Bozza

Looking really good mate! Hope you will continue with writing this story for a long time! KUTGW!

Tanel

While the rest of the squad was training hard under my assistant manager I had been wondering around Estonia. Well that had to end. But before that I fell straight to the bed after I had arrived in Lisbon and drove back to Porto for many hours.

As it was lunchtime I needed to get out of the bed to get to the office and discuss couple of things with the club's general manager as I was supposed to return to the training tomorrow. Before grabbing a meal or even going to the club ground I needed to take one hell of a good shower. The plane was as hot as it was flying in the sun and the swet on my body soon started to smell like rotten eggs.

Cutting the grose talk, I arrived in the training ground at 3 PM, as I greeted the team on my way to rush meeting with the club board.

During that board meeting we were supposed to make sure what our plans are, financial abilities and everything. The scouts were there and everyone from the technical staff too ofcourse.


I was seriously disappointed when they immediately said they won't buy Konstantin Vassiljev as they gave me several reasons. They hadn't even seen him play, but they told me that the price tag set by Viktor Levada on my phone conversation on the way here is far too high and they can't even afford player that cost's half of that price.

They explained me that the only chance to get players currently is either loan or free transfer. They knew that I was looking for right-back & right-winger so they had singled out couple of players before with the scouts.

They said they had invited three-four wingers to the trials in the clubs and allowed me to choose which one I like the best and gave me some possible Brazilian right-backs who they can loan. They said it's very important to have a Spanish or Portugese speaking players in the squad in such division where team-work is going to be very important.

I left the board meeting rather disappointed with my first technical staff. This was one of the first lessons in the management that I learned - management sets the limits. But it's up to me to play with those limits.

Tanel

Thanks to fathers money we had a little tour of Italy as I had more and more get known to the players over the past three days.

And the day to impress my new employees had arrived. The first trip was to Serie B side Ancona as the friendly match was going to be nice way to get more known to my players qualities.


For the tactical experience and the possible formation for the season which I had come up with was a little strange 4-1-1-3-1 formation. With one striker upfront I have a support striker behind him with wingers beside the support striker and a MC who moves foward a lot with doing loads of defensive work and a pure defensive midfielder.

I will try out more tactics in our Italy tour. For our first match I put in my possible new right winger, Argentine Mauro Giliberti, who was having a trial currently with us for the Italian tour. I'm not going to drive into the formations though and I will just praise the players who were the shining pieces of our game later.

Giliberti's debut was short lived and he only played for 23 minutes as he got injuried, but he did a very fine job during it and as he limped off the pitch I told him that I will talk to the management and offer him a contract as I had looked at him closely in the training too.

He isn't our best right winger, but he'll be useful back-up I believe.

The game itself was even match, but our defence was rock solid and thanks to the captain and central midfielder of the team, Bruno China, who scored two goals we won 2:0, eventhough he had a slight knock also.

Talking more about the team and not only who were impressive I must say I've got lot's Brazilian's in the team, but that doesen't really matter that much as they speak Portugese also. Star player is supposed to be Brazilian striker Leandro Tatu who assisted one of the goals also.

But our goalkeeper Beto, left-back Nuno Amato and defensive midfielder Jorge Duarte deserve a special praise for keeping our backline at not conceeding a single goal. I'm happy with the team I have and they so far improve with every minute they play as the pre-season is still shortlived.

About Giliberti in Italy he got a quick check in local hospital as we sent him back to Portugal for a complete recovery as he'll be out for the duration of the tour we have here. He'll also sign the contract with us there and register himself in the Portugese league headquarters as a player.

But in couple of days time we should get the other addition to the squad. In Portugal our technical director had just finished talking with Joao Pedro, a left-back from our Liga de Honra rivals Gil Vicente. I myself had a chance to see him from the video tapes we found in the Portugese TV "archives" from last season as he played as regular in the highest divison with Gil Vicente. Nuno Amato and him will definately have a hot fight for the left-back position in the squad.

He'll probably arrive in couple of days time and he'll be available for our next game at amateur side Valence, as we pop out of Italy to France for couple of days, already if he can get there in time.

Including the Valence game there will be six more games in Italy for us as one half of our pre-season is spent there.

