One Legacy at a Time III

Welcome to One Legacy at a Time III, or more specifically a third attempt to invest my effort and concentration into a long and fulfilling career hopefully supplemented by winning the apparently unachievable ‘pentagon’ of trophies listed above. It promises to be a demanding and attractive task, as well as one responsible for treating me to some of the most exciting and intriguing leagues in the world:



As per always, I have started unemployed with a Sunday league reputation. Whilst a series of job offers from Brazil and China were tempting, I agreed a contract with amateur club Mirandela, who presently ply their trade in the North Division of the Portuguese Second League.



Despite a recent, comfortable return to Portugal’s third tier which culminated in an impressive 4th placed finish, the board are far more reserved this time round and simply do not want the club to get relegated. A glance at our opponents reinforced this target although I’m also confident there isn’t too large a disparity between the team and the league’s strongest outfits. Indeed, the fact that the North sub-division appears to be the weakest of the three was a greater warning sign of the quality of football I will be subjected to.



Unsurprisingly, the squad itself is in fairly urgent need of transfers, primarily as a result of its small size coupled with the fact that those at the more talented end of the spectrum are also amongst the eldest. In my opinion, acquiring a right back, left back and at least two central midfielders is paramount whilst back-ups for Nani and Pedro Borges would be beneficial. At the time of writing, I’m also undecided about the forwards – whilst my preference to play one striker formations arguably necessitates the need for no more than three, I’m apprehensive that two of them are largely inexperienced eighteen year olds.



To give an insight into the calibre of players already available, above are the attributes of Danilo, the best in the squad according to my assistant manager and therefore one of the keys to our supposedly impending task of avoiding relegation. Whilst he is a rare gem in this league in the sense that he has glimpses of experience in the Liga Zon Sagres, as previously implied his age suggests that half the battle will be simply keeping everybody fit. Left back Katalan – who is thankfully only 20 – is rated as the second best and also a balanced defender with a tendency to go forward, hinting that a counter-attacking approach may be a good option to take.

The pre-season campaign mainly consists of friendlies against lesser sides alongside one or two featuring clubs from the Liga Orangina. Scouting the other teams in the league also enlightened me to the fact that the majority play a 4-3-3 with wingers, meaning the next month is likely to be a crucial time focused towards establishing a tactic that can counter against it.

good luck mate !

21 August 2012


The team enjoyed a mostly beneficial and productive pre-season which featured many pleasing results and individual performances. After labouring to a win against a reserve side which featured several players now in the first team squad, they convincingly defeated non-league Verin, effectively killing the match when they raced into a three-goal lead after eighteen minutes. This was followed by a somewhat disappointing draw against Braganca as poor finishing deservedly denied victory, although an excellent recovery was witnessed with a stunning 4-1 win over Penafiel, our parent club in the division above us who were fielding the majority of their starting eleven. A simple result against local amateur side Torre rounded up the campaign.

As previously mentioned, a prominent focus across the matches was attempting to establish a stable tactic for the coming season and one capable of countering the 4-3-3 the majority of the league play. Whilst almost all of our opponents annoyingly lined up with a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2, I was able to introduce a style of play I am gradually investing confidence in:


Put simply, it is a 4-3-3 featuring a narrow midfield mould of ‘destroyer, passer and creator’ who serve as the battery of the team. Attacking moves begin when they receive the ball from the defence, at which point they attempt to work it into the box with patient, short passes that bring the three forwards into the play. The latter are given a largely free role and allowed to drift all over the other team’s half, meaning they are often successful in dominating possession and dictating the chances. Gil and Lopes have repeatedly exemplified this and averaged in excess of 100 passes a game.

It also accommodates for them when facing teams of greater ability. The emphasis on pace coupled with the Counter strategy encourages the midfield three to travel up and down the pitch as a unit, meaning there are often six or seven back when defending and our opponents are forced to shoot from distance. Upon winning the ball, they are then in a good position to hit them on the break, particularly as one of the two wing backs are permitted to push up and provide a crossing option on the flanks in order to overrule any congested midfield battles.

However, a tactic alone cannot guide a team through a relegation battle and an equal if not greater priority was to provide the squad with some much needed quality. The severely limited finances and wage budget available forced me to be economical with my acquisitions and against my will I had to resort to promoting players from the reserves. Thankfully in the majority of cases they were able to resolve the problem of strength in depth, although the players signed generally did a better job:

Flavio Silva: Whilst his low wage demands prompted by his youth player status attracted my interest, Silva is a great prospect for the future. He has proven himself to be comfortable in any of the three midfield roles and will likely serve as a utility player this season.



Luis Neves: A player more accustomed to attacking positions, his glimpses of experience playing on the wing means he can challenge defences with mazy runs and deliver pinpoint passes from almost anywhere in the opposition’s half. He will be competing with Gil and Toninho for a first team place.



Joao Morais: Signed to provide extra cover at left back, Joao is a typical all round defender. Whilst he lacks the pace of Katalan, he has also highlighted himself as a more adept tackler.



Ricardo Ribeiro: Second choice right back to Danilo, Ribeiro is more comfortable with the counter-attacking system. He is the signing who will probably receive the least game time this season.



The only departure was Lucas, who had his loan terminated early and was thus returned back to his club. Our season proper begins against non-league Lagoa in the First Round of Taca de Portugal before matches against Ribeirao (predicted to finish 8th), Varzim (2nd) and Famalicao (10th) in the league. All in all, a mixed start.

16 September 2012



So our starting striker has incurred a long-term injury four matches into the season. Ze Roberto is also side-lined meaning Pio Junior can now look forward to a long run of games.

