I am a returning player to Football Manager 2020 after setting the series down for most of the decade. Previously I had completed LLM challenges through Italy and England, but I have never done a Journeyman save to see where the game would take me. So that's my goal in this save. Go where I go. Win what I can. Try to stay realistic in my progression instead of leapfrogging to the highest leagues. In this series I'll shoot for Continental trophies if the opportunity arises, but if I feel the call to jump ship and move on that is exactly what i intend to do. Maybe I'll throw in some other challenges as the series progresses, but my goal at this point is to enjoy Football Manager in a way I haven't in the past.
I never imagined a career in insurance marketing would take me so many different places. A desk on 2nd. Almost a window on 4th. Back to a cubicle in the dungeons. It has been a valuable experience. Those long hours staring at the wall while the work queue piled up in my inbox were not wasted. It was an opportunity to remember things like being outside or the dreams I stopped pursuing. I will always be appreciative of the opportunity your office gave me to transition into the "real world" after I hung up my cleats, but to be 100% honest this version of the real world has left me boxed in.
As you are probably aware due to your recent denial my request for time off, I had a death in the family earlier this month. I had an opportunity to speak to a number of people I haven't seen in awhile. For the first time in a long time I stopped and considered the trajectory of my life. Insurance is not the field I belong in. Most people in insurance would tell you the same, but they would rather take security than take the leap. Well, turns out I'm a leaper. There's no small irony that a "leap" ended my playing career, but I have unfinished business on the field and I need to see it through.
Therefore, I am giving my two weeks notice. In addition, I am taking all of my 83 hours of Paid Time Off. I have already cleared my desk of any personal items. Please do not contact me or follow up. My decision, and it is my decision, is final.
With a silence mouse click the message was sent. What was done was done, but the exhale and release that he expected didn't come. Across the apartment, a brown certified mail envelope weighed heavily on the counter. Asher already knew the results of his exam, and he had already investigated the crisp corners of the newly minted coaching license inside. But it meant the work had only started. There would be no time to rest.
Nations Loaded (with all relevant lower leagues if applicable):
Australia, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Slovakia, South Africa, USA
Realistically, breaking into the coaching ranks is something that should take much longer for a nobody player from a country dominated by glorified rugby. But this is Football Manager, so instead we get to laugh a little at the following splash message. Congratulations:
Of course, there were job offers floating around that I interviewed for before and received a prompt, unceremonious rejection. Even the Columbus Crew of the MLS floated my name around, which is utterly bizarre and kind of against the intent of trying to get away. Wells didn't get his passport just to park in Ohio after all. And sure, there were numerous messages left on Well's phone asking why he wasn't at his desk (but none asking if he was okay). But in the end the job hunt and rejections did end up bearing fruit. The choice was between two very different, very foreign locations:
The first job offer came from TRAUFootball Club of the Indian National Football league. Starting off in the top league with a 45,000 capacity stadium has a certain appeal to it and the war chest is surprisingly full. Of course there would always be a bit of culture shock moving across the world, but you can certainly do worse than Imphal.
The same day, Asher Wells was offered a job from the Royal Eagles Football Club of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Sitting comfortably in the middle of the National First Division, the challenge would be to eventually climb up to the Premier League. There's certainly more room to leave a mark, plus there's the added benefit of having more reputable football teams in the area (Real Kings and Maritzburg United) to topple over in the process.
Both teams are financially adequate, although hardly secure. Both rosters need work. Still, it's a step up from sitting in a cubicle (and certainly much more than I'm used to starting in the lowest Italian or English leagues in different saves). Honestly, both jobs are appealing but ultimately Asher's decision didn't end up being that difficult...
The first thing Asher Wells was told by his new squad was to ditch his ridiculous glasses. But he had a vision for where he could take this squad -- it was one of primary reasons he ended up taking the position to begin with. There's a good basis at the Royal Eagles. The group is going to need some chipping away, but they're hard working and willing to listen -- something that came as a pretty big relief early on and showed itself in training. Considering the Royal Eagles just recently promoted from the Second Division, there's no great surprise that the foundation was sturdy. Ultimately, everyone ended up being on the same page with Asher's game plan: win.
Of course it wasn't just the board who had high hopes for the Royal Eagles. Even the press felt the squad has a reasonable chance to do well in the First Division this year, giving them 5:1 odds of taking the whole thing. Considering the top team is recently relegated Ajax CT (who also rejected a job application from Asher), those odds are surprisingly solid. Furthermore, despite Wells only recently making it to the helm, the press has already taken note of two recent transfers who may hold the fortunes of the Royal Eagles' season in their hands.
Key Transfers
Erick Chipeta DC - Cape Umoya United ($18.25k transfer fee) is a Central Defender with plenty of experience and a good head for the ball. He's pretty aggressive, which suites my defensive style fine. But he also has a good amount of flair and will often bring the ball up himself AND make good decisions. Let's see if that continues to hold true once the games count.
Keegan Ritchie DL - Wits ($19.25k) is a natural Left Wingback and he is by far the most expensive player I signed weighing in at the upper limit of what the board would allow (just over 100k per year). Honestly I have no idea why Wits let him go because he is way too good. Like, he runs circles around the rest of MY team. I like building my team from the back line up so Ritchie is definitely an important get.
Houston Hills - AML - Free ($0) is one of the very few Inside Forwards I found available in South Africa from my scouts. Most everyone else is wingers, and while wingers are fine, I'm looking for a more specific skill set in a player. Hopefully Hills has what it takes, as he was a late addition in the transfer window and is kind of slotted as the AML by default
Tamsanqa Teyise - DC - Free ($0) is the other Central Defender building block I stumbled across in the transfer market. Sure, he's older than I generally like to sign this early, but at this point I'll take talent if they'll sign for the right price. And Teyise certainly checks those boxes.
Mohammed Shahabodien - DLR- Stars of Africa ($0) was, honestly, a bit more of a desperation signing because I wanted to have a backup defender who could play both the right side and the left side. He's young. He has potential. And considering my tactic asks a lot from the Fullback/Wingback, he's going to have a chance to develop on the field.
Which finally leads to the game plan for the season -- which in of itself is kind of unfortunate. After some quality testing in Friendlies, it turns out that the secondary tactic I created ended up being a bit more potent than what I originally cobbled together. The largest change was to dump the anchoring Defensive Midfielder and make things far more positive with an Attacking Midfielder instead. This, coupled with a LLM inspired philosophy of short passes and slow tempo meant that my players weren't going to screw up the game plan because they weren't good enough to run it. Sometimes, the best answer in Football Manager is a simple KISS philosophy. https://imgur.com/lFyyfMz
https://imgur.com/lFyyfMz
So what's the conclusion going into the season? The Royal Eagles are hungry for real North Division games to start. Asher Wells has liked what he has seen out of his outfit. He's confident that he can meet the Board's preseason expectations, but there is a distinct possibility that the squad is capable of so much more with just a little more tinkering. The players will have to learn tactics on the fly as the season goes on, but that's the nature of the beast with a new manager. Still, ears are pinned back and eyes are squarely ahead on the first games of the season instead of thinking about next season. The first job is taking care of the Northern Division. Time to see if everything clicks.
