R.C.D. Mallorca - Returning to the top

[ninjaskill]

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Things haven't been going well for the Palma based club RCD Mallorca lately less than a decade after finishing 5th in La Liga and providing a couple players to the Spain Euro 2008 team they were finally relegated into the Spanish third division after years of fighting relegation. The club also went through numerous owners in a short time and is now owned by American Robert Sarver who also owns the Phoenix Suns and likely explains why ex-NBA player Steve Nash is a club director. The challenge is to try and get Mallorca back up to the top division and try to add to the 1998 Spanish Super Cup and 2003 Copa del Rey as top level trophies that the club has won.

The first goal though has to be to get the club out of the third division of Spanish football as quickly as possible. Which is also what the board expects of me along with advancing to the third round of the Copa del Rey.

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To help me achieve this goal I have -2,500 a week to spend although cancelling a loan gets me spending basically the full wage budget so I won't be able to splurge on any new signings.

Key Players

Lago Junior
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The Ivorian is simply far to good for this division and has a La Liga and second division side interested but will be going nowhere. He will play on the right wing but can also fill in on the left and up front and is our best player in all three positions. One of few players not new to the club he should shine at this level and I expect a great season from him.

Alejandro Faurlin
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The ex-QPR midfielder is an experienced player and should be able to dictate play from the middle of the park at this level. His technical ability will be much better than the vast majority of midfielders at this level.

Salva Ruiz
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Ruiz is our standout defenders the Valencia youth academy graduate and European Under 19 champion will be our starting left back. He has two La Liga appearances for Granada before an illness forced him to take a year out of the game. A good defender he can also hopefully chip in going forward.

Damia Sabater
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An academy graduate Sabater has great quality and is the second best player to come out the academy in recent years, the best is some bloke called Asensio who moved to some Madrid team. A very talented AMC he will be fighting to play there as it is a position where I have a lot of good players.
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A promoted GK from my B team provides a back up GK but we lack depth at CB and up front as I don't want to play Lago Junior up front. Everywhere else looks good and I think the squad is more than good enough to challenge for promotion.

Transfers

With no money I could only get free loans and signed two players for nothing and no one left the club.

Caio
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My scouts slightly overrated the Brazilian who joins from our senior affiliate Atletico Madrid for nothing. His ability to cover all three attacking midfield positions makes him useful depth but he won't be starting so I may cancel his loan in January.

Borja Mayoral
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I don't think I'll be cancelling this loan in January for some reason. Borja Mayoral comes in to claim the striker spot, I was shocked that Madrid let him go on loan for nothing and no wages and even more shocked when he agreed to join. He has the talent to rip defences in this division to shreds.

Tactics
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I'll be using this 4-2-3-1 as I look to take advantage of our extra skill and hopefully have the team go out and dominate the ball and create lots of chances while not being to open at the back.

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Finally, as I forgot to tick the reputation to match the club boxes I have no coaching badges and no playing experience so the squad has no faith in me. On top of that following the relegation the squad has been gutted and so the players also don't really know each other.
​

 

[ninjaskill]

Pre Season + September Update

With only one game in August I lumped it in with September as we looked to start the season well to reinforce our status as promotion challengers.

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We're favourites to win our section of the third division. The main challenge will be from two other sides who've been in La Liga this decade in Elche and Hercules Alicante. Winning the league however is no guarantee of promotion as everyone has to play in playoffs for the right to be promoted.

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We have no one who is though to be vaguely near the top scorers list with Lago Junior our best chance at 201. I feel a lot of Mallorca fans could earn money by backing Borja Mayoral at odds worse than those to be top scorer.

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Pre season went well as we played third division sides in other sections and won every game only conceding one goal.

Mallorca 2-1 Lleida
View attachment 40100Lago Junior shows his class as we beat a Lledia side who are predicted to finish fourth to make a good start to the season. He opened the scoring for the season firing a low shot past the keeper from a tight angle. Nierga levelled for Lledia as he sprung the offside trap and finished well past the keeper and in. Lago Junior again beat his man and cut in towards goal before squaring the ball to Borja Mayoral who tapped in to give us the opening day win.

In a total non overreaction to the goal I extended Mayoral's loan by another year just after the game.

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We also picked up our first injury with left winger Bustos set to miss a few games.

Copa Del Rey

Atletico Baleares 1-0 Mallorca
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In the early rounds the Copa del Rey is only on leg so we are out of the cup far earlier than the board wanted. Our far less successful city rivals are the ones who put us out as well. Hugo Diaz headed in a corner late on to give them the win with their only shot on target in a poor game overall.

Villarreal B 1-1 Mallorca
View attachment 40093We play our only other rivals B team and can only get a draw as we struggle against Villarreal. A long ball played in Mesa and he put them ahead after 21 mins. Alex Lopez levelled for us after a change to 4-4-2, Mayoral drifted out wide and then hit in a low cross that Lopez poked in at the back post to claim us a point.

Mallorca 1-0 At. Saguntino
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Lago Junior struck late as we claimed all three points in an even game, cutting inside and then hitting a low shot just inside the far post to give us a possibly undeserved winner.

Mallorca 3-0 Perelada (Girona B)
View attachment 40090Perelada were yet to pick up a point and we kept that run going with a good 3-0 win. Mayoral got us in front after 6 minutes, a shot from just outside the box was well placed but lacked power and only went into thanks to poor goalkeeping. He scored again just before half time, another simple tap in after good work from Lago Junior on the right. Lago Junior added some gloss to the scoreline with a late goal, left unmarked at the back post he had a simple finish to wrap up the win.