4 October 2012





Our introduction to the season has witnessed a juxtaposition of impressive form and frustrating injuries. Marco Fontoura will be accompanied in the physio room by Nani, sidelined for three to four weeks shortly after scoring a brace against Vizela, and Inzaghi, declared crocked for a month following a tackle he received in the match against Chaves. Thankfully, our brilliant start to the league has provided a pleasant distraction from this and eroded any worries I had about the squad lacking strength in depth. Despite this, I’m finding it difficult to credit the results to players performing excellently or the league simply being extremely tight. Given that the current top three are supposedly the 13th, 9th and 6th best teams in the league whilst Boavista (the team predicted to finish 1st) are 7th, I suspect it is the latter.

As suspected, the 4-3-3 tactic helps the team retain the ball and get men behind it as the situation dictates, although as we are now facing opposition featuring greater skill and ability we have been forced to do far more of the latter. This was exemplified in our away win against Chaves, in which we earned all three points despite having just 36% possession and netting with our only two shots on target. At the same time, whilst we may not be leading the scoring charts, we have the equal best defensive record in the league and I firmly believe that can be attributed to the tactic encouraging the team to track back in numbers and thus forcing the opposition to shoot from distance. I find it reassuring that we can enter matches without a set style of play – it may result in our football being far from attractive on occasion, but at least it is effective.



We have also been competing in the Taca de Portugal, facing non-league Lagoa away from home in the first round. Pedro Borges gave us an early lead when their right back tripped over Danilo’s through ball and allowed him to run into a one-on-one with the keeper, at which point he duly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. We largely dominated the match but were prevented from extending the lead after two more goals were ruled out, the first for being offside and the second after a supposed foul in the build-up.

In the second round we were away again, this time to Tirsense, the team currently second behind us in the league. The defeat was largely my fault as I utilised the match to offer the fringe players some game time and was perhaps deservedly punished when Eduardo promptly volleyed home from a corner. We created a couple of fleeting chances but Fountoura’s injury effectively ruled the match out as a contest, even when I made some attacking substitutions late on. Overall I’m not concerned at exiting the cup early as the board were satisfied with us reaching the second round and it means the team can focus entirely on the league.

Next up in the league we have Joane, Boavista and Vilaverdense in a series of games of varying difficulty. Whilst I’m convinced our unbeaten run will be dislodged relatively soon, I’m also confident that our strong start is not deceptive and we are capable of staking our place in the top half of the table.

4 November 2012



This is becoming ridiculous now. Whilst Nani doesn’t have the greatest strength and fitness attributes (something presently being addressed through his training), out of four appearances he has been stretchered off in three, completing no more than fifty minutes at a time. He has the potential to be the best inside forward in the squad but if this keeps up there is a good chance he will be sold in January.

The latest addition to his injury record came in a 0-0 draw against Vilaverdense, a contender for the single most boring Football Manager game I have ever sat through.

26 November 2012





The team’s surprisingly strong start to the season has continued. Their unbeaten record has remained intact whilst they are only one point behind Tirsense, who are increasingly asserting themselves as the champions elect of the division. They have firmly distanced themselves from the relegation battle they were expected to participate in and are slowly injecting confidence and authority into their style of play, as confirmed when they recovered from losing positions against both Tirsense and Liminanos to obtain a draw and a win respectively.

Naturally, this does not mean that they are exempt of individual praise. Pio Junior has been excellent in the absence of Fountora and currently sits proudly as the team’s top scorer with seven goals. Whilst I have had to switch the forward position into a more pragmatic poacher role to accommodate for his lesser attributes, he has more than made up for it with his lethal finishing and excellently timed runs. Elsewhere, Kodjo Alphonse - a player I promoted from the reserves - has been impressive in the absence of the likes of Nani and Inzaghi and responsible for several assists courtesy of his brilliant crossing. However, the most impressive performer is vice captain Nuno Corunha, the rock of the defence responsible for them conceding the least number of goals in the league. Rarely misplacing a pass or failing to win the ball from a tackle, he has received a rating of 7.0 or higher in every match except one.

Despite this, there is a palpable worry at the back of my mind: ignorant of what logic should dictate, the team’s away form is far better than that at home. On the road they are decisive and threatening on the ball and have won five out of seven matches, whilst in Mirandela their performances are sloppy and laboured, earning the three points in just two out of five by comparison. Given the supporters struggle to fill one fifth of the Estadio de Sebastio, I’m ruling out their presence having an adversely intimidating effect as a cause. Instead, I think the team’s counter-attacking instincts prompts them to play with an away match mentality and this doesn’t translate well in the home environment. To counter this, in our next game I’m going to experiment with an attacking 4-2-3-1 which features Gil in a more advanced role and seeks to actively control the game. The team are comfortable with retaining possession so I’m somewhat confident that it will work.

That is likely to debut in our next two matches versus Gondomar SC and Amarante, which lead out a run of five games in December. The month will be rounded off with fixtures against Infesta, Varzim and Ribeirao, around which time we will hit the half-way point of the season.

22 December 2012



Considering Toninho is approaching 31 and struggling to hold down a place in the first team, I now have to seriously consider if he will be playing for us again.

6 January 2013





Worryingly, the team are beginning to subscribe to the indifference initially expected of them. Their status as title challengers is under threat from the looming shadow of Chaves and Fafe but most notably the unassailable Tirsense, who now sit five points clear and appear likely to etch their name into the top spot sparing a drastic downturn in form. Whilst there has been an element of bad luck about our stuttering results, it can primarily be attributed to a series of tactical mistakes.

