The Journeyman Diaries

He heard the pop before he felt the pain shoot up his leg. It only hurt for a second before turning into a chilling numbness that covered his body. His next few hours was a series of blurred images: hushed faces and stretchers, dark corridors and bright lights, pale lab coats and hard clipboards, flashing sirens and onrushing traffic. His next week was a furnace to ice, as the life he thought he knew melted away. A compound leg fracture. Surgery. A career, over.

He'd been a promising young amateur in the USL Pro; some even speculated he could one day play in the MLS. Those dreams were now the steam wafting through the air as the furnace continued to burn. Next came the drugs, the alcohol, the women. Sin was the only way he knew to cope.

He cleaned up though, with her help. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back on his feet. He got back into soccer, devouring game the only way he could. He studied his heroes: Guardiola, Huddink, Mourinho. He coached high school, university, amateurs.

This is the story of an American with a burning desire to rise to the top, of a man with little to his name but knowledge and beliefs. The die has been cast.

History

1. Almere City (2014 - 2016)
2. Videoton (2016 - Present)

I: Rough Start

++July/August 2013
A year of blood, sweat, and procrastination later, I headed to Europe with my Pro License in hand, ready to conquer the upper echelons of European football. And it started with a bang. And by bang, I mean the sound of my mail chute as the postman dropped off dozens upon dozens of rejection letters. Even Cheltenham Town, a club that has never even tasted the top half of League one, thought it fit to laugh my application away. It was going to be a long year.

++September/October 2013
I’m getting desperate. After focusing my search (read: begging) over the summer to just English-speaking nations, I expanded to the rest of Europe. I started taking Spanish, Italian, and French lessons to begin preparing, but it didn’t get me anywhere. Frankly I’m not even sure what Pescara thought when they received my letter. Do they even read English out there?

++November/December 2013
I got an interview! Porto B invited me to Portugal to chat about the open position as their reserve team manager. Porto was a gorgeous and welcoming city. Perhaps too welcoming. My hangover-induced demand for improved youth facilities was met with a swift boot back on a jet to London. They said something in Portuguese as I left the facility, but, of course, Portuguese was not one of the languages I studied. My guess is that it was something along the lines of ‘what a gigantic waste of time.’ Back to the grind I go.

++January/February 2014
I’m running out of money. Who knew London would be such an expensive place? I took up a job at the local grocery store to put some food on the table, which is a helpful job for daydreaming about my future Champions League glory.

++March 2014
I GOT A JOB! Apparently speaking Dutch is not a requirement for a head coaching position in the Jupiler League, and Almere City, sitting in 12th place (out of 20) was kind enough to take a chance on an unknown American. Luckily, the captain, a friendly 26-year-old defender named Cees Toet, spoke a bit of English, which was enough to get me acquainted with the club. A couple of the players looked completely baffled with me, which led to a shaky start to my career as a manager. A busy six-game stretch in March started my managerial record with no wins, two draws, four losses, and a -6 goal differential. It also led to an awkward conversation with the chairman about whether I actually knew how to coach a football team.

++April 2014
I finally won a match in April, as the Ajax kids came into Almere in front of a small crowd, only to be humiliated 4-0 by the rising tide of Almere City. Two goals from winger Fabian Serrarens put us out of sight by half-time, and we coasted. I was on a high for about a week, before crashing back to reality as we lost the next three games by a combined scoreline of 0-4. Heading into my first off-season as a football head coach, my record to date was 1 win, 2 draws, and 7 losses. Oh boy. At the very least, I was learning some Dutch.

good luck mate !

Good luck busys, tough challenge on your hands!

II: Growing Pains

++May/June 2014
I let 10 contracts expire, including star man Charles Dissels, who was asking for about three times my own wages. In response, I signed two players for free—my first dip into the transfer market: a backup striker and a solid Indonesian midfielder to replace Dissels. Meetings with the scouting team were beginning to get a tad dull, though, as all of my targets were shot down as too expensive. Who knew that Neymar was actually out of reach?