Let's just say for a moment that we did nothing but watch the social feed. Lots of fans crying out in boredom. Lots of complaints about the quality of football being played on the field. But a 1-0 win is a 1-0 win, and a 0-0 tie is still 1 point. Put enough of those results together and suddenly you go from a dark horse team that could make it through the promotion playoff to the outright front runner. The team's defense was solid. The team's offense was adequate BUT once again was kind of behind the barrel because of me scrapping the tactic I had some up with at the start of preseason (I even did the cardinal sin of trying to just download a tactic to win but my players still ran the homebrew better. Figures). Still, with some definite holes in the roster it was time for some midseason retooling.
Key Midseason Transfers
Brandon Theron - AMC - Cape Umoya United (41k): that's a pretty big splash, but I needed a good quality Attacking Midfielder and he was the best I could get. Plus, I had an actual transfer budget and salary space to spare. So it wasn't asking too much. Unfortunately, maybe Theron didn't seem to like playing against lower level division opponents very much. When he was on, he was really on. But many matches, especially towards the end, he would just disappear for games at a time. This is one of those instances where it's merciful to be limited to 1 year contracts for every player.
Zakhele Lepasa - ST - Orlando Pirates (30k): Technically there's nothing wrong with the Royal Eagles' main striker, who has very good potential. But why just stick with good when you can get something better? Despite only signing on the last day of the transfer window, Lepasa made an immediate impact in the starting line up. He was fast. He was effective. He "poured" on 10 goals during the second half of the season, helping a lot of my offensive concerns. Where my prior guy wasn't exactly getting it done, now we would be able to turn some of the draws we had been getting into wins.
Biotumelo Radiopane - ST - School of Excellence (Free): For once my scouts were right. The player with the coolest name in the game (or one of them) actually does have the quality to end up being one of the top class strikers in South Africa -- and possibly beyond. His pace is very good. His composure, positioning, and off ball work are all top notch. And to add to that, he can actually finish. Of course, he's still baking and not quite ready for prime time yet, but if Lepasa is my high potential striker of the present then Radiopane is definitely my striker of the future.
DEPARTURE Keegan Ritchie - DL - SuperSport Utd (Free): One of the harrowing aspects of being in the lower leagues is getting poached, and truth be told we should have never had Ritchie to begin with. SuperSport came in and went well above what we would be able to afford to pay him, so unfortunately Ritchie cannot stay in my long term plans. HOWEVER, he would be leaving at the END of the season. So fortunately, despite the timing of the news as the Royal Eagles were trying to push forward, Ritchie would be able to stay on our team the rest of the season. Fortunately, focus and professionalism were not problems.
Important Matches
Royal Eagles 1 - Ajax CT 0, August 27, 2019
This one was an early season test vs a recently relegated team that was slated to immediately go back up to the Premier League. They came out angry and aggressive, but at the end of the game all they could do was fume more. Houston Hills had a pretty awful game (5.9 rating), but in truth the game was a foul filled defensive slog until near the very end. The Royal Eagles had been able to make chances, but had not been able to get anything into the net until the 88th minute, where a free kick from the midfield quickly turned into a reset by the Royal Eagles back to the goalkeeper. Young right Inside Forward Maselaelo Seanego brought the ball up the field and made a beautiful pass into the middle. Not even Njongo Ntsundawna, who had missed everything else today, could do anything except dribble the ball into the net for the game's only goal. It was a game that had a bit of everything for the first half of the season: quality defense and struggles to convery offensive chances.
Royal Eagles 4 - Tuks 1, Janaury 4, 2020
The fans couldn't say they got bored to death at this one! Well, they might have, because the score sheet was a bit misleading. The highest scoring output of the Royal Eagles' season to that point was not just from the excitement of the warmth of summer. Ntsundwana had continued to be incompetent in hitting shots, but fortunately he managed to be really good at drawing fouls. Both of his scores came off of penalties -- in fact, he MISSED A HAT TRICK because he missed a 3rd penalty shot. Guess you can't have nice things. Still, this was one of the first games where Wells was able to get his team properly motivated. After falling to an early game goal on a counter attack, the team went from feeling nervous in the first half to inspired after half time. Everyone contributed. Even with the final two goals of the match, which both came from the defensive side of the field via corner kicks. It was a bizarre game to go through, but a win is definitely a win. Still, this was one of the games that really pressed my urgency for finding new strikers.
TS Galaxy 1 - Royal Eagles 2, April 25, 2020
There's always drama when it comes to the end of the season playoff race, and the top of the National Division was especially clumped. Despite the Royal Eagles holding into first place, and 4th place was only 3 points down. This was a must win vs a lower ranked team that turned into an ordeal. The game got off to a great start with Keegan Ritchie showing his value (and gutting fans with his impending departure) by hitting yet another goal from an infield free kick. TS Galaxy responded with a well placed strike of their own through the context of their offense -- a bold strategy that Asher had not yet been able to get his team to figure out. The game remained tense and close for a long time, and despite the Royal Eagles controlling possession and getting a number of shots, TS Galaxy always managed to put the pressure back on. In these kind of matches, games could be won or lost just basaed on the slightest error. And in this one, it was ever reliable Lepasa who charged after the ball after the Galaxy goalkeeper failed to catch a free kick and blasted it into the goal. The defense held the rest of the way, and the Royal Eagles seized the points, the game, and a strong position in the home stretch.
End of Season Report
Where other teams faltered, the Royal Eagles ended up comfortably winning the National First Division and secured automatic promotion to the premier league! Ajax CT, unsurprisingly, stomped the opposition in the promotion playoff and will be joining us topside. What remains to be seen is how the team will stack up. I'm used to promotions leading to me needing to completely retool my squad, and truth be told there still are some holes that need to be filled despite some very good performances.
As can be clearly seen here, we have some solid carry-over to go into the top division. However, a few of the positions need some work from players who were under performing. There is especially a concern about the GK position, as our front 4 ended up masking a lot of deficiencies there. Meanwhile, the front line could also use some work. Theron's average does not justify what I paid for him, much less what I'd be paying him if I retained him (despite the assistants' insistence that we do so). The same could be said of Houston Hills, who was adequate but definitely replaceable. Keegan Ritchie is also going to be a massive void to fill, especially since I'm now going to be facing him at least twice per season. Still, we have a bit of a core to grow with, and hopefully our financial situation will let us be competitive after moving up.