In generous terms, the 4-2-3-1 was ineffective and a scrappy home win courtesy of an own goal against Gondomar was promptly followed by a dire performance against Amarante, who dominated as if our defence weren’t on the pitch. A return to the trusted 4-3-3 offered some stability as we comfortably defeated Infesta, although my confidence that it would overcome its allergy to home matches was misplaced, particularly when you consider that Varzim were reduced to ten on the hour mark. Ribeirao deservedly won the following game, although the scoreline deceptively hides the fact that the team fielded nine players for the majority of the second half following two injuries in the space of a minute. Indeed, conscious of the fact that I was running low on central midfielders, I introduced a 4-4-2 for the tie against Familicao which wasn’t disastrous by any means but prohibited the team from truly controlling the game. I suppose the moral of the story is not to adjust your tactics too much and injuries permitting, I will be sticking with the 4-3-3 until at least the end of the season. However, by the looks of things I also need to become accustomed to drawing at home.

In other news, the transfer window is now open for the remainder of the month. I suppose the injury to Toninho dictates the need for another central midfielder, although other than that I don’t feel any particular area of the squad is in drastic need of rejuvenating. Even if I wanted to inject it with fresh talent, the extremely tight wage and transfer budgets coupled with the increasingly uncontrollable financial situation creates difficulty in bringing players to the Estadio de Sebastio. Any money that is available has been spent up in the negotiations with the several players who have only six months remaining on their contract. So far, they have enjoyed mixed success for the aforementioned reasons, although one player I’ve definitely decided is leaving is Rui Lopes. He may be an asset in the first team but he is also 39 and his rapidly degenerating fitness means he struggles to complete half the games. Given our recent injury crises, I can’t afford to keep sacrificing substitutions to accommodate for his poor stamina.

The next run of games are perhaps the most pivotal to date, as they will judge if we can overcome this rut of form and salvage an unlikely promotion bid. Matches against Vizela, Fafe and Joane will determine if this is the case.

Doing well mate!

24 February 2013





As hoped, the return to the 4-3-3 injected some much needed stability, as highlighted by the fact that the team were able to capitalise on Tirsense’s simultaneous and convenient poor run of form to the extent that they are now three points ahead. Whilst recent weeks have demonstrated how any talk of winning the title is premature, we are in a very strong position with six games remaining and I personally consider us favourites.

We were able to resolve the problems we incurred throughout January due to two main factors. Firstly, and aside from switching back to earlier tactics, I also introduced a more extensive man-marking system targeting the wingers in the 4-3-3 the majority of teams play with. Naturally, this stifled their width, allowing us to assert our passing game through the middle and actively control possession. The system is far from full proof and (as the results suggest) it was helpless to stop a brilliant counter attack by Joane and teams such as Vilaverdense who play a 4-2-2-2, although the team are notably more composed when defending.

Leading on from this, Marco Fountora’s long awaited return from injury has provided more options in attack and contributed to a greater proficiency in front of goal. In previous games, it was often the case that if Pio Junior was playing poorly, the team would struggle to carve out attacks and their performance would be disjointed. However, in such games he can now be replaced by Fountora and it has quite literally been the case that if one doesn’t score in a match, the other will. More security in the striker role allows the rest of the team to become actively involved in the play, as highlighted by the 5-0 demolition of Boavista, a game which featured five different scorers.



As previously guessed, transfer activity in the January window was very quiet although the long term injury to Toninho necessitated the need for another central midfielder. Similarly to Silva, sixteen-year-old Orlando Gama was signed as his status as a youth player allowed him to arrive with small wages. Despite this, he has proven himself to be notably adept in the box-to-box role and thus far turned in pleasing shifts, even capping his performance against Boavista with a goal. At the same time, three reserve players departed in the other direction; striker Leandro was sold to Central PE on a free transfer whilst Renato and Texiera were released after agreeing to a mutual termination.

With the team now entering the closing stages of their promotion bid, appropriately enough our next fixture is a six pointer at home against Tirsense. More comfortably, this is followed by a relatively easy run of games during which they will face Padroense, Gondomar, Amarante, Limianos and Infesta.


Cheers, thanks for reading!

10 March 2013


What a result.

We controlled large parts of the game and were denied taking the lead in the first half by poor finishing. Tirsense offered a greater challenge after the break although their goal still came against the run of the play and courtesy of a mislaid pass by Joao Morais. On seventy-five minutes I substituted Fountora for Pio Junior and he made an instant impact, netting an Inzaghi through ball. At that point I deliberated holding out for a draw although I had confidence the team could grab a second and pleasingly it was justified when Inzaghi volleyed in Pedro Borges’ cross in injury time.

Put simply, this is a massive victory and our most important to date. Results elsewhere means Chaves are now second and four points behind us, although with five games left we are brilliantly placed to win both the league and promotion and thus cap off a brilliant season.

28 April 2013



And the promotion is ours. The dramatic win against Tirsense was followed by a tight affair against Padroense settled by a Fountora volley. A brief slip-up against Gondomar reduced our lead to one point but victories over Amarante and Limianos were enough to confirm the title. I decided to offer the fringe and youth players a run-out for the final game against Infesta - hence the somewhat poor result - but that wasn’t enough to gloss over my (and the board’s and fans’) delight:



Considering at the start of the season my initial target was to avoid relegation, naturally I’m ecstatic. It is difficult to suggest the team dominated the league, as highlighted by the fact that they struggled to be as free-scoring compared to some of their opponents and Boavista’s shocking relegation implies the competition is extremely even. However, they also conceded the least number of goals, a testament to how they were led to promotion by their ability to break their opponents down. At the same time, they contain a palpable strength in depth complimented by the fact that the goals were shared out amongst the squad. Indeed, one of the things I’m most proud of is that we weren’t promoted as a one-man side, suggesting to me that our title is fully deserved.

