Championship Manager 00/01 - Mishi Blakaneshi (Japan)

Mishi Blakaneshi is a manager from Japan. He was born in Tokio on 3 march 1964. He's from a sport family. His mother was a volleyball player and his father trained martial arts. Blakaneshi was a soccer star in collage league but soon after graduation he gained a heavy knee indury in a car accident and never become a professional player. He started to work as a trainer when he was 25. Trained children in a Tokyo Football Academy for a few years and later worked as a coach assistant in Tokyo Gus. In 2001 he took the job as a temporary manager of J-League team Jef United. After he a year of working with Jef United he resigned and signed contract with a lower division team Yokohama FC...

BIO
Name: Mishi Blakaneshi
Born: 03.03.1964
Country: Japan
Hometown: Tokyo
Reputation: Rookie
Fame: Local
Games: CM 00/01, CM 01/02
Final Season: Around 2040

STORY
Chapter 1 - Season 2000/JEF UTD/Japan/J-League
Chapter 2 - Season 2001/JEF UTD/Japan/J-League
Chapter 3 - Season 2001/Yokohama FC/Japan/...


CHAPTER 1 - Time is a luxury I don't posses.

SEASON 2000 JEF UNITED - Championship Manager 00/01

Signing a J-League team was like a dream come true. I still couldn't belived it even when I was sitting in my car driving for my first game. Why me? Why now? Few weeks ago I was an assistant manager in a small semi-amatour club in Tokyo, I was wondering will I ever make it in this world and when will my time come. About a year ago I was appointing for a job in Jef United but as a U-15 team coach. But not only there I was appointing to many different clubs on every job I felt I had chance getting. I hoped that even a shity job in a J-League club will bring me closer to the world of big football. For my graduating project I wrote this work about tactics in modern football. In final chapter I wrote about taking advantages of opponents weakneses and transporting martial arts philosophy to football, before and during the game. This project was my only evidence of football knowlage so I sended it every time I was appointing for a job. Still I was sure no one will read it any way, but I know if someone did maybe it whould convince him to hire me.

And someone did read that project eventualy. Jef United was not doing good in a past few years. Since 1997 they changed manager 4 times and the board was a bit tired with European coaches, who take a lot of money but did not give results. They decided to hire someone from Japan. Still I was no candidate for the job, becouse working as an assistant in Tokyo Gus for a few seasons wasn't very impressing. I rather hoped that when United will got a native manager I whould send anoter job application for an assistant job or something like that. You see most of the J-League coaches are from Europe or South America it's this kind of fashion and hope that they names will bring fans to the stadiums. Sure some of them did like Arsene Wenger for example, but some of this guys are just average managers who took an apportunity to earn some good money and live a little oriental adventure. Zdenko Verdenik, former United manager is a good example. He coached some teams in his country, Austria Vien and a Slovenia national team for a 3 years. Trophies? None. But a exotic name and some impressive names in bio was enough.

Still I had no clue how the hell a got this job and was too shy to ask anyone. I was afraid that if I ask maybe they check again who am I and figure out that some mistake was made and someone picked a wrong number or something like that. Even if that job was for someone else, still I had some knowledge, vision and a few years of expirience as a coach, sure a children team coach, but still a coach, wright?

Welcome to the BIG league

They got me a one year conctract, wich made me suprised, yeah even more suprised, as I though they will sign me only till the end of the season, wich is December in Japan. Nevertheless, the main goal was to keep the team in J-League, so if I don't do it, they will probably get a good bye kiss from the board in December anyway. The team is one the 14th place in the league and there are 11 games to go. I got a week to prepare the team for the first game. When you came to the club in half a season you have one tough decision to make. Weather to change everything or nothing? It's your call. I mean you have to do your home work and decide what's best for the team. If I knew that I will get this job a few weeks earlier I whould already start analysing everything and preparing my conception, but everything happened fast and in matter of not days but hours. Still I decided to change the whole game plan, tactic and training schedule. That was a creazy idea and totally rookie move, when I look on it now. The team can't afford to lose games, middle of the season, qucki change of coach and I decided to turn Jeff United world around! But back in 2000 I really was a rookie, so sure that I have all the right knowlage and concepts that will bring a revolution to the game. 

