Goalkeeper Crisis!
Part 15 | Yanbian FC | 延边足球俱乐部 | 연변축구 | FM23 Hardcore Mode
We Allowed A Goal
Yeah, yeah, we won 9-1. Yeah, yeah, it was a dominating performance. I know all that already.
But the problem here is that we allowed a goal.
Pietro Rovaglia had a hat trick this time around in our dominating win. He could have scored 6, actually, if he remembered how the offsides rule works. This is why Parra has had more game time.
Anyway, we’ve now won 12 straight, and aren’t showing any signs of stopping.
We’ve set numerous records already, and we’re only 12 games into a 46 game season. That’s right — you’re going to have a lot more of this to read as we move forward.
Song Wenjie was injured, but I’m not worried about that. We’ve got a lot of depth at both right back and left back.
The only problem we have is in goal.
Goalkeeper Crisis
You don’t believe me, do you? We’ve given up only 3 goals in 12 league matches, and have scored 75. I know that looks like a good record, even if you do consider the fact that we gave up 6 goals in 2 Chinese FA Cup matches.
But it is a crisis. Believe me.
I’m starting to hear rumblings about the crisis in the squad. It hasn’t become a huge problem yet, but there are players here and there who are concerned. You won’t see it in public, but they will tell you in private that they think we lack depth.
Of the goalkeepers currently owned by the club, the one with the highest asking price is Peng Peng. He’s on loan at Kunshan FC in the Chinese Super League, who wanted to loan him back right after we signed him.
I was a bit too hasty with that signing, and failed to note his consistency issues. He’s also played quite poorly so far this season, which does not bode well for his future. The board, by the way, is furious about me signing him.
After that is Hou Yu, who is on my bad list after giving up those 4 ridiculous goals to Qingdao Hainiu the other day. I really don’t want to start Hou Yu again. I’m hoping to put off having grey hair for a few more years, thank you very much.
We’re starting Zhang Yan now, who the coaches say doesn’t have the required ability or potential for our squad.
And that leaves… well, nobody. I mean, we could bring up Wu Ping, if we really wanted. He’s the 15-year-old who has low self belief but high ability. Maybe we could set up a mentoring unit for him.
Other than Wu Ping, the closest we have to anything is Sun Ya’nan. And he’s a long way off from the first team.
We paid quite a bit for Sun Ya’nan, by the way. It’s worth it for us to invest in his future. But, yeah, he’s not at the level we need him to be at right now to offer us much.
The scouts haven’t found many other Chinese goalkeepers worth our while, unfortunately.
Actually, with all the money Chairman Guo has, I’m tempted to throw it all around, buy up every Chinese goalkeeper, and then loan them back out to their parent clubs at a profit. Of course, that could backfire.
Fan Xiang Transfer Drama
It’s not really much of a drama, actually. Fan Xiang doesn’t seem to want to go. However, Kitchee in Hong Kong really want him.
The first offer was for 630,000 RMB, which is a joke.
I turned that one down right away.
The next one came in right afterwards, this time for 1,300,000 RMB. I turned that one down as well, but am going to keep an eye on the situation to see what comes of it.
Sure enough, Kitchee were right back in it, this time with a 1,800,000 RMB offer.
After I turned that one down, they came right back at me with a 2,750,000 RMB offer, which is about double what his estimated transfer value is.
I’ll be honest with you — part of me wants to sell him off while his value is high. Fan Xiang is a great leader, but he doesn’t have the ability to perform well for us at the next tier up.
But I’m not going to sell him for money that we don’t need. I mean, you don’t come across a good homegrown born leader every day. I’d much rather have him stay on as a fringe player as we improve.
That reminds me — Eastern apparently are interested in buying Ye Jie as well. Ye Jie is another player I would secretly like to sell, but I’m not convinced that I should break up the Three Musketeers so early in my career.
More Inner Mongolia Fun
We’re back to Inner Mongolia, this time to take on Neimenggu Caoshangfei.
They have a poor team, and we are setting records like it’s going out of style. This should be pretty easy.