It's Daejeon (FM 2014)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Daejeon, South Korea

The nation's fifth-largest city with a population of more than 1.5 million.

Centrally located, the city grew rapidly when a dozen government functions were relocated from Seoul in the 80's.

18 universities and over 100 research facilities has led to the area being known as "The Silicon Valley of South Korea"

The Daejeon World Cup Stadium was completed in 2002, in time for the event, and is now the home of 3 lower division clubs as well as K-League member Daejeon Citizen.

That's where I come in.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Daejeon Citizen was founded in 1997, the first "community club" in the nation.

In simple terms (although it was never quite so simple) that means that Daejeon was the first professional club that wasn't owned by one of the "chaebols", what we'd call conglomerates like Samsung or LG or Hyundai.

Instead, four corporate groups shared control of the club, with the eventual intent to issue shares to private citizens. And then 1998 came, three of those groups collapsed during what is locally referred to as "the IMF Crisis". Companies like those that were on the Daejeon board -- and many larger -- went bankrupt, unemployment & uncertainty were widespread. Underfunded, Daejeon Citizen languished in the lower reaches of the K-League, even as it expanded to take in more clubs.

Then came 2001, a new manager and the first piece of silver in club history, an FA Cup win and qualification for the AFC Champions League. Despite the success on that stage, the club still remained in the bottom of the K-League table through the next season.

Then came "The Miracle of 2003", led by yet another manager. Daejeon native Choi Yun-Gyeom returned home after his playing career had ended and a brief stint leading Bucheon SK (now Jeju United), leading the club to a 6th place finish and the Group Stage of the AFC Champions League. Sadly, the club would revert to form in the decade that followed, finishing only as high as sixth one other time -- earning them their only playoff qualification in the yet-again restructured K-League -- eventually being relegated to the 2nd tier K-League Challenge division at the end of 2013.

Changes were in order. It's time, once and for all, for Daejeon to not only rise but to flourish. The infrastructure is in place: a great home, a thriving metropolis that continues to grow, a city that expects achievement.

It's time for the club that belongs to the city to have football success worthy of the civic success.

It's time.

It's Daejeon.

http://coffeehelps.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/dynamickorea-daejeon.jpg

[JonInMiddleGA]

Jan 27, 2014

I'm a 46 year old American, with a national reputation that's probably built more than anything on the novelty of me being in charge.
The board pays me $3,500/wk and gives me a contract through the end of 2015.

Time to see what's actually here, or what "here" consists of anyway.

In addition to the senior club, there's also a reserve team that doesn't play regularly and a U18 system that's basically Chungnam MT High School. We have a salary budget of $53,734/wk ($53,007 already spent) and a $0 transfer budget.

---------
In addition to the President and Managing Director above me, my staff consists of an outspoke, volatile, confrontational disciplinarian Assistant Coach Cho Jin-Ho. He's also fairly professional and has been quite helpful in my first 24 hours.

Below him are a GK coach, 2 regular coaches, a Head Physio and a Chief Scout.

Unfortunately for me, they aren't very good at much of anything.

Fortunately for me, the board has given me tremendous leeway in assembling a staff. They actually "advise" up to 23 staff members instead of the current 6.

Let's work on that, maybe not all of it. I'm too hands-on to want a Director of Football just yet.

1) Who the hell hired a Chief Physio with Physio of 7?
2) Who the hell hired a Chief Scout with JAbility and JPotential of 8 each?
3) Who the hell paid these rubbish more than virtually any player on the roster?

I don't like the scouting situation but with a buyout that would cost the club $160,000, I'll try to live with it for a while.

The physio situation on the other hand, that's not good at all.
I'll pay $70k to send Lee Kyoo Seong on his way.
Replacements are being negotiated.
As are additions to other areas of the staff.

------------

I've been through the files, the reports, I've seen the stats.
Now I suppose it's time to meet the players.

First, according to my Assistant, I need to settle on the captain & vice-captain. I'll trust his judgement, leaving 25 y/o DMC Kim Tae-Yeon at Captain and assigning 29 y/o DC Kim Young-Bin as his deputy. I figure the players have been shaken up enough by my hiring, let's not rush anything here.

And then off to the team meeting, this ought to be ... interesting.

----------

The captain welcomes me to the club.
Cautiously I'm positive about our chances and think we could win promotion.
The captain assertively wants to worry about one game at a time.
The vice-captain assertively urges his fellow toward promotion.

I cautiously disagree with the captain, saying that if everyone performs at their best then the goal is reachable.

The captain assertively says maybe I'm right and those expectations are fine.
I'm close by saying that's exactly the reaction I was after.

13 players reacted well.
8 players reacted badly.

Well, hmm.
I feel kind of like Cleavon Little at the moment.

[BYU 14]

Nice start

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nice start

Thanks.

I'm really REALLY almost overwhelmed right now. The enormity of dealing with 60 someodd names that defy English convention is a challenge by itself. And then to discover how different the roster is from any that I've had before -- totally dictated by their past formation(s) apparently -- never had one that was this far off from anything I try to do tactically, never had one that felt this limited, despite being above the usual quality of players I start with overall.

I also didn't necessarily intend a dynasty per se, but I wanted to use a league that had more than one level (in vanilla) and one that hadn't been done here before just in case I later shared it (I didn't find any SK usage when searching the dynasty thread) and then when trying to pick a team I was reading about both the K-League & a lot of the teams. And then, well, the possible motivation & goals started to form in my head and ... well, every dynasty writer here knows how that goes :)

And, just FTR, I don't intend to abandon my FM12 run with Blyth that I recently resumed. I just really wanted to get a look at the changes in FM14 and what better way to do that than by playing it?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Jan 27, 2014 (continued)

Now then, about all those players in the room a little while ago.

There were 61 players in all, plus 1 player injured & away from training, plus 5 away on loan. That accounts for the 68 players currently under contract to the club.

Of that 68, 5 are indeed away on loan, costing us $8,625/wk
Of the 63 remaining, 17 are on youth contracts of $110/wk ($1,870/wk total)
Of the 46 remaining, 1 is on loan to us, costing us $0
Of the 45 remaining, 22 are Reserves, costing us $11,200/wk
The 23 remaining are currently 1st Team, costing us $25,350/wk

Salaries range from $4,800/wk for DC Yoon Weon-II to several reserves making $275/wk

The good news is that all of the Senior & Reserve players (except our 1 loan-in) are contracted through the end of 2015; i.e. next season.

The bad news is that all of the Senior & Reserve players (except our 1 loan-in) are contracted through the end of 2015; i.e. next season.

---------

See, here's the thing: I want to play a 4-4-1-1 ... except the roster I inherited has virtually no one on the first team that has ever played at ML or MR.

That means that, at least until I can shape the roster, we'll likely spend a lot of time playing the narrow 4-1-3-2 that my Ass't recommends.

There were 24 players assigned to the first team when I arrived.
10 of our 11 projected starters are veterans of the club.

7 of the 13 of the non-starters have not played a league match for us.
8 of the senior squad are listed as "wanted" by another club, but only one projected starter.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Jan 27, 2014 (con't)
Some of the squad decisions and some of the transfer decisions just make no sense at all, at least not with what I plan on doing.

24 y/o AMC Hwang Myung-Gyu is de-listed and promoted to Senior squad
22 y/o MC/DR/DMC Lee Kwang-Jin promoted to Senior squad
27 y/o DC Kim Song-Joo sent to Reserves, listed to sell at whatever price
31 y/o WR Kim Han-Sup sent to Reserves, listed to sell at half price

Kim Han-Sup wants to talk to me. Interestingly, he's not upset (apparently) about being sent to the Reserves or being transfer listed, he just doesn't want to go out on loan. Okay, that's cool, no loan list then.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Jan 28, 2014

At this point, as a new day arrives, I should probably let you in on what I'm thinking about the season ahead.

It's 40 days until the regular season begins, and it isn't an easy schedule. 45 games, 5 against each of the other 9 teams in K-Challenge. The fixture list is basically Sat + Wed matches most weeks between mid-March and the end of November. Of course that doesn't include the various Cup matches and any other what not.

I really envision, at this point at least, a very rotation oriented roster. Not from squad to squad perhaps but more of a rolling lineup based on fitness & availability. Projected starters, as of today, in bold

There are currently 3 clear standouts here
DR/DC Rim Chang-Woo, 4.0 star loanee
MC Kim Jong-Gook, 4.0 star with 24 matches for us
DC/DR/DL Yoon Weon-II, 4.0 with 34 matches for us

Then come 5 players that look like obvious starters
ST Lee Dong-Hyun, 3.5 star with 52 matches
MC Hwang Jin-San, 3.5 star with 80 matches
DMC/MC Kim Tae-Yeon, 3.5 star with 185 matches, captain
DC/DL Lee Jung-Yeol, 3.5 star with 93 matches
DC/DR/DMC Kim Young-Bin, 3.5 star with 64 matches

Then come 7 players that seem capable or starting or playing regularly
DC/DMC/MC Ahn Young-Gyu, 3.0 star with 14 matches
DC/DR Park Tae-Su, 3.0 star with 17 matches
MC Ji Kyeong-Duk, 3.0 star with 51 matches
GK Kim Sun-Kyu, 3.0 star with 57 matches
MC Kim Sung-Soo, 2.5 star with 11 matches
MC Kim Pyung-Jin, 2.5 star with 2 matches
AMC/MC Hwang Myung-gyu, 2.5 star with 28 matches

Then comes the rest of the senior squad
ST/AMC Seo Myung-Won, 2.0 star (4.5 potential) with 0 matches
MC Kwon Soon-Gyu, 2.0 star with 0 matches
ST Lee Kook-Ho, 2.0 star with 0 matches
DC Kim Dong-Hyeok, 2.0 star with 0 matches
MR Kim Min-Joong, 2.0 star with 0 matches
MC/DMC/DR Lee Kwang-Jin, 2.0 star (4.0 potential) with 17 matches
DC Jeong Hwuy, 2.0 star with 0 matches
MC/DMC/DC Jeong Seok-Min, 2.0 star with 36 matches
GK Park Joo-Woon, 1.0 star with 0 matches

To my eye, the most obvious need is probably at GK and another solid ST, in addition to acquiring/developing players comfortable playing a true ML/MR wide midfield role.

Problem is, or among the problems anyway, that we're very tight on payroll budget, only enough room to add a low/mid level player right now. I'm hopeful that we can move at least a few players that are surplus to requirements, free up some space for at least one upgrade.

There's not a ton of help likely from the Reserve squad as it currently stands.
6 players rated 2.0 stars for current ability
6 players rated 1.5 stars for current ability
2 1.0 star current, 4 0.5 star current, 3 0.0 star current
No player with potential rated above 2.5 star

The players we have out on loan at the moment are certainly an issue.
All 6 are serving their compulsory military committment, 5 at Police and 1 at Sangju. Half are 3.0 star current, half are 2.5 star current, all would either star or see significant action. A bigger issue is that we're paying 100% of their salaries, some $8,600/wk, which is more than 20% of our current spending on players.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tue Jan 28, 2014 (continued)

Oh goody, I start the day by meeting the press. I sort of forgot that I agreed to do that when I met with the board a few days ago.

I praise the chairman's commitment to the club, explain that I'm happy with the direction we're heading.

Interesting question about the language barrier, I point out that soccer is a universal language.

I deflect a question about possible upheaval and changes.

They give me a great question about the downward trend for the club, I hit passionately hit one of my key points: that this club deserves to be doing much better and if I can play a part in moving it that way then I'll be happy.

I give the wily reporter from the SK Soccer Post nothing to his question about whether I'm hands-on or hands-off.

I calmly admit that things are in place to make an immediate challenge for promotion.

And no, devious Mr. SK Soccer Express dude, I'm not prepared to discuss transfer policy here today.

I'm caught a bit off guard when asked (by (devious SK Soccer Express guy again) about the expectations that Hwang Jin-San will be leaving the club. I cautiously say I want him here & will do what I can to ensure that.