++July 2014
A signed a few more players: Pim Francke, my new starting right-back, came in for $185K (or approximately twice as much money as I’ve ever seen before, and Duje Caleta-Car, my new spindly central defender, for $62K. Getting through the pre-season with my basic Dutch was entertaining, not less because of all of the American jokes I was getting from the players. A friendly win at home over Italian side Pescara was the highlight of the month, while getting three wins over five friendly matches was certainly a good omen. Maybe I actually do know what I’m doing…

++August 2014
Maybe not. A 0-1 loss away to VVV was followed by a 1-4 drubbing at home to Willem. A brave 4-2 win away to RKC was brief respite before we were chased out of the stadium after a 0-5 disaster at home to Volendam. Five matches in August left us with 2 wins and 3 losses. The only bright spot was new boy Anibal Capela (Portuguese central defender, $40.5K), who put on a series of excellent performances in his new colors. Another awkward conversation was had with the chairman, who set the expectation for the season: If I couldn’t get us to mid-table by the new year, I was out. Oh, pressure, how I did not miss you.

++September 2014
September got underway with a formation shift from my initial 4-3-3 to a lopsided 4-4-2 diamond. With a midfield consisting of two DMs, a RM, and an AMC, we managed to squeak out three straight draws, with the latter two being late 81st minute rescues. We then hosted first division Vitesse in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000 in the 2nd round of the Dutch Cup. We outshot and outpassed a side that included Niko Kranjcar and Christian Atsu to the tune of a 3-1 victory. What jubilation. What pride.

++October 2014
I’m loving this lopsided 4-4-2 shape, especially in attack. With a base of two DMs in midfield, we can press our fullbacks forward to join our lone striker and inside LF. The combination between the two forwards confuses the opposition defense, which opens up space for the onrushing attacking midfielder and right winger. October opened with us extending our league unbeaten run to 7 games and a high of 9th place, before an 80th minute goal conceded away to Eindhoven broke the streak. A 3rd round victory away to FC Den Bosch moved us one round further in the Dutch Cup, while our 4-4-5 record in the league put us comfortably in mid-table.

++November 2014
Two wins followed by a loss and a draw continued our uneven form. The defense was solid, only conceding two goals in the four matches, but the attack was sputtering. The back-up winger I picked up back in June started making noises about wanting game-time. I told him that he was a backup, and, by definition, he wouldn’t play as long as the starters were healthy and playing well. He didn’t see the logic in that, and ran off in a spat, presumably to go tell all these nasty things about me to the media. Unsurprisingly, no one in my two-journalist press conference crowd cared enough to ask about it. Figures.

++December 2014
I got the best gift ever a week before Christmas with a brilliant 85th minute strike from distance to give us a 1-0 win over Eredivisie side NAC Breda in the 4th round of the cup. Again, the sold out home crowd inspired the boys to a clean sheet and a spot in the Quarterfinals (!!) against Utrecht in January. And no, no one asked about Mr. Diva Winger. I’m not even sure if he showed up at training the last few weeks…

++January 2015
We entered 2015 in 10th place in the league, and by the end of January, we were 6th. Yes, you read that right: we were better than 14 other teams in the division. Remember that 1-4 home loss to Willem in the second game of the season? How about 0-0 in the return fixture. How about that 0-5 home loss to Volendam? You’re looking at a brave 2-2 draw in the return fixture that really should have been a victory. Oh, and we took Utrecht to extra time in front of 24,000 stunned fans in Utrecht. We would end up shipping 3 goals in extra time, but the performance levels were still inspirational.

++February 2015
We didn’t change the squad at all in January, thinking that our squad was strong enough for our level of ambition. Then February came, and the injuries. Our only win in the month was a thriller over Sparta that only came because of a 90th minute goal. The rest of the matches were just miserable, ending the month with a 0-1 loss to Eindhoven in which we only managed 4 shots on target.