Oh. So, the bank is already empty? Uh oh. Well, considering I was one of the biggest spenders just even trying to get promoted hopefully there will be a solid influx of cash for going to the Premier League. That's how it works in other nations, right? Well, it's time to figure out the year-to-year finances and see who I'm going to resign on a contract and who I'm going to let go. But for now, I can enjoy the taste of victory and give a nod to the key contributors that helped me get there:
The first season was an overwhelming, undisputed success. But with success comes a whole new set of issues summed up in one request by the board: survive relegation in the South African Premier League. The good news is that we found some building blocks to work from in the prior season. We have some solid pieces in the midfield and on defense. But I have my eyes set a little higher than just avoiding the drop. After playing some games against some of the "top" teams in South Africa, I think we are already almost "there" to make a push up the standings. We just need to add the right pieces. So the transfer market is going to be important.
Also, I was correct that there would be a hefty cash infusion into the club for making it to the Premier League. However, unlike the British variety, it was only enough for us to balance our books instead of working from a profit. Still, the board was generous enough, giving us a transfer budget of 370k and a payroll budget of just over 1.7 million. We have some room to grow, but for the fact that we are currently picked to finish dead last in the Premier League. Let's avoid that fate.
Key Offseason Transfers
Although Asher Wells is quickly developing a reputation of not being loyal to his players, the truth is that some spots on the team need a major overhaul. The goal was to be aggressive in the transfer market. Aggressive, but smart. Don't buy everything that shines, but this is a bit more of a "win now" strategy then it is to build slow. The board still mandated that I sign players under 23, so I looked for those where I could. And honestly, we did better than I would have hoped.
Nelson Maluleke - AMC - TS Sporting (49k fee) - He popped up on my scouting radar near the end of the season and I knew I had to grab him as soon as I could. Not only is he an actually competent AMC, but he's playing at a Premier Level already and still has room to grow -- if only he can get the right coaching. Maybe he can here, but this is a high upside signing that should be able to return on investment even now. Or, at least that's the hope. I was just relieved that I was able to get the bid and contract done before anyone else tried to sign him.
Sammy Seabi - MC - Sundowns (26.5k fee) - Another diamond found on a top flight team's bench. Seabi has everything I'm looking for in a midfielder. Good passing, good work rate, great technique. But best of all? Much like Maluleke, Seabi is also fairly young and still has room to grow as well. Although my midfielders last year were good, Seabi is the kind of step above what I have on my roster that I'm going to need to survive this year.
Darren Johnson - GK - Ajax CT (30k fee) - Despite the two above, this is probably my favorite signing story of the offseason because it's from Ajax CT. The team that also got promoted from the National Division. It didn't take long to look through game tape from the prior season and see "hey, wait a a minute this guy is the best goalie we faced." His value wasn't very high (16k) but the manager outright rejected my bid for him and told me to **** off. So what was I to do? Easy: make a higher bid. 30k had the board override the manager, and suddenly I was able to snap up not only the best goalie I had scouted, but also the best goalie from the team I'm supposed to be in the most direct competition with. What a good feeling.
Nyiko Sibanda - DL - Free Transfer (0 fee) - Unlike scouting over the course of the season paying off (I only use scouting to find players. I'll do an unfiltered player search if I'm desperate for a position), Sibanda was a player who popped up only after his agent came ringing. And he is significantly better than my current option at left back. Previously from TS Sporting, Sibanda doesn't have the crossing ability I look for in a wing back, but he has absolutely everything else. It's nice when you can drop a free transfer straight into the lineup.
Roscoe Pietersen - DC - Cape Ummoya United (26.5k fee) - If you were to ask which one of these is not like the others, the answer would be this guy. He's 31 years old, which is only slightly younger than one of my central defenders from last year. But my scouts were all about him. He didn't come for a large fee but is already as developed as he's going to be. The 70k salary price tag is a little high, but with scouting proving mostly fruitless for central defenders I couldn't exactly be choosy. He's got the attributes. Hopefully he can help us out by having a great swan song -- and if he doesn't at least only only on a one year contract.
Line-up Going Into the Season
Where things weren't broken, I didn't try to fix it. The right side of the formation is solid, with Sambo and Seango being allowed to do their thing with Manuping moves over to Ball Winning Midfielder. Chipata will continue to anchor down the back line. It's the left side that is going to have to prove itself. Meanwhile, at striker, Lepasa showed he had the right stuff by scoring 10 goals to close out the latter part of the season. And from by all appearances, his skill set (and potential) will make him a force in the Premier League for years to come.
But all I have to worry about is this year. And after a very active trip to the transfer market, I'm excited to see how this all plays out on the field.
The Royal Eagles are slated for relegation. But maybe that's only because no one paid attention to what Asher Wells did with them last season in the National Division. After dumping so much money in the transfer market, our goal was to hit the ground running. There is good news to be had, but after going through the first half of the season, there's also trouble brewing on the horizon.
Key Matches
It's good to start off the season strong, but nothing quite like the first home game of the season to take on one of the top teams in the division. The game was closely contested and could have gone either way, with Seanego and Kunene (the latter who I didn't highlight in my new signings above...oops) getting goals from the wings but only after a 0-0 tie at half time. However, some adjustments at halftime broke open the offense enough to make things happen: going for a faster tempo and more direct passing as well as passing into space. Both of our goals were from getting behind the defense, Seabi lit things up with SIX key passes. And that was needed, because it was a bit of a game of 11 vs 12 due to how many fouls the Royal Eagles got compared to Sundowns (including a 5 to 1 yellow card count).
One aside that's worth mentioning for this match and the early season push? The Royal Eagles aren't just minnows, but Sundowns are straight up sharks:
Look at that spending difference. Sure, European clubs can pay a player salary what Sundowns uses for the whole year, but compare that to our tiny tiny budget. Still enough to win 2-0. That's a good feeling.
Royal Eagles 3 - Chippa United 2
Up until this point in the season, things had been humming along. Not perfectly, but wins are wins and our defense was doing very well. The problem then, is what is going on in front of the net. This game was very entertaining from a drama stand point, especially with Chippa's late push to tie the game up. However, it would take some heroics from the midfield, including long shots from Mpho Maruping and Sammy Seabi to make the difference. Our offense revolves around feeding the striker in the middle of the formation, and our striker, Zakhele Lepasa, had plenty of opportunities to do so. However, he used his vision to create two assists back to the midfield. The Royal Eagles created a lot more shots and many more shots on target than Chipp United. This was definitely one of those matches that could have gone 5-0. But Chippa would not be denied and almost came all the way back.
