How to make your way in the Primera Liga (or not as the case may be)

[Dixie Flatline]

Gee, my boss moves quickly when he needs to. Obviously, he has recognised the worth of having a triple championship winning manager on his payroll and had planned for contingencies such as had earlier arisen. It’s just as well he doesn’t know quite how tempting the offer from Real Madrid to jump ship to the capital’s biggest club really was, otherwise he would probably be saying a lot less to the media about how we had reached a mutually satisfactory deal. If tonight’s experience has taught Señor Manzano anything, it’s taught him to be fully prepared. That’s a lesson for me, too. Never underestimate the boss, even when he comes across as a pompous old fool who is in just for the fame and glory.

5th of May 2010

Well, it’s the first day of the rest of my life after I turned down the biggest opportunity yet to fall into my lap. Any regrets? Well, we’ll see after we play Sheffield United tonight.

[Dixie Flatline]

European Champions' League - Semi-Final, 1st leg: Sheffield United v Cartagonova

I have to say, our record is not impressive against this English club. In our first visit to Brammall Lane earlier this season, we were hammered 4-1 when Sheffield United ran riot in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals. In the return match back at the Estádio Municipál de Cartagena, we scraped to a 3-2 victory after Juan Hernández came off the bench to score twice in three minutes. The omens do not look good, after all.

I make two changes to the side that defeated Elche last Sunday on a day that now seems so far away it’s ancient history. Per Vener Rønning is dropped after I tire again of his poor form (how many times have I said that about my defenders this season?) and José Manuel Redondo is not fit enough to be considered. Francisco José Mantilla steps in at left-back, and in a surprise selection, I pick Sabino ahead of Cherno Samba to partner Alex Notman up front.

However, Sheffield United hit us with the ol’ one-two early in the first half to set things up nicely for them in the second leg. It begins in the fourth minute after things had looked promising for us. Thompson did brilliantly to save from Notman’s header, but Sheffield United in clinical fashion sweep the ball downfield to where Ian Armstrong is prepared to drop off and provide support to his midfielders. The forward puts the ball out in front of Tynan, who crosses in from the left to where Lindmark is lurking unmarked. Sheffield United’s captain leads from the front by supplying a beautifully crafted pass for Andreas Lewitz to score his 50th goal for Sheffield United after just four minutes.

I’m immediately on the touchline screaming at my defenders to pick up their men quicker and to watch out for the striker dropping deep to support the midfield. But obviously they fail to grasp the implications of the first goal because Armstrong again goes deep on 13 minutes, picks up the ball and drives past my defenders. Fortunately, Vidal keeps us in the game with a fine finger-tipper save. But damn me if he doesn’t do it again two minutes later, and this time Vidal is wrong-footed and despairingly watches the ball sail past him into the top corner at some speed from Armstrong’s boot. With two goals already on the board, Sheffield United decide that’s enough and close up the shop, concentrating on keeping us out. To be honest, we don’t make it very difficult for them, but for Sabino hitting the post on 19 minutes and Garrido smashing a shot over the bar on 42 minutes, it’s a very poor first half from us.

After I tear strips off each player at the half-time interval, I expect my boys to come out breathing fire. But it takes ten minutes for us to find our stride, and when we do, Notman’s powerful header is well-saved by Thompson and we fail to even win a corner as Taylor clears the ball away. Not even luck is on our side tonight. On 60 minutes, I shuffle the deck by making a triple substitution - Cabrera, Clegg and Reyes all off for Bressán, Juan Hernández, and Kortina. But Lewitz almost has his second on 66 minutes but for a great diving save from Vidal. Then on 75 minutes, Vidal is required again to parry away Baker’s volley. Brian Kerr heads Baker’s corner onto the bottom of the post and Lewitz, after Sheffield United regain possession, crashes a drive inches wide. Even as time ticks away, Sheffield United stay on the attack, looking for a third goal that would kill the tie off completely. Fortunately, Kerr’s snapshot is partially saved by Vidal and Gershon manages to nick the ball away from Kerr before he has a second chance to pull the trigger successfully.

Things are looking desperate for the second leg.

Sheffield United (4-4-2): Thompson; Dillon, Barry, MacFarlane (Taylor 53), O’Halloran; Tynan, Lindmark ©, Kerr, Pedersen (J. Baker 66); Armstrong, Lewitz.

Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal ©; Mantilla, Gershon, Smith, Cabrera (Bressán 70), Reyes (Kortina 60), Garrido; Clegg (Hernández 60); Sabino, Notman.

Final score: Sheffield United 2:0 Cartagonova

MoM - Andreas Lewitz

[Dixie Flatline]

I’m shocked to hear that the Cartagonova supporters are so unhappy about our performance that they actually boo us off the field. This has never happened before, and I struggle to find something to say to their leaders that we’re actually alright and the world isn’t ending just yet. My right-hand man, Luis Sosa, and I manage to cook up something in the nick of time to mollify them, and I soon receive a call from my boss, who has decided to take a more proactive interest in his club, saying that he is pleased with my confidence in the club’s chances of success this season. Let’s hope by defeating Espanyol on the weekend will give them something to cheer about. Otherwise there will be nuclear-sized fallout if we don’t.

All the same, I pull César Cabrera aside and give him an earful for his deplorable performance tonight. It’s simply not good enough, especially when so much is riding on the result, namely, all the hopes and wishes of our fans as we have just found out firsthand. I give Cabrera an official warning, hoping that will smarten him up quick smart, and to his credit, Cabrera admits that he deserves it for his last performance and that he will motivate himself better for future games.

[Dixie Flatline]

6th of May 2010

As manager of Spain, FIFA allows me to vote in the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Finally, a Cartagonova player is nominated, but it isn’t who you would expect. Instead, Sabino is the man up from Cartagonova for nomination, which surprises the hell out of me, because it’s been Alex Notman for mine who has been the stand-out player (again) for Cartagonova this season. That’s not to take anything away from Sabino, but you put the two players’ statistics side by side, and you couldn’t say that Sabino could hold a candle to the Scottish striker. Still, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and I would be a fool not to vote for my guy. Here’s the full list of nominations, for those that care:

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Kennedy Bakircioglü (29 y/o, SWE 50 caps, 14 goals, AM/F RC): 38 apps, 14 goals, 15 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.53 - Ajax Amsterdam;

<LI>Cristian Bardaro (32 y/o, ARG 39 caps, 20 goals, F RLC): 39(3) apps, 15 goals, 12 assists, 4 Moms, av. rating: 7.69 - Barcelona;

<LI>Emanuele Calaiò (28 y/o, ITA 42 caps, 16 goals, S C): 25(2) apps, 17 goals, 9 assists, 7 MoMs, av. rating: 8.26 - Barcelona;

<LI>Fabrício (32 y/o, BRA 11 caps, 3 goals, S C): 39(1) apps, 24 goals, 11 assists, 9 MoMs, av. rating: 7.90 - Porto;

<LI>Raúl (32 y/o, ESP 123 caps, 59 goals, AM/F LC): 32(1) apps, 15 goals, 5 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.61 - AC Milan;

<LI>Ãlvaro Recoba (34 y/o, URU 86 caps, 32 goals, AM/F LC): 24(3) apps, 13 goals, 11 assists, 4 MoMs, av. rating: 7.81 - Ajax Amsterdam;

<LI>Sabino (32 y/o, ESP 14 caps, 4 goals, S C): 18(2) apps, 4 goals, 5 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.45 - Cartagonova;

<LI>Roque Santa Cruz (28 y/o, PAR 91 caps, 44 goals, S C - 34 apps, 9 goals, 10 assists, 5 MoMs, av. rating: 7.65 - Ajax Amsterdam;

<LI>Javier Saviola (28 y/o, ARG 30 caps, 17 goals, S C - 47 apps, 28 goals, 12 assists, 11 MoMs, av. rating: 8.06 - Fiorentina;

<LI>Andriy Shevchenko (33 y/o, UKR 91 caps, 51 goals, S C - 46(1) apps, 21 goals, 6 assists, 8 MoMs, av. rating: 7.70 - AC Milan;

After I’m done voting for Sabino in a pointless individual award, I’m asked to comment upon a report published this evening on planetfootball.com, saying that Jaime Garrido is playing the best football of his career to date. Well, there’s nothing I can do except agree, because Garrido has finally begun to produce the type of form that has so typified his displays for Spain on the club level. I always knew the former Real Betis man could be a star for both club and country, and I’m satisfied that we’re finally beginning to really reap the rewards. As a bonus, I seem to have the fans back on side because they hurry to their computers to dash off emails to planetfootball.com, telling the website that they’re pleased that Garrido is being publicly acknowledged for his contribution to the club’s success so far this season.

[Dixie Flatline]

7th of May 2010

With approximately a month to go to the World Cup, World Cup fever is building all over Spain. Former Spanish, Barcelona, Real Betis and Arsenal striker Alfonso comes out in the national press, saying that Spain has no chance of winning the World Cup. That’s a wonderfully patriotic thing to say, mate. Perhaps being too comfortable in that hip city London has made you forget your roots, as I tell the Spanish press that I’m confident that the players who will fly to Argentina will do the country proud. As an aside, I remember former Real Madrid stalwart Hierro writing our chances off before Euro 2008, and then we went and swept all before us in that competition. Let’s hope that Alfonso’s dismissive attitude produces the same result on the biggest stage of all.

8th of May 2010

There are increasing rumours in the press that Elche manager José Manuel Gutiérrez is interested in taking the hot seat at Real Madrid. I smile to myself and turn the page.

9th of May 2010

Primera Liga - Game 35: Cartagonova v Espanyol

It’s imperative that we lift the fans’ spirits today, particularly with the second leg of a tough encounter against Sheffield United to come this week. So I’m pleased to see Enrique Kortina score his first goal for Cartagonova by heading home Redondo’s cross on 8 minutes. Four minutes later, Redondo converts Mantilla’s low cross to double our lead. On 24 minutes, Cabrera gives away a free kick by upending Zubizarreta, who picks himself up, dusts himself down and proceeds to force Vidal into making a great save with a curling free kick that clears the wall by scant inches and threatens to dip underneath the bar. It heralds a good period of possession for Espanyol, and Zubizarreta is at the heart of everything, missing a headed chance on 33 minutes. But as the half ticks by, we see Redondo volley from long range only to be denied by a great save from Esteban, anxious to prove he is worth a trip to Argentina. Espanyol clear from the corner and Zubizarreta takes it the length of the pitch, dodging tackles as he goes, only to drive his shot wide of Vidal’s goal to end the first half dramatically.

Six minutes into the second half, Marney wastes an opportunity to bring Espanyol back into the game when he hits the post, and two minutes later, Vidal prevents Zubizarreta scoring a goal his first half’s play deserves when he turns a hard shot away. On the hour mark, however, Redondo is unlucky to see his fantastically executed half-volley smash into the woodwork and bounce clear. Then with 18 minutes left to play, the hitherto quiet Alex Notman bobs up to score his obligatory goal - his 35th in all competitions so far this season and it’s curtains for Espanyol, especially when Zubizarreta is forced from the field with an injury on 77 minutes. Notman tries to chip Esteban on 81 minutes, but scoops it over the bar, and three minutes later Iván Ania again embarrasses my defenders but fails to punish them for it when he misses a wonderful opportunity to earn some scoresheet respect for his club. Two minutes later, it’s all over as Gershon finds Juan Hérnandez lurking in the area. The midfielder feints one way, goes the other, rounds the keeper and scores our fourth goal of the afternoon. That sets the supporters alight, and we could have had five but for Redondo’s inaccurate header late on.

Apart from some shaky defending, particularly from Martin Smith (we only won 38% of all tackles attempted this afternoon) which I need to work on before Wednesday evening, all in all a satisfying day at the office for all concerned. Well, except for those associated with Espanyol, as the visiting fans vent their spleen at their side without restraint.

Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal ©; Mantilla, Gershon, Smith (Loughran 59), Cabrera; Djordjic, Mason, Kortina; Hernández; Redondo, Notman.

Espanyol (4-3-2-1): Esteban; Fábio Aurélio, Juanma, Rodrigo, Cuevas; Sergio (Peloca 63), Soldevilla (Iván Ania 63), Wang; Thiago Motta, Marney (Cândido Costa 58); Zubizarreta © (inj 77).

Final score: Cartagonova 4:0 Espanyol

MoM - José Manuel Redondo

However, our title celebrations have to be put on ice for at least one more week as Barcelona defeats bottom-placed Real Vallodolid 1-0 at the Nou Camp in a dour game. Cristian Bardaro’s 27th minute goal seals victory for the Catalans club. Real Madrid, without a manager, overcomes Real Betis 2-1 in Seville thanks to a dazzling display from Joe Cole, but it can’t paper over the cracks that have sprung wide open in the last few weeks.

Enrique Kortina and José Manuel Redondo are rewarded for their performances by places in the first eleven of the team of the week.

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Dixie Flatline]

Back with some more from Cartagonova

10th of May 2010

The big loss to Cartagonova forces the hand of Paco Fortes, who today tenders his resignation to the board of Espanyol.

11th of May 2010

I turn down an offer from Lyon for Jaime Garrido worth only £5.5 million.

12th of May 2010

Espanyol offers me £2.3 million over 18 months for José Manuel Lasa. I reject the offer.

