Get It India!

[Lippo255]

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Results

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As you can see above we have a very busy schedule coming up. With important fixtures in both the league & Confederation Cup results in this period could very well be the difference between a good season & a disappointing one.

Confederation Cup

Dempo 2 - Al Zawra 1

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An important win in a very even game. We went down after just a minute but managed to battle our way back. Striker Teofeek Akanbi capped off a sensational team move just before the break to send us in level, Jewel Raja then fired us in front with a superb long range effort on 69 minutes. Al-Zawra through every thing at us in the dying stages but we hung on to take the 3 points & top spot in the group!

National Football League

Dempo 0 - Lajong 1

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Fair to say that we suffered from a bit of Confederation Cup hangover here. A disappointing result but we don't have long to wait for a chance at revenge.

Dempo 2 - Lajong 1

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A much better performance this time around. 2 goals to the good after just half an hour we settled into cruise control &, despite conceding on 50 minutes, were never really challenged.

Dempo 4 - East Bengal 1

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Despite our complete dominance statistically this game was in the balance right up to the hour mark. We wasted so many chances that I was beginning to think this might go down as another missed opportunity. Thankfully a late brace from young striker Ivo Coutinho handed us the points.

Dempo 1 - Bengaluru 2

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Our worst performance of the year seemingly just come from nowhere! Stats say it all, we were horrendous!!!

Confederation Cup

The poor performance against Bengaluru was followed by an equally bad performance against Dhofar in the Confederation Cup. We lost 3 - 0 which leaves us needing a point from our final match to progress. Sorry no screenie.

National Football League

Dempo 4 - Goa 0

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A return to a bit of form, though the score-line flattered us. Lethal finishing from youngster Ivo Coutinho proving the difference in a game that really could have gone either way.

Tables

National Football League

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Still sit in second spot 1 point behind Salgoacar who amazingly have 3 games in hand on us! Interestingly enough Pune FC have come from the clouds & could actually leap frog us into 2nd if they win their game in hand!

Confederation Cup

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A point against Riffa will be enough to see us through. There is still an outside chance we could come out on top with a win!

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Once again i'm flirting with the idea of switching clubs. Thinking a change of scenery might re-focus me as at times this year I have been guilty of hitting he space bar all too hastily. Think I will depend on how the year finishes up.

Any opinions will be taken on board.
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[zacram]

Good story mate!

Just noticed that you seem to play nearly every game at home?? or at least that how it appears in the screenshots...

 

[Lippo255]

Good story mate!

Just noticed that you seem to play nearly every game at home?? or at least that how it appears in the screenshots...

Yeah, now that you say it i see what you are getting at. As you can see from the fixture list i'm not always at home but for some reason i am always listed on the left hand side in match reports? Have not noticed this before, is very strange.

Will go back through all my posts now & check it out. When i post i generally put myself to the left but yeah the match reports seemingly do the same???

 

[Lippo255]

Good story mate!

Just noticed that you seem to play nearly every game at home?? or at least that how it appears in the screenshots...

Yep you are right, nice eye!

The only times i am listed to the right (indicating an away game) is when i have forgotten to take my screenies of the the "match report" from the post match inbox message. Maybe a glitch or just the way they are set up? Either way i had never noticed it!

 

[zacram]

Thought maybe your home fans couldn't afford/ have time for all those home games, hence the low attendance! haha.

 

[Lippo255]

The Final Countdown....

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Results

National Football League

Dempo 3 - Rangdajied o

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An easy win against a team that, so far this year, has only managed to pick up 1 point! Saif Salman the star scoring once & assisting twice. Bit surprised that the below news item took so long coming considering my first sentence.

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Dempo 3 - Churchill Bros 1

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A good all round team performance saw us win another game fairly comfortably. Goals to Coutinho, who has really hit his straps at the back end of the year, Akanbi & Ferreira.

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As with Miranda earlier in the year I knew this day would be coming. Hasn't played a lot for us this season but did a good job for the club in the twilight of his career. Is looking at becoming an assistant.

Confederation Cup

Our final game of the group stage. A draw would be enough to see us through, while a win would give us a chance to finish top.

Dempo 1 - Riffa 2

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GODAMNMOTHERF#@KINGC*#KSUCKINGDONKEYBALLS!!!!!
Of course it would end like this, been our problem all year, too wasteful! SOOO many chances just heartbreaking to go out in this fashion after sitting top 2 games ago. :'(

Final Table

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Not much to say, honestly just can't come up with anything to express my disappointment.

