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lupinho

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Posts posted by lupinho

    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted

    May 2021

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    We fell under the pressure. Both games, we simply played too badly. No excuses. The boos of the few fans who had stayed in the stadium were deserved.

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    Well, we knew what was awaiting us. Me too, actually...

    Sambene' drops to Serie D again, and I am without a job. The dream start to my new career never happened. Am I actually not that good?

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    I still think I deserved better. I mean, I took this club from dead last to 1 point from safety. I got a few wins along the way. I can't be hold responsible for the bad management.

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    Who knows what will come next. I hope I can keep managing in Italy, but this certainly wasn't the best advertisement.

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    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted

    April 2021

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    Against the second best team in the league not a lot of hope, but again, What. A. Game. We're now 6 points away from safety.

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    The pressure, however, is on...

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    It's the first time I have to face so much pressure... and, I admit it, maybe I let my emotions take advantage of me. Press conferences become heated, and I make myself my first ennemy in the game. I mean, the guy clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.

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    Guess he spoke too fast... We're doing well, but the team needs to keep it together!

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    Three wins and one very close defeat... Is that enough to avoid going through the playoffs? This is definitely the best the team has been playing in a long time...

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    No, we're one point short... Terrible...

    We'll now have to play Verona to stay in Serie C next year. I have one week to prepare the team. Not sure this is what I signed for. My dream holidays on the coast quickly turned into a nightmare. But I believe in myself. I can do this. We can do this!

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    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted

    February – March 2021

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    I love my time on the Adriatic coast, and the family too, but the club is struggling. We keep losing games in the last 10 minutes. It's as if the players had no self-confidence whatsoever. Unfortunately, that's just not good enough and we continue on our very poor run of form. Players keep making mistakes and I start to feel lost.

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    We are still only 6 points away from guaranteed safety, but the pressure is unbearable. Supporters start booing me – and pundits don't go easy on me. I feel the stress, can't sleep well anymore. On top of all this, the club is actually under considerable financial strain. Problems keep coming.

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    Can Sambenedettese actually be saved? We have 4 games left this season against Vis Pesaro (2), Matelica (16), Imolese (14) and Fermana (12). We can still do it, but it'll require more belief and passion than this team has shown so far.

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    I start stressing for my job too... My first opportunity to manage is quickly turning sour... and could end very soon.

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    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted

    January 2021

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    I decide to do a few transfers already this window, with the team especially weak in defense. The two main additions are Branescu, a Romanian goalkeeper trained at the Juventus Academy, and Vergara, an ex-AC Milan future star, should help us address deficiencies at the back. I hope they have the anger to prove me that they have what it takes to make it at this level. In any case, we'll have to make major changes next year.

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    The first games are not too good, with our first victory coming at my third try. But WHAT. A. WIN. We simply outclassed Ravenna and end a series of 13 games without a win. We now have to build on this dynamic to escape the relegation spots. We have always been close but lacked some luck and courage when it mattered. Sadly, the atmosphere is quite poor. If only they believed in me (and themselves) a bit more!

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    Three points were still enough to lift us from automatic relegation, so let's go boys!

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    0

    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted

    December 2020 – Christmas... or?

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    San Benedetto, December 2020

    As Christmas comes along, I finally receive an answer from Sambenedettese. The club has decided to hire a new permanent manager. We hit it off on skype, and I feel like I did a pretty good impression on them. I learned from my mistakes at Rapid – be professional, don't make too many promises, look optimistic and motivated.

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    As the year come to an end, my agent calls me with the good news! They are ready to offer me a 6.25k wage. The wife is estatic, this means that we can finally come back to Italy. I quickly take care of planning a flight back home. After the 8 hours flight to Rome, it will then be two more hours of driving to the Adriatic Cost. But I made it! I can't wait to get started.

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    The chairman asks me to do a quick comment for their website, which of course I am pleased to do:

    "I am honored of the confidence the board put in me.