European Champions' League - Semi-Final, 2nd leg: Cartagonova v Sheffield United

“… It was always going to be a difficult task for Cartagonova to overcome a 2-0 deficit on the first leg, even in front of their passionate home supporters. It became even more difficult after an insipid first half where the only thing of note was the dismissal of Spanish international winger José Antonio Reyes for a reckless two-footed tackle on Jonas Lindmark. Cartagonova did have a few early chances to open the scoring, but Sheffield United’s keeper, Glynn Thompson, saved superbly from Notman on 13 minutes and Reyes from the resulting corner. Jaime Garrido went close on 36 minutes, but Ian Armstrong was a constant threat for Sheffield United, and Iván Vidal needed to make several impressive stops to prevent the visitors scoring the crushing away goal. Nevertheless, with 45 minutes gone by without a goal, it began to look desperate for the hosts.â€

“No doubt, Señor Dixie Flatline had had plenty to say at half-time, but it seemed to have little effect as he withdrew the anonymous José Manuel Redondo on 53 minutes, bringing on crowd favourite Juan Hérnandez to insert some flair into his side’s play. Just after the hour mark had been passed, Gary Mason was the man to give the hosts some hope of reaching Saint-Denis in a fortnight, when he bundled home the rebound from Thompson’s save of Notman’s powerful header. Still, Sheffield United were determined to fight to the death and Vidal made another terrific save, this time from a Joe Baker free kick on 69 minutes, and Gareth Barry was kicking himself when he failed to head Baker’s corner on-target. Six minutes later, Lindmark had another chance from a set piece when Armstrong was shoved over by Bressán within range, but again Vidal was having a superb game and this time held onto the ball. It proved to be a turning point in the fortunes of both sides, as Notman guided a pass into the path of Kortina, and the substitute headed home the equalising goal! Notman almost won the tie in injury time, but for another fantastic save from Thompson, and Sheffield United also missed an opportunity to grab an unlikely winner as Gershon timed his sliding tackle on Armstrong to perfection.â€

[Dixie Flatline]

“So the tie entered extra-time and Sheffield United were the first to try its luck when Lewitz hit a hopeful shot over the bar ten minutes into extra-time. But Cartagonova put together a perfect passing move involving Mason, Notman and Kortina before the ball found its way to George Clegg. He missed out on Cartagonova’s victory over Porto three seasons ago, and he wasn’t about to give up this chance. For the first time in the tie, Sheffield United found themselves behind, with only the second half in extra-time to repair the situation. Iván Vidal again found himself the only man between Sheffield United and the final as he blocked Lewitz’s goal-bound header just before half-time in extra-time. Notman could have extended Cartagonova’s lead ten minutes into the second half, but failed to take his chance, but it mattered nought as Cartagonova had managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The home side was ecstatic, the visitors distraught, as it will be an all-Spanish final in a fortnight…â€

Well, that was a game that was a test of my nerves from start to finish, to say the least. When Reyes managed to get himself sent off on 24 minutes, I thought that was it, we were definitely finished. Two goals behind, a man down, surely it couldn’t be done. This impression was heightened by the paucity of our attacking play in the first half, and I needed to do something in the second half to give us a spark. During the week, my assistant, Señor Luis Sosa, spoke highly of Juan Hernández’s performances during training, so I threw him on for José Manuel Redondo. Then Garrido came off for Kortina, and these substitutions changed the course of the game, in our favour. But Sheffield United looked dangerous every time they came forward, and I am greatly indebted to my keeper to keeping us in this tie.

But for the third time in four seasons, we find ourselves with a chance to become crowned the best club in Europe. So far, we’ve taken that chance once, and failed the second time. It’s going to be a huge night in a fortnight in France’s national stadium against our old nemesis, Barcelona. You should all book your tickets early for this one!

Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal ©; Mantilla, Gershon, Smith, Bressán; Reyes (s/o 24), Mason, Garrido (Kortina 72); Clegg; Redondo (Hernández 53), Notman.

Sheffield United (4-4-2): Thompson; Dillon, Barry, Taylor, Tate; Tynan (Baker 62), Lindmark ©, Kerr (Koumas 69), Pedersen (Bakke 91); Armstrong, Lewitz.

Final score: Cartagonova 3:0 Sheffield United

Aggregate score: Cartagonova 3:2 Sheffield United

MoM - Shimon Gershon

[Dixie Flatline]

The board of directors is absolutely delighted that we overcame our deficit and pulled a 3-0 win out of the bag to get us into the final of the European Champions' League.

I decide that, per my policy, I should give Reyes an official warning for his dismissal, even though I’m sure he is well aware of the consequences of his actions. Reyes takes it on the chin, and I have a word with George Clegg to have a private chat with him, because Clegg has been there and done that already.

14th of May 2010

Mindful that we have a big clash against Real Madrid on the weekend, I gave the players only a limited licence to enjoy themselves after beating Sheffield United last Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, Martin Smith chooses to abuse the terms of that licence and I’m forced to upbraid him for being unfit for Friday training. He takes the warning without comment, and it’s likely I’ll have to leave him out of tomorrow’s crunch fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu.

15th of May 2010

Primera Liga - Game 37: Real Madrid v Cartagonova

Taking to the dugout in the stadium which I oh so nearly came to call home is somewhat eerie, but playing this game live on television around Spain and many European countries, with the opportunity to wrap up the title before Barcelona plays tomorrow, quickly focuses my mind. I have to make quite a few changes to the first eleven today in order to put a fit first team out on the field, so there are surprise starts for the likes of José Manuel Lasa and Anthony Loughran in the centre of defence and César Cabrera at right back. I put Andy Owen in the anchor role in front of the back four and Juan Hernández as the supporting midfielder. Moedim Júnior partners Redondo up-front, as I decide to rest the tired Notman.

I’m pleasantly surprised to see Real Madrid take the field in a 5-3-2 formation, and without their most dangerous striker, Souza, in the first eleven. My counterpart decides the best approach is to name two veterans, Christian Colusso, and Sergio Conceição, on the flanks as wing-backs to push forward at every opportunity, while Dejan Stankovic, not Joe Cole, will be given licence to move ahead to support Totti and Ronaldinho.

A very interesting strategy and I’m sure my opponents will have reconsidered when Iker Casillas’ goal kick falls short, right at the boot of Juan Hernández, in fact, and Juan Hernández pushes his claim for a spot on the plane to Argentina with a wonderful 30 yard strike on 11 minutes! That certainly puts a smile on my face. Real Madrid tends to dominate possession for the next ten minutes, but apart from a wide drive from Ronaldinho, can hardly do anything with the ball. The next time we have the ball, Redondo forces Casillas into a brilliant one-handed diving save on 20 minutes. However, out of the blue comes Real Madrid’s equaliser on 32 minutes. Joe Cole ignores his tactical instructions and when he gathers the ball from Rúa’s hasty clearance, I sense trouble. Owen tries to cut him off, but Cole sees the Welshman coming up and decides to let fly with a thunderbolt that cuts the grass before burying itself into the bottom right corner of Vidal’s goal. But three minutes later, we have the lead again. Cole’s errant pass is picked off by Moedim Júnior, who lays off for Hernández. The attacking midfielder has no hesitation in curling a shot towards the left corner of Casillas’ net and from 35 yards, it’s an absolute screamer that sends us all into delirious raptures! Once more, we have a hand on the trophy! Three minutes before half time, Moedim Júnior tries to finish things off, but Casillas manages to get a hand to the fiercely struck shot and we can make nothing of the resulting corner.

[Dixie Flatline]

Four minutes into the second half, and surely we have things all wrapped up as Juan Hernández turns the Real Madrid defence inside-out before laying off for Garrido. The Spanish international winger crosses low and hard in front of goal and Mantilla, who likes to score a goal or two, smashes it into the roof of the net! But then Real Madrid decide they want to play possession football and soon they have my defenders running around in circles. I don’t want to have any more of this, so I pull off Loughran and put Rønning on, hoping that he can adjust to centre-half. It turns out that he doesn’t, not this day. Vidal is a very busy player, but when we do have our opportunities, my players fluff their lines. Redondo misses a sitter on 51 minutes, and Mantilla heads a shot against the post on 63 minutes. In the meantime, Real Madrid are racking up the shots at Vidal’s goal, with Baronio, Cole, Totti and Ronaldinho all have numerous opportunities to drag Real Madrid back into the game. Finally, with 15 minutes to go, our defences are breached for the second time as Joe Cole fends off Rønning just long enough to open up the space in front of him to unleash yet another thunderous drive that gives Vidal no chance whatsoever. But the celebrations amongst the Real Madrid supporters have barely begun to die down when we have a two goal cushion. Redondo wastes no time in gathering the ball from kick-off, dodging Jorge’s attempted tackle then shooting from 25 yards to put the result beyond doubt! To their credit, Real Madrid fight it out in the last ten minutes, but Vidal isn’t seriously troubled.

When the referee blows full-time with three loud blasts on his whistle, the Cartagonova players and supporters who have journeyed north erupt. It’s now irrelevant whatever Barcelona do tomorrow, because tonight, the whole country again belongs to us! For the fourth time in a row, we have conquered the best teams in the land to be crowned champions of Spain! It’s a fantastic feeling, and to do it in one of the most famous stadia in the world makes it even more special. We have the chance to finish the season before our home fans next week, and there is a second leg in the Copa del Rey semi-final to play at the Estádio Municipál de Cartagena, but this is special. Sticking it up these rich folk from the capital of Spain who have had it good for so long is what I’m all about! Soon Iván Vidal is lifting the Primera Liga championship trophy above his head and the rest of the players are jumping up and down beside him, caught up in the excitement of it all! Soon enough, so am I.

Real Madrid (5-3-2): Casillas; Colusso, Rúa (Rubio 91), Samuel, Hakala (Jorge 49), Sérgio Conceição; Cole, Stankovic, Baronio; Totti, Ronaldinho ©.

Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal ©; Mantilla, Lasa, Loughran (Rønning 60 (Gershon 87)), Cabrera; Owen; Reyes, Garrido; Hernández; Redondo, Moedim Júnior.

Final score: Real Madrid 2:4 Cartagonova

MoM - Joe Cole

The celebrations last a long time into the night, although the players are professional enough to recognise that they have things left unfinished this season and they need to concentrate if we are to do the triple this season.

However, before I let the players go out to celebrate at the bars and nightclubs in Madrid with their wives, girlfriends and significant others, I beckon Rønning over to me. With my capable right-hand man, Señor Luis Sosa, looming over my right shoulder lending support to everything I say, I tell Rønning that I find it unacceptable that I have to substitute a substitute. Loughran was poor enough to be substituted this afternoon, and I thought that Rønning could do a job. But I could see that the Norwegian was just going through the motions out there today, not particularly interested if he was doing what he was meant to be doing, or what. Real Madrid’s greatest spell of pressure coincided with Rønning coming onto the field and failing to do what was asked of him. If he’s going to keep that up, then I have no place for him amongst my squad, and I tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he needs to shape up, or ship out. The Norwegian gets the message loud and clear, but we’ll see how he goes the next time he plays.

[Dixie Flatline]

16th of May 2010

Notwithstanding that the title is out of reach, Barcelona continues to win, defeating Valencia 2-1 on the road. Juric gave Valencia the lead on 41 minutes, but two goals in a minute to Brighi and Calaiò on 68 and 69 minutes won the match for Barcelona. In the meantime, third- and fourth-placed Atlético Madrid and Numancia both suffered defeats, with the former losing in an upset to 19th-placed Real Vallodolid 1-0, while the latter lost 2-1 at home to 6th-placed Real Sociedad. Escaping relegation is still possible for Hércules, Real Vallodolid and Celta Vigo, with 17th placed Mallorca only one point above the drop zone.

Iván Vidal, César Cabrera, Juan Hernández and Jaime Garrido are named in the first eleven of the team of the week, and José Manuel Lasa sits on the bench.

17th of May 2010

Real Madrid poaches Elche’s José Manuel Gutiérrez to be the new manager. In the meantime, Espanyol appoints Miguel Rubio as its new manager.

19th of May 2010

Copa del Rey - Semi-Final, 2nd leg: Cartagonova v Extremadura

With a 1-1 draw from the first leg, played away from home, going into this game, I feel fairly confident that we’ll progress to the final. I decide not to risk many of my regular first team players, so I make two changes from the team that defeated Real Madrid on the weekend, with Jaime Garrido and José Manuel Redondo stepping down in favour of Enrique Kortina and Cherno Samba. Things begin slowly, and when they do begin to heat up, it’s Extremadura that is the first team to seriously attack. Rodolfo Bodipo takes the ball into the area before letting fly with a shot that forces Vidal into conceding a corner. But we defend it well, and Owen makes Robles earn his keep on 32 minutes with a stinging drive. But Iván Vidal isn’t able to relax just yet, as Óscar tests the Spanish international keeper’s reflexes on 33 minutes. The match again quietens down, but ends in some controversy as Moedim Júnior’s goal is ruled out for a sharp off-side against the Brazilian. Endless television replays at half-time suggest the Brazilian was perhaps level with the last defender, and in that case, the referee should have overruled his assistant and given the goal.

But you can’t dwell on the past in this game, and eight minutes into the second half, Moedim Júnior leaves nothing to chance when he takes the ball past Escalona before lashing home from the edge of the box. Juan Hernández almost doubles our lead on 56 minutes, but for a great save from Robles and from the corner, Hernández again is denied by another good save. However, on 64 minutes, Andy Owen makes the tie safe when he scores his first ever goal for Cartagonova when he tucks home the rebound from Reyes’ shot.

But Extremadura aren’t to be overawed by playing the newly crowned Spanish champion and two minutes later, Ibagaza gives the away supporters something to cheer about when he picks up the loose ball and smashes it past Vidal. However, we quickly bring the pressure to bear on Extremadura and spend the remainder of the match camped in their half, raining shots down on Robles’ goal. Finally, his resistance cracks for the third time in the game in injury time when Cherno Samba hits a shot from the edge of the box which leaves Robles with no chance to prevent ending in the back of the net. A satisfying end to a good run-out for many of my ‘lesser’ players.

Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal ©; Mantilla, Lasa, Loughran, Cabrera; Reyes, Owen, Kortina; Hernández; Samba, Moedim Júnior.

Extremadura (4-4-2): Robles; Mendy (Aparicio 58), Aguado, Keità, Gallas (Escalona 52); Montenegro, Howard (Ibagaza 65), Persson, Solis; Óscar, Bodipo ©.

Final score: Cartagonova 3:1 Extremadura

Aggregate score: Cartagonova 4:2 Extremadura

MoM - José Mário Moedim Júnior

In the other tie, Barcelona comfortably defeats Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on the night to make it 5-1 on aggregate. So, we meet our biggest rival in two finals to two cup competitions over the space of four days, beginning next week with the final of the European Champions' League.

[Dixie Flatline]

23rd of May 2010

Primera Liga - Game 38: Cartagonova v Mallorca

Our season ends with barely a whimper as we go through the motions, intent on next Wednesday’s game against Barcelona in the European Champions' League final. I again name a virtual second string to give some of our regulars the afternoon off to enjoy the celebrations of wrapping up the title last weekend and some of the fringe players an opportunity to impress before the season ends. On the other side, Mallorca need to be careful because they might slip into the relegation zone and go back down the Segunda Liga for next season.

Zlatan Muslimovic slaloms his way through the Mallorca defence on 11 minutes, but is denied by a fantastic fingertip save from Felip. A moment later, Juan Hernández tries his luck with a half-volleyed shot from Cabrera’s pass, but no luck in beating Felip this time. With 21 minutes on the clock, Reyes cuts in from the left and crosses for the Brazilian striker Moedim Júnior to head powerfully towards goal, but Felip is again there to deny us taking the lead. Mallorca don’t have their first attempt on goal until the 31st minute, and even then it’s more through fortune than anything else, when Iván Alonso overhits a pass and it ends up in Vidal’s hands in front of goal.

