Katsumi Touko The Smith of Pretty Victories.

[Death Ball]

August 2018

A brief look at key players:

Taken at the start of the new month because the screenshot from the start wasn't there.
Our only goalkeeper. Challenge quality. I liked Guk better.

Our best midfielder, the one who knows how to defend and see what's around him. Has played as defensive central midfield, but I may ask him to take on the role of main player as a deep lying playmaker.

Our top goalscorer with just four goals. Has played both matches as right winger, but I think I'll use him as striker in one of the coming matches, when Kyung-Hyun recovers from his injury.

Busan's field is almost wider than it is long. The first big chance is ours, but hit just wide of the post. We concede the first goal, very unlucky, three defenders jumping for the ball and it's their attacker who gets the ball and then it arcs just beyond the keeper's fingertips. Then they hack our eighteen year old left inside forward, so we play the rest with ten men and a tactic turned to the offensive. We pay it when four legs together can't stop a ball going through. And then Young-Jun decides that if he can't assist our strikers, he'll pull his best assist for the opponents. Fourth when their striker hits the ball while having his torso occupy the same physical space as my defender. I don't drink! They hack Omotoyossi too.

Omotoyossi will be out for a month. When they had it won they kept hacking. Jae-Hong a week and half.

The upcoming match against Suwon Bluewings will be my 100th match!

The two best attacks of the first half are ours; but one they can't get the shot and in the other is a shot to the goalie's body. Stojanovic is missing the same way that the striker of previous matches. We get another through ball that should end in a goal send at the keeper and we get the goal finally after the ball has a small bounce off a defender's leg. We're winning! And we do at the end!

This win sees us out of automatic promotion. Incheon, the team that we have right ahead has won again. They've not lost a match since I took charge here. Annoying, one would think the team right above relegation play off would not be winning this many games. On the down side, Jae-Cheol is out for a month, one of the two starting central midfielders.
[physio Jae-Cheol]

That win took out two managers in a single blow: the defeated Suwon and the now in direct relegation Jeju manager.

That is the first game in a week with four games. I don't know how it will end, I'm fearing injuries, maybe I'll have to choose the third, which is second placed Ulsan, to lose with the U18 squad to protect the best players. Actually, make that five matches in five days.

Oris has become South Korean citizen, just a few days too late for registration.

WHAT?! On top of this fixture congestion we have a player off in international duty. This is ridiculous! We lay Jeonman (4th) with a few tired playes, including Júnior Lopes. We get a chance to go ahead a few minutes after the half hour, but Myung-Han shot it at the keeper. But he gets it seven minutes later! With both central midfielders on a yellow, I sub and drop the advanced midfield back. 65:30 right fullback Ji-Hoon gets the second yellow. I had thought of subbing him, but Young-Jun also has one and wanted cover for an injury. Removing the striker and subbing Young-Jun too. 4-5-0. The goal finally comes and we're level with ten minutes to go. And Jeju are winning, so back to the bottom. Almost was saved. I tell them to pump ball up and shoot on sight, in case we get something, highly unlikely considering players can barely walk.

When I took charge, Gyeongnam had 10 points from 16 games. Since then I've picked six points from five games. That means we've gone from 0.625pts/g to 1.2pts/g. Jeju were 13 points from 20 games, 0.65pts/g, we'll see how they do with the new manager. Incheon, who have not sacked theirs, are 23 points after 21 games, 1.095pts/g. If things remain like this, we should be well safe from direct relegation.

So we receive Ulsan, currently top of the table, with two first teamers, nine under 18 in the starting XI and a first team and six under 17 in the bench. I'llhope just for a result that's not so bad I get sacked. Kang-Jin is in goal, though, and his performances show him being clearly better than Pyung-Guk. We get a shot after 22 minutes. Already better than expected. And a corner shortly after. We finally concede the first in the 39th minute. The second because Kang-Jin couldn't jump enough, then a corner after a stupid mistake he makes. As soon I said he was doing clearly better than expected, he makes a buffoon out of himself.

We visit Seongnam with some players still tired. The wrong offside calls are back, taking away one goal and one very good chance in the first half hout. Joon-Yeop picks a knock and that's the second of the three starting midfielders injured. The last chance by Myung-Hyun is the perfect example of how out forwards are working: through vertical ball, the goalkeeper goes for it at the end, he gets first and then proceeds to kick in the same direction it was going anyway.

Missing is we're two points behind Jeju, who have a game in hand, because they won their last.

Joon-Yeop is out for a month.

And Young-Jun got to the yellow card limits, so goodbye to the three starting central midfielders.

Injuries and tiredness dictate we use a 4-5-1 against Incheon, with the subs in centreback. Though it doesn't begin too good, because of lack of support for the attack, it's us who go ahead with a long shot. Good chance from a counter the next minute, wasted. In the first half they but our scorer's ribs, and also our fourth choice central midfielder. They get it back in the start of the second half, by a combined mistake of a centreback breaking the offside and the keeper coming out late. Then ahead in a very similar way, the fullback opposite to the ball always forgetting his man. With 15' to go they get one man sent off and I make the 4-2-4 I went to more offensive. We almost give the third same goal because the fullback is in position but as soon the cross approaches him he just stops and forgets about the match.

Ji-Woong will e out for almost two weeks, which means three matches without central midfield.

Next month eight games, for an average of two per week but with most in the firts half.

 

[Death Ball]

September 2018:

We visit Seoul FC, which will come to our stadium in three days. COME ON! Close to the half time we go ahead... with a wayward cross.

The day after has been the new youth intake. There are some with good potential.
((New keyboard but works a way like the old that seemed to start failing. Sent back, I can't retake the screenshot. Five with four stars potential, two with three and half and a few with two))


In the second match against Seoul we get the best chance in the first quarter of hour. During the match they get more shots but we get marginally better chances, except the first that was good, then Ji-Hoon decides it's easier to score in our own goal. And that's one point given away.

On top of all, Sang-Hyub, who had come back from injury a few games ago, gets another for almost a month.

