Guten Bonjola and welcome back to Gijon, where the third season didn’t really see the progress we craved. 5th place is fine, it’s a bit like when Stu’s father-in-law to be is describing him in the Hangover and basically says he’s a crap type of rice. 5th, UEFA Cup runners up and another crack at the same trophy is all fine, but we’re 30 points off the big two. How do we solve that?

Japhet N’Doram’s regen, he’ll help. One of my favourite regens in the game can only improve us.

I spoke last time about the need to rebuild and had expected Bakayoko to depart. He turns down a move to Leeds and asks to stay. Interesting.

The Micker is reborn! Young Jehad McKay. Jehad Mickay?

Schmeichel’s regen arrives. B team for you bonny lad.

The Klinsmann regen is also a fantastic pickup. He’ll crack on in the B Team for a bit but I suspect he’ll be ready for the first team in no time.

He stays! Four more years!

The season starts in the hardest possible fashion but the lads seem different. We lead through Sibbers and we hold onto the lead for a long time. Sonny Anderson obviously equalises but Bakayoko puts us in front with 5 minutes to go. We’re going to win! We lose 3-2. How…

A more normal performance eases us past Betis and gets the season off and running.

Kaiku is sold. Nick Rowe is very sad. I’m sorry Nick but he was just getting on my tits by the end.

I want to go to Helsinki! As somebody once said. That could probably be worse.

This though, is a poor result. We make lots of chances but we can’t score and then concede a late penalty. Sake.

Same colours, different match. A better result for us this time and hopefully the start of better days.

Helsinki are no match for our second team as expected. Roberts is the Ian Rush regen who I’m hoping to get a loan move.

Now, Celta were good last season so I’m going to say this is a good result. The man from Chad starting to show his worth.

Momentum continues at home, Rush junior nets again and the girl from Brave is brushed aside. Good lads at home.

I probably take the mick a bit with our team selection in the return leg and I’m a bit worried at 2-0 and 3-1 down, even with our 4 goal lead in the back pocket. Just to be sure, I bring Chad Sexington on and makes things more respectable on the night.

Another reasonable draw, more chance to develop some bairns.

Off we go to Real Sociedad, another of last season’s nuisances. Father Phil gives us the lead but we can’t hold on and lovely Icelandic regen gets himself a month off.

Deportivo are always a dangerous opponent so when young Alex Martin gives us the lead it looks like it will be a better day. By that point Father Phil had already departed on a stretcher with fractured ribs so Sibi’s red card is not helpful. Bakayoko scores a second and we’re able to drop anchor to preserve the 10 men. Good win.

Off to Norway for our latest UEFA Cup exploits and things look bleak when Lucic is penalised for a handball in the box after just 8 minutes. Thankfully despite it going in we go straight up the other end for the veteran Emmers to tap home a rebound and it’s a lot more plain sailing from there. A chance to rest the first team in the return leg, I fancy.

Just two days later and Segunda side Elche hold us to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of white hot Copa del Rey action. It’s a performance we have a lot of, where everybody gets a 7 and we’re blunt in front of goal. The second leg will hopefully prove easier.

We go behind at Las Palmas but we’re made of sterner stuff this season. Two quickfire goals before half time swing the balance and gives the platform for Bakayoko to break away and score the third. Lovely stuff.

That seems like a good time to leave it for another week as I continue the endless quest to get the pacing right. We’re third behind the neighbours, which is a surprise. Real Madrid have added Ronaldo to their ranks but they love a 0-0 draw. Conceding 1 goal in 9 games is just stupid but only scoring 7 is unforgivable. For now.

Here’s the squad, nearly everybody is above the magic 7 and even hovering around the 7.5 mark. Nikiforov is having a tougher season than normal but he’s just turned 30 and signed a new contract to stay forever so we’re stuck with him now.

A quick check in with the B lads, they’re 9th having had their spine ripped out over the summer.

Top scorer Conti, star man Risnaes and Father Phil all departed, partly to keep them financially sound and partly because I wanted Father Phil in the first team. I gave them Robbie Keane and a bunch of regens, most of whom they ignore. Spackman is Barnes, Freund and Bailey we’ve discussed, Loskam is Matthaus and Des Walker is Des Walker, who you’ll never beat.

Another Sunday update has come and gone and we’re hopefully about to enter a “boom” period of the Gijon boom and bust cycle. The squad is very talented but we need to start and make some strides forward and get a Champions League spot. We can’t play UEFA Cup football forever. Join me next week to see how true that statement is…