Fifty Shades of (Delta)Blue

[deltablue]

Nations (All leagues unless specified): Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Rep, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy (except C2), Mexico, Norway, Portugal (except Second Division), Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden (except Second Div), Switzerland, Turkey (except Second Div), Ukraine, Uruguay.

Hello everybody, welcome to a new FM year and the beginning of a new epic Deltablue journey. Hopefully a lot of you will have enjoyed one of my previous efforts, ‘Deltablue Rising: From Blyth to Barcelona’, ‘Deltablue Rising II: Delta’s Darlings’, and last year’s ‘Thunderbird Delta: International Footballing Rescue’

The main theme of this one is that I’ll be managing clubs wearing blue. This will apply to clubs wearing roughly half-blue at least (since some clubs with stripes, halves or even quarters have blue ever so slightly in the minority). In some countries this won’t be much of a problem as there are still a decent array of options, but not so much in others. Austria and Slovenia seem especially problematic, whereas in others what sides there are aren’t anywhere near the strongest sides, like in Holland, Greece and Serbia, so trying to succeed in some nations will be an interesting challenge. That still lives a tasty list of clubs that would be very nice if any of them came up at the right time, and while I don’t really have any as a specific target (aside from the obvious two), if I had to pick a club I most want to manage eventually it would be Schalke, a choice that people whose footballing knowledge extends outside of England and before 1992 will probably appreciate.

I will be starting in Brazil, and not only that but at my first club I’ll only be using youth products and existing players who were brought through at the club, replacing other players as I get the numbers together. This is an extremely brave/stupid move on my part as I’ve never done this before, and only in Brazil would I feel I’d have enough players that I might be able to manage it, that said my only experience of the country is a few brief stints on FM 05 so I’m not in much of a position to know. Also, given the tough promotion format it gradually occurred to me that I couldn’t have picked a worse league to try. At least it means that I get to do something a little different to start off with, though generally my careers start very slowly so it might not last. If ever I can break free of the trend I hope it’s this time as this is something I really would like to enjoy for a few years at least.

There was going to be a third element, regarding putting Ipswich in the Skrill South and hoping they’d stay fairly low down so I’d have a long and epic journey climbing back up with them. I it was something that for a while I felt like I wanted to do from the start myself, then it no longer seemed that important as my last career progressed and I got ‘Ipswich satisfaction’. It would be even more of a pain trying to edit it to strike the right balance so I’ll probably save it for a later time, if at all. However before the summer I don’t think I’ll take control of them unless they’re in League 1 (like in FM11 which was a particularly enjoyable journey) as going there in the Championship and taking them up almost each year is something that’s become rather repetitive over the years, which is another major reason why I wanted to do something different with them.

Anyway that’s something that’s a long time away. To Brazil and beyond!

[deltablue]

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2014, Aguia de Maraba, Para State/Third Division, 3rd/3rd/4th, Semi/Final/Quarters.
2015, Aguia de Maraba, Para State, 2nd/3rd, Semi/Semi, left in April.
2015-16, Stranraer, Scottish League 2, 10th, left in October.
2015-16, Tonbridge, Skrill South, 17th, arrived in March.
2016-17, Tonbridge, Skrill South, 10th.
2017-18, Tonbridge, Skrill South, 17th, left in November. 

Trophy Cabinet

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[deltablue]

Chapter 1: The Brazilian Job (Aguia de Maraba)

There’s not an awful lot to say right now. Aguia are very much a mid-table outfit (predicted 12th out or 21 though as we’re split into 2 groups I don’t know how that works), based in the city of Maraba in the north of Brazil. They’re also in the Para state championship, and apparently one of the favourites though holders Paysandu are Second Division so probably clearly superior. There was no one when I arrived worth promoting, and a few no-hopers being released was all the squad activity. I haven’t the foggiest idea how we stand in either state or national championship, which is admittedly an interesting experience, so we’ll just have to see how things go.

[tomtuck01]

Interesting concept here delta. Intriguing stuff.

[B.W.G]

Best of luck in Brazil

[SRL88]

Good luck with this fella. Looking forward to it.

[pricey687]

should be a good career, good luck

[greekgeorge]

Interesting stuff delta. Good luck.

[sc91]

Good luck, will be following with interest.

[deltablue]

Interesting concept here delta. Intriguing stuff.

Best of luck in Brazil

Good luck with this fella. Looking forward to it.

should be a good career, good luck

Interesting stuff delta. Good luck.

Good luck, will be following with interest.

Thanks all, already been interesting so far.

Jan/Feb 2014

Paragominas 1-0 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

Things kicked off in Brazil with the Para State Championship and a trip to Paragominas. We seemed pretty well matched and traded chances without the first-half. Unfortunately a missed defensive header allowed them to make the breakthrough after 65th minutes, with was tough as we’d just about been superior for a lot of the match.

Aguia de Maraba 3-2 Sao Francisco (PA)

We were expected to have an easy time against Sao Francisco, but we made it hard for ourselves. Keno gave us the lead twice in the first 20 minutes but they soon equalized both times. He completed a hat-trick after 55 minutes, and while we kept the lead this time they did have a late goal disallowed.

