La Hoya - Taking the Broccoli...

[AndySams10]

Excellent progress, mate! Near the top, only behind on GD.

If I may, it has been a delicious start for The Broccolis

Haha, yes you may......(H)

Thanks mate, the formation I'm playing is just beginning to come together nicely with the squad, plus all my players are Spanish currently so I think that may help with how well we are playing.

 

[Zlatan Lumic]

It doesn't surprise me to see Granada B on top of the league table. Granada is a team that always does well in FM (maybe too well) so it's safe to assume that their kids will follow the same path.

The first season has reached its half point and things are looking well, better than expected even... I kinda expected to see your guys aiming for a comfortable mid table spot and instead I find you on equal ground against Granada B and 8 points ahead of the group's supposed titan (Cádiz)... Impressive so far.
The most negative point is by far the knock out in Copa del Rey's early stages, not only because of the results but also because you've pretty much lost the highest amount of income of the whole season (for 2ªB and 3ª teams making the effort of reaching the 4th round pretty much can save the whole season, since it's the round where the teams playing in Europe join and if you're lucky enough to face a Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atl. Madrid, Valencia... the income of both attendance and TV rights can pretty much save their season financially wise)... but oh well, a bit too late to cry for that I guess.

Good luck with the second half and keep up the good work.

.P.S.: Tounkara seems to be a solid striker for 2ªB and quite decent for Liga Adelante, nice signing there.

 

[AndySams10]

It doesn't surprise me to see Granada B on top of the league table. Granada is a team that always does well in FM (maybe too well) so it's safe to assume that their kids will follow the same path.

The first season has reached its half point and things are looking well, better than expected even... I kinda expected to see your guys aiming for a comfortable mid table spot and instead I find you on equal ground against Granada B and 8 points ahead of the group's supposed titan (Cádiz)... Impressive so far.
The most negative point is by far the knock out in Copa del Rey's early stages, not only because of the results but also because you've pretty much lost the highest amount of income of the whole season (for 2ªB and 3ª teams making the effort of reaching the 4th round pretty much can save the whole season, since it's the round where the teams playing in Europe join and if you're lucky enough to face a Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atl. Madrid, Valencia... the income of both attendance and TV rights can pretty much save their season financially wise)... but oh well, a bit too late to cry for that I guess.

Good luck with the second half and keep up the good work.

.P.S.: Tounkara seems to be a solid striker for 2ªB and quite decent for Liga Adelante, nice signing there.

Thanks mate for the support.

Yeah I'm very pleased and pleasantly surprised with how well we are doing especially as there are much bigger teams than us in the league. The Copa Del Rey result is the most frustrating, simply because of the financial gains that possibly lay ahead, but as you said, can't go crying over that now. Hopefully promotion and much better run next season could help a great deal.

Tounkara has done well when called upon, but the form of Pau Franch has meant he's had to settle for bits here and there, though I'm sure he'll have a run in the side soon.

Next updates will be posted shortly.

 

[AndySams10]

FEBRUARY 2015:

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NEW SIGNING:


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With our finances in a dreadful state, again I was left to scour the loan market. And I feel I've made quite a coup, by bringing in Ager Aketxe from Athletic. He'll slot in to my deep lying playmaker role alongside Iker Underbarrena and I expect big things from Ager, as I look to steer the club towards the title.


RESULTS:


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Another busy month for us and we take a huge thirteen points from fifteen, as we look to keep the pressure on Granada 'B' at the top of the table. Inside forward Jason is really starting to show his quality, as he scored 5 goals in as many games. Unfortunately in the Federation Cup, which I targeted to win, we were knocked out by Huesca, who beat us comfortably in the second leg, meaning they out scored us over the two legs.


SQUAD STATS:


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After Jason's fine month, he is now our second leading scorer, as him and Pau Franch lead our scoring charts, with the latter scoring 19 so far. Ager Aketxe hasn't hit the ground as I'd like, but it's still early days for our new loan signing.


LEAGUE TABLE:


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We are still neck and neck with Granada 'B' and it looks like it'll will be a straight competition with us both for the title, as we lead third place Cadiz by a massive fourteen points. I have to hope that Granada 'B', will slip up and we can take advantage if we stand any chance of pipping them to the title.
​

 

[AndySams10]

MARCH 2015:

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INJURY NEWS:


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Huge injury blow, as three of our attackers are ruled out with injuries and with only a small squad at my disposal, hopefully it won't hit us to hard. The biggest is probably the loss of Jason, who has been in sensational form of late and missing him for a month and a half, will mean a slight tweak to how we will set up in the coming weeks.