Against Jeonbuck we go one down right before half time after a cheap corner.
The second half begins with a second, with a through ball possible because "drop deeper" means push the offside trap in the head of these defenders, it seems.
Later a third, because if I tell to have four men making barriers then that means only two have to set it.
We get one back immediately after the free kick taker aims to the marked player when he had an unmarked one in the path.
So then Jae-Hong makes a too feet tackle, nothing like being one man down to make a comeback.
We have a chance for the second, but from a meter to a side it's too hard to even hit the side of the net.
Their fourth comes later when everybody abandons the middle, panicked by a weak run and forget everything about runners from deep, turning a would be 2 on 3 into a 3 on 0.

For the next match against ninth placed Sangju Sangmu I'm going to have them train attacking movement, perhaps that'll help them find the net.

Myung-Hyun gets an injury in trainign that will keep him for two months.


The game starts, a corner is given, it's taken towards Stojanovic but he says "I'm an attacking, I let it pass" so we're immediately down.
Stojanovic makes the same defence in the next corner. Corner defence is changed.
They dominate the match, but after small changes we get a bit in the match.
Yung-Bin gets injured at the hour mark and got to bring another centreback.
We get a few chances before the end of the match, none even force a save.
That makes another point thrown away.

Yung-Bin is out for almost two months.

We go to Ulsan. After seven minutes a pass goes a bit too long and the keeper gets to it first, but a minute later the pass is right and we go ahead!
It lasts ten minutes, until they get an indirect free kick in with some luck.
We get to half time with 1-1. Ulsan are top so taking a point is a good result. We've not been dominated like in past matches. I dropped the AMC into MC against their 4-4-2 and it's working.
Their second goal is the best to explain how I'm expecting tough matches and needing to work hard for just a draw and getting frustrated: he's very well marked and closed down, he's got just one way for the shot to be on target and the keeper is on it, yet he lets it slip between his hands.
I go to a diamond, taking risks in defending set pieces. With five minutes to end it pays off and we're level! With a goal I think their keeper should've been able to save. Right after out keeper saves two shots that aren't that easy, specially the second.
When it's close to end Dong-Jin says he's not willing to be content with a draw, so he makes a penalty that's quite needless. But Kang-Jin is back from my jinxing him when I said he's doing well and he stops acting like a monkey.
Too bad Jeju won their game. I won my first and suddenly Jeju gets the form of a top team.

We play Sangju Sangmu again at their stadium with seven out of the firts team players tired. Since that measn chances of injuries making us too hopeless to get anything in furute matches, I do a big rotation, letting even a U18 player in defence.
They go ahead with an impossible header, giving it impulse to go above the keeper when running away from goal and ball.
Yeop, one of the few starting tired, gets a stubbed toe and is subbed.
One down, with twenty minutes to go I decide to go for it and forget about defence.
We almost get the equalizer, but they get the second from a corner.
And Jeju keeps winning.

Joon-Yeop is out for more than a week.

At this point I'm staying simply to finish learning Korean and waiting for some other realistic job to open.

I can see the press saying Hye had a bad match at home against Busan, when the truth is he did well: he covered most of the angle to goal, it's Lopes who moved away from the remaining line and Kang-Jin who just slept until it was too late to save it.
Myung-Han is offside. Sees the winger about to receive the ball. Moves on side. Pass is made. Offside called.
If our defenders hadn't enough incompetence, the referee steps in giving them a penalty that wasn't.
Amazing counter: pass horizontal, the runner from deep passes with no interest, so the advanced striker has to double back to pick it up.
We get one back just before the our from a cross.
Fourth from another passively defended cross. Being between player and ball is worthless if you don't get the ball.
We get a second but too late to have a chance. In fact, a few minutes later, they get their fifth, after Kang-Jin jumps like a rheumatic.

So things are shown to be like this: If I make them focus on defence, there's always someone, often the only keeper we have, to ruin the work by being half-sleep and letting pass balls he should sve easily. But if I move them into attack, then the defence falls into pieces.

Therefore, screw this.

I know I did very wrong in one thing: since I was focusing on a very defensive style, I paid little mind to adapting to different matches or to give the needed attention to the offensive phase, as I was focusing the strategy into grinding 0-0 draws.

Two openings in Europe look realistic: Telstar 1963 in Dutch second tier, who say the interviews are over, and Vitoria de Guimarães B. The press says I'm the leading candidate for that job. What makes them attractive is they're not at the bottom of their division nor are they expected to finish bottom.

So does the club.

________________________
Just to note: the frustration/angry thing is an in character one. Nothing wrong with the game, other than not having instructions for indirect free kicks and be at the mercy of what instructions the engine decides.

 

[Death Ball]

Unemployment and new job start.

I attend to the occasional interviewer, though I'd rather they left me alone. Specially that South Korean that has kept showing how much he hates me all the time. He was really rude. He almost blew a tooth with the mic.

Cvezna crveda or whatever was free as Rad just below them, but they chose different people, in the case of Red Star of Belgrade they took an interim. I guess they're going to wait till the end of the season? I think that is a good deal.

After several weeks, Vitória de Guimarães B finally calls back. I thought they might not want me. I'll attend to it. Were they to offer the job, my intention is take one year contract, since it's a B team and I know B teams end easily being a frustrating fight with the main for players.
[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/myR71ql.png)

A week later they come asking the changes to the backroom I wish to implement.

I can't ask to bring anybody from Gyeongnam so none is made.

They offer a two year contractm but I take the ending to June 2019. They insist on two year contract. I obtain their consent after taking my wages down.

I have some second thoughts, what if a more attractive team becomes available soon? Probably one in much more difficulty than this team is. A better chance is more likely at the end of the season.

I find that for the B teams only three above 23 years old are allowed for us in the match. We have three players out for a couple months. Two players unhappy, one wants to move on and the other more first team. I don't know if me giving them time would qualify or that's for the manager above me.

Many good players have played little due to the selection rules, so it's easy for the statistics so far not being the best way to choose the squad, so I only give them a cursory glance and will decide by what I see in training.

[video=youtube;xPsfK4InY3s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPsfK4InY3s&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Captain and vice captain are the two players out for two months, but I let them as once they're back they'll be likely starters. The squad report looks very good, until one realizes a lot of those players can't play together because they're above 23 years old.

Only one coach, so I, my assistant and the coach have to work on all the training.

