 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 21 September 2011 11:50 |
Liga Orangina: the story so farPortugal's second tier up and running After a summer in which no fewer than seven of the participating teams changed coaches, the opening rounds of the Liga Orangina season were always going to provide plenty of unexpected moments, and so it has proved. Ben Shave reports on the early runners and riders in Portugal’s second tier.
The performances of Gil Vicente and Feirense in the Liga so far have shown that whilst it might not be afforded the same wall-to-wall media coverage as its more illustrious relation, the Liga Orangina is not a division lacking in quality. The two games broadcast each weekend are generally entertaining, evenly contested, and provide a showcase for a host of young, home-grown players who are unable to find space in top-flight squads. After four rounds, top of the pile are Atletico Clube de Portugal, making their return to Portugal’s professional leagues after a 34-year absence. One of Portuguese football’s most historic clubs, Atletico were rocked over the summer by the departure of coach Antonio Oliveira, but replacement Joao de Deus has hit the ground running, with three wins and a draw. Atletico’s early form has been based on an excellent defence: Australian/American goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell has adapted quickly to life in Portugal, whilst veteran Luis Dias has marshalled a trio of promising youngsters: Stephane, Vitor Bastos (on loan from Guimaraes) and Goncalo Silva. Last season’s top scorer Tiago Caeiro has also started well, with another American, Tony Taylor, chipping in with a goal against Trofense this past weekend. Familiar names in the mix Whether Atletico can sustain their early pace remains to be seen, with a couple of perennial promotion contenders in Oliveirense and Leixoes close behind. The former just missed out on promotion last season, but have kept faith with Pedro Miguel and held on to many of their 2010/11 squad. The only potential problem for the team from Oliveira de Azemeis looks to be goals: Miguel’s men have found the net just three times in their opening four games, and much will depend on Sassa, a summer signing from Setubal. Top scorers so far are Penafiel, who finished an unremarkable 12th in 2010/11 but have hit eight goals in their opening four games, as well as six without reply against Rebordasa in the Taca. Centre-back Allyson, signed from Bahia de Feira in Brazil, has managed three in four starts, whilst young winger Pedro Coronas has continued to develop nicely, having been brought along slowly last season. Like Atletico, Uniao Madeira lost their coach over the summer despite winning promotion, but like Atletico, they have moved on quickly. Joao Abel, a former physical preparation coach at Nacional and Maritimo, has been handed his first head coaching opportunity at Funchal’s ‘other’ club, and has made an entertaining start, though Uniao’s defensive shortcomings may well tell eventually. It promises to be a busy season for Englishman and friend of PortuGOAL Matt Jones, who joined the club during the close season. The boys from Belem Level on points with Uniao are Belenenses, who off the pitch continue to struggle mightily with a host of financial problems, but on the pitch, have at their disposal a clutch of promising youngsters. The pick of the bunch is undoubtedly Miguel Rosa (pictured celebrating with fellow Benfica loanee Leo Kanu): owned by Benfica and a product of the Eagles’ youth system, the attacking midfielder hit a hat-trick against Leixoes in an unforgettable 5-3 Bwin Cup victory, and along with Fredy and Abel Camara, looks set to fire Jose Mota’s men to a promotion push. The curiously named midfielder Fabio Sturgeon is also worth keeping an eye on, the 17 year-old winger having been promoted from last season’s Under-19 ranks. Arouca were arguably the story of last season’s championship, but the rural club have not had the smoothest of summers: top scorer Jeremie N’Jock joined Moreirense, whilst the wily veteran coach Henrique Nunes yesterday departed, by mutual consent. Replacement Vitor Oliveira, who himself boasts over two decades of coaching experience, may have a job on his hands. Elsewhere, Santa Clara did well to hang onto Bruno Moura, with the trainer reportedly Vitor Pereira’s first choice to become his assistant at Porto. The Azores club have made an inconsistent start: an impressive 2-1 victory at Leixoes was followed by a home defeat to Atletico, and a 1-1 draw at Penafiel, which saw a remarkable four players dismissed for Os Açoreanos. Naval - a potential wildcard?Another club who have made a slow start but should rise up the rankings are Naval. Following their relegation from the top flight, President Aprigo Santos made the questionable decision to relieve Carlos Mozer of his coaching duties, despite the fact that the former Benfica idol almost saved the Figueira da Foz club from the drop. Mozer’s replacement, Daniel Ramos, led Uniao to promotion from the II Divisao in 2010/11, but has thus far struggled to gel a new-look squad. That said, the likes of Carlos Fernandes and Delson (both released by Olhanense), as well as former Setubal captain Sandro, should eventually show their worth, whilst young centre-forward Roberto managed nineteen goals for Tirsense last season, and should play a significant role going forward. Trofense, who missed out on promotion by a single point last season, and Portimonense, who were relegated from the top flight and almost went to the financial wall during the summer, currently prop up the table. Trofense in particular look set for a tough campaign: the failure to win promotion has precipitated some serious cost-cutting in Trofa, with the likes of Igor, Joao Dias, Varela, Nildo, Lica, Serginho and Filipe Goncalves all moving on. The veteran midfield duo of Tiago (who began his professional career with the club in 1992) and Jose Manuel may not be enough to save the northern side from a relegation dogfight. Portimonense are in a similar position, though Joao Bastos does at least still have captain and club stalwart Ricardo Pessoa. The 29 year-old right-back (pictured) has pledged his loyalty to the Algarve club despite their parlous financial state, and his leadership skills will surely be invaluable over the coming months. Ben Shave Keep track of all the action from the Liga Orangina this season here at PortuGOAL. |
John (USA), i think you meant to say Wesley (now at Vaslui) as Leixões' goalscorer. Btw, it's Jorge, not Gorge.
