Breaking Bordavia: Episode 1; Covering the basics

Hello one, hello all!
What a dream I just had! I dreamt that I was in this... This metropolitan city, surrounded by potato farms, yet also surrounded by new and moderns buildings.
My geography is not that strong, but. I have this weird feeling that I am in...
Oh... Damn..

Bordavia!

Yes! I have arrived in Galsk, a blossoming metropolitan city, just a stone throw from the capital of Aransk. The suburbs are farms, big potato farms at that as well, whilst the city centre is a modern marvel. It is very clear, that this is a city on the up & up.
In between the skyscrapers and farms, you find the newly built and gorgeous Novichok Arena.
Complete with shopping center, offices, incorporated training facilities, all state of the art, this is a club that is being invested heavily in.

The Club Charirman, Veinamin Litvinenko is man with a very clear ambition of making PFC Dynamo Galsk a powerhouse in Bordavia.
With plenty of money to throw at the club, he is expecting high profile signings and to establish the club as a contender for promotion within a few years.
The initial conversations, scream of a man, jealous of his good friend, Roman, and his adventure in the British.

But becoming a powerhouse in Bordavia, is a task very few will ever even attempt.
The massive club, CSKA Aransk, has been dominating for decades and if you think PFC Dynamo Galsk is a rich club? Then you have a lot to learn about the balance of power and money in Bordavia.

But enough talk!
I've signed the contract, so let's look at what I'm dealing with.
In this first episode, we'll be having a look at the following:

1: Squad - As a mid table team in the second division, but with great facilities, I expect a good crop of youth players, sprinkled with a couple of older stars to guide them.

2: Staff - A club is nothing without the staff. If I am to ever EVER challenge CSKA, I need to have my backroom in order. From Physio to Fitness, no scrubs!

3: Potential Transfers - I fully expect to be having to dip into the transfer market and I expect that I'll "have" to take lower league players and undiscovered wonderkids.

4: Expectations - What is the club expecting? Is it possible with the squad, if I can get the right players to improve the team?

And lastly,

5: Pre Season & Oblast Championship - Before we start the league, we have to compete in the regional championships, called Oblast 5 (region number) and that will give me an idea of how competitive the squad is, before we kick off what really matters: The League.

Right. Let's get to it.

The Squad:

A nice big squad with a lot of young players. Just like expected. A couple that are a bit younger than normal (2 x 15!) but they've got it to make it. So,  yeah. Why not give them the chance.
So lets look at a couple of players and their attributes.

Sabitov is looking like he will be the main man up top. A good finisher with a good first touch, who is good off the ball, is exactly what you want.
But, the physical attributes are not really that good. Yeah, he is strong enough, but he is pretty slow, slow off the mark and not able to last a full match.
I'm hoping he'll prove me wrong.

Igor is also a decent baller. There is not a lot of ballers in this team and they only expect me to finish in the top half, so not a lot of pressure.
But it would have helped to haves a stand out player. :S
However, it is Igor's physical and mental abilities that makes him an important player. We'll be in a dog fight and I'll dipping into the transfer markets in order to strengthen the team in the right places.... Which is EVERYWHERE!

But. Then I noticed this kid... Just, sitting in the corner, headphones on and lacing his boots.
"Hey kid. You okay? Did you loose your parents?"
-"Parents!? I AM my parents! I am Danila. You the coach? I'm your talisman! Pass the ball, kid!"

14 years old! :O Look at those numbers. What a stunner! I can't believe that. That First Touch, that passing and that Technique! I have already decided that I will take this kid, anywhere I go.
If he develops correctly of course. But that is up to me as well.
He'll be my little project. <3

But that was pretty much that for the players. Really boring, I know. But I'll sort out some good transfers. Hopefully.

Let's look at:
The Staff:

Right, so I made a mistake. I forgot to take the screenshot before I sorted them out, but now it looks like this. :)

Now, this is the kind of staff you'd want to have.
Best in the league, in every aspect. Both coaching, recruitment and medical. My little wonderkid, Danila, will have all the tools he needs to become a star.

And then there's the transfers.
I've already made some purchases and I think you'll know one if them. ;)
No, not The Lord. I did try, but he wants too much money and too much responsibility.
And I'm honestly not sure that he'd be that great over here. From being safe and protected in Norway, to the hard tackling Bordavian leagues can be quite a shock.
But then again, this guy will be also be in for a rude awakening!
Please welcome,
Chucks Aneke!

Now, it seems to me that the dear Chucks has been doing some work in the gym and on the pitch, because he is a lot better than I remembered.
And he will be vying for a place on top against Sabitov.
The preseason and the Oblast 5 Championship will decide who gets the nod, but I do have a little thing for Chucks.
He's strong, got good finishing skills, good heading skills, very aggresive and can shoot from outside the box as well.
I'm quite surprised by him.

And with that, let's have a look at the pre season.

I cancelled a load of games, as I always spend the first 1, maybe 2 weeks, on the training pitch and getting the basics in. That means fitness and tactics and then we work on the more match related sessions in the following weeks, where the training matches are the tests.
And as you can see, we did pretty well. I was not surprised about the defeat to Aransk. There is just something about those capital clubs that make you expect a defeat every time.
At least for now.
One day, I'll make sure that they fear us!

Oh well, that is still some time off.
In the meantime, these are the expectations for me

Not particularly high expectations for the first season. The rest doesn't matter until my contract gets extended. And that is not an if, but a when. Of course.
But personally, I don't care about the cups. All that is on my mind, is strengthening the squad and winning promotion. Obviously season one is only about building the team. It is tough when you're not a very reputable club in the second division. Money doesn't matter down here.
But I still managed to pull Chuck into the void. Hopefully, he will come good.

And that leaves us on the cusp of the Oblast Championship. We are favourites for it and I want to start off with a trophy. Just for fun of course.

So I am going to leave you for now.
Thank you for tuning in. It has been a wee while since my last blog and it has taken me little to get the first episode going, but I am back!
Thanks to every single one of you, in this amazing community.

Stay Safe - Take Care & Be Kind