That's football...but also a bit of a precursor because this was the beginning of the end of the Royal Eagle's early season firestorm.
Bloom Celtic 1 - Royal Eagles 0
THIS MATCH. This was the match where it felt like the wheels had finally fallen off after the hot start at the beginning of the season. Bloom Celtic had already eliminated us from the South African Cup semi-final by a 1-0 margin. They rendered our offense completely inept. So what did our boys in black do when faced with the opportunity for revenge? Wilt. The only reason this score wasn't more lopsided was because Celtic kept hitting the post. They dominated possession. They dominated shots on goal, and for the first time this season I knew that something was not right. Denial is a powerful drug, but after starting off so well this one game was a cornerstone of a stretch where the Royal Eagles went down with one win, three losses, and three ties. Not relegation material, but not top of the standings either. Were the Royal Eagles regressing back towards the mean? Not if Asher Wells can help it, but it took a few more games to finally break out of denial and figure out what's wrong with the squad.
SuperSport United 2 - Royal Eagles 2
Maybe the most exciting part of this match was getting to face Keegan Ritchie again, and fortunately we were able to make him a non-factor to the point that he got substituted out. But once again, our offense had a void in the front with Zakhele Lepasa just not getting it done. Instead, it was on Nelson Maluleke to lead the come back that resulted in a well earned draw. The defense played well, and as is listed above Darren Johnson played lights out. In my offensive design, goals from the wings are find. But we're also continuing to have to rely on long range shots from the midfield such as another one from Mpho Khumalo (a carry-over from last season's National Divsion title). They're entertaining, sure, but they shouldn't be relied upon.
Where Things Stand at Midseason
The good news is that we are still second place (so much for relegation) despite our recent streak of bad form.
The bad news is that I need to take a good, long, hard look at my current striker situation. Lepasa is constantly playing with his back to the net but is getting very passive. He'll get the ball in the box, and immediately try to pass it out instead of being aggressive and going for the shot. And it's hard to go forward in a top level division when you have a striker who doesn't strike (didn't mean to cut off the name, this is Lepasa):
See the difference in stats between Premier League and everything else? I'll discuss that some more in the next post.
Thanks! Interestingly, my squad doesn't quite believe in itself like I believe in it the same way the board doesn't believe in my squad like I believe it. But I did notice that someone somewhere got sneaky and increased my Preseason odds from finishing last place to finishing 14th. So at least someone out there believes in my team.
Of course, this is one of those situations where I could just sit on my hands, rest on all the laurels and accept that my offense isn't quite firing like I hoped it would. But that's never really been my style. If one of my players tends to start showing the yips in front of the goal and individual talks aren't helping, well...you'll see in the next post.
It's January and the Royal Eagles have a serious question to answer as the transfer window re-opens (well, technically two questions since the AML is still underperforming). And that question all has to do with our striker of the future: Zakhele Lepasa. Last season he contributed 10 goals and won some games all by himself in our push to promotion. And while his average overall rating looks fine it doesn't take much to dig into the numbers to see that he is being inflated by friendlies and non-league competition. Because Lepasa has looked absolutely pedestrian against Premier League opponents. The moment he gets marked, he wilts under pressure and passes the ball. He doesn't go for the shot, even when it's there. The doesn't try to run past his opponent, even though he's fast enough. See, one thing that I missed/failed to mention about Lepasa is that he is a natural Poacher and has a Poacher's mentality through and through. He will just park himself in the box and wait for someone to pass to him.
That's a problem when part of my offense expects the striker to also create offense. It's an additional problem when those passes ARE being delivered and he elects to keep his back to the goal and just pass the ball back out to the midfield. I've been trying to make things work, to request more goals, to even change my tactic a bit to focus on him being a poacher. Nothing.
Of course, Lepasa is not the only striker on my squad:
Enter Boitumelo Radiopane. As you can clearly see, his attributes are pretty inferior to Lepasa. Even in the ones that you might expect a solid striker to have, valuable skills such as Finishing or Composure and especially Positioning, Off the Ball, and Determination. But there are a few things that Radiopane has going for him. First off, he's yougner and still has plenty of potential himself (the game displays just as much as Lepasa but I don't use anything to reveal hidden stats). Being that he's yougner, he's also on a much cheaper contract -- which is helpful considering some additional info I'll give once the transfer update is done. In addition, Radiopane is a natural Advanced Forward, which fits my tactical style of having the Striker not only feed on chances but also create them. His passing falls squarely into the "good enough" category. He's also physically fairly equivalent to Lepasa except that he's taller and has a much better jumping reach. Headers may indeed be back on the menu.
But looking here, looking now, and having written this out, there's one additional stat that should have stood out from the start: BRAVERY. Lepasa only has a 3 in bravery. No wonder he cowers from a single defender marking him. He cowers when bread pops up out of the toaster. It's hard to run your offense through someone who's scared of anything but an empty goalpost -- although at least he doesn't have a bravery of 1, where he would then also be scared of the goalpost.
Lepasa was a big part of the Royal Eagle's push to promotion last season, BUT that was last season. Now he's a big part of why the team is floundering after such a strong start. And with an acceptable, maybe even good and viable young gun (what? 23 years old isn't young anymore?) in Radiopane just waiting for an opportunity. And nothing builds potential like first team Premier League experience.
The fans won't like it. The board won't like it. The squad might even not like it. But despite fitting the part on paper, Zakhele's days in Pietermaritzburg are numbered -- but I have to find a willing buyer first.
Simply being near the top of the standings at midseason is not good enough for Asher Wells. No, no. He's a tinkerer through and through. If there's something that needs fixing, he'll keep hammering at it until he finds the right pieces in the correct places. So what could have ended up being a fairly restful midseason transfer window ended up being a fairy expensive one -- at least by South African standards. The offense has been ground to a halt, and honestly it's better to be proactive in these kind of situations than just hoping for the best.
Transfers OUT:
Zakhele Lepasa - ST - Stellenbosch FC ($27.5k): although Lepasa set a new record for transfer fee received by the Royal Eagles, the board was still displeased because that was less than it cost to bring him in AND he's a key player. Has anyone been paying attention to what I said? If there's a buyer, he's going. All roads point to the ball dying at his foot instead of making it somewhere towards the goal. I can only wish Lepasa the best for helping the team get this far, but it's time to hand over the keys to someone else. At 23 years old, he's hardly a wash out. He'll pick himself back up eventually.
Mxolisi Kunene - AML - Amazulu (Free $0): As for the other culprit of the inept offense, I bring you the player (pictured above) who I should have mentioned last time but did not do so. Left wing has just been an unproductive part of my formation and I'm still looking for the answer. Kunene is not that answer. He scored one goal and made two assists during his time here -- that's just not good enough. It sucks to turn AML into a revolving door but I let him go because I found someone better.
