DNZY - Comments

Not a classic, but got the job done. Well structured, well organised at the back, Fellaini actually played very decent which is a nice change.

Disappointing for Ajax, far too inexperienced for a major European final. Dolberg was in Smalling's suitcase all game. The only player who impressed me on the day was Davinson Sanchez, looked absolutely rock solid and I can see why Chelsea are after him.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Goodness gracious did we leave this late on what we thought would be another frustrating draw with Tarxien. On an afternoon where Rudi failed to hit shots with power, Castellano missed an open goal and Ángel couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo, it was left to one man and one man alone. Roderick Pace recuperated from his brief injury to come off the bench and, like the second coming of Jesus, he brought Valletta fans to their knees, weeping tears of joy and worship. How important could that one goal be to our season?



Couldn't believe what I was watching as Mosta nearly caused a major rift in the title race. Mosta came to play while we were shadow boxing in the first half, Alex Borg nipped in from a corner then going further behind by giving away a penalty converted with ease by Miguel Caruana. With Mosta cornering us, they did loosen our leash after Daniel Micallef saw a straight red before the interval to make for an interesting second period. Hands on deck for Mosta as we commanded the second half and reduced arrears from Ben Coyle bundling it home from close range. Piling the pressure on with a 3-4-3 late doors, our prayers were answered, a guardian Ángel came down from the sky and brought us level with three minutes remaining. The next moment I cannot fathom how frustrated I was, picture being in injury time and you've the opportunity to perform an incredible second half comeback...then this happens (we're in white).

https://streamable.com/0wqtc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOgaCSPK1IY



Flashbacks to when we bottled the league last season, what made it worse were my former employers doing this. Was our own fault to be honest, so disorganized at the back from an attacking corner that it led to a 3 on 1 situation; Joe Parnis chose the left option of Christian Thomas who made no mistake. Shockingly poor up front, Roddy Pace and Ben Coyle both missing clear cut chances which on another day you'd bet your bottom dollar they'd ripple the back of the net. Third defeat in the league, please don't let this happen again.



Reverted back to the 4-3-3 philosophy and it worked a treat. Neil Agius opened his account early on to settle the early nerves, and then doubled it moments before the break with a stupendous cut inside from the left and curled one into the top corner. Absolutely delightful from the young lad. Darren Buhagiar vacuum sealed the win at the back stick, leaping highest to head the ball home. Played like the days of old, can we do that until the end of the season please?

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Despite an occlusion at the early stages, we ended on a high away to Naxxar Lions. Few players chipping in on the goals this month.

LEAGUE TABLE



The wheels on Hibernians' season are coming loose, suffering back to back defeats to Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans. Now we have to contest with Birkirkara's resurgence, lying two points behind. Eight games left, eight cup finals to us.

NEXT UPDATE: February 2032

Nervous that it's our only ticket to the Champions League and could bottle it, not so nervous about Ajax, they've great talent but have a very poor away record in the Europa League this season. The Manchester fiasco may give the players incentive to play for their memory but they could also still be in a state of shock as it happened less than 48 hours ago.

I'm just hoping we play with integrity and not this park the bus nonsense.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



I feel rather bad about this win as it triggered Pietà's manager getting the sack afterwards. Juan Ángel got the nod over Pace for the start and duly delivered as he got on the end of Agius' cross for the opener. Pietà were a shadow of last year's side that finished 4th in the league, they were sinking right to the bottom with our second goal as Ángel turned supplier to Rudi. Conjured up 14 shots on target, the hotspurs were blessed that only two went past them on this occasion.



Despite temporarily sending us back to the top, I'm still second favourite for getting the chop. Are the board not telling me something here?



How did this team win the league two years ago? Sliema were a dog's chew toy for most of the game, in fact it was a no contest by half time. Their keeper Andreas Vella had an absolute mare, at fault for each of the goals; Rudi chipped him after just two minutes, failed to beat Brincat to the ball from a corner and headed in for two, sloppy defending plus a weak hand failed to keep out Cremona for the third, the fourth was a poor clearance plus miserably attempting to come out on the one on one for Agius and lastly Spiteri bringing the tent down on this circus by slotting past Vella at his near post. Couldn't have been made any simpler for us.



Bad news for Pace, he'll miss the super cup final against Birkirkara plus our next league match which is also against Birkirkara.



Even more bad news, the stripes got one over us after taking the lead. Neil Agius is becoming ol' reliable at the moment, 12 goals this season by virtue of a scrappy clearance from their defence. Didn't take long for them to respond, cut open too easily at the back as David Bugeja safely guided home the equaliser. We feared the worst and eventually shot ourselves in the foot with 20 minutes left, giving too much room for Refalo to cut inside and slide a through ball to Michael Micallef for the winner. A tense game overall, dropping massive points.

FA TROPHY

THIRD ROUND



I wanted an exit, but not like this. Second, third and fourth choice debutants came into the squad but turned into an unmitigated disaster by the 18th minute. Ben Coyle thought he spared blushes for Steve Borg's opener but that was only the beginning. Borg swiped a second while Jurgen Zammit failed to be closed down from a corner to make it an embarrassing end to the first half. My thought process changed and wanted to make the comeback; Shaun Cini has done sweet FA since arriving here but did pull one back. Second half involved Victoria parking the bus and kept us out with repose to send us crashing out at the first hurdle.