National Football League

2 games remaining & the title has come down to a 3 horse race. Salgaocar have lead all year, We have sat just behind & now Pune FC have produced a stunning string of results to be right up there as well. It's anyones title to win or lose!!!

Dempo 2 - Salgoacar 1

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Huge result! A lose here & we were out of the running. Surprisingly it was 2 fringe players that did the damage. Lalkamal Bhowmick first equalising for us before Shane D'Cunha gave us the win, both after only just being subbed in!!! Am I a super coach??? I'll leave that for the papers to decide lol

The Final Round

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So it all comes down to this. 3 teams separated by 3 points playing in reverse order. Salgoacar's (35 points) game against East Bengal will be first up, followed by our game (36 points) against Mohun Bagan then the followind day surprise leaders Pune FC (37 Points) can wrap up the title if their nerves can hold.

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Salgoacar hold firm beating East Bengal 4-2 to put the pressure on both ourselves & Pune FC.

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Salgoacar take top spot, but for how long? We are up next. A win would, at least, guarantee us another run in Asia!

Dempo 4 - Mohun Bagan 3

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OMG! Still don't know how we got away with this! If we were this clinical all year we'd have won the title a month ago! Such a nervy game it had me on the edge of my seat until the final whistle, even writing this summation has my heart racing again!!!

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So it's all up to Pune FC now. They must win to take home the title otherwise it's ours on for & against!

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They did it, did it easy in fact. Where they come from & how they got there I still don't know but credit where it is due. They took the pressure in their stride & have clinched the title in doing so.

Final Table

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So we finish second. Amazingly Salgoacar miss the Asian spots despite leading the race for the title for all but the last 2 weeks of the season!! Ouch!!!!!

Competition Overviews

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All in all a very disappointing year for us. We fell short of expectations in all of the competitions the board cared about. Just goes to show that having the best players does not always guarantee success. Form, injuries &, probably most importantly, a touch of luck all play their part in shaping any season.

Still managed to win 2 trophies but let's be real they are of no significance at all. I feel as though sooner or later the side I have built here will achieve great things but with a decision to make on my future coming up I'm not sure I will be the one there when they achieve it.

Once again I thank you all for following, commenting & generally supporting the story!
Sometimes it can be this support that makes the difference between sticking it out through the tough times & giving up.

See you next year!
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[Lippo255]

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​

In a shock announcement today East Bengal have unveiled former Dempo boss C.J. Lippo as their new manager.

The decision came as a surprise to many people who had believed Lippo to be happy with his former employers, having signed a new contract less then 12 months ago.

In his 3 years in charge at Dempo Lippo lifted an impressive 7 trophies, including the league title in 2015/16. A disappointing campaign last term is thought to be the catalyst for the move with inside sources suggesting Lippo had become disillusioned with the clubs lack of progress off the park as well as their underperformance on it.

Lippo himself did not attend the press conference, preferring instead to take the time to familiarise himself to his new surroundings.

In a brief statement East Bengal President, Pranab Dasgupta, said " We are extremely happy to welcome C.J. to the club & have the utmost confidence that we have chosen the right man to return this great club to the top of Indian football."

In a further twist Dempo chairman, Shrinivus Dempo, faced the media just hours later, to announce former East Bengal manager & Dempo club legend, Armando Colaco would take the reigns at the League runner ups next season.
Colaco's time at East Bengal ended when a string of poor performances saw him fired after almost 3 years at the helm.

Colaco has a proven track record having taken home the League title 5 times in his first stint as Dempo manager.

"We are delighted to welcome Armando back to Dempo & look forward to further success under his guidance" announced Dempo.
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[Lippo255]

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Appiah to Re-Unite With Lippo

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Sources from within East Bengal football club have today revealed that former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has put pen to paper on a 3 year contract to become manager C.J. Lippo's new assistant.

The deal will re-unite the pair who spent the last 3 years together at fellow Indian National Football League club Dempo.

Lippo is known to have a great respect for the former Juventus star & it is believed that their friendship was a key factor in the new East Bengal boss reaching out to his former charger to fill the vacant roll.

Appiah, who only announced his retirement from the game earlier this year, is said to be excited at the prospect of starting the next phase of his career alongside his close friend & mentor.

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[lolrofl]

This is amazing good job! Love it

 

[Lippo255]

This is amazing good job! Love it

Thanks mate, trying out a new layout this season hopefully i can make the story look at bit better.

 

[Lippo255]

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Lippo Era Begin's With A Bang

New East Bengal boss C.J. Lippo has today Unveiled 3 new signings to officially begin his reign at the Kolkata club.

