The stability of Gençlerbirliği

You might not have heard of Gençlerbirliği Spor Kulübü but they have developed quiet a fearsome reputation over the years. The Turkish side are best known for their UEFA cup run in 2003-04 in which they knocked out Blackburn Rovers before succumbing to eventual winners Valencia in the last 16. Domestically the club's best has been 3rd which was achieved in 2002-03 which isn't bad going for a side that have, for most of their history languished in the lower half of the Turkish super Lig. 

So what is their fearsome reputation? well this week they sacked their coach Yilmaz Vural having hired him last week. Vural was in the Gençlerbirliği hot-seat a full six days. He was in charge for just one game which was a 2-0 defeat to fellow Super Lig strugglers Eskişehirspor. That loss left the club in 16th and a point off safety.
Vural is now the fifth manager to be sacked by the club this season. The man in charge of pulling the trigger is İlhan Cavcav. Vural joins the likes of Englishman Stuart Baxter and Mehmet Özdilek who have felt Cavcav's wrath this season. 
In his tenure as owner of the Ankara-based side Cavcav has gone through 51 coaches. The longest serving coach was Ersun Yanal who was in charge for a full two years from 2002 to 2004 and oversaw the club's best finish in the league plus that UEFA cup run. 

Only one other club in Europe I can think of that can boast a higher number than 51 coaches since 1978 is Sicilian side Palermo who themselves have gone through 59 coaches, however not all under the same owner which is what makes Gençlerbirliği and İlhan Cavcav a special case in having managerial stability. 

Cavcav with the number of coaches he has sacked this season
source: ajanshaber.com

The club president since 1978, Cavcav hasn't been one to remain silent on certain issues. It was him, who in November 2014 bought about his own anti-beard legislation to the club. Yes you read that right, anti-beard. Cavcav vowed to fine any Gençlerbirliği player who had a beard claiming it was a bad influence on the younger players. The fines were about €10k. Cavcav was so set against beards he wanted the Turkish Football Federation to introduce a nationwide ban on them. 

Madrid/Barca bias strikes again

La Liga returned today from its shorter than usual christmas break with all bar one of a full round of fixtures taking place. As a Real Sociedad fan I wasn't particularly looking forward to today as we were away to Real Madrid. A ground that the Txuri-urdin have not won at since 2003-04.

I will say this before I get into the scandal of what happened today, that the performance was an improvement on the 2-0 defeat to Villarreal before christmas. In fact it was an encouraging one and the best since Eusebio Sacristán took over from David Moyes. Géronimo Rulli was fantastic in goal with some vital stops. Unfortunately Imanol Agirretxe was forced off injured in a collision with Keylor Navas and hopefully he won't be out for too long. However I do fear that Sergio Canales might have done something serious today. It appeared he did his knee and for those that don't know, Canales has had rotten luck with knee injuries in the past five years with cruciate injuries to both knees. 

I was pleased to see Jonathas play well, his best of the best season to be honest. He hasn't had much game time with Agirretxe in fine form but he played well today and probably should've scored in the first half with a header. Bruma took his goal exceptionally and but for an awful touch could've put us 2-1 ahead in the 2nd half. This defeat leaves La Real 

Scandal:

So to the scandal. Real Madrid were pretty much handed the points today from referee José González-González. A cross from Gareth Bale was headed clear by Aritz Elustondo but Karim Benzema decided to take a dive and conned González-González into giving a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to convert the penalty by hitting it over the bar so justice was done on that one. 

Couple of minutes before half-time Gareth Bale tries to send in another cross that hit Yuri Berchiche's knee and bounces up onto the his hand and out for a corner. Referee somehow thinks it's a deliberate handball and gives the decision. Now this one is NOT a deliberate handball, it quiet clearly hit Berchiche's knee and bounces off his hand, he can't control the direction of the ball hitting his knee so its not deliberate. It's not a penalty if it's deliberate handball. Ronaldo steps up and converts this one to put Madrid 1-0 up just before the break. 

Into the second half and Yuri Berchiche hits the byline to cross into the box. Just after he crosses he is taken out by Pepe. Pepe does not win the ball and Madrid end up clearing anyway. That Pepe "challenge" was a penalty decision if the referee sees it. 

Onto Barcelona now, they were also the benefactors of a truly astonishing penalty call tonight. Sergio Busquets' sent a high ball into the Betis box looking for Messi to latch onto but Betis keeper Antonio Adán gets to the ball first and punches clear. In anyone's book it is positive goalkeeping from Adán. However after he punches clear he accidentally clashed with Messi and both players go down with knocks. Referee Bikandi-Garrido obviously didn't like seeing Messi on the ground and decided to give Barcelona the penalty. Neymar took the penalty, hit the bar and Heiko Westermann under pressure hit the ball into his own net. 

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona get preferential treatment in La Liga. Not only do they milk the league out of half the TV rights money but they get the refereeing decisions a lot more often than not. You would think with the millions upon millions more they have to spend on players that they wouldn't need the help of referees but welcome to La Liga. 

Real Madrid just before christmas benefited from a phantom penalty in their 10-2 win over Rayo Vallecano. A coming together in the box, happens on every set-piece in every game in every league. Rayo go down to nine men, penalty is converted and the slaughter begins. 

So Madrid and Barca march on with a little help from the referees and yet somehow Diego Simeone and his Atlético side are just about in the mix. 

Going down with over 40 points

You hear it on an annual basis the "magic 40 points". However getting to 40+ points more often than not in England anyway is guaranteed safety, in fact getting to 36 or 37 points in England usually is enough to stay up too. This varies across the leagues in Europe. For this post we'll have a look at the example of teams that did get 40+ points but still ended up relegated in 20 team leagues.

England:
West Ham 2002-03
Since the Premier league reduced in size to the current 20 team format in time for 1996-97, West Ham are the only side to have gone down with over 40 points. Their points tally of 42 in 2002-03 remains the English record and that tally would've kept them up in any other season. Oddly no team has been relegated since with 40 or more points in the premier league. To make things slightly worse for West Ham, in 2009-10 a tally of just 31 points would've kept a team up as 18th placed Burnley went down with 30 points.

Others
West Ham are one of only three sides to have been relegated with 40 or more points since the Premier league went to 20-teams. The others occurred straight after the format was adopted. Sunderland went down in 1996-97 with 40 points and the following season Bolton Wanderers slipped through the trap door with the same tally.

Italy:
Brescia & Bologna 2004-05
Italy didn't adopt the current 20-team format until the 2004-05 season but in the very first season of the expansion two teams went down with over 40 points. Brescia were relegated with 41 points but Bologna went down after a play-off but did finish with 42 points that season. Bologna's relegation was after a play-off defeat to Parma in what was a relegation tie-breaker because Parma also had 42 points.

Others
No other side in Italy under the 20-team format has gone down with 40 or more points.

France:
AS Monaco 2010-11

This one has to be the most unluckiest. Monaco's tally of 44 points remains the highest tally for a relegated team in Europe's 20-team leagues. What will pain Monaco is the fact that the season before, a tally of just 34 points would've kept a team up.
Not surprisingly it took till the final day for Monaco's relegation to be confirmed. Had Monaco won their game against Lyon not only would they have stayed up, they would've relegated Nice, who would've gone down with 46 points, a tally that would unlikely be broken. As it was 44 points remains as the record in Europe.

