Jtomsett11

Another really tight season it's looking like! You're doing well to even compete considering you're youth only. Fingers crossed for a good youth intake!

Thank you, step one is done! It'll be really interesting to see how competitive we are in La Liga 2 as there are some big teams here.

Contracts and squad July 2024 I took a bit of time, but found a squad planner view and combined this with attribute growth tracking for a much improved visual squad planning tool. Goalkeepers None of the players I didn't sign to contracts have left the club when their contracts expired, so we're left with Rios and Sanchez in the B squad as Mackay in the first team squad despite none of them being on anything other than a week-by-week contract. I've promoted Suarez to the first team squad as he's young (20) with potential and Mackay wanted £13k a week to play on a staff/ player contract. We can't afford that as we can't spend more than £165k a week and I'm not committing a huge amount to a 38 year old keeper. LB We're very light on depth at LB to be honest, and we either need a youth to come through or we need to buy a younger option at Tono is 34 and Varela is 29. I signed Varela to 2 years for £7k a week. LCB De la Fuente had his minimum fee release clause met and he wanted £25k a week (!!) to sign, so we took the £1.4 million profit and we've gone out and signed Saenz on a free. He is on big wages BUT he is 2 better at jumping than Fuente which I think will help, even if he isn't quite as good. RCB No real changes here. Puerto can't jump so he'll go out on loan, Azzaoui looks a potential prospect but he's a long, long way off first team football. RB No changes here. I've only included those who I'm not going to leave in the B team until they leave of their own volition. Curras is 21 so if I can get him a decent loan spell perhaps he'll develop enough to replace Blas as a backup. BWM Lots of players show some ability here, but realistically it'll be Villares and Val again next year. Isi has been formally released, I think we'll add Camilo who is on trial, but hasn't joined yet. Gomes is an interesting option in a number of positions. I've signed him to a 2 year deal and he can feature as an RPM or on either wing as he's left footed. AMR Loads of options here, I gave Kevin and Delgado new deals, but will send them out on loan, while Gomez will be wildcard option. AML I'm unsure about Soriano as his determination is something like 2, so Gomez has maybe an opportunity here to supplant him. DLF I'm really struggling to find another DLF, so after the attribute analysis and seeing Narro top of the list, I thought I'd trial him there over pre-season. Rubio will go out on loan and Diez will be used in cup games perhaps, although his finishing is 7. AF I'm going to take a big risk I think and play Lavin as a backup to Quiles. The issue here is Rodrigo is gone, and he played there quite a bit last season. If Quiles has poor form, it could go very wrong, but for young players to get good you need to play them! After all, the board only want us to survive. We've made one really interesting coaching addition as well!

Contracts and looking ahead I immediately took advantage of promotion and our new wage budget to tie several players to new contracts. Tono has been really good as an inverted wing back and he'll stay as an experienced player to guide us on our next steps. He lowered his demands by £4k per week which was great too. Quiles has got just short of 20 goals in each season, so he's guaranteed at this level. I'm sure he can do it in La Liga 2 too. £8k a week is decent for his level. Mella was superb this year and we needed to have a bigger release clause on him. Those wages are tiny too. Trilli demanded more money, but he's worth it. There's a few others out of contract such as Mackay, Varela, Isi and Kevin, but I'm going to analyse attributes first, then sort out my squad depth plans and initial transfer plans before making a decision on them. Half the B team are out of contract and to be honest, until it's in a playable league I don't see a use in signing players for Deportivo Fabril.