Olot 1-2 Mallorca
View attachment 40089In front of just 260 home fans we got all three points thanks to some late drama. Mayoral converted a first half penalty when Pedraza was tripped in the box. Uri struck late for Olot heading in a corner after being left unmarked and looked to have earned them a point until their left back missed his header to allow a pass to get to Lago Junior who sprinted into the box and picked out Alex Lopez who calmly fired into an open goal to give us the win late on.

Sta. Eulalia 0-7 Mallorca
View attachment 40088We take full advantage of an early red card to record a very convincing win over Sta. Eulalia. Faurlin got off the mark for the club after 3 minutes, making a late run to head in a Bustos cross from close range. Mayoral doubled our lead soon after, a free kick bounced around in the box and then fell to him and he fired the loose ball in. De Val picked up two bookings in a single minute to get sent off in the 11th minute and effectively end the game as a contest. Mayoral doubled his personal tally after 23 minutes, with Bustos whipping in another dangerous cross and Mayoral got the run on his man to convert from close range. Pedraza wrapped up the first half scoring curling a low shot into the bottom corner from just inside the box. Salva Sevilla scored his first Mallorca goal just after half time, with some poor goalkeeping helping his low shot find the back of the net. Sabater turned well in the box and then fired past the keeper to make it six before Mayoral volleyed in a Lago Junior cross late on to complete his hat trick and make it 7-0.

Mallorca 3-3 Hercules Alicante
View attachment 40087In a game of 1st vs 2nd both sides lead but neither could hold a lead as we end up drawing. Pedraza got us in front after 23 minutes, the keeper spilling a Lago Junior shot and Pedraza was first to the rebound to put us infront. Carlos Fernandez struck either side of half time to put us behind. First, finishing well just inside the box when given to much space and then after an incredibly looped pass reacting quickest to the bounce to poke the ball in. Mayoral hit back quickly to level the game up, running onto a low Bustos cross and firing in from close range. Bustos put us ahead ith 20 minutes left, with his long range shot beating the keeper. Angel equalised in injury time with a low drive from range that left Reina no chance to cost us two points.

Llagostera 1-2 Mallorca
View attachment 40086We comeback to beat Llagostera but take a big loss to injury. Sanchez got them ahead early on in the game, reacting first to a rebound and firing it in. Mayoral levelled the game up for us flicking in a Bustos cross at the near post. Lago Junior scored the winner just before half time, rising high at the back post to head in a Salva Ruiz cross.

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Unfortunately he tore his calf and will likely be out until the winter break in a massive loss for us as he was a great player in great form.

Table
View attachment 40084It's tight at the top as we lead Elche, Hercules and Sabadell by three points although Hercules do have a game in hand on us. At the other end Perelada just don't look cut out for this level and will have to rapidly improve to stay up.
​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Solid start! KIU

 

[ninjaskill]

Solid start! KIU

Cheers man, turns out having a striker much better than everyone else in the division is useful for winning.

 

[ninjaskill]

October Update

Losing Lago Junior makes for a much harder month especially when Borja Mayoral is called up for Spain youth international games and the league doesn't stop international breaks.

Zaragoza B 0-0 Mallorca
View attachment 40010We show we miss Lago as we struggle to create a lot against an average Zaragoza B side. Lopez failed to score a good chance late on but we looked a bit less threatening in attack for sure.

Mallorca 6-2 Formentera
View attachment 40009We were also missing Borja Mayoral for this game as he was on Spain youth duty but our attackers make up for it as we hammer fellow Balearic side Formentera. Kotnik actually put them in front after 2 minutes, finding himself in far to much space in the box and finishing well. Bustos responded quickly for us, Raillo heading down a corner and he fired the ball in. Pedraza had us in front soon after, his strike from the edge of the box taking a large deflection to wrong foot the keeper and go in. Lopez extended our lead late on in the half, after seeing his first shot blocked he fired a much better second shot into the bottom corner. Bustos had us four up before the break finishing into the top corner when in on goal. Kotnik scored not long after halftime to pull a goal back for Formentera, taking down a long ball well before blasting the ball past Reina and in. Bustos scored a penalty just after the hour to wrap up his hat trick and Giner scored late to help boost our goal difference, a low strike from outside the box just out of the keeper's reach.

Atletico Balearas 0-2 Mallorca
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We gain a measure of revenge on our city rivals for dumping us out the cup as we win a very even game. An own goal got us in front after 39 minutes, Ariday hit in a low cross and it hit Sergio on the heel and beat his keeper. Bustos continued his good form with a goal after 78 minutes to wrap up the win a Pedraza shot took a large deflection and landed at his feet and he fired the ball in with the keeper down.

Alcoyano 3-2 Mallorca
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Alcoyano end our unbeaten start to the season as we fail to convert our chances and they finish well. Galeano put them ahead after 23 minutes, a shot was parried by Reina an Alcoyano player tried to turn in the rebound but a defender blocked and then the ball fell to Galeano who converted from about 6 inches out. Sabater equalised with 8 minutes of the first half let, with a great shot from range that left the keeper no chance. Fuentes put them back in front after 78 minutes, knocking from a flicked on corner. Galeano doubled their lead soon after, rising high and powerfully heading in past Reina. Lopez pulled a goal back late on stabbing in an Ariday cross from a foot out. He then had a late 1 on 1 saved that could have earned us a point.

Mallorca 1-0 Cornelia
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We bounced back from defeat with a win as Alex Lopez comes up with a late goal. Mayoral found space out wide and fired in a low cross that Lopez timed his run to perfection to meet and tap in at the back post.

Table
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We fall to third with a few dropped points so far it looks like us, Hercules and Elche are the big favourites for the title.