Transfers IN:
Jamie Webber - AML - SuperSport United ($60k): so yes, we broke the bank. But sometimes you have to in order to get a high pace high potential young player. The goal is to have him slot into AML and make sufficient passes AND find the goal. As an added bonus, he can play both sides of the field. That flexibility can be incredibly important especially with my roster's talent drop-off after the starting 11.
Thabo Molea - DC - Jomo Cosmos ($26k): the luxury of being so high in the standings when the board's expectation is to avoid relegation is that I can put some money towards the future. Molea is already a physical specimen and honestly he's not far from getting inserted into the lineup now. Especially with how terrible Roscoe Pietersen is doing as a defender. As I've said before, nothing builds potential quite like getting to play on the field, and I have a feeling Molea's time is coming sooner rather than later.
Mercury Dlamini - MC - Golden Arrows ($19.5k up to $32k): this is another buy for the future. For the time being I'm pretty settled in the midfield. But sometimes my scouts do succeed at finding somebody just riding the bench who is a worthwhile investment later, and I do believe Dlamini is the kind of player I'll be able to sneak in some time on the first team to help his development.
Transfer Aftermath
The roster is mostly the same, but once again shaken up enough that a certain game engine (shhh suspend your disbelief) still thinks that Asher Wells is disloyal to his players. Hardly. The squad constantly has an opportunity to prove itself. And let's face it, some players are just not good enough for the Premier League. But with just a few slight tweaks to the roster and with no tactical changes at all other than reverting my attempts to bend over backwards to an unproductive poacher, a funny thing happened in the standings.
Results! Actual bona-fide results! And look at all those goals! Turns out that not only was I able to diagnose the problem, but I was able to successfully fix it too. See kids, this is why you don't always blindly follow players' star ratings. Sometimes you have to pay attention to what's going on in the game. Now not only are we (still) a 2nd place team in the Premier League, but we're finally playing like it too. Here's a quick look at some of the key games in our run (brighter purple games are from the South Africa Cup, which I'll cover in the next post).
Sundowns 0 - Royal Eagles 3
Remember these guys? The highest spenders in the Premier League that we blanked at the beginning of the season. Well, complacency can't be an issue now -- especially not on their home turf. And yet along came a spider, and that spider's name was Sammy Seabi, who not only carved up the Sundowns very expensive defense with pass after pass, but even made it onto the scoreboard himself. What was extra nice was that this game also included Boitumelo Radiopane's first League goal as the newly inserted starting Advanced Forward. He's fast, he gets behind the defense, AND he takes the shot in front of him. As an added bonus, former striker of the future Njongo Ntsundwana (who has been on the Royal Eagles roster this whole time) came in at AMR and ended up hitting a game clinching penalty shot. Should the Sundowns be embarrassed of themselves? Or are the Royal Eagles just that good? How about a bit of both?
Royal Eagles 3 - Stellenbosch FC 1
You knew I would have to bring up the next league game with the team I dumped Lepasa onto. He's starting for them, which isn't at all odd. What is odd is that Stellenbosch is running a formation with THREE strikers. It didn't really matter though, because neither team's front line was able to get too much done. Instead, the Royal Eagles got an overwhelming complete team performance, highlighted by DR Jose Jackson, another undiscussed free transfer of the future, making his first goal of the season from the box. Interestingly, all three goals came from deep set pieces (two throw ins, one in field kick), and each time our players were able to deliver. My goal is to have a game plan where everyone can contribute. This was one of those days. As for Lepasa? He had a very quiet 6.7 rated day -- shocking I know.
Ajax CT 4 - Royal Eagles 3
Our win streak couldn't last forever, but I'm more than a little annoyed that it fell at the hands of our fellow promotion buddies. Ajax is no slouch of a team, and they're also well clear of the relegation zone. The defenses took the day off in this one, with Ajax jumping out to a very fast two goal lead. Radiopane was unavailable due to an injury, so it was up to the rest of the team to make things work. Jamie Webber did his best, scoring two goals on the way to bringing the Royal Eagles all the way back from a 3-1 deficit. But in the end, it was Sonwabile Mfecane for Ajax who torched Darren Johnson on a very pedestrian shot into the corner on a very pedestrian counter attack. The Royal Eagles may have had 30 shots to Ajax's 11. They may have had 16 shots on target to Ajax's 7. But Ajax made those shots count.
The good news is that thanks to some quick midseason maintenance, the Royal Eagle's offense is now putting in as much work as the defense. DC Chipeta and DR Sambo are still doing great work, and as expected DC Thabo Molea has taken over the starting role for Pietersen, whose 70k/year contract can't end soon enough. But there are some interesting story lines to come as we close out the 2020-20201 season, including a riveting push into the South African Cup and the much sooner than expected question of which Continental Competition the team will be fighting their way into. There's a lot more to come. Thanks for reading!
With the calendar turning to 2021, it's time to delve into one of the most important cup competitions in South Africa -- one that probably goes by another name in real life. But this is Football Manager, and while I glossed over it last year despite going above expectations this season we're gonna dive into it a little more.
First Round Swallows FC 1 - Royal Eagles 2
Not only did the Royal Eagles get drawn as the road team against a team they had no problems dealing with in the First National Division last season, the squad had to fight another beast: complacency. While the Royal Eagles were able to dominate possession, Swallows was able to match them for shots and shots on target, leading to a pretty stressful game. Such is the pressure of no longer being the underdog -- plus the fact that Asher Wells saw inferior competition and elected to keep some key players on the bench: including Sammy Seabi, Darren Johnson, and Erick Chipeta. It only almost blew up in the team's face, but fortunately the Royal Eagles were able to overwhelm the box in the 83rd minute and Mlungisi Khumalo managed to get through the scrum and knock the ball into the goal.
Second Round Cape Town City 2 - Royal Eagles 3
Once again drawn as the road team, this time Wells fielded a full strength squad and needed every bit of it. The game was a constant tug of war back and forth, with Cape Town jumping to an early lead, then the Royal Eagles equalizing before taking a one goal lead into the half. Cape Town hit the ground running in the second half bringing the game up to 2-2 via a cross that sailed right in front of Darren Johnson, who could only watch as Asanda Dyani kicked the ball in from point blank range. Things looked like they were heading to extra time, as both defenses were leaky yet holding off on allow goals. Fortunately for the Royal Eagles, substitute stepped up for Katleho Mokhouane stepped up in place of Jamie Webber -- who is showing a horrifying tendency to shrink away in big games -- to seal the game. On a counter attack Mokhouane grabbed a pass from the midfield and floated in a beautiful shot from outside the box into the top corner of the net. It was a worthy reward for the winger playing out of his usual position -- he ended up having the highest rating of anyone on the Royal Eagles team (but did not win Player of the Match).