BOV SUPER CUP




Super cup unlocked! Coimbra the penalty hero in what was a surprisingly entertaining 0-0. Tale of two halves really as Birkirkara started brightly for the first half of the game, we came to life in the second and had ample amount of chances to win the game only for Pierre Grech to be on top of his game to keep them out. The game couldn't be separated by ninety minutes nor extra time so the remaining alternative was penalties. Four well executed penalties by us, while Birkirkara's weren't a patch on us; Shawn Sant had his saved by Coimbra while Jurgen Barbara fired wide. The Lilywhites lift the Super Cup!





Decided to lock down Neil Agius earlier this month, keeping him at Valletta until the end of 2033.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



I'd summarise this month as mediocre by our standards, despite the 5-0 thrashing of Sliema we did fall flat on our faces against Victoria and Birkirkara.

LEAGUE TABLE



Despite the defeat to Birkirkara, we stay top and build a gap of five points to third and fourth. Hibernians are still gripping onto us, still undefeated after 14 games. I hope this won't be recurrent.

NEXT UPDATE: January 2032

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Għaxaq made a meteoric rise up the Maltese ranks with back to back promotions, seven years ago being a non league club. We sent them falling to Earth again; Roderick Pace recorded his 50th and 51st career goals and perhaps overshadowed a rare goal for the Thai regen Boonmee Wangchan, but a comfortable win is the key importance. Għaxaq put up a decent fight, but Coimbra was too good to be beaten.



Well this was unexpected, a one sided derby match to put Floriana in the dirt. Pace is making a case for keeping Ángel out of the team with his latest performances, three in two for Roddy and the fans may want to reconsider the skepticism of re-signing him. Corners were the kryptonite to Floriana's gameplan, scoring our other two goals courtesy of Neil Agius and a strong header from the Argentine defender Leonardo Zanel. Expected more from the emeralds, finishing with their tail between their legs.



Agius is a doubt for the next encounter after taking a knock in the Malta U21's game against Romania.



Meltdown in the second half handed us our first defeat of the season to the ever dangerous Ħamrun Spartans. Leonardo Zanel provided one of the misses of the season just a quarter of the game in, keeper out of position, unmarked with a free header no more than six yards out but somehow heads it onto the crossbar. Rudi picked the lock deep into first half injury time to take the lead. The manager at the opposite end must have enlightened his team, none more so than Gianluca Cassar who got in all the right areas to calmly finish three goals to turn the game on it's head. Ángel was subbed on to kindle a fightback but the minutes rapidly vanished by the time we could create something left.



3-0 seems to be our favourite scoreline currently, dishing out our frustration from last week on Balzan. Neil Agius made it to double figures for goals scored, his 10th being one of his best with a ferocious hit from 25 yards, the only goal in a half completely controlled by us. Scoring outside the box seemed to be a theme of this game, Rudi contributed to that to double the score before Roddy Pace broke free of three defenders and had all the time in the world to reap what we sowed. A strong finish to the month.

FA TROPHY

THIRD ROUND DRAW



First line of defence of the FA Trophy comes against Victoria Hotspurs in Gozo. Am I willing to throw the game for the sake of other trophies this season?

RESULTS OVERVIEW



The first red dot of the league is an unpleasant surprise, considering how well we did this month. Roderick Pace still has the magic touch for Valletta with four goals this month.

LEAGUE TABLE



Oh God, is this where we blow it again? Hibernians still unbeaten and now taking pole position by a point. Birkirkara also not giving up the fight, just three points behind us.

NEXT UPDATE: December 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



The side who denied us on the final day of last season got a good seeing to, strolling to victory on a chilly, drizzly day in the capital. A spot kick sent us on our way, Juan Ángel held his nerve to put power behind his kick and avoid missing a third penalty in a row. Confidence in passing led to the second, threading the ball finely from the halfway line to the net; Neil Agius played a 1-2 with Rudi to finish with finesse. Frankly, Naxxar had nothing to offer and we nearly put them to sleep with Matthew Cremona hitting the post in the last ten minutes. We continue to march on.



Another side who defeated us in the last meeting fell apart, Żebbuġ Rangers were no match for our superiority. More keep away with the ball, passing with a flow to take the lead, however Rudi needed a second hit after the post denied his first effort. Teenage sensation Neil Agius was at it again, scoring his sixth in six from Rudi's through ball to guard a handsome lead at the break. Żebbuġ made it too easy for the third, but credit to Rudi and Agius with two direct balls to each other and then crossed to Juan Ángel to tuck away. Rudi dominated the midfield on the day and assisted for the second time to Agius who upped his tally to seven in six. The home side were glad to hear the final whistle in the end.