End of season performance 2023/24 Player performance: Goalkeepers Mackay was our goalkeeper for all but the 1 cup game and he did a solid job, saving exactly what was expected of him. He broke our record for clean sheets and also scored 6 goals himself taking himself to 12 career goals. Sousa is still on two. Defenders All but one defender has an average rating above 7 which is great. Our Rb's Trilli and Blas contributed 11 assists between them which is excellent work, while the formers progressive passes are very high at 8.65 a game. Defensively, our centre backs are all doing well, winning key tackles and intercepting the ball well. I am a little concerns over headers, especially Sanchez and Barcia who are both shorter and only win 75% of their headers. I wonder if that'll affect us in the next division. Midfielders Olabe and Villares stand out for me, both contributing assists and goals (6 and 5 contributions) and doing their defensive jobs well. Sene looks okay on paper with good numbers of progressive passes, but he hasn't made the impact I wanted. I prefer his stats to Isi, who we are likely to let go, while Val has done a fine job, if nothing on Villares. Attackers On the wing, Zalazar stands out with 12 goals and 5 assists, as does Mella who had 12 goal contributions. Interestingly Soriano creates just as many chances as either of them, and his open play key passes show he's had a strong role as a squad player. Ares did well when coming in late on with 6 goal contributions in 687 minutes, but Narro and Peke disappointed me really. I don't need 6 wing options and so the latter two are likely to leave. Santamaria was superb this season. 17 goals and 11 assists won him player of the season. However, it's Rodrigo with the Young player of the season award I'll have regrets over, as I failed to sign him to a new contract before January and we're losing a player who got 12 goals and 4 assists and looked so good at this level. Drat that oversight! Quiles is inconsistent but still got 19 goals and Lavin is one to look out for next season I think. Kevin played his part, but I think that this is his level. With that in mind we're going to be short of strikers! Team of the year Not sure how Val got in over Olabe, but otherwise this is probably right. Club development We pick up some extra fans online, and have a very good number of season ticket holders. Our finances should at least be boosted by sponsorship (£3.9 million last year) plus I believe you get some TV money at this level.

May and June 2024 Coruna 6-2 Algeciras An absolutely wild game which showcased both our talent, but also Algeciras' offensive capabilities as they could and should have had more even before their late penalty consolation. Zalazar has been immense this season, with another double here. We were so good going forward! Coruna 4-1 Zamora Another really impressive attacking display. Santamaria is back and back with a bang. We even missed a penalty! 10 goals in two games and we've really turned it on just when it matters, because... C.D. Coria who held us, also hold Algeciras and that's enough for the title with 3 games to spare. I know we were clear favourites (two seasons in a row really!) but I'm so pleased to have actually done it and won the league. Step one of this save is over. I used the last three games of the season to really assess some young and reserve players and give minutes to the younger ones. Alcorcon 2-4 Coruna We were in party mode by the time we were 4-0 up to be honest. Zalazar again gets 2 goals. Lavin made his debut to become our youngest player. We celebrated in style! Coruna 1-0 Unionistas Not a classic, title winning hangover perhaps? Quiles came on for Lavin to win the 3 points. Linares 1-1 Deportivo Yes, we should have won. Do I care? No, because we've won the league and Lavin scores his first goal at the tender age of 15. Final league table

He really does - he's now my youngest ever goalscorer!

April 2024 This month looks a bit tighter on paper and it was. Coruna 3-1 Racing de Ferrol Another recovery from a goal down, we may have won 3-1 but I really wasn't sure until Quiles got his second. Ares played really well on the right wing as the inside forward on support duty here with two excellent crosses which earned him the POM award. CD Coria 1-1 Coruna Algeciras lost the last game to give us a 7 point advantage, but we immediately reduced that to 5 here with a poor draw. Just the 7 shots on target and we just weren't convincing enough in front of goal. We are missing Santamaria; Kevin really isn't good enough to start games meaning Rodrigo and Quiles have to be on it every game which is hard to do. Merida 2-3 Coruna At 2-0 down, I was really worried: our next game is Algeciras at home and we'd have been down to just 2 points between us. Ares and Zalazar came on at half time and eventually, eventually, our quality told and they both scored fantastic goals. Ares slotted in after a great through ball from Rodrigo but it wasn't an easy finish from the edge of the box with just the keeper to beat. We entered the final minute with me willing my team on, frustrated at the possibility of two away draws in a row even if we had come from 2 down at half time. We won a free kick and Zalazar stepped up to score from 25 yards; I very nearly did a knee-slide celebration. I certainly went to bed happier than I had been at half time! Really it's just down to the 2 teams now, but I include Celta to show the gap we've both got to third. Up next If we beat Algeciras I think we win the league. A draw and we should do anyway. A loss and it's game on. Everything is pointing in the right direction and crucially our next two games are at home, giving us a greater chance to dispatch 2nd and 8th placed teams. Linares are 4th so we don't really want to be leaving it until that game in June!

