Levante on Top 100

The most important season is coming!!

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 20:23:05 +0100

The end of the season has brought new players to be deployed in the starting lineup, important players that testify to the clear growth plan that this team has followed, after James who arrived during the season in this end Kim, Maddison, Pulisic, Bruno Guimaras and De Jong have joined, 5 very important players that together with the other starters will be able to give a lot of satisfaction to our fans, the next season will be the most important in the history of this team, we are ready to give great satisfaction to our fans and to the club that has given us the opportunity to bring all these champions

Despite having managed to create an excellent starting 11, Levante, as per tradition, will continue to focus on promising young players and we expect good revaluations in the near future with Scally, Dorgu, Bellingham above all, ready to be protagonists among the starters…

Consistently among the best!!

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 08:51:13 +0100

For the second consecutive season (the third in the history of Levante and always under my management) we are preparing to reach a comfortable salvation, until today we have been constantly in the European zone, but the management of the concerns (point where we must improve) has made us and will make us lose many points, players who have helped us in recent years have left but other players have arrived who in addition to maintaining a good level of the first team, have further lowered the average age. For the next season (but they are already starting now) many of those young people who have made Levante Youth (will we return to the competition??) the strongest team in history in the Top100 will be even more protagonists. In the meantime, let's enjoy this ending, let's try to bring home a trophy and next season we will try to take a further step. Vamoss Levante!!!

Levante Legacy

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 11:49:25 +0100

Drawing on the wealth of blog posts provided by their three managers over 23 seasons of Top 100, here's a celebratory podcast discussing the club's (mostly) ups and downs, and how the team has transformed from Division Five no hopers alongside (then) Espanyol (who else?!) to a Division One team and powerhouse youth academy.

Continue growth!!

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:01:44 +0100

Two consecutive promotions brought us to Div 1, the level is very high and the opponents are very strong, however, as always we want to be protagonists, many market movements, many interested young people were sacrificed but we brought in some top players like Gnabry Bremer and Dembelè who together with good re-evaluations make us a team that can aim to be in the top 10 places, despite this, as always Levante U21 is always a team that fights to go a long way, below are the two teams

Vamossssss!

Impatient fans!!

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 07:15:11 +0100

Season ticket campaign open for this second experience in Div1 for Levante, if the first one arrived a little early and unexpectedly, this one arrived according to the plan wanted by the manager, the fans know it and it is already a record number of season tickets, everyone wants to see the own beloved team playing against the strongest teams in the TOP 100 there is a lot of enthusiasm in the city but also a lot of awareness that the team can do well and can be a good and constant reality in Div1! Vamosss Levante

Welcome Lucas!!

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 18:42:56 +0100

After days of reflection due to his situation we still decided to sign Paqueta, a talented player who will serve us to face the Div1, we needed a strong player to include in our 11 and he corresponds to what we need, he leaves us with two good However, both talents are worried and with the level 3 rule I also had to evaluate this, is there a risk of a long disqualification? We believe that it won't be long and that in reality we will see this fabulous player go and play in a top level club , meanwhile the Levante fans will go and enjoy his presentation and hope to see many of the dances that made him famous!! Let's move Levante!

The Return to the Elite!

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 12:57:25 +0100

Levante returns to Div1!!!! after a long and beautiful season in which in addition to promotion we achieved a second place in the WCS (without ever losing) and above all another Youth Cup where Levante with its manager continues to write history of the competition!! But now comes the tough game and Levante is ready to continue its growth path with the plan that has been clear for some time and with the results that have arrived and have proved the Manager right, all the fans knew that behind the double relegation was a very specific plan of their coach, today Levante continues to be the strongest youth team and has an important team for Div1 with many of the best talents in world football, Vamossssss Levante

HISTORY!!!

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:48:54 +0100

LEVANTE winning his fourth Youth title, the third consecutive final won in the fifth consecutive final played, I become the first manager in the history of Top 100 to win 4 Youth titles, years of work and planning have led to these results but also to having a first team that in the very near future will be protagonists in Div1, we sacrificed our best U21 star for this very objective, because this project starts from afar but the DNA of LEVANTE will always be that of a beautiful competitive u21, now we celebrate with the hope that the first team will give us another joy, VAMOSSSS LEVANTE!!

S21 Youth Cup Winners!

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 12:53:19 +0100

Congratulations to Levante and manager Salvo, who won their fourth Youth Cup, a Top 100 record! Like the Youth Shield Final, this match also was decided in Fictional Extra Time, after both legs ended 1-1.

Commiserations on another final loss to Espanyol and manager Glen. Again like the Youth Shield, this was another very competitive competition.

Step by Step

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 08:29:52 +0100

The growth trajectory of Levante continues. After winning Div 3, the team is focused on climbing back to Div 1. With the lineup we have, our chances look promising. Yes, we faced two consecutive relegations, but there was a specific plan behind it all. The team we've built shows that the plan has been successful. I won't go into all the transfers, but we made some strategic bets that paid off. For example, we traded Dybala for Gavi, White, and Ramsey; swapped Luiz Felipe for Enzo Fernandez; and sold Eden Hazard to acquire two players rated at 89 and a young Rodrygo. These moves laid a strong foundation for the future. Further trades, like Gavi for Wirtz and Sancho, and Rodrygo for Vlahovic and Coman, along with the recent acquisition of Varane, have solidified our team. All this was possible because I've had the opportunity to work with this team for an extended period. So, the key to success is longevity. Success is measured not just by results, but also by the team one manages to build. Levante is poised to be a key player in Div 1 very soon.

As you can see from our second formation, we have excellent backup players ready to step in for those who will soon be part of Levante's history. In addition to these, we have exceptional talents like Doukoure, Buonanotte, Diaz, Bardghji, Belocian, Van Bommel, Romero, Bellingham, and Schjelderup. These players not only guarantee a promising future for the team but also make significant contributions in the present, particularly in the Youth Cup. Levante is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Top 100 in this competition. In conclusion, while we've faced challenging moments and made tough choices, it's all led to building this strong team. We're demonstrating that Levante can excel on multiple fronts, and we're ready to bring even more joy to our fans!

This will be the u21 line-up facing the Youth Cup this season

LEGGENDA

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:12:48 +0100

Levante winning its second consecutive Youth Cup, setting a record, third trophy in four seasons, four consecutive finals (another record set), I am very very satisfied with these goals, I worked hard to achieve these goals, now I have a winning team youth and a first team that this season won the Div 3 and went out in the semi-finals of the WCC without ever losing a game. Next season will be the one in which we will aim to rise to Div 1, we have an excellent starting 11 who can easily fight for the goal, I had to sacrifice Gavi and Rodrygo, but Vlahovic, Sancho, Writz and Coman have arrived, who will be fundamental for the our future and our goals for the next few years, now let's celebrate, let's enjoy these successes, but then immediately get to work to continue the climb among the best in Div 1 and these results and this team shows me that I'm on the right track

Campioni! Campioni!

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 22:03:17 +0100

Levante has secured a dominant 9-1 victory in the Youth Cup final. Despite having our doubters this season, we have displayed undeniable quality in a tough competition against strong opponents. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Admin team for running the competition and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to defend our title! VAMOS LEVANTE!

Campione Campione

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 06:58:01 +0100

The Levante wins the first edition of the Gamper trophy! There will be no need to wait for the verdict between Barcelona and Español, the boys of Mr. Zerbo have beaten both teams demonstrating that this team has a lot of potential for the future, in fact in this tournament only U23 could be lined up, the company satisfied with this trophy now he asks for the same commitment to arrive at a complicated but not impossible salvation.

Champions !!

Sun, 22 May 2022 16:05:27 +0100

Great feat of the Levante that beats Juventus in the double final, the strongest youth team, great result of my boys who reward my great and hard work done to date and which make me understand that this team can also have a great future " among the greats "now let's celebrate but let's immediately start thinking about the future, because there is so much to do if we also want a trophy in the top!

Ready for this great challenge!

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 13:55:50 +0100

Tomorrow the championship will start, the first in Div1 of the Levante, I think I moved well, I brought experience to fight but I kept a good youth team to continue the work, I will always try to improve my team both for the present and for the future but I believe that from now on we can demonstrate that we remain in Div1.

We made history!

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 22:02:16 +0100

Div1 at last! Levante is in Div1 for the first time in its history, the path was long and difficult, I inherited an excellent base from the previous coach, but I had to create my team with my philosophy (only L. Felipe left from the squad , Diop and Balerdi) the first season was difficult we risked relegation, then it was a crescendo that led us to this wonderful promotion, deserved I would say, in these seasons we have made excellent participations in the Youth Cup and World Cup demonstrating that we have an excellent first team and an excellent youth team, but now we go to the Top 100 Olympus, it will not be easy, we are easy, we are at most all the opportunities to score points and bring home a difficult salvation, but for now CELEBRATE !! VAMOSSSS LEVANTE!

Levante - End of year review

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 16:32:00 +0100

The last 8 months, since Saviano joined Levante, have been a roller coaster ride for the Valencian team and their supporters. The promotion, achieved as underdog through the play-off, generated an euphoric state, that led to a wonderful pre-season (4 wins and 1 draw, against really good teams) and great expectations.

“I really believed that we could struggle for a play-off spot- said Saviano.- But after 5 matches it was clear that our goal must have been to survive in Div 4."

