FM 2011 plans

The plans are in place for FM 2011. Having seen the FM 2009 cut short I am looking at FM 2011 for my return. The plan is the make a new club with which i get up to European football. The club will be based in Ireland and the plan is to get into the League of Ireland and into Europe that way.

Club name: College Wood C.F
Arch-rivals: East College Wood and Mallow
Colours: Yellow and navy
Pitch: Estádio de College Wood
Manager: myself
League: Munster Senior League

Denizlispor 1-2 Besiktas

We were outplayed but still kept Besiktas at bay for most of the game. Filip Holosko gave the Eagles the lead but it was the manner in which we continued to shut them out and then we broke and levelled thanks to Chris Pontius. That was Pontius' 2nd goal since joining the club and is looking like a good signing already.
Unfortunetly Holosko got a 2nd and it ended up as a 2-1 defeat but I am happy with the way we kept them out and gives us hope for the season yet.

Gaziantepspor 2-0 Denizlispor

We lost again and this time it really was a very poor performance. Our main players didn't perform and we suffered as a result. Still without a number of our best players we didn't show up for this game really.
A 4-3-3 wasn't getting us anywhere so we switched to a 4-3-2-1 and we began to play a bit better. This defeat leaves us 15th and outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
Our next matches are not kind either. Besiktas, Genclerbirligi and Trabonzspor in our next three.

North Korea 0-0 Saudi Arabia

A game we were expect to win comfortably and that did not happen. Instead North Korea played very open at times and ultra-defensive at other stages. We had many chances but none were taken. Yasser Al-Qahtani came close on a couple of ocasions but Mohamed Noor should've given us the vital victory when he blazed over in the final minute.
Very disappointed with this result and we have to pick up our game now. We are half-way through the final stage of qualifiers and lie in 3rd a point behind Iran in 2nd and South Korea in 1st.
Next up is Iran in late March.

Denizlispor 1-0 Istanbul B.B

We finally got the over-due victory. This one was a tight affair against a side that we had already played twice this season. Istanbul B.B in the previous two games were very hard to break down and I have to say on of the thoughest opponents I have faced.
Daryl Roberts came off the bench to snatch the vitory with five minutes of normal time remaining.
The only down side to this was that Hacettepe, Antalyaspor and Eskisehirespor all managed good results so we stay 14th with 16 points from 19 games.

Sivasspor 2-0 Denizlispor

Another blow to our confidence levels after this defeat. We didn't appear to want to win today and wasted the chances that did come our way. I wasn't happy about the goals either which were both sloppy and soft to concede.
We knew Sivasspor were going to present a challenge and unfortunetly in our 3rd game of the season against the we lost.

Half-way point

The half-way point has come for us and it hasn't been the best half-season for us. We are just a point above the relegation zone and already look set for a dog-fight until the end of the season. My contract is up at the end of this season and is something that I will discuss once the season has finished. I have said before that I want to stay and extend my contract but that remaisn to be seen how we perform from now until then.

Positives:
The positives from the opening half of the season was that unbeaten run in November-December. During this run we collected good draws against top-10 teams while also showing our potential in a 4-1 over Ankaragucu. We also had a two game winning streak which pleased me.
The other positive was finding out side's mentality. We all favour an attacking game which will be our strategy.

Negatives:
There has been alot of negatives so far. One is the unhappyness of one or two players in this team. Among them Fatih Yigen has expressed his desire to leave while Izzet has alos shown the same feeling.
Injruies have hit-us hard. Already we have a few long-term injuries in key areas. Cenk, our no.1 keeper is out until April. Emin Aladag is out until late February and Murat Karakoc is out for four weeks.
Form. Our form hasn't been terrific. Which explains our disappointing position at the moment in the league. We did have that unbeaten run but that was ended by hapless defending at times. Something that certainly has to change in the 2nd half.

Verdict:
Considering our position at this point, I think if we can correct these mistakes there is no stopping us from finishing in the top 10 this season. I have said that the top 10 in my first season is a good platform for us. Top 10 for us will do nicely.

Transfer round-up

With just two days of the transfer window remaining we haven't been very busy. We had two players in on trial and one has signed a contract until the end of the season while the other had left.

Transfers In:
Chris Pontius (free)

Transfers Out:
none as of yet although Ibrahima Bangoura is on the list.

