retired_aldo chella

Pampilhosa Open For Business - Late July 2005

Having somewhat settled in, I was ready to get the ball rolling. I checked the fixture list, and noticed I had about 6 weeks before the start of the league. I figured that was plenty of time to shape the squad and tinker with it enough to my liking. One glaring problem I saw though when looking at the fixtures was that not a single friendly had been scheduled. I was very concerned that these players were not in shape, and so I immediately set out to schedule an away tour.

I wasn’t knowledgeable in the skill level of clubs within our division, nor those of the divisions above. Frankly, because it was getting into late July, most teams had already scheduled their friendlies, and I was not going to be able to get much work for the club if I stayed in Portugal. With that in mind, I was determined to schedule an away tour to a country that would be looking for some competitive match practice. I decided to err on the side of safety, and scheduled a tour of San Marino. I didn’t expect their clubs to possess much in terms of skill, and I was confident that I would be able to work the entire squad well, while seeing solid results boost their morale heading into the start of the season. So, I scheduled a four match tour beginning August 3rd.

Diary Entry – July 28th, 2005

What am I doing here? I know its only one day on the job, but I think I’m really over my head here. I don’t have a clue how to speak the language, and dealing through an interpreter is getting to be a pain. I really hope these self-help tapes do just that. I was really hoping to have a stronger supporting cast. No friendlies scheduled? How do they expect to get the squad into match shape for the season? And when I suggest we schedule some friendlies, they look amazed that I would think to do such a thing. Well at least their expectations aren’t that high.

After further discussions(?) with the board, I was at least able to determine that we are favorites for relegation. Great. Maybe this squad isn’t as good as I thought it was. I’m hoping they are just being cautious with expectations as I am new to the job. In any case, as much as I dislike it right now, I am determined to get this team at no less than a mid-table finish. That might spur the board on to shelling out a few more bucks in the upcoming season to handle wages and transfers.

I really need to sign staff, but I haven’t had the slightest opportunity to start looking. I did place advertisements for an assistant manager, coaches, scouts and physiotherapists. I’m not entirely optimistic about the potential results, but any interest is better than nothing. We’ll see how that progresses. In any case, it is unlikely that I will have the new staff on board before our tour.

I sent Castro out on assignment to start looking for players in Portugal. I’m hoping he can uncover a couple players looking for a new opportunity, but I have my doubts. He seems quite clueless at times, and I don’t really know how he came into the position of a scout to begin with. He’d be more capable as a water boy. Oh well…better than nothing I guess.

I better get some sleep. I have a lot to do in the next little while.

retired_aldo chella

Nothing Going On - Late July 2005

The rest of July went without any significant incident. I had yet to sign any players, nor any staff, despite my best efforts to get someone on board. The general response was that there was no interest in playing for Pampilhosa. Was there something I didn’t know about this team? I was really starting to get worried that we were destined for the bottom of league, and certain relegation, but I was going to let our tour give me more insight into that.

San Marino Here We Come! - Early August 2005

And we are off to San Marino. I’m not entirely sure that we are going to succeed on this tour, but I am confident that we possess a higher caliber team than the clubs here. I am more interested in trying out some different tactics against these clubs, and see what seems to get the best response. I would expect when the season begins, we will be running a 4-4-2, but this is the time to try out a few alternate formations.

retired_aldo chella

San Giovanni vs. Pampilhosa (Friendly) - August 3, 2005

August 3rd rolled around, and we were set to face San Giovanni. I wanted to start things out a little defensively to begin the season, and elected to try out a 4-5-1 to get the ball rolling. We were pretty sluggish off the start, with the few chances that we did have missing the net. Bruno Sousa came up with a couple big stops in the first half, and I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the one keeper I had appeared to be a solid one. I didn’t make any subs until the 2nd half, and with the game still scoreless I was hoping someone would provide a spark.

