Smashed it!
Cheers mate
Gone Travelling
- Thread starter Ralph2211
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Cheers mate
It was a week before Christmas and I had made it back to Belfast after what seemed like twice round the planet over the last 2 days, Tunisia to China, China to London and London to Belfast. Throw in the teams awards the night before I flew home and a massive **** up with my mates that i hadn't seen in forever and it was fair to say I wasn't in the best shape when my phone woke me. It was my agent and he was talking to me about flying to Argentina. I had to stop him as I had no clue what he was talking about. "last night?" Sorry Marcus you going to have to remind me, between jet lag, Harp and Bushmills I have no recollection of speaking to you never mind what we said. "F**k sake Ralph, so Newell's Old Boys are after a manager, last night you said you were interested and I have arranged an interview for you, it's on the 20th so you need to sort your sh*t out and get on a flight, TODAY!"
So feeling like cr*p I heading back to the airport and was off to Argentina for an interview, I really must look into airmiles as I'm sure I'd have earned a few over the past week. This was a big point in my career as this was the first time I had every heard of the team I was looking to take over. Newell's were meant to be towards the top of the league, challenging for Continental football, however found themselves 1 place off the bottom in 19th and unsurprisingly had sacked their manager. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave Shandong, but it was too good an opportunity to turn down anyway they might say no. On the flight I was looking into the club and it felt very much like when I had taken over at Shandong, a big club with big expectations who for whatever reason had struggled. I felt if I was to get the job it would be a case of restoring confidence and we should be able to pull away from the relegation zone.
The interview itself went pretty well, though somehow I got talked into agreeing to play possession football if I took over, which as I sat in my hotel room going over things may have been a mistake. I had been asked to stick around as the aim was to have a new manager in place for the next match on the 27th December, ah well there goes Christmas with my family!
So feeling like cr*p I heading back to the airport and was off to Argentina for an interview, I really must look into airmiles as I'm sure I'd have earned a few over the past week. This was a big point in my career as this was the first time I had every heard of the team I was looking to take over. Newell's were meant to be towards the top of the league, challenging for Continental football, however found themselves 1 place off the bottom in 19th and unsurprisingly had sacked their manager. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave Shandong, but it was too good an opportunity to turn down anyway they might say no. On the flight I was looking into the club and it felt very much like when I had taken over at Shandong, a big club with big expectations who for whatever reason had struggled. I felt if I was to get the job it would be a case of restoring confidence and we should be able to pull away from the relegation zone.
The interview itself went pretty well, though somehow I got talked into agreeing to play possession football if I took over, which as I sat in my hotel room going over things may have been a mistake. I had been asked to stick around as the aim was to have a new manager in place for the next match on the 27th December, ah well there goes Christmas with my family!
Brane_Orsou
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Christmas with the family is over-rated 
Much rather be stuck in a hotel room waiting nervously for a phone call that would change everthing
Much rather be stuck in a hotel room waiting nervously for a phone call that would change everthing
I woke up and it was Christmas Morning, not that you would know it looking around my hotel room, it could be any Monday. No decorations, no tree and from the lack of presents it was clear Santa hadn't visited. On the bright side I wasn't hungover, which I most definitely would have been if I was at home. So i would head for breakfast then see if there was anywhere in Rosario I could get a turkey dinner.
It was whilst going through Rosario's restaurants that my phone went, from the number it had to be the club with news of my interview. I answered and it was Rafael Bomba, the director, we chatted for a bit about how the interview had gone and I was sure I hadn't got the job, then just as I was loosing interest because I assumed he was about to tell me my application had been unsuccessful, he said "and we love for you to be the new manager of Newell's Old Boys." I immediaetly said yes and he said he would send all the paperwork to myself and my agent. We arranged for me to come in on Boxing Day to be unveiled and meet the staff and players, Then my first game would be on the 27th.
View attachment 71106
It was whilst going through Rosario's restaurants that my phone went, from the number it had to be the club with news of my interview. I answered and it was Rafael Bomba, the director, we chatted for a bit about how the interview had gone and I was sure I hadn't got the job, then just as I was loosing interest because I assumed he was about to tell me my application had been unsuccessful, he said "and we love for you to be the new manager of Newell's Old Boys." I immediaetly said yes and he said he would send all the paperwork to myself and my agent. We arranged for me to come in on Boxing Day to be unveiled and meet the staff and players, Then my first game would be on the 27th.
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Season 1
So I arrived at the stadium and I met Rafa who I had spoken to yesterday and he introduced me to my backroom staff, or at least the 2 members who remained as they had apparently gotten rid of everyone with the exception of the goalkeeping coach and fitness coach, meaning that I'd have to find an entire new backroom staff as well, so just me then for the 1st game. We went to the training ground and I met the team and watched a very light training session. Then everyone was off to prepare for tomorrows game, whilst I sat and read reports on players, team shape and mentality whilst almost drowning in stats to try and figure out how and who we were going to play tomorrow.