And, finally, the grilling ends.

------------

We've made our first few additions to the club:

Scout Park Jong-Sung, $500/wk through next season. He's a 12a/11p 38 y/o. Hopefully he'll step up our scouting efforts immediately.

Head Physio Adam Rotchstein, $1,100/wk through next season. Language barrier my ass, He's 13 Physio / 14 Motivation / 12 Discipline. A major upgrade from the band-aid and aspirin dispenser we had.

U18s Coach Eddie Johnson, $900/wk through next season. A well-rounded coach that recently ended his playing career with Portland of the MLS after spending most of a decade playing in the U.K.

Physio Lee Kyung-Tae, $600/wk through next season. A decent doc, couldn't motivate starving dogs to fresh meat however. He's here to support Rotchstein.

-------------
And thus ends a long day on the job

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri Jan 31, 2014

42 y/o veteran Canadian striker Carlo Corazzin has agreed to terms ... as a scout. At just $400/wk through next season he seems like a good risk despite his lack of knowledge in the region.

---------
Sat Feb 1, 2014
We have made our first player acquisition. Coming to the club on loan through the end of the season is 21 y/o DL Park Sun-Joo, from Pohang. Our supporters are pleased to have acquired a player of his caliber and hope his experience (3 whole matches) with bigger clubs will serve us well.

He projects to be our starting DL, allowing Lee Jung-Youl to rotate time as both his backup and at DC.

------------

Mon Feb 3, 2014
Congratulations are in order for Seoul head coach Choi Yong-Soo, named today as the new boss of the SK National Team. After a 17 year playing career that saw him play nearly 250 matches and score 128 league goals in addition to 67 caps with 27 goals in international competition, he coached Seoul to the K-League Classic title in 2012 while still just 38 years old.

At the advice of Coach Eddie Johnson we've asked Yoon Weon-II to tutor Kim Yung-Seung. Both players were agreeable to the suggestion.

28 y/o Argentinian MC Cristian Sanchez Prette has joined the club on trial. Not sure that we could find the budget to afford him but he's likely a top member of the roster if things happened to work out.

Looking at our various status reports I noticed that our payroll budget has suddenly increased (without notice) to $54,656. That's about $900 higher than it was when we were hired, not sure where that came from but it's good to know.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Feb 5, 2014

Our first match of the pre-season, a friendly at home against K-Classic side Jeonbuk. This might get ugly. We haven't played yet while they've got a 4-0 friendly win over a lower division side under their belt already. We're not match fit, we don't know even the more comfortable 4-1-3-2 very well yet.

90 minutes later, we've managed a 1-1 draw. Player of the Match DC Kim Young-Bin scored with a header off a nice corner feed from Prette just 3 minutes into the match, the favorites leveled at 55'. We mostly held our own, outshot them 15-12 but struggled to finish in spite of having 9 shots on target and 4 clear cut chances.

While Young-Bin (7.7) and Prette (7.6) stood out on the plus side, strike Lee Dong-Hyng (6.1) and DC Yoon Weon-II (6.3) didn't have the best of days.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Feb 6, 2014
While our Reserves play a friendly for fitness purposes, I attend Trial Day at Chungju Stadium. A rather dull 1-0 affair decided by a goal at 90+1, despite one side being a man short after a red card at 40'. Just 13 shots all day, only 5 on target.

Upon returning I'm told that DC Kim Young-Bin (he of the only goal in yesterday's friendly) wants to talk to me. Turns out he wants a bigger club, I point out that we will BE a bigger club soon as we win promotion, surely by the end of next season at the latest. That's not fast enough for him, I point out that he's being disrespectful and he backs off, promising to focus on his play.

Our Reserves beat Seoul Martyrs FC 2-0 in that fitness friendly. Goals by Soo-Min (61') and Ik-Seong (65') highlighted a fairly dominant outing. The win did exact a price, backup striker Yoo Sung-Gi suffered a broken ankle & will be out for three months.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat Feb 8, 2014
The media around here sure is nosy. SK Soccer Express journalist wants to know if we would move Young-Bin to Busan, I give him nothing. Then he wants to know about whether we would move Hwang Jin-San to Incheon, I decide to admit that I'd consider it ... but only for the right price. MC is one of our stronger areas and if I got the right middle six-figure offer (which would then create a transfer budget for me to use), sure I'd think about it.

Meanwhile, DC Kim Dong-Hyeok has a virus. Damn doc, send him home, two weeks or whatever. Don't need that going around.

------------

Mon Feb 10, 2014

Well, in for a penny ... 26 y/o striker Kim Seong-Min is pleased to have agreed to terms with Daejeon. He'll get $725/wk plus usual incentives. He's an unusual combination on the pitch, capable of playing both striker and DMC (but awkward at the spots in between). He's a product of Honam University, playing briefly for Gwangju FC back in 2011.

Our staff immediate recommends him as the highest rated striker on the roster.

And of course, there's an apparently obligatory press conference (did I mention how nosy these SOBs are?) Not once, not twice but thrice did I have to insist that I would not be discussing tactical plans with the media today.

-----------
Wed Feb 12, 2014

Sometimes you miss out. Sanchez Prette played one trial match for us, signed with K-Classic side Chunnam just days later. But hey, we couldn't pay him over $8k/week like they just did, so good for him I guess.

Out goes one trialist, in comes another. 35 y/o Elbekay Bouchiba comes in on trial. Yes, I said 35 years old, hush. He's a Dutch veteran who has played in Holland, Qatar and briefly in the U.S.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Feb 12, 2014 (con't)
Another friendly against another K-Classic side, this time Gyeongnam comes to call. And it's another 1-1 draw, with a goal at 29' from the just-signed Seong-Min (7.2), assisted by PotM Dong-Hyng (7.3). They leveled things at 40'. A little disturbed that we were outshot 10-3 but nothing terrible overall.


Thu Feb 13, 2014
Oddsmakers pick Gangwon as 1:2 favorites to win promotion from K-Challenge this year ... with us next at 4:6. Other contenders are expected to include Anyang, Gwangju, Goyang and Daegu.

Fri Feb 14, 2014
We decline an out of the blue loan offer from Red Star Belgrade. They wanted DC Lee Jung-Youl for the upcoming season. Right now he's my top reserve at both DL and DC, hard to see giving him up unless he comes to me and asks for it or something.

Aaaaand about 15 minutes later, guess who knocks on my door. Sigh. Hey, if you don't want to be here, I'll see what I can do.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat Feb 15, 2014
Anotehr friendly, hosting K-Classic side Incheon today. We'll use more of the backups today as most of the projected starters are still a bit tired from Thursday's match. We'll also break out a different formation, the basic 4-4-2.
Probably get our clocks cleaned.

Instead of a beatdown, we manage a 2-2 draw on the heroics of PotM Seo Myung-Won who scored twice in a 7 minute span of the 2nd half to give us a lead that disappeared at 81'. We were outshot & outpossessed but came away level. Not awful really.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Feb 19, 2014
Another friendly, hosting K-Classic side Seongnam. Mostly starters back in the lineup today, we'll let them try the 4-4-2 and see how it fits.

A 1-1 draw thanks to Kim Seong-Min's goal at 18' that drew us even after going down at 6'. We controlled possession (62-38) but got outshot 12-5. Mixed bag, not much that was really bad but not enough offense either.
We just have to hope that the scoring will improve when we're playing K-Challenge clubs for real instead of K-Classic clubs in friendlies.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri Feb 21, 2014
We make a move to address an area of concern, signing 21 y/o GK Kim Se-Joon to a deal through next season ($325/wk). While he's not a star, nor even a serious threat to regular GK Kim Sun-Kyu, at 2.0 star current he represents an upgrade over our previous backup Park Joo-Woon who will now be assigned to the Reserves.

Tue Feb 25, 2014
Tough news from the medical staff as MC Ji Kyeong-Deuk sustained a slipped disc during weight training today. He'll miss 3 months while being treated by a specialist. Hard to lose a starter before the season even begins :/

Wed Feb 26, 2014
It's another friendly as the post-season begins to wind down, this time hosting fellow K-Challenge side Gangju. Back to the 4-1-3-2 today.

We come away with a 2-1 win thanks to a timely goal by sub Lee Dong-Hyun. Hwang Jin-San put us up at 19' but Gwnagju leveled with a freak play at 69'. Just one minute after entering the pitch Hyun neatly buried a rebound for the game-winner. Hwang Jin-San (7.8) is PotM, joined above 7.0 by 5 players including newly acquired backup GK Kim Se-Joon (7.1). Once again, not seriously bad outings for anyone.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Feb 27, 2014
Two of our players have been called up for international duty for March 4th matches. Kwon Soon-Gyu will be with the SK U21s while Seo Myung-Won will join the SK U19s.

Our Reserves beat Goyang's Reserves 2-1 on the road, winning in the 90th minute on a goal from Joo Ik-Seong, his second straight match with a goal.
DC Kim Yung-Seung twisted his ankle during the match & will miss the next 4-5 weeks. MC Cho Gyu-Seung will miss 3-4 weeks due to a pulled hamstring also suffered during the match.

[SplitPersonality1]

Good stuff Jon. Good luck in the upcoming season.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun Mar 1, 2014
A friendly at lower division side Yongin City today.

Right on cue, we get embarrassed, losing 2-0. New keeper Se-Joon was bad (6.2), several players were in the 6.2 - 6.4 range and today it was nobody really doing anything particularly well. Maybe it'll be a wakeup call but I'm not sure.

Sun Mar 2, 2014
Our U18s played their first friendly, drawing our Reserves 0-0. 16 y/o DL Kang Sang-Gi was PotM in a quiet affair. The match was not without incident however as 15 y/o DC Won Jin-Ho suffered broken ribs in a collision with Jang Soo-Min and will miss 4-5 weeks. Lackluster reserve DC Jeong Hwuy sprained his ankle after falling awkwardly, he's out 5-7 weeks.

We bring on board 24 y/o DC Ha In-Ho for a trial.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tue Mar 4, 2014
SK U21s lost to Slovakia 3-2. Our Kwon Soon-Gyu played 45 minutes but had a disappointing (6.2) day.

SK U19s beat Kuwait 1-0. Our Seo Myung-Won played 58 minutes as a starter, doign okay (6.6)

------------

Wed Mar 5, 2014

Our U18s managed a 1-1 draw at Seoul Univ. thanks to an 83rd minute goal by Hwang Hu-Han.

Our Reserves lost to the Police senior squad 3-2. Sloppy match, each side giving up an own goal. GK Park Joo-Woon made several quality saves despite allowing three gaosl. Ko Byung-Soo (5.8) was one of several players who had bad outings. Promising AMC Jang Soo-Min (7.3) was our real star, with a goal at 63'.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Good stuff Jon. Good luck in the upcoming season.


Thanks SP, I'm hopeful ... ish.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun Mar 9, 2014
A final pre-season friendly for the senior squad,at lower division side Goyang FC.
4-4-1-1, let's see how it works.

We win 2-1, giving up a late goal. We played more fluid, more attacking, faster ... Pyung-Jin socred at 23', Jong-Gook made it 2-0 at 86' but we let one in at 88' to make it closer than it should have been. We point out afterwards that we'll have to play better when it counts ... and then have to go around & smooth all sorts of ruffled feathers afterwards.

We also learn that we've lost AMC Hwang Myung-Gyu for up to a month with a pulled hamstring.

--------
Also today our U18s played a friendly at HongChun, losing 2-0. Not an especially good outing frankly.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Mar 12, 2014

Elbekay Bouchiba has completed his trial and leaves Daejeon

[JonInMiddleGA]

And finally, match day -- one that counts -- officially arrives. We are not what I thought we'd be, we are not what I want to be, but the journey officially begins today.

Sat Mar 15 , 2014
Daejeon (0-0-0) vs Suwon FC (0-0-0)
Suwon is a newcomer to K-League play but have a history of success in their decade of existence, having won both the National league and the National League Cup in the past few years.