In other news Caio was recalled by Atletico as he never actually played a minute for us and we also replace Atletico with Barca as a senior affiliate after they offered us 110,000 per year against Atletico's nothing and our finances meant we had to swap.​

 

[ninjaskill]

November Update

To add some difficulty we drop into the Federation cup due to our poor Copa del Rey performance and so have to add in midweek games and the one thing we lack is good depth in a number of positions.

Mallorca 1-2 Ontinyent
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Ontinyent somehow beat us scoring both shots they attempted in the game while we only score once from 25. Mayoral got us in front after 27 minutes, Bustos finding space inside the box and firing the ball across the face of goal and Mayoral was alert as ever to score from close range. Verdu equaliser after a stupid penalty was given away sending the keeper the wrong way. Sascha scored the winner for them with a couple minutes left, turning a cross after being left unmarked at the near post.

Again we would lose Borja Mayoral to Spanish youth teams as we will miss him for the next three games.

Federation Cup First Leg

Elche 1-3 Mallorca
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I'll be honest I'm not overly bothered about the Federation cup but a good away win over our title rivals has to be good for morale. Ariday got us off to a great start with an early goal, Alex Lopez flicked on a good cross to give him a tap in. Faurlin doubled our lead from the penalty spot after 28 minutes. Calero got Elche off the mark after 38 minutes, arriving late in the box to turn in a cross. Alex Lopez grabbed us another away goal with ten minutes left when a shot by Sevilla hit his calf and redirected itself past the keeper to round off a good first leg.

Ebro 0-4 Mallorca
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A red card just after half time made the game that bit easier as we swept aside Ebro. Bustos put us ahead just after the half hour mark, Ariday hit in a low cross and when his marker inexplicably jumped over the ball Bustos poked the ball in to get us ahead. A two footed lunge put Ebro down to ten men just after half time and we quickly took advantage through Jose Angel, who headed in a Faurlin free kick. Ariday made it three after 76 minutes, Bustos whipped in a cross that the keeper came to claim but fell and gave Ariday a simple header into an open goal which he took. Jose Angel scored again with then minutes left to finish the scoring, this time heading in a Faurlin corner.
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Raillo picked up an injury that will rule him out for around a month, meaning that I will have to change a back five who until now had played every minute together.

Mallorca 1(4-2)1 Elche
View attachment 39972We advance in the cup after a draw at home to reduce Elche's fixture congestion. Pedraza added to our aggregate lead after 17 minutes, firing in a good half volley from outside the box. Benja scored late on to pull a goal back for Elche, as he finished well one on one with the keeper.

Mallorca 2-2 Sabadell
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We fight back from two goals down to claim a point against playoff contenders Sabadell. Arturo put them ahead after 3 minutes, scoring a nice scissor volley to round off a good counter attack. Sanchon doubled their lead after 14 minutes, tapping in a rebound after a corner was headed onto the bar. Lopez pulled a goal back for us soon after coming on at half time, making a good run to the near post to turn in an Ariday cross. Prats got the leveller late on Alex Lopez finding him in space with a good pass and he turned and fired a low shot past the keeper.

Federation Cup First Leg

Mallorca 2-2 At. Saguntino
View attachment 39970This time we blow a two goal lead to hand the advantage to Saguntino ahead of the second leg in Decemeber. Bustos had us in front after 11 minutes, Sastre bombing forward from right back and hitting in a good deep cross that Bustos converted from close range. Pedraza doubled our lead after 41 minutes, with a good finish from just inside the box. Esteve halved the deficit just before half time, a long ball playing him in and he finished well. He then scored with twenty minutes left to give Saguntino the lead on away goals, taking on a couple defenders before firing into the top corner.

Mallorca 2-0 Valencia Mestella
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A Mayoral double sees us end the month with a comfortable win. He put us ahead 16 minutes into the game, rising highest among a number of Mestella defenders to head in a Faurlin free kick. He scored his second ten minutes into the second half, darting ahead of his defender and turning in an Ariday cross.

Table
View attachment 39968We sit in second as the three recent La Liga teams are pulling away a bit from the rest of the league. We have to improve our form a bit if we want to be top going into the winter break.

Personal
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I get my National C license and immediately ask for and receive funding to go and try and get my National B licence.​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Enjoying this....definitely going to be up there and challenging come the end of the season by the looks of things!

 

[ninjaskill]

Enjoying this....definitely going to be up there and challenging come the end of the season by the looks of things!

Cheers man, we better be up there at the end of the season or I'll be out of a job. Also given we have a couple players who my coaches think have La Liga ability I'd feel a bit embarrassed if we weren't

 

[ninjaskill]

December Update

We will be just past the halfway stage in the league and heading into the winter break so we want to finish the year in good form but we have some tough fixtures.

Elche 0-0 Mallorca
View attachment 39901Our top of the table clash ends goalless after a cagey game. I'm happy enough with a draw away to a big title rival though so can't complain to much. Lago Junior also came off the bench late on but had to be subbed back off soon after.

Federation Cup

At Saguntino 2(4-3)1 Mallorca
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As far as I know that's us done with the cups but then I didn't know this one existed so I could be wrong. Pevida got them ahead just before half time, beating his man in the box and then shooting just inside the far post. Esteve got them further ahead on the hour mark, turning a corner in via the man on the line. Lago Junior pulled a late goal back for us with a close range header but we couldn't find the second goal we needed.

I felt a bit annoyed we went out as we had 12 shots on target to there 3 and yet lost 2-1 however I soon felt a bit better.

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At least we didn't go out that Barakaldo who conceded twice in the 119th minute to go out on the away goals rule.

