DNZY - Comments

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 5



Subconsciously disappointed but at face value a point is a point, especially when we were against the tide. That said we were closest in the first half but Flórez missed an open goal (in his defence it was outside the box and at an angle). The Colombian redeemed himself with some neat dribbling work before a pinpoint squared ball to Tarvis poked us in front on the hour. Tammeka killed us with their set pieces, first Bastig at full stretch denied them from a header before the resistance was broken from a free kick, left back Lavrentjev not picked up at the back stick to stick it in the back of the net. Disappointing but we'll carry on.

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT



OUT

Jerry Liluce (underperforming)


IN

Jeff Beljour *
Gilbert Singh *

* newcomer(s)

Somewhat controversial was the decision to drop Liluce, but has been well out of form lately justifies it. Teenagers Beljour (right back) and Singh (left winger) make the cut as potential national prodigies. Not holding my breath that they'll make instant impacts though. Cayman Islands and Guyana are certainly two different ends of the spectrum in quality so it's imperative that one result goes our way.



LINE-UPS



With Liluce discarded, Whittaker struts his stuff in an otherwise unchanged lineup. Cayman Islands going for the narrow route which'll surely aid our wingers to offer some pizzazz to our attacking methodology.

RESULT



First win on the board! Forbes and Diamond absolutely tore the floor up. Didn't come without a bit of work, despite a key tackle by Slattery it opened a hole that Watson filled in a splitsecond. Switching to the counter made a massive difference, Forbes planted a seed for Whittaker to elegantly round the keeper before Forbes went on a rampage with a penalty and a near post finish to flip the script entirely. Forbes completed the hat-trick early in the second half with some nifty wide play assisting him. Changed our keeper as one of our six subs which might have helped CI claw back one, but by and large a sterling performance.





Proud moment for Whittaker, but moreso Forbes as he now tops the charts as T&C's top goalscorer with six. Bless.



LINE-UPS



Same team fielded against Cayman Islands. Guyana's 4-3-3 could cause us real problems, especially since they've got some League 1 quality players in their arsenal. Gulp.

RESULT



Hardly surprising, just too good for us to handle...four goals in the first 27 minutes painted that picture. Slattery had a mare at the back, making a glaring error for their second and failed to mark tight enough for their third. Billy Forbes made it that little bit more competitive with one back, but Guyana ran away with it. Tail between our legs but it was unavoidable.

WORLD RANKINGS



194th (+6)

A decent leap thanks to the Cayman Islands win, let's hope this trajectory leads on.

NEXT FIXTURES

- British Virgin Islands (207th)
- Barbados (159th)

LINE-UPS



Switched to a 4-4-1-1 with two squad changes; Patrick Slattery comes in for an international debut start at CB for Fenelus and Stevens Derilien comes in at right wing, meaning Forbes now plays as the lone striker and relegates Dorvil to the bench. Hopefully with the wingers dropped back, there's more space for Diamond and Derilien to revel in.

RESULT



I'll take this as a benchmark. Virgin Islands dominated the first half; hitting the woodwork twice before a good header by Adam Fuller deservedly handed them the lead. As with the Puerto Rico game, we improved vastly in the second half. Billy Forbes nodded in Derilien's cross for parity and could've won us the game, but denied by the post himself. Absorbed the pressure and got a result out of it.

Thus ends international duty.

WORLD RANKINGS



200th (+1)

Looking to break out of the sub 200 barrier next given opportunity.

WORLD RANKINGS



201st (-2)

Already off to a great start!

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT



UNCHANGED

Left at the default on account of our first two friendlies. AFC Academy getting the bulk of supply to the 23 man squad.



LINE-UPS



Embracing my Dungannon 4-2-3-1 against their similar tactic, just with 2 DMs instead. First caps for Fenelus at CB and 17 year old Cadet in central midfield amongst others. Forbes starts out on the right and hoping for Dorvil to deliver up front.