To make things worse and worse, the team went under Transfer Ban for an incredible mistake:” After Rossi turned 22, we needed a GK for the Youth Cup. I didn’t see anything interesting on the market, so I took the first available on loan. I didn’t imagine that loans in count for the squad limit, and I still think that it is an unfair rule."

After half a season, Levante was 19th with 15 points. “In that moment I realized that was unuseful to have old players in the team, if they aren’t decisive."

So, key players for the promotion (Corluka, Sissoko, Nilmar, Gentner) were sold for younger, less rated, players (Fred, Karsdorp, Di Francesco among all). Surprisingly, the results bettered, also thanks to a new scheme, 4-2-3-1.

Because of the terrible first half of the season, the team wasn’t able to be safe before the last match. “It has been a Champions League final for us and our opponents, Matt Morris with his Basel, with the Division 4 as prize for both of us. But the guys managed to reach our objective."

After 30 points in the second haf of the season, is there a risk to have again great expectations for next season? “Our supporters want to reach Valencia’s level. Looking at their recent performances, I think that we can do that staying in Div 4 for 2 season, waiting them to be relegated twice."

What’s the plan for next season? “We will try to make the team younger, but we can’t continue to lose rating.: players like Jallet and Diarra will stay, unless we get huge offers, which I don’t expect. Everybody know that we need a left back, but i trust Alonso and Lima, if nobody arrive they will fight to start every week."

TRANSFER BALANCE

Transfer out
M.SISSOKO
V.CORLUKA
S.PRÖDL
P.VERHAEGH
A.ARBILLA
C.DANIELS
H.NILMAR
O.NIASSÉ
M.LE MARCHAND
H.HWANG
D.BESSA
F.KLAUS
S.MITROVIC
F.BRADARIC
G.DI CHIARA
P.IEMMELLO
M.MIAZGA
D.AVDIJAJ
R.PEÑA
S.TETTEH
C.ADAMS
G.RUGGIERO
L.PELLEGRINI
M.CARRARO
M.CEROFOLINI
J.BEDEAU

Transfers in
G.MARCELO
S.FRED
R.DIEGO
R.KARSDORP
G.RAMÍREZ
V.VÁZQUEZ
C.BEAUVUE
J.SÁNCHEZ
J.BOËTIUS
J.ALONSO
L.LIMA
P.FARAGÒ
A.TAARABT
F.DI FRANCESCO
J.LARSEN
A.AJETI
B.CHILWELL
M.WESLEY
S.SIMIC
K.EHIZIBUE
L.AGBENYENU
T.MARCÃO
N.DALMONTE
A.DE SART
Z.YOUSSOUF
S.AMALLAH
A.DABO

P.S. Happy New Year!

Levante: Reports of an Incredible season.

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 15:24:00 +0100

After 3 seasons, Levante manages to return in Division 4, winning a thrilling play-off final against Espanyol (2-3, Modestè(E) 19', 48'; Rodriguez 15', Veloso 54', Nilmar 75').

At the end of the match, a drunk Saviano commented: “it’s an huge satisfaction, which comes after 2 months of hard work”. Then he ran away, maybe to continue the celebrations, more probably to throw up.

Saviano arrived in the right side of Valencia when Tom Parfitt moved to Lisbon to manage Benfica on 23rd May. During the first week, he brought 16 new players (Semedo, Hendrick and Balic amongst the others), with some Parfitt’s loyalists, as Gervinho, Vives, Ralf and Sessegnon, moving away.

After 17 matches, the team was already trying to enter in the play-off zone. Saviano reached this goal in the last match, despite a loss of form in the last few matches, that didn’t bode well for the play-off. But against all odds, Levante beated Flamengo and Espanyol, for their supporters' happiness.

“Now, we must focus on the future”- Saviano said this morning in the press conference- Semedo and Torres already went away, with Sissoko (two assists for him in the final), Soyuncu, Hwang, Falcinelli and Ferrari coming in. We’ll do everything we can to make a competitive team, even sacrificing some good youngsters."

In fact, rumours says that Ontiveros will move soon for a left back. The team is also expected to buy a wing or a midfielder, with Sissoko covering the other position.

Levante press conference

Sat, 15 Apr 2017 13:30:00 +0100

Following last seasons heroics, and missing out on the play offs on the last day, Levante have made a slow start to the new season. The club have registered 3 draws and 3 defeats in the league, and defeats to Besiktas & Feyenoord in the World Club Cup.

The youth team have registered the only win for the club so far this season, beating Italian side Chievo Verona 2 - 0 last weekend. The youth side are in action again tonight against Dynamo Kiev, and before the game, Parfitt answered questions to the press.

Press: You only just missed out on the play offs last season, why are you not fighting at the top of the league right now?

Parfitt: Because we havent got enough points dickhead.

Press: So is this how you see the rest of the season going?

Parfitt: No. We've made some major additions to the squad in Gervinho, Fernando Torres and Vedran Corluka. Give them a few weeks to bed in and we'll be flying. Look back a couple of years to when Olympiacos went up. They were absolute gash at the start of the season, far worse than we are right now, but they did the job. I'll be surprised if we dont finish somewhere up at the sharp end.

Press: Do you think that the big name like Gervinho and Torres coming in will upset the balance and spirit of the squad?

Parfitt: No, absolutely not, Torres will probably be top scorer in the league, even though he's only signed 5 games in, and Gervinho should hit double figures as well once he gets going.

Press: Last season, in the WCC, you were sleighing giants week in, week out, what's gone wrong this season?

Parfitt: We've played 2 games, both against higher league opponents. We can't be expected to win them all. That said, we have Juventus still to play yet, so we should be good for some points in those games.

Press: Last season, you said you would stand down if the club didnt improve in every area on the season before, you're still here. Care to explain.

Parfitt: We had our highest ever league finish, we had the best goal difference we've ever had, we scored more than the season before, we had better cup runs at first team and youth team level. The only thing was goals against, and we only conceded one goal more than the season before. I felt that overall, last season represented an improvement on the one before, so here I am.

Press: You didn't make any bold predictions pre season, scared?

Parfitt: Scared of what? The only ones that should be scared are the other 99 managers in Top 100. We are strengthening the first team squad, we've got kids who will be in the first team soon as well. I think we are in a great position to push on, and when, not if, but when we go up, we'll be in with a decent shout of going straight up again.

Press: The youth cup tonight will be the first time the kids have played since Isaac Success left. Do you think they'll be weakened by his loss?

Parfitt: Any team will miss their best players, but Che Adams will probably come in for his debut tonight. He's a decent talent. Well obviously he is, I signed him, and I dont sign pups. I might ask a few girls if they want to see some though.....

Press: You got Jorritt Hendrix in on loan from Arsenal. What was the thinking behind that?

Parfitt: He gives us a bit versatility as he can play in defence, and anchor the midfield. Also, I want to learn the guitar, and who better than the greatest guitar player of all time to learn from? I'll probably play Foxy Lady for the lads in the dressing room tomorrow night.

Press: Talk is that AC Milan will be looking for a new man at the end of the season. Any chance of you casting your name into the hat?

Parfitt: What, and have Beddow's sloppy seconds? I'd rather spend the night shaving my gonads with a cheese grater. I'd win the league with that AC side, but I think I'll still be here next season. I wouldnt mind a crack at Santos one day, who doesn't fancy looking after Pele's club? Not many others really stand out at the moment though.

Press: One final question Tom, which managers would you compare yourself to?

Parfitt: Other managers compare themselves to me.

Levante - A season in review

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 22:24:00 +0100

A brief overview of the season can be found below, but first off, a few words from the “Mr Levante” himself.

“It’s all over. We’ve put in a great shift this season, overcome massive odds, and still the authorities in charge have seen fit to ensure we play in division 5 once again next season. We’ve missed out on the playoffs by a single point. It’s an absolute gutwrencher. I haven’t been this disappointed since Gareth Southgate played a gentle back pass instead of taking a mans penaly in Euro ’96.

Looking ahead to next season, I’m already excited. We’ve got a deal agreed for a new player to join the club, one who will be our new star for next season. His name? Gerviniho. We’ll be saying goodbye to Martin Benitez, Clinton N’Jie and Fillip Djuricic to get him in, but all in all I’m happy. Djuricic came in for Steven Gerrard anyway, so essentially I’ve swapped a retired has been for a superstar. That’s working the transfer market properly right there

You’ll see from the stats below what a great season we have had. We took 4 points from Torino in the league. They were the pre season favourites, but we smashed them. A league double over Flamengo, smashing PMW 5 – 0 & West Brom 4-0, winning 4-1 away to Santos. That’s just a few league highlights off the top of my bonce. But the cup, the mother funking cup. Look at that. We took 4 points off of Juve, and three of them in Turin. Battered Lyon 5 – 0, we did Palace twice, and Olympiacos. Liverpool beat us in the end, but only through foul means. The scoreline might say they won 2 – 0, but it doesn’t tell you about what I caught Kinnear doing to the officials before the game....

To be honest, taking all of this into account, and also looking at the shocking capitulation of ome other clubs, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Anderlecht, Juve, and AC Milan to name just a few, we should be given a bit of credit, and a reward. As such, I’m looking forward to us starting next season in division one. It’s fully deserved, and I have proved myself to be beyond compare. I am the greatest of all time. McMillan with that whining about how he’s got promoted with loads of different clubs. Beddows spouting off about how well AC have done. Jesus, my dear old nan could’ve got those sides promoted Josh. And Beddows, next door neighbours cat would have got Milan into the top 4 this season.