Badalona 2-1 Mallorca
View attachment 39898Our poor form continues as Badalona get a comeback win over us. Mayoral got us ahead early on with a good first touch finish from a Sabater pass in the box. Enri levelled the game on the hour mark, turning in a cross at the near post. Ten minutes later he popped up again to grab the winner, just squeezing a low shot past Reina in goal.

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Clearly I wasn't the only one who thought that our form wasn't great. Given the position I opted to attend the meeting.

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The upshot is a have a month to improve results and their confidence in me if I still want to be manager.

Lleida 0-2 Mallorca
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Fortunately we turn our form around in the last game before the winter break. Mayoral won and converted a penalty to get us ahead after half an hour. Ariday doubled our lead just after half time, the keeper came for a cross and could only palm it to the feet of Ariday who fired the ball into an empty goal.

Table
View attachment 39894We sit third just three points behind Elche and one behind Hercules as the three of us all hit poor form at the same time but no one can take advantage to get that close to us.
​

 

[ninjaskill]

January Transfer and Finances Update

Just a short update on transfers happily only one player left despite some clubs in higher divisions were sniffing around a couple of players. Only two players join, both are experienced players who join on loan and can hopefully add their know how and ability to help us improve.

Outgoing

Daniel Ndi
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Ndi is a good AMC but that is a position that we have a lot of good players at and with his contract running out at the end of the season I sold him in December to Dusseldorf to raise some cash. We get 400k up front and 20% of any profit they make when they sell him.

Fernando Navarro
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Navarro is actually an ex-Mallorca player who left the club in 2008 just after having won the Euros with Spain. Cover at left back and centre back he adds some depth to a defence that really needed it for just 1,800 a week to cover some of his wages after falling down the pecking order at Deportivo la Coruna. Along with his Euro 2008 medal he won the Copa del Rey and some Europa Leagues with Sevilla so hopefully his winning experience helps us.

Daniele Bonera
View attachment 39834Former Champions League winner Bonera also joins us for 1,800 a week from our rivals Villarreal, another experienced player who has been there and won that he will also add some defensive depth that we are lacking to such an extent that 3 of my 4 defenders have played every minute of every game.


Some cheap defensive depth was all I was looking for and I got it along with some experience which can only help us as we look to try and push back in front in the title race.

Finances
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These were our finances in mid-January after we sold Ndi and the more business savvy of you will note it isn't good as we're half a million in the red. Outside of season ticket sales back in the summer we struggle to earn money and have to pay 357,000 a month to clear some debt although happily 250k a month of that will stop in the summer when we clear our bank loan. Promotion looks to be the only thing that can save our finances.

This is our finances at the end of the month

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We're now 2.5 million in the black. How you may be wondering? Simple our rivals Villarreal bought a player from Switzerland.

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As part of the deal to sell him to Young Boys we get half of his next transfer fee which meant.

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We get a nice payment that should see us able to stay out of debt for a while now and our finances are okay now.​

 

[ninjaskill]

January Update

A lot of good results this month are key not just to keep us in the title hunt but also to keep me in a job and the story running. Fortunately Borja Mayoral seems to like having me around.

At. Saguntino 1-3 Mallorca
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Borja scores a hat trick as we get revenge on Saguntino for knocking us out the cup. He scored his first after 21 mins, firing in a Salva Ruiz cross at the near post. His second, scored minutes later, was a well placed first time finish from just inside the box. Marong pulled a goal back 5 minutes later, with a good finish when in on goal. Mayoral scored late to complete his hat trick, turning his man and firing a shot into the top corner.

Mallorca 3-0 Villarreal B
View attachment 39778Mayoral strikes twice in the second half as my attempts to keep my job look like they will be successful. He scored five minutes after half time, Salva Ruiz whipped in a great low cross that gave Mayoral a simple tap in to put us in front. 15 minutes later Mayoral doubled our lead, again turning well in the box and lifting his shot over the keeper who had rushed out the goal. Alex Lopez added some gloss to the scoreline with a late goal, rising high to head in an Ariday cross from close range.

Mallorca 3-0 Olot
View attachment 39774We record a comfortable win over Olot as our good form continues. Sabater had us ahead just before half time, beating his man in the air to head in a Bustos cross from close range. Sabater grabbed a second goal after 73 minutes, blasting the ball in after Lago Junior found him in space in the box. Not long after Mayoral grabbed a goal to kill the game off, Bustos playing him in on goal and Mayoral's low finish beat the keeper. Olot suffered a late red card to add to their bad day.

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This was enough for the board to decide to back me as the manager for now.

Perelada 0-4 Mallorca
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Perelada have made last place there own in the division and we dominate in a convincing win. Bustos put us in front just before the half hour, a nice routine from a corner led to him scoring a well placed shot from inside the box. Mayoral scored a penalty just before half time to double our lead. Bustos grabbed his second early in the second half, Mayoral doing some good hold up work out wide before crossing and Bustos took a tough before firing in. Pedraza scored late on being left unmarked in the box and showing why that was a bad idea by firing the ball into the top corner.

View attachment 39768
Seconds after I decide not to sub off Mayoral he gets injured and will miss a month including a top of the table clash against Hercules. Lopez and Prats will have to step up in his absence.

Table
View attachment 39766Our perfect month coincides with Elche and Hercules dropping points and allows us to establish a three point lead in first place and a 14 point lead over Badalona in 5th with 14 games left means a playoff spot is looking very likely.​

 

[ninjaskill]

​February Update

We have to try and cope for a month without our main star Borja Mayoral while also having to try and keep up good form if we want to stay in top spot.

Mallorca 3-0 Sta. Eulalia
View attachment 39762We manage to cope without Mayoral alright in the first game as a strong second half gets us the win. Alex Lopez opened the scoring after half time heading in a Sabater free kick from near the penalty spot. Sabater scored himself a couple minutes later, getting into the box beating his man and then firing past the keeper. Faurlin wrapped up the scoring with a late goal with a nice free kick from just inside the D.