Chris Pontius signed for us after a sucessful trial period in which he scored in the Turkiye Kupasi. Pontius is an American striker who can also play in midfield which is massive for us as Emin Aladag is out until late February early March time frame. Pontius has signed a contract with us until the end of the current seasonn (May 2009).
The other player we had on trial was Milos Kokic. Kokic has since left the club after he rejected our contract offer.

Hacettepe 1-0 Denizlispor

We returned to league action with a disappointing result. This defeat was a result of a winner in the 92nd minute which really was fustrating for us. As for the game itself it wasn't a great team performance. We had a usual number of players missing from injury to suspention. Key players such as Emin Aladag, Murat Karakoc and Wescley were all missing while Caglar and Burak are out for next weeks game against Sivasspor.
Hacettpe's win means they stay bottom but two points behind us in 14th in the 18-team Super Lig. The first-half of the season is over and we look for improvement.

Trabzonspor 1-1 Denizlispor (Turkiye Kupasi)

A very good result despite us exiting the competition. We took the lead in this match but failed to hold on. We played really well and proberly deserved victory in this game but Trabzonspor have quality and it showed but overall pleased going into the two week break from action. Chris Pontius and Milos Kokic also played and their trials are now up and we will be making a decision on both in the coming days.

Denizlispor 1-1 Manisaspor (Turkiye Kupasi)

A result that may have cost our Turkiye Kupasi campaign. It leaves our fate out of our hands. The Manisaspor team managed to keep us out despite attack after attack from us. I was pleased with Milos Kokic performance on his debut and will start against Trabzonspor in the next cup game. Chris Pontius played well as did Fatih and Emil Angelov.

Istanbul B.B 2-1 Denizlispor

A disappointing game from our standards of recent weeks. We deserved to lose as we didn;t enjoy long periods of possession.
I decided to keep Renny Vega in goal as Milos Kokic wasn't match fit. He did well saving us on a couple of occasions throughout the match.
One big positive from the match was the indroduction of Chris Pontius. The American on-trial for two weeks scored a bullet header to give us a chance in the game.
Ugur Aktas didn't have a great game and Ilkay went off injured.

Pontius and Kokic join for trials

Today we signed both Chris Pontius and Milos Kokic for two week trials. Both we previously with D.C United in the United States and were both out of contract. I like these two as they will have the cup games to show me what they can do and earn a contract until the end of the season.

Chris Pontius:
Chris is a striker but can play in central midfield as well as a winger. He would be a decent signing as Emin Aladag is out for two months. He has agreed to join up with us for two weeks to show us what he has got and hopefully extend his stay here until the end of the season.

Milos Kokic:
Milos is a goalkeeper who was with D.C United for the 2008 MLS campaign. He was released and has agreed to join up with us for two weeks to assess him. Milos has looked good in training and may be given a start against Istanbul B.B in the Turkiye Kupasi.

Both players certainly have quality about them and they will strenghten our injury-wrecked squad. I will be looking at bringing in a few more players before the league resumes in late January.

Denizlispor 1-1 Kocaelispor

The last before the winter break from the league. This was a game I thaught we had a real chance of winning. Our performance wasn;t the best in this one. We fell behind before snatching a draw which was deserved in my eyes. We need that bit of extra quality in feeding our strikers because at the moment we are not getting the supply from midfield.
We have our 2nd Cup game next up.

January early plans

The plans for the January transfer window are primarly to get a back-up goalkeeper. I need a short-term loan or free signing as Cenk is out until April and Renny Vega needs cover. I have been looking around the globe for a new short-term keeper and I have a few in mind. I have been looking at my Saudi Arabia squad and Waleed Ali is on my radar. I will be looking to the big clubs in Turkey for a keeper as well.

The 2nd transfer area I need to sign in is left back. Feridun is suspended while Karakoc is out injured so I will again be looking for a short-term signing beit loan or free.

The 3rd and final area I will be looking to fill is the right-back position. Caglar is doing fantastic but I need a reliable back-up in case of suspention or injury.

Youth Teams:
The Youth team players are also going to be featuring more regularly from now on as I look to assess all my players before the big summer clear-out to trim the wage bill. This year I have indroduced Ugur Aktas. Ugur is very good for his age and definetly has a future at this club. I have a few more youngsters that will be making the jump up in the coming weeks especially in the cup games.