Boyce

Thats very nice and i like the set out ! well done !

saints4life

very nice :D keep it up :D

Fedorico Roma Fan

very good, very good read, looking forward to next installment

evertonfan

cant wait till the next installment KUTGW

thanks to James M for the sig, cheers buddy :D

EFC Diddy
FMF Unittttt :P

Tanel

Our Italian tour was a great success. Of the six games played we won four, drawed one thanks to late opposite equalizer and lost one close fought to Crotone.

The wins game at Ancona, Valence, Acireale and last stop of our tour Castel Di Sangro. The last game was really a positive as we won that 4:0 with one heck of a goal from our left winger Xavier who dribbled past five opponent defenders to slot it in from 10 yards into the back corner.

I never converted my 4-5-1 tactic as I loved how it worked from the minute one. I did lot of rotating and every guy on the trip had some playing time, eventhough some of the guys started all the games, like goalkeeper Beto. No-one scored more than two goals and only one's who even reached that limit were my DMC Jorge Duate and MC Bruno China. But my strikers all did score too.

Joao Pedro also joined us in the middle of the tour and he did absolutely fantastic in those games he played - being the best player on the pitch in one and one of the best in the other one. He gave lots of great long balls and made some brilliant tackles, eventhough just like our other summer pursuit, Mauro Giliberti he got a slight injury which will rule him out for couple of first games of the season.

But there were more shockes as we were going to leave Italy. As we were checking and counting the guys who were going back to Portugal, we found one huge suprise. There was one dude missing - Cristovao, our right midfielder.

We stayed in Rome for the last night in 3-man rooms in one local small hotel. I asked his roommates do they know anything about it. They told that he had gone out clubbing yesterday and had promised to be back by morning, but they both were suprised as he wasn't with us in the team bus count-up.

Tanel

Everyone yet another thanks for the replies. Few more double-triple updates and it'll be on time with the real story. :)

Atm it's 11 updates behind. I make 1-2 new updates per day. I'm still playing around with some minor details of lay-out too so it may change.

Tanel

All of us were shocked. The plane was going to leave in short notice so we had not much time. I called my father to book myself a ticket for tomorrow night as I needed to stay in Italy in case of emergency. He had his secretary dealing with the problem as myself was going to wander around Rome.

Before I sent players off to the airport I asked just in case does Cristovao has a mobile phone, but he didn't have one. As I was lacking money I rushed into the closest cash-machine as I was short of money. I was going through my purse, but I didn't have my Italian credit cards there so I couldn't take out the cash. I planed to take a cab to drive around couple of places in the town.

I had just 5 euro's in my purse, quite unimpressive for a rich son, the team bus had gone already so I couldn't borrow anyone either. Other thing bounced on my head, where was he going clubbing. I phoned back to couple of teammates already in the airport and I found out that it was Egon Disco Club, a nightclub where I had gone myself once.


It wasn't too far away as I found out from the information office so I decided to walk there, meanwhile talking to my father to organize me some money in the offices of his company so I could travel a cab.

I reached the club after ten minute walk and I knocked at the office doors there, some guy opened and I asked about Cristovao with the picture of him from the Crotone match which I had printed out in the hotel offices. He said he had seen him and as he was going home at around 3 AM local time, he saw that guy getting ran over by a car.

Cristovao wasn't any of my favourite guys in the team, but it felt like someone threw a hot bucket of wax on me. "Oh...", I said and standed there for couple of seconds digesting what happened without moving a muscle, before I asked, "Do you know where they took him."

The guy said he didn't know, but he explained me where the nearest hospital was and I followed his intstructions. But they said no guy named Cristovao was signed in there last night. I asked do they have any information about other hospitals check-in's, but they said no. Though one of the guys said that I can use a phone in hospital and call up most of the places and see is there anyone there.

I finally got mine after the 5th call, but it was far far away. But since my father offices were near, I did a little run there and asked my money which I got. I immediately took a cab.

As I got into the hospital I met the old looking doctor who did a surgery to him yesterday. He explained me the situation - no broken bone's, but there was some damage to his right foot and some facial injuries, he said that at the moment he was laying down under narcohosis from the surgery as a quite large piece of the headlight of the car that hit him needed removing from his leg.

I also asked doctor that can he leave tomorrow night to Portugal and he said that it's okay. I explained to him who I am and who is Cristovao.

Cristovao himself soon woke up and I went to visit him with the doctor who told him about the surgery. The questions about how long he can't train doctor answered that it'll most probably take just around week eventhough the leg may not feel right for quite more time, but that feeling should come back soon.

