Season 4 – 2010

A close shave.

The State Championships saw us grouped with Grêmio (again) and four other teams who should have been there to make up the numbers. It didn’t quite turn out that way as Gaúcho beat us home and away to take some of the gloss off our first victory over Grêmio. Ultimately, we finished third in the group and were disappointed not to have topped it.

The next round saw us drawn with both Grêmio and Internacional in possibly the toughest imaginable group. Unsurprisingly we finished third and failed to take a point of either of the big clubs though we were significantly better than São José who failed to score a goal. Internacional won the group and went on to successfully defend their title (yet again) in the final.

Being a Serié A side also meant that we qualified to take part in the Copa do Brasil for the first time. Aside from the First Round matches against Operário (0-0 and 4-1) we were to struggle as an injury to Silva left as light in attack. The Second Round match against Remo required a penalty shoot-out after both sides won their home leg 2-1 and the Third Round tie against Coritiba (who were losing finalists) was a round too far for my patched up side who lost both legs (3-2 and 2-1).

Our first season in Serié A was expected to be a struggle but incredibly after four games we sat in fourth place with seven points. Things would take a distinct turn for the worse over the coming months however, and a run of just two wins in the next twelve games saw us sit in a much more realistic position near the foot of the table. Injuries continued to blight the season and once the suspensions began to mount it was increasingly difficult to field a settled side, never mind a strong one. Entering the last six games of the season we were just one place above the relegation zone and anchored to the bottom of the form table. Our fixtures were also much more difficult than those of the teams around us, though for the first time since the State Championships I had all of my best players available for selection. Two solid performances gained draws from games against Palmeiras (0-0) and São Paulo (1-1) to leave us level on points with São Caetano, Náutico and Botafogo with two games to play (one of which was against rivals and bogey side Grêmio). Our penultimate match was at home against an injury ravaged Flamengo (who were still heavy favourites for the match). A 3-1 victory and all our rivals losing guaranteed that we would play Serié A football next season regardless of final day results (we had managed to win more games than our rivals), which was lucky to say the least as we continued our habit of being beaten by Grêmio while both São Caetano and Náutico won.

Season Overview.

Finances.

Playing in front of larger crowds on a regular basis helped the club’s finances massively, cutting the debt by almost half. Had we progressed further in the Copa do Brasil it’s likely that the debt would have been wiped out as our Third Round exit came without us meeting any particularly big sides. A net gain in transfers of £1.1m wasn’t as impressive as it could have been due to much of the income being based on bonuses and clauses, while the expenditure was immediate.

Team Performances.

Considering the fact that we were playing in a higher division and spent large parts of the season unable to field anything resembling our strongest side, it would be wrong to be critical of such a close brush with relegation. Had the likes of Silva, Everton and Kerlon been available for more games it’s likely that games which were lost by the odd goal would have turned into draws or even victories.

Transfers.

Despite the promotion to the top flight it was difficult to sign players in the early season window. By the time the second window arrived it was a case of buying players to fight the threat of relegation rather than improve the squad. In the event Rômulo was the only player signed that had been targeted early season and he proved his worth with some good attacking play in the latter matches.

Japa and Silva (a left-back, not the club’s star striker) were both reserve team players who were never going to make an impact at the club and the fees from their transfers helped a little with the club’s financial position. The sale of Rodrigo was something of a blow as he carried the midfield for much of the season when other players were injured. Unfortunately the £1.5m fee looks better than it actually was as the cash and bonus payments are spread over long periods. This deal also saw Léo move to the club as a player exchange.