NCJesster - Comments

Off-Season

First and foremost, the board decided to give us a fund injection of $100K and we got out of the hole! How long that will last, I am not sure, but it is a move in the right direction for sure.

Squad Changes

Players Released/Not Re-signed

GK Joao Matos: 29 years old and with a dismal one-on-one rating, just not a sound investment so we let him go for free.
GK Goncalo Pinhero: 20 years-old and not developing as I had hoped. With a couple of youngsters coming in with the Youth Intake plus the signing of Diogo Pereira we no longer needed him. 
DC Pepe: I made the decision to put this 32 year-old on the transfer list and he was snatched up by At Arcos and will be joining them on 1 July.
MC/DM Belmino Tavares: This was a tough decision to make. He is a locker room leader and is well-liked by the supporters. But he is also 32 and at this level, once players start to decline it is very swift. The last 3 months saw a steady decline in his stamina. Plus, I was able to find some younger players from Brazil that have the potential to be very good. So it was time to let Tavares go.
MC/AMC Gianlucca: I sent him out on loan to Costa Rica (BRA) with the hope that this 20 year-old would show some development by being given some 1st team football. Unfortunately that didnt happen. So it is time to let him try to find a starting spot somewhere else.
ST Nilo Souza: Souza spent the majority of the time I have been here on the Injured List. He is 32  and is declining rapidly. I dont know what the future holds and I wish him the best as he moves onto another club.

Transfer Listed

AML Ismael Pinto: Pinto had been a regular starter the first couple of months of my tenure. But his incessant shooting from all points on the pitch if he has just a sniff of goal started to get very tiresome. I finally moved him to the bench and our build-up play greatly improved. He is on a $9K/year contract until June 2027 and I put a pricetag of $24K on him, which I will probably reduce, but he just isnt in my plans for next season. UPDATE: Loaned to HW Welders (NI) until the end of the season, paying 100% of wages.
DR Fredrico Rodrigo: He demanded to be traded, that it was time to move on. So after quickly listing him he was snatched up by Cova da Piedade (Portugal - Championship Group D) on a free. This will require some rethinking about the roster, but I didnt want him around if he was that unhappy.

New Signings

GK Diogo Pereire: See March update.
DC Alexandre Marques: See March Update.
DR Andre Ferreira: 23 years old and with room to develop, yea, glad to get him on the squad. If he reaches his potential he will be a fantastic player for the club. His current level is higher than Santos peak, so this was an easy decision for me to make. I didnt like the $7K per year contract, but he had a tough agent!
DC Vinicius Bertuchi: This 20 year-old was a huge signing for us. He will be joining from Brazil on a $ /year contract for 1 year.
DL/AML Carlos Henrique: Another Brazilian that provides depth at left fullback and left attacking midfielder. His $ /yr contract will keep him at the club until next June.
DM/MC Filipe Sales: A 24 year-old depth player from Brazil who will be on the bench to provide support for the midfield. I think knowing his creativity is there if I need him will make my game management a little easier.
DM/MC Vander: You guessed it, another Brazilian who at 24 gives me another solid choice off of the bench.
MC/AML Wendell: How this 20 year-old from Brazil was still a free agent, I dont know. But I am glad he was available. He may be young, but his all-around mental capabilities mean he will be driving the bus from midfield for us next season.
AMR/ST Rodrigo Moreira: This 19 year-old that is home-grown will be one for the future, but will also be a great depth piece for us…just in case.
AMR/ST Rick Sena: Another Brazilian who will be providing attacking depth for us. I will admit that he may end up on the transfer list before the season is over, but I wont complain about him being on the bench.
AMR/AML/ST Douglas Santos: 27 years old, from Brazil and signed as an Impact Sub, well the fact he can play any of the forward positions, yea, nice to see him on the bench.
ST Luan Viana: Our last Brazalian, I think. 30 years old and faster than Pauleta. Everything else looked comparable so knowing that either he or Pauleta will be on the bench, not bad options there.

Re-Signings

DR Nelson Sousa: I debated letting him go, but he took a pay cut to $1K per year so I signed him for 2 seasons to help with depth.
DM/MC Mario Borges: This really was an easy choice. He has been solid in the midfield and even with the new signings, and if it moves him to the bench, not a bad option. He ended up signing for the contract that he had before, so not costing me any more.
MC Durante Goncalves: This 20 year-old is a good depth player who may end up out on trial, but he has been developing nicely and the fact he didnt was a pay rise, nice to get his name on the new contract.
MC Jony Sousa: I was really torn about what to do with Jony. He is 26, developing slowly, and when we put him in from the bench he was able to raise the creativity level nicely. Add to the fact he accepted a $2K per year pay reduction to $7K, this was an easy decision to make.
AML/ST Henrique Fonseca: This was another easy decision. I just wanted to wait as long as I could to pull the trigger. He made it easier by not requesting a pay increase. Even though he ended the season on the injury-list, I know what he is capable of for sure.

Roster and Subs

GK: Morais
DR: Merieles
DC: Zuzarte
DC: Bertuchi
DL: Melhor
DM: Borges
MC: Wendell
MC: Adeyemo
AMR: Vidzinha
AML: Fonseca
ST: Pauleta

Subs
1: GK Pereira
2: DR Ferreira
3: DC Marques
4: DC/DM Fontes
5: DL/AML Henrique
6: DM/MC Frietas
7: MC Sousa
8: AMR/L Santos
9: ST Viana

Extras
DR Sousa - on loan list
DC Alves - in registered squad
DL Costa - in registered squad
MC/DM Sales - on loan list
MC/DM Vander - in registered squad
AML Sena - on loan list
MC/AMC Goncalves - on loan list
AMR/L/ST Martins - on loan list
AMR/L/ST Ferreira - on loan list

Thoughts and Considerations

Lots of roster changes and I am still not finished, I think. We have 2 spots open in the 25-man registration list with the release/loan of Rodrigo and Pinto. So I am actively looking at some options to bring in. There is still some time in the transfer window. 

I am not sold on Adeyemo as a starter, but he may end up there by default. I will see how the rest of the registration window goes.

The board recently went through an election and the new chairman generously gave us a $150K investment. Im not sure if he wants it back (I hope not) but I will still be looking to earn every penny we can. 

