RW Essen- 01/02 Winter Break
I'll say this, the scheduling in Germany is much nicer than France. None of this Friday-Sunday garbage. Matches on Sundays, if another in the week is needed, play it on Wednesday, and plenty of time to rest up. And that winter break is loooong. Over a month.
The good news, we're 2nd in the Regional North, 7 points clear of 3rd place Kiel, 4 points out of 1st place Dresdner, and we've been closer than that much of the season. Our forwards manage to find the net, and I have a bonafide "free-scoring" midfielder, 8 goals, 9 assits, 3 MoMs and a 7.6 rating for the season. And he's only 25, so he'll be good for a while, if I can keep him.
We drubbed Dortmund (A) 6-1, despite the fact they had someone who's initials are both "H" and has made appearances in the German National Team starting for them. We're the top scoring team in the Regional, and I've established a rapport with the fans. Why not, we play entertaining football and we win, what more would the fans want?
The Bad- I transfer listed my starting DR because his pace is now down to 6 at age 31 and his average rating is matching his pace. I'm starting a midfielder at fullback until I can loan in someone to cover the position.
The Austrian Left wing I signed went down for 4 months with a broken foot in our 3rd match of the season. The good news is I should have him back after the break, the further bad news is that this guy could get hurt climbing out of bed. My Italian centerback also spent a month out with an injury. And I transfer listed my starting DMC because he got an attitude about being substituted. I control the substitution pattern, not him. So if I can find someone to buy him, he's gone.
But, of course, no one is going to buy him until after the season, as the transfer deadline drops in Germany prohibitting the purchase of players from lower division sides early in September. So he gets to sulk on the bench until June, and then I hope, someone will buy him and the other slugs I have on the transfer list. Maybe they'll make a bid at some of my more expensive players too, that would be nice because...
The Ugly-- We're a whopping 4.3mil Euro in the red and bleeding 750k a month. Not my fault, I didn't sign this 800k a month wage bill. I can't get rid of them now either. And I've brought in a 1000 more fans a match since the beginning of the season--4000 fans a match come to see us now. Who knows, if we get promoted, that might go up to 6k. Of course, that still won't pay our wage bill, but maybe I'll get buyers on some of my players and clear the debt.
That's all I can do, is hope that promotion+ sale of players will clear debts, and then pray I can stay in Div2 next season with the minimal signings (probably all youth players) I allow myself, along with the holdovers. Either that or a new board comes in and clears the debts. The current board is merely "pleased" with my performance because of the debt. Of course, I didn't create this wage structure, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it, but hey, they can't sack the former manager again, so I guess the current boss gets the heat for it.
So I think I called this turn right, no cash, and a board that wants to promote, the typical German problem of cashflow not equaling ambition.
I've scheduled 5 friendlies over the break to keep the players match fit and bring in a little extra revenue. But that's all I can do. I could see me promoting the club and still getting the sack 'very' easily.
Oh well, the promotion will look good on my resume, don't you think?
[This message was edited by shawng1 on 25 January 2003 at 11:27.]
[This message was edited by shawng1 on 25 January 2003 at 11:29.]
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