DNZY - Comments

Hell yeah! I'm definitely pumped for this @Dan !

@bcsaulJ - Indeed, hopefully you won't jinx it!



VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 3



@HawkAussie (not quite ). Better late than never as Marcel Newton delivered us our third win in a row. Game was a slow burner that failed to get going until the late goal, Janis Dobrecovs deserving praise to come off the bench and whip in the sumptuous cross to the Guyanese striker. Perhaps the red card helped us a little too.

MATCHDAY 4



Still can't beat the Riga pricks in the league. Both keepers were forced into a key save each in an otherwise dull stalemate.



Get f*cked Riga. Newton out for another long spell.

MATCHDAY 5



Skonto have started off really strong in the league, so to hold them to a scoreless draw is something to be proud of. Only problem is finding out where the goals are going to come from without Newton in the side, only one half chance created all game. Both sides came close in the second half but both denied by the post. Even the red card for Skonto couldn't merit us a late twist. Five unbeaten though.



Through the same song and dance again.

MATCHDAY 6



Make that six, brushing past Liepaja easily. Much better performance up top from Plukaitis who looked dangerous all afternoon and got on the end of a defensive error to lead at half time. A penalty converted by Varazinskis ensured the points. The woodwork got a lot of love too, hit twice by both sides.



More bad news, young centre back Kokins has been getting better and better with every game and now out for a sizeable portion. They love throwin curveballs in this league.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



I think our efforts to improve defending are paying dividends. Four games, four clean sheets, absolutely flying. But of course with Newton's Third Law, we're not scoring as many without Newton in the side. Our strikers really need to back their ideas up.

LEAGUE TABLE



Can we just end the season here? What a transformation compared to this time last year, top of the Latvian table with no defeats so far....although the one side we haven't faced yet are Spartaks. Even with one blemish on their form, I can guarantee a tricky game. Skonto and Ventspils also not far behind.

Perhaps reluctantly, I've secured my short term future with Gulbene.



But I tied in some of my own terms in doing so.

TRANSFERS (DEADLINE DAY)

OUT





Sillers got too gobby in wanting first team football which isn't going to happen with Sokolovs in rock solid form. Might have undersold him to BFC Daugavpils in retrospect but being off the wagebooks is good enough for me. Petersons also leaves by mutual consent, just couldn't see a future for him here.



One player staying is Nalivaiko subject to a late offer from Jelgava. Thank God.

IN



One new player coming in on deadline day, certainly worth waiting for.



Guntars Rimkus - AM(C)/M(C) - unattached free agent

A coup for a club of our magnitude. Plenty of experience in the league at 21, despite that naive move to Spartaks to warm the bench. A bit patchy in places I'll admit, but first touch, technique, decisions and vision all in green I could hardly say no. His low determination does worry me a little but he'll be nearing his prime soon enough. Exactly the kind of player I need in this new 4-3-1-2 system.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 1



Uhhh. Not sure if Ventspils came to play or throw hands with two red cards in the opening 25 minutes the game was practically ending one way. Nikolajs Apins and an own goal silenced Ventspils at the break, Newton almost making it three from the penalty spot too. Concerned about conceding twice to nine men, both from committing too many men forward but a third from Edgars Knapsis in between that earned us a shock opening win. Karma for rejecting me.

MATCHDAY 2



The phrase "a game of two halves" springs to mind. Totally dominant in the first, living dangerously in the second. Newton bagged a brace along with another goal from Apins, but Newton missed his second penalty in two matches. A double from Grobenyuk really took the wind out of our sails but defended carefully to avoid a complete bottlejob. Rearguard training a priority for next month.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Totally unexpected maximum points this month. This new system has elevated our confidence to new heights and scoring goals to boot. The midfield trio of Knapsis, Gulbis and Apins operating perfectly with Nalivaiko binding it all together. Newton already looks a good buy, but I'm never trusting him to take a penalty ever again.

LEAGUE TABLE



In amongst the only three sides with 100% records...we'll see how long that lasts.

A dilemma on my hands as a vacancy at Ventspils has become available. Obviously the fans think I'm doing wonders for their club, hoping I stay on.



Nation: Latvia
Media Prediction (Odds): 2nd/8 (13-4 2F)
Expectations: Challenge for title
Pros: Stronger quality in their team than Gulbene. Far better forecast at winning trophies. Excellent finances.
Cons: Difficult to dethrone Spartaks from the top.

RESULT



TRANSFERS

IN



Not upsetting the team chemistry too much, only decided to bring three players in for now. A goalkeeper, a striker and a defensive midfielder.



Marcel Newton - ST(C) - free transfer from Jurmala

An experienced striker representing Guyana at international level, Marcel will aim to solve our goalscoring issues. Didn't exactly have the best spells at Spartaks and Jurmala, however his acumen is a lot more well built than our other strikers. Solid physicals definitely a bonus. Fingers crossed he'll make some waves.



Aleksanrs Svalbe - DM/D/M(C) - free transfer from Jelgava

More experience to boost our defensive midfield. Aleksandrs may not be the strongest, but bloody hell he'll get aggressive with a big fat 20 (ironically having 7 bravery to back it up). Definitely a backup option to bring off the bench to preserve a lead and/or see a game out. His versatility is also handy for any injuries we might incur in the centre of the park.



Andrejs Skurjats - GK - free transfer from Jurmala

The second foraged signing from Jurmala and someone to keep Osipovs on his toes. Aside being sluggish and having really poor stamina, his 6'3 build could make him the perfect candidate for number one. Flawless eccentricity which can be a blessing and a curse but very happy to secure him to the Gulbene squad.

VIRSLIGAS WINTER CUP

GROUP DRAW - GROUP B



More or less the same sort of group compared to last year, RTU being the newly promoted side and Jelgava thrown into the mixture. Riga always a thorn in our side.

MATCHDAY 1



Off to a fine start, dominating Riga's turf. Took a lot of probing mind, Riga's keeper extremely unlucky not to keep a clean sheet making ten saves in total. The red card for Riga was the prelude to disaster with Gutkovskis coming off the bench to finish off a lovely flowing move to pass it into the net. Newton with the assist on his debut.

MATCHDAY 2





An absolutely relentless barrage of efforts finally picklocked Jelgava, courtesy of Marcel Newton to end his goal drought. This new 4-3-1-2 narrow formation is working wonders. Two from two.

MATCHDAY 3



Not quite the finale we were hoping for, but late sub Plukaitis' hit was essential to nab a point and to confirm us as group winners.

FINAL GROUP TABLE



Even if we had lost the final, Jelgava slipping up to Riga would have still left us top. Second consecutive Winter Cup final...but who do we face?

FINAL DRAW



The rematch we've been waiting for. 11 games unbeaten, are we finally going to seal some silverware?



But we're dealt a really bad hand. Newton out for up to six weeks.

FINAL



A fitting milestone for the final. Will my 1200th game in management merit a first trophy in almost seven years?



SEASON EXPECTATIONS



Odds have certainly slimmed since last season, predicting fifth for us at 25-1 (not as if you'd put a cheeky fiver on us to overthrow Spartaks).



But worrying signs on the brink of our league opener, now down two strikers with Plukaitis joining Newton in the wards.

Domestic Leagues:

• English Premier League
• Sky Bet Championship
• Sky Bet League 1
• Sky Bet League 2
• Vanarama National League
• Vanarama National League North
• Vanarama National League South

Domestic Cups:

• The Emirates FA Cup
• Carabao Cup
• McDonalds FA Community Shield
• Checkatrade Trophy
• Buildbase FA Trophy

Domestic Leagues:

• Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership
• Ladbrokes Scottish Championship
• Ladbrokes Scottish League 1
• Ladbrokes Scottish League 2

Domestic Cups:

• William Hill Scottish Cup
• Betfred Cup
• Irn-Bru Cup (with Scottish team)

Domestic Leagues:

• SSE Airtricity Premier Division
• SSE Airtricity First Division

Domestic Cups:

• FAI Irish Daily Mail Senior Cup
• EA Sports Cup
• Munster Senior Cup
• Leinster Senior Cup
• Irish President's Cup
• Irn-Bru Cup (with Rep. Irish team (optional))

Domestic Leagues:

• Danske Bank Premiership
• Bluefin Sport Championship
• Premier Intermediate League

Domestic Cups:

• Irish FA Challenge Cup
• Northern Ireland Football League Cup
• County Antrim Shield
• Toals Steel & Sons Cup
• Coca Cola Intermediate Cup
• Rushmere Shopping Centre Mid-Ulster Cup
• NIFL Charity Shield
• Irn-Bru Cup (with Northern Irish team (optional))

Domestic Leagues:

• JD Welsh Premier League

Domestic Cups:

• JD FAW Welsh Cup
• Nathaniel MG Cup
• Irn-Bru Cup (with Welsh team (optional))

@bcsaulJ - Hoping it's better than this one, far too inconsistent.