There were some other things that happened during the off-season/pre-season, but I will update those with the final update of the off-season. 

Ive been thinking about this and I have been looking at how other people do their saves, I think I may change it up a little bit, make it less “formal and technical” and more conversational. We will see how that goes.

Thanks for reading along!
 

End of the Season Reports and Records

Season Performance

Season Review

Season Injury Report

Shutout Record

Assist Record

Player of the Match Record

Goal-Scoring Record

Thoughts and Considerations

It was nice to see the records being set, and I think it is ironic that Pinto set the record for the Player of the Match awards and I am looking to sell him. But I think it is time to move the attackers in a different direction and I feel like this is best for the squad. I dropped his asking price to $18K to see if that will draw any interest. 

Im spending the off-season at making improvements with the squad to meet the objectives of a top-half/mid-table finish next season. That, and keeping the payroll under control are the 2 objectives I have for next season…well…so far.

Thanks again for reading along, the next update will be the squad signings, resignings and releases.

April 2026 Update

Match Recaps

5 Apr. Home. Aparecida FC (14th/Alp: 5th). Pre-match odds: AFC:24 %; Draw: 25%; Alp: 51%. Att: 463 (54 away). Win: 1-0. Another match of wasted opportunities, alot of them. We had 2 shots, with 7 on target and actually was able to get 8 corners out of it. But was only able to turn all of that into 1 goal. I have changed the mentality to be more positive/attacking and that seems to have helped, but we still cant finish. Our goal came from a wonderful build-up in the midfield. Pauleta held the ball up at the top of the box while Fonseca slipped between the centerbacks. Pauleta made a wonderful pass to the accelerating Fonseca who moved to his right and beat the keeper. It was a beautiful setup, smooth passing…perfect finishing. But that was the only time. But that was enough to earn us the 3 points.

19 Apr. Away. Rebordosa (14th/Alp: 5th). Pre-match odds: Redordosa: 34%; Draw: 27%; Alp: 39%. Att: 686 (128 away). Win: 0-1. Our finishing woes continued, even though we were able to get another win, but it wasnt from us, it was an own-goal that Tiago Silva tapped in after we had passed the ball in front of the net numerous times. I think he was trying to block the shot, but it ricocheted off of his left leg into the net. We had 14 shots, 6 on target and nothing to write home about. The defense has been stellar the last few matches, holding the opposition to no goals the last 2 matches and 8 out of the last 17 matches. A nice way to end the season.

End of Season League Table

Team Performance

Manager Performance

Thoughts and Considerations

First things first, new payroll budget for next season of $266K and a board investment of $100K. Cant argue with that!

There are definitely some decisions to be made on the squad. I need to get better finishers and more pace in my strikers to make the counter-attack work the way I want it to. I want to keep the younger core and bring in some more depth players, maybe even some upgrades. I have quite a few unattached players from Brazil that are interested in joining us. So I have been using the dead time at the end of the season to bring them in for trials, see if we can find some hidden gems.

Thanks for reading along, I keep saying just one more day….then 2 hours later I realize how much time has passed….then I think…just one more day…
 

New Contract

Nice to see this and get it signed, sealed and delivered! I didnt ask for a pay increase, lets see how next season goes. But to see the board likes what we have been able to do is a huge relief. I also checked, we are currently spending $203K out of a payroll of $217K. I need to make sure we stay below that!

Now to get serious about next season…..once we get thru these last 2 matches!

March 2026 Update

Match Results

1 Mar: Home. Cinfaes (2nd/Alp: 8th). Pre-match odds: Cinfaes: 45%; Draw: 27%; Alp: 28%). Att: 746 (408 away). Win. 1-0. Its about time things worked out like I had set them up to do! Cinfaes came in riding a 7-game unbeaten run and everything looked like we would be lucky to hold on to a draw. That is until Pauleta was able to snag a lucky header following a nicely placed lob from midfield from DC Zuzarte in the 77th minute. I set us up with a defensive mentality and parked the bus, only taking 4 shots with 3 on target, but that one was enough. I think this one will keep me going for days!

8 Mar: Away. Salgueiros (1st/Alp:6th). Pre-match odds: Salgueiros: 55%; Draw: 24%; Alp:21%. Att: 551 (31 away). Draw 1-1. I knew this would be a tough one. I did something that goes against the grain for me, I parked the bus, I mean, completely. But I did make sure that we would try to take advantage of any counterattacking opportunities we were given. Ironically we took more shots (10) than we had been taking. Soares scored the go-ahead goal in the 18th minute for Salgueiros and we tried to snatch an equalizer…somehow. Boy, the woodwork was a huge factor in this match as both sides hit it multiple times while trying to score an elusive goal. But things seemed to be working against us, until stoppage time. Adeyemo had a free kick just outside of the box that hit the woodwork (sound familiar?) and Pauleto scored the equalizer off of the rebound. This was 2 minutes in to 4 minutes of the added time, and we even had one more chance with another shot that, you guessed it, hit the crossbar. How did we pull that off?? I cant believe we were able to grab a point from this match. Huge match for us for sure!

15 Mar: Home. Uniao Lamas (7th/Alp: 6th). Pre-match odds: UL: 32%; Draw: 27%; Alp: 41%. Att: 408 (54 away). Win: 1-0. The only goal of the match was set up by a foul by Uniao Lamas as FB Meireles sent the keeper the wrong way in the 5th minute as he scored from the spot. Buildup was marred by an endless series of fouls by UL players that kept Alpendorada from getting any real kind of build-up play. There were 6 yellow cards issued in the match, 5 to UL and one to the home side. The mixture of positive, balanced and, in the final minutes, very defensive mentalities played a huge part in the victory.

