New kid on the block

[dydysanchez]

I recently started a new career based on a challenge made on one forum cant recall which one. I started the game, took control of Chelsea, resigned without doing anything and applied for available jobs. Which meant that I was starting from the bottom of the ladder. The aim of the challenge was to win the EPL in the shortest possible time. But as for my career I wanted to win everything there is to win. Btw i started with English (All), German, Italian and Spanish leagues loaded together with crickie's latest update. And so my journey begins...

Season 1 (08/09) Part I

Season 1 (08/09) Part II

Season 2 (09/10)

[dydysanchez]

SEASON 1 (08/09) Part I

Club 		- Cambridge United
Division 	- English Blue Square Premier
Expectations 	- Playoff
Budget 		- 12k
Date Started 	- 13 June 08

My first job offer was from Cambridge United and I gladly snapped up the job. Had a very small squad and small budget so had to look in the free transfer market to improve my squad depth. Some higher profile names which joined on a free were Alan Navarro and Luke Rodgers among others. Mark Bryne was also brought in on loan from Nottingham Forest.

Playing with a 3-1-4-2 formation, Cambridge opened the pre-season friendlies with a 2-1 win over Sheff Wed. However losses against higher level opposition in Reading and Wolves did bring down the morale. But when the league kicked off, things got better for the new manager and his charges. Lee Phillips and Luke Rodgers were banging in the goals for the team, and with Malvin Kamara and Daryl McMahon supplying the assists from the wings, Cambridge were scoring goals for fun. So it wasnt of a surprise as they found themselves leading the league from the 6th week onwards.

But as they always say, all good things come to an end. I got a new job offer. The EPL came calling. Everton, who lost their manager David Moyes to Arsenal, wanted to see what the rookie manager could do in the top flight. And so I packed my bags and headed to Merseyside.

BSP TABLE BEFORE EVERTON JOB.

[color="Green"]1st Cambridge	P31 W23 D4 L4 F65 A25 GD40 Pts73[/color]
2nd Mansfield	P31 W19 D9 L3 F67 A28 GD39 Pts66
3rd Luton	P31 W19 D8 L4 F54 A19 GD35 Pts65

MANAGER STATS.

Games Played 	- 41
Games Won 	- 30 (73.2%)
Games Drawn 	- 6  (14.6%)
Games Lost 	- 5  (12.2%)
Goals For 	- 96 (2.34 p/m)
Goals Against 	- 36 (0.88 p/m)
Leagues Won 	- 0
Cups Won 	- 0
Manager Pts 	- 170

TO BE CONTINUED...

[marks 2009]

Good read so far, wp

[dydysanchez]

SEASON 1 (08/09) Part II

Club 		- Everton
Division 	- English Premier League
Expectations 	- Playoff
Budget 		- 22m
Date Started 	- 1 Feb 09

So bringing my trusty 3-1-4-2 formation to Merseyside, I embarked on a new journey. I inherited a very good squad but also a very thin one. Not many able replacements should my first choice players get injured. Lescott was out injured so i had to play Neville as one of my centre halves. And the worst part was, the transfer window was closed. Which means i had to wait till the end of the season before i could improve my squad.

My first game was a 2-1 victory over Fulham. Yakubu was quick to impress his new manager with a brace to seal the points. This was followed by a 4-0 thumping of Wigan. But the early joy was shortlived. 2 straight 1-0 losses to Reading and Blackburn followed, the first one knocked me out of the FA Cup. Lescott returned and i began to see a better side. Only 1 defeat in the last 12 games of the season, a 1-0 reversal to Liverpool in the second last round of the season. Impressive results included 1-0 win over Arsenal and a 5-1 trashing of Sunderland. We ended the season in 3rd, one place better than when i took over.

EPL TABLE

1st Chelsea 	P38 W25 D6  L7 F66 A30 GD36 Pts81
2nd Man Utd 	P38 W20 D11 L7 F69 A35 GD34 Pts71
[color="Green"]3rd Everton 	P38 W20 D9  L9 F53 A34 GD19 Pts69[/color]

My old team Cambridge went on to win the BSP holding off second placed Luton by 2 points. The also reached the final of the FA Trophy only to lose out to Luton.

BSP TABLE

1st Cambridge	P46 W33 D6 L7 F97 A44 GD53 Pts105

So the first season started and ended on a good note. I'm really enjoying myself in the EPL and look forward to challenging Chelsea next season.