RESULTS:


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This month is our most indifferent so far, as we won three games, but lost two meaning we could lose ground at the top of the table. These results have really shown that we currently don't have the depth in the squad to cope with injuries or suspensions. I'll have to hope that we don't suffer too many injuries all at once or that we have a couple of gems in our youth intake which is due this month, to help bolster the ranks.


SQUAD STATS:


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I think our stats show how much of a big loss Pau Franch, Nico and Jason are to my side. Though the rest of the squad have done well since their injuries, missing three players that have brought us 48 goals this season will hurt even the better teams.


LEAGUE TABLE:


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Maybe luck was on our side this month, as Granada 'B' weren't able to capitalize on our losses and we both remain level on points at the top of the league. The biggest change was Cadiz have closed the gap to eight points, meaning we'll have to ensure we don't lose focus in our remaining matches and undo all our fantastic work.


YOUTH INTAKE:


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Not surprising that our intake is very poor due to our below average facilities. I can't envisage it getting better in the short term due to our finances, so I'll have to rely more on the loan market for future player arrivals.
​

 

[AndySams10]

APRIL 2015:

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INJURY NEWS:


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Just a few days after coming back from his injury, our leading scorer Pau Franch has been struck down wit another injury. This time he's picked up fractured ribs in our game against Cartagena, meaning he'll miss the next 7/8 weeks. Pau's injury will lead to Mamadou Tounkara getting a good run in the team.


RESULTS:


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A good draw against Cartagena opened up the month given they are tipped to challenge for the play offs. We then were unstoppable in our next three games, which saw Mamadou Tounkara hit four against Sevilla Atletico. Unfortunately we then ended the month with a dismal draw against bottom side Arroyo.


SQUAD STATS:


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Mamadou Tounkara has filled in brilliantly for the injured Pau Franch and has starred with some excellent performances in the lone advanced forward role. But the player that has shown his quality is Ager Aketxe who's been outstanding and has demonstrated why Athletic rate him very highly.


LEAGUE TABLE:


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We've achieved a guaranteed play off place, as well as stretching the lead over Cadiz to fourteen points. It can't be closer at the top between us and Granada 'B' as only two goals seperate us from going top.
Two games left to go and as mentioned a couple months ago, it's gone to the wire. All I can do is ensure my players do what is required and win our final games and hope Granada 'B' slip up.
​

 

[AndySams10]

MAY 2015:

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RESULTS:


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We've done our job and won both games, though the Linense game was a nail biter, as we fell behind early on, but the lads managed to come from a goal down and win the game. Now all we have to do is wait for the result involving Granada 'B' to see whether we will be crowned champions or will be be runners up in my first season at the La Hoya.


SQUAD STATS:


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LEAGUE TABLE:


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The results were in and Granada 'B' had lost their final game, meaning we were crowned CHAMPIONS!!
Now, in most countries when you win the league you look forward to planning for next season in a higher division, but not in Spain. We will now face Gimnastic, who won their division, in a two legged play off, so there's still more nerve wracking moments ahead.
​

 

[AndySams10]

MAY 2015 - THE PLAY OFFS:

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FIRST PHASE PLAY OFF - SEMI FINAL RESULT:


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We faced Gimnastic, who finished top of the Segunda B3, over two legs, with the winner going into the final to decide one of the promotion spots available in Liga Adelante. The first leg was a close affair as we were one nil down and also down to ten men, due to Nino being sent off, but in the 85th minute Joselu equalised giving us hope for the home leg.
We welcomed back Pau Franch for the second leg and he stole the show scoring a hat trick as we ran out 5-2 aggregate winners and set up a final against Castilla.


FIRST PHASE PLAY OFF - FINAL RESULT:


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So we face Castilla, who are Real Madrid's B team, so we knew we were in for a huge test. With promotion to Liga Adelante up for grabs, the lads played some of the best football I've seen since I took charge, as the tie was pretty much over after our superb win in the first leg. Going into the second leg and the lads were sensational yet again and put on show in front of our home fans winning very comfortably and finally securing promotion.


NEW CONTRACT:


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A new deal was signed just before our game against Gimnastic and with the current financial state of the club, I decided to reduce the wage offered to what I'm earning, to ensure no more debt will amount from myself.


SQUAD STATS:


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The whole squad have been brilliant this season, but the stand out performers have to be my front four of Nico, Jason, Joselu and Pau Franch. Also, centre back Jose Pardo deserves a special mention, as he's been superb at the heart of our defence.


LEAGUE STATS:


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We dominated most of the stats, with both Nico and Joselu being the most consistent performers of the season. Pau Franch finished the season some way behind Riki in the goal scoring charts, but I believe if Pau had been fit for all the season he would've come close to top spot.
​

 

[Zlatan Lumic]

Allow me to explain how the promotion to Liga Adelante play-offs work.