Youth intake 2024 I realised as the youth intake came in that I'd nicknamed the 23 intake as 22, so I quickly edited those. This is what I got in the intake. My striker is there as is my CM, but precious little else. Dives into tackles is not ideal, but Lavin looks a potential player. Lots to work on, but only decisions looks a significant problem at the moment, although I always like players to work hard and have a good teamwork score. In terms of attributes, the two goalkeepers are so bad they score better as BWM's! Thanks @shaunvamos, I saw your post with the youth set out like this and now have formulas set up to automatically calculate all of this for me when I paste the youth intake - much quicker than my previous method! Not sure why I didn't think of it . Now if I can do something for my normal squad that also incorporates growth but still doesn't involve manually copying players from one screen to another... Lavin is the only green player, and I've taken the decision not to sign any horrible personalities or anyone with less than 3 star potential as 3 stars is currently second division standard (just) and I don't want to be there long anyway. I've actually only done the attribute analysis after letting a few go; the only regret is Mourino who looks a good winger and I don't think I signed him from memory.

So close there! Still, some good players from the intake, minutes for other players; I reckon you'll do it next year!

Ah so close to the playoffs! It's going to be a tight run in!

March 2024 Overall, a really successful month, especially the Celta Vigo B result which I was nervous about before the game. Coruna 3-0 Rayo Another hattrick from Quiles, who does seem to score all his goals in fits and starts. The red card made this pretty simple! Badajoz 0-4 Coruna I'd grown slightly worried about our away form, but we answered my concerns here with our excellent finishing. Their xG is still a concern, but to be honest Badajoz aren't a bad side. Santamaria obviously doesn't want Quiles having all the fun, picking up two good goals from crosses after Villares smashed in from 25 yards for the opener. Racing Rioja 0-0 Coruna We should have won this game, but we didn't lose, so at least that's something. I did play a reserve CM pairing and Ares and Narro didn't play their best games. Coruna 2-0 Celta Vigo B A really important victory after our draw against Rioja. Both finishes were tapped in from crosses, which I like as it shows us stretching them. Coruna 2-1 San Fernando Just before this game, Santamaria was injured which is probably him out for most of the remainder of the season. A huge shame as he's probably on for player of the season. This was a tough game against a side battling for the play-offs. It was pretty even but we just edged it through a great Olabe strike once Mella slipped him into the area. That saw us seal a playoff place. Algeciras won all 5 games this month, so the gap is just 4 points. April Win, win, win - that's what we need! Algeciras are close now.

Feb 2024 February got off to a really good start. Once I saw this B- rating, I thought I'd chance my arm at a contract renewal. Lo-and-behold, they agreed! I also started my Continental C licence, so things are looking up on a personal level. We went 6 wins in a row before a loss to Mirandes saw just our second league defeat of the season. Coruna 3-1 Cacareno It was all about Zalazar in this game, with two really good goals and another nice long range goal. We did switch off after going 3 up and were just quite lucky they didn't have much about them to push on from the own goal we gifted just before half time. Aviles 1-3 Coruna A game where we go behind, but come back storming through in the end. I did think we might not get the winning goal despite several clear cut chances, but we ended up winning by 2 clear goals. Our xG was 3 and most of the was Quiles, who really should have had 5! Coruna 2-1 Fuenlabrada We come from behind to win this one with a goalkeeper penalty. Sene scored a great goal from the edge of the area after we'd fallen behind early. Although they dominated the first 10 minutes, once we got our equaliser we were comfortable. Mirandes 1-0 Coruna 100% our worst performance of the season. We were completely toothless throughout and they deserved the win. They were relegated last season, and it's only our second loss of the season, but we do need to improve. We were 9 points clear until that loss. March 2024 Next month seems to have 5 winnable games, but you never know! If we won all 5 we'd be well on our way to the league title I think.

Glad to see you back on a different island! Do you think lower leagues are tougher this year as I recall you won almost every division on your way up last time?

Training and injuries Jan 2024 I've been doing my own training for the first time and I think I've been overdoing it. It's the 5 injuries (not the virus) in training that worries me. In light of this, I've added in more rest time and we'll see if that has an impact.