___________________________________________





A tight vote for player of the season this year, but it's Edgars Knapsis who came out on top of the rest. Probably due to his loyalty at the club, plus that worldie he scored against Riga could have something to do with it? In fact Knapsis swept the lot when it came to awards - including the goal of the season and "young" player of the season at 23. Jurijs Ivanovs was signing of the season and I tend to agree with that, he played out of his skin on a few occasions.



You know it's tough times when your top striker can't break into double figures in goals, nevertheless Plukaitis delivered very well in his first season at Gulbene - nine goals, seven assists and six man of the math awards. Centre back Ivanovs will only develop better during his early twenties and showed a solid debut season with an average rating of 7.18, few mistakes here and there but covered his own ass in the next game. Dobrecovs might have been inconsistent in front of goal but as the deep lying/defensive forward, his passing game was strong. Varazinskis clocked up the most yellows and shockingly no reds which is a nice change.



Financially the club is growing with every month it seems, balance now into seven figures with a healthy 19% turnover. May look to improve our facilities for the next coming season.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 28



Perhaps a lucky escape and a Godly performance from Vitalijs Osipovs to save a late penalty. Very end to end with neither side breaking skin, Nikolajs Apins came closest for us but denied by the Jelgava keeper. Not ideal, but as long as we bettered Riga's result we avoid the relegation playoff.



You've got to be f*cking kidding me.

RELEGATION PLAYOFF

DRAW



The side that knocked us out of the Latvian Cup, a score to settle. Wonder if we'll see any of Klimasevics?

FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Put them right back in their place, literally at their own place. A first half pummelling with our strikers actually managing to score a few, Plukaitis should have scored four or five in addition to his two. Can't see us losing the second leg unless we have a major meltdown.

SECOND LEG (HOME)



These amateurs would get eaten alive in the top flight, best to ensure that it didn't happen. Three players scoring their first goals for the club in young centre back Kokins, improving midfielder Apins and another midfielder off the bench in Hlibovs took the liberty of burying Rezeknes six feet under with a 6-1 aggregate win. Another quiet afternoon for Klimasevics.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE



Survival ensured with Babite being the only league casualty. Spartaks safely winning the league in the end over Ventspils with Skonto holding the final European place. Strong finish towards the end of the season, now unbeaten in eight games - can we carry this over into next season I wonder?

SQUAD SELECTION



One thing I absolutely detest about jobs like this, other coaches up the pecking order move our best players up to U21 or senior level. No Turkus, no Potocnik, no Lovric, no hope we'll qualify from this.

UEFA U19 CHAMPIONSHIPS

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, GROUP 10

MATCHDAY 1



Solid start withholding the Ukrainians for the second time in two months. We were the more creative of the two, but Ukraine had the best chance and blazed over from inside twelve yards.

MATCHDAY 2



Another evenly matched game, however Austria pocket the points to fall one step behind the rest. Poor aerial presence from Vranicar allowed Felix Frankze to hit a ferocious effort which the keeper had no chance of getting to. Be harsh to criticise the team, except our substandard attacking threat. Germany next...

MATCHDAY 3



Rottweilers against a pack of pugs. It's a shame too because we kept Germany quiet in the first half despite them going into the dressing room 1-0 ahead. A red card for Fuchs in theory would make things easier right? Wrong. The Germans looked even more powerful with ten men, demonstrated by a quick salvo from Razak and Mesic. Never in the game.

FINAL GROUP TABLE





Would have taken a minor miracle to escape from this, somehow Ukraine came away with one of the best third placed sides with only three points. Still, no point crying over spilt milk.



Thus ends my brief fun in international management for a while.

@bcsaulJ - Crucial indeed, but we do have a decent run of games until the end of the season.

___________________________________________



VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 24



Relegated Babite in brutal fashion and not letting them have a sniff of the game. Ruslans Gutkovskis was like a mosquito all game and didn't leave them alone until a knock eventually forced him off. Scored the first and could have helped himself to a shed load but compensated by assisting the second to Knapsis who rifled it home. Well needed win.

MATCHDAY 25





Hitting form at the right time, squeezing through Liepaja to lift us out of the drop zone. Definitely an entertaining end to ender, both sides testing each other's goalkeepers, Gutkovskis failing to deliver on this occasion. Would have fallen one behind but the linesman flagged for offside to rule it out. Goalshy Plukaitis was in the right place at the right time on the counter, acres of space to round the keeper and seal the deal. Next up - a date with destiny at Riga FC.

MATCHDAY 26



Draw was a fair result, needing to come back twice in a stressful spectacle. Nervy defending led to the two Riga goals, poor marking and hesitance that should have been avoided. Aside from that we created something from nothing, Fatkulins and Gulbis combined in a slick set piece play to make it 1-1. As for Edgars Knapsis' goal - an absolute peach from thirty yards. Puskas worthy?

https://streamable.com/qky6m

MATCHDAY 27



On the base of things, a good draw....sadly Riga's win elsewhere sends us back into the relegation playoff zone going into the final match. Definitely had our finger on the pulse of this game, Ventspils choked trying to keep up with Spartaks. Losing patience with Gutkovskis lately, spurning a massive chance with four minutes left, Knapsis almost scoring from the corner too.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Easily our best month, probably because it's the longest time going without a defeat. This new 4-3-1-2 narrow system really is getting to the heart of Latvian defences and showed a lot more creativity, mainly because of Nalivaiko. Knapsis' strike at Riga is surely scored goal of the season.

LEAGUE TABLE



One game to go; we play Russian roulette with Riga and Jelgava for the relegation playoff spot. Who do we play on the final day? JELGAVA. Who do Riga play? SPARTAKS. Avoiding defeat may not be good enough on it's own. Who'll be able to contain the pressure?

YOUTH INTAKE



Every manager's Christmas is youth intake and got a rather generous spawn. Two stood out from the rest.



Jurgis Daugavietis - AM(C) - youth intake

Timely when we need more playmakers in the team, especially in the more advanced areas of central midfield. 13 flair and 12 technique at only 16 is impressive for this division and no doubt will fill out to be a first team starter come next season.



Dmitrijs Korotkevics - D(R) - youth intake

I sure hope his trajectory is on the up because it's not really a sight for sore eyes with all that red. Garbage physicals overshadow his redeemable mental strength. At least it's an option in a position we're lacking.



OMEGALUL. Tempting fate.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 21



Damn, what a massive win here! Looked really impressive here but credit must go to the half time substitute Gutkovskis who masterminded the victory replacing a woeful Plukaitis. Went for the 'gegenpress' motif again and dominated the midfield space which crafted two key goals from Gutkovskis. So nearly a hat-trick too but his header was denied by the bar. Crucial at this late stage.

MATCHDAY 22



I mean let's get this straight, Spartaks are simply too good for us to compete with. Their 4-3-3 made us feel outnumbered each time they went forward. Subochev and a Stolcers double put us out of our misery and if it weren't for Osipovs it might have been six or seven. Nearly grabbed a consolatory goal, yet somehow a double save and a shot off the line in the same play didn't deserve to break Spartaks' resistance. Thankfully the last time we play them this season.