Paysandu 1-1 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

I was worried about going to favourites Paysandu. They dominated and took the lead in the 19th minute, but Danillo Galvao equalized before the break, and we withstood a lot more pressure in the second-half to grab an admittedly lucky point.

Aguia de Maraba 2-2 Tuna Luso (PA)

We started well against Tuna Luso but went behind in the 29th minute. Keno equalized in the 55th minute but they soon retook the lead and had a 3rd disallowed. Danillo Galvao equalized though he had a later goal disallowed which was our only real chance for a winner against a team we should have beaten.

Sao Raimundo 0-6 Aguia de Maraba

We went to a Sao Raimundo side that while pretty weak on paper were above us in the league, and utterly tore them apart. Keno got us started in the 9th minute, followed by a Danillo Galvao brace and Keno got another as we were 4-0 up at the break. In the second-half they had a good spell and it looked like they’d get a goal or two back but defender and captain Analdo became the first non-forward to score for us, and a penalty allowed Danillo Galvao to finish off a hat-trick and a 6-0 win that took us to 3rd.

Aguia de Maraba 4-2 Cameta (PA)

We took the lead in the 2nd minute against Cameta from wing-back Magno, the one player I did promote into the first team in the end. Twice they equalized, and twice Danillo Galvao restored the lead, the second time just before the break. We eventually managed to wrap things up from Analdo, this time playing in midfield to cover for an injury.

Aguia de Maraba 1-1 Remo (PA)

I hoped our good run would continue against Remo, and we took the lead from Danillo Galvao after 25 minutes, but Remo were one of the better teams in the state and equalized 5 minutes later. They ended up taking the lead but we at least managed to get a point from winger Neno with 10 minutes left, securing 3rd in the stage.

Aguia 3-1 Paragominas (PA SF)

We now faced semi-finals and a tie against Paragominas, who had inflicted our only defeat so far. We were at home in the first leg. They’d go through if the aggregate scores were level (which is actually a rule I agree with as it does reward the team that did better in the season proper) so it was good to see Neno give us the lead after a minute, they soon equalized but Keno restored the advantage in the 25th minute, as it was a battle of quality of chances (us) over quantity (them). I knew that if we didn’t win this game we were unlikely to go through as it meant having to win away, so it was great to get a 2-goal winning margin from a 65th minute Danillo Galvao goal.

Paragominas 4-2 (h5-5) Aguia de Maraba (PA SF)

We only had to avoid defeat by more than one goal in the return, but that didn’t mean we didn’t want to finish it off on our own terms, we had some good (though wasteful) chances early on and a disallowed Keno goal. However they took the lead in the 17th minute, and soon piled heavily on top of us and got two further goals before the break. We now needed at least two ourselves, and got one from Keno in the 50th minute, putting the pressure back on them a little. Danillo Galvao soon gave us the aggregate lead again, but we needed to hold on to it. We almost managed to do it but their 84th minute goal sent them through as higher seeds, though had it been away goals we would have triumphed, that’s how close it was.

Mar 2014

Paragominas 2-2 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We had a short rest before the second stage, which saw the fixtures exactly the same as the first therefore we went to Paragominas for the 3rd time in a career that was just turning 10 matches old. They had only finished the first stage final a few days before, but it didn’t show as they took a 9th minute lead, even if Danillo Galvao equalized a few minutes later. Keno gave us the lead in the 64th minute, and though it only lasted a minute we at least avoided a defeat this time.

Aguia de Maraba 3-0 Sao Francisco (PA)

We were far more comfortable against Sao Francisco than last time. Danillo Galvao gave us the lead in the 5th minute, soon followed by another from Keno. We long deserved a 3rd goal and eventually got it from another Keno effort.

Paysandu 1-2 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We had a couple of injuries when we went to Paysandu again, but took a surprise lead from Keno in the 25th minute. He got another just before the hour mark and though they eventually pulled one back, we survived to make it 4 points from 2 away games against a team from a superior national division.

Aguia de Maraba 3-2 Cameta (PA)

We went from brilliant at Paysandu to disappointing early on against Cameta, going behind in the 28th minute. Midfielder Flamel equalized 20 minutes later, and we pulled it around in the second-half with 2 Danillo Galvao goals, though they got a late second goal.

Apr/May 2014

Aguia de Maraba 1-2 Tuna Luso (PA)

We went behind again against Tuna Luso, this time remaining poor and conceding another before the break. Danillo pulled one back early in the second-half but there were precious through chances afterwards to get anything out of the match.

Rio Branco 1-1 Aguia de Maraba (CdB)

The Cup intervened at a most unwelcome time as we played Rio Branco, (no relation so a side of the same name who were in the Third Division with us) away at first, in the first of 3 games in 5 days. Keno gave us a 4th minute lead, and we looked good but they equalized after 70 minutes, preventing us from taking a lead into the home leg.

Sao Raimundo 1-1 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We went behind again at Sao Raimundo in the 32nd minute, but almost turned it around. Keno equalized in the 49th minute, and we nearly snatched a winner but Danillo Galvao had a goal disallowed in stoppage time.