So yeah, forget the likes of those two. Forget Hewitt calling himself the king. Forget anybody that isn’t in charge of Levante right now. There is no doubt about it. There is only one Greatest of All Time. Yes, me. The GOAT. Bask in my glory, look up to me, admire me, but remember, you will never equal or beat me

Also, I did say at the start of the season that I would walk away if we didnt improve. We improved in every area bar defence, where we conceded one more goal than last season. It has been a hard decision, well for me at least, not the board. They were desperate for me to stay, and so I have agreed to give them another season”

Highlights: Giant killings in the WCC, and improving upon the previous seasons finishing spot for the first season time. Also add to this the youth team doing well, indicating some good talent coming through for the future

Lowlights: Missing play offs / Only drawing at home to Juventus. I’d also like to mention the Prince losing his job at Anderlecht. We’ve had some run ins over the seasons, but the truth is I quite like the lad. I hope they have a change of heart and keep him on actually, or in a worst case scenario he ends up at AC Milan.

Player of the year

Leandro Damiao - Levante’s best player on 23 seperate occasions. TOTW nominations 10 times, 29 goals and 17 assists in all competitions. Arguably the best player in the Top 100 right now. He isn’t for sale, but 2 94 plus players might get us talking.

Young player of the year

Isaac Success: 2 MOTM awards at first team level, and 9 times in the youth cup. 10 goals and 4 assists in the youth cup, and at first team level he managed 5 goals and 2 assists. A great season for the young man.

One’s to watch

Isaac Success – He’s been phenomenal in the youth cup, and also scored a few at first team level. If he kicks on, he can be a real star for us and make himself a regular member of the first team.

Lewis Baker – A top midfielder. So long as he stays, and unless we get a sensational offer for him, he will do, I’m expecting him to start running games at youth level next season, and also get a few first team opportunities. He’ll play in cup game’s I would think, and may get a taste of league action at times as well.

Ryan Sessegnon – The boy is 16 years old. Half the clubs in the league are asking after him, and he hasn’t kicked a ball for us as yet. Clearly he will go on to be an absolute star. He’ll get a few opportunities in the youth cup next season, and it won’t be too long before he’s banging on the door if the first team.

Results

H Celtic L 1 - 3
A Partizan W 0 - 1
A Werder Bremen L 1 - 0
H Santos L 0 - 2
A Torino D 1 - 1
H - Lyon W 5 - 0	World Club Cup
H Augsburg W 3 - 1
A Espanyol W 1 - 2
A Chievo Verona L 1 - 0	Top 100 Shield
A Hellas Verona W 0 - 3	World Club Cup
H FC Twente W 1 - 0
A Hertha Berlin D 2 - 2
A River Plate W 0 - 1	Top 100 Cup
H Rubin Kazan D 2 - 2
A Anderlecht D 1 - 1
H Juventus D 0 - 0	World Club Cup
H Club Brugge W 2 - 1
A Celta Vigo L 3 - 1
H Standard Liege D 0 - 0 (L 4 - 5 pens)	Top 100 Cup
A Crystal Palace W 0 - 2	World Club Cup
H Independiente L 1 - 3
A Dynamo Moscow L 3 - 1
A Lyon D 3 - 3	World Club Cup
H West Brom W 4 - 0
A Malaga D 1 - 1
H Hellas Verona L 1 - 2	World Club Cup
H FC Koln D 0 - 0
A Flamengo W 0 - 1
A Celtic D 0 - 0
H Partizan W 2 - 1
A Juventus W 1 - 2	World Club Cup
H Werder Bremen L 0 - 1
A Santos W 1 - 4
H Crystal Palace W 4 - 0	World Club Cup
H Torino W 3 - 1
A Augsburg D 1 - 1
H Olympiacos W 2 - 0	World Club Cup
H Espanyol D 1 - 1
A FC Twente W 0 - 1
H Liverpool L 0 - 2	World Club Cup
H Hertha D 2 - 2
A Rubin Kazan L 2 - 0
H Anderlecht W 5 - 0
A Club Brugge L 3 - 1
H Celta Vigo W 3 - 1
A Independiente D 2 - 2
H Dynamo Moscow L 0 - 2
A West Brom D 3 - 3
H Malaga D 0 - 0
A Koln D 1 - 1
H Flamengo W 2 - 0

Youth results

H Borussia Dortmund D 1 - 1

H Wolfsburg D 1 - 1

A Fenerbahce W 1 - 2

H Everton W 3 - 1

H Udinese W 4 - 3

A Everton L 1 - 0

A - Wolfsburg L 4 - 1

H - Fenerbahce D 3 - 3

A - Borussia Dortmund L 1 - 0

A Udinese W 2 - 0

A Flamengo L 5 - 1

Transfers in

Player in	Club from	Fee
Junior Auro	EC Bahia	£500k + Gilles Dewaele
Mati Fernandez	Olympiacos	£7m
Che Adams	Southampton	£3.2m
Filip Djuricic	Besiktas	£5m + Steven Gerrard & Miller Bolanos
Aniello Viscovo	Stade Rennais	£239k
Teles Ralf	Beijing Guian	£1.8m
Jacob Bedeau	Bury	£239k
Kemar Roofe	Leeds	£719k
Corey Jordan	Arsenal	£239k
Luke McGee	Stockport	Marcus Maddison and Chris Forrester
Britt Assombolonga	Nottingham Forest	£1.6m
Samuel Tetteh	RB Salzburg	£959k + Emil Hansson
Nahitan Nandez	Aston Villa	£4.7m
Christophe Jallet	Chievo Verona	£2.7m + Ahmed Elmohamady
Pelle Clement	Free Agent	£1.8m
Bryan Vejar	Colo Colo	Junior Auro

Transfers out

Player out	Club to	Fee
Dani Romera	Marseille	£2.7m
Jonathan Kodjia	Nottingham Forest	£1.7m
Kylian Hazard	Atalanta	£2m
Karl Darlow	Crystal Palace	£3.3m
Ibrahim Sangare	AZ Alkmaar	£1.5m
Yuri Berchiche	Espanyol	£2m + Pablo Armero
Mate Simao	Deportivo Alaves	£2.3m
Kelvin Leerdam	Vitesse	£2.9m
Thomas Rincon	Olympiacos	Miguel Veloso & Anto Grgic
Sofyan Amrabat	Manchester Utd	£1.9m
Diogo Verdasca	Sporting Covilha	£1.2m
Luis Canga	Napoli	Christian Gentner & Anderson Nene
Sean Klaiber	FC Utrecht	£1.1m
Lebogang Phiri	Spartak Moscow	£4.4m
Pablo Romero	Rionegro Aguilas	£2.1m

Levante - Parfitt Speaks Out..... Again....

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 17:05:00 +0100

This afternoon, Levante manager Tom Parfitt has rounded on yet another manager. Following a disappointing 1 – 0 defeat to Espanyol, the man at the head of Levante aimed a broadside at their manager, Doug Earle.

After the game, managers traditionally have a glass of wine and shoot the shit, but not last night. Instead, Parfitt launched into another of his verbal tirades.

When talking about the defeat, Parfitt said “Doug Earle, Earl of where? Earl of Espanyol? Earl of Berkshire? Earl of twatshire? It’s a title that is undeserved, and handed over by the Elders of Top 100 in an attempt to win his services and make sure that his steroid filled animals could beat the only side in the league who play by the rules.

How are we supposed to compete against doping, bungs, and now titles being handed out. Now PMW, I know we had our issues, but at least he is a proper royal. He was born a Prince, and he'll die a Prince. Well unless he outlives me to become a King, but I know people who can ensure he doesn’t out live me.

Young Doug however, going around and insisting people refer to him as an Earl simply because Frank has decreed he should be is a disgrace. Ive seen more worthy Earls in my local after 8 pints of McEwans. Earl my arse.

You know what, I could have been a Viscount, but I didn’t want it. Basically I went around to Beddows house for tea, as he wanted to have a discussion that might “help us move up the league”

Well things started out crackin’. He had the best bottle of Italian red i’ve ever tasted, and it was going down a treat. Then his maid started bringing out tea. I say maid, but I’m fairly confident it was Gursimran Brar from Bayern in a dress. She, he, whatever, started bringing out the roast potatoes, so I took one and ate it. I was offered a second, but declined it. Beddows said not to be polite, so I simply told him that it tasted like horse turd and that I had seen local vagrants getting more appetising looking food from the bins in parks.

After that, I was ushered out unceremoniously by some mob looking goons that patrol Beddows Acres. I never went back, I never became a Viscount, and we ended up at the bottom of div 5. Well not quite bottom because Augsburg also play by the rules, but we’re better than them so they don’t matter.

After his attack, another journalist pointed out that Earle was in fact Doug’s name, and not a distinguished title.

What do you mean it’s his name? He's not an Earl at all? What Frank was thinking of by giving a wetwipe like him an Earlhood in the first place I'll never know. WTF......

Levante - History Makers

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 19:24:00 +0100

Today, long suffering Levante manager Tom Parfitt saluted his brave warriors after they made it a club record 6 games unbeaten, and completed a league double over West Brom to hammer yet another nail into Mark Deadman’s coffin.

Afterwards, the gaffer was full of praise for his side. Levante went into the game with five players missing through a combination of injuries and suspensions, including top scorer Leandro Damiao. This meant only a second start for Dieumerci Mbokani and young Argentinean winger Martin Bernitez. The two players were both excellent. Mbokani scored whilst Benitez also chipped in with a couple of assists Youth team centre half Luis Canga also got a start.