Bastia & Caen 2004-05
Corsican side Bastia were relegated in 2004-05 with 41 points and they were joined by Normandy's Caen who finished with 42 points in the same season. This is the only time that two sides in the same season have gone down with 40+ points.

Others
France didn't adopt the 20-team format till renaming the league in 2002-03. Since then only five sides have gone down with 40 or more points. Three of them I have mentioned above, the other two are Racing Club Lens in 2007-08 who went down with 40 points and Sochaux in 2013-14 who went down with the same tally.
A special mention must go to AS Nancy in 1999-00. When the French top division was an 18 team league, the club were relegated that season with 42 points which is an amazingly high total for a league that small.

Spain:

Deportivo La Coruna 2010-11

La Liga's highest points tally for a relegated team is poor old Deportivo in 2010-11. The 43 points amassed by the Galicians wasn't enough to keep them in the top division, 11 years after they won the Liga title. That final day in 2011 saw up to five teams (all of which had over 41 points) battle to stay up. In the end it was Zaragoza's win over Levante that relegated Depor, who went down 2-0 to Valencia. This relegation was the final nail in the famed Super Depor era.


SD Compostela 1997-98
Another Galician side tasted relegation with quiet a high tally. Compostela actually did go down with 44 points, however they finished 17th and were actually relegated after a play-off defeat to Villarreal.

Others
Of the 20 team leagues, and Spain only adopted the current format in 1997-98, Spain has the highest amount of teams that have gone down with 40 or more points.
No fewer than on eight occasions has a team gone down with tallies of 40 or more points. If 40 is the magic number in England then perhaps 45 is magic number to be absolutely certain in Spain.

Real Betis' relegation 2009
soruce: http://elcorreoweb.es/

Shed a tear for Real Betis who have twice been relegated with tallies of 42 points (1999-00 & 2008-09). Real Oviedo were relegated in 2000-01 with 41 points while the following season Las Palmas went down with 40 points. Real Valladolid succumbed to relegation in 2003-04 with 41 points.
Real Zaragoza, in what was very much a shock relegation in 2007-08 had 42 points. Another shock relegation in 2011-12 saw Villarreal go down with 41 points.

Africa's first top flight European club

The title of this post might sound odd but it did happen many moons ago, 1951-52 to be precise about it. A club based on the African continent competing in a top level European league. The name of the club was Atlético Tetuán. I say was because they aren't in existence anymore, at least not fully. The reason for this is because the club actually split in two with one side becoming what is now today Moghreb Tétouan and the other became the now renamed Agrupación de Ceuta FC (as the name suggests they moved to the port city of Ceuta).
However when they were under the one name of Atlético Tetuán they made history in becoming the first and to date only club to be based in Africa and compete in a top level European league. This feat was achieved as at the time the city of Tétouan in Northern Morocco was under the Spanish protectorate of Morocco. The northern strip of the country bordering the Mediterranean sea which included the cities of Tangier, Ceuta, Tétouan and Melilla were under Spanish control and thus Atlético Tetuán were playing in the Spanish football league system.

The club itself adopted the famous red and white stripes from Atlético Madrid and was founded by Basque Atlético fans living in the city. Up until the split in 1956 they spent no fewer than 33 seasons playing in the Spanish league system with the peak being this sole season in the Primera división.

Tetuán's big season:
Promotion to La Liga was secured when the club won the southern section of the Segunda división in 1950-51. They edged out the also now defunct UD Salamanca. That promotion bought with it the honorary title but also gave the club its biggest challenge yet, staying in the top flight.
Back in these times, La Liga was a 16-team league with just the two relegation places which in theory wasn't as tough as it is now to stay up.
Atlético Tetuán in their sole season in the top flight were a classic case of strong at home, awful away. An historic opening day fixture at home saw them face Real Zaragoza and despite losing 1-0 to a Rosendo Hernández goal the appetite was strong to impress at home and so they would.
Their very next game was the big one on the calendar, away to Real Madrid. It ended in a 4-2 defeat but the occasion of playing "Los Merengues" was to be savored.
In their 3rd game of the season and 2nd at home they would register their first win. A 2-1 victory over Celta de Vigo with the goals coming from José Patricio Villarrubia (their first goalscorer at home) and Manolín, who would go on to score five more over the course of the season.
Tetuán's next victory would be their only away success. They defeated Deportivo La Coruna 3-2 in round 7 and followed that with a 3-3 draw at home to Espanyol. A 4-1 victory over their inspiration of Atlético Madrid followed in round 10.
Over the course of the season Tetuán would lose 15 of their 16 away games with that victory over Deportivo being the exception. It was at home the club built their attempt to stay up. To show how big an influence their home form was they beat Celta de Vigo 2-1 at home and lost to them 7-0 in Galicia, that 4-1 victory over Atlético Madrid was followed by an 8-0 trashing in Madrid and their 5-1 victory at home to Racing Santander was preceded by a 4-0 loss away.
Their round 22 victory over Deportivo lifted them to within a point of safety (bare in mind these days a win was 2 points, draw being 1). However they would only go on to pick up three more points (1-1 draw at home to Valencia and a 3-1 win at home to Real Sociedad) in their remaining eight games.
The season ended in relegation with their round 27 defeat to Real Valladolid plus Sporting Gijón's 4-0 win over Sevilla confirming their fate.

Chicha
Photo :www.bdfutbol.com

Both Chicha and Julián García Neto finished as joint top-scorers for the club with 11 goals each. Goal scoring wasn't what relegated Tetuán as their final tally of 51 will back up, it was indeed the leaky defense which conceded 85 goals. In these days it was common for many teams to play 3-4-3 and it was the set-up of choice for Tetuán. That defense of Antonio Varela, Antonio Humanes and Rafael Castillo were on the receiving end of most the goals conceded.

The coach was Sevilla-born Santiago Núñez Sánchez who would spend one more season at the club before going on to manage the likes of Cádiz and  Córdoba. 




What happened next?
Well they came close to an immediate return to the top flight. Back in the southern section of the Segunda in 1952-53 they finished 3rd but with three games of the season remaining they trailed Real Jaén by two points. Defeats to Linense and Orihuela plus a draw with RCD Córdoba saw them confined to the play-offs. In those play-offs they failed to emerge with promotion.
A 7th place finish followed in 1953-54 before another painful near miss on promotion in 1954-55. Again with three games remaining they actually lead the table by a point from Real Murcia. However a draw away to Sabadell saw Murcia leapfrog them on head-to-head. A draw with Espana Tanger in the penultimate round saw Murcia go a point clear and then both sides won their final game which saw Murcia clinch promotion by the solitary point. The play-off beckoned and again they didn't emerge with promotion.
The following season in 1955-56 they finished 4th and missed out on the play-offs. That was to be their final season as Atlético Tetuán in the Spanish system. The club split in two with Moghreb Tétouan entering the Moroccan system and the other half merged with SD Ceuta to become Atlético de Ceuta FC and moved base to the port city. AD Ceuta FC would compete in the segunda for the best part of a decade before relegation in 1968 would see them reside in the lower leagues right up until their rename in 2013 to Agrupación Deportiva Ceuta FC. They currently play in the Tercera División group 10.
The Moroccan half currently play in the Moroccan Botola Pro (top division) and were national champions in 2012 and 2014.

