No Job, No Prospects......No Hope? Hello Mexico!

I was tense but I knew that this was my chance. This little club in the heart of deepest Mexico had given me a leg up onto football's managerial ladder and I was determined to repay them.

"Morning gentleman, its a pleasure to stand here as your new Manager" I proclaimed.

The players responded with various welcoming phrases in Spanish (at least I think they were welcoming...my Spanish was still a little rusty.)

"I have ambitions for this club way beyond staving off relegation and I hope you have to. From the training session I just observed, some of you boys have real talent. I think if we work hard and work for each other we can achieve something."



They seemed to listen. Now I needed to back it up with some positive actions.

I wished the players well and told them I would see them tomorrow to lead my first full training session. I went to my office with Rene and sat down with a Horchata (an amazingly refreshing Mexican beverage - non-alcoholic of course!).

We had much to discuss......

#45297 1650 Yo : Great so far, Really enjoying it! how did you get that skin btw? and where can i get it?

thanx

I have loads of things added on but the skin is Plainskin and the backgrounds are mainly from FM Background Project. Badges, kits etc downloaded from all over the place !

First up was the unenviable task of telling the backroom team that they were no longer required. We called them in one at a time and delivered the bad news. Rene thanked them for their efforts and we wished them well. One of the coaches looked a bit 'wild' and was clearly not happy. I hope that Mexico isnt as crazy as it seems in the movies!



Next was putting together my new backroom team. Rene had some contacts in Brazil and I had done some research prior to my arrival in Mexico. We posted some ads and made some calls. With the geographical issues and lack of funds, we had to make our decisions based on recommendations and speaking to the guys on the phone. After several hours of international phone calls, broken Spanish/Portuguese/English conversations and much deliberation we knew who we wanted. There were still some loose ends to tie up and contracts to sign but we felt confident that we would have our new team together by the end of the week.

Next was to take a closer look at the team.

I had already identified a couple of our brightest talents but there were a few other players of note. Anibel Matellan was a big, strong Argentine centre back of the Walter Samuel ilk. He joined San Luis last season and has had experience of playing in the Europe with Schalke.



William Paredes, a 26 year old Mexican who had joined San Luis at the start of the season from Monterrey, looked like a dangerous wing back. His defensive qualities looked a little questionable but he could be great at supporting our attack with pace.



Christian Sanchez looked like a very solid Right Back. He was only 23, Mexican and could be a big part of San Luis future.



Another Mexican by the name of Chicharo Gonzalez also looked like he could play a big part in the first team. He was 32 years old but could add some grit and looked capable of anchoring our midfield.



So, something to build on.

I wanted to play 4-2-4 and 4-3-3 formations, although I would be happy to switch to a 4-4-1-1 in some situations.

I felt we were in desperate need of a left winger and I wanted to add some creativity to the team. I also wanted to add another defensively minded central midfielder.

Now I knew what we needed, it was time to hit the transfer market!

The new San Luis Backroom Team:



I was happy with the new backroom team but I had hoped to get a few Colombians in to keep me company and give my countryman a shot at the big time. Not surprisingly, available staff of the required quality and willing to join were thin on the ground. I almost gave up hope until Rene mentioned that he was an old friend of a friend of infamous Colombian legend, Faustino Asprilla. It was a bit of a long shot but the word was that he had cleaned himself up and was building up quite the reputation as a budding scout.

I made the call. He bit my hand off! I was nervous but delighted.

Welcome Tino!


Would have added some colour to the place....


Probably a little too risky....

I arrived at my office the next day and immediately got to work on securing new talent for the club. I figured that few European players would be interested in a move to the Mexican Primera Division. With this mind, I called a meeting with my new scouting team and sent them on assignments throughout South America with a brief to identify talented youngsters to nurture at the Estadio Alfonso Lastras.



With the scouts on their way to South America, I sat down with Rene and started to make some calls to local agents. We need a left sided attacking midfielder with pace, a central midfielder and some creative options in midfield. I would also be interested in another striker if a suitable one came along. I wanted to bring in youth but I was open to bringing in one or two experienced heads.

After several days of calls, watching grainy video tapes and scouring the internet, we had identified some transfer targets. We were limited to a small transfer budget and a tight wage budget, plus the fact the San Luis wasn't exactly renowned as a mecca for football.

We identified two Brazilian youngsters who were of real interest. One was a pacey attacking midfielder called Zezinho. He was only 19 years old and had played for Brazilian club Bahia before being released. He had spent a season at Santos previous to this and three seasons at Juventude - they really started them young in Brazil! He was very quick and versatile, he could operate on the left wing but also as a left sided midfielder, in the middle or behind the front man. He was of slight stature but had a sweet left foot and looked technically very good (then again, most Brazilians seem to be!). He was clubless so available for no fee. Tino believed there were lots of clubs interested from Brazil and Argentina so I decided to make our move. Zezinho's agent drove a hard bargain but as there was no fee I decided to give him what he wanted and Zezinho signed on the dotted line!

It felt good! I had made my first signing!



The other player was very intriguing indeed. His name was Nikao. He was due to turn 19 in at the end of July and looked quite a talent. His club, Atletico Mineiro, valued him at £2M - way out of our price range! However, he had fell out with the coach and had requested to leave. Word on the street was that he could be had for as little as £200k and there were literally swarms of clubs interested in him. Nikao was an attacking midfielder but could also operate up front. He looked exciting and I wanted him! I asked Rene to use his contacts to smooze Nikao's agent. There were clubs from Spain looking at him and we would need to move quick if we had any hope of securing him.