Most of the players were from Japan, so they welcomed me warmly. Some of them were not much younger than me, but there were no weterans that I whould have trouble on geting an autority with. The oldest guy in the team was Olariou, but he was from Romania and there were only four other foreign players in squad, most of them very young, so I knew he whould not make any trouble. Most of the squad was happy that finally they got a manager who can speak japanese as a first language and maybe won't be treating them like a football savages, who don't know how to kick the ball, just because they were not born in Europe or South America. On the other hand I knew that I have few good players, but also at least few below the avarage and the squad will have some holes that I'll never be able to fill as the transfer budget did not existed at the time.

Ace in the sleeve

I will remeber it for the rest of my life. It was a warm but cloudy saturday, the pitch was wet. I entered the changing room and didn't know what to say. I thought about this moment for dozens of time in my life and always had some powerfull speach that whould rise even an banch on amatours to their highest level, but in the real life I had no clue what to say to this guys. I though that everythink I say whould seem stupid for them and mad me lost my autority, show that I'm just a naive rookie coach and made them miss their old manager. 

Maybe it was a good decision not to give any speach. For the players it was just another game of a bad season. New coach cames and counts on changing things from the first game, so he tries to talk the players into a fresh motivation, but if I were a player it whould just be another game in the season. There really was nothing special in the game against Nagoya Grampus accept it was my first carrier game. I could made a speach about that, but I was so ashamed about my lack of professional football that I did not mentioned it if I did not had to. 

"Good luck, gentleman. Just do your job." - That was it, my first speech as a football manager. Tactics? Game plan? Well, I had 3 practices with this guys so far, there was no game plan, just few general guides - attack, keep the ball in the midfield, defence plays long balls etc. These guys knew each other better than I knew them on that time, so I decided to just let them play, or at least thats what I wanted them to think. You see I was a bit terrified, but I knew I can't show that to the boys, so I decided to act a bit weird. Pretend to be quiet-genius and let them think that I'm not saying much on perpuse. Truth was that often I was afraid to say something stupid and make my self look like a fool. I needed more time to know them a bit, see who is who in this bunch, who should I be aware of and who can I coach my way. Till that time cames I will observe them and not let them see that my experience is rather teoretic.

They were a bit confused at the begining, but after a few minutes they realised that no matter what they do I'm not yelling at them, I was just watching the game with no emotions. Prabobly the players understanded that I want to see what they really got and I think they respected that before I started to forcing my own tactics into their game I wanted to see what it lookes like. That made them play at their best, becouse they knew that if they convince me that the can play well the way they do I won't be wasting their time to learn them my vision. I don't have any magic tactic to made team play better. I belive that every team is like a hand of cards. First you have to see what you have got and then you think how to win the game with it. Against Grampus I wanted to see how many aces I got there...

At the beginig there was a chaos... and thank god crossbar saved us from losing a goal, but after about ten minutes we started to take control. In 19th minute Hiroyama passed to Sakai and the striker put the ball in the net! Nearly nine tousand fans screamed from pleasure and for a few seconds I felt like a super hero. Then I saw the flag in the air and the goal was dissallowed. That made boys attack even harder and I was sure that the goal is the matter of time...and it was. Nagoya defender managed to collect the ball and played a long pass to the attacker, who escaped from the offside trap and got into a one-on-one situation with our keeper. It took two tries to finish but still the ball stopped in the net and Grampus took the lead. That was so unlucky and we all known it. Boys wanted to equal badly and till the end of the first half, they were bombarding the opponents goal but that bloody keeper was in his form on the day. In the half time break I did not give any big speach either, players were angry that they can't score and I just tried to calm them down a bit - "Take it easy, you're way better, you will score, do what you do so far".