The first match is against Farense, right the day I come in. I begin setting the 4-5-1 I like and see how it goes with the match.
Seeing their keeper was complacent, I ask to shoot on sight. After an offside goal, we get the instruction rewarded from a corner.
Before the end of the first half, a poor clearance leaves the goal empty for Djim.
He almost undoes in the verge of the half time but Codreanu saves the penalty.
After the hour mark we get the third with Tiago Castro's second long range goal, though I had told them I wasn't as interested in those shots in this half.
What is better of this: the team is playing as I want. This is soooo nice to see.
And we get a penalty with which Castro seals his hat trick.

We visit Académico Viseu, which starts with an early goal for us, after a great back pass from left inside forward Djim to striker Correia.
We give away another penalty. Codreanus saves it again!
But we can't keep the goal advantage past the first half hour.
We have then some good chances during the second half, but the shots are poor by Vigário and they get one through ball just in the last minute of normal time.

His long shots against Farense give Castro the first and third goals of the month.

 

[Death Ball]

November 2018

We begin November visiting leaders Feirense.
I rotate two players: left inside forward to Gurgel, slower and mentally weaker than Djim but technically better. And up front I set Ká instead of Correia with looks to bring him up to match fitness, since it will be tough to win anyway.
Second half begins with two very similar chances wasted by Gurgel, so I bring Djim at this point. Both from good passes by Ká.
Denis Martins sends the match to **** when he sticks to their striker and gets dragged to the same spot as Seginho, leaving acres of space for their right back to slip into.
He continues the same behavior even after changing his instructions, so he's subbed as well.
With 20' to go, they go one man down through injury, which is something I use to move to a 4-2-3-1, trying to get more men to take advantage of their right half space.
With 15' I do more changes trying to chase the goal, moving striker and advanced playmaker left.
All we get is a post in injury time.

I got the Continental Pro License!

Next the new league leader visit us. The match begins good enough. It turns wrong when Bruno Alves can't jump at all to head a ball off in a corner and lets their player shot at goal.
Next throw in from the other side, it's Djim who raises the ridiculous level by heading it to the boot of a rival by the six yard box.
Since this is a game we were supposed to lose, the second half will be to give players som fitness.
Bruno Alves has a great chance to score, but he doesn't even hit the target. Yet my assistant says he's "having a good game". He also gave them the first goal. How is that having a good game?
And he's declared player of the match. What?! Gift a goal, squander the clearest chance and that's being better than the players who score or gave the assist? Nonsense

We visit Tondela next, a few points ahead. We get a few good plays, but either Vigário sends the ball terribly wide or Djim chooses the worst passing target for the shot. That's the first 25 mins.
At 37th min Vigário makes a cross from thebyline and Correia slots it home! We go ahead. Goal directly from one of the initial changes made to ask Vigário to stay wider and so stretch their defence; he had been coming so central was even in the opposite side to his.
Six minutes later Vigário is taken out with thigh injury.
At the start of the second half a rebound just misses Correi and so we lose the chance for the second goal.
And shortly after another great chance goes begging before the shot when Correia, alone before the keeper stops to think on it rather than shoot.
A few chances for us and them, two messy situations in our area, but we get to the end of the match ahead.

I am not happy with our fans. They keep complaining about weakened teams. How am I supposed to field more than three of the over 23 players if rules prohibit it?

Vigário is out for three months. Bad news.

Did I say that I HATE INTERNATIONAL BREAKS?! We're having one match before the next international break when we've already are without our starting goalkeeper.

Actually, he's back for the match. They've returned him conveniently tired.
There is little going on. The best chance is possibly ours and went barely off target. With a quarter hour to go I notice their fullbacks don't push forward, so I move to a diamond. But it doesn't get the goal, though it gets more chances than all the game before using it.

We go down to sixteenth, because if I have a low table team then it stands to reason the bottom teams are the ones that shall win every match. Anyway, two weeks of international breaks means a chance for two friendlies to get all the players that barely have time to pick some fitness.

The first friendly is against Régua. It begins with a centreback and a keeper showing they're worthless. First the keeper, Oliveira dives to cut a cross... parallel to the ball's trajectory, then Meneses, being no rival anywhere close, taps it into goal.
Why they say Oliveira is the worse of the two (6.4) and Meneses has done decent (6.6) is beyond me.

I teld them, calmly, that wasn't good enough, despite getting the win. We let them have too many chances, we gave them a goal, we needed a lot of attempts to get our goals and they were somewhat lucky: rebounds. An hour later I get this:
(Squad is unhappy with how the club is going on and want to talk)

I call for the meeting. Only three come. The three are said to be happy with how the team is doing. Obviously it's because I didn't praise that poor performance. Ká's there, though him I did praise. I won't back up, if they want me to praise anything then they'll go not giving their all.

That seemed to go well.

Hugo Silva, the backup goalkeeper twists his knee in training and is to be out for three weeks.

We face Melgacense in the next friendly. 4-5-1 v 4-5-1.
We go ahead past half hour, again by rebound, having missed several decent chances.
Helder Ferreira gets a very good goal in the 72nd minute, after instructing the inside forwards to stay wider, as they had been too narrow until them, making the space congested and passing difficult.
We get a third disallowed by offside, which I didn't see. In the replay it is offside by so little. What happened to the "in doubt, it's onside"?
Just in injury time, Gonzalo Bueno gets in a very nice screamer. Katsumi is lucky to not speak Spanish yet, or she'd made it awkward with her laugh.

Now that's a good friendly against weaker opposition. Not a chance conceded, many created and only their keeper pulling a good performance stopping it from being a bloodbath.

With Continental Pro License, her reputation has improved to 15%. And with it, reputation has become one full star. Also improvement across almost all coaching attributes and motivation went up by one. Effect of that team talk pacifying the discontent?

 

[PatrickLFC]

Good luck in Portugal

 

[Death Ball]

December 2018

We begin the month with a visit to Chaves, a few positions and two points ahead.
The first half is uneventful. The insider forwards seem too wide so I tell them to not stay that wide, but does little.
In the second half I tell the right (Djim) to stay wider as he is now too narrow. When Gurgel picks an injury I bring Hassan and set him as winger.
The changes in the second half provide with a couple of chances at its start. But nothing happens.
Until the very last second, that is, when we get the winner and move up to twelfth.

Gurgel is out for a couple of weeks. I let him to the physio and take it as an O23 opening to play Ká.