MATCHDAY 23



Short corner practice on the training ground salvaged an important point away at Skonto, scratching our heads how we didn't grab two more. Fatkulins can barely mark a bingo card let alone a defender, getting nowhere near Liholetovs to fall behind so softly. The response was promising but Gutkovskis wasn't firing on all cylinders on this occasion, missing an invaluable chance to level. The short corner routine with twenty minutes left fell to a left back Jurijs Sokolovs who forced home a near post shot to head home happy.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A September with a bit of everything. Four points from nine will do nicely. Think I'll stick with this narrow 4-3-1-2 with a control mentality, noticed that we're creating a LOT more - just need strikers who can finish. Nalivaiko definitely a missing piece to the puzzle, delighted we have him back.

LEAGUE TABLE



Things hotting up and suddenly Jelgava don't seem that far away after beating them 2-0. Riga winning while we dropped points at Skonto paved way to jump out of the relegation playoff zone again. Babite good as gone.

SQUAD SELECTION





Far more to choose from with my 23 to face Ukraine and San Marino, especially in the centre back department. Zürich's Lovric and Potocnik from Olimpija being key entrants as well as our strongest striker Miha Turkus from Maribor.

U19 FRIENDLIES



Literally the last kick of the game for the paint to peel on a rather good performance. Cashed in early on a complete blunder from the Ukrainian keeper, swatting a long range effort straight to Miha Turkus who finished with ease. The yellow shirts came forward in numbers in the second half but the base of the post and a couple of safe stops neutralised everything and looked on course to triumph...that was until the final minute. Counter attacking foiled us again, Stepanyuk sneaking in behind the defence to equalise.



Not sure what's worse, only scoring three against San Marino's youth or the fact they racked up eight shots on goal. Nevertheless it was rather easy pickings with Pirc, Turkus and Djukic dogpiling on an amateur nation.

UEFA U19 CHAMPIONSHIPS

FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND DRAW



Yikes, we have little to no hope of qualifying from this. Be lucky to grab a point.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 16



Slumped to our fourth defeat in a row in all competitions. Undone by set pieces twice; Osipovs failed to get to Grigorovs' header and the other was a 30 yard worldie by Mohammed Abubakar. Don't let our 17 shots deceive you, Skonto were in full control and should have buried a third but Putnins glanced a free header wide. Finally Gutkovskis came in useful, curling in a wonderful effort from 25 yards and so nearly squeezed a late equaliser but Dobrecovs' injury time free went straight at the keeper. Should I fear the sack?

MATCHDAY 17



Would be very worrying if we couldn't beat relegation fodder Babite. Gutkovskis with rare consecutive goals, straying the offside trap to nudge us ahead before half time. Nalivaiko secured the win with a free kick from the edge of the D to seal his first goal on returning to Gulbene. Much needed W to boost morale.

MATCHDAY 18



Well earned draw away from home. Liepaja knocked on the door all game and deservedly put their noses in front with a skewed header from Pihockis that caught Osipovs out. Our one shot on target was a deflected free kick by a 36 year old holding midfielder, bet that won't resonate well with the home crowd. We were on the cusp of losing it late doors but for a solid stop by Osipovs and an even better last ditch challenge by Sokolovs for an almost certain rebounded goal. Chuffed.

MATCHDAY 19



A wasteful display in a big six pointer at the bottom. From Fatkulins missing a free header to a wobbly Plukaitis having time, space and zero composure to fluff a one on one. Riga were no great shakes despite Osipovs making six saves.

MATCHDAY 20



The one time we let our guard down to a rather tame Ventspils, we fall flat on our faces. Took just 55 seconds after a fruitless first half to have the league challengers upend us, getting caught on the break to leave Fjodorovs to sweep up. Neither side dominated yet we come out of it slouching without any points. Wonder if we'll regret that towards the end of the season?

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A definite improvement to recent months, only losing to sides who definitely pack a punch. I do wonder if we'll have to rely on scrapping draws to maintain our top flight status. Nice to see Gutkovskis contributing in the goals for a change.

LEAGUE TABLE



To think if we put those chances away against Riga, they'd be in the bottom two, not us. Babite are surely down with eight games to go and it seems the only team we can chase are Riga as Jelgava might be too much of an ask to suck them into the relegation vortex.

TRANSFERS

OUT



We said our goodbyes to Pavel Klimasevics who accepted a contract offer to Rezeknes FA out of the blue. Slightly disappointed as I thought Pavels did play a key role in the wide areas, shame he's dropped to the lower tiers.

IN





Oh yes, oh yes. Nalivaiko is back in Gulbene colours after only making seven full appearance and not getting anywhere near his form when with us. One further acquisition comes in as replacement for Klimasevics that cost us a drop in the ocean.



Pavels Nalivaiko - M(C)/AM(C) - free transfer from Riga FC

Four goals and sixteen assists last year, no wonder. He's the only one who can playmake in the middle of the park. Lots of improvement will be made as he grows older, hoping to improve his composure and his flair over time. Delighted to have him back.



Vladimirs Kozlovs - M(L)/AM(L) - £3k from Auda

Definitely a step up from Klimasevics and Petersons on the left. Almost completed his development at 22 with excellent first touch and rather quick for this division's standards. Mentally, his game lacks substance apart from flair but definitely looks a bargain for the price on face value.



As for the right wing...got stung with an injury to Bacis as the window just about shut. Typical.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 12



Nalivaiko's return to Riga didn't turn out as well as planned. Not enough initiative and creativity on our part with only two half chances, but to be honest Riga weren't much better. The clinching goal from Zenkovs was a powerful hit from a cross, failing to mark him tight enough while Osipovs' wrists weren't strong enough to keep it out. Far from an ideal return after a relaxing break.

MATCHDAY 13



Well this was unexpected. Scrapping our standard 4-4-2 for an asymmetric 'gegenpress' which worked beautifully to stun Ventspils. Conceding an early penalty was probably a blessing as it kicked off a wave of dominance. Despite Nalivaiko coming close, our persistence warranted an equaliser when Dobrecovs broke free of two defenders to finish coolly into the left hand corner. A winner was looming and Fatkulins should've taken advantage of a free header with five minutes left. Ventspils lived up to the 'spils' portion of their identity, their keeper failed to collect an aerial ball and instead landed at the feet of Knapsis to win the game in injury time. S C E N E S!

MATCHDAY 14



To think I believed it would incur a turning point to our season, then this kind of thing happens. Dobrecovs was a live wire but missing two absolute sitters didn't help him spark. If Jelgava's defence were short on confidence, then new boy Kozlovs may want to fall off the edge of the Earth - answers on a postcard to how he missed this in the clip below. Inevitably, we ended up shooting ourselves in the foot with a twenty yard hit by Satskihs catching out Osipovs in net and surrendering three points to the visitors.

https://streamable.com/2kgb7

MATCHDAY 15



Too easy for Spartaks, pretending that we knew the fundamentals to defending. Couldn't mark goalside, couldn't mark full stop - a brace from Stolcers on top an easy tap in from Subochev ended this pitiful Saturday afternoon. Gutkovskis so unreliable when presented with a glorious chance yet again.

LATVIJAS KAUSS

THIRD ROUND DRAW



Meeting face to face with Klimasevics' new club in the cup.

THIRD ROUND



On the end of a giantkilling to fall miserably short of expectations in the competition. I'll admit we made a couple of changes but the defending was inexcusable for all three Rezeknes goals. We were on the front foot for the majority and deservedly equalised via Gulbis...only to be countered with some of the worst positioning I've seen to fall behind again. Klimasevics may not have scored, but his corner created the third to crash out spectacularly.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



OOF, what a painful month. Makes the heroics against Ventspils look redundant. I know we're predicted for the drop but I would expect a bit more fight in our squad and to seize the moment when presented with goalscoring chances.

LEAGUE TABLE



Just over halfway through the season, it looks bleak I agree. The defeat to Riga was costly but still within our range of catching...can't say we'll finish any higher than sixth by the looks of the table.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 8



The second of three meetings with Spartaks in the space of a week, gut-retchingly close to stealing a valuable point. All credit must go to Klimasevics on the left who schooled their right back and crossed in for an unlikely lead through the boot of Dobrecovs. Once again we commit too many men forward for set pieces and were pegged back on the counter, finished cleanly by Lawrence Boateng. The flow became a Spartaks current as we did everything to battle the tide, however a late penalty eventually swept us away - Boateng again, sending Osipovs the wrong way.