The second half saw us become much more dominant, and we forced much of the play. It was in the 83rd minute that we finally hit the scoresheet, as Helder Garcia found the back of the net. We had weathered a storm and hit on the counter attack as Grilo did a good job to open up some space and then send the ball over to an unmarked Garcia.

They came at us hard the rest of the way, but I opted to switch the team to a defensive 4-4-2 style, and we held on for an uninspired 1-0 win. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but we did have a lot of chances. We just need a few more on goal.

Diary Entry – August 3rd, 2005

Well that wasn’t so bad! I have to admit I was quite nervous when they kicked things off, but somehow a crowd of 100 or so people kind of takes the edge off. The guys played fairly well, but didn’t hit the net very often. Maybe they are trying too hard to impress me, and are likely shaking some cobwebs off. The defense looks pretty solid back there, which is great to see. We’ll see what kind of shape the guys are in tomorrow, and see who needs a rest before the next game, but I’m hoping to find a good ground to train on before the next match. I want to try some different tactics as I wasn’t very happy with how this 4-5-1 worked out. Perhaps I’ll switch to a more offensive lineup for the next match.

Still nothing in terms of player/staff movement. I don’t anticipate I’ll be doing much on that front while we are here, but I’m really hoping to get some good news in the advertisements I placed when we get back to Portugal. In the meantime, I’ll just concentrate on the task at hand.

retired_aldo chella

Murata vs. Pampilhosa (Friendly) - August 6, 2005

August 6th brought our next match, and we had Murata as an opponent. After seeing the lack of finish in the first game, I decided to try to get a little more attack minded, and employed an attacking 3-4-1-2. Things started off very poorly as Luis Miguel got a little too aggressive defending in our penalty area. We gave up a penalty on only the 4th minute, and after they converted, we were 1-0 down. The remainder of the first half saw both teams with solid opportunities, but again, on target shots were apparently going out of style. We probably had the better of the action in the first half, but again were without a goal. I laid into the strikers at the break and told them to get their heads in the game.

The boys came out for the 2nd half with a fire in their eyes, and in the 48th minute, we equalized on a goal from David. Felix had the initial chance, and the rebound sat at David’s feet for the simple tap home. Only six minutes later, we struck again. After constant pressure Felix impressed the 107 (? Ouch) in attendance with a great volley to put us up 2-1 on the 54th. I had my doubts about him, but he has impressed me this game for sure. We continued to show some offensive spark, but these two quick goals may have got the players thinking all offense as we were hit on the counter a couple times. Thanks to some fine goalkeeping though, we kept them at bay. With time ticking down, we were all but guaranteed victory until a poor downfield pass by Sousa was picked off by a San Marino attacker, and we were caught napping. Sousa was at the mercy of Michele Muraloni, and he made a nice move to put it past Sousa on the 90th minute to tie it at 2-2. Shortly after, the final whistle blew, and we were left with a bitter-sweet draw. I told the players they deserved the win, but I was confident that things were going to pick up soon.

Diary Entry – August 6th, 2005

I guess I should take my pick. More offense = less defense. I’m actually kind of ****ed that we didn’t come away with the win. I hate seeing a team tense up in the late stages. I need them to have a little more confidence that they can maintain that strong play right to the end. Felix looked very good out there today, which surprised me. His goal on the volley was a real cracker. I’ll have to give him another look in the upcoming matches to see if he is for real.

I think for the next match, I’m going to go back to basics. They are probably most comfortable with a 4-4-2, so that’s the route we will go. I just really hope that these guys can shake the rust off and start finishing some of these chances.

Still no news on personnel movement. I’m going to get Pedro Maia to call the office tomorrow and see if any response has come in on my ads. I could sure use some help…I’m already starting to feel worn down.

retired_aldo chella

Diary Entry – August 7th, 2005

Well, what do you know? There has been some interest on the scouting front. I got a list of resumes faxed to me, and they aren’t great, but they are better than nothing. I’ve placed a couple offers out there to a couple English gentlemen. I’m hoping they will sign because it will be nice to have a few more people here that I can understand. Truth be told, I don’t even remember their names. I just saw where they were from, and immediately placed the call. They can’t be worse than Castro. He hasn’t even found a single player he feels would fit in with the club.