Aguia de Maraba 1-1 Remo (PA)

Remo had been a surprise package in the second stage, and were joint top with Paysandu even just after losing to the latter. We couldn’t be higher than 3rd again but would probably need a win to do it. Neno was back and gave us the lead in the 23rd minute. They dominated the second-half, soon getting an equalizer, but we still managed to get 3rd, meaning we’d play them again in the playoff.

Aguia de Maraba 1-1 (2-2p) Rio Branco (CdB)

We went behind early on in the home leg against Rio Branco, though managed to equalized before the break from wing-back Rafinha. A lot of second-half chances came and went so it went to penalties. The first three penalties were scored, followed by three misses to give them a 2-1 advantage after 3 rounds. Both teams scored their 4th penalties but they scored their 5th to send us out after we should have wrapped up the tie a long time previously. Still I could do without the cup right now.

Aguia de Maraba 3-3 Remo (PA SF)

I hoped to succeed against Remo where we narrowly failed against Paragominas a couple of months before. They had the first few chances but Danillo Galvao gave us the lead in the 12th minute. They scored twice to go 2-1 up after half an hour but Keno equalized before the break. They went ahead again in the 57th minute, but while it probably wouldn’t be enough, Danillo Galvao at least levelled the scored with 15 minutes left.

Remo 0-1 (3-4) Aguia de Maraba (PA SF)

We needed to win the away leg, and actually did dominate the first-half, taking the lead from Neno. Unsurprisingly we had a lot of defending to do in the second-half, as well as a disallowed goal from Keno, but this time we held on to reach the final against Paragominas, who had turned around their tie against Paysandu in even more sensational style with a 3-0 away win.

Paragominas 1-1 Aguia de Maraba (PA Final)

The first half of the away leg was a very even affair, though they took the lead in the 52nd minute. We soon had an equalizer disallowed, but eventually got it in the 70th minute from Keno.

Aguia de Maraba 0-1 (1-2) Paragominas (PA Final)

This time we had the ‘higher seeds’ advantage and only needed to avoid defeat in the home leg. The first half was very tight and goal-less, but we looked poor at the back and they popped through to score after 50 minutes. Our chances soon dried up as we disappointingly lost.

They don't hang about in Brazil do they? I haven't played a national league game and I already feel like I've done a full season! If I'd been in the first stage (well technically second stage take 1!) final there would have been no rest between the two halves of the state championship, and if we had been in the champions playoff it would have been a similar situation before the Third Division. That's why I was so annoyed at the cup coming when it did, since there wasn't much room for it as it was.

I now have a good idea about where we stand state-wise. Looking at the opposition, 3rd in the league stage both times (with an identical win-draw-loss record) is about right, along with a narrow semi-final exit and final defeat. If I were to rank the teams, Paysandu are first, Paragominas just pip us to 2nd and we're a short distance ahead of Remo. The board are pretty much happy with things, with job security stable but sightly below 50%. With 'mid-table' expectations the pressure should be off in the Third Division, at least as much as it can be in a 11-team group with 4 playoff places and 3 relegation places. It'll make a nice change from the Para teams, I'm already sick of the sight of Paragominas, who have already turned into arch-enemies! However it's good to get stuck into to challenging for stuff right at the start.

[GazTheDoood]

Excellent, another deltablue career! Interesting concept, looking forward to seeing how you get on with the 2.5million competitive games per year in Brazil.

[TalkSport]

Good luck in Brazil. All I know of the leagues there is the games are non stop

Start seems to look good

[AK22]

Best of luck with this! Just try to avoid Chelsea and Everton, please

[sc91]

Crazy old Brazil, is it still nearly 100 games a season there or something ridiculous?

[elbilly]

Appetite sufficiently whetted looking forward to how this turns out. Good luck in the league stage 1 of however many... go the blues!!

[withnail316]

Good luck with your new career, DB.

[deltablue]

Excellent, another deltablue career! Interesting concept, looking forward to seeing how you get on with the 2.5million competitive games per year in Brazil.

Good luck in Brazil. All I know of the leagues there is the games are non stop

Start seems to look good

Crazy old Brazil, is it still nearly 100 games a season there or something ridiculous?

It's not quite as bad as all that, at least for us. If we don't make the Third Division playoffs we'll have had 42 games this year, which is not a small number but far from excessive. The Second and First Divisions are much busier, and if you're in continental competition that's when the games really rack up especially as generally Libertadores clubs play in the Sudamericana as well.

Best of luck with this! Just try to avoid Chelsea and Everton, please

No guarantees, especially on Everton:D

Appetite sufficiently whetted looking forward to how this turns out. Good luck in the league stage 1 of however many... go the blues!!

Well thankfully it seems nice and simple. 11 teams in our group, play each other twice, with playoff rounds (4 from each of the two groups, I think winning the 'semis' takes you up but there's still a final to detemine 'league champion') and relegation. The state ones are more complicated. In our case a 'pre-qualifying' Stage 1 (which we weren't in), then the main competition being 'Stage 2, Turn 1 and Turn 2' with playoff semis and final for each, and the two winners having a champions playoff, all two legged.