RESULT



Didn't quite go to plan, but their sixty three place difference in quality showed. Quite simply demolished in the first half with Ramos, Rivera and Hernández exploiting the many noticeable gaps in defence. Shape changed and a few changes later, we significantly improved in the second half. PR's left back switched off during a crossfield ball to which Forbes said thank you very much for a way back into it. Rivera soon changed the tone by restoring their three goal advantage to kill any way of coming back. A lot to ponder after that.

@r96Skinner - No, I'll still be updating that one too!

@tongey - Hope you'll enjoy it, just something different!

___________________________________________



Decisions, decisions. Staring into space at my computer screen as many nations sought after my signature. The first stop is always the toughest choice but one nation were lucky enough to lock me down.





The journey starts in the Caribbean in the tropical islands of Turks & Caicos, laying the foundations and to bring some hope to this sunkissed nation. Of course football is not their national sport, however to break into the top 150 could certainly put them on the footballing map within the subregion.



Nothing on their expectations list for now as the World Cup qualifying campaign has already ended for them, losing twice to the mighty Saint Kitts & Nevis who won 12-4 on aggregate. Not setting the bar very high for me.

SQUAD



I'll admit, I was expecting a ton of regens but there were a few players who could bring us up a notch. An abundance of versatile players will help to fill in gaps but does pose the question of which position are they strongest in? Can't say this side will carry us to glory, especially how poorly trained our central players are. One player in particular stands out though.

KEY PLAYER: Billy Forbes - AM(L)/AM(R)



Winger Forbes is the only player to play outside of the national division (which doesn't even start until November), contracted to American side San Antonio in the USL. Love everything about him - quick, diligent, has influence and can actually dribble. He'll be so key on the wings but as a bonus could also play striker if goals just can't come.

UPCOMING FIXTURES



First duty begins at the end of August/start of September with away matches against Puerto Rico (138th) and US Virgin Islands (199th) to get us going, experiment with our current strongest XI and necessary chop & change for the October internationals where we face Cayman Islands and Guyana. To conclude the calendar year, British Virgin Islands & Barbados.

Fingers crossed we'll get some sort of results from any of these games.

French novelist Gustave Flaubert once said “travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world”, a single speck of life on the entire globe.

2017 brought me closer to the beautiful game and reignited a passion at grassroots level of football, feeling love from the small groups and the large crowds who cheered my name when in club management. Lifting trophies, popping champagne, the weird and wonderful afterparties…but something inside me was making me unfulfilled.

Life is a short, intimate journey. A quest for the pursuit of happiness. Cling on to it and value it while you can.

This is where 2018 becomes a different type of mission. A blank passport to become a picturesque novel of tales and anecdotes depicted by a single rubber stamp doused in indelible ink as I visit some of the most mystic and beautiful nations and places around the world.



Hopping on planes, sleeping in airports, permanent jet lag, frequent flier miles the length of my arm; yes, international management is where it’s at this year.

My aim? None really, just taking the helm at some of the most undervalued nations of the sport and steer them into some sort of prosperity no matter what level.

A personal best ranking? Continental glory? World cup notoriety? Or even flying the flag at the very peak of the footballing mountain?



Who knows?!

All I know is that I’ll have a serious job on my hands to pack my belongings into small rucksacks just to avoid the extra Ryanair baggage fees.

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 4



Welp. Obliterated by a dominant Flora side. Vanaveski ran the show and ran circles around our defenders to put us into a 2-0 deficit before a quarter of the game elapsed. To our credit, we fought our corner with Colombian Flórez notching his first goal with a hint of fortune, an error from another familiar face in this save - ex-Stumbras CB Artem Tarasevich. It only delayed an inevitable knee-jerk reaction at the other end, switch off and Karsa applied the third. Back we came with another jab, Juska heading in to conclude a breathless first half. Flora were far more likely to score a fourth than we were to equalise, theory proved itself with Vanaveski deservedly completing a hat-trick as time ran out. Back to the drawing board defensively, Bastig really had a stinker between the sticks.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Starting off lukewarm, but at least we grabbed two victories from our first four. One thing definitely missing is an influential individual; Flórez has been mediocre so far, Tarvis looking agitated, Filic failing to dictate the tempo and our wingers don't use the width presented to them. Food for thought next month.

