Ok, we do Journeyman

I have one signing for if Wellington finds a new club. Luizinho

With the Euro-League tie at the end of februari, I arranged a decent amout of friendlies. All but the last one went pretty good. Was it an oman for the Euro match or where we already with our heads at the next match.



First match we played good and even took the lead, only the joy was short lived. But we didn't lose so there was something to play for in Portugal.



The return we started superbly, a very early goal by Wellington washed away the away goal Sporting scored. And Wellington made sure we went trough to the next round. He scored our second just after they pulled back to 1-1, and netted his third after they pulled back to 2-2.

Congratulations!!! Fantastic away win in Lisbon and Wellington with a hat-trick: I think it's time to cash in on him in the summer. Is it Arsenal or Roma in the next round?

GreekExpress: Wellington revoked his transfer request, so I hope I can hang on to him. As he has been brilliant for me the past seasons. We got Arsenal in the next round of the Euro-league






We started the month geat, getting two wins and a draw (agains Shaktar), before the Euro-league kicked in again, we have a hard time getting results when the fixture list gets tight. Not only did we lose 1-3 against Chornomorets, we also got a red card and 4 injuries so we ended thet match with 9 players on the pitch. But we are hanging around the Euro-spot still in the league, altho we won't be as good as last year.






In the Euro-league we had a great match against Arsenal. Eventho we where under great preasure the whole match, we got infront early, scoring from a counter. And it looked like we would get the win, but Arsenal scored the equalizer 2 minutes into stoppage time. But atleast we still had a reason to travel to London.




The away game against Arsenal looked a copy of the first. That is on the pitch, Arsenal putting us on the back feet and we trying to be dangerous breaking out. The scoreline was the oposite from the first game, Arsenal getting infront twice, but failing to hang on twice. Seeing us surpricingly progress to the next round on away goals.




An other London awaits us, and we know we can do it! But somehow I feel we won't But to be complete if we win, here is the draw for the Semi's.




The Euro-league atleast made sure our checkbook is balanced again.

The team is heading to the final!!! This a magnificent European run getting to the quarter-finals!! Of course, it has affected you in the League, but hang on there - you can still make it to Europe next year.

Guess you are all smiles for seeing no red on the Balance

GreekExpress: I would love to advance to the final, but I don't think it will be in the cards.









The Tottenham match turned out a copy of the Arsenal match. We got infront early and just couldn't hang on to it in the end. The second match we went behinde and had a couple of oppertunities to tie but we couldn't convert them. So that ended the Euro dream, but it was a campaign to be proud off.

GreekExpress: I would love to advance to the final, but I don't think it will be in the cards.






Seems like a repetition problem, the end of the season is comming and the team forgets to win. Only 1 win last month makes Euro-qailification hard. Top 6 will qualify, and we just holding that spot.






The Tottenham match turned out a copy of the Arsenal match. We got infront early and just couldn't hang on to it in the end. The second match we went behinde and had a couple of oppertunities to tie but we couldn't convert them. So that ended the Euro dream, but it was a campaign to be proud off.

Tough luck with Tottenham, but that was a bad month in the League. You can still qualify for Europe though - just need to be careful in the last 2 games.

GreekExpress: Yes we can still qualify but its close.Tottenham just was better, as was Arsenal, but we where close again.





Last matches where harsh on us. Both losing 2-3 in over time. But we where lucky with the other results leaving us at 6th spot and Euro-qualification.



With the 3th season gone I felt there was nothing more I could do to improve the squad and the results. The team will just be stuck between places 3 & 8. With both Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv able to spent more then double. So i found it was time to resign.



There where a couple of nice options open so I jumped right in and sent away a couple of applications. Kaiserlutern, Rosario Central, Palermo and Calgeri coose an other, but River Plate deceded to go with me.






The first task it to cut away the dead wood and reduce the pay load. The squad looks decent and I just need a couple of signings to be on strenght to start the league.

Good luck at River Plate mate !

Wowww....from Ukraine to Argentina and River Plate!!! Good luck....guess you will have to win the League and the Copa Libertadores there to be successful. That's a tough task, but I am sure you will do well.

George: Thanks mate.

GreekExpress: River Plate finished 9th last season. The idea is to build a new squad first, and see how the argentinian competions works as I never played there. After I rebuild the squad I will go for the real prices. But I guess It will take a couple of years before I can go for all major Trophies.







First of all, I released a couple of players and I managed to sell some other. Reducing the wage enough. I bought one player for the first eleven, and a couple as back-up.



This how it looks now. The plan is to develop the brilliant youth prospects I have in the team, instead of bringing in a lot of new faces. I am just on the look out for a great AMC/playmaker, but in no real rush.

