Deadline Desperation

Karpin Gambles on Bulging Brazilian

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Adalari FK manager, Valery Karpin, has today confirmed the signing of former Brazil & Inter Milan striker, Adriano.

The 33 year old joins on an initial 5 month contract worth 13.25K p/w, with the club reserving the right to extend his stay an extra 12 months should the Brazilian be able to recapture some of his former glory.

"This is a win, win situation for both parties" Karpin began. "The player is aware that at this stage in his career, chances for him to play at this level will be limited, so he's keen to impress. For our part, the club has done what it can to ensure our bases are covered should things not go to plan.

That being said, I have every faith that Adriano will be fully motivated to help the club achieve its goals & will be an undoubted asset to the club both on & off the field."

Once recognised as one of the finest strikers in world football, Adriano's fall from grace has been as spectacular as it was rapid, with constant injury worries & weight issues threatening to end his once illustrious career prematurely.

His lure, however, can not be doubted, with vendors already reporting an increasing demand for Adriano merchandise & ticket sales predicted to sky rocket as fans flock to see the once mighty forward.

Whether the Brazilian can have the same impact on the field remains to be seen, with serious doubts surrounding his fitness & ability to remain injury free. To have your say on the the Adriano deal answer our online poll below.

Adriano, Success or Failure?

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Changing Expectations

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As January rolled around I was afforded the opportunity to change our expectations for the year, which I did. I didn't really have any need for the extra funds, but considering our form & current position, I felt comfortable doing it so I did.

Results

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Another decent month here, although we did blow a 2 goal lead in the final 10 minutes against Neftci & get well beaten by a resurgent Qarabag.

In our cup tie against doomed to relegation, Kapaz, we cruised through with few worries & in the league we beat the sides we were supposed too, so I cant complain too much.

Table & Stats

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So we remain in 3rd spot, 10 points off the pace set by leaders Sumqayit & level on points with Qarabag. Qabala have dropped off the pace & look to be the side to miss out on Europe, although there is obviously still a ways to go.

Stats wise, a productive month from Robert Burbano see's him move up to 3rd on the assists charts while the more astute of you will notice a little bit of money missing out of my budgets, more on that in the coming posts.

Training

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The development of my young brigade continues unabated however some of the veterans have struggled this month. All guys are the wrong side of 30 so I wont be to hard on them just yet, although Roland Linz's time at the club is definitely set to end once his contract is up.

Fixtures

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Back to updating every second month once I've wrapped our transfer window & introduced our very first youth intake for the save

A chance to bridge the gap to the top looms large on the horizon with our trip to Sumqayit sure to be interesting.

April shapes as a strange month as we play 5 games, 3 against Neftci, including our Cup semi final tie! A win there would give us a chance to win our first piece of silverware as a club. An honour I'm keen to get out of the way ASAP!

Between our cup legs, we have Qarabag, in a match that could go a long way to deciding 3rd spot. Apart from that, its business as usual. As always, wish me luck

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Player of the Month - January

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Dimitrij Nazarov

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Star local lad, Dimitrij Nazarov, finally found some form in January racking up an impressive 3 goals & 3 assists for the month.

Up until this point I must admit to being a little disappointed by Dimirij, although he has somewhat been a victim of his own versatility.

Constantly used in different positions & roles, the 25 year old seems to have found his home on the wing for us causing the opposition defence no shortage of problems with his pace & skill on the ball.

His ability to effortlessly coast past his man & whip a cross into the box was on full display in January, no doubt helped by having an in form striker to aim at.

Congratulations to Dimitrij Nazarov, finally proving, once & for all, that he is one of the brightest talents in Azeri football! Long may this rich vein of form continue!

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A fairly quiet window in Azerbaijan as we spend 800K on 3 players, making us not only the biggest spenders, but also the most active team.

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In all, we were involved in 5 deals. Home sick Adam Bodzek left for Danish Super League side, OB, in a deal worth 100K. We made an 80K loss there but I have no intention of keeping unhappy players around, even if his performances were on the up.

Central defender, Usim Nduka, also left the club on loan to Ravan. Usim wasn't getting much game time here, so I saw the move as beneficial to all parties.

As far as arrivals go, we bought in 3 new faces all of whom I will introduce below.

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First off, we beat Neftci to the signature of 21 year old Azeri DM, Bilal Sezer.

Bilal is a talented, young, local lad, who has already been capped at international level. He is a gifted playmaker who can also defend, adding another dimension to our midfield & continuing my move away from Karpin's preffered 5-2-2-1, in favour of the more familiar 4-3-2-1.

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Initially I saw 18 year old Alan Cardoso as my long term replacement for left back, Marek Cech. Having watched him in action though, I feel his future may lie further forward.

He is your typical young Brazilian wide man. Fast with plenty of flair & skill on the ball. If he is to slot into defence, he'll need to improve his defensive stats & overall awareness but at 18, he has plenty of time to do so. One for the future definitely but don't be surprised if he makes an immediate impact!

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I've always been a bit of a gambler & what bigger (Pun intended ) gamble is there in world football then Adriano!

His undeniable talent is equalled only by his inconsistency & lack of any kind of fitness. Keeping him on the pitch long enough to make an impact will be may biggest challenge here but if I can do it, & its a big if, he should easily be able to dominate & propel us up the table. If not, Adalari will mark just another stop on the Brazilians inevitable slide into footballing obscurity.

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Here it is. The moment I've been waiting for since the save began. The once a year chance to strike gold & uncover the next Azeri superstar! So how did we do?

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I think the word, Meh, about sums It up. Unfortunately, I don't see the Azeri Messi floating about here anywhere. There are however a couple of decent prospects, lets meet them.

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Despite his already receeding hairline, Ruslan, in my opinion, is definitely the brightest of the bunch.

He appears to be a budding dead ball specialist with, for the most part, well rounded stats. He has an eye for a pass & at 189cm, wont be pushed around easily.

Assuming he can develop his game a little, I think he'll be more then capable of pushing for a first team role in no time at all.

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Namiq is your fairly typical regen. Decent upside, but some glaring weaknesses in his game. For instance, his inability to hit the broad side of a barn with a pass!

Still, if he can work on his faults & develop his strengths, he could be handy. He seems to be a determined kind of guy with a bit of flair & skill on the ball, so there is hope.

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Once again a decent prospect with glaring weaknesses wherever you may wish to play him. A winger with 2 for crossing? A ball winner who "Runs with the ball often" & lacks strength & positional awareness?

He has some positives like his tackling, natural fitness & determination to succeed but is it enough for him to overcome his weaknesses? Time will tell I guess.

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So there they are, the best of an average bunch. The wait for Azerbaijan's next superstar will continue at Adalari. Still, there are a couple of promising guys there, so all is not lost. Fingers crossed next year turns out a little better though.

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