LEAGUE TABLE



Smack bang in the middle after four games, three off top but afloat of the teams who are having a slow start. Encouraging that we play some lesser teams next month.

APRIL 2046 SCHEDULE



On the road a lot next month with four away days back to back, the last of whom the toughest test. Tammeka and winless Sillamäe Kalev are games we need to impress in.

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 3



Brutal game, welcome result. Kareel Tarvis emptying some skeletons from his closet to get off the mark, even if it were from the penalty spot. Red card for Nõmmiste made it tougher for the visitors who couldn't even rely on cherished Adrian Burcă to bail them out. Back to back wins, undefeated in three, have I found my mojo again?

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 2



It took us seven games (nine before I took over), but we finally win in Estonia! Albert Kübar got the ball rolling, scuffling in a scrappy goal from a corner for a bright start. Newly promoted Tallinna Kalev weren't having any of it and did threaten Bastig in net before eventually drawing level, making the most of our inadvertent high defensive line when they countered and skipper Igor Prokudin ploughed home. A moment of genius when Divis had to be stretchered off for Vazinski to come on, and it was his goal that won the game, hitting that sweet spot from 25 yards when Tarvis squared it to him. The curse is broken.



Or is it? Horrible news that our Czech loanee Divis is out for numerous weeks. Nothing to do with my "we'd give an arm or a calf muscle to finally win in Estonia" comment in the pre-match conference...

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 1



Positive signs from our league opener as we held champions Levadia to a stalemate. Tarvis squandered a massive chance by blazing over despite a clear sight of goal in what was an encouraging opening half. It ensued a rickety second period for us as Levadia woke up; Mihhailov switched off completely and allowed Starodubtsev a golden chance from eight yards, but only for a superb stop by Bastig in net the game wouldn't have ended scoreless.

Ignoring the postseason report because...well..it wasn't one to remember in the Infonet camp, awarded the honour of being the biggest underachievers this season. Not to mention that Rasmus Ljas was labelled as one of the worst signings of the season. Notice also that former Stumbras novelty Adrian Burca has found a new home at Kalju and still banging in the goals. Ah, memories. (sheds tear)



On the financial side of things, I was not lying about this money puncture when I took over. Our numbers are in the tanker and the board came up with an amazing solution for this.



Let's spend even more! However I'll defend this movement, we're never going to get money in with a 544 capacity stadium. For the time being we'll be placed at Wismari Stadium which does peak the one thousand mark...except it ground shares with about seven other non league clubs. The pitch is going to be a mess next season.



This is going to be a painful wait and significantly clamps any transfer kitty ringfenced beforehand. Wouldn't be surprised if the club go into meltdown by the end of the season.



Finally, a sad day as our top spot status in Estonia (yes, I don't understand that either) has been emphatically triumphed by Levadia who return as the best side in the nation.

TRANSFERS

OUT



Didn't hold back with the refurbishment job, letting go of the dead appliances, most notably Kink, Vinogradov and Saks. With the press of Rasmus Ljas being a complete flop when he arrived at Infonet, I decided to allow him to move away into the arms of Kalju. Inb4 he becomes the Estonian De Bruyne.

IN



With a centre back on the top of the shopping list, I had to dig deep to find one...and then Levadia swooped in to take him out of our hands. Cutthroat business in here it seems.



Nevertheless, we stocked up on some bright new recruits to have us aiming higher than last season. One name in particular is back under my wing and one is an absolute coup.



Kareel Tarvis - ST(C) - unattached free agent

A gamble as he's not had too much exposure to the big leagues at the age of 26. The plus is he may bring harmony to the squad with his advanced leadership while simultaneously score a couple of goals. OTB and anticipation is seriously crummy but for a crummy league it should check out. I'm more focused on him composing himself when the big chances go begging.



Definitely no pressure Tarvis, you're now practically our only hope.



