samd577

Sam Draisey played his last game for Aldersly Football Club. The left winger had been there since he was 18, and had seen players come and go like days of the week. He had reached cup finals, won titles and most of all, finally, won the respect of his peers. But his peers were all younger now, and Sam knew it was time to call time on his long playing career. He milled around in the football wilderness for a time, before eventually deciding he had 'the mental toughness to become a manager'. He did the coaching badges easily. As a former primary school teacher himself, he knew the teaching part came naturally. The football was pretty self explanitory too.

After searching the internet, and indeed the globe, for a job in professional management, he eventually found one in a perfectly sized club. The plane left for South Africa a week later.

Tambo Cosmos. That was the club that Sam was to shape in his own image. to turn this Semi Professional club, recently promoted to professional leagues, into a force in the South African second division. The following is a quick recount of the year spent there.

'I was expected to fail. The press didnt like my chances, the board didnt like my chances, and the fans just plain didnt like me! Through all this, with no money to spend, no place to train, and assistant to guide me, i took lowly Tambo Cosmos to tenth in the league! i brought in new faces, i changed the system and i hired new staff. The fans loved me. The players had me listed amoung their favourite members of staff anywhere in the world! the only people who were not impressed was the board. They said they were dissapointed with my performance. they offered me no money in the transfer kitty. i felt disillusioned and left out. It was the hardest decision i ever made. I resigned as manager of Tambo Cosmos.'

Sam was not out in the wild long. He was barely back on a plane home when he recieved an acceptance letter from another opportunity on yet another far flung corner of the globe! this time it was Austrlia, and premier division side Newcastle Jets. It was a big step, and few thought he could make the grade. But Sam had been under that sort of pressure before, and it brought the best out of him. Driven by the determination to make a side with a media prediction of an 8th place finish out of 8 succeed, Sam took Newcastle Jets to thier first ever Premier Division Title in his first, and ultimately only season as manager, and helped them to lift the 'super eights' cup.

After qualifying for the confederations cup in the summer, thats Asia's equivalent to the champions league, the expectations were high at Newcastle. They failed to deliver, and while still in at the semi final stage of the continental competition, Sam fell out with the board again, and resigned as manager. The man who, after one season in Australin football, had won a premier league title, a domestic cup, and shot strainght to tenth on the all time Australian managers leaderboard, was again heading for home.

And now, as we join Sam in his third season of professional management, with hid third club, Ferrol, in the BBVA league in spain, we can only wonder what the future holds for this rookie manager. Can he steer these relegation candedates to the safety of a midtable finish? Will he depart again after one semi successful campaign? only time will tell. time, and the posts on this website.

samd577

Its December, and it seems that the rain in Spain falls mainly on à Malata. Ferrol lie 20th in the league, third from ottom with four relegated, and without a win in ten games. Sam is starting to wonder if this is for him. The fans still wont back him, he has an injury list a mile long, including his star player, Diogo Valente, out for up to five months with a torn calf muscle. As he sits in his office reading the paper, spanish to english dictionary in hand, he sees an article with an interview with one of his players. It turns out that Collins Mbesuma, his free transfer hero striker, who has underperformed since being registered on december first, has come out and slated his team talk for the match against recently relegated Real Sociadad. Mbesuma accused Draisey of 'being too harsh on the team' and stated that 'a better approach should have been taken'. Draisey contemplated this. the fact was, that his team needed a rocket up the shoot after being hammered 3-0 by Sociadad. They needed to turn this season around, and fast.

Along came Saturday, and the arrival of Valladolid at à Malata. Draisey was in the dressing room a full twenty minutes before his players. He sat and contemplated the six pointer, as Valladolid sat in 18th in the table. When the players arrived and after the warm up, Draisey decided on his team talk. With a weakened side due to suspensions and injurys, the most noticable was the absence of former Portugal international holding midfielder Petit, Draisey thought that he would have to try and take the positives.

'For a lot of you, Ferrol is your first club. It may even be the team you support or supported as a child. You were the kids who sat on those terraces and cheered your hearts out. And now they cheer for you. Those kids on that terrace now may be the next players for this club. There could be the next Castellano, Ramos or Crespo out there. Don't let them down!

It hadnt seemed to work. Although at half time the score was still 0-0, Ferrol were definately under pressure. Draisey's players sat in the changing rooms and waited for him. He opened the door, merely said 'Don't let them down', and left again.