22 Mar: Away. GD Resende (13th/Alp: 5th). Pre-match odds: GDR: 34%; Draw: 27%; Alp: 39%. Att: 273 (88 away). Draw 1-1. Once again, we showed no desire to shoot on goal. The first shot , from either side, was not registered until over 20 minutes had been played. Once again, anyone who had the ball 20-25 yards out was launching it into the stratosphere. Both teams started to hit the woodwork once they started to attempt shots, but at halftime the shots were GDR 6 and Alp a dismal 5. No one will score if they are not making at least the effort. Then, in the 52nd minute GDR Gabriel Paixao tapped in a loose ball from a wonky cross that skidded around in front of the goal like a greased pig that Morais was unable to get under control. At that point, we went Route One…more direct passing, shoot on sight, hoping that if we threw enough at the wall something would go in. In the 77th minute I took off the DM and both CMs. We desperately needed more creativity in the middle. It quickly paid off as W Fonseca fired a shot into the lower left corner of the net after a lovely pass from CM Sousa. We continued to try to get the game winner as we continued to hit the woodwork and pile on pressure. But to no avail. Questions were asked why I didnt sub off ST Pauleta. He didnt have a good match, but the hope was that by providing more creativity, he would get his goals…it just didnt happen.

League Table

Performance Review

Signings and Other Contract News

DC Pepe: Signed on a free by Dumiense at the end of his current contract.
GK Diogo Pereira: 18 year-old signed to a $1K per year deal for 2 years starting 1 July. He is signed as a BTP, but will also provide much needed depth at keeper.
DC Alexandre Marques: 20 year-old signed for $4.7K per year from 1 July through 2028. This fringe player is a great replacement for Pepe.

DM/CM: Mario Borges: The recommendation is that we offer him a new contract. I will probably do this, but I am going to hold off as long as I can to try to save us some money. I will monitor the interest in him and will offer it to him if I see any interest from anyone.

CM Jony Sousa: The recommendation is that we dont offer him a new contract. But he has provided some much needed depth to the midfield. If I can resign him as a fringe player on a team-friendly contract, then he will be around for another year. I am just not sure yet.

W/ST Henrique Fonseca: The recommendation is to resign him. I will definitely try to do this. I want to hold off until later in the season, save us a few dollars. He is a great player to have on the bench to bring in for a different approach when needed.

Thoughts and Considerations

Overall I am pleased with how things are going. I will need to continue to refine this tactic. I am not pleased that we are having to rely on “mass-saturation” to try and get one goal. We are lucky if 30% of our shots are on target, we are getting corners at an even lower rate that that. So that will be a major area of focus, if I am still here next season. Fingers crossed I hear something soon from the board, I want to start planning for next season. 

But first we have to finish this season. Both the supporters and the board expect a top-half finish and with only 2 matches left, and only 5 points separating us from the relegation zone, there is still ways this thing can go sour pretty quickly. One odd thing (which I reported as a bug) is that according to the supporters I have already failed at that objective.  So if we are able to stay in the top half it will be interesting how that is impacted.

Thanks again for reading and following along. This one is getting interesting for sure….

February 2026 Update

Match Results

1 Feb: Home. Vila Mea (5th/Apl: 6th). Pre-match odds: Vila Mea: 39%; Draw: 29%; Apl: 32%. Att: 622 (272 away). Loss: 2-3. Started great, Pauleta scored in the 19th minute from a beautiful series of passes to set him up. Then the wheels came off as we gave up a PK after Zuzarte tackled Jota Lopes too hard and was lucky to not get slapped with his 5th yellow card of the season.  So at 29 minutes we were level again, until the 30th minute when Lopes beat my whole back line (no one tried to even stop him) and placed the ball in the top right corner of the net. Pauleta got his 2nd goal in the 39th minute from a rebound that hit the left upright to draw it level again. I didnt have a good feeling as even though I did everything to stop the long kicks, we continued to take them. Pinto took a beautiful pass from Lopes to take the lead for Vila Mea in the 55th minute. We hit the crossbar, the posts, everything but the net. I thought we had the equalizer in the 85th minute when Juleico brought ball down the pitch on the right side, took a shot that rebounded off of both posts before rolling harmlessly out of play. Our final chance came in stoppage time as Juleico crossed the ball across the front of the goal while 2 Apl players watched it roll by them. We ended the match with 19 shots, only 6 on target and a dismal 3 corners.

8 Feb: Away. Vila Real. (11th/Apl: 9th). Pre-match odds: Vila Real: 39%; Draw: 27%; Apl: 34%. Att: 632 (24 away).  Draw: 1-1. The match started great, we moved the ball according to the tactic, smooth passing and working it into the box to allow Pauleta a nice tap in in the 12th minute. Then…we went back to the old ways….taking long shots, stupid passes and praying that GK Morais will play well enough to pull us out of the morass we put ourselves in. Eventually we were beaten with a nicely placed shot from Drogba Camara in the 32nd minute. Somehow, that was the only time they scored. We had to endure 19 shots, 8 of which were on target and resulted in 12 corners. We, on the other hand, managed only 11 shots, with a dismal 3 of which were on target and ended up with 4 corners. I thought the 1st half was bad when we had only taken 6 shots, I had no idea the 2nd half would be worse. I had told Pinto to not shoot more, yet every time he got within 20 yards of the goal he hoofed it over the goal into row 20 and above. To add insult to injury, Simao Melhor was injured in the 49th minute and had to be replaced with Sylvester Costa. The timing of his signing could not have been better since Melhor will be out for 7-8 weeks due to a groin strain.

15 Feb: Home. Anadia (9th/Apl: 8th). Pre-match odds: Anadia: 38%; Draw: 27%; Apl: 35%. Att: 414 (50 away). Win: 2-0. The match started well as we were able to move the ball into the box, but even when we did that, we passed it back out to allow the long shots. W Pinto was still hoofing the ball into the cheap seats whenever he got within 30 yards of the goal. The halftime score of 0-0 was reflective of the fact that we just were not making smart decisions in front of the net. So I made the decision to sub off both wingers at the half, Pinto because he would not stop taking those ridiculous attempts on goal, and Jucelio because of his 6.20 rating. Fonseca came on and promptly earned a yellow card in the 56th minute while Zuzarte, in spite of his express instruction to ease off of the tackles, earned his 5th yellow card and an automatic suspension for the next match. But Vidazinha became a force to be reckoned with as he deftly moved the ball down the pitch. Pauleta broke the 0-0 draw in the 73rd minute after getting a pass at the top of the box, quickly spinning to his right and fired the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. At that point, I decided to go more “Park the Bus” to try to hold onto the lead. But we ended up with a free kick near the touchline on the left side of the goal. Vidazinha showed my trust in him was well placed as he put in a perfect cross and Meireles was able to beat the jump of the defender and head the ball into the right side of the net to seal the win. The shots-to-corners ratio is still not good, but I will take the win for sure!

22 Feb. Away. Beira-Mar (4th/Apl: 6th). Pre-match odds: Beira-Mar: 46%; Draw: 27%; Apl: 27%. Att: 2072 (37 away). Loss 2-1. We were moving the ball well, but once again, our finishing just wasnt up to par. Beira-Mar put up an onslaught to start the match that we were withstanding, until W Jucelio made a terrible pass in front of our goal which was quickly pounced on by Beira-Mar Marcelinho for an easy tap-in to take a 1-0 lead. ST Pauleta was given a lovely cross from V which allowed him to score a sweet header in the 14th minute to make us all level again. Sadly we were not able to hold them off as ST Cisse headed in a nice cross to take a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute. Once again the lack of quality was very apparent with us getting 1 corner from 7 shots. This is a major concern and something that I will need to address before next season. On a different note, I would LOVE to have that level of support in the stands!

League Table

Performance Feedback

Signings and Other Contract News

ST Pedro Pauleta: Signed a new contract through June 2027 for a pay increase from $10K per year to $10.5K

W Ismael Pinto: I decided to put him on the Transfer and Loan Lists. I put a price tag on him of $25.5K. He just is not adjusting to his new role, even though he looks well-suited for it. 

Thoughts and Considerations

The Board and the Supporters are pleased with our results and progress. But I dont feel like we have mad much of an improvement. The expectation is that we dont have to get drawn in to a relegation battle and will finish in the mid-table. But being 1 point above that dreaded relegation zone causes me stress during every match. I would love to have at least a 4-point cushion, but I dont see that happening soon. Our next match is against the team that is 2nd in the table and we see how well we did against the team that was 3rd.

Since I only have a contract to June, I will need to watch all parts of the organization to try to be in a position to be offered a new contract. I want to continue what I started here.

Well…let the journey continue and thanks for reading! 

On a different note, I am going to cut down on the match summaries. It is hard to remember everything that happened during a match and trying to pause it to write things down as they happen takes much longer than I would like. I also think I will reduce the size of the images, they are larger than I had thought and take too much space up in the posts. 

If anyone has any suggestions or things you would like me to add/remove, please let me know. Thanks.
 

January 2025

Match Results

4 Jan: Away, Florgrade (6th). Att: 220 (21 away). 0-1 Win. Pre-match odds: Florgrade: 41%; Draw: 27; Alp: 32%. This was an ugly match, even though we came out with the victory. Our attack was dismal, at best. One of the comments after the match was that we didnt show any creativity in moving the ball forward, and sadly I have to agree. We were able to get the win due to a Florgrade after a hard tackle on ST Pauleta in the box. FB Melher took the kick because Pauleta was injured and had to be subbed off (bruised ankle, 1-3 days) and sent the keeper the wrong way to score that vital goal in the 81st minute. GK Morais earned his paycheck as he stopped 23 shots and held 9 of them to styme the opposition. CD Zuzarte earned Team of the Week honors for his excellent work in helping to contain the Florgrade attack. The one bad thing to come out of the match was an injury to DM Borges. He went down within the first 10 minutes after a hard challenge but was able to play on. He went down again after another harsh tackle in the 42nd minute and this one sent him to the locker room and also put him on the Injured List for 5-6 weeks.

18 Jan: Home, Leca (3rd). Att: 395 (41 away). 0-1 Loss. Pre-match odds: Leca: 45%; Draw: 26%; Alp: 29%.  A week before the match CD Fontes was sent home with the flu. It was a pretty bad case as he was going to be away for 10-12 days. This required some adjustments to the back line and I cant help but think this played a part in the loss. It just didnt look like the players were in the same match, let alone on the same page. But somehow we were able to keep them from scoring more. Once again our attack looked flat and lacked any creativity. The team loves to shoot from distance, even when it is discouraged. Those goals look great on Match of the Day, but the odds are against them being the only source of goals. We finally were beaten from a cross that Santi Hernandez was able to climb the wall over my defenders to head it into the goal in the 54th minute. CM Adeyemo reported to the medical staff after the match and was sidelined for 1-2 days with a tight thigh.

25 Jan: Away. Gouvenia (7th). Att: 716 (21 away). 0-0 Draw.  Pre-match odds: Gouvenia: 37%; Draw: 27%; Alp: 36%. What can I say? We should have won this one in a run away. We moved the ball well and was able to get into the final third pretty smoothly. That is where it all fell apart. I tweaked the tactic and changed us to have a more balanced mentality and discouraged long shots, adding to work the ball into box, trying to set up higher percentage shots. But the players love those long shots. We had 18 shots on goal (6 on target) and 10 from outside the penalty box, none of these ICBMs even caused the Gouvenia GK to have to make a save. But at the end of the day solid defending helped us to earn a much-needed point.

League Table

Squad Performance

Signings and Other Contract News

Contract Extensions

DC Bernardo Fontes: June 2027, pay increase from $8K to $9.5K.

FB Simao Melhor: June 2027, pay increase from $8.25K to $11K.

GK Ricardo Morais: June 2027, no pay increase, $8K.

Ismael Pinto: June 2027, pay increase from $7.5K to $9K.

DC Goncalo Zuzarte: June 2027, pay cut from $8.25K to $8K.

New Signings

GK Joao Ventura: 20 year-old depth signing. He shows good promise and he is actually better than the current backups. The added bonus of his team friendly contract of $1K per year until June 2028 will give him a chance a develop as a Future Prospect on the U-19 squad.

W Hugo Ferreira: This versatile 21 year-old can play both left and right winger as well as a striker. His Break-Through Prospect contract will allow me to play him on the U-19 squad and bring him up when needed. The added luxury of his team-friendly contract of $1.3K per year until June 2028 provides some much needed depth.

DC Joao Alves: This was a depth signing to be there in case of another injury to the back line. The 21 year-old signed a manageable $1K contract for the rest of the year and as a Break-Through Prospect, he knows he needs to wait for his time to come.