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Fronting the media for the first time since his appointment Lippo was clearly delighted to introduce his new signings

" I am pleased with the quality of player that we have been able to attract to the club. All 3 of these guys arrive with a wealth of international experience & I am convinced we have began this season in the best possible way."

Asked to describe his thoughts on his signings individually Lippo had the following to say,

" Mustafa Nadhim (Bottom, in white.) arrives as an established Iraqi international defender who has proven himself both at club level as well as with his performances for his country. I have no doubt that he will lead our defence admirably.

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" Dialo Guidileye (top left.) brings with him tremendous experience & pedigree. Having spent time in Ligue 1 with both Stade Brestois & ESTAC Troyes before his most recent stint with Cypriot side AEL, he has vast European Experience to go along with his undoubted talent."

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" The minute I heard that Iban ( Salvador, top right.) was interested in joining I knew I would do anything to get him. Having seen him play at Valencia it was an easy call. Not only is Iban a fantastic player but he also has a great attitude & professional approach to his game & training."

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News of the new signings has added yet more buzz to an already excited fan-base who are quickly beginning to believe that the former Dempo boss may well be able to turn the club's fortunes around sooner then expected.

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[Lippo255]

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Lippo Raid Leaves Dempo Fans Fuming!

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East Bengal manager C.J. Lippo today continued his revamp of the Kolkata club announcing a further 4 signings.

The news has left Dempo fans devastated as (now) former players Lalkamal Bhowmick, Falgundo Cardozo & Shayne D'Cunha (above) were all presented to the media as the latest members of the East Bengal revolution.

Dempo supporter groups are now accusing newly re-appointed manager Armando Colaco of complacency ahead of the new season, sighting the fact that no attempts were made by the manager to avoid the 3 players leaving on free transfers.

D'Cunha has been widely tipped to have a bright future for both club & country & the news of his departure has hit Dempo fans hard.

" Obviously we are aware that we can't hold on to everybody but to lose a young player with the talent & potential of Shayne D'Cunha on a free transfer is unacceptable." A spokesman said.

For his part Lippo refused to be drawn on the issue stating only that:

" I am not interested in a players history, it is my job to improve my team & that is what I have done."

The three Dempo players were also joined by former Stabaek goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandu, however the significance of his arrival was overshadowed by Lippo's raid on his former club.

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[Lippo255]

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East Bengal Land Kenyan International

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East Bengal have today announced the signing of Kenyan International midfielder Peter Opiyo (pictured).

East Bengal assistant Stephen Appiah appeared in front of the media to introduce the Kolkata club's latest signing stating

"We are over the moon to welcome Peter to the club & are sure he will have a long & successful career at East Bengal."

Asked to offer an insight into manager C.J. Lippo's future plans for the squad Appiah would not comment but with Lippo's foreign player numbers now standing at 6, speculation is growing that long time club servants Dudu & Emmanuel Enize may well be shown the door in the coming weeks to make room for his many new signings.

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[Lippo255]

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Tollygunge vs East Bengal

Line ups

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Analysis

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Still some work to do on the shape of the team. My main concern is the proximity of my 7 & 8 in this game. Far to close to one another.

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Fullbacks got forward well, found plenty of space & put a lot of balls into the box. Unfortunately not many found a target.

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Plenty of shots though many of them from outside the area. Need more creativity in the final third to create more CCC's I think.

Result

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We won very easily in the end. Wont be doing this for all my pre-season games just wanted to get a look at the new layout. What does everyone think, better?

Wanted to split the logo's to either side of the verses line but when i did, it through off the alignment of my first screenshot for some reason. Looked way better split but the misalignment **** me!

Anything else you would like to see included? Anyone know how to solve my problem with the alignment?
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[Seano]

Looking good so far - preffered the style you were using at Dempo, but thats just me.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Lippo255]

Looking good so far - preffered the style you were using at Dempo, but thats just me.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks mate, much appreciated. My plan is to keep the general updates much the same but go into a bit more detail for the bigger matches & add a few logo's & such to brighten things up a bit.

Then have "news stories" to announce signings or player unrest etc. have been a lot of them recently but it has been a busy off season.

 

[Lippo255]

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Pre -Season

An extremely busy off-season!

Knew when I accepted the job that it would be a step down in both squad depth & quality, just how big a step was a real eye opener though. No wonder we were able to dominate this mob!

To be honest I actually thought about going back to a previous save point & continuing with Dempo (yes it was that bad) but, F@#k it, I'm in this for a challenge aren't I?

