Xpert International League review

Hapoel Shalom were crowned Xpert International League Champions, Season 36, for the first time in the club’s history. They even managed the feat with a game to spare. New boys to the top tier after last season’s success as Division 1a winners, this season’s title win is the third in a row for the enigmatic Swedish manager, Ramallah, and his 9th Hattrick honour overall. From Jönköping län (county) in the northern part of Småland, southern Sweden he has been coaching in Xpert for over 6 years, tasting success at various levels, as the numerous honours in his cabinet will testify.

Winning Divisions 2a (S34), then 1a (S35) and now the big one this season shows an incredible determination and will to succeed and it’s no fluke that the driving force behind Hapoel’s success is their very talented manager. Hapoel secured the title after Round 13 with a resounding 3 – 0 win over relegated Chaos Marauders. Although nearest rivals Vasastan BK also got 3 points from their corresponding fixture, Hapoel moved onto 29 points, 5 more than VBK with a game to go. They will receive the marvellous trophy after the final game at home, against Epsilon Aliens, after which, we understand, the manager plans to take the squad on a week-long parade around the county, drinking and partying as they go. Not sure many of the lads will see the end of that week.

Hapoel may have been new to the top Division and somewhat of an unknown quantity but they showed from the first fixture they were not in the top Division just to make up the numbers. With the savvy of Ramallah in charge, an experienced manager currently rated at number 22 in Sweden, 108 in the world and with a previous best of 12th best globally, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when Hapoel got the season off to a winning start against the, then, current Xpert International Cup holders, winning handsomely 3 – 0 away at Epsilon Aliens.

This was followed by a 4 – 0 drubbing over Chaos Marauders but they did come unstuck against Carnegie Ultimate in Round 3, losing 2 – 1. They plowed through the season, dropping points after Round 5 away to Vasastan BK and CF Inter Milan in Round 9 when both matches ended level.  They won the 9 of 14 games, scoring 22 and conceding only 7 goals all season. Not the most prolific scoring but certainly the best defensive record in the league.

Carnegie were the only team to beat Hapoel in the league while the season was still a contest and they did it in the return in Round 12 too: a surprise 1 – 0 win over Hapoel at the Al-Aqsa Kottel Arena. Carnegie had Jari Landbring booked on the 4th minute and Charlie Enoksson lightly injured in 2nd minute. Boss, Fraggelone must have thought it was going to be one of those bad days at the office with that start but they turned it around, scored on 27 (Carl-Gustav Angarth from distance) and kept the home team at bay to pick up the 3 points. The result reduced the deficit to 5 points over Vasastan BK, who picked up a point at Hässelby Västra to keep slim their hopes alive.

Despite that setback Hapoel Shalom had navigated through a tremendous season. Belief finally became reality in Round 13 but it was in Round 11 that Ramallah saw that his team could actually win the title. They had a good win over Hässelby Västra with an early 21st minute goal from Marcelo Hurãcio settling the nerves. Although the injury to Aldo Duscher on 76 minutes, keeping his out until 18th October, was a blow.  This win coupled with Vasastan’s surprise loss at mid-table CF Inter Milan meant Hapoel moved 6 points clear with 3 games to play. Ramallah was quoted as saying after the win over Hässelby: “Wow, what a win. Now we are starting to feel a bit nervous.”

Yet Ramallah’s nerves were to hold firm and Hapoel were not to be denied. Results in the final round of matches made no difference to final standings and Hapoel lost for third time this season at home to Epsilon Aliens. It is a measure of Imajedi’s standing in the game that he organised his squad as a guard of honour when the Hapoel players took to the pitch to the great delight of all the fans. There was a bit of a party atmosphere at the Al-Aqsa Kottel Arena as the home fans packed out the stadium well before kick off. They cheered every kick, good and bad, even applauded the opposition players and goals, and actually cheered the MIB for 90 minutes. It was unbelievable happiness from the home fans as they waited for the moment when their team would receive the trophy. Ramallah had the luxury of playing young keeper Efraim Eliaz (20), 17 year old defender Rutger Hammerling alongside Kristoffer Helleberg (24) and Sid Lannister (25). While young Tobias Bo Nielsen joined Cal Milner and Marcelo Hurãcio in a 3-man attack heading up a 4-3-3 formation: not one normally used by the Hapoel boss.

This season’s title win was a magnificent team and management effort in which Ramallah entrusted virtually the same squad that saw them lift their previous Divisional title and earned promotion to the top flight. There was not too much transfer activity before and during the season: Godim Cacém and Ernst Günter were sold for over 11.5m econ and juniors Stuart Langland and Itay Astrug added another 0.5m to the coffers. 17 year olds Rutger Hammarling and Tobias Bo Nielsen were brought in before the first match and very recently Ramallah promoted 16 year old Lior Mandil to the first team: planning ahead already.