FB (L) Sylvester Costa: With no one who could step up in case of an injury to the starting left fullback, this 22 year-old was signed to a $4.4K contract for the rest of the year. He can also play as a central defender and knows that his status of a Fringe player that he is there for depth.

Departures

AMC Gianlucca: On loan to Costa Rica (BRA) for 5 months. There is no payments, except they are paying 100% of his $3K wages. I dont use a AMC and I felt this was a great opportunity for him to get some playing time.

Thoughts and Considerations

Firstly, we are currently spending 93.4% of our available payroll of $212K. I dont want to increase that much to keep the debt from spiraling out of control. Speaking of the debt, on 1 Feb the board invest $65K in the club and reduced the negative balance to $4.9K. (I guess that should be in next month's up date, but it happened so I wanted to share it now.) This much needed infusion should help the financial picture as the season progresses.

The tactic, well, we just are not connecting on our shots on target and the shots on goal are wasted efforts since they keep us from presenting a credible threat to the opposition. We need to be more aggressive in our movement in the final third without wasting the opportunities we have once we get there. We can not rely on being able to win alot of matches when we are only scoring a goal every few matches. So this is my main concern right now. I am looking at different striker options to see if anyone becomes available that is a better option than what we currently have. Until then, I guess we will continue to struggle in finishing and scoring goals.

Overall, I cannot be too disappointed though. We are currently 6th and were 9th when I was hired. But with 10 matches to go and only 3 points between us and the relegation zone, we still have alot of football to be played. Every point will be precious as we battle to stay out of the zone and allow me to be able to, hopefully, be offered a new contract and be around for next season. The Board and Supporters are Satisfied with the Matches and Pleased with my performance, the trick will be to keep it that way!

Thanks for reading along, this one has alot of factors in play to make it an interesting endeavor for sure!

December 2025 Report

Match Results

Dec 21: Home, Rebordosa. Att: 688 (350 away). 1-0 victory. We started with a defensive mentality, but had only taken 4 shots by halftime. I decided to change it to positive as well as to tell them to take more long shots. Morais stopped 12 shots, but the highlight had to be the PK he stopped in the 65th minute. He went to the right as soon as the ball was struck and knocked it away to keep his clean sheet. ST Pauleta finally scored the winner from a beautiful cross from W Pinto that gave Pauleta an easy header in the 79th minute. Our lack of depth at left back and with the central defenders was apparent as the match was winding down and the defensive players were winded but the bench was very shallow at those positions. With 2 Right-Fullbacks on the bench I was forced to use one of them at left-back and that almost caused a disaster as he was clearly out of position as Rebordosa moved the ball down the pitch, but once again Morais worked his magic to keep the ball out of the net. With that victory we moved up to 9th and out of the relegation zone.

League Table

Signings and Other Transactions

Chief Scout: Joao Tiago. 38 year-old former player and scout was signed until June 2027 for $4.8K per year. He should assist in finding new players and depth players as the season progresses.

U-19 Asst Coach: Leao. 54 year-old former player and Head Coach decided to join the U-19 team and brings a wealth of experience to the organization. His $4K per year contract until 2027 is very team friendly and we look forward to see what he can do with the youngster's development.

Central Midfielder: 23 year-old Emanuel Adeyemo signed until June 2027 on a $6.75K per year contract. He can play Central Midfield as well as Defensive Midfielder. He will bring fresh legs to the midfield and will slowly work his way into the starting 11, if all goes well. 

Left Attacking Mid: Fabio Martins was signed as a Break-Through Prospect, but will provide much-needed depth to the attacking front. He can play AMR as well. He will be available for the U-19 squad to keep him fresh. But he will be brought up on an as-needed basis.

Thoughts and Considerations

Even though the Asst Manager keeps suggesting the defensive mentality, the last match showed that we dont have the creative ability to make the best use of our opportunities from the counter. Therefore, the mentality will be adjusted to be more aggressive moving forward.

There have been other teams sniffing around my players since the overwhelming majority are on expiring contracts. Therefore, I spent some time offering contracts to those who I know we will want to retain and will be helpful next season (for whoever is here, my deal expires in June as well) for the much anticipated promotion push. 

Our match was selected to be televised so that helped the financial situation as well. I hated to sign those players so early, but the vast majority did not demand massive increases. The payroll is something that I will need to keep a close eye on.

Now onto a new year and to see what the future holds!

Appreciate it. This is way out of my comfort zone, new FM and a completely new country for me to manage in. 

Tactics and Roster

Tactics

The tactic for the in-possession and out-possession will be the 4-3-3 DM Wide. Based on the players on the squad I feel like this is the best option. It will not require players to be forced to play in unfamiliar roles/positions. The base mentality will be a Cautious Counter-Attack. But this will be modified based on who we are playing. 

Roster - Starting 11

Goalie: Ricardo Morais. 25 year-old, 6'1" Important player for the club. He has good Reaction (13) as well as reasonable Ball Handing (12) and On-on-One (9). In 12 matches so far, he has conceded 13. But he has also held 11 saves. His overall rating of 6.65 seems to be in the range for this club. 

Right Fullback: Hugo Meireles. Another 25 year-old mainstay for the team. He has had 2 assists in 12 starts. He also has an XGR of 0.9 with 1 yellow card and an overall rating of 6.94. His salary is 

Central Defender: Gencalo Zuzarte. This 23 year-old has started every match and I dont see that changing, unless he gets an injury. He has a XG rating of 0.5 and an overall rating of 6.61

Central Defender: Bernardo Fontes. At 25, he has earned a starting spot with his solid play in the back line. He currently has an XG rating of 1.2 and an overall rating of 6.75, making him one of the better players on the team, as far as this rating is concerned.

Left Fullback: Simao Melhor. Another 12 match starter. He is 24 years old and even though his 0.2 XG rating seems low, he has an overall rating of 6.98. He does have 2 yellow cards so this will need to be monitored and may require giving him the additional instruction to ease off of tackles.

Defensive Midfielder: Mario Borges. He has started 9 matches and can also play as a Central Midfielder. This 25 year-old has an XG rating of 0.3 and an overall of 6.76.