++March 2015
Well, one of the dangers of playing a 19-year-old as a holding midfielder is that you’re going to concede. And concede we did, letting in a whopping thirteen goals in five matches. We ended the month with two nervy wins that put us up to 8th place at the end of the month, but things were slipping. The guys are barely showing up to training, and I’m getting all sorts of complaints that players are unhappy with the heavy workload. We could have been pushing for promotion, but instead, I’ve got a bunch of crybabies who can’t stand a bit of hard work. Time for a tactical switch to a more conservative approach.

++April 2015
So that didn’t work. After such a promising stretch in the winter, we scored exactly zero goals in our first three April matches, including an embarrassing 0-2 defeat to last-placed Jong Ajax. 12th place is probably a bit better than I would have expected coming into this season, but ending with 8 losses in our last 10 matches is extremely disappointing. I told the players as such in our end-of-season meeting, but, as the crybabies they are, they took it poorly, calling me “over-ambitious and unrealistic.” Idiots.

++May 2015
My contract is due to run out at the end of June and the board had yet to reach out to me about a renewal, so I began looking for a new job. Of course, the moment word gets out that I’m in the job market, the chairman places an angry phone call with me. I have my suspicions about which of the two journalists in Almere leaked the news, but I’m definitely ticked that the board is angry with me. What was I supposed to do, wait until the end of June to begin scrambling for a new job?

The job application process again consisted of far more rejections than invitations, but with more than a year of experience under my belt, I did get some nibbles. A couple of Swedish clubs, including giants AIK, and a few Hungarian clubs, including giants Videoton, offered me the chance to meet with them. It certainly looks like I’ll be grazing new pastures in 2015-16 after just 14 months in Almere.

Loving your style of updates, they are fantastic will continue reading

Oh potentially a new job on the cards again! keep it going buddy!

III: Hungry in Hungary (part 1)

++June 2015
Hello, Szekesfehervar. Do I know how to pronounce that? No. Do I know how to speak Hungarian? No. Does it matter? Apparently not. Hungarian giants Videoton FC Fehervar, winners of the OTP Bank Liga two of the last five years, have just finished a disappointing 3rd and sacked their manager. After being delighted with my promise of direct, attacking football, they agreed to offer me a two-year deal to take over the hot-seat and steer Videoton back to the top of the Hungarian first division. Wait, what? They want me to win the league? Lucky, lucky me.

With a decent transfer budget in hand, I immediately set to work addressing some obvious needs. On-loan Hungarian U21 striker Soma Novothny joined permanently from Napoli for just $78K, while talented attacking playmaker Cristobal joined from 2nd division Spanish side Alaves for $1.5 million. On the flip side, I let go of a high-earning striker for pennies, and let another five contracts expire to re-balance the books.

++July 2015
With a decently reputable club and a bit of financial firepower backing me up, I got to work in the transfer market, shifting five players out of the club while bringing in two: Romeu, a veteran defensive midfielder from Portugal for $150K, and Lucas, a huge Brazilian central defender from fellow Hungarian side Diosgyori for $725K. Then I got the bombshell. A phone call from La Liga side Zaragoza asking for my best player, Croatian striker/LF Andrej Kramaric. They offered $3M. I countered with $8M. They responded with $4.5M. I countered with $6.5M. They responded with a check. I countered with maniacal laughter. 6.5 million dollars! I was rolling in it so deep that I couldn’t even breathe anymore!

On the field, we made our way through the first three Europa League qualifying rounds in style, defeating Andorran amateur side Santa Coloma 22-4 on aggregate, Croatian side NK Lokomotiva 3-1 on aggregate, and Romanian side Astra Giurgiu 2-1 on aggregate. We also snuck in a season-opening home win in the league to top off an unbeaten start to life in Hungary.

++August 2015
With my millions on hand, I turned around and brought in some unheralded talents unearthed by my scouting team that had previously been beyond our reach: 16-year-old Portuguese wingback Luis Rodrigues and his blazing pace and twinkle-toed dribbling from Sporting CP for $1.7M. 17-year-old Polish striker Bartosz Podhorodecki and his incredible pace, intelligence, and finishing from Legia for $1.2M. 18-year-old Almere City youth product Duje Caleta-Car and his strong aerial presence for $1M. I essentially flipped one star striker for three incredibly talented youngsters with enormous potential. I call that good business, Daniel Levy style.