Although a real team effort and no out-and-out stars at Ramallah’s disposal there were still some standouts over the season worthy of mention: defender Colin Connoly and midfielder Jimmy Goulder. Both were excellent all season, stepping up when it counted and ensuring that those around them were always on their toes. With tremendous consistency and endeavour, they allowed the qualities of their teammates to shine and get the results when they needed them. Even with only a handful of merits between them they were able to blunt opponents week after week, control space, dominate when they had to while adding the odd goal and assist as they gave incredible support to the cause. They led by great example and the team around them responded to good effect.

It really was an all-round team approach, guided expertly by Ramallah, that kept the Hapoel engine running from start to finish. They were not the highest scorers, not the strongest or ever in the best form, but by being led by the third best ranked manage in the Division, they did have a sedulous team spirit about them, guaranteeing they were always challenging and never out of the top two all season. Ramallah managed his team, played to his own strengths and took the title at his first attempt with a game to spare. It was a well fought, well managed and very well deserved title win.

Champions in Season 35 Vasastan BK were also never out of the top two places all season. Unfortunately, for Janne_cz, VBK spent only 3 weeks in pole position (Rounds 3 to 5) and ended the campaign in second place. With the likes of the legend that is Artur Posener in the squad, you know your team always has a chance, and a good chance at that. Janne_cz, as you know, is a vastly experienced manager with 85 Manager of the Round Awards to his credit and a regular feature in the world’s top 5. The indomitable Swede is currently the world’s number 4 and was at number 2 last month.

Again Posener, Charlie Pucknell, Dennis Ferguson and Calisto Macedo put in some tremendous performances to keep the team in the hunt for as long as possible. It was a another great team and management effort that enabled Janne to keep Vasastan going great guns all season, playing at a level that was consistently high, but they just couldn’t quite match the exploits of last term. He too kept almost the same squad that won the title last term but did sell on midfielder Svante Leander and ‘keeper Eyüp Hakan early doors. With an eye for a player Janne promoted half a dozen kids and sold them on bringing in a shade over 15m econ to the club and he recently shelled out 9.5m for young goalie Apdi Sevinir as back up to Daniel Tono.

Winning 8 and drawing 3 of their matches Vasastan conceded only 9 goals in the league, a stat bettered only by Hapoel. Janne’s team responded well after the shock defeat to Inter in Round 11, winning all their remaining league games but fell short in the end. He will be looking to do better next term and although Dennis Ferguson has announced his retirement from the game he will be alongside Macedo and Posener et at for Season 37 as Vasastan get set to try again in their fourth consecutive season in the top flight.

Only 3 points behind Vasastan were Epsilon Aliens, last season’s runners up. Imajedi went into Season 36 in great shape and had high expectations, understandable given the Norwegians rankings and record for winning things including the Champions League, numerous Divisional titles, several Xpertsvenskan Cups and the Xpert International Cup last season.

They started poorly, losing at home to Hapoel in the season opener then recovered some ground with wins over Brynäs IF (now Lucky Luke), Inter and Chaos that placed them third before a heavy away defeat to Carnegie. That second loss was the first in a four game run that saw Epsilon pick up 1 point from 12 and drop as low as 6th place in the table.

Battling on several fronts with a small-sized squad took its toll through the season but perhaps tinkering with personnel during the season also played a hand. Imajdi brought in Armando Rochas, Salvador Tapia and Thurston Farrington (over 47.5m econ in total) while selling on Yusuke Mazda, Roger Fitzgerald, Rodney Westhead, Dermott Longsworth, Orlando Guardiola and junior Kevin Lever (41.5m approx). Epsilon did well to recover from their mid-season blip to finish the campaign in 3rd spot but Imajedi will feel some disappointment at that, given his knack for picking up silverware. The degree of experience lost would have affected any team but the signings have a wealth of skill to add to the effectiveness of the squad and have now bedded in. However, Imajedi has only 14 players at present and Alexander Culverton will be leaving at the end of next season but the manager know his squad and will get the best out of them as they look to battle back to their best in season 37.

Fraggelone should be delighted at his Carnegie Ultimate finishing 4th in their debut season at the top table. Finishing second in Division 1a they met, and beat, Redstar 3 – 1 for the right to play in the top flight. Although they began with two defeats they were the only team to take 6 points off the eventual winners Hapoel, getting their first win and points in Round 3, coming from behind to win 2 – 1.

That spell set the tone for Carnegie’s campaign as they bounced between 3rd and 4th for the remainder of the campaign, picking up the points when they needed to, ensuring Fraggelone remains in the top flight for another season. The Swede’s 16 man squad looks decent but they will have to do without defender Yasuhiro Katsukawa (retired) for next season. Roland Helmig has also announced his retirement after one more season so Fraggelone will need to work on some signings if he wants to be competitive next term.

CF Inter Milan finished 3 points above the drop zone in 5th place. Another top flight debutant, 42 year old Nyisztor guided his Inter to safety by Round 9 after a testing season that saw them pick up only 4 wins: Hässelby Västra (R2), Chaos (R5), Carnegie (R8) and Vasastan BK (R11). However, it was the drawn games that really supported the season and they had an excellent run where they drew 5 of their last 8 matches to secure top flight status.

