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

[B.W.G]

b101 - By the end of September he has settled in very well so the future looks good for Zamps.

AK22 - You jinxed it We lost our 100% win record to a rubbish team but we're still unbeaten!

deltablue - No big two anymore,it's the big five and it is really close after September,only 4 points separate 1st and 5th!

cerud -Very True and we can only get better.

Animosama - To be fair,they were the better side in the 1st leg as well but being the better side doesn't always work with me

Raware - No I couldn't unless the teams I beat were all competitors.Out of curiosity,I searched the name Sola and there is an Iker Sola,shame he is an absolutely **** defender

[B.W.G]

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

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

Well at least the travelling fans had something to cheer about as we won every game away but failed to win at home.The Champions League saw us gain a very encouraging draw against Dortmund who are definitely the strongest side in the group and we eased past Partizan in a game where we could have easily doubled the three goals if we knew how to break the offside trap correctly!The league saw us batter Albacete and draw,they literally had 1 shot on target and scored,the game against Ponferradina was the same as the previous League game,absolutely battered them and draw which is annoying as it meant we dropped 4 points against lower placed teams.The away games against Cordoba and Almeria were absolutely brilliant,we had both the performance and finishing which left me pleased as we finished the month top of the league and unbeaten.

October sees us play five times,in the Champions League,we will travel to Lyon in a game we must get a result in if we are to gain a top two spot to move on in the Champions League.The league gives us our first major challenge as we lock horns with Barcelona at El Prat in which we probably stand a better chance of winning than we did in the Supercopa as the team are starting to look more settle but we will see what will happen.The other three games we face are Salamanca,Athletic and Levante,we should get six points out of those three games with Athletic being the toughest side.Things could be even close after October so everyone will be trying their best,at least Liga BBVA has gained some competitiveness in the last few seasons.

[Shevchenko]

Zamponi is bangigng those goals, should do well in October

[B.W.G]

We've only played one game in October so far (against Salamanaca) and Zamponi hit his first hat-trick for the club!

[B.W.G]

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

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

The Champions League saw us get absolutely battered by Lyon but somehow we walked out with the three points with a 3-0 win which is left us in a good position in the group with three games to go!We kicked off our Copa del Rey defence with a comfortable 2-0 win over Racing with Zamponi and Ortiz with the goals.The league has left a sour taste in my mouth as even though we are unbeaten,we have dropped a place as we have drawn too many games.The win against Salamanca was brilliant and the 4-1 scoreline was pretty fair as we looked like the only team to win.The Barcelona game saw a cracking game in which Barcelona were introduced to Zamponi who netted the goals to give us victory.The games against Athletic and Levante shared the same pattern in which we could not finish our chances and that is what cost us victory and first place and with At.Madrid having a game in hand,we can drop down to third if the win!

November sees us play six games,two in the Champions League,one in the Copa del Rey and three in the league.The two games in the Champions League sees us face Lyon at Home before travelling to Dortmund for game five,if we can beat Lyon then I think we are as good as through but Dortmund is going to be a very tough game!The Copa del Rey sees us face Racing and we are in a pretty strong position but we need to maintain a high level of professionalism to finish off the job.The league games we face are Betis,Real Madrid and Malaga.Betis are not doing too badly but it's a game I must be winning as we are drawing with teams around their level far too often.Real Madrid is a massive game as we are currently the top two and with the way Real are playing at the moment,there is going to be a lot of goals involved!I don't know what to think of Malaga,they were underachieving but they have just sacked their manager so it's a case of wait and see as it could be more tricky then anticipated.Hopefully by the end of the month we won't have drawn any games!

[Animosama]

Get back that top spot

[cerud]

I see the name Zamponi and all my brain registers is a Zamboni. What's a Zamboni doing on a football pitch?!?!

[B.W.G]

Animosama - Yes sir,I'll try my best sir

cerud - Too much ice hockey is your problem

[B.W.G]

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

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

The almost perfect month in which there was only one game we didn't win,that came in the Copa del Rey where we drew with Racing 1-1 but even though we drew,we went through 3-1 winners due to aggregate.The Champions League was a massive success for us as we won both games this month,we easily destroyed Lyon and we finished our chances to give us a 3-0 victory in the key game for us.The Dortmund game was basically hit and run as they battered us and we countered and scored and hung on for our lives at the end of the game as we qualified for the Knockouts!The league saw us win all three matches,a wonder goal from Capelli gave us victory over Betis in which that goal is good enough and deserves to win a match.The Real Madrid game was pretty controversial as we were given and scored a dodgy penalty and even I will admit it was a soft penalty,we were the better team and deserved to win but not like that.The final game of the month was against Malaga and we destroyed them,it was that easy that 4-0 actually flattered them!It's good to see that Zamponi has really settled in now and is currently on 21 goals for the season.