South African Cup Quarterfinals Kaizer Chiefs - Royal Eagles
It's not that uncommon to have the top two teams in the division clash in one of these kinds of cups, even if it is a little earlier than most spectators would want it. However, despite the standings this still felt like a David vs Goliath kind of affair, with the Royal Eagles newly promoted and not even the most important team in Maritzburg, while the Kaizer Chiefs are the top dog -- defending champions with a player pipeline good enough to catch the attention of major European clubs -- and on their home turf. Both teams came in with some injury problems, the most notable being the Royal Eagles without their new young striker Boitumelo Radiopane due to him twisting his ankle in training a few weeks prior. Wells elected to go with a full health squad instead of risking injury in the Cup matches, leaving roster also-ran Ian Chikohwa in at the starting striker spot.
He wasn't an also-ran for long, stunning the home crowd in the 13th minute by heading a throw-in into the goal. The pressure was on, as Asher Wells and Kaizer Chiefs' Head Coach Ernst Middendorp are both being excellent motivators it was clear that neither team was going to be mailing in this one to focus on their push to finish out the Premier League. They were both laying it on the line today, and the crowd roared when Nkosingiphile Ngcobo smashed a shot home from nearly 40 yards out to put the teams level at 1-1 going into the half.
And that's when the dam broke loose.
Going into the second half, both teams were incredibly fired up. Ngcobo showed exactly what he could do via beating FOUR Royal Eagles defenders by taking a long ball and running it into the back of the net. 2-1 advantage Kaizer Chiefs. Things looked especially dire for the Royal Eagles at that point, with momentum on the Chiefs side and the crowd rocking FNB Stadium. And then the unimaginable happened. After Nelson Maluleke wrested possession from him in the midfield, Ngcobo retaliated by tackling Maluleke with both feet. Unquestionably a Red Card. And not just any Red Card, but a dismissal of the player who scored both of the Chief's goals.
Did it matter? No, the onslaught continued as the next man up stepped up for the home team, as Siphelele Mtsjamgese hammered in a deflected shot from the penalty area. Now a man down, the Kaizer Chiefs found themselves at an amazingly comfortable 3-1 lead.
The moment had already proven too big for Thabo Molea and Maselaelo Seanego, who Wells had put on the Royal Eagles bench due to nerves, frustration, and overall bad play. Jamie Webber was once again doing his best disappearing act during a big match, and the Royal Eagles were getting decimated not from the wings, but from the core of the team: the middle of the defense. Wells elected to throw the book at the Chiefs, taking the power play mentality of pushing as hard as possible on offense -- and at two goals down on the road with time ticking away there's not many other options. The Royal Eagles had been showing signs of life all half, and truthfully all game, but someone would need to rise to the occasion.
The first player to do so was Left Back Nyiko Sibanda. As he has been doing for a lot of the season, he hooked an amazing long range shot from an left side in field kick. The Kaizer Chiefs were still confident, even being a man down, but their defensive rotation would be their downfall. After a failed corner kick, they elected to press hard on substitute defender Mfundo Thikazi apparently in hopes of starting a counter attack. They put three defenders on him -- with the Chiefs already a man down there were a lot of options open, and Thikazi, instead of panicking, deftly crossed the ball to Right Back Kamogelo Sambo who was completely alone in the right side of the box. And what did Sambo do? He did what he has shown a habit of doing and has refused to stop doing despite attempts to coach and train him: he attempted a wide angled shot across the breadth of the goalkeeper hoping to get the ball just inside the front post. It's a shot he misses all the time. It's a shot he's missed this game already.
Sambo hit it. And despite struggling to get back into the match with a man advantage, the Royal Eagles held on for extra time with the game tied 3-3.
Extra time in a Cup match in an already crowded schedule is tough enough, and both teams had given their all already. But there was nothing to do but press on, hope the man advantage would be enough to overcome the sheer physical force of will that is the Kaizer Chiefs. The Royal Eagles needed someone to make a break, and that someone was Vusi Mngomezulu, who turned a misplayed corner kick into the capstone of a three goal swing for the visiting team. In extra time, the Eagles were up 4-3.
That was the moment Asher Wells knew his team had it. And maybe his team knew it too. That goal showed the willpower and determination that he had instilled into his squad from top to bottom. Four goals against one of the top defenses in the league, and they all came from the Defense or from Substitutes. These are the kind of performances that help win not just the hearts and minds of the locker room, but of the fans as well. This is how supporters are turned into believers.
The game clock could not tick fast enough.
As the game neared stoppage time in the extra period, it was Coach Middendorp's turn to go on the attack, and his shorthanded team's efforts culminated in a nearly unblockable header off of an in field kick by Lazarous Kambole. With 15 minutes before penalties, the game was all square at Kaizer Chiefs 4, Royal Eagles 4.
The Royal Eagles continued to push, Wells not being a coach who scales things back when something is clearly working. The Eagles were carving up the Chiefs, getting numerous shots and shots on target and controlling the ball. But the team had given it their all, and in the closing minutes the differences in player quality and training quality began to take hold. Siphele Ntshangese got the ball on the left side with open space -- something that is deadly enough in usual circumstances. He cut inside towards the box, and a well timed tackle managed to knock him off the ball as it rolled towards Kamogelo Sambo's feet. But before the Royal Eagles' Right Back could clear it, Ntshangese had regained his balance and rushed forward. Erick Chipeta would have been in position vs most South African players, but this was after nearly two hours of game time against one of the few South African League players who is good enough to be a regular starter for the South African National team.
It was one of those moments that happened so quickly that everything slowed down. Darren Johnson, one of the South African Premier Leagues' best GKs this season, crouched, ready to spring on the ball. Ntshangese kept his hips square, made one additional step to the right, and easily placed the shot past Johnson. Kaizer Chiefs 5 Royal Eagles 4. And despite all of the fight and despite all of their effort, and both teams truly gave it their all, in the end only one team would be able to move on to the South African Cup Semi-Finals. And on this day, the Royal Eagles would have to set their Cup dreams aside and go back to fighting to close out their incredible run in the Premier League.
To say that the Royal Eagles squad performed beyond expectations is an understatement. But they even performed beyond my expectations. All I ever hope to do when getting promoted to the top league is to survive and build up the squad for next season. But the end results speak for themselves.
So, maybe it isn't that surprising given that the Royal Eagles have been pushing towards the top of the standings all season. But let's take a moment to talk about how we closed it out.