The top of the table clash was a game of chess as Hibernians played out for the draw. First ten minutes were end to end, Coimbra stopping Jurgen Farrugia's effort dead in it's tracks while an even better save from David Cilia kept Neil Agius out. The game died down until two second half chances came our way, Ángel used his head this time but the post denied him after a wonderful whipped cross from Jason Attard while Roddy Pace came off the bench but Cilia saved his 12 yard effort. Can't be happy to come away with only a point, but our unbeaten streak remains in tact.



Classic Rudi, another one match suspension for the captain.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Three games without conceding a goal, gaining seven points along the way. Hibernians will be breathing a huge sigh of relief that we didn't make it a perfect month. The efforts from Rudi and Agius this month were top notch.

LEAGUE TABLE



The draw means we still haven't shaken Hibs off yet, but Birkirkara's champions label is starting to peel and lie four points adrift now. Who will be the first to lose their unbeaten run?

NEXT UPDATE: November 2031

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Howzdat? Emphatic win to kick our season off against the side who denied us a few months back. Neil Agius opened up the scoring after just 7 minutes, but a howler from Fabiano Coimbra allowed the visitors draw level, sprinting off his line to chase a ball with Maverick Farrugia but failing miserably to give Maverick the audacity to loop around him and tap into an empty net. The momentum changed when Birkirkara went down to ten men, Chris Spiteri lunging in frustration after losing the ball and earned a straight red. Juan Ángel bagged his first of the season to lead at the break. Nahuel Castellano had a debut to remember, setting up two second half goals; one for Buhagiar and then one for Agius to complete a brace and wipe away last season's misery with a superb opening win.



Cini misses out on our next game.



Demolition job at home to Mosta, just too good for them. New signing Zanel got on the scoresheet with help from a disastrous mistake by Calleja Cremona, who is now in net for Mosta. Darren Spiteri also achieved his first senior goal for the club and just moments later Juan Ángel made it three before half time. Mercilessly we continued to score in the second half, Agius bagging back to back braces before a welcome return to Roddy Pace who stabbed home a sixth. Alex Borg got the consolatory goal for Mosta, but they were well out of the game by then. Steamrolling it so far.



With a midweek game against Tarxien Rainbows and Pembroke on the Saturday, made a call to rotate the squad to stay fresh. Retrospectively it was a bad call as neither Cini nor Pace could break past resulting in a drab stalemate. Nahuel Castellano clipping the bar from a cross was about as exciting as it got in the first half but showed signs of improvement in the second. Shaun Cini was perhaps put into the squad too hastily, failing to hit his shots with power and making it easy for their goalkeeper. Tarxien didn't test Gauci in goal, while we failed to live up to our name, taking an unconvincing 0-0.



Pace also out with a knock but have plenty of strikers to fill in for him.



Flattering scoreline to us, Pembroke were no pushovers this time around and were lucky to come away with a win. The South American influence was definitely the X factor; Castellano struck home for his first Valletta goal, also setting up Juan Ángel to make it 2-0. Rudi finished the job from a corner with a venomous hit from the edge of the area. Pembroke didn't deserve to be behind but for their troubles did pull one back through one of my former players Karl Ciantar. Julian Briffa came over to say hello too, but missed an absolute sitter to keep the game at 3-1. Brave effort but the points belong to us.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Rock steady start, despite a rather disappointing draw in between. Neil Agius is on fire at the moment, 4 goals and 3 assists in three games. Castellano already looking like a bargain too, 1 goal and 4 assists for the Argentinian.

LEAGUE TABLE



Second best only to Hibernians who've a 100% start to the season. Birkirkara also recovering from that heavy blow at the start of the season and lie just a point behind us.

NEXT UPDATE: October 2031

TRANSFERS

OUT



Shedding our team for another season, making the controversial executive decision to let Ayrton's contract run out which didn't exactly go down too well with the fans. Bartolo also leaves as we need a proper full strength goalkeeper to make a statement this season. Few others were networked to our feeder club to gain some experience plus one or two other loan deals on top of that.

IN



Similar to last season, recruited one player for each general area (i.e. goalkeeper, defence, midfield and an attacking option), with a familiar face popping in again because I'm a sentimental softy. Plus I think he was the void we couldn't fill in the second half of last season. Some serious bucks were thrown in terms of wages for some players.



Roderick Pace - ST(C) - free transfer from Sliema Wanderers

No introduction necessary, capable poacher with 15 finishing. He may not get the start in every game but I'm hopeful he'll deliver the 'Plan B' should the shit hit the fan.



Nahuel Castellano - M(R) - free transfer from Tiro Federal (Rosario)

Streets ahead of any available right winger in this division which'll mean we're abandoning the 4-3-3 movement temporarily because Nahuel is far too good to leave on the bench. Ideally, I'd prefer him to be a little bit quicker but 15 in technique and a proper set piece taker he'll do a right job. First of three mouthwatering signings.



Leonardo Zanel - D(C) - free transfer from Atlético Carcarañá

One of the more expensive ones concerning wage demands, but well worth it. Mentally structured at only 18 years of age, the 'defender holy trinity' as I like to call it (heading, marking, tackling) all solid, lacks a bit of physicality but will improve with a bit of game time. For £500p/w it is a gamble but he is a proper coup for the club.