MATCHDAY 9





Another coulda, woulda, shoulda won game but luckily didn't come away empty-handed. Ten times the amount of shots on target from our boys Kazakevics between the Skonto sticks chose today of all days to put on a spectacular goalkeeping display. The singular Skonto shot on target hit the back of the net as we switched off in the box to give Abubakar a rather simple finish. Plukaitis bailed us out late doors with an explosive finish into the top corner. Six without a win though, lady luck needs to shine on us soon.

MATCHDAY 10



Just in the nick of time. The league's punching bag did their job as we coasted to an overdue victory near the coast. Olegs Bacis will never take a penalty again, blazing one wide just 90 seconds in. Babite nearly punished us minutes later but also fluffed a key opportunity. We began turning the screw midway through the first half as Plukaitis composed himself on the break, and also set up a second for Dobrecovs with a beautiful assortment of passes in the build up. A second spot kick was handed to Varazinskis who made no mistake with a powerful finish for three. Five clear cut chances, we rocked their world.

MATCHDAY 11



Back to back wins for the first time since the end of January. Dobrecovs and Plukaitis really gelling together now, combining for the only goal of the game. The match itself was a scrappy do, nine yellow cards in total with very little inspiration. No complaints here.

LATVIJAS KAUSS

SEMI FINAL, SECOND LEG (HOME)



Spartaks break our hearts for the umpteenth time this season. Looked so out of depth in the first half, but what else is new? Ricards Stolcers handed a crucial away goal to the visitors and should have been out of sight before the interlude as they smashed the woodwork twice. A stern teamtalk did all the work for a massive contrast in the second half. Olegs Bacis was a villain in the Winter Cup final but redeemed himself with a first career goal to level the playing field. Spartaks could barely contain ourselves and one of the goals of the season turned the tie right around - Dobrecovs on the half volley left the crowd in pandemonium. Never celebrate too early though, back came Spartaks who caught us out on the break and Stolcers' second nudged Spartaks ahead again on the away goals rule. All our good work in vain, we had nothing left in the tank. A second cup final slips through our fingers.

https://streamable.com/nhj08

Puskas worthy.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Far better month with a few wins on the board. Plukaitis and Dobrecovs looked completely in sync with each other up top, grabbing goals they wouldn't have last month. Was a shame about being cucked in the final moments to miss out of a cup final with Ventspils but next time they might not be so lucky.

LEAGUE TABLE



The two wins take us out of the bottom two to sixth place, but it's a tall order to get any higher without a consistent run of results. Will it spark a massive U-turn come July? We take a month break to recover and hopefully start a successful second half of the season.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 3





Took a bite out of Babite to kickstart our season. Gutkovskis finally popped his Gulbene cherry twice after eighteen scoreless appearances. Our sluggish start paid off when we reeled them in to a three pronged attack, Gutkovskis with his first as the half settled. If it weren't for Dobrecovs missing sitters we could've replicated our earlier 6-0 win but Plukaitis and a second from Gutkovskis were enough to fit the bill and a first league win.

MATCHDAY 4



Not the kind of game that'll reside in the brain. Perhaps it'll haunt Liepaja's Aleksejs Pihockis who glanced a close range header across the mouth of the goal. Zero shots on target, yet escape with one point.

MATCHDAY 5



The tables turned after our scalp win over Riga in the Winter Cup as the visitors returned to the land of vindication. A single screamer from Jermolajevs earned their fortuitous victory in an otherwise insipid performance. I for one came away feeling robbed, this was definitely for the taking but our finishing left a lot to be desired. Tough start in Latvia's top flight.



News I didn't want to appear in my feed. Leaves me with a bunch of third rate centre backs for nearly over a month.

MATCHDAY 6



First real match we were truly humbled in. Ventspils were frightening going forward so to only concede one was a bold achievement. Liquid movement of the ball had circles run around us and Cekulajevs pounced on an easy tap in from the resulting cross. Damage limitation became our new tactic and if it weren't for Juris Oss straying offside, 2-0 was almost a certainty. Credit to us we absorbed but didn't throw any hooks back - Plukaitis coming closest but keeper Mazalovic guarded his front post safely.

MATCHDAY 7



Third clanger in a row. A pathetic excuse of a first half; Jelgava taking full advantage of our weak defending to lead 2-0 at the break, leaving us to climb a mountain on roller skates. Admittedly we looked a different kettle of fish after a little lecture in the dressing room - Plukaitis curling a beauty seconds in but twas to be in vain. I swear, if it weren't for the flaming woodwork denying us not once, not twice but three times during the course of the game we'd have pulled something out of this game, but no...leaked another soft goal for Jelgava to savour.

LATVIJAS KAUSS

QUARTER FINAL





Lionhearted display, quite possibly the best display since my arrival to deservedly reach the semis. Not sure why we play so poorly in the first half of matches, Jurijs Sokolovs failing to mark Pedro Murillo tight enough for a half time lead for Skonto. Totally different animal after the restart. Plukaitis delightfully restoring parity from a free kick which brought on extra time. Exerted a serious amount of pressure and eventually the city boys cracked, Dobrecovs went for power and almost tore a hole in the net to quench his goal draught. Guess cups bring out the best in us.

SEMI FINAL DRAW



A score to settle with Spartaks, bad news is that it's over two legs.

SEMI FINAL, FIRST LEG (AWAY)



Survived the harder of the two legs to take it back home with everything to play for. Half baked ideas from both sides on an obscenely long field, neither side deserved victory.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Good heavens our league form is gutter trash. A win over Babite was great sure, but only one goal in our following four league games - alarm bells. I won't poop on us entirely, two valiant displays in the cup with a second leg of the semi waiting in anticipation. Need to step our game up.

LEAGUE TABLE *

* - see March 2054 (I'll get this sorted next month for sure).

UEFA UNDER 19 QUALIFIERS

SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND

SQUAD SELECTION



Injuries have plagued a lot of key young players in the selection, massively in the centre back area. Of course not having familiarity with this squad clouds my judgement if I've picked a strong enough squad. Not entirely sure what tactic to roll out either. Decisions...

KEY PLAYER - Miha Tukrus - contracted to Maribor



Promising looking striker with an abundance of goals already with his club Maribor, albeit their B squad. Let's hope he can bag one or two in a difficult enough group.

MATCHDAY 1



Well...this was totally unexpected. Travelled to a wet and miserable Nantporth and escaped with a massive win. Wales were surprisingly lacklustre while we took control - Nejc Markic denied by Aeron Allen and Tukrus came closest, only denied by a last ditch tackle to put it behind for a corner. Incidentally, the only goal came from one. A scrappy clearance followed by a deflected shot by Markic trickled into the net. Bosnia up next and feeling hopeful.

MATCHDAY 2



Okay..this could actually happen. Bosnia failed to convert a sitter early on, hitting the crossbar instead of the net as Široki Brijeg striker Mirza Ducic beared down on goal. Moments later they fell behind, wonderful 25 yard free kick by Gorica's Marko Pirc which proved decisive. The rest of the game dragged into a paint drying convention but with 6 points from 6 heading into our final group game, are we about to cause a seismic shockwave?

MATCHDAY 3



Absolutely effing not. Portugal far too good for our young cubs and should've won by more. Putting things in perspective, the scorer Cláudio Ferreira is a product at PSG and completely turned Vranicar inside out before shooting a bullet into our torsos. Portugal did have the ball in the back of the net for a second time, thankfully it was ruled out. Would have taken a miracle to take them down.

FINAL GROUP TABLE





I tell you what, second place in this group is a super achievement. Beating Wales in Wales is a tough feat but conquered them quite comprehensively. We can look back proudly on that.

VIRSLĪGA

MATCHDAY 1



Didn't quite outlast Spartaks this time and a brace from Nigerian prince Vincent Abah in either half got us off to the worst possible start. Varazinskis' outstretched leg catching Subochev to which Abah granted Spartaks a deserved lead. Threw together five shots on target, including two half chances but being realistic - we were never winning this. Abah's second validated that fact.