I'm not sure what Rene did, and to be perfectly honest I didn't want to know. Lets just say that Nikao's agent was like putty in our hands. He was white as a sheet and looked like he had a limp. We got our man for £190k on a fraction of the wages we were willing to pay him.

Could be a real coup for us.....I was really getting into this!

With the boys from Brazil secured and on their way to Mexico, I was happy with how things were panning out. At the airport, the agent that Rene strong-armed rang my mobile and told me that he also had a striker that was very capable and available on a free transfer. His name was Arthuro. He sent me a video of him via email. He reminded me of Jardel - big and strong and he knew where the goal was. I was feeling reckless. I rang him straight back and took him on the strength of the video alone.....whats the worst that could happen?

Arthuro signed on a free and with that we boarded the plane and headed back to San Luis.

Nikao - destined for big things?


Zezinho - did he have the quality to cut it?


Arthuro - careless mistake or masterstroke?

We arrived back in San Luis the next day. Rene had arranged a meeting with a local agent regarding the availability of Mexican players. With the 5 foreign player rule in Mexico, we had to ensure that our squad was majority Mexican nationals. I was delighted to discover that both Moreno and Matellan had Mexican dual nationality but nevertheless added one or two more was key.



We sat in a rather sparse and was called to the bar by a man with the most amazing mustache. After becoming accustomed to his rather grand facial hair, we got down to the business of discussing players. He went through several names who didn't really appeal to us. The bar was hot and we had alot to do. We were starting to think about leaving when the agent mentioned one more name.



"Cuauhtemoc Blanco may be available" he said before sipping the last drop of his Carta Blanca.

"Blanco, as in Blanco who has earned over 120 caps for Mexico? I thought he retired?" I said

"Nope"

"You interested?" he asked shiftily

I was really excited. A vsstly experienced and supremely gifted pro could be just what we need to add that bit of quality and help the young players keep their feet on the ground.

"Er, it depends on the cost"

"Less than you think - buy me another drink and we'll talk" he said.

The negotiations were done Mexican style - in a bar with a hell of a lot of booze! Calls were made to Blanco's club and to Blanco himself. After much to-ing and fro-ing, the deal was done. We agreed a loan until the end of the season.



Blanco was on his way to San Luis!

With Cuauhtemoc Blanco's signature secured, I felt things were going well. We secured another loan deal for a talented Mexican midfielder called Javier Guemez which would give us another option in the middle.

We moved a couple of players on who were surplus to requirements; Arredondo heading to America (MEX)for a fee of £275k and Ruiz going on loan to Atlas. We also agreed the £400k transfer of American defender Michael Fiscal to Jaguares.



We had some high profile friendlies planned in against top opposition. Whilst not ideal, it was a good opportunity to see how the team would fare against quality opposition. Ajax, HSV and Boca were the teams lined up. And they were home games so it would give the fans something to see, not to mention the potential gate receipts.

The friendlies went well. 2 wins and a defeat. Its always hard to gauge friendly matches but I got a good look at the players and it turned into a real confidence building exercise to boot! Moreno really shone, scoring 4 goals in the 3 games. Villaluz and Nikao also looked impressive.

Great result! 2-1 v Ajax


Good display despite 1-2 defeat v HSV


Fantastic 4-1 win v Boca

Great story so far, love the pictures you're including!! Remember, when in Mexico, dont drink the water....just the Tequila!! Ole!

With the start of the season less than a week ago, preparation was going well. The team was getting used to the shape I would like the team to play in and were working hard on their defensive positioning. I wanted to attack teams and use our pace on the flanks to counter teams.

San Luis 4-2-4 formation



We had the option of pulling Blanco back and adding another central midfielder or indeed pulling the wingers back as well into more traditional wide midfield roles should the situation dictate.

It would take a while for the team to get used to the formations and style of play as would it take for me to get to grips with getting the most out of the players.



And then....something quite extraordinary happened. Rene had heard a rumour that the legendary Brazilian superstar Rivaldo was plying his trade in Angola of all places, playing for a team called Kabuscorp Sport Clube do Palanca. He had fell out with the coach and was looking for an escape route. Rivaldo had been in scintillating form for Kabuscorp, scoring 9 goals in 10 games. Rivaldo and Rene went way back, to his Deportivo days when Rene did some scouting work at the club. Basically, if we were prepared to meet his clubs £70k asking price and pay Rivaldo's £2k per week wages, he was ours. He was 39 years old, injury prone and temperamental....but it was the great Rivaldo and I really didn't have to think twice.



Rivaldo signed for San Luis that afternoon and that concluded our business in the transfer market.

people from Mexico are sometimes thought to be hot-tempered, you can also see from their soccer jerseys- red atands for passion, green stands for hope. you can prove from many approaches~~

Great story, great work! You can't beat a bit of experience too

Just wondering is there going to be any updates tonight? Really loving this story great job!

San Luis Transfer Summary Summer 2011 - Zero net spend with another £400k on its way in January should please my chairman!



Rivaldo - Not doubting his quality despite being way past his best but would his influence prove to be crucial or disruptive?



Mexican Legend Blanco's presence in the squad could be great for the young players in the team



Our first Premera Division match against Atlas was around the corner. I felt we were ready.