Welcome to an important chapter in Shama Deadman’s managerial career.
Last time out, a disappointing first half to the 2022/2023 campaign saw Cambrian & Clydach’s promotion push collapse. Shama was called into an urgent board meeting, during which he decided to jump before the chairman could push him out.
Now jobless for the first time in just over two years, we rejoin the story with our hero looking for a new club to manage. Where in Europe will he end up?
A JOB HUNT (AND A WORLD CUP)
I left Cambrian at a convenient time, as the 2022 World Cup was just around the corner. I could stay at home to watch the tournament play out in Qatar while also looking around various European leagues for the latest job openings.
As managerial journeymen go, there are few more fitting role models for me than Guus Hiddink. Not only was the hugely successful Dutchman still going at the age of 76, but he was also competing at his FOURTH World Cup, having led Curaçao to their first ever global finals! (Sadly, he didn’t bring that natty moustache out of retirement.)
Hiddink’s Caribbean minnows went out at the Group Stage, but they did get a win on the board, sensationally thrashing Qatar 8-1! The hosts lost all their matches, having been forced to field a team of ‘virtual’ players and ‘newgens’ after their biggest stars boycotted the tournament in protest against human rights abuses [if only…].
There were few surprises in the group phase, though Brazil were sensationally eliminated in the Last 16 by Algeria! The Fennecs followed up their 3-1 win by pushing Spain close in the Quarter Finals before bravely losing 2-1. Spain had knocked out England in the Last 16 following a red card for Fikayo Tomori (born in Canada to Nigerian parents), prompting a calm, rational and not-at-all vindictive response by the English media.
Euro 2021 champions Italy fell in the Last 16 as well, conceding two late extra-time goals to Portugal’s 37-year-old talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal then ended France’s title defence at the Quarter Finals, before halting Denmark’s fairytale run to the Semis (during which they had knocked out both Uruguay and Argentina).
Unfortunately for Ronaldo, his World Cup Final would end in tears. Though Leroy Sané’s 63rd-minute opener for Germany was countered by a last-gasp João Cancelo equaliser, ‘Die Mannschaft’ dominated in extra-time. Sané restored their lead before İlkay Gündogan’s penalty completed a 3-1 victory – and delivered the Germans a record-equalling fifth world championship!
While all that was going on, I was having plenty of frustration in my job hunt. I applied for the vacancy at Coleraine two days before the opening match in Qatar…. and the former Northern Irish champions didn’t even offer me an interview until three days after the Final!
Forget it! You don’t waste five-and-a-half weeks of my time and expect me to be happy about it!
There was one other job in the British Isles that piqued my interest. Dumbarton were scrapping near the bottom of Scottish League Two, and battling to avoid a third relegation in six years. It was a challenge I was interested in, especially as they wanted to develop players through their youth system…
…until I realised that Dumbarton’s youth system was basically non-existent. Moving on…
Other job openings came and went, as I was rejected by clubs in Iceland, Israel, Serbia and Slovenia. However, one team in the Portuguese third division was interested in me.
While millions of people celebrated their Christmas Day with presents and turkey, I held a video interview with the club president. I began the interview by wishing him a “Feliz Navidad”, only for him to point out that I’d said Merry Christmas in Spanish!
That language faux pas aside, it was a productive interview. The president didn’t have a real ‘five-year plan’; he just wanted someone who could keep the club clear of relegation. After putting myself under overwhelming pressure to try and get Cambrian promoted, this would be a welcome change of pace.
The president also didn’t have any reservations about my limited experience. After all, the club’s previous manager was only 25 years old when they hired him!
That being said, I wasn’t sure about whether he was just humouring me, or if he actually thought I was a serious candidate for the job. Six days later, on New Year’s Eve 2022, I got my answer:
Oh boy. This would be my first professional job – on an 18-month contract worth £525 per week, which I got up from £500 after some haggling. [And even that was a struggle. Negotiating a better contract with the board on FM21 is almost a miracle in itself!]
But even during those negotiations, I was having second thoughts. Was Espinho too big a step up too soon?
For starters, Espinho had a 2* club reputation (compared to 0.5* at Cambrian), while my managerial rep was not quite 1*. And in terms of the standard of play, to compare it to the English league system, I was effectively jumping from a rock-bottom National League North/South side to a team who probably wouldn’t disgrace themselves in League Two.
I wouldn’t be managing butchers, bakers or electricians anymore. I would be managing proper professional footballers, some of whom even had top-flight experience. Would they trust some no-name foreigner whose career highlight was winning the Combined Counties League First Division with Guernsey in 2012?!
But wait… the club’s nickname is the ‘Tigres da Costa Verde’ – the ‘Tigers of the Green Coast’. And you probably remember that I wear a green coat for matches! Green Coast, green coat… it’s written in the stars!
Screw it. I’m taking the job!
CLUB 2: ESPINHO
The second phase of my managerial career will be with Sporting Clube de Espinho. The club is based in Espinho – a small coastal city of around 32,000 people in the Aveiro district of northern Portugal. This popular beach resort staged the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which was won by the Portuguese hosts.
The Tigres were formed in 1914 and are one of Portugal’s oldest football clubs. In 1925, they enjoyed their best ever run in the Taça de Portugal, losing 4-1 to Porto in the Semi Finals.
Espinho were promoted to Portugal’s top division for the first time in 1974, and spent much of the next 23 years yo-yoing between the first and second tiers. Despite recording a best-ever finish of 6th in the 1987/1988 season, they haven’t graced the Primeira Liga since their last relegation in 1997.
