounce the club’s name correctly. It’s not like foreign managers are doing incredibly well over there either, there are currently 4 none Indonesian managers working in the 2nd Division and the one doing the best job is a Spanish manager whose team is currently 7th in the league.

One of the teams Persik Kediri are actually in the 1st Division, sitting near enough mid-table! It seems the top tier league known as Indonesian Super League has a fair share of international managers, so maybe this explains the interest in me, having a manager from England would bring positive attention to the club, this is where the most watched football league takes place after all, so word that a man from England has arrived in Indonesia to manage his first ever team would probably get locals quite excited.

If only they knew that this Englishman can’t even afford the plane ticket to get there!

I ask all four teams give me a week to make my decision, and they all agree.

Working out each offer

Spoiler: Persik Kediri

Persik Kediri seem to me like a high stake – high reward type of job. They’re in the Top Division, offer more money than I could ever dream of earning and have set themselves a pretty small target.

Avoiding relegation with them would leave me in a pretty comfortable place, but failing to deliver that goal and I could be out of a job, and my next one might not be so easy to find.

They are currently sitting in 11th place out of 18 teams. 5 points ahead of the relegation places (bottom 3).

In terms of getting there, it’s not as bad as I thought.

I got £200 saved, £300 by the time they come back to me. If they are whiling to pay me a weeks wage in advance, I will have more than enough for flights, accommodation and spending money until the next pay day.

But something about managing a team in the top Division makes me feel a little uneasy…

Spoiler: PSCS Cilacap

PSCS Cilacap are currently 7th in the Second Division Grp A. They want me to avoid relegation, and like the previous club they are also 5 points clear of the drop zone. They actually won the Second Division back in 2016 and their stadium looks pretty decent, 10.000 capacity. The wages they are offering is a lot lower than the other 3 teams, which makes me feel a little less wanted. But the biggest problem with this option is actually getting over there!

Living on the streets of Indonesia is not really what I have in mind, even if it means managing a football club. So, this is a job I will definitely have to turn down.

Spoiler: Muba Babel Utd

Muba Babel Utd Aka Musi Banyuasin Bangka Belitung United FC, we will definitely stick to just Babel Utd, are in 9th place in the Second Division Grp B, just 1 point and 1 place above relegation. But how mean is that badge, if badges helped making my decision, then this team would win by a mile! Their stadium is just as impressive for a 2nd tier team, it hosts 20.000. They are a very new team having been founded only last year (2020). This is the sort of project I can see myself take on. An empty record book to write my name on. The wage offered is not too bad either, almost double what I make at the Supermarket. But the flights to get there are even worse than the previous team!

Maybe if I keep delaying my decision for 2 years. I will then save enough money to get there!

Spoiler: Dewa Utd

Dewa Utd are currently top of the Second Division Grp B, 5 wins, 2 Draws, 0 Losses. That is tempting in itself. They are an even younger team than Babel Utd having been founded only this year (2021). They have made the unusual transition from Esports to “real” sports, which has to be a first right?! Normally it’s the other way around! So again a completely blank record book, the trophy cabinet is still in it’s flat pack cardboard box ready for me to assemble. They are based just a 30 minutes’ drive from the main airport of the capital Jakarta, the wages are incredible and the flights affordable if they agree to pay a week in advance!

​

Unless anything else more tempting comes in during what is going to be a very long week, then my decision is pretty much made. And I could not be any more excited!

 

[Maxporto]

​

I think I under estimated just how long the week was going to be. I certainly didn’t expect it to be this busy that’s for sure! I send at least 8 more CVs to vacant jobs and I get my first rejection from the original 10 interviews, it’s the Icelandic team Grindavik UMFG, they were an ambitious side, in a country I’ve always wanted to visit, but I’m not too upset, the players names alone would have been a nightmare to pronounce!

I’ve lost count of the teams rejecting me without offering me an interview, but given my lack of experience in football, the fact that I actually have options to chose from for my first job is pretty insane, so none of the rejections are affecting my mood whatsoever.

Word of the interest in me in Indonesia seems to be going around as I receive more interview offers. I borrow the same shirt from my Dad (brought luck last time) and conduct the interviews over Zoom again.

Job interview 11: Club Atletico Juventud, Uruguay

League: Segunda Division Profesional (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Reach Promotion Playoff



Job interview 12: Knattspyrnufélagið Kórdrengir, Iceland

League: Inkasso-deild karla (2nd Tier)

League Requirements: Avoid relegation

​

Other Indonesian teams are also keen to get a piece of the pie, and offer me the manager job, they took a little longer than the others, but I won’t hold that against them. Juventud the team from Uruguay definitely didn’t waste any time, and 2 days after the interview, they put down their offer for my services. All 3 agree to a delay, and again I do some research to evaluate the options on the table.