Jaanus Martin - M(R)/AM(R) - unattached free agent

Didn't only sign him for his flawless face fuzz but a quality winger to taunt the channels. Formerly on Flora's books, I'm determined he'll deliver some exquisite crosses and leave his marker for dead. Weak technique and dribbling plus fairly average stamina and work rate lead me to believe he'll be a grenade without a pin and just fall to pieces without delivering impact. Always nice to focus on the negatives of a freebie, eh?



Jair Flórez - AM(C) - free transfer from Alexis García

Now THIS is a signing. Still a pup, but look at what he could provide for a team of our capacity. Surely will bring the South American flair the club is in desperate need of, quick, ambitious and an all round bag of tricks (or at least what I'm hoping). Hoping he'll adapt despite not knowing "don't bottle this" in Estonian. Could be a statement signing.



Milko Filic - M(C) - unattached free agent

The Milkman is back! The former Pyunik midfield maestro comes to Estonia to add even more creativity to the team. Definitely past his prime but experience could make him into a Chiorescu-like figure (see Stumbras stint for that reference) in the middle. Excellent passing coupled with good vision will aid Flórez wonderfully to hopefully unlock some defences. His wage settlement was greeted with discontent by the board, I know he'll prevail if fit. In fact, he's not even the best midfielder we've brought in this window.



Miroslav Divis - M(C) - season long loan from Slovan Liberec

Say hello to this chap. Far more well rounded than a lot of players around him and to fuse with Filic will surely make sparks fly. Low determination isn't a big deal as he's only here for a season but getting first team football may reignite his love for the beautiful game or at least some bog standard Estonian equivalent. This central midfield troika of Filic, Flórez and Divis will ooze flair.



Eduard Mihhailov - D(LC) - free transfer from Levadia

Played swapsies with Levadia for a centre back after hijacking our loan offer to Verbickas. Kills two birds with one stone too, strengthening depth to the centre and left hand side also. Can tower over for aerial battles, solid physicals plus offers consistency which is desperately required as we're leaking silly goals. There were barely any alternatives to be fair.



Sergejs Punculs - AM(L) - free transfer from RFS

Similarly to the Mihhailov deal, there were barely interested alternatives that had an ounce of talent to make it into the first team. Scouted into our neighbours Latvia where we uncovered this guy. Not too convincing on paper but does possesses the basic attributes to get ahead.

There's just one problem with that...



F*cking registration rules. Ughhhhhhhh.



It forced me to disarm Punculs and also Urbys who is one of our better strikers. Absolutely farcical.



Safe to say I raised my concerns with the press.

FRIENDLIES



Preseason went unexpectedly well, Divis and Tarvis amongst the goals winning three out of four. No idea how we beat Rubin Kazan 3-1 with only four shots on goal compared to their twenty-six.

SEASON EXPECTATIONS



I would say Betfair have gone out on a limb saying we'll finish second at 9-2 behind the Evens favourites of Levadia. Kalju and Flora to fall behind us in third and fourth respectively. Smart money says we probably won't break top two. I do expect us to mount a challenge for European football of some form.

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 36



I swear I'm absolutely cursed in this nation, YET AGAIN we failed to make our possession count and hit with a sucker punch. It was a 30 yard howitzer from Albert Kubber to hand Paide a rather unlikely victory but with our shots to on target ratio at only 8%, it's plain to see how we lost this. Bitter end to this season and next season is seriously requiring a plan B.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE



Disappointed to finish 6th, but I'm determined to make a swift U-turn next year when I completely strip the squad with better players. Levadia clear and outright winners ahead of Flora while Paide leapfrogged Kalju into third on the final day. Tulevik go down with Tammeka Tartu hung on with a relegation playoff victory.

Good work so far, love to see obscure nations and their backgrounds being showcased. Keep it up!

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 35



I'm going to defend our performance here, yes we were absolutely powerless in the first half but looked a changed side in the second - too little too late. Champions Levadia have only lost once in the league this season and toyed with us in the first 45 and superb movement combined with technique from Indrek Visnapuu helped powered in a header to hand them the lead. Numerous half chances came our way and the movement on the wings was a lot more lucid, again an absent striker didn't help matters. Inevitably Levadia extended their lead with a low drilled effort by Priit Mutle to close the casket.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



It was the worst possible run in so no surprise we didn't pick up a win. Injuries to strikers yielded goals and only a set piece was the source of our only goal of the month. It's not as if we're playing badly, just don't have the quality to compete with them, simple as.