Scratch what I said of Gurgel, he's U23 though being 23. So it's João Pedro, tired, who goes out to give Ká a chance.
We play again away against Santa Clara, who are at the edge of relegation.
This time we open the score in the first ten minutes after a good run by Djim.
A minute later he receives a through ball for another great chance, but he gets the post.
A bit of a nervy moment at the start of the second half when Djim spends half a minute trying to steal the ball inside the area. No penalty, phew.
Gonçalves picks a head injury and he's subbed by Martins with 15min to go.
We move up to eleventh with this win.

Gonçalves is out for ten days, just in time for the next league match. A friendly will be scheduled in between.

João Gurgel is likely to leave, as two loan offers come in and have been accepted by upper management.

The friendly against Leça is an easy win, as expected. only negative is conceding a goal by centreback Souza placing herself wider than a fullback and opening a huge hole for their striker.

The loan of Gurgel is confirmed and he's out of the team.

The next league match is against bottom placed Olhanense. I decide to rotate the team with some of the players that did well in the friendlies or that seem to deserve a chance but were injured.
We go ahead with an own goal, quite stupid. Not as annoying as other times as we've not yet done much offensively.
Xande Silva gets a kick to the shin and he's replaced with Gil, who seems a very good player, but he's 31 years old, though still fast.
Djim gets our second goal with then minutes to finish. Good enough. We've been the better side, except when it comes to shooting on target. Well, actually we've been better there but because they've been so very poor.
With this we up to tenth place.

It's the fifth game not losing and fans are finally showing some trust, finally.

With fifteen days till the next match, time for two new friendlies to build match fitness.

The friendly against Forjaes is easy and uneventful. Meaning no injuries and total domination by us.

Dabo gets injured in training. He had returned recently from a long one and he's back out.

Against Coutada, I leave most of the starting eleven choices to the assistant, on the condition of using only players in need of match fitness. We play with many out of position and it's just a 1-0 win.

The end will finish facing, again, the team at the top of the table. This time it is Benfica B.
There's little success in doing anything with the ball. When playing long, the passess are too ambitious, when playing shorter, they just keep misplacing it. Despite their dominance, there is little in quality chances, though they do have one past the hour, which Codreanu denies with a superb save.
They get the goal in injury time from a corner. I gave to the so frequent advice to have players in the posts when defending corners. What's it been useful for? To have the player who scored without a man to mark him and get the ball by the post because the man there moved for no reason.

We're way above expectations. But so was above expectations, if not by so much, the previous manager before being sacked. I thought he had chosen to move to a better club but he was sacked.

 

[Death Ball]

January 2019

Upper management made an offer for a 16yo player for us. He looks anywhere from hot prospect to worthless.

The match against Mafra begins with two attacks close to a goal or a shot on empty goal for either team.
The match continues calm for ten minutes and at a quarter hour past we get ahead with a good strike by Ká.
No changes made until late, when I bring Martins in for Gomes to ive him fitness. Until then we had two very neat crosses intercepted in the last moment.
A lucky cross that is poorly saved by Codreanu lets them get the equalizer.

Andrezinho accepts the youngster contract. We'll see how he looks. And considering his age he can be very good.

He comes injured but he looks like a very good prospect for the future.

Against Desportivo Aves, Pereira picks a very early yellow card, which is a bit worrying.
Three very good chances lost by little in the first twenty minutes. It felt like matter of time and at 24th min Boyd confirms it.
A minute later Correia hits the post.
I sub the left fullback with a centreback to avoid the second yellow and raise fitness.
Both teams have some great chances in the second half, but none is taken. We looked to control the game through possession but in turn let them more chances.

With two weeks till the next league match, is time for a friendly to raise fitness. I also set the scouts to watch some players no older than 22 for the central midfield position, where sometimes I feel wishing some choices but lack them.

After a 3-1 defeat to Paços de Ferreira, the A team sacks the manager.

The friendly was a comfortable win in which I tried a few touches to the tactic, playing wider and faster. We got the result when faster was there too. In the second half I returned to the usual pace. Not happy with inaccuracy, less 33% on target.

I had planned to stay until the end of the contract no matter what. But the vacancy of the A team means a chance to see what happens if one applies as manager of the B. Will the board be angry? Will the high total confidence and the maximum competition confidence mean a boost to get it? Does the game take into account one is part of the club already? I hope for a positive answer to the questions, though not to get the job. Favoured manager to get it at the moment is Carlos Martins at 4.00 odds. I don't remember the application message second line from any previous but I've not paid them much attention, I will check later.

I've decided to aply to the A team job. It's the same team and a promotion would be great.

We're without Struma for the last match of the month. Not a big deal, Serginho is not worse and Struma is older than 23.

There is little happening in the first half against Oliveirense. A change at half hour, playing wider and passing longer seems to work, giving more and better chances than the few had until then.
I feel no changes are needed at half time, I only tell the inside forwards, Djim and Silva, to swap places as they're very similar. Several times we get good chances by a cross form the left to the right behind their defence, but either the shot is missed or there was offside.
At the hour the goal arrives from a cross the other way around, Djim scoring the goal and Silva assisting.
For fitness reasons I bring Lemin to the left wing, Silva up to top, take Correia out and stop the wingers swapping. I also sub the centreback pairing to ensure Gonçalves and Martins won't lose too much fitness.
Lemin almost gets an assist, but Silva's shot got blocked by the last player in the path to goal.
Within the last five minutes one of their defenders brings down Silva when he was on a run for goal and gets his second yellow. I adapt to their ten men diamond to close the game. Still they're given a shot and it goes... off target.
We go another position up.

I offered a contract to one Spanish player, Cartagena, who the scouts rate well and looks like he could very good, though he has some misgivings. But there's one position where I really lack young players: left fullback. We have three out of which two are older and one is too bad yet. I'm bidding for a Benfica B player, Pedro Amaral. I find their board is a bunch of idiots. I make an enquiry. They give me a price. It's acceptable but I try to negotiate a little less. They walk away. I make the offer they asked from the start. They walk away and again when offering more.

I made a new enquiry just for the sake of it and they come with the same price as before. I straight up take the offer. They accept it.

Vigário is back to training, but I think he counts to the over 23 years old limit and right now Silva is more useful. I'll be bringing him back to fitness anyway, as my job as a B team is to develop players for the A first and then get results.