Job Offers

Spoiler: Job Offer S3men Padang

Spoiler: Job Offer Juventud

​

PS Pati offered me a one-year contract on £550 p/w.



S3men Padang FC offered me a one-year contract on £475 p/w.



Juventud offered me a one-year contract on £425 p/w.

Working out each offer

Spoiler: PS Pati

PS Pati are another Indonesian club who have recently been re-branded. Formally known as PSG Pati, they are currently 9th in the league, 2 points above the relegation spots. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a fan of the re-branding of this team, they look much cooler now for sure. But that alone won’t be enough to win me over.


Their stadium is almost as big as Fulham’s! 24.000 capacity, with one huge stand surrounded by smaller ones, some room for development there for sure if ever required. Their trophy cabinet is empty. But they are still a very young club having been founded in 2017. My main issue is that since 2017 they have been sold and re-branded twice! What is going to stop them from doing it again in a year or two while I’m at the helm? Their new owners might not be too kind to managers with very little experience. I’m really not a fan of that. The flight is extremely expensive as well.

This is probably the easiest decision of them all. A big fat NO.

Spoiler: S3men Padang

S3men Padang, the name itself is enough to put anybody off (FM-Base actually filter it!), they will struggle to get an English speaking manager to move there unless they offer big bucks! And given the other offers on the table, £475 p/w is not really tempting me, I want to be able to speak proudly of my first manager job without having people laughing at the clubs name. But I’m professional, and still take a closer look at this team.


They are 4th in the league, yet to taste defeat after 9 games. The name is already not sounding so bad! But they are expecting a top half finish. The stadium is very neat, 15.000 capacity. This part of Indonesia looks pretty awesome, Padang is a seaside town with some great looking buildings and some amazing nearby places to explore. But is also a tricky and expensive part of Indonesia to travel too…

I like a lot of things about this option, definitely more than PS Pati, but again, it’s just not THE one for me.

Spoiler: Juventud

Juventud are my first job offer outside of Indonesia, they are sitting 6th after just five games. They want play-offs and 6th is the last spot that guarantees them that. This would certainly be a challenge, I think.

But my first managerial job is always going to be a challenge so that doesn’t put me off.

The thing I like about this job prospect is that Uruguay are a well known footballing nation, they won the very first World Cup, and in more recent years have produced players like Suarez, Cavani and Forlan to name just a few. The idea that the next Uruguayan superstar could come out of the first club I manage is very exciting.

Their stadium has a 4.000 capacity and they have won the 2nd Division once back in 1999.

They are based just north of the capital Montevideo. Which makes the flights a lot cheaper than I expected, but still a bit more than I can afford right now.

I like this one a lot, I like where it is in the world, their aim for the future, and £425 p/w is one of the lowest offers I’ve had, but that amount of money would get me very far in Uruguay.

The Big Decision

It’s been a week since I delayed the decision on the offer made by the first 4 Indonesian teams. The Juventud offer came in on the same day, but as much as I like that one a lot, I feel like my mind was already made way before. One team really stood out for me, their ambition is next to none, they are doing incredibly well even without a manager, and the empty record book is tempting me A LOT!

I reject all other offers and call Dewa Uniteds Chairperson to explain my financial situation and ask him what he can do to help. I offer to accept a wage of £800 rather than the £900 he was offering and within minutes he emailed me a one-way ticket to Jakarta. The flight is later the same evening, so after I compose myself from all the excitement, I pack my bags and say goodbye to family and friends.

Jakarta here I go!​

 

[Maxporto]

​

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

I land in Jakarta just after 6pm, Dewa Utd's chairman is there to welcome me. We make the 25-minute journey to the stadium in his flashy new car. Conversation is kept to a minimum, probably due to my jetlag and the fact that my eyes are taking in everything around us as we drive. Things couldn’t be any more different than Bristol around here, and that made me incredibly happy. Not because I dislike Bristol, but due to my adventurous side, if you traveled to the other side of the world and things looked just like home, it wouldn’t be worth the trip right?!

We arrive at the stadium, the newly named Indomilk Arena, formally known as Benteng Tarun, which the club shares with Persita Tangerang, a team that recently got promoted to the top division. The stadium holds a capacity of 30.000 people and was built in 2018. I am a fan, it looks much nicer than I expected for my first ever job. It’s crazy to think only a few weeks ago I was stood pitch side at a Sunday league game, where the attendance just about reached 15 people, I definitely struck gold!