MATCHDAY 2



Light powdery snow glazed over a cold Skonto surface in a low quality spectacle. Jurijs Ivanovs the unfortunately casualty of an own goal, on the losing side, yet somehow picked up man of the match - summarises how tinpot Latvian football can get. Skonto also missed a penalty with Osipovs standing tall to deny Verpakovskis. Don't even ask about what we created.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



It looks bad but bear in mind we've been pitted against two tough teams in the opening two. The wintery conditions aren't helping matters and I'm not trying to excuse our lack of conviction in both midfield and attack, leaving us pointless and goalless so far.

LEAGUE TABLE *

* for some reason due to the unusual Latvian diacritics in-game, whenever I screenshot the league table month by month it just overwrites the file. But yeah, we're bottom of the league.

@bcsaulJ - The signings I've made have given me a lot more faith in staying up. How far we'll be up the table come October/November is the real quiz.

@Dan - They'll be coming in hot, don't worry!

___________________________________________



VIRSLIGAS WINTER CUP

GROUP B

MATCHDAY 1





I mean talk about arriving on the scene. Battered Babite for six on their own turf, half of the goals coming from defenders. Centre back Fatkulins glistened on his debut with a brace along with two from midfielder Edgars Knapsis, one from Dobrecovs and substitute full back Kikans also got involved in the melee. Babite were total trash and fluffed a glorious one on one to wrap up their miserable day. An apéritif to the main course.

MATCHDAY 2



One shot on target, 2-1 winners, two wins from two, gg Riga FC. In rather opaque, snowy conditions it's very easy to make mistakes but Kaspars Gulbis will be the first to tell you that, casually losing the ball in his own six yard area and handing Derbakovs an easy first. Riga weren't immune from mistakes either and we were on level ground just eight minutes later when Korzans got in the way of a cross. The decisive third goal of the game also came from an error in goalkeeping, Ivanovs taking full advantage of a fumble from a free kick to turn things around. Clenched our holes till the final whistle to hold on. Fair game Riga for prying Nalivaiko away from us.





Two big losses to our final group game.

MATCHDAY 3



Only a point was necessary thanks to our far superior goal difference against the other side chasing to top the group, Liepaja. Even encounter with our defensive shape holding really strong. Did have to rely on a super stop from Osipovs to keep it that way while at the other end Gutkovskis blew a major match point as he blazed wide on a one on one situation.

FINAL GROUP TABLE



Loving life at Gulbene already. Very unexpected group victory, mainly boosted with that 6-0 pounding of Babite. On course for a piece of silverware already?

FINAL DRAW



Definitely a David versus Goliath situation with Spartaks meeting us in the final. Praying this won't be a demolition job.

NEW SIGNING



Injury forcing out our only left sided midfielder Klimasevics, Andrejs Petersons is drafted in as an emergency.



Andrejs Petersons - AM(L)/M(L) - free transfer from Jelgava

Pretty much cut from the same cloth as Klimasevics in terms of his quickness and crossing abilities. Only difference is that Petersons has youth on his side at only 19 with plenty of headroom to grow. The drawback is his technique which is only half of his competition but as mentioned this was a signing in a rush. What better way to start his Gulbene career than a forthcoming cup final.

VIRSLIGAS WINTER CUP

FINAL



Can we pull off a major upset here to lift our first major trophy in nearly half a century.






As for the league odds, the bookies have improved our odds to 50-1 to win the league and to have our heads above water. If we play like we did in this cup, survival is almost a guarantee.

TRANSFERS

OUT





The ONE player I absolutely NEEDED to hold onto has left for the Latvian capital to join Riga FC, despite me offering him a new deal with a pay rise. 16 assists, 13 man of the match awards last season, good luck to the mercenary. Numerous others left on frees to Metta/LU and Babite, nothing too heart dropping as they were dead weight to us.

IN



Went wild with the wealth to recruit seven newcomers and add as much quality and depth as possible without completely dismantling the current squad. However, the Latvian market is about as mouth-watering as window shopping at Oxfam.



Saving the best two for last, let’s delve into the other four (well, five).



Jurijs Plukaitis – ST(C) – unattached free agent

Definitely think I overcompensated in the wages, however with experience at a strong club in Spartaks it definitely helps. Physically flawed but a solid finisher and holds excellent leadership…if it weren’t for his shocking teamwork. If he scores goals, he’ll be worth it in the short run.



Pavels Fatkulins – D(C) – free transfer from Riga FC

Tit for tat with Riga, not much to brag about but he’s better than most available options. Hoping his tallish build and heft gives him the advantage in aerial combat. Another strong leader to potentially keep our backline in check. Cheap as chips too.



Vitalijs Osipovs – GK – free transfer from Ilukstes NSS

Leaving his mentals out of the picture, I see a lot of potential in this youngster. Tall, agile, flexible and another on the cheap. The low determination part is an issue, especially with no tutor available. Just gotta ride the wave with Vitalijs.



Jevgenijs Sillers – D(L) – free transfer from Alberts

Stats don’t jump off the page, but to reiterate – this is practically a monopolised league with very few wanting to join a side like us. If he can deal with the bare minimum as a guard on the left I’ll be satisfied. If he’s up against a quick right winger, forget about it. He’ll just have to wing it (see what I did there?).



Nikolajs Apins – M(C) – unattached free agent

Felt we didn’t need to dabble for a central midfielder, but with Nalivaiko exiting this became an urgent task. Apins pales in comparison and is mediocre at best but to stand out as a team player might have tipped the scales in signing him. May retrain him as a playmaker because I’m doubtful this guy can defend the middle.



Onto the juicy recruits..



Ruslans Gutkovskis – ST(C) – free signing from RFS

I mean what’s so special about him? 16 finishing, that’s what. Almost unheard of in Latvia. Just a classic number 9 with good anticipation and off the ball manoeuvres. That’s good enough for me.



Jurijs Ivanovs – D(C) – free signing from Metta/LU

Don’t hold your breath in finding the ‘perfect’ centre half in this league but Ivanovs is an outright steal for only £25 a week. Pretty garbage in the air despite his jumping reach and underwhelming tackling with bravery of 18, the only way is up for this 22 year old. Some really good performances under his belt will no doubt make our backline much more stabile compared to what we had.

FRIENDLIES



To avoid boring you all to tears, one win and one draw against lower opposition. Is it a bad omen? We'll soon find out.

SEASON EXPECTATIONS



Three competitions to sink our teeth into, be great if we can take home any piece of silverware no matter how unlikely. Avoiding relegation is vitally important in an eight team league but with a revamped squad it should work itself out. Quarter finals of the Latvian cup is doable and the Winter Cup? No idea how that works.

VIRSLIGAS WINTER CUP

GROUP STAGE DRAW



From the gist of things, here's how it works..the top four Latvian teams dogpile into Group A while the inferior four slapfight in Group B - including ourselves. The winners of each group play in the cup final, second placed sides go to a third place playoff and so forth. Babite, Liepaja, Riga, let's have ya!

SQUAD



At face value, sure it looks like a solid team but bear in mind the Latvian league are full of potato farmers compared to the rest of Europe. I mean no offence to any Latvian readers, but I've definitely had better squads in my career. The recent form definitely gives the hint of a mediocre side.

KEY PLAYER: Andrejs Vazarinskis - D(R)



Yikes. If this is our best player in the squad, we definitely need to strengthen when the transfer window hits. Only one blue stat in his technicals worries me massively, even his mentals are underwhelming. With an aggression level three times more than his concentration indicates to me that he'll use blind rage in his tackles - praying he doesn't get red carded too often.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE





Stayed up comfortably this season gone, not too far away from Europe either and earned them the 'overachievers of the season'. Note the point difference between second and third, the Virslīga reminds me of the Armenian league monopolisation with two teams streets ahead of the rest. Midfielder Pavels Nalivaiko definitely one to preserve for next year - tallying 16 assists, higher than any other player in the division last year. Holy guacamole.














In a bizarre twist, Slovenia U19's had a vacancy and I thought to myself...why the hell not?!

But more on that at a later date.

