retired_workingmom77

Thanks chesterfan2, always rewarding when the effort put into the story is appreciated by the readers.

Heinrich was seated in the director's box in the Estádio da Baixada for the home victory against Vitoria. It was his usual position for every home game. He was considered to weak to be able to travel to CAHA's away games, much to his disgust. As a result he made sure he was present for every home game and had done so since his release from prison. All of the teams in the league were relatively unknown to him at first but he knew for certain that Vitoria were a very good side. He had already congratulated his manager on one league vitory against the runaway leaders, and it was a pleasant surprise to have to do it again after a 4-2 home win.

The result had helped him make his mind up. The information recently given to him had been disturbing and his every instinct that he had honed over the years of being in the army told him to act quickly. But something told him that it was perhaps a good thing to act differently than he had in the past. Sam was doing a good job, he would continue to do a good job. "And when he slips up, I'll be there waiting to deal with him" thought Heinrich. If there was one thing Heinrich hated, it was a traitor.....

retired_workingmom77

October/November 2008

The 2008 schedule dictated that we would finish our league campaign in late November leaving December entirely free for us to re-group ahead of the next season. Safety was looming closer with every game, and the objective was to see if we could build on our current position. The future was looking great for the club and November would mark 1 year of financial security, we have the transfers of Adriano and Berg to thank for that plus sell out crowds at the Baixada. September had been a bit of an up and down month for us and we had to start October positively against Fortaleza.

Fortaleza had struggled to bounce back into the First Divsion so far this season and we were actually above them in the table going into this game. It was a cracking match but sadly we were on the end of a 4-2 defeat. Going into the final 20 minutes we had been 2-1 up thanks to goals from Ale and Diego Morais but unfortunately a Negreiros hat trick produced a 4-2 for the visitors. Two defeats on the bounce and we were beginning to slide back down the table. However a 3-0 win against Treze followed, goals from Jonathan and a brace from Wellington. Treze now look like serious candidates for relegation as they are struggling to re-produce last years great form.

Santo Andre still hadn't given up on chasing Ponte Preta for second place and they needed a win if they were to realistically challenge for promotion. They got off to a good start, attacking midfielder Diogo with a long range effort for 1-0. However we began to fight back and within 10 minutes were level through Wellington. Just a few minutes later, Diego Morais beat his man and cooly slotted home a second to put us into the lead. We didn’t stop there as Ale headed in a third to send us in at the break 3-1 ahead. However, Santo Andre were to have a come back of their own as Everton scored not long after restart to make it 3-2. It looked like heart-break on 87 minutes as Gaucho made it 3-3, but much to our delight Diego Morais headed home from a well executed corner by Juliano to grab a 4-3 win.

Two straight wins had turned our fortunes around as we looked to have a strong finish to the season. However, unfortunately we could not make it three straight wins as we went down 3-1 to Guarani in our next game. Jair grabbing a late consolation as the Campinas side romped home in what should have been a bigger score line margin.

A 3-0 win against newly promoted (and probably soon to be relegated) Americano followed, 9 points from a possible 12 was a great record as far as we were concerned and it meant that we retained 9th position in the league table. Diego Morais adding two goals to his season tally whilst promising left winger Juliano scored again , as interest in him from bigger clubs continues to hot up.

Next up were Santa Cruz who were harbouring aspirations of a top 5 finish. Despite a first minute Juliano opener, Julio Cesar and Eleilson scored and looked to give the home side a 2-1 victory. However, 10 minutes from the end a Juliano corner set up Diego Morais, who headed home to rescue a point.

We entered December safe from relegation and with our main aim to finish in the top half still in sight. However it did not prove to be the best of months as we recorded 5 draws and a defeat to finish 11th in the table. First up was a thrilling 3-3 against Portuguesa, our matches against this club have always proved high scoring and this was no different as Wellington, Juliano and Diego Morais were all on target. Next we succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Nautico in front of the TV cameras, a double from Diego enough to cancel out Wellington’s solitary goal.