I get a few pictures taken with a Dewa Utd scarf in various locations of the stadium for the club’s social media, and then head inside to sign the paper work. After all the official documents are signed me and the Chairman discuss a few things while we wait for the Media to arrive.

Spoiler: Welcome Pack

Spoiler: Expectations

Spoiler: Board's Long-Term Vision

​

Not many journalists have turned up, which makes me feel a little less nervous, having seen the clubs structure and spoken to the chairman, I start feeling confident about the future, and that confidence glows as I conduct my very first press conference!

​

With that out of the way, the real work begins now! I grab all the paper work I need to study overnight. A profile of every player, and sta… wait a minute, I have 0 staff!

​

The team can wait, looks like I’ll be spending the night recruiting people to help me run this club. My first game is tomorrow already which is not great, but at least we’re playing at home, and that’s only a 35 min drive from where I am staying. I’ll be getting there early in the morning to do some more work.

We’re playing the team sitting in 8th, so I should be okay to wait until the morning to pick my first 11. After the game, I will look into every player in more detail and work out what areas need strengthening, scouts are definitely needed for that as I have no knowledge of Indonesian players.

The place I am staying at is charging me £148 p/w, it’s a little guest house I found online while I waited for the plane back in Bristol. I have £450 to my name, thankfully I didn’t have to pay rent before leaving my parents so I had an extra £150 this month! I pay for the accommodation and get familiar with my new surroundings. This will certainly do until I have enough to rent a bigger/better place.

Spoiler: Accomodation

I’ll have to eat at the club’s canteen and local restaurants for the first few months due to not having my own kitchen, but at least I can have a shower while taking a sh*t!

I ring my parents and remind my Mum to hand in my notice at the Supermarket, I barely had enough time to pack my stuff, and I got to be honest, with all the excitement I completely forgot about that place.

I stay up sending job offers to unemployed Assistant Managers from Indonesia as well as Coaches, Physios and Scouts until 3 am and crash the moment my head hits the pillow, BIG day tomorrow!

 

[Maxporto]

​

I get to the stadium early, grab a coffee and pastry from the café and head over to my office. There’s no player in sight yet, the game is not until 15:30. So, I take a look at the squad paper work that was provided to me yesterday in detail for the first time.

The first thing that catches my eye is that a player’s grandad has been mistakenly added to the list, okay maybe that’s a bit harsh, but a 41-year-old outfield player is not something that you see every day. The youngest player is 21, and the U21 and U19 squads are completely empty. Getting a few young players to build for the future is a must.

The man I hired last night for the Chief Scout job arrives at the club just before lunch. He’s eager which is always nice to see, I ask him to recommend some players as a first assignment.

Feeling positive that I have someone on board so quickly, I head over to the Chairman’s office and request a coaching course to increase my managerial knowledge. He wastes no time, and accepts it straight away to my absolute delight!

Considering I only arrived yesterday, the trust shown in me is already pretty amazing, I feel like this was definitely the right place to come. For a 20-year-old in his first job in football, the chairman has been very supportive already.

The transfer and wage budget are both incredible, and will allow me to do plenty of work. But given the age of our squad, and lack of youth players at the club, I feel like spending most of that money on scouting young talent would be quite beneficial. But we’ll see what the squad really needs after the first few games.

​

Now the fun part! I look at the Media predictions, current standings, previous results and everything in between to get a better understanding of the Indonesian Divisi Utama (2nd Division to you and me).

Spoiler: Media Predictions

Spoiler: League Table + Stats

Spoiler: Previous Results

I think looking at those in detail it would be dumb of me to change too much straight away. So I decide to run with the same team as their last game. A 2-0 away victory against a team sitting in 7th place is a very good result, so they should be good enough against the team in 8th in our own patch. They played a 4-4-2. And so I decide to do the same. Not sure the exact instructions they were given before, but I try and keep it aggressive and on the front foot.

​

Choosing the first 11 for the first time begins to show some cracks in the team. The most noticeable is the lack of natural left midfielders/wingers. I have a choice between playing a striker or a left defender instead, I chose striker. Time will tell if that needs changing, hopefully the newly arrived Chief Scout recommends a M(L) in his first report. The 41 year old player made the cut, not that I know how good he is, but he started the last game… I’ll be playing him as a target man, he’s just over 180cm tall, so that should be enough, hopefully he can still jump at his age without breaking anything in the process.

First 3 games

​

One at home followed by an away game to 2nd placed Sriwijaya FC, can it get any tougher for my first away game?! And then It’ll be the first round of the Indonesian Cup, which I’m very excited to take part in, I always find cup games to be special.