Nyisztor lost only Luciano Beça (sold) from the promotion winning squad and he added young Eurico Rui Jorge as his defensive replacement. He also has 11 legends in his current 16 man squad but 12 of them are over 30 and 10 of those are 32 years old. There is a lot of experience and quality throughout the squad but in a few short seasons Inter will lose a number of players in quick succession that could seriously damage their playing ability. If the CF Inter Milan board have any aspirations of long term status at this level they will have to release funds for Nyisztor to sign players to freshen up the squad with next season and beyond in mind.

Hässelby Västra’s Season 35’s mid-table finish was disappointing for Niskannen but relegation even more so this time round and brings to an end 5 consecutive campaigns in the top Division. He trusted his squad to do better this time round and they let him down. They started with a win over Carnegie but then nose-dived to 6th after three straight defeats. Two wins and two draws gave a brief respite as they climbed to 3rd by Round 8 dropped to 6th by Round 10 and couldn’t recover. Three wins over the season is not good enough to survive at this level and they now have to challenge in Division 1a next season. Niskannen will take that challenge head on and has already brought in young midfielder Damian Pãlie as he looks to build for the future. Star midfielder Lukasz Lubatynski will play one more season for him before ending his career and, overall, Niskannen’s squad looks well capable of making an impact next season.

Brynäs IF 1912 had a very disappointing season, so much so that manager Emil_999 has moved on with Veljko taking over the helm and starts his reign in Division 1b. The Serbian boss is an experienced manager whose first action was to change the club name to LUCKY LUKE. He inherits a squad that hasn’t seen any personnel changes in quite some time and won only 3 games over the league season, scoring11 and conceding 19 goals. Veljko is a man that obviously likes a challenge and he certainly has one on his hands with the playing squad at the club: 13 players in total, 10 of whom are over 30 with the other three aged 25, 28 and 29. The new boss knows his stuff and got his first win under his belt with a convincing 6 – 0 friendly win over Reserve Team I recently, But he has his work cut out for him and we wish him the best of luck.

RobbieD and his Chaos Marauders join Valjko in Division 1b after finishing bottom with only 2 wins and 10 points to show for the season. A very poor return after their 4th placed finish the season before and with the well-balanced, experienced squad he had at his disposal. Despite the sale of 16 skill midfielder Raphael Carling the week before the season started there were still 11 legends at the club including the likes of ‘keeper Odd-Hugo Warhuus, Eugene Lonsdale in defence, Melvin Ling and Tomas Haag in midfield with Raf Pianu and Dermott Burley up front. With that lot it beggars belief that Chaos finished last but that is the nature of the game: challenging and unpredictable; nothing can be taken for granted. RobbieD has already brought in youngsters Janusz Dutka and Batista Pluto Facchi as he sets his sights on the 1b championship.


Xpert International Season 36 final standings read:

1  Hapoel Shalom
2  Vasastan BK
3  Epsilon Aliens
4  Carnegie Ultimate
5  CF Inter Milan
6  Hässelby Västra
7  Brynäs IF 1912
8  Chaos Marauders

My dream team for the season lines up 4-4-2:

GK – Jasper Parker: Hässelby Västra

D – Artur Posener (C): Vasastan BK
D – Colin Connoly: Hapoel Shalom
D – Yasuhiro Katsukawa: Carnegie Ultimate
D – Eugene Lonsdale: Chaos Marauders

M – David Baldurs: Hapoel Shalom
M – Jimmy Goulder: Hapoel Shalom
M – Hans-Arne Troelstrup: Carnegie Ultimate
M – Calisto Macedo: Vasastan BK

F – Roland Helmig: Carnegie Ultimate
F – Belmiro Ulhoa: Epsilon Aiens


This Daily reporter caught up with Hapoel’s winning manager Ramallah before the open-top arrived to start the tour and popped a few questions at him:

XD: Congratulations on winning the Xpert International League Ramallah. Winning the top honour at the first attempt with a game to spare is a brilliant achievement. Just how does it feel to win the Xpert International League for the first time with Hapoel Shalom?

R: I’m quite puzzled actually. Everything just went our way the whole season. It started with a surprise win in the opening game at home on Al-Aqsa Kottel Arena, against Epsilon Aliens, a team that I’ve been looking up to for a long time. And, after that opening, the squad started to understand that we are a competitive side.

XD: This is your third straight Divisional title and you’re another manager that’s used to winning things, as your trophy cabinet shows, but how does this League win rank among your long list of honours?

R: Wow, it’s just two seasons ago we played the second Division, and now we are the champs! Hard to get! Of course this is my best achievement so far in Xperteleven. Until now being runner up in the Cup season 34 was my best memory. Then we lost against Vasastan, who scored the only goal just two minutes before going in to penalties. So, I guess it’s just fair that Vasastan get’s the silver now.