SUPERLIGA

MATCHDAY 14



Absolute state of this game. Not sure if it were football or mixed martial arts they were playing but the referee was having none of it. Game itself was an absolute farce with neither side bringing anything to the keepers. Feared the worst when Camaj saw red to issue a tough second half but Prishtina blew it. Two reds in five minutes had it 10 against 9 in a bizarre twist. If that weren't bad enough, two pens were awarded to us either side of us falling to nine men ourselves with Mehmeti joining the early bath club. Endri Krasniqi took both and scored both to put this turgid game to rest.

MATCHDAY 15



The gulf in quality was staggering in this brawl, heavily defeated by the runaway leaders. Two own goals pretty much set the tone for the game, two more followed and Endri Krasniqi got himself sent off. Jesus Christ man, can we go one game with eleven men on the field??



Somebody call NASA, we've a bunch of rocket scientists over here.

MATCHDAY 16



Rebounded to a slender victory over Istogu, this time looking a bit more comfortable. The travelling visitors barely gave Braha any trouble as Ercegovac's close range finish just before half time brought us a much needed three points. Let's ignore the fact that Istogu's keeper had a busted wrist going into this game.

...and before I go any further...




Nation: Latvia
Media Prediction (Odds): 3rd/8 (5-1)
Current Position: 3rd
Expectations: None
Pros: Battling for European football. Seven figure balance. Not Ferizaj.
Cons: Massive gulf in quality within Latvian league. Drop in quality of players compared to those in Kosovo.

RESULT






Nation: Latvia
Media Prediction (Odds): 7th/8 (65-1)
Current Position: 5th
Expectations: None
Pros: Assured safety for next season. Very generous wage bill offer. Again, not Ferizaj.
Cons: Quality of squad much worse than Ferizaj at face value. High chance of battling relegation next season.

RESULT

SUPERLIGA

MATCHDAY 9





I'm ready to hurl this laptop into orbit. Trepça looked like they were pinned against the ropes from 11 rounds with their saviour Cvek Sekuljica keeping his clean sheet in tact. Fingertipped a header from Julian Agolli over the bar and in the resulting phase Ercegovac had been denied also. If that weren't bad enough, Lekaj scored late...only to realise he was a yard offside. The cream on top of this cake of disaster came in injury time; Krasniqi with a needless foul in the area, penalty given, gets sent off for a second caution, Matovic sinks it. Done. So done.

MATCHDAY 10



I won't celebrate this, winning by two goals against Llapi was a minimum requirement to end our miserable run of form. Some good passing in midfield and a creative opening by Ercegovac into Lekaj triggered an early opener and Lekaj returned the favour to Ercegovac on a breaking counter and the Croatian striker couldn't miss the one on one. Even with an early bath for Grcic, it made no difference to the scoreline or the balance of the game - Llapi are bottom of the table for a reason.

MATCHDAY 11



Revenge for the opening day defeat. Neither side totally dominated this evenly fought affair, it boiled down to who could finish better. Ivan Ercegovac finished straight out of the top drawer to have us leading before the half hour mark. The second goal seemed to be marred by controversy as an injury to a 2 Korriku player went unattended during the build up, instead of putting it out of play Mitrovic took full advantage of the situation and buried it in the top corner. Alan Nowak rescued pride for 2 Korriku in injury time but left empty handed.

MATCHDAY 12



Blooming heck, can we not get a run together? Rattled the home side's confidence, especially down the left flank which Kastrati revelled in space and assisted twice to Ivan Ercegovac to firmly hold the cards entering the second half. Things took a slippery course; poor marking and awareness left Fatmir Ajazi an invitation to spark life into the Flamurtari crew. With Ercegovac missing a big chance for a hat-trick, our foundations collapsed with ten minutes remaining - Kaptina rallying the comeback. Kastrati was a nightmare all game on the wing, sadly didn't mark it with a goal late on and hit one down the throat of the keeper. A draw that never felt more like a defeat.

MATCHDAY 13



Totally marooned by Drita, awful home performance. No creativity, overrun, poor control of possession, yet another penalty given away, yet another red card, when will it end? Veli Berisha sending it straight down the middle and handing us a sixth defeat of the season. Digging our own graves at this rate.

KUPA E KOSOVËS

FIRST ROUND





No trouble edging past second tier Vllaznia, although Cyril Morin continues to fail finding the back of the net. Mitrovic perhaps starting to enjoy life at Ferizaj again with a double, an own goal from Muhamed Berisha and a late bonus from Ercegovac off the bench easily secured passageway to the second round.

SECOND ROUND DRAW



Squaring up to Trepça, having a little score to settle.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



Imperceptible improvement in form, however two defeats either side of the month isn't great. Three consecutive wins should have been four if we held our bottle against Flamurtari but when do you ever expect anything from this team? Aurel Kastrati has put in excellent shifts recently to link in with Ercegovac notching up five goals this month. Rest of them need a hard look at themselves.

LEAGUE TABLE



No chance of a title surge this year, if anything we're fighting for our status. Four from absolute safety with only three wins on the board. Shocking stuff.

@bigmattb28 - Thanks for the positive comments. Medium database with select number of leagues running on an i7 processor. It is indeed the Vitrex skin, the best skin ever to grace FM.

@bcsaulJ - Fingers crossed!

___________________________________________



SUPERLIGA

MATCHDAY 1



Didn't deserve to lose, but we did. Neither side got out of the blocks until the final fifteen minutes, Ercegovac bottling a free ticket and not even hitting the target to back. Then came the ol' switcheroo; in the space of thirty seconds we came charging in on the 2 Korriku goal, only to be counterstriked by a sucker punch that luckily ricocheted to Neziri after the original effort hit the post. Not the start I hoped for, but we'll build on it.

MATCHDAY 2



A second half retort so nearly grabbed us the maiden three points of the new season. Some things never change with set pieces, Gentian Braha getting nowhere near Driton Mehmeti's header from a corner. Besnik Lekaj brewed up a storm after the restart, 35 seconds in from the whistle he casually curled home the equaliser from just inside the area. We built on the pressure, Idrizaj denied by the inside of the post before being awarded a key penalty as the game faded into the last quarter. Lekaj took, Lekaj didn't conquer - straight at the keeper. Should have won but we're getting there.

MATCHDAY 3



More like it! First win of the season, yet again fighting from a goal down. Rajeckis really looked like a fish out of water when Prishtina broke free on the counter, exploited on the left flank completely and Bicaj tapped in from the resulting cross. One man could save us - Ercegovac. Used his target man abilities to beautifully flick a header over the keeper's head to level play and with injury time activated, the young Croat utilised his feet as a poacher to turn the game on it's head. Exponentially improving game on game.

MATCHDAY 4



That was until Ferronikeli dampened everything. Only one shot on target compared to their eight, the visitors in green brought the pain in the final third of the match. Kastrati got caught in possession, our right back area yet again at fault to which Mullici couldn't miss. Dritan Jaupi missed our one and only good effort, beating the keeper but not the post. Mullici punished our stretched centre backs to beat Braha with ease. Arguably the best team in the division so we won't be too disheartened.

MATCHDAY 5



Total disaster against newly promoted opposition in Istogu. Setting up with a 4-3-3 Istogu were zealous in their approach, knocking us down twice in the first half due to unforgiving defensive mistakes. Second half needed some fire in the belly and Ercegovac looked like the only one to give a damn to peg them back on the hour. Rajeckis improved from the Prishtina game but gave away a soft penalty to further tighten Istogu's grip on the game. Thankfully Braha had other ideas with a brilliant stop. All in vain as we lose our third game of five.

MATCHDAY 6



A picture that says a thousand words. HOW DID WE NOT WIN? Drenica sat back all game and couldn't take advantage. Managed only a half chance in the first half as Camaj hit narrowly wide and second half was no better but for a sitter from Idrizaj, missing a header from four yards onto the post. This worrying lack of goals really has me questioning my future at the club.

MATCHDAY 7



Honours even against our rivals. With a pitch as long as my schlong, direct football was the strategy and got the ball rolling early with Ercegovac unselfishly setting up Lekaj to stun the home crowd. Didn't last too long, Oxhallari beating the offside trap from a free kick and beating Braha at his near post. Perfectly poised for a third goal which could have gone either way. Both keepers at full stretch, Mitrovic and Ercegovac both denied by Trepça'89's Rashica and Gentian Braha delivered an unbelievable point blank save to keep us from falling behind. Great watch for the neutrals.