Contracts:
The contract situation will have to be sorted at the end of the season. A few players' deals are up in May which will be assessed in due course. Emin Aladag is out of contract in May and has rejected two offers from us and looks to be on his way out in May. I have a few good players at the club who can play in Aladag's role which is left winger. Ugur Aktas has impressed in that position as has Douglas Peruíbe and Caner Celep.
A number of u-20 players' deals are also up in May.

Injuries mount

We have been hit with a batch of nasty injuries with key players affected. Star keeper Cenk is out until April while Emin Aladag, Murat Karakoc and Burak are all out until February.
With the christmas break approching the league shows us in 13th place with 12 points from 15 games which could and definetly should be better.

The registration window is open in January which will see us register our key cup squad players.

Fenerbahce 6-2 Denizlispor

A game I actually thaught we had a chance in. But we came up against a very good and on form Fenerbahce side. Fenerbahce were 3-0 up before we scored which at 3-1 I still thaught we had a chance.
Further goals meant Fenerbahce were 5-1 up. Scott Chiperfield, Fenerbahce's new star made our life though.
We did get another goal to make it 5-2 but then Alex made it 6-2 and that was that. Overall I was pleased with our performance and the two goals scored were good well-worked goals which gives me confidence ahead of our next game against Kocaelispor.

Denizlispor 4-1 Ankaragucu

A fantastic day for us as we made it four games unbeaten and two wins on the spin. A stunning double in the first half was followed by Daryl Roberts continuing his fine form with two more. Ankaragucu pulled a goal back on 86 minutes to make 4-1. Very pleased with how things are going now everything is starting to fall into shape. Our performances are greatly improved, we are getting results and we are also scoring goals.

Eskisehirspor 1-2 Denizlispor

Finally we got a victory that we deserved. After the performances of recent weeks with results turning positive we finally got the win that was long over-due.
It was Eskisehirspor who struck first before our main goal-treat Daryl Roberts fired us to a 2-1 victory with two well taken goals. This was all acheived without Emin Aladag, missed due to injury. A fantastic result and we can now look forward to climbing the table.

Lanús job?

Lanús sacked their boss and it emerged that I was favourite to take over. The Argentina Primer División is a league I would like to manage in but not yet and I declined to comment about my interest in joining up with Lanús. My contract with Denizlispor runs out at the end of the current season and I intend to see it out and maybe sign an extention.

Denizlispor 2-2 Bursaspor

3rd placed Bursaspor were the visitors here and we were unlucky to draw this game. As our recent performances show we are starting to get get results although not wins.
We were 2-1 up with ten minutes to go before Sercan Yildirim found the net to force a draw for the high-flying side.
A good draw but really three points was within our grasp.

Saudi Arabia 2-2 South Korea

Another draw and yet another goal conceded in the last seconds. Our team have really been rocked by these series of last minute goals which might have problems.
We played well overall with our tackling good and we we 2-1 up for the whole 2nd half right up until the lastest blow in our bd for the world cup qualification.
This result leaves us in 3rd spot with a game in hand. Next up is North Korea in Feberuary.

Ankaraspor 1-1 Denizlispor

A massive game for us in a real six-pointer. We really took the game to Ankaraspor and despite some dodgy play in the first-half we came out strong in the 2nd half.
Cenk, our 1st choise keeper is out until April with a calf injury so Renny Vega our 2nd choise has his chance to impress me.
He certainly had a fantastic game here coming to our rescue time and time again. Fredrik Risp had a shot parried by our Venezuelan keeper and we took the lead on 70 minutes.
But the officials added three minutes stoppages and Ankaraspor scored in the 5th!!! Poor decision by the officials which cost us a vital and priceless victory.
Pleased with the performance.

Denizlispor 0-0 Sivasspor (Turkiye Kupasi)

Out group stage in the Turkiye Kupasi got under way just three days after the Galatasaray game. Sivasspor beat us 3-1 on the opening day but in this game we had out big names, who are ineligable for the League.
This meant Ivan Lietava and Angelov were back. Daryl Roberts is regaining fitness having returned from injury.
Sivasspor weren't too good today with a lack of chances. If anything we had more of an advantage in making our chances come close. Berberovic was leading the way along with Ugur Aktas, who has been drafted into the first team following really impressive U-18 team games.
Lietava hit the post from a free-kick while an Inineu free-kick from 40-yards had Sivasspor worried.
Another impressive showing and we starting to see a massive impact on results.