XD: A long-standing manager, you've coached Hapoel since March 2007. What is it about this club that keeps you here? Would you be tempted to move onto another club now that you’ve topped the Xpert International pile? Is there any other club that could tempt you away?

R: I’m way too comfortable to be looking for alluring job offers and I do really love this team. The players are like my own sons. I’ve been nursing many of them since they were in puberty you know. But time will tell. Maybe in a few years when I feel that we lost that winning touch… Inshallah! Baruch ha shem!

XD: You have a 17-man squad but 8 of them are 30 plus and only 2 youths. Are you confident in their ability to defend the title next season and make a real challenge in the Champions League?

R: I’m completely sure that it is possible, but it will be much harder than this year. First, now we’re the team everyone wants to beat. Honestly, did anyone even care about us two months ago? Second, no matter the results in XCL, an extra game every week may very likely result in lack of condition and more injuries. But of course we are going all in. I have always heard that Xpert International is the best and most difficult league to win, so I do feel obligated to do well in the Champions League.

XD: It doesn’t look as if any of the squad are looking to leave but will you be moving anyone on or looking to bring any new players in?

R: I just found out that Keith Sparrow decided that the coming season will be his last. Luckily we have four more defenders of high class for next year. I do want to bring up a youngster from the academy and maybe to search the transfer market for another one. It is necessary to build for the future.

XD: Who would you say was the best player or manager you have come up against?

R: Here in the international leagues, I find it hard to even remember names of other managers. You know, we played in Division one and then got relegated down to the sixth until we started to climb again. It means you often just meet a certain team twice. There is no time to get to know, or fear, managers or players. But maybe it will be different if we manage to stay on it at the top for long?

XD: What SQ’s do you look for in a player?

R: A lot have changed since I started this journey. I remember spending hours scouting players, making statistics for each agent and meticulously following the advertisements for players in the forums. But today I don’t have that time, which is sad. Imagine if I had this team five or six years ago when I could be online all day long. Today, frankly, I do only look on the offers I get in my mailbox. Or I bid on a cheap youngster.

During one period I decided only to buy bald players. That was not a brilliant idea! So if anyone’s walking around with the same idea – don’t!

XD: What do you think of the new tactics page and do you think there are other areas in which you feel Xperteleven could be improved?

R: I don’t use the new page. I tried it for a couple of days but went back to the old one. Maybe I should give it more time, but time is just what I don’t have. I do love to use the tactics page to experiment with different formations and players and that got so much more complicated in my eyes. I guess that’s my main reason to keep to the old.

I want it to be simple and quick. I do fear that the team prefers another direction of development and that will much likely be the end of private leagues like my own, where grownups with families just want to coach a team without too much effort.

XD: You’ve achieved a fair bit in Xpert over the years, been successful wherever you’ve managed but tell us a bit about yourself outside the game.

R: 40 year old teacher, married with two children, loves gardening, whiskey and Liverpool FC.

XD: Finally, is there anything else you would like to add to this interview or say to your fellow managers?

R: Put your heart in your mind and your mind in your heart. Salam Shalom!

Congratulations to Ramallah and his Hapoel team on an excellent and well-fought season, commiserations to the losers and good luck to all for next season.
 

Xpert International Cup review

The teams to contest the Xpert International Cup Final for Season 36 both play in the third tier of the league and hail from Portugal and England: Ajax FC from Division 3f and last season’s quarter finalists Armoured Ducks from Division 3i. At international level England’s record against Portugal since 1947 reads:

Played – 22
Won – 9
Drawn – 10*
Lost – 3
For = 45/Against = 25
Record: 63.64% (*Two drawn matches lost on penalties – naturally)

Guiding the 75th seeds Ajax FC to the Final we have 47 year old Niquinha from Cascais, a coastal town in Cascais Municipality, Portugal, 19 miles west of Lisbon. Cascais is the birthplace of Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Portugal’s former Prime Minister (1981 – 1983) as well as footballer Paulo Renato Rebocho Ferreira. The clubs fifth manager, Niquinha is an experienced coach and been in charge of Ajax since January 2010, taking them to rounds 5 and 7 regularly.

In charge of 6th seeded Armoured Ducks is RebelRebel from Hampshire, England. Due to Hampshire's long association with pigs and boars, natives of the county have been known as Hampshire hogs since the 18th century and Hampshire has a number of notable sons, including Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Charles Dickens and Benny Hill. RebelRebel has been coaching since 2007 but only took the helm of this club at the end of April this year (season 35), guiding them to a second place finish in D4i and a quarter final appearance.

Going into the Final Ajax had lost only one of their last six matches, the last of which was a comfortable 4 – 2 league win over Amarante Futebal Clube at home 4 days before the final. Armoured Ducks had a similar record, one defeat over the last six. Decent form from both in the build-up but let’s take a quick overview of how they reached the final.