Games Played 	- 57
Games Won 	- 40 (70.2%)
Games Drawn 	- 9  (15.8%)
Games Lost 	- 8  (14.0%)
Goals For 	- 121 (2.12 p/m)
Goals Against 	- 46 (0.81 p/m)
Leagues Won 	- 0
Cups Won 	- 0
Manager Pts 	- 228

TO BE CONTINUED...

[dydysanchez]

Season 2 (09/10)

Division -	English Premier Division
Expectations - 	Respectable league position
Budget - 	20m

With the new season looming closer, I had to strenghten my squad. So I went to the free transfer market where there were some class players available. I took in youngsters Pavel Mamayev and Abdulkadir Kayali to provide cover for Feillani. Solomon Kalou was brought in to play on the left side of midfield. Bruno Gama was backup for Arteta on the right wing. Defensive backups included Mancienne and young Davide Santon. But the best deal was definitely Theo Walcott, who could play anywhere across the midfield and also upfront. I also splashed out 5m pounds on Jorge Valdivia, a proven international who would fight for a place in central midfield with Cahill, Pienaar and Osman. Tony Hibbert was the only player to leave after being deemed surplus to requirements. As for loans, I brought in Manone and Alex Sanchez, 2 young goalkeepers who would be cover to Tim Howard in cup games. And finally, my squad was more complete with proven players providing backup for the regular starters.

Pre-season started fine. A 1-1 draw against Greek side Olympiakos showed that Everton were slowly gelling. Wins against Preston and Northampton followed and things were looking good for the blue side of Merseyside. Everton also qualified for the group stages of the ECC at the expense of Sparta Prague, winning 6-0 on aggregate. We were drawn against Barcelona, Vaslui and Werder Bremen in the group stages.

The season started fine with a 15 match unbeaten run which ended with a 1-0 defeat to Hull. But we dropped too many points due to drawing too many games. A total of 14 draws in the league and we ended up in 4th place. Goalscoring was also another problem. Only 98 goals in 65 games in all competitions. We were knocked out of the League Cup in the semis with a 2-0 agg loss to Man City.

EPL TABLE

1st Man Utd 	P38 W24 D11 L3 F76 A25 GD51 Pts83
2nd Chelsea 	P38 W21 D11 L6 F58 A29 GD29 Pts74
3rd Liverpool 	P38 W18 D15 L5 F61 A39 GD22 Pts69[color="Green"]
4th Everton 	P38 W18 D14 L6 F43 A17 GD26 Pts68[/color]

With the league done and dusted, we had 2 major cup finals coming up, the ECC final agianst Real Madrid and the FA Cup final against Ipswich. Took an early lead against Real but they forced a goal. And the match went to penalties. Benzema and Ronaldo missed and Everton were the kings of Europe. Ecstacy for the club, players and fans alike.

ROAD TO ECC

2nd Rnd 1st Leg		Shakhtar    (A)	 W 2-0
2nd Rnd 2nd Leg		Shakatar    (H)	 D 1-1
QF 1st Leg		AA Gent     (H)	 W 3-1
QF 2nd Leg		AA Gent     (A)	 D 1-1
SF 1st Leg		AC Milan    (H)	 W 1-0
SF 2nd Leg		AC Milan    (A)	 D 0-0
Final			Real Madrid (N)  D 1-1 (4-3 on Pens)

A few days later, Ipswich were the opponents at Wembley. Everton looked jaded after their gruelling encounter with the Galacticos. Goals from Yakubu and Arteta gave us a commanding 2-0 lead. But Ipswich fought back and we were in our second penalty shootout in days. And as they say, not everyday is Sunday. This time we were the losers as Ipswich overcame the odds and lifted the FA Cup.