Key Matches
Remember Bloem Celtic? The team that kind of set off the team's downward spiral before going into the midseason transfer window? Well, it was time for revenge and revenge was had. Emphatically. With ZERO shots allowed. I couldn't have asked for a better performance at a better time, because the top of the standings were very packed and placements for continental qualification were on the line. The fans needed this. We needed this. But there was one more game that especially stood out in the final push to close out the seasons.
Not only was this retribution for the South African Cup, but the Kaizer Chiefs had just won the Premier League with a game left and Sundowns were on my heels with a goal difference advantage after winning their previous game 7-1 (thanks game). So I went from "comfortable second place with a tie" to "I actually have to win this one." And we came out from the opening gun and just outplayed the Chiefs -- they had nothing to play for and played like nothing. We carried poession. We passed over their defense. It wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates. Sure, there are a lot of "what ifs" re if the Chiefs were in a competitive place, but these are the kind of wins that the Royal Eagles need to show that they're capable of taking on the field in Continental Competition.
Speaking of which:
End of Season Review
It turns out my stressing over continental spots was less warranted because the league went from having 2 available to having 4 available. I should learn the rules better, BUT at the end of the day our second place finish punches our ticket for the African Champions League. That's pretty amazing. Time will tell if the squad has what it takes to make the jump, but we also have another transfer window or two to work with in order to build up our squad even further.
Of course, it's also worth looking back and discussing the roster move that changed our fortunes this season. Let's just say that dropping Lepasa for Radiopane was the correct move.
Obviously I cannot get a detailed stat breakdown anymore for Lepasa, but I can at least see how he did with his new team. Needless to say, he underwhelmed with Stellenbosch even worse than he underwhelmed with the Royal Eagles. All that money, all that transfer fee, and only two goals.
As for Boitumelo, obviously he still is a little rough around the edges but that's because he's young. But at the same time, he held his own in Premier play, working through the offense and finding the back of the net. He was constantly moving. He wouldn't get disenchanted when things went wrong. He still has buckets of potential. I think I'm set at the striker position, which is important looking forward.
As for the rest of the team, as good as things have gone this season there's still room for improvement. Despite still having a lackluster transfer budget I still think it's a reasonable goal to shoot for being number 1 in South Africa next year. Obviously I'm happy with the striker position and my defense is also doing well. Molea is holding his own as a young Central Defender, despite my wing backs being a low star rating in their position they're still doing very well on the field. The signing, and player of the season, was Sammy Seabi. He was sensational in the midfield.
At the same time, there are still places to build. My attacking midfielders all have some question marks -- and even with Sanego having a high enough average rating he's VERY streaky. Feels weird to say I want to dump my leading goal scorer but I think I might -- Seanego is all speed and no technique. I'm also just unconvinced that Jamie Webber or Nelson Maluleke are cut out for Premier Play. Webber constantly disappeared from games. Maluleke is still young and high potential -- there's hope. I can probably also do better than my current Ball Winning Midfielder -- if I can find the right player.
And that sums up my philosiphy in Football Manager: always look to improve. Sure, it means that I'll cut bait if a player isn't up to scrath anymore. But I think I almost have a completed roster of young players who can grow together over the next few years. That's a very exciting prospect to take into Continental competition. Personally I'm going into next season with high expectations. I hope my squad feels the same.
This has all come so quickly. Not necessarily easily, but quickly. But what's coming is the biggest season in Royal Eagles history. A real shot at winning the Premier League. A ticket to the highest level continental competition in Africa. And some other goodies along the way that are reserved only for the top clubs in South Africa. So, while this is going to be a BIG year it also really needs to be a GOOD year. One where the team can leave its mark. The Royal Eagles don't have a rich history, only having been founded a little while ago. But that blank slate does offer one obvious benefit: it doesn't have to remain blank for much longer.
Key Offseason Transfers
If last season was about dumping a bunch of money into the transfer market in order to increase the talent level of the team, this year's transfer strategy is to consolidate what we have on our squad and improve the areas that still need improvement. To that end, we were able to cut some of the dead weight via expiring contracts or free transfers (despite the board's grumbling about not getting fees) while keeping the good players and positive locker room influences. Of course, extending contracts led to an increase in use of wage budget, so there's less room to splash cash in the transfer market anyway. But retaining key players like Erick Chipata (DC), Kamogelo Sambo (DR), and Nyiko Sibanda (DL) was very important in keeping up both the talent level and consistency of the team. The defensive side of the squad is set. It's the front side that needed some work.
Mogamat May - AML - Streenberg United ($0 Free): the search for a workable AML that isn't scared of playing football continues. Jamie Webber disappointed last season with his tendency to disappear for weeks at a time -- so now it's Mogamat's opportunity to shine despite coming in for free instead of being a high budget big name transfer. He's fast. He's got potential. And he can play on both sides if the need arises. Surely he'll do better in that position than what I've gotten over the past two years, right?
Fawaaz Basadien - AMR - Free Transfer (Previously Ubuntu Cape Town) ($0 Free): as I said in my previous post, it's a little weird to look at the player who is my top goalscorer and say "no, you're not good enough." But that's the situation the squad is in. Basadien is just on a higher level in terms of talent as well as fitness -- which is going to be incredibly important with the congested fixture list that's coming. In addition, my scouts noted one big thing that sets him apart from my other attacking midfielders: consistency. If I can just get a solid game-to-game performance from the front line, that's going to make such a huge difference in making it through continental competition. Basadien is a little older than who I usually sign and has pretty much reached his potential -- but I'm not looking to grow this season. I'm looking to win.
Luvoyo Phewa - MC - Mthatha Bucks ($3k): I don't remember who scouted Phewa but whoever did needs a bonus. This guy is good. REALLY good. And on top of that, he was cheap and languishing as the only quality player on a lower division team. How in the world did no other team find him? He's literally better than almost every other midfielder even on big money teams like Orlando and Sundowns. Phewa has all of the skills you want in his natural position as a Deep Lying Playmaker, which means going into the season he's going to do something I never expected: supplant last season's MVP Sammy Seabi and bump him over to my other midfield slot.
So how's this for a slice of irony. Remember when I said that my goal was to build up my team and put them over the top to win South Africa and take on the whole continent? You'd think I'd be trying to poach the benches of other Premier League teams or just throw money at their star players to convince them to come to my side. Instead, the three most important signings of this transfer period, and in fact all FIVE of my transfer signings from this period, came from teams that are in LOWER leagues than the First National Division (note: these leagues are not active on this save).
And yet, I'm confident in every single one of them. I'm excited about the team this season, which is going to start on a flyer because the African Champions League and the first Cup battle of the South African season, the Super 8 Cup, both start well before the September 12, 2021 Premier League opener vs Black Leopards. We're going to know what we've got on this team real fast.