December sees us play six games before a small break over Christmas and New Year happens.We have a double header against Valldolid in the Copa del Rey,they have been a surprise in the league and it will be two very tough encounters as they should not be underestimated.We finish off our Group Stage in the Champions League as we face Partizan at home in which I would like us to end the group in style and top it!The league sees us face At.Madrid in our first league game of the month and it will be extremely tough,if we don't lose then I will be happy as that will keep us top for now.We also face Granada and Sporting who we should be able to beat quite easily,Granada are struggling against relegation whereas Sporting are in 10th but they are closer to challenging for Europe then they are battling for survival.My main hope is Zamponi keeps scoring as he seems to have settled and is now scoring for fun but all I hope is that we don't mess things up!

[Crazy Billy-Jay Jones]

Going great guns on all fronts, I see! Nice to see little Salamanca in the big league as well

It wouldn't at all surprise me if you finished the season having won the treble with the way you're going. Great job.

[Animosama]

keep it up

[Shevchenko]

Zamponi is a legend!

[B.W.G]

Crazy Billy-Jay Jones - Cheers Mate Salamanca have a become a pretty solid Liga BBVA side,they are currently in their 15th successive Liga BBVA campaign and have even had a couple of runs in the Europa League.I think the treble is beyond us this season as our players still need to develop more as some of the sides in Europe and incredibly strong!

Animosama - I will try my best!

Shevchenko - He's okay I guess,who am I kidding.....he is bloody brilliant

[noikeee]

Not surprised in the slightest to see you contending for the title and leading, as well as progressing in the Champions League. I think Espanyol will win big things this year.

[B.W.G]

It won't be the Copa del Rey,I drew 0-0 away and 1-1 at home so I got knocked out on away goals against Valldolid.On the plus side,I am technically unbeatable

[B.W.G]

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

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

That was definitely a mixed month,we remained unbeaten this season but we crashed out of the Copa del Rey in what I can only describe as a pathetic defence of the cup!We finished the Champions League group in style as we smashed Partizan 4-0 to top the group.The Copa del Rey saw our finishing let us down in both games and we ended up crashing out on away goals which means no treble this season.The league was pretty brilliant,we gained a very good point from At.Madrid which was essential for the battle at the top.We smashed Granada 5-0 before edging past Sporting 2-1 as we go into the break top of the table with a narrow three point lead.The only other thing to come from December was the Champions League draw and we have had a pretty nasty one as we have been drawn against PSG!

January sees us play four league games as we are now out of the Copa del Rey so we should be able to focus more on the league.We face Real Sociedad,Valladolid,Valencia and Rayo.I really want to smash Valladolid for knocking us out of the Copa del Rey,unfortunately both them and Valencia will be really tough games and we will need to be at our absolute best to get anything out of them.Real Sociedad and Rayo are both struggling against relegation and hopefully we can get past them without too many issues as we only have a narrow lead at the top and any mistakes could end up being trouble as Real Madrid are hot on our tail.Hopefully we can get eight points from the four games as well as carry on our unbeaten season!

[Shevchenko]

Unlucky against Valladolid, now you simply have to win the league and make Zamponi Golden Shoe winner!

[cerud]

Zamboni is now my favourite player of your team

[deltablue]

Well done staying unbeaten and leading a tough pack.

[B.W.G]

Shevchenko - No pressure then

cerud - To be fair I don't even really call him Zamponi,I prefer calling him Zamps

deltablue - Cheers fella

[Dexter_Morgan]

Well done so far mate Zamponi

[B.W.G]

Cheers fella Zamps is a bit of legend isn't he!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - January 2040

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League Table

Manager Thoughts

Another perfect month in terms of results as we pulled off three scrappy wins and completely destroyed a title rival in a awe-inspiring performance.A hat-trick from Armendariz was enough to beat Real Sociedad as our finishing actually let us down as we should have easily scored more.Was relieved to get revenge on Valladolid after they knocked us out of the Copa del Rey,I was extremely disappointed that we took our foot off the gas after scoring the third in which we could have easily destroyed them if our players decided to put the effort in.The Valencia game was a true masterclass and we absolutely destroyed our title rivals,this by far was our best performance of the season and will take a lot of beating to be better than it.The Rayo game saw a familiar theme from this month as our poor finishing nearly cost us the victory and that would have increased the pressure a little.

