Could this be the final part of the Uniao de Lamas odyssey? We’ve bumbled along for 2 3/4 seasons without getting sacked or promoted. And now it’s crunch time. Six games to go, eight points to make up…
A late rally keeps us just about alive, but it’s a poor start to the final stretch.
We squeak past Gil Vicente. That man Tilico is doing himself justice down the stretch, having been pretty much forgotten over recent months.
A draw against second placed Leca isn’t enough at this stage.
We follow it up with a good win, but as results come in, we’re left with too much to do. 7 points from promotion with two games to go. It’s over.
It’s a strong performance in our last home game. The Comendador would be proud.
The season ends much as the first season began. Tilico scoring goals.
We end up 7th, disappointing after the cash injection and last season’s near miss at promotion.
So with that damp squib of an ending it’s time to consider our future. But first let’s have a quick review of how we’ve done.
On the plus side Diogo and Miguel managed to stave off the sack despite crippling debts and a lack of promotion. The board has been pretty much happy since early in season one. We guess it’s a testament to just how hard a gig this is. Or the board are busy sunning themselves on a yacht somewhere, rich off all their cork money, and don’t really care. Who knows.
From a player perspective two men have shone brightest. Captain Pinto only graced us for two seasons, but he was uber-dependable at the heart of midfield. And then there’s Tilico….
Some return from a freebie who was already 31 when the save started. Bravo, we salute you Sir!
But we need to return to Miguel’s three goals for us set out in season one. He was willing to extend the three year contract up to five years if we hit them, and we most certainly have not!
1. Gain promotion to Portugal’s Top Division by the end of year two.
2. Become at least a solid mid-table, top division team by the end of year three. 3. Beat our local rivals, the mighty FC Porto, in any fixture, by the end of year three.
Porto wouldn’t even play us, but it’s an utter failure on the other two.
It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. We’ve brought in 39 players and sold 22. Tried THE formation, and a more defensive 4-1-4-1. Tactics have varied between long ball, direct and passing. We even tried team paintball, player busts, and one AI poem.
With Diogo exhausted and Miguel’s motherboard overheating, we decide to let the save run until July and see what occurs over the summer.
Regen Ian Rush leaves us for Wimbledon. Damn you release clause, and Bobby Gould.
CDM Altino retires at just 33. We may have worn him out, he played a LOT of games for us.
But we’re surprised to see no one else retire. 36 year old keeper Rufai, 35 year old Gheorge Hagi, 34 year old Tilico. All these club legends are willing to give it one more year. So maybe we should be too Miguel?
Well that settles it, let’s have one more year of Portuguese mediocrity! See you in part 11 where we sort out the squad and set goals for the year ahead….