Most competitions in Latin America have a similar 'two halves with playoffs and ultimate playoff final in the end' format, which is why I've mainly stuck with the more straightforward European leagues (which thankfully Brazil switched to for it's top leagues a decade or so ago) for years now, and why it's interesting taking a plunge in Brazil for something slightly different this time. With only a bit of knowledge from other threads and a small amount of very outdated experience I'm pretty much learning how things work as I go along, which does at least make it interesting

Good luck with your new career, DB.

Thanks, it's not been to too bad a start but tougher challenges await, and we need to do slightly better at State level in the future, hopefully with youth intakes actually giving me a few players.

[deltablue]

May/June 2014

Cuiaba 2-1 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

The league started at Cuiaba, predicted to be one of the promotion challengers. We got off to a bad start and went behind after 20 minutes, going 2-0 down before half-time, with only a stoppage time Keno goal by way of response.

Aguia de Maraba 2-2 Luverdense (ND3)

We needed to improve at home to Luverdense, but went behind in the 10th minute but Keno scored twice to give us a 2-1 lead after 31 minutes. Fabio Oliveria got sent off which let them back in. They had a goal disallowed and eventually equalized as I was happier with a point than I expected to be.

CRB 2-2 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

We faced a potentially tough trip to underachieving CRB but Danillo Galvao and an own-goal gave us a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes. They got awarded a penalty which they scored in the 52nd minute, and kept the pressure on. They equalized in the 65th minute and we were hanging on to dear life to the single point we had left to defend. Again I was happier with that than I’d thought I’d be under the circumstances, however we had only 1 win in 12 games right now, which needed to be improved.

Santa Cruz 1-1 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

We had a bad start at Santa Cruz, having a goal disallowed, a player sent off, then went behind. We had a good spell in the second-half and equalized through Danillo Galvao but they resumed their pressure, getting over 30 shots but we got a hard-earned point we weren’t expected to get.

Aguia de Maraba 1-0 Brasiliense (ND3)

We took the lead against table-topping Brasiliense from Danillo Galvao in the 17th minute. It was our only shot on target but we held out against a barrage of chances to finally claim a win that shot us up the table at this close and early stage.

Aguia de Maraba 2-1 Sampaio Correa (ND3)

We were expected to have an easy time against Sampaio Correa but despite taking the lead from Danillo Galvao in the 28th minute we looked shaky (not helped by a couple of injuries) and conceded an equalizer before the break. An 84th minute goal meant we snatched the win in the end.

Aguia de Maraba 2-1 Fortaleza (ND3)

We managed to get three home wins in a row against a tough Fortaleza side, but it wasn’t easy. We kept the game quiet in the first half, but they were awarded a harsh penalty in the 50th minute. We quickly equalized, and after a good spell the game dropped off. However in the last minute, Fred headed in a corner as we got all 3 points.

Jul 2014

Baraunas 1-1 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

We were back on the road at Baraunas, and took the lead from Diego Palhinha in the 9th minute. We looked good to keep it but they struck in the 84th minute to take a couple of points off us.

Treze 1-2 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

Danillo Galvao gave us the lead in the 2nd minute at Treze, and again we looked comfortable until they equalized in the 26th minute, when they suddenly had all the momentum. We regained some control in the second-half and a Magno penalty in the 55th minute made all the difference.

Aguia de Maraba 2-2 Rio Branco (ND3)

We went behind in the 5th minute against Rio Branco (not the team we played in the cup, that one was from Parana state, these guys are from Acre), but Keno equalized 5 minutes later and Danillo Galvao gave us the lead after 35 minutes. They soon equalized and even though we took the game to them in the second-half we couldn’t get a winner.

Luverdense 3-0 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

We had a terrible time at Luverdense, and it became clear after 25 minutes that we were heading for defeat for the first time since the first game as we were 3-0 down by this point. We had chances in the second-half but there didn’t seem to be much point in trying to aim them properly as the team auditioned to be stormtroopers.

Aguia de Maraba 1-1 Cuiaba (ND3)

I hoped to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time against Cuiaba and took the lead from Danillo Galvao in the 29th minute. They equalized in the 55th minute but otherwise it was mission accomplished.

Aguia de Maraba 1-1 CRB (ND3)

I was worried about facing a tough CRB side, but we took the lead from Diego Palhinha after half an hour. Again we couldn’t hold on to it and they equalized in the 62nd minute. Not a bad point but we were now win-less in 4.

Form has been frustratingly patchy all year, and we started the national league while still on a rather poor one stretching back to the middle of the State championship 'Turn 2' and I was worried we'd struggle but we soon hit form, and even though it's dropped off again (we only have 3 points from 4 games) we're still in the top 4 (though only just) which is better than I expected. It would be nice if we could win the rather tight battle for a playoff place but it's not something that important.

The first youth intake will be rather important, as a lot of relatively dead wood needs to be shed, as well as a couple of stronger players not signing on so we'll need the numbers if nothing else, and if we can't get it or are still weakened we're going to be going backwards and I'll have a shorter stay in Brazil than intended. Maybe not so much 'gone by the end of the year' but I'd probably be considering my position quite a bit if we run into trouble early next season in the State championship.

On a seemingly random note, look who I found...