But life is not a TV drama. 50th minute a free kick, taker strikes with furry Ghanian defender Benson deflects the ball and we are down by two. Some of the fans started to go forwards the exits. I don't blame them, team has a shitty season and the board replaces a manager with a total rookie insted of hireing some mission impossible specialist. Who whould want to see the rest of the game wich killed the hope...thankfully some of them did. Five minutes later Hiroyama was fouled and decided to take the freekick by himself. That moment when he step into the ball and put it exacly where he wanted I learnd who is the real leader in my team, becouse that's how leaders are made, under bad cicumstances. He was 24 year old and it was his 4th season in JEF United, an attacking midfielder with a good acceleration, pace and stamina plus a great when it cames to set pieces - Nozomi Hiroyama leader of my JEF United.

I made one substitute in the half time. Ryohei Nishiwaki for Takuma Sugano. I was planning it form the beginign, since both of them were young strikers and I simply wanna made a little, secret cometition out of this game. Niskiwaki prabobly figured it out, because what did not he do to impress me? Since the Hiroyama goal, team got a fresh fighting spirit and Niskiwaki was flying high. In 71st minute Ibata made a great pass to unmarked Niskiwaki and youngster kept his blood cold - 2:2!

Fans went crazy and I knew that we whould not lose this game. To tell the truth Grampus was way better team in the season and prabobly came to us for 3 points, but that did not matter now. Players were on fire, we got back from two goals down, fans started cheering like hell and players belived in themselfs again. Nagoya changed their tactics to attacking but I did not started to defend automaticly. I didn't want to keep the draw, I belived that the win is reacheble and we must reach for it even if we lose. Draw changed nothing, if I was to keep this team in the J-League I needed to start with a win. Nishiwaki had like a dozen of chances and got unlucky every time, so after regular time there was a draw. In Japan we have this golden goal extra time rule even in the league games. If the extra time won't bring goals then it's a draw.

So we still had 30 minutes or less of playing. This time I enterd the changing room gloving of confidence. I told the boys I want a win no matter what! Put a few strong words and a yelled some lift up sentences to fire the team up! I wanted them to go up there and smash those guys no matter who they are and where they came from. I wanted them to forget about the places in the table, bad season or vision of relegation. I just wanted them to live for this game like it was the most important game of their lifes! It sure was just one of hundread at the beging, but now things have changed.

Nagoya Grampus did not put a fight in the extra time. They just wanted a draw and seing how badly we want to win, they focused on defending the result. Maybe they counted on counter attack and mistakes like those that given them two goals but they should know that this kind of thinking is a suicide solution right now. When I saw the first few minutes of extra time and realised that Grampus is defending by any cost I was almost sure we will win this game. And we did! I took 20 minutes of extra time that went to the second half, but finally after all the shooting we managed to score the golden goal. Nishiwaki picked up loose ball and give it a try, keeper was there but the ball went back to Nishiwaki and this time he made no mistake. Stadium went crazy, everybody went crazy! All of a sudden people started to grab me, hug me, jump on me, players were running everywhere and fans were happy like crazy on the stands! When I had a moment of breath I took a chance and runned into the changing room to see Benson sitting already there. 

- What are you doing here? Why aren't you celebrating with your team?

- What should I celebrate coach? Own Goal? It's not my win, it was not my game.

- It's our win Owusu. I don't know what it was like before, but from now on we win together and lose together. God dammit we even draw together! Becouse today the team was born! Do you understand me Owusu?

- Yes coach.

- Good, now...

I was not able to finish the sentence as the half of the team flew into the room holding Nishiwaki in their hands. The truth is that this game could have gone either way and it did not had that big influence on the rest of our season. It's not like we started a series of wins and finished in the top 3 or anything but it showed me that a can be a manager, even though I don't have a big expiriance becuse I'm not the one who is playing, I'm just making decisions, rest is up to this people in front of me. I need to watch what they do and try to figure out what can be done better, but sometimes I just gonna be needing luck on my side, becouse a can manage the players but I can control their bodies and minds.