1-1 draws against both Paulista and Avai followed, with Wellington on the score sheet both times. Avai now look to be entering the three horse race to avoid joining the already doomed River in the Third Division. As Treze and Americano’s results continue to improve there is a real danger of relegation for our rivals. A 2-2 thriller against Ituano followed in which Clecio could have won the match from the penalty spot but blazed over the bar. Our final game of the season was against River who had already been relegated, their performances had improved now that they had nothing to lose and we struggling to contain them in an exciting 1-1 draw. That result cemented our place in 11th at the end of the season, a much better performance that had seen us rise 7 places above last season. Next season I hope to lead the team into the top five.

Results
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> ************************************************** ************************************************** ****************************************Fortaleza 2-4 H Second Division Ale, Diego MoraisTreze 3-0 A Second Division Jonathan, Wellington(2)Santo Andre 4-3 H Second Division Ale, Wellington, Diego Morais(2)Guarani 1-3 A Second Division JairAmericano 3-0 H Second Division Juliano, Diego Morais(2)Santa Cruz 2-2 A Second Division Juliano, Diego MoraisPortuguesa 3-3 H Second Division Juliano, Diego Morais, WellingtonNautico 1-2 TV H Second Division WellingtonPaulista 1-1 A Second Division WellingtonAvai 1-1 A Second Division WellingtonItuano 2-2 H Second Division Maycon, NenoRiver (PI) 1-1 A Second Division Neno********************************************** ************************************************** ********************************************</pre>

Second Division Final Standings
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> ================================================== ================================================== ========================================Brazilian Second Division 2008============================================== ================================================== ============================================Pos. Team P W D L F A G.D Pts.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. C Vitoria 38 27 4 7 79 47 +32 85--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. P Ponte Preta 38 20 12 6 74 48 +26 72--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Santo Andre 38 20 5 13 82 55 +27 654. Figueirense 38 19 7 12 75 49 +26 645. Guarani 38 18 10 10 62 45 +17 646. Santa Cruz 38 18 6 14 59 47 +12 607. Juventude 38 16 9 13 53 46 +7 578. Ituano 38 15 10 13 62 58 +4 559. CRB 38 13 14 11 58 55 +3 5310. Nautico 38 15 6 17 70 64 +6 5111. HERMANN AICHINGER 38 13 12 13 71 78 -7 5112. Paulista 38 14 8 16 46 53 -7 5013. Fortaleza 38 14 5 19 60 64 -4 4714. Paysandu 38 13 8 17 73 84 -11 4715. SE Gama 38 11 13 14 56 67 -11 4616. Portuguesa 38 12 9 17 55 81 -26 4517. Americano 38 12 6 20 40 54 -14 4218. Treze 38 12 5 21 47 70 -23 41--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19. R Avai 38 11 8 19 48 61 -13 41 *20. R River (PI) 38 6 5 27 35 79 -44 23================================================ ================================================== ==========================================*= Avai relegated due to worse head-to-head record</pre>

2008 League Information

First Divsion

Champions
Santos

Runners Up
Corinthians

Relegated
Vasco
Sport Recife

Top Goalscorer
24 - Jonathas (Cruzeiro)

Second Division

Champions
Vitoria

Promoted
Ponte Preta

Relegated
Avai
River (PI)

Top Goalscorer
29 - Roberto Santos (Ponte Preta)

Third Division

Champions
Sao Raimundo (AM)

Promoted
15 de Novembro

Top Goalscorer
17 - Silvio (Tuna Luso)

retired_perilousfaith

Hey Xenon, this is a very interesting story for sure! Can't wait to read the rest!

Keep up the good work!

retired_workingmom77

Thank you very much Flying_Fin!

