Link to Part I
Trying to find our feet before Christmas
Our cup exit to Ludogorets made it 4 games without a win in all competition and things weren't looking much better in our next game as we fell behind to Kariana after just 3 minutes. Thankfully our main man Todor Chavorski managed to grab us a draw, but another game without a win is making things a little tense inside the Hebar camp. It's time to try something different...
Our next game is a trip to mid-table Stumska slava, and with morale a little low, I decide to make 8 changes from the Kariana draw to see how the squad reacts. It seems to have an impact - 4th choice striker Aleksandar Dimitrov bags a second half hat-trick after we fall behind to give us the three points. Maybe we can turn a corner going into the winter break?
Well, no. The final two games before the winter break see us fall to back-to-back defeats, leaving us in 8th place. We're on target for a top-half finish but I still feel we haven't hit full stride yet. Though our financial situation means that bringing in new players isn't a possibility, we are at least able to renew the contracts of most of our existing squad, with most players agreeing to take a £10 pay cut to at least reduce the deficit slightly. A lack of depth at the back sees us look towards the U19s again, with centre back Dimitar Yovchev given a promotion alongside midfielder Stiliyan Tisovski.
Both youngsters are given the opportunity to showcase their skills in the first game back against Yantra Gabrovo and play well as forwards Zhivko Petkov and Todor Chavorski put the hosts to the sword.
A push for promotion or a descent into free-fall?
The win over Yantra lifts us into 7th, and just 2 points behind the 3rd place playoff spot. With our next two games at home to the bottom two sides Septemvria Simitli and Minyor Pernik, sides we beat away from home earlier this season, I'm feeling confident. Once again, my confidence was misplaced - in both games we gave away silly penalties to draw 1-1. The second game was particularly embarrassing - our opponents had 36 shots on goal despite being in the bottom two but despite that, we escape with a point. Things don't improve as a goalless draw with Pirin Blagoevgrad sees our only decent left back Todor Gochev ruled out for rest of the season with a hip injury.
February rolls into March and another game without a win comes as we're beaten at home to Ludogorets II. Our next fixture appears promising as big man Petkov gives us the lead with an hour gone but our old nemesis "the late equaliser" means we have to settle for yet another draw. Oh well, maybe next time will be better. Things look even more promising as Alexander Dimitrov and young centre back Tomislav Papazov put us 2-0 up going into half time. It isn't to be - a consolation goal on the hour mark leads to a nervous energy around the Georgi Bankovski Stadium and with 2 minutes left on the clock, Septemvri Sofia make it Desmond 2-2 to leave us sweating in 10th place.
The board would like to see you now
A lacklustre 1-0 defeat to Litex Lovech sees us slip to 11th and I receive the dreaded email. The board would like to discuss your future at the club. With our form and finances not helping me, I do have one bargaining chip to try to reason with the board. Our latest batch of regens offers some promise, and I ask the board to give me a little longer to see if we can improve once they're mature enough to play first team football. The board give me a final chance. This is my chance for redemption.
A goalless draw to Sozopol sees our winless streak rise to 8 games. Next up are the league leaders Sportist Svoge and we know a real test is on our hands. The game is over inside 6 minutes as we're completely taken apart and concede 3 goals in less time it takes to play Bohemian Rhapsody.
The media are out for blood, the board are rating me as an E and the head coach of Lokomotiv Sofia boldly claims he can't wait to send us to the defeat that sees me sacked. We get that familiar sinking feeling in our 10th game since our last victory as the visitors take a 1-0 lead into half time. It's now or never. Two second-half headers from big man Petkov sees me live to fight for at least another week.
A goalless draw the week after against Strumska slava the week after sees me back under the media spotlight. Our next game is against fellow strugglers Neftochimic, another side tipped for a good finish who are struggling for form. 11th vs 12th. The media dub this 'El Sackio', with the losing manager expected the receive the chop. An early goal means once again we're going to have to come back from behind. A penalty on the half mark sees summer signing Dimitar Makriev step up to score just his second goal of the campaign before a late winner from Ivaylo Todorov sees us take the three points to rise to 10th, and my unfortunate counterpart dismissed from his own managerial role.
Our penultimate game sees us lose 1-0 to Kariana to slip back down to 11th, but the margins going into the final game mean that hypothetically, we could still secure that top half finish with a win at strugglers Dobrudzha.
