The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Broken Fan Belt And A Flat Tyre.

[cerud]

Staying very strong in the league. Clinching a European spot for next season look assured.

[noikeee]

Just caught up with the final season at Ferro, the usual really, total domination, well done and congrats for completing the mighty Pentagon!!

Took no time getting Espanyol up to form neither. I'm predicting 2nd place just behind Barça by 1 point or so.

[B.W.G]

rlipscombe - Thanks mate It will be even more so now as we lost to At.Madrid so it's just that bit tougher for us.

cerud - Cheers fella It is looking pretty assured but the only thing to be decided is which European competition we will be playing in!

noikeee -Thank fella!Espanyol has good players before I arrived,I found it more strange they were so low down.If I finish one point behind Barcelona,I will treat that like a title win

In Espanyol related news,we have had two high potential prospects through,introducing the English/Spaniard Harry Richards and Barcelona born Oscar.Both players are rated at 5* (Silver) CA and will play a big part in the future.

[Shevchenko]

Richards is one hell of a fast central defender! If his crossing was high I'd thought he should be re-trained for a fullback

[B.W.G]

He is amazingly fast,I'd say Richards is the next Aaron Todd who is also an amazingly quick defender I had at Sunderland.Todd has over 100 England caps and is only 28 as well!

[Dexter_Morgan]

2 potentially great regens there

[B.W.G]

I have found a regen who has come through this year better than both,he plays for HSV and I am just trying to negotiate a fee for him.He would be regarded as our 3rd best DR at the age of 15!At the moment I've bid at £8.25 million and 50% of next sale,I will get him eventually!

I honestly spend too much time scouting for the next big things!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - March 2039

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

Only three games played with two wins and a loss,the good to come out of this month is that we are technically not out of the running for the league table yet.The first game of the month saw us lose 4-3 to At.Madrid which seems close but we were absolutely battered and it actually flattered us,we scored three goals from five shots!The Salamanca game was the total opposite as we pretty much destroyed them in every department except for the finishing as we should have won buy a bigger margin then 2-1.The game against Albacete was more of a masterclass in defence than us giving them a battering,they had more shots and possession but we finished our chances superbly which leaves us in 3rd with nine games to go and still in the race for the title,although with the amount of goals Barcelona score,I won't hold my breath!

April is the deciding month for us as we face Barcelona and Real Madrid who are in the same situation as us although Barcelona look pretty unstoppable.We have five league games and the three games outside Barcelona and Real Madrid are Malaga,Betis and Valencia in which we stand more chance of getting points in those games as our away form is not the best both the big games are away from home.If we can get six points then we should be 95% certain of getting an European place next season.Hopefully Athletic will keep slipping up as that will help us massively in regards to a Champions League spot.

[cerud]

If you can get that rightback, he'll be great for you in the future.

[B.W.G]

We've signed him and he'll arrive at the club in the Summer.

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - April 2039

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

With losses to Real Madrid and Barcelona,that officially ends my title challenge which is quite amazing considering where we were when I took over.We did however win three games in the month which has left us in pole position for the fourth Champions League spot.We beat Malaga but Once again our finishing wasn't brilliant but we won which is the most important thing,Real Madrid dominated and deserved to win.The Betis game was brilliant for a number of reasons,we finished our chances,dominated the game and restricted Betis to zero shots!Barcelona dominated the match and deserved to win the Catalan derby,we we're brilliant for roughly 30 minutes but couldn't finish our chances in that period but we did deserve at least a goal.Damian Gryzb was the hero against Valencia as he hit a brace in a 2-1 victory,once again our finishing let us down,I prefer my wingers chipping in with goals but not one of them has more then six goals so my attacking force needs work!

May is the final month of competitive action in which we have five games to play as we have four league games and the final of the Copa del Rey to play.The final of the Copa del Rey would just happen to be against rivals Barcelona so there will be a lot of pressure in that match!Our final league games come against Real Sociedad,Almeria,Cadiz and Athletic.I am hoping we get Champions League qualification sorted by then as I don't actually fancy having to play Athletic on the last day of the season to decide who gets 4th spot.We drew the first game with Athletic 0-0 so I am hoping we can nick it as there goal scoring isn't great either but either way we have done very well to recover our season to even be in contention for a Champions League spot!

[Shevchenko]

I reckon Grzyb will score a late winner in the Final . But games against teams like Cadiz can be tricky, don't let your boys get complacent or uninterested.

[B.W.G]

I'll give you a B for effort as we did win and Grzyb did score but you lost marks as Grzyb scored the first as we won 2-1 AET First trophy as Espanyol manager against our rivals is a brilliant feeling!