We open the season in a 4-1-3-2 Control.
Yoon Weon-II 35' ... header from a corner (1-0)
Carbon copy for Suwon 41' ... (1-1)
Stupid foul leads to PK at 48' ... (1-2)
Hwang Jin-San 59' ... nice right footer on the counter (2-2)

Full time: Daejeon 2 - Suwon FC 2

We outshot them, just couldn't finish often enough. 2 goals with 7 shots on target is how you get a draw instead of a win.

Good:
ML Hwang Jin-San 1g/7.3, ST Kim Seong-Min 1a/7.3, DC Yoon Weon-II 1g/7.3
Bad:
DR Rim Chang-Woo 6.2, DC Park Sun-Joo 6.2, ST Lee Dong-Hyun 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Mar 19 , 2014
Daejeon (0-1-0, 4th) at Daegu (0-0-1, 8th)
Recently relegated Daegu provides the next opponent
We'll try 4-4-2 Control to open

Own goal puts us in front 42' ... Kim Seong-Min was threatening (1-0)

Full time - Daejeon 1 - Daegu 0

Got outshot, outplayed really, got lucky too.

Good:
DC Park Tae-Su PotM 7.3, GK Kim Sun-Kyu 7.3, DL Kim Young-Bing 6.9
Bad:
ST Kim Seong-Min 6.3, MR Hwang Jin-San 6.4, MC Kim Tae-Yeon 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Mar 20, 2014
Physio Rochstein reports that ST Seo Myung-Won injured his elbow in a fall during the match against Daegu. He'll be out 2 weeks.

Sat Mar 22, 2014
Daejeon (1-1-0, 3rd) vs Chungju Hummel (0-2-0, 7th)
Back home against one of the more interestingly named clubs in the K-League. Hummel is the Danish sportswear company that has sponsored the team since it's inception in 1999. In that time they have had no less than 5 names and 3 homes: Hummel Korea, Uijeongbu Hummel, Icheon Hummel, Nowon Hummel and, since 2010, Chungju Hummel

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard to open, with quite a few different faces in the lineup today due to fitness concerns

Lee Dong-Hyun slips behind the defense 50' ... 1-0
Near carbon copy goal ties it 66' ... 1-1

Full time: Daejeong 1 - Chungju 1

Another one that sort of feels like it got away. Despite the fact that we were outshot 11-4.

Good:
ST Lee Dong-Hyun 1g 7.2, GK Kim Sun-Kyu 7.0, DL Lee Jung-Youl 6.8
Bad:
ST Kim Seong-Min 6.4, ML Kim Pyung-Jin 6.4, MR Kim Min-Joong 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun Mar 23, 2014
Fans are said to be "devastated" by the performance of the team against Chungju. Then again folks we ARE unbeaten (for now) and in 3rd place.

Tue Mar 25, 2014
Our Reserves played a friendly at Gwangju, drawing 1-1. Jun Sang-Won scored at 59' to give us the equalizer.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Mar 26, 2014
Daejeon (1-2-0, 3rd) at Gwangju (2-1-0, 1st)
Newcomers to the K-League, the club was only founded two seasons ago and was quickly relegated to K-Challenge. They've been strong in the early going with 6 goals in 3 games from their Brazilian duo up front.

We'll go 4-1-3-2 Counter to open
Yellow card for Hwang Jin-San at 9'
Red card for Gwangju WB at 11'
Yellow card for Kim Jong-Gook at 26'
Yellow card for Yoon Weon-II at 33'
Yellow card for Kim Tae-Yeon at 41'
Yellow card for Gwangju at 44'
Lee Kook-Ho slips past a defender & shoots 45+ 1-0
Lee Kook-Ho on the counter 46' 2-0
Lee Jung-Youl volleys from a corner 67' 3-0
Gwangju pulls one back with a corner header 70' 3-1

Full time: Daejeon 3 - Gwangju 1

Having a man sent off combined with the goal just before halftime to deflate the explosive league leaders. We capitalized on the opportunity. The player sent off, btw, was a starter for Daejeon last year.


Good:
ST Lee Kook-Ho 2g/PotM/8.8,MC Hwang Jin-San 1a/7.6,MC Kim Sung-Soo 1a/ 7.6
Bad:
None really, low was 6.6 for subs

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat Mar 29, 2014
A rare Saturday off as our match against Anyang was moved to Monday for television. (A tidy $16k bonus to the club)

Sun Mar 30, 2014
Our Reserves played a friendly at Goyang Reserves, drawing 1-1. Jang Soo-Min put us in front at 29' but an own goal by sub GK Park Joo-Woon at 68' cost us the win. Reserve MC Lee Bo-Hwi will miss 5-7 weeks with an ankle sprain suffered during the match.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Mon Mar 31, 2014
Daejeon (2-2-0, 3rd) at Anyang (3-0-1, 2nd)
We're somehow the last unbeaten team in K-Challenge.

We'll go 4-1-3-2 Counter to open

Lee Kook-Ho goal disallowed offside 9'
Anyang yellow card 22'
Lee Dong-Hyung from Lee Kook-Ho 31' 1-0
Namgung Do gets his 5th of the season 45+ 1-1
Anyang MC gets his second yellow 48' ...
Namgung Do gets behind our defense 58' 1-2
Anyang yellow card 61'
Park Sun-Joo yellow card 71'
Anyang yellow card 78'
Hwang Jin-San yellow card 84'

Full time: Anyang 2 - Daejeon 1

We couldn't muster enough offense, rather we couldn't find enough finishes, outshooting them 14-6 with 5 on target. Not a good loss. And after a harsher than expected post-match talk from the AssMan, not a happy locker room either. And the more I tried to fix that with individuals the worse it got.

Good:
ST Lee Dong-Hyun 1g 7.1, MC Kim Tae-Yeon 6.8, MC Kim Sung-Soo 6.8
Bad:
DC Lee Jung-Youl 6.2, DR Park Sun-Joo 6.2, DC Yoon Weon-II 6.3

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tue Apr 1, 2014
I wish it were just a joke but Physio Rochstein is sincere: DC Kim Young-
Bin pulled a hamstring yesterday and will be out 3-4 weeks.

The board is satisifed. High point is the win over Gwangju, low point is the draw against Chungju Hummel. We lost $180k last month but did sell 796 jerseys.

AMC Hwang Myung-Gyu resumes full training after his hamstring pull. ST/AMC Seo Myung-Won resumes full training after his elbow injury.

Our Reserves played a friendly at Gyeongju and lost 2-0.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun Apr 6, 2014
Daejeon (2-2-1, 4th) vs Gangwon (1-1-3, 2nd)
Need to win this one and reassert ourselves. Against the 2nd lowest scoring team in the league we'll give backup GK Kim Se-Joon his first start of the year.

We'll go 4-4-2 Standard to open, hoping to work the flanks against their unusual 4-2-2-2 formation

Kim Se-Joon makes two point blank saves 4'
Jeong Seok-Min yellow card 6'

Gangwon pushes hard and scores 75' 0-1
Lee Dong-Hyun levels at the tip of the 4-4-1-1 1-1

Full time: Daejeon 1 - Gangwon 1
We were lucky to get away with even a point, outshot 11-8.

Good:
ST Lee Dong-Hyun 1g/7.1,DC Jeong Seok-Min 6.9,AMC Hwang Myung-Gu 1a 6.8
Bad:
ST Lee Kook-Ho 6.2, MC Hwang Jin-San 6.3, DL Lee Jung-Youl 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Apr 9, 2014
Daejeon (2-3-1, 5th) vs Police (3-2-1, 3rd)
The surprise package of K-Challenge thus far -- pre-season odds against them were 5000:1 -- Ansan Police are a club comprised of mostly loaned players serving their compulsory military service. We've certainly given our all for the good of the nation, they have five of our players on the roster (over 20% of our total wage spending). They're also one of the oldest clubs in the nation, founded in 1961.

We'll go 4-4-2 Control to open

We let 'em get away from us for an easy goal 13' 0-1
Long ball downfield, our keeper is caught too far out 31' 0-2
They move around us like we aren't even there 33' 0-3
We foul in the box, they bury the PK 49' 0-4
Lee Dong-Hyun misses an empty net 76'

Full time: Police 4 - Daejeon 0

Manhandle by the most skilled team I've seen yet, we'll be seeing one touch passes in our sleep for days. We looked like small children playing grown men, too small, too slow, too clumsy, too everything. They're like a super team or something.

Good:
You're kidding, right? Our only player above 6.4 was sub Kim Sung-Soo (6.6)
Bad:
DL Park Sun-Joo 5.4, DC Yoon Weon-II 5.7, DR Rim Chang-Woo 5.9

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Apr 10, 2014
Hwang Jin-San has reached the limit of 3 yellow cards and now serves an automatic one match suspension.

We have a quiet talk with Park Sun-Joo, expressing confidence but also the need to pick up his play.

Our Reserves played a friendly against Bucheon Reserves, winning 2-0. Goals by Kim Jon-Soo (46') and Kim Han-Sup (71') were the margin.

ML Joo Ik-Seong suffered a torn hamstring during the match & will be out for 3 months. Cho Gyu-Seung came away with a dead leg but will only miss 3-4 days.


Sat April 12, 2014
Our U18s played a 2-2 draw against Yongun HS. At 0-3-1 they currently sit 10th among 17 teams in the SK U18 League.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Apr 16, 2014
Daejeon (2-3-2, 5th) at Goyang (2-1-4, 8th)
We're on the road in need of a win to stop the bleeding. We face a club that traces its origins back to the early 80s as Immanuel FC, a unified Christian team, an identity that was not without controversy (about a decade ago they were the subject of protests by radical Buddhists that actually prevented them from playing in the second stage of the National League) Were recently based in Ansan before moving to Goyang last season.

We'll go 4-4-2 Control to open, simplified instructions to start (only "Stay on feet")

Yellow card on Goyang for a hard tackle, Kim Seong-Min is shaken up 45'
Yellow card on Kim Pyung-Jin 47'
Yellow card on Park Sun-Joo 48'
Patient passing produces a goal 79' 0-1

Full time: Goyang 1 - Daejeon 0

How do you play 94 minutes without taking a single shot? Even with "shoot on sight" instructions? In this instance I didn't mind the assertive tone of the AssMan when he expressed his disappointment.


Good:
DC Rim Chang-Woo 7.2, MC Park Sun-Joo 6.9,
Bad:
sub ST Lee Kook-Ho 6.2, ST Lee Dong-Hyun 6.4, ST Kim Seong-Min 6.4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Apr 17, 2014
More injury issues, this time it's a twisted knee suffered by DC Yoon Weon-II. He'll miss 3 weeks.

DL Park Sun-Joo will also miss a match now, thanks to his third yellow card & the automatic suspension that brings.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Apr 16, 2014
Daejeon (2-3-3, 5th) at Suwon (5-2-1, 3rd)
We see our first repeat opponent of the season, having opened the season with a 2-2 draw against them at home (Our next match will be at Bucheon 1995, the remaining team we haven't played yet).

We'll go 4-4-2 Control

Nice cross leads to easy goal 16' 0-1 .... switch to Standard
Sung-Soo cross onto the head of Kook-Ho 39' 1-1
Suwon comes right back with a blast 41' 1-2
Suwon defender gets his second yellow card & is off 67' ... now Attacking
Lee Hook-Ho takes another tumble, sub out 69'
Sung-Soo with a rocket from the left side 69' 2-2
Unbelievably Suwon run right down the middle and lob 71' 2-3
Hwang Jin-San makes up for a miss minutes earlier 86' 3-3

Full time: Daejeon 3 Suwon 3

On the one hand it's great not to lose another match. On the other hand we enjoyed a man advantage for nearly 30 minutes and had to really to survive.