I had identified my key players and would attempt to build a formation around them:
View attachment 71070
Lopez was by a distance the best keeper at the club, and whilst there were a few youngsters with a lot of potential, Lucas would be number 1 for the foreseeable future. Solid all round and at 28 a good age for a keeper. I was happy to have a bit of stability between the posts.
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Reyes is a solid no nonsense centre back and also club captain. Good in all the areas you would want, though he does lack a little bit of pace, however I play to play a 18 year old beside him who is pretty quick.
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The centre of the park is one area I feel we lack numbers and maybe a bit of quality. Demartin is a decent player and will be are more advanced option in the middle.
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Levi is full of potential and will be given the task of pulling the strings behind the striker in the number 10 role. He's ok in all the areas you would want from your playmaker and with some 1st team football he might be able to turn those 12 and 13s into 15s and make him a really good player.
View attachment 71066
With 5 star potential and already lots of 14 and 15s Saucedo will hopefully be the teams goal threat. If he is as good as I think he could be the main problem I might have is keeping hold of him. I'll be looking for lots of goals from him for the remainder of the season.
Season 1
So I arrived at the stadium and I met Rafa who I had spoken to yesterday and he introduced me to my backroom staff, or at least the 2 members who remained as they had apparently gotten rid of everyone with the exception of the goalkeeping coach and fitness coach, meaning that I'd have to find an entire new backroom staff as well, so just me then for the 1st game. We went to the training ground and I met the team and watched a very light training session. Then everyone was off to prepare for tomorrows game, whilst I sat and read reports on players, team shape and mentality whilst almost drowning in stats to try and figure out how and who we were going to play tomorrow.
I had identified my key players and would attempt to build a formation around them:
View attachment 71070
Lopez was by a distance the best keeper at the club, and whilst there were a few youngsters with a lot of potential, Lucas would be number 1 for the foreseeable future. Solid all round and at 28 a good age for a keeper. I was happy to have a bit of stability between the posts.
View attachment 71069
Reyes is a solid no nonsense centre back and also club captain. Good in all the areas you would want, though he does lack a little bit of pace, however I play to play a 18 year old beside him who is pretty quick.
View attachment 71068
The centre of the park is one area I feel we lack numbers and maybe a bit of quality. Demartin is a decent player and will be are more advanced option in the middle.
View attachment 71067
Levi is full of potential and will be given the task of pulling the strings behind the striker in the number 10 role. He's ok in all the areas you would want from your playmaker and with some 1st team football he might be able to turn those 12 and 13s into 15s and make him a really good player.
View attachment 71066
With 5 star potential and already lots of 14 and 15s Saucedo will hopefully be the teams goal threat. If he is as good as I think he could be the main problem I might have is keeping hold of him. I'll be looking for lots of goals from him for the remainder of the season.
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My first game would be a home to Conlon and being only 2 days after I took over it could be a challenge, though if we looked at the season preview we were expected to be towards the top of the table.
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That said the fact that they were predicted 9th, only a few places below us and we have been on a terrible run with confidence shot to pieces I'm not confident. We will then will take on 2nd place River and round the year off against Huracan. We have January off as far as competitive football but we have a couple of friendlies against lower league Brazilian teams.
I had decided to go with a very similar formation to that I had employed at Shandong, partly because it suited the player we had and partly because it always gave us good possession stats and as I had somehow agreed to play possession football.
View attachment 71063
Quite the start! Colon and River were put to the sword with 3-1 wins in both games. It has become apparent that we aren't as good as I thought I have switched to playing counter attacking football, which seems to be getting results currently but isn't the type of football the board want to see, but I'm sure wins are more important at least at the minute. I did try to play control against Huracan and it went well initially when we went 1 up early, however two swift goals before half time left us 2-1 down and on he back foot and it was only when I switched back to counter that we got the equaliser. Unbeaten start to my career in Argentina so I was happy.
We had 2 easy wins in our friendlies and rotated players so I could have a good look at everyone and see who was up to the task. The transfer window is open but with limited funds it was going to be sell to buy, and there wasn't too many players about.
My first game would be a home to Conlon and being only 2 days after I took over it could be a challenge, though if we looked at the season preview we were expected to be towards the top of the table.
View attachment 71064
That said the fact that they were predicted 9th, only a few places below us and we have been on a terrible run with confidence shot to pieces I'm not confident. We will then will take on 2nd place River and round the year off against Huracan. We have January off as far as competitive football but we have a couple of friendlies against lower league Brazilian teams.
I had decided to go with a very similar formation to that I had employed at Shandong, partly because it suited the player we had and partly because it always gave us good possession stats and as I had somehow agreed to play possession football.
View attachment 71063
Quite the start! Colon and River were put to the sword with 3-1 wins in both games. It has become apparent that we aren't as good as I thought I have switched to playing counter attacking football, which seems to be getting results currently but isn't the type of football the board want to see, but I'm sure wins are more important at least at the minute. I did try to play control against Huracan and it went well initially when we went 1 up early, however two swift goals before half time left us 2-1 down and on he back foot and it was only when I switched back to counter that we got the equaliser. Unbeaten start to my career in Argentina so I was happy.