View attachment 39757
Montreal make a bid for Ruiz my starting left back, even if the transfer window was open I would reject it and with the window shut he is just unsellable.

Hercules Alicante 1-1 Mallorca
View attachment 39761We are lucky to get a point as Hercules dominate the game we score our only shot on target. Salinas put them ahead after 10 minutes, finishing off a nice team move with a good finish. Prats levelled with a penalty just before the hour mark and then we held on to earn an important point.

View attachment 39756
Sabater had been in great form so to lose him for a month is a blow especially as it will overlap a bit with Mayoral being out.

View attachment 39755
Elche have been on an awful run of form that has seen them at risk of dropping out of the playoffs and as a result they decide to sack their manager.


Mallorca 0-3 Llagostera
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A pretty embarrassing loss for us as mid table Llagostera show up dominate the game and deservedly win 3-0 to end our run without a loss. Sadiku finished well when in on goal to put us behind after 37 seconds. Ortiz made it 2 after 25 minutes, blasting a first time finish into the top corner and leaving Reina no chance in goal. Elzmendi made it three on the hour, heading in at the back post.

View attachment 39753

Faurlin suffers a bad injury and he will have to recover quickly if he is to be back for the playoffs I would imagine. With Sabater also out injured Sevilla who was covering for him now has to move into central midfield and as Mayoral is coming back I decide to ditch having an AMC for a second striker so will play Mayoral and Lopez up front in more of a 4-4-2.

Mallorca 0-0 Zaragoza B
View attachment 39752
The new formation gets off to a thrilling start as we miss a couple chances to score and we get our second 0-0 with Zaragoza B.

Table
View attachment 39751
Despite our poor form this month we stay top as Hercules drop points and Elche are now in danger of falling out of the playoff spots and need a quick turn around. Our local rivals Baleares now look like a potential title rival as well and we face them in the first game next month.
​

 

[ninjaskill]

March Update

We face both of our Balearic rivals as we look to try and maintain and if possible extend our lead at the top of the table. We also get the first youth intake, spoiler they're all terrible and this is the last I will mention any of them.

View attachment 39729
Not long after rejecting a bid as I didn't want to lose him Ruiz goes out injured and will miss a month. Navarro will have to fill in for him as Ruiz ever present run in the team will come to an end.

View attachment 39728
My job might be under threat despite us topping the table, Mallorca fans seem to be a touch on the demanding side.

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Mallorca 2-0 Atletico Baleares
View attachment 39726

Despite the injury issues we record a good win over our local rivals that should keep the fans happy. Lago Junior opened up the scoring ten minutes after half time with a great individual goal taking the ball down just before it went out for a goal kick then beating two men to give him an angle to shoot from and firing a low shot just inside the far post. Baleares went down to ten men when Ruiz del Amo tripped Lago Junior. Prats wrapped up the win with a late goal, Prats turning in a Sastre cross from close range.

View attachment 39727
My best centre back Raillo gets injured and will miss the next match which will end his run of playing every minute.

View attachment 39725
Jose Angel will also miss the next game as he will be banned meaning a new centre back pairing will be needed.

View attachment 39724
Bonera who was bought to provide depth is now injured when depth is needed so Raillo will likely have to play through his injury.

Formentera 3-3 Mallorca

View attachment 39723
We can only draw with the side representing the island of 10,000. Bustos put us in front after 6 minutes, a Sevilla free kick deflected off the wall and after bouncing around in the box fell to Bustos who tucked the loose ball into the back of the net. Joselu levelled the game after 20 minutes, getting in behind the defence and firing low past Reina. He then got Formentera in front just after half time, getting on the end of a cross to turn the ball in from close range. Antonio doubled their lead 5 minutes later with a good free kick from just outside the box. Mayoral soon pulled a goal back for us as he headed a Lago Junior cross into the top corner. He then scored the equaliser with less than five minutes left, with a powerful low first time finish into the bottom corner to earn us a point. Raillo playing through injury picked up a late red card to rule him out of the next game but Angel will be back to replace him.

Cornella 0-2 Mallorca
View attachment 39720
We recorded a comfortable win over Cornella to bounce back from the disappointing draw. Mayoral won a penalty but had it saved by the keeper after 22 minutes. Just before half time Alex Lopez put us in front, Lago Junior did well down the right and put in a good cross that Mayoral headed down for Lopez to half volley in. Pedraza doubled our lead 10 minutes after half time, Mayoral hit in a cross that was headed out the box to Pedraza who volleyed the ball back with enough power that the keeper could stop the shot.

Mallorca 2-1 Alcoyano
View attachment 39719A good come from behind win for us as we look to keep our good form going. Mariano put us behind early on heading in off the post. Prats, playing as Mayoral is on international duty, equalised on the half hour with a great powerful shot from just outside the box. Bustos grabbed the winner for us after 58 minutes, arriving unmarked at the back post to head in an Alex Lopez cross.

Ontiyent 1-4 Mallorca
View attachment 39718We end the month with a convincing win over Ontiyent that puts us in a strong position heading into the last month and a bit of the season. Pedraza got us in front after 18 minutes, rising high to head in a Sabater corner. Verdu equalised after Ruiz gave away a penalty on his return from injury. Lago Junior got us back ahead just after half time, in on goal at a tight angle he managed to fire the ball in just under the bar. Sabater doubled our lead soon after, with a Lampard-esque late run into the box and a good finish from a Bustos cut back. Lago Junior scored a late fourth to round off a good day, Nunez put in a good ball which left him a simple finish at the back post.