Cosmos vs. Pampilhosa (Friendly) - August 10, 2005

We were going back to a 4-4-2 formation with some attacking presence in mind. I wanted to give the guys a chance to play in a formation that I felt they were comfortable with. They sure didn’t disappoint! The opening whistle was blown and after some back and forth passing, Toninho came out of a little scrum and flew down the field and potted the ball in the net only 2 minutes in! It didn’t take too long after and Toninho was at it again. This time Carlos Quieros had a great chance stopped by an equally great parry, but nobody bothered to mark Toninho and he potted the easy rebound in the 16th minute to put us up 2-0. After both teams traded chances for the better part of 20 minutes, we kept enough pressure on to fill the net again. Toninho this time was the playmaker as he sent a ball over the Carlos Quieros, and he slotted the ball past the keeper at the 41st minute for a 3-0 lead! I was thrilled by the game thus far, but the players got a little careless looking for a 4th before the half, and we were hit on the counter. A 50 yard ball found its way to Marco Gasperoni, and he calmly slotted past Sousa to make it 3-1 in 1st half injury time. I told the guys at the half to keep the pressure coming. I wanted to see a solid 90 minute display.

They were more than happy to oblige. In the 54rd minute, Pazito I was clear in the penalty area only to have his shirt held. The referee pointed to the spot, and Diogo drove it home to put us up 4-1. That lead was short lived however as Cosmos was not going down without a fight, and good teamwork saw Della Valle score on the 57th, and it was back to a two goal game, 4-2. We were insistent to maintain a three goal advantage however, and we immediately struck back. After some poor defensive marking, Felix found himself in the clear, and potted his 2nd of the preseason campaign to make it 5-2 in the 61st minute. Helder Garcia decided he wanted in on the action as well, and he broke away on a counter and with a fine individual effort, scored in the 68th to make it 6-2. At this point, I think everyone felt they had a chance to score, and positional assignments were forgotten. Marco Mularoni made us pay in the 73rd minute as Marco Bras was caught out of position, and saw a weak attempt deflect off him and into the goal to make it 6-3. I decided at this point to switch to a more defensive style and ride things out to the end. The remaining 20 minutes played out with little incident, and we left clear cut winners on that day.

Diary Entry – August 10th, 2005

Wow! What a performance by these guys. The three goals I’m a little disheartened with, but how can you really complain when you score six? Toninho looked great out there, and I can really see him being the goal leader for this squad. Felix again showed some promise, and I may have to keep him in the plans after all. Everybody got to play today as well, which I am quite happy about. I don’t really think I should tinker too much with the 4-4-2. They seem very comfortable with it, and seem to know where everyone will be.

I haven’t heard whether or not the offers to those two scouts were accepted. I really have to find their names again. Maybe I’ll check back in with the office tomorrow to see what the latest is.

retired_aldo chella

Diary Entry – August 11th, 2005

I gave the guys the day off. They earned it. I decided to work on my self-help tapes, and I think I’m making some progress. I decided to try and phone the office myself, and ask how things were going. All I got on the other end was laughter, so who knows what I actually said…oh well. Back to the tapes I guess.

I got some more faxes. This time from potential coaches and assistant managers. There were a few decent ones, but they are all out of the board's accepted wage demands, so I guess those ads will just have to keep running. Too bad. I can already see Maia has his hands full trying to coach all the players.

The potential scouts (oh yeah, I got their names again. Paul Sharp and Rob Campkin) have received the offer and are expected to accept. I gave the go ahead to finalize the paperwork if they accepted the offer, as I was unlikely to be back before they officially signed.