Transfers and contracts Jan 2024 One of the issues of playing in the third tier with Deportivo is that my players are mostly good enough for second tier sides, but want to sign short deals as we're in the third tier. This has come back to bite me. Rodrigo may not always be first choice, but he's been great in both DLF and AF roles and scored and assisted crucial goals. After he signed this he scored 2 goals in his best performance yet, and I really regret not realising he was on just a 1 year deal. In light of this I signed a few deals. The first two are important players in my squad, while the latter two are just developing. Suarez is likely to be our backup keeper next year after developing on loan. However, we're still in the third tier and we've used up our wages. We still have a few players who are on 1 year deals, including Quiles and a number of youth prospects. We can't afford to sign them all to deals until we go up, so we do risk losing them to foreign clubs on frees. Quiles is my priority but he wanted £13k a week when I tried which I can't offer him.

January 2024 A really successful month (ignore the friendly cup!). We came alive in the second half of the season last year and perhaps we'll kick on again this year, even though we've been pretty good so far. Coruna 4-0 Linares We completely outplayed Linares, and what's even better is we're getting more clinical. 4 goals from just 2 xG. Zalazar came on and scored a very good close range finish and then a superb 25 yarder. It's also good to have Quiles scoring more consistently now, while Santamaria was awarded a new contract recently and has continued his excellent season. Coruna 4-0 Amorebieta Another really good performance. Rodrigo is playing so well at the moment, but I've made a real error with him as you'll see soon. Ares is a youngster who returned off loan and looked good enough to play, and he's proven so after Soriano got injured at the start of the month. One game, one goal and one assist. A great performance. Sestao River 1-3 Coruna A win to make it 100% for January. However, this one wasn't as straightforward as the scoreline suggests, as we contrived to be as complacent as possible after half time. If they hadn't been so profligate we'd have potentially drawn this game. Ares gets his second in two games, a lovely driven finish, and Quiles is on the scoresheet again. Another loss for Algeciras sees us extend our lead. We're now 8 games unbeaten. February The Mirandes game could be tough but otherwise it should be wins all the way.

Dec 2023 youth intake preview Full backs and strikers. I won't say no to anything at this point of the save!

December 2023 Zamora 1-2 Coruna We opened the month with a good away win against in form 4th placed Zamora, with Rodrigo scoring two really good goals including a fantastic mazy run from the half-way line. We should have had more than 2. The day before this game I thought we'd signed a decent replacement for Olabe in Sene. A free transfer who looks pretty good and arrives on a relatively low wage. However... His first day at the club and he's out for a month! After the game, I also noticed this. This despite Algeciras dropping points meaning we moved two points clear at the top. Coruna 5-1 Alcorcon A really impressive and efficient performance, with Quiles back in the goals, clearly motivated by being dropped for the previous game. Unionistas 0-0 Coruna To add to our midfield injury woes, our 3rd choice RPM Isi joined those on the physios table shortly before this game. We played well enough despite this, but missed the penalty and ultimately paid the price by dropping two points. However, I hadn't really noticed that Algeciras had lost their previous game, making it 3 games without a win. Therefore we end the league in December on 45 points, 3 clear at the top. Copa del rey: Coruna 0-1 Levante Considering that I played a relatively 'reserve' side here, I was really pleased. We held the La Liga side for large parts of the game and could have equalised towards the end. They scored their only clear cut chance which was the difference maker. Despite being knocked out of the cup, our improved league performance means the board now rate me as a B-. That's the first time they've been pleased with me! January This is a pretty light month and we should be winning all three games.

