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#406242 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 8
Seven wins from seven before today, however Budućnost were left puzzled to snatch a point from them. It wasn't so much parking the bus as how awful the champions were going forward, Perovic barely tested. In a game we were expected to get thrashed, a stalemate is huge pleasure.
The back line performance earned Markovic and Hrustanovic in team of the week.
#406241 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
GRUPA CRNA GORA
SECOND ROUND, FIRST LEG (AWAY)
Quality outweighed quantity in the first leg of the cup, securing a vital away goal against Ibar. Game itself was entertaining, both sides coining up solid chances but only one hit the back of the net. Veselinovic had a slow start to the season but notched up his fifth goal in three games to win it towards the latter part of the game. All nearly didn't go to plan, Mirsad Pejic for Ibar bolted away but skewed his effort agonisingly wide as injury time approached.
#406183 From failed footballer to a traveling manager
DNZY
#406169 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 7
Frequent flyers Mladost (P) narrowly toppling us, but you can't say we deserved anything from this game. Seven clear cut chances for the home side and eventually broke the deadlock with Boban Petrovic, completely unmarked at the back stick. To my surprise we snuck in the equaliser from a corner, Mandic getting the final touch - but it was short lived. Steam came out of my ears when we fell behind again with some cartoon defending that you have to see to believe, followed by another from Zakic to dash all hope. Veselinovic grabbed a consolatory goal to make the scoreline more respectable.
https://streamable.com/9vv0g
I've no words. He literally backheeled it against his own player.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
Double the wins from last month, though one came in the cup and one came through a late penalty. We're certainly finding life tough in the Montenegrin league, but at least Veselinovic might actually start scoring on a more regular basis with 4 goals in 2 games.
LEAGUE TABLE
Still amongst the majority of sides in a points perspective, we pray that we have to compete with the sides in the bottom half. No draws yet after seven games.
#405886 Dominating The World [FM18]
DNZY
#405330 From failed footballer to a traveling manager
DNZY
#404789 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
FIRST ROUND
Finally! A match we looked in control of...well almost. The underdogs got their noses in front early on, but that was practically 50% of their chances all game. I fielded an inexperienced side to give them a platform for them to grow, Zeljko Kostic got the memo to squeeze in an equaliser from a tight angle. Tactical tinkering won us the game in the second half, changing Veselinovic from a poacher to an advanced forward to pay dividends. A second half hat-trick for the Serb, going from a 6.4 at half time to 9.5 at full time.
Glad he's got that out of his system. That's roughly a ten game goal drought.
SECOND ROUND DRAW
Even lower down the Montenegrin footballing pyramid, third tier Ibar are the reward.
#404786 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
FIRST ROUND DRAW
Struggling second tier side Zabjelo Podgorica are the first hurdle.
T-COM 1.CFL
MATCHDAY 6
Speaking of struggling, I'm amazed we found the ground exit because we looked lost against Grbalj. Despite coming closest in the opening half hour with a shot deflecting off the post, Grbalj were always in control and Slavko Mijailovic converted Radmanovic's cross to have them leading at the break. Surrendered the second half, looking outnumbered by the forward pressure Grbalj put on us with Nikola Markovic heading in the second and Andrija Simovic rounding the keeper to put us out of our misery. Well, they never said it'd be easy.
#404759 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 5
What could be a crucial win come the end of the season, defeating rock bottom Petrovac through a last gasp penalty. Perovic kept his place in goal despite injury doubts and made sure we didn't fall behind in the first half, saving onto the crossbar from Radoslav Popovic. Highlightless up to that point, we secured a penalty just as the clock began 3 minutes of injury time. Young 17 year old midfielder Nemanja Antic held his nerve, blasting it down the middle for only our second win of the season.
#404757 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
T-COM 1.CFL
MATCHDAY 4
Back to losing ways, getting pushed aside by out of form Rudar. Red cards, broken fingers and post summer showers were on the menu; red cards for both full backs made life difficult to start with, our goalkeeper Radovan Perovic had to be subbed off due to a broken finger and Mladenko Mitrovic applied the only goal of the game. Dino Cosic headed wide in the first half, only thing to shout about as we never looked like winning regardless.
#404583 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 3
Lady luck was looking down upon us, plus a change in personnel as we ditched Veselinovic for Dino Cosic who was the game changer. Mornar had a total communication malfunction to gift us our first goal of the season, Cosic nipping in between two defenders to beat the outcoming keeper into an empty net. Didn't take long to piss into the wind, allowing Ivan Kocic a way through for a soft equaliser. Cosic had a hand in the winner, threading the ball through the eye of a needle to find Suskavcevic in acres of space to place it home heading into the final twenty minutes. Off the mark with Vukovi.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
I've had better months but I can understand why we lost the opening two, perhaps fortunate at home to Mornar too. Cosic might unlock a few doors for us heading into September.
LEAGUE TABLE
It ain't bottom so I'm content. Seventh after three. Sutjeska got absolutely spanked with bad results to land them bottom of the league while unsurprisingly Budućnost lead the charge.
