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Hangzhou Lucheng

May 2018


Results



We were destroyed by Saitama, Fernando grabbed a consolation but we the game was well gone already and we fell to a 3-1 defeat. Our final league game was a similar story to the last few months, dominating the game and creating chance after chance but not taking them, Citizen scored from a corner to take all 3 points and leave us empty handed, again! The worst was still to come, just nothing has gone for us in the last 3 months and this was a bitter pill to swallow, we lost the FA Cup Final to lower league side Wong Tai Sin, once again battered a side and lost 1-0! Lost for words!


League Table



Third, we finished third!! I don't even want to talk about it, fair play to Tai Po who won the league off the back of being promoted into it last year, incredible result but helped by us and South China being below par. So we will end up in a season playoff against FA Cup Winners Wong Tai Sin for continental qualification.


End of the Road...



So the last few months have been bad, but i've won 5 trophies in 2 years at Kitchee and this is how they treat me?? I was called in to chat about the poor results, which was fair enough we had been awful, they weren't interested in my opinions about the injuries we had to contend with so in the end I offered my resignation, I had already decided not to renew my contract, this was the response! Uncalled for and a complete lack of respect, fair to say my view of Kitchee as a club has just taken a sharp decline...


Where To Next?

When I took the Kitchee job on I had progression in mind and wanted to use the job as a springboard to the Chinese Super League, it's a league that doesn't have much higher rep than HK but has much more quality so China is my preferred destination, however I have South Korea & Australia open and wouldn't rule them out if the right opportunity came available. My rep hasn't improved enough to get a top quality club in these countries so I may go a few years before winning another trophy wherever I end up.

April 2018


Results



Can't score, can't win, can't do anything!! Don't know how I can correct this, I know there are injuries to key players but the squad is generally decent and should still be able to cope domestically at least, I know how Mourino felt at Chelsea now!!! The loss at home to Guangzhou was expected, we done our best but were over powered by a far superior side and fell to a 2 goal defeat. The League Cup Final hurt the most, a competition I wanted to win from the start and to lose a final against Pegasus is unacceptable, we fell behind from an early corner and despite being dominant we couldn't find a way through, we were then held to a 0-0 draw at Tai Po after having a late goal chalked off, a result that put South China in command in the title race. Our expected elimination from the ACL Group Stage was next, another 2-0 defeat this time away to Seoul meant we would play a pointless game against Saitama in May. Back to league action and Pegasus frustrated us once again, by this point i've tried everything but confidence is shot, I simply can't turn it around I hate when FM gets like this! Our final game saw us salvage a draw when Wellingsson netted our first goal in almost 10 hours of football!! We managed to scrape a draw with Metro Gallery. I can't understand how a team can go 38 games unbeaten and be cruising then it's like a switch is flipped and they just can't do anything! I don't want to blame the game but I am absolutely dumbfounded here.


League Table



How on earth we are potentially able to win the league still is a mystery to me, Tai Po beat South China towards the end of the month which helped but we have been awful for 2 and a half months, to be on 29 points with 1 game to play and still not out of the title race is incredible, we won the league with 47 points last season! We need South China to collect no more than 2 points and they have 2 games left still, we also need Tai Po to lose and for us to win our game, so we don't just need a miracle, we need 4 of them!!


Champions League



Predictably failed here, but 4 points isn't terrible and if we can avoid defeat at Saitama we will finish 3rd.


Club Stats



Nothing to report here apart from Pong storming ahead in the player of the match awards with 6, defeats in the ACL have seen us lose money again this month with no prize money coming in, lost around £35k.


Star Performer



Leung Chun Pong - The midfielder takes it again, now consider that he has been a regular for me in my 2 years here and that he had never been the star performer until a few months back and now has won 3 of them shows the rest of the squad for what they are, inept! Again Pong has been solid and I can't fault him for that but being solid shouldn't make you the star performer, Can't expect any assists or goals really, the club only scored 1 goal all bloody month!!


Youth Candidates



A number of high potential players, tempted to play them straight away they can't do any worse than the miserable bunch we have at the moment! Tam Kin Keung looks an ideal replacement for Pong eventually.


Other News



Seriously FM?? 4 of my players in the team of the month?? How the hell do you work that out you stupid game!! Pong maybe, the rest were shite!!


Upcoming Fixtures



Saitama away in the ACL is a game I will probably make a lot of changes for, we then need to win at in form Citizen to keep our hopes alive, South China drew their game in hand so it's all going down to the final day. Our last game of the season is the FA Cup Final where we face lower division side Wong Tai Sin who got relegated last season.