The second half is even more sleep-inducing than the first, with nothing happening in the first 15 minutes. Moedim Júnior tries to wake up the crowd by turning Liu inside out before trying to hit a low shot past Felip, but nothing doing there. We waste a couple of opportunities with ten minutes left to play, and I decide to give the hitherto poor Owen a chance up front, by substituting Redondo for Mason. It doesn’t produce anything, though we’re denied what seemed to be a clear penalty when the referee fails to punish Cárdenas for a push in Muslimovic’s back in injury time.

It doesn’t matter, because as results turn out, Mallorca fail to save themselves.

Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal ©; Mantilla, Lasa, Loughran, Cabrera; Reyes, Owen, Muslimovic; Hernández; Redondo (Mason 80), Moedim Júnior.

Mallorca (4-3-2-1): Felip; Cárdenas, Liu, Ferrari, Tamandi ©; Voss, Petkov (Lauren 61), Alexandre; Andrezinho (Aarøy 86), Iván Alonso (Castillo 61); Losada.

Final score: Cartagonova 0:0 Mallorca

MoM - Felip

Although it’s the end of the league season, we still have two important games to play to finish things off for another season. That’s why I decide not to be soft on both Mantilla and Owen, who both had poor games against Mallorca. Mantilla effectively rules himself out of contention for Wednesday night’s huge final against Barcelona by taking umbrage at the official warning. Owen makes no comment at all. He wouldn’t have started the match, anyway.

Barcelona also gave up interest in the season. Our fiercest rival and Wednesday’s finalist is thrashed 4-1 at the Nou Camp by Villarreal. Barcelona had two players - Francisco Villena, a youth player, and Beto - sent off out of a first eleven that bears no resemblance to the typical first eleven my counterpart Señor Lorenzo Serra Ferrer puts out on the field. No doubt the fans will be unhappy, but Villarreal will be very happy. Wallerstedt scored twice from penalties given away when Barcelona’s players were sent off, and Adolfo added a brace by scoring on 34 and 37 minutes.

There is pressure on Valencia’s Señor Frank Rikjaard at the end of the season as his team slumps to a poor 3-0 loss at the hands of Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón. Hércules finished plumb last in the league and copped a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Real Sociedad to boot, while Deportivo La Coruña also enjoyed the last day of the season, with an easy 4-0 win over Espanyol. Real Madrid’s new manager, Señor José Manuel Gutiérrez, suffered a 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo, which enabled the latter club to salvage survival in the Primera Liga for this season.

[Dixie Flatline]

So, here is the complete league table after 38 games:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st C Cartagonova 38 12 4 3 43 21 13 2 4 47 26 81

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd Barcelona 38 11 4 4 40 21 12 2 5 46 25 75

3rd Atlético Madrid 38 14 4 1 37 19 7 4 8 21 20 71

4th Numancia 38 14 2 3 45 25 6 7 6 33 34 69

5th Real Madrid 38 13 1 5 51 31 7 3 9 33 27 64

6th Real Sociedad 38 12 4 3 44 27 7 3 9 27 30 64

7th Deportivo 38 14 3 2 44 17 5 3 11 26 39 63

8th Villarreal 38 12 3 4 38 21 6 5 8 29 29 62

9th Valencia 38 11 4 4 37 21 6 3 10 25 37 58

10th Betis 38 10 7 2 36 19 5 4 10 17 26 56

11th Espanyol 38 8 4 7 27 25 6 5 8 19 31 51

12th Alavés 38 9 2 8 29 33 6 3 10 26 35 50

13th Osasuna 38 6 6 7 25 26 5 6 8 15 24 45

14th Sporting Gijón 38 6 6 7 22 28 4 5 10 23 33 41

15th Elche 38 6 5 8 25 34 4 4 11 23 37 39

16th Compostela 38 7 5 7 20 19 3 3 13 14 38 38

17th Celta 38 5 6 8 19 22 3 5 11 15 37 35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

18th R Mallorca 38 5 5 9 18 25 3 5 11 19 29 34

19th R Valladolid 38 7 2 10 18 30 2 3 14 7 36 32

20th R Hércules 38 4 5 10 21 32 2 7 10 31 46 30

</pre>

In other leagues, we start with England, and Manchester United finished 13 points clear of Arsenal in the English Premier League, with 80 points to Arsenal’s 67. Liverpool finished third, four points further behind. Swansea, Portsmouth and Birmingham tasted the bitterness of relegation. It was a lot closer in Italy, as Lo Scudetto travels to Florence and Fiorentina, which finishes just two points ahead of AC Milan. Roma was four points further behind. At the other end, Foggia, Lecce, Verona and Piacenza all go down to Serie B. Finally, going back to the Iberian peninsula, and in particular, Portugal, Benfica finishes a comfortable five points clear of Sporting Lisbon. The two old rivals were miles ahead of Chaves, which was a distant 18 points behind the champion. Porto finished a very disappointing fifth, 22 points off the pace. At the other end of the table, Braga, Imortal and Beira-Mar are all relegated.

25th of May 2010

I turn down an offer of £4.7 million over 24 months from Elche for Gary Mason as being completely unacceptable.

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Dixie Flatline]

Back to where it all began!

26th of May 2010

European Champions' League - Final: Cartagonova v Barcelona

“… Welcome to Stade de France, here in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris for the final of the European Champions' League, which pits two great Spanish rivals against each other in a hugely anticipated heavyweight battle to be crowned the kings of Europe. It’s fine, if a little breezy, night with an estimated playing temperature through the 90 minutes of approximately 22ºC, and it’s expected to drop to a low of 17ºC, but hopefully not until we’re done here. Well, we have a big pre-game ready for you, so to kick things off, let’s take a look at the rivalry between these two Spanish clubs…â€

“Barcelona is one of Spain’s most oldest, most successful clubs. There is barely a competition in the world of football in which it has participated in that it hasn’t won. Some of the best players the world has ever seen have graced the pitch at the Nou Camp, where over one hundred thousand passionate Catalonians scream out their support, week after week, for their club. Like Italy, Spain remains somewhat disparate in the nature of its people, and Barcelona focussed most of its attention on its closest rival, Real Madrid, during the heyday of Spanish club football. With the likes of Romario, Ronaldo, Ronald Koeman, Abelardo, and more recently, Matteo Brighi, Juan Sebastián Verón, Patrick Kluivert, and Emanuel Calaiò proudly wearing the club colours of Barcelona, there is a rich tapestry supporting Barcelona’s push for glory.â€

“However, the last four seasons has seen a shift away in power from Barcelona towards the south of the country, and particularly the hitherto largely non-descript town of Cartagena. Cartagonova was founded only in 1995 as the plaything of local tycoon, and current club president, Señor Florentino Manzano. Like all new clubs, Cartagonova was decreed to play in the lowest rung of semi-professional football for a couple of seasons, before it was eventually admitted entrance into the league structure. After a fruitless couple of seasons, where Cartagonova failed to attract the fans to the hulking Estádio Municipál de Cartagena on the outskirts of the primarily naval industry town, Señor Manzano made possibly the shrewdest investment decision in his career by hiring Señor Dixie Flatline to be in charge of day-to-day affairs at the club.â€

“Señor Flatline worked his magic and within a season of being appointed, had Cartagonova in the Segunda Liga. Two seasons later, and they were ready for the big-time, in the Primera Liga. Barcelona and Cartagonova clashed for the first time at the Estádio Municipál de Cartagena on the 28th of September 2003. On that day, Kluivert that he had scored the decisive goal on 16 minutes, only to have it ruled out for off-side. A moment later, two legends of Cartagonova combined to put the hosts ahead, when Collymore and Fernando Couto worked their magic for the latter to drive home past Dutruel in goal for Barcelona. Barcelona pressed and pressed in wave after wave of attack, but even when Luis Enrique had the ball in the back of the net for the visitors on 50 minutes, it still wasn’t a goal as Enrique was adjudged off-side! Cartagonova defended desperately and in numbers, playing the counter-attacking game to perfection when on 78 minutes, Collymore killed the contest off when he drove home from 25 yards. Barcelona could still have denied Cartagonova a famous victory, but poor finishing and great goalkeeping from Iván Vidal preserved the win for the underdog.â€

“After Cartagonova lost 2-1 in the Nou Camp in the return fixture, they were drawn to meet in one of the most epic Copa del Rey finals ever staged at the Santiago Bernabéu. Barcelona was denied an early penalty when Luis Enrique seemed to have been fouled by Vidal in the area, but the referee was having none of that. Cartagonova weren’t overawed by the occasion, and Antonio Prats needed to make plenty of saves to deny the outsider a lead before the half-hour mark was reached. But on 44 minutes, Barcelona thought they had scored when Nano fed Rivaldo, and the Brazilian maestro blasted home from the edge of the box. But Rivaldo had again strayed offside. However, Barcelona thought they would nevertheless take a lead into the break when Donati fired home from distance to cap off a fine move. But Cartagonova refused to be broken in spirit and Michel danced his way down the left wing before lofting a perfect cross into the box for Collymore to head home simply past Prats to end the first half. Then in the space of a minute, Collymore completed his hat-trick just after half-time to push Cartagonova to a 3-1 lead with 40 minutes to play. But just as quickly as the lead arose, it vanished for Cartagonova as first Luis Enrique and then Juan Sebastián Verón scored on 65 and 69 minutes to tie the game at 3-3 apiece. Guardiola then lost his head and was sent off on 80 minutes but the match was destined for extra-time. With 9 minutes left before a penalty shoot-out, Verón headed home Sergi’s corner to clinch the famous victory for Barcelona and to deny Cartagonova a fairy-tale finish to an extraordinary season, where under the guidance of Señor Dixie Flatline, they finished fourth to snare a place in the following season’s European Champions' League.â€

[Dixie Flatline]

“There have been plenty of famous battles between these two fierce rivals over the seven years since they first faced off. A particularly memorable one occurred in the second leg of a Copa Del Rey semi-final in May 2006 when Cartagonova travelled to the Nou Camp holding a 2-1 lead on the first leg. Dutch international striker Niels Kokmeijer put the visitors ahead inside 60 seconds, but Patrick Kluivert pegged that back on 25 minutes. Lomano-Tresor Lua-Lua gave Cartagonova the lead back on 34 minutes, only for Cartagonova to concede again to Kluivert two minutes later. In the second half, Fernando Morán scored for the visitors on 54 minutes, but Kluivert sealed his hat-trick three minutes later. Alex Notman scored Cartagonova’s fourth goal on 64 minutes, but Cartagonova could still not hold onto the lead, this time conceding to Dani on 77 minutes. Kluivert scored his fourth goal of the evening on 83 minutes to tie the game at 6-6 apiece and Barcelona besieged Vidal in goal for Cartagonova, hoping for that one more breakthrough to sink Cartagonova. But it never came as Vidal stood tall and, supported by his defence, kept Barcelona at bay long enough for the final whistle to rescue the visitors.â€

“So far, the record stands like this between the two teams. They have played 25 times since September 2003. Cartagonova has won ten times, scoring 47 goals in the process, and Barcelona has won six times, with 37 goals to their credit. There has been six draws in meetings between them. Only once before tonight have the clubs met on neutral territory, being the famous Copa del Rey final where Barcelona triumphed 4-3 after extra time.â€

“Well, we can now take you to our match commentators, Fernando Hierro and first, Martin Tyler. Martin, you should have the team sheets there before you. Can you fill us in on any surprise selections made by either side for tonight’s game?â€

“Thank you, Richard, and welcome to the impressive Stade-de-France here in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris, in France. The weather is a pleasant 22 degrees Celsius, and there is a breeze wafting through the upper echelons of the stadium, though you wouldn’t think it would affect the players’ performance out there tonight. Fernando, we’re really looking forward to a big match tonight, between two fierce rivals. There isn’t the history there like there is between your old club, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, but certainly under Señor Dixie Flatline, Cartagonova has really rose to challenge the domination of Barcelona in the last five or so years.â€

“You’re right, Martin. Under Señor Flatline, Cartagonova have become a force to be reckoned with in Spanish and European football today. Last weekend, they clinched their fourth straight league title and once again Barcelona had to be content with second place. You know, of course, that they won’t be content with that and they will view tonight as the perfect opportunity, short of winning the championship next season, of deflating Cartagonova.â€

“Well, we have the team sheets in front of us just now, and I’m a little perplexed at the tactics Señor Lorenzo Serra Ferrer has decided to deploy this evening. He has chosen to go with the famous ‘Christmas tree’ formation with just Emanuele Calaiò picked as a lone striker, with support coming from Verón and Ricardo Jorge. We have a flat-back four of Lorenzo Ruiz, Gabriel Milito, César, and Daniel Rojas. Barcelona has chosen Gerard, Maldonado and the captain, Matteo Brighi, to act as a screen in front of the back four. Fernando, does this formation surprise you? It certainly strikes me as being a little defensive.â€

“Yes, Martin. Señor Serra Ferrer obviously feels that Cartagonova’s biggest strength is its striking partnership of Redondo and Notman, and I believe this is a formation tailored with that in mind. He wants to control the Cartagonova forwards, so he can block room for the likes of Notman, Redondo and Clegg to run into to receive service from Garrido and Djordjic on the flanks. But it leaves Calaiò with a lot of work to do by himself, albeit with support coming from deep from Verón and Ricardo Jorge. Calaiò is a big strong man capable of holding up the ball, but I always thought as a defender that by isolating a striker against two competent defenders, you had more of a chance of stifling the attacking flair that the striker naturally relies upon to score his goals.â€

“Well, turning to Cartagonova, and Señor Dixie Flatline has named what is probably his strongest side, but for the enforced absence of Reyes through suspension. What do you make of the eleven Señor Flatline has named for tonight’s game, Fernando?â€

“Like you said, Martin, I think this is the best side Señor Flatline could name with what he has at his disposal. No doubt neither Per Vener Rønning nor Francisco Mantilla have inspired much confidence in the manager at left-back this season after both have been less than consistent, so César Cabrera, who has also struggled to hold down a permanent place in the eleven, is named at left-back, and Andrés Bressán, who has made the transition to Spanish football from Argentina relatively easily, slots in at right back. However, apart from question marks over the full-backs, you see everywhere else the tried and true. Certainly there is nothing unconventional about this approach from Señor Flatline. He has refined it over ten seasons and it has worked a treat. Gershon and Smith work well together in the centre of defence, and I’m sure they are looking forward to double-teaming Calaiò at every occasion. Gary Mason has been a revelation in the centre of the park, and we all know the quality of Jaime Garrido. Bojan Djordjic is a great left-sided winger and a more than adequate replacement for the suspended Reyes. George Clegg will be champing at the bit to make up for his disappointment on missing out against Porto a few seasons ago, while Redondo and Notman are as dangerous a partnership up front as anything in Spain or in Europe. We should have a great battle on our hands this evening, Martin.â€