We had 2 easy wins in our friendlies and rotated players so I could have a good look at everyone and see who was up to the task. The transfer window is open but with limited funds it was going to be sell to buy, and there wasn't too many players about.
View attachment 71062We arrived back from Brazil and were looking forward to 5 games in February, four in the league and 1 in the Copa Argentina. But before all of that we had the draw for the group stages of the Copa Libertadores.
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We had been seeded 2nd so I was hopeful of progression, and if we could get a decent draw and keep up our upturn in form who knows how far we could go.
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So I would hope to beat both Blooming and Alianza and then it would be the crunch games against holders and my old friends COR, who had of course put me out of the Club World Cup when I was with Shandong, a chance for revenge prehaps?
View attachment 71062View attachment 1142084
We would start with back to back away games with Velez and Conlon before 2 home games withArsenal de Sarandi and Lanus were 4 games I was expecting wins from. We would end the month with the 5th round of the cup were the draw wasn't kind and gave us Independiente. They like us had started the season poorly and just replaced their manager also so it could be an interesting game.
View attachment 71061
My unbeaten run in the League continued with 3 good wins though the draw with 2nd from bottom Lanus was disappointing. The most notable thing though was that we were picking up a few injuries and actually went into the Independiente game missing all of the key players I had highlight except the keeper. We took the lead early and held it until the 83rd minute. We then proceeded to concede 2 in minutes. I went on the attack to try and get the goal back but goy caught and shipped a third, and our cup run is over for another year.
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So having taken over with the club in 19th place with 20 points we find ourselves a little further up the table by the end of February and I'm beginning to eye up the top 6 and Continental qualification.
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View attachment 1142084
View attachment 1142081
We had been seeded 2nd so I was hopeful of progression, and if we could get a decent draw and keep up our upturn in form who knows how far we could go.
View attachment 1142082
So I would hope to beat both Blooming and Alianza and then it would be the crunch games against holders and my old friends COR, who had of course put me out of the Club World Cup when I was with Shandong, a chance for revenge prehaps?
View attachment 71062View attachment 1142084
We would start with back to back away games with Velez and Conlon before 2 home games withArsenal de Sarandi and Lanus were 4 games I was expecting wins from. We would end the month with the 5th round of the cup were the draw wasn't kind and gave us Independiente. They like us had started the season poorly and just replaced their manager also so it could be an interesting game.
View attachment 71061
My unbeaten run in the League continued with 3 good wins though the draw with 2nd from bottom Lanus was disappointing. The most notable thing though was that we were picking up a few injuries and actually went into the Independiente game missing all of the key players I had highlight except the keeper. We took the lead early and held it until the 83rd minute. We then proceeded to concede 2 in minutes. I went on the attack to try and get the goal back but goy caught and shipped a third, and our cup run is over for another year.
View attachment 71055
So having taken over with the club in 19th place with 20 points we find ourselves a little further up the table by the end of February and I'm beginning to eye up the top 6 and Continental qualification.
View attachment 71056
View attachment 1142084
View attachment 70648
So far so good in the league but we would be keen to bounce back from our first defeat under my stewardship that we had suffered in the cup. March would be a month of contrast with regards our opponents. Back to back away games against 2nd place Belgrano and bottom of the table Godoy Cruz would be sandwiched between home games with struggling Talleres and title chasing River who currently sit 3rd. I expect us to pick up 6 points against the struggling teams and if we could win one of the other 2 I'd be happy.
View attachment 70647
A very solid month were we not only go unbeaten but don't concede a goal. We are beginning to look like the team I thought we were rather than the one that was in the bottom 3 when I arrived. We completely dominated all but the Belgrano game and were deserved winners in each. The Belgrano game though was very even and a draw would probably have been a fair result, however we were more clinical in front of goal and I'm not going to complain when we are wining games we maybe shouldn't have!
Our performances obviously impressed more than just me as I scope my first Manager of the Month award in Argentina.
View attachment 70646
So far so good in the league but we would be keen to bounce back from our first defeat under my stewardship that we had suffered in the cup. March would be a month of contrast with regards our opponents. Back to back away games against 2nd place Belgrano and bottom of the table Godoy Cruz would be sandwiched between home games with struggling Talleres and title chasing River who currently sit 3rd. I expect us to pick up 6 points against the struggling teams and if we could win one of the other 2 I'd be happy.
View attachment 70647
A very solid month were we not only go unbeaten but don't concede a goal. We are beginning to look like the team I thought we were rather than the one that was in the bottom 3 when I arrived. We completely dominated all but the Belgrano game and were deserved winners in each. The Belgrano game though was very even and a draw would probably have been a fair result, however we were more clinical in front of goal and I'm not going to complain when we are wining games we maybe shouldn't have!
Our performances obviously impressed more than just me as I scope my first Manager of the Month award in Argentina.