Table
View attachment 39717With all the other title rivals dropping points we have opened up a ten point lead for first place and a thirteen point lead for fourth with five games left. Elche dropped out the playoff spots but then regained some form and will be looking to get back into the playoffs.

Personal News
View attachment 39716I complete my National B license and ask for and receive backing from the board to go for my A license.

View attachment 39715
I also get a new contract with the club that gives me a 100 euro a week raise and more importantly two more years at the club, it should quiet the speculation over my job a bit at least.​

 

[ninjaskill]

End of Regular Season

We look to finish up the regular season as well as possible confirm our playoff spot and to get ourselves in good form before the convoluted Spanish third division playoffs begin.

Mallorca 3-1 Ebro
View attachment 39703We confirm our place in the Third Division playoffs with a comeback win over struggling Ebro. Mainz put Ebro in front early on able to fire the ball in from a tight angle past Ebro. Lopez soon has us level, heading in a Lago Junior cross from 10 yards out. Bustos had us in front 10 minutes later, firing in a Lago Junior cross at the back post. Lago Junior completed a hat trick of assists heading down a cross for Borja Mayoral to poke in from close range. Ebro also picked up a late red card as we wound the game down.

View attachment 39696
Playoffs here we come, even if you win the league you still have to go through playoffs so now we're just playing for a slightly easier route through the playoffs you get for finishing first.

Sabadell 0-1 Mallorca
View attachment 39692We claim the title with late win over Sabadell to dent their playoff hopes. Angel headed in a corner at the near post to give us the only goal of the game late on.

View attachment 39691View attachment 39690
A title win means we will get an easier playoff run I think but the league rules don't quite explain how it works so I'm not sure. I won't change the team to much as I want to make sure that we remain in good form heading into the playoffs as we struggle to bounce back from losses.

Valencia Mestella 2-4 Mallorca
View attachment 39689As this game was midweek I did make a couple changes as I want to make sure we don't lose any key players to injuries as well. Lopez got us an early lead, arriving at the back post to volley in a Sastre cross. Sanchez quickly had Mestella level, heading in from six yards out past Reina. Petcoff put them in front after half an hour with a really nice shot into the top corner from outside the box. Prats levelled the game just before half time, Alex Lopez played a low ball across the face of goal and Prats tapped the ball into an open goal. He then scored again just after half time, Lopez played him in and he fired a great first touch finish into the bottom corner. A minute later Lopez doubled our lead, a good couple touches when in on goal and he slipped a low finish past the keeper and in.

View attachment 39687
Bustos gets injured in training and will miss 4 weeks which could see him ruled out of the playoff games which would be a shame as he has been in great form.


Mallorca 2-2 Elche
View attachment 39686Despite an early red card we claim a point against promotion playoff chasers Elche. Lopez got us ahead after 20 minutes, an Ariday cross was punched in the air by their keeper Lago Junior headed the ball down for Lopez to fire in. Jose Angel got sent off two minutes later for a two footed tackle. Ariday scored ten minutes after half time to double our lead, Ariday left unmarked at the back post and volleyed in a corner with a very good finish. Calero hit back for Elche soon after, arriving at the back post to turn in a great cross. Sory levelled the game with ten minutes left, firing in from just outside the box.
View attachment 39685
Niguez picks up a cruciate injury that will rule him out for most of a year. His contract runs out with us soon and he rejected an extension just before so he will leave us in the summer.

Mallorca 1-0 Badalona
View attachment 39684
A decent final game for us as we win against Badalona to make sure that we enter the playoffs of the back of a few wins. Mayoral scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot sending the keeper the wrong way.

Final Table
View attachment 39683
We end up topping the league by a comfortable margin of 13 points. Elche found late form to get a playoff spot and Baleares lost 5 straight to allow Badalona to claim the final spot.

Records
View attachment 39682We ended up crushing this record as we scored 85 times just over a two per game average.

View attachment 39681View attachment 39680View attachment 39679
Another record we pretty easily beat is the team record for points in a season and logically following on from that we had the most wins and least losses of any Mallorca team in a season.

View attachment 39678
We also broke the B3 record for points. All these records are nice but, will obviously be pretty pointless if we lose in the playoffs.

Player News
View attachment 39677Lago Junior gets Spanish citizenship which is useful as if we get promoted we are only allowed 2 non-EU players.

View attachment 39676
Campos who was back up centre back has decided to call time on his playing career with my first choice pairing playing almost every game he didn't get much game time.

View attachment 39675
Quite pleased to see Sevilla will also call it a day he had two years left on a big deal for us and he hadn't played overly well so it will clear up some wage room for me.

Loanee Navarro has also announced that this season will be his final one as a player and will retire after the season ends.​

 

[ninjaskill]

Playoffs

After the end of the season I expected the playoffs to come pretty soon after but I just kept hitting continue with no information about the playoffs coming up. The good news was it allowed Bustos and Faurlin to get fit enough as to where they will be able to play a role in the playoffs now.

Seventeen days after the end of the season a draw pops up and the playoff structure is explained. As our section league winners we will face off over two legs against another section winner with the winner of those two ties both getting promoted and playing off to determine the champion of the third division. While the first set of those games are being played the 12 teams that finished 2nd-4th will have a two legged playoff and six teams will advance from those ties. The six will be joined by the two league winners who lost their playoff and play another two legged series with four teams advancing. The four teams will then be drawn in two ties and the winners will be promoted.

So for us we will have a first tie against another league winner if we win that we get promoted and the tie after is irrelevant. If we lose it we can still get promoted but we would have to win two ties. So hopefully we win our first tie and then it's simple.