“Yes, indeed, Fernando. Well, the referee here tonight at the Stade de France is Dian Iotov from Bulgaria, and we have approximately 60,000 in attendance here tonight for a clash of two Spanish giants of modern-day football. We will bring you all the action right after the break, as Cartagonova and Barcelona collide in the European Champions' League final from the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, Paris…!â€

<insert ad breaks>

[Dixie Flatline]

“…Welcome back to the Stade de France, and everything is in readiness for kick-off in the 2010 European Champions' League final, between Cartagonova in their black and white stripes, and Barcelona in their traditional strip. Dian Iotov raises his whistle to his lips, and we’re under way! … Just on three minutes on the clock, and Cartagonova have possession pushing deep into Barcelona territory. Mason manages to show Gerard a clean pair of heels and the Scotsman looks for his fellow countryman! A terrific header from Notman there, powerful and accurate, and it needed a great save from Laínez, who must be looking forward to being named as part of Spain’s squad for the World Cup! Cartagonova has the corner, but Brighi clears it away comfortably… Something inventive there from Ricardo Jorge, Fernando. We can see on the replay it was a nicely cushioned header from Calaiò, fending off Smith, but Ricardo Jorge couldn’t keep his volley down… Oh dear, oh dear! That really was a rush of blood to the head of young Daniel Rojas, and I think you will find he will soon regret that push on Notman in front of the referee. That’s something that UEFA and FIFA have been clamping down on for years, and there is strict instruction that when there is a push of that nature on another player, the perpetrator should see red. Referee Iotov is pulling out a card. What colour is it? It’s red! Rojas is sent off! Well, that really could put the cat amongst the pigeons! Fernando, your thoughts? … Cartagonova have the ball back after Barcelona fail to clear it effectively. That’s a nice pass from Djordjic into the middle of the box. Redondo! He wriggles free, he shoots! He scores! A goal to Cartagonova on nine minutes! One man up, and now one goal up! A terrific goal from the veteran striker after superb approach play from Djordjic!â€

Time passes slowly…

“… Fourteen minutes on the clock now, and Cartagonova maintain their goal and their man advantage over Barcelona. But Verón has earned Barcelona a free kick within the range of Brighi. Mason receives a caution for that late tackle on the Argentine, and he can have few complaints about that. There’s jostling in the Cartagonova wall and Brighi lifts the ball over the wall! A great save there from Vidal! He needed all his agility and flexibility to reach that one and he couldn’t hold on to it, but fortunately Clegg was there to hoof it clear! … We’re almost half an hour into the match and still Cartagonova lead by a single goal. Barcelona are finding it difficult to break out of first gear, but Verón wants to change all that. He’s heading for the by-line, and now he cuts it back for Gerard to try his hand, but his header clears the bar and it’s a wasted opportunity for Barcelona to level this game. … That’s a poor challenge from Smith on Verón and the Dane rightly receives a yellow card for that. Now, what can Lorenzo Ruiz do from this angle? Well, that’s a great save from Vidal. He really made that look easy. Ruiz’s shot was dipping and swerving a fraction in the cool evening air, but Vidal had his calculations correct and wasn’t caught out by that one in the slightest. Good goalkeeping from one of Spain’s goalkeepers. … We’re now approaching the end of the injury time at the end of the first half, but Cartagonova’s Notman has the ball at his feet and he’s looking to run it past César. Well, I’m sure Señor Serra Ferrer will have something to say to his defender for letting Notman by so easily, but now the Scotsman has the chance to score! Well, that’s a poor miss by Notman - you don’t normally expect such poor shooting from a man of his abilities in front of goal, but even the best of them have an off evening once in a while. And that brings the action in the first half to a close. Fernando, can we have your thoughts quickly, before we hand back to the host studio?â€

[Dixie Flatline]

“… Welcome back to the second half of the European Champions' League final between Cartagonova and Barcelona here at the Stade de France. Cartagonova leads by a goal, scored by José Manuel Redondo on 9 minutes, a moment after Daniel Rojas was sent off for Barcelona. It’s been a little short of goalmouth action from both sides, but we hope to remedy that in the next 45 minutes as we seek to determine who is the champion club of Europe! … Well, it’s been a slow ten minutes, and Calaiò has been well-marshalled by Gershon and Smith. He has a chance now to break loose, can he take it? Brighi’s through-ball looks good, cutting out the defenders, but Calaiò looks a little rusty operating up there by himself and in the end he doesn’t even draw Vidal into a save. … We’re an hour in and still Redondo’s goal divides the two sides. Calaiò looks to draw Barcelona level, taking Verón’s pass in his stride, but he must have left his shooting boots back in Spain because that’s a terrible effort and not what his side needs right now. … Only 11 minutes plus stoppage time to play in a very quiet second half. Cartagonova have done a great job of containing Barcelona after grabbing an early lead. Now they look to hit Barcelona on the break through George Clegg. The English midfielder tries his luck from Garrido’s pass, but Laínez is equal to the task with an impressive save! Now, Verón looks to attack Cartagonova and he is running at the defence unchallenged. This could be dangerous! It’s a great run from Verón - he’s taken it all the way from his own defensive third of the pitch into a position to shoot! Well, he’s let it all down with a shot that ripples the sidenetting only. That’s disappointing for Verón. … Now only a few minutes to play, and Notman has the ball. Can he seal it with a half-volley? No, it goes over the bar and out of play. Barcelona must have their skates on if they are to salvage this game, but you fear it’s all too late for them now! And there it is! Referee Iotov blows a long blast on his whistle to draw this game to a close and for the second time in four seasons, Cartagonova is the champion of Europe!â€

Well, that’s that. After coming close but being beaten by the better team last season, we have finally broken through again. It was a hard-fought, close game that was far from pretty, with no quarter asked, or given. Redondo’s early goal was enough to seal it for us, but even so, there were plenty of nervous moments, particularly in the first half. However, our defence stood tall when it needed to, and we were helped by our numerical advantage given to us on a platter by Rojas’ act of stupidity. We have completed two-thirds of the treble now, and only Barcelona (again) stands between us and immortality. Vidal happily hoists the incredibly large trophy into the cool French air in the Stade de France and we dissolve into champagne!

Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal ©; Cabrera, Gershon, Smith, Bressán; Djordjic, Mason, Garrido; Clegg; Redondo, Notman.

Barcelona (4-3-2-1): Laínez; Ruiz, Milito (Källström 8), César, Rojas (s/o 8); Gerard, Maldonado, Brighi ©; Verón, Ricardo Jorge (Olembé 8); Calaiò.

Final score: Cartagonova 1:0 Barcelona

MoM - Bojan Djordjic

[Dixie Flatline]

27th of May 2010

Paco Fortes was out of a job for all of seventeen days. Elche hires him to replace Señor José Manuel Gutiérrez who left to be Real Madrid’s manager.

28th of May 2010

It’s great news for Shimon Gershon, as he is the first player from Cartagonova to be called up to a World Cup squad. Israel kicks off its Group C campaign with a game in a fortnight against Lebanon.

In the meantime, it’s no surprise to see Jurgen Klinsmann tip Germany to win the World Cup. I mean, he did play 108 times for Germany, scoring 47 goals!

29th of May 2010

I wake up to a strange report in the local newspaper, claiming that English striker Cherno Samba is about to move to Groningen in a deal worth £11 million. If he is about to do so, it’s the first I’ve heard of it.

Copa del Rey - Final: Cartagonova v Barcelona

“… Señor Lorenzo Serra Ferrer’s Barcelona finally put one over Señor Dixie Flatline’s Cartagonova in the Copa del Rey final played at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid this afternoon. Although Cartagonova had claimed the honours in both the league and Europe, it was Barcelona that emerged victorious this afternoon. Neither side bore much resemblance to the two sides that had squared off in Paris on Wednesday night. Cartagonova manager Señor Flatline retained Vidal and his back four of Cabrera, Gershon, Smith and Bressán but gave starts to hitherto rarely-sighted Ricardo Verón, Enrique Kortina, Juan Hernández, Cherno Samba and José Mário Moedim Júnior. Señor Serra Ferrer was less willing to change his first eleven, but Asprilla, Beto, and Cristian Bardaro were given starts at the expense of Rojas, Maldonado and Ricardo Jorge.â€

“Cartagonova got off to the best possible start after just three minutes when Cherno Samba latched onto Juan Hernández’s long clearance and rifled it home between Laínez’s legs. But Barcelona equalised through captain Matteo Brighi on 19 minutes when he caught out Bressán and powered home a dipping strike into the top corner of Vidal’s net. The match’s complexion changed when on 26 minutes, Shimon Gershon was sent off for a foolish shove on Milito. However, the next goal did not come until the 60th minute of the game when Lorenzo Ruiz scored a rare goal, coming in unnoticed behind the Cartagonova defence to pick up Bardaro’s cleverly lofted pass and slam it past Vidal. However, it was due reward for Barcelona, which persistently threatened Vidal’s goal after the departure of Gershon. However, Barcelona lost its man advantage when Juan Verón was sent off on 64 minutes. But it didn’t faze the Catalan club in the slightest, and Calaiò added a deserved third goal on 84 minutes to seal victory for Barcelona…â€

We played poorly in too many positions over the field to really challenge Barcelona this afternoon. I knew I would take a gamble either by playing unfit first team regulars or players who haven’t much featured in my plans to date. It was really one game too far for many of my players and our standard of play on the field suffered accordingly. We weren’t helped by Gershon’s loss of cool half-way through the first half and I make sure I’ll have words with him and also Lasa, who played poorly as a second-half substitute for Martin Smith. Those two are the outstanding culprits, but they are not the only ones who played badly today and let down the fans. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t take it away from Barcelona - they really deserved to win the game and spoil our quest for the elusive treble. Still, we shouldn’t sneeze at winning the league and the European Champions' League in the same season!

Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal ©; Cabrera, Gershon (s/o 26), Smith (Lasa 63), Bressán; Djordjic (Clegg 63), R. Verón, Kortina; Hernández (Owen 74); Samba, Moedim Júnior.

Barcelona (1-2-5-2): Laínez; Beto (Maldonado 64); Milito (Källström 60), César; L. Ruiz, J. Verón © (s/o 64), Brighi (A. Ruiz 60), Gerard, Asprilla (inj. 78); Bardaro, Calaiò.

Final score: Cartagonova 1:3 Barcelona

MoM - Cristian Bardaro

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Guest]

I knew it! You just realised how evil Madrid is and have decided to stay where you belong...

(Only a joke, but I think Cartagonova makes a 10 times better reading...)

Cheers,

Jordi.

[Dixie Flatline]

Thanks very much jordivf for continuing to follow the two stories!

I'll endeavour to keep both just as entertaining as the other.

[Dixie Flatline]

Here's a little more from Cartagonova![/b}

Well, that’s it for another club season. We look forward to going to Argentina for Spain’s campaign in the World Cup 2010, but for some of my players, they will deserve a well-earned break from the rigours of fighting three tough campaigns and recharge the batteries for another tilt next season. Let’s see how they did.

Goalkeepers

Iván Vidal (31 y/o, ESP 6 caps, GK - 398(1) apps, 455 conceded, 31 MoMs, av. rating: 7.29): 54 apps, 64 conceded, 3 MoMs, av. rating: 7.09: By his high standards, the club’s captain didn’t enjoy the best of seasons. Last season, he conceded less goals than the number of games he played, but this season it was a return to conceding an average of more than a goal a game. Further, Vidal picked up three red cards this season to more than double the number of red cards he has been shown in his Cartagonova career. That’s a worrying sign and I hope it isn’t a trend that continues next season. However, it cannot be doubted that Vidal is an inspiration to the other Cartagonova players on the pitch and he signed a contract during the season that will tie him to Cartagonova for the rest of his career. He could be looking at about 600 appearances for Cartagonova in all competitions should he see out his contract. At this stage, I have no plans to replace him with any other goalkeeper or as captain.

Davide Bagnacani (30 y/o, ITA, GK - 14(4) apps, 18 conceded, av. rating: 7.28): 10(3) apps, 14 conceded, av. rating: 7.31: Bagnacani is a more than able deputy, by and large, to Vidal, although he suffers from a lack of consistency in his play. I’m not sure whether at this stage it’s due to his long spells of inactivity warming the bench watching Vidal play, or whether it’s more deep-seated than that. Nevertheless, I’m content to have Bagnacani play the understudy role here at Cartagonova for the time being. Whether Bagnacani will put up with playing second fiddle for much longer is another question.

Jesús Martínez (18 y/o, ESP, GK - 1 app, 2 conceded, 1 assist, av. rating: 7.00): 1 app, 2 conceded, 1 assist, av. rating: 7.00: I said at the start of the season that if every player produced by our brand spanking new youth academy was as good as Martínez, I would be very pleased indeed. With Vidal and Bagnacani playing poorly during the season, I decided to turn to Martínez and throw him in the deep end. He responded magnificently, especially given his tender age, and only lost concentration towards the end of the game. That cost us a couple of points, which I wasn’t happy with, of course, but I saw in Martínez plenty of potential which I intend to nurture and bring to the fore in the next few seasons. Once Vidal sees out his contract, Martínez will be 22 years of age and may well be in prime position to assume the mantle of the club’s goalkeeper at that time. That is a fair way into the future, though, and Martínez should concentrate upon building his skills, his strength (both physical and mental) and honing his craft.

[Dixie Flatline]

Defenders

Shimon Gershon (32 y/o, ISR 58 caps, 5 goals, SW/D/S C - 233(6) apps, 9 goals, 8 assists, 5 MoMs, av. rating: 7.14): 47(2) apps, 2 goals, 1 assist, 1 MoM, av. rating: 6.96: Gershon is looking forward to playing with Israel in the World Cup, further cementing his place as a legend of Israeli football. Now 32, it’s fair to expect that Gershon’s abilities are starting to peak and turn downwards, and I think a glance at his statistics for this season as compared to his Cartagonova career reflect that. Never before has Gershon averaged less than 7.00/game in all competitions, but this season he has done so. Gershon is a player who likes to work with the goalkeeper and his fellow central defender and neither Vidal nor Martin Smith were really consistent this season, and I think that affected Gershon’s performance this season. I’m now beginning to plan for life after Gershon because I can foresee a time where Gershon’s name will not be an automatic inclusion on the teamsheet, but Gershon has contributed magnificently to the club’s success since joining from Osasuna back at the end of the 2004/05 season and should have another season in him at least.