View attachment 70646
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In April I would be looking for us to push on and try and get into the top 6 and achieve Continental football again for next season. It wasn't going to be an easy month with a Derby against Rosario Central along with another home tie against Racing who were on good form and like ourselves rising up the table. These two home games would be preceded with trips to Temperley and Argentinos Jrs. Both clubs sitting mid table with little to play for but any away game in this league is tough. That said I expected us to with both those games and the Derby so a minimum of 9 points from this month to ensure we continue our push for top 6.
View attachment 1142581
Unbeaten again and only 1 goal shipped so I can't complain too much, I just hope the 2 draws to come back to haunt us at the end of the season. The Temperley game was an even affair with more fouls than shots. Against Argentions we battered them and peppered their goal with shot after shot but didn't get the luck of the green and so another draw. The Rasario game followed a similar script with us bossing the game, this time we were pleased to have got a 2nd minute penalty and scoop all 3 points. The Racing game was the one that I had been most concerned about as it turned out I need not have been. We torn them apart whilst restricting them to 1 shot on target the entire game. With those results we had move into the top 6 and with 3 games of the season left sat 3rd, though quite a distance off 1st and 2nd.
In April I would be looking for us to push on and try and get into the top 6 and achieve Continental football again for next season. It wasn't going to be an easy month with a Derby against Rosario Central along with another home tie against Racing who were on good form and like ourselves rising up the table. These two home games would be preceded with trips to Temperley and Argentinos Jrs. Both clubs sitting mid table with little to play for but any away game in this league is tough. That said I expected us to with both those games and the Derby so a minimum of 9 points from this month to ensure we continue our push for top 6.
View attachment 1142581
Unbeaten again and only 1 goal shipped so I can't complain too much, I just hope the 2 draws to come back to haunt us at the end of the season. The Temperley game was an even affair with more fouls than shots. Against Argentions we battered them and peppered their goal with shot after shot but didn't get the luck of the green and so another draw. The Rasario game followed a similar script with us bossing the game, this time we were pleased to have got a 2nd minute penalty and scoop all 3 points. The Racing game was the one that I had been most concerned about as it turned out I need not have been. We torn them apart whilst restricting them to 1 shot on target the entire game. With those results we had move into the top 6 and with 3 games of the season left sat 3rd, though quite a distance off 1st and 2nd.
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Of course all the time our league campaign was going from strength to strength we also had mid week Copa Libertadores games to contend with. Given the group we had been drawn in I was confident of progressing with only COR (sorry don't have Brazilian real name fix) likely to cause us any problems, however I had already decided that I was going to go full strength in each game and rotate in the league, as any hopes in that competition were long gone, unless we qualified with games to spare then I might rotate here.
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So it had pretty much panned out as I had expected with convincing victories over Alianza and Blooming, whilst we could only manage a draw and a defeat against COR, though by the time the second COR match had come round were we already through, and I had played a rotated side against them as we had a very tough game versus Independiente the Saturday previous. All in all happy with the performances and to have achieved the main aim of progress to the next round. All of this left thr group looking like this:
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We have been handed a pretty tough draw against Brazilian side CEC in the 2nd round. Whats worse is the 2nd round is right smack bang in the middle of our off season but right in the middle of the Brazilian season, so fitness may be a concern for us.
Of course all the time our league campaign was going from strength to strength we also had mid week Copa Libertadores games to contend with. Given the group we had been drawn in I was confident of progressing with only COR (sorry don't have Brazilian real name fix) likely to cause us any problems, however I had already decided that I was going to go full strength in each game and rotate in the league, as any hopes in that competition were long gone, unless we qualified with games to spare then I might rotate here.
View attachment 70616
So it had pretty much panned out as I had expected with convincing victories over Alianza and Blooming, whilst we could only manage a draw and a defeat against COR, though by the time the second COR match had come round were we already through, and I had played a rotated side against them as we had a very tough game versus Independiente the Saturday previous. All in all happy with the performances and to have achieved the main aim of progress to the next round. All of this left thr group looking like this:
View attachment 70615
We have been handed a pretty tough draw against Brazilian side CEC in the 2nd round. Whats worse is the 2nd round is right smack bang in the middle of our off season but right in the middle of the Brazilian season, so fitness may be a concern for us.
View attachment 70614
With progress to the knockout stage of the Copa Libertadores confirmed it was now important to ensure we kept up our good league form and got a place in next season competition as well. May would only have 3 games to round off the season with trips to Banfield and Tigre both of whom found themselves in lower mid table, though not in the relegation picture. The toughest game of the month would be the home tie with Independiente, who like ourselves had had a horrendous first half of the season but again like ourselves had turned it around and were shooting up the table, that and they had knocked us out of the cup, so revenge was on the cards.
View attachment 70613
The Banfield defeat was deserved as we didn't turn up and didn't manage a shot on target 2-0 probably flattered us. It also meant that a number of clubs had closed the gap on us in third and meant if we wanted Copa Libertadores qualification we couldn't afford any further slip ups. We managed to bounce right back with a masterful display against Independiente this time it being the opposition that 2-0 flattered. The Tigre game was much closer and Tigre will probably feel hard done by to have got nothing from the game. But not for the first time since I took over were we more clinical and took our chances and the 3 points. So quite the turnaround under my leadership and only 1 league defeat left the final table looking like this:
View attachment 70612
Our 3rd place finish also confirmed Continental football for next season, though we still have to focus on this seasons competition as well.