Fabiano Coimbra - GK - £75 from Democrata GV

Feast your eyes on this Brazilian wonder, need to pinch myself that's he's actually our player. Green attributes in all the right places, apart from agility, anticipation and first touch. 6'4", 87 kg and 5* all at 18, Lord knows how well this guy could be in two or three years time. One of my best signings on this save thus far and Gauci will definitely be relegated to the bench.



Financial forecast is really encouraging at the moment, recording almost 60% profit of turnover measuring £1.3M. After European football we're projected to surpass the black £3M mark on our balance sheets.





RE/MAX Malta unveiled themselves as the next sponsor for Valletta's 2031/32 kit reveal for the next two years.



In other news, Shaun Cini returned from injury and got his first call up and cap to the Malta national team, playing in a 1-0 defeat to FYR Macedonia.

FRIENDLIES



Piece of pish.


EUROPA LEAGUE

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



A throwback to my Ordino days, returning to face Swiss/Liechtensteiner club FC Vaduz for the first time in 15 years.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, FIRST LEG (HOME)



An uphill task in the second leg, Vaduz popping three away goals past us in Malta. First moment of note came our way, Castellano on his full debut linked in with Juan Ángel who was denied by the post. Markus Degen was to be a torment for us down the line, soft defending allowed the ball to be threaded into the lightweight striker to finish it off. Only one down at the break, still in the game, only for 35 seconds after resuming we fell 2-0 behind; Degen again on hand while we didn't even get to touch the ball in the process. A lifeline was thrown to us as Castellano marked his debut with the setup of a goal, crossing to the head of Rudi to reduce arrears. No sooner had Vaduz kicked off before they reclaimed their two goal advantage, Degen taking the match ball home following an all too easy hat-trick for him. Vaduz had opportunities to stretch the lead further but the scoreline was left at 3-1 going over to Liechtenstein.





The fans only come out when it matters. But I'll kindly take their dosh.

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, SECOND LEG (AWAY)



Tussled well in the second leg, but bowed out on aggregate. We took the lead under fortunate circumstances, Darren Spiteri on the left had his cross blocked off the back of the Vaduz defender and laid on a plate for Neil Agius to sidefoot home to ignite some spark of belief. All hope was extinguished when Degen aka 'The Torment' returned to deliver two more well executed finishes to fire Vaduz into a commanding aggregate lead. The least we managed was to make a game out of it, Rudi superbly darted his way into the Vaduz area to finish a sterling solo effort. Nearly won the game but for a stop from Christian Baldinger to deny Neil Agius, but we go out not disgraced 5-3 on aggregate.





Got to love the Europa League payouts.



Our youth facilities upgrade is complete, getting that well deserved face-lift.

EXPECTATIONS



Emphasis goes on the league this year, otherwise I'm definitely out the door. I dare say we should sacrifice a potential FA Trophy three-peat. Super cup I may consider going for.



Once again tipped to take the spoils, Birkirkara surprisingly only fancied at 11-2 in 5th but it's very fine margins with other sides including Sliema, Floriana and Hibernians all in the mixture.

BOV SUPER CUP



And this is why the super cup matters, locking horns with the stripes of Birkirkara again. Revenge on the cards I'm hoping on NYE. They are also our first game of the league season too.

NEXT UPDATE: August/September 2031

Fair play on that win against United, dug yourself right out of that hole in the end! Funny seeing teams such as Oldham and Kortrijk being pitted against Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Hull going down with a whimper. Such a shame after a brave season.

Rudi Farrugia swept the competition aside to claim the Valletta player of the season award for the second year running with a whopping 78% of the vote, well clear of Matthew Cremona and Ayrton Farrugia. Despite no mention of Juan Ángel following a terrific debut season, he won both signing of the season plus the young player of the season awards. Matthew Cremona's trademark freekick against Floriana was seen as the goal of the season according to our fans. In fairness, he struck it damn well.

https://streamable.com/o6mw0



Rudi and Ángel stole the show this season, the Colombian striker hitting the back of the net 14 times and setting up a further 9, not bad at all. Rudi meanwhile assisted 9, 5 man of the match awards and with his average rating surpassing 7.5 this season, it's no wonder he was our player of the season. Mark Camilleri didn't start much and hence why he was our best passer at 87%. Discipline really was an issue for us this season, Jason Attard accumulating 10 yellows while Ayrton's 2 red cards perhaps dented our season a little.



Exciting times for Valletta as they've officially announced their professional status, enables more staff, far more coverage for scouting and a lot more valuable players could be attracted to the package we're now able to offer.



Meant only one conclusion, another year at Valletta to hopefully get it right this time around!

NEXT UPDATE: Preseason 2031/32

Nice moment for Josh Harrop, let's not overrate him now.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE





I don't want to say we bottled it, but we seriously bottled it. The nerves were jangling from minute one and Naxxar made us look like fools. Agius was a threat throughout, but not our Agius - John Agius for Naxxar had several chances to break the deadlock in the first half but shortly into the second he made us pay. A brilliant run from Michael Zammit (formerly of Pembroke too) to the right hand byline to square it into Agius who couldn't miss from close range. The match was dreary, never looked close to scoring and we officially threw in the towel when Buhagiar foolishly earned a second yellow to end the season on a sour note.