Sam's rather modest salary was just enough to allow him to rent a stylish apartment on the Ilha de Santa Catarina just outside the town of Florianopolis where nearby rivals Figueirense played their football. It was a fairly long distance commute, but the long drive usually cleared his mind for the work ahead and if needs be, he had a small flat in Ibirama. Now that the season was over and given that it had been a busy one on and off the pitch, he just wanted to allow himself a week or two of relaxation provided the weather was decent on his island paradise.

That was the plan, but a knock on the door one morning early in December changed all that. Sam woke with a start at the knocking of the door. Half asleep he scrambled to his feet and staggered towards the door, to his uttermost surprise it was Wolfgang.

"Sam, apologies for disturbing you on your week off but we need to talk".

"Errr.....sure, make yourself at home"

He stood aside as Wolfgang entered and sat tentatively on the sofa, Sam offered him a drink to which he respectfully declined. Sam feared the worst, that he was about to lose his job or even worse, that Wolfgang had discovered his loose involvement with Max and Manni's plots to overthrow him and his grandfather. Something suddenly struck him, Wolfgang's normally heavily accented English was now pronounciated perfectly and with only a hint of a Bavarian twang, that betrayed a more thorough education than had previously become apparant. His demeanour was altogether different than before and in fact he behaved like totally different person as he sat and began to explain his un-announced arrival.

"OK, I suppose a good place to start is that I know everything. I know about Max and Manni Stader, about your collaboration with them and about their intentions."

Sam was dumbstruck, this could be the end of his life never mind his career.

"But I myself have not been very honest with you. In fact I am not who I say I am, my name is Marchetti, Genesio Marchetti. I am of course of German descent despite my mother being Brazilian in fact I am related to Hermann Aichinger himself. I am posing as the grandson of Heinrich in order to reclaim the club to its rightful owners when Heinrich dies. It seems the Stader family have complicated matters and I have decided reveal my true identity to you"

"So you are just another schemer? I mean, I know Heinrich is a wicked old bÃ*stard but sometimes I actually feel sorry for him. I think I've lost count of the people that are either trying to kill him or con him out of this football club. So does he actually have any relatives? Any more people that are going to join this sick and twisted power struggle?"

"I admit it is confusing and no, he has no relatives except for he thinks I am his only surviving relative. Let me just state my case. The Staders, despite the decency of Max's father are as much thugs as Heinrich and his 'colleagues', Matthias was a good man I was told but his son and grandson are bad news. I have the scars to prove it of course.

Sam noticed that the bullet that had grazed Wolfgang (or Genesio as he was now known)'s face and left a huge scar had not faded at all. Leaving a huge slice down one side of his face.

“Fairly soon they will be handed over to the police and luckily for you, we will protect you because rest assured they will tell the police of your involvement. Of course it seems that your ability to manage will keep you out of prison for the rest of your days. Heinrich is no fool, you have been the best thing that has ever happened to this club and he is not about to get rid of you just yet.�

“I still don’t see how any of this benefits me. It’s difficult enough to do my job under normal circumstances let alone all of this hanging over my head. I don’t see why I shouldn’t just walk away.�

“Heinrich would have you arrested and charged with accessory to murder should you walk. So I advise you to stay put. Like it or not, I am your only way out of this. And when I get control of the club, the Hermann Youth will be scrapped. You will be allowed to do your job with a much better salary and money to buy new players and I promise you as chairman I will let you develop the team as you see fit. I can see that this club needs you as a manager for as long as possible.�

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice.�

“Sadly not. Now show me what players you are bringing in this month…….�

retired_workingmom77

retired_workingmom77

retired_aefrb

My first venture into FMS, like your story Xenon.

KUTGW, excellent effort put in. :thup:

retired_workingmom77

Thanks a lot dm_gers, glad you took the time to read the whole story :thup:

January 2009

With Wolfgang suitably impressed with the players I had brought in, it was time to focus on trying to win our first Santa Catarina state championship. In the group stages I was particularly keen to avoid the likes of Avai and Figueirense and thankfully we did. We were drawn with Prospera, Caxias (SC), dangerous side Criciuma, Tubarao and bogey side Joinville. I was fairly happy with the draw and felt that qualification was more than acheivable. Criciuma and Joinville were potential threats and despite the division gap we still had to be wary of them.