MATCHDAY 8



Bloody hell this is getting rather problematic. Slow reaction speeds, lack of spatial awareness, ingredients for allowing Albi Kurti a free header looping over a befuddled Braha. We threw away some important chances but Besnik Lekaj took full advantage of Idrizaj's cross to sweetly rasp it into the top corner. Took a lapse of three minutes to completely sink, both crafted by Oliver Felber including a bullshit penalty (imho) and left us chasing a 3-1 deficit. Morin and Idrizaj missed further huge nuggets that would have dragged us back into the game, and even with Ventura's late hit - we simply weren't good enough.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A total dumpster fire of results after two months. One win in eight games, only seven goals to show - really disappointing. Besnik Lekaj is at least balancing the workload from Ercegovac but Cyril Morin having real struggles to gel in this team. New boy Granier showed glimpses of talent, but only glimpses. McParland really needs to toughen his defending training regime.

LEAGUE TABLE



Already a good twelve points from the top, slipping into the drop zone with only six points. Boy, we need to turn this around hastily.

I apologise for the lack of updates, try working 21 consecutive days (and yes, that includes weekends too).






Nation: Macedonia
Media Prediction (Odds): 4th/10 (15-2)
Expectations: Continental football/challenge for the league
Pros: Stronger squad than Ferizaj. Played against them enough to know their weaknesses. Better chances of getting into Europe.
Cons: Competitive and unpredictable league. Balance six figures in the red.

RESULT:







A complete overhaul to our transfer policies come next season. We welcome Tomas Juska back to the save with open arms, taking his role as director of football to perhaps eye up some offers for players while it goes back to me for final approval. Also announced an affiliation with French second tier club Red Star to wire over an annual fee, plus also outlining plans to loan us a couple of players to develop.



Who ever said we’d see the last of Conor McParland? Signing of the season as he settles into his new coaching role alongside me. Unbreakable bond. <3

TRANSFERS

OUT



Stripped down the excess in our wage budget payments, notable exits for Topi, Mario Sinani and labelled as ‘worst signing of the season’ last year Pivovarov. With new additions to midfield and enough playmakers to work with, decided to loan out Gobeljic to newly promoted Istogu while receiving a monthly fee that’ll amount to £20k for the loan duration. Shrewd.

IN



Loans were the primary focus of our business over the summer, tried to get a late swoop for cash but there few too many obstacles to get the handshake in agreement. Our new parent club came in handy should all else failed. Cheap and cheerful.



Aleksandrs Rajeckis – D(R) – season long loan from Levadia

This is why Juska came in to be the second pair of eyes to a good deal. The Latvian right back looks ripe and ready for first team action – strong and athletic and with okay crossing and technique might be useful should he layer out on the overlap. Concerns me slightly that he only played seven times last season but I suppose that’s why we got him on loan.



Vavá – AM(C) – season long loan from Lusitans

Va va voom. Despite the Andorran league getting bugged out, Lusitans still churn out some little pearls with their Portuguese influences. Competition for Camaj and has the fountain of youth on his side, lots of green attributes to boost too. Obviously his mental game needs a bit of broadening out but I enjoy a gamble. £50p/w loan is a steal.



Ilir Abazi – GK – unattached free agent

Don’t read into this one too much, Juska decided to add a bit of depth to our goalkeeping so I threw him a bone. I’d feel a lot more comfortable with a 29 year old 1.5* in between the sticks than a 16 year old with potential and no game experience. Better safe than sorry.



Cyril Moran – season long loan from Red Star

Not only does he have flawless facial head that doesn’t match his hair colour, it’ll give more motivation to Ercegovac keeping a place in the first team. More a rotation option, aiming to change the game if Ivan underperforms or requires a partner. Quick and roams well theoretically with strong finishing – the cliché poacher minus a lack of composure. A poacher version of Olivier Giroud essentially.



Cédric Granier – season long loan from Red Star

Definitely the star signing, looks quite exciting despite his woeful run of form recently. With Gobeljic out on loan, I've two choices to make; two playmakers in the middle or use Grcic or himself as a secret weapon to bring off the bench? Partial to the set pieces and definitely the most technically gifted in the squad, he'll surely sprinkle some magic and influence to the team (hopefully).

FRIENDLIES



Mixed bag, but can take a lot of positives out of it - especially toppling Skënderbeu. Will we be reliant on Ercegovac again?







And of course what would pre-season be without getting slightly screwed over before the first game of the season?

@Dan - You should know me by now.

@bcsaulJ - I'll be planning some big moves if given enough funds for the next year, otherwise I'm outta here!

___________________________________________




The Croatian saviour Ivan Ercegovac is definitely indispensable to our fans, winning just under half the vote of fans' player of the season ahead of Grcic and Mitrovic (who'll struggle to remain here). Should he go, he'll leave with a fine memento - blasting home goal of the season against Hajvalia at the beginning of March. Gobeljic sealed signing of the season, despite me doing no transfer business. Do I rate him? Might pale in comparison to Grcic, but a handy backup. Ercegovac's youthful 23 years earned him 'young' player of the season also.

https://streamable.com/4f564



Ercegovac brought a lot to the table in goals, seemed like he was the only one capable of scoring - bagging 17 and also won the Superliga golden boot (despite it not existing). Although he didn't average above 7, nor did anyone else...that's how mediocre our season as a whole finished. Mitrovic will be missed if he's to leave at the end of his contract in June, serious thrusters on this guy's boots down the right hand channels and helped set up 7 goals as our top assist maker. Arjan Gjoni in defensive midfield impressed me towards the end, good control and precise passing might just earn him a place in next season's starting XI. Discipline may be investigated, three reds this season needs fixing.



Bet190 got it spot on - for a team of our strengths, our season was wretched and certainly underachieved. Perhaps a bit harsh on Mehmeti (though he rarely impressed) and Pivovarov didn't do a single thing as our 'super sub' striker. Fortunes need to change massively.

@Dan - Stop that now, we're doing just fine.

__________________________________________




SUPERLIGA

MATCHDAY 30



That's more like it! A far more ebullient display ensured a comfortable win at last. Rocked Hajvalia's world in the first half with an early burst of pace down the right channel as Mitrovic squared it onto the head of Ercegovac for 1-0. The chances flowed in; twice denied by the woodwork and Endri Krasniqi denied by the keeper. Mitrovic made runs of a stallion all afternoon and set up another cross which the keeper flimsily punched to the path of Lekaj to make it two. A darting run from Camaj earned his first of the season and putting it out of sight. Amazingly Hajvalia had a rush of blood with four clear cut chances in the final 20 minutes, but Braha stood firm to claim a well deserved clean sheet.





OH PISS OFF NIKOLA! One masterclass performance and he thinks he's Messi, do me a favour.

MATCHDAY 31



I don't know whether to laugh, cry or throw my laptop out the window. Defensively absent at both ends, we somehow fought from 3-0 and 4-1 down to remarkably nudge into a 5-4 lead before more defensive calamity ended the game all square in a heart stopping five-a-piece. But don't take my word for it, the highlights package will show how events unfolded. Some absolute corkers from Ercegovac and Lekaj in the mixture and some absolute 'You've Been Framed' style highlights. Yep, the game had it all.

https://streamable.com/l5goq

MATCHDAY 32



Just when I thought everything was turning up roses again, Trepça urinated all over our garden. I'm livid with Denis Mehmeti in particular who was absolutely shocking with a 5.3 rating after his shambolic positioning and lack of concentration led in a cross to the scorer Christopher Olsson, needless to say he got smacked with a fine post match. It wouldn't have mattered either way, one shot on target all game and didn't even look close to open our account. A defence splitting pass caught us out again to hand Olsson his second and putting a cease to this ugly performance.