[cerud]

Nice job on the trophy! Champions League play for next season is looking like a real possibility as well

[rlipscombe]

congrats on your first trophy with Espanyol. And that RB looks amazing for 15!

[B.W.G]

cerud - Thanks mate We qualified for the Champions League with a game to spare so there will be no battle for 4th on the last day!

rlipscombe - Cheers fella!He does indeed,now I just need him to fulfill his potential and HSV will be cursing selling him for £8.25 million

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - May 2039

Fixtures

League Time

Manager's Thoughts

What a way to end the season,steal 2nd place on the last day of the season which means we go into the group stage in the Champions League and we won the Copa del Rey to make it a more successful season.The Copa del Rey was actually pretty even unlike our last league game,it was always going to be settled by one goal but we did have a controversial penalty given to us which we scored which helped massively but there is nothing better then beating your rivals in a final!The league saw us struggle past Real Sociedad and Almeria but we scraped wins which shows we can grind the results when we need to.We secured Champions League football in our 4-0 demolition of Cadiz who made us look like one of the best teams in Europe let alone Spain which shows how well we played and how badly they were.The final game against Athletic saw us win which was a reward for playing well but once again our finishing wasn't at it's best but at least Gryzb knows where the net is as he scored in every game in May!

Next update will be the end of season update!

[Animosama]

What a steal

[B.W.G]

I'll be honest,I was expecting to finish 4th but seeing the two Madrid sides drop points and us win was brilliant

[Shevchenko]

Brilliant month . I have a sneaky feeling you're gonna get at least to the Semis of CL next season with such a powerful team.

[B.W.G]

Cheers Mate As powerful as my team is,we don't really compare to Chelsea,Sunderland,Barcelona,Dortmund (1st team to stop Bayern winning the title in 18 years!),Bayern and PSG!Although my expectation will be the quarter finals!

[B.W.G]

It has finally happened......Walter Zamponi is joining Espanyol!

Also Gerardo Ortiz may not be far behind but he is costing me more than Zamponi

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - End of Season - 2038/39

2038/39 Transfers

I'm only responsible for any transfer activity after October 2039.I let four players go on a free in December as they were youth players who were never going to make it.De Weerdt,Lopez and Nicolas all left to get first team action so I sent them out on loan to get that and put themselves in the shop window.We had too many strikers so I sold Rafhael Lucas as he was the weakest of all strikers.He was only worth £1.5 million so I did well to get £3.8 million for him!For the Incoming players we bought in six players,five of which were my signings who would all strengthen the first team as I looked to leave my mark on the team.The one who wasn't my signing was Nelson Eduardo who was signed under the previous manager,he is going to be a star so I have put him in the "B" team till he gains Spanish nationality in which he will then be moved up to the first team.

Competitions

Liga BBVA

League Table

Considering we were 16th after seven games when I took over,we did amazingly well to steal and clinch 2nd place on the last day of the season.We had the squad to begin with but we were underachieving and we even proved that as we were 3rd by Christmas.The only major change is that it is no longer the big two of Barcelona and Real,it is now a big five as they have the Madrid teams,the Catalan teams and Athletic which makes it more thrilling as there will be plenty of twists and turns.I feel Valencia had an off season this season so they will be one to watch next season which could make it six possible winners.We were defensively superb in which only Barcelona had a better defense and we had a decent attack but if wasn't for our striker scoring nearly half the league goals then it could have been bad.I can't wait to get into action next season.

Copa del Rey

Winners

We kicked off the Copa del Rey in the 4th round where we faced Betis,we completely controlled the first leg as we won 4-1 but we drew the 2nd leg in a nervy game as we went through 5-2 on aggregate.The 5th round saw us face struggling Liga BBVA side Almeria,in both games we struggled to beat them which was quite surprising but we went through 3-0 in the end which was disappointing.The quarter finals saw us face off against Sevilla and we were fantastic in both games as we won the 1st leg 2-1 before beating them 4-1 in the return game to clinch a 6-2 victory.The semi-final saw us face off a good Salamanca side and it took two very tough games to finally get rid of them as we went through 3-1 on aggregate.The final saw us up against local rivals Barcelona,we were just the better side for the most part despite what the possession stat tells you but we did equalize through a controversial penalty which even I will admit it was never a penalty but looking at the shots stats,I would feel a bit annoyed if we did lose as we had more shots and more on target.