February sees the return of the Champions League as we travel to the Ancelotti Arena to face PSG in the first leg of the knockouts and it will be an extremely tough match for us.We have six matches in the league as we face Sevilla,Albacete,Ponferradina,Cordoba,Almeria and Salamanca.That is quite an easy run for a month of league games with the most difficult game probably be travelling to Salamanca or our home fixture against Sevilla.My main hope is that we can carry on getting points and hopefully remain unbeaten so we stand a better chance of the title as we go into the more difficult matches from March.

[noikeee]

Easy, simple, etc. Amusing that Atlético is pushing you more than Barça and Real but then again Atlético always always always overperform in FM, they're like a disease you cannot get rid of.

[deltablue]

Can't argue with the way you dispatched Sevilla.

[B.W.G]

noikeee - Well we have made it slightly more difficult (I'd say difficulty has increased by 0.5% ) by dropping points in the league including a loss but we still have a good lead over At.Madrid for now.Real have also taken over 2nd place so it is definitely the Madrid sides pushing us more!

deltablue - It was a good win over Valencia,didn't quite have an emphatic victory like that over Sevilla

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - February 2040

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

That was our worst month for quite a while as we lost twice and dropped five points in the league.For the Champions League,a draw would have been a fair result but karma decided otherwise as they were a rewarded a soft penalty which they scored from as we lost the first leg 2-1.The Sevilla game saw our best performance of the month in the league as we easily won 2-0 and didn't let them have a sniff.We made the Albacete game more difficult then we should of as we won 2-1 but that was good in comparison to the Ponferradina game which was a complete disaster.The Cordoba game was a good display but it was a harsh result as Cordoba did play well and didn't serve to lose 3-0.The Almeria game saw a good display performance wise but very poor finishing as we could have easily had eight or nine!The Salamanca game was a disaster from start to finish as we reduced to ten men after 1 minute when Zamponi was sent off for a blatant elbow,then it went down hill from there and 3-1 was probably a fair result as we crashed to our first league defeat.

March is an extremely difficult month as we have to travel to both Camp Nou and the Bernabeu to face Barcelona and Real Madrid in which we have to get positive results otherwise things could get more difficult at the top.On the plus side,we do have a couple of slightly easier games as we are at home to Athletic and Levante so hopefully we can get points out of those two although Walter Zamponi will be suspended for the Athletic,Barcelona and Levante games!We also have a difficult job to do in the 2nd leg of the knockout stage against PSG as we are currently 2-1 down but we will have to be at our absolute best if we are to progress as they are are a quality side and one of the contenders for the Champions League title!

[Shevchenko]

You can do it. Zamponi will be fresh for PSG and will score a brace

[Truegunner]

Looks like you've cracked the Barcelona and Madrid dominance, good nice to see a different team especially a different one from Barcelona winning it

[B.W.G]

Shevchenko - You were very close,we won 1-0 and Zamponi did score the decisive goal as we went through on away goals

Truegunner - Barcelona have been under performing all season where as Madrid are being a pain in the ass and that applies to both Madrid sides!Although the best result I saw was Real Madrid 6-1 Barcelona!

In other news,I rejected a move to the Premiership where Man City offered me a job and that was a very hard one for me to turn down considering I am a City fan!

[Deisler26]

cerud - Too much ice hockey is your problem

That's never a problem!

Congrats on some outstanding work!

[B.W.G]

I guess not,it is an entertaining sport after all!

Cheers fella

[Dexter_Morgan]

Nearly there now Be good if you can stop Barca and Real for a couple of years

[cerud]

Looks like you're changing the nature of Spanish football, taking the top clubs to task

[Animosama]

Only a bad run of form can cause you to lose now

[B.W.G]

Dexter_Morgan - It's going to be very close as we lost to Barca but drew with Real so there is only a 4 point gap between us and Real!

cerud - That's not the only thing I've changed,for my remaining time at Espanyol,I am buying youngsters for the youth,start off in the u19's move to the B team then the first team so it will be like a conveyor belt.This is the beginning of the Espanyol dominance.

Animosama - Well considering I lost to Barca in the league,I am definitely making it more difficult then it should

[deltablue]

Hopefully you won't mess it up.

[AK22]

Blimey, what a season you're having! Don't mess it up now

[B.W.G]

deltablue - It could be a tight finish,there is only a one point gap between ourselves and Real Madrid but we do have a game in hand!

AK22 - Even if I mess it up,I still did better than Barcelona

[berty1978]

Run out of superlatives really, another excellent season, hopefully you can turn it around against PSG. Having Zamps in your team certainly helps.