Amaral isn't coming, as he rejected the contract on low wages. I wish I had been allowed to negotiate it myself. But director of football has given the green light to Héctor Cartagena's arrival.

He's not as good as he could've been but neither as bad. Overall I'm good with his signing.

I decide to register Dabo to have one natural left fullback available to play.

The south Korea U23 becomes available and I've applied. But it's rejected immediately.

January award for best manager is given to Chéu having the same score and result than me. So does the one in third place.

Their team scored one more goal, though.

Closing on the teams ahead and almost with the points that in any past season would've ensured to stay.

Confidence has dropped. Because of player development. They sacked the previous manager for results, so I've been getting the results to get the margin to start with development.

___________________________________________
I've made some edits to the profile page, now I have to see if I can get something to use that square that's been left empty. The previous attempts have not gone well.

Also, imgur was again over capacity. So I've tried fmshots.com, an image hosting site by fmscout since they got banned from imgur (). A bit uncomfortable to get the links (at upload in an edit below you can only select all and after when you browse the album it's in a tab you have to click and needs to scroll down unless the image has very small height) but if they improve on that, which I'm sure they will, I can imagine it becoming the main choice.

 

[PatrickLFC]

Good luck getting the job with the senior team, that would be a nice promotion!

 

[Death Ball]

Good luck getting the job with the senior team, that would be a nice promotion!

Yeah, it would be awesome. I'm pessimistic though. More so after South Korea U23 shot down the application right away. Then again, in FM15 when I was at Príbram I sure didn't expect Inter to even consider it and I got the job.

I hope they either decide right away or wait till the season is well ended. The team is very close to relegation and I'd rather not take control when the chances to stay up are too slim to take the hit to the reputation.

 

[Death Ball]

February 2019

The match against Porto B is in more than a week, so I keep my routine in these cases.

Cartagena gets a three weeks injury in training right away.

The goal at ten minutes seems to indicate an easy win against Paços Brandao; but ten minutes later they're very close to make it 1-1.
There're no more threats from them and we keep on controlling the game, hitting the woodwork four times before Vigário nets the second at 58th min.

The press publish a news item with a list of candidates. I'm not among them. Reportedly interviews have begun.

Against Porto B I take the chance to test some changes, making sure if they'll open weaknesses at the back or not. I also bring in the side some players I had not used yet.
They control the game, not unexpected considering their squad is better; but we get the first goal.
At half time I take Dabo out because of his yellow card.
Four minutes in we get a penalty from a corner... and Xander Silva converts it!
Six later we have a nice chance for Silva with a through ball, but he hits it at the keeper.
They get one back after the hour from a corne. Assistant has kept saying how we've been giving them chances from set pieces.
Tiago Castro picks a knock in the thigh. That's bad as he's been our main playmaker. It looked bad.
With the game close to the end it's Xande Silva who picks a knock, a potential head injury. I decide to keep him in but order players to cross low. In the last minute I order him to be taken off if just to wast a little time though there's already not enough to do it.
Codreanu gets the player of the match award and he deserves it.

Now the physio reports.. Castro out for three weeks and Silva for two, though he can play through injury with protection and I will ask him to do so.

Silva is available for the match against Braga B.
We edge the first game, but there's little achieved. Trying to exploit the flanks against their narrow formation, their fullbacks seem pacey enough to stop Silva and Djim to put in crosses or get past them and our chances are limited.
In half time I try to compress some of the vertical space to get them some more support, but it's Vukcevic who finds himself in space in our area to score.
I decide to go as wide as possible without specifically exploiting the flanks and we get the first good chance; but Correia strikes it weakly and at the keeper.
Sylla creates another couple of good chances, but the strikes don't live up to the quality of his pass.

The answer from the A team arrived: not even considered.

The next match against a team near the top is a visit to second placed Penafiel. It begins with a good chance within the first ten minutes.
But they go ahead with a shot that should never go in, but Codreanu just makes a jump stopping as not to reach the ball.
We get another great chance plus rebound, but Djim can't take them. Then they get the second goal from a corner, sticking to the post, despite a defender being right there sticking to the post.
And Correia gets a foot injury passing the ball.
Things keep going bad, Sylla picks a head injury.
Third goal much like the first: Codreanu stands in the near post, cross is sent, he walk back calm and slowly, even stopping, when it reaches the striker he's too far to jump to the ball's path.
And then a four from a corner. Though it's different to the second, there's still some passivenes from the man at the post.
If it wasn't enough. Ramos runs over their striker to give them a penalty.
They're second placed with a very good squad, but losing like this is unacceptable. Dabo has also not made a decent game yet, so he's back to not making to the match.

Correia is out for three months, so almost the rest of the season. Sylla just two weeks and can play through injury with protection. The other way around would've been worse. Sylla will keep playing, he's by far our best fullback.

Manager for the A team has been chosen. Not a surprise as from the list of candidates he's the most reputable and likely best choice.

His first action is taking Xande Silva away. I'd say he deserves it. And he sends me Leo Costa and Gílson.

Against União de Leiria, third from the bottom, there is little going in the first half. Djim can't beat by pace and when he does there's no clear positioned players for the cross. It takes very long for the first shots to happen.
Things improve in the second half, making some players more attack minded so Djim will have more targets for crossing when he gets past his man and we go fluid. But though chances are created, none is taken.
In a final push I decide to go attacking and seek early crosses as many fail by players trying to get past their marks before crossing and failing when prior to that they had space to cross. It improves things some more.
And in the last minute of the regular time we get the goal!
The result gets up back up to ninth position.

The next game opens with a good chance for them after a through ball, but the keeper is well placed. Not that great chance.
They manage to go ahead with a clear offside goal.
Ká gets a shot in on side position but his is called off.
Referee keeps seeing offsides much less clear than theirs so shots created are kept to almost none.

She's begun to speak Portuguese.

_____________________________________
P.S. - Reviewing the Leixões goal, because in the post match it said referee had been excellent, it looks just offside in some camera modes and just onside in others

 

[Death Ball]

March 2019

The month will begin with a friendly. For some reason there's more than ten days break from the last two matches in three days.

The friendly we control and get two goals early, which is the whole story.

Dabo and Gonçalves catch a flu the same day and will be out for a week.