However, certain players are also worthy of individual praise, none more explicitly than Pedro Fernandes, Nuno Corunha and Gil. The effective spine of the team, the three started every match with the exception of the redundant fixture against Infesta and were suitably ranked amongst those with the highest average rating (Corunha fifth in the league overall). Not far off this bracket was Pio Junior, our top scorer in the league with eleven goals, who brilliantly filled the boots of Fountora when he was sidelined for several months and is a gleaming example of the potential stacked in this team. Finally, an honourable mention goes to Kodjo Alphonse, a winger I was originally planning to sell and reluctantly promoted from the reserves but has proven himself to be an effective impact player.

On a slightly more conscientious note, our campaign can hardly be described as perfect and there are issues that need to be addressed if the team are to enjoy half as much success next season. Indeed, a recent glance through their results highlighted the fact that they never managed more than two wins in succession, suggesting consistency is a problem. Stability will be crucial to their performance in the Liga Orangina, particularly as they are likely to be entering it as one of the weakest sides. At the same time, more stringent measures are needed to prevent the plethora of injuries that were often commonplace. Whilst they didn’t manage to derail our title challenge this time round, again we can’t afford to be complacent when facing opponents of far higher quality.

For now, the season closes with a mini-league against Operario Acores and Leiria, the winners of the Central and South divisions respectively, to determine the overall champions of the Second Division. Whilst the fact that the three teams are already promoted means it is arguably a non-competition, naturally it would be nice to add another trophy to the cabinet.

16 June 2013



The Second Phase proved relatively easy to navigate through, as highlighted by the fact that the team managed to win more than two games in succession for the first time and they finished top of the group an impressive eight points clear. They started by defeating Operario Acores courtesy of a Nuno Corunha header before a sublime twenty yard chip and composed finish by Borges and Gil respectively were enough to secure a 2-0 win against Leiria. The latter was in sensational form for the return fixture, opening the scoring with a strike from the edge from the box that trickled in off the keeper’s hand and sealing the win with a goal which supplemented a mazy run that wrong-footed three defenders.

Suitably, the most exciting match was saved until last, and Operario took an early lead with a brilliantly worked team goal. Pio Junior equalised shortly afterwards after pouncing on a deflected shot by Alphonse and the winger then scored himself with a freak shot taken near the corner flag. Operario made things even after a counter-attack caught Morais out of position but Lopes guaranteed the three points seven minutes from time after he volleyed in an Adriano cross.

With the season now truly finished, naturally attention will be offered to organising the team ahead of the next campaign. The contracts of Rui Lopes, Rondinele and Ricardo Ribeiro are set to expire and will not be renewed and I’m also undecided about the future of a few other players in the squad, meaning some new (and more importantly, young) signings will be lined up. At the same time, certain members of staff will be leaving to make way for more competent replacements and – whilst I still have little idea as to how this will be achieved – efforts will need to be made to stabilise the club’s increasingly volatile finances.

The last few matches have certainly proved that the team can beat the best of those that compete at this level. Next season will judge whether they can make an impression in the division above.

MIRANDELA

2012/13 SEASON REVIEW

Competitions:-
Portuguese Second Division – North League: 1st (promoted)
Portuguese Second Division – 2nd Phase: 1st
Taca de Portugal: 2nd Round [Lost vs. Tirsense 0-1]

Squad Statistics:-


Players:-
Most appearances: Nuno Corunha and Gil – 36
Most goals: Pio Junior – 12
Most assists: Gil – 11
Highest average rating: Nuno Corunha – 7.44
Most Man of the Match awards: Gil – 7

Matches:-
Largest win: 5-0 vs. Boavista (17.2.2013)
Largest defeat: 0-3 vs. Ribeirao (29.12.2012)
Highest scoring match: 5-0 vs. Boavista (17.2.2013) and 3-2 vs. Operario Acores (9.6.2013)
Longest winning streak: 4 – 12.5.2013 to 9.6.2013
Longest losing streak: 2 – 29.12.2012 to 6.1.2013
Longest winless streak: 3 – 22.12.2012 to 6.1.2013
Longest undefeated streak: 11 – 23.9.2012 to 2.12.2012
Longest goalless streak: 1 – Various
Longest streak without conceding: 4 – 21.10.2012 to 11.11.2012

Attendances:-
Highest attendance: 1932 vs. Operario Acores (9.6.2013)
Lowest attendance: 628 vs. Leiria (19.5.2013)
Average attendance: 947

3 August 2013

The club enjoyed a mostly productive and beneficial break, as highlighted by the fact that their status was upgraded from amateur to semi-pro and there was the first indication for several months that the finances are beginning to recover. As per always, this was supplemented by a series of friendlies and flurry of transfers designed to prepare and improve the squad ahead of the coming season.


Our pre-season campaign started off with a routine win against local side Lixa before three goals in the last twenty minutes proved enough to convincingly defeat Sporting Covilha, who will also be playing in the Liga Orangina this season. This preceded our most impressive result, a 1-0 victory courtesy of a stunning 25 yard Neves strike against Feirense, who were recently promoted to the Primeira Liga. The preparations were rounded off with a win and draw against last season’s promotion rivals and Spanish Segunda Division outfit Fafe and Zamora respectively. It was somewhat annoying to be denied a 100% record in the final match, but the latter’s equaliser was admittedly brilliant.



The transfer front was also somewhat hectic. As previously mentioned, Lopes, Ribeiro and Rondinele were allowed to leave at the end of their contracts, whilst the remaining reserve players were also released for free. Katalin, Nani, Manu and Ze Carvalho were subsequently sold simply because they struggled to obtain appearances last season and with the team now facing a higher standard of football and thus requiring a greater competition for places I decided that they simply weren’t good enough. Finally, I released two youth players with lesser potential to alleviate some strain from the wage bill, which has increased slightly this season to £4,200 per week.