A blowaway final game
The teams are set, the final game of the season is on. We can't think about anyone else but ourselves, but it doesn't mean I don't have a little bird telling me what the situation is around the country.
We're first to strike - big man Petkov on target from a delicious floated cross. Less than 45 seconds later and Todor Chavorski makes it 2-0. Amazing. As we're celebrating the goal, the little bird in my ear informs me that Ludogorets II trail in Balgoevgrad - that's one. Sportist Svoge are next to fall behind as Chavorski strikes again to make it 3-0. Surely now out of reach, we can start to hope that the other teams around us stumble and fall. A few minutes after Todor Chavorski bags his hat-trick the news comes in that Yantra Gabrovo have also conceded a late goal. 8th place is ours, and another year in the job is mine.
A few days before my end of season review, I get an email. The board are giving us a cash injection and are increasing the wage budget to £30 above our current expenditure. Somehow *now* that's enough for me to pass the objective "Work within the wage budget". I hate this game sometimes.
The table
The final league table shows just how tight things were - if we'd have lost El Sackio, we would have been the team finishing on 36 points and Neftochimic would have been the side securing top half.
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That final day
Todor Chavorski's hat-trick was the catalyst for a big win to lift us into 8th.
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The team
From seeing this, it's quite clear where the problems lie. 41 goals in all competitions and only 6 of them came from players who didn't occupy a place in the front two.
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GK - Alexander Lyubenov - 23 games and 7 clean sheets. A decent keeper but by no means the best in the league.
RB - Vasil Bozhinov - The right back slot was one we struggled to fill consistently throughout the season with the role being rotated between wingers Tonev and Bozhinov, and centre back Hadzhiev.
CB - Ivaylo Todorov - A 6ft2 centre half in his mid-20s, one of the more experienced members of the squad, our best defender this season and the man that won our side El Sackio.
CB - Tomislav Papazov - Signed by my predecessor after a successful loan spell, 19-year-old Papazov has a huge future and formed a solid partnership with Todorov.
LB - Emil Belchev - Easily our weakest position, an injury-riddled season from first choice Todor Gochev meant that 16-year-old Belchev was asked to deputise more often than not. A slack young full back, the average rating of 6.48 shows he wasn't ready for the jump.
RM - Tsevetelin Tonev - No goals, but 7 assists from Tonev helped us immensely.
CM - Izaylov Lazarov - Captain fantastic, only missing one game in all competitions became the team leader we so desperately lacked at the start of my reign.
CM - Zhak Pehlivanov - A 21-year-old ball winning midfielder showed glimpses of promise, but plenty to build up as he became Lazarov's primary partner.
LM - Martin Valchinov - Another 21-year-old, this versatile wide man primarily played on the left of midfield but was heavily criticised for his lack of end product. Our only natural left midfielder though, I persevered with him despite only 3 assists.
TM - Zhivko Petkov - "The big ugly up top" scored 12 goals en route to being voted the Fan's Player of the Season
AF - Todor Chavorski - 10 goals, not a bad return but there's still the feeling of "the best is yet to come" from this lad.
Backup GK - Petar Debarliev - 9 starts and 1 sub appearance, only 1 clean sheet and the veteran was one of those released at the end of the season.
Backup CB/LB - Dimitar Yovchev - One of the youth prospects brought up in the mid-season break, Yovchev primarily played as a substitute LB due to Gochev's injury and Belchev's poor form.
Backup CM - Krasimir Iliev - A bit of a journeyman, 28-year-old Iliev initially started as Lazarov's partner, but Pehlivanov eventually took the spot and the bulk of Iliev's gametime was as a sub.
Backup CF/LM - Oktay Hamdiev - Another man who was primarily used as a substitute, the paltry return of 1 assist and 0 goals from 9 starts and 11 sub appearances tells you everything you need to know.
Backup AF - Aleksandar Dimitrov - Possibly one of my surprise players of the season, 10 goals from Aleksandar Dimitrov including a fine hat-trick at Strumska slava came in handy.
Backup CB/RB - Zhivko Hadzhiev - Capable of playing as a centre half and a right back, 25-year-old Hadzhiev made the right back berth his own as the season wore on, though is still listed as one of my subs options here.
Backup TM - Dimitar Makriev - Signed to challenge Zhivko Petkov as our resident big man, Makriev ended his 21 year spell in football in an underwhelming spell at Hebar, with a penalty kick in a win against Neftachimic proving to be his final of 136 career league goals.
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