Ups and downs

The team spirit was flying high after the Grampus game, but next week we were playing Antlers away. Antlers are like Real Madrid when it cames to J-League. We lost 1:4 and things went back to normal. I know that I have a team that won't be able to fight for championship in this season and the players knew that too. There was no point of trying to tell them that they still have chance. We needed to avoid the relegation and thats all. So we won with S-Pulse and drawn with Sanfrecce and then came a series of away games... we lost them all. I though that we were just not much of an away winning team but things got complicated when we lost against Verdy at home. That year Verdy won the league, but that did not matter since everyone was sure we will somehow win the game. Still the game was pretty even and if in the end Olariu did not made the penalty and earn a red card at once, maybe we whould even drawn. But I guess I was only one who saw positive aspects in the game against Verdy. Fans, jurnalists and board saw only a 4th game lost in a row. Losing five games in a row and keeping a job is something like a miracle for a football manager. After game against Verdy I was called by chairman himself for a little talk.

- How do you see the future of your team?

- I think we're making progress and in the next season we will fight for the top 7 maybe even top 5 place.

- Next season? What about this one? You lost four games in a row! We can fight for top 5 in a lower division if things don't change soon. 

- Mr. Chariman this team will stay in the league, trust me.

- Oh I trust you! I was the one who decided to hire you in the first place. Board wanted some French guy who used to manage Bastia and La Havre, but I convinced them to try a domestic coach, a young coach, try something new. 

- Thank you sir...

- You don't understand me boy. I need some better results from you, last board meeting was all about convincing me to fire you and end my silly little rookie coach experiments. We get dozens of e-mails from fans, press is starting to put on a pressure, you better win me the next game or I will have to let you go son.

- With all the respect Mr. Chairman. I can't promise you to win the next game but I promise you to keep this team in the league and prepare it good for the next campain as this one has been dead even before I came here. Fireing me won't change anything. Another coach will came from France or Germany or Norway or whatever and still will need months to put an influance on the team, that just how it works in football. I'm not focusing on next game, I'm focusing on next few years, if you don't trust me enough to do my job my way, let me go now, why wait to the next game.

I know what you think - "This guy is mental" talking to board like that. Maybe I'm still a freshman with head full of belives but after few weeks in JEF United I did not carred what will happen. Team was losing and I needed time to fix this, there was on other way. I knew what is the problem. We were losing goals easily. Defence was bad and I tried all the players I had on this formation by the time. Transfers were not an option since JEF founds were gone so the only way was practice, time, practice, time... We lost another game but the board did not let me go. Two games to go we needed one win to stay in the league and we got it agains Jubilo, an easy one. Than of course we lost in the last game with FC Tokyo and I was thankfull that it was an away game, becouse fans were angry and ending season with a lost must have not made them much happier. All in all we landed on 12th place, wich is not that bad, specially when you look at the results. The last competition of the season was the Emperors Cup. Long story short we started compiting in 3rd round winning against Bellmare and got knocked out in the next game by Purple Sanga.

By the time we were playing Emperors Cup, maybe even earlier I was already thinking about next season. I knew that I did not changed the teams gameplay so far the way everyone extected and need to work hard in the off season to get some results in early spring. Before the end of the year I knew that no transfers will be possible, so I have to work on what I already have. By the time I still had faith that somehow the team will start to play better next year.