    I know this season didn't go as planned so far. Rest assured, dear fans, that we'll do everything we can to turn this club around.

    I can't wait to get started and unleash our full potential.

    See you in the stadium.

    Spoiler

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    The truth is, the club is in a dire state. As I join, they haven't won a game of football in their past 11 games. They are dead last in the Serie C/B. Motivation is extremely low, and my appointment doesn't help. The team seems... unimpressed, to say the least. Well, I know I will prove them wrong.

    As for the team itself, I am not toally convinced yet. If we stay up, we'll need to do a lot of changes next season. For some reason, this club has become an Argentinian retirement home. I doubt it'll cut it long-term.

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    Spoiler

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    I am starting to fear that this Christmas gift might actually be a trap. But the family is happy, finally home. And I am confident about my ability to turn this club around.

    1

    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted · Edited by lupinho

    Autumn 2020 – Loneliness

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    Dubai, Autumn 2020

    Autumn has been long and lonely. I am stuck in my flat, trying to find an opportunity. I thought my past career would open me some doors but, sadly, I didn’t get a chance so far. Some opportunities as coach but that’s not really my cup of tea.

    Eventually, the market opens up. Some teams are starting to get rid of their managers – but nothing too exciting so far. FC Rapid, a smaller club from the second Romanian division, contacts me and we plan a Skype conference. Although they’re based in Bucarest they’re far from my first choice and I think they can feel it. First rejection. This cuts my appetite for going home, and I decide against applying to a couple of other domestic jobs. If they can’t appreciate my value, they won’t have me.

     

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     I decide to focus more on Italy, my initial goal, but so far nothing to attractive. Renate and Pro Patria are looking for a new manager in Serie C – come on, let's be serious, me living in a small village in the mountains? I won't sacrifice my comfort for a job.

    Eventually, my luck turns with a job at Sambenedettese. It’s November 30, and immediately I love it. San Benedetto del Tronto is a fun touristic centre on the Adriatic coast, with peaceful avenues guarded by palm-trees. In short, the dream. It would be perfect for the family, and a great start for me as a manager – altough I would have preferred an higher level than Serie C. I quickly get excited, but my agent informs me that they are, for now, staying with the interim coach.

    6 months to go…

    1

    [FM21] A long way home

    in FM Career Updates

    Posted

    May 2020 – A long way home

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    Dubai, May 2020

    So, that’s how it ends. In an expat hotel room in the centre of Dubai. After almost 20 years of running around on a pitch, what was started as a 16 years old in Bucharest is about to end. I have no big regret – why would I – but I am still unsure about what I have achieved. To be fair, I wasn’t one of the greatest, but I played around Europe. I wore some great badges, with pride. I had some fun, but also some setbacks. I grew stronger as a human, and that's the biggest achievement.

    What next – I don’t really know yet. I could get used to this life, and my family too. Dubai is pleasant, always warm, and dynamic. But one thing is certain, I won’t be able to last with my savings for long.

    And I miss football. The logical next step is managing, but I won’t compromise my lifestyle for it. I am almost 40 years old, I have two kids and a wife. If I don’t make it in the next two year, I’ll have to go into the real life out there. My agent put me in contact with some real estate company that is always looking for expats to run their operations. Why not. But I know that, first, I have to try to take my chance. Plus, the family misses Italy. They deserve that, after all the sacrifices they did travelling around with me. I owe them.

    Luckily, I had gotten some training during my last years here, with an eye on the future. With a national qualification, I hope to find an opportunity soon. Italy, hopefully, so we can all go home.

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    I start unemployed, with the goal of making it big in the Italian football pyramid. I hope I won't need to, but I also asked my agent to consider jobs in Romania. I know the market is tough on new managers in Italy, and I have some reputation to cash on back home.

    I'll give myself one year to find a good opportunity. Otherwise, bye bye football – maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

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    My career stats:

    Spoiler

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    My profile:

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    (I actually have a National License)

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