Players,Stats and Awards

Best XI 2038/39 - Overall Best XI

Top Scorer

Damian Grzyb - 37 Goals

He had a brilliant last season as he hit 37 goals in 41 appearances as he was our top scorer by a very long way!However,due to circumstances,he may well find himself as 2nd choice next season due to someone incoming.Gryzb did well but he has a habit of disappearing and when he is our main goal scoring threat,that can be very worrying as our 2nd highest scorer had 8 goals!I am pleased with how he did as he was the third highest scorer with 32 goals in Liga BBVA behind Real Madrid's Damiano Pascucci who scored 33 goals and Barcelona's Antonio Garza who hit 37 goals (He is the one I had at Chivas!).It's unfortunate that I have to make a decision regarding the striker role but I will do what is best for the club.

Most Assists

Gianpino Iaquinta - 10 Assists

It may seem a low total but Iaquinta was only signed in the January transfer window for a bargain fee of £5.5 million which is a very good price for someone who went on to win caps for the full Italy side at the end of the season.He made 21 appearances,provided 10 assists and scored 2 goals while averaging at 7.30.I feel next season will be the on which Iaquinta shows what he can truly do as he will have settled down by then and he will have better players with him so that should help with our attack next season.I expect big things from him in the future and he will probably deliver them as well due to him having a combination of high potential as well as quite high mental stats!

Special Mention

Rufi

Rufi was our rock in the heart of defence last season and was one the reasons why we were defensively superb as he made 45 appearances,scored four goals and averaged at 7.45 for the season which was a brilliant return considering the nasty start to the season Espanyol had.He cost the club £6.75 million in 2036/37 which is a bargain as he is now worth £13.75 million and has been capped by Spain so there is no chance I am letting him go as he will be valuable in the future for tutoring purposes as well as being a key player as our defence will be our weakest area next season.However,his performances this season saw him pick up Fans Player of the Year.

Manager's Thoughts

We turned it around brilliantly as we went from 16th when I took over to stealing 2nd place on the last day of the season to guarantee we go straight into the Champions League group stage which is fantastic as we don't have to play in the playoffs.It was also brilliant to see a fantastic run in the Copa del Rey which saw us win the competition against our local rival Barcelona who are the team to beat as they have the best squad in the league.The squad has done well but we are still lacking in goals in the areas outside the striker which is a concern as I like my wingers and midfielders chipping in with goals which is what they didn't do enough of last season but it is an area which will be looking to improve in pre-season.Things can always improve at the club although there is not much which can be improved here as there is only a new stadium which will be on the list as we nearly filled out the stadium this season.

We already bought in some high quality players back in the January transfer window,during pre-season will see this continue as we have already confirmed two world class talents,two bright prospects and a solid player for the first team will see our attacking force rival the bigger teams in the division so it will probably be the case of outscoring the opposition for a season!We have the Champions League to look forward to as well as an early chance of a trophy against Barcelona in the Supercopa!I am excited for the future as all we need is some fine tuning and we are set which is in progress,by 2043 Espanyol could be European Champions but that is still a while off and I will be happy closing the gap on Barcelona first of all.The future's bright,the future's blue and it belongs to Espanyol.

