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itchycoo
The two South Americans look class.
Eric Portapotty
The hope is that he'll be given 1st team opportunities next season, maybe I can try that out!
They've not been world-beaters - a number of goals and assists, but nothing that the main team couldn't do.
They do allow me to rest key players though, Vallejos for Mabrouk and Grandin for any of our left backs.
--------------------------------
14th season in Smouha, and a 15th in all - this Pentagon career is beginning to look like anything but:
We saw any remaining hope of a title challenge spectaculerly go up in flames with 1 point from an available 9, which followed another terrible performance against Haras El-Hodoud.
It's worth noting that we had the best defensive record in the league before said run, but 4 games (and 12 goals) later it's safe to say we won't even havce that as a saving grace.
Strung another couple of wins against whipping boys before another loss, a substandard showing against Wadi Degla.
A comeback win over Masr El Makasa set us up nicely for a finish against (spoiler alert - champions) Al Mokawloon.
And what a game it was - Anwar Ragab went some way to silencing his critics with a hat-trick.
His contribution ensured that we keep Masry and Ismaily out of the top for, while we repeat least season's top 4 finish.
Which means we have to count on one of the top 3 to win the Egyptian Cup if we are to qualify for continental competition again.
What of our current continental conquests?
A couple of nervy performances, though we weren't really in to much trouble at any point.
Quite surprised at these results, considering how the general consensus on the eve of moth matches was how they were going to tear us a new one.
Aymen Farouk showed his potential in both matches, his speed and off the ball movement go some way to making up for his lack of ball control and composure.
Probably the best draw possible - everyone else are fairly big sides in major nations, While Al-Nassr were the only Lybians.
Players of the Season now:
Mahmoud Ibrahim:
Despite his inconsistency there's no denying that statistically he's one of our best players this season, and we probably missed his input during his spell(s) on the sidelines.
Noe Chameni:
His goalless run is hitting 6 months, but if we (somehow) disregard that he's not had a poor season - 7 goals and 11 assists is decent for a guy in his debut season.
Surprised at Ibrahim's inclusion - he's only just come back from injury having missed the remainder of the season.
Less so at Chameni's, as he'd been a regular in the starting XI for a couple of years.
All in all good news to have representation, though I'm not too sure if they do deserve their places.
Mounir Abdellaoui:
8 goals in 11 starts, great ratio - though he did score a hat trick, which if taken out of record means that he has a 1-in-2 goal ratio, which is still decent considering he made his debut with only a week's preparation.
The hope is that the above 3 will continue to flourish and push us to a title challenge next season.
Anwar Ragab:
He might be shite but by Jove do I love this man - the ultimate clutch player.
Match-winning braces against Haras El-Hodoud and Masr El Makasa, not to mention that hat-trick, got us vital wins in our chase for the top 4.
Mohamed Mabrouk:
His goalscoring touch may have deserted him, but his does still contribute greatly to goals; 14 assists trump those that of main playmaker Amr Abbas.
It could prove to be a viable future role for him in the future.
Eric Portapotty
A comfortable win, an early lead helped us on our way.
Noe Chameni also broke his drought with a goal - that's his 1st goal in all competitions in six months.
And right on cue, his last game for us this season.
It turns out that my previous post about him and Ibrahim going to the World Cup was in error - it was a 30-man preliminary squad that they were selected in, and only Chameni made the cut.
Flashbacks of that nightmare on the same stage last season, only difference is we're at home this time.
SpinSwimScream
Eric Portapotty
Cheers
----------
At least there wasn't any of last season's bullshit happening again, not that we could have it easy in the latter stages of the game.
Out for the season (well what left of it - about 2 weeks assuming we go all the way), a big blow.
It's not Al Mokawloon or Al Ahly, so we might have a chance (I think).
Eric Portapotty
More comforatble than against Damanhour, and notice that it's only 3 days after the match - had a complete reshuffle of the first XI, with only El Sayed (winger) and Abdel Fatah (GK) starting both games.
Now if you could only score more consistently...
Looks like we're on a roll - 3 straight home matches! Maybe this could well be our year.
But honestly I couldn't care less if Al Mokawloon thrashed us - if they won the whole thing it means that we qualify for continental competition anyway, so I'm not too fussed.
But I can see a shock happening, so we'd better get our part of deal done.
Eric Portapotty
Salah Amin (the centreback) is the single biggest choker in the team - should have known better than to trust him in such an important match.
And for the 2nd season in a row we have to count on Al Mokawloon for our entry into continental competition.
Eric Portapotty
YISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I'm not the mastermind, it's Al Mokawloon who you have to thank.
Seasonal postscript up next.
SpinSwimScream
Eric Portapotty
Your career thread does make me put things into perspective....
----------------------
Seasonal P.S.:
Couple of things:
-Yes we did well in the Cup but we were a relatively easy match away from the final and we blew it big time;
-Giradin went full retard in said match;
-And while Kamel did well in the cups he was less than impressive in the league.
Now to settle contractual issues:
Bahaa Adel will definitely leave, I've given him the best part of 4 years to try and develop into a fullback worthy of a starting slot, and he hasn't done so, unfortunately for him.
Ragab will stay, I love the man too much.
Kamel's probably staying, despite being generally dismal he's got good Acceleration and Strength, which are good attributes to have as a centreback.
El Sayed is a club favourite, but has never hit the heights of his goal-mad season.
The club's vice-captain, and covering a couple of useful roles, he might stay provided his wages are acceptable.
Abbas' the real dilemma here - he's the main playmaker but Mabrouk (a BBM) has more assists than him, and despite his trump card (free kicks) being substantially better than the rest of the team he's proved particularly useless at it during set-piece situations.
Wages will again play a part I guess.
Everyone else is youth fodder - I've cleared up that side of things and barring any last minute reversals they will leave.
I've also signed a replacement(?) for Adel:
Well it's not so much a replacement as a quality player in his own right (better than Adel even!), with his physical ability and relative versatility making him a good option to have in the squad.
Better than a right-footed left back (only) anyway.
SpinSwimScream
Eric Portapotty
And I wish you good luck on that, cause you'll need it
-----------------------------
14 fucking seasons in here, a 14th fucking preseason:
This is a man who suffered a 6-month goal drought last season - which says a lot about 1)How bad last season was, and/or 2)How many of our fans actually watch any of our matches.
That's 3 loss-making seasons now - makes you wonder the point of all this.
We'll probably have to triple this to break even - but we don't have the capacity.
Couple of personnel issues:
Poor sod doesn't realise that he'll never play a league game, because of the foreign restrictions.
I saw that his agent had recently retired, and I took advantage of his bargaining vulnerability.
From a 3k raise to a $500 gut, not bad.
And here's our preseason schedule:
We start off with a couple of Austrians, then go up against some Danes before facing terriersmad's boys.
The Confederation Cup's final pre-group stage round interrupts this, before we play some lower division sides, then finishing off with the 2nd leg and playing host to some Greeks.
itchycoo
SpinSwimScream
the insider
Your impatience with some of your youth members is hilarious. KIU
Eric Portapotty
Er... I'm glad you enjoyed it?
And I'll admit that I'm quite harsh with my youths, but this is a title-winning team, and with a record points haul too.
So it does piss me off to no end every time I see my fullbacks losing his winger or my strikers fucking up, because they're clearly better than this.
Eric Portapotty
We actually dominated RB in the win, only to then come out with a draw in our next 3 matches - does make sense, since most of the fitness shambles only come out after the 1st game.
Then came the customary put-downs of lower league sides, before finishing off with a dire win against the Greeks.
Now for the Confederation Cup's games:
Established a lead quickly, only to concede an away goal before making it safe for the 2nd leg.
Attendance record broken for what was essentially a nothing game, considering the opposition.
Atrocious defending, nearly threw away our advantage.
You'll also notice that Ibrahim was taken off in the 1st leg - well he was subbed of as well in the 2nd, in what was a frustrating start to the season for him, as he suffered a concussion in the home game before damaging his elbow in the away game.
"It'll be a good challenge, I like having the opportunity to play against champions, after all you have to beat the best to be the best."
Yeah fucking right.
