Božović shock in Montenegro

After leading FK Budućnost to top spot at the midway point of the inaugural Montenegrin season, coach Miodrag Božović caused a shock by defecting to tiny FK Grbalj.

Podgorica pressure
The 40-year-old went into the winter break with his side firmly on top in the league, with 13 wins and four draws from their 17 league games. Yet despite that success, Božović walked away, claiming he found the pressure from the club's directors too much to bear.

Unpleasant atmosphere
"From the start of the season I had a sword hanging over my head," he said. "I couldn't communicate with the club officials. We had good results but they always told me we weren't playing well, even though we lost only one game in the first half of the season. With results like that, you can't be playing badly. In that atmosphere, I couldn't function normally."

Cup defeat
The only defeat that the Podgorica side suffered under Božović came against their main rivals, FK Zeta, in the Montenegrin Cup. Having won the first leg of the last-16 tie 2-0, they lost 3-0 in Golubovici to bow out. "It was just a bad day and did not justify the kind of heavy criticism I got from the management of the club," said Božović.

Downward step
Having previously played for Budućnost, FK Crvena Zvezda and Belgian sides RKC Waalwijk and RBC Roosendal, Božović learned his coaching craft in Serbia at NK Hajduk Beograd and FK Borac. He also had a spell with AEP Paphos FC in Cyprus yet this latest move – from Budućnost to third-placed Grbalj – has prompted plenty of raised eyebrows.

Bigger challenge
Božovic, nicknamed 'The Count', justified his decision to jump ship to the relatively modest side from Radanovici with a reference to Grbalj's forthcoming appearance in the Montenegrin Cup semi-finals. He said: "It's silly to compare Budućnost and Grbalj, but reaching the final or winning the cup with Grbalj would be a bigger achievement than winning the title with Budućnost."

Career goals
The coach is looking to earn his UEFA Pro Licence in the coming months, and once the Budućnost debacle is behind him, he hopes to fulfil the second of his great footballing ambitions. "I had two wishes in my coaching career – to lead Budućnost and Crvena Zvezda," he said. "The first has come true so now I will work on the other. Budućnost and Zvezda are my only footballing loves."