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It was a fine day, with the sun shining bright and the village bustling with life. A kind of life I pretty much enjoyed... Everyone goes round their own business all week long, until Saturday afternoon comes. At this point, no soul can be seen in the small village streets, which are reminiscent of the old medieval village that once was the centrepiece of the region.
We were saying, nobody to be seen around on the typical Saturday afternoon. The reason: Everyone is at the stadium, supporting those eleven guys who are always the heroes of the day, be it a win or a defeat. The local football club was, at the end of the day, the scapegoat of the city's troubles and very recent - perhaps too recent - past.
But there was a passion driving it all. A wild and living flame that could either spell my fourtunes or my doom. With all that locked safely in my head, I put pen to paper and signed my name on the contract. I was officially the new manager.
The stadium, "Malim Brdom", was a 500-seater which could also accomodate another 4,500 standing spectators. The village, Petrovac na Moru, was a pictoresque seaside resort in Montenegro, a region of the country nowadays called Serbia & Montenegro (aka Yugoslavia). The main Montenegro city however, remains Podgorica. In football terms, I was the man to change that, or at least that is what I hoped when first appointed.
The 'Black Shirts' Chairman, however, Miodrag Cetkovic, has made it a point that he wants me to save the club from what looks like certain relegation this season. I will aim for a mid-table position, then!
We will be plying our trade in the S&M Second Division South (referred to as D2S hereunder), a division comprising 12 clubs, the bottom two of which go down, and the the first gets promoted. The D2S, however, comprised no big names, although the favourites could easily be pinpointed to be FK Buducnost Podgorica, on paper at least.
My first job, however, was to bring in a few backroom staff, since it was just the chairman (Cetkovic), the DoF (Knezevic) and me. Because as they say, "when two's for company, three's a crowd".
So the first newcomers were physios Sipcic and Ciric, scouts Simic and Paunovic and coaches Vukovic and Matijevic. I was still in desperate need, however, of an assistant manager.
With a few guys who could give reliable opinions, I could now meet the squad and check out what was to be changed in little over one month. The team comprised 24 players, of which 23 were S&M nationals and the 24th player coming from unlikely Madagascar.
The choice of goalkeeper was not a very vast one, having just two 'keepers in the squad. Nikolic and Trajkovic were both fairly good goalkeepers, with any of the two having an equal chance of breaking through as the other. What worried me, though, was their gross inexperience at 21 and 20 years respectively. Seeing them in training however convinced me to let them take their best shot without me splashing out precious money on other guys.
Defence was one area where a major facelift was needed. The pack consisted basically of six full-backs, two centre-backs and two wing-backs. Of which only a select few impressed me.
The left backs, Goran Radojicic, Lazarevic and Urosevic were OK on the whole, though Urosevic would surely leave if any offer came by. On the right side, Milan Radojicic, Nedeljkovic and Ivkovic were all good alternatives to each other. However, the harsh reality is that three full backs are simply too much for a club that will be playing 22 matches at weekly intervals, plus two or three in the cup if luck assists.
The two centre backs were definitely below the required standard, and come by the names Milutin Cetkovic (a 16-year old who is definitely a guy to hold on to, but who isn't a first-teamer yet by any standard) and Branislav Stepanovic (a 40-year old who might have well shined earlier in his career, but probably I came too late to witness his abilities). Two or three centre-backs have to be brought in.
The wing-backs are practically useless in my team, but they might play a fringe role until they are sold for a worthy sum as either step-in wingers or step-in full-backs (this is highly unlikely given the number of players covering those positions). The names are Pavic and Todorovic.
Midfield seems to be well-equipped, assuming that no injuries (or suspensions) would strike at specific strategic points for the entire duration of the season. On the left side, 19-year-old Misic looks like a great prospect for the future, but he tires very quickly and there's no alternative to him. On the right, there's always the same problem of having no alternatives for the only player who covers the position: Madagascar international José Houzé. A player who covers both positions will be looked for with the prospect of signing him for good.
In the core of midfield, there are way more players that I will ever need in the D2S, with five guys battling out for a maximum of two spots. Djordjevic is a cool young anchorman with the football world at his feet. Ljubisa Zdravkovic is a player at the peak of his career, who would move out in time for Ivkovic to fill in his space. Spasic and Milosevic are actually two great players who add flavour to the battle for that first-team spot.
Upfront five players are available, of which two are clearly not as up-to-it as the other three. The former are Rankovic and Sarac, while the three who'll be fighting to start are Misic, Jovanovic and Zivanovic.
With the entire squad evaluated, it was now time for Simic and Paunovic to do their jobs. I need a right/left winger, two or maybe three centre-backs and an assistant manager.
A certain Igor Levchenko, Ukrainian but with a vast experience in S&M football, was offered the post of Assistant Manager. He said he'd accept unless a big club like Dynamo Kiev or Spartak Moscow called for his help in two weeks' time. Agreeing to his terms, we proceeded to sign the contract which will see him earn € 90 per week.