 

[Maxporto]

Game 1

​

I give my first team talk, the players don’t react much, or at all. But the language barrier is still a big issue. I need to find a translator!

As we leave the changing rooms to head for the pitch, I get stopped by the media for some pre-match questions. I dispatch some quick answers and join the rest of the players on the bench.

Before I know it, the whistle is blown and the game begins!

Pretty sure the echo of the referee’s whistle was still ringing around the stadium when a Persekat player has gone in for a tackle from behind on Nugroho (my Box to Box Midfielder) and takes him out. The ref shows him a straight red, and rightly so! Only 7 minutes gone and my chances of a positive result have gone up tenfold!

Even with the extra man, the first half ends 0-0. We didn’t create much. 9 shots in total, and only 4 on target. Our defensive work has been positive though. So I try and fire up the team to go in for the kill in the second half!

Must be the language barrier again, as the game delivers another uneventful half and ends 0-0. It felt like a defeat to be honest, playing against 10 men for 80 minutes at home, although an attendance of 240 in a 30.000 capacity stadium isn’t exactly going to get anyone’s blood flowing. But we should have definitely have won the game. Plenty of shots, but 0 clear cut chances…

Goalkeeper coach and a general coach arrive before the second game. I ask them to recommend some signings like I did with the Chief Scout. It seems another team managed to capture the man I had offered the assistant manager role, so I spend my time at home that day looking for another hopeful.

My center back made it to the team of the week. I played against 10 men for most of the game and a defender wins man of the match and gets in the team of the week… says it all!

The cup draw was also done before the 2nd game, we got the team sitting in 2nd place in the Indonesian Super League, Persib Bandung. We’re playing at home, we won’t win, but hopefully we’ll have more than 200 people show up for the game.

Game 2​

The newly found assistant manager arrives the day before the game. I’m feeling much better now, the first game is in the past, I’m hoping to get a result against the team that’s sitting second in the league just a point behind us.

This time around I let my assistant choose the starting eleven, he’s able to communicate with the players a lot better than I am. And his knowledge of Indonesian football is far superior to mine.

It’s my first ever away game, and what a great place to do it. The stadium is an impressive 40.000 capacity. And it looks to be at least a quarter full.

It’s a much better match in terms of entertainment. It’s as even as it gets, possession, chances created, shots. It’s all very evenly matched and the score is unsurprisingly 0-0 at half-time. Difference this time is that I am happy to finish the game this way!

10minutes into the second half, our right winger makes an inside run that is spotted by our midfield, he’s 1v1 with the goalkeeper but strikes it against the post! Best chance of the game so far.

We have 2 other good chances after that, both coming in the way of a header from our strikers. But again, the game ends 0-0. Our second half deserved much more than what the scoreline shows. But we remain top of the league, and I see a lot of positives from the game.

Our 1 supporter seemed happy at the end of the game anyway. I get the team to sign his t-shirt as a gesture of gratitude for making the 8-hour car journey to see us play.

Game 3​

4 day break and off we go again! We are back playing at home, for our biggest test so far. Persib Bandung are only a point behind the top spot of the top division in Indonesia. I certainly feel like there will be goals in this one, I just don’t think it will be us scoring them.

My dream of playing in front of a big crowd is crushed before kick-off as it’s announced that only around 130 tickets have been sold. I have to admit, the lack of supporters did not cross my mind when taking over a newly founded team, but it makes perfect sense. If I ever get this 30.000 capacity stadium filled they will probably name a stand after me!

I keep the line up and tactic the same as the previous game, only changing the role of both strikers to a more familiar one to them. Why not, I still haven’t seen them score a goal so this should help.

Persib start the much stronger side, their first good chance happens at the 15minute mark as they have a shot in the box blocked by Ardinsyah (my center back).

15 minutes later though, we get a corner, it’s cleared by the defence but only as far as Sukmara, our left back, he plays short to Nugroho who himself dispatches the ball quickly back to Al Ma’ruf, the right winger who just took the corner moments before. He’s in acres of space and delivers a low cross into the box, and who’s there to meet it ? Yes, you guessed it, the 41-year-old Dzumafo, he slides to meet the ball and it goes into the back of the net. The first goal of my managerial career is scored by a player who is double my age! But I am not complaining!

They dominate the rest of the half, but we go into the break 1-0 up. I head back to the changing rooms with a smile. I could get used to this! I praised the team and tell them to keep their concentration.

10 minutes into the 2nd half and they score a worldie! The bend on the shot from outside the box was too much for my keeper. A fabulous strike, and the game was levelled once again.