Potential repeats?
As it stands AD Ceuta are one of only two clubs based in Africa under the Spanish system. The other side is UD Melilla who are currently in the 3rd tier of Spanish football. However a repeat of Atlético Tetuán's feat remains very much in doubt as Melilla are currently battling against relegation in the Segunda B group 4. AD Ceuta FC are in the 4th tier.

My La Liga christmas report

La Liga has reached the christmas break, albeit a shorter than normal break as we'll have a round of games on December 30th and 31st. Although technically not half way through the campaign but it's as good a time as any to have a look and see how the teams are doing so far and what is to come. So here we go. We'll go alphabetically.

Athletic Bilbao
The season started brilliantly with the Super Copa victory over Barcelona however their league form wasn't as good. One win from the opening five games put them on the backfoot in the European race and although they have recently crept back into contention there is still much work ahead. Aritz Aduriz has of course been his usual goal scoring self but they seem to have found another player to share the goalscoring burden in Iñaki Williams. The 21 year-old has five goals so far including the marvelous strike against Espanyol. Currently 7th they will have designs on that 4th spot and play 4th placed Celta next. 

Atlético Madrid
A summer of change bought optimism about that Atléti could challenge for the title once more. While the signings have been hit and miss, the team do find themselves joint top. The standout performer has been Antoine Griezmann with his 8 goals so far but the defense has been rock solid conceding only 8 goals this season. The season-ending injury to Tiago has hurt the solidity in midfield but one gets the feeling they'll be alright in midfield with players such as Gabi, Koke, Saúl, Thomas and Óliver Torres ready to step in. The aim is to challenge and they have given themselves a good platform so far. 

Barcelona
The fixture list handing Barcelona a tricky opening half of the season by having to visit all the traditionally tough away grounds but they have come through them all in joint 1st place. With the theoratically easier 2nd half of the season to come they are overwhelming favorites. They will win the league but the question is can they repeat last seasons' success on the other fronts they are fighting for. The introductions of Aleix  Vidal and Arda Turan give them more depth which will certainly help. 

Celta de Vigo
A strong start to the season hasn't fully let up and currently Celta find themselves in 4th. The Galicians have been making huge strides in their quest to secure champions league football for the first time since 2003/04. The standout has of course been Nolito, the former Granada winger has hit 8 goals while Iago Aspas has also hit 8 in his homecoming season. The aim is certainly European football but with the season they have had so far it could very well by the champions league that Celta will be playing in next season. Not a particularly deep squad but much of their aims depend on if they can hold onto the likes of Nolito in January. 

Deportivo La Coruna
Both Galician sides have been doing very well so far this season. Deportivo are currently 6th and have only been beaten twice. Few would've predicted this considering they only stayed up last season on the final day. Lucas Pérez has been a revelation with 12 goals so far. However they do seem to rely heavily on him as their next top scorers Arribas and Luís  Alberto have two goals each. Depor would certainly take European football and while I can't see them getting into the top 6 they certainly are top 10 material on the show so far. 

Eibar
A strong start to the season has recently tettered off with no win since the start of November but the Basques are still residing in the top 10. Only in the league this season after Elche's financial demotion, the tiny club are exceeding expectations so far. Many peoples favorites to go down again this season they have given themselves a good cushion to work from however they did the same last season before a disasterous 2nd half of the season saw them slip into the bottom 3. I can still see them slipping into trouble. 

Espanyol
What can Espanyol achieve? well they find themselves in the all to familiar position of mid-table. They don't look like going down but they don't look like challenging for a European place either. Loan signing Marcos Ascensio has impressed at times as has Felipe Caicedo with his goals. Nothing much to expect really except maintaining their current position. 

Getafe
Hovering just above the drop zone by two points, Getafe are in around where you would expect them to be. Pablo Sarabía has continued his development into a handy player for the club while youngster Buendía has impressed whenever I have seen him play. Goal scoring isn't in plenty of supply with Lafita, Vázquez and Šćepović their top scorers with three each. Expect them to remain in the battle to avoid the drop, but should just have enough about them to stay up. 

Granada
Similar position for Granada. It took a mighty last month of the season to save them last campaign and expect them to be involved in the battle this season. Haven't been an impressive side but the goals of Yousef El-Arabi and Isaac Success are going to be the key to them staying up. I have to say that they are one of my bottom three sides and so far I haven't seen much to think otherwise. Summer signings Doria and Thievy haven't been impressive. The loss of Alain Nyom has hurt them down the right. Their 2-0 win over Bilbao however is something to work towards.

Las Palmas
Personally it's great to have a team from the Canary islands back in the league. However it looks so far like it'll only be for one season. Las Palmas find themselves in 19th and are struggling to score goals. With only 12 scored they are the 2nd joint worst scorers in the league and that simply has to improve if they are to stay up. Their top scorer Johnathan Viera has 3 and their prized asset up front Sergio Araujo has 2 goals. Their three wins so far have come against further up the table which shows they do have potential. it's getting goals and the wins that follow that will be the challenge. I can see them just about doing it.

Levante
Bottom of the table isn't good at any stage of the season but Levante have it all to do if they are to stay up. Simply put they just haven't been good enough so far. Two wins all season and only 12 goals scored highlights the problem area. Brazilian Deyverson is their top scorer with 4 goals and much was expected of summer signing Nabil Ghilas who was Códoba's top scorer last season. Ghilas could well be facing a similar fate this season as that Córdoba side did last season, in relegation.

Málaga
Last night's victory over Atlético showed the Costa del Sol side can win ugly and they will need to do that more often if they are to remain free of trouble. However they are the worst goal scorers in the league with just 10 goals so far. Striker Charles, who scored last night's winner has six of those goals. Last season Moroccan Nordin Amrabat was leading the front line but he has yet to score this season which is hurting the team. A decent player to have but he needs to get scoring again otherwise the team won't have enough goals to stay up. I do expect them to stay up though as I can see Charles continuing his good form and the likes of Amrabat and Čop getting the goals required. 

Rayo Vallecano
For the past few season's they have stayed up which has been the stuff of miracles considering the high turnover of players each summer. This season though they are in for a battle. Yesterday's trashing by Real Madrid won't do confidence any good and they have been winless since the start of November. They now have the leakiest defense in the league and with just 18 goals from 16 games they won't be staying up on this form. They can take heart though from the fact that with 11 players yesterday they were giving Real Madrid a run for their money. In discipline has cost them however as yesterday's two red cards bought them up to seven red cards for the season. I fear for them.

Real Betis
Promoted as champions last season, Betis are not surprisingly doing the best of the newly promoted teams. Evergreen forward Rubén Castro has continued his goalscoring path while they have struggled to score goals as a team they haven't been leaking too many at the other end. Overall they should be alright in terms of any relegation fears but European football might be out of reach. I expect a mid-table finish and they'll take that. Joaquín has been good since re-joining, giving them pace and power out wide and Antonio Adán has been solid in goal as the derby with Sevilla showed.

