Learn to Walk Before You Can Samba

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StuW

Why So Serious?
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"Hello?" as the phone rang on my bedside cabinet. "Olá Diego! It's your agent, Rodrigo! I have some exciting news for you, come down to the office later." 'Useless ****', I said to myself as I hung up. I hired Rodrigo two years ago, and had given him the task to find me some coaching work. After a few calls within the first few weeks, he never contacted me once until today. I struggled out of bed, got ready, and headed to the kitchen. "**** me....did I drink that much last night?" as I looked at the mass of bottles on the side counter. Reaching for the salts, I noticed the photograph of my hero:

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The one man who I always hoped to emulate. My father, Pedrinho, who was a defender in the 70s and 80s for Palmeiras, Vasco, Bangu and Catania, and also played for Brazil 13 times. I looked up to him like no-one else. I was always envious what he had achieved in his career, but he always told me 'You always pass failure on the way to success.' That simple quote has been the way I have tried to live. I had failed as a player. I wanted to pass that on the way to a successful career in coaching.


The next few hours drifted by, as I went through the usual motions of a day. Eat, wash, shave, dress. I picked myself up off the sofa eventually, and made my way to my 'agent's' office. The drive into the city centre of Sao Paulo was as monotonous as ever. Busy, bustling, everyone in a rush to go somewhere. I passed Palestra Itália, the stadium my father once graced, currently under construction for the upcoming World Cup. "Finally here." Glad to be out of the car, I managed to cross the busy road, and into the building where my agent was based.

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I clambered into the elevator, as I really didn't feel like climbing the stairs to the 15th floor. As I stepped out of the elevator, my agent's secretary greeted me. "Ola, Diego. Rodrigo is in his office, go right in." I opened the door, and there he was. He was the stereotypical 'big city cat', rotund build, with a cigar in his mouth.


"Diego! Good to see you! It's been a while, but I have some very exciting news for you. I have been sent an e-mail from an agency up in Ceará state. I think you will be very, very interested."
 
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What a ***** title! ;)

Nice enough read though.. :p
 
You made a mistake in the third line, you call your agent Diego instead of Rodrigo.
 
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Suddenly, I was listening fully. Finally this fat useless blob was pulling his weight. "Fortaleza have sacked Marcinho, their manager, and are looking for his replacement. However, they are looking for younger, more hungry applicants, that can add drive to their quest to be in Serie A. I think this could certainly be the right place for you to start. Off the beaten track, a big club, but they have fallen from grace. Away from the media spotlight, and a club you can mould how you want."

Suddenly, I had an opening to get back into football. I knew Fortaleza well. Once a big club, they had recently been relegated twice in quick succession, and now sat in the third tier of Brazilian football. To be honest, there was no hesitation from me. "Send my application." I couldn't miss this opportunity.

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Two days later, I was on a plane to northern Brazil, to attend an interview. The interview went very well, and the next few days I spent enjoying the quite magnificent city. It was colorful, vibrant, full of life. Just how you imagine Brazil to be. Monday morning came around, and I was up and ready to fly back to Sao Paulo, when my phone rang. "Hello, is this Diego?" said a firm voice, which I recognized straight away. "Yes, who is speaking?" I replied.

"I am the director from Fortaleza Esporte Club. Myself and the board have reviewed all applicants, and we have made our decision. We have decided that you are the man we would like to lead this club forward. Your drive and determination, as well as your vision is exactly what the club is looking for. We are prepared to offer a two-year, 2,200 per week contract." Not the greatest salary, but it is a start. "I accept. When do I start?" I was eager to get started. "Could you meet myself and the coaching staff at the training ground tomorrow at around 11am?" I agreed quickly, and started to prepare myself for the next day. I needed to hit the ground running.

By 11pm, I had compiled a full report on the team and squad. I finished off my drink, and headed to bed. The next day would be the most important, the start of my Brazilian adventure.
 
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The next few days were largely uneventful. I spent the days alongside Cleison, my assistant manager, watching the team training sessions. I was pleased with the overall squad, and the work ethic that was on show. Every training session was like a real match, yet the squad had superb comradery. All through the long, humid sessions, I had made notes, and by the end of the week knew who was going, and who was staying, and most importantly, the type of players I needed to bring in.