The win, which comes off the back of 4 consecutive 1 – 1 draws, and a win against Twente has been reported locally as the greatest achievement in Spanish history. Barcelona winning the Top 100 title and Real Madrid winning the Top 100 cup. Not even close.

Prior to the record breaking run, Parfitt was concerned that he may be in danger of losing his job. After relegation last season, he only held on to it because the Levante board weren’t prepared to lower their standards and take a punt on Stephen Beddows. This season though, with the club flying high in 16th place in division 5, there are plenty of vultures circling to take the job on. So much so that Parfitt was concerned he may have had to ask Lana Del Rey if she wouldn’t mind giving Frank Hirst a blozza just so he could stay on.

The danger seems to have been averted now though, and Parfitt will be looking forward to a relaxing post season break, and unlikely though it may be, perhaps ending up on the receiving end of lovely Lana’s lovely lips himself.

Whilst basking in the glory of this season’s success though, Parfitt laid out a couple more targets for his side. First and foremost, he has challenged his side to finish above PMW’s Anderlecht. This would seem a fairly easy task given that they couldn’t win a raffle if they were the only entrants right now.

The other thing Parfitt wants to see is a player make the TOTW every week for the rest of the season. Levante have been criminally overlooked in this department all season, and the gaffa feels that this is a personal vendetta against him and his by the Top 100 authorities. He claimed that the lack of appreciation is symptomatic of the big club favouritism shown by those in charge.

That hospice in Greece seems to get several nominations every week. Bernard Matthews chicken kievs seem to get people in every week too. The Belgian boys, with one obvious exception are always in there too. It’s a conspiracy to keep my boys de-motivated and leave us struggling.

I’ll tell you exactly who is to blame too. DP, Hurst, Beddows, Keane, Senior and #Barca manager# Every single one of them to a man are running scared because they know exactly what I am capable of as a manager, and what this club can be capable of once the youngsters here make the step up.

It’s all an old boys club, and the ones at the top are scared of us, and more than that, they are scared of the embarrassment that will be caused when we start climbing the leagues and beating them to the pots.

Levante News

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 11:05:00 +0100

After taking 4 points from the opening three league games, Levante’s form has suffered with successive defeats to second placed Celtic, and then on Sunday a dissapointing 2 - 1 defeat at Club Brugge. It was the Belgian sides first win of the season, and a game that the visitors felt they were capable of winning prior to kick off.

The first goal was scored on 14 minutes. The home side going ahead via a free kick from Guillaume Gillet. The first half was fairly even, Damiao and N’Jie both spurning opportunities for Levante, but Gillet’s free kick split the sides at the break.

At the start of the second half, Brugge came out strongly. Meunier and Vossen bith missed opportunities within a couple of minutes of the kick off, and Levante soon made them pay. Last season’s player of the season, Brazillian midfielder Diego Souza expertly finished after a great ball from Clinton N’Jie.

On 64 minutes though, Brugge were back in front. This time Vormer smashed home to send the home fans into party mood.

Brugge go ahead for a second time

In a fairly even game, Brugge took their chances, and Levante’s age old issue of conceding came back to haunt them once again. Brugge manager Davy Vandendriessche will be happy with his side’s win, and Parfitt will have some more homework to do.

It wasnt just the first team that dissapointed this weekend however. The youth side were in action again. This time against Greek side Olympiacos. A

After winning their first game 4 - 2 in Moscow against CSKA’s youngsters, spirits were high in Levantes' youth camp. A drab affair finished 0 - 0 however. Parfitt said afterwards that he was pleased his side had kept a clean sheet, but that the forward players would need to work a bit harder next time.

Some of them wont have long to wait however. It is a very busy period for Levante as tonight they face French side Montpellier in the Top 100 Cup. Parfitt has named his side early, and shows 10 changes from Sunday night. Only goalkeeper Jiminez Roberto retains his place.

The back four will be the same one that turned out for Levante’s youth team. Eibar, another of the younsters, will anchor the midfield. Ikechi Anya and Slavoljub Srnic make their debuts tonight. Along with Gambian Modou Barrow they will be expected to create chances for front pair Isaac Success and Adam Szalai.

The Hungarian will be hopeful of a good performance tonight to get himself into the shop window for a move as soon as his TB is up at the end of the week.

It is unlikely to be his only opportunity to shine this week however, as the club have a World Club Cup game tomorrow againts Fenerbahce, they then face table toppers Dynamo Zagreb on Thursday, and Augsburg on Sunday.

Sandwiched in on Saturday is another fixture for the youngsters, as they also head to Germany to face Hertha Berlin. Across all competitions, the Augsburg game will be Levante’s seventh game in eight days. It is a tough time for the playing squad, but it is also an opportunity for those who havent really had an opportunity so far this season to stake a claim for a starting berth.

Off the pitch, Mohammed Rabiu has come in from Kuban Krasnodor. There wasnt really any plans to bring in any more first team players, but Mozambique international Mate Simao, the only player still at the club since Parfitt’s arrival, picked up a knock in Belgium and will be out for a couple of weeks.

At this moment, no more first team players are expected in, the focus will be more on shifting a few out of the exit door. There may be a few more youth players that sign however. Pre contract agreements have been made with players at another club, and both sides are happy with the agreement. There is also a bid in for another potential youth arrival.

Young goalkeeper Felipe Carvajal has also left on loan. He is in Italy with Hellas Verona, and was Verona’s MOTM in last Saturdays game against Genoa. Levante also have a couple of other youth players available on loan, and would like to see thm go and get a few minutes game time somewhere if at all possible.

Levante - Season two in review

Fri, 20 May 2016 07:38:00 +0100

The First Team

It has been a long and arduous season for Levante. The club formed by Barcelona fans over 100 years ago have seen the giants from the Nou Camp take the league title in some style, whilst Parfitt’s charges have suffered relegation to division 5, along with two of their other Spanish rivals. Not only that, but the club go down with the ignominy of finishing bottom of the division. And just when things couldnt get any worse, SMTV pundit Gordon Gino Kinnear named Levante number 3 in his list of the 5 worst sides of the season. The ultimate kicking of a dog whilst it's down.

Before the season started, the chairman gave Parfitt the target of avoiding relegation. The man himself was a little more confident in his troops though, and was hoping to match, if not beat season 1’s finishing position of 14th.

The season got underway with an exciting pre season friendly against city rivals Valencia. The game was built up locally, but didn’t go Levante’s way at all. A crushing 4-0 defeat was an ominous sign of things to come. The rest of pre-season was hit and miss. A win at home to Boca Juniors boosted confidence, and following up with a draw against Leicester saw Levante believe that maybe something could be achieved this season. Two defeats followed however, 1-0 at home to Inter Milan, and 2-0 in the final friendly at the Britannia against Stoke.

Just as the seasons first competitive fixture was upon the club, news broke that opponents, Internacional, had spent £10m on Cedric Bakumbu. The Spanish club had spent less than that in total during the off season, and it showed with the South American team taking a comfortable 2-0 win and the first three points of the season.

Four of the next five fixtures resulted in defeat as well, with a point in Cologne the only positive to draw from the opening six fixtures.

After that however, the club enjoyed a little reversal of form. In between defeats to Southampton in both the league and cup, they overcame Sean Cass’ Atalanta 2-1. That sparked the mini revival which saw Levante progress in the shield at the expense of Torino, winning on pens, and taking 11 points from 15 in the league with wins at home to Montpellier, Espanyol and away at West Ham, along with an away draw at Chievo Verona, and a home point against West Brom.

Back to back defeats away to Italian opposition in the guise of Udinese & Torino bought that little run to a swift end however. Including those two defeats, it would be 11 games before another victory, this time a 1-0 home win over Celta Vigo.

After that game however, it was one shocking result after another. Wins against West Ham & Southampton were the only ones recorded in 19 games in all competitions.

It was during this particularly dark run however that Levante claimed arguably their best Top 100 result to date. The pressure was off as they entertained the mighty Barcelona in the Copa Del Burro, and a decent performance was rewarded with a 1-1 draw. German centre back Manuel Friedrich scored the goal, and was also given Levante’s MOTM award for his performance. The centre half announced his retirement earlier this season, and the club wish him well for the future, whilst also thanking him for his efforts this season.

Relegation was confirmed with a 1-0 defeat to Hellas Verona with four games still remaining, but in truth the outcome hadn’t really been in doubt since about week 30. Levante were shipping them in like nobodies business, and couldn’t score at the other end.

It has been a very bleak season all in all, so bleak in fact that an appearance from Kim Jong – Un would have lifted the atmosphere at times.

Levante's newest fan......

Clinton N’Jie finished as the clubs top scorer, his 8 accounting for nigh on 25% of Levante’s league strikes this season. So it seems obvious where the issues are, but is Parfitt the man to solve them?

He certainly believes so, and will be aiming for a much better showing next season. If this is not forthcoming, then who knows what fate will await him?

The U21’s

The youngsters played in the youth cup this season, and were drawn in a group alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Flamengo, Aston Villa, and Spanish giants Real Madrid. The academy side lost four of their eight games, and picked up one solitary win at Villa Park.

That on the face of it may not appear much better that the first XI this season. The youngsters however were competitive in every fixture. Only Leverkusen managed to beat them twice, and the only game in which they failed to score was at the Bernebeau.