MANAGER STATS

Games Played 	- 122
Games Won 	- 76  (62.3%)
Games Drawn 	- 30  (24.6%)
Games Lost 	- 16  (13.1%)
Goals For 	- 219 (1.80 p/m)
Goals Against 	- 77  (0.63 p/m)
Leagues Won 	- 0
Cups Won 	- 1
Manager Pts 	- 658

All in all, a very successful season, first ever piece of silverware and what better competition to win it than the ECC. Although league success still eludes me, I'm sure with one or two new players we can do even better next season. Of my new players, only Kalou and Valdivia had a place in the first team. Kalou was disappointing. 1 goal and 10 assists in 44 games on the left wing. Valdivia did much better. 16 goals and 5 assists from central midfield. My best performer by far was Feillani. Only 7 assists to show for but an average rating of 7.74 in the DMC role. And on a sidenote, my personal stepping stone, Cambridge finished 3rd in League 2 and won automatic promotion to League 1. And they are still using my 3-1-4-2. I know I'll be back there one day.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[dydysanchez]

Season 3 (10/11)

Division -	English Premier Division
Expectations - 	Cup Glory
Budget - 	36m

Not many transfers this season, Hummels came in as defensive cover, Nigel de Jong and Arshavin were unwanted by their respective clubs and snapped up. More players left than those who joined the club. Baines, Yobo, Cahill and Osman were out of the team and I decided to cash in before their value decreases as there were approaching their 30's. Kayali also left for Man City 11.25m including a 50% sell on. I let him go as i had plenty of DMC cover available.

Pre-Season was fine. 3 wins scoring 8 and conceding none. But the league kick off was poor. A draw with Nottingham Forest and a lost to Birmingham in my first 2 games. Met Barcelona next in the Euro Super Cup. My second piece of silverware, a 1-0 victory over the Catalan giants. That sparked a 22 game unbeaten run in all competitions and a surge up the EPL table to second place. But still, the fans and the board expected more. Fans gathered outside the training ground to protest and the board handed me a warning. With the January transfer window approaching, I had to do something quick.

When the window re-opened, Angel Di Maria and Francisco Ochoa was brought in. Di Maria was to replace Kalou who had yet another mediocre season while Ochoa took Howard's place in goal. Howard only concedded 16 goals in 35 games but a change was much needed. The transfers sparked life into a talented squad and results began to show.

The League Cup was wrapped up with a 2-0 win over Newcastle. 3rd round exit in the FA Cup and a ECC quarter final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich helped as we could concentrate more on the league. And concentrate we did as we won the league 4 points clear of 2nd placed Chelsea.

ROAD TO LEAGUE CUP.

3rd Rnd		Reading	    (A)	 W 2-0
4th Rnd		Portsmouth  (A)	 W 1-0
QF		Birmingham  (A)	 W 1-0
SF 1st Leg	Burnley     (A)	 W 1-0
SF 2nd Leg	Burnley     (H)	 D 0-0
Final		Newcastle   (N)  W 2-0

EPL TABLE

[color="Green"]1st Everton 	P38 W24 D10 L4 F54 A19 GD35 Pts82[/color]
2nd Chelsea 	P38 W24 D6  L8 F80 A37 GD43 Pts78
3rd Man Utd 	P38 W21 D11 L6 F84 A32 GD52 Pts74
4th Liverpool 	P38 W19 D13 L6 F67 A38 GD29 Pts70

Third season down, 2 more trophies for Everton. Fantstic second half of the season saved my job. Winning the EPL in only my third season made it an incredible jump from Cambridge 2 seasons ago. July/August purchases had a fair season. Arshavin scored 7 and assisted 2. de Jong couldnt displace Fellaini from the DMC berth and only had 21 appearances in which he managed 3 goals and 2 assist. January arrivals had better performances, Ochoa only conceding 6 in 21 games. Jo led the team in scoring, 18 goals in a season where the rest of the team only managed 54 goals between them. Again for the second year running, Fellaini was my most consistent performer with an average rating of 7.71. He had 3 goals and 6 assists.

MANAGER STATS

Games Played 	- 178
Games Won 	- 112  (62.9%)
Games Drawn 	- 45   (25.3%)
Games Lost 	- 21   (11.8%)
Goals For 	- 297  (1.67 p/m)
Goals Against 	- 99   (0.56 p/m)
Leagues Won 	- 1
Cups Won 	- 3
Manager Pts 	- 1498

note. Played 1 game as England manager. Beat San Marino 6-2 in a friendly.

Overall a wonderful season in terms of silverware but we still need to buck up in goalscoring. Maybe will bring in another top class striker during the close season to score more goals. And as usual, the Cambridge update. They finished bottom of League 1 with only a measly 18 points. Guess sooner or later they'll be back in BSP.

TO BE CONTINUED...