Unemployed to South Africa

Alright folks, here is the deal. For this managerial exploit, I have created Silas Firehawk a 21 Year Old American manager who has very little background in football. The rules I have set for myself in this story are:

-Begin Unemployed
-Can only coach in nations where language is known (thus only in English and Spanish speaking countries)
-Must take first job in new country at the lowest level of play. Subsequent jobs in that nation may be taken at highest level reached with previous club, if I move to a new nation, I must take over a vacant position on a club at the lowest level in that nation.

This will surely be a difficult challenge, as my manager is starting with very low ratings, and the need to start at the lowest level in a new country will make progression difficult.

So, where did I land my first post?

There were open positions in three nations in June of 2014: England, Ireland, and South Africa. However, the positions in England and Ireland were upper tier posts, while the four South African openings were all in the National First Division, the lowest playable league. I interviewed with four teams, three of which offered me postings. I ultimately decided to take the job at Witbank Spurs, since they had the lowest expectations of the interested teams and South African soccer is unfamiliar to me.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/FM15JobAnnouncement_zpseadfebd5.jpg.html

Things are not glorious here. The side is not deep at all, one of my top midfielders, Sabelo Nyembe was injured on my first day at training, fortunately he'll likely be back in time for the start of the regular year. Still, it was not an auspicious start to my time in charge.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/FM15Nyembe_zpsc106411c.jpg.html

To further add to my difficulties is the fact that this organization has seemingly decided that all left backs are surplus goods. There is not a single one in the whole of the club, which means that immediate transfer activity is going to be necessary. The goal for this season is simply to save the club from relegation. Initially I thought this would be an easy task, now, seeing the state of the club, I'm not so sure. If I can't even put a basic 4-4-2 formation on the field, then things could get rough.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/FM15TacticsScreen_zps05262e8e.jpg.html

Above is my current tactical set-up in the wake of my inter-squad game to kick-off the season. As you can see, my defense corps is weighted to the right side of the field, if I can't find a left back before the year I'm going to have to get creative with my midfielders. As for the scrimmage, This first team won 3-2, but the performance was poor. The friendlies are going to tell me a lot more about this club, hopefully they tell be good things and hopefully the injury bug doesn't get any worse.

Good luck in africa. Should be a good read. You might have to steal some diamonds off the locals so you can afford some players

Witbank Spurs
6/24/14-8/9/14: Pre-Season

Transfer Updates:

In: 7/5/14:
I made an effort to address my left back situation immediately, unfortunately, the clubs budget had been maxed out by the previous regime, so I didn’t have much to work with. I settled on 30 year old Thabiso Rammile, who has apparently been off the professional radar in South Africa since the 2008-2009 season where he made 19 appearances. Still, he has some decent stats and could be serviceable this season (at least he’ll allow me to have 4 evenly spaced defenders). I’ll just have to say some extra prayers that he doesn’t get injured.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/ThabisoRammileSigning_zpsa13f28e9.jpg.html

Out: 7/22/14:
Humphrey Khoza, one of my best defenders is being heavily courted by numerous European sides. I’ve attempted to keep him with money and assurances, but the guy simply wants out so he can play at a higher level. I can’t really blame him, and I don’t need him causing problems here, so I’ve decided to part ways with him. This is just going to make my turnaround of this club look that much more impressive. Khoza eventually signed with Vaduz in the Swiss Super League.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/KhozatoVaduz_zpsfc0ef01d.jpg.html

In: 8/7/14:
30 year old Micheal Moloto was brought in to add depth to the defensive corps. He is adept at both center back and left back, and should find a pretty comfortable role on the team as a sub and a spot-starter. I still have a good $50K left in my budget from the Khoza departure, so there may still be some more buying if a pressing need arises.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/MolotoStats_zpsf8d082af.jpg.html

Tactical Updates:

7/10/14:
After signing Rammile, I set up a standard 4-4-2 formation. I’m going to use the friendly matches to figure out how aggressive I want our stance to be. I’m also open to getting more tactically creative, but I need to see what I have under the hood first.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/TacticsJuly14_zps384faa8e.jpg.html