He may seem a rather strange player to be interested in, but the name may ring a bell to a few people, and they'd be right. For he is none other than the player after whom the Silva Stadium of my Ipswich sides in the last career was named after, having played under me in the last few seasons of his career (and been pretty good). There's probably a screenshot of him from that time hanging around in the thread somewhere. I had already seen he was a real player so decided to seek him out. Amazing how otherwise obscure players can become prominent in the game, and not just as legendary players in our sides. Formerly of Everton apparently.

[B.W.G]

Seem to have made a good start to your career.

[iHeadHunta x]

Felt it was only right to come back and make sure yours was the first thread that I read! Great stuff!

[Deisler26]

Nice start, but yeah, you need a good intake.

[b101]

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A nice, hopeful spoiler tag . Good luck with this pal, will be following as ever.

[deltablue]

Seem to have made a good start to your career.

Thanks, it's been a mixed bag but it's been ok where it matters, on the pitch.

Felt it was only right to come back and make sure yours was the first thread that I read! Great stuff!

Thanks!

Nice start, but yeah, you need a good intake.

We did, but not in the right places.

A nice, hopeful spoiler tag . Good luck with this pal, will be following as ever.

Give me time!

Aug 2014

Brasiliense 0-1 Agua de Maraba (ND3)

I was expecting us to struggle at Brasiliense, but we started well and took the lead from an own-goal after 35 minutes, though with better finishing we’d easily have got one ourselves before that They put us under quite a bit of second-half pressure but it was nothing we couldn’t handle as we got a first league win in 5 games, in a rather unlikely fixture.

Aguia de Maraba 0-0 Santa Cruz (ND3)

I felt we could follow up with a win against Santa Cruz, but we found ourselves on the back foot a lot of the time, with a few unsuccessful attempts ourselves as we had to settle for 0-0.

Sampaio Correa 4-1 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

Keno gave us the lead in the 18th minute at Sampaio Correa but they equalized in the 39th minute, and dominated totally afterwards, racking up a 4-1 win in the end as we were completely woeful.

Aguia de Maraba 2-1 Baraunas (ND3)

We took the opportunity to get back into the playoff places against Baraunas, putting in a strong performance and taking the lead from Keno in the 4th minute. He pretty much wrapped it up with a 60th minute penalty though they soon pulled a goal back.

Sept/Oct 2014

Fortaleza 0-0 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

A trip to Fortaleza was an tough game in the run-in, but we managed to keep them at bay, and among a lot of draws this season, this was a relatively rare one I was a happy with, especially as with two theoretically manageable games left we were 2 points clear of CRB (with a game in hand) and 3 over Brasiliense so had a good chance of hanging onto a top 4 spot. Unfortunately we’d also lost our keeper Jair for over a month, ruling him out of the remaining games and probably the playoff quarters if we made them.

Aguia de Maraba 2-0 Treze (ND3)

We could pretty much seal a playoff place if we beat Treze, which seemed simple on paper but then again probability really hasn’t had much bearing on matches so far given not just a lot of games we’ve failed to win that we really should have but also a few surprise victories. As it happened I didn’t need to worry this time. Keno gave us a comfortable lead in the 24th minute, and Danillo Galvao roused himself to score his first goal for a while with 15 minutes left. Other teams failing to win meant qualification was assured, and we moved up into 3rd. Unfortunately key playmaker Junior Timbo became the latest injury likely to miss the playoff games.

Rio Branco 4-3 Aguia de Maraba (ND3)

We went to Rio Branco in the last game of the regular league stage, wondering if we could grab second (just a point away) or at least hold on to 3rd (Sampaio Correa being just a point behind), though we had a couple more injuries to worry about. Unfortunately we looked far too weakened and they took a 2-0 lead after 23 minutes. Keno and Danillo Galvao managed to pull it back to 2-2 and a win would give us second, but that chance slipped away as they retook the lead before the break and went 4-2 up. An own-goal made it 4-3 and we still could have turned it around but missed a penalty among other close chances so could only get 4th.

Aguia de Maraba 1-3 Vila Nova (ND3 QF)

Vila Nova were our opponents in the first playoff round, and it went badly from the start as they took a 2nd minute lead (and away goal). Keno equalized in the 9th minute but they eventually restored the lead before the break and won 3-1 in the end.

Vila Nova 4-0 (7-1) Aguia de Maraba (ND3 QF)

We were even more weakened than ever ahead of the return leg, not just in midfield but also with both wing-backs suspended, and with a makeshift line-up (made worse by an in-game injury) they had no trouble finishing us off. They were 3-0 up at the break, and got a late 4th as we were powerless to stop them, even with Jair back in goal.

It was a season with positives and negatives. Form was so shaky all year that you could use it to make a Vodka Martini for James Bond, and we slightly underachieved at state level, but easily made up for it with making the Third Division playoffs, having been around that area for a lot of the season, a clear exceeding of expectations, though in the last month we suddenly got a lot of injuries and suspensions that meant we fell apart badly in the end, even though a full-strength side were unlikely to have been able to make a promotion challenge anyway.

There was good news and bad news with the youth intake. We got 6 players worthy of promotion, about the number I felt we needed, but they consisted generally of forwards, a midfielder (admittedly useful) and a goalkeeper whereas it was defenders we needed, so I had to give contracts to a couple I was planning to let go, and not only were we at risk of being a bit short on numbers, a few of those we would have were either mediocre, getting very old or both. Not being able so sign players is tougher than I thought, though there’s no room for new signings anyway at this point.