Ajax FC started their Cup campaign with a very comfortable 10 – 0 aggregate over CERRO LARGO F.C. in Round 2. They followed this win with 6 – 1 demolition of Invertigo AFC, a narrow 2 – 1 victory over FC Westeros and took out Grapsolainen 3 – 0 in the 5th round. In the 6th round they were paired with Division 4i’s Sada Norte whom they took out 2 – 0 but lost Jamko Hesp to another injury. A 3 – 1 win over Spikehead Cows was followed by two wins requiring penalty shoot outs to reach the Quarter Final: 8th round match with Peking Swashbucklers ended 2 – 2 with Ajax winning 7 – 6 on penalties while the last 16 tie with Skeid-Cobra had the same regular and extra time result but Niquinha’s team shaded it 6 – 4 on the spot kicks.


Xpert International Cup Quarter Final
Xpert Arena
4th October 2013
Referee: Ian Hartman (4/4)

Soldiers of Sodor V Ajax FC

This Quarter Final had Ajax facing their most formidable opponents yet in Soldiers of Sodor from Division 2c and it turned into a battle of defensive strengths. Neither side were willing to give anything away with a Semi Final berth at stake and chances were limited to one apiece in the first 45 and five each by full time but poor finishing kept the scores level. Extra time came and went and now, for the third game in a row, Ajax were faced with a tough penalty decider. The first 8 penalties were slotted away nicely, balancing the match at 4 – 4. Then, up stepped Sodor’s ‘keeper Adrien Hayhurst to take their 5th. Immense all day it was a cruel blow that meant he missed giving Ajax the opportunity at another penalty shoot-out victory. And they didn’t miss as experienced midfielder Jasmin Jadevra powered home the winner.

Soldiers of Sodor 0 – 0 Ajax FC (Ajax FC won 5 – 4 aet and penalties)


Xpert International Cup Semi Final
Xpert Arena
11th October 2013
Referee: Luke Bribe (3/3)

Ajax FC V FC Lygnern

The Semi Final paired Ajax with FC Lygnern and it turned into a real mouth-watering affair as Ajax set up with a 451 against Lygnern’s 352. Ajax dominated the ball both halves and pressed their opponents at every opportunity yet chances were at a premium in the first half with Lyngern shading them 2 – 1 despite conceding 60% of the ball. Lining up with strong teams and 10 in the middle of the park Bribe had his hands full trying to keep an eye on everything as the teams went at each other in a frantic pace. Ajax’s Rudolf Brun picked up the game’s first yellow after only 5 minutes for a too-strong challenge on Egil Ederbergand, who didn’t recover and was replaced by Carl-Gunnar Spong. Brun would be joined in the book by teammate Hugo Hovenkamp and Lygnern’s René Revahl and Spong, all in the second half.

Jasmin Jadevra was directing Ajax’s play in the middle of the park with good support from Tore Jeppsson and Bento Santiago while Fabian Delgao was marshalling his defence very well. Their opposite numbers for Lygnern René Revahl and Alexander Klüft were equally magnificent and captain Sture Belkov kept on at his teammates to keep going, dig in and give nothing away. But tired legs began to show as the pace wore on. Revahl’s yellow on 53 minutes was for a rash tackle that saw Ajax’s Santiago go off to receive treatment with Arnold Mühren his replacement. The chances started to flow but without effect as both sides struggled to get the breakthrough. Lygnern then lost Sture Mölleborg through injury on 64 minutes that earned Hovenkamp his card. Then, 4 minutes later, Lygnern got the break when Klüft found Fernando Gonzalo in the box and, from a tight angle, the striker found the back of the net. But Lygnern’s joy was short lived as 2 minutes later Jadevra got on the end of Rudolf Brun’s corner to fire home. Ajax then went ahead 7 minutes later with a brilliant freekick from Fábio Delgado when he smashed the ball up and over the wall and past the despairing Elvis Grusell. Chances were still there but neither side could capitalize further and the match ended with Ajax marching to their first ever Xpert International Cup Final.

Ajax FC (Jadevra 71’, Delgado 78’) 2 – 1 Lygnern (Gonzalo 69’)


Last season’s quarter finalists armoured Ducks breezed past CF Septian 9 – 0 on aggregate in the second round then took out young Boys Berna 5 – 0 in the third. The Gentlemens, from 4d, were next to score a duck against the Ducks, going out 3 – 0. Round 5 saw Armoured Ducks power past Brändö IF with a 2 – 0 scoreline that flattered the fifth division team. F.C Tuesday were swept aside with a first half blitz that gave Armoured Ducks a 3 – 0 victory; askarp FF, from 4i, were beaten 2 – 0, Yeovil United proved very strong opponents but eventually went down 1 – 0 before Armoured Ducks railroaded Super Rangers 4 – 0 in the last 16.