Palomino (22 y/o, ESP, SW/D/DM C - 1 app, 1 assist, 1 MoM, av. rating: 9.00): 0 apps: I farmed Palomino out on loan to Getafe to obtain experience through the course of a season and from all reports, he has done well, although Getafe will not earn promotion to the Segunda Liga this season. He has some developing still to do, and I will consider over the course of the summer whether to put him out for loan again or take control of his development in-house. Nevertheless, I think Palomino has a bright future ahead of him here at Cartagonova, if he has the patience to understand what I’m trying to achieve here.

Andrés Bressán (33 y/o, ARG 2 caps, D RLC - 45(3) apps, 4 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 6.90): 45(3) apps, 4 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 6.90: A very good first season for Bressán but I cannot see him playing quite as much next season at the age of 33. I purchased him for £2 million at the end of last season and I think he has paid off that transfer fee, with some interest and he has gained some silverware for his own mantelpiece. However, he could only be considered a short-term solution to our problems at the back and I think that the arrival of Francisco Javier Olmo in the summer will see his contribution next season curtailed somewhat.

César Cabrera (25 y/o, ESP 8 caps, D RL - 95(13) apps, 1 goal, 20 assists, av. rating: 6.75): 29(6) apps, 4 assists, av. rating: 6.60: I’m disappointed in Cabrera’s performance this season. Instead of progressing, he seems to have gone backwards for the second straight season. Therefore, I used Bressán more than I thought I probably would at right-back during the season, in order to minimise my uncertainty over the full-backs. Cabrera needs to improve markedly next season in order to remain a vital cog in the Cartagonova machinery.

José María Lacruz (32 y/o, ESP, D RL - 211(8) apps, 2 goals, 11 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 6.63): 3(2) apps, av. rating: 6.60: I have known for quite a while that Lacruz would leave the club in summer to resuscitate his career with Real Vallodolid. I wish him well in his chosen path and thank him for his long period of service to Cartagonova since I purchased him for £1 million back at the end of the 2002/03 season. His contribution has tailed off since last season, but there is no doubt that he was a consistent, if quiet, performer when I needed him there. Now into his thirties, he probably isn’t the player he was, but he should offer Real Vallodolid valuable service.

[Dixie Flatline]

Lilian Thuram (38 y/o, FRA 118 caps, 6 goals, D RC - 6(3) apps, av. rating: 6.33): 2(1) apps, av. rating: 6.00: I’ve been trying to convince Lilian to retire from the active player roster to concentrate solely on his coaching. However, Lilian is still reluctant to hang up the boots. I should make it clear that he will have very little chance of playing next season.

Francisco José Mantilla (26 y/o, ESP, D L - 22 apps, 2 goals, 9 assists, av. rating: 6.91): 22 apps, 2 goals, 9 assists, av. rating: 6.91: Mantilla joined Cartagonova during the winter of the 2009/10 season for £1.6 million. Unfortunately, he did not immediately appeal to me as a solution to my left-back problems because he does not seem capable of producing consistent performances. It’s a problem that plagued me all season and I thought that Mantilla would offer the answer. He has done well on occasion, but some times he does not seem to grasp the importance of each match in which he is picked. When I tried to point that out to him towards the end of the season, he took offence at that. So we have some issues to iron out before the start of the next season, one way or another.

Per Vener Rønning (27 y/o, NOR 23 caps, 4 goals, D/DM/F LC - 74(26) apps, 2 goals, 6 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 6.84): 35(5) apps, 1 assist, 1 MoM, av. rating: 6.67: Like Mantilla and Cabrera, I’ve not been happy with Rønning’s all-round contribution this season. I’ve chosen to use him primarily as a left-back, but it seems that Rønning is not settled there. His last few appearances towards the end of the season give me great concern, and it must also have concerned the Norwegian manager, as Rønning finds himself without a ticket to Argentina for the World Cup. This gives him an opportunity for self-examination and reflection over the winter and I, for one, hope he takes that opportunity and comes back a better player for it next season.

Martin Smith (31 y/o, DEN 47 caps, 2 goals, D/DM LC - 126(4) apps, 3 goals, 11 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 6.85): 55(1) apps, 3 goals, 4 assists, av. rating: 6.82: Smith had a good season at the back for Cartagonova, I feel, although perhaps his statistics don’t quite reflect that. He has a good partnership going with Shimon Gershon, but even Smith is now well into his thirties, so I have to start planning for a future without this sturdy partnership. However, I think Smith has at least a couple of seasons still in him.

José Manuel Lasa (25 y/o, ESP, D C - 52(11) apps, 4 assists, av. rating: 7.00): 19(8) apps, 2 assists, av. rating: 6.85: Again, Lasa spent some quality time on the pitch as a deputy for my first choice central defensive pairing. However, he is beginning to chafe that he is not having the opportunity to play more regularly and is a little annoyed with me that I have denied him the chance to leave for greener pastures. But I have not spent £2.2 million on bringing him here from Numancia without some type of return on my investment in him so I’m determined to persevere with him in the future. He should have a look around the club and realise that in another season or two, he may well be leading the club’s defence.

Rob Lauret (25 y/o, NED, D C - 0(2) apps, av. rating: 6.50): 0(2) apps, av. rating: 6.50: Rob has struggled to adjust to life in Spain after moving here from the Netherlands. I will try to help him as much as possible because I think that Rob is a good long-term prospect to assist Lasa in the club’s defence.

Anthony Loughran (28 y/o, ENG, D C - 6(4) apps, av. rating: 6.60): 6(4) apps, av. rating: 6.60: Anthony had few chances to showcase his skills this season, but I still maintain the view that Anthony is a man who could do a job regularly and consistently if and when I require him to do so. He should look forward to next season with a sense of optimism about his chances of playing more.

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Dixie Flatline]

Midfielders

Gary Mason (30 y/o, SCO 7 caps, 1 goal, DM C - 50(2) apps, 16 goals, 12 assists, 4 MoMs, av. rating: 7.65): 49(1) apps, 15 goals, 12 assists, 4 MoMs, av. rating: 7.66: After Gavião and Kristian Tanem left, I was a little worried because I wasn’t sure whether the players I had left in this position were capable of filling their sizable shoes. However, Gary Mason has quickly put my fears to rest. He is certainly the equal of both Gavião and Tanem, and has shown his loyalty to the club during the season. The only problem on the horizon is his age - he is already 30, and it is not inconceivable that I will have to start looking for his replacement as soon as next season. Nevertheless, Mason is a very good player to hold together the midfield and protect the defence from the opposition.

Andy Owen (24 y/o, WEL 37 caps, 10 goals, DM/S C - 8(12) apps, 1 goal, 2 assists, av. rating: 6.65): 8(8) apps, 1 goal, 2 assists, av. rating: 6.63: From one player out of the home countries to another, and I still maintain high hopes that Andy Owen will one day turn into a brilliant player for Cartagonova. Hopefully, he will mature into a good player next season so I won’t have to scour the markets for a replacement for Gary Mason. Owen did show some signs of the form that attracted me to him in the first place during the season, but he remains plagued by terrible inconsistency, so it’s difficult to tell just how he will play on any given day. However, Owen is beginning to finally settle into life in the south of Spain, particularly as his language skills improve with patient tutoring. Next season will be a turning point for Owen, I think. There have been several players at Cartagonova that have had big potential (Carl Laurie and Trent McClenahan come to mind), but have failed to make the most of their opportunity. I hope for Owen’s sake that he does not fall into this category.

Ricardo Verón (29 y/o, ARG 14 caps, 2 goals, M C - 8(1) apps, 3 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.11): 8(1) apps, 3 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.11: I’m sure that Verón feels disappointed with his season. He had some opportunities early in the season to establish himself as part of the first team, but he failed to grasp it at the important time. So Verón found himself only as a bit part player during the season, and hopefully that will infuriate him enough to motivate him to do better next season. I think Verón is quite a talented player, but he needs the fire in the belly to apply himself to the game at hand.

[Dixie Flatline]

George Clegg (29 y/o, ENG 2 caps, AM/F RC - 229(26) apps, 73 goals, 55 assists, 18 MoMs, av. rating: 7.38): 44(2) apps, 15 goals, 9 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rating: 7.39: It still staggers me that George Clegg has only two international caps to his name. If I was the English manager, Clegg would almost certainly be one of the first names on the team sheet. However, George himself isn’t really bothered by the attitude successive English managers have taken to his ability, because he has succeeded at the highest club level imaginable this season. After missing out through suspension for our first victory in the European Champions' League, he was part of the winning team that defeated Barcelona 1-0 in the final to claim a deserved winner’s medal. His last two seasons have been simply superb and I hope that he will make it a hat-trick next season.

Jaime Garrido (26 y/o, ESP 25 caps, 14 goals, AM/F RLC - 139(18) apps, 32 goals, 39 assists, 7 MoMs, av. rating: 7.51): 46 apps, 12 goals, 14 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.70: Finally, Jaime Garrido produced for his club what he has done for his country! After a season blighted by constant injury, Garrido kept himself healthy and kept himself in form, and Cartagonova was the beneficiary. Twelve goals and 14 assists from 46 appearances for the club means that in more than half the games he played this season, he featured in some fashion in a goal. That’s a tremendous statistic and helps to establish my argument that Garrido is one of the best wingers in Spain currently. Hopefully, talking with my national manager cap on, he carries this type of form on to the World Cup, because he may well be unstoppable if he does.

Enrique Kortina (21 y/o, ESP, AM/F RLC - 10(8) apps, 2 goals, 1 assist, av. rating: 7.06): 10(8) apps, 2 goals, 1 assist, av. rating: 7.06: I have tried to introduce Kortina gently to the world of being the champion. However, he has shown glimpses of the latent talent in him, and I’m sure that after a couple of seasons, the combination of Garrido on one wing and Kortina on the other will strike terror into the hearts of opposition defenders around the world! This might have an element of wishful thinking about it, but Kortina already has all the hallmarks of being a fantastic winger.

Elias Krantz (28 y/o, SWE, AM RC - 11(5) apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, av. rating: 6.56): 0 apps: Krantz has spent all season at Recreativo on loan and by all accounts has done quite well for the Segunda Liga club. However, I do not think there is much chance of him playing for Cartagonova in the foreseeable future, and I will probably put him on the transfer list over the summer.

Zlatan Muslimovic (28 y/o, BOS 59 caps, 29 goals, AM/F RC - 37(8) apps, 7 goals, 6 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.09): 14(1) apps, 2 goals, 2 assists, av. rating: 7.07: I said at the start of the season that even though Zlatan had done a good job for us last season, in a funny way, I wouldn’t mind if he didn’t play that many games this season. Looking back on the season, it turns out that my prediction was correct - Zlatan’s time on the pitch was roughly half what it was in the previous season. Nevertheless, Zlatan always contributed when he was given the opportunity and he always kept his head up during training, understanding that my preference for Garrido and Clegg with Juan Hernández as a substitute, was for the good of the club in general. We’ll see how long this generous attitude lasts!

[Dixie Flatline]

Ramón Salas (25 y/o, ESP, AM RL - 11(4) apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, av. rating: 6.47): 0 apps: I feel that I’ve gone wrong with Salas somewhere along the line. He is currently on the transfer list, but no club seems to be interested in him. He has made it clear that he no longer wants to be part of the club, but I’m not prepared to release him on a free transfer at this stage, because that would cost us a lot of compensation where Salas has not contributed in any meaningful way to the club’s success. It’s a difficult situation and I cannot yet foresee a mutually acceptable solution to it just yet.

Bojan Djordjic (28 y/o, SWE 18 caps, 1 goal, AM LC - 65(7) apps, 8 goals, 12 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.16): 30 apps, 4 goals, 7 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.30: Djordjic has steadily improved since joining the club about 3 seasons ago from Manchester United. Probably his best game for the club was in the last European Champions' League final where he set up José Manuel Redondo for the winning goal against Barcelona. Yet, Djordjic still does not find himself the clear-cut first choice left winger in my first eleven. I feel that there is something lacking in his general play which means that somebody like José Antonio Reyes could fill that gap. So Djordjic must continue to improve himself and make it his business to convince me that he is the answer to my dilemma on the left.

Ola Otfors-Palmqvist (29 y/o, SWE, AM/F LC - 3(6) apps, 1 assist, av. rating: 6.44): 1(4) apps, av. rating: 6.60: I tried to give Ola a chance of settling in and contributing to the club in the two seasons he has spent here. He has not taken that chance, so he will go to Villarreal shortly as part of the deal which will bring the exciting Brazilian striker Moedim Júnior permanently to Cartagonova. Hopefully he will succeed there.

José Antonio Reyes (26 y/o, ESP 10 caps, 1 goal, AM L - 27 apps, 2 goals, 9 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.26): 27 apps, 2 goals, 9 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.26: I could not believe my good fortune when Reyes and his old club, Real Betis, finally fell out with each other so badly there could be no reconciliation. Reyes is one of the better Spanish left wingers that was available at the time, and I thought the time was ripe to bring some Spanish class back to the club to put back into the multicultural recipe I’ve brewed here. However, Reyes does have his days where I wish I had picked somebody else, because he is so bad as to be almost a liability to the team. Yet, he backs that up with a scintillating performance which makes up for his previous diabolical game. It’s always interesting working with Reyes.

Rivaldo (38 y/o, BRA 119 caps, 26 goals, AM LC - 0(1) app, 1 assist, av. rating: 8.00): 0(1) app, 1 assist, av. rating: 8.00: Despite my pleadings, Rivaldo stubbornly continues to resist the inevitable effect of marching time. He will not retire just yet. Great. I just won’t play him.

Juan Hernández (25 y/o, ESP 1 cap, AM/F C - 63(39) apps, 37 goals, 17 assists, 7 MoMs, av. rating: 7.32): 21(8) apps, 16 goals, 4 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.59:[/i] Well, what a difference one season makes to the fortunes of Juan Hernández! At the start of the season, I warned that he needed to pull up his socks or risk being placed on the transfer list, because he was steadily going down hill. However, Juan managed to turn it all around during the season, so much so that many people consider him a dark horse for international representation at the World Cup this summer. I’m not sure yet whether I would go that far, but it’s good to see Juan recover the form that made him an exciting young prospect four seasons ago.