It wouldn't have made much of a difference anyways as Birkirkara won 3-0 on the final day against Sliema Wanderers, completing a 100% record in their last five games of the season.



Buhagiar will miss both the semi final of the FA Trophy and the final should we get there.



Rudi had a remarkable season when he didn't get suspensions.



Also drawing in decent crowds every game, averaging nearly 1,800 per home game and smashing our own held record.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE





An absolute shocker in the second half of the season and costing us dearly, finishing six points (SIX) behind Birkirkara in the end. Europa League is a given anyways if we fail to win the FA Trophy. Sliema finishing third this time around while Lija, Gżira and Fgura were all relegated to the First Division.

FA TROPHY

SEMI FINAL



Focus quickly turned to the cup and calmly returned to our peak performances with a cushioned win over Pietà Hotspurs. Ayrton doesn't score too many, but when he does it matters a lot as he fired a 25 yard shot through a crowded penalty area, taking one or two deflections on it's way to the back of the net to lead on the stroke of half time. It propelled us into life; Rudi nearly doubled the advantage moments later but clinked off the bar before we were awarded a penalty deep into first half stoppage time. With Ángel on the bench, the task was left to Matthew Cremona and duly delivered despite the keeper diving the right way. The game fizzled out into a drab second half where we were happy to keep the ball and book our place at Ta' Qali for back to back FA Trophy finals.



No place for Rudi in the final, another suspension leaves him watching from the stands.

FINAL DRAW



A duplicate of the BOV Super Cup final, the sky blues of Sliema do battle once again. Roderick Pace scored in last year's final, will he lift the trophy again as a Sliema player or will we put him in his place?



No goal conceded in the cup since that 5-4 thriller in last year's semi final to Swieqi United. Can use it to our advantage.

FA TROPHY FINAL





The board get started on developing our youth facilities just in time for the next youth intake. Could be the start of a beautiful friendship.



And speaking of which, he's offered me a new contract too. Tempted to stay but also tempted to leave due to my rotten luck over here. I may need a coffee and a long walk to give it thought.

NEXT UPDATE: Postseason 2030/31

I still think he needs to make himself more well rounded before he's dubbed as world class. If he performs better in European competitions and for England then perhaps.

@Dan - Can always count on you for encouragement in sticky situations!

___________________________________________






Before any results, we've been officially taken over and I keep my job! Furthermore, the lad is voluntarily upgrading our youth facilities plus investing a further £1.3M into our balance.



Puts us close to the three mill mark.



If that weren't tasty enough, he's trebled our budget. What a lad.



Damn, I'm liking this guy a lot. Going professional next season!



Not all great news, Shaun Cini is out for the most part of the season.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Perhaps it isn't all over yet, smashing Pietà Hotspurs for four. Took the initiative in the first half to bombard them, Matthew Cremona with steel nerves curling in a free kick on the edge of the D before Neil Agius doubled our lead with a low curling effort to regain any lost confidence. Corners were our strong point in the second half, Darren Buhagiar muscled and towered his way to head in the third, while Agius struck again following a loose ball from a despondent clearance. Straight forward, in your face win to keep a title race on.



Clinched our sphincters to see off Balzan in an end to end slugfest. The home side effectively handed us the lead, dispossessed too easily in the centre following an attacking move to which Ángel burst down the right channel on the counter to find Neil Agius again for his seventh on the season. Agius is on fire lately and so nearly made it two, rounding the keeper but left him a tight angle to finish and hit an unbalanced effort into the side netting. Balzan knocked on the door and opened for substitute Alan Fenech left completely unmarked and aimed his shot away from Gauci and in for a cheap equaliser. If Balzan can do impact subs, so can I, Ben Coyle replaced Spiteri and resulted in playing 4-3-3 again and his first touch was devastating - a goal within 30 seconds of coming on to nudge us back in front to which the youths had no response. It goes to the final day of the season!



Bugger! The lad in form will now miss the final day with injury.

FA TROPHY

QUARTER FINAL



If all else fails, we still have the cup and booked our place in the semis with a rather nonchalant win over First Division side Gudja United. Rotated the squad heavily and one of the youngsters had a hand in the first goal, right winger Steve Cilia crossing for Ben Coyle to head home from close range - standard but proud moment for the lad. Gudja applied some pressure with an effort from Malcolm Scerri but too tame to trouble Bartolo in net, but straight from his kickout we went up the other end, Coyle turned provider to our Thai intern Boonmee Wangchan with a rather sloppy 25 yard effort along the turf but still troubled the keeper to keep it out. A walk in the park.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



After smashing them in the league, Pietà Hotspurs will have another go to take us down for a place in the FA Trophy final.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A much better string of results in league and cup, have we left it too late in the league though?

LEAGUE TABLE



Perhaps we have, Birkirkara are coasting right now with four straight wins following that scoreless draw with us at the end of February. Yet if they lose their final game to Sliema Wanderers, ending a 25 match unbeaten run, it plays into our hands perfectly. However, we still need to win against Naxxar Lions to guarantee any chance of that. At least European football is secured come next season.

