[retired_hellokity111]

[retired_chelsieeeey32]

Ponte Preta appoint Foroya boss

After a quite a few days of debauchery and bodliy abuse, I awoke to Samba music and the smell of Carnival in the air. Using my sharp perception skills I gathered that I'm in Brazil and according to the local paper I got the Ponte Preta job. I don't even remember applying, one minute I was in Kansas City relaxing with an old friend Jason Gazzola, the next i'm in the land of the Samba. Oh well, a job's a job and at least it's a full time gig. So it does appear that I'm the first person from the Faroes to coach in Brazil heck maybe even visit it, none of the locals know where it is , and I'm begining to miss the frigid temperatures already. Note to self talk to the board of directors about bringing in a snow and wind machine. :twisted:

Currently, we are lying 21st after 4 matches with a single point. But, we did have a decent Sao Paulo State Championships run bowing out at the QF stage. The side appears to be strong at the back but in general we lack depth and quality. The objective in this transitional season is safety, and we will have a death grip on 22nd place. My name is Rókur av Tór-Bárður Þanæðssón but you guys may call me Coach Rok Tor and I can't wait for Olaifest. :wink:

[retired_chelsieeeey32]

"We will stay up!!!" Coach Rok Tor

[retired_kcnoodle@cox.ne]

BOTAFOGO MID-SEASON UPDATE

Around mid-way through the season, Botafogo had managed to stay at a safe mid-table position. Coach Lung was asked about his team performance through the first half of the season. He said, "We are playing decent so far, but we should have achieve more based on the plays we have shown. One word can sum up our first half performance, inconsistent."

State Championship
Botafogo finished 4th in their state championship (Rio State). They did not win until their 7th game, but they won 4 of their last 5.

Brazilian Cup
They have gone all the way from the third round to the quarter without any problem. But during the quarter final, they lose to second division Remo, which they should have won easily. They lost both leg.

First Division
So far, Botafogo are sitting in the tenth place with eight wins, five draws, and 7 losses. They cannot find a streak which can help them move close to the top group. If they win two in a row, then they will drop two straight.

At the transfer market, they have added a few members, which allow them to have more depth.

Let see how they will do during the second half.

[retired_lacegreen]

New Juventude boss Nick Gutierrez has been relatively quiet in the media this season. His side has had a rather mediocre first half of the season, although preseason predictions of relegation look somewhat unlikely. A season-ending injury to creative midfield maestro Lopes has been a shocking blow to the team, and they have struggled to score goals since that injury.

Not that it was an easy go to start with. Juventude have played stubborn, aggressive defense so far this season, and while the attack certainly hasn't been up to the standard one might expect, Gutierrez is insistent on the idea that 0-0 is good enough... for now. "If we do nothing but play 0-0 draws from this point on, it will mean that we avoid relegation. That will be a positive result from this season, and I will be happy. However, needless to say, we must look for future glory, and that will only come when we find ways to score."

Loanee EnÃ*lton has been the club's most prolific scorer this season, but even he hasn't exactly had the touch of King Midas. Over his past three matches, he has had one on one chances with opposition goalkeepers at a rate of one per match, managing to put all three shots directly in the chest of the opposition keeper. This is the sort of inefficiency that must change if Juventude are to make their way up the table. "When we get a clear-cut chance, we must convert," said the boss. "We aren't bad at getting out on the counter-attack and into space, but once that happens we need to make the final pass and knock it home, and this is the part of our game that is sorely lacking at this moment in time."

At this point, he seemed to remember his earlier insistence that 0-0 was a positive result. "Draws are ok, but it is better to win," he concludes.

[retired_spaulsen]

Figueira climbing Brasileirão ladder

The recent 8 game winning and 10 game unbeaten streak of Figueirense FC surprised even its first year manager, Ryan Thompson. Said the young American, "the good run was better than anything we could have reasonably hoped for. We made a lot of progress in the table and some of the guys have played extremely well. Still, the closest we ever got to (leaders) Palmeiras was 10 points. When you have to win 8 games in a row just to get to within 10 points, you know things are going to be tough because you can't expect to keep on winning forever. And of course when we finally did lose to Corinthians, Palmeiras' lead over us grew to 13 points, which will take a miracle to overcome with the season winding down."

Since taking over, Thompson has overhauled the look of the team. Several veterans use to playing have been demoted to the reserves or even released outright. Goalkeeper Edson Bastos has been ever-present in the defense as well as a team leader. Unfortunately for Figueira, Edson Bastos has spoken recently to the media about his desire to move to a larger club. "Its unfortunate that Edson Bastos evidently feels this way," says Thompson. "I really believe he is one of the most talented keepers in Brazil, so it would hurt if we did have to lose him. Still, he is a Figueirense player for now and I expect him to give his all until that changes." Thompson signed young defenders Vagner Leonardelli and Ricardo, and the two have played with veteran Eloi in a 3-man defense, or alternated in a 4-man back line. Wingbacks Felipe and Filipe have filled in well for the departed leftback Triguinho, though rightbacks Everton Gilio and Paulo Sergio have only recently begun performing better, perhaps coinciding with a tactical switch by Thompson. "We had been playing with my favorite 3-5-2, or 3-2-3-2, and my preference for it has not ceased. But we lack some true wingers and our wingbacks are simply more comfortable further back, so I've switched to a 4-1-2-1-2 for the time being. Of course, it was after this switch that we went 10 games without defeat, though perhaps this was just a coincidence."

Playmaker Lucio Flavio was signed with some of the money gained from the Triguinho sale, and has played well, even scoring several goals in addition to his expected assists. Striker Nene was the other big signing, and he competes with the youngster Roberto, a true revelation of the Brasileirão season, and veteran Wagner, the surprise league leader in goals, for playing time.

"I'm thrilled with how well the team has played lately," says Thompson. "Thats not the best part though. Some fans have approached me and told me that, having seen bits of the North American game and finding it dull, they were concerned at having an American in charge at their club. But they tell me they've been pleased to see that the team now actually plays with even more of the entertaining flair that they love. To me, being told this is the ultimate complement."

[retired_hellokity111]

[retired_hellokity111]

Summer vacations, other commitments and finally the start of the new semester has not been in the best interest of our progress thread.

While a few of us are still continuing the game in Brazil, it is unlikely that we will have regular updates in here until a new game starts with FM 2006.

With that said, those who are in North America, and wish to join the game in Brazil should e-mail me for further info.