The second half came and went. Almost. with Ferrol under the cosh, on loan Nigerian target striker Dani picked up the ball in the centre circle. Showing his astonishing pace and skill, Dani ran half the length of the pitch, jinking this way and that before smashing home from a tight angle! The player who had been slated in the press for not scoring a goal in over thirteen hours of competative football had just scored a sure fire goal of the season. And three points to boot.

Is this the turning point of the season for Ferrol and Draisey? they now lie in 19th place, one point from safety and three from Albacete in 12th. Stay tuned.

Fedorico Roma Fan

very good start!!! KUTGW!

Bfc-Fan

Haha I like it.

James M

KUTGW m8! Fantastic start!. In case you don't know what KUTGW means, it is Keep Up The Good Work!

evertonfan

KUTGW well done on a nice start :D

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

EFC Diddy
FMF Unittttt :P

kopking2006

hey mate good work, i just sat reading and then it came to an end lol
looking forward to the next post KUTGW

Huggy B FmF-UniT

samd577

Sam Draisey celebrates with a small glass of spanish red. He lead his relegation candidates into a respectful fifteenth in the league. As he sat back on the plastic patio chairs that sat on his balcony, and looked out over the small town scene towards the ground. A Malata. The home of football?

The run in to the end of the season had been up and down to say the least. His side went on a run after the Valladolid game of ten games unbeaten, pretty much securing his safety. But then, just as it seemed like lightning wouldnt strike twice, it most certainly did. Once again Draisey had to read about it in the paper.

'This is not the first time i have complained about him' said the extract from yet another rant from star striker Collins Mbesuma. 'not only that, but I have declared myself homesick'.

In the time left leading up to the end of the season, Collins Mbesuma was sent away on compassionate leave for a grand total of three months. Draisey would have sold him there and then, had he have had a replacement, but with both Dani and Moreno going back to Gymnastic and Sevilla respectively, it seemed like he would have no strikers. Add on top of that the fact that former spanish international goalkeeper Molina was retiring at the end of the season, aged 38, and it would probably be a long summer of investment for Draisey.

Back to now. A lot had changed. I know what you thinking, you think he has packed up and left again. Not so. but his squad has changed dramatically. Mbesuma has gone. Draisey squeezed a deal of almost 500,000 pounds for the player, but has yet to spend any of it. He has brought in a number of players on short term trials, and signed a new striker.

It would appear that when top scorer Mbesuma left, the team would be left with a massive hole down the middle. Not so. with a recall to the first team squad for trinidad and tobago international Hector Nelson, and free transfer signings of Ruslan Zanevskyi from Milan and Tomas Pekhart, a player which Sam Draisey has long been an admirer, as well as a new target man aquried in 31 year old spaniard Michel, it would appear that they now have more fire power than before. That will remain to be seen.

Draisey turns and slides the French window style doors closed. He's got packing to do for the sides pre season tour of Switzerland. But first its a short drive up to the ground to watch the youth team. He's entering them in the youth league this year, and with no less than six young players signed from their feeder club in Venezuela, Draisey is optimistic about their chances, and the future of Racing Club de Ferrol S.A.D

samd577

It's November. A time when children wait for christmas, Parents stress and TV stations start to play any film they can find with snow in it. Sam Draisey's Ferrol lie in 9th place, with the relegation candidates unbeaten in three. having notched up 6 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses, its safe to say that Draisey's side are on the negative side of consistant. In an interview with the local newspaper, Draisey was quoted as saying 'well, winning one then losing one is better than drawing both!'

Things are rosey at Ferrol at the moment. After Tomas Pekhart's injury 5 minutes into his debut, and the subsequent injuries to Michel and Ruslan Zanevskyi saw that Ferrol would go through a barron patch, but now with most of those players back (though Pekhart is now back on the treatment table!) it would seem that things are looking up for Ferrol. Especially after the 3-0 victory at Osasuna.

Draisey also recieved his first ever mention on Sky Sports News.

'Reports linking the vacant Fulham job with Sam Draisey of Ferrol in Spanish league BBVA hve been rubbished by the Fulham board'.

'I've never even heard of Sam Draisey' said Fulham cheif Mohammed Alfayed'

It only came up along the blue screen at the bottom. This story obviously has a lot further to go yet!

samd577

Sorry guys. my computer had to be formatted and i lost the save game. im dissapointed to say the least. my Ferrol team were top of BBVA! but now i have started again with an all european league game open and got a job at a lowly finnsih side KPV. il start up a story soon.

WozzaWolves

:D That was brilliant ive read another one of your stories and they are both amazin :D