First up we were at home to relegation favourites Prospera. Off the back of an 11th place finish in the Second Division, confidence was high amongst the fans. But our die hard supporters were in for a shock as after just 3 minutes Prospera took a shock lead through veteran striker Afonso. To our credit we were quick to recover and by half time thanks to two goals from Ale and a wonder strike from Wellington. Wellington then went on to wrap up a 4-1 victory late in the second half. Off to a comprehensive start to the championship campaign.

Next up was a comfortable win against Caxias, Juliano, Wellington and Jonathan scoring in a 3-0 victory. Next was a very tough game against Criciuma in which an Ale penalty and Luciano strike were enough to cancel out a Saulo goal in a hard fought 2-1 win. We wouldn't be able to maintain our 100% start as Joinville, who constantly give us problems ran out 2-0 winners. As Joao Paulo was on Brazil Under 20 duty, we lacked a creative force in the midfield and could not convert our chances while Bruno and Agnaldo punished us at the back.

Results
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> ************************************************** ************************************************** ****************************************Prospera 4-1 H Santa Catarina Ale(2), Wellington(2)Caxias 3-0 A Santa Catarina Juliano, Jonathan, WellingtonCriciuma 2-1 H Santa Catarina Ale, LucianoJoinville 0-2 A Santa Catarina ************************************************** ************************************************** ****************************************</pre>

retired_workingmom77

Santa Catarina is one of the few places in Brazil where it snows in the Winter. It is generally regarded as, on average, the coldest place in Brazil due to the highlands near the Argentinian border. And it was on one of these very cold mornings that Heinrich delivered his two prisoners to the police. Snowflakes were fluttering down from the crisp skies as he was driven to his destination. It was quite a picturesque place in Winter, he observed. The oppressive heat of the Summer was too much for him these days, it was a wonder he had lived this long whilst enduring them in prison conditions for 56 years. As the car swung into a wide road, he was suddenly reminded of why he came here. Tall German style houses with their grand, bottom storey arches and second storey balconies reminded him that this really was a home from home.

Germans had been coming to the far south of Brazil since the early 19th Century, particularly to Santa Catarina and Brazil's southern most state Rio Grande do Sul. It was mainly because of the over-population of Germany and the lure of new land for the working class at the time. German immigration didn't really kick off until the 1850's when waves of Germans began arriving in southern Brazil. To control the immigration, German colonies were set up. Initially these were rural areas but now large cities such as Joinville and Blumenau have been created. These German communities were seperated from Brazilian communities and as a result they retained their language and culture for decades. The outbreak of war between Brazil and German severly damaged this however. Immigrants were forced to learn Portuguese and adopt the culture of their host nation. The German influence is still visible today as 35% of Santa Catarinese are of German descent and a staggering 92% as a whole from European descent mainly Portuguese or Italian.

The Portuguese Heinrich had learnt in prison was definately not suitable to be taught to more German immigrants, not there were many nowadays anyway. He had arranged this with the police to hand over the Staders, with the charges they would be going down for a very long time. The authorities had been surprised to hear from him so soon, they admitted the place wasn't really the same without him. As they stopped outside the station, Heinrich turned to the driver.

"Everything is in place, all you have to do is drop them off"

The driver nodded, switched off the ignition and got out of the car. He retrieved his two prisoners from the boot and with the help of another henchman dragged them inside. As they struggled against the two men, Heinrich could distinctly hear Manni shouting.

"You said we had a deal!!!!!"

And that, was that.

retired_aldo chella

Excellent read this is! I am quite enjoying the story within the story! And good to see the state championships get off to a solid start! KUTGW!!! :thup: