The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure

(Apologies for being gone for so long, it'll probably be the case for the foreseeable future unfortunately.)

Preseason

Nacional seriously screwed up the last couple seasons, that's winning the title to relegation in just 2 years.



As usual, club legend status is in the bag for him at this rate.



Next season will probably not be as rosy financially, with the signing to contractual deals for the key players and the lack of continental competition.

Bit of transfer news:



Was a rude awakening - he had been one of the 1st names on the teamsheet ever since he joined the club (and leaned to play centreback), so replacing him wasn't something I was looking forward to (or expected, really).



This is his replacement, has guts, decent speed, and a half decent defensive game.
Only problem is his height, but I'm sure regular rotation will minimise that risk.

On to preseason:



We started off with the traditional double-header against the reserves, and as usual you couldn't read too much from the performances.

What I did do however, was to balls up the preseason proper, which is why we only played one friendly.



The 4-6-0 that was played by a certain Egyptian club in an alternate universe was debuted here, and there were good signs, but again it's not like beating a lower-league side would secure the title for us over 18 other games.



We're quite affluent now (comparatively), so we can afford some cash bonuses.
Will I max it out for the players? No.



A league where being third favourites doesn't give you pressure to win the title - I'll take that.

October/November 2020

Turns out I've zoomed past 2 months and 6 games, let's go then:



A frustrating opener, as we earned an early from a set-piece then repeatedly failed to build on it.
We paid for it eventually, and were lucky not to end up losing after going down to 10 men.



A good answer to our opening day troubles, Caiquetio were never really in the races and we made it count for once.



An absolute horrorshow in the closing stages, undoing all our good work (Lake's, specifically).
A poor GK's clearance, then a hilarious attempt at tiki-taka in our penalty area gifted a point to RCA.



It looked to be one of those days when we conceded the early goal, so credit where it's due to the players for coming back the way they did.
Now to put this mentality to use more often...



Nope, let's take the lead then (again) fail to build on it.



Jomar Siem did by himself in a half what we did in 90 minutes.
He picked up a knock that necessitated his departure, but the damage had already been done.



2 perspectives really:

• That we're top and still unbeaten,
• Or that we've only won a third of our matches and everyone else has games in hand over us.

Anyway, next match is somehow 35 days from December 1st, which means a relaxing holiday season, I guess.

December 2020

We didn't play any matches, but it doesn't mean others didn't as well:



We're now 8 off the lead with 2 games in hand, that lack of clinical finishing and losing our defensive shit have probably cost us it seems.

Other things happened:



FUCK
Now Lake is alone as our best striker, fingers crossed he doesn't go on one of his goal droughts this time.



'Best club in the land' Britannia have sacked yet another manager, this time I was linked, not that I cared though.
Now we meet in the first hurdle, funny how life works eh?

Good to see you're back Eric Hope you take advantage of your 2 games in hand

Unlucky with the transfers. Hopefully you claw your way back into contention.

Cheers

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Bumper month this, 7 matches played:



We started with the Cup, comfortable win with the 4-6-0.
Was frustrating as well - I'd warned Oehlers about picking up a second yellow during the interval, and he didn't. Didn't expect Rasmijn to pick up 2 cautions in 15 minutes though.



The switch back to our usual 4-1-3-2 was unusually difficult, with Estrella managing to match our CM trio and then some.
We eventually went through, but on penalties it's not the best of performances.



Another 4-6-0, another good win.
Rangel Lugo assisted the other 2 goals as well, coming in form at the right time.

On to our 2nd straight final then:



We looked like we've already wrapped the match up by the time our 2nd was scored, and the players probably thought so too.
So then, a rude awakening to knock some concentration into them.
Juventud didn't kick on though, and we managed to see the game out.

Oh right, we've won the cup as well:



2nd on the trot, we're looking on the up again.

Also, now that we've got a fair bit of cash, I took the liberty to ask for some upgrades:



\o/

Back to the league now, we've still around a week of January to go:



Well where did that come from?!
It was Escalona's 1st goals of the season too, 2 free kicks (1 was a fluke), and he wrapped the game up by half-time.



Estrella came to look for revenge, we said no.



Frustrating match - we'd hit the woodwork twice before establishing a 2-goal lead, only to lose it spectacularly through some shambolic defending.
Supersub Brison quickly got us back in front though, and Croes made it safe.