Ramiro Navarro (17): Starting right back
Leandro Vega (19): Starting center defender (right side)
Gino Benitez (18): Starting right winger.
Juan Vantallol (18): Starting left winger.
Lautaro Chávez (16): Starting striker, payed 750k for him.
Sebastián Santos (16): Back-up striker.

Good luck with the kids!! They have some great attributes, but the strikers are very young!!

GreekExpress: I know they are still very young, thats one of the reason I don't have a set goal in the league this season. Its just about devoleping the prospects.






We started of the competion great, only the Union game was a bit disappointing. But lately we failed to find the net, costing us points. Losing against league favorites Boca and Lanús was always on the cards, but the draws against Arsenal de Sarandí and Atl. Refeala where bad. Currently holding 9th spot but I still hope to climb a bit when the goal scoring gets better.

Not a great start, but it's still early. Is the champion decided with a single game between the winners of Apertura and Clausura?

GreekExpress: I am not quiet sure how things going to work in the league. The rules are undicisive for me. The league is 2 parts of 19 matches. And there is a season league table and a year league table. But how the champion is decided I still don't know.






Only three matches this month, but we regained our league form getting two wins and a draw. Against Rivadavia we fell behinde twice, but a quick double fire in the second halve got us the win. Altho the 3th goal was scored as a rebound on a missed penalty, I rather score those at once. Against Racing Club two first halve goals by Lautaro Chávez proved enough to claim the win. Sergio Agüero, no not the Sergio Agüero, scored a late eaqualizer comming from the bench to save a point in a match that we should have won. The 7 points brought me MotM, and we moved up a couple of place in the standings. With the first halve of the season comming to close soon I hope to gain one more spot as first four qualify for Copa Libertadores (5th will have to play a qualifying round).

I think the winners of both rounds play against each other - not 100% sure though.

You are doing well so far, although Boca is enjoying the season. The kids will only get better.

GreekExpress: Maybe there is a desicive match between the league winners, but I con't find anything in the rules. All the youngster but Juan Vantallol are progressing greatly, so I will probably be looking for an extra left winger during next transfer window to release some preasure of Juan Vantallol.






An other very pleasing month started with a draw against Balgrano. We took a 0-2 in the first halve but in the end an own goal in the 83th minute gave away the points. A regular victory against Agentinos, altho we missed an other penalty and sealed the game in over time we where never in real danger of losing points. Quilmes put us on the back foot straight from the kick-off. It resulted in them scoring in the 23th minute. But when we instantly replied, there offencive broke down, and we where able to keep the 3 points at home. Against Gimnasia we also fell behind in the first 45 minutes, but a vintage 2nd halve display brought us the win. Olimpo gave us a good run for the money but the differance in quality was just a bit to much for them to overcome. Last match of the month was a real thriller, we went 0-2 up in the first 40 minutes but 2 goals just before the break, made that we went into the break all square. With there morale sky high, we had to survive the first part of the second halve. We scored a good goal from a counter to break there morale, and where able to close the game down. Ofcourse brought this vintage display me an other MotM award, and we moving up the ladder but it to late to claim the title.

December was just month to far, altho we managed to win the first of the two matches, we where by far the worse team on the pitch. And that showed the second match, we lost hopelessly 1-3 at home. We drop a spot in the league, but we managed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores. Pre-season fixtures for 2nd part of the season is pretty full. I did the maximum of two signing in the break. A new goalkeeper Jules Goda, he will be my first choose for the forseable future. Secondly a back-up midfielder José Leonardo Ceuvas which gives me the oppertunity to play Ariel Rojas as left winger, to release some preasure of Juan Vantallol.

We had a good run in the friendlies, So we start prepared on the second halve of the season. And is it was we where even be able to sign an extra player on free transfer to play at the left wing spot Javier Reina. Disappionting was the fact I still had to play a qualifying round in the Copa Libertadores, the good thing was I didn't had a bad draw and progressed easily.



The group draw on the other hand was a very bad one. We need to play great to get through that.

Good luck in the Copa Libertadores. The team showed potential and the 4th place is not bad at all. Next round could be even better.

GreekExpress: We going to need some luck in the Copa Libertadores, the team is progressing nicely but I think this season will be just to early to go for a title.






We didn't get the final stage of to a good start, just one draw in the first three matches put my position under preasure immidiatly. Even the Estudiantes match we where less them our oppenents, but we got two lucky goals in the first halve to get the first win. Our first good match was against Liga de Quito, but we somehow lost the match to a very shoft penalty.



But we bounced back with a good win over Rosario Central, first round number 3. With two matches against Lanús comming up, the tone will be set for the rest of the season.

Unlucky against Liga de Quito - it was not your day. It's definitely getting a lot more difficult to advance now, as they were supposed to be the weakest team in the group.

Sorry, for hte late update, but during last month of play the game has crashed 3 times. And I had to start over from the beginning of the month, leaving me frustrated and unmotivated to start the month over. Hopefully it was just coincidence and it doesn't happen to often. Because its rather frustrating.