-The first four teams of every group qualify for them.
-However there's a bit of a twist there: the four leaders of each group play between them, while the other teams play between them.
-In the leaders' playoff, those teams who won are automatically promoted while the losers join the play-offs that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th teams are playing in order to determine the other two teams that will promote.
-While the promotion play-offs are still going, the two teams who won the leaders' play-off play between them to determine the "2ªB Winner" (Which is both symbolic... and pointless.)

Meaning that both La Hoya and Castilla were oficially Liga Adelante's team when they played those finals.

The season has come to an end and what an end it had...
Your guys managed to overthrow Granada B in a nail-biting season's finale: getting the top place in the very last minute.
Then they managed to attain promotion against one of the league's strongest (both sports and economy wise) teams with an amazing second leg included and later they proclamed themselves "kings" of 2ªB by thrashing Castilla (double 3-0).

Amazing, simply amazing... You made a miracle. But the true challenge is about to come... brace yourself and good luck.

.P.S.: ¡Olé tus huevos! (It had to be said)

 

[Bullardinho]

Just caught up with this, Congrats on promotion mate, next season will be a real challenge but I am sure you will surpass expectations again!

 

[CantGetEnoughOfJelavic]

Nice first season. Adelante will provide a new challenge though, especially if you don't add to the squad - depending on finances!

Good luck, enjoying it.

 

[AndySams10]

Allow me to explain how the promotion to Liga Adelante play-offs work.

-The first four teams of every group qualify for them.
-However there's a bit of a twist there: the four leaders of each group play between them, while the other teams play between them.
-In the leaders' playoff, those teams who won are automatically promoted while the losers join the play-offs that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th teams are playing in order to determine the other two teams that will promote.
-While the promotion play-offs are still going, the two teams who won the leaders' play-off play between them to determine the "2ªB Winner" (Which is both symbolic... and pointless.)

Meaning that both La Hoya and Castilla were oficially Liga Adelante's team when they played those finals.

The season has come to an end and what an end it had...
Your guys managed to overthrow Granada B in a nail-biting season's finale: getting the top place in the very last minute.
Then they managed to attain promotion against one of the league's strongest (both sports and economy wise) teams with an amazing second leg included and later they proclamed themselves "kings" of 2ªB by thrashing Castilla (double 3-0).

Amazing, simply amazing... You made a miracle. But the true challenge is about to come... brace yourself and good luck.

.P.S.: ¡Olé tus huevos! (It had to be said)

Thanks for the explanation mate, it took me a while to figure out how it actually worked, but appreciate you breaking it down for me.

Yeah we were unbelievable this season and the team just clicked, though the biggest test will be next season, as I've already been turned down by numerous players' clubs, as they feel we aren't of high quality to allow their players to join. So I'm going to have to work my magic and trust the majority of players I have and see if we can cause another major upset.

What does Ole tus huevos mean?

Thanks for the support.

 

[AndySams10]

Nice first season. Adelante will provide a new challenge though, especially if you don't add to the squad - depending on finances!

Good luck, enjoying it.

Cheers mate for the support.

Amazing first season, though next season is going to be hard!! Finances aren't great and struggling to bring players in!!

 

[AndySams10]

Just caught up with this, Congrats on promotion mate, next season will be a real challenge but I am sure you will surpass expectations again!

Cheers buddy, and thanks for the support.

Yeah Liga Adelante is really going to challenge my FM skills, as it looks like I'll have pretty much the same squad due to us not being of a high quality, that clubs will allow players to join us on loan!

Oh well, it's what I want a challenge and they don't come much bigger for me at the moment.

 

[Bullardinho]

Cheers buddy, and thanks for the support.

Yeah Liga Adelante is really going to challenge my FM skills, as it looks like I'll have pretty much the same squad due to us not being of a high quality, that clubs will allow players to join us on loan!

Oh well, it's what I want a challenge and they don't come much bigger for me at the moment.

Yeah it should be a very good challenge. That's what I found with my Eibar save, the finances are so poor that you will probably need to rely on Loans and Freebies for a good few years yet as well. All part of the fun though! Good luck!

 

[AndySams10]

Yeah it should be a very good challenge. That's what I found with my Eibar save, the finances are so poor that you will probably need to rely on Loans and Freebies for a good few years yet as well. All part of the fun though! Good luck!

Thanks mate. I'd like to get loan signings in and though some good players are keen, their clubs want them to play with higher quality players which is proving to be frustrating!! Plus, my finances are shocking, so will be relying on team spirit to see where it takes us.

Pre-Season update will be posted shortly.

 

[AndySams10]

END OF SEASON 1 REVIEW:

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FANS' PLAYER OF THE SEASON:


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Nico fully deserves this award, with stats of 15 goals, 23 assists and an average rating of 7.49 over 43 games, it just shows how important he was to us as we clinched the title and won promotion to Liga Adelante.