I told Cristovao that the others had left Rome and we were going to do that tomorrow night. After that I went to some nearby hotel and took myself a room for the night, meeting a lovely bunch of Portugese tourists there and one of them was from Matosinhos and we talked with him in the night.

dinoster

very good

Tanel

This was the time, we arrived in the Trofa for our season opener againist Trofense. The pre-season was a walk in park for us in my opinion, but it was time to start making real comparisions. I hadn't just sat down in the trainings during the pre-season though.

I had gone down to see couple of pre-season games of other clubs also, watched some scout tapes from the pre-season and last season. I had certainly come here to get the promotion and for that I was going to work 24/7 if needed. I always want to be best, that's what is pushing me for greater things. Even when you are the best you can still get better. There's no stopping, if you win 10 games in a row 10-0, you can get better and improve to 11-0.


But that all wasn't part of my five minute speech I gave to my players before the match in the dressing room.

"Players. Staff. That game is not just an another league game we're having ahead of us. It's the season opener. And because of that, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm reading you morale, giving a speech or motivating you, in case what you feel. Anyway, I won't be doing that before every match, because the blattering would get annoying before every game. I'm blattering right now and wasting time to talk about our plans already.

Anyway, this season we've got one goal - to get promoted. I won't accept with anything less than that, neither should you. This past pre-season has gotten us all together a lot, we had small suffers, but more it was positive experience. Now the fun part is over, it's about working hard. Those who work hard can have fun aslong.

We'll be taking it game by game, watching the table only after the game and seeing where we can improve, which we can always do. The chicken will be count in spring for us.

Even when we lose, we must always take our enthusiasm with us. We must raise up with the man of dignity, learn from our mistakes. When you make mistakes, you need to understand them, that way you can turn failure into success. You need to be smart, yet stubborn facing those situations.

Football is about passion for me. If you go on the pitch you always need to find something to push you to extreme's. It can be your dream of becoming the best footballer ever, playing for the shirt your blood is pumping for or even scoring a goal to win the division top scorer title. I want passion to win, because that is already half of victory.

Every player has his talents, but question is does he use them and what they are. Always play for your strenght, not opponents weakness. Using opponents weaknesses is my job.

I want you to go on pitch tonight thinking with what I said. I want us to succeed."

I didn't know how was that speech going to fire up my players, as I prepared for the season opener. Some players were still out of the squad, but our pre-season had gone rather injury-free and after Italy tour accidents nothing had gone wrong. Cristovao was already full training after horrific accident, but around couple of weeks behind in the match fitness so he wasn't going to play until September for sure.

PompeyLibertine

I like this a lot =)

Fedorico Roma Fan

very good twist with the car accident :D

scholesy18

This is MINT!!, im hooked =)

Current Game :-
Zenit St. Petersburg 07/08 RFPL Winner

noxocube

love it.

Tanel

This wasn't an easy month, it was full of desperation, but yet not all was bad as we did manage to win and show some good football in couple of matches. Injuries though ruined the start of the season no doubt as I would've wanted to have all wins after four games and that wasn't definately what I got.

Our first game againist Trofense ended up positively as by the end of the day we were in the first place. 2:0 was enough to secure ourselves a victory over them as both goals game in the opening minutes. Brazilian striker Leandro Tatu and winger Hugo Morais were on target. Due to the goals being early I had a change to relax down and enjoy the rest of the game eventhough there were periods where I could've shouted at the players which I opted not to do in the season openers.

But shouting I did have to do. What happened next was a total shorade. Our next two games I won't want to remember. The injury crisis were striking us good. With central midfielders Bruno China & Malafaia out I had no experienced and techincal enough playmakers. But that was far from my worst problems ahead - all of my three goalkeepers for the first team managed to be injuried at the same time and I don't like to criticise anyone, but the options I had available after that were just sad.

I was screaming beside the pitch, I was hitting water bottles, I once even just told three guys to prepare themselves to get in at the second half and left the dressing room myself. First a dead ugly 0:3 loss to O. Moscavido at first home game of the season and as addition to our already killing injury problems we had our first choice left winger carried out with one problem, leaving him out for months.


It continued also in Portimonense where we lost with exactly the same scoreline. Again goalkeeper made some horrible plunders as from the last six goals we conceeded four of them he should've saved, but I guess he has a different meaning of clean sheet as he needs his gloves to be clean and not touch the ball. The fans were booing the team during the game and I couldn't agree more with them. I was totally idealess, was the missing first team goalkeeper a problem behind this.