Couple of club-side news now:
I've actually managed to blow half the money in the bank in the 3 years after the Scots' arrival, that's really impressive considering I've not yet spent a cent on transfer fees in this entire career.
Maybe it's because of this, 3 year I've given then bigger carrots, hopefully 3rd time lucky.
So we've got some of Africa's best coming to our shores in the next 6 months, and all we got was... 15 new members.
(Still it's more than what Rangers have
Oh, and another tidbit from a title rival:
Have Egyptians never heard of Carson Yeung?
Trasnfers now:
-Vallejos has been re-signed, at $2 p/w I'd be nuts not to keep him around.
I've have been substantially more bonkers with him though - $3.1k p/w for a guy who will only be available for 6 competitive matches tops.
But dammit was I a sucker for that Corner-taking attribute, and it does help that he covers about 5 positions (albeit with vary degrees of competence).
My Nigel Reo-Coker (young captain who left for pastures new) is back, and a good addition too - we were playing with fire last season juggling with only 4 centrebacks in the league.
His signing also means that I'll have the most experienced CB pairing in the club since that title-winning duo of Ezz Elregal and Yao.
Hopefully it means having defenders who will defend properly instead of having ones who choke brilliantly at the 1st sign of pressure despite having been part of the 1st team for the best part of 4 years already (yes you Salah Amin) - maybe all I needed was that experience.
This is significant because 1) Petrojet have finally returned to the big time after a couple of years in the wilderness, and 2) they've now dependent on our youths, when it was very much the reverse not too long ago... Oh how the tables have turned.
(They're not even good youth players.)
Some of last season's holes have been filled, now for my players to not repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot, and we might have a legitimate claim for the title.
SpinSwimScream
Eric Portapotty
A couple of empathic wins, and some worrying inept showings - same old then.
We're just really inconsistent, and everything happens in spurts - one minute we've plundered 6 against Suez FC, the next we can't hit a barn door with another barn door.
The guy who epitomises this is Noe Chameni, who despite having 7 goals and 6 assists in 13 starts does so when he's (or when the team as a whole is) in the mood - chips in with a goal and assist when we take opponents apart, but when we start to find it tough, he just walks around... well he just walks around really.
Well I've fined him one too many times, and now we've fallen out and he's in the transfer list, as well as left-back Abdel Rahim (6 months after his arrival), which speaks volumes about my unquestionable genius as a manager.
We will (yet again) say goodbye to our hopes of a title after imploding (yet again), and now face a proper fight for the top 4.
Top 4, mind you, doesn't actually give me an African CL spot - only the top 2 do, and it's being locked up by Al Ahly and Al Moqaoloun, who are increasingly looking like establishing a power gap at the expense of a broke Zamalek.
Now for some continental business:
Well...
Worrying start to the group stage, as we conspired to come away with a point from 3 games despite scoring 5.
We then went for broke and were rewarded big time, sealing our progress with a game to spare.
In a perverse way credit must go to Al Moqaoloun for helping to demolish our opponents.
We then met the other group winners - Tunisian giants Club Africian, who had a Cameroonian defender who managed to make the 2026 World Cup's Team of the Year:
Well he got dismissed, but in his defence he was the last man.
Well he wasn't in their defence for the away leg, so we were given an easier time there - and did we take advantage of it.
Al Moqaoloun also won their semi-final clash against Ocean Boys, so it was another 2 matches against a team that is becoming our main rival:
We were ready to take the game to them, only to shoot ourselves in the foot first.
Obviously when you throw a kitchen sink at a bus the former falls to the ground and shatters, while the bus drives away.
We then played them again - in the league - and if you had noticed beforehand we';d also lost that clash rather meekly, which doesn't bode well for our 2nd leg clash on their turf.
Could we pick ourselves up and try to make a meal of it?
As it turns out we can - and how!
Well sweet, too - avenging the losses of the past week by giving then a spanking in their own backyard, and in the process winning a continental trophy.
Couple of things to note: Chameni didn't start the 2nd leg (he'd fallen out with me after the 1st leg) - look how badly that turned out.
An I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but of the 3 clashes the winner always managed less possession.
Tim Payne and Tiago Giradin will both return to their parent clubs, unwanted but with the consolation of a continental title.
