Adalari FK, A New Dawn.

Results.

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So, we begin the campaign unbeaten, with draws against Neftci & Qarabag before a 3-1 win over lowly Kapaz. In all 3 games we proved to be fast starters, scoring in the opening minutes of each game, however holding a lead proved to be our Achilles heel.

In fact, against Qarabag, we began on fire with 2 goals in the opening 5 minutes, one of which proved to be a record!



Former Sumqayit man, Pardis Farcad-Azad, scoring after just 22 seconds to give us the perfect start & a record in our first month of existence! As with our opening game though, holding the lead was the tricky part.

Never the less, we start by collecting 5 points which is 1 more then my minimum expectation so not too bad.

Injuries

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Not everything went to plan however, as star local lad, Dimitrij Nazarov, went down in training before a ball had been kicked, while first choice keeper, Emil Balayev, sprained his wrist early in the game against Qarabag.

Both men will be big misses, however the form of Farcad-Azad has helped to cover the loss of Nazarov mightily!

Table & Stats

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So, Sumqayit lead the way with a perfect 3 from 3. We find ourselves in 3rd, between Neftci & Qarabag. Not a bad start at all.

Stats wise, Farcad-Azaz is equal top of the goal scoring charts with an impressive 3 from 3, while Ecuadorian, Robert Burbano, sits equal 2nd on the assists charts with 2. A good start for a couple of my new guys, a full transfer wrap will be my next post.

Training Summary

Young Ecuadorian, Robert Burbano, not only impresses on the field but also works his butt off in training, while veteran striker, Roland Linz's, goalless start to the campaign is reflected in his training performances. He'll definitely need to show me more if he wants to play for the first team beyond this year!

Internationals

So 8 call ups for the first international window. Intriago & Burbano make the Ecuador U20's squad while we have 5 representitives in the first Azeri squad to be named for the save. A decent start though we still seem to be behind both Sumqayit & Qarabag in terms of local call ups.

Fixtures

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The highlight of this month seems to be our match up against league leaders, & fellow rich boys, Sumqayit City while September will also see our Cup campaign begin with the first leg of our tie against second division side, Sahdag, wrapping up the month.

In all I'd like to bank 7 points & a handy lead in our Cup tie. Given our start, I think that is realistic & doable!

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Just a quick wrap here as most of these names wont mean much to anyone. Obviously, with a full squad to assemble, we were the biggest spenders & the most active team.

Samba Diakite was chosen as the majorist transfer (Is majorist even a word? I don't care, it is now!) with our capture of Alfredo Intriago in at number 2. Bit surprised that Burbano didn't warrant a mention, especially given the fee, but whatever!

Complete Adalari Dealings

Not a lot of excitement here. Apart from the foreign players I've already introduced you to, the only other money I spent was on a couple of listed Azeri guys. Farcad-Azad already looks to be a great buy at a measely 10.75K, while 115K for Cavid Huseynov, from Qabala, is a decent amount for what is essentially back up.

Bonifacio was loaned on deadline day as another option at right back having found few other suitable options.

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Player of the Month- August

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Pardis Farcad-Azad

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Ok, so I thought a player of the Month segment may help to introduce you guys to some of my squad.

Now, as a lot of these guys aren't exactly household names, decent images may be hard to come by. In fact, most of the time, I wont even be sure the image is of the guy I say it is. Hell, a lot of the time I may not be even able to find a pic, so in that case, I'll just put up the first image that pops up when I google a name, which could be interesting!

Anyway, the player of the month for August goes to inside forward, Pardis Farcad-Azad.

The 27 year old Azeri was in lethal form, scoring 3 goals in as many games, & more then made up for the absence of Dimitrij Nazarov. In fact, he may well of made the left wing spot his own, with his high work rate & ability to anticipate the play. A few more months like this & Mr. Nazarov may well have to find himself a new position in the side!

Congratulations to Pardis Farcad-Azad for taking home my inaugural PotM award!

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Results

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So, our promising start to the season proved to be short lived as we could only manage a draw against AZAL before being thumped 3-0 by a rampant Sumqayit City.

A loss to Xazar & a very disappointing draw in the Cup, away to Sahdag, followed, before we managed to get back on track by dismantling the second division side 5-1 in the home leg of our cup tie.

A hard fought win against, then, top of the table, Neftci, wrapped up our next couple of months & provided some optimism moving forward.

Table & Stats

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So, we slip out of the top 4, on for & against, to Qabala, who have turned their poor start around admirably. Sumqayit still lead the way thanks to our last start victory over Neftci, who have lost just that solitary match!

4th to 8th spot is incredibly tight, with just the 4 points separating the 5 sides, while there seems to be a gap developing between the top & bottom 2 even at this early stage.

Stats wise, not a lot of good news for us, however Marek Cech does sit 3rd on the assists charts.

Injuries

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One reason for our indifferent form over the last couple of months could be our constant stream of injuries. There are some key players still missing, some for quite a while! Add to these, names like Burbano, Levin & Farcad-Azad, who have also missed games during this period & I think its fair to say, we haven't had much luck, or continuity for that matter.

Training

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Mostly good news here as the majority of players are training & developing well. The biggest disappointments are the now injured, Roland Linz, & homesick, Adam Bodzek.

Schedule

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I've decided to stick with by-monthly updates as I'm hoping to get through this first season rather quickly.

We begin the period by hosting holders, Qarabag, in what will be a big match for us. In the cup, we've drawn Ravan in the third round, another opponent we should beat comfortably. While later in the month we get a chance to extract some revenge when we host leaders, Sumqayit.

I wont make any predictions or set a minimum points tally here. I'll just hope for some consistent performances & progression in the Cup & see where that gets us. As always, wish me luck!

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