[B.W.G]

Thanks fella We did turn it around against P.S.G and Zamps got the decisive goal as we went through on away goals!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - March 2040

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

Not the best of months but what is important is that we are still top of the league and we are still in the Champions League.We battered PSG in the 2nd leg but one goals was enough to secure victory as we went though on away goals.The first leg of the quarter final saw us lose to our Catalan rivals Barcelona 1-0 but we should be able to turn that around in the 2nd leg as I feel having the home advantage will help massively!The league saw us drop points as the gap between us and Real shrank to one point although we have a game in hand.The wins against Athletic and Levante saw two excellent performances,both of which deserved the wins we got.The loss against Barcelona was annoying as the ref did everything in his power to help them win,even giving them two penalties in which they missed both,I also had a defender sent off after 26 minutes for two bookings and he only made two fouls while one Bacelona player made five fouls and didn't even get booked!The draw against Real showed our determination even though we were outplayed due to several suspensions we still hung on to clinch a valuable point!

April sees us play six games which could possible increase to seven which depends on the result of the Champions League result in the 2nd leg against Barcelona,we are a goal down but I know we can win if we play to our best,if we do get through then we will face Man Utd or Roma in the Semi-Final,I would prefer facing Man Utd as they are the weaker of the two and also my son plays for Man Utd.We have league games against Malaga,Betis,At.Madrid,Granafa and Sporting,the game against At.Madrid is massive as that will help decide where the title will go,if we win that then it could end up at ours,if we lose then it may give Real a bit of momentum which could be a bother.The other teams are some of the weaker teams in the league and hopefully our team will show what they are made of and beat them to show the difference between us and the bottom teams.Hopefully by the end of April,we will be in a much stronger position and hopefully we will have the title pretty much in the bag!

[Dexter_Morgan]

Bit of a bad month there mate, thought you was going to walk it at one stage Luckily you seem to have a decent set of games for the next month so you can take control again.

[Shevchenko]

You simply have to win the league, it is a must!

[B.W.G]

Dexter_Morgan - As my manager gets older,he seems to be losing his we''ll walk it touch I am indeed lucky for a decent set of games although I now have to contend with Roma as we knocked out Barcelona in the Champions League.

Shevchenko - If I blow this then I will only have myself to blame but I am pretty confident we will win it even though it will be very close.

[Animosama]

You title to lose

[elbilly]

Wow, great season so far for Espanyol. Tough month there in March but you got through champs league and faced two of the toughest teams away so it wasn't as bad as it may seem. I think you'll get past Barcelona in the home leg, that Zamponi has turned out alright.

[cerud]

Tough month. Hopefully, it doesn't come back to haunt you

[B.W.G]

Animosama - It is but we have the advantage if we finish level on points due to or head to head with Real Madrid!

elbilly - Cheers fella We did get past Barcelona as we won the 2nd leg 3-1,that gave me a brilliant feeling as we knocked our Catalan rivals out!

cerud - It was a pretty tough month but I don't think it will come back to haunt us......hopefully!

In a small spoiler as April is not over yet,you will be pleased to know that we made it to the Champions League final!

The side I built up versus my current side.....hopefully it will be an epic match!

[B.W.G]

R.C.D Espanyol de Barcelona SAD - Liga BBVA - April 2040

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League Table

Manager's Thoughts

We've had a couple of inconsistent months in the last two months but this was a brilliant month as we sit at the top of the table and have made it to the Champions League final.We overturned the 1-0 deficit against Barcelona as we won 3-1 to give us a 3-2 aggregate victory as our rivals didn't have the ref to save them this time!The semi-finals saw us face Serie A champs Roma (They've already claimed their 7th in 8 years!) and it produced one tight match and one slaughter,the first leg was a complete slaughter as the only thing what saved us was our finishing while the 2nd leg saw a tight match which we ran out 2-0 winners as we won 4-1 on aggregate.The league saw us pick up 13 points from 15 which is an extremely good return,however Real Madrid decided to match us and there is only two points in it with two games to go.The Betis game was probably our stand out performance as we gave a very pleasing performance which was matched by the scoreline.

May is the end of the season and sees us play three games in which all three are high pressured.We face Real Sociedad and Valladolid in which 4 points will be enough to guarantee us the title due to having the better head to head results with Real Madrid which is a relief as we have struggled with Valladolid this season as they have done nothing but frustrate us.The other game is the Champions League final as we lock horns with Sunderland at Wembley,they still use the majority of the team I had at my disposal as Sunderland manager so they are getting on a bit now so we could sneak a surprise by beating them as our squad is quite a bit younger and probably not far from being as good as them!