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Eric Portapotty
Our season is threatening to unravel, but there's still competitions to play for.
League
Brilliant wins over Kotoko and Liberty were sullied by defeats to Ashanti Gold and RTU.
The former was a particularly hard result to take, having led by 2 goals.
Still, we do seem to have control over 2nd, so we just need to win our games in hand. Easier said than done)
Cup
The trend continues - great 1st leg, 2nd leg not so much.
Semi-final line-ups, should be an easy ride to the final.
African Champions League
We managed to cruise in our home leg, thanks to a (OH-SO FUCKING INFREQUENT) masterclass from the eternally frustrating Yaw Biney (more on that below).
The next round saw us drawn against:
ASEC Mimosas, alma mater to some of the best Ivorian footballers in the modern game. Could we beat them?
Defended resolutely, and proving to be a match to the Ivorians, we couldn't take the chances that we managed to carve out.
Still, it was a good debut campaign in Africa's top continental competition, and one that we should strive to improve on next season (fingers crossed).
Transfers
Anyway, after (YET ANOTHER) insipid performance from Yaw Biney:
I simply couldn't justify keeping a guy who can score 2 against Ashanti Gold (Super Cup) and then fire blanks against the minnows of the league, far too inconsistent to be relied upon to lead the line.
But this, this hurts far more.
Having lost Mbarga last season he was clearly my key player this time round, and it proved to be the case.
Now that he's going to leave, we've to count on Benjamin Diallo, who while is a decent playmaker, is nowhere in the class of Appiah.
Some good news anyway:
A Hearts of Oak alumni who set up camp here, having detoured through Egypt and Brazil.
He's an interesting prospect, might be able to complement my high line by playing as a sweeper keeper.
We'll see.
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
Thanks man, glad you're enjoying it
Eric Portapotty
Wonky end to the season, and 4 cup finals in 4 years - what is this if not bittersweet?
League
It's really a case of what might have been - we did the double over Kotoko, yet finished 8 points behind them.
Dropping 4 points from 15 games is definite title-winning form, though we could probably have maintained a credible challenge if not for some proper choking against Real Sportive and Guan Utd, to name a few.
We were never really in the ascendancy, just had the lead and a couple of games in hand which we didn't capitalise on fully.
Still, 9 points from 3rd, in what has been an uncharacteristically underwhelming season for Ashanti Gold, Hearts of Oak and (in particular) Tema Youth.
Cup
By far the most intense cup tie I've had up to that point, strikers went off the boil and the opposition weren't sitting ducks either.
On to the final then...
Yeah, this trumps that.
A woeful performance masked by a comeback from 2 goals down, and even the equaliser came from a horrid backpass from their rightback.
Regardless..... back-to-back cup wins and our third in 4 years \o/
Transfers
'Tis the season for pre-contracting:
Not quite a "marquee" signing (considering he's paid under $200 p/w iirc) but a replacement for the departing Yaw Biney.
He needs work on his composure, but other than that he's a possible 15-plus-goal man.
Captain Emmanuel Amaoko is set to leave this season, and I need cover for Seth Mensah (who I might mention is a behemoth at the back), so he comes in. Good determination and defensive ability, strength is his required ares of improvement.
Eugene (partner to Amaoko in our 1st season back up) is also leaving as well, which meant boosting the numbers at the back further.
Like Eugene, a proper threat in the air.
Quite a rough diamond, possesses some proper mental attributes but is a generally awkward playmaker (poor passing and composure), he'll take some time.
Anything else?
Why yes, I'm glad you asked:
Yes, the Abedi Pele, father to the Ayew brothers at Marseille.
Who knows he's be such a miser.
Or is he...
That's more like it
mah niggaMr. Abedi, already making a meaningful contribution to the club in his short time here.-----
Also,
Yes, the buggy system that has the top 4 sides from the previous season(read: 2 years ago) pit against each other to find Ghana's best side.
Eric Portapotty
Good preseason for the most part, coupled with a post-season cup win.
Top Four Cup
Semi-final was a typical cup performance of ours this season, wrestling control in the 1st leg before letting them back in the 2nd.
Did better in the final, Eugene making his last appearance for the club coming off the bench.
Transfers
Frimpong looks a terrific finisher (looks) but it's been pointed out that his consistency could be found wanting.
Probably will spend his time in the reserves till I find him a club to loan to.
Another prospect, another one in the reserves.
Also, Abass Annan had been signed on after his relatively good loan spell last season, his parent club deciding to dispense with his services.
