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21st of November 2004<P>Getafe returns with an offer for a different player. This time, the manager offers me £425,000 for Ismael, the defender who has fallen out of favour with me this season. I immediately accept the offer.<P>22nd of November 2004<P>The morning newspapers fill a column inch or two with the rumour that I might be about to sell Ballesteros to Sporting Gijón for £1.4 million. It’s utter rubbish, as I tell the ‘journalist’ who wrote the story by shouting it furiously down the blower. When I replace the phone on its hook, it rings immediately. There’s good news this time - Ismael has negotiated a deal with Getafe and will leave in three weeks’ time. Not soon enough for me.<P>A couple of poor performances by former playmaker Cristian �lvarez leads a Valencia newspaper to raise doubts about his place in the Levante squad. I like the look of this story because I was very unhappy to let the Salvadoran international leave earlier this season and I want him back to finish the work I had started.<P>24th of November 2004<P>Ourense is the latest club to try to cash in on the good work we’ve done to improve the talent of Francisco �lvarez. Its manager bids £525,000 for the Olympian midfielder, but I’m not yet ready to sell him just yet, so I reject the bid. I want to see them flash the cash for the transfer of Dacosta soon rather than over-commit to purchases.<P>Before I kick off the European Champions’ League match against Besiktas, I might just review our opponents in Phase 2, if you’ll bear with me. Besiktas came through a tough group, finishing second to the defending champion Barcelona and well clear of Odd Grenland and the disappointing Chelsea, which failed to win a group match. The Turkish club likes to rely upon a formidable midfield which boasts former Dutch international Cedric van der Gun and uncapped Turk Kahveci Nihat while Norwegian international Magne Hoseth is always a dangerous threat. Up forward, the punch is provided by Turkish international Ümit Karan. But the secret weapon up the sleeve of Besiktas is vociferous home support which turns the Inönü stadium into a cauldron of passion. Coming away with even a point is a good achievement for opposition clubs.<P>Cartagonova won its previous five group matches in succession, a streak that shortened the small Spanish club’s odds of lifting the European trophy at the end of the campaign from the long odds of 100-1 to 16-1. But Señor Flatline knows there is still a lot of work to be done before that can be thought about. A lot will rest upon the shoulders of Fernando Couto, the club captain, and prolific striker José Manuel Redondo, who has impressed in his first season in the Champions’ League to date.<P>Bayer Leverkusen will have designs on taking out the top position in the group. A sprinkling of international talent and experience permeates Christoph Daum’s team, but the club has suffered a blow with important defender Jens Nowotny ruled out for a month with an ankle strain suffered in Germany’s recent loss to Holland. The young Croatian midfielder Jurica Vranjes is the key to the German’s success - his playmaking ability and his uncanny knack of reading the play has propelled Leverkusen so far while the goals should flow from Argentine striker Luciano Galletti and former Athletic Bilbao striker Ismael Urzáiz.<P>Completing this tough group is Italy’s Parma who boast a lot of talent and experience in every position. A lot will rest upon the shoulders of the flying wingers, Alex and Luis Figo, to provide the ammunition for the strikers, Brazilian international Amoroso, and Spanish international, Catanha, to convert.

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So let’s do it!<P>European Champions’ League - Phase 2, Group C, Game 1: Cartagonova v Besiktas<P>On a cool evening, the crowd is almost bored to tears with the sluggish first half where little, apart from Couto’s missed header, illuminates the football. I hope to liven things up with a strong motivational speech and it does the trick when Kokmeijer slips through the Besiktas defence before laying off a nice pass to Morán. The midfielder gleefully strikes the ball perfectly into the top corner of the net. That wakes up Besiktas too, and a minute later Kazim has the ball in our net. Thankfully, his celebrations are cut short by the linesman’s flag, raised for off-side. But a second goal would be very handy and it is duly delivered by our captain who picks up the pieces from Fevzi’s half-smothered block from Redondo’s shot. It deflates the Turkish club and we comfortably hold out the remaining twenty minutes of the match.<P>Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, �lvarez, Fernández, Jaliens; Michel, Couto (c), Vucko; Morán; Redondo, Kokmeijer.<P>Besiktas (5-3-2): Fevzi; Münch, Cemil, Tayfur, Erman, Nihat (Orhan 38); Ibrahim (Olcay 89), Hoseth (c), Kazim (Fazli 64); Ümit Karan, van der Gun.<P>Final score: Cartagonova 2:0 Besiktas
MoM - Fernando Manuel Couto<P>Since Leverkusen and Parma ended their match with a goalless stalemate, we top the group after the opening game. Not a bad start at all, I think! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG]