Good:
ML Kim Sung Soo 1g/1a/8.1, MR Hwang Jin-San 1g/7.4. ST Lee Kook-Ho 1g 7.2
Bad:
MC Kim Tae-Yon 6.1, DR Park Tae-Soo 6.6, MC Jeong Seok-Min 6.6

[korme]

I like the idea of old school Jon smoking a cigarette on the pitch yelling at referees

[JonInMiddleGA]

I like the idea of old school Jon smoking a cigarette on the pitch yelling at referees

Hmm ... I wonder if I could get away with that. At least some parts of the world aren't the whole anti-smoking bastion the U.S. has become. Suddenly this career decision makes a lot more sense :D

edit to add: On a side note, I sort of picture 40 y/o Assistant Coach Cho Jin-Ho as being played by a young Mako (the actor who was always the North Korean on M*A*S*H). His halftime & post-game talks are just brutal, the roster usually somewhat shattered by his chosen approach. We'd certainly make an interesting pair to play for :)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tue Apr 22, 2014
Well crap. Pyhsio Adam Rotchstein comes running down the hallway to my office and that's NEVER a good sign. It's never because, I dunno, he's just gotten a good deal on car insurance or something. Nope.

DL Park Sun-Joo has sustained a fractured arm after landing heavily during a training session. He will be out for 4 to 5 weeks.

That news certainly took the fun out of learning our Reserves beat Seoul Utd Reserves 2-1 in a friendly.

-------------------

Wed Apr 23, 2014
Daejeon (2-4-3, 7th) at Bucehon 1995 (1-1-7, 10th)
Surely we'll win THIS one, right? RIGHT? We'll go 4-4-2 Attacking

Lee Dong-Hyun is denied 0'20"
Rim Chang-Woo is denied on a free kick 5'
Lee Dong-Hyun squibs an open shot 13'
Lee Dong-Hyun finds the third time the charm 31' 1-0
Lee Dong-Hyun gets his 2nd, another left-footer 55' 2-0
Kim Sung-Soo from a cross by Chang-Woo ... but offside :( 58'

Full time: Daejeon 2 - Bucheon 0

Good enough, well done.

Good:
ST Lee Dong-Hyun 2g/8.8/PotM,MR Jwang Jin-San 1a/7.8,DL Lee Jung-Youl 7.4
Bad:
No one below 6.6

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri Apr 25, 2014

So here we are, ten games into the 45 game regular season. I had believed we were genuinely promotion caliber, instead we sit 6th.

Gwangju 22 pts, +13 GD
Suwon 21, +9
Anyan 18, +1
Police 15, +5
Goyant 14, 0
Daejeon 13, -1
Daegu 11, -5
Gangwon 10, -1
Chungju 10, -5
Bucheon 4, -16

We're 5th in Goals Scored, 5th in Goals Allowed, we've played better on the road (3-2-1) than at home (0-2-2)

Only player to appear in every match is ST Lee Dong-Hyun 9(1) with 5 goals to also lead the club. GK Kim Sun-Kyu has started 9, MC Hwang Jin-San has played in 8(1), DCR Park Tae-Su in 8.

We're a bit brittle, seems there's always a player or two I'd like to have available that's missing due to injury. It also seems to be a fairly passive group, specifically on offense. You have to stay on them constantly just to remind them to shoot the ball at all, otherwise they're content to pass it around until they turn it over. Defensively we're probably a little too aggressive at times, we're the only team that's had two players already reach the yellow card limit. Emotionally they aren't a particularly responsive group, very all or nothing in their reactions, takes big bold strokes to impact them either way. Otherwise they often appear "deep in thought".

Ideally, when the transfer window reopens in July, I'd like to move several pieces out of here, mostly to free up salary & try to use it to improve the roster. There's hardly anyone I'd deem untouchable for the right offer, just to be honest. We need to get more out of players that are here on loan, we're among the few teams that doesn't have a foreign player (or 2 or 3) contributing. There's not much sign of help coming from our Reserves,few players if any on the youth squad that are anywhere near ready for K-Challenge play. Improvements will either have to come from better play from the people already seeing action or else we'll have to go out & find people who will perform at a higher level from outside the organization.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat Apr 26, 2014
Daejeon (3-4-3, 6th) vs Daegu (3-2-5, 7th)
First time we met this season we got a 1-0 win thanks to an own goal. Hopefully our offense will be more productive today. Several lineup changes due to tired players, also changed back to the 4-1-3-2 for the same reason.

Alex Araujo found just enough space to put a header on net 0-1
Yellow card for Lee Jung-Youl 22'
Indirect free kick leads to Kim Seong-Min shot from the wing 50' 1-1
Incisive breakway for Daegu 65' 1-2
Daegu goal disallowed for offside 68'
Kim Seong-Min yellow card 69'
Kim Seong-Min from a beautiful pass by Lee Dong-Hyun 80' 2-2
Ahn Young-Gyu yellow card 81'
Waning moments, an unlikely try is juggled ... Kim Seong-Min is there for the rebound and a hat trick ... GOAL ! 90+1 3-2

Full time: Daejeon 3 - Daegu 2

Kim Song-Gook was trying to cross on the final goal, instead the Daegu keeper intercepted it, but bobbled it and Kim Seong-Min pounced. Stirring finish and the second time this season we've beaten them on an error by their keeper.

Good:
ST Kim Seong-Min 3g/9.4/PotM, MC Kim Jong-Gook 1a/8.0,
DC Kim Dong-Hyeok 6.9
Bad:
GK Kim Sun-Kyu 6.2, ST Seo Myung-Won 6.3, DCR Rim Chang-Woo 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun Apr 27, 2014

Our Reserves beat Jeonbuk Maeil Reserves 2-0 in a friendly. MC Lee Kwang-Jin had a fine match, an 8.3 with a goal and PotM honors.

[Brian Swartz]

Good grief, 45 matches in a season? That's a bit crazy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Good grief, 45 matches in a season? That's a bit crazy.

Yeah, I suspect it'll get kind of tiresome since we play each team in the K-Challenge 5 times. It's heavy scheduling for a league with just 10 teams.

If/when we promote then things will surely be more interesting as the K-Classic schedule is unlike any I've ever played. Up at the highest/next level, there are 12 teams that play a total of 32 games. But the season is split into two legs.


First, everybody plays everybody else 2x each. That's 22 games. At that point the Classic league is split in Group A (top six) and Group B (bottom six) and you play just the teams in your group 2x more each to account for the other 10 games, for the total of 32.

The bottom team in Group B is relegated.
The 11th place team has a relegation playoff against the Challenge 2nd place

Meanwhile the Top 4 teams from Group A advance to the Asian Champions League Group Stage (or top 3 if some team outside that group happens to win the South Korea FA Cup BS which has an auto-bid to ACL)

Sooo ... not only do we place 45 matches in Challenge each year but if we don't promote then either 7 or 8 of those opponents will be the same clubs for 5x more matches each the following season.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Apr 30, 2014
Daejeon (4-4-3, 6th) vs Chungju Hummel (2-4-5, 9th)
First time we met this season a 1-1 draw when both sides managed a 2nd half goal. Chungju is missing three starters including the dangerous Alessandro Lopes. Stick with the 4-1-3-2 since we played them with a 4-4-2 previously.


Chungju yellow card 2'
An absurdly long ball finds an attacker in stride ... 0-1
Lee Jung-Youl yellow card 36'
Jeong Seok-Min volleys home a dropped save 60' 1-1
Kim Dong-Hyeok yellow card 72'
Seo Myung-Won attacks, catches keeper out of position, misses high 90+3

Full time: Daejeon 1 - Chungju 1

We outshot them 13-2, no excuse for not winning other than lousy finishing.
Okay, that and maybe spotty shooting in the first place.

Good:
MC Hwang Jin-San 1a/7.5/PotM, Jeong Seok-Min 1g/7.4, DCR Rim Chang-Woo 7.0
Bad:
MC Kim Jong-Gook 6.1, ST Lee Dong-Hyn 6.2, DC Kim Dong-Hyeok 6.4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu May 1, 2014

I'm going to start hiding from Physio Rotchstein. MC Hwang Jin-San sustained a gashed leg during the match and will be out 11-14 days.

The board now feels that I should be performing slightly better in my role as head coach. Board & fans alike are still upset about the blowout loss to Police. One positive: the 3-1 win over Gwangju. The club lost $318k last month ... but sold another 608 jerseys.

----------
Tue May 2, 2014
Park Tae-Su told a local newpaper that the club and the supporters must be patient with the new coach and not make a rash decision in scrambling to appoint a replacement. That's nice but, umm, damn that's quick to need that sort of vote of confidence.

[StLee]

I'm not much of a soccer fan, but I do live in Korea, so I'll follow this dynasty, maybe learn a thing or two about the league. I have been invited to check out some Daegu FC games before, but I never went.

Oh, and about the smoking, Korea is starting to put the hook on public smoking due to cancer being the number one killer of Koreans.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oh, and about the smoking, Korea is starting to put the hook on public smoking due to cancer being the number one killer of Koreans.

Well harumph.

Of course if I don't manage to turn the club around soon it looks like it may not matter all that much :/

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat May 3, 2014
Daejeon (4-5-3, 6th) vs Gwangju (9-1-2, 1st)
First time we met this season was a 3-1 stunner in our favor on the road. I sure could use another result like that right about now. Stick with the 4-1-3-2 since we played them with a 4-4-2 previously.

Lee Kook-Ho plays it long to Lee Dong-Hyun in space,long range 15' ... 1-0
Kim Jong-Gook runs the flank, keeper comes out, bad idea 19' ... 2-0
Knew they wouldn't stay quiet, Paulista gets his 10th of the year 22' 2-1
Nifty unselfish passing sets up Lee Kook-Ho right in front 32' ... 3-1
Gwangju yellow card 36'
Gwangju yellow card 50'
Lee Kook-Ho alone on a breakaway ... keeper stays back and saves 51'
Gwangju corner kick gives them a header right in front ... 3-2
Gwangju yellow card 61'
Gwangju yellow card 69'
Gwangju yellow card 73' ... second knock suffered by Lee Dong-Hyun
Lee Kook-Ho in space, with time ... misses badly wide 74'
Sub out Lee Dong-Hyun, he's hobbling 75'
Gwangju yellow card 85'
Kim Seong-Min yellow card 90+4'

Full time: Daejeon 3 - Gwangju 2

We survived over six minutes of injury time, turtled just long enough to pull off the upset and our fifth straight match unbeaten. Gwangju certainly got frustrated -- as 6 yellow cards suggests -- as we put 7/11 shots on target to their 2/13. 16 y/o defender Won Jin-Ho made his debut as a 89th minute substitute, illustrating not so much his talent but rather how thin injuries have left us on the left side of our defense.

Good:
MC Kim Jong-Gook 1g/8.4/PotM, ST Lee Kook-Ho 1g/1a/7.8, ST Lee Dong-Hyun 1g/7.1

Bad:
DR Kim Han-Sup 6.5, DC Park Tae-Su 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun May 4, 2014
Talented DC/DMC Kim Young-Bin wants to see me. Says he thinks he may have to move on to achieve his goals. I assure him that I intend to bring in talent to help him achieve those goals as soon as I can, which seems to satisfy him at least for now.

The key phrase there is "as soon as I can" since I can't do anything until a) the transfer window opens up in July, and b) only if I can move some players on in order to free up salary


The win over Gwangju moves us up into 5th place and within 3 points of third place. It also marks a break in the K-Challenge schedule as the FA Cup begins for most of our clubs this week. We'll host Daegu in a 3rd round match on Wednesday likely needing a win to meet the board's goals for the competition.

Our Reserves played a friendly at Cheongju Jikji Reserves, winning 1-0 on a 32' goal by AMC Jang Soo-Min.

DC Yoon Weon-II has returned to training after missing 3 weeks with a twisted knee. Hopefully we can get him match fit sooner rather than later.