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Dixie Flatline]

A very quick update, just to finish off the season!

Forwards

Alex Notman (30 y/o, SCO 34 caps, 19 goals, AM/F C - 226(7) apps, 155 goals, 68 assists, 60 MoMs, av. rating: 8.15): 48(1) apps, 35 goals, 18 assists, 11 MoMs, av. rating: 8.27: Those set of statistics are beautiful, and I marvel at them every time I see them. But they only tell part of the story. Notman is one of the most professional players I’ve ever had the fortune to work with in my ten years of management. He is completely devoted to the fortunes of Cartagonova and works unbelievably hard to further the success of the club both on and off the field. Again, the only problem is that he is born in Scotland and cannot play for Spain, because I think he would have a lot of international success to put on his mantelpiece next to his multiple club successes. I hope, however, that spending the summer with the feet up at a beautiful Spanish beach will nicely recharge the batteries to bring him back to the club next season as hungry as ever. Averaging a goal every 1.5 games over his Cartagonova career is a wonderful average to have, although it isn’t quite as good as Patrick Kluivert’s amazing one goal every 0.89 games that he averaged for Barcelona! However, Notman must have strong claims to be the best player in the world at the moment, although he doesn’t have the personal awards validating that opinion. I know that he is a very important player for the club and I’m glad that he is loyal to Cartagonova.

José Mário Moedim Júnior (22 y/o, BRA, S C - 10(2) apps, 9 goals, 2 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rating: 7.75): 10(2) apps, 9 goals, 2 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rating: 7.75: With José Manuel Redondo 34 and Notman 30, I need to begin planning for the future. I think Moedim Júnior is one plank in laying the groundwork for life after Redondo and Notman (however hard it is to imagine that at the moment). He is a very naturally gifted striker, perhaps not quite at the level of Ronaldo, but he has the natural knack of finding the net, and that is always a positive trait to have in your play! He will benefit from coming to Cartagonova early in his career, because we will concentrate on accentuating his talents and ironing out his weaknesses. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Moedim Júnior.

José Manuel Redondo (34 y/o, ESP 5 caps, 2 goals, S C - 362(12) apps, 204 goals, 95 assists, 55 MoMs, av. rating: 7.78): 46(1) apps, 23 goals, 14 assists, 8 MoMs, av. rating: 7.83:[/i] Well, age will not weary Redondo just yet. He produced another very good season to net 23 goals in 46(1) appearances, and helped other people score 14 goals. His partnership with Notman almost borders on telepathic, and is certainly the best I’ve ever seen in my decade in charge of Cartagonova. Certainly, Redondo has not been as prolific as Notman, but he is a very good striker capable of producing 20+ goals per season, which is a feat at his age, when most other strikers have hung up their boots for good. I don’t know how long Redondo will continue, but he certainly has a hold upon the ‘no. 9’ shirt for at least another season. It’s been a pleasure to work with him, and I’m in no hurry to see it end.

[Philip Rolfe]

Yay \o/

Dixie

[Dark_Soccer]

Thats it Dixie keep updating

Your stories are always are pleasure to read

[Dixie Flatline]

Thanks guys for your support!

Back in the saddle with Cartagonova!

30th of May 2010

Just one day after our loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, the Spanish FA asks me to name my 22-man squad for our tilt at the World Cup. It’s probably lucky we didn’t win the third leg of the treble, because otherwise I might not have been in a fit state to make these decisions! However, I’ve known for quite a while what my preferred squad will look and I only needed to spend a few hours thinking on whom to trim and whether I should bring in a new face or two. Hopefully the squad I have picked will do us proud in Argentina:

Goalkeepers

Iker Casillas (29 y/o, ESP 7 caps, GK): Real Madrid

Iván Vidal (31 y/o, ESP 6 caps, GK): Cartagonova

César Laínez (33 y/o, ESP 28 caps, GK): Barcelona

The goalkeepers have picked themselves for several seasons now, and I don’t see any reason why I should change things. Obviously, Laínez is my preferred no. 1, even though the media speculated that he was looking shaky between the sticks during the season for Barcelona. If Laínez is unavailable to me, then he has two able deputies in Iván Vidal and Casillas. I think we’re well serviced in the goalkeeping department.

[Dixie Flatline]

Defenders

Ãngel (20 y/o, ESP 3 caps, D RL): AS Roma: Ãngel is a young, inexperienced defender at international level, but he has consistently impressed me with his performances for Roma, in the tough league of Serie A. He certainly looks the real deal from what I’ve seen of him, and my contacts in Rome tell me that he is one of the stand-out talents in their squad. He should be a big force for Spain’s defence in the future, and you will have heard of him here first.

César (30 y/o, ESP 27 caps, 1 goals, D RL): Juventus: I was disappointed to see César leave Cartagonova for the ‘Old Lady’ of Turin, but he has done well to settle in to Italian life so quickly and effectively. He brings a sharp tackle, leadership, organisation and experience to my defence and I welcome his presence in Argentina wholeheartedly.

Iván Amaya (31 y/o, ESP 66 caps, 1 goal, D C): Deportivo La Coruña: Now vastly experienced, I will rely upon Iván to lead from the front. He will come up against the best strikers in the World Cup and I will expect him to keep them quiet. Along with Euro 2008, this is his big chance to show that he has what it takes at the biggest level in football. I think he is one of the keys to Spain’s chances of success here at the World Cup, because if he plays like he can, then we will have no trouble defending. We’ll see how he goes.

César (32 y/o, ESP 54 caps, 1 goal, D C): Barcelona: He had a good season for Barcelona, but he is too inconsistent at international level to be considered a regular in Spain’s first eleven. However, his experience and talent are valuable commodities in a back-up player, and I will rely upon him whenever it’s needed.

Pablo Jallas Amigó (19 y/o, ESP 2 caps, D/DM C): Newcastle United: You couldn’t accuse Pablo of being soft. He is an integral part of Newcastle’s squad in a tough and physical league. Still only 19, he is certainly a very talented player and he should benefit greatly from training with the best of Spain’s players. He may not be played too often in the World Cup, but I have no doubt that his enthusiasm and talent will carry him far when I do play him.

[Dixie Flatline]

Carlos Marchena (30 y/o, ESP 31 caps, 1 goal, D C): Celta Vigo: It was a difficult season for Carlos, with Celta Vigo teetering for too long on the edge of relegation. Marchena was one of Celta Vigo’s few shining lights in a completely forgettable season. So it’s on to better and happier things for Carlos, and I expect him to partner well with Iván Amaya at the heart of our defence.

Overall, I’m happy with the defenders I have available to me. David Oliva would have been in the squad, probably at the expense of Ãngel, but he picked up an injury at the end of the season and wouldn’t be fit for the journey across. Other than his absence, I think the defenders at my disposal are the best I could hope for. Having only two full-backs is a little concerning, but it will certainly stiffen up Ãngel!

Midfielders

José de la Rosa (22 y/o, ESP 9 caps, D/DM C): Ajax Amsterdam: After leaving Barcelona in a huff and moving to Ajax, it’s been difficult to monitor this young man’s progress. But Ajax is still a powerful club and he has commanded a regular place in its first eleven. There is no doubt that de la Rosa has the potential to become one of the best defenders of Spain’s current generation of players and I look forward to see him begin to fully realise his talents on the biggest stage imaginable.

Gavião (30 y/o, ESP 26 caps, 6 goals, DM C): Real Betis: There is no doubt that after leaving Cartagonova a few seasons ago, Gavião’s career has stagnated a little at Real Betis. The Seville-based club has improved only marginally in the last few seasons, and Gavião has missed out on collecting substantial trophies. Now is his chance to make up for that, and I hope that my favourite midfield general is ready to provide us with a powerhouse performance in the heart of my midfield. A fired up and keen Gavião is a handful for any midfield in the world to handle.

Diego (31 y/o, ESP 23 caps, 4 goals, M/S C): Racing Santander: Diego will move to Barcelona during the summer, which is due reward for a great career at club level. He has always been in my thoughts as a versatile player who can come on and do a job at international level whenever I’ve needed him. He won’t start too many games, but he may have a significant role to play during the World Cup.

[Dixie Flatline]

Jaime Garrido (26 y/o, ESP 25 caps, 14 goals, AM/F RLC): Cartagonova: Here is another key to Spain’s success at the World Cup. Finally we saw what he could do during a season. All Jaime has to do is carry that remarkable form across to the World Cup and we could see the birth of a legend. Garrido has practically it all - vision, flair, creativity, a range of passing unequalled, close ball control, shooting - there isn’t anything he can’t do. Keep an eye on him, and if you’re a betting person, I’ll give you good odds he will end up the best player in the tournament if Spain go all the way.

Francisco Javier Zubizarreta (25 y/o, ESP 25 caps, 7 goals, AM/F RC): Espanyol: Franscisco is the talisman of Espanyol, and he is fast gaining just as deserved a reputation for Spain. Garrido and Zubizarreta represent the future of Spain after the World Cup. If Francisco begins showing the type of form he has consistently produced for Espanyol in the last few seasons, there will be little doubt that he will be moving to a big club in the near future.

José Antonio Reyes (26 y/o, ESP 10 caps, 1 goal, AM L): Cartagonova: In my view, Spain’s best natural left-winger at the moment and thoroughly deserves his spot in the squad after moving to a club that is more conducive to his style of play. Having observed José at close quarters for the last half-season, I’m more than prepared for the irritating moments where José is effectively anonymous, yet I’ll stand those with as much good grace as I can muster in preparation of the moments where José is damned-near the best player in the world. Hopefully, in the World Cup, we’ll see more of the latter moments than the former.

Vicente (28 y/o, ESP 82 caps, 31 goals, AM/F LC): Roma: Another key in the chances of success for Spain in the World Cup, Vicente is our second-most experienced international, behind Raúl, yet is only 28, so he should be primed and ready to go for a huge tournament. Capable of playing either on the left or in the hole behind the strikers, Vicente is a dangerous player, with all the range of tricks you would expect from a world-class player. I’m looking forward to see Vicente tear apart opponents with arrogant ease in the World Cup.

[Dixie Flatline]

Gerard (31 y/o, ESP 49 caps, 10 goals, AM C): Barcelona: A good first season back at the Nou Camp sees Gerard rewarded with a promotion back into the international fold this season. Probably lost his chance at being considered an automatic inclusion in the first eleven, but there is no doubting that Gerard is an excellent player and offers me a lot in midfield. Scored a goal on his return to the international game, and I hope that is the first in many goals for Spain in the World Cup.

Juan Hernández (25 y/o, ESP 1 cap, AM/F C): Cartagonova: Like I said, many people considered Juan a dark horse for a ticket on the plane to Argentina. I thought about his season and how great it was, given the limited opportunities I could only give him. There is no question that Juan is a very talented player and I think, in the end, the talent he brings to the squad outweighs the support a player such as Artur would be able to give in midfield, so Artur was the unlucky man. It could have gone another way, but I think that Juan is the better choice in the end.

I am happy with the balance of my midfield. Perhaps relying upon only two recognised right wingers is a little risky, and for a moment I toyed with bringing Enrique Kortina into the squad, but I think there is enough versatility there to cover most eventualities, and the rest we’ll just have to deal with if and when they arise. There is certainly plenty of scope for goals to be scored from midfield, and if that worked once before, then there isn’t any reason why it won’t work again for us!

Forwards

Raúl (32 y/o, ESP 123 caps, 59 goals, AM/F LC): AC Milan: Our captain, and our inspiration. Is there anything else that needs to be said? Well, it’s probably his last major international tournament, so there is always the motivation of adding a World Cup winner’s medal to the trophy collection - the one thing missing from Raúl’s personal collection. He is a spectacular player and clearly the talisman every World Cup winning team needs. Look for him to have a brilliant tournament.

Ignacio Morán (23 y/o, ESP 5 caps, F LC): Deportivo La Coruña: From one extreme to the other, Ignacio is still feeling his way at international level, but from what I’ve seen, I think he has the talent to make a name for himself playing for Spain. Still very much a raw player in terms of style, but experience will refine the latent talent that he possesses, so I’m looking forward very much to see him play in the World Cup.

Óscar del Pino (24 y/o, ESP 1 cap, S C): Valencia: Another baby in the squad, Óscar is probably not the most naturally gifted player in the squad, but he’s big, burly and strong, almost in the class of the traditional English centre-forward. He has done well for Valencia this season and I think the time is ripe to give him a chance at international level. Spain’s future crop of strikers begins with this man, I think.

Joseba Llorente (30 y/o, ESP 21 caps, 7 goals, S C): Real Sociedad: Our most experienced natural striker, Joseba is in the squad for one thing, and one thing only - bang in as many goals as he can. With the likes of Garrido, Vicente, Zubizarreta and Reyes creating opportunities for him, he should not lack for chances to hit the back of the net. His brief is simple, and hopefully he shall carry it out to perfection.

I’ve put together an eclectic bunch of strikers for Spain’s tilt at the World Cup, but each player is talented in their own way. Raúl and Llorente have the advantage of working together at international level previously, so I’m betting on those two to lead from the front.

[Dixie Flatline]

Well, there you go. We’ll see how my selections work out in the World Cup, which gets underway for Spain in only a fortnight.

Bojan Djordjic is called up to Sweden’s World Cup squad.

31st of May 2010

Per Vener Rønning is called up by Norway to its World Cup squad.

5th of June 2010

A website fastens upon the promise shown by Enrique Kortina since transferring to Cartagonova in the winter, saying that he is a promising player with a very bright future ahead of him. I agree with them that Kortina should be a quality player for years to come.

6th of June 2010

Sabino is named FIFA’s World Player of the Year, underlining the extent of the worthlessness of this individual award, ahead of Ãlvaro Recoba and Fabrício. Barcelona’s Emanuele Calaiò is the World Footballer of the Year, beating Fiorentina’s Javier Saviola and Feyenoord’s Uriel Pérez.

7th of June 2010

Valencia offers me £1 million for my reserve keeper, Davide Bagnacani. I want the offer doubled before I accept it.

9th of June 2010

Valencia doesn’t want to pay £2 million for Bagnacani.

The World Cup kicks off today with a 0-0 draw between Peru and Estonia in Group A. In the evening game from Group A, the USA upsets Germany 3-1 from Rosario. Deisler put the Germans in front on 18 minutes, but three minutes into the second half, Bishop netted the equaliser. Josh Wolff bagged a brace late in the game to give the Americans the points.