A month with two faces in the two different competition. In the Copa Libertadores we found our Waterloo, getting just one point from three matches. But the competition we went on a good run.Starting of with a victory over league favorites Lanús, then two good away wins. And an unfortunate loss against. Inbetween we qualified for the 7th round of the cup. Our next match is against league leaders Boca, if we can win that we might make it close on top. The good league run was fueled by a good preformance of Jonathan Bottinelli heading home on four occasions from corners and trow ins.

An other busy month. And as I was already eliminated from the Copa Libertadores I decided to play my second eleven in the remaining (two) matches. This to keep my squad as fit as possible so we could make a push for a high league position. We got a win against Lanús, whom seem totaly out of form at this moment, dropping in the league and crashing out of the cup. And we lost again against Liga de Quito.



In the league we had a near perfect month. Winning all our matches including the important Boca match. The most memorable match was against Racing Club. We went ahead no less then 4 times before we could cheer at the final whistle. We are in a real good position and have the title claim in our own hands now. Lets hope we can make the final push.



In the cup we also did very very well and are through to the Semi-Finals. Altho in the Quatre-Final we had an other thriller against Racing Club. We want behind in the first halve from a badly defender corner. We scored twice from a set-piece (trow-in and corner) to get infront. But in the 85th minute they equalized. But Javier Reina became the hero scorring a very late winner.



The good month brought me an other MotM award.

That's a fantastic April and you have the chance to get in pole position if you win the game in hand; go get them!!

GreekExpress: With the game in hand we "only" have to win our remaining matches, I would lover to take the title. But it won't be easy.







With everthing in our own hands we started the last month of the season. But unfortunatly we couldn't win our game in hand. We fell behinde early in the game, and eventho we pressed the whole match we only manage to score once. So we where back in the chasing spot as Boca had the better goal difference. After winning the next two in the league, the Semi-Final against San Lorenzo was up. The whole match we had the upper hand but where countered to a just 1-3 defeat. With San Lorenzo next up for the league it proved to be the breaking point in the month. Again we dominate the match but lost two points and probably the league in the dying minutes. A very good win over Instituto and Boca dropping points we still had a chance going into the last match. But early on it unfolded, we missed a penalty on the 28th minute and Boca took the lead shortly after. We tried hard to get the win, but it was all for nothing because Boca ran away easy winner in there match. In the end we manage to get an equalizer, but we had to settle for second place in the final league stage (and overall aswell)

We had a decent series on the pre-season. Especialy if you consider that the last 3 goals against Fiorentina fell in the last 10 minutes, when I was down to 10 man due to injuries and had a youth goaly selected.

We where able to sell some of the older players with high wages to balance the account a bit. Only big loss was Leonardo Ponzio who signed for Anji for a wage I couldn't afford, and didn't want to afford for a 34 year old player.



To replace Leonardo Ponzio I brought in two player who can fight for the spot: Gaspar Iñiguez and Javier Barrios Alfonso. Further did I sign an new playmaker: Semir Stilic. From my youth set-up I included two more players to my senior squad: Juan Cruz Ostúa and Víctor Yáñez. And last but not least I signed Helcinho who has been added to my youth set-up to start with. Underneath you will find my complete first team squad and with most likely starting eleven selected.

A bit unlucky with the 2nd part of the season - you could have won it with a couple of better results. Let's see how it will go this season - perhaps one of your targets will be to qualify from the Copa Libertadores group stage?

GreekExpress: My main goal this season is winning one or both league parts, and overall championship. And ofcourse wnt to do better in the international cups.






My best month up to now in this game. We kick started the season with winning 1-3 away at rival club Racing Club and then 0-3 away at Velez Sarsfield for the Copa Sudamericana. So with moral sky high we went into our first home match and battered Colón 5-0 with a Lautaro Chávez hattrick. Followed by an other fine away display winning 1-3. Only spot oin the match was conceding the goal 2 minutes into stoppage time. Next was the return match at home versus Velez Sarsfield. As we had a perfect starting point I brought in the reserves to give my first eleven a rest. This decision almost game to hunt me. As Velez scored early in the match and went hunting for more. We where on the back foot the whole of the first halve and lucky only to concede two goals. Second halce we had weathered the storm and where able to play more forward. After we clawded one back, the game fell our way and where even able to win by scoring twice from a trow-in. An other good away win 0-3 topped of the brilliant month. leaving us on top with the maximum points from 4 matches (of which 3 where away from home). Thsi preformance left me winning a MotM award.



Lautaro Chávez has been sheer brilliant this month. Scoring 8 goals and 3 assists in four matches easily good enough to claim player of the month.





But not only Lautaro Chávez played well, a good all around team preformance it was. And this was also noticed by Argentine U20 manager, selecting six of my players for the squad.