View attachment 70611
With progress to the knockout stage of the Copa Libertadores confirmed it was now important to ensure we kept up our good league form and got a place in next season competition as well. May would only have 3 games to round off the season with trips to Banfield and Tigre both of whom found themselves in lower mid table, though not in the relegation picture. The toughest game of the month would be the home tie with Independiente, who like ourselves had had a horrendous first half of the season but again like ourselves had turned it around and were shooting up the table, that and they had knocked us out of the cup, so revenge was on the cards.
View attachment 70613
The Banfield defeat was deserved as we didn't turn up and didn't manage a shot on target 2-0 probably flattered us. It also meant that a number of clubs had closed the gap on us in third and meant if we wanted Copa Libertadores qualification we couldn't afford any further slip ups. We managed to bounce right back with a masterful display against Independiente this time it being the opposition that 2-0 flattered. The Tigre game was much closer and Tigre will probably feel hard done by to have got nothing from the game. But not for the first time since I took over were we more clinical and took our chances and the 3 points. So quite the turnaround under my leadership and only 1 league defeat left the final table looking like this:
View attachment 70612
Our 3rd place finish also confirmed Continental football for next season, though we still have to focus on this seasons competition as well.
View attachment 70611
The season was over and we had our usual awards night (which I forgot to screen shot), but it was very strange as despite the season finishing we still had possibly the 2 most important games of our season to come, in the 2nd round of the Copa Libertadores against CEC. The lads weren't going to get much of an off season as training would be on every day in an attempt to keep fitness levels up.
We also had a transfer window to think about and if we wanted the players available for the upcoming games we would have to act fast. We had identified several players that we wanted to get rid of as they weren't playing, were on too much money or both. However we would probably have to bring players in first. The board had also decided to extend the stadium by 9k seats and had taken out a lone of £16m to cover it, meaning £275k monthly payments so a bit of cost cutting was definitely on the cards!
Anyway on with the exciting bit and the transfers:
View attachment 69873
The outs first then along with the usual youngsters going on loan we sold 2 keepers in Anivole and Bataras for fees that could total £675k, which was good business in my eyes as neither had played since I took over, both wanted to leave and we have two really good youngsters coming through, one of whom may even push to be a starter this season. The remaining 3 players were among the group of players that I wanted to get rid of. Between the 3 of them we will save somewhere in the region of £35k per week on wages and considering none of them were 1st choice in their natural position I'm happy to see them leave. Barreyro was a 33 year old winger who never kicked a ball for me and was on almost £9k per week. Lezama and Spada were 2nd and 3rd highest earners and both were out of contract at the end of the season and would agree new deals so I felt I had no choice despite them both having played a few games last season.
Now onto the ins:
View attachment 69870
I will be the first to admit that I didn't get all the players in the positions I wanted. I had wanted a full back on either side but could get deals for any over the line despite making offers for a number. That said I did address the lack of depth in the centre of the park with 3 centre midfielders coming in, one of whom will play in the number ten role when he plays. A couple of wide men, 1 of which is a youngster brought in by the Head of Youth Development, something he will no longer be doing. A free transfer striker rounded off the signings. Some of the transfers were made with the main goal being cutting costs whilst attempting to keep the quality high, something I believe I've managed.
View attachment 69862
The young Spaniard was brought in for free from Boca. Decent all round with really good passing. Will mostly be a back up but given the amount of injuries we had here last season could well see some games, and for free a good bit of business in my opinion.
View attachment 69861
Leandrinho was brought in again to add depth to centre midfield. For £650k from our old friends COR, he looks like a good transfer. Can play either of the roles we play in midfield and is so well rounded. I don't expect him to be a starter to begin with though I could see him really pushing Demartin and Silva for a starting berth.
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Another center mid, though this one will play that little bit further forward. This wasn't a position I was looking for as I had a couple of younger players in the reserves who I intended to use as back ups to Levi this season, however I had promised both of them at some point last season that they could go on loan and as they were getting ****** off that I hadn't in the interest of dynamics I let them go and so needed someone to fill that hole in the squad and Escudero is the man for the job. Not quite as good as Levi but there isn't much in it and with finishing of 15 I'd expect him to be a bigger goal threat. Again comes in as a back up but injury or loss of form and Levi could easily find himself benched.
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With two wide players leaving I needed another body in those areas. Gregori was brought in and will probably be my starting right winger. For £155k even if he doesn't settle or play well we can make a bit of a profit on him. He is quick and can cross couple that with good work rate and we could have a bit of a star on our hands, I certainly expect a few assist from him this season.
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The final pick up of this window was Aquino on a free. My HoYD had given him a trail at the club and when I saw his stats, I thought he could offer us something a bit different than we had. All our strikers tend to be quick and technical whereas Aquino was a big lump of a lad who was good in the air and would allow us to change our style of play if required. That said he is by no means 1 dimensional hes reasonable quick and has a good touch for a big man, not to mention he would seem to be able to take a man on with that dribbling, anyway for free there was no risk attached.