It didn’t help that the club was in one of those unresolvable financial situations where no wage bill at all would still lead to losses and any money made from sales would be so small as to be irrelevant so you might as well make sure you still have your better players and enough numbers to cope. Between that and the issues with being able to get a proper squad together it doesn’t look like this is really a long-term prospect, but things could be going a lot worse on the pitch so it’s worth seeing how things go next year rather than being too quick to make an ill-judged move elsewhere.

Star player: Danillo Galvao and Keno succeed Meyer/Diallo as a good 'advanced/poacher' partnership with the former looking the better of the two.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Shame you couldn't have gone any further in the playoffs but the good thing about Brazil is that there's so many players knocking about that there is always ones better than the division you are in that will be willing to sign for you, hopefully you can pick a few up for the next season.

[deltablue]

Shame you couldn't have gone any further in the playoffs but the good thing about Brazil is that there's so many players knocking about that there is always ones better than the division you are in that will be willing to sign for you, hopefully you can pick a few up for the next season.

I can't, I'm trying it 'youth only', at least at this club, which seems like an unwise choice but at least I'm having a go with it. 4th turned out to be a record high which is great but says it all about how well I can realistically do. As it happened there are 4 promotion places now, not 2 like there were in the past, so reaching the Semis would be enough, not just the final as I thought, but Vila Nova ended up being champions outright so it would have been a big ask.

[AcidBurn]

Good to see someone starting Brazil, there's a load of games to play through each season. It can get annoying as if you get close to promotion then you have to obviously play the State Championships before getting a crack at the league again.

Galvao is a very decent player for this level. Good luck dude!

[elbilly]

Good first season, Galvao clearly has some quality probably good enough to do well at a higher level hopefully you can hang on to him.

[danielgear]

Nice career in brazil will follow as always best of luck

[iHeadHunta x]

Nice career, incosistency has cost you!

[deltablue]

Good to see someone starting Brazil, there's a load of games to play through each season. It can get annoying as if you get close to promotion then you have to obviously play the State Championships before getting a crack at the league again.

Galvao is a very decent player for this level. Good luck dude!

It's nice trying somewhere a bit different, and it's been an interesting experience.

Good first season, Galvao clearly has some quality probably good enough to do well at a higher level hopefully you can hang on to him.

Thankfully we do have a few other players like him, helping us perform, but not as many as I'd like.

Nice career in brazil will follow as always best of luck

Thanks, I could use a bit right now.

Nice career, incosistency has cost you!

The more things change, the more they stay the same

(Brazilian) Summer 2015

There being no signings meant there isn’t a massive amount to discuss. The squad was arguably slightly weakened, and certainly rather unbalanced, with large forward surplus and far less defensive depth. Even worse was that none of the younger players are eligible. A couple are 16 though maybe they have to be at least 17? However there is no registration or anything in the competition rules to suggest this or anything else. If true it makes it even more pointless staying and only going for youth, but we’ll see how this season goes. In terms of expectations the board still want to reach the final of the state championship (unlikely but we’ll see if we can at least be competitive in the playoffs both ‘Turns’ again) and simply stay out of trouble in the 3rd Division, which shouldn’t be hard, especially judging by last year.

The youngsters from last Spring look decent enough, if I ever get to use them.

[b101]

keep plugging away!

[Dexter_Morgan]

I can't, I'm trying it 'youth only', at least at this club, which seems like an unwise choice but at least I'm having a go with it.

I did read the whole OP honestly Must have forgot all about that part by the time I got to the bottom :o

In regard to your intake but i'm finding regen strikers having pretty low composure in my save and going by Everaldo it could be a more common thing rather than just bad luck on mine, certainly i'll be paying attention to the other youth threads and see if it is common.

Good luck for this season anyway.

[chile_paul]

Looks as though this will be a tough challenge in Brazil!

[deltablue]

keep plugging away!

Thanks but I could only plug away for so long with things as they were.

I did read the whole OP honestly Must have forgot all about that part by the time I got to the bottom :o

In regard to your intake but i'm finding regen strikers having pretty low composure in my save and going by Everaldo it could be a more common thing rather than just bad luck on mine, certainly i'll be paying attention to the other youth threads and see if it is common.

Good luck for this season anyway.

Well I haven't had the chance to find out as couldn't play any of them!

Looks as though this will be a tough challenge in Brazil!

It does, and I feel we've been living on borrowed time.

Jan/Feb 2015

Paysandu 4-0 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We started the season with one of the toughest games, at Paysandu. Unfortunately due to the ineligibility of the youngsters and an injury to Timbo, 5 of the 8 subs were ‘greys’ (with another one in the starting lineup). They took the lead in the first minute and had another before the break. They piled on the misery as with almost no defensive options at all I was left stuck with what I had and they went on to win 4-0.

Aguia de Maraba 0-0 Sport Belem (PA)

We needed to improve against Sport Belem, which should have been easy as they were a bunch of no-hopers but not only did we fail to score, we only occasionally looked like we did, giving us a result as disappointing as the Paysandu defeat.