#404582 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 2
More poor quality football, though Bokelj were streets ahead of us. Can't say too much about Vavic putting his laces through one for the opener but our Madagascan midfielder scored a peculiar header at the wrong end when there wasn't a sinner near him. Veselinovic is already doing my nut in, missing the target for the second match running when put through in a one on one situation. No shot on target for our boys, the bookies might be right for a change.
#404580 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 1
Garbage viewing for our opening game, losing to another side I had be running for. Out of our control really, it was a damn good free kick by Aleksandar Jankovic that won the game. Veselinovic did nearly grab an equaliser midway through the first half, getting ahead of the keeper but the ball flashed narrowly wide of the far post. Other than that, borefest.
Haha, great joke SI now can you be serious? Oh, it is?
#404577 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
TRANSFERS
OUT
Nice bit of profit on third choice 18 year old keeper Alen Mancic, who'll probably be a world beater in five years but oh well, he's off to the strongest team in the division. I may not even be here to see the rise of him.
IN
That move subsidised our own little transfer while still hanging on to a bit of mint.
Vitaly Barsukov - D(R) - £1.3k from Jedinstvo (P)
Yes he's old and yes he's going through a mid-life crisis with that coiffure but is a proper leader to potentially help us build from the back. His technicals have diminished but acquires the strength and a bit of potency. Can't guarantee fireworks with this signing but an option nonetheless.
SEASON ODDS
Betfair stack the odds well against us, tipping us to finish rock bottom. Will the inner Leicester compel us?
#404189 Dominating The World [FM18]
DNZY
#404179 Zero to Hero
DNZY
#404177 It's time Tou... Louse?
DNZY
#404175 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
___________________________________________
For a club well established in the nation, they only lie in a small town of Golubovci (Голубовци), roughly 15 kilometres south of the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica. It is a town that only has ~3,000 people due to it's location on the fertile Zeta plain, though the further municipality accounts for slightly over 16,000 residents. The eye-catching landmark found here is the Spomenik Golubovci (pictured), a World War II memorial monument to commemorate fallen Montenegrin soldiers and civilians within that period.
Stadion Trešnjica houses the action for Zeta, playing in front of a capacity crowd of 5,000 people. The stadium was built in 1996 and hosted it's first top tier league match in August 2000, a bumper crowd saw them hand a pasting to Milicionar four goals to nil and further hosted big name sides including Crvena zvezda and Partizan when Serbia and Montenegro were still an item. In 2016, it received a facelift with a blend of grass and artificial grass - despite that, the field only spans 110m x 70m making it a rather crowded field.
As mentioned previously, their one major honour in the cabinet was the first season of the Prva CFL occurring in 06-07, however since then it has remained rather dusty. Recent years, they have only just kept themselves in the league with bottom half finishes but controversially they did secure second place in 2017, pipped by head to head record with overall winners Budućnost. The controversy lies in a six point deduction due to two separate disciplinary breaches, which cost Zeta dearly as three sides finished with 57 points at the end of the season. FM era has not lifted the curse to which they were relegated in 2032 but bounced back swiftly the next year, securing the 2.CFL. Zeta have failed to make a Montenegrin cup final, let alone winning one either. In European competition, Zeta missed out on a Europa League group stage in 2012-13, thumped by Dutch side PSV Eindhoven including a 9-0 demolishing to lose 14-0 on aggregate.
SQUAD
Large squad, but how capable are they at this level? Seems there is quite a degree of mediocrity about them bar some. Few young'ns potentially could rise in quality with some game time. Plethora of options available to me in all kinds of positions make life that little bit easier to mould a tactic together. The squad is predominantly home grown with a few Serbs and Russians thrown in there...and someone from Madagascar?! How arbitrary!
KEY PLAYER: Igor Markovic - D(C)
I can already see a theme of budget quality within the camp if this is our best player. He's strong and mentally sound with good positioning, but what technicals will he bring to the table? Looks like this is him at his peak at 25, might pick up one or two tricks before he hits his thirties. Let's hope he can hold a good defensive line with a potent leader in there.
EXPECTATIONS
It's almost guiding me on stabilisers with the expectations thrown at me. Minimum objective, not finish bottom. Second round of the cup will be achievable with the luck of the draw on our side. Weak enough transfer budget is made up by a five figure wage budget, might even be more if we ship out some dead weight.
#404149 [FM 18] From Non League To Premier League
DNZY
#403999 Dominating The World [FM18]
DNZY
#403997 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
@Dan - I was half expecting it, but given the context with the Armenian cup final in sight it was a bit harsh.
___________________________________________
Nation: Montenegro
Media Prediction (Odds): 10th/10 (200-1)
Expectations: Avoid automatic relegation
Pros: Gateway into a new nation. Board only require me to not finish bottom. Good squad depth (ex. quality).
Cons: Destined to finish bottom. Weakest budgets in the league.
RESULT:
One offer on the cards. Riddled with peril.
