As managers go, Jimbo_204 isn't the most exciting. He would probably be described as old school too, as he doesn't use spreadsheets, plug ins or any other new fangled manager devices. Many would say he enjoys a place in folklore heading back to times past, when he was an Xpert daily reporter, or head of the newspaper at one point. Many point to him being an argumentative forum user with an opinion bigger than his arse. Others will say he is the inventor of "anti tactics" or a managerial tactical genius. There are even those out there who will say "who even is he?"
All of these opinions would be right. And yet they would all be wrong. As we sit in his Brazilian favela hug, just a stones throw from the Gimnastica Clube de Futebol Jimbofogo, to give them their full and official name, stadium, the infamous Fennacarena, he is in reflective mood, eager to offer a fresh perspective on his legacy on this site.
'I have changed a lot. I used to go out of my way to argue with users on this site. Not going to lie, it was fun trolling. But I never did it for the sake of winding people up. I did it because my views (in my head) needed to be read, and if someone bit, then it was worth it. But things have changed. No one uses the forums anymore, if there is a half decent discussion it ends quickly. The whole site is in a major decline. And as such the effort people, like me and better users, put in is in decline also. Press releases are the primary difference. Does the Xpert Daily even exist?'
As he talks the family next door begin to kick an old football around, hitting it against the wall. It's clear the area is a hit bed of potential. Not that the Jimbofogo side have had a lot of luck in youth development. 'We've had a few come through, but mostly the youth academy is not working. I won't be the only side to bemoan it, but the costs and the youths just don't quite balance out. I was a big believer in the changed nearly ten years ago. Sadly we were sold a dream, and it wasn't as advertised.'
I then asked Jimbo about his previous "successful" times on the site. 'I made it to the top 300 in ranking, back then we had Nobego and RPS and they were geniuses. Many more managers were playing the game and doing well. Then this idea of rank whoring came into vogue. Bejjita was a prime example for that. Where is he now? Yes I am ranked lowly now, and that's down to a little more pragmatism, it's not working this season but we got promoted last season when we had no business.
'We did it with out anti tactics. These were a shock to the system and for a while, it paid off. I feel it may be time to return these to the mix. The odd anti tactics game wouldn't hurt. I expect us to go down this season anyway. I've shown a mix of patience and anger on my time here. I've nothing to show for it, and yet I've everything to show for it. I have good friends from the site, and a number of people who respect me. I helped develop the Xpert daily, and whilst it's dying it's down to users rather than the paper. I, proud of all my achievements. A lot better ranked managers, have done a lot less!'
It was here I had to ask, what has he actually done, why should our readers care about an old has been. 'Ha, that's very fair if you look at my record. I lose as many games as I win. I don't develop monster players and get thousands of double jumps. These things are true. I fight with all my nous and generally do better than I should with meagre resources. That's why I love this club. I've been here for two separate stints. Both times I have rebuilt the side. Put them in successful places. This time around I've stayed for five years. I've rebuilt the club and we sit in division two! We won't stay here for long but we can be proud of these achievements, and if we can find a little gap we may just break the odds and get fifth!
'It's a club that has no business being where it is. And that is the ethos I have made here. It's us versus the world. The fans know we are here for the long haul, and the know I will rebuild. Will we be a mom stern side, no. And thy know that. They accept that. Fans of other sides know I will fix issues. That's why today is a tough one for me. I see two clubs in the job centre in which I'm hugly tempted to join and fix them. It's a though process. And one I'm highly tempted by. But when you think of the past, you can't sell that out for an extra fifty ranking places. Can you?'
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