Real Madrid
Safe to say Rafa Benítez wasn't the most popular managerial appointment last summer. The criticism his way has overshadowed what was a decent start to the league season. Up until the November break they were unbeaten. Now since then they have lost three times and are currently two points off Barcelona and Atlético in the title race. I can't see them winning the league and they don't look a solid outfit with an unbalanced look to them overall.

Real Sociedad
David Moyes wasn't able to improve the team and so far his successor Enrique Sacristán hasn't been able to either. Currently in mid-table the Basques need to watch out as the slump in form continues. While the should have enough about them to stay up I don't think they'll do much better than mid-table this season. Asier Illarramendi hasn't been inspired since returning, Jonathas the summer signing hasn't clicked and Bruma the loan signing has been hit and miss.

Sevilla
A disastrous start has seen them play catch up in the race for the champions league. They have a very good squad that should be higher than 8th currently. Of the new signings Yevhen Konoplyanka has been very impressive so far. The Ukrainian ran rings around Real Madrid's Danilo in a recent encounter and so far has been living up to the well, free transfer he was signed for this summer. Kevin Gameiro is a massive player for this side as well as his 7 goals so far will testify. In Éver Banega they do have one of the best midfielders in the league on his day. Outside bet for 4th spot.

Sporting Gijón
Newly promoted but under a transfer embargo the Asturians were many including me, favorites to go down. They have impressed so far. Obviously the main standout player has been on loan Allen Halilović. The Croat has been the playmaking force behind this team. Another loan signing in Paraguayan Arnaldo Sanabria has been equally as impressive with 5 goals making him the top scorer. Coach Aberlardo still has his work cut out to keep them up as despite a bright start they are currently a point above the drop zone. For me its between them and Rayo in who goes down. 

Valencia
Last season Valencia impressed, this season they have not. 9th and nine points off 4th place, Los Che have also changed coach this season. Out went Nuno Espirito Santo and in came Gary Neville to surprise many. Neville is yet to win in the league since being appointed but with the squad he has a win will surely come sooner rather than later. Apart from Paco Alcácer and Shkodran Mustafi not many have impressed. Álvaro Negredo simply hasn't and new signing Santi Mina is very much still blending into the team. If Neville can get this team firing once more they will be a force to be contended with in the race for the champions league place but it's not looking good at the moment. 

Villarreal
The only Valencian side to have impressed this season has been Villarreal. They lead the table for two rounds earlier in the season but hit a bad run but seem to be on the way back now. Currently 5th but a point behind Celta, the Yellow submarine would be many people's favorites to nip that 4th place. Defensively they aren't too bad but it up front that they have impressed. Roberto Soldado joined in the summer from Tottenham and has been quiet decent. Cédric Bakambu arrived from Turkish football and has hit 6 goals so far. Denis Suárez hit two yesterday and has three overall. The return of defender Matteo Musacchio from injury will give the defense a real lift, as he was one of the league's best defenders last season. In goal Alphonse Aréola on loan from PSG has impressed. 

José Mourinho and the potential manager merry-go-round

So after a ninth league defeat in the opening sixteen games, Chelsea today decided to pull the trigger on manager José Mourinho. Seven months after emerging unchallenged to win the league title, Mourinho has left Chelsea for the 2nd time in his career. His sacking does have an element of surprise given that not too many Chelsea fans were calling for his head. In any case the Portuguese boss is no longer in charge and leads onto the many names that will inevitably be linked with the vacancy. His sacking will also trigger a merry-go-round with managers leaving their current jobs or coming back from breaks into jobs and managers coming to the end of their current contracts etc.
So lets have a look at what could happen after this announcement.

Next Chelsea boss (short-term):
First of all lets focus on who might take over as manager at the club. Guus Hiddink is seeming like the favorite to take over until the end of the season which will, if hired be the Dutchman's 2nd spell in charge of the club. Currently he is unemployed after a disastrous spell in charge of the Dutch national side.
Former Sevilla and Tottenham manager Juande Ramos has also been mentioned as a stop gap till the end of the season. The Spaniard has experience of being a caretaker boss having overseen Real Madrid in the 2008-09 season after Bernd Schuster was sacked. Ramos is also unemployed and most recently was in charge of Ukrainian side Dnipro.
Another current out-of-work manager who also has previous experience at the club is Brendan Rodgers. The former Swansea boss was sacked as Liverpool manager in October and was previously reserve team manager at Chelsea. His teams like to play decent football but he does appear be quiet down the list.

Next Chelsea boss (long-term):
Chelsea wont get their first choice long-term replacement right away. More than likely they will get someone to take charge till the end of the season and then go after an ideal candidate to take over. The names for this are quiet long.

One such manager might very well be available next summer and that is current Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola. Guardiola has been with Bayern for three seasons now and the signs seem to suggest he won't be hanging around for a fourth. He will be in demand with both Manchester clubs seemingly looking for a change next summer too. His cv does speak for itself, its littered with trophies but his main goal this season will be to add the champions league to his Bayern collection.
Would Carlo Ancelotti be tempted to do what Mourinho did and return for a 2nd spell in charge? The Italian is currently without a club and was rumored last week to have been offered the Zenit St Petersburg job next summer.
Staying with Zenit, current boss André Villas-Boas will be available next summer having announced his intention of leaving the Russian champions. Would he be interested or given the chance to make right in a 2nd spell?

Another manager who is currently employed is Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid. The change in fortunes that Atlético have undergone since Simeone took over has been miraculous. It is no wonder he would be in demand by not only Chelsea but some of the other super clubs.
Other names that have been mentioned are Frank De Boer at Ajax, Rafa Benítez currently under fire at Real Madrid,

Merry-go-round:
So should Chelsea decide to go for Guardiola as their new long-term boss that would open the Bayern Munich job, although it is looking like that job will be open regardless. To replace Guardiola the Germans might end up going for Carlo Ancelotti or even José Mourinho. Both managers free next summer and it remains and interesting prospect of Mourinho in German football, having done England, Spain, Italy and Portugal. However if they do feel like hiring from within the Bundesliga then Roger Schmidt at Leverkusen and Augsburg's Markus Weinzierl have been mentioned in the past as potential successors to Guardiola.
If the hierarchy at Chelsea decide that Diego Simeone is their man, that opens up the Atlético job and I think it won't be short of interesting candidates. The throw a few names at random that might consider it are André Villas-Boas at Zenit, Eduardo Berizzo at Celta Vigo, Roger Schmidt at Bayer Leverkusen or maybe even Paco Jémez at Rayo Vallecano. Of the A-listers maybe Ancelotti would like a return to Madrid or would Mourinho consider Atlético?
Manchester City look like they may cut Pellegrini loose their hot seat. Would the Chilean fancy a return to Spain and take up the Atlético job or even the Valencia job if Gary Neville isn't given an extension at the end of the season.
Manchester United are also looking increasingly likely in dispensing with Louis Van Gaal and the names to replace him would be similar to the next Chelsea boss. Diego Simeone, Ancelotti, Guardiola etc.
Another club that looks increasingly likely to be on the market for a new boss is Real Madrid. Rafa Benítez has come in for criticism from fans and hasn't been a popular choice as manager since he replaced Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. I doubt Mourinho will go back given he left on quiet poor terms but the job could very well go to Ancelotti again or maybe some up and coming managers such as Berizzo at Celta or Schmidt at Leverkusen to throw a few names out.
What about in Italy. Inter Milan are currently doing quiet well under Roberto Mancini but the football isn't exactly pleasing on the eye. Would they consider a change?
Roma could be looking for a new boss quiet soon if Rudi Garcia can't reverse the shattering confidence of his players after that heavy trashing by Barcelona last month. That Roma job would be Carlo Ancelotti if he fancies a return to his homeland. Or maybe the Romans will go the old route and bring Fabio Capello back?
Over in Portugal, Julen Lopetegui at Porto is under pressure after their exit from the champions league. The former European champions could very well be in the market for a new name next summer, could Mourinho make a sensational return? more than likely the club will look within Portugal for their new boss and maybe Paulo Fonseca at Braga might return to the Dragao or Pedro Martins at Rio Ave is doing quiet well.
What ever happens over the next few months is sure to be interesting. Lots of dugouts are going to open up and lots of movement between dugouts is on the cards and we could be left with some interesting appointments next summer across Europe.