Central Midfield: Diego Freitas. He has only started 4 matches, but an injury to Sosa means that he is temporarily in the starting-11. He has not played enough to have a solid XG rating  but with his limited time he has earned an overall rating of 6.54. He can play as a Defensive Midfielder if needed.

Central Midfield: Belarmino Tavares. Tavares is the older statesman on the team at 33 years of age. He has started 11 matches and has an XG rating of 1.0 and an overall rating of 6.62.

Right Attacking Mid: Ismael Pinto. Pinto is also an elder at the age of 32. He has started all of the league matches and has 3 goals. His XG of 1.4 and overall of 7.54 makes him an outlier on the team, in a good way.

Left Attacking Mid: Juceilo. He is a 22 year-old is on loan from Premier side Gil Vicente. He has started all league matches and has 1 assist and an overall rating of 6.62.

Striker: Pedro Pauleta. This 27 year-old is in the starting squad for the time being, this is not a selection that has been completely decided yet. He has started 11 matches, has 5 goals, an XG rating of 4.5 and an overall rating of 6.77. The concern is that his acceleration is only rated at 9, which may be a concern with a counter-attacking mentality.

Subs 

GK Joao Matos: This 29 year-old has not played any matches. This will need to be upgraded, his One-on-One rating of 4 is a major concern.

GK Goncalo Pinheiro: 21 year-old Pinheiro has not played any matches either. The majority of his ratings are lower than Matos's with the exception of that One-on-One, which is much better at 8. But even then, we will need a better backup goalie.

Right Fullback Fabio Rodrigo: This 30-year has been subbed on 9 times, has 1 goal and an XG of 0.9 with a rating of 6.65.

Right Fullback Nelson Sousa: This 20 year-old will need to do more with the match-time he is given. In his 9 subbed opportunities, he as earned a disappointing rating of 6.30.

Central Defender Pepe: Pepe is 31 years old and is a backup in every aspect of the game. He hasnt played yet, but will be there if called on.

Central Midfielder: Durante Goncalves. This 20 year-old is a really good prospect. He has came on 9 times as a sub and has 1 Assist with an XG of 0.6 and an overall of 6.57. He can also play as an Central Attacking Midfielder if needed.

Striker Henrique Fonseca: This 23 year-old has good potential the question is if he can reach it. He can also play Left Attacking Mid, which will help when he is on the bench. He has been brought in during every league match and has scored 1 goal but also has received a yellow card. His overall rating is 6.70.

Injuries

Central Midfielder Jony Sousa: He has started all of the league matches and has 1 assist to go along with his XG of 1.4 and overall of 6.49. He also has 2 yellow cards, so another one to keep an eye on. He should be back in 3 days and will hopefully add some much needed depth to the team, even while he recovers.

Striker Nlio Souza: Souza is 32 years old and will be out of action for 6 weeks to 3 months to recover from a hip injury. He has started 1 match, subbed in on 4, scoring a goal and earning an XG of 0.7 and an overall of 6.75.

Thoughts and Considerations

The starting 11 looks good. But there are some glaring holes in the depth of the squad. There is no left fullback backup or for right attacking midfield. The backup goalie situation is shaky, at best. Even though Pepe is available for depth as central defender, he is the only one. So that is a concern as well. There may be some options in the U-19 squad, which I have not looked at yet. But depth is the real concern with this squad. With us being $219K in debt, I dont know how much latitude I will have to sign anyone in the transfer window. There is $40K available in the payroll, but every signed players drives that debt even deeper. I may try to sign some loan players to provide that needed depth.  I will have to see how it goes for sure!

Staff And Initial Thoughts

Coaching Staff

Asst Coach: Barbosa. I like him and will be keeping him on the staff. He is good at set pieces, which is very helpful

Head of Youth Development: Pereira. Another solid staff member, glad to have him.

Goal Keeper Coach: Pinto. He is Competent at GK Coaching, which I think is the best I can get at this level.

Fitness: Costa. He is Competent as well, so will be happy with that.

Recruitment Staff

GM:  Alex. Is Competent in all relevant areas. Without any Scouts, he will play a huge part in things.

Technical: Pereira. He is Competent as well. Im just not sure if I really need him at this level.

Medical Staff

Head Physio: Henriques. A nice surprise to see a Good rating here. Will keep this one if at all possible.

Physio: Monteiro. A Competent Physio. What is expected at this level.

Other Staff

U-19 Head Coach: Pereira. Is Competent or Reasonable in all relevant areas. Is on a $2.5K per year salary, so good to have him.
U-19 Asst Coach: Not filled.

Thoughts and Considerations

The coaching staff looks good for this level. The board would like me to reduce the main coaching staff by one. I dont think I will do that. I cant see who I would want to let go. The Recruitment staff is good number-wise. But I think that a Chief Scout would be more beneficial than a Technical Director. I am going to try to release the Technical Director and hire a Chief Scout. 

I will let the staff recommend someone to fill the U-19 AC job to help the youngster to develop.

Overall, I am pleased with the staff I inherited. Part of me would like to be able to hire a coach, but every little expense can add up and I want to try to keep the staff costs as low as possible, especially being over $200K in the hole.

Finances, Supporters and Facilities

Contract Offered

Here is the Manager Profile

If the manager takes a new job while working on a coaching course, do they continue it or do they have to start over?

Min-Month Updates

Coach Course: The board has agreed to fund my first coaching badge. I was really nervous asking since we are in the midst of the promotion play-offs, but luckily they have agreed to do it.

Financial Status: We are in an okay position, but only have about $22,000 and I know we are going to need more to compete at the next level. So, on top of the football, this is a major concern for me.

Scouting Concerns: Right now, we have the scouting package to allow us to scout players in our league, the Cypriot Lower League. Sadly, the talent pool there is lacking, at best. I have been toying with the idea of increasing our scouting range, but the doubling on the monthly charge is something I just cant do right now. I am not sure if that will follow us if we get promoted. But right now, I am not sure about that added expense.

Additional note about the team performance: I would love to take credit for how well the team has been doing, but they were in 2nd place with only 4 games left in the regular season and on a 10-game unbeaten streak when I took the reins. So, in all honesty, I have not really done anything to help the team. I am just hoping to use it as a spring-board to a more lucrative offer somewhere.