Eric Portapotty
Unbeaten so far - albeit with a fair number of scares - and the wheels haven't come off completely... yet.
Super Cup
3rd on the trot, and I'm beginning to wonder if the other clubs take this trophy seriously, considering it's after the opening match of the league campaign.
League
Unbeaten - so far.
Cup
Couple of proper scares in this edition so far, and it's probably going to get worse...
Joint top-scorers this season, and a giant of the Ghanian game.
African Champions League
The customary walk-in-the-park 1st round followed by a significantly harder 2nd round....
Good news: Massive gates, much bigger than in domestic matches.
Bad news: We need to get proper lubed, this could well hurt.
Transfers
Having released Aloy Roberts, Ceesay was winding down his contract and I swooped.
More of a luxury signing than anything, though this gives me options in case I receive a good offer for Michael Sumaila (who is attracting interest from some decent clubs).
Eric Portapotty
I'm glad I'm wrong - the players seem to have hammered the wheel ever more securely.
There have been scares (Guan United being a prominent opponent) but we've found that little extra to grind out those wins.
Cup
A quite brilliant performance, made all the more impressive considering our awful fixture pile-up.
Lower-league opposition, who cannot be underestimated - they thrashed their opponents 7-0 in their 1st leg.
African Champions League
Club World Cup winners, one of the biggest sides in African football... Could we?
5 goals, and 0 conceded over 2 legs... Madness.
Having met(and defeated) one of Africa's best sides, we could only face tougher challenges from here on:
And so it proved, arguably Egypt's most successful club ever, if not Africa's.
A defiant performance, having been dominated throughout the match and conceding an away goal.
To have reached this stage is good enough anyway, winning would get us into the group stages, while losing will get us into the 4th round of the CAF Confederations Cup.
Also,
It's frustrating that we have to get into continental competition to get anywhere near full capacity, especially when our average attendances in the league are about a few hundred at most.
Transfers
A highly-rated centreback, we had to pay $16k in compensation to secure his signing.
Fingers crossed he shows his worth.
Signed as backup, having sent Clyde Essomba out on loan (with an option to buy) and in light of our fixture congestion.
I had wanted to sign him on loan when he was on the books of our parent club Enyimba, but he was deemed to be surplus to requirements.
itchycoo
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
Thanks, glad you're enjoying it!
-----------------------------------------------------
Anyway.... To answer the above question:
Yes. (And how!)
21 points clear, most goals, least conceded, and most significantly, unbeaten - it's been one of those seasons.
I've been helped by the awful season the traditional Big 3 (Kotoko, Hearts of Oak and Ashanti Gold) are having, resulting in none qualifying for the Champions League (and allowing Real Sportive in).
But can we do the Double?
Cup
We put the tie out of King Solomon's sights in the 1st leg, or so we thought before the defence decided to self-destruct in the return leg.
Still, we were in the final of a cup where we were defending champions, against another lower-league team in the form of ex-Premier League club Arsenal (GHA):
Took control for good in the 1st half, and we didn't have another defensive meltdown.
So yeah, we can do the Double.
African Champions League
\o/ \o/ \o/
Probably my flukiest victory ever, but by Jove will I take it!
So that's 6 more money-spinning matches:
And a potential million to be won if we manage to make a further impact.
Transfers
An almost-million dollar offer made - couldn't say no, especially with Eyong arriving.
He leaves after just a season at the club, but he's proved his worth fully in his time here.
Konate plays in the Ivorian second division, and is a long-term target.
Eric Portapotty
Thanks, the CL... I think it could be a bridge too far, some brilliant teams in there, we're the weakest by a country mile, not to mention the only part-time outfit.
Anyway:
/o\
But thanks to advice over the internetz I've restored an older version so some things will have to be redone.
Eric Portapotty
We managed to beat Ashanti Gold this time round, but drew with Guan United, so it's an opportunity missed to win all 4 matches.
Still, a 21-point lead over the rest of the league.
However, it doesn't help that we've lost the core of our title win - our 1st choice centreback pairing, even before we've played a game in the CL group stages.
Not that I blame Abedi Pele though, $1.2 mil is massive.
Eric Portapotty
The group stage started well enough, shock wins and a hard-fought draw puts us in a good position for qualification to the semi-finals.
Well:
Thanks to some really bizarre fitness issues*, we threw away the next 3 games and crashed out in 3rd.
The finances have been given a massive boost though:
This, with over 700k earned for the 2 wins and draw:
places us in our best financial position for some time.