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I decided on the Saturday to inform the players who I would be transfer-listing. With little funds available to me, I made the tough decision to transfer list the clubs two most valuable player, Julio Tercerio and Carlinhos Bala, along with some fringe players that didn't fit into my plans.

Next, I had to make shortlists of players who I wanted to sign in the January window. I quickly enlisted two new scouts, Cocito and Ayres Albuquerque, who would aid me in the search for my new players. Within a couple of days, we had secured two new players on free transfers, Diogo, a versatile Brazilian defender or midfielder, along with fellow Brazilian winger Pinga, who had previously had spells in Italy and UAE.

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Another couple of days passed, with little activity for the club. I had, however, received two very good offers fro the two star players, both from Saudi clubs. I knew that the players would not turn down a final big pay-day in the Gulf, and the figures pushed my way were more than I expected to receive for the pair. Al-Ahli had made a 500k offer for Tercerio, which I accepted without haste, whilst Al-Ittihad put up 160k for Bala, which was also accepted. Two in, two out, and a 660k profit to boot. Safe to say that the first week was a success, but I knew this was only the start.
 
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So, the team was starting to take shape. Two very able players joined, and we were in discussions with a few more. Myself and Cleison agreed that it would be a wise move to talk to some of the 'Brasilierao' clubs, to see who we can bring in on loan deals. We earmarked five players from the higher divisions, two targets, and backups to those targets. We spent hours, looking at the targets individually, making sure they were exactly what we needed.

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So, the first offer was in. Juninho was transfer-listed, but was more than good enough to get into my team. He played as a CM Playmaker, so his creativity would be very nice to have available. We also sent an e-mail to Fluminense, to secure the loan of promising striker Matheus Carvallho. These two signings would undoubtedly give a signal of intent to the other clubs in the division, and would surely see us able to push for promotion to Serie B this season.

'Hello?' my office phone had been ringing, which I hastily picked up, hoping for some good news for the offers we made. 'Hello, I am the agent for Matheus Carvallho. I don't know if you have heard, but there has been a rival offer for my client's services from Olympiakos. They have made a formal transfer offer, which, from my sources, is very, very close to Fluminense's valuation of the player. As of yet, neither your bid, or Olympiakos' bids have been accepted or rejected, but the club are desperate to hold onto Matheus, and he also thinks he is too young to move to Europe.' ******* ****...another setback of sorts. 'OK, thanks for the tip-off, I hope we can win this battle, we do offer a much more attractive proposition for Matheus at this point in his career.' I wasn't too happy, but I still held confidence in the deal. After all, there is no guarantee that he will be playing week in week out in Greece like he would be here, is there?

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A little later, I did receive good news regarding my other bid. Juninho, from Sao Paulo, had agreed to join on loan, which was quite fantastic to hear. I had envisioned Juninho creating chances galore for Matheus in a dream partnership. I had one half of that dream, but one half of a dream doesn't make it as fun, does it......​
 
Great stuff Stu. :) Interesting read and clear, quality layout as always! Keep it up.
 
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With one mega-signing through the door, I still had much work to do before we would be ready to challenge this season. The trend continued, with five new players signing that week. Still no word from Fluminense, apart from the fact that the bid from Olympiakos was accepted, as was ours. It was up to the player, all we could do was play the waiting game...

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Of those coming to Fortaleza, the major signing, which captured the attention of the fans, was former Brazilian international Gil, who joined on a free transfer after leaving powerhouse Flamengo. At 31, he may be slightly past his best, but at this level, his quality should still show through. Following closely behind was Paraguayan duo Victor Ayala, who signed from Libertad for £4,000, and veteran playmaker Troadio Duarte, from Guarani for £3,500. Next up was versatile right sided Peruvian, Mauricio Rebaza, who joined on loan from CNI for £5,000, our most expensive transfer of the window.

Last, but certainly not least, was the acquisition of Uruguay's 23-year old Marvin Monroy, who joined us from Sud America on a free transfer. From what I had seen, he was a very skilful left-winger, who would certainly give Pinga some competition on the left of midfield. As the new players came in, we had to say goodbye to some more players. Leonardo Andrade left for Bolognesi for £16,000, Magal joined Nacional for £60,000, Gilmak moved onto Liverpool(Uruguay) for the fee of £40,000, and finally, former Internacional forward Gustavo Papa moved to Deportivo Municipal for £20,000.