Xpert International Cup Quarter Final
Xpert Arena
4th October 2013
Referee: Michael Steen (7/2)

Vasastan BK V Armoured Ducks

RebelRebel’s Armoured Ducks played Janne_cz’s Vasastan BK at the same stage last season and lost 1 – 0. This time around they were in better shape to take on the top Division outfit having yet to concede a single goal in the competition to date while putting away an incredible 28 strikes.

It was an evenly contested and tense affair as both side played at the top of their game to get past their opponent. An early, 3rd minute, strike from Leonardo Taborda gave the Ducks a half time lead. But it wasn’t to be enough as Vasastan BK became the first team to score a Cup goal against RebelRebel’s side this season when they equalized through Otto Sturesson on 69 minutes. Neither side made any further headway and played out the last 20 minutes and extra time drawing blanks. It came down to a penalty shoot out and it was the Ducks that held there nerve as, very unsurprisingly Sturesson missed his kick with the scores at 3 – 3. Ricardo Monte put away the Ducks’ 4th before VBK defensive stalwart Danut Leseru also missed to send Armoured Ducks into the Semi Final.

Vasastan BK (Sturesson 69’) 1 – 1 Armoured Ducks (Taborda 3’) (Armoured Ducks won 4 – 3 aet and penalties)


Xpert International Cup Semi Final
Xpert Arena
11th October 2013
Referee: Travis Tee (6/4)

Hässelby Västra V Armoured Ducks

Hässelby were having a tough time in the top league this season and were looking at the Cup to salvage something this term. Having seen RebelRebel sweep aside a number of quality opponents already this term Niskannen lined up his top flight squad 451 with his opposite number doing likewise.

23 minutes in and it was Armoured Ducks that had the first effort when Erwin Gelles steered the ball towards the goal after being picked out by Collin Baines and scored! But Bribe blew for an earlier foul and chalked the goal off to loud boos from the Ducks’ fans and protestations from the surrounding players.

Armoured Ducks’ Theodor Kjail saw yellow for brutal play that saw Chris Riggott taken off and replaced by Alfie Boshell. For all their dominance Hässelby were unable to breach the Duck’s rearguard and the half ended 0 – 0.

It was a similar pattern to the start of second half with the top flight team carrying the game to their third Division opponents. Their tremendous pressure looked to have finally paid off when Kurt af Klinteberg was picked out by a precise Paris pass just before the hour mark that the midfielder finished with aplomb. But, Bribe disallowed this one too as Klinteberg had strayed an inch offside! That levelled things up a bit but both managers were still glowering at each other.

Play resumed at a great pace and on 64 minutes Armoured Ducks earned a freekick 30 yards out. Baines stepped up to take and pinged the ball to Mike Hiddink who struck sweetly but failed to convert. However, 4 minutes later Baines found Christopher Capleton after the corner and the frontman finished with aplomb. There was a slight pause as everyone looked at the ref then cheers as he waived the goal to stand.

Christiano Paris had been having a great game but his constant back-chat finally got the better of Bribe who booked the Hässelby midfielder on 72 minutes for arguing once too often. Gelles picked up knock shortly afterwards and was replaced by Ricardo Monte for the last 15 minutes. All the good play and pressure by Hässelby was sapping the legs and the Ducks were now taking command for the remainder. Capleton saw a terrific effort smash off the bar that would have put the game beyond Hässelby with 7 minutes remaining and he had another effort when he went to nutmeg the goalie on 90 minutes but was thwarted. And, with time running out for Hässelby, Paris had the last effort of the match as he got on the end of a long punt from Raketic but his headed effort was weak and easily saved by Battista Di Bari and is was Armoured Ducks that ventured into the Final.

Hässelby Västra 0 – 1 Armoured Ducks (Capleton 68’)


Xpert International Cup Final
Xpert Arena
18th October 2013
Referee: Laura Norder (7/4)

Ajax FC (75) V Armoured Ducks (6)

Here it was at last, The Final, a match to be won by a Division 3 team one way or the other, adding a new name to the roll of honour for this prestigious trophy. Both teams were entering into uncharted territory, entering this majestic arena to play the final for the first time.

Now was the time to leave behind the preparation, grab the aspirations and the dreams and turn them into a reality. For two good managers that have seen their teams rise, time and time again, to the occasion this season it would be all about the glory for one of them yet, for the other, about what might have been: there could be only one!

But which one? It was time to find out.