March 2018


Results



The wheels have well and truly come off!! A 2-0 loss at home to South China puts the title race firmly in their hands with a 3 point lead and a better head to head record, devastated to lose that! Following that we were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Yuen Long, this can't get any worse surely?? I just can't score goals this season I know i've had problems with injuries but this is beyond belief! The title is slipping away. We held firm against Saitama in the ACL Group but again failed to score, we've now scored just once (A penalty) in six games!!! This does put us on 4 points and keeps us in with a chance of qualification, as unlikely as it is. We finally scored from open play as Pong slid in to bury a right wing cross 4 minutes in to the League Cup Semi Final, Yoon-Ho made it 2-0 before half time and it stayed that way which saw us in to the final. We were looking back on track when Wellingsson put us ahead in the 3rd minute of the Sapling Cup Semi Final, however we fell apart and conceded 2 sloppy goals that saw us eliminated, Clayton had been pestering for first team football and has not impressed at all this season, gave him a chance here and he was at fault for both goals, I transfer listed him after this which he didn't like so I agreed to terminate his contract! Glad to see the back of him worst signing i've ever made!! Young Robbie Stamp finally found the net again as he hit a first half brace against Tai Po to send us into the FA Cup Final! A positive end to an awful month for Kitchee!


League Table



South China were held to a draw after beating us so the title race isn't over yet, but it's firmly in their hands! They do still have to play Tai Po though. Look at Yau Tsim Mong bottom of the table with just one win all season ... that was against us!! What has happened to this club? I feel like Jose Mourinho!


Club Stats



Robbie Stamp has pulled level with Fernando on 6 goals, but for our top scorers to be on 6 at this stage of the season highlights our issues! Pong has moved back to the top of the ratings charts again this month, Wellingsson has had a creative month adding another 3 assists taking his tally to 10. The ACL continues to aid our financial situation with profit for a second month running, made almost £40k this month.


Star Performer



Leung Chun Pong - Another good month for our central midfield man, 1 assist and 1 goal plus 6 consistently good performances, can't knock the guy.


League Cup Final Draw




Upcoming Fixtures



A tricky start to the month as we host Guangzhou in the ACL, then the League Cup Final against Pegasus is 3 days later then just 3 days after that we travel to Tai Po in a huge game with the title race heating up. We get a bit of respite after that before we head to South Korea for ACL game 5 against Seoul then return to league action at home to Pegasus, a trip to Metro Gallery rounds off a tough month, with the injury list still working against us it's a daunting month ahead.

February 2018


Champions League Draw



Things looked bad when we were drawn alongside Guangzhou, then came South Korean runners up Seoul and finally Saitama of Japan, that is a really tough ask!!


Results



Fernando grabbed his first goal in months to give us the lead against Metro Gallery in our first game this month and Brian Fok headed home a corner just before half time to make the 3 points safe, next up our FA Cup Quarter Final proved more tricky then I had hoped with a daunting trip to Guangzhou around the corner, we trailed for much of the game but our Korean loanee Yoon-Ho came off the bench to fire the game in to extra time, Cheng Yuan put the finishing touch on a lovely move to fire us into the Semi Final. Our first ACL game of me reign and for the first 50 minutes it went well, Guangzhou of course dominated but we held firm until our 18 year old ball winner got himself sent off for a 2nd yellow and we fell apart, to be honest we were fortunate to get away with just a 3 goal defeat! This put an abrupt end to our impressive run of 38 games without defeat in all competitions. Our injury crisis continued to make things tricky and we fell to a 1-0 defeat in the league against bottom club Yau Tsim Mong, we done everything but score hitting the woodwork multiple times and forcing a number of saves and blocks throughout, it just wasn't our day. Back in the ACL and a solid defensive performance allowed us to sneak a win against Seoul thanks to a first half penalty converted by Jack Sealy, a shock win without a doubt!


League Table & Stats



The defeat at Yau Tsim Mong has put the title race in South China's hands as they move top of the table.


Club Stats



Fernando moves on to 6 goals for the season, Matthew Lam returns as our best performer without kicking a ball thanks to Pong's decline in form recently and Wellingsson remains on 7 assists, Merson continues as our best passer as he has done for much of the season. Finances have seen us turn a profit thanks to our participation in the ACL group, we were given £50k for competing and £70k for the win over Seoul, turning a profit of almost £90k for the month.


Star Performer



Lee Ka Yiu - The right wingers return to action has been a good one with some impressive performances over the 5 games, he managed 2 assists this month and turned in consistent performances despite some negative results for the team.


Cup Draws








Other News



Yiu's performances have earned him a place in the team of the month.


Upcoming Fixtures



A very busy month ahead, a huge game in the league at home to South China to start the month, we then host struggling Yuen Long before a Champions League game at home to Saitama. The final three games of the month are the 3 Cup Semi Finals against Yuen Long, Metro Gallery & Tai Po. A huge month and far from ideal with the injuries that have built up, Akande, Lam, Yuan, Fernando, Deshuai & Fok all missing at present!