We also had a transfer window to think about and if we wanted the players available for the upcoming games we would have to act fast. We had identified several players that we wanted to get rid of as they weren't playing, were on too much money or both. However we would probably have to bring players in first. The board had also decided to extend the stadium by 9k seats and had taken out a lone of £16m to cover it, meaning £275k monthly payments so a bit of cost cutting was definitely on the cards!
Anyway on with the exciting bit and the transfers:
View attachment 69873
The outs first then along with the usual youngsters going on loan we sold 2 keepers in Anivole and Bataras for fees that could total £675k, which was good business in my eyes as neither had played since I took over, both wanted to leave and we have two really good youngsters coming through, one of whom may even push to be a starter this season. The remaining 3 players were among the group of players that I wanted to get rid of. Between the 3 of them we will save somewhere in the region of £35k per week on wages and considering none of them were 1st choice in their natural position I'm happy to see them leave. Barreyro was a 33 year old winger who never kicked a ball for me and was on almost £9k per week. Lezama and Spada were 2nd and 3rd highest earners and both were out of contract at the end of the season and would agree new deals so I felt I had no choice despite them both having played a few games last season.
Now onto the ins:
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I will be the first to admit that I didn't get all the players in the positions I wanted. I had wanted a full back on either side but could get deals for any over the line despite making offers for a number. That said I did address the lack of depth in the centre of the park with 3 centre midfielders coming in, one of whom will play in the number ten role when he plays. A couple of wide men, 1 of which is a youngster brought in by the Head of Youth Development, something he will no longer be doing. A free transfer striker rounded off the signings. Some of the transfers were made with the main goal being cutting costs whilst attempting to keep the quality high, something I believe I've managed.
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The young Spaniard was brought in for free from Boca. Decent all round with really good passing. Will mostly be a back up but given the amount of injuries we had here last season could well see some games, and for free a good bit of business in my opinion.
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Leandrinho was brought in again to add depth to centre midfield. For £650k from our old friends COR, he looks like a good transfer. Can play either of the roles we play in midfield and is so well rounded. I don't expect him to be a starter to begin with though I could see him really pushing Demartin and Silva for a starting berth.
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Another center mid, though this one will play that little bit further forward. This wasn't a position I was looking for as I had a couple of younger players in the reserves who I intended to use as back ups to Levi this season, however I had promised both of them at some point last season that they could go on loan and as they were getting ****** off that I hadn't in the interest of dynamics I let them go and so needed someone to fill that hole in the squad and Escudero is the man for the job. Not quite as good as Levi but there isn't much in it and with finishing of 15 I'd expect him to be a bigger goal threat. Again comes in as a back up but injury or loss of form and Levi could easily find himself benched.
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With two wide players leaving I needed another body in those areas. Gregori was brought in and will probably be my starting right winger. For £155k even if he doesn't settle or play well we can make a bit of a profit on him. He is quick and can cross couple that with good work rate and we could have a bit of a star on our hands, I certainly expect a few assist from him this season.
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The final pick up of this window was Aquino on a free. My HoYD had given him a trail at the club and when I saw his stats, I thought he could offer us something a bit different than we had. All our strikers tend to be quick and technical whereas Aquino was a big lump of a lad who was good in the air and would allow us to change our style of play if required. That said he is by no means 1 dimensional hes reasonable quick and has a good touch for a big man, not to mention he would seem to be able to take a man on with that dribbling, anyway for free there was no risk attached.
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All the time players were coming and going we of course we building up to the 2nd round of the Copa Libertadores against CEC. I was concerned about this game as they looked a very good side especially going forward and if I was honest I could see us going out at this stage. we would be at home first and I was keen to get an advantage going into the second leg though keeping a clean sheet would be possibly more important.
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A very even game that could have gone either way, and honestly a draw would probably have been a fair result. We started better and got the goal just after the half hour mark. I immediately switched to counter to try and preserve our clean sheet and it worked though there were a few hairy moments and it was by no means a comfortable win. Anyway onto the 2nd leg with a slim advantage.
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This is probably the most nervous I have been during this save. When they took the lead I fully expected it to open the floodgates and I have never been happier to get to half time just 1 down. When we got the equaliser I was over the moon as I knew that they now needed two, however when the got one of those almost instantly I was worried again. However we dug deep and dropped deeper and put bodies on the line and held out to progress to the Quarter Finals on away goals.
The Quarter Final draw would see us take on another Brazilian side in BOT, who if anything were a better side than CEC which worried me no end.
All the time players were coming and going we of course we building up to the 2nd round of the Copa Libertadores against CEC. I was concerned about this game as they looked a very good side especially going forward and if I was honest I could see us going out at this stage. we would be at home first and I was keen to get an advantage going into the second leg though keeping a clean sheet would be possibly more important.
