Former Twente Manager Mark Deadman saved his job on the last day of the season with a point v Augsburg and then quit

Review

Well what a finish to season 2 for me with Twente. It of course has been a tough season for  me and  i guess the last seasons.


I made a decision at the beginning of the season to look at the 10 loan players that came back to me. Of course we got of to a terrible start  conceding  3-5 goals  per game. Ironically our keeper was still getting MOM awards.

It took to almost half way through the season to try and halt the slide and bring in some experience players. Not all of these have been a success, and I guess very few in the end. One of the lesser players for me who did well was Van Der Linden.
I also  tried to develop a youth policy with the club and hope that is something for the future.

I  certainly made a number of mistakes  this season, but some how we  struggled through. The squad has quantity  and perhaps not quality. With a small budget i think the squad needs reducing.

This was all in my mind when I met the chairman this morning and I made the decision it was time for a new man at the helm to  move this great little club forward.

Future

The opportunity to  manager  WBA  came  at the same time and although they are in the same division now  I felt  it the right club for me .
I look forward to meeting the players and  seeing what changes we may make for  a very difficult up coming season.


I have used Big Sam as the great escape man, and the fact I am only slightly older than him. I can confirm that I do not look like him (thankfully).

As some may know I am based in Romania now - combination of business and retirement  here and an adopted grandson keeps me very busy.

Used to work for BT for over 30 years and come form SE London / North Kent.  Starting in Plumstead  and ending in Bexleyheath.
 My first club was Charlton until they  moved  from the valley and I moved to Non League football - Welling United.
Ironic both clubs relegated this season.

Finally as has been mention T100 has and will continue to be a great success due to the top team led by Frank and of course every other manager.

Fred Dodger dances a jig of delight

Old Trafford was treated to some incredible scenes last night as Lazio pulled off a famous win to secure their top flight status for another season.
Fighting a rearguard action akin to the British army at Rorkes drift the Lazio players gave their manager what he had been asking for. They needed results to go their way elsewhere but with so many teams in the mix, a win was always likely to be enough. The much maligned Dennis Aogo provided assists for Robben and Montilivo and, despite a late rally from the Manchester side, managed to cling on for the win.
Fred Dodger was carried from the pitch by his adoring players and a crowd of Lazio ultras prostrated themselves on their knees and shouted “All hail the great Khal” as he took the plaudits for what can only be described as a triumphant escape.
A beaming Dodger was interviewed pitch side and in his usual excitable manner had this to say; “This club was in freefall when I arrived. The squad was paper thin in some areas and top heavy in others. I’ve brought in some fighters and old heads to whip things into shape and some skillful lads who can provide that bit of extra magic you need to get the goals. It’s been a tough road nonetheless and we’ve had some difficult moments along the way, particularly in recent weeks. The loss to inter on Sunday was a huge blow but we picked ourselves up, got back on the training ground and got stuck in.
I’ve no doubt we won’t be in this position next season. There may be a few changes within the squad but these players are good enough to compete for a top 4 spot, no question about that. Let’s not forget we’ve got the not insignificant matter of the SMFA Shield final next week against Chelsea too so after all this there even be an open top bus to be hired."
Stirring Stuff from Fred Dodger and who would bet against him?

27th April marked a turning point in Liege, Belgium. For it was this day that the Usurper James Foster took control of Royal Standard de Liege. Rumours in Anderlecht were rife of a shift in power and Prince Michael William was reported to have developed insomnia the same week. Coincidence? Managing a club close to the heart of Belgium’s elite ruling class had its benefits…


Princess Luisa Maria was seen out in Brussels with Foster, dining at the exclusive Comme Chez Soi, before moving onto drinks at Le Roy d’Espagne. Club Brugge chief Davy Vandendriessche was there that night, and was reportedly livid after being ignored by the paparazzi, who were jostling to gain favour with the new powerhouse in town.

He also took advantage of these links to take residence in Jehay-Bodegnée Castle, partly to show his team the meaning of a proper defence, but mainly due to the fact it was really big and would stop the rif raf neighbours Michael and Davy knocking on the door.

Foster, known as The Brain due to his love of statistical analysis, developed his management style in the Stephen-Alessandro Championship, where he managed an impressive average of 2.70 points in 143 games at Internazionale, winning Division 1 twice, and winning multiple cups in the process. After a break from the game, he returned with a new found hunger and was charged with the task of taking Liege to the top of the Pyramid. Short term aims given by Bruno Venanzi were to reaffirm the clubs position against its Belgian peers, a task almost achieved in the first 7 (DDWDWWD) games under the talented manager. Ending a run of 4 straight defeats, tactics were changed, new training methods implemented, and a stark warning to the existing playing squad that each and every one of them were playing for the place at the club.

The playing squad were Youthanized. Anyone deemed to be underperforming or beyond their prime were transferred. A mix of youth and late bloomers were brought in, with elder statesmen such as Larrivey, Aguilar and Palombo shipped out.