NEXT UPDATE: May 2031

Some Spurs fans are quick to label their players 'world class'. Harry Kane and Dele Alli are superb players don't get me wrong, but world class?

They still need to improve their game to reach the upper echelons of footballers in my opinion.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



A major blow, failing to topple Fgura United in what seemed to be a one sided affair. The quantity of our efforts were goose eggs, in fact Fgura had the best chance in the first half where Mark Cutajar through on goal awkwardly skewed his shot wide; grimace on the home fans' faces after that miss. At last a breakthrough came on the hour, putting an end to back and forth tennis between halves and actually work something in the Fgura half, sequencing passes to the goalscorer Neil Agius who lobbed the keeper for 1-0. The important thing was not to lose our heads and unsteady the momentum for the last half an hour - Rudi clearly didn't get the memo; on a yellow and committed a cynical foul to send him off with seventeen minutes to go. The man advantage paid off for Fgura and Cutajar made up for his earlier miss to get on the end of the cross and cleverly aimed for the corner away from Gauci in goal. It wasn't done there, Fgura also had Warren Fenech dismissed but too late to make an impact. Meanwhile, Birkirkara won meaning we drop to second.



Two more matches without Rudi, terrific.



He can moan all he wants, he cost us the game.



Wasn't an end to the nightmare, Ángel misses our next game following a calf strain. Not ideal for your top goalscorer to get injured at this stage of the season.



The good news keeps coming, two more added to the suspension list. Are we even going to field a team for the next game?



On another day, we'd beat the club rooted to the bottom of the league easily, but not today. Lija Athletic were happy to shut up shop while we failed to break their defensive stance. Lot of efforts, very few properly testing. Neil Agius should have scored with an effort inside their six yard box only for Edward Camilleri to block it out. Juan Ángel was fit enough to come off the bench and came oh so close to being our saviour again, but hit the inside of the post before it was scrambled out. Two more points dropped, we're all over the place.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Two must win games, two faux pas against sides aiming to avoid the drop. Also signals our longest spell without a win, four games.

LEAGUE TABLE



Have we just relinquished the league? Three games to go, Birkirkara STILL haven't lost a game. What is the likelihood that they'll choke this?



Meanwhile we're still in the fog in regards to this takeover business. Will I even survive the rest of the season?

NEXT UPDATE: April 2031

What drama in the League Two playoffs!

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE




Not a bad way to celebrate 400 matches in management, tearing Gżira United to ribbons for the second time this season. Rudi and Ángel opening their account before seven minutes elapsed and setting the scene for the game. Gżira had a bit of fight in them for a change, cautiously coming forward with Ian Schembri nearly breaking the net to pull one back. Patched that up within five minutes as a meleé in the box provoked the referee to point to the spot, Ángel sending the keeper back to the training ground. It all went wrong in the second half for the home side; Ben Coyle's effort scuppered by Nicky Xuereb and went down as an own goal, Jurgen Falzon conceded another penalty and inevitably sent off (Ángel missed this one but we'll quickly forget about that) and Rudi finished with the best of the bunch, curling one into the top corner from the left hand side of the box. It could have got embarrassing for Gżira who are on a one way ticket back to the second tier.



Blitzing the league with our fours, fives and sixes. Smashing the record number of goals scored and only in February.



Bad news is we have no natural left back for our next game, Redeemer Borg redeeming him a suspension.





Ayrton really needs to see a professional, another reckless challenge only weeks after his red in the Super Cup final. Sort of dampened over a rather high octane clash against Ħamrun Spartans. Ben Coyle scored his first goal since October to start us off on the right foot early on. Coyle looked ever dangerous on the day, hitting the crossbar before setting up Juan Ángel for his 14th goal of the season. Suddenly went end to end as Ħamrun broke on a 3 on 2 attack, only for a well timed challenge from Buhagiar before launching it up the other end where Cini skewed his effort wide when he should have hit the target. Ayrton once again at the centre of attention but for the wrong reasons and saw a straight red for a studs up tackle. Ryan Grima made things interesting going into the dying embers but contained ourselves to victory.



Two week fine for Ayrton, stupid silly boy.



Deflating derby day as we suffered a major setback at the hands of rivals, Floriana. Simon Magri put the emeralds in front, two bites with Gauci saving the first but wasn't quick enough to stop the second. Straight from kick-off, a lovely move to get level as Gauci's kick out found the head of Cremona, weaved into Rudi who picked out a perfect weighted pass to Shaun Cini to equalise. Matthew Brincat was at fault for the Floriana second, mistiming a challenge and allowing Keith Mallia to tuck home, as for the third, Jason Attard never saw the run of Charlie Muscat on the left hand side who delivered a cross for Mallia's second in a minute and gave us a mountain to climb. Rudi gave us a bit of false hope before the game was done and dusted, Magri turning provider for Muscat who literally walked it into the net. Defensively woeful and with the crunch game against Birkirkara next, we need all the preparation we can get.