LEAGUE TABLE



Good news is we won't be relegated, bad news is we can only finish as high as 5th should we win our final match. Levadia are rampant with a massive league win, I mean they have double our points tally which is frightening.

NOVEMBER 2045 SCHEDULE



Final game of the season is at home to Paide, can we end our winless woes to close the curtains on a disappointing season?

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 34



Same result, totally reversed roles. Flora perhaps wanted to test their defensive endurance in the cup game and tire us out for this game a few days later, but backfired. Again, an unpleasant game to watch but third choice teenage keeper Priit Apet was rock solid to keep back to back clean sheets. Red card to Jaanus Vazinski looked to have been the caveat to Flora opening the sluice but held on we did, albeit ending any chance of European football this campaign.



OH FFS, HE JUST CAME BACK FROM AN INJURY!

EESTI KARIKAS

THIRD ROUND





Bruh, are you even surprised that we didn't score? This puts Mourinho's 'park the bus' scheme to shame in what was a godawful game to sit through. Of course we dominated possession and of course we had more chances but the lack of a finisher was so apparent. The lottery of penalties was unkind, missing three of our four to show us the door. Positives again, just on the wrong end of the result once more.



More unpleasant news, our best attacking midfielder is about to have his career stifled.

An interesting piece of news to kick it all off, linking with Czech side Slovan Liberec to be our parent club. Good for a little payment and a way into loaning a few youth products perhaps.

MEISTRILIIGA

MATCHDAY 33



Devilishly unlucky. Infonet were the better side but two factors prevented us, a clumsy defender and a hesitant striker. Kalju countered a corner after Konstantin Kink hit the ball at our own player, allowing them to drive forward with Vitali Stokas finishing. We were given a gift to equalise before half time, a one on one situation gone wrong when Anton Saks hit it straight at the keeper...TWICE..we also struck the post to leave us trailing at HT. Beginning to look hopeless, we eventually squared the game with skipper Albert Kübar putting away a neat free kick on the edge of the D. Kink was at fault again for Kalju's second, missing the aerial ball and allowing Stokas to tuck it in for his second. From that point on it looked like we downed tools to hand the match ball to Stokas for a debut defeat. Positives for sure, just a bit more work required.



Hooray, now we're without our two best strikers. What have I gotten into?

@Dan - Fingers crossed!

__________________________________________



CURRENT SEASON



Nowhere near changing their tune on winning a league but not necessarily a FUBAR situation. Only five points off third placed Kalju, though needing to negotiate with a number of other sides and surmount them will be tricky...especially with only four games left. Wins are scarce too, only 9 out of 32 and our recent form is not too auspicious either.



Draw specialists, I'll say that much. 14 draws is a bit excessive, but considering we've only lost 9 marginally makes up for it. Another thing - extremely goal shy. Maybe not goal shy, but not goal efficient as we've only scored more than one goal only seven times this season. Strikers are probably the top of my agenda post season.

SQUAD



First impressions - quite a mediocre team bar a few, two of whom are injured. Bear in mind these star ratings only account for their ability internally but externally they'd get chucked in a clearance bin at a bigger club. Squad is heavily ageing too with a number of them heading into their thirties with their physical attributes fading fast. A mini reunion too with former Stumbras players Audirus Urbys and Ignas Petrauskas finding homes in Estonia after their releasings. Once the transfer window reopens, a serious trade up job is required.

KEY PLAYER - Ignas Petrauskas - D(L)/D(R)



Always had a soft spot for Ignas during his early developments at Stumbras, training his right side while he was raw to become that little bit more accomplished. It seems to have worked and is comfortable on either side of the fence. He's a long way from quality I know, but strong stamina and strength make him a key player in the camp. I mean if he's our best player, you can sure as hell guess what the rest of the team is like...oh boy.