*Honestly, just look at our fitness levels between our 3rd and 4th matchdays:
Its ridiculous, this mass drop in match condition.
Top 4 Cup
Easy enough, despite having to rotate the squad for the CL matches.
A different story in the final, as the fitness anomalies affected both teams, with Kotoko managing to make the most of their chances.
Transfers
Besides the arrival of Ebou Corr Nyang, there have been other happenings in the transfer market:
Samuel Asamoah
and Daniel Mensah
will both leave the club next season, having been loyal servants for the past half-decade but will probably need to be cashed in before their sell-by date.
Asamoah's replacement come in the form of Lassina Konate, while to replace Mensah, a Beninian arrives:
Composure of 15! What did he have to go through in his childhood to possess such calmness?!
Eric Portapotty
All in all, a good preseason.
The 1st round of the Ghanian Cup pits us against now-sleeping giants Hearts of Oak, but they most definitely can't be underestimated.
Doesn't help that they have Michael Essien as their assistant manager.
Eric Portapotty
Oh so nearly perfect...
League
Such a brilliant start to the season, scuppered by the mega-rich upstarts of Ghanian football, who seem to have finally got their act together.
Ghanian Super Cup
A poor performance all round, and we paid for it.
Cup
While Hearts of Oak have been underachieving, I certainly didn't expect this.
I had my fears that they'll figure me out in one of these fixtures, but it ended up 10-0 on aggregate in 3 matches over 7 days.
Next round was ex-Premier League Wa All Stars, done with easily.
Another ex-PL side in the quarters then.
African Champions League
In our Preliminary Round, we drew a Botswanese(?) side, Police XI:
It's filled with virtual players, so a win was the pre-requisite.
To concede a goal... Not very good.
Next round pits us against the Armed Forces side of Burkina Faso.
Eric Portapotty
A winless mini-run threatened to derail our season, but we seem to have got it back in track. I hope.
League
That we've already dropped the same number of points as the entire of last season is either an sign of how good we were last season, or an indication of how poor we are this time round.
It's probably the latter, considering how all of Ashanti Gold, Kotoko and Hearts of Oak aren't challenging for the title.
The year of the underdog perhaps?
Cup
Surprise, surprise - great 1st leg, struggling return leg.
Semis feature a traditional giant, and 3 others looking to upset the landscape of local football.
CAF Champions League
This complacency thing is getting on my nerves now....
In the next round we met Cameroonian giants Union Douala, having met them back at Fovu.
We were lucky to grab the away goal in the 1st leg, and duly got the aggregate winner to get us into the Group Stages for a 2nd consecutive year.
Yet again, the only Ghanian side left, and by far the weakest team of the lot.
Of course, the best news to come out of this is the prize money, which could see our bank balance break the $7 million mark:
Brilliant stuff, considering we were nearing bankruptcy and had to go semi-pro just a few years back.
Transfers
Mohammed Diallo will leave the club after a falling-out and subsequent refusal to sign a new deal.
This is his replacement:
He's got potential, is 194 cm tall, and has time.
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
Suffice to say they're all better than us
------------------------------------------------------
League
Finished 7 points less, and 1 point closer to the chasing pack than last season.
That probably isn't the main point though - for once only 1 of the Big Three of Ghana has qualified for continental competition, Kotoko scraping through to the Confederation Cup.
It's been coming though, as Hearts of Oak have been midtable settlers since winning the title 4 seasons ago.
Of more significance is St. Mirren (Ghana)'s qualification to the Champions league; having been a yoyo club the past few years, they finally got their act together and proved to be the shock of the season.
If they play their cards right and make use of their Finnish owner's millions wisely, they could become the dominant force of Ghanian football.
Cup
Finally, consistent performances in both legs, unlike previous rounds where we stuttered in the return leg.
This match had everything, goals, a sending off and an Alaves-style own-goal winner.
The stats might have shown otherwise, but they were a constant threat, playing an uncommon 3-4-2-1 and flooding the centre of the pitch, which meant that they were able to overload our defence when counter-attacking.
Boardroom Matters
We've already been tasked to finish at least midtable next season, which shouldn't be too difficult (touch wood).
And with the money pouring in, the club has decided to return to a professional outfit.
We probably should have been semipro to begin with - we never had the finances or the fans to sustain full-time costs, and only with the Champions League money were we able to afford it.