View attachment 39653
We will face Fuenlabrada who won section B1 with the lowest point total of any of the league winners so I'm cautiously optimistic. By the time the first leg kicks off we will have gone 24 days without playing as I never wanted to arrange a friendly incase we then had to play three days later.

View attachment 39652
In a massive blow however, we will not have Mayoral around as he leaves for the French Youth International with the Spain team the day before our first leg against Fuenlabrada and I assume will be gone for all the playoffs. I will have to rely on Prats and Lopez to get us the goals we need in the playoffs.

Third Division Promotion Playoff Leg 1

Mallorca 3-1 Fuenlabrada
View attachment 39651
A really good first leg for us, a clean sheet would have made it perfect. Prats had us ahead inside ten minutes, Alex Lopez got the ball out wide and hit in a good cross to an unmarked Prats at the near post. His header wasn't great but, still beat the keeper to get us in front. Alex Lopez doubled our lead after 22 minutes, Prats playing him in on goal and Lopez hit a low shot past the keeper and in. Lopez had us three ahead ten minutes after half time, Bustos whipped in a free kick from out wide and Lopez rose high and headed in from close range. Arruabarrena got Fuenlabrada an away goal with less then 20 minutes left, Navarro missed an interception to let the ball get to Dioni who whipped in a good cross that Arrubarrena turned in from close range. With almost the last kick of the ball Lopez hit the bar when in on goal which would have given him a hat trick and us a three goal lead as we head to the Estadio Fernando Torres.

Weirdly Fuenlabrada chose to name their stadium after Torres despite him never playing for the club, even at youth level. The 2,500 seater stadium would be where we could win promotion back to the big leagues.

With away goals counting we can lose by a goal without scoring but, I'm hopeful we can score once which would mean we would have to concede four to go out.

Spanish Third Division Playoff Leg 2

Fuenlabrada 6(7-3)0 Mallorca
View attachment 39650
I don't really want to talk about it. Dioni scored a good goal from just inside the box to get them ahead. Diaz scored a penalty that Faurlin gave away to put them ahead on away goals. Dioni then scored a good goal from range to put them ahead on aggregate. We tried to push late and got hit three more time for an embarrassing which is easily our biggest loss of the season. I was really confident we could go through but instead we drop into the normal playoff.

View attachment 39646
We don't have long to bounce back from the loss as three days later we will be taking on Elche in the first of two ties we will now need to win to get promoted. We haven't lost to them in four matchups this season and hopefully we can keep that run going.​

 

[ninjaskill]

Playoffs Part 2

We will have to bounce back quickly from the loss against Fuenlabrada if we want to get promoted as we will have to win two knockout ties if we want to progress. First we face Elche hoping to keep our four match unbeaten run against them intact.

Promotion Playoff Second Round First Leg

Mallorca 1-0 Elche
View attachment 39545
We claim a first leg win and don't allow an away goal which is a good bonus, however we can make an away leg difficult. Lopez scored the only goal of the game after 25 minutes, Bustos hit in a cross from the left and Lago Junior headed it down for Lopez to turn in from close range. For all our domination we should have scored more probably but, can complain about a home win and clean sheet to much.

View attachment 39540
The playoffs have been going on so long that Sevilla has had to postpone his retirement, clearly he was planning on us winning against Fuenlabrada.

Spanish Third Division Playoff Second Round Second Leg

Elche 1(1-4)3 Mallorca
View attachment 39539
We claim a good away win with Prats scoring a hat trick to be the hero for Mallorca. Nino scored a penalty after 5 minutes to level the game and had me fearing the worst. We kept strong through and regained the lead just before half time, Sastre was given space out on the right and whipped in a great cross that just evaded Lopez but Prats was able to fire in. Prats grabbed a second soon after so send us in ahead on the day at half time, Sabater putting Lopez in with a great ball and he squared it to Prats who sent the ball into the open goal to put us in a strong position. He scored again late on to confirm our passage into the next round and get his hat trick, he was played in on goal at a ridiculously tight angle and saw his shot saved but was able to turn in the rebound with some help from the keepers chest.

View attachment 39538
Our reward is a tie against Toledo with promotion going to the winner and again we will be home for the first leg and away for the second. Toledo finished second in the league to Fuenlabrada so not sure what to expect from them.

Spanish Third Division Playoffs Third Round

Mallorca 1-0 Toledo
View attachment 39537
We claim a close win in a game we were on top in and will face a close second leg. Prats had a chance to continue his scoring run in the playoffs but saw his penalty saved just after half time. With 15 minutes left Raillo popped up at a corner and headed in from close range, picking a great time to score his first goal of the season.

View attachment 39536
We've been in the playoffs for so long that Mayoral will actually be back and available for the final game after losing in the final of the French Youth International with the Spain team.

View attachment 39535
On his return he is also given the top scorer award winning it by having played less minutes than Andres who's side couldn't stay up despite all his goals. Mayoral also had the more goals than all the top goalscorers from the other sections.

Playoff Second Leg

Toledo 0(0-1)0 Mallorca
View attachment 39534
WE ARE GOING UP!!!! A drab dull game, slightly helped by them playing a centre back up front for the second half, sees us hold onto our first leg advantage and means that next season we will be in the La Liga 2.

View attachment 39533
It's a relief to be going up as the playoff system can be tough to get out of in the third division.

View attachment 39532
We won't have a ton of money to spend in the next season and will go from being the biggest spender to one of the smaller spenders so I'll have to recruit carefully.

View attachment 39530
Spanish Third Division football isn't the most lucrative.