Season       Club          Division       Country      League       Cup       Continental    Avg.Att       Notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012    Gangneung City    N-League       S.Korea       4th       3rd Rnd        N/A          1618     Playoff Defeat!
2013    Gangneung City    N-League       S.Korea       1st         Q.F          N/A          3540     Playoff Vitors!
2014    Gangneung City    K-League       S.Korea       4th       WINNERS        N/A          3707     FA Cup Winners!
2015    Gangneung City    K-League       S.Korea       3rd       WINNERS      WINNERS        4233     Left 18/11/15
2015/16   Wigan Ath.     Championship     England       5th       6th Rnd        N/A         13218     Playoff Winners!
2016/17   Wigan Ath.      Premiership     England       8th      Runners Up      N/A         19551     Top half finish.
2017/18   Wigan Ath.      Premiership     England       5th*      3rd Rnd*       N/A         17379     Left in Dec 17
2017/18    Zenit        Prem.Division     Russia        1st       5th Rnd     Group Stage    42445     League Winners!
2018/19    Zenit        Prem.Division     Russia        1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       50024      Won Treble!
2019/20    Zenit        Prem.Division     Russia        1st       WINNERS     Semi-Final     53101    Resigned at E.O.S
2020/21  Bayern Munich  First Division    Germany       1st         Q.F        WINNERS       68158      Won Double!
2021/22  Bayern Munich  First Division    Germany       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       70368      Clean Sweep!
2022/23  Bayern Munich  First Division    Germany       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       69688      Clean Sweep!
2023/24   F.S Stars     S.A Premiership  S.Africa       5th       WINNERS     Group Stage    12177     S.A Cup WINNERS!
2024/25   F.S Stars     S.A Premiership  S.Africa       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       15289      Clean Sweep!
2025/26  Sunderland       BSB Premier     England       1st       2nd Rnd        N/A         13202       Promtion!  
2026/27  Sunderland     nPower League 2   England       2nd      Runners Up      N/A         16683    Promotion + JPT Win!
2027/28  Sunderland     nPower League 1   England       1st       5th Rnd      WINNERS       24439        Treble!          
2028/29  Sunderland      Championship     England       1st       6th Rnd      2nd K.O       27407      Won Double!        
2029/30  Sunderland      Premier League   England       2nd       WINNERS      WINNERS       37235      Cup Double!        
2030/31  Sunderland      Premier League   England       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       48093     Won Quadruple!      
2031/32  Sunderland      Premier League   England       1st       WINNERS      WINNERS       51438      Clean Sweep!       
2032/33   Chivas           Liga MX        Mexico     12th/2nd   G.S/WINNERS      N/A         30182   Closing Stage Double!
2033/34   Chivas           Liga MX        Mexico      1st/1st       N/A        WINNERS       31838      Won Double!
2034/35   Chivas           Liga MX        Mexico      1st/1st       N/A        WINNERS       32639      Won Treble!
2035/36   Ferros          Nacional B     Argentina      1st      Runners Up      N/A         10950      Promotion!
2036/37   Ferros       Primera Division  Argentina    2nd/2nd     WINNERS        N/A         15309    Copa Argentina Win!
2037/38   Ferros       Primera Division  Argentina    1st/1st     WINNERS      WIN/QF        16102      Won Treble!
2038/39  Espanyol         Liga BBVA       Spain         2nd       WINNERS        N/A         38241     Copa del Rey Win!

[cerud]

Wow! You really brought Espanyol up the table! Congrats on the 2nd place finish!

[B.W.G]

We did although we could probably have done it in better style then snatching it on the last day

[manutdfan1999]

can I see a screenshot of your son attriutes

[noikeee]

I did predict a 2nd place! Great rise through the season from that poor starting position.

[deltablue]

Excellent first year at Espanyol.

[B.W.G]

manutdfan1999 - Here is my son!I am extremely disappointed he joined Man Utd as I'm a City fan although he does want to move to a bigger club

noikeee - That you did although you got the points difference wrong I didn't understand how we were in that position in the first place,least the new season won't have that happen.

deltablue - Cheers fella

[b101]

He is awesome! Sign him up

[B.W.G]

I wish I could but I haven't got enough money to sign him

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - Pre-Season - 2039/40

Club Information - Facilities - Boardroom Overview - Expectations

Pre-Season Transfers

A lot of players left the club as we raised £24 million to help get new players in as well as cut the size down as our squad was far too big considering we can only register 25 players.Juan Riera and Miquel Palet both left on loan as they should be able to at least make it to rotational squad players in the future but for now they need to gain experience from first team action.We spent £102 million on bringing in players which most of them went on two players both of whom signed from Ferro in Zamponi and Ortiz which is why Salomone was sold as it freed up a foreign spot!Naylor is a bright prospect and is 3rd choice striker while all the others signed will be getting plenty of first team action,I am especially excited to see Ferrari and Rees play as they are very young (18 + 19) but they are already good enough for the first XI!

Pre-Season Fixtures

We were dominant in every game despite losing to Havre but pre-season means nothing other than regaining match fitness.

The Team

Tactics - Team Report

Key Players

Gianmario Di Gioia - GK

Rinaldo Capelli - DRC

Gerardo Ortiz - AMR,ST

Walter Zamponi - AMC,ST

We have got a very strong squad now and these four are the standout players of the team but what it really shows is that our right hand side is pretty lethal compared to the rest of the team so I know where the action is coming from.Di Gioia and Capelli joined in January and while Di Gioia has gone on to be capped by Italy,I am very surprised Capelli hasn't but the latter is very versatile and can even play DL which makes him an exceptional defender for the team which is very pleasing.Everyone already knows about Ortiz and Zamponi so I don't really have to say much other than they have significantly upgraded the Espanyol attack.

Manager's Thoughts

I am extremely excited for the new season as we have strengthened the team significantly and we should be able to challenge Barcelona in all areas of the team so it will probably come down to managerial decisions in which it will be very tight.We have done the most strengthening but I still feel the Champions League is out of reach for the time being so I will concentrate on domestic football more for this season and then set mys sights on Europe next season.Zamponi and Ortiz will increase our attacking power in which we lacked at times last season and had to over rely on Gryzb which needs to be avoided this season.We now have a pretty young teams so things may take a while to reach a high level but most of the players are already at a good level so it's a case of development.