The shock league champions

Leicester City's 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Monday saw them retake top spot in the English Premier league after 16 games played. They sit with 35 points, two ahead of Arsenal, four ahead of Manchester City, six ahead of Manchester United and astonishingly twenty ahead of defending champions Chelsea. The question on everyone's lips right now is "Can they win it?".

For someone who is frankly sick of the same teams winning the major trophies every year this is something that would be terrific to see. However many point out the potential stumbling blocks such as squad depth, rivals recruitment in January and plain old luck.

Previous examples:
If Leicester were to win the league they would be very much one of the shock champions in Europe in recent memory. In the top five European leagues I can only think of one occasion where a team similar to Leicester came out of nowhere to challenge for a league title and actually did the unthinkable and win it. To take it further I can think of one team that were newly promoted and won the league in their first season up, totally out of the blue.  From the top of my head I can think of one more where a team came out of the blue, challenged for the league till the bitter end and cruelly lost the title.

Montpellier 2011-12:

The first example is of course Montpellier and their astonishing Ligue 1 title win in 2011-12. The plucky side from the south coast had pipped Carlo Ancelotti and his big spending PSG side to the title by three points.
In that Montpellier squad that season was Oliver Giroud, Younés Belhanda, Remy Cabella and John Utaka to name just a few. Montpellier had a group of talented players acquired for very small money. Giroud was signed from Ligue 2 side Tours, Belhanda came from the youth system, Cabella likewise and Utaka was signed from Portsmouth amid their financial collapse.
Ligue 1 at the time was under a period of extreme competitiveness. Since Bordeaux ended the Lyon dominance in 2009, Marseille and Lille had won the league but both sides were in the upper echelons of the league for a few years. Montpellier the season before their title win finished 14th, in fact they were a Ligue 2 side in 2008-09.
Giroud ended the season joint top scorer with 21 goals which resulted in a transfer to Arsenal while Younés Belhanda was the creative force in the team as well as a goalscorer. The similarities with Leicester are uncanny. The Foxes this season have a striker in terrific form and a creative force hitting his fair share of goals and assists.
The downside to Montpellier's title victory was it put their star assets in the shop window. Like mentioned above Giroud was sold for just under €10 million, Belhanda left the following year for around €10 million. However this is where Leicester are different from Montpellier. The cote-d'azur side had the sell players to cover themselves financially as the French league doesn't have anywhere near the same revenue as the English Premier league. Leicester this season will earn at least €100 million by staying up which is pretty much guaranteed now so they won't be needing to sell their prized assets like Montpellier did.

Kaiserslautern 1997-98:

Kaiserslautern had won promotion to the Bundesliga in 1996-97 by winning the 2. Bundesliga title by ten points. No one could've predicted that the club would be celebrating winning another title twelve months later.
They went into the 1997-98 Bundesliga campaign eager to stay up and build from there. The team were under the guidance of Otto Rehhagel (who in 2004 won the European championships with Greece). Bayern Munich were the defending champions and obvious favorites to win it again. Kaiserslautern got off to a mighty start for a newly promoted team, winning six of their opening seven games. By the Christmas break they had done the double over Bayern Munich (1-0 away and 2-0 at home) and lost just three games. They threatened to throw it away late in the season with three draws in a row but in the end they managed to get over the line by two points from Bayern Munich. Kaiserslautern had become the first and so far only newly promoted team in Bundesliga history to win the title first year back up. 21 goal striker Olaf Marschall and the 11 goals from Jürgen Rische contributing in no small part to a historic triumph. 
The red devils as they are nicknamed haven't won the title since and it was their 2nd overall. They currently find themselves in 8th in the 2. Bundesliga. 

Real Sociedad 2002-03:

A title tilt that deserved a much happier end than what happened. Real Sociedad had come out of nowhere to challenge for the league title. At the time La Liga was also very competitive with Deportivo and Valencia having won the title in the previous three seasons. In 2001-02 Real Sociedad ended up 13th as they did the season before. So there wasn't really much warning that they would have a mighty tilt at the title. A very good start to the season was the foundation for a terrific first half of the season. The txuri-urdin were leading the way for much of the campaign. A dip in the new year invited Real Madrid back into the race but the galacticos themselves hit a patch of bad form which allowed Real Sociedad to re-take top spot in April.
La Liga in this campaign didn't end till late June and it was in June that the title tilt ended cruelly. A draw with Valencia was followed up by the crucial defeat at Celta Vigo which allowed Real Madrid to go two points clear going into the final game. Real Madrid won at home to Athletic Bilbao which rendered Real Sociedad's victory over Atlético a victory in vain.
What Real Sociedad had in the team was a pair of strikers that complimented each other. Turk Nihat Kahveci and Serb Darko Kovacevic had between them hit 43 league goals. The team also featured a young Xabi Alonso in midfield and a goalkeeper in Sander Westerveld who enjoyed a good season between the sticks. The Basques were relegated four years later and these days are in the all too familiar doldrums of mid table in La Liga.

Outside the Top 5 Euro leagues:
There have a few examples outside of the top 5 European leagues of teams coming out of nowhere to win the title. Bursaspor in Turkey became only the 2nd side outside of Istanbul to win the Turkish Super Lig title in 2009-10. Previously Bursaspor finished 6th and 13th. They haven't won the league since.
Croatia saw NK Zagreb claim their only league title in 2001-02 to become only the 3rd team to ever win the Croatian league title. To date they are the only side outside of Dinamo and Hajduk to have won the title.

Verdict:
The common theme with these champions (and in Real Sociedad's case near miss) is that they were very much one off success stories. All the sides mentioned above haven't won or challenged for their respective league titles since. Another theme is the stars of the successes were sold either immediately after or within two-three seasons of the triumph, suggesting that the clubs were happy to cash in on the success. Leicester however are substantially more rich than any of these teams and have the finances to hold onto their star assets and possibly build on their success.

Reaction to Europa League Last 32 draw

As with the champions league draw today, the last 32 was also drawn for the Europa league. It gave us some intriguing ties as well as some talking points. Here we go.