Transfers In (23):
Florin Gardos (Free Agent - £1.7m), Joey Barton (Burnley - £125k + Pirard), Scott Arfield (Burnley - £611k + Trochowski), Bruno Martella (FC Crotone - £800k), Mubarak Wakaso (Ural - £433k + Mulgrew), Liam Bridcutt (Free Agent - £1.6m), Lewis Dunk (Brighton - £1.6m), Domagoj Antolic (Free Agent - £1.9m), Willian Arao (Bayern Munich - £400k), Daniel Ayala (Middlesborough - £482k + Verdu), Vegar Hedenstad (SC Freiburg - £481k + Ciman), Bebe (CD Nacional - £600k + Rodrigues), Fabrizio Cacciatore (Free Agent - £1.6m), Santiago Colombatto (Cagliari - £240k), Aniello Salzano (FC Crotone – £320k), Eloge Yao (Swansea - £200k + Dussaut), Jorge Rojas (Free Agent - £1.5m), Will Grigg (Wigan - £600k), Moses Odubajo (Levante UD - £0 + Pavez + Einer), Antonio Adan (AS Roma - £3.2m), Lukas Hinterseer (FC Ingolstadt 04 - £1.6m + Palombo), Ruben Rochina (Granada CF – £2.2m), Omar Mascarell (UD Las Palmas - £800k + Mmaee + Jaadi).

A couple of these newcomers stand out; Once much maligned, Bebe has become a first team player whilst on loan at Rayo Vallecano. 33 games, 3 goals and 7 assists is a fantastic return for a team that unfortunately suffered relegation. Eloge Yao had brilliant breakout season at Crotone with Martella. Playing in almost all of the games, he goes back to Inter with a new found confidence. Moses Odubajo has been a revelation for Hull this season. Each game he improves and it surely won’t be long until he’s playing in the top half of the Premier League, be that with Hull or another side. Finally, Antonio Adan. He’s come on leaps and bounds since his stint at Real Madrid, becoming Real Betis’ first choice goalkeeper, linked with big moves to Liverpool, Marseille and Sunderland.

Transfers Out (22):
Lucas Pirard (P/ex), Piotr Trochowski (P/ex), Charlie Mulgrew (P/ex), Joan Verdu (P/ex), Laurent Ciman (P/ex), Miguel Rodrigues (P/ex), Daniel Dussaut (P/ex), Galilea Einar (P/ex), Luis Pavez (P/ex), Angelo Palombo (P/ex), Sammy Mmaee (P/ex), Reda Jaadi (P/ex), Christian Bruls (Stade Rennais - £2,8m), Diogo Rochinha (FC Penafiel - £618k), Tom Rosenthal (QPR - £672k), Paul Aguilar (Club America - £2.9m), Neri Cardozo (Monterrey - £3m), Jarne Vrijsen (KRC Genk - £361k), Joaquin Larrivey (Baniyas SC – £2.5m), Francesco Lodi (Brescia - £2m), Kiril Despodov (VfB Stuttgart - £4.3m), Shani Tarashaj (Chievo Verona - £4m).

No more than two players in the squad achieved an average rating of 6.60 this season. One of those players being a new signing himself, making it clear that Foster has had to do a lot of work to drag his side to where they are. Coincidentally, the team’s top scorer (post transfers) is the same player, Mubarak Wakaso.

There has been a real drive at Liege to reduce the average age of the playing staff, whilst remaining competitive. As you can see Foster has managed that magnificently, having not lost a competitive match since taking over. Whilst the squads average age is still above his Belgian counterparts by a solitary year, he still has a couple of older players that inside sources have advised are likely to be sold by the start of the new season, and is expected to push forwards with plans to bring in new attacking personnel in the coming weeks. The gossip pages of newspapers consistently mention the sales of Velarde, Wagner, Sosa, Barrios and Briand, who must surely be fearing for their places in the team. It’s an open secret that manager Foster would welcome offers for any of those players.

We were also lucky enough to be advised of the results of the awards ceremony which occurred on Wednesday night;

Player of the Season – Matz Sels – The Belgian stopper played 42 games this season, and is one of the few squad players to remain after the reshuffle. MOTM 4 times, he is expected to remain a key figure for Foster’s side over the coming seasons, provided he fights off the competition of Antonio Adan.
Youth Player of the Season – Massimo Bruno – The youngster’s performance this season has been slightly worse than season 1 under the previous regime, however he has remained on the fringes of the first team, threatening the more established stars. Season 3 should see him try to cement his place in the first eleven and potentially provide the creative catalyst for a promotion push.
Top Goalscorer – Mubarak Wakaso – A new signing, Wakaso has scored a goal every 112 minutes for foster. The hard working, pacey winger has mainly been used in a central midfield role, but has still managed to get forward and provide an attacking threat.

As it stands, the Standard Liege shakeup is just the start of the shakedown of Belgian teams in Foster’s quest to become King of Belgium, en route to the top of the Division 5 table.

Dick de Cock for Het Laatste Nieuws.

Tonight it was confirmed that Espanyol will be playing in Division 5 next season. A 1-0 loss to Torino sentenced the Spaniards to their fate rubbing salt into the wounds of the clubs transfer ban put in place just yesterday. Many expected Espanyol to survive following an incredible run of form since Earle took over midway through the season. However, it seems the clubs situation was too extreme for a turn around. The past few weeks have seen some huge changes at the club and these past two days have led to speculation over the clubs future development and stability.


