Unflushables

The last five years have been a rollercoaster ride for C.F. Os Belenenses fans like myself, with the team getting relegated twice and twice being rescued because of other teams' troubles, financials or judiciaries.

The 2004-2005 season saw Belenenses finish in a comfortamble mid-table position (9th) 12 points clear of relegation, with Gabonese striker Henry Antchouet finishing fifth in the goal scorers classification.

The 2005-2006 season saw a struggling Belenenses' side finish fourth from bottom because of a worst score in games played against Academica Coimbra and Naval, who finished even on points with the Azuis. But despite the reduction of teams in the top flgiht from 18 to 16 which meant that 4 teams were getting relegated that year, Belenenses maintained its spot in the Portuguese Superliga thanks to what became the Caso Mateus, the scandal that sent Gil Vicente down into the Liga de Honra allowing the Azuis to avoid relegation.

The 2006-2007 season has been probably the most spectacular and gratifying for the Belenenses supporters in more than 15 years (and was directly followed by yours truly throughout the runs in the league and the Cup). With Jorge Jesús at the helm the Belenenses players, after a shaky start, blended wonderfully together and lead by Silas, Zé Pedro and Dady reached the Portuguese Cup Final (with highlights being a come-from-behind 2-1 victory away at Bragança in the quarterfinals and an epic extra-time victory against Sporting Braga in the semifinal) and finished 5th in the league one point shy of fourth place. The Portuguese Cup final, played in the Estadio Nacional, saw Sporting Lisbon claim a 1-0 win with a late goal from Liedson thanks to a Pedro Proença's decision not to allow Cândido Costa (Belenenses' full-back) back on the pitch after medication and before the decisive corner kick.

There were high expectations for the 2007-2008 season, but the team underperformed and was yet again involved in a scandal, this time on the losing side, when they signed Cameroonian striker Meyong on loan from Levante and played him in the Liga, officially unaware that the player had already seen action with two different teams that season hence being ineligible to play for a third under FIFA rules. For this reason Belenenses was deducted 3 points in the table and finished 8th, yet again one point below Sporting Braga, but this time this single point meant that Belenenses was out of Europe, with the minhotos claiming the last available spot.

The 2007-2008 season didn't see only the Meyong affair, but also the final word on the Apito Dourado one, which involved the (attempted or actual) bribery of referees by the Porto's teams, F.C. Porto and Boavista, with the former being penalized 6 points in the table and the latter being relegated to the Liga de Honra despite finishing 10th in the table.

The 2008-2009 season was even more frustrating than the 2005-2006 one, since Belenenses played well below its potential, changed the manager twice in 28 matches and let good chances of avoiding relegation slip between its fingers too many times conceding points in games where they could have easily gotten the win or at least draws. The team finished 15th out of 16 teams with 34 points and was hence relegated. But once again something happened, this time closer to Lisbon where Estrela Amadora was having serious financial troubles and the Portuguese Federation in the end rejected the suburbs' team inscription to the Superliga hence giving the guys from Belém another shot in the big show.

The 2009-2010 season kicked off last week and Belenenses earned a good point away in Matosinhos against a good Leixões team that finished in the top half of the table last season. The Azuis had to thank their new goalkeeper Nélson, who plays with number 3 and comes ironically from the Estrela Amadora team that allowed Belenenses to avoid being relegated, who made a crucial one-on-one save in the 69th minute.

This year Belenenses has a new manager, João Carlos Pereira, and a team that is fairly young compared to other teams in the Superliga despite the latest acquisition (33yo central defender Beto) being one that goes for experience rather than youth.

Tomorrow this new Belenenses team will make its home debut against Naval at 21.15 CEST, a game that I'll try to watch through a stream and then comment on here.