Draw in full:
Valencia v Rapid Wien
Fiorentina v Tottenham
Borussia Dortmund v Porto
Fenerbahce v Lokomotiv Moskva
Anderlecht v Olympiacos
FC Midtjylland v Manchester United
Augsburg v Liverpool
Sparta Praha v Krasnodar
Galatasaray v Lazio
FC Sion v Sporting Braga
Shakhtar Donetsk v Schalke
Marseille v Athletic Bilbao
Sevilla v Molde
Sporting CP v Bayer Leverkusen
Villarreal v Napoli
Saint Étienne v Basel

A few standout ties there with Dortmund v Porto having the look of a champions league knockout tie. In fact you could make the same case for Villarreal v Napoli and Galatasaray v Lazio.
The English sides have a mixed draw. Manchester United will be happy with theirs as FC Midjylland aren't as strong as some of the other sides that United could've been paired with such as Dortmund and Valencia. Tottenham face Fiorentina again at the same stage as last season where the Florence side emerged victorious and Jurgen Klopp returns to Germany with Liverpool to face Augsburg.
La Liga sides in the main have handy ties on paper. Sevilla will be relatively happy with Molde and Valencia can be happy with Rapid considering who they could've drawn. Only Villarreal have a really tough draw. Napoli will be a stern test for the yellow submarine to overcome but it should make for a fascinating tie with both sides playing a lovely brand of football.

A big talking point was the draw of Fenerbahce v Lokomotiv Moskva. UEFA have again this season banned Russian and Ukrainian clubs from meeting in both competitions but in light of recent events the meeting of Turkish and Russian clubs in this tie has the potential to be a real cracker on and off the pitch. Football wise Lokomotiv topped their group while Fenerbahce finished behind Molde in theirs.

Reaction to Champions League 1st Knockout round draw

Today the draw for the 1st knockout round in the Champions league was made and it threw up some tasty and interesting match-ups. The headline grabbing tie was Arsenal drawn to face Barcelona..again.

KAA Gent v Wolfsburg

Gent's historic champions league campaign continues and no matter who was going to be drawn was going to be tough for the Buffaloes. Manchester
United's conquers Wolfsburg will await the Belgians in the next round. Gent who cam through a tricky group that featured the more experienced Lyon and Valencia will fancy their chances of creating more history against the Germans.

As for Wolfsburg well they'll be more than happy with this draw. They avoided the more tricky group runners-up in PSG and Juventus. In this tie it is difficult to see much more than a Wolfsburg victory so I'll go with that but Gent will not be a cakewalk.

AS Roma v Real Madrid 

A tie that many years ago would've been very difficult to predict, is slightly more easier these days. On current form Real Madrid will have to be favorites. Roma just about managed to qualify and didn't impress along the way while Real Madrid came through a very easy group pretty much unscathed. Roma's form recently has hit a turn for the worst which began with a 6-1 thumping by Barcelona, while Real Madrid may have slipped off the pace in La Liga they still will fancy their chances here. An easy Real Madrid victory.

Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea 

A repeat of the clash at the same stage last season. Chelsea will have revenge on their minds as it was a late PSG victory that ended their European campaign last season. Domestically both sides are in totally opposite form. PSG are currently 17 points clear in Ligue 1 while Chelsea's form and season has been well documented. In Europe however Chelsea haven't showed as much malaise in their form. They topped a potentially tricky group and will consider themselves unlucky having drawn probably the strongest runner-up side. For PSG nothing less than progress will be on their minds. It is Europe where the season hinges on success or failure and this could well be a very tight and interesting tie. I'll stick my neck out on go with Chelsea on away goals.

Arsenal v Barcelona
A tie that seems to happen every season. Arsenal managed to qualify from what was on paper a very easy group but their early form in this competition meant they were always going to set themselves up for a mountain of a tie at this stage. Barcelona were unchallenged in the group and will be overwhelming favorites for this tie. Barcelona made light work of Manchester City at this stage last season and could do so again if their front three are firing on all cylinders come February. Arsenal's best hope is to make use of the home advantage by taking a lead to the second leg but it's a tall order. A comfortable Barcelona victory.

Juventus v Bayern Munich
One of the stronger sides that Bayern could've got and it makes for a fascinating tie between the German and Italian champions. Bayern came through their group with the minimum of fuss while Juventus emerged from the most difficult group in the last round. The Italians are back in form and back in the Serie A title race after a slow start and while it's hard to predict what kind of form they will be in when this tie comes around in two months time it'll surely be a close tie. Bayern will be favorites for obvious reasons such as the attacking flair they have but Juve have a chance here. However I think Bayern will just about get over the line.

PSV Eindhoven v Atlético Madrid
Atlético would've been the side most would like to have avoided and needless to say PSV would've preferred someone else. Not many will give PSV much hope of getting the better of Diego Simeone's very hard-working side. The Dutch side will have to make home advantage count before a tricky away second leg if they are to have any hope of progressing to the last 8. The Spanish side have an array of attacking options but recently did lose holding midfield general Tiago to long term injury and this could be an area for PSV to work on. Atlético to be too strong and progress.

Benfica v Zenit St Petersburg 
Not the easiest tie to predict. Zenit stormed their group but haven't exactly light up their domestic league this season while Benfica started strongly but finished poorly in their group and are in hot form domestically. Script writers may be looking at former Porto winger Hulk to score the goals that knock Benfica out of Europe or maybe their own former players Axel Witsel or Ezequiel Garay. The advantage might be with Benfica when you factor in that Zenit will be on a winter break from competitive football from until the 1st leg in Lisbon. Benfica to qualify.

Dynamo Kyiv v Manchester City
Dynamo Kyiv finally negotiated a group stage for the first time since 1998-99 when they reached the semi-finals. Any repeat is likely to be very tough for them this time around especially since they have drawn Manchester City. City will be favorites and have the better players to cause Dynamo problems. However the first leg is in Kyiv which might give Dynamo some hope, not many teams will fancy the trek to Kyiv to play in sub-zero temperatures in February and this might give Dynamo hope. However I can see Dynamo getting something from the home leg but do see City progressing.

Reaction to the European Championship draw

So as you might have heard, the European Championship finals draw was made today. First reaction from an Irish view is quiet tricky. The seeding for the draw meant we couldn't get some really tasty ties like for example Romania v Hungary, Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland or even Ukraine v Russia. We still have some interesting games and group though. So here we go.

Group A:
France
Switzerland
Romania
Albania

The hosts got a very favorable draw as expected. The French seem to be on the rise once more and shouldn't face any issues in winning this group. Who joins them in the last 16 however isn't as clear cut. Switzerland would be many people's favorites to join neighbors France but Romania will definitely have something to say about that. You can't completely rule out Albania either as they make their finals debut. I'll throw my lot behind Romania to get 2nd here.

Group B:
England
Russia
Wales
Slovakia

England came through qualifying with a perfect record and this group is a lot tougher than it first seems. The local derby game with Wales will be tough game and Russia are a solid team while Slovakia had a fantastic start to their qualifying group. I'll go with England and Russia in the top 2 with Wales getting 3rd.

Group C:
Germany
Poland
Ukraine
Northern Ireland

Germany will qualify from this. Behind them like Group A will be tricky to predict. I can't see Northern Ireland getting 2nd which leaves us with Poland or Ukraine. I think Poland have more tournament experience but Ukraine do have a handy squad with some dangerous players. I'll go with Poland to finish 2nd and Ukraine to qualify as one of the best 3rd placed sides.