The game is a boring one after that, so boring I almost forget to make subs! Then as the clock hits the 90minute mark, and I am about to find out whether extra time is a thing in the cup or whether it goes straight to penalties. They float a cross to the back post, and their striker wins the header to put the ball in the back of the net. Heart breaking!

Even though we lost in the very first round we still get £2.5k. Very generous I thought. Will definitely hope for an easier tie next year!

Despite the result that was probably the most positive game of the 3 so far in terms of performance. I head back to my guest house with plenty of food for thought.

Next game is in 3 days, away from home, but not too far, we’ll be travelling to Serang, a city just 1 hour drive away to play Perserang Serang who are currently 5th in the league. Bring it on!

 

[Maxporto]

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Location: Jakarta & Serang, Indonesia

Dewa or Die
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Although the last game was against a team we weren’t expected to beat, the fact that I am now 3 games without a win makes this next game a very important one. The team were doing great before I showed up, in fact they are unbeaten in the league! So there’s no excuse. I need to get my first win and fast!

I hold a meeting with my assistant, and together we analyse the squad in more depth. Who needs to go? And who deserves to stay?

Strikers and Goalkeepers are both a strength in this squad. The midfield is definitely where things need to improve, the first thing we need to do is find a left winger. I will wait for my staff’s recommendations, if there’s a good candidate there, I will attempt to get him, otherwise, I will get my scout to find one.

My top player is probably Slamet Budiono – or the now nicknamed Buddy. He’s a 26 year old striker with good stats in the right places, nothing spectacular, but certainly above average for this division.

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Okay 1 goal in 10 games isn’t great and neither is the rest of his statistics this season, but he’s been having to fill that left midfield spot that no one else is capable of playing. For the next few games I will play him in his natural position and see how he does.



The oldest player in the team, and possibly country is also the highest paid player. Even though he scored the first goal of my managerial career, scoring another 20 wouldn’t save him from leaving in the very near future. Herman Dzumafo – now named just Herman has just broken the record for the oldest ever player to play in the Indonesian Cup, and because of his goal, he is now also the oldest ever goalscorer. Not exactly the type of record I was hoping to break when taking over this team, but congratulations to him anyway.

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I have 2 Goalkeepers that are decent for this level, but one is 31 and the other 32 years old. I will get rid of one of them, and look to get a young talent as a back-up.

Next we have a midfielder that I am already a big fan of. Its Bayu Nugroho, the man who got assaulted in my first game in charge, which led to the opponent getting sent off. He seems really good from what I’ve seen during games. His mental attributes are very impressive! I need a nickname for him though… Nugs? Bay? Baytoven! Yes, that’s it, he is the maestro of my midfield after all!

Match Day
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The whole team is in the team bus as we make the journey to Serang together, the mood seems positive among the players. I let them know the plan for the match ahead as well as the starting 11.

I spend the rest of the journey with my headphones in listening to my Indonesian learning app, I’m hoping in a few months I can master this very difficult language.

The Game...

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First half is another 0-0. Given the quality of my players, the amount of chances we create is very low. Our games are incredibly boring. We defend well, or at least manage to contain teams from creating much, but we’re not scoring goals. We have more shots, both on and off target. And that’s about the only positive.

Actually, we have 3 away fans this game! That’s 2 more than last time. But the fact that this is one of the shortest trips of the season makes this attendance pretty bad from our fans...

I tell the players I want to see more from them in the second half! They seemed motivated by those words which gave me confidence.

We increase the amount of shots, our xG is above 1, but again we fail to score. Perserang Serang on the other hand, manage to score on the 78th minute with 1 of their 3 shots on target! It was poor marking from us, but a pretty amazing strike from outside the box. They hold on to the lead very well after that as we fail to make anything happen at all.

We lose the game… it’s very very poor. They score with the only chance they had. But despite the 16 shots we had, we didn’t look dangerous enough at any point in the game. It’s back to the drawing board. I need to get this team to create more when on the attack!

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As the team heads back home, I decide to take the rest of the day off and visit a nearby place outside Serang, It was recommended by my landlord when I told him where my next match was due to take place. I could do with the distraction as well as a peaceful place to think over the way things are going for me in this crazy adventure...

Wisata Gunung Pinang

As I sit on top of the mountain overlooking the city where I suffered my first league defeat as a manager, I decide that I must tweak the tactic I’ve been using, I need to try something, we’re dominating most games so nothing drastic is needed, but the lack of clear cut chances we’re creating is abysmal!


Feeling refreshed, I get a taxi and head back home. I check the league table on my phone, we remain top of the league for now, but that will change once the 2 teams behind us play their game in hand.