We face Moreirense without centrebacks in the bench and without a full bench, as Lopetegui has pulled Martins away from us.
We do very little in the first half. In the second changes improve things, but we still only get one shot. More changes were withheld until too late because, while we were failing to get the shots, we were making plays that were much more closer to get them than in the first half. Still, none was had and further changes happened too late to get them.
Still, Moreirense is one of the strong sides of the division, so taking a point isn't a bad result.

Next match is now in four days. Why can't the matches be better spread?
Varzim gets ahead very soon, thanks to Serguinho abandoning his man to double on another player.
Just at the 18th minute Ká is given the best chance ever made while being onside but he just blasts it above the bar. Almost from the six yard box.
Seven minutes later, after which we've been keeping them from doing anything, when their striker is with the ball in the box and he has to get past the four defenders and the defensive midfielder, Castro has no better idea than hack his leg from behind.
A free kick gives them the third after hitting the post.
The fourth is given from tight angle, with the defender protecting a shot to the corner flag and the goalkeeper a cross in front of the six yard box.
Their fifth is Serginho thinking he can fly and Sylla making a sliding asist.
Then a penalty by Serginho trying to get first to a loose ball. This Codreanu is also close to save, this one he gets to touch, but also goes in.
We still had so far a couple of good chances, but Ka's shots are both weak and poorly aimed, though he'll want me to praise he got them on target.
Nearing the end of the game they get their first earned great chance but Codreanu denies it.
A shameful match in which the most annoying of all is none of the six goals was earned. Perhaps the first one can argue they got the ball in a place good to make Serginho nervy and do what he did; but the other five were gifted: gratuitous penalty when the player had five others to beat, foul when the winger was isolated and had no easy target, the fourth is defender and goalkeeping refusing to protect the goal, the fifth would never arrive if Serginho knew a man can't jump five meters and had run instead and then Sylla didn't tackle a ball that was going behind the attacker and the last was a bit of a silly penalty though the least ridiculous of all. Also why the assistant says Serginho made mistakes leading to two goals when I cound at least three caused by his incompetence I don't know.

I don't know if I should laugh at the press or seek the journaliest and punch his face in.

I make a team meeting telling them not to lose heart, we have a few winnable matches coming and it works. Their morale is lifted. Now I'm not sure wether to fine Serginho or not. I can't fine him, but I give him a piece of my mind.

That 6-0 is also a record for the club.

Leo Costa is out for half a year. I can't use him now.

Atlético CP comes first, the match begins better than the past ones, with a good chance for Ká from a Cartagena pass, but he shots badly.
Shortly after it's Castro sending the ball above the bar.
The starting ten minutes close with a new good chance that is saved by their keeper.
A great combination from a corner opens the scoreline, goal by Ramos.
Upper body injury for Cartagena, who I replace.
At the edge of half hour Ká strikes an easy shot at the keeper's hand.
We seem to be back to our good form times.
They get the goal back from a corner and I doubt very much it wasn't offside.
Ká keeps failing to get in the best chances like there was no tomorrow. He's off. I'm sure not buying assistant's "having a good game".
We still get a few chances or near chances to get ahead but don't take them.

Cartagena is out for a month.

We visit Farense with Xande Silva back in the team.
We go ahead after a quarter hour and two great chances conceded.
We keep them at bay nicely. Then Serginho gives them a goal because it seems we can't win a thing. He's out of this team.
Alomst an hour in, we'd be ahead if Ká didn't feel the need to check the offside flag before shooting. Then they kick Silva's shin off.
Martins hits the crossbar at 65:04 and somebody must explain me why, when he's running straight for the ball, he makes a curve away.
We have another like that shortly after but without inexplicable behaviors. And two more clear chances missed.

That's five matches without winning and fans asking me sacked. Yes. Because being midtable with a team which hope was just not be relegated is soooo awful. The same that keep banging about weakened teams because I don't field more than three players older than 23 years. Worse fans ever.

Silva will be out for a week. Two weeks international break coming. Physios don't inform me despite being in my squad.

 

[Death Ball]

April 2019

Another friendly, this against Canedo. Very weaker team, as usual.
It is an easy win, with half shots going on target for may be the first time, and half of them being goals.

We receive Académico de Viseu, a chance to close on them or lag further from ninth position.
There is some good play in the opening minutes, until Gonçalves, who is replacing Serginho in the starting line up, wants to live up to the past first choice and makes a penalty. Codreanu saves it. As it didn't end in goal, rating says Gonçalves did nothing wrong.
We enjoy two decent chances in the first quarter of hour, one from a better position than the other, though none that one can claim is the type that should always go in. They miss the target.
Twenty minutes in, João Pedro lets them pass the ball between his legs and Codreanu tries to save by flopping down like a doll.
Half hour in we finally get one of our chances in!
Eight minutes later, after yet more clear-ish chances missed, Bencé heads a cross from Sylla in and we're ahead!
Second half begins with a close miss by Bence, who's been superb, as he made the first goal with his movement and his pass.
We have a couple more chances but their keeper has a good day. The game ends like this and we're now one point from ninth position.

Coming up, fifth and second teams, Feirense and Sporting B, after that, bottom half teams. Not a bad run to end the season looking to an almost "respectable finish". Our maximum realistic aspiration is eighth place, the worse realistic possinility is to end fifteenth.

We open the match against Feirense with a solo effort by Djim that is saved and edging the match.
That means they get ahead. From a corner. With a header tight to a corner. When there are players set to defend the posts.
Tiago Castro takes it back right after from another corner.
Bence has another good game, with some neat passing and he scores the second before half time.
Sylla, however, is having a poor match, so he's subbed when he doesn't improve ten minutes into second half.
A defender pushes Silva when he was to run alone against the keeper and it's just a yellow!?
Codreanu fails to save a long shot that normally wouldn't be that hard, I think. It slips under his armpit.
Before the match I'd been happy with a draw, after being up, not so much.

In the visit to Sporting B I bring Martins for Gonçalvez. I don't like him becuase he has trouble keeping his concentration, but if Serginho and Gonçalves will be poor then there's no better choice.
The match opens with proof that simply changing the men at the posts isn't enough and we need to traind defending set pieces.
Djim corrects it in three efforts from tight angle.
Silva gets a bruised rib and I'm recommended to take him out.
Alves misses from a great through ball.
They miss an easy chance some time after, which is all that happens.
Another good result.