-----------

Monday May 5, 2014

Our U18s played a friendly at Mustang FC, rolling to a 5-0, scoring all those in the first 57 minutes. 16 y/o striker Cho Chul-Min was the standout with 2 goals, 1 assist and a 9.4 rating

----------

Tues May 6, 2014

We get a report on the 6 players that we currently have out on loan. Of them only two have seen first team action this year. DC Lee Ho has made 14 appearances for Police with a 6.79 average rating. 27 y/o AMC Yoon Jun-Ha has played in one match with a 6.40.

Well hello, got to love the morning paper. The South Korean Soccer Express has declared that a bad result in tomorrow's match against Daegu could seal my fate with the club.

Now according to the internal reports the board "is satisfied" although my job security is just 49%. Now under "Job Status" I'm still at 100% since it would cost a considerable sum to fire me with so much remaining on my contract.

So either the tabloid is trying to stir up stuff OR things are far worse than any internal indicators would suggest. Either way, all I can do is roll 'em out there and try to win the next match. I mean, what else am I going to do regardless of the situation?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat May 3, 2014
FA Cup 3rd Round
Daejeon (5th K-Challenge) vs Daegu (8th K-Challenge)
Our only regular season matchup was decided in added time on the final goal of a hat trick by Kim Seong-Min. Stick with the 4-1-3-2 since we played well with it against them previously and have done well with it of late.

Kim Seong-Min on a breakaway, shoots from distance, misses by inches 7'
Alex Araujo has room to operate, Kim Sun-Kyu tips it wide 16'
Alex Araujo has plenty of space again, doesn't miss this time 21' 0-1
(How on EARTH do we leave him THAT wide open?)
Lee Kook-Ho with a great chance ... turned round the post 38'
Nobody can manage solid possession but Lee Kook-Ho taps the ball to Kim Seong-Min in the middle, he spins & fires ... GOAL ! 49' 1-1
4th goal of the year for him, all against Daegu
Daegu yellow card 55'
Lee Kook-Ho has a half chance but the shot is blocked 57'
Kim Sun-Kyu makes a diving fingertip save 75'
Lee Kook-Ho with his back to the goal makes a one touch pass to Kim Seong-Min who fires it into the net ... but a late flag claims he's offside 78'
Park Tae-Su is point blank from a corner ... and hits the keeper with it 83'
Kim Seong-Min has a go ... saved and cleared 85'
End of Regulation 90' Now it's extra time
Kim Han-Sup turns the ball over in our half with a bad throw, they make us pay ... 101' (1-2)
Jeong Seok-Min plays a short pass to Kim Seong-Min at the point ...finds himself with space ... GOAL !!! 103' (2-2)
Incredibly we lost track of Cho Hyung-Ik for the second time, again he makes us pay 111' (2-3)


Full time: Daegu 3 - Daejeon 2 (Extra Time)

Well damn. Tired players couldn't handle their backup striker and we're one & done. Then again it was sub Yoon Weon-II that was marking him on the winning goal & while only just back from injury he wasn't tired when he blew the assignment. We had our chances, 22 freakin' shots but only 6 on target.

Good:
ST Kim Seong-Min 2g 8.8, MC Jeong Seok-Min 1a 7.9, Kim Jong-Gook 7.2

Bad:
Yoon Weon-II 6.0, Lee Jung-Youl 6.3

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed May 7, 2014 (con't)
I somehow get through the press conference. A distraught Yoon Weon-II has already spoken to the media, vowing to bounce back from his terrible costly mistake.

While the team tries to bounce back they'll be doing it without Kim Sung-Soo in training for a couple of weeks. A gashed leg caused by a robust challenge
will have him sidelined.

-----------

Thu May 8, 2014

It's now 34 days until our next match. Wow. Just ... wow.


Tue May 13, 2014
Yoon Weon-II has discovered (apparently) that I've sent inquiries to overseas clubs making them aware of his availability. He's none to happy, wants to stay ... I finally end up suggesting we leave the discussion 'til a later date (not like anybody is interested in his overpaid ass anyway)

---------------

Thu May 15, 2014

DC Lee Jung-Youl owes me a carton of smokes or something.

He has agreed to terms with Zwolle of Holland's Eredivisie at a salary of $12,000/wk. (He was making $2,000/wk here)

We will receive a $21,000 transfer fee, minus 4.5% to Soongsil Univ and 0.5% to Seoul. The transfer will go through on June 1, 2014

Meeting with him after the deal I thank him for his service to the club & let him know he's welcome to return. That's pretty much true, left as our only healthy DL for several weeks he fought through fatigue and made 10 total appearances (9 starts) with a 6.82 average rating, 1 goal and 2 assists.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat May 17, 2014
Our U18s played a Group match against Youngsaeng HS this afternoon, drawing 0-0. Our Chungnam MT High School squad is now 0-5-1 for the season, sitting 12th among 17 teams.

DL Park Sun-Jook has resumed full training after missing a month with a fractured arm.

Reserve MR Kim Bung-Suk, on loan to Police, strained knee ligaments in training and will be out for 2 months.

-------------

Sun May 18, 2014

Our second deal of the quiet period is now complete.

We have sold on DC Kim Young-Bin (who wanted a bigger club if you recall) for a fee of $110,000, less solidarity contributions ot Suwon Tech HS, Korea Univ and Incheon.

Like Lee Jung-Youl before him, the pay increase from Sampdoria of Serie A will be quite substantial: from the $525/wk here to $11,750/wk there.

The deal will go through on July 1st.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat May 24, 2014
A friendly for our first team as it's almost time to get back to work for real. But this isn't just any friendly, we're hosting K-Classic side and rival Incheon. Let's play well boys.

Lee Kook-Ho hustles onto a pass in space and delivers 16' 1-0
Lee Kook-Ho gets fed at the point and fires 19' 2-0
Ahn Young-Gyu finishes off a nice corner set up 56' 3-0
The break the shutout with a header from a corner 90' 3-1
Full Time: Daejeon 3 - Incheon 1

I don't care what players they put out, it's Incheon dammit, and you play to win. Good chance to see trialist DL Jeroen Drost (7.2) and trialist AMC/ST Kim Hyo-Ki (6.5, out of position at ML) play with the regulars.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Tue May 27, 2014
Our Reserves played a friendly at Ulsan HMD Reserves, winning 1-0. Trialist Kim Hyo-Ki assisted on Kim Kang-Hyun's goal at 69'.

Reserve MC Lee Bo-Hwi will miss 3-4 weeks with a pulled hamstring suffered during the match. He had only recently returned from an ankle injury that kept him out for 5 weeks.

------------

Sat May 31, 2014
A World Cup warmup match saw Italy score at 90'+3' to claim a 3-2 friendly win over South Korea at Renato Dall'Ara.

Sun June 1, 2014
The transfer of Lee Jung-Youl to Zwolle is completed for a fee of $21,000.

The board is currently satisfied with my coaching of the team. The addition of Kim Seong-Min is a high point for the fans. The low point, believe it or not, is that we've kept DL Park Sun-Joo with the club on loan. (Umm, people, we're paying $0 for him. Hush)

Interestingly I expected to get about 70% of the sale fee returned to me as a transfer budget but instead I've got over $80k available. All I can figure (and the numbers are close to matching up) is that the board has authorized the funds that will come in next month when our other pending sale is complete.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun June 1, 2014 (con't)
One more first squad friendly, at home against our historic rival Suwon. Mix and match lineup, starting four trialists along with players who aren't match fit.
Ten days away from the resumption of K-Challenge play, gotta get ready.

In case you're wondering about the logic behind the opponents for these two friendlies ... today's attendance is larger than any we've had for an actual league match all season.

Scoreless first half, Suwon breaks through at 57' 0-1
Full Time: Suwon 1 - Daejeon 0

They may just be better than us. We had 12 shots to their 10 but we put 0 on target to their 4. We were ineffective in the air and that was probably the difference. I tell the team we were just unlucky today, no sense wrecking their mood over a friendly.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Mon Jun 2, 2014
The SK Soccer Express was kind to us, saying that we looked very impressive despite the unlucky 1-0 defeat.

Wed June 5, 2014
Our Reserves (including several trialists) beat PSCS Reserves 3-2 in a friendly.

Switzerland enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win over South Korean in a World Cup warmup friendly.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Jun 11, 2014 (morning)

Upon advice from staff, we've reached mutual termination agreement with 22 y/o midfielder Kim Yun-Jae. $12,000 buyout but that's cheaper than paying him $275/wk to sit in the reserves for another year & a half.

Same deal for DC/MC Seo Seung-Hun, same prices.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 11, 2014
Daejeon (5-5-3, 5th) vs Gangwon (3-5-5, 7th)
A 1-1 draw in our first meeting away. We'll come back to action after a month with the 4-4-2, at least to start.

Lee Dong-Hyun on a breakaway counter ... GOAL ! 16' 1-0
Park Sun-Joo yellow card 17'
Hwang Jin-San cross to Lee Kook-Ho in front 18' 2-0
Kim Jong-Gook cross to Lee Dong-Hyun in front 53' 3-0
Hwang Jin-San yellow card 88'

Full time: Daejeon 3 - Gangwon 0

Nicely done. 10/7 shot advantage, 6/1 on target edge which was the difference. Better crossing than usual for us, better tackling too.

Good:
ST Lee Dong-Hyun 2g/8.8/PotM, MR Hwang Jin-San 1a/8.1, DR Kim Han-Sup 1a/ 7.9
Bad:
No starter afield less than 7.0

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 11, 2014 (con't)

Ouch. In the wake of our match, Gangwon has fired head coach Arthur Bernardes who had only been on board since December 2013 (i.e. just a few days past 6 months).

----------

Thu Jun 12, 2014
We have reached mutual termination agreement with reserve MC Hang Sang-Hyuk. $12k to leave, saves us about 6 months salary ($275/wk) over the remaining life of his contract.

Our Reserves annihilated Gimhae Reserves 5-0 in a friendly. Trialist ST Ivan Markovic scored twice, trialist Kim Hyo-Ki scored twice, two other trialists had assists.

Speaking of trialists, DL Jeroen Drost could be a useful addition to the roster but not at more than triple (asking $5,600/wk + $800 p.a. bonus) what I'd be willing to pay (maybe $1,800). Not going to happen

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun June 15, 2014
Daejeon (6-5-3, 4th) vs Police (6-4-4, 6th)
We were beaten down 4-0 on the road in our first meeting. We'll go 4-1-3-2 Counter to start. Backup GK will get the start as well.

Quiet 1st half, we want to counter but each team has just 4 shots so far 45'
Police with a clear chance, missed wide right 72'
Corner lofted in front, Kim Jong-Soo with a header ... hit the bar 83'
One last chance but were offside 90'+3'

Full time: Daejeon 0 - Police 0

The staff is disappointed, I'm relieved that we got something other than the previous drubbing. 8 shots each, 50/50 possession, 1% difference in pass completion, just about as even as you could get I think.

Good:
DC Rim Chang-Woo 7.2, GK Kim Se-Joon 6.8
Bad:
ST Lee Kook-Ho 6.4, ST Kim Seong-Min 6.5, DR Kim Han-Sup 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

Mon Jun 16, 2014
Fans are said to be "devastated" by the draw. Umm, we're on a 7 match unbeaten run here folks, pour yourselves a cuppa reality why don't ya?

Our Reserves played friendly at Bucheon 1995 Reserves, winning 3-0.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 18, 2014 (morning)
Former Chunam head coach (2010-2012) Jung Hae-Sung has been appointed as the new head coach at Gangwon

Closer to home we announce the biggest signing of my tenure:
31 y/o Columbian Jaime Castrillon, a versatile MC who can actually play about 10 different positions, has joined Daejeon.

Arduous negotiations that finally reached a virtual take-it-or-leave-it point with his agent led to a $3,000/wk + $300 p.a. bonus with multiple clauses for minimum fee release, sell-on percentage, etc. He is our first foreign player of my tenure.

Also signing is 27 y/o striker Kim Hyo-Ki. $1,100/wk + 160 p.a. with various small bonuses attached.

Both transfers will take affect July 1, 2014

[StLee]

Mon Jun 16, 2014
Fans are said to be "devastated" by the draw. Umm, we're on a 7 match unbeaten run here folks, pour yourselves a cuppa reality why don't ya?