Now for other significant events:
Obviously I didn't get the job because as we all know Italians (and the Dutch for that matter) are institutionally racist and the interview was just a token gesture (
Seriously though, 13th in Serie B? I know they've got their fuckups on the footballing side of things but this is ridiculous.
We've actually already won a cup competition, so hopefully we can shed the 'chokers' tag and actually win this, instead of having to enlist Al Moqaoloun's help for our qualification to the continental stage, as has been the case for 2 seasons already.
And I look set for the 3rd(I think) big clearout of my time here.
All will likely stay except:
- Mohamed Adel who wants a new challenge;
- Anwar Ragab who doesn't look like he'll be able to reprise last year's (very) occasional acts of greatness;
- Mohamed Ragab who is a poor man's Bahaa Adel; and
- Chameni who is a useless cunt.
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
Funny you mention that, the board has just offered to hold talks with me over a new deal, but they refused to improve the youth coaching so it's been put on hold.
I dunno, over a decade, 1 league title and continental trophy, but I haven't won the CL yet.
I'll check out the youth intake for this season and see if I can continue with them.
Eric Portapotty
Cover on the tight wing (and a wrong-footed option in fact), as well as a replacement for Tiago Giradin - that's right, molding another left wingback.
I know how that last time this was attempted turned out (not brilliantly) but his attacking instincts might just win out.
A very hard worker, but non-existent mental qualities with regards to attacking.
Does cover both flanks and uptop, and is good with both feet as well.
Was considering having him take Noe "literally Berbatov" Chameni's place in one of the foreign slots but with mentals like that he'd be missing sitters all day.
I was supposed to sign a couple more loanees this window, but a combination of offers for my players (distractions) and the lack of game time (48 days between league games, which covered the entirety of January) meant that I didn't sign as many as I should have.
Still, Vallejos is still here till June, so we should be OK.
Met them a couple of seasons back in the CL, they were the only thing keeping us from the big money of the Group Stages - scarcely a better opportunity to take revenge then.
Also, why isn't this played in a neutral venue? Because playing at their place is a tad unfair, not to mention having to travel while playing in the league.
A Zanzibarese(??) side in the 1st round, which is a surprise because I'd a;ways though Zanzibar were an defunct nation.
Oh right, Ibrahim and Chameni were both in the ACN, where both Egypt and Cameroon crashed out of the group phase.
Eric Portapotty
Attack finding its groove again, though the defence is as bad as ever - 6 conceded in 4 is not ideal.
And it looks like Chameni might yet stay! Of course, if he keeps up his level of performances through this campaign.
4th is back in our hands, but the CL spot looks unattainable, let alone the title.
We've still to meet Al Ahly and Al Moaqoloun though, will not be an easy ride to the finish.
Super Cup time:
Here's the bad boy;
And here's us winning it.
Not quite a smash and grab, but they definitely were the stronger team throughout the match.
We were just more clinical, which doesn't happen very often.
The freedom of Alexandria? Yes please!
Interestingly it was only this win that got me into the club's favoured Personnel list - not our shock title win, not the Confederation Cup, but what is essentially a nothing cup comparatively.
It also bagged me a few goodies:
New facilities - looks like I'll be here for the medium term.
Back to a proper cup competition:
Well I say proper, with 1st Round mismatches like this there's a case to be made for the contrary.
Honestly, ran the match in the background while I was on Youtube.
Ooo, but we won't have it as easy as seasons past it seems, because next up is a team that was formerly linked with Arsenal (Arsenal -> Beveren -> ASEC), and have the likes of Emmanuel Eboue and Copa among their alumni.
Alas as the Ivorian league wasn't loaded so their squad's a bit whack and don't quite possess the kind of quality that their reputation would have commanded.
Now for the youth intake:
Two stand out obviously:
He could do things, but will find it very hard to break through our forward pack though.
The determination should bring him places, but he does need some work in all honesty.
Eric Portapotty
From being transfer listed at Raja Casablanca, Mounir Abdellaoui has now earned himself a place in the Moroccan national team after a brilliant season of goalscoring - averaging nearly a goal a game in all competitions, and actually going past that ratio in league play.