Love the website. Keep it up!
Luís Santos
The crest used to look just like Benfica's except for the C.D.S.C. The saying on the banner was also different.
Like I said, I do like the new crest.
If you go to their website,
http://www.cdsantaclara.pt/clube.php?familia=8
this page shows a history of the crest/logo.
I actually prefer the one on the page instead of the circle on the jersey.
Boavista still has one of the best jersey's around. This seaons jersey has big squares. Nice, but I admit that I like the smaller ones better. They won;t be a easy get abroad, since they are from Kappa.
I also noticed that there's no jersey sponsor. You would figure that a good way to incorporate itself back into the community, maybe they would use some local businesses for less money. Crazy huh.
I know that the Alentejo region has has a bit of a resurgency, due to wine. But is there enough interest to maintain a club at the top level?
The club was a couple of days away from being demoted to the Porto district league, as they owed 33 creditors a total of circa €2m, but they managed to get those creditors to waive the debts, and began their season last night (it should have started at the beginning of the month) with a 1-1 draw at home to Aliados Lordelo...
Ben
I had read a few years back that a Russian investor had paid 9 million euro's for a 20% stake in Boavista when it was still in the top flight, does any one know what happened to that deal? I also read about them a couple of weeks ago in A Bola and the article said their finances were still in dire straights. There was some vague hope of getting a residual payment from Raul Meirele's move to Chelsea, but that isn't going to happen.
I would like to see them make a Fiorentina style phoenix from the ashes come back, they definetly added something to Portuguese football, I remember when they won the league they contributed 5 players to the seleccao.
And the rivalry with Porto was always good to watch.
Seriously it would be fantastic if one day Belenenses, Boavista, Salgueiros and Farense were back in our league. Great fan base clubs with a beautiful history.
What about Campomaiorense in Alentejo, this great region? It is impossible the local support in Alentejo, they just prefer to support one red team from Lisbon... perhaps if someone in Alentejo has the brilliant idea of creating a team with a symbol like Santa Clara things can change for the better lol
Madeira actually has another 2 or 3 teams down in the regional division to i believe such as Camacha, cant remember the others off the top of my head but there is a few.
Good to hear of a Uniao vs Maritimo meeting im sure that fact that its been awhile will be a special occasion plus the fact that Maritimo have a tendency to lose to teams they shouldnt lose to in cup matches should make it very interesting.
Since there is alot of talk about Belenenses i wanted to throw in that while i would love to see them back in first division would it really be the best thing for them with the financial crisis the club is going through?
I want them to come back up but not at the risk of getting more debt, having less quality players and possibly being bankrupt or demoted even lower than the Liga Orangina. I want their debts sorted out first so they can just concentrate on good football, getting a strong squad and getting respect back into the club.
From time to time I wonder about Boavista, they have had one of the worst collapses in recent history and it would be great to see them rebuild again. You would think there would be some rich chop that would buy the club’s rights on the cheap and bring it back up. If they ever pulled it off I think they would get a good amount of fans again.
I'm hoping they get back up to the SuperLiga.
Raffy, they might not get promoted but União will play Marítimo in the 2nd round of the Bwin Cup, the draw was made earlier today. Should be a great Funchal derby, they haven't played each other since 1995. Hopefully one of the TV channels picks it up.
Agree with both of you on Varzim, it's a sad state of affairs. Funnily enough, Fábio Coentrão's cousin Rui made his debut for them a couple of weeks ago, one to keep an eye on...
NJ, I think Atlético should be back at the Tapadinha in the new year, as long as the renovations are completed by then. It's a wonderful stadium, so fingers crossed..
Ben
As everyone knows, I'm a Benfiquista, but I try to do my part in supporting the local club. I have always tried to go to a Belenenses match while in Portugal, due to their proximity to where I stay.
I was completely thrilled that Atletico Clube de Portugal had been promoted to Liga de Honra. They played at the Estadio da Tapadinha (holds 15,000), which is even closer to where I stay. Unfortunately, they are playing their home matches at the Estadio Jose Gomes (holds 11,500), in Amadora. The stadium used to be home to Estrela Amadora which disbanded after financial collapse in 2009. In any case, it's great to see them up top. When I went and looked them up before the season, their website contained mostly info in regards to their swimming programs. The football team was more of an afterthought. when I tried to check it again today, their website was down Maybe its due to all the traffic (lol).
This season, although the financial issues are well documented, Belenenses are actually attracting a crowd to the games. The totals being, 921 & 803 for early Cup matches. More impressive are the 2,092 & 1,735 that have showed for the league matches. This club has a rich history in Portuguese football and should be in the SuperLiga.
Still not happy that Varzim got relegated last year they had alot to offer as a club and now they are just rotting in the regional divisions, its hard to claw your way back up from there.
If i had it my way Uniao and Belenenses would gain promotion.