That may have been too much distraction for my inexperience, as we crashed out of the Europa League in the playoffs to Steaua Bucharest on a soul-wrenching 86th minute penalty at home in the second leg. On the bright side, we remained unbeaten in the league, sitting comfortably at the top of the league with six wins in seven.

++September 2015
For the first time in my (short) managerial career, I had my team playing some beautiful football. I tweaked my lopsided 4-4-2 a bit, pushing one of the defensive midfielders into central midfield, and pushing the attacking midfielder closer to goal. At the top end, striker Soma Novothny (11 goals in 11 games) and ST/LF Bartosz Podhorodecki wreaked absolute havoc on opposing defences, while attacking playmaker Cristobal was the link between defence to attack, feeding our speedsters up front. We pressed high up the field without the ball, and broke forward with pace and directness with the ball. Playing entirely on the transition, we never really dominated possession, but managed slick and furious passing moves to hammer the opposition into submission. By the end of the month, we had only two draws marring our 11-game unbeaten run. I finally had a team that could play the beautiful game in a beautiful way.

++October 2015
I made one tweak to my shape: pushing my right midfielder up to create more of a 4-3-3. Now I’ve got front 3 of an in-cutting left forward, a mobile center forward, and a traditional right winger. Both the wide men are expected to track and harass the opposing fullbacks. My middle three is a compact unit of an attacking playmaker, a static central midfielder, and a holding half back, who drops between the center backs in possession. My fullbacks are free to move forward, while my center backs spread a bit. The mentality is still to move the ball from back to front as quickly as possible, and so my middle four (the deepest midfielders and the two central defenders) are looking to spread play to the front three as soon as possession is won. We remained unbeaten in October, conceding only two league goals through the month.

++November 2015
Well that’ll teach me to be cocky. A team full of reserve players managed to lose 1-2 at home in the first leg of the Hungarian Cup round of 16. We did qualify easily for the knockout stages of the League Cup, but our first loss of the domestic season really did sting. I just can’t take anything for granted in football!

++December 2015
An 83rd minute goal by Bartosz Podhorodecki in the return leg put us through to the quarterfinals on away goals, as we just squeaked by. With the winter break underway in the league, we only had that one match in December before taking a break until mid-February. I turned my attention to finding new players, specifically a new attacking right-back. Dani Alves, anyone?

++January 2016
I got my right-back, and for free to boot. Adriano Lara joined from Atletico Paranaense on a free transfer. The 28-year-old right-back isn’t the quickest, but he’s got decent ball skills and an engine that never stop pumping. I added a reserve central defender to boost the numbers and went on a well-deserved holiday, 6 points clear at the top of the league.

++February 2016
With only cup matches to play, we breezed through to the next round in both Cup competitions. Rollin’.

++March 2016
Apparently, when Soma Novothny stops scoring, the team stops scoring. A nervy 4-3 win away to Bekescsaba (rescued by 84th and 93rd minute strikes) was followed by two goalless draws in the league and a 0-3 loss by the reserves at home in the League Cup quarterfinals. A 1-0 win in the return leg was not even close to enough as we were unceremoniously tossed from the competition. I called the players into a private meeting to discuss our misfiring in March, where they pleasantly informed me that I was over-reacting. I replied that 1 goal in four matches was not acceptable. They responded with blank stares and shaking heads. I guess it never pays to be harsh on players.

++April 2016
League champions. My first trophy, ever. Even if we won by a landslide with five games to spare, I still can’t help but feel extremely proud. Champions. I’m going to put that on my business card: champion.

++May 2016
Who the heck decided to call World Cup players up before the end of May? I lost several key players, including lead (and often only) goal-scorer Soma Novothny days before the Hungarian Cup final. Unsurprisingly, we couldn't get the ball into the back of the net despite 55% possession and 15 shots (7 on target), against a team that finished 11th in the league. Unbelievable.

I guess I can’t really complain, making it to the Cup final while losing only one match in the league and winning it by a clear 13 points. But I just can’t help but feel like the double was well within reach.