As for the required players, tens of options were sent in by the two scouts, who literally left no stone unturned and no corner of the world unvisited as they suggested player after player. Some other players who did not play in the positions I felt need some touches were also seen, and in some circumstances the lads were too good to refuse.
After three weeks of hard work, six players made the grade and were offered a contract with OFK Petrovac. They were:
Vlatko Krstev: 19 years - AM(C) from FYR Macedonia
Sonny McIntosh: 14 years - D(R/L) from US Virgin Islands
Kresimir Loncar: 17 years - AM(L) from Croatia
Kingsley Okafor: 15 years - D(R/C) from Nigeria
János László: 30 years - D(C) from Hungary
Dragan Janev: 21 years - D/DM(C) from FYR Macedonia
With the full squad fixed in place, and looking good, it was time to try some tactics on the pitch now. Two low-grade friendlies were organised with the sole aim of seeing the pack in action, and to decide who is going to win the first eleven Blackshirts for the season. These were against Sloga Petrovac and Drezga Piperi.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 25.7.2002
Petrovac vs Sloga (Pe)
Petrovac swipe aside Sloga in derby match
OFK Petrovac have easily beaten Sloga by three goals to nil to ensure that the village rivalry remains in control of the D2S club. Goals from Jovanovic and Misic in the first half and from substitute Sarac in the second showed that the attackers of OFK Petrovac promise a good season.
Mamo must realise, though, that despite the win the match was not a real test for the defence, which really is the compartment which needs most testing, as Sloga rarely ever got past the halfway line due to questionable passing skills.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 3.8.2002
Petrovac vs Drezga
Unlikely win turned into obvious assumption for Drezga
OFK Petrovac were leaking water all over the place this afternoon as Drezga gave Petrovac a lesson in football, by commanding the game from midfield. The 1-0 victory fails to reflect how much more superior the visitors were. Petrovac also lost Misic for 4 months after he suffered a torn groin muscle.
Mamo should better advise his midfield players to pull up their socks, since not too many teams would forgive such a performance from his players. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 10.8.2002
Petrovac vs Kom
Poor finishing costs Kom dearly
Kom were clearly the superior side in creating chances this afternoon, but Petrovac were the superior side when it came to finishing off those chances. Petrovac ran out 3-1 victors after an excellent performance which however also saw them lose another striker, Sarac, for two months after suffering a fractured arm against Kom.
Mamo gave his players no day-off however, as on Wednesday his team faces a tough away match.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 14.8.2002
Iskra vs Petrovac
Iskra collect all three points
Iskra ran out 1-0 winners, collecting all three points to see them take the lead of the D2S. Petrovac feel slighlty aggraved at the fact that the rhythym of the match was dictated by missing players who could have indeed made the difference in the match.
Mamo has however recommended the players that they should concentrate on the next match, since it is a home match and should be won by the home team at all costs.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 17.8.2002
Petrovac vs Mornar
Mornar and Petrovac in checkmate
Despite being the better side for over 80 minutes, Petrovac couldn't break the deadlock, registering their fourth point from a possible nine. Mornar too are off the mark now, making the D2S more exciting even though still in the early phases of the championship. With a cup tie just behind the corner, many pundits are predicting an early exit for Mamo's side.
The Manager agreed that they still weren't up to it and that they'd prefer to abandon the cup, honourably, and concentrate fully on the D2S campaign.
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Montenegro is an incredibly beautiful place -surprised Lovcen have a reasonable team; that's where the Njegos memorial is, a placefrom which you dominate the mountains all around it...breathtaking!
Good luck with your story, I very much enjoyed reading it so far :thup:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 21.8.2002 (Cup Tie)
Zora vs Petrovac
No tears as Petrovac abandon Cup
As announced by the club some days before the match, the Cup was not one of the objectives of the club, and Zora were the lucky team to benefit more from this statement. Petrovac fielded a squad comprising 15-year-old Okafor and 40-year-old Stepanovic in defence, paving the way for quick and experiences striker Obradovic to grab a brace for him and his club.
Petrovac officials were not even present for the match, which spells disapproval towards Mamo.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 24.8.2002
Jezero vs Petrovac
Petrovac sorely miss strikers
It seems that injuries are the problem behind Petrovac's poor form. Petrovac, missing four out of their five strikers through injuries, are goalless in 4 matches, entering a dangerous phase where they could be sucked in the relegation battle. Jezero won 1-0 thanks to the only shot they got on goal against some 15 shots by the visitors.
Mamo said the matter will be dealt with somewhere away from the press conference room.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 31.8.2002
Petrovac vs Jedinstvo (BP)
Useless point for both teams
Petrovac and Jedistnvo (BP) cancelled out each other with a brilliant tactical show. It was a matter of whose nerves broke down to get a winner, and both elevens showed that they can be as determined as anybody else. JBP opened the score, and Petrovac left it 'til late to obtain what they fully deserved when Jovanovic scored the equaliser.
Both managers congratulated each other at the end of the match, promising each other an even harder test in the return match in November.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Blackshirts 
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