The stand out result would have to be the 2-2 draw against a Real Madrid youth side which would have proved a real handful for Levante’s first team.

English wide man Jordan Graham, who joined last season from Wolves, and Spanish striker Dani Romera who was picked up as a free agent were joint top scorers with 3 each. Dutch midfielder Bart Ramselaar contributed 3 assists for his part, closely followed by Spanish midfielder Antonio Cotan with 2 assists.

Those performance’s, and those of some of the other youth players are why Parfitt is keen to stop at Levante and see the player’s blossom. The belief is that within the foreseeable future, there will be a vibrant young side playing attractive football, scoring goals and taking the club up through the divisions. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen, but certainly the U21 side has been far more impressive than the senior side this season.

Several of the youth team have already been rewarded with first team opportunities, with reasonable success. Bart Ramselaar has three assists for the first team to add to his three in the youth cup. If you add them together, he actually has more assists than any other player at the club this season.

Elsewhere, Isaac Success, Antonio Cotan and Dani Romera have all scored for the first team in various competitions this season.

Player of the season

3rd: Diego Souza – The Brazilian midfielder has been one of the few creative sparks in the side. He has been MOTM on 6 occasions, and contributed 3 goals and 5 assists in his role just behind the strikers.

2nd: John Ruddy – Seems odd that a goalkeeper should be up for this award given how poor the side have been defensively. That said, last season’s player of the season winner was determined to keep hold of the crown, and 11 MOTM and 2 TOTW nominations was a great effort.

1st: Clinton N’Jie – The young Cameroon forward has been asked to play in various positions this season. Sometimes as a lone striker, sometimes alongside somebody else, and occasionally behind the strikers. He has contributed 8 goals, 1 assist, nominated as Levante’s MOTM on 5 occasions, and also made TOTW as well. All in all, a rare bright light in a dark season.

Young player of the season

3rd: Isaac Success – The Nigerian joined from Chievo Verona for £4.7m, and has scored goals for both the youth and first teams. He is expected to lead the line in next season’s youth cup, and looks to have a huge future in front of him.

2nd: Bart Ramselaar – It was a difficult decision to choose between the top two. The Dutchman gaining more assists than anybody else in the junior or senior squads, along with his performances for both sides saw him have a great season, but it wasn’t quite enough.

1st: Odisseas Vlachodimos – Five MOTM awards from 8 youth games, including three 10/10 performances, and a MOTM nomination on his senior debut meant he couldn’t be overlooked. A magnificent effort from the young German, and hopefully there will be many more great seasons to come.

Golden boot

3rd: Alejandro Gomez – 4 goals

2nd: Jean Beausejour – 5 goals

1st: Clinton N’Jie – 8goals

It’s worth pointing out that both Gomez and Beausejour have left the club. Gomez headed back to Argentina, joining Boca Juniors in a swap deal that saw Aiden McGeady and Ivan Ramis come to Spain.

Jean Beausejour meanwhile made a surprise £4.7m move to German side Bayer Leverkusen.

A full list of this seasons ins and outs are at the bottom.

The clubs future

This at least appears to be in reasonable shape. There are 6 – 7 players currently in the youth squad that the gaffer feels have the potential to play in the Levante first XI sooner rather than later, and in fact some have had a run out as the season has drawn to a close. Not only that, but Parfitt and the club also feel that those players have the potential to play at a much higher level, maybe even the highest level, in Top 100.

Isaac Success, Matt Miazga and Bart Ramselaar are the players currently attracting the most interest, but the young Brazillian Matheus Pereira recent signing Muamer Tankovic of Sweden, and young first team players Clinton N’Jie and Modou Barrow also give Levante lots of hope for a brighter future. Those players should all improve nicely as their careers progress, and if they can be kept together and improve at Levante, then it won’t need too many signings to have the makings of a very promising side.

The manager’s future

There has been a lot of furore surrounding the managerial merry go round, but Parfitt stuck by Levante when Bayern Munich came calling last season. He has been sounded out about a couple of jobs this season also, but stayed loyal to the club that has wormed its way into his heart. After speaking to the board a couple of weeks back, the club agreed to repay that loyalty and backed him to stay at the helm for a stab at getting back up next season.

If he fails though, then it remains to be seen what would happen. The man himself certainly wouldn’t expect an easy ride, and would take on the chin whatever is deemed to be the right course of action for his future. That said though, he is aiming to keep the club at the right end of the table next season.

Focus will be on the league first and foremost. Promotion will not necessarily be a pre-requisite for the club, but being competitive in every match will be.

The other competition the club will be focusing on is the youth cup, and they will be hoping that the youngsters can repeat some of the heroics of this season.

They will still compete in the Copa Del Burro as well as the other knock out competitions, but the league cup and shield are likely to feature a combination of youth and reserve players. Given the success of the lower league sides in the knock out competitions this season, that may sound like something of a lack of ambition, but the club have a limited playing squad, and need to make sure that players are not run into the ground with a long league campaign to negotiate.

Transfers for next season

The manager doesn’t expect a huge number of comings over the close season. The budget is small, so he will only go for a player he feels can either make an instant impact on the first team, or will have a lot of potential to improve. The club will be looking at players with the potential to improve rather than fading stars on the decline.

To that end, both Adriano, and record signing Gareth Barry have been made available for transfer. Young striker Angel Romero is also available, although in all three cases, the players will all remain at the club if an acceptable bid is not received. They certainly won’t be sold for the sake of it.

Adriano has already been courting the attention of another club, but preliminary talks have not as yet seen an acceptable offer come in, and the former Barcelona man, and Levante captain, remains available.

Parfitt hasnt ruled out using the loan market, but at the moment feels it is unlikely. The thought process being that if we are giving a first team shirt to a youngster, then better on of our own.

Season 2 Results

Fixtures

H - Valencia L 0 - 4 (Friendly)

H - Boca Juniors W 2 - 1 (Friendly)

A - Leicester D 1 - 1 (Friendly)

H - Inter Milan L 0 - 1 (Friendly)

A - Stoke L 0 - 2 (Friendly)

H - Internacional L 0 - 2

A- Celta Vigo L 3 - 0

A - AZ L 3 - 1

H - Malaga L 1 - 3

A - Koln D 1 - 1

H - Southampton L 0 - 2

H - Atalanta W 2 - 1

A - Southampton L 3 - 2

H - Torino D 1 - 1 (W5 - 4 pens)

H - Montpellier W 1 - 0

H - Espanyol W 2 - 1

A - Chievo Verona D 2 - 2

H - West Brom D 1 - 1

H - Independiente D 1 - 1 (L4 - 2 pens)

A - West Ham W 0 - 2

A - Udinese L 1 - 3

A - Torino L 1 - 2

H - Genoa D 0 - 0

H - Athletic Club D 1 - 1

A - Hellas Verona L 3 - 2

H - Dnipro D 1 - 1

A - Barcelona L 3 - 0

A - River Plate L 3 - 1

H - Dynamo Moscow D 1 - 1

A - Internacional L 0 - 2

H - Celta Vigo W 1 - 0

A - Athletic Club L 4 - 0

H - AZ D 1 - 1

A - Malaga L 2 - 1

H - Barcelona D 1 - 1

H - Koln L 0 - 3

A - Atalanta L 0 - 3

H - Southampton W 2 - 1

A - Montpellier L 2 - 1

A - Espanyol L 1 - 0

H - Chievo Verona L 1 - 2

A - West Brom L 2 - 0

H - West Ham W 1 - 0

A - Udinese L 3 - 1

A - Malaga L 4 - 1 (Friendly)

H - Torino L 0 - 1

A - Genoa L 4 - 0

H - Hellas Verona L 1 - 0

A - Dnipro D 1 - 1

H - River Plate L 0 - 2

A- Dynamo Moscow D 1 - 1

Season 2 transfers out

Player out	Club to	Fee
Ibrahima Balde	Olympiacos	£5m
Jelle Vossen	Espanyol	£7m
Vaclev Kadlec	Tottenham	£8m
Hugo Nervo	Stuttgart	£6.5m
Nachu Buil	Zamora CF	£105k
Jon Aguirrezabala	Linense	£126k
Lee Angol	Peterborough	£426k
Inigo Cordoba	Caudal Deportivo	£124k
Filip Kubala	FC Slovacko	£136k
Robert Snodgrass	Hull	£4.2m
Alejandro Gomez	Boca Juniors	Aiden McGeady & Ivan Ramis
Jean Beausejour	Bayer Leverkusen	£4.7m
Jean Thome	Al Ittihad Tripoli	£314k
Sylvain Distin	Bournemouth	£193k
Conor Washington	QPR	£480k
Moses Odubajo	Standard Liege	Luis Pavez & Galilea Einar