The season starts off with absolutely no chill. While the General Manager is blithely scheduling friendlies all over the place, notifications come in that the Preliminary Round of the Champions League and the First Round/Quarter Final of the Super 8 Cup, featuring the top 8 teams in South Africa last season, are all on the docket and coming fast. For the Champions League, obviously it's important to get off on the right foot but the competition should not be too onerous. As for the Super 8? The winner gets an amazing cash injection of $1.02 million -- that's big bucks for South Africa. Especially for a newly promoted team like the Royal Eagles who still don't get anywhere near filling the stadium.
Of course, the Super 8 Draw is terrifying. So we'll get to that in a minute.
Africa Champions League Preliminary Round 1
Game 1 Racing De Micomeseng (Equatorial Guinea) 0 - Royal Eagles (South Africa) 4
If you're looking for a clash of the titans look elsewhere. Racing only sports TWO players (so much for extended databases), with the rest being automatic fill-ins. Needless to say, the game was as lopsided as any I've ever seen. The Royal Eagles shot 48 times to Racing's 0. Four different players got on the scoreboard, including Nelson Maluleke hitting a powerful shot from within the penalty box in the very first minute. No, this is not the challenge we expected even starting the first leg as the away team. Something something it's time to guard against complacency something something. Seriously though, the team looked good.
South African Super 8 Cup Quaterfinal (Sounds Cooler than first round) Royal Eagles 2 - Orlando Pirates 1
There we go. Here's the early season nightmare fuel/test to see just where our team is at. Orlando is just as good as they are funded, and they are VERY funded. In fact, they put the Royal Eagle fans back in their seats by taking an early lead on a breakaway goal. It wasn't until halftime, where Asher Wells reminded his team that they weren't facing continental also-rans, that the team snapped to attention. Sammy Seabi evened the game up shortly after half time and Nelson Maluleke put the Eagles over the top by hitting a rebounded missed header from Biotumelo Radiopane on a very deep in field penalty kick. Still, player of the game rightfully went to Erick Chipeta, who closed down the defense in the second half and helped keep the Pirates at bay.
That said, the Super 8 Cup is brutal because the first round is one-and-done. So while Orlando is going to have no other shot the Royal Eagles drew Cape Town City in the next round. A formidable, if not quite as scary, opponent that will need to be dispatched over two legs. But first...
Africa Champions League Preliminary Round 1
Game 2 Royal Eagles (South Africa) 10 - Racing De Micomeseng (Equatorial Guinea) 0
The score line is not a typo, and this time the Royal Eagles conceded two shots (to their 47). But this was a similarly dominating performance. Nelson Maluleke scored 4 goals and Jamie Webber scored 3 goals. It would be really nice to see this kind of performance out of them against stiffer competition. Time will tell if that ends up being the case. But now that the prelims are over, the competition is about to heat up, as the Royal Eagles drew Tout Puissant Mazembe out of the Democratic Republic of Congo -- worth noting that they're a team with the same level of global reputation as the Royal Eagles. But can't look ahead when the next order of business is:
South African Super 8 Cup Semifinal
First Leg Royal Eagles 2 - Cape Town City 1
What's always interesting about playing CTC is that they're one of the few teams that are more possession hungry than we are. So it's all about who gets the ball and then who can do something with it. With home advantage Asher Wells really wanted to get off on the right foot, and both Nelson Maluleke and Boitumelo Radiopane delivered with early goals in the first half. From there though, the game tightened up -- specifically with the Royal Eagles starting to play a bit rough and accumulating 22 fouls to Cape Town's 8. Still, the only goal by Cape Town, via a free kick from Lebohang Maboe, was too little too late.
South African Super 8 Cup Semifinal
Second Leg Cape Town City 1 - Royal Eagles 1
One thing the Super 8 cup does take into account is away goals, so Cape Town is definitely not totally out of the game just for being able to score their one "meaningless" shot at the end of last game. Oddly enough, the pressure was on and it did appear to affects the Royal Eagles. Despite being able to make some changes, those chances were low quality. And about the only thing that kept the Royal Eagles in the game was that Cape Town was equally terrible. Still, Thabo Nodada tied up the aggregate early with a soft shot that caught Darren Johnson looking. Royal Eagle players were already distressed and succumbing to defeat in the locker room, and there was little Wells could do to get them back up -- after all, these were players who were still intent on finishing in the middle of the standings this year. They aren't supposed to be playing in Cup Finals. Fortunately for the Royal Eagles, their only goal of the game came via a not-so-controversial (I promise!) penalty kick cashed in by Luvoyo Phewa.
Interestingly enough, the Royal Eagles punch their ticket to a one night engagement of a final vs their favorite top tier punching bag: Sundowns. On neutral territory, anything's possible. But before getting to there, and with the South African Premier League still just a glimmer in the team's eye, there's even more football!
Africa Champions League First Roudn
Leg 1 Tout Puissant Mazembe (Congo DR) 2 - Royal Eagles (South Africa) 3
FINALLY some worthy competition in the Champions League. Despite the fact that the Royal Eagles were able to hold a tie or lead throughout the whole game, Mazembe was nipping on their heels the whole time. Fortunately, the Royal Eagles got HUGE contributions from their midfield. Sammy Seabi and Nelson Maluleke continue to be familiar names on the score sheet, but the most ountstanding player was Luvoyo Phewa, who carved up the Mazembe defense with an UNREAL 11 Key passes. Seriously, I don't think I've seen such a stunning display of passing between two evenly matched sides. Meanwhile, Mazembe only got three shots on target, but still managed two goals. Such terrifying efficiency. It should turn out to be a good game when the team return to Maritzpieterburg, and especially compelling because the Royal Eagles have a dominating 3 away goals if it comes down to a tiebreaker.
Africa Champions League First Roudn
Leg 2 Royal Eagles (South Africa) 5 - Tout Puissant Mazembe (Congo DR) 1
And...at least it was a good game if you're a Royal Eagles fan? Something cracked early and it was Boitumelo Radiopane, who had two stupendous individual effort goals in the first half on the way to scoring a hat-trick. Meanwhile, Tout Puissant Mazembe went from having two shots on target to two shots TOTAL (still hitting the one shot on target -- well, two if you count an own goal in extra time). It's like somebody gave them the golden gun, but the single fire is not going to overcome an 8-3 aggregate win for the Royal Eagles.
The team met the board's expectations by making it to the Group Stage. And that in of itself is very exciting -- but not knowing the layout of African Football very much it'll be interesting to see if the Royal Eagles are more Shark or Minnow. The group stage will be discussed in the next post, along with an update of how the Premier League is going. With all of the extra competitions, will the Royal Eagles be in form or distracted? If nothing else it's going to be an exciting season full of extracurricular activities (e.g. even more Cups).
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