We reach the match against Tondela with Xande Silva still injured for less than a week.
Gonçalves and Serginho start because Martins and Ramos are still tired.
Bence misses a great chance in the first seven minutes, their keeper jumping just in time. Next Codreanu is the one to make a better save.
At 25 minutes, after a missed header by them, Bence misses another similar chance to the one he missed at the start.
Closing to half time, Djim gets to a pass from Cartagena in space but fails to hit the target.
The back line begins to pick cards, only Gonçalves without one with more than twenty minutes to finish. I decide to take them off.
Ká has a couple good shots, though not from great positions, saved. Djim gets a nice cross and heads it well, but their keeper turns it over, barely!
We should be winning, not that they haven't done anything themselves.
Just in the last second Ramos tries a needless tackle, then doesn't know to recover and in the restart we're robbed of the chance to have the free kick.
Now losing definitely is not deserved.

Fourteen days till the next match, two friendlies to be played. We'll train defending set pieces for both, so we can focus on attacking movement for the last matches.

The first half against Lixa is quiet, but the second half the players turn on the style and we mop the field with their *****.

We should have no losses.

Too tight for my liking we had behind and not enough ahead of our past positions. If we get good results we still can get a very decent position at the end.

Still having it. Will they offer a new contract? If they do I'll turn it down. Managing a B side hasn't been a bad experience, but I'd rather try some A team.

Not really under my control, as contracts and transfers are not in my hands.

She has a good level of Portuguese now.

 

[PatrickLFC]

Any idea where you'd like to go next?

 

[Death Ball]

Any idea where you'd like to go next?

I'm not looking at available jobs yet, as many of the openings that may be interesting won't happen until the season is over. Regarding countries, I'd like in decreasing order of preference Spain, Germany or France, to learn a new language. Spain is clear preferred because her favorite club is Real Madrid and it would be better if she arrives there already speaking Spanish, which is why I would accept a job in South America that isn't Brazil.

Regarding levels, I want the team to be at least second division, which means Spain and England are probably still not likely choices. Though perhaps a team that just survived the drop and didn't come from the top division may be giving a job. However, even with the preference of Spain over any other country, I'd still pick a second level German team that's upper midtable than a Spanish team that barely stayed in Liga Adelante. Likewise, I'd pick a German team that just got promoted to 2. Bundesliga than one that just got promoted to Liga Adelante, as I remember from my Burgos saves that the jump from Segunda B to Liga Adelante is possibly one of the biggest there are. I don't know about the equivalent jump in Germany, but I'm willing to bet it's not half as steep.

To give you an idea of how the jump was: when I took Burgos from Tercera to Segunda B, I got the team to a mid table finish the first season, when I promoted them from Liga Adelante to Liga BBVA I took them to low-midtable, comfortably avoiding relegation, when I took them from Segunda B to Liga Adelante I just barely avoided relegation and spent a lot of the season in the drop zone, and the wins were all hard earned, even against the weaker sides, only those against fellow promoted sides didn't feel as hard. Also, while I lost every match against the top five (I'm not sure if the range was greater) in my first season in Liga Adelante, during my first season in Liga BBVA I beat Real Madrid at home and Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid away.

 

[PatrickLFC]

I'm not looking at available jobs yet, as many of the openings that may be interesting won't happen until the season is over. Regarding countries, I'd like in decreasing order of preference Spain, Germany or France, to learn a new language. Spain is clear preferred because her favorite club is Real Madrid and it would be better if she arrives there already speaking Spanish, which is why I would accept a job in South America that isn't Brazil.

Regarding levels, I want the team to be at least second division, which means Spain and England are probably still not likely choices. Though perhaps a team that just survived the drop and didn't come from the top division may be giving a job. However, even with the preference of Spain over any other country, I'd still pick a second level German team that's upper midtable than a Spanish team that barely stayed in Liga Adelante. Likewise, I'd pick a German team that just got promoted to 2. Bundesliga than one that just got promoted to Liga Adelante, as I remember from my Burgos saves that the jump from Segunda B to Liga Adelante is possibly one of the biggest there are. I don't know about the equivalent jump in Germany, but I'm willing to bet it's not half as steep.

To give you an idea of how the jump was: when I took Burgos from Tercera to Segunda B, I got the team to a mid table finish the first season, when I promoted them from Liga Adelante to Liga BBVA I took them to low-midtable, comfortably avoiding relegation, when I took them from Segunda B to Liga Adelante I just barely avoided relegation and spent a lot of the season in the drop zone, and the wins were all hard earned, even against the weaker sides, only those against fellow promoted sides didn't feel as hard. Also, while I lost every match against the top five (I'm not sure if the range was greater) in my first season in Liga Adelante, during my first season in Liga BBVA I beat Real Madrid at home and Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid away.

I have heard that the Spanish lower league system is pretty brutal, I always find stories from there interesting

 

[Death Ball]

I have heard that the Spanish lower league system is pretty brutal, I always find stories from there interesting

Yeah, coming out of those levels is very hard. Segunda B is four promotion spots and eighteen relegations for eighty teams in four groups; Tercera is eighteen promotions for a total of like seven hundred teams in thirty eight groups.

 

[Death Ball]

May 2019

Ribeira Pena comes for the last friendly.
Easy match, they got one chance though. And a little more possession.

Djim gets a bruised head in training and he'll miss next two games. Concerning since he's important for our attack. Xande Silva is still out and may be just in time for the next match.

We go to Casa Pia with a few players from the A team, including the keeper.
Five minutes in, in a freekick they let a rival slip through, Ramos doesn't jump and lets Uesiel head a ball just beyong Wallace's reach.
Vigário misses the big chance after quarter of an hour.
Seven minutes later it's Laras who misses another. Then hits the bar from the corner.
And another miss by laras two minutes later. Swapping him and Takeo.
Gilson pulls a hamstring right after. I'll risk keeping him.
Uesiel scores again from another corner.
Right before half time Takeo misses yet another easy chance.
I make a complete change of formation at half time to a 3-1-3-3.
After four minutes a piece of wonderful movement and eventually yet another [censored] miss by Laras.
This is when the A team was doing very poorly, a new manager arrives and you suddenly see new players you had never available before you don't trust them because they're A teamers but you keep them at home because they were who dragged the A team down.
Finally at the 59th Laras gets the first goal, after a rebound from a bad interception that was nearly an own goal.
There are more chances, but many more offsides and no goal. This formation has looked promising.