Yes I am, so lets push on!

In the end I was pleased with the calibre of player I was able to bring to the club, my first 11 is amongst the best in the comp (I believe) though we still lack depth in almost every position & with so many new faces it will obviously take time to gel.

Despite attracting some very strong foreign players, it is a couple of local lads that has me most excited.

Shayne D'Cunha

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A very promising young attacking mid/striker who perhaps didn't get the chances he deserved at Dempo due to the formation I used.

That wont be a problem here. Am positive that the increased opportunities will see him have a "break-out" season & cement him as a regular for his national side & a star for East Bengal.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

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Was keeping a close eye on this guy at Dempo.
Most recently had a stint with Norwegian side Stabaek but has spent the last 12 months or so as a free agent. If he is not the Indian No.1 by the end of the year I will be very surprised. A mountain of a man with good hands & feet. Hopefully he will be hard to beat! (That rhymes! lol)

Expectations

Was thinking, after a forgettable season last year, expectations might be slightly lower & allow me time to build the squad & get them to click before pushing on for a title challenge.

WRONG!!!

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Challenge for the title? A few injuries in the wrong positions & this could get very ugly, very quickly

Results

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A bit disappointing I'm afraid, some very mixed results but I guess that is to be expected with so many new faces.

Still have the same problems I had at Dempo.

Very long pre-season, limited opponents (none of which are really a match for us) & any team with the resources to travel here see's no point in playing us. At least in Kolkata there are some games that bring in some cash, even if it is only 2k.

The Durand Cup will give us our first competitive matches. Honestly, I don't know what to expect. At times we have looked very good but other times the complete opposite. Time will tell I guess.
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[Lippo255]

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2017 Durand Cup



A much shorter update then i had planned i'm afraid.

Was thinking this competition would be a great chance to collect my first siverware for East Bengal. Unfortunately, after just our first match, we found ourselves incapable of qualifying for the semi's!

Not a great start, thankfully the board doesn't care.



East Bengal 0 - Kenkre 1

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Dominated this match but just couldn't find a way through. Credit to Kenkre, they defended well & took their chance on the break.



East Bengal 2 - Hindustan 1

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Well, this is my first competitive victory for East Bengal. Not a spectacular one but a win is a win I suppose.



That's it! 2 matches in 2 days & the competition is over for us. Our next chance to land some silverware will be the Federation Cup in just over a month.

After seeing our performances here I will definitely be arranging a few more friendlies before then. Still a long way to go brining this bunch together it seems. Let's hope we can re-group & give the Fed Cup a shake. We will need to improve a lot to do so. The competition will be much tougher then it was here!

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[Lippo255]

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2017 Durand Cup





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****, this update has been a pain.

1st off I posted when I only wanted to preview, then I got it all the way I wanted & realised I had written Dempo in every place that was supposed to say East Bengal (Quit living in the past man!) & then I forgot to edit the size of my screenies.

Thank god it is now done! Know there is a typo as well but I will NOT be editing this for a 4th time lol

 

[Lippo255]

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2017 Federation Cup


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Group Stage

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A decent group draw this year. Obviously our main competition will be Salgoacar, although their squad has been somewhat depleted in the off-season. Bengaluru will also provide a tough test, while newly promoted Kolkata rivals Mohammedan should also be an interesting match.


East Bengal 3 - Mohammedan 1

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A return to a bit of form here after a disappointing Durand Cup. Very pleased to get a win in my first Kolkata derby. As expected we dominated the league new comers & in the end it was a pretty comfortable victory.

East Bengal 2 - Salgaocar 2

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We were desperately unlucky in this match, conceded the first goal against the run of play then had a missed penalty punished by their 2nd!
Fought back magnificently though & were still unfortunate not to take all 3 points.

East Bengal 2 - Lajong 2

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Another game in which we were a bit unlucky. :S
A free flowing attacking game with plenty of action, I suppose it's no real surprise it ended in a draw.

East Bengal 1 - Bengaluru 0

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A very nervy affair as a win in this game would qualify the victor for the semi's. In truth we were a bit fortunate to get away with it. A dubious penalty gave us the goal & while we defended quite well Bengaluru managed to create more then enough chances to equalise.

Final Table

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So we finish top of our group level with Salgaocar. Pretty happy as we managed to go undefeated as well. As you can see from the stats our front line has been very impressive, with Shayne D'Cunha in particular proving central to our attack with 5 assists & an average rating of 7.5.

We now await the semi final draw to see who our next opponent will be.
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