Cameta 2-3 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We thankfully looked good at Cameta. Keno gave us the lead in the 34th minute, soon followed by Neno (who unfortunately as one of only two wing-backs left later got injured). Keno scored another from a free-kick early in the second-half but we faded after that, and they got two goals back to make it closer than it should have been.

Aguia de Maraba 3-1 Remo (PA)

We again took a comfortable 2-0 lead against Remo, with goals from Danillo Galvao and Keno. Again we let them pull it back but a late Diego Palhinha goal finished off a 3-1 win.

Aguia de Maraba 1-0 Paragominas (PA)

I was worried about playing rivals Paragominas but Diego Palhinha gave us the lead in the 5th minute, that ended up being the difference in a tight game that took us to 2nd.

Sao Raimundo 1-3 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We had an easy time at Sao Raimundo, taking the lead from Danillo Galvao in the 18th minute, and getting another from Diego Palhinha 10 minutes later. Defender Menezes pretty much finished it off with a 3rd before they got a late consolation.

Tuna Luso 1-3 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

The only thing left to play for at Tuna Luso was being second and being the higher seeds in a tie with Paragominas in the playoffs. We went behind in the 8th minute from a penalty. Keno gave us an equalizer just before the break, and we went on to win easily enough, Diego Palhinha and Keno (again) scoring in the second-half.

Paragominas 0-0 Aguia de Maraba (PA SF)

We went to Paragominas in the first leg of the semi-final and despite having Neno sent off (and he was playing poorly anyway) we were able to keep trading blows and getting a draw, which was good as with our higher seed advantage they’d now need to win our home leg, which admittedly they did last time.

Aguia de Maraba 0-2 (0-2) Paragominas (PA SF)

All we needed to do was survive the home leg, but they went ahead in the 35th minute, after we’d looked shaky throughout, and quickly scored again. We managed to be more steady in the second-half but couldn’t really fight back as Paragominas proved themselves to be our nemesis once more.

Mar 2015

Paysandu 3-2 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We had to go to Paysandu again, and didn’t seem to be doing any better than last time as we went behind in the 7th minute. We actually had a load of chances before they got a second. Daniel Rezende got one back in the second-half but they got a 3rd and had a 4th disallowed. Diego Palhinha scored a second goal at least giving us a much closer scoreline than the earlier match.

Aguia de Maraba 4-0 Sport Belem (PA)

We originally didn’t look that convincing against Sport Belem again but that changed when wing-back Anderson Luis gave us a 38th minute lead. Danillo Galvao scored on the stroke of half-time, with an own-goal and Bernardo completing a 4-0 win.

Cameta 0-2 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We strolled on at Cameta. Keno gave us the lead in the 2nd minute, and he deservedly got another in the 50th.

Aguia de Maraba 3-1 Remo (PA)

Danillo Galvao gave us the lead in the 14th minute against Remo, and as things stood (though it didn’t last) a win would take us top. Diego Palhinha made it 2-0, but they pulled a goal back before the break. A late own-goal gave us a comfortable enough 3-1 win.

Sao Raimundo 2-3 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We seemed to be looking very good at Sao Raimundo, taking a 2-0 lead from Danillo Galvao and Diego Palhinha after 32 minutes, but they gave us a good fight. They pulled a goal back just a few minutes later, though Danillo Galvao made it 3-1 just before half-time. Keno had a goal disallowed that would have made it safe, and a second Sao Raimundo goal meant that it wasn’t so easy in the end.

Apr 2015

Aguia de Maraba 0-1 Paragominas (PA)

For some reason we weren’t involved in the cup this year, which was actually a relief and it meant we faced a weakened Paragominas side. However that didn’t help us much as we failed to make the most of it in the first-half. They took control (to a point) after the break and actually struck a winner in the 66th minute.

Tuna Luso 2-4 Aguia de Maraba (PA)

We were already assured of a play-off place (and likely to play depressingly familiar opponents) when we went to Tuna Luso. We flew in the first-half with two goals from Junior Timbo and Diego Palhinha making it 3-0 after half an hour. They clawed it back after half-time, making it 3-2 after an hour but a late Danillo Galvao goal made it safe.

Aguia de Maraba 3-2 Paragominas (PA SF)

I was getting sick of the sight of Paragominas, but Danillo Galvao gave us the lead in the 5th minute It was never going to last long, not against the eternal green enemy, and they equalized 9 minutes later. We deserved to retake the lead, but they did instead in the 55th minute, then we had a penalty claim rejected. However in the final minutes Diego Palhinha and Junior Timbo to give us the win we deserved.

Paragominas 1-0 (h3-3) Aguia de Maraba (PA SF)

Unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough. We looked bright enough early in the away leg but they took the lead in the 27th minute. They mostly succeeded in keeping us quiet and for the second-time knocked us out by being having finished higher in the league stage, though unlike last time they’d have won on away goals as well. I’m glad to see the back of them!