I'll have to admit, he's getting far too little for his goalscoring - if this was real life he'd be on a new deal pronto.
He'd actually got a wage decrease, would you believe - it was on $250 (iirc) due to the wage rise clause kicking in, but because of this international cap clause he's now managed to get less.
It turns out that he's also now earning 67 times less than top earner Mohamed Mabrouk, who is on $18,250 p/w.
So I figured he's right, and that I should give him the deal he deserves.
Erm.... Okay? Does save me a couple quid though, so no fuss.
Eric Portapotty
We continued our solid run to the latter part of the season, and claimed a scalp as we (temporarily) halted Al-Ahly's title charge.
3 games later and we'd lose 2 in a row and the initiative of 4th place to Ismaily.
Yet again (they had been saving our arses many, many times through the years, really) Al Moqaoloun beat them on the final day to allow us to relclaim 4th spot.
So 4th, 3 years straight now.
During that run we also managed a club-record unbeaten run of 16 games in all competitions, if only we could maintain those levels of performances through a season... (Once again anyway)
PoTYs now:
The front 3 topped the ratings charts this season:
Still won't sign a new deal though, so I'll leave him be, stuck at $210 p/w
There's no denying that he does go missing in some games though, that's an area he still needs work on.
Last but not least is the local boy in this trio, Mahmoud Ibrahim.
Scorer of important goals (Confederation Cup final, last league game) he definitely deserves to be here.
Now for everyone else:
Mohamed Mabrouk might be past his peak, but he's definitely still contributing - 14 assists attests to that.
He's also the club's highest-paid player, which goes to show the level he's at in the club's hierarchy (having lead us to promotion and our 1st title).
Magnima Akoto was never a proper defender - what he was was a monumental physical presence.
Speed, height and strength allows me to play a high line because he'll get the 1st ball, failing which he has the legs to recover.
Too bad he wanted more than double his wages for a new deal, and I was never going to give him that.
So he leaves, and the search for a new pacy, strong and tall player starts again.
Now the continent, and our defence of a 2nd-tier title.
Much easier than I expected.
Much, much easier than I expected.
Next up were a bunch of Angolans:
Never in too much trouble.
Slightly nervier here, but over 2 legs t was never really in doubt.
Ah, now here's a problem.
Wydad are probably Morocco's biggest club (Raja might offer a rebuttal) and not for nothing, so to meet them already before the group stages is a big worry.
The domestic cups to follow.
Eric Portapotty
So, 1st round against potential banana skin El Gouna:
Got a very early 1st goal, and never looked back.
Terrible news, drew them far too early.
Considering intentionally losing so that they'll advance, because they've got what it takes to go all the way (twice in fact) unlike us, who so long have Salah Amin anywhere near a starting spot in defence will inevitably choke spectacularly.
Eric Portapotty
Could (and should) have held on, but making all 3 subs before Abdellaoui exited through injury, which meant disaster if we conceded an equaliser, which true to form we did.
Might leave this season (might), I'll need to see if we qualify for Africa(?).
Eric Portapotty
He'd actually improved over the past season, but he's never settled properly into his LFB role, and doesn't offer too much in attack as well.
Salah Amin can go fuck himself.
Seriously though, I'm not at all comfortable with him in my 1st choice defence until I see him play consistently on a regular basis, and that was always going to be a catch-22 if he's in this club, so letting him go to a new environment where his performances can be properly observed can only be a good thing.
Now the Cup - will we be favoured in the greater scheme of things?
Yay, I guess - another season at the 2nd-tier competition.
Mahrous played almost exclusively in the Confed Cup, where the opposition quality is nowhere near our league rivals.
He did start 1 game, against Al Moqaoloun where he looked hapless.
Now for a long-awaited contract offer:
Does he take pride in getting ripped off?
Eric Portapotty
It goes further - 20-year-old goalkeeper Abdel Fatah is now paid 12k p/w, and who knows how far that discrepancy went, perhaps into last season's renewals? I don't know.
Preseason review up next (as well as the Confed Cup games) but in short I'm in big trouble.
itchycoo
That's horrible. Are you much over budget, then?