For the arrivals, I targeted Portugese players under 25 that could not only cover the departures but also provide the much needed strength in depth the team lacked during the nadirs of last season’s injury crisis. I’m very confident that they can all inject the squad with fresh talent and some of them are very likely to feature in the first team for the majority of the season:

Helder Colaco: Colaco will serve as a second choice goalkeeper to Fernandes, although he is a far more capable backup than his predecessor. Despite his attribute in the field, his performances during pre-season highlighted him to be very strong in one-on-one situations.


David: David will be our starting right back for the season. Not only a competent defender, he is brilliant at getting forward and earns several assists through his ability to deliver lethal crosses and passes from almost anywhere on the pitch.


Fabio Sousa: A young, confident defender who will rotate with Adriano and Corunha at centre back. His performances rarely stray into the spectacular but he is certainly consistent and a player packed with great potential.


Rui Coentrao: Coentrao will challenge Morais for a spot at left back, although the latter will probably serve as first choice. Despite this, he offers something different to the back four and actively contributes to the team’s play through his ability to race up and down the wing.


Luis Paulo: Effectively Lopes’ replacement, Paulo shares many of the same traits as the former captain only he is also much younger and therefore a greater presence through his ability to drift around the pitch. However, he wasn’t overly impressive during pre-season and I am presently undecided whether or start him or Silva in the ball winning midfielder role.


Elisio: Signed on a season-long loan from parent club Penafiel, Elisio is suited to an inside forward role due to his ability to play anywhere in the final third. He is behind Inzaghi in the pecking order but the fact that he also has experience as a left midfielder means he will be picked if the team are lining up with a more defensive shape.


Andre Cacito: A striker that will compete with Fountora and Pio Junior for a starting spot and certainly the most impressive out of the three during the friendlies. He is very good at feeding off crosses and will therefore hopefully develop a strong relationship with the team’s inside forwards.


According to the information screen the team are expected to finish 17th out of the 22 teams in the Liga Orangina this season, although they were also cited as having “an outside chance of promotion” by the bookmakers. Personally I’m refusing to make any predictions until around 5-10 games into the season and when there’ll be a clearer indication as to where the side compare with the rest of their opponents. Pleasingly, the board have been lenient enough to offer the modest target of avoiding relegation.

Either way, the league campaign will start with fixtures against Benfica B (predicted to finish 20th), the relatively familiar and also promoted Operario Acores (16th) and Freamunde (13th), meaning they should have a good opportunity to get some early points on the board.

11 August 2013



He was injured during the first game of the season. It’s good to be back.

8 September 2013




As predicted, the team obtained maximum points in their first three games before things started to become slightly more problematic. Perhaps the best measure of their early results is a comparison against those that have also been promoted, meaning it is pleasing to see them tucked into the group that have enjoyed a strong start when Leiria are in mid-table and Operario Acores are struggling in last.

A competent defensive display coupled with slick counter-attacking secured an opening victory against Benfica B before Pio Junior’s last-minute winner defeated Operario despite the fact that the team were forced to play sixty minutes with ten men. An impressive performance against a Freamunde side plagued by fatigue extended their strong form and actually had them leading the table. However, in each of the next three games they were second best throughout, as characterised by the fact that they were fortunate to record a shot on target (yet alone score) against Naval. At the same time, the victory against Santa Clara was courtesy of our only real chance in the first half and a bizarre own goal in which their left back headed the ball into the net from a corner despite the fact that no one was in a five yard radius of him. Such a fluctuation in results and performances has made it difficult to judge where the team stand in relation to their opponents, but I’ve decided that my initial target is a top ten finish and to ascertain them as an established outfit in the league.

In terms of more individual performances, several of the new signings have slotted in very well. Andre Cacito has netted three goals in his first six appearances whilst David has offered a valid case to suggest that he is the best right back in the league through a combination of his composed defending and ability to worry the opposition from the right wing. Whereas his contribution is more subtle, Luis Paulo has also confirmed that he is a solid replacement for Lopes and enables the more attacking components of the midfield to make forward runs through the defensive stability he provides. Meanwhile, Fabio Sousa and Elisio have incurred more restricted playing time, but certainly not let themselves down whenever they have featured. I’m confident that the squad is more balanced this season and less reliant on key members, which is crucial to its ability to cope with injuries. Similarly to last season they continue to rear their head, as underlined when Pedro Borges was declared crocked for four weeks the day after Flavio Silva returned to training.

The team’s next match is a home tie against Boavista in the Second Round of the Taca de Portugal. Considering they are now two divisions below us and were defeated by a collective score of 8-0 in our two meetings last season, they shouldn’t provide too great a barrier to the next round. This is followed by league fixtures against P. Ferriera, Aves and Tondela. Naturally it’s early days and the club are still finding their feet, but I feel assured that they are heading in the right direction.

13 October 2013





Pleasingly, the team have maintained their strong start to the season, as characterised by the fact that they are integrating themselves into the four-horse race developing for second. Certain individuals are continuing to enjoy strong form, none more so than Pio Junior and Andre Cacito, who have provoked a strong dilemma as to who should start upfront with six and five goals to their name respectively. At the same time, Elisio has asserted himself as a utility player after playing on the left wing, in central midfield and as a left back whilst Nuno Corunha is marshalling the defence with increasing efficiency. Penafiel may be in the team’s grasp although hopes of a successive promotion will remain widely ambitious unless they can drastically improve their away performances. Indeed, whilst they are top of the home form table with a perfect record, they have only managed to obtain five points from six games on the road.