I knew from the start of the State Championship that I’d be leaving at the end of it. Without being able to play the younger players (who weren’t necessarily in the positions I needed anyway) we were left with a bench mostly full of greys and a few of them even needing to play occasionally. Even if I wasn’t at the mercy of getting youth players in the wrong position that I wasn’t even allowed to play (which as you can imagine isn’t a great situation to end up with) the club’s ever-growing financial black hole meant that I had no room for manoeuvre even if I could try and get in a few free agents.

It was a great pity as things had been going just as well on the pitch as they had before, but I’d have been amazed if it had lasted throughout the Third Division, plus the advantage of leaving now is being able to hopefully take advantage of the end-of-seasons sackings in a lot of the rest of the leagues, mainly in Europe. Brazil has been an interesting experience to start off with, and Aguia de Maraba provides the career with a pretty positive note to start off with, but it was bound to get sour soon and I decided it was best to go before it did.

[elbilly]

Can't say I blame you too much, difficult situation to be in and very little likelihood of improvement, was a good effort though given the restraints. Any contenders for your next appointment yet?

[Deisler26]

Good luck wherever you end up

[B.W.G]

Best of luck where ever you end up at next.

[deltablue]

Can't say I blame you too much, difficult situation to be in and very little likelihood of improvement, was a good effort though given the restraints. Any contenders for your next appointment yet?

No, haven't really got much further. The options when I left Brazil were a Uruguayan club with insecure finances, which I always try and avoid, a Greek club (Kavala I think) who were already relegated from the B Division, so that was out, and Empoli which I did apply for though I knew I was never going to get anywhere near a Serie B club at this stage, and I was right. There are surprisingly few options out there, especially given all the leagues being run, when I left the game there were only 3 vacancies, none of them blue. Maybe May and the end of a lot of seasons will give me some more possible clubs.

Good luck wherever you end up

Best of luck where ever you end up at next.

Thanks guys, got driving test (round 2) coming up so I won't be continuing until a bit later today.

[GazTheDoood]

Difficult situation, i'd have resigned too mate. Good luck for the next step.

[deltablue]

Difficult situation, i'd have resigned too mate. Good luck for the next step.

Thanks, didn't take long to find a new club, though that's all I'm doing today. It is... Stranraer

[TalkSport]

Good luck in the new job. Hopefully things drop your way more

[deltablue]

Good luck in the new job. Hopefully things drop your way more

Thanks, the Scottish lower leagues are always very open.

Chapter 2: On the Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Ryan (Stranraer)

The situation at Stranraer was interesting. I saw it as a relatively low-risk option, the other one being Nuneaton who had just got relegated from the Skrill Premier and were over wage budget. I was slightly shocked when I saw the wage budget stood at less than 1.3kpw, one of the smallest I’ve ever had. There was no money and we were set to lose a lot, but with such a low wage bill it was something I’d just have to live with, even with expectations of getting into the promotion playoffs, which required a considerable improvement on 8th last time.

However there were a few positives. Stranraer were a side of far better historical pedigree than the Scottish League 2, generally having spent most of their recent time in League 1 or even the Championship. There was also a good set of very promising young players I could promote so unlike in Brazil, there would be no problem with having the numbers, even if experience and development would be alarmingly low for now. The Scottish lower leagues (at least up to the mid-table of what’s now the Championship) traditionally have only a small difference in standard so there’s plenty of opportunity to progress.

Just as a little bit of trivia, Stranraer is the 3rd oldest club in Scotland.

[iHeadHunta x]

Stranraer looks like a good choice! Wherever you go, lets hope your succesful!

[duffy89]

I went on a night out in Stranraer once.

It's an...interesting place.

Good luck!

[withnail316]

Best of luck in Scotland.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Good luck with Stranraer

[AK22]

Bit of a tricky start in Brazil. I'd imagine Scotland will prove to be more favourable

[P O\'D]

liking this so far dude. Good luck.

[deltablue]

Stranraer looks like a good choice! Wherever you go, lets hope your succesful!

I went on a night out in Stranraer once.

It's an...interesting place.

Good luck!

Best of luck in Scotland.

Good luck with Stranraer

Bit of a tricky start in Brazil. I'd imagine Scotland will prove to be more favourable

liking this so far dude. Good luck.

Thanks everyone. A few things have been going on this week (and not having had a break between versions I'm not always feeling like playing much even when I have the chance) and I'll be busier for the next month so FM time will be slashed considerably and updates will be a lot smaller for a bit. Still got into my first couple of Stranraer matches (both in cups) so I haven't been completely idle.

Summer 2015

There wasn’t that much I could do in the close season. Lots of contracts expired just after I joined' date=' plenty of players were promoted to give us a very good-sized squad, high in potential (though not so much current ability), and there was just £18 a week spare in the wage budget, which doesn’t exactly go far. However I knew it would allow me to offer a proper contract to a free-agent, and knowing that we probably needed an extra man up front (as opposed to the surplus in the rest of the squad, aside from in goal worryingly enough) it didn’t take long to find one, who would also give us a player with a bit of experience, and who was already a strong player, in contrast to all the youngsters. The board expected to finish in the playoffs, which I felt was achievable but with the club having finished a lowly 8th last season I couldn’t get too confident about it.

The first and so far only signing of the career. Improves us up front a little but otherwise not that exciting.

[P O\'D]

good luck in Scotland