7/15/14:
After a couple days thinking about my players and my desire for an aggressive new tactic, I decided to set up a 4-5-1 Wide formation. There are two forwards, a central attacking midfielder, a left attacking midfielder, a right attacking midfielder, a central midfielder, and four backs in a standard alignment to hold down the fort. For as a aggressive as it is, it compliments this team very well.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/NewTactic4-5-1_zps3e2e84fa.jpg.html



Match Recaps:
7/19/14: SSU Academy 1 Vs. Witbank Spurs 6

It was a pretty clinical 6-1 win. We generated a ton of offensive chances and were able to pot a great number of them. Our finishing touch declined in the second half, but by then the game was already well in doubt. I used the 4-4-2 formation in the first half and the 4-5-1 formation in the second, I’ll probably reverse things next match to see how my best players handle it.

Goal Scorers: Ranga Chivaviro, Cleopas Dube (2), Mahlatse Mhlabine, Dumisane Gamede, SSU Own Goal


http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/2014Friendly1_zpsbc0ca797.jpg.html


7/26/14: Witbank Spurs 1 Vs. University of Pretoria 3

With Khoza essentially saying his time in Witbank is finished, I relegated him to the bench and initiated the search for him replacement with this match against University of Pretoria. Wanting to promote from within, I decided to start 22 year old Pienaar Themba on the backline. He’s a longshot for the job, as I’m likely to sign someone externally after Khoza’s $90,000 p/a contract is off the books. The match was horrible. After scoring first, we appeared to lose our way offensively and in the midfield. Themba was serviceable, but there wasn’t a single member of the backline who played a game that I would consider up to snuff. There is much work ahead. At least Dube is emerging as a go-to scorer up front.

Goal Scorers: Cleopas Dube


http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/2014Friendly2_zpsdb608fa0.jpg.html



7/30/14: Witbank Spurs 3 Vs. Moroka Swallows 1

After our defensive letdown against University of Pretoria, and due to the fact that we were getting our first taste of top flight competition, I decided to take a more defensive approach in the first half. We were actually pretty impressive for most of the period, we played within our structure well and limited Moroka’s opportunities, though we were unable to muster much ourselves. A poor clearance by Themba led to their only goal. It was disappointing that it Themba was the responsible party, as it means I will have to probably use the space freed up by Khoza’s departure on a central defender rather than on strengthening another area of the side. At the start of the second half, I threw caution to the wind and opened with the 4-5-1 formation. It opened the game up, with chances at both ends occurring constantly over the next 20 minutes. We capitalized on our first, making it 1-1. At this point I realized that Moroka was generating way more chances than we were, so I went back to my 4-4-2 counter formation around the 75 minute mark. Little did I know that we would pot two more, one off a counter attack and another off a breakdown following a throw-in. Big win to be sure, but the inconsistent form is a concern. Hopefully one we can shake before the real games start.

Goal Scorers: Lindokuhle Nkambule, Rhulani Ngunyale (2)



http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/2014Friendly3_zpse18442d8.jpg.html



8/6/2014: F.C. AK 2 vs. Witbank Spurs 4

In an effort to finalize my top two forwards, I paired Rhulani Ngunyale with Celopas Dube, the two of which have been my top scoring forwards this preseason. They didn’t disappoint in the first half, each contributing one goal from close range. F.C. AK potted a goal midway through the first on a nice shot from the center of the box, the middle of my line is still proving to be an issue, but we are in the process of resolving that. I maintained the aggressive posture in the second half, and the team continued to look dominant, putting another ball into the goal. Yet when FC AK hit back in the 78th minute, I backed the team down to the 4-4-2 counter to attempt to hold on for the win. A fortuitous poor clearance off of a corner led to us picking up a final goal to send us into the season on a high note.

Goal Scorers: Cleopas Dube, Rhulani Ngunyale, Mduduzi Sibeko, Sibusiso Mbonani



http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/Friendly4_zpsccc26f44.jpg.html



Injury Report:
Amazingly, we have a clean bill of health heading into the campaign. At one point during the pre-season 4 players were out, but all of the injuries proved to be very minor in scope. We don’t have much depth on this squad, so keeping players healthy will be a definite necessity


Season Expectations:
Media Projection: 14th of 16.

