As the world turns

November saw us get back to our winning ways, and not a moment too soon! There are few things better for the psyche than putting together a string of good performances and that's exactly how the month began. We handily won our first two league games at home before having a spirited 2-2 draw away against Athletic that featured a superbly saved penalty kick (http://youtu.be/keyY--Zxx9A). So we were riding the wave of a three game unbeaten streak when Barca came to pay a visit.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring inside the first minute as Barca showed their dominating ball movement after a sloppy turnover at midfield. We managed to get one back, however, thanks to a strike by Uche. We were later awarded a bit of a questionable penalty just inside the box and Franco Jara stroked one home to give us a 2-1 lead going into halftime. 4 minutes after the restart, Alexis Sanchez got loose on the wing and leveled the game at 2. Then it was the Messi show as he scored three consecutive goals to turn what was a close game into a rout.

Thanks to our little streak, we managed to stay in 5th place and on target for a Europa League bid. We're barely a third of the way through the season, however, and it remains to be seen if we can keep up this early pace.



We had another scoring spree in the second leg of our Spanish Cup matchup against Osasuna and we advanced with an 8-5 aggregate score. Our opponent in the 5th Round will be Betis. They visit us first next month and then we hit the road for the away leg to start off the New Year.



As one starter returns at striker we lose another one. This time one of our starting center backs has gone down.

You're doing very well considering the media prediction is 20th! Can't wait to read more :).

December saw us get back to the form that we had to start the season. We won all three of our league games and none of them were ever in much doubt. We continue to hold down 5th place on the table. We are 4 points behind 4th place AT Madrid and have now opened a 5 point lead on 6th place Athletic. We're almost halfway through the season and things are looking quite good. I am fully expecting at least a midtable finish and will feel accomplished if we book a spot in the Europa League next season.



We took a 3-0 lead in the first leg of our Spanish Cup matchup with Betis. We play them in the next few days and we should be favorites to advance to the Quarterfinals. On a side note, take a look at Real Madrid and the 9 goal beatdown they gave to Zaragoza!



We almost have a clean bill of health going into the New Year. Our only injury is to our starting right midfielder and he is going to be out another 5 to 6 weeks. I signed a fellow Filipino on a free to play right midfield for the hell of it. And with the transfer window getting ready to open again, we may look to strengthen our defense.

I'm about as pleased with January's results as I could be. We won twice and lost twice, but I think the two losses were more positive than negative. A 1-2 loss to Real Madrid is nothing to be ashamed of. And while I feel that we should've beaten Espanyol, we were short handed so I'm ok with a 1-2 loss to them as well.

With the season just past the halfway point now, we continue to sit in 5th place. AT Madrid and 4th place is still within striking distance, as they are only 4 points ahead of us. We did slip a little bit, however, as our lead over 7th place Sevilla is down to 2 points.



We advanced over Betis to the Quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup as expected, and then handled handled Sporting with relative ease after a 3-1 away leg to start. Our opponent in the Semifinals? Good old Real Madrid, who upset Barca. We look to have a chance at an upset ourselves after a well played 2-2 draw at Santiago Bernabeu. We'll go into the home leg with the fans cheering us on, and I like our chances after having scored two away goals.



With two of our starters on international duty, I decided to do a bit of business before the transfer window closed. We brought on Chris McCann to play center mid for us. He's well-rounded enough to play both the offensive and defensive center mid positions for me and that versatility will be nice. We also signed Alberto Bueno to a contract after deciding that he was going to be one of our starting strikers going forward.

Good luck against Madrid!
I know you can beat them and also get 4th!

Looking at your player stats it seems that so far this season well over half your goal production is coming from loanees. Thats gotta be a little bit worrying going forward?

# jeffc : Looking at your player stats it seems that so far this season well over half your goal production is coming from loanees. Thats gotta be a little bit worrying going forward?

It is definitely a big concern! That's why I signed Bueno to a contract already. I was in negotiations for Jara but his current team wants too much money so I opted to develop Bueno instead. Next season we will truly start to reshape the roster, and hopefully our success will help attract quality players.

What Tactics are you using

# JoeCAFC93 : What Tactics are you using

Yes, I'd definately love to see your tactics/formations, Please share *puppy eyes*

# JoeCAFC93 : What Tactics are you using

All of my tactical secrets can be found by following the link in my signature to my LoL Guide.

Ah, the month of love! February was a cruel mistress at first. She served up a heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup for starters. Last month we left the Santiago Bernabeu with a 2-2 draw and a firm foot in the door of the finals. What more could we ask for than 2 away goals in hand as we came home to play the home leg? As it turns out we may have come out too confident.

We opened the scoring with an 8th minute penalty scored by Franco Jara and the celebration looked to be on. Pepe leveled things in the 20th minute. Then Alberto Bueno, whom we just signed to a permanent contract, answered right back in the 23rd minute and the celebration was back on. Then Cristiano Ronaldo silenced the crowd with a goal seconds before the halftime whistle.

Going in at 2-2, everything was dead even now. We had somehow allowed Madrid to play their way back into this matchup. I didn't even have a chance to get concerned. Gonazlo Hiquain punished us on some piss-poor defending and scored within one minute of the reset. We were gutted and you could tell on the pitch. I tried to bring on some fresh legs and minds, but we couldn't manage to score again until the 90th minute. By then it was too little too late. Dani Benitez tied the game, but we had lost the war. After going in with 2 away goals in hand, we lose by allowing Real to score 3 goals in our house.



But then our pain was eased with a spectacular run through league play. Three days after our heartbreaking loss to Real in the Spanish Cup semifinals, we returned to the scene of the crime and destroyed Malaga 5-3. We followed up with a spirited 3-3 draw to Espanyol, and then finished the month with three consecutive wins.

We missed out on a chance for a shock appearance in the finals of the Spanish Cup, but look out! We have a chance to get into the Champions League next year. If the season ended today, we'd finish in 4th place. With 13 games remaining we have a 2 point lead over 5th place AT Madrid and we are six points behind 3rd place Valencia. There's no looking back now. We must do everything in our power to hold down this spot!



With the signing of Bueno to a permanent deal I've decided to experiment a bit. I've moved Jara to the trequart role even though he is more of a finisher than a creator. Bueno will man the poacher role and we will see how he performs.

Come on Granada!

You are working miracles at Granada

Hi Joannes,

Brilliant work with Granada; nice to see that you're making the most of two Benfica-loan players, Jara and Carlos Martins. The latter is quite superb as a playmaker and free kick taker! Keep it up!

Great job with Granada Considering they were expected to get relegation this season!

Keep it up! I'd like to see Granada win a cup within 1-3 seasons