November 2023 3 wins out of 4, but we lose against our title rivals which is a blow. Racing de Ferrol 1-3 Coruna Before this game there was some big news in terms of squad morale. Mackay is our veteran keeper and our team leader, but has been unhappy (again, he was last season) due to a failed promise which I only didn't meet as I signed Rodrigo before Mackay agreed his new contract. I've seen an instant bump in managerial support from this, and couple with my new coaching badges, the team are more behind me than ever. I was really pleased that we were able to come back from 1-0 down to win this game. We were really effective in the second half and 3 wingers scored to seal the three points. This I presume is only a record since I've taken charge, but it's a sign we're moving in the right direction. Algeciras 1-0 Coruna We've lost top spot, and to be honest we probably deserved the loss even if it was overall, quite an even tie. Our first half way appalling, but going behind seemed to galvanise us and after a few subs we missed two really decent chances. I'm still confident we'll overhaul Algeciras, but it is annoying to lose to them and lose our unbeaten status in the process! Coruna 2-1 CD Coria A Santamaria masterclass with two great goals from our DLF. Their consolation was just that; the result was never in doubt. Coruna 4-0 Merida Bad news before this game. While Isi has done well this season, he can't match the output of Olabe so this is really disappointing. I'm going to have to look at a replacement I think to maintain our title challenge. The game itself wasn't affected by his injury, as we dispatched Merida. Santamaria took his goals for the month to 4 and grabbed an assist as well. I've not had a DLF score so many goals for a long time. Where does this leave us? We're second, but Algeciras dropped points with their first loss of the season to Racing de Ferrol so it's only on head-to-head. Alex Barba RELEASE, who scored against us at the start of the month, set Racing on their way to a 2-0 win. December We probably won't advance in the cup as Levante are La Liga, but we should be looking at 9 points in the league really. Finance and board support This isn't looking great currently, but if we get promoted I think we'll be fine and if we don't get promoted I won't get a new contract, so I'm not going to worry about it! I need to be top and clear for these to budge higher I think.

Thank you, I certainly have been winning more recently!

October 2023 This was aptly timed as it moved my managerial support up to 'average'. I got approval for the A licence which also takes 4 months, so we should get another boost at the end of January to managerial support. A 100% month that moves us top of the league! We're not free-scoring, but we're extremely solid, only conceding once and that was a penalty. Out of 3 goals conceded, 2 have been penalties in 11 games. Rayo Majadahonda 0-2 Coruna This was actually a really tough game. We opened the scoring, Olabe delivering a great pass for Mella to run on to and slot home from just outside the 6 yard box, but then Rayo had quite a few chances. I shifted the AML and AMR back into ML and MR slots to provide a bit more solidity and this seemed to work after the break as Rayo only had one more shot. Olabe scored a header from a great move and although our further chances were of relatively low quality, we saw out the game really well. Coruna 2-0 Badajoz A pretty simple win, a penalty to start us off and a 32nd minute finish from Quiles after a good through ball from IWB Tono meant we could take our foot off the pedal in the second half, which we subsequently did. The only bad news following the game was this: I think my new training is working well except for CMs as all our injuries have been in this position so far, probably due to the requirement of the role and the fact I rotate less here. Isi is just back from injury, but we're promoting 15 year old unambitious Yusuf as he's our next best RP who is eligible to play. Coruna 2-0 Racing Rioja Santamaria seems to score in fits and starts. He produced a brilliant display here. For his first goal, he dropped back from the CB in the box as Zalazar chased a brilliant ball over the top from Isi and then played it back along the ground for Santamaria to slot home. His second was a great turn and finish inside the box from a loose ball. Should we be scoring more? Yes, yes we should. We still waste 3-4 very, very good chances a game. We did give a debut to Yusuf as Isi is still unfit. We were now also 17 unbeaten, but with our biggest test against Celta Vigo B next. Celta Vigo B 0-1 Coruna The most pleasing performance of the season. I altered the tactics based on our games against them last season, going for a 4-4-2 who would press, but not counter-press, meaning we'd be solid and in position to press before doing so. What resulted was the most convincing 45 minutes of the season, with the exception that we still can't really finish! Santamaria was again key, putting the into the box from near the corner flag after a great run for Tono to smash home. I think our start was brilliant and we just outfought them, pressing them brilliantly and restricting them to just a few opportunities. San Fernando 1-2 Coruna After the last game, I thought I'd stick with the team and formation as San Fernando were 6th and doing well. We really lacked cohesion and were giving the ball away frequently in the first half. About 30 minutes in I went back to 4-2-4 to try and stretch them and it seemed to work, but we missed our best chance and then the game was relatively equal until Lapena gave away a penalty to allow them to take the lead. However, super-sub Kevin replied instantly, volleying home Narro's header back across goal. The winner was even better, with fellow-sub Soriano winning the ball near the half-way line, lofting a ball over the top for Kevin to bring down and smash home from inside the box. Will he ever amount to anything? Probably not. Those 2 goals won us the game though, and he's proving an excellent squad player. We're top as Algeciras have dropped 4 points this month, and we face them away in November which could be a key game. One thing that's interesting is that both Algeciras and Celta Vigo B are overachieving according to xG, while we're underachieving. In fact, we're the worst team in the league! I wonder if this will even out over time, or suggests that they will drop more points at some point as they're not creating as much as us. Player performances These are all the players with a 7+ average rating. Santamaria is top scorer on 5 from 11 games, while Zalazar has 4 assists in 9 games. All but one defender are over 7 on average which is no surprise when we've conceded just 3. November 4 games, one a week again. I'd take 10 points with a draw against Algeciras; really they're the only side that should cause us any problems!

