29th August 2017 marks ten years to the very day that Roostophe registered on Xpert Eleven, and the manager has been reflecting on the times, the teams...
...and realising what little he achieved.
Ever since he registered on 29th August 2007, Roo has been nothing more than just another manager making up the numbers, and his record proves it.
In the Golden League, only twice has he ever gone up beyond Division 5, and that includes this season. However, his team Shinjuku Station is clearly in a transitional phase as the old guard makes way for youngsters with plenty of potential. This means they are certs to go straight back down again, fortunately in 6th place rather than 8th.
Shinjuku, a team Roo created and managed since March 2010, are now pretty much an established Division 5 team, which is progress when you consider how Roo's first Golden League team reached Division 5 only once back in 2009 and were even worse than Aston Villa in 2016.
Oh, yeah, seeing their promising rise and humiliating fall in the past decade has been more eventful than Roo's entire Xpert career. More bitter, as well. Parallel as well: 2007 had so much promise and excitement, but 2017 is making you wonder just what the bloomin' heck happened!
In their seven-year history, Shinjuku have won just one Division 6 and Division 7 title. Their rise into Division 4 coming purely through play-off success. A cup run has never gone beyond the 5th round.
Aside from the Golden League team, there is also a venture into the Xpert Ladies with Shinjuku Nadeshiko. Taking charge in 2012, Roo has achieved only better success with two Division 6 and two Division 7 titles. Nadeshiko is also responsible for producing Kaneko Uekusa, arguably the greatest-ever player in any of Roo's handful of clubs. A striker and part of a formidable partnership up front with Chisato Fukushige; the two have amassed a total of 258 goals together, 141 of which are Uekusa's.
The two are still playing, but are now 35 and their best years are definitely behind them. Nadeshiko have managed to consolidate a spot in Division 5, but have struggled in the first few games of the current Ladies season. More transition, it would seem.
Outside of the Official League, there is little to shout about. His current private team, managed since 2008, is rubbish and always has been rubbish. He once had a team in a highly-ranked and well-known private league until the league was deleted by its' admin. However, the most success he ever had was in the original private league he originally joined in 2007. He was poor at first, and that's putting it politely, but was soon able to amass a squad that went on to win that league's championship two times.
And that's it.
That's all he has ever won.
No Golden League Championships.
No Golden League Cups.
No foray into the Xpert Champions League.
No Xpert Ladies Championships.
No Xpert Ladies Cup.
No Manager of the Week.
No Team of the Month.
No thing.
That trophy cabinet is bare; even Birmingham City FC have won something in that time and that's a rather sickening thought.
Aside from that, perhaps it's a little testament to the game that he's stuck for such a long time. Wanting to build a good team entirely of Academy-grown players has been his thing for a good number of years, and with the influx of youngsters at both Shinjuku teams, looks like he will be staying for a while longer.
Another ten years? We'll see. Maybe he can actually WIN SOMETHING WORTHWHILE by 2027. That also goes for Aston Villa too.
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