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28th of November 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 12: Elche v Cartagonova<P>A litany of training pitch injuries leaves me with a ramshackle defence for our visit to Elche today. No Ballesteros (suspension), Moya (injury), Curro Torres (injury), �lvarez (injury) or Couto (suspension) leaves me dreadfully short and in the end, Alan Stubbs makes his first league start along side Mariano Fernández - a combination that thrills me no end. Filipescu tries his luck early however, only to see Dorronsoro turn it aside - a statement that will become depressingly repetitive in the next 90 minutes. After Filipescu then proceeds to hit the woodwork, Elche’s players sweep the ball away in a classic counter-attack that leaves Vidal exposed and Juanjo scores his first league goal ever for the club on 14 minutes. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG]<P>But we’re doing all the creative work and but for Dorronsoro we should be three or four goals up by half-time. Yet time and again the former Oviedo keeper denies us with miracle saves from Morán, Redondo and Kokmeijer. This even continues into the second half when in desperation, I pull off Vucko, introduce Esposito and turn to 4-3-3. It seems to work immediately when Kokmeijer picks up the rebound from Redondo’s shot which hit the bar and plants it past Dorronsoro into the net. It’s no more than we deserve. <P>But foolish defending allows the ever-dangerous Guede to poach a goal with 14 minutes to play. If we’ve only scored one goal in the first 76 minutes of play after bossing possession, there is no chance we’ll equalise again, and despite throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at Dorronsoro, the keeper stands tall and earns for Elche three points. I’m absolutely furious after the match. We’ve been denied three points by the heroics of one man and the calamitous defending and goalkeeping at the back. It’s not good enough as I find out we slip back to seventh. At least I’ll have Couto back for our next game.<P>Elche (4-2-4): Dorronsoro; Manusovich (Almqvist 52), Hélder, Cuadrado (Chico 52), Guigou; Ivic, Martens (Isach 58); Juanjo, Nano, Guede (c), Grønkjær.<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal (c); Lacruz, Stubbs, Fernández, Jaliens; Filipescu; Michel (Miranda 77), Vucko (Esposito 58); Morán; Redondo, Kokmeijer.<P>Final score: Elche 2:1 Cartagonova
Pedro José Dorronsoro<P>Keep smiling! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG]
Dixie Flatline

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Another weekend, another great time to update the story from Cartagena!<P>I'm in grieving at the moment. My local club in our special type of football (Australian Rules football) lost in the preliminary final, which is essentially a semi-final in the knock-out stage of the competition by 9 points, which let me assure you, isn't much at all. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif" alt="frown[/IMG]<P>Anyway...<P>4th of December 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 13: Real Zaragoza v Cartagonova<P>We attend La Romareda this drizzly Saturday afternoon in early winter as we have an appointment with Parma early next week. It’s time to make up some ground in the league, though, and I’m glad to welcome back the captain, Fernando Couto, to lead the club after he served his one-match suspension against Elche. Redondo is still looking for that goal to tie Stan Collymore’s league goals record and he almost has it on 7 minutes only to see Mora push his shot away and to safety. Zaragoza’s players take the ball straight up the field where Vidal does well to deny both Marcos Vales and Manel in quick succession. The game is open and attacking, and it’s only a matter of time before somebody scores. Thankfully, it is Niels Kokmeijer who strikes twice in the space of two minutes. Both are long-range goals from at least 30 yards and both will be on the tapes at the end of the season as contenders for goals of the season. The Dutchman has started to settle in well and he has us 2-0 up and cruising. But complacency creeps into the back-line (an all too familiar refrain this season), and we let Zaragoza pull one back through Perica Ognjenovic on 28 minutes. The second half is much of the same open attacking game, but no striker could get a shot on target or when they do, the goalkeepers save their shots. But we manage to hang onto our lead and a valuable three points are gained on the road.<P>Real Zaragoza (4-4-2): Mora; Placente, Jusué, Martinovic (c), Ferrón; Ognjenovic, Agirre (Peralta 51), Acuña, Marcos Vales; Peternac, Manel.<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu, Stubbs, Jaliens; Couto (c); Michel (Miranda 88), Vucko; Morán; Redondo, Kokmeijer.<P>Final score: Real Zaragoza 1:2 Cartagonova
MoM - Niels Kokmeijer<P>“…Just six months after winning the English Premier League title, Chelsea’s chairman Ken Bates has fired his manager, Joe Kinnear, for failing to properly defend the crown. After sixteen matches, Chelsea lies a disappointing twelfth with just twenty points collected from those games. It trails league leader Middlesbrough by eleven points and it seems that Chelsea’s time at the top will be all too brief for its demanding chairman.�

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5th of December 2004<P>Niels Kokmeijer is named as Patrick Kluivert’s partner in an all-Dutch strikeforce for the Team of the Week after the weekend’s fixtures. Congratulations are due! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]<P>6th of December 2004<P>“… In transfer news this evening, Levante held a press conference this afternoon to announce that the former Dutch international defender, Ronald de Boer, will move to the Valencia-based club in just over a week on a free transfer. De Boer, twin of Frank de Boer, played two seasons with Barcelona before moving to Rangers in 2000 where he spent three seasons before returning to Ajax after the World Cup. But his former club decided to release him earlier this season and the winger has been courted by clubs such as Cartagonova. The transfer of Ronald de Boer to Levante should help the club also secure the signature of twin brother, Frank, who is out of contract with Bayern München in the summer and is looking to move clubs for possibly the final time…�<P>I sure wouldn’t want to be the accountant at Levante right now, trying to figure out how to pay a de Boer without the bottom line bleeding red ink. And it doesn’t help the financial calculations that the club is 16th in the Segunda Liga and promotion is a million miles away.<P>I also have my own transfer news to announce. In fact, it is two pieces of news as I announce to the assembled media throng (well, I can dream, can’t I? [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif" alt="wink[/IMG] ) that Peruvian international midfielder Andrés Mendoza will join the club on a Bosman free transfer from Club Brugge in the summer of 2005. Further, I’m delighted to announce that former fan favourite that wowed the crowds with his fantastic dribbling and scoring feats in the season of 2001/02 will once again grace the Estádio Municipál de Cartagena from next season. That’s right, Alberto Rivera ( [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] ) turned down the contract offer from Señor Vicente del Bosque to sit on the bench for another five years in favour of resuscitating his career with Cartagonova!

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7th of December 2004<P>European Champions’ League - Phase 2, Group C, Game 2: Parma v Cartagonova<P>Another away trip (I’m getting sick of leaving home every couple of days!) and this one is going to be tough with again, not the back four I would like to put out on the pitch. We’re under the hammer early when Catanha’s powerful header is parried by Vidal only into the path of the unmarked Lorenzini and he easily sidefoots the shot home to open Parma’s account. Catanha tests Vidal with a half-volley that the keeper does well to tip away on 12 minutes and then three minutes later, he again slips his marker but thankfully heads well over the bar. Somewhat against the run of play, Michel grabs an equaliser thanks to some brilliant dribbling through the heart of Parma’s defence. But we don’t capitalise and Parma re-take the lead on 26 minutes when Hugo’s delightful pass is easily converted by Amoroso. We’re being cut apart at the back now and when we eventually get the ball out of our half, Italy’s no. 1 keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, is in imperious form.<P>I drag Jaliens out of the match at half-time and fire an enormous rocket around the changerooms at the break. Redondo and Kokmeijer link up after 55 minutes but the Dutchman hits his shot well over the bar with a posse of defenders all around him. Parma completes the hatchet job on 78 minutes when Catanha’s cross is headed home by Amoroso. Lassissi almost adds a fourth when he heads a shot against the bar inside the last ten minutes while Amoroso could have sealed his hat-trick when he outpaces Ballesteros before striking a drive just over the bar.<P>We played pathetically and deserved to be hammered by more than the 3-1 scoreline suggests. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG]<P>Parma (4-4-2): Buffon (c); Júnior, Lorenzini, Lassissi, Bonomi; Alex, Hugo, Appiah (Giannichedda 89), Falsini (Cafú 56); Amoroso, Catanha.<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu (Gibbens 77), Fernández, Jaliens (Ballesteros 46); Couto (c); Michel, Rufete; Morán (Esposito 77); Redondo, Kokmeijer.<P>Final score: Parma 3:1 Cartagonova
MoM - Amoroso<P>I’m deeply dissatisfied and furious with the way we played in the last match. I make the entire back five (including goalkeeper) wait outside my office when we return to Cartagena and I discuss the absolute depths of their poor performances in livid detail. Only Fernández escapes an official warning, and that only by the skin of his teeth. Vidal complains that his warning is unfair, but he was the worst of the lot and has nothing to complain about. Thank God we don’t play another Champions’ League match until February 2005.