The only thing being done so far is we've increased the Junior Coaching and it now currently sits at an exceptional level so next is working on youth recruitment as I want to build the club from the lowest level possible so Espanyol can have a similar set up to Barcelona,we already have high level facilities which may have one or two upgrades left but for now it's concentrate on the cheaper options as I spent a bit too much in the transfer window which has left us near the red.With all that said,I am confident that this is the start of becoming a major force so Barcelona better watch out!

[cerud]

You got a son! That's awesome!

[B.W.G]

Came through in the 2030/31 at Sunderland,never played for them under my management as he wasn't good enough to play.Rewards me (A Man City fan) by deciding to move to Man Utd after I left Sunderland.Think I should disown him

[b101]

Nah, he just saw the light

[AK22]

A brilliant first few months in charge. Well done on winning the Copa del Rey already

Will be interesting to see how Zamponi gets on in La Liga.

[B.W.G]

b101 - Considering they are in league with the devil and have the devil on their badge,I have to disagree

AK22 - Cheers fella!He's not had the best of starts but there again,none of my team have had a good start,we have been below average despite what the results say!

[elbilly]

Wow what a turn around in Espanyol's season, I reckon Zamponi will do just fine once he settles in. Will also be very interesting to see the progress of that 15yo RB. Can't believe how awesome your son has turned out even if he is useless in the air!

[Raware]

Already breaking the stranglehold of the usual big two . There's a new team in Barca!

[SRL88]

Great first season with Espanyol. Onwards & upwards now.

[B.W.G]

elbilly - We had the squad so it was a case of getting them to perform.Zamponi has probably made the best start out of the team as he hit three goals in his first five games.If he is lucky then Lugowski may get some game time in the near future,definitely a future international though.Richardson is a good player but you can't be good at every aspect,thankfully MC's don't normally have to jump consistently!

Raware - The stranglehold of the big two is already gone,it is a lot more competitive then it is now Barcelona are still the big team in Barcelona as they beat us in the Supercopa

SRL88 - Cheers fella Onwards definitely,upwards may take a bit of work to be as dominant as in the other countries!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - August 2039

Fixtures

League Table

Manager's Thoughts

All we proved in August is that we can play terrible in matches and win,the only game we played well in was the Sevilla game and the ref very nearly screwed us over in that match anyway!The Supercopa was a disappointment as we lost 2-1 on aggregate to Barcelona but considering they dominated both legs,losing 2-1 actually flattered us but any defeat will hurt against your rivals.The league saw us pick up three wins out of three.The Valencia game was a game where it was backs against the wall and the only goal came from a counter attack.Even though we beat Rayo 3-1 we were very wasteful with possession which shows there is still work to be done on the gelling side of things.The Sevilla game was actually our best performance of the month but it doesn't seem so by the scoreline as we were done in by the ref twice as Sevilla scored two from the spot.We gave away two penalties but not a single player was booked,thankfully the team showed that they can outscore the opposition.Sitting top after a not so brilliant start is fantastic but we need to move up a gear in performances other wise it may come back to haunt us.

Six games for September which sees our Champions League campaign,we've been given quite a tough draw as we face Partizan,Lyon and Dortmund with Lyon and Dortmund being the biggest threats.We kick our campaign off with a home tie against Dortmund before travelling away to Belgrade to face Parizan.The league sees us face Albacete,Ponferradina,Corodoba and Almeria which seems to be a pretty easy run but we cannot take anything for granted as Liga BBVA is getting slowly competitive which is quite worrying as anyone could beat anyone,this has been proven by Barcelona losing to Valladolid.I will take at least six points from this month but ideally we need more as the more we gain now,the more breathing space we could have when we face the bigger names!

[Shevchenko]

The start of a new season can always be hard, players need to find that cohesion and stuff. Looking good

[B.W.G]

It has been tough to begin with as it took until the 3rd week in September before we started playing well,looks like all the top teams are in similar form so far so it will be very close.

[b101]

Nice to see Walter settling in well

[AK22]

100% record in La Liga Keep it going!

[deltablue]

Good start, especially with the big 2 losing.

[cerud]

It may have no been a pretty start, but the results are encouraging.

[Animosama]

Looks like Barca got the better in 2nd leg

[Raware]

Couldn't of asked for a better a start...how you wish you had another Sola eh?