Sept 2023 A good start, if a little frustrating at times. Amorebieta 1-4 Coruna A great start to the season owed a lot to Santamaria continuing his fine end of season form, with 2 goals and 2 assists. However, early on we didn't look like we'd score more than the one goal until Mella scored an exquisite chip from outside the area. Rodrigo also got a debut goal, playing as an AF due to an injury to Quiles. Coruna 2-0 Sestao River I rotated the entire defence for this game as I'm very confident with both our first and second string being strong enough. I also rotated most of the team, with Soriano and Peke coming in on the wings and Isi and Val in the middle. They all did their jobs, Santamaria finishing the game off after a De La Fuente debut headed opener. Cacareno 1-1 Coruna This was a real frustration, we had 13 shots from inside the penalty area and some of real quality, but after Rodrigo opened the scoring, we conceded a silly penalty and then just couldn't find the winner. I'm concerned we're going to spend another season underachieving on xG. Fuenlabrada 0-1 Coruna A 65th minute keeper penalty saw us over the line, but an xG of 3.62 indicates we should have won by more. Coruna 4-0 Real Aviles Finally a convincing goalscoring performance. Quiles opened the scoring and after a Lapena header I decided to bring on Kevin for his 4th game as a sub; he responded by providing an assist for Rodrigo and then scoring himself. That's 1 goal and 2 assists in about 100 minutes of first team football. Okay, we've had 29 shots so some are very wasteful (despite 'work ball into box many of our shots are from range), but 13 on target and 4 goals is much better. Coruna 0-0 Mirandes The relegated side held us. As you can see from below I rotated the entire front 6 with the exception of Villares who usually plays at BWM, but shifted here as Isi, our backup roaming playmaker is out for 3 weeks. Kevin deserved his start, but it didn't work as he missed two big sitters. Normally, 14 points from 6 games is pretty good. Unfortunately for us, Algeciras have started brilliantly and won all 6 games. Looking at goal difference, I predict a 3 way battle between the two of us and Celta Vigo B for the title. October Just the 5 games as we move to our 1 game week training. I've prioritised match practice and chance conversion as stated in the post on training to try and ensure we can finish slightly better! Celta Vigo B is the tough game, they beat us 3-1 at home last year and I don't want the same happening again!

Season preview Aug 2023 Once again this suggests we should be strong favourites for the league. We're really in a good position as only one side has been relegated to play in this division. If we don't do it this season I'll surely be sacked. Support for the club remains strong, but I'm going to have to do something about this managerial support. My B licence should be done by the end of October so hopefully that'll give a nice boost to their support of me as will winning lots of games (hopefully). It really doesn't help that Mackay doesn't like me (again), this time because he wanted a new striker signed. I did sign Rodrigo, but as he delayed signing a contract by a week or so, the Brazilian arrived before he sealed the deal so he think I reneged on my promise. We start off with 6 games which I think are very winnable. We don't know how good Mirandes will be after their relegation so that could be a tougher game, but it is at home. Finances in August have been boosted by season ticket sales. We're expected to go down to £3 million by the end of the year. I shifted almost all our transfer budget into wages to help us keep all of our better players and sign the new ones, so we haven't spent any money but do have a wage budget expenditure of £120k a week on players alone.

Staff hires pre-season A pre-stated aim of this save is to carry on the theme of having Deportivo youth graduates and playing staff then given roles within my non-playing staff. Bergantinos is quite expensive for a youth team coach, but I'm hoping he can develop into a decent coach with some badges. His mentals are reasonable, but he clearly struggles with actual coaching. Carnero, who wouldn't sign on a free transfer, then randomly retired without any notice and appeared as a DoF. No, I don't think we'll be signing him yet. He wants too much money for his terrible ability!