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So, so far this window, we had signed seven players, fees adding up to £12,000, and had sold a total of seven, with a whopping £800,000 incoming. Needless to say, the board were extremely happy with those figures, even with losing seven main players, we looked in good stead for the forthcoming season. Monday morning came around, signalling the end of my first, event filled week in the job. I fell into my chair in the office, and quickly checked my Facebook and e-mails before getting to work. I was still living in the beach-side hotel, and hadn't had time to look for something more permanent.

The phone rang just after 11am. I picked up, and heard a stern voice. "Ola Diego, I am the Sporting Director from Fluminense. I am just calling to let you know that Matheus Carvallho has made his decision, and has asked me to inform all three clubs who had offers accepted." I stopped. His agent had told me that only two clubs had bid, yet this guy says three! "Three clubs? I was told only Fortaleza and Olympiakos had bid for him." I waited for his response, hoping that this wasn't some mega club offering 90k per week. "Yes, but there was a late bid yesterday morning that matched the Olympiakos bid from.....Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine." Suddenly, my heart plummeted, I knew no player would choose the third division Brazilian club over the choice of two European heavyweights.

"Matheus has indeed made his choice. He is very conflicted, having three very reputable clubs looking to secure his signature. He has in no uncertain terms confirmed he will not be joining Olympiakos, as they cannot offer enough football that he feels he needs at his age." I waited with bated breath for his decision....​
 
Great stuff Stu, I never knew signing a player could be so gripping!
 
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'Matheus also has indicated that a move to Shakhtar, or indeed Europe at this early point in his career may be the wrong one. Although it is a step down in leagues, the player has agreed to join Fortaleza until the end of the upcoming season. The final paperwork to finalize the deal has been faxed to your club, and once that is done, we will send confirmation to the FA.' Yes!! What a signing! 'Thank you very much, I will complete and return the paperwork today, so we can conclude the deal. Goodbye.'

I struggled to hold the excitement, after all, we had secured the signature of one of the nation's best young forwards on loan! I rushed to the admin to pick up the paperwork. I filled it in there and then, and almost threw it back at the HR officer to send back. That was it. The first marquee signing of my tenure. I couldn't wait to meet the player, and hopefully he will lead us to promotion this coming season, and with some luck, we may even capture the Ceara State Championship.

A day later, the Brazilian FA confirmed the deal, and the player arrived at the training ground that afternoon. We showed him around, gave him a catchup in regards to tactics etc, and left the training ground. I had a lot of preparation to do over the coming weekend, with our first friendly just around the corner. I had two hours of videos, match and player analysis to sift through. Myself and my assistant split the load between us. He took the task of looking at the defensive weaknesses of the upcoming opponent, whilst I made plans too make sure they couldn't score.

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I sat at the desk the following afternoon, pondering the next move. We had money, we had holes still to be filled in the squad, but we still had a lot of work to do. At my count, we could still do with a total of two or three players in, but there was not one that jumped out at me as I trawled through my reports. As the time ebbed away slowly, I decided to get out of the office, and take a walk along the beach at Fortaleza. You know, clear my mind, get my head sorted and the like. I stopped at a charming cafe, had a wonderful coffee, watching the waves crash against the rocky harbour wall. I spent a good two hours there, just letting time pass by, forgetting the stress at work. Eventually, I arose from the chair, and decided to make my way back to the hotel. The sun began to set, and the city looked a different place. Bright buildings, some reaching into the dark empty sky, and nothing but the noise of the sea as I walked along the promenade.

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I finally reached the hotel. I pushed the estate agent books off of the kitchen bench, and stopped. This is a **** of a lot harder than I thought it would be. I poured a strong drink, and headed onto the balcony of my room. 14 floors up, the view was spectacular. I then thought, I should ring my former manager. Ask for some advice, some pointers. After all, Wanderley is one of the most respected Brazilian managers in modern history...
 
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What's with the excellent updates lately-can't remember a time when I've seen so many.

Really enjoying this one. Keep it up!
 
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