Honours even in a game that probably should have gone to the side in yellow, Birkirkara unbeaten this season and aiming to rain on our parade. A nervy first half was followed up by an entertaining second half. Darren Buhagiar came close early on from a corner but Bugeja saved his effort from six yards out. Controversy surrounded the Ta' Qali stadium in the 69th minute as Neil Agius on his return to the squad was brought down in the box by Nigel Farrugia who was on a yellow card. Penalty was given to the anger of the Birkirkara players who protested that it was not a penalty, where we protested that Farrugia should walk with a second yellow. Juan Ángel took the responsibility and....MISSES! The strong minded Chris Bugeja guesses right to keep the game scoreless! Maverick Farrugia should have won the game for the visitors, put through on goal but Gauci brought a superb save, neither side able to break through. Rudi had the last opportunity of the game with five minutes to go, everything about the strike was perfect but the post got in his way and yet again we settle for a 0-0 with Birkirkara. This continues to go right down to the wire. Will we regret that penalty miss?



Attard misses our next game, picking up his eighth yellow of the season.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Only picked up one point from those last two games we knew were going to be tough. A win over Birkirkara could well have put us on course to seal the deal but we make do. At least wins over Gżira and Ħamrun were vital.

LEAGUE TABLE



One slip up could make all the difference with five games left. We lead by one, but with Birkirkara still unbeaten this season, we may not be able to rely on them to slip up. Hibernians had a horror month and now makes it a two horse race.



Last but not least, we've the possibility of getting new owner(s). Keeping my job is important plus potentially willing to empty some of his wallet to invest in the club's well-being.

NEXT UPDATE: March 2031

Doing well so far with Le Mans, nice to see people trying new teams.

Waterford FC (120533)

TRANSFERS

OUT



I'm as shocked as you are by the betrayal at the top of the screen, I'll get into that shortly. Two others have left the club with a further two youth prospects are out on loan; Licari to Żebbuġ Rangers and Borg to Balzan for the remainder of the season.

Steve Borg - D(C) - free transfer to Senglea Atheltic


Jake Muscat - ST(C) - free transfer to Żebbuġ Rangers


Roderick Pace - ST(C) - free transfer to Sliema Wanderers


IN



As you might have guessed, a new striker entered into the Valletta fray, and not just because he absolutely dicked our team in a certain match.



Shaun Cini - ST(C) - free transfer from Sliema Wanderers

A little bit more well rounded to players like Pace, even though Pace is only a poacher but Cini could offer that extra pzazz up front as we're missing a third link. Far better composure and all round better mentally shaped with exception to his poor decision making. Is it harsh to say that we've gained an upgrade?

BOV SUPER CUP

FINAL



...and this was the reason we signed Cini. He simply dropped our shorts between our ankles with the way he played, energised and ready to go after just 31 seconds to give the sky blues the lead. Roderick Pace scored what could prove to be his final goal in a Valletta shirt to equalise swiftly. Then came a major selling point to Sliema's victory, Ayrton seeing the red mist to unleash a two footed leg breaker and forcing us to play 74 minutes with ten men. We survived until half time, but disintegrated afterwards; Cini getting in all the right areas to grab his second, third and fourth goals to truly knock the stuffing out of us to lift the Super Cup. Not a happy start to the year.



A joke of prize money.



May be the end of Camilleri's season, breaking his foot in training before the league matches.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



Ten days after the disappointment in the super cup, we faced Sliema again and this time we were robbed. Cini and Pace swapped colours in this game, both making debuts. Sliema didn't record a shot on target in the game, but still took the lead as Julian Galea was in the wrong place at the wrong time to score an own goal from Jack Burgoyne's cross. Cini felt the pressure of the fixture and rarely made an impact, his closest effort went arseways from 25 yards. We needed a saviour to change the game, or indeed an Ángel and there was only Juan man for the job (see what I did there?). The Colombian on hand once again to squeeze in from a tight angle with 20 minutes to go. We were lucky to escape consecutive red cards, seven players of ours received yellows but we got stuck in and earned a point where Pace thankfully had a bad day at the office.



Farcical defeat, we should have had this game wrapped up before Żebbuġ gained their second wind. Shaun Cini is off the mark at least, drilling a low shot into the bottom right corner via a defensive sliding tackle gone wrong that put Cini through on goal. Everything went a little bit too casual being 1-0 ahead and we were stung with almost 15 minutes to go, combination of a weak clearance by Gauci to put them in possession and poor defensive organisation to leave Brady Spiteri open to convert Chris Spiteri's cross/pass. If that weren't bad enough, we threw away the game in injury time; conceding a penalty due to Steve Borg's incompetence, Miguel Ciantar did the rest of the work and calmly won the game for the lemon and lime kits of Żebbuġ Rangers.



A six pointer against Hibernians was a must win to stabilise the anxiousness in the camp lately. Despite Hibernians being the more threatening, it was us who hit the front as Jason Attard came up for a corner and drove a low shot through a tight gap between goalkeeper and post to lead at the break. Shaun Cini packs a punch and ringfenced three points with a solo effort and finish from 25 yards which the keeper made a hash of. Ingmar Degiorgio unmarked at the back stick gave us some late collywobbles but hung on for our first league win in 2031.