Team news on the starting 11’s read:

Ajax FC
Lined up with 451:

Goalkeeper – Raphael Wareing
Defenders – Felix Arce, Iain Wester, Hugo Hovenkamp, Fábio Delgado
Midfield – Constantino Curval (C), Jasmin Jadevra, Rudolf Brun, Arnold Mühren, Tore Jeppsson
Forwards – Piet Keizer

Bench – Ruud Krol, Glenn Lemmers, Ernst Kollewijn, Folko Cruyff, Sietse Karnebeek


Armoured Ducks
Lined up with 451:

Goalkeeper - Battista Di Bari
Defenders – Theodor Kjäll, Jasper Nelisse, Sem van Denderen, Boris Spanyol
Midfield – Mike Hiddink, Collin Baines (C), Danny de Bruijn, Stan van der Bollock, Erwin Gelles
Forward – Christopher Capleton

Bench – Leonardo Taborda, Cristoffer Juliusson, Henri Deroin, Donato Caldeira, Ricardo Monte

The Armoured Ducks got the game underway and immediately found themselves under pressure from Ajax. Building from the back the Ajax set themselves up to be difficult to break down and Fábio Delgado was very vocal from the off, encouraging his teammates and settling nerves. Captain Constantino Curval was doing likewise in the midfield as Ajax looked to get off to a flying start. And that is exactly what they got: 5 minutes in and big defender Hugo Hovenkamp was picked out in the box by Piet Keizer and he lobbed the ball over Battista Di Bari and in to give Niquinha’s boys a good start.

With a solid back line and strong midfield Ajax were playing well, stroking the ball about with fluid passing. However, they were matched all the way by the Ducks who, themselves, were terrific in midfield and stood tall at the back. They recovered quickly from that early setback to be calm and composed thanks largely to midfield maestro Erwin Gelles and Theodor Kjäll at the back. Both men we in terrific form, fought for every ball, passed well and matched Ajax every step of the way. The Ducks coped well with the strong play of Ajax, moving the ball well and both teams were putting in good shifts that made for an entertaining first 45.

In the 18th minute the Ducks earned a freekick 25 yards out. Sem van Denderen stepped up a struck the ball well but Wareing was equal to it and saw the ball to safety. Two minutes later Danny de Bruijn tried his luck with a sweet volley but, again, Wareing made the save look easy. It was nip and tuck and end to end stuff yet without an end product. Ajax’s Keizer and the Ducks’ Capleton were both running at defenders, holding the ball well and creating space but in the final third both sides showed a lack of ingenuity to get beyond the last man.

Arnold Mühren picked up the game’s first yellow on 23 minutes for an elbow on de Bruijn when they were involved in a foot race for a loose ball out on the Ajax right wing. De Bruijn was able to continue after some treatment to a nasty gash and Mühren was lucky Norder didn’t show red. The game continued at a good pace, both midfields battling hard for dominance but neither able to get a real foothold on the ball. Just before the break Gelles raced up the wing and flung in a pacey cross. Capleton was stretching but threw himself at the ball to connect but, yet again, Wareing made the save, ensuring the half ended with Ajax a goal to the good.

No changes saw the same eleven’s emerge for the second half although it looked like RebelRebel had moved de Bruijn up alongside Capleton and Spanyol closer to the midfield. His tactical tinkering seemed to have done the trick as his Armoured Ducks were more dominant in the second half, controlled the ball better and were able to bring the Capleton more into play.

Lacking decent service Keizer was becoming a forlorn figure up front for Ajax and was falling deeper and deeper to get the ball. Just after the hour mark he allowed his frustrations to get the better of him as de Bruijn nicked the ball off his toes, nutmegged the Ajax frontman and got chopped for his piece of individual brilliance as Keizer spat the dummy. Mike Hiddink and van Denderen were closest to play and looked ready to set about Keizer when Norder jumped in alongside Curval and Wester before things got out of hand. It was cynical and unnecessary as de Bruijn was going wide. The MIB showed only a yellow when another red would not have been out of place. RebelRebel was venting his spleen as he walked beside the stretcher carrying his player off with a few choice words to the Ajax striker. Young Ricardo Monte joined the fray, looking for his chance and he looked well pumped up.

The game continued at a pace and Keizer bulleted a header wide on 66 minutes to loud jeers from the Ducks support. Hovenkamp was brought down on 73 minutes but the big man ran off the injury. Curval received the freekick from a set play but couldn’t convert. Three minutes later Wareing made another save from a van Denderen freekick but the Ducks were really pressing the game now and wouldn’t be denied for long: van der Bollock slid a reverse pass back to Spanyol 30 yards out and the defender took two steps before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Wareing into the top corner! 1 – 1 now and what a goal to level the match.

Still the midfields battled on and with the game running out of time and against the run of play a loose pass in the Ducks box saw Tore Jeppsson miss hit an effort off the post with 8 minutes remaining. The 90 came and went as Norder played time added on and the ball was punted from deep by Arce, flicked on by Brun for Delgado to power a header towards goal but wide of the target. 1 -1 it finished and extra time beckoned.

Legs were tired and players were taking on water as they sat themselves for one final push, they stood toe to toe, like heavyweight boxers in the 12th round. The first 15 came and went in the blink of an eye as the game flowed into the second period. Again, the teams went at each other, probing, still running then Spanyol received the ball out wide. He jinked along the touchline before firing across the edge of the Ajax box, more in hope than with any accuracy or intent but there was Gelles, bursting a gut to get on the end of it and, from the edge of the area, put his head through the ball and it flashed past Wareing and in! 2 – 1 to the Ducks and you could just see how that goal lifted them across the finish line. Ajax tried but could give no more and the Ducks saw out the remaining minutes at a canter. They had done it! RebelRebel was beside himself with joy as he celebrated on the touchline before rushing the pitch to join his magnificent, Cup winning, team.