EXPECTATIONS



Isn't taking long for the board to coerce immediate miracles out of me, expecting Europa League AND a cup semi final at this early stage. Calm down mate, have you seen our team? The transfer kitty sum isn't huge either but that's due to a massive puncture in the balance and is hissing out money slowly but surely to the red. All the problems tied into a nice little club called Infonet.



Schedule is rather unkind too, facing not only third placed Kalju and second placed Flora back to back to back...but champions Levadia are there too...



'Mon then.

Looks good, will definitely follow!

Superb first season, one trophy already AND European football.

@b0nb0n - Thank you my man, only one place to check for that.

___________________________________________






Nation: Estonia
Media Prediction (Odds): 4th/10 (6-1)
Current Position: 6th
Expectations: None set, just do better than the last bloke.
Pros: A few familiar faces. Not too far off European places. Benchmark to a new nation. Willing to agree some demands.
Cons: Small squad with a few key injuries. Only four games left, three against top sides. Leaking money out the wazoo. No other clubs available at this moment.





RESULT:

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

PLAYOFF, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



Moderately upset, we had a golden opportunity to fight for this game and instead let Gala walk all over us in the second leg. The incident in question was a penalty to garner a vital away goal in the tie but Ortiz was denied by keeper Joaquín Diez, concluding a very even first half. We were a shadow of ourselves after the restart, three set pieces unravelled us completely. Two free kicks - one by Carmona and another by Antonío, sandwiched in between a bullet header from a corner by Onur Kaplan left us black and blue by the final whistle and end a somewhat valiant CL/EL campaign...but still missing out on a group stage.



Which is where I called it a day in Armenia, never to return. It's been a blast, but your league system is truly awful. What does fate have in store for me next?

BARDZRAGUYN KHUMB



Rounding these results up between European games as I cba. Low scoring affairs in each, only picking up slender wins over Banants and Ararat while we sloppily drew with Alashkert.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

PLAYOFF, FIRST LEG (HOME)



For what it's worth, it was a bloody good result. The only downside is Gala's three away goals. Going forward we were troublesome, Hayk Koshoian erupting the home crowd before they were silenced with an equaliser just a few minutes later. The Turks thought we'd back down but instead retook the lead with Avetisyan in a classic counter attack. In the same manner it didn't last, leaving gaps for their corner which Wanderson smashed home. Gala woke up and smelled the coffee to leave us pinned back, allowing Berkay Güler's second goal to kill the game. Furthermore, Muradyan's red card roadblocked any chance of a result. Uphill task in the second leg for sure.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



Was just too good to be true. Circle back to when I said Andreasyan was untested in the first leg? He sure as hell was tested here and failed miserably. Had three glorious opportunities in the first half, two clearances off the line in the same moment and things turned from there. Cristian Dauwalder (who is Argentinian born which is odd) had Andreasyan chasing shadows to beat him for a 50/50 ball and nudge APOEL in front. We collapsed like a house of cards in the second half with the other half of the striker pairing José Pedro burying two before Dauwalder completed the hammering. Hayk Koshoian grabbed a souvenir goal to take a little of the sting out. Second year in a row at the same hurdle we fall flat on our faces in the second leg.

But fear not, there's still the Europa League!

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

PLAYOFF DRAW



LMAO, never mind. At least we won't clock as many air miles this time.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (HOME)



Whooooooa, we're halfway there. APOEL were tame and we took the game to them in flamboyant fashion. The counter attack was our best friend and thanks to their left back conceding the ball too easily, Ortiz ran with it and a string of passes later it wound up back at his feet to drive it home before the break. The Cypriot champs came out of their shells in the second half, with their travelling support thinking they had equalised only for them to realise it ended up in the side netting. Andreasyan untested. Travelling to Nicosia knowing a result will advance us one step closer to the CL group stages.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



So very nearly threw it all away with complete capitulation in the last ten minutes for a sorry defeat. Needn't have mattered as our front two grabbed one each to have us laughing into the dressing room at half time. Things turned quickly with Ayvazyan's second yellow to have us a man down for forty minutes. It became a free for all as the Montenegrin garrison mounted an unlikely comeback started off with Kalicanin on the scoresheet again. Three goals in the last ten minutes had us seriously sweating with some schoolboy defensive mistakes, but the lead was too great to be overturned.

THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



A sterner test with APOEL Nicosia coming to town. Probably the best we could have hoped for as it was either Maccabi Tel-Aviv or Legia Warsaw in the rest of our seed pool.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (HOME)



Pleasantly surprised, stocked up our acorns to hold a solid lead into the second leg. The visitors couldn't get a word in edgeways while we tormented their fragile channels with two class wingers doing business. It was more our set piece plays that carved them; Karasev took free kick duties elegantly for the first while a corner was shunted home by mighty Kosh to get our tails well up. Slightly spread, Budućnost found an opening which Kalicanin grasped with both hands for a cheap away goal. We ran riot in the second half, Maiorov danced his way past two, crossed in to Ortiz who squared it back to Kosh for a second, then continued in his ways to easily pass in a splendid hat-trick. A fifth was almost on the cards too but Karasev was denied by the bar. Well in for the 3QR draw.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Honestly nothing happened during preseason as I look to leave after our European trials end. Straight into the second qualifying draw against the Montenegrin champions Budućnost who from experience aren't the easiest side in the world. First leg at our place, then the reverse at their citadel.

@r96Skinner - Cheers man, think I've got my mojo back in recent years.

___________________________________________





A year to remember for the teenage wonder Alexandr Maiorov, game in game out he played blinders and won the hearts of the Pyunik faithful to make him both younger player of the season and the overall player of the season for the 44/45 season, pipping the free scoring Koshoian to the post. Krzysztof Brosz also made the mentions as his screamer against Banants was voted goal of the season, thoroughly deserved in my opinion. Last but not least, signing of the season had to be Ortiz; two and a half Gs repaid tenfold maybe even hundredfold. Banant's must be absolutely steaming that they let him go that cheap.

https://streamable.com/fzzke



It was the year of the Kosh, a sensational tally of 29 goals which would have been more if it weren't for some injuries keeping him out, also earned 6 man of the match awards in the process. Maiorov was on another level too, a constant in the team and practically undroppable with a 7.54 average rating and counted an outstanding 21 assists for the season (Mesut who?). Sargis Barseghyan was an important instrument in the middle in the CM role, almost faultless with the passing movement with his 89% completion. Ayvazyan got stuck in with 8 yellows while 3 players received a red this season; Hovhannisyan, Filic and Avetisyan.



Smashing records all over the board this guy is, let's hope I maintain him or perhaps I can poach him at my next club down the line, doubtful as it may be.



A lush 20% turnover increase came into the club, leaving us in a really healthy financial state with just over £2m.



Last bit of news was our goalkeeper got a callup to the Armenian squad at long last. Hopefully can cement his place as the nation's number one.

BARDZRAGUYN KHUMB

MATCHDAY 28



That's all folks. Ended the season in a professional manner to run away with the league in the end. Ortiz clocked off the season with his 21st goal to break the deafening silence in a boring dead rubber game. Gandzasar thought they'd grab something from the game with Habrun's late sweaty finish but much like the cup final, they fell flat on their face in the dying embers. Nothing warmed my heart more than seeing the Kosh return from injury and return to the scoresheet with virtually the last kick of the game to end with one final hurrah. 29 goals, 50 between him and Ortiz. That's what you call a striking partnership.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Finished the season strong, ignoring a minor hiccup at home to Banants to seal a glorious treble. Ortiz banging them in again with Brosz, Avetisyan and Filic all getting involved too. And to think I paid £2.5k for the dude, outrageously good business.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE




Romped to success, finishing eleven clear in the end ahead of our nemeses Shirak after they had a bumpy end of season run in. Ararat and Gandzasar edged into the Europa League, while matters at the other end took a dramatic turn on the final day as Shenghavit beat Banants on the final day to survive and dump Erebuni out of the top flight for the first time in four seasons. Fun all round!