We lead for now, but Dakota will surely regain top spot - we'll need to beat them then.

Well that was some month. Looking strong at the moment.

We'd needed it, it seems...

------------------------------

February 2020

Another home game, another non-win.
Young centreback Lionel Christopher Charles got the ball rolling for us by conceding a penalty, to go behind with only a tenth of the game played.
Sylvester de Lecca got us out of jail with a great forward run from left-back for a poacher's finish.



Yet another home game, only this time we lost for the 1st time this season.
de Lecca had looked to rescue a point yet again with a howitzer from outside the area, but we contrived to throw it all away at the end.



Away from home*, a win to get back on track.
Youth prospect Derek Croes showed what he can do when on form, scoring one and setting out strike partner Lake for his goal.
Now if only we could be this adept at finishing all the time.....
(All the top flight clubs play in the same ground, so home and away is for administrative purposes, really)



Oh look, there goes our unbeaten away record as well.
We were rubbish in front of goal, and our high line as beaten for once by an impressive solo break.
Hit the post a couple of times, but it's the scoreline that matters.



We're top, but it'll look seriously ugly from here on in.

Tight at the top, had a storming month and then folowed by this! Hopefully you can do what it takes to stay there

Tight league with a lot of teams still able to have their say...i am curious to see where this goes from here!

Cheers guys, though it probably didn't turn out as well as I'd have liked...



March featured only one game, a home encounter against the new leaders Dakota - we needed to win to haul them back in to the mix, after they took advantage of their games in hand to storm ahead.



We were completely awful in the 1st half, meekly surrendering the attacking initiative with poor passing.
It was a blind stroke of luck that our only foray into their penalty area drew a foul, and gave us a way back into the contest.
As it turned out, despite our improved attacking combinations in in the 2nd 45 minutes our finishing was non-existent, and it was always going to be a draw at most.



Another home draw, an even worse attacking display.



We had looked to finally get a 1st home win at the 8th time of asking when we took the early lead.
Unfortunately, our typical shambolic defending reared its head again as we contrived to throw it all away and effectively rule ourselves out of the regular season's title reckoning.



Final away day, and solace from the tortures of our home form.
But even here we found it hard to overcome our poor attacking play in recent matches, though we eventually did get going in the 2nd half.
Both goals involved some good combination play, to be fair.

Oh and I should mention, this match relegated Britannia - so much for being the most reputable club in the land when you've done shit all these past few years.



That's a 1st home win at the NINTH time of asking, relegation form really.
At least we finished off with a flourish, Croes and Lake proving that they's not complete dogshit, just hopelessly inconsistent.



Finishing 2nd in the regular season despite only averaging only a point a game at home - imagine doing that in the EPL and getting a CL spot, truly bizarre.



Dakota did us a favour of sorts by beating RCA, hence giving is an increased prize money, but also extending their lead at the top to 6 points for the Champions Playoffs. Between a rock and a hard place, then.



A particular fixture problem would be the 3 games in 5 days, including a double-header against Estrella.

Why??? Is this a league problem or a problem from the extention...so many games in a row!

Well all clubs play in the same stadium, as well as the national teams, so there's always huge inconsistencies with the fixtures.

Also explains why I've only 1 game in March....

Tough finishing second, good luck in the next run in

Only in Aruba could you win one of nine home matches and still finish second.

Good luck in the playoffs. The six-point gap should be manageable.

May 2014

BOOM! A great start to our playoffs, putting our leaders down at 'their place' (we all play at the same stadium anyway).



BOOM! Another home win - good start, this.



Well famous last words there, we had an off day in attack and were promptly punished.

Doubly worrying was that it got RCA back into the title race, having ex-champions in the mix is never good news.



Good way to bounce back, despite Caravel's goal to keep them in the game we were never really troubled.



BOOM! Another hammer blow to Dakota's title chances.
We should have lost this, having conceded the opener and being very lucky to go into the break level.
Somehow managing to fuck up the team talk is the way to go, as the team went from an angry bunch to a victorious one.



The strikeforce was subpar for this match, Lake particularly wasteful.
It was therefore fortunate that he was the one subbed off and not Croes, who redeemed himself with a clutch goal right at the death.



With that (and 4 games to go) there're only 3 teams left in it, and to our credit we've managed to come out of this pile on top for the time being.
A double header against Estrella awaits, followed by what will probably the title decider with RCA, and finishing off with Caravel.