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A very even game that could have gone either way, and honestly a draw would probably have been a fair result. We started better and got the goal just after the half hour mark. I immediately switched to counter to try and preserve our clean sheet and it worked though there were a few hairy moments and it was by no means a comfortable win. Anyway onto the 2nd leg with a slim advantage.
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This is probably the most nervous I have been during this save. When they took the lead I fully expected it to open the floodgates and I have never been happier to get to half time just 1 down. When we got the equaliser I was over the moon as I knew that they now needed two, however when the got one of those almost instantly I was worried again. However we dug deep and dropped deeper and put bodies on the line and held out to progress to the Quarter Finals on away goals.
The Quarter Final draw would see us take on another Brazilian side in BOT, who if anything were a better side than CEC which worried me no end.
With the new season on the horizon I was confident we wouldn't start like last season and if I was honest if we weren't in the running for the title come the end of the season I'd be disappointed, having said that the bookies don't seem to agree with me and have us at 33-1 sixth favourites for the title, if we were to finish 6th I would be very disappointed and possible out of a job!
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I guess it would take long to find out with our league campaign due to kick off on the 30th of August with a trip to Temperley before following that with 3 home games against Tucuman, Banfield and Talleres. I would be interested to see how the new pitch dimesions would play out, as I change it fro 90m long and 85m wide (it was ridiculous corners were impossible to get beyond the front post) to a more reasonable 105m long 65m wide. I still wanted a minimum of 9 points from these games.
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I guess it would take long to find out with our league campaign due to kick off on the 30th of August with a trip to Temperley before following that with 3 home games against Tucuman, Banfield and Talleres. I would be interested to see how the new pitch dimesions would play out, as I change it fro 90m long and 85m wide (it was ridiculous corners were impossible to get beyond the front post) to a more reasonable 105m long 65m wide. I still wanted a minimum of 9 points from these games.
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Three wins and a draw is a good start to the season. What was more pleasing was the performances, we completely dominated every game and how we didn't beat Tucuman is beyond me as we had 28 shots and 62% possession, we even stopped Banfiel from having a shot on target. Anyway 10 points from the 4 games means we sit 3rd and I'm positive going forward and really think a title challenge is on the cards.
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Three wins and a draw is a good start to the season. What was more pleasing was the performances, we completely dominated every game and how we didn't beat Tucuman is beyond me as we had 28 shots and 62% possession, we even stopped Banfiel from having a shot on target. Anyway 10 points from the 4 games means we sit 3rd and I'm positive going forward and really think a title challenge is on the cards.
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Also in September as well as our league games we had the Quarter Final of the Copa Libertadores against BOT of Brazil. I wasn't confident at all and only hoped we were still in the tie for the 2nd leg at home. I had decided to try and play on the counter in the away leg and home to ****** an away goal.
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The game plan didn't go well and we were 2 down inside 10 minutes and weren't in the game at all. I decided to try and attack them thinking if we stayed on counter we would probably lose 3/4 nil anyway so might as well go down swinging. The change had an almost immediate effect with us pulling a goal back on 17 minutes. A second just after half time brougt us level, even if it didn't last long as BOT restored their lead on 70. When we equalised in the 93rd minute i thought we had pulled a draw out of the bag only for BOT to march right down the pitch from kick off and score the winner. three away goals meant that I wasn't too disheartened.
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Given that we need to score and were better when we had switched to attack in the first leg I decided that we would start this way for the 2nd leg. We had been the better team, however the early goal and then a missed penalty had convinced me it wasn't going to be our day. An equaliser on the stroke of half time changed the team talk and I sent the boys out to win the game. An early second half goal put us ahead on goal difference and a third before the hour put us in control. Know that they now needed to attack we dropped a bit deeper and hit them on the break and managed a fourth on 75 minutes and wrapped the game up.
So onto the semi finals and we come up against my old pals COR, a team who had beaten me as Shandong manager in the Club World Cup semi and who we had played but not beaten in the group stages. Revenge was most definitely on the cards!
Also in September as well as our league games we had the Quarter Final of the Copa Libertadores against BOT of Brazil. I wasn't confident at all and only hoped we were still in the tie for the 2nd leg at home. I had decided to try and play on the counter in the away leg and home to ****** an away goal.
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The game plan didn't go well and we were 2 down inside 10 minutes and weren't in the game at all. I decided to try and attack them thinking if we stayed on counter we would probably lose 3/4 nil anyway so might as well go down swinging. The change had an almost immediate effect with us pulling a goal back on 17 minutes. A second just after half time brougt us level, even if it didn't last long as BOT restored their lead on 70. When we equalised in the 93rd minute i thought we had pulled a draw out of the bag only for BOT to march right down the pitch from kick off and score the winner. three away goals meant that I wasn't too disheartened.
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Given that we need to score and were better when we had switched to attack in the first leg I decided that we would start this way for the 2nd leg. We had been the better team, however the early goal and then a missed penalty had convinced me it wasn't going to be our day. An equaliser on the stroke of half time changed the team talk and I sent the boys out to win the game. An early second half goal put us ahead on goal difference and a third before the hour put us in control. Know that they now needed to attack we dropped a bit deeper and hit them on the break and managed a fourth on 75 minutes and wrapped the game up.