One more match to go, and we’ll head back home. I’d like to schedule one or two more friendlies against our own divisional teams before the season starts, because I don’t think these San Marino teams will play the same tactically as those from Portugal. Let’s hope I can find some takers.

Diary Entry – August 13th, 2005

I got a call from the office, and Paul Sharp is on board. He has agreed to terms and should be at our camp tomorrow afternoon. I must say that I’m looking forward to meeting him. I gave the go ahead to announce it to the media, though I doubt they will really be interested.

retired_aldo chella

Virtus vs. Pampilhosa (Friendly) – August 14, 2005

It was going to be a tough test today for my squad as the game time temperature was at 34 Celsius. I stuck with a 4-4-2, but decided against pressing forward as much, in the hopes of keeping the boys from working too hard out there and risking injury. Apparently, the Virtus faithful felt it was too hot to sit and watch a meaningless game as well, as only 60 or so fans came out to see us play.

We were gifted in only the 8th minute when Miguel Tomas was off to the races only to be tripped from behind by last man Andrea Casadei. The referee was quick to pull out the red card, and we were going to play almost the entire match one man up. We didn’t waste any time capitalizing as Bebe’s attempted cross was bobbled by the Virtus keeper, and Helder Garcia slotted it home in the 12th minute, and we led 1-0. Garcia was at it again, this time showing his off the ball skills. He saw the makings of an attempted pass back to the keeper, and we quickly jumped up to pick off the pass, and slotted it into the open goal in the 33rd to make it 2-0. I was more than happy to back off with the attack at this point, and work on a solid defensive game. I was a little disappointed to see a 10 man squad getting some good quality chances in the dying minutes, but Sousa was able to bail us out with some fine goalkeeping. At half time, I told the team not to start slacking. I wanted to see an equally strong finish.

The second half brought on a fine bit of defending, as we didn’t give Virtus any opportunity to mount an improbable comeback. The only shots were from 30+ yards out, and were dreadfully off target. While we didn’t see too many chances either, I wasn’t too bothered as we kept the play in their end. In the 85th minute, that domination paid off as Ricardo Quieros was brought down in the area. Diogo stepped up and converted the penalty to take us up 3-0. We ran out the clock to see our tour end with a comfortable win.

Diary Entry – August 14th, 2005

Two bits of good news today. First off, the game was a solid one. I was very impressed with the defensive strengths of the 2nd half. I wanted to close them down and suffocate them in that bloody heat, and that’s exactly what we did. It helps playing a 10 man opponent for almost the entire game, but we did exactly what we are supposed to do in that situation, so I can’t ask for anything more.

I’m very pleased with the results of this tour. I saw the offensive skills that I knew were there, and I’m beginning to believe in this group that we have. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to add depth to the squad, but I’m pretty sure we can make things work if the players don’t jump at the opportunity to play for powerhouse Pampilhosa.

Oh yeah, the other good news. Rob Campkin has accepted the contract and should arrive late tonight. I talked to Sharp and he is on his way to look for some Portuguese players right away. I’ll send Campkin out tomorrow to do the same. I must say though, I might need to invest in some self-help tapes for understanding thick English accents. I don’t know which was tougher to decipher. Anyway, morale seems to be high, and I think this tour was just what the doctor ordered to get these guys ready to play.

retired_aldo chella

Back Behind My Desk - Mid August 2005

So much to do…so little time. I quickly met with Rob Campkin, and sent him away to search for more players. I told him of where our weaknesses lie, and he seemed eager to get out there and report back with good news. Sharp already got back to me with a player he thought I should look at. He’s a 23 year old left back on contract with Espinho, Ricardo Correia. He didn’t feature a single time in the 1st team last season, and wants a chance to play wherever it may be. I’m weak at that position, so I figured it was worth a shot. I offered up 1K for him as he obviously wasn’t in their future plans, and I’ll wait to hear back from them.