Our Reserves played friendly at Bucheon 1995 Reserves, winning 3-0.

When the Korea national team returned from their early World Cup exit, they were peppered with hard candies called Yeot (eo=aw sound) and told, "Yeot meogeo," which literally translates to "Eat Yeot," which really means, "Go **** yourselves." Korean fans can be unforgiving towards failure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 18, 2014
Daejeon (6-6-3, 4th) vs Buecheon 1995 (1-2-12, 10th)
We won 2-0 on the road in our first meeting, getting a pair from Lee Dong-Hyun. We'll go 4-2-2 Standard to start, as we open up the second 1/3rd of the season.

An ugly 1st half, 10 shots to their 2 but 0 on target for either side 45'
Not much better in the 2nd half 90'+3'

Full time: Daejeon 0 - Bucheon 0

Outshot them 11-3 for the match but only 1-1 in the final 45 minutes. Between the two sides only one shot on target all night. It's my turn to be loud in the clubhouse after a match.

Good:
DR Kim Han-Sup 6.8, DC Park Tae-Su 6.8
Bad:
ST Seo Myung-Won 6.3, ST Lee Dong-Hyun 6.5, ML Kim Pyung-Jin 6.5

[JonInMiddleGA]

When the Korea national team returned from their early World Cup exit, they were peppered with hard candies called Yeot (eo=aw sound) and told, "Yeot meogeo," which literally translates to "Eat Yeot," which really means, "Go **** yourselves." Korean fans can be unforgiving towards failure.

After the match I just posted I may have a few cases of Yeot delivered to my office.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 18,2014

So wrapped up in my own world that I've completely failed to mention that the World Cup got underway a few days ago.

Day 1 was Fri June 13
Costa Rica 2 - Brazil 0 (both Alves and Sandro sent off at 87')
Denamrk 2 - Ukraine 0

Day 2 was Sat June 14
England 4 - Australia 0 (4 players with a goal apiece)
Uruguay 1 - Algeria 0
Iran 2 - Russia 1 (2 goals in 5 minutes 23' - 28' for Iran who holds on)

Day 3 was Sun June 15
Ghana 4 - Colombia 3 (Boakye 80' min for the winner)
Chile 1 - Japan 1 (Japan at 2', Chile at 86')
Italy 1 - France 0 (Balotelli pen 90'+1)

Day 4 was Mon June 16
Peru 2 - Trin & Tob 0
Spain 1 - Switzerland 0
Portugal 1 - Mexico 0 (Moutinho 82')

Day 5 was Tue June 17
Cameroon 0 - Argentina 0
Belgium 1 - USA 0 (Hazard 7')
Germany 2 - Ivory Coast 2 (Toure levels at 90'+1)

Day 6 was today Wed June 18
Ukraine 2 - Costa Rica 0
Holland 2 - South Africa 1 (SA scored first at 22', Holland twice before half)
Greece 3 - South Korea 1 (Greece two goals in final 15 mins to win)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu June 19, 2014

Our Reserves played a friendly at Anyang Reserves winning 4-0. 3 of the 4 goals came from trialists.

At the World Cup
Brazil 2 - Denmark 0 (Gustavo and Leiva sent off at 85' and 86')
Uruguay 2 - England 1 (England vs Algeria winner likely goes through)
Algeria 1 - Australia 0

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri June 20, 2014
At the World Cup
Columbia 2 - Iran 1
Ghana 1 - Russia 1
Chile 3 - France 0

------------

Sat June 21, 2014
At the World Cup
Italy 2 - Japan 0
Switzerland 3 - Trin & Tob 0
Spain 4 - Peru 1

I don't normally take too much notice of other results around K-Challenge but Saturday's matches definitely had an exception as Suwon beat Police FC 7-4.
27 shots combined, 16 on target combined, 11 of those went in. In a 33 minute span Suwon's Ha Jung-Hun scored 4 goal, Police got a hat trick from Im Sang-Hyub in a losing effort. Crazy stuff

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun June 22, 2014
Daejeon (6-7-3, 4th) vs Goyang (10-2-4, 3rd)
We lost to them 1-0 on a 78' goal in our first meeting. We'll switch up and start 4-1-3-2 Standard tonight. Not sure how long I can be patient, we've now gone 217 minutes without a goal. Oh yeah, it's also "Fan Day" with nearly 15,000 in the stands instead of our usual 11,000 or so. No pressure or anything though.

Goyang loses a starter to injury 9'
Goyang yellow card 19'
Lee Dong-Hyun plays a header up to Lee Kook-Ho ... GOAL ! 20' 1-0
Ji Kyeong-Deuk with a free kick from just outside the box 36' 2-0
His first goal since 2012
Lee Dong-Hyun with a brilliant curving floater from 30 yards out 70' 3-0
Seo Myung-Won fouled in the box 80' ... Lee Kook-Ho buries the PK 4-0

Full time: Daejeon 4 - Goyang 0

Where oh where is this sort of offense every time out? We outshot them 13-5, put 6 on target, despite having just 46% of possession and only so-so passing.

Good:
ST Lee Dong-Hyun 1g/2a/PotM/8.9, ST Lee Kook-Ho 2g 8.7, DL Park Sun-Joo 1a 8.6
Bad:
No starter in the field below 7.1

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun June 22, 2014 (con't)
At the World Cup
Mexico 1 - Argentina 0
Portugal 0 - Cameroon 0
Belgium 2 - Ivory Coast 2 (BEL scores at 85' for the lead, IVR knots it at 87')

------------------------

Mon June 23, 2014
Our Reserves played a friendly at Mokpo Reserves, winning 1-0. Nothing particularly notable beyond the 72' goal by Yoo Sung-Gi. Well, also MC Lee Kwang-Jin pulled a hamstring running down a ball and will be out 3-4 weeks.

At the World Cup
South Korea 3 - Holland 1 ... Goals at 32' and 47' for SK, Robben scored at 58' but captain Park Chu-Young put things away with a tap-in at 70'
USA 1 - Germany 0 ... Altidore's goal at 14' held up
Greece 3 - South Africa 0

Through 2 matches for all groups, only three teams - Spain, Italy, Uruguay - are assured of going through. South Korea is still very much alive in Group H where Greece 6/+5 is first, SK is second 3/+0, Holland is third 3/-1 and South Africa is fourth 0/-4. SK vs S. Africa will be played on Friday.

--------------

Tue June 24, 2014

At the World Cup
Group A
Denmark 2 - Costa Rica 0
Brazil 3 - Ukraine 1 ... hat trick for Neymar including the winner at 86' and the final nail at 87'

Brazil ends up winning the group on GD (+2) over Denmark (+1)

Group B
Algeria 1 - England 0
Uruguay 1 - Australia 0
Uruguay wins the group, Algeria goes through with the win
(a draw would have put England through instead)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 25, 2014
Daejeon (7-7-3, 4th) vs Anyang (7-2-8, 7th)
We lost a televised match to them 2-1 in our previous meeting nearly three months ago. This is the final club that we're facing for a second time. We'll go 4-1-3-2 Standard to start tonight, I'd sure love to see back to back strong outings, especially with backup GK Kim Se-Joon in the net

Hwang Jin-San yellow card 20'
We lost contact with Querino and paid the price 37' 0-1
Kim Jong-Soo should have be on him there
Rim Chang-Woo corner to the near post ... Kim Jong-Soo is alone 1-1
Kim Seong-Min turns on a pass from Kim Tae-Yeon ... GOAL ! 2-1
borderline offside but no flag
Kim Sung-Soo at the point with a blast ... GOAL ! 3-1

Full time: Daejeon 3 - Anyang 1

Nice comeback, outshooting your opponent 16-3 certainly makes that sort of thing possible.

Good:
MC Kim Tae-Yon 1a/7.8/PotM,DC Kim Jong-Soo 1g/7.8,MC Kim Sung-Soo 1g/7.7
Bad:
ST Seo Myung-Won 6.3

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed June 25, 2014 (con't)
ST Lee Kook-Ho subbed on late and almost immediately suffered a gashed arm from a strong challenge. He'll miss 5-6 days for treatment.

At the World Cup

Group C
Iran 2 - Ghan 1 ... Abbasfard scores a pair for the win
Russia 3 - Colombia 0 ... one goal early, two goals late

Iran advances with 6 pts, Russia goes through on GD (+2 vs +0) over Ghana. Colombia finishes 4th with 3 points

Group D
Chile 2 - Italy 1 ... Balotelli at 15' was overcome by goals at 24' & 26'
France 2 - Japan 0 .. Benzema scored at 65' and 81'

Chile wins the group with 7 pts, Italy goes through with 6 pts
------------

Thu June 26, 2014

Hwang Jin-San has reached the limit with his 5th yellow card, he's suspended for one match

Our Reserves played a friendly at Incheon Railroad Reserves, winning 4-2. Trialist Ivan Markovic had two goals. The rest of the scoring came courtesy of own goals, two by each side. Markovic suffered a minor whiplash type injury after a scary looking fall, he's out about a week, which would be the remainder of his trial.

At the World Cup

Group E
Spain 3 - Trin & Tob 1
Switzerland 4 - Peru 0

Spain goes through unbeaten, the Swiss advance with 6 points (vs Peru was loser go home tilt)

Group F
Argentina 4 - Portugal 2
Cameroon 2 - Mexico 0

Cameroon wins the group with 5 points, Argentina goes through over Portugal on GD (+1 to -1)

---------------

Fri June 27, 2014

At the World Cup

Group G
Germany 0 - Belgium 0
Ivory Coast 4 - USA 2 ... Droga at 13' and 15', Toure at 17' put the USA in a deep hole, Donovan 53' and Beasley 87' tried to dig them out but Kalou at 90'+3 finished it

Ivory Coast 5 points wins the group on GD (+2 vs +1) over Belgium. US finishes with 3 points, disappointing Germany with just 2 points

Group H
Greece 2 - Holland 2 ... Dutch played a man down from 59'
South Korea 2 - South Africa 0

Greece wins the group with 7 points and South Korea goes through with 6 points. Holland is 3rd with 4, South Africa joins Trin & Tob and Australia with zero points.

--------------

Sat June 28, 2014

The second round of the World Cup is set, with matches starting today

Going through are:
7 European, 4 South America, 3 Africa, 2 Asia and 0 North America

Algeria vs Brazil
Chile vs Russia
Cameroon vs Switzerland
South Korea vs Ivory Coast
Denmark vs Uruguay
Iran vs Italy
Argentina vs Spain
Greece vs Belgium

The first two matches of the 2nd round were played
Brazil 1 - Algeria 0 ... Fred scored at 96' in extra time
Uruguay 2 - Denmark 0 ... a pair of first half goals were enough

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun June 29, 2014
Daejeon (8-7-3, 4th) vs Suwon (10-5-3, 2nd)
Third meeting between the clubs, first two were draws (2-2 and 3-3). If we steal a win here it would finally move us up a spot in the standings. With Gwangju at 44 pts (19g), Suwon 35 (18g), Goyang 33 (19g) and us 31 (18g) it's starting to look like several teams will be fighting for second place and a promotion playoff. I'd like to be one of those teams, this would help keep us in that pack. We'll stay 4-1-3-2 Standard to start tonight, having drawn with them using both of our primary formations previously.