The Tigres’ recent history has been rather more modest. They last played in the Segunda Liga in 2005, and have since dropped as low as the fourth tier. After finishing runners-up in their Campeonato de Portugal division in 2021, they were entered into the newly-formed Terceira Liga. They finished the Terceira’s inaugural season in 21st place out of 24 – just five points clear of relegation (but 41 ahead of the worst team).
Though Espinho have largely stayed clear of danger this term, they still sacked their manager just before Christmas with the team in 19th place. They have since won two matches under a caretaker coach and moved up to 15th. Now it’s up to me to keep up the momentum, keep the Tigres safe from harm, and then rebuild for next season.
The top two teams in the Terceira are promoted to the Segunda Liga, with the bottom two dropping into the Campeonato de Portugal. Our divisional rivals include the ‘B’ teams of Sporting CP and Braga, and fallen giants Vitória de Setúbal, who were demoted from the Primeira Liga in 2020 after losing their professional licence.
We also play in the Taça de Portugal – the Portuguese FA Cup, basically – but we were knocked out early, so I don’t have to worry about that until next season.
Our home ground is the 3,000-capacity Estádio Marques da Silva, in the nearby city of Ovar. Facilities are pretty mediocre across the board, and our youth system probably won’t produce the next Ronaldo any time soon. Now let’s have a look at our financial situation…
¡Ay, caramba! [No, Shama, that’s Spanish. AGAIN.]
Though our financial situation is described as ‘okay’, we are losing money at a worrying rate. A fair chunk of that is down to player wages, as we’re exceeding our £5,000 weekly budget by well over £1,000! I wish I’d known about this sooner, to be honest!
Obviously, my first job here will be to trim the squad and slash that wage bill. Speaking of that, let’s meet my new players…
SQUAD REPORT
At first glance, it seems that our strengths lie in defence, but it’s the lack of quality depth in midfield and attack that’s letting this team down. Let’s take a closer look at our main men, shall we?
Vice-captain Kadú is our undisputed first-choice keeper. The Angolan has some solid goalkeeping attributes (particularly Reflexes and Agility), though there are some doubts about his handling and eccentricity. But his biggest strength is his ‘model citizen’ personality, which will hopefully inspire the rest of the team!
We also have a couple of mediocre backups, at least one of them will have to be sold. Though Alexandre Reis is slightly more experienced, I’ll probably keep João Gonçalo for his potential.
23-year-old centre-back Filipe Relvas is probably our most sellable asset, should the worst come to the worst. Relvas has a high work rate and is quite consistent, and though his tackling is not the best, he is at least careful enough not to dive in recklessly.
We have a couple of potential defensive partners for Filipe. Rodrigo Antunes is excellent in the air, but lacks pace and doesn’t enjoy the big matches. Meanwhile, the experienced José Santos is in his fifth season at Espinho and shows plenty of commitment to the cause.
Unlike at Cambrian, we’ve got plenty of talented options at left-back. The selfless and athletic Álvaro Milhazes is probably the most reliable of them, though he can also do a fine job as a midfield mezzala. Club stalwart Gonçalo Cardoso looks pretty decent as well, even for someone who’s just turned 32.
At right-back, we have captain Mica Conceição, who was born in Switzerland and seems to be as reliable as one of their clocks. However, he does have a mean streak and will miss my first match through suspension. In Mica’s absence, I will likely give a debut to 17-year-old youth product Godfred Twumasi.
Worryingly, we do lack quality depth in midfield, where many of our best players are more suited to other positions. João Hilário is an absolutely key midfielder, though. The long-shot specialist has provided four goals and five assists so far this term and thrives in big games.
Alongside him will likely be another 17-year-old rookie. I’ve promoted José Fortes from the youth team, as I think the playmaker has the technical ability and creativity to help us unlock defences more often.
David Santos is a pacey left-winger who looks good on paper, but who has only contributed three goals and a single assist since arriving this summer. Another option on that left flank is Brazilian youngster Felipe, who is naturally a wing-back but whose attributes are more suited to an advanced role.
It’s all about youth and experience on the right wing. 34-year-old João Mendes is a veteran of over 400 league games and excels from set-pieces, but his physical attributes have plummeted, so this will likely be his last season. It may soon be time for him to pass the baton to Nélson Martins – an explosive and skilful wingman half his age.
Once he can build his confidence up, young Diogo Andrezo looks set to be our main creative force. He is most natural in attacking midfield and has also made a few appearances at right-wing, but I can see him potentially thriving as an inverted left-winger.
And while we are desperately short on strikers, the one frontman we do have is pretty handy. Miguel Pereira is a cool, calm finisher who likes to beat the offside trap and will surely improve on his four-goal haul so far this season. Miguel also looks a bit like a brown-haired Ivan Drago from the ‘Rocky’ films – an intimidating sight for many defenders.
This is a ‘first draft’ of one of the tactics I’ll be starting with at Espinho. It’s rather more conservative than a typical 4-2-3-1, as we’re focussing on staying defensively sound before hitting our opponents with direct counter-attacks.
As you can see, I’ve dropped two of the midfielders deeper. While one will focus on protecting the backline, the other will use his technique and intelligence to provide a crucial link between defence and attack. And being in a Lusophone country, it seems apt that I’m trying out a ‘segundo volante’ [no, Shama, that’s Sp… actually, ‘segundo’ is a Portuguese word. Pardon me].
But if that experiment doesn’t work, there’s always this. Trust me, you can’t go far wrong with a counter-attacking 4-3-3. At least I hope you can’t… but I guess we’ll find out soon enough!
So, Shama has found a new job for the new year! He is off to Portugal!
Please join me again on Monday, when our manager formally kicks off his reign at Espinho. Can he keep his new team safe from harm and consolidate their Terceira Liga status… or has he taken a step too far too early?
Thanks for reading!
Fuller FM 
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