10th of June 2010

The upsets continue in the World Cup with Italy falling to Canada in Group 4-2 in Buenos Aires. Canada had a 3-0 lead by half-time with Goodliffe and two from Lynch giving Canada a real red hot chance of causing a big upset. Italy cut the deficit to one with goals from Perinon and Calaiò, but Canada sealed victory with a goal from Laidlaw with six minutes to play. In the evening fixture from Group B, Ireland defeated Iran 3-1, with a hat-trick from Graham Barrett. An Iranian with the unlikely name of Noriega scored in the second half for a veneer of respectability for the Iranians.

[Dixie Flatline]

11th of June 2010

The host, Argentina smashes hapless Guinea 5-1 in Avellaneda. Javier Saviola scored a brace, with the other goals coming from Riquelme, Verón and Alvarez. Linarès scored a late consolation for the Africans. Russia defeated Tanzania 2-0 with goals to Kardanov and Gusev in each half.

In the evening game, Israel blew Lebanon off the pitch 4-0 with Shimon Gershon having little to do in defence.

12th of June 2010

In Group D, Turkey and Colombia shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw in Rosario. Muzzy Izzet put Turkey ahead on 4 minutes, only for Córdoba to cancel that out seven minutes later. Johnnier Montaño then scored just before the break for Colombia, but Aydin rescued a point on the hour for Turkey.

In Group E, Mexico defeated Brazil 3-0 in another shock result. Davino, Torrado and Osorno score the goals for the Mexicans.

In the evening, Belgium defeats China 2-0.

13th of June 2010

World Cup - Group F, Game 1: Spain v Ghana

I’m very disappointed after today’s result. We really should have put Ghana to the sword, but we failed to capitalise on our chances and Ghana deservedly earned a point. Things began well for us when Reyes played a lovely ball through the Ghanaian defence for Gavião to run onto, and the Real Betis midfielder had an easy chance to score, which he did, on 12 minutes. Raúl missed a long range volley on 19 minutes, while a couple of moments later, Derek Boateg forced Laínez into a good save with a bending, dipping shot from just outside the box. With eight minutes to play before half-time, Garrido curls a lovely cross into the box, but Raúl can’t keep his header on target and I’m left to silently curse our bad luck on the touchline. The curses continue to flow when Vicente should have scored on 41 minutes, but can’t keep his header down, while Appiah tells me that Ghana won’t lie down when he makes Laínez save superbly from a low drive a moment or two before the break.

I try to settle the boys down at the break, telling my defence to tighten up on the dangerous Boateg, while asking my strikers to find their targets - at least force the Ghanaian keeper into making a save or two. Things begin quietly in the second half, but when they do get going, it’s Ghana who makes the running, to my disappointment. Boateg shoots low and hard on 62 minutes for Laínez to save, but I’m concerned that my defence isn’t screening my goalkeeper enough. We work an intricate move from the resulting clearance but Llorente can’t hit the target on 63 minutes, while four minutes later, Amoah skidded a low drive off the wet surface that caused Laínez some consternation.

Then, with 19 minutes to play, Ghana has its equaliser when Boateg spots Fusseini making a late run into the box, unnoticed by my defenders. Fusseini nods Boateg’s cross past the despairing Laínez and my curses increase. Boateg almost puts Ghana into the lead three minutes later but Laínez pulls off another superb save to keep the scores level. Substitute Juan Hernández, hitherto anonymous after replacing Vicente fifteen minutes earlier, was at the heart of a nice little passage of play, but Mantey in goal for Ghana is just too good to beat at this point in time and when Llorente hits the post on 88 minutes, I know the jig is up. Garrido misses the last chance of the game when he heads over the bar in injury time and we have to settle with a point. I’m not happy.

Spain (4-3-1-2): Laínez; César, Amaya, Marchena, Ãngel; Reyes, Gavião, Garrido; Vicente (Hernández 68); Raúl ©, Llorente.

Ghana (5-3-2): Mantey; Allotey, Addo, Mensah ©Â¸ Ahmed, Gyan; Appiah, Boateng, Fusseini (Samson 91); Arriki Afriyie (Amoah 30), Boateg.

Final score: Spain 1:1 Ghana

MoM - José Antonio Reyes

[Dixie Flatline]

In the other game played in the afternoon, Sweden, not requiring the services of Bojan Djordjic, defeats Ivory Coast 2-0 in Group H. The evening game sees Portugal triumph 2-1 over South Korea.

14th of June 2010

From Avellaneda, Japan defeats Norway 2-1. Rønning played for Norway at left-back.

In the evening, two matches are played. In the first, from Buenos Aires, Greece and Uruguay in a game from Group F (Spain’s group) draw 2-2. In Group G, France takes the points with a 2-0 win over Algeria also from Buenos Aires.

15th of June 2010

Estonia and the USA join battle in Buenos Aires in the afternoon game and emerge with a 1-1 stalemate. Both goals were scored by the Estonians, with an own goal giving the Americans the lead on 2 minutes, but Estonia equalised with seven minutes to play.

In the evening game, Germany sank Peru 3-1 in Rosario, despite Peru going ahead first on 8 minutes with a goal to Claudio Pizarro. Florian Bruns bagged a brace and Luciano Galletti scored the other goal to give the Germans a morale-boosting victory.

16th of June 2010

Italy is back on the winners’ list after defeating Iran in Rosario 2-1 with goals to Prete and Perinon. Mahdavikia scored a late consolation goal for the Iranians.

In the evening, Canada and Ireland both shot blanks in a 0-0 draw from Group B.

UEFA announces its individual awards in the evening. Emanuele Calaiò cleans up the European Player of the Year award, ahead of Aaron Cable and Cartagonova’s Alex Notman. Iván Vidal takes out the European Goalkeeper of the Year award for the third consecutive year, ahead of Roma’s Lorenzo Bucchi and AC Milan’s Christian Abbiati. Ajax midfielder Sergio de Windt is named European Defender of the Year, with Roma’s Antonio Vázquez and Maurizio Lanzaro filling the minor places. Cartagonova’s Alex Notman is the European Midfielder of the Year, beating Raúl of AC Milan and Ajax’s Kennedy Bakircioglü coming in third. Unsurprisingly, Emanuele Calaiò is the European Striker of the Year, with Aaron Cable second and Cartagonova’s Sabino third.

For the fourth straight year, I am named Spain’s Manager of the Year, ahead of my nemesis Señor Lorenzo Serra Ferrer with Señor Miguel Ãngel Casquero third for Real Sociedad. Alex Notman is officially La Liga’s leading scorer with 28 goals, two clear of Sene Djaló of Atlético Madrid. Numancia’s Ariel Carreño comes third, with 19 goals. Atlético Madrid’s Zbigniew Malkowski is the Spanish Goalkeeper of the Year, with Iván Vidal in second and Barcelona’s César Laínez in third. For the second straight year, Alex Notman is voted Spain’s Player of the Year, ahead of Real Madrid’s Joe Cole and Sene Djaló of Atlético Madrid.

[Dixie Flatline]

17th of June 2010

I’m suddenly deluged with offers for Alex Notman, from Paris-Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, 1860 München and Rangers in the range of £4.5 million to £5.5 million.

Davide Bagnacani’s agent is keen to cultivate a move for his client to Valencia, saying we’re close to agreeing a £2 million fee for the Italian goalkeeper. The radio host points out rumours linking Bagnacani to HJK Helsinki, which I find unbelievable, and in any case there is no agreement concerning Bagnacani’s playing future at this stage, which I instruct my club assistant, Luis Sosa to point out to the two.

The transfer window is lifted. Making moves today include:

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Francisco Javier Olmo from Atlético Madrid to Cartagonova for £1.7 million;

<LI>Jurandir joins Tenerife from Osasuna on a free transfer;

<LI>Juan Antonio Rubio joins Cartagonova from Granada on a free transfer;

<LI>Artur completes his move to Real Madrid from Villarreal at the cost of £10 million;

<LI>We bid farewell to José María Lacruz who joins Real Vallodolid on a free transfer: José María Lacruz (32 y/o, ESP, D RL): 211(8) apps, 2 goals, 11 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 6.63;

<LI>We also say adios to Sabino, who moves to Espanyol for a fee of £7 million: Sabino (32 y/o, ESP 14 caps, 4 goals, S C): 28(11) apps, 10 goals, 8 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.44;

<LI>Ola Otfors-Palmvqist joins Villarreal as part of the deal which brings José Marío Moedim Júnior to Cartagonova, for an additional cost of £3.6 million: Ola Otfors-Palmvqist (29 y/o, SWE, AM/F LC): 3(6) apps, 1 assist, av. rating: 6.44;

<LI>Gianluca Triuzzi joins Real Madrid from Inter Milan for £11.25 million;

<LI>Pablo Islas moves from Real Betis to Valencia for £9.75 million; and

<LI>Valencia also completes the signing of ex-Cartagonova full-back David Oliva from Deportivo La Coruña for £10.5 million;

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Guest]

Congratulations on reaching the Big Five-O... pages that is!

I'm still smiling. B.E.

[Raptor]

Yes, fantastic to see you hang in there Dixie

[Dixie Flatline]

Thank you very much B.E. Gaity and Raptor for your kind words of encouragement. Thank you especially, B.E. Gaity for pointing out the fact that we've reached the big 5-0!

[Dixie Flatline]

It's been a while between drinks, so let's raise our glasses to Cartagonova!

17th of June 2010 (cont.)

In the afternoon, Argentina and Lebanon faced off in Buenos Aires, and of course Argentina prevailed 3-1. Goals to Riquelme, Alvarez and Bardaro were too much for Lebanon.

In the evening, Israel kept pace with Argentina by defeating Guinea 3-0. Shimon Gershon played for Israel.

I lose Vicente for ten days after he bruises a thigh in training this evening. I’ll likely replace him with either Juan Hernández or Gerard.

18th of June 2010

I’m informed by Luis Sosa that Elche has offered Lilian Thuram a position as coach. Upon reflection, I decide not to stand in the 38 year old Frenchman’s way if he wants to move.

19th of June 2010

Real Madrid offers me £2.5 million for Davide Bagnacani, over 12 months. I want £3.5 million.

In the World Cup, resuming after a day’s break, Turkey defeated Tanzania comfortably 3-0, in a game from Group D. In Group E, Belgium and Mexico drew 1-1. From Group H, Portugal enjoyed a narrow 1-0 win over Ivory Coast.

In the evening, Colombia teaches Russia a football lesson, spanking them 5-0 in Buenos Aires. Morantes and Espín both scored twice. Johnnier Montaño scored the other goal. Brazil returned to the winners’ list, defeating China 1-0 in an uninspiring match.

[Dixie Flatline]

20th of June 2010

In Group F, Greece defeated Ghana 1-0. Bojan Djordjic was on the scoresheet as Sweden defeated South Korea 2-0 in a game from Group H.

World Cup - Group F, Game 2: Uruguay v Spain

We need a win in our second game after disappointingly drawing against Ghana in order to keep pace with Greece, who won in the afternoon. The whole football world is tuned in, as Uruguay v Spain is the only game being played. I make one change, with Juan Hernández replacing the injured Vicente in the hole behind the front two. We begin positively, when on 6 minutes, César drives hard from left back, but failing to beat Carini in goal for Uruguay. On 11 minutes, Reyes sends a cross in low across the Uruguayan box, and Hernández stoops low to head it towards goal, but Carini has it covered. He quickly sets Olivera free and the ex-Real Madrid winger spots Uriel Pérez moving in on goal, but César Laínez has his shot covered. Five minutes later, César Laínez does well to parry Díaz’s blast. Garrido is fortunate not to give away a penalty on 19 minutes, while Raúl misses out on a headed goal when Carini pushes his shot away. Thirteen minutes later, César spots Llorente motoring into the box and the Real Sociedad striker sweetly hits his volley but Carini somehow palms it away for a corner.

The long-awaited breakthrough finally came on 37 minutes when Llorente takes the ball from Raúl’s pass and skips past several Uruguayan tackles before smashing a high drive into the top of Uruguay’s net. Uruguay look to hit back almost immediately and Pérez draws Laínez into making a great save two minutes later, but Uruguay pick up possession again when Gonzalo Rodríguez pings it back past the stranded Laínez. But with the last kick of the half, Juan Hernández marks his call-up with his first goal for Spain when Llorente lays the chance on a golden platter for the Cartagonova forward. He doesn’t let me down and we go in to the break holding on to a 2-1 lead.

Again we start the second half positively, with Raúl seeing Carini save another attempt on 51 minutes. Gustavo Varela almost unlocked our defence on 68 minutes when he skipped past a static Amaya, but his drive drifted wide, thankfully. Six minutes later Carini parries brilliantly Garrido’s header. We continue to camp in Uruguay’s half and we eventually score the settling goal on 82 minutes when Llorente finds a way past Grillito and drills it past Carini to seal victory. To their credit, Uruguay continued to fight, but we held on without too much trouble and we celebrate our first World Cup victory under my reign.

Uruguay (5-3-2): Carini, Corbo (Pablo Rodríguez 91), Martín Rivas, Correa, Grillito, Lembo; Díaz (Varela 66), Olivera, Gustavo Rodríguez; Pandiani, Uriel Pérez ©.

Spain (4-1-2-1-2): Laínez; César, Amaya, Marchena, Ãngel; Gavião; Reyes, Garrido; Hernánez; Raúl ©, Llorente.

Final score: Uruguay 1:3 Spain

MoM - Joseba Llorente

In the evening, the Cartagonova Fans’ Association vote Alex Notman the Cartagonova Player of the Year. I’d have no argument with that.

The board announces a dividend of £15.75 million would be paid to the shareholders. I’d wish they had discussed that with me first, because the stadium’s second stage of expansion needs to be completed and I need funds to make moves on the transfer market.

Keep smiling!

Dixie Flatline

[Dixie Flatline]

Back with more from the Cartagonova odyssey

21st of June 2010

Real Madrid’s terms of its latest offer for Bagnacani meet my demands, but I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to sell him right now. Bagnacani isn’t happy about it, but he’ll get over it, I’m sure.

From Group G, Norway defeated Algeria 3-1, but the 2006 World Cup finalist remains in third place. Per Vener Rønning was a late substitute for Norway. In the evening game, also from Group G, France and Japan share a point apiece with a 2-2 draw. Vieira put France ahead on 31 minutes, but Kitajima equalised for Japan on 66 minutes. Anelka shot France ahead again four minutes later. However, Kitajima was to have the last laugh, equalising for Japan with five minutes to play.

In the evening session, new Barcelona player Diego rules himself out for two weeks with a serious chest injury.