Near disaster as we struggled to clear the box, finally booted it out 11'
4 passes leads to Kim Seong-Min shooting in the box ... GOAL ! 16' 1-0
Jeong Seok-Min on the fly out in front ... shot is wide by less than a foot 34'
A high tempo first half (our choice) has them tiring, they use 2 subs at half they're out now having used on for an injured forward earlier 45'
Three minutes added time 89'

Full time: Daejeon 1 - Suwon 0

Our defense was really the difference -- the DC's combined to win 17/22 contested balls in the air and had 24 interceptions between them. Pushing the tempo early against a side that came in more tired than us seemed to help in the long run as well. The staff wasn't nearly as impressed as I was so I tell the team it was a good win (well, I think that's what my handy interpreter said anyway)

Good:
DC Kim Jong-Soo 7.3/PotM, DR Kim Han-Sup 7.2, ST Kim Seong-Min 1g/7.1

Bad:
GK Kim Se-Joon 6.5
(yes, I failed to change back to our regular keeper but got away with it )

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun June 29, 2014 (con't)

Gotta love the press, here's the headline for the South Korean Soccer Express story after the match "Jury still out for Daejeon boss"

South Korean Soccer Daily headline reads "Daejeon maintain unbeaten record" in a story that highlights our 11 match league run without a loss.

At the World Cup
Russia 2 - Chile 1 ... gamewinner at 87', Chile was a man short from 57' on
Iran 3 - Italy 0 ... a stunner, PK at 5' and another goal at 17' set the tone, the capper came at 42'

-----------

Monday June 30, 2014

At the World Cup
Cameroon 0(4) - Switzerland 0(2) ... penalties decide a semi-finalist

Spain 4 - Argentina 2 ... Argentina up 1-0 at 28. Spain answers with goals at 35' and 38'. Garay goes a man down when Garay is sent off at 74 but level things on a Rojo goal at 78'. Spain then strikes quickly again with goals a 85' and 88'

------------

Tue July 1, 2014

The transfer window has re-opened for clubs in South Korea.

Leaving: D/DM Kim Young-Bin. $107k transfer fee to us (minus solidarity fees) from Sampadora of Italian Serie A

Entering: 31 y/o Colombian DM/MRC Castrillon.
Entering: 27 y/o Korean ST/AML Kim Hyo-Ki.

Also entering with terms reached early this morning:
23 y/o Serbian Striker Ivan Markovic, a promising young trialist who we believe has not yet reached his full potential. That could more than justify his $1,500/wk (plus numerous bonuses) salary.

At the World Cup

Belgium 2 - Greece 0 ... a goal at 27' held up, late goal at 90'+3 iced it
Ivory Coast 4 - South Korea 0 .. 8' goal by Bony then a 2nd half hat trick for Kalou

Quarterfinal matchups
Brazil vs Russia
Uruguay vs Iran
Spain vs Belgium
Cameroon vs Ivory Coast

World Cup action resumes on Friday

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed July 2, 2014
Daejeon (9-7-3, 3rd) at Daegu (9-2-8, 5th)
Third league meeting between the clubs, we won both the previous but they edged us most recently 3-2 in extra time in the FA Cup 3rd Round. Today would be a start on some payback for that. First time for Castrillon (now using just the nickname) and Kyo-Hi in the actual starting lineup, Markovic is still recovering from a minor injury & isn't dressed tonight. We also start 19 y/o DL Kim Yun-Soo who will make his official debut, trying to rest a tired Park Sun-Joo, at least a little bit. We'll go 4-4-2 Standard to start, having lost with the 4-1-3-2 most recently

Kim Sun-Kyu makes a tough diving save to keep things scoreless 1'
The left post makes a tough save to keep things scoreless 20'
Another big save by Kim Sun-Kyu 29'
Daegu yellow card 34'
Alex Araujo misses far wide for Daegu 38'
Daegu wastes an opportunity by shooting wide 51'
Kim Sun-Kyu times his jump perfectly and snares a lob shot 62'
Three minutes added time

Full time: Daejeon 0 - Daegu 0

Could have been a much worse outcome as we were outshot 19-5. They dominated in the air, we seemed sort of lost for a good bit of the match, maybe it was the integration of the new players, not sure really. Our goaltending was excellent as Kim Sun-Kyu extends his scoreless streak to 369 minutes without conceding. Young DL Kim Yun-Soo acquitted himself well in his professional debut, rating 6.7

Good:
GK Kim Sun-Kyu 7.2, DCR Rim Chang-Woo 7.2
Bad:
MR Kim Min-Joong 6.3, MC Kim Pyung-Jin 6.3, ST Lee Dong-Hyun 6.3

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu July 3, 2014

After countless attempts we finally make a deal and move 27 y/o DC Yoon Weon-II. At $4,800/wk he was by far the highest paid player on the roster I inherited upon arrival but his performance never came close to justifying that IMO. 11 matches this year for us, a 6.61 average rating, his only real value came in being able to play out of his natural position and cover the DL when needed. He played a total of 31 matches for Daejeon over 2 seasons and we wish him well at Samparodia in Italian Serie A. I'm sure he'll enjoy his new salary ($13,500/wk) although damned if I can figure out why they were willing to pay so much.

We get just $24,500 in transfer fee for him, 5% of that goes away in solidarity contributions to Sunmoon Univ and Jeju.

A Dajeon supporter's spokesperson said they were disappointed with his departure (after spending several weeks grumbling that I needed to evaluate his role on the first team due to his lack of performance).

-----------

Fri July 4, 2014

With our brief wage situation remedied by the departure of Yoon Weon-II we quickly move to extended the contract of DC Park Tae-Su through 2016, upping his pay from $875/wk to $975/wk. We likewise extend our highest regarded player (per staff assessments) MC Kim Jong-Gook, upping his pay from $2,600/wk to $3,100/wk through 2016.

At the World Cup, quarterfinal action began
NOTE: The sudden CTD suffered in the next post altered the scores, but not the outcomes of these two matches. What happened the second time around is listed here, the original outcomes are in the spoiler tag

Iran 1(6) - Uruguay 1(5) ... the biggest surprise of the tournament wins on PK

Russia 2 - Brazil 1 ... the hosts are eliminated by an own goal by Marcelo at 71'. Russia led with a Zhirkov goal at 2', Hulk tied the match at 40' before disaster struck.

Russia will get the winner of Cameroon/Ivory Coast while Iran faces either defending champion Spain or Belgium

Iran 0(7) - Uruguay 0(6) ... the biggest surprise of the tournament wins on PK

Russia 2 - Brazil 0 ... the hosts are eliminated by a pair of goals by Dzyuba (42' and 45')

[JonInMiddleGA]

At this point I experienced a CTD just as a match ended.
That match is hidden in the spoiler tag




Sat July 5, 2014
Daejeon (9-8-3, 3rd) at Chungju Hummel (3-6-11, 9th)
Third league meeting between the clubs, we've only managed draws in both of those meetings, which is a primary reason we're not higher up the table. We've been completely frustrated by their defense, either not getting shots at all or getting shots that are nowhere near the mark. We'll try the 4-4-1-1 today, something we've practiced but rarely used.

Lee Kook-Ho is injured when tripped by a defender and has to come off 24'
Jeong Seok-Min has a pop ... saved & turned out for a corner 33'
Another half against these minnows, another lackluster showing 45'
Rim Chang-Woo gets a yellow card 51'
Jim Keong-Duk is injured and has to come off 53'
Chungju yellow card 69'
Heavy traffic in the box ... Castrillon has a go ... GOAL ! 73' 1-0
Kim Song-Joo gets a yellow card 74'
Chungju yellow card 87'
4 minutes added 89'
Kim Seong-Min has a run into the channel & gets trampled from behind ...
yellow card on Chungju, the second on the out of control defender, Kim Jung-Kook is sent off with a red card 90'+2

Full time: Daejeon 1 - Chungju Hummel 0

That was ugly but better than another draw.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat July 5, 2014
Daejeon (9-8-3, 3rd) at Chungju Hummel (3-6-11, 9th)
Third league meeting between the clubs, we've only managed draws in both of those meetings, which is a primary reason we're not higher up the table. We've been completely frustrated by their defense, either not getting shots at all or getting shots that are nowhere near the mark. We'll try the 4-4-2 Attacking today, hopefully we can find more offense.

Chungju gets their second yellow card 14'
Ji Keong-Deuk gets a yellow card 31'
A dreary first half, only 2 shots apiece 45'
Ahn Young-Gyu gets a yellow card 48'
Kim Jong-Gook gets a yellow card 67'
Kim Jong-Soo gets a yellow card 69'
Chungju gets a yellow card 76'
Ahn Young-Gyu gets his second yellow card & is off 89'
3 minutes added time 89'

Full time: Daejeon 0 - Chungju Hummel 0

Weak call b.s. on that 2nd yellow/red card. Just 7 shots apiece, no real flow to the match at all. 15 fouls against us, 8 against them. 9 yellow cards (5/4) total.

Good:
DL Park Sun-Joo 7.5/PotM, DR Kim Han-Sup 7.4,
Bad:
ST Lee Kook-Ho 6.4, ST Kim Seong-Min 6.4, MC Kim Jong-Gook 6.4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat July 5, 2014 (con't)

No option to appeal Ahn Young-Gyu's suspension or we would have done so.

At the World Cup

Ivory Coast 0(4) - Cameroon 0(2) ... Teams combined for 39 shots, 34 fouls, 13 yellow cards & Ivory Coast survives despite playing the final 15' of extra time a man down. The winners put only two shots on target in 120 minutes but hit all four of their penalty kicks

Spain 4 - Belgium 3 ... Belgium led 1-0, Spain led 2-1, Belgium led 3-2, Spain leveled at 74' and then won the match thanks to an own goal in the 94' of extra time. Timmy Simons is the tragic goat.

Semi-finals are now set: Russia vs Ivory Coast & Iran vs Spain

--------

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun July 6, 2014

We reach agreement on a $600/wk deal with 32 y/o full back Kang Joon-Woo. He spent 6 seasons with Jeju of K-Classic before leaving when his contract expired at the end of last season. He can play DR, DC and (oddly enough) ML.

For a relatively small cost we're hoping that he will provide depth on the back line.

-------------------

Fri July 11, 2014

Our Reserves played our U18s in a friendly, winning 3-2 in a match that was only decided in stoppage time.

Trialist Chu Pyung-Kang put the Reserves up 1-0 at 37'. 17 y/o ST Moon Kyung-Hoon leveled things at 59', while 17 y/o ST Hwang Hu-Han put the youngsters in front at 80'. Chu Pyung Kan tied the match with his second goal at 83' and AMC Jang Soo-Min won it for the reserves at 90'+2.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oops, seems I failed to keep everyone updated on the big event going on elsewhere

At the World Cup
Semifinals
(Tuesday July 8)
Russia 3 - Ivory Coast 0 ... an own goal at 19', followed by the standard kind at 43' and 56' push Russia into the finals

(Wednesday July 9)
Spain 3 - Iran 0 ... Liorente scored just 5 minutes into the matching, Alba followed with a goal at 37' and the outcome was secured before the half. Ramos was sent off at 63', Iran lost a man at 83', Fabregas closed the scoring with a capper at 89', giving Spain a chance to repeat.

Saturday July 12, 2014
3rd place match
Ivory Coast 1 - Iran 0 ... Bony scored at 27' to give his side all it needed

[JonInMiddleGA]

OOC NOTE: So, right about here is where I had a sudden power failure at my house tonight, transformer blew about a mile or so away out on the main road. The good news is that the laptop running FM 2014 had a full battery so I lost nothing despite being the middle of a match. The slightly bad news is that I was mid-writeup of the next match here and to be honest I have zero desire to rebuild that game narrative from scratch (you'll understand why soon enough).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat July 12, 2014 (con't)
Daejeon (9-9-3, 4th) at Gwangju (15-2-4, 1st)
Third league meeting between the clubs, we've sort of been their Chungju Hummel. Just like we can't seem to beat the bottom feeder, they've struggled to half their losses this season against us. We'll play the 4-4-2 here since it worked well last time.

Full time: Gwangju 7 - Daejeon 1

Okay, that didn't go so well. We were down 1-0 on a PK at 8'. 3-0 by halftime. 4-0 before Kim Seong-Min got us on the board at 52'. Managed to give us 3 more goals after that, they just got more & more aggressive and we didn't respond in the slightest.