Another difficulty beginning to creep into the sunlight is their disciplinary problems and somewhat worryingly the team have the highest number of red and yellow cards in the league. Flavio Silva was sent off against Trofense for needlessly elbowing a defender (subsequently earning a three match ban) before Luis Paulo acquired two yellow cards in the space of thirty-five minutes against Leiria, arguably costing us the three points. Last season they didn’t attract the wrath of the referee on such a frequent basis, so I have no idea why they have injected such a violent streak into their style of play. I have altered the tactics so that they are more cautious and discouraged from lunging into tackles on their opponents, although if their reckless fouling continues I may have to resort to handing out fines.


Meanwhile and as expected, the team comfortably defeated non-league Boavista in the Taca de Portugal. I utilised the match to offer playing time to the fringe players and those with less minutes within the squad, although they generally dominated proceedings throughout. Gil opened the scoring after he latched onto Toninho’s through ball from the edge of the area before Elisio’s twenty-yard free kick met the top left corner of the net. Following a somewhat shaky start to the second half, Flavio Silva then rounded off the goals when he converted Pio Junior’s cross. In the next round the team will face Arouca at home: a somewhat tough fixture considering their league position, although I always rate us favourites at the Estadio de Sebastiao.



A slightly more damaging piece of news is that Kodjo Alphonse has become the latest addition to the long-term injury list after being stretched off against Leiria. Borges, Inzaghi and Elisio can easily cover for his absence, although I’m disappointed as after a somewhat poor start to the season he was finally starting to hit form and demonstrate the potential he is capable of. Instead, I’ll now simply have to hope that his extended stay on the sideline won’t hinder his progress as a player.

The first match he will miss is the aforementioned cup tie against Arouca before a slightly easier away fixture against Oliveirense in the league. However, following that is a relatively difficult run against Belenenses, Arouca for the second time in two weeks and Sp. Covilha.

27 November 2013




The team have maintained their strong form and more importantly remained in touch with the pack vying for the second promotion spot. This is largely in part due to the excellent strength in depth they have demonstrated in recent weeks and certain individuals who have stepped up brilliantly. Indeed, Pedro Borges has been outstanding in the absence of Alphonse and asserted himself as the fulcrum of the attack whilst Fabio Sousa has enjoyed a strong spell in the first team following a recent month-long injury incurred by Nuno Corunha. Similarly to last season, they also continue to respond well following poor results and since the first home defeat of the campaign against Belenenses their performances have been composed and consistent.

Whilst it is still too early to guess if an unexpected promotion bid is on the cards, I think it can now be suggested with confidence that the team are growing as a force to be reckoned with. In other news away from the pitch, the majority of the players with six months left on their contract were offered an extension until 2016, appropriately on a full-time basis for the first time in order to reflect the recent transition to professional status. This left the wage bill a few hundred pounds over the weekly budget, although it shouldn’t heavily deplete the growth in finances and the projections for the coming months are still looking bright.


Meanwhile, the Taca de Portugal campaign continued with a home tie against Arouca. Whilst they are one of the strongest outfits in the league, fortunately from our perspective several players in their squad are signed on loan and were thus ineligible to play. Despite this, they proved difficult to break down through their willingness to defend in numbers, as confirmed by the fact that they almost instantly took a shot on goal every time they stepped over the halfway line. However, Inzaghi managed to secure victory when he rounded off a great team move by converting Cacito’s through ball twenty minutes from the end. Cacito himself missed a great opportunity to add a second but the important fact was that the team had progressed to the next round.


As the scoreline indicates, this affair was far more open. Pedro Borges offered an early lead by exploiting a poor back pass, although his work was quickly undone when Fernandes fumbled a corner, leaving their captain Banjai unmarked to tap in an equaliser. After a relatively quiet sixty minutes, Cacito earned back the lead after wrong footing the keeper, although the team once again found themselves back at square one when Oliveirense scored a great team goal that started from the kick off. To make matters worse, Cacito then got injured after all three substitutes had been used and their star striker Coelho exploited this by scoring a great free kick to give his team the lead for the first time. Gil appeared to have saved our status in the competition when he clawed back a goal late in injury-time, although hope became agony when Fernando volleyed in the winner ninty seconds later. Personally I felt cheated: three minutes of injury time had been declared and despite the positivity at the fact that the team had bettered their performance last season, the exit from the competition was on a very sour note.

A few tough fixtures are approaching including home ties against both Penafiel and Estoril in the next month. Thankfully Benfica and Braga’s B teams offer some respite inbetween, although 2014 will begin with three successive away games. I feel confident that the team should be able to navigate through these matches stress free, although there is no doubting that they present the most difficult run of the season to date.

Looking great pal! Keep it up!

19 January 2014




The team are continuing to slowly edge themselves higher in the league whilst their performances are being gradually injected with more confidence. The standout player in recent weeks has definitely been Flavio Silva, who is demonstrating increasing flashes of his massive potential despite being mostly restricted to substitute appearances. He was simply excellent against Operario and controlled the midfield with authority far beyond the normal ability of a seventeen year old before capping off his performance with a deserved goal.

However, the team’s strong results can be equally attributed to the versatility instilled in their style of play. Indeed, whilst the victory against Penafiel was courtesy of an impressive individual effort by Pio Junior, Cacito’s winner against Braga B was the culmination of a patient and extensive team move involving several intricate passes. This was followed by a solid but hard-fought win against relegation fighting Benfica B, before a refined defensive display against first placed Estoril secured a draw and prevented them from scoring in a league match for the first time this season. Notably, their results have been poor in recent weeks and their lead has been reduced to only two points.