We end this month with some contract talks:



I'll sign a new deal if given the opportunity, given how I've not liked to cut ties with a club I've achieved success with.

Just to iron out some issues and ask for some sweeteners:



They really are giving us far too much cash mind, would much rather they spend the transfer and wage kitty to something like, oh I dunno, expanding the scouting range? It's not like we can spend the cash if we don't know who to buy in the first place.

Which brings me to this:



Oh well, fingers crossed they budge before our bridges are burnt.

Lets hope management is intelligent enough to keep you!

June 2020

Our run in started with the aforementioned double-header against Estrella, which won't be the easiest of ties given how we lost our last meeting.



As it turned out... well just look at the scoreline.
Estrella completely failed to deal with our 4-6-0, conceding a couple on the break while offering very little in attack.
Their consolation was a cracker though, I'll give them that.

However we did have to meet them again, and having been trounced so thoroughly they would surely want revenge:



No.
It turns out they couldn't handle our main 4-1-3-2 either, not even scoring a goal in this one - must be a tough couple of days for their fans.

On to the title decider now, RCA having benefitted from Dakota's poor form to become closest challengers:



Much, much easier than expected, they were surprisingly meek and we managed to contain them with ease.



Oh yeah, great work considering our horrible home form in the regular season.



There are better ways to finish a season than giving up a 2-goal lead, but hey, a win's a win.



Winning all our home games in the playoffs significantly bolstered our home record, but it's still some way off our away form.
Ending up 9 points clear though, that's excellent.



YEAHHHHHHH MOST POPULAR CLUB IN ARUBA



I'm not really convinced that Lake did enough to become Aruba's 3rd best player, but he won't be arguing, so fair dos.



... Though it's probably his 12 goals in 23 starts.



4 in a row, somehow not being relegated is an award-winning achievement.

Players of the Season



Okay, so he was probably our best player of the season.
14 goals and 6 assists in 26 starts? Ok fine, so he was pretty damn good this year.



Lugo had a great season initially, before a broken leg wrecked the rest of his campaign.
Worse still, before his broken leg he was never the best player, his speed being his trump card - might be time to call it a day for him here.



Not Captain Marvel's best season, but he still contributed a significant bit to our cause.
And regardless of his form he won't be dropped anyway, one of the first names on the teamsheet with his set-piece ability.

Now for some transfers, a bit of a reward for our successes this season and in preparation for the next:



This is some Lewandowski-level league haxxing stuff, man.
Been one of the best performers in Aruba for the past couple of seasons, 7+ average ratings for the 6 years that he's been here.
Quite good with the set-pieces too, eases the pressure on Escalona.

Though recent events have left me rather worried...



Ouch.
But hey, if he was able to score 11 in 23 this season it's still all good, right?

Oh, and no new deal yet, so I might not have the pleasure of managing him.

Seasonal Postscript

Another batch of youngsters:



This is my HoYD's pick of the lot:



Well he's got... erm... good composure? Essentially he's rubbish.
Worse still, if he's our best prospect it'll speak volumes about the rest of the bunch.
Think I'll probably write this bunch off as a loss, not worth signing any of them to be terribly honest.



Might be curtains for you too, Mr. Fingal.



The players weren't consistent to be honest, but hey who cares? We're champions!



Fingers crossed I actually set up a half-decent preseason for once.



It took a huge chunk out of our 400k+ bank balance, but the hope is that we'll be able to recoup most of that through regular participation in the sub-continental championship.

And finally:



Well I budged, guess I'll have to earn my way to an extended scouting range.

Good to see you're sticking around. I probably would have moved on to greener pastures myself. Especially without any talented youngsters on the horizon.

Good luck for season #7...

Love how this is still going mate! Doing fantastically! Its awesome, well done on another good season

Sticking around in Aruba...I have to take my hat off 7th season there and now with a brazilian semi-star!

Cheers guys, I've to work on my goodbyes though, this is a Caribbean save after all...

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Perseason 2020/21

Nothing mcuh happened in the off-season, bar these 2 inconveniences:




FUCK
Certainly didn't expect 2 of my best prospects to leave for a lower-league side and a recently relegated one, much less them managing to secure part-time deals - should have given them more that just non-contracts.
They were already part of the rotational squad too, but I suppose that's why you have a squad in the 1st place - I'll probably be able to cover their absences.