Nation: Montenegro
Media Prediction (Odds): 6th/10 (14-1)
Expectations: Mid-table
Pros: Far safer bet than Zeta. Finished 4th last season.
Cons: Long shot at challenging for silverware. Appalling wage budget being tabled. One or two long term injuries.
RESULT:
The insulting wage budget readjustment was not met kindly by the Dečić board.
#403990 Football Manager 2017 story of the year is....
DNZY
#403910 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 22
Bewildered, I really am. Bossing the first half, it let to the pressure getting to Alashkert to concede early in the second, another defender bagging his first goal in the shape of Edgar Abramyan. We were hit with a sucker punch just four minutes later when Vardanyan belted one into the top corner. Mikaelyan found his way onto the scoresheet after a few blanks, hitting them on the counter to retake the lead. Alashkert had a secret weapon - Eduard Ghazaryan. Coming off the bench, he stunned us with two goals to hand the home side a shock advantage. The sad part was that I saw it coming. Guess Banants are reliant on the Armenian cup.
..and it will have to be under someone else's management. The Armenian sources' story was true, I've been sacked. Harsh sacking with the second leg of the cup on the horizon and a potential final on the cards. Board weren't sticking around to second guess. I can only add that I'm frustrated, but not surprised. Another leg of the journey ends in blood, sweat and tears.
#403906 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
SEMI FINAL FIRST LEG (AWAY)
The return of the Armenian cup saw us put one foot in the final with a crucial away goal. The game itself was pulsating - both sides hit the bar three times each. Anatoly Borisov produced the only net rustler, positioned at the half way line at the start of phase, made a superb off the ball run to connect with Narek Barseghyan's pass, dribbled his way to goal and tucked it under the keeper. A huge confidence boost.
#403903 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
BARDZRAGUYN KHUMB
MATCHDAY 21
Possession pays dividends in what was an even game, but not on the scoreboard. 17 year old centre back Hakobyan had his eyes lit up with his first ever goal for the club, glancing in a header from Jesús Vaca. Eight minutes later it was two and a real contender for goal of the season; Ortiz dispossessing Gandzasar in the middle, running almost half the first before a rocket launcher of a finish ended in the top corner. Levon Avagyan kept it competitive with a headed in corner minutes into the second half, however man of the match Vaca piledrived in the third from outside the area. Three game losing streak wiped out, perhaps we'll see a revival.
It caused Gandzasar's manager to lose his job too. Guess who's next on the chopping block?
#403888 Susie On Tour 2018 - Stop 1 - Black Cat Revival
DNZY
True, but man's got to eat.
#403883 Susie On Tour 2018 - Stop 1 - Black Cat Revival
DNZY
#403852 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 20
No surprises here, we are so short of confidence at the moment. Arthur Nazaryan delivering twice, one straight from a free kick and the other from the spot, Esoyan at fault for it. Nazaryan would have made it a hattrick if not for Yinkibarian while our best effort came from Narek Ghazaryan who only somewhat tested the gloves of Kovalev as it was fired straight at him. Pressure continues to mount with now only four games to save my job here.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
We've had awful luck, three consecutive defeats against tough opposition and one where we lucked out. Alberto Ortiz having a bipolar month, scoring in one game and AWOL the next. He's still only young and is keeping Borisov out of the selection.
LEAGUE TABLE
I mean where do I begin? European football slipping through our fingers at an alarming rate, trailing an enormous eleven points off the top three. Finishing fourth ahead of Gandzasar may be our only hope. Challenging the top positions seems like a distant memory.
#403797 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
MATCHDAY 19
Destroyed by Shirak, putting me in exceedingly more danger than at the start of play. Three down at half time and looked so deflated compared to the beginning of the season, lacking so much confidence to what was an impressive home performance. Zurab Gorbachev broke up all our plays and capped off a stellar performance with Shirak's fourth. Alberto Ortiz recovered from his hiccup last game to give us something on the board, but a penalty converted by Tevosyan ensured a rout to a ring of boos coming from the away end.
Karasev out for a similar length of time as Pavlov, meaning we've no league ready right winger.
Can I survive another bullet?
Not as lenient on this occasion, 9 points from 5 is doable. Only problem is we play Pyunik next.
#403775 [FM17] Climbing Jacob's Ladder (Part Deux)
DNZY
Bad news for us, Karasev is actually going to play in our next game.
BARDZRAGUYN KHUMB
MATCHDAY 18
Daylight robbery. We'll rue this result without a shadow of a doubt. Sure, we may have missed key chances, sure we may have hit the woodwork once or twice and sure Ortiz missed a penalty on the half hour but we were definitely mugged off. Vladimir Stepanov was the criminal, not just by name but tapping in a cross was just obscene. Ortiz had a shocker, but Ararat goalkeeper Karen Hakobyan had a blinder with 8 saves during the game. Physically sick.
Oh great, this is just what I need right now.
He saw it from my point of view so the anvil above my head is removed....for now...