STATS

Team: JEF Utd

Country: Japan

Division: J-League

Games: 13

Wins: 4

Draws: 1

Losts: 8

League: 12th

Emperors Cup: 4th Round

RANKING PTS: 4

CHAPTER 2 - Dead End

SEASON 2001 - JEF United - Championsip Manager 00/01

I thought that the new season will bring the new team. I knew that there is a slight chance for transfers as the budget is low, but that did not bother me at all. I had high hopes on the off period, thinking that now I finally have time to prepare the team right and work on a tactic without the pressure. Back then If I knew that no metter what I will do and no matter how great tactic I will think of, the team will be losing anyway I whould resign and start to look for another job. The trough was that the team did not want me as a manager and I was too stupid to see that, to even think of that. Board knew and thats why they wanted to put a pressure on me to leave, they thought that I whould figure it out. But I was too naive to focus on anything beside training and tactics.

In the changing room everything looked pretty normal, but when I think of it now I see how virual that reality was. A few older players were pulling all the strings and as they were more or less my age, they did not like the fact, that a guy who never even was a pro player in his life, tells them what to do and how to play. Few months later I also find out that one of the players wanted to be sort of playing/manager and I basicly tooked his job. I had good language with younger players and forgeiners but they also knew that sooner or later I will go and they will stay, probably having one of their colegues as a new manager so they did not want to risk their place in the team.

Anyway when March arrived I felt quite confident about the work in the brake period could not wait for the first game. We lost 2:3 against Avispa and then another two games. I did not know what is happening. Now I know...

First win came in fourth game. It was one of this games were young players simply had enough of humiliation and were hungry for win. They put a brilliant show and even though part of the team tried hard to spoil the score, we won. Then another two losts. Again youngsters were doing good, but others were just standing and looking as rivals pass by. I can't belive I did not see what's going on. I can't belive someone did not came and talk to me. How could I be so blind and blame everything on bad luck and lack of concentration.

We won 2:1 against Marinos but than came the series of six games with no win. Against S-Pulse Olaroiu was sent off. He lost a place in the squad in another games and I thought he will be furious but he was not. Like he was enjoying watchng games from the stands. With or withouth him the defence was terrible and we waited till 19th May for another victory. After the game Olaroiu wanted to speak with me in private. First he asked about returning to the squad but after I told him I don't know yet who will play next week he smiled and started to be arogant.
- Maybe you won't be here next week?
- What do you mean by that.
- I don't know... the team is not doing good... you know...
- Yes we are not doing good, thats why you and the rest should focus more and practice harder.
- Maybe it's not about us...
- You better stop right there if you know what's good for you.
- Yeah... I know what's good form me all right. You're the one who can't understand it. You don't belong here. This is not your world my friend, you won't change anything, you should leave while you still have the chance to do it with honor.

I did not know what to say. Suddendly it all came out clear as summer sky. The team was against me. I had no choice. Game against Gamba was my last in JEF. Boys really shown me who is in charge. They took the lead when they wanted to and lost the goals when they decided to, just to show me that I do not control anything. The comedy ended 3:5 for the visitors. Few hours after the game I resigned. No one was suprised, it was like every one already knew about it. Message was clear - GO BACK TO THE SUNDAY LEAGUE ROOKIE!

STATS

Team: JEF Utd

Country: Japan

Division: J-League

Games: 15

Wins: 3

Draws: 3

Losts: 9

League: 13th

RANKING PTS: 3

CHAPTER 3 - Change of climate

SEASON 2001 - Yokohama FC - Championsip Manager 01/02

ALL Time STATS

Games: 28

Wins: 7

Draws: 4

Losts: 17

League Championships: 0

Domestic Cups: 0

International Trophies: 0

International Club Trophies: 0

SEASONS: 1

RANKING PTS: 7

SUCCESES

Individual

Players

Memorable Matches

22.06.2000 - Jeff United 3:2 Nagoya Grempus (J-League) - CARRIER DEBUT

BIO

16.06.2000 - 26.06.2001 - JEF United (Japan, J-League) - CM 00/01

??? - ??? - Yokohama FC (Japan) - CM 01/02

International BIO

none

Friends

none

Enemies

none

Favourite Players

none

Job opportunities

Lower Japan Divisions