Got some response back from my ads for coaches. Again, the board is stingy on wages for staff, so most of the responders were out of my price range. There was one coach from Sweden however who was willing to sign for a reasonable wage. The only catch was he was under contract with Olme, and would cost me 10K to acquire his services. As my options were severely limited, I bit the bullet and made him an offer.

I also scheduled another friendly with non-league club Leca. I tried to get something scheduled with an opponent in the divison and above, but they are all unavailable or uninterested as they have friendlies scheduled in too close proximity to my proposed date. I am a little concerned that the squad is going to struggle getting up to the level of our opposition come the start of the league.

I’m really hoping that my scouts come back with some good news on the keeper front, as I still don’t have anyone to come in for Bruno Sousa. He has done an admirable job thus far, but considering he’s gone come January, I have to fine someone quickly. If he goes down to injury, I have to look to my under-19’s to fill the gap, and I’m quite concerned about that.

In the meantime, I just have to sit and wait until I get some news back from my inquiries and scouting.

Diary Entry – August 16th, 2006

Oi. I must say that things are going well. I’m really starting to pick up on this Portuguese language. I still have a long way to go, but the staff and players are very understanding and are always looking to help me out when a problem arises. I didn’t realize until today, that Marco Bras has dual citizenship, also with Canada. We had a lengthy chat about life back home, and although I’ve only been here 3 weeks, I must say that it got me feeling a little homesick. I had a lot of fun coaching those kids, and I can’t help but wonder how they are progressing. I often dream about hearing of one of them representing Canada’s national squad, but I know that is a long way off.

Marco and I talked about my playing days, and the aspirations I had. I thought I was over that hurdle, but he made me realize just how badly I still want to be out there on the pitch. I still remember that moment plain as day. My teammates used to call me Showboat Chomos back then, and when I’d pull off the impossible on the pitch, they always said I got the ‘Showboat Bounce’. Well that was one bounce that didn’t go my way. Marco put a good spin on it though, and made me realize that it could’ve been worse, and that I should still be thankful that I recovered as well as I did, even if it means I have to end one dream and start another.

I thanked him for the chat, and made the realization of what has become of my life. I wasn’t completely sold on this whole managerial position, especially with a bottom of the barrel club like we have here. But talking with Marco has sparked a little fire underneath me, and I’m going to make some noise. Showboat is going to keep going strong. It may not be here forever…no…it probably won’t. But if I can lead this team to success, others will notice, and up the ladder I will move…until eventually, seventy thousand screaming fans will be chanting ‘Showboat, Showboat, Showboat…’

retired_aldo chella

Let’s Sign Some People - Mid August 2005

With the tour to San Marino now a solid week behind, all the focus was on strengthening the squad and staff. I received word from Espinho and they accepted our offer and granted us opportunity to offer Ricardo Correia a contract. I was finding out very quickly that players at this level of play are only part-time players, and not willing to commit to full-time play. This is something I will need to get used to, and hopefully will understand quickly. In any case, I offered Correia 425/month until July 2007. It was a little less than he requested, but I am hopeful that he will be desperate to play football again, and will take the offer.

I got some resumes back from my ad for physiotherapists. Response was average, but the caliber of applicants was not too impressive. Again, with no ace up my sleeve I picked the best of the bunch and offered him a contract. Another Swede, Goran Blomqvist didn’t have any standout traits, but at only 30 years of age, I still had hope that he could develop into a solid physiotherapist in the future. For the time being, he would be able to help out when needed, and take some of the workload off of Nelson Santos.

I’m still waiting for news on an assistant manager. I had to extend my advertisement as the interested candidates were all too expensive based on the board’s wage restrictions. Hopefully we will hear something very soon, as I could sure use a hand dealing with some of the behind the scenes things around here.


Media Release – August 17, 2005

Pampilhosa manager Geoff Chomos has just signed his first player since taking charge of the club. Defender Ricardo Correia has agreed to terms with the club and is expected to join the club tomorrow.