FA TROPHY

FOURTH ROUND



Yet another unconvincing display in the FA Trophy, this time to Għajnsielem. No sugarcoating, this game was absolute garbage with not a single noteworthy highlight in the first half. The quality didn't improve on the flipside, Darren Spiteri did however test their keeper but safe hands kept the game scoreless. The first division side were happy to force the game to extra time but I wasn't having it, Juan Ángel came on with twenty minutes to go and made the difference but placing a first time effort into the bottom right corner and seeing us through with more than a sigh of relief.

QUARTER FINAL DRAW



The draw is kind to us again, another first division side in Gudja United await us in the quarter finals.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



From one defeat in the first half of the season to two defeats since the beginning of 2031, very disappointed with our performances. I won't say that we're missing Pace just yet, but I do feel it's having a negative effect. Żebbuġ defeat is inexcusable and the Sliema hammering was terribly disappointing but it looks like we may have got back on track with back to back wins to close out January.

LEAGUE TABLE



Amazingly it didn't impact too much on the league, gaining one point over Birkirkara who've now drawn six on the bounce in the league. It may also put Hibernians out of the equation following our win over them, leaving a six point gap. Nine games to go, can we hold our nerve?



A wild takeover appears out of nowhere. I've been through enough of these during my FM16 career, but this'll be the first of this career. Will I survive the chop?

NEXT UPDATE: February 2031

Love a good BSC, will be following.

BOV PREMIER LEAGUE



A Juan Ángel masterclass was the difference in a convincing win over Balzan to keep the pressure on Birkirkara. A brace from the Colombian including a penalty coupled with a strike from Rudi and a collector's item from Redeemer Borg as he headed in from a corner. Despite Brandon Borg keeping the game alive for Balzan, we offered little to no respite for them. Nine unbeaten, aiming for ten.



Foiled by the systematic efforts of Naxxar Lions. Lord knows how we didn't bring home the bacon, Pace hit the outside of the post before an unbelievable double save from Emerson Scicluna somehow didn't make it into the net. Seldom did Naxxar come forward, but a former player of mine Michael Zammit (formerly of Pembroke) came rushing forward but a weak end product straight at Gauci. The last moments of the game brought late drama, I was certain that Roderick Pace was going to bulge the net but what about this for a save from Scicluna, point blank tipped it onto the crossbar and denying us once again. David de Gea would have been proud of that save. Definitely deserved man of the match ahead of Buhagiar and to salvage a point for the home side.

https://streamable.com/t9bn5



Our remaining match of the year had me grinning once again, dispatching Pembroke again by the same scoreline as the opening day game. All us in the first half, Cremona's free kick masterclass unfortunately rebounded off the crossbar but a delicious defense splitting pass from Roddy Pace gave Rudi a gaping hole to fire home to give us the lead. Second half, same story; Rudi turned provider to Ángel who swept home from 12 yards, Pace got in on the action to squeeze one in at the near right post and Mark Camilleri came off the bench to land his first of the season. Pinballing in the penalty box gave Pembroke a goal back from Joe Parnis but the result was never in doubt. Ending 2030 on a happy note.



Sadly, not for Matthew Cremona. A major doubt for the New Year's Day clash with Sliema in the BOV Super Cup.

FA TROPHY

THIRD ROUND



Nowhere near our best even with a second string side, but edged out non league Dingli just about. Julian Galea headed in to settle the jitters in the Valletta camp with around 25 minutes left. Only really tested the Dingli keeper twice, Ben Coyle and sub Juan Ángel had efforts kept out to perhaps make the win that little bit more convincing. Dingli keeping their dignity in tact, while we just about scrape through.



No defeat in more than five years in the cup, taking penalty shootouts out of the equation.

FOURTH ROUND DRAW



First division outfit Għajnsielem are the opposition and I'll feel embarrassed trying to pronounce that name during the press conference.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Another solid month with goals galore again. Frustrating draw with Naxxar, but their keeper was in top form. Juan Ángel is an inspired signing so far, nine goals for him this season plus a handful of assists.

LEAGUE TABLE



Ending the calendar year top by three points, Birkirkara only managing a string of draws to allow us to climb above them. Hibernians still in the mix, but fading ever so slightly.





Glad to have locked down two of our best performers, Rudi signs a two year deal while Ángel is locked down on a proper deal 'til the end of the year.

NEXT UPDATE: January 2031

Congrats to Forest Green, into the football league for the first time.

Away days there should be fun, falafels and houmous with vegan salads instead of steak and kidney pies.

Wasn't Phelan or Bruce's fault for it, the owners didn't give them money to spend during the summer especially when they only had around nine available first team players, hence why Steve Bruce left. It was miraculous that they managed to stay up this far. Think the blame needs to go on the owners for it. Marco Silva did a sterling job for them.

2-0 Palace, Hull need a miracle to salvage a win.

Hull could be down tomorrow at this stage. Even a draw at Palace won't be good enough.

Ah, Guernsey! Loved managing them in FM16. Do they still have Ross Allen and Rhys Jordan?