So onto the semi finals and we come up against my old pals COR, a team who had beaten me as Shandong manager in the Club World Cup semi and who we had played but not beaten in the group stages. Revenge was most definitely on the cards!
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October was going to be a tough month, with traditional powerhouses River and Boca not to mention last seasons champions in San Lorenzo and this seasons favourites Huracan. An away trip to Colon would complete the 5 matches. It was difficult to know what to expect though we had been playing well so I was hoping for at least 9 points.
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Five games five wins thats how you do it.We had carried on attacking teams right from the off as we had done in the Copa Libertadores and it is paying off. We are dominating games with more possession and shots and in turn the 3 points are coming our way. With such a good month we move to the top of the table, oh and another trinket for yours truly.
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October was going to be a tough month, with traditional powerhouses River and Boca not to mention last seasons champions in San Lorenzo and this seasons favourites Huracan. An away trip to Colon would complete the 5 matches. It was difficult to know what to expect though we had been playing well so I was hoping for at least 9 points.
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Five games five wins thats how you do it.We had carried on attacking teams right from the off as we had done in the Copa Libertadores and it is paying off. We are dominating games with more possession and shots and in turn the 3 points are coming our way. With such a good month we move to the top of the table, oh and another trinket for yours truly.
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We would have 4 games in November, two I expected to win against struggling Lanus and Belgrano, whilst the games with 2nd place Velez and mid table Estudiantes would prove more testing. Again I would be targeting 9 points this month.
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3 wins and a draw meant I was more than happy especially with the Velez game we were 2-0 down and managed to draw after a tough mid week game that had gone to extra time (spoiler!). The other games followed a now familiar pattern of us going on the attack and steam rolling teams. Every game we had more shots possession and shots on target and were deserved winners. We continue to top the table and are beginning to open a bit of a gap over our rivals. Of course I also was named manager of the month.
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We would have 4 games in November, two I expected to win against struggling Lanus and Belgrano, whilst the games with 2nd place Velez and mid table Estudiantes would prove more testing. Again I would be targeting 9 points this month.
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3 wins and a draw meant I was more than happy especially with the Velez game we were 2-0 down and managed to draw after a tough mid week game that had gone to extra time (spoiler!). The other games followed a now familiar pattern of us going on the attack and steam rolling teams. Every game we had more shots possession and shots on target and were deserved winners. We continue to top the table and are beginning to open a bit of a gap over our rivals. Of course I also was named manager of the month.
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December would be a quite month, at least in the league, with only 3 games. It was set to be a tough enough month though with 2 top six sides to play in Independiente and Tucuman, and bottom of the table Temperley completing the league fixtures. It was had to tell how things would go as all of us with the exception of Temperley were playing well, though I would be targeting 6 points from this month.
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Not quite as planned. We slip to our first league defeat against Tucuman, though it was after a particularly difficult midweek game (more on that later) so we had rested a number of players whilst a number of others weren't at full fitness. That said it was a very even game and the sides were only separated but a penalty. We needed to bounce back and luckily for us we had the perfect opposition to do so when bottom club Temperley rolled into town, however when we went 1 down in the opening 5 minutes I was a little concerned. The lads though turned it around and the result never looked in doubt from the minute we got the equaliser, in fact Temperley never managed another shot on target. A draw with Independiente can never be viewed as a bad result and again this game came on the back of a bit of travel etc so I guess I can't complain. All of this still keeps us top as you can see from the table below. We head into the second half of the season in high spirits and in a very good position to claim the league title.
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Top of the table by 2 points with 5 games in hand over the team in second isn't too shabby, though Racing Club in 5th have a number of games in hand of the other teams around us and could well be my main title rivals.
December would be a quite month, at least in the league, with only 3 games. It was set to be a tough enough month though with 2 top six sides to play in Independiente and Tucuman, and bottom of the table Temperley completing the league fixtures. It was had to tell how things would go as all of us with the exception of Temperley were playing well, though I would be targeting 6 points from this month.
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Not quite as planned. We slip to our first league defeat against Tucuman, though it was after a particularly difficult midweek game (more on that later) so we had rested a number of players whilst a number of others weren't at full fitness. That said it was a very even game and the sides were only separated but a penalty. We needed to bounce back and luckily for us we had the perfect opposition to do so when bottom club Temperley rolled into town, however when we went 1 down in the opening 5 minutes I was a little concerned. The lads though turned it around and the result never looked in doubt from the minute we got the equaliser, in fact Temperley never managed another shot on target. A draw with Independiente can never be viewed as a bad result and again this game came on the back of a bit of travel etc so I guess I can't complain. All of this still keeps us top as you can see from the table below. We head into the second half of the season in high spirits and in a very good position to claim the league title.
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Top of the table by 2 points with 5 games in hand over the team in second isn't too shabby, though Racing Club in 5th have a number of games in hand of the other teams around us and could well be my main title rivals.