One thing that is a change for me is not having the editor turned on. I didnt realize that I had gotten so used to the other information that we have access to. Im not concerned about changing any ratings or anything, just less info available.

I also had forgotten about what a challenge scouting is at these lowest levels with amateur-level staff. 

While I love winning (I mean, who doesnt!) I am concerned about us getting promoted. I havent really looked at the higher league so I am not sure what it looks like, as far as team quality. But being an amateur team against semi-professional ones is interesting for sure.

One thing that happened is that I put my favorite team as Bath City, which is really my favorite team. Well the manager got the sack and I was offered an interview. That is one thing I dont like about FM, getting interviews for positions that I am definitely not qualified for. But this one, I actually tried, but I didnt get the job. 

I think this amateur one is more realistic, a Sunday-league player with no coaching experience, yea, I needed to start at the bottom.

End of Regular Season - February

Games

With only 3 games I didnt have much more time to see how the team would play before the playoffs. But, surprisingly things went really well.

Elpida (H): W, 2-1. The game was not as close as the score indicated. 16-year old Nikos Chatzikonstani playing in the midfield is a real gem. He, not only pulls the strings on the pitch, but he also can seemingly score at will. He started out the scoring in the 14th minute. Striker Ryan Williams added to the tally in the 21st minute. Even though we had multiple shots on target and seemed to hit every piece of woodwork there is, we never were able to find the back of the net again. Elpida were able to pull one back in the 80th and I felt myself becoming more apprehensive with each highlight that they had the ball in. But we were able to hold them off and enjoyed the victory.

Thoi (A): W, 3-2. This is one I actually had us down to lose, or at best get a draw. I changed the tactic to be much more defensive and to rely on the counter-attack instead of focusing on our traditional possession game. It paid off as 22-year old midfielder Giannis Papadopoulos started off the scoring in the 3rd minute. I was really pleased with how we were able to withstand their onslaught. But they were able to break through our defense in the 36th minute to draw the game level going into the half. The second half was just back and forth with both sides almost finding the net, but luck seemed to have abandoned both sides. Then another 16-year old, Giorgos Charalabous, playing as our striker was able to find a crack in their defense in the 70th minute. But the 2-1 lead only lasted 7 minutes as Thoi were able to fire the ball into the net after a harsh tackle in the box sent Andreas Makris to the spot. With the 2-2 game starting to wind down, Charalabous once again was able to beat the defense and find the back of the net in the 82nd minute. I still cant believe we won this one. It was really a back and forth game and I would have been pleased with the draw, so the victory was a nice surprise.

Frenaros (H): W, 4-1. This game was never really in doubt. Charalabous scored a hat-trick (4,9, 54 minutes) and the other 16-year old Chatziknstanti scored the 4th in the 36th minute. We gave the vistors a concellation score in the 85th minute. The team is playing really well and I am pleased with how we handled these 3 games.

We now are entering the playoffs. The top 3 teams after this 14-game “2nd season” will be promoted. I am not going to think we can take the top spot, but I do feel we can get into one of those promotion spots.

Roster

Goalie: I was able to find one, well, the best of those available. I still am not pleased with him, but he is holding his own. This is still my top target.

The rest of the squad: I am bringing in everyone I can to go on trial with us so I can hopefully find some diamonds in the rough, so to speak. I am adding players to the roster (I have signed 9 players) but with us being an Amateur side I have some flexibility in who I bring in.

Plans Going Forward

My plans are to continue to bring in players and look for who I can find. Also, to finish the season strong and win promotion.

We are on a 12-game non-losing streak and even though those look nice, it seems to add even more pressure to win since no one wants to have that loss that costs us the streak. I know it will happen, but I still like seeing all of those victories.

Overall Organization Review

The organization is an amateur organization. There are U-21 and U-19 developmental squads.

Coaching Staff - Since it is an Amateur organization, none of the staff have a salary. I have hired the following staff:

• Coach
• Goalkeeping Coach
• General Manager
• Scout
• Physio
• U-19 Assistant Coach

Team Analysis - there is a mix of positions represented in the squad so I will be using a control-possession 4-2-3-1.

• Strikers - Solid 1st choice but then there is a drop-off. I will be digging into the players on amateur contracts
• AMR/AMC/AML - Right wing looks solid with good depth. There is also some good options in the center. But AML is very weak.
• MC - Mid-level talent here so will be another focus as we move forward
• Fullbacks - Right is good, left not so well. So another need
• Centerbacks - A great one, a weak one. So another targeted need.
• Goalie - Actually none on the senior squad. So this is obviously my biggest need.

Season So Far - End of January

When I took over Elia Lythrodonta was in 2nd place. There were only 4 games left in the season and league-leading Thoi had a solid 9-point lead. 

The first game of my career was an away match against Adonis Id. Elia started the match strongly and recorded 16 shots and maintained a 65% possession rate. We left Adonis as the 1-0 winners with AMC Nikos Chatzikonstani scoring on a screamer from 21 yards out in the 2nd minute. I would have preferred more goals, but starting out with a win is always a good thing.

There are only 3 games left in the regular season, Home against Elpida (3rd), a much-anticipated match at Thoi (1st) and finishing up with another home match against Frenaros (8th). We currently have a 3-point lead over Elpida. 

At the end of the regular season, the top 8 teams enter a playoff scenario. This lasts until 25 May. The top 3 teams will be promoted to the Triti Katigoria.

Focused Items

• Sign a first-team goalie
• Upgrade the Central Defenders
• Upgrade at AML

And here it is, the signed, sealed, and delivered contract. The team reports and updates will be coming up. But as an Amateur team, lots of options for sure.
 

This was followed up with the much anticipated interview offer….

After waiting until 1 January 2024, I expressed interest in a job in Cyprus and this was the reaction:

As I start the game, I have one additional “unwritten rule” that I will not apply for any jobs until after 1 January. So now it is just a waiting game. 

I guess this is not drawing any attention. I am going to keep the save file, but will look to start another save. If anyone is interested, I will start running this one again.

Thanks

1 Oct 2022

As I was working on this, I decided to do it as monthly updates. I am going to provide a short summary of the matches and where we are, along with my thoughts about what is coming next.