Group D:
Spain
Croatia
Czech Republic
Turkey

Again the theme seems to be the top seed shouldn't have too much trouble in qualifying. This applies to Spain they should be getting through this group. Croatia I think will get 2nd I quiet like their squad of players but both Czech Republic and Turkey will be dangerous and make it interesting.

Group E:
Belgium
Italy
Republic of Ireland
Sweden

A tough group from an Irish perspective. The strongest pot 2 team in Italy, one of the stronger pot 3 teams in Sweden and the world number 1 ranked side Belgium. A small chance of getting through but hopefully we'll give a better showing than four years ago. Belgium and Italy to make up the top 2 with Sweden 3rd.

Group F:
Portugal
Austria
Hungary
Iceland

Arguably the weakest group of the lot. Portugal got a very handy one here and should really be making through with ease if they have aspirations of going far. Behind them it's another tricky one to call but I'm leaning towards Austria given how strong their qualification was. Iceland will be on a feel good wave and could be a dark horse in this group to sneak into the top 2 but I'll go with Portugal and Austria to go through. Iceland to finish 3rd.

Familiar tale for Olympiacos

Greek powerhouse Olympiacos had seemingly set themselves up for a place in the last 16 of the champions league going into last night's final group game at home to Arsenal. All that was required was not to lose by two clear goals and they would seal their passage as group runners-up behind Bayern Munich. 

Olympiacos ended up on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat. A hat-trick from Olivier Giroud put Olympiacos into the Europa League in a group that had started positively for the Piraeus side. The victory over Arsenal in matchday two had seemingly put them into the driving seat to finish 2nd behind Bayern but Arsenal's win over Bayern in matchday three set up the grand finale in matchday six. Arsenal chased and got the goals they needed and added a third for good measure which leaves Olympiacos in an all too familiar position. 

At home Olympiacos are dominant. They have the biggest budget in Greece and currently emphatically lead the Greek super league by thirteen points from second placed AEK Athens. However when it comes to European football their record isn't all that impressive. Bare a few campaigns here and there, they have struggled to replicate their domestic authority on Europe. 

Last night's champions league exit was their 10th group stage exit since 2000-01. On the three occasions they have made it past the group they exited in the last 16. 

Olympiacos are similar to Bayern in many ways. They are no longer judged on what they do at home as they are so dominant which means European football has become their bread and butter. The Erythrolefkoi (red and whites) as they are known will drop into the Europa League just like they did last season having finished 3rd in their group. 
The financial problems of their arch-rivals Panathinaikos and AEK Athens have contributed to their dominance but Olympiacos seem to face the same problem Celtic face in Scotland, not being severely tested week in, week out. The step up in quality just hasn't been made by the club on the pitch. They have a few decent players in Konstantinos Fortounis, Pajtim Kasami and the evergreen Esteban Cambiasso, to name just a few.  

For now the season rests on how well the club does in the Europa League. Last season when they dropped down into the competition they were eliminated in the Last 32 by eventual finalists Dnipro. A longer run would be just what the club needs after their latest champions league disappointment. 

Remembering Boavista

Ah yes Boavista, that team that played in the iconic black and white checkered shirts whose nickname was Os Axadrezados. What this club achieved right at the start of the century is absolutely worth mentioning purely because they are one of only two sides to have ever done what they did. What is it you ask? Win the Portuguese Superliga outside of the Os Tres Grandes. For those not familiar the Os Tres Grandes in Portugal are Porto, Benfica and Sporting Club de Portugal, the three biggest teams in the country. These three teams have won every single league title on offer with the exception of two. One of those two was Boavista's triumph in 2000-01. (Other being Belenenses back in 1945-46).

Boavista hail from Bessa in Porto and having to share the same city as FC Porto was always going to be a massive challenge. A challenge incidentally fellow Porto side Salgueiros found unbearable as they folded in 2005, which shows the reality of Portuguese football beyond the big three. Boavista however have been a mainstay in the top division for the bulk of their history having spent no fewer than 53 seasons in the top flight. They are in the top eight in the all-time table.

Prior to 2000-01 Boavista did mount a challenge to the title in 1998-99 when they pushed Porto until the final hurdle. They struggled to maintain the high standards the following season and finished 4th way off the title which went to Sporting. This just shows that Boavista came virtually out of nowhere to claim their first ever title the following season.
The season started quiet well for them with seven points from the opening three games. The were 3rd behind Sporting and ironically the above mentioned Salgueiros. By the October international break Boavista were 7th and four points off Porto, two off Sporting and ahead of Benfica, who were at this stage under the guidance of a certain José Mourinho, by four points. Over the next few weeks Porto would maintain a winning run that would see them open up a gap at the top of the table. Boavista meanwhile were winning, drawing, winning and drawing. So after 10 games the scene wasn't looking particularly promising for the Bessa club.

A lot of this Boavista team were new comers such as Bolivian Erwin Sánchez, key player Duda and former youth product Petit. Complimented by stalwards Ricardo in goal, Pedro Emanuel in defense and Brazilian Elpídio Silva up front. What is rather surprising about this Boavista team is that by the end of the season they didn't have a player in the top ten goalscorers list. 

In the four games that followed Porto won a further three games but lost away to Sporting Braga which allowed Boavista to cut the gap to five points after winning three and drawing one in their four games. Sporting club de Portugal were level with them and Benfica appeared to be recovering from their shocking start so the signs were not looking favorable. 

Then came a crucial matchday, round 15. The final matchday before the christmas break. Porto were away to União Leiria and Boavista had a local derby with Salgueiros. Boavista were 5-0 victors and crucially Porto were beaten 3-1. The gap was now down to two points. 

It set-up a mouthwatering head-to-head with Porto in round 17. Both teams had won their games after the christmas break so this offered Boavista the chance to go top with a victory. The biggest local derby for some time and it was a tight contest. Boavista ended up with a narrow 1-0 win to go a point clear at the top after 17 games. 

Further good news followed for Boavista. In the very next game Porto lost again this time to Benfica in the O clássico while Boavista followed up with a win over Beira-Mar. Porto hit a bad run of form and failed to win any of their following two games which saw them slip to 4th while a resurgent Benfica rose to 2nd. Boavista were five points clear of Benfica after twenty games. 

A defeat to Braga cut that gap to two points as Porto got back to winning ways while Benfica maintained their excellent form. 

Boavista kept hold of top spot over the next run of games. After round 25 Porto had played a game less than Boavista but were nine points off top spot. Sporting were 2nd and Benfica had fallen into bad form and fell to 5th. 

April began with a draw out in Madeira with Marítimo which allowed Sporting and Porto to cut the gap. As April progressed Boavista were clinging onto that top spot. Porto had won their game in hand which meant they moved to four points off Boavista with six games left to play. 

Round 29 saw both clubs win their games which set up an enthralling final five games to the finish line. 

In the three rounds that followed both sides won their games. It mean Boavista were four points clear with two games to play. The title was in sight for the Bessa club in their round 33 game with Aves at home. Porto were away at Estrela Amadora. A Boavista victory would guarantee the title. In this round Porto were not playing till two days after Boavista so they were hoping for Boavista to choke. It never happened. Boavista ran out 3-0 winners and the at full-time the party could start. History was made. Boavista had seen it through and were champions for the first time ever. Manager Jaime Pacheco had done the impossible and claimed the title off Os Tres Grandes. 