The winter break then brought a temporary hiatus to any action, during which time the team’s only football was a fitness-building friendly against local outfit Marco 09, who were thrashed 5-0 despite their best efforts to park the bus throughout. Unfortunately, the new year has since underlined that moments of inconsistency are still capable of creeping in. This was confirmed when excellent and extremely competent counter-attacking led the team to victory against Operario before they offered their worst performance of the season in which the defence openly gifted the three points to Freamunde within the first half hour. The result was beyond disappointing: not only was it our heaviest defeat of the season, but it also brought an end to our record ten match unbeaten run.

Meanwhile, there have been small developments elsewhere away from the football pitch. The board offered me the chance to update our expectations for the season, so they were duly upgraded from ‘Avoid relegation’ to the more optimistic ‘Top half finish’, the highest option available. This was chiefly because it increased the wage budget from £6000 to £6800 per week, meaning they were no longer chasing me about the fact that the current bill was a few hundred over the previous allowance. At the same time, the winter transfer window has opened, although similarly to last season sparing any sudden and long-term injuries or massive offers from other clubs any signings and departures are very unlikely respectively.

The possibility of earning a place in next season’s Primeira Liga remains firmly on the cards, although the team’s very next game away from home against Santa Clara could severely increase or deplete their chances of enjoying a second successive promotion. Thankfully, this is followed by the somewhat easier prospect of a home match against Atletico CP, although the succeeding fixture against Naval supplies another potentially difficult affair.


Thanks! Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

23 February 2014




Results are solid and have slightly improved, promotion remains a firm possibility and perhaps most pleasingly of all, the team were left unscathed by the newly installed league leaders Santa Clara. Whilst their role was the more defensive of the two sides and they were less assertive than against Estoril, there were positives to take from both the match and result. Indeed, it confirmed that there is only a minimal difference in ability between the three teams vying to play in next season’s Primeira Liga, and as indicated by the very narrow margin separating ourselves and Estoril, the race for the top two spots is likely to go down to the wire.

Not for the first time, the squad’s strength in depth has been a key component in their maintained form and they have continued to obtain results without Cacito, Adriano and Neves, all of whom incurred month-long injuries - thankfully, all three are also scheduled to return relatively soon. In their absence, Elisio has been the most consistent player in recent weeks, scoring three goals in five games and asserting himself as one of the most underrated wingers in the league. Whilst I’m still undecided as to whether to upgrade his loan deal to a permanent contract (wages permitting), there is no doubting that he has gradually proved himself to be an unsung hero of this campaign.

Despite this, somewhat worryingly the team have also lacked their usual quality and developed the habit of offering wildly varying performances in each half. Indeed, after taking the lead against both Atletico CP and Aves courtesy of initial composed finishing and slick passing, they were then forced to settle for a point after unorganised defending and lifeless attacking offered their opponents a route back into the game. Conversely, a dire opening fourty-five minutes against relegation battling Portimonense led them to a half time deficit before an inspired comeback spearheaded by an impressive Pio Junior brace secured the win.

However, on occasion they have simply been insipid from start to finish, as characterised when a penalty and scrappy and undeserved last minute Borges winner were required to overcome a lacklustre ten-man Naval side. I know it’s often claimed that a good team are capable of winning even when playing badly, but if they are to stand any chance of promotion they will need to inject their performances with some increased sharpness rapidly. Estoril have already offered an exhibition of the conations that the slightest drop in form can be responsible for.

With the business end of the season on the horizon, naturally the matches in the coming weeks will be of increasing importance whilst ascertaining the outcome of this season. I think it’s fair to say that the coming run of games is quite difficult, as the team will face Tondela at home, before travelling to successive away fixtures at Trofense and Belenenses. However, and whilst I often attempt to avoid predictions, I’m confident that a top two finish is within our grasp.

2 March 2014



So both of my right wingers have picked up injuries and will thus miss at least the next 4 games, leaving me with Inzaghi and Elisio as the only available wide men. Whilst the former can play on the right, he is far more effective on the left whereas the latter is only rated as unconvincing in the position. Therefore, some selection dilemmas are likely to arise in the next few weeks or if worse comes to worst, I have might to alter my tactics completely.

On a more upbeat note, the team defeated Tondela 4-2 whilst Estoril could manage a draw against Belenenses, meaning we’ve opened up a two point gap ahead of them.

6 April 2014




The team are continuing to secure strong results and find themselves well placed for the final push to achieve promotion possessing a healthy four point lead over Naval. Their undefeated run currently stands at a record twelve games and whilst I can’t help but reflect on the last defeat against Freamunde in January without anger at how bad their performance was, they have highlighted their encouraging ability to recover from dire results in a resilient manner.

The fact that they have somewhat resolved their inconsistency issues has assisted with this, although the uninspiring draws against Trofense and Oliveirense underlined that damaging lapses of concentration are not entirely extinct. I attempt to focus on the positives when settling for a point, although serious questions have to be asked about how the team were unable to defeat sides who played with ten men for over an hour and were crippled with injuries respectively. The latter result proved particularly unpopular with the fans, presumably because the match had attracted the largest home attendance of the season.

In terms of individual performances, special commendation once again has to be awarded to Elisio, who diluted my apprehension in playing him on the right wing by confirming that he is a more than useful back-up in the absence of both Borges and Alphonse. Naturally, his performances from a somewhat unfamiliar position lacked the sharpness of his colleagues, but they were still competent enough to offer an attacking threat and he complimented Inzaghi well on several occasions. Indeed, the pair have scored two and three goals respectively in their last five games and arguably won the match against Arouca single-handedly. Put simply he has helped the team greatly in the last few weeks, thus increasing the difficulty in deciding whether I should attempt to sign him again on loan, or perhaps even permanently.

In other news, the club received their new annual intake of youth players. Whilst there are no standout talents that have immediately caught my eye, a few have very exciting potential according to my assistant manager and in general they are definitely of a higher standard than last year. It also means that for the first time I since took over there are full first team, reserve and Under 19 squads, which suggests to me that the club is utilising the benefits of its gradually increasing reputation and thus developing well for the future.