Good:
ST Kim Seong-Min 1g 6.8, MC Kim Jong-Gook 6.7
Bad:
DR Park Tae-Su 4.8, DC Park Sun-Joo 5.1, DC Rim Chang-Woo 5.4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun July 13, 2014
At the World Cup

Final
Spain 3 - Russia 0 ... a goal by Mata just before the half seemed to take the air out of the underdogs. Llorente's goal at 53' pretty much settled the issue, Cazorla added another at 88'. Spain goes back to back, first nation to do so since Brazil in 1958/1962.

World Cup Awards
Best Player:
Fernando Llorente - Spain
2nd Andres Iniesta - Spain, 3rd Juan Mata - Spain

Best Goalkeeper:
Iker Casillas - Spain

Best Young Player:
Kostas Fortounis - Greece

Goal of the Tournament:
Santi Cazorla - Spain vs Russia July 13, a powerful long range strike
2nd, Holebas - Greece vs South Africa, 27 yard free kick
3rd, Juan Mata - Spain vs Belgium, 24 yard free kick

Golden Boot:
Fernando Llorente - Spain ... 7 goals & 3 assists, 7.81 avg rating
2nd Salomon Kalou - Ivory Coast .. 6 goals & 2 assists, 7.41
3rd Alexandr Kerzhakov - Russia ... 4 goals, 6.91

Dream Team
GK: Casillas - Spain
D: Monreal - Spain, Ramos - Spain, Albiol - Spain, Azpillicueta - Spain
MF: Mata - Spain, Martinez - Spain, Iniesta - Spain, Hulk - Brazil
F: Llorente - Spain, Kalou - Ivory Coast

2nd Team
GK Courtois - Belgium
D:Pique - Spain, Zhirkov - Russia, Holebas - Greece, Alderweireld - Belgium
MF: Fabregas - Spain, Silva - Spain, Cavini - Uruguay, Kaebi - Iran
F: Neymar - Brazil, Lukaku - Belgium, Pogrebnyak - Russia

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed July 16, 2014
After the complete disaster against Chungju I've welcomed the schedule giving us a week off between matches. A chance for players to try to clear their heads maybe, a chance for us to sort of reset things and get ready for another good run after having our 13 match league unbeaten streak not only snapped but ground into a fine powder, then blow away with a pressure hose.

And then I look up to see Head Physio Adam Rotchstein standing in my doorway with that look on his face.

Striker Kim Seong-Min suffered a pulled hamstring while attempting a sprint during training today. Likely to be out 3-4 weeks to recover.

Nothing says "we can get keep moving forward" quite like losing your second leading goal scorer for a month. And that's on top of DL Park Sun-Joo getting a 1 game ban for getting his fifth yellow card of the season in that Match We Don't Walk To Discuss.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat July 19, 2014
Daejeon (9-9-4, 4th) vs Anyang (8-3-11, 7th)
We split the first two meetings, but we're definitely in need of a bounceback game here. We'll try the 4-1-3-2 Standard, maybe we can jump in front early and keep things simple.

Quiet first half, didn't play very well, just sort of ... here 45'
Kang Joon-Woo gets a yellow card 80'
Kim Se-Joon denies their leading scorer at point blank range 88'


Full time: Daejeon 0 - Anyang 0

A very mixed bag of performances leads to a flat result.

Good:
MC Jeong Seok-Min 7.2, DC Ahn Young-Gyu 7.0, GK Kim Se-Joon 6.8
Bad:
DC Rim Chang-Woo 6.3, ST Kim Hyo-Ki 6.4, ST Ivan Markovic 6.4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun July 20, 2014

Teams for the upcoming All-Star Cup -- pitting a side from K-Classic against a side from K-Challenge -- have been announced.

Three Daejeon players are among those chosen, congratulations to ST Lee Kook-Ho, ST Lee Dong-Hyun and MC Kim Sung-Soo.

We have agreed to terms ($0 fee, 20% of next sale) with Pohang, allowing them to sign Reserve GK Park Joo-Woon. The 23 y/o netminder began the season as our backup but was really never considered to be first team caliber. We allow him to move on in his best interest.

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Monday July 21, 2014

We have agreed to terms ($425/wk) with 56 y/o coach Cho Byung-Deuk who will work with our U18s.

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Tuesday July 22, 2014

We have agreed to terms ($600/wk) with 34 y/o coach Moon Ki-Hoon who will take over as the head coach of our Reserve team.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed July 23, 2014
Daejeon (9-10-4, 4th) at Gangwon (6-6-11, 8th)
We've won & drawn against these guys in the first two meetings. We'll try the 4-1-3-2 Counter here on the road, really in need of a goal soon. We've only scored once in our last four matches and that was in the 7-1 loss.

Gangwon has a free kick from the point ... 0-1
Ahn Young-Gyu tripping foul gave that opportunity
Gangwon yellow card 8'
Hwang Jin-Sin plays a corner to the near post,Ahn Young-Gyu fires ... 11' 1-1
Gangwon slips a man free in the box, header ... 18' 1-2
Kim Han-Sup gets a yellow card 19'
Kim Tae-Yeon is hurt & has to come off 28'
Castrillon gets a yellow card 48'
Corner kick makes it easy for Gangwon 60' 1-3
Kim Jong-Gook yellow card 80'

Full time: Gangwon 3 - Daejeon 1

Boy did we suck.Outshot 12-8, we managed only 1 shot on target to their 7. Passing was pretty bad, heading which is normally our strong point was only so-so at best. Only 41% possession which is terrible.

Good:
DC Ahn Young-Gyu 1g 7.3, MC Hwang Jin-San 7.0
Bad:
ST Lee Dong-Hyng 6.0, DR Kim Han-Sup 6.2, DL Park Sun-Joo 6.2

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed July 23, 2014 (con't)

The board would like to see me. Well, okay, I'll tend to that before going to an unpleasant post-match press conference.

Board: We are disappointed with the result & would like to know what happened

Me: (I decide to just be honest) The players just weren't good enough on the day I'm afraid. I can only do so much as a head coach, ultimately they're the ones who let the club down.

Board: We don't think blaming the players is acceptable, ultimately you have to take the blame when it comes to results.

Me: My job is to send the team out and tell them what to do, I can't be held accountable for so many individual mistakes

Board: We won't let you blame the players ... yadda yadda

Me: If one result is that much of an issue to you then perhaps it is best if I resigned

Board: If you think leaving is the only solution then we will accept your resignation

Me: I'm sure that resigning is the best option for both parties

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fuck those sons of bitches.

We had a 13 match run without a loss, have been in the top half of the table nearly all season.

They've never won anything and I believe I'm starting to understand why. It was clear from the outset that there was no intention of giving me any time to put together a roster, to the point that I felt nationality was an issue especially for an attack oriented media.

Those bastards can burn in hell as far as I care and if any opportunity ever arises to pour gasoline on them I'll sure enjoy taking it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Aug 16, 2014

Since my departure Daejeon is 0-3-1, including a draw against a 1 win side.
Their first move was to sign & start a Serbian AML. Ivan Markovic is out 3 months with an injury.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri Sep 5, 2014

Daejeon is 1-5-2 since my departure (I was 9-10-5), now in 7th place

Only one head coach opening since my departure, a Malaysian Premier side (which I can't even seem to apply for, nor even see the job advert for, despite the league being marked as playable)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri Oct 3, 2014

Daejeon is still in 7th place, having now (shockingly) managed to win two straight.

Still only one job opening (that I can't apply for) unless you count the France National team. I think I'll take a pass on that one.

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Fri Oct 10, 2014

Interesting note as Gwangju's Luisinho Paulista has been signed by Brazilian First Division club Sport. He was the leading goal scorer in K-Challenge for most of the year.

Lee Dong-Hyun (whose slump played a big part in my exit from Daejeon) was sold to Jeju for $60k.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Fri Oct 17, 2014

MLS side Philadelphia Union has sacked their coach. I acknowledge my interest in the job (although I have zero expectation of actually getting it or anything) and even go so far as to apply.

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Sun Oct 19, 2014

I thought it was rather rude of Philadelphia's managing director to actually "laugh off" my interest. Hey buddy, I manged to get a club into the top half of its division. What have YOU done lately?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sat Nov 1, 2014

Russian National Team head coach Fabio Capello retired at the age of 68. His runner-up finish at the recent World Cup was a nice way to go out.

MLS Vacancies in Montreal, Chivas as well as one Malaysian Premier side (USM) but the latter doesn't look too good as they have only a single player who has ever played a league match remaining on the roster. Trying to avoid relegation with that might not be a challenge I'm up to.

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Wed Nov 12, 2014

3 matches left in the K-Challenge season, Daejeon officially eliminated from playoff contention. They can do no better than 3rd, no worse than their current 7th place. They're 6-6-6 since I left (I was 9-10-5) . They bought five new players and have sold off both MC Kim Gong-Jook and DR Park Tae-Su.

Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy has been named USA Player of the Year. Tim Howard of Everton was runner-up with Toronto's Michael Bradley third.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wed Dec 3, 2014

I've applied -- just as a lark -- for the MLS vacancy in New York. Yeah, right.

There's 4 Malaysian Premier jobs open, as well as just demoted K-Classic team Seongnam but their insecure financial situation leaves me uninterested.

Daejeon managed to finish 6th in K-Challenge. Gwangju will promote after winning the league by 10 points over Suwon, who edged out Daegu for a playoff spot by a single point. Suwon will remain in K-Challenge however after losing the promotion playoff to Ulsan 2-1.

Gwangju's Luisinho Paulista -- already sold off -- won the K-Challenge Player of the Year Award. Kim Young-Hoo of Gangwon was second, Suwon's Ha Jung-Hun third.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sun Dec 21, 2014

Just on a which I expressed some interest in the Malaysian Premier League opening at Felda Utd (Federal Land Development Authority United) job. Financial situation is Okay, current payroll is a whopping $2,500/wk.

They are said to be flattered by my interest and are hoping to achieve a mid-table finish.

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Dec 28, 2014
Felda Utd hired former Selangor MPSJ man Shukri Harun as their new head coach.

The only current vacancy is Gyeongnam of K-Classic. I declare my interest even though, frankly, I'm not that interested.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thu Jan 1, 2015

Manchester City's David Silva has won the World Golden Ball award.
Juan Mata of Man U was the runner-up, Barcelona's Andres Iniesta was third.

The same trio finished in the same order for World Player of the Year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Mon Jan 26, 2014

Out of curiosity I checked the whereabout of the Daejeon Best Eleven from last season.

GK Kim Sun-Kyu ... remains
DR Park Tae-Su ... on loan to Sangju
DC RIm Chang-Woo... returned to Chunnam
DC Ahn Young-Gyu ... sold to Jeju
DL Park Sun-Joo ... returned to Pohang
DMC Kim Tae-Yon ... remains
MC Hwang Jin-San ... sold to Jeju
MC Kim Jong-Gook ... on loan to Sangju
AMR Kresimir Prgomet ... remains (acquired after my exit)
AML Kim Kyung-Jung ... remains (acquired after my exit)
ST Kim Seong-Min ... remains
-----------
GK Kim Se-Joon ... just sold to Pohang
ST Lee Dong-Hyun ... sold to Jeju
Castrillon, Jeong Seok-Min, Kim Sung-Soo, Kim Han-Sup and Kim Hyo-Ki all remain

[SplitPersonality1]

Fuck those sons of bitches.

Those bastards can burn in hell as far as I care and if any opportunity ever arises to pour gasoline on them I'll sure enjoy taking it.

I love how FM can suck you in the game to the point you actually despise certain teams in RL because of the game. I still hate Hereford and Stevenage and I played my Adventures in Babysitting dynasty way back in 2002.

[bbgunn]

On another note... it would be nice to see an MLS dynasty here.

[JonInMiddleGA]

On another note... it would be nice to see an MLS dynasty here.

I thought about doing the dynasty treatment for the 9-level US mod I started playing but I decided -- for a change -- to just play rather than document.

If I can survive several seasons of it, at least be with spitting distance of the MLS top tier then I might use the backstory & pick it up midstream or something.