Eric Portapotty
In an attempt to avoid the fitness plague that hit our team last season I gave a third of the team 2 weeks off, and played weakened line-ups to accommodate the Champions League matches.
At least we technically finished 3rd, as Kotoko beat Real Sportive in the final.
CAF Champions League
Well that went much better than expected.
Our parent club Enyimba were abysmal, being African giants they should have done much better.
It was down to us and CS Sfaxien really, Al-ahly were running away with top spot (until the last matchday where they were already confirmed to finish top) and though we went unbeaten against them we had to wait till the last matchday to confirm our place (and how!)
Here's the other group:
In the semi-final we somehow were drawn against the 2nd-placed team, ASO Chlef, defending Algerian champions and a tough opponent.
And so it proved, 2 away goals giving us the slimmest of hope going into the return leg.
Unfortunately 2 early goals negated our away goal advantage and knocked the wind out of our sails.
We improved in the second half, but surely it was too much for us to score 4 (and then 5) in 45 minutes.
And so it ends, our run to the semis.
Transfers
Our ever-present star striker for the past 5 years, he had been making noises about a move, and while I clearly didn't want him to leave, the money was very, very good and it's better off than having a player on strike.
And a S$2.5 million profit, not too bad for an injury-prone 18-year old signed on a free 6 years ago.
Eric Portapotty
Anyway:
I attempted to start as many of my fringe players as I could, and the result was under-par performances.
Here's hoping we can still manage a good start in the league.
Here's the teams for the new season:
Power FC and Adauna Stars come back up, while Bofoakwa Tano make their Premier League debut.
---
Transfers wise there's been no activity, bar Emeka Sodje leaving for Brazil on loan for a season.
I might be regretting the deal already, as an increasing preference for 4-5-1 might stretch the midfield options.
Eric Portapotty
Great start, but the form is probably covering over some cracks in this team.
Don't let some of the high-scoring games fool you - most of them were achieved during Edmund Addo's final months at the club, and the current strikeforce is certainly more of quantity over quality.
League
Still unbeaten, which is helpful; Addo's departure, less so.
William Aziz is now first choice, and still a bit rusty having returned from injury. His deputy is AM-turned-forward Iddi Antwi, who, at 24, is being given a last chance to secure a place in this team.
He's been inconsistent, and it doesn't help that I can't trust in the big matches.
Super Cup
A really cagey final, with St. Mirren playing with an unorthodox 3-4-2-1, stuffing 4 central midfielders into the CM and AM positions, while still having 1 forward and 2 wingers.
In an attempt to combat their midfield overloads I played a 4-5-1, playing on the counter through my inside forwards.
Either side had great chances to win it before the shootout, but we probably did deserve the win looking at the stats.
Cup
There seems to be a new trend around these parts, having an under-par 1st leg before cleaning up in the 2nd.
Still, a win is a win.
Conceded early in the 1st leg, and took some time to get going before 3 quick goals got me in the clear.
2nd leg was a relief.
1st half in the 1st leg was dour, shots were going everywhere but the goal, then they took a shock lead (and away goal).
Then Iddi Antwi woke up and got us into an aggregate lead.
If the 1st leg was dour, the 2nd was well... suffice to say we needed an own goal to save our skins. Not cool.
Not met a giant yet, better will be expected.
CAF Champions League
Made the mistake of underestimating this Togolese outfit with almost an entirely greyed-out team.
Antwi was hopeless uptop, and as a result we didn't really do anything of note.
Conceding a late away goal winner added insult to injury.
Revenge, oh so sweet.
Taking an early lead, we were always in control of the tie and put in a vastly improved performance.
A 2nd meeting in 3 seasons, fingers crossed we pull off a repeat shock against Mazembe.
Eric Portapotty
This run had the lot - big wins, ground-out wins (and draws), and the very, very odd reversal.
League
1st 2 losses in the league, the 1st being very contentious (had a goal ruled out for offside), the 2nd being nothing short of a horror show from the defence.
The Guan United win was probably the most satisfying, as we were trailing for most of the 2nd half, only for super-sub Lassina Konate (on as a left inside forward) to save the day.
We're well placed to make it 3 titles in a row, at which point I might consider leaving.
Cup
It should not have been this nerve-wracking, unfortunately our under-par strikeforce let them back in with a shout.
Another low-scoring tie.
Semis look like this:
We've got the easier tie by far, but it's bound to get tougher in the final.
CAF Champions League
A repeat of our 1st meeting 2 years back in our debut continental campaign, we managed to secure a lead at home before just crossing the finish 3-2 on aggregate.