View attachment 39529
Not quite sure how Ndi got into the team of the season as he didn't play often and left in January, Faurlin can feel hard done by to be out. Lago Junior gets player of the year and was electric with the ball at his feet and also covered a lot of ground to help the team. Bustos made a huge contribution with goals and assists this season and deservedly gets young player. Not sure how Mayoral didn't get signing of the season I guess loans don't count.

View attachment 39528
A good season for us and the first step in getting the club back to challenging for big trophies.​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Wow, can't believe that even if you win the division, you still have to go through playoffs to secure promotion! But you got there in the end....the hard way as well! Congrats buddy, nice work in your first season! Still can't believe the fans were getting on your case with you top of the league though!

 

[dporter8999]

Great performance during the season! Was worried when you had that massive turn around in the play offs, but glad you came through it in the end! Also, mad that Samuel Eto'o is still the clubs all time domestic league top scorer.

 

[ninjaskill]

Wow, can't believe that even if you win the division, you still have to go through playoffs to secure promotion! But you got there in the end....the hard way as well! Congrats buddy, nice work in your first season! Still can't believe the fans were getting on your case with you top of the league though!

Cheers, glad to be promoted as it's a tough division to get out of especially when you concede six in a playoff game. Yeah that did feel a bit unwarranted to me but, I guess they were expecting a cake walk at this level.

Great performance during the season! Was worried when you had that massive turn around in the play offs, but glad you came through it in the end! Also, mad that Samuel Eto'o is still the clubs all time domestic league top scorer.

Thanks, yeah especially with so few days between it and the Elche tie, I was almost convinced we were out after the penalty went in so early on but really happy to be promoted.

Yeah it's a weirdly low tally to be the top scorer, good strikers just don't seem to stay at the club that long. Mayoral is already the joint 7th best goalscorer for the club after one season and managed his tally in about 200 less games than the guy he's tied with. Rafael Nadal's uncle is actually the clubs joint 22nd best ever goal scorer with 13 goals.

 

[ninjaskill]

Transfer Window

Only a couple outs and quite a lot of ins as I try to build a team that can compete in the second division made harder as I could only scout in Spain until August when the board finally allowed scouting in the rest of Europe.

Outs
View attachment 39436Ariday moves to Numancia on loan as he was on far to much for a back up and I wanted him off the wage bill. Omoigui drops back down a division as I look to get him more first team football to help him develop into a hopefully useful player.

New Signings

I did a lot of searching for players and offered masses of trials as I looked to make sure we got as much value for money as possible before taking a large gamble with a late signing.

Borja Mayoral
View attachment 39435We already had him for next season but I tied him down to a 24 month loan much to the delight of our fans and made sure there was no recall option for Madrid. We are going to need a lot of goals from him for this to be a good season.

View attachment 39434
Despite having been here for just one season he is already favoured personnel at the club along with Bustos while Lago Junior is an icon. I am simply unappreciated by the masses like all the greats are.

Gonzalo di Renzo
View attachment 39433
Signed on a free from Lanus the talented winger will take up one of our two non-EU slots. Bustos was great on the left last season but, I couldn't take the risk in him stepping up a level so brought in Di Renzo who I'm hoping can shine at this level. Also, pretty cheap wages make this a very good deal in my opinion.

Juanan
View attachment 39432Actually a graduate of the Mallorca academy but never played for the club Juanan returns to Spain from India on a free and will hopefully be the next Mallorca youngster to help the club, admittedly not quite as soon as people had probably hoped he would. A good centre back we need more talent there as Jose Angel played virtually every game there last season despite actually being a DM as we only had one good CB.

Rafa Mujica
View attachment 39431
Took a cheap punt on Mujica on a free and will give him a season with the B team and hope he can develop into a useful player. Worse case he provides cover if a striker picks up a bad injury.

Nikola Vujnovic
View attachment 39430The Montenegrin impressed me at Villarreal B last season so I took him on a free and he will provide cover for the striker position.

Gabriel Corozo
View attachment 39429With only one right back getting some cover was key and Corozo comes in on a free after his Granda contract expired. He was at Elche last season but, I can't remember anything about him.

Ian Pino
View attachment 39428Last season I tried to get Pino on loan but he rejected us for Huesca, this time I get my man to add more depth at CB. A couple Malaga appearances in La Liga and some in this division last season makes him a rarity on this team of having played last season in a good division.

Mikel Villanueva
View attachment 39427
The Venezuelan international joined us to start at CB but broke his collarbone almost instantly ruling him out of the first few games of the season. Our best CB according to the coaches hopefully he recovers and stars for us after having played 20 times for Cadiz at this level last season.

Malik Fathi
View attachment 39426
With Navarro's loan ending and him retiring I needed some depth at LB so signed German international Fathi who was a free agent after his contract with our city rivals Baleares expired.

Ander Guevara
View attachment 39425I wanted a bit more depth at CM and Guevara fit the bill perfectly, he actually appeared 13 times for Sociedad last season in La Liga mainly off the bench. A good option for us to have for cover and depending on how he develops maybe start.

Matt Mills
View attachment 39424I wanted one more CB and one of my scouts came to me with Matt Mills and I figured someone like him would be perfect for Spanish football, hopefully the strikers won't know what hits them when he crashes into them and his long balls cause chaos. He also isn't non-EU as Brexit hasn't happened yet.

Uilson
View attachment 39423
The only player I spent money on Uilson joins from Atletico for €170,000 and looks like a good buy for the money. Late on in the window I decided I wanted an upgrade on Reina and Uilson is and hopefully he can cover for any lapses our defence has. He takes up our second and final non-eu slot.

View attachment 39422

View attachment 39421View attachment 39420
Lago Junior and Sabater who are considered La Liga level players sign new deals despite interest from other teams for both of them. Hopefully they can play a big part in a successful season for us.​