Ajax FC (Hovenkamp 5’) 1 – 2 (aet) Armoured Ducks (Spanyol 79’, Gelles 108’)

Possession: 46 - 54 (50 - 50); chances: 5 - 6 (1 - 3)

Defence 15                                       Defence 16
Midfield 15                                        Midfield  15
Offence 10                                        Offence  10

Manager 4 Star    Manager 4 Star

Ajax FC            Man Of The Match     Armoured Ducks
Fábio Delgado                                    Erwin Gelles


It was an incredible end to an excellent Cup campaign from both teams. They had given their all in a great final lapped up by the capacity crowd and the watching millions at home. The Cup now belonged to RebelRebel and his Armoured Ducks and they thoroughly deserved the victory.  Commiserations have to go to Niquinha whose Ajax team gave everything they had and played their part in a great final.

A beaming, smiling RebelRebel was dazed with delight as he laughed and cheered with his team, back-room staff, subs and even the stewards as he celebrated wildly. We eventually stole him away from his Sky interview to have a chat with him after this historic win:

XD: Congratulations RebelRebel. On winning the Cup and guaranteeing a shot at promotion. How does it feel to win the Xpert International Cup for the first time with Armoured Ducks?

RR: It’s hard to put my feelings into words right now; I suppose over the moon or ecstatic would come very close to describing them.

XD: You’re used to winning things, as your trophy cabinet shows, so how does this Cup win rank among the long list of honours you have to your credit?

RR: This is by far the most important so far, to win a Cup with so many sides taking part is amazing. The only thing that comes close was getting a side into the top division of one of the Xpert leagues.

XD: You've only been with Armoured Ducks for 7 months. You won your first game in charge, on the day you took over, 5 – 0 against Masthugget BK. And, of your first 49 games, you’ve won 39 for only 5 losses. That is an excellent record that’s brought you success. Did you see this degree of potential when deciding to take over? What attracted you to this club?

RR: That’s a difficult one to answer! Yes I did think the side had potential but not to achieve so much so soon. What attracted me was probably the age of the squad and the funds available.

XD: Your 20-man squad looks nicely balanced with a mix of experience and youth. Do you have a plan to add to or sell on to change the squad with next season’s challenges in mind? Or do you feel confident in your squad’s ability to step up?

RR: That’s another difficult one to answer right now before the change report! I would imagine that because of the extra fixtures involved and the likely quality of the opposition that I’ll probably have to sell 1 or 2 to enable me to build up the bank balance to try and keep the players form high.

XD: Are there any friendships and/or rivalries that you have enjoyed as manager of the Armoured Ducks?

RR: I’ve made a few friends along the way but the three that stick out are TractorBOYZ, KParsfan and Roberto X11. I’ve only known TractorBOYZ since our battles last season in Division 4 but he has been encouraging me all the time in the run to winning the Cup.

XD: Your favourite team is Tottenham Hotspur FC, currently 7th in the Premiership. What’s your take on André Villas-Boas in charge and their chances this season?

RR: I must say I’m not a great fan of AVB but I have to admit that he’s doing a reasonable job. As for their chances this season, a top four place should be possible but there’s quite a few sides that will think that.

XD: Recently, we saw changes to the tactics page. What is your view on the new tactics page and do you think there are other areas in which you feel Xperteleven could be improved?

RR: The new tactics page caught me on the hop as I was on holiday when it was introduced, I found trouble making sure everything was saved (probably cost me a couple of results) so at least for now I’ve disabled it and gone back to the old page.

The one other area I feel needs improving by X11 is the youth talents! How can you expect teams to invest 300k a week from their meagre budget, when they receive the likes of a 20yo skill 5 injury prone player that you can buy for 47k?

XD: You’ve been in this game for over 6 years now, with 10 teams under your belt, but tell us a bit about yourself outside Xperteleven, other hobbies and interests.

RR: My main interest at the moment is my grandchildren and watching them grow up, other than that I like watching most sports. Up until recently I was lucky enough to be able to travel the world playing darts with a fair amount of success (at a low standard) but that has gradually fallen by the wayside as my work commitments don’t allow me to practice enough.

XD: Finally, is there anything else you would like to add to this interview or say to your fellow managers?

RR: It’s strange being in this position and it’s one I never envisaged would happen. The only other thing I would say is if I can produce a Cup winning side then so can anyone.


That’s your lot for this season folks. Many thanks to both winning managers for agreeing to be interviewed and taking the time out of their busy party schedules for the Xpert Daily masses. Congratulations again to Ramallah and RebelRebel on their historic victories. Your Xpert Daily wishes everyone the best of luck for Season 37.