That was coming out for finding in our next game though. With Malafaia returing to the line-up to strenghen my central midfield, also attacking midfielder Jorge Goncalces and slightly unfit first choice goalkeeper Beto came with him.

The match was againist Feirense at away and I was actually finally pleased with our display. Eventhough we had to conceede a goal again, we managed to score one back through Leandro Tatu's second of the season. The goal conceeded was a sad mistake from my defensive midfielder who didn't manage to control the ball after Beto had ran out of the goal to clear the ball away under the nose of opponent striker. My DM's lack of ball control resulted into Feirense player getting the ball and sloting it to empty net from 25 yards out. We wasted some brilliant chances at the end, but it was a positive experience to end the month with.

evertonfan

Brilliant im hooked on this well done and again KUTGW

thanks to James M for the sig, cheers buddy :D

EFC Diddy
FMF Unittttt :P

Tanel

"Now that girl over there looks pretty. I'd love to go over there and just squeeze those lovely melon's and kiss those lips... Oh god what am I thinking about. Very pervert thinking. I've got a meeting to attend for christ sake. I cannot go with Eiffel Tower in my pants," I thought when I had a chance to see my father again.

I was waiting for a bus, yes a bus, to take me near the place where Porto obviously got it's name from. There was that little nice cafeteria in the port where my father arrived to from a Atlantic cruise with his second wife, Adriana.

It was a sunny October day, yesterday it had rained hard though so it was slightly wet outside. I was wearing a everyday clothes - jeans, classic shoe's, white t-shirt and a brown jacket.

My father was only here for the day as it was one of the rare opportunities for me to sit down with him and talk. He loves the sea, while I've got my problems with it as I almost drowned when I was a very little child.

"Waited long?" I asked from my dad as I found him in the restaurant, "I got lost in here and went to another restaurant and I was there looking for you for like five minutes. Then I discovered this wasn't the only place here."

He had been sitting there, drinking cappucino for fifteen minutes. I put the jacket on the chair and sat down, ordering a small cake and cup of coffee. We mostly talked about my time and happiness in the new club. I confessed to him that the players I've worked with were kind of p*ssing me off now and then as some of them seem to think that if they don't want to, they don't have to play.

He told me to keep consistent, punish people who've been doing wrong, that I should set my word down. "You know I never stop," I looked outside seeing a cat stealing a fish from the boxes laid down from a small fishing ship that just arrived in the port.

Soon after Adriana steped in, she is 33, young enough to by my wife. I didn't stand her a single bit, she hated football and probably loved money. I can't deny she is one gourgeous chick, but are the old rich guys really that blind to marry young girls? I tried to tell my father, but Adriana had obviously given him some dirty sex games in the office.

"So, did some shopping, huh," I quietly and slightly sarcastically said to her. She didn't answer as she obviously got my point. Then I changed on to the cruise which they kept talking about to me. Like I really care how they got on a huge ship in Miami and cruised here with couple of weeks. Damn hurricane season, where were you!? I didn't want to hear that chit-chat.

I got espescially p*ssed off when Adriana grabed my dad's hand and told she really loves him. "A wise man has got money in his head, but not in his heart - Jonathan Swift, Irish writer, once said. If you mind me, I got to leave now," I ended my night with. It was getting slightly dark around the city now. There was actually lot of time for the bus to go back to my neighbourhood, but I couldn't stand to see a person constantly lieing to my face.

Tanel

I was hoping to recover from the last month's struggles, but this wasn't as easy. It was yet again an inconsistent, sometimes fantastic and sometimes miserable


The month opener was a vital game for us in my eyes. We had to win this showdown with Santa Clara whatever it takes. I gave the boys some emotional team-talk and made couple of tactical changes to make our play more effective, also making couple of changes in the team starting line-up.

The last month had given me exact realization what and how the players think, therefore getting to see which players have the spirit and qualities, not just on the pitch, but mentally, that I need.

Anyway going to Santa Clara match, we had a completely perfect start. It took us 30 seconds to get the lead through right-back Alexandre's volley from 10 meters. After that it was defensive trouble which we though avoided to make into a conceeded goal and in 57th minute it was Cristovao, who had recovered to his old form after the car accident for this match, who headed in the 2:0 goal. Soon after that Santa Clara got their deserved goal I must admit, but the final word in our home match was to us - substitute Pedro Cervantes sloted in from couple of meters to give us the 3:1 victory.