Season 2 transfers in

Player in	Club from	Fee
Sidiki Maiga	AS Korofina	£320k
Matheus Pareira	Corinthians	£360k
Guillermo Varella	Huddersfield	£1.8m
Conserva Fagner	Corinthians	£4m + Sebastian Bassong
Conor Washington	Peterborough	£320k
Chris Forrester	Peterborough	£360k
Anthony Caceres	Central Coast Mariners	£360k
Manuel Friedrich	Free Agent	£398k
Sylvain Distin	Bournemouth	£204k
Israel Jimenez	Tigres UANL	£2.6m
Ryan Woods	Brentford	£800k
Steve Mounie	Free Agent	£150k
Dani Romera	Free Agent	£450k
Bart Ramselaar	AZ	£3m + RobertoTrashorras
Correia Adriano	Barcelona	£9m
Jean Thome	FC Vestsjaelland	£80k & + Euan Spark
Adil Nabi	Free Agent	£75k
Tommy Thompson	San Jose Earthquakes	£360k
Fahd Moufi	Free Agent	£240k
Kylian Hazard	Ujpest	£800k + Nikola Moro & Tibor Halilovic
Afonso Ronan	Free Agent	£255k
Isaac Success	Chievo Verona	£4.7m
Antonio Cotan	Sevilla	£1.9m
Roberto Nunez	Genoa	£500k
Modou Barrow	Cardiff	Jose Villarreal & Marcus Maddison
Alphonso Davies	Vancouver Whitecaps	£60k
Birama Ndoye	Grasshoppers	£1.8m
Samuel Eto'o	Espanyol	£1m
Adam Szalai	Sunderland	Conserva Fagner
Alberto Gilardino	US Palermo	£1.1m
Felipe Carvajal	Cartagines	£1m
Slavoljub Srnic	Crvena Zvezda	£900k + David Bentley and Anthiny Caceres
Jonathan Kodjia	Bristol City	£1.8m
Muamer Tankovic	Tigres UANL	£1.5m + Ryan Woods & Roberto Nunez

Levante Update

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 09:17:00 +0100

If Levante have been struggling in one area this season, it would have to be at the back. The club have shipped 50 goals this season, which is the second worst in the division. Only fellow relegation candidates Hellas Verona have conceded more, with 66.

If they have struggled in two areas, you can add scoring goals. Going into last night’s game against Chievo Verona, Parfitt’s side had managed 28 goals in 28 games, with young Cameroon attacker Clinton N’Jie’s 7 representing 25% of the total.

Top scorer Clinton N’Jie

To try and solve this issue, Parfitt this week brought in N’Jie’s compatriot and Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o from Espanyol for £1m. Parfitt revealed that a bid from Levante for Eto’o had been rejected a few weeks ago, so once he became available, they were only too pleased to offer him a new home.

Also joining the club is Hungarian striker Adam Szalai from Sunderland in a straight swap for full back Conservo Fagner. The Brazillian had struggled since his close season arrival from Corinthians, so Parfitt was happy enough to let him go.

New boys Samuel Eto'o and Hungarian Adam Szalai

The new additions were paired up for last night’s encounter against Verona despite having not trained together previously. This meant a change of formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-3-2, so Clinton N’Jie was relieved of the pressures of being the loan front man and dropped in behind the two strikers.

Alejandro Gomez, the experienced Argentinian who has been disappointing so far this season was dropped to the bench, and replaced by young Dutch prodigy Bart Ramselaar. The 19 year old being rewarded for some strong performances in the youth cup this season. He will be hoping to get an extended run in the side now.

With Fagner’s departure, Adriano switched from left back to right back, and Jean Beausejour, who has spent most of the season enjoying an attacking role, was pulled back to the left back position.

Things started brightly for the new boys. Adam Szalai forced a fine stop from Rafael after just 10 minutes. After another 10 minutes, Samuel Eto’o played in his strike partner, and it paid dividends with Levante taking a deserved lead.

As the half drew on, Verona forced John Ruddy into a couple of bread and butter saves, but the home side went in a goal to the good at the break.

A minute into the second half though, and last season’s player of the year for Levante John Ruddy made a schoolboy error. A shot from Ibisevic was fumbled and found its way into the back of the net.

Eto’o forced a good save after about an hour, but an improved Levante performance was undone in the 89th minute, with Ibisevic’s cheeky flick beating Ruddy at full stretch.

The club look destined for division 5 football next season, with a recovery even more impressive than last season’s effort now required.

As per the table below, a Herculean effort will be requirde to get Levante anywhere near safety.

14	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	29	-4	35
15	Montpellier HSC	29	0	33
16	West Bromwich Albion	29	-7	33

17	Celta Vigo	29	-9	31
18	Hellas Verona	29	-32	30
19	RCD Espanyol	29	-16	28
20	LEVANTE UD	29	-21	25

After the game however, Parfitt was in reflective mood. When asked if he felt he could still keep the club up, he said yes, but that if they do go down, it is a chance start again and get the club freshened up from top to bottom.

In terms of playing staff, Parfitt suggested that he will use the remaining games to give some of the youth and reserve players an opportunity to impress as he looks at the future for the club. There are a lot of younger players at the club, but they need to start kicking on to pin down a first team spot and help the club to success.

Long term, Parfitt feels that the future does look a lot brighter for Levante, but will he still be in a job to reap whet he is sowing? The man himself certainly hopes so, but if the club remain firmly rooted as they are, then the decision may be taken out of his hands.

Levante - What's gone wrong....?

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:55:00 +0100

With the other club from Valancia rooted at the bottom of division 4, manager Tom Parfitt was hauled over the coals at the press conference before his side face Espanyol this evening.

Reporter: Towads the end of February, the club were mid table. Today, bottom. Why?

Parfitt: Well obviously because we havent won enough games. We are struggling for goals, but we have agreed a deal for a striker who will be in the stands tonight all being well.

Reporter: When relegation is confirmed, will you be walking away?

Parfitt: If we go down, I would hope to stay. I turned down Bayenr Munich to stay here, and I would like to see the board repay that loyalty should the situation arise.

Reporter: So you still believe you are the right man for Levante?

Parfitt: Absolutely. I know times are hard at the moment, but we are not in a financial position to go out and get the superstars, so I have tried to bring in players who I believe will improve and have a future in the game.

Reporter: Who has dissapointed you the most this season?

Parfitt: I wont be naming and shaming anybody, that isnt going to help team spirit in any way. I will say though that I am hoping to have a bit of a shake up of the squad at the end of the season, but only if I can bring on the players that I want.

Reporter: At what point do you think some of the so called futire stars will be ready?

Parfitt: Someof them have already had a chance or two in the first team, and tonight will see a few changes again.

Reporter: Do you not think you should just fall on your sword & do one?

Parfitt: If there is anybody who can do a better job, then they would be here already

Fannie to Fannies: The Interviews, number 4, TOM PARFITT (Levante UD)

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 19:48:00 +0100

Tom Parfitt

Good day guys and it is time for another Fannie Licker interview where the well enhanced, yes enhanced is probably a good word for her, Fannie gets to meet a manager from the Top 100 Game World. Once again Fannie has been going all out to improve her looks and this week she got what we have all been waiting for. Yes she has had boob implants and after a lot of persuasion and a lot of vodka and Red Bull, Fannie has agreed to get her tits out for the boys. We have an exclusive photo that she has kindly given us of her ( o Y o ) and to cap off a great week for Fannie, she has been offered a contract to work for Babestation, whatever that is :/ Anyway lets get things started and here is Fannie Licker to introduce us to her guest.

Hiiiii guys, and welcome to another interview chaired by little meeeee. Before I introduce you to this week’s manager, I have agreed to show a photo of my new boobs that I had put in this week. At first they didn’t look great but now that everything has settled and the swelling is away I am happy to show them and here they are:

Ohhhh I love them and I am so happy I spent £7500 to get them done and what do you think of my new hair colour :) . So, let’s get on with today’s guest. Today’s guest is the manager of a small Division 4 club and he has had to work hard for this club to succeed. The club play their home games in the Spanish city of Valencia where they live in the shadow of their bigger local rival. It’s a tough job but someone has got to do it and the manager that is doing this difficult job is Tom Parfitt of LevanteUD.

Welcome Tom, I love your beard xx

Let’s get started then and before the questions we can find out a bit more about Tom

TOM PARFITT - PERSONAL PROFILE

Full Name: Thomas (but only to my mum) Parfitt
Born: 8th Sept 1978
Height: 5ft 10"
Marital Status: Engaged to Zoe. Getting married in Cyprus in 2018
Nickname: Loads over the years. Marxy, Parf Daddy, Thomas the Tank
Favourite Sports teams: Peterborough Utd, and Ferrari in the F1
Favourite food: Indian, Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Italian. All really, that’s why I’m fat
Favourite drink: Coffee, JD, Pedigree Ale, most beers with the exception of Budweiser to be honest
Favourite band/singer: Tame Impala, Temples, Lana Del Ray & Kasabian, but again, I could go on for hours listing names.
Favourite Colour: Blue
Favourite animal: Flamingo, not very manly, but I think they are stunning creatures.
Favourite film: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Hobbit
Your Car: As befits the manager of a Spanish La Liga football club, I have a 10 year old Fiat Punto. I have an old (1966 vintage) Land Rover project as well.
Best Friend: Paddy (ed - Power?)

What phone do you have: The Nokia Windows one. Lumia maybe….?
Best sport to watch: F1 for me. Love it.
What scares you most: Not really scared of anything. Just a very easy going individual really.
Phone, iPad or laptop to play SM: Desktop as preference, and phone in an emergency.
Embarrassing moment: Many. One time in Liquid nightclub in Peterborough, I went to the mens. We’d been out all day, and it was about 1.30 in the morning. Of course I fell asleep on the throne, got thrown out by a couple of bouncers and found myself in the street with me keks around my ankles.
Ever won anything on the lottery: A little, £10 a few times, but I once won £500 on the Lucky Stars variation
If you could have any job in the world what would it be: Rock Star, Sportsman or Astronaut. Essentially anything that could be considered a hobby, and didn’t involve the general daily grind.
Who would you most like to meet (dead or alive): Depends what we’d be getting up to. If I can get to ‘know’ them, Fearne Cotton or Lana Del Ray. More seriously, I would love to meet Neil Armstrong, Keith Richards and Barrak Obama.
If you could attend any sporting event in the world what would it be: The Indianapolis 500. As a race fan, it’s one of the events on the bucket list.