At least the media has us missing out on relegation. I personally think this is a team that can seriously push for a mid-table finish if not a high mid-table finish if it can stay healthy. We have better scoring depth than I expected, with Cleopas Dube and Rhulani Ngunyale looking like consistent scorers. The midfield is certainly not a standout unit, but it is serviceable, and was certainly not the problem in the preseason. The defense is the top area of concern, but it is also an area which we can reinforce as the season moves along. My goal for the season is still to avoid relegation, but I truly think that, if we play our cards right, a top 10 finish wouldn’t be out of the question.

Witbank Spurs:

August Update

Transfers:

IN: Siyabonga Mdluli

Thabiso Rammile went down with a month-long injury only a few weeks before our opening match against Golden Arrows, making it clear to me that more depth is necessary. Understanding our budgetary situation, I went out looking for players who could be competent fill-ins at a myriad of positions. Mdluli is a jack of all trades, capable of playing any position on the backline, in the midfield, and even a little as an attacking midfielder. Despite being 35 with declining skills, he should be able to serve as a “super-sub” this year, filling in where the need is the greatest.

http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/SiyabongaMdluli_zps05dfd528.jpg.html



Match Recaps:

8/23/14: Golden Arrows 5 Vs. Witbank Spurs 0

Having three players suffer injuries prior to the match really dampened the spirit of the club heading to action. Instead of Rammile, who had a tremendous preseason, I’m forced to start Mdluli at left back immediately. Additionally, team captain and start midfielder Gift Madigwa was unable to go with a foot injury. Due to this onslaught, I was forced to operate in the 4-1-5 Wide formation from the outset, though, going up against the unknown, I would have much rather used the 4-4-2. As for the match….ugh is the only way to describe it. The first half was positive, we controlled the flow of play, and despite Golden Arrows scoring on a corner, I felt pretty positive that we could turn it around. Once Arrows made it 2-0, our belief crumbled, our confidence plummeted, and the team imploded completely. The injuries were too much to overcome. Despite the poor score-line we almost halved possession and we were even in both shots and chances. I still have faith that we can get a good result next match.

Goal Scorers: NONE


http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/2014LeagueMatch1_zps794b4fc7.jpg.html


8/30/14: Witbank Spurs 4 Vs. FC Cape Town 2

After getting destroyed 5-0, I was very concerned to see how the boys would react against another strong side in FC Cape Town. The first half couldn’t have gone much better, as Cleopas Dube found the goal twice. Mncendisi Pooe scored a strange one as well, as his initial penalty was blocked, but the rebound came right to him and he was able to deposit it. Unfortunately Cape Town was able to score just before the half, meaning we went to the locker room up by only two goals. Cape Town hit back again early in the second half, which led to some nervy moments for me. However, after telling the boys to calm down a bit they seemed to settle in and regain their form from earlier in the affair, with Mahlaste Mhlabine sealing the deal in the 81st minute. I’m very happy with this win, more because of the fact that it shows resiliency after a disastrous opening game. I like this team, there is a lot of growth potential here.

Goal Scorers: Cleopas Dube (1,2) Mncendisi Pooe (1) Mahlaste Mhlabine (1)


http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/2014LeagueMatch2_zpsac615b6a.jpg.html


Standings and Reaction:


http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/firehawk5744/media/2014PostAugustStandings_zps5ecbaa20.jpg.html


It’s too early to make much of our current location in 11th position. We have already put ourselves in a bad position in terms of goal differential, but I’m hopeful we can make that up. Right now my only focus is on putting up as many points as we can early so as to avoid the relegation dogfight, any greater aspirations will have to wait until that goal is achieved. With only two matches, there isn’t a lot of information to go on, but I like this team, I think it has good potential up front and I also think that it will be capable of controlling matches in spurts. I’m excited to see how things go once everyone is back healthy.

Injury Report:


Thabiso Rammile: He will likely be back in action in time for September’s first match, his chest injury wasn’t too serious, but it was enough to make him miss this month’s games.


Gift Madigwa: He may still be out for up to two weeks, which means he will likely miss the first match of September. His return will be a huge boost to the side for sure.