“I am thrilled to announce the signing of Ricardo Correia. He will bring some much needed depth to a position where we were lacking in established players. This gives us the opportunity to move Vinagre to the right side where he is more comfortable. I look forward to Ricardo arriving, and bringing his skills to the club.”

Diary Entry – August 17th, 2005

Well, the first player has been signed. It took longer than I wanted, and it wasn’t the 1st position I had in mind, but Correia seems like a solid signing, and I think he will bring much needed depth to the left side. Vinagre can now move to the right, and I think he will flourish over there.

I still need to get a keeper signed. Both Campkin and Sharp have made mention of a keeper by the name of Marafona. He isn’t playing with anybody right now, so the price is definitely right. I want to make sure he is capable before I make any kind of formal offer. I’m hoping to get Correia into the lineup for our friendly on the 20th, and hope that he was a good signing.

Not much else to report. Still waiting patiently to see if I can find an assistant manager. I’m hoping someone will come along who is in our price range before the month is up, but I’m not crossing my fingers on that one.

retired_aldo chella

Pampilhosa vs. Leca (Friendly) - August 20, 2005

The 18th and 19th were pretty quiet days, and before we knew it, we were at match day for another friendly. I was a little more interested in this match as it was against a fellow Portuguese squad, even though they were theoretically of lesser caliber than we were. I employed the same 4-4-2 tactics we had used in the previous 2 matches in San Marino, hoping to see the strong play continue.

The entire first half can be summed up in two words. Missed opportunities. We absolutely dominated the first half, and I don’t even think Leca had position in our half for more than 2 minutes, but we could not put one in the net. Most was attributable to shots off target, but the rare one that was on goal was saved by the Leca keeper. I went into half time disappointed with the result, but happy with the way we were dominating. I fired up the boys telling them to score a goal, and we headed out for the 2nd half.

The storyline continued in the 2nd half. Pretty passing, terrible finishing. It wasn’t until the 66th minute that we saw a change of fortune. After steady pressure, Toninho broke on a poorly played ball by the Leca defense, and he went in alone against the keeper and calmly slotted it home to give us the 1-0 lead. We finally had the lead. Leca seemed a little more determined after that goal, and they hit us on a poorly timed attempt at an offside trap by the defense. The mistake led to the 1st shot on target for Leca, and consequently, their 1st goal, scored by Ferreira in the 80th minute. We were tied at 1-1. I was mad, and I didn’t hide it. Screaming at the players on the pitch brought an inspired restart to the game. Right off the kickoff, we went on the attack, and a nice cross by Almedia was met by Grilo, who snuck past the last defender, and ripped it into the back of the net in the 81st to regain the lead at 2-1. We kept the pressure on in the final 10 minutes, and Leca was unable to mount another comeback, and we came away with a slim victory.

Diary Entry – August 20th, 2005

Yuck. It was a win, but that finishing was horrendous. At least I can say we were 50% with our shots on target, but we still missed numerous chances. I really have to hope we can regain the from from our friendly tour if we want to be competitive in this league. It’s too bad that I haven’t been able to find any other clubs looking to schedule one more friendly. It looks like its going to be our Under-19’s for a final tune up. Not what I was hoping for, but I’m pretty much left without any options now.

Another thing that bothered me about this game was the crowd turnout. I know its only a friendly, but only 105 people? This was the first chance for our fans to see the team this season, so that was pretty disappointing. I’m hoping that by scheduling our friendly against the Under-19’s on the 30th, it will provide enough time for our fans to rally behind the troops for the upcoming season.

Good news on the coaching front. Micael Jansson has agreed to terms, and he will be arriving tomorrow. This was the costly signing, but I am anxious to get him in here and improving the quality of training to be provided. Still waiting to hear back on Goran Blomqvist, and still waiting on the assistant manager.