Thanks Tom and now let’s get down to business (chuckle)

FL: Tom, life at a small club like Levante is always going to be hard and it takes a manager of patience and an understanding that a club like this will forever be in the shadow of the Barcelonas and Real Madrids of the world. What is your aim for the club and what constitutes a successful season?

TP: Something as big as planet Earth spends half its time in the shadows, so Levante will not be forever in the shadows of Barcelona, the Madrid boys, or any other pretender. Success at the moment is survival. As time goes by, success will be winning promotion, and eventually one day, success will be going a whole div 1 season without dropping a point, crushing the trophy collectors in Madrid & Barcelona, showing the likes of Beddows how it gets done.

FL: Last season seen you manage to consolidate in Division 4 but this season has seen the team struggle and they lie in the relegation places. What is the difference from last season that has seen the club going through a tough stage?
TP: Honestly, we were in a tighter spot last season. The thing is, my chairman invested none of his pile of escudos in the club, so I had to wheel & deal to bring in the right faces. I am confident we will survive though, and start planning for a better finish next season.

FL: The acquisition of Adriano from Barcelona was a huge signing for Levante. Do you feel he has been a disappointment and that you expected him to do more for the team and be a leader on the park?

TP: Funnily enough, we have had a club looking to sign him just this week. That said, his presence in the dressing room is massive to the younger players at the club. You could say he maybe hasn’t had the best of starts, but on the other hand you could say that leaving Barcelona for Levante is quite a culture shock. We are happy to have him around, and are happy with what he brings to the club.

FL: Do you think your job will be in danger should Levante be relegated to Division 5 or are the board prepared to give you time to finish the job that you started here?
TP: No, I don’t think my job would be in danger. As it happens, I think that managers at clubs like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus etc should be more in fear for their jobs. Anybody should be able to win with those clubs, even somebody like Frank Hirst would get AC to the top. The managers of those clubs should be ashamed really. Levante pound for pound are outperforming all of those sides mentioned on almost every match day.

FL: How do you see your own future? Do you agree that if Levante are relegated that it might give you a better chance to show what you can achieve with a small club in the lower division? What I mean is, Division 5 would probably give you a better chance to show that you could guide a team to promotion.
TP: Maybe, but I’d rather be promoted from a group of superior teams. There are clubs in div 5 who should be further up the ladder but aren’t. If we were down there I am confident we could win the league, but id rather get out of the div 4 sunroof rather than the basement.

FL: In the alternate competitions, it was always going to be tough in the Regional Cup with teams like Barcelona involved but in the Youth Cup, Levante have put up a good performance. Do you think this augurs well for the future? How difficult would it be for Levante to hold on to their youths?
TP: Yes, I think we have a lot of young players at the club. We have a lot of interest in several of them. Matt Miazga for one. We got him in quite a while back, and we have rejected offers of £4m+ for him already. I think the young players here are happy as they know that we are happy to let them play in the first team rather than bringing in a loan player. They will be given a chance to improve, and wont be just another squad player. We wont have any issues keeping the ones we want to keep.

FL: If you are to escape relegation, what players are going to have to stand up and lead the way forward and take responsibility on the park?
TP: You have to look at the experienced players. The likes of Adriano, Alejandro Gomez, Diego Souza and Gareth Barry. These are the leaders when the boys cross the line, and they do what they can. It is difficult, we are a provincial club with no money, but we are battling hard, and as stated previously, we will eventually be like the Hulk & smashing everybody

Adriano

FL: The final question is standard for all managers. If you could manage any club in the Top 100 who would it be?

TP: Honestly, nobody. I turned down the Bayern job a while ago, and I am happy where I am. Maybe one day Santos, because it’s Pele’s club, but not until Levante have won all of the pots there are to win. I just want to say this, Keane, Beddows, DP, Kinnear, Fox, every single one of you. Take note, Levante are coming, and one day they will crush each and every one of your clubs.

Erm, ok Tom. And there we have it. A very confident Tom Parfitt. A man on a mission, representing the little pishy clubs of the set up. Oh sorry, I meant the smaller clubs that are just as important to the league as the Barcelona’s, the Bayern Munichs and the Argentina’s. Will we be seeing Levante climbing the leagues until they take the Division 1 title. Hahahahaha pmsl, who writes this stuff. Come on get a grip, we all know that only big teams like Liverpool, Juventus and Brazil will ever win the title.
So that is it for another interview and I would like to thank Tom for coming along and letting us into the life of a manager at a tiny club.

Next week is the Thursday blog with Gino and then I will be back for interview number 5 with another manager facing my questions and trying to answer without staring at my boobs. You hear me Tom Parfitt, do you hear me!!

Remember and look out for the PM that invites you to be the next manager to be interviewed.

Thank you for taking the time to read

Slaters

Derby day disaster for Levante

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 11:15:00 +0100

As the first round of friendlies got underway to open up season 2 of the Top 100, Levante fans were rewarded for their patience last season with a glamour frindly at home to city rivals Valencia.

It was a lively opening full of end to end stuff, with both keepers making several saves, and both sides missing the target with various efforts as well.

The first goal came on 30mins, young Spanish sensation Paco Alcacer putting the away side ahead after Muniain put him through. From there on in, it was all Valencia for the remainder of the first half, although the hosts did have an opportunity from a set piece at the very end of the first half. Unfortunately though, Robert Snodgrass couldnt find the target.

Right at the start of the second half, it was a role reversal for Valencia, as Alcacer put Muniain in to make it 2 - 0. And then on 68, the same Valencia duo combined yet again, as Alcacer notched his 2nd, and Valencia’s 3rd of the night.

Then with 5 minutes to play, Munaian yet again put Alcacer in for the youngster to complete his hat-trick, and leave the home fans massively disgruntled already.

Even though it was only a friendly, Parfitt took time out after the game to apologise to the fans for the result.

Parfitt “apologises” to a fan after last nights defeat

It has already proved to be a difficult pre season for Levante. The club had three senior targets in mind, and missed out on the first one when Balazs Dzsudzsak joined Hertha for £14.7m. Levante simply couldnt get close to that figure, and so the deal was lost.

The second target was a young right back playing for a club already in Top 100, but the players current club refused to even entertain a bid for the un-named defender. The club now find themselves locked in a battle with Fenerbache for their third target, Brazillian Conserva Fagner of Corinthians. The player is in talks with both clubs, and a decision should be made within the next 2hrs.

Levante have also missed out on a loan target, with a young midfielder not being allowed to leave his club by the chairman.

Not only have the club been rebuffed in all afforts to bring in first team targets, they have also sold Ibrahima Balde to Olympiacos for £5m.

There has been a couple of small chinks of light though, with the club announcing the signing of 2 17 years olds. Brazillian Matheus Pereira joins from Corinthians, and Mali born Sidiki Maiga came in from AS Korofina. Both players came in for fees of around £300k.

Sidiki Maiga

Levante also confirmed this morning that they expect to unveil former Manchester United full back Guilermo Varella later on this evening. A fee has been agreed with Huddersfield, and the Urugyan should sign a contract at somepoint today.

Whilst Levante are happy to have the three youngsters on board, there is still a long way for them to go to fulfil their undoubted potential. If they do keep their heads down and work hard though, then along with a few of the other current youth's, there could well be a long term future for them at the club.

After last night's defeat in the derby, the division 4 odds were released this morning by Frankbet. The club were less than impressed to see that they are favourites for the drop, and 500/1 outsiders for the league. The Levante chairman has also given the boss very low expectations this season, simply saying that he expects the club to stay up.

Division Four Odds/Table Predictions

CHAMPIONS

Southampton

1/2

PROMOTED

Genoa CFC

5/2

PROMOTED

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

4/1

PLAY-OFF

Torino

4/1

PLAY-OFF

Atalanta BC

6/1

PLAY-OFF

West Ham United

9/1

PLAY-OFF

9/1

14/1

20/1

25/1

33/1

40/1

50/1

50/1

85/1

RELEGATED

Montpellier HSC

100/1

RELEGATED

Chievo Verona

175/1

RELEGATED

Hellas Verona

250/1

RELEGATED

Levante UD

500/1

Parfitt though is aiming higher, and will be looking at a tactical tweek tonight with the aim of having the team in a position to push for the top 10, and maybe even sneak into the play offs come the business end of the season.

Levante - Alls well that ends well

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 10:47:00 +0100

The league:

After a season spent pretty much permanently in the relegation zone, the final day saw Levante sitting in 14th spot, the highest they had been at any point all season.

For the vast majority of the season, the Spanish side looked odds on for the drop. However, an upturn in form, including seven points from the final three games, saw them move out of danger at just the right time, leaving their rivals Vilarreal to be the surprise victims of the dreaded drop.

Manager Tom Parfitt was brought in after the first league game of the season. The board deciding to dispense with the previous incumbant following a mixed pre-season and an opening day defeat to Hella Verona in Italy.

Initially, things looked good. His opening game in charge saw the club take an impressive 3 - 1 victory over eventual champions Besiktas. That was as good as it got for a while, with that win followed by five leaue and cup defeats, including a 9 - 1 capitulation against another Spanish side, Espanyol. There then came a win against Greek side Olympiacos, but that proved to be the only win in eleven games in all competitions.