As previously mentioned, the focus is now firmly on the business end of the season and thankfully there are no major problems or issues of concern as the team head into it. All of the top four clubs have what I consider to be a relatively difficult run of fixtures, confirming that we can do nothing more than attempt to win every single one of them. Fourteen points (or four wins and two draws) from the last six games would guarantee promotion and whilst that figure may be somewhat ambitious, if they can maintain their current standard then it is certainly achievable.

20 May 2014

Six games were all that separated the club from promotion, with four teams possessing a plausible chance of earning a spot in next season’s Primeira Liga. Perhaps needless to say, the coming month represented the most potentially bountiful yet nail-biting period for the team and the six games in question were capable of determining the league they would find themselves in next season and if their efforts in this campaign would prove justified.

The first match in the concluding run was at home against Sp. Covilha, who had largely dominated us in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. However, surprisingly for a mid-table side with little to play for, they opted to defend to numbers, meaning the game didn’t resemble a competitive fixture as much as an extended exercise in breaking down defences. Unfortunately, our opponents were the victors in this task as they reduced the team to desperate and unthreatening long range efforts and predictably and frustratingly, the match ended in a goalless draw. Fortunately, our near rivals’ results went mostly in our favour, meaning the standings were largely unchanged and the team remained in second place with a comfortable four point cushion ahead of Naval.



It would be misleading to label the next game against Leixoes as anything another than a complete disaster. Similarly to the defeat against Freamunde, sloppy defending allowed them to amass a three goal lead within the opening twenty minutes and they controlled the game from then on, meaning our attackers were lucky to get the ball in their half let alone a sniff at goal. Whilst David offered some consolation by rounding off a clever counter-attack midway through the second half, their top scorer Vasconcelos quickly responded by netting his second and consolidating the win for his side. Pleasingly Santa Clara and Naval had suffered the same fate, although more crucially Estoril had won against Braga B and thus reduced the margin between second and third to just two points.



Thankfully, the team’s following fixture against an already relegated Porto B side offered an immediate chance to recover from the previous result. Even though I utilised the opportunity to field several fringe players, they never offered much of a challenge to the three points and a brace from Cacito followed by a Corunha header (his first goal of the season) secured the win in the first half. Whilst the team could and should have won by a bigger scoreline, the important fact was that they had not afforded the others in the top four a chance to gain an advantage. Indeed, Estoril and Santa Clara both won, although Naval could only manage a draw against Arouca, leaving them six points behind with three games left and effectively ending their chances of promotion.



Next up was Penafiel, who were enjoying a strong run of form. As it had been the fourth time the team had faced them this season, they had also grown accustomed to countering their narrow style of play and I opted for the usual tactic of attacking them from wide on the break. Whilst the majority of the chances and possession went their way, they offered us the lead when Inzaghi was fouled in the box on the hour and Toninho stroked in the resultant penalty. Their flustered defence then conceded a second in quick succession as an unmarked Borges converted Pio Junior’s pass into the bottom left corner. Estoril also won their match although Leixoes held Santa Clara to a draw, meaning we now had a plausible chance of not only winning promotion, but also the league. Whilst their results were now irrelevant, Naval extended their winless streak to four matches.



The team then faced the second relegated side in the space of a week in the form of Braga B. Appropriately the match started in a similar vein as against Porto B as goals from Borges, Elisio and Cacito put the team 3-0 up at half time. However, after the break our opponents lined up with a notably more attacking approach which paid dividends as their right winger Fernandes volleyed in a cross twenty minutes into the second half. I decided to fight fire with fire as characterised when Pio Junior exploited a lucky deflection to restore the three goal lead, although they responded less than a minute later when their striker Bergson muscled past our centre-backs to net a long through ball. However, with only ten minutes left to play by that stage, we deservedly managed to hold on to the result.


As highlighted above, both Naval and Santa Clara won their matches, although the most important fixture was between Operario Acores and Estoril. I’d seen that (as expected) the latter were winning 2-0 at half time, although I hadn’t had a chance at glance at the score since then. The result proved to be almost as crucial as any of our own this season:



In simple terms, we had done it:




Whilst the team had demonstrated brilliant form throughout the season, I have to admit that for the most part I had never rated promotion as a distinct possibility and adopted the mind set that we would be spending the next in the same division. However, as the above messages suggest, I am thrilled that we managed to achieve it and I personally consider it to be another indication that the club has a bright future ahead of it. I’m aware that the team will enter next season as the one of the weakest sides in the league by a large margin, but I have more confidence in them than ever before.

Perhaps appropriately, their final game of the season was against Estoril, although naturally it dissolved into a non-event which the latter deservedly won 2-0. Whilst I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that both sides were denied a potential showpiece conclusion, the simple fact was that I was ecstatic that we secured both promotion and the financial reward that accompanied it.





Preparations have already begun in earnest for the next campaign, which started when the board offered me a new two-year contract shortly after the end of the season. With a month remaining on both of their own contracts, I decided that Marco Fountora and Danilo would be allowed to leave, although the latter then announced his intention to retire anyway. I’m still undecided about Elisio (whose contract at Penafiel expires at the end of June): whilst he proved himself to be a valuable asset this season, if I’m going to genuinely improve the quality of the squad I need to target signings of first team standard as opposed to useful backup players.

Either way, I’m excited and looking forward to what will be both the most exciting and challenging season to date and hopefully the beginning of a period in which the club is gradually established as one of the best in Portugal. Naturally, the next few months will be pivotal in preparing the team for the Primeira Liga and what is likely to be a relegation-battling effort attempting to ensure that this season was not in vain.