Back on track againist team that has just lately enjoyed European football and is one of the favourites for promotion was certainly a positive experience and I applaused the fans, eventhough I was constantly scratching my head for tactical mistakes we've made.


The following game was a thriller no doubt. Our next opponents Vitoria Guimaraes were one of the favourites to win the league along with us and get promotion, but they, like us, were having a struggle collecting their points.

Couple of more tactical changes and a very confident mood in media as I found out that there actually is a huge interest in the Liga de Honra doings do, unlike I thought at my first days here. Watching around the Estonian sites, I actually was popular figure around there.

Captain Bruno China returned to boss around in our central midfielder and be our small Gerrard.

The match though started with a cathostrope, conceeding a 2nd minute goal after having lots of trouble holding possession and Vitoria's striker Fabio sent it in from 15 meters with a fabulous strike that bounced in from the post.

More misery was to come, Alexandre failing to make an correct back-pass which goes by his goalkeeper, into his own-goal in the 15th minute. I had that serious look of the CSI Miami character Horatio.


And joy arrived finally with Jorge Duarte brilliantly heading into the top corner after center-back Elvis took our corner-kick few minutes after we had conceeded.

Before the game I was thinking of not playing veteran right-back Alexander who had scored the own-goal and my doubts got even more confirmation as he conceeded a penalty to the opponents from silly situation. Beto failed to save the central shot and it was 1-3.

It was just frustration when Vitoria scored 1-4. Again from Alexander defensive mistake, I was shaking my head as Vitoria was techincally much better than us despite we having lion's share of possession. And it wasn't even half-time.

It went even worse later in second half with substitute Pedro Cervantes picking up a injury and we not having a substitution for him and just minutes after that Cristovao earned a second yellow. It was just 9 our players on the pitch. I was shaking my head, saying to Cristovao that you've let the team down hard. He sniped back at me quite hard and he wasn't going to see any football for long period until he apologizes.

When we had gone down 1-5 and Leandro Tatu left the pitch with an injury I kicked a nearby water bottle as I couldn't stand the frustration and went with Tatu.

After the game ended I had already left the dressing room and was driving home. At home I found out that the game had ended with the same result. Though I was more worried about the next games. We were going to have many players missing probably with injuries.


Our next match was a must win, but it wasn't going to be easy. Our opponents Varzim we're one of the best sides so far, somehow suprisingly though. Their manager was the best last month to get me even more worried. But I needed to be confident and had to recover from setbacks fast if I wanted to get promoted this season.

Pedro Cervantes was out with his injury from last match for longer periods, while Leandro Tatu fought to recover enough to be on bench. Mauro Giliberti made his debut on the right wing.

But the misery continued, Varzim pilled pressure on us from the minute one with us not even getting near their area or the ball and it was 22nd minute when they finally scored through a header.

But it was positive news after that. The goalscorer Mendonca got sent off dozen minutes after the goal. The red card didn't help the cause too much and I had to change something during the half-time to bring up some life to the Varzim defence.

In the end though it was another defeat, we didn't get into the box and only threatened from distance and free-kicks. 0-1 and I got another proof that my belief's of managers life weren't as easy as just shouting at the players what do to and not. It's not like we see as fans, it gives me head-ache and it's complicated.


I was shocked to see our rivals Rio Ave manager getting sacked so early, so I was kind of worried about possible sack eventhough we had an agreement that I will be here for long even when it's not looking good for the team and promotion.

So the match againist Penafiel had a huge importance to me as I losing this one would've been if not vital, then certainly a huge blow to my promotion chances already. And to consider that they had lost just 3 points so far it was going to be a superb chance to make up for the earlier set-backs.

Finally I had a positive start in the game. Attacking midfielder Jorge Goncalves powerfully headed in a perfect Pedro Moita cross.

After two bigtime misses from Leandro Tatu it was Pedro Moita in action again. He had been our only bright light in the couple of last games and he scored a simply fantastic free-kick from the wing into the near corner of Penafiel goal and I was applauding our players and fans after it, but it wasn't a done game yet as soon after the goal half-time whistle went.

Pedro Moita's continuing great performance was good enough to secure that our midfield will keep the possession and the match won't go out of our hands as it ended with 2:0. What a great day it was and hopefully this will be the turnpoint.


Authors Question To The Readers: How do you people like the monthly review system I came up with?