BEST ELEVEN ANNOUNCED:


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STADIUM NEWS:


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To comply with league regulations in Liga Adelante, we need to install 6,000 seats. This will come at a cost though with an estimated £739k needed to carry out the work. With our finances not great, we've had to take a loan out to help pay for the improvements.


TRANSFER NEWS:


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As mentioned, numerous times, with our finances in such a bad way currently, I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to attract the players I'd need to strengthen the squad and with us now in a higher division, it would mean we'd need to pay a percentage of wages to any incoming player. So I decided to extend the loans of Jorge Mere, Iker Undabarrena, Ager Aketxe and Jason for another season and by moving quickly it means I'm not splashing out on extra wages. Unfortunately Mamadou Tounkara was unwilling to extend his stay, due to Lazio wanting him to play with higher quality players!


MANAGERS REVIEW:


I've been thoroughly delighted with what we've achieved this season and to be playing in Liga Adelante after only one season in charge, is more than I could've wished for. The lads have been excellent throughout the season and I've been very happy that they've bought into the style of football I'm looking to play and that shows with the goals we've scored and how well we've defended too. Of course there were a few disappointing moments, especially being knocked out in the first round of the Copa Del Rey against lower opposition. That said, to be crowned champions and win promotion is a fantastic feeling and one I hope we can use to further our development and help us experience more successes.
​

 

[Zlatan Lumic]

What does Ole tus huevos mean?

It's a Spanish saying that is usually used as a(n enthusiastic) way of saying "good for you", "well done mate" or even "you're awesome".
Although it can also be used as a reprimand or (sarcastic) remark to someone who messed up big time or said/did without thinking.

Needless to say in this case it was the first example ^^

By the way wise choice to extend those loans, they should be more than decent for Liga Adelante's standards.

.P.S.: So you'll be playing in La Condomina for most of next year.
Talk about "crowded" stadiums... Your team will be the 4th Murcian team to play there after Real Murcia (who moved to Nueva Condomina), Ciudad de Murcia (who disappeared in 2007) and UCAM Murcia.

 

[AndySams10]

It's a Spanish saying that is usually used as a(n enthusiastic) way of saying "good for you", "well done mate" or even "you're awesome".
Although it can also be used as a reprimand or (sarcastic) remark to someone who messed up big time or said/did without thinking.

Needless to say in this case it was the first example ^^

By the way wise choice to extend those loans, they should be more than decent for Liga Adelante's standards.

.P.S.: So you'll be playing in La Condomina for most of next year.
Talk about "crowded" stadiums... Your team will be the 4th Murcian team to play there after Real Murcia (who moved to Nueva Condomina), Ciudad de Murcia (who disappeared in 2007) and UCAM Murcia.

Haha, thanks mate, I appreciate the kind words.

Yeah we are playing at La Condomina on a temporary basis while our ground has the work done.

You know loads about Spanish football, am I right in guessing you are from Spain?

 

[AndySams10]

PRE-SEASON 2015/16:

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NEW SIGNINGS:


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Lato - The promising left back has joined us on loan from Valencia and will provide great competition with Jaime Paredes.


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Alberto - With Jorge Mere away with the Spanish U21s, we need a decent replacement and Alberto will definitely provide that for us. Another season long loan, this time from Sporting.


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Alex Lopes - We needed another striking option and with Mamadou Tounkara returning to his club, I was left with just Pau Franch as my only forward. Once Valencia listed Alex Lopes for loan, it was a no-brainer to add him to my squad.


LIGA ADELANTE ODDS:


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We are given odds of 16/1 for promotion, which is better than I'd thought. There are some very good teams we'll be up against this season, so with that in mind, I've told the board to expect a mid-table finish.


FINANCES:


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The finances are looking so much better than they did at the end of last season and this is mainly due to the 'La Hoya Invitation Tournament' I created as part of our pre-season preparations.


TACTICS:


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The formations we'll use will be the same that did so well for us last season. Against the big sides I may tweak it slightly and play a more counter attacking style of football, but I'm a big believer in what I'm trying to implement and see no reason to make big changes.


RESULTS:


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The tournament I set up included Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia and was played over two days. We were drawn against Real Madrid in our semi final game and were beaten quite comfortably. Then in the 3rd/4th play off, we played Valencia and some how managed to win, despite our opposition having over 30 shots on goal.
We then were superb in our win over Almeria and came from behind to beat Bayern Munich's second team. In our final game, we played Valencia again and despite the score line it was a very close game, with their quality shining through in the end.


INJURY NEWS:


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New loan signing Alberto picked up a nasty injury in training, straining his knee ligaments, which will see him out of action for 2 months.
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