Transfers

New Midfield Mastermind (Ricky Alvarez)

The past week has seen a lot of movement into and out of the Barcelona based club. Last week saw a string of transfers kicked off by the departure of Chilean defender Miiko Albornoz to Stuttgart. The 25 year old cost £5 million giving Earle a bit more freedom to spend. One day later Lukas Rupp joined in exchange for Jonny Williams from German club Halle. Soon after, Marios Oikonomou signed from Bologna for £400k and Kalifa Coulibaly. The midfielder and defender will offer increased depth for next seasons promotion push. Claudio Pizarro also joined the Spaniards for a fee of £307k from Kaiserslautern. With Borini gone, the 37 year old will play a key role offering experience up front. Later that day Rodriguez Jony completed his transfer to Espanyol from Real Sporting. The 24 year old cost £2.8 million and could push for a starting spot at left back next season but also offers depth all the way up the left side. Daniel Ginczek was the next to depart. After failing to attract much attention the German was sold for £3 million to Paderborn. Fabio Borini also hit the exit moving to Sunderland in exchange for Ricky Alvarez and Leonardo Morosini. Alvarez will become a long term replacement for the departed Tomas Rosicky and Morosini will give Espanyols youth squad higher potential. Also joining the youth team was Jean-Luc Dompe who signed from Hellas Verona for £3 million. Both deals have a second section which must wait to be completed due to the ban. The ban was put in place on the 17th following the signing of four more youth players. Jon Ander and Samuele Massolo will both battle for a place as starting keeper in the youth team. Stijn Spierings and Juanma Labra also joined taking the squad total to 51 with Earle unable to cancel a loan deal in time. As a result Earle is now banned from doing deals until the 17th of June. Due to this two transfers have been put on hold. Leonardo Pavolleti will join Hellas Verona in exchange for Laurent Depoitre and Onyinye Ndidi while Marko Vejinovic will move to Sunderland for Azevedo Silvio and Duncan Watmore. Both Depoitre and Silvio are likely to play leading roles in the first team while Ndidi will play a key role in the youth team and Watmore will offer depth to the squad. It is also believed that Earle has confirmed two more deals subject to conditions.

Relegation
With the team confirmed for the drop, Espanyol are already preparing for life in Division 5. After many questioned the managerial situation for next season the club confirmed Earle would remain in control. The club released the following statement;
"Espanyol can confirm that Earle will remain in control for next season. We feel his contribution since joining has been huge and expect the same to continue next season. We believe that he is the right man to get us back into Division 4 and know the fans will back this decision".
It is believed that Earle has signed a 3 year contract extension and is negotiating season expectations which will be put in place by the start of next season. It is thought that the clause will be to at least reach the promotion play off's.

The Squad

First Choice? (Volkan Demirel)

With the club transfer banned no adjustments to the squad can be made. This includes loans which have played a key role since Earle took over. With these limitations Earle will have a big decision to make in terms of goalkeeper. Jiminez Roberto finished the season in goal for the Spaniards but will be unable to return next season. This leaves Earle with 6 options. The most likely option is Volkan Demirel, 34, who joined a month ago. The Turkish keeper made two starts before being dropped to the bench in place of Roberto. However, stiff competition will come in the form of Eloy Room. Being 7 years younger, Room could provide a longer term solution to the keeper situation. Lukas Raeder is an unlikely candidate but could become favourable if his elders fail to impress. Aged 22 and standing at over 6'5" the German may surprise a few at the club. Another less likely option is Timo Plattel who will be returning to Division 5 since signing from Twente. Also aged 22 the keeper has already experienced success in Division 5 making 17 appearances and receiving an average rating of 7.71. Youth members Jon Anders and Samuele Massolo could also be given a chance but it is unlikely. Earle is yet to name next seasons captain and has said he'll make his decision following the post season. It is expected that that three players will be sold externally after disappointing spells. Earle has also hinted at the potential for a few younger players to break through into the first team.

The Manager
Following the confirmation of relegation Earle had the following to say;
"Obviously we are all disappointed, it's been a long season and we were written off very early on. I think the players should be, and will be, very proud of the effort given and what they have achieved. I think we had a tough run in and it all just proved too much. Hellas and Chievo both did really well and deserved to stay up. We're in an interesting situation now, there is no one left here to take the blame, I think the fans know that the players and I did the best we could and did a great job, but the situation we we're given by the old squad and previous manager was too extreme for us to recover from. I want to stay, we still have a great squad and with the relegation and the transfer ban we can look to give some of our non-regulars the opportunity to play. I think we need to accept what's happened and look at it in a positive manner. We now have the chance to build from the bottom. We still have a few changes to make and I feel this ban will allow us to identify our weaknesses, our situation should also give our players some competition for places as no one is guaranteed a place in the starting eleven. I hope some of our youngsters can develop and push for a first team spot too and I think the fans should be exited to see how we respond".