January 2018


Results



Perfection again! Young striker Robbie Stamp was given a start in the Sapling Cup against Pegasus and fired us to victory with an impressive brace in a 2-1 win to see us top the group with 4 wins from 4, The return to league action was against HKFC and Stamp had earned another start, again he repaid the selection firing the only goal of the game in the first half to bag another victory ahead of our Senior Shield final against Tai Po. Before the cup final we were handed the huge news that last years prolific striker Akande had rejoined the club half a year after leaving, massive news for the club and dreams come true in the cup final, Akande was short of fitness so settled for a place on the bench, he came on in the second half but despite our dominance it ended 0-0, it was a great moment for Kitchee when the returning Akande raced through and slotted home the winner in extra time to lift the Senior Shield on his return! A week later and Akande returned to the starting xi with a bang, bagging a brace in the opening 18 minutes, Fok made it 3-0 after 26 minutes and despite a goal either side of the half way mark for Southern District we held on for 3 points.




League Table & Stats



We remain a point ahead of South China at the top of the league with 8 games left to play, Tai Po are still in the running too just 3 points behind us. We still have no mention in the player stats although the leagues top scorer is our 17 year old striker Lee Po Ming on loan at title contenders Tai Po, I could be responsible for my own downfall here...


Club Stats



Still no change in the leading goal scorer chart with injured Fernando still leading the way on 5, although Akande moved to just 2 behind him and he's only played a game and a half!! Leung Chung Pong's consistent performances in the middle of the park have seen him take over as the teams top performer and Wellingsson has added another assist this month now on 7. Another £60k lost this month!


Star Performer



Shay Spitz - The left back was far from inspiring this month but there wasn't much to choose from to be honest and he was solid in the 3 games he played.


Other News

I have turned down the chance to discuss a new contract with Kitchee, the board were keen but it's my current intention to move on to a new challenge next season.




3 player sin the team of the month, Fok in the defence with Lung & Deshuai slotting in to the midfield.




HKFC will be our opponents in the FA Cup Quarter Final.




Bad news, the qualification rules have reverted back to that of previous years, league winners will enter ACL Second Preliminary Round and Season Play Off winner will head in to the Confed Cup Groups.




South Korean affiliate club Jeonbuk have kindly loaned me this 21 year old attacking midfielder, Yoon-Ho will provide competition for youngster Lung with Matthew Lam having picked up a knee injury keeping him out for the rest of the season. Talking of injuries...




This game is absolutely cruel!! Akande was involved in an U18 match as he looked to build his match fitness and picks up a bloody cruciate ligament injury keeping him out for 11 months! Literally just wanted to shut the game down at this point, how bad can my luck be, this makes it 5 first team players now on the treatment table long term!!


Upcoming Fixtures



League games at home to Metro Gallery & away at Yau Tsim Mong this month along with the FA Cup Quarter Final, Champions League Group Stage also starts and there are 2 scheduled games, so with a massively deplted squad thanks to injuries this is going to be a busy month for us.

Akande Returns to Kitchee



Hopefully this will put an end to our goal scoring woes this season, i've been fairly relentless in trying to persuade him to come back but he kept demanding huge wages or flat out refusing, clearly he's now accepted that nobody else wants him (crazy!!) and returning to us is his only choice if he wants to play football, great news for us!

December 2017


Results



Perfection! We opened in December with a 3-0 win over Metro Gallery in the Sapling Cup and they were very much their own worst enemy scoring 2 own goals, Pong grabbed the other in a comfortable win. Returning to league action we faced Tai Po who were top of the league and an early strike from Cheng Yuan was enough to secure the points in a tense game, hardly the most convincing but 3 points is all that matters, 2 more single goal victories were to follow in the league as we won away at Pegasus thanks to a late striker from winger Yiu then saw off Citizen at home with a second half strike from Xu Deshuai. Rounding off the perfect month we made it 5 wins form 5 seeing off the challenge of Yau Tsim Mong in the Senior Shield to book ourselves a place in the final, an early goal from Wellingsson got us going but we were pegged back by half time, an own goal was the decisive moment in the match and put us into the final.




League Table & Stats



Our 3 straight wins has moved us to the top of the table by a point, our stuttering performances so far is shown by the fact that none of our players feature in the stats charts.


Sapling Cup Groups & Stats



Qualification not a certainty but 7 points would probably be enough, Fernando leads the scoring charts with 2 and Pong is right up there in the ratings.


League Cup Group



Southern District beat Pegasus to secure our qualification for the League Cup Semi Final.


Club Stats



Fernando remains top scorer but still only has 5 goals, Lam remains the best performer despite a drop in ratings and Wellingsson has added 2 more assists to his name and remains the leader in that. Finances continue to drop with a loss of £75k this month.


Star Performer



Leung Chun Pong - The experienced central midfielder has been solid for us this month playing almost every minute on offer, scored 1 goal and averaged around 7.7 over the 5 games.


Upcoming Fixtures



Our final Sapling Cup Group game is first up away to Pegasus, we host HKFC in the league before the Senior Shield Final against Tai Po and round off the month with a league trip to Southern District.