Angolan giants Primeiro de Agosto were an unknown - how good they were, that is.
Managing a nil draw (without conceding an away goal) was an okay result, and we'll be hoping for an away goal in the return leg.
Eric Portapotty
Went about as good as it could have, fingers crossed it sets us up nicely for a dream ending.
League
Stormed to a 3rd consecutive title, scoring 88 goals (a record apparently) though the winning margin has been reduced.
Cup
A walk in the park, as we showed our clinical edge.
Took quite a while for them to budge, but when they did there was no looking back.
It's the 5th in a row, and the 6th overall.
CAF Champions League
(now this was some proper nailbiting shit)
We could have so nearly thrown it away, but to seal the win so late in the game... Best piece of action in this section of the campaign, by a country mile.
This is our group:
Proper African giants here - Zamalek is the most recognised in these parts, but Etoile aren't to be sniffed at, either. Same goes for Alger, compared to us.
And a slight surprise...
While looking for another potential opening I chanced upon the opportunity to lead a couple of African national sides in the Olympics -
I eventually opted for the Senegal U23s.
1st up, a friendly against Zimbabwe:
If I'm honest this didn't do much help; due to injuries and the apparently ineligibility of the over-23 players in this friendly I only had 2 players on the bench, in addition to having to play one of my CMs in central defence.
Furthermore, 4-goal hero Malick Dia was struck down with an injury and will miss entirety of the tournament.
Happy days.
Eric Portapotty
2 unlucky reversals to start the group stage, followed by a mad game against Zamalek.
The Sahel game brought us back down to Earth, before another crazy win.
So it came down to the last matchday, where we had to win and hope that the other match was a draw.
We didn't fulfill what was needed of us, so we bow out on goal difference.
Top Four Cup
1st match featured a 2nd-string side, which struggled to breakdown a St.Mirren side with that unorthodox 3-4-2-1 formation.
2nd leg was a whitewash, thanks to the brilliance of Benjamin Diallo, playing only because of his suspension in the CL.
Diallo was the star yet again in the 1st leg, and we more or less kept them out of sight.
2nd leg again featured the 2nd-stringers, who still managed to eke out a victory.
-------------------------------------------
With a failure to progress from the Champions League, I decided to seek pastures new and end my tenure at the club:
My most successful time my a country mile (thought it was bolstered my the meaningless end-of-season (top Four) cups, and the domestic FA cup.
At least I have that going for me, which is nice.
Senegal in the Olympics
We had another friendly before the competiition started, a match against the Syrians:
-----
And on to the main event - we were grouped with Korea, Uruguay and the Belarussians:
A relatively straightforward win against Belarus, engeging in a footballing feast with Korea, and a goalkeeping horror show which gifted the South Americans a 3-goal cushion.
As a result of our collapse in the Uruguay game, we faced heavy favourites Spain in the quarter-finals.
(Well it was a lose-lose either way, Uruguay got Brazil)
Was a tight match, we gave a good account of ourselves, but just couldn't cut t when it came to the lottery of penalties.
I was sacked afterwards obviously, such is the high regard SI gives to Under-23 competitions.
(The Brazillians ended up winning the whole thing, by the way.)
Eric Portapotty
1st time managing in Ukraine, with an underachieving side.
Probably my designated playmaker, will look to build the team around him.
Eric Portapotty
1. There are no senior left-footed left wingers, inside forwards it is.
2. This was the formation they were apparently playing in previously:
A catenaccio system, with a youth player as the libero - you can't make this up.
3. This is a graph of their goings-on in the league pyramid these past few years:
From Premier League also-rans to lower-division strugglers, fingers crossed I can bring them back to the big time.
Where they were when I arrived, it's still quite tight at this point.
Eric Portapotty
A scrappy start to my time here, then 2 unadventurous losses.
The next win was enough to raise spirits through the roof, but we were then dealt a reality check, no thanks to the monster that was (apparently) ex-Kotoko striker Emmanuel Acquah, who also doubled his goal tally for the season in the process.
We're still there, and the gap has widened every so slightly...
itchycoo
Eric Portapotty
But I do have legend status in Eleven Wise, so I'll still have my safe haven should things go awry abroad.
Eric Portapotty
A short month as we head into what seems to be a winter break, but what a month it was. First defeating promotion challengers Goverla on our turf, we then snatched a last-gasp win for my first away victory.
Incredibly tight situation there, far too close for comfort.