Then the rest of the team returned, and we began with the now-traditional couple of closed-door friendlies:



de Waard with a fluke freekick, Escalona coming off the bench to curl in a more orthodox one, with Figaroa's late winner sandwiched in between.
We didn't offer too much, but neither did the reserves - a proper perseason game, then.



Even less happened here, that's all there is to say about this one really.
Judging by these 2 matches there's ample room for improvement.



Didn't fuck up the preseason schedule this time, plenty of opportunities to get this squad up and running.

Ha ha leaving for lower teams already relegated...Aruba is a party!

Preseason 2020/21 (2)

Our defence of the league title began with... preseason:



An unbeaten preseason isn't bad, but there're cases to be made for turning those draws into wins.

de Waard didn't start against his former club, but featued for about 20 minutes, as we took then lost leads against Brazil Juniors.
We shrugged that blip off with a couple of solid wins, before suffering another near-defeat against Caiquetio - new Aruban international Derek Croes getting us another clutch equaliser.
Finished off in style against La Fama.

Last season's review:



Overachievers again, might not last though...



We're now the 2nd most reputable club in Aruba, a couple more titles and we should be able to make that top spot ours.

Now for some cash matters:



Most of which was spent on new training facilities.



And I'd much rather spend the money on the club than handing it over to the authorities.



Uh-oh, there are expectations on us for the first time, could be a bumpy ride from here on in.



Could (and probably should) have offered higher bonuses.
Then again, these guys are now mostly on contracted deals, so they should already be motivated by their base pay if anything.



Not surprised, a few of the challenger of years past have been relegated(!) and only us and RCA (and to a lesser extent Dakota have been challenging consistently in that time.



Croes I can see offering a lot, but Oehlers... Sure, when he plays he still offers a huge amount of vertical play on the right, but he's not produced match-winning performances for some time now.
No mention of Escalona, Lake or de Waard too, shows how much they know about us.

October - November 2020

Why a 2-month update? 4 games in that period is the answer:



Good win, though Croes would then be ruled out for the 2 months.



Terrible result given the consequences, and us throwing away a lead.
Defence was in sixes and sevens, while Lake and Escalona were oh so ineffective.



A formation switch worked, with de Waard putting in a top performance at the tip of our strikerless 4-6-0 diamond.



Then this game comes along, which exposes de Waard's deficiencies - a lack of pace and height, which rules him out of playing up top, as I've found out.
Though he should have redeemed himself by taking his chances, which he didn't, and from which we duly paid the price.



All the games in hand nonsense makes the table rather hard to decipher, but suffice to say we don't have much of a chance to come out tops upon the completion of said matches.
Early days though, we're still in it isn't it?

Couple of personnel news coming up:



I was looking around for some improvements on my current staff when he popped up - excellent attributes and a good knowledge of the region.

Of course this meant the departure of some of my staff:



Bye guys, you've served the club well but it's time to move on.

Lastly:




They've basically doubled his money, and I wasn't giving him a basic wage to begin with!
But he's decided to leave a title-wining team, so whatever floats his boat then.

My question is when are u getting out of Aruba?

I'm seriously hopeless at cutting ties man, I get too attached.
I dunno, maybe I'll get the sack this time round?

December 2020

Shocking, appalling, shit result.
Started out so very well in both halves, so to eventually throw it away in the manner that we did was unacceptable.
Escalona conceded the penalty as well, to add to his subpar start to the season to say the least.



Escalona was dropped, de Waard started, and 2 assists was our reward.



Such an awful game to sit through, we let La Fama dominate the early proceedings resulting in the opener, then frustrations boiled over when Lugo went in 2-footed studs-up from behind.
We gradually took the game to them in the 2nd half, but was were still wasteful and were prone to being exposed on the counter due to our numerical disadvantage.
Up stepped Germain Cabrera - off the bench for the last 13 minutes of the game and he get us a late, late leveller with an effort from outside the area.
No doubt though, our performance and conduct meant that we were lucky to come away with a point.



Moron.



Table's not looking good, the board's beginning to make noises, it won't be pretty.



Cup month up next, hopefully it can help to alleviate the pressure.

New assman looks good. Have you replaced mr Fingal? Or du plan to go without a director of football (or was he hoyd)?

Some tough results with late goals by the opposition.

How many titles have you won so far?