From Cartagena, Luis Sosa communicates to me the news that Cartagonova has received £5 million from the TV rights split, while the board of directors tell me that they want a serious championship challenge for the forthcoming season. That’s great, but I’m a little busy at the moment with something called the World Cup.

22nd of June 2010

Canada made World Cup history, qualifying for the second round by defeating Iran 2-0 in Buenos Aires. Italy defeated Ireland by the same score in Rosario to join Canada in the second round, at the expense of the Irish.

More astonishing news came from Group A, which was completed in the evening. Estonia defeated Germany 2-0 to send the defending champion crashing out of the World Cup at the first hurdle. Peru also climbed off the canvas to beat the USA 2-0, with the result that the two minnows in the group qualified for the second round.

Unsurprisingly, Gernot Rohr is sacked by the German FA after the disaster.

23rd of June 2010

Real Betis admits it might have made a mistake in selling Mantilla to me when it comes to me offering £2.3 million over six months. Not so fast, boys. I want £4.5 million over six months.

Real Betis also comes sniffing around Bagnacani, offering me £4.2 million over six months. That’s silly money for a back-up goalkeeper and I’d be remiss in not taking it.

Argentina completes a clean sweep of its games in Group C by defeating Shimon Gershon’s Israel 3-1 in Buenos Aires. Israel’s defeat doesn’t compromise its chances of moving into the second round, as Lebanon and Guinea split the points in a 1-1 draw.

I have another season to find a replacement for Lilian Thuram as his transfer to Elche which was finalised today does not take effect until the end of the season.

In the evening, Group D is also finalised. Colombia takes top spot in the group after defeating Tanzania 4-0. Russia bounces back to defeat Turkey 2-0 to join Colombia in the second round.

I’m informed by Luis Sosa, back in Cartagena, that Davide Bagnacani accepted Real Betis’ terms: Davide Bagnacani (30 y/o, ITA, GK): 14(4) apps, 18 conceded, av. rating: 7.28.

Turkey sacks Metin Tekin for his failure to put Turkey into the second round.

[Dixie Flatline]

24th of June 2010

Villarreal offers £2.2 million for César Cabrera. I turn the offer down.

Ourense offers me £2.5 million over 18 months for Elias Krantz. Although my coaches like him, he hasn’t been a part of my plans for two seasons, so I’m willing to deal on him. One player in the Ourense ranks I like is the young defender Juan Carlos Gaitán, so I ask for him plus £1.7 million in exchange for Krantz.

Group E is finalised in the afternoon. Brazil defeats Belgium 2-1 in Rosario to sneak into second place at the expense of Belgium, while Mexico finishes on top after defeating China 2-0.

That's all for now!

Dixie

[Philip Rolfe]

[Dixie Flatline]

Hello? Did anyone miss me? That's good, because I'm back!

After a long hiatus away from the game, I return...

Former player Jean-François Gillet agrees to return to the club he left the season before, joining Cartagonova in a deal worth £1.1 million to his current club, Gençlerbirligi. His move is completed in the evening. I have more pressing things to worry about.

World Cup - Group F, Game 3: Spain v Greece

This is not a game for the top shelf of the video collection, that’s for sure, and again I’m worried about the risks my defenders take, particularly when the game is delicately poised at 0-0 in the first half. There is the touch of the kamikaze about us, particularly when Carlos Marchena dives in with both feet on Iordanidis to earn himself a yellow card. César Laínez gets quite a bit of practice and stopping the Greeks scoring in the first half, whilst my forwards are kicking the ground at the other end of the pitch. Things begin to settle down as the half wears on, and Garrido misses a good opportunity half-way through, but Greece are the happier side at half-time.

I take the opportunity to roast my players at the break, but Greece keep up the attack in the opening moments of the second half. So it comes as a bit of a shock to everybody when Joseba Llorente opens the scoring on 54 minutes. We put together our best move of the game, with fluid passing from Ãngel and Reyes setting up the Real Sociedad scorer. It’s a relief, that’s for sure! However, Greece aren’t to go under without a fight and Kostas Gitkos pulls Greece level on 65 minutes when he volleys Iordanidis’ pass beyond César Laínez’s reach. Although Llorente and Gitkos try hard for their respective nations to lift the tempo of the game after this point, it tapers out to a fairly tame draw, as sharing the points is good enough for both Spain and Greece to go through to the second round of the World Cup.

Spain (4-3-1-2): Laínez; César, Amaya, Marchena, Ãngel; Reyes, Gavião (de la Rosa 64), Garrido; Hernández; Raúl ©, Llorente.

Greece (4-3-2-1): Eleftheropoulos (Calvo 64); Katsiaros, Livathinos, Prekates, Charalambakis; Gitkos, Kostoulas, Ladakis; Adamopoulos (Mouselimis 64), Stathis (Choutos 69); Iordanidis ©.

Final score: Spain 1:1 Greece

MoM - César Laínez

So, after our group stage has been completed, we finish up top of Group F, but level on points with Greece:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st Q Spain 3 0 2 0 2 2 1 0 0 3 1 5

2nd Q Greece 3 0 1 0 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd Uruguay 3 0 0 1 1 3 1 1 0 3 2 4

4th Ghana 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 1

</pre>

Only by dint of our bigger victory over Uruguay do we top this group.

[Dixie Flatline]

25th of June 2010

Group H is finalised in the afternoon with two games played at Buenos Aires. South Korea sends the Ivory Coast home with a 2-0 defeat, while Portugal held off Sweden 1-0. Portugal clean sweeps Group H, followed by Sweden.

Group G ends in the evening with two games being played simultaneously. Japan has a night out against Algeria, thrashing the North Africans 6-0. Hidetoshi Nakata scores a hat-trick, with Kitajima following up with a brace, and Matsui getting things going just before the break. Five goals were scored by the rampaging Japanese in the second half. France falls to second behind Japan, despite beating Norway 2-0. Per Vener Rønning will be on a plane back to Spain very soon.

The draw for the second round is announced in the evening, and we have the bad luck of drawing Brazil for our second round. We’re not in good form, so there is a danger we will be eliminated at the first knock-out stage. Hopefully, I should regain Vicente at full fitness by the time our game is played, on the 29th of June.

I’m informed in the evening by Luis Sosa that our physio, Manuel Gil, has decided to put away his massage table at the ripe old age of 63. He was one of the few originals left when I took over managing Cartagonova ten years ago, so I’m sorry to see him retire.

Norway dismisses Vidar Davidsen from his post as Norwegian manager after his failure to qualify from the group stage.

26th of June 2010

Ourense makes a final offer of £3.9 million for Elias Krantz. The Swedish midfielder hasn’t really figured in my plans for the last two seasons, and even if the money is payable over 18 months, I still think it’s a good deal, so I instruct Luis Sosa to accept the offer on my behalf. Simultaneously, Sporting Gijón lodge a bid of £3.5 million for Krantz over 18 months, and I tell Sosa to tell them the price is £3.9 million over 18 months.

The first match of the second round pits Estonia against Italy, and it’s a cracking match. Barcelona’s Emanuele Calaiò put the Azzurri ahead on 6 minutes, but Joel Lindpere pulled Estonia level on 21 minutes. However, parity lasted just eight minutes as Calaiò scored his and Italy’s second goal on 29 minutes. Italy’s lead was further extended by Perinon 6 minutes before the break, and Calaiò seemingly put the match out of Estonia’s reach on the stroke of half-time with his third goal. But Estonia was determined to fight this out to the final whistle, and O’Donovan scored on 60 minutes to pull it back to 4-2. Estonia piled on the pressure and Italy cracked for a third time just before the end of normal time, with O’Donovan notching up his second goal of the game. But time ran out for the plucky Estonians as Italy moved through to the quarter-finals.

In the evening game, Colombia disposed of Israel 4-2. Israel wasn’t helped by the red card handed out to goalkeeper Nir Davidovic on 20 minutes, and the resulting penalty put Colombia in the lead. Biton restored parity for Israel on 37 minutes, but Preciado put Colombia back in front on 51 minutes. Oved scored for Israel on the hour mark, but the numerical disadvantage finally told as Colombia scored twice, through Cruz and then Preciado, to run out comfortable winners and join Italy in the quarter-finals. Shimon Gershon’s World Cup dream is finally over.

[Dixie Flatline]

27th of June 2010

I miss out on Polish international full-back Tomasz Wisio, who decides to stay in Portugal by moving to Sporting Lisbon.

The third game in the second round is played between Portugal and France, and it is the French who emerge 2-1 victorious. Goals to David Trezeguet and Nicolas Anelka on each side of the half-time whistle seal Portugal’s fate, as Pinhal’s late goal is little more than consolation.

In the evening game, Greece disposes of Mexico quite comfortably, with a 2-0 win.

28th of June 2010

The host Argentina assures itself of an easy passage through to the quarter-finals after wrecking Russia’s dream of capturing past glories with a thumping 4-1 win in Córdoba. Bardaro and Verón scored in quick succession on 34 and 37 minutes, while Javier Saviola added a brace mid-way through the second half. Vladimir Bestchastnykh’s lone strike on 86 minutes did nothing to comfort the Russians.

The evening game sees the first match decided by penalties as Peru triumphs 4-3 on penalties over Canada after the game was tied at 1-1 apiece after extra-time.

Russia sacks its manager, Oleg Dolmatov in the evening.

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29th of June 2010

Sweden bundles Japan out of the World Cup with a 3-2 win. The game looked set for extra time after Fujita levelled the scores at 2-2 apiece on 78 minutes, just moments after Valentino Lai had put Sweden 2-1 up. But Newcastle midfielder Petter Hansson scored the most important goal of his career on 89 minutes to put Sweden through, and Japan out. Bojan Djordjic played the first 54 minutes before being substituted.

World Cup - Second Round: Spain v Brazil

Well, we should be thankful we get the chance to ease a “big gun†out of the World Cup early on. Brazil might not be highly rated as it used to be on the FIFA World Rankings, sitting only ninth to our first, but we all know how (in)accurate these rankings can be, and Brazil possesses the World Cup pedigree which Spain does not that gives them the edge in the minds of the fans. So it’s important that we get off to a good start. Although Brazil look to attack from the kick-off, we manage to contain them through the opening, feeling-out stages of the game, and in fact are the first to launch a strike in anger when Real Sociedad’s Joseba Llorente volleys Ãngel’s cross viciously, giving Soares de Souza a work-out of the fingertips. A couple of moments later, Garrido knocks back Reyes’ cross into the box, but Raúl thuds a header into the post. But our pressure pays off when on 31 minutes, Reyes out-muscles Róbson Ponte to the ball and heads it square to Gavião. The naturalised Spaniard, playing against his former countrymen, finds Garrido with a long, raking pass. Garrido takes the ball immediately towards the Brazilian defenders, and they make the fatal mistake of backing off, allowing the Cartagonova winger to measure a great pass into the box for Llorente to head home - shades of the old Garrido-Notman play there!

We should have had a penalty on 40 minutes when Garrido is bundled over inside the area by Bruno Leite but the referee waved away our claims. We picked up the ball with Llorente, but his cross-cum-shot was plucked out of the air by the Brazilian keeper. Raúl then unnecessarily looks for the spectacular when he tries to bicycle kick Gavião’s pass on 43 minutes into the back of the net, but it limps over the bar. It ends the half with us holding a slender 1-0 lead which our play in the first half certainly merited.

I expect Brazil to bounce back in the second half, and warn my defenders to look to their lines. As I predicted, Brazil come out fighting in the opening minutes after the break, with Mozart, Róbson Ponte and Fabrício forcing saves from César Laínez, or else hitting the post. After weathering the early storm, we miss a golden opportunity to sit Brazil back when Raúl hits a drive wide of the post on 52 minutes. For the next 20 minutes or so, we tussle over possession and the ball drifts from one end of the pitch to the other, with not much really happening. I decide that I need to bring on more support for Llorente, and with Raúl being ineffective in this match, I decide to throw on some youth, strength and enthusiasm with Óscar del Pino coming on for the captain on 71 minutes. It’s a gutsy call, but my nerves are slightly eased when Gavião picks up the ball from André Luiz’s tackle on del Pino and fires it past the static Brazilian keeper on 78 minutes! It’s lucky we have the two goal cushion because almost immediately, Ronaldo cuts it in half when he drives home Róbson Ponte’s flick-on. But Vicente kills off the match on 86 minutes when he smashes Gavião’s pass low past de Souza to confirm our passage through to the final eight!

Spain (4-3-1-2): César Laínez; César, Amaya, Marchena, Ãngel; Reyes, Gavião, Garrido; Vicente; Raúl © (Del Pino 71), Llorente.

Brazil (4-4-2): Soares de Souza; Bruno Leite, André Luiz, Ãlvaro, Éder; Dedê, Alex (Pinga 57), Mozart, Róbson Ponte; Ronaldo ©, Fabrício.

Final score: Spain 3:1 Brazil

MoM - Gavião

Unsurprisingly, beating Brazil, four-time world champion, pleases the Spanish FA no end.

Elias Krantz’s transfer to Ourense is finalised this evening, for £3.9 million: Elias Krantz (28 y/o, SWE, AM RC): 11(5) apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, av. rating: 6.56.

Wanderly Luxemburgo is sacked by the Brazilian Football Association after failing to overcome my Spain.

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30th of June 2010

The balls are drawn. Spain will play Sweden in the Quarter-Final of the World Cup in three days’ time.

2nd of July 2010

The first quarter-final is played in the afternoon, and Greece knock out France 3-2 after extra time. Iordanidis scored first for Greece on 23 minutes, but Trezeguet responded just four minutes later. Adamopoulos made it 2-1 to Greece on 30 minutes, only for Citony to equalise for France on 55 minutes. The match went to extra-time, and Iordanidis clinched it for Greece with a goal on 95 minutes.

I pick up 20 year old full-back Francisco Robles on a free transfer. I’ve admired Robles for a while, and had Luis Sosa put him through his paces in a series of closed training sessions. He isn’t particularly quick, but he’s skilful in possession. He’ll need a lot of work to bulk up, but that’s something we can work on in the gym. I think the skill is there, and I’m happy to spend some time honing the physical side of his game.

In the evening game, Colombia spank Italy 4-1. Jorge Bolaño opens the scoring on 31 minutes, and Edwin Congo doubles it just before half-time. Congo adds his second and Colombia’s third on 48 minutes. Emanuele Calaiò claws one back on 61 minutes, but Johnnier Montaño adds the icing on the cake on 74 minutes with Colombia’s fourth goal.