What happened next was Porto won in vain against Estrela Amadora and the final round of games saw Porto meet Boavista. Porto hammered a hungover Boavista side 4-0 and left the table reading like this. 

Aftermath:

The league title was the height of the success under Jaime Pacheco. The following season Boavista would challenge again but lose out to a free-scoring Sporting side. Boavista's champions league campaign ended in the 2nd group phase. 

2002-03 would be Pacheco's final season of success as he guided the team to a semi-final place in the UEFA cup losing narrowly to Celtic. Boavista finished 9th in the league. 

Many players were sold in the following seasons with Petit moving onto Porto, Ricardo to Sporting, Sánchez retired and Duda went back to Brazil. 

In many ways Pacheco's career after the title success mirrored Boavista's fortunes afterwards. Promised so much but ultimately went on a downward spiral. Boavista were demoted in 2008 which later turned out to be wrongly demoted and reinstated back into the top division in 2014. They finished 13th in their first season back and currently this season find themselves in the lower reaches of the table in 14th. Pacheco meanwhile was most recently coaching in Saudi-Arabia with Al-Shabab. 

Dinamo Zagreb and company

While in Europe Dinamo Zagreb haven't exactly set the world alight, within the borders of Croatia the club have been utterly dominant in the past decade. In fact they did have a period of dominance in the nineties when between 1995-96 to 1999-00 they won every league title on offer. After that came a period where other clubs stepped up to the title challenge. Dinamo in the following five years would only win one title (2002-03). Arch-rivals Hajduk Split won three titles while amazingly NK Zagreb managed to secure a title against the odds in 2001-02.

Dinamo's title win in 2005-06 was to be the beginning of their dominance that has rarely since been challenged. Dinamo have won every single Prva Liga title since with every title win offering them the chance to move onto the champions league stage where the money on offer has cemented their place at the very pinnacle of Croatian football.  They haven't threatened to qualify for the last 16 in the champions league as the step up between domestic duty and continental has been tricky. This season they did beat Arsenal at home but have lost all their other games and are unlikely to continue their European campaign beyond Christmas.  
While they have been dominant the club have produced some of Croatia's top players with current Real Madrid pair Luka Modrić and Matteo Kovačić as well as former Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva and current Barcelona starlet Allen Halilović and going further back the famous Zvonimir Boban. The list is pretty impressive and arguably one of the finest produces of talent in the Balkans. The regular selling of this talent has bought in millions in transfer fees which goes back into the academy system and keeping the first time up to standard. 

Dinamo are curently on nine league titles in a row and in that time have secured the double (league and national cup) on six occasions. Not once in that time have they been given a run for their money...until now. 

Over the past two-three seasons a third force in Croatia if you like has risen on the coastal city of Rijeka, assuming that Dinamo are the first and Hajduk Split are the second force. Rijeka broke into the group stages of the Europa League in 2013-14 but couldn't manage any better than last place in the group. The following season they again made the group stage of the Europa League which bought it's own share of decent money through performances. On this occasion they managed to finish 3rd in the group. That money from their impressive European runs have given them the finance to make a push to be the second force. Hajduk Split have traditionally been the 2nd force but haven't finished in the top two in the league since 2011-12 in which time Rijeka have risen. 

Above is the current Prva Liga table. Rijeka have started brilliantly and are still unbeaten going into this weekend's games. Also good to see is Hajduk Split in the mix as well three points behind Rijeka and it certainly has been a more competitive league this season than it's been for a decade. 

While Dinamo Zagreb have stuttered its given both Hajduk and Rijeka the impetus to actually mount a challenge. Yes Champions league aspirations have probably played their part in Dinamo's stuttering season so far but to see someone else at the top does mix it up a bit. 

Rijeka this season were eliminated from the Europa league in the 2nd qualfiying round by no other than Aberdeen so haven't had the same number of fixtures Dinamo have had. Dinamo have one final champions league game remaining at home to Bayern Munich while the league reaches its mid-winter break of two months not long after that game. 

It would be great to see Rijeka claim a first league title and for Hajduk to stay in the mix come the end of the season but don't count against Dinamo gunning for 10-in-a-row. 

Azeri duo flying the flag

In 2012-13 Neftchi Baku became the first club from Azerbaijan to reach the group stages of any European competition. They did so by overcoming Cypriots APOEL Nicosia, who themselves months previous were champions league quarter-finalists. Neftchi became the flag ship club, the one to aspire to for the other Azeri sides in Europe. All of the country's other sides were long gone out of Europe when Neftchi broke through the group stage barrier. 

In that group they got Inter Milan, Partizan Belgrade and Rubin Kazan. Three draws, which included a 2-2 draw at the San Siro and three defeats followed. Neftchi had not disgraced themselves. 

Fast forward two seasons to last season and there was another breakthrough this time for FK Qarabağ. The side in exile from their home of Agdam broke through having ousted Twente on away goals in the play-off round. Their group again featured Inter Milan plus Saint-Étienne and Dnipro. They norrowly missed out on the last 32 after a Dnipro win in the final game coupled with Qarabağ's 0-0 draw at home to Inter saw the Ukrainians go through by a point. 

This season however Qarabağ are back in the group stages of the Europa League and they are joined by fellow Premyer Liqasi side Qabala. For the first time ever there are two Azeri sides in the group stages together. However Qabala's campaign is a learning curve as with four games played in their group they have a solitary point, gained in the draw at home to PAOK. 
Qarabağ however are still in with a fighting chance of breaking new ground by getting through. They currently have four points from four games in a tough group featuring Tottenham, Monaco and Anderlecht. They are two points behind 2nd placed Monaco with two games to go and are by no means done. They face Tottenham tomorrow night in what will decide if they go into that final game with Anderlecht with the chance of creating history. 
Qarabağ's route to this stage started in the champions league where a narrow defeat to Celtic saw them drop down into the play-off round for the Europa League. A comprehensive victory over BSC Young Boys saw them through while Qabala dispatched Greeks Panathinaikos. 

Back home it is no surprise that Qarabağ are currently leading the Premyer Liqasi. They are nine points ahead of both Inter Baku and Qabala after thirteen games played. Neftchi are languishing in mid-table three years after their breakthrough. 
The rise of Azeri club football can be put down to a influx of foreign players. A quick glance at the Premyer Liqasi top scorers shows only two local players in the top ten scorers. Qarabağ's recent European runs have given them the financial backing to lure some decent foreign players such as Rydell Poepon, Míchel and Dani Quintana. Qabala have been able to attract former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Oleksiy Gai as well as Oleksiy Antonov from Aktobe in Kazakhstan. 

The next stage for Azeri sides would be the try an get through the group stages in the Europa League or do what Kazakhstan have done this season and get a team into the group stage of the Champions league. Qarabağ's defeat to Celtic, while narrow in scoreline did show that in the champions league this season there is still a bit more work needed. It does look on current form that the Agdam side will be Azerbaijan's representative side in next season's champions league however with Qabala also qualifying for the group stage in the Europa League this season it shows that Azerbaijan do have a bit of depth and like some leagues around Europe there isn't one dominant team flying the flag.