"It's time to get down to business," I announced, "I'm sure you've all been made aware of my appointment and I'm sure you're all equally aware of the position we're in. It's certainly not going to be easy to navigate an escape but I'm confident that we're capable of producing something special. What you lot have produced this season hasn't been close to good enough and I think we're all in agreement on that. I'm not here to point fingers at individuals or blame the old management. We're 26 games into the season with just 16 remaining. It's important we focus on what's ahead rather than what's in the past. With my arrival comes a chance for every single one of you. A clean slate. We have three days, including today, of full training before the next game. Myself and the staff are going to work you hard - harder than you've worked all season. If anybody falls by the wayside, they won't be in the squad on Saturday. You have three days to prove your worth to me. Don't believe for one second that I won't be brutal. You have half an hour to warm-up and prepare yourselves for the day - don't waste it."
I should probably explain.
It's Wednesday the 19th of February, 2014. Standing in front of me were the 30 members of Real Madrid Castilla - the last phase of development before an introduction at the Santiago Bernabeu. The team currently occupy 20th position in Liga Adelante; a position which heralds relegation. We have 16 games left to escape. If I were an optimist, I'd say we're just two points from safety. If I were a pessimist, I'd say we've lost more games than anybody else in the league. Make what you will - I'm here to do a job.
My name is Santiago Norwood. Don't let the name confuse you: I hold dual citizenship - part English, part Spanish. I've been hired on a (very) short-term contract until the end of the season. Beyond that? I don't know. I've moved here from northern Germany - I left my post as Under 19 manager at Hamburger SV to take charge. It's a strange move for me - with no assurances past June, my livelihood comes into question. But, is there any better way to enhance a CV than working at Real Madrid? No, I didn't think so either. Home games are played at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium which was opened in 2006 - it holds up to 6,000 people. Attendances this season, I've been told, have been poor and it was becoming a struggle to attract 2,000 supporters.
My objective here is simple: keep the club in the Liga Adelante. Before signing, I extensively researched the squad. We certainly have enough quality to avoid relegation. Kiko Femenia, formerly of Barcelona, can do a job out wide. Jose Rodriguez has the keys to unlock any defence. Omar Mascarell will provide legs as well as creativity in the centre of the park. He's also been capped four times by his homeland, Equatorial Guinea, at the age of 21. Aside from those three, everybody has to compete for their place in the team. I don't want players to start committing road kill and feeding off one another. A little bit of competition, however, isn't a bad thing.
We would set up with a 3-5-2 formation. Three defenders would keep us solid at the back with the aid of two attacking wing-backs. A holding midfielder, preferably Jose, would pick up the bits and pieces and look to build an attack. In front of him will sit two central midfielders; they're expected to contribute in both the defensive and attacking stages of the game. Spearheading our attacks will be two strikers who are expected to supply more than just goals.
I wasn't going to have time to chat in length with our chief scout, Ramon Martinez, just yet. I asked him to send over an e-mail including the basics of Real Zaragoza's game. I intended to personally do further scouting before the match on Saturday.
At lunch, following a solid morning of training, I opened up my e-mails. On-loan Manchester United striker Angelo Henriquez is their top scorer with 12 in 20 matches. Arguably their best player, David Cortes, is out injured which is a big positive. I've already identified their right side as a weakness. 'Keeper Leo Franco is statistically having a great season. In 23 games, he's kept 14 clean sheets and conceded just 14. Their wingers aren't particularly anything special and we should be able to limit them to scraps.
A difficult few days of preparation are ahead. Back to training.
I should probably explain.
It's Wednesday the 19th of February, 2014. Standing in front of me were the 30 members of Real Madrid Castilla - the last phase of development before an introduction at the Santiago Bernabeu. The team currently occupy 20th position in Liga Adelante; a position which heralds relegation. We have 16 games left to escape. If I were an optimist, I'd say we're just two points from safety. If I were a pessimist, I'd say we've lost more games than anybody else in the league. Make what you will - I'm here to do a job.
My name is Santiago Norwood. Don't let the name confuse you: I hold dual citizenship - part English, part Spanish. I've been hired on a (very) short-term contract until the end of the season. Beyond that? I don't know. I've moved here from northern Germany - I left my post as Under 19 manager at Hamburger SV to take charge. It's a strange move for me - with no assurances past June, my livelihood comes into question. But, is there any better way to enhance a CV than working at Real Madrid? No, I didn't think so either. Home games are played at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium which was opened in 2006 - it holds up to 6,000 people. Attendances this season, I've been told, have been poor and it was becoming a struggle to attract 2,000 supporters.
My objective here is simple: keep the club in the Liga Adelante. Before signing, I extensively researched the squad. We certainly have enough quality to avoid relegation. Kiko Femenia, formerly of Barcelona, can do a job out wide. Jose Rodriguez has the keys to unlock any defence. Omar Mascarell will provide legs as well as creativity in the centre of the park. He's also been capped four times by his homeland, Equatorial Guinea, at the age of 21. Aside from those three, everybody has to compete for their place in the team. I don't want players to start committing road kill and feeding off one another. A little bit of competition, however, isn't a bad thing.
We would set up with a 3-5-2 formation. Three defenders would keep us solid at the back with the aid of two attacking wing-backs. A holding midfielder, preferably Jose, would pick up the bits and pieces and look to build an attack. In front of him will sit two central midfielders; they're expected to contribute in both the defensive and attacking stages of the game. Spearheading our attacks will be two strikers who are expected to supply more than just goals.
I wasn't going to have time to chat in length with our chief scout, Ramon Martinez, just yet. I asked him to send over an e-mail including the basics of Real Zaragoza's game. I intended to personally do further scouting before the match on Saturday.
At lunch, following a solid morning of training, I opened up my e-mails. On-loan Manchester United striker Angelo Henriquez is their top scorer with 12 in 20 matches. Arguably their best player, David Cortes, is out injured which is a big positive. I've already identified their right side as a weakness. 'Keeper Leo Franco is statistically having a great season. In 23 games, he's kept 14 clean sheets and conceded just 14. Their wingers aren't particularly anything special and we should be able to limit them to scraps.
A difficult few days of preparation are ahead. Back to training.
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