MATCHDAY 33



The curtain closer brought nervous tension after a commanding first half. Cruised into the dressing room with three goals under our belt; Ercegovac on fire assisting for Josko Grcic before rolling in two of his own in a 10 minute spell. Could and should have been out of sight but back came 2 Korriku with lifelines, two long range efforts from sub Esad Naziri had us quaking in our boots during the final quarter. Despite the teetering and tottering, a well earned win to shut the book on a rather forgettable season.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



An improvement yes, but seriously our rearguard needs hours of fine-tuning. Nine goals conceded in four games is appalling, blemishing the stat of scoring eleven. Ercegovac really is somebody to lock down, Mitrovic too - though Mitrovic talking to me face to face is a challenge within itself.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE







Finished with our heads well above water, six points in fact as we broke forty points. Trepça '89 stole the league crown from under Flamurtari in last day drama, while at the other end Gjilani and Hajvalia departed to the second tier. The sides in 9th and 10th stayed up by virtue of winning their playoffs matches. Lots and lots of work required to bounce back strongly next season....if I'm even staying at this club next season.

SUPERLIGA

MATCHDAY 24



Prishtina let off the hook big time. The Ferizaj boys came out of the blocks strong and immediately harassed their penalty area, how Kastrati headed onto the post from 2 yards out I'll never know. Ercegovac continued to be the live-wire, firing a free kick onto the crossbar and spurning a glorious late chance to leave the game deadlocked. Our finishing so needs improvement.

MATCHDAY 25



Sparked a much needed second half comeback to spare blushes against struggling Gjilani. Despite taking control of the opening half, a well hit first time effort from an inswinging cross from Sokol Dosti had us laying on our backs. One real issue we have is hitting the target; 5 from 19 shots is very poor, but thankfully two bulged the net. Ercegovac knows how to put power behind his shots, firing an unstoppable hit to restore parity. Debatable penalty followed three minutes later, not that Besnik Lekaj or myself will mind. Might put some balance on our recent wobbles.

MATCHDAY 26



Nope. Unflattering scoreline against our arch rivals. The 3-0 makes it look worse than it did, we actually played adequately - Trepça'89 on the other hand played far better. Horrendous defending gifted the visitors an advantage, explaining it would cause me to drop a few IQ points. Lekaj so nearly shed light on a dark and depressing home performance but denied by the inside of the post with three minutes left. Not one, but two injury time completely sucked the life out of us - Hasa and Xhafa putting the nails in the casket.

MATCHDAY 27



Didn't redeem revenge on Ferronikeli following our cup exit to them, but at least we left them vexed in a hard fought draw. I say hard fought, this was a dreadful game with only one key highlight. Gentian Braha dived low to claw out a cheeky close range effort off the line. Is playing on the defensive the only option now?

MATCHDAY 28



We just can't catch a break. Veli Berisha terrorised us all evening and scored twice via crosses, on the brink of a hat-trick too as our performance bordered on an omnishambles. Thank the Lord we have a striker who can hit balls harder than a prime Mike Tyson, Ercegovac delivering his 11th goal of the season. Unfortunately it was in vain, despite late pressure we couldn't squeeze another out of him to level it up. Sinking closer to a potential trapdoor.

MATCHDAY 29



Three defeats in four, what the F is going on?! Crosses are just kryptonite for us, simply can't defend from them - guess what kind of assist provided Suti's early goal? Addressing the issue again, we can't hit a barn door nowadays. 19 shots, this time only 3 on target - not one of them close enough to cause Liria any problems. The Arpagjik't fortified themselves superbly and deserved this win. Time to rethink our strategies.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



April was a miserable pile of rat droppings. One win in nine games now, and even that was against a side destined for the drop. If it weren't for Ercegovac, we'd be long gone by now and even he is inconsistent at times. It's not as if we're not creative, our finishing is just woeful.

LEAGUE TABLE



Getting a little precarious now; although we've a game in hand over a few teams, a defeat could plunk us into the relegation playoffs. What makes things worse, here are our next four opponents: Hajvalia (H), Drenica (A), Trepça (H), 2 Korriku (A). Based on our form, they'll relish facing us in four massive six pointers. *gulp*

@Dan - What are you on about? I haven't lost a game yet!

@Revans - Very nice to hear that, thanks for the support! I have already unlocked Latvia and Macedonia but Georgia will be the next nation up once I win a top division or domestic cup in the nations that I've not yet conquered.

@Dmeister - Cheers bud, finally seeing you active on the forums for a change.

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SUPERLIGA

MATCHDAY 19



Continuing our unbeaten form with victory over Hajvalia. A game that threw punches but nothing was landing, except for two which really looked soft. The Hajvalia keeper guarded his near post very poorly where both goals circulated from; Ercegovac in the first half with a deft header while Nikola Mitrovic somehow struck from a tight angle to leave him as red as Hajvalia's kit.

MATCHDAY 20



Solid display against another opposition below us in Drenica. Julian Agolli sprung up from the back to beat the keeper to an aerial ball deep into first half stoppage time which proved to be the winner. How Agron Krasniqi didn't double our lead, I will never know - Ercegovac placing a perfect centred ball for a two yard tap in...ends up hitting the post. The red card for Memaj confirmed the three points.

MATCHDAY 21



Against the odds we outmuscle Trepça with ten players. The home side really bottled this, we looked rather shaky for a change and handed them a penalty on the half hour which Braha got his mitts to to maintain integrity as the game went on. When Agron Krasniqi got his marching orders, we feared the worst - except one man up top. Ercegovac becoming the go-to guy for goals, especially with his trait of shooting with power - winning the game with power to ping one home via deflection in the final quarter.



Kosovo agreeing with the DNZY blueprint it seems.

MATCHDAY 22





BULLSH*T DID WE LOSE THIS! Totally dominated 2 Korriku, so why does the scoreline not agree you might be asking? I'll tell you why - Gentian Braha. Two brainfart goalkeeping errors led us to this point, although at least he made an effort to keep out the first goal, flapping to keep the first effort out but with useless, lazy defending on the follow up - Kapllani said thank you very much. It hurt how many times we came close; Ercegovac the unluckiest man on the field to hit the inside of the post and watch the ball roll on the line before 2 Korriku cleared their lines. The Croat had numerous efforts but finally equalised with another powerful effort. With us on the front foot we should have turn the game on it's head...WRONG...Braha's positioning was dire from a long throw and Dejan Ciglar couldn't miss to condemn me to my first Ferizaj defeat. Totally unjustified.



I mean at least he's honest about the situation.

MATCHDAY 23



Recovering from the misdirected bruising by holding the league leaders at their own park. Flamurtari much the stronger of the two, hitting the post in the second half and threw away a peach towards the end, heading over from inside the six yard area to give us a mighty scare. Ercegovac came closest for our boys, failing to compose himself during a one on one breakaway and only hitting it straight at the man between the sticks.

KUPA E KOSOVËS

QUARTER FINAL



Damn, there goes my chances of silverware for another year. Ferronikeli's only shot on target decisive to the result, Djordje Djuricic booting home in the 83rd minute of what was an unbearable ninety minutes of quote unquote "action".



Great. More things to worry about.

RESULTS OVERVIEW



A strong start to the month thwarted by a bitter ending, the 2 Korriku travesty really denting our confidence within. I mean without Ivan Ercegovac accumulating consistent performances up top with a few goals to boost, this could have ended a lot worse.

LEAGUE TABLE



I hate to break this to the diehard CJL fans...I don't think we'll be winning the league this season. In fact 7th place might even be the ceiling for this season.

KUPA E KOSOVËS

SECOND ROUND



Needed to take the penalty route to advance forward against Drita. Two key opportunities we failed to take in the first half could've made the task easier, Ventura missing from close range while Besnik Lekaj broke free on the counter but dragged agonizingly wide. Drita nearly caught us off guard hitting the inside of the post from range but fizzled out beyond that point. Gentian Braha has had major criticism hanging over him, but three top saves in the shootout silenced it as our penalty game was far superior.



Mehmeti sidelined with no natural left backs in reserve.

QUARTER FINAL DRAW



Only typical we now stand face to face with the holders next.

RESULTS OVERVIEW




Only the one game this month, you know how it ended.

@Dan @bcsaulJ - Honestly, no other jobs were available and besides if I'm successful in Kosovo - it unlocks a new nation.

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No ins, no outs, no drama, no friendlies...nothing to report.


Oh, except this.





Behold the man made out of soggy toilet paper. What on Earth is this guy doing to himself?