Galatasaray 3-0 Denizlispor

We went to the Ali Sami Yen in confidence to be honest. After the Konyaspor game we knew that a repeat could mean coming away from the Ali Sami Yen with a point at least.
We kept them out for most of the game until 65 minutes in when Milan Baros found a way past Cenk.
Two more goals followed in the final ten minutes which left us thinking that we could've got something from this game. Not to downhearted about this we knew it would be though but we have a big game next weekend.

Denizlispor 0-1 Konyaspor

We played well but we were undone by a moment in lapse consentration. We dominated the first-half with Berberovic hitting the bar and Emin Aladag coming close while Daryl Roberts came on as a sub.
The result keeps us bottom but looking at this showing we could be turning a corner in our results. Konyaspor were definetly there for the taking and unfortunetly their shot went in and we were left to see what could've been.

Denizlispor 0-1 Kayserispor

Defeat again for us in a game that we were expected to lose. I felt a win was possible against this Kayserispor side lying 6th in the table and having beaten A.C Milan earlier in the season.
We played alright I must admit. We did carve out chances and our defense was much better today than what it has been at times this season.
Just one silly mistake in this match was punished which killed us. Berberovic's mistake leading to the only goal of the game that leaves us bottom of the table.
After 7 games we are bottom which is not ideal considering Galtasaray and Fenerbahce are both coming up in the weeks ahead.

Rubin Kazan job?

I was linked with the Rubin Kazan vacant job during the week which was flattering to hear. I was one of the rank outsiders to get the job but told a press conference that I was going no where at the moment. I have a contract with Denizlispor until the end of the 2008-09 season which i fully intend to see out and sign and extention should I be offered.
Maybe in the future I might venture into Russian football but at the moment I am concentrating on both Denizlispor and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia 4-4 Japan

4-4 may sound a good result but trust me it was far from pleasing. The sickening thing about this result is the fact that us Saudi Arabia were 4-0 up at half-time.
The first-half we were untouchable. We bought an experimental side with us and so did Japan. We were 2-0 up after just 15 minutes. The 2nd half though was a completly different story. I went for a 3-5-3 to start off with in the 2nd half and Japan scored two quick-fire goals to bring it back to 4-2.
We conceded a third on 75 minutes which left us in a tight situation. Then the unthinkable. A goal in the dying seconds. An own goal and it was 4-4. I was really angry at this because of our very healthy 4-0 lead was wiped out.
I have now decided that every player who played that 2nd half will never be called up to the Saudi squad while I am in charge.
Newcommers who played the 2nd half will not be considered. I am now scouting for more newcommers who have to be better than the rubbish I picked.

Saudi Arabia focus

It's now approaching the October internationals and we have the month off of World cup qualifiers.
We have a friendly against Japan on Saturday which will be used to tinker around with some changes and formations to see which will work best against South Korea in November.
I plan to call up some uncapped players to see what talent is at my disposal within the country. I have been watching some Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittifaq games to see the players and some have impressed.
I will be giving some of the regulars a rest and others are out due to injury. Mohammed Noor is a doubt due to injury which gives me the option of calling up an uncapped left sided winger in his place. I have also been considering calling up players who are eligable for Saudi Arabia for this game. I have two Holland-based players both born in Saudi Arabia in line.
The game against Japan will be a test for the young players as they pit their wits against one of the strongest sides in Asia. A test I am egar to see how they cope.

Trabzonspor 2-1 Denizlispor

Trabzonspor showed their quality in this game after we took the lead on the half-hour. Faith Yigen gave us the lead before Trabzonspor levelled through Unal.
Unal scored the winner in the 2nd half but this was a defeat that could've so easily been a victory. We need a bit of confidence in front of goal. In this game I decided on giving the 4-3-3 one more shot and it almost worked wonders as Trabzonspor are a decent side.
We have a break due to the internationals coming up which gives us time to reflect on the season so far and what our next moves will be.

Denizlispor 1-3 Genclerbirligi

Defeat again in the league leaves us in the relegation zone with just 1 win from four. A terrible game from our point with three more goals shipped and a season that has thus far been disappointing.
The 4-3-3 has worked well in relation to our performances but it's not gettign results which means I am now going to have to figure out a new formation that can acheive the results we need.