The plan made by the board was simple. Earn a quick promotion to Primera Division, fill out the stadium and bring in sponsors who will pay a fortune for billboards around the turf or a place on Pena Sports FC shirt. I was the one supposed to complete it. Smoothly. Or die trying.

As always, I planned pre-season friendlies with little-known semi-professional opponents. This strategy worked well before and I believed that this time it will again serve well for my players. They just needed to comfortably work on fitness. Time for challenges and murderous fight for every meter of the pitch will come, so there’s no need to rush it. Also some impressive wins should raise...

Few weeks ago I was nothing more than a cover-up for some illegal activities of gangsters that decided to wash dirty money in football. Now I’m their biggest hope to earn big money quickly and what’s more important legally. Just fantastic.

Pena Sports FC finished the season in the top half of the league table. Fans were delighted, my players proud and I felt satisfacted. Even the chairman was happy, though I knew that he couldn’t care less about the club’s future. I achieved my aim – succeeded with a team condemned to a certain relegation to the fourth league.

If I had to choose one element that decides, whether a players achieve success or fail miserably, I would pick strong mentality. Without it, even ones with great skills, won’t stand a chance in this brutal football world, where fans abuse you constantly, you need to be perfect every week and there are so many temptations. Even in the third Spanish league, players were able...

Isaac Manjon? A cocky and arrogant forward who tries not to train too hard. Jorge Rodriguez? Guy looks like he has a sniper rifle in his leg, but with a small amount of ammunition. Christian Giles? Young player pretty happy with his current status – being a third striker in the team. With such a trio to choose, I couldn’t hope to achieve anything...

After a few weeks, I had an excellent insight into the reality of the Spanish third division football. Empty stadiums, numerous young talents on the pitches and rapidly growing debts of the most clubs. Pena Sports made a good start, scoring two valuable victories and staying somewhere in the center of the table. My first adventure with the Spanish Cup ended however very soon,...

My Football Manager Story continues, as I try to build something in Pena Sports – club controlled by some Spanish gangsters with a dream to own a Primera Division club. The situation is getting more and more bizarre with every day…

My plan was different in many ways. After years of coaching in England, France, Norway and Italy, I just wanted to take a well-deserved break from being an artist in the crazy football circus and rest for a long time. My dream was just to sit at home and relax with a glass of whiskey, a good book in other hand and soothing sounds...