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11th of December 2004<P>I announce to the press that I will sign Spanish Olympian Francisco Sanz from Vallodolid in the summer of 2005. He is a centre-half who can also fill the right-back role with, I consider, a big future in front of him.<P>12th of December 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 14: Cartagonova v Valencia<P>After the debacle in Parma, the last thing I really want is to send out a team low on confidence against the dangerous Valencia team that boasts forwards of the calibre of MartÃ*n Palermo and Javier Saviola, not to mention former Real Zaragoza and Real Betis striker Yordi. But Kokmeijer is the first striker to test his opponent keeper when he curves a shot at Cañizares’ goal on 20 minutes, but the former Spanish international does well to push it away to safety. Then Kew Jaliens shows who’s boss to the dangerous midfielder Vicente with a superb tackle ripping the ball away from his feet. That draws appreciative applause from the crowd, but then they’re on their feet when Couto’s delicate pass is chested down by Kokmeijer and the Dutch striker eludes desperate tackles to strike a brilliant goal on 23 minutes! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] Just before half-time, I applaud a brilliant effort from Redondo and start back to the dug-out when boos and thrown coins from the crowd make me turn around to see the striker and his comrades protesting furiously against an off-side decision.<P>Bang on half-time, Saviola nips in between my defenders and causes Vidal to make a smart save to his left, but then with practically the last touch before the break, Michel hits the Valencia post with a powerful header. A strong speech and some tactical tweakings come to naught after the break when Redondo signals to the bench to be immediately substituted for an injury. I send on Esposito for the striker and while we’re still organising ourselves, Valencia hit us on the break with an equaliser to VÃ*tor Lima. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG] Worse is to come when substitute Zlatko Zahovic picks up Juric’s knock-down and curls a shot into the top corner of the net. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG] [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif" alt="frown[/IMG] Desperate to save a point, I take off Morán and put in Vucko into the action and it turns out to be an inspired substitution as Kokmeijer provides the ammunition for him to head home the equaliser on 74 minutes. Esposito could have won it for us on 77 minutes, but his long stay on the bench seems to have robbed him of his finishing prowess and he misses with a low drive from just inside the box.<P>Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu, Fernández, Jaliens; Michel, Couto (c), Rufete; Morán (Vucko 66); Redondo (Esposito 52), Kokmeijer.<P>Valencia (3-5-2): Cañizares; Björklund, Mendieta (c), Mellberg; VÃ*tor Lima, Vicente (Zahovic 60), Juric, Marinescu, Angulo; Saviola (Palermo 52), Yordi.<P>Final score: Cartagonova 2:2 Valencia
MoM - Niels Kokmeijer<P>After the match, I hurry down to the physios’ rooms to discover what Redondo has done to himself now. His injury is diagnosed as a strained groin and will keep him out for three weeks.<P>The point drops us down to eighth spot after fourteen league matches. But only two points separate us from fifth place on the ladder, so there is hope for us yet. Jaliens is named in the starting eleven of the Team of the Week while Kokmeijer sits on the bench.

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14th of December 2004<P>I again front the media to announce another Bosman signing will be on his way to Cartagena next season. This time, Newcastle will lose talented forward Lomano-Tresor Lua-Lua as I snapped him up on a Bosman free transfer. This signing will spell the end of some of the careers of players currently at the club.<P>15th of December 2004<P>The Spanish transfer window opens again. I say ‘bye, bye’ to José Ramón Dacosta who leaves for Ourense, his former club, and Ismael, who moves to Getafe: José Ramón Dacosta (30 y/o, ESP, D/M L): 0(2) apps, av. rate: 6.00, Ismael (29 y/o, ESP, D LC): 38(2) apps, 3 assists, av. rate: 6.85<P>But I say a big warm ‘Hola’ to our latest acquisition, George Clegg, whom we sign for £2.5 million from Sunderland today. It brings my total spending this season to £8 million, which doesn’t sound that expensive when you stack it up against Celta Vigo’s £39 million or even Barcelona’s £19.25 million. Even Real Betis managed to spend £6.25 million on one player - a right-back called Omar Rodriguez, whom they bought from Tenerife today.<P>16th of December 2004<P>I lose Iulian Filipescu for a month as he succumbs to a groin strain. Perhaps my players are picking up extra-curricular activities that I should be worried about…? [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]<P>17th of December 2004<P>“…Losing Copa del Rey finalist, Cartagonova, has been handed a tough game if it wishes to progress in this season’s competition. After qualifying for the European Champions’ League, Cartagonova was exempted from playing the first round and boss, Señor Flatline, would have wished for a lower division team to ease his players into the competition. Instead, he has been given the task of raising his team for a tough game against Sporting Gijón at El Molinón in Gijón on the 5th of January 2005. Sporting currently lead the Primera Liga by a point from Barcelona while Cartagonova lie eighth in the league, seven points behind Sporting.�

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Thanks, Ell_G! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG] I hope to follow your Leicester story for a while!<P>18th of December 2004<P>I want Jofre to get some first team football to further his development and with Michel and Oliver ahead of him for that left-wing berth in my side, he isn’t likely to get it here. So I’ve put him up for loan for the rest of the season with a view to reviewing his position in the squad at the end. Osasuna is looking for a left winger and they make a loan bid for Jofre, offering to pay half his wages for that period. I naturally accept. By the afternoon, he is on his way to Osasuna.<P>19th of December 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 15: Villarreal v Cartagonova<P>We need three points to get our faltering campaign back under way and it isn’t going to be easy against the comfortably mid-table Villarreal. But things are made much easier when Idrissa Keita receives his marching orders for professionally fouling Michel after just 8 minutes of play. That shifts the pendulum comfortably in our favour and we control the tempo of the game for its entirety. On 17 minutes, we take advantage when Ã�lvarez hits a long ball into the box where Esposito slips his marker and thunders home the header! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] <P>But it is our only reward for our possession in the first half and I caution the players that we need at least another goal to be certain of the points. Six minutes into the second half, my players deliver as Morán picks up the rebound from Rufete’s powerful shot and hits it into the unguarded net! On 59 minutes, another rebound from Rufete’s attempt falls to the feet of Ã�lvarez and the defender shows he can do it at the other end by adding our third goal of the game. Kokmeijer is denied twice in the space of 60 seconds and then a third time on 69 minutes, so we could have easily been 6-0 up by that stage. I think the time is ripe to introduce George Clegg and he comes on with immediate effect, teeing up Esposito for the volley, but the Italian doesn’t convert. Pablo then saves from the Englishman to end the meaningful action in the game. <P>Villarreal (3-5-2): Pablo; Unai (c), Hurtado, Keita; Parra, Drasim, Jesuli, Venetis, Callejas (Escoda 91); Gaitán (Sion 36), VÃ*ctor (Bracamonte 91).<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Ã�lvarez, Livermore, Jaliens; Couto (c); Michel (Miranda 74), Rufete; Morán (Clegg 74); Esposito (Vucko 85), Kokmeijer.<P>Final score: Villarreal 0:3 Cartagonova
MoM - Óscar �lvarez<P>Thanks to Real Madrid losing yesterday to Celta Vigo, we leapfrog the giant Madrid club to go into seventh place. Jaliens and �lvarez are named in the Team of the Week’s starting eleven.

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22nd of December 2004<P>Deportivo’s manager, Señor Miguel �ngel Casquero, hopes to supply me with an early Christmas present by making a formal bid of £2.6 million for Michel. Michel hasn’t been the player he has previously been in the league this season, but he has done well in the Champions’ League and I still highly value the winger as my number one on the left. But I want to entertain the bid, so I respond with a demand for £4.5 million now plus £2 million after 20 league matches. I don’t seriously think that Deportivo will accept that response, but I know from previous experience that Michel likes to be valued by other clubs and I don’t want to alienate him.<P>24th of December 2004<P>As I suspected, my demand for Michel is too much for Deportivo and they leave off the chase for the winger.<P>25th of December 2004<P>“Merry Christmas�, signs the manager of Getafe, Señor Paco Fortes, at the bottom of his formal offer of £2.4 million for the £1.7 million-rated defender, Marcelo Moya. I reject it, because I now find that I highly value the defender. He is currently recovering from injury and when he is fully fit, I expect to rush him back into the starting eleven.<P>After the Christmas festivities are completed, I settle down in front of the computer to look at the news from the world of football. A web site concentrating on Spanish football includes an article describing the career of Niels Kokmeijer, and concludes that the striker is playing the best football of his career. I compose an e-mail to the editor of the web site, praising the striker’s performances. He is now our most valued player in terms of money.