It was amongst this run of results that one of the most surprising moments of the entire season was thrown up. The manager was offered the job at Bayenrn Munich. Parfitt travelled to Bavaria and spoke to the club, but decided that he owed it to Levante to try and turn things around and keep the club up.

This was eventually an ambition realised, but not without further trauma first. After that eleven game run, Levante managed a four game unbeaten spell with wins against Celta Vigo and Villarreal, and draws with West Brom and Malaga. The West Brom and Malaga games also saw the club throw away a lead in both fixtures.

As the first half of the season came to an end, Levante lost the next three, before gaining a surprise 1 - 0 win against high flying Genoa. This saw the club on twenty points at the half way point, and looking in all sorts of trouble.

The second half started with back to back defeats versus Hellas Verona and Besiktas, and then six points gained against Chievo Verona, and Espanyol as the ghost of the 9 - 1 defeat was laid to rest.

A mixed bag of results was the story for the second half of the season, although completing league doubles against Villarreal and Genoa went towards a haul of twenty nine points for the second half od the season, and an eventual 14th place finish.

Levante fans celebrate the clubs survival

The cups:

There really isnt anything to say here, other than next season can't be any worse. All three knock out contests saw Levante exit at the first round stage. The league cup saw a 1 - 0 defeat to Celta Vigo, the league shield was a penalty defeat to Standard Liege after a 2 - 2 draw in normal time, and the clubs youth side were knocked out by an impressive Feyenoord academy XI 4 - 0.

Transfers:

The clubs transfer policy has been questioned at times, particularly with the £11m paid for vetran Gareth Barry. However, his arrival coincided with an upturn in results which undoubtedly helped the clubs survival quest.

The pick of the signings however would have to be Clinton N'Jie. The young Cameroon forward initially moved from Real Madrid on a season long loan deal. However, a permanent deal was agreed, and by mid season the striker had signed a permanent deal for a bargain £2.75m. Some big clubs are known to be watching the forward, but for now the exciting young talent is a Levante player.

Clinton N'Jie on International duty

The other signings that really excite for the future of the club are young Japanese midfielder Hideki Ishige, and English teenager Jordan Graham.

Jordan Graham in action for Wolves before his move to Spain

Ishige is a former Asian young player of the year, and can operate as an attack minded player right across the midfield, and arrived from Shimzu S Pulse for £2m. Graham is a wide player who sined from Wolves for £320,000. A full list of transfers in and out of the club follows.

Player in	Club from	Fee
Sebastian Bassong	Norwich	Nikos Karabelos & Acosta Deyverson
Baroni Christian	Corinthians	£320K, Aranda Tono & Josi Mari
Marcus Maddison	Peterborough	£530K
Angel Romero	Corinthians	£400K & Rafael Martins
John Ruddy	Norwich	£300K, Martinez Ruben & Marti Roger
Robert Snodgrass	Hull	£300K, Javi Jiminaz & Jesus Fernandez
Leandro Da Silva Lopes	Peterborough	£10k
Clinton N'Jie	Real Madrid	Season Long Loan / made permanent for £2.75m
Jean - Armel Kana - Biyik	Toulouse	£100K, Pedro Lopez & Angel Trujillo
Jose Villarreal	LA Galaxy	£400K & Keita Karamokoba
Dilon Serna	Colorado Rapids	£610K & Remeseiro Jason
Daniel Bentley	Southend	£410K & Alejandro Zagala
Matt Miazga	New York Red Bulls	£1.1m
Diego Souza	Metalist	£3.8m & Joes Morales
Jean Beausejour	Colo Colo	£1.3m, David Navarro & Juan Delgado
Moses Odubajo	Hull	£2.4m
Ibrahima Balde	Kuban	£6.6m
Lee Angol	Peterborough	£10k
Roberto Trashorras	Rayo Vallecano	£2m & Jordi Xumetra
Jelle Vossen	Burnley	£1.2m & Victor Casadesus
Alejandro Gomez	Atalanta	Victor Camarasa, Ivan Lopez & £2m
Gareth Barry	Everton	£11m
Odisseas Vlachodimos	Stuttgart	£3m
Ben Godfrey	York	£10k
Gonzalo Jara	Universidad Catolica	£10k
Nikola Moro	Free Agent	£50k
Tibor Halilovic	Free Agent	£98k
Filip Kubala	FC Slovako	£10k
Inigo Cordoba	Free Agent	£8k
Jon Aguirrezabala	Free Agent	£8k
Nacho Buil	Free Agent	£8k
Alvas Powell	Porto	£1m
Hideki Ishige	Shimzu S Pulse	£2m
Jordan Graham	Wolves	£320k

**********

Player out	Club to	Fee
Victor Perez	Real Valladolid	£4.6m
Jordi Lopez	Real Murcia	£828K
Ander Artabe	UCAM Murcia	£447K
Jose Verza	Getafe	£3.9m
Garcia Juanfran	RCD Mallorca	£3.8m
Nabil El Zhar	Santos	£5m
Ruben Garcia	Aston Villa	£10m
Charlie Telfer	Stoke	£750k
Baroni Christian	Corinthians	£5.6m

Season high's and lows:

The obvious high was the clubs battle to eventual safety after a difficult and traumatic season. League doubles over Vilarreal, and moreso a very good Genoa side would also be near the top of the list, along with the performance early in the season when beating Besiktas 3 - 1.

For lows, the 9 - 1 crushing by Espanyol, the long runs of defeats in the first half of the season, and being forced to sell Ruben Garcia in order to fund further squad improvements rather than building the squad around the talented youngster.

Player awards:

At the clubs end of season party, the awards were handed out for the player and young player of the year, along with the club Golden Boot and also awards for the most MOTM awards, and assists.

The awards and results are as follows

Most assists

3. Jointly awarded to Clinton N'Jie, Victor Casadesus and Ruben Garcia on 4 assists each

2. Alejandro Gomez - 5 assists

1. Robert Snodgrass - 15 assists

MOTM awards

3. Vaclav Kadlec - 4 MOTM performances

2. Robert Snodgrass - 9 MOTM performances

1. John Ruddy - 10 MOTM performances

Golden Boot

3. Clinton N'Jie - 8 goals

2. Vaclav Kadlec - 9 goals

1. Robert Snodgrass - 12 goals

Young player of the year

3. Angel Romero - 11 appearances, 5 goals, 3 assists, 2 MOTM awards

2. Vaclav Kadlec - 31 appearances, 9 goals, 3 assists, 2 MOTM awards

1. Clinton N'Jie - 22 appearances, 8 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOTM awards

Player of the year

3. Clinton N'Jie - 22 appearances, 8 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOTM awards

2. Robert Snodgrass - 33 appearances, 12 goals, 15 assists, 9 MOTM awards

1. John Ruddy - 37 appearances, 9 clean sheets,10 MOTM awards

A special award was also handed to John Ruddy for being voted runner up in the league player of the year awards also.

The winners

John Ruddy Clinton N'Jie Robert Snodgrass

Next Season:

Following the clubs improvement in form over the second half of the season, and also taking into account that twelve points werelost from winning positions over the course of the season as a whole, Levante are looking towards a top ten finish next season, and hopingto challenge for the playoff places.

In terms of changes to the squad, there is not expected to be huge changes. Parfitt has one main target in mind, and a couple of others that would be nice if they can be got, but wont be massively harmful if we cant.

There is only a small amount of cash in the kitty, but player moves wont be ruled out if it helps improve the squad as a whole. Truthfully though, themanager feels that given the choice, he would on the whole keep what he has rather than losing somebody to bring in another. A few are being made available though, including Ibrahima Balde, who managed 6 goals in 14 games, and Sebastien Bassong.

All change as Levante stay the same

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 13:24:00 +0100

Levante have made some significant moves in the transfer market recentley. Belgian utility man Jelle Vossen has come in from Burnley for a fee of £1.2m, plus Victor Casadesus. The other men to have joined Les Granotes are Alejandro Gomez from Atalanta, and Gareth Barry from Everton. Gomez' arrival saw youngsters Ivan Lopez and Victor Camarasa head to Italy, whilst Gareth Barry arrived for a club record £11m.

Gareth Barry

With all the money leaving the club, some had to be brought in, and so the club found itself accepting a £10m offer from Aston Villa for Ruben Garcia. Garcia was the man that ideally the future of the club would have been built around, but given the league position and the need to improve other areas, he had to be sacrificed.

Ruben Garcia

The club have also made an agreement with Real Madris that Clinton N’Jie’s loan move will be made permanent before the end of the season. This will probably happen sooner rather than later as the young striker has been one of the few bright spots so far this season, and is currently the clubs joint top scorer on 7 goals.

Despite the changes, the clubs still sits in the danger zone at the bottom of division four. That said though, since Gomez and Barry came into the side, the club have won two, and lost one. The defeat coming last night against Koln in Germany.

The two victories were an impressive 3-2 win against Chievo in Italy, and a 1-0 victory at home to Espanyol in an all Spanish affair. That second victory being especially pleasing as Levente lost 9-1 to the same opponents earlier in the season.

Things are still tight in the league, but it is slowly starting to string out though, and Parfitt is aware that he needs to see the club string a few wins together. The club have only recorded back to back wins twice all season, this is going to have to improve if the club are to stay up.

There is still time for a turnaround, but it is slowly running out, and the next fixture is a tough game at home to high flying Bordeaux.