Gílson will be out for the rest of the season. One month. Two matches to end.

Xande Silva isn't quite ready for the match against Chaves, who are just one point behind.
They get complete control at the start and several clear chances in the first thirty minutes. But changes made, starting at the tenth minute, make their effect, a little each change and we pull ahead in the 37th minute.
Just before half time, Serginho, who's in from Martins being tired, shoves a rival in front of the area way off the ball. And Vigario picks a foot injury somehow at the same time. It almosts costs us a goal, but Codreany saves and Ramos clear it.
Gonçalves comes in for Serginho at half time.
Eight minutes in, Cartagena also gets a knock, though it seems less serious. Both stay.
Lamin comes for Vigário in the last quarter hour, where I go more defensive.
We manage to kill the game effectively. Though they approach the area a few times. Since the first thirty minutes, they've never been threatening again, despite the statistics saying they shot a lot more than us.

Vigário will be one month out.

We're now tenth, with a win we may go end ninth but a loss can get us back to thirteenth. Last match: in two weeks. I'm not sure about making a friendly. I'll check fitness levels six days before.

The day comes and I make a friendly, for five days before the match. It is against S. Pedro Cova, with no centrebacks. It goes as it would be expected, but we still concede from a corner. I'd think of being more conservative defending set pieces, but it's not gone in by lack of men in the area. In the second half a goal is conceded thanks to Sidibé leaving the line to head the air.

For the last match against bottom team, Olhanense, I make the defensve set pieces more cautious anyway and train attacking movement. I want a win and try finish 9th.

What do you want when you play the last match of the season after two weeks of break? That international duty begins just that day so you don't have a starting goalkeeper, of course! This is ridiculous!

A shot over the bar from a good position by Bence opens the match. Then a goal on rightly called offside for them follows.
At twenty minutes Bence heads a cross from close to the post to the middle where the goalkeeper is.
I change to chase the goal in the last five minutes, after nothing is achieved and the draw has us just twelfth.
Gaaah! The ball just evades Djim's head when five inches from goal.
The match ends and one of the rivals that were winning concedes at the end and we finish just eleventh.

Squad bonuses are paid and competition prize received for a net profit.

Finish in same position as wages position. Though we have a gigantic squad.

It's less than one month and a half to the end of my contract. Current vacancies of interest are:

Celaya, will play for promotion the Mexican top flight. Insecure finances. Poor recent form. Spanish language.
Vendée Luçon. promoted from National to Ligue 2. French language. Insecure finances. Squad is small but balanced.
Almere City FC - Dutch second level. Dutch, French and German languages. Secure finances. Poorly balanced squad.
Sporting de Gijón - Big squad. Balanced. Strong position, still can get into play off for promotion. Spanish language. Too good to have any hope.

Not yet vacated:
Torpedo Moskva - Under review. Russian second level. Unbalanced squad. Insecure finances. The next are very insecure.
Fulham - Relegated from the Premier division.
Cesena - Relegated from Serie A. Bloated but balanced squad. Secure finances.
AFC Bournemoth - Almost relegated from Championship but stays up. Okay finances. Unbalanced squad.

Waiting to the end of contract might get me some points in future interviews, but if Sporting de Gijón is possible to get I shouldn't let that chance pass.

 

[Death Ball]

The wait for a new employment 2019

I applied to Sporting de Gijón and they told me the interviews are over.

I'm favourite to get the União de Leiria job and I was asked if I would want Olhanense; but they're relegated teams and I'm not interested in them.

The board is happy I refused interest in Olhanense. After I applied for Sporting but they seem not to know.

Almere City vacancy is there, taunting me. It's a job I'd take... if the other interesting options that are likely to open soon failed, but it's not the first. I'll apply, I can always delay till end of contract. Sigh.

A number of new vacancies open: Dijon, Eintracht, Loznica and Fulham, relegated from top divisions. Dijon being the one closer to staying up and so the more interesting. Barely interested in the Serbian. Then Krylja Sovetov, that finished at the edge of promotion play offs. I would apply in order of preference, but seeing the past failures by applying too late, I'll apply to them all and see what happens. There is also Portuguesa in Brazilian Serie A.

Parma and Cagliari open up in Serie B.

Loznica are the first to offer interviews. Fulham's is eventually unsuccessful, Sovetov offers another interview. Press gets aware of this and rate me as one of the favourites to get the job.

Eintracht application fails without interview like the previously mentioned failures. I have another interview with Parma.GAAAAHHH I misclicked and told no way a director of football thinking it was the no changing backroom staff. I shouldn't go through interviews in automatic mode.

Loznica answer negatively. Cagliari also offer a job.

Sovetov comes with an offer. I'll ask a delay, because if Parma or Cagliari come I'd be more interested in those jobs. They agree to the one week delay.

The board block the move to Portuguesa.

The Italians answer hiring someone else, so I'll be going to Russia, with just a bit over half the wages I had.

I got them up to €900p/w. The one year contract is their proposal and I'm good with it.


The profile capture will come next post, if I don't forget, one thing of note is her reputarion bar is still 15% before moving to the day she takes control of Krylja and in her history her time in Vitoria de Guimarães B has the finished 11th.

 

[PatrickLFC]

Congrats on the move. Slowly but surely working your way up That Parma interview must have been frustrating!

 

[Death Ball]

Congrats on the move. Slowly but surely working your way up That Parma interview must have been frustrating!

A bit annoying. When unemployed it's not the most fun, so I try to go fast to the next job. I keep pressing the continue button as soon I see no new sacking or resignation news have happened. Then interviews I read the first one or two, the next I begin to breeze through just seeing what extra info is shown and I choose the nth answer. I saw a list of backroom had and allowed, I thought "odd, there's just three" as I clicked the last choice, then I saw the normal and "Uh... wait, if this is the backroom modification question, what was the previous? Goddammit".

Anyway, Cagliari is of similar reputation and they rejected me. I doubt Parma would have given me the job had I answered differently to that question, so I'm not that frustrated about it.