Category: Abdi

Manager: Abdi (Somalia)

Twitter name: @abdinw1

Since: 2010

Last season: 8th

Trophy cabinet: Canesten Combi Cup winner 2012/13

Sympathies: Arsenal

Darts music: The Trumpet Hornpipe

Outlook (on 24 September 2013): Spartak Mogadishu stunned the whole league in May when they lifted their first piece of the silverware, the Canesten Combi Cup. Not writing anything down and drinking heavily, the manager traditionally approached auctions with the gay abandon of an Al-Shabab shopping spree, and his reputation of firebrand was galvanised when he became the first manager to resign in the middle of an auction at the Emmanuel Olisadebe 2012 Euros. Attending last month’s all-dayer for the first time outside of Ramadan appeared to temper the Somali, and he even hooked some worthwhile players.

At the unveiling of the new squad at the club’s Spyglass Hill training facility, the manager admitted he felt slightly hornswoggled at the purchase of Glenn Murray, who’s been on crutches since May and will continue to be for some time. In Robert van Wolfswinkel, Marco van Ginkel and Johnny Heitinga, the manager has three players to feature in the national side for Holland, a country known throughout history for its maritime tradition. Hernandez, Lallana, Kolarov and Jaaskelainen all started the season in strong form.

Despite this Spartak are not managing to gel and slipping down the table with each passing week. In the Kenna there’s a very fine line between success or failure; between a white, sandy Caribbean island, a crate of rum and Keira Knightly, or five minutes in the upstairs room of a tavern with a toothless crone.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3nM2Ul4rLU&w=420&h=315]

(B) denotes forfeit player awarded under the Titus Bramble ruling.

Jaaskelainen, J	WHM	£12m
Chiriches, V	TOT	£2.5m
Kolarov, A	MCY	£10m
Gabbidon, D	CRY	£3.5m
Olsson, J	WBA	£1m
Lallana, A	SOT	£12m
Cleverley, T	MUN	£7m
Hernandez, P	SWA	£15m
Barkley, R	EVE	£8.5m
van Wolfswinkel, R	NOR	£13m
Jones, K	CAR	£0.5m
		£85m

First transfer window – 5 October 2013

Starting budget: £12.5m, remaining budget: £1.5m, net loss £11m

Out				In
Pos	Player	Team	Sold	Pos	Player	Team	Paid
DEF	Bramble, T	FAG	Free	DEF	Taylor, A	CAR	£0.5m
DEF	Heitinga, J	EVE	Free	DEF	Olsson, J	WBA	£1.0m
MID	Van Ginkel, M	CHE	Free	MID	Barkley, R	EVE	£8.5m
STR	Murray, G	CRY	Free	STR	Gayle, D	CHE	£0.5m
				STR	Kone, A (released on a free)	EVE	£0.5m

Second transfer window – 7 February 2014

Out				In
Pos	Player	Team	Sold	Pos	Player	Team	Paid
DEF	Taylor, A	CAR	Free	DEF	Chiriches, V	TOT	£2.5m
DEF	Shotton, R	STO	Free	DEF	Gabbidon, D	CRY	£3.5m
STR	Gayle, D	CRY	£0.5m	STR	Jones, K	CAR	£0.5m