MATCHES

27 Aug 2022

BFD (9th) vs Meta (10th). Home, attendance: 358.
Luckily my 1st match as manager was against the only team lower in the table than us. In the league the bottom 2 teams have a relegation playoff with the loser being relegated. I had promised to not be involved in that playoff, which gave me a little more money to try to strengthen the squad. To avoid the playoff I just need to finish 8th in the table. To be honest, the side played well from the start and we won 3-1. The striker we have on loan, Lizounovs from RFS, scored a brace with the left winger, Yanki, scoring the other for the home side. I decided to stick with the 4-2-3-1 despite the insistence of the Assistant Manager that we play a 5-3-3.

So with my 1st match, we moved into 8th place by 2 points with a match in hand. But it lasted less than one day because the other team that I am fighting for the 8th spot, Super Nova, won their match, so we dropped back into 9th.

5 Sep 2022

BFD (9th) vs Auda (5th) Away

This match had me worried. I knew that if we didnt win it, or at least get a draw, I was going to have troubles with the locker room. Somehow, we came away with a 1-1 draw. The formation didnt perform as well as I had hoped. Even though I was switching between Positive and Balanced, we seemed to be just sitting back and absorbing what they threw at us. I was pleased to come out with a draw to be fair. Our lone goal was scored by Yanki, a penalty kick. 

We are in 8th by 2 points. But I was worried to see the results from Super Nova's match the next day. I was beyond happy when I saw they had also drawn. We were safely up with a game in hand and a 2 point margin.

10 Sep 2022
BFD (8th) vs Tukums (7th), Home, Attendance: 318.

I felt we could win this game. I kept the formation, moved a few players from the bench to the starting 11, gave the pep talk which had no impact at all and watched them take the pitch. Once again, we were able to get a win, 2-1. Our goals came from Yanki (I am quickly finding out how much of an asset he is) and Bezarashvills. He is our only striker on the bench. A Latvian youngster. I was really pleased how well they played. I am struggling to have an impact on them with the team talks, but at least they are winning. 

We finally got on even matches with Super Nova and this victory gave us a 5 point margin. The next 2 matches are not going to do us any favors. We will take on the top 2 teams within 3 days of each other. Super Nova played another match during the interval and somehow won, cutting or margin back to 2.

17 Sep 2022
BFD (8th) vs RFS (1st), Home, Attendance: 268.
We kept the 4-2-3-1, but I listened to the Asst Manager and went with a defensive mentality. I agreed that it was the only way we stood a chance. But nothing really went our way during this match. The only thing I can be happy about is we didnt lose by any more than we did. The match ended with a 0-2 loss. It was made even worse by DC Ivanovs scoring an OG. It was their only score of the 1st half. But at least we were able to keep it close to not hurt our goal difference with Super Nova (if it comes down to that). One other thing I found out, my starting striker was not allowed to play. He is on loan from RFS and is not allowed to play against his parent club. Yea, I didnt find out until match day about that nugget of information.

I would have liked to have gotten the victory to open up a bigger lead, but it wasnt in the cards. Luckily though, Super Nova lost as well so we were able to stay in 8th place.

20 Sep 2022
BFD (8) vs Riga (2), Home, Attendance: 249

I think the supporters had the same concerns that I did, we were looking at another loss. I changed the mentality to Positive, ignoring my Asst Manager on almost everything. I also had to make some roster adjustments because of how tired the normal starting 11 were from the RFS match. Looking back, I should have used the bench players in the RFS match, or at least that is what I thought at the time. These bench players were out to prove themselves and shocked me with a 3-1 victory. Lizounovs scored 2 on his return to the starting lineup and defender Idowu shocked me with a scorcher from just outside the box. 

This win let us catch up to Super Nova on matches played, and more importantly, open the margin back up to 5 points. We are on a 2 week break before our next match. Which could see Super Nova cut back into our lead since they have a match when we dont. Life is being good though as they lose the match 2-1.

League Table

Remaining Matches

Musings and Thoughts

After the Riga match, (which I am still smiling over) we suffered a bad injury as our back-up Fullback (Mikelson) broke his ankle and will be out for 7-8 months. He joins AMC/ST Dele Israel on the Injury Report. Dele was hurt 27 July during a training session where he tore a thigh muscle. The latest report says he will be back in 2-5 weeks, so maybe before the end of the season. He is signed through 2023 so I should see him take the pitch, unless we dont stay up, in which case I get the sack.

I am really pleased with how we are doing. We are even within reach of 7th place, but that is going to take quite a bit of things to go our way. Right now I am more concerned with staying in 8th place. The Locker Room morale is so-so. Even our victories dont seem to have made much of an impact. I do have quite a few who are not happy with the strength training. I got permission to hire another coach so I will probably try to get a Fitness Coach.

A bright spot, our youth intake was very good and I signed a Central Defender that is good enough for the starting 11. He cant be registered this season, but will try to get him off of an amateur contract as soon as possible.

This is harder than I thought it would be, but I am enjoying it. I have had 5 players tell me they want to examine options at the end of their contracts. I cannot say that I am shocked, we are fighting to stay up with a shoe-string budget. Unless I can get more supporters in the seats, I dont see the financial situation improving. 

October is going to be interesting. We have 5 matches, which I would be pleased with 10 points from them. We will see I guess. If I can get into 7th, I think it will help my chances of staying up. November, 2 matches and the season is over. I havent asked about taking a coaching course, may see if they will let me over the off-season. But with the tight budget, I wont be shocked if they say no.

On to the next match!

I hope you have enjoyed reading along. 

What is my Plan?

I am going to have to remember how to post images on here, it has been a while. I could only post a single image per post, that is why it looks like this. I will pracitce and get better so there are not so many to look at like that. I also switched skins, I didnt like how that one looked.

Moving Forward

I dont have that much money to use to bring in players. I am going to switch to a 4-2-3-1 with 2 MC, 1 a deep-lying playmaker and one an advanced playmaker. This may seem like an odd combination, but I think with the mid-fielders I have it will work.

Hopefully we get the results we need.

Thanks for reading along and feel free to drop a comment or 2, even a suggestion or 2….especially about these images! I tried to use Imgar and use the link, but